#grief is normal. don't do what I do and think about it too much. It's okay <3. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

softpascalito · 13 days

Text

I To Dig a Grave I Chapter 2 I

Summary: Twenty-one years after the outbreak, you come to Wyoming looking for something and end up in Jackson after a stranger saves your life.

But he doesn't stay a stranger.

Turns out Joel Miller is looking for something too. It feels like a fresh start. But when bad luck seems to follow you, Joel is the only one to turn to, forcing both of you to confront your feelings about your pasts- and each other.

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader Rating: Explicit / MDNI Word count: 7k+ Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Age Difference, Smut, Explicit Content, Grief/Mourning, Mental Health Issues, Canon-Typical Violence, Chose not to use Archive Warnings, Tags to be added

AO3 LINK // Series Masterlist // Playlist

notes: i can't tell you all how i excited i am to get this fic going! thank you for the lovely comments on the first chapter, i promise there is a lot of cool stuff to come!

this fic will deal with heavy topics. please note that it doesn't use archive warnings and tags will be added as we go in order to avoid spoilers. each chapter will have detailed warnings in the end notes on ao3.

Chapter 2 - The Patrol

‘Someone has to leave first. This is a very old story. There is no other version of this story.’ - Richard Silken, The Worm King’s Lullaby

There is a thin sheet of ice covering the streams that are heading downwards. It crunches under the hooves of their horses that dutifully carry them up the hill and past the gas station. Joel is glad that it's Tommy next to him. He's more tense than he's felt in ages, a gnawing feeling in his stomach that has little to do with the skipped breakfast and a lot with the worry that is etched into the frown between his brows. He wouldn't want anyone to see him like this, much less try and calm him down, something he knows is a lost battle.

“They might be fine, Joel,” his younger brother says gently, just loud enough for him to hear. Tommy thinks there will be no response until one comes, a little too late for it to not be premeditated.

“She talked about leaving, sometimes. They would be stupid enough to run off-”

“And leave Jackson?” Tommy raises a brow. “Maria said their house looked normal, all their things still in place. They wouldn't be stupid enough to leave all that behind.”

Joel doesn't want to hear it. He knows, better than anyone. Knows that you wouldn't just leave, not without saying goodbye to the children you'd come to care about so much. Would you leave him without a goodbye?

He almost hopes you would. Because if you didn't leave willingly, what was the alternative? It would've been nearly impossible for someone to take you from inside Jackson with no one noticing. But he can't shake the feeling that something is off.

It’s Tommy who has to keep reminding him to ride slow, to keep an eye on the ground for possible tracks. Joel just wants to go, to spur Old Beardy on until they're galloping up the hill, despite not knowing where it is he needs to go. He just wants to find you. Preferably in one piece, happy and healthy.

He would’ve missed it.

The small footprints leading off the road and onto a smaller path, one that's twisting through pines and further into the woods.

Tommy nods. “Pretty sure ‘tis the one that leads to the hunting cabin.”

It only takes a few minutes for them to be sure. The wooden cabin is hidden away behind a few trees, difficult to spot if you don't know where to look. It doesn't really serve any purpose, at least not anymore. The roof at the back caved in years ago, allowing rain and plants alike to enter the dimly lit room. It’s less than five miles from the gate of Jackson, tucked away from the main road.

He can’t help but think that this would be the perfect place to run off to. Or to hide a body.

Joel is off his horse in a second, not even bothering to tie the stallion's halter to the wooden posts in front of the cabin. Without thinking, he tugs his revolver out of his waistband, using his foot to nudge the door open.

He smells it before his eyes even have a chance to adjust to the dim light. The unmistakable stench of blood. And mixed with it, creating an odor that immediately makes him sick to his stomach, the smell of gunpowder in the air.

***

The sun has been slowly rising while you’ve been flipping through the pages, trying to find the volumes you’re looking for. The library of Jackson, though rather small, has been frequented more and more, especially in the winter months when the weather doesn’t always allow activities outside and people resort to what they’ve always known: Books.

The entire place is supposed to be relocated soon, to a small store on main street. But compared to the greenhouses needing repairs and the stables being expanded, books don't seem to be a priority for most of the townsfolk.

“Books can’t feed us or keep us safe,” Maria pointed out when you brought the slow progress up to her. You politely disagree. You feel like you could live off books for the rest of your life.

Still, packing up everything means the old place, a shed tucked away behind the church, is currently a mess. Sagging bookshelves, a leaky roof and too many books for too little space means chaos. One that only few bother to navigate in its current state. You among them.

It was the crack of dawn when you slipped out of the house, deciding to let Lane sleep in while you walked through the still empty streets to the far end of the town, hoping to get the library work out of the way before the first lesson of the day.

Maria is the one that finds you, making your head peek up from between two shelves with a frown. “You changed your mind on those books?”

She gives a small laugh, one that sounds oddly like relief. Then her face becomes stern again, the look she carries much more often. “You two have some explaining to do, do you realize that?”

Now it's your turn to frown. “We two?” She pauses at that, looking around the small room. But there is no one here but you and her and the characters bleeding from the pages.

“Is Lane not with you?”

You shake your head, turning your attention back to the book in your hands. “She has the 8AM class today.”

“She's not there,” Maria curtly responds. You can tell she's trying to keep her voice steady but there is a hint of anxiety regardless.

“Then she overslept again,” you half guess-half ask, closing the book again.

“She's not at home either.”

An odd feeling crawls over your body. You can't remember what was in your hands a moment ago, but the question is forgotten in an instant. Maria carefully watches as you step out from between the shelves, her tone still gentle. “I've sent Tommy and Joel out to search. We thought you two snuck out.”

You feel numb as you shake your head. “No, I- I didn't see her this morning. I thought she was still asleep.” You rack your brain for the memories of this morning, of last night, of the last week even. But nothing comes to mind, nothing out of the ordinary.

“I was out late last night, finishing up some paperwork,” you mutter, more to yourself than the woman in front of you, retracing your steps in your mind. “Lane got home before me, I had dinner, we talked about blueberries-”

“Blueberries?” Maria asks, her hand already back on the doorknob. She seems restless and it's that fleeting detail that worries you more than anything. Maria stays in control. Always.

“Yeah, we- It doesn't matter. I don't know where she is,” you finish lamely, getting up and joining her at the door. But she hasn't moved yet.

“You should stay at home. I'm sure she'll show up again soon and if she comes back to your place, someone should be there.” You nod but your mind is already drifting again. Lane’s been doing fine, good. So have you, really. Maria gently reaches for your shoulder, steering you out of the shed and towards the church, down the street that leads to the center of Jackson.

You're passing the small graveyard that's protected by brick walls, the stones already withered, pale in contrast to the dark metal fence running along on top. The gate is ajar, but you barely pay it any attention as the information settles in your brain. It takes a few seconds for it to reach your mouth and leave your lips.

“She went out a few times.”

“Out?” Maria enquires, raising an eyebrow as her attention shifts back to you.

“I thought she'd met someone. Cat and her were pretty close and I figured-” You give a small shrug. It's more than uncomfortable, suddenly, and absurd, that you're discussing Lane's private life so openly, with Maria of all people.

“Don't tell her I said that,” you add quickly.

Maria nods as you reach the end of the brick wall. “I won't. I'll get back to the city hall and see if there’s any news yet. You go home.”

Your head nods as if on its own accord. Maria has already turned her back towards you when you pipe up. “Maria?”

She pauses, her back straightening a bit. “Yes?”

“You don't think anything happened to Lane, do you?”

The older woman shakes her head softly. “No. I'm sure she's fine. Now get home. Maybe she's already there.”

And she hurries off, leaving you at the corner of the street with a trembling body and a heavy feeling in your stomach. For a fleeting moment, you allow your thoughts to wander past the point you've been dreading to consider. What if something has happened? If Lane did sneak out, maybe with Cat, maybe alone, and got into some sort of situation? What if she's hurt?

The sky has turned from pink to a light blue, only a few clouds piling around the mountains on the horizon. You glance down at your hands, shaking ever so slightly. You decide to blame it on the cold. The cold that may be getting to your head as well. Because after a few moments, you turn on your heels, heading for the stables. It's only a few rows of houses until the large wooden wall looms in front of you, blocking out the little sunlight you could get in the morning. The wall that protects you from what lies beyond. Infected and Raiders and maybe, you think, as you slip into the stables, maybe answers.

if you enjoyed the chapter, please consider reblogging/sharing and commenting, every single notif on this fic makes my heart swell with love <3

106 notes · View notes

nr1chaedickrider · 5 months

Text

Love's gonna get you killed - we could've had it all.

Grief is the response to the loss of something deemed important, particularly to the loss of someone that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cognitive, behavioral and social dimensions.

The sun shines through the large window in your room, and you rub your eyes with your hands as you slowly wake up and stretch. After getting dressed, you make your way to the dining hall where Dahyun and Tzuyu are having breakfast together.

"Good morning," Tzuyu says as you sit down next to her, leaning your walking stick against the table as a cook brings you food and you mumble a "thank you".

"How's your leg?" asks Tzuyu.

Her question gives you a twinge in your head, an uncomfortable feeling, and it's as if the event that actually happened months ago is happening right now.

You clench your teeth as Momo kisses your cheek and pulls the sword out of your thigh as you fall to the ground.

All you see is her looking down at you, tears in her eyes, and whispering an "I'm sorry", her only reply, an apology, a goodbye.

She disappears between the bushes, the last time you saw her.

"Y/n?" Tzuyu asks, pulling you out of your thoughts.

"My leg... it's better now, but it still hurts sometimes, but I'll start training again soon," you answer, a small smile on your lips.

"By the way, you two were a bit loud yesterday..." you add and hear Dahyun almost choke on her food, Tzuyu laughs a little.

"Sorry," she replies.

It is quiet while the three of you eat, Tzuyu interrupts the silence,

"Various people are coming to visit us tonight, we wanted to have a big party, are you coming too?" she asks, you look at her and think about it.

But just like before, you lose yourself in your thoughts and Momo is standing right in front of you.

"Come on," she says as she stands in the water, you get in, your suit wet and you can feel the goose bumps on your body from the cold.

You both look at each other, the only sound in the background is the water.

"Y/n?" says Tzuyu, "What's wrong? Are you okay?" she asks, pulling you out of your thoughts again.

"What, ah, yes. I'm coming..." you stand up, "I think Im gonna visit Jihyo..." you say, she nods and lets you go.

"How are you?" asks Jihyo as you sit down next to her.

"Normal, I guess," you answer and she looks at you thoughtfully.

"Jeongyeon can officially start training again, she's doing much better," Jihyo says, breaking the silence.

Jeongyeon...

Momo, who attacked Jeongyeon to get your attention.

"Good" you just say, but Jihyo knows exactly how you feel for a reason.

"You don't care about Jeongyeon as much as you do for Momo, do you?"

You look at her, somehow trying to find an explanation that makes sense, an explanation that shows that you're not thinking about Momo, that she's not that important.

"Sana is back in the kingdom," she says to change the subject, and you suddenly feel uncomfortable.

Memories of the past come flooding back, things that happened years ago.

It's like the first time you saw her, her smile that made your cheeks glow. Her hands that touched you in such a way that you completly melted in her arms, her lips that were so soft that you felt like you were kissing the softest pillow in the world.

Her way of talking that made you cry when she left.

"Why?" you ask Jihyo and she can tell immediately that you're lost in your thoughts.

"Because of Tzuyu's party, she came all the way from Japan, as queen she has to make official visits," she answers.

"Official visits..." you mutter.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"My people need me."

"I can't be seen with you."

I can't be seen with you.

"I know you're probably not ready to see her, and maybe you never will be, but at least try," Jihyo says and you nod, looking down onto your slightly trembling hands.

"I'm glad you all came tonight," Tzuyu says in front of all the guests at the party, a glass of champagne in her hand and in the hands of everyone else.

"I hope you enjoy tonight!" she finishes her sentence and the people applaud as a small orchestra starts playing music, people start talking to each other while some of them start dancing.

Unfortunately, the music sounds far too familiar.

"Will you dance with me?" Momo asked when you were at Dahyun's ball, just as this song started to play.

You take a deep breath and look around, then walk out of the palace and onto the terrace.

Why was every palace built by the water?

The stony shore only reminds you more of the night, even more of the evening when you felt too comfortable with Momo.

The night when Momo kissed you on the cheek.

You take a sip of your champagne, it's quite cold, you can feel it running down your throat, leaving a slight burning sensation.

But you are not alone for long, you hear the door open, you turn around and Sana is standing right in front of you.

Your eyes widen in surprise, because somehow a small - or rather larger - part of your body was hoping that Momo would be standing in front of you, that she would be here again for some reason,

A part of your body hoped that she was looking for you.

"Y/n?" says Sana.

"Sana?" you answer, a soft whisper, as if you were afraid someone might hear you, as if you weren't allowed to speak to a queen.

"Long time no see..." she says, walking to you and leaning against the stone wall, her voice so soft again that you want to cry, to take her in your arms and tell her how much you actually missed her.

But instead of saying anything, you lean against the stone wall next to her, both of you looking at the water in the distance as the sun sets.

"I heard about what happened," she says, and you don't know what exactly she's talking about.

The situation with Momo?

The attack on you that left you still unable to train properly?

The days you spent crying for Sana? Your despair?

Too many events come to mind as Sana continues,

"That thing with your leg, that knight, what was her name again-

"Momo," you answer, perhaps a little too quickly.

"Exactly, she hurt you in the fight. I hope your leg is better," a small smile appears on her lips as she finishes her sentence.

"It's gotten a lot better," you answer, drinking the last drops of your champagne. The burning sensation is back in your throat, but somehow you start liking it, a kind of burning that is somehow pleasant.

It's quiet, uncomfortable, but comfortable at the same time. Like a paradox - it's as if she has always been here, as if she never went to Japan.

"I missed you."

Sana says after a while, and it scares you somehow - you don't answer.

But Sana doesn't mind, not at all - she found your quiet way somehow relaxing. She always liked the way you listened to her without answering, because deep in her heart she knew that you somehow remembered everything, that you thought of every single detail even when she was gone.

"Whether you want to believe me or not is your decision, but I can only say that to this day I regret leaving," she says as you look at her, her eyes are slightly watery - another one of her special qualities - she gets emotional easily when she talks about her feelings.

You put your hand on hers, your thumb gently stroking her palm, a small but somehow meaningful sign for Sana. A kind of comfort.

How ironic, really, that you are comforting her.

You look back at the water, Sana does the same.

"I'll stay here longer, y/n," she adds.

Part of your body rejoices, maybe you shouldn't, but you'd be lying if you said you didn't think about her almost every day.

Thinking about Sana has distracted you from many things -

especially at this moment.

You don't notice Momo opening the door and watching you and Sana.

You don't notice the way her grip on the glass is getting tighter and tighter.

Despair? Anger?

Fear?

And when you hear the sound of glass falling to the floor and shattering into little pieces -

Momo was already gone.

Your head hurts when you wake up, maybe it was stupid to play drinking games with Tzuyu, Dahyun and Sana.

Actually, you wanted to stay civil, but... it didn't work out so well.

You decide to take a walk through the forest to get some fresh air.

After a few minutes you find yourself in this place.

Behind bushes and trees -

The place where you saw Momo for the first time.

The place where she gave you the scar on your face - which is almost gone now,

The place where you and Momo fought in the rain.

The place where you kissed before you never saw her again.

But this time it's different, this time there's no Momo here to attack you, this time you're all alone, without any armor or weapon.

You sit down on the grass and lean against a bigger stone.

And it's so different from the other times, it's just quiet, pleasant.

And maybe it would have stayed that quiet and pleasant if you hadn't suddenly heard footsteps coming closer and closer,

and before you can even react,

Momo is standing right in front of you.

She looks down at you, her expression is hard to read, it's hard for you to tell what she's feeling.

The only thing you notice is that she has no weapon or armor.

She's not here as a knight from the other Kingdom, but simply as Momo.

Just Hirai Momo.

None of you dare to say anything, maybe that's what makes you different from Sana -

You're more afraid.

Because what you did with Momo was always whispering, talking at night, hiding.

She doesn't say anything, she just sits down next to you.

And you don't complain, no, of course not.

Because somehow this is something you've wanted for months.

You don't complain when Momo puts her head on your shoulder, but you put your head on hers.

You both look at the ground in front of you, the only sounds are your breathing, the chirping of birds and a light breeze that comes now and then.

And Momo's hand plays with the grass under her fingers, perhaps a sign of nervousness?

And when she starts humming softly, you don't mind, no, you just try to listen to her even more.

Even though the melody is unfamiliar to you, it is somehow so relaxing, unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time.

And what's going on in your head that you're doing this, that you're daring to take her hand.

She doesn't pull her hand away, but intertwines your fingers.

And her cold hand is somehow so pleasant that you warm it with your warm hand and she cools you down with hers.

And this moment is more pleasant than you thought, if you only knew who exactly was watching.

Because the person is not happy, they don't know why they feel this way, but it hurts their heart.

Anger?

You yawn as you look around and slowly realize the situation you are in,

or rather, were.

You are still sitting on the grass, your back leaning against a stone as you look beside you,

Momo is gone.

Without a word of goodbye.

You get up, pick up your walking stick and walk back to the palace, it's quite late and you wonder how long you've been in the forest.

Before you can enter the palace, you run into Jihyo who quickly pulls you aside.

You give her a confused look before she starts talking,

"Sana's been looking for you all day," she says, and your body starts to hurt.

Why is she looking for you?

Does she know about Momo?

"I don't know what's going on, but she's in your room. Maybe you should go upstairs and talk to her," Jihyo says and you nod, thanking her for the warning.

The walk upstairs felt faster than usual, you take a breath and open the door, Sana is standing in front of the large window as you walk in.

You close the door behind you and walk slowly towards her, leaving a few feet of space.

"You shouldn't stand so long, sit down," she says, but it sounds more like an order.

You nod and sit down, she walks towards you.

"Where have you been?" she asks.

"In the forest."

"Why?"

Her question makes you think. You just wanted to get some fresh air, then you met Momo and just fell asleep.

"Just like that, why do you care?" you ask back and Sana laughs a little.

"You shouldn't spend time with people like that, especially not falling asleep next to them," she says, standing right in front of you.

She knows about it?

She has seen you and Momo?

Why is she telling you all this?

Thousands of questions pop into your head and you can already feel the headache, Sana interrupts your thoughts when she starts talking again,

"I know Momo, and believe me, she's not a good influence for you. She's dangerous, and you're not the first person she's had contact with like this. I only want the best for you," she says.

"What do you mean?" you ask, but she only confuses you more with her words.

She sits down across from you, her legs crossed, her back straight and her posture noble.

"You are not her first victim. No matter what you think is going to happen between you, it won't. She did something to my kingdom years ago that is still unforgivable," she replies.

"Just believe me, please. You know I only want the best for you."

Your hand clenches into a fist, how ironic that Sana out of all people would say such things.

"You only want the best for me? You left me, you said you couldn't be seen with me. You have no idea what's best for me," you reply, perhaps a little too aggressively.

But Sana doesn't seem to be offended, her expression is still neutral, but it looks like she's suppressing a smile when she starts talking again.

"Why is Momo so important to you that you get so defensive?" she asks.

She probably knew exactly what point she had hit.

Sana knows exactly how your emotions tick, she knows every single detail and could make you cry in just a second.

"I..." you start to speak, but nothing comes out.

"She attacked you, she's a knight of the other kingdom, she almost killed Jeongyeon. So I ask again, why is she so important to you?" she says, provoking you even more.

And as you think about it, you realize what a bad person Momo really is.

The many fights, the attack on Jeongyeon, the provocation, her aggression.

The way she made you cry?

Her tender lips on yours before she disappeared for months?

When she listened to you talk about your fears at the ball?

And her alleged attacks were never fatal, you start to notice while thinking about everything.

Jeongyeon - She hit her in a place that heals easily.

You - The scar on your face that didn't even touch your eye or neck.

Her sword that was in your thigh - it healed faster than you thought.

The way she always called for the others after hurting you, so you could get help right away.

Sana stands up, on her way out of your room, but before she can leave, you turn around and say something.

"Maybe Momo is a better person than you."

Sana turns and looks at you, a smile on her lips.

A smile?

"I see" she answers and closes the door behind her.

Why did she say that?

Why did she smile?

What is she up to?

It is dark, the wind is cold and yet so pleasant.

You find yourself in front of a large stone wall, one that protects the palace.

Or rather;

You are standing in front of Dahyun's kingdom.

Even though peace has been restored, you prefer to play it safe and take the more inconspicuous route.

You bite your lower lip as you climb up, your thigh tightening from the pain as you reach the other side.

And as you run up the stairs to Momo's room, you are stopped.

"Who are you?" asks a man, taller than you, a small sword in his hand - probably as a defense.

You remember your dream again, the one in which you also met this man.

You don't answer him, but attack him, the sword flies out of his hands and lands in yours.

And before he can react, you stab him.

And as if nothing had happened, you just keep walking.

Up the stairs, through her door and close it behind you.

You look around her room first, it looks similar to yours, maybe because you're both knights.

You want to turn around, but you bump into something.

Or rather,

against someone.

You gasp as you feel a knife at your neck.

And somehow it's just like in your dream again.

"Momo, it's me," you say as she pulls her knife away from your neck again and puts it away.

"Why are you here?" she asks as she sits down on her bed, leaving space for you as you sit down next to her.

"I honestly don't know..." you start to say,

"I talked to Sana," you can tell from Momo's reaction that something is wrong.

The look on her face confuses you. Why is she reacting like this? What's the story behind the two of them?

"Did she tell you not to talk to me anymore? That I'm a bad influence?" Momo asks, you nod slowly, hoping she'll finally explain why Sana has been acting like this.

"I wasn't always part of Dahyun's kingdom Y/n," she says, and you're only more confused.

"Before Sana was in charge of her kingdom, it was Mina. Younger than Sana and I, but part of the royal family, which is why she came to power when her parents passed away." the more she talks, the more confused you get.

"We were pretty close friends, the three of us, I served Mina's kingdom," Momo stops talking for a moment, taking a breath as she looks down at her hands.

"It got to the point where Mina kissed me, and I kissed her back. We acted like two little teenagers in love, but then..." You see her thinking about how to phrase her next words, she lets out a little laugh.

"Our kingdom was attacked and I defended Mina and Sana. Mina wanted to stay with me the whole time because she was worried about me. When it came to an attack...

she stood in front of me because I didn't see it coming, right infront of me and Sana.

I wanted to help her, but in the end it was too late.

Sana still hasn't forgiven me for it, it seems. She got everyone to turn on me, and I fled because it's supposedly all my fault." Momo says and stops talking, you look at her, and now somehow you understand everything.

"But it's not your fault" you whisper, it shouldn't even come out as a whisper, but somehow it just doesn't come out any louder.

Momo looks at you, a slight smile on her lips - which quickly disappears,

"But maybe you need to listen to Sana, even if I hate to say it.

I don't want anything bad to happen to you," she says.

Couldn't she have just said "Don't listen to Sana"?

"Wouldn't it be funny if this was the last time we talked to eachother in peace?" Momo asks.

You look at her and somehow wish she hadn't said that, because it makes you somehow scared.

But you choose to ignore it.

You choose to focus on the present, on what's happening now and not years later.

You take a deep breath and take her hand in yours.

Her hand is cold, again, - yours is warm.

She looks at you as you answer;

"You're both idiots"

Momo looks at you, confused.

You close the distance between the two of you, her soft lips on yours as she dares not move.

This time it's different.

It's not a stupid dream you're having because you're confused about your feelings for Momo.

It's all more real.

And you want it, so, so much.

But before you can pull away, Momo starts kissing you back.

And her lips feel so soft, it feels like a new sensation that drives you crazy.

As you two continue kissing, Momo pushes her tongue into your mouth and you let out a soft whimper at the feeling of her exploring your mouth.

She pushes you into her matress as she gets on top of you, leaving your lips as she places wet kisses on your jaw, trailing down to your neck and leaving hickeys by biting, sucking and nibbling on your skin.

Your hands grip the bedsheets, head leaning back deeper into the pillow because of the pleasure, toes curling into the bed as Momo parts your legs with her free hand, slowly and lightly rubbing circles over the pants you have on.

"Fuck Momo-" you let out, opening your eyes to make eye contact with her.

Her hands toy with the hem of your shirt, looking at you with a smile that seems more like a nasty smirk.

"Can I take this off?" she asks, and you're close to just rip off your shirt yourself, because Momo knows damn well how much you want this.

"Don't ask stupid questions.." you answer, and your t-shirt is being pulled off faster than you thought.

And Momo's eyes sparkle a little when she sees that you haven't thought about wearing a bra, being topless right infront of her.

She leans down, trailing her kisses down from your collarbone to your chest - kissing inbetween your breasts before taking one of your hardened buds into her mouth, her hand playing with the other one.

You throw your head back again, back arching, wanting to get somehow even closer to her touch.

After licking, biting and lightly sucking, she continues kissing down your body, stopping right infront of your pants.

She thinks quicker than you - catching your hands before you could, somehow, make her touch you where you really need it faster.

She looks up to you, that nasty smirk fully on her lips, and oh god what you would do to wipe it off her face so she stops feeling so confident.

"You're so impatient baby, how long did you wait for this?" she asks teasingly, her voice husky, making that one damp spot on your underwear even wetter.

"Too long-" you whimper, maybe it would be embarrassing to admit this, and it is probably very embarrassing - but in this moment, you couldn't care less.

Your body is hot, sweaty, and your mind clouded by the thought of Momo finally touching you like you desire.

Mind full of wanting to submit to her, your body trusting her completly to being in charge.

She interrupts your thinking when you see her having a piece of black cloth in her hands, her look on her face not that teasing, rather like she is asking you if she can do what she wants to do.

A simple question, no strings attached.

You nod.

She smiles, sitting upright as she takes your arms, placing them behind your back as she ties your wrists together, not too tight, but definetly so tight that you cant simply take them off.

She plays with the strings of your pants, clearly teasing you, again.

"How bad do you want this?" she asks, leaning on top of you as she whispers into your ear, her breath hot and her voice sensual.

You feel shivers running down your spine as she speaks, thinking of an answer that will leave her satisfied enough to touch you.

"So bad that its embarrassing to say, so bad that i would say it infront of the whole kingdom so they can hear it." you answer, and your breath hitches when Momo brushes her finger against the damp spot, pressing right against your heat, telling by her face, she's visibly satisfied by your answer.

"Can't leave you hanging, right?" she says, fingers hooking onto your pants as she pulls them off along with your underwear, throwing it on your shirt.

She lowers herself so her face is right infront of your core, her slow breaths tickling you in a way that makes your hips buck.

She comes closer, leaving kitten licks on your clit as you moan, head leaning back into the pillow as you bite your bottom lip.

Your hands try to move as you realize that they are tied together, wrists rubbing against eachother as your body tries to feel Momo even more.

"Please.. don't tease-" you moan out, earning a chuckle from her.

"Okay okay.." she answers, her tongue suddenly moving faster as she enters your hole, making you let out a louder moan.

You turn your head as you moan into the pillow your head is laying on, back arching even more when she speeds up.

"Momo.." you pant, moans leaving your mouth while you try to speak.

"I'm close-" you say, feeling her smirk as she, somehow, goes even faster, even deeper.

Your thighs close around her head, forcing her to spread them open again with her hands as you cum into her mouth, a loud moan ripping from your mouth as your juices flow out.

Momo pulls back, watching you breathe heavily as you try to come down from your high, brushing your hair out of your face and tucking it behind your ear.

Maybe this is her favorite sight.

Seeing you like this.

Hands tied behind your back, cheeks flushed, neck full of hickeys, back slightly arched, eyes closed and your brows furrowed.

She doesn't get to stare long though - you open your eyes and look at her.

"Admiring me?" you say and laugh a little.

"Maybe" she answers, fingers drawing circles on your thigh.

A silent request, an invitation.

Her motives are clear as a sky without clouds.

And again, you nod, letting her take control over this situation, - letting her take control over you.

She smiles, fingers inching closer to your heat.

And when you feel her fingers brush over your clit, your mouth drops open, hips bucking into her touch, wanting more.

She pulls her fingers away, a string of wetness on them.

Her fingers slide down, through your folds as she slowly puts a finger in, your hands gripping the cloth that is restricting your hands.

You let out a moan and bite down on your lip.

And when Momo slowly starts to move, she realizes the way you're so tight.

"First time?" she asks, and you embarrassingly nod, cheeks turning into a crimson color.

She smiles, hand trailing up your body, leaning forward as she kisses your neck softly.

"I got you" she whispers, kissing along your neck and collarbone, adding another finger into you slowly.

"Fuck Momo-" you moan, your mind going crazy over the new sensation of Momo's long, thick, fingers inside of you, body slightly grinding onto her to feel her even more.

And she starts to thrust into you, some slow, experimental thrusts to see how you would feel.

Your moans get louder, and all your thoughts disappearing as your mind gets clouded by the way you feel Momo everywhere.

Her mouth lands on your breasts, kissing them as she drags a tongue over your nipple, making your back arch off the bed and closer to her.

"Are you close?" she asks, smiling against your chest as she curls her fingers into that spot that makes you moan even louder.

You nod, lip trapped between your teeth, head thrown back.

She grins against your chest, her fingers moving even faster, scissoring and curling into the spots that make you crazy.

"Momo-" you yell out, toes curling into the matress, gripping the cloth that is tied around your wrists, body twitching while cumming.

She slowly stops moving her fingers, helping you ride out your high.

She pulls her fingers out, slowly licking them clean.

You try to calm down, panting with your eyes closed.

Momo pulls off the cloth from your hands, and when you open your eyes you can see the little red marks it left.

She smiles at you, taking your hand in hers.

"How about we take a bath?" she asks with a smirk.

That nasty smirk again, the one that makes you want to wipe it off her face.

The one you slowly start to adore.

"Sounds good" you answer.

War.

War is like a plague, a disease.

Something that can always come back for some reason.

Once you have it, it will never leave you.

Peace, however, is something you can only dream of.

The complete opposite of war.

And while the kingdoms enjoyed the supposed peace, war came right after.

Unprepared, without any signs, without any official announcement.

It was only days after you slept with Momo.

Days after you last spoke to Sana.

Jihyo stands beside you as Tzuyu gives a speech to the residents, your armor donned.

"Are you sure you're really ready to fight yet?" she whispers to you.

You look to her briefly, and nod.

You look next to you and look at Momo.

"We'll do everything we can to keep the peace!" says Tzuyu.

"Our kingdoms will work together for your safety." says Dahyun, standing next to Tzuyu.

Momo has a slight smile on her lips, and it makes you show yours too.

Maybe you really are like childish teenagers who are in love, but in this moment - and in all other moments, really - you don't care.

Because you both have each other, and that's the most important thing.

You can be happy together.

Even with war.

You are split into groups, Jihyo, Jeongyeon, Momo and you, while the other knights are in another small group protecting a different part of the kingdom.

You run through the forest in two lines,

Jihyo and Jeongyeon are behind you,

Momo and you lead the way, all four of you with swords in hand, making sure no one can attack you.

It's darker now, which means you have to concentrate so that you can see everything clearly.

You walk past the part of the forest you've been to too often.

A part where you have probably made the most memories.

And somehow every one of them has something to do with Momo.

Momo notices you looking there and touches you with her arm so that you look at her, she smiles at you.

A simple sign that she knows what you're thinking about.

You hear a strange noise behind you, but before you can turn around you feel a blow to your head and fall to the ground.

The last thing you see are people standing in front of you and pulling a cloth bag over everyone's head so that you can't see anything.

The last thing you feel is thick ropes being tied around your arm.

And suddenly, you feel nothing as everything goes black.

As you slowly begin to regain consciousness, you realize that you are still tied up, your vision still blocked by the cloth bag.

You try to hear something and realize that you are in a carriage, or rather a horse-drawn carriage as you can tell by the clattering of hooves.

The cart comes to an abrupt stop as you hear something being opened, probably to get you out, but suddenly, you hear a whisper next to you -

"I'll find you in every universe."

You can tell by the voice that it's Momo, and how much you want to answer, Momo is pulled away and someone grabs you to get you out of the car.

You run to where you are being led and somehow you are scared, of course you should be scared, but that uneasy feeling in your stomach makes it all worse.

You are pushed to the ground, onto your knees.

The cloth bag is pulled off your head, and as you look around, you are shocked.

You see many knights, from their armor you can tell they are not from Tzuyu's or Dahyun's kingdom.

You see Sana.

Sana?

Her clothes dark, her expression cold as she watches all the other knights being forced to their knees just like you.

You look beside you, and a few meters away you see her.

Momo.

She looks you in the eye, her smile no longer on her lips, but, for the first time, her look is different.

She is afraid.

Next to you are Jihyo and Jeongyeon, somewhere further you see knights like Nayeon and Chaeyoung.

You look at Sana again, and as everyone looks at her, she starts talking.

"I'm glad to be here," she says with a wicked grin, one that gives you goosebumps.

She takes the sword from a knight and looks at it, then smiles.

"I don't really like doing the dirty work," she says.

"But as queen, sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands"

She looks around, her eyes landing on you.

"Oh Y/n, long time no see right?" she asks, kneeling down in front of you, sword in her hand.

She reaches behind your head, your hair between her fingers as she pulls your head back.

You grit your teeth.

Momo, further away, tries to get free, somehow, to help you, but it's impossible.

"Oh Y/n.. Our friendship is great, isn't it? Or maybe we have more?" she asks teasingly.

"We don't have anything." you reply, and she laughs.

She laughs and lets go of your hair to stand up.

"Because Momo is better than me, right? Right?" she asks, pacing back and forth a few steps.

You don't answer, but only feel more uncomfortable and wonder what exactly Sana is up to here.

"If you look around you'll see that we're somewhere in the middle of nowhere. A perfect place for corpses" she announces and everyone looks at her in confusion, looks full of fear.

"But don't be afraid... You don't have to do anything except watch..." she says, but suddenly she adds something that makes your blood freeze -

"Unless your name is Hirai Momo, then you're the star of the show!" she finishes, and everyone is even more shocked, Momo's eyes wide open as Sana points her sword at her.

"Sana! You can't do this," you say.

A pathetic attempt to somehow save Momo, to somehow stop Sana from doing what she's about to do.

Sana approaches Momo and stands right in front of her.

"Sana please!" you call out, she looks at you.

"Please..." you feel your eyes getting watery, "it's not Momo's fault that Mina is dead, you know that!"

Sana listens to you, lets you finish, and you feel like she's really letting up.

"You don't have to do this. Please. You're not a better person if you kill Momo. It won't bring Mina back!" you say, tears streaming down your eyes.

Sana nods.

Sana nods?

"I think you're right, Y/n..." she says, lowering the sword.

Only to raise it again.

"I make my own decisions, though." she says.

Momo looks at you,

and suddenly her face is covered in blood.

Sana's sword is suddenly stuck in her head before she pulls it out.

You've seen brutal things, of course, you're a knight -

But seeing Momo,

Momo being killed in front of you.

"Momo!" you scream.

Your eyes are full of tears and you somehow try to untie these filthy ropes.

Because somehow you think you still have a chance to save her.

Momo looks at you.

"Y/n.. I'll... I'll find you..."

She topples over, onto the dirty ground, onto the grass.

"Momo..." you say again, hoping that this isn't real.

It's just a bad dream, isn't it?

Or is it?

Jihyo looks at you, tears in her eyes and in everyone else's, but you're only focused on Momo.

She doesn't move, just lies there.

Not a single breath, no stupid grin, nothing.

"Why not in this one?" you ask.

"Why couldn't you just find me in this universe?" you ask.

And to hear you like that, you'd think you were talking to someone.

But no one is standing in front of you, or next to you.

You are alone.

'Hirai Momo, a fighter, a person full of love' is written on the gravestone.

And it doesn't feel real.

And a part of your body still hopes it's not real.

You kneel down, run your hand slowly over the engraved writing.

"Why?" you ask into the silence.

And inside, you think to yourself that someone is behind you, answering your question.

In your mind, Momo is standing behind you and says that she survived.

"I will never forget you," you say.

A promise.

One that you will never break.

One that you will always remember.

You will remember how beautiful she was, how she made you feel.

You will remember her smile, and you will always love her.

"I'll never love anyone like that again" you say to yourself, maybe you say it to her, in another universe she is listening to you.

In your heart, Momo is not a knight of the other kingdom,

Or a bad person,

But simply Hirai Momo.

210 notes · View notes

exaltedfuzz · 1 month

Note

Hi! Do you have some personal HCs regarding how Lana dealt with the grief of losing her parents? She'd known them her whole life compared to Ema, and I love to think about (read: make myself sad about) how she managed to balance that and trying to do the best by her only remaining family.

Hello! Honestly, if a question contains “do you have some personal HCs regarding [...] Lana”, the answer is almost definitely yes, and this is no exception! Thanks for the ask. I’ve got a couple scripts in early stages around this very topic, so I don’t want to spoil too many of my thoughts in case I ever want to make a comic about them, or something. (Honestly, I should just write fanfic at this point… I have a rough piece of prose writing in the works that I'll attach part of under the cut... A little teaser.)

Around the time Lana would have had to start taking care of Ema, I think I’ve settled on it being most likely between 16 and 18, since I think if she hadn’t had to stay put for Ema, she’d have moved away to go to uni. So she’d be in a pretty tense time in her life anyway, with exams coming up, and whatever teenage stuff she was dealing with. I imagine that when she got the call saying that her parents were dead, she didn’t have much time to grieve alone before Ema was asking what was wrong, and her focus had to very quickly switch right onto making sure that her sister was ok. In general, I think the thing with Lana is that she’s massively self sacrificial, so her coping mechanism became doing the best possible job she could for Ema, and in that, there wouldn’t be much time for grief between making sure Ema was fed, making sure she was getting good grades so she’d manage to get onto a law course (so she could earn good money to put Ema through college), making sure she could drive, so they could shop and get places…

Here she is...

I think one of the biggest struggles in the early days was learning how to drive. She would have probably been about to start lessons, or just started, (if we assume she was 16 or so) and her parents just died in a car crash. But she’d just have to get on with it, because it was necessary. (She doesn’t have the best record with cars, does she?)

Since Ema says she “used to be so gentle, always smiling”, I think that this was the image of her that Ema experienced most often, so it’s safe to say that she was really patient with her. Ema was probably the only thing that kept her going at a lot of different points in her life.

I expect there would have been some really rough moments though, once Ema was off to sleep and she was alone in a house much too big for a teenage girl and a baby. I like to think that they at least got to inherit a house. (They deserve a little bit of a break, don't they?)

Here's a doodle of her in the first few seconds of having to acknowledge the fact that she's on her own. This is based on a line from the thing under the cut.

And, as promised, here's a little bit of writing. Rough and underdeveloped, I think, but hopefully enjoyable.

The landline didn’t usually go. If it was important, her parents would call her cell. But it did go. Three times, consecutively. She could recall it all. Ema, sitting up at the table with her, eating her pot of yoghurt and drawing in the back of Lana’s notebook. Lana’s textbook laid out in front of her - this was the one thing she didn’t remember. It was physics, that much she knew, but she just couldn’t bring herself to care about whatever was on that page after the rest of what she learned that night. She was smiling, Ema was too. She couldn’t keep her sticky little hands off of Lana’s pens and pencils. It was achingly normal. So familiar. Her parents would have a conference, or a party, or a theatre trip planned, and she was old enough to look after Ema, so she did. She was good with her.

So when they told her to not wait up, to make sure Ema got a little snack if she was hungry, to call them if she needed anything, it was normal. Another night in, another night of making sure Ema didn’t get too curious about what all the fun things under the sink were, another night of studying, another quiet night. She liked them. Sure, it was hard to be saddled with looking after the most curious baby to ever have little hands to grab with, and it was hard to not feel like she was missing out whenever her friends would go out, while she was here, eating carrot sticks and cucumber to try to encourage Ema to follow suit - those days still tasted like hummus in her mind. But it was a labour of love, and Lana was happy to sacrifice her time for her baby sister.

She tried not to be bitter. She didn’t want to be, because Ema was such a joy. But when she’d sit up at the table, nose in her books as always, and she’d hear all the fawning over the youngest Skye, she did feel left out. When Ema was born, Lana stopped getting so many little treats. Her parents used to take her out with them to these excursions. It was a lot of fun to get to talk to the scientists who worked with her mum, she loved seeing the crappy plays that the amateur dramatic society put on, she’d always end up getting sweets and snacks when her dad took her to the shops, and it just kind of stopped when Ema was born. It was a hard time for Lana, but she couldn’t resent Ema. She had a silly smile, and little hands which wanted nothing more than to squeeze Lana’s fingers, and poke around at her face. Holding Ema in her arms while she conducted her first scientific experiments on the elastic potential of Lana’s nose almost made her cry.

She told her parents then that she wasn’t ever going to let anyone hurt Ema, and she’d done her best to make good on that promise until her life was once again torn out from under her feet with the SL-9 incident, and she found herself constantly hurting Ema all on her own in her self absorption. She never forgave herself for that. Ema did, though. She was always so excited to come and see her on the other side of that visitation room, and she still told her everything, like Lana made sure she knew she could. Her eyes looked sad, though. Lana had watched those eyes as they changed from barely betraying any conscious thought, to when they quirked half closed with Ema’s newfound sarcastic smirk. Lana wasn’t quite sure she liked that. Her baby sister was older than she was that night by now, and she definitely didn’t seem like she could handle looking after a kid. What must Lana have looked like?

She knew what she felt like, that’s for sure. Of course, she stood up, with a sigh, on the third repetition of that irritating ringing, and held up the phone to her ear. She was so ready to tell whoever was on the other side that they didn’t need double glazed windows.

“Hello?”

“Is this the Skye residence?”

It was cold. Maybe they did need double glazed windows. Lana hesitated before she responded.

“Ah, yes?”

“Am I speaking to Miss Lana Skye?”

“...Who is this?”

There was too much blood rushing through Lana’s head for her to really hear what the response was.

“Sorry, could you repeat that last bit?”

“There’s been an incident involving a Mr. and Dr. Skye.”

She didn’t care about the rest of whatever he said. Something about investigation being open, something about intensive care, something about an escort car to the hospital being arranged. She could not speak, and her eyes failed. She leant forward, one hand white knuckled around the phone, the other now beginning to bleed with how Lana was chewing at her thumbnail. Ema was still babbling on the other side of the kitchen-diner. She never wished Ema would shut up, but she didn’t want to hear her making these silly noises as if their lives weren’t about to become impossible.

Lana was about to put Ema to bed. It was late. She didn’t remember the time. It was easier that way. She was supposed to be giving a presentation tomorrow at school, and she wanted to be sharp and awake for it. She wasn’t really planning on staying up much longer herself. Certainly not to wait for her parents to get back. She supposed they never would, now. She recognised the way this officer spoke from all the stupid cop shows she watched. She didn’t need it spelled out for her. She mumbled out a thanks, and hung up.

She always hated crying. She couldn’t stand it. The way her breath sounded as it shuddered out of her made her feel weak, and she wasn’t weak. She couldn’t ever afford to be, and that was all she could think of. Lana didn’t notice Ema getting out of the chair and unsteadily walking over to her, and her little grasping hands reaching for the hem of her jumper managed to ground her again. She looked over her shoulder at her sister. Eyes so wide and full of questions, all of which Lana realised, in that moment, she would have to answer. She must have scared her with the way her eyebrows furrowed and the way she grit her teeth, because Ema pulled a little sad face at her.

“Why are you crying?”

Ema wasn’t really that helpful sometimes. Lana swallowed, and looked for an answer. She tilted her head up, closed her eyes, and covered them with her hand, before breathing.

All she could manage to choke out was confirmation: “I’m very upset.”

What a useless statement.

Ema wasn’t ever satisfied with one answer. She just kept asking why. Lana knew that you had to be honest with kids when they had complex questions, so she picked Ema up in her skinny arms and held her while she explained. Usually, she was delighted to explain everything about the world to her sister, but this was hard. Not as hard as seeing Ema’s little pout as she tried to comprehend, though.

As she sat in the escort car on her way to the hospital, as if their presence would miraculously bring their parents to life, she kept holding Ema. She kissed the top of her head and tried not to cry on her soft hair. Her stomach turned as she thought about what the last thing her mum had said to her was. It had escaped her mind until now, and she wished she could let it escape her mind forever.

"No boyfriends over, alright? Be good. Love you. See you in the morning."

She supposed she'd never get to tell them now that there never would be any boyfriends. It was selfish of her to care about something so trivial, so she tried her best to push it to the side. Ema never had to know, either. It wasn't important.

She didn't end up giving her presentation. Or going to school, for the next few days. Ema was at home, so Lana was at home.

#art #my art #ace attorney #ema skye #lana skye #writing #exaltedfuzz #skye sisters

109 notes · View notes

frociaggine · 6 months

Note

okay, what do we think the average niner thought after all of the kids died & p&p's pregnancy announcement? personally i'd be so horrified by the thought of my political leaders a) hearing that a bunch of children had died and deciding to rawdog it, or b) hearing that my leaders didn't hear about the mass death b/c they were so busy rawdogging it that i'd expire on the spot

Ok LISTEN. I think actually the average Ninth dweller might have taken it as a sign of... things going back to normal? I don't think there was a big announcement, and even if someone did the maths, for all they knew Harrow could've been conceived in vitro (she might have been! All we know is that the ovulum was irradiated with death juice) and I just think that births give people hope. Gideon POV sort of implies that, with the “only birth amidst a sea of tiny tombs” line.

However. I also think there was widespread suspicion about the timing of ALL those death, and imo if we're going to not question canon's implications that there have been NO births on the Ninth since Harrow, then the obvious conclusion is that it was a consequence of the mass death event. So like... I can imagine initial positive feelings after all that grief, followed by rising disquiet and fear once things did not even BEGIN to go back to normal.

Anyway tldr I don't think the average Ninth holy order think TOO much about the Reverend Parents having sex in details Only me and my homies do that. It's our roman empire so probably the rawdogging took a backseat to everything else

#ask #anonymous #pelleamena novenarius #priamhark noniusvianus #ninth house #tlt theories #elle tlt posting #tlt

224 notes · View notes

dumbkatsu · 2 years

Note

Hi! Could you please do hualian (together or separate) with a mortal s/o who has reincarnated? Thank you!!! (I don't normally do request like this so I'm kinda nervous)

Hey anon! I'm so sorry I'm only responding to you now. Thank you so much for waiting! I really like this prompt so I'll try my best. Hope you like it!

(I'll do a mix of both here. from personal pov to hc of them together)

I was listening to this playlist video on yt while writing

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

When Xie Lian saw you he couldn't believe it. He thought it was just some spirit messing with him. But no it was you. It was you.

Time stood still while flashbacks of memories and feelings you shared styarted flooding back in. From the joyous times where everything seemed right to the unbearable grief, rage and sorrow from your loss. By the time he'd recovered you had already disappeared into the crowd.

He wandered around for a while until he heard the voice of his beloved in the comunication array. "Dianxia where are you? Did you forget about our date in Yu Jun mountain for our 50th anniversary. I'm counting on your wonderfull cooking." "Ah yes San Lang I'm on my way!"

Xie Lian arrived and Hua Cheng was quick to greet him with a peck on the lips. A cheeky gesture that held an insurmountable of love. "Gege everything's ready and this tine I'll make sure we won't have any interruptions" "Hmm" Xie Lian was looking at the horizon deep in thought. "Gege are you alright? You seem distant. What happened today?"

"I saw them" xie lian blurted

"Who?" San Lang inquired

"Y/N san lang."

"..."

" I-I couldn't believe it myself either but- "

"No."

"What?"

"No, that's impossible they're dead" Hua chengs face was deadpanned. Showing no emotion "San Lang it's true I saw them today at the market"

"No gege they're dead I saw them die"

It was brutal and ice-cold. Xie Lian knew this was a touchy subject but he pressed on. "I think they've finally reincarnated" "..." "It's been so long since I've seen their face...seen those eyes-" "Dianxia I'm very sorry but it seems there is trouble in ghost city and it requires my presence. I'm terribly sorry but I must go. I'll meet you in puqi shrine." with that hua cheng disappeared. Xie Lian knew Hua cheng didn't need to go to ghost city, yin yu could basically manage ghost city without hua cheng for a year in the least. He'd seen it. Alas xie lian sighed and he knew hua cheng just needed space.

Hua Cheng didn't even try to find you. With his network already so spread out (yin yu) it was too easy to find out where you were.

You were there. Rigth there.

You were working in a lantern shop. Helping the owner preparing for the grand festival that celebrated the two deities of the village. Hua Cheng could only watch. Fighting the urge to come to you and hold you. To make sure you were real. It took too much of him when he lost you right in his arms. He wanted to protect you. So much so that you'd never leave like that ever again.

But he couldn't. He didn't move and just stared at you until the shop closed.

The walk back to puqi shrine felt longer than usual. With all his turmoil at least he knew with certainty that he could always find comfort in his beloved's arms. Xie Lian swallowed him in a hug as soon as Hua cheng laid down. "So how were they?" "Still has that same selflessness... they were helping the old Tao with the lanterns for tomorrow " "Do you want to meet them?" "I don't know" "I don't know either. To be honest I'm scared." hua cheng turned cupping xie lian's face "It will be alright. We've been through worse."

The day of the festival was hectic. You were filling in for old Tao's nephew that broke his leg two days before the festival and the customers were flooding the humble stall, the craftsmanship and ability of old Tao that translated to his lanterns was indeed mesmerizing. After things slowed down old Tao gave you time off to enjoy the rest of the festival. You went straight to the food stalls and grabbed some "chastity meatballs" you always found the name a bit odd but the tale was that the Scrap‌ ‌Immortal saved a family by offering the ghosts those meatballs and went to a quiet table to enjoy your treat.

After the meal, you got up but tripped on your robes and bumped into a man and spilled some liquor on them. They made quite a fuss and were very angry. As they prepared to strike you, you closed your eyes and prepared for impact. But it never came.

A strong hand pale as chalk was holding tightly onto the wrist of the man. A youth that had such a delicate physique was looking at the man like he was about to kill him.

"Is there a problem here?" Hua cheng inquired.

The look from his threatening gaze was enough to send the man running. As he was out of sight Hua cheng swiftly turned away and started walking. Until he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve "Hey gongzi wait up! I never got the chance to thank you. Can I offer you a meal to repay your act of bravery and kindness?"

The young man turned to you with a face of disgust. But his eyes were of melancholy and hurt.

"Hong'er?"

Hua Cheng breathed in sharply and held his breath. His pupils slightly shrunk. "Ah, I'm sorry I don't know why I called you by that name, forgive me. You do look quite familiar..."

The resurgence of memories foreign to you started flooding back into your mind at a rapid speed. The fog started clouding your mind and you started to lose your balance. But before you could fall you were enveloped by soft white fabric.

"San Lang let´s get them somewhere safe"

That was the last thing you heard before falling into slumber.

Alright! Time for some hc!

Ok so while you were sleeping you regained your memories of them. You saw everything happen before your eyes. How you met Xie Lian and Hong'er when the kingdom of Xianle was vast and prosperous. The memories you made with them. How you died in honger's arms in the war. Everything.

You woke up in a staw mat. The two faces you thought you'd never see again now are looking at you with worry.

Your eyes started to swell up with tears and pulled them both into your embrace while softly crying.

Xie lian closed his eyes and embraced you with so much strength to compensate for all the years filled with regrets and let out a deep sigh.

Hua cheng on the other hand hugged you reluctantly and buried his face on your shoulder, biting his trembling lip to keep himself under control.

He was the first to break the embrace and booked it into the woods. With you following behind for a while.

He stopped at a lake and turned to you.

"I'm sorry"

"For what?"

"For leaving you"

You got closer to hua cheng and just held him there.

"It's ok. I'm here now"

You both stayed there for a while. Sitting in front of the lake embracing each other. Hua cheng with his head on your chest and you carding your fingers through his hair. Xie Lian Joined you shortly.

Now! Obviously they put you up to speed on all the events that happened. And you were incredulous at the adventures and plots they uncovered. But you were glad everything turned out in the end.

Surprisingly, an activity you guys like to do together is fishing

Even though you and hua cheng had to "fish" xie lian out of the sea most of the times.

You help xie lian in collecting trash so you can sell it.

Dude. When I tell you sleeping with them is THE BEST THING

Take that info as you wish 😏

They would introduce you to their friends. Even yushi huang!

Becoming buddies with shi qingxuan was bound to happen.

Thankfully mnq although at the beginning skeptical, accepted you more then hua cheng for xie lian.

Travelling with them to other lands is so enjoyable.

Hua cheng likes to spook you with sneaky kisses on your neck

Giving gifts to each other bcs something reminded you of them is very frequent.

One day after xie lian came from working in the rice fields you were preparing dinner and he sneaked up behind you, covering your eyes "Now who from my two lovely husbands might this be?" you said playfully.

Xie lian's heart skipped a beat.

"It's me dear" he said pecking your cheek lovingly.

He then took your hand stroking it lovingly and and sliding a grass ring in your finger.

"I did that with a couple of grass I found. I know it's nothing compared to san lang's elaborate rings but-" he was interrupted with your kiss.

"I love it A-lian"

1K notes · View notes

cowgurrrl · 1 year

Text

What Sarah Said

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader

Author’s note: Listen, I don’t normally write babies into a happy ending but I needed this (PS I love this picture of Nico and Pedro)

Summary: “And when I turned to face grief, I saw that it was just love in a heavy coat.” - Shannon Berry aka you and Joel talk about having more kids (kind of a part two to Sweet Jane) [1.7k]

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, talks of child loss (reader has lost a child), talks of pregnancy, grief, lmk if I missed anything!

You blame Maria. Of course, her well-meaning questions and Camille, ever the adorable toddler, got in your head. It started when Maria told you about her son and, in return, you told her about Jane. She started asking if you and Joel ever talked about having kids or even if you had a plan for if you did get pregnant within the QZ. You always had a plan in mind, even before you started with Joel, but you never talked about it as a couple. Then, she told you about how great her labor and delivery team was when she gave birth to Camille and how they have the equipment to care for anything wrong.

That's when she really started pushing it by talking about schools, work schedules, and even play dates. "I know Camille would love to have a little cousin around," she said. It felt foreign and wrong to be talking about having another kid. You think it would feel that way even if Jane were alive, but her absence doesn't make this any easier. She backed off when you asked her to, but she still got into your head. A million different thoughts have been floating around since you saw her earlier. Maybe that's why you ambush Joel with the question before he can even take his boots off.

"Do you think you'd ever want to have another kid?" You ask as he sits next to you on the couch. Ellie went to bed an hour ago, and you figured now was as good a time as any. You could've approached it gentler, especially since he was on patrol all day. Joel immediately sits straight up and gives you a worried look.

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

"No," you think for a moment, doing mental math to ensure. He waits, the anxiety rolling off of him. "No. No, I'm not. Maria just said something when I was over there that made me think." He sighs and buries his head in his hands. You laugh a little at his reaction and put a soothing hand on his back, the muscles relaxing under your touch. He takes a couple of deep breaths before taking his head out of his hands to look at you.

"Yeah, Tommy said something, too."

"What did Tommy say?" You ask.

"He said something about Maria's doctors and then asked if we had talked about having kids," he says, and you scoff. "What did Maria say?"

"Pretty much the same thing. Even brought up how great the schools here are."

"Sounds like we got set up," He says, and you hum in agreement. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. I mean, this was never a possibility for us before. We never talked about it, even before we left Boston. What do you think?"

"I'm not the one who'd be carryin' a baby for nine months, so I don't think it should be my decision."

"Your feminist thought is always appreciated, but that doesn't help." You say, and he falls quiet. You know to wait him out, to let him sort through his thoughts in silence before he speaks. He glances at his broken watch, searching for pieces of her in the shattered glass, before looking at you again.

"Sarah always talked about how much she wanted a little brother or sister, but… I don't know. I was always happy with just her."

"Jane used to say the same thing. But, my pregnancy with her was so brutal, and it may have been because I was so young when I had her, or something went wrong. I never thought I'd do it again," you say. "There's also Ellie to think about. It'd be a big adjustment for her. She already gets anxious if one of us has a cold, let alone growing a human. There's a lot that could go wrong."

After that, you go back and forth, listing all the ways having a baby would alter your life. You wouldn't be able to go on patrol with him anymore. You'd need medicine and vitamins. All the attention would go to the new baby, and Ellie could start feeling left behind. She just got into a normal routine where she goes to a normal school and does what kids her age should do. You can't fuck that up for her. It'd be scary, emotional, and painful, and that's just the pregnancy. Having a toddler was terrifying enough before the world went to shit. How do you keep a kid that small safe in a world so big? It's obviously possible. Camille and the other kids around the commune are evidence enough.

Even as you go through everything that could go wrong, the idea of Joel being a dad again makes something deep within you soften. He's always been so gentle and natural with Camille, even though it's been decades since he's dealt with a kid that small. He sits at the kitchen table every night to help Ellie with her homework, walking her through math problems like it's second nature, even though you can tell he doesn't understand either. He packs her lunch, walks her to school, and doesn't even blink when she walks down wearing one of his shirts. Domesticity looks good on Joel Miller. He's all relaxed shoulders and big smiles. The nightmares still linger in the shadows of both of your minds, but they're manageable.

That's what so much of your lives have been—manageable. "It sucks, but we'll manage" was your motto for much of your life before Ellie and Joel. You said it to Jane more often than not as a reminder that things could be better, but you were also trying really hard to make life easy for her. You said it to Joel when you started doing drops together. Then, you said it to Ellie when trying to get across the country with her. But now, possibly for the first time ever, it feels like you're doing much more than managing. The thought wiggles through your brain until it sits front and center, a bright, shining "Maybe."

"What?" He asks, breaking you out of your reverie. You shake your head, but he nudges you with his leg.

"It's stupid."

"Humor me."

"I just imagined a little you running around. That's all." You say, and he smiles. It's giddy and touches the corners of his eyes. You have to look away before you get sucked in.

"I thought we were just talking about all the reasons not to have a baby."

"We were. It was just… quick. Something fun to think about."

"Tell me about it," He urges, moving closer to you. You sigh as you reach out and push the hair out of his eyes. "Boy or girl?"

"Girl. We both had girls, so I think it'd be a long shot if we had a boy."

"What were you imaginin’?"

"I imagined a little girl with big curls and your nose running around with Ellie. Playing in the snow and learning how to ride horses and driving us fucking crazy. She'd be a troublemaker, and Ellie would love her for it," you say, his smile only getting brighter as you talk. "I'd go out on patrol, and you'd stay home with our girls because even though you're big and scary, you secretly love playing stupid games with them. You'd sing songs to the baby because she couldn't sleep without them, and you'd spoil her half to death. Ellie'd read the baby books about space, and when I come home, we’d cook dinner together and eat as a family, and we’d live an ordinary, unremarkable life in Jackson."

"Ordinary is good. I could live with ordinary."

"It's a nice thought."

"Yeah," Joel says, nodding. You feel like crying, but you're not sure why. How could you cry over something that's not even real?

"Is it bad that I want all that again?" You ask quietly, like you're afraid if you say it too loud, the universe will take everything away from you. Joel's jaw works as he thinks before he grabs your hand.

"No, it's not because I want it, too." He says. You take a deep breath and nod, looking down at your joined hands.

"What do you think our girls would have to say about all this?"

"I think they'd be jumping up and down and screaming about how excited they'd be," he says. "I think they're doing that wherever they are."

"Me too," you say. Something heavy and dark and familiar weighs down that golden ball of hope still sitting in your chest. It aches as nothing else does, pulling the breath from you swiftly and mercilessly. Like a bomb leveling an entire block and everyone there. Like a stray gunshot hitting the wrong person. Like celebrating a birthday every year but never watching your child grow. "I wish they were here." You admit. Joel brings your hand to his lips and kisses it. His watery eyes match yours.

"Me too." He says. There's an unspoken addition to his sentence. Something about how they are still here because they were a part of each of you, perhaps your best parts, and they live on in you. You keep living because of that and because they loved you and wanted you to live even if they couldn't be around to see it. That might be the only solace when you lose a child.

"Are we crazy?"

"Maybe."

"Are we gonna try to have a baby?" You ask, and a smile overtakes his features.

"I thought that's what our whole conversation was just about." He says, and you roll your eyes before climbing onto his lap. It's a position you've been in far too many times, and you justify it by getting to be close to him, but really he's just pretty to look at sometimes. His hands rest on your waist as you settle, both of you still smiling like idiots.

"I want to hear you say it."

"Mrs. Miller," he starts. "I want to have a baby with you because I love you, and I want a million little yous running around our house." He punctuates his sentence by leaning into you and kissing your neck.

"A million?" You ask, tangling your hands in his hair. He hums against your skin.

"A million."

"Can we compromise for one?"

"I can be persuaded."

🍓

taglist: @evyiione @nyotamalfoy @abbyhaslongshorts

#the last of us #joel and ellie #joel miller #joel miller fic #joel miller x reader #the last of us x reader #joel tlou #joel miller the last of us #joel miller x female reader #joel miller fluff #he’s so girldad your honor #domestic joel miller #he’s so soft #look for the light

600 notes · View notes

duchezss · 17 days

Text

I've taken a bit to try and assemble my thoughts of jwct, and frankly I still don't know how to feel. Not in a "oh that was bad" kinda way, but in a "that was life changing how can I move on" kinda way. So I'm gonna do what I do best and just ramble on here, you know me. Spoilers of course.

Overall thoughts:

Holy cow the animation!! Not to say jwcc was ugly, but you can instantly see the budget differences. The lighting was gorgeous and the sequences were great. It was just so clear how much love was poured into every scene, the thought behind every move was so clear.

The story was so engaging and good. I thought I was gonna get tired of the "picking everyone up" trope, but it worked so well. I think the difference is this show knew how to take it's time. Ben and Darius had a few episodes to themselves, then Sammy and Kenji were given time to express their grievances. Hell we didn't even get to Yaz till ep 6 and I loved that. The dinosaurs were great too, and the overall plot was just amazing. I loved how it all slowly enfolded and how it was clear they had only scratched the surface with what they found out.

The voice acting was great as always, but it did kinda make me emotional at first to hear how much Paul had grown up. Getting used to Kenji and Brooklynn's new VA's was kinda odd, especially for Kenji, but by the end I was mostly cool with them.

The characters (and trust I'm gonna talk about all of them individually in a sec) were just superb. Their overall maturity and growth was outstanding, especially seeing how their trauma really effected them all differently. All of their arcs before and throughout the season were simply breathtaking. I think this season might be the best in terms of balance, it handled it's action, humor, and emotional moments so well.

This kinda relates back to the animation, I can't explain it, but they all just felt so much more human this season. Everyone's body language was so fluid and lifelike. They would talk over each other and mumble, they would hunch and roll their eyes and all of this sounds normal, but it really stood out. I think it's safe to say the animators really popped off this season, the direction was so clear this is truly a masterpiece. Also I felt like all of them were so touchy and I loved that so much. Like yes hug, hold hands, grab shoulders, pat on the back, I LOVE.

Characters:

Darius, my god Darius. Of course I've always loved him, he's an amazing mc and he is just so lovable. That being said I generally couldn't get over how much I loved him this season. He blew me away in ways I couldn't have imagined. His grief is so understandable and the way he shifted his ideology on dinosaurs because of Brooklynn was just heartbreaking. The way his character was handled was amazing, and it was wonderful to see that the writers do know how to let the others shine while still showcasing that he is the mc. I was also so in love with how sassy and witty he was, like when did he become so funny? His vulnerable moments were just as good and I loved how they showed his anger and frustration as well. His arc about learning to accept his grief and his regret was so poignant and beautiful. It's clear he needs a shoulder to cry on and yet he still puts everyone first, god I didn't think I could love him this much. He was easily the best character this season, I feel like they FINALLY showcased how amazing he is, just 10/10 no notes they ate.

I was kinda shocked by how goofy Ben was, but man I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it. Still can't get over how tall he is, and while I hated his design at first, it's really grown on me now. I really don't get how a lot of people are saying he felt like a shell of himself, cause frankly this season just cemented him as one of my favorite characters ever. He was kind, caring, understanding, humorous, he cracked jokes and messed around, but also got emotional and real. Him being a conspiracy theorist and living out of a van just makes sense, and the way he's the opposite of his germaphobe self now is hilarious. It was also interesting to see him as the meditator since he was the only one that got along with everyone else. He tried to help Darius with Kenji, he tried to give advice to Yaz about Sammy. It was just so lovely to see him so content and yet still himself? His scenes with Bumpy were so sweet and sad I can't stand them. Also I'm kinda obsessed with the fact that he's so big yet sucks at fighting and defending himself...king. I loved his mini arc about almost regressing on his fear, and how he grew from that. Ben ily light of my life, still the goat I fear.

Sammy's whole story just felt so heartbreaking. When they found her on the farm all alone it hurt me so bad. The way her family was her whole world and now they aren't on speaking terms? I hope the writers explain a bit cause I just can't fathom why? And Yaz moved away and she was really all alone. The way she approached her grief and her whole life in denial, and how she refused to accept anything was so heartbreaking. It hurt even worse because despite all of that pain she was still her. She was headstrong, kind, and passionate, for people and for dinosaurs. I did love how they still showcased her flaws and weaknesses. She had a hard time treating Yaz differently, but she also just wanted someone to actually be there for her. It's so clear she's tired and wants to be the one taken care of for once. Sammy stories feels heart wrenching in perhaps a more subtle way than the others. I really loved the direction the writers took her in this season. They showcased so much good and left us wanted more and ugh someone just give her another hug please.

If there's one thing the writers can be consistent on is making me despise Kenji. He was annoying me at first because of how he was approaching things, but he really grew on me by the end. He was this season’s punching bag and it was so heartbreaking. Brooklynn died and he blamed Darius and it's like he couldn’t escape his anger. It's interesting to see how him and Darius secluded themselves in different ways, and the way he still calls their mom? Oh I'm gonna cry. Yes Kenji is mad and he has every right to be, but it's clear his anger is misplaced. The whole scene with his father was so sad for so many reasons. Yes Kenji didn't like his father, but he literally watched him die. His breakdown was so painful to watch. I like how we can see Kenji kinda mature again over the season. It's as if he's relearning that not everything is in his control, and he shouldn't dwell on that. Sometimes his VA sounded too uninterested or nonchalant, which is a shame because the thing about Kenji is he pretends not to care but it's really the opposite. I am intrigued to see where this show will take his journey.

We took a while to get to Yaz, but I'd say it was worth the wait. I liked how this series didn't shy away from talking about her ptsd, and it took it even a step further by exploring peoples ways of coping. It's also interesting to see how fear has driven Yaz and how that has effected her relationships with all of them, but particularly Sammy. She's trying so hard to do better, but healing isn't linear and building a glass house around yourself can only do so much. I really hope they'll let us see how all of this is effecting her next season, because for someone is deathly afraid of dinosaurs this season put her through the ringer. That being said, I think there's no denying the bravery she showed. No matter how terrified she was she was always there for her friends. When Sammy needed her she knew how to calm her down, when her friends needed her help she let her instincts drive her. She even learned to let herself enjoy the moment, adding humor to trying to make the best of things. I feel for Yaz and I want to see her find comfort in her friends again, because she also just needs a hug.

Character: five stage of grief

While writing this I stopped and realized that in a way all of them really represented the five stages of grief regarding Brooklynn and just their life in general. So I wanted to take an interlude to talk about that for a moment.

Denial: Sammy - It's clear that Sammy has been trying to deny anything and everything, if only to pretend all of her problems are nonexistent. She doesn't want to believe that her family won't talk to her, and that Yaz won't either, and that her friend is just gone. Denying makes it all of it easier and so she makes herself busy so she won't even have a second to think about it all because then maybe she'd have to accept it.

Anger: Kenji - He's blaming everyone, especially Darius for Brooklynn's death. He blames the Allosaurus and he blames his father and through it all his anger never dwindles. Eventually it's all too much and he lets his anger become sadness, but it's clear his frustration and aggravation are not exactly gone. He can forgive but still feel mad at his situation and I think that's ok.

Bargaining: Yaz - Her's almost borderlines on denial like Sammy, but I think it's a little different. Because unlike Sammy she thinks everything is ok. She's convinced herself that this dino free island is fool proof and if she hides away like this nothing bad could ever happen. Obviously she comes to find out this isn't true and she has to accept the fact that her reassuring herself can only do so much. She has to face her fears, and boy does she.

Depression: Darius - From the get go we knew Darius wasn't doing too good. He's locked himself away in his bunker, cut off everyone, and had just become obsessed with catching the Allosaurus. Loosing Brooklynn was hard on all of them, but it's clear he took it the worst. It also didn't help that Kenji blamed him so much, so he fell into this hole. It's not the typical signs of depression, but his behavior is so different than before. Old Darius would have never cut everyone off and reduced dinosaurs to simple killers.

Acceptance: Ben - He's perhaps the only one that can speak so plainly about Brooklynns death. He constantly reassures Darius that it wasn't his fault and he's the one that rallies all of them together. His acceptance of her death is what allows him to put the pieces together that someone is after them. Of course he still mourns her, but the difference is he wants to get her justice and make sure all of them are safe as well.

Relationships:

To get the elephant out of the room THANK GOD brookenji broke up. I know they have a lot of shooters but I have and will never support or understand them. They just didn't work and had like zero chemistry. I really hope they stay broken up please writers I can't take it anymore. That being said I was pleasantly surprised Kenji's whole character wasn't just about Brooklynn. Yes she was a big factor, but without her there it's like he could be his own character again. That was always my biggest gripe with s4-s5 brookenji. I couple should not be reduced to their partners, they need to be their own person too.

Yasammy you will always be famous. The two of them were absolutely wonderful this season. Their fight was so warranted and valid and I loved that both of them were right in some ways. It's never black and white and it's up to communication to resolve those issues. The two of them are just so in love, they are actual soulmates like I can't. No notes, I think their relationship is proof that you can balance a couple and the individual. Sammy has her problems, Yaz has her problems, and together they can be a mess, but that's what so wonderful about it. The scene with them after they got out of the van was generally so beautiful I LOVE THEM.

Darius "I was in love with Brooklynn" Bowman....I USED TO PRAY FOR TIME LIKE THESE?? When I tell you I screamed I mean it so bad, I almost fell out of my chair. I know a lot of people aren't a fan, and they think it reduces their friendship, but I disagree. I think Darius still would've been heartbroken, but this just adds a layer. I also love it cause it's just so messy, and I think that makes it feel more real. What do you do if you love your brothers ex? I have been a dinostar defender for years, and I think there's no deny how much they mean to each other. I know he said Brooklynn didn't replicate his feelings but until we see the scene I'm gonna deny that. I think she rejected him because she didn't want him to get hurt in her investigation, that or she doesn't want to hurt Kenji. Let me just say writers you have a chance to get this all back on track PLEASEEEEE do not mess it up I can't take the heartbreak again.

Ben and Darius' friendship was kinda the best thing ever and I wasn't expecting it at all? I know they've had a rocky relationship before but this was so playful and I loved it so much. The way they goofed around and got into trouble, the show couldn't handle them together all season I guess. I also love how tender it was. Ben was so patient with Darius and it was clear he only wanted the best for him. Darius was just as patient with Ben and he helped him through his little paranoia relapse. They were such a good time and a blast to watch like the amount of times the two of them had me busting out laughing was insane.

Sammy and Ben duo oh how I've missed you. Another one I really didn't expect but they were so lovely. I loved how much they messed around yet they also dropped everything to commit a few crimes. Ep five was full of them and I loved it so much. Also the way Sammy constantly defended Ben was so special to me, that girl knew how to throw a punch lmao. Nothing too crazy, but so welcome and sweet. Also the way Ben was terrorizing Sammy on the phone with Yaz, peak cinema.

MIGHT AS WELL KILL ME NOW KENJI AND DARIUS. WHY are they always fighting Kenji don't make me mad. I loved their relationship so much. The way Kenji was so angry at Darius and yet Darius held him so close while he had a breakdown? Might just kms. They friendship is so rocky and real and I love that. I also love how Kenji wasn't angry when Darius said he had feelings for Brooklynn. He just listened and the maturity they both have is insane. I'm terrified of Brooklynn coming back and causing a love triangle, but honestly I'd be fine if they all just stayed friends if that means these two end up alright. When the brothers brother >>>

Ben and Yaz bestfriendism back everyone cheered. The way they still call each other by their last names actually kinda tears me to pieces. I love how Ben offers advice to Yaz even if it's in his own silly way. They're both so gentle and yet so playful with each other I love. I love that Yaz just let's Ben go on his side quests like yeah he's got it. They didn't get that many scenes but I still love them so dearly anyways.

The return of the king, Sammy and Darius. I know they didn't get that much but they were always one of my fav limited screen time duos. The way they constantly comfort each other just pulls on the heartstrings. Like when they just hugged in the back of the van? And when Sammy raced to hug him again in the warehouse? Ohh I love them. And despite it all Darius trying his best to defend Sammy? Save me older sister-younger brother duo save me.

Kenji got very limited time with Sammy and Yaz and I can't wait to see more cause those just iconic duos, I also would love to see more of Darius and Yaz since they also didn't meet till the very end. I really hope S2 (I'm pretending like it's already confirmed) let's us see more of this, especially Kenji and Yaz please I've missed them so much.

Ohhhhh Ben and Kenji. Benji nation we're kinda so back, living off crumbs is better than living off nothing. Ok but in all seriousness their relationship is so sweet. Ben trying to make Kenji see reason in the beginning, then letting Kenji hold Bumpy's egg cause it was clear that's what he needed at the moment. Then Kenji helping Ben when he got hurt. It's clear they speak in actions, not words. I need more of them like actually I've missed my pookies so bad.

Lastly I wanna talk about Yaz, Sammy, and Ben with Brooklynn. Their flashbacks broke my heart, and it also showcased how different their love and grief for her was. THE FACT THAT WE FINALLY GOT B DUO AND IT'S AFTER SHE'S GONE...my heart shattered. I love how funny and chill they were, we were so robbed of this in jwcc I swear. It's also kinda sad because the implication that Ben introduced Brooklynn to dark jurassic which subsequently lead her down the path that got her "killed"...I'm done. Also the fact that they were so casual implies that Brooklynn would constantly visit him at college which is just so sweet? I can't stand them bye. Sammy casually having Brooklynns old jacket tells me Brooklynn used to come over a lot, perhaps more when they were younger. Also Sammy seemed shocked to go in that room so I might be reading into this too much, but I see it as maybe that was Brooklynns guest room at one point? I am also a firm believer that Sammy dyed her hair pink for Brooklynn. Like Ben, everything just felt so casual and therefore more heart aching. Sammy wants to pretend like she could open that door and Brooklynn would just be there, researching and chilling. I think Yaz's flashback with Brooklynn is the saddest. All these years later and Yaz still confides and trusts Brooklynn to help her through her struggles. It's hard to believe they used to fight so much. Brooklynn is so understanding and kind, and I also find it interesting that it appears that Brooklynn was the one that really kept up with all of them. She wanted to be there for them, and it makes her supposed death that much sadder.

Random things of note:

I have always been a Benjamin denier AND NOW THEY'RE JUST DROPPING THAT OUT OF NO WHERE?? I can't have anything fr. Whatever, I'm still on my Sammy is short for Samantha box sue me.

Bumpy being a mother is so silly goofy but I'm hear for it, just glad she's ok cause if they actually tried to kill her I would've had to intervene.

I really loved the way they let everyone show emotions this season. Like yes of course they showed emotions before, but this felt so much rawer and realer if that makes any sense. Literally all of them cried once throughout the season and I loved that. But not just that, they let them be frustrated, and angry, and happy, and everything in between. KEEP IT UP.

All of the dinosaurs looked amazing, but man the Allosaurus stole the show. Also I loved the white eye, it made us want to view the dinosaur as evil in a way, and I think that was good for putting us in Darius' shoes.

The flashback sequence with Darius and the Allosaurus was so wicked. The team knew how to kill a dramatic moment oh my lord. This is kinda related to the animation too but so many shots were so cinematic. LIKE LIGHTING AND BLOCKING IS BACK PEOPLE. Brooklynn's apartment was gorgeous, Sammy's ranch during the sunset was beautiful. The scene of the explosion behind the T. Rex was iconic. We're so back

I'm so in love with how this show handled grief and not only that, but grief in a group setting. I think this might one of the only pieces of media I've ever seen that really shows how messy found family can be, and that's ok. It's not supposed to perfect, it's only as good as they make it.

Kenji saying dad in Japanese after having that conversation with his father about not being able to speak it, and the implication that he might've learned that word to try and talk with his father? Someone kill me like actually.

Darius wearing yellow agai- [GUNSHOT]

I could go into the color theory with all of their outfits but I won't cause I'm trying to not go that insane (it's not going well)

Ben's fanny back going across his torso, Yaz's iconic bangs.

The fact that Sammy found the map implies that A. Brooklynn came over right before she died and after Darius' confession, and B. That despite everything she still wanted and needed to talk to him about something.

Microbangs lady was actually scary as hell. I really liked her though, she was menacing and interesting. And she clearly valued her relationship with the raptors, I hope we see more of her.

I'm kinda sus of Mateo but I think that's just the trauma of every adult always betraying them. Hope he was chill and we won't see him again pls.

Sammy being such a great fighter is so random but I love it so much?? Like yes let her kick ass in cowboy boots that's my girl.

Where is Darius' necklace? When did he stop wearing it? It is important to the plot or did the animators just find it unnecessary?

Closing thoughts:

Overall WHAT A SHOW!! I had kinda fallen out of love with this show because s4 and s5 were kinda eh. I've never stopped loving the characters though, so this show was like a dream come true. Finally an amazing story to support these amazing characters again.

The character relationships felt at an all time high and I'm so grateful. These characters literally feel like my family too it's kinda bad how much I'm attached. I just love how much they love each other.

The only thing that kinda confused me was the ending. Why did they have to get on the boat right then and there? Why did no one stop the boat before it left? I'm not sure but I'm very excited to find out.

And lastly surprise surprise Brooklynn is alive. Of course I'm happy to know, but I kinda don't like the circumstances. I thought she was gonna be kidnapped or something so there would be a valid reason why she wasn't reaching out. But she's free and is just choosing to hide from the crew, with a good reason I assume. I think this will make her reunion with them more bitter than sweet, but I did just say I love messy so I'm excited anyway.

Y'all my fault I know I have a habit of rambling and making essays but this is just too much fr. Whatever I LOVE TALKING ABOUT WHAT I LOVE LMAO.

70 notes · View notes

umanari · 9 days

Text

yan! sunday x reader - long walk home

summary: this isn't a one-shot, more of a scenario. reader here is sunday's spouse and is dealing with everything after what happened in the end of penacony.

c/w: sunday is stated to be controlling, manipulation, the whole yandere shebang. also using that one theory that sunday might become a stellaron hunter, but it's mostly implied here. feel free to tell me what tags are needed, because i am horrible with tags.

Sunday is missing. He had been missing ever since the Astral Express crew had beaten him.

You react to this with indifference, mostly. Of course, you put on a show in public- because you have to. Robin finds comfort in you, over some idea of shared grief- you wonder, once, where she had gotten the impression. But you wave it away. Robin cries into your shoulder, and you know better than to hurt her when she's down.

Everything remains the same. Sunday had not been the greatest love of your life- which he had always lamented. You were his love- so, in truth, you move on fairly quickly. But you don't seek anyone new- because there is no point, and the cameras watch your every move. So you settle. You stay in that suffocating mansion of his, and act like a grieving spouse. This role does not suit you, but you can just about make anything work for you nowadays.

Sunday hadn't been a terrible husband. Controlling, yes, possessive, too- but he was not particularly unkind. He loved you. As much love as the man can give, in any case. You had once come to the conclusion that he did love you, yes- but it was out of some desire of control. You had loved him once, perhaps. That love had been out of fear, though, you amend. Terrified. But you had grown used to him.

The new status quo for you is relatively simple. You attend interviews, and you lament- tearfully, of course- on what the wrongs your husband had committed. You say you miss him. It is not true, but you must make it seem that way.

This is your life. You prefer it, if for the calm silence broken up by the occasional interview or phone call.

And then Sunday appears again, and everything is thrown into disarray.

----

"Why are you back," you state. It is not a question. You do not look at him with any sort of affection. In fact, you seem close to rolling your eyes.

Sunday sighs. "I am allowed to visit my partner."

"Aren't you in jail," you respond instead, "well," you pause. "Supposed to be, in any case?"

Sunday waves you off. He does this normally, and you have grown used to it. When he does not respond, you take it as a yes.

"I was," he finally states. "But I have been.. shown an different path. One free from both Ena and Xipe."

"What does that have to do with me," you counter. You inch away from him. He looks different. You finally notice the little imperfections about his outfit, and wonder briefly why he hasn't gone into a rage about it yet.

Sunday does not notice your gaze. Rather, he does notice- but he pays it no heed.

"I would like for you to come with me."

You pause. You purse your lips.

"No," you reply. "No. Wouldn't it be best for you to shed any remnants of your old identity, if you really did escape from jail or whatnot?"

"You make sense," Sunday states. "I have always liked that about you. You are logical- but kind."

He walks closer. You slink away. His halo flutters, and you realize something. He will do this regardless. He has always done what he wants, regardless. He loves you, therefore, he needs to control you.

He is finally close enough to touch you. And your barrier cracks, and you shiver and you want to cry. You hate this man, you bitterly think, you hate him. He takes and he gives and in recompense for everything, you were his little stress toy.

"Come now," he croons out, fixing a strand of your hair, "we shall leave Penacony together. While the perfect dream did not work out, we will always have each other."

In a way, it is romantic. In another universe, perhaps. But here you shiver. You recoil. He only grabs you tighter, and it is here- it is here, when you finally do cry for something.

#yandere #yandere honkai star rail #yandere hsr #sunday hsr #yandere sunday hsr #yandere sunday #first work on this blog yippee. might do acheron next

60 notes · View notes

unclewaynemunson · 8 months

Text

It was the thirteenth of September. Nancy was lying on her bed, with her head in Robin's lap and Robin's fingers softly combing through her hair, both of them holding a book in their hands. They had been spending a lot of time together like this lately, simply enjoying each other's company and perhaps headed towards something Robin didn't quite dare to name yet.

"Today is Barb's birthday."

The words came out of Nancy's mouth sudden and unexpected, cutting through what had been a comfortable silence like a knife.

Robin hesitated before reacting; something she wasn't exactly known for, usually, but she knew she should be careful with her words right now.

"You never told me about her," she decided to say.

"I suppose Steve told you all about what happened," Nancy answered.

It was true: over the months in which the two of them had gotten to know each other better, they had talked about pretty much everything - everything except this. Robin had often felt like it was something too delicate to ask about. She had seen the haunted look in Nancy's eyes sometimes, whenever she was staring at the pictures on her wall or into the Harringtons' backyard. But this was the first time Nancy ever alluded to Barb's existence.

"He did," Robin admitted. "Or, well, maybe not all of it, I don't know about that. He told me about the monster. The Demogorgon."

"What if I told you..." Nancy's voice was barely more than a whisper. "That that wasn't the only monster at Steve's house that night?"

"What?" Robin was pretty sure no other monsters had been involved when Steve told her about what happened on that fateful night in 1983.

Nancy went to sit up and turned her face away from Robin.

"Did you know that Barb didn't even want to go to Steve's in the first place?" she asked. Without waiting for a reply, she continued, "She wanted to drop me off and leave me there. She never even liked Steve and his friends. But I pushed her to come with me. She didn't wanna drink, she was uncomfortable all night, but I told her to be my guardian, to make sure that I wouldn't get drunk and do something stupid. And when she tried to do just that, I ditched her." She paused for a moment, but still didn't look at Robin. "She died mad at me, Robin. I told her to leave, when I should've looked out for her. And because of that, she died. I treated her terribly, that night. If I hadn't neglected her, she'd still be... I was the real monster."

Robin scooted closer towards her on the bed. She still couldn't see Nancy's face, but her shoulders were shaking, so she pulled Nancy into her arms and wrapped them tightly around her. Nancy responded to her touch by burying her face in the crook of Robin's neck.

"Have you ever talked about this?" Robin asked. "With Steve, Jonathan, your mom? Anyone?"

She felt how Nancy shook her head, still hidden away in her neckline. Almost unconsciously, she let one of her hands wander until her fingers were back where they had been before, tangled in Nancy's curls.

For almost three years, Nancy had been living her life feeling like a monster. She had let the guilt about what happened to her friend gnaw at her until it made a home for itself inside of her and became part of her. "I was the real monster." She had let grief and remorse fester while refusing to ever share that burden with anybody. She had never even allowed anyone to tell her another story than the one she told herself.

"You weren't a monster, Nance," Robin said softly. "It breaks my heart that you've been thinking that way about yourself. You were just being a stupid teenager. You were - you were curious about a boy, trying some new things, and your friend didn't like that. That's like, half of what friendships are about when you're a teenager, isn't it? Nothing about that makes you a monster. There's no way you could've foreseen the consequences. If things were normal, she would've forgiven you the next day and you would've told her all about your night with Steve; and maybe she would've made fun of you a little bit, but at the end of the day, you'd have each others' backs. She would never let you think about yourself the way you've been doing. You were never a monster, Nancy. You were just a girl. A girl who lost her best friend through no fault of her own."

Finally, Nancy lifted her head to look at Robin. The look in her eyes was strikingly intense.

"Thank you," she said. "I - I honestly never looked at it that way. I didn't even know how much I needed to hear that." She uttered a long, heavy sigh. "I don't think I'll ever be able to stop thinking about how lonely she must've felt when she died."

Robin squeezed her tighter in her arms. "How she died was only a few seconds of her life, though. There's so much more to remember her by than that. She was a person for sixteen years, before that happened. And she was your friend for most of that time. You wanna tell me about that?"

Nancy stayed silent for a long time. Just when Robin started worrying she had said the wrong thing, Nancy drew in a shuddering breath.

"She was my best friend," she said, with a crack in her voice. "We used to bike into the woods and collect acorns and chestnuts in the fall. We'd make our own gross tea from leaves in her garden and read books to each other in silly voices. She cut her hair short when she turned twelve; I had to come with her to the hairdresser and hold her hand. And she helped me find one of my baby tooth when it fell out in the playground and I lost it."

Nancy kept talking, just sharing whatever memories came to her mind, like snapshots of this short life they lived together. And Robin kept asking questions whenever she fell silent. She let her talk about Barb until long after the clock struck 12 and it wasn't Barb's birthday anymore. And every year after that, on the thirteenth of September, she would ask Nancy again to tell her about Barb. And Nancy never ran out of stories to tell her.

(Ronancetober day 2: monstruous)

#ronancetober #ronancetober2023 #don't mind me rambling about stranger things #ronance #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #barbara holland #stranger things #fruity ficlet

201 notes · View notes

amyispxnk · 7 months

Text

Thinking about Joel from The Last of Us (what's new)

Thinking about how Joel was so young when he had Sarah

But he loved her with his entire heart

And he raised her by himself (Tommy probably helped a bit of course, but he can only do so much)

How much he worked and how much stress he was going through. Mans was on meds BEFORE the apocalypse.

Then how fast it all came crashing down for him and he lost his entire world in one night. She died begging for him to help and he couldn't do anything.

The guilt and grief must have been unimaginable. Losing a child is enough, but losing one like that?

And then I'm thinking about how much he changed.

We don't know everything about in-between Texas and Boston, but we know how terrifying he got.

And in Boston we saw it, he'd just kill and kill and it was honestly the same throughout the entirety of the first game. He was ruthless, looking for distraction and a way to get rid of his anger but obviously it was never enough.

After the hospital and return to Jackson, he obviously got softer.

Ellie was his second chance, and he knew that after what he did it was gonna go wrong eventually so he was treasuring her whilst he still could. He got to be a dad again and we saw how damn good he was at it, from conversations about Sarah to what we actually saw him doing with Ellie.

He tried really hard for her, even after she acted like she wanted nothing to do with him. Eg. Jackson Party flashback, Jesse tells Ellie how Joel keeps asking about her patrols and checking up on her without asking her because she doesn't want to talk to him. And then she yells at him in front of everyone for trying. I love Ellie, but that scene was so horrible and I actually felt like shit after it. The look on his face when he saw everyone watching him and judging him? I don't know how Ellie held it together.

And on that final flashback, the Porch Scene, he gets close to tears when she says she wants to try fix their relationship. Joel Miller, who we saw as a ruthless murderer who didn't like anyone in the first game, getting choked up because the Infected Girl, the One, Ellie, his babygirl, wanted to be his daughter again.

And they never got the chance to go back to normal and it breaks my heart.

Going through his house you could also see how he'd relaxed there, too. Woodcarving, playing gee-tar of course, rocking chair on the porch, books (space book with the glasses made me cry, he read it just for her even when they weren't talking. he really tried), the pictures of his two girls in his room and family around the house. And when I play that part all I can think about it how lonely he was. Imagine how much time he spent alone in that house or sitting outside on the porch. He must have felt so left out because everyone had somebody but he didn't anymore.

One thing that really made me sob was the picture of the dinner his family and Ellie and whatnot were at. The one where Tommy's there, Maria's there, Ellie's there.. and noone sits beside him. Because they're all with their somebodies and Ellie can't bear the sight of him. The look on their faces as they awkwardly avoid eye contact and everything is so sad.

Joel. Miller. Deserved. Better. Say it louder for the ones in the back

And no I'm not ready to watch this play out all over again in the HBO version.

