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atzfilm · 1 year

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clair de lune (m); part five

genre; yandere, vampire!au, reincarnation! au angst, smut

pairing; ot8/f.reader

word count: 15.5k

summary; you’ve finally gotten the chance to enter “clair de lune”, a infamous night club to see the band hiraeth. but why did you feel like their eyes only watched you?

note: this fic deals with the subject of yandere. with that being said, a lot of the things happening in this fiction will be manipulation, gaslighting, and various other techniques displayed by the characters. if you are not comfortable with that, please do not read.

please don’t reblog with harsh criticism!! not needed or wanted ♡

warnings under cut

part four | part six

chapter five:

content: suicide mentions, death mentions, injuries, blood, poisoning, gaslighting, manipulating, murder, weapons, smut.

Chapter Five:

“I can’t,” you say, trembling as his fingers wrap around you, entrapping you. Yunho’s touch disappears, the man on his knees taking quick advantage of that. He stands slowly and brushes his fingers across your cheek, hands shaking, eyes flicking between yours rapidly. Everything in your body is telling you that this is wrong, that you should run away. But the look he gives you makes you hesitate. He stops, touching the corner of your eyelid. Your eyes are moist, and you shiver under his grasp.

"How does it feel?" He asks softly.

"Like I should push you away, like, like you're going to hurt me." You admit under your breath, eyes down. He leans, meeting your avoidance.

"I won't hurt you, Peach. I won't do anything to hurt you, please know that. Do you trust me?"

He leans forward, eyes moving from yours to your lips. You clutch the chair underneath you, closing your eyes.

The words repeat in your head, but you ignore them, with as much power as you can. You tighten your hands, not allowing yourself to run. You've avoided him this whole time, but you can't anymore. Wooyoung is one of the men you used to love. Rose, used to love, despite everything. His affect isn’t lost on you. You can feel in your bones how much you care… cared, for him. It still lingers.

“Are you scared of me?”

You're ripped from your thoughts, and you open your eyes. Wooyoung is centimeters away from your lips, his breath fanning your lips. You move one of your hands away from the bed railing, touching his chest. Your fingers stretch out, feeling the smooth skin underneath them. You twist your fingers, trailing the curves of his muscle. Your mind is rejecting the small touches, but you allow yourself to overcome it, curiosity getting the best of you.

“Peach…” He breathes, chest rising and falling quickly. Your heart is still telling you to run, but you don't. Not now. Not after you're this close. You touch his Adam's apple, and he gulps. He opens his eyes, their red gaze trained on yours. You stop, shocked at the change.

Banging on the door distracts you from him for a moment, a small muffled sound compared to the man in front of you. Your eyes flick to the side, but Yunho is already gone. As if he left right after the brief touch to steady you.

“You have to stop, y/n. I can't... I can't handle being this close to you without…” His words trail off, and his hands are now on the back of your neck, playing with the small hairs. He seems stuck in its place, not daring to move.

“What are you going to do?” you ask. He sucks in a breath at your words, and you know you've gotten through to him. But something itches at the back of your mind, like someone was creeping into your mind, wanting to hear more.

“If you don't stop, I won't be able to stop myself from fucking you into your bed.”

You drop your hand from him, and he groans at the loss of contact, not moving. He lifts his free hand, touching your thigh. His hand travels up slowly, and you quiver, the warning signs in your head increasing as he moves higher. You close your thighs around his grasp, and he smirks.

“Do you want me to fuck you, y/n?” He leans close, his lips brushing against the soft skin by your neck. He trails his tongue along the curve of your neck, biting lightly. “You taste so good.”

You lean into him, his lips moving up your neck, closer to yours. He smiles against your cheek, and you feel the corner of his lips touch yours. He moves closer, their soft touch brushing against yours.

"Wooyoung!"

His head snaps around. You jump away from him, moving to the other side of the bed. Hongjoong stands there, his face brazen and cheeks flushed. He looks at the two of you, then glares at Wooyoung. Seonghwa stands just behind him, staring at you. There’s an odd look on his face, brows furrowed. But you don’t stare at him for long, his steps around Hongjoong surprising you as he enters the room.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? She was about to fucking die and you can’t let her rest for an hour?" Seonghwa steps forward, leaning down. Wooyoung shrinks under the eldest gaze, eyes on the floor. "You're supposed to make a connection with her, not nut inside of her."

"Seonghwa-"

"You lost control, Wooyoung. We could hear everything that was happening. Thank goodness I came when I did," Seonghwa turns to you, sympathy in his eyes. He touches your forehead with his, gaze on yours, "I'm sorry, for everything." Hongjoong grabs Wooyoung’s arm, pulling him out of the room. Neither of them look back, leaving you alone with Seonghwa.

He gestures to the bed, “Please rest, y/n. I promise no more disturbances for the night. And I apologize for his behavior, it’s unbecoming of him. Rest well.” he bows slightly, turning on his heel. He leaves no room for more conversation, shutting the door softly. You hear the lock turn, his steps fading down the hallway.

"Are you an idiot? Are you really that foolish?" Seonghwa says, running his fingers through his hair.

Wooyoung sits on the edge of his bed, keeping his head down. Hongjoong already left for a quick jog. None of them could recall the last time he actually did that, but nevertheless, they left him alone. San went with him, for just a precaution. Everyone knows how he gets when he's frustrated. Yunho still hasn't come out of his room, letting the others deal with the drama. It doesn’t escape Wooyoung’s mind, knowing that Yunho was there briefly before the two came. Something he’ll speak to him about later.

Yeosang sits on the other side of Wooyoung, frowning. He knows what Wooyoung did was unnecessary. Frankly, he doesn't know what's going on. Everyone seems out of whack, their normal actions forgotten once they found you.

"I'm sorry hyung, I didn't mean to-"

Seonghwa grabs Wooyoung by his shirt, pulling him forward. He widens his eyes, and the others in the room turn to Seonghwa, confused. Yeosang takes a step forward, holding up his hands.

"Let him go, hyung. They didn't kiss, they didn't get that far. Just sit down and we can think about this-"

Seonghwa’s eyes flick to Yeosang, and he steps forward again. Seonghwa’s eyes are pitch black, a sign that they need to stop him before he goes too far. Jongho stands up as well, pressing himself to Wooyoung’s side. No one wanted Hwa to get angry.

"Everyone needs to relax," a voice behind them stops everyone from speaking. They turn, seeing Hongjoong standing at the door. His hair is a mess, and he still wears the same clothing from the cabin. His eyes were bloodshot, even though they didn't need to sleep. He must have kept his eyes open that whole time, restless.

"Seonghwa, let go of him. We'll figure this out later." Hongjoong smiles at them, "We don't need anyone else dying around here."

Seonghwa’s hold slowly loosens as he’s letting go of Wooyoung. He breathes, moving away. Yeosang rests his hand on his shoulder, rubbing small circles. Hongjoong turns around and walks back out without saying anything more. Yeosang and Jongho exchange a look as Seonghwa leaves, slamming the door behind him.

Wooyoung leans down, running his hands through his hair. "I don't... I don't know what I was thinking. I can't think, Yeo. I don't know... I don't know what's going on with me."

Yeosang pulls him into his shoulder, rubbing his back. "I know, it's okay. I know." It’s getting worse. The events are almost comically mirrored, how they collapsed long ago, resulting in them ending up this way. It scares him. He thought he’s already been through Hell, losing you and being stuck in this body for hundreds of years. But with you back, things are slowly going downhill. He enjoys you, enjoys your presence, but their emotions aren’t like how they were. Everything is amplified. His eyes move across the room, noticing another standing right there. Mingi didn’t announce his presence, often doesn’t. But the way he’s staring at him, jaw clenched, eyes hardened. Enough of a threat that Yeosang looks away.

What the hell is going on?

Seonghwa kept his promise. No one entered your room, leaving your breakfast just outside your door. You weren’t imprisoned, they said that explicitly. You could leave your personal confinement anything you’d like. But the fear of exiting the room, the fear of looking Wooyoung in the eyes, unsure if he killed you in a previous life or not, scares you. And if his words ring true, one of the others did. Not knowing who exactly did it makes it difficult to pretend to care around them. Pretend to be okay.

You hold your dinner plate in your lap, eyes stuck on the journals piled on your dresser. You doubt there’s damning evidence in Rose’s old writings, but the curiosity still lingers. There’s a chance you may just be sucked into another flicker of a memory again. Or you’ll just be able to read. Either way, it sits just in front of you. Waiting for you to open.

A soft knock on the door makes you jump. You grip your plate, eyes glued to your door. It opens just a crack, fingers curling around the edge. “Sea, may I enter?” Hongjoong. Of course it’s Hongjoong.

“Why?” You ask.

“I… want to speak to you about some things. To lessen the worry that burdens your heart.”

You frown. “I’m about to sleep.”

“Then may I accompany you in your rest? If you don’t mind, nothing will happen. I and many of the others still worry that your injuries aren’t being cared for properly. I want to make sure you’re fine.”

“I’m fine.”

A low sigh escapes his lips. You’re being stubborn, but you don’t feel bad about it. It is the least that you can do. You rise, walking to the door, and slowly open it. His hands drop. You glance up at him, scarlet eyes a deeper burgundy in this light. You can see how Rose fell for them. It doesn’t seem hard at all, especially with how caring they seem to be. But she cared too much. To the point where she died. Died, still loving them. How tragic. You hold out your plate and he slowly takes it, your fingers brushing against one another’s. It’s brief, barely a touch. The shiver travels up the length of your arm, and your body trembles. He doesn’t say anything more, bowing slightly. Before he leaves, you reach for his arm, touching his skin. He stills, eyes cast down.

“A few minutes.”

“And nothing more.”

He moves into your room after placing your plate on the table just outside your room. You slowly close the door and move past him to curl yourself up into your blankets with your back facing him. He doesn’t say a word, even as he slides beneath your sheets, body pressed to the back of you. His fingers lightly drag over your forearm, barely touching you. He doesn't say much, head resting on the curve of your neck. You can feel his breath tickling your skin, warm in the frigid room.

"I was worried," he says simply. His arm slips underneath you and pull you closer to his chest. You don't… hate it. He's the only source of warmth in the home right now, and you can't help but push your body closer to him. "Can I?" His hand touches the bottom of your shirt. You don't say anything, nodding. "Sea?"

"It's fine," you breathe. He hesitates before slowly slipping his hand beneath your shirt. His fingers stretch out against your stomach, shifting you closer to him. He keeps them far away from what's between your legs and doesn't dare put them close enough to the cup of your bra. Despite the compromising position, he doesn't push you. It's the bare minimum but you appreciate it nonetheless.

"I didn't tell you he was your brother because I didn't know how to. You hated being compared to her. I want you to see that just because you're the same soul, that doesn't mean that I will treat you the same."

"You call me sea."

"That's correct."

"Did you not call her sea?"

He snickers, lips brushing against your collarbone. "She would murder me if I attempted. Rose wasn't one for nicknames, sea. And she is not my sea, you are," he says it simply. As if it's obvious, silly to even think of anything other than that. "I am the captain, and you are my mighty sea. Beautiful in your chaos. You are nothing like my Rose, y/n. I just wish for you to see that. Your souls are the same, but that's where it ends. But I would be lying if in the beginning, I expected nothing to change. I was a fool."

"And you are still a fool if you believe I'd fall for your sensual way of speaking, captain. I'm much smarter than that."

"That you are," he agrees. "Though there must be some part of you that forgives me. The sea that I know would have rather eaten glass than let me warm her bed for even a few minutes."

You purse your lips. He's right. You hate that he's right. "So your glittery words are more than just talk."

"So they are." You can feel his grin against your neck. "And I am a man of great willpower. Here I am with the love of my soul entrapped in my arms, and I have yet to devour you. Does that not mean something to you?"

"It means that you're respectful, Hongjoong."

"What a comment," he murmurs. "Because I find myself losing every ounce of respect in my bones as I'm holding you. But I will abide by your wishes, my sea. No matter how much I want to break them."

You’ve fallen for his words before, the soft lull of them making you shiver. There’s little reason to wonder how he became the leader of his crew, his family. Even now with your disdain toward him, an underlying feeling inside of you makes you believe that his words ring true. “Why does he care for me now? Rose died long ago, and we are no longer related. There’s no reason for us to be tied together.”

“You’re correct, in a sense. But just stand in his shoes for a moment. How could you stand idly by while the reincarnation of your loved one is just a breath away? Especially in the hands of the same people where she perished? Would you be able to stand still?”

“Not likely,” you admit, and he hums in agreement.

“We are no danger to you. But he is insistent that we are. So his reparation for your soul dying a lifetime ago is to save you this time. To mend his own heart. In a way it’s selfish, but admirable. He loved you so much he doesn’t want to see you suffer again, even if it is a completely different person.”

“Are your words true?”

He pauses. “As true as I know them to be.”

“What about Hanse?”

He’s quiet. “What about him?”

“You killed him. What’s going to happen now? He’s gone.” You can’t believe the words coming out of your mouth. Casually speaking of someone’s death. Though you’ve known him briefly, you didn’t feel much danger from him. Except the obvious leaving you alone with Mingi and almost letting you starve. You almost laugh at your thoughts.

How strange your life turned out.

“Subin will come after me,” Hongjoong says simply. Not us, not we. Just 'me'. “He’s been relentless for quite a while. I’m sure he won’t take the death of his friend calmly. It will be difficult to deal with, but we’ve dealt with worse.”

“Will you kill him, Hongjoong?”

“No.”

You narrow your eyes at that response. You don’t remember the rest of the conversation, your heavy lids taking over. The morning arrives in the blink of an eye. You yawn, raising your arms until you feel the familiar touch of a hand on you. He hasn’t moved from last night, breaths tickling the skin of your neck. Holding you tight against his body. You hesitate. Is he awake? His breaths are heavy, but you’re sure your stirring must have shaken him.

“I want to trust you, so desperately, Hongjoong. The yearning consumes me. I want to know that you’re not lying to me,” you keep your eyes down, feeling how his body shifts. “I want this to be real. I want it all to be real so badly.” His hands loosen against your body slightly as he lifts himself so that he’s hovering above you.

His fingers touch the bottom of your chin, slowly tilting it up. Your eyes meet his, the emotion in his is so overwhelming, so filled with care and hope that it makes you stiff. He holds himself up with one hand, steady.

“You were all I’ve ever known. I have belonged to your soul ever since I found you stowing away on my ship. When our eyes met, it was as if our souls embraced. That is why I have not given up on meeting you again. I was waiting to know you once more, to fall in love with you again. No matter how much time passes, I will always love you.”

He leans forward, and your eyes flutter. He’s barely a breath away, eyes still on yours. “I love you to the point of madness, my sea. My reckless, curious sea. And I will do anything I must to ensure that you love me to the brink of death. If that requires me to lie to you, then I will. Again and again. Until each lie tickles your skin. Until all you see when you close your eyes are us. Until you wish to become one of us, so that you may stay with your lovers for eternity. Until you love me to the point of vexatious obsession.”

His lips brush against the tip of your chin.

“So I will lie. And I will continue to lie. I will lie to the point where you question if I am saying the truth. And despite all of that, you will love me.”

You press your hand against his chest, pushing slightly. He doesn’t budge, tongue flicking against the curve of your jaw. “I do not desire anyone who lies,” you say through clenched teeth. His giggle echoes in your ear.

“Good thing I am not just anyone.”

“I won’t ever love you.”

“Oh, you will,” he moves off of you, moving to stand on the floor. “It is only a matter of time, my sea. And instead of me coming to you, you will come to me. And my sea.”

His head tilts.

“I will kill Subin. And I will enjoy it as his blood drips to the ground. As life leaves his eyes. It will be my greatest pleasure.”

"She will never want you."

"Quiet."

"You've terrified her, Hongjoong. She wouldn't dare be in the same room alone with you again, let alone touch you. Your wants will just be left as they are, only an unachievable wish. y/n does not desire you, and I doubt she ever will–"

"Have you not learned any manners?" Seonghwa interrupts the conversation, eyes still on San. Hongjoong doesn't say a word, gaze cast outside the window. "Are you so deluded as to speak to your captain this way? We've lost our love and Mingi to the other clan even if it was brief, and you're berating him at this moment? What will it achieve, San? You tell him these words as if you're in a better position."

"It's his fault," San points to Hongjoong, red eyes filled with fury. "He told Mingi to lead her away. His choice made us lose her."

Seonghwa scoffs as fingers run through his hair. "Is that it? A pitiful reason. All of our decisions led to this, not just Hongjoong's. You have as much blame as he does. Reprimanding him will do no good."

"He's right," Hongjoong says simply, sighing. He closes his eyes for a brief moment. "Though it is all our fault for underestimating Subin, it is solely mine for not protecting her as I should have. If she were turned, things may be different. Taking the slow course to it was not a bright idea," He opens his eyes again, taking in Seonghwa’s judging stare. "It's the only way to keep her safe–"

"She will hate us."

"She will learn to accept it."

"Do you hear yourself?" Seonghwa laughs dryly. "You're going through the same routine once more. We turn her against her will. She hates us. Then she dies. Her soul being reincarnated won't happen again just because we desire it. Forcing her to be one of us just so that we're content isn't reasonable."

“Then what will you like us to do? Coddle her, love her until she accepts us? Or doesn’t and wants to run away?”

“...Is that such a terrible thing?” Seonghwa murmurs, both men turning to glare at him. “We are not who we once were, Hongjoong. Things are happening in the same pattern, the way we’ve planned to avoid for centuries. We should not have flooded her apartment. We should have let her go home.”

“You are mad,” San scoffs, shaking his head. “She would have run away at the mere opportunity.”

“Would you not do the same?”

Hongjoong moves from his spot at the window and faces Seonghwa. Though the eldest has a bit of height, his legs almost buckle underneath the stare of his captain. Hongjoong cocks his head with a frown on his lips. “Are you suggesting that I keep an eye on you? Someone was poisoning those fruits, Seonghwa. And you’re not off of the list just because you feel pity for our y/n. San will accompany you when you’re with her.”

“Do you not trust me?”

Hongjoong’s lip quirks. He reaches out, index finger brushing against the outline of his jaw. “I have trusted you since I’ve met you Seonghwa. This is why I know that you will falter under her gaze. And we do not need any slip-ups. Not when we’re so close,” he turns, looking to San. “Follow him whenever he is with y/n. Watch his every move. If I find that he’s done something nefarious and you have not told me, I will not be as kind. Understood?”

San nods. Hongjoong drops his hand from Seonghwa, eyes heavy. “Now leave. I haven’t slept in days.” San steps out before Seonghwa, the door ajar. Hongjoong slowly slides into bed and throws his blanket over his body. His eyes lazily moved to Seonghwa, waving his hand. “It’s tiresome to repeat myself.”

“Why are you doing this? Just weeks ago you were insistent that we followed a different path. What changed?”

“Sejun.” Hongjoong says simply. ��Him being alive makes things worse.”

“Is it because of what happened? Because of the past? He doesn’t know her now, so it does not matter—”

“Just because she doesn’t recall that he was her former lover doesn’t mean that she won’t slowly get those memories in her head. The only reason why she trusts us, even as little as she does, is because she knows that Rose once did. Him being alive puts a damper into it all.”

“She will not follow him again.”

“Neither of us know that,” Hongjoong’s tone is sharper, eyes narrowed. “She may be influenced again. If I have to be more stern so that she does not leave, then it must be done. I will make her realize that without us, she is nothing. She will come begging at my feet, desperate for me. Desperate for my protection.”

“Us.”

“Hmm?”

Seonghwa’s voice is softer now, “You will have her desperate for us. Not just you, Hongjoong.”

“That was implied. Now leave, Seonghwa. I did not lie when I said I need rest. We’ll talk more about this later.”

Seonghwa bows slightly, turning on his heel and shutting the door behind him. His palm rests against the wood, eyes on the floor.

You stare at your phone with messages to your friend unsent. Despite how many times you press the resend icon it doesn’t want to go through. You grip the device, fingers cold. Did she block you? The conversation flowed with ease weeks prior until she abruptly stopped messaging back. You assumed it was because she’s often busy; her days filled with the man she met at clair de lune rather than spending time with you. It didn’t bother you in the beginning — when you meet someone you love, the desire to spend every waking breath with them is relentless. But blocked? You looked through your last conversation over and over. Desperate. Trying to see if you somehow offended her in any of your remarks. But there’s nothing. Not even a semblance of doubt within the messages. She’s been friends with you for years, why would she just hate you suddenly?

“You have no idea what danger you’re in right now, y/n. They’re willing to do anything to have you. Have you not noticed strange things happening? Forcing you to stay with them?”

Is it possible…?

You shake your head. No. No. She’s stronger than that, more strong-willed than you. A few men threatening her wouldn’t sway her that easily. She’d at least tell you of the incident before ghosting you completely. She would.

Right?

“Your brows will stay that way if you continue to hold them that tightly.”

Your eyes move to your ajar door, Yunho resting against the doorway. His brow is cocked, glancing at how you hold the phone. In all honesty, giving him the time of day is the last thing on your mind. He’s been kind enough, but there is doubt with all. The friendliest are often not as they seem.

“Do you need something?”

He gestures his head to the outside of your room. “Family meeting?”

“Now?”

He nods. “Seems important. Hongjoong doesn’t often have these.”

You tuck your phone into your pocket and avoid his body as you enter the hallway. He touches your forearm and you jump, moving away. He stares at you for a moment, a strange look in his eyes.

“What’s going on? Is it because of Hanse? No need to worry anymore.”

“It’s not Hanse,” you say, his words still lingering. Have you grown numb to it? To death? You’re sure you haven’t, the smell from that cabin still wafts through your nose. Despite the fear of his death, there’s somehow bigger problems to worry about. One of the major ones being Hongjoong himself. You haven’t seen him much after that, only leaving your room to eat and nothing else. The looming pile of fruit in the kitchen was gone. So much for your peaches.

“I don’t trust you,” you say simply, holding your arms close. Your confidence has severely depleted, and it terrifies you. The you before would have tried your best to leave already. Probably in the very beginning, if you’re being honest with yourself. You’re just not sure why you can’t now. Even walking alongside Yunho you feel exhausted, body shivering despite the heat. Your motivation is minimal, if not non-existent. “I don’t trust most of you.”

“Why are you here then?”

You stop walking to look at him. The smile is long gone from his face, expression empty. “What?”

“You asked us to let you reside in our home because your apartment was flooded. We asked if you wanted to leave but you said you had nowhere to go. We protected you from Seungwoo in that bar, we saved you from that cabin, we pulled you away so that Sejun wouldn’t take you. When Mingi and I met you on the elevator, we told you Subin was using that little pouch to track you. We’ve done everything in our power to protect you, but you do not trust us?” He tilts his head, brows furrowed. “We’ve all risked our lives to save you countless times, y/n. What more would you like for us to do?”

You swallow, moving your gaze away from his. It’s not like you’ve asked them to do all of these things for you. But his words ring true. They’ve taken you out of more troubling situations than not. “I don’t want to talk to you about this anymore.”

“Ah,” he nods slowly. “Rose and you are more alike than you’d like to admit.”

“I am not her,” You glare. You watch as his smile lifts, lip quirking.

“That’s correct. Rose has a backbone. And I thought you did as well, but it all just seems to crumble the more that you speak.”

Your eyes widen.

“Yunho, what the hell are you doing?” A hand pulls you close to him, cold. You look up, and Mingi is glaring back at his friend. “You’re supposed to be taking her to the living room, not insulting her.” It’s odd the way he’s speaking to him. You’re very sure that their friendship is closer than most; the majority of the time when you see one, you see the other trailing close behind. So the way they’re looking at each other now makes you feel ill.

Everything around here just seems to be cascading into a pile of shit.

“She doesn’t trust us. There’s no purpose in trying to reason with her when she doesn’t even believe our words. We shouldn’t even be having this meeting at all.”

“Not your call or place, Yunho.” Mingi looks down at you. “You okay?”

Yunho laughs. “Right, it’s Hongjoong’s. Always his call.”

Mingi scoffs, “Don’t act as if we aren’t allowed to speak our mind. Hongjoong invites all of us to speak if we aren’t in agreement. Don’t paint a false narrative because you aren’t satisfied with the fact that she doesn’t trust you.”

“And do you believe she trusts you?”

His grip on you tightens, pressing you against his side. “That does not matter to me right now. I’m just keeping her safe.”

“What’s going on?” All of you turn your gazes to the one man you didn’t want to see. Hongjoong rests his hands behind his back, making his way to stand in the middle of the duo. His eyes glance over yours before landing on Yunho. “I told you to bring our girl, not start a fight with Mingi.”

Yunho opens his mouth but Hongjoong holds up a hand, giving him his back. His gaze meets Mingi’s for a moment before moving to yours. His lips lift in the familiar sneer, lids heavy as he stares at you. “You are quite the troublemaker, aren’t you?”

You say nothing. He seems to expect that, head moving up slightly to meet Mingi’s eyes. “Leave her with Wooyoung. We have much to speak about, and it seems that she does not want to cooperate tonight. We don’t have time for it, our concert starts in a couple hours.”

“I—”

“Did I ask you to speak?” His eyes narrow this time, smile gone. “As I said before, my Sea, I will not be crawling to your every whim.” He moves around Mingi, leaving the three of you alone in the hallway. Yunho says nothing as he steps around the two of you to follow.

“I’m sorry for this, y/n,” Mingi says softly. His hand squeezes your arm softl., “Please watch yourself, okay? If you ever need me, you know where my room is. Please come in anytime you’d like.” His hold on you isn’t rough at all, but the worry in his eyes makes your heart pound. Does he know something you don’t? “Do you understand, y/n? Anything, anytime. Please.”

“Yes, I understand.”

He lets out a breath, nodding. “Okay. I’ll bring you to Woo’s room, he hasn’t left it in awhile.” He walks close to you as you navigate the halls. You stand outside his room for a moment before turning to Mingi.

“Is everything okay? Why can’t I stay in my own room?”

“You’re close to the living room. Hongjoong might have something important to talk about and doesn’t want you to hear just yet. If it’s anything important, I’d tell you.” His lips rest in a small smile, knocking on Wooyoung’s door. “Even now, y/n. If you need me, just call my name out, alright?”

“Mingi—”

“I’ll see you soon, pretty,” his eyes moved to Wooyoung, sitting at his desk. “Have a good night. I’ll be back after the concert tonight.”

His hand brushes your waist, pushing you slightly into the room. He then closes the door behind him and leaves you alone with Wooyoung. The last time you were alone things turned out much more differently than you expected. Perhaps you were vulnerable? Nevertheless, you haven’t spoken to him since that abrupt exit. He doesn’t bother turning around, his pen scratching against his notebook pages. The soft sound of classical music plays. You pick at your finger as you enter, unsure if you should interrupt him in the middle of his thought process. So instead, you move to the opposite side of the room, eyes on the photo frames. Many are older than you can guess. The men are dressed in hanboks, eyes hardened even through the painting. It reminds you of when you first met them, when their gazes were wary and suspicious. Though you know them a bit better now, only a few of them still look at you that way. One in particular, San, meets your eyes in the photograph. A hand reaches over you and takes the photo off the wall. You don’t bother turning around, knowing he’s standing just behind you.

“I believe this was about a hundred or so years after you killed yourself,” Wooyoung starts. You hear how his finger drags along the frame, a small hum whistling from his lips. “We weren’t the same men back then. Kept to ourselves mostly, no one knew us. Yunho’s the one who insisted we have our portraits taken. None of us wanted to do it, even me. But he begged so we agreed. I suppose I’m glad we did it, don’t really remember much from back then. Years dragged. Until you came, of course.”

“There had to be happy times,” you say softly. His laugh is barely audible. You turn around, his eyes meeting yours.

“There were many happy times. Grief took over our days for a while, but we lived as best as we could. But not a day went by that we didn’t think of you, Peach. That room of yours—” he places the painting back on the wall “—it’s filled with all of the treasures we saved for you. So that when you came back you would have something for yourself. It’s silly, now that I think about it. We all assumed you would remember it all, remember us. It was hope that drove us,” his eyes flick to yours. “And yet here we are, fawning over you without any hesitance.”

“Is that disappointing?” You ask. “And be honest, Wooyoung.”

He seems to take the last sentence seriously, thinking. “No. And I’m not just saying that because it is you. I have grieved her for hundreds of years. Of course I was elated to finally meet Rose again. But when I let my mind settle, let myself realize that the two of you are not the same, I became happier than before. Because I can learn about you. Rose was my first love, that I do not doubt. But I can be with you now. That is all I want.”

“You can pick someone else,” you say, and this time his grin widens.

“Why would I when I have you?” He sits on the edge of his bed. “I want to apologize for what I did the last time we were together. I didn’t control myself, I let my emotions get the best of me.”

“But you meant it, Wooyoung. You don’t need to apologize for your true feelings.”

He lets out a sigh of relief, running fingers through his hair. “Then would it be selfish of me to tell you something else?” He shifts on the bed, lids seemingly heavier than before. “I didn’t kill you before, y/n. I wouldn’t do such a thing. I’d never take that choice from you when I regretted taking it from Yeosang right when it happened. You’ve been stressed, and I’ve wanted to help. I did not lie when I told you I’d do anything for you, Peach. And I will beg, if needed.” His hand reaches out and wraps around your thigh. He pulls you quickly, letting your body fall into his. Your hands hold his shoulders to stable yourself, his other free hand reaching around you and gripping your other thigh.

“Wooyoung, you can’t–” you rest your hands on his chest, pulling back quickly. “We can’t do this. You have a concert tonight.”

“Ah, is that the only excuse?” his brow quirks. “My sweet peach, I won't perform tonight. It’s my day off. I can do anything you’d like me to do,” he keeps the choice with you. His hands slowly move up your thighs, holding your hips steadily. “And Seonghwa isn’t here to stop us this time.”

He rests his chin on your stomach as his gaze looks up to meet yours. You say nothing, even as his fingers slowly lift your shirt from the sides, pressing lightly against your skin. You shiver lightly when his lips press against your exposed stomach. He sighs, pecking again.

“Please let me take care of you for once, peach. I promise I won’t tell anyone~”

He stands, slowly pushing you down against the bed. He keeps his eyes on you as he crawls up your body, hands slowly sliding and encasing your wrists in his grip.

“Why do you insist on pushing me away? I love you, peach. I’ll always love you. I just want you to love me desperately, to yearn for my touch at every given moment, to have me touch you and crumble apart. I want you to be wide open when you’re with me, to be completely vulnerable that you cannot bear to look me in the eyes because it’s so earth-shatteringly terrifying to meet the gaze of the man who loves you the exact same way.”

He holds your wrists into the soft mattress, eyes stuck on your gaze. You look everywhere but his gaze, afraid that the words he says are slowly becoming true. Not even days ago you believed he had killed you to be with him forever, and now you’re underneath his body, vulnerable. The one thing you never wanted to be with them.

“I don’t think I’ll ever love you,” you say.

“Say that when you’re looking into my eyes, peach. Tell me without saying ‘you think’. If you are to break my heart, I want to hear it from your lips with sureness. I want you to watch me fall apart above you. You have my heart in your hands, tell me what you feel.” He hasn’t left your face, patient. He says nothing more, willing you to meet his eyes. You finally do, the red much darker now, almost black. His expression is solemn as he ponders.

Of course, you cannot say it. You can’t tell him that you’d never love him because right now, as you sit beneath him, if you didn’t love him you wouldn’t feel like this. If you didn’t care you wouldn’t desperately want to never break his heart. The only thing you’re sure of is that his care for you supersedes yours by a lot, and you doubt you’ll ever love him as much as he thinks he loves you.

“I can’t say that.”

He blinks slowly, the familiar sly smile curving his lips. “I know that.” His thumb rubs your wrist. Skin to skin, touch soft, tender. He’s cold but somehow it only warms you up. “Can I have you now, y/n?”

It’s rare for him to say your name, say it so often. You’ve gotten used to the silly peach nickname. But the way he whispers your name, speaks it like a sonnet. He leans down, lips brushing against the curve of your jaw. His hands move and let go of your wrists. A way for you to leave, to reject him with ease. You slowly wrap your arms around his neck, hands playing with the hairs on the nape of his neck. His body shudders before falling down to rest on his forearms. Without another word, he drags his tongue across your lips, pressing it inside of your mouth. He takes over and rests his torso against yours carefully.

“How you burn for me,” he pulls from your lips, groaning. His hands slip underneath your shirt, hand outstretched against your skin. “I hear your heartbeat, peach. The way it shakes just for me.” He slides his hand up your body, thumb hooked on your shirt to lift it off completely. He pulls it over your head, tossing it to the side. “So pretty for me, peach.” he places a kiss on your cleavage, giggling when he listens to your breath hitch.

“Don’t make fun of me,” you note. His eyes immediately meet yours.

“Fun? Oh my Peach, how could I make fun when you’re beneath me, trembling with my touch? Having you like this in front of me, my hand between your thighs—” his hands follow what he says as he stares at you. He pushes your thighs apart, ripping your pants and tossing the shreds away. He cups you, your eyes widening. “Your swollen lips just from my touch. Both, lips,” he grins now. “A man would be foolish to make fun of their lover like this.”

His finger breaks through the fabric of your underwear. You watch as he tucks it into his pants pocket, sliding down from your torso. “I want to worship every piece of you. Show you how much I desire you, to show you that you’re ours.”

“Woo,” you touch his face. “I am not yours.”

He rolls his eyes, slipping a finger into you. Your hands grip his hair tightly as he moves in and out, slipping another inside you with ease. “Woo-”

“You are mine,” he says. The pad of his thumb pressing into your clit, his cold breaths against your skin. “Once you walked through that door y/n, you became mine. It is as simple as that.” His finger curls inside of you, rubbing against the rough patch inside of you. Your hold goes tighter, chest rising and falling quickly. “I know you better than you’d know, peach. I know every weak spot of yours, every part of you that begs to be touched.” His lips brush against the soft skin of your neck, his free hand digging into a small area next to your hip. You jolt at his touch, a beat hitting the middle of your legs. He giggles, “Seems like that hasn’t changed.”

You touch his wrist, stopping his ministrations. He stops moving his fingers, eyes on yours. His eyes look at you in wonder, curiosity, worry. Your other hand moves to his face, cradling his chin in the palm of your hand. His breath is gone now, irises deepening. Without another word, you tug his face forward, your lips brushing against his. He leans forward, but you only pull back. His free hand rests on your back, urging you to meet him. But you don’t, a small smile on your lips. You trace his face with them, his breath disappearing when you press a slow kiss to the space behind his ear.

“Please,” he begs, fingers curling inside you again. You moan in his ear, only making him wither beneath you even more. “I can’t…”

“But you teased me,” you whisper, another kiss to his neck, where his mole lies. “Isn’t it fair for me to do it back?”

He seems to melt with your words, movements still just as you finish them. You take the chance to slowly move his hand in and out of you, his breaths kicking up as you do so. You let go of his chin, using your other hand to slowly stroke the outside of his pants. He rubs himself against you, his pace quickening. You slip your hand inside his pants, touching his tip.

“Fuck me,” he stutters, moaning as you grip his cock. Your thumb rubs him, slowly stroking him, matching the pace of his fingers inside of you. You’re affected as well, your forehead pressed against his chest as you jerk him off. He slips another finger inside of you, a moan threatening to spill out. “Come on, I want to hear you.” His thumb moves quicker, palm pressing into you. You follow his lead, moving quickly, echoing his movements. “Come for me, peach.”

“Not yet,” your hand tightens on his wrist, pulling his fingers out of you. You don’t mess with your own pace though, his hips pressing against your hands. You pull away just as you feel his hips shudder, a whine spilling from his lips just as you do so.

A low laugh echoes around the room, pulling you from your daze. Your gaze moves to the side, meeting an unlikely man. Yunho stands there, hands crossed against his chest. He tilts his head as he looks at the two of you, gaze steady on yours. Despite the awkward situation, Wooyoung doesn’t seem to care in the slightest about the unexpected guest, pressing himself against you to get some relief.

“Play with me,” he whispers against your cheek, gripping your shoulder.

“But Yunho–”

“Peach,” Wooyoung murmurs, moving his head back into your view. “Just because he’s there doesn’t mean we can’t play. Or if you’d like,” his hand slips up your back, undoing your bra strap with ease, “He can play with us too.” His fingers stop moving, holding both of your straps together. He waits patiently for your next words, waiting for either a denial or an approval. You look back at Yunho, his gaze heavy as he stares at the two of you. You’d never guess that he’d do anything like this. In fact, you’d never bring it up, knowing the slight strangeness between the two of them. You aren’t oblivious, their interactions odd in comparison to when you first met them. Nothing you can figure out. Though they’re not the only pair that’s been off.

Wooyoung pulls you from your thoughts with the soft press of his lips against your temple. You slowly place your hand on top of his, guiding him to undo the straps. His grin only widens, pressing his lips against yours, hands pulling you closer to him. You can’t quite focus, knowing Yunho is just a few feet away from the two of you. You hear the chair next to the bed squeak, your eyes moving over. Yunho says nothing as he watches the two of you.

“I’ll take care of you,” Wooyoung whispers, leisurely pressing them down the length of your stomach, stopping just above the space between your legs. His hands grip your inner thighs, pushing them open. “All for me, right peach? Wonder if you taste as sweet down here as you do up there.”

A hand touches your arm softly, making you jump. You turn your head, Yunho looking at you. His gaze is hardened, eyes flicking to Wooyoung’s before resting back on yours. “If you’d let me, I’d like to touch you too.”

Wooyoung distracts you, dragging his finger along you. “You’re so wet, peach.” His tongue slowly drags across your clit. You try clenching your thighs but his hold only tightens, forcing them to stay apart. “Answer hyung, he’s waiting.”

Yunho squeezes your arm reassuringly. Despite the grip of his other hand on his thigh, he makes sure his touch to you is softer. “You can say no, y/n. I won’t push you.”

Two of them pleasuring you at once? Your head spins, very explicit thoughts popping into your head. You settle your eyes on Yunho, a soft moan falling from your lips when you feel Wooyoung’s tongue slowly enter you. The silence is loud, your hand reaching up, brushing his cheek.

“Yes,” you say simply. Yunho leans forward, lips brushing against your neck. He slowly lifts you, ignoring out Wooyoung whines, holding onto your legs. He rolls his eyes at the man, slipping beneath you, fully clothed, You’re thankful that it’s all leather, easy to sit on. He rests your back against his torso. Shoes kicked to the side, your bare behind sitting on his pants. His hands slowly roam your body, before gripping your thighs, prying them open. Wooyoung giggles in glee, wasting no time to dive back into you. He slips in three fingers at once, moving them in and out quickly as he sucks on your clit.

Yunho distracts you, pressing his hips into yours. His hands cup your chest as you stare down, large against your body. Unlike Wooyoung he’s quieter, heavy breaths in your ear each time you lift your hips and move back, each time you rub against his hard bulge. You try to concentrate on Yunho’s desperate words in your ear, but Woo is taking up most of your attention

“He’s right, darling,” Yunho whispers in your ear, “You smell so good, I wonder if you smell just as good in other places.”Look at him, pretty. He’s drunk on you.” You flick your eyes back down to Wooyoung, his sultry gaze glued to yours. He pulls away for just a moment, letting his fingers do most of the work.

Wooyoung snickers, “Look at our girl. She’s trembling just thinking about what we’re going to do to her.”

“Or that you’re taking too long to even let her finish,” Yunho says softly, eyebrow lifting.

A frown coats his lips. He’s motivated by Yunho’s words, thumb rubbing against your clit quickly, his free hand curling his fingers deeper inside of you. You shift your hips against his each time he moves inside, feeling Yunho twitch against your back. He moves one of his hands, pulling his cock out from his pants. You tense up just as Wooyoung rubs your clit, your orgasm hitting you immediately. Wooyoung moves his fingers quicker, riding it out. Just when it starts to sting he pulls them out.

“You’re so pretty y/n,” Yunho’s tongue drags along your neck, humming in appreciation. “Coming undone just like this,” his fingers drag up your chin, entering your mouth. You suck them slowly, feeling his other hand touch between your legs. He doesn’t rub anything, only cupping the outside. Seeing his hand just sitting there would make you come on sight if you didn’t just a moment ago. Wooyoung pulls back, lifting his shirt and tossing his pans to the side. His erection strains against his briefs. He slowly rubs the outline, teeth digging into his bottom lip as he looks at the two of you. The hold is tight enough that blood spills from the grip, dripping down his chin. He drags his tongue along it, slipping his underwear down.

His cock curves against his stomach, stiff.

“Please,” he moans, rubbing his cock slowly. “Please let me make love to you.”

Love.

You don’t want to ruin the moment, so you nod. He moves close to you, rubbing himself up and down against you. Before you get a chance to whine, he slowly sinks into you. Your fingers digging into his thighs at the stretch. His descent into you is slow, his lips pressing against your neck as you groan, trying his best to distract you from the feeling. You sit there for a moment, the overwhelming feeling of you being filled distracting you for a moment. Yunho continues to press kisses into your skin. Wooyoung waits patiently for you to adjust to him, until you tap his leg, silently asking for him to move.

“You look so pretty underneath me,” he mumbles.

You open your mouth to reply, but he takes that chance to sink into you quickly, pressing lips against yours. Your combined moans echo in the room as they move in sync; Wooyoung in, squeeze your chest. Yunho letting go, Wooyoung pushing in. The rolling of Wooyoung’s hips hitting yours with ease, skin pressing against your clit each time he pushes in.

“Fuck, look at you peach. You feel so good.”

Wooyoung’s muscles strain as he holds you, veins popping out on his arm as he revels in the feeling of your cunt around him. His hips seem to only go faster and faster, trying to hit his high. But once the squeeze of you tightens against his cock, he groans, pressing in once more. His hips sputtering as his cock-squeezing out his cum. He pulls out, resting at the end of the bed as he catches his breath. Yunho presses light kisses to your neck, before he shifts from his spot, lightly placing you against the sheets. He turns to Wooyoung, frowning.

“Leave.”

His brows furrow in confusion. “Huh-”

“Leave, Wooyoung. I won’t say it again.” Yunho says simply, eyes dark. Wooyoung looks down at you once more, leaving the room. He doesn’t bother covering himself up, shutting the door quietly. Yunho looks down at you, anger dissipated. You stare up at him, wondering what made him change his mind. He pulls his pants down, shirt still sticking to his body. “I want to enjoy you on my own, darling. Wooyoung is too vocal for me.”

“Yun…” Your questions disappear as he presses himself into you. He wastes no time; rocking his cock a couple of times before sinking into your cunt with vigor. You didn’t realize how long he is; the head of his cock close to nudging your cervix. You moan, his balls resting at the entrance. You feel more full than you’ve ever felt before, your mind consumed with only him.

Yunho’s pace quickens, hips becoming bolder as he collides with you, the squelching sounds echoing in the room. His grip is so tight, you’re sure he’s going to leave a mark. Yunho groans as he slowly reaches his high. “Can I come in you, darling? Please?”

“Yun,” You struggle through your gasps, and he grins at you, your eyes moist and head thrown back. “Please.”

“You’re doing so well for me, pretty. But I need know-”

“Come in me,” You say through gasps.

His groan makes your body tremble. Your fingers are probably digging holes into the sheets as you moan, cunt squeezing against his cock as you finally cum. Yunho isn’t too far away, desperate gasps as he slams his balls against your cunt. He pushes in once, twice, before is hips sputter, pressing against you. You feel the hot of his cum hit your walls, his warm body pulling you into his chest, pressing kisses into your forehead. The both of you are silent, until Yunho stands, lifting your hand to press a light kiss against the back of it.

“Let me get you cleaned up,” he mumbles, his cock sliding out of you. He’s gone for only a moment, coming back with a cup of water and a damp cloth, slowly cleaning you off. He grins at the mess they made between your legs, pressing the fabric into you as you whine, pushing him away.

“I’m sorry darling, just want to make sure you’re not dirty,” he whispers, continuing to wipe you off. Once that’s done, he takes out another clean cloth, wiping your face. You know that you have to take a shower to be fully cleansed, but you’re thankful nonetheless. He slowly sinks into bed with you, pulling you against him.

“You were angry with me,” you murmured into his arm. His head is tucked into your neck as you speak. “You were right to be mad. I’ve been going through emotions, trying to figure out what I want and what I don’t. If I were you, I’d be angry too.”

“Even if I was right, I shouldn’t have lashed out on you. That was unbecoming of me.”

“It was honest of you. That I won’t fault you for.”

You feel his lips curve against your skin. “Is that so? Then will you forgive me completely? Because my anger has lessened. I’m still a bit annoyed that you haven’t decided your place in our life, but that’s something I’ll get over.”

“Tell me why you were angry with Woo and I’d let your anger slide.”

His hold tightens against you at your words. You think you’ve hit a sore spot, feeling him adjust himself against you. “That is not something I can tell you now.”

“Yunho.”

“I promise it will come out soon. Just let me have this moment of peace?” His words feel a bit forlorn. You’re not sure what to think, but digging right now would only ruin the night. So you nod, moving yourself deeper into his body.

“Okay.”

“I hope that you’d one day trust me, y/n. Even if it’s a little,” he whispers.

You hope so too.

Wooyoung’s attached to your side. Despite your insistence that he definitely does not need to be following you everywhere, he does. It’s endearing despite how annoyed you pretend to be. Now that you’ve “forgiven” him, he’s taking every chance that he has to be by you. The others don’t appreciate his actions at all; majority of them having to kick him out to spend time with you. You’ve grown a bit used to the others being around, used to saying good morning. The lingering stares are another thing entirely, especially from Yunho and Hongjoong. Sometimes San, though he only seems to be around when Seonghwa is. Hongjoong. The man that said you’d be begging to be by his side. Though his glares aren’t as furious as they usually are — they do stay with you briefly. Enough for it to sting. He looks at you with disgust.

The rest of your interactions have been uneventful. Casual conversations, nothing solid. You’re still searching for a job despite their protests. And it seems like their words are working, not one place called you back for an interview. It’s as if you’re stuck in place, unable to move. Unable to leave their side until something happens.

You stare at the dresser, glancing at a journal. The words are still unknown to you, but a particular one catches your attention. It’s a darker red, stitching forcing the pages closed. Just as your finger brushes against it, you’re pulled deep.

"They would have been nothing without me. Without my assistance, without my guidance."

"They're your family."

His eyes narrow, a sly smile growing on his lips. He takes a step forward just as you take one back, shrugging. Your fingers grip the silver in your hands, ignoring how the blade digs into your palm. "That is true. I was alone and wanted a family so I created my own. But that does not mean that they're entitled to everything that I enjoy. Did you truly believe that they would be with you if I did not permit it? I chose to let them indulge in you. To please you. But in the end, their needs do not matter, Rose. Because you are mine. No one else's."

"The time on sea has deluded your mind, captain. Perhaps a rest will lessen your worries. There's no need for this speech. I'm safe in their hands." Your voice trembles, revealing your true feelings. He picks up on it and leans against the dresser nailed into the floor.

"You are afraid of me?" His smile drops, sympathy in his gaze. "I do not want my Rose to be afraid."

"You are not well—"

"Continue to tell that lie to yourself." His head tilts, meeting the gaze of something behind you. A hand covers yours, your head whipping to meet the new visitor. Subin looks over you, but his eyes are focused on Hongjoong. "Your brother is soon to leave, anyway."

“y/n? Do you hear me?”

You blink quickly, meeting the eyes of Seonghwa. He stands there with hands holding your arms in his grasp, shaking you. Once you blink he lets out a sigh of relief and releases you.

“I was bringing you dinner since you weren’t feeling well tonight. But I knocked and when you didn’t answer I came in to see if you were okay. You weren’t lucid. I thought it was a brief vision, but it was a while. I was afraid you were stuck.”

“I’m fine,” you say simply. You look over his shoulder, seeing the tray sitting on the dresser. You try taking a step to it, but he stops you, gesturing for you to sit on your bed. “I’m okay, Hwa.”

“Are you sure about that?” He points to your hand and how it trembles as you hold the journal. “I won’t occupy you for longer than necessary. Please, for a moment.”

You sit on the bed. Seonghwa steps back a bit, sitting on the bench next to your bed. He’s wearing his setlist outfit. All black, choker resting against his neck. He lets the natural red of his eyes through with his lips painted red to match. You’ve noticed that none of them shy away from makeup, most decked out in whatever suits them best. In all honesty it only makes the unwanted yearning for them that much worse; especially with the way he’s meeting your eyes in worry.

“You have a set tonight, you don’t need to worry for me.”

“Don’t you know that we will always worry for you? Whether you’d admit it or not, our lives encompass you. It would be silly of me to just leave when you’re barely there. Love is not just physical, but I am sure you know that.”

He says it with such ease.

“It is not as easy as you may make it seem,” you say, holding the journal delicately between your fingers. “Having eight men love you simply for existing seems like a miracle or an idealistic world. But I cannot pretend that it doesn’t come with its hardships. I don’t know how I should act.” You flip through the journal. The language is nothing you know of, nothing you can decipher. You wished that you could peer into her thoughts, but it’s all foreign to you. Brief recollections of a past life doesn’t help with the language in the slightest. “It’s fun to think about as a wish or daydream, but having it right in front of you is terrifying. And I can’t even share my thoughts with anyone but one of you because my friends are either other vampires or blocked my number.”

You look to him, and his expression is solemn. It scares you a bit how silent he has been, gaze never leaving you even as you look away. You’ve spent minimal time with the man; it must be alarming for him to even listen to you explain your grievances to him. “I’m sorry if it’s too much—”

“Don’t apologize for your feelings, y/n,” he murmurs, pushing his hair from his face. He rubs his temple as a soft breath falls from his lips. “I didn’t interrupt because I wanted to hear your true feelings. You’ve been looking very sickly lately,” he glances at your hands, moving back to your eyes. “I’ve been worried, and now I know why. Your mind has been very heavy, especially holding this burden on your own. And it’s hard to explain it when all you know is us. An outlet is needed sometimes.”

Seonghwa is rather comforting. He hasn’t come onto you like the others, a bit similar to Jongho. But you rarely talk to him one-on-one; in fact, you’re sure this is the first real conversation you’ve had for longer than five minutes. The grip on your—, no, her, journal tightens, thoughts scattered. “Thank you. It might be easier to talk to you because we don’t speak to each other often.”

“No need to thank me. The last time we spoke alone I offered you hot chocolate, which you vehemently denied,” a teasing smile rests on his lips, head sitting on his hand. “And which I remind you that I’d never offer you blood when you’re not like us. A silly thought, you know.”

“I was on edge,” you murmur, and he laughs. It’s low and soft, warm despite his cold exterior temperature. Though you did in fact feel nervous around him, being alone alleviates that. It’s nice to feel a bit calm around at least a few of them. His beauty does intimidate you. In fact, even the mere proximity to him reminds you that it isn’t a dream you conjured up. No dream of yours could create an image like him. “I do like being around you, Seonghwa. I can’t say all that I want, but I can say most. And I think that’s enough for me now.”

“I’m happy about that too.”

Your mind travels to Hongjoong, the one man that Seonghwa is often glued to. They haven’t been as close as of late – hopefully it isn’t your fault – but you wonder if it’s possible that he could let you know exactly what’s happening. You wouldn’t try to trick him like Mingi (a bit unsuccessful, since you barely pulled any information out of him), but ask. Nicely, maybe. But that quick glimpse of the past may just tell you enough. This obsession with you has lasted hundreds of years, and it seems to not have dwindled in the slightest.

“Hongjoong is trying to take care of you,” Seonghwa says softly, already diving into the conversation you wanted to have. “I know it’s hard to speak to me because of him. I don’t have much to say, y/n, he has a mind of his own that even I cannot decipher at times. He cares for you in a strange way, that is true. Rose then was more palpable in that sense; she listened to his words closely and though she was stubborn, in the end she followed his every whim. There was little that she questioned before she was turned into one of us. Being the captain of the most notorious group of brigands gave him that. Now that he no longer holds that title and we keep to ourselves, his words aren’t as respected. Not by us, of course. We listen to him without much protest. But you,” Seonghwa smiles softly. “Yunho insulted you before, but it isn’t true. Rose would have fallen for his words with ease because of his charisma. He still oozes the same as before, but you haven’t taken his words as gospel yet. That’s quite different from before. I don’t know how he feels about it, but it must linger in his mind.”

“I won’t fall for him,” your tone is serious, resolute. “He expressed to me his feelings a while ago. He lies, Seonghwa. And he will continue to get under my skin, to put me into a corner of trusting and respecting him. Now that I know, I’ll make sure to do the opposite.”

“Will you?” he lifts a brow. “y/n, I will say this only once. Hongjoong will get what he wants, persuading you with ease. I think you take his words lightly, too lightly. Do not let your guard down just because you’re sure it won’t happen to you—”

A knock on the door interrupts him. He sighs, not bothering to stand as it swings open. San stands there, a frown on his lips. His eyes move to you, brightening slightly. “We’re back from rehearsal. Ready for that meeting, now?”

San stands in between you and Seonghwa as you walk down the hall. Though few words are being exchanged between the two, you can tell something isn’t right. The glance that San gave Seonghwa right when he walked into the room told you enough. There’s a lot happening that you don’t know of and it worries you. Sure, Hongjoong’s threat is still there, but there’s something else. Especially with the way Mingi and Seonghwa are speaking to you.

“You alright?” San asks, nudging you slightly.

“Seems like that’s the only thing I’m being asked about these days.”

“Well, that wandering gaze of yours tells us a lot, you know.” Friendly? After he stormed from the room you were in and hasn’t spoken to you since? The brief act of care when you were taken was nice, but nothing else happened between you. Kissing up to you now only makes you suspicious. “We have to speak later, Rose. There’s much to talk about.”

Rose.

Seonghwa gives him a look but says nothing, turning down the hallway into the living area. Everyone else is gathered in various spots. You take the first open one next to Jongho, giving him a brief smile as you sit. He squeezes your thigh, moving closer to you so that San can sit on the opposite side. Seonghwa remains standing in the far corner of the room, arms crossed against his chest. The others seem to linger on your figure, only Mingi meeting your eyes. His brows are furrowed, piercing into yours. It’s uncomfortable enough that you look away, Hongjoong standing up from his spot.

“So,” he gestures to everyone. “I’ve remained kind to all of you for the past few weeks. Listened to your words, didn’t say much to disturb you all. But something that Mingi told me right when we saved them from Hanse has been lurking in my mind,” his eyes move to you. “My sea’s blood has been a bit strange; you see. Mingi said it did not taste right. I gave it some thought for a while, wondering if it was just a mistake. Because there’s no possible way that she could be hurt. We all live with her, we protect her. She is ours.”

You bite your tongue at the last sentence. You haven’t the slightest idea what he’s letting on, why your blood tastes strange. But as you meet the eyes of Mingi, he looks worried. And in between that worry – fear. What the Hell is going on?

“Mingi told me that she tasted of poison. At first, I just couldn’t believe him. Why would anyone do such a thing to her? Treat her in such a disgusting manner? We all yearn to preserve her life, extend it for as long as we can. That is what we all want, I know. So there’s very few reasons as to why one of us would subjugate her to such a terrible act. One of you wants to turn her without permission, to let her choices dwindle, to force her to choose vampirism. Now as I stare at all of you, few faces looked alarmed at the thought of her being poisoned. A bit concerning, don’t you think?” This time he looks to you, brow raised. But you don’t notice it, don’t notice his stare.

Your gaze is stuck on your hands, shaking harshly. You’re biting your lip to the point of puncturing skin, more terrified than you’ve ever been of the group of men around you. Even the one who’s comforted you most, Jongho, stills next to you. He doesn’t offer comfort, afraid that you’ll snap with the mere touch of his fingers. Your breath hitches, eyes flicking back and forth, trying to rationalize this. How could they be poisoning you? Why would they do that to the person they “love”? You can feel your throat burn, vomit threatening to come out. But you suppress it. There’s no use; you’ve let yourself trust all of them too much. Give them too much of yourself that you didn’t see any signs. You’ve felt off for a while, but you assumed it was just exhaustion and stress from the situation. Not one of them slowly killing you.

“Don’t worry my sea, they will be dealt with,” Hongjoong continues, giving you a once over before turning to the rest of the men. “My patience is very thin. Which one of you fucks is poisoning my sea?”

The room is silent. Hongjoong rubs the space between his brows, sighing loudly. “Silence is not an answer.”

“Is this how we should go about it?” Mingi asks. He looks at you, watching as his words make you crumble. “She isn’t well—”

“So we should hide it from her then?”

“That’s not what I was insinuating—”

“Then I’m glad for that,” he nods, “Because frankly, I do not trust any of you. For all I know you could be covering for yourself, Mingi.”

He widens his eyes at the accusation, and Hongjoong only laughs, waving him off. “It was a joke. A poor one at best, but I digress. Since none of you want to speak up about it.” He shrugs. “Good thing I have a strong feeling I know who it is. Especially since I was looking around the house, and found something quite interesting.” He digs into his pocket, holding up a small vial. The liquid is clear inside, only making your stomach twist even more. “Thallium, in its purest form. Banned in over a hundred countries because of its toxicity. It’s known to be colorless and odorless, and with small doses over a long period of time, it can slowly kill a human. It’s quite shocking that Mingi tasted it with ease since it cannot stay in blood for an indefinite time, so it must have been quite the amount for him to notice. It was used pretty often in our scavenging days. Easier to take out one of our rivals without being detected. Only one of us was an expert in its use.”

All of their gazes move to the opposite side of the room. You follow them, landing on Wooyoung. He doesn’t say a word, staring at you. As if he’s waiting for you to say something. But all you can do is look back, brows furrowed.

“Do you have anything to say? Perhaps defending yourself?” Hongjoong’s brow raises in anticipation. “Or will I take your silence as confirmation that you’ve been doing naughty things?”

“We were going to lose her,” his voice is lower than you’ve ever heard it. No enthusiasm like it usually has. “Was I to stand around and wait for it? I didn’t have a choice—”

His words are cut off, and you get to your feet. Jongho holds you back, a gasp falling from your lips. Yunho grips Wooyoung’s neck, pressing him against the sofa as he glares down at him. You watch as blood spills from where he pierces his skin, dripping onto the fabric.

“Who do you think you are,” he hisses, body trembling with anger. “Did you think none of us would notice? Are you actually that stupid?”

“Yunho…” Hongjoong starts. The rest of the men in the room say nothing, only Jongho looking at you in worry, ignoring the interaction just in front of him. “Relax.”

“How can I relax when he’s sitting here cocky, knowing that he was slowly killing her? For fuck’s sake, we were together—” Yunho throws him against the couch, letting go. He pushes past Yeosang and Mingi, leaving the room.

“We should take her out of the room,” Jongho says with his eyes still on you. “We don’t want her to see—"

"I told San to bring her in here for a reason, Jongho. Do not undermine my request. She needs to see what happens when one of us makes a mistake."

“This is unnecessary,” Seonghwa says softly. He doesn’t budge from his spot though, gaze planted to the floor. The confidence that he usually radiates seems diminished, eyes low in defeat. You’ve seen more emotion from him when he was angry but seeing him so detached when one of his family members is being attacked… It only makes your stomach twist.

Of course you don’t want to see this, see Wooyoung being hurt like this. And his hurt is a bit justified. You wouldn’t retaliate this way. Not at all. Seeing him hold his neck, blood spilling from the spaces between his fingers. Completely and utterly horrid.

Hongjoong moves closer to him, hands resting on his waist. You push against Jongho again this time, but he doesn’t move an inch. Your eyes meet and he only shakes his head. A loud crack echoes around the room, and your head whips back to the two. Hongjoong’s hand hovers over Wooyoung’s face. His fingers are sullied with blood. This time you grip Jongho’s arm, moving around it and stumbling forward. You throw yourself in between them, hands up in surrender as you look at Hongjoong.

“Wait! Wait, don’t hurt him—”

“Don’t hurt him? Have you forgotten that quickly? He poisoned you, y/n. He injected you with it so that you would live for us for eternity. So that you can suffer until the brink of death. Do you understand this?”

You continue to cover Wooyoung’s body. It’s foolish, you know that. It’s silly, stupid, and idiotic. You should be glad that Hongjoong is doing this for you. Elated, even. So why does this pain reside in your heart? You should hate Wooyoung, hate his mere existence. But you could only continue to block Hongjoong, eyes stuck on Wooyoung. His face is bruised, lip bleeding profusely. Eyes moist as he looks at you, his shaky thumb brushing against your cheek.

“We can figure this out,” your voice is low. “Just don’t hurt him anymore.”

Hongjoong stands there and stares down at the two of you. You don’t hear his fading steps, leaving the rest of you in the room. Wooyoung sighs, touching his face lightly. It’s already healing, and most of the blood has dried. You move away from him, tensing when he grabs your arm.

"You're so pretty even when you worry."

“You were trying to kill me,” you say. The exhaustion of your emotions weighs on you, anger stilled into a low worry. You should be yelling right now as well as threatening to leave. Your mellowness scares even you. Have you always been this resolved? This calm knowing that he was going to murder you just so that he can stay with you longer? His unrelenting devotion is at the point of obsession, and you doubt that it’ll lessen even as the others are angry with him. “You wanted to kill me, Wooyoung.”

“It was a foolish choice,” he admits. “I thought that poisoning you and making you sick will make you decide to turn into one of us. I thought it was the right thing to do.”

“It wasn’t.”

“I realized that now,” he gives you a quick smile. “Sorry wouldn’t cover it. I can show you that I’ll change—”

“I’m leaving,” you say simply, standing. His eyes widen at that, following your stance. “I’m not staying in a place where I’ll be killed just because you care about me.”

“Peach—”

You tense at the nickname, his face dropping. A hand touches the back of your arm. You turn around, remembering that the others are still there. San looks at you with worry in his eyes.

“We want you to stay.”

“Frankly, I could care less about what you want,” you glance around, realizing that Hongjoong and Seonghwa are no longer in the room, leaving just like how Yunho did. The others try to catch your gaze themselves but you’re over it. No amount of convincing would get you to stay. “I’ll go to my parents.”

“That’s far,” Yeosang notes. Inquiring about how exactly he knows that is useless. You’re sure all of them know about things you haven’t said at all. All of the red flags were in front of you but you chose to ignore them, push them away. And that choice led you to where you are now, the feeling of being ill and tired making all the more sense.

“I’ll figure it out.”

“You’re scaring me. You sound so cold,” Jongho says softly, brows furrowed. His words make you hesitate. Him, afraid? Why should he be the one afraid when you’re in a house full of vampires watching your every move? One of them plotting to take you out? In fact, you should be running out and screaming, begging for someone to save you.

But you have to play this smart. Panicking would only alert them that you’re worried. Of course you’re completely terrified being in this room with them. But remaining as calm as you can to get out is all you can do. You don’t respond, leaving the room. Your pace is fast enough, swinging open the door of your room to grab your one luggage from the corner. You have barely anything that’s truly yours around the room, and you throw in used clothing and anything else you can find. In less than ten minutes you’re fully packed. You turn on your heels with luggage in hand. Seonghwa stands there, body shaking. Without a word, he moves close to you and rests his hands on your arms. They slowly move up your body.

He holds your face in his hands, eyes moist as he stares down at you. It terrifies you how frightened his eyes look and how desperate he is to make you listen. But it scares you even more that you’re completely willing to take his words as they are, inject them into your skin and let them travel through you. How with the mere glance of his eyes, you’re already a mess.

“I have to go, Seonghwa,” you say simply. “I can’t stay here.”

“I’ll keep you safe,” he insists, “Please.”

“I can’t—”

“Do you think I care about any of this when I won’t have you next to me?” His eyes shake, fingers trembling as he holds you. “I would rather die a thousand deaths than lose you again, doe. I don’t know what I’ll do without you here. Please.”

He’s asking you to reconsider. Your fingers hold the handle of your luggage, his low breath echoing around the room. With every ounce of will left inside of you, you back up, eyes to the floor.

“I have to go.”

“Look at me and say that, doe. Look at me and tell me you want to leave.”

Your nails dig into your palm, teeth biting the inside of your cheek so harshly you taste blood. Say it, just tell him. Tell him you’re leaving, you’re not coming back. Tell him with sureness in your voice, resolute in your tone. Tell him you’re fine with it and you’re glad to never see them again. Ignore the pain that lingers there as you see his tears fall down his cheeks, the clench of his fists when you pulled away. Say it with conviction.

“I’m not that strong,” your voice is soft. The grip on the handle loosens, bag falling to the floor. You should be running far away. Why are you letting his words get to you? Why are you succumbing to the grip he has on you? And why do you not hate it at all? “I want to leave, Seonghwa.” Your body almost crumbles on itself as your knees give way. But he’s there, like he always is. He holds you close to him before your body hits the floor, taking you in his arms. Fingers digging into his shirt, ripping holes. “I want you to let me go.”

“Oh my sweet doe, I won’t ever do such a thing. Not when I’m here to catch you,” he holds you close, “I’ll always be here for you.”

“I want to go,” you repeat like a mantra.

“Do you?” he whispers against your temple. “Do you want to go?”

No.

“Do you want to leave us?” He says again. His fingers drag along your scalp, his strokes tender. Loving. Warm. “If it is what you truly desire, I will no longer hold you back.”

“Will you learn to love another?”

His laugh is saddening as he holds you, as the two of you fall to the floor. He places you lightly against the side of your bed. You lift your head as he sits in front of you, eyes moist. How terrifyingly beautiful he looks.

“I have loved you for my entire existence, my doe. I have loved you when you’ve hated me, I’ve loved you when you held a silver knife to my throat and had me beg for my life. I’ve loved you when you’ve moaned beneath me, begging for more. I’ve known you longer than you’ve known yourself and with every breath, every drop of blood, every tear I’ve shed, I’ve loved you. My heart has known you longer than my mind. There is never a moment in which I do not think of you, adore you, yearn for you. And now you ask of me to love another? To speak another’s name? Do you believe that these eyes can rest on someone else and conceal what I’ve once felt? My sweet, I’d give you my burning ashes if you’d so desire, but my love is not something I can give to any. Your stain runs too deep for me to scrub it away.”

You swallow slowly. “You’re speaking poetry.”

“If that’s true, then should I not sue the one who stole these words from my lips?”

You place your hands on his chest, flattened. “I can’t stay here, Seonghwa. Not when my life is in danger. I can’t trust any of you.” And it’s true. If Wooyoung, the man who looked you in the eyes and told you to trust him with everything that you have, lied to you. With such ease, he drank your blood without saying a word about the poison. Brushed his lips against yours and let the secrets remain as such. Betrayal is too weak of a word to describe how you feel. “It’ll only get worse as time passes.”

“That I understand. We will no longer leave you alone with him, doe. I can assure you that. We will watch your food if you want us to, to make sure there’s nothing nefarious-”

“My parents' food is safer than anything I’d consume here.”

“Having your family involved, doe,” he trails off, shutting his eyes briefly. “Now that Sejun is known to be alive, and that we’ve killed Hanse, the danger has risen. I and the others don’t feel that it is in your best interest to leave now. Not when they’re tracking your every move. Outside of these walls, you’re vulnerable. Unprotected.”

“And what do you consider my position now, Seonghwa? Am I safe? Do you truly believe that?”

“There will always be hesitance,” he avoids your true question, eyes moved to the side. “There will always be a sense of danger. With your existence comes peril, whether minimum or otherwise. Trust is earned, that I know. So I hope that you have enough trust in me to understand that leaving to go to your parents is not a good idea. The other clan hasn’t touched your family, but there’s room for a turn. Seeing them now will only work against your favor.”

He’s right. Through all the fluff and speeches of willing you to stay, he’s right. Having your family in danger because of you isn’t what you want. But staying here isn’t an option for you. Not when just down the hallway, a vampire wants to kill you so that you’d stay with him forever. Them, forever. You haven’t even considered turning into one, so why would you allow one of them to choose for you? Seonghwa seems to notice how you crumble, a small smile slipping on his face. It’d irritate you if you weren’t so completely numb.

It seems like the longer you are here, the more you’re twisted into them. How can every ounce of your bravery, your wit, your strength, dwindle? Why can’t you just run away? Why does your heart falter when he looks at you?

Have you gone mad?

“Why can’t I rid of you?” The words fall from your lips as your hand slowly touches his cheek. It shocks you enough that you pull away, eyes wide. Seonghwa’s brows furrow as he looks down at you, confused. You push against his chest harshly and he falls back to the sheets, your change too swift for him to even notice. You grip the knife next to your bed, senses slowly coming back to you. “Who are you?”

“What—”

“You’re not Seonghwa,” you point the knife as he steps closer, hands trembling. “He’s cold. Why are you warm?”

His concerned mask slips, a devilish grin painting his lips. His hands slowly drop to the sides, tucking into his front pockets. “Ah, so you are smarter than you seem, y/n. Almost as smart as Rose, though she’d notice my trick immediately. Blink quickly, darling. You’ll see me soon enough.”

You flicker your eyes quickly, the mold of Seonghwa’s face slowly shifting. Another quick blink and you meet the eyes of the man you feared, a cocky grin only widening on his face. Your heartbeat quickens, breaths escaping you as you grip your knife. It isn’t possible. He can’t be here, there’s no reasonable explanation—

“Keep those thoughts in your head,” he touches his temple, humming. “If I hear a scream…” he pouts. “Well, you wouldn’t like what I’d do at all.”

“Why are you here? Why are you warm?” He sits on the edge of your bed, ignoring your knife. “Leave.”

He scoffs, “Leave? Leave you with them? They’re plotting your death, darling. Again. Why the fuck would I leave you with the people who killed you?”

“I—” your eyes waver, glancing at the door. There’s no time for you to run. If you shout he’d probably kill you. “I don’t know you, Sejun. Please leave.”

“How many times are you going to say the same thing? If I leave, you’re coming with me. Oh, what’s this,” he stands, moving to the wall of antiques. His fingers brush against the journals lined up on the shelves, head shifting up to eye the treasures nailed to the wall. “Interesting, leaving you in here with these. I’d doubt Rose would admire the belongings of the men she’s slept with that were killed by Hongjoong’s crew. A bit odd, even for her.”

You look to where he’s staring. Paintings and other materials are resting neatly in place, many with decades of wear and tear, mostly unrecognizable. He touches one, taking it down from its place. It’s an old compass, covered in an odd substance. You’d rather not think of exactly what it is, though you can guess.

He turns it to you, a frown on his lips. “Your father’s watch. He wore it often before he was killed. Odd, considering that Rose could never find it. Makes you wonder how they ended up in its possession.”

“What do you want?”

“What I want,” he puts it back on the shelf, “Is for you to see them for who they truly are. They’re good at manipulating you. It’s quite alarming how competent they’ve gotten at it. Though,” he shrugs, “Perhaps hundreds of years of perfecting their lies may have played a role in that. So you will come with me, darling.” He holds out his hand. Your grip on the knife tightens, but it doesn’t dissuade him at all. In fact, he only moves closer to you, other hand tucked in his pants. “Making this difficult will only hurt more for you, in the end.”

“I am not going with you.”

His grin widens, eyes darkening. “There’s my Rose.”

He takes the knife from your hands, the blade digging into his skin. Before you can let out a scream, he covers your mouth with his bloody palm, pressing it harshly against your lips. You choke on the blood spilling from the wound, his laugh loud. Your nails dig into his skin, tears rolling down your cheeks as the metallic taste fills your mouth. Your eyes flick to the door, willing for one of them, any of them, to come in and check on you. But all you see is a closed door, Sejun’s body slamming into the window as he jumps out.

---

tags: @revehosh @mrcarrots @belletiny @sansblkgirlfriend @hwadump @honeyedtalisman @atzcoke @glitterhongjoong @whatudowhennooneseesyou @marievllr-abg @arkive78 @dysftopia @kpopnightingale @wxnderingthoughts @jenniee-tm @hongshines @atinytease @multidreams-and-desires @yla-aira @wommypeaches @avantalem @youre-a-wallflower-charlie @toxicccred @xciiiomwliah @madelinelina @kirooz @a-tiny-teez @tenebrisirae @ageofjade @n0v4t33z @yoongiigolden @jonghoharibo @fl0r4f4wn @gh0stbish @kodsukein @vitrealislux @sarcasticsagittarius1998 @spiderrenjunfics @aeoliannie @tannie13

#fic: clair de lune #ateez x reader #hongjoong x reader #seonghwa x reader #yunho x reader #yeosang x reader #wooyoung x reader #mingi x reader #san x reader #jongho x reader #ateez fanfiction #ateez angst #ateez smut #ot8 x reader

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fyodorloveclub · 1 year

Text

au calme clair de lune triste et beau

pairing: paul verlaine x reader

cw: vaginal sex, cunnilingus, fem pet names, creampie, french people

notes: first verlaine fic yay! its very fluffy and sweet bc i needed verlaine to cosplay being a nice person ♡ huge thank you to @amythedemisimp for helping me with the tiny bit of french so i didnt look like a complete idiot ♡♡ much love

wc: 2k

“Mmm, good morning, darling,” Verlaine mumbled into your hair as he felt you stir next to him.

You barely heard him, brain still foggy from only just opening your eyes, but smiled as he wrapped his long arms tighter around your waist. He snaked his hands under the baggy t-shirt you were wearing to press his warm hands against your skin, making you giggle. You intertwined your fingers with his that were resting on your stomach pulling him even closer to you. Nothing ever made you feel safer and more at peace than when you were wrapped in Verlaine’s arms, especially on lazy mornings like this.

It was the weekend, and you had no idea what time it was, could only see the growing sunlight filtering in through the curtains of the large bay window, and the snores of your cat still curled up in his bed in the corner of the room. The thick comforter draped over you was all tangled up around the two of you as a remnant of Verlaine’s slightly violent sleeping habits, and you laughed quietly to yourself as you remember being woken up at least twice by clumsy flopping and kicking and the incoherent conversations he had with himself in his sleep.

“What are you laughing about?” he asked, voice deep and scratchy. Though he sounds accusatory, you could feel his toothy smile against the back of your neck as he snuggled closer to you.

“Oh, nothing,” you teased. “Just the 30 minute long argument you seemed to be having with Chuuya in your sleep last night. Brotherly love at its finest.”

“Oh, really? What were we fighting about?”

“I'm not really sure, I think he was asking for your approval to propose to Dazai, and you were so not on board.” Verlaine chuckled. “There were plenty of slurred exclamations of ‘Chuuya, you idiot!’ and intense groaning.”

“Definitely sounds like how that would go down.”

You felt the deep, comforting grumble of his chest as he laughed, and thought about how much you wished you could freeze this moment and live in it forever. The warmth radiating from his skin and the way his body melded perfectly against yours, all in the hushed quiet of a morning with no alarms or schedules to meet.

Verlaine tugged on your waist a bit as a signal to look at him, and you flopped over on your side to gaze dreamily into his silvery-blue eyes.

“Hi, pretty,” he whispered, a lopsided smile spreading across his face. You blushed and smiled back, somehow still flustered at his flirting after all this time.

He rested a hand on your bare hip as he slowly leaned in to press a soft kiss to your lips, and you sighed contentedly into it. You reached up to gently run your hands through his silky, long blonde hair that you only ever got to see down at night. It started out as a gentle kiss, but your involuntary groans as his familiar lips moved against yours encouraged Verlaine, dipping his tongue into your mouth. He looked at you sideways when you groaned again but pulled back, wrinkling your nose.

“I love you, but your morning breath tastes pretty bad,” you giggled, making him roll his eyes.

“Guess I’ll have to kiss somewhere else, then,” he said with a tone of feigned defeat.

Before your still-foggy head could process what he said, Verlaine was all of a sudden flipping you onto your back and snaking between your legs, spreading them and kissing at the soft skin of your inner thighs. All you did was smile and let your head fall back against the pillow.

“No protest?” he asked, words muffled.

“None at all.”

Verlaine happily went back to working on your thighs, biting softly as he worked his way upward. Once he got where he wanted to be he made eye contact with you before slowly shimmying your panties down your legs, leaving you naked from the waist down. Placing your legs over his shoulders for better access, you moaned in anticipation of what was to come.

Now he was pressing light kisses to your outer lips, running his tongue up and down your slit. He used two fingers to spread you open, staring mesmerized for just a moment at your quickly moistening pussy. Just the sight of Verlaine buried in between your legs, mouth on you alone was enough to get you dripping. His arms wrapped around your thighs, hands coming to rest on your pelvis before leaning further in, using his tongue to gather up some of the slick that had already begun trickling out of you. You could feel the mmmmm he grumbled against your pussy as he tasted you.

Finally, he dipped his tongue inside you, pulling a deep moan from your throat as he flicked his tongue expertly against your clit, his hot mouth feeling heavenly against your already pulsing pussy.

“Oh, god, Paul,” you whined.

He smiled before wrapping his lips around your clit and sucking as he continued to circle his tongue around it, reminding you that he knew your body better than anyone else. Verlaine knew exactly how to touch you and push your buttons to have you melting in his hands, and he happily put this knowledge to good use.

He soon dipped his head lower to lap up more of your juices, while dragging his tongue through your folds. Verlaine tapped your thigh to get you to look him in the eyes before he slid his tongue into your hole, pleased with the gasps and moans tumbling out of your mouth. He would’ve smirked if his mouth weren’t full of your pussy. Then it’s Verlaine who’s gasping as your hands found their way into his hair and tug, fingernails scratching at his scalp. Desperate to ride his tongue, he had to hold down your hips as you involuntarily thrusted into his mouth.

Unwrapping one of his arms from your legs so he could palm himself through his boxers, Verlaine shivered at the friction against his growing erection. His tongue pumped in, out, and around your hole as he pulled his cock out and circled his fist around it.

“P-Paul,” you gasped. He looked up at you, eyes dark and sultry and face covered in saliva and slick. “Make love to me, please.”

Verlaine lifted his mouth off of you before nodding wordlessly, crawling from between your legs to hover over you. All of your labored breaths were swallowed as he once again pressed his lips against yours, melding your mouths together.

“You like tasting yourself?” he asked. All you did was kiss him back hungrily.

The kiss was messy, all teeth and tongue and drool as your hands clumsily snaked down his body to tug at the waistband of his boxers, signaling him to pull away so he could undress. You were both fully naked now, your old sleep shirt having been thrown off a while ago, and you relished in the intimacy of the moment. The intimacy of knowing exactly how to make your lover feel good and doing exactly that, of showing love unabashedly, fully exposed and on display for each other. You trusted Verlaine with your entire being.

Not many words were needed as you could read each other’s minds and bodies better than your favorite books, and it felt only natural as he positioned the two of you, pestering you regularly over if you were comfortable or not.

Verlaine peppered sweet kisses all over your face as he hovered over you, and you laughed as you wrapped your arms around his neck.

“Ready, ma chérie?” he asked in his typical sultry, sexy voice. You bit your lip and smiled in response.

He leaned back so he run his cock through your folds to gather some slick, making you cry out as the tip nudged your swollen clit. Then he was lining himself up with your hole before slowly pushing in. Your breath hitched as you struggled to stretch around his thick length, eyes screwed shut.

“Doing so, so good for me, beautiful,” Verlaine whispered as encouragement, each word punctuated with a chaste kiss to your lips, cheeks, or forehead.

Your legs came to wrap tightly around his thin waist as he bottomed out, and you couldn’t help the cries you let out. He stayed still for a moment, balls resting heavily against your ass, as you adjusted your hips to try and encourage the tight ring of muscle to relax. Verlaine was always so patient with you, so sweet and accommodating, and it made your heart swell.

Once you gave him a silent nod and smile of approval, he hiked your legs further up his waist before slowly pulling back out, eyes focused on you and your expression the whole time. Pulling all the way out so only the tip was still inside, he thrusted back into you with a little more speed, prompting a high-pitched moan from you. The feeling of being completely filled by your lover was so comforting yet so intoxicating, and you clenched hard around his length.

“More!” you groaned.

“Of course.”

Verlaine’s lips attached to your neck and sucked at the sensitive skin underneath your jaw as he slowly began to build up a rhythm, the wet friction of his thrusts sending pleasure coursing through your veins with every movement.

He held your body close to his as he fucked you and cherished the moment. All of his senses were on fire: the sounds and smells of sex and sweat, the lingering taste of your pussy, and the sight of you clinging onto him as you cried out his name.

“Ma p’tite minette,” he whispered into your ear, French accent thick. “Je t'aime.”

My little kitten. You whined at the words, returning a garbled je t’aime back to him while he pumped his cock in and out of you.

You could tell Verlaine was getting close to cumming as you felt his cock throb inside you, and your suspicions were confirmed as his pace increased.

“Inside, please,” you groaned, and he knew exactly what you meant.

His hand slithered between your bodies and used his slim fingers to rub circles over your throbbing, neglected clit. You immediately cried out at the touch, hips bucking wildly into the touch as your senses were overwhelmed. It didn’t take long for you to cum, whines, screams, and cries of his name all falling past your lips as your orgasm spread from your core to your fingers and toes.

The cream that had gathered on his cock amplified the dirty squelching noises in the room, and Verlaine was grunting and fucking into you hard as he chased his own high. You tensed the walls of your pussy tight around his cock to encourage him, and soon he was moaning as he spilled his hot cum inside you, eyes screwed shut as he was overtaken by his own orgasm.

Verlaine pulled out of you slowly, falling down next to you on the bed as you both attempted to catch your breath. Upset at the distance, you flopped back over, throwing your arms around his neck and burying your face into his chest. He chuckled as he caught you, holding you close while he ran his fingertips softly up and down your back.

The light shining through the window was brighter now, and you could hear birds chirping from outside. Everything was still, everything was peaceful, and you felt safe being held tight by your lover.

#verlaine x reader #bsd verlaine #paul verlaine #bungo stray dogs x reader #bungo stray dogs smut #flora’s fics

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dmysterioblog · 1 year

Text

Masterlist II

WARNING! Most of the following contain SMUT and/or have a DARK theme!

Disclaimer! These Fanfics aren't mine! They're just some of my favorites. This masterlist will keep being updated. Check at the bottom to see when it was last updated.

Masterlist I

Dark-♤ Angst-♧ Fluff-♡ Smut-♢

Little Raven

Pairing: Agatha Harkness x Fem!Reader

Summary: You've caught the eye of her.

Rated- ♤

Special Attention

Pairing: Dark!Agatha Harkness x Reader

Summary: Agatha give you extra attention because it's your birthday.

Rated- ♤♡

Mommy Aggie

Pairing; CEO!Agatha Harkness x little!Reader

Summary: Headcannon on how Mommy Aggie treats you.

Rated- ♡♢

I think you promised me a date

Paring; Agatha x F!Reader

Summary: a guy is following you and you find Agatha (a stranger) and asked her to pretend to be your girlfriend to get him off your trail.

Rated-♡

Make Me Forget

Paring; agatha harkness x fem!witch!reader

Summary: agatha is your magical mentor, and your first and only love. she has also decided that it’s her job to protect you at all costs, and one of the many ways she does this is the special spell she casts on you to make you forget all your troubles.

Pacify Her

Paring: Agnes x reader

Summary: Agnes reminds you who you belong to after watching you flirt with Wanda all night.

Rated-♢♡

Next Door Neighbor

Rated-♤♧♡

Paring; Alice Chambers x Reader

Summary: the Victory project might be messing with Alice’s head but at least one person believes her.

Rated- ♧♡

Mistletoe

Paring; Ayo x Aneka x Reader

Summary: you get caught under the mistletoe with Ayo and Aneka

Rated-♡♡♡

Princess

Paring; Claire debella x f!intern!assistant!reader

Summary: you’re an intern for the debella campaign on her road to her becoming a senator, and one of the hardest working on the team. no one notices how hard you work... or so you thought.

Rated-♧♡♢

Maneater

Paring; Gwendoline Christie x fem!reader

Summary: Reader is called a maneater and also the nigthmare of everyone who is rich, afraid of her getting them to bankrupt. But not her dear mommy.

Rated-♡♢

Offer Me That Deathless Death

Paring; Hela x valkyrie!reader

Summary: odin sending the valkyries to prevent hela from escaping was a present in disguise.

Rated-♤♧♢

You deserve someone who will fight for you not throw you into the fight Pt 2

Paring; Jamie Harrison x Reader

Summary: You're new to the Alpha house and can't help but become friends with Jamie.

Rated-♡♧♢

Feeling Neglected

Paring; Larissa Weems x fem!reader

Summary: You are laying down playing video games, not paying attention to her. To get her attention back, she fucks you while you play.

Rated-♢

Dumb

Paring; Larissa Weems x f!reader

Summary: Larissa fucks you dumb

Rated-♢♢♢

My Little Helper

Paring; Larissa Weems x f!reader

Summary: Reader is visiting home from college for summer break and can't help but notice the new neighbor and your mom has already offered you up to help her with anything she needs.

Rated-♡♢

Personal Blood Bag

Paring; Vampire!Natasha x Fem!Reader

Summary: In a world ruled by vampires every vampire has their own personal blood bag for them to use. After years of searching, Natasha has finally found hers. The only thing left to do for her is to mark you and complete the bond.

Rated- ♤♢

Prison Break

Paring; Dark!Natasha x reader

Summary: Natasha breaks out of prison and finds her new baby. She will do anything in her power to keep her safe by her side.

Rated-♤♧♢♡

Ms.Romanoff's sweet girl

Paring; Teacher!Nat x innocent!reader

Summary: you grew up in a conservative household and you know nothing about sex, but you have a crush on your teacher who leaves you with weird feelings downstairs, what happens when she finds out?

Rated-♡♢

Saved II III

Paring; Queen Ramonda x reader

Summary: You save the queen from dying and in the process you confess your feelings and almost lose your life as well.

Rated-♧♡

I'd Do It All Over Again

Paring; Queen Ramonda x Female Reader

Summary: For Ramonda, you'd do anything. Including risk your life.

Rated-♧♡

Dating Riri

Paring; toxic!riri x black!reader

Summary: what is like to date a toxic Riri.

Rated-♧?♢♡

Consume Me

Paring; Scotty x Fem!reader

Summary: Scotty eats the reader out in a feral manner, seeking to taste the reader while relieving stress after a long day at work.

Rated-♢♡

Attitude

Paring; toxic!shuriri x blackfemreader

Summary: you’re fed up with how shuri and riri have been in the lab, and giving less and less attention everyday…but it gets resolved.

Rated-♧♢♡

Don't Play With Me Princess

Pairing: Shuri x Reader

Summary: You get too close with Riri and Shuri doesn't like that.

Rated-♢♡

When I Had The Chance

Pairing: Dark!Shuri x Reader

Summary: Namor hurts you and Shuri makes sure that doesn't happen again.

Rated-♤♢

Princess Charming

Pairing; Shuri x Fem!Reader

Summery: You try to keep your crush on Princess Shuri in check while working as one of her lab assistants.

Rated-♡

Touch Me

Pairing; dom!Shuri x brat!Fem reader

Summary: Reader is feeling neglected as Shuri takes on responsibilities as both the Black Panther and the leader of the Design Group. Instead of talking it out, she tries to get Shuri’s attention in other ways.

Rated- ♢♡

Sweet Girl

Pairing; Dom!Shuri x fem!Black Reader

Summary: smut with no plot…

Rated- ♢♢♢

Are You Avoiding Me?

Pairing; Shuri x reader

Summery: You have been ignoring Shuri ever since your accidental confession, but she won’t ;et you unlit she tells you hers.

Rated-♧♡

Not my girlfriend my wife!

Pairing; Shuri x reader

Summary: Shuri does not take kindly to other women trying to hit on you I mean she takes it to heart it makes her feel as if she's not showing that you two are a couple enough. So when this happens she makes it well known that you belong to someone and not just anyone her.

Rated-♡♡♡

No Longer A Secret

Paring; shuri x fem!reader

Summary: After hiding your relationship with Shuri for months, she decided it's time to let everyone know. But first, you must inform the Dora Milaje's general, Okoye, who is also your mother.

Rated-♡

Princess Problems

Paring; shuri x dora milaje!reader

Summary: ongoing petty bickering between you and the princess is interfering with you job. You have to put an end to it once and for all.

Rated-♢

The Panther's Muse

Paring; shuri x fem!reader

Summary: Shuri pays a visit to Riri’s new apartment but is surprised that she no longer lives alone.

Rated-♢♡

Take it off before, I tear it

Paring; Shuri x reader

Summary: You've been feeling neglected and decide to send nude pictures to Shuri while she is in the lab. When she got back, she put you in your place.

Rated-♢♡

Watching a “Movie”

Pairing; Shuri x Fem!Reader

Summary: Shuri and the reader have a fun sleepover.

Rated-♢♢♢

Caught Your Attention

Pairing; Shuri x Fem!Reader

Summary: youve noticed it before— the lingering stares, the intense firm grip she uses with you, how close she is to you, how frequently you are with her, how she looks at people when they stare at you. you hadn’t put two and two together until an incident that made you come to terms with just how much you mean to the queen.

Rated-♡♢

Teach Me

Paring; Bartender!shuri x black!fem!reader

Summary: A one night stand with bartender Shuri.

Rated-♢♡

Evil Queen

Paring; Wanda Maximoff x reader

Summary: "You are mine. You belong to me only"

Rated- ???

The Gardener

Paring; Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: Y/n was the gardener's daughter, she used to help her father to yard work for Wanda. Now she does some of the work on her own. Wanda has a thing for the college aged girl and finds a way to get what she wants.

Rated- ♡♢

Sleepy

Pairing: g!p Wanda x g!p Natasha x little!fem!reader

Summary: y/n doesn’t want to go to bed, so Wanda and Natasha find another way to make her sleepy…

Rated- ♡♢

My Best Girl

Paring; stepmom!wanda x reader

Summary: Wanda spoils her best Girl for getting good grades in school.

Rated-♡♢

Stress Relief

Pairing; Stepmom!Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: Whenever you're overwhelmed, your loving stepmom is there to make it better.

Rated-♤♡♢

Comfort

Paring; Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: Reader is dragged along to a sleepover at the Maximoff's house. However when she gets there Wanda isn't her usual happy-go-lucky self. She seeks comfort in the reader, which is a shock to the entire group.

Rated-♡

Last updated 04/22/23

#agatha harkness x reader #alice chambers x reader #claire debella x reader #hela x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #wanda maximoff x reader #fic rec #shuri x reader #hela odinsdottir x reader #Jamie Harrison x reader #queen ramonda #queen romanda x reader #toxic!shuri

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forgetminot · 1 year

Note

Hi mate, may I request fem! Reader x husband! Leon where their daughter (16y) told them that the guy she like from school confess to her and that the guy want to meet her parents for approval to court her, y/n is excited but Leon will be protective to her little princess.

Just a cute one, btw I build up my courage to ask after I binge reading your fics, love your fics and more power of writing come to you!

Extremely Happy.

♡ Husband! Leon Kennedy x Fem! Reader ♡

[ Warnings : Protective Leon, slight mention of trust issues/trauma, Mostly fluff! ]

Author's Note : This is such a cute idea! Thank you for the request and the kind words, I hope you enjoy it. I may have named their daughter after Claire...

Summary : Your daughter brings home her crush from school and Leon is not quite sure how he feels about it.

She was so much like Leon, everything about your daughter reminded you of her father. Her smile, her dirty blonde hair, how she'd bite her lip when she was concentrating, her humor and most of all her confidence; which Leon was currently not so fond of.

"I'm sorry, who is he?" Leon questioned, his eyes glaring at the boy standing in front of him.

"Oh, uh- I'm-" You smile, excitedly cutting the boy off from his sentence and ushering both him and your daughter inside.

"Welcome! Make yourself at home!" You close the door swiftly behind you and wait for the two teenagers to remove their shoes. You follow your daughter into the living room and take a seat, leaning back into one of the sofas. "Take a seat." You gleam, motioning to the large sofa opposite you on the other side of the room. They both take a seat next to each other while Leon hangs back by the living room door, leaning against its frame with his hands crossed against his chest.

"This is Dylan!" Placing her hand over his, your daughter smiles as she introduces the boy to both you and Leon. You hear Leon scoff quietly behind you and you glance over your shoulder, now you're the one that's glaring.

"Dylan?" You repeat. "Well it's nice to meet you!" He smiles timidly at you, refusing to make eye contact with your husband. You cough abruptly, standing up. "Excuse us, one second." You hurry over to Leon, grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the room. "What is your problem?" You hiss quietly.

"My problem?" He chuckles. "What is your problem? He's a complete stranger!" He stands firm, his hands still crossed against his chest.

"Stranger? He's Claire's classmate!" You understand why Leon is being cautious, you really do; with everything he has been through the past years, trusting people isn't something he does often... you just hoped he would go easier on the poor boy. "It's obvious she likes him, Lee!" You take a step towards your husband, closing the gap. "I understand." You say softly, taking his hands in yours and looking up into his eyes. "But go easy on Dylan, for Claire." He sighs, looking down at your interlocked hands as he plays with your fingers.

"Okay, I'll try." You smile, placing a soft kiss to your husbands lips.

"Thank you" You whisper. Heading back into the living room, Leon takes a seat beside you; across from Claire and Dylan.

"So, Dylan, tell us about yourself." Leon's expression is blank as he questions the boy.

"Dad!" Claire groans. "This isn't an interview." She takes a deep breath looking between both you and Leon. "Dylan wanted to ask you both a question." He coughs awkwardly, before sitting up straight and forcing a smile on his face; you can tell that he's anxious.

"I was wondering if you'd give me p- permission, allow me-" He stutters and you tilt your head to the left slightly as you wait. "I was wondering if you'd allow me to date your daughter." He says this so quickly that both you and Leon aren't quite sure you heard it correctly, but you did. You smile widely and turn to face Leon.

"I'm sorry, what?!" He shouts, standing to his feet quickly.

"Of course!" You reply suddenly. "Both Leon and I are extremely happy for you to date Claire!" You aren't looking at Leon but you can feel the daggers glaring into your back. "Extremely happy." You repeat. You hear Leon scoff once again and you squeeze his hand tightly.

"Extremely happy..." Leon mumbles. Claire squeals in excitement, pulling Dylan in for a hug and at that moment you almost thought that you saw a small smile creep onto Leon's face... Just a small one.

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rotpoetrygone · 1 month

Text

looking for more stuff with my ocs in particular, like this and i will write u a thing! ♡ featured verses in per.cy jackson, avatar the last air.bender, teen wo.lf, tv.du + their catch all "main" verses.

blurbs under the cut, basic information found on carrd:

supernatural:

daphne kim (30s, lesbian, current matriarch to a family of cursed witches. constantly laboring under said family curse, god complex that's occasionally beaten down by her hubris. fc: bae joohyun or lim jiyeon)

luke kim (30s, bisexual, gentleman asshole thief responsible for half the rare artwork in different collections going missing. really mad about his family curse and blames everyone else for it. fc: kim bum)

althea miranda (20s, lesbian, forensic analyst and babaylan. very in touch with her powers, very much psychic. fc: kathryn bernardo)

pippa bennett (20s, bisexual, podcaster and aspiring writer who somehow gained or awakened psychic abilities after opening herself up to the "other side." anxious mess of a single mom. fc: khadhija red thunder)

elaina chairat (20s to 30s, bisexual. carefree witch whose family is supposedly cursed to be the demise of their true loves, doesn't really care? accidentally k worded a man anyway. fc: mookda narinrak)

rian satyavati (30s, greysexual. reluctant alpha to a pack that functions more or less as a chaotic found family. gentle but willing to throw hands for kids both his and not his own. fc: rahul kohli)

bora sun (20s, lesbian. older sister to byeol, rian's right hand. more likely to throw people instead of trusting them off the bat. confident gay until there's another confident gay in the room. fc: han sohee)

byeol sun (20s, gay. younger brother to bora. likes tea but suffers from anxiety instead. loyal to a fault and desperately touch starved, probably way too trusting for comfort. fc: choi beomgyu)

kaori (100+, bisexual with a preference for women and the nonbinary. vampire council elder who functions more or less as the bad cop in most scenarios. stickler for rules, but more than happy to break a few limbs for their own amusement. fc: myoui mina)

non supernatural

naomi pyo (20s, bisexual, sister to nicholas. olivia rodrigo-esque upcoming pop star and model who writes songs about every single inconvenience in her life. petty is her whole personality trait. fc: park chaeyoung)

nicholas pyo (20s, bisexual, brother to naomi. seemingly snobby nepo baby who doesn't really know what to do with his life. comes off as uptight but is more or less afraid of emotional vulnerability. fc: park jimin)

dean kwon (20s, bisexual. bassist and one of the vocalists for velveteen, an up and coming punk rock band. lost his partner and cosinger in an unfortunate accident, has been dealing with this grief privately with as many illegal substances and scandals he can get his hands on. fc: kim taehyung)

rowan lee (20s, greysexual. drummer for velveteen, technically dean's best friend but at his limit. generally pretty happy go lucky but quick to throw shade at anyone who bashes his band mates. if golden retrievers had a human form, it would be rowan. fc: johnny suh)

penny st. clair (20s, bisexual. new vocalist and keyboardist for velveteen. scouted after posting a cover of one of their songs, now dealing with adjusting their sound to fit the band's image. laufey style indie singer outside of their velveteen gig. romantic at heart who has yet to experience romance. fc: samantha logan)

margaux ramos (20s, lesbian. guitarist and songwriter and unofficial babysitter for velveteen. lost their best friend to an accident, now dealing with said best friend's unruly ex and keeping their bandmates in check. nosy as hell, kind of awkward under their "touch me and you will lose a limb" exterior. weakness for pretty girls. fc: lizeth selene)

#will v likely hop into ur IMs for more context!!#villain apologist and girlkisser / out.

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hederasgarden · 2 years

Text

The Gray Man Masterlist

Oneshots

Safe With Me (Sierra Six x F!Reader | Mature | 2.7K)

Six is a hard man to read up until the moment he isn’t.

Daylight (Sierra Six x F!Reader | Explicit | 1K)

You spend an early morning in bed with Six after he returns from a mission.

Drabbles

The Signal (Sierra Six x F!Reader | Gen | 706) You take pity on Six after watching him suffer through a number of terrible dates.

Operation Elevator (Sierra Six x F!Reader | Gen | 780)

Claire plays matchmaker when she realizes Six need a little help wooing their new neighbor.

Tender Loving Care (Sierra Six x F!Reader | Explicit | 900)

You help Six relax after a hard mission.

Dom AU (Sierra Six x F!Reader | Mature | 500)

You reach out the famous Dom Sierra Six to explore your submissive side and work on your anxiety and confidence issues.

Just Pretend (Sierra Six x F!Reader | Mature | 780)

For a moment, Six thinks about how his life could be different.

Headcanons

Wall sex with the gloves HC

Sierra Six + Kinks

Sierra Six + Kinks Part 2

Sierra Six Housewife Kink

What kind of job would Six get after he retires?

Overstimulation Kink

Eating you out and body worship with Six

♡Main Masterlist♡

Thank you @callsignhurricane for my beautiful headers!

#masterlist #sierra six x reader #court gentry x reader #sierra six imagine #court gentry imagine #court gentry x you #sierra six x you #sierra six #court gentry #the gray man #the gray man fanfiction #the gray man fic

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vampyrenn · 2 years

Text

Fabric and First Dates (Steve Harrington x F!Plus! Reader)

♡ 𝕸𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 ♡

♡ 𝕽𝖊𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖘𝖙 𝕽𝖚𝖑𝖊𝖘 ♡

♡ 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝕻𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝕿𝖜𝖔 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖊! ♡

↠ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣: Steve Harrington x Reader ⌈Stranger Things⌋

↠𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: A ‘chance’ meeting brings Steve Harrington into your life after high school, in a different way than before.

↠𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕕 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 6.3K (oops)

↠𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤: SPOILER FREE!! (Set sometime in 86 but no show plot yet) Explicitly Plus Size!Reader, anxiety issues surrounding weight and eating (Very lightly mentioned here), feminine clothing and identifiers used, no Y/N, one instance of clothes-sharing but it’s mentioned as a larger leather jacket reader doesn’t fully put on, Steve being a massive simp

↠𝔸/ℕ: So unfortunately I’ve had to split this into at least 2 parts because it just got so long, hopefully people enjoy it and are excited for part two since I’m already writing it haha. Part two will go a lot more in depth, this is really just the fun intro to my baby seamstress and Steve’s story. I love them dearly. Also reader has an invented friend named Claire, I tried to pick an unpopular name these days but I’m sorry for ruining your immersion Claires! You’re friend shaped! FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED!! THANK YOU!!

»»————- ♡ ————-««

Fabric

Indiana summers were hot. The kind of scorching that made your skin stick to your clothes and melted your sandals into the sidewalk if you stood still for too long. It was only nine, but already the sun seemed determined to cook the entirety of Hawkins alive.

Luckily for you, the small crafts shop you worked at had just splurged on a new AC, so you were living the dream, tucked away in a corner, fixing messy displays that just happened to be right under an air vent and mouthing off with Claire, your best friend turned coworker. You barely ever got customers, usually just stay-at-home moms and grandmothers restocking their craft rooms once a month, so neither of you felt too bad about abandoning the register before noon.

“Look, I’m just saying that I think Evil Dead is way better.”

“And I’m just saying that you’re dead wrong.” You poked her in the side, glaring playfully, “Nightmare on Elm Street is clearly superior.”

“You only like it because it came out a few months after we graduated. It’s like your nostalgia movie or something.”

“It’s my ‘celebrating getting the hell out of there’ movie.” Claire giggled, rolling her eyes at you before slotting the last of the samples in its proper place and stepping back to admire her work. Before you could start once again expanding on how Elm Street was perfect and Claire was obviously just ‘nostalgic’ for weird cabins, the bell on the door chimed. You glanced at each other, confused. It was pretty early in the day for any of the usuals, and well, in Hawkins, you didn’t get much besides the usual coming in. this was definitely out of place.

Claire, always the people person, approached the door while you retreated to the counter. The overly polite ‘Hello, how can I help you?’ from her tipped you off that this wasn’t a regular customer. You looked up, mildly curious about what random person suddenly developed an interest in handcrafts, and honey brown eyes met yours.

Steve Harrington.

Quickly averting your gaze, you fumbled to look busy, like somehow that would make him instantly forget you’d just been looking. Picking up a floss catalog and flipping through it, you silently prayed he didn’t remember you. If he did, you hoped at least, the memory was a little bit better than the sad reality.

You’d never had any kind of relationship with Steve, friendly or otherwise, but for a few embarrassing years in high school you’d had a huge crush on him. That all faded away as he started hanging out with Tommy and Carol, dating Nancy Wheeler, and you were more focused on avoiding them than cooing over him in the cafeteria. You were lucky enough to scrape by, as easy as it would have been to single you out, the chubby loner with two friends who made her own clothes. Even after Tommy stopped hanging around him, and Nancy broke up with him the year you graduated, it felt too late by then. Your worlds were too far apart, or so you thought.

Now they were colliding, and you couldn’t decide whether you were happy or petrified. Probably both.

The blood rushing in your ears prevented you from hearing the rest of their conversation, but Claire was at your side just a few seconds later, nudging you with her elbow while Steve disappeared down an aisle.

“Whoa.” She mumbled. You breathed out a laugh, setting the stupid catalog down and bumping her back with your own elbow.

“Whoa,” you agreed, and after a short pause added, “do you think he found his passion for embroidery?”

Claire snorted, clapping a hand over her mouth to disguise the noise and shaking her head at you, eyes full of both irritation and amusement. “If he hears you, I’m not sticking around for a repeat of King Steve’s wrath.” She whispered.

“I heard he’s gotten nicer since then.” You murmured, and she shrugged.

Claire had been your friend since high school, and you both had the same luck with popularity. Outcast, not bullied but not well liked, barely even remembered. It was a shame, really, since she would have made a great cheerleader; pretty, kind, and athletic to boot, but it just didn’t happen. You weren’t complaining, she was your best friend because of it after all, but you always felt a twinge of regret for her.

Maybe for yourself, too.

“He’s been staring at that wall rack for, like, 10 minutes. I don’t think he knows what he’s doing.”

Torn out of your little pity party, you followed her gaze to one of the large overhanging racks, different fleeces and flannels on display just above Steve’s head. He was directly across from them, hands calmly at his sides, unmoving as a statue. You watched him for a minute, and in that time he didn’t move to flip through the samples or even touch one once.

“I mean, it’s summer in Indiana. Why is he looking at fleece?” She continued, giggling. Humming in agreement, you rounded the counter and started slowly approaching him.

As fun as it was to sit behind the counter and laugh at the once most popular guy in school floundering over sewing scissors, you had a job to do, and even if you wanted to avoid it (you weren’t sure you did), it was clear that he wasn’t going to figure out anything on his own.

Hell, he might not even move before closing at this rate.

“I got it.” You called to Claire over your shoulder, waving for her to stay behind the counter. She was a people pleaser, so you-the snarky one, your boss called you sometimes-usually hung back, but you tried to trade off on customers equally. You told yourself that was the only reason you offered, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the burning curiosity of Why is he here? And What is he like now?

Absolutely nothing at all.

“You know, most people at least touch the fabric they’re trying to buy.” His shoulders stiffened and he whipped around, staring at you in a mix of surprise and embarrassment, and despite yourself it made you smile, just a slight twitch of your lip as you looked up at him. It took him a second, but he returned it, and the sweetness of it made you dizzy. You had been expecting a smug grin or a grimace, but he looked genuinely happy that you had come to his rescue. Your heart stuttered.

He’s only gotten more pretty. So unfair.

“Uh, Yeah I…” he trailed off, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, and his expression seemed more playful than embarrassed now that he was talking to you. His eyes lit up in recognition the next second. “Hey, we went to high school together, right?” He said your name like he was certain he was right, and you nodded, lips parting in shock.

“Wow, I’m surprised you remember.” You were, only because it had been a few years and you really hadn’t ever interacted, but you didn’t miss the way your words made him wince, his smile dimming slightly. Fuck. backpedaling as you shook your head, you blurted, “Not because I was a loser, it’s just been so long. But everyone in Hawkins went to school together so it’s a safe guess…”

Excellent save. Can I just die now?

You wrapped your arms around your torso, trying to shield yourself, but Steve laughed a little, like he thought you were actually trying to be funny, and the sound warmed you down to your toes. You smiled a little wider, and the small knot of tension in your stomach came undone all at once.

Three minutes in Steve’s presence, and you were convinced that he wasn’t the same boy he used to be, and you liked this one much more.

“It hasn’t been that long.” He countered, crossing his arms in mock defiance. He was bigger than you remembered too, his chest filled out even more, biceps flexing while he moved, and you attempted to ignore it and focus on not making an ass of yourself. The last thing you needed was to come off as a creep.

“I see we aren’t denying the loser part. Cold, Harrington.” Now you were trying to be funny, and the crinkles near his eyes told you it was working. You felt oddly proud, being able to joke about this with him, like you were old friends and not almost total strangers.

“I kinda thought it’d be weirder to deny it. Do you want me to?”

“For my ego? Yes. But it’s too late now, you’ve wounded my pride.” Your hand fluttered to your chest and you sighed dramatically, “how can I ever recover from this crushing blow?”

He hummed, rocking back and forth on his heels and thinking for a second before declaring like it was the simplest solution in the world, “You could give me your number.”

What?

“What?” You could barely breathe the word out, staring at his casual expression in total bewilderment. Frozen in place, you watched his face flush a baby pink, and he stumbled over his words to explain.

“No, I mean-okay. I’m trying to make this thing, a scarf. Just…to try it. But clearly,” he huffed, gestured vaguely behind him to the shelves lining the walls, “I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m asking you for help. It would make you, like, the coolest person in the world.”

Your eyes narrowed, and he had the decency to look a little sheepish, pushing the stray hairs that had fallen over his face back and avoiding your eyes. You had a strange feeling about his reasoning, you couldn’t quite put your finger on it but decided to let it go since this was your first real conversation. Better to keep it friendly.

“This sounds like an excuse for you to get some extra help out of me.” You wagged your finger at him playfully, “But I’ll call it even, since I get to tease you the whole time.”

“You’re an angel.”

Looking down so he couldn’t see how flustered just a simple comment made you, you dug in your work apron, producing a thick black marker with a little ta-da motion to Steve, and he stuck his hand out for you to write your landline on. You focused on writing each number perfectly, so you could stop thinking about how big his hands were.

You drew a little smiley face too, just because you wanted to. When you finished, he pulled his hand back and looked at it, a soft huff of a laugh leaving him when he saw your masterpiece. Suddenly, you were nervous, breaking eye contact to stare at your sneakers. He seemed to be too, taking a quick step back and shoving both of his hands into the pockets of his blue jeans.

“So…I’ll call you sometime.”

“Okay. Cool.” You bobbed your head.

“Cool.” A few more steps back, near the door, he pulled one hand out of his pocket and gave you a quick thumbs up before turning and hauling ass out of the store.

It was the lamest thing you’d ever seen Steve Harrington do, and it had you melting into the floor like you were sixteen again.

You couldn’t spend too long dazing over his smile, however, because Claire was rushing towards you, barely containing her wild grin.

“Oh my god!” She squealed, gripping your arms and shaking you.

“Jesus, what?” You jostled, breaking out of her grip and flipping her off. “You’re so damn nosy, were you listening the entire time?”

She ignored you.

“Don’t ‘what’ me! Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington was flirting with you! He asked for your number!”

“It’s not like that Claire, are you joking? He wanted help with a scarf, he’s hopeless. It’s like overtime with no pay.” You said lightly, shoving aside the hopeful stirrings Claire was riling up. Steve was, at least at some point, one of the most sought after guys in Hawkins. It was stupid to even hope that he was interested in you. You were no Nancy Wheeler, not even close.

“Babe.” Claire giggled, a knowing grin on her lips as she took your hands and patted them. “He’s making a scarf in July?”

You shook your head, yanking your hands away from her grip and ducking past her to return to the counter before she could see the stupid smile spreading over your face, “It’s probably just some practice before Christmas or something!”

“He didn’t buy anything!” She sing-songed from the aisle.

Your face burned hot.

Safety Pins

A small part of you wondered if Steve would even remember the conversation at all. In the days after he appeared in the store, blatantly lying about making a scarf on the hottest day of the year, you convinced yourself that you’d made up the entire ridiculous interaction in your head, and then the phone finally rang.

The first time was two days after he’d come to the store (not that you’d been waiting), and you forced yourself to wait for three rings before picking up. You were desperate to seem casual, like you totally hadn’t been sitting right next to the extension every night since, an equal mix of desperate and curious, running through everything you could possibly say if he ever called.

“Hello?” Strong start.

“Hey, it’s Steve.” he paused, like he was waiting for you to say something before continuing, “I...bet you wanna know why I’m calling?” The way he said it like he wasn’t even sure himself had you biting back a laugh. This was clearly a golden opportunity to mess with him, and who were you to deny such a gift?

“It’s not about the scarf?” You asked in mock surprise. “And here I thought it was so important.”

He groaned, sounding embarrassed, but not at all surprised you’d already caught him out. “You’re worse than Dustin. Have you always been this sarcastic?”

“Who’s Dustin?”

“Annoying kid I babysit.” His voice was full of fondness despite his words, and you smiled to yourself, heart squeezing. “He’d love you, I bet.”

“Don’t try and be cute and change the subject. Are you going to tell me why you lied about making a scarf in July??”

“Maybe I just wanted to talk to the pretty girl working there. Is that so bad?” The smile in his voice was unmistakable, even if there was a slight shake of nerves.

Biting your lip to try to contain your giddiness, you hummed. “Maybe you should have gotten her number then, I don’t play wing man.” Even though you were joking, there was a thorn of truth in it. Claire was pretty and social, and it wasn’t uncommon for guys to come into the store just to hit on her. Steve huffed, clearly not amused with you dancing around the obvious.

“You’re hilarious.” he deadpanned, “I wanted to talk to you.”

“And your plan was to stand there and look pathetically lost until I came to help you?”

“Worked, didn’t it?” His smug tone shut you up, rolling your eyes silently as he continued, “I actually wanted to ask you out.” he said it so casually it almost didn’t register with you, but he didn’t keep talking, just sat in silence and waited for you to catch up. His patience made your stomach twist in the best way.

“Like a date?” You finally asked, slow and disbelieving.

“Yes, like a date. Are you just trying to avoid answering me?” You sort of were. It didn’t seem real, despite all the signs, despite Claire grabbing your hand and winking at you when she left, saying Tell Harrington I said hi when he calls!

It just didn’t make sense. Unless…

“Are you going to Carrie me?”

“What?” He scoffed, far away from the receiver like he’d pulled the phone away from his ear in shock.

“I think it’s a simple question, Steve.”

“No! Where would I even get a bucket of pig's blood?” His warm voice was indignant, and you giggled, could imagine his furrowed brows and slight pout perfectly on the other end of the phone. You were grateful that for now he didn’t seem to be pushing for an answer, letting you circle around the topic. As much as you wanted to agree, to toss yourself into the fantasy you’d cultivated for years in highschool, you didn’t want to make this easy for him, like so many other girls in Hawkins.

A little selfishly, you wanted to be a girl he wanted enough to work for. Hopefully, he would. Otherwise, you were about to make the stupidest decision of your life.

Sighing softly and shaking your head like he could see it, you breathed out, “I dunno… I’m going to need a bit more convincing, Harrington.” You prayed he heard the subtle challenge in the words, and you knew he did when he responded, confidence suddenly so apparent through the phone you wondered why he had seemed so nervous before.

“I can do that, Sweetheart.”

You were never more grateful you had begged your parents for your own extension in high school, because after that first conversation, Steve called almost every day. It was endearing, how eager he seemed to talk to you, stealing fifteen minutes at work ‘just to hear your voice’, keeping you up late to gently pester you about taking you out.

Just one date, he’d say teasingly, and then you’ll be the one asking, Sweetheart. The nickname had stuck since the first call, and it warmed you to your core every time he said it. you knew from the moment he breathed it into the receiver that you would eventually agree to whatever he wanted.

It took him a few weeks of talking and some surprise visits at work (Much to Claire’s delight), but you finally agreed one afternoon, and the happiness radiating off of him while he walked out of the store made you wish you hadn’t waited so long.

Seam Allowance

It was only a few days before your first date excitement wore off, being replaced with bone deep anxiety and a feeling that you were drawn tight with tension, like a rubber band that might snap.

Claire came over hours before the date to help you get ready, bursting with excitement and about a dozen ‘I-told-you-so’s’, and now you were both sitting on your bed sorting through your jewelry; she was wearing your pajama pants and an old shirt from middle-school, an amusing contrast to your perfectly pinned hair and high heels.

“You’re coming back tonight, right?” she asked, holding a pair of golden hoops up to your skin before wrinkling her nose and putting them back into the box.

“Duh. Where else would I go?” It was a system you’d both made up high school, and one you’d never strayed from. If one of you went on a first date the other would wait at her house, to make sure she came home safe and also to get all of the gossip as soon as the date was over. Claire used it much more often than you, but she still grinned, waggling her eyebrows at you and whistling a low note like you were naughty teenagers again.

“I dunno, Babe, you look gorgeous. Harrington might wanna see the inside seam of that dress.” She lowered her voice in an attempt to sound sensual, leaning in close while you shoved her away, scoffing at her terrible innuendo. The dress was one of her favorites, something you’d bought at a thrift store and altered yourself the summer you’d both graduated. It was bright and flowy, the pink silk draping to your mid-thigh, a mix of sweet and sexy that you’d started wearing after high school, away from prying eyes and insults.

The irony of wearing it to a date with King Steve was not lost on you.

“Please,” you huffed, looking away with the excuse of checking a necklace in the mirror, tossing it back in the pile without much thought, “he already knows what I look like, the dress won’t fool him.” Claire frowned, her playful mood dissolved.

“What do you mean by that?”

Shaking your head, you murmured, “I mean, he already knows what I look like…how I looked in high school,” you cringed, shaking your head, “not all pretty and perfect. Not thin. I feel like I might be trying too hard. Being tricky.” The words sat like acid in your mouth, but Claire instantly threw her arms around you in a hug, laughing a little. It got to you more than it should have.

“Are you laughing at me?! I bare my soul to you, and you’re laughing!”

“Yes!” she admitted, still giggling even as she pulled away to look at you again. “You’re being stupid. He knows how you look normally. He knows how you looked in high school. So what? He still asked you out.” she poked your chest with each word, speaking over you every time you tried to interrupt. “The only thing that’s going to happen is that he’s going to see you looking pretty, not tricky, drool all over himself, and be like, ‘Ooh, Baby, you’re so beautiful and perfect let’s get marr-’”

Clapping a hand over her mouth to stop her terrible imitation of Steve, you couldn’t contain your laughter, shaking your head at her. Claire was always your biggest supporter and cheerleader, and she always seemed to know exactly what to say when you needed it, even if it was stupid and corny and probably not true. You pulled your hand away when she calmed, and you smiled at her, grateful. She smiled back.

“You know, you’re constantly saying Steve isn’t who he used to be. You always forget that you’re not the same girl either.” She winked, pressing a pair of rose gold and pearl earrings into your hand. “These are the ones, by the way. I can feel it.” You swallowed, a ball of emotion and affection suddenly welling up in your throat, Sticky sweet.

Is this what having a sister feels like?

The doorbell rang before you could say anything, and Claire grabbed your purse while you rushed to put the earrings in. She looked you over one last time, nodding her enthusiastic approval and you thanked whatever God was out there that you had her support while you tried to ignore the tears pricking your eyes. She hugged you quickly and firmly, whispering “Go get ‘em, tiger.” and ushering you down the stairs.

—

Steve guided you through the crowded diner with a hand on your lower back, following the hostess closely. The gesture was unfamiliar, embarrassingly intimate in such a public place but also comforting, so you didn’t say anything, just let the heat of his palm burn into your skin until he pulled your chair out for you, always the gentleman.

You felt out of place as you sat down; The bright, tacky colors of the diner contrasted harshly with the soft pastels and curves of your clothes, and your anxiety licked fire-hot up your throat, feeling at once too overdressed and not good enough. Steve noticed as soon as he sat down, but he had enough sense to wait until the waitress was gone, reaching across the table slowly to take your hand. He gave you space to pull away, and when you didn’t, he rewarded you with a grin, the flicker of nerves in his face smoothed over with boyish charm.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t take you somewhere a little nicer…” He gestured to the full tables, but turned back to you with a hopeful glint in his eye. “But I’m really happy you agreed to come.” he squeezed your hand, looking up into your face to gauge your reaction. He must have found what he was looking for because he relaxed completely, although he didn’t let go of your hand on the table. You didn’t mind. “You look amazing, by the way. Have I told you that tonight?”

He did tell you, once at your doorstep, at least two times in the car, and now here. Even if he hadn’t, you could tell just by the way his eyes had trailed up your legs when you walked out onto your porch, mapping out the soft expanse of your exposed thigh while you climbed into his car, the way his gaze slightly heated on your naked shoulders. It was pretty obvious what he thought.

Still, you rolled your eyes playfully, a doubtful smile spreading across your face. “Only a million times.”

“And I’ll say it a million more.” His tone was casual, but you could hear something soft and intense in it, like he knew you didn’t believe him and he was desperate to prove you wrong. “You’re gorgeous. A stunner.”

“Stop.”

“Total knockout. What’re you doing on a date with a guy like me?” He used his free hand and jerked his thumb into his chest, eyes sharp and mischievous, but then he looked away, just for a moment, like he was actually nervous about your answer. Concern unfurled in your chest in an instant, and you leaned forward, squeezing his hand tighter than he had yours.

“You’re beautiful.” You murmured, running your thumb over his knuckles. As much as you wanted to recite terrible poetry to him, say he was Eros himself, carved of flesh instead of stone by the Great Masters, tell him how often you’d listened to him whisper over the phone late at night these past weeks, twisting the cord around your finger and imagining drawing constellations between his beauty marks with your fingertips, it felt like too much for a first date, in a loud diner where anyone could hear, so you said the first thing you could think of. you hoped it had the same effect on Steve either way.

His smile threatened to consume his face, his eyes bright half moons as he beamed at you. “Yeah? Beautiful?” He tossed his hair arrogantly, pulling his hand away from yours to run his fingers through the silken strands, wrists and forearms flexing. Your mouth went dry and it was the best you could do to nod dumbly, trying desperately to grasp a coherent thought.

“Sorry, that was weird.” You shook your head as if to clear your thoughts. “Beautiful is a weird word. Handsome?” You tried, but you were dissatisfied. Handsome didn’t feel like enough, too rough around the edges to include Steve, with his sweet smiles and stupid jokes. It wasn’t enough. Steve was shaking his head too, the moment you’d started backtracking.

“No, no,'' he leaned back, subtly gesturing his head to warn you the waitress was approaching behind you, his wild grin dimming down into something softer and more vulnerable. “Beautiful is… no one’s ever called me that before. You’re my first.” He waggled his eyebrows at you, like the innuendo wasn’t obvious enough, and that molten rush of affection returned, warmth spreading from your face to your sternum; then you processed what he’d said before that, and you raised your eyebrows in surprise.

How could someone like Steve go so long without being called beautiful?

“That’s insane,” then, after a second, “You really are.” Before you could stop yourself. You bit your lip in embarrassment, and his eyes dropped to follow the action, just a flicker before looking back. He took your hand again, rubbing the pad of his thumb across your knuckles soothingly, but his eyes didn’t leave your face once.

“So are you.” The way he was looking at you made you want to believe it, like he was in awe of you, studying your features like he was committing them to memory. You felt warm under his gaze, but before you could make a snarky comment and ease some of your anxiety, the waitress was at your table, and Steve wasn’t looking at you anymore.

You had expected to completely clam up over dinner, but Steve kept you distracted and laughing the entire time, and you were having too much fun to worry about if he thought you were eating too much or trying too hard. You knew from the rumors he was always charming, girls chased him for years when you were younger, but having the full force of it directed on you was something you'd never experienced before. You could see why he had been popular. Steve actually listened when you talked, like he was interested in you. It was depressingly refreshing.

You’d been telling him a story about work, offhandedly mentioning a top you were making when he stopped your story in its tracks. “So wait, you make your own clothes?” He looked pleasantly surprised.

“I mean, kinda. Not all of them. I make some of them. They don’t make cute clothes in my size so…” You shrugged it off like it didn’t matter, eyes on your plate, trying to ignore the admiration in his gaze as his jaw dropped. His eyes followed the slope of your shoulders to the dresses thin straps, one having fallen half down without you noticing. “I do it myself. Didn’t you know this when you asked for my help in the store?”

“Did you make this one?” Steve’s voice was almost reverent when he brought up your dress, ignoring your snark completely. He reached one hand towards you, impossibly delicate fingers sliding the strap back up your arm and into place. It must have only been a second before he was leaning back in his chair and popping a French fry into his mouth, but you felt like your world had stopped. You searched your cloudy brain for the answer to his question. You barely remembered what he asked.

“I altered it, yeah.” The only way you could describe the look on his face was dazzled, and you bit your lip, fingers itching to reach out and trace the planes of his face with your hands. You wanted him to look at you like this forever, like you were ethereal and special; you settled instead for shyly turning away. First date and all.

“You’re crazy talented. I was always thinking about where you got all your pretty little outfits, then I find out you make them?” Your heart squeezed at the idea of him, sitting in his car, or at home, thinking about the clothes you wore, wondering where you got them and keeping notes of your outfits; choosing a favorite. He shook his head in disbelief, eyes meeting yours again in cowed respect. “You’re really something.” And you knew he meant it.

“Yeah, well… you ever need something fitted, call me.” You winked, not catching the innuendo until Steve was already pouncing, smile turned wicked.

“Is that an invitation?”

“Oh my God, You’re such a perv.” You giggled, the happy glint in his eyes more than worth your slight embarrassment at the joke.

“I’m not hearing a no…”

“I’m hearing the complaints the mothers in the diner are filing against us right now…” you hummed, and Steve grimaced, glancing around while you admired the worry lines in his forehead, fighting the urge to lean over and smooth them with your thumb.

“Thank God the check already came then. Let’s get outta here.” He stood up while you laughed at him, already digging in his pockets for his wallet. You grabbed your purse and slid out of your chair, scrambling to find your own, wondering if he’d wanted you to offer to cover anything.

“I can pay for half-“

“Don’t even think about it.” He tossed a few bills on the table, sounding offended you had even offered. You let it go, deciding to save yourself the bickering since you knew he’d never let you pay. Steve’s hand found the small of your back again as he led you out, like it was just instinct, being protective. The thought sent jolts down your spine.

The diner had grown significantly quieter since you’d both arrived, but there were still a decent amount of full tables, and you appreciated the sudden wall of quiet when you both stepped outside. Evening had bled into night in the hours you’d spent with Steve, the hazy sun now completely gone, leaving behind a surprising chill despite the season.

You rubbed your arms quickly, trying to acclimate to the sudden cold, and of course, Steve noticed immediately. Even though you argued, since you would only be outside for as long as it took to walk to his car and get in, he still draped his leather overcoat over your shoulders, and when you caught a whiff of his cologne, and him underneath, you stopped complaining. The leather was soft from use, and you were careful not to scratch it with your nails while you gripped the lapels to keep it around your shoulders.

“Why do you even have a jacket? It was pretty warm earlier.” You asked, watching him fumble in his back pockets for his keys. He glanced at you for a second and the realization hit you. “You brought it just in case? For me?”

Smiling guiltily, he unlocked the doors. “Hey, don’t ever say Steve Harrington isn’t a romantic.”

Watching him walk around the car just to open your door for you, jogging so you wouldn’t open it yourself, you just shook your head. “How could I?” you breathed, and you knew there were obvious hearts in your eyes.

Steve didn’t comment, but you could see the smug look on his face when he helped you into the car-for a wild second you thought about kissing it off of him, he was just so pretty- but you waited until he climbed into the driver's seat to speak again, staring out the front window while he put the keys in the ignition.

“Next time, you’ll be wearing my jacket, Harrington.” You promised; something about the dark and quiet of the night outside made you drop your voice, more heated than you intended, and the blush that rose to his ears at your words made your chest swell with pride.

Steve bounced back to being perfect and charming, and for the entire drive home, he held your hand in his on the center console, a satisfied smile on his face.

The ride back was short, and too soon Steve was in your driveway, turning the car off, the only light coming from your old, orange porch bulb. He cleared his throat, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen when you pulled up.

“Let me walk you to the door.” It wasn’t a question; he was already unbuckling his seat belt and jumping out to open your door again. A part of you wanted to hop out before he could, just to tease him about how far he was going, but watching him jog around the front of the car just to impress you was far more rewarding. He offered you his hand wordlessly and you took it, letting him pull you out of the car.

Standing outside of your door, bathed in the warm flickering light, Steve was too pretty to look at, even though you wanted to burn the memory in your head. His skin looked tan and soft, brown eyes almost black in the shadow. You looked at your feet, toeing your heels into the mat under them.

“I had fun tonight, Sweetheart.” He says carefully, gauging your reaction, and you smile shyly, glancing back up at him. He’s not smiling, but he looks open and earnest. He’s waiting for you to respond, you realize, so you do.

“So did I.” You breathe, and his lip twitches. He takes a step towards you and you don’t move back, letting him start to slowly crowd your space on the porch. “Even if those kids wouldn’t shut up for like 30 minutes.” You joke, and he laughs, a short huff through his nose that stops as soon as it starts.

“Next time, we’ll go somewhere quieter, promise.” Despite his response to your ‘next time’ quip earlier, you had been dreading the chance that this was a one time thing, that he was being polite and a good date and after this he was going to realize you weren’t a cheap lay because of your weight, or get cold feet, exactly the way most of your pathetic romances ended. The idea that he wanted to see you again was unfamiliar and exciting.

“Next time?” Your voice was soft and vulnerable, and Steve looked at you like you were crazy.

“How else am I going to steal that jacket from you?” He took another step, and you had to crane your neck to look up at his serious expression. One of his hands came up, hesitating before resting delicately on your face, his calloused thumb rubbing soothing lines over your cheek. “I’m committed to the idea, now.”

You hummed, closing your eyes as he continued to ghost his fingers over your features. The feeling was indescribable. “Oh well, you’ll need it when I never give this one back.” You pulled the lapels of his jacket again, and instead of responding he moved his hand from your jaw to the nape of your neck, gently guiding you towards him.

You panicked, suddenly unsure if you were even ready for a simple goodnight kiss, let alone a make out session on your porch, but he was impossibly slow and gentle while he pulled you towards him, and you opened your eyes when you felt his lips in your hair, one hand on the curve of your neck and the other rubbing soothing circles into your soft hip. He pulled away just enough to murmur into your hairline, lips indulgent and sweet,

“You can take whatever you want, pretty girl.” he sounded hoarse and wanting, and it nearly took your breath away. All of your willpower -and remembering your best friend was still upstairs, waiting- was barely enough to convince you to untangle yourself from him, but you did. He kissed your forehead one more time before finally letting you slip inside, still wrapped snugly in his coat. “I’ll call you.” He said gently as you crossed the threshold. You giggled.

“Yeah, I know.”

Watching his car make its way down the street from your bedroom window, Claire shutting off the lights and settling in for the nights gossip session, you knew all you’d have taken was him.

#steve harrington x reader #Steve Harrington fanfic #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #Steve Harrington #steve harrington one shot #steve harrington x fem!reader #stranger things x reader #stranger things fic #stranger things #renrites #xreader #plus size reader #fem reader #seamstress

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world-of-wales · 10 months

Note

Okay I’m obsessed with the enemies to lovers and marriage of convenience/arranged marriage/ fake dating trope

Recommendations please 🙏

Here you go anon, sorry it took me some time to answer this. I had to open my laptop to get my book lists. A lot of the books have overlapping tropes. If you want any other recs just send me a msg ♡

And most of these are okay and Clean books but a lot of them come with heavy stuff so please check your triggers before you dive into them.

ENEMIES TO LOVERS -

RWRB (Coz that started the whole boom Conversation) - Casey McQuiston

Serpent & Dove - Shelby Mahurim

Dance of Thieves - Mary E Pearson

Spanish Love Deception - Elena Armas

5 Rounds - Nikki Castle

Brutal Prince - Sophie Lark

To Hate Adam Connor - Ella Maise

Taste - Melanie Harlow

Eleanor & Grey (not exactly enemies to lovers but he's very grumpy and closed off) - Brittany C Cherry

From Lukov with Love - Mariana Zapaata

By a Thread - Lucy Score

Twisted Hate - Anna Huang

Until I get you - Claire Conttreras

Weak Side - SJ Sylvis

Grumpy Romance - Nia Arthurs

Rogue - Greer Rivers

The Summer We Fell - Elizabeth O Rourke

Beauty and the Baller - Isla Madden Mills

Things We never got over - Lucy Score

Mafia Royals (A LOT OF THEM) - Rachel Van Dyken

Heart Song Duet - Jennifer Hartmann

Crow - A Zaverelli

ARRANGED MARRAIGE / MARRAIGE OF CONVENIENCE -

Marraige for one - Ellas Maise

The Windsor Series (ongoing, 3 books out) - Catharina Maura

Terms and Conditions - Lauren Asher

The Penalty Box - Odette Stone

The Buff - Devney Perry

To Love Jason Thorn - Ella Maise

The Wall of Winnipeg - Mariana Zapaata

King of Wrath - Anna Huang

Forever after all - Catharina Maura

Twisted - Emily McIntyre

Fake Empire - CW Farnsworth (or Swansworth)

Sinners Anonymous - Somme Sketcher

First 3 books of Filthy Rich Americans Series - Nikki Sloane

Dark Succession - Katee Robert

Marraige Effect - Karla Sorenson

Beautifully Broken Redemption - Catherien Cowles

Duchess Deal - Tessa Dare

FAKE DATING -

The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood

The Cheat Sheet - Sarah Adams

Fix Her Up - Tessa Bailey

Addicted to You - Krista & Becca Richie

Hani and Ishu's guide to Fake Dating - Adiba Jagirdar

Redeemed - Lauren Asher

The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang

Overruled - Emma Chase

Play Fake - Maggie Rawdon

That Kind of Guy - Stephanie Archer

The Bodyguard - Katherine Center

The Boyfriend Candidate - Ashley Winstead

First Down - Grace Reilly

The Real Deal - Lauren Blakeley

Happy Place - Emily Henry

Foxe and the Hound - RS Grey

My Life in Shambles - Karina Halle

Twisted Lies - Ana Huang

Blind Side - Kandi Stiener

The Deal + The Risk - Elle Kennedy

Boyfriend Material - Alexis Mall

Faking with Benefits - Lily Gold

The Upside of Falling - Alex Light

Unfortunately Yours - Tessa Bailey

#ash's asks #anons #reading corner

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prettieinpink · 11 days

Note

girlie books/classics to read? ♡

Some of these books have triggering themes. Please be mindful.

Restrict by Sol Rivera. A poetry book about a toxic friendship and unhealthy eating habits. Short, but impactful.

Let's never speak of this again by Megan Williams. So sad, but loved how the ending turned out. Such a great book about the truth of girlhood and friendships.

If you could see the sun by Ann Liang. Not much about girlhood, but pretty relatable. I personally liked it.

Fugly by Claire Waller. SUCH A GOOD BOOK???? But it is so triggering. I loved the characters and their development in ther book. Its pretty much the dark side of girl hood.

Sugar coated by Sarah Epstein. A cute lil meet-cute book. I loved their romance, but once again, not much about girlhood.

You should see me in a crown. Forgot the author but such a great book about black girlhood.

The glided Ones. An unconvential book about girlhood, the plot twist was pretty sad though.

I actually read more than this, but I borrow books from the library, then forget about them.

