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sarah-bae-maas · 3 years

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Gwyn wants to explore, and Azriel needs a friend - a Gwynriel fic - Part 1

In honour of this blog turning five years old, I thought I would treat you all to a two part/chapter Gwynriel fic that has been wandering around in my brain throughout countless days of lockdown and tortuous university classes.

I’m already well underway with part 2 of this fic, but I do have some assignments coming up, so expect it within the fortnight!

So please do enjoy this nearly 15k words worth of Gwynriel goodness <3

Masterlist Ao3

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She was staring at him.

Again.

Azriel had always paid special attention to Gwyn – not that he would tell her that, of course. It was a secret held deep in his shadows that she was his favourite Valkyrie, the one he thought the most brave and resilient. It would not be an unpopular opinion if he did share it, the other women looked at her with great admiration, and Nesta often sung her praises when the female wasn’t there to refute her words. But Azriel knew the presumptions people might make if they knew he thought it, and the last thing he wanted was for a misunderstanding to make Gwyn uncomfortable.

Gwyn was holding a bag for Emerie to kick, her stance strong enough that she didn’t flinch at all with each pummel. Her focus should have been on Emerie’s form, but rather her teal eyes were glued to him. Every time Azriel looked over at her, she quickly shifted her gaze to her friend, but his shadows constantly reminded him that Gwyn was once again paying her attention to him.

Cassian called the end of the session. Azriel was grateful, he was finding it harder and harder to train the women effectively when he knew Gwyn was right there.

He practically fled the scene, his cheeks brushed with red, barely nodding to the women who said their thanks to him as he passed. It’s not that he didn’t like her attention, but it made his stomach feel heavy, his hands shake, and he didn’t like how out of control he felt whenever she looked at him like that.

He settled in the dining room. Standing, he braced his hands on the table, a bead of sweat dripping off his forehead and tarnishing the wood. Nesta wouldn’t like if he got his sweat all over the table, even though her and Cassian had coated it in far more scandalous bodily fluids. He should do something productive, like work or eat or pester Rhys and Feyre to have Nyx for the afternoon, but instead he chose to close his eyes and picture the person who’d been haunting him.

He and Gwyn were friends. She was over nearly every night to eat with Nesta, their dinners a sort of lively Azriel hadn’t experienced since he’d lived in Illyria with Rhys and Cas. It was joyful to live in a space filled with such light, but also overwhelming. Azriel found that as much as he loved the time with the rag-tag team they’d made for themselves, his social timer still clicked in his mind as a constant reminder that sometimes dealing with people, even the ones you loved, could be utterly exhausting.

Not with Gwyn though, his shadows lamented, setting him straight. No, Azriel never felt tired with her.

“Az?”

As though his thoughts alone had summoned her, Gwyn’s voice startled him out of his reverie. He turned, his lips parting slightly at the sight of her.

She was still in her training gear – a shirt and pants lovingly stitched by Emerie with embroidered flowers decorating the seams – her neat braid falling around her face, framing her pearlescent skin in fire.

“Gwyneth. Do you need something?”

Her eyes were wide, her hands clasped in front of her as she wrung her fingers. It made Azriel tilt his head in confusion, not understanding why she was so nervous. They spoke every day, she mouthed off at him often, and her shift in confidence had him surprised.

“I have a proposition for you, but you must promise to not tell a soul.”

Azriel raised a brow, leaning back into the table. He spread his hands before him. “I’m listening.”

Gwyn swallowed, her cheeks turning the same shade of red as her hair.

“Imsturbalt,” she squeaked.

“What?”

“I masturbate a lot!” She smacked her hands over her mouth, as if betrayed at the words they spilled.

Azriel’s jaw went slack, his eyes near bugging from his skull. “Okay… that’s good? Self-exploration!” He half-heartedly waved a celebratory fist in the air, not sure what to say to her statement.

She groaned louder than a stabbing victim. “I was thinking that, I didn’t intend to say it aloud.” She rubbed her hands over her face, peeking at him through her fingers. “Please don’t tell anyone I said that.”

“Your secrets are safer with me than they are anyone else.” Azriel smiled, trying to diffuse the obvious tension in her body. “So, your proposition?”

She tensed her jaw, moving her arms behind and looking at the ground as she spoke. “I guess my previous statement that will never be mentioned again to anyone if you like having the functional use of your organsperhaps wasn’t entirely irrelevant to what I’m going to ask you. But I beg, please let me finish before you say anything, and also don’t feel pressured to say yes.”

“Okay.”

“Silence.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She grinned at him, her eyes finally meeting his again. “As you know, better than anyone really, I have a difficult past.”

Azriel wished he could burn the images of finding her on that table from his mind. He’d had to actively teach himself not to envision her crying and screaming for her sister when she’d first became a permanent fixture in House of Wind. He’s seen many horrific things in his time, was no stranger to the worst humanity had to offer, but it was different when it was someone so vulnerable, so selfless, so important to him. It might have made him a bad person that he didn’t equate people’s trauma accordingly, but how could he possibly care for a stranger as much as he cared for Gwyn?

“What happened to me made me fear my body. Fear the sexuality I see women like Nesta and Mor own. They’re so powerful, and the things that have happened to them… They’re not broken. They’re not less. They’re not afraid.” She paused, sighing deeply. “I would never look upon anyone in the library as lesser than because of the things that have happened to them. It wasn’t until I met Nesta and Emerie that I realised I didn’t give myself the same grace. I want to own the parts of me that were stolen. I want to feel like my body belongs to me. I didn’t even know where to begin, but then the House gave me this book, some fluffy romance novel, and the girl in it was just like me. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I just felt so seen. Like the Mother herself had handed this smut piece into my lap to make me feel better.”

Gwyn moved to one of the lounge chairs that Cassian had haphazardly shoved into a corner one night when Nesta didn’t feel like moving from the dining room. Gwyn was effortlessly graceful as she sat and curled her legs up, her head resting on her fist.

“That’s where the masturbating comes in.” Her eyes avoided his again, focusing on patterns her fingers drew in the velvet material of the chair. “The girl in the book did it. She’d never had an orgasm either. So, I did too.” She laughed quietly. “It made me feel good. Not just the physical pleasure part, but the part where it was just me, empowering myself at a pace I was comfortable with.”

Azriel wished he could say something, but one, he knew to be silent and let her have this moment, and two, he didn’t know how to tell someone he was proud of them for touching themselves without it sounding weird. He was proud though, extremely so, at how strong she felt from acting on her wants. Her resilience had always astounded him.

“In the book, the girl meets this man.” Her voice lowered, barely more than a whisper. “He treats her so kindly, in a way that I’ve seen Cassian treat Nesta a million times, in a way I yearn to be treated. I’ve given myself a clean slate. This body, my body, has only been touched by me. I am whole. I was never broken, just healing. And I’m at a stage where I want more. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

Azriel wished her could say yes, please the eager note in her voice that hoped he was on the same page as her, but even his shadows were silent to her desires.

She glanced at him just long enough to see him shake his head. She tipped her head back. “When Nesta first started sleeping with Cassian, I was so curious. What were they doing? What was he doing to make her look so satisfied? But when I tried to picture it, my stomach would churn. And then time passed. I grew stronger. I became a Valkyrie. And like many others before me and many more in the centuries to come, I walked in on Cassian and Nesta fucking.”

Azriel inhaled sharply. To hear the vulgarity fucking from a mouth so pure sent a bolt through him, and he chided himself for his inappropriate thoughts during such a serious conversation.

“They don’t know I saw, not that I think they would have minded. I would bet good money that if I asked for a demonstration on pleasurable acts Cassian and Nesta would be more than happy to comply. Where I might have once felt sick from seeing them, instead I felt-”

She cut herself off, looking for the right words.

“I felt burning desire. I’ve never been so envious of someone in my life. I didn’t want to have sex with Cassian, but by the Cauldron I wanted to feel the way that Nesta did. I wouldn’t tell you this if I didn’t know you were such a good secret keeper. Or such a good friend.”

Azriel couldn’t bite his tongue any longer. “Gwyn, what do you want from me?”

“I want you to have sex with me.”

***

Azriel stared at his ceiling, his shadows dancing and rolling around him.

I want you to have sex with me.

He tested the words on his own lips. They tasted sweet. They also brought an uncomfortable amount of pressure to his cock. He refused to touch it though and kept both his hands firmly behind his head.

He’d told Gwyn he needed to think about it, and she understood. She said she didn’t expect an answer from him straight away.

Azriel had a lot to consider.

He was practically titillated that when Gwyn had decided she wanted to explore herself with a male, it was him who she thought of. She expressed that it was because she knew he’d care for her, that he’d respect her and because of how much she trusted him. There were not words to express how hearing such things felt to him. It made him want to do this for her, because his soul be damned he knew he would do right by her. Make her feel good, feel special, feel appreciated.

It would be amiss though not to acknowledge that if he did do this, let her warm his bed while he tasted her, it could ruin not just the friendship they had established but also the dynamic of the house. She had assured him that if his answer was no, they would continue their lives as if the conversation never happened.

Which brought a darker thought to his mind.

If not Azriel, then who? She would surely approach someone else. Someone not deserving of her, who might not treat her how she deserved to be treated. That was not to say Azriel thought that in all his bastardly ways he was what Gwyn should have – no, she deserved more than he could ever give – but at least he knew that she would be safe with him.

The thought of another male’s hands on her made him see red.

That was answer enough.

***

Nesta and Cassian were gone for the weekend, caring for Nyx while Feyre and Rhys had a romantic getaway for the weekend. Azriel secretly thought Nesta was using this as a trial to see if her and Cassian were ready for a baby.

It was the perfect opportunity to have Gwyn join him.

The day after she’d approached him, he’d slipped her a note after training to say that he was all in, and to meet him the next night. He tried not to watch her face as she read the note but couldn’t help it. She went bright pink, but she seemed exhilarated.

And now she was standing in his room.

They nervously looked at each other. Azriel wanted to give her the chance to speak first other than their obligatory greetings, but she was tongue-tied.

“I was thinking we should take this in steps,” Azriel said, sitting on the edge of his bed, watching her refrain from pacing back and forth.

“That seems logical. What sort of steps?”

“I was thinking tonight we take sex off the table.”

“What?” Her face fell, hurt evident in her expression.

“Just for tonight. Gwyn, have you had your first kiss?”

She shook her head no.

“Then maybe we do that. And anything beyond only what you want. I need you to know that you’re in control here. Whatever we do or don’t do is completely your decision.”

She nodded, a small smile gracing her lips. “That sounds reasonable. Like you’re my little puppet.” Her hands mimed using a marionette, and Azriel found it easy to reciprocate her smile.

She moved to his side, planting herself on the bed next to him. He couldn’t help but notice the how good she smelled, how carefully her hair had been arranged and how she’d worn her nicest dress. She had wanted to look good for him, and the thought made his heart squeeze.

He reached out and held the hands she clasped in her lap. It made her look at him, her teal eyes flashing in the room only lit by his fireplace.

“You’re a very good friend, Azriel.”

“Do you want me to kiss you, Gwyn?”

She nodded, turning her body to face him.

He brushed her cheek with his thumb, then her lips, before he settled on cradling her face. She leant her head into his hand, so trusting as she looked at him. His hand was so big that the fingers that lay on her neck could feel her hammering pulse.

She leant in the same time he did.

At first it was just a peck. Their lips brushing against each other’s so gently it made Azriel ache. He pressed his lips to her again, and again, getting her used to the feeling of his lips on hers. She enthusiastically reciprocated, her slender fingers running up his chest before meeting behind his head, tangling themselves in his hair. He smiled against her mouth, pleased at such a reaction when the real kissing had yet to even start.

His grazed his tongue along her lip, and she eagerly opened her mouth, letting his tongue slip inside her. The noise she made at the contact buzzed straight through him, and he was pleasantly surprised when Gwyn, in all her eagerness, took control of him.

She kissed him as though she had done it her whole life, like her mouth belonged on his, and the feel of her delicate tongue made him deepen their kiss, angling her head so they could better feel one another. She was practically leaning back, and if this had been a meaningless one night stand she’d have been on her back by now with Azriel’s mouth between her thighs.

She broke away from him, his mouth instinctively following hers as it wanted more, making her gleam in pride.

“I want to change positions,” she said, her hands still wired into his hair.

“Anything you want,” he replied breathlessly.

Azriel didn’t know what to expect, but it was not her getting up and crawling into his lap. She straddled his thighs, and there was no way she wouldn’t be able to feel his erection pressing against her. He did with his hands what any male would do in this situation, and her giggle was enough to know that she’d wanted him to do that.

“Your hands are on my ass,” she laughed.

“Is that okay?”

“Very much so.” She took a deep breath. “Take your shirt off. Please.”

He obliged.

“And you should – you should take off my dress too.”

“Are you sure?”

“I have a slip on underneath.”

His hands shook slightly as they ran up her sides and to her back, undoing each button on her dress. To give her a more authentic experience, he decided to lean in as he did, kissing a new spot on her neck with each button that came undone.

She raised her arms so that he could slip the dress over her head, and he averted his eyes when her slip rode up with it. He didn’t look back until she had adjusted herself. When he did, he nearly fainted.

She was divine in her beauty. He always saw lovely she was, anyone with eyes would. Her body was lean and tight. Her uniform may have hidden it, but she had the power of any warrior in her body. Azriel wondered if she purposefully hid her strength so that it was a secret part of her arsenal. Smart female.

He ran his hands up her spread legs before planting them back on her ass. Unable to resist, he squeezed his hands, making her groan.

“Your hands feel so good,” she gasped. “Do everyone’s hands feel like that, or is it just you?”

He snickered. “Anyone who is worth their weight knows how to make a female feel good.” He bumped her shoulder with his nose. “What would you like me to do now? Do you want to keep kissing?”

“Fuck yes I want to keep kissing.” She leaned forward, her breasts pressing against his chest as she playfully nipped at his bottom lip. “But maybe we could do other things. Even better things.”

“What do you have in mind?”

Gwyn reached behind her and grabbed one of the hands resting on her behind. For the first time since they’d started, she looked nervous. Her legs were shaking, and Azriel was unsure if it was anxiety or anticipation for whatever she had planned.

She guided his hand under his slip until he was cupping her sex.

“You aren’t.” He swallowed hard. “You aren’t wearing underwear.”

She shook her head playfully. “I didn’t think I would need to.”

She pressed his hand into her, and he moaned at the wetness he found. She was so slick for him already, and all they had done was kiss. He did an exploratory brush through her folds, and as at the tip of his finger grazed over her clit, she arched into him, holding on tight to his shoulders.

He started teasing her, obsessed with the little noises she was making at the back of her throat as he did, but he soon realised something.

Usually, when Azriel was with a female, they got progressively more… turned on. Their bodies would react to his touch, and his fingers would be coated in their juices before he even attempted to enter them with either his fingers or his cock.

Gwyn was not.

It seemed the more he touched her, the more it was like her body didn’t want this. For all intents and purposes, she was… drying up?

His hand went still, and he could feel her body instinctively relaxing as his hand left her pussy.

“Don’t stop,” she whispered, clinging to him.

“You don’t enjoy this.” He made her look him in the eye, and his throat tightened at how she looked. There were tears lining her eyes and a deep furrow on her forehead.

“I do, I promise I do. I’m just nervous. If we – if we just overcome this one thing-”

“No, Gwyn.”

“Please Azriel,” she said desperately, trying to guide his hand back between her thighs.

As gently as he could, he lifted her from his lap and placed her beside him on the bed. Her breath shuddered, and he couldn’t bear the shattered look on her face.

She didn’t say a word, just stood up and tried to locate her dress. Azriel didn’t even know where he had thrown it, but he stood and stopped her from looking anyway.

“Gwyn…” He grasped her hands in his, towering over her as they faced each other. “I want to do this for you, please believe me when I say that. But maybe we just need to take a few more steps first. Do something else before that.”

“What else is there?” She was dejected, her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know what I’m doing Az. And I swear on the Cauldron I want this. Fuck, this is so embarrassing. I’m just so nervous, and I get in my head about everything I do-”

“Hey hey hey, stop that.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and the ropable tension in her body started to ease out. She slumped against him, his arms wrapping around her in an embrace. “This is fine. Great, even.”

“You are such a liar.” She sighed, but at least she returned his embrace, tucking herself into him so they were as close as possible.

He tried to think of ways to salvage the night for her, to give her at least a little bit of what she wanted.

An idea sprang to mind.

“Gwyn?”

“Mmm?”

“Get on the bed. Lie down.”

She looked up at him hopefully. She didn’t need to be told twice. She practically flung herself at the bed, laying down on her back and resting her arms above her head. She grinned at him, and he didn’t miss the way she clenched her thighs together than spread them apart like a silent invitation.

Azriel couldn’t help but brighten at her enthusiasm. He undid the buttons on his pants and kicked them down so he was naked before her.

“I thought we weren’t having sex!” She jolted to her side, holding herself up on her arms and staring at his penis, her eyes practically bulging out of her head at the sight of it.

There were many things Azriel did not like about himself. But he had a damn fine cock.

He laughed at the look on her face and shook his head. “We’re not having sex. I’m not even going to touch you.”

She deflated. “Really? Not even a little bit?”

He followed her to the bed, climbing over her without touching her and planting himself next to her so they were lying side to side. He turned his head to her, and she looked at him curiously.

“We’re not just going to lie here naked, are we? It’s a bit cold for that.”

It was a little chilly. Her nipples were hard under her slip, which had ridden up to her stomach.

“No, but we can get under the blanket if you want.”

Her gaze raked up and down his body. “I’m happy above the blanket.”

They laid in a comfortable silence for a moment, happily taking in each other’s bodies. She was the most exquisite thing he had ever seen, and he was glad to see that their kissing antics had left her dishevelled. He liked that look on her.

“Are you actually not going to touch me?”

“I’m not. I think you should touch yourself.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll touch myself, too. It’ll be a way for us to be more comfortable with each other. For you to be in control of your pleasure.”

“Will you watch me?” she murmured.

“If that’s okay. You can watch me, too.”

She considered his words, and Azriel wondered if this was in fact not the good idea he’d thought he’d had. She pursed her lips, and he knew her answer when she grabbed the hem of her slip and pulled it off, leaving her naked before him.

They stared into each other’s eyes as her hand brushed over her exposed breasts, and Azriel had to hold himself back from taking them in his mouth, from pinching her perked nipples with his teeth. Maybe later, that could come; he thought she would quite like it.

Her right hand kneaded her breast and tweaked her nipple while her left dipped down between her legs. Two fingers ran over her core, and he studied the way she massaged herself so that he could do it to her in the future. At the sight, he tentatively grasped his cock, wanting to make sure that she was truly okay with him touching himself at the vision of her with her fingers dipping inside her, moistening herself before focusing on her clit.

Her eyes flickered to his stroking hand, and her response nearly made him finish then and there like a teenager exploring themselves for the first time. She’d seen him, and lifted her leg so that it was draped over one of his, giving her a better angle on her clit and twining them together.

“I’m used to being quiet,” she shuddered. “So that no one hears me.”

“Be as loud as you want. Scream for me.”

Her hand quickened, and his sack tightened as he matched her speed with his own hand, gripping himself tightly. He moaned so loudly that he was once again thankful that Cassian and Nesta weren’t in the house. Even the magic of the walls mightn’t contain the pleasure pulsing through him as he watched her.

Her legs started to shake, and the little noises she’d made before were no more. Her voice was loud as she no longer held herself back from feeling even ounce of her impending orgasm.

“What are you thinking about?” She asked, her hips starting to gyrate against her hand.

“You. All I can think of is you,” Azriel moaned. He pumped himself quicker, his grip becoming harder.

“What about you,” he whispered in her ear. “Are you thinking about what you saw Cassian do to Nesta?”

Her toes curled at his words. “I’m thinking of what I saw them doing, but it’s you and me.”

“What are we doing, Gwyneth?”

Her eyes fluttered shut. Her tongue licked her lips before she bit down on them. “We’re in the library. You have me bent over one of the desks, and you’re taking me from behind. One of your arms is around me, and you’re flicking my clit as I scream your name. You’re so deep in me, Azriel, I can feel every inch of you as I clench around you. Cauldron, you feel so good. The best thing I’ve ever felt, Az.”

His breath hitched, and he felt himself on the brink of coming. What finally did him in was her teeth biting down on his shoulder as she screamed his name, her orgasm making her whole body shake as it overcame over.

When they had both come down from their highs, they laid trying to catch their breath, both their bodies covered in sweat.

“That was amazing,” she sighed, turning to face him.

He grabbed a corner of the unused blanket beneath them to wipe himself off, then turned to face her, an arm going around her waist and his lips pressing a kiss to her forehead and cheek.

He wanted to look at her body, finally relaxed and languid, but his shadows had another idea. They bathed over her like silk, dancing over her curves and crevices, making her laugh.

“I quite like them,” she said, her eyes starting to drift closed.

“Are you tired?”

“Mhmm.” She snuggled into him further, stealing his warmth. His cock responded to her touch, but it was too soon yet to do anything meaningful.

“Move up for a sec.”

“Is that you trying to hint that I should go?” Her voice was joking, but the look on her face said that she’d go if he wanted her too.

“Absolutely not, you’re staying here with me. I’m just grabbing the blanket.”

She moved away just long enough for him to pull the blankets over them and pull her to his chest again.

She made a content noise and closed her eyes to sleep, and Az thought to himself that he didn’t care if this one day ended their friendship, because it might very well be the best time of his life anyway.

***

The next two weeks were filled with them sneaking away and feverishly touching themselves in all sorts of ways. Once, Gwyn sat in his lap naked while they stroked themselves, kissing each other the entire time. Another time, she pleasured herself by grinding against his thigh and he palmed himself – they hadn’t even bothered to take their clothes off. A late-night training session had led to her using a particularly shaped massage tool on herself in very a scandalous way while he watched, near feral at the sight of her pumping into herself. He did not return that item to the training ring, instead he kept it in his bedside drawer for future use.

It wasn’t until sixteen days and countless orgasms into their agreement that Azriel was finally able to touch her.

It had been a busy night. Rhys, Feyre, Nyx, Mor and Emerie were over for dinner, and it had been the most fun Az had had in a group since last solstice. At the table, he’d had Feyre on one side and Gwyn on the other, and her little secret touches to his thigh made him feel warm all over.

It wasn’t necessarily an arousing touch, just an affectionate one. When the group had started to disperse to drink, Nesta the sober adult taking care of Nyx, Az noticed Gwyn sneak away. He promptly followed her, making sure everyone was distracted as he did so no one noticed what they were doing.

Within a few minutes he was between her thighs tasting her. She had mentioned the night before that she wanted his tongue on her, and by the Cauldron was he happy to oblige. She was sitting on the edge of desk in the library that she’d described to him all those weeks ago, and whilst on his knees before her, he jerked himself off as she crumbled beneath his mouth.

Thankfully, by the time they returned, people were far too tipsy to question where they’d been.

Except for Nesta, who looked suspiciously between the two of them. Whatever she was thinking, it was at Gwyn’s behest if she knew anything. It was her decision, always, what happened between them, and if she wanted people to know about their sneakiness, that was for her to decide.

Seven days later is when she first touched him. Until that point it had all been about her, which is what Azriel wanted. They were on his bed, his fingers deep inside her as they kissed, when her hand brushed against his cock. He moved his hips aside, and she broke their kiss off with a noise of indignation.

“Stop swatting my hands away!” She flicked his nose with her finger.

“Huh?” He was still dazed on the sound of his hand gliding through her dripping wet core.

“Do you not want me to touch you?” Her voice was curt.

“I just want this to be about you. I don’t want you to think that I’m only with you for my own sexual gratification. The only thing that matters to me is your happiness, my soul purpose is you. You’re my priority.” He kissed her neck. “My desires are your desires.” Another kiss. “I can’t focus if you’re anything less than panting and satisfied.”

She pursed her lips, a familiar expression at this point. It turned into a joyful smile, and she smacked a kiss to his lips. “That was actually very sweet. After I get you off, I’m going to sit on your face.”

What was even better than the heavy petting and intense make out sessions was the talking. Sometimes for hours they would just tangle themselves together and divulge their life stories. Azriel knew all about her sister and mother – Gwyn confessing that she felt guilt when her twin wasn’t on the forefront of her mind, but sometimes she pushed her away because the memory of her was overwhelmingly devastating. Az wiped her tears away, desperate to see her smile again. But he also knew of all the good times she’d had growing up, and it made him feel alight inside to know how loved she was. Az told her mostly of Rhys and Cassian and the family they had made for themselves, about how it was so hard to be away from his mother, but he wouldn’t have survived another day in his father’s presence. Gwyn cried for him sometimes, and Azriel had never known such empathy from another.

When they were alone in the House, Nesta and Cassian off on one of their sexcations, Gwyn would spend her evenings and nights with him just as a friend, doing housework and menial tasks that she didn’t have to while humming various tunes. Az would tell her to stop working, but she would just grin and say she liked feeling like part of a home too much to not pretend that she lived there too. So he would just hum with her, his shadows dancing and swaying the way they always inevitably did around her. Then they would fall into bed together (or any surface really) until they were spent and exhausted.

Azriel had never known happiness like this.

***

Azriel was buzzing with excitement. He’d left Gwyn wrapped up in his bed, the sun not yet risen, and made sure to leave her some breakfast on his nightstand and the fire burning to keep her warm without his body next to hers. Usually he would wake her up early with his head between her thighs so she could go back to the library, but she had already told the acolytes she roomed with that she would be staying with Nesta, so no need to sneak around when no one was expecting her.

Before they’d gone to sleep the night before, Gwyn said something to him that left him smiling even now as he made his way to Rhys.

I want to have sex, Az. I’m sure. I know I’m safe with you.

Az didn’t know why Rhys needed him, but if it involved leaving Velaris, he would barter for a few more days so that he might be with Gwyn before he left. An odd feeling entered his chest at the thought. He couldn’t name the feeling; he just knew he didn’t want to leave Gwyn alone.

He landed on the doorstep of Feyre and Rhys’ home. Before he had the chance to let himself in, Feyre opened the door, a grave look on her face.

“Quick. Before they start yelling.” Feyre pinched her nose, the other hand holding Nyx on her hip.

Azriel pushed past her, and it wasn’t hard to find the source of Feyre’s frustration.

“Once again you fucking asshole, you need to back off. How dare you-”

“Nes, calm down-”

“Tell me to calm down again Cassian and I’m out of here. As I was saying, how fucking dare you accuse her of such things, Rhysand, High Lord of Shitting me up the Wall.”

“Nesta, for fuck’s sake you’re getting defensive for no reason!”

“No reason?!” she spat, Cassian holding her back before she lunged at Rhys.

“Too late,” Feyre muttered at him as she walked into the office, sitting at the desk to remain neutral in Nesta and Rhysand’s pissing match. Azriel would love to know what had riled them up so much that they were nearly screaming at each other, but any guidance from his brothers was not there.

“You have to admit that it’s suspicious, Nesta!”

Rhys threw his arm at Azriel as he approached, looking triumphant. “Azriel will agree with me.”

“He will not.”

“May I ask what I might need to agree to, or will it remain a mystery as to why you’re yelling so early in the morning?” Az crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for them to stop acting like children.

“Rhys accused Gwyn of being a spy,” Nesta growled.

“You’re twisting my words! I said I’d had reports of her acting strange, of her behaviour being completely different, and I suggested that it was worth looking into. We have to consider the safety of Velaris, and Gwyn would be the perfect plant.”

Azriel was sure Rhys was going to say more, but he was interrupted by Azriel’s uncontrollable fit of laughter. His laughs shook his whole body, and he felt tears in his eyes from how hard his fit was hitting him. He had to bend over to try and catch his breath, clutching at his chest as though his lungs might leap out of it.

“What’s so funny,” Rhys deadpanned.

Azriel shook his head and walked to Nesta, putting an arm around her shoulder.

“Are you serious, Rhys? Gwyn? Gwyenth Berdara?”

“Yes, I’m serious. Both Clotho and Merrill have approached me. Clotho, because she was worried, and Merrill, because she thought that Gwyn was being insubordinate. Clotho has had multiple girls come to her in fear for Gwyn, saying she’s been disappearing at night and coming back early in the morning. They she’s tired, unfocused, and that she’s exceeding every expectation they had for her in training and acting like a different person in the library. This has all been reported over the last month.” Rhys picked Nyx out of Feyre’s arms to calm himself before continuing. “Gwyn knows incredibly sensitive information about us. She helped us with the Trove, she treats the House of Wind like she bloody lives there. She’s awfully comfortable for a person who previous to knowing us refused to leave the library.”

Any humour Azriel felt had been leeched from his body. Nesta’s verbal beating of Rhys had been justified and then some.

“With all due respect, you can go fuck yourself,” he bit at his brother.

Feyre made a noise in the back of her throat and took Nyx back from Rhys before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

Too much swearing for such little ears! she said into their minds as she was leaving.

“What the fuck, Az?” Rhys looked startled.

“I knew he’d side with me,” Nesta said smugly.

“She’s ‘awfully comfortable?’ Yeah, she is, because she found a fucking family. Nesta is like a sister to her, and she’s over at the House a lot not because she’s entitled, but because we want her there. You might not make that much of an effort with Nesta’s friends because of your own personal shit, but Cassian and I consider her a close friend. Accusing her of anything unbecoming, to me, is as bad as if you’d dragged me in here to tell me Cassian was working against us. You sound ludicrous. Also, need I remind you, it’s not your fucking House anymore. Who we have over is none of your damned business.”

Rhys scoffed. “It’s not your House either.”

“Sorry, High Lord Rhysand, I’ll manage my expectations.” Az clenched his jaw at Rhys’ words. He was right. Azriel didn’t technically have any property, neither had Cassian until Rhys had given Nesta the House as a mating gift. Azriel didn’t technically have a home beyond the sky, nothing worth giving to or sharing with another person. Even now, Gwyn was waiting for him in a bedroom that technically wasn’t is. He wouldn’t dare leave though, not when he knew it was one of only two places that Gwyn felt safe in.

“Why are you getting so defensive? You know what I’m saying is reasonable.”

“It would be if we didn’t know her. She is… there are not words to describe her.”

“Yes, there is,” Nesta piqued. “She is competitive. She is feisty. She’s a Valkyrie. She is the kindest soul in Velaris. She is so brave, and strong, and the most selflessly loving person I’ve met in my entire life. If you weren’t so thick headed, you would see that she’s like Feyre in a lot of ways.” Nesta paused. She left Azriel’s side to stand in front of Rhys, her shoulders back and her head high. “If you accuse her of something it would break her heart. I won’t let you hurt her.”

“I would never hurt her, Nesta.” Rhys rubbed a hand over his face. “If you’re so convinced that nothing is going on, can you explain her strange behaviour.”

Nesta turned away from Rhys, so that he couldn’t see her face. When Nesta looked over at Azriel, she didn’t need to say a single word for him to know that she knew the exact reason Gwyn was acting different.

It was because of him.

“I don’t need to explain it because I trust her. I’m also with her nearly every minute of every day. Do you not think I would not notice if she was conniving against us? Or are you truly that foolish?”

“I agree with Nesta,” Cassian said. “She’s either with us training the Valkyries, or she’s working with Nesta in the library. Who cares if she’s a little distracted, we all are sometimes.”

“And you’re sure of this?” Rhys directed his question at Azriel, almost as if he couldn’t trust Cassian and Nesta to be impartial because of how close they were to Gwyn. Huh. If only he knew.

“I have never been surer of anything.”

***

“Azriel, wait.”

Azriel was stalking through the front gardens. He would walk until his head was clear, then he would go home – go to the House of Wind – and spend the morning with Gwyn. Nesta had other plans.

“What is it?”

“Gwyn-”

“-will be safe. I won’t let Rhys near her.”

“I’m not worried about that. What is going on between you two?”

“Nothing.”

“I’m not blind. All the things Rhys described? Sure, might be espionage, but it might also just be someone falling in love.”

“We’re not together.” Love? What a preposterous thought. Gwyn had been very clear from the beginning in what she wanted from him. She needed someone to fulfil her physical needs, and Azriel was happy to do so. All the other stuff, the talking and friendship, was just icing.

“Then what are you doing? Setting yourselves up to get hurt?”

“This is a conversation you should have with her.”

“She trusts you so much, Az. Please, don’t do anything that would hurt her. She’s come so far since we met.”

“Nesta, I promise you I couldn’t dream of hurting her. The thought alone makes me feel visceral pain. What we do, what we are, is just her making decisions and doing what she wants. How did you even know there was something going on?”

Nesta smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I guessed she had a flirtation with someone. I knew it was you from the way she started saying your name.”

Azriel felt his eyes burn, but he did not know why. “The way she says my name?”

“I’ve heard the way she says it a million times. From Cassian and I. From Rhys and Feyre. I can’t describe it beyond that.”

Azriel shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted where he stood. “Have you told Cas?”

“I don’t need to, he knows.”

“So you guys have talked about it?”

“No. I haven’t told him that I know. But I know he knows. And he also knows I know.”

“So he knows you know even though you haven’t told him you know and you know he knows even though he hasn’t said he knows?”

“Exactly,” she laughed. Her smile was more genuine now. It was a look she’d only had since her mating ceremony. It sung contentment, something she, like him, struggled to have.

She came to him and linked their arms, resting her head on his shoulder. Her friendship was invaluable to him, as much as it was a surprise when it first started to form.

“I have one other thing to say, and then I’ll let you go home to Gwyn.”

“Yes, Nesta?”

“The House of Wind is as much as your home as it is mine. You can stay there forever if you want. It is your home, Azriel, and I wouldn’t dream of it being anything else.”

***

Gwyn was awake when Azriel returned home. She was humming a song to herself in bed, wrapped in his blankets like it was a cocoon. She had the breakfast he made for her in her lap, and when he entered the room, she pulled the blanket aside and opened her arms for him to fall into to.

Maybe he still looked stormy after his talk with Rhys, or maybe she just wanted to hold him. Either way, he fell happily into her embrace.

***

Gwyn had set a date. She did not intend to be so clinical about it, she just wanted to give herself a chance to mentally prepare for what was about to happen, and she needed a few days to do so.

The month she’d had with Azriel had been… Cauldron, she did not know how to exactly describe it. When she had approached him, she honestly did not think that he would say yes to such a ridiculous idea. But he had, and he’d given her nothing short of the best month of her life. Her cheeks ached from how much she was smiling, and even if she was tired when she worked, she wouldn’t give up her restless nights for anything.

It would also be remiss for her to not acknowledge that perhaps what she had with him was more than an arranged bargain, but any time the thoughts propped up she promptly put them to the side.

She had not gone to see Az last night, needing the time to do extra work so that she could be missed for a day. Or two. Maybe even three.

Gwyn didn’t know how long this marathon might last, but if it were anything like Nesta and Cassian’s, it could be a while.

She had also warned Clotho and the females she shared her room with that she would be staying at the House of Wind for a few days. When asked why, she just said she was doing something with Emerie without going into any detail.

So, tonight it was. She was ready.

She was so fucking ready.

The moment dinner was served in the library she made a run for it, having to physically restrain herself from skipping out of the library. She was so excited, her body literally vibrating with energy, that she didn’t even see Nesta before their bodies slammed together.

They went to a ground in a tangled fumble, and Nesta was too busy laughing to listen to Gwyn’s repeated apologies. The brisk evening air greeted them, the stars starting to peek through the violet dusk as they laid on the path that took them from the library to the training area to the House.

“Well, you made looking for you much easier,” Nesta said, brushing off her dress as she stood. She offered Gwyn a hand, which she gladly took. Nesta started walking towards the House, their hands not dropping as they swung them between them like children.

“Why were you looking for me?”

“Emerie is here with Mor and Feyre. I wanted you to join us for dinner.”

“I have dinner with you every night.”

“I know, but I wanted you to know that you’re not just welcome but also invited.”

Gwyn smiled at Nesta, love for her friend filling her heart.

They approached the House, Nesta’s face falling as they walked in and saw Rhys standing in the middle of the room, confused looks on the faces of Mor and Emerie as everyone just looked uncomfortable.

Nesta’s hands squeezed Gwyn’s, and for just a second it felt like Nesta was about to pull Gwyn right back to the library.

“I’m not sure what the problem is,” Mor said slowly. “We go out in Velaris all the time, why can’t we tonight?”

“You’re more than welcome to, I would just rather stay here,” Azriel replied.

Gwyn knew the look on his face. It was the same look he’d had a few days ago when he’d returned from Mother knows where after Rhys summoned him. Gwyn assumed Azriel had just had to do one of the many hard tasks expected of a spymaster, but perhaps there was something else if his face was a mirror of that again now.

“What’s going on?” asked Nesta.

They all turned to look at them like they were surprised to see them. Not even Azriel had noticed their entrance, although Gwyn self-admitted that Azriel tended to be surprised by her sudden appearances quite often. She didn’t know for sure, but she thought maybe his shadows didn’t bother warning him when she was near. It’s not like she was a danger to the guy.

“Rhys came and said we should try the new restaurant on the Rainbow! The one near Feyre’s studio? I’ve heard really nice things about it, and the family that opened it are really beautiful.” Mor beamed at them all, trying to disperse the odd tension. “And then maybe we could go dancing.”

The idea sounded wonderful, and Gwyn wistfully wished she could join them. In reality, just the thought of going into the city set her heard racing. The only time she had ever left the library or the House, other than to go to Emerie’s house which landed them in the Bloodrite, was to officiate Nesta and Cassian’s mating ceremony. Although the memory was one of her most treasured ones, it was not something she thought she would be able to do again. Not yet.

“I’ve heard great things about that place,” Nesta replied, her stomach audibly grumbling at just hearing about the exquisite food it might receive.

“You are all more than welcome to go.” Azriel swept a hand out between them. “But I don’t want to.”

His gaze flickered to Gwyn, and suddenly the eyes of everyone were on her.

A blanket of understanding washed over the room. Most eyes were understanding, Mor’s held the pity that Gwyn hated, and Rhys looked indifferent, if not satisfied.

Azriel’s resistance became evident. It wasn’t just that it was the night, their night, but he didn’t want her to be left alone whilst everyone else galivanted through the city having the time of their lives when they knew she wouldn’t be able to join them.

“I don’t want to go either. It’s been a long week and I’m tired,” said Nesta.

Gwyn narrowed her eyes at her lying sister but couldn’t hold it in her heart to be angry. In face, she had to stop it from swelling with how loving their words felt. They didn’t want her to be alone. They wanted to stay with her.

“You know,” spoke Emerie softly, “I can’t imagine anywhere making food as well as the House.”

Mor’s eyes shot to Emerie, and Gwyn wondered if she was imagining the slight betrayed look in them.

“Guy’s, c’mon. Rhys and I made a reservation, they’re expecting us! It would be rude not to go,” Mor pleaded.

Azriel opened his mouth to snap back, but Gwyn interrupted. “She’s right. You should go enjoy yourselves.”

“But Gwyn-”

“It’s okay, Nesta. Please, I really think you should all go.” She made a point to look at Azriel. “It sounds like it would be a lot of fun.”

“It’s not fair to arrange activities that we can’t all participate in.” Azriel’s voice had softened as he looked at her, and if she didn’t have better self-control she would stride over and plant a kiss on his pouting lips.

“How could Mor have known that Gwyn would be here? It’s not her fault,” Rhys interjected.

“That’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard-”

“Stop, just stop.” Gwyn clutched her hands in front of her and stepped away from Nesta. She needed them to see her as an adult, as someone who was strong and to be taken seriously. “It’s fine. Really, truly. I have a lot to do anyway.” She turned to Feyre and waved her fingers at Nyx. “If you would like, I can take care of him so you can enjoy some grown-up time.”

For a second Feyre looked hopeful, but then she schooled her face into neutrality. Rhys stepped between the two, and Feyre had to put an arm on his shoulder.

As if to stop him stepping any further.

Gywn blinked, feeling like she should blanch away but not sure as to why.

“That won’t be necessary,” Rhys said. She’d heard him use that voice before. It was his political voice. His I-have-an-agenda voice. Now it was her turn to look confused.

“No worries,” Gwyn whispered.

She looked away from the High Lord’s searing gaze and back to her friends. She hoped her face didn’t speak of her sadness.

“Please go. I would feel awful if any of you stayed on my part. If anything, by going and having a great time you’d be doing me a favour, because I wouldn’t feel guilty.”

“You could always just come with us,” Mor said, tucking her hair behind her ears in a way that was comically similar to how the ‘popular’ girls in her smutty books would behave.

Gwyn bit her lip, thinking about it. Of course, logically, she would be safe. They would all be there, Azriel would be there, but she genuinely felt like she might vomit at the thought. A bead of sweat dripped down her back, and she despised how her eyes stung with tears. She breathed the way her and Nesta had learnt from Valkyrie texts and pulled herself back to reality. Sometimes the logic of actions did not dictate how you would feel, or react, to a situation. Gwyn reminded herself once more to be kinder to herself.

“Thank you for the offer, Mor, but I am happy here.” Gwyn smiled brightly at them all, and they seemed to relax – all but Az and her sisters.

She shooed them out of the House, hoping that one day she would be able to join them.

***

It was odd. Gwyn had spent much time over the last few years alone, but it had never affected her. And although the House was quite good company – it had dinner and dessert ready for her with a box of tissues and chocolates even before Cassian had finally flown off with the resistant Nesta – it wasn’t the same as spending time with someone who could talk back to you.

She only just made it through her meal when she crawled into Azriel’s bed, hoping the scent of him would make her feel better.

It didn’t, but the sight of his room did. There were unlit candles lining the room, and flowers adorning every surface. The cheeky male had even installed a mirror on the ceiling above the bed, and she blushed profusely at the implications.

He had tried to make it romantic, and she adored him for it.

She had no idea when he would be back, and she scolded herself for wishing it would be sooner rather than later. She wanted him to be out and about with his family, even if it made her burn with envy that everyone would be able to enjoy him but her.

She rolled over, stuffing her face into his pillow and groaning. She should take off her day clothes and resign herself to pyjamas. Maybe she should sleep in a different bedroom so as to not torture herself with what this night could have been.

Her night with Az. The night with Az.

“That’s it. I am so over this,” she said aloud before springing up. She stomped out of the room and towards Nesta’s, flinging her closet open to inspect her clothes.

It was just a restaurant. It was safe. She would be fine. Besides, how could she overcome her fears if not to face them? She had gone to Emerie’s and survived. She had gone to Nesta’s mating ceremony and survived. She had won the bloody Bloodrite!

As she looked through the dresses, she quickly realised they wouldn’t fit. They would hang loose at her hips and chest, where Nesta was beautifully endowed and she was not.

“Not to worry, I’ll just take a coat then.” Taking the first one she saw, light but soft enough that warmth wouldn’t be an issue, Gwyn shoved her shoes on approached the door that led to the ten thousand steps that would take her to Velaris. She didn’t know where to go from there, but she knew in her heart of hearts that she would be able to find her friends with enough willpower. And since meeting Nesta and Emerie, since being empowered by the strongest females she knew and since empowering herself, she knew she had that willpower in abundance.

“Let’s fucking do this.”

***

She didn’t know at what point the House had left her, its omnipresence not connected to the stairs, but she was doing just fine even if she felt its absence. She counted in her head to keep track of where she was.

One thousand. Feeling good. Coat in arms.

Two thousand. Out of breath but in a good way.

Three thousand. Fucking shit.

Four thousand. Maybe she should turn around.

Five thousand.

Six thousand. How has Nesta done this multiple times?

Seven thousand. She had this! This was easier than Ramiel!

Eight thousand. If she died here no one would find her.

Nine thousand.

Ten. Fucking. Thousand.

Gwyn realised that there was no way she’d be able to eat with them. They would be having dessert if they hadn’t already moved on. She just needed to find them.

As Gwyn took the last step, her toes touched the streets of Velaris for the very first time.

It was so beautiful she thought she might cry. There was colour everywhere, the laughter of adults and children alike, and she could smell delicious food as the many restaurant’s wide-open doors let the scents pour into the streets. The faelights lining the streets reminded her of the stars she often gazed at with Azriel, the thought of him like a caress to her mind.

Azriel loved Velaris, would die for this city if he had to. How could she been afraid of something he loved so much?

She took one step. Then one more. She was sure to anyone that glanced her way she must have looked like a lunatic, her eyes wide in wonder as she moved at a snail’s pace, Nesta’s coat bundled in her arms because after all those steps she didn’t need it.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, equal parts fear and excitement, as she walked through the city. She got a few odd looks, but she could see it was out of curiosity for a newcomer in a city that had been locked down for centuries, and not for violence. She wasn’t leered at or bothered. In fact, the only time someone even talked to her was when a toddler sprinted from his mother’s side, his legs too quick for his body to keep up, and he fell into her.

The mother apologised profusely but Gwyn didn’t care at all. How could she be mad at the pudgy little baby?

It was easy to find her way to a district clearly dedicated to all things food. If possible, she slowed down even more. She peeked inside every restaurant looking for the four sets of wings that would set her friends apart from everyone else.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of searching but was probably closer to forty minutes, she saw them.

Azriel and Rhys were standing outside the restaurant Mor must’ve been talking about. Light and music drifted from its open windows, the streets still full of roaming people. Gwyn knew they wouldn’t be able to see her yet, and she wondered how she should approach them.

Azriel… did not look happy, and the tense set of Rhys’ shoulders and back let her know that his face likely looked the same, even if he was facing away from her.

Before she could think of a strategy, Azriel looked up, his eyes meeting hers.

Gwyn could not describe the feeling that filled her as they drunk in one another. Still standing twenty steps from him, his gaze made her feel like she was wrapped in his arms.

She raised one hand in a wave, and it was like Rhys didn’t exist at all.

Azriel shoved him to the side, Rhys making an indignant sound as he did. He ran to her, and she dropped Nesta’s coat so she could wrap her arms around him as they crashed together. People in the streets backed off at Azriel’s display, and in that moment she couldn’t have cared less about where she was, as long as she was with him.

His wings wrapped around her, creating a shield between them and the outside world.

“Gwyn.”

“Hey Az,” she whispered, her arms around his neck and his face tucked to her shoulder.

“What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” He straightened and brushed the hair from her face. It had stuck to her skin from how much she had sweat while taking the stairs, but she didn’t care how she looked. She knew he certainly never would.

He looked ready to fight an invisible threat, and it made her throb in unspeakable places.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just – I. Um.” She hadn’t rehearsed what she would say to him, but it’s not like she could blurt out Hey! Just wanted to near you at all times and rub my body against yours!

“Did something happen? What do you need me to do?”

She shook her head. “No, no, Az, really, I’m fine. I just regretted not coming out with you all.”

He must have been able to see the honesty on her face and smile, because he relaxed, his wings folding back.

The look on his face was adorable as the realisation dawned on him that she was here for him.

“Did I miss everything? Are you all done?”

He didn’t answer, but he did look behind him. Rhys was standing there with his mouth open, his face laced with something Gwyn couldn’t put a name to. Before she could greet him, Rhys stormed back into the restaurant.

Azriel turned back to her, and he didn’t hesitate when he lifted her chin and kissed her.

She gasped but reciprocated zealously. She pushed her body into his, and his arms went around her as he lifted her off her feet, cradling him to her as he kissed her like she was the wind that let him embrace the skies. He tasted like air, like gold, like this was his final breath and he was he was sharing it with just her.

***

Azriel sat with Gwyn while the rest of their friends danced. She hid it well, but he could tell that she was nervous being in this new environment.

She had been so good, so brave when she went into the restaurant and greeted Azriel’s family. Nesta and Emerie jumped up when they saw her, and Nesta held her tightly while Emerie rushed to get another chair. Nesta was trying to be subtle, but Azriel saw the happy tears she shed as she held Gwyn. Emerie then insisted that Gwyn sit and eat her strawberry and mango cheesecake with her, which earned an inexplicable scowl from Mor. Interesting.

Once Gwyn was satisfied and protesting the consumption of more food, they all walked together to one of the classier bars Nesta used to frequent so they could go dancing. Everyone was light as a feather, except Rhys, but life was hard as a fucking asshole, so Az wasn’t surprised he was feeling surly.

And now here they were. Azriel and Gwyn seated with the others dancing to their hearts content. Mor was spinning around with a giggling Nyx, Feyre and Rhys were swaying but it was obvious they were speaking to each other through their daemati bond, and Emerie and Nesta were terrorising Cassian in a three-way dance.

“How are you feeling?” Azriel asked, his shadows silent to her moods. If it had been anyone else, he would have known she was coming to the restaurant before she’d even left the House. But his shadows didn’t like to spy on her and revelled in him being surprised by her.

“I feel good.” Her gaze was focused on the dance floor, and Azriel glanced over to see what was so entrancing.

Nesta and Cassian were finally dancing alone, Emerie now with Nyx and Mor. The way Cassian and Nesta were grinding on each other was nothing short of pornographic as they moved into the shadows of the dance floor. Nesta’s back was to Cassian, his hands clasped on her hips as his lips were on her neck as she pushed her ass back against him.

Azriel snorted. They’d be fucking in an alley within the next fifteen minutes.

“Do you want to dance like that, Gwyneth?”

She turned to him, a lovely flush spreading from her face to her chest. “No,” she said unconvincingly. She slid her chair closer to his, the bar stool so high she had to hop onto it to sit. It was frightfully cute, and Azriel had to restrain from kissing her again.

He couldn’t help it in the street. The sight of her – rumpled, breathless, her face alight with joy – was too much for him.

She was beginning to be too much for him.

The longer he was with her, the more of her he was allowed to have, the more he feared he could never go back to just a simple friendship. This female would either be his salvation or his ruination, either of which he would happily accept if it meant he could savour every minute he had left with her.

Under the table, she linked their hands, and Azriel thought he might very well die from the touch.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get to enjoy our plans.” He rubbed his thumb against her finger.

She smiled his way, her eyes crinkling at the sides. “It’s okay.” She looked down, biting her lip. “I went to your room. I saw what you had done.”

He swallowed hard. “Did you like it?”

She removed her hand from his and placed it on his thigh. “I loved it.”

He shifted in his seat, glad that the tablecloth was long enough so that anyone around, if they looked, would only see their ankles. “You’re playing with fire right now,” he chucked under his breath as she continued to stroke his thigh.

“I especially liked the mirror on the ceiling. May I ask, what purpose does it serve?” Her smile may have been all innocent, but the way her hand was moving was anything but.

She leant against him so they were touching shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip.

“It was for your pleasure.”

“Is that right?”

He brushed his lips to her ear, grateful that the dim lights of the bar kept them in the shadows and that the dancing bodies kept their scents hidden. And over the live music, no one would hear them. “Mhm. It was so that, no matter what position I put you in, you could watch me.”

She tipped her head back, humming in acknowledgement. Her hand, already in dangerous territory, swept down his increasingly hard length.

He grunted, laying both his hands on the table and fisting the cloth.

“Is this okay?” she asked, breathless.

He nodded, taking a swig of his drink to distract him.

She brushed her hand down again, bolder this time, and he squirmed in his chair.

“I would take it out, but I fear it would be seen over the table. So inside it stays,” she sighed. “It must be hard being so large.” She put her lips to his ear, mimicking what he had done to her. “I do love it though. The size, the taste, I think about it constantly.”

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he choked out. “But at least I’d die happy.”

Her hand slipped inside his pants, and he couldn’t help but thrust up into her hand. He tilted his head back in pleasure as she worked him, getting the angles just right as she pumped him. He was unbelievably aroused by the public act, barely able to believe that she’d do something so audacious. But Cauldron have mercy, he would do anything if it meant she was touching him. She could ask to ride him right now in the middle of this bar and he would blissfully indulge.

“I’m going to finish soon,” he warned her.

“I can’t wait for you to finish in me.”

Her words were his undoing, and he felt the edge of the table splinter under his grip as he contained his moan of pleasure.

He stared at her as she pulled her hand from him, offering him a serviette to clean himself like she hadn’t just given him a mind-blowing orgasm where anyone could have seen.

“Az?” she asked after a few, content minutes of silence.

“Yes, Gwyneth?”

“Do you think we could go dance?”

***

Gwyn couldn’t remember the last time she had been this relentlessly happy. Azriel flew her and Emerie back to the House of Wind, the latter looking forlorn as they finally left the bar in the small hours of the morning.

Rhys and Feyre had left much earlier, Nyx too small to stay up that late, and if Gwyn was being honest she was surprised they lasted as long as they did. Feyre seemed fine, but Rhys was in a shocking mood. Every time she asked Azriel about it, he just muttered about Rhys being a jerk without elaborating. She could tell that whatever it was, it was sensitive, so she didn’t push him.

Her and Nesta put a very intoxicated Emerie to bed, stripping her and putting her into some pyjamas before tucking her in nice and tight with some herbs on her nightstand that would help her head in the morning. Azriel and Cassian had already gone to their respective bedrooms, and Gwyn contemplated how she was going to sneak into Azriel’s room when Nesta stopped her.

“Can we talk for a second?”

“Of course.”

Nesta led her to the library, and they plopped themselves onto one of the plush couches. Gwyn faced her as she sat, tucking her feet under Nesta’s thighs to keep them warm.

Two hot chocolates appeared to them on a table, a dish of marshmallows to the side. They whispered their thanks to the House, claiming the warm drinks. Gwyn pressed hers up against her face, liking the warmth on her skin.

“What do you want to talk about?” Gwyn asked, taking a sip.

“Azriel. You. You and Azriel.” Nesta patted her shin, and Gwyn put her drink down. This wasn’t a hot chocolate kind of conversation.

“I don’t know what you’re talk-”

“Do you love him, Gwyn? Because if you did, or even if you don’t, you don’t have to sneak around Cassian and I and pretend nothing is happening. You can live here, forever if you want. All four of us in the House.”

“Nesta-”

“Imagine if we both had our families and babies here. It’s a big place, we wouldn’t get in each other’s way. And maybe Emerie could come too and she could fall in love too and we’d all be so happy. Okay, I’m rambling and that was weird. What I’m trying to say is – is that you can Azriel are so obviously together and I’m wracking my brain trying to figure out why you’re keeping it a secret from us, not that I care that you have secrets you’re an adult and you don’t have to tell me everything, and I’m so fucking happy for you, Gwyn, and I want you to know that you can be publicly happy, if you want.”

“Nesta…”

“I just love this. You and him. I’ve never seen Azriel so happy and you just smile all the time. And, oh, it reminds me of Cassian. In the way that I can see ourselves reflected in you two, and I wonder if maybe if I hadn’t been so,” she gestured at her head, “you know, then I could have just been this happy from the start of us, with him, like you two. So I need you to know that if you want that, if you want him, I am so incredibly supportive and I will do anything you want if it means you get your happily ever after. Okay, I’m done.”

“Nesta.”

“And I also would just love to know how this all began. Like the secret little smiles and observations that I’ve had for as long as I’ve known you just changed one day. And I know you guys used to train alone sometimes and I know you were always here with him, and me and Cas but I can’t pinpoint when your friendship turned into this.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Sorry, I really am done now.”

“Are you sure?” Gwyn pinched her cheek lovingly, and Nesta swatted it away.

“Yes.”

Gwyn took a second to think about her words, and as nice and idyllic as they sounded, Gwyn wasn’t sure they were the truth.

“Nesta, we aren’t together.”

“What?”

“We have a…” Gwyn struggled to find the words. “Deal? Agreement?”

“A sexy agreement?”

Gwyn laughed. “No. Well, yes actually.” She launched into the story of how her and Azriel had started their bargain, detailing how Azriel had agreed to help her overcome her fear, and how much they practised towards her ultimate goal of sex. Gwyn also expressed how their closeness was something she treasured, as spending so much time together naturally led to a deepening in their friendship. Her face stained pink as she told her of some of the things they had done, but how, after over a month together, that hadn’t actually sealed the deal.

Nesta was silent the entire story, letting Gwyn speak her truth. She was contemplative over Gwyn’s words, not saying anything until she was done speaking.

“Before I say anything, I want to let you know how incredibly proud of you I am, and how much I support wanting to explore yourself and your sexuality. No matter what I say, I need you to know that.”

Well, that wasn’t a good start.

“I understand, Nesta.”

“Gwyn, do you love him?”

Gwyn took a deep breath. It was a topic she often pushed from her mind, unable or not wanting to broach the subject. “I don’t know.”

“It’s a yes or no, Gwyn.”

Gwyn shrugged her shoulders. “What if it’s a ‘I’m not sure because I so thoroughly blurred the lines between what was real and what I asked him to do to help me?’ What if it’s a ‘I don’t know if I could say it to him but if he said it to me, I would say it back in an instant?’”

“Do you know how he feels about you? Has he said anything?”

Gwyn shook her head. “I know we’re friends. I know he cares about me. I know he would do anything I asked of him. I know he must love me, in some way, but I don’t know if it’s love-love or platonic love.”

“And he’s never given any sort of indication of his intentions?”

Gwyn pondered how thoughtful he was, how detail oriented he was to her pleasure and how he was the best part of her day. And as she thought about it, about him, who was so caring and lovable and agreeable, and she realised that a lot of what he did for her – the comfort, the talking, the support – he would do for anyone.

“I’ve never asked.” Her breath shuddered, and Nesta put a hand to her cheek.

“Maybe you should.”

“What if he doesn’t feel the same way as I do? What if I’m just an obligation?”

“Oh, my love.” Nesta repositioned them so that Gwyn was lying down, her head in Nesta’s lap, as Nesta lovingly stroked her hair. It reminded Gwyn so much of what Catrin used to do that she couldn’t help the tears that started to shed.

“It’s better to know what you are to him. If it’s any consolation, I think he cares about you a great deal. Maybe even loves you. It’s hard to tell when he’s naturally so cold.”

He wasn’t cold, she wanted to say, he was the warmest person she knew. Instead, she cried, and she let Nesta comfort her like she always did.

***

A few days passed, and although Gwyn never left the House, her sexual relations with Az didn’t progress. Rather, they stopped altogether. He didn’t mind at all, he was just glad for her company. They talked and trained, and Azriel was surprised that somehow he could be even more impressed of her than before.

She also started doing what he called her ‘casual kisses.’

They would be doing something monotonous, like sorting weapons for training the next day, and she could kiss him as she walked by him. Or they would be sitting in bed reading, and she would lean over and brush her lips to his temple.

It became a game, who could casually kiss the other first if the opportunity arose, and it was the best game Az had ever played.

He felt himself looking forward to the nights even if the only touching they did was cuddling until they fell asleep in each other’s arms. Azriel wondered if this is what home felt like.

It was late, and Gwyn decided that she needed to return to the library before people started to question where she was. Az didn’t have the heart to tell her they already were.

“I had the most interesting conversation with Nesta the other day,” she said as they reached the door that would take her away.

“What about?”

Gwyn fiddled with her fingers, trepidation oozing from her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, worry starting to maw at him.

“I’m fine.” She turned to face him, and he took the opportunity to kiss her on her hairline. He loved the height different between them, it made him feel bigger than he was. “Nesta asked me about us. She has suspected for a while.”

He schooled his face into neutrality. As far as Gwyn knew, this was new information to him.

He hadn’t told her a word of what had happened between them and Rhys, and it would stay that way. All it would do was hurt her, and Azriel was serious when he said no harm would ever come her way from him. She did not need to know that Rhys was acting like a tool.

In more ways than one. Azriel didn’t need to read minds to know that Rhys was highly suspicious of them both. And more so, as much as it pained him to admit, how much Rhys disapproved. He wasn’t sure why, and he couldn’t bear to ask, but he had a good idea. Rhys, as much as he loved Az, must know that he would never be good enough for Gwyn. The idea had plagued him for days, and the only thing that drove away the dark thoughts were the casual kisses Gwyn would bestow upon him.

“How do you feel about that?” he asked her, snapping back to their conversation.

She shrugged. “At first I was worried, but now I’m actually kind of relieved.”

“Why were you worried?”

“You know, it’s weird. I had it in my head that if people knew I was on this mission to achieve some ultimate, empowering orgasm that they might judge me. But Nesta never would, and I felt like an idiot as soon as she looked at me and told me she knew we were,” she gestured between them, “touching.”

Az snickered. “Touching is one way to sum it up.”

“She asked me something I couldn’t answer.”

“What was that?”

“She asked me what we are.” She brushed her hands over his chest absentmindedly. “What I am to you.”

He clasped her hands and held them to his heart, trying to make her look at him when she was purposefully focusing on the floor.

“What did you tell her?”

“I told her the truth. That I don’t know what I am to you.”

“Gwyn…”

“I need to say something, and I beg you not to interrupt until I’m done.” She sniffled, and he hated the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

She took a deep breath and wiped her tears away, facing him with steel. “I genuinely approached you with nothing but friendship in mind. I had a plan, to sleep with you once and then go back to how we always were before – me, as your overly competitive but absolute best student, and you as, as this God of a man that I could not believe even walked the same existence as me, let alone be someone I considered a friend. You were my ribbon Az. The thing I wanted to be as good as. And then you said yes to me. I didn’t expect you to. I half-thought you would laugh because you thought I was joking. But you didn’t, and you said yes, and I have made the grave mistake of developing feelings I swore to myself I wouldn’t.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but she put a hand over his mouth before he could.

“I had every intention of having sex with you until Nesta asked me what I was to you. And then I realised that if all I was to you was a proposition to uphold, I couldn’t do it. I can’t be with you just once. I can’t be just friends if we take that last step. So, Az, I’m asking you, and please don’t feel obligated to say anything you don’t feel, but what am I to you?”

He couldn’t breathe. His chest felt like his ribs were being ripped apart and then shoved back together until his lungs were caged too tightly. He knew what he wanted to say, that of course she was more than that, she was everything, but then he thought of her spirit being crushed by his inadequacies, and how she could do so much better now that she was ready to. She was pure, she was light, and she deserved more than his darkness.

He had been quiet too long.

Watching her was like watching a porcelain doll shatter after being dropped. Her face crumbled, and she pulled her hands away from him as she tried to contain herself.

“You’re my best friend.” He finally said, his own tears stinging at his eyes. “I can’t lose you.” Which he would, if she stayed with him and realised how truly broken he was.

A sob fractured her chest, and Az hated the way her voice sounded when she spoke. “You’re my best friend, too.”

And then they were kissing. It tasted like salt from their tears and was more passionate and heart-wrenching than any of the kisses they’d had before. They were drowning, their only hope at salvation one another as they clung to each other with all the strength they had.

Azriel didn’t want to let her go. He knew once he did that it would be over. His month of bliss, of final contentment, would be over. Part of him wished Nesta had never opened her mouth, or that he’d been able to tell the truth, but all of him wished that he was someone else, or that he was more like his brothers, so that he was good enough for her.

When they finally stopped kissing, it was not so she could leave. They still clung to each other, breathing in each other’s scents, well into the night.

When she whispered goodbye, part of his soul left with her as she walked away.

He lied to her by staying silent. He should have told her the truth, that what he was feeling went deeper than affection, maybe even deeper than love. But this lie protected her, and he would take it to his grave.

#acosf #fanfic #gwynriel #azriel #nessian #feysand #acotar #acomaf #acofas #acowar #sjm #sarahjmaas #tog #koa #emorie #mor x emerie

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daverygalskisbff · 3 years

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could we get some allura & lance friendship prompts? i LOVED your other ones btw 💖💖💖💖

HI I'm sorry this took forever I have honestly no idea why bc I adore these two and I ADORE this prompt so my brain should not have shut down the way it did. anywayz to make up for the wait i tried to make this a bit longer than my usual posts :) I hope you like it!

(also, as usual, everything here I came up with myself, and if there's any similarity to someone elses post I apologise and promise it wasn't intentional)

now without further ado,

Lance and Allura!

similar to lance and pidge, the two are decidedly Not close in the beginning

i had an entire thing about how i imagine they became friends at first written out, but it was a tad too long and i didn't want to clog up the post with too much exposition. so instead, let's just skip forward and get into their dynamic after they become buddies :) (however, if anyone wants to see the backstory I would not be opposed)

although he no longer has a crush on her, lance makes it a point to hype her up as much as he possibly can

at first allura was confused, because she thought it was him trying to flirt with her still, but once she understood what was going on she was more than willing to join in

lance when allura completely destroys the training droid: WOWZA ladies and gentlemen of the jury may I present to you the icon the legend the moment herself her royal highness princess allura of altea!!!!! if you thought that was impressive just WAIT till she gets warmed up because this is just the beginning!!! she can even do it in heels-

shiro: lance, please focus, this is really important that we-

allura: no no, shiro, please. let him finish.

they both show their friendship in slightly different ways. lance's way is that he is physically incapable of not humouring the princess

allura when lance shows her his cartwheel: incredible!!!!!!! i have never been more impressed in my life!!! do you think you could do it in heels??

lance: uhhh. y'know princess I'm really loving the faith, but-

allura: :)?

lance:.... what if you don't have my size?

lance fractured his ankle. allura has yet to stop apologising.

allura's way is definitely safer, but it's also a lot more... cluttered. to say the least.

allura, returning from a recon mission with a tiny bag filled with what looks like tiny, glittery dinosaur figurines made of glass: lance! look at what i bought for you!

lance, taking one look at the contents of the bag: wow, 'lurra, this is… so nice of you

allura: lance, are you. are you crying?

lance (definitely crying): what? NO! of course not!! I'm just. allergic, to. uh. oxygen.

allura: what.

allura never had any siblings back on altea, but she always wanted them

this, paired with how much lance misses his own family, means that the two of them kind of gravitate towards each other in terms of siblinghood.

as a child allura would imagine what it would be like to have siblings, but especially a twin. she would fall asleep to dreams of secret handshakes, finishing each other's sentences, and swapping places to trick people

she doesn't realise the brother she has found in lance until a long time after they've become close (how would she recognise a dynamic she has never been privy to?)

this realisation happens on just a random day in the castleship lounge. she is talking to hunk, when suddenly lance, who she didn't even realise was listening to their conversation, butts in and finishes her sentence.

she's annoyed at being interrupted at first, but then what happened sinks in, and suddenly she's fighting off tears. lance doesn't know why she's crying, but he hugs her anyway.

the two of them match accessories a lot

with allura's love of pretty things (and the abundance of stuff in her closet) paired with lance's natural dramatics, nobody else on the team is entirely sure of whether this is intentional or not.

it started off as intentional. it is now second nature.

one decision, however, was completely planned and thought out for exactly twenty minutes, and then deeply regretted by both parties for the next 48 hours

allura pierced lance's ears

now before you get judgemental, you try making a smart decision at two am space-time while very giddy and slightly buzzing on some weird old alien candy that not even your resident alien is sure the ingredients of. then talk to me.

pidge: okay so you're gonna need a needle, ice, and… yeah I'm pretty sure that's it

lance: don't we need a potato too

pidge: … why the fuck would you need a potato

lance: I dunno!!! my sister pierced her friend's ears one time and she mentioned a potato!!! I'm just trying to make sure everything goes well, pidge!

allura: I love these earth customs you two are showing me!! when I got my ears pierced it was done with some kind of laser, but your way sounds much more fun :).

allura: also, what is a "potato" and where can we find one?

it goes about as well as you would expect

the excited buzz on lance lasts about three ticks into the process, and then the screaming starts

pidge (the genius who came up with the idea) gives him some altean taffy to chew on to stop him from making too much noise, and allura, the angel, is babbling right along with him

allura, with tears in her eyes: how was I supposed to know it was going to hurt mine didn't hurt well it was 10,000 years ago and I was very young altean children don't have very strong pain receptors you know, maybe that's why my parents had it done at that age, or maybe your people are just completely barbaric, who thought this would be a good idea?? pidge why did you suggest this poor lonce is in tears lonce I'm so sorry but if it's any consolation at all at least now your ears won't be nearly as hideous as before and you can borrow as many of my earrings as you want except for the sparkly green ones that dangle those are my favourite well they're actually my second favourite I'm wearing my favourite - you can't borrow those either, by the way, but you can have any of the others I promise

lance, also crying and still chewing the altean taffy: hhb, llura yub domf hoff do bologuys, ss long'ss yub sanstsd thu niddle frst

allura (who did not remember to sanitize the needle), now crying freely: I don't understand what you're saying

(pidge records the entire thing)

the next day lance wakes up with ears that are very sore and slightly green, and allura faints

they spend the entire morning avoiding shiro in case they get in trouble and trying to figure out how to get the healing pods to work

lance: what do you mean you don't know allura you literally lived in one of these

allura: I was asleep the whole time!!! don't put this on me!!

lance: don't put- you are the one that pierced my ears, allura, of course it's on you!

coran, who has been watching this entire interaction in silence: oh, I thought i noticed something different about you, number three!

lance and allura: [screaming]

coran helps them set up the healing pod

unfortunately lance has to take the earrings out, so the holes close back up, but fortunately coran just so happens to know how to pierce ears the correct way that they did on altea

lance, after half a day in the healing pod, watching coran advance upon him with a literal handheld flamethrower that shoots lasers: is it too late to go back to the ear infection

coran is surprisingly very adept at the skill of altean beautification (an activity that has a surprisingly long and rich backstory, which lance and allura get an in-depth lesson on for the hour that it takes to do lance's ears properly)

they're exhausted afterwards, but lance looks great, so they're in good moods regardless

they like to teach each other about things from their respective planets - both for fun, and because it helps them feel less homesick

whenever allura is particularly down about the loss of altea, lance will visit her in her room, and the two of them will just lie together on her bed.

they don't say much, most of the time, just link their pinkies together and stare at the ceiling

when they do talk, it's quiet, and always allura who starts it - she might share something she remembers about altea, and lance listens quietly and then responds with something he misses about cuba

it isn't always sad tho - sometimes they just talk about things they remember that pop into their heads, or explain things to each other that they wouldn't otherwise know

at the space mall, they make a game out of pointing things out to each other and trying to guess what it is (allura can only guess when they're in the earth shop, but it's okay because she more than makes up for it in enthusiasm)

lance, holding a my little pony collectible: okay princess. what is this.

allura, completely serious: a weapon

lance: ... close

allura, holding up a set of magnetic heart necklaces to the light: what does… "biffs" mean?

lance: it's "bffs," princess, it means "best friends forever"

allura: oh! you mean like me and you?

lance:

lance: 'lurra what did we say about making me cry in public, we've talked about this-

(they buy the necklaces. obviously.)

they mess with each other's hair a lot

once allura learns that lance's hair is naturally curly, and that he just straightens it all of the time, she makes it her god-given mission to convince him to wear it naturally more often

this mission includes plans such as stealing his hair straightener, "donating" a bunch of curly hair products to him because she "doesn't have the space", and getting keith to say he thinks curly hair is cool one day in the rec room

she still thinks it's the funniest thing ever that that actually worked

other than week-long sabotage plots, they both think it's fun to have lance braid allura's hair

he used to braid his sister's and niece's hairs all of the time, so he has a knack for it that allura did not expect at all but is obsessed with anyway

allura, coming to lance's room a few hours before another diplomatic party: hey..... how yall doin.....

lance, already prepared with a million different brushes and bands: oh my god just get in already

lance and allura have a lot in common

one of these things, they learn very early into their relationship, is that they are both disasters when it comes to pretty girls (and boys, but that's a lance-exclusive situation)

so they become each other's wingmen

they both tend to get… a little too into it

the team: [at a diplomatic ball]

lance, seeing a pretty alien girl looking allura's way and "politely" speedwalking over to her: alluralluraalluraalluraalluralluraalluraalluraalluralluraalluraallura pretty girl look over there eleven o'clock LOOK she's gonna walk away looklooklook

allura: lance darling thank you so much for your help but I am in the middle of talking to the president

and alternatively:

allura tries to set lance and keith up all the time. at first she was worried she would be overstepping boundaries, but after one particular sleepover where lance spent an entire hour lamenting his "bad luck" she decided to take things into her own hands

this includes, but is not limited to; sending them on supply missions alone together (often), mentioning particular things lance has done to his appearance to keith every time she can, and talking about specific paladin bonds more than she maybe should

lance hates it

keith, walking into the lounge: h-

allura, immediately: hello keith!! help settle an argument, will you :)?

keith: um… okay

allura: lovely! now, tell me, do you think lance looks cuter today than he did yesterday? we can't seem to agree on whether or by he's stunning or simply handsome. what do you think?

keith: uh-

allura: oh, and while I have you, have you noticed that his ears are pierced?

lance, beet red: allu-

allura: what :(?? can't i be proud of my handiwork??

lance, to keith: I am not associated with her

after a week of this keith literally sets up a system where if allura is in a room he walks into he just does a complete 180 and walks back out

one time, at a diplomatic meeting, an alien politician mistook them for a couple and they both choked on their drinks at the same time, and then got offended that the other one agreed that the concept was insane

allura: what happened to being the princess of your dreams, lance?? I thought I MEANT something to you. obviously! i was wrong!

lance: oh yeah?? then why did you GIGGLE, allura. what's so funny, huh?? my good looks??? my charming charisma?? how far out of your league I am???

allura:

lance: okay maybe that last one was a bit of a stretch

another thing lance and allura do is pronounce each other's names wrong

they call each other lonce and allora

it started as lance kind of making fun of allura's accent, but turned into just one of their Things

allura honestly didn't know it was a bit until the habit had been long constructed

#pippa.post #pippa.canon #vld lance #vld keith #vld allura #klance #vld pidge #pippa.ask #vld shiro #i added klance bc i know you like it gia i hope this was up to your standard <3 #vld coran #vld team

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waybrights · 3 years

Text

so... i wrote smth for this post abt sasha doing anne's makeup before an interview/concert... i also didn't mean to post 2 fic things today and answer like no asks, so i'll do those tomorrow!!!

---

Anne had never been great at makeup. When she was younger she'd never been interested in it, and when they became famous, there was always someone hired to do it for them. Until, one evening they were due to go on a talk show in twenty minutes and no one had shown up.

Now, Anne wasn't usually one to panic, but she had several large pimples that she did not want being broadcast to the whole world and she didn't have the skill to cover them up. "Hey, Anne? Why are you just sitting there?" Sasha asked her, coming up to lean on the back of her chair. They looked at each other in the mirror and Sasha seemed to catch the panicked look in her eyes. "Oh."

"Yeah. I need your help," Anne mumbled, shifting uncomfortably on her stool as Sasha stared at her face. That wouldn't normally freak her out, but recently every time Sasha looked at her butterflies would start to run a riot in her stomach.

After a few seconds, Sasha's eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously. "Yes! I'll do it! Totally." And before Anne knew it, she was being pulled off her stool and pushed onto the couch. She dropped down next to Marcy (who didn't even look up, too engrossed in her game) and fiddled with her thumbs as Sasha grabbed everything she needed off the table.

"Okay, Mar Mar? Do you mind moving? I need to do Anne's makeup," Sasha said giddily. Her cheeks were flushed and there was a light in her eye Anne hadn't seen since they were kids. Is she really this excited about doing my makeup? Anne thought as Marcy silently slid off the couch and onto the musty, brown carpet.

She glanced up expectantly at Sasha, who just grinned down at her like a madwoman. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked suspiciously.

"Lay down, it helps if I can get close to you're face," Sasha said, pointing to the couch. Anne did what she said, hesitantly swinging her legs up onto the red couch and laying her head on the arm. As soon as she'd got comfortable, there was a heavy weight on her stomach that blew the wind out of her.

"Oh, shit sorry, I didn't mean to sit down that fast!" Sasha's worried face popped into Anne's view.

"It's okay, just wasn't expecting it," Anne laughed, her face heating up as Sasha leaned down.

Soon their faces were only inches apart as Sasha applied products to Anne's face. "So..." Anne said after a few minutes of silence. "You ready for the interview?"

"Shh, I don't want to mess up," Sasha hissed, but there was no malice in her tone. "And yeah, I guess I am. It's always the same questions anyway, what's your favourite song on the album? None because we didn't write them and they're boring."

"As much as I would love you to say that, we still have three years left in out contract so please don't upset Mr Andrias. Just this once," Marcy mumbled from her spot on the floor. Sasha rolled her eyes and sat back to put away the bottle she was holding.

Anne went to sit up, but was pushed down by Sasha. "I'm not done yet, I still need to do your eyes!"

"But are you close? We need to be out of here in like, five minutes."

"Anne, have I ever made us late before?" Sasha asked. Anne opened her mouth to talk about the multiple times they'd been late to concerts or interviews because Sasha was doing her makeup, but she was shut down before she could even suck in a breath. "Y'know what, don't answer that." Anne huffed out a laugh as Sasha re-positioned herself and pulled out an eye shadow palette.

Suddenly, their faces were extremely close, so close Anne could feel Sasha's breath tickling her cheeks. She could feel her face heating up and tried to push it away, but that seemed to only make it worse. At least Sash won't notice. But the light flush in her cheeks threw Anne's hope out the window. Crap, crap, crap she knows, she knows I'm blushing.

Thankfully, Sasha didn't bring it up as she worked her magic. They just lay there in silence, Anne watching the way Sasha's nose scrunched up as she concentrated. "You're staring," Sasha noted quietly as she shifted to do the other eye.

"What else do you want me to do?"

"Close your eyes," Sasha said with a smile. Anne quickly nodded and squeezed her eyes shut. "Not that tight, nerd, just like you're sleeping," she laughed. Anne nodded again and took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax.

Finally, Sasha sat up. "Done!" She said happily. Anne blinked her eyes open and wiggled out from under Sasha.

She stumbled over to the mirror (her legs had fallen asleep without her noticing) and grinned as she took in her reflection. Her eyes were immediately pulled to the tiny purple dragonfly that Sasha had somehow painted under her left eye, it matched the two lines drawn on the creases of her eyelids, following the curve perfectly and then flicking out. "It looks amazing, Sash," she said gently, her eyes finding Sasha's reflection in the mirror.

She wanted to say more, but was cut off for the second time that day by a voice crackling through the speaker. "Sasha and the Sharps, you're due on stage in three minutes."

"Hey, it was no problem, it's what friends do," she replied with a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Friends. We're just friends. It made sense, there was never any unspoken understanding between the two that they liked each other, but something in Anne still hoped that maybe Sasha would like her as more than just a friend.

"Anyway, we should probably get going. Don't want to be late," Sasha said quickly, turning away and packing all her stuff into the box she'd brought.

Anne nodded and nudged Marcy. "C'mon Marce, we've got an interview to do."

#i just think that they're not-so-secretly in love with eachother for the longest time dhkada #wait this got slightly angsty sorry dgksahda that wasn't meant to happen #anne boonchuy #sasha waybright #marcy wu #sashanne #sasha and the sharps au #amphibia #amphibia fic #marie.txt

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iwaizooming · 4 years

Text

➵ not good with words — i. hajime

✧ pairings: iwaizumi x fem!reader ✧ type: drabble ✧ genre: fluff ; a lil angst and pining ✧ wc: 1421

synopsis: iwaizumi knows of your flirty dynamic with oikawa, and he doesn’t really mind it—until he does.

ever since he was little, iwaizumi has always struggled with expressing his feelings.

his mom frequently joked about how much of a quiet kid he was. she said that he rarely ever cried or threw a tantrum. it wasn’t until he met oikawa that he started becoming more expressive, albeit with a little violence here and there.

even with oikawa’s help, iwaizumi still uses his words sparingly. it’s not like he’s shy or anything, he just feels like he isn’t good with socialising and he’s afraid of saying the wrong thing and accidentally offending someone.

on the other hand, oikawa has always been a charming kid. he has a way with words that can make every single woman, young or old, to hand their hearts to him.

ever since middle school, oikawa is always surrounded by a horde of girls who blush and giggle at his every word.

his charm and flirty nature never really bothered iwaizumi (well, except for the fact that it makes it five times harder to get to their next classes after each period), but this changes when he met you.

you moved to seijoh during your first year of high school, and through some miracle, you were placed in the same class as iwaizumi and oikawa.

you were a curious case. instead of blushing at oikawa’s cheeky flirts, you flirted back at him with a mischievous glint in your eyes.

naturally, oikawa was enthralled by this.

throughout the year, all of you became very close. you fit into their friendship group very easily. hanamaki and matsukawa adored you, because no other girl has been able to match with oikawa’s ridiculousness before. you always participated in bullying oikawa, which made them love you even more. the flirting did not stop though, oikawa always made sure to blow a kiss across the gym whenever you came to their practice matches, and you always pretended to throw the kiss in the air and served it back at him.

although iwaizumi is aware of your flirty dynamic with oikawa, he couldn’t stop his heart from beating twice as fast when you gave him a smile.

he didn’t notice his feelings at first, being the oblivious boy that he is. it wasn’t until he saw you receive a confession from a black-haired boy in the corridor during your second year that he realised, the clench in his heart wasn’t normal. well shit.

after that day, he started becoming hyper-aware of the little things that were previously normal in your relationship.

when you grabbed his arm to tell him to look at the new takoyaki stand on the way home, he couldn’t help but flush at the touch.

every time you shot him a toothy grin when you saw him waiting for you by your front door to walk with you to school, his heart skips a beat.

your flirting with oikawa is no longer just a daily annoyance, it causes his stomach to twist just a little bit.

but iwaizumi knew better than to interfere with his best friends’ relationship. he believed that you and oikawa were right for each other, your personalities were very similar after all.

he could only stand and look from afar while his heart aches when you laugh at another one of oikawa’s stupid jokes. his arms were around your shoulders and you were leaning into him. you looked happy.

as if you sensed his eyes on you, you suddenly look up to meet his gaze. you locked eyes with him for a moment, and then you shot him a soft smile. he loves all of your smiles, but this one is his favourite.

iwaizumi doesn’t even bother to deny the skip in his heart anymore.

like any other day, iwaizumi walked home with you by his side. you were happily humming to yourself while munching on your onigiri.

iwaizumi swallowed hard, as if trying to stop his stomach from jumping out of his mouth from nervousness.

“h-how are you and oikawa?” iwaizumi asked, immediately cringing right after. that sounded so awkward.

you shot him a weird look, “what do you mean? didn’t you see him just now? he looked fine?”

iwaizumi swallowed again. his palms were getting sweaty.

“what i mean is, do you like oikawa? you guys seem super close and he obviously likes you.”

you stopped munching on your onigiri as your mouth opened in disbelief.

a blush formed on iwaizumi’s cheeks, “stop being disgusting and chew with your mouth closed.” he hoped that his gruff tone is able to mask the embarrassment in his voice.

you obliged and swallowed quietly. he could see the gears turning in your head.

a mischievous smirk formed on your lips as you teased, “are you jealous, hajime?”

the blush on iwaizumi’s cheeks got even darker as he feels his head get hot. he thinks that he’s one second away from overheating.

“n-no! stop being so annoying.” wait, that wasn’t what he wanted to say.

you smiled, completely unbothered by his insult. after being friends with iwaizumi for over a year, you’ve grown accustomed to his antics.

unbeknownst to him, your heart was also beating abnormally fast. you were just better at hiding your shyness.

“well, to answer your question, no i don’t.” you shot him another one of your soft smiles.

iwaizumi felt like a weight the size of an elephant has been lifted from his chest.

“but i do like someone else.” you looked down at your feet as you feel a blush creeping up at your cheeks.

“oh,” the pain and disappointment was apparent in his voice, but he didn’t have the energy to hide it anymore.

your eyes widened in disbelief as you looked up at him, “what do you mean oh you stupid godzilla? oh?!”

now it was his turn to look at you with wide eyes.

“i like you, you doodoo head. god! you’re so dense it’s annoying sometimes.”

iwaizumi felt like time stopped when he heard you say those words. he thought that he wasn’t breathing for a minute.

when he came back to his senses, he looked down to see you clenching your fists with a furious blush on your cheeks. you looked so unbearably cute.

his throat felt dry. he swallowed again.

“are you sure?” he asked dumbly. dammit. that’s not what he wanted to say again.

you raised your eyebrows at him and shook your head. you scoffed and turned on your heels to speed walk away from him.

thankfully, iwaizumi shook himself out of his dazed state after a few seconds.

“wait, y/n! stop!”

you didn’t stop. you can’t believe that you fell in love with a man who’s denser than a brick. your pride was hurt today and you are beyond embarrassed.

iwaizumi ran over to you and grabbed your hand to spin you around to face him. he let out a heavy breath and sighed.

“i’m sorry for being stupid. i’m not very good with words, but I like you too. i’ve liked you for a long time but i didn’t tell you because i thought you and oikawa were a thing. i didn’t want to ruin your relationship so i just stood from afar as my heart long for you. i thought i didn’t have a chance.”

you felt another blush form on your cheeks. you think that this is the most honest and transparent iwaizumi has been over the course of your friendship.

“wow,” you breathed out. his confession left you speechless. you didn’t know he had it in him.

iwaizumi smiled warmly with eyes full of affection.

“i’m sorry for not saying it sooner.” he mumbled while scratching his head in embarrassment.

you couldn’t hold it anymore. “can I kiss you now?”

iwaizumi blushed but didn’t say another word. he held your face in his hands and leaned in to close the gap between the two of you.

his lips were a bit chapped, but that was the last thing on your mind. he kissed you softly, with so much tenderness as if he was afraid that you’ll disappear if he kissed you too hard.

but you didn’t complain. the kiss was a product of months and months of pining and secret glances at each other. both of you sighed in relief into each other’s mouths like the kiss was the thing the both of you wanted most in life. and it was.

iwaizumi may not be good with words, but you didn’t mind if this is what you get instead.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

✎ a/n: I hope you guys like this one! I had fun writing this one bc this is sort of self-indulgent heheh :^) as always, reblogs and comments are appreciated!!!

other works

#[❥] iwaizooming fics #haikyuu #iwaizumi angst #iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi headcanons #haikyuu headcanons #iwaizumi x y/n #haikyuu angst #iwaizumi hajime #iwaizumi fluff #iwaizumi au #haikyuu short story #haikyuu fanfiction

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rhenuvee · 4 years

Text

So Bloody Clueless [George Weasley x reader]

Summary: Fake dating things :P

Warnings: swearing :0

*I realized I’m an idiot for not doing this sooner so tell me if you’d like to be tagged in my future fics. I write for 3 fandoms so please specify which one!*

P.S: If I see another HP promotion in Spanish or any other language I will yeet your comment out the door :) I warned u bots.

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

“You want me to what?” you asked for the fifth time.

“You heard me, I want you and George to pretend to be girlfriend and boyfriend.” said Fred with just as much enthusiasm as the previous four times.

This was unfortunate. You and the twins have been friends since you sat together on the train in your first year. Over time you started developing feelings for the younger twin. It was weird now that you think about it, but you couldn’t deny it. You don’t get butterflies when you see Fred.

“And why should I let myself be an advertisement?” you asked sarcastically. Fred sighed dramatically as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Becaaaause our lucky guy Georgie here has a chance with Angelina,” he explained. “Besides, if he blows this, he’ll be a poor single soul forever.”

You suddenly felt a little down hearing those words. You never knew that George and Angelina were becoming a thing. You wanted to yell out, “No Fred, he wouldn’t be a poor single soul because I like him.” Oh, but the embarrassment you’d face if George ends up only liking you as a friend.

But you thought again, this would be the closest thing to having a relationship with George, if he ended up catching up Angelina’s attention. Of course he would! He’s George Weasley!

“O-okay fine- but just for today!” you managed to get out.

“Great, Angelina told me she and Alicia and Katie would be in Honeydukes.” said Fred.

“They went to Honeydukes without me?! Those-”

“You can argue later! Now go and be in love!” said Fred cheerfully and shooing you two off.

“But I-”

“GO!”

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

It was awkward. You felt stiff and sweaty. Your hands felt clammy when George suggested to hold hands to look more ‘couple-like.’ But boy you just looked like weirdos. Did George notice your clammy hands? Probably.

All of a sudden he stopped walking. You turned your gaze to his direction and realized he was staring at Zonko’s joke shop. He had a big smile on his face, and it didn’t stop when he turned to look at you. You in turn was taken aback from seeing his handsome smile and tried to look in other directions, trying to play it off.

“C’mon (y/n), let’s go!” he shouted while pulling you into the store with excitement.

“Whoa George slow down!” you shouted back.

It wasn’t your first time at Zonko’s, you’ve been there before to accompany the twins. The store was just as colourful and lively as you remembered. You felt glad seeing George all jumpy in his favourite store as he scanned the products even if he’s seen them a thousand times.

You decided to look at what they had on your side of the shelves. Frog spawn soap? You smiled imagining Fred’s scaredy-cat face, wouldn’t that be a way to get back at him?

George noticed you were staring at the product and went to your side to see what was up.

“Ah frog spawn soap, and who might this be for?” he asked bending down to your height.

“Your twin.” you replied.

“Oh- well in that case, we might as well take their whole stock!” said George triumphantly. You giggled at his grand gesture.

“I’ll pay for it.” he said about to take the product.

“No way.” you said quickly stopping his hand.

“Why not?” asked George genuinely confused. You bit your lip.

“It’s nice of you...” you admitted quietly. “but we’ve already got two amazing pranksters in Hogwarts.” George smiled cheekily knowing one of them was him. You were glad your response worked as a compliment and a good reason for him not to buy it.

“I mean, if you say so.” said George flicking his hair in an exaggerated way. You giggled and rolled your eyes.

“Don’t get cocky.” you said shoving him lightly as you both walked out of the shop.

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

It was great, it was good that going to Zonko’s was able to loosen you two up. He would wrap his long arm around your shoulder or waist. You would hold onto and lean on his arm while walking. Both of you would make silly faces and joke around at who knows what. But even this had to come to an end.

You could see Honeydukes in the distance. Your eyes went droopy and you felt down remembering that this was just an act. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little jealous of Angelina- but at the same time who wouldn’t? She was pretty, smart, on the Gryffindor quidditch team, and got along with George just as well. The whole package.

“Are you okay, love?” George asked snapping you out of your thoughts. You froze at the term of endearment he’d call you since you’d been friends. You can’t help but think there’s a hint of romance in the nickname. You took a deep breath.

“Yeah I’m good, Georgie.” you said smiling up at him. He frowned knowing that wasn’t it. He wanted to press into it and ask you but you had already reached Honeydukes.

“Wait.” said George abruptly while stopping you by grabbing your wrist.

“We need names.” he said. You cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

“Names?”

“Yes, we need a unique name so we seem like a more believable couple.” he explained. You nodded you head.

“Okay, what do you suggest?” you asked while trying to thinking of some yourself.

“How about darling? Nice and simple.” he said. You blushed at the thought of George calling you darling. But you quickly thought of a response yourself.

“That’s too generic.” you said.

“Generic? You have a go then.” he ushered.

“How about sweetheart?” you asked.

“Sweetheart is just as generic, sweetheart.” he teased. You rolled your eyes.”

“Sugar, sweetiepie, cupcake- that’s three, ha!” said George who seemed very proud of his three word answer.

“Oh please everyone in Puddifoot’s probably uses that on a daily basis.” you retorted. George was at first hurt but he laughed at you witty response.

“Gumdrop? Honeybun? Pumpkin?” you said in a tone as if it was the obvious choices.

“Hold on, do I look like a honeybun to you? And those are just as bad!” he said laughing halfway through his sentence. You guffawed and held your stomach imagining George as a honeybun.

Soon, name suggestions became utter randomness. You and George were yelling out random foods, not caring at this point. Yup, you were like two complete drunks.

“Waffles!”

“Fried rice!”

Meanwhile in Honeydukes, it wasn’t long before the girls saw you and George clowning around outside the store.

“Are they okay...?” asked Katie tapping the other two to direct their attention to you. They made disgusted and confused faces.

“Um...”

“Maybe we should go and see what’s up.” said Angelina turning to lead the girls to pay for their sweets,

“I hope they aren’t arguing or anything like that..” said Alicia with a small hint of worry.

“TOMATO SOUP!”

“FISH FILLET!”

You both could be called maniacs and get away with it. George and you were laughing so much you had to hunch and lean on each other for support. What was going on...

After fish fillet, you started to calm down. Both of you tried catching your breaths, but still with wide grins on your faces. All you could hear was the sound of George’s breathing.

How weird it felt, how weird and giddy your heart felt looking at him in such a state where he appeared genuinely happy. How weird it was that you two unconsciously seemed to walk slightly closer to each other.

George took one last breath before bringing his arms around you. He looked at Honeydukes and quickly went back to you.

“You know what, fuck it-”

And with that he didn’t hesitate to lean in and smash his lips against yours. His lips felt warm, his arms holding you around your waist felt so loving. You looped your arms around his neck to bring him closer. You could feel him smile a little, still from your stupid food argument you were laughing at a few seconds ago.

“What in the fish fil- what the fuck is going on?!” shouted a voice from behind. You and George jumped and immediately pulled away from each other, a bit embarrassed that you were caught snogging. It was Fred.

“George, (y/n), what are you doing?” asked Fred with a concerned expression. Both your hearts were beating fast, it was weird seeing Fred so serious. After a few moments which seemed like forever just standing there, Fred broke the silence.

“Okay, I can’t hold it anymore, I’m kidding.” he said with his arms up in surrender and a smile forming. What? You and George looked at each other really confused. Suddenly the three girls came out cheering nonsense for you and George.

“Woohoo!”

“We did it!”

“Yeah get some you two!”

“Hey- ALICIA!” you yelled as you heard her since she was the second phrase. She giggled at your reaction.

“What’s going on?” asked George looking at the four of them.

“You see dear brother, we have set up a scenario where you and (y/n) could go on a date.” explained Fred.

“But why wou-”

“Because you both are SO BLOODY CLUELESS!” they all shouted at the same time. You and George were taken aback. Everyone in Hogsmeade probably heard them.

“Let’s leave them be, but I better not see you snogging when you come back.” said Fred pointing a finger. And with that, Fred and the girls headed back to the castle, leaving you and George alone again.

“Well, I won’t wait any longer, (y/n) would you like to be my girlfriend?” he asked. You decided to tease him a bit.

“Hm, I don’t know my tomato soup...” you said trying not to laugh.

“Well we did snog, my fish fillet.” he said doing the same. You almost chocked. Then you both leaned in and locked lips for a brief moment, until George pulled away to say something.

“Okay, this is getting weird, why don’t we just stick to love and darling?” he asked chuckling. You giggled.

“Yeah that sounds good... and of course I’d love to be your girlfriend Georgie.” you cooed. He smiled at your words, it made him go fuzzy inside.

“Let’s head back then, darling.” he said taking your hand.

“Wait-” you said running.

“Love where are you going?” he shouted.

“I hate your brother and the girls setting us up like this, and I hear there is a frog spawn soap just dying to be bought at Zonko’s- so let’s go!”

#george weasley #george wealsey x reader #george wealsey imagine #fred weasley #george weasley fanfiction #harry potter #fred and george #george weasley fluff #george weasley oneshot #george weasley fic #weasley twins

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falcqns · 4 years

Text

Free Fall

Pairing: Henry Cavill x Reader (First Person POV)

Chapter Summary: You finally work up the courage to tell Henry about your daughter, but he doesn’t react well

Word Count: 1098

Warnings: Mentions of childbirth, fluff, mentions of mental illness (mainly post partum depression), swearing, slight angst.

A/N: hope you enjoy!

chapter one |

Chapter Two:

The next morning you were awoken at 4:30 am sharp by your daughters cry. You sat up and grabbed her out of her bassinet, and immediately latched her to your breast, to nurse her.

You took a quick look at your phone, but seeing nothing important, you left it charging on your nightstand, before standing up with Lavender securely eating in your arms and heading to the kitchen for coffee.

You skimmed over the call sheet for the day while the coffee brewed, and realized you only had an hour and 15 minutes to get yourself, as well as a baby and a diaper bag for the day ready.

Your coffee finished brewing, and you put in your favourite mug before taking it, as well as Lavender, who had finished eating into the bedroom.

You changed her diaper before dressing her in a white diaper shirt, some mustard yellow muslin shorts, with a matching yellow fleece sweater and headband, along with white socks. After you laid her down in her swing which sat on the other side of the dresser, you began to get yourself and the diaper bag ready.

You pulled out a few more outfits, definitely more diapers than you would need but knowing that she was still technically a newborn, she’d probably use them all. You added some wipes, and a few of her favourite stuffies and soothers.

You didn't bother changing your outfit too much, other than the shirt which currently has baby spit and breastmilk on it, opting to leave on your grey sweatpants.

You glanced at the clock, before heading into the bathroom to brush your hair and teeth, and wash your face.

Once you were fully ready, Lavender had drifted off to sleep in her swing, and you didn't have to leave for another half hour, instead opting to go over your lines.

Lavender, to your surprise, stayed asleep for the remainder of the half hour, and when you moved her to her car seat. She woke up when the car started a few minutes later, but didn't cry. Instead, her little head turned and seemed to gaze out the window.

You smiled at her through the baby mirror, before focusing on driving.

The closer you got to set, the more nervous you got. You knew everyone was going to be supportive, especially Michelle, Rebecca and Vanessa, but you were worried about how Henry was going to react.

You two worked very closely, and became friends almost immediately after meeting. So much so, that you considered him your best friend. The best friend that you told everything to, except the fact that you had a daughter he didn't know about.

You pulled into the parking lot a few moments later, and quickly took notice of who was and who wasn't there yet. So far, only Michelle, Rebecca, Simon and Tom were there. You pulled into your parking space, and turned off your car.

You hopped out of the vehicle just in time to see Tom walking towards you. You smiled and waved, which he returned.

“Hey! How are you feeling about this?” Tom said, as you grabbed your purse and diaper bag, before hitting the unlock button on your side console to get your daughter out.

“I’m a little nervous, mainly about Henry’s reaction.” You said, as the door glided open, revealing Lavender, who had once again fallen asleep.

“How so?” Tom asked, before taking the diaper bag off of your shoulder to you could lift the carseat off the base.

“Thanks,” You said, and lifted the seat. “I’m worried because him and I tell each other everything and I’m worried he’s going to be mad that I hid this from him. I mean, I know she's not his or anything but I’m just worried.”

Tom nodded, as the two of you made your way on to set. You silent hopes of being able to get Lavender settled in before introducing her to everyone was shattered when you turned the corner to the trailers and saw Rebecca coming out of hers, and spotting the two of you.

Her eyes were suddenly clouded with confusion when she saw Lav.

“Y/N, did you have a baby?” She said. You smiled, feeling a blush start to creep onto your face. You nodded.

“Yeah. She’s two months old.” You said. Rebecca immediately smiled, and brushed her finger over your daughters cheek. She pulled her hand back, and took the diaper bag from Tom. The two of you headed to your trailer, while Tom was stopped by McQuarrie.

“She’s beautiful! What’s her name?” She said, looking down at her once more.

“Lavender,” You said. “I’m sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner, I was never asked if I had any kids, and then I just didn't know how to tell you,” you said, quietly.

“Dude,” She said, as you guys arrived at your trailer. “It’s totally okay. Everyone's going to love her!” She said, and watched as you set the carseat on the bed and took her out.

“I hope so. Do you wanna hold her?” You asked, and Rebecca immediately nodded, holding her arms out for the little girl. You smiled and handed her off.

Lavender woke up, but didn't cry, instead just gazed up at Rebecca.

Rebecca held Lavender the entire way to the make up trailer, with you walking beside her, diaper bag in tow.

You walked in first, so you could hold the door open for Rebecca.

Everyone in the room gasped.

“Oh my god! Did you have another baby Rebecca?” Simon asked, as he stood up and rushed over to see the baby, followed by Michelle.

“No, uh, I did.” You said, and Simon immediately pulled you in for a hug, while Michelle pressed a gentle kiss to Lavender’s forehead. Simon and Michelle soon switched, Simon going back to admire the baby, and Michelle giving you a hug.

“I’m sorry I didn't tell you guys,” you said, and Michelle hugged you tighter.

“It’s totally fine, honey. You’re the parent,” She said into your ear, and Simon nodded in agreement.

Everyone sat down to get their hair and makeup done. Thankfully you didn't have to wear too much makeup, and your hair just needed to be in a pony for your scenes today. Lavender was passed around to everyone in the hair and makeup trailer, and got lots of cuddles.

Not long after, everyone else had finished, Lavender was handed back to you, and you were the last one in there, your loose hair in your pony just being curled. You heard the door open again and your heart dropped, as you saw the large body of Henry step through.

He smiled at you before his eyes drifted down to where Lavender was sucking her fingers and looking around the room on your chest.

“D-did you have a baby?” He asked, but before you could answer, Eileen, the hair stylist announced you were done.

You stood up, supporting Lavender’s body. “Just, um, come to my trailer when you're done here, and I’ll explain everything, okay?” You said. He nodded, not meeting your eyes. You walked out and headed back tp your trailer to wait to be called to set.

You had just laid her down for her morning nap on the bed when you heard Henry enter your trailer. You took a deep breath, but turned towards him.

He cleared his throat before talking.

“You - had a baby?” He said, looking past you slightly to where Lavender was snoozing.

“I-” You began, before Henry cut you off.

“Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were friends.” He said, in a hurt tone.

“Henry, I didn't tell anyone here other than Tom and McQuarrie, and they only know because they met me when I was still pregnant.” You said, hopeful that that would calm him down. It only appeared to make him angrier.

“That doesn't change the fact that you didn't tell me you had a child. You gave birth to a whole ass human, and you didn't think that that was something I deserved to know?” He said, glaring at you.

“Henry, I-” you began again, before you were cut off again.

“I mean its not like you didn't have a chance! We work together every goddamned day, Y/N! You're one of my best friends! We hang out all the time! Why the fuck didn't you tell me?” He said, his voice become louder.

You walked up to him and led him outside, not wanting to wake Lavender up.

“I'm sorry okay. I didn't know what you would think-” You said, before Henry started to yell.

“WHAT I WOULD THINK? YOU DON’T THINK I WOULDN’T’VE BEEN HAPPY FOR YOU? HELL, I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YOU HAD A BOYFRIEND!” He yelled, clearly hurt and confused at the whole situation.

You stayed quiet, waiting for it to be over.

“I FEEL LIKE I DON’T KNOW YOU AT ALL! I mean for gods sakes I was going to ask you out today.” He said, before turning away from you and running a hand through his hair.

“What? You were going to ask me out?” You said, shocked.

He looked back at you, that same hurt expression on his face. In that moment, you wanted nothing more than to make it go away.

“You know what? Yes. I was. I have liked you since the moment I met you in pre-production. I have been working up the courage to ask you out because everyone has told me that you liked me too! Everyone has told me you were single, and that you have liked me since BEFORE WE EVEN MET! I’m the idiot for thinking that you actually liked me too. Actually, I’m not even surprised that you hid this from me. You won't even tell me when you have a boyfriend for cryin-” He rambled.

You felt yourself getting angry and had no interest in stopping it. Eventually, your anger exploded and you lost your mind on Henry.

“YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING THAT IS HAPPENING HERE! YOU IMMEDIATELY JUMPED TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I HIDE EVERYTHING FROM YOU, WITHOUT EVEN ASKING! FOR YOUR INFORMATION I DON’T HAVE A BOYFRIEND! HER FATHER HASN’T EVEN MET HER BECAUSE HE WOULD RATHER BLOW HIS MONEY AT A CLUB AND SLEEP WITH OTHER GIRLS WHILE HIS GIRLFRIEND IS AT HOME PREGNANT THAT SPEND TIME WITH SAID GIRLFRIEND! SO YOU CAN FUCK OFF HENRY! YOU DON’T KNOW A THING ABOUT THE LAST YEAR OF MY LIFE!” You yelled, before storming back into your trailer to comfort your now crying baby, who had awoken when you yelled.

“Shhhh, baby, shhhh. Mama’s sorry,” You whispered to her, trying to will yourself to not cry.

Not long after, you were called to do a scene, thankfully not with Henry, but with Michelle. You tucked Lavender into her carseat and gave her a stuffy to hold onto, and headed to set.

You didn't see Henry on your way to set, and you were thankful for that as well. You knew you would have too speak to him about everything, but now was not the time, especially after a fight that big. You walked past his trailer and thought you heard him talking to someone, but dismissed it.

Lavender stayed asleep the whole time you were filming the scene, which only took about an hour and a half.

The rest of the day went smoothly, with Tom or someone holding her while you filmed, or her sleeping in her carseat at McQuarries feet.

You were glad that you only had one scene with Henry, and you and him didn't have to be close to each other. You took notice of how he kept trying to catch your eye, and how he kept stealing glances at your baby.

The day came to an end around 7 pm, much earlier than yesterday, and everyone eventually made their way home. You were one of the first ones to go, along with Michelle and Rebecca who wanted to give Lavender some more cuddles and kisses. You said goodbye to them and headed out when you saw Henry walking towards you with Kal in tow.

As you pulled out of the parking lot, you heard your phone go off with a ding, letting you know someone had texted you, likely Henry. You ignored it, and focused on the road, and getting home safe.

You didn't even glance at your phone until an hour later, after Lavender had gone down for the night, until 10, when she’d wake up to eat.

You opened the text and your heart sank when you saw what it said.

“I’m dropping Kal off at home, then I’m coming over. I know you're mad at me but we need to talk.”

Just as you finished reading it, you heard a knock on the door.

#henry cavill #henry cavill smut #august walker #mission impossible #fluff #angst #argument #baby

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selfwriting-sugarquills · 4 years

Text

70 George Weasley headcanons in celebration of 700 followers!

A/N: I hate to repeat myself but I do still love and appreciate all 700 of you! Thank you for reading my stuff and here’s to 700 more! <3

Find the 70 Fred Headcanons: Here

George is well known to be the brains behind the twins’ operations. He sorted out finding the location for the shop in Diagon Alley, he came up with most of the names for their products, even if Fred came up with the idea for the product itself, and for the longest time, he was the one who sorted out sales and orders for stocking their wares as well as overseeing the owl post-service while Fred sorted the more practical parts.

It might sound crazy, but if you ask George, he didn’t actually like Fred very much until they were about eight or nine years old. George was a lot more quiet and emotional than Fred and frankly, probably feared his mother more than his twin, and so George always thought Fred was too brash for his liking. Eventually, as we know, Fred’s crazy ideas rubbed off on George, and he started liking his twin more and more until they became the inseparable duo we know and love today. Mostly this was because the two found out how well they complimented each other, which meant that whatever they got up to turned out a lot better than when they’d attempt the same alone.

Fred added an extra oomph to their escapades, daring to aim just a little higher, and George was sensible enough to make sure that a little higher wasn’t too high.

It’s only their older siblings who noticed this change and remember the times where Fred and George didn’t get along as well as they did, which is why Bill, Charlie and Percy tend to treat the twins more as individuals whereas Ginny and Ron are more likely to see them as a duo.

Since George is more sentimental, he’s also the bigger worrier. Did they like that joke? Did that prank go too far? Is this worth it and what are we going to do if it isn’t? He’s usually also the twin who’s more likely to step back and apologise to anyone they’ve pranked or teased, not liking the idea of upsetting someone.

This also means he’s incredibly considerate concerning relationships, he’s not afraid to voice his concerns and worries. If his s/o is struggling with something, he notices, worries and tries his best to support them.

Essentially, if their s/o is upset: Fred is more likely to make a joke to make them laugh and take their mind off it, George is more likely to take them aside and talk to them about it, letting them let their feelings out for as long as they need, he’ll listen for hours if that’s what his s/o needs.

Speaking of letting feelings out: It’s been pondered if the reason George is the better beater, despite Fred being the more brash and extreme of the two, is because he uses the quidditch pitch as an outlet for his aggression and considering his anger doesn’t just involve beating bludgers but also resorting to elbowing people in the face (or beating Malfoy up) I’d say that this is incredibly true for him. Most people share the opinion that if something angers George, he’d let it build up until he explodes (myself included) and playing quidditch is a good way to let off steam without it being directed at anyone in particular, making him extremely violent on the pitch, though after every game he plays, he’ll probably be in his most zen and relaxed state of mind.

I do also like the idea of George being very emotionally mature in the sense that he knows how his feelings tend to build up, and since George is also a worrier, he probably doesn’t like the side of him that explodes in people’s faces and yells until he’s done being angry, so: He does try to confront his feelings as soon as he feels them so they don’t get a hold on him. If he’s angry with you, he’ll tell you, if he’s upset because of something that’s happened he’ll tell you. If he doesn’t and seems all quiet and broody (cause he’s not a saint and sometimes he doesn’t confess his feelings) then it’s probably a good idea that you ask him about it.

George is also not afraid to cry, or at least he’s not as afraid to show it as Fred. He actually cried quite often as a small child, as Fred will happily remind him. The only times George will hold his tears back is when he doesn’t want to make the people he loves the most worry, like when he lost his ear.

He was so close to crying he thought his throat would split open but he kept it in while his parents and Fred were there; he couldn’t bear to worry his mother more. Not to mention Fred for that matter. Instead, he waited until he was allowed to take a shower and let it out as quietly as he could, though little did he know Fred was standing guard on the other side of the bathroom door, crying as well.

George doesn’t want a lot of children, he’s so used to the large family dynamic. It’s not that he disliked having many siblings but he’d prefer to have a few kids, three at most and be able to spoil them rotten.

George has only broken one bone. It was his collarbone from a bludger. Besides that, he has dislocated his arm once due to hitting a bludger too forcefully from a wrong angle and sprained his ankle from landing too quickly more times than he can count. He’s also been concussed from taking bludgers to the head twice.

George is actually a bit of a neat-freak. He likes having things in order and in the right place so he doesn’t lose track of things. He can’t put too many things in cupboards because if he can’t see them he’ll forget he has them and buy more and more (cause ADHD, baby), so instead he keeps things where he can see them, though in racks and specific orders which Fred often messes up.

Generally, once they moved out, George was better at doing the housework and he didn’t mind at all. Doing all the housework means it gets done the way he wants it done.

His favourite season is winter and his favourite holiday is Christmas because it’s “a time for family”.

George prefers Molly over Arthur (though it’s a tough pick), and he especially loves spoiling her once the shop takes off. He’ll buy her gifts often and always writes to remind her how much he (and Fred) appreciate her.

He’d never admit it but he also does this as a way of proving himself to her. It really hurt him in those years where Molly would disapprove of his and Fred’s plans and even when he found success he still grappled with the feeling of his mother not being proud of him, despite her telling him that several times. All this just added to his disliking of Percy when he was at his going through his insensitive-git-phase.

George’s favourite time of day is the evening. When everything’s quiet and still he can concentrate better. He wrote most of his essays and came up with most products for the shop during this time.

George loves intimacy. He’s not big on PDA. Cuddling alone together, being all tangled up in each other and having whispered conversations when everyone else is asleep are more his thing.

He does love being close to you in public though, he’ll sit next to you, hold your hand, have an arm around you, lean his head on yours, bump his knee against yours under the table if you’re in a lesson or at a meal together. Small yet intimate touches are George’s romantic love language.

George’s favourite sweet is chocolate. Anything with chocolate is good. If there’s caramel or coffee involved too then even better, mint is also accepted (his favourite flavour of ice cream is mint chocolate chip and he will fight you on why it’s the superior ice cream flavour)

George prefers tea over coffee and drinks AT LEAST two cups a day but can easily have up to four or five depending on how long his day is.

George takes a lot of naps. He’d occasionally nap at Hogwarts, like most students. He really started after he lost his ear because Molly kept fussing over him and forcing him to go lay down and rest, then it became even more of a regular thing after the battle of Hogwarts when he’d stay with Fred at st. Mungo’s, while he got better, and then when Fred forced him to go back to work because “sitting here, is not going to make my leg work, now go make us some galleons you git!” he’d work the shop mostly by himself, well, actually completely by himself beside his employees, which was still a small team at the time and he’d often just have to excuse himself to go upstairs and take 30 minutes to nap before he’d pass out from exhaustion.

George struggles with some sensory problems since losing his ear, he gets a faint ringing sound in his ear every now and then, and though he can hear out of his missing ear, it’s less than his other one and he struggles determining where sounds are coming from which is distracting sometimes. He also got a bit of vertigo every now and then as well as some nausea for the first few years after he lost the ear, it got better and better and today it barely bugs him, though he gets dizzy easily.

On the subject of the ear: George enjoyed telling his nieces and nephews (and heck his own kids too) these wild stories of how he lost his ear: he paid it as a toll to an ancient spirit to gain superpowers, it froze off on a particularly cold camping trip with their uncle Fred, a bludger blew it right off, he was possessed by the spirit of van Gogh…. the list goes on.

George was also slightly self-conscious of his ear for a while, he often worried if people were grossed out by it, though with time he forgot about it more and more until he hardly noticed it himself. Now he doesn’t notice if others notice and frankly, he couldn’t care less if they do.

Fred and George mention in OOTP that they took turns testing products, George tested puking pastilles and ended up taking several days off because of what Madam Pomfrey thought was a bad case of the stomach flu, nosebleed nougat (he said himself how it kept bleeding and at that point he let Fred do more testing because Madam Pomfrey was starting to get wayyy to suspicious of him having some terrible disease that was thought to be long gone) and fever fudge though Fred also tried that one.

George takes after his mother as a parent, his platonic love language is definitely cooking for his kids, making them hot cocoa and baking with them during Christmas breaks.

Does he fuss over his kids as Molly does? Noo, absolutely not no. no way. no. no. (yes)

George’s boggart is being left alone.

Despite that, he hates it when people assume that he and Fred are interchangeable and incapable of being without each other. He loves his friendship with Fred, he’s very happy to be his twin but he’s still his own person and it would be nice to be seen as such and not just “one of the Weasley twins”

Mostly his hatred of being seen as “one of the Weasley twins” stems from the fact that people always assume Fred first, meaning George has been mistakenly called Fred more times than he can count.

George is very timid, to begin with, in any relationships because he’s worried his s/o wants him to be like Fred, and that they don’t really care about him as a person but see him more as an asset or “the next best thing to Fred” Which is also why he’d never marry Angelina after she’d dated Fred, even if it was just for a while.

George spent his first salary from the shop on a gift for his mother, a necklace, and a mixed bag of sweets from Sugarplums'...He knows it’s stupid but he just wanted to buy as much candy as he wanted without feeling guilty about spending money for once.

George is not squeamish what so ever. He has got a stomach of steel. It’s almost kind of freaky how unfaced he is but then again, he did invent and test puking pastilles and a product called you-no-poo, so he’s seen a lot.

George’s favourite dates are movie nights and going for ice cream.

George (and Fred) regularly attends quidditch matches, they also love to go back to Hogwarts to watch their kids play (you know at least one of their kids would be into it, considering the Weasley’s history with the sport) and they always yell out their support v e r y loudly.

George really likes wine. The older he gets he appreciates it more and enjoys talking about it without any knowledge on it at business dinners, he’s impressed quite a few potential clients and business partners by giving them a long tirade about wine, without a single thing of it being necessarily true.

George (+Fred and Lee, lol) experimented with eyeliner for a short while, they stopped because it was quote-unquote: “too much work” which made a lot of their female friends roll their eyes because, oh you’ve no idea, do you, Weasley?

I mean someone had to test the wonderwitch products, right?

George is a very light sleeper, and since Fred is anything but that- what with his sleepwalking and tossing and turning- George rarely got a lot of sleep, meaning there’s a large percentage of his detentions in school that were solely from “inattentiveness” aka “falling asleep in class.”

George always thought that if he really really couldn’t work with the joke shop, he’d be a healer. He doesn’t know if he’d be any good at it but it’s a nice thought and he does have a caring gene from his mother.

George’s first sign of magic was when he was a year old. He summoned a blanket into his crib, so it wasn’t much. His first noticeable thing he did was three years later by blasting Fred off him when they were play-wrestling, he basically shocked him with a defensive charge which sent Fred flying onto his back. Fred’s reaction was sitting up, looking shocked, rubbing his head and then whispering: “cool!” They spent days trying to recreate it but to no avail. The story of the event has been greatly exaggerated by both Fred and George to their nieces and nephews.

They still joke that George has a secret superpower that can only be unlocked by play-wrestling him.

As George gets older, he requires glasses like his father, though mostly for reading and sometimes for working on products.

George’s favourite genre of music is soft rock, he’ll belt out an 80’s power ballad any day (and preferably while cooking)

Oh, cooking. George gets super into cooking and baking after the twins move out, he tries his best to recreate his mother’s recipes and is still to this day attempting to perfect her cornish pasty (a personal favourite of his) and every Christmas, George and Molly practically never leave the kitchen in the burrow, as George desperately tries to learn everything he can.

George is the godparent of all Fred’s kids as well as Albus, Dominique and Lucy.

George buys the best gifts, I’ve already touched on this, but he has a weird ability to get you not only what you wish for but what you really need.

Also, his gift wrapping skills are out of this world (his kids + nieces and nephews will never not receive those gifts that are wrapped in like 100 layers of paper)

George loves pet names, he loves the overly sweet, cliché ones and the simple, common ones. His favourite to call his s/o is darling, sweetheart and, weirdly, pumpernickel (he just thinks it’s a funny word).

George’s favourite dates he’d take his s/o on is: museum dates, cooking for them at home, picnics and going to the beach.

George actually kind of liked the Hogwarts uniform. It was easy to keep track of and it meant he could spend minimum time in hand-me-downs that rarely fit perfectly.

George would love to have (and probably has already got) a dog, he doesn’t care what size or breed (but personally I can see him getting on well with a cavalier or a Stabyhoun)

George (also) has a small size kink: He loves wrapping his arms around his s/o from behind, enveloping them in his jacket when it’s cold and resting his head on top of theirs.

George is either full of energy and wants to do five things at once or wants nothing more than to lay flat on the nearest soft surface he can find and watch movies until he falls asleep.

He often takes his s/o on random adventures, he does it as a way to escape boredom or if he’s lost his inspiration. He finds it helps to come up with new ideas if you throw yourself off your rhythm (if you get it you get it) by doing something random you don’t normally do.

George has big John Mulaney energy and if his s/o ever showed him his shows, he’d probably never stop quoting them.

George’s favourite body parts on his s/o: Neck, hands, lips (and butt) (this is where it gets steamy just fyi)

George is very respectful in bed, he’s the type to ask “are you ok?” and “is this ok?” a lot, at least the first couple of times he’s together with his s/o until he gets to know them better.

George def. has a praise kink, he loves giving praise but he also loves feeling like he’s appreciated and loved and doing a good job, you know?

We all know George has a thing for lace, we’re way beyond that at this point. Consider silk, though. He’d totally be into silk over the lace, it’s a light fabric, pretty and really easy to tear away…. *wink*

George is surprisingly good at opening bras.

Generally, he’s really good with his fingers…

He has a pretty dirty mind when it comes to sex but is also super embarrassed about it so he’d only admit his kinkier thoughts when he really trusts and knows his s/o.

I think he’d be pretty two-sided in bed, he loves the intimate, sweet sex but also the rougher, tearing-your-lingerie-off-you sex.

He prefers receiving more than giving oral but it is by such a small margin, he’ll happily give.

He can only last one round (maybe two if you give him a long break) but he’ll absolutely make it count.

George’s fav position is missionary. As much as he likes trying other positions, he prefers the intimacy of missionary. Plus he thinks being able to see your face as you unravel under him is really hot.

#700 follower celebration #george weasley #george weasley headcanon #george weasley x reader #george weasley fanfic #hp headcanons #harry potter headcanon #weasley twins x reader #weasley twins headcanons #weasley twins #selfwriting-sugarquills 700 follower celebration

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slasherbastard · 4 years

Note

hiii! for the angst prompts, can i request #44 with bo sinclair? thank you ❤️

(gif credit: pearris2swime)

Warnings: Angst. A lot of Angst, light swearing, light graphic/sexual mention Word count: 1648 Notes: I rushed the ending because I wanted to get this done in time. Not gonna lie this isn’t my favourite work but I’m still happy with it

"Come on babe it's been years since I've seen this chick. I swear" One of Bo's old high school flings decided she wanted to pay Ambrose a visit the exact weekend the next town over hosts their annual fair.

"It just seems icky. Are you sure she doesn't still have feelings for you?"

"Even if she did I'm still with you, aren't I?" You watched him and Bo rolled his eyes. "Look, she's not going to come between us and that's a damn promise."

That conversation was going through your head over and over again like a broken record as you watched the scene in front of you. Bo and that girl he told you not to worry about - Nicole - had their lips against each other’s behind the haunted house. You know those scenes in those romance movies where time slows and you can hear that ringing in the character’s ears? That’s you, except this isn't a romance movie, it's a nightmare and you want to wake up. You expected him to pull away from her and yell at her about how the two of you weren't in high school anymore and how he was dating you, but instead he grabbed her and slammed her against the haunted house and aggressively ran his hands through her hair and you swore for a second that she even looked at you before closing her eyes and melting into Bo's touch.

You watched them until they finally broke apart, quickly wiping your tears as you walked over to the nearest food stall and bought some snacks before you noticed that they were walking over and Bo was trying to let go of his "friend's" hand. You stepped out of line with your snacks in hand and handed them to the two while Bo kissed you forehead and looked around, obviously trying to avoid your gaze while Nicole watched smugly.

"You know it's getting kind of late, 'whaddya say we head back? Nicole you're staying the night, right?"

"Well, unless you want me to walk back to Ohio myself then yeah." She laughed in an over exaggerated tone and Bo chuckled as he threw his arms over both your shoulders and walked you guys back to his truck.

The ride home was silent except for Bo who was tapping the steering wheel to the tune of whatever song was playing on the radio while giving Nicole suggestive looks through the rear view mirror. You could feel Bo's other hand on your leg and you quickly swatted it away and continued staring out the window and just hoping that you'd be pulling up to the house as soon as possible. You must've lost track of time because before you knew it Nicole was banging on your window and Bo was opening the front door. You got out - almost "accidentally" knocking out Nicole with the truck door - and followed her up to the house, but as you tried to enter the house Bo grabbed your arm and pulled you back out to the truck and stared down at you, his towering figure slightly intimidating you.

"What the hell is going on, Y/N? I told you you had nothing to worry about."

You rolled your eyes and kept your head down as you tried to leave but instead he grabbed you and pulled you close to him, forcing you to look up at him. "Hey don't walk away when I'm talking to you!"

"Why did you kiss her!"

It was quiet for a few moments before you repeated your question softly as your eyes became glassy with tears. "Why did you kiss her?" You bit your lip and took a step away from Bo desperate for an answer, something that could justify what you'd seen.

"It's not what it looks like. I swear I-"

You'd heard enough. "I wish I never met you." You spat at him before you ran into the house and straight upstairs and to the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it before letting your back hit the door and sliding down until you were a crying mess on the floor. You truly felt like a character in a shitty bittersweet romance movie, except your perspective was the worst in the most cheesy way. You slammed your foot on the tiled floor a few times and continued to cry until you heard multiple pairs of footsteps and hushed laughing, you threw a hand over your mouth and listened as Bo and Nicole walked past and into your's and Bo's bedroom. You heard the bedroom door shut and muffled grunts and more laughter, it all made you feel sick - luckily there was a toilet right next to you.

As the noises grew louder and louder you grew more and more mad. A part of you wanted to walk in there and yank the girl off the bed by the hair and drag her down to the basement for Vincent's next big project, and the other part of you wanted to run and get out of Ambrose but knowing you, you wouldn't go far and Bo would eventually find you and next thing you'd know, you'd be Vincent's next big project. You got up and carefully opened the bathroom door trying not to make a sound, before going downstairs to see Vincent grabbing something out of the fridge. "Oh, hi Vincent." You wiped some stray tears away from your face quickly and walked up to him, although he was wearing his mask, his head tilt said a lot as he watched your expression.

Vincent put down the container he was holding and got close to you and you broke down again. "B-B-Bo is che-eating on me." Vincent froze. You didn't know what to do, you were so confused about everything that had happened tonight and all you wanted to do was sleep but you couldn't.

A scream came from upstairs.

You and Vincent both looked at each other before you were heading for the stairs with Vincent just behind you. As you approached your bedroom door you stopped, hesitant to open it, who knows what could've happened? But you pushed all your worries aside as you pushed the door open to see Bo sitting on the bed shirtless and Nicola on the floor. You looked up at Bo as he got up from the bed and met your eyes. "Well, do ya still hate me?" You didn't respond as he got closer. "I swear I was gon' tell ya, but I just got too into it." Bo chuckled to himself and reached down, picking up Nicola's body and taking her downstairs.

To say you were confused would be an understatement, Bo had a plan all along? You followed Bo downstairs. "What the hell? So you just let me think you were cheating on me? I saw you guys practically fucking behind the haunted house. Were you planning on fingering her in the bumper cars?" The two of you stopped and Bo turned to you. "You could've given me a heads-up at least." You said a little quietly. Bo's expression softened as he realised what he did genuinely pissed you off and hurt you.

"Just let me dump this body then we can sit down and talk." You nodded and let Bo go down to the basement and as he came back up Vincent gave him a judgemental look through his mask. "What's his problem?" You shook your head and smiled as you and Bo

---

"The truth is, she's been trying to get in contact with me for months before this. I tried to tell her that I had a partner but she didn't care, she really thought that we had mutually romantic feelings after our nights in high school even though she knew I was just using her for my stress relief. I'm surprised she stayed, I guess she liked it rough." Bo smirked at the last part but his face fell quickly. "I'm just glad she's gone, I just hope she didn't tell any of her friends about her little trip."

"So you're not into her at all. It was all just an act?"

"Yeah, I should've thought it through a bit better than that though. I promise I'll warn ya next time."

You nodded and turned your head as Vincent appeared, wiping his hands on his apron and looking at the two of you. "Is she finished?" You asked trying to contain your excitement. It was just something about seeing that girl covered in wax that made you feel a sense of relief. Vincent nodded and guided you and Bo downstairs to see the finished product. Nicole was standing there wearing the pet store uniform, you could see the terror in her eyes but that only made you happier.

"Well, Nicole always loved animals." Bo chuckled and looked and Vincent. "What's with that look, got a problem?"

The next morning you got up early and went straight to the pet shop window to see Nicole, you mentally taunted and teased her because Bo chose you over her. You opened the door and walked inside and scrunched your nose up, you didn't realise that a store filled with dead animals would smell so bad but you pushed it aside and walked up to Nicole. "I'm gonna assume you're still alive under all that wax, how does it feel? Do you still love Bo?"

Of course she didn't respond. You sighed out of relief and turned to admire the rest of the store. "I heard you love animals so you must be so happy right now, or is that just me because the bitch who tried to steal my boyfriend is gonna die here? I think it's just the animals." You laughed to yourself and left the store, nearly bumping into Bo. "Hey Bo, do you think we could get another dog?"

#angst #slasher #writing #horror #house of wax 2005 #bo sinclair #angst prompt #bo sinclair x reader #house of wax

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ghostiewriter · 4 years

Note

I know you're beta-ing my fic (love ya) but couldn't resist. Number 25 or 26 for the drabble challenge please 🙏

Ngl I really like this one!! Also it’s unedited so beware 💀and if you guys haven’t checked out Alex’s stuff, you should!! It’s amazing!😉

Word Count: 1.7K

Prompts: “Aren’t you supposed to be the adult?” // “I’m stuck! Help me!”

Motherhood was never a route Kiara saw herself going down.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be a mother, it was just that with all her dreams and ambitions and goals for the future…it just happened to clash with what she knew she definitely wanted. But that’s how these things always go, doesn’t it? Just when you least expecting it, shit hit the fan and you’re left scrambling around as you try and wrap your head around everything. That’s what happened with Kiara and motherhood. She wasn’t expecting it, it wasn’t planned. But she also wasn’t as opposed to the concept like her younger self was.

Kiara was fourteen when she decided she wanted to travel the world, to see new places and experience new cultures and open her eyes to a world beyond the small island she grew up on. And she did just that, lucky to enough have someone to share the experiences with. With the money they gained from the treasure, JJ and Kie had enough money to go wherever they wanted (after Pope made sure they kept some in the bank so they wouldn’t be idiots and spend it all, well to make sure JJ didn’t). But it was great, it was everything Kiara could’ve wished for her future, for their future.

Except on one of those breaks between adventures, Kiara found herself thrown into the deep-end of adulthood and she was lucky enough to have someone as supportive as JJ by her side.

And that, my friends, is how James Maybank was brought into the world.

Kiara had never seen herself being a mother until the second she held her son in her hands. Tears in her eyes and a wide smile on her face as she looked at the little human she and JJ created was enough for Kiara to realise that having a child didn’t change any of her plans. She and JJ would still travel and have their adventures, they would just have an extra little explorer with them.

James Maybank was the perfect mix of his parents. In terms of looks, he was truly a kid that drew attention to himself. Tousled brown hair that was an exact copy of his mother’s, with little strands of dirty blonde running through his little curls. His skin was tanned and sun-kissed, a warm golden-bronze so fitting for a summer baby. But his eyes—it was his eyes that caught people’s attention. Bright blue just like his father. It was a shock to both parties when they saw those little blue eyes of his. At first, the doctor told them it was common for new-born babies to have blue eyes and their natural eye colour will develop over the next few weeks. Except James’s eyes remained blue—vibrant and captivating and complementing his tanned skin so well and framed so neatly by the little round-rim glasses he wore. Like mentioned before, he was the perfect mix of JJ and Kiara: his eyes and her hair, his nose and her lips, his bone structure but her cheekbones. The perfect product of JJ Maybank and Kiara Carrera.

However, despite the physical similarities she shared with her son, his personality was driven straight from the chaos of his father. Wild and rambunctious and energetic. He always kept the couple on their toes: JJ’s scheming skills and Kie’s intelligence was a dangerous combination that James just so happened to have. A little troublemaker even at the ripe age of three.

It’s usually why Kiara avoids leaving the two of them alone together for long periods of time, because who knows what nonsense they would get up to.

And of course, Kiara’s point was proved once again.

It was a hot summer day when JJ suggested they head over to the mainland for a wee day trip, just have a little family day before the big Pogue family trip next week to California. Most of the summer had been spent with the other pogues—not that she minded—and James being coddled by her parents, so Kie was all up for them to spend some time as just the three of them. It was the ideal day: walking around the mainland boutiques, grabbed some ice cream and walked along the beach as they ate it, all before heading towards the little play area that was on the pier that James had been eyeing all day.

They had put all their stuff down at a small café table where Kie was able to grab a seat outside. There was the perfect view of the play area from here. But before she could head over with James, JJ was pushing her down in a seat, telling her to relax and assuring her that he could watch over James while she had a coffee or something. So like the fool she was, she went ahead with JJ’s plan (as though their teenage shenanigans hadn’t taught her that JJ’s plans were always the worst).

However, things were going fairly smoothly. Kie was able to order a tea for herself and indulge in a book she had just bought that day. She was able to relax in the sunshine and enjoy a few moments of piece without her favourite hectic boys. Well, only for a short amount of time before a distressed James came running up to her.

“Mama! Mama!” He was panting and huffing, exhausted from how far he ran on his little legs. His fists gripped the hem of her shirt, tugging on it to gain her attention. And when Kie placed her drink and book down, she noticed how dishevelled his appearance was.

“What’s up, bub?” She asked as she gently fixed his askew glasses so they rested comfortably on his nose. However, before she could even attempt to fix his hair, James was grabbing her hands and attempting to tug her up.

“C’mon!” He whined and Kiara only laughed a little as she finally stood up. In an instant, he began to drag her towards the play area where she assumed that he had built some sandcastle in the sand pit he wanted to show her or even show her some neat trick he learnt on the jungle gym.

But it’s safe to say that she wasn’t expecting to see the sight in front of her.

She pressed her lips together, trying to stop herself from bursting into laughter. “JJ?”

“Kiara!” JJ’s head snapped up, looking relieved to see her. “I’m stuck! Help me!”

JJ Maybank: surfing legend, notorious troublemaker, a little schemer since he learnt how to walk. JJ Maybank: the boy that became the biggest pain in the ass to the OBX police force since they were probably first formed. JJ Maybank: the boy that shocked everyone and became a better man than anyone with his last name ever could.

And now he was JJ Maybank: the 26 year old moron who was currently stuck in a children’s jungle gym. It looked like one of those tunnels that kids climbed through to get from one side of the climbing frame to the other. Except instead of being able to crawl through completely, JJ had his head sticking out whilst everything below his shoulders was stuck in the tunnel.

“Oh, baby, this has gotta be a new record for stupid things you’ve done.” Kiara commented, hand over her mouth but he could tell by the shaking in her shoulders that she was laughing.

“Is Dada gonna be okay?” James spoke up, tugging on Kie’s hand he hadn’t let go of as he glanced between his parents. In an instant, Kie’s expression softened up.

“He’s gonna be fine, bub,” She assured him with a smile as she kneeled down to his height. “No need to be worried, in fact, you should be laughing!” She told him.

“Kiara!”

“Oh.” James muttered, turning to look at his father with his head tilted before he burst into a fit of giggles.

“Great,” JJ muttered bitterly as he stared at the ground. “Now ever my own son is laughing at me!”

“Oh, c’mon, it’s funny!” Kiara countered, arms wrapped around James with her head resting on his shoulder as they both snickered at JJ’s current predicament.

“Just help me get out!” He whined out. “I really need to pee.”

Eventually, Kiara headed back to the table at the café to grab her phone. After taking enough photos for her own amusement later, she called the local authorities that sent a team out to help break JJ out of the jungle gym. It took a total of two hours, by which the time JJ was finally free from his entrapment, the family had to head back to the island if they wanted to catch the last ferry.

“I can’t believe you.” Kie murmured as she leaned against JJ, the young boy fast asleep on their laps as they headed back to the mainland. They spoke in quiet whispers, letting James get the rest he deserved after such an eventful day.

“It wasn’t my fault!” He hissed quietly, looking down at James and gently pushing some hair out of his face. “It was his idea.” He added with a childish pout.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the adult?” She countered, a small smirk tugging on her lips.

“He’s a troublemaker, I’m telling you. Flashes you some puppy dog eyes and suddenly you’re crawling through some hellhole that is designed for Oompa Loompas.” He muttered, narrowing his eyes at the sleeping child. “He’s like an evil little mastermind.”

“Just like his father then.” Kiara commented, only causing JJ to look at her with a shocked expression. “Oh don’t look at me like that! You know I’m right, Jay. You were probably worse than him!”

JJ’s eyes widened slightly before he nodded. “Yeah, no fair enough.” He murmured with a nod before he grinned down at his son. “Ah, I feel like such a proud father knowing he is going to be such a charmer when he’s older.” Kie let out a scoff as she lightly elbowed him, but they both had massive smiles on their faces.

“Let’s just hope he doesn’t take years to finally make a move like his father.” Kie commented.

“Oh, wow, really? That’s the game you’re playing?” He retorted. “You literally made up a whole rule that stopped me from making a move.”

“Should’ve read between the lines.” She said with an innocent shrug. But then she turned to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “But I’m glad you finally did make a move.”

JJ grinned at her before he looked down at James, who was still fast asleep with small snores escaping his lips.

“Yeah, me too.”

#jiara #outer banks #obx #jiara prompts #writing prompts #my writing

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jonismitchell · 4 years

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A track by track review of 1979’s reputation, one of the most critically acclaimed pop/rock albums of all time. Dive into enigma Taylor Swift’s hits with top reviewer Alice Lam… and maybe find a fresh perspective on these old songs.

PRELUDE: This prelude sees Swift angrily repeating ‘people like a show’ while compatriots at the recording studio read negative headlines aloud. It is a sonic mess with a loud guitar backing, hitting a mix of sound that effectively portrays both chaos and clarity. It is not a song but a minute long intro, at the end of which the sound cuts out, Swift stops whispering, and there is a silent moment before she whispers ‘reputation’ and the album begins.

SO IT GOES: “We’re on the precipice of a good time,” Swift sings on her album’s opening track. She brings clever detail and confessional songwriting to a story of lovers who meet in a bar and quickly turn on each other, holding and losing in tandem with the crashes of music in the background. This is Swift’s first proper rock song, and it’s clear that she’s chosen the best of the bunch in terms of producers.

DON’T BLAME ME: While largely overlooked on its original album debut, ‘Don’t Blame Me’ quickly became a classic after the theatrical performance it gained on the accompanying tour. In it, Swift screams about “love making her crazy” at high notes she had previously never attempted in her career. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest examples of her vocal performance, even if she didn’t quite have the range of certain soprano peers.

I DID SOMETHING BAD: This sardonic ode to the witches in Salem has a distinctly powerful and feminist quality with Swift’s biting lyrics. While a first draft of the song features snippets such as “I never trust a narcissist, but they love me” and “this is how the world works, you gotta leave before you get left,” the final version serves as a scathing critique of men in general. This was a recurring theme in Swift’s late work.

THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS: This Gatsby-esque experiment in camp brings Swift at her melodramatic best, biting subtly at the celebrity feuds most thought she would address more directly. Even though the song claims that Swift is enamoured with ‘looking for her Daisy,’ one gets the sense that she could rather be curled up in a corner with a book and the lover she toasts to.

LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO: A sharp pivot from the giddy laughter of the previous track, Look What You Made Me Do shows Swift as vengeful and scorned. As her voice soars over the lyrical density of the chorus, the accompanying strings evoke images of a scorned goddess in tandem with the Nine Muses and Aphrodite references. This came later, but as Swift herself would say: “there’s nothing like a mad woman.”

INTERLUDE: This largely instrumental interlude starts with a continuation of the strings in Look What You Made Me Do’s outro, but fades from that rage and intensity into a simple melody on the acoustic guitar. As the strumming continues, one can hear Swift say “isn’t that so pretty to think? That all along, we were going somewhere?”

GETAWAY CAR: While the kingdom established lyrically in the first half of reputation is fraught with fear and change, this nearly perfect pop song takes place in an extended metaphor of running away with a lover. Swift seems to know the relationship won’t last (“should’ve known I’d be the first to leave, think about the place where you first met me”) but revels in it all the same. At the very end of the song, you can hear Swift’s car actually pulling into a motel. This song is a fandom favourite and of the most well-known Taylor Swift songs.

CAROL: Although Swift never explicitly confirmed the subject of the track, its title and lyrical content suggest that it draws inspiration from the 1952 novel ‘The Price of Salt.’ It drew hot debate in coming years due to the fact that it is explicitly sung about a woman, (as was 1982’s ‘betty’) but was dismissed alternately as a male perspective and a fictional story. Nevertheless, the emotional details of the song prove Swift’s salt as a songwriter.

GORGEOUS: This acoustic song set at a bar goes through the drunken emotions of meeting someone and being instantly attracted to them. “I go through phases when it comes to love, I’m nothing that you want, but can I just say… you’re gorgeous,” Swift almost whispers, tentative in this first declaration of love despite her reputation. This is the first truly stripped song on the album and is beautiful in this regard.

DELICATE: Picking up exactly where ‘Gorgeous’ left off, ‘Delicate’ deals with the growing emotions of a relationship complicated by outside measures. “My reputation’s never been worse,” laments Swift, but brightens as she sings “so you must like me for me.” With equal measures of misery and hope, ‘Delicate’ is an oft-covered tribute to first love.

END GAME (ft. Lorde): Swift collaborated with Ella Yelich O’Connor (more commonly known as Lorde) for this track about believing that your lover is the last one for you. Originally cut with rapper Future and singer Ed Sheeran, Swift was forced to politely explain to the former that she “did not want to ruin her status as a talented artist by including Ed Sheeran on a track.” The version that was recut with Lorde featured backup vocals from future and the indie singer’s trademark incisive metaphors.

DRESS: Yet another ode to falling in love with your best friend, the breathy and sweet production brings a classic love song to the table. The hook drew attention for being decisively more sexual than Swift’s prior work, much to the artist’s surprise. “There’s a reason I put ‘So It Goes’ at the beginning of the album,” she told AMK Magazine in 1980. “Did people not get it?”

KING OF MY HEART: The second half of reputation alludes to a new kingdom with the lover, but none so explicitly confirm it as this acoustic celebration of Swift’s unnamed lover. Using an extended metaphor of pieces in a chess game, she declares that she would die to keep the secret of her love and that she believes it is “the end of all the endings.” Fans celebrated the heartbroken songstress’s supposed happy ending in 1979, but quickly fell to pieces once Swift confirmed her breakup on 1982’s folklore. Still, no one knows who this song was about.

DANCING WITH OUR HANDS TIED: Building upon the secrecy theme, this song features Swift, her guitar, and a trembling voice that packs in syllables as if trying to finish so the owner can cry in a corner. Indeed, rumours claim Swift cried extensively before recording this song. It’s easy to see why: the trial and tribulation of loving someone in spite of deep fears is never better rendered than in this miserable song about almost-lost love.

CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT: “My castle crumbled overnight,” sings Swift, “I brought a knife to a gunfight.” While slightly more produced than the last several offerings, ‘Call It What You Want’ is a calm love song about moving past fears of what those might say. Swift finally casts aside her bad reputation and invites listeners to comment on her supposed relationships, almost casting the audience an eye roll in the comfort of a stable love.

NEW YEAR’S DAY: The album closer is a simple piano offering, but features beautiful lyrics that are played consistently on January 1st. “Please don’t ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere,” Swift entreats her lover, acknowledging her fears and her hopes in the same breath. It feels almost too private to listen to - and in a way, that seems exactly as Taylor Swift wants us to do. reputation makes it clear that no matter how much she tells us through her music: we still won’t know her at all.

BONUS SONGS (2015 CD RELEASE)

SYLVESTER SKY: As of 2015, no one has seen Taylor Swift for more than thirty years. (“Good for her,” grumbled Goran Stelkoff, longtime correspondent at AMK Magazine.) This so-called new song was played by Swift at several clubs in 1980, although never to more than a couple dozen people at a time. This nearly-flawless recording is a rare find. The lyrics are classically Swiftian, filled with anxiety for the future while revelling in the love she enjoys at present. “We’ve got to get back to that Sylvester sky,” she croons, wondering at a heaven where she and her lover can exist without fears. It is a thematic companion to the album’s ‘Dancing With Our Hands Tied.’

BOTH SIDES NOW: Citing this as one of her favourite songs from the moment it was released, Swift covered Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now’ dozens of times on her reputation tour, presumably as an ode to her new perspective of fame. Several quality recordings have been spliced together here to form a haunting effect. As you listen to this song, imagine Swift sitting on a stool in front of her legions of fans and strumming a guitar, quietly singing the lyrics she knew by heart.

#arden speaks #taylor swift #70s icon taylor swift #jjddkd hope amy + anon enjoy!#reputation

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punchdrunkdoc · 4 years

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Updated K-Drama list (8)

After almost a year of watching KDramas, I’ve finally found a show that has knocked CLOY off the top spot!

The GREAT:

1. Its Ok To Not Be Okay - NEW ENTRY

A children’s author with antisocial personality disorder becomes obsessed with a handsome (but closed-off) carer in a mental health hospital.

I could (and already have) written loads about this show - it became my all-encompassing obsession for the 8 weeks it was on telly. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! I had a feeling only 1 episode in that it might become my all-time favourite K-drama, and I was right. The quality never dropped for a moment, and it absolutely nailed the ending.

I pretty much love everything about it - the whimsical, fairytale-esque tone, the music, the costumes, the supporting characters, the side plots exploring different mental health issues, the humour, the set design, even the opening credits!

The two leads are so beautiful with SO MUCH chemistry that you could watch them read a phone book and it would be hot. But it became a real three-hander of a show, with the male lead’s autistic brother forming an integral part of the relationship dynamic.

Honestly, I can’t do this show justice with such a short review - just WATCH IT!!

Male lead: Soooo handsome, quiet and compassionate but with a steel core; it’s so fun watching him come out of his shell. Actor also seen in (AASI): My Love from a Star (honestly, he didn’t make much of an impression in that show, but he was amazing in this - he conveys so much emotion with the most subtle facial movements)

Female lead: Absolutely fascinating; so wounded and vulnerable, but projecting this awesome, no-fucks-given, blunt-as-hell exterior. Actress also seen in (AASI): Lawless Lawyer, Hwarang (minor character)

2. Crash Landing on You

He’s from North Korea. She’s from South Korea. They never should have met, but they’ll change each other’s lives.

This was my first K-drama, and although it’s been knocked off the top spot, it’s still fantastic. Its the full package - the entire cast of characters is great, the lead romance is ANGSTALICIOUS and its genuinely, laugh out loud funny (when its not making you cry or swoon). I’ve since discovered that they had a North Korean defector as a consultant working on the show, so apparently the NK scenes are fairly accurate which is SUPER interesting.

Male lead: Officially the best boyfriend ever - absolutely nails the small, romantic gestures. AASI: Hyde, Jekyll & Me.

Female lead: Smart, sassy, and funny. I love her.

3. Healer

The lives, and pasts, of a hot shot reporter, a spunky young tabloid journalist and a mysterious thief-for-hire intersect.

I ADORE this show and its so rewatchable. The plot was tight and engaging, and this is one of the few shows I’ve watched where there didn’t seem to be a lot of filler. The central 3 characters are great, and the romance was amazing. I especially loved that the male lead started off such a brooding loner, but he became super-affectionate as soon as he admitted his feelings. So many good hugs and lots of face-cradling in this one. There’s also a great riff on the Superman/Clark Kent dynamic which was fun!

Male lead: Effortlessly beats up 2 henchmen while comforting his girl over the phone. What more do you need? AASI: The K2, Suspicious Partner, Melting me softly, Backstreet Rookie

Female lead: She doesn’t let her vulnerabilities stop her from getting the story or being with the man she loves. AASI: What’s wrong with secretary Kim, I’ll go to you when the weather is nice, Her private life

4. Itaewon Class

A young man’s life is forever altered when he runs afoul of a powerful family.

This felt like a big step up in quality from everything else in this list, in terms of the production, soundtrack (which was brilliant), the lack of annoying sound effects, and just the overall ‘real world’ feel of the show. All of the characters were fleshed out and 3-dimensional, and they all had their ‘moment’ to shine. The story itself was gripping and so well done - some of the twists and reveals had me gasping! And what can I say about the 2 leads? I love them, both separately, and together. He is so wise beyond his years, and his journey will break your heart and inspire you. She is borderline sociopathic, but I adore her.

Male lead: Tenacious, principled, kind, innocent, caring, driven, loyal…and he can cook! AASI: What’s wrong with secretary Kim, Fight for my way, Hwarang

Female lead: One of the most original Kdrama female characters I’ve seen. Plus she retains her agency all the way through, which is (unfortunately) not always the case with these shows.

5. W - Two worlds

A surgeon gets sucked into the world of her father’s webtoon when the main character’s life is threatened.

This was a WILD ride! The first 4 episodes barrelled through plot at an amazing rate and certain events happen in episode 5 that had me wondering how the show could even continue! But it did…and the plot just got more insane! I loved this show SO much. It kept me guessing, had me on the edge of my seat, and even had room for some of my favourite romance tropes. The central relationship was great, and (because of the insane plot) you basically get 2 love stories for the price of 1. I’ve already watched this whole show again, which is why I’ve bumped it up the ratings a bit!

Male lead: Just a really, really cool guy. Can’t think of how else to describe him! Always in control, calm, unflappable, analysing the situation….but he can break out the cocky charm when needed. AASI: While you were sleeping, Doctor Stranger

Female lead: I really liked her - she had more agency than a lot of other female heroines and I really related to her freaked-out panic in the beginning when she didn’t feel like she was a capable enough doctor to save a life.

6. While you were sleeping

Not to be confused with the Sandra Bullock rom-com from the 90s. Instead, this is about a young woman who can dream the future who has her fate changed by a young prosecutor who suddenly develops the same ability

I was thoroughly and utterly charmed by this show. Everything was so beautifully done - from the cinematography, to the music (OMG the music!), even the title cards were interesting and quirky. The characters were all great - the main leads are so sweet and relatable, the second lead is cute-as-a-button, the villain is properly hissable, and none of the supporting characters/extras annoyed me! The storyline itself was brilliant, with so many great set-ups, pay-offs and twists, and the romance was lovely.

Male lead: A bit of a hot mess of a human being (basically, the polar opposite of his character in W!)…but all the more loveable for it. AASI: W: 2 worlds, Doctor stranger.

Female lead: Smart, sweet, loyal (I really loved her relationship with her mum) and quietly brave.

7. Descendants of the Sun

A special forces Captain meets a capable and beautiful trauma surgeon. They feel an instant bond, but their jobs and philosophy on life get in the way, threatening to tear them apart.

I absolutely LOVE the male lead character, and the romance in this was beautiful. Plus its chock-full of CompetencePorn, with lots of scenes of people being really, really good at their jobs (this is one of my favourite things!). However, it didn’t quite nail the angst, and the last minute was a bit twee which dropped it down the rankings a bit.

Male lead: A cocky, charming, absolute BADASS with the most adorable, cheeky smile.

Female lead: Sweet and a bit out of her depth in the dangerous situations…but put her in charge of a patient and watch her go!

8. Love in the Moonlight / Moonlight Drawn by Clouds

A young woman poses as a eunuch in the Royal Palace and falls in love with the Crown Prince

This was the first period piece I watched and it’s still my favourite - almost entirely because of the male lead and his beautiful face! The start had a really light, comedic tone (and a lot of modern anachronisms - high fives everywhere!) and I loved all the identity-concealing hi-jinks. But then the romance kicked into gear and the DELICIOUS angst started flowing, and I became obsessed with it. It’s like loads of bits of my favourite regency historical romances were mashed up and transported to the Joseon Dynasty. I loved it so much!

Male lead: Manages to look amazingly handsome despite all the period headgear, kicks ass with a sword, and doesn’t allow himself to be manipulated by the corrupt officials surrounding him. Also acts like an adorable goofball when he’s in love.

Female lead: Loved her at the start - she’s scrappy and independent and capable. Unfortunately, becomes too much of a plot device by the end. AASI: Backstreet Rookie

9. I’ll Go to You When the Weather is Nice / I’ll Find You on a Beautiful Day

A cellist disillusioned with life in Seoul returns to her small home town for the winter.

This was achingly sweet and wonderful. The slow unfolding of the story, the beautiful scenery, and the simple yet moving score all combine to make this feel like the type of small town contemporary romance novel I love to read on a rainy day in front of a fire. Whilst long-held, painful secrets are eventually revealed, there is no massive conflict involved, with no antagonist or over-wrought external drama. Its just the tale of two sad, lonely people who have withdrawn from the world forming a connection with each other and trying to overcome their issues (she has a fear of abandonment; he’s a loner who has a tendency to disappear). As a bonus, there’s a bookclub with a wonderful cast of secondary characters - I wanted to spend more time with all of them.

Male Lead: Precious Cinnamon Roll, to be protected at all costs. AASI: Are you human too

Female lead: Wears her heart on her sleeve. Refreshingly, she’s the instigator of the relationship and isn’t the usual passive, coy female. AASI: What’s wrong with secretary Kim, Healer, Her private life

10. Goblin

A 900yr old immortal guardian finally meets the ‘bride’ who will end his existence

Once I got over the slight ick-factor of the age difference between the two characters at the beginning, I really fell for this show and it’s world. It had me in floods of tears at some points, and it was laugh out loud funny at others. I especially loved the secondary character of the Grim Reaper and his reluctant bromance with the Goblin.

Male lead: Surprising innocent and funny for a 900 year old

Female lead: Also innocent, but in some ways wise beyond her years. Her tears will make you cry (the actress is very good at sobbing her heart out!). AASI: The King, eternal monarch

11. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim

An personal assistant decides to quits her job in order to get a life. Her boss has other ideas.

This was my first Park Seo Joon drama, and he’s great in it. He somehow turns a self-centred, entitled and vain boss into an endearing character! The central romance is amazing - I can rewatch their scenes again and again - and its a bit more mature than some of the others on this list (be sure to check out the extended scene!!). It has some of the best kisses in Kdrama.

Male lead: Like I said, somehow makes vanity and narcissism endearing. Also not afraid to get his shirt off and flash his 6-pack. Bonus. AASI: Itaewon Class, Fight for my way, Hwarang

Female lead: I’m a sucker for uber-competent people so I loved this character. Park Min Young has become one of my favourites, and she is STUNNING in this. AASI: I’ll go to you when the weather is nice, Healer, Her private life

12. Legend of the Blue Sea

A mermaid comes onto land to find the man she loves

The (literal) fish-out-of-water scenes in the first half of this show were hilarious - the actress is a comic genius! The romance was nicely done, and there wasn’t a lot of extraneous plot or too many characters. It also nicely incorporates scenes from the Joseon era, so you get a partial historical romance thrown in for free!

I couldn’t stop watching this one and I’ve since rewatched it too! Definitely one to check out.

Male lead: Cocky, arrogant conman with a soft mushy centre. AASI: The King, Eternal monarch, Heirs.

Female lead: Steals the show - funny, smart and beautiful. AASI: My love from the Star.

13. Into the Ring/The Ballot - NEW ENTRY

An out-of-work young woman decides to run for office and faces all sorts of challenges in her quest to right some wrongs and earn a living.

This show has one of my favourite ever female characters - she’s headstrong, hard working, and quick to violence but so cute and charming with the most adorable laugh! She tries to act all cynical (that she’s only in it for the money) but she is actually really caring and kind. I sooo wanted her to succeed against the establishment of corrupt assholes that she worked with. Seeing her become disillusioned with politics and her colleagues was heartbreaking, and watching her fight back was great.

Her dynamic with the male lead was also great - he’s quietly in awe of her even when he’s exasperated and borderline scared of her. And he’s super supportive. It was so much fun watching her drag him out of his monotonous, dull life. They also weren’t stingy with the PDA which was so refreshing.

On a superficial level, the show was also visually interesting, with loads of cool angles and blue lens flare. And the overall light, funny tone made it so watchable.

Male lead: Adorkable

Female lead: The literal embodiment of sunshine and determination. I have a bit of a crush on her!

14. The King: Eternal Monarch

The reigning King of the Kingdom of Corea discovers a gateway to a parallel world - the Republic of Korea

This is the first drama I’ve watched in ‘real time’ but I think it would work better as a binge - there are a LOT of characters, and many have dopplegangers (because of the parallel world thing) so it became hard to keep track of who was who. I also think the progression of the romance is better appreciated in a binge (I wrote about it here - ignore the speculation; i got it so wrong LOL!). Unfortunately, the plot also had major holes in it (the ‘rules’ for the gateway/magical flute didn’t make sense) and It was difficult at times to differentiate Corea from Korea - a major failing of the editing.

Buuuuuut, it still made my ‘Great’ list because all of those issues were outweighed by the sheer epicness of this show. The gorgeous sets, the dramatic scenery, the ANGST-filled, beautiful romance…at one point the King rides a majestic white horse into battle with a sword on a neon-lit highway to save the woman he loves. I mean, come on! Plus, its really funny - the ‘fish out of water’ scenes when the King first arrives in Korea, the chalk and cheese dopplegangers Yeong and Eun-Seob, the King’s constant threats of beheading…I loved those elements so much!

Male lead: Gives Ri Jeong-Hyeok from CHOY a run for his money in the ‘Best Boyfriend’ competition. AASI: Legend of the blue sea, Heirs.

Female lead: A bad-ass cop. Takes a while to believe Lee Gon’s story, but once she decides to go all in…she goes all in, and loves unreservedly with her whole heart. AASI: Goblin

15. Tomorrow with you

A time-traveller struggling to live in the present meets a woman trying to let go of her past.

This reminded me a bit of ‘I’ll go to you when the weather is nice’ in terms of the melancholic tone, the simple but effective music, and the beautiful lighting etc. There were also some really interesting, innovative shots which I appreciated.

It took a few episodes to get into and it was a bit frustrating in the middle - so much could have been solved if people just TALKED to each other!! Plus the rules for this version of time travel weren’t really clear…But the last few episodes were brilliant; the way the story came together, and all the little bits of set up were paid off was really well done. These episodes alone were enough to bump this up to the ‘Great’ category (especially, given there was a bit of a Lake House vive at one point - I’m a sucker for that movie. The romance was also beautifully portrayed; I could endlessly watch their domestic scenes - they had such good chemistry and banter.

Male lead: Absolutely, but endearingly, terrible at relationships. He ends up falling in love against his will and largely without realising it.

Female lead: A bit of a mess and a borderline alcoholic, but so cute and innocent. I love the way she talks to herself, she’s so funny! AASI: Oh My Venus

16. Fight for my Way

Two life-long friends decide to go after their dreams

I fast-forwarded large chunks of this (I wasn’t interested in the secondary couple at all), but it still made my ‘Great’ list because this is one of the best friends-to-lovers stories I’ve seen. You truly buy that these 2 have known each other their entire lives (their bickering and teasing feels so natural). And then when they take the next step, they’re so affectionate and refreshingly open with their feelings. Speaking of which, this also has some great kissing scenes (Park Seo Joon is the master!)

Male lead: I love his contradictions. He’s goofy and childish…but can really turn on the sexy charm; he’s a badass MMA fighter…who loves when his girlfriend sticks up for him and protects him. AASI: What’s wrong with secretary Kim, Itaewon class, Hwarang

Female lead: Takes no shit from anyone and will fight for her man! AASI: Descendants of the sun (secondary character)

17. Suspicious Partner

A young, hardworking lawyer has her life turned upside down when she is put on trial for murder.

This was officially bumped up the list a while ago, and I stand by the decision. Its still overly long, but the serial killer plot had some nice twists and it was central to the story, so it didn’t feel extraneous like some of these types of plots do. Mainly, I just loved the central romance - the 2 characters sparked off each other so well and I loved their evolution from sort-of enemies to lovers. This is another show where I can endlessly rewatch their scenes together.

Male lead: Its Ji Chang Wook! He’s so good at playing serious guys who are secretly big dorks. AASI: Healer, The K2, Melting me softly, Backstreet Rookie

Female lead: Fate deals her a shitty hand, but she perseveres with grace and determination. She’s great. AASI: Shopaholic Louis, 100 days my prince.

The GOOD:

1. I Am Not a Robot

A man who is allergic to human contact finds companionship with a robot…or does he?

I honestly thought I wouldn’t make it passed a couple of episodes of this - the concept was just too ridiculous. But I’m glad I persevered, because it developed some real depth and some proper good angst towards the end and I LOVED the central relationship. I’ve rewatched loads of this one.

Actress ASI: Piece of Your Mind; Love in the moonlight (secondary character)

2. I Remember You - NEW ENTRY

A famous criminal profiler gatecrashes the investigation of a serial killer, hoping it will restore the missing memories of his childhood trauma

I really liked the set up of this - the lead character is introduced like a young Sherlock Holmes (the music even reminded me of the score for the BBC Sherlock series). The super-observant, socially awkward thing kind of dropped off as the series progressed, but I still enjoyed how the plot developed, especially with Park Bo-Gum’s character; I’ve only ever seen him play innocent cutie-pies, so this role was a bit of a surprise!

The female lead was like an anime character come to life (she was petite and cute with enormous eyes), but I also loved her personality; she was tenacious, and dogged and took no shit from anyone. She had a cute, antagonistic relationship with the profiler at the start (which I loved) which eventually led to some really sweet, touching moments.

Actor ASI: Shopping King Louis

3. Hotel del Luna

A hotel for wandering spirits gets a new human manager - and he forms a surprising connection to the enigmatic 1300 year old owner

If I had to describe this show in one word it would be ’lavish’. It’s a feast for the eyes - from the set design, to the costumes, to the CGI views of the hotel towering over the moon-lit Seoul cityscape, its stunning. It also plays with aspect ratios in a cool way (watch for the shots where the action spills over into the black bars top and bottom of the screen).

In terms of the characters, I really liked IU in this; her character may be uncaring, world-weary, and money-hungry, but she’s also immensely charming. I admit I got more platonic vibes with her and the male lead, but I still liked their relationship. I also really liked the stories of the ghosts passing through (some reduced me to tears with very little screen time) and there were a couple of GREAT cameos. Especially the one at the very end - I want more of him, please!!

Actress ASI: Scarlet heart

4. My Holo Love

A lonely woman falls for a holographic AI and then meets his creator…

I love the concept of this show (I’m a big sci-fi nerd), and I think this stayed in my ‘favourite’ list for so long because it was the first Kdrama of this genre that I saw. I still love it - especially because of how beautifully it’s shot, and how well the story comes together - but I’m not dying to rewatch any of it, unlike all the others shows that are now on the ‘great’ list.

5. Extraordinary You

A high school student discovers she’s a supporting character in a comic book

The plot of this was so cool, and the way the comic story played out interspersed with the characters ‘real lives’ was really well done. Plus the central couple were so adorable. It dragged in the middle section (several versions of the same conversations were had, and the same exposition was spelled out multiple ways for no apparent reason) which kept it out of my favourite list, but it redeemed itself with some good angst at the end, and it had a really lovely ‘epilogue’.

AASI: A couple of the secondary male leads have a mini-reunion in ‘I’ll go to you when the weather is nice’!

6. Just Between Lovers - NEW ENTRY

Three people impacted by a tragic shopping mall collapse start working on a building project together, unaware of their shared past.

I absolutely adore the male lead in this - he is the archetypal tortured hero (I constantly wanted to give him a hug and a warm meal). He’s also wonderfully romantic in his own, straightfoward, no-nonsense way. The female lead was really likeable - l love capable women and she is the definition of that (she even drives a lorry at one point!). There’s a lot of pain and angst in this show, with very little levity, but it strangely never felt heavy. I really liked it.

Actress ASI: Melting me Softly

7. Strong Girl Bong-Soon

A woman with inherited super-strength gets a job as a bodyguard for an eccentric young CEO

The lead couple in this are AD-OR-ABLE and I loved their relationship. But there was a weird tone issue in this show. The romance is super cute…but there’s a whole dark sub plot involving multiple women being held captive by a psychopath, and a really grating cast of ‘bad guy’ extras. I ended up fast forwarding most of that, and just concentrated on the romance - If someone could do a supercut of all their scenes, I would watch it on a loop.

Actor ASI: Hwarang, Heirs (minor character)

8. 30 but 17/Still 17 - NEW ENTRY

A 17 year old girl gets into an accident and wakes from a coma 13 years later.

I was worried going into this that the romance (between a 30 year old man and (essentially) a 17 year old girl) would feel icky and uncomfortable. But the writers made the wise choice of creating a 30 year old man with the emotional maturity of a 17 year old. He is so awkward and unworldly, that they actually work really well together. In fact, I loved their relationship. The secrets in this show took faaaar too long to be revealed, which made me worried that the eding would be too rushed, but there was actually time for a nice ‘epilogue’. Plus, all the supporting characters were great (including the wonderfully weird housekeeper Jennifer) and the cutest dog in the world was in this. So I definitely recommend it.

9. Mystic Pop-up Bar - NEW ENTRY

As punishment for past sins, a woman must solve the grudges of 100,000 people by entering their dreams

This was an unexpected delight. I started watching it after spotting a cute gifset on tumblr (which I didn’t realise contained huge spoilers!). The story and tone is (mostly) light and quirky, and I particularly enjoyed the worldbuilding - the banal bureaucracy of the afterlife in this even reminds me a bit of The Good Place. I’m a sucker for a ‘found family’ theme and this one was done really nicely. It also had 2 main ships - one really cute and innocent, the other took me by surprise with how moving it was. Similarly, some of the episode-specific stories and characters (i.e. the individual grudges) made me tear up.

10. 100 days my prince

A Prince loses his memory during an assassination attempt and ends up living as a peasant for 100 days.

Another period piece; the plots of these seem a little repetitive (Crown prince’s life is threatened by scheming Minister) but the central cast and the romance usually makes up for it. Same for this show - I really enjoyed watching the spoiled, grumpy puppy of a Prince try to cope with manual labour, and the female lead was capable, and endearing.

Actress ASI: Suspicious partner, Shopaholic Louis

11. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo

A young talented weightlifter experiences first love

Honestly, I wasn’t sold on this at first; the female lead was a bit much (lot of gurning and over-acting) and there was a weird disconnect between how she was described (big, overweight, manly, unfeminine) and how she actually looked (thin and beautiful!). But the back half of this show saved it; her relationship with Joon-Hyung was sooooo cute. He is adorable, and they were both so supportive of each other’s dreams. I finished this with a big smile on my face.

Actor ASI: Bride of the Water God, Scarlet heart (tertiary character)

12. Are You Human Too

A mother separated from her son builds a robotic replacement. Decades later, he has to take the place of the ‘real’ son.

I loved the evolution of the robot in this - it never went the way of a full Pinnochio story, but it was fun to see him learning about the real world and how humans interact. It also posed some interesting questions - what does it mean to be human? And how would you react if you were ‘replaced’ by an artificial version?

The actor in this was fantastic. The way he could change from the real Nam Shin to Nam Shin III with the most subtle shifts in posture and facial expression was really impressive. It took me longer to warm to the female lead, and by the end she was given very little to do…but her unflinching support and unconditional love for Nam Shin III won me over. Some of the supporting characters didn’t work for me, and it was far too long…but worth a watch for the lead actor’s performance. Plus, Nam Shin III is an absolute cutie-pie.

Actor ASI: I’ll go to you when the weather is nice

13. Shopaholic Louis/ Shopping King Louis

The young, shopaholic heir to a large department store empire loses his memory and has to live as a poor man

The male lead in this is an absolute puppy dog and I ADORE him. He squeals when he sees bugs, he can’t run to save his life, and he’s the type of guy who will punch someone and immediately apologise and ask if they’re ok. He’s spoilt, entitled, demanding and has no concept of the value of money…but thanks to the actor portraying him, he just comes across as innocent, sweet and lonely (he spends all his time shopping and accumulating stuff because they fills up his empty life). The female lead is just a really nice, kind person; at first Louis seems like he’ll be just one more burden she needs to take care of, but he makes it clear from the start that she can count on him to help her too - something she’s never had before. Their relationship develops so naturally and thoroughly that you cant help but feel they are perfect for each other. I watched this with a big smile on my face.

Actor ASI: I Remember You

Actress ASI: Suspicious partner, 100 days my prince

14. Oh My Venus

The previously much-lusted after ‘Venus of Daegu’ fulfilled her dream of becoming a lawyer - but she gained weight and lost her self esteem in the process.

I adored the female lead - she was so relentlessly bright and optimistic that you couldn’t help but love her and root for her. I was a bit worried going in that there was going to be a lot of fat-shaming, but the male lead made it clear that he was more interested in her internal health than her external appearance (and you could tell he started to fall for her when she was chubby, so it wasn’t superficial in that way). I wasn’t expecting for him to become so much of the focus in the second half of the show (I thought he was just going to be a hunky trainer; I should have known better - in a Kdrama there is always a Tragic Backstory looming!). Their relationship was so natural and cute - the bit with the dimples never got old - and overall, this was a fun, easy watch.

Actress ASI: Tomorrow with you.

Actor ASI: My secret Terrius, Master’s sun.

15. A Piece of your Mind - NEW ENTRY

A classical music recording engineer meets an AI designer.

I struggled to sum-up the concept of this in one sentence, because the ‘plot’ is so arbitrary (and the AