#also with Alice! shes the next highest i think you can see some of her head in the picture

[alteabellerose]

I don't think it'll be a problem, Suki

[boizandgurlzinthehouse]

𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍

fandom: alice in borderland

characters: chishiya shuntaro, banda sunato!!

summary: they meet you again in the borderlands, thinking they'll never see you again after getting there.

warning(s): medication, psychiatry, badly written feelings (i gotta get a hang of it, it's my first writing with them )):), past is in italics

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐘𝐀

word count: 1.682k

coming home to the beach after a game, he felt a little tired. nothing special happened, watching other survivors running around in the hallways of a building was quite interesting. 

suddenly, something got into his eyesight. on the beach, on his favourite place on the top of the building, someone stood. they didn’t notice him, they just stood there, looking down at the people without any movement. who was that brave to stand there? it was dangerous, they could fall in any minute, and it was only used by him and sometimes niragi —he knew he smoked some weed up there with his friends, he heard it when he wanted to go up there to think. this person wasn’t a scaredy cat, he thought. who were them? before he began to walk into the building of the beach, where the tárgyaló terem was, he saw the hatter sitting on one of the sunbeds, between pretty girls. maybe he knew, if he let them there. 

“hey, hatter.”

“chishiya, hey! come, sit here, there’s plenty of seats.” the girls beside hatter smiled at him, but he wasn’t affected.

—

before y/n, he wouldn’t think that he could ever feel flustered by a girl, or even a person. he merely knew other people’s reaction, sometimes even by just looking at them. but with y/n, he didn’t know what was gonna be her next move or words that came out from her mouth. she wasn’t even a normal girl, with abilities like hers she couldn’t even be simple. they got to know each other when y/n were at the psychiatry in the same hospital as him. he got to know that she went there with her little brother, but instead of her brother, it was her who needed help in the end. for the first time, he talked to his colleagues from psychiatry. it turned out that y/n had the highest iq in her age in the whole of japan, based on tests. but her emotional intelligence lacked things like guilt, or spaced out and slept for whole days. he got to know that she even skipped school just to sleep or be with herself in her room, generating conflict with her parents and her teachers from school. y/n loved one person and one person only; her brother. her love for him was stronger than anything, she always protected him and even bullied other kids in his brother’s class when she saw them bugging her brother, to the point that some of the kids needed to change schools because of their mental problems. not to say that she was beautiful too; sure, her mother and father were also fine-looking, but as she sat there, in the chair, like a statue of psychopathism, she was something else. 

the first time he met her, it was an accident. he wanted to get some snacks and to relieve stress with a little walk around the hospital. going down to the vending machine, he noticed somebody else. great, now he can wait for another clumsy being to pick out their snacks with high cholesterol and sugar intake. when he got there, he noticed that it was a girl, with the same h/c hair and the same body type. 

it was y/n. 

she waited for her snack to come, but then, the curled steel that could roll out the bag stopped. instead of doing anything, y/n looked at the glass window, trying to press buttons. she really wasn’t the violent type, instead, she analyzed the situation. but with a vending machine, there weren't many things she could do. chishiya walked up beside her, bumping the side of the machine. the snack fell down, so the girl could take it out. the perfume of her crawled up to his nose. her hair smelled good, it wasn’t the cheap shampoo the hospital gave to their patients, her hair was silky and shiny, like she didn’t just lay everyday on the couch of one of his colleagues. 

“it needs a little push.” 

y/n nodded, grabbing out the bag from under. as chishiya picked his snack, she stayed there, just watching him. glancing to the side to check if she still was there, and not just disappearing like a ghost, chishiya saw that she was still standing there, and she didn’t even look away when he caught her red-handed. her eyes were a little bit wide, and they were talking about her feelings. and now, they told chishiya that she was curious. 

“did you figure it out for a long time?” she asked suddenly, breaking the silence. chishiya looked at her, as she pointed to the side of the machine. it was full of handprints and little signs that he and his colleagues as well tried to get out their snacks in a way, until they found the right place to push. she really was smart.

“yes. i’m chishiya, pediatric cardiac surgeon.” he said, as he reached out his hand for her to shake. 

“i know.” y/n answered, shaking his hand. “it’s on your card.” she added. 

“why are you here?” he asked as they sat down. y/n looked away, like she was thinking. 

“my parents think i’m a psychopath. but i just don’t like anybody else other than my family… my little brother.” she said. she wasn’t keeping things from him, her speaking tone was clean and simple. 

“so you think you’re fine?” he asked as he picked a piece from his snack. y/n nodded. she was so small in the big building, yet he knew that she wasn’t there without a reason. sliding her snack on the table, she smiled a little bit. 

“do you want some?” 

a little after that, it came out that y/n was hypersensitive, and since his brother was the closest to her, she fixated on his feelings since his childhood. it was like some separation anxiety she couldn’t beat down when she was a child, and they had nothing to do with her smartness. 

“wait, why are you so interested in her?” his colleague, who y/n’s psychiatrist was, asked. chishiya shrugged his shoulders. 

“just never found anybody like her.” 

and it was true. 

—

“hatter, don’t you know who that person is?” he asked as he pointed up to the top of the building, still seeing his lover. hatter looked up too, nodding. 

“yeah, yeah i know her! she came today when you were at your game, but she didn’t say anything. she had four cards, gave them to us, and it contained two cards we didn’t even have! other than that, she didn’t even say her name. although she didn’t seem troublesome, she didn’t react to anything when niragi or aguni threatened her. niragi fumed and wanted to shoot her, but what could we do with a dead brain as good as hers? we agreed that as long as she stays, we have a better chance to escape from this world. can i ask you something, chishiya?” 

chishiya nodded, eyes not breaking from the girl’s form. 

“what would that be?” 

“please follow her or watch out for her. she didn’t promise that she would stay here, and i don’t want to lose her because of her brain and abilities. might give her a rank between us, but i want you to think about this too.” 

he nodded again. watching out for her is gonna be easy, and deciding that she would have a place between the leaders is gonna be easier. with y/n’s mind, they should watch out, but he didn’t worry. walking up on the stairs and opening the door, she was still there. the wind blew her hair, as she stood right before the sun, her figure curved out black. sure, he would notice if she walked down beside her, but just like their first meet, he wanted to make sure. stepping closer and closer to her, he knew she knew he was coming up to him, but she didn’t turn around. when he was only two steps away from her, she sighed. chishiya felt happiness. calmness. relief. that he can sleep again with her in his arms. that he can hold her hand if he wants to concentrate. that he can look at her for reassurance, as she always knows everything. that she remembered her, against the fact that they didn’t get here together. that she found him again. that he isn’t alone in this world, just like he was before he met her in the empty hospital hallway. before he could know everything about her, before he got to know that the only other person she can truly love is him. and that he can truly love him too. 

stepping behind her, his lips were beside her ear. her hair held the same pure, sweet smell he first smelled. 

“you found me.” 

turning around, he could finally look her into her eyes. they held happiness and the same relief he felt. grabbing a lock of his hair, she smiled a little before she kissed him. bringing y/n away from the edge of the top of the building so nobody could see them, chishiya brushed her face. in the next moment, soft lips crashed into each other, just like they used to, grabbing the back of her head and her waist, she held one of his hands with hers, the other held his face. he couldn’t get enough of her, only her movements and the way she hold onto him woke up the fire in him, what he thought he never gonna feel again as he was separated from y/n. 

“hatter told me to look after you and not to let go of you”, he said as they heavily separated from each other. y/n blinked. “but i wasn't planning on either. how long did you plan to stay on the beach?” 

the girl leaned into his hand that slid from the back of her head to her cheeks, looking up at him. 

“as long as you stay too. i don't go anywhere without you again.” 

—

𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀

word count: 1.954k

she was the craziest girl he ever knew. 

not in the fun and simple meaning of crazy, but crazy crazy. doing things without a second thought, laughing at serious situations from the deep of her lungs, not caring about the meetings with her psychiatrist, not taking her meds. they were friends since childhood, but when y/n moved away, they lost contact, the first meeting as two grown people was when banda’s friends dragged him to a party. there were around thirty people dancing to the music, drinking as much as they could, and doing usual things people do when they’re at a party on a friday night. banda knew he felt something for her even when they were twelve years old, beside that even then, she was showing the signs of madness –burning her skin intentionally, chewing violently at her nails, or doing dangerous things against her parents’ yelling and hollering. maybe this was the cause that she moved away, he didn’t know back then. and now that he saw her again, he couldn’t care less. banda was listening to his friends’ talk, but then, a blood-curdling scream sounded, and as he heard, a bottle clashed against something. 

“i said, that leave me alone, fucker!” a girl screamed, and everybody looked in the way of the noise. for a moment, everybody stopped. banda saw the same girl he used to know; her hair and makeup was different from the past, but it was the same way she carried herself, the same way she screamed, the same way she held something –now the broken bottle, beside her, a guy was lying with a bleeding head, moveless. so he was the one who tried to step over her boundaries, banda thought. y/n looked around, wiping her nose. “what? he… he tried to rape me! don’t look at me, just be busy with your own business, fuckers!” she yelled as she stormed out of the door. 

“that’s a crazy bitch” one of his friends said, sipping from his drinks. 

“yeah, maybe the sex could be good with her, sex is always good with crazy chicks. but i would be scared that she’d cut off my dick” another said, but banda couldn’t concentrate anymore. what if he can never see her again? disappearing into tokyo’s streets, he didn’t know her phone number, where she lived, or what she did. 

“i have to go now”, banda said as he ran after y/n. some of his friends shouted after him to have a good time and good luck with her, and to protect what he has to protect. he ran as fast as he could, hoping she stopped at some point of the street. he had luck; y/n stood in front of the crossway, trying to lit her cigarette. as she cracked again and again her lighter, she became more and more nervous. picking out his own, banda collected all his courage. 

“hey, uhm… do you want mine?” he asked, and y/n turned her head into his way. she nodded. 

“yeah, yeah… thank you” she said, as she accepted the fire and lit her cigarette. “what do you want?” she asked, like she was testing him. banda gulped; she was the only girl from the beginning who could make her nervous, but in a good way. 

“just… saw that you broke that bottle against that guy’s head, and… wanted to ask if we knew each other from somewhere.” he knew that his speech was curved to another way, but she didn’t mind. maybe because her thoughts were the same twisted ones. examining his face, y/n’s eyes began to get bigger. 

“you are familiar from somewhere… but i don’t know, sorry, the meds take away all my memories…” she muttered, holding her temple. banda furrowed his eyebrows. medicines? for what? was she ill? 

“i think… we know each other from the past, i think. childhood? i’m banda sunato.” 

“banda… banda… hmm… i think i know that name. were you the boy who gave me flowers that he stole from the cemetery?” she asked, grinning. banda took away her cigarette, blowing it into her face. 

“i think you forgot that like every other girl.” 

y/n shook her head, laughing, linking her arms around his neck as she took back the cigarette. 

“i didn’t even forget when you said that you love me.” 

later, the night was spent talking, eating, and after a couple of drinks, they ended up having the most mind blowing sex they ever had with other people. y/n scratched his back and clawed at his shoulders and waist, but banda didn’t mind it –after all, he was all hers and never looked after other girls, only for a quick hook up, but nothing else. y/n’s body and soul was eating him up, and he didn’t want to dodge her bites –instead, he wanted to crawl into her mouth to feel the constant tingling in his whole body. y/n slept away quickly, and until banda was awake at dawn, he brushed her hair, kissing her forehead and the crown of her hair often, like they weren’t even met tonight, but they were together for years. banda didn’t want anybody else, he wanted y/n with all of her craziness and little antics that she showed. his mother even asked him when he was going to settle down, but he didn’t say anything, only shrugging his shoulders. he saw the meds on y/n’s drawer, they were all kinds of psychiatric stuff that could control her mind. they were all half empty, but as the dates showed, the last pieces should have been taken a few days ago too. is y/n really crazy? those things that she had as a little girl didn’t get better, but worse? before he could type the names of the medicine into the search bar of his phone, he heard a little shuffle behind him. 

“are you gonna leave me because i don’t take them?” y/n’s voice was quiet, as she crawled up to him. her breasts pressed to his back. banda turned around, kissing him, tilting up her chin as her drowsy eyes drank in his sight. 

“no. but you have to tell me why you gotta take them.” 

— 

he was wanted for killing four women. that’s what everybody knew, as the ‘tokyo ripper’ hid in one of the empty hallways of tokyo at midnight. but the main reason was to see y/n in a sedated state. they come to get her, since she didn’t signed up at her psychiatrist’s session from months now on, and her doctor signed her up into the ward of the incurable. when he went to see her in visitor's hour, she only nodded and looked behind him as banda talked to her; like he wasn't even there with her. the glint and shining went out from eyes, and while yes, she was crazy, but now, she was just an empty body without a soul. banda couldn’t watch her any longer; he felt desperate, and felt the need to change this somehow, but he couldn’t know how. the killing of four women was meaningless to him, he wanted to do the same crazy things so he could get together again with y/n, if he tells the police that he did these things because of some sickness in his mind. without y/n, he felt emptiness that nothing could satisfy; not even murder. 

“i’ll come back, y/n” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she was in his embrace, only a white hospital dress covering her body. y/n tilted her head into the crook of his neck, brushing his neck and hair with shaky moves. 

seeing the red and blue lights of the police cars illuminating on the walls, he began to run again. banda hoped that he could see her again; maybe in the psych ward, maybe before his death sentence. 

—

after the game ended, banda went out to breathe some fresh air. a little blood remained on his shirt, but he didn’t mind it –he could be himself in this world; he could do anything with anyone he wanted to, even in game, even outside of games. as he headed to the next arena and to get some food, he heard little klicks, like when someone wanted to light the cigarette. he slowly walked there; maybe they had weapons, or they were just making sounds to stalk anybody they could find. 

“fucking lighter, again? fuck this!” he heard a murmur. banda’s heart began to beat faster –it was familiar, so familiar. wasn’t dull, but sharp and clear. stepping out from behind the wall, he saw her again. 

y/n was off meds, sparkling and full of emotions –not the very best emotions a person could imagine, but she was there again. her soul in her body. she was fortunately the complete opposite of what he saw as when they last saw each other. before his arrest, before her dictatorial medication, before this strange world. banda gave up the hope to see her, he thought that she stayed in the normal world, if the normal world even existed. as she noticed him, she turned around, grabbing her knife from behind her back, ready to strike. however, as soon as she realized who was standing in front of her, the knife fell out from her hand. 

she began to run, and stopped right before him, stumbling a little. lifting up her hand to reach his face, her hand was slow, like she didn’t believe he was there. banda took her hand, and made it touch the skin of his cheek, dragging it across his face, down to his pulse on his neck. he didn’t know he needed her touch so much; every little brush with her little fingertips woke up parts in him he thought he forgot long ago. y/n’s breath agitated; she gulped with teary eyes. 

“you came back to me.” 

she remembered what he said to her, when she was at her lowest. banda smiled, brushing the hair out from her face. banda felt as if his heart missed a beat at her eyes, full of hope, that only he saw when he promised her on their first morning after that he’s never going to leave her. never going to leave her by his choice. only life was cruel to them. 

“i promised you.” 

before he could say anything else, y/n pulled down his head to kiss him with full force; they were biting, licking and gasping into the kiss as banda gave in everything he could too. pulling her closer by her waist, he wanted to swallow more and more from the familiar, sweet feeling he felt every time he made love to her. 

in that moment, as they communicated with only touches, kisses, moans and gasps, they both knew they didn't want to get back to the normal world, the world they lived in before. y/n didn’t want to take meds, and banda didn’t want to see her again in that hopeless state. whatever tantrum or attack she gets, he’s gonna help her, as he did before. and banda, he didn’t want to get back because of the death sentence, and because this was the most beautiful world he ever lived in –with all its brutal rules and games. y/n didn’t want to be away from him too, they wanted to be crazy and bad together as long as death didn’t take them apart. 

they loved each other stronger than any law and boundary. and in this world, nothing could stop them from being together. 

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃.

author's note: hope you enjoyed it just as much as i enjoyed writin this little thing. requests are open for alice in borderland now, according to this post !! love y'all girliez xoxo

(ask for requests in comment or here)

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 5th May ✨

There’s something so so satisfying about HFTH being on ep 150, while TSV is on 40 and Travelling Light (TL, if you will) is on 20 . . . the brain is going brrrr.

Here’s what I listened to this week! Spoilers ahead!

👻 @tellnotalespod (S2E9) oh what a beautiful episode 😭I’d like to bestow the highest accolade on Flo’s VA: hearing her voice and immediately casting her in an unwritten audio drama that will likely never be made. I have a theory about why Frank can’t just clear out the warehouse . . . but I really don’t want it to be true. 

🌲 @hellofromthehallowoods (150) You can also find me in Camp ‘Hate That Noise’!! Awful. I love this nautical storyline so much. It’s one thing to be told that Buck is now a renowned detective and another to see him in action. Sad that someone had to die but . . . I can’t wait to see the case unfold!! I’ve been trying to wrap my head around Shelby leaving the entire week. Yes, it makes perfect sense from a survival point of view but I don’t think I could have done it. 

🦀 @thesiltverses (40) what a good ep!! I’ve been so compromised by Carpenter this season. She sounds so very exhausted, even when she’s not being stalked by her god of death. I’m very concerned about ‘Verity’ who left the minute they arrived… did she recognise them?? Chuck Harm and Val are one of the most unexpected combinations of the year but I’m here for it. It is VERY interesting that Val is now suffering post-miracle. Is this a ‘gods need to feed’ situation or something else entirely. Working with God-killers worked so well for the government last time, so it’ll no doubt be over for her in no time . . .

🧳 Travelling Light @monstrousproductions (20) I can’t tell you how delightful it is that this show comes out on Friday and is exactly the length of my average cycle home!! It’s such a soothing way to start the weekend! There were so many banging lines in this ep, I love a spooky friend!

🏛 @the-mistholme-museum (CONCLUSIVE) You heard it on Mistholme first! People from Yorkshire (me) have the best voices. Like honey, chocolate and coffee all at once - so people say. I can’t believe this is the penultimate episode 😭

🖥️ The Magnus Protocol (14) snake friends! How delightful!! I feel a little guilty at how entertaining Alice’s jealousy is. I feel so bad for her, but the office drama is too hard to resist. 

🍎 @notquitedeadpod (XXXVII) my heart!! 💔 I had to laugh at Neige’s disdain for Alfie’s more intimate recordings right before expounding on his own experiences . . . including with their shared boyfriend! It’s a little petty. I love it. And, god, can we talk about this last line? ‘And when you call, I will come back to you because you have begun to feel like home.’ HELLO? Christ.

🌞 Small Victories by @wgc-productions (2.1) How many cosmic interventions will it take for Marisol not to make cosmically bad choices? I don’t know! I’m keeping a close eye on Summer . . . 

🧋 @hinaypod (3-4) Honestly, kind of kudos to Laura because if I went through what she did I would simply never touch an antique again… I really love Donner and Murphy’s rapport and how they recognise and respect Mari’s skills! 

Hope everyone has a lovely week! 🥰

I'd also like to highlight that the creators of one of my fave shows, Moonbase Theta, Out (@monkeymanproductions) , are crowdfunding for their next one! Throw some 💸 at these lovely creatives!!

[farity]

Let’s Pretend, part 2

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x you

Summary:  The pretend engagement trope courtesy of Aemond and you

Warning:  Smut.

Part 1

“Daughter, I swear I know you less and less each day.”

You were breathing hard from running back to the carriage.  And from the kiss you’d just shared with Aemond.  You sat on the long bench facing your father and slid down to place your feet next to him.

“Here,” he moved one of the trunks underneath you so you could stretch out.  “Get some sleep.  Or try.”

“Is Lord Stoughton visiting this weekend, papa?”

Your father gave you a look, but nodded.  “Yes, we shall share the news with him.”

You smiled at your dear father and closed your eyes, trying to not think about the tall prince and how you would miss his kisses.

* * * * * 

“She will have to be schooled on proper behavior,” queen Alicent said, walking back into the keep.

Aemond smiled to himself but said nothing.  

“We will also try to inform your father, if he has a few moments of awareness,” she continued.

“I am sure he will be delighted by the news,” Aemond snapped, and walked past his mother and Ser Criston Cole.  

“Brother, she is lovely,” Helaena said, walking up to him as he headed to his quarters.  “I had no idea you were in love.”

Aemond turned.  “I am as much in love as you are, Hel,” he said, and immediately regretted it, the look on his sister’s face turning into one of infinite sadness.  “I’m sorry, sweet sister.  All I mean to say-”

“You are a fool, Aemond,” Helaena whispered, “you are playing games you do not understand.”  Her eyes filled with tears and she turned away, walking down the corridor and Aemond watched her until she disappeared around a corner.

He wanted to hit something, someone.  Maybe he could find Aegon and goad him into an insult or two so he could punch him in the face.  He considered his options, then switched directions to head out the back of the keep.  

He walked and walked until he heard her rumblings, tried to calm himself so that she would fly steady and true, unburdened by his confusion and his sadness.

By the time he climbed up her side, he could feel her getting ready to soar, the anticipation in her breathing, and securing himself to her, let her fly free.

* * * * * 

“Something has arrived for you, my lady.”

Your maid stood at your doorway, holding a wide, flat box, a smile on her face.

“Thank you, Milla, let’s see what it is, shall we?”

You’d practically grown up with Milla.  Her mother had been your mother’s maid and when your mother had died from sickness, the daughter had become your companion until you were old enough to need a maid.  Your father, never a strict head of household, had allowed you two to play together, eat together, although Milla always kept to her side of the line.

“Oh, this is beautiful, my lady.”

Most of the box was taken up several lengths of fabric in various shades of blue.  The most elegant one was a shade that matched the sapphire in your pendant.  It was plain silk but there was an embroidered panel for the bodice and two smaller, similarly adorned panels for the sleeves.

You noticed that aside from those pieces, everything else was plain, but the fabric itself was clearly of the highest quality and you ran your hand over each and every one.  None of them would scratch your skin, none of them would be too rough or stiff or uncomfortable.

There was also a smaller box and when you opened it you knew who it was from.  A small piece of cloth with an embroidered bee in gold thread.  

Helaena.

“I can find a frame for it,” Milla said.  “There is something else.”

A much smaller box, and you knew instantly what it would be.

“Earbobs,” you said before opening it.  “He said he would get me earbobs.”

Indeed, two pretty sapphires on a gold setting, to match your pendant.  “Let me, milady.”

You let your maid put them on you, let her bring the looking glass so you could admire them.  “I should write to him,” you mused, “to thank him for all of this.”

“I will set out your paper and ink, my lady, and I will get the seamstress as well.”

“Thank you, Milla.”

“This is very thoughtful,” she said, “he wants you in his personal colors and he’s sent enough for half a dozen dresses.  The realm shall call you The Princess in Blue,” she added dreamily as she left.

You wondered wryly if after your little pretense was over, you would have to send all the dresses back to be remade for someone else.

* * * * * 

Aemond waited until the servant left before he unfolded the piece of paper.

“My dearest love,” it began, and he found himself shaking his head, picturing her writing it.  “An ocean of gratitude for the very fine fabrics you have sent, as well as the earbobs, they are all too much for the humble likes of me, but I shall do my best to wear them well.  Since you seem to have a predilection for the color of skies and seas, I have recently found a new dye called Yndigo that does not anger the skin, so I might try to match myself to one of the fabrics you sent.  When you grace us with your presence next week, do not be alarmed when you see me fully striped in various blues from head to toe as I will wish to know which shade is your favorite.  Papa has ordered the barren field to the west to be fenced in and will make it comfortable for your stay.  For the dragon, not you.  I must go now to console the maid as I am, of course, trying the skin dyes on her first.  Faithfully, adoringly, and unabashedly,”

He traced the highly decorated script of your name, contrasting with the neat and tidy handwriting of the rest of the letter.

“Brother, brother, are you well?”  Aegon rushed in and Aemond shoved the paper into his pocket.

“What do you want, Aegon?”

Aegon walked in, looking around, then pulled back a panel of curtain to look behind it.  “I heard a noise.”

Aemond stood, already on guard.  “What kind of noise?”

“I haven’t heard it in a long time,” Aegon said, looking under tables, “it sounded, almost, maybe, in a way-”

Exasperated, Aemond stopped, glaring at his brother.  “Aegon, what noise?”

Aegon looked at him with wide eyes, “it sounded like a . . . laugh?”  He put up his hands in front of him, “of course, I knew it couldn’t be you, I haven’t heard you make the sound in years, so I knew there must be an intruder,” his attempt to not smile was fading, “and I shall slay whoever it is hiding in my brother’s room!”

Aemond sighed and went up to his brother.  “Get the fuck out.”

“Why were you laughing?”

“I wasn’t.”

Aegon wrinkled his nose and nodded, “yeah, yeah, you were, little brother.  So tell me, why were you laughing?”

Aemond grabbed his brother by the arm and pushed him out of his room, closing the door behind as Aegon burst out laughing.

“I will find out!” he heard him yell.

He had much to do this day, but he smiled and touched the piece of paper in his pocket before heading to the lists.

* * * * * 

“You look very fine, daughter.”

You smiled at your father, touched the pendant to ensure it was facing the right way.  Which it had been the previous four times you had checked.  

There had been a great noise which you knew was the roar of a dragon a few minutes earlier, and a servant had been dispatched with an extra horse to the field that had been prepared for Aemond’s dragon.

“Will the guest chamber be adequate?” your father asked.

“Papa,” you said kindly, “it is our best room, I would say better than the rooms we were given during our visit.”

You could see the two horses approaching, and soon caught sight of Aemond’s silver hair, glinting in the sunlight.  

“I am glad he is visiting now, for our gardens are are their best.”

Guilt.  There was guilt worming itself around you.  How would your father feel when the betrothal was called off?  You began to consider how you would feel and immediately dismissed the thought.  It was what you wanted.  Your plan, your idea.  

“Thank you, Tommas, please take the horses,” your father said once both riders had dismounted.  He exchanged pleasantries with Aemond, who then headed toward you.

As he neared you, you curtsied, smiling, and caught him looking at you from head to toe.  He took your hand and kissed it, then offered you his arm to go back inside.  “No stripes?”

“Not today,” you said easily.

It felt right to walk next to him, to have your hand on his arm, to feel the warmth of him.  Would he kiss you again if he had the chance?  After all, the betrothal was known and there was no real reason for him to bother any more.

“Helaena received your note as well, she kept telling everyone about it all day.”

You caught something in his gaze, almost a regret.  Maybe he, too, was thinking of what his sister would think once the betrothal was over.

“I like her,” you said.  “I know I only spoke with her a little, but she seems to be very kind.”

“She is.”

Dinner was lively, as it always was in your home.  You watched your father and Aemond conversing easily and the more it went on, the worse you felt. 

This plan of yours had more consequences than you had envisioned.

“The color suits you,” Aemond said casually as you walked outside, enjoying the early evening.  There was still light and a gentle breeze and you smiled at him.  “You would be a lovely addition to our family,” he added and then caught himself.  “If this were real, of course.”

“Of course.”

You walked back to the house and then you remembered.  “I forgot, I got you something.  Not a betrothal gift exactly, but I thought you might like them.”  Once inside you went to your father’s study, one of your favorite rooms in the house.  On his desk was a stack of three books and you presented them to Aemond.  

He looked through the three tomes, and then back up at you.  “I have been searching for a copy of this for months, the original was said to be lost.”

“It is, but one of my sisters is married to a lord in Highgarden and she found an excellent copy for me.”

“This is very thoughtful of you.”

You smiled, “I do appreciate your help,” you said quietly.

He moved a step closer and took your hand.  “Who else was on your list?” he asked suddenly, his voice low.

Did you even remember?  “Does it matter?”

He closed the distance between you.  “No, it does not.”  He kissed you, gently at first, but when you parted your lips for him the kiss turned heated.  He pushed you against the desk and you felt him hard against your belly.  You wanted more, and you curled one leg around his thigh, your hands on his shoulders.

He lifted you up onto the desk.  “Yes,” you whispered in between kisses.  You wanted more, wanted everything, damn the falsehood and the pretense, you wanted him.

“I was told- oh dear.”

You pulled back, startled, and Aemond immediately turned, covering you from the sight of whoever had come in to the room.

“Prince Aemond,” a man stood at the doorway, bowing respectfully.  “I will go . . . somewhere else.”

“Lord Stoughton,” you said, having composed yourself.  You stepped around Aemond and gave the older man a hug.  “It is good to see you.  May I present my betrothed, Prince Aemond Targaryen.”

Lord Stoughton bowed again and Aemond nodded back.  

“Aemond, Lord Stoughton is a childhood friend of my father’s, he lives close by.  We consider him family.”

“You are very kind, my dear.  Congratulations on your betrothal,” he added, “we thought our little one here would keep us old men company until the Stranger took us.”

“Thank you.”  Aemond turned to you.  “I should make sure Vhagar is settled, will you go with me?”

You smiled at him, glad to be free from the awkward situation.  “I will see you later Lord Stoughton.”

You said nothing as you walked outside, the cool breeze a blessed relief on your heated face.  Aemond was equally silent, and you had no idea what was going through his head.  You knew, from your Septa’s more detailed lessons on the male anatomy, that the hard part you had felt against your stomach earlier could become so for many reasons.  Lust, of course, but also fear or anger, among other emotions.  

Somehow you did not think Aemond had been angry or afraid at that moment.  He had wanted you as you had wanted him, and it added to your confusion.  You did not in any way think yourself above other ladies of the court, there were certainly much prettier ladies, richer, more accomplished, from greater houses.

But he wasn’t interested in any of them.

You turned a corner and your heart nearly stopped. 

“By the Father, she is massive.”

Aemond stopped next to you.  “She will know you are under my protection.”

You looked at him, confused.  “How will she know, will you put a sign on my forehead?”

“Yes.  In blue ink.”  He walked toward the dragon and you rushed to catch up.  The dragon turned, and you heard rumblings deep in her chest.

“By all the hells, no,” you turned, but before you could escape, Aemond grabbed your arm.  “I see your plan.  Tragic accident, your betrothed is murdered by your dragon, you mourn forever, albeit very stylishly in all your black, and people will not question why you never marry.”

He merely looked at you, not letting go of your arm.

“I will admit, it is a much better plan than mine, except I refuse to be the one that gets murdered.”

“If she thinks you are fighting me,” he said calmly, “she might not look kindly upon you.”  He ran a hand down the side of your face.  “I would not endanger you.”

You already have, you thought to yourself.

“I will use you as a shield if I see any fire coming my way,” you said, and let him lead you closer.

The great beast’s eye focused on you and your fingers tightened on Aemond’s hand.  He began speaking to her in High Valyrian, which you had heard of but were not familiar with.  She rumbled back, as if responding to him and then the great head moved forward and around you.

“Vhagar,” he said, and wrapped an arm around your shoulders while the dragon sniffed and sniffed.  “Look at me,” Aemond said.

You looked up in time to find his lips on yours.  It was easy now, to let him kiss you, to kiss him back, to wrap your arms around him as if you would do it for the rest of your life.  

* * * * * 

Aemond heard Vhagar taking off but didn’t pay any attention.  Vhagar had accepted his betrothed easily enough, and it frightened him.  The dragon cared little for politics or games or pretenses, if there was a creature who would not conceal its impulses, it was her.  Easy acceptance was not one of the dragon’s qualities.

When he finally ended the kiss, she looked up at him, and he could see the confusion in her eyes.  He had no idea what to tell her, for confusion flooded him as well and instead he decided to kiss her again.

There was a rustling at the edge of the field and she turned.  He was still looking down at her when he heard the sound of air cutting through the wide open space, and she screamed as her body moved to the right.

She jerked in his arms and then looked up at him.  Her brows were knotted as if she was in pain and, slowly, she looked down, her breath escaping in short bursts.  

Below her right shoulder, right under her clavicle, the bloody tip of an arrow protruded out, and a dark stain began to spread.

* * * * *

Tagging:

@arryn-nyx   @girlwith-thepearlearring    @greenowlfactif  @hydrationqueensworld    @megzdoodle   @melsunshine  @queenofshinigamis     @throughgoeshamilton   @travelingmypassion    @watercolorskyy  @zillahvathek

@hb8301   @kaemond-zafiro    @arcielee

Tagging for this fic:

@shros3b  @malfoytargaryen @fedeffy @randomdragonfires  @issshhh  @opheliaas-stuff   @brianochka    @devils-blackrose​  @wolflinkpaws​  ​

[lastchancestardomm]

To All of You, I Say

Word Count - N/A

Warnings: Extremely Fucked-Up Shit. Child Abuse. Child Neglect. Rape/Non-Con. Abandonment. Heed the Warnings.

Status - Not Beta Read

A/N: I had to get her backstory out somehow. This has been privated for the last like two months, and I am very insecure and genuinely afraid of this, but I had to write out Ana's backstory somehow. I tried putting content labels on it, but it hid this post to the majority of my followers, so I'm just fucking giving up. I based this on, and recommend listening along to, the song KILLED BY ANGEL by Alice Schach and the Magic Orchestra. As I said, read the warnings and take them seriously. This is fucked up.

June ██ , 1941

Joseph stared at his precious baby boy, held tenderly by his dear wife, Aino, with stars in his eyes. Despite a thin layer of blood and his wife's fluids coating his features, the infant seemed to glow, dazzle even.

The little one will be christened with the name Aleksander-Erik. But he has always been known as Alex by those who regarded him dearly.

Aleksander-Erik Ivanova, the name rolled off Joseph's tongue like a holy prayer. It was a strong name, a name the boy would need if he were to take over his father's winery. Aino, on the other hand, thought the name was a mouthful.

The small baby reached out to his father, chubby hands grabbing his scruffy beard. He gave a soft tug, and a darling giggle at his papa's small grunt.

He is beloved.

August ██ , 1947

Aleksander is six years old. He sits in an uncomfy chair just outside the delivery room, and can hardly hear his dear mama's exclamations over his own sobbing. The bright lights and white walls overwhelm him, and he cries louder. The nurse next to him squeezes his hand in comfort.

He hiccups between tears if his mother will be okay. The nurse squeezes his hand again.

"She will be okay, Aleksanki, she's giving birth to your little sister,"

He's going to be a big brother. Other boys at his daycare talk about their baby siblings, and call them annoying and loud. They say they want their baby siblings to go away.

He hopes that she's not annoying and loud. He hopes his little sister will be great. But he's scared.

September ██ , 1947

She was named Maria. She was named after the Holy Mary, but also because her name means "star" and such. Aino chuckled tiredly as she watched her husband gush over his baby daughter. She leaned over to her son and jokingly mumbled to him that Maria can also mean "bitterness".

Joseph's pride and joy is his daughter, he'd give everything to see her blossom into a successful flower of pure beauty. She's still very little, and can't even roll onto her tummy, but he will praise the baby girl any chance he can get.

Although, he's often at his winery, individually quality-checking each bottle. The best of the batch were carried home by him to indulge in and share with his wife.

June ██ , 1949

Aleksander is eight years old. Maria is a rather stoic one-year-old. It was his birthday some days ago, and ever since, his father has put him to work.

He has gone out net-fishing with Aino, and to the town square to sell the fruits (well, fish) of their labor. He's been with his father to the winery, helping pull wagons of the finest and highest quality of the batch back home.

His father has signed him onto the school running team, soccer team, and hockey team. Aleksander doesn't enjoy all these activities, perhaps he would if it was one or the other, but all three at once is overwhelming. But he's too people-pleasing to tell his prideful father off.

Maria is a strange baby. She doesn't cry, rather, she gnaws on her chubby hands until someone takes notice. Aleksander frets constantly over his little sister, and comes with tear-filled eyes to his mother saying Maria is sick each time she goes a-gnawin'.

Aino worries for her daughter's sake, but Joseph only berates her for believing her son's concern over nothing. He thinks his daughter is perfect just the way she is.

January ██ , 1952

Aleksander is ten years old. Maria is four years old. The little girl has a whole bedroom to herself now, walls decorated with stickers and her pockets always stuffed with candies.

She has a big loft bed adorned with shiny jewelry she'll never wear, causing it to resemble a castle somewhat. Which is fitting, as the small girl is spoiled like a princess, well, at least by her father.

Aleksander can chop wood now. His father aided him in his first week with the labor, and then left him to it. His mother remarks he's much better than his father at the job, and quicker too, which drives him to continue no matter how much his hands hurt and bleed.

But he has to be honest with himself, if it weren't for his mother, he would've quit all the chores a long time ago.

January ██ , 1954

Aleksander is twelve years old. Maria is six years old. The night sky glimmered indifferently.

The delivery room is in hysterics. The doctors yell out to the nurses "Breech!", as they hurry about to begin a C-section. Controlled chaos or orderly madness could be a descriptor.

He can't help it, he feels like a little kid, but he's sent to tears once again. Aleksander is crying, sniffling loudly as a nurse tries to hush him. The screams of his mother pierce his ears and drives him to sob. His younger sister, Maria, snoozes peacefully in the crook of his neck.

Joseph is escorted by two nurses into the lobby, as he curses indecipherable chains of swears. Even he doesn't truly know what he's angry about.

Now it's a gamble, a game of chance, and a race against time.

January ██ , 1954 Hours Later

The doctor comes into the lobby solemnly. Joseph cradles his two children against his body as they sleep, when he's approached by the downtrodden doctor.

He says Aino is dead, declaring it so with a roundabout explanation.

At the cost of its mother's life, the baby emerged healthy, and with a victorious, hair-splitting wail of life. It was quite loud, and some nurses remark their ears ringing.

Joseph's leg stops bouncing. His highschool sweetheart, apple of his eye, his wife whom he moved halfway across Europe to marry, dead? He silently cherished that woman.

He stares down the doctor, eyes ablaze with anger and grief. It's quite ominous. Instead of a shouting match breaking out, Joseph just hunches over to cry silently.

████ ██ , 1959

Aleksander is sixteen years old. Maria is eleven years old. Their little sister is five years old.

His new little sister was named Ana. No frills or bells or whistles to the name, just simple and quaint. Which Aleksander adored.

Maria didn't share the sentiment. Her brother's undivided attention was now split up, and her dear old dad slowly is consumed by depression. This is all Ana's fault. She will suffer for something she cannot control.

Joseph has dropped the care of his youngest into the laps of his olders. One bottle of fine wine at a time, he'll drink himself to death.

Aleksander is trying to keep the family together. He doesn't know how, but through his kindness and caring nature, he can try to stitch the crooked quilt of his family back together.

June ██ , 1960

Aleksander is seventeen years old. Maria is twelve years old. Ana is six years old.

Nobody celebrated his birthday this year. No cake, no decor, it was as if he were never born at all. His little sister got the same treatment, but Aleksander gifted her his old baby blanket, hand-knitted by their mother.

Her smile stretched so wide it came off her face, eyes sparkling, "Tänan, Alex!"

He would kill to see her that happy every day.

Joseph has been lashing out. Aleksander takes the beatings for his siblings, even if it hurts, even if it takes some derring-do.

May ██ , 1965

Aleksander is twenty-one years old. Maria is seventeen years old. Ana is eleven years old.

Joseph can't stand to look at Ana. He wants to knock the teeth out of her mouth. She peeves him to no end. Her bravado does remind him of Aino, though. He hates her.

Aleksander refuses to leave the house now, for his siblings' safety, and Maria now does the grocery trips. His little sister frantically insists that Maria shouldn't be trusted with that duty.

Joseph stares at Ana.

June ██ , 1965

She wakes up. She feels bare, rather chilly. A heavy weight straddles her torso, with a bucking sensation lurching her smaller body.

Blood. Her own blood soaks her bedsheets. She can't even scream. It's as if she were paralyzed. Her vision goes spotty. Blood. Blood seeps out as a warm feeling fills her up. She fazes out of consciousness once again.

She wakes up, later. Her sheets are tough with dried blood. She's scared. She doesn't know what happened. She's scared. Terrified.

"Alex, why does my tummy hurt so much?"

December ██ , 1965

On her mother and father's bed, she births a very small infant, lacking any of his right arm below the elbow, huffing and puffing trying to get air into his malformed lungs.

Aleksander helped her birth the little one, as Maria watched from a distance, looming in the doorframe like an omen of death.

She was feeling ill for the past few months, and her tummy grew, but Joseph did nothing but make remarks about how fat she was getting.

The jeers and hormones were getting to her. It was like they crawled under her skin and rotted her from the inside out. She wants to get them out. She cuts and cuts and still they won't come out of her skin.

The little one managed to live. He was Ana's son. But it always felt better if he was called their baby brother.

February ██ , 1966

Aleksander is twenty-two years old. Maria is seventeen years old. Ana is twelve years old.

They named their new little brother Olev. He's bratty in a petty way only a baby can muster, but he often gets side-stepped in the day-to-day.

Maria doesn't lurk around as often anymore. She's often out and about on grocery runs or walks. Although, friendly neighborhood cats aren't showing up to doorsteps anymore. It seems the breadth of the stress is affecting her.

Aleksander knows exactly why Olev was born. He saw the blood in Ana's sheets. He heard her morning bouts of vomit. He's supposed to be her big brother. He's going to protect her.

March ██ , 1967

Aleksander is twenty-three years old. Maria is eighteen years old. Ana is thirteen years old. Olev is a year old.

Aleksander became a man today.

He took the axe, the axe he had been using for nearly the past decade to chop wood, to sever Joseph's head from his body.

The gore was ghastly and unsightly, but somehow so cathartic. He had to hide the body, and clean up the blood, so his siblings wouldn't be exposed to something so shocking.

Aleksander regrets not doing that sooner.

Maria threw a tantrum when Joseph didn't return. She trashed the house, overturning chairs and putting holes into the walls. She brutalized Ana, making the girl a bloodied mess. She frightened Aleksander.

What has he done?

November ██ , 1970

Aleksander is twenty-six years old. Maria is twenty-one years old. Ana is sixteen years old. Olev is four years old.

Maria has been raining true torment unto her family as of late. Probably due to the death of their father.

Aleksander has become more timid, and easier to make flinch. Ana has to step up and be the adult, because the troubled mind of her brother slips him in and out of a regressed state. Olev has grown up in the mayhem, so he's used to it, but he continues to cry when Maria and Ana fall into a yelling match.

In her scarce free time, Ana has been occupying herself with the televized footage of "The Gravel War". It's a rather useless battle over gravel, but the footage kindles the small, nearly-out flame of childishness in her.

Her gracious sister, Maria, embezzles their dead father's company to buy three connecting flights and a helicopter ride to get to Teufort, New Mexico; the site of The Gravel Wars.

Once they were hovering over the battle, Ana noticed the ground was approaching faster and faster. Until it went black with a cold splash.

November ██ , 1970 Hours Later

The sun descends behind the horizon. Her head throbs with pain. There's water that laps at her body. The scent of gunpowder and smoke occasionally brushes past her nose.

Where is she?

She thinks she knows why she's here. But she doesn't know where here is.

She's scared. She sobs.

The sun descends further down the horizon by the time she stops crying. The yellow splintering light has now faded into oranges and purples, and stars start to speckle the sky.

She realizes she's on the battlefield. The Gravel Wars battlefield. She doesn't know why, but she starts crawling. She starts crawling for anything. For a person, for death, for her own comfort, for a reason only god knows.

....to be continued in the 100-Follower special, "New Life. New You."

[crienselt]

Holy shit, Bloodmarked. Finished my ARC a week ago, and I still just feel like...enveloped by it. This book was so good, and every review that says you’ll be clamoring for the next book after you finish is dead right. (Oh, Bree, I hope you know what you’re doing!) Putting my preview thoughts under the cut.

“Briana Irene, forever leaping before she looks...”

Bree’s journey continues to deliver and I love her oh so much. She is an amazing protagonist, perfectly flawed and achingly real. It is impossible not to root for her. The other characters–old and new, protagonists and antagonists–are similarly well-drawn. And, man, are there some new characters to loathe! Don't worry; there are some newbies to love too. Lots of “screen time” for William and Alice. Less so for Nick.  As for Sel, let’s just say there’s a reason Sel is on the cover.

For the Sel-antis made nervous by this, let me just say the totality of Sel’s actions in Legendborn are addressed on page and then some.

Shipping: Let me preface this by saying that I don’t necessarily consider myself a shipper of either ship. BreeNick was sweet and nice and fine. But I’m here for the slow burn, and they got together before I had a chance to actively WANT them to get together. If that makes sense. Meanwhile, BreeSel wound up taking up more page-space and was obviously being set up for further exploration. To me: BreeNick felt like a plot point, but BreeSel felt like the story. So I was cool with BreeNick but not invested in it while also open to BreeSel and sort of anticipating it. I also like my pairings ironic and am down for well-done (KEY) enemies>friends>lovers. I 100% trusted Tracy’s ability to pull it off. That trust was not misplaced.

Because...BreeNick isn’t starving, but holy smokes! BreeSel is FED. Whole multi-course meals. They got me. I’m getting all squishy just thinking about it. (I mean this as the highest of praise: we’re talking fanfic levels of squee!) There’s also at least one new ship I think most will get behind.

The plot: It does start off slower, necessarily so, but ultimately moves at a nice clip and does a great job of setting the stage for the next book while standing firmly on its own. The world expands nicely and the magic system is both broadened and more fully detailed. I promise you, whatever you think this story is about/is going to happen--you are probably wrong. Can't wait to see where it all goes from here!

The writing remains amazingly immersive. Pulls you in and latches right on to your senses and emotions. Tracy knows how to tell a story, that's for sure!

And ahh! I can't wait until November when I can re-read in physical form and highlight the hell out of my ebook and re-experience it all again in audio. Much love.

[smutgalour]

Vibrating cock ring/butt plugJacob black x black reader

So today you and jack were gonna do that prank that all the youtube couples were doing but with a twist.

Jake was gonna be be wearing the vibrator so you got a butt plug and vibrating cock ring so guys had a couple things to do today he had to see the pack you guys had to go grocery shopping and you guys were gonna see the cullens cause your bestfriend with them so this morning you told him about the plan he was kinda skeptical about it but did it anyway so the first park was meeting the pack.

So you guys go to emily and sam's house while the rest of the pack was there and you walk over to emily and starting talking (atp the vibrator is not on) so you tell he about your plan and you show her how it works you turn on the vibrator jake jumps and seth says "jake are you ok" "cough-cough yea i am fine" jake says and he glares at you all you do is smile then you turn the volume up to meduim and he starts blushing and moans/coughs embry says"yo jake you sick or something you coughing a lot there" "yea i am fine" jake says " you know what Y/n and me need to go we have to go grocey shopping" "y/n lets go now" jake also says "ok later guys emily you should do what i showed you" "ok later y/n" emily says you guys go into the car "y/n are you crazy why would you do that in front of them" "if you think that was it then you got anyother thing coming just you wait and see" then you rub his semi hard cock he stars moaning "shit y/n"then you kiss his cheek and sit back in the car. Ok next to the grocery store.

Ok so you guys walk into the grocery store jake gets a cart and you strat looking at the list of stuff you need on your phone and you decide to turn on thed butt plag on high and walk pass him to get the juice in the next ailse and you hear him moan "agh y/n" you can hear him grab the shelf and then you turn the cock ring on high to and you hear him drop to the floor and moaning like crazy "y/nnn please stooop this shiiit feells sooo goood" then right when you think he has enough you turn it off and walk back the the ailse and ask him "baby you good" he looks so blown away you guys just contuine shopping and at the check out area you turn the the cock ring and his knees buckle and he almost falls and you almost laugh at him then when he is done he gives you a angry look and almost burst out laughing and whlie you guys are walling back to the car you trun the them both on the highest setting and he almost drops the food if you didn't get it time so you left it on till he got in the car and then turned it off "y/n baby can you stop" jake says "baby you will be fine" you say " ok i will stop" "you promise" "yes" (fingers crossed) ok ext stop the cullens house.

So when you guys get there your met with rosalie and alice jummping to hug you and then emmet and jasper and then renesmee runns to you and jumps in your arms "hii guys" you say "aunt y/n i missed you soo much" i missed to baby" the she runs to jake "jake i missed you" "hey nessie" you walk in the house and you see edward,bella,esme,and carlisle and you hug them then you go into the kitten and look for some water and you hear jake talking with the family and you decide that it is the time to turn the vibator and the cock ring together and on the high and you could hear him choking up and you walk out of the kitchen and you can see his was face red so you walk into the livingroom and you can see every boby was looking at him asking if he was ok then edward reads his mind "ew jacob and y/n your nasty" "what did i do" you say "you know what i mean all day damn that's torture" "ik that's why it fun" " what are you guys talking about" rosalie says jasper smiles and jake syas" ok guys it was nice seeing all of you but me and y/n need to get home ok bye now"he grabs you hand and rushes into the woods and walks p pass the car and once he knows he is out of ear shot of any vampires he pushes you against a tree and take the cock ring off and pulls down your pants and thrust into you "you think it funny to tease me all day with vibrator and promising me that you would stop now your gonna get what's coming" he keeps thursting into rough and then he chokes you and your eyes are rolling back "moans-jake don't stop pleassssse and right as you were about to cum he pulls out pulls up his pants and starts walking "heey wtf are you going" "i am doing the same shit you did all day

[volturiwolf]

Soulmates - A Demetri Volturi x Reader Imagine

A/N: This is the first imagine I finished and uploaded, and it came quite unexpectedly while talking with @volturidoll13 who suggested a Demetri Volturi one-shot where the reader would follow Bella and Alice to Italy and would accidentally say “wish he’d choke ME” out loud (see my post for reference). So, here it is. Also, I’m sorry if something doesn’t make sense. English is not my first langage. Enjoy :)

No of Words: 5749

Mentions of: Swear Language, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Dying/Death, Killings, Self-doubt, Self-consciousness, Kinky Choking, Sexual Arousal

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I think I had enough of Bella. No, I know I've had enough of her. She may be my best friend, the one who truly understood me the moment I stepped foot in Forks High School, beginning of last year, but this was just too much.

I have spent countless hours trying to support her when Edward Cullen left her, 5 months ago. I was there to be her emotional support, and even spent time with Jacob Black, an old friend of Bella's, who stayed at the Quileute reservation.

Jacob seemed kind of polite, although his attempts to flirt with Bella whenever he could were cringy, to say the least. But I supported her then too, trying to be sort of the third wheel / the one who tried to show Jacob she wasn't really interested in him that way.

His friends, Embry and Quil, were as nice and polite as they were beautiful. When Embry abandoned Jacob and Quil, Bella and I were there to support him. When Jacob abandoned Bella, I was there to support her. 

Even when Bella was sad, angry and desperate to know what happened to Jacob, I was there to calm her down. I was there when she went to see him and he turned her away. I was there when she slapped Paul in the face. I was there when he turned into a huge wolf, and I couldn't help but scream.

Jacob explained everything about the wolves to both Bella and I. He told us how it's part of their DNA; how they are meant to protect the tribe from dangerous outsiders; how the metamorphosis from human to wolf can be somehow controlled over time, with practice and persistence. THAT I could understand.

What I couldn't understand was how vampires existed in this world! It wasn't Bella the one to reveal that secret to me, rather Alice, Edward's sister. Apparently, she saw Bella dying, the day she supposedly went cliff-diving, which I told her not to, having a severe fear of heights myself.

Bella took the risk, and if it weren't for Jacob, she would most likely be dead by now. That's what Alice said she "saw" - she explained to my incapable self that, as a vampire, she had a gift, the gift of predicting the future, based on others' decisions. 

All this information was overwhelming me. I could swallow the harsh reality of wolves existing, but vampires, too? It seemed too much for me in such a short period of time.

Alice quickly explained some basics to me, like the fact that the Cullens were vegetarians, but the majority of their kind fed on human blood, as well as the fact that they even had a sort-of-government of vampires, residing in Italy, the Volturi.

She then turned to Bella to scold her about her recklessness and how she was prone to "life-threatening idiocy". I couldn't agree more with the short brunette right now. Bella has been nothing but reckless the last few weeks, and she was putting her life in danger for no reason.

They were talking about Edward or whatever, but I wasn't paying any particular attention until Jacob showed up. I decided to give them some space to talk, and Alice followed behind me, stepping out of the house.

Her face was a mix of disgust and worry, not paying any particular attention to me, probably trying to hear Bella and Jacob's conversation from the kitchen. After a minute or two, I heard her taking a sharp breath, her eyes fixating on nothing in particular; they were just staring ahead of her.

She took a sharp breath, as she regained consciousness, stepping quickly into the house. She walked in quite wide and quick strides, considering her miniature figure, and, though taller than her, I had some trouble following behind her.

She ran directly to the kitchen. "Bella. Bella, it's Edward. He thinks you're dead. Rosalie told him why I came here."

They both looked at Jacob; Bella practically screaming to his face, accusing him of not giving her the telephone to speak with Edward herself.

"Bella, he's going to the Volturi. He wants to die, too." The small brunette continued.

Within a minute, Bella made her decision: she was going to Italy to save her ex-lover. She promised us that she would just make sure he lived, and then, she would go back to her "boring" life.

Alice ran outside, starting her car immediately, as Bella was followed closely by Jacob, who tried to convince her not to go, pleading with her, all in vain. Bella was as stubborn as she could get, and nobody could change her mind. 

I turned to Jacob, without really thinking about my next words. "Don't worry. I'll go with her. I'll make sure she's back safe, okay?"

All Jacob could do is nod at me, though his face was full of concern, frustration, and he was clearly distraught by Bella's decision to leave him and save Edward. As if all this time she, Jacob and, sometimes, I spent time together meant nothing to her.

I jumped in the back seat of the car, not waiting for either Bella's, or Alice's approval. I knew it would be a huge risk for me to go to the vampires' lair, but I also knew that Bella could use all the emotional support she could get. 

As much as I hated Edward for what he did and said to her, I knew that he was everything to her, like her own little haven. Her own little oasis, which I guess felt more like a tundra, compared to Jacob's flaming hot desert. I rolled my eyes at my embarrassing thoughts, but I assumed that's how she thought of them.

The drive to the airport felt like a ton of weight crushing my shoulders. I had no place to follow them to Italy, as it was truly none of my business. But I promised Jacob, and though Bella could make me so frustrated with her lack of self-confidence and self-respect, I liked her company a lot, and I needed to make sure she was alive and safe.

In the couple of months that she came out of her apathetic state, we reconnected again, reminiscing about our unorthodox friendship, both of us being new to the town, shy and not particularly sociable.

However, Bella was the ideal friend to keep you grounded and connected with reality, which I, sometimes, had trouble with; my mind was running wild and free most of the time, while my mouth was staying shut. 

So, I was willing to go across the ocean for her, to an unknown place, in a castle full of bloodsucking vampires. I wasn't pleased, but I was willing. Willing to help her save her stupid ex-boyfriend, and hopefully not get killed in the process.

During the flights, Alice tried, more or less, to explain the dynamics of the vampire world; the Volturi, being this sort of government-slash-royalty of the vampire kind, were tasked with imposing their laws over the other vampires. Their most important law? Don't expose your existence to humans, unless you want to die. Well, there goes that! 

Alice had already talked to me about their kind; Bella knew through her association with both Edward and the rest of the Cullen family. The chances of any of us making out of there alive seemed slim to none. I was literally flying towards my death. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. 

I was trying to calm down my nerves, which did not work at all, when all I could think about were those Italian vampires. Alice told me that the vampire Kings, especially Aro, who seemed to be their leader, were interested in collecting talented vampires. 

So, it was pretty obvious that he would, most likely, get rid of Bella and myself, and would gladly keep Alice and Edward, who, as Alice told me, has the gift of reading people’s minds. So, we were actually doing that Aro guy a favor there; bring him the “talents” and get rid of the “intruders”, the humans. Great. Just, great.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We were currently on our way to Volterra. Alice had stolen a yellow Porsche from the airport’s parking lot, which neither Bella, nor I opposed to, for now. It was a fast way to get to Volterra, plus I’ve never actually been in a Porsche, and I felt pretty amazing. Alice seemed like a skillful driver, and drove pretty fast, which I liked, especially if I was the one driving. Bella and Alice’s conversation interrupted my thoughts.

“What? What do you see?”

“They refused him.” That was good, right?

“So..?” Bella knew there was something else behind Alice’s vision.

“He’s gonna make a scene. Show himself to the humans.” Why the hell, Edward?!

“No! When?”

“He’s gonna wait until noon, when the sun’s at its highest.” Bella seemed more and more worried and anxious, and I heard her heavy breath, which seemed like she was starting to go on panic mode. I stroked her shoulders lightly, trying to calm her down. As much as she deserved to get worried, given the events that led us here, this was not the time to panic.

“There’s Volterra.” Alice pointed to her left, at a beautiful, picturesque town that looked as if it had jumped out of the Renaissance era. The scenery of Tuscany was beautiful, and it had always been part of my bucket list to travel across Tuscany in a small rental car. That was not how I pictured that trip, or how I pictured my last day on Earth.

Alice was running through the city’s narrow streets by now, never stopping to honk at people passing by, who moved left and right, trying to avoid the “crazy driver who decided it was a good idea to drive a sports car through such a city’s small, narrow, occupied streets”; at least, that’s how I saw it.

Alice did not back down, and continued driving skillfully through the city’s small arteries. It was odd though, the fact that everyone around us was wearing red capes, red clothes, everything was red. Bella questioned it out loud and Alice informed us that today was the celebration of Saint Marcus’ Day, the day that the Saint expelled all vampires from the town. The irony.

Bella was experiencing a full on panic attack, as we were only 5 minutes away from Edward’s shenanigans. Theoretically, everything was in order, until the moment we were stopped by the local police who refused to let us go any farther. Bella opened her door. She would go on foot, to find Edward before he exposed himself. Alice would park the car somewhere outside of the town’s walls, and we’d then go and find them.

I turned around my seat, to watch Bella running through the streets, to the plaza where the clock tower, which Edward was going to expose himself from, was located. Alice left the car outside of the walls, but still, close enough to have easy access. 

For me, it was quite easy to walk around now, as my skin was not sparkling like Alice’s was. Alice had to wrap herself around a coat, a long, thick scarf and gloves, and wear sunglasses to protect her identity even more. I was walking in the middle of the streets, watching around carefully, as good as my human eyes could see, trying to help Alice go unnoticed, as she pushed herself more towards the buildings’ walls, trying to avoid the sunlight. 

That went on for a while, until we were close enough to the clock tower, where Alice took my hand on hers and, with long strides, walked towards the main entrance, which was, thankfully, shaded enough for her to walk through. 

She must have heard the conversation inside the building, as the moment we stepped in - Alice breaking the lock that kept the door momentarily closed, she started talking to the others, who I mistook as being Bella and Edward. As another sign of my unluckiness in life, she was actually addressing two other vampires, a tall brunette and a shorter blond.

They both looked gorgeous, but they could probably kill me as easily as it was for me to blink. I instantly became stiff, and Alice must have felt it, but she kept on holding my hand, trying to play it cool in front of the others, while trying to get rid of her disguise with her free hand at the same time.

“Come on, guys. It’s a festival. You wouldn’t want to make a scene.” She tried to play it nice and cool, though I knew she was just as worried being here as the rest of us.

“We wouldn’t.” The brunette vampire responded, now looking at me, who, by now, I have lost all my confidence in coming to Italy to help Bella.

I caught the blond vampire looking me up and down my body, and felt rather self-conscious. I didn’t have the best relationship with my own body and my own self; I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror, most of the time. So, I made up for what I lacked in self-confidence with sarcasm, bad humor, honesty and snarky remarks. I would be really going off of him right now, if I wasn’t shaking.

Though beautiful, the blond vampire also scared me, just as much as his brunette partner. I stared back at him, looking at his confident stance, one hand behind his back, and a smirk across his face. 

When my (Y/E/C) eyes met with his red ones, I started shivering even more, holding on Alice tighter than before. I felt my heart beating faster, my breath became both sharper and deeper, and I felt as if I would cry, right then and there, in front of everyone. I saw the blond becoming a bit stiff, his jaw clenching, swallowing deeply, but he still wouldn’t take his eyes off of me.

Alice and Edward exchanged some looks, as if they knew what was happening, but chose to not tell anyone else. The scene in front of me was interrupted by the clicks of heeled shoes, and a blonde girl came into our view. 

“Enough.” Her voice was stern, and her stance was stoic as she came closer to us.

“Jane.” Edward recognised her and lowered his head towards the ground. He didn’t seem scared before, when it was just the two vampires in front of us, but the small woman now seemed to have him terrified.

“Aro sent me to see what was taking so long.” She looked between the two vampires of her coven, as if she was criticizing them for their incompetence to bring us all before Aro. Then, she turned to us, looking us straight in our eyes, or rather our souls, probably to warn and scare us at the same time, before walking back to where she came from. 

Alice turned towards Bella and I, the only humans there, who clearly looked more terrified than she and Edward did. “Just do as she says.” She simply said and we followed behind the girl, with the other two vampires closely behind us. 

The blond one was so close to me, I could feel the coldness radiating off his body, making me shiver. The brunette gave Edward the red robe I didn’t notice he was holding before, probably to cover himself in front of the Kings. The blonde girl moved between Bella and Edward, and Alice and I. Edward was trying to comfort Bella but I couldn’t exactly make out what they were saying, my mind making all shorts of scenarios about how the vampires would kill me and the others. The more I thought about it, the more I was shriveling on Alice’s side. 

We reached an elevator - I never thought vampires used elevators, but maybe it was for the humans around? The brunette and the blond entered first, as the blond turned around to stare at us, turning his gaze at me afterwards, before fully stepping in. Then, it was time for Edward and Bella to get in, followed by Alice and I. The blonde girl stepped in last, before the elevator’s doors closed shut.

The elevator music, an operetta, was supposed to calm peoples’ nerves. Yet, in this tight box, it had the opposite effect. Surrounded by vampires, vegetarian and non, the music was just creeping me out. 

The fact that the blond vampire was merely two inches away from me was making my knees weak and my heart pounding, though I, myself, didn’t even know if my own body was reacting out of fear or attraction towards the blond vampire. I felt him leaning closer to me and barely heard him sniff around, but I clearly saw Alice turning her head around and giving him death stares, to which he retrieved back to his original position.

The elevator stopped and we all stepped out. We walked past a receptionist’s desk, the woman standing up, smiling and wishing us a good afternoon - based on the few Italian that I knew. From what Bella and Edward said, the receptionist was a human, wishing to become a vampire, like the others.

“And so she will be.” Demetri smirked, looking at me, who I still haven't abandoned Alice’s hand.

“Or dessert.” Jane interrupted, and I felt myself losing consciousness for a split second, before I felt the blond vampire grabbing my arm to stabilize me. His hand was cold and his grip tight on me, not leaving me even after I looked at him with wide eyes. He just smiled and continued walking ahead.

Jane opened the doors in front of her, leading us to a massive room, made out of marble, and decorated with Roman columns and scriptures on the walls. Surprisingly, it was well-lit and bright, compared to the dark halls that we passed through just a minute ago.

“Sister. Send you out to get one and you bring back two. And two halves. Such a clever girl.” A brunette boy, a bit taller than Jane, called towards her, as she walked by his side.

The blond vampire let me go and walk farther into the room, still holding Alice’s hand like I was holding on her for dear life. The blond vampire now stood a few feet behind us, next to the tall brunette one.

A black-haired vampire, who seemed a bit too excited, started walking towards us. “What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all. Isn’t that wonderful. I love a happy ending. They are so rare.” He was talking with fake happiness in his face, as if he was reading from a script, grabbing Edward’s hand in the process.

“La tua cantante.” Your singer. The vampire seemed to know how much Edward craved Bella’s blood, and questioned how Edward could do so easily. 

“Aro can read every thought I’ve ever had with one touch.” Well, that explained a lot. And now I placed who Aro was within the Volturi.

I now learned more about Edward’s gift, which was more similar to Aro’s than anyone else’s, but he couldn’t actually read Bella’s thoughts. Aro requested if he could test his own gift on Bella, probably hoping that he could read her thoughts and brag about it. But when Bella offered her hand, which he took too willingly, his face was unreadable and then, disappointed and angry, not being able to read her either.

Then, he turned towards me, still by Alice’s side. His red eyes were cold and hostile, and his face uninviting. I felt small and vulnerable, exposed, in front of his critical gaze.

“Dear (Y/N), excuse me for the waiting. Edward has presented me a very..intriguing image of you. Could you offer me your hand? I would like to get to know you, as well.”

My lips were trembling, not being able to say a word, and my eyes were glistening. Please, don’t cry. Please, don’t cry. I knew that whatever Edward had shown him I couldn’t avoid. So, I took a step forward, leaving Alice’s hand and extending the other one towards Aro. I felt a breeze behind me, as Demetri came to stand on my right side, looking closely between Aro and I.

The mind reader took my hand between his hands, and I felt my thoughts being examined and tossed around my head, like a small whisper trying to cast a spell on me. The vampire looked at me, deep in the eyes, and his face was filled with fascination for whatever he saw inside my head.

“Fascinating, indeed, dear. Your mind is just filled with thoughts and images, though they are not very distinct. You are not an easy book to read. I still haven’t figured out who you really are. Although…”. He looked at the vampire standing beside me, motioning for him to give him his hand.

The blond obeyed his master. Did he have any other choice? Probably not. Aro took the blond’s hand, and his wicked, sick smile came back.

“Oh, this suddenly became even better than I would have expected.” He turned towards the vampire sitting on the throne, looking sad. Marcus? The vampire in question nodded, and Aro turned around in an almost theatrical move, with open arms, for everyone to see. 

“It seems that our dear Demetri has finally found his mate in (Y/N). I’m so happy for the two of you!” His face was smiling, but his voice sounded as fake as ever. 

I didn’t know what “mates” meant. Alice didn’t have enough time to explain every “vampire term” to me, so I was clueless regarding this part. The blond, who I now knew as Demetri, must have seen the confusion in my face, as he leaned slightly towards me and whispered “Soulmates” in my ear. My eyes widened and he giggled lightly.

Whether it was how close he came near me, or his giggle, or the fact that we were “soulmates”, my heart responded immediately, thumbing faster in my chest, and I felt my cheeks burn - I was clearly blushing in front of everyone, as if I couldn’t be any more awkward than I was before.

Aro interrupted my embarrassment, as he turned once again towards Bella, wanting to test if she was immune to the others’ gifts as well. He turned towards the blonde girl, Jane, asking her basically to show off her own gift. Edward ran forward to stop whatever it was going to happen, only to end up in pain, writhing in an inaudible pain, as Bella was practically screaming to stop.

I honestly didn’t mind Edward suffering, even if it was for a few seconds, considering that Bella had it worse for over 5 months. He finally dropped to the floor, as Alice ran to his side, and the blonde girl’s brother ran to grab Bella, to stop her from going by her lover’s side.

I had no idea what was happening. I was just looking around, shocked and scared, as all these unfamiliar things were taking place in front of my untrained eyes. I felt a hand stroking my arm up and down. I turned around to see Demetri smiling slightly at me, trying to calm me down. I sighed a bit and felt my heart slightly at ease.

That was until the Kings decided that Bella was a liability - I wasn’t? - and Aro called out for Felix. I turned around and saw the tall brunette smiling evilly, while the shorter brunette turned Bella around and left her there, exposed, in front of the giant. Edward seemed to know what it would be happening, as he immediately stood up and ran by Bella’s side to protect her.

He immediately ran forward, attacking the tall brunette, and knocking him down. Alice ran towards Edward to help him out, but she was immediately stopped by Demetri, who I didn’t notice had left my side, grabbing her by her neck and immobilizing her, dragging her away from ever reaching her brother. 

“Alec!” Demetri shouted towards the brunette boy, who had just left Bella at Felix’s mercy, pointing towards me with his eyes. The boy, Alec, came by my side, and practically dragged me farther from the scene that took place in front of me. His grip was a bit too much as he squeezed my arm, making me slightly cry in pain. Demetri growled at him, and Alec’s grip loosened significantly, but he still kept his hand on my arm.

Felix was pissed by now, as he immediately started fighting Edward, pushing and slamming him around the room. However, I couldn’t focus my gaze on them; not because they were fast, but because I was focused on watching Demetri, and how he was still holding on Alice’s neck tightly, never letting her go.

Watching Demetri’s hand around Alice’s neck should have made me feel appalled and sorry for the small brunette girl, but it didn’t. On the contrary, I felt rather aroused, watching his strong hand wrapped around the brunette’s neck. 

Honestly, I felt a wave of jealousy and annoyance hitting me. That should have been me! Only I was worthy to be touched by this sort of demon who masked his true identity with the facade of an angel. It should be me! I couldn’t help myself, my jealousy building up inside me. 

“Wish he’d choke ME!” I told myself, getting more frustrated by the minute.

“Patience, cara mia. All in due time.” Demetri smirked at me. I did not realise I said that out loud, until Alec started snorting beside me, clearly laughing cheekily, and Felix started bursting in laughter, his grip tight on Edward’s jaw by now.

I had embarrassed myself in a room full of vampires once again, the majority of them being part of the Volturi coven. If the Earth opened in half and swallowed me, I would pretty much welcome it at that point.

Bella brought me back to reality, as she was practically screaming, begging the vampires to let go of Edward, as she looked clearly distraught and upset. She even offered herself instead of Edward! Why, Bella? Just why? I have understood by now that they were mates and they’d do anything for each other, but she would sacrifice her own life for Edward?! That didn’t make sense to me.

Aro seemed to agree with me, but he thought more of the “soulless monster” perspective, while I thought more of Edward’s character, and how much his absence had scarred Bella. Alice told me, on our way here, that he thought he was doing everything to keep her away just to protect her, that being close to him put her in danger. But, from my own experience with Bella, she was suffering more away from him than he thought she would.

Aro looked disappointed between Edward and Bella, wishing he would give her immortality, which he did not seem willing to do. Aro moved menacingly towards the terrified girl, prepared to end her life. I fell forwards, attempting to reach her, to move in between them, but Alec’s grip tightened, keeping me back, both of his hands on my arms now. Aro was basically licking his lips, when, suddenly, Alice stopped him. 

The small brunette confirmed that Bella would become a vampire like them, and that she would even be the one to change her, as she saw in her vision. Aro called her forward, and Demetri let her walk towards his Master. 

He then moved towards Alec and I, replacing the brunette boy, but, instead of grabbing my arms like Alec did, he embraced me tightly, not letting me move away from my position. His cold embrace sent shivers down my spine, but, surprisingly, I let myself relax in his arms, feeling safe, and like that was where I belonged. I felt him smiling and relaxing, as well.

Aro seemed pleased with whatever Alice had shown him, and intrigued by her own gift of predicting the future. Alice had told me that her gift was subjected to the decisions people made, and the future could just change at any point. However, if Aro believed that her vision would eventually come true, we had no reason to tell him otherwise. 

Aro turned to Bella. “Your gifts will make for an intriguing immortal.” He whispered as he touched her face, Bella clearly feeling uncomfortable under his touch. I would, too - Aro seemed creepy in his own way, his behavior and movements just as unpredictable.

He then told us to leave, and prepare for Bella’s transformation, and Felix let go of Edward. Marcus told everyone that a woman named Heidi would be coming soon and thanked us “for the visit”, as Aro said his goodbyes. Demetri walked towards the exit, me still in his arms. Edward grabbed Bella by her hand and Alice followed them behind.

As we were walking through the corridor, a beautiful woman walked past us, many people - they looked like tourists - following behind her. She had long, wavy brown hair and purple eyes, which could only mean that she was most likely wearing blue contacts over her red eyes. Her aura was full of confidence and power; she knew what she was doing and she took her job seriously.

“Nice fishing, Heidi.” I heard Demetri addressing the woman from behind me. So, that was the Heidi Marcus was referring to. Wait.. Nice..what?

“Yes, they do look rather juicy.” The beautiful woman replied, eyeing between Bella and I, as she continued leading the tourists down the hallway.

Demetri must have seen her reaction, as he brought me closer to him. I was in shock, and started trembling more than before. These people, these poor people would be the vampires’ snacks in a few seconds. Like Bella and I could have been just minutes ago. I tried to not think about it, but the screams that echoed through the hall would probably haunt me for the rest of my life.

Demetri opened another door as we approached the end of the corridor, and we found ourselves back in the reception area. The Italian woman greeted us once again, but I didn’t listen to what she said, still in shock, just waiting to leave this horrible place as soon as I could.

“Just wait here. You will be able to leave in a few hours, when it’s dark outside.” Demetri instructed Edward and Alice, and took his arms away from my body, turning to look at me. “Wait here, cara mia. I’ll be back soon.” I nodded, not being able to say a word.

Demetri turned and ran towards the throne room. I knew he left to feed, and I just couldn’t bear the thought of him killing innocent humans. I couldn’t keep myself from crying, as I started trembling and losing balance. 

Alice came by my side, trying to stabilize and calm me down, while Edward tried calming down a hyperventilating Bella. We were both losing our sanity, not being able to keep up with the Volturi’s lifestyle, as it seemed. I was craving Demetri’s touch but, at the same time, I couldn’t stop the human in me, the logic, the sense that said that I should stay away from the vampires who killed people. 

I heard Alice and Edward talking with the receptionist, but I couldn’t make out exactly what they were talking about. Alice, slowly and carefully, with her hands still on my arms, led me to a nearby bench, as the receptionist walked away. I was rocking back and forth, trying to calm down, realizing that we are still alive. I saw the receptionist coming towards us, offering a glass of water to both Bella and I.

“Grazie mille.” I thanked her, my voice barely audible.

“Prego.” She smiled at me, and walked back towards her desk.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I didn’t realise how much time passed, until I heard footsteps coming towards us. I was way more calm by now. Lifting my head towards the direction of the footsteps, I saw Demetri and Felix. I shyly smiled at Demetri, and he smiled back, with a smile wider than mine, a smile that warmed my heart.

“Hello, again, amore mio.” I felt as if my heart stopped for a split second upon hearing the words he used to address me. I would still be weak to my knees, if I didn't already sit down.

Felix was the one to inform us that we were allowed to go now, being way past nighttime. I stood up, and attempted to walk forward, towards Bella and the two Cullen siblings. I intended to leave with them, but I was stopped by Demetri’s hand on my wrist.

“Where are you going, cara?” He looked at me, knowing why I was attempting to walk away.

“I.. I thought we’d.. be leaving? That I’d be leaving? With the others?” At least, I was hoping I would be leaving with them. 

“I’m sorry, amore. I can’t let you go, not now that I found you. You’ll be staying here, with me.” Demetri sounded so natural and serious, and I could only stare at him, my mouth agape.

“But.. I thought it was okay for me to leave. I have a life behind, you know. I have a school to finish, I have my family, I have things to do.” I still looked at him dumbfounded, waiting for him to allow me to go, just for now, just for a few months at least.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N). But I cannot risk anything happening to you. I will make sure you are safe and protected here. We will arrange everything with your school and your family, and whatever else is needed. Please, stay.” Demetri’s eyes were pleading, and a shiver passed through my body, just by looking at him and hearing him talk.

It took me a few minutes to respond; nobody said a word all this time. “Okay.” I said faintly. “I will stay.. here.. with you.”

Demetri’s face lit up, and he leaned closer to me, wrapping his arms around me. He was careful to not hurt me, and I knew, at the moment, with my heart full of love and affection for that man, that that was where I was supposed to be. With Demetri. For as long as it lasted.  

[where-theres-smoak-2]

HOTD Episode 2 Review/Analysis (Spoilers)

Ok so here is my review for the 2nd episode, I thought it was another really great episode that did a good job of further developing the characters and moving the plot along. I like the pacing of the show so far and once again come the end of the episode I couldn’t wait to see the next. Going to put a spoiler warning here even though I am fairly sure most people have already seen the episode. As I said in my episode 1 review (which you can read here if you wish) I have not read the book so all my opinions and theories are based on what I have seen in the show. With that out of the way lets get into it. 

Marriage Proposals 

A big part of this episode was focused around how Viserys is expected to remarry and have more children to secure his line. We as the viewer are presented with two possibilities Laena Velaryon, the daughter of Corlys and Rhaenys, and Alicent Hightower, who we see has been continuing to visit with the King. 

During one of these visits we see Viserys and Alicent discussing Old Valyria with Viserys showing her his model. We learn some more details about Valyria and some of it I think can tell us a bit about the Targaryens’ views on marriage. Firstly we learn that Valyria was built into a volcano, which you know bad idea in my opinion but each to their own I guess. We also learn that the dragon riders were the highest of the nobility and they lived at the face of the volcano which was closest to their source of magic and power, the Targaryens come from this nobility. The part that was really interesting to me was him telling us about the Anogrion where the blood mages worked their craft. This suggests that the bond between the Targaryens and their dragons was brought about by magic and more specifically blood magic. I think this explains why the Targaryens marry each other to keep their blood pure. It’s not just because they think their blood is better and above other houses its because their power over their dragons, the things that makes them closer to gods than men, lies within their blood. To dilute it, so to speak, too much could be to risk them losing that power. It’s like Rhaenyra said in episode 1, without their dragons they are just like everyone else. With the blood mages of Valyria gone with the Doom of Valyria the Targaryens have lost their ability to make new dragon riders so their way of keeping the blood magic going is by marrying each other. In GOT I just could not understand why the Targaryens were so ok with marrying brother to sister etc but having learnt this about the blood magic tying them to the dragons it makes more sense to me. I still think its weird but I can better understand why in their world it has become normal to them. I also think it is significant in this episode as the Velaryons whilst not from the dragon riders nobility are of Valyrian descent and this seems to be considered as an advantage for why Viserys should marry Laena as a way to strengthen those blood ties back to Valyria. 

When it comes to Laena, politically the marriage makes sense. The Velaryons are one of the most powerful families in Westeros, they control the navy and the shipping lanes and they have Valyrian blood, many characters throughout the episode express the opinion that it is a strong match. However Laena being so young makes the situation incredibly uncomfortable. When I saw her walking next to Viserys I legit gasped in horror when I realised this little girl was who they were proposing to be the King’s new wife. That whole scene was so awkward and just uncomfortable is the only word I can really think of. And it was suppose to have that effect on you, its a sad reminder that this kind of thing did happen in our own history and that girls as well as women were used for political advantage. It became particularly horrifying when you see this little girl telling a grown man that she will give him many children. The one small mercy was at least Viserys was also uncomfortable with her age. 

This is a bit of a side note but one thing I did find interesting and kind of cute in that scene was Laena’s fascination with the dragons and with Vhagar in particular. Her mother is a Targaryen so I do wonder if this is foreshadowing that Laena herself will one day become a dragon rider and whether she will find Vhagar seeing as she seems to have a obsession with her in particular, maybe even ride her? That could be very cool to see. It also tells us a bit about Vhagar, we know she is still alive but that she is too big for the dragon pit and seems to have taken to nest somewhere on the coast of the narrow sea. Laena mentions that the workers of Spice Town have heard Vhagar’s song and that it is a sad thing. I think Viserys response of ‘I imagine even dragons get lonely’ is really poignant as it reflects the feelings and situations of the Targaryen family of Viserys, Daemon and Rhaenyra at the moment. They are all estranged from each other and I think each of them in this episode are struggling with deep feelings of loneliness. Also its just a really sad image to think of poor Vhagar being all alone and singing about that loneliness. 

Whilst most people see the match with Laena as a good thing and are pushing the king to accept the proposal, one person who is not so keen on the idea is Otto Hightower. He clearly feels threatened by this proposal made by Corlys because it gets in the way of his own plans of the King marrying his daughter. I mean he has spent the last six months coaxing his daughter into meeting with the King hoping an attachment will grow between them and this proposal from Corlys puts a spanner in the works, especially as it is such a strong match politically thus making it a popular one with the other members of the council. So Otto does something very manipulative but very clever, he plays on the king’s own doubts about the match. He brings up how young Laena is. He talks about how he misses his own wife and how the idea of replacing her for duty’s sake is unthinkable and that he doesn’t envy the King knowing that it is going to make the king think of Aemma and how its only been six months since she passed. Otto is doing everything he can to plant that doubt and to make the King hesitate whilst also continuing to encourage Alicent to visit him. And it works. 

In regards to Alicent’s visits to the King I do think over time they have come to have a respect and care for each other but it is still very clear that Alicent is only there because her father told her to go. She also does give the King good advice about reaching out and trying to talk to Rhaenyra. But the situation is messy and kind of crappy all round. Alicent is very trapped in this situation she doesn’t want to be in. I think she knows what her father’s end goal is here but they are not her own motives. She feels like she doesn’t have a choice. Viserys is also concerned about upsetting Rhaenyra with the news that he is being pressured to remarry and doesn’t seem to know how to approach the situation which leads to him making mistakes such as the decision to not talk to Rhaenyra about the fact that he has been having these meetings with Alicent. But then even if they did tell her about the meetings I think Rhaenyra would still feel betrayed because she’s not stupid, she knows the motive behind the visits and even though Alicent didn’t really have a choice and its more her father’s manipulation than hers, Rhaenyra, unlike Alicent, is someone who frequently speaks her mind to her father and stands up for herself with her father so I don’t think she would understand or accept the excuse of well my father made me do it. Alicent, unlike Rhaenyra, grew up with a very manipulative father who only uses her for his own gain, therefore its not as easy for her to defy him. I can see both sides of Alicent feeling she didn’t have a choice as she couldn’t defy her father and Rhaenyra seeing it as a betrayal on both Alicent’s and her father’s part. 

Throughout the episode Viserys really struggles with communicating with Rhaenyra, I mean that scene where they are having dinner and there are crickets in the background was low key hilarious yet also pretty much said it all. But they do have a really great and moving scene towards the end of the episode after Rhaenyra returns from Dragonstone. He opens up about how much he misses her mother and how he could never truly replace Aemma but that he has a duty to remarry and produce more heirs. She in turn lets him know that not only would her mother have understood this but that she does too and essentially gives him her blessing to remarry. As good as the conversation was though it needed to go further as at this moment Rhaenyra assumes the person her father will marry is Laena. I really do think that Viserys should have told Rhaenyra before the official announcement to the small council that he was planning on marrying Alicent. I also think Viserys should have spoken to Corlys privately before the announcement. I think Corlys would still have taken it badly but at least Viserys could have explained his reasoning and explained that he was uncomfortable with Laena’s age and sort of softened the blow. By not speaking to either of them before hand both were blindsided and publicly humiliated, both feeling betrayed by the King and Rhaenyra also by Alicent. I just think the situation could have been handled better by Viserys. Corlys took Viserys’ choice to marry Alicent over Laena as an insult and Viserys created a bit of a problem for himself here as Corlys’ anger lead to him deciding to team up with Daemon and deal with the stepstones himself. 

Rhaenyra 

Viserys’ decision to remarry is going to have some consequences for Rhaenyra as well, which leads me to one of my favourite scenes in the episode, the conversation between her and Rhaenys. This scene was just so so good and both actresses gave amazing performances. The situation with Viserys and Laena does bother them both but they also both recognise the pressure their society puts on the king to remarry and produce heirs, the ‘order of things’. I also think that whilst Rhaenys does genuinely want to warn Rhaenyra and make her understand the truth of it, she is also a little salty. At the Great Council she was overlooked by the lords but those lords did bend their knees to Rhaenyra. I think Rhaenys really does want to believe that it was only because she was a woman that she was overlooked, if Rhaenyra does become Queen and is accepted as such by the lords then that would mean it wasn’t just because Rhaenys was a woman it was because they didn’t want her. I think Rhaenys is afraid that there is some truth in what Rhaenyra said about them rejecting her specifically as she recognises that there is some significance to the lords bending their knees to Rhaenyra. However there is also truth to what Rhaenys says about how the King will take a new wife and that wife could give him sons. If this happens then the realm will expect his son to be heir not Rhaenyra. I am very curious as to whether when it comes down to it Rhaenys will support Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne or a male heir’s? 

I do think Rhaenys words stuck with Rhaenyra and spurred her to prove she is worthy to be the heir and it influences her actions for the rest of the episode. Rhaenyra knows there is truth to Rhaenys words and she wants to prove her wrong. I think throughout this episode Rhaenyra is focused on proving to her father, and the realm, that he made the right choice in naming her heir. Things start out rocky for her in the beginning of the episode when she speaks out in the small council. I think this scene shows the contrast between Viserys and Rhaenyra. When Corlys brings the news about the crab feeder he makes some very good points about how the crown looks weak right now and it is clear that he is frustrated with the King’s inaction. We are shown by Viserys refusal to really do anything about the crab feeder or Daemon taking dragon stone that he is the kind of king that avoids problems rather than facing them. Rhaenyra on the other hand seems much more hands on and willing to solve problems, I think her speaking up shows that her confidence is begining to grow and she is stepping up and trying to take a more active role. It seems like Corlys approves of this which makes me wonder if he could be a potential ally for Rhaenyra in the future. I did really like Corlys’ line ‘to elude a storm you can either sail into it or around it. But you must never await its coming.’ I feel like Viserys very much is just awaiting the storm’s coming whereas Rhaenyra, Daemon and Corlys are the type that sail into the storm and face it head on, I could see the three of them banding together at some point in the future as they seem to have similar views to each other. 

After she speaks up Otto tries to curb her and bring her back to heel by condescendingly suggesting that there might be another task she could be doing. Just like he did with Daemon he is trying to keep Rhaenyra and her opinions out of the small council so that only his voice is heard by the King. This is clearly frustrating to Rhaenyra as she believes she does have something worthwhile to contribute but she is being silenced and she believes that her father only named her heir to spite Daemon and doesn’t really take her seriously. She is instead sent to choose the next Kings guard. I think she showed good logic in asking if any of the knights had real combat experience. She makes her decision based on who is best for the role of protecting the King and not on the nobility of their blood. More importantly when Otto tries to influence her to choose someone else of noble birth she sticks to her guns and explains her reasoning. As it is a logical decision there is nothing Otto can really say, he knows she is right. I think this is the moment when Otto begins to realise that she may not be as easy to manipulate as he thought she would be when he suggested she be named heir. 

Rhaenyra further shows her grit and worthiness to be heir when she chooses to go to dragon stone and retrieve the egg from Daemon. She was confident that she could get the egg back without blood shed and knew that Otto could not do that alone. When she does arrive Otto once again tries to send her away so that he can control the situation. Thankfully Rhaenyra doesn’t allow herself to be pushed aside, instead she confidently pushes past them and by cautioning them about Syrax she issues a subtle but effective threat to Otto that reminds him that she is the one in control and the one with the power here. After witnessing Rhaenyra retrieve the egg from Daemon without blood shed, Otto truly sees how much of a threat Rhaenyra is to him. He realises that he can’t control her and that she is more like Daemon than she is her father. She was able to do what he could not and she also did it in front of witnesses. I think the men there would respect and admire the way she handled the situation and it is something even the king recognises Otto could not have done himself. I can’t deny that I loved seeing Rhaenyra succeed and prove that she is worthy of being the heir in her own right. 

Daemon Drama 

Ah Daemon you lovable mess of a person. I can’t lie, sorry but I just love this guy, everything he does just cracks me up. This guy literally stole an egg, invented a fake wedding and pregnancy all because he was bored and lonely and wanted some attention from his big brother, how can you not find that thoroughly entertaining?  

I thought his letter was really funny like it was clearly deliberately written to shock people but more importantly to draw the attention of his brother. He knows his brother well and knew just what to say to wind him up. It is really interesting as well that Viserys sees this and knows that Daemon is just doing it to get attention and was going to just ignore him. But Daemon anticipated this which is why he took prince Baelon’s egg specifically, he rightly knew that upon hearing which egg it was Viserys would be so angered he’d come to Daemon himself which I think was Daemon’s ultimate goal. It is only because Otto interferes that Daemon’s plan doesn’t work the way he wants it too. I do think Otto dissuaded the King from going because he was afraid the two brothers seeing each other face to face would lead to a reconciliation and he wanted to prevent this. I do think Daemon was also hoping for a reconciliation though. 

When they were reading the letter it was clear that Rhaenyra was hurt by Daemon calling himself the rightful heir and by the fact that it was her brother’s egg that he took. But it is also interesting that Rhaenyra is the one that thought to ask what egg Daemon took. I think a part of her already knew because of how well she knows him and I think she knows what he is trying to do. 

The scene in the walkway to Dragon Stone is another of my favourite scenes from this episode. I love that Daemon just casually strolled up carrying the egg. He did seem disappointed that his brother didn’t come and had sent Otto instead. This only fuelled Daemon’s anger and hurt and to be honest it really was a bad idea to send Otto considering the animosity between them. There was only one way that was going to go, it was bound to get ugly and it does fast, insults are thrown, swords are drawn and it begins to look like blood shed in inevitable. It’s only escalated further when Caraxes appears. I just want to take a moment as say, damn is Caraxes a beautiful dragon. There’s a moment where the sunlight glints off his wings and the red just comes through, I kind of caught my breath. But he is also very terrifying. I also think it is very interesting how Caraxes seems to sense and respond to Daemon’s moods, if Daemon is angry so too is Caraxes which is bad news for Otto and his companions. 

I also loved loved Syrax and Rhaenyra’s entrance. It was so cool how the clouds moved right before they burst through them. I also think it was interesting how Daemon sensed their presence before anyone else and how upon sensing them he immediately lowers his sword, seeing her calms him because he is getting what he wants, he did all this because he was lonely and wanted to see his family. This was his way of coaxing them out. It’s also very cute how Caraxes was also happy to see Syrax and how they were calling out to each other. When Otto tries to stop Rhaenyra you can see Daemon watching them with interest, I think he was curious to see what she was going to do and was proud that she did stand her ground. I did love how she just marched right up to Daemon and reminds him that she is the heir and that’s her castle that he’s living in, gotta love that confidence. I did really enjoy their exchange in this scene. I do think it is very telling that Daemon can’t bring himself to lie to Rhaenyra when she confronts him about whether he is to be a father. I think she knew that he had made it all up and recognised he was doing it all for attention and out of loneliness.  

Rhaenyra challenging him and telling him that if he wished to be restored as heir then he would have to kill her was ballsey but I also think she knew he wouldn’t do it. Daemon loves his family. We’ve heard alot from others how Daemon craves the throne, that he would even kill his brother, his own family to get it. But honestly I don’t think he does want the throne, he wants to be seen as worthy, useful by his brother. He wants his brother to be proud of him. We know that Daemon has held a few positions of power such as Master of Laws, Master of Coins, Commander of the City Watch and of course Heir, but Otto has convinced the King to take each responsibility away from him which must be really frustrating for Daemon, it must seem like his own brother always sees him as a failure who lets him down. I think his desire to be heir has less to do with actually wanting the throne and more to do with wanting to mean something to his brother. The only position we have ever really heard him covet is hand of the king, he doesn’t want to replace his brother he wants to be at his brother side and wants to help him and be recognised by his brother. Rhaenyra knows Daemon well, unlike Viserys, she does see him and she knows how to talk to him. I think this is why he gives the egg back. When she is challenging him she is basically saying if you really want the throne then kill me but they both know that’s not what he wants. If he really did want the throne then there was nothing stopping him in that moment from killing her. The more I see of Daemon the more convinced I am that he isn’t after the throne. 

I think another instance that shows that Daemon does love and care for his brother is when he stands up for him at the end of the episode with Corlys. I could really relate to the moment when he says he will speak of his brother as he likes but Corlys may not, its peak sibling energy. But I do think that what Corlys says about the stepstones offering a chance to prove his worth to anyone who might still doubt it really resonates with Daemon and describes his feelings towards his brother and his motives to a tee. I also really loved Corlys’ line ‘we are the second sons Daemon, our worth is not given, it must be made.’ It’s just such a good line and got me really hyped for the next episode. 

So another really good episode, as I said before I have watched all three episodes together so I will be posting my ep 3 review soon.       

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What if some Cullen stayed behind on a new moon to be with Bella? How do you think the story would have occurred?

They wouldn’t.

Remember, we see the series from Bella’s perspective. We get a front row view to her devastation at being left behind, her depression, and the fact that Bella is put into more danger because of it and ultimately the Cullens come back.

At the end of New Moon, the reader goes, “What was the point of this damn novel? Why even have them leave in the first place if they just come back?!” Well, it was to show that Edward and Bella can’t live without each other, introduce the wolves without the Cullens getting in the way, and start the Volturi plot threads.

Regardless, a lot of blame falls on the Cullens for daring to leave in the first place. Someone should have put their foot down and demanded to stay (several did but they ended up leaving anyway). However, from their perspective, I don’t think they necessarily made the wrong choice

Why The Cullens Had Good Reason to Leave in New Moon

They’d been living in the precarious world for months now where a human is in on the secret, really shouldn’t be in on the secret, just waiting for something to happen.

Edward plays human boyfriend, knowing that he’ll one day abandon her (he plans it, even, from the moment he first sneaks into her bedroom). He has no intention of turning her into a vampire.

Which means, for the rest of them, walking on eggshells trying and failing to think what happens next. Because this is not sustainable.

Eventually, the Cullens will need to move. It’ll be a while yet, Carlisle will probably spend another few years as a doctor in Forks while the “children” go to university somewhere. But eventually, one day, they will leave the area.

If Bella’s human, she’s not coming with them.

And if she does come with them... Bella will be this sole aging human living with immortal creatures. She can’t do the high school routine with Edward very long, would have to find her own thing to do while somehow still moving with this family, and it wouldn’t be sustainable. Bella would live a very miserable life that’s not all that different from if they had never killed James in Phoenix (on the run moving from city to city, protecting this secret from anyone who might ask, having to hide her relationship with Edward if they even manage to keep that alive).

It would be a miserable life and not good for her. Even Bella, the teenager who wants to be with them forever, sees that. She can’t stay with Edward and be human, if she’s joining the Cullens then she has to be turned.

Adding to this, hanging around Bella is very dangerous. There’s a reason their worlds are separate. Jasper might be the one who cracks first, but something was going to happen one of those days. That papercut could have very easily been Edward. Bella could accidentally scrape herself in front of a hungry Alice. Bella helping Esme in the kitchen might accidentally cut herself. Every time Bella spends any time in their vicinity, she’s playing Russian Roulette.

She just happens to lose at her own birthday party.

Jasper’s attack, and every single member of the family besides Carlisle having to vacate the house, is a wake up call that if Bella’s staying human then this isn’t going to work.

Leaving in New Moon is their last chance to give Bella a human life and future. Bella’s young, she’ll move on and make friends and live an ordinary life in the ordinary human world. I do think, for all of the Cullens, none of them realize the extent of her depression and she staked all her self-worth on the aliens who she only met a few months ago and who barely even know her.

And that’s important and I think people forget that, Bella barely knows these people and they know even less about her.

Bella spends her time hanging around Edward and maybe Alice.

She has had one conversation with Carlisle, the night he stitches her up no less, never seems to talk to Esme at all, barely even sees Jasper, Rosalie barely knows her, and for all Emmett thinks she’s hilarious that’s because she’s just Clumsy Human (TM).

None of them have any personal attachment to her.

Then you have Edward throwing a fit. Yes, Alice is adamantly against doing this, thinks it will be a disaster, but Edward’s the one they’re going to live with. More, Edward does have a point, this isn’t sustainable, Bella has no idea what she’s getting into, and if she can live a human life with her human family then she probably should.

Little did they know that they were leaving her to the mercy of Victoria and Laurent, relying on the protection of the shapeshifters who might unintentionally maul her at any moment, or that she’d become mired in depression and eventually attempt suicide.

Well, Alice knew, but her visions are also flighty things that while holding true for a moment don’t necessary hold true for years.

So, I can see why they leave, and why characters who are dubious about it are convinced to leave.

For what it’s worth, I also think they thought Edward’s breakup with Bella was an amenable thing where he logically told her why he was doing this.

Edward, remember, does not ask Rosalie or Emmett’s assistance in stealing the stereo out of Bella’s car. He didn’t tell them about stealing her photos and memorabilia and sticking it under the floorboards. Given Edward’s behavior in Midnight Sun, I’m sure he didn’t tell them that what he actually said to her was that she was a distraction and he’d gotten bored. Given that he had a very reasonable explanation to break up with her, I’m a vampire and you’re human and this isn’t working out, I’m sure they thought he was mature and reasonable about it.

