#(it was gonna also be like his first few weeks at sea but I think that's gonna be another one instead)

[witches-dream]

Imagine you have a son, and he's growing very disciplined, which is good, but he's very introverted, not really in a shut-in kinda way, he just seems very unapproachable to people, and he is, because he's just so serious all the time. Like you look at him and, yeah, he's gonna be great warrior, but you also wish that he could. Socialize a little?

So your son grows up and leaves to fulfill some kinda grand goal and you're like "ok, son", still kinda worried about him, but he's not your baby anymore, he can do what he wants. So he leaves and after a few days you hear this earth-shattering lightning strike, no storm before or after or anything, everybody is wondering what happened and if you'll all die soon. Nothing happens past that, actually, it feels strangely peaceful. So after a few days your son comes back and he doesn't look any different, but he has definitely changed in like a week or two that he was gone. So he says "father, I have defeated the black and white dragons". You're kinda shocked, but that explains the lightning strike and how everything went quiet after it, and your son is not one to lie, so you you say "oh, for real? neat". "They are not going to bother anyone anymore." Your son says in a solemn tone. Later, everyone celebrates but he doesn't come. You knock into his room, and, even through a closed door, you can feel some sort of power, warmth radiating from it. He opens the door and his sword looks... Different. First of all, it's much bigger. It has a completely different shape. And there's this... Purple gem on its handle and it's glowing brightly. Nobody in this village could've forged such an otherworldly masterpiece. So you ask "got a new sword, son?" He says "Yeah. It's a Soul Jam, actually." "A Soul Jam? Never heard of it." "I will tell you later."

He reluctantly agrees to join the celebration, but after a few weeks he leaves the village. He starts building a citadel, and walling off the coast of the Licorice Sea. People are already calling him Your Majesty, though he's slow on accepting that title. Many decades pass and you're so old you can't get out of the house on your own anymore. Your son visits and he looks the exact same as when he left. He takes care of you, with the same cold face he's always had, though his hands are warm and him just being there warms your heart. You strain your old and tired vocal cords to utter "I'm proud of you, son." He's silent, but he nods, and his long hair obscures his face, but you can imagine he's happy to hear that.

It's after you die that he accepts the throne, and the title of King that was decided by the people whose respect for him towered the mountains. And, as it turns out, your son is immortal now. And, through the years, through the decades and centuries and even millennia, he takes the utmost care of all his subordinates, he remembers every face of his every warrior and he etches out their names and immortalizes them and prays to them each day.

Your son does many great things, many heroic deeds. He defends the kingdom he founded with a resolution of a true warrior. Your son made friends. There's only four of them, they are heroes of their own lands just like him, so they're busy most of the time, but they go on adventures and they have fun once a couple of centuries. Your son also makes many mistakes, says things he deeply regrets. He has a son, and, even being thousands of years old, he still thinks of you and wishes he could be even half as great a father as you were.

Maybe sometimes your son wishes you were around to lend a word of advice, or to say "I'm proud of you" one more time. Other times, he's ashamed of a thought that you might be out there somewhere, watching him from the heavens and shaking your head in disapproval. You have no way of telling him you love him either way, with all his virtues and all his vices alike. What matters is that, in the end, your son overcomes all adversities and becomes a better person. He was given a unique chance in life: to have infinite time to learn, and he uses all that time to become a better person.

You have no regrets. You can rest peacefully, knowing you have raised a hero.

[captainsparklefingers]

When you haven't written anything in like 2 or 3 weeks, a sudden burst of creativity that ends with you writing 573 words and ending the scene you'd been working on in your crappy lil story feels like a victory.

...of course the burst doesn't last but hey, any progress is good progress, right? And maybe that'll make working on this easier, too. Today isn't over yet, maybe the juice will come back, and even if it doesn't, I'll take a win, no matter how small.

[thoughtsandmusingsandideas]

Dehya + Arlecchino Forgotten!Creator AU

A proper response to @ninjacomix sorry for the wait!

Dehya

You woke up in the deserts of Sumeru when you first arrived in Teyvat, so it’s no surprise that the first people you met were Eremites 

Unlike the Traveler, you are not immediately attacked- half because of your divinity subtly making them more docile, and half because you’re covered in sand and dressed in foreign clothes and practically melting under the sun- and yeah, you look too pathetic to rob

They end up taking you back to Aaru Village, and that’s where you end up meeting Dehya.

Well, technically you meet Dehya the day after you arrive, when you rush outside during a sandstorm and spot her fighting monsters

It’s a bit surreal, watching an actual fight like this, and you’re frozen in awe

At least until you notice the Rifthound sneaking up on her

You’re panicking as you lunge forward, feeling something begin to expand inside you, and-

Everything is still

Both the storm and the Rifthounds are frozen in place, and Dehya is looking at you, extremely confused

“What is this?!?” “HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!?!” “YOU’RE THE ONE DOING IT!!!!”

Dehya dispatches the Rifthounds quickly, and the sandstorm resumes

And the next day, the both of you set out towards the Akademiya, wanting to figure out what your deal is

(You don’t realize that now the gods are remembering the creator, the Akademiya is Scrambling to find any and all information on you and why they forgot you)

During the journey the both of you grow close, and a few weeks in, the both of you wrapped in a blanket to protect from the chill of a desert night, you turn to her.

“Hey, let’s get married.”

And after choking on her water, she agrees to it

Congratulations! You have a wife!

The Creator, showing up hand in hand with an Eremite is not what an Akademiya scholar expected to see at four in the morning on a random day, but that is what he saw- and he thinks the subsequent panic is very understandable

Before you know it, you and your new wife are sitting in the acting grand sages office as Nahida uses some kind of Archon communication to page the other Archons

It takes about an hour for them to burst through the door

(In that time you’ve taught Alhaitham and Dehya how to play Rock Paper Scissors, Go Fish, Uno, and you’re in the middle of teaching them slapjack. Alhaithams hands are suspiciously red and Dehya is smirking)

They’re instantly fretting over you, apologizing for forgetting you and generally praising you, completely overwhelming until Dehya pulls you away

“Hey! Who are you supposed to be!” It’s Venti, disappointed that his god has been taken from him

“That’s my wife!” You state proudly.

And then everything clicks

“Wait, I’m a god?” 

The room explodes in noise, but Dehya’s hand never leaves yours

Arlecchino

When it comes to Arlecchino, instead of taking you to Aaru Village, you ask them to take you to the border of Fontaine

You’ve only made it to the end of Sumeru in the Archon Quests- maybe if you head to Fontaine now, you’ll get to see the Archon Quest in person!

It’s only once you’ve taken the Aquabus to the Court of Fontaine that you realize you do not have a single mora on your person. 

It’s after a day of exploring that you end up near the sea, and after being startled by a giant crab appearing from nowhere (It was Very Scary I promise) you end up tumbling into the water, you’re trapped under, and-

Wait… you can still breathe!

You light up with excitement, diving deeper, and that begins your life as a diver.

You end up becoming a collector, selling cool shells and oddities to anyone in the Court who’s willing to buy them (You’ve built up a pretty good rapport with the supply manager of Chiori’s Boutique)

It’s also underwater that you discover you’re the creator- finding an old abandoned temple with murals of a god that look just like you, helping you make sense of the power beneath your skin

But hey, if no one else was gonna bring it up, you wouldn’t either

And it’s underwater that you end up meeting your first Fatui member: Freminet

He was surprised when he first saw you swimming around- but now he’s grown pretty accustomed to you, and sometimes you guys even interact

Admittedly, sound doesn’t travel well underwater, so most of your communication is via charades, but the two of you end up growing close

Freminet shows you cool diving spots, you collect valuables from the ocean floor together, swim together in blissful silence, and play with all the friendly ocean animals you seem to attract

It only takes about a month for Freminet to begin mentally referring to you as mother (This boy is starved of a parental figure)

And after that it only takes a week before he slips up

He’s waiting in Father’s office, looking around as he waits for him to arrive

It’s pretty sparsely decorated- but there are a few ornaments still left around.

“Mother would like this…” Freminet muses, looking at a small model boat, delicate and intricately carved.

A flash of heat at his back. “… What did you just say?”

After a very long and frantic explanation, and a slightly shorter lecture on stranger danger, Arlecchino demands to meet you.

You first meet the harbinger after a day diving with Freminet, and he shoots you an apologetic look as you both surface to find a harbinger on the shore

And then you make eye contact

Your thoughts: That is a harbinger. From the Fatui. Huh. I’m going to pretend not to know that.

Arlecchino’s thoughts: That is the Creator that The Tsaritsa told me to look out for. They have the exact same appearance. I will pretend not to know that.

Arlecchino asks you to tea to get to know you better, and it devolves from there.

At your tea party, she introduces herself as a completely normal orphanage matron, and you’re polite enough to not point out that her brooch is a tiny Fatui emblem

You introduce yourself as a normal diver and she ignores the fact that your spoon has been stirring sugar into your tea without you even touching it

Your relationship continues in a similar fashion, with the both of you pretending to be a completely normal couple

After a few months, when both of you are getting married, you both ignore the oddities of your guests

“Ah, darling, the Fatui are here.” “Oh yes, they sponsor my orphanage, how polite of them to come.”

“Angel, Morax is here.” “Huh. Isn’t he supposed to be dead?” “Yes.” “Well, I’m glad he could make it.” 

The both of you continue with intense purposeful ignorance

Venti: Your grace, do you really want to marry the harbinger? Is she threatening you?

You: What harbinger? I’m marrying a completely normal and totally average orphanage owner. So kind and generous she is.

Arlecchino, in the background, kicking Childe for trying to start a fight at her wedding, pausing to turn and wave: Hello.

Also Freminet is the flower girl

[justmymindandstuff]

melting Ice - Aemond Targaryen x Reader

Summary: You are about to marry Aemond Targaryen. Your arrival at the Reed Keep is greeted with coldness and you have a hard time settling in and coming to terms with marrying into this strange family. But after a restless evening you can't take it anymore and go to talk to Aemond. This evening brings you and your betrothed a little closer as he lets you see behind his facade.

Words: 2.971

Warnings: angst?, arranged marriage, insecure Aemond

A/N: Frist time writing Aemond // English is not my first language// no beta reader// Gif not mine // no use of Y/N// AO3

I hope you like this :)

You crawl through your stuff. You've been back in Red Keep for a week, but your belongings are not all unpacked jet.

The hot summer air radiate through the stones of your new home and you whipe away a few drops of sweat from your brows. You miss the light briese that always go through your cambers in  Casterly Rock. The heat in Kings Landing is muggy and brings the stank from the city and not the fresh air of the sea. But you're gonna have to get used to it. It's unlikely you'll ever see your home again. Not once you're married. This is the fate of thousands of Ladies in the seven Kingdomes . You all get shipped of to marry and never come back home.

You sigh. At least you won't marry a man who could be your father or grandfather. No, you're the future bride of Aemond Targaryen. Prince of the Seven Kingdoms. Maybe you have luck with your husbands age. And you will become a princess. That's the dream of thousands of young ladies, and you can live it. From the outside it sounds perfect. Like a song. The reality is different. In reality, you are a pawn in the game of power, securing the loyalty and armies of your family for the Targaryens. This marriage is a reward for years of service from your family.

For your betrothed you are a burden. You're back here for a week and maybe you exchanged two sentences with the prince. He was in no way rude, but neither was he really warm. You got the feeling it was more of a inconvenient for him than anything else. He doesn´t want to spend any minute with you. He ignored your invitations to go for a walk or for a afternoon tea.

Instead he dumped you on his sister. Helaena, a sweet girl who is fixated on insects and with her thoughts everywhere except in the here and now. But she was the only one that makes you feel you are welcome here. She was the one who showed you around and invited you to tea, go on picnics, walk in the gardens or do handicrafts. She also introduced you to her twins. Sweet children that you can't keep apart yet.

The Queen only gave you a cold smile and explained her wedding preparations to you, she didn´t ask for you opinion of your wedding. But you think that´s the way your life is from now on.

Aegon, your future brother in law is an arrogant prince who likes to drink and spend his time with whores. Not one nice word comes over his lip just a rude remark about your appearance as the whole family greets you after your arrival.

You close your eyes, take a deep breath and rub your temple to get rid of the slight headache.

At Casterly Rock you felt trapped. A golden cage guarded by lions. Your cage is still there, only now you're being guarded by dragons.

Is this your life now? Lonely and alone surrounded by strangers? This is not how you imagined it all. You've known half your life that you would be Aemond's wife. The betrothal was make when you were just a little girl. And of course you were excited to become a princess. Your stupid little girl dreams were full of romance, love and your knightly prince with blonde hair.

And for a little while you had hope. When you were younger, you went to King's Landing with your mother to get to know your future husband. He was a sweet, almos shy boy, with a kind smile who had discussed history with you for hours or dance with you at a picnic. You thought your stupid girls dreams were coming true.

But now there is nothing left of the boy from your memories.

Aemond Targaryen had grown into a cold man who had an almost dangerous aura around him and observed everything with an arrogant distance. The sweet smile you remembered is gone. You're sure he hasn't smiled in years.

Will your marriage be like this? Married to a stranger?

You put a few of your writing utensils on your desk. Your thoughts go to the letters you wrote to Ameond over the years, but one day he just stopped answering you. Did you do something wrong?

Was this marriage doomed to failure from the beginning?

You sigh again and try to push your thoughts from the past away.

It had been a sunny day that slowly turned into a beautiful evening. The setting sun is still shining in your window. You've already had your dinner with your mother and now there's nothing left for you to do. But you are restless. The thoughts of your future life do not allow you to find peace. Gods you are a Lannister from Casterly Rock. A lion! And not a decorative piece that gets ignored and sidelined. Aemond shows no interest in you and you want to know why. The question of what you did wrong haunts you. In your home you were always surrounded by friends, the lords who visited your family praised your kindness and your beauty. You enjoy reading and you are sure that you are a pleasant conversation partner. However, your future husband seems to prefer to ignore you.

You feel lonely. As lonely as you've never been in your life.

No! Your life won't be like that! You refuse to accept this. If Aemond wants to ignore you, he has to give you a good reason for it.

You straighten your back and smooth down your skirts. With quick steps you reach the door and leave your chambers.

"My lady, where do you intent to go?" the guard at your door asks.

