#i tried using several moments but it didn't work so i chose just one for everyone

[battymommastuff]

The Accident (Pt. 2)

Batmom x Batfamily Prompt: At least you did something...

TW: VERY DARK!!!!

Part 1

"She isn't making any progress. We've tried everything from electroshock therapy to simply giving her a journal to write her feelings." 

You could hear your personal therapist talking to your husband...well ex husband by now. Your marriage died the day he put you in this damn place. What place? None other than Arkham Asylum. At first he could live with what you did, he understood what you did. Everyone understood why you did it, but what happened after...he couldn't live with it. 

Bruce watched as his wife shut down. You became a shell of what you once were. The warm, welcoming mother that everyone knew you to be died. Something cold, and sinister was left in her place. The Gotham criminals began to fear you more than Batman himself. Batman held back...he pulled his punches. You...you didn't. You couldn't. This life, the scum of Gotham took your son away from you. How could Bruce just sit there and be okay with it? 

Everything came to a boiling point when he walked into the manor with his newest sidekick, Tim Drake...

"Y/N, this is Tim Drake. He will be assisting us in our...work." Bruce said and rested a hand on the young man's shoulder. Instead of a warm greeting or a smile that one usually got when meeting Y/N Wayne, Tim got a stone cold glare. 

"Jason's grave isn't even covered in grass, and you're already replacing him?" You growled as you stood from your seat on the couch. Tim flinched at your tone, and moved back a bit. He heard such good things about you. This wasn't how he was expecting things to go. 

"Good job Bruce, get another kid...let's see how long he lasts before he's in the grave too." You spat before storming off. That night, you chose to go on patrol alone. While Bruce and Tim were doing their own thing, you were spending your night alone. As you sat perched on a ledge, watching the city that you've grown to hate, all you could think of was Tim. How could Bruce just move on so quickly? You weren't surprised. He spent most of that night scolding you and lecturing you for nearly killing the Joker. Now the bastard was in a coma, and you wished he was dead. 

The sound of a woman screaming knocked you from your thoughts, and you looked down seeing the said woman blocking her young child from an attacker. You don't know what happened at that moment, but something snapped. You weren't going to let another mother's heart be broken, or the child's. No more families were going to be broken because of scum like this. You blacked out again, and this time you came to be pinned to the brick wall by Batman. Robin was hovering over the man you'd just beaten. He pressed two fingers to his neck then looked at Batman. Robin shook his head, and then looked at you. Instead of horror, or remorse...you smirked, "At least I did something." You whispered to your husband. 

Now here you were, wasting away in the cells of Arkham. Eating food that was stale, and cold. It made you miss Alfred's cooking. Several inmates tried to gang up on you, and quickly learned why that was a bad idea. 

"The doctors are beginning to fear her. She's got a rage inside of her that can't be tamed. Whatever set her off...doesn't seem to want to fade away." Your therapist looked over at you, chained to the table that you were forced to sit at. Bruce clenched his jaw as he looked at you. You'd lost weight, and your face was sunken in. You looked half dead. 

"Then we'll find something new. I'm not giving up on her. If you can't help her, then I'll have to find someone who can." Bruce snapped. He knew that keeping you here would kill you in the end. You weren't made for a place like this. He wanted you home with him and Alfred. It was where you belonged. 

Little did he know that the solution to his problem was going to be solved...

It would be several weeks later, close to when visiting hours would end. You were sitting in your cell with your back facing the door when you heard it open. 

"Mom?"

That voice made your entire body go cold. Yes the tone was deeper, and a little gravely, but you knew that voice. The Gotham accent...it couldn't be anyone else. Slowly your head turned, and you nearly fainted when your eyes met the ones staring back at you...

To be continued...

(I know most wanted a pt.2 with Jason's reaction, but I got a little carried away lol. I promise I will make a pt.3 with his reaction!)

[lazybutsmexy]

Tea

Simón "Ghost" Riley X GN!reader

Warnings: ANGST, hurt no comfort, mayor character death(s).

A/N: is... is this what I chose as my comeback? I'm sorry, I hope to be able to write something fluffy soon.

Read on AO3

"...Ghost?"

"...Yeah?"

Your eyes are locked to the sky. The hues of gray that prelude an autumn shower used to comfort you. Strangely enough, what's most comforting to you at this moment is hearing your Lieutenant's voice answer you back, from somewhere to your left.

"...I have a confession to make."

"...Go on."

You inch your head sideways, trying to peek a glance at his face, but the stiffness of your neck prevent you from doing so. Maybe it's for the best. From the corner of your eye you can see part of his hip and his right leg, over a carpet of dark red that you don't need a creative imagination to think about its nature, or its origin.

You saw him get shot.

"I'm the one that took your last tea bag," you offer, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you'd get so grumpy about it."

A low sigh reaches your ears, and you can catch the hint of an almost imperceptible stutter in his breathing.

"...Never suspected you," he hums, every word calculated as if it could be his last -it may as well be, "you don't drink tea."

"No, I don't," you agree, "but you do." Your lower lip gets caught in between your teeth once again, as it has happened for the last few- minutes? Hours? Who knows anymore? "I wanted to surprise you with-... with a cuppa when we got to t-the safehouse..."

You clearly should've followed his example and kept your sentences short, you think as your diaphragm painfully struggles to keep your lungs filled with oxygen.

"...You make shit tea though," he grumbled - now you can clearly hear the wheeze hidden in his breathing.

"... would've made it wi' luv," your tongue feels heavy in your mouth, and you try not to think of the amount of time you've gradually lost sensation in your body. Instead, you try to peek at him again as you hear a slow ruffle of movement, and this time an ungloved hand comes to your field of vision.

Open face up. Inviting.

You don't think twice and muster whatever little strength you have in your body to move your left hand closer to his.

If the struggle makes you tear up, you don't care. If your pained whimpers break his heart, he doesn't comment on it.

He just grasps your hand as soon as there's skin-on-skin contact, thankful that there's still warmth on your fingers.

Fading, but still there.

"...Didn't say... I wouldn't drink it."

"...Yer' too kind, sir..." Your ears feel like padded in cotton, but you can still hear yourself. If you had any energy - or air in your lungs - you would laughed at how much you started sounding like Soap. "...'s an hon'r to be wi' you, Lt..."

Several seconds passed in silence, and you think you won't get any more answers, and mentally prepare yourself to close your eyes one last time.

But there's something happening with your hand in his.

One squeeze.

Pause.

Another squeeze.

And a last one.

"... waited too long to tell you," his voice reaches you again, watery and choked up, " hope tis' works..."

Go figure, you still had tears to shed. Or is it the rain droplets finally landing on your skin? You don't know. You don't care.

You try to reciprocate, but can only apply three soft squeezes with the pads of your thumb on the soft muscle between his thumb and index fingers.

The choked up sob you hear is a good guess that he received your reply.

"...'m sleepy," your whisper reaches him, and he mourns the lost time.

He's never void of regrets, isn't he?

"...g'night, luv," he tries to sound warm to you, always.

"...g'night, Simon..."

Oh, how sweet his name sounds, coming from your lips in a whisper.

Taglist: @warenai @queen-of-hearts-lemon-tarts @embers-of-alluring

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Masterlist

[juno-of-wonderland]

Hello. I got an idea after listening to these songs - requiem ver chogakusei Alien Stage - sweet dreams. Namely, that Yu has the magic of music (more precisely, magic manifests itself when Yu sings or plays musical instruments, sometimes when he dances). And I would like the guys to catch Yu during one of these actions (dormitory wardens + Jamil). Just imagine how Yu sings requiem and magic begins to appear in the form of flames/shining stars/flowers, etc.)

you brought me some memories and I love ideas involving music, most of my entries are made with a POV playlist and I swear I tried to do it in dorm order, but I was blocked so I wrote who already had one (yes, I I do everything disorganized and then together) and as my limit is 7 characters, I believe you asked to change Kalim for Jamil, if not, just let me know and I'll do his THANKS FOR THE REQUEST

Azul Ashengrotto

-Azul was ending the day and going to his room -but the kitchen lights were on, which made him frown, don't people know how much energy can cost? -as he was approaching, he heard a small voice singing "I travel the world and the seven seas Everybody's looking for something" -he sneaked in to see you and his eyes widened -there you are, washing the dishes, a normal thing, if it weren't for the small bubbles forming around you and the water apparently wanting to come out of the sink -he was certainly stunned for too long for you to stop your work and look at him -you stare at each other in silence -he clears his throat and says he appreciates you staying until everything is finished, but it's already late and he's going to walk you to the mirror -if you act as if nothing had happened or don't know that anything happened, he will understand that tiredness is causing some kind of jock -if you seem nervous, then he knows that what he saw was your secret… that he can use later

Malleus Draconia

-this man loves the night, we all know, but you didn't expect him to show up today -you start singing outside the ramshackle and doing a very small and centered dance -it's not really a dance, it's just a swing -small flowers bloom next to your feet as you says "Sweet dreams are made of this Who am I to disagree" for the second time -and the dragon is watching everything -he is surprised but delighted by your performance, he finds it adorable -he only talks to you when you finish -Malleus asks about your magic with interest, but if you don't want to talk about it, he won't insist, even if it upsets him -please sing him another song

Idia Shroud

-a miracle happened and this man was outside his room -he wanted to play a new game with you -Idia just didn't expect to catch you singing alone in a completely personal and shameful moment -he planned to sneak out, he was really going to do it! but your voice is so jahavsbgsjsbsfgssnj he sounds like an otome boy, stop doing this to him! -you start another song "one vague, misjudged view like a faint flower gone insane " -and that's when he realizes, small spark of fire dancing on top of his head -he leans over from where he was hiding, to get a better look… and ends up tripping and falling -Please don't do anything to him! he didn't want to peep! -if he has the courage to mention what happened while you were singing and you look confused, he will get excited like "I think you unlocked a power because you were brought here like in an isekai… in fact you are already in one isekai" -if you are aware of this ability, it will be your little secret, he will keep this information and fulfill the promise

Vil Schoenheit

-Vil was going to her dorm, to take you on a comparison trip -This man's ears are trained and he doesn't even need to open the door to see that you are singing -he ponders whether he should go or not, he chose to stay and open the door slowly and you sing "if i became a butterfly, so free"

-and look at his surprise when he saw you beaming like a crystal while (trying to) clean -several occasional sparkles and butterfly's swirling around you -you get scared when you see him -"your performance…" Vil begins "it wasn't bad, but I'm disappointed that you hid your magic potato" he's serious -after all, his magic suits you, he wants to know why you don't tell anyone, but he won't be invasive, he will be… subtle

Jamil Viper

-I couldn't think of an excuse for this guy to find you, so let's get to the basics -he was passing in the hallway when he heard his voice coming from an empty room -he pulled up next to the door and heard you sing "Lord, Please when the song is over, save me please My Father, My Universe Take away the small and weak me" -and when he looks at you and literally sees stars dancing with you -this man is bewildered, I think tiredness has finally caught up with him -but he remains silent, without interrupting you, you seem so carefree now, he doesn't want to take away that feeling -At some point he will leave, you won't even notice it -he needs to see this again and make sure it wasn't something in his head

Leona Kingsholar

-Now I Live in Darkness Bring me brightness Show me proof you hear my sound Live in darkness Bring me brightness Show me proof you're here now -His ears twitched at that, why does someone always have to show up at the botanical garden and disturb his sleep? -Leona intended to go back to sleep when he recognized your voice -he decided to sit down and look at the free and private show he was getting -…why are there rose petals surrounding like a hurricane and why are flowers blooming on the bushes? -he remained quiet, his mind loading until you noticed him -this guy has a mischievous smile on his face -"it seems that the herbivore hides several little things, doesn't it?"

Riddle Roseheart

-you had offered to help paint the roses -you were bored and started singing "Sweet Dream, it's today, wait for me I'll go see you soon, woo~woo~woo" along with small movements -a crown of flowers began to form on his head and roses as red as blood surrounded the garden -like when you hear a familiar voice behind you, you even spill paint on yourself -"since…since when can you do this?" -Don't try to pretend you didn't notice -he is willing to listen and help you control this magic better -he thinks what you do is really beautiful…just don't say it out loud

I hope I got the songs you said right

[heyimcelery]

Okay so I watched all of Ninjago Dragons Rising s2p2! I've got so many thoughts and I'm dumping them all here in a long list. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

to start: Cole!! He's a family man! He's got a boyfriend and they hold hands and they care for their kids and Bonzle so obviously came out to them and omg I wanted to cry. The joy of acceptance. I mean come one she kept saying how alone she felt, they're found family, she was repeating that she chose he town name and identity and the villains were insistent that she wants a person but just a spell like come on

But there's more than that, I have questions I have concerns!! Like wtf happend on Coles quest?? With Sensei Wu??? Like he disappeared and turned up again and said he would explain but never did.

Cole also came back from that in his bolder form so did he figure out he could do it on his own then? Is that what he learned on his quest?? If so it's gonna be a little awkward when he tried to explain that to his bf Geo.

With part 2 I really want to see the whole gang meet them and talk and catch up on everything. Like cole has been missing since the merge and no one this season cared. At all. They hadn't seen him in ages- didn't even know if he was alive until drs1 but nope no worries or concerns. Not even a question of what he was up to.

When he came through the portal Zane wasn't worried or confused at all, just oh? You need some help?? Sure let's beat these bad guys and not worry or show emotions! Is a tearful reunion for my fav character too much to ask?? Cuz he clearly deserves it. :(

And then into both Zane and Coke this season!! Love them!! They've always been my fav duo (gonna have to start shipping geo/Cole/Zane as poly now) it was so fun to see them going around together with Bonzle. They had some great moments and I'm praying we get more in the next part.

On the other hand it was a shame they got such small roles- just seperated from the others as a way to help Bonzle. It means they didn't have the same lessons or knowledge the others got which is totally unfair!! They have a lot to catch up on. They also never got a chance to be part of the main battle

It's dumb but I was kinda hoping for Cole to show off his stronger powers (he always seems to get new powers every other season but that's a discussion for another day). Like sure he could use his robotic mech suit but that's been done before! He can do his boulder thing now (unless somehow he still thinks he can't which means he kept up that form for several days on his quest) and when he made that giant mid hut to protect his family!! I want to see him do that again! Let me man go ape shit to protect Bonzle.

And on another note, Geo my beloved, you should get a chance to shine with your powers. A chance to show off or at least have a talk about them with Cole.

Next up WyldFyre. I was worried they would make her the annoying comic relief cuz if her injury but her talks about losing loved ones and dragon culture and her home were really sweet and it was great to see some development so driven by battles. I love those too don't get me wrong but like I needed to see this side of her. And I adore her relationship with Kai, being besties/mentors/dad for her works so great for both characters.

I will be first to admit that

Kai wasn't really my favourite. If you couldn't tell I love Cole followed by Zane. Always have and likely always will. I suppose that early Kai reminded me too much of some guys form my class and they turned into shitheads and I've always struggled to reconcile Kai's image form theirs. He was always a little too brash, hotheaded, and too often written as stupid to fall into my good graces.

And yet this season I adored him. Of course I've never hated him but like this season made me see what all his fans (many many fans) see in him.

I thought Kai being the first to master such a new, difficult and crucial skill was incredibly satisfying. Form all the way back to season 1 he's been the butt of jokes- having to learn he's not the centre of the universe and sometimes it's others like Lloyd who are the chosen ones. That's all great but him now getting a starting role, his ability being fueled by thoughts of his family, by his childhood and by protecting is friends was just too good to ignore him. Love this form of his character more than any other I've seen.

And now Kai is trapped :(

I'm glad he's got Bonzle with him tho so hopefully they can have each other's backs (she's meant to be a POWERFUL spell after all) they'll need each other if they're trapped with those other 4 guys. If they can apparently demolish everything then I'm rather worried for the duo. Tbh I'm sure they'll survive just fine, probably making jokes at Cole's expense all the while.

