#how she prepared and took care of her daughter - trying to make sure she could defend herself. that rose could have a chance 'just in case'

[martyrbat]

deathstroke annual #4

[ID: fourteen year old Rose Wilson fighting a grown man after he and his friends jumped her. She's already knocked out the others, prompting him to ask, “Are you some kind of superhero or something?” Rose responds by punching him in the nose and informs him, “Superhero? No, I'm no superhero. But thanks to my mother and her friends, I do know how to take care of myself.” Rose proceeds to briefly fight him until she knocks him unconscious too. END ID]

[moonlightazriel]

Love Sick ///Aemond X F!Reader

Summary: Alys Rivers had a vision about the prince’s arrivals, using her charm to lure him, she haven’t anticipated you, his new wife. So a little something might help him see who he truly belongs.

Warnings: SMUT

Word Count: 1,8K

Notes: I have read a lot of love potions fics and decided to give it a try. So here we are.

Main Masterlist

Alys Rivers always had visions, the flames would always tell her their secrets, this made it easier for her to survive. Yet, one vision kept appearing for her, a Targaryen Prince, dressed in his battle gears, long silvery hair tied to his back, a scar across his beautiful face.

She anticipated his arrival at Harrenhal way before it was even decided he should go. So when she heard the roar high in the skies, and saw the huge dragon landing in her home, she knew her time had come.

She had tended to him since he stepped his foot in Harrenhal, preparing his bath, serving his food, and occasionally flirting with him, she noticed how he looked at her, she was a pretty woman, long black hair and emerald green eyes, she was sure that it would just take a couple of days and he would fall for her.

Whoever, what Alys Rivers haven’t seen in her visions, was the Baratheon beauty arriving a week later. Lord Borros' third daughter, known for her breathtaking looks and even more impressive brain.

Lady Baratheon strolled through the front door, guards behind her as she walked through Harrenhal. And Alys watched with horror as the woman entered the dining room, giving a little smile to the Prince before slowly making her way towards him.

“Lord Husband.” She greeted, kissing his cheek and squeezing his shoulders, Aemond gave her a small nod and gestured for her to join him.

“How was your journey, my lady?” He inquired as the servers prepared her a plate, she politely thanked the maid before taking a piece of green bean with her fork.

“Quite exhausting, I am happy to finally settle down.” She bites her food. “Your dear mother was right, it feels good to be away from the Keep.” Aemond chuckled.

“Do not remind me of all that chaos.” She smiled at him, Alys kept in the corner watching the exchange in silent anger.

“Queen Helaena sent her greetings to you, my dear.” He held her hand.

“Did she talk to you?” Y/N nodded.

“Just a few words, but she seems better.” Helaena was still grieving the loss of her children in the hands of Daemon’s assassins.

“More wine, my Prince?” Alys intervened, her voice low and sensual, the prince turned his eyes to her, lifting his goblet. She could be his wife, but Alys knew what desire looked like, perhaps the prince just needed a little help.

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

Prince Aemond was in his study room, book in hands as he took some time off. Alys knocked, hearing his powerful voice commanding her inside.

“I brought some tea, my prince.” She placed the mug with the hot tea on his desk.

A simple love potion, she knew that he had feelings for her, so this would simply amplify them, make them so unbearable that he wouldn’t have any other choice than to go looking for her. He would claim her as his, as it should’ve been.

Alys excused herself, going straight to her room in the servants wing, she needed to get ready for when Aemond Targaryen knocked on her door and took her in his arms.

She had cleaned her room, and then, took a long shower, rubbing a scented soap on her skin, making herself look flawless. She sat on the bed and waited for him.

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

Y/N brushed her hair, Harrenhal was quite hot, so she asked the maid to run her a bath, she didn’t plan on leaving her chambers, so a silky nightgown covered her body while she took care of her hair.

The door was abruptly opened, making her jump in her seat. Her husband, without his coat and with four buttons of his linen shirt open, looked at her, a smirk on his lips as he entered the room.

“You know, dear wife?” He closed the door, walking towards her. “It was always you, when I went to Storm's End that day, it was you I had in mind.” His tone was slow, like he had been drinking.

He grabbed her hand, removing the brush and placing it on the desk. His other hand brushed her shoulder, pulling the straps down just a little.

“So beautiful, such a smooth skin. I know I had to have you.” He pulled her up, spinning her around until she was facing him, her hands splayed on his chest while he held her close by the waist. “You smell so good.” The prince said, smelling the skin of her neck.

Y/N felt her cheeks flushed at the attention, heating pooling in between her legs, forcing her to close them for some friction, as Aemond started to kiss her neck.

His touch was delicate, his lips cold against her hot skin. Kissing, licking and biting, making her whimper at the sensation spreading across her body.

“A-Aemond.” She half spoke half moaned, making the prince grow impossibly harder, his cock painfully restrained by his pants.

“You sound divine when you moan my name.” He said, getting away from her and walking towards the bed. He sat down, still looking at her, his shirt was messy and fully opened now. “Come here, my dear wife.” She made a move to walk to him but he stopped her. “Take it off.” He ordered.

She shivered as she saw the lust on his gaze, with shaking fingers, she undone the laces holding her nightgown in place, letting it pool at her feet, standing there completely bare to his hungry eye. His pink tongue darted out, wetting his lips as he eyed her up and down.

“You’re a goddess, I cannot wait to see you choke on my cock.” He grabbed her hand as she got close, pulling her straight to his lap. He kissed her, tongue exploring her mouth, hands cupping her ass.

She reached for the eyepatch, throwing across the room, she hated that damned thing, covering his beauty from her.

“You’re so beautiful, my prince.” She breathed, his lips attached to her breasts. Sucking the nipple in his mouth and moving his tongue in circles, making her squirm in his lap, brushing his hard cock.

He squeezed her flash, kissed her like he was going to die in the next second, and she moved her hips against his clothed cock, making it very hard to keep controlled. He never felt that kind of lust before, but he was ready to give in.

Y/N got up, and slowly kneeled in front of him, she had heard the ladies in court talking about the pleasures the mouth could bring to a husband, and despite the lack of experience, she wanted to try.

She reached for his belt, removing it and opening his pants, he lifted his hips just enough for her to slide all the pieces of clothes he was wearing down, freeing his dripping cock from its cage.

She swallowed hard, hesitantly grabbing it in her hands, earning a hiss from him. She moved her hand up and down, slowly, taking encouragement in his groans, the pleasure growing in him as she gently stroked him.

In a more bold move, she lowered her head, giving it a lick in the tip, Aemond shivering as she did so, she looked at him, giving him a small smile that could be the death of him. Then, she took him in her mouth, bobbing her head and masturbating what she couldn’t fit in her mouth. Aemond closed his eyes, buckling his hips and enjoying the sounds of her choking on his cock whenever she went too deep.

She hummed, sending vibrations down his cock, making his balls tight and the orgasm wash over him, his cock twitching, sending hot cum down her throat. She removed her mouth, coughing a little.

“You look so beautiful, kneeling in front of me.” He praised, his thumb caressing her cheek, making her blush as he looked at her. “Allow me.” He said, pulling her up and laying her down.

He got in between her legs, his breath fanning over her hot core, he circled the back of her legs, squeezing her skin and pulling her thighs apart. Smirking at her glistening cunt, he sank there, lapping at her folds, collecting all of her juice as she arched her back, moaning his name like a prayer.

He kissed her clit, rubbing circles with his tongue, making her see stars. Freeing one of his hands, he inserted two fingers inside her cunt, pumping them inside and out, in the same ruthless pace as his tongue. She moaned his name loudly enough to echo around the walls, feeling the knot in her belly grow until it was ready to snap. Driving her over the edge, her walls clenching around his fingers and closing her shaking legs around his head.

Aemond smirked against her, feeling her recover from her orgasm, he looked at her, sweat coating her forehead and panting, her chest moving up and down rapidly.

“Do you want more, my goddess?” She looked at him, smirking at her like the devil and she nodded. In a second, Aemond was on top of her, without any clothes and his cock ready for a second round.

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

Alys tapped in the bed frame, growing restless as the potion should be working in this exact moment but Aemond was nowhere to be seen. She got up, grabbing a robe and sliding it over her shoulders.

She walked towards the Prince chambers, forcing the door open just a little, she gasped as she peeked inside.

Lady Baratheon was facing the door, her eyes closed and mouth slacked open as she moaned loudly for him. “Do not stop!” She begged, her voice hoarse from all the screaming.

She was on all fours, her ass high in the air as Prince Aemond pounded inside her from behind, moving so fast that her breasts bounced back and forth.

Alys wanted to move but she was rooted in place, the potion had clearly worked but with the wrong person.

“Please, Aemond. I am going to cum.” She whined, and the prince pulled her hair behind, forcing her to look at him.

“And i am going to stuff you full with my heirs, make you swell with my seed and birth my children.” His tone so raw that Alys felt her cheeks hot in embarrassment, Lady Baratheon moaned his name, her body convulsing as her orgasm crashed down on her again, followed by him spilling inside her.

Alys watched as the prince removed himself from inside her, his hands stuffing his cum back inside her cunt. “I love you.” He breathed, pulling her by the hair again and kissing her with all he had.

“I love you too.” She replied, face flush red as she tried to recover from the amazing sex.

Alys walked backwards, running away from the scene, knowing that no matter what she did, she could never break the bond the two shared.

[devoutekuna]

Taking care of his pregnant wife

Includes- Toji, Sukuna, Nanami, Gojo, Geto

Sukuna-

Everyone knows that the king isn't big of affection, it took years for him to even consider you the queen. That's why he always expressed his love for you in indirect gifts, like preparing your favourite meal, raiding a village just so you could get your favourite food or something like that. "Y/N!" Name being screamed as he grabbed your leg, watching your sleeping body hang in the air as he held you upside down. "Get up, don't be burden " you both knew that you'd never be a burden to him, it was only nearly words to him, meaning nothing but to keep his image. "I'm up 'my king'" rolling your eyes at the word king rolling off your tongue, he would've dropped you on the bed right now, but he remembers that your carrying the next heir, wanting to make sure you didn't die before him, he placed you on the floor, pulling your dress down so you didn't flash him.

Sat at the dining table, legs crossed as he stuffed his face with food, he rarely had a big breakfast unless it was a special occasion, always opting for a big dinner instead. "Morning" your cheery self rubbing your stomach, it was a habit now, since you were on the verge of giving birth any second now. Nodding as he carried on eating, you couldn't blame him, Uraume made some good food, that's why they were alive for so long. Sat beside him as you reached for the nearest plate, picking your favourite food up, resting your head onto his shoulder, normally hed kill anyone right there for getting too close to him but since it was you, you had a pass.

Nanami-

Nanami loves you and his daughter, always opting for you to rest rather than take care of your 3 year old. Finding you asleep on the at the kitchen table after coming home from work, head resting on the table from your exhaustion, hearing the TV blaring into his ears as he peeked round the corner, seeing his 3 year old daughter sat at the front of the TV, head resting on her shoulder, wrapped in a bunch of blankets and her own toys, noticing how smart and considerate she was for putting a blanket and pillow on you. Sighing as he hid back a smile, dropping his briefcase which carried his cursed weapon, walking over to check your temperature since it was pretty cold. Strolling over to his daughter as he picked her limp body up. Straddling her in his arms as he dragged her upstairs, fortunately she had brushed her teeth already and gotten into her pyjamas, so it was an easy task of just dropping her off into bed.

Walking back down after dropping his daughter off, picking you up, making sure not bump your stomach on the table, he wanted to make sure you were close but comfortable, especially since you recently complained about back pain cause of the baby. Resting your body onto the pull out sofa, wrapping your body in a bunch of blankets to keep your temperature normal. Kissing your forehead before heading off to the kitchen, sleeves already rolled up as he put on the yellow gloves and dipped his hand into the dirty water, searching for some small utensils he could wash first.

Geto-

Geto adores you pregnant, trying to sympathise with the way you feel despite his unethical ways of life. "Let me do that" grabbing the pot from your hands as you tried to drain the water out of the pot. Ushering you to sit down instead of overworking yourself. "I'm not that delicate, Suguru" trying to defend your actions as you took a seat, not rejecting the offer as it was nice for someone else to take over once in a while.

"I know but still" trying to defend his actions as he served you a bowl of noodles, giving your cheek a quick peck before sitting down beside you. "But I appreciate your efforts" smiling at him as you played with your noodles, making sure they weren't too hot.

Gojo-

"Y/N!" Shaking your limp body awake, hands full of cleaning supplies. "What shall I use?" Glancing towards the bathroom, normally you two rotated on cleaning but since you were pregnant he started to take over your shifts, noticing how sleepy and disoriented you were due to being woken up after a short nap. "Morning love, now what do I use?" Fighting the urge to drop whatever he was doing and cuddle in bed right now.

"What are you cleaning?" Rubbing your hand through your eyelashes to get the sleep out. "The bathrooms, but the wall tiles." Confirming with himself. He didn't know anything about cleaning till he met you, having to teach him from scratch since he was raised as a spoiled kid who had nannies. "I've got myself a toothbrush thing and wall spray?" Asking, he was in a rush since he wanted to get back to you, laying around in bed was his biggest want right now. Nodding in response. "Yeah just use that, wake me up when breakfast is done" knowing that he'd make your favourite breakfast since you were carrying his kid.

Toji-

Waking up on his wife was the best feeling, not needing a pillow due to him sleeping on your breasts, listening to your heartbeat as you slept soundly. Hand rubbing along your stomach, trying to feel some sort of movement from his little girl. "Morning love" caressing his hair as you felt him on you, feeling his small stubble as he lifted his head, brown eyes looking into yours. "Morning" hand resting against your underwear's waistband, playing with it as he kept on stringing it onto your skin. Sighing as he felt kicking from his little girl, sliding off you as you readjusted your body into a more comfortable position. "Ya' sleep good?" Looking up at your face, he was so mesmerized by you, hand still rubbing your stomach.

[feltit-wroteit]

The Nanny Diaries

Art Donaldson x Fem!Reader x Tashi Duncan/Donaldson

The nanny contract you had signed had never mentioned you falling in love with the parents of the child nor them reciprocating the feeling. But, here you were...

Warnings: age gap (reader is in her 20s), nanny!reader, hurt/comfort, poly!relationship, body guard doing his job "badly", intrusive fans

*Yes the title is inspired by a movie♡*

"Lily... Lily, wake up sunshine." You played gently in her hair and whispered ever so slightly in order for her to not wake up in a bad mood. Today was a big day. You were finally going to bring Lily watch her father's match. Something that you had always waited for. Tashi was also excited but was too worried about Art actually performing to get over the moon about it. Art was more than excited to show his little girl how good he could play. It was a motivation that was needed for him.

You had seen him play once or twice before becoming the nanny to his child. That's how you had met them both. Somehow, hanging out in a place full of rich married couples could lend you a well paid job... You had accepted their offer and were now travelling all around the country with the couple and their amazing daughter Lily. She was a sweetheart and loved you to death. While taking care of her, you had fallen in love with her parents. Let's admit it, they were so kind to you and extremely attractive.

Nothing had prepared you for that one night where you were leaving for a week to go see your family for Christmas.

They had let you have a week off and you were packing your things in the bedroom that was reserved to you in their mansion. Suddenly, they both came in without knocking. "Y/n?" You turned around slightly surprised that they were both in your room and smiled at them. "You scared me." You giggled. They smiled and motioned for you to sit down. "Have a seat." You were confused. Why did they want to talk to you right now? "Is something wrong? Did Lily wake up? I can go put her back to sleep if you both want..." They got closer to your bed on which you were sitting and shook their head no at the same time. They were so captivating.

"No... We wanted to ask you something. But, we don't want it to change anything about this nanny contract. Lily values you too much for that." Tashi said while holding Art's hand. "Of course, ask me anything. Did I do something wrong?" You asked them, starting to worry. "No. God, everything except that, Y/n!" Art exclaimed. You looked in his eyes and was reassured by his sincere gaze.

"Do you know what polyamory is?" Tashi asked you and sat down to your right. Your eyes grew wider. "Yeah..." you felt exposed somehow. What were they thinking? "Do you like us Y/n?" Art then asked while sitting to your left. You nodded shyly. "Use your words, sweetie." Tashi said and gently rubbed your thigh. "Yeah." "Both of us? You like both of us the same?" Art started to rub your left thigh and it was all overwhelming. You got up and away from them. "Yes and I'm sorry! I don't know what's wrong with me. You two are married it's wrong of me. I'll be more subtle I swear! Just... please don't fire me. I need this job." They were now looking at you attentively while you shed some tears. "Baby... don't appologize. We're not mad, we just wanted to make sure. Because, we like you too..." Art admitted and got up closer to you to offer you comfort.

"What?" You were now very much confused and mixed up. "Y/n, we took some time to talk and we came to the realization that we want to try something out with you. We would be happy to add a beautiful and amazing woman to our relationship. If you want to try it out that is?" Tashi elaborated and you once again nodded to which the couple laughed softly. "Uh, yeah my words... sorry. Of course I would. Are you sure? When will we start? Does something like this even start?-" You were rambling again until Art put his hand on your right forearm. "When you come back from your Christmas break, we would love to take you on a date. Would you want that, sweetie?" Tashi offered and you smiled brightly. "I would love that." You aknowledged and they both wrapped you in their arms at the same time. "It's a date then." Art pointed out and kissed your cheek. You blushed and hummed yes.

The rest was history.

You had started dating them 1 year ago but it was all a secret to the media. People wouldn't understand and you were not pressed for them to do so. You were happy being their lover and being apart of this incredible family officially.

Lily had finally woken up and smiled at you. "Y/n/n?" Lily knew you were dating her parents. When she learned it five months after you started dating, she wrapped you in her arms and said thank you to her parents which made the three of you tear up. "Yes, Lil?" You took her in your arms and brought her to the bathroom to start the day. "Is dad going to win?" She asked you with worried little eyebrows while you made her sat on the sink counter. "I don't know, Lily. It never is a sure game. Especially the final match." She frowned while you handed her her toothbrush and motioned for her to brush her teeth. "But... I personnaly think he will beat the other guy. But don't say to anyone I said that. Okay?" You whispered and she finally smiled. She nodded excitedly and put her little hand on her heart. "Pinky swear?" You asked her while extending your pinky to her. She lifted hers up and you crossed them together.

When she was done in the bathroom, you helped her get dressed and got dressed yourself. Tashi had bought Lily a cute little, white tennis dress from Tommy Hilfiger that matched hers. You were wearing a pair of beige trousers, a white blouse and some loafers from Tommy too that you had picked up in the store with the help of your two partners. You took Lily's hand and left the hotel to drive up to the tournament.

When you both arrived there, there was no place to walk, litterally. Everybody was screaming and fighting their way to maybe have an autograph of the players. You took Lily in your arms and held her closely to make sure she didn't get hurt. "Y/n/n?" The girl asked for you in a tiny voice. "Yes, Lil?" You rubbed her back with your hand and tried to push through the crowd to get where the security was. "I'm scared..." Lily announced, which broke you're heart. "It's okay sweetie. I've got you, I promise. We're almost there."

When you got to the security you realized that you had forgotten your VIP pass and cursed to yourself making sure Lily didn't hear you. "Hey, I'm sorry?" You said to a guard that had his back facing you. He turned around and looked at you unimpressed. "Hi, sorry. I am VIP but I forgot my pass. Do you maybe have a list with names? I'm on there, I swear." You tried to explain but he was unfazed. "No pass, no entry." He went to turn around but you pleaded. "Please, I am with a child here..." "And what does that do? We've had this a lot. Please just wait like everyone else and don't make me use force." He answered and you groaned after Lily sobbed harder as the fans shouted more. "I'm begging of you, this child is about to have a panic attack. You do not want Art Donaldson and Tashi Donaldson's daughter having a panic attack because of you, trust me."

The guard looked you up and down and sighed. "Call them." He told you coldly. "What?" You asked bewildered. "If they asnwer, then they can prove that they know you. Otherwise..." He tsked at you and you pulled out your phone with difficulty having Lily in your arms. The phone rang and rang and Tashi didn't pick up. Fuck... "You can wait like the rest." Th bodyguard turned around after seeing your exposed face. "No wait-" You were about to make another compromise when you realised it was no use. He wasn't going to listen to you anymore.

That's when you heard it. A fan... "Omg look! That's the Donaldson's daughter!" The girl shreaked and pointed towards Lily in your arms. Then, a plethora of fans made their way towards you two and you held Lily closer. "Can we get a picture?" One boy asked to which you shook your head. "No, I'm sorry but that's a no." The fan's face changed quickly and he frowned. "Who even are you?" He asked and a lot of fans around agreed to his question and you knew it would turn bad.

"Please, I'm her Nanny... She is very anxious right now, it's not the time to cause a scene." You tried to reason with them only for a girl to scream from your left. Lily' sobs were louder and you rubbed her back soothingly trying to keep yourself calm too. "She's kidnapping the Donaldson's daughter! Stop her!" Your eyes blew wide as they all approached you dangerously with death glares.

"Y/n?" A tiny voice whispered afraid in your ears and a tear fell down your face. "I'm so sorry, Lily" While they got closer, you closed your eyes and kept Lily close in your arms.

"Get the fuck away from them!" You heard a familiar voice thunder from behind you. You didn't dare open your eyes afraid you had been dreaming it. You heard footsteps gather away from you and you finally opened your eyes. The fans had gotten away and were looking behind you with scared eyes. You turned around and were met with two sets of eyes. Art and Tashi. You had been right. It had been Tashi ordering them away. They saw your tear streaked face and hurried closer to you.

When Tashi had returned your call from earlier only for it to go to voicemail, she decided that she would come find you. Art had tagged along since his match was only in an hour.

"Y/n?" Art called you while looking at you worried. "Come on let's go..." He whispered when he put his hand on your back. Tashi got closer too and analysed you and her daughter. "Take Lily from my arms, please..." Your voice sounded weak to them and they looked at you turn by turn. Art had a worried expression on his face and Tashi looked more angry. Art took Lily in his left arm and put his right hand on the small of your back from your left. Tashi pur her left hand on top of his and guided you towards the same guard line as before. "Did you try to get through?" She softened her tone for you. You nodded and sighed. "But I forgot my pass at the hotel. I'm so sorry. It's my fault and-" You were explaining when she rubbed your back to reassure you. "Did you try to explain to a guard your situation?" You nodded once more and her jaw ticked. "Okay... let's get you two safe for now." Art proposed when he saw how pissed his wife was.

He lead you four to his locker room and as soon as you were behind closed doors, you broke down in full tears from it all. Art sat down with Lily in his arms that was now asleep from exhaustion from crying so much and Tashi was comforting you. "I'm sorry. I thought I could keep her safe. She could've been hurt." You hiccuped while looking at Lily and sobbing harder. "But she didn't because of you sweetie." Art said and locked eyes with you. You could sense he was getting mad. He had every right to be. Who would forget such an important thing like a pass? "Don't do this. Don't stay in your head... Talk to us?" Tashi asked of you when she started to notice you overthinking. "I know you're both mad at me. I would be too! I put Lily in danger-" Art cut you off at that. "Wow, wow, wow... we're not mad at you!" He was quick to explain.

You now had a confused look and Tashi kissed your lips quickly. "You thought we were mad at you, baby?" You nodded and she giggled to lighten the mood. "Oh god no! We're mad at the stupid guard and crazy fans. Come here!" She opened her arms and you sighed in relief. "Okay now, let's all relax a little before my match and then we can head to the field and have a great time. Yeah?" Art said while rubbing Lily's back and smiling at the two of you. You nodded and sat down with Tashi in front of him. She held you closely while you steadied your breathing.

The match had went well. Lily had woken up and was smiling from ear to ear while her dad made points. It was funny seeing her little frown, looking like her mom's, when the other player made his points. In the end, Art had won and you three cheered from the sideline while he was taking his winning pictures.

That night, at the hotel, Tashi put Lily to bed while you were cuddling with Art in yours. He was peppering mindless kisses all across your forehead and whispering sweet nothings. "I love you, Y/n/n. You know that we love you right? Today I got scared. I was mad, not because of you, but because I didn't know how to help you see that it wasn't your fault. I could never be mad at you, sweetie." He explained while locking his gaze with yours. "I know... I love you more though." You tried to admit while Tashi entered the room in her black babydoll. "Now, what has you lying like that?" She smiled mischeviously at you and got on the bed behind you.

This had always been how you all slept. You in the middle, Art to your left and Tashi to your right. Of course, sometimes that arrangement changed... But primarily, that was the one. "I'm not lying." You said with a smile yourself while getting on your knees to face them easily on the bed. "No... I think you're a little liar." Art said while sitting up and putting his hand on your right knee. He looked at you with desire and your mouth opened slightly. "Don't you think so too, Babe?" He asked Tashi who was also sitting up now and held your left knee. "Oh I think she is..."

Art got closer to your face and kissed your lips harshly. He held the back of your neck with his free hand and Tashi caressed your upper left leg while looking at the both of you. "We don't like liars..." She whispered in your ear and you shivered.

What had you done?

[samkerrworshipper]

she’s on the run

beautiful girl series part 4 -> pt.1 -> pt.2 -> pt.3

leah williamson x daughter reader, jordan nobbs x daughter reader

this was created whilst i listened to so long, london and florida!!!!

You waited until Leah had fully descended the stairs, waiting patiently until you heard Lia and her talking in the kitchen before you started to creep off of your bed and towards your open window. It was a easy climb, one you’d made hundreds of times, you hardly batted an eyelid as you climbed out of the window, your legs swinging out and over until they hit the tiling of the roof. After that it was a simple jump from the roof too the gravel drive way, your only concern was trying to be as quiet as possible, so instead of jumping as normal, you stepped to the edge of the tiles, being ever so careful to make sure that you didn’t slip and fall. Once you got to the edge you sat down, scooting until your feet were hanging over the edge, turning onto your stomach and sliding down until your feet found one of the tresses on the side.

It was a odd form of rock climbing but with some arm strength and dodgy footing, you managed to eventually get your feet onto the gravel of your moms driveway.

You didn’t look backwards as you tiptoed across the driveway, the only think you focused on was turning your location off before starting to jog away from your mom’s house.

You didn’t know where you were going, you just knew that you needed to get far enough away that your moms friends who crowded all of the surrounding neighbourhoods couldn’t find you, you needed a way out of here.

You didn’t have a lot of options, and the options you did have were shitty, but there wasn’t really any others that would work.

You pulled your phone out of your pocket as you rounded the corner of the block, ducking into the first alleyway that you spotted.

There were a couple of numbers that were options, some better than others, you went with the first one that came to head.

The phone rings out for a few seconds, your fingers jitter against the sides of your plastic case, whether you feel prepared to admit it or not, you’re going through withdrawals, it’s around now that you’re body is accustomed to shooting up, to getting a hit of drugs and right now it’s becoming more obvious by the minute how desperate your body is for that high that your body is used to receiving.

Maya had become the older sister that you never had, she cared about you, she treated you with more care and love then anybody else in your life, there wasn’t really any hesitation in your mind as you pressed down on her contact, the ringing noise being the only thing to register in your mind.

It rang out for a while, before your phone went silent for a few seconds.

Originally, you thought that it had rung out, but then there was a groan and something else from the other side of the phone.

“Babygirl?”

You don’t know where the nickname had come from, but along the way it had just become the way that Maya had chosen to address you.

“Hey, I need your help, where are you?”

You heard some rustling, and then Maya’s voice.

“I’m still at Matt’s house, what’s happened?”

Fuck. Fuck.

Matt was a problem, but he was one of the only people who could solve your main problem right now, that was all that was at the forefront of your mind.

“Mom found out about the drugs, she took them off me. I’m crashing, can you come get me?”

More rustling, then someone talking in the background.

“Fuck, kid. I’m gonna come get you alright, we’ll get you to Matt’s house and he’ll look out for you, it’s gonna be okay, we’ll look after you, I always look out for my girls.”

More rustling, accompanied by more background talk.

“Just send me your location alright, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

You nod your head, taking in the information and finding that your hands and body seem to relax with the knowledge that there is a resolution coming.

“Okay, okay, thank you, thank you, I love you.”

Maya’s like you, or at least you try to tell yourself that. She’s never had anyone who loved her, she’s all by herself. That’s what you tell yourself, that nobody’s ever loved you, that you’re all alone, she tells you the same. That nobody will love you like a good high, that your all alone, that you always will be. To start with, you thought it was all nonsense, that to her you were just a means of getting money, but after hearing it enough, after realising the truth behind her words, you thought it must be true, she was older than you, she’d seen more of the world than you had.

You stayed hunched over in the alleyway, ignoring the buzzing on your phone that meant your mother had realised you were gone. You felt a pang of compassion in your heart, just briefly. You didn’t want to worry her, you didn’t want to think about the anguish that would have crossed Leah’s face when she’d returned to your bedroom to find it empty, even worse if it was Jordan.

Consciously, you didn’t care, not really, all you cared about was the fucking high that you were missing out on. But the eight year old version of you, somewhere in the lowest pit of your heart felt horrifically bad.

It took fifteen minutes of you being hunched against a brick wall, hiding from the view of the street, shaking and shivering before you were hit with the light of headlights, coming from the end of the alleyway.

You stayed hidden, just in case it was your mother or somebody else, staying crouched down behind a bin.

“Babygirl, let’s go.”

You stood up properly, your body straightening out and beginning to walk towards the far to bright white lights.

You sat down in the passenger seat, closing the door behind you as swiftly as possible.

Maya captured you in a hug before you could do anything, her arms wrapping around your neck and torso.

“I’m so proud of you, you’re in good care, I’ll look out for you, me and Matt and the girls, you’re in good company.”

You nodded your head against her shoulder, slowly pulling yourself from her embrace.

Her pupils were dilated, your brain didn’t consider the danger behind her being high, more jealous that she was riding on a happy cloud that you were craving to be on.

The drive felt longer than it should have, your phone buzzed relentlessly the whole way there, it took everything in you not to look down and block the numbers that you knew were ringing, but you didn’t have it in you.

You didn’t like the feeling that hit your gut when you rolled up to the same house that you’d stumbled out of a couple nights ago, you loved Maya, you loved drugs, what you didn’t love was the overwhelming fear that you felt at having to face the same man who had done those horrible things to you days ago. Maya must have noticed, or seen something was up with you.

“Something wrong, darlin?”

She was 23, closer to your Mom’s age then yours, she cared about you.

“Matt, he didn’t want money for the drugs, he wanted something else.”

You expected, or you hoped that Maya would be shocked, but she wasn’t, not in the slightest.

“I think you’ll find babygirl that your body is the most powerful form of payment, men will do anything for a woman’s body, it’s good you learn that young. Matt provides a lot, drugs, care, a house, give him what he wants and he’ll treat you well.”

You stuttered on your words.

“W-what if I don’t want it?”

Maya put her hand on your cheek, squeezing firm enough to make it sting slightly.

“There is no such thing as not wanting it. We’re primal, we crave to be touched and wanted, he’s just teaching you that. It’s an eye for an eye. You get your high, he gets what he wants. It works out for everyone. He’s just trying to keep you safe, just trying to make you feel loved, it’s the only kind of love there is.”

In your core, in your brain, you know it’s untrue, Maya believes in what she’s saying though, or at least she appears to.

“Now c’mon, let’s get you upstairs, get you some artificial assistance.”

She pats you on the shoulder, before opening up the door on her side of the car and stepping out. You let go of the breath that you’d been holding in. Maya is like your big sister, she cares about you, she would never intentionally hurt you, she’s the only person who really gives a shit about you.

You open the car door without much more hesitation, having convinced yourself that she’s right, and more that once you shoot up that your brain will quiet down and all of your doubts will be silenced.

Maya leads you into the house, it’s a lot emptier than it was the other day, a lot less people sprinkled across all of the surfaces, instead there are a few girls and Matt, who’s right in the middle of all of them.

“Pretty girl, didn’t think I’d see you back so soon.”

He’s voice is drawling, slightly tilted.

You didn’t have anything to say that wouldn’t come off as rude, so you simply smiled at him, as well as you could considering the bile that was in your stomach just at the thought of the man in front of you.

“She got kicked out, needed some place to go, I told her there is always room for her here.”

Matt nodded and smiled, his hands were all over the women around him, you tried your hardest to keepy your eyes on his face and not the company he was keeping.

“Of course, I look out for my girls. You craving pretty girl? You need something?”

You nodded your head, hopefully, you were desperate, the emotional nature of what you’d just been through with your mother enough to be slowly pushing you towards the edge.

“Maya take her upstairs, the speed is in my bedside draw, I’ll be up in a bit.”

Maya smiled and nodded, grabbing you by the shoulder and pushing you towards the same stairs you’d stumbled down just a few days ago.

You tried not to feel completely daunted as you were tugged upstairs, your shaky legs carrying you the distance to the bedroom that you’d been in less than twenty for hours ago.

It was the same position, same place, same everything.

It was hard not to feel completely terrified.

Maya led you over to the bed, sitting you down whilst she rustled in the bedside table.

It was silent, calm, as peaceful as you could feel in your current situation, until your phone started buzzing again.

“Answer it, let them know you’re fine.”

You looked ay Maya like she was crazy, she sure seemed it.

“Excuse me?”

Maya looked up from her spot rustling through the drawer.

“They’ll leave you alone if you answer, let them know you’re fine and not dead in a ditch somewhere.”

You gulped, pulling your phone out of your pant pocket and looking at the flashing contact of your mom, your finger hesitating over the green button before clicking on it.

“Bubba? Bubba? Jord, she answered, I’ve got her.”

The exhale of relief that you heard leave your mom’s lips was one of pure happiness.

“Mom, please don’t ahte me, please don’t hate me.”

You could always deal with the thought or realisation that your mom didn’t love you, but having her hate you, it would do things to you that you couldn’t handle.

“Bubba where are you? I don’t hate you, I could never hate you, I love you so much bubba. Just let me know where you are, we’ll come get you, we’ll sort this out.”

Your mom sounded more desperate than you’d ever heard her.

“I’m okay mom, I’m okay, I’m safe.”

Another exhale of relief.

“Look bubba, all your aunties are out looking for you, me and Jord have been worried sick, just let me know where you are, please. I’m so worried about you bubba, look, just come home, we can figure out the drug stuff, me and mama will get you all the help you need, we’ll make it all better, just come home.”

It had been hardly two hours since you’d slipped out of your window, you didn’t want to know how stressed your mom would have gotten had it been six or twelve.

“Mom I know I did wrong, trust me, I know. But you want me to go to rehab, you want me to get better, and trust me I want it, but I can’t do it, please.”

You heard something being dropped and then a button being pressed.

“Chick, listen to me, your mom and I are worried sick, you need to come back home. We’ll sort it all out, we’ll get you the help you need, but you need to come home, just tell us where you are.”

The feeling of the rubber tourniquet being tied to your upper arm and a needle prodding at your vein distracted you slightly.

“Look mom, I’m in good company, I’m safe, I love you both but I can’t do rehab, I can’t do getting better, I’m not ready, I’m not strong enough for that, I’m not like you and mom, I can’t be strong and brave, I can’t tough it out when it gets hard. I just need you to love me from a distance and understand that I’m doing whats best for me.”

Maya looks on proudly, it feels like your saying things to appease her and that makes you feel good, the validation of having her smile at you and nod her head at you, it wasn’t love but it was something close, the closest you felt in a while.

“Bubba, listen to me. You are so strong, everything you’ve been through in your life, it’s nothing in comparison to this. You don’t need the drugs, you don’t. This isn’t you bubba.”

You think that deep down, Leah and Jordan have no idea who you are anymore. The injection into your bloodstream only solidifies those thoughts.

“This is me mom, this is who I am now. I was like you and jord’s perfect little child, your perfect girl but that’s not me anymore. I’m not the same kid, this is me.”

You swore you heard a sob, or sniffle from the other side of the line.

“Bubba, we’ll sort this out, just come back home, please.”

You shook your head, enjoying the feeling of your blood circulating the drugs that had just hit your system.

“I can’t do that mom’s, I love you, and I’m so grateful for you but I can’t come home, I just can’t mom, bye.”

Before either of them could reply to you, you pressed down on the hang up button, throwing your phone to the end of the bed and leaning back, letting the high begin to sink in.

The bed sunk down next to you, Maya’s arm snaking around your waist.

“Good job babygirl, I’m proud of you, you’ve got me, I’ll look out for you, I look out for all of my girls.”

If you were sane, you’d probably ask yourself the question of what kind of person looked out for their people by giving them drugs and subjecting them to sexual assault, but with the drugs running through your veins and the relief starting to hit your brain, you couldn’t find you in it to care.

“Feels good.”

Maya brought your head to her neck, it was warm, happy, nice.

“I know babygirl, feels so good doesn’t it?”

You nod your head, the bliss starting to really get to you, your whole body feeling the affects of it.

Everytime you get high you think it’ll last forever, that the overwhelming numb happiness will last permanently. Every time you shoot up, you think that maybe it’ll all get better, that the feeling you’ve been searching for, will finally set in. It doesn’t though.

You come to the conclusion that it must be a more pure solution, or more concentrated because it’s getting to your head a lot quicker than normal.

You don’t even notice when Matt slips into the room, too busy processing the overwhelming feeling of the drugs rushing through you. It’s good, it feels good, until the bed dips on the other side of you and a hand is on your waist.

Your body is too numb to try and fight back, even if you had the energy or will to, you doubt you’d be strong enough.

There are words being spoken around you, hands all over your body.

You can’t open your eyes, can’t even try to understand what is happening to you.

You bite down on your lip, as your pants are tugged down.

You dissasociate it, disassociate the hands on you, dissasociate the feeling of being violated, enjoy the fact that the mixture of the drugs in your system and pain coming from your lip manage to be enough to distract from the pain being inflicted on you.

It’s primal, it’s an eye for an eye, it’s a form of payment.

Some time during the process, you drift off, whether it’s from the drugs or pain you aren’t sure, you just know that the sweet mixture of the meth seems to be enough.

You wake up with an arm around you, your silently terrified to open your eyes and find out who, but you’re also in pain and a little bit too curious for your own good. You’re grateful that the hands are Maya’s, it’s a small win. Your head is still dazed, it feels good, but you’re itching for something, itching for more.

“Hey babygirl.”

It’s light outside, it has of been a couple of hours and based on the pain between your legs you don’t want to know what’s happened in the couple of hours you’ve been unconscious.

“You feeling a bit better?”

You nod your head, focusing in on the daze and not the itch across your body and the pain your experiencing.

“You’ve been such a good girl for Matt and I, doing exactly how we pleased, we’re so proud of you.”

It’s the kind of praise you’ve been searching for months. Growing up, for your mom’s, you’d always been the perfect child, a pathological people pleaser. You’d always been told you were independent, in the end though it had all just been loneliness. You grew up to quickly, from the moment you were in foster care, passed around like a piece of trash, there was no option but for you to be lonely. Then you moved in with Jordan and Leah, and they had each other, you were still alone. You didn’t allow for yourself to make mistakes, you had a chance with them, if you were anything less than perfect then how could they want you? You were a student, a star athlete, polite, a perfectionist to your core. You took on all of the burden during the breakup, you were there for both of your mom’s through it all, yet you were the one who was always at the brunt of their anger and discontent. You weren’t worthy of their love, not when the perfect child stopped being perfect because of the pressure, because of the self-hatred that had manifested inside of you since the first people to show you love had broken apart, leaving you empty on the inside.