"I'm visiting my betrothed." you answer without stopping. The guard follows right behind you.

"You have been instructed not to leave your chambers alone."

"I am not alone. You are with me."

"But my lady..."

"Enough." you just interrupt him. You definitely won't let him change your mind. You will talk to Aemond! But after a few steps you stop. You don't know where the prince's chambers are. You turn slightly to face the guard.

"Where are the prince's chambers?" you ask.

"I must ask you to return to your chambers."

You grimace. "You swore to serve House Targaryen Correct?"

"Yes my lady."

"In a fortnight I will be a Princess of House Targaryen. So you also swore to serve me."

"But my lady.."

"Please."

The guard shifts from one foot to the other and shakes his head slightly. "I have instructions..."

"Fine. Don't help me, I'll just find the way on my own. I hope you're willing to follow me through the Red Keep all night." You turn around sharply to continue walking.

"The other way. Here." you hear after a few steps behind you. You turn around again and look in the direction the guard points .

You give him a smile. "Thank you very much."

You follow his directions and a short time later you find yourself in front of the prince's chambers. You take a deep breath and then knock firmly on the door. It takes a moment and you are invited in. As you attempt to open the door, your guard takes a few steps forward to follow you. "I want to talk to him alone."

"My lady it is inappropriate, you need a chaperone."

"Do you doubt your prince's honor?"

"Of course not!"

"So."

"But my Lady..."

You sigh. "I know I'm not making your job easy today, but I promise to do better. Just not today. I just want one private conversation with the prince. Please."

Now it's his turn to sigh. "I'll wait outside the door. Right infront the door."

"Of course. Thank you." You open the door and enter the prince's chambers. Aemond is sitting on one of the sofas, there is a cup of wine on the table next to him and there is an old book on his lap whose title you can't see. When he sees you he stands up surprised.

"My Lady." he says confused. You close the door behind you and curtsy slightly. You hope he doesn't insist that you curtsy every time you see him after your wedding, but that's not the topic of tonight. Tonight you want an answer.

“Is something troubeling you?” He sounds cold and not really interested, but you push aside the nagging feeling of insecurity. Maybe that was a bad idea after all? But you're here now. Now there is no turning back.

"Yes, something is bothering me." you answer. You are a lion of Casterly Rock. Hear Me Roar! these are your words. And you will show this dragon that you cannot be ignored. Aemond looks at you with a cold expression.

"How can I help you?" he asks annoyed. He's making it clear to you that he doesn't want you here. But you just ignore that. He ignores you, so you can ignore his wishes. You take a deep breath and straight yourself up. You make yourself taller than you are and scrape up all your self-confidence together.

"You do not like me." you say. Aemond's expression changes just for a second, then he wears his cold mask again. You hold his gaze.

"I do not know you." he then says. The bored tone makes you angry.

"And that's your fault." you throw at him. The prince rolls his eye.

"Did you come here to insulte me?"

You bite your lip. "No." you say quietly. "I want to know why you don't like me. I want to know what I did wrong."

Aemond's gaze goes over you. Then he turns to the side, reaches for his wine cup and drinks it. Then he takes the jug and refills his cup and fills a second one.

"Sit with me please." he says, pointing to the seat next to him. You take the steps to the couch and sit down. The pillows are soft, but you still sit straight and ignore the cup of wine in front of you. You suppress the urge to shift back and forth.

"So?" you press.

"You have done nothing wrong."

"Then why have you been ignoring me since I got here?"

"If you wouldn't interrupt me." he says in a strained voice.

You bite your lip again. "I'm sorry."

"Like I said, you didn't do anything wrong. I thought you'd prefer to have time for yourself."

"I had enough time for myself. I'm all alone here. And I would like to know my betrothed before I have to marry him. But you don't even give me the chance to get to know you. You disappear all day long. I don't know anything about you. The only information I get are the gossip from the servants." You feel tears welling up in your eyes, but you quickly blink them away. Aemond's jaw tenses with your words. But you're not quite finished yet. "I don't understand why. We used to write letters to each other and then you stopped replying. And since I've been here you have continued to ignore me. So give me a good reason!"

"I have give you my reasons." he says but doesn´t meet your eyes.

"No. That wasn't a good reason." you insist. That can not be it. Because he thought you needed time for yourself? Nonsense! There has to be another reason. Your thoughts are racing and before you can stop yourself you start talking again.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Not a pleasant conversation partner? Not worthy of your attention? What is it?"

"No of course not."

"Don't you think I'm pretty?"

"Oh please, you're beautiful." he says, sounding a little annoyed.

"So what's your problem?"

"There's no problem. It's just.." he interrupts himself and then takes a deep breath. "You must be very disappointed with this engagement." "With your behavior. Yes, I tried to explain this to you."

"No. Not with that. With the engagement to me. With a disabled prince."

You stare at him, stunned, for a few moments. "What?"

"Don't play dumb. You're beautiful, you probably had hundreds of requests for your hand in marriage."

"The two of us have been engaged since we were children. That's well known."

"Won't change the fact that you have a lot of admirers. Am I wrong?"

You furrow your eyebrows. Yes, of course, many men have given you compliments and little gifts and begged for your attention, but that's normal. You come from a rich, powerful family. You were never really interested in any of that. Why should you? You was already engaged. You had your dream prince. Until he stopped being a dream prince. Before you can answer Aemond talks again.

"I can imagine how embarrassing it is for you to have to marry a disabled prince."

"A disabled prince?"

"Aemond one eye. I know what people call me."

"And why do you think I care?"

He laughs joylessly. "Of course you care."

Anger rises within you again. "You judge me? Without knowing me? How dare you?"

You jump to your feet. Aemond winces. He probably didn't expect this reaction. You start pacing back and forth in front of him. "You think I'm unhappy with our engagement because you're missing an eye?You disappoint me."

"Everyone thinks that. You must be devastated. All your admirers and you are stuck with me."

"I´m not stuck with you. I was happy to be engaged to you. Until you turned out to be a complete idiot." you stop infront of him and glare at him.

"Remember who you talk to."

"I'm talking to the man I'm going to marry. Who obviously already made up his mind. Without knowing me. That's cruel."

Aemond is silent for a moment. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Then tell me. Tell me anything, no matter what. But we can't do it like this. We can't live like this. We can't ignore each other our whole lives. Or is that what you want?" you ask, realizing you sound desperate.

"No of course not." his voice is no longer annoyed, he sounds more tired. You get on your knees in front of him to be at the same eye level again. You hesitate for a moment but then place your hands on his knees. His eyes examine you carefully, but you don't avoid his gaze.

"So where did that sweet boy I met back then go?"

"That sweet boy you were talking about lost his eye and no one cared." his jaw tenses again.

"I wrote you letters. I asked you how you were doing. How you felt. You didn't answer."

"I didn't read it. I thought you were just writing it out of obligation."

"You could have ask me." you say.

"I guess I underestimated you."

"Yes, perhaps."

"I shouldn't have assumed something about you."

"No you shouldn´t." you agree with him.

Aemond takes your hand. "I shouldn't have ignored you. I should have gotten to know you."

"You can do better now."

"I will." he says. "Promise."

You smilie at him. The conversation went better than you could ever imagined.

"And I will start right away." he then says. You look at him confused. Aemond takes a deep breath and lets go of your hand. Slowly his hands go to the back of his head and undoes the buckle of his eye patch. The leather slides carefully from his eye. The blue sapphire sparkles at you. The scar is always only half covered by the eye patch, but now without it, the scar is even more prominent.

You carefully raise your hand, but before you touch him you stop. "May I?" you whisper. He nods. You touch his cheek tenderly and caress it. "You're beautiful." You say. You see the slight blush on his cheek. A smile dances around his lips.

"Thank you." he places his hand over yours and carefully removes it from his cheek. He kisses your knuckles.

"I just say the truth." Now it's a real smile at Aemonds face.

You straighten up and come back to your feet again. You take a deep breath to bring yourself back into the here and now.

"It's late. I should go back to my chambers."

"Yes. Would you like me to accompany you?"

"That won't be necessary. My guard is right outside the door." you nod towards the door with a smile. Aemond raises an eyebrow, but you don't explain further.

"What do you think about accompanying me to Vhagar tomorrow?"

"To your dragon?"

"Yes."

Nervousness and excitement rise within you. "I would like that very much." you answer and the smile dances around his lips again.

Aemond leaves the eye patch on the table as he walks you to the door. He opens it and your guard half stumbles into the room. He must have leaned against the door.

"My prince." he says and bows. You suppress a laugh. He really was right outside the door.

"I trust you to get my betrothed back to her chambers safely ."

"Of course my prince." the guard stutters.

"Sleep well my lady." Aemond now turns to you. He kisses your hand and this time the blush rises in your cheeks.

"Sleep well my Prince." You say.

You turn away and make your way back to your chambers. Your guard right behind you and you can even find the way without his help. You are hopeful about your marriage. Yes, a conversation doesn't solve all the problems, but it was a good start. It's not perfect yet but it's better. And maybe he and you can manage to have a peaceful marriage and maybe be happy with eachother.

[mythicmanuscripts]

Hello, Sea, how are you? I hope your migraine is gone and you're fully recovered from it 💖

If you don't mind me being super self indulgent, I really sad at the moment, so I'll ask how hotd boys would try to cheer wife if she was down.

Thank you for sharing your qork with us, it always make me happy to read

I'm doing much better now thanks! Unfortunately I'm just someone who gets migraines occasionally and there's not much I can do about them, but I'm feeling much better.

Anyway, I love this question! I'm gonna write a little bit about our three main lads. This whole answer was supposed to be SFW but then I reached aegon and well... he's Aegon. So needless to say, I've had to put a cut in

JACAERYS:

So the first thing to note about Jace is how good his memory is? He always remembers all the things you tell him. He takes careful note of the things you like and the things you don't, and also he learns how you act when you're upset and what can upset you.

So he will notice almost immediately when you're feeling down and he will always try to help. Jace just wants you to be happy and healthy and so he will literally drop whatever it is that he's doing to try and help you. And if someone else needs him to be doing something else, he will distracted the entire time because he can't stop thinking about you and about what he can do to try and help you.

His go to method is to bring you your favourite flowers or wine or treats or whatever. If there's anything you have mentioned you really like in the past few weeks then he'll make sure to get that as well. He also just won't leave your side? Sure you can be in a bad mood and sulk all day if you want, but you certainly can't do that alone he won't let you.

AEMOND:

So I actually think realising you're feeling down would be genuinely distressing for Aemond? Especially if it's something he has absolutely no control of. He has no idea what to do, no idea how to make this better. His entire being is centred around making you happy and pleasing you and now you're upset and he feels like he failed. Even if whatever is upsetting you has absolutely nothing to do with him and can't be changed, he'll still feel like a failure.

He usually ends up asking you what you need. He would do whatever you want to make this better. No request would be too big. He would make anything work to make you happier. And you do have to actually give him something to do because if you don't he will be paralysed and not know what to do.

Needless to say, if he thinks there's even the smallest chance of someone having caused your distress then that person's days are numbered.

AEGON:

The moment Aegon realises you arent as happy as you usually are, he immediately asks you who needs to die. You always just roll your eyes and make him promise he won't set the kings guard on anyone, but he still might do it anyway.

When you inform him that no, he can't just murder every person to mildly inconvenience you, he sighs and then proceeds to promptly ask you if he can go down on you. Aegon's horny little gremlin mind literally goes, "Oh I can't kill someone? Fine, can I eat you out?"

Aegon will try his best to help in his own chaotic little way. Of course he will ask you what's wrong and listen to you, but to be honest he's one of the worst people to vent to. You'll say someone is making your life difficult and aegon is just like 'oh I'll have them killed' like no, no aegon don't do that.

Oh and also, he will cancel his appearances that day without a second thought if you're distressed. He could not care less about all the lords and ladies who travelled far and wide to see him, his pretty wife is upset so obviously the entire kingdom must come to a standstill until you feel better.

[ahllohehn]

Gem's area ,or whatever the Oracle has, has two kinds of decorations cute cottagecore stuff, and spooky stuff like skulls and stuff

An excerpt from the Camp Oracle's Journal:

"I put some fairy lights and curtains around the cave to make it seem homier. I also made a really wide tent filled with blankets and pillows to add up to the comfiness. After all, it was going to be my home for the next few weeks until I had to go back to school. Actually, it’s gonna be my home for the next summers to come!

There’s not much yet, but I hope to add more soon. Grian’s sister, Pearl, came to visit for a while to get a look at the new oracle (aka me). She was really nice! She helped me out on setting up the decorations around my cave and even gave me an old plushie of hers to add to my tent.

It was a well-loved wolf plushie, if the way the seams were already threatening to burst from just how much it’s been hugged, probably.

I didn’t want to take it at first because, you know, sentimental value! I couldn’t just take away her childhood plushie! But she was really adamant about giving it to me. She reasoned that Tilly (the name of the plushie, by the way) would be safer with me than it was with Grian.

Pearl couldn’t take the plushie with her because she’s always on the move with the goddess Artemis, Hunters of Artemis duties and all that. “It’d be a shame if it got lost mid-expedition,” she said.

And who was I to reject after that reason, you know? So now I have little Tilly living with little Gem in the super comfy and cool Oracle cave!"

Thank you for continuing to read! Have a tour of what's inside of Gem's cave:

COMFY CORNER OF THE CAVE

Cat beanbags and plushies - The cat beanbag is customized to look like Jellie. It was mainly put there during times Scar comes by to hang out with her so he wouldn't have to stay for too long on his wheelchair while visiting.

Seawater rug - Personally sewed by Xisuma after hearing that Gem had interest in marine biology. He wanted her to feel happier when resting in her cave since the cave was too far from the shore and the sea.

Aquatic animal plushies - Impulse and Skizz excitedly came over to give her fish plushies as a welcome gift. The clownfish is named Skizzy. The shark is named Impy, named accordingly to who gave which.

Small foldable table - Gem doesn't fold it often as she keeps her art stuff on it. She draws and makes the pins here.

BY THE WALL

Skull-shaped fairy lights - Not always green in color, but she keeps it green to make everything feel creepy. She had normal fairy lights before this but Cleo jokingly replaced it with string lights she bought during Halloween. Gem liked it so she kept it.