#me #ask #anonnie #prettieinpink

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skyfallslayer · 1 year

Text

The Devils Are Caught In Red Strings || Chapter 4: In The Blood

-Matt Murdock x Parker!OFC-

Series Masterlist

AO3 Link

♡Series Summary: Childhood friendships are a sacred thing... But so are secrets. This story revolves around a girl named Anya Hughes, an attorney by day and a vigilante by night. Join her into the struggles she’ll face, like her path coming back to haunt her, then facing a man who holds all the power, all while she develops a crush on her close friend. How long can she take all this until she falls apart? ♡

♡Chapter Summary: Two vicious Russian brothers working for Fisk, strike back in a way that makes Matt go feral while Anya deals with some unfortunate side effects. Meanwhile, Fisk moves to further consolidate his power in the criminal underworld. ♡

♡Date: 3/17/13 ♡

♡Rating: Explicit ♡

♡Word Count: 12,741♡

♡Warning: Spoilers for the show; Canon Typical Violence; Blood and Injury; Strong Use of Language; Lying; Poorly Executed Fighting Scenes; Vomiting; Torture Session(s); Brief Decapitation Scene (Proceed with caution); Use of Pet Names; (Unknowingly) Frenemies to Lovers; Talks of Child Abuse; Mini Dissociation Episode; Talks of Dying/Being Killed; Foggy Being A Wingman; Matt and Foggy Are Great Friends; Karen's Throwing Hands; Claire Needs A Vacation (Yet Again); Anya Could Use One As Well; Poorly Translated Spanish/Russian Via Google (Let me know if I missed anything). READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!! ♡

♡A/N: Here we go. Here's where shit starts hitting the fan. It's time for Fisk to show his true colors, Matt going from total softy to the devil in seconds, Foggy being the best boi, Karen becoming a total badass, and Anya dealing with the effects of her father's torment. Hope ya'll are ready. Enjoy! ♡

Her whole body felt like it was on fire. Her whole world started to spin. The nausea clinged onto her like a bad habit. Her vocal chords were melting, she couldn’t even scream anything silent. She laid on her floor in agony, bad childhood memories flushed inside, reminding her why she was in this state to begin with.

// She’s flawed, honey. She can’t even use her abilities without getting sick. Such a disappointment. //

Her head was in the sand. Her eardrums are drowning in the water. Her stomach turned in a way she thought she was going to vomit again, but nothing would come up.

I gotta… Her fingertips twitched against the lament, desperate to move.

I gotta move. I need to–

Someone was knocking on her door. Loudly, but at a calming pace. This person wasn’t aware of what was going on with her; This person wasn't alarmed.

"Anya? You there?" A voice called out, making her quietly groan. She couldn't recognize who it was. She wanted to curl into a little ball.

"Hey, you there? You haven't been answering our calls. Matt and I are worried."

Matt and I? So, it's not Matt at the door. So that narrows it down to–

"Karen kind of forced me to come check up on you because of it."

Foggy. It's Foggy. She mentally curses, and forces herself to stand.

Shit. This is bad. He can't see me–

"So, are you home or– Jesus. Maybe you're out running around. Why didn't I think of that?"

She stumbles into the bathroom, kicking off her boots and taking off her clothes. She can't let him see her wearing these clothes or she's fucked. With trembling hands she tries snagging her bathrobe off its hook, only for her super strength to take over and pull it down completely causing a loud crash.

"Anya? Was that a crash? Are you okay? Anya?!"

She groans and slips it on, tying a knot before heading down the hallway. She could hear his frantic knocking again and his concerned shouting, and she only wishes she could pick up the pace without the worries of toppling over.

"Anya! I got a spare key, don't make me–" Foggy stops mid sentence as the apartment door swings open. He watches as his best friend clings to the door, looking like she was put through a wringer. "Jesus… you look…"

"Like shit?" Anya finishes, holding down the nausea.

"I couldn't say it better myself." He frowns worriedly, and silently asks If he could come in, which was granted. "What happened? What got you so sick?"

"You know that Mexican food place a block from here?" She asks, forming a lie on the fly as she closes the door.

"The one I suggested we should try?"

"Yeah. That one."

"Oh." He frowns. "So… No Bueno?"

"Si, Si, Señor."

"Awe. If I had known I would have brought you some soup."

She hums, cracking a smile. "I'd appreciate the kindness, Fog. I think I should be okay by the end of the day."

“If you say so.” He says, setting his work bag down for a second on the kitchen counter. That made her open her eyes more, and realize he was wearing a suit and tie.

She forces herself to look at the microwave clock and groans into her hands. “And… I’m seven hours late to work.” She mutters, embarrassed. “No wonder you came to check on me.”

He gives her a look of amusement and chuckles. “You seriously didn’t know?”

“Honestly, Foggy, I thought it was still night.”

And I really did think it was last night. It was yet another mission. This time she wanted to find out who this Wilson Fisk guy is that she and No-Eyes found out about after their client killed himself. But to her surprise, these people came in like a stampede and she had to use way more energy than she usually does. She could barely remember even getting home let alone falling on the floor, silently begging for the pain to stop as she blacked in and out of consciousness.

She takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you guys worried.”

He shakes his head. “It’s okay, Ann, really. If I had known you were this sick I would have come sooner.”

“No, I…” Anya sighs. “I should have been more aware of the time.” She crosses her arms, mad at herself. “So… anything happened at work?”

“Nope.” Foggy said, popping the ‘p’. “We closed early because of it. So, technically, you really didn’t miss anything.”

“But still, it’s my business too. I need to be there.” She replies, sighing again.

“Again, you didn't miss anything.” He said, reassuringly. “But, I think we’ll get something tomorrow. I got a gut feeling.”

That got her smile and chuckle. “Foggy, it’s Sunday. We’re closed Sundays.”

His face fell. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” She holds back another laugh. “But, you know, if you have a gut feeling…”

He rolls his eyes. “Oh, my–” He holds his tongue. “You’re so…” She breaks out another laugh at him struggling to find the right word. “You know, I want to strangle you sometimes.”

“Oh, really?” Anya raises an eyebrow. “Awe, Mr. Nelson. Is this how you treat all the women you know?”

“Only the ones I truly care about, Miss Hughes.” Foggy points out with a gleam in his eye. “You seemed to be feeling better already, but I’ll give you Sunday off so you can rest, okay?”

“Will do, Boss.” She says, with a weak salute. “Now–” She lightly slaps him in the arm. “Go before I puke again.”

“Probably a good call.” He nods as he grabs his bag, sliding the straps on. “But, hey, if you’re not feeling better by tomorrow, one of us is dragging your ass to the doctor’s. Okay?”

“Okay.” Anya said, walking with him to the door. “So what’s on the agenda tonight? You going bar hopping for a wife again?”

He snorts. “Eh, maybe not tonight. I could use a break from that eel.”

She opens the door, letting him step out. “You know, Nelson, Landman & Zack’s Goldilocks is still single.” She said, with a mischievous smirk.

He gapes like a fish at her, pointing again. “You’re so mean.”

“What? You don’t want to be called ‘Foggy-Bear’ again?”

He groans loudly and walks down the hallway. “I absolutely do not want to be called that again.”

“Sure you don’t.” Her smile softens, knowing damn well he’s still hung up on his old girlfriend. “Hey, Foggy? Can you text the others to let them know I’m okay?”

“Already on it. But I don’t know if they’ll even answer.”

She furrowed her brows in a puzzle, leaning against the doorframe. “What do you mean?”

“Good question.” He spins on his heels, walking backwards while replying, “They’re both acting weirder than normal.”

He turns back around, turning a corner to leave towards the elevator. Anya purses her lips, closing her door, wondering what was up with Matt and Karen.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, on the other side of town. The door belonging to an occupied warehouse slammed open, and one of the Russian Brothers, Anatoly, bursts through and descends down the metal stairs to the outside world.

Anatoly tries to hide the panic in his voice as he talks on the phone. “Он здесь!... Как вы думаете, кто?” (*He’s here!... Who do you think?).

He looks behind himself, worriedly. “Нет, я не знаю, как он нас нашел… де мой брат?... Слушай, заткнись!” (*No, I don’t know how he found us… Where’s my brother?... Listen, shut up!).

He rounds the taxi parked outside. “Замолчи! Мне все равно, что он тебе сказал... позвони ему!” (*Shut up! I don’t care what he told you… get him on the phone!)

Anatoly hangs up and gets in the driver seat. Just as he started the car, one of his men fell from above and onto the hood. Broken glass and blood doused the windshield. Not even phased, he backs the taxi up at a high speed, the body rolling off into the road.

From the second story window, Matt dressed in usual attire listened as he drove off, silently cussing that he let the head Russian get away.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“You’ve been busy.” Claire said, threading the needle through his bloody skin.

“Yeah…” Matt replies with a soft groan.

“Sorry.” She frowns apologetically. “So, how’s that working out for you?”

He grins. “You should see the other guys.”

“I have.” She points out with a nod. “The one you threw off the roof, at my place? He’s in a coma. Do you know that?”

“Yeah, I heard.”

She pauses to look up at him. “How do you feel about that?”

There was a slight hesitation, but didn’t look too remorseful as he replied, “I’ll live.”

Claire finishes up, sitting up straight in her stool. She opens her mouth to speak, but the sound of something getting knocked over caught her attention.

“Hey!” She hisses at the cat. “Get off the counter!” She snaps, banging on the side table to try to scare it off.

Matt found that funny and chuckled. “Wow, you don’t like cats.”

“I’m allergic.” Claire explains. “I was supposed to be coming in, feeding this guy twice a day while my friend was out of town, not hiding out here using up all my sick days.”

“Just a while longer. Just till we know the Russians aren’t looking for you.” She pauses again, giving him a look that he picked up. “What?”

“You said, ‘We’.”

He nods slowly. “Well… this… ‘May’ person is on the lookout too.”

“Huh.” Claire said, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you two weren’t on good terms?”

““Look–”” She begins, stepping closer. ““I’m not saying we should become partners, but if we’re going to figure out what’s going on here, we should not exactly push each other away. If we come across each other, we just deal with it.””

““And… if we do, we compare notes if we find something?”” He asked, carefully.

She nods once more. ““If you're okay with it, so am I.””

The memory faded away, the one that still seemed fresh each day since that night. “We came to an agreement. We promise to respect each other's spaces, but also not push each other away either.”

Claire looks at him surprised. “Wow. That’s… That’s interesting. Shocking, really.”

“Tell me about it.” He exhales heavily. “Although, Peaches annoys me, she’s not too bad out in the field.”

“Peaches?”

“Nickname. She smells like them.”

“Well, I don’t remember smelling that. But you’re the one with the super nose.” She replies, before digging around in her medical bag. “Since you two are communicating better, you two should consider getting some kind of body armor. Especially you, you look like you’ve been put through the grinder.”

“It would slow me down too much.”

“So will a bullet.” She says, cleaning the excess blood before putting a gauze over it.

His shit eating grin returns. “You worried about me?” He asked, holding the gauze in place as she grabbed the tape.

“What if I were?”

“I would tell you I’m a big boy, and not to be.”

She copies an expression similar to his. “Right. That’s why you keep ending up here.”

“Well… maybe I just like the sound of your voice.”

Claire hums, not fully convinced. “Sure I’m your gal? You haven’t exactly given me a special nickname yet.”

He tilts his head, confused. “What do you mean?”

“So what happens the night you come by and I’m already talking to someone else?” She asked, ignoring his question.

“Yeah…” Matt clears his throat, hearing that she was done taping his arm. “It crossed my mind.” He unzips his pants pocket holding out a burner phone for her to take. “Here.”

“Um…” She takes her glove off, taking it. “You shouldn’t have.”

He chuckles. “I didn’t. The burner’s for me. Memorize the number, put yours in. Next time I need to come by, I’ll call.”

“By ‘Come by’–” She gets up walking around the sofa. “Do you mean stumble in, bleeding half to death?”

Matt catches his shirt she threw at him without looking, and subtly shrugs. “Yeah, something like that.”

“You’re gonna get yourself killed. You really gotta ease up.” Claire said, cleaning up the mess.

“No–” He groans quietly as he slides his shirt on. “I can’t. Not yet.”

“I can take care of myself, Mike. You know–”

“It’s not just about you. It’s a little more complicated than that.” He said, putting his mask on as she types her number into the burner. “You ever heard the name Wilson Fisk?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “Who’s that?”

He frowns as he starts putting his gloves on. “Just a name somebody gave me. But there’s no public record. Nothing on the internet. Not one mention of Fisk.”

“Maybe whoever gave you his name was lying.”

“I would have known if he was.”

“How?” She asked, handing the phone over.

“Heartbeat.” He said, standing up.

“Right, of course. Heartbeat, So, what, you’re just gonna go out there punching whoever you can, hoping to find somebody who knows this Fisk guy?”

“Well, apply enough pressure, someone will break.” He pulls the mask down to cover his eyes, then opens up her window to the fire escape. “Sooner or later.”

He slips through and jumps over the railing, leaving behind a smiling Claire as she shakes her head.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

In a parking garage somewhere in the city, a small group of Russians were peeling off the names on the side of Taxicabs and replacing them with their own. Amongst this mess, the ever so nicely dressed James Wesley arrives at the scene, catching the leaders’ eyes as they strut over to him.

“Oof. Those look like they hurt.” Wesley says, mockingly to Anatoly’s busted up face.

“I’ve had worse.”

“I know how much your people delight in extolling the amount of pain they can endure, but maybe next time you could try ducking?” He continues, ignoring how Anatoly’s face hardened and his brother stepped close to him. “Leland’s finalized the paperwork–”

Wesley hands Vladimir the paperwork, his cold eyes looking over it carefully.

“Prohaszka’s holdings in Kitchen Cab have been acquired and transferred via third party to Veles Taxi. Your distribution infrastructure just doubled.”

“Tell your employer we are grateful.” Anatoly said, biting his hot tongue by saying that.

Wesley notices this but ignores it. “Don’t think he really cares at the moment. You were light again this week.”

Vladimir hands the paperwork over to his brother. “There was a complication.” He replies, truthfully.

“One you assured us you were addressing.”

“Do you know what he was asking?” Vladimir asks, stepping closer. “This fool who laid hands on my brother?”

Wesley shakes his head. “Not my concern.”

“It should be.” Anatoly says, sternly. “He was asking about your employer, by name. And then the night before yesterday, that masked woman was also snooping around for your employer’s name.”

It didn’t take a genius to see the small shock on Wesley's face before he covered it up. Calmly he says, “All the more reason to settle this. You sneeze, we catch a cold. Madame Gao and Mr. Nobu have expressed their disappointment.”

“We have not heard of this.” Vladimir says, suspicious.

“Hmm.” Wesley shrugs. “That’s because we’ve been talking behind your back, about how the Russians can’t seem to handle one man and one woman running around in masks.” Another shrug. “I mean, if he had an iron suit or a magic hammer, maybe that would explain why you keep getting your asses handed to you–”

“We told you what that woman can do.”

Wesley tilts his head. “Then, find a solution.”

“You wouldn’t be telling me this if you saw this woman who has the strength of men twice her size, and can paralyzed someone with just a touch.” Vladimir hisses through his teeth before getting fed up. “We’re done here.”

The brothers turn around, and start walking back to what they were doing beforehand as Wesley processes what he just said.

“She can paralyze?” He asks, but gets no response. He sighs. “Those two have weakened your operations.”

Vladimir stops to return a glare. “You think us weak?”

“This isn’t personal, Vladimir. It’s business. Distribution of Madame Gao’s product has been affected, which in turn is causing delays in other ventures. This is not acceptable. Fortunately, for all parties, my employer has agreed to help return you to solid footing.”

“How?” Anatoly asked, curious.

“By Aiding you in certain duties deemed vital to the continuation of service–”

Vladimir snickers. “He wants to take over.” He explains, trying to walk away again; But Wesley is like a dog with a bone.

“We value the services you provide, but clearly–” Wesley laughs lightly. “You need help providing them. We’ll all profit nicely under the new structure.”

“How nicely?” Anatoly asked, intrigued. This causes his brother to speak something snappy in Russian to him.

Vladimir then sighs, saying, “Tell Mr. Fisk–”

“We don’t say his name.” Wesley reminds, watching the Russian clench his jaw and take a threatening step forward.

“Tell… Mr. Fisk… that if he wants two pounds of flesh… he can come here and carve it himself.”

Wesley looks down, exhaling to hold his underlying anger in. “This is an offer, not an order.” He said, calmly. “The choice of how we proceed is yours. Talk it over with your brother. We’ll be in touch.”

Wesley walks away with some of his bodyguards, leaving the brothers to figure out what to do.

“Маленькая сучка. Обратитесь к Петру.” Vladimir says, bitterly (*Prissy little bitch. Reach out to Piotr).

“Почему?” Anatoly asked (*Why?).

“Почему вы думаете?” (*Why do you think?).

“Если работодатель Уэсли узнает–” (*If Wesley’s employer finds out–).

“Его «работодатель»?” Vladimir asked, fed up by that overused term (*His ‘Employer’?). “Вы знаете, почему Фиск не хочет, чтобы кто-нибудь произносил его имя? Хм? Потому что это выдаст, что он всего лишь мужчина.” (*Do you want to know why Fisk… doesn’t want anyone saying his name? Hmm? Because it would betray that he’s just a man.)

“Вот парень и девушка в масках… и посмотрите, что они с нами сделали.” Anatoly explains, slightly shaken (*So’s the guy and girl in masks… and look what they’ve done to us.)

Vladimir nods in agreement. “Ага.” He says, pondering a moment (*Yeah). “Что мы знаем о них?” (*What do you know about them?)

“Ничего.” Anatoly says with a sigh (*Nothing). “Семен, может быть, и нашел что-то... но спит как убитый.” (*Semyon might have found something… but he sleeps like the dead.)

“Иисус воскрес на третий день... Семен достаточно проспал.” (*Jesus rose the third day… Semyon has slept long enough.)

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The morning followed, and Karen sat across the Bulletin Reporter, Ben Urich, in a small diner across town.

“Did you look at it?” She asked, nervousness on the edge of her words.

“Yeah, I looked at it.” He replies, readjusting himself in the booth.

“And?”

“And… It's a story I’ve heard before. Company gets caught up in a scandal, files for bankruptcy, then quietly restructures under a new name.”

“They killed Daniel Fisher. They tried to kill me.” Karen reminds, putting emphasis on those major words. Was he seriously not getting it?

“I’m still a little unclear on that point.” Urich explains, truthfully. He touches the file on the table. “You say here Rance assaulted you in your apartment. And a man in a black mask, and a woman with purple eyes, saved your life?”

Karen nods slowly, realizing how ridiculous it sounded out loud. “Yes, but they just… they came out of nowhere. I mean… the woman literally phazed through my window. The man just showed up at my door.”

“And you’d never seen them before?”

“No.”

Urich stops and thinks, humming. “Stranger things, right?”

She sighs. “Well, what about Rance? Do you r-really believe that he j-just up and hung himself in jail?” She asked, a horrific memory coming along. “That guard tried to do the same thing to me. Why don’t you ask him?

“Farnum?” Urich asked, after taking a sip of coffee. “He’s dead. Ate the barrel of his gun in his basement.” He watches the horror flash across her face but he keeps going. “And your old boss, McClintock? Overdosed on pills or some such.” He raises an eyebrow. “You seeing a pattern here, Miss Page?”

Of course she did, anyone with a brain could see it plain as day. “Then why isn’t anyone looking into this?” She asked, confused.

He sets his mug down, leaning forward on the table. “You don’t understand how lucky you are. Count the angels on the head of a pin, and move on.”

She blinks. “So they just shuffle some papers and all this disappears?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Oh, don’t bullshit me.” Karen said, almost laughing. “A construction company is brick and mortar, literally. You cannot just shift cranes and trailer and office equipment like you can numbers on a page. There has to be a trail if everything is being liquidated.”

Urich casts his glance down, his wheel turning before deciding to bail. He sets his empty mug down, grabbing his things. “Thanks for the coffee.”

Karen bats her eyes again. “What?” She asked, looking up as he stood. “So that’s it?”

“Stories like this are built on sources, Miss Page. Credible sources. I did some digging into your, uh… past activities.”

Karen holds her tongue at that statement, but she still lets a little steam seep through. “Well, I did some digging, too. I read every big story with your byline. The VA kickbacks, toxic runoff, t-the Teachers Union scandal. Hell… you pretty much brought down the Italian mob back when I was in diapers. What ever happened to that reporter, Mr. Urich?”

That seems to stir something deep inside him. Enough to make the older man a bit teary eyed. “He got old… and a hell of a lot less stupid.” He admits, and wanders off.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

In a hospital surrounded by all the life support equipment you could imagine, lies one of the Russians’ “clean up” members. Coming through the door with a bouquet of flowers and a balloon that was soon tossed aside by the brothers. They came to stand in front of the bed taking the terrible sight in.

“Боже мой.” Anatoly mumbles in shock (*My god).

“Дай мне комплект.” Vladimir said after a moment (*Give me the kit).

Anatoly hands him the kit before starting to move anything ‘unnecessary’ out of the way. “Это может убить его.” (*This could kill him.)

“Семена обычно посылают на такую работу. Он бы понял.” Vladimir explains, calmly (*Semyon’s usually the one we send for this sort of work. He’d understand.)

Vladimir gets out a bottle of epinephrine and a syringe, while Anatoly detaches the pulse oximeter and ventilator.

Vladimir starts putting the syringe together while asking, “Вы получили ответ от Петра?” (*You hear back from Piotr?)

Anatoly nods, shakily replying with, “Сказал, что позвонит, когда у него будет что-нибудь о перемещениях Фиска. Фиск осторожен. Если он заподозрит–” (*Said, he’d call when he had something on Fisk’s movements. Fisk is cautious. If he suspects–)

“И что? Чего ты так боишься?” (*Then what? What are you so afraid of?)

“Мы были в этой адской дыре три года.” Anatoly says, bitterly while showing off three fingers. (*We were in that hellhole for three years.) “От московских князей... до гадения в ведро. Я пообещал себе, что если мы когда-нибудь освободимся... мы больше никогда не потеряем то, что у нас было. Тем более не гордиться.”

(*From princes of Moscow… to shitting in a bucket. I promise myself If we ever got free… we’d never lose what we had again. Especially not to pride.)

Vladimir fills the needle replying, “Когда у нас ничего не было, мы обо всем договаривались.” (*Back when we had nothing, we agreed on everything.)

His brother scoffs. “Мы заблудились... в этой богатой стране.” (*We’ve lost our way… in this land of riches.)

“Тогда давай найдем его снова... вместе.” (*Then let’s find it again… together.)

Vladimir sets the empty bottle down, waiting for a nod before stabbing Semyon in the chest, pushing the drug inside. He pulls it out, setting it on the tray. They waited a few moments before locking eyes with each other, confused.

“Вы уверены… что это был адреналин?” Vladimir asked, worried (*You sure… this was epinephrine?). His question gets answered on cue when the comatosed man starts gasping and flailing around. “Вытащите его трубку.” (*Get his tube out).

Anatoly quickly pulls the tube out of the man’s throat, spit flying everywhere when he removes the mouthpiece. “Семен. Это мы, Анатолий и Владимир.” He says, trying to sound soothing (Semyon. It’s us, Anatoly and Vladimir).

Vladimir shakes his head when he sees his man taking deep breaths. “Вот так… Дыши… Дыши… и расскажи нам о людях, которые сделали это с тобой.” (*That’s it… Breathe… Breathe… and tell us about the people who did this to you.)

“Дьявол. Дьявол.” Semyon gasps, scared (*The devil. The devil).

The brothers shared a look.

“Был ли это просто человек в маске?” Anatoly asked, puzzled (*Was it just the masked man?).

Semyon made a noise that sounded like a no, before wheezing, “Дама была там. Светящийся... как призрак.” (*The lady was there. Glowing… like a ghost.)

“Призрак?” Vladimir said, brows together in confusion. He’s never heard the vigilante woman be described like that before (*Ghost?).

“Вы видели что-нибудь? Семен? Что-нибудь, что могло бы помочь нам найти их?” Anatoly asked, ignoring his brother’s question (*Did you see anything? Semyon? Anything that could help us find them?).

“С ними была женщина. Была женщина с дьяволом и его дамой…” Semyon gasps (*There was a woman with them. There was a woman with the devil and his lady…)

Semyon waits for Vladimir to lean in to whisper something before passing on to the other side.

With cold eyes, Vladimir says, “Get Sergei on the phone.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Anya popped a few pills in and took a swig of her drink. She nearly gagged at the taste, but she read online it helps an upset stomach so she’ll have to deal with it.

“How are you feeling?” Someone concernedly asked her.

She looks up from her spot on the precinct bench, finding her friend hovering close by. She flashes him a quick smile. “I’m doing alright. Better than before.”

“If you say so.” Matt said, coping her expression as he shifted down to sit next to her. “Wasn’t sure if you’d make it down here, if I’m being honest.”

She gives a dry chuckle, because she wasn’t sure if she was going to make it either. Her dizzy spells had subsided, but her nausea came in waves.

“I had to make some effort since I fucked up yesterday.” Anya said, making him laugh.

“You didn’t fuck up, Ann.” He replies, reassuringly but he hears her shaking her head.

“Dude, I didn’t even call. I missed a whole work day.”

“You were sick. It happens.”

“Yeah, but I still should have called.” She takes a sip of her drink, wincing.

“Maybe you should have stayed home. I mean we aren’t even supposed to be working today.” He said, frowning apologetically.

“Oh, yeah…” Anya realizes, facing him. “Why did you get me out of bed? I thought you cared about me, Murdock.”

Matt grins at her teasing. “Oh, you know me. Mr. Meanie Murdock.”

“Yeah, you jerk.” She taps his shoulder with hers, taking another swig. “Ugh…”

His eye brows shoot up above his shades. “That bad?”

“Oh, yeah. You can probably smell how strong it is.”

“Oh, definitely.” He said, honestly. The ginger in the beverage was strong, overwhelming (And she unknowingly agreed to this statement), but didn’t mention that out of politeness. “Why not drink some Ginger ale?”

“I wish I could. It doesn’t really do much for me anymore. I drank so much of that as a kid, I think I became immune.” She replies, frowning.

That was her mother’s solution for everything. Soda and skipping her next few meals; While her father on the other hand, never wanted to give her any kind of medicine when she overdid it with her abilities. He told her to ‘tough it out’, because she was a soldier. She wasn’t allowed to feel weak, wasn’t allowed to show weakness when she was forced to let him do his experiments on her. She wasn’t supposed to–

“Ann?” Matt touched her forearm, his contact making her jolt. He felt those fearful emerald eyes on him, and her heartbeat still pounding against her chest, ready to take a leap out of it.

“W-What…?” She mutters, shakily.

“Are you okay? You spaced out?” He asked, worriedly.

“I… I did…?”

His brows furrowed together. “Yeah. You did.”

“I…” She chokes, quietly. “I didn’t realize that…”

“Ann?”

“Hmm…?”

“You’re shaking.”

“I… am…?” She looks down to find her hands trembling. She didn’t even realize she was. “Oh…”

Matt finds himself growing before carefully taking the bottle from her hand, setting it down on the floor. He then takes her two hands into his, sensing her dazing off again. He gives her quivering palms a gentle squeeze.

“Anya?” He says, softly, quietly. “Hey. Can you look at me?” She hums again. “Can you look at me, sweetheart?” It takes his words a minute to register, but she did. “There you go.” He smiles gently. “Do you know where you are?”

“Um…” She swallows, slowly hearing the chattering in the background. “T-The… the police precinct…?”

“Yeah, you are.” He pushes a few stray hairs away from her face when she started spacing out again. “Can you come back to me here? Please?”

Anya closes her eyes, taking a moment to take a few deep breaths.

In and out.

Her heart starts to level out along with her breathing.

“There you go.” Matt said, her eyes opening. “You okay?”

She exhales again and nods. “Yeah.” She replies, truthfully. “Yeah. I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” He mentally sighs with relief. “You scared me for a second.”

“I’m sorry.” She whispers, feeling guilty.

“No, no. Don’t be.” He says, delicately. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”

“I just…” She sighs. “I just hate… spacing out into… that.”

“I know. But it’s a perfectly normal reaction for someone who went through–” He pauses to search for the right word. Abuse. He wanted to say abuse. But even he still was kept in the dark of what happened to his friend in her childhood, so he kept it cleaner. “What you went through. I know it’s hard, but don’t hate yourself for something you can’t control.”

And that’s what made her love Matt as a friend. Even though he doesn’t know the full extent of what she went through, he was still always by her side no matter what happened. He was there for her on her good days and her bad days; Just like she was with him.

“You’re too good for me, Matty.” She replies, quietly, meaningfully.

He smiles again. “I could say the same thing about you.”

Comforting silence overcame them, taking a moment to enjoy it. They both didn’t realize they were still holding hands until Matt subconsciously brushed his thumbs over her knuckles. Their breaths hitched as their eyes locked. Those milky brown and burning green orbs held a little spark, a feeling they’ve been suppressing since they were young. Their noses were practically touching; Plumped lips just a centimeter away–

“Hey.” Foggy said, strolling by, getting their (flustered) attention (Anya pulls back, hiding her reddened face in her shoulder as Matt clears his throat; Their friend is still oblivious to their interaction). “You guys okay? You ready to check this client out?”

Matt looks at her again. “You okay? Or do you want to go home?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “No. I’m fine.”

“You sure?” He asked, getting a hum as a reply. “Okay.”

It took them a second again to realize that they were still holding hands, before letting go. They both stood up, smoothing out their clothes. Taking a small step away.

“Okay, let’s do this.” Anya said, putting her game face on.

Matt copies with a nod. “Yep. Let’s get another client.”

It finally dawns on Foggy what happened, and opens his mouth to speak–

“Is he in the first room like always, Foggy?” Anya asked, starting to walk by him.

“Yeah, but–”

“Great. Let’s go, boys.”

Foggy bats his eyes, spinning on his heels to watch her walk on without even thinking to stop and wait. “But–”

“She’s not stopping.” Matt said, coming up next to him.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Foggy replies, looking at him now, puzzled. “Soooo… you and Anya–”

He holds his hand up. “Nothing happened. I was just helping her.”

The dirty blond raises an eyebrow. “Helping her? How?” He lowers his voice to say, “By eye fucking her?” That got his friend to blush and get hit in the calf by his cane. “Ow…”

“I w-was not…” Matt stutters, face the color of his shades. “N-not doing that. I can’t even see, you know?”

Foggy gives him a knowing look. “Even if you can’t, you can still see it in those eyes.”

He groans. “Foggy–”

“Come on, Matty.” Foggy gives him those puppy eyes. “Can you atleast… ask her out on a date? Go for coffee, that's just the two of you? I mean, I see how you look at her. That’s not a look a friend gives to another.”

Matt licks his lips, nervously, readjusting his stance. “She had an episode, Foggy.”

His face fell immediately. “Oh.” Foggy shifts uncomfortably, crossing his arms in a serious manner. “How bad was it?”

“Not… too bad like last time. She just spaced out this time.”

“I see.”

Matt sighs, grip tightening and loosening around his stick’s handle. “It’s my fault. I said something I shouldn’t have said.”

“Matt, it happens. Don’t take it to heart.”

“I know, but still. She’s my friend.”

“Which is exactly why I say you should go for it.” Foggy continues, and cuts off his partner when he tries to deny. “You can’t deny these hazel eyes, Matt. They see all, and all the truth.”

Matt tries to spew denial again, but decides otherwise. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

“Yes.” Foggy said, pumping his fist and getting a smile out of it. “And please do. I can’t stand those… googly eyes.”

“Again, I can’t see.” Matt said, with a chuckle. “But one of us still needs to take her home. Just in case.”

“Way ahead of you, lover-boy.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Cruising along the streets of the kitchen, the man we finally know the name of was lost in thought as his right hand explained everything going on, carefully shredding the dangerous waters of his boss’s mind.

“Anatoly may be the way in.” Wesley begins, glasses in hand. “He seems more amenable to the proposition, or at least not quite as… vitriolic as his brother.”

“Well…” Fisk says with a slight nod. “Confrontations can be expensive. I’d prefer to handle this quietly. How are we on the timeline?”

“Within a reasonable margin. Assuming we can settle with the Russians quickly.”

“We will. One way or another.”

“What about the masked idiots?”

This causes Fisk to sigh. “If the brothers can’t handle them, I’ll find another solution.” He replies as the car comes to a stop. He starts to get out, only to then grab Wesley by the arm. “No. You stay with the car.”

“Sir–” Wesley said, worriedly.

“I need to attend to this alone.” His pupil hesitates, but complies. “Thank you, Wesley.”

Fisk enters the art gallery from the other night, taking a easy stroll around, eyes searching for that special someone. That special someone who finds him first.

The brunette woman flashes a smile. “Well, hello there.”

“Hello.”

“How are you enjoying ‘Rabbit in a Snowstorm’?” She asked, coming over.

“You remember.” He said, bashful.

“Of course… it’s one of my favorite pieces.”

“I hung it in my bedroom.” He replies, taking a small step forward. “It’s the last thing I see every night.”

“That’s either very romantic or very sad.”

“I like to tell myself it’s the former.”

She chuckles. “Don’t we all?”

“I wanted…” He trails off, nervously. He takes another step forward. “I wanted to thank you for it… personally.”

“That’s really not necessary, but you’re welcome.” Her smile grew brighter. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

He shakes his head. “No, I…” Fisk takes a step back, recollecting. “Yes. I was actually wondering if you cared to join me for dinner.”

“I’m the only one working here tonight.”

“That’s okay.” He replies, rubbing his hands together. “Another time then.” He walks away.

She tilts her head, amused. “That’s it?” She asked, chuckling. “You’re not gonna offer to buy every painting in here so I can close up early? A guy actually tried that once.”

Fisk lets that sink in and walks back over. “A woman that can be bought… isn’t worth having.”

That line seemed to win her over. “I’m partial to Italian.”

“We agree on more than art.” He replies, smiling.

She holds out her hand. “Vanessa.”

Shocked by the move but he still takes it, giving her a light shake. “W-Wilson.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Back at her ‘hideout’, Claire was placing a bowl of food for her friend’s cat. She walks away to blow her nose, quickly taking note that the feline wasn’t touching it.

“Eat it, you little bastard.” She says, sniffling

Claire starts trying to take her allergy pills only to hear scraping and rattling outside her door. Carefully she takes her phone out, and quietly walks towards the front, peaking through the peephole. Luckily, all she saw was an older woman pushing a cart full of groceries. She chuckles at her paranoid self, and finishes taking her pills, unaware of the ever growing silhouette outside the window.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The lawyer trio walked outside into the night, annoyance written on all their faces. They were supposed to be home relaxing, enjoying their day off; But when they got a call from Brett saying they had another potential client, they couldn’t say ‘No’. Which… you probably guess how that went.

“My mom wanted me to be a butcher, you know that?” Was the first thing Foggy said, making his friends sigh.

“Oh, not the butcher story.” Matt said, casting his head down.

“Oh, Jesus…” Anya mumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“I said, ‘No, Mom, I want to be a lawyer’. I don’t remember what I said next.” Foggy continues, stringing them along the sidewalk.

“No, you never do.” The blind man replies with.

“But I’m fairly certain it wasn’t about bailing out a piss-drunk electrician who nearly burned his house down. Let’s cross.” He guides Matt across the street with Anya following next to them.

“Ed’s wife left him, Foggy. It was an accident.” She says, before pondering on that. “Admittedly involving cigarettes and gasoline, but still.”

“I could be carving my own corned beef. Making my own pickles, having a little shop of my own.”

“You got your own office.” Matt points out.

“We have office space. An actual office would involve… plantery and equipment, fax machines or whatever successful people use.” Foggy explains as they finally cross the street, stopping on the sidewalk.

Matt chuckles. “I don’t think they use fax machines anymore.”

“How would I know? Which is endemic to the problem.” Foggy faces them. “Guys, what if we’re doing this all wrong? What if Landman and Zack were the way to go?”

“You hated interning there.” Matt and Anya reply in sync.

“I hated being broke, and that is still creepy.” He said, pointing between the two.

“Come on, Fog, you think Landman and Zack would have helped out Ed?” Anya asked, watching him take a step off the curb to look for a cab.

“No. But they had free bagels... every morning.” Foggy replies, making them laugh a little. “And they had furniture that didn't smell like a pack of cigarettes. And elevators…” He blissfully sighs. “God, I miss the elevators.”

“We're doing good here, Foggy.” Matt reassures him.

“Are we?” He asked, hailing a cab.

“Yeah, we're making a difference.”

“If you say so.” He opens the cab door just as Matt’s (burner) phone starts to ring. “You coming, Hughes?”

“We’re splitting the fairs, aren’t we?” She teased making him snort. “Matt, you coming?” Nothing. “Matt?”

Foggy raises an eyebrow. “You get a new phone? Can we afford that?”

Matt answers the phone saying, “Hey, one sec.” He covers the phone with his hand. “ Guys, I'll see you tomorrow.”

“It's a girl, isn't it? You got a new phone just for your girls.” Foggy said, shaking his head. “My life sucks.” He gets into the cab.

“Don’t stay out too late, lover boy.” Anya poked with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She gets in as well as he nods.

“Get home safe.” Matt replies, the door closing. Once he hears that he brings the phone back to his ear. “Hey, what's up?” But all he heard was ruckus on the other end. “Claire? Claire, can you hear me?” He hears her scream on the other end. “Claire!”

Without any hesitation, Matt took off running.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Get home safe.” They heard him say before they closed the door.

Foggy quickly tells the driver where to go before settling down with a heavy sigh. He casts a gaze to his college friend who was trying to look preoccupied (probably because she knew what he was going to ask).

“So when are you going to ask him out?” He asked, point blank.

She bats her eyes his way. “What? Ask who?”

“Matt.” He watches her groan as her cheeks flushed pink (Which she tried to hide by looking away). He throws his hand up. “Come on, you’re like… hung up on him.”

“We’re just friends, Foggy.” She replies, even though it stung. “I’m sure Matt doesn’t see me as anything else if he’s interested in other women.”

Foggy gives her a look. “You don’t know that. Maybe he’s thinking just like you.”

Anya chuckles dryly. “You don’t know that, man.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” He lies, which she completely missed. “But, I still think you should at least ask him out on a date, OR–” He pressures before she cuts in. “Subtly confess.”

“And if he turns me down because he doesn’t feel the same way…?”

“Then, friend or not, I will come after him for hurting you. End of story.”

Another laugh. “With your… fisticuffs?”

He smiles. “With my fisticuffs.”

She sighs fondly and lays her head on his shoulder. “Thanks, big bro.”

Now it was his turn to laugh. “I’m not that much older, you know.”

“Sure.” She hums at the comfortable silence, which was eventually broken when he said,

“I still think you should say something to him. I think you guys could be really happy together.”

She frowns. “I don’t think I could make him happy in that way.”

He raises an eyebrow, knowing damn well they could be really happy together since they both told him that they liked each other (although, he would never rat one or the other out). “But Matt loves you already as a friend. What are you so afraid of?”

What am I afraid of? She stays silent at his question, not wanting to tell him what she was truly terrified of.

Well…

I’m afraid my past will be too much for him.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Karen sits in on one of the back rows of an auction house. She subtly looks around, holding her sketchbook close, listening half heartedly too. She was there for one thing and one thing only. Investigating.

The Auctioneer starts rambling, pointing at an item on the screen. “5 and now 50. - 50 right there, and now 55. 55,000 here. - Now 60. 60,000. Who will bid 60,000? Do I have 60,000? - 55, going once, going twice. Sold for 55,000. Next up, lot 87… Liquidation of Union Allied Construction LLC.”

She keeps her reaction to that mellow, and places her pencil an inch above the paper, waiting.

“Forty-two desktops with Thunderbolt display, 14 copy machines, 62 IP phones, as well as supporting equipment listed in your catalog. Estimated value, 540,000. - We'll start the bidding at 70,000. Do I hear 70,000?”

Karen watches an older gentleman raise his paddle and starts sketching him, which she would repeat with everyone else following.

“70,000 right here, and now 75. - 75,000? I have 75 over here, and now 80. Do I have 80,000? - 80,000. 80,000 in the back, thank you. And now 90…”

Unknowingly to the blonde, Ben Urich had sat down behind her, looking distracted.

“Stop what you're doing. Don't turn around.” He says just above a whisper, making her freeze up. “This is how you get caught.”

“The hell do you care?” She replies, cold.

“To your right, a woman in a white blouse–” He begins, almost jolting from his seat when she starts to turn. “Eyes front. Jesus!” He sighs. “To your left, a man in a navy blue pinstripe suit.”

Karen quickly takes note of both. “Who are they?”

“Don't know. But they aren't bidding either.”

She scans the room with her eyes again, swallowing. “What do I do?”

“Spend the next hour raising your paddle. Win something. One of the smaller lots.” Was his suggestion.

She frowns. “I don't have any money.”

“Figure it out. Meet me at the diner when you're done.”

“How did you know I was here?” Nothing. “Ben?”

She quickly glances behind, finding the seat empty. She sucks in a breath as the bid finishes, trying to figure out how the fuck she was going to do this.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Anya already shedded her work clothes off and was slowly starting to put on her nightly ones. She fiddled with the straps on her cargo pants while thinking over her routine.

I should take it easy tonight. I shouldn’t use my abilities. No phasing, no paralyzing. Maybe use a little energy to escalate somewhere high, but keep it simple.

She nods at that, and slips on her hoodie.

And maybe… not do the eyes unless I come across someone. That should help lessen my chance of getting sick again.

She lets out a sigh, one that was mixed with frustration and exhaustion. She was supposed to be this ‘extraordinary’ soldier with powers, she wasn’t supposed to pass out after reaching a ‘limit’.

But again, I’m a girl who had a father who wanted to be a god. Jesus. She quickly braids her hair before tying the bandana over her mouth. She shakes her head.

Okay, gotta stop thinking about that. I need to relax and focus tonight. I gotta take it easy. She slipped on her boots and gloves, then opened up her window. She lets the cool breeze hit her face, welcoming her into the night. She smirks.

Alright. Let’s do this.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

In Claire’s trashed apartment, a young man, Santino, sat on the floor also banged up. His panting increases when he hears someone entering the room.

“It's okay. It's me, Santino.” Matt says, slowly coming over to crouch down in front of him. He pulls up his glasses, slowing off his features. “¿Me recuerdas?” (*Do you remember me?)

“Sí.” Santino shakes his head, still trembling despite recognizing him.

“Claire fue llevada por gente muy mala. Los oí decir su nombre. Necesito su ayuda. Por favor.” (*Claire's been taken by some very bad people. I heard them say your name. I need your help. Please.)

He sobs, looking ashamed. “No dije nada. No al principio. me llevaron al techo como tú lo hiciste con el hombre…Me dijeron si le decía algo a alguien… volverán por mi madre.” (*I didn't say anything. Not at first. Then they took me up to the roof like you did with that man… they told me if I said anything to anyone… they'd come back for my mother.)

“¿Sabes a dónde llevaron a Claire?” Matt asked, hopefully (*Do you know where they took Claire?).

Santino shook his head again. “No. Lo siento. Esos hombres la van a golpear por mi culpa.” (*No. I'm sorry… Those men are going to hurt her because of me.)

“No, no es tu culpa, Santino. Es mío.” Matt assures, touching his chest (*No, it’s not your fault, Santino. It’s mine). “¿Hay algo más que hayas oído o visto? ¿Algo que me pueda ayudar a encontrarla?” (*Is there anything else you heard or saw? Anything that might help me find her?)

The boy nods while thinking. “Los vi entrar en un taxi. Pero no por atrás, por delante. Como si fueran de ellos.” (*I saw them get into a taxi. But not in the back, in the front. Like it was theirs.)

“¿Cuál fuera compañía? ¿Viste el nombre?” (*What was the company? Did you see a name?)

He nods again, saying, “Veles. Veles Taxi.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Anya sat down on a rooftop ledge, scanning the skyline and listening carefully for anything out of the ordinary. She only perks up when she catches a whiff of the familiar scent of axe body spray.

She cocks her head, but doesn’t look back. “No-Eyes?” She calls out, sensing him coming closer.

“Are you doing anything?” Matt asked, urgently, his light footsteps seemed louder (Angier) than usual.

“No. I was taking it easy tonight.” Anya replies, fully facing him. “Why?”

“The Russians got Claire.”

Her eyes widened. “What?” She stands up. “You got a lead?”

“Santino told me that they saw the men who supposedly took her get into a taxi with the name, ‘Veles Taxi’.” He replies, sensing her respond to that name. “Ring a bell?”

“Sounds familiar.” She starts jogging her brain, conjuring up a memory from her childhood. “I got it.” She started walking towards the direction she thought of, and he was following closely behind. “It might be a long shot, and hopefully it’s still there, but I remember seeing this place in my childhood.”

“God, I hope you’re right.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

At a fancy restaurant in the nicer part of Hell’s Kitchen, Fisk sat across from Vanessa, tasting the wine the (nervous looking) waiter poured.

“Yes.” He says, taking a liking to the taste. The waiter then pours some into his date’s glass. “I hope you like it.”

Vanessa picks up her glass, smelling the aroma before taking a sip. “It's delicious.” She says, with a smile.

“I don't know much about wine.” Fisk admits. “My assistant, he recommended it.”

“Maybe I should be out with him.” She teased, but didn't see him laughing. “That was a joke.”

“Yes… of course.”

She chuckles. “A bad one, but... mmm... You don't do this much, do you?”

“No. I've been preoccupied–” He fiddles with his cufflinks. “for a long time.”

Vanessa watches him closely before saying. “This is nice. I didn't even know it was here.”

“Yes, it just opened last month.”

“The city's really changing.”

“Not fast enough.”

“I don't know. Be a shame to see all the character scrubbed away.”

“You didn't grow up here, did you?”

She laughs again. “What gave it away?”

Fisk smiles for a split second. “When I was a kid, I used to dream what it would be like to…” He stops to think. “To live somewhere far away from Hell's Kitchen. Somewhere beautiful.”

“What made you stay?” Vanessa asked, curiously.

“I didn't. When I was 12 years old, my mother, she sent me to stay with relatives. Had a farm, middle of nowhere. Those were good years.”

“But you came back.”

“Yes. Time and distance, they afford a certain clarity. I realized that this city was a part of me, that it was in my blood. And I would do anything to make it a better place… for people like you.”

That made her smile fondly at him, and raised her glass. She waits for him to follow before saying, “To a better place.”

Then they both toast with their wine glasses.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, poor Claire was slammed to the floor, face covered in blood and deep bruises. She was soon picked back up and thrown into the side of a cab, letting her whole body slide to the floor. She started coughing roughly as the Russains looked at her with rage.

“You answer, he stops hitting you. Everyone is happy.” One said, and she shook her head.

“I told you… I don't know who they are…” She croaks, breathing heavily and sits on the ground.

Sergei clenches his jaw and slams the baseball bat in the window next to her head. She screams as the glass shatters around her.

“Tell me their names.” He hisses, tightening his grip on the weapon.

Claire whimpers and mouths, “I don't know.” Then whispers, “They never told me…” She screams again when the bat hits the cab. “They never told me!!”

One of the Russians stops Sergi from going again. “Сергей... Владимир сказал нам не убивать ее, пока она не заговорит.” (*Sergei...Vladimir told us not to kill her until she talks.)

Sergei frowns, sighing. “This gives me no pleasure. It really doesn't. But I have been given a job to do. So please, answer the questions that I was told to ask.” He holds the baseball bat under her chin, lifting it up. “Or I will begin breaking you, a piece at a time.”

Suddenly, the lights go out.

Sergei looks around before facing one of his men. “Михаил, проверь выключатель. Проверьте прерыватель!” (*Mikhail, check the breaker. Check the breaker!)

Claire starts sobbing as the men scramble to turn the lights on. Eventually, some of them just started turning the lights underneath the taxis on. Soon, the quiet chattering started getting louder, before someone started screaming.

“Mikhail? Mikhail!”

Claire throws her head back, laughing like a maniac. “You want to know their names? Ask them yourself.”

There was a loud rattling noise that seemed to encase everyone present. Everyone looked around nervously, trying to find the source of the sound. Claire, knowing what’s going on, slumped down further in her spot, protecting herself.

The rattling turned out to be some wiring, which soon wrapped itself around one of the Russians’ feet and dragged them across the garage floor. Upon contact he started shooting off his gun, creating a domino effect.

Bullets were falling like they were raindrops, all targeting in areas they swear they heard a noise. The vigilantes stayed in the dark, hidden from their eyes as they attacked when they spotted an opening. Matt was throwing anything he could get his hands on, while Anya was freezing anybody that got close.

Sergei, who was wandering around nervously, was watching the silhouettes of his men disappear into the darkness.

He bites his lip and grabs Claire. “Up.” He snaps, and tries to leave.

“Let her go.” Matt said, his voice echoing off the walls.

“I'm walking out of here.” He says, pointing the gun in different directions.

“No, you aren't.”

“I'm not playing with you, man. I'm walking out of here… I'll blow her brains out!!!”

“My acquaintance isn’t playing around either.”

Anya lands on top of a nearby taxi, startling him. Out of instinct he shot off a bullet, which misses a vital spot on her skin when she phases. The vigilante watches as the man becomes pale and shocked, taking a small step back as she glares with her glowing eyes.

“Призрак.” Sergei mumbles, shakily (*Ghost).

Matt comes up from behind, apprehending Sergei’s arm in an armbar. The Russian shoots a bullet scaring Claire, who was soon pulled free by Anya. Matt twists his arm making him cry and drop the weapon.

“You okay?” Anya whispers, painfully as she leans against the cab. But she doesn’t get an answer when she watches the nurse reaching for–

“It hurts, doesn't it? Being in pain, being afraid–” Matt whispers, darkly.

To his (and really anyone’s) surprise, Claire grabbed the baseball bat and hit Sergei over the head with it. The world got quiet again, except for the sound of the aluminum bat dropping and Claire’s hurtful sobbing.

Matt’s whole demeanor changed, immediately pulling her into a comforting hug. “It's okay.” He says, cradling her head, making her sob harder. “I'm here. I have you.”

While this was happening, Anya was dealing with a spinning world again. She suddenly felt her veins running hotter than usual and her heart pounding even more than before. And she got really, really nauseous. She couldn’t stop herself this time…

She pulled her mask down and vomited up acid.

Matt and Claire pulled apart upon the sound, and looked in her direction.

“Are you okay?” Matt asked, worriedly as he finally started fully taking notice of her condition. The hefty panting and the heavy heartbeats. It was… overwhelming; Painful sounding. “Peaches?”

“May–” Claire begins, taking her in. “You’re… you look like you’re… glitching.”

Anya was shaking, shaking badly. But Claire had a point, she looked like she was a computer glitch. Her whole body would phase in and out, almost causing her to slip through the taxi her hand was laying against. She felt like she was about to pass out.

“I’m…” Anya chokes, and hunches over again when the nausea returns.

“You’re shaking.” Matt said, taking a step forward. “Let me–”

“N-No…” She winces. “Y-You can’t… d-do anything…” She bit her tongue when she felt her head starting to pound like a hammer. “I j-just… have to… l-let it pass.”

“Peaches–”

“I-I have to let it pass.” She says, sounding like she was being tortured.

She has to let it pass? What does that mean? Matt frowns, severely concerned.

Is this supposed to be normal?

“May, what’s going on? Why do you have to let it pass?” Claire asked, the nurturing side of her coming out, making her take a step towards her as well.

“I-I…” Anya pants, feeling like she was about to cry. “I overdid it. My abilities. I overdid it…”

“What?”

“Overdid? Is this normal?” Matt asked, deciding not to give her any more space, and walked over. “Is that why you said you were taking it easy tonight? Why didn’t you–”

“N-No-eyes…” Anya pants, her orbs landing on their nurse friend. “You got Claire?”

Matt tilts his head, confused. “Yeah, I got her. But–”

“Get her to safety.”

“What? What about– hey!”

Before he could stop her, Anya had used all her strength to push off the vehicle and run. She never stopped once no matter how many times they begged her to stop and come back.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Karen arrived at the diner, sliding in the booth across from Ben. She was still looking around nervously like earlier; Afraid of getting caught or chased by the people who worked for her old employer.

“You bid on anything?” He asked, while eating some eggs with a dab of hot sauce.

“Yeah. Some, uh... office equipment from a realtor. Nearly as old as I am.” She said, waving from the waitress.

“Win?”

“Yeah, 3,500 I don't have. I charged it to the law firm where I work. Probably just got my ass fired.”

“Beats the alternative.”

The waitress comes up with a steaming pot. “More coffee?”

“Uh, can I have a decaf?” Karen asked, politely.

“Oh, sure thing.” She walks away.

“Thanks.” Karen takes a brief moment to gather her thoughts. “How did you know I was gonna be there?” She asked, suspicious.

“Wasn't looking for you.” Urich replies, truthfully, as the waitress pours Karen’s coffee.

“I thought you weren't interested.” She said, realizing he was being honest.

“I said you should move on. Didn't say anything about me.”

“So I was right. About the office equipment. Union Allied or whatever it is that they're calling themselves now, they're buying it back. I mean, you follow that, maybe you find the guy behind the curtain.”

Urich pauses and puts his fork down to give her his whole attention. “You said you read a bunch of my articles. Remember the one about the, uh... the runoff? What that company was dumping into the river?”

“Yeah, sure.” She said, grabbing some sugar for her drink.

“Fished the guy that tipped me off out of that same river a month later.” Urich explains, watching her try to hide her discomfort. “And that fella trying to clean up the Teachers Union? Moved out of state… after flyers went up saying he was a pedophile. They underestimated what people in power will do to stay there. Didn't think you'd make the same mistake after what happened to you.”

Karen nervously takes a sip of her drink. “What about the woman? From your first series of articles about the VA? What happened to her?”

He frowns. “She met the worst fate.” He sits up straighter. “Married beneath her...to a workaholic who never appreciated her.”

Karen’s body slacked at the weight of his words. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to–”

“We need to be smart. Smarter than they are.” Urich explains, seriously. “Don't visit me at the office anymore, and don't tell anyone else about this. If that doesn't work for you, get up and get the hell out of my life”.

She nods. “That works for me.”

“Good.” He clears his throat, leaning forward again. “First thing, sign the agreement from the Union Allied lawyer.”

“What? No!” She shakes her head. “No, I sign that, I can't ever talk publicly about this.”

“Yeah… but I'm not signing it.”

And those words made her smile.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Back at the garage, the brothers returned with some of their men, shocked upon what they found. Their teammates were scattered across the ground, some still unconscious while others were getting up at snail like pace.

“Сергей. Сергей…” Vladimir says, crouching down to his man. “Кто это сделал?” (*Sergei. Sergei… Who did this?)

“Мужчина и женщина в черном…” Sergei says, clearing his throat (*The man and woman in black…).

Anatoly’s phone rings and he quickly picks up. “…Хорошо. Оставайся там.” (*…All right. Stay there.) He looks at his brother. “Это был Петр. Фиск вышел из укрытия. Нам нужна его помощь, брат.” (*That was Piotr. Fisk has come out of hiding. We need his help, brother.)

“Я не преклонюсь перед этим человеком!” Vladimir says, bitterly as he stands up (*I will not bow before that man!).

“Тогда я пойду... И поклонюсь за нас обоих.” (*Then I will go...And bow for both of us.)

Vladimir looks away, thinking it over quickly. What other choice do they have at this point? He clenches his jaw, facing him again. “Идти. Заключить сделку.” (*Go. Make the deal.)

And with those words…

He only wishes he realized what he had just done.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Are you sure about dessert?” Fisk asked, a smile stretched across his face. “They have an incredible Zuppa Inglese.”

She copies his expression. “Don't children have that at birthday parties?” Vanessa teased, making them both laugh.

“Yes. When I was a kid, I loved it… Probably loved it a bit too much.”

“Well, now I have to know what it tastes like. You wanna split one?”

“Yes.” He gestures for the waiter who rushes over. “We'll have a Zuppa.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Chocolate was always my downfall.” Vanessa whispers like a secret. “Milk chocolate, not the dark stuff they say is better for you.”

“I can order something else.” He assures, and she shakes her head.

“No, no, it's good to try new things. Get out of the comfort zone.”

“Yes, we get caught up in what we're doing… who we think we are.”

“So…” Vanessa begins, curious what’s on his mind. “Who are you, Wilson?”

“Tonight, I'm just a man... enjoying the company of a captivating woman.” He says, getting her to show her pearly whites once more. But there moment won’t last long when Antaloy suddenly shows up, Wesley on his tail.

“I told you he's indisposed.” Wesley says, trying to stop him but he’s shaken off.

“Sir, I need to speak with you.” Anatoly announces, bodyguards standing in his way.

“What is this?” Vanessa asked, worriedly as her date stood up (making the whole restaurant stand up as well in fear).

Fisk moves one of his guards out of the way to get to her. “We need to go... now. I'm sorry.” He said, truly apologetic. He guides her towards the door, the Russian still trying to get through.

“I want to tell you, my brother and I, we gratefully accept–” Anatoly continues, being sincere about his words.

“Wesley will take care of you.” Fisk tells him, before whispering to his assistant, “Put him in a car.”

“Understood.” Wesley said, knowing where this will end.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Promise you won't get mad.” Karen said to Foggy, who came back to the office to drop a few things off (he wasn’t expecting to see her until tomorrow).

“You bought a fax machine? From the early '90s.” Foggy asked, finding irony in since he was literally complaining to Matt and Anya about having a machine earlier.

“Oh, it's not that old... I think.” She says, nervously. “Um, but the rest of the stuff's coming tomorrow.”

“The rest?”

“Yeah, like, a printer and conference phones and a copier and... Yeah, there was an auction and, you know, we needed stuff, so I, um…” She frowns, fiddling with her hands. “Charged it to the office. But don't freak out, okay? I got a thing, uh, some money coming in from… You know what? It doesn't matter. You mad?”

He touches the fax machine, taking everything in. “Did I ever tell you my mom wanted me to be a butcher?” He asked, reeling back to his ‘coping’ story.

Karen gave him a strange look. “A butcher?” She said, confused about the direction this was suddenly going.

“Yeah. You know what I told her…?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Back in Matt’s apartment, he had Claire set across from him at his dining table; A box full of amateur medical supplies next to him.

“This isn't gonna feel great.” He says, carefully dabbing the cut on her forehead.

“Ow.” She winces at the medicine seeping in. “You got pretty good hands for a blind guy.”

“Used to patch up my dad.” He replies, searching for a bandage.

“He ran around in a mask, too?”

“He was a boxer. Took a lot of beatings.”

“Huh. So you take after him then.” She says, making him laugh as he applies a butterfly bandage. “Ow… Shit.”

He frowns. “I'm sorry.”

Claire sighs. “It's okay. You've had a lot worse.”

“I m-mean…” He stutters, looking guilty. “I'm sorry for getting you into this. I… I never thought that I'd be putting anyone else at risk.”

She shakes her head subtly. “It was my choice. You didn't ask me to pull you from that dumpster.”

“No, you did it because you're a good person. And you almost got killed… because of me.”

“Tell me it was worth it. Tell me that you've got a plan… an end game.”

“Claire–”

“Anything?”

He sighs quietly. “I-I'm just trying to make my city a better place, that's all.”

Now it was her turn to sigh. “I think maybe it's a little more complicated than that now.” She points out.

“Nothing's changing out there.” He says, saddened. “No matter what I do, I'm just… I'm making things worse.”

“Tell that to the boy you saved from the Russians. Or all the other people you've helped.”

“And what about the people I've gotten hurt? What do I…” He inhales sharply. “What do I tell them?”

Claire lets his words sink in, which stirred all the emotions inside. “Feel my heart.” She blurts out, making him freeze. “Come on, feel it.” She picks his hand up and places it on her chest. “What is it telling you?”

Matt grows silent to figure it out, which makes him feel even more guilty than before. “That you're scared.” He whispers.

“Because I am.” She chokes with a small nod. “More than I've ever been in my life. And I am not alone.” Her eyes glass over. “But you can do something about it... for all of us, Mike.”

“Matthew.” He says, sensing her surprise gaze. “My name is Matthew.”

“Matthew?” She asked, after a while. He nods. “Well, alright. Nice to properly meet you, Matthew.”

That gets him to smile a little, relieved that she didn’t sound angry at him. “I’ll get the bed ready for you. And I’ll get you a towel if you want to shower.”

“That’ll be nice. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” He starts tidying the first aid kit up, feeling Claire’s eyes on him while he does it.

“Matthew?” She finally asked.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think May, or whatever her real name is, is okay?”

He falters his movements, frowning. “May?” He said, hearing her nod. “Yeah, I hope so.”

“And you sure you don’t know who she is? Or at least have her number or something?” Claire asked, watching him shake his head.

“We never met until a few days before you found us in that dumpster. Never really had the chance to get to know each other.” Matt explains, upset at himself which was evident. “Now, for stuff like this, I wished we had contact with each other.”

She looks away, crossing her arms at the news. “I wish you could have seen her, Matthew. I wish I could explain it.” She replies, sighing. “It’s like…” She purses her lips, thinking of the right words. “It’s like she’s… not supposed to have those abilities.”

Matt casts his blind gaze outside, the neon lights reflecting off him. The colors were changing along with his emotions, one not staying intact for very long. He didn’t know how to feel about this situation. It’s not like they're friends, or partners really, they're more like… acquaintances…? However, he could agree with Claire on one thing. And that was–

“Yeah, I don’t think she’s supposed to have those either.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Anya stumbles through her apartment, barely thinking and seeing straight. But somehow, miraculously, she finds herself inside the bedroom closet, tearing it apart.

W-Where is it…? Where is it…?

She dumps out boxes and bags, emptying out pockets. She felt the nausea return again, and dark spots danced in the corner of her eyes.

Where is it? Where is–

She knocked over what she thought was a shoe box, watching as a vial rolled across the carpet, followed by a syringe. She practically fell over to get it, snagging it and holding it close as she sat against the door.

// One more dose of this, baby, and you’ll be stronger, more stable than before. Just one more dose. //

One more dose. Her father’s words lingered in her head, as her sweaty palms brought it closer to her face. The indigo colored serum was calling her (or maybe taunting her?) to take it. Just take it just like he wanted. To complete what he wanted.

She swallows the burning bile in her throat, shakily grabbing the syringe.

It was now or never. But then–

// Benny… you shouldn’t give it to her. //

Anya halts her actions. A very, very fuzzy memory was coming back. One she could hardly place in the timeline of her life.

// Maya, this is our chance. The breakthrough we’ve been needing. //

// I know it is. But look at the chart. Her heart’s in overdrive. If you give her the last dose it might kill her, and then all your hard work would go to waste. //

// I know. But we can’t waste anymore time. He’s getting inpatient. //

// Yes, but… if she dies, then you’ll have to start over. And with who, then? //

She exhales painfully, the items starting to slip out of her hands. Her eyelids felt like lead as they started to droop. And then…

She passes out again.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Will I see you again?” Fisk asked, hopeful as he walked his date back to her place.

Vanessa sighs as they stop in front of the building entrance. “I don't usually date customers.” Was her answer.

“You came out with me tonight.”

“And here we are, so…”

“I can… return the painting, and then I'd no longer be a–”

“I'm not interested in gestures, Wilson, or your money, or… whatever that was all about at the restaurant. I went out with you because…” She stops to choose her next words carefully. “There's something different about you. Not so sure it's a good thing now.”

“Like you said… I don't do this much. And I'm sorry that our night, it went sideways. But...I enjoyed our time together very much, Vanessa.” Fisk said, truthfully. “If you don't feel the same… even a little bit… just tell me, and I promise you won't see me again.”

Vanessa looks away, conflicted. “I…” She stutters, biting her lip. “Don't know how I feel.”

She doesn’t let him reply because she’s already inside the building before he could. While Fisk’s heart started to hurt it suddenly turned into hatred.

Hatred for a certain young Russian.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile in the back of a familiar SUV, a long overdue conversation was being discussed.

“-And even after all that, you didn't even get a name out of the girl?” Wesley asked, unusually calm about all this.

“No.” Anatoly admits with a smack of his lips. “The man and woman in black came before our men had finished.”

“You were right to reach out to us, although… a call would have been more appropriate.”

“Look, I… I wanted to speak with him in person. Try to put the past behind us.” The Russian said, getting a hum which was right on cue for the vehicle to stop. “Why are we stopping?”

“They say the past is etched in stone, but it isn't. It's… smoke trapped in a closed room, swirling...changing. Buffeted by the passing of years and wishful thinking.” Wesley starts poetically saying. “But even though our perception of it changes, one thing remains constant. The past can… never be completely erased. It lingers. Like the scent of burning wood.”

Anatoly gives him a strange look, which Wesley ignores to answer his cell phone.

“Sir?” Wesley said, listening closely. “Yes, passenger side.”

“Was that him?” The Russian asked, hopeful.

“Hmm. He'd like to have a word with you.”

Anatoly nods and mumbles something in his native language seconds before the door opens. An angry Wilson Fisk reaches inside and yanks him out, throwing him onto the ground. They both exchange some hits, equally spilling blood. At one point, Anatoly pulls out a knife, swinging it defensively. What thought could do some damage, he ends up seeing that Fisk’s suit was barely touched by the blade.

Fisk ends up pinning him to the SUV, breaking his wrist the weapon was in. “You embarrassed me.” He hisses, cradling the sides of the Russian’s head. “You embarrassed me in front of her.”

He then starts heading butting him a few times, then tossing him back at the ground. Anatoly tries to crawl to the car, and starts begging Wesley to help him in Russian; But Fisk’s right hand makes no movements that he’ll help. Instead, Fisk drags Anatoly by his hair to the car, laying him in the gap between the floor and the door…

Fisk slams the car door.

Over.

And over.

And over again.

As blood bathed the concrete with its glorious red color, Fisk never stopped until his enemy’s head was completely taken off.

Inhaling heavily, the man admired his bloody self in the window reflection. Frowning, he takes a few steps away, body still tense even after killing the bug. Wesley walks over carefully, offering his boss his handkerchief.

“Tell Mr. Potter, I'll need a new suit.” Fisk said after a moment, and wiped his face clean.

Wesley nods with a hum. “What about this?” He asked, gesturing to the body behind them.

“Take what's left of him and send it to his brother.”

“It'll start a war.”

“I'm counting on it.”

》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《

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atzfilm · 1 year

Text

clair de lune (m); part four

genre; yandere, vampire!au, reincarnation! au angst, smut

pairing; ot8/f.reader

word count: 10.1k

summary; you’ve finally gotten the chance to enter “clair de lune”, a infamous night club to see the band hiraeth. but why did you feel like their eyes only watched you?

note: this first deals with the subject of yandere. with that being said, a lot of the things happening in this fiction will be manipulation, gaslighting, and various other techniques displayed by the characters. if you are not comfortable with that, please do not read.

please don’t reblog with harsh criticism!! not needed or wanted ♡

my bestie calzone read this and helped with grammar <33 LOVE U !! @hongism

part three | part five

chapter four:

content; manipulation, gaslighting, obsessive behavior, age gap, murder, blood, injuries, dark subjects, weapons, emotional manipulation, panic attack, gunshot wound, blood, murdering/referenced murder, blood drinking, cursing, smut: fingering, dry humping

“Please tell me you’re okay.”

You slowly open your eyes, body sluggish as you lift your head. Your lids are heavy, slowly blinking. You can feel the harsh restraint of your wrists tied together, a tug only making it worse. You swallow, mouth dry as you glance around the room. It’s dark. You strain as you glance around, seeing a shadow of a person just across from you. Your heart picks up its pace, feet sliding against the floor to push you further away from them.

“No, no. It’s me,” his voice is hoarse, the sound of chains decorating his words. “It’s Mingi. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“Mingi?” Your mind is still scattered, thoughts jumbled together. Mingi. Oh, Mingi. The previous conversation echoes in your head, the residual anger still resting deep in your heart. But your fear of what’s happening right now prevents it from bubbling to the surface. You’re still deeply afraid and hurt from what Mingi has not been telling you, but it’s not exactly the right time to hash out your differences. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know,” he admits, groaning softly. “Somewhere at their bar, maybe? House? I can see in the dark, but it’s all gray around us. Looks like they threw us in a basement. It’s been a few hours since you’ve been unconscious. I woke up here, but I can guess we’ve been here for almost ten hours.”

Ten. Hours.

The number causes a shiver to roll down your spine. You’ve been stuck in a basement for almost half a day. You’ve read about situations like this, watched it on TV. But none of it has prepared you for reality. The restraint around your hands prevents you from moving your wrists too much, but there’s nothing on your legs. You’re trying not to make yourself panic, taking slow breaths.

“I’m going to die here, aren’t I?” You don’t mean to say it out loud, body shivering. “We’re going to die here, Mingi.”

“Stop,” his voice is harsh, almost seething. “You are not dying. No one is going to kill you.”

“They tied us up. They’re going to play around with us a bit then kill us. Hanse shot at me. If you weren’t there—” You stop yourself, the panic settles in. “I don’t know what to do.” You think back to Mingi on the ground in a pool of blood, unconscious. “Are you okay?”

Silence.

“Mingi?”

There’s a light chuckle from the dark figure across from you. You watch as his body shakes with laughter, head falling forward. “You’re not upset?”

“I’m allowed to be worried and upset with you at the same time,” you say, eyeing the shadow across from you. “My words from before still ring true. I’m still fucking pissed. But we have bigger things to worry about now. We can figure out our issues later.”

“Why? So that we can go home with you still packing and running away from us?”

He’s touching a nerve. The ache on your side seems to be as livid as you are listening to him egg you on. You don’t respond, sliding your body back so that you’re resting against the cool wall. A low hum from somewhere in the basement starts up. You hope it’s heat. “I don’t have enough energy within me to reason with you, Mingi.”

“Hundreds of years have passed and you’re still as tenacious as before.”

“You know what?” You move your body, hissing at your wound. “Fuck you. Call me whatever name you want, I don’t care. Just know that it isn’t helping your case, it’s only making me hate you more.”

“You don’t hate me.”

“I do.”

“No, you don’t,” He’s persistent, you’ll give him that. “You’re just confused.”

“Ah, yes. Please continue to explain my feelings like every other partner I’ve had does.”

“I’m not…” he huffs. “That’s not what I’m trying to do. I know that you’re upset with me, with us. For hiding things from you. It isn’t right, we shouldn’t be doing it. The reason we want to explain it together is because we’ve all lived it differently. You’ve grown closer to Jongho and Yeosang in comparison to the rest of us, so I’m sure you’re learning things from them that you can’t with me, or Yunho, or anyone else. We like to talk things through together. Decisions are made together. So when you ask me about the past, it’s hard for me to explain it because there’s parts that I’m missing. Things that I say might come out differently than I’d like. I’m not trying to lie to you on purpose.”

“Oh?” You raise a brow, turning to him. “Then tell me about that wall of faces.”

“I can’t, you know that.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?”

He adjusts himself. “Both.”

“Then this little speech you just did isn’t going to work. You say that I don’t hate you, so how do you explain why I’m pissed? Hm? Because I’m pretty sure it’s because I don’t like you.”

“We hurt you. I hurt you. But it doesn’t mean that you hate us. You’re just disappointed.”

“I am,” you say, tucking your arms closer to your body. “I don’t know why I’d even have expectations when I don’t really know you. And I’m not sure why I feel like crying every time one of you speaks to me. It’s like I don’t have control of my emotions when I’m around you. I don’t like how you make me feel. I don’t…” you huff, looking away. “I don’t like it, Mingi.”

You can’t see his face and you’re glad for it, knowing you’d break if you made eye contact.

“I’m sorry things turned out this way. And I’m sorry that my mistakes hurt you. It wasn’t right. It still isn’t right.”

His voice cracks. You close your eyes, turning your body away from his shadowy one. The tears burn against your cheeks. You wipe your face against your arm, body shaking. No. You’re not going to let his words get to you. No matter how distraught his voice sounds. You tuck your legs close to you, ignoring the pain throbbing on your side. It feels bandaged; Hanse or one of the others must have taken care of it. Speaking of them, where the hell are they? Mingi probably knows, but you’d rather not get into a discussion with him right now. It’ll lead to a forgiveness you’re just not ready for. Not until you talk to the rest of them and figure out exactly what’s going on.

“Are we going to sit in silence?” He asks.

“As long as we have to,” you murmur back, closing your eyes.

Minutes pass. The darkness is getting to you, prickling at your skin as you huff. He must be used to it; not even a hint of sound comes from him. No shuffling or anything of the sort. He never quite answered your question about him being okay.

“Do you heal fast?” You ask, breaking your own rule.

“Hm?”

“The shot, Mingi. You were on the ground, unconscious. Did you heal quickly?”

There’s a pause. You think he’s not going to answer until he clears his throat, adjusting his body. “Not necessarily. I didn’t think it would hurt me until I realized they laced the bullet with a chemical that hurts vampires. It’s why I’m not breaking out of this basement, they tied me up with it.” You hear a tug then a low hiss as he moves. “I just fed so I can survive for a bit without blood. But this will lower that time pretty quick.”

“How quick?"

��Two days at most.”

“What will happen then? Will you just die?” You’ve seen enough death in the past day for a lifetime. Mingi dying while you’re across from him only makes your stomach uneasy. He can’t die. No matter how furious you are… you don’t want it to happen.

“No,” he says. “It’s complicated. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, I just don’t want you to be afraid of what may happen to me.”

“I want to be ready,” you respond.

“I won’t start decaying like humans do. It will start slowly. Your mind begins to imagine things that are not there. You slowly lose parts of yourself; your humanity, your memories. It’ll make me more animal than human. We’ve learned how to control ourselves around humans, but it wasn’t always this way. We all struggled for years to resist killing every human we see. It will take everything within me to not hurt you. These restraints won’t matter anymore,” his voice is distraught as he speaks about it. Words wary. “But it won’t get to that.”

“You don’t know that,” your voice is low.

“I don’t.”

“Then what do we do?”

He sighs, “I… I don’t know, y/n. Just don’t come near me, alright? No matter what I say or do. Just stay over there. Please.”

“Okay.” The hum is most definitely not heat, a cool breeze tickling your skin. Even if you wanted to stick closer to him to get warm you can’t. You tuck your head down, desperately trying to warm yourself up with only your breath.

Hours must have passed. You’ve barely moved from your spot, too cold to stand. Mingi hasn’t said a word either. Has he dozed off? Has the cold gotten to him like it has to you?

“Walk around for a bit,” His voice is muffled, probably tucked into his arm. “It’ll help you warm up. Got to keep yourself moving or you’ll freeze to death.”

“Pretty sure I already have,” you closed your eyes, lids heavy. A bit shocking since you’ve already slept for most of the day. A little more sleep shouldn’t hurt.

“Don’t sleep,” Mingi says. Oh, you must have said it out loud. “Ever watch one of those survival documentaries? Sleeping doesn’t really end well.”

You slowly lift your head, pressing your hands against the concrete floors as you steady yourself. It’s rough, your body aches in pain as you stand. You let out a long breath, arms cracking as you stretch. In all honesty even standing makes you feel better. But you don’t tell that to Mingi of course, pacing back and forth along the far wall. You wonder a bit why they didn’t tie up your legs and only your wrists. But questioning their motives will only make you more frustrated. And the dress you’re wearing isn’t doing any favors, your feet entangling in the shreds at the bottom.

“Tell me a story,” you say after about a minute or so of pacing, glancing at his shadow. “Don’t want that mind of yours to go numb in the silence.”

“So, you do care?”

You wrinkle your nose. “Yes, I care about not being eaten today.”

You can only imagine how his eyes roll at your remark. His shadow moves, adjusting himself against the wall. If it were different you would have stuck by his side. If it were different, you’d make sure the bullet was already out of him. But things aren’t different, so you keep to your pacing, glancing at the shadow ever so often.

“I don’t have many stories.”

“You’ve lived for hundreds of years and don’t have one?” You raise a brow.

“They… I wasn’t a good person, y/n. The stories I tell will only make you think less of me.”

“More than I do now?”

“You’re trying to start an argument.”

“Anything to keep your mind still working.”

He laughs, “I’ll give you that. I have a few stories that aren’t too bad. But it involves Rose. I know you’re not too fond of hearing about her. But it’s pretty much the only thing that I have.”

It’s not that you don’t like hearing about her. It’s interesting to think that you had a life before this one. The comparisons are what get to you. Mindlessly listening to them call you Rose without thinking, speaking to or about you as if you’re her. It’s gotten better since you’ve spoken to them about it, but the thought that when their gazes meet yours, they see their old lover- that would hurt anyone. Even if you were just a friend to them. A quick toss and turn in your thoughts, you nod, encouraging him to speak. Thankfully he has his eyes on you.

“Rose was always quite stubborn,” he starts. “Why are you looking over here like that? Remember that it’s her, not you.”

“Yea, yea.” You’re allowed to feel a bit bitter for your former self. She’s gotta have someone defending her! “You may continue.”

“Anyway,” he clears his throat. “She was often right; I’ll give her that. But…”

“Darling,” Mingi towers over you, a crate of vegetables resting just behind you. You stare up at him in a pout, eyes narrowed. If you weren’t so angry he’d steal a kiss from you, his gaze flicking to them before meeting your eyes once more. Ah, the shift of focus only seemed to anger you. “It’s best if you rest. It’d be a tragedy if you wounded yourself.”

“I am a woman, my love. Not a child. I can tow a few wooden crates across the dock.”

“You can,” he agrees. “But you know why you mustn’t. Someone may spot you—”

“We are so far from home—”

“It’s still a possibility,” He steps forward, holding your face in his hands. Your cheeks are crushed as you glower up at him, groaning in aggravation as he presses a chaste peck to your lips. “I want you safe, you know that right?”

“I do. But using the defense of not wanting me to be hurt is such a scoundrel thing to utter. You know that I can handle myself on my own,” You press a finger into his chest for emphasis. He nods, your eyes only narrowing further. “Are you patronizing me?”

“I love you.”

“That does not answer the question, smelly man.”

His laugh is boisterous, shaking as he presses you deeper into his chest. You cannot be upset with him for long, the large frame of his holding anything but meanness. Which only makes you angry that it’s difficult to be angry with him. You sigh low, wrapping your arms around his torso.

“I’d never do such a thing, darling.”

“Wonderful. Now let me go. I may suffocate before we make it to my destination if you hold me any longer.”

His hold tightens, “Not until you say you love me back.”

“Mingi!” You try to wrestle out of his grip, but he doesn’t dare to let go. You laugh, shifting your face up to look at his. Chin resting against his chest, your gazes meeting each other’s. “You’re such an asshole.”

He gasps, eyes widening. “A lady shouldn’t say such vulgar words, you know. And that isn’t going to make me let go.”

“I love you, Song Mingi,” you say simply, pinching his side. “Now unhand me you big stinky man!”

“Not too long after that she persuaded me to let her help. It took a bit of pushing, but it worked in the end. I could never quite say no to her,” he shifted. “In many things.”

It’s easy to read between his words, especially the shift in tone. You continue to pace, glancing at the dark shadow against the wall every few seconds.

“What? We were pirates, there wasn’t much to do while we were sailing the sea.”

You stick out your tongue. “Nasty.”

“Nasty?” You can hear the smile in his voice as he speaks. “She was the one who initiated it the most. Perhaps you might want to do some deep digging in that brain of yours.”

The lights flick on. You wince, the brightness blinding you for a moment. After wiping your eyes and blinking a few times, look around the room. Mingi is right in his assessment; the room was bare, a dark gray painting the walls around you. It was big enough that you had enough room to walk without getting near him. But that wasn’t the issue.

Mingi’s eyes meet yours. He’s still wearing the same clothes as before, though it’s covered in rips and holes. The largest one, where he was shot, covers the side of his torso. His chest is rising and falling slowly, face bruised up and bloody just like the rest of him.

You rush over to him, dropping to your knees and tilting your head to look at the wound.

“You said you were okay, but this looks the opposite of okay to me,” you glare at him, eyes flicking back to the wound. The hole seems to pulse, the black veins spreading across his torso slowly.

“It’s nothing, so go back to pacing,” he says. Of course, you ignore his words. It looks horrible. You’ve never seen a gunshot wound in person, but you’re sure this is on the extremely unsafe side of healing. Whatever chemical they laced it with is doing numbers on him.

Mingi sighs. “You’re worried.”

“I am worried.”

“There’s no reason to be,” he says, pulling your attention away from examining the wound. “It’ll go away once I take it out. So, go back to pacing.” He repeats the words, though you ignore them once more.

“And how are you going to do that?” You say, “Mingi, it looks like it’s tearing through you. Just because I’m upset with you doesn’t mean I’d want you to suffer this way. If you claim to know me as well as you do, then you’d know how this would upset me.”

He doesn’t say anything for a brief moment. It’s not like he can reach out for you, his hands restrained. Instead, you feel the touch of his hand against your ankle. A slow stroke, nothing too much. But even with the slightest touch, you’re a bit comforted. But just a bit.

“I just need to take it out then I’ll be fine, y/n. I already told you that you can’t be near me, alright? You’re too close,” his eyes are no longer on yours, instead the wound on your side. “Not exactly the best spot to be when you have dried blood on your shirt. So please move away,” his voice is lower, head slumping to the side. “Please.”

With great hesitance, you back away from him. He lets out a sigh of relief, thanking you with his gaze. Nothing on him is healing. His face is still bloody, and his wound just continues to spill onto the floor. You know what you can do, but Mingi insists that it’s a bad idea. So, you go back to your walking, arms swinging in front of you. The situation is humorous, once you think about it. Mingi cannot move from his spot and yet beckons you with his eyes despite his words, and you don’t want to be next to him, though the only way you can think of helping is doing exactly that.

“Your brain is close to exploding if you continue making that face,” he says. Your eyes flick to him, frowning. “You can be as angry as you’d like. Just keep your distance.”

“I just want to help—”

“You can’t.”

“I know that,” you murmur. “I can try to pull it out. That will help, won’t it?”

He swallows slowly. “It’s possible. But we’re not at that point yet. We still have time. The others could be right outside, and we don’t even know it.”

His resistance is only maddening. “I know why you won’t let me help, but if we wait longer it’ll be harder for me to go over there. Especially with you losing yourself.”

“Why don’t you just listen to me when I say that I’m okay?” His tone is more annoyed now, eyes shifting to you. “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m fine? Repeating myself over and over is just going to make the time pass slower.”

“How many times do I have to repeat myself?” He paces back and forth across from you, glancing at your figure. “If you just let me aid you, then—”

“I told you countless times, love,” Your breathing is ragged, chest rising and falling quickly. They’ve reiterated that there is no need for breathing since you’ve turned into this being, but you cannot bother to care. “My mouth will not be filled with another’s blood. I refuse it.”

“Then you would rather die?” Mingi stops, brows furrowed. “You would rather end your life here than continue to spend it with us?”

“This form of mine is not natural,” you insist, “We as humans are to die a normal death, not stay forever. Hell is on Earth already, why would I want to linger longer? I have lost everything.”

“You still have us. Is that not enough?” Mingi steps closer to you, crouching on your side. Your senses are heightened now, the smell of blood lingering on his figure. If you look closely, you can see a bit of it still beneath his mangled fingertips. “Are we not enough?”

“Don’t make me answer that,” your voice is barely above a whisper. His eyes, are they just the same as yours? If you do not die, will you have to wear darkened glasses your whole existence? Unable to meet the gaze of others in fear that they may torture you? “I was forced into this life. Do not expect me to enjoy it. I cannot even… I cannot even desire the taste of fruit anymore. The one indulgence I have given myself since my family perished. He has taken everything from me.”

“It was a mistake—”

“Do not lie to me,” you sit up, gaze down to him. Fear crosses his face as you meet his eyes. “He could not hide the pleasure in his eyes before he bit me. He took it upon himself to make the decision for me. You know that I did not want this, Mingi. So do not ask me to pretend. I won’t.”

“Then…” his voice is hush, hands reaching for yours. You let him have his time, his moment of vulnerability with you. He rests his head against your hands. Your Song Mingi was always a warm man, consistently testy about the temperature on the ship. But as your hand caressed his skin, all you felt was bitter cold. “What can I do?”

You close your eyes, leaning down to press your lips against his forehead.

“You can let me die. And you can tell him to never see me again.”

You stop your strides. The feeling of fear resting in your gut every time they mentioned you wanting to be a vampire finally made sense. Rose didn’t want to be one. She never did. One of them… one of the guys turned her into one. And that fear only surmounts when you realize that they’ve been looking for you for centuries. What makes you think that they wouldn’t try the same thing again?

Has everything been a lie? Made up? Have you underestimated their obsession with you? You thought it was more of a reunion for them to see the reincarnation of their partner again, but somehow you’re not sure if that’s accurate. You can’t hide it; you care about them more than you’d like to admit. But being manipulated into it makes you want to vomit. And there’s still that important, lingering question:

Which one of them turned you into a vampire?

It could not possibly be Mingi; you cared for him too much in that brief memory. Could it have been one of them? Or was it someone from Subin’s family? Sejun?

Your head throbs at all the possibilities. You don’t have enough information to even vaguely guess who it is. And you doubt you will until the last moment, when it’s too late. You can’t run away either, you’re in too deep to turn around. Going back home will only bring chaos there. There aren’t any options left but to stay.

“You alright?”

It seems like that’s all the two of you can do, ask each other the same question over and over again. You glance at him for a brief moment, his brows slowly furrowing. You liked it better when you couldn’t see his face. Makes you feel a little less trapped in the situation.

“I know.” You say simply.

You’ve never seen someone’s face filled with so much fear. It’s brief, barely a second. But it’s enough to make you panic. Your heartbeat picks up its pace as you move to the farthest corner of the room, keeping an eye on him.

“What do you know?”

“What do you think, Mingi?” You eye him.

“I’m not playing a guessing game with you right now,” Despite how harsh his tone is, he doesn’t move his gaze from you. As if wanting to coax the answer out. You don’t take the bait of course. There’s many things they’re hiding. Perhaps this vagueness could be used for your gain. "Just tell me."

"Ah, so you want to know my secrets?" You sit in the corner, shutting your eyes briefly at the throbbing pain. It's not deep, but enough to bother you every time you touch it. You search your mind for something to grab on, something that'll make him tell you things you don't know. Hongjoong would be too obvious, especially with the way he protects the man. So, you go for the easy target.

"I know about Wooyoung."

His face seems to grow paler. "What? What did you see?"

You say nothing at that, knowing that if you start up he'll quickly figure out you’ve learned nothing new about him. He seems to take your silence for an answer, swallowing deeply.

“It was a mistake.”

“You say that often, don’t you,” you raise your brow, rubbing your cheek with your shoulder.

“He…” Mingi pauses. “Wooyoung has dealt with a lot. His past trauma got to him. Things just happen, y/n. Things we can’t control. He just has more than the rest of us. You can blame him for whatever you like, but he’s troubled. You learn to get used to it.”

He’s speaking vague enough to tiptoe the line, not giving you enough to pinpoint exactly what he’s saying. You’re not sure if he’s being this unclear to pull it out of you, or to see if you understand what he’s talking about. There are some things that you know of Wooyoung that Mingi may not know you do. Will that make him speak up?

“Right,” you nod. “Just like he turned Yeosang? Because he can’t control himself?”

Mingi stares at you. “We don’t talk about that.”

“And why not? Pretending it didn’t happen doesn’t make it go away. I don’t agree with all of you being the blame for someone’s own actions, but he has to take responsibility. And you all have to enforce it. Yeosang didn’t want to be a vampire. I… Rose, she didn’t want to be one either. And they were both forced into it. It only makes me think that—” you don’t say it. Being put in this position is your fault and you know it. If you just waited until you were safe, you could have argued with Mingi. You wouldn’t be stuck in this basement with someone you’re sure is senseless. Even arguing now isn’t exactly what you should be doing. Keeping his favor so that you can leave unharmed and run is.

“Wooyoung didn’t want to be alone,” Mingi says after a brief pause. “There was nothing we could do. Yeosang was his best friend, y/n. He couldn’t fathom a life without him. He shouldn’t have done what he did. That we all agree on, even Wooyoung himself. But what were we to do? Let Yeosang starve himself? He’s our friend, our family.”

“That’s selfish,” you say. “Taking the choice away from someone like that.”

“Selfish or caring? Are they not one in the same?”

You stare at him, your own brows furrowed now. The look he gives you is strange, odd. It makes you want to run in the opposite direction. Mingi is fiercely protective of his own, but something bothers you.

“Wooyoung…” your throat tightens. “He turned her, didn’t he?”

The door opens, Mingi straightening up against the wall. You stand immediately, waiting for the person to enter. He’s in all black, just like the last time you saw him. He shivers slightly, rubbing his covered arms as he enters the room. His eyes flick to Mingi, before looking at you.

“Sorry I lost track of time. Happy to see me?” Hanse wiggles his brows, groaning as he rolls his shoulders. “Ah, don’t look so pissed off, Rose. Long day?” You glance at Mingi. He doesn’t say a word, silent as he stares at Hanse. The man doesn’t seem to mind, hands tucked in his pockets. He kicks his foot at Mingi’s chains, wincing slightly. “Works like a charm. Ah, aren’t you cold? I can see your breath.”

He looks at you, but you further press yourself into the wall. All of this, just because you accepted an invite to a club. Hanse steps a bit to the side, gesturing to the open doorway. “Come with me? It’s warmer, I assure you. Just needed to keep it cold so this guy over here doesn’t break those chains of his.”

“Will you take the bullet out of him?” You ask. Hanse purses his lips, shaking his head after a moment.

“Not a good idea. He’ll try to kill me and I prefer being alive. So,” he gestures to the open door again. “Come?”

The warmth of the air from the room is inviting, the greatest temptation. You look at Mingi, and he only nods. Eyes still on Hanse. So he trusts him to not kill you. Not that you trust Mingi’s words, you just believe he wouldn’t lead you to your death. So you slowly move around Hanse, careful not to touch him. But before you exit, you look at Hanse.

“Don’t kill him,” you say.

He shrugs, “Now that’s just up to Fate, isn’t it?”

Mingi’s right.