He wasn’t.

Who Would Even Stay?

More, if anyone stayed, then you know Edward would be staying with them. Glaring at them constantly for ruining his leaving town plan. HOW DARE THEY.

And is Emmett really going to bail on Rose so he can hang out with Edward’s weird squishy girlfriend? Carlisle tell the family to go on ahead without him, he’ll catch up, while he sits there awkwardly with Bella and says “Sorry about all of this.” Rosalie, who loathes Bella, sticking around just to spite Edward. Esme staying with Bella and infuriating Edward and causing him pain (Edward’s Esme’s basically highest priority, she’d never do this). Jasper hanging around the girl he just tried to eat?

I’d say Alice is your best bet except... This isn’t the meta for it, but throughout the series it’s clear for all that Alice likes Bella, she likes Edward a lot more. Bella is nice, but Alice has her priorities in order and is more than okay with the significant odds of Bella dying horrifically if it means everything might work out the way she wants it to.

So, given that hanging around Bella would cause a rift with Edward, she’s not going to do it. Also, I’m sure the way she sees it, it’s best to get this out of the way now so that Edward learns his lesson.

And what would they even do then? If Carlisle’s family has moved then he can’t stick around town for long (maybe the premise is they moved on ahead of him to set up the house but that will only last so long). If it’s any of the “kids” they have to hide in the bushes all day as the family will have left them behind. If it’s Esme, why didn’t she go with her family and her kids to the new city?

So it’d just be them hanging around, doing nothing to... make Bella feel better? When it’s really Edward who she wants to see rather than rando Cullen she barely knows hanging out in her yard?

Basically, I can’t see a single one of them staying behind.

But if Someone Did Stay

Then, as I said, Edward would stay too.

And Edward would never forgive them for this. They would be dead to him, forever. I can imagine, in his upset rage and helplessness, Edward would say even worse things to Bella to make it clear the entire family should leave.

It’d be a shit show all around.

[inkbyajm]

Something Brewing

pairing: C.H. x fem!reader

category: fluff

warnings: anxiety attack

word count: 1.5k

notes: felt like angst, felt like sobbing uncontrollably, but my body wouldn’t cooperate, so imagining it will do for now. this was supposed to be a one-shot, but i didn’t realise how much i had written. now i’m splitting it into two parts. next part will definitely be more angst than fluff, so stay tuned for the terrifying sight that is angry corpse :) (p.s. don’t mind the occasional use of british english, it’s my default lmao)

next >

A peculiar thing it was, the concept of love. It was very personal and feelings about it varied from person to person. For some, it had existed since the beginning of time, when Adam and Eve first walked the Earth, when the Almighty willed his beloved humans to lead their own lives with him in their hearts. For others, it is a feeling to long for, to crave, a feeling they found themselves daydreaming about often. And for the rest, love is a tool of ruin, potentially driving people who cared for one another away from each other, instilling at least a smidge of repulsion in each one of them. However, humans are social creatures after all, and sometimes, attraction was unavoidable no matter how much one tried. And try he did.

━

Living in California could get hard and stressful at times, but at least Corpse didn’t live at the heart of the city of anxiety-inducing social interactions and constant chaos that was Los Angeles. Sure, it meant that he didn’t live close to his friends, but he wasn’t far away from her, and that was enough for him.

A few soft grunts and sounds of slippers landing on the hardwood floor echoed from the kitchen of (Y/N)’s apartment. He got up from the couch in her living room and decided to investigate the source of the noise. Coming into the room, he saw her jumping to reach the highest shelf in one of the cupboards. Looking at it, he noticed her favourite mug sitting at the edge of said shelf and, afraid she would knock it over whilst attempting to grab it, he effortlessly got it for her. “Thank you. God, I was about to grow a foot taller trying to reach for this thing.” she sighed, eliciting a deep chuckle from him, “See, this is exactly why you’re my favourite friend.” Friend? Well, yes, of course a friend, what else would he be? Corpse felt an uncomfortable tug at his heart, and he couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason why he was feeling that way, so he brushed it aside. “Why was it that high up if you can’t even reach it?” (Y/N) wasn’t a short person, she was perfectly average, and he himself wasn’t that tall of a guy either. But when it came to situations of this kind, he couldn’t help but feel good about his being taller. “It usually isn’t, but I let (F/N) use it once the other day because she refused to drink out of any of the other mugs, that stubborn bitch.” she replied, pouring her homemade Italian hot chocolate into the acquired cup. (F/N) was also taller than (Y/N), so it was only natural for her to be putting things in higher places. It was done out of habit.

(Y/N) and Corpse walked back to the living room to once again settle into the couch. He glanced at her as she sat with her legs crossed, concentrated on blowing on her moderately hot beverage, while the light from the moon peeked through the curtains of the balcony door, illuminating her face ever so slightly. Since when did he start noticing these things? Looking away to set his eyes on the TV in front of them, he sensed his heart beating at an usual rhythm, palpitating, and along with it came slight lightheadedness. Was he having a heart attack? Were these signs of atrial fibrillation? Or was this simply the start of an anxiety attack? Surely any of these would be more...recognisable, to say the least. The only situation he could think of with similar reactions was when one would develop a crush. A fucking crush? At his age? How old was he, ten? “Earth to Corpse? Please don’t tell me you’re one of those people who sleep with their eyes open, that’s fucking creepy.” Her finger snaps pulled him out of whatever trance he was in. “Sorry, were you saying something?” “I asked you if you had watched Bly Manor like three times. You were very far away.” she answered, emitting a few giggles. “Sorry, I uh- I was thinking of something, but it’s stupid. And no, I haven’t, I’ve been meaning to, though.” And just like that, they settled on the show they were going to watch for the next couple of weeks.

━

“NOOOOOOO,” (Y/N) yelled, voicing her defeat “WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF LUCK IS THIS.” Corpse lay on the floor, slamming his palm down onto it out of hysterical laughter. They had been playing Unmatched for the past hour, this being their third round, and after many cards and a level of tension that could only be cut through with a saw, his Robin Hood had finally defeated her Alice. It was Corpse’s first time playing, so to say that his winning of all three games was a crushing moment for her was an understatement. “This is not normal, you lied saying you’ve never played before!” she pouted, putting everything back into the box, “I’m usually really good at this game.”

He wiped the tears from his eyes, struggling to keep a good composure. “I’m sorry, I guess I’ve found my talent,” he joked, but he did feel bad for stealing her thunder, “Would it make you feel better if I said that my Robin Hood is, like, extremely hurt right now? You have a fucking gigantic knife as a weapon, I only have, like, a bow and arrow. That’s kind of unfair.” (Y/N) bit her lip in hesitation, then picked up her figurine and lightly tapped it along the table to approach his. Putting Alice at a slight angle, she made a kissing sound as to imitate her character smooching his. “There, a kiss to make it better. I promise not to hurt you too much if you let me win next time.” 

The same strange feeling he had experienced for the first time two months ago, when they were sitting on the couch of her living room, and many more times after that, had come back. He would’ve blamed it on heartburn, except it was nothing like it. It wasn’t anything he was used to. “Hey, you alright?” (Y/N) furrowed her brows in concern “You’ve been doing that a lot lately, rubbing your chest like that.” Fuck. He had never noticed the habit he had developed. “I’m fine, just me and my heart problems, nothing unusual.” Filthy liar. Brows still furrowed, she moved closer to him and, with her legs tucked under her, she put her hand above his heart to check. “Jesus, Corpse, your heart is going a million miles per hour! Are you sure you’re okay?”

Looking up at him, she noticed how red he had suddenly become, and this worried her even more. “Bubs, you’re literally changing colours.” How did she expect him not to when she was doing this? (Y/N) further inspected his condition and put the back of her hand on his forehead, then his cheeks, to check his temperature. Expectedly, he was getting warmer. She stopped for a second and listened intently, only to hear his shallow breathing fill the silence. She then glanced down at his left hand resting on his thigh, and surely enough, found it trembling. “Alright, Corpse? Hey, can you hear me?”

His breathing only picked up its pace as the seconds went by. On the spur of the moment, (Y/N) placed herself in front of him, her legs on either side, and gently cradled his head. “Corpse, darling, I’m gonna need you to look at me, okay? Focus on me, focus on my breathing, mm?” He forced himself to tear his gaze away from the ground and did as he was told, eyes darting around, analysing her expression. He’s never found himself having an attack in her presence, it was surprising how well she was handling it.

Wait- darling? Bubs? “Now, can you name four things that you see? Can you do that for me?” He briefly scanned the room for answers, his mind still cluttered. “The fridge, the couch, the light and-” Did she mean to call him that? It was probably nothing, she could be using it with any of her friends for all he knew. He wasn’t special. “and the game, the board game. On the table.” “Good, now can you name three things you hear?” This one took a lot of concentration, there weren’t many obvious sounds for him to point out. “The motorcycle outside, your hands rubbing against my skin, uh-” What the fuck else? Was he losing his mind? The task was simple enough, why was he having so much trouble with it? “I’m sorry, I- I don’t hear anything else.” “No, it’s okay. You’re doing splendid, see? Your breathing is much more stable.” she reassured him, squeezing his upper arms.

“Lastly, can you give me two things you can smell?” Nodding, he closed his eyes. “The coffee you drank earlier.” It took him a moment to come up with something else, and just as she was about to get off of his lap, figuring he had done a good enough job, she heard him mumble “your perfume”. Scared he’d get another attack, Corpse avoided looking into her eyes, which he could feel the gaze of. He only picked up on the scent from her shifting closer in the last second. “That’s funny, I had forgotten to put perfume on this morning.” 

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

Lily Evans and Severus Snape: Headcanons

So, I was asked in the ask about Sirius and Regulus what I thought about Snape and Lily. At this point people are probably going, “Oh that Carnivorous Muffin is just clearly a Snape stan who thinks he could never do anything wrong and anyone who was slightly mean to him is evil.” Shockingly, I’m actually not, I just happen to think sexual harassment and attempted murder are bad and probably worse than JKR intended (I do think she was trying to go the “boys will be boys” route versus “oh my god, they just dumped pigs blood on Carrie at the prom and then threw her at a starving vampire”)

So let’s start on Snape.

First, Snape did live an incredibly shitty life, with circumstances beyond his control, that did lead to many of his poorer choices. In no way am I saying that it was alright for Snape to have grown up in an impoverished, abusive, household and endured years of humiliation and torment at school. 

That said, I believe that we all, in some respects, are responsible for our actions and our decisions. Yes, even when we come from non-privileged backgrounds. Life is hard, some people will have it much easier than you, that doesn’t excuse you becoming a domestic terrorist or tormenting and terrifying your students, young children, so much so that an entire generation comes out with a loathing and incompetence in your subject.

I guess let’s start back on his friendship with Lily Evans. We get... a really weird perspective from Snape on that friendship. Time and her tragic death have warped it into this strange worship where I’m not sure the Lily Evans that exists in his mind and memory is the one that really was there. She’s this shining Madonna idol who he failed, actively betrayed, is very very hung up about it years later.

I suspect they weren’t as good of friends as either of them thought they were and it comes down to Snape’s resentment of his own upbringing and muggles. I believe Snape was very racist towards muggles, specifically, due to his father. It was his way of grappling with his home life and only fueled by being in Slytherin. Lily was probably, in his mind, always a golden exception to the rule (Lily is the token, gold standard, muggleborn where she’s pretty, brilliant, charming, etc.) That Severus himself was a halfblood clearly caused him some angst. What I’m getting at is that I believe throughout their entire friendship, especially when they got to Hogwarts, there was an unacknowledged undercurrent of intense racism that eventually boiled up with that one incident in Snape’s fifth year.

Calling her that, while he views it as a slip of the tongue that damned him for all time, I see it more as a Freudian Slip. That sort of thing doesn’t just slip out from nowhere, not at that age when they both knew exactly what that word meant, it simmers beneath the surface, and was ultimately what he thought of her. Later, she became the Madonna figure that he views her as today (ironically perhaps even less of a person than he viewed her as at the time).

That said I think a number of factors played into the young Snape becoming a Death Eater. One, becoming friends with Lucius/that crowd who were all being sucked into Tom’s influence. Two, having his terrible home life and all the implications of Snape resenting his own blood status as well as muggles and muggle borns at large. Three, the loss of friendship with Lily (now there’s nothing to hold him back anymore, he has no reason to preserve muggleborn life). Fourth, Dumbledore’s letting Sirius, James, and Remus entirely off the hook in the werewolf incident.

That last one, especially, I imagine cemented Snape’s utter hatred of ‘the light’ (don’t get me started on the stupidity of light/dark in Harry Potter but I guess I’ll use the term) and those that cater to muggleborns. They’re hypocrites of the highest order, Dumbledore claiming to defend the poor and non-nobility, when he goes and does the exact opposite (James is the next lord Potter, Sirius is still pureblooded even if disowned, Severus Snape is a dirt poor halfblood). 

So what I’m saying is I understand why Snape did become a Death Eater, I do not condone this action. Especially as, unlike Regulus, Snape never gets cold feet. He loves being a Death Eater at first, he’s living the dream, getting all the revenge he ever wanted and burning the stupid wizarding world to the ground as he scrambles for ways to climb in Tom Riddle’s graces. We don’t see any hint that he was wavering, thinking of the fact that beloved Lily might die in battle, perhaps at his hand, until the prophecy. 

Now, I’m a little kinder than some about the prophecy. We know Snape overhears the first portion of the prophecy in early 1980. He eagerly rushes to the dark lord, regales him with the prophecy in both a) aid to the cause and b) in the hopes of climbing in the ranks and gaining the dark lord’s notice. At this point, Lily Evans is pregnant, perhaps knows the gender, but has not given birth. Months later, when both Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter are born at the end of July, Snape realizes he has signed Lily Evans’ death warrant (because despite Dumbledore talking, I imagine Tom always planned to kill off both children, Pettigrew just happened to make things convenient for Tom to go to the Potters first).

With Lily’s death now so inevitable, and her blood on his own hands, Snape has his existential crisis, goes to Dumbledore who puts the Potters in hiding and becomes a double agent. Snape also pleads for Lily’s life with Tom and he puts in a minimal amount of effort to spare the woman. 

Then Lily dies anyway and now Snape lives in the bitter cynicism most commonly seen in characters from Game of Thrones. He’s Dumbledore’s agent and sort of a Dirty Harry character, getting to see all the nasty things that many of the other order members never have to deal with. He’s one of the more intelligent characters in the series, able to see the truth of the world he lives in, but he also doesn’t care enough to actually do anything about it. He’s a bitter, resentful, and angry protector of Harry Potter, choosing to hate a naive child for all the reminders of his own terrible life (both in Lily, for failing and betraying her, and in James his most hated rival and tormentor). He gleefully enables the favoritism of Slytherin (my god how he panders to Draco Malfoy) while tormenting poor Neville into terror (that Neville’s greatest 13 year old fear is Snape is very telling).

Basically by the time we get to him in canon Snape not only isn’t happy but I think he doesn’t want to be happy. He’s accustomed to his bitterness, his cynicism, his quiet rage and moves forward out of both resignation, guilt, and a sense of obligation to a woman’s ghost. The actions he takes in canon aren’t so much for Harry as they are for the memory of Lily Evans.

Even if Snape could be happy at that point, change his life or his purpose, I do not think he would. He’s a man who has given up on life.

Now, onto Lily Evans.

You probably think I’m going to rail on her to for the sheer hypocrisy and nerve of marrying James Potter. I’m actually not. Lily Evans is one of my favorite characters in the Harry Potter series and probably the one I’d label as the most moral (though that’s a very low bar in Harry Potter, the characters are almost all assholes, but even so Lily would still be very high on the list).

You know what, I’m just going to damn myself and sound like a crazy person. Lily Evans always reads to me as a more moral young female Tom Riddle.

What the hell? You undoubtedly ask but I’ll explain.

Lily, while having a far more stable homelife than Tom Riddle, also comes from a muggleborn background. She’s exceptionally brilliant, very good looking, and very charming with a lot of people who would call her friends but no one close. Lily, aside from Snape (and that’s debatable), has no friends.

If Lily had not been a Gryffindor, and were Dumbledore not a raging misogynist, his Tom Riddle bells likely would have been ringing with her.

“But wait, that can’t be right!”

Oh, yes it can. First, as I went into above with Snape and Lily, there was something deeply wrong with that friendship. I believe they both considered themselves best friends, didn’t see many of the warning flags, but ultimately we see the giant fissure when Snape lets loose the m-word. Given all of that, I would not label them having been true friends in the first place. Just the appearance of friends.

Otherwise, while it’s very easily to canonically point out James’ friends it’s incredibly difficult to do so with Lily. First, people hardly remember Lily. We get Dumbledore talking about her like she’s the Virgin Mary, saving her son with the power of her love. We get Snape’s weird Virgin Mary impressions of her. Otherwise, it’s pretty much just Slughorn. Everyone else remembers that she married James and that was great because JAMES WAS SO COOL and that she had very striking eyes and was “nice”. Lily is less than a ghost in Harry Potter canon (sadly Harry never really realizing it).

Also, unlike James who has Sirius, Remus, and Peter to point towards (that are very important characters in canon). Lily has no one. The godmother was Alice Longbottom, a woman many years older than Lily and James who probably liked Lily well enough but I can’t imagine was a close friend. In canon there’s an offhand mention of two girls named Mary and Marlene but we don’t see much of them/Severus was always cited as Lily’s closest friend. As for Lily’s sister, well we know they’re estranged. I think it’s very telling that Lily writes a letter to Sirius, James’ best friend and certainly not hers, telling him that James is pouting over his invisibilty cloak. It’s because there was no one else to write.

So Lily Evans is a brilliant girl, who everyone likes and is very charming, but has no friends and led a very lonely and short life.

Here’s where my slack towards Lily comes in.

When she dumps Snape I completely understand why she did so. Snape dropping that word wasn’t simply a mistake, a moment of infinite regret, but something that revealed what he truly thought of her and where she came from. Lily was absolutely right in walking away.

However, without Snape, her closest friend is suddenly gone and the world is cold. As graduation approaches I imagine Lily’s career options become clearer and clearer. While very talented and smart, Lily is a muggleborn, what job she does manage to get (thanks to the sheer nepotism of the wizarding world/lack of jobs) will likely be through Slughorn if she manages to get a job at all. The world is cold and it is cruel and no one seems to even notice.

Cue James Potter. I do believe, probably until seventh year, Lily loathed James, not simply because of the horrifying things he did to Severus (and I’m sure she knew very little of it, Snape hiding most of it from her out of pride and shame), but because he’s just a giant dick. He’d make flirting with her a kind of game and joke to be shared with Sirius, something to hold over Snape’s head, like she’s a prize to be one.

However, by seventh year the werewolf incident has happened, Snape’s retreated further and further into Death Eater recruit land and she’s cut him off, and for all my “James is a dick” I do imagine he calmed down a little. Now that Snape is no longer friends with Lily/after the whole almost murder incident I imagine they didn’t bully him nearly as much as they used to. Though yes, they probably still bullied him, but Lily probably doesn’t know that now that she’s lost contact with Snape. 

James is charming and very good looking. He seems a bit more mature than he used to be. Lily is desperately lonely, living in a world that rejects everything she is, and James seems like one of the few who does support her (that James is more of a ‘pretty fly for a white guy’ kind of support for muggleborns doesn’t hit until later). So Lily is charmed and makes the largest mistake of her life, she and James start dating.

Now, given their extreme youth as well as Lily’s pedigree (say what you like, I don’t think Mr. and Mrs. Potter were thrilled that their son was dating a muggleborn) I imagine the wedding was a shot gun wedding and Lily got unintentionally pregnant. Yes, go ahead and throw fruit at me or call foul, I just can’t imagine they’d want a child that young while in the middle of a war while they’re part of an active resistance movement and only just out of Hogwarts.

Then things start snowballing downhill. Lily and James have just joined the resistance movement, Lily’s son is prophesied to defeat Voldemort, they strongly suspect one of James’ close friends is a spy, and they’re forced into hiding.

In hiding is where I imagine stress runs high and their marriage begins to fall apart. We know from Lily’s letter that James was routinely leaving hiding, using the cloak, so he could meet up with Sirius and Peter (I imagine Lupin’s on the out as they suspected he was the spy). While James might not realize what a big deal that was, I imagine Lily always did, and she begins to realize just what she’s gotten herself into but there’s no way out while in hiding.

Now we go really off the rails into headcanon territory in: what the hell is up with Harry Potter?

In my stories, I often choose the unwitting god route. Harry can’t die because he is a god, he becomes the master of death and always was the master of death. This is an answer, but it’s one that makes canon Harry a god and... I would not want canon Harry as a god. JKR and Dumbledore push the “Lily loved her child so much that it deflected death... multiple times” but this always felt... unsatisfying. Many parents love their children (fathers too, JKR, let’s not make this weird Virgin Mary thing) and yet Harry Potter alone in the history of mankind survives multiple times. 

Most likely, Lily pulled off some insane bullshit with absolutely no resources and minimal education AND EVERYONE IGNORES IT. We do know that Lily crafted the blood wards, wards stronger than anything Dumbledore himself can come up with/than Voldemort can break. Ones that protect Harry not only at home but away from it as it melts Voldemort for simply touching his skin. Lily pulled off the impossible in only a few months and did it right under everyone’s nose.

This makes her easily one of the most intelligent characters in Harry Potter. Probably beating out Dumbledore and maybe tying with Tom Riddle. And Dumbledore tells us, “Your Virgin Mary mother loved you so much, Harry, that it courses through your veins and lights those that would want to harm you on fire.”

So, that’s Lily for you.

Now, that said, I’m probably a bit biased and clearly very lenient with her marrying James. To be honest it took me years to figure out why the hell Lily would ever marry James after what happened with Severus and was always one of those weird canon things I never quite understood. He’s that good looking and charming, I guess, was my response.

The answer I now land on with some confidence was that the world is that cruel and bleak and Lily was utterly alone for two years.

By the way, a side note/plug, of all my stories while head canons do pop up here and there I think “October” is one where they tend to crop up more. It’s a vast AU of canon, but it gives an idea of what I think x character would do in y situation. 

[hp-generation-now-unhappy-boutit]

Harry Potter FRED AU (It could not be named anyhow else and you’ll soon know why)

Please bear with me I swear I’ll make the lenght worth it

I also promise this one AIN’T SAD

Few days ago I was taking a nap and when I woke up my half-conscious brain thought about the name Albus Severus again because it’s a terrible name whether he is named after anyone or not. And I thought ‘did Ginny even get any say in it or what the hell’.

I really think that Harry should name their first child (he did) James Sirius, which is fine, Ginny would name their second son and together they would name their little girl (which I think they did).

But then I thought ‘what would she name him?’ Obviously my first thought was Fred, but I was like ‘nah, that one is for George’s kid... unless’

Here comes my AU, imagine it with me:

It is the first 1st of April after the battle, it isn’t very happy for someone’s birthday, then Percy gets an idea. He cannot forget how the last thing he said to Fred made him smile and he refuses to do anything on his birthday that would not achieve the same goal. So he looks at George and proposes this... what if every one of the siblings named at least one of their child Fred or any equivalent of that, if for nothing else than at least for the chaos it will create at Hogwarts. Everyone is silent for so long Percy just wants to take it back and obliviate everyone, but then Fleur stands up to it and gets really passionate about it and then it slowly dawns on everyone and they love it. It is the first time in all those months that George gives them a non-forced smile. Everyone is super into it. Mrs. Weasley is crying because a) she is happy because her boy is smiling again b) she knows she will be super embarrassed if she ever has to talk to McGonagall after she finds out about this and c) she thought Percy was better than this. Nevertheless if it makes George smile again, she won’t be too harsh about it.

It goes something like this (I’m kind of ignoring the cannon children, but whatever):

- Bill and Fleur name their firstborn daughter Frédérique. She had some mean kids try to laugh at her for it because they thought it’s stupid. She shut their mouths pretty quickly.

- Charlie doesn’t have kids. But he did discover a new breed of dragon, which main trait is that it isn’t violent at all, it’s just really mischievious and will mess up with everyone and everything. Charlie names the breed Island Trickster, for both the experts and amateurs the nickname Fred catches on pretty quickly even though majority of people doesn’t know why.

- Percy’s first child is also a girl but he refuses to let anything stop him from naming his child Fred, because a) it was his idea and b) he’ll be damned if anything keeps him from making this prank, that he created in honour of his brother, work. She gets the name Frederica. She hates it and demands her family calling her by her second name. They do and none of them mind, but before she departs for Hogwarts her parents take her aside and explain why they named her this way. Her prankster blood kicks in and from the moment she steps on the train she introduces herself as Frederica, Fred for short.

- George’s first kids are twins, boy and girl. There is no hesitation - their names are immediately Fred and Freda. When they have the second child, there is a mild discussion, but eventually his name is Fredrick. Proud of their legacy, at school neither will respond to anything but Fred. They become Fred & Fred and Fred.

- Ron, who through Hermione discovered Queen, decides to name their son Freddie. Hermione doesn’t see a reason to protest, she loves it.

- Ginny lets Harry name their first son. First, she likes the name James Sirius. Second, whatever happens that child will have prank as their blood type, so there is really no need to add onto that. Third, she is naming their second child and it will be a version of Fred. Harry does not protest at all, because a) he already has his son named after his father and godfather and b) he refuses to stand in the way of this prank. Also Ginny, being the undercover little shit she is, names their son Fred George... everyone keeps calling him Fred and George. They both also talk about naming their daughter Lily Luna Freda or something and they do, it’s just not that public so she can do with that potential whatever she wants.

It also happens that the whole former gryffindor quidditch team joins in on this (including Lee Jordan, who is considered part of the team) as well as bunch of other friends.

Mrs. Weasley is still a little sceptical but she can’t deny that her boy would be proud. Her job also gets a little easier, because now she just automatically makes her grandchildren sweaters with F. Sometimes she makes more of those that she should but the kids love it (cue later).

Meanwhile in heaven James, Sirius and Remus are both really excited and really jealous. Fred is waiting for the chaos to take reign.

As for Hogwarts, most of the professors are losing it sometimes with entertainment (they mostly enjoy it when someone else is in pain because of this and they love to watch it), sometimes with annoyance, sometimes with both and sometimes actually losing it about to break down and cry (especially when some of their colleagues would just watch and smile). Alltogether in all the houses there is about twenty Fred Weasleys (boys, girls, first names, second names) and the Potters (James Sirius, Fred George and Lily Luna) plus the other Freds - all of them there for two or three years, which basically translates into destruction of the highest level.

There are family gatherings frequently at the Burrow, where they all just sit around the table writing letters to their kids and all of them writing one howler.

The howler arrives to a random person, usually a friend of one of the Weasley/Potter kids and the whole Great hall hears, “FRED! WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?!”

All the Fred’s look at each other, because they all did something they shouldn’t (which their parents don’t know, but the kids don’t know they don’t know). No one also knows which Fred it is meant for. No one knows if they are being scolded or messed with.

Very rarely the howler would yell, “FRED WEASLEY”, and in the fat pause after that, every single person in the room can hear, Fred George Potter say “oh, thank Merlin’s nightgown.”

Sometimes the howler would shout, “FRED. I AM SO DISSAPPOINTED IN YOU. YOU WERE NOT GIVEN THIS NAME TO KEEP PEACE AND TRANQUILITY AT THE SCHOOL!” Molly Weasley may or may not scold her children and children-in-law for this one. (Obviously if the kids weren’t into pranking their parents would never force them or out them like this, but since they are all openly on board this happens way too often for the professors’ liking.

Then there is christmas time. Most of the kids leave for home... most of them except for the Weasley/Potters and some of the other Freds, whose parents are friends with the Weasleys. The sweaters come and... every signle one has a F on it. None of the kids protest. They wear it proudly. There are attempts at making fun of them. It doesn’t work.

James walks around announcing to everyone repeatedly and very loudly that his name is Fames Firius Fotter. In the meantime, as long as Lily is wearing her sweater, she refuses to react to anything but Fily or Funa and that includes the teachers.

Everyone tries to resist, everyone breaks down eventually.

McGonagall wants to look stern, but she is loving it.

There is a relatively new professor trying to complain to the colleague sitting next to him. Neville Longbottom, who names his children Frank Fred, Alice Fredricka and Augusta Freda, nods sympathetically while sipping his tea. “I know,” he says. “Imagine if one of them named their kid something like Prank. We would call them a normal name now.”

That is the moment Minerva McGonagall loses it and actually chuckles. Every single one of the kids writes a letter to their parents about that one.

All hell loses all the breaks on April Fools. McGonagall wanted to go easy on punishing the pranks for several reasons and one of them is that it is the twins birthday. It takes one April Fools when the kids take it relatively easy for them to figure out the punichments are quite mild. The next year they go Wild and  McGonagall understands that her nostalgia is a dangerous thing. She stops it then and there, because she knows it won’t stop them, it might just stop some people from getting hurt.

Sometimes Peeves won’t have the mood to come up with something himself so he just goes with calling everyone Fred. Some teachers take from it, figuring that if they don’t remember someone’s name it must be because they decided they will deduce it later, which translates to “the name is Fred”.

Years later when the children leave Hogwarts there is formed a new quidditch team. The name is “Flying Freds”. They are all married and stuff, so their last names are all different, but all of them share the name Fred, which only increases the children named Fred, because who wouldn’t name their child after their favourite quidditch team, amiright?

People in both the wizarding and muggle world are astonished as to Why is there suddenly such a popularity to the name, while in the afterlife Fred won’t stop saying shit like “The students have surpassed the teachers.” and the Marauders are both upset they didn’t manage something like that, but also impressed and really loving it.

McGonagall once talks about it with George and he says it was Percy’s idea. Percy, always perfect prefect Percy, blushes as McGonagall looks at him and says: “All those years I was worried you aren’t an actually Weasley and you’ve just been hiding all that potential, hm.”

It is that moment they understand she might have always been strict, but she loved those little and big pranks simply because they were creative and smart and she was always so proud of the Marauders and the twins for it.

[pleaseleavemetowrite]

Potions Class | Sirius Black

reader has she/her pronouns but there's nothing that explicitly states the reader's gender apart from that. Also this is my first Marauders era fic so please give me feedback and stuff!

Requested: yes/no

requests are open!

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Summary: In which Sirius unintentionally falls for a half-blood he met during potions class.

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(Y/n) will never forget the day she became friends with Sirius Black. It was their fifth year and (Y/n) knew who Sirius and the rest of the Marauders were, they were practically unavoidable but it's only highlighted when you're in Gryffindor. However, just because everyone knew them, this doesn't mean they really knew anyone besides who they chose to. So, when Slughorn practically insisted on assigning partners for a potions project, (Y/n) and Sirius finally became (formally) introduced.

(Y/n) could practically feel the mild level of annoyance in the air around them and Sirius, she wasn't sure if she should be offended or not. It seemed to feel like she was unable to tell if it was being paired up with her or being assigned a partner in general that bothered Sirius. But, (Y/n) wasn't one to pry and just left him to do his thing while she read over the potion instructions. Once she finished, she finally made an attempt to talk to Sirius.

"Hey, can you go get this list of ingredients while I prep the cauldron, the quicker we get this done, the quicker you can go back to ignoring my existence." Her tone came off as more passive-aggressive then intended when they passed Sirius the small list of ingredients she had written out. But it seemed to work as he wordlessly took the list and left (Y/n) alone to relax her shoulders and gently roll them back before preparing the cauldron. And before she knew it, he was back. He seemed less annoyed then before but not happy either, it was a neutral medium of indifference but (Y/n) couldn't really blame him, she wasn't exactly thrilled to find out she had to work with Sirius.

(Y/n) began the process of chopping, crushing and measuring the ingredients for the potion when Sirius spoke up. "So...you come here often?" (Y/n) had an expression of mild amusement as she gave him a look to say really? Sirius lightly shook his head laughing, "Well what do you want me to say? We don't exactly know each other" (Y/n) breathed out a laugh as she replied, "Maybe not "you come here often" when we are literally in a classroom." Her tone was light-hearted as the potion suddenly became irrelevant. Sirius seemed to share the same idea as he slightly moved closer to (Y/n), leaning on the worktop. "So, tell me about yourself." He sounded genuinely interested, and while (Y/n) knew of his reputation she couldn't help but begin to tell him anything and everything that came to mind.

She told him all about her muggle friends at home, how hard it is to tell them that she isn't ignoring them she just goes to a "strict boarding school." and how her mum used to always take her to park after Primary School if she had been good, since she seemed to always "accidently" cause trouble by making a mess or being somewhere she wasn't allowed to because she couldn't control her magic yet. She told him about the book her aunt would read to her about a puddle duck named Jemima. and although (Y/n) was sure Sirius had stopped listening long ago, he hadn't. He hung onto every word of every story. In return, he would tell her stories about the backstories and reasoning of some of their most infamous pranks around school, and about some of James' more outlandish ways of confessing to Lily.

Before either of them knew it, the lesson was almost over, and Slughorn was assessing their potions. Suddenly, all their laughter ceased as they locked eyes and just began throwing random things into the cauldron and stirring it in hopes of something. However, it seemed like this wasn't the best idea as the concoction before them exploded right as Slughorn walked over. Successfully earning themselves detentions of organising the store rooms and cleaning the classroom for a few days. But neither of them could contain their laughter as their stupid idea literally blew up in their faces. In her laughter, (Y/n) tripped over her own robes and fell onto Sirius, who luckily caught her, but it only made them both laugh harder. Slughorn was fed up and dismissed them early so they could, "compose themselves." (Y/n) caught her breath and adjusted her robes as Sirius asked, "Where have you been all my life?" (Y/n) responded sarcastically, "What literally or...? Because if so up until 1st year I was in the muggle world. and past then, I was literally right in front of you." Sirius lightly rolled his eyes at her response.

"This was our last lesson, so do you want to walk back to the common room?" Sirius asked her, (Y/n) agreed. The pair made light conversation, exchanging stories and joking. Until they reached the common room as they realised they had to part and go to their respective friendship groups, with Sirius obviously with James, Remus and Peter and (Y/n) with Lily, Alice and Dorcas. It would be strange for Sirius to join (Y/n) and (Y/n) wasn't going to just leave her friends the second someone else gives her attention. The pair settled on just saying they would see each other later at dinner. But before they parted Sirius asked, "If your Evans' friend, how come I hardly knew you." "Because you only knew me as "Evans' friend"." (Y/n) then proceeded to give Sirius one last smile before Alice walked in and (Y/n) left with her. Leaving Sirius to think over what she had said.

The worst part was the longer he thought about it, the more he realised she was right, he had never thought to think past her being friends with Lily.

The thought stayed on the back of Sirius' mind as he went about his afternoon and early evening as he would on any ordinary day. After they had both finished, Sirius and (Y/n) walked down to the dungeons to organise the stores rooms as Slughorn had ordered them to. The walk was quiet and (Y/n) was growing uncomfortable with it and spoke up, "Hey, about earlier. What I said was rude and-" "What are you talking about, you were right." Sirius cut off and paused before continuing, "I won't lie what you said did bother me, but not because it was rude. It's because you were right. I never did think to look past the fact you're Evans' friend. I did the others and I just assumed you were like them, and no offence to them but they aren't really my type of people and-" "Sirius it's fine, I get it, really. I would be a hypocrite if I said I had never only saw you as what your reputation made you out to be." The both were now stuck in a limbo where neither of them had an issue with other but neither had anything to say.

So they laughed, they laughed all the way down to the store room. "What are we laughing about?" "The fact that we were both wrong." Their laughter died down as they entered the store room. "What a tip! No wonder it needs cleaning, no one's even thought about organising anything since 1896." (Y/n) sounded annoyed and almost astounded about how disorganised the room was and wondered how Slughorn even found anything they needed for lessons.

Sirius seemed amused by (Y/n) apparent distress at the state of the room and threw his arm around her shoulders and said in a teasing tone, "You were around in 1896 well you don't look a day over 50." (Y/n) rolled her eyes but didn't remove his arm. It was almost comforting to smell his cologne and how it mixed with smell of firewood that followed him and the dust in the air. Sirius also made no attempt to remove his arm as he could smell the lingering tones of her perfume and the muggle bubble-gum she had showed him earlier.

"Well you two better get to work you have a lot to do." The pair were snapped out of their daydreams by Slughorn suddenly entering and upon seeing the position they were in, he gave Sirius the task of bringing the boxes of the highest shelf and (Y/n) to begin to organise the ones on the bottom shelf. This seemed like an attempt to physically separate the two.

The first ten minuets were productive, mainly because they didn't want Slughorn to walk in again and deem that they weren't working hard enough. But all it took was Sirius either accidently or purposely nearly dropping a box of ingredients to make the pair start talking and joking around again. As the monotonous and tiresome work progressed, the two were becoming increasingly aware of how much they really did enjoy each other's company, even if they were in a somewhat cramped and definitely dusty potions store room.

It past curfew when they had finished so they didn't dawdle in the halls, as much as Sirius could probably get away with it, neither of them were willing to risk it after the mind-numbing task they had of alphabetising the store room. Once they reached the common room, they both collapsed onto the sofa as their exhaustion set in. "At least it's only cleaning for our next few, and not that. " (Y/n) tried to joke but her eyes were dropping by the second, Sirius seemed to notice this, "At least go to bed before falling asleep, these sofas aren't comfortable enough to sleep on, trust me." (Y/n) weakly nodded and muttered a small goodnight to Sirius as she borderline dragged herself up the stairs to her dorm.

In the following weeks, (Y/n) and Sirius spent more and more time together, not just in detention or class but outside of class as well. Somewhere along the way, their feelings for each other had manifested into something more. The lingering eye contact felt more intimate and when their hands brushed it felt like butterflies had swarmed into their vicinity and sent nerves down their backs. Although, it was obvious to everyone but them that they liked each other as something more, they were both adamant that their feelings were not reciprocated.

It wasn't until their final detention together that their friends decided enough was enough and took matters into their own hands, as it seems they had also grown closer based on their shared feelings of frustration of their respective friend's obliviousness. Lily and Remus worked together to quickly had Amortentia brewed quickly enough so that it would be in the potions room and James used his cloak to hide in the hallway while Alice and Dorcas distracted Slughorn long enough for him to not notice James tampering with the lock on the door.

(Y/n) and Sirius entered the room and closed the door, and that signified the success of their friend's plans. They both started with the first part of the routine they had curated for themselves from previous detentions. They began with clearing the desks, cleaning off any mess made, putting away the equipment used and then making their way to the unfinished potions at the back. The routine was simple but effective since they couldn't use magic to speed any of the process up. They went about the routine like they had all the previous sessions, making jokes and just talking.

Until they reached the potions and (Y/n) suddenly began to smell Sirius' cologne, it was unmissable for her, it reminded her of the boy she had unintentionally fallen for. But then the smell began to mix with the smell of butterbeer and the common room. "Really Sirius? Did you have to spray your cologne now? It's so bloody strong." Then without missing a beat, Sirius responded, "Says you I can smell your perfume from here, and that gum you keep complaining about because your mum won't send you more."

There was a silence that weighed in the air, as both of them were processing what this meant. Then it simultaneously dawned on them, Amortentia. Without any hesitation, they met in the middle of the room and pressed their lips together. The kiss was gentle but passionate, it release all the longing and yearning they had been holding for so long.

They then broke away from each other and smiled, relieved that they no longer had to hold the dread of fearing rejection.

"Sirius?" "Yeah?" "The quicker we get this done, the quicker you can go back to ignoring my existence." Sirius smiled upon hearing the passive-aggressive statement before replying, "You can't get away from me that easily, love."

[anne-white-star]

Brian may x reader : finding real love

Notes: reader is a dress maker for people of high status in London she even makes dresses for queen Victoria herself. one day brian may and his fiance come in to get her a dress for a upcoming ball. Unfortanetly brian isnt in a very loving relationship with his soon to be wife for she's very controling and some times straight up mean and abusive. They are in an aranged mariage. Reader and brian fall in love.       

(Late) Victorian au (1880s no exact year). Catherine Green is a random name i chose for the wife. I hope you guys enjoy reading.

Warnings : a bit of angst abuse

Words : 2829

Late victorian era, London

In the center of London was a small shop but not just any shop, it was a dress shop called y/l/n Splendour Dress and co.

It wasn't a verry big establisment but it was really special, for even queen victoria herself had comissioned dresses here, only the people of high sosity could afort these dresses.

A carriage pulled up infront of the shop, a few seconds later the bell went of to sigal someone has entered, a man and a woman walked in.

The man was pretty tall and had dark curly hair he also wore a suit (he doesn't wear a hat) the man was very handsome. The woman had blond hair and wore a elegant hat her green eyes were fierce and angry while the man his eyes were hazel and kind.

A woman came from the back about (your age) and stood behind the counter "good afternoon sir and madam how can i help you?"

"I would Like to comission a dress for my fiance"

"Alright any thing spesific, a tea gown, an walking suit, or a day dress

The woman cut her off with an angry tone "no nothing like that im here to comission a ball gown"

"Now calm down Catherine, im verry sorry about that"

"Oh don't worry its alright sir"

"May Brian may and Catherine Green"

"Ah alright mr may and missed Green" please do follow me so that i can sketch some ideas out and so that we could chose the fabric"

"Lead the way madam"

They came across an other woman in the hall "Oh Alice could you perhaps boil some water so that we can have some tea?"

"Yes of course y/n it be ready in a few"

"Thank you after you are done you can take a break" they walked further and came to a room "please do sit down , first we can chose the fabric then we can sketch a design"

"I want my dress to be red and black they are my favorite colors" she smirked

"My darling are you sure of that i mean its a ball after al you it would be beter if - " Brian was caught of

"No absolutly not i want my dress to be red and black" she folded her arms

"Alright darling as you wish"

"I want the black fabric to be made of embroyderd silk and the red fabric made of cotton."

"With or without a train madam"

"Without"

"alright, anything els?"

"Yes i want black lace on the sleeves and red little bows made of silk there as wel"

"Alright madam, is it good that we decide up on a design of the dress now?"

"Yes go ahead"

"About the bodice and the sleeves what lengt would you like them?"

"Im sorry to interupt but here is the tea"

"Ah thank you Alice, you may go take a break now" Alice walked out the room again and closed the door "where were we? Ah yes the bodice and sleeves"

"I want the sleeves at elbow lenght and the bodice low so that it shows off my figure"

"Ah Alright, what about the skirt?"

"I want the under skirt to be a flounced underskirt and the under side of the dress to be made of the red fabric with silk ribons, at the front of the dress i want black lace going down. And the over skirt i want that to be the same fabric as the bodice."

"Alright madam" y/n looked at the sketch in front of her "is this what you have in mind?"

"Yes a hundred precent "

"Alright madam i wil ask my employees to look for the fabrics we would need"

Mr may who had been listening and drinking his tea the whole time spoke up "how long will it take to make?"

About 3 months sir if everything goes as planned"

"Wonderfull you hear that darling"

"Oh yes fantastic, make sure the dress is done by then because in 3 months there will be a ball at Buckingham palace and i want to look absolutly perfect"

"Yes of course miss we will try to get it finished by then"

"Good, thil next time" Catherine stood up And walked out the room

Brian did as well and held out his hand to y/n "Thank you so mutch for your time miss y/n, please you must excuse my fiance for being so rude"

"Its alright mr may no problem at al, tell me is your relationship a aranged one?"

"Unfortanetly yes, within a year we are to get Married unless i find somone i love"

"I hope you find the right person mr may"

"I hope so to, again thank you very mutch" he grabed y/n her hand and kissed it

"My plesure mr may, i hope you have a wonderfull afternoon"

"May we meet again" he smiled and

walked out the room

*little time skip*

Y/n was looking For the fabrics she Would need " Um Alice do you have any idea where the black embroyderd silk is?"

"Yes its on the top shelf next to the purple silks "

"Thanks, oh could you grab te maroon/red coton and a flounced underskirt/petticoat as wel"

"Yeah sure who is this oder for?"

"For miss Catherine Green"

"Oh i reconise her she has come in a few times to comission dresses her sizes are noted in our book, she's truly terrible she had 3 husbands already and now she's going to get Married to that poor sir may"

"Yeah i don't think they are a good couple eiter, both are from high socity what is sir may his feeld?"

"Hes an astrophysicist of the royal court of queen victoria"

"Oh wow so hes one of the highest in that feeld how extraordinary"

"Hes smart and not looking bad eiter"

"Yeah , i really feel sorry for him.... we need to get started the dress needs to be done in 3 months"

"Are you going to the ball to y/n?"

"I don't know i mean"

"You are also of high status because you make dresses for her royal highness, you deserve to go"

"You think so?"

"I know so, but first lets get started with making misses Green her dress first"

"Alright"

*time skip to 3 months later because im lazy*

The day for the fitting came y/n and Alice hoped everything went as planned.

"Good morning sir may and miss Green"

"Good morning miss y/l/n" he took her hand and kissed it

Miss green sighed "Is my dress ready?"

"Yes its ready please do follow me to the fitting room"

"I know where it is"

"Alright miss, i'll be there in a minute"

Mr may stood next to y/n "Im so sorry about the way she acts i talked with her about it but she won't lissen"

"Its fine mr may"

"Please call me Brian its my name after all"

"Alright wel then you can call me y/n.... tell me do you love her?"

"Who? Catherine? If i could be honest with you y/n then no absolutly not"

"Are you considering breaking off the arrangement?"

"If i find the right person then yes of course"

"I really hope you do you deserve better brian"

"Thanks you y/n"

"Y/n?" Came the voice of Alice

"Yes comming!, follow me brian" both of them walked in to the fitting room "miss Green how does it fit?"

"I want the corset to be tighter"

Y/n walked behind the curtains"Are you sure miss it already looks tight enough"

"No i want it tighter"

"As you wish miss" y/n undid the lace of the corset and tugged as hard as she could "i hope this is better"

"Perfect now is Brian here?"

"Yes"

"Good, oh Brian dear what do you think" Catherine stept from behind the curtain snowing her ball gown

"what do you think?"

"I think it fits you perfectly dear"

"I take it" she went back behind the curtain to get changed again

"How mutch does it cost?"

"About a 150 pounds"

Brian grabed his wallet and drew the right amount "here you go"

"Thank you" y/n stuffed the money in her apron.

"Will you also go to the ball?"

"I would love to but unfortanetly i have work there are many dresses that have to be made"

"I can take over for you with Mary, y/n" said Alice as she was sewing some beads on to a evening coat

"Alright i will try and see, when is it?"

"About 2 weeks from now"

"I will try to make it" she smiled softly

Brian grabed her hand softly and kissed it "thill then my lady"

"Thill then"

*skip to the day of the ball*

"Have you decided what to wear?"

"No, i simply din't have the time to make anything" she sat down and sadly siged

"Oh cheer up, wait i remember something, we have some dresses that wern't colected mabey there is something in there for you"

"oh yeah thats true lets look" she stood up And walked in to the far back where a closet stood with the said dresses, she opend it up And looked at them , "i don't remember making these"

"I think your parents had been working on these last year they are pretty mutch still up to date"

"For who were these?"

"If i remember corectly these were ment for a baroness, but she and her

husband got killed before they could collect them"

"These are absolutly wonderfull "

"It should be about your size lets fit them"

So y/n did that and grabed al the dresses and tried them on, everything was exactly her size

She decided to go with dress number (insert number here) "i see that some things got lose we still have time"

Yes we do now come on we need to prepare"

About a few hours later the dress has been looked at, Alice had put y/n her hair up in a fancy evening style and added some hair accessoires.

"so how do i look?"

"Like a real princes oh before you forget these come with the dress" she held out a box y/n opend it inside were a pair of earings a necklace and tiara and a fancy hand fan

"Oh these are wonderfull" she put the necklace around her neck and put the earings in

"These were also met for the baroness" Alice placed the tiara on her head "you have to leave now a carriage is waiting"

"Alright, are you sure you can manage?"

"Don't worry to mutch it be alright me and Mary can manage just fine

"Alright" y/n put her evening coat on and picked up the train of her dress "its going to be late"

"I know dear now go and have a lovely evening"

"I will thank you for the help"y/n walked out of the back door trought the garden out of the gate, she climed in the cariage and sat down. The cariage went on its way to the palace. About 30 minuts later she arived and stept out die left her coat in the carriage. Y/n walked inside the palace up to the grand staircase to the ball room.

Music could already be heared when she walked up the staircase and once she arived the music was mutch louder.

Once y/n stept in to the ballroom a lot of people looked at her wondering who this beautyfull woman was dressed in fine fabrics and jewels.

"Miss y/l/n is that you oh how wonderfull to see you here you look extraordinary"

Y/n turned around at the mention of her name "sir Mercury its so great to see you, wearing my wonderfull suit i see" she smiled

"Oh yes its absolutly wonderfull my dear " he kissed her on the cheek "tell me why are you here?"

"Wel sir may had invited me to come along"

"Ah i see, if i remember corectly he was talking with sir taylor near the table overthere"

"Thank you"

"I have to go now my dear sir deacon needs my assistance"

Y/n smiled at him and walked to the table where sir may was indeed talking to sir taylor. Next to sir may stood miss Green, the was clinging to his arm. He looked a bit anoyed. "Sir may"

brian turned around "ah miss y/l/n so great to see you" he shook off Catherine and walked to her and softly grabed her hand "sir taylor this is y/n y/l/n the seamstress, she makes fabouls dresses, coats, shoes and suits"

"Nice to meet you miss" he said in a flirting tone, sir taylor grabed her gloved hand and put a kiss on it

"Like wise sir taylor" she smiled softly and put her hand to the side. Y/n could feel somone glaring at her when she turned around and came face to face with Catherine. " Is everything alright miss Green? "

"Yes everything is perfectly fine miss y/l/n" she said with an snarky tone.

Y/n looked down at the ground, sir taylor ofered her his hand "would you like to dance miss"

She looked up "Of course" she grabed his hand and they both walked on to the ball room floor

"You know i don't like her either"

"Who?"

"Miss green, sir may deserves better" said Roger while they both danced across the floor.

"Yes he does, they arnt the perfect fit for echoter Brian deserves somone who's kind"

"Someone like you"

"Why me?"

"The way you carry yourself very eligant yet kind and soft spoken, he really deserves you miss y/l/n". As the dance ended they both bowed to echoter and walked to the side where Brian stood alone drinking his wine

"Brian, you should dance with miss y/l/n I bet she will Enjoy your company while i go looking For my fiance"

"Alright Roger thank you," Brian held his arm out "care to dance?"

"Yes of course" she smiled and they both walked on to the ball room floor again. When they were done with the dance they walked to the doors "brian can we please go outside for a bit i need to talk to you"

"Yes of course" they walked in to the garden and dat down on a bench

"Look its probably not my place but you really should break of the arrangement Brian"

"Why?"

"She really doesn't deserve you brian she doesn't love you she will make you feel misereble"

"You are right but i can't break it off unles i found somone ells"

"Wel i know somone who would love you for ever and always"

"Who would that be?" He looked at her with a questionble look on his face

"What about me? Do you think we would be a good fit?"

"Perhaps if its really what you want"

"Im asking you brian, its important that you find somone who will help with continuing the family line"

"Yeah you are right" he sighed and put his face in his hands, his shoulders started to shake as he softly cried while you sat beside him

"Brian i really want to help you trough this"

"Y/n Im torn between an arrangement and real love" he looked up at her while the tears runed down his cheeks.

She softly whiped the tears away with her gloved hand and then placed it on his cheek "you have two choices Brian follow your heart"

"I choose real love" he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips "i love you y/n y/l/n"

"BRIAN WHAT IS THIS!!??" They both turned around to an angry Catherine running at them, they both stood up And Brian stood in between y/n and Catherine.

"Im breaking off the arrangement"

"You can't do that you have no right"

"I do because i am the hire of the family titel and you are not this is oficialy over"

She looked from Brian to y/n " You did this you took him from me!"

"No she din't i simply took love instead of money thats all"

"You know what i never ever wanted to be yours Anyway you are not good enough for me i don't know what my father saw in you" she walked away with a big huff

"Im so sorry about that"

"Its alright im not blaming you"

"I ment what i said, i really love you" he huged her close and gave her a kiss on the forehead

"I love you to"

They both went back inside to tell sir Mercury, taylor and deacon the good news about their arangement

Brian and y/n found love in eatch other and lived a long and happy life together

The end

I hope you guys enjoyed reading please let me know what you think 😊 I put a lot of time and efort in to this plus a lot of late nights so please concider rebloging if you like the story

Have a Nice day everyone♥️

Greatings from Anne

[dessarious]

Misconceptions, Miscommunication, and Misinformation Pt88

AO3   Beginning   Previous   Next

By the time Selina exited the bathroom in her street clothes Chloe had tucked Mari in, sent Damian a ‘thanks for the heads up asshole’ text, fed the Kwami, notified Luka and the Kwami that they’d be dealing with any issues for the next few days, and was currently calmly filing her nails waiting for the front desk to send up the room key. She didn’t look up as the woman walked back in the room but could feel her eyes on her.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot. I shouldn’t have just shown up in costume without making sure you were aware I was coming and I shouldn’t have made assumptions about who you were outside of being a hero. Apparently Bruce left out a few things when he explained the situation to me. And he most likely didn’t mention to the boys that I could be showing up early.” Chloe glanced up at the woman and saw real sincerity. She looked at Marinette’s sleeping form and could practically hear the girl’s voice in her head telling her to be nice.

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.” And she was. Everyone expected her to be someone else. Her parents expected the perfect daughter. Her class expected a first class bitch. The public only saw a spoiled little rich girl. She’d always played to people’s expectations rather than herself to the point that if you asked Chloe wouldn’t be able to tell you who she was. Marinette was changing all that, but she still didn’t have a clue who she was under all the bluster and snobbery. “It’s not your fault either and Mari would kick my ass if I were less than civil. We can start over tomorrow when tensions aren’t so high and we’re all rested.”

“That… sounds like a good idea.” Chloe watched as the woman frowned thoughtfully at Marinette. “She’s very observant.” Chloe let out an amused snort.

“You have no idea. It’s worse when she’s awake because you know she sees more than everyone else but she keeps it to herself. It’s maddening wondering what she saw that you didn’t.” It had absolutely nothing to do with her being Ladybug either. Marinette had seen and heard more than everyone else for as long as Chloe could remember. Honestly it might have been the look of pity the girl gave her the first time her parents didn’t show up for something that started Chloe on her vendetta when they were little. Everyone else believed her when she said her parents were too busy to attend some tiny school assembly. Somehow, Marinette knew she was lying. Every time Marinette looked at her after that she’d felt like she was under a microscope.

“I live with ‘the world’s greatest detective’ so I’m used to that feeling. Granted Tim’s worse in that regard but Bruce is so uncommunicative you know he’s got things in his head you’ll never be able to pry out.” Chloe gave a non committal hum. She hadn’t been that impressed with the man during their encounter, but he had been squaring off against Mari so both that comparison and the fact she was in protection mode may very well have colored her perception. Okay, it definitely colored her perception.

“That will help. Plus Mari’s gotten a lot better at hiding it when she figures things out. That comment about why Damian doesn’t like you would never have come out, she just would have started subtly nudging the pair of you into some form of tolerance without you noticing. She probably still will actually.” Definitely with Damian. His obvious intolerance of someone so important to his father was bound to make her do it even if Selina was the most obnoxious person alive. Mari couldn’t help herself. If she thought it was broken, she fixed it, and Damian had become her pet project.

“I’m not that easy to manipulate.” Chloe could only smirk at the woman.

“I assure it won’t matter. With no planning she got Bruce to agree to leave Damian in Paris. Trust me, when she decides something needs to change, it does. I’m a prime example of that.” That was probably not the best way to say that. Mari had a tendency to push people towards what would make them happy. With Chloe it had changed over the years and she hadn’t even realized what was happening. Mari was the one who got her to think about running for class representative originally. At the time her father was in the middle of a reelection campaign and she’d wanted to be just like him. Mari was also indirectly responsible for her push to get Adrien out of homeschooling. All it had taken was a few well placed comments. It was honestly scary how easily she could manipulate people. And it was amazing that she actively tried to only help people when she could do so much damage.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Honestly if she can get Damian in anyway on board with my relationship with his father it would be a tremendous relief. I know we’ve had a… fairly rocky relationship for a long time, but we’re both finally at the point where we can accept each other for who we are. But if Damian is completely set against it, I don’t think Bruce will risk alienating him to stay with me. It hurts knowing that, but I understand. Especially given all they’ve gone through. Bruce won’t risk losing a child that way.” Chloe could help but frown at that. She couldn’t imagine either one of her parents denying themselves something just to keep her from leaving. She was actually pretty sure her mother would auction her off to the highest bidder for an exclusive on the next hottest thing in fashion. Her father would sell his own soul to stay in office so she didn’t imagine he’d flinch at tossing her out if she became a liability.

“He sounds like a decent man.” Bruce Wayne’s public image was terrible but she knew better than most how deceptive that could be. Selina was giving her a concerned look. Crap, her thoughts must have shown on her face. She really was tired if she was having trouble keeping a neutral expression.

“He is, no matter how hard he tries to pretend otherwise. He wouldn’t have given me so many chances if he weren’t.” She glanced at Mari. “I have a feeling you’ll understand what I mean.” Chloe just nodded. Mari had given her chance after chance, as both herself and Ladybug. If she hadn’t who knows where she’d be right now. “People like that are rare, but they also don’t stick with lost causes. If you or I were a hopeless case they wouldn’t have put the effort in.”

“She’s right you know.” Tikki flew over from the bed to land on Chloe’s shoulder. “There was always a hero in you. You just needed to know it was okay to be that person instead of who you were raised to be.” That got an even more concerned look from Selina.

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