Worn out sword / Worn out shield - Not hers to begin with. They're actually normal weapons Etho had forged as practice before. He gifts them to Gem everytime she wins a spar against him to act as 'spoils of war.'

DESK / CURTAINED SIDE

Desk - There's chairs facing each other on each side of the table. This is where she mainly meets the campers for personal prophecies.

A line of potted plants along the wall - Bdubs offered to give her plants he thinks Gem would like to care for. There's mostly small sunflowers and succulents along the wall. One of the potted plants grew a particular one Gem never saw before. It was only when Pearl came over and questioned why she had a moonlace flower in her cave that she realized she was growing a magical plant. Bdubs never answered as to why he gave it to her.

TENT

Where Gem mainly sleeps. In here, you will never feel uncomfy as she's probably got 20 pillows and 5 blankets in there. Pearl's old plushie, Tilly, lives there with her. Grian asks to come in and cuddle with it when he has a particularly rough day.

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[cxptain-capsicle]

Beyond the Sea | Luke Castellan | III

Pairing: Luke Castellan x Unclaimed Poseidon Daughter!Reader

Warnings: angst, fluff, slow burn flashbacks, established relationship present day, Gods being terrible parents

Series Masterlist Taglist

“Luke.” You whispered, trying not to wake any of the other campers. “You awake?”

“Yeah,” He whispered back. “You okay?”

You had been at Camp for a few months now and Luke was already accustomed to being woken up from you jolting out of bed after a nightmare. He joked that some mornings he would nearly be thrown out of the top bunk.

“I didn;t have a nightmare, I just can’t sleep.” Your voice trailed off at the end. Within a second Luke was out of the top bunk, his feet hitting the hard wood made a loud sound that made you jump.

“What’s wrong?” He asked. You sat up in the bed and he came to sit next to you.

“I just-” You started but struggled to find the words. “I don’t think I’ll be claimed.” After your few weeks at camp the topic of being claimed felt taboo, like everyone was thinking the same thing and nobody wanted to say it. 

“You don’t know that.” He shook his head. “I knew a girl who got claimed after being here for almost a year. It can take time.”

“I’m tired of waiting.” You were too afraid to say anything negative about the gods while in one of their cabins. Especially the messenger god. “I just feel really alone.”

Luke didn’t say anything, he wrapped one arm around your shoulders and the other at the side of your head and pulled you into a hug.

When you woke up Percy was still asleep, you normally didn’t take too much to the new kids but you liked this one. You would be the first one to admit that you were jealous of the new arrivals seeing as most of them would be claimed within weeks. There was no point in becoming buddy-buddy with someone who would go off and get so wrapped up in their new siblings and godly parent that they forget all about you. Three years of radio silence from the gods had made you a little bitter. Luke would argue that maybe it was more than a little.

“I’m gonna take Percy around camp today,” Luke was slouched against the pillow in your bed. He grabbed one of his shoes and forcefully put it on. “Wanna come?”

“Get your shoes off of my bed.” You shoved his leg off the side of the bed, forcing him to sit up next to you. “And I’ll pass, Annabeth and I are gonna talk capture the flag.” 

“Oh come on I thought you liked him?” Luke always tried to get you to join him but talking about nothing but getting claimed for 3 hours wasn’t your idea of fun. 

“Not that much.” Before Luke could respond Percy sat up from his spot on the floor with a jolt. You had been asking Charlie Beckendorf, a Hephaestus camper, to make more bed frames for the cabin for months but it kept falling to the bottom of his priority list. Over the past few years the amount of kids in the Hermes cabin has grown faster than you could accommodate.

“You okay?” Luke asked as he rose to his feet.

“Super.” Percy groaned as he pulled himself off of the ground.

“We all have them, you know.” Luke was always the first to comfort new campers. “Intense, recurring nightmares. That's normal here. And the daydreams, and the ADHD, and dyslexia. Demigods just process reality differently than humans do. For the first time in your life, you're just like everyone else.”

“So are you also…” Percy said slowly. “Do you not know who your-”

“Am I unclaimed?” Luke finished for him. He glanced over at you instinctually. “No, Hermes is my father.” Like always mentioning Hermes made Luke stand up straighter. “That doesn't matter, we're all on the same team here.”

“I’m unclaimed.” You told Percy. “I’ve been here for 3 years.”

“Why is that okay?” He was talking directly to you now. “Why do they get to bring us here to just ignore some of us?”

“I’ve been asking myself that since the day I got here.” You couldn’t help but chuckle, he sounded exactly like you. “I get how you’re feeling but no matter what happens you’re gonna be fine.”

“Spend too much time trying to figure out why the gods do whatever it is they do, you'll drive yourself crazy.” Luke warned. “Sooner you stop worrying about that, the sooner you can enjoy what this place actually does offer.”

“And what's that?” Percy asked.

“Glory.” Luke smirked. “Demigods have always fought for glory. They used to call it kleos. It's like this stuff that attaches itself to your name. Makes it bigger, scarier, more important. People listen closer when you talk, they work harder to be your friend and they think twice about messing with you.” Before Luke could finish Clarisse passed by bumping Percy in the shoulder. 

“Hey!” Percy exclaimed, causing Clarisse to quickly turn around and push him down to the ground. 

“Woah!” Luke stepped up to Clarisse. “Hey. Knock it off, Clarisse. It's like his first day, come on.” You grabbed Percy’s arm and helped him up off the ground.

“Wait, so this is the kid who killed the Minotaur.” She had a devilish smile on her face. “Is that right?”

“Yeah?” Percy said cautiously. 

“I'll bet. Look, you want attention around here, dummy? You better be ready for it when it comes.” Clarisse made a fake lunge for him, causing Percy to jump.

“Clarisse, let it go.” You chimed in. She glanced at you for a moment before turning away with her friends. You and Clarisse weren’t friends exactly, she wasn’t friends with anyone outside of her cabin, especially not an unclaimed kid, but you weren’t enemies. You got along well enough, you would spar together, you mutually respected each other. Every once in a while you might even have a few laughs at the campfire.

“Well, she seems nice.” Percy said flatly. 

“Ares kids.” Luke sighed. “They come by it honestly.”

“Maybe she’ll grow on you.” You shrugged. “I kinda like her, then again she doesn’t bother me.”

“Why don't they mess with you?” Percy asked Luke.

“They know better.” Luke said proudly. 

“Luke's the strongest swordsman at camp.” Chris explained.

“I’m second.” You chimed in. “For the record.”  

“So, they leave you alone because ‘glory’?” Percy asked and Luke nodded. “So if I get glory, Clarisse wouldn't mess with me either?”

“Exactly.”

“And people think I'm a big deal?”

“Well, sorta, but-” Luke started.

“I don’t know about all that.” You said

“And my dad's got no choice but to claim me.” Percy finished. You and Luke sighed and looked at eachother. You understood his eagerness to be seen. 

“You can't force the gods to do anything.” Luke told Percy gently.

“Believe me, I’d know. I tried.” You added.

“Well, yeah, but... it would make it harder for him to pretend I don't exist, right?” 

“It’s worth a shot.” You shrugged.

“It is?” Luke swiveled to look at you.

“I mean it couldn’t hurt.” You just wanted to give the poor kid some hope.

“Great.” Percy perked up. “Where do we start?”

When you had nightmares you knew you were in a dream but that didn’t make it any less scary. You were on a beach, it was dark, the sky shades of purple and blue. There were storms; the waves were five times higher than your head. You were alone, the beach extended as far as your eyes could see. With nothing else to do you began walking down the beach. With every step your feet became heavier- wait, no- you were sinking. The sand was vibrating causing you to sink further and further into it. You were struggling to try to pull your feet out of the sand until you heard voices that made you freeze. Luke. Then Annabeth. Grover. Clarisse. And a young boy's voice that you didn’t recognize. You could make out each of their voices but not what they were saying. Their voices were frantic, they were calling for help, they were in danger. You fought harder but it only made you sink faster.

“Luke!” You screamed out just as your head went beneath the sand.

You woke up with a jolt gasping for air, panting, and drenched in sweat. You peered to the bunk above you to see if you had woken Luke but there was no movement. You pulled yourself out of bed as quietly as possible to not wake anyone. You debated waking Luke but decided against it. You slipped your shoes on and grabbed a jacket that you kept by your bed. As quietly as you could you tiptoed across the cabin and out the front door. You went out the door past the Hephaestus cabin, then Apollo, Ares, then Poseidon. Just as you were about to pass the mess hall a voice erupted from the silence of the night. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” It was Luke. 

“Oh my gods, Luke.” You nearly doubled over with shock. “You didn’t have to sneak up on me.”

“Why are you out here?” He came close to you, placing his hands on the sides of your arms. “It’s the middle of the night. It’s freezing.”

“I- I had another nightmare.” 

“The same one?” He asked and you nodded. You had been at camp for almost a year now and had been having the same dream for almost six months. “Why are you out here?”

“I just needed fresh air, I guess.” You crossed your arms over your chest, honestly you didn’t know why you were out here.

Luke gave you a sympathetic smile. 

“Okay let’s walk then.”

You and Luke walked together quietly for a while. You walked through the woods until you reached the Long Island sound. It was the same beach as the one in your dream but even in the dead of night it wasn’t as cold, as scary as it was in your dreams. Sometimes after a particularly bad night you would come here to remind yourself that it was just a dream. This was the first time Luke had come with you to the beach and it gave you much more comfort. 

“This isn’t your first time out here is it?” Luke glanced at you with a smile, he knew the answer.

“No,” You chuckled. “I guess I find it relaxing.”

The two of you found a place to sit on the sand just above the tide. Luke sat to your left, your shoulders touching trying to conserve the little warmth between you. There was a silence between you that felt safe and comfortable. You rested your head on Luke’s shoulder and he rested his head against yours. You felt something cold touch the side of your hand and looked down to see Luke's hand inching closer to yours. It felt like you were moving in slow motion but eventually Luke had your hand clasped in his. You and Luke had always had a special relationship. From the second he found you in the cave and pulled you into his lap you were bonded. He gave you his bunk when you came to camp. Showed you around and always stayed at your side. Listened to you grovel about not being claimed day in and day out. You had hugged before but never held hands and it never felt like this before.

“You’re not alone.” Luke whispered to you. The sound of the waves and Luke’s voice were music to your ears. You were entranced, Luke was so close you could feel his breath on your cheek. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon providing just enough light to bounce off of the water and reflect onto Lukes face. The light made his brown eyes glitter. You had never looked at Luke this way before. You were so close and millimeter by millimeter you were getting closer and closer-

“Oh!” You both exclaimed as the freezing cold water of the tide splashed up on you both, soaking you in sea water. Each of you rose to your feet eagerly running from the water before doubling over in laughter.

“Oh, that’s freezing!” You cried out through your laughs. When you finally caught your breath Luke was in front of you staring down at you seriously. “What is it?”

“I mean it,” He was breathing heavily. “You’re not alone here.” 

“I know Luke,” You nodded. “But-,” Luke cocked his head, unsure of what else you had to say.

“I’ve been alone my whole life Luke. No parents, no family. Camp was where I was supposed to find that. But my parent couldn’t care less that I even exist.” You rambled.

“I know that you’re upset-” Luke tried but you cut him off.

“I’m not upset Luke. I’m angry!” You shouted. You felt your face turn hot with anger, your heart beat fast. “I’m furious that they would abandon me-”

“Y/n-” Luke tried but you kept going.”

“They would humiliate me, over and over. My entire life!” You were fuming, your blood boiling.

“Y/n!” He shouted.

“What!” You yelled back. Just now you realized that Luke wasn’t looking at you. He was looking behind you. You turned around to see a massive wave, 30 feet high, suspended behind you. Your anger turned to confusion and just as it did the wave came crashing down at your feet, returning to the sea like it was never there.

Feel free to leave feedback, suggestions, and headcannons in the inbox. I love incorporating your guy's ideas!

Taglist:

@fudosl @lenasvoid @light-23 @petrichorvzlia-blog @heartzflwers @vampsaddicted @bbgkaykay @shiara04 @teigo-the-explorer @number-onekidqueen

[thebluemallet]

EARLY Predictions for Bridgerton Season 4

BENEDICT IS OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED TO BE THE LEAD FOR SEASON 4!

I've had this in my drafts for a couple of weeks. But now that Benophie is officially happening next season, I have some EARLY predictions for the next season. I'll have more predictions when we finally have a clip or a trailer, but for now I'm gonna cast a wide net for what I think will happen in season 4.

1- MASQUERADE!

They really name-dropped that masquerade ball like Tahani Al-Jamil name drops her celebrity friends. And they mentioned it in the promo with Luke T. The masquerade ball is happening! My guess is it'll happen somewhere in the first two episodes of season 4. This will be where Benedict meets his Cinderella/mysterious Lady In Silver/Sophie Beckett.

The code name for season 4 is supposed to be Vauxhall, where we saw Daphne and Simon launch their fake dating plot in season 1. That was a public ball, which means that anybody who could pay the fee could get into it. Perhaps we'll return there for the masquerade ball. Makes much more sense for Sophie to be able to crash that instead of a private ball at the Bridgerton house.

Let's just hope her carriage doesn't turn into a pumpkin before she can make her escape.

2- A Possible Time Jump

In Benedict's book, he meets Sophie at the masquerade, she runs away at midnight, and then he doesn't see her again for another two years. I think a time jump could happen again. Specifically for a few of my upcoming predictions.

Also, it would add to the drama.

Can you imagine the reaction from the fans with the screen fades to black and then some text fades in that reads TWO YEARS LATER?

3- Kate and Anthony Might Not Make An Appearance Next Season

Possibly an unpopular opinion, but I almost dont know why they bothered with having Kate and Anthony in season 3. It seemed like it boiled down to "We're here! We're hot! We're horny! And we're fucking off now! Bye!"

At least when Daphne showed up in Anthony's season she helped drive the plot forward and tried to help guide her brother on the bumpy road to matrimony. Anthony had one half-assed conversation with Colin about his engagement to Penelope. Kate did most of the heavy-lifting when it came to important talks with the family. She did most of the talking to Colin the night before his wedding to Penelope. (Not that it mattered because all of her work was undone the moment Charlotte showed up to the wedding.)

Kate also gets credit for speaking with Eloise to try and smooth things over between her and Colin. And then they left their family for a third time to go all the way to India, a journey that's going to take them six months one way.

But with a time jump, that would give enough time for Anthony and Kate to go to India, have their baby, spend some time there, and then make the long journey back to be present after the time jump with a toddler.

(With how pregnant Kate was looking at the wedding, I would not be surprised if she gave birth at sea. She and Anthony did not think that plan through at all. And why the hell did they leave without attending Francesca's wedding??? And when the Queen was certain that a Bridgerton was behind Lady Whistledown???)

Anthony and Kate being absent would also be a convenient way to keep the Bridgerton House set around for a little while longer.

Anyway, sending Kate and Anthony off to India felt like a way to let Jonny and Simone do other projects for a season instead. Jonny himself is probably gonna be busy with all of the press for the upcoming Wicked movie. So if the announcement comes that they won't be around, I wouldn't be surprised.

4- Last Season for Queen Charlotte Queen Charlotte Lives Forever!

Bridgerton is not known for being 100% historically accurate. And let's face it, even if it were, people would still be complaining about the historical inconsistencies. But one thing Bridgerton is creeping up on is the year 1818. And it's in November of that year that the real-life Queen Charlotte passed away.

Season 4 will, I assume, start in 1816. If they do a one-year time jump, we'll get the rest of the season in 1817 when the main events of Benedict's book take place. If they do a two-year time jump, like they did in the books, then we'll be in 1818 and we'll be in the year we say goodbye to Queen Charlotte.

BUT, the showrunners have pretty much said that they've decided the show exists in an "alternate universe" and they're just going to keep Queen Charlotte around for a while.

The Queen lives. Long live the Queen.

5- Eloise Meets Sir Phillip Crane (?)

While the masquerade references were heavy-handed, the references to Philoise were more subtle. In episode 3x02, Eloise wears a dress that is patterned with the same flower that was gifted to her by Sir Phillip in the books. And in 3x05, when trying to make herself feel better about her betrothal, Cressida tells Eloise that the two of them can "flirt with widowers." The showrunners are slowly setting up the Eloise/Phillip dynamic--they have been since season 1. I think they'll set more things into motion in season 4 and set them up for season 5.

Eloise already expressed to Kate how she felt as if everyone was pairing off and leaving her behind. Benedict's marriage will end up being the tipping point for Eloise.

Phillip would have lived the life of a botanist/academic if it weren't for his brother's tragic passing. Perhaps his academic connections could play a part in Eloise's desire to meet new people and change the world?

If they meet in season 4, it could be the catalyst for them to begin to exchange letters like they did in the books. Which will ultimately set them up for their story in season 5.

Of course, this also means that Marina is going to have to die offscreen at some point 😐

6- Cressida Redemption (?)

One of my major gripes with season 3 was that they gave so much time to the threesome subplot that two other subplots seemed to have no real conclusion or were dropped completely. One of the subplots that didn't get wrapped up as nicely as it could have was Cressida's. We didn't see her reaction to Penelope unmasking herself as Lady Whistledown. She just kind of...left.

There is a long-standing fan theory that Cressida will have a part to play in the Benedict/Sophie story based on a piece of script that named Cressida's mother "Araminta". If this is true, then I think we'll see Cressida in some way next season. And maybe she'll get a happier ending. I never thought at the beginning of the show that I'd want Cressida to end up happy somewhere, but boy season 3 did a great job of making me actually sympathetic to her character.

7- Another Offscreen Wedding

One thing that I know frustrated Kathony fans last season was not seeing an onscreen wedding for Kate and Anthony. I mean, we saw a wedding, and Kate and Anthony were there, but he almost got married to the wrong person. The closest we got was Anthony disassociating so hard that he astral projected himself into an alternate reality.

The only onscreen weddings to canonical spouses we've seen have been the Daphne/Simon, Colin/Penelope, and Francesca/John weddings. But if anybody was hoping to see an onscreen wedding with Benedict in season 4, think again.

I believe that the drama of Benedict and Sophie's story will keep up through all eight episodes of their season. And, like Kate and Anthony's season, we'll flash forward in time at the end of the episode to Benedict and Sophie several months into their marriage. But we won't get to see the actual wedding.

8- Crossdressing Sophie (?)

Admittedly, this is less of a prediction and more wishful thinking on my part. This is the route I would go down if I was writing for the show, anyway.

Show!Benedict now being canonically pansexual has opened up the possibility for him to have an LGBTQ+ partner. But I have a slightly different idea. One plot point of Benedict's book is that Sophie, after running away from her stepmother's house, cuts off all of her hair to sell when she's desperate for money.

I think Show!Sophie could still get her hair cut off like in the book, and then go around disguised as a man for safety/freedom of movement/job opportunities. Then Benedict gets confused when he discovers Sophie in "boy mode" because he hasn't felt this level of attraction to someone since his Lady In Silver.

Maybe we'll get a Victor/Victoria scenario out of it (woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman).

Like I said, this is less of a prediction and more of the route I would go down if I was writing for the show. It probably won't happen this way. But maybe I'll give fanfic writers some plot bunnies.

[jo-harrington]

Corroded Coffin Fest - Day 27 - You'll Be In My Heart

Summary: Eddie and the boys fight their homesickness when they're on the road for the summer.

Word Count: 964

Rating: T

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Store Manager!Reader

Warnings/Themes: Friendship, fluff, allusion to sex, discussion of marriage

Note: Alright final Saturday of this event, I'm both sad and excited, it's been a really great one. For this day, I'm going back to my fondest series, my baby, The Store Manager Verse. It's specifically set before the proposal in Longevity and it very much explores how Eddie got the idea to propose to Store Manager at all.

And I might've fucked up the timeline and my own fic canon so just...if you notice something, shhh no you didn't.

Check Out the Main Post for @corrodedcoffinfest here! Even if you didn’t start on Day 1, you can still join!

Tagging: @the-unforgivenn at her request.

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

August 1990

The summer of '90 was a special one.

It was Corroded Coffin's first real life tour. Well, not really.

"Actually," you told them when they broke the news to you, "you're forgetting about the Independence Day Tour of '87."

"We didn't make t-shirts for that one, sweetheart," Eddie teased and dropped a kiss on the top of your head before diving into the details.

It wasn't a true tour in the sense that they'd pack up the van and hit the road and never look back until the tour was over--that would require them quitting their jobs for a time, something their wallets desperately couldn't handle. But a few days off here to go to this festival? A few days off there to enter into this Battle of the Bands? That was doable.

It was as close to a tour as they were gonna get for a little while, and it was gonna help them get further in their music career.

It also prepared them.

Being away from home for a few days at a time prepared them for an inevitable week or month or year that they could potentially face if their star grew brighter.

Eddie quickly realized, though, how much he would miss you when that time came, because he missed you terribly now.

He started seeing you everywhere he looked. Foods he thought you might like to try, love songs that reminded him of you. Someone at one county fair even did a cover of Beth, which he would argue was your song. And at one fest, there was a booth with hand drawn postcards featuring cute fuzzy animals with nefarious settings in the background.

It started with one of those.

A postcard of a kitten with a big purple bow sitting in a haunted forest. Purple for Claires, he explained when he presented it to you on their return home. You gushed over it, said that you loved it, and it went up on the fridge.

Until the next time the guys were out of town.

Next it was special chocolate caramel candies with thick sea salt on top from a booth that sat next to the main stage. They had probably eaten more chocolate than any other food during that trip; you had to try it.

Then a big over stuffed teddy bear--

"It's an Eddie Bear, actually." He pointed to the denim vest it wore. "See?"

--that he won playing a game of ring toss.

A huge tin of assorted fudge from Mackinac Island and a promise to take you with next time they went.

A necklace made of special stone beads that supposedly helped with everlasting love or something; he'd gotten to choose a tarot card when he bought it. He got the two of cups, whatever that meant.

Each and every gift that Eddie brought you when he was away was special. Some big, some small. Some made you ooh and aww, some made you cry because of how much you missed your idiot boyfriend, one even earned him...well...lets just say his bandmates, who you shared a duplex with, made themselves scarce for the evening.

But it was the last stop on the tour that brought maybe the best gift, the most meaningful. It made Eddie really stop and think because...well, this was the stop that they were debuting a new song about his parents and his childhood and how the future wasn't set in stone and you couldn't change things that were bad for you, even with the best intentions.

Marriage is a Death Sentence.

So it was ironic that the first thing to catch his eye would be a ring.

Not a typical engagement ring, not a diamond or really anything big and shiny at all. It was strange and artsy and interesting but when he saw it there at that little crafters booth...he just thought of you.

It was a weird thought. Jarring.

And it scared him.

He turned tail and walked right out of the booth, stopped at a stand where they sold little critters made of recycled wire and bought you a tiny porcupine. There, done, gift bought, no need to think of it anymore.

But he couldn't stop thinking about the ring for the rest of their time there. Not when they performed, not when they ate lunch, not when they packed the van at the end of the night to go home.

He hadn't given marriage much thought when he was younger. He liked dating, liked dating you. You never brought it up, neither did he. But then you took him as your date for Jen's wedding a few years back, and the two of you talked about it and of course you were on the same page. Couldn't see yourselves doing the whole commotion, no suits or dresses, no desire to have your families and friends stare at you for hours.

Not to mention some of those vows were just heinous.

No wonder Al and Elizabeth Munson were destined for heartbreak if they vowed to honor and obey...blegh.

So marriage? No, not at all. Immediately no.

But you? Forever with you? You were his best friend. Wouldn't say his soulmate, that was Jeff obviously and you had no problem with that. But you were...you were you.

So the answer was a resounding yes. Always.

Eddie ran, faster than he'd run in a long time if ever, through the booths as everyone packed up for the night, to the little crafters stall from earlier.

"I was just about to pack up," the vendor laughed as Eddie caught his breath. "You made it just in time."

It was fate.

He pointed where the ring still sat, as it if was waiting for him, and said,

"I'll take it."

[exitpursuedbyavulcan]

What is Broken (Aemond Targaryen x Pregnant Wife!Reader) SNEAK PEEK

The war, the "Dance of the Dragons," as they have come to call it, is over. And yet, you are not celebrating. You have just learned that your husband, Prince Aemond, spent the last months of the war with another woman in his bed. Not only that, but his mistress is pregnant. Just like you...

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader (third person, no use of Y/N), side Aemond Targaryen x Alys Rivers

Warnings: Angst, pregnancy and related symptoms, infidelity, maybe smut in the future idk

Author's note: Ok well since Studious came out of me trying to power through my writer's block, hopefully this'll not only be as good, but also work as well for kicking writer's block's ass. Idk how long it's gonna be. It's based on a convo I had with the Aemond AI (made by @foxyanon ) on a day when I just didn't feel like being happy at all. Coming soon (I hope)!

What is Broken Sneak Peek

It was a lovely night in King’s Landing.

There was not a cloud to be seen for miles, and the stars were bright and twinkling. The waters of Blackwater Bay were calm and reflected the full moon as clearly as a freshly polished mirror. Even the wind seemed in a pleasant mood, carrying the sweet scent of spring on its back as it drifted lazily through the windows of the Red Keep.

Every bit of it grated on her heart like a whetstone across dull steel.

The worst night of one’s life should not be so lovely, she thought. It should be terrible. With storms and an angry sea, and perhaps even a raging fire somewhere in the distance.

If the night had been so, she would not have seen it when, only a few moments ago, a massive winged form landed in the fields just outside the city with a lowing wail, the last person she wanted to see strapped to its back. Thankfully, Aemond was far enough away that she could not make him out against the mass of his mount.

The people would cheer him in the streets as he rode toward the castle. The victorious Prince, returning after long months at war, having not only ended the war itself but avenged the deaths of his sister, brother, and his little nieces and nephews.

Daemon Targaryen and his dragon had perished above the God’s Eye, the waters below boiling when their bodies fell into its depths.

With the Rogue Prince gone, the war was swiftly over. Rhaenyra was killed, her last remaining son taken as King Aegon’s ward, and the royal host returned to King’s Landing victorious. Even Cregan Stark had agreed to halt his advance South, redirecting to Harrenhal for peace talks.

Harrenhal. A cursed place, now to be the site of great diplomacy.

Even thinking about the horrible castle was enough to turn her stomach.

A letter detailing exactly what had occurred within those melted stone halls during the war, written by the late Prince Daemon himself, sat on her vanity. A final act of retribution against his soon-to-be killer.

She knew that her husband was only returning home because of the letter.

My dear Princess,

Despite the conflict between our sides of the family, I have always thought you a rather sweet girl. Therefore, it is with the deepest regret that I must now shoulder the burden of informing you of your beloved husband’s improper conduct during this awful conflict…

A pang of nausea shot through her stomach as she remembered the words.

A mistress… some Strong bastard… called Alys, my spies tell me… every night, without fail… from the very first week… another bastard babe in the whore’s witchly womb…

There was a pounding from within her, soft thumps and kicks as the life inside her own womb became unsettled by its mother’s roiling emotions. She laid a hand over her belly, whispering soothing words she did not believe to try and calm it – and herself.

Once, she would never have believed Daemon’s stories. But then word came that, after the final battle, Aemond returned to Harrenhal for less than an hour before he again mounted Vhagar and flew for King’s Landing. It was not like Aemond to make such swift decisions. Nor did it strike her as the action of an innocent man.

When she called for Ser Willis Fell, her heart had been filled with hope that the new Lord Commander of the Kingsguard would dispel her worries. That she had only allowed herself to consider the possibility of Aemond’s infidelity because her mind was addled by her delicate condition.

“My princess, I cannot, in good conscience, tell you a lie…”

She had screamed then. And cried. And possibly thrown things at the Kingsguard, but she couldn’t entirely remember.

All she could remember was how Aemond kissed her on the day he left for Harrenhal. Deeply and passionately. Until she could feel his love for her as clearly as her own heartbeat. Then he knelt before her and placed a single, tender kiss to her belly, to where they had only just learned that their babe grew.

Less than a moon’s turn later, he had taken another woman to his bed, and seeded her, too.

[callalillywrites]

His Scarred Omega Part 4

Part 3 / Series Masterlist

Relationship: Alpha!Bucky Barnes x Omega!Reader

Word Count: ~1900

Summary: Bucky celebrates his first Halloween with his daughter and Omega.