You’re in a strange living room in the middle of nowhere, a fireplace going in the corner. You rub your hands together as you sit just next to it, the fire crackling filling the silence. Hanse watches you as you take a bite of food, trying your best not to look crazy as you eat. Taking food from people who attacked you isn’t such a good idea, but it looked sealed. And you were starving. Have you’ve been making terrible, stupid decisions? Yes. But are you no longer hungry? Also, yes. So maybe that cancels out the stupid choices. At least, that’s what you’re trying to convince yourself.

“How much do you know?” Hanse asks after a moment. “About them? About us?”

“I know you’re vampires,” you start, “I know you have this strange feud between your clans. I know your half is running out of blood supply and you’re trying to come into Hongjoong’s territory. I know that they absolutely despise you. I know that Seungwoo lied to me this whole time about being my best friend.”

“He was trying to protect you,” Hanse says simply, only making your frown deepen. “I’m telling the truth, y/n.”

“The truth,” you snort, shaking your head. “All I’ve been told is the truth, apparently. Somehow I think your truth and mine mean two completely different things.”

Hanse sighs, leaning into the couch. “I can tell you what I know. A lot of it, but not all. We’re still under a treaty, even if I have one of them in my basement,” Hanse glances at the floor. “He can’t hear me, so he hasn’t the slightest idea what we’re talking about. You don’t have to be afraid when you go back there.”

“Afraid of Mingi?” Are you scared of him? Sure he’s lied about a lot of things, but being afraid of him? He’s not harmless, no. But you’re sure he won’t hurt you. Right?

Right?

"They weren't always like this," Hanse explains. "They were kinder. Cared for others more. They liked you, but not to the point of this… obsession. We all cared for you. Something about being turned changed them. We haven't quite figured it out yet. Perhaps it was Hongjoong? Being turned by the first might change how you think."

"Yeosang wasn't changed by him," you say. "He told me that one of the other guys did it. So that couldn't be it."

"Then perhaps he is different from the rest if that’s the case. But that’s besides the point. Something did change with them. Their care for you grew to a madness, and uncontrollable craving for you. It was terrifying to watch them flounder over your very being. And now though they control it, I can see into it. I can see how they hold themselves back. You have no idea what danger you’re in right now, y/n. They’re willing to do anything to have you. Have you not noticed strange things happening? Forcing you to stay with them? There has to be something, anything for you to believe what I’m telling you.”

Your flooded apartment. Your job. Your applications leading nowhere. So many things prevent you from leaving their home. But… It's a coincidence. It… it must be. Or are you just being naive? You a month ago would have left without thinking twice. Why are you so insistent on believing them? Why can’t you just leave?

“So you understand, then?” Hanse takes your confused look for confirmation, nodding. “Then it will be easier to convince you to leave them.”

“Wait,” you hold up a hand. “Who are you? You keep on saying things about them, how they’re bad people. But why do you care? Why are you so deeply involved? Is it because of the blood supply, is this some type of revenge?”

Hanse laughs dryly, “No. I don’t care enough about them to make this about some power trip. I’d leave if I needed to, leave Mingi alone in the basement until he dries out into nothing. But unfortunately, that is not what Subin has chosen for me,” he sighs softly, shaking his head.

“You’re only confusing me more,” you say. “You’ve said nothing about who you are, what your relation to them is. You could be lying through your teeth because I don’t have the slightest evidence. Why… Why are you so devoted? Why is Subin?”

“It’s not something I--” he stops himself, shaking his head. “Subin is your brother, y/n. Was, your brother. That’s why he wants to protect you. You’re family.”

You shake your head, “There’s no way. She said her family died, Hanse. All of them were dead, she--”

“That’s what she thought. But things changed, y/n. Subin was her brother from your father’s side. A brother she didn’t know at the time. It was an odd coincidence of him being on the ship with her, but it happened. They found out after a few months of traveling together. They grew close, but he was turned before her. Rose wasn’t very keen on the idea of vampires. Her found family being turned into one wrecked her. And he left her on that ship. It was a reckless choice at the time, but he thought that she would be safe with them. Of course, we all know how that ended up.”

He gestures to your chest, your hand resting just above the scar. Your fingers dig into the fabric of the dress, swallowing slowly. He cares because he didn’t before. Because he couldn’t save her. He left her alone. It makes sense, it connects so many things that you were confused about. Still, there’s one lingering question. Why were you turned? Why did Wooyoung decide to turn you? Why are you still their object of affection? Do they reject their choices, want to make up for what they’ve done?

Or are they so deluded to believe that you’d decide to become a vampire this time around?

“Subin is going to kill me,” his tone is nervous, gaze flicking over yours. “Promise to keep this tidbit a secret for a while? I wasn’t even supposed to let you out of there, but I felt bad that you were cold.”

Felt bad? “You shot at me.”

He frowns. “I wasn’t going to kill you.”

“You could have! What if Mingi didn’t step in front of me? I could have died!” You stand, Hanse following suit. “For what? What’s the point of all of this? Kidnapping me and threatening his life-”

“You shouldn’t care for those men,” Hanse says harshly, kind eyes gone. “They’re not good people, y/n. They’ll never be, no matter what they tell you. They’re manipulators. They’re the ones that turned you into a vampire before. Why would you listen to anything they say now? And I kidnapped you to get you away for a second to tell you the truth, y/n. They don’t care about you, they just care about her. And you’ll never be her. No matter how much they want you to be.”

He takes a step toward you, you stumble back onto the couch. He leans forward, anger dropping. “Just stay in there for a few more days. Subin has some things to deal with, but he’ll be here to explain the rest. To help you do what you have to do.”

“And that is?”

This time, he grins. “Kill them, of course.”

He shuts the door behind you, harshly, the lock echoing around the basement. Mingi tries to meet your eyes but you avoid them, moving back into your corner of the room. Hanse gave you some heat packs so you won’t freeze to death, though you didn’t bother thanking him for it. It isn’t exactly a solution to your problem. Especially the man sitting in the same room with you, still trying to catch your eye.

“What did he say?” Mingi asks. You don’t bother glancing at him, huddling yourself into the corner and giving him your back. Is this enough to block him out? Or will he continue to pester until you cannot take it anymore? Either way, you still give him the cold shoulder. “y/n please—”

“Mingi, I honestly don’t give a shit how hurt your feelings are,” you start. You do care, moreso in comparison to the others. Rose loved him even if she rarely said it. She loved them all. They just made things complicated. Very complicated. “Leave me alone, alright?”

“I told you that they’re trying to trick you—”

“Are they?” You turn your head, glaring at him. He’s paler, his skin an odd shade. It has to be the bullet that’s still lodged in his body. The one that’s slowly killing him. If that’s possible, of course. “I can’t…” you sigh, rubbing your face. “I can’t, Mingi. I can’t handle the lies anymore. It’s exhausting, trying to decipher the truth from what you’re telling me. I won’t be able to trust any of you. Subin’s clan—Hanse, they’ve told me more than you, and we’ve seen each other three times. Three, Mingi. I’ve been with you for over a month. I mean, I don’t even know anything about you. And you don’t know me either.”

“I know you, y/n.”

You adjust yourself, eyes moving to him. “Tell me then, Mingi. Tell me what you know.”

“I know you’re addicted to fruits, that’s why we buy them for you every time we go shopping. I know you love to read, you had a book in your hand when we met on the elevator. I know you like to be alone. I know you hate being lied to, and despite it still stick by us." He slips the last part in, eyes moving away from you. "There's some things that I'd probably never tell you. But if we were to start again, with who you are now and not who you were before, we can make it this time."

"I never asked for us to dwell on the past, Mingi. I didn't know about it until Hongjoong told me to touch the jewelry. Before that I never had glimpses of us, thoughts of us as we were before. I was fine living my life as it was. If we met outside of those circumstances, things might be different. But we can't be rid of it now. Not when I know there's something big you're hiding. Hanse knows, the others know, you know. The only person who was involved and doesn't know is me. Was me."

"Is there something I can do to alleviate your worries?" You hesitate for a moment. It's brief, simple. Mingi notices it though, sighing softly. "There's just some things I can't say." He adjusts himself against the wall, hissing as the chains dig into his wrists. You can see how it’s hurting him, hands bloody. Dried stains against the concrete. You shouldn’t feel bad for him, but you do.

And that thought only hurts you more.

"When you've been alive this long to see everyone you care for die, it starts to affect you less and less. You grow accustomed to it. Numb, in a sense. It makes you realize how life short actually is. Your personality slowly flattens, lacking depth. You could care less about anything or anyone. Your thoughts are right in that sense,” his eyes flick to you. “We care for you so deeply and without reason because you were the only person that we hoped for over centuries. Before we turned into what we are, we were infatuated with you. It may have exemplified what we feel now."

You keep your distance, shifting yourself further to the wall. Mingi watches your moments, lids seemingly heavy. He's not going to survive if you don't help. Digging for more information would be useless if you don't aid him now.

“Are those feelings for me or her?” Your voice is low. His response will hurt either way, but you need to know. You need to know if your own feelings should be expressed. If it’s all for her, there’s no point in you continuing this path filled with thorns and crumbled stones. “And don’t lie to me, Mingi. I need to know.”

“Does that matter?” He furrows his brows. “Your soul is the same. You are her, and she is you.”

You can recall just days ago when he told you the opposite. That you’re your own person. Perhaps it’s the lack of blood that’s pumping through him causing him to think this way. Or maybe it’s true. “You aren’t the same person, but your soul is. She was a nuisance and irritating, but I loved her. You are wise and caring, quick-witted and curious. And I love you. The feelings for her and you are not the same.”

“You can’t love me, Mingi. We’ve known each other for weeks-”

“It doesn’t feel that way, y/n. Does it? Does it feel that way to you?”

You look back at the wall, unable to answer. How could you tell him your true feelings? It’s hard to hide it, hard to say that you care for all of them in some capacity. It’s scary, knowing how easily you’ve fallen. Love is a strong word, but not too far off from what you do know. You know that you’ve never felt like this with any of your other partners. You know that these emotions are silly and you should listen to the advice that Hanse and Subin has given you. You know all of this, and yet, here you are. Glancing at Mingi’s body, worried.

“Tell me.”

“Mingi,” you start, shaking your head. “I can’t do that.”

“You can’t, or you won’t?” Though there is a teasing smile on his lips, you know he’s mocking you. It would irritate you if you weren’t so afraid that these talks you’re having with him are your last. His skin is blue in tint, lips losing their color. “Come here.”

“Just don’t come near me, alright? No matter what I say or do. Just stay over there. Please.”

His words echo in your ear. You shake your head, “You told me not to, Mingi.”

A small sigh falls from his lips, “I know that. But I want you to come here for just a second. Just so that I can make sure you’re okay.”

“You can tell from there. I’m fine,” you stare at his wrists. “But you’re not okay.”

“That’s true,” he laughs dryly, nodding slowly. “I’m losing myself, y/n. Soon I won’t care about these restraints anymore. The pain of not feeding is the only thing that’ll be fogging my mind. It’s odd that they’ve left you in here with me when I’m like this. Why would they?” He coughs, breaths shaky. “I could kill you within the next hour.”

You shiver. Don’t listen to his words, you think. He told you not to listen to them when he’s like this. The guilt lingers in the back of your mind. He could just feed for a few seconds. That would sustain him long enough to keep him from going mad. Your eyes move to his, alarmed when you see that he’s already watching you. He rolls over his hand, palm facing upwards. The gesture is slow. A beckoning gesture, brow quirked.

"Just a little bit. Enough to help you."

He nods. You slowly stand, his gaze sharp as you slowly walk over. You’re a foot in front of him when his hand presses against the back of your knee. You stumble forward, body falling into his lap. You try pulling away, but his hands reach up, gripping your hips. The light touch of his fingers at the edge of your dress stops you from speaking. He lets them roam, fingers slowly sliding along your leg, large hands cupping your hips. He tugs you closer to him on his lap. The ghosting of his lips against your neck makes you shudder, fingers digging into his shirt. He blows lightly on your skin.

"Beg for it."

“What?” You manage to speak, hands on either side of his head, holding yourself from pushing your chest into his. “Mingi.”

"Beg."

His hands drag along the curves of your body, fingers digging into your hips as he presses himself into you. His bulge is solid, twitching each time you squeeze yourself. His breaths tickle your skin, humping into you vigorously. You moan, gripping his biceps. He moves his lips from your neck, meeting your gaze.

Red.

You feel his teeth sink into your skin, pain coursing through your body.

“You’re always so pretty,” Mingi murmurs, fingers deep inside of you. You push yourself against his touch, the rough pad of his thumb rubbing your clit. “I love how you look coming undone.” You look at where he touches you, bite marks on your breasts, stomach, hips. He kisses your belly button, his head resting against the curve of your thigh.

“I love you.”

“They wouldn’t run. They aren’t the same as before. Subin is keener than that,” Hongjoong stands just by the fridge, glancing at the ever-growing pile of fruit that sits in the middle of the kitchen island. You’ve been gone for over a day. Too long. “He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.”

“How do we explain the abduction then? Is it just another Tuesday for him?” Seonghwa’s words are dripping with cynicism, though the expression on his face is anything but. “He is testing us, putting us at our absolute limit. He knows that we won’t just let this slide. Mingi can hold his own, but y/n—” He shuts his eyes briefly. “We don’t cope well when it comes to her.”

“He knows that, but so what? Are we just going to stand here?” Wooyoung’s seems the most out of it, pacing back and forth. The others aren’t dealing with it well but seem calm in comparison to the energy emitting off of him. He glances at the others quickly, thoughts seemingly scattered. “This could be her last life, she could be dead at this very moment. Or at least suffering.”

“Be realistic,” Yunho scoffs through furrowed brows. “They wouldn’t kill her. There would be no purpose in doing so.”

“It was the promise they made to Rose,” Jongho adds. “When they spoke to Seonghwa they mentioned it, it’s not far-fetched for them wanting to follow through.”

Hongjoong sighs. “We’ve all made promises we haven’t kept, Rose as well. But y/n doesn’t know about it and I doubt she ever will. Why continue to string along this promise when it should have been let go long ago? It’s been hundreds of years, things are no longer the same. Rose is dead.”

“You say that,” Yeosang murmurs. “You say that but we wouldn’t be where we are now without us desperately wanting to relive the past. To see Rose again, even in a different form. If we were to let go I would have been dead just like her. Most of us would have lived differently. Asking for them to forgo the past is silly since we haven’t done it in the slightest manner. Is it not?” A dry laugh escapes him, arms crossed stiffly against his chest. "We would only be hypocrites then. And I'd rather stand by my words than be accused of such."

"She does not belong to them, she belongs to us," Yunho says, shaking his head. "She's denied them in the past because of their hold on her. I doubt that will change now."

"So she will accept our hold, then?" Hongjoong eyes flick between them. "We cannot control her thoughts. She will decide on her own."

“Are you with me?” Mingi grips your body. “I’m so sorry y/n, I shouldn’t have, I wasn’t myself. Please don’t die, please.”

Your head is limp against his shoulder as you’re pulled out of the memory. Your body is weaker than before, a soft murmur against his neck. “You can’t take me out that easily,” you whisper. He sighs in relief, chest shaking as he sobs into you. You don’t question how he’s out of the restraints, how his body seems less weak in comparison to before. But you have enough strength to push yourself off of him, moving away.

“y/n?”

“I’m fine,” you say, smiling at him. He watches your moments, watches as you slide into the furthest corner of the room. You’re not sure why exactly you’re moving away. Your heart tugs at each slide, wanting to be closer to him. But you can’t. There’s too many questions that you have to just fall into with ease. Too many things you don’t know. And the tiredness is just spreading over you. Your eyelids flutter as you rest your head against the wall.

“y/n-”

The door swings open.

Hongjoong stands there, eyes flicking around the room. They don’t land on you immediately, meeting the gaze of Mingi. He rubs his wrists, nodding subtly at his friend. He steps into the room, jacket covered in what you can only assume is blood. He finally looks at you. You sit in the far corner of the room, body shivering due to the lowered temperature. You don’t quite notice how close he is at first, until he covers your hand with his. He’s warm, always has been. You watch as he takes your hand, pressing a light kiss to the back of it.

“You look utterly dreadful, my sea,” he murmurs gently, placing your hand to the side of his face. He looks hurt, swallowing slowly as he meets your gaze, almost comically so, lips trembling as he places another small kiss to your palm. “I’m so sorry we let you out of our sight.” Tears slowly fall down his cheeks, glancing at the outfit you wear. It’s still the same dress from the shop, though it’s very torn and bloodied. Without another word, he takes off his jacket and drapes it over your shoulders. You let him take care of you, body numb as he pulls your arms through the sleeves. He slides your hands into the pockets, small heat pouches causing another shiver to roll through you. You were angry before. Angry at this whole situation, at them for endlessly lying to you. But in this brief moment, his voice soft as he lifts you into his arms, pressing you into his chest. At this moment, it’s hard to see him as anything other than kind. He holds you close as he steps out the room, hand pressing your head against his chest.

“It’s very gruesome in here, sea,” he whispers, stepping over a body on the floor. “I won’t tell you what to do, but shutting your eyes would be best so that it doesn’t haunt you.”

You shouldn’t listen to him. You should look and see the destruction they’ve made in Subin’s cabin. But you don’t have the strength to continue, leaning your head against his chest, eyes closed.

“y/n?” The familiar voice of San appears. You don’t open your eyes, tiredness prevents it. “Is she unconscious?”

“No, just exhausted,” Hongjoong’s thumb rubs your cheek, humming. “Our girl has been through a lot. She needs a break.”

“We should have gotten here sooner—”

“You’re here now, that’s all that matters,” you interrupt his rant, eyes still shut. “I won’t blame it on any of you. So please don’t apologize to me, okay?” You say nothing more. Hongjoong continues his walk. A strange smell tickles your nose, your nostrils wiggling. Hongjoong doesn’t comment on it and frankly you don’t want to know.

“It’ll be cold for a moment, I’m stepping outside and putting you in the car, okay?” He murmurs. You nod, the cool breeze only making you press deeper into his chest. He moves quickly, one of the others swinging open the door. The air is warmer immediately, a deep shiver escaping your body as he leans into the seat. His arms drop from your body and you tense up immediately, until you feel his fingers brush against your cheek. “It will be quick,” he murmurs. “I won’t leave you alone for long, sea.”

The tapping of rain on the car fills your thoughts. You're thankful that Hongjoong told you to cover your eyes while walking through the cabin; the stench was more than enough for you to bear. You didn't want this to happen. Whatever they did. Killing. It's the last thing you desired. But if they had no other choice, it was okay, right? They wouldn't do it without a reason, without it being the only choice they had. You tuck yourself further into the seat, Hongjoong’s scent wrapped around you.

"Wooyoung is going to drive, alright?" His voice is soft as you open your eyes again, meeting Yunho's gaze. His brows furrow as he sees you visibly tense up. "What's up?"

"I don't want to see him."

"But he wanted to see you–"

"Then I'll walk," you slowly lean up, but he shakes his head, lightly pushing your body back down. "Not him, Yunho."

He nods briefly, shutting the door.

Yunho walks to the others, stopping Wooyoung just as he passes by. "Not you, Woo. She doesn't want to see you."

"Why?" His eyes widened in confusion. "What did I do? Why won't she see me?"

Hongjoong shuts the cabin door behind him. "Doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that she gets back home without any hiccups. Jongho can drive, I'll sit in the back. Mingi isn't that well, so someone else takes him home. We'll figure out what's going on when we get back and she's feeling better. For now, no drama."

"Did Hanse say something?" Wooyoung seems to ignore his captain's words, looking at you resting in the car. "What did he say to her? Mingi?" He turns to said man. Mingi leans against the other car, barely giving Wooyoung a glance as he enters. "I can't just stand here without knowing–"

"Think for one fucking second," Seonghwa hisses, moving over to his car. He taps his temple, "Put your head on straight and let's get going. We have bigger problems to solve. Subin is missing, and we just killed Hanse. We haven't exactly gotten on his good side. Once he finds out things aren't going to be as smooth as they are now.”

Wooyoung clenches his jaw, words left unspoken. Yunho pats his arm, walking over to his motorcycle and putting on his helmet. The others disperse while Hongjoong lingers by Seonghwa’s car, speaking to the two softly. Wooyoung doesn't bother saying anything else, getting into a car with Yeosang and driving off. The screech of the tires only make Hongjoong roll his eyes, flicking back to Seonghwa.

Mingi’s fingers dig into Hongjoong's sleeve, eyes flicking to Yunho's. Just as he disappears down the road, he moves his focus back on Hongjoong. He could tell that the man is panicked, lips trembling as his eyes widen.

"Mingi–"

"Someone's poisoning her," he whispers, eyes flicking to Seonghwa. "I don't know who the fuck is doing it, but I tasted her blood, hyung. It was bitter — it tasted like she'd been eating pure chemicals. I thought it was strange that she was out of it for so long while we were in the basement, but it could be because of the poison. There's a lot, Joong. A shit ton."

Hongjoong frowns, eyes narrowing. "Are you sure about that?"

"One hundred fucking percent. This… we can't do this again. Not like this. We've already lied enough to her. We can't just poison her to the point where she wants to become one of us. She has to choose to," Mingi lets go of him, shifting in his seat. He stares at the other car. "We've done enough."

Hongjoong pauses for a moment. “Okay.”

“What does that mean, hyung? What are you going to do? I was feeding off of her because I didn’t have a choice, I would have killed her if I didn’t taste the fucking poison-”

“Min, breathe. She’s fine,” Seonghwa says softly from his seat. “She’s fine.”

Hongjoong nods. “I’ll figure it out, Mingi, okay? I’m not going to sit on my ass, not anymore.”

Mingi stares at him for a moment, eyes flicking between him then he nods, shifting into his seat. It ends the conversation. Seonghwa meets Hongjoong’s gaze. He’s seen Seonghwa angry, sure. But the way he looks at him with pure fury, the grip on the steering wheel almost breaking it. Hongjoong nods to him, shutting the door of the car before things escalate. He walks to the other car slowly, mind scattered. Who the Hell is poisoning you?

The drive is quicker than you think, and when you arrive, Hongjoong carries you to your room. The others seem to scatter somewhere around the home. Though you cannot see them, you can feel their gazes on you as he brings you to your room, placing you on your bed. His fingers embracing you with eyes stuck on Mingi’s bite on your neck. His face reveals none of his feelings, though his fingers only tighten in their hold.

“I’m sorry, sea,” he says softly. Nothing else, no more embellishments. He lifts your hand and presses his lips lightly against your skin. “I won’t let you out of my sight again. Please rest.” He stands, letting go of your hand. His frame doesn’t linger by the door, shutting it softly as he flicks off the lights. You curl into yourself, still in the dress from the store. He didn’t ask to undress you, didn’t overstep, and just apologized. It’s not his fault; you wouldn’t place the blame on any of them. But his apology means a lot to you. The creak of your door makes you tense up, eyes opening and flicking over to the person.

Your heart drops. He seems to sense it, putting up his hands immediately.

“Get out.”

“I’m not here to hurt you, peach. Please just give me a chance to explain, let me know what’s wrong? What did I do to you?” Wooyoung begs, slow steps into the room. You see Yunho just behind him, resting against the far wall. Perhaps he’s here to watch him, make sure nothing happens between the both of you? It makes Wooyoung’s presence less stressful knowing that Yunho is nearby.

“y/n-”

“You are not a good person, Wooyoung,” you say, slowly rising to a sit on the edge of your bed. Yunho steps in to help, but you wave him off. Your heart is exhausted, not your body. “You were never a good person to me.”

“I didn’t do anything, please. Just tell me what’s upsetting you.”

“You turned Rose into a vampire, didn’t you?” You hiss, glaring at him. He stops moving closer to you, eyes wide. “And don’t you lie to me.”

"Why are you upset about something that didn't even happen to you? It was your former self, hundreds of years ago. Do you think that we remained the same people we once were? That we remained stagnant and didn't grow? It was a mistake, y/n. A terrible, horrendously awful and selfish mistake. There is nothing that we can do but ask for your forgiveness and move on. It is what she would have wanted."

He steps closer, merely a foot away from you.

“And I did not turn her into a vampire. I don’t know who told you that, but it’s not true. It’s not what she wanted.”

“You’re lying.”

“He’s not,” Yunho says from behind, eyes meeting yours. “He turned Yeosang, but not you. I can vouch for him.”

Yunho isn’t the most trustworthy man you know, but somehow, you believe him. Despite the underlying issues between you, you do trust his words. You stand, meeting Wooyoung’s gaze. Wooyoung matches yours. It's scary how empty they look. No emotion as he keeps your gaze. He takes a step forward, ignoring how you glare. Soon, he's barely a breath away. His red eyes are dark, almost black. He doesn't blink. "What are you doing?"

"I am selfish," His voice is soft and low. Broken. "I am eternally selfish. I will admit that if you let me stay with you." His hand rests against the wall, eyes flicking to your lips. "If you let me stay with you, I'll do anything you want. Beg if you'd like, Peach." His hand slowly slides down the wall with him. His eyes look up at you from where he's kneeling, free hand resting just behind your lower calf. He presses a light kiss against your clothed knee, sighing. His body seems to crumble as he does so, face pressed against your leg. "I'd do anything for you. Just don't make me go."

"Wooyoung," you try moving your leg but he doesn't budge the slightest, his grip tightening. If you really, truly tried, you could probably move him off since he isn't holding you that hard. Your eyes move to Yunho standing just by the door with his arms crossed. He doesn't say a word, meeting your eyes and giving no indication on what you should do. Wooyoung takes your lack of struggle as acceptance, arms wrapping around both of your legs and pulling them close to his body. You stumble, the quick movements of Yunho steadying you with ease. He nods at you slightly, hand outstretched against your back.

"Alright, baby?" He asks.

You hate it. You hate how easily they can pull you away from your anger, how easily that can manipulate you into another train of thought.

"Please," Wooyoung whispers again with lips pressed against your leg. His hands run up and down your calf, your body shivering at the touch. "Please let me take care of you."

if you would like to be tagged send me an ask <3

#fic: clair de lune #mingi x reader #wooyoung x reader #yunho x reader #hongjoong x reader #seonghwa x reader #jongho x reader #yeosang x reader #san x reader #ateez x reader #ateez fanfiction #ERM this took me so long to post SNJFDAJNSKLDF #me when you like instead of rbing: 🤬🤬🤬🤬👹👹👹👹😡😡😡

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idontknowmyownmind · 1 year

Text

Fanfiction Recommendations: My All Times Favorite ♡♡

Hanagaki Takemichi ⏱️

the triplets shenanigans by jopiteria_space

🔮Abide By Your Own Will 🐲 by LucyHeart32

The Summer Sky Overhead a Wilting Sunflower by omori_is_struggling

Visions of Gideon by skish254

wait, he's real? By sereliah

Sol by KasaiHaven

Tired Man's Replacement is even more Done with this Bullshit by Anonymous

the perfect future (can you see it?) By Quillium

Paradox by OroroNebbia

sky's the limit (but we're making footprints on the moon) by midorintaichou

Sunshine in Chains by Chagama_uWu

have your fill by Itabane

memento mori by sternstunde

michi and his pets(?) By Mizumin

Manjirou san's dragon lover by Fansano

Free Me From That of Obsession by omori_is_struggling

Can't Out Pizza the Hut by Lumi09

covered in azure by sternstunde

Choices by Liazi25_02

Cingulomania by rei_dior

A Hero's Call by theautomaton

Mammoney 💸

Absence Makes the Heart Grow by DittoKiddo

Smile for Me, Mammon (Obey Me: Shall We Date?) By Corpsetalia_fan_the_Brotato, Zibijil Ptelemiu (Corpsetalia_fan_the_Brotato)

Two Sides Of A Coin by Jiji_yiyi

Reunion by Yuki_mura

Never Enough Daily Chats! By notekatha

I will Love You and Care for You by alu_cards

Just Concede and Give Into Your Inner Demons Again by ninjnerd_Anaklusmos

Time ticks on without you by XxRainbowHeartxX

The Great Mammon by yaoigirl22

Kageyama Tobio 🏐

Ballare (To Dance) by orphan_account

Reset by nuuuge

The Importance of Lighthouses by whereshallwestart

Bitter Scent of Lemon (Never Leaves My Heart) by misakikinomoto

I'll Let Go, Can You? By Afternoon_KoeFey

He Waits For a Miracle by ich_bin_ein_stern

Forget the Ground Beneath You- The Water and Sky Are All You Need by simpingforsoftboys

SenGen 🧪🃏

before the farewell by chibyeol (minitala)

Clair De Lune by rainyausie

the first rule of being a magician by chuuyaya

Dismiss your fear by Jazer

quantum entanglements by MistressEast

Crossed Your Mind by Luki (KelpieCodyne)

Genshin 🔶️

Flos by RyuichiKureha89

Xiao will hunt Childe for fowl by Jouicifer

Like Father, Like Son by gwendee

tfw your crush is so hot that you get warped into an alternate universe by acynthe

That One Time Zhongli uses a Phone and Cheng Xiaoshi Transmigrates Into a 6000 year old Archon by Tunalovesfishss

Shine Like Gold by hiyuura

How to Woo an Adeptus by gwendee

How to Woo Your Harbinger by sherlocked_satan

I Woke up as the Evil Dragon's Sister!? By Dream_En

BTS 💜

Just Hold My Hand And Save Me, Save Me by scarletsparkles

War of Omega Hormone by IndigoEllephant

Love Yourself: Future to the Past by DarkFlash

New Little Family by scoupsyouintomyarms

THE BEST MDZS FIC!!!

Teen Project to Change the World by animeloverhomura

The Murder of Crows by cerbykerby

Two for the price of one by ULTIOcean

The Sun Rises by mymoonjun

The storm comes and goes (and I keep walking) by Naamah_Beherit

The Demon Inside Me by shorimochi

Gintama 🤍

The Demon's Curse by staringatstars

The Third Leg of a Crow by ninjapanda16

The White Rabbit of the Night by ninjapanda16

Katarina Claes 💝

Through the Looking Glass by Luki (KelpieCodyne)

MHA Crossover 🪢

Coin Toss by Yellow_Canna

Not Quite A Villain (But Far From A Hero) by 7Flyingpancakes7

So the Dead rages, and the Living weeps by BluevsRed

May Death Never Stop You by slex (slexenskee)

My Daughter's Eccentricity Rivals No One by cherishfools

Collision Course by lemonn

Altered Gold by AnAroAceGremlin

blackugou widow by wonhaebunny

Fire Burns Brightest In Darkness by Fincayra

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buriedabove · 2 months

Note

♡ claire :D

Claire’s seen him at his absolute worst ( or rather one of ) and stayed by his side, and it means more than anything ever could. Soulmates? Soulmates.

@untodeath

#sorry to barge in like this. ❯ answered.#untodeath #tens tens tens across the BOARDS #doomed and blessed by the narrative... send tweet

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camilbarnessss · 1 year

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¤ The Invitation ¤

{ Aemond Targaryen }

《 Part 7 》

When Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen's big family arrive at King's Landing for princess Helaena and prince Aegon Targaryen's wedding, things go as they always do. Dragons, uncles, nephews and cousins discussing and fighting, tension on every look, and disconfort when being with each other. Just the usual stuff...until the princess Daera Targaryen got drunk at a ball where The One-Eyed Prince happened to sneaked in

Masterlist

Warnings: swearing, explicit nakedness, mutual masturbation, thigh riding, explictit sex (p on v), cock warming, jealaousy, swords fighting, misogyny and more fighting, TARGARYEN INCEST [cousinXcousin]

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Enjoy your reading!!! Likes, comments and reblogs will be highly appreciated ♡♡♡

¤¤¤

-May I share a secret, with you, my Godess?-

-Hmm, you may, my prince-

Aemond's hands were placed on Daera's ass, above the dress. He was caressing it, massaging it, feeling it under all his ten fingers. Under the light of the library's fireplace, she was still seated on his legs, quite comfortable.

She was looking down at him, breathing with easiness, while he was staring up, having a long smile on his closed lips. His eyes were so flirtatiously calmed.

-We both know about the fact that it results no easy for us, if not impossible, to...meet, without suspicions, in the castle...-he begands to talk, lowly, under her shiny gaze-, I think I have a solution for it-, Aemond whispered.

Daera blinks one time, starting to side a curious smile towards him.

¤¤¤

-Are you sure, my lady?-. One of the maidens of the princess looked at her, confused. This one was named Pentia.

Daera smiled calmly, moving her hands in the air a little.

-I very much can get myself ready for the supper, sweet ones-. She said at the three women that were on her chambers, to assist her.

-At least let us prepare your bath, princess-, proposed one of them, Silia, with a warm smile.

-So you don't have to force yourself-, nodded the other, Clair.

-Nonsense-, the princess shook her head in a scoff-. I can do it myself, I inssist. I already told the cookers to give you a good wine while you rest-, Daera smirked kindly, walking to the door.

The three maidens looked at each other with shy and surprised smiles, appreciating the gesture.

-Princess...-they made a courtsey at Daera, who closed her lips with a low chuckle.

¤¤¤

-There happen to be secret passageways...-Aemond's lips neared to Daera's ear, whispering on it-...behind the castle's walls-, he said.

When hearing this, the princess raised her eyebrows and looked at him with a surprised confusion, tilting her head.

-I do not follow...-, she whispered over his nose, looking briefly at his lips-. What do you mean?-

The One-Eyed Prince raised one of his hands, holding her jaw in it to drag her even closer. She laughed breathless, feeling how his other hand was gripping strongly on her ass.

-I mean we have a way-. Aemond murmured with a quiet smile, staring at her mouth stoppless-. I mean that such suspicions will gain no existence if we'd make use of those passageways-, he said-...And we will-, the prince smiled.

¤¤¤

Daera closed the door after saying goodbye to the maidens. Wheen their steps were far, she bited her lips and put the lock from a second to another.

The princess turned around and ran to her bed, falling on her knees and quickly searching for something underneath, having a wide smile on her mouth.

Seconds later, she raised again, now holding that long hooded coat of leather, Aemond's. Daera bited her lips, again, not waiting a minute to quickly putting it on.

-Ay, Aemond, if you are lying...-she sighed.

¤¤¤

-I am no liar, I have told you-. He scoffed in a funny murmur on her neck.

-How do I get to them?-, she whispered lowly, passing her hands over Aemond's clothed chest.

-Push all your walls-. He answered. She opened her eyes bigs, not holding severe chuckles-. I am serious!-, the prince inssisted in a scoff, making her bump a little over him when he moved his knees.

-Fine, fine-. She laughs, now caressing his hair-...Walls, then?-, she sighed.

¤¤¤

Daera's hands were pushing all of her chamber's wall, waiting desesperately for something to happen, but nothing was. She tsked, pushing and pushing everywhere.

-Fucking walls!-, the princess swore with annoyance.

Until, she reached a wall where there was a brave dragon sculpted of red stone. She pushed the dragon's head with tiredness, expecting nothing to appen. But, this time, somethind did happened.

It opened. Daera let her mouth fall, in shock. It was a door, it was a full bloody hidden foor!

-Fucking walls...-she whispered in disbelief.

The princess sighed with a huge smile, not looking back even one more time. She hugged the hood hard to hersef, and instantly crossed through the door, closing it behind her.

She breathed fast, looking around, having a full sight of all The Red Keep's bone. This was insane, she thought. Laughing with surprise, she began to walk, looking everywhere at every step she advanced.

While she walked, she pictured in her mind where was she truly walking behind of. In a moment, she knew she passed Baela's room, and giggled, covering her mouth strongly so she wasn't heard.

-Gods be good-, she whispered, amused, walking every time more freely, and fastly.

She passed behind Jace's room, also, where she heard him talking alone to himself, and she had to fight against her own will to not explode on laughs at that moment.

All of her coat was blew by the air currents that were everywhere, and that made her giggle excited, letting the cold breeze draw her hood back, and free her hair while she was turning on her place, seeing around with admiration.

¤¤¤

-I wonder...-Daera spoke over Aemond's mouth, which breathed against her.

-What is that you wonder, doll?-. He whispered back at her, seeing his own saliva on her neck, and cheeks. And lips.

-If you claim to know so much about these passageways, how come you did not use them the other day, when my siblings came to my chambers in the middle of our...-she bited his ear, at which he groaned-...act?-, she asked.

-Hmm, funny answer-. Aemond murmured with a smirk, having his eye relaxed on her-. I decided to stay, for when they were gone, I though we were gonna be able of finish such important matter-. Shameless, he flirted, face to face.

Daera curved her lips in a hussy smirk, holding all herself to not fuck him right in the public library.

-You were not of luck-, she taunted.

-Indeed-. Aemond agreed, raising his hands and squeezing her waist harshly. Daera bites her mouth in a long moan, smiling at him-. But I will be-, he said.

-I will make you be-, she noded, instantly throwing herself to him.

They kissed wildly, with the young girl grabbing his face, and the young man gripping her waist and ass in the middle of laughs and groans, desiring her deeply.

¤¤¤

Daera came out from some stairs she ran through, laughing. When she reached a new floor, and looked what was in there, she stopped running, and her smile went away.

The princess gasped, looking front, speechless.

Surrounded by a thousand lighted candles, there it was. The mighty skull of Balerion, The Black Dread. The last pair of eyes who saw The Old Valyria and it's glory were his, and now they are closed forever, not even on his bones anymore.

Daera felt all of her body shiver, letting her mouth open as she slowly approached to the skull. Her eyes were a little watery, reflecting the candles, and seeing it stoppless. She shivered again, and again, and again. It could not stop, so mesmerized by her clear look of a dead legend, a gorgeous beast, a footprint of her ancesters's history.

-Balerion...-she whispered, almost pained, just trying to imagining how this skull would look if being still alive and powerful.

-The Black Dread, he was-. Another voice spoke in the room, but Daera did not even flinch at the echoe-...Proper name, for such creature-, he said.

The Targaryen princess turned her head around, raising her purple eyes. In a dark wall, steps behind her, it was Aemond, with his arms crossed and one of his foot resting against the wall, as well as his back. He was wearing a hood too, which was a obscure green. Apart of that, he was wearing no color but black.

Since she arrived from those stairs, he was looking at her, silently, with his eye glowing unconsciously and his lips forming a tiny calmed smirk, following her every step under his gaze. He even heard the gasp she let out.

Daera sighed, turning around again. He left the wall hehind, crossing his hands behind his back and walking to her in silent, soon reaching her side, not being afraid of such short distance. Shoulder to shoulder, they both now stared at the dragon skull.

-Is this the first time you see it?-, the prince asked in a very low voice, but she was so close to him that it was easily heard.

-It is-, she whispered, forgetting how to blink while seeing that wonder-. He is...at least three times Kalistrox's size-, a surprised tone left her mouth.

-And twice of Vhagar's-, he nodded, admiring too the cleanest bone structure he has ever seen-. He was...a dread, indeed, a gorgeous dread-. He dictated with an amazed whisper.

-How does it feel, knowing that your father rode such dread?-. Daera asked, fascinated, with her eyes narrowed. Aemond made a little face with his lips at the mention of his father.

-Wonder how he feels about me riding The Queen Of All Dragons-, the one-eyed whispered with certain amusedment, elbowing her a little.

Daera smiled, finally looking at him. Aemond licks his lips, and faced her fully, fading his smirk and gaining a wide shine on his eye, one that it was not due to the candles around, but due his soul. She gave a slow blink, staring softly at him.

-You are...-, he whispered.

-What am I?-, she asked.

-The purest manifestation of the blood of the Old Valyria and our ancesters-. Aemond murmured. His cousin looked at him with a small smirk, listening-. The womb you were made in was truly a dragon's, it can not be purer than that-, he denied, staring at her as if she was even more of a wonder, than Balerion.

-Ah, my mother would love to hear that, I am certain-. Daera whispered with a pressed smile, raising her hands. For a moment, she seem to doubt of the intimate touching she was planning. Aemond did not want her to think it twice, so he himself took her hands, and made them rest on his own chest. He saw how she smirked, and he did too, lowering his head a little to stare more directly at her eyes. She gulped, enchanted by the beauty of him-...You are a dragon too, remember? I am not a lonely wonder-. She remembered in a tiny laugh.

-As much as I love my mother, I recognize her womb is not as sacred as your mother's-. The prince points on a little sigh. She snorted, shaking her head a little-. I do feel like a dragon, indeed, and I know I am-. He nods-. But your purity just opaque mine, Daera, and I have my peace with that-, he whispers.

-Hmm-, emitted Daera on a small laugh, caressing his chest softly. He put his hands above of hers, interwining their fingers. They both smiled, looking at each other-. You have make me see the sense on why you call me "valyrian goddess"-, she whispered amused.

-Hmm, you have solve it, then-. Aemond pressed his lips, smiling, and she copied him, laughing from the bottom of her throat-. Though I do find some others characteristics of you that are also worthy of the name-, he murmured narrowing his eyes.

-I don't doubt it-. Daera giggled. She suddenly tip-toed, nearing even more to his face, which he did not move an inch-. Well, now that we are past the flattery...-she says, and Aemond sniffed a laugh-...would you tell me the tale of how you know about all this?-. She asked.

-About what?-, he whispered.

-This-. Daera's voice made an echoe into the room and the halls from around. The prince sided a smile, looking at Balerion, and then around for a few seconds, like studying the place before talking about it.

-Aegon the Conqueror had them built, when there were only the groundworks of The Red Keep-, Aemond whispers quietly. She raised her brows, interested at the mention of their ancester-. If his enemies ever invaded the castle, he and his closer ones would have this passageways to escape from them-. He says, looking around slowly. His face, divine, lighted by all the candles-. Though it was his son, Maegor The Cruel, the one who saw them fully ended. And when it was done, he killed every builder, woodworker and stonemason who labored on it-. Aemond narrates in a low voice.

-Gods-, Daera whispers with inevitable pity, thinking of those poor working souls of the past.

-A wise decision, I think it was-. The prince nods briefly, and she looked at him with some reproachment-. Only those whose veins carry the blood of the dragon have knowledge of this paths and tunnels, and not even all of us-. He shook his head with his brows up-...Now you do-, his lips smirked briefly, staring down at her.

-Hm-, Daera sided a tiny smile, looking at him too. Aemond made a sound with his mouth when opening it again, sounding like a 'tik'.

-I figure that story out by my own, by connecting the dots, for it is not explicit on any of the books I have read-, he informs, sighing a little-. And, besides that, I found them before even knowing of their existence, I confess-. Aemond admitted in a brief laugh.

-I would like to know how-, she whispered with a curios smile, playing with one of the golden bottoms of his jacket between his fingers. The prince sighed, giving a slow blink.

-One of the passageways, the biggest I have ever seen, connects directly with the Dragonpit-. He informed, making her go speechless-. I was...nine years old, and was having a lesson in there, with the others-. He talks with serenity, looking at the candles for a few moments-. When we were done, and after they left me alone, going to some place I do not even recall, I went down the caves, and...and tried to claim Sunfyre-, he let a laugh out.

-What?-. Daera opens her eyes really big, smiling surprised. He chuckled a little, noding-. Aegon's dragon, are you mad?-. She asked in a laugh.

-He was not his dragon, yet-. Aemond clarified, smiling. She saw how a red tone was covering his cheeks as he talked-. And...and he got so altered, the dragon. I had to ran, immediately, otherwise I would had burn in there-. He tsked, and she laughed once again. It was not a mocking laugh, she was really enjoying his tale, which made his cheeks turn even reder-. I reached a cave, so hidden and little, I fighted to fit in. But I could crossed it, and I did, and there was this huge tunnel, inmense-. Aemond opened his eye big, throwing his head behind. Daera smiles amazed, uppering her hands slowly to his neck-. I walked it, and, the next thing I knew is that I was on the castle, behind the walls of the kitchen-, he sighed while remembering.

-Wow...-she whispered with awesomeness. Aemond nods silently, feeling how her hands were now behind his neck, caressing it slowly. He had to close his eye, enchanted by the warm of her fingertips-. I...I have to thank you, for providing me with such knowledge, Aemond-. She says with honesty and bemusedment-. All I ever pictured behind this walls were rats and corpses-, she admited on a brief giggle, one he copied.

-I hope that, this knowledge, stays just between us-. He asked in a whisper, directing one hand to her neck as well, holding it softly from behind.

-Ah, there are a lot of things that need to be kept between us, I agree-. She said in a firm nod, looking at him-. But...I do think that, our clothes...may be an exception, perhaps-. Daera murmures lowly, narrowing her eyes.

Aemond inhaled strongly and slowly, staring at her with his lips pressed and his eye wide open, feeling how the temperature on him raised even more. And it was not because of the candles.

-Yet again, we agree, princess-. He noded. Daera bited her cheeks with a smile, and gave two steps back, getting away from any touch. He followed her with his gaze-. You were waiting for this, were you not?-. He smirked, advancing.

-Umm, mayhaps, mayhaps not. Worry not, you did not bored me-. She tilted her head from side to side, walking backwards as he walked front, on her side, smiling at her-. But I must admit, I have been feeling an inmense curiosity about how your chambers looks like-, she narrowed her eyes.

-Curiosity-, Aemond repeated in a nod, fighting himself to not show the biggest smile of his life-. Then perhaps that is a problem we must solve-, he said.

-Perhaps it is-, Daera mumbled, flirty, taking one of his hands from a moment to another and giving him a big pull, draggin him with her. Aemond chuckled, beginning to walk fastly with her-. Show me the way, my prince-. She asked for in a dreamy smile.

-I shall-, the one-eyed noded, fastening his steps and now heading the way, with her behind, still hands helded.

Balerion was left behind, and alone.

Daera and Aemond ran through the passageways, having huge smiles on their faces and fast beats on their hearts. On the way, she suddenly pushed him into a wall, stopping for a wild kiss, one he answered hungrily, grabbing her face with force. Little did they care of being behind Daemon and Rhaenyra's quarter.

They kept running, with The One-Eyed Prince leading the way like it was his usual thing, not even having to look to take the right path. That is why, many times, he allowed himself to kiss the princess time after time, gripping all of her body on his hands while they barely stopped. He was already hard.

In the middle of some stone stairs, she attacked him, again, with her tongue passing over all his neck, sucking in there. He moaned like painly, grabbing one of her hands and making it caress his dick, which she touched briefly above of his pants, giving it the right touches for it to harden even more.

-Daera...-he mumbled, full of pleassure.

While they were running, from a moment to another he stopped and grabbed both of her thighs, lifting her from the air. Daera did not have to think it twice, and surrounded his hips strongly with her legs, beginning to kiss him wildly and stopless, full of desire, having his hands on her ass.

They kissed in the middle of moans and caressings, not having track of time. In a moment, Aemond was suddenly pushing one of the stone walls. Turned out it was other of the hidden doors. She separated from his lips and turned her head around, agitated and smiling.

Now, they were on Aemond's chambers.

The princess gasped, letting his hips go and landing on her feet again, entering the room with a curious gaze. While she stared around, Aemond entered too, looked at both sided of the hall, and closed the door once again. The success he felt at that moment made his cock twitch on his pants, making him to bite his lips in a low groan.

-Fuck, you have one piece of a chamber in here...-she whispered, amazed. She had never seen it before, why would she needed to? Now, seeing it for the first time, she could not hide her surprise when seeing how huge the room was, filled with the luxuriest of furniture, the rarest of books, and the goldest of decorations.

Aemond sighed deeply, looking around with a proud smile and light nods.

-I appreciate everything I have-. He whispered in another sighed. He saw her giggling and running to the washroom, at where he followed with a smirk, while taking off his hood.

-Fucking seven!-, she shouted when reached it, opening her eyes really big. The washroom was almost the size of her quarters alone!-. Huh, all Flea Bottom could wash themselves in here-, she scoffed in disbelief.

-Though I only would like one person to-. Aemond's voice came from behind, and soon, she felt him right on her back, nearing their bodies. Daera sided a slow smile when she felt his erection pressing against her lower back.

-You are already so hard...-she mocked. Slowly, he placed his jaw on her shoulder, staring at her face. She moved her eyes to see him too, sighing when seeing him so close-. If I had a cock, I also would be-, the princess whispered.

He hummed a tiny laugh, directing his hand to her coat's only botton, and unbottoning it. She licked her lips, feeling how the garment left her body slowly, falling throught her arms, and then ending at the floor of the bathroom, just between their feet. Aemond closed to her neck, and sniffed it, going mad at the smell. Daera raised a hand and put it behind his head, nearing him more.

-You told me about how you have had some former experiences with other men in your life, is that correct?-. He whispered, directing his hands to her dress's tighted threads.

-That is correct-, she noded, taking his other hand and directing it to her waist. The prince breathed hard, taking one more step. His cock skimmed the middle of her buttcheeks, making them both moan-. Why the sudden interest, cousin?-. She asks.

-Did you ever...-he begins to question, at the same time of taking off her threads, slowly-...have some experience, on a washroom that looked like mine?-, he asks.

-I am afraid I have not-, Daera whispered, feeling how one hand of his was massaging her waist, and the other one taking the dress off, slowly-. Do you mind to...grant me the honor?-, whe raised her eyes, locking them with his.

Aemond stared straight at her, with his nose red, and she stared at him back with a flirty smile. She took a step back, and her back met with his chest, pressing against his body, just like she once did in that city's alley. The prince grunted with a perversous smile, directing both of his hands to the dress start, and tearing it apart from a moment to another. She moaned loudly, feeling how her back was now fully uncovered.

-I wouldn't dare to deny your desires, princess-. He says, not waiting a second to make her sleeves go down.

-I appreciate that devotion-, Daera laughed lowly-. Let me help you there, my prince-, she whispered. He saw how she grabbed her skirt, and from a moment to another pulled it down almost with brutality, making herself naked in a single blink.

He forgot how to blink.

Aemond looked down, admiring her bare back and ass, how smoothly defined every inch of her skin were. He planned to grabbed all of it, but she suddenly stepped front with two delicates steps, outing completely from her dress, which was now on the floor, as well as the hood.

-The supper is due two hours from now-. The princess said, looking at the big and empty porcelain tub of the room-. We need at least half an hour to get ourselves ready to such-. She faced him, and Aemond went speechless, hardening even more when seeing her bare womanhood and breast, as smoothed as her behind-. Meanwhile, on the rest of the time...you may grant my wish-, she raised her brows.

-I am your servant-, Aemond mumbled, taking his belt and beginning to take it off with quickness. She bited her lips, seeing his hands while she felt how her core was starting to really acke.

-...I would like to know if you have, my prince-. She says.

-If I have what? Please, elaborate-, Aemond narrowed his eye, letting the belt fall on the floor. He, then, went for his bottons, taking them off fastly.

-If you have also had...-she walked backwards, taking seat on one of the tub's corners. He gulped very hard when seeing her seated on there while innocently talking-...experiences, with other beings-, Daera said, looking him from up to down.

-I have-. He said taking off his jacket. The princess bited one of her cheeks, feeling a sudden itch on her chest when imagining him with another woman-. But, I think I owe most of my knowledge on the matter to my books-, he raised his brows, beginning to take off his pants threads.

-Books, you say?-. She furrowed her brows, painting every part of him with her eyes.

-I posses marvels from the Citadel-. His pants finally fell off, ending in the floor as well as any other clothe. Daera tightened her legs so hard, and moaned shamelessly, when she saw his cock, once again. Clean as always, pulsing and desesperate, for the Warrior's sake-. Wonders about...coupling with a lady, you see-. In a whisper, he began to closing to her, at last-. I have read how a woman can be purely satisfied, just by the use of...a finger of mine-, he placed his hands on her knees.

Daera breathed fast, looking up at him, suddenly feeling that she was not longer in control, if she ever was. Her heart's beats were so fastened, feeling how he was giving a deep and slow massage on her knees, making circles in there while looking directly to her eyes.

-With my thumb...my tongue...-Aemond listed, beginning to slowly separate her legs. Daera bites her lips, which were now trembling-...my thigh-, he mumbled, directing his gaze down.

-Thigh?-, she whispered in disbelief, and felt so dumb.

Aemond lowered his head, and kissed her with no more words. She sighed and instantly corresponded him, grabbing his head with a hungry desire. Their tongues met really soon, fighting against each other in the middle of low groans and moans. Her legs were fully opened, ans she whimpered when feeling her cunt's wall clenching into nothing, but air. The prince came to its rescue.

He broke the kiss and seated at her side on the tub, doing it quickly.

-What are you doing?-, she asked, breathing fast.

-Fullfiling your whishes, of course-. The one-eyed murmured, taking one of her legs, and crossing it above one of his. Daera bited her lips, looking how his hand caresses her inner thigh, drawing an invisible path with his fingers as he closened to her core-. Do you want me to?-, he whispered over one of her ears, feeling how her hair skimmed his shoulders and back.

-Ruin me-, she pleaded in a sigh, taking his jaw and making him to look at her. Aemond could not hold himself from gulping, seeing how horny she was. Ah, and he was even worse.

-Daera-, he named at the same of placing his two middle fingers abover her clit, pressing lightly on it. She turned speechles, grabbing his jaw with force and curving her eyebrows. Aemond bited his lips and looked down, starting to make the most symetric of circles on her clitoris, moving it with his warms fingers, which met with her warms fluids.

-Fuck-, she whimpered, about to close her legs, but he grabbed the other one with his free hand, forbidding this. At the contrary, he opened them even wilder, which made her moan louder, feeling every single touch of his and the particles of fresh air on her cunt. Daera opened her mouth big and closed her eyes strongly when those circles began to go faster on her, merciless-. Aemond-, she moaned.

-Are you enjoying it?-. He moved his lips against her ear, and saw her noding while groaning-. You deserve all the fucking pleassure in the Seven Kingdoms, my dear-. The prince whispered, feeling his cock twitch constantly while masturbating her, with no stop. He felt how her clit was everytime more wet, not to mention her hole, where sometimes he skimmed, and felt how it was soaking of pleasure-. Tell me if you are enjoying it, no shame, I can do better-. He said.

-Yes!-. She almost shouted, and he giggled a little, going faster on her-. Bloody hells, Aemond, bloody hells-. She swore, breathless-. You are the fucking god, for fuck's sake, fucking maniac-. Daera mumbled, moaning and grunting, making her hips dance against his fingers.

-Hmm-, he simply hummed, siding a smile. He hold tight her leg, massaging it, and directed those two fingers now to her hole, entering in there, slowly, with no previous notice. That made her go insane, giving a loud cry towards the ceiling with no shame, smiling surprised.

-Fuck, Aemond, yes!-. She whispered agitated, right on his ear. He grunted, opening his mouth widely while feeling all of her inside surrounding his two fingers. So wet, soaked and soggy, just for him, and because of him-. Oh, you do it so good-, her voice was really sharp. His fingers curles inside her, dancing in there, going in and out with a perfect rythm.

-You are so wet, Daera-. He laughed with no breath. His cock was beginning to pain, but he did not wanted to neglect her-. Is it because of me?-. He wanted to hear her saying it.

-No, its for fucking Aegon-. She said with all the sarcasm of the world. He tsked and grunted, nonstopping. Daera laughed, trembling and gripping his jaw harder-. Oh you know it is for you, my prince, only because of you I am this fucking, bloody soaked-, she whispered, praising him, breathless. Aemond smiled, licking his lips-. It is just that you are...fuck! the best-, she said when he fully sinked his fingers on her. And all of a sudden, another one came in.

Daera gulped strongly, and there was silence from her for a moment. The mayor sound heard was how the prince's fingers were swimming on her cunt, from outside to inside, curling stoppless in there. The sound was so raw and sticky it both gladded and drove them insane of pleassure.

-Prince Aemond!-, the soft voice of a lady came far from behind the door of the chambers.

None of them stopped moaning, ignoring easily the maiden. Daera bited her lips and he bited her ear, mumbling low words to it while drops of her womanhood were falling on the floor and in the tub's wall.

-You are dripping so fucking much-, he whimpered over her hair, almost licking it-. I have never seen anything like it, you river-. He mocked, and she laughed breathless.

-My prince do now how to fulfill my whishes, it seems-. Daera moaned happily abover his lips, feeling her inner thighs trembling crazily.

-Prince Aemond! We are here to prepare your bath!-, the maiden spoke again, and he grunted-. Prince Ae-

-Not now!-, he shouted from a moment to another, furrowing his brows really hard. Daera chuckled in her moans, and the quick steps of the maidens getting away were almost heard-. My princess...-he softly murmurs, attending back to her with a kiss on her cheeks.

-Oh...-she moaned at his change of attitude, so cold with the maidens yet so warm with her, wriggling slowly under his touch. She heard him whimper a little.

-It hurts...-, he whispered this under his breath, so low. But it reached her ears, and at this, she sighed surprised, blinking rapidly.

-Ah, here is my prince, pampering me, so devoted-, Daera sighed-. I want you to know...that I am not an ungrateful goddess-, she squeaked, staring at his red and pleading cock. And, with all the softness of the world, she placed a hand on it-. I return such devotion-, she whispered.

-Daera!-. He quickly moaned, having to stop his fingers for a moment when feeling how she began to stroke his pulsing dick, from up to down, having her five fingers holding it-. Fucking hells, Daera-. He swore, closing his eye with a smile.

-I may be your goddess but that cock of yours is my true authority, hells-. She said with a fast breath, feeling how his fingers began to move on her inside again-. I want it cumming on every inch of me-, she bited her lips, strocking the dick so softly yet so tightly, without hurting him.

Daera sighed, raising this hand to his face, which confused him a little. She kissed his jaw, and then his neck, and then his lips, being responded at an instant. When they separated, they stared at each other.

-...Lick it for me-, she asked. Aemond blinked, feeling how the tip of his cock pleaded him to just obey. Without any questions, he did, and so, he outed his tongue and licked Daera's five fingers and palm, passing through every inch of it while moaning, and looking straight at her eyes-. Good-, she sighed, bouncing against his slowed fingers on her core-. You are so good, boy-. She whimpered.

-Just for you-, he said with his tongue on the middle of her fingers, smiling at her. Daera smiled back, placing again her hand on his cock, and this time it felt even better, now lubricated with his own saliva and breaths. He groaned so fulled of plassure, widening his smirk-. You are a genious-, he said on a moan. The princess stroke his weted cock, smiling at it while breathing really fast. Aemond outed his fingers from her, raising them fastly-. Lick them-, he ordered, copying her demand. She smiled, with not one complain. Her mouth took all of his three fingers, sucking them hardly into her cheeks, which made him go insane, noding. Daera licked his fingertips and bited his nails, leaving all of her heavy saliva in them. Them fingers were so shiny now-. Good girl-, he murmured.

-Only yours-, she winked an eye at him, who smiled with his mouth opened, breathing really fast, and going down on her again. He hummed at the same slow rythm he entered his fingers again on her cunt, now having more access than ever. Daera grew insane, twicthing below him with a smirk so big and her brows so raised, holding tighter to his dick and speeding her hand on it.

The white hand was placed on the dripping cunt, digging on it, while the brown hand was placed on the trembling cock, stroking it stoppless, and their respective owners were moaning, grunting and swearing with lust and pleassure taking over their minds, appreciating every second, every touch.

Daera looked at Aemond, and he looked at her, resting his forehead against hers while they breathed without control, smiling to the other while they groaned endlessly, hearing the raw sounds the hand of one was causing on the other's private part. They may be "privates parts", but now they know the other's like the palm of their hands, touching and seeing them shameless.

-I am so close-, she murmured with a string of voice-. Make me cum, Aemond-. She sang on his ear, whispering it so thinly.

-That, you will do it yourself-. He giggled, and he did not give her time to even question, because from a moment to another he was grabbing her waist and moving her off the tub's wall.

Daera squeaked when he placed her over one of his strong thighs, keeping her legs wide opened and making her cunt burn directly against his skin. She screamed to the ceiling, holding his shoulders automatically, and he groaned putting a hand on her waist, and other on her ass, grabbing it tightly.

-This is...this is what you meant, about your thigh?-. She asked, with no breath, looking down to see how her parted and soaked lips were opened against his thigh. She moaned just at the sight.

-Hmm-, he noded, giving a light push in her ass, making her move. Daera bited his lip-. Ride it-, he whispered. She grunted, starting to move her hips really slow, soon whimpering-. Ride my thigh, soak it, break it. Matters don't to me-, Aemond murmured, following the move of her hips with his hands placed on her.

-Fuck-, she smiled with her brows furrowed. His skin was so soft, and rubbing her clit and hole against it was like a blessing of The Seven or whatever fucking gods are out there. The only god she was acknowledging now, was Prince Aemond-. Aemond-, she hugged to his neck, closing her eyes.

-Do whatever you want, my goddess-, he hugged her back and directed her moves, making her go back and forth endlessly. She was leaving a sea on his thigh, dripping on it while she masturbated with it, and he liked that so much. He wanted to lick his own leg just so that he could profiteer of everything she had to offer-. Cum-, he whispered.

-No, no-. She shook her head, throwing it back and making her hips go faster on him, feeling how his nails were nailed on her ass and waist, marking them as his property, which she truly was feeling like, in the best way possible-. No!-, Daera moaned, feeling her heart close to explode, as well as her orgasm.

-No what?-, he asked tauntly on her ear. He was bouncing over the tub, covered in sweat, making wet noises, but none of them cared, more concentrated on the feelings and the touching.

-I...I want you to make me come-. She whispered over his shoulder. Aemond sighed strongly, blinking-. I want your cock to make me his, again, I want you to make me yours, again-. She pleaded in moans, beginning to lower the speed on her hips. He kept on grabbing them, placing his nose on her neck while listening at her-. Do you not think I am tired of making myself cum?-. She said with a thin voice, directing to his ear-...You do it for me, and I will do it for you-, she proposed.

The Targaryen prince leaned back, staring directly at her face. Now quiet, she smiled at him, caressing his cheeks and jaw with her thumbs and a fasted breath, awaiting for his answer.

His answer soon arrived, in a kiss. Aemond made his lips to kiss hers so dearly and passionate, opening them and making them fit so perfectly. Daera moaned, enslaved by this, and grabbed his face with her ten fingers, kissing him back with so much freedom, and desire. His lips are just a whole new world.

-As I have said before...-he whispered over her mouth. She sighed, feeling how his arms hugged her fully, and then he stood up, making her to surround his hips with her legs-...as my goddess wishes-. He smiled, kissing her again. Daera chuckled amused, thanking him with a soft lick on his lips, caressing them with her tongue-. And as I wish as well-, he whispered.

Aemond stood up from the tub, grabbing her legs firmly so she wouldn't fall. In the middle of that deep and slow kiss, he started walking cautiosly, knowing the way through his chambers. Like this, they outed the washroom, leaving their clothes definetely behind.

There were no savages moans in the air anymore. With that last petition, the aura had become more...intimate. Even more than before, which is almost unbelievable.

-The bed?-, he proposed on a soft whisper, having his nose skimming hers.

-Yes-, she laughed a little, moving her fingers on his disheveled hair-. I want to feel your sheets, to smell you in them...while you make me yours-. That whispers were poetry to him.

-And you make me yours-, Aemond murmured with a presed smile, walking slowly. She giggled and noded, braiding briefly a tiny part of his hair, distracted on his shiny gaze.

Daera's back slowly reached Aemond's mattress, and she instantly sighed when feeling his silk sheets, and smelling him on them too. And, over all that, she saw him above of her, staring at her with softness and a smile while placing her cautiosly on the bed. She bited her lips, still hugged to his waist.

He caressed both of her thighs, now kneeling on the bed and leaning foward to be face to face, admiring the shine of her skin and the glow on her eyes. So fucking divine, as he always thinks. Aemond sighed through his nose, caressing her hair with one hand. Daera smiled dreamy, forgetting how to blink.

Every existing concept of time disappeared with those shared stares of them. They lasted seconds, but felt like the happiest of summers.

Daera caressed his neck with her thumbs, and then pulled it closer, kissing him with a low sigh. Aemond closed his eye and smiled briefly, resting his elbows on every side of her.

Seconds later, his manhood found its way to her womanhood, entering it with so much easiness due to how lubricated it was. Both Targaryen moaned deeply at the wholy feeling, so mesmerizing. She hugged him with whimpers coming out of her mouth, and he rested his forehead on hers with low groans.

The prince began to dance with his hips, making his dick to thrust with deepness on the princess's cunt, which clenched around him with lust. He moaned, going back and forth inside of her, nonstop. She bited her lips and noded at the sensational feeling. He filled her like no one else ever had, and she took him like no one else ever had either.

-Daera-, he sobbed against her mouth. She kissed him with it, scratching his back with one hand, and pulling his hair softly with the other-. Gods be good-, he whispered, blinded by the feeling-. I am yours, Daera-. The prince sighed.

-And I am yours-, she moaned with her brows furrowed, feeling how his cock was gaining more speed at every passing second, hitting her cunt harder, and harder-. Fuck!-, she squeaked.

-Say it again-, he pleaded in a sigh-. Say you are mine-, he was breathless.

-I'm yours, I'm of no one but yours, Aemond-. Daera said, so certain, yet trembling because of all the pleassure that was overwhelming her. He moaned so loud when she said it again, forming a quick smile-. I'm coming-, she sighed.

-You deserve it, for you have done so good for me-. Aemond whispered on her ear, kissing on there, licking her jaw. She felt so appreciated, smiling breathless-. Cum, Daera, I want to see your face when you do it-. He murmured in a low laugh, one she copied along with a moan.

He thrusted harder, and directed a hand to her clit, rubbing it on the same circles from before, just faster this time. She groaned, agitated, grabbing the sheets below her and twitching her abdomen from side to side, going to madness.

-Finish, Daera, for me-. He said, grabbing one of her tits on his free hand, and nearing hiw own mouth to suck its nipple with no shame, passing his tongue on it. She gulped hard, giving a loud palm on the bed-. You are so mine-, he giggled.

Daera cried, and she had her full orgasm at last, closing her eyes strongly and twitching under his body while moaning. Aemond grunted, amazed by the view, and did not stop his thrusts inside of her, driving her even craizer. He grunted and grunted, clenching his ass, feeling that he was close too, just by seeing her expressions and listening to her breath.

-Aemond!-, she named in the lustest of moans, grabbing her own tits.

That was just what he needed. His cock finally let out all he was holding before. Aemond's eye went blank and he moaned roughly while going back and forth, emptying, and feeling how all of his fluids were filling her from the inside. Daera sighed at this, loving the sound of his fresh cum being push on her cunt by all the force of his cock.

-Oh Daera, Daera-. He named, sillied and mumbling, tightening his fists hard on the sheets at her side, wrinkling them-. You...you take me so well...-he said with no breath.

-You fuck me so well-, she sighed with her eyes closed. She heard him giggling, and felt how he was starting to move away-. No no no!-, Daera instantly stopped him.

-What? What is it?-, he asked a little exaltated, opening his eye big.

-Stay inside me-, she pleaded, whispering low. He blinked with surprise, not moving a single muscle-. I will keep you warm, you'll love it-, she promised with soft laughs, making signs with her hands for him to get closer.

-Is that a thing?-, Aemond whispered surprised, leaning front.

-Huh, the Citadel's marvels did not tell you about that?-, she scoffed. And he laughed, ending the distance between them and granting her a slow and deep kiss. The princess chuckled, kissing him too and hugging his back fully.

Aemond groaned and leaned to a side, now lying over one of his shoulders. The princess also sided her body, facing him. They both acommodated their legs at the same time, interwining it so his cock stayed in there, fully buried. Her cunt was dripping her own fluids, and his, and she could not be prouder. He hummed, pulling her even closer with a push from a hand on her lower back.

Daera bites her lips, staring at him, and he widened the smirk on his, admiring how the sun from outside, purely orange, lighted her in such a magnificent way, giving her skin this sweet cinnamon tone.

-Hmm-, he emitts.

-No Citadel wonder will ever compare to your cock, I promise you-. She whispered, and he scoffed rolling his eye-. Enough about the Citadel, I know, but I just find it amusing-, she purely smile, laughing.

-Then do not deprive yourself from that joy-. He said in a honest chuckle, shrugging a bit. Daera blinked softly, staring at his face for a few seconds.

-Could I know, cousin, when was your first time?-. She questioned with honest curiosity, remembering what he said before about former experiences. Aemond sighed a little.

-You shall, of course-. He said, looking a little ashamed-. It is not my desire to bore you with a long story so, to make it short, umm, Aegon took me to a brothel on my thirteenth name day-. Aemond noded, and she went speechless.

-Wut?-, she blinks.

-He told it was time, to...adventurate myself into the wide world of pleassure, joy, and...fannies, I think he said-. Aemond sighed, obviously unconfortable with the tale-. But, shortly, he told me "time to get it wet"-, he nods. Daera breathed heavily, thinking of the fucking bastard he has as a brother.

-Cunt-, she whispered.

-I remember, actually, that it was not as...joyfull, as it was expected-. The princle mumbled, suddenly paying too much attention to that day. She furrowed her brows, shaking her head-. The lady acted her cumming, because Aegon paid her, and he told me...that he would never pay for that again, it was not worth it-. He gave a dry blink, furrowing his lips.

-You were abused-, she whispered thinly. He instantly shook his head.

-I do not see it that way-. He confessed with a tiny laugh-. It was...a needed experience-. He convinced himself. She sided a thoughtful little smirk, looking at him tenderly. He sighed, looking back at her too-. I'd like to ask a question-, he said.

-I'd like you to ask it-, she smiled, making him laugh a little. He, then, licked his lips, gulping-. Why the nervous?-, Daera smiled, curious.

-Was I...good?-. Aemond asks in a low tone, narrowing his eye. She raised her brows, knowing he was asking this because of his previous memory-. Have I been good?-, he clears his throat, pretending to not be nervous-. I would like to truly and fully fill your desires-, he mumbled.

Daera's eyes flickered, and her nose let a sigh out while her lips sided in a moved and soft smile, looking at him with a tender amusement, shaking her head a little.

He expected words, but instead, she closened more to him, caressed one of his cheeks, smiling, and then left a kiss on his lips. He closed his eye, receiving another kiss, and one more, feeling his heart go insane.

When she separated, she did not stop the caressing on his cheek, doing it so lovingly. Her lips curved in a presed smile, staring at him with true dearness, not being conscient of how pure it looked. Aemond felt he had it all, when he saw her looking at him like that.

-Nobody is paying me-, she said lowly. Understanding the meaning, he laughed through the nose, blushing quickly-. I have had already come more than one time with you, and not gained a single coin for it-. Her brows went up, and his softened while looking at her-. That means you have been doing quite good-, she whispered amused.

-Ah-, he sighed with his cheeks red, looking down. Daera tsked lightly, thinking of just how gorgeous this man was-. You were right, I do love it-. He whispered-. You keep me warm-, Aemond caressed her hips slowly, moving a little to remind her he was still inside of her. She bited her lips, laughing.

-I am never wrong-, she showed off, and he snorted amusedly.

Daera looked above him, staring at the balcony of the chambers, being able to see how the sky was already turning dark. Aemond turned his head around, noticing this too. The sky of King's Landing was painted on a soft purple, indicating that the sun was leaving, and the moon almost arriving.

-The sky is already our eyes's color-. Daera sighed, which made him to look back at her-. We must bath now, and ready ourselved for the supper-, she said with a tiny smirk.

-You are right-, he noded, sighing too. He did not wanted her to leave his side, to get his cock outside of her cunt. He wanted to stay just like this. And, thinking the same things, she had an idea.

-I propose you an invitation-, Daera said in a cocky smirk-. Formally, I invite you to a post-supper meeting...in my quarters-. Her whisper was flirty and funny, narrowing her eyes. His one opened big, smiling at her words.

-After supper? That will be...a little late, no?-. Aemond asked, but it was obvious that his answer was already a positive one. Daera take and grabbed his neck on his hand, shaking her head.

-'Tis my last night on the capital-. She whispered, and he gulped at the recalling-...And I want it to spend it, and sleep it, with your company, cousin-. Daera stared softly at him, honest. Aemond smiled, moved, presing his lips slowly-. Or must I pay you?-, she snorted.

-You must not-. He laughed grabbing her neck back and caressing it softly.

-Very well, then-. Daera smiled-. I shall wait for you then, bring your pillow and your cock-. She left a quick kiss on his lips.

-I won't forget neither of them-. Aemond smiled, kissing her back. Daera laughed closing her eyes, and she laughed even louder when he suddenly rolled on the bed to be at the top of her, kissing her deeper.

Minutes after, the royal ones had to already stand from the bed and attend their expected duties. When his cock left her it wanted to cry, wanting her back. Daera went to the washroom, cleaning superficially the cum on her cunt and thighs.

She will bath at the moment of reaching her chambers, which she was about to be heading now, putting back her clothes. Aemond, with his pants now on, was seeing how she get on the long leather hood.

-If I am not mistaking, that coat is mine...-he spoke funnily, narrowing his eye.

-Ahh, it was yours, indeed-. She corrected, and he smiled curious, noding-. My grandmother already saw me on it, and I told her it was mine-. Daera smirked, walking to him with playful steps-. So, it turns out it is actually mine, cousin-. She said proudly.

-I am afraid it is now-, he sighed with pretended heaviness, at what she snorted at-. I never asked-. He suddenly said.

-Asked what?-, she moved her head.

-Why did you keep my belt?-. Aemond questioned, interested, tilting his head. Daera blinked widely, chewing her cheeks from inside, and shrugging.

-Helps to keep the dress in place during training-. She simply says, to then walk worriless to the hidden door of the room. Aemond snorted a laugh and turned around, following her.

-Of course-, he murmured, taking his coat from the floor and putting it on with big arms movement, at which she stared with a smile-. I shall take you back to your quarters, then, my love-. Aemond sighed with a cocky smirk, and pushed the door with his hands.

Daera noded. Huh, she noded, pretending that her cunt didn't start to wet again when she heard him calling her "my love". When the door opened, they both walked into the secret hall and closed it behind them, staying in silent.

While they began to walk, Aemond raised a hand at Daera without looking at her. She tried to hide her smile, but just did not, giggling like a child and taking his hand firmly. The prince glanced at her with a warm and quick smirk, leading the way.

The princess studied the path while they advanced, memorizing every hall and every corned they turned, if it ever comes the moment where she needs to go to his room. Which will definitely occur.

They passed Balerion's grave, sighing amazed at it again.

Soon, they were now standing on the hidden door of her chambers. She was already in, while he was standing on the secret hall, staring at each other with tiny but dearly smiles.

-I will see you at supper, then-. He noded-. And after supper, I will see you here-, he sided a smirk.

-I cannot wait-, she whispered.

-Hmm-, Aemond looked at her with such trust, nodding briefly-. I will not forget your moon tea-, he said, making her smile relieved-. Get yourself ready, then, princess-. He gave some steps back.

-Until then, cousin-. She whispered, tip-toeing and going for a kiss, which he doubtlessly granted her, holding her face with a laugh coming from deep his throat.

Then, Daera followed with her gaze how Aemond was getting away with silent steps. She sighed, silly, with the biggest of smiles on her face while she closed firmly the hidden door.

■ ■ ■

Every cook of the kitchen was going from one side to another of it, quickly and stoppless, takind dishes, cups, cutlery and whatnot. A tasty smoke was in the air, and swet on their skin, with them working effortly for their princesses and princes. Not to mention The King and The Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

Most of the royal family was already on the dining hall, having a wide tabke just for them, already being filled by the tasties dishes prepped by their servants. The supper has not officially begin, so they were still killing time, expecting the rest to arrive.

Rhaenyra and Daemon were seated side to side, as expected, murmuring and smiling between them constantly. Sometimes they tried to mantain serious appearances, but Nyra's mouth was breaking a smile every minute, laughing with her gaze downed.

Aegon and Helaena were also in paired chairs, but they were not as chatty as the other couple. The young prince already had a cup of wine between his lips, while his wife has playing with a wooden figure of a bird on her fingers, looking at it distractedly. She was not aware of the glances her husband was giving to one of their cousins.

Rhaena.

Rhaena was seating right in front of him, across the table, and had her fist tightened nervously while she was whispering to Baela and Luke, who were listening to her with expressions that tried to hide annoyance, but did not. Them three turned to look at Aegon, and he snickered behind his cup with a malicious gaze, directing it to another place.

Otto was just on his place, silent, staring at the emptys chairs of the evening. Alicent, at his side, was also at the side of Viserys, at who she was giving water with softness. He, with his mind the clearest it could be at the moment, was drinking quietly from the cup his wife was holding.

-Princess Daera Targaryen!-, the voice of a guard announced at the entry of the dining hall.

-Thank you, Ser-. The princess smiled softly at him, entering the room with a sigh and a polite expression, noding at everybody, who noded back at her in the same way-. Good evening, family-. She sighed raising her brows.

-Daera, child, join us!-. Viserys sighed with an open smile, moving his grey hands towards her.

-My King-, his niece did a polite courtsy, smiling warmly at him. Her uncle smiled back at her, noding with a little laugh-. My Queen-, she quickly glanced at Alicent.

-Niece, welcome-. The Queen noded with a tiny smile.

-Your- your father could learn one or two manners from you-, joked Viserys with a forced tone, raising his brows.

Daera bited one of her cheeks, and looked at Daemon. He was already looking at here, a little tense. The last time they spoke was at their discussion after her arrival, so things were not light between them. His oldest daugher dryly blinked, looking at Viserys again.

-Perhaps he could, uncle-. She answered the joke, making the King laugh amusedly, turning to look at his brother, who did not even breathed a smiled.

Daera made a last courtsy and turned around, now facing the other members of the supper. Aemond was not here yet, it appears.

-Night, Daera-. Greeted Rhaenyra with a sided smirk. Helaena straightened her shoulders a little and wided an innocent smile, waving a hand to her.

-Rhaenyra-, Daera noded at her warmly-. Cousin-, she smiled at Helaena, who chuckled a little. Aegon rolled his eyes at the smile of his wife, finding it annoying. Daera pretended to not even noticing him, just looking at her siblings.

-Here-, Rhaena palms the empty seat on her side. Her older sister did not hesitate, stting on it with a long sigh-. You are late, weird of you-, she commented.

-Nonsense, I am not late-. She instantly snorted, looking too at Baela and Luke, who were also in the conversation-. Your dishes are not even served-, she points.

-Hm-, her little sister nods with acceptance.

-But I can't wait them to!-, whispered Lucerys opening his eyes wide.

-Gods I am so hungry-, noded Baela in the same way. Her sisters aughed amused.

-Where is Jace?-, Daera asked curiously, staring at the empty seat at her right. One of the two which were still personless.

-Has not arrived yet, probably singing some songs in the bath-, Luke shrugged, and they all laughed lowly with diversion.

Aegon drank slowly from his cup, looking directly at the older of the Targaryen sisters. She, feeling his fucking eyes right on her forehead, tsked and looked at him back with no hidden tediousness, raising one side of her lips.

-Do you want my gown? Is that it?-. Daera threw him a bad glance. Weirdly, he stayed silent, just breaking the eye contect. She turned to her siblings-. Is he already drunk, or something?-, she asked.

Rhaena opened her mouth to answer.

-Prince Aemond Targaryen!-, the guard notices one more time.

Daera felt her heart pounding strongly when she heard that name. She made all the efforts of the world to show no emotion. But, as the others did, she saw how the one-eyed entered the room with his firm and almlst tensed steps, serious expression and closed mouth. The princess almost sighed, almost not believing this was the same man she was having sex with before.

-Mother, father-. He greeted to The King and Queen, who noded at him with smiles. Alicent looked at her boy with so much dearness, pointing with her gaze the empty seat close to her and his grandfather-...Family-, he glanced at the others, walking there.

-Brother-, Aegon raised a cup. Helaena greeted him with a smile and a waving hand, quiet.

Daera's siblings just noded at him, serious, and she did too, keeping appearances. Shortly after everyone began to talk again, attending to their own matters. While Aemond took place on his chair, he could not help but look at Daera, not holding a sigh either on his opened lips.

Taking advantadge of her siblings talking to each other, distracted, she blinked and turned her gaze to him while caressing her cup, almost forming a smile on her mouth, sucking her inferior lip a little. Aemond gulped at the beautiful sight of her, remembering how those very fingers were on him before.

Having all those memories, they forced themselves to look away, he doing it first, and then she doing it too.

-Daera-, called Rhaena.

-Yes?-, she instantly turned to her, feeling a quick alerted pinch on her heart.

-You asked about Aegon-, remembered Luke, and she noded, attentive-. Well, he...-. The phrase was not ended, looking around with doubt.

-He mocked Rhaena-, said a cold Baela. Daera frozed.

-Baela-, the younger tsks.

-What?-. Daera leaned foward with her brows really curved. None of them noticed it but, from across the room, Daemon listened to that, and now was looking at them with his brow furrowed too-. When was this?-, she asks, serious.

-When you went to ready yourself, I walked alone for a few minutes on the halls, reaching my rooms-. Rhaena explained in a really low voice, not wanting to be heard by none of the adults but her sister.

Aemond glanced at Daera, seeing how she was leaning foward and looking worried at Rhaena. He wondered why she she seemed so tense at that moment, and expected for her to look back at him, which she did not.

-What was that he said to you?-. Asked Luke in a low and worried tone, having his eyebrows knitted. Rhaena sighed under her siblings gazes.

-He mocked me for having no dragon, telling me that it was getting late for it-. She whispered, bitting her cheeks. Daera's lips closed with so much force, shaking her head from side to side-...He said I waid I was worthless-, she snorted, looking away.

Baela and Luke gulped, feeling pity for her. Meanwhile, Daera's cold eyes turned to Aegon, and she surprised when seeing hoe Daemon did the same thing, staring coldly to the drunken prince, who was sipping from his cup as if nothing had happened. Father and daughter stared madly at him, wanting to do a lot of things.

Aegon burped lowly, and downed his cup when noticing his cousin's sharpen expression. He sided a tauntly smile, looking in ashance at Rhaena and then back at her again, knowing why she was so mad. Huh, if he only knew The Rogue Prince was also looking at him like that.

-Do you want my cup? Is that it?-. He asked burlesque, just as she did before.

-No, it is worthless-. She spat her words strongly and loudly, reaching every ear.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the princess with differents expressions. Rhaena scratched her arms, unconfortable. Viserys sighed, confused, seeing how Daera had her fists tightened, and Aegon was gulping hard. In the middle of the silence, Daemon's funny laugh made echoe.

Aemond narrowed his eye, curious, and looked at Daera, seeing her dragon's eyes staring at his brother. He sided a really tiny smile, hiding it from Otto's near gaze.

Rhaenyra cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention.

-I apologize for Jace's lateness-. She talks with a polite smile, making an effort to dissolve the tension. Daera sniffed her nose, aparting her gaze from Aegon and snorted frustrated. Daemon did not hided a tiny smirk at her, though she didn't notice-. I expect that my son arrives before the food gets-

-Prince Jacaerys Velaryon!-. The guard shouted, having to interrupt the princess.

-I am here, I am here!-. Jace arrived with an agitated smile. His siblings turned to look at him amused, while Aemond rolled his eye when hearing the guard calling him a Velaryon-. Your graces, I apologize deeply for my lateness-, he said, courtesing at them.

-Ahh, worry not, grandson-. Viserys smiled at him, exhausted. The Queen noded, smirking briefly at him. Jace sighed a smile, a little shamed-. Take place beside your cousin, go!-, he pointed at the empty seat besides Daera.

-Your graces-, he nodded-. Mother, family-. He greeted the others with a polite smile. Rhaenyra smiled funnily at him behind her cup-. Gods...-he reached his seat in a long whisper.

Aemond followed him with his gaze, playing with a table knife between his fingers. When he entered, he wished to be seated at Daera's side. It would have been so easy, the action itselft, but he just could not. Not when having another option closer to his own family. How bad it would look. But, he has to admit, seeing Jacaerys seating instead at her side was even worse.

-Where were you?-. Daera whispered, turning to look at Jace.

-Amm...-he shakes his head from side to side, lasting seconds to respond-...sleeping-, he shrugged.

-Singing on the bath!-, acussed Luke from his place. Jace opened his eyes big and pointed at him with warning. Baela and Rhaena laughed lowly.

-Do not be ashamed! Your singing is quite well-. Daera smiled placing a hand on his shoulder-. It is so well we no longer have living birds on Dragonstone-, she said.

He snorted looking away, while all the other siblings chuckled with very much diverssion, trying to not be so loud. Daera giggled giving a grip on his shoulder, and he just smiled rolling his eyes.

Aemond looked at there briefly, curved his lips a little, and then looked at Helaena, who was playing with his wooden figure, boredly. Aegon was sipping from his cup, giving constant glances to the maiden that helded the wine, smiling at her. She was doing nothing but trembling. Otto was looking at Aegon with annoyance, wanting him to stop. Rhaenyra was smiling to their father, who was talking to her. Daemon was noding in silent to Rhaena, speaking to her with his gaze, apparently. Alicent was thoughtfull. Daera and her siblings were being the happiest people in the world, joking only between them.

The one-eyed prince sighed, having just one thought. This was gonna be a long supper.

-We might begin-, Alicent smiles at everyone. Otto made a hand movement to the servants, who instantly approached, and began to ready the family's dishes.

-Yes!-, Luke and Baela whispered, victorious, when seeing the food being served. Rhaena chuckled, while Jace and Daera looked funnily at each other.

-How much joy it gives me...to see all of you, gathered here, tonight-. Viserys speaks, making everyone go silent and look at him-. Tonight, we...we dine, as the family we are, to cheer for the weded princes-, he raises his cup to Helaena and Aegon, looking with a tired smile at them. Aegon gulped and noded, nervous under the sight of his father, while Helaena smirked kindly at him, blushing a little-. And, and to also offer a proper farewell to princess Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon, who tomorrow will be...returning, to their home with their family-, he smiled warmly, looking at them. Nyra sided a dear smirk, while Daemon stared at him with a silent grattitude.

Daera directs her eyes to Aemond, who looked back at her almost automatically. He blinked, and she gave him a quick wink, thinking of their planned encounter after the supper. He gulped a smile, attending to his father once again.

-I also express my...my sorrow, for the scarces suppers we have shared, in the last past years-. Viserys says looking down for a moment, obviously ashamed. Alicent looked at him with a light sadness, while all the others moved a little unconfortable on their seats-. The last time we dined together, all of us alone, was...was...-he breathes heavily, trying to remember, but could not.

-On princess Rhaenyra's thirtieth name day, your grace-. Recalled Otto with a serene voice, nodding. Daera made a pity face towards her uncle, the king, truly feeling the disappointment on his face when hearing the date. Rhaenyra, who was thirty and two at this day, gulped.

-We...we need to gather more constantly, set asides whatever differences still remain between us-. The King spoke tiredly, tapping his cane on the ground. Aemond wanted to laugh, thinking about the multiple times Viserys has said this on his life. And it has never done any effect, of course-. It should not be such an arduous work to join us as a family-, he sobbs briefly, and Rhaenyra bited her cheeks.

Silence covers the dining hall. The only sound were the ones of the cutlery cutting the food. Viserys sighed, lowering his head, and accepting the food Alicent was handing him, chewing it slowly. Aegon scratches his jaw with a bored expression, pinching the chicken on his plate. Daemon looked at Rhaenyra, and she looked back at him, nodding a little.

Chewing her salad, Daera looks around with certain inconformity, seeing how nobody was making a single sound. She looked at Viserys, noticing how he was also looking around while eating, expecting for someone to talk. Even the servants were beginning to pity for the king and his divided family.

After feeling a sad itching on her chest, Daera inhaled through her nose, and cleared her throat.

-Well, gods be damn, bring the coffin already-. She suddenly mumbles, gaining everyone's look-. This is a funeral, is it not?-, she pretends confusion, tilting her head.

And, for Visery's sake, her joke bringed laughs around the table, with her siblings chuckling more amused than everybody. Alicent and Otto giggled briefly, while Rhaenyra and Daemon laughed openly, looking at her. Helaena scrunched her nose, chuckling. Aemond directed a smile to the floor, and Aegon forced himself to laugh, seeing how The King was doing it so happily.

-A rogue child, this one is!-. Viserys pointed in the middle of his rough laughs. Daera giggles digging her fork on her plate, and looked up while laughing too.

-Well done-. From across the table, Rhaenyra mumbles, and smiled at her proudly, thanking her help. Daera smiled back at her, looking sideways to her father.

-Hear hear!-, Jace raises his cup funnily, and the laughs continued while they responded the action, cheering. Daera chuckles, elbowing him. Aemond was looking at there, fading his smile slowly.

Rhaenyra let a sigh out and, taking advantage of the dissolved tension, she stood up from her chair from a moment to another, having one of Daemon's hand between hers.

-I would like to make an announcement-, she says looking around. All the presents turned to look at her, some curiously, others desinterested. Viserys's gaze shined when looking at his firstborn, something Aemond stared at, silently-. My husband and I...we, take grand pleassure, at sharing with you that...-she places their hands above her belly. Daemon smiled to the floor, biting his lips-...I am with child, once again!-. Nyra sighed with a nervous smile, raising her brows.

The joyful gasp Viserys let out was heard on every hall of the castle. He instantly began to praise his daughter, while her children had gone muted. Jace and Luke blinked in shock, not having expected any of that at all. The girls, Baela, Rhaena and Daera, felt how they went breathless for a few seconds, opening widely their eyes.

At the same time, they directed their gazes to Daemon. Across the table, their father presed a smile and looked back at them, having a little red on his cheeks. They stared silently, surprised and, over all, warmly. The girls had gone speechless when learning they will have a new sibling, one fathered by him. Baela and Rhaena sighed in disbelief, smiling at him, and he smiled back at them with his lips closed, noding.

He, then, looked at his first child, who was with her throat afflicted and brows a little curved, playing with her fingers. Daemon stared at her with a soft gaze, moving his fingers too on Rhaenyra's hand, expecting a reaction from her. She looked at him while gulping, not hiding how proud she was at him, how happy she was for him. Their former fights almost faded from their minds, and they stared at each other with love, not having to say even one word.

While everyone was complimenting Rhaenyra and Daemon, Aemond just choose silence, not even a little happy for the announcement. Why should he be, anyways? Another nephew it was going to be, perhaps not a bastard, but not special either. Aegon was sharing his brother's feelings, sighing constantly and giving a lot of glances at Daera, who was not attending to him.

-For my future grandson, then, the fourth one!-. Viserys shouted tiredly and happy, raising his cup, which everyone did too. He knew by heart how many sons Rhaenyra has, but the gods forbid him to remember that he rides the largest dragon in the world, Aemond thought.

-To princess Rhaenyra!-, Jace smiled raising his cup too. Lucerys laughed clapping happily. Their mother smiled at them with such love.

-Hear hear-, Daera giggled before sipping her drink, as well as the others did. She glanced at Aemond, at who she found glancing at Luke, which made her brows to furrow a little.

Everyone drank from their cups after the toasting, savouring the good wine. Viserys could not be happiest at the moment, thanking the gods to be so clear minded now, allowing him to enjoy of such familiar moment. If I just could do this every day, he was constantly thinking, ignoring his deep physical pain.

-We are going to have a brother!-, said Rhaena in an excited whisper towards her siblings.

-Or sister!-, smiled Baela in the same way.

-Or both!-, dreamed Jace, and they laughed excited and surprised. They looked at Rhaenyra when she spoke one more time, taking back her seat.

-Due to my just heard condition, we are going to leave, earlier than planned, to Dragonstone-. She informed, glancing at her family. Daera's eyes instantly looked at Aemond, who looked back at her, gulping-. The maesters has recommend me to reach tranquility in the conforts of home as soon as I can, so we will be setting sail at The Hour of the Owl-, she informed in a quiet smile, caressing her belly.

-A wise decision, princess-. Noded Otto with a serene smirk. Aemond furrowed his lips, looking sideways at him. Daera clenched her teeth, thinking that she and her lover will have no time alone, in the night, if she is to sail so early.

-We wish you a safe path-, Alicent smiled calmly. At her side, Viserys noded in silent, not having expected for his child to leave so fast.

-Can't we leave on our dragons?-. Luke suddenly asks. Daera stared at him with attention-. If, if we could...-he shrugged, a little intimidated by all the looks on him. By Aemond's, to be clear.

-Why?-, Daemon asks, shaking his head.

-I agree, I don't wish to wake so early-. Said Baela, backing her brother, who smiled tinyly at him-. Perhaps it is better for us to leave on the morning, and we will meet you on the way-, she proposed.

-Sounds quite good to me, more hours of sleep are always welcome-. Noded Daera with her brows raised, causing some laughs.

The truth is, they all knew how sea sick Luke gets on a ship, especially at the moment of sailing. So, for the sake of his brother, and for more hours of sleep, they doubtlessly backed him.

-Afraid of the sea, Velaryon?-. Aegon whispered, so low, in his cup, laughing. Daemon looked at him with coldness, being the only one that heard him.

-Does not sounds like a problem to me-. Rhaenyra shrugged, also knowing of her son's easy greensickening. Luke smiled shyly at her, nodding-. The children will leave on dragonback, then-. She sighed, turning to the King-. You will have them for breakfast, father-. She smiled warmly at him.

-I shall enjoy their company, then-. Viserys the happiest accepted, looking at his grandsons and nieces. Jace looked at him with dearness.

-Rhaena will gladly join us on the ship, then-. Daemon spoke with a soft smile to his younger, who nodded at him in silence, smirking a little too. Aemond bited his cheeks, hiding a burlesque smile.

-As if she had another option-, mocked Aegon behind his cup, looking inside of it-. AU!-. And he screamed with pain when, suddenly, the pointy shoe of a lady kicked behind the table.

Everyone jumped on their places, staring confused at him.

-Aegon?-, Alicent raises an eyebrow.

-Fiu, cousin! Are you well?-. Daera asked with worriness. Agitated and confused, Aegon looked at her-. Why did you scream with so much pain, sorrow and weakness?-, she sighs, "worried" for him. Her cousin gulps strongly while closing his lips, instantly realizing that it was this whore the one that kicked him-. Perhaps we should check under the table, there might be a rat between us-, the princess said, alerted.

Rhaena covers her mouth while she chewed, hiding the amused smile that formed in her lips since she saw Aegon bumping of pain.

The oldest son of Viserys gulped, staring firmly at Daera, who was playing her act of not having done anything. He just tightened his fists under the table, really hard, and forced a slow smile.

-That will not be of need. I am quite well, cousin, worry not-. He said in a nod. Daera smiled lovely, sighing relieved.

-Oh, I got scared there for a moment-, she smiled with a hand on her chest, and Daemon laughed sharply. Alicent's eyes nailed on Daera, looking at her with a hidden resentment, knowing what she truly did.

Aegon looked at Aemond, who looked back at him, shaking his head briefly. The older brother snorted, wanting to really do something about it, while the one-eyed made him a sign for him to just let it pass. Huh, of couse he would not let it pass.

-I want to toast-, Helaena suddenly says, standing up with her cup raised. Otto smiled softly when she talked, looking at her-. I want to toast for my cousins, and nephews!-. With a bright smile, she looked at them, who quickly smiled back at her with kindness-. For they were the greatest companions on my wedding week, and helped to made it less worse-, she nodded proudly. Aegon rolled his eyes blank, while Daera and Baela laughed loudly, an the others smiled. Viserys smirked a little confused, just nodding-. Thank you-, the dearest moved her shoulders.

-Nothing to thank us for-, Baela raised her cup too, smiling dearly.

-We are glad we helped-, smiled Jace in the same way, gaining a bad look from Aemond and Aegon. Helaena laughed kindly, planning to seat again.

-Ah, and...!-. She bumps, standing again when she remembered something-. I also wanted to announce that, when the winds allow me, I will be visiting you to Dragonstone-. Helaena clapped, and they raised their brows with surprised smile. Alicent fighted to not interrumpt her, scratching her ear, and Aemond blinked, curiously-. If The Heir have me-, she adds, glancing at Rhaenyra with respect.

-You are more than welcome, at any time-. She nodded with a gentle smile. Helaena laughed happily, taking her seat finally under the proud smile of Daera.

-Whenever you want, girl-. Viserys smirked at Helaena, who sighed happily when he looked at her, nodding quickly. Aegon hummed stressed at her side, wondering when will this supper finally be over.

-But, dearest, you- you rarely ride Dreamfyre, do you not?-. Polite and curious, Alicent asked at her daughter, who faded her smile. Rhaenyra eye sided The Queen, coldly.

-I want to visit them-, Helaena simply said, shrugging. Alicent close a tiny smile and, when noticing Viserys strange gaze on her, she just gulped and nodded, looking back at her food.

-Of course-, she whispered.

Aemond stared at Helaena for a few moments, and then blinked looking at his cutlery. Before, on this day, when he was with Daera at the library, she told him how, apparently, Helaena know about them, and promised to not breathe a word about it. He definetely will have to talk to her about the subject, and ask her for total discression.

Then, he wondered if he could ever join Helaena to her visit on Dragonstone, or visits, if she plans more than one. He suddenly started dreaming with visiting the island where Daera lives, with no one suspecting a thing from them. The excuse was raw, but easy: he wanted to accompany Helaena so she does not find herself in bad situations with those savages, as Alicent once called them.

The one-eyed smiled on his mind, already working on his plans. Moments later, he came back to reality, noticing that the silent was, once again, partially ruling the supper. The adults were all shushed, while his cousins and nephews were talking. As always.

He sees how Daera was fully entertained on a talk with Jace, both giggling constantly under their breaths, palming each other jokingly, barely breaking eye contact. Aemond breathes hard through his nose, asking himself how many topics could they have to talk with no stop, and so smiley. Making sure that nobody was looking at him, he rolled his single eye, having to stop looking at Jace before getting more mad.

In other matters, The Stranger works hard, but Luke works harder, trying to cut a piece of meat with all of his force, grunting at the resisting food that was not ceasing under the knife.

-Help?-, offered Rhaena with a nervous smile. He looked up at her, blushing.

-Uhh...-he blinks-. Yes, please-. He nodded. The girl laughed and directed her own cutlery to his plate, beginning to cut his meat.

-Uf, bloody hells, it is hard-. She snorted, funny.

-Yes, yes, it is-. Lucerys laughed and nodded, looking at her with a soft and thankful smile. From across the table, Rhaenyra was slowly chewing her food, and smiled silently and hugely when looking at the gentle scene in front of her.

Luke's softness suddenly goes away when hearing some low laughs. He knitted his brows and looked around, finding Aegon and Aemond laughing discreetly, seeing how he was having Rhaena to cut his meal. How much they wanted to use the strong word in front of everybody. It looks that he is not so strong, after all. Lucerys gulped ashamed, looking down and aparting Rhaena with a low whisper, confusing her. Helaena turns to look at Aegon with disgust.

-Ah-, Viserys sighed with a tired smile, looking around-. Music, let us have some music-. He says, a little breathless. Alicent smiled at him and instantly nods.

-Music, please!-. Otto was the one that commanded it, raising a hand. And, in an instant, the musicians of the hall started to play their instruments in total harmony.

-Uhh-, Daera smiled excited when listening to such beautiful interpretation. Aemond was staring so deeply at her-. I love this song-, she turns to Baela.

-You do not know this song-, she snorted.

-But I love it-. She shrugged happily, making her laugh-. Do you not love this song, brother?-. The princess turns to Jace again.

-I do, sweetest-. Jacaerys smiled, and she answered him-. If you excuse me, I will fetch myself some dessert. Would you like something?-, he raised his brows, standing up.

-I excuse you, and no, thanks-, she points the way. Jace smiled, and instantly walked to the desserts table, which was some steps behind them.

Daera forms a kind smirk and raised her cup to the musicians, toasting, and they smiled her back with grattitude, not stopping their melody. She sniffed a little and turned her gaze to Aemond's seat. And right at that moment, he stood up and headed to the desserts too, looking at Jace, and not knowing she was looking at him. The princess blinked, breathing deeply.

Jace looks at the different cakes with a dreamy smile, indecisive in which to take. Such smile went away as soon as Aemond standed in front of him, reaching the table too. The brown-haired boy closed his lips with annoyance, and his uncle looked at him with a dry glance, fetching himself some dessert too, or at least pretending to. They stared silently and coldly at each other, not even tolerating the other's breath.

-Daera, sweetheart-. Rhaenyra suddenly calls her, so she instantly draws her gace away from Aemond and Jace-. Could you bring me some mint cake, please?-. She asked with a smile, having Daemon caressing her belly distractedly.

-At once-, the princess did not wasted a second, standing up and instantly walking to where Aemond and Jace were burning each other with their eyes. Aegon scratched his nose, and he silently stood up too, heading to the same place behind her.

Daera arrives, quickly gaining their attention. The one-eyed softened his eye a little, while Jace sighed. She planned to talk, but made a surprised face when she saw Aegon arriving as well, looking at her with a dry smile. She just snorted.

Now, there were Daera, Aegon, Jacaerys and Aemond at the dessert table, in total silent and staring at each other while they filled their plates slowly. Aemond looks at Daera, and she looks at him too, shaking her head a little. He looked down.

-You know, cousin, I've been becoming aware of your inclinations towards injustices-. Aegon suddenly mumbled, pinching one of the cakes. Daera looks boredly at him-. You tricked me on the battle field, the other day, and now you pretend you did not kicked me before-, he dryly laughs, chewing the dessert.

-Did I, now?-. She simply sighs, not flickering at his acussations.

-You seem to think a lot about Daera-, Jace murmurs with a fake smile.

-You seem to not know to respect other people's conversations-, Aemond stared at hin with his eye wide opened.

-At least Jace does not looks for fight where there is none-. Suddenly, Baela arrives to the table, looking at the one-eyed with coldness.

-Another disrespectful one-, he looks at her from up to down in a snort.

-You leave them alone-, Daera warned pointing at him while looking at Aegon. Aemond knitted his brows and looked at her without hiding his offense.

-Mayhaps, instead of looking for fight, you could bring some topics yourselves to the table-. Lukes arrives too, tensed and sarcastic, looking at Aegon and Aemond, who did not even blinked.

-Curious that you mention it, nephew, because earlier I proposed Jace to present to the family a swords espectacle, to entertain them while eating-. Aemond says with a cocky smile, staring at Jacaerys, who gulped strongly.

-I beg your pardon?!-, Daera whispered lowering her head with her eyes wide opened. Aemond looks at her with neutrality, just noding.

-Love the idea!-, Aegon smiles with fake surprise, raising his hands-. Let's see if you are good without your tricks-, he mumbles at Daera.

-Oh, she is-. Roars Jace facing him.

-And are you?-, Aemond took a step front. Daera put a foot on the middle, forbidding him to advance more. He looked down at her, tensed.

-If is not a fight, it is nothing!-. Rhaena also arrives, complaining to all of them with a loud whisper.

-And if he looses, it's trap, right, child?-. Daera mocks at Aegon, who tightened his fists really hard.

-You...-he gulps his words, shaking his head.

-Beware your words-, Baela grunts at him.

-Beware your tone-, Aemond said at her.

-Beware your commands-, Daera stared at him, both breathing heavily.

-Everyone beware everything now, you can't stay quiet-. Rhaena grunted at the Targaryen brothers, who looked annoyed at her-. Promise of fight always excites you-, she spat.

-And what are you gonna do, burn us with your dragon?-. Aegon mumbles amused, and Aemond smiled maliciously. Daera stared at this with her eyes wided opened.

-Enough about the fucking dragon!-, she loudly whispered and neared to Aegon, who clenched his jaw with a burlesque smile-. Shut up!-, she ordered.

-Get your sword and shut me up-, he dared.

-Huh, I would enjoy that-. Luke scoffed, arms crossed.

-I would make sure to make you no longer joyfull-. Aemond groaned at his direction, frozing him.

-Enough!-, roared Jace, whispering and stepping front.

-Enough indeed-, Aemond stepped front too.

-Enough you too!-, Daera whispered madly.

-Hello-, Helaena smiles.

They all made silence and turned to look at her, confused, not knowing when she arrived. She just looks at the desserts with interest, smiling quietly. Aemond narrow his eye, and Daera sighed stranged while the others just blinked.

-Oy!-, they all heard Daemon's rough call.

All of them turned around like puppets, encountering how all the adults of the table were staring at them with confusion and warning, especially Alicent, whose eyes were really big opened.

-Sit, all of you!-. Rhaenyra orders with her strong voice, pointing at the seats.

They bited their cheeks and, silently, began to walk back to their places. Daera's spines shivered when Aegon's voice suddenly whispered on one of her ears.

-Wonder if you are as good with a cock as you are with a sword-, he whispered tauntly and grossly. Having hearing that, Aemond felt his heart stops and looked at his brother with fire on his eye.

Daera presed her lips, and she did nothing, but to cross one of her feet on Aegon's path. And in a second, while all of them kept walking, he screamed and fell hard on the ground, making a dry sound. Everyone raised their eyebrows, and her siblings laughed with no restriction, looking down at him as they walked.

Aegon tighted his fist and let out an angry scream, one Daemon looked at with caution.

-Aegon, quiet!-. And before he could do anything, Viserys stopped him with an authoritary voice, serious. Aegon breathed agitated while standing up, seeing how Daera took her seat with a innocent smile towards him, alongside her siblings.

-But she...!-, he planned to complain.

-Sit, boy!-. The King ordered, coughing a little. Alicent gulped harshly, seeing how her wounded boy walked madly back to his chair, having to stay silent. Once again, her husband goes blind at the search of justice for his children.

Aemond took seat, and directed his gaze at Daera. She stared back at him, serious, almost talking with her eyes. She did not wanted something like that to happen again. He blinked, playing with his fork a siding a quick and dry smile at her. The princess slowly blinked, and looked away from him, trying to ignore how her core felt with that smile.

A few minutes passed were they all just kept eating, hearing the music that still was being played. After chewing his last spoonful, Lucerys looked at Rhaena side way, noticing that she was staring at the musiciand with a dreamy smile. He bumped a little on his chair, gulping nervous. His gaze met with Jace's, who nodded insistently at him, raising his brows. Luke gulped, looking back at her.

-Eh, Rhaena-. He called, and she turned to him with a soft smike-. Would, would you like to dance with me?-. He proposed, offering her one of his hand. Rhaena instantly smiled, feeling how her cheekes burned in that moment.

-I very much would like-, she politely nodded, taking his hand, and being the one who stood first. Luke sighed a smile and followed her dreamy.

-Woo!-, Jace clapped quickly, and the girls looked at there with big smiles. The adults of the table couldn't hold their smiles at this, seeing how nervously Luke grabbed Rhaena's waist, beginning to dance with her.

Helaena sighs in a sweet disbelief, tender, and Aegon snorted closing his eyes tiredly. Aemond's chest beated fast, looking at them. Then, he glanced at Daera, who was playing with her fingers while looking thoughfull to their siblings. He wished to dance with her. Just imagining them moving along the music made his heart melt, having to bite his cheeks from the inside.

Suddenly...

Aemond then saw how she stoop up, and he bumped a little on his seat, thinking for a second that she would apprach him. But, he quickly noticed she was walking to her father.

Daemon, who was looking a Rhaena with a warm gaze, opened his lips when seeing how Daera approached and offered him a hand, smiling almost nervously. He blinked, and in a little laugh he stood up, holding her both hands, and heading them to a wider space.

Viserys looked at them with a gladden smile, breathing heavily. Alicent wanted to dance, glancing quickly at her husband.

Daemon held Daera with softness, and they started to slowly dance to the music while looking at their eyes, smiling tinyly. The girl, then, sighs, letting a lot of air out.

-Father, I...-her voice was fulled of shame.

-Your mother loved to dance too-. He said lowly. Daera sided a smile, looking down for a few seconds-. And, just as I do, she would also worry for you, not materring how little your moves were-, he raised her brows.

-I...-Daera sighs-, I apologize if I have been stressing your sake, since we arrived to the capital-. She speaks, looking at him-. I know you just want to look after me, keep me away from dangers, and whatnot-. She snorted briefly.

-I carry both of our worriness, for you three, Daera-. He said, referring to Laena. Daera smirked, licking her lips.

-I know, I know-. She softly whispers, dancing quietly. Aemond stood up from his chair, something she glanced at quickly-. Congratulations on your future son, for the fuck's sake-, Daera sighs, bemused.

-Ahhh-. Daemon laughs, looking down while nodding.

-We are so happy for you, father, we three are-. She murmured sweetness-. And mother would be too...-she whispered, giving a soft caress on her dad's shoulder, who smiled tenderly at her.

-Yes, she would-. He laughed sharply and a little nostalgic. Daemon sighed longly, closing his eyes, and letting his forehead rest on his daughter's shoulder. She giggled, knowing this was his purest demostration of love. He smiled, just feeling how his girl kept the dancing with him.

Viserys's teary eyes were nailed in them, smiling thoughfuly. It has always been a marvel, for him, to see how his brother always softened himself when speaking with his children, so different to what people always see and perceive about him. The Rogue Prince, as fierce as he always is, never let his daughters down when talking about love, help and protection. Seeing him like this was so...humanazing.

Daera went speechless, when seeing how Baela stood up from her chair, really unconfortable, now holding one of Aemond's hands, who directed to the dance space with firm steps. Daera was not the only one burning from inside, but Jace was too, following them madly with their gazes.

-Hmm-, Daera moved a little, making her father to separate from her shoulder, still smiling-. We will talk better in home, now you go with your wife before she gives births-, she jokes, winking an eye.

Daemon laughed funnily, and after giving a palm on her head, he turned around and walked back to the table, were Rhaenyra wad expecting for him with a sweet smile. Daera looks at Aemond and Baela, who were dancing with no joy in it, avoiding each other's gazes. But, nevertheless, his hands were on her waist, and their chest neared. The single sight made Daera's fist tighten, clenching her teeth. Aemond's eye met with hers, and he sided a funny smile, fading it quickly while he turned around on the dance.

-Let us just get over with this-, a tired sigh spoke behind her. Daera instantly turned around with a disgusted expression, seeing that it was Aegon the one offering his hands.

-I would rather burn alive-, she hissed in disbelief.

-And I would rather burn you alive, but it was father's orders-, he grunted furrowing his brows.

Daera looked at Viserys, breathless, and he clapped in their direction with a big smile, waiting for seeing their dance. At his side, Alicent and Otto were not so happy.

-Fuck-, she swore, facing him again-. Come here you-. She grunted taking his hands and dragging him closer. Aegon grunted too.

Aemond's eye flew there, having to hold a laugh when he saw how they were dancing with all the dryness of the world, staring with disgust at each other and barely moving any parts of their bodies. When Baela looked too, she made a scared face, not knowing who was with a worst dance partner, if she or her sister. They seemed like angry children dancing.

The music began to grows faster, making their steps to do so as well.

Jace was now standed along with Rhaenyra, dancing happily in the middle of laughs and funny steps, with him talking so proud of his future sibling, melting Nyra's heart with every second passing.

Daemon asked for Rhaena, and Luke instantly let her go, smiling and walking backwards. They holded each other and started to dance with amused smiles, going at the rythm of the multiple instruments.

Lucerys returned to the table, and offered a dance to his lonely cousin, Helaena, who instantly smiled excited. She let her wooden figure fall on the table and she literally jumped at him, dragging him to the dance floor with excitedment, which he appreciated in loud chuckles, quickly beginning to dance with her.

-Huh-, Aegon chuckled dryly, seeing how his wife and his nephew were now dancing. Daera stared harshly at him, anticipating any mean comment-. I do not know who I pity more. He is gonna step on my wife's feet, and she is gonna curse him or something like that-, he laughed funnily.

-Fucking hells, I really cannot believe you think yourself funny, cousin-. Daera grunted, tired, rolling her eyes blank. Aegon looked at her with disgust.

-You say a joke then-, he dared.

-Aegon-. She smiled fakely. He grunted angrily, tightening his force on her hands, at what she squeaked-. Touch me again, you fucking drunken!-, Daera hissed pushing him quickly.

-Keep teasing me, twat, and you will see what I will do to you!-. Aegon roared walking bsck at her, and she did the same, ready to throw hands once and for all.

-May I?-. Jace suddenly crossed in the middle of them, preventing any punch to be throwed.

Aemond, who was just on his way to Daera, stopped walking in blank, seeing how they hold hands while looking harshly at Aegon.

-I wish to dance with her-, Jacaerys smiled, not waiting answer and giving his back to his uncle. This one mumbled a thousand swears, turning around and walking away with annoyance.

-I wish to shoke him-, grunted Daera getting closer to her. Jace laughed, placing his hands on her waist, and having hers on his shoulders.

Aemond looked directly at there, feeling almost sick when seeing how they started to dance. He had to pretend to be unbothered, not being able to do anything more than blink. While they were that close.

-They all have been unbereable-, murmured Jace with a snort-. I want to leave already, I can not stand Aegon or Aegon one more second-, he whispered. She gulped a little at the mention of Aemond, glancing at him really quick. He was back on his seat, silent.

-We will be leaving soon, on the morrow-. Daera nodded-. We could have leave earlier, but we could not left Luke unbacked-, she remembered.

-Indeed, indeed-. He nodded with not disagreement. She sighed, holding softly his shoulders.

-Thanks for rescuing me-, she whispers, referrinh to Aegon.

-Do not thank me, you did the same back there-. Jace sighed pointing at the desserts table with his head. She smiled, laughing bemused-. And Aemond was also approaching you!-, he opened his eyes big, and she turned speechless, stopping her smirk-. So, yes, it was a rescue-. He scoffed.

Daera fighted herself to not gulp, but she felt a pain on the inside when thinking that she could have danced with Aemond, at least if it was at the cost of pretending they did not wanted to. Quickly, she glanced at him, finding his deep stare nailed on her. He wad looking at Jace's hands on her hips, how they were so still yet touching her. That was the fact that angried him, that he was touching her. When she, was his.

-Come, husband...-Alicent speaks softly to Viserys.

The music lowed its level, and the dancing partners respectfully stopped when they saw how The King and The Queen were already standing up from their seats with their escolts behind. They were leaving.

-Your graces-, Rhaenyra nodded at them, caressing her belly.

-You all have...have given me, today, the greatest of suppers, and the joyest of moments-. The King spoke kindly and warmly, being held by a guard, his wife, and his cane.

-Have a good sleep, uncle-. Baela smiled at him.

Viserys sighed happily and nodded, deciding to not say one more words, for he has to reserve some air for the walk to his chambers. Alicent gave a kind pull on his arm, beginning to walk slowly.

-The King and I thank you deeply, for this beautiful evening, it was indeed a successful encounter-, The Queen said with a polite smile. Her children, but Helaena, snorted lowly, while the others, but Daemon, nodded with the same politeness, smiling a little-. We wish you a good night-, she sighed while the guards opened the doors.

-Sleep well, father-. Sighed Rhaenyra. Alicent gulped at her obvious denial to wish her a good night. She was used to it, anyways.

When seeing how both of his parents left the room fully, Aegon blinked and watched Daera as if she was a prey. He grunted under his breath, tapping his fingers on the table. Aemon was not understanding, at all, what was the need of Jace's hand still placed on Daera's waist. They were not even dancing anymore.

The one-eyed prince stared coldly at the bastard, who in one moment look back at him with the same coldness, not trembling under his frozen gaze, and then ignoring it with a snort. Aemond blinked, and looked at Otto. His grandfather answered the look, staring quietly and moveless at him, having a very tiny smirk of cockiness on his thin lips. Aemond, then, remembered the talk they had earlier on the day.

-Well, it is the best for us to head to bed too-. Rhaenyra spoke with a smile, holding Daemon's hand while they walked to their children-. We have a long voyage on the early morrow, you included-. With softness, she tapped Rhaena's chin with one finger, making her smile.

-Go and rest, we will dance a while more-. Said Jacaerys sharing a smile with Baela, who instantly nodded.

-Hmm?-, Daemon raised his brows.

-The night is still young-, Baela shrugged, and her siblings laughed, knowing that she just wanted to dance with Jace.

-Very well then-. Rhaenyra smiled caressing Luke's hair-. I will check on Joffrey now, and you...-she looked at Daera, who tilted her head-...see that everyone goes to bed on time, Rhaena has to wake quite early-, she remembered.

-We won't pass the hour, easy-. Daera nodded trusted, and the adults smirked in the same way at her-. Just one last dance, oy?-. She elbowed Luke, who chuckled.

-We'll meet on Dragonstone then-. Nodded Daemon, beginning to turn to the door with his wife-. No trips to the city tonight-, he mumbled at them.

-To where?-, Rhaenyra furrows her brows, exaltated.

-Out you go, mother, rest!-. Luke instantly said, and before she could say another word, Daemon placed a hand on her lower back and pulled her out sofly of the dining room.

They laughed while seeing them leave.

Aegon walked to the musicians, who stopped their songs when the prince made signs with his hands, silencing them. When hearing how the music stopped, they turned around, confused.

-Leave-, the prince ordered dryly. They did not wait for another command, and instantly stood up from their places, not looking at him.

-But our dance-, whispered Baela with dissapointment.

-That is no stop! Lets go!-, Daera shouted and began to clap, bumping Luke with ger hips and making him laugh, clapping too-. Ey, ey, ey!-

Helaena closed to them with tiny jumps and a wide smile, clapping happily as well. Jacaerys held Baela's waist, dragging her to a quick dance. She giggled holding to his shoulders instantly and looking at him with a smile.

Aegon walked slowly to Aemond's chair, standing behind it while they stared silently at how their sister was enjoying herself so much with them. They looked at Otto, who cleared his throat, and stood up from his chair.

-This was a very enjoyable suppers, but now I must leave to rest, grandsons-. His rasp voice spoke, smiling at them-. You see that your nephews and cousins find their places gladly-, he said. Aegon and Aemond looked briefly, and then looked back at him.

Daera and Luke circled around with big smiles on their faces, holding their hands as Helaena and Rhaena were clapping at the same rythm, at which Baela and Jace were happily dancing too, just paying attention to each other.

A few minutes fulled of dances passed, where they enjoyed themselves with no worries. Until, on a certain moment, Lucerys gave a quick glance around. Soon, he realized that all the adults were now gone. It was just them in here now.

And Aegon and Aemond were staring deeply at them.

-Hells-, he suddenly stops, confusing his dance partner-. We, we must go already, Daera-. He gripped her hand, and when she looked around, she noticed the same.

Daera looked at Aemond. He was firmly seated on his chair. Until he wasn't. The one-eyed prince stood up, placing himself at the side of his brother, who was tauntly smiling at her. At that moment, she did not know what to think about Aemond's intentions. And that really freaked her out.

-We are leaving-. She firmly said. Her voice made Baela, Helaena, Jace and Baela stop, confused. It only took a glance from them, to understand. Jacaerys gulped, taking Baela's hand-. Come-, she nodded to the door.

-Were we not standing another while?-. Aegon's voice asked. She looked at him, tedious-. I was hoping some instructions from you, cousin, about training-. He smiled-...Why don't we train, now?-. He scrunched his nose.

-Huh-, Luke laughed a little, shielded behine Daera' body and having a hand of hers on his both-. So she leaves you on the ground again?-, he scoffed, looking at the three guards of the dining hall. They were in no danger.

-Luke-, Jacerys reproached him, speaking lowly.

-That is why I presume the best idea is for you to train with us, now, nephews-. Aemond smirked and walked towards them. Daera clenched her jaw and stepped foward, now shielding everyone behind. He stopped, not looking at her-. If she is the one teaching the Velaryon boys how to use the blade, the Velaryon boys are good trained then-. He tilted his head.

Behind her nephews, Helaena places her hands over her chest, breathing with growing discomfort. She felt a serious tension in the air.

-We will not train now-. Jace shook his head, and his uncles looked at him with tiny smirks-. It is quite late, we do not wish to wake anyone from their sleeps-, he said, keeping his head cold.

-He is right-, Daera backed him, proud. Aemond blinked one time.

-Ah no, no needs of swords, then-. Aegon shrugged and walked with easiness to her, who afflicted her throat while seeing him approach-. Daera and I wish to do a with body to body-, he smiled, suddenly grabbing tightly one of her arms. Aemond flinched.

Everyone screamed when, in a second, she let a mad grunt out and instantly pushed his head down and stamped Aegon harshly on the table, making all of the cutlery jump on their places, as well as the others did while the prince shouted, angried.

-NO!-, Aegon screamed, and also look at the guards with warning, stopping their every move.

-You touch me one more fucking time. One more fucking time, cunt, and I will end you!-, she whispered with harshness on his ear, feeling him trembling stoppless-. Did you hear me?!-, she shouted.

-Whore!-, Aegon grunted.

Helaena covered her ears in a gasp. Jacaerys grunted walking fastly to there, but Aemond appears on his way, scaring him with his fucking eye that was so fucking opened always.

-Grant me a lesson, nephew, I can probably learn a thing from you-. He spoke with so much taunt, not blinking.

The guards breathed fast and looked each other with doubt, not knowing who to obey.

-No no no, stop this right now!-. Baela shouts walking forward-. Do not commence your childishness, it is stupid!-, she moved her hands in the air, exasperated.

-Stupid is this child!-, grunted Daera, keeping Aegon against the table, and hitting him with it once again-. Fucking coward!-, she shouted right on his face.

Aegon screamed with fury, slipping away from her grip and turning around with a wild movement, planning to punch her right on the face. Thanks the gods, Luke came to her rescue, breathing nervously and pushing Aegon away with all of his strength. Helaena squeaked looking around with ansiousness, forgetting how to talk.

-Luke!-, gasped Daera, and in a moment Aegon was holding his neck with madness, grunting. Lucerys squeaked, scared.

-Stop!-. And, at the second, Rhaena came from behind the Targaryen prince and pulled him away, harshly, in an angry scream-. Cease this!-, she pushed Aegon away.

-She started it!-. Breathless, he pointed at Daera, who placed herself in front of Luke with her eyes wide opened.

-By what?! By being better than you in fucking everything?!-, she scoffed loudly.

-Your graces, please!-, one of the guards shouted.

-This is why we never come here, all you ever want to do is fight and fight! Children is what you are, for the Mother's sake!-, Jacaerys speaks tiredly and angrily, wanting to stop everything.

-Children, we are? Who are the one hiding below Daera's skirt?-. Aemond faced Jace with a burlesque smirk, looking down at him. Daera gulped really hard, and Luke trembled behind her-. Is it that you are scared, nephew?-. He raised a hand, and pushed him all of a sudden.

-Aemond!-, Daera screamed upsetted. Aegon cleaned his full of saliva lips, staring just at her.

-Can we not just play around, as the family we are?-. He pushed him again, and Jace breathed with all of his remaining sanity, having an pulsing vein on his neck-. Do not fear, no one will loose an eye-, Aemond smiled bigly.

-I would not be so sure of it-. Baela, once again, came in the middle of them, now being the one facing Aemond, threatening him. His one eye traveled down to her face, staring at her with disgust, fury and cockiness.

-Walk one more time in the middle of my matters, child, and we will see who loses an eye this time-. His voice was spitted, sounding like poison and looking at her, hateful.

Daera's whole body shivered at that moment, going speechless, looking at him in disbelief. How madly he was staring at her sister, looking like he would hit her at any second. Like he would hit any of them at any second.

-We are going to train-. Aegon suddenly was nearing to her again, roaring, and abruptly gripped her skirt with force.

-No, no, let me go!-. Daera squealed instantly, trembling strongly while fighting against him. Luke gasped worried.

Aemond turns around with his eye wide opened, and when he saw this, he instantly jumped and walked fastky to there, planning on pulling Aegon away. But, before he could, someone else pulls Aemond away, grabbing his jacket's necks and pushing him behind, making him to strongly collide with a wall. Baela looked furriously at him, walking away while he groaned.

-Daera!-, Jace was the one who arrived at her deffense, trying to pull Aegon away, but he was laughing stopless while grabbing her skirt everytime stronger, almost dragging her.

-Let me...go!-, Daera roared scratching harshly Aegon's hands, and he grunted hurted. She shouted and gave him a hard kick right on his balls, with no mercy.

-FUUCK!-, the prince screamed with so much pain, instantly kneeling on the floor while tears reached his eyes.

-FUCKING LOOSER!-, Daera roars down at him.

Helaena was sobbing from a corner of the dining room, looking at the fight without knowing what to do. The guards were almost sobbing too, seeing how the children distructed one another. And, suddenly, Aemond neared to one of them, taking off his sword with a low grunt.

-My prince...-the guard went breathless.

-Quiet!-, the one-eyed pointed at him.

Jace and Daera gather around the sobbing Aegon, looking at him with a silent angriness.

-Lets leave, come on!-. Lucerys quickly screams, taking Rhaena's hand-. Come!-, he turns around.

And instantly stopped, when he came face to face with a sword's end. Aemond, holding such, smiled tauntly at him, rising his furrowed lips with cockiness. Luke gulped strongly, frozen in fear.

Jace turns around confused, and at the instant of seeing such monstruosity, he ran to one of the other guards, robbing his sword as well. Daera gasped breathless and held her own belly when seeing Luke being pointed at by Aemond, cruelly.

-Not before we are done with our training, nephew-. The one-eyed prince whispered-. You've been doing well until now, a soldier who hides always lives, does he not?-. He mocked.

Lucerys's lips trembled, looking at his uncle with fear.

Alicent's, Rhaenyra's and Daemon's feet were quickly running down the stairs of the castle, having their night clothes on already, but they could not care less of it, running stoppless, in the middle of frighted gasps, since they heard all the squarrel that was coming from the dining room.

-Fucking whore-, mumbled a sillied Aegon, beginning to stand up. Rhaena grunted and instantly pushed back on the floor, making him scream-. Do not dare to touch me, fucking hells!!-, he squealed like a baby.

And, Aemond's sword is suddenly pushed back by Jace's, who stepped in front of his brother with an angry face. When the sharpen sound of the swords was heare, everyone froze, looking at there in shock.

-Jace-, Luke said, breathless.

The one-eyed giggled, and he began to attack his nephew, who grunted while responding the attacks. Their swords were now clashing and clashing, from one side to another. But this were no training swords. Helaena flinched at every sound, having her eyes fully closed.

-Faster, nephew!-. Aemond laughed, full of maliciousness. Jace was breathing so fast, barely able to respond at his fastness-. I am not even trying!-, he laughs.

-Shut up!-, his voice trembled. He was scared.

Daera's chest was coming up and down, seeing at this in shock, and little tears on her eyes. She wrinkled her lips and shook his head, gaining fierceness, not standing frozen for one more second. She kicked Aegon's ribs brutally, making him cry, and then she ran to one of the guards. The only remaining one with a sword.

-Princess, no, no-. This one denied, worried for her.

-Give it, Ser!-. She insisted in a grunt, wanting to take it off his belt.

-You will hurt yourself, princess!-, he said loudly.

-Leave him alone!-, Lucerys shouted and ran to Aemond, planning on pushing him. But Aemond was quicker, and grabbed his jacket's neck just before he could touch him.

-Easy there-, Aemond calmly speaks, looking at him while keeping Jace's sword uncapable of moving, making him grunt-. You need more training, Luke-. He smiled coldly at him.

Lucerys squealed, and then, he was harshly pushed into the floor, hitting his arm. Aemond laughed and raised his sword, planning on clash it into Jace's once again. Right when their swords were about to clash, another one made a sudden act of presence in the middle of them, making them both to gasp surprised.

Daera's breath grunted wildly while having her sword tightened held in the air, forbidding any of the other to move.

-STOP. THIS!-, she firmly screamed, and with a quick movement she separated both swords. And, hers, headed down until pointing coldly at Aemond. He opened his lips, feeling how his heart stopped beating when he realized he was the one threated by the sword's point-. One more move, cousin...-her voice warned him. Cold.

Everyone went completely silent. Helaena opened her eyes slowly, worried.

-...Cunt...-a hurted Aegon spoke from the floor. Baela grunted and kicked him again-. Fuck!-, he complained, once again.

-At last!-, Jace sighs-. Now you-

-Shut up!-, Daera screamed firmly. He gulped instantly, closing his lips-. Every body, just shut the fuck up! AEGON, SHUT THE FUCK UP!-, she shouted at the sobbing twat.

-Uh...-he sighed tiredly from the floor.

Daera's eyes traveled to Aemond's single one, letting him see the fury on them, the pain, the betrayal. He didn't do anything but gulp, letting his sword fall on the floor while looking back at her at every moment. She shook her head with a sour lip movement, not caring about his surrender. Aemond curved his brows slowly, breathing fastly and with no control.

The doors were abruptly opened from one second to another.

-What is this?!-, Rhaenyra talks agitated.

-Oh, gods!-. Alicent went breathless when seeing Daera pointing a sword at Aemond, while he was doing no effort on defending himself-. Disarm her, disarm them!-, she quickly points at Jace too, who was also wielding one.

Daera tsked and let her sword fall, almost having throwing it at Aemond's very feet. Jace did the same, gulping strongly.

-We were just training!-. Daera spoke so loudly and automatically, looking at the agitated Queen-. No one was harmed, and Aegon stumbled-. Those were literally her only words, and instantly walked to the doors, not looking at anybody.

When she passed at his side, Aemond followed her with his eye, breathing fast and heavily, looking for her gaze, which he did not found.

Daemon, while he was staring at the others with his eyes narrowed, caressed Daera's head when she passed, stoppless, at his side. Rhaenyra followed her with a worried gaze, seeing how she was silently leaving the hall, and then looked back inside with a reproachful expression.

Alicent breathed nervously, seeing how Aegon was grunting sleeply on the floor, hugging his own knees, Helaena was mumbling nonsenses on a corner, playing with her fingers, and Aemond had his eye lost in a blank point, serious, not blinking.

-Mother!-, Luke planned to talk to her.

-I want no explanations now, go to your quarters, all of you!-. Rhaenyra firmly ordered, pointing outside.

-You don't understand!-, complained Baela.

-And neither want to!-, she quickly denies.

-Go-, Daemon ordered opening an arm towards them. They closed their mouths and sighed heavily, obeying at last, not before directing hateful glances to the pathetic brothers.

-You three as well, now!-. Alicent roared at her children, looking so mad at them. Aemond did not needed to hear it twice, and outed the room with the biggest of silents. Helaena, scratching her arms, walked fastly to the exit, having her eyes closed-. Aegon!!-, she roars.

Her drunk son grunts, hurted, needing the help of two guards to stand up. They dragged him outside of the hall, leaving the royal ones alone.

Rhaenyra and Daemon stared at Alicent with coldness, and she gulps mad, turning fully to them.

-Who were the ones wielding the swords?-, she instantly said, with her voice trembling, acussing Daera and Jace.

-Who do you think provoked them?-, Daemon sharply snorts, acussing Aegon and Aemond, cutting his eyes on hers and turning around with his wife, who did not glanced at her again, gulping.

Alicent stayed by herself in there, holding nervously her neck, and looking at the fallen swords with sourness.

■ ■ ■

The hours passed, and the night now was on its darkest moment. The Red Keep was already asleep. Mostly.

There was no one candle litted on Daera's chambers, for she to find the sleep's path easily, but nevertheless, this was not the case. She cannot sleep, at the moment, even though she had been trying.

Her eyes were opened, lost in some dark corner of the room, while she was seating on the bed, in the middle of it. Quiet, silent, thoughful, soured. All of her face was painted with one emotion: extreme discomfort.

Aemond's words and actions on the supper were repeating time after time on her mind, having her at the edge of madness. He was just so cruel, looking endlessly for fight, scaring Luke, pushing Jace, threatening Baela, laughing of Rhaena, raising a sword to all of them. His eye, while doing all of that, was soaked in superiority and resentment, wanting so bad for them to feel hopeless, frightened. How could he, after what they talked in the library? How could he do this to her?

Inevitably, she has come to ask another question, turning the accusation at herself. How could she do this to them?

She has been lying and having deep talks with her sibling's tormentor, the one they hate coming to the capital for. The one who is suppose to be the reason of herself hating coming to the capital! And yet, she was fickle, she let herself wrapped around...all of him. And right when she started to feel shameless about it, he goes and makes the meanest of actions, the poisonest of words and mocks. Did he not care about their talks? Was he not really listening to her, as she thought he did?

All of her life, her purpose had been protecting her own, guard her closest ones and deffend her little siblings from any threat the world throwed at them. And yet, stupidly, she started to fratenize with the qorst of them threats. Aemond. For a moment he made her believe he was no threat no more, but tonight...hells. When did she turn to be so shortsighted?

The thoughts on her head and the sobbs of her nose stopped from a moment to another when she heard some knows. Daera turned her face, furrowing her brows while her lips trembled. She looked at the door of the room. And then, to the hidden door.

The knocks were coming from them. And it took a second, to realize that it was Aemond, knocking desperately from the other side.

Daera's nose scrunched and her lips wrinkled, breathing madly.

-Go!-, her voice trembled when screaming at the wall.

Aemond froze from the other side. His chest came up and down quickly. He curved his brows and shook his head rapidly, beginning to knock again.

-Daera, please-. He sharply whispers, even though she could not hear him. All he heard was silence-. Daera!-, he raises his voice, hurted.

The princess covered her ears while sobbing, closing her eyes strongly and shaking her head to side to side. Her heart and belly ached, still hearing the knocks, but forcing herself to not open. She can't do this. She can't do this to them.

-Open up, please!-. Aemon whispered desesperated from the other side, punching his fist against the damp cold stone-. Daera, do not do this to me!-, his trembling voice pleaded, feeling how badly his chest was hurting.

The prince sobbed unquiet, closing his eye harshly while hitting and hitting the wall, not caring about the pain on his hands due such force. He squelaed lowly, knocking, knocking, and knocking. And the princess, from the other side, was obligating herself to deny, deny, and deny, letting duty reign on his heart. Aemond let out a desesperated tsk, resting his forehead against the stone.

And suddenly, the knocks stopped.

Daera uncovered her ears, turning to there with her face fulled of sour tears. She breathed brokenly, gulping and turning slowly on the bed, feeling how cold her hands were, trembling because of her crying.

She walked to the wall, furrowing her brows strongly while she pushed it with force, opening it with her heart almost coming out of her chest. Daera gasped looking at the hall. And she found no one. Aemond had gone.

The only thing she found, was a cup on the floor. In there, it was her steaming moon tea. Freshly prepared.

Daera felt how her heart broke even more, and she sobbed, caressing her forehead and kneeling slowly on the floor, having the worst mixes of feelings, the most confusing of thoughts. She felt she was cursed. She kneeled weakly, grabbing the cup on her hands while tears ran down her shiny face with none stop.

-Aemond...-she thinly whispers, placing her lips on the cup, and beginning to sip it in the middle of her stressed crying and heavy thoughts.

And, from a distance, thunder rang out with great force.

■ ■ ■

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