On a side note, I found it super cute how WyldFyre was willing to protect and go down with Kai. Besties I'm telling ya

Now Jay. I've never thought too hard about him I know he's one of the favs of the fandom but like Kai I was never so besotted with him. Still a great guy and omg I feel so bad. One of his worst fears was always being alone and now stuck, confused, forced to hide such a fundamental part of himself.

On the other hand he's got a gun now so that's fun!!

And you can't talk about him without mentioning Nya. He worst fears being him forgetting hurts my soul. And she was so sure it could never be true that she snapped out of her nightmare state!! She's going to break when she finds out.

She's already grieving her own brother, we saw her break down into WyldFyre (more proof she's an honorary sibling by now) but now knowing what's happening with Jay, I'm saying the angst is going to be overpowering. It's a greek tragedy fr

Part 2 is going to be rough. Jay only had a single scene but it's already a sign for the worst to come.

Speaking of things being rough, Lloyd is going THROUGH IT!! give this poor guy a break. I do appreciate that we physically get to see the effects of all his trauma- that everything that's happened has real consequences for his character and the story but I can't help but feel bad.

I've also suffered from anxiety for most of my life so to see it in a character like that feels really personal to me. Hope he gets a little break though, god knows he deserves it.

Have to say it's pretty funny that Lloyd's had so much Oni trauma that he forgot that he's part dragon too. Yes ninjas dragons can do spinjitsu why are you surprised at this point

The animation this season has been incredible, the fights were beautiful the angles so interesting and dynamic and I could go on for hours about how much I love it. It's always great when kids -and even animation in general is treated with respect. It doesn't dumb it's ideas and stories and characters for the sake of it's younger audience, and that makes it so much better for me who is definitely out of the age range.

I have my more points to make but I've been adding stuff in and off for ages so I'll probably go through this all later. Thanks for reading, please I want to know your own thoughts too I love discussing that kinda stuff!!

<3

[mayullla]

Okay so how about Childe's workplace, I thought it would be nice to see what the first meeting between you his sister and his workmates are like.

Genshin 13 stepbrother au; child!reader, fem!reader, modern au, platonic fluff, crack

"Hoo, always knew that guy was a maniac for his siblings and always wanted a sister but I didn't think he would go so far as to brainwash a small kid," Scara complained as he looked at you. Doe eyes look innocently at him looked so different from the crazed eyes Childe had when it comes to work and a lot of things in general.

"They look nothing alike."

"Hey, don't you think you are a little mean comrade?" Childe tried to smile but it seems nobody believed it really when there was a hostile aura surrounding him.

"She is such a cutie tho... here would you like a candy?" Marionette smiled at you eyes closed you wondered what her eye color was. Handing you a little strawberry candy that was like the color of her hair. "Hold on you already gave her too many" "But she is just so cute Capitano I can't help but spoil her!"

"I can't believe that you lost her. It is only a good thing that Capitano was the one who found the little girl and she wasn't scared of him." La Signora placed her chin on her hand resting on an armchair she glanced at you and then at Capitano.

It was an amusing situation really. Childe had been going on and on about finally having a little sister he could physically actually dot on. He showed them every picture he took of you to the point some of them had to actually run away so that he would not be dragging their ears with his adoration for you. The many times they slammed their doors and locked them the moment they saw Childe's excited proud eyes and his phone turned on with the gallery opened.

How amusing it was the day he was supposed to bring his little sister to the office to show off did he lose her?

Childe or Tartaglia was frantically looking for you at the 50-story buildings hoping to even find a hair of yours. The two that he somehow managed to drag in his search were La Signora and Scaramouche. (much to their annoyance)

So after actual hours of searching for you, they could only stare quietly at you who was in the lap of Capitano and feed cookies by Columbina. It seems that Dottore was the one who found you and because you recognize who he was from seeing a picture from Childe's phone you started to trail after him.

Much to his annoyance.

He didn't know why a child would even be here! But you were, as you continued to follow him even after he told you not to. You looked so lost and confused in the middle of the halls and offices at what you were supposed to do when he told you to leave multiple times yet instead hesitantly chose to ignore his words and continue following him. (Pantalone had an amused smile on his face when he saw Dottore followed by a child. Patting your head in greeting but didn't do anything to help and left the poor man to deal with you by himself.)

It was when he saw Capitano he wondered if he would finally get you off his tail thinking you would become scared of the other man and run away like most kids do when they see him. Instead, you looked at him curiously asking if he was Capitano. It was a weird sight for many as Capitano was a little confused at your existence but still answered your question. (Dottore took this as a chance to escape.)

So here you were now the kitchen used for the higher-ups in the company. Capitano had quickly figured out that you were the step-sister of Childe and decided to bring you to the poor man who was searching for you when he heard your stomach grumble.

"You were here all along?" Childe asked weakly trying his best to smile. You nodded your head smiling, small cookie crumbs stuck to your mouth. Childe looked at Capitano his eyes asking- begging to tell him when has he not told him about the fact that he found you.

"I called you several times and even messaged you but you didn't answer," Capitano explained, looking at the other two behind Childe barely able to contain their evil laughter unsure if he should tell the weeping guy (who unfortunately forgot his phone at the car and too much of a panic to even notice that he didn't even have it) that he also informed the two about you too...

Let's just not.

[randomshyperson]

Second Chances - Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: Assigned to take care of the recruiting paperwork for the new avengers, you didn't think you'd end up falling in love with the Sokovian witch. Or the one where you and Wanda make mistakes and stumble along the way until your second chance to be together.

Warnings: (+18) several mentions of smut, explicit content, mentions of abusive family environment, magical mind control (westview), implicit forms of gaslighting, mainly dom!wanda, strap on use, bad jokes, bordering on angst but happy ending. | Words: 7.024k

A/N-> That irma vep audio went viral (Want me back? Say it. I want you back. Say it again.) and I was dying to write something about it. There's no big lesson in this one, I just wanted to imagine Wanda asking us to beg. Anyways, here it is. Good reading!

General Masterlist | AO3 | Wattpad

--//--//--

Working for SWORD was easy and sometimes even boring.

It was okay though - Unlike your sister, you chose to stay. The space battlefield was more Carol's thing anyway, and the reports and ground missions were enough for you.

Or at least, that's what you convinced yourself. Carol didn't ask if you wanted to go with her.

All your peacefulness as an agent took a turn when Ultron went wrong, and a few weeks later, Nick Fury asked you for a favor.

After Shield, he had his confidence shaken in big companies. But he cared about Carol, and therefore, about you, too. Nick knew that the Avengers would be getting new recruits, and he wanted you to handle the paperwork.

After a long sigh, you said you would do it.

Rhodes and Wilson were easy to catalog, both military, so most of their information was already accounted into the database. It was the Synthesized and the witch the biggest complications.

For Vision, he was not a citizen, not even a human in the first place. You were having a tremendous headache registering him as anything other than a high-potential weapon not owned by Stark.

And for Wanda, well, her country had been destroyed. There was nowhere to ask for the records anymore.

"Sorry for so many forms." You asked on the fourth time you came to the tower, a folder now empty under your arm as you waited for Wanda to sign the pages you brought her. "I'm kind of doing all your civil registration again."

Her smile was short and barely reached her eyes. "Don't worry about it." She murmured back, the accent scratching her words. 

You didn't care, you knew she was grieving for her brother. And maybe because of that, or maybe because you wanted a real smile, you tried:

"Hey, if you're not doing anything, we could have some coffee." The invitation flew out and you could hardly believe your own courage. Wanda frowned in surprise, her eyes going from the papers to you and you swallowed dryly, letting out a nervous laugh, "You know, as friends."

She smiled, reaffirming "Sure, as friends."

Anyway, four hours later she ended up in your bed.

Casual sex was nothing new for either of you. Back in Sokovia, it wasn't as if Wanda had had time to have an actual relationship, so all she knew was affairs that never led to anything more than nights of passion. And for you, with all the busy routine of being a SWORD agent, relationships were not really a priority.

But Wanda happened, and she was something else. Even if you never admitted it.

The bed made a loud noise as you came in one last hard thrust, Wanda's nails digging into your back as she followed you in her climax. Your face fell against her collarbone, and for a long moment, only your raspy mixed breaths sounded in the room.

She said nothing as you slipped out, the toy soaked with both your pleasures being moved out of your waist as you stood up. Wanda's gaze followed your back marked with red scratches as you reached for a shirt.

"Do they know?" She asked as soon as you put the item on, and your curious eyes met hers. She just settled herself better on the bed, not bothering to cover her breasts. "About your strength."

You let out a short laugh. "Fury knows." That's what you replied to her, sharing nothing more about the whole plot of keeping your abilities hidden from the rest of the world so that you wouldn't be treated like a weapon instead of a person. Carol didn't want that for you.

"Do you really have to go?" Wanda asked, this time reaching for the sheet because she suddenly felt very vulnerable. You swallowed dryly, keeping your gaze on the pants you were putting on.

"I have to, sorry." You retorted. "I shouldn't have even come, my boss would kill me if he knew I was doing well, this."

"Me, you mean?" She teases with an arched eyebrow, and you give another laugh with flushed cheeks.

"Yeah, it's kind of completely unprofessional." You mutter, now dressed and sitting down to put on your boots. Wanda is quiet, twiddling her fingers over her lap, and you only look at her again when you are fully dressed. "Hey, can I see you next week?"

Despite the bitterness in her stomach, she forces a smile. "Sure, when you have some new immigration forms for me." She mocks, but you don't catch her hidden annoyance, laughing lightly before leaning in and kissing her sensually.

Wanda hates the way her body betrays her. Her heart racing, her skin warming. She wants you to stay, forever if possible. But you get up and leave.

Just like all the other times.

Neither of you could have predicted that your fragile routine of casual encounters was threatened with the demise of the Avengers. 

Of course, your position as a SWORD agent made it impossible to approach the escaped members without jeopardizing your own safety and exposure as an enhanced human, yet part of Wanda hoped you would choose her.

"I just can't, Wanda, I'm sorry." You whispered into the phone, unable to know about the tear-filled irises on the other end of the line.

Wanda just sighed, and in the same way that you hid that you couldn't leave your home now because Maria was getting sick and Monica needed you there, Wanda also didn't tell you that she missed you. 

"You say that but I don't think you mean it." She retorted bitterly, and you sighed exhaustedly.

"Whatever, little witch." 

"Exactly, Y/N. Whatever." She retorted and slammed down the phone to the corner motel she was hiding out at this week. Natasha, coming out of her own room, offered her a sympathetic look, but she sniffled and turned away.

You leaned your face against the wall outside the company building, taking a deep breath and controlling your tears before going back inside. Work never waited.

When Thanos happened, you couldn't breathe.

Maria was the only person you had told about Wanda, and although she was weak and debilitated from cancer and recent surgery, she held your hand while you cried. 

Carol came back carrying the Iron Man ship. 

She only had the courage to show up at the Rambeau Residence after Thanos was dead.

You waited in the kitchen for her to talk Maria to sleep and join you.

"How has she been holding up?" Your sister asked, and you let out a dry laugh, wiping a glass with the dishcloth.

"With cancer or losing Monica?"

Carol didn't smile. "Both."

"The answer is not well at all, Carol, what kind of question is that?" You accused angrily back, but met the blonde's tear-filled eyes and took a deep breath to control your hostility.

"Sorry." You muttered but she shook her head, taking a step forward.

"No, I'm sorry." She began seriously. "I left this planet to fix the mistakes I did while working on the side of the Kree, thinking the galaxy needed me more. But earth needed me. Maria did. You-"

"I'm fine." You cut her off with a tired sigh, tossing the cloth into the sink. "Seriously, Carol, spare me your ready-made speeches. We already have a captain here who likes them." You accused, not giving a damn about your sister's locked jaw. "There's no undoing it, Monica's gone and Maria's getting worse. If you want to do something right, at least say goodbye before you leave this time."

You say as you move to leave the kitchen. Carol sighs.

"I said goodbye last time." She murmurs. "You were just too young to remember."

You swallow dryly, but stop walking. You look at her over your shoulder.

"That says a lot about a person." 

Carol sighs again and turns away. "I'm not going anywhere, Y/N." She says surprising you a little, "But I have a lot of work to do."

You frown. "What does that mean?"

Carol approaches you. "Maria needs someone. She's the only person I have left. I can't leave her."

You don't correct Carol. Not because she is not wrong, but because you understand what she is talking about. Your sister takes a deep breath and holds your hands.

"You're the only person I would trust to take over my job while I'm here." She confesses looking into your eyes. "I know you are strong enough to do it. I will take care of Maria. And the earth. And you-"

"Everything else." You complete, searching her eyes for any sign that she was joking. But Carol just stares at you, and you nod. "She told you, didn't she?"

Your sister gives you a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Y/N. She was pretty."

You let out a sad laugh, pulling your hand into your pocket. 

"So, when do I start?" 

Shortly after, you left earth. Four years in space should have been the most incredible experience of your entire life, but somehow your thoughts always returned to earth and a certain little witch.

You returned home a few times. To Maria's memorial was one of those. With her death, Carol could go back to work, but this time, you stayed by her side.

"Ow, when did you get so strong?" Your sister complained with a half-impressed huff, brushing the moon dust off her clothes as you threw her with the blow.

A soft laugh escaped your lips, and you shook your head. "Between high school and college. You missed me destroying half the gym."

"My bad." She muttered half-heartedly. You hadn't yet found the right balance in talking about Carol leaving for space but you were working on it.

The next moment she had to pause training because she got the alarm from the Avengers all the way back to earth.

"We have to go." She announced seriously, and you, already prepared to run to the spaceship, interrupted your walk when Carol shined behind you. "Code red, I should run. Meet you there?"

You nodded.

The battle was already over when you reached earth. Although you missed the fight, you were equally busy with the return of the blipped.

Having Monica back, and telling her alone about Maria because Carol had left the planet again, burdened with guilt at having lost Natasha and now with a buzzer that wouldn't stop ringing with the return of half the universe, kept you busy enough to use that as an excuse not to see Wanda.

You didn't know exactly what to say to her. It had nothing to do with finding out that she had moved on with a piece of tin.

When Wanda went to SWORD, not for you, but because of him, it didn't hurt one bit.

The Director wanted to convince you to go after her, to make sure she was under control, and your urge was to punch him in that sour face. 

But you took a deep breath. You tried to remember Monica, and Maria, and all the protocols they had built together. This was her life's work, and you couldn't be disrespectful.

And as for Wanda, well, she clearly made her choice.

But less than a week later, Monica showed up in your new (or old) office.

"Can you believe Howard won't let me fly?" She declared annoyed and you took your eyes off the research report to your foster sister.

"Really? But you're practically a parakeet." You teased and she let out a soft grunt, grabbing one of the cushions from the sofa to throw in your face and making you laugh.

"Don't be mean." She demanded, moving to take the seat in front of you, and you chuckled softly before sighing, lowering your report, and resting your face in your hand. Monica looked at you curiously. "What's wrong?"

"You can't fly and I'm stuck behind this desk."

She frowned. "Why?"

You just leaned over to reach for a file on the other side of the table and pushed it over for your sister to read. Monica let out an incredulous exclamation as she finished.

"That's absurd!" She complained turning back to look at you. "Super strength doesn't make you dangerous! They're wasting your tactical potential! You would be useful in ground missions, especially approaches or damage control, not to mention you could ensure the safety of other agents and-"

Monica fell silent with her laughter. "Sorry, it's just... sometimes you sound so much like your mother." You say and she swallows dryly, lowering her head. You sigh. "I guess that's why she wanted you to be the director, not that asshole."

"Yeah, I'm not so sure." She murmurs surprising you a little.

"Why do you say that?"

Monica sighs. "The protocol that doesn't allow me to fly is hers." She confesses shrugging her shoulders. "I guess she didn't trust me as much as I thought she did."