Warnings: insecure Omega, flirty Bucky, flirty Jake, sappy-happy Bucky

A/N: I wrote this story really fast as I mentioned above. It’s proofread but all mistakes are my own.

I also do not give permission for my work to be copied or posted on other sites or fed into an AI machine.

*****

With Halloween growing ever closer, Bucky invites Omega and Gracie to a friend’s place for a family-friendly party. Jake’s assured Bucky his niece would be there, someone Gracie’s own age as well as some others to keep them from being too bored. Steve also promises there will be plenty of homes they can trick-or-treat from, giving Gracie something else to look forward to.

Bucky can’t help taking several pictures of Gracie in her costume. (Omega managed to divert her away from the Harley Quinn costume and into something a bit more kid appropriate.)

He also snaps a couple of Omega when she isn’t looking to save on his phone.

Gracie’s now going as cute little witch. Her blue eyes are sparkling with a bit of help from her mischievous nature, so like his own, and some eyeshadow that Omega helps her put on. The costume’s light-up abilities really sold themselves when Omega presented it to Gracie as did Bucky’s endorsement of the costume.

“You look beautiful, sweet girl,” he assures her when she does a final spin for him.

“What about Auntie? She looks nice, too, doesn’t she?”

Bucky glances at Omega and nods. His lips quirk into a small grin as he takes in the Greek goddess dress she’s put on. She’s added a few golden adornments she’s made to complete her look along with some golden accent makeup that makes her face glow.

“No, I think nice isn’t the right word, sweet girl. I think the word we need for this moment is beautiful or maybe breathtaking. What do you think?”

Omega’s cheeks are heating at his praise though she’s shaking her head at him even as a smile makes her that much more stunning in his eyes.

Gracie eventually breaks through the spell casting around them as she agrees with Bucky.

Omega is doing her best not to let Bucky’s flirting get to her. There’s no way in the world he can ever be interested in her, not after everything with Dot. Besides, she knows he’s just being nice to keep himself in her good graces where Gracie is concerned.

She can tell he’s gearing up to ask for a weekend with Gracie that includes an overnight at his place. As much as Omega isn’t sure she’s ready for that, she also knows that Bucky and Gracie are growing closer to one another. It’s only natural he wants more time with his daughter, especially with so much time he’s already lost with her.

To get them back on safer ground, Omega steers the conversation back on track by saying, “I think Bucky looks quite the pirate, don’t you, Gracie? Looks like he could take over a ship in the harbor and sail away any moment.”

Bucky grins at that. “I’d never sail anywhere without my best girls at my side. Gonna need someone to make sure I don’t get seasick, you know.”

“Somehow, I doubt you get seasick. Those legs of yours look sturdy enough to handle even the roughest seas.”

It hits Omega a second later what she’s said, her cheeks heating further with the tips of her ears and neck joining in, too.

Bucky, thankfully, doesn’t comment further on her obvious embarrassment, but then, the weird connection they share between them tells her he’s quite flattered at her appreciation of his legs. Neither of them still have a clue why this connection exists between them, but they have slowly come to accept it over the last couple of weeks.

Soon enough, they’re heading towards Jake’s home with Steve and Angel.

Gracie doesn’t stop asking questions about his friends and Jake’s niece. Her hope of gaining a new friend is quite palpable as she’s been struggling in school to accomplish the same. Then again, it’s harder to make friends when you’re dumped in a new school after the start of the year.

Bucky’s certain she’ll find her footing soon enough as she’s only been in the school a couple of weeks.

He’s been checking in with her teacher about how she’s doing, something he’s been able to do since Omega added him to Gracie’s file. Sure, he’s only added as an emergency contact, but he’s hoping that will change to full guardianship soon enough alongside Omega’s name.

According to her teacher, she’s settling in well enough though she’s still a bit on the quieter side. She’s quite helpful though she does tend to stick to herself rather than branch out, but her teacher is seeing some signs that Gracie is adjusting and reaching out to her classmates, giving Bucky the assurance she’ll be fine.

When Jake’s home comes into view, Bucky can’t help the small smile curling the corners of his lips as he glances at both Gracie and Omega. He can’t wait to show off his daughter to his friends and her sweet Omega aunt.

Angel meets him at the door and immediately smiles at Omega and Gracie.

“Oh, there’s our guests of honor. It’s so nice to see you both again. Come in. Come in. Jake is so eager to meet you both. Plus, his niece just got here and is already bored with us grownups. Would you like to meet her, Gracie?”

Gracie grins at Angel and takes her hand without hesitation.

Bucky motions Omega in after him and manages to lean in to say softly, “You really are breathtaking, Precious.”

Omega doesn’t get the chance to say anything as Steve and Jake converge on them.

Jake earns a deep growl from Bucky when he dares to awkwardly flirt with Omega after their introductions. Rather than be scared though, Jake just shoots Bucky a cheeky grin while holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

“Only fair since you flirted with mine when you first met her.”

Omega arches a brow at Bucky then. “So, you have flirted with Angel then?”

“Only to mess with this dork. Angel will never have eyes for another alpha but him.”

Before Omega can get away, he wraps an arm around her waist and tugs her close enough so he can whisper, “Besides, there’s only one omega that has my undivided attention these days.”

“You don’t have to say things you don’t mean, Bucky. Gracie’s already half in love with you as her dad. You don’t have to keep flattering me to win her over.”

The guarded look in Omega’s eyes has Bucky pulling her closer. His free hand cups her cheek, his thumb running over her cheekbone.

“What if I’m trying to win you over, too? What do I need to say or do for you to realize I think you’re the most wonderful, most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, Precious?”  

Omega doesn’t know what to say to that. As much as she wants to believe Bucky, she also can’t help wondering if he’s done this with Dot or any number of other omegas in the years they’ve lost touch.

Besides that, she knows she’s not like other omegas. She’s definitely no Dot. She’s never pretended to be. Maybe that’s why it’d been so easy for her future alpha to claim Dot while she’d been working hard for their future and Gracie’s. Doesn’t mean the betrayal doesn’t hurt any less though.

Can she trust another alpha to not hurt her again? Can she trust Bucky?

She’s still waiting for him to decide he’s done enough to claim Gracie through the courts and sever any connections she has with Gracie. It’s something she’s seen happen before, and she can’t handle the thought of losing the last member of her family.

It takes her a moment longer than it should’ve to feel and recognize the deep rumble pouring out of Bucky and into her. His hold on her tightens as he does his best to soothe the dark thoughts swirling within her.

This darn connection between them is proving quite maddening. It’s giving her hope where she shouldn’t have any. Bucky, for all intents and purposes, will forever belong to Dot because of Gracie. It’s a futile hope for Omega to think that she can ever compete with Dot’s memory or believe she can wriggle into his heart where she wouldn’t mind being.

It’s all his fault, too.

The constant flowers every weekend he spends with her and Gracie. Doing his best to spoil her as much as he does Gracie on their outings. He’s never failed to buy her something wherever they go, especially something she eyes while they’re there. He never fails to defer to her judgment where Gracie is concerned, too, wanting to make sure he never oversteps.

And hundreds of other tiny things he’s done for her and Gracie since they bumped into him that day.

In just these few short weeks, he’s managed to turn her crush into something so much deeper, and she’s not sure she can or wants to be mad about it.

“Will you and Gracie come back to my place tonight? I have something I want to show you.”

“All our stuff is back home,” she whispers, the only excuse she can latch onto to deny him.

He simply smiles against her skin. She can feel it as he presses the softest kiss to her hair that she’s ever experienced in her life. It’s enough to weaken her resolve and her knees.

“I’ve been preparing for this, Precious. You and Gracie will have everything you need for a single night away.”

“I’ll consider it,” she says before Steve comes to check on them at Angel’s behest.

The rest of the evening, Omega manages to keep Bucky at arm’s length for her sanity. She spends as much time as she can helping Angel out between serving up food and keeping the few kiddos out of trouble.

Gracie and Jake’s niece end up hitting it off so well that both are already begging for sleepovers and other playdates together.

True to Steve’s word, the neighborhood ends up being one of the best trick-or-treating locations with almost all the houses offering candy to the kids traveling between the houses. Some even go so far as to offer up some small but creative haunted houses for the kids to shriek and laugh their way through.

It’s in one of these that Bucky finally gets the chance to have Omega at his side once again. His hand remains firmly interlaced with hers as they see all the spooky sights, tightening in the few instances where a jump scare lands successfully. Hearing Omega’s small yelps and her other hand wrapping around his arm puffs him up in ways he never thought to feel again. It’s definitely intoxicating and something he wants to experience over and over again.

When they finally return to Jake’s home, Gracie can barely keep her eyes open.

Bucky’s carrying her while Omega has her sack of candy.

“You have fun, sweet girl?”

Gracie nods against his neck, a huge yawn escaping. “Do we have to go home?”

“Yeah, we do, but I promise you’ll see your new friend again soon. Auntie and I’ll make sure of it.”

“I love you, Daddy,” she says as sleep claims her.

Bucky’s knees nearly buckle as tears of pure joy blur his vision. He brings his hand up to rub at her back as he whispers back, “I love you, too, my sweet girl. Always and forever.”

*****

Main Masterlist

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

☠️ Something Dread, Something Red: Chapter Five

Something Dread, Something Red: Stuck in a proposal to a Marine Commodore, you escape minutes before your wedding in one last ditch effort to avoid getting married to a tyrant. Barely making it to the port of your town, you stumble across a ship just starting to leave and beg for passage off the island. You fail to notice that the people you beg for help, are pirates.

Warnings: None.

To Note: “Red Haired” Shanks x FemReader

Word Count: ~2.9k

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2 Weeks Later

You wake to the gentle sway of the ship, happy to find that the storm which had ravaged the sea the last three days has finally passed. Choppy waters are not pleasant on the stomach. You’ve learned that in the first few days on board the ship, but the nausea hasn’t taken away from the absolute beauty of the sea. Rolling onto your back, you stare at the ceiling of the cabin and wonder what you will be doing today.

It has already taken you a great amount of effort to argue with the crew to help around the ship so you don’t feel like you are freeloading off their backs. You’ve already stolen Shanks’ bed from him, a non-negotiable point he reminds you of every time you bring it up, much to the scowl he finds rather adorable. You are his guest and a lady on board his ship. But that doesn’t mean you can’t sneak into Lucky’s kitchen and help out.

Sighing to yourself, you sit up in bed and swing your legs over the side of the hanging bed. You wiggle your toes and look at the worn bandages Hongo has wrapped around your feet. The healing nicks and cuts are starting to itch terribly, and you are contemplating asking Hongo how long they need to remain. You are pretty sure he won’t be happy if you just rip the bandages off by yourself. So you reach for the makeshift boots and pull them on by the sides.

You kick out your feet while reaching for the hair tie Benn had given you. Even with your hair now neatly resting around your shoulders (Benn had neatened up the strands so they aren’t off-sided and terrible looking), you pull it back into a ponytail to keep it from catching on any of the equipment on the ship. So after you do just that, you slip from the hanging bed and rub your shoulder. It too has started to itch. You’ll ask Hongo to look at it later.

Of course, you probably should ask Shanks, as he was the one to last see it and know if it is healing as it should… but you have been trying your best not to bother him or the crew with their daily routines. You’ve already intruded as it were. Well, like you have in the past week, you plan on heading to the kitchen to help Lucky out with breakfast for the crew. It is the least you feel you can do. So you trot towards the door of the cabin and slip out.

It is still pretty early, and some of the crew are asleep in the same spots they had been drinking the prior nights. Liquor bottles litter the deck. You pick up a couple of empty bottles on your way to the kitchen, holding them against your chest while wondering how they can drink this much and still function. Oh well, it’s not like you are the one drinking; you’ll leave the mystery of curing a hangover to the professionals. Dropping the empty bottles into a crate full of other empty liquor bottles, you step into the kitchen, which already smells heavily of breakfast. Lucky glances up at you.

“One of these days we’re gonna teach you the fine art of sleeping in,” he rumbles, flipping several stacks of sausages. “Ain’t no one telling you to get up at the crack of dawn.”

“It’s a habit,” you shrug in your defense. “Besides, I’ve been getting surprisingly good sleep the last few days… I think being allowed to eat is helping. Also, I’m not hungover… what can I do to help?”

Lucky wants to argue with you that you are a guest and no guest on this ship would be put to work… but it has become quite clear that you won’t take no for an answer. For a noble lady, you are quite insistent. So Lucky gestures to the eggs he has yet to crack with the spatula he holds.

“Haven’t gotten around to fixin’ the eggs yet,” he speaks, shifting the sausages on the flat top around. “You can start with them and whip them up. The men usually have ‘em scrambled; easiest to fix large amounts that way.”

“I am half convinced you all are bottomless pits,” you comment, moving to the eggs. Now, you might be severely lacking in cooking, but you have spent a lot of time watching Lucky Roux cook to learn some basics. Like how to crack an egg without getting shell in it or how to chop vegetables. He’d even slowed down peeling carrots so you could see how to do it without cutting yourself. Every member of the Red Haired Pirates is a true gentleman through and through.

It is impossible to count the number of eggs in front of you, and you aren’t going to bother counting them. You just get to cracking them in the large bowl set out in front of you. Tap. Crack. Plop. Tap. Crack. Plop. Your nose wrinkles when a piece of a shell decides to drop into the bowl, and you have to go digging for it. It doesn’t make you squeamish, but it does slow things down because the damn thing keeps moving around! After the fifth time, you let out a curse beneath your breath (that you’ve picked up from the men despite their efforts not to curse around a gentle lady such as yourself), Lucky eyes you.

“What’d the eggs do to you?” he comments half-heartedly. You huff indignantly and move on to the next egg, cracking it against the side of the large bowl a little harder than necessary.

“Not break nicely,” you retort beneath your breath before clearing your throat. “Little bits of shells continually fall despite my efforts to maintain that they do not. My apologies if I miss picking them out.” Lucky blinks at your switch to such formal language, then reminds himself to yell at the crew to watch their mouths better and shrugs.

“Pretty sure the men’ll eat it so fast they won’t even notice; sides’, it’s extra calcium.”

“Well, I prefer my eggs not crunchy,” you mutter dryly as Lucky goes back to flipping sausage. Soon the entire kitchen begins to smell like bacon, and you know that any second the drunkards will wander in, drooling and moaning about their terrible headache. So you finish cracking the eggs and clean up the remaining shells before beginning the task of beating the eggs up.

It is an awkward job for you as the bowl is big and there are many eggs to beat, and you are still thin and frail from your mother’s strict diet. It often amazes you how easily the men on the ship can lift things as if they are made of feathers, or climb up high onto the masts and wrangle the sails, or even Lucky effortlessly mixing up a giant pot of soup. You can’t help the flickers of jealousy that run through your body.

One day. One day you are going to be strong. Maybe not like them, but you’ll be able to hold your own.

Grabbing a cleaning rag, you begin wiping down the space you’ve been cracking eggs and gotten egg on. You certainly haven’t been the neatest or cleanest, but you’ve gotten the job done and can crack an egg. So you can theoretically feed yourself when you are on your own, not that you have experience in actually cooking eggs, but it is a far cry from where you started. You’ve never had to fix your own meals before, but Lucky is taking the time to humor your unasked questions and curiosity.

Just as you are picking up a few used cooking utensils, you hear the sound of incoming feet. Two weeks on board the Red Force have given you enough time to pick up on the different footsteps of the crew. Your ear tells you that you need to immediately abandon helping Lucky. Throwing the rag across the kitchen, you scurry over to the counter opposite Lucky and plaster an innocent look upon your face.

Shanks walks into the kitchen, face tired and hand rubbing his eyes. He still looks half asleep, but the moment his eyes catch sight of your frame, he straightens up and looks at you closer. Lucky hasn’t put you to work, has he? You blink at him, your lashes fluttering around innocent eyes framed by lavender.

“You’re up early, Linaria,” he comments, further moving into the kitchen and reaching for a glass. “Thought I told you to sleep as long as you want. You are our guest.” Shanks doesn’t miss the face you make at his repeated reference that you are a guest.

“I’m up because I wish to be, Captain,” you reply eloquently while Shanks fills his glass with water. “Besides, I’ve never felt more rested, and I didn’t spend the night drinking.” At your mention of the previous night’s indulgence in spirits, Shanks winces, remembering that he is hungover. Your beauty always manages to distract him, even from a headache. Shanks pinches his nose and resists groaning.

“Aye, and I suggest that you keep it that way, madam,” you watch the red-haired man grimace before taking a sip of water. “As much as I love a good drink, I can’t say I enjoy what comes afterward.”

“And yet you still drink,” you tease the hungover pirate. “I’m beginning to think you are a glutton for punishment.”

“No, just a man that enjoys life on the sea,” Shanks replies, enjoying the teasing hint of a smirk on your lips. Before he finds himself staring at you, Shanks turns to Lucky and takes a deep whiff of the cooking sausage and bacon. The cook has just begun to scramble the copious amounts of eggs on the flat top. “That smells divine, Luck. The men’ll be happy that you got a head start on the food.”

Lucky can’t help but eye you, and you question whether or not he’ll rat you out to the captain. But rather than tattle, Lucky just shrugs and waves his spatula around.

“Grub’ll be up in a minute, wouldn’t be surprised if the crew begins nosing into the kitchen,” Lucky says, stirring up the heap of cooking eggs. “Better get your plate now, little lady, before they converge on it.”

“We’re not animals,” Shanks grumbles, leaning back against a counter and massaging his aching forehead.

“Perhaps not, but when you are hungry, just about,” you slip in with a huff and roll of your eyes. As Lucky slips a piece of sausage onto your plate followed by a dollop of scrambled eggs, Shanks gulps down the rest of his water and watches you carefully. He isn’t blind to your sneakings, but you are very good at covering your tracks regarding your insistence on helping around the ship. Growing up with a mother like yours, he figures you have long since learned how to tread quietly and move in the shadows. Useful skills but a pity that someone like you had learned them.

No doubt you had a hand in this morning’s breakfast; there is no way Lucky would have been able to focus on cooking the meat and crack the number of eggs it takes to feed the men. You are a noble lady and a guest upon his ship, but if you go out of your way to sneak around to help, Shanks won’t impede you.

You have eaten your food and washed your plate before making your way up onto the deck to enjoy the sea breeze. Before eating breakfast, the men had cleaned up empty bottles from the previous night of drinking. Now, while you are standing next to the wheel of the Red Force, you draw your fingers along intricate details carved into wood. The Red Force is by no means a new ship; the wood is worn smooth, and the sails are sun-bleached. But you can also see the care and attention the crew gives the ship.

Metal fixtures are rust-free and polished until they shine; there are no places of rotting or weak wood, and it is clean. Not to say that you have any experience with ships before; the Red Force is the first ship you have ever stepped on, but there is no clutter of netting or rope, and everything has its place. You never thought that pirates could be so disciplined with their ship.

“Not that you’ve had experience with pirates before,” you mutter to yourself, trailing your fingers up the steering wheel to brush one of the handles. By far, the steering wheel is the most worn and smooth wood on the ship. Just stroking your fingertip along the wood indicates the usage.

“I’m going to take a guess that you’ve never been on a ship like the Red Force before,” at Shanks’ voice, you turn your head to the nearby staircase. He is leaning against the railing, shirt fluttering in the breeze and not eating like the rest of the crew.

“More like I’ve never been on a ship, period,” you correct him, drawing your fingers back from the steering wheel. “This is my first time on a ship and first time off Kuri Island. Actually, I’ve never even been off the Bonn Manor grounds.” Your words should be shocking to Shanks, but they aren’t. You are the daughter of a prominent noble family and raised exactly how your mother wanted you. What does surprise him, is that you managed to get yourself to the harbor without having left the grounds of your home.

“Do you miss it?” he asks, slowly coming closer and watching your body language. You are relaxed, at peace, a sight he is glad to see. But in your eyes still brews unease.

“If I never see another chestnut in my life, I will die a very happy woman,” you huff out, nose scrunching. “No, I don’t miss it. I’ve never had this much freedom in my life before, and I don’t want to lose that. Seasickness aside, I like the breeze and watching the water.”

“I can agree with you there,” Shanks comes to a stop on the opposite side of the large steering wheel. “Seasickness is a tough ailment to have; it gets better the longer you’re on the water, but even the best sailors still get sick from time to time.”

“I’ll take being seasick on occasion if it means I can be free like this,” you murmur, looking out at the churning waves with fondness. Shanks has no doubts that you will bear terrible seasickness just to be on the water. “I’ll probably have the easiest time avoiding being caught by my parents if I stick to being on a ship rather than on land. It would be prudent of me to acquire my own ship.” Shanks can’t help but chuckle.

“Forgive me for asking, but do you have the faintest clue how to sail and navigate, Linaria?” he asks you, his eyebrow raised in inquisition. You purse your lips, knowing he has a point, but that won’t stop you.

“Not exactly, but I’ve read plenty of books from my father’s library when my mother was out. I will learn somehow.” Of that, he has no doubt, but the quality of teaching is just as important as the material, and Shanks has a feeling that you might seek help from someone with ill intentions.

“Come here,” he speaks, stepping in front of the wheel but leaving enough room for you. You raise your own eyebrow at him but do as he asks. Standing in front of the red-haired man, you blink when he points to faded marks carved into the rail in front of the wheel. “The first thing you need to know about sailing is the sides of your ship for navigation purposes. We don’t use left or right.”

“Starboard and port, right?” you speak up, remembering the book you had flipped through on a rainy afternoon after tea time. Looking over your shoulder, you see a small smile on Shanks’ lips. “Don’t smile at me yet; I don’t remember which is which.” This time he laughs.

“Knowing that we don’t use left and right already puts you ahead of beginners,” Shanks tells you before gesturing to the P and the S carved into the wood. “Port is the left side of the ship; starboard is right. Bow is front; stern is back.”

“And I see someone needed a reminder,” you say, leaning forward to look at the faded letters.

“Not everyone gets the hang of it right away; it’s better to have it written down so we don’t get mixed up.”

“Something tells me that it doesn’t help navigating the Grand Line.”

“The Grand Line is no place for a lady such as yourself; get that thought out of your mind,” Shanks tells you, his voice and tone serious.

“How do you even know what I am thinking?” He reaches up and gently knocks his knuckles against your forehead.

“I can see your thoughts through your eyes, Linaria. The Grand Line is dangerous. Even for me.”

“It wasn’t a bad idea,” you mutter to yourself, running your fingers over the wheel yet again.

“No. It was a terrible idea,” Shanks corrects, making sure that you are looking him in the eyes. “No entertaining the Grand Line, no thinking about the Grand Line, no planning the Grand Line. Got it?”

“Has anyone ever told you that you are bossy?” you question, fully understanding Shanks’ whole Grand Line Bad spiel. The man places his hand on the wheel and stares insistently at you.

“Yes?” he enunciates.

“Quite so. Grand Line bad. Blues good.”

Date Published: 12/7/23

Last Edit: 7/29/24

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[suryp]

Date: unknown

Year: inconsequential

Region: central Tartyryn straight

The snow crunches beneath our feet, the wind howls like the devil, and while we all show fear, I've reason to think my brothers know not that we walk over a frozen sea, more than 30 metres deep with fish heavier than our entire platoon. I doubt my commander knows, either, but that suits our real mission just fine.

The mission. Ha. Everyone knows the only safe spots for a town are off shore, we've already done the math, there's nothing out here worth finding.

Good thing Commander Reijean is such a greedy fuck, then.

"HALT!"

Thats him right there. Most would say he just wants to prove himself, but I know better. All humans hide their worst traits, tone 'em down for the public. We're all worse than we seem on the outside.

"..."

"whats out their c-"

"shut your trap private, I won't have my skill split be-"

*Crack*

"Mission complete, I suppose"

In an instant, Clark pulled out the rifle on his back. it was cheap shit, like all the gear for this trip was, but He's among the best "weapons guys" I've ever met.

Fortunately, the gun jams, and he vanishes into the blizzard.

"Clark? Buddy? Clark? Clark!"

"Circular formation, weapons up, we are-"

"...Commander?"

Just a few more to go. Our platoon used to be larger, but wandering for days on end through an empty void of ice and snow will take its toll. Just a few weeks ago, we might've won this fight.

Good thing banshees are smart, then.

"SpLit up!"

"Commander?"

"Split Up!"

"h- He's right. we're no more than a larger target like this."

"Just gotta find the right time for it."

Sabotage wasn't the plan, and it leaves a bad taste, but there's nothing for it.

"Now."

"..."

"..."

*Cr'Ack*

"..."

*Crunch*

"..."

And finally, a blood curdling scream cut short, by a few extra holes in the lungs.

I stand up, spread my arms wide, and make myself the most clear and easy target I can."

-...-

Two hours later

The blizzard dies, I see my siblings dead in the snow. Three have a mulch of bone and Metal shards, alongside frozen blood, in place of their heads. Commander has a crushed neck. Charlie's kevlar is punched through, frozen blood all along his chest.

There's a sixth carcass, some ornitherian, I think, though it's hard to tell considering how much was eaten. The ribs are gone, and only Two and a half legs remain.

I begin to walk off. A meal, even the frozen remains of a hippogriff corpse, is the last thing I d-

*crunch*

"..."

"you not fight me. why?"

"..."

"all humans try to kill us. take sea from us. take tyk'yk from us."

"...take egg from us."

"..."

"you not fight. why?"

-

alright thats a wrap! The official intro to Fisher and the Flame and the world of... well, I suppose she doesn't have a real name yet but hey, we can make this work.

for a bit of context regarding appearances, if you need that, "Ornithere" and "Hippogriff" refer to pterosaurian animals, most similar to (and heavily based on) Trollman's "Cuvier's Isle" a small spec one-shot. It does not refer to the serinean animals of the same name.

Banshee are a bit easier to describe, being a rough combination of Utahraptor osstramaysi and a Leopard Seal, very similar to @tales-of-kaimere's *Updated* xuul design, along with the Adzakoordu and the White Cockatrice, as well as the Tamakai.

The narrator, Jake Fisher, is getting a drawing, by someone who appreciates men far more than I.

now go read about kaimere on Keenan Taylors twitter, bluesky, deviantart, and youtube channel, along with trollman's various sickass works on the same websites.

-

edits: minor word changes, removal of unneeded dashes, and Commander is now cishet, because killing the first queer confirmed in story feels a bit too rude.

Reijean is still his name tho, since there has to some reason this unit was sent out.

also added a new tag. sorry y'all.

(im just gonna use the most extreme and broad tags that, since im exceedingly apathetic but do want to tag things correctly)

[ofmdrecaps]

07/12/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Samba Schutte; Vico Ortiz; Rachel House; Nathan Foad; Kristian Nairn; Minnie Driver; Gypsy Taylor; Nathan Foad; You Bear Fine Thing Well; Articles; Non Binary Awareness Week; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika

== Rhys Darby ==

A LIVE Cryptid Factor show has been announced at ther Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023! August 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th! Unfortunately it looks like they sold out within the first few hours. Hopefully we'll see some more lives soon! Grats boys on the quick sellout!

Source: Rhys Darby's Instagram

Rhys also posted multiple tiktok videos today regarding a new character I assume? "Brief Moments of Genius: The Doug Thandwich Pamphlet"

Source: Rhys Darby's Tiktok

== Samba Schutte ==

Samba made it safely to Florida Supercon! Annnnd apparently the hotel didn't think about his height when getting him set up in the deluxe rainfall shower!

Source: Samba Schutte's Instagram

== Vico Ortiz ==

Vico also made it to Florida Supercon safely (with Jack!)! Are you going to be seeing them this weekend?

Source: Vico's Instagram Stories

ALSO -- more OFMD S2 BTS (as well as exclusive other BTS from their other shows, etc) from Vico on their Patreon! Check out the new video here!

Source: Vico Ortiz' Patreon

== Rachel House ==

Rachel was out at a showing of &Juliet getting to meet one of her heroes, Keala Settle!

Source: Rachel House's Instagram

== Kristian Nairn ==

As mentioned before - Signed copies of Kristian's book are on pre-sale now! Apparently some of the signing is happening now because Kristian posted a video of some signatures happening! They've also hit the Barnes & Nobles Best Sellers list!

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

REMINDER: Adopt Our Crew was kind enough to put together his list of where you can buy Kristian's Book! Reminder-- bookshop is great if you want to support your local bookstores!

Barnes & Noble

Amazon US

Amazon UK 

Bookshop.com

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

== Nathan Foad ==

Nathan once again out with friends <3. I'm so happy we're getting to see him have so much fun this summer!

Source: Nathan Foad's Instagram

== Minnie Driver ==

Our fabulous Anne Bonny, Minnie Driver is playing Elizabeth I in Serpent Queen Season 2! Which just so happens to premier today on Starz!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Min. (@driverminnie)

Source: Minnie Driver's Instagram

== Gypsy Taylor ==

Our darling costume designer for s2 - Gypsy Taylor has received a special gift from one of our fan crews-- Our Flag Means Daddy! She received a special jacket with the name Sea Gypsy embroidered on it! Congrats Gypsy and thank you Our Flag Means Daddy crew for continuing to bring joy and recognition to our dear OFMD Cast & Crew!

Source: Gypsy Taylor's Instagram

== You Bear Fine Things Well ==

Today was the final day for #YouBearFineThingsWell! @adoptourcrew asked fans to share their favorite bear puns Rhys came up with for the Hungry Games! I have to say mine was "We asked Cassanova if he had any types... he said brunettes".

Source: @adoptourcrew's Twitter

== Articles ==

A few more mentions of OFMD this week!

Source: Collider Article

And thank you to @adoptourcrew for bringing this screenrant article to our attention!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Non Binary Awareness Week ==

Another article from Pink News -- this time recommending 11 Must Watch Films/TV Shows Starring Non-Binary Actors! I already know several I'll be seeing once they're available. Check them out!

Source: Pink News Article

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! Happy start to the weekend! I truly hope you've had fun this week in some capacity. There's been something for everyone and hopefully we continue to see some hype coming up in the up coming weeks.

Today I wanted to remind you of something that I know you've heard before, but like anything in this life, repetition helps to solidify things so I'm gonna say some of it again. You don't need to prove to anyone your worth. You don't need to beg for anyone to love you and you certainly don't need to be someone you're not for someone else's sake. We all have demands from outside forces every day-- work, school, etc, and a lot of those demands are things we have to cope with in order to function in and be a part of society. Those demands aren't always in our best interest, but for the most part they're at least somewhat reasonable. However, there are going to be times that others have demands on you that are completely unreasonable. Maybe someone expects you to fall into a pretty little category. Maybe someone expects you to understand them when they aren't being clear. Maybe someone expects you to bend over backwards and change for their benefit, but not provide you with the same courtesy.

Whatever unreasonable demands you're dealing with, I just want to send you a reminder that you are allowed to say no. You are allowed to set up boundaries to help minimise that kind of behavior. You are allowed to just be you, and to continue to shine being you. Nothing is black and white, so it may not be easy, and may not be viable, or safe for some people-- I absolutely get that, and you should always keep your safety and security top of mind. But if you have the wiggle room, and you can set up those boundaries, remember there's nothing wrong with wanting to continue to be you, the way you are and defending that you.

You are wonderful lovelies, and we all have things in life we can improve on, but you being your beautiful, unique, authentic self is a right, and you have every right to protect the parts of you you hold dear. You don't have to prove to anyone that you are worthy of love just being yourself-- because you already ARE worthy of love, and light, and good things.

You don't have to fit into a neat little box to be loved, or valid. You are already both of those things, and sometimes it's hard to see it in ourselves-- so this reminder is from me to you, from the crew, to you, that you are wonderful just the way you are. Rest well and be kind to yourselves lovelies, you deserve it.

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Tonight's theme is shades on a couple of cool dudes! Gifs courtesy of two of the most fabulous and talented gif makers on the internet - @ofmd-ann and @bizarrelittlemew!

[pearlywritings]

Okay, BUT

Just imagine a reader with mannerism of Shellsea from Fish Hooks in Fontaine

(Tik tok did it to me)

Written before Fontaine's release

First of all - she is some kind of sea creature but under human disguise - pretty much like Neuvillette. She can be a Genshin lore-accurate mermaid if they have one for all I care, but currently with legs and residing in the nation of Hydro.

Trendy, flashy, yet classy. Works as an attorney in the Court - which she is actually good at. But mostly her role is entertaining Furina with her wit and way of advocating, which gradually reduces the number of executions, and gains her a bit of unspoken gratitude from the Chief Judge, even though sometimes his eye twitches from some of her comments. Which the Archon also finds hilarious.

Like, listening to the defendant’s case, and then just going “wow, ma’am, I think you just dropped something. My jaw. Now to the evidence…”

Or “Neuv, relaaaaax. I wanna do it this way, and if I am wrong, I don’t wanna be right.”

Just causing manageable chaos and being iconic.

Feel like being besties with Navia is a given.

And the blondie is so pretty that she probably gets asked out at least once a week.

“Oh, this man is gonna have his heart smashed in a minute. I wanna watch it.”

Also going all “Girl, you’re craaaaaazy. I like it!” the moment the reader learns that she wields a hecking claymore.

No matter what probably spends quite some time in the Chief Judge’s office, reviewing some of the cases and actually coming up with ideas on how to keep Focalors content.

“Ew, this man’s case is actually concerning. He is so dead, this little creep. You know, that’s actually what I’m gonna tell him. And then smack his head with one of these books on your shelves.”

“Y/n, you can’t hit him.”

“When did that stop me? Which volume 5 of Fontaine laws is heavier - the 23th edition or the 35th one? Both look so thick.”

“sigh”

Most likely wears a new attire every single hearing. One time Neuvillette even questioned her after seeing the report of her spendings where the big portion was dedicated to clothes. It was just a few decades ago, after her decision to permanently stay on land and take over what she is so good at now. He won’t admit it, but maybe he was a bit concerned about her having a hard time handling her budget.

“Listen, Sir. I got those pretty walking legs to dress them up nicely as the rest of my body. Speaking of which, now I am craving a Natlan lava hot dress with ¾ sleeves, off-the-shoulder, a fixed box pleat skirt and embroidery on my girls,” casually motions to the chest.

As shameless as she is, nothing shocked the poor man more, than when three days later she arrived in exactly that dress. After this he almost never questioned her abilities.

Speaking of abilities, probably good at gathering intel. Unintentionally.

Also so chill, that when Furina threatened to turn her into water, she just stared at her point blank and went “Loooook, milady, it’s nothing personal, but I had to stop you. I read it in Neuv’s eyes, he was pleading for it. Don’t turn him into water though, I like him. Besides, Fontaine's waters might turn sour if he replenishes its volumes.”

She is Furina’s personal favorite.

When shit starts further down the Archon quest and everyone is panicking, reader, standing next to Neuvillette and Furina, just smacking her lips and exclaiming “we’re all gonna die! And if some of us actually do, Neuv, I’m stealing your coats,” not taking it seriously enough.

Would be so funny if she and the Chief Judge got together at some point lol. But staying sarcastic colleagues borderline a different kind of besties is also hysterical. But they do unintentionally "parent" Furina.

[mountttmase]

A Little Problem - Part Two

Note - so this is long 😂 also I’m the worst at coming up with endings I really need to work on that. But let me know what you think 💕 part one can be found here.

Pairing - Mason Mount x Reader

Word count - 5k

Warnings - fluff & angst

Ben ignored you for the rest of the trip. It was only another two days but if you ended up near him he’d make sure to leave and you didn’t dare try speaking to him again. You managed to corner him that afternoon but he told you to leave him alone and he didn’t want to listen to what you had to say right now. You were hurt at the way he was treating you both but you did as he asked and kept your distance from him.

You knew he’d told the rest of the group what was going on and the smiles and cheers the pair of you received when you walked into the room made your face burn. Mason was quick to sense your discomfort and protected you immediately, telling everyone to shut up and piss off which your we’re thankful for but you were now even more furious with Ben.

The pair of you didn’t let it get to you though, keeping out of Bens way and sticking with each other as Ben stayed with the rest of your friends. The first date Mason wanted to take you on once you were back home had been moved forward to the last night of your trip, ditching the others so he could take you out to dinner in one of the restaurants you’d wanted to visit all week. He was his usual charming self however you noticed he was a little shyer than usual but when you held his hand across the table you saw him relax. He suggested a walk on the beach after so you could watch the sunset and as soon as it dipped behind the sea, his lips were on yours.

Never in a million years would of thought kissing Mason would feel like this and you were just thankful that you were already sat down as you could feel your legs turn to jelly as he captured your lips with his. The arm that was already around your back pulled you in closer whilst his other hand found home on your cheek, gently brushing his thumb along the skin as he kissed you tenderly whilst your hands rested on his chest. You could feel his heart hammering against your fingers and your breath caught in your throat when he bit your bottom lip gently.

He pulled away from you much quicker than you wanted him to, and he laughed as his kissed your pout, unimpressed but the lack of contact before he rested his forehead on yours.

‘Have you had a nice time tonight?’ He questioned and you nodded at him gently.

‘Better than nice. Thank you, Mase’

‘You’re welcome, gorgeous. I think it was kinda nice just thinking about something other than you know what for a little while’

‘I’m sure he’ll come round’ you told him but you were starting to question that yourself. Your suspicions were only confirmed when you were back at the villa and Mason was checking on the flights for the next day when he noticed Ben was now sitting as far away from you as possible and by the looks of things Mason was also sat far away from you too. You sat next to Mason on the sofa, looking out onto the patio where Ben and a few of the others sat, feeling more distant from you best friend than you ever had.

‘He must of changed the seats round’ Mason mused and he tapped away on his phone. You saw him look up to you at the corner of your eye but you didn’t look back, not wanting him to see how you were feeling right now. You felt him place an arm around you before pulling you into him, placing a kiss on your forehead before he tilted your face so he could look you in the eye. ‘I’ve changed it myself, you’re sat with me now if that’s alright.’ He smiled and you sent him a small smile back. ‘Even if it wasn’t alright, we’ve reached the limit we can change them around now so you’re stuck with me’

‘I suppose I can put up with you’ you laughed lightly and he sent you a heart warming smile as you let out a yawn.

‘We best get to bed, it’s gonna be a long day tomorrow’ he whispered and you nodded in agreement. ‘You all packed?’

‘Just about. I have a few bits to sort in the morning. You?’ You questioned and he looked at you with an embarrassed smile. You huffed at him before standing up and pulling him with you by the hand. ‘Come on I’ll come help you for a bit’ you told him as you pulled him by the hand in the direction of the bedrooms. You made eye contact with Ben for a few seconds who’s face was hard with anger as he look away from you. You noticed the subtle shake of his head, clearly thinking the pair of you were off to have sex again when it couldn’t be further from the truth.

After the morning you were caught, you and Mason laid there for another hour or so, talking lightly about plans the pair of you hand when you got back and when you could see each other next when an idea popped into your head.

‘Hey, Mase? I was thinking, we wanna see if this works properly right? So I think it’s best if we don’t have sex again for a little while. Just so we can figure this out without that being a part of it? You know like normal people would?’ You laughed lightly and he looked at you with a small smile.

‘You’re putting me on a sex ban?’ He joked and you tapped his arm playfully.

‘Just a mini one. I just think it might be good to go on a few dates first? Like we hang out a lot but there’s always other people there. You might not like me in my own’

‘First of all, that’s bullshit. Whenever we’re together I’m itching to get you alone so don’t even start with all that. And secondly, I’m happy doing whatever you think is best’ he told you with a kiss on your nose which made you smile.

‘I was thinking like after the third date?’

‘I can work with that’ he winked ‘I’ll just take you out each night we get back’

‘Masonnn’ you groaned, hiding your head in his neck but he just laughed and kissed your cheeky gently.

‘I’m kidding, baby. I really like you and I wanna do this properly too’

‘Yeah?’

‘Of course’

‘Well, for what it’s worth. I really like you too’ you told him, a shy smile on your face, but it was worth the pounding in your chest when you saw him smile down at you before kissing you lovingly.

You’d just about finished helping Mason pack when you let out a big yawn which Mason noticed. ‘Come on love, you go to sleep I can do the rest tomorrow’ he told you, pulling you into him and leaving a kiss on your head.

‘Can I sleep here?’ You questioned shyly, figuring Ben already thought you were sleeping together so there was no point in trying to be coy, and he nodded with a small smile.

‘Of course, you don’t have to ask’ he whispered and you buried your head in his arm as he laughed lightly. ‘Come on, you can sleep in this’ he told you, removing the shirt from his body and handing it to you. You blushed at the sight of him, wanting to reach out and touch his skin but figured you’d have a chance to do that in a little bit. He ushered you to his en-suite and once you were sorted, you returned to find him sat in just his boxers on the edge of the bed.

He nodded for you to get in whilst he jumped in the bathroom after and when he finally emerged he slotted himself next to you and pulled you into his chest. You were eye level and you allowed yourself to take a good look at his features and you felt yourself turn to jelly. You placed a gentle kiss on his lips which made him smile before you got yourself comfortable in his arms and drifted off to sleep.

The flight home was fine, Ben made no effort to talk or interact with you both so you left him to it however you were growing increasingly annoyed by his attitude and unwillingness to talk about things properly. Him pushing you away was just making you gravitate to Mason more and once you’d landed, you made your way off the plane with Mason holding on to your hand behind you. Not even looking at Ben as he glanced up at you.

You’d been home an hour when you’d received a text from Ben, asking if he could come and talk to you but making sure you were alone. Mason had helped you carry your bags in from the taxi but left pretty much straight after so she could sort himself out, promising to call you later so you let Ben know it was fine and he was over in the next half hour.

He didn’t so much a crack a smile when you opened the door, just walked in with his hands in his pockets and made his way to you living room. You took a deep breath before following him in and sitting on the opposite side of the room.

‘Can I get you a drink or anything?’ You offered but he just shook his head. ‘So what’s up?’

He gave you an disbelieving look before shaking his head slightly and you could see how agitated he was becoming so you let him collect himself before he spoke.

‘You know I’m not happy about this. Like at all’

‘You don’t say’ you huffed and he gave you a hard look.

‘Don’t be sarcastic, y/n. Why him? Like why out of everyone on the planet are you sleeping with him? And how long have you been doing this behind my back? I thought we told each other everything?’