You blamed yourself for a lot of it, Leah and Jordan had been fine before you, it was like as soon as you entered their life it was just a ticking time bomb, you wrecked everything, you were a semi truck that drove through people, pulled everyone and everything in it’s way a part.

Maya knew how it felt, she’d broken people a part, she knew what it felt like to be all alone, she’d taught you that it was okay, that it was okay to be lonely.

She cared about you, she understood you, she wanted you.

“More, need more.”

She looked into your eyes and you felt understood, like she knew exactly what you were going through and knew how to patch up and fix all of your problems.

“Alright babygirl, just give me a second and we’ll get you juiced up, huh? You deserve it, you’ve been such a perfect girl for us.”

Maya removed her body from yours, reaching over to the bedside table, rummaging through it the same way she did last night.

Your body was still vibrating with the endorphins, the dopamine was filling your head, replacing everything in you that felt dead and broken, it felt so good, it was the feeling that you craved, the reason that you’d given everything else up, because it made you feel more content and fulfilled then anything else.

You were scared of losing it, scared of losing touch with the feeling that you were relying on.

You craved her praise, craved the drugs, craved the nothingness that came from having everything around you turn into nothing, all of the feelings, all of the struggle, all the pain and suffering turned into dust.

It was what made your life worth living, without the high you didn’t think your life would even remotely worth living for, you had nothing, you had nobody, you were alone.

Maya was quicker with her mannerisms, she knew what she was doing.

You’d never seen her do needles before the last twenty four hours, but you also weren’t that shocked. She had the tracks along her arms, the attitude that seemed like she could. She was the one who’d introduced you to drugs, it had started with a bit of pot, then coke, then heroin, then any pill that you could find and eventually, speed.

You’d been tentative at first, speed was more addictive than any other drug, speed did bad things to a body, methamphetamines were a druggies worst enemy. You’d met cokeheads and some of the most addicted heroin junkies and yet plenty of them had told you that they would never touch meth, that it was too intoxicating.

Meth took control of a persons body, penetrated the system faster than most drugs, meth got into your head, it changed a person for the worse.

You wanted that though, you were seeking for that. You were seeking for something to take control of you, something to change you, something to change the way your brain was wired.

It felt so good, you’d never been into needles either, avoided them like they were the plague, but with the plastic tourniquet strapped onto your arm and the cold point of the needle pressing against your inner arm.

It was the best feeling in the world, the best feeling known to man.

You felt like you were on the peak of Mount Everest, like you were unstoppable.

It was the same feeling you’d once gotten from just being in a room with your moms, the same feeling you’d gotten after a good game of football, the same feeling you’d gotten out of getting a good mark back on a test.

A while ago, a time that you don’t like to think about anymore, it all came naturally. Your body did hunger for that kind of attention because it received it naturally, it didn’t have to worry about when the next burst of serotonin would come. You didn’t have to create your own sensation, like you do now, you didn’t have to put yourself on a constant calendar to keep yourself sane, to make sure that you stayed happy enough to stay alive.

You didn’t think about the fact that you’d shot up a couple of hours ago, that you’re body was only just now learning to absorb intravenous drugs, that you were more dosed up then you had been in your entire life and now you were adding gasoline to the fire inside of you, you didn’t care, all you wanted was for this feeling to keep lasting, for the pain in your stomach from everything that you knew had happened but couldn’t recollect to be numbed by the drugs that you were craving.

You felt alive when the needle pressed into your arm, it made you feel like you were unstoppable, enlightened, like nothing could stop you. It was a strak contrast to how you felt when you were sober, when you were sober, you felt like the weight of the world was resting on your shoulders, that you were responsible for all the people that were around you and if you failed them then you were no better than the little traumatised girl that had been handed to your moms all those years ago.

You tried to ignore the odd chest pain that set in as the drugs mixed in with your blood, or tried your very best at least, it was hard though, when the initial pain started to turn into a skin splitting sensation you tried your best to pay no mind to it.

It was odd, you figured it might be a new effect you were unearthing, needles gave a different high in comparison to your normal, it was understandable that their would be different effects.

For the first time though, in a long time, you weren’t overcome with the near overwhelming relief that normally flooded you, the pain in your chest was to strong, instead of your heart slowing, your pain subsiding and all the thoughts quieting down, it felt like you were going into overdrive, hyperaware of everything that resided inside of you. Your chest was hurting, your heart was beating at a abnormally fast pace and your brain hurt, like it was rattling around inside of your head, bruising the inside of your skull and cracking it into pieces as every second passed.

“Maya, maya.”

It was a croak, yourr eyes being forced open as you took sharp, short breaths.

“You’re okay babygirl, deep breaths, it’ll feel good any minute.”

Except it wasn’t feeling good and it was feeling worse as every second passed. Your skin was prickly, hot and red and burning all over, your heart felt like it was beating faster than it had ever before and everything about how you were feeling felt so inexplicably wrong.

“Not good, not good, not good.”

Maya’s hand was on your face, patting at you like you were a dog, like you were a pet to her.

“Ride it out, you’ve got it babygirl, it’ll pass.”

It wasn’t passing though, it wasn’t, nothing about how you felt was passing at all.

You could feel your control of your body start to fade, you didn’t understand how or why, you didn’t understand what was happening, you knew though that whatever this was, whatever you’d taken or been given, it wasn’t good. It felt like poison inside of you, slowly taking control of every thing inside of you, like something was eating you up from the inside, as every moment surpassed.

You wanted to think that it was going to be fine, that you were just experiencing some kind of heightened high from the buildup in your system, but there was something overwhelmingly odd and wrong about how you felt, it was real, realer than any drugs had made you feel.

Drugs were artificial, and they made you feel artificially happy, or numb, somewhere between those two. Drugs had never made you feel real and tangible, like you were more of a human than anybody else, but right now, you felt more personified then you ever had, like you were so synched with your body that it was too much, too much feelings, too much pain, to much of everything.

You struggled to get out anymore words, between the feeling of your heart beating the speed of light and your chest being too tight for any oxygen to enter your airway.

You supposed she got the message when your body started to shake, your eyes rolling into the back of your skull as your body struggled to cope.

You heard her scream, felt her pick up your body, in blinks of your eyes you made out the staircase, the entryway, Matt in your line of sight.

You get traded into his arms, arms that make you feel tense and uncomfortable, something your body seems to react to because the tremors or seizures, or whatever the fuck your experiecing only worsens.

You blink in and out of consciousness as you’re taken from the house, into the backseat of somebody’s car, Maya and Matt seated in the front, murmuring to each other as you violently shook in the backseat, your consciousness fading as your body became less connected to you.

You weren’t sure where you were going, where drug addicts thought it was a good idea to take a person fucked up out of their minds, you hoped it wasn’t back to your mothers, or rehab, you seriously doubted the latter considering that two addicts themselves were more likely to take you to a fucking graveyard instead of rehab.

You knew neither of them were talking to you, just talking between the two of them, you hoped they were getting you some kind of help, that the two of them would stick by you and find you some help, Maya loved you, Maya was the only person who cared, she would get you help, she would stop this feeling, she would fix it.

You couldn’t see, you couldn’t control your body, you couldn’t feel any sensations across your skin beside the burning created by the lack of oxygen being circulated throughout you. It was like the drugs were slowly infiltrating every part of you, that the veins which mapped out your body underneath your skin were being pumped full of the toxic substance that you’d been so desperate to fill yourself with.

It must have been a bad reaction, or something you’d taken was laced, probably with fentanyl or something that was mixing badly, fentanyl was renowned for being one of the worst things to combine with meth, opioids and stimulants were bad together, it was probably the two forms mixing together inside of you, creating a horrible chemical concoction of reactions inside of you.

You couldn’t keep yourself awake for most of the car ride, there were patches of consciousness, patches where your eyes would open just for them to close once again.

You were awake when the car stopped, not awake enough to catch a glimpse of where you’d stopped at but awake enough to hear the car engine turn still on. The passenger door opened, then footsteps, then the backseat door beside you opened.

Maya picked you up, or at least that’s who you thought had your arms around you, your eyes were forced shut so you didn’t have any confirmation.

A few steps were taken, fast ones, and then she was squatting like she intended to put you down, and then she did.

You didn’t know how or why or where, you just knew that it was cold, there was rain drizzling down on your face, your body was shaking more than ever and you could hear the footsteps getting further and further away from you, then the sound of a car door being opened and shut and the car pulling away.

You were in agony, there was no other way to put it.

You’d been abandoned before, it was nothing new for you, it only reinforced the idea that you were simply incapable of keeping people in your life, nobody wanted you long term, you weren’t made for long term love, you were like a toy to a child. Fun and entertaining for a short amount of time, before you were forgotten and then eventually, thrown away.

You passed out before you could think more about the toy comparison, cold, alone and forgotten.

[angrygirlromero]

OCEAN EYES PT. 2

Summary: In which the son of the God of thieves, is head over heels in love with the daughter of the sea God.

Warnings: possible grammar mistakes, dark Luke.

Pairing: Luke x daughter of Poseidon x Little brother Percy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ella could remember quite clearly her life with her parents, her life before camp, her life before Luke, her life revolved around training with her father every morning before dawn, learning to use her powers and the other half of her time was spent with her mother Amphitrite learning how to rule and care for a kingdom, it was overwhelming for a little girl, but at such point in time Ella was more than content with making her beloved Godly parents proud.

Ella's mind raced as she made her way down the path towards the office, the sweet and awkward little boy she had met only a few days prior was her little brother, her father had fathered another bastard, a son.

Ella couldn't help but feel hurt by her father's infidelity once again towards her mother, but Percy was a nice boy him being her brother wasn't going to change the fact that he was also the victim of her father's actions or now their father's action.

She knew Amphitrite was not one bit bothered by her husband's company but to father two forbidden children was most certainly crossing Zeus line, Poseidon would not be forgiven, war will come, Percy was not prepared to wage war against the gods maybe Ella and her father were but the young boy wasn't.

Making her way up the stairs of the opened office Mr. D eye's met her's a stressed look fully displayed on his mature face, "Oh look who's here the woman of the hour" called out the God, Percy quickly wiped around to face his sister.

Percy Jackson was lost, a wave of different emotions had overwhelmed him since he had been claimed, but when he saw her his heart pained to know this entire time at camp he had felt alone and his sister had been right in from of him this entire time.

"Dionysus, Chiron, Grover" greeted the girl with respect, she could feel the tension rise in the room, Grover stoop silently in the corner after his outburst he wasn't sure he should intervene in such conversation any more.

Ella turned to finally face the boy who's eyes had been boring into her soul since the very moment she step foot in the room, "Percy" she breathed out, and for the first time in her life Ella was speechless.

Chiron and Mr. D shared a look before Chiron spoke to break the tension between the sibling. "Marella maybe you should show Percy to his new cabin..." he trailed off, "of course" replied the girl smiling softly at Percy, he wasn't to blame after all.

"I suppose the cabin was getting quite lonely after all" she added, to which Percy smiled, before he trailed behind her as they left. Making their way down toward the Hermes cabin Percy walked next to the girl, an awkward silence falling over the pair.

"Did you know?" asked Percy breaking the silence, "No, I didn't, I've always been aware of our father's affairs but I never knew he'd fathered another forbidden child" stated the girl, Percy came to a halt causing Ella to slowly stop in her tracks, "What's wrong?" she asked, "look I know this is gonna sound weird but since the very first moment I met you I've felt this connection, I don't really know how to explain it's like if you and I were connected, and I didn't understand the feeling until now, you've been nothing but nice to me since we've met and I don't want you to hate me" pleaded her brother.

Ella took a few steps closer coming face to face with the desperate boy, "Us being sibling does not change how I feel towards you or care for you Percy, that feeling you felt was mutual, it's like father always says, water holds memory, it was him trying to tell us from the very beginning" stated Ella lifting her hand to Percy's face, her delicate fingers brushing over his cheeks.

Percy's eyes bore into hers, "From now on we are one, you are my brother, my blood, whoever wishes to harm you shall have to go through me first little brother, even if that means waging war against Zeus to keep you alive" stated the girl.

Percy's eyes overflowed with tears, he had felt so very alone and abandoned since the moment he had arrived at camp he thought his father had turned his back on him, but instead Poseidon had gifted him a sister, a loving and beautiful sister to care and protect him.

Ella gave Percy a sad smile before she embraced him in a hug the boy ducked his head into his sister's neck sobbing his heart out to his now found sibling, for once in the longest time Percy Jackson felt safe.

From a distance Luke stood on the porch of the Hermes Cabin, watching them, pure jealousy raging in the Hermes boy's eyes, Percy was her sibling but yet Luke couldn't help but feel the overwhelming feeling of jealousy overtaking his body, he desired nothing more than to be Percy in that very moment, he wanted her to wipe his tears away, to hug him, and rub his back in comfort, he would keep her to himself matter what it took.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking back into the Hermes cabin was a different type of experience for Percy now, everyone looked at him differently, with respect maybe, or was it pity? or maybe even fear, Ella made her way into the cabin at her brother's side, her arm interloped with her brother's until they reached the spot where his stuff where.

Percy let go of his sister careful as if in any given second she would just disappear into thin air, picking up his things he tried avoiding the chattering from all kid's around him, "Hey princess" called out a familiar voice causing Percy to glance back at his sister.

He watched Luke approach her from behind wrapping his arm around the girl as if he owned her, their interactions had never bothered Percy before but yet now Percy couldn't help but feel bothered by Luke's proximity to his older sister.

"Hi love" she smiled up at him, leaning up to her tiptoes to press a soft kiss on to Luke's scar causing the Hermes boy to flush, "How've you guys been?" he asked with a small stutter because of his nerves, "We're doing just fine, I have a feeling we're gonna get along quite well" stated Ella with a pretty smile provoking butterflies to flutter in Luke's stomach.

Luke Castellan wasn't one to enjoy being powerless, but yet when he was with Ella he had never felt weaker, he loved the addicting feeling of her attention on him. "That's great princess, I'm happy you guys are getting along" said Luke, lying, at first he had found Percy's fondness for his girl amusing, but now Luke was much more bothered than ever.

Percy quickly threw his stuff into his bag finally zipping it up standing to his feet, facing the pair with an awkward smile, he watched his friend mutter something into his sister's ear causing her to smile and nod as if she was confirming something, "you done Pers?" asked Ella.

"Yup"

"Alright then, I'll see you later handsome" said Ella slowly releasing herself from Luke's arms causing the older boy to pount and Percy to cringe, Ella began walking away as Luke refused to let go of her, soon enough he did standing there like a lovestruck fool letting Percy walked past him.

"Hey Percy" called out Luke, causing Percy to stop and face him "Don't be a stranger, if you ever need help don't be afraid to ask" said Luke with a smile, to which Percy nodded, "Yeah thanks, I won't."

"Good."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking into their cabin Percy stood amazed at the entrance watching the beautiful fountain in the middle and the carvings of Poseidon and other greek engravings that were displayed on the wall, his eyes scanned his sister's half of the cabin where their were hand painted paintings of the sea on some parts of the walls.

There was a huge double bed remaining beautifully adorned with white sheets, an elegant dark blue head-bed with gold embroideries and an unhealthy amount of sea animal plushies, and around the bed were white curtains that were neatly hung around the pretty bed display, it looked like something out of his mother's dreams.

His new cabin was most definitely better than the Hermes cabin, there was a small section with a desk and a book shelf in the farther corner of the room, and on the other side of the cabin were shelves of different weapons and vintage fishing gears on display.

"The other half of the cabin is all yours, I've asked Dionysus to order you a new bed, it'll be arriving sometime next week, so for now you can sleep on the bed with me if you like" offered Ella, "It's alright, I'm good with the taking the floor, I wouldn't want to cause you any discomfort" said Percy his eyes scanning over every souvenir on the shelves.

Ella chuckled at Percy's enchanted state, "You know when I first got here this place was a mess, no one had stayed in here for ages and all this stuff was just thrown around, but with time the Hermes and Hephaestus boys helped me fix up the place" explained Ella, "Oh well that's very nice of them" said Percy finally removing his bag to place it on the floor on his half of the room.

"You know you are more than welcomed to use my desk and books whenever you like little one, everything here is as much yours as they are mine"

"Thank you Ella, really I appreciate it all" said Percy with a grateful look, "I um have a question tho, its kind of off topic" continued Percy, "I'm listening" replied Ella taking a seat on her soft bed.

"You and Luke, are you guys like a thing, like officially?" asked the sea prince, "Luke and I are complicated, we both have feelings for each other but our pride won't allow either of us to confess, besides I've known Luke for years and he's always been there for me, him Chris and even Annabeth, he was there for me when I needed him the most and if we don't work out I don't think I could ever live with myself" Ella said mumbling out the last part under her breath.

"That makes sense, but if he tries something you don't like you tell me, because if he hurts my sister he'll have to deal with me" said Percy causing Ella to laugh, this was most definitely going to be interesting.

Tag list:

@mxtokko @poppyflower-22 @starryhiraeth @trashmouthsahra @purplerose291 @iloveneilperry @onlyreadz @mahidahi

A/N: I'm starting a tag list please do message me or comment if you wish to be added, sorry for any grammar mistakes, hope you enjoy even if this was just mostly about Percy. REQUEST ARE STILL OPENED FOR PJO, HOTD, GOT, HUNGER GAMES, OBX, ETC.

[sc0tters]

Decisions, Decisions | Sidney Crosby

summary: you begin to prepare for the birth of your baby and the chaos that ensues when Sidney learns about his child.

request: yes/no

warnings: swearing, legal age gap (reader is 23!)

word count: 3.32k

authors note: Luna told me to carry this story on so I did. I decided to make it into a three part series as I don’t know how to end this off (so let me know what you want to see) but I didn’t want this part to get too long. Regular italics are flashbacks and these bold indented lines are how many weeks pregnant the reader is.

previous part | final part

It had been three weeks since you learnt you were pregnant.

10 weeks

You felt sick most mornings but he never noticed.

Sidney played oblivious to the fact that he had slept with you acting like that night had never happened.

Your belly has started to grow but it still wasn’t noticeable “you know peanut the size of a prune?” Connor laughed as he had been reading up about his future niece or nephew “I’d like peanut to let me keep my breakfast down.” You pointed out looking at your brother on the FaceTime call.

Connor had to admit that his heart broke for you going through his alone “he should know.” The hockey player pointed out hinting to the father of your baby.

It made you roll your eyes “until he talks to me I’m not telling him anything.” You mumbled fiddling with the end of your shirt.

The minute you learnt about the pregnancy you called Connor “hey I can’t really-“ he cut himself off the second he heard the sound of you crying “you okay?” Connor asked quickly growing alarmed.

You could barely breathe “I’m pregnant Con,” you announced feeling yourself growing sick at the realisation of what was happening.

Thankfully your brother was there to calm you down “he doesn’t know,” you added hyperventilating as your eyes went wide “who are you talking about?” Connor sat on his bed as he didn’t think you were with anyone at that moment.

“Sidney fucking Crosby.”

20 weeks

You were able to keep Sidney unaware of your baby as you had opted for wearing large sweaters which nobody cared about as it was December.

Sidney had stopped arguing with you as much as he picked up that something was off when you lost the energy to fight him “do you want to know the gender?” Your OB asked as she was staring at the ultrasound screen.

The older woman had a soft spot for you after you let it slip that the baby daddy didn’t know about his child “yes-no-maybe?” You shrugged watching the screen as you didn’t know what you wanted “yes, yes I do.” You finally settling on an answer.

She laughed taking the pictures for you “you are the proud mother to a baby girl,” she announced as you thought you’d be happy to hear that, you dreamed of having a daughter since you were young.

But now that it was a reality you couldn’t help but grow nervous thinking about her not knowing her father.

Surely this was going to be the push that you needed to tell Sidney the truth.

25 weeks

The day had finally arrived, not for you to give birth, but for the rematch against the Blackhawks. This time in Chicago.

You begged Connor to keep his mouth shut but as you watched him cross check Sidney, you knew your request had fallen on deaf ears.

Connor practically had smoke coming out of his ears he was so angry “should have kept your dick in your fucking pants.” He spat as he shoved his finger into the older man’s chest.

Sidney wanted to laugh as the rookie took him on “your sister tell you about everyone she sleeps with?” Sure Sidney knew that you were close to your brother but surely this crossed a line.

The Blackhawks player sucked at his teeth “she tells me about the ones who don’t step up.” Connor pointed out as he hit the older players shoulder before he skated off “what the hell is he talking about?” Sidney muttered to himself as he locked eyes with you on the bench.

He was definitely going to talk to you about it now.

From the moment the game ended you were trying to avoid Sidney, that worked until you got back to the hotel “y/n wait!” The Canadian called out as he saw you walking to your room.

Your legs tried to move faster as you tried to hold onto your notebooks that were in your hand “hey!” Sidney grumbled as he grabbed your hand spinning you around in the process.

The books slipped from your hand landing on the ground with your favourite ultrasound picture sliding right in front of Sidney’s feet.

You felt your heart drop as the boy leaned down to pick it up “is it mine?” His voice was soft as he looked up to see that the colour had drained from your face.

Sidney would have been panicking but this was like the final piece of the puzzle of the words that Connor had put into his head “Sid-” you sighed looking down at the ground “is this child fucking mine y/n!” The hockey player raised his voice causing you to step back with tears welling in your eyes.

Part of you felt like you needed to sit down “if you’re asking if it’s from that night then yes.” You mumbled as you nodded letting your hand slip under your sweater as you felt a kick.

Peanut had been enjoying her active moments during her fathers hockey games “and you didn’t think it was important to tell me?” Sidney let out a dry laugh as he ran his fingers down his jaw.

It was surprising that nobody was seen in the hall as you two had this conversation “you didn’t exactly make it sound like wanted to know about it.” You pointed out as you tucked your hair behind your ears.

The morning after you woke up to an empty bed, actually an empty apartment.

Sidney had slipped out whilst you were fast asleep “sorry y/n,” he mumbled pressing a kiss to your forehead.

There were no two ways about it, Sidney felt disgusting thinking about what he had done. You were this young beautiful girl who had her whole life ahead of her but here he was trying to screw it up. He thought you were beautiful, the kind of girl his parents would want him to bring home. Most of all he loved how you spoke to him, no girl that he’d ever met had that sent him back the shit that he gave you.

Four months ago when his mom came to town and finally got the chance to meet you it took her four minutes to realise that her son was in love with you.

And that was the reason he left. Sidney told himself he that he was doing the best thing for you, because deep down inside if he continued to tell himself that the life of a bachelor was for him then maybe he’d forget about you.

But that wasn’t what went through your mind as you were left hurt with no sign of life from the older boy.

Your pride got in the way and stopped you from ever asking him why he left you that night.

Sidney’s eyes pierced your soul as he contemplated telling you why he left “I had a right to know about this child,” he pointed out crossing his arms.

You scoffed as you rolled your eyes “just like I had a right to know where you were in the morning?” Your words hit him like a slap in his face.

When he remained silent you nodded pushing past him “look I don’t expect you to understand this or be on board.” You announced trying to be mature about the fact that you were growing his child in your belly “but I’ve survived this far and your daughter doesn’t need you if you’re going to not really give a shit about you.” You added tapping his shoulder as you watched him stare at the ultrasound picture in his hand.

With that you decided to leave him as you walked to away “daughter?” Sidney furrowed his eyebrows letting his thumb rub over the image of the baby “you’re gonna be a girl dad.” You nodded leaving him alone in the hall.

Tears formed in his eyes as he realised what his actions had meant for him.

Sidney was going to have to change things quickly.

26 weeks

Sidney sat in the cafe as he patiently waited for you to arrive “hey y/n,” he was clearly nervous as he saw you walk in.

You were wearing your new favourite sweater that had PITTSBURGH printed out in big bold yellow letters on the grey material “hi,” you mumbled awkwardly standing there as he clearly going for a hug “what did you want to talk about?” You asked sitting down in your seat.

He took in how gorgeous you looked even with no makeup on and your day five hair in a messy bun “look I want to be apart of our child’s life.” Sidney confessed softly not wanting possible fans from around him to hear what he had to say.

Your eyes went down to the menu “c’mon y/n I deserve a chance.” The hockey player reached out to place his hand on yours “how do I know you’re not going to leave one day when shit gets too hard?” You placed your hands on your lap still clearly hurt about what he had done all those months ago.

It had made you feel stupid offering your body up to someone in the way you had done for him only to then watch him leave before the sun came up “all I’m asking for is a second chance.” Sidney pleaded as he let his hands wrap around his coffee cup.

Connor’s voice was in your head reminding you of the fact that you were scared to do this alone “one chance, you fuck it up and you’re out Crosby.” Your warning reminded him that you were mad at him and that despite there being a child inside of you it wasn’t going to make everything okay.

“I won’t let you down Bedard.”

“I’m not the one you should be promising that to.”

28 weeks

Now almost everyone knew about your baby after one of the rookies saw you in nothing more than a vest and leggings when he walked into your office unannounced and let it slip to the rest of the team. The comments and questions were quickly shut down when Sidney threatened them all with extra laps, which of course you greatly appreciated.

But that didn’t matter as you were sat in the doctors office alone staring at the forms that you had to fill in “sorry I’m late,” Sidney’s loud entrance caused all of the expecting fathers in the waiting room jaws to drop.

He sat in the seat next to you as he placed his hand on your knee “I started thinking that you weren’t going to come.” You confessed drawing a smile from his lips “you lack faith in me y/n,” you wanted to hit him but you couldn’t when your doctor stuck her head out of her office “nice to see that the dad is joining us.” She sent you a wink as you walked into her office.

Sidney felt like a nervous wreck as he watched you pull your sweater over your belly “you’ve seen a whole lot more of me before Sid.” You pointed out sending him a smile which quickly left your face as the cold gel hit your stomach “felt that before y/n,” Sidney matched your teasing tone as you stuck your tongue out at him.

Your OB laughed as she watched the interaction between you two “want to see how peanut is doing?” She asked pulling your attention away from the boy in front of you.

The hockey player raised his eyebrows “peanut?” He cocked his head “hey you weren’t ever when I voted-” you were cut off when your baby popped up onto the screen.

“Peanut is perfect.”

30 weeks

Sidney had spent the last two weeks learning all about your child as he watched you begin nesting “should we get both?” Sidney asked holding up two different car seats.

A laugh left your lips as you shook your head “she does not need two car seats or two strollers.” You crossed your arms feeling like his wealth was truly showing.

The boy placed the box back on the stand “peanut deserves whatever she wants,” he pointed out as he made you laugh again “our daughter is gonna wrap you around her finger so tight it’s gonna hurt.” You smiled as you placed your hand on his shoulder looking at the one stroller you preferred more “peanut should get this one.” You added pointing at it.

He nodded picking the box up as he followed you to the next section “her and her mom already do,” Sidney mumbled to himself as he referred to your earlier comment.

You spun around furrowing your eyebrows “you say something?” You asked causing his eyes to go wide “nope.” Sidney was quick to shake his head desperately hoping that you didn’t hear what he said.

31 weeks

The last six weeks were spent for Sidney trying to win you back “I’m just asking for one meal!” Sidney complained as he had been trying to persuade you to go to dinner with him for the last fifteen minutes “look Sid the last thing I want is to wear some uncomfortable shoes and try to fit into a dress that would have fit me pre peanut.” You pointed out as you knew what the hockey player would plan.

It made the boy frown “what do you want to do then?” He asked wondering if that was how low you thought of him.

You pursed your lips together as you thought about it “pizza and a movie.” You also wanted a bubble bath but that didn’t feel like something that you should mention to Sidney especially after the last time he saw you naked you ended up with a baby in your belly.

It didn’t even take him a minute before he nodded “you got yourself a deal Bedard,” Sidney had to admit that it sounded peaceful having a movie night with you before little peanut was born.

31 weeks

Sidney walked into your apartment with a smile as he held the three boxes of pizza “didn’t know which one you wanted so I went with your favourites.” He explained as he placed the white boxes on the table “you don’t know my favourite pizza Crosby,” you pointed out knowing that it was not going to be something he’d just pick up on.

Instead the boy smirked “got Hawaiian because you’ve been craving pineapple, margarita because of your cheese craving, and pepperoni because who doesn’t like pepperoni?” Sidney looked proud of himself as he turned around to see that you were staring at him in awe “what?” He furrowed his eyebrows when you kept silent.

Surely it had to be the pregnancy hormones that made you think he was kissable in that moment “nothing,” you shook your head deciding to go for a piece of pizza instead as you hoped it would make your brain forget about the boy who stood next to you.

32 weeks

The moment Sidney’s parents learnt that they were going to be grandparents they were on the next flight into Pittsburgh “your mom already loves me Sid,” you reminded him as you watched the Canadian wipe his palms on his pants “I’m worried about what she’s gonna do to me.” Sidney mumbled feeling like he was going to throw up.

You sighed turning to let your whole body face him “look we have survived this long acting like we have it together so let’s just continue doing that?” You proposed as you wrapped your hands around his hoping that it would calm his nerves.

Sidney blinked his eyes as he thought about kissing you “right that was probably stupid of me to even suggest that.” You mumbled quickly retracting your hands as your eyes went wide.

He was quick to act as he hooked his fingers under your jaw bringing his lips to your own. At first you were shocked that he kissed you but then instead you just melted into the kiss groaning as his tongue slid across your lower lip “we’re here!” Sidney’s mother called out causing the two of you to jump away from each other.

Well that was a conversation for another day.

33 weeks

To say you were irritated was putting it lightly.

Alex had called you at almost midnight saying that Sidney was drunk at some bar flirting with a girl. The blonde had picked up on the car rides you were taking with Sidney as he took you to your doctor appointments, he knew Sidney was the father of your baby and he didn’t even have to ask “he’s back there.” The reason why he had called you was because Alex didn’t want Sidney screwing up the relationship that he had with you “Sidney!” You grumbled ready to hit him.

Your were in your leggings and some old training camp shirt that Sidney had given you “hey baby,” the boy smiled as he held his arms out so that he could hug you.

What he didn’t expect was that you’d reach out to slap him instead “I’ll let you deal with him,” the girl mumbled shaking her head as she left figuring that there were easier battles to fight than one that involved the pregnant woman.

The boy poured his lips as he cupped his cheek where you had hit him “what was that for?” He asked letting out a gasp as you pulled him through the crowd of people to the door “can you please grow up Sidney?” You begged wanting to have this conversation with a sober Sidney.

That seemed to do the trick as he nodded finally realising how sore his cheek was “you’ve got a hit on you Bedard,” he complained feeling his jaw throb.

You crossed your arms “what the hell was that Sid?” You asked as tears formed in your eyes.

Tonight you should’ve been watching reruns of the bachelor, not trying to deal with your drunken baby daddy “just wanted to have a fun night before the baby came,” Sidney confessed not seeing how stupid he sounded.

It took everything in you not to hit him for a second time that night “you don’t get to do things like that anymore,” you shook your head feeling like the biggest idiot in the world “to think that I thought you’d actually want me too.” You let out a laugh as tears formed in your eyes.

Sidney’s expressions softened “y/n,” he reached out to grab your hand but you were quick to pull away.

All of those memories preparing for peanuts arrival, the moments shopping, trying to build her crib together, seeing her little body grow in each scan, the way you’d grab Sidney’s hand and place it in your belly the second she kicked, all felt like they were getting thrown down the drain in that very moment.

So with all of the respect that you had left for yourself you tucked your hair behind your ears “I’m going to go and stay with my parents for a bit,” you had mentioned before that you wanted to go up to your families lake house before Peanut was born so that you could get some time in the sun beforehand.

Sidney nodded “thought you wanted me to come with you.” You had offered to bring him along as everyone was desperate to meet the man who your child was going to call her father.

You sniffled as you shook your head feeling a tear roll down your cheek “figure your shit out and when you do you know where to find me.” Your words weren’t nearly as harsh as they could have been when you placed a kiss on his cheek before you walked off leaving Sidney all alone on the street.

For some reason this really felt like he had fucked up this time.

[daysofyellowroses]

strawberry

carmen berzatto x afab!reader | 1.0k | based on this gorgeous request from my angel @thecapricunt1616 🌼🫶🏻💗

It started as a cough. 

Then a sniffle. 

A little whining.

Then the inevitable cry.

You rolled into your pillow, letting out a soft groan. It felt like you had just closed your eyes and gotten comfortable and now you'd have to get up again. When you pulled the blanket back, you felt Carm's hand touch your arm.

“It's alright,” He yawned. “I got this. You went last time.”

“Are you sure?” You murmured, already pulling the blanket back over yourself. “I don't mind..”

“Nah, you get some sleep babe.”

You didn't need to be told twice, snuggling into the pillow. Through the baby monitor you could hear Carm go into your daughter's room and pick her up to sooth her. She stopped crying after a few moments and you felt yourself relax. It had taken at least fifteen minutes for you to calm her down when you had gotten up earlier in the night, you were convinced your daughter preferred Carm to you. Or he just had some secret trick he was keeping from you.

A little while later, you were just drifting off to sleep when you felt Carmy get back into bed next to you, his arm moving around your waist as he settled behind you.

“She's asleep,” He whispered, gently stroking your waist. “Hopefully she waits a little longer this time, I'm exhausted.”

“I wonder why,” You murmured softly, turning around and burying your head in Carm's chest. “Nobody forced you to try for another one.”

“Didn't hear you complaining,” Carm teased, wrapping his arm around you tightly. “you were very encouraging, actually.”

“Shut up and let me sleep,” You smiled, wrapping your arm around Carm's waist. “Or there won't be any more encouragement.”

It was early in the morning when the cries came through on the baby monitor, the sun barely risen. You placed a kiss on Carm's cheek and slipped out of bed, making your way to your daughter's room. 

She had stopped crying, but was still fussing a little. You carefully picked her up, smiling as she nestled into you.

“Come on, let's let daddy sleep.” You smiled, taking her to the changing table and cleaning her up before taking her downstairs. 

It was an hour or so later when Carmy came downstairs, giving you and your daughter a kiss before he went to make some coffee.

“Good news,” You smiled, glancing over to Carm. “We can add banana to the list, she loves it.”

You looked back to your daughter, sticking your tongue out and smiling when she laughed. 

“Was she okay with it?” Carm asked, looking over to you. “How long has it been since she tried it?”

You rolled your eyes playfully, scooping up the last of the banana on the little bear plate and holding the spoon out for your daughter.

“Like..twenty minutes ago? She's been fine. You can't do this every time we try something.”

“I'm just being careful,” Carm shrugged, getting two mugs from the counter. “But I'm glad she liked it.”

“She loves it,” You grinned, gently stroking your daughter's cheek. “no trips to the ER this time. The doctor will be so relieved.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Carm raised a brow as he placed a mug of coffee in front of you. 

“It means that maybe last time someone was a little..intense,” You shrugged, taking a sip of coffee. 

“I was not that bad,” Carm scoffed. “I took control of the situation, that's all.”

“So that's why you didn't let the doctor hold our daughter?” You grinned, resting your head on your hand. “And questioned every single thing he did?”

“I was just being a good parent,” Carmy held his hands up, looking over to your daughter with a smile. “She’ll thank me one day.”

A couple of hours later, you took your daughter back into the kitchen for lunch, smiling as you saw Carmy moving about the kitchen, humming along to the radio.

“Someone's prepared,” You smiled, taking your daughter over to her high chair and getting her into it. “What's she trying?”

“Uh..a couple of things,” Carm replied. “I figured we could do some more allergy tests, get it out of the way.”

“That sounds good,” You nodded, giving your daughter a kiss on her head before walking over to Carm and raising a brow.

“What's with the lunchbox?” 

“Well,” Carm looked over to you and you let out a soft sigh. “I just thought it would be safer if we got her to try at the hospital. Then we don't have to rush over there.”

You nodded slowly, gently touching your boyfriend's arm. 

“I love you, and because of that I am going to tell you that you're crazy.”

“It's just good sense,” Carm insisted. “you'll see.”

An hour later, you found yourself biting your tongue and holding back a laugh as you sat on a bench outside the ER. A very exasperated Carmy was sitting next to you, your daughter in his lap.

“We could just leave this for another time,” You suggested, glancing down to the still full lunchbox in your hand. “If she's not hungry we can't force her.” 

“She's gotta eat eventually,” Carm sighed, holding up a piece of egg to your daughter and sighing as she turned away from it. “Oh come on..”

“Are we really just going to sit here all day?” You asked, laughing softly as your daughter reached towards the lunchbox for a strawberry. 

“Hey, egg first,” Carm frowned, shuffling back a little. “just try it..” He huffed as your daughter got distracted by a butterfly flying past. “babe we’re not doing this at home, last time we almost hit that elderly man in the parking lot trying to get to the ER entrance.”

“Uh, excuse me, you almost hit that elderly man,” You raised a brow, setting the lunchbox aside. “and we are trying this at home. If she has a reaction I will take her back her, okay?”

“Fine,” Carm nodded, letting out a sigh. “But just one more try.”

[flowerandblood]

The Impossible Choice (4)

[ Aemond • Targaryen x Baratheon! • female ]

[ warnings: sex content, fingering, angst, smut, domination ]

[description: Aemond comes to Storm's End to choose his future consort. However, Lord Borros Baratheon presents him with only four of his five daughters. Being attached to his youngest child, he does not want to marry her. The prince, however, thwarts his and her plans with his decision. This is slow burn, with a lot of dark angst and sexual tension. (Anon Request)]

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Previous and next chapters: Masterlist

______

The day before their nuptials in the Great Sept she could not sleep. She spent her last days in the care of the queen, preparing for the wedding, learning how she should behave in every situation, when she could speak, and with whom it was appropriate to dance and converse during the wedding feast.

She was surprised when the queen summoned her to her chamber for a face-to-face conversation, alone, even without her servants. She felt that she was about to learn something important and sat tensely in her chair, looking at her expectantly. The queen looked at her warmly, once again giving her that motherly look that she missed so much.

“I wanted to speak with you about your wedding night. Do you know what begetting an heir involves?” She spoke calmly, gently, as if afraid the topic of conversation might scare her.

She pursed her lips in shame, lowering her gaze, unable to look at her.

If you obey me, I will make sure that we both enjoy ourselves.

She didn't know what he meant, but he shocked her with this confession. She wondered if she should believe him, or if he was just manipulating her not to stand up to him.

She nodded slowly, and the queen sighed, rubbing her knees with her hands, as if the topic was uncomfortable and unpleasant for her as well.

"It will be best if you just lie on your back on the bed. This is the most comfortable position. Let him do what he needs to do, the sooner he's done, the better for you. It can be hard, but try not to cry, think about something else. After all, you should lie down for a while. This will help you beget his heir sooner." She said calmly, looking at her tenderly, sadly, comfortingly.

She swallowed hard at her words, horrified by what she heard, but at the same time she felt immense gratitude towards her for telling her all about it. She nodded her head again, indicating that she understood, not being able to utter a single word.

On the day of their nuptials she asked her servant for a cup of wine in the morning to calm herself down. She could feel her hands shaking, but the alcohol had dulled her and relaxed her, making her look less pale.

She tried to think only about seeing her brother and father again.

Royce did not disappoint her. He stepped into her chamber without warning, throwing himself at her while she was halfway through dressing her wedding gown. She laughed with joy when she saw him, her heart squeezed so hard with happiness at the sight of him that she wanted to cry.

Her brother took her warm cheeks in his hands, looking at her tenderly.

"You look beautiful, sweet sister."

He sat in an old wooden chair, sipping wine and chatting with her, as her servants pinned the puffy sleeves with cut-outs over the red chemise underneath her gown.

She tried not to think with regret that her sisters had not come to help her prepare for the day, even though it was a tradition.

She also knew that her father must have been speaking with the king himself and he was too occupied to see her as well.

Her maids had part of her hair braided in a circle around her head, and part of it combed into an exquisite, intricate braid that fell down her back. They slid pins of gold-plated pearls into her hair and placed jewelry around her neck.

She looked dignified, rich, beautiful.

Due to the fact that she was never considered as the future wife of the prince, she did not pay attention to her attires, considering that she would not look as good in a gowns as her sisters.

Now, looking at her own reflection in the mirror she thought proudly that she had not lacked anything.

Before the nuptials she received a blessing from her father.

For the first time in her life she saw him holding back tears of despair. She knew that he was suffering from the thought of what was going to happen to her that night.

She had no words of comfort for him or for herself.

She stroked his rough, beard-covered cheek and walked towards her retinue at the end of which was the carriage that would take her to the Great Sept with her father.

People cheered her as they drove through the sunny, bright streets of King's Landing; the people of the capital remembered the Baratheon's contribution to their safety in all the wars of recent years.

As she stepped out of the carriage in front of the sept she saw with joy that the children were throwing wildflowers at her. She wanted to collect them but her father urged her, saying that there was no time for that.

She placed her hand on his outstretched arm and walked with him to the center of the sept, amid the soaring sound of trumpets and the whispers of the gathered who might see her for the first time.

As she walked, she kept her eyes on the prince who was looking at her intensely.

He was standing in a beautiful black and red tunic, the colors of his house, straight and proud, his jaw clenched, his expression indifferent and expressionless, his gaze almost aggressive.

She thought that she didn't care anymore.

She felt like everything around her was happening outside of her. His cloak on her shoulders, their hands intertwined in front of the septon, their mouths uttering oaths.

They were husband and wife.

She heard the loud applause and cheers, the joy of the crowd.

She felt as if she had gone deaf.

She stared into his dark, dangerous, bright eye, piercing right through her and wondered what was going on in his head right now.

When they arrived at the wedding feast and sat down side by side, not a single word was exchanged between them. She smiled warmly at all the guests, recognizing that at least one of them had to look pleased.

She couldn't swallow anything.

She knew that he wouldn't ask her to dance, but she was still disappointed when it turned out that she really couldn't count on his involvement in this aspect.

Royce, apparently annoyed by this detail, asked her to dance himself. She glanced at her now husband, wordlessly pleading for his permission and saw him nod slowly, turning his face away again.

She knew that he watched her carefully as she danced with her brother and then with the other lords. She knew that he was possessive, that he now wanted to think of her as his own, and she couldn't upset him.

Not before what was about to happen.

As he stood suddenly, announcing that they were going to rest, she felt her heart pounding like crazy in her chest, her whole body froze and stiffened.

She looked up at him and saw that he was glancing at her expectantly, so she rose slowly and bowed to her father and the king, who followed them with uncertain stares.

She followed him silently to his chamber, where Lyanna was already waiting for her to help her pull off her elaborate gown and undid her hair. She stripped her down to a lovely, beautiful embroidered, snow-white nightgown and approached her, smearing her neck and wrists with a pleasant, floral-scented oil.

Looking at herself in the mirror she thought that she was completely vulnerable, helpless.

That's what he wanted.

She shuddered and glanced quickly over her shoulder as she saw that he stood up from his chair, already dressed only in his linen shirt and breeches, a clear impatience in his gaze that it had taken so long.

"Leave." He said dryly.

Lyanna wanted to protest that she wasn't done yet, but the prince gave her only one murderous look, which made her shiver and silently leave, avoiding him, closing the door behind her.

They were left alone.

She could feel the tension between them, the stuffy, heavy air in the chamber; all she could hear in her ears was her rapid breathing and the beating of her own heart.

She thought that she would do anything he asked her to do as long as he didn't hurt her.

After a moment's thought, he approached her with slow, unhurried step. She stared at him helplessly, her mouth slightly parted in a troubled breath that she couldn't control.

He grabbed her jaw with his hand, but more gently than before and stared at her for a moment.

She shivered as his fingers slid from her face to her neck and he began to massage her nape with slow, calm movements that gave her goosebumps all over her body. She wondered what was happening to her, because she wasn't entirely sure if the only feeling she felt was fear.

He leaned over her suddenly, her breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide in horror and anticipation.

“Kiss me.” He whispered and pressed his lips to hers instantly, closing his hand around her neck, holding her in an iron grip.

She stifled a moan, only a soft, startled sound coming out of her mouth, feeling how greedily he bit into her skin, how soft, fleshy and wet his hungry lips were.

She felt his fingers tighten on the nape of her neck at her lack of response, so she timidly brushed his upper lip with her throbbing, sticky mouth, making a low, satisfied sound coming out from his throat.

"More." He commanded softly, and she felt a pleasant squeeze between her thighs at the sound of his hoarse voice, his caresses lazy and pleasant.

She tried to imitate his movements, placing her hand on his chest for balance, running her lips over his, pressing them lightly, wanting to see how it felt. Something inside her was throbbing again and again at the wet, sticky click of their saliva that she heard every time their lips parted, only to meet in another kiss.

He pulled away from her, his mouth puffy, swollen from their caresses that seemed to fill him with desire. His eye wasn't so stern anymore, she thought that he was pleased. So far she didn't feel any discomfort either, quite the opposite − he smelled of soap and bath, sweat and thirst that made her throat dry.

"Will you obey me?" He asked low, his voice quivering slightly with arousal.

For some reason she felt wetness between her thighs at his question, but thought it couldn't be moon bleeding yet, because it was too early.

She nodded and squealed softly as he suddenly lifted her by the hips, walking with her toward his bed. He placed her on her back, and she thought that was it.

She settled herself comfortably on the bedding, looking at him expectantly, feeling her whole body tremble. He did not lie on top of her as her sister had said, however, but sat next to her on the bed, leaning over her.

She shuddered and swallowed hard as she saw his hands begin to untie her nightgown. He unfolded the fabric in two, exposing her breasts to him, making her voice get stuck in her throat.

She didn't know what was happening.

She turned her head involuntarily, breathing loudly, ashamed that he was looking at her naked body in such a licentious way, so close, not even trying to cover herself, knowing that there was no point in resisting, desperation and anxiety on her face.

"Look at me." He commanded. She flinched all over and obeyed him with difficulty, looking at him pleadingly, gasping for breath, feeling her whole body aflame and hot.

She inhaled sharply as she felt his large hand on her breast, running his fingers over it, kneading it lightly, tentatively. She saw his lips part as he felt her soft, firm skin under his hand, his gaze was serious, but also full of arousal and darkness that made her feel throbbing between her thighs.

She nearly jumped and stifled a moan, pressing her lips together as she felt his thumb brush over her nipple, surprised by the brief, sudden thrill of pleasure she felt. He repeated this movement encouraged by her reaction, and she trembled all over, unable to take her eyes off his face. She saw him frown, his chest heaving uneasily.

"I want to hear you. Your every moan belongs to me." He hissed, pressing his thumb against her nipple harder, teasing and rubbing her on purpose.

When a soft, sweet moan of surprise escaped her lips at last, she saw the glint in his eye, the corner of his mouth twitched dangerously, his breathing quickened.

"− good girl −" He whispered with some kind of appreciation, she pursed her lips at his praise, feeling the squeeze between her thighs, a hot, tickling tension building up inside her for some reason.

Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned over her, his mouth clung greedily to her breast, sucking on her nipple like a small child. Another, this time more intense shiver of pleasure vibrate through her body, making her whimper softly, clenching her hands on either side of her head into fists.

She was afraid to touch him.

She didn't know if she should.

The Queen did not reveal such details to her, additionally neither she nor her sister mentioned anything about what her husband was doing to her now.

She pursed her lips and sucked in a loud breath as she felt his hand slid down to the bare skin of her thigh, pulling her chemise up, her legs trembled and closed involuntarily as she felt him want to put his fingers between them.

"Never close your thighs in front of me." He said coldly, stopping the caress, looking at her expectantly.

She swallowed hard and meekly spread her legs slightly, letting him do what he wanted. He hummed contentedly as he went back to sucking on her puffy, hard nipple, felt them both gasp and freeze for a moment as his fingers touched her hot womanhood.

No one had ever touched her in this place, so intimate and private.

Her whole body shuddered as his fingers ran over her moist folds, rubbing a bud hidden between them, sending a spasm of pleasure through her. She heard him stifle a guttural moan as he found her sticky wetness, leaking from her slit down onto the sheets, he looked at her with a gaze from which she felt embarrassment.

"− gods − already so fucking wet −" He hummed, obviously as surprised as she was.

She thought, seeing his reaction, that apparently this was good information.

She opened her mouth wide in silent amazement as his movement changed, his fingers began to press firmly around her pearl, teasing this spot with circular, steady strokes, from which she felt a twitching deep inside her. He felt it and licked her nipple with a low purr, making her threw her head back with a warm, innocent moan.

She didn't expect that.

What she was feeling now had nothing to do with pain.

She was terrified that he was touching the most intimate parts of her body, but he was doing it in such a way that she felt a pleasant, hot tickle in her lower abdomen, which made her feel an increasing need for relief, although she did not know how she could experience it.

She sobbed loudly, flinching suddenly as she felt his middle finger press against her opening, pushing against her tight, hot, fleshy walls. It was both uncomfortable and pleasant, she had never experienced this kind of sensation before and was terrified, so she tried to loosen up and breathe loudly through her mouth.

"− easy − don't resist me − take what I give you −" He murmured, returning to his earlier caresses, pressing his lips to her breasts as if he couldn't tear himself away, she heard him make low, guttural growls every time his tongue licked again her hard nipple.

She whimpered softly as his finger slowly slid deeper into her hot core, stretching her so much that she spread her thighs wider to make it easier for herself and for him, having no clue what he was actually doing.

She moaned loudly when he finally slid his finger all the way in and sighed in relief when he slid it out gently. Her voice stuck in her throat as he repeated the motion, pushing his finger into her at an increasingly rapid pace, rubbing her just above her entrance, teasing some spot inside her through which she felt shivers of pleasure.

Suddenly his pace changed from gentle and steady to quick and sure, his finger slipping in and out of her with the wet clicks of her moisture, squeezing her so deliciously that she wanted to beg him to stop, feeling that something was about to happen to her body, that her tension was reaching a peak.

"− please −" She mewled, her hand clenching helplessly on his arm that he was leaning on, rocking her hips involuntarily to the thrusts of his finger.

"− shhh −" He hummed contentedly, adding his second finger to her interior, causing her body to writhe under him in spasms.

She was no longer able to look at him or focus on anything, her body leaning back, her eyes closed with pleasure, sweat running down her soft skin with exertion.

She drew in a quick breath when he suddenly stopped, sliding his fingers out of her, looking at her with wide eye, his lips parted in unutterable delight.

"− fuck − I need to feel you −" He panted, reaching into the material of his breeches, untying them quickly.

She swallowed hard as he spreaded her legs in front of him, holding her hips, drawing her closer in one, firm motion. His hands went to his breeches again, sliding them down just enough to free his throbbing, swollen erection.

She turned her head away, ashamed of the sight, terrified that this was what she was about to feel inside her.

She didn't know how she was going to take it if his fingers was already causing her discomfort in the begging.

She felt his hand grab her cheeks, turning her face towards him.

"Look at me." He hissed, and she shivered at the sight of his dark eye.

No man had ever looked at her that way before.

He licked his lips with a grunt of satisfaction as her large, terrified eyes remained fixed on his face. He leaned over her, placing his hands on either side of her head, breathing loudly, his long, white hair tickling her cheeks.

They both knew what was about to happen.

"Spread your thighs wide." He whispered, his voice a little softer, but still commanding. She opened her mouth, trying to catch her breath, and obediently did as he said, trying not to think about how scared she was.

She felt his hands lift the fabric of her nightgown above her thighs, exposing everything underneath, her body in some subconscious reflex wanted to move away when she felt the fat, pink head of his cock begin to push against her hot, leaking opening. She trembled as the fingers of one of his hands grabbed her hip warningly, digging into her soft skin.

"Don't run away from me. Be good and I'll take it slow." He gasped as she felt the tip of his manhood press against her entrance again.

She felt his fingers slid lower, parting the skin of her folds to the sides, making her feel uncomfortable.

She pursed her lips as she felt it, trying not to make a sound.

She squirmed silently, closing her eyes as she felt him force his way inside her, her fingers involuntarily clenched into fists, she had the feeling that, indeed, according to her sister's words, her husband was about to tear her apart from the inside.

Was she supposed to fit it all in?

She heard his soft sigh when he slid deeper into her, as if he was in pain himself.

"− fuck − breath − just a little more − I promise −" He panted, and she swallowed hard, trying to calm her breathing, to relax her body.

She was relieved that he stopped, waiting for her walls not to press against him so terribly.

They both breathed a loud sigh when, after a moment, one sure thrust of his hips sank him deep into her, causing her a burning, sharp pain that, however, passed after a moment.

It was a strange, disturbing and intimate feeling at the same time.

She considered it an act of his grace that he waited a moment before sliding out of her slowly only to thrust into her again a moment later, she had the feeling that her muscles had adjusted to his size.

He watched her intently, looking at her with wide-open eye, apparently assessing whether he could already speed up his pace, which he did as soon as he heard her first startled moans.

The tip of his manhood rubbed and squeezed again and again the spot inside her where he had previously dug his fingers in.

Gods, she thought.

It feels good.

Involuntarily, she tightened her hand on his arm and looked at him in horror, not even noticing when they both began pant, first softly, then louder and louder, her hands clenched on his shirt, as she couldn't hold back the tension that was building again in her loins, rising like boiling water.

With each of his sharp, deep thrust, his thighs slammed against her buttocks with a wet slaps of her moisture, so shamelessly, dirty, that she writhed all over him.

"− yes − that's it − ah − so fucking tight −" He exaled, and she, surprised by his words, just moaned sweetly, making him completely lose his temper.

He rose suddenly, taking her hips in his hands, kneeling in front of her, rooting into her quickly and brutally, rubbing her where she needed it each time, making her body arch back in pleasure, shocked by the intensity of the sensation.

"− come on − give me what I want − fuck, I want to hear it −" He panted, slamming into her with all the strength he had in his hips, she felt like he would burst into her stomach.

She didn't know what he meant, but she no longer felt pain or discomfort.

She felt numb to a different kind of feeling, her vision blurred, her mind completely foggy.

All she could hear was how they both panted and moaned alternately, the bed below them creaking with each of his thrusts, each slap of his thighs.

Suddenly she felt something approaching, her whole body tensed, as if trying to defend herself against it.

And then it happened.

She leaned back with her mouth parted wide and sobbed loudly, helplessly, pressing her cheek to the pillow, as a wave of unexpected pleasure surged brutally through her body, then a second, a third, and a fourth.

She heard him groan low, panting in delight at what he had seen in front of him, he made a loud, almost animal sound of relief, and then a warmth spilled inside her. He rocked his hips in her for a while longer, breathing heavily, and then he fell on top of her without strength, crushing her with his weight.

She stared at the door to his chamber, panting loudly, her body trembling in convulsions from what she had just experienced.

She was in shock.

She didn't know that her body was capable of something like this.

He slipped his manhood out of her with her quiet hiss of discomfort, rising immediately, tying his breeches back on. She heard him grunt loudly before he spoke, his breathing still quickened and his voice slightly hoarse as he said the words.

"You may now return to your chamber."

She felt a stab of pain and rejection at his words, unsure if he was dismissing her or if he wanted her to decide for herself where she would spend the night after what had happened.

“The queen said that I should lie down for a long time afterwards. Thanks to this, as she said, I will give you an heir sooner." She whispered in a trembling voice, her body still unable to recover from what she had just experienced.

She saw him glance at her over his shoulder, looking at her intensely. In the end he just grunted and nodded, apparently giving her permission to do what she thought that was appropriate, with no intention of meddling in these intricate, feminine matters.

He walked around the bed, getting under the covers and lying on his stomach, turning his head away from her, not saying a word.

She didn't say anything to him either, but she couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face.

He could pretend to be indifferent to her and not speak to her, but the truth was that he desired her.

She thought, surprised, that he had kept his promise.

He made her enjoy it.

She wondered if he would lose interest in her after all this, or if on the contrary he would want her even more.

She decided that the most important thing was not to impose herself on him, not to make him feel like he broke her or owned her, not to fall to his knees in front of him, begging him to love her.

Most of all, she wanted him to respect her.

She closed her eyes, sighing softly in relief that it was all over.

She wasn't a maiden. The marriage was sealed.

Officially, in the eyes of gods and man, she was his wife.

_____

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @astral-blossoms @randomdragonfires @amirawritespoorly @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes @darylandbethfanforever9 @fudge13 @snh96 @diosademuerte @rwdkarla @echos-muses @ipostwhtifeel @letmeloveyouuuu @yentroucnagol

Others: @dreamymoomin @thedamewithabook @dc-marvel-girl96 @zillahvathek @helaenaluvr @tssf-imagines @heavenly1927 @hiatuswhore @it-is-getting-better @linkpk88

[writerslittlelibrary]

I'll always be your safe space, drabble

masterlist

summary: when you come home overwhelmed from a long day of school, all you want is to feel safe and unwind. Lucky for you, your mom and dad are home to comfort you with whatever you need

pairing: Natasha x autistic daughter reader, Bucky x autistic daughter reader

warnings: none I think?  

genre: fluff

words: 858

a/n: hello lovelies, this fic is based on how I experience my autism. please keep in my mind that while maybe your autism might not act this way, that doesn’t make it a wrong representation 🫶

(I was diagnosed by a therapist, please don’t hate on me. I’ve never posted about my autism before because I’ve been afraid of wrong accusations)

You do not have my permission to repost, copy or translate my work

 |——————————— ⴵ ———————————|

Everything had gone wrong today. You woke up with your pyjama pants twisted around your legs and your socks were half off. On top of that, you missed your first alarms, and so you had to wait till 7.30 to get out of bed, instead of 7.15. 

Your days had started off terrible, and it was only getting worse. When you went to get dressed, you discovered the outfit you had planned in your head, was in the wash, and so you had to settle for a different one.

You ran out of your favourite breakfast yesterday, and Bucky had forgotten to buy it, so you had to settle with a bowl of simple cereal instead. 

When you had gotten to school it seemed like everyone had it out for you.

The classes were too loud, and the teachers were annoying. Everytime you zoned out, or decided to doodle a bit to calm down, the teachers called you out and told you to pay attention.

Once you got to maths, the teacher had actually given you detention for doodling instead of listening to her lesson. You tried to explain that by doodling you could focus on what she was saying better, but she wouldn’t hear it. 

Therefore, after the school day, which had already left you insanely overstimulated, you still had to sit through an hour of detention.

After you were finally done, you realised there were no busses driving at this time, so you had to call your mom to come pick you up. Of course, Natasha was happy to do so, and when she opened the door for you, she immediately sensed your mood. 

She didn’t try to talk to you in the car, rather just handed you your headphones and allowed you to go in your own little bubble. 

Once you got home, Natasha had opened your door, letting you out of the car, being careful not to touch you. After you two had gotten up to the apartment, she opened the door for you, allowing you to walk in first.

Bucky was at the kitchen island getting some work done, yet when you walked in he immediately shut his laptop. 

He greeted you with a smile but you didn’t acknowledge him. 

Instead, you kicked your shoes off, heading for the couch and letting yourself fall onto it. Natasha gave Bucky a glance, letting him know what was going on. Of course, he understood immediately, getting up and preparing you a cup of hot chocolate, that, according to you, only he could make properly so that it wouldn’t be too sweet or too watery. 

Natasha took it upon herself to grab your favourite blanket and made sure to grab your some inside clothing, walking to the couch and letting you get changed. 

You had specific inside and outside clothing, and after wearing your clothing outside, it was impossible for you to sit on any furniture in your room with your outside clothing still on. 

After you had gotten changed, Natasha helped you get comfortable on the couch, finally starting to speak. 

“Would you like to watch something, cuddle, or be alone for a moment?” Natasha asked you gently, wiping some stray hairs from your face. You shrugged, not being sure of anything at the moment. 

After a minute or two Bucky walked into the living room, three mugs of hot chocolate in his hands. He had made sure to use your hot chocolate mug, which was different from you cold chocolate milk mug, and he made sure to use the proper spoon. 

He handed you the mug, and you smiled slightly, leaning forward to give him a kiss on his cheek. 

He knew you weren’t up for speaking right now, and he didn’t dare think about pushing you. He always valued the physical affection you used to express your gratitude. 

You sat up on the couch, your favourite blanket draped over you, comfortably weighing you down. 

It was then that you decided you wanted to watch your comfort show, but you didn’t feel like talking, yet you didn’t know how else to express yourself. You though for a moment before turning to Natasha, looking at her with pleading eyes. 

“Do you need something my love?” she asked, softly stroking your hair. 

You nodded and motioned at the tv. Whether it was the fact that they were both highly trained assassins, or the fact that they were your parents, both of them immediately knew what you meant, and they didn’t hesitate to turn your comfort show on. 

They waited for you to initiate the cuddling session, and they allowed you to snuggle into them when you were ready. 

You put your now empty mug down and leaned your head over to Bucky, snuggling into his warm, strong arms and letting yourself feel safe in his embrace. You laid your legs over Natasha’s legs, and she smiled as she say you and Bucky being so close. 

She might not ever admit it, but there was nothing in the world that would ever make her more happy than seeing her child snuggled up with her dad.

Permanent tags: @marvelnatasha12346 @lesbionion @nova-kyle @darkstar225 @saraaahsstuff @marvelwomenarehot0 @screechcat @iheartjohansson @simp-erformarvelwomen @swaqcenix @karmasgxrl @marvel-lous3000 @mxximoffswifey @lorsstar1st

[pesky--dust]

We all laugh (or get annoyed) at Jack for being stupid. I do it myself, but let me stand up for him right now.

Let me start quite obviously: Jack had no ill intentions when he brought Will Graham into the FBI's work. He was convinced that Will could save lives and was ready to support him in that — he wanted Alana Bloom to be his psychological support, and when she refused, he went to the psychiatrist she recommended — Hannibal Lecter.

Yes, I'm annoyed myself with how he keep putting pressure on Will (e.g. episode Coquilles: "You go back to your classroom and there’s more killing that you could have prevented, it will sour that classroom forever") and his way of thinking, which he admitted to Hannibal Lecter in Buffet froid, which I will show with a fragment of the script of the said episode:

(that feeling when you agree with cannibalistic serial killer)

It was after Coquilles in which Will said that he want to quit because it is bad for him, so no Jack, I don't think Will feels the same way.

But this post was supposed to be a defense of Jack Crawford, so let's get back on topic.

Jack didn't know the truth about Hannibal, he didn't know that Will had autoimmune encephalitis, and he had no reason not to believe Hannibal that what was wrong with Will was psychological. After all, Dr. Lecter was the psychiatrist recommended to him! And Jack had every right to believe that Hannibal was giving Will the psychological help he needed in his work with the FBI.

And Hannibal prepared the ground for the version that Will has a mental disorder. The story that Hannibal presented made sense: due to his empathy disorder, Will began to believe that he was G.J. Hobbs and continued his work, ultimately taking the life of his daughter.

Jack recruited Will to work with the FBI, believing in his abilities, but Hannibal made him believe that the job had broken Graham mentally. And it's not unusual for disappointed patients to blame their therapists, so it would be quite a natural turn of events for Will to start claiming that Hannibal is the copycat killer, just to avoid being the one to blame. And there was no evidence against Hannibal, because he took care of it.

And now let me focus on the episode titled Yakimono.

Miriam Lass turned out to be alive. Hannibal's partial fingerprint was found at the place where she was held! And on top of that, Dr. Chilton referenced a cannibalistic joke he heard from Hannibal! And Jack ignored it all!!!

But are you sure? In my opinion, he was already planning to use Will again. I think Jack started to suspect something when Beverly Katz was murdered. In Futamono, he tested the food served at Hannibal's party. No human flesh was found there. With Yakimono though, Will's honey pot act in regards of Hannibal begins.

And my theory may seem to make no sense to you, but let me dig into it.

Let me show you a deleted scene from Kaiseki which I find particularly important, crucial one, here:

Tl;dr: Hannibal is social anti social, Will can shape him somehow, because Hannibal believes that Will is as unique as him himself.

Which leads to the conclusion that…

To catch Hannibal, the FBI must take advantage of his weakness towards Will.

And during his honey pot act, Will was still working with Jack, so why wouldn't Jack trust him? However, in Mizumono, Will called Hannibal, warning him, which led to the bloodbath, so why, even after hearing in Aperitivo that Will wanted to run away with Hannibal and a part of him would always want to (Dolce), did Jack continue to trust him? I think it was because Jack thought Will blamed himself for Abigail's death and since he was trying so hard to be a parent to her, he thought that if he ran away with Hannibal, Abigail would be still alive. And in the end, Will "got" Hannibal arrested, right?

Why did Jack allow Hannibal's fake escape in The Wrath of the Lamb and involved Will in that?

In my opinion it connects with the paragraph from earlier. Three years had passed, Will had gotten married, adopted his wife's son, so he had mentally recovered from the bloodbath and the death of his surrogate daughter, right? He told Jack he was really happy, right?

Will may have warned Hannibal and wanted to run away with him, but he was the reason Hannibal was caught. Three years have passed and Will has gotten himself together. In front of Jack he was playing (at least partially) about how he doesn't want to be drawn into the "game" he was playing with Hannibal again, he warned Molly that when he came back he would be different (he didn't come back), he said Alana that seeing Hanniabal for the first time in three years made him feel like Hannibal was looking through to the back of his skull; felt like a fly flitting around in there (... and the Woman Clothed with the Sun), he assured her that he wouldn't let Hannibal into his head again. Will seemed to be traumatized by all this. Up until...

This is the scene where Will is in Jack's office watching what the Dragon has done to Chilton (The Number of the Beast is 666). He looks terrified, panicked, and then suddenly… he becomes sort of relaxed, calm? Would you agree with that? I guess so. But have you ever noticed that there is a transition between these two reactions? It is in front of Jack and Alana that he is terrified, in front of Bedelia he is calm and admits to her that maybe he exposed Chilton to the Dragon on purpose because he actually hates him (just like in the book, although in the book he set Freddy Lounds up to the Dragon).

Will played in front of Jack until the end. Even when suggesting using Hannibal as bait, Will pretends he's not 100% sure it will work, even though he already had a deal with Francis Dolarhyde (The Wrath of the Lamb). It was us as the audience who knew this, not Jack.

I think that Jack believed Will, because he wanted to; it was his way of trying to rehabilitate himself after what Will had to go through because of him because Jack didn't believe him from the beginning that Hannibal was the Copycat. I think that after it turned out that Hannibal was not only the Copycat Killer, but also the Chesapeake Ripper, Jack decided to never doubt Will's abilities again. And that doomed him, just as Kade Prunnell and Alana Bloom predicted.

[dontyoufeelitangel]

Ghosting

The ministry was a sad place, but a truth was a truth no matter how harsh.

You love your job.

You love the people you work with.

There’s a man there who you fancied,

And you were almost positive he felt the same.

From the way he’d dance with you, to the way his lips would softly touch yours.

Copia was gentle in all that he is.

He knows what to say, and how to say it. He can be honest without making it hurt.

Just a couple months ago he had made sweet promises to you, his words laced in what you thought was honesty.

“You mean a lot to me, it’s true” he gently held your hands. The two of you in the garden of the ministry.

You let out a quiet sigh and a warm smile, enjoying the moment.

It wasn’t often the two of you had time alone, Copia was a busy man.

So it shows that you really do mean a lot to him when he directly disobeys his mother for you.

He’d squeeze in time to any of his schedules if it were for you.

It was minutes before you spoke,

“Yeah?” You smiled, raising your hand to cup his cheek, rubbing your thumb along the lines of his makeup.

“Of course” he leaned into your touch.

Moments like that made you enjoy your job at the ministry.

.

There were other factors you enjoyed to, for example, Copias ghouls.

They were enjoyable to be around,

They noticed how Copia took a liking to you so in return they welcomed you to their group with open arms.

You felt safe with them, they were your closest friends.

.

There was only one flaw with the ministry

They didn’t care about simple things like relationships.

The head sister of the church was as sour and bitter as they come.

Not an ounce of sympathy could be found in her words.

Sister imperator.

He lacked respect for life, she took it every chance she would get.

Sister imperator had given direct orders to get her sons killed.

A mother lost her daughters and a son lost his brothers.

Copia was kept around longer than any of the other Emeritus brothers,

Because of this you were afraid of your feeling for him, you loved him, and with this love came a hope that he would never leave.

.

The ghost project was a band that the ministry had made to spread the word of Satan. And as well to financially fund and support the ministry.

Occasionally Copia would take himself and his ghouls on tours in different areas of the globe.

After months of waiting Copia and the ghouls were set to come back today.

You made preparations for dinner for them, setting the table before rushing outside to greet the tour bus.

.

The ghouls waddled out the bus, one by one as you counted them.

Something gloomy about their aura.

Dewdrop spotted you in the yards of the ministry and jogged towards you.

You welcomed him and gave him a hug as the rest of the ghouls caught up.

Now surrounded by ghouls you welcomed them all back,

You were getting antsy waiting for Copia, the ghouls and ghoulettes were too tall for you to attempt to look over their shoulders to the tour bus behind them.

So instead you simply asked.

“And I assume Papa is doing fine?” You questioned, one of your sweet smiles on your face.

The ghouls immediately paused and looked at eachother,

Some whispered in a ghoul language you couldn’t make out, other looked to the ground.

There was a first to speak up.

“The tour was a success of sorts” it was Swiss. You appreciated his answer but it still deflected the question.

“So he’s fine? .” You questioned again, more firm this time as you knitted your brows.

The ghouls were trying to find words, words that wouldn’t hurt as much.

Mountain took your hands in his, the other ghouls just as anxious as you waiting for him to speak up.

“He’s dead” he spoke.

The earth must’ve stopped, you felt dizzy with an unsettling turn in your stomach.

If mountain wasn’t holding your hands your sure you would’ve toppled over by now.

You let out a disbelieving laugh,

“Don’t fuck with me” you tried to make your voice sound serious but it was wobbly and raw.

You honestly wished another ghoul would’ve told you.

You trust mountain to much, you know he’d never lie.

Maybe if Dewdrop had told you, would would’ve gotten a longer feel of disbelief to save you from the bitter truth.

“Under sister imperators orders” rain spoke, he felt shame that you had to find out this way.

“You knew it was gonna end like this, it had to happen, it does every time” a newer ghoulette Aurora said.

Mountains grip on your hands only lasted so long, you crumpled to the ground.

Weak knees hitting the grass below you.

Your mind wanted to not trust them, to say they were lying.

Unfortunately for you, you trusted these ghouls with your life and you knew they wouldn’t lie to you , not about this.

The ghouls winced as you let out a blood curdling scream.

It was a long drawn out scream that only stopped for a second, only a second for you to take an inhale of air before continuing to cry.

No words could be put into your mouth to describe how this felt.

Like the walls were falling down: they were.

The world was ending, it was.

Internal panic set off, what would you do without him?

The part that hurt you the most was: you could scream and cry and scratch and shout and claw but there was absolutely nothing you could do to bring him back.

Your vision blurred and your ears rung. You were alone inside yourself, nothing else mattered.

You didn’t hear the worried voices of the ghouls trying to calm you down and making no effort.

You didn’t notice how your body gave out below you, or how the tears started to burn you cheeks.

Your world was ending,

Because how do you continue without the one you love most?

.

.

.

Edit: I was high writing this. So it doesn’t make sense in a lot a parts, I’m not gonna fix it because it’s sorta kinda funny.

I apologize if there’s no plot and your completely lost, the 🍃 got to me.

[redbleedingrose]

Girl Dad!Rhysand x Reader Headcanons

This male could pound me to town and I would say thank you.

A/N: Anyway, this Highkey sucks so I am so sorry. I feel like I have to ease back into writing, it has been so long since I have sat down and actually written something. It is all over the place and just not the best writing so I apologize for that. I just… my surgery rotation literally killed me. You can ask @augustinerose I was not in a good headspace. I feel like I am still recovering from that and idk… it just… I feel like it stole some part of me. I dunno, its hard to explain but it took out all the motivation I had towards writing. So easing back into things is gonna have to be the way to go. Again, I am so sorry, this is literally awful. I am gonna try to do some NSFW headcanons for girl dad!Rhys tomorrow if y’all would like. As always, a comment or reblog is much much appreciated. It always gives me the motivation and hope to continue writing.

Girl dad Rhysand is too good y’all I cannot.

Rhysand is one of the best girl dads out there.

He makes sure his baby girl and wife are taken care of to the fullest extent.

I am talking he wakes up in the middle of the night to take care of the babe, swaying her and humming Illyrian rhymes to her to calm her. He takes her out for flying, making sure to wrap her sensitive tiny wings in wool so that they can remain warm against the night court breeze whenever she is inconsolable, usually returning with her fast asleep, sucking on her tiny thumb with little grunts every so often.

The first month of the babe being home, he would sneak out of your bed just to lay down next to the crib so he could make sure that your darling babe was settled and comfortable.

He is a mother hen, glaring at Cassian for making too much noise when the babe is resting in his arms.

He likes to show her the constellations in the sky, pointing out each of the different stars and even using his powers to create mini galaxies above the crib. For her 5th birthday, he gifts her an actual star out of the sky, following the nickname, “my shining star.”

He adores her so much, there is nothing he wouldn’t do for her. She has him wrapped around her tiny fingers since the moment she grabbed onto his finger with her tiny fist. He loves reading stories to her, making sure that the nursery is filled with old children tales that are centuries old, first edition novels really, along with all of the new writings from the authors around each court. One sure fire way of calming down your babe whenever she is fussy is Rhys pulling out a book and resting back in the rocking chair with her in his arms, and reading to her the stories. He does all the different voices for different characters and even makes funny faces for your little girl to keep her entertained, and is the reason why your babe grows up to be an avid reader.

Rhysand always has the best clothes made for her. She is the best dressed babe in all of the courts, and grows up to be a fashion icon. Most of the clothes she wears are from Rhys’ mother who sewed them centuries before, just like she had for you.

He is the one to teach her how to fly, spending hours and hours, weeks and weeks away from his duties to spend some time with his favorite girl (besides you ofc) to teach her different skills. He teaches her self defense and different battle strategies, preparing her to become High Lady one day. He is patient and calm throughout the entire process, even when she throws tantrums or feels like giving up. He always knows exactly what to say, he knows exactly how to handle the situation by either giving her space or pushing her to keep going.

Your daughter loves to draw, and will often end up drawing on Rhysand’s arms and legs with a pink marker. He thinks it is the best artwork he has ever seen, and has gone as far as getting a drawing of a family of stars that she drew tattooed into left wrist.

At parties, he always makes sure to dance with her first. At first, he has her in his arms, twirling them both around while her little giggles and squeals resound against the music. Eventually, he has her standing on his shoes so he can guide the both of them, letting her grow with independence. Eventually, she learns the dance moves herself, and still to this day, they will be each others first dance.

Don’t even get me started on how girl dad Rhys takes care of you!!!!!

Literally the best husband and mate I am WEAK

This male screams self care. He wants to make sure that you are rested 24/7. No mate of his is going to be feeling exhausted. He has days where he schedules full body massages, facials, hair care treatments, manicures and pedicures. He has Morr meet you after so you can go browsing for new dresses, shoes, purses, jewelry. Whatever you wish for, it is already yours. You only need to stare for a second, and Morr is going inside to buy it, “Rhys told me to honey, you can talk to him, but honestly you deserve it” anytime you complain that she is spending too much on you.

When you come home, he has Az and Cass watching the babe for the night so he can take you out to dinner, or even just for an evening in. You cuddle up with the babe for a little while before he whisks you away into whatever extravagant things he has planned for you.

He loves having you in his lap during these free nights, one arm wrapped around your waist or hips while the other feeds you or plays with your hair, muttering to himself about how stunning you are, how lucky he is to have you, how much he adores you really.

I like to think you face each other in bed while he intertwines your legs and pulls you close into his chest, and you just get to talk about anything and everything. Any of his worries about the relations between other courts, any of his concerns regarding the night court, his desires to wanting to better the world for your daughter, he always feels like he can spill whatever he has on his mind to you in a way that he has never been able to before.

After your daughter is born, he often spends time telling her all of the things he thinks about while she lays on her belly and allows for her wings to flutter to build muscle strength.

Remember how I talked about your daughter being Rhys’ first dance? Well, you are his partner for every other dance, and always the last dance. Your poor babe is passed out in one of the chairs with Amren watching over her like a hawk, her hand patting the babes back (she has a soft spot for her, what can I say?) and you both dance and dance. Sometimes, he flys you up into the sky and dances with you among the stars, “they lie in witness to our love darling”

Again, this was terrible so thank you for sticking around if you actually read through this!

Edit: part 2

[creedslove]

I NEED some pre/no outbreak! Joel x reader where it’s just put fluff of them w Sarah after he’s had a long day at work

No outbreak!Joel Miller x f!reader

A/N: no outbreak Joel is an addiction I don't want to get rid of 😭 I'm so ready to be this man's wife 😭

Joel had a pretty rough day at work; he had problems with deliveries of wood and concrete and he also had an argument with one of his clients 

And the asshole even threatened to cancel their deal and find another contractor 

He even missed dinner with his family which was sacred to him, only to have a meeting with the asshole client and try to come up with a solution. He hated that he missed out precious time with his two favorite girls: his beautiful wife, you, and his daughter Sarah

But he knew sometimes he had to make sacrifices, after all the money he would get for this job would make a difference at the end of the month and he had vowed to give you two only the best 

Luckily, Joel managed to solve the situation, but that didn't happen without a lot of stress, tension and anger, so when he parked in the driveway, he wanted nothing more than shower and bed 

He got out of the car and groaned, he was sweaty, cranky, sore, hungry and he figured you and Sarah would be probably in bed or asleep on the couch 

He decided he would just take a quick shower, make himself a sandwich and try not to wake you up when he got under the blankets 

Or maybe he would wake you up on purpose and see if you were in the mood for a quickie, so he could blow off some team 

But he wasn't sure he would do it because he didn't feel playful and because his back was killing him 

When he got to the front door, he thought it was odd the lights were on and the smell of food was making his mouth water every single step he took 

Maybe Tommy decided to crash and cook himself something? 

Joel laughed at himself at that absurd thought, there was no way his brother would cook something without burning his house down 

When he got inside, he heard laughter and your voices, Sarah immediately smiled up at him 

"Hey dad, we missed you!" 

You went towards him and pecked his lips, tangling your fingers into his sweat-damp hair and caressing it gently 

"Go shower, handsome. Dinner's almost ready" 

You chuckled as he looked very surprised and give him another peck on the lips 

Joel didn't waste time, showering and changing into fresh clothes. He got downstairs as quick as possible and saw as you took the potatoes out of the oven at the same time Sarah was setting the table 

She proudly told him how the two of you had decided to cook dinner together and his heart warmed at the realization you two had made his favorite: steak and baked potatoes

Over dinner, you two told Joel what you did in the evening while you waited for him: you helped her with the homework, then you two listened to music and prepared dinner together, as you decided you would wait for him 

Joel ate as if he hadn't eaten in days, he was so full and satisfied and felt the tiredness taking over his body, so you told him to go to the couch that you would handle the dishes

Sarah helped you and in no time the three of you were on the couch. Joel had picked whatever movie that had a lot of explosions or car races, you didn't really care, as you focused on running your nails through his scalp, one warm wrapped around your body and another wrapped around Sarah, who dozed off at her dad's soft cuddles 

You could see he was also struggling to keep his eyes open, so you suggested everyone should go to bed, after all, it was way past everybody's bedtime 

Joel carried his daughter to her room, even if his back was still sore, he just couldn't wake her up, not after everything she did for him, she was sleeping peacefully, and he smiled at himself, thinking about her when she was an adorable little toddler and wondering if he would have the energy to have another toddler running around the house 

His back said no to that question, but his heart said yes 

He tucked her in like he had done so many times during her life and went to your room, meeting you there, with a muscle relaxer and a glass of water in hands and your lotion waiting for him on the nightstand

You didn't even need to tell him twice, he immediately took off his shirt and lay on his stomach, so you took some lotion and rubbed over his back, before massaging it effectively 

Joel loved the massages, not only because they felt good and helped him relax and very often had a happy ending, but also because you always used some of your fruity lotion on him and he would smell like you - but he wouldn't really admit that 

Once again he was almost dozing off, when you noticed he couldn't help but pop a boner. Joel groaned and he couldn't deny he wanted to fool around a little but he felt so goddamn tired

You told him to close his eyes and relax as much as he wanted, as you kissed from his lips to his neck and then down his body until you got to that thick cock of his 

And you gave your husband a blowjob until he finished in your mouth 

He barely had time to recover from his bliss before falling asleep finally, to the point he didn't even notice he was the little spoon that night 

You clung to him and fell asleep too, drunk in love with your husband and happy with the family you had 

The next morning Joel woke up in such a good mood, because he knew that no matter what he had to face at work, he would have his family when he went back home

_____

[albertasunrise]

Hope - Hope in Heartbreak

Masterlist

Summary: After Joel loses his wife and your best friend during childbirth. You support him as he takes on parenthood on his own at 22. But when feelings start to develop, you battle with the guilt you feel for falling for your best friend’s husband.

Relationships: Joel Miller x Reader

Warnings: Like AO3 I choose to give none. Read at own risk. 18+… this is to avoid spoilers! (So first chapter's a little short but I promise its building... Gonna be away for a few days one a work trip but will try get some more updates out in a few days)

Series Masterlist

Joel wasn't sure how he'd made it home. His eyes glanced between the road and the seat strapped into the passenger seat. The tiny little life within it sleeping away and completely unaware of the circumstances for how she'd gotten there. His eyes we red and raw from crying. His cheeks were swollen and his lips split from his constant chewing of them. 

How was he going to do this? 

How was he supposed to take care of a newborn on his own? 

As his house came into view and he pulled onto the empty driveway, he scraped a hand over his face and let out a shaky breath. 

"Okay, baby girl." He said to the tiny thing beside him "We're home." He sighed, glancing down at her and smiling as he looked up at him with her dark eyes "It's just you and me now sweetheart." He sighed as he scooped her up and pulled her close to his chest "But we're gonna be okay." 

Sarah simply yawned, her head safely nestled in his shoulder. He allowed himself to smile at her before carefully getting out of his truck and grabbing her bag from the backseat. He was even more careful when opening the front door. Every action was as smooth as he could make it as he held onto his delicate daughter like she were glass. 

"Surprise!" Came a small voice and he turned in shock to see you standing there with a stuffed bear in your arms and a banner saying 'Welcome Home Sarah' hanging above your head. 

Joel stood in stunned silence as he stared at you. His stomach turned as he took in how excited you were and happy to see him. Then your eyes started to study the space behind him and your brows drew together as you asked him the question he'd known was coming. 

"Where's Ali?" 

Joel choked. The tears he thought had all but dried up returned with a vengeance and he held his daughter tighter as his knees gave out. Sobbing silently as he cradled her close. He flinched slightly at the feeling of you wrapping your arms around him but he was soon allowing himself to melt into the embrace as he sought out your comfort. 

"I can't do this." He choked, his head buried in the junction between your neck and shoulder. 

"Yes, you can Joel.' You said as you rubbed his back in an attempt to soothe his cries.

"I c-can't." 

"Yes, you can." You repeated "But just to be sure, I'll stick around and help." You finished, smiling when he pulled his head back to look at you "I'm here for you Joel." You reaffirmed "Every step of the way." 

All he could do in reply was nod as his tears came back and swept him away. You pulled Sarah from his arms when she started to cry. Rocking her gently as you helped him prepare a bottle for her. You couldn't help but pick out all of Alison's features in the child in your arms. Her nose and chin were the ones that stuck out the most. Then, when Joel was done, you handed her back to him and sat with him as he fed her. Smiling encouragingly at him as he did it. 

You were going to do everything you could for him. You knew that's what Ali would have wanted. What you hadn't anticipated though, was how you'd feel in the months that were to come. 

You were going to fall in love with your best friend's husband. 

"Someone's hungry this mornin'" Joel chucked as Sarah suckled greedily at her bottle "Fightin' off those ghosts while you're at it, baby girl?" 

"She full-on kicked me in the boob last night when I fed her." You chuckled as you placed a steaming hot mug of coffee in front of Joel "Girl's a born Ninja I swear." 

Joel grinned up at you, his eyes shining with genuine joy and it warmed your heart to see it. He loved his daughter. Doted on everything she did but he missed his wife terribly. You had temporarily moved in to help him with Sarah and had heard him sobbing to himself at night. Caught glimpses of him holding his daughter as he cried over the loss of her mother. 

A month had passed since that fateful day however and he smiled a little more every day. You lived for the moments you could pull a laugh from him. A warm washing over you each and every time. 

"So I thought we could take Sarah to meet Tommy this weekend." Joel piped up, pulling you from your thoughts "He's back for a few months and I really want him to meet her before he's sent off again." 

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Joel." You said sweetly as you sipped at your coffee "I can head back to mine whilst you're out. Make sure my plants are still alive and whatnot." You chuckled. 

"Right... Sure..." Joel trailed off and your brows pulled together in confusion at his reply. 

"Everything okay?" 

"Mhmm?" Joel replied as he sat Sarah up to burp her. 

"Joel?" You pushed "You're a crappy liar." 

"I just..." He trailed off again as he placed Sarah against his chest again and rested his cheek on the crown of her head "Well I just kinda thought you'd come with me." 

"Do you want me to?" 

"Only if you want to." Joel responded, shrugging slightly. 

"Joel... Do you want me to come with you to visit Tommy?" You said softly and he nodded shyly.

"Then I'll come!" You replied "I'll swing by mine on the way home from work. Need to grab some clothes anyway. Will make sure Mrs Mills hasn't drowned them again and then I'll be back in time for dinner." 

"You sure?" Joel asked and your heart squeezed at how vulnerable he sounded. 

"I'm sure Joel." You replied with a smile, chuckling when you saw him relax. 

"I just... I don't want you to feel like you have to do shit for me." He sighed, suddenly feeling guilty for all the help you'd bestowed on him in the past month "I know you got your own life and you're probably sick of me now but-" 

"Joel!" You stopped him dead in his tracks "I offered to be here to help you." You stated plainly "I know that its what Ali would have wanted me to do and I am happy to do it." You paused to take his now empty mug and refill it along with your own "I just assumed you'd wanna see Tommy on your own. If you want me to come then I would love to!" 

"You sure?" Joel pushed again and you rolled your eyes.

"You ask me if I'm sure one more time... I'll change my mind." 

You finished your second coffee and then left for work. Joel then spent the day getting little things done whilst Sarah slept. By the time she had woken up for her afternoon feed, he had done two loads of washing and had finished the dishes. Then, after feeding her and sitting to read a little of his book to her till she fell asleep, he then made a start on prepping the ingredients for dinner. 

He was impressed with how well he had fallen into a routine. But he did wonder how he was going to cope when he inevitably had to go back to work. Being the boss had its perks. His guys had all said to take as much time as he needed to but he had bills to pay and mouths to feed. He couldn't stay home forever. 

He had grown used to you being here. Before Ali had died, he and you had never really spent all that much time together but this past month had shown him why you and his wife had been so close. You were wonderful. Kind and selfless. Jumping in to support a man you barely knew when he was left windowed with a newborn and no idea what to do. 

He had always prided himself on having his shit together. Sure he had married young but when you know you know. He had taken over his father's construction company when he had died the year before and had quickly learned how to run the business the way his father would have wanted. 

Now at twenty-two he owned a nice house and had money in the bank but he was a single father with no idea what he was going to do when you inevitably returned to your regular life. He was sure that the day that happened, everything would crash and burns. But he couldn't be selfish. He had to learn to cope on his own.

You sat and watched as Joel changed his daughter's diaper. He always talked and sang to her as he did it and she lapped it up. He was a natural father, even if he couldn't see it himself. 

"He's doin' good, all things considered." Said Tommy as he sat down beside you and handed you an ice-cold can of cola. 

"He's a natural." 

"He'd be a mess without you though." The younger Miller stated and you shrugged. 

"I've helped a little." 

"A little?" Tommy scoffed "From what he told me... You've been his rock since Ali died." 

"He said that?" You asked, your eyes widening at the man's statement. 

Tommy nodded as he took a sip of his drink "Mhmm... Said without you. He dunno how he'd have coped." 

Your teary eyes drifted back to Joel who was blowing raspberries on Sarah's tummy. Your heart swelled at the sight. Him and her laughing. Carefree and without worry. It stirred something inside of you that scared you. Something that you didn't want to put a name to... because it was wrong. 

"Thank you." Tommy piped up after a brief pause "It's good to know he's got you to keep him up." 

"He'll always have me." You stated, giving the younger man a small nod "It's what Ali would have wanted." 

Your conversation was interrupted by Joel as he carried a sleepy baby over to the two of you.

"Think this one is ready for her nap." He stated and you stood, taking her from him and smiling down at her.

"I'll put her down. You two catch up." 

Joel watched as you carried Sarah out of the room and put her down in Tommy's bedroom where the travel cot was currently set up. A smile painted his lips as he thought about how good you were with his daughter. 

"She's a great gaL." Tommy piped up and Joel nodded in agreement. 

"Yeah, she is." 

"She's good for you." The younger man chuckled and this grabbed Joel's attention.

"What'd ya mean?" 

"I mean there's nothing wrong in moving on Brother." Tommy stated simply "She obviously cares for you and she's great with Sarah..."

"My wife just died." The older man grumbled "Her best friend!" He continued "She's helping me out... That's it. No feelings there." 

"You sure?" Tommy pushed and Joel's expression hardened "I mean. You seem to be really happy with her and I-" 

"She is helping me out." Joel repeated, his tone steady as he glared at his brother "I don't have feelin's for her. I appreciate her helping me out but we'll never be anything more than friends." 

Tommy threw his hands up in mock surrender. Knowing there was no point pushing the matter. He did know though that his brother felt something for you. Even if he wasn't willing to admit it to himself right now. 

...

You were just making your way back when you caught the tail end of their conversation. Tommy's voice floated through the air as you stopped just outside the doorway. 

"You seem to be really happy with her and I-" 

"She is helping me out." You heard Joel say "I don't have feelin's for her. I appreciate her helping me out but we'll never be anything more than friends." 

His statement stung more than you'd anticipated and you felt tears form in your eyes as you took a shaky step back and covered your mouth in an attempt to stifle the sob that threatened to escape. You internally scolded yourself for your reaction. You knew that this was just a friend helping a friend. That he didn't see you as anything more than that but to hear it voiced was so much worse. You tried desperately to try and wipe away the tears that you'd failed to keep at bay. Sarah crying then brought a sigh of relief from you. 

You made your way back to her and scooped her up, bouncing her in your arms. Her cries started to quieten and she was reduced to the occasional sniff and a wobbling lip. Something she'd definitely inherited from her dad. 

"What was all the noise for hmm?" You asked as you placed a sweet kiss on her brow "No more tears sweet girl." You whispered as you rocked her gently "Can't both be crying." You chuckled wetly. 

Sarah just stared at you then as you perched yourself on the edge of Tommy's bed. Her little brow furrowed as she seemed to wait for you to elaborate. 

"Not even sure why I'm crying." You sighed "Just heard some stuff your dad said and it got to me I guess. I mean... I dunno. Just being silly I guess." 

Sarah smiled at you and you chuckled. 

"You're not supposed to agree with me!" You stood again then as her eyes started to flutter closed again and you placed her gently in her crib "Sleep now sweetheart... I'll be here when you wake up." 

...

Tommy entered the lounge again to find Joel staring at a photo of the two of them and Ali. It had been taken on his wedding day to her. She'd demanded the photographer take one so that Tommy could take it with him when he was deployed. It sat proudly on his mantle beside a photo of Sarah. 

"Where did you get this?" He asked as he pointed at the picture in question. 

"Your uh... Well, your lady friend mailed it to me." Tommy stated "Came with a little note. Telling me when she was born and her weight and everything." 

"I uh... I didn't know she did that." 

"Thought you wouldn't mind if I did." You piped up as you reentered the room "You had a lot going on but I came across Tommy's address so I snapped one with my Polaroid and mailed it to him." You finished with a smile. 

"Thanks." He replied, brows mirroring Sarah's from a few minutes ago. 

"No problem." You replied with a shrug before grabbing your drink and taking a long pull of it. 

Tommy stood to the side, watching the interaction with a heavy heart. See, he had heard what you'd said to Sarah. Knew that you'd heard what Joel had said about you. He could see that the two of you were denying that although this had started off as a friend supporting another friend, it had developed into more. 

He just hoped one of you would see it sooner or later. Before this ended in heartbreak. 

Next

Taglist form

Tags: @hayley-the-comet @ajeff855 @mavericksicybabe @supernaturalgirl20 @dihra-vesa @nicolethered @practicalghost @theanothersherlockian @gallowsjoker @little-mrs-morales @sunnshineeexoxo @aliwritesfic @maryfanson @sherala007 @ayrusss @greeneyedblondie44 @elegantduckturtle @jediknight122 @goodgriefitsawildworld @voteforpedro09 @prostitute-robot-from-the-future @mishasminion360 @giggly-otter @athalien @mssbridgerton @huitzilinthebudgie3 @samanthacookieone @salome-c @radcollectivesoul @pedrohoe04 @paintlavillered @ktmadden86 @hotchlover @kirsteng42 @djjarins @balekanemohafe @misscampacyn

[comehomeducklings]

ミ★ ᴀᴍʙɪᴛɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴀꜱᴄᴇɴᴛ ★彡

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞: 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮

Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x capitol!OC

Summary: Seraphina Phoenix shares Snow's ambitious nature and determination to rise within Capitol society. Their shared drive creates a mutual respect that slowly transforms into an unexpected romance, complicating their goals and loyalties.

WC: 5k

Masterlist ; Prologue, Ch. 1 (soon),

It was cold, so cold that every breath resulted in a dragon’s roar of smoke coming from a little girl’s mouth. She looked at her hands smothered with wooly gloves, the same gloves she begged her mom to leave at home because it made her hands unbelievably itchy. When those gloves were removed, the skin touching the wool would be irritated, red beyond belief. She understood the argument her mother made now. Even with the gloves adorned, she could barely move the tips of her fingers. She was sure if she dropped a brick on her hand that it would shatter into millions of pieces. The gloves seemed of little use now because her hand was still cold, but without them, her fingers would probably fall off like her mom said they would. Seraphina quickly used her gloves to shove her scarf further up her face. It was difficult to actually grasp the material since the cold stopped much movement from her tiny fingers. Her nose twitched with the newfound material covering it. The scarf also served as a makeshift tissue to wipe away the snot running down from her nose. She glances around at the other mothers who grasped their kid’s hands within their own. She yearned for that, not for the affectionate part because her mother was not one to show she cared in the regular, outwardly ways. She craved the extra warmth that another’s hand gave, so it could warm up her own in the process. The other children looked like they did not agree with the cold either. Their mothers furiously wiped at their noses which agitated the redness further, their noses looked like the tomatoes the cook would prepare in the kitchen. Seraphina’s dad said hers looked like Rudolph, but when her confused face looked up at the man, he tried to explain how it was an old fairy tale they used to sing about. When she asked again what a fairy tale was, he gave up on the explanation and ushered her out the door.

When she glanced behind her mother’s body, she saw this woman walking quickly to where they were. The poor boy who was on the receiving end of her arm was dragged in an attempt to keep up with his mother.

“Is that you Mrs. Phoenix, how have you been?”

She seemed out of breath as she did one last drag of her son’s arm to plant him right next to her. She quickly fiddled with his coat and smoothed down his unruly curls to try to make him look the least bit presentable. The cold air took his hair and flung it around the place despite her efforts. Seraphina thought of offering up her frizz cream, but she left it at home. ”

“Yes, I have been as I’ve always been, you?”

“Oh yes, well, I am doing well, thank you for asking. This is your daughter?” She stumbled a bit on her words. Seraphina’s mother seemed to have that effect on people, her way of speaking always seemed to intimidate the other person in the conversation. It had a twinge of perturb, as if the counterpart was a distant face even if it was her closest acquaintance. It always left her wondering if her mother tolerated the person she spoke to or if she despised their entire being.

Mrs. Phoenix tapped Seraphina on the back as a gesture for her to introduce herself. 

“Hello ma’am, my name is Seraphina Phoenix, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Her robotic voice chirped in a phrase that seemed very well-thought-out. It should have been, for she had been taking lessons on her manner of speaking ever since her mother caught her with a twinge of a District accent. It was all the fault of the books she had been reading, ever since she could actually retain information no book was left untouched. There were books on the lower shelves which were thoughtfully laid out by her dad so she could read both informative and children's books. These pages usually ranged from counting sheep to learning how to genetically modify an organism. The end of that range was typically avoided till her older years, since she could barely hold the weight of the book back to her seat. Mr. Phoenix eventually switched those informative books into more comprehensive information a five-year-old may understand. Although, they still talked about how our DNA can be altered into a different species. It just spoke about it in a more understanding sense, often using pictures of a chicken’s head on a monkey’s body. There were some books, though, that were made by people in the Districts. These books often talked about imaginary places, they used vocabulary Seraphina would not hear in any other place. The problem arose when her mother caught her using a slang word and ultimately decided to discard those books for good. Those were always her favorite, she would get lost in the imaginary lands that would take her far from the actual world she was in. She could see why her mother did not like them, she always said that maladaptive daydreaming was for the poor. The Phoenix’s were far from poor, but not wasteful. 

“Aren’t you a cute one, very well-spoken. This is my boy Sejanus,” she looked at her son expectantly. He looked like he wanted to go run and hide in his mother’s coat. After a bit of silence, his mother laughed awkwardly and pushed him a bit towards Seraphina.

“Um, I’m Sejanus,” he spoke after the slight nudge, the Phoenixes assumed that was his name after his mother just spoke of it. Seraphina kept that to herself because she could see he was nervous due to the possibility of it being his first time meeting someone of their nature.

She outstretched her hand and plastered a big smile which cracked her lips open a bit, “Good evening! Are you going to the same school I’m going to?”

The little boy eagerly shook his head in an up-and-down motion and relaxed his shoulders a bit. His posture was so rigid it looked like he could break in half, she immediately thought of those peacocks she read about. The males who tried to puff out their feathers to appear stronger, confident. 

Sejanus outstretched out his own hand to shake hers, “I think so, are there multiple schools?”

Seraphina took her finger and placed it on her chin, in deep thought she spoke “Well no, so I guess you are.”

Her mother started to gesture towards the path in an attempt to keep moving, “We must be going, it was nice to meet you Seraphina.”

Seraphina waved at her newfound friend, she thought he was a bit timid and spoke weirdly but thought not much of it. He probably did not have to go through the lessons she did, all she knew was that his hand was nice and warm within his mother’s grasp and those gloves were not made of wool.

As they continued on the path to the school, she looked around at all the kids her age and tried to make a mental note of each one. These were to be her new classmates, a sort of family in a sense. Her mother said that these are going to be faces she will be seeing for the rest of her life, unless one fails so badly that they would have to be removed from the program. It would be a disgrace upon their whole family. It should not be too hard to pass this level, for she was only seven. The older girl who is their next-door neighbor told her that it gets harder every year, so someone as young as she is only has to deal with information a seven-year-old should know. 

“Mother, who were those people?”

Her mom kept her head straight while answering, “The Plinths, they are new to the Capitol. They come from District Two and their little boy is a year older than you are.”

Her head swarmed with this newfound information. District, they are a family from District Two and her mother held a conversation with them. It was a short one at that, her mother was never one to babble. Except with her father, he was the only one able to make her laugh and talk. She sometimes earned a smile from her mother, but Mrs. Phoenix would only speak when her child started the conversation. She loved her daughter, just in a different way than most mothers did. 

“District? You said all people from there were not, what is the word again?”

Her mother’s mouth upturned at the sides just a little to ghost a bit of humor, “Unsophisticated?”

Seraphina brightened at the reminder of the word just at the tip of her tongue, “Yes! That one, you said they don’t belong here. So why are they here?”

Her mother took a moment before speaking, “It’s a bit complicated.” Mrs. Phoenix tried her best to rack her brain to think of a way to explain this to her seven-year-old without compromising everything she understood. “They used to be District, but now they are Capitol. They have become sophisticated, like us. They proved their image to be well enough to live amongst us.

“Does that mean District can be like us,” Seraphina questions.

Her mother shook her head, “Most cannot be taught. They’re like animals, some can be caged while others are too rabid.”

The Plinths must be a special case, some that most people do not agree with. Judging by her mother’s body language toward Mrs. Plinth, she did not really have a certain conviction for the family. It was safe to assume that interacting with the little boy would not be of much interference with her family’s image. That thought brightened Seraphina’s day, he was a new friend to go through this new phase in her life.

After some time lost in her own thoughts, her mother stopped amongst a set of stairs to a large building. There was water spurting out of a large fountain that she must have missed while in her head. All the other children started to say goodbye to their parents and head in. Some kids were crying and refusing to be left alone. Seraphina could understand where they were coming from. She too, was a bit wary of the large building in front of her, the pillars that held the building up looked like Jack’s beanstalk her father used to read to her about. The swirls that were carved into the white stone reminded her of the branches that would help Jack climb to the treasure. The treasure, this time, would be the gift of knowledge and a chance at a future to make her family proud. 

“Are you leaving now,” Seraphina turns to her mother and she nods her head.

“Yes, you’ll have to walk home today for your dad and I will still be at work,” Mrs. Phoenix fixed her daughter’s scarf up a bit and adjusted her coat. “Make sure to stick with a buddy on your way home, we don’t want you getting lost or hurt.”

Seraphina starts to walk up the steps, “Yes mother, I understand.”

Mrs. Phoenix raises her voice just a bit, “Make sure to do your best, Phoenix’s do what?”

Seraphina turns her body and shouts, “They soar!” She turns back around and starts to quickly move up each steep step.

Her excitement grows as she enters the building, there are people directing her to a door that leads to a massive hall. Above the doorway read “Heavensbee Hall,” and inside were chairs all lined up perfectly. The space between each chair was evenly distributed with miraculous accuracy. Everything was symmetrical to lead attention towards the podium that was at the end of the walkway in the very middle. 

Seraphina assumed that important adults were the only ones allowed to be on the podium. She saw a kid that was a bit younger than her try to climb up onto it before he was stopped by a guard. They took the boy by his arm and led him to his seat near the back, she found that those of higher status would sit in the front. She could tell they were higher class because of the minuscule details her parents made sure she had. Like a special type of hair clip made out of fine stone and socks that were laced with the finest of cloth. Silk bows adorned these little girls' hair and the boys’ shoes were polished with a slight blue shimmer that only a certain type of brand could achieve. It also helped that these kids were a bit familiar to the eye, for a lot of them were neighbors to the Phoenix household. A lot of their mothers would bring them gifts in an attempt to soften Mrs. Phoenix up to them. It never worked, she always detested suck-ups. She taught her daughter that suck-ups are people who try to fill in the void where there is nothing to show, no talent, no charm, no power, nothing.

While admiring the tall ceilings, a boy accidentally bumps into her back, causing her to trip on the carpet below. Luckily, she caught her step quickly enough and fixed her posture. When she turned around to find the culprit, it was Sejanus, the same boy who she met earlier that morning.

“Oh hello, it’s you again. Are you okay?” Seraphina looks at the boy on the floor who scrambles up quickly. 

Sejanus fixes his stance and rubs his nose in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. This is just a really big room.”

Seraphina giggled quietly and continued on down the hall, she looked back to see if he was following, but she caught him staring wide-eyed at the surrounding environment, “Are you coming? We have to find out seats.”

“Oh yeah, yeah of course. My Ma told me that I’m in the second row,” Sejanus quickened his steps in order to walk right beside her. His shoes were polished, with a blue tint that only the richest could afford. He looked uncomfortable in the shoes, like he had never worn them before. From what her mother said, he is probably new to them. The Districts never got much, except for some sneakers and sandals that were always too small. She would catch a few strays digging through the family’s trash in hopes of finding useful items. One time she put some clothes her mother said she was outgrowing in the same trash for those people to find. By the next morning when she checked the garbage can the clothes she laid out were gone, all that was left was an engraving in the dirt that read “Thank you.” At least, she believed that is what it said because the handwriting was quite awful and some words were misspelled. The words were written in a way that sounded right but looked wrong.

“I like your shoes,” Seraphina pointed out. They were nice, she was sure that if she had a brother then he would have the same shoes he did.

“Thank you, Ma polished them for me!”

Seraphina furrowed her brows for a bit and then relaxed into a neutral expression. She assumes that the “Ma” he is speaking of is his mother. She had never heard anyone refer to their mom like that. It is usually in some form of “Mother,” “Mom,” “Mrs,” or “Ma’am,”  more on the formal side. 

“You call your mom, Ma?”

Sejanus nods his head and starts squeezing his way into the second row of chairs, “Mhm, what do you call yours?”

Seraphina smiles, “Mother, sometimes mom when we’re home.”

The conversation ends while he is trying to find the seat that belongs to him. He steps on a few people’s shoes which aggravates a lot of the kids in the section he is in. He then changed direction and moved back to the front of that specific row. Seraphina hopes he doesn’t make too many enemies, they only just started, and she doesn’t know if she would be able to explain her new friend’s personality to the boys and girls around her. She fixes her hair and adjusts the headband on her head before moving towards the front. Most of the kids are already sitting, except the front row who is standing and conversing with each other. She notices that none of the rows look behind them to speak to the other ranks. It might be a power play or the nature of the Capitol. She hopes that it is not an unspoken rule of any kind because she would break it when speaking to Sejanus. 

Seraphina looks at the front row and sees a couple of chairs without any inhabitants, but she is not so sure if they all have assigned seats. Since Sejanus went looking for a specific seat, she assumed that they were reserved for specific people. She does not want to anger anyone by taking their seat on the first day, so she asks a little girl around her age who was seated in the very first chair, “Hello, my name is Seraphina Phoenix. Do we have assigned seats?”

The little girl jumped out of her seat and took Seraphina’s hand into hers to shake it dramatically, “I’m Arachne Crane, it’s nice to meet you! My mother has told me much about the Phoenix’s and their legacy,” she continues babbling on for a bit before remembering the question at hand. “Oh the seating, the first row is for the elites, we get to choose the specific seat we prefer. Each row down is for the generations after us, they are all assigned a seat based on their family’s influence.”

Seraphina refrained herself from laughing at the boisterous girl in front of her. She talked super fast and she liked that about her. People who talked slowly usually did not know what to say and took their time to buy themselves more time to scramble a response.

“Can we be seating buddies,” Seraphina asks in hopes of not getting stuck with the seat all the way near the end. Her friend Sejanus is in the seat behind Arachne, so sitting here would be easy access to talking with her friend. 

“Yeah sure! The girl who tried to seat her earlier didn’t have an accessory in her hair. She even tried to borrow mine.” She scoffs, “As if, someone who can’t buy a simple accessory doesn’t belong in this row.”

Seraphina subconsciously adjusted her headband, “I guess so, maybe she forgot hers?”

Arachne shrugged, “You see on the other side, the tall boy? He’s my brother, they are all a year ahead of us. He’s always bragging to me about how he’s smarter and whatever. I mean, of course he’s smarter, I haven’t even started school yet.” She rolls her eyes and continues talking about all the awards she is planning on winning. She starts talking about these equations she has been studying, but Seraphina tunes her out after a bit of time. Seraphina started to take the bulky coat she had on and placed it, along with her scarf, over the head of her seat. When she turns to put the items on her chair, she casts a quick glance over at Sejanus.

He is seen fumbling with his fingers and making quick conversation with the kids around him. He has more of a response when speaking to the row behind him rather than his own row. The girl next to him looks like she is fuming smoke out of her ears, Sejanus probably stole the spot her family would have been in if he did not rise up in status. The poor boy is already making enemies by just existing. Her attention sways back to Arachne, who just finished her opinion about how fictional literature is a waste of the brain’s capacity. 

“Arachne, since we are friends now I have to make a nickname for you.”

Arachne abruptly stops what she is talking about and plasters a decent-sized smile, “A nickname? For you to call me or everyone?”

Seraphina pondered for a moment, “Well, nicknames are usually for close groups or people you know very, very well. So, maybe it can be for us in the front row,“ Seraphina clapped her hands excitedly. “We can have nicknames for just each other, something that tells us apart from the other rows.”

“I like that idea, your name should be Sera,” Arachne chimed. Seraphina liked the name she was given. It is simple, and an easy name to remember. She loves her name because of the meaning behind it, but it does get tiring to say. Her name is a bit long to write on a name tag as well. When she was practicing the letters during study time at home, her name was the hardest to perfect because of how many letters it uses in the alphabet. The length of it always made her hand hurt quicker from the number of times she had to repeatedly dot it down. Sera was a nice, simple name that sounded pretty to the ears and used the best part of her name. The small amount of syllables made it easier for the brain to remember. Since it rolls off the tongue, people will want to say her name more often. Her full name was usually rarely ever called since it required a lot of effort for the other person to remember the way it was pronounced. All of her teachers at home would misspell her name at times. Her new friend here would probably understand, her name sounds difficult to spell. 

“Ara is pretty too, you have to remember to introduce your full name and then your nickname after so people use it too.”

Arachne nodded, “Yes I will, but only this row. I won’t tell my brother because he will probably do the same thing. I hate when he copies me.”

Seraphina will probably relate to that in the future once her baby sister is grown up. She is looking forward to finding her clothes missing, with them draped over her sister’s head. When her father is at work, it’s quiet in the household. Her mother is typically out or lost in a book, she takes after both of them in various ways. Once she starts reading a book, it is hard to put it down. Getting that book in her hand is a difficult task, she is always bouncing off the walls in a  frenzy.

Most of the seats seemed filled, with the chatter slowly dying out. Two more guests arrive and make their way to the first row. One of them was a girl, tall with fair skin and a sharp chin. The boy beside her also had fair skin with blond curls. He had sharp blue eyes that seemed to pierce the room in scrutiny. As they made their way to the front row, the whole room hushed into whispers.

Arachne turned to look back from her seat, “Looks like the Snows are here.” She quickly stands from her chair and fixes her dress by patting it down to rid of the wrinkles that may have formed from sitting. It was a ridiculous idea, for her dress seemed ironed to the point where any more heat would have burned a hole through the fabric. 

The little boy let the girl he came with walk in front of him to a seat near where Ara and her resided. There was a free seat next to Seraphina, although only that seat was free, as the other seat was inhabited by another. The little boy gave a look to the guy seated in the chair, and he quickly stood up to pick a chair on the end side of the row. The blonde boy then took a seat beside Seraphina while the other girl took the seat right beside him. Seraphina could feel her friend Ara practically bursting with excitement over these seating arrangements.

Arachne gently pushes Sera’s shoulder back in an attempt to have access to the boy better, “My name is Arachne, from the Cane family, but you can call me Ara.”

The boy next to her glances her way and nods his head in such a small movement that it would have been missed by any other if not paying attention. 

“My name is Coriolanus Snow, this is Tigris, my cousin. It’s nice to meet you Arachne.”

At the mention of her name, Tigris turns her head towards Arachne and offers her a smile, ‘Hello Ara! We have heard much of the Crane family, your house is across from ours is it not?”

Arachne continued to stare at the boy named Coriolanus, “It is, my father is well versed with yours. I shall call you Coryo.”

Coryo seemed displeased with this nickname, with a slight grimace at the mention of it. His cousin made that nickname a while ago. It was only acceptable when Tigris called him that.

“What is your name?” Seraphina looks to her left to see both the Snows looking at her expectantly. She believes the boy, Coriolanus, is the one who asked her the question. He probably is trying to escape the penetrating eyes of her friend Ara.

“Seraphina Phoenix, it is nice to meet you both.”

“That’s a pretty name, rolls off the tongue,” Tigris exclaims.

Coriolanus tilts his head slightly, “Phoenix? You’re the daughter of Emery Phoenix.”

Tigris moves Coryo’s head out of the way to get a better view of Seraphina, “Like the guy who created pyrotechnics?”

Coriolanus laughed a bit while fixing the one strand that got out of place when he was pushed backward, “He’s done much more than that Tigris but yes. The fireworks we buy for your birthday come from him.”

Tigris’s smile grew unbelievably brighter. Seraphina was afraid that it would widen to a point where it would hurt her mouth from the stretch.

“Oh I do love those fireworks,” she says. “They always spell my name out, like magic!”

“It’s one of my favorite inventions he’s made so far, the first time he tried them out he almost burned down the room,” Seraphina reminisces. He set off one of those “fireworks” in their library. She was sitting in a chair reading when he came in to show her his new invention. The firework, he called it, was said to burst into a thousand little stars with a chivalrous bang. She quickly found out what it did when he accidentally lit it when showing her where to light it up to set it off. Luckily, her mother was able to stomp out one of the sparks that caught onto the rug. They were in a fit of giggles while her mother was scolding the both of them for almost burning down the building and themselves, while all they could manage was laugh. Her mother ended up fighting a smile while confiscating the leftover firework parts. Her father always managed to put a little spark into their lives.

“Oh how scandalous, are you both alright?” Tigris asks.

Arachne furrows her brows, “Of course they’re alright, she’s right in front of you?”

“You can call me Sera if you wish, or my full name, whichever is easier.” she interrupts. “My friend Ara and I made these nicknames, so our row could use them to distinguish each other”

Tigris smiles, “Sera is very pretty, my name is already short so I assume I wouldn’t need one.”

Seraphina shakes her head, “You can have one too! Like T, or Titi, or Ti, or maybe Iris.”

“Ooh Iris is a good one,” Arachne agrees.

Tigris gently giggles and shakes her head, “I think Tigris is fine.” Tigris then directs her attention towards Sera in a whisper, “You can call me any of those if you want, just not Iris.”

They both giggled and turned their attention back to the center podium, where a man stood at the center, tapping the microphone to bring everyone’s attention to where he stood. He is an intimidating man, with dark eyes that seem to seep into your desires and thoughts that are never to be spoken in the presence of anyone.

“Settle down children, we are already behind schedule.”

The chatter that once filled the hall immediately quieted down until all you could hear was gentle breaths being emitted. Except for someone in the far back, wheezing a bit too loud. It was probably the dust that adorned every item in this dated building. They should hire maids to dust around here, it might dirty someone’s clothes or mess with the freshly polished shoes most boys seem to be wearing lately. 

“Welcome to the Academy, My name is Casca Highbottom and this is where you will be spending your time studying and advancing your way to further years. As children of the Capitol, you are expected to uphold challenging expectations. As of now, this program is fairly new and was created to introduce the younger generations to knowledge before the four years of the official academic program the Academy offers. The children on the right are the first group of students to test out the program, this is now their second year and will be attending secondary school after they have been fully through this vigorous program. They have shown miraculous improvement in their comprehension skills, which has furthered the program into allowing another wave of students to join, which would be you lot.”

Arachne’s brother is in the group Mr. Highbottom mentioned, this program was made just last year to improve their student population’s test levels. The past generations seemed to have been slowing down on their academic vigor, and none have produced the level of creativity and intelligence the academy used to produce. Their parents were the last generation to truly show results in their teaching who moved on to become important members of the Capitol with their innovations. This program allows kids ages six through eight to enter the program, it goes by groups of years rather than ages, which is why there are six through eight-year-olds scattered within the groups of students. Seraphina is seven, within the middle group, so not too young to grasp things but not too old to be expected to know much.

Mr. Highbottom coughs into his handkerchief and wipes the inner corners of his mouth with it, “You are to uphold our values and if you prove promise then the brightest students may move on to the Academy. We hope to see these promising faces in the years to come. Make sure to pick up the list of supplies and the books that should already be memorized and easily recited when asked. 

Once the Dean steps down the hall erupts with voices, some excited while some wavered. The Snows immediately stand up from their chairs and Coriolanus moves to retrieve two papers for both him and Tigris.

“We must be going,” Tigris says. “It was very nice meeting you Sera, and you Arachne.” She picked up her coat and quickly moved her long arms into the sleeves. The two children made their leave out of the hall, and out into the cold winter. 

“I can’t believe Coryo sat near us, my father is going to freak now a Snow knows of me. Once our families are well acquainted with each other then I could see Coryo anytime I want. Oh and that cousin of his, don’t you think she’s a bit weird?”

Seraphina took the coat off of her chair and started buttoning it up to her neck, “Not really, she seemed quite sweet.” After putting on her scarf, Sera spoke a quick goodbye to Ara and waved at Sejanus for him to join her.

“What did you think?”

“Of what,” Sejanus questions.

“Of this program, it’s a lot to take in. He spoke kind of fast.” 

“Oh yeah that,” Sejanus attempted to put on his gloves, but his fingers kept fitting into the wrong hole, “I’m worried about the reading, I haven’t read a lot of books, so I would have to catch up.”

Seraphina thought of the plethora of books she had read so far, when looking at the list she snagged, she noticed that a lot of these books were read when she was merely five years old, “I can help you if you want. We have all of these at home in our library, I can give you a rundown of most of them if you can’t read them all in time.”

Sejanus’s mother was waiting for him at the bottom of the steps, waving at him. 

“You are the best, I gotta go, my Ma is waiting for me. By Seraphina!”

“Bye-bye!” Once her friend had left her she made her way down the flight of stairs and into the cold night of Panem. With all but the warmth of her heart, excited for the opportunities to come.