#joel miller #joel miller tlou #the last of us #the last of us 2 #tlou #joel tlou #tlou hbo #tlou series #tlou2 #ellie williams #thankyouforreadingthisrant

175 notes · View notes

serenewrote · 23 days

Note

Hey darling! I'm the anon who submitted this (https://serenewrote.tumblr.com/post/745794658206105600/i-just-read-your-daemon-x-dornish-daughter-and-im) and I loved what you wrote, but I can get the version with princess Martell fem!reader… And… I had another idea, I hope you don't mind… So reader gets pregnant and despite it being a difficult pregnancy and birth she gives birth to her daughter ( lady Martell), and they are living happily until when the girl is 5 years old, reader gets pregnant again, but this time she can't go to term, she is losing a lot of blood and the baby won't come out (and Daemon won't allows them to open her), then reader and the baby die, not before she says goodbye to her precious girl and Dae and makes him promise to take care of their daughter and try to be happy, they make one last vow of love and she dies . In this part, if it's not too much to ask, could you focus on Dae's relationship with his daughter? like how they deal with grief and how he takes care of her (in my head this happens before he marries Laena, but it's up to you) About two or three years pass and although he still loves and mourns the reader, he marries Laena who is a sweetheart to little Lady Martell and doesn't try to replace reader, and is an excellent maternal figure. In this part, the flow continues normally, Laena has the twins, years pass and they are well and happy, but when Laena gets pregnant again and dies, Lady Martell finds herself in the same situation again (she really feels the death of Laena and the baby while remembering Reader and her other unborn brother) She tries to comfort the girls and Daemon tries to comfort the three. They go to Westeros, the funeral and all that confusion takes place, but in the meantime Daemon receives a letter from Dorne saying that it is time for Lady Martell to return home (Dorne) and be prepared to take over the throne that belonged to her mother. Lady Martell is scared at first and goes to Daemon, they have a frank conversation and he says he will support whatever decision she makes (whether to accept it or not) but he encourages her to take on what is rightfully hers. She goes to Dorne and learns her duties quickly and efficiently. A year later, her coronation takes place Dae (who is beyond proud of his eldest daughter) and the rest of the family is there to celebrate. She is a good ruler and Dorne prospers under her leadership, but when the dance breaks out Rhae asks her to support the blacks, but Lady, or rather Princess Martell, says she will not take sides on any side (Dorne will not fight in a war which is not theirs) Rhaenyra, despite being disappointed, respects her decision, something the greens didn't do… please? (Sorry if I got carried away, but the original idea is so interesting that I couldn't help myself…but feel free to ignore this idea and do what you think is best, but if you happen to follow this idea, it will be Can you detail Lady Martell's relationships with Reader, Daemon, Laena, the twins and the rest of the family and her years ruling Dorne, please?)

Ok. Yes, I can absolutely whip this up for you! I had a feeling that is what you were leaning towards but I just had the first idea in mind when you had sent that request. So, I'm sorry that it wasn't exactly to your liking, apologies. Also, I'm gonna have to give y/n from that other one shot a name now. Little disclaimer: moons = 12 months aka 1 year. And here you go:

"It was all part of the story, even the scary nights" - Daemon x Fem! Martell! Reader

Prequel to "And nothing hurt anymore, I feel kind of free"

Warning(s): death during childbirth, infantile death

110 AC

The battle at the Stepsons ended swiftly. They crowned Daemon, King of the Narrow Sea. To celebrate his conquest, Daemon set out to indulge in the finest of wines and there was only one place where it could be found, Dorne.

As Caraxas landed on the sands of Dorne, Daemon is greeted by the future Lady Y/n Martell, and her sister, Nymera.

"I heard the battle for the Stepsons was a victory. Congratulations, my prince."

The Rogue Prince smirks at Y/n, "Thank you, Princess. I also thank you for sending your fleet. Dorne isn't too font of Targaryens."

Caraxes cries out and you look to see your sister walking up to him.

"Nymera! Leave the dragon alone! Sorry, my sister's curiosity will get her killed one day."

Daemon chuckles, "We were all a bit curious at her age."

Y/n looks Daemon up and down, "My father speaks of you."

"It seems my reputation proceeds me."

"It's mostly just of what not to do and be as heir, my Prince. Although, I'm sure you are of good character."

Daemon scoffs. The audacity.

"I hope that your father won't turn me away so that you can see how good my character is."

"Why do you think my sister and I are greeting you instead of him?"

Y/n led Daemon into the great hall where a celebration was taking place. She brought him over to her father, Qoren Martell.

"Father, Prince Daemon has come for a visit. I hope you can welcome him peacefully."

Qoren looks Daemon up and down, "A dragon in our midst can only bring trouble. I have half a mind to send him away."

Y/n rolls her eyes at her father's behavior. Daemon bows his head, "I promise, Lord Martell, to keep a peaceful visit and not disturb you."

"I hope for your sake that you keep that promise, dragon."

"Alright, father. That's enough. Come, Daemon. Let's join the festivities."

Y/n leads Daemon onto floor for a dance, "You do know how to dance, right?"

Daemon scoffs at that implication, "I wouldn't be a proper prince if I didn't."

"But you aren't a proper prince. A proper prince doesn't leave for another city instead of returning to his wife."

Daemon places his hands at you waist, "I assure you, Princess. My lady wife is more than joyous for my absence."

The dance starts out slow then speeds up. At the music's climax, Daemon lifts you up. You look deep into each other eyes.

"How unfortunate for you. To be trapped in a loveless marriage.

Daemon's eyes drops to your mouth. His tongue darts out to lick his lips.

"Yes, how unfortunate."

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

112 AC

In Lady Y/n Martell's chambers, she has begun her labors. Her handmaidens crowd around her.

“My lady, is there anything you need?”

The exhausted and straining Princess grits her teeth, “I would love if the Maester wasn’t wasting his time doing gods know what and help me bring my child into the world.”

Two of the handmaidens run out to see what’s keeping the maester and Daemon walks in.

“Where’s the maester, my love?”

“If I knew, he would be here. It seems he has decided to spend his time elsewher-ahhh!”

Lady Y/n tenses up. She grabs Daemon with a fierce grip.

“My dragon, my maester is nowhere to be found and little sand dragon has took it upon itself to push out.”

“Now? Like right now?”

Y/n took a deep breath, “Daemon?”

“My love?”

“You are going to help me, right now!"

"Y/n, I'm not a maester. I've never even seen a woman birth a baby. I don't know what I'm doing."

"Lucky for you, I have. Now, go and sit between my legs. It's nothing you haven't seen before-ahh!! Go now!"

Y/n's skin shines with sweat. She grips onto the chair. Daemon lifts his head from the sheet.

"Now, do I catch it when you push or....?"

Y/n looks at her lover. Surely he is not this stupid.

"Catch? catch?! If my child has even a second of air time before their first dragon ride, I'll cut your cock off and that is a promise. Now I'm going to start pushing so, focus!"

After copious amounts of pushing, Y/n and Daemon's daughter, named Aelyssa after Daemon's mother, decided to grace Westeros with her presence.

"Such powerful cries for a small little one."

"She's a dragon. Her cries are like roars."

"You, Aelyssa Targaryen, are going to be great."

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

117 AC- Aelyssa is 5

Aelyssa is conflicted. Her mother is pregnant and she is to have a sibling. She is only 5 moons old, she doesn't know how to be a big sister. She isn't allowed in the birthing room but if her mother's cries are anything to go by it seems like it isn't the place to be right now.

In the birthing room, Lady Martell isn't doing so well. The maesters are concerned with something.

"My lady, it seems as if the baby is breached somehow."

"I just need to push a little more, please!"

Maester Osferth looks at the woman with a solemn look. Daemon notices.

"What is it? Can she not continue pushing?"

"Well, my prince. It would be ill-advised to do so. Perhaps we could try and cut-"

"No, absolutely not! You will cut her like some animal!"

Y/n looks up at Daemon, "My prince."

"My love."

"I fear the babe and I will not make it."

"Don't say that."

Y/n grips Daemon's hand, hard.

"And Aelyssa will need you more than ever. The rest of the realm will not kind to her. You need to hold her and love her as you do now.

"I swear it."

Lady Y/n's grip on her lover loosens and she takes her last breath.

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

118 AC - Aelyssa is 6

It has been one moon since Lady Martell's death and the baby. Once Lady Martell had died, they cut out the baby for burial. It was a boy.

Aelyssa has not gotten over it. She mourns in her room and has her food delivered to her door.

Her father has dragged her out of her chambers to break their fast. She hasn't taken one bite.

"Zaldrītsos, can you please eat something?"

"I am not hungry."

Daemon sighs, "Aelyssaa. You are greiving; so am I but, I do not want you starving yourself. Your mother would not want you to starve yourself."

"I'm just not hungry, father. It has nothing to do with Muña."

Daemon walks over to her and grabs her hand, "Come with me."

They walk out of the dining hall and down to the crypts. Aelyssa marvels at the her ancestral burial place. They stop in front of Y/n's coffin. Daemon gestures her to kneel.

"Hello, my love. It has been one moon since you were taken by the Stranger. We are grieving but, it is hard without you here. Our little snapdragon is having trouble adjusting, naturally. Maybe this can give her peace of mind."

Aelyssa places her hands on her mother's coffin, "Hello, Muña. I admit that I am not doing well with your passing. I am not eating but, I cannot find the strength to eat. Not when you're not sitting with us. I know that you wouldn't like it and I would try to cope better. There are also talks of my ascension as Dorne's new lady. Aunt Nymeria rules in my stead until I am ready."

Tears roll down Aelyssa's face. She makes no move to wipe them.

"I have ignored father which I know I should not do as he is the only parent I have, but it is hard. I hope that you are looking down at us from the heavens and shall be proud of the woman I become."

Aelyssa launches into Daemon's arms unable to hold her sobs.

"Oh, my sand-dragon. It's ok. The hole of grief is never filled, but you learn to live with their memory. I am always here. Do not be scared to come to me with anything that dwells in your head. The ones who love us and the ones we love, never truly leave us."

Daemon and Aelyssa spent that night in the crypt, sleeping beside Y/n.

~~~~~

125 AC - Aelyssa is 12

It has been 3 moons since Former Lady Martell's death. Aelyssa is still having some trouble adjusting.

She and Daemon are sparring in the training yard of Pentos. Instead of putting her all into it as usual, Aelyssa's been lagging and her father can tell.

"Stop."

Aelyssa looks up at her father, confused. "What? Why?"

Daemon takes her sword from her hand and kneels down, leveling with her.

"What troubles you my little sunshine?"

"Nothing. Can we finish, Father?"

Daemon narrows his eyes, "No. We can talk about what's distracting you."

She sighs. Father always knows.

"You have married Lady Laena and she is with child, you will forget about me."

"Why would I ever push you aside? You are my firstborn. Nothing will change that."

"But your children will be legitimate in the eyes of the Seven Kingdoms- well six, Dorne doesn't count. The lords, ladies, and the king, I am naught but a bastard to them. And your children might rule Driftmark, a powerful ally to the King. What am I but a future Lady to a kingdom that will never ally with the rest."

Daemon caressed Aelyssa's face. His eyes soft. He remembers Y/n's last words: The rest of the realm will not be kind to her. You need to hold her and love her.

"You are my daughter. Not a political tool. Legitimate or not, I don't care. My brother can moan and groan about you all he wants. I fell in love with your mother and still hold so much love for her. Every time I look at you, I see her. And that fills me with so much happiness because our love created something so beautiful and precious."

"I am not yet sold on Lady Laena. It will take time."

"I do not intend to rush you. Just understand that I still love you and always will. Nothing will ever change that."

"Love you too."

Aelyssa hugs Daemon. Not too keen on his reassurance but she trusts his word.

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

137 AC- Aelyssa is 14 (Rhaenyra and Daemon have married and now this is following the last few episodes of S1)

Aelyssa is dressed in gold yellow with hints of red and black. She is pacing in front of closed throne room doors. Daemon is watching her, amused.

"Have you reached the sand yet?"

Aelyssa glares at her father.

"Not the time. I'm nervous and Mother is not here to advise me. I fear I will dishonor her and my ancestors."

Daemon grabs Aelyssa's shoulders to stop her pacing.

"You will be great. You have not dishonored me, therefore you have not and will not dishonor him. Your mother would want you to rule Dorne however you see fit. Now, are you ready?"

Daemon holds his arm out. Aelyssa latches onto him. The doors open. They walk. The room is quiet and all eyes are on their soon-to-be Lady. They reached the front and Ser Cyrbon led Elaesa up the steps and she sat on her throne.

"I present to you all, Aelyssa Martell, daughter of Y/n Martell, and your Lady! Hail Lady Aelyssa!"

"Hail Lady Aelyssa!"

It's done. You are now Lady of Dorne. You should address the people.

"To my people of Dorne. I welcome you to the dawn of our kingdom. I intend to rule as my mother did and more. But know this, Dorne will forever remain: Unbowed, Unbent, and Unbroken!"

The people cheered, the guards looked on in pride. Daemon smiles, and the sun- the sun shines a bit brighter on you.

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

141 AC - Aelyssa is 18

No body was found. The search was in vain. We burn his clothes in place of his body.

Aelyssa is conflicted. She knows not how to comfort her cousins and her sisters. She walks up to Rhaenyra, careful.

"He will be avenged, I swear it."

They walk into the council room. Making battle plans. Rhaenyra and Aelyssa make eye contact throughout the meeting.

"Cousin, I ask you this because I need it. I could use your help."

"Dorne will not fight in a war which is not theirs."

"I am desperate."

"Lucerys did not die in vain. Justice will come but not from us, I'm afraid."

Aelyssa pulls Rhaenyra into a hug.

"I pray to the gods that you are successful. I can't wait to see you on the throne, Cousin. The Iron Throne.

fin.

And if Aelyssa sent Blood & Cheese instead of Daemon, no one will know.

#daemon targaryen x reader #house of the dragon #daemon targaryen #my writing #hotd daemon #send asks #serenewrote

53 notes · View notes