"Hey, Mon, don't say that." You say reaching out your hand to reach for hers on the table. "I think Maria just wanted you not to make any risky decisions. Some time on earth, to get used to everything must be a good thing."

"If you say so." She retorted with a sigh, forcing a smile. "I should go. Duty calls."

You smiled as well. "Good luck." You said but before she left the room, you called out to her. "Pizza night on Friday?"

"I can't wait." 

Monica didn't go. And she stopped answering your calls, and SWORD got all weird. You didn't wait for an answer.

"You are not allowed to be in that perimeter, Agent Danvers."

He was one of the special agents, but you pushed him so hard that he almost fell to the ground.

Howard appeared before the soldiers shot you.

"Where is my sister and what the hell is going on here?" You questioned impatiently, the man waving for the others to lower their weapons.

"It's good that you came agent, we can use your help with the Maximoff anomaly." You frowned immediately at the name, but Howard nodded toward one of the set-up tents. "Come inside, I will explain everything to you."

It's not the first time you witnessed Wanda being treated like a terrorist, but it sure hurts more to know that she's holding Monica hostage.

Still, it doesn't make sense. They must have missed something. Wanda wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose.

Your urge was to go into Hex and ask her, but of course, you weren't allowed to do it. Your only option, for now, was to watch the broadcast with Darcy and Jimmy.

"Man, I love this couple, aren't they so sweet?" Darcy asked with a bucket of popcorn in her lap. You crossed your arms with a frown, and Jimmy, busy agreeing, didn't notice. Darcy did but said nothing.

"I know it's a little weird, but I think they make a lovely pair."  Said the man and you sighed loudly.

"You don’t agree, Agent Danvers?" Darcy asked curiously, and you didn't even try to force a smile.

"She can do so much better." Was your bitter reply before you stood up, grumbling that you were going back to make reports.

Whatever the fantasy parameters were, you really didn't expect that Wanda was going to get pregnant.

"Twins? What a twist!" Darcy celebrated from your side, in another watching session. You shook your head in disbelief.

"How the hell did she get pregnant from a robot...?" You grumbled indignantly, and then grimaced. "Wait, that means they-god, I'm going to throw up."

You were cranky for the rest of the day. Not even Monica's return improved your mood.

And especially her descriptions of the Westview experience didn't help.

"She's shaken up, we should ask for a new statement about what happened when she wakes up. I'm sure Wanda-"

"Agent Danvers, I am beginning to worry about your ability to separate your professional vision from your affection for Miss Maximoff." Howard cuts in seriously and you swallow dryly, clutching your reports tightly. "I understand that you were responsible for enrolling Maximoff into the Avengers, but the heroes' time was over many years ago. She is a criminal now. She held your sister hostage, and she continues to do the same to an entire city. So, I ask you to kindly forget about the former person you knew and proceed with the official documentation of the reports Captain Rambeau provided about Westview."

You bit your tongue but nodded. A second later, you took a deep breath and said, "Yes, sir."

Howard left the tent to talk with the rest of the team, and you and you threw the reports in the trash can.

But apparently, Howard intended to keep you busy with the damn reports.

"You were not invited to this meeting, Agent Danvers." He approached you in the corridor, and you let out a short laugh.

"Excuse me?" You question indignantly. "My sister just returned, I am entitled-"

"I believe you have already abused your time in this facility indeed." He cuts in and you notice the agents coming out of their resting position and approaching you. "I allowed you to remain around for the period Monica was inside the anomaly out of respect for the relationship you had with her family, but Captain Rambeau is safe, and you are not cleared for ground missions."

You hesitate, indignant but uncertain about the whole thing. 

"Sir, I'm not going to cause any trouble." You try and the soldiers stop behind him.

"Of course not, Miss Danvers." He says. "Your presence is not needed in this area, but we can put you in a different role where your skills will be better employed. Now that we know that Miss Maximoff is primarily responsible for Westview, an offensive approach must happen soon, and a superhuman will be useful in the fray."

"I would never-" But you bite your tongue. Howard raises his eyebrow at you, almost daring you to say you wouldn't hurt Wanda, but you sigh and swallow dryly. "All right, sir."

He smiles, waving to the soldiers. "Take her to section D-12."

Not long after, the guards drop you off in one of the tents farther away, with heavy machinery they make a point of putting you to work with. It's clearly something to keep you busy and not really important, and your irritation grows with every second there. 

Night comes and with it the alarms of something leaving Hex.

You move faster than the agents beside you, and when you reach the commotion, all the air leaves your lungs at once.

"[...] You've taken an entire town hostage." You hear Howard's speech, pushing your way among the soldiers to the center.

"Well, I'm not the one with the guns, Director." Wanda's voice made you shudder, her speech made you smile short. God, she's such a prick.

"But you're the one in control." Monica interfered by stepping forward and this made Wanda trigger the magic. You reached out in time and held your sister by the forearm.

"No, I'll talk to her." You whispered and ignored Monica's expression to turn to Wanda. Her gaze flinched for only half a second.

"You finally had some time to show up?" She sneered, and you swallowed dryly, taking another step toward her.

"This is wrong, Wanda, what you're doing. You know it. You have to stop." You try, and her serious expression shatters for a second before she takes a deep breath and tenses her jaw. "Please, you need-"

"What I need is for you to leave." She interrupts seriously, her hand and eyes glowing red. "Take your friends with you, and no one has to get hurt."

You sigh. "I'm not going anywhere without you."

She chuckles humorlessly, her eyes filled with tears before she regains her composure. "That's a new one, coming from you."

But you don't hesitate, and you don't care about the audience. You take a step forward. "I made a mistake with us. I won't do it again. I'm not leaving you alone."

A few soldiers hesitate in curiosity, and whispers fill the atmosphere. Wanda tilts her head, studying your face.

"Do you want me back?" she asks, and you feel your face burn as well as all the stares at your back. "Say it."

Swallowing dryly, you hold her gaze. "Yes."

A smile plays on your lips. "Say it again."

You sigh deeply at the teasing, feeling shame burn through the presence of the audience. But Wanda is there, waiting for an answer. And you will not let her down.

"Please, Wanda, I want you back." 

She lets out a breathless laugh, eyes glittering with mischief. 

"God, I missed you begging." She teases last, and you lower your head, cheeks burning. Then she raises her hand, and scarlet magic is escaping to all the soldiers, the aiming laser leaving the witch and heading toward the director. Wanda meets your gaze, and you catch the invitation.

"Put down your weapons!" Howard shouts in desperation. "Agent Danvers, disarm them!" He pleads, but you are moving, following Wanda back inside the Hex like a puppy.

–//–

Miss Maximoff was your neighbor on the left. Hers, not yours. 

Or was it the other way around?

It didn't matter.

What mattered was that she needed help with her boys sometimes, or needed someone to cut the grass, or help with the bags from the market.

Wanda was such a lovely lady, very beautiful, very kind. You didn't understand why her husband didn't stay around.

But you didn't ask, not when you were between her legs.

She squeezed you with her thighs, the grip on your hair strong enough to hurt and make you gasp against her intimacy. But the vibration only pushed Wanda from the edge, a moan turning into a whimper that she muffled on the couch cushion.

You don't remember how this started if it ever had a beginning. You don't remember much, really.

All that matters is that Wanda is your neighbor on the left and she needs help sometimes. And you are here to do so.

But sometimes, you feel a little itch in the back of your mind. Like when Wanda moans in your ear, or how she feels on your fingers and the sensation feels familiar in a way prior to Westview.

And then you push those thoughts away because there is nothing before Westview.

"Fuck, what a talented mouth you have, dorogoya." She praises you breathlessly with her back arched, your hands steady on her thighs as you lick what's left of her orgasm.  "Come here, give me a kiss before you go."

You almost complain but decide to obey. It's always like this, Wanda asks for help, you make her cum against the first surface you find, and she tells you to go home. You don't know why, but you have deja vu every time.

This time, however, as you exchange goodbye kisses on the couch, you remark: "It's Halloween tonight. Maybe, I could, I don't know-"

"Vision will be around." She cuts off taking away your excitement all at once, and you swallow dryly when her hands push you lightly. "In fact, he and Pietro should be back with the boys by now. You should go."

You sigh slightly but force a smile. "As you wish, Wanda." She smiles but doesn't reach her eyes, you don't question because she kisses you again before patting you on the shoulder signaling you to leave.

Since Wanda didn't want you around for family Halloween, you went home. And you stood there, waiting. And waiting.

It must have been very late at night when you felt you could move again, and you left the sofa and opened the front door.

Wanda was sitting on the steps of her own porch, and you had brought a coat, and it only made sense when you saw her costume.

You didn't ask anything at first, only moving to place the item on the teary-eyed woman hugging her knees, and then sitting down next to her.

"I am waiting for Vision." She confessed in a voice hoarse from crying, and you swallowed dryly, mimicking her posture of hugging your own legs. "But I don't think he wants to be around me."

You propped your face on your knee. "I don't understand."

She sniffles a little. "What?"

"How someone could not want to be around you."

"You didn't." She retorts, and you frown in confusion. You open your mouth to ask, but Wanda shakes her head, and in the next second, the doubt is gone. She forces a half-whiny smile, looking up at you. "Would you like to come in?"

You smile. "Always."

She led you back to her bedroom, but this time, she just needed someone to hold her to sleep.

"It's okay, I won't leave you alone." You whisper into her ear, and you don't understand why it only makes her cry harder against your collarbone.

In the morning, you leave before the twins wake up because you don't want to cause trouble. 

–//–

Agatha can be a very unpleasant woman.

Or at least, her questions are.

She wants to know all about Wanda, about your arrival in town and is rather unhappy that you won't tell her anything. 

Oddly resistant, she mutters before letting you go.

Things don't get better after that.

You are taken away from the tranquility of your home when a car is rammed into your living room a few hours or days later. Time was relative in Westview.

"What the fuck...?" Your shocked questioning is interrupted by Agatha, jumping on top of you with one hand covering your mouth.

One finger over her lips signaling for you to be quiet. 

"Mind your business, little puppet." She whispered before she disappeared into the kitchen intact, and you, frowning in confusion, looked at the destruction. You saw, through the windows, a white figure approaching, and your stomach sank.

That was not Vision. You just knew.

And by the time you managed to get out of the house, the robot was lifting Wanda into the air and you had your confirmation.

She gasped in pain, but only for a brief moment, for by the time she blinked, you had released her, grabbing the machine as if it weighed nothing and throwing it so hard that it flew far almost enough to leave the Hex.

A second Vision flew toward him, but you turned to Wanda.

"Are you okay?"  You asked in desperation, but Wanda was pushing your hands away.

"My boys, you need-"

"I'll look after them." You cut her off with a forced smile, your hands returning to your cheeks. "But only if you promise to stay safe."

Wanda swallows dryly, her eyes filled with tears. "Y/N, there is something I need to tell you. I did something wrong, I should've-"

"Shh, it's okay." You interrupt her again, gently as you caress her skin. "Whatever it is, it can wait. I'm not going anywhere, Wands. Meet me later."

She sniffles, but nods and unlike all the other times, kisses you on the sidewalk without caring about the audience, or the possibility of her husband seeing you.

"Don't give up on me yet." She whispers against your lips, and you blink in confusion, but don't have time to ask because Wanda is pulling away.

You spin your feet to go in search of the little Maximoffs.

Tommy and Billy were as hard to handle as their mother.

"She asked me to keep you two safe, and bringing you into the middle of the fight is exactly disrespecting that." You stated seriously with your arms crossed in front of the bedroom door, and they both sighed in frustration.

But Billy stepped forward, a determined look in his eyes.

"Your head is noisy, Y/N. But you can't hear it can you?" He says and you frown in confusion. "Try." He insists. "Try to hear something besides my mother's voice."

At the boy's phrase, it's as if something clears in your mind all at once. You gasp away from the mental dominance, leaning both hands on one of the headboards.

When you start breathing normally again, you squeeze the wood hard enough to break, and the boys jump up startled.

"Stay behind me all the time, and do exactly what I tell you." You warn them with a raised finger. "If things get ugly, you will hide away from danger. Promise."

Billy and Tommy exchange glances. "Yes, ma'am."

You sigh before turning to lead the way.

–//–

Are you sure you want to delete the database? 

Non-reversible action.

You pressed enter, and as the progress bar moved, you reached into your pocket for your lighter.

"You know that's a federal crime, right?" Monica's voice made you jump slightly, but then a small smile appeared on your lips. You tossed the lit item into the first box, and moved to the door, slipping an arm over your sister's shoulders as you led her out of what remained of the Westview facility.

"Yeah, add another one to the bill." You joke, but Monica shakes her head, a concerned look on her face.

"A lot of people would testify on your behalf, Y/N. Darcy, Jimmy, me." She tries, but you sigh, releasing her and forcing a reassuring smile.

"It wouldn't make much difference, Monica, you know that." You retort. "Howard broke some laws, but he was still the director of a federal agency. And a human being. I had no right to take his life."

"He shot children!"

"Who don't exist." You retort with a weak laugh. "What kind of a statement could I possibly give? About anything here." You say looking around with a sigh. "The ghost town, a dead robot, and fake children. A witch who disappeared. All the FBI and the rest of the people know is that Howard is dead and I murdered him. And that's the only truth that matters."

Monica swallows dryly, squeezing your arm. "You saved Tommy and Billy, that's the truth. That matters. To me. And it must matter to her too."

You bite the inside of your cheek, looking up at the sky for a moment. "Are you going already?"

Monica hesitates. "I wanted to ask you to come with me, but I think you have somewhere else to be."

You smile weakly, returning your gaze to the captain. "Say hi to Carol for me."

Monica smiles. "Say hi to Wanda." She retorts.

You hug again, for real this time, while everything that existed of SWORD in Westview burns behind you.

Wanda left town without saying goodbye. You understood. She felt ashamed for what she had done. 

The last thing she asked you to do was to keep an eye on Agatha, and that should be the last defiance.

"I hate every second of your company." You recalled as Agatha led the way through the crowded, dark streets of some European city. "And I hope you know that if I didn't need your help to find her, I would have let you rot in Westview."

Agatha laughed, shaking her head. "You two deserve each other, I swear on Hecate." Murmured the witch, not taking any of your words to heart, knowing that you were only in a bad mood because she had woken you up before six in the morning, reminding you of the importance of leaving soon so as not to lose Wanda's traces. "I won't apologize for the time, Miss Danvers. If Wanda abuses the darkhold enough, there won't be anything left of the woman you know."

You bit the inside of your cheek, worry filling your chest. 

You didn't complain again for the rest of the trip.

It took weeks after Westview for you to finally learn something about the Scarlet Witch's whereabouts.

Agatha got rooms at an inn somewhere in Republik Transien in southern Europe, and you were at a table in the back of the tavern while she made some kind of magic map and you had dinner.

"That's kind of cool." You muttered, and she raised an eyebrow at you.

"Was that a compliment, Miss Danvers?" She scoffed and you rolled your eyes.

"I take it back." You retort and she laughs before getting back to work. She mutters a few dialects in a language that sounds Celtic, and you steal a few glances at the shiny threads forming on the page. "Are you sure it will work?"

"Don't underestimate my magical abilities, Danvers. I was tracking demons before you were out of diapers." She retorted impatiently and you chuckled lightly, returning your attention to food.

It wasn't long before Agatha let out a soft exclamation, and turned the parchment towards you.

"See? I told you." Said the witch pointing to the map that had formed, a bright spot a few roads away. You frowned slightly, moving your hand to pick up your cell phone and open the google maps app. When you compared the two, you grimaced at Agatha.

"It says here there's nothing in that area, you old hag."

Agatha moved her fingers, and your cell phone went off, getting a loud exclamation from you.

"Your generation relies too much on computers. Things started to go wrong there, you know? People stopped trusting the land."

"God, you're so old." You mutter, and when you realized that the cell phone wasn't going to work again, you squeezed it to break and discard it. As soon as you left the broken item on the table to go back to eating, Agatha looked at you with curiosity.

"These abilities you have, Miss Danvers..."

"What about them?"

"Where do they come from?"

You finish chewing your potatoes before answering. "I'm not sure. My sister absorbed a core made from an infinity stone. But I've always been like that. Maybe that's why she didn't want me to be the same as her."

Agatha hums, resting her face on her hand. "I told you Wanda was a natural witch, yes?" She asks and you nod as you eat. "And that's the only reason she survived the contact with an infinity stone."

"If you say so." You mutter half uninterested in Agatha's riddles, moving your hand to grab some beer.

"If your sister can absorb that much power, perhaps, she was already special." Agatha then says, and you frown in surprise, looking at the witch, who just holds your gaze. "And indeed, because you are her sister, so are you."

"Look, Agatha, I don't know where my powers come from, but my parents were just two grumpy military people who spent more time fighting and drinking than taking care of their kids." You retorted half annoyed. "There was nothing special about our family. My mother died giving birth to me, and my older brother died in service, so Carol and I had to put up with our father's drinking and venting all his frustration on us. When Joe died, Dad got aggressive. One day he tried to hurt Carol, and this..." You held up a closed fist. "happened. I broke his arm, he sent me to live with an aunt. I didn't see Carol for four years until she graduated. I thought we'd be a family again when Dad died and I went to live with the Rambeau, but I barely had Carol back only to have her get involved in a secret war and get stolen off this planet. This strength just got me into trouble, so I kept it a secret. When Carol came back, she didn't even remember me." You recount, and take a deep breath to control your emotion, not wanting to cry in front of the witch. "Anyway, even without Carol, Maria and Monica were my family. I joined SWORD, and I did a good job, even without the super strength. I never needed it, and I never felt special. So, no, Agatha, I have no interest in this matter."

She sighed in defeat, nodding. "I'm sorry, Miss Danvers, for pressing it." She says sincerely. "We should both rest, it's been a long trip. See you tomorrow?"

You mimic her forced smile as you nod, and watch her leave the tavern.

It is late when you get back to your room, and your back is a little sore from the uncomfortable positions on the rides you have taken to get to this place.

You take a long shower, and put on your most comfortable clothes, wondering if you will be able to watch anything without falling asleep immediately.

The witch in the middle of your room makes your sleep vanish immediately.

"Jesus Christ!" You exclaim in fright, stumbling backward and turning on the bedside lamp as the woman takes her gaze from the window to you.

"I told you to keep Agatha in check. In Westview. And you find a way to free her and bring her to me. In which part did you get lost?" 

You laugh, incredulous that the first thing Wanda does when she sees you is argue with you. 

"Good to see you too, Maximoff." You sneer, but she presses her lips in a fine line, putting her hands in the pockets of her dress. You almost bite your lips at how absurdly beautiful Wanda looks.

"I asked you to stay away because it's the safest thing to do." She insists seriously. "For you, because you are important to me. For her, because she is untrustworthy."

"Owt, Am I important to you?" you tease and a smile plays on her lips, even as she rolls her eyes.

"Y/N, go home." She says more seriously. "Stop looking for me. Please."

But you step forward, and another, and another. "I thought I made it clear before, little witch. I'm not leaving you alone."

Wanda swallows dryly, shuddering a little when your hands touch her cheeks. You tilt your head gently.

"Y/N, I-"

"You're not really here, are you?" You cut her off, but your tone is more curious than angry, and Wanda suddenly feels almost embarrassed. "You feel different. Your skin. Your presence. It's like a whisper." You say, tracing her face with your fingers and gaze. "Are you real?"

Wanda sighs. "Just enough." That's what she says before she breaks the distance.

It's your turn to gasp. You've missed it with all your heart, and even though you feel the soft difference, as Wanda lets her hands roam your body, the arousal pushes the doubts away.

But she must know that if you feel her intimately, you will notice the difference immediately, noticing the astral projection and most likely becoming angry or rejecting her. So she pushes your shoulders back into the mattress, kissing you so hard while letting one of her hands wander down that you don't even have time to think about anything before you feel her fingers dancing inside your pajama pants.

Wanda is insatiable. She tears orgasm after orgasm, until you are whimpering into the pillow destroyed as half the bed, your body shuddering beneath her as three fingers are buried in your throbbing cunt.

"Baby, is that too much... fuck-" Just like that, she gets another, kissing your face as you spill into her fingers, a satisfied moan escaping her lips as she feels your walls squeezing her.

"I had forgotten how dangerously addictive you are, malysha" She whispered against your ear, her fingers teasing your overstimulated clit and making you whimper mixed with pain and pleasure. "I could never forget you, no matter how hard I tried."

You gasped a little away from the arousal, trying to find her face again. "I feel the same way, Wanda, you have no idea."

She gives a small smile, kissing you again, and you sigh softly, there is something missing but you don't know what it is, not even understanding how Wanda was there.

A moment later, Wanda's fingers slide out, and she watches you calm down from your orgasm until she is lying next to you.

"If you find me, there will be no turning back." She warns in a whisper, and you look at her curiously. "I won't let you go."

Your hands find her face, and you kiss her gently.

"I can say the same, Scarlet Witch." You assure her, and Wanda sighs faintly, smiling a little as you kiss her forehead, and move to embrace her.

You fall asleep, but when you wake up, the bed is empty, and there is another witch knocking outside. You don't mind, knowing that the next time you sleep in Wanda's bed, she will stay.

–//–

"I have made mistakes that I do not expect you to overlook."

Wanda says, many minutes after you and Agatha arrived, and the witches argued for long moments until the older one said she would be in Salem when Wanda needed her again. You waited for her on the balcony.

You knew she was talking not only about Westview but about the short time she kept you locked up over Hex's charm. 

A soft sigh left your lips, and you smiled softly at her, turning and extending a hand.

"Hi." You say gently to the surprised woman. "I'm Y/N Danvers. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Y/N, what are you-"

"Let's start over, if that's what you need." You interrupt her meekly. "If leaving everything behind is what we need to make it work, so be it. I'm Y/N, and I'd love to take you out for coffee. As friends." You joke last, and Wanda chuckles lightly, her cheeks rosy.

She holds your hand, and shakes it. "I'm Wanda. I would love to have some coffee. Not as friends."

It is your turn to blush, and instead of letting go, you pull her hand until she entwines with you. 

"You need to tell me how you did that whole visiting me from across the country thing." You murmur to her a moment later, managing a long laugh against your collarbone.

She releases you to start explaining "It's called Astral Projection..."

[autism-autobot]

Based on previous polls:

Optimus Prime and Ratchet had finally made their way to the Scrapyard where Bumblebee resided. There they found him in his room, a dimly lit storage unit makeshifted into a type of one room apartment. It was a small (and at the moment quite messy) space set aside just for him. Bumblebee was merely sitting on his bed staring at the wall lost in his own dark thoughts and memories when the two elder bots approached, animal carrier in hand. Bumblebee was startled by their sudden, unexpected arrival.

Bumblebee: "Uh, hi. What are you doing here?"

Ratchet: "We merely came to lend you our help in whatever way we can."

Optimus: "We noticed that you were struggling quite a bit with your mental health, and we, along with the rest of your team, are quite worried about you."

Bumblebee: "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make anyone worry. I've just had a difficult last couple of cycles."

Ratchet: "Indeed. We thought you could use something, or rather someone, to aid you in both the short-term and the long-term."

Optimus put the carrier down in front of Bumblebee and opened the cage door. The emotional support bee previously dubbed 'Bumbly' was slow to exit their carrier, and climbed gently into Bumblebee's lap. They rolled over a bit to get comfortable fitting perfectly in the space provided, all the while Bumblebee stared at the smaller being in awe.

Bumblebee: "What's this?"

Optimus: "An emotional support bee, to help you in your struggles."

Ratchet: "Optimus named them 'Bumbly', but you can change their name if you so wish."

Bumblebee: "Yeah this one definitely needs a better name. How about Vanilla? I remember it was Raf's favorite flavor of that treat that humans call ice-cream."

Ratchet: "That is a lovely name."

Bumblebee: "You know, on Earth, most working animals have some sort of vest indicating what field they work in and to show that they're not a normal pet. Maybe I can make Vanilla one?"

Ratchet: "That sounds quite wonderful, Bumblebee."

Optimus: "However, I believe you may need a bit more space in order to construct such a vest."

Bumblebee: *looks around the room* *realizes that his room is a complete train wreck of a mess*

Bumblebee: "Yeah, you're probably right, I'll get this place cleaned up and then I'll get right on it."

Bumblebee, along with the assistance of Optimus, Ratchet and Vanilla, took several hours (yes his room was that messy) to clean and rid the room of filth and set up some necessary utilities for Vanilla. All the while Bumblebee spitballed some ideas as to what Vanilla's vest should look like. He came to the decision that he would pick one color and Vanilla would pick another to be woven into a stripped vest. Before he went to work on the vest, he chose a cloth golden in color and laid out various other colored fabrics in front of Vanilla. Vanilla chose one of a minty hue, and buried their face in the soft fabric. Bumblebee hand measured, cut and sewed each fabric piece into a lovely jacket vest that fit perfectly on Vanilla, who seemed to enjoy it as they snuggled up in Bumblebee's arms and chirped happily. Bumblebee petted the soft arm-lengthed bee, familiarizing himself with them. Optimus and Ratchet beamed at the sight of it.

Bumblebee: "Can I show Vanilla to the rest of my team?"

Ratchet: "It's your pet, do whatever you like with them!"

The rest of the team had mixed reactions to the small addition to their team. Grimlock took a bit to warm up to Vanilla, as they reminded him of a cat. Sideswipe tried to act like he didn't care but he ended up being the first one to hold Vanilla. Strongarm just squealed with glee at the sight, unable to fathom the amount of cuteness in front of her. This frightened Vanilla, and they buried themself in Bumblebee's neck to hide from Strongarm. Drift only cared that Bumblebee was finally getting himself the help he needed. He would never admit it out loud, but he was the one who first brought Bumblebee's mental health problems to Optimus and Ratchet's attention. The minicons and humans present all took turns petting Vanilla as Vanilla was slightly bigger than each of them individually. Sideswipe later found the Vanilla's vest to be a bit too plain and stuck a near countless amount of stickers on it, much to both Bumblebee's and Vanilla's liking. Bumblebee made vast improvements in the upcoming months and both him and his team were happier and mentally healthier than ever before.

[nova--spark]

Please tell us HOW is the sweet precious Alba supposed to get together with Frost? HOW??

The same way my other ocs, Radix and Cloudsinger got together. Chaotically.

Also, meddling of a Prime.

So, when Frost was first assigned guard duty at the Archives as punishment, she was sent specifically to work in Alba's section.

Alba had always been the one they piled work onto, and with her usual happy rambles, or sunny disposition, they thought 'this will be further punishment/here, so we don't have to deal with both of them'.

As such, Frost initially hated Alba, because here was this archivist, who seemed so naive, and would ramble endlessly without stopping sometimes.

It was annoying.

She tries to tune her out several times, and she was further apalled in seeing how Alba was such a fantastic flyer, able to make quick turns, dives and dodges with the constantly moving Archives [In my continuity, the Archives are in nonstop motion.] that she surely would have been a great combat flyer, especially with such silent wings!

But she chose to log data every day instead?

How pitiful. And it would only get worse, when both were sent on a research and recovery trip to a colony outside of Cybertron's galaxy. After all, this new promotion to researcher meant Alba needed a bodyguard and well...Frost did need to continue her punishment.

On this trip, Frost threatened Albanoct, making it very clear she was not her friend, and that the only reason she did not end her, is because she was waiting for this punishment to be over.

Alba was frighteningly quiet the rest of the trip, rarely going on her rambles anymore and...

When inevitably, while trying to recover and fix the colony's archives, they were targeted by a small group of Cons, Alba was more scared of Frost's threats days before than of the Cons.

Frozen in fear, Alba only watched as Frost dealt with the cons with ferocity, but ended up heavily damaged in the end.

Frost just wanted her agony to end, and Alba, though terrified, patched her up regardless, despite Frost's protests.

In her own words:

"You were punished with being my guard. And I know you hate it, I know you'd rather kill me if it didn't extend your sentence, but I would rather you live to see the end of your sentence,"

So, Frost stopped struggling, and just allowed Alba to work. When Alba was finished, she thought she heard a faint voice say thank you.

But then again, Frost was committed to her vow of silence.

Frost would later on apologize, and admit that...she did enjoy Alba's rambles. It quieted the rage that had followed her for so long.

So, from then on, they became more amicable with each other. Things did not last perfectly forever, as with time, Frost's punishment was supposed to end.

Thing was, Alba had found a loophole. It had been an order from a higher power within the Archives, the highest of all, that had assigned Frostclaw as Alba's bodyguard on their research trip.

And the orders of a living Prime could not be superseded by anyone.

Which made it all the more devastating when the order was rescinded by Alpha Trion himself. Meaning Frostclaw had to leave, and there was no loop hole this time, no bylaw, no trick Alba could find to have her stay.

Alba, distraught and feeling betrayed, called out Alpha Trion as 'a coward' to have sent Frost away like this. And unexpectedly, Alba's quill, a lesser copy of Alpha Trion's [to be explained at another time if y'all are curious], would choose that moment to come to life.

Guiding Alba down forgotten paths, Alba would come to face the Scribe of the 13, and he would scold her, for hiding rather than standing up as she should have.

Because when moments like this happened, she couldn't just rely on others to hide behind or to look only for answers in the Archives.

When Alba left the archives, she had a new plan in the end, of how to prevent Frost leaving.

Frost and her clan were on the brink of boarding when, under the guise of last goodbyes, Alba spoke up and made it clear, Frost was not bound by her guard duty, nor her punishment anymore. Meaning, she could of her own volition, leave freely from Clan Claw as things stood.

"Frostclaw's punishment is over, and as is her orders yes. But that also means, she no longer needs to abide by your rules, and I don't need to either, as I am not of your clan. So you will let her stay here. She will stay with me. Because it would look quite terrible to record that your dear clan, has lost not one, but two heir apparents to the clan , who ran away, or were forced into a position that made them miserable "

This display of cleverness did result in the Clan Head threatening the slaughter of the Archives, to all those inside. Of which the Scribe of the 13 was present for, and not exactly one to allow his work to be disturbed by such threats of violence.

In the end, Frost was allowed to stay, her Clan leaving with their tails tucked between their legs, and Alba and Frost just happy to not be torn apart by anyone else.

Frost's vow of silence still stood, but, with some minor modification. Now, in the presence of only herself and Alba, she could speak in peace, because with Alba, her rage was calmed.

Like I said, Chaotic Love story

[leelany-world]

DBH Rarepairsweek: Sacrifice (RK1760)

@dbhrarepairs DBH rarepairsweek 6, Day 1, prompt: Sacrifice

Words: 1818 Relationships: Connor x Sixty x Nines Additional Tags: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt, no real comfort in this one, Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), established relationship Summary: “No... No, I can't let this happen.... NO! No, no!.. No! NO!” Sixty freaked out, desperately trying to shove the broken pieces of the thirium pump regulator back into Connor's chest.

Sacrifice

Just a moment ago, Connor and Sixty had entered an alley while Connor was telling Sixty about his plans for their evening together. All the plans he had for him and Nines when they got home.

Now Sixty was lying on his back on the asphalt, staring up at the sky—a sky obscured by smoke and dust. His optical units took a moment to calibrate and his body felt sluggish. Static noise filled his head as his audio processor also malfunctioned.

The sensors in his mouth, however, were working. They involuntarily analyzed the contents of the air and flooded his HUD with the results of their readings. The following substances were highlighted:

Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, PETN C5H8N4O12 Hexogen, RDX C3H6N6O6 Polybutadiene styrene rubber, SBR C12H14

The ingredients of Semtex.

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Connor and he would guard the exit on one side of the anti-android gang's headquarters, while Nines and a few others from the New Jericho Defense Force would come from the opposite direction to attack from the other exit of the building.

A few days ago, this gang had attacked New Jericho, and now New Jericho's finest were supposed to fight back. They had done this many times before, taking out several other gangs.

But Sixty never thought it would go so wrong this time. 

It was a run-down, abandoned neighborhood in Detroit, and he hadn't expected to be attacked in this meaningless alley he had spontaneously chosen as a shortcut. This gang seemed a lot more dangerous if they secured their territory this heavily.

Connor and Sixty had distracted each other, they had been careless and had not scanned their surroundings—and then the two were hit by an explosion.

Connor!

Sixty had to get up to look for him, but his processor and body still felt slow as his entire system had to recalibrate. So he just managed to lift his head to look around.

The alley was in shambles. The walls of the surrounding buildings bore scorch marks from the explosion, and there was debris and shards on and around him.

Then he spotted Connor lying a few feet away from him, apparently still unconscious. Sixty turned onto his stomach and reached out to him, his fingers just barely touching Connor's, who fortunately opened his eyes at Sixty's touch.

They must have been lucky. His HUD still showed no warnings of any damage to himself or Connor.

He saw Connor's mouth moving, talking to him, but it didn't come through the static.

Sixty tried to communicate through their shared link, but his communication system was broken as well. He pointed at his head and shook it in denial.

Connor must have understood his problem and pointed in front of Sixty. Sixty's eyes followed the movement, and he found his audio processor lying on the floor in front of him. Confused, he checked his HUD and self-scan again, but still nothing was displayed.

With trembling fingers, he picked it up and placed it in the slot behind his ear. After a second, the static was gone and he could hear clearly again.

“You are ok…” Connor said, his voice distorted by the static. 

Something was wrong.

But Sixty still couldn't see any warnings, his scanner and self-diagnostic program must have been malfunctioning. He had probably hit his head after the explosion—a  weak spot after being shot once—causing his programs to shut down.

This was confirmed when Connor tried to sit up, a hand grabbed his chest, and thirium flowed freely through it. When he withdrew his thirium-stained hand, a part of his thirium pump regulator slipped through his fingers and fell to the ground. For a moment it glowed red before its light went out. 

It was broken.

Connor's fucking thirium pump regulator was broken.

Something must have hit him in the chest and destroyed it.

Sixty's stress level skyrocketed, and the situation crashed down on him. His thought processes were messed up, everything went haywire in his mind while he stared helplessly at Connor with wide-open eyes. He felt paralyzed again.

This had been his fault. He had talked Connor into taking the path through this alley. A deserted area where they would get no help. Not in the few minutes Connor had left.

“Six…” Connor whispered and reached for him. But he was already too weak to support himself and collapsed back to the ground, his eyes begged for help.

Hearing his voice like that shattered something inside Sixty.

“No! No... you fucking idiot!” Sixty screamed as he crawled across the dirty pavement—his body still not cooperating—shards tearing his clothes and scraping his chassis, but he had to get to Connor.

He flipped him onto his back, and saw Connor's fiery red LED. With trembling hands, he tried to reassemble the biocomponent.

“Nines!” Sixty yelled into the air.

He must have heard the explosion, why wasn't he here already? Sixty thought, but he didn't even know how much time had passed because he couldn't read anything from his system.

“I can't reach him, can you?” he asked Connor.

“He'll be too late.” 

“No... No, I can't let this happen.... NO! No, no!.. No! NO!” Sixty freaked out, desperately trying to shove the broken piece of the regulator back into Connor's chest. 

They were in danger in this situation because they would both die here if the gang found them before Nines did. Their weapons were gone and they had no place to hide.

“Sixty, it's no use, it's over…” Connor said, putting his hand on Sixty's arm to get his attention. “You have to go, the gang is on their way.”

“No, I won't let you die,” Sixty muttered, “You didn't let me die either. You came back for me and showed me how to live. You can't do that to me and Nines. Or to Hank.”

Sixty's thoughts continued to spin madly in his head. 

This was all his fault. He had failed Connor.

He had talked Connor into going this way.

He had distracted Connor when he wanted to know his plans for their evening.

Now Connor would die because of him.

Nines and Hank would never forgive him, nor would the other leaders of New Jericho.

He could never forgive himself for it—and never live with himself for letting Connor die.

This made him realize something, and his spinning thoughts merged into a single one.

He felt calm—despite the dire situation.

He could never live without Connor.

Every single one of his sensors was focused on him. The only thing he could see was Connor, the only thing he could hear was his failing voice.

Sixty had never thought he would act like this. He was always the selfish one, the one who made poor decisions, and the others had to get him out of it. But with this decision, no one could save him.

He knew what he had to do—and it was the only way to save Connor.

It was Connor or him.

A decision that had been made once before.

But this time, Sixty could decide for himself.

He focused on Connor's teary eyes as he ripped open his own shirt, hesitating for a moment as he touched his chest. 

“What are you doing?” 

“You don't have time,” he began. “You're one of our leaders, I'm just a soldier, and I really don't feel like taking your position,” Sixty joked.

“Sixty, no ...,” Connor begged, but he was already too weak to stop him.

“I'll save you. Let me do something right for once.” With a determined look in his eyes, he pressed lightly on the edge of his own regulator to eject it.

Sixty watched one of the most vital biocomponents in his hand, but even then his HUD remained clear. No warnings, no timer telling him when he would die.

He leaned forward, but Connor tried to shield the socket of his thirium pump regulator with his weak hands.

“I can't live with this…,” Connor stammered.

“And I couldn't do it the other way either, so let me be selfish and not be the one left behind.”

Sixty pried his hands away and pushed his regulator in.

Connor groaned and his body automatically took in artificial air as he sat up to flood his system with fresh air to stop the overheating.

“This is usually a lot sexier,” Sixty joked in a static-distorted voice as he collapsed.

Connor shot forward and lifted him into his arms. Without another thought, he reached for his chest to return the regulator, but Sixty stopped him.

“Let me have this dramatic ending,” he laughed again—humor, his typical way of dealing with difficult situations.

“Shit, Sixty, that's not funny.”

“You know… how I am… Maybe now you'll finally have a sense of humor… with my heart...”

Connor tried again to get the regulator out with his own trembling hands when Nines’ firm hand on his stopped him.

“It’s too late,” Nines stated, his toneless voice hiding what he really felt as he looked down at the hopeless situation before him. He was too late, he could not save them both.

Connor hugged Sixty tightly, whispering repeatedly that he wouldn't leave him as he rocked his body back and forth.

“Please, let me go... I should have died in the Tower…”

“Sixty, no, I—”

“Shut up. You know we don't do that…” 

So Connor opened an interface and sent all his feelings through it, instead of having to express them verbally, as he kissed Sixty one last time; a hard, desperate press of lips against lips.

“Nines, take him away now, big guy,” Sixty ordered, his voice failing him more and more.

“I will,” Nines replied as he gently pulled Connor away from him and pressed Sixty's weak body against his in a last embrace.

“Please forgive me,” Nines whispered as he kissed him goodbye on the forehead.

“I don't want to…” were the last static words to come out of Sixty's mouth. A mouth that normally could never shut up. His LED flickered red before the light went out forever.

Nines gently laid his lifeless body on the floor as Connor pushed him away to return to Sixty.

But he could only give him a brief moment to mourn when loud voices came in their direction, most likely their attackers.

He grabbed Connor and dragged him out of the alley amid shouts and protesting fists pounding on his arms.

“Nines, we can't leave him!”

“He's gone, Connor,” Nines lied. 

He didn't want to give him false hope.

For Nines had transferred Sixty to his ZenGarden at the last second, where he now lay dormant. But he didn't know how long even his state-of-the-art hardware would be able to run two systems.

[revedetendresse]

The Blurred Line Between Love & Hate...

Modern AU - A Harwin Strong x Stark!Fem Reader story. 

Ryan's scenes as Simon Beecher on The Secrets She Keeps keep on being an inspiration, I keep writing things with the idea of how I can use them, it’s getting out of control 😅

Synopsis: You grew up as the perfect daughter. Perfect grades, obeyed your parents, no boyfriend until you were 18. Graduated Winterfell High as valedictorian. Top of your class at university. Your parents were proud to show you off at every social event back then. 

Your future was decided for you a long time ago. You were taught to play by the rules, to always think of the family's reputation, to always give yourself 200% into your work. 

But you were also taught to never trust the Strongs. Never befriend them, never get involved in any way with them. When you asked why they were your family's enemies, the answer was never clear. 

You were called a workaholic. You simply liked your life as it was. You were sticking to your routine. You liked being in control. 

You didn't feel like the perfect daughter anymore. You stopped being the woman they thought you were… because you slipped up. One moment, one impulsive act… turned into the biggest secret of your life. Some things, some people were just worth lying for…

+ masterlist of my stories here +

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sound of a received message coming from a phone made you walk out of the bathroom to enter the bedroom. 

"Yours or mine?", you asked. 

"Yours.", answered the man still laying in bed, back against the headboard.

Before you could cross the distance to your phone, he gently grasped your wrist and brought your hand to his lips.

You lightly squeezed his hand in return as you offered him a fond smile. Of the two of you, Harwin was the romantic and affectionate one.

You pulled away and he kept holding your hand until you were out of his reach.

You grabbed your device from the coffee table, ignoring the heated gaze of your lover raking up and down your body. He was clearly appreciating the view he had from the bed, of the black short sleeved, knee length dress you wore hugging your curves perfectly, and giving him a glimpse of your back as the dress was only half zipped.

"Henry fucked up and needs me to save his ass. Again. I can't believe my father chose this guy as head of marketing instead of me.", you ranted, annoyed as you read the text. 

You put your phone back down and walked over to the wooden dresser across from the bed, where you left your rings, necklace and earrings. 

"Still haven't changed your mind about going official, have you?", he wished to know. He sounded grouchy, irked. Well, even more than the last time he asked. 

The two of you had been having this conversation for the past 6 months. Harwin wanted to go public with the relationship. He was growing frustrated, tired of hiding and meeting in hotel rooms. You wished it was that simple. However, there was too much at stake at the moment for you to reveal your relationship. That… and the fact you feared your father’s reaction. 

"You know I can't. If my father finds out I'm sleeping with a Strong, he literally IS going to kill me. Then you… Then me again.", you argued with a heavy sigh. 

You locked eyes with him through his reflection in the mirror. So much had happened in the last 3 years…

You grew up being taught the Strongs were your family's enemies so, when you had met Harwin at the bar of the hotel you always stayed in, in New York, you naturally wanted to keep your distance. But you had a terrible day and things went out of control. You will never forget that day for several reasons… 

You were picking up the pieces of your broken heart after walking in on your boyfriend in bed with another woman. The asshole tried to justify his cheating by saying that you were married to your job, putting in hours to please your father and he was nothing more than an afterthought. You were drowning your sadness in your daiquiri in silence, until a man sat in the seat next to you. You recognized him immediately and it was clear he knew who you were as well. 

"Is Horizon losing that much money to Cineo for you seek comfort in a glass? 

You sent him a dark glance. What a jerk. Horizon was doing fine, despite the concurrence. It was your family's streaming platform, established internationally. First platform to exist, no matter how much Netflix liked to pretend they were there first. Cineo was the Strongs' own platform, launched two years after. The two have been in competition, especially in Westeros ever since. Both companies were accusing one another of spying, stealing ideas, hiring producers and crew behind the other company's back, screwing the competitiveness of the market, among other things. 

"As much as I would love a verbal sparring with you on any other day, Mr Strong, I'm afraid I'm not in the mood right now.", you responded a bit harshly. "Please, just leave me alone.", you added in a soft pleading voice. 

You felt exhausted and miserable, and wished to be left with nothing but regrets as company. 

He studied you for a moment then did something that took you completely by surprise. 

"That was uncalled for, I'm sorry." he replied, genuinely apologizing. "May I ask what happened?" 

You still didn't know to this day what pushed you to tell him the truth instead of just ignoring him or going back to your room. 

"I can't keep a man around for more than a year apparently.", you revealed with a sad sarcastic chuckle. "Thought I would surprise him with takeout from his favorite restaurant and a bottle of wine. Only to find him fucking someone else on my couch." 

Harwin didn't say anything. He sipped at his own drink. 

"You must be rejoicing on the inside seeing me like this.", you sneered. 

"Contrary to what you believe about me, I don't take joy in other people's suffering. Even when they're a Stark.", Harwin admitted with an empathic look in your direction. "I know what it feels like, being lied to and betrayed."

"You? Cheated on?", you wondered out loud, bewildered. 

"How is that so hard to believe?" 

"Please, don't act as if you didn't know you're attractive, charming… and polite. Not something many men know the definition of these days. A flash of that smile can get you any woman, I'm sure." 

"Got all that from our two minute conversation?"

His smirk was infuriating, yet he was joking and you felt the corner of your own mouth turning up in a hardly contained smile. 

"No woman in her right mind would cheat on a guy like you."

"Tell that to my ex and my former best friend. I was nothing but a bank account to them."

"That's what happened with the Targaryen girl.", you guessed as you played with your bracelet. "You have more decency that I have. Basically told everyone in the industry what kind of man my ex is, I fear he's not going to find a job anytime soon." 

The two of you laughed. You spent the evening at the bar with Harwin, talking. It had been far from unpleasant. He had been a welcomed distraction. 

And when you got out of the elevator on the same floor – since your suites were a few doors apart – later that night, you had no intention for anything to happen. He was a Strong and you were a Tyrell. Nothing could ever happen. 

In front of the door of his suite, you confessed it felt great to have your mind taken off everything that worried you. You offered him your hand to shake, he took it with an amused smile. 

"We can't change the circumstances with our families but we can be cordial to one another, can't we?" 

"We can.", he agreed with a nod. "Their shared hatred doesn't have to be ours." 

You intended to let go of his warm hand that enveloped yours…You didn't. 

You kissed him. When you realized what you were doing, you pulled away with a gasp. 

His eyes dived into yours. 

You were about to apologize when his arms snaked around your waist and drew you back to him for another kiss. 

It just… happened. You didn't know why it did. One moment you were only thinking of getting some much needed sleep and the next, your lips collided with his. 

You had sex with him that night and declared the next morning before leaving his room, that it had been a mistake, it would never happen again and you would ruin his life if he dared speak of it to anyone. 

That threat became meaningless when you ran into him in London three weeks later… You had no idea what he did but the man you had been flirting with gave you a pathetic excuse and left in the middle of dinner after he had to take an important call. In retaliation, you spilled your margarita onto his date's dress pretending it was an accident when you left the restaurant. 

It was petty but you felt he deserved it for ruining your evening. You were going back to your room pretty satisfied with yourself when he entered the elevator just before the doors closed. You kept your eyes on the doors while he stared at you. Still, you noticed how handsome he looked with his hair tied and away from his face, a 3-day stubble on his jaw and a suit that matched the color of his eyes. When he understood you had no intention of speaking to him, he pressed the stop button and the elevator paused its movement just before reaching your floor. He turned on you immediately and you took a step back. 

"Feel pretty proud of yourself, don't you?" 

"I have no idea what you mean.", you played the innocent. After all, he didn't witness the scene and he had no proof it was you who ruined the woman's expensive dress. 

"You didn't have to wreck my plans. I kept my mouth shut."  

"Oh yeah?! And what you did to MY date? Jordan made an escape like his life depended on it!", you shouted back. How dared he?! 

"He's not worthy of you."

"You're fucking unbelievable! We had sex once and you think you know me?!" 

"He's married! Okay? I saw him remove his wedding ring. I wanted to spare you the heartache.", Harwin explained, irritated. 

That gave you pause. Damn. You should have known Jordan was too perfect to be true. 

"I suppose I should thank you." 

"Don't mention it. You didn't have to ruin her dress, you know?" 

You bit your lip to keep from grinning. 

"I probably saved you, too. Checking her phone every 5 minutes? Definitely wasn't interested in your personality." 

"Oh, so now you care?", he said, raising an eyebrow as his expression lost any trace of exasperation. 

You snickered. 

"I don't." 

He took a step forward into your personal space, you took a step back. Then another and another, until your back hit the wall of the elevator. 

"I make you feel out of control and it scares the hell out of you.", he whispered against your lips as his hands came to rest on your hips. 

The warmth of his palms burned through the fabric of your skirt. You were trying to keep a clear head but his proximity was making it difficult. Your body didn't forget his touch and was reacting accordingly. Traitor. 

"You need to allow yourself to live a little…" 

You put a hand to his clothed chest to regain a bit more space from him. 

"I like my life as it is.", you murmured, breathless, heart pounding in your chest. 

He hummed, not believing a word. 

"No, you don't…" 

He captured your lips in a hot kiss as his hands cupped your ass to remove any distance between you two. 

Hadn't it been for the interphone asking if everything was alright, you probably would have let him have his way with you there and then. You somehow managed to make your way out of the elevator to your suite, not detaching your hands and lips from one another. 

That's how you stumbled into bed with Harwin Strong for the second time, internally swearing to yourself it was the last time and it wouldn't happen again. 

It kept happening.

The sex was amazing, the banter agreeable and you both slowly turned to each other for comfort and support over time. 

You couldn't remember at which point you stopped leaving the bed right after you had both climaxed to take a shower and started staying under the sheets either on your side or cuddled up to him, your head on his chest, the tips of his fingers tracing the soft skin of your shoulder. 

It flourished into a real relationship, a secret one for both your sakes and led to real love, though neither of you had voiced your feelings with those little three words yet. 

Here you were, 3 years later. You lost a higher position on the company's ladder to an incompetent colleague who did nothing but flatter your father to get into his good grace but you had Harwin, his love and his support. It was enough for now.

~

> MASTERLIST HERE <

[masterjedilenawrites]

The Batch Family: The Ninth of September

Part of my Bad Batch AU: "The Batch Family" [Collection Masterlist].

Word count: 990 | Batch ages: Multiple

Note: Since 9/9 obviously has to be the Batch boys' birthday, thought I'd take the opportunity to write a little something about it. It's been so long since I've written for this family, I miss them...

The Ninth of September | Celebrating the boys' birthdays through the years...

Their first birthday had been a spectacle. Beth had only had them for a few months at that time. She'd made it through the summer with them, working limited hours at her job in order to figure out a home routine, and thus sacrificing a lot just to ensure her new family got off to a decent start. But though there was still progress to be made for stability by the time September 9th rolled around, all of her family, friends, and apparently whoever else felt like it, still insisted on showing up, using the boys' birthday as a pretense for ogling her anomaly of a family.

Her mom hadn't yet gotten over her disapproval of the situation, pointing out every little mess in her home, and questioning every little decision Beth made for the boys. Her friends stood awkwardly about, treating her like she was a different person, like they'd never met her before and didn't know what to say. Her dad kept trying to slip her some cash, while the one set of grandparents she still had left were less subtle in their efforts to talk about her financial situation. And then there were plenty of faces she didn't recognize that had somehow wandered in, acting as if it was their business to be there, casting judgment and whispering comments under their breaths.

Thus, their second birthday was much more private.

Though the people in Beth's life had quieted down by then, she still chose to ignore any questions about planning a party and allowed herself to enjoy a birthday with her sons in peace. Well, in as much peace as five 2-year-old toddlers could manage. They ended up making a disaster of the kitchen as she tried using their help to make a cake. Flour on noses and batter on the walls, the whole bit. It was the most fun she'd ever had with them, the first time she gave herself permission to stop caring about being perfect. She would remember their unrestrained laughter and squeals of glee for years.

The next several birthdays were similarly private and energetic. She couldn't afford gifts and there never seemed to be enough friends for parties, so she made up for it with creative activities to make the day special. Crafts or games were the go-tos, with an occasional movie as they got older and could sit still longer.

Their ninth birthday was the "golden birthday," when their age matched the date, and that year she did splurge a bit and took them to see a soccer game in one of the bigger cities. That was the moment that started it all, the soccer obsession that would overtake their lives for the next several years. All she had wanted to do was distract them from the revelation they'd had earlier that year, about their birth parents and the fact that Echo's birthday was technically two weeks earlier and she'd pretended otherwise this whole time just to keep them from questioning the past until they were ready to understand it. And as a consequence she'd now have to deal with them being distracted by sports every day for the next decade. Oh well.

It wasn't until the were in the double-digits that she started inviting others again. She'd been back on good terms with her parents for a while but they had moved and visits simply weren't as convenient. But with the boys making more friends as they got older, she very well couldn't be that mom who deprived them of what everyone else had, and everyone else had birthday parties. Sure, the decorations were from the dollar store, and the only food she could offer was cheap pizza and a generic sheet cake from Costco, but young kids didn't care about such things. The fact they could say they had a party, and could be allowed to run around with their friends doing who-knew-what, that was enough.

Eventually, teenage angst got in the way, as it often did, so their fifteenth birthday was another tumultuous one. No one could agree on what do to celebrate. Wrecker and Echo wanted to keep things the same and just invite people over. Tech wanted to have more of an interesting outing, such as going to the newly opened cornfield maze. Hunter seemed embarrassed to want to do anything, and Crosshair was set on being contrary and arguing against any idea that was thrown out.

Beth had tried her hand at making a cake again, as a surprise, but ended up being so exhausted with their quarreling that she went to bed early for the night. The boys discovered the cake in the fridge later and felt awful, but not quite enough to snap out of their brooding, bickering personas just yet. No, those would continue to fester for a while longer.

But the nice, fun birthdays got back on track the following year, giving the Batch house a few more years of shared memories before they grew up too much. Eventually they graduated, started traveling, moving away, turning into adults with ambitions and futures. Birthdays wouldn't look quite the same after that.

All Beth could do was cherish the memories... and enjoy her flowers. She wasn't sure who started the tradition - she suspected Echo - but after the first year they had all been apart for their birthday in their twenties, they each started sending her flowers, every September 9th. Even though she hadn't been the one to give birth to any of them, they still felt she deserved some recognition for all the years she'd tried to give them a special day, even amidst any chaos or financial struggle or social awkwardness.

And toward each other, they'd acknowledge their shared day with nothing more than a simple Happy Birthday text in the group chat... Except Echo, who'd teasingly text back, Guess you guys forgot my birthday again...

~ ~ ~

The Batch Family Tag: @damerondala, @dangerousstrawberrypie, @pandora-the-halfling, @misogirl828, @darkangel4121, @sobstea, @rintheemolion, @dionysuskid21, @jesseeka, @hanbetired, @harleyevanstan, @imabeautifulbutterfly, @sarahtanmarvel, @itsagrimm, @lackofhonor, @error6gendernotfound, @theclonesdeservebetter, @hannahhearttcw, @kaijusplotch, @salaminus, @theroguesully, @reading02, @techie-bear, @not-a-big-slay, @nekotaetae, @the-mom-friend-dot-com, @pickle-rick-y, @flowered-bicycles, @droids-you-are-looking-for, @sleepycreativewriter

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[ahnsael]

Another update

Several years ago, a lady told a now former manager that she had a big crush on me. This manager was not always trustworthy, so I let it go.

A couple months ago, I finally asked this lady if it was true. She said it was -- as in past tense. I told her I was interested, but she is in a rough life situation and wants to focus on that. She said she needed time to fix her situation before even thinking about whether it was something she still wanted.

She is still in her situation, but she made her decision. It did not go my way. It never does.

But she and I are still friends. So that's a good thing. We don't want to give up on friendship. She and I both agree on that. I'd rather have her in my life as a friend than to lose her completely. I have to accept and respect her decision and not try to push anything unless she chooses on her own to change her mind. I had hopes. Not only had she told another manager that she had a thing for me, but her son, after I included him in a dinner, flat out told her she should date me. I thought that was going to be a deciding factor when she told me he had said that.

But life moves on. This year has been such an anomaly after 15 years of being single. Two girlfriends in the same year. Almost a third (well, I don't know how "almost" it was).

I need to stop putting myself through this. Because the two girlfriends I had (one for three days, one for a month and a half) didn't last long. I don't know that romance is even worth trying for. I see happy couples. People who work well together. I thought this one who turned me down was a good match. I still think we would be. But again, I have to accept and respect her decision and not try to change her mind. After my last girlfriend, who turned 24 after we dated (yes, less than half my age -- I turn 49 in less than a month), this one is 57, so next month when I turn 49, she would be 8 years older than me. And the difference is amazing. This one who chose not to date me is so much wiser and more mature. The last one, I see her making bad decision after bad decision. I do not see the young one as a friend anymore. She seems to think we are, but every time she calls or texts me, it is to ask me for something. A ride, some money, or to help her with something else. She tries to just use me. Even though she is with someone else now. She dumped me to move away, then never moved away. And then quit her job, meaning she cannot possibly afford to move away. She may have thought she was telling the truth about moving, but it turned out not to be true. The one before her, who is 40, was much more honest with me when she ended things after a few days. She didn't want to risk losing me as a friend if things did not work out. Well, things did not work out and that was her decision, and we are still friends. I told her she would not lose me as a friend no matter what, and I have proven that. I think she and I had a chance to work out (I was more sure about the most recent older lady), and would have loved to try. But things are what they are.

I just have to move on. And I have some serious thinking to do about whether to ever try for romance again. The pain when it does not work out is real. But while romance (or even the possibility of romance) feels wondrful (emotionally -- I'm not talking about physical things), when it ends it hurts a lot. The hurt may outweigh the happy moments.

So it may be best for me to just give up on ever finding someone who is right for me.Two of the three I pursued this year, I thought could be "the one." Actually, all three were in that category at some point. The one making the bad decisions, I am glad I lost. I dodged a bullet on that one.

The other two I would date again in a heartbeat if they changed their minds. No way with the younger one. The maturity level is just not there. She and I had some good times (she is Native Americanand took me to a hot spring that I would be arrested for visiting if a Native American didn't have me there as a guest). I do not regret her. But it is for the best that she and I are no longer together.

But for the other two, I would give all of my love to either of them if one was to change their mind and want me back. If both change their mind, I would probably just stick with whoever did it first. Then again, maybe the most recent prospect would be the one. The first does not like the second. I can talk to the third about the first. I cannot talk to the first about the third. I cannot talk to the middle one about either one of the other two. So it would probably be wisest, on the off chance that I GET another chance, to go with the one who is older than me. She is the one with whom I do not feel like I have to keep certain things surpressed.

But I don't think it is likely in either case. It's silly of me to even think of who I would choose when all three of them chose not to date me. Even if they did for a little while.

Oh, and I had to go to the emergency room twice two weeks ago. The first time they kept me overnight. The second time, the doctor just told me "I am not well-versed in something like this; here is a list of specialists I found on Google."

I won't go into detail. They were both scary situations but it would be WAY TMI to tell you what I was there for. I am not dying any faster than anyone else. Some antibiotics that played badly with my stomach otherwise did their job. I am okay. Mostly. Mentally, maybe not so much, and actually not that great physically, but I am better than I was. I will live until I die, but I don't expect death any time soon. Of course, we never know. I only drive four miles to work, and have almost been T-boned on the driver's side of my car twice by people running red lights and going 50 in a 25mph zone. And the casino had guns pulled when it was robbed in July. They shot at a deputy. They would have definitely been willing to shoot at any of us if we hadn't given them the money.

But the plan is for me to stick around in life for quite a while.

[aphrodisiac-siren]

Innocence- Aemond X OC

Summary: War is an ugly thing; Something that is common knowledge to all and yet something people resort to anyway when conflicts arise. It was not something Eirlys Velaryon wanted though, nor what Aemond Targaryen wanted as well. It was a war they were dragged into, and suffering they had to endure for crimes they were innocent of.

Masterlist

Part 5

Several days had past and Aemond could feel his Eirlys slipping further and further away from him.

He had never regretted any of his past actions more. In that moment he'd felt as if he was merely obliging to one of his duties but eventually he'd wished he never listened to Aegon.

Unsure of how to resolve the matter, he decided to go and talk to his mother.

"It would help of you just told me what the problem is exactly" Alicent tried to explain when Aemond refused to disclose a number of details about his and Eirlys' conflict.

"It was just something I did that upset her, something that that can't be undone" he sighed "I'm hoping there's a way of showing her how sorry I am for it. I suppose I didn't think things through before doing it"

"Small gestures to reassure her you won't repeat your past actions" the queen mother tried to find a few solutions "spend some time with her, allow her to see you are working toward being better for her"

"The only time we ever spend together now is when she wishes to publicly show the nobles of our courtship" Aemond sadly admitted "we haven't been the same since that nigh- that incident"

"I see" Alicent hummed in response "I'd say give her time. Do not rush her into forgiving you, she will do it when she finds it in her heart to do so"

"Do you believe that she will?"

"Yes" the older woman smiled at her son "Eirlys might be upset at you but she still loves you the same. You both have grown so close to each other over the years, a little argument won't change that"

"I hope so" Aemond mumbled as he toyed with the hem of his leather vest "it's been a mess lately"

"Have you both had any talks about the marriage?" Alicent inquired.

"None as of late" her son shrugged as he avoided looking at her.

Alicent sighed, now getting slightly worried. She knew the two of them would get married regardless of their situation but she wished for her son to have a happy marriage, not one where him and his wife spent every waking hour avoiding each other.

She hoped in that moment that whatever happened between them would eventually die down so that they might once again go back to how things were.

Aemond went to Eirlys' chambers soon after, unsure if she would accept the invitation he was to offer to her.

He waited patiently for her to open the doors after he'd knocked, softly tapping his foot in anticipation.

"Aemond" she simply greeted in a monotone voice. A complete contrast to how she usually used to react, gracing him with her playful smile and on some occasions a hug.

"I am to circle the skies around the castle with Vhagar" he told her as he avoided direct eye contact "would you like to accompany me with Ember?"

Eirlys took a moment to consider this, tilting her head slightly to the left as she gazed at Aemond before quickly humming in response.

"I need to get dressed" she simply informed, but kept her expression unreadable "I'll see you outside. Have them ready Ember for me"

Aemond, despite her asking him to wait near the pit, had instead sent a servant with the message to saddle her dragon and have him ready along with Vhagar.

The prince waited patiently outside her door while she dressed out of her gown and into her trousers and coat, something more appropriate for riding on dragon back.

Eirlys took her time getting dressed, unaware that Aemond was still outside, waiting for her. She chose a maroon coat that looked almost brown and wore one of her black trousers with a black shirt that she tucked in. She quickly slid into her boots that she still had to lace up. Once she was content with her choice of clothing she decided to fix her hair. Instead of having all of it down she simply tied a braid on one side with a thick lock of hair and brought it over her head to act like a headband, pinning it behind her other ear.

Admiring herself one last time in the mirror, she stood up to head for the doors.

The princess didn't expect Aemond to still be waiting for her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest while he stared off into the distance.

Eirlys felt the pace of her heartbeat increase when she caught sight of him. The way his jaw clenched and how the sleeves of his leather vest hugged his arms just right.

Aemond had grown taller than her over the years as opposed to when she was a few inches taller than him when they were kids. His height wasn't the only thing that had changed. His physique too was different, him now being toned and slightly muscular; not to mention his good looks that made Eirlys' rather annoyed since she was torn between throwing a chair or herself at him.

"You're still here" she spoke, snapping him out of his daze "I told you to go-"

"I already sent word with someone to ready your dragon" he pushed himself away from the wall and walked toward her, holding out his hand "allow me to walk you there"

"I can walk there myself" the princess muttered as she took his hand nonetheless.

The walk through the castle was rather silent, none of them making much of an effort to hold a conversation.

It was unusual for either of them to be this hostile but neither of them knew what to say while the tension between grew by the hour.

Upon their arrival, Eirlys let go of Aemond's hand to go and tend to her dragon.

Ember was a Persian blue dragon, with hints of teal amidst his scales. He hand a long wingspan and a crown of spikes.

The dragon made a low rumbling sound as Eirlys ran her hands along his scales. Aemond silently and cautiously walked closer behind her. Ember had grown quiet accustomed to the prince and didn't really mind him as long as the boy did not make an attempt to mount the dragon. Aemond knew of this, but he still did not want to put the dragon's tolerance to test.

"You needn't be afraid, Ember only dislikes anything of the colour green that moves" Eirlys joked but kept her face expressionless as she turned to look at Aemond in his green vest "oh, how unfortunate"

The prince grinned slightly with amusement at her comment. He was about to turn, to make his way to Vhagar, when he heard Eirlys swear.

"Fuck" she grumbled "my cloak"

The air was chilly that day and Eirlys had only just noticed she was missing her cloak. If the atmosphere was so cool already she could only imagine how cold it would get when she would be on soaring in the skies on dragon back.

Aemond sighed as he unclipped the little clasp at the neck of his long black cloak, swiftly taking it off.

"Here" he simply stated as he draped it over her shoulders while he stood behind her. He fixed her hair so that it wasn't trapped behind the cloak before he walked away, not giving Eirlys any time to protest.

"Iksan daor iōrves. Ao jorrāelagon naejot gaomagon bāne ñuha dārilaros" ( I am not cold. You ought to keep warm my princess) he spoke as he continued to walk.

"Hm?" Eirlys hummed as she struggled to translate the latter part of his sentence.

"Hm?" Aemond mocked with a playful smile as he turned to momentarily look at her, walking backwards before turning once again to make his way to his own dragon.

Eirlys gingerly fastened the silver clasp at the neck, stealing another glance at Aemond as he walked toward Vhagar.

She wondered if she was pushing it too far by giving him the cold shoulder but she was still rather pressed about what had happened that night and it was something she knew she'd take time coming to terms with.

She mounted Ember silently, fastened the chains around her waist and took hold of the reigns. She turned to see if Aemond was in the saddle as well before speaking to Ember.

"Soves"

~

Their calm patrolling of the skies lasted only about a few minutes.

Aemond had suddenly found amusement in having Vhagar fly directly in front of Ember, making it quiet difficult for the dragon to surpass him.

Eirlys, out of frustration, had Ember circle the other way to fly in the opposite direction but Aemond wasn't going to make this easy.

This resulted in a playful game of each dragon trying to overtake the other.

Vhagar was large and made it rather difficult to swerve around but Ember was comparatively smaller and thus more agile. As long as Eirlys flew him ahead of Vhagar, she could easily avoid getting obstructed.

Eirlys watched in amusement as Aemond still tried his best to overtake them but Vhagar wasn't as fast as Ember.

The princess didn't wish to admit it, but she was genuinely enjoying his company after such a long period of constantly avoiding him.

Once the sun began to dip beyond the horizon, both the royals made their descent and put a halt to their fun.

As soon as Eirlys dismounted Ember, she headed straight back, still keeping her pace slow so that Aemond might still catch up to her.

He of course followed the princess but kept a good distance between them, unsure if she even wanted to speak to him.

He was certain that he was enjoying herself with his company after their ride together on dragon back. He felt something in his chest flutter when he heard her laugh after weeks of gaining only silence from her for the most part.

Thought his moment of joy and hope seized immediately when he saw her urgency to dismount Ember and quickly walk away.

By the time they neared Eirlys' chambers he couldn't stay silent any longer, weeks of anticipation and unrest compelled him to finally voice his thoughts.

His long strides transitioned into a jog until he was only a few inches away from Eirlys. He gently grabbed her by the wrist, making her stop in her tracks.

Eirlys silently looked at him, allowing him to speak.

"How much longer?" He asked sadly, taking a step forward so that he was now standing in front of her, entrapping her between himself and the wall.

Eirlys didn't have to ask what he was talking about.

She knew.

And she too wondered,

How much longer?

How much longer would this pain last? The feeling of betrayal, jealousy. The feeling of being potentially nothing more than the second choice; her not being the woman he turned to while having concerns about intimacy. How he preferred a common whore, a stranger over herself, his betrothed.

How much longer would it be before the chains of her own emotions finally let her loose so that they might rekindle whatever they once had before it was lost forever.

Aemond loomed over her, his gaze softened while he patiently awaited for a response, longing for her to say something that would assure him that she still cared for him.

Eirlys didn't know what to say, she wanted to say she still felt for him, perhaps even loved him but she needed some confirmation, a final push.

She looked up at Aemond, noticing how close they both stood.

As much as Aemond craved for a response that would assure him of her feelings for her, she too longed for a similar show of confirmation.

"Eirlys?" He tried again, the concern in his voice quiet evident.

"Aemond I..." her words all got muddle up as she struggled to think of what to say. She sighed in annoyance as she rested her palms on his chest.

"Yes?" He asked after a long pause followed, gently resting his hands on her hips.

The princess looked up at him once again, her gaze flickered from his lips to his eye.

Kiss me Eirlys mentally begged.

Tell me to kiss you Aemond inwardly pleaded.

Eirlys noticed him too, momentarily stare at her lips as he hesitantly leaned forward but didn't proceed to close the gap.

"Why'd you stop" she breathed out, almost a whisper.

"So that you may continue" he answered in a low raspy voice.

Eirlys went on her toes just as soon as Aemond cupped her face with his right hand. She gently kissed him, entrapping his bottom lip with hers.

"I hate you" she mumbled into the kiss as she slid her hands up and around his neck.

"Mmh, I know" the prince murmured as he moved his lips against hers while pushing her softly against the wall "I'm sorry mmh- truly"

"I'm still upset" Eirlys pulled him closer, a complete contrast to her words.

"I'm still yours" he reminded, ever so slightly fisting her garment.

Aemond swiped his tongue on her bottom lip before he gently bit down on it, unconsciously pushing his knee in between her legs and eliciting a low moan from the princess.

Eirlys felt a sudden jab in between them while their bodies were pressed up against each other.

Aemond quickly pulled away as he felt himself harden.

"I'll see you before supper" he quickly informed before walking away in a haste to avoid Eirlys seeing the bulge in his pants.

He mentally scolded himself for managing to ruin an innocent kiss by letting his thoughts run riot and think of something so lewd that it made him hard.

Aemond desperately wished that she hadn't felt him through his pants but he knew the chances of that were slim since he was basically pulling her into him as if he was afraid that she'd leave if he let go.

Eirlys stood in the hallway, chest heaving as a result of her being breathless from the kiss they just shared.

Her thoughts lingered on one particular moment of Aemond's knee applying pressure at her core that made her moan at the sensation as if it were a natural reflex.

It was something she'd never felt before and something that now puzzled her.

She took a deep breath, as she tore her gaze away from Aemond, who'd just rounded the far end of the corridor to go back to his own quarters.

She clutched the cloak draped around her before pushing open her own doors and headed inside to change.

~

"Did Aemond tell you this himself?" Helaena asked.

"Yes, he did" Eirlys answered.

Eirlys had decided to confide in Helaena about the entire situation of Aemond, her and his visit to the whorehouse, feeling lost about how she ought to handle it and move forward.

"That's unlikely of him" the older girl said, confused "Aemond has never been the one too keen on visiting brothels"

"I'm aware it's a norm for the men to pay such visits" the princess sighed "but I just thought Aemond would tell me about his insecurities regarding his inexperience instead of a complete stranger"

"I suppose he must've found it difficult to do so" Halaena tried to look at things from her younger brother's perspective "he's known you since you were a babe, maybe he felt abashed to engage in such talks. Besides, for the sake of your reputation I doubt he would suggest.."

"I know" Eirlys responded, knowing that Halaena was referring to the idea of having sex, something she still had very little knowledge about "but I just can't seem to get past this"

"Have you spoken to him about this?" The older girl asked.

"Once, but it wasn't much of a conversation" Eirlys recalled their first and only time they spoke about this "I was upset and kept asking questions and he tried to explain himself. I don't really think I explained how I feel about this entire thing"

"Perhaps avoiding him and the subject isn't the best thing to do" Helaena told the younger girl, giving her a gentle smile "things will only get worse if you decide to suppress your feelings"

"I just- I-" Eirlys was slowly letting the frustration take over "I just sound childish. It's okay for the men to relieve themselves, it's nothing uncommon. And Aemond isn't even my husband as of yet. I don't understand why I am so distraught about this"

"Talk to him" Helaena told her once again "you needn't forgive him if you aren't yet ready. But at the very least, make him aware of the depth of how perturbed this has left you"

Eirlys was grateful for the older girl who listened to her and offered council on how she could perhaps manoeuvre around the situation.

She decided to address the matter on the morrow, feeling too emotionally drained to hold a conversation presently.

Everything thing had changed between herself and her dear Aemond. And even though she never showed it on the surface, it pained her. She found it difficult sometimes to cope with the distance that had formed in between them.

Eirlys had on some days cried herself to sleep, desperately wishing that when she woke up she would find out all of this was just a bad dream. She slept with the same hope each night and woke up disappointed each morning.

The princess headed to the library, hoping to get lost in some book so that she may momentarily escape her current reality.

Even now on her way to the library, she thought about the times she and Aemond used to visit this same place together or read together in one of their chambers, when Aemond used to help with her high valerian.

As always the library was dimly lit, quiet and engulfed her with the smell of burning candles, dust and old parchment.

She skimmed through some of the books, trying to settle on which one she would pick.

"Eirlys"

The girl turned around to see Daeron standing at the end of the isle. He held a number of books in one hand while he had one book held open with the other.

"Daeron" she simply greeted, not wishing to partake in a conversation.

"The hour is late, what are you doing here?" he inquired as he shut the book he was holding "and you weren't present at supper, are you alright?"

"Are you alright?"

No.

Eirlys' emotions got the better of her, causing her voice to hitch in her throat as she felt tears beginning to form.

She quickly turned away the moment she knew she could no longer hold back her tears, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth as she silently cried.

Daeron hastily placed his books on the shelf closest to him, not caring that two of those books had fallen to the ground. He made his way to her and hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned about Eirlys.

"Nothing" the princess sniffled as she desperately tried to calm her breathing and cease her crying.

The boy took a few more steps forward until he stood in front of her. He engulfed her in a hug, catching Eirlys by surprise. Yet the gesture only made the girl more emotional and she buried her face into his chest and sobbed some more.

She didn't know what had come over her, but for some reason she couldn't seem to stop crying.

"Has someone upset you?" The boy asked with a saddened smile as he held her close. Daeron had grown up alongside Eirlys and even though he wasn't as close to her as his older brother Aemond was, he still cared about her and over the years had grown rather protective of her.

He sensed the growing tension between Eirlys and Aemond and how they seemed to grow more and more distant as the days passed.

He took her silence as a confirmation after he put two and two together.

"It's about my brother, isn't it?" He softly asked, trying not to strike a nerve.

Eirlys wiped away a tear.

"We were best of friends" she simply stated amidst her tears "but he.. he.."

"What did he do?" The prince asked, his voice growing ever so slightly stern. He knew Aegon was the kind who would say or do things without thinking twice but he never took Aemond to follow in his steps and treat anyone with little to no regard for their emotions, least of all his closest friend and betrothed.

"I don't wish to talk about it" Eirlys wiped away another tear "but it hurts, it hurts so much even though I try to forget-"

"Shh" Daeron patted her back as he hugged her a bit tighter "my brother is a small brained arseling for making you cry like this"

Eirlys chuckled at his descriptive insult.

"Does he even know how upset you are? At whatever it is he's done" the boys asked "to a point where you're crying uncontrollably"

"N-no"

"What gentleman treats his betrothed like this?"

"I'll handle it" she responded as she sniffled after each word "it's just something I need to come to terms with"

"You shouldn't have to" Daeron mumbled "it's not fair for him to offend you like this and then have you just agree to get over it"

"I'm not sure how I am going to manage holding a conversation with him without breaking down" she admitted "I can barely think about it without crying"

"It's alright if you're this upset by whatever happened" Daeron ran his fingers through her silvery white hair "and Aemond needs to see how much pain he has caused you. He's only seen the best parts of you, it's about time he ought to learn how to handle and comfort the broken parts as well, most of which are credited to him"

"I suppose you're right" Eirlys pulled back to look at him before kissing his cheek "thank you Dareon"

"You can come to me anytime" he smiled warmly at her "I'm always on your side"

Eirlys managed to offer him a smile before she left the library, not in a mood to read anymore.

~

Aemond didn't know when it happened, but he was annoyed that it did happen.

Eirlys seemed to be spending more time with Daeron than himself and he did not like it one bit. Not to mention his little brother had made attempts to flirt with Eirlys on a few occasions, the very first being only a few days ago at the training yard.

Aemond needed an explanation as to what was going on between them, he couldn't bare to think of losing Eirlys to him.

"Daeron" he called out to him after they'd finished breaking their fast. Eirlys and Halaena had already left along with Alicent.

Viserys had grown rather ill as of late and used to dine within the comfort of his own chambers.

"Brother" the younger prince stood at the door as he awaited whatever his older brother had to ask.

"You and Eirlys seem to be spending quiet an amount of time together" Aemond briskly walked toward him "can't say that this sudden eagerness of yours to spend every waking hour with her hasn't taken me by surprise though"

"You had your chance with her and you ruined it" Daeron shrugged "you can't be cross with me if I'm treating her the way she ought to be treated"

"The fuck is that supposed to mean" Aemond menacingly glared at him.

"She doesn't deserve whatever she's going through" the boy stepped forward "she's been nothing but your solace when everyone else was busy making your life a misery. If you can't love her the way she's loved you then I wi-"

Aemond seized him by the collar of his tunic and shoved him against the door frame, clenching his jaw as he let his anger overpower his senses.

"Listen to me very carefully brother" Aemond hissed "it would do you well to remember that Eirlys is my betrothed-"

"And how do you treat your betrothed?" Daeron snapped, unfazed by his older brother's show of rage "do you know she's been crying herself to sleep each night?"

"What"

"I do not know the reason behind it nor is it my business to pry for an answer" Daeron shoved Aemond away "but since you so generously decided to remind me that she's your betrothed, it is time you start acting like it and take responsibility for your actions. If you cannot handle the weight of it, I would be happy to step into the role of wedding her"

"This is the first and the last time you speak to me like this" Aemond chuckled lowly out of mockery, resisting the urge to punch him square in the face "the next time you so much as mention your desire to take my Eirlys away from me, I will make sure to free your head from your shoulders"

"She doesn't belong to you" the younger prince remarked snidely.

"Get out" Aemond gave him a warning look "out, now!"

Daeron simply rolled his eyes as he left him in the dining hall.

"He's right you know" Aegon shouted from the other end of the room "you have to go and talk to her"

"Gods- the fuck are you doing" Aemond asked, startled by his presence "I didn't even notice you were in here"

"Too busy warding our little brother away from Eirlys?" Aegon smirked as he sipped some wine "I'm assuming she is upset about the whole incident at the whorehouse. Or your visit there to be specific"

"Why did you make me do it" Aemond sighed.

"Well simply so that you and Eirlys might-"

"She doesn't care about that! She never cared about any of it" Aemond snapped "it was stupid of me to give in to your instigative suggestions"

"I was simply making sure you would be able to keep your wife happy" Aegon shrugged, trying to deflect the blame "but I suppose you have a larger problem at hand compared to accusing me of being the reason behind this animosity between you and her"

"Please, you don't seriously think Daeron is going to pose a problem" Aemond threw a nasty look at his brother "the boy is just basking in the amount of attention she graces him with, something he isn't used to. She will never wed him"

"By the looks of it, she doesn't want to wed you either" Aegon mumbled under his breath as he drank his wine.

"I heard that" Aemond raised a brow.

"Congratulations" Aegon mocked.

Aemond did not wish to further ruin his mood by engaging in a conversation with his drunken brother who had decided to drown in his cups right after breakfast.

He didn't have any training scheduled for that day so he was pretty much left to himself for the entirety of the morning. He remembered how usually on days like this he would sit along with Eirlys to help with her High valerian.

He was dreading the thought that she'd perhaps begun the same ritual with Dareon.

Aemond had never considered himself to be jealous in nature, mostly because he'd never experienced it before. But now with everything going on he couldn't deny the fact that he was a man who could be easily lost to jealousy.

And he hated it.

How helpless he felt, how there was nothing he could do to suppress the emotion or how to avoid anything that triggered the jealousy.

If he felt all of this merely because Eirlys was spending time with his brother, who was now set on wedding her, he could only imagine how much of this pain Eirlys was carrying after he'd told her that he'd given up his virtue to someone other than her.

He recalled Daeron mentioning that Eirlys had spent nights crying herself to sleep.

Because of him.

He had brought so much pain and sadness to his sweet princess and it made his blood boil that he couldn't undo any of it. The one person who never failed to make him smile was the same person he had made cry almost every night.

Not only did he have to work on winning back Eirlys now, he also had to make sure Daeron stayed away.

~

As soon as Aemond left the dining hall he headed straight for the study that Eirlys used to visit to study history with the septa.

He wished to speak to her before she could begin with her lessons. He knew that now was perhaps a bad time, but he refused to wait any longer.

Eirlys too, was keen on speaking to Aemond and was headed back toward the dining hall to have a word with him before she was lost to her busy schedule for the day.

The two of them, who paced rather quickly through the castle, nearly ran into each other as they rounded the corner of one of the hallways.

"Apologies" Aemond quickly spoke as he took a step back after almost colliding into her.

"I was on my-"

"I wanted to-"

They both looked at each other awkwardly before a little smile crept to their lips.

"After you" Aemond held his hands behind his back.

"Well, I was just on my way to find you" Eirlys clearly her throat "I uh wish to speak to you"

"Likewise" Aemond nervously glanced at her "I was hoping to talk to you before your history lesson"

"Walk with me" Eirlys promptly replied as she took a few steps forward and Aemond followed alongside her. She didn't wrap her hand around his arm like how she used to, something Aemond took notice of. He wanted to reach out and hold her hand but decided against it.

"I suppose it's rather evident that I still have not put everything behind me" Eirlys spoke "though I will admit handling this situation with ignorance toward you and basking in my own sorrow was not the best way to clear the air"

"I do not blame you, Eirlys" Aemond stared at the ground, unable to meet her gaze "I did something that I was influenced to believe was part of my duties. That's all I've ever known growing up, doing whatever duties were expected of me. And since I was made to believe that this too was part of those same expectations, I did it merely out of obligation. If I knew that.. that..."

"Go on" Eirlys softly prompted, now slightly curious after he'd mentioned that this was the result of someone else's influence on him.

"I felt it improper and perhaps even a perverse conversation to have with you. If I knew how much it meant to you, or more like how little you cared about my inexperience in being able to bed you, I wouldn't have given into it" he admitted "And it was never a troubling concern until I was made aware of it. So it never quiet crossed my mind about hearing how you felt about the whole thing, all I knew was that I was expected of something and out of force of habit, I made the decision to not fail you in that aspect.

"I see" The girl simply nodded in acknowledgment, feeling slightly relieved that Aemond never acted on his own accord, influenced by his lust or desires.

She couldn't deny that only days before that incident occurred, both her and Aemond were in fact rather oblivious about the topic of intimacy. And so if Aemond was indeed made to believe by someone else that it was expected of him to please his wife in bed, she knew he would just instinctively cave in and oblige.

She knew the prince since he was a boy, he never questioned nor rebelled against the responsibilities bestowed on him. He simply did as he was told and tried his best to excel at everything expected of him. If he was convinced that this too was part of his princely obligations, then she knew he wouldn't question it.

"But we used to tell each other everything" she mumbled after a long pause "no matter what it was"

"I know. I was hesitant to discuss with you about this particular subject though" he truthfully told her "I never imagined the distress I would cause you by choosing to carry out the actions I did. You are my dearest friend and I swore to myself to protect you from anything or anyone who would inflict any pain on you. I never thought that I, the person who was to keep you from torment, would be the one who you would need protection against"

"It just felt like you seemed to find more comfort in conversing with a stranger at a whore house about your desire to gain familiarity with.. you know.." Eirlys trailed off, avoiding getting too descriptive with her words "rather than me, someone who has stood at your side for years now. And then after we sort of grew apart, it just got worse for me... or us I suppose"

"I could never replace you with any one else" Aemond turned completely to look at her, bringing their walk to a momentary halt "granted I did do something that made you think otherwise. But you know that my heart only burns for you, that's something that will never change. No matter how distant we grew in the past couple weeks. If anything, that only left me yearning even more for you"

Eirlys reached out to hold his hand and Aemond instinctively squeezed her hand gently, not taking his gaze away from hers.

"No more secrets" she looked up at him pleadingly "please"

"No more secrets" he caressed her cheek with his other hand.

The both of them stared a while longer, each one unsure of what more to say. Aemond hesitantly leaned in, craving a kiss that he was deprived of for so long.

Eirlys' lips formed a slight smile as she cupped his face. Yet when they were only inches apart she placed her thumb on his bottom lip, making him halt  and turn his attention from her lips to her eyes. He gently kissed her thumb as he awaited for what she wanted to say.

"I'm late for my history lesson" she informed as she stepped back, feeling a tinge of satisfaction after teasing him "the septa is going to kill me"

Aemond chuckled to himself as he watched her quickly turn and run down the hallway.

[nochuelinha]

Chapter 7: Choose

The snow and cold had arrived in Detroit. I put on warmer clothes and waited for Hank outside my apartment, his old car and Connor sitting in the passenger seat signaled their arrival. I greeted them and we drove in silence to Kamski's house, the tension palpable.

"So, does anyone have any guesses about what we're going to find?" I tried to make conversation. Hank looked at me through the rearview mirror, seeming pensive for a moment before responding.

"Well, we're going to meet Kamski, so I hope he has some answers for us. But honestly, I have no idea what to expect. This guy is unpredictable." I agreed with him and glanced at Connor.

"We'll find out together. I'm ready for whatever Kamski has to say." His voice was calm but determined. At least someone was optimistic.

Arriving at Kamski's house, I was impressed by the grandeur and isolation of the place. It was evident that Kamski valued his privacy, opting for a secluded and luxurious residence. The sense of wealth and power emanated from the property, creating an aura of mystery around the renowned android creator. The blonde android who greeted us at Kamski's house was truly impressive, with an almost transcendental beauty. Her perfect appearance and elegant posture conveyed an aura of serenity and sophistication, almost as if she were a divine figure walking among us. I saw Connor holding a photo, and as I approached, I only recognized Kamski's figure; I had never seen the woman beside him before.

"Amanda," he whispered. Before I could respond, our host came out to greet us. To my surprise, he had several androids like the one who greeted us; he was swimming with one when we arrived. Kamski's lack of interest in answering our questions was evident from the start, but his attention quickly turned to Connor. His expression changed when he noticed the presence of the android, as if something inside him sparked a sudden and intense interest.

"If you pass my test, I'll answer all your questions," he said after rambling about a few things. I furrowed my brows; something was wrong. Kamski's proposal to answer our questions in exchange for Connor undergoing a test raised my suspicions. There seemed to be a hidden agenda behind this condition, and I felt uncomfortable with the idea of ​​putting Connor in an unknown situation. Kamski's gesture of placing one of his androids, Chloe, in a kneeling position before us and handing a gun to Connor was disturbing. I immediately understood what he was suggesting: he wanted Connor to perform an act that would test his humanity, his ability to empathize and exercise moral discernment.

After receiving the gun from Kamski and the order to shoot the android Chloe, Connor hesitated for a moment, reflecting on the situation. His data processors quickly evaluated the possible consequences of his actions and the moral guidelines he had internalized throughout his interactions with humans and androids. Instead of blindly obeying, Connor chose to follow his ethical principles, refusing to shoot.

I released the breath I didn't realize I was holding and looked at Connor, feeling a deep sense of relief that he hadn't fired. It was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, a tension I didn't even know I was carrying. Our eyes met for a brief moment, and I could see in them not only confirmation of my decision but also a gleam of determination and understanding. Gratitude flooded my heart, not only for the choice Connor made but also for the trust he placed in me, in us. It was comforting to know that, even in the face of Kamski's pressure and unknown consequences, Connor remained true to his principles, showing that our values were aligned not only as partners but also as friends.

At that moment, I realized that the bond between us had strengthened even more. It wasn't just a matter of work; it was a connection that transcended the bounds of programming, a mutual trust that drove us to face challenges together. And with a silent look, we shared the understanding that no matter what the future held, we were united, ready to overcome any obstacle that came our way.

"Interesting," Kamski observed our interaction closely. "I won't answer your questions, but remember: I always leave an emergency exit in my programs."

Hearing Kamski's words sent a shiver down my spine. His enigmatic comments always left more questions than answers, and this time was no different. What did he mean by "emergency exit in my programs"? Was it a clue to unravel the mysteries surrounding us or just another puzzle to confuse us?

I looked at Connor, sharing the uncertainty hanging in the air. Although his expression remained undisturbed, I could perceive a slight furrow of his brows, indicating that he too was intrigued by Kamski's words. It was as if we were facing a complex puzzle, and each revealed piece brought us a little closer to the truth, even if that truth was even more confusing and obscure.

[black-suns-rim]

Drake the Immortal

Just a warning for further down, there is mentions of substance abuse and nsfw acts which will be marked in this color. So skip past the red if you don't wanna read that stuff.

I haven't drawn this dilf in for so long. His name is Drake Valconlink and he's a sassy egotistical anti-hero. He can come off as snobby, stuck-up, and just straight up rude. He has no filter and will speak what is on his mind, which has gotten him into trouble in the past. Drake is very intelligent and has made many different inventions from weapons, to nano-tech, to biologically-changing syrims. He is nuerodivergent (I'll let you guys figure out what he is ;) )

Drake was originally a rich man in the 1920's. He got his money from smuggling and other illegal trades. He had a daughter named Mija and a wife (who died from childbirth). On top of smuggling, Drake was a part of this shadey company that got into financial trouble, causing many of the employees to be taken hostage, some never to be seen again. Drake was one of them.

The people who took him made it seem like he had died in a tradig accident along with the many other people they had taken hostage. This group experimented on Drake and the other 12 people. 5 years into the torture, the group finally accomplished what they had been hoping for: immortality. Drake was one of the last people still alive from the harsh experimentations, the strongest of the weakest. They chose him to be the subject of the test, but they did not expect what would happen when they injected Drake with their final product.

Drake went from being very weak to being very strong within seconds. He ended up trashing their place and escaping. He was immortal. His body could regenerate its cells at fast speeds, but it would take a lot out of him and make him extremely hungry.

Currently, he lives in the 2020's. The family that he once had is long gone and he built himself his own secret empire. Drake made himself known to the superhero group called "The Last Hope," or "TLH" for short, a few years after they became the official protectors of the city Drake had lived in for so long.

TLH rarely interacts with him and finds Drake to be more of a slight inconvenience or nuisance. But sometimes they will ask him for help if the city is in huge trouble. They have tried to convict him for crimes he's committed that they whitnessed or tied evidence to him, but he has always gotten away (since he is so very rich because of his secret empire).

Drake would never harm the innocent or children. He would, though, kill those who are horrible people. He doesn't believe in "being better" than shitty people. He has never killed anyone who didn't deserve death.

Is Drake a Marry Sue type oc? No, he has weaknesses. Though he is technically immortal, he can die from certain things, like being nuked (as an extreme example). He tends to isolate himself from other people, and he's not that great at working in a team.

Drake has PTSD from when he was experimented on, which has lead him to drink excessively when has sever flashbacks. Because of his PTSD, he has also got addicted to weed and a few other hallucinogenic drugs to try and help himself cope. He knows better than to take drugs, but he's been hooked on them for years. Drake has sever depression as well as anxiety from the PTSD. He uses sex as a way to try and help himself to not feel as depressed which has worked for him. He has become addicted to sex any time he's depressed and if he can't have sex at the moment of his depression, he ends up pleasuring himself.

Drake is one of my first original ocs and his story and design has changed so much through the years. This is his latest story and design.

[castellcnos]

Welcome to Aurora Bay, [RICARDO CASTELLANOS]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [PEDRO PASCAL]. You must be the [FORTY THREE] year old [DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SERVICES]. Word is you’re [INTELLIGENT] but can also be a bit [RIGID] and your favorite song is [OCEAN AVENUE BY YELLOWCARD]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [CRYSTAL COVE CONDOMINIUMS]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

TW: Affair, alcohol abuse

BASICS

Name: Ricardo Castellanos Gender/Pronouns: Cismale/He&Him Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Bisexual Age: 43 Birthdate: 28th August Occupation: Director of Public Services

ABOUT

Ricardo grew up in Dallas, Texas to a working class family. His father was an engineer while his mother prided herself on being head of the PTA at his school. Something which Ric would have rather preferred her not to be, as it made for some highly embarrassing moments, especially when he attempted his rebel phase.

In high school, he was an avid swimmer and on the track team. Despite giving off an unbothered appearance, he actually did care about his grades and was able to earn himself a scholarship to Berkeley, California. He enrolled onto the Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology Program in hopes of one day making a name for himself, and being responsible for some change in the world.

Similar to high school, he seemed unphased about academics whilst at college and would often be found passed out around and on campus benches or barely conscious in his lectures, after too many keg competitions the night before. He became known as the party king and if you ever even suggested a get together, he would be there and probably providing the booze.

He met his college sweetheart in his third year, and they both thought it was true love. She was the only one that could out drink him, so he decided he'd marry the girl one day. And it didn't take them long, because a year after graduation, they did.

During this point, they had settled down in Aurora Bay, California, after much deliberation on finding a town that was idyllic, and could provide safety any children they chose to have to grow and thrive.

He got a job interning alongside the local government, learning everything he could in hopes of one day potentially running for mayor — simply to be on top.

However, things took a different path when several years later he was offered the role of becoming the director of public services. He didn't necessarily care too much about the botanical gardens, the parks, museums, anything else that provided joy to the people — but the money was good, and it was a step in the right direction. He'd still have some power, and he could use it to his advantage.

He wasn't a good husband, and he'd have numerous affairs. There was a time when he'd been so in love with his wife, but as the years went on, he'd grown bored and her lack of enjoyment in their relationship mirrored his, and it got to a point where they were purely just co-existing together.

However, there was still a possessiveness there. When she began coming home late herself, as he did some nights, Ric would become jealous — knowing that she'd found company, other than his desolate one.

They would argue terribly, both accusing the other of cheating and when they'd finally reached some sort of conclusion, that yes, they were both as bad as each other, they decided to file for divorce the next day.

Although he knew this was for the best, he still was saddened by the wasted years and not having someone at home waiting for him, as toxic as they were. He fell into a depression of sorts, and he'd often choose to battle his demons with a bottle of whiskey at whichever bar was willing to serve him.

He moved in with his college roommate and best friend, Ben, at Crystal Cove Condominiums, and tried to carry on as though he wasn't affected by this transition into divorcee life. But he didn't do a very good job at hiding it.

He swore to Ben that he'd only be crashing in his spare room for a month while him and his ex-wife sold their house and he found somewhere new. He paid his own way, sharing in rent and bills. But he enjoyed the company too much and before he knew it, six months had flown by and he hadn't even began researching properties to move into. He hoped Ben hadn't noticed.

@aurorabayaesthetic