‘First of all, we’re not just sleeping together. We’re trying to give things a proper go like it’s not just sex there’re actual feelings there. And second of all, it’s none of your business who I may or may not be sleeping with or dating’ you told him and he scoffed at your words which was making you grow impatient quickly. ‘We also haven’t been doing anything behind your back. The first time was the night before you walked in on us. You should know I’m always honest with you but I didn’t think I’d need to text you and ask permission first’

‘You expect me to believe that?’ He spat and you sighed quietly.

‘Believe what you want. I don’t get it though, you never had an issue with my ex and he was an absolute arse. Mason is supposed to be one of your best friends and you’re treating him horribly’

‘Cause I know what he’s like!’ He exploded and you were a little taken aback by his outburst. ‘He doesn’t care about you like that, he just wants you for sex. Why do you think he even went there in the first place? He wasn’t getting any when we were out so he thought he’d try it on with you and you bloody fell for it!’

You felt your eyes burn at what Ben was saying, not believing him at all as you trusted Mason. He wasn’t just a random boy after all, he was your friend first and foremost and he’d been nothing but kind to you since you met him.

‘I’m sorry Ben, but you’ve got it all wrong’ you told him calmly but this seemed to agitate him even more, causing him to jump up and start pacing the room.

‘I’m trying to protect you here, y/n. I’m not saying stuff for the fun of it. He’s no good for you’

‘Why?’

‘Cause I know-‘

‘No you don’t!’ You cut him off, rising up to face him and he he stopped to look at you shocked. ‘You don’t know anything about Me and Mason. We had sex twice, that’s it. We haven’t done it again since you saw us that morning and and when I told him I wanted to wait until we figured things out he said he’s happy to do what I think is best. Because he respects me enough to wait until I’m comfortable with where we are. So no he’s not just shagging me. He actually cares and I care about him’ you told him, angry with how this conversation was going. ‘If you came here to be rude about him and tell lies than I’d rather you leave’

‘You don’t mean that’

‘Oh I do Ben, I really do. You’ve made the both of us feel like crap over this and I’m not gonna let you ruin this for me’. By the looks of things, he didn’t have anything else to say to you and just stared at you for a brief second before walking out.

You felt deflated.

If your own best friend couldn’t be happy for you then who would? You tried not to think about what he’d said, not wanting to question Masons intentions as he’d done absolutely nothing to make you doubt him, but Ben had seemingly got under your skin.

You woke up the next morning to a text from Mason, having gone to sleep without messaging him last night as your own insecurities had got the better of you.

Hello beautiful. I presume you went to sleep pretty early last night as I didn’t hear from you. I hope you’re okay and let me know when you’re free for me to see you next cause I miss you already :( xxx

You smiled at his text, eager to see him too now you’d slept on everything and you let him know you were free all day. He made his way over to you at around three and you greeted him with a bone crushing hug that made him laugh.

‘You okay?’ He questioned with a concerned face and you let him know you were fine before you got settled on the sofa.

‘Have you heard from Ben at all?’ You asked him after a few minutes and he shook his head. ‘I have’

‘Oh yeah? What did he say?’

‘Some not very nice things’ you laughed and the look Mason was giving you made it clear he wanted you to expand. ‘Told me you only want me for sex and he doesn’t get why out of everyone else on the planet i’d pick you’ you told him and you could see he was disheartened about it so you held him by the jaw until his sad eyes looked into yours. ‘I don’t believe him though, Mase. Not a word. And I told him to leave and not ruin things for us’

He gave you a half smile at this, thankful that you’d stuck up for him but you cold tell he was unhappy with what Ben had said about him. You leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss that made him smile a little more before he tugged you into him so he could hold you.

‘I’m sorry he’s making things difficult, but I need you to know he’s wrong. It’s not just sex for me’

‘I know that, Mase. I believe you I promise. ’

‘I thought he might be a little unhappy but I didn’t think he’d be like this’ he breathed as he gently rubbed up and down your back. ‘I never meant to fall for you, it just happed but I don’t regret it one bit’

You pulled back to look at him, your glassy eyes catching his and you offered him a small smile as he bent down to kiss you lightly.

‘You don’t have to explain yourself Mason’ you told him as you settled back into his embrace so you could tell him how you felt without looking at him as you were overcome with nerves. ‘He must of known something like this would of happened cause he told me you were off limits’

‘Me too’ He chuckled and you nestled further down into him. ‘We better make sure this works out then huh?’ He chuckled and you squeezed him a little tighter. ‘But I don’t want you to worry about what Ben has to say. How we feel about each other is nothing to do with him’ he stated before kissing your head lightly. ‘Now, when can I take you on a second date?’ He laughed and you chuckled into his neck, feeling happier than you had all day.

Mason had taken you to mini golf for your second date and he’d beaten you by a landslide. You weren’t happy with your performance but he made it up to you in kisses so you couldn’t be too mad at him. You’d even stayed over at his that night although he reiterated that no funny business would be happening and even though he was joking, you couldn’t wait for your third and final date so you could get him in between the sheets agin.

You we’re currently waiting for him in the car park at cobham, having dropped him off this morning but he seemed to be one of the last ones out as there were only a few cars left. You soon saw Reece heading out the door, looking around frantically until he spotted your car. You got out as he rushed over and the panic set in as you caught sight of the look in his face.

‘You better come in’ he told you and you followed him, unsure of what you were walking into. He led you all the way to what appeared to be a treatment room and inside you found Mason lying on a physio bed with a bandage around his ankle and a sour look on his face.

‘Mase? What the hell happened?’ You asked as you rushed over to him. Your hands cupped his jaw and you felt his hands settle around your waist, trying to comfort you even though he was the one in pain.

‘It’s just a knock baby, don’t worry I’ll be alright in a few days’ he reassured you but you heard a scoff from the other side of the room and when you turned you were met with a pissed off looking Ben, clearly annoyed about the pet name Mason called you, but you could detect a bit of guilt behind his eyes.

‘Did you do this?’ You breathed and you noticed him squirm under your stare.

‘Not on purpose’ he argued back, he eyebrows furrowed as he caught onto how hurt you were by his actions.

‘It was just a bit of a late tackle’ Mason explained quietly.

‘It was a bit of a shit tackle’ Reece uttered and Mason let out a little laugh whilst Ben shot daggers at them both.

‘Just get out Ben’ you huffed, turning away so you could focus your attention on Mason and after a few seconds you heard him leave the room with Reece following behind with a quick goodbye. ‘Sorry love, I feel like this is all my fault’ you told him, resting your hands on his shoulders, but he looked up at you with sparking eyes and a huge smile. ‘What?’ You laughed as he turned his face and kissed your arm.

‘That’s the first time you’ve ever called me anything but my name’ he laughed and you felt your face blush as you realised you’d let the pet name slip. ‘Don’t be embarrassed, I liked it’ he told you, pulling you in so you could give him a hug ‘it’s not your fault either. Let’s just go home’ he whispered and you could tell he sounded deflated.

You spent a few days looking after Mason, but he was right and he was fine a few days after however you had your suspicions he was playing on it a little bit so you’d take care of him for longer.

You wanted to surprise Mason after his first day back at training so you let yourself into his with the spare key you knew he’d hidden in a lockbox behind a bush and you were upstairs when you heard his car pulling onto the drive. He was earlier than you expected and you chanced a look outside to find Bens car parking up next his. You cursed under your breath as you hadn’t realised he would be bringing anyone back and you hid upstairs so the pair of them couldn’t see you but you could still hear.

‘Shall we go sit in the kitchen? I need a drink’ you heard Mason ask before they both shuffled off. You were unsure of what to do, but your curiosity got the better of you and you snuck downstairs to listen in, hiding behind the door frame so you could hear every word. ‘Thanks for coming’ you heard Mason utter as you sat on the floor as quietly as you could.

‘I guess it’s a bit overdue’ Ben huffed and you gulped in anticipation about what you were about to hear. ‘I’m sorry about your ankle’

‘I don’t care about that, I’ll be fine in a few days. What I care about is how y/n feels and I know she’s really hurt’ Mason explained, and your heart thudded at how he was sticking up for you. ‘I thought you might be a bit iffy about us at first, but I didn’t expect this’

You heard Ben sigh and they were both quiet for a while before Ben let out a little groan.

‘I don’t know…’ Ben trailed off but Mason pushed him for an answer.

‘You know me, you know I’d never do anything to hurt her and you’re lying about me behind my back? Filling her head with all sorts of shit to warn her off? You were never like that with her ex yet you’re happy to throw one of your best friends to the wolves?’

‘Cause I knew it would never last with him’ Ben suddenly stated and you held your breath in hopes he would continue. ‘I knew I’d never have to worry about anything serious going on cause he was a twat’

‘But this is what I don’t get’ Mason queried thankfully asking all the questions you wished you could. ‘What does it matter if she’s in a serious relationship. She’s a grown adult and she deserves to be happy. You can keep her you single best friend forever’

‘That’s not what I want’

‘Then please explain cause I’m really not getting it’

‘You really want me to tell you?’

‘Yes’

‘I don’t want her to be single forever, but I wanted her to be single for when I was ready’ he told Mason timidly and you had to hold your hand over your mouth to hold in your gasp, wondering if what he was saying meant what you think it did. ‘I didn’t care if she was waisting time with with him cause I knew when that was all over, I’d be ready and waiting for her’

‘Wait? You like her?’

‘Of course I do’ he huffed and you could feel your heart ringing in your ears. Ben was your best friend, you saw him as a brother but never as anything more, so to hear him speak about you like this shocked you as you would of never expected it. ‘But I don’t think I’m ready for all that just yet, you know?’

‘So you encouraged her to date guys you knew it wouldn’t work out with so she’d be available for when you were ready? Do you realise how that sounds, mate? That fucking awful’

‘Well yeah, when you say it like that it does. But I never meant it in a bad way. I just felt like it was fate that we’d end up together but then you showed up and took her away’

‘She’s not your fucking possession’ Mason spat and you almost got up to stop him exploding. ‘You’ve got no right to play with her life like that’

‘I wasn’t’ Ben argued back and you weren’t sure if you wanted to carry on listening anymore.

‘Look mate, I get it alright. I’ve liked her from the second I saw her, she’s not hard to fall for. But if you’re not ready to be what she needs now then I don’t think you ever will be. If you like her as much as you say you do then you would of found a way to make it work’ Mason told him softly, trying to comfort him but also let him know this all had to stop. ‘I’d do absolutely anything for her, you know? Even if she never wanted to see me again I’d do it cause I put her feelings above mine always. That’s what you do for the ones you care about’ he laughed lightly

‘It’s just a lot to lose’

‘I’m not saying she’s gonna kick you out of her life, you’re her best friend and she’s always gonna want you around, but you have to respect her decisions’

It was silent for a while and you figured Ben was processing what Mason had said to him, soon enough hearing a big sigh.

‘I’m sorry for all that shit I said about you. Walking into you two going at it wasn’t exactly great and I was just trying anything I could to try and end things. But that was shit of me and I’m sorry’

‘I get it, I know it must be hard’

‘Doesn’t make it right though. I’ve been a shit friend to you. To the both of you’

‘There’s still time to fix things’ Mason told him, his voice sounding optimistic and you smiled at how maturely he seemed to be handling the situation. ‘But I want you to know I’d never do anything to hurt her, yeah? You can trust me’

‘I know. That’s why I never wanted you together’ Ben said with a laugh and you heard Mason chuckle along with him. ‘Come give me a hug, man’ Ben said and you took that as you cue to leave, carefully standing up and making your way back up to Masons room where you could hopefully hide out for a little bit until Ben had left. You had almost drifted off when you heard the door open to reveal a smiling Mason which confused you as you’d expected him to be surprised to see you.

‘So this is where you went’ he teased as he flopped down next to you. ‘How much if that did you hear downstairs?’

‘W-what?’ You stuttered, stunned that you’d apparently been caught out, but the smile on his face let him know you were okay. ‘How did you know I was listening’ to whispered with a slight laugh as you hid in his body.

‘I saw a shadow move when you got up to go and then your hair when you turned. Discreet is not your middle name my love’ he teased and you laughed as he tickled your sides.

‘I heard pretty much all of it’ you told him quietly and he nodded gently in response. ‘Did he see me too?’

‘No, he was facing the other way’ he confirmed, stroking your cheek with his thumb and kissing your forehead. ‘Are you alright?’

‘I think so. Thank you for sticking up for me’ you mumbled and he smiled before kissing your cheek but you could tell he looked a little rattled by the whole thing.

‘Does this change things between us?’ He asked shyly and your heart broke at the vulnerability in his eyes.

‘I don’t see why it would’ you reassured him, holding him a little tighter to hopefully let him know things were going to be okay.

‘He likes you, y/n. He think I stole his future wife’ he grumbled and you smiled at his moodiness. ‘Don’t laugh’

‘Look, Mase. If that’s what he feels then fine, but I don’t feel the same’

‘No?’ He asked, a look of relief washing over his features as you shook your head.

‘No. He’s like a brother to me, and after what said downstairs and done over the last week or so then that’s not someone I want. I like you, Mase. I want to be with you’ you told him and he hugged you to him tighter.

‘I thought you might of picked him over me’ he breathed and you shook your head.

‘Yes I’ve known Ben for longer, but I’m not giving up what we have. You’ve made me so happy, like I know we’re just starting out but I’m excited about the future with you’

‘Yeah?’ He laughed, and you could see his eyes were a bit glossy. Clearly relieved as he thought your friendship with Ben would trump your feelings for each other.

‘Of course’ you smiled before kissing him softly. ‘In fact, how about we call this our third date?’ You winked and his face lit up instantly.

‘Are you sure?’ he laughed before grabbing your face so he could deepen the kiss and rolling his body on top of yours.

‘Positive, I’m always happy to bend the rules for you’ you breathed, wrapping your legs around his waist and pulling him flush against your body. You could fell him pressed up against your core and your spine tingled at the feel of him. ‘Besides, we have another massive problem of yours to sort out by the looks of things’ you teased and he buried his head in your neck whilst laughing, a little embarrassed clearly but you found it endearing.

‘I promise you, I’ll try my hardest to make this the only problem we ever have’ he laughed and you laughed even louder, happier now things were heading in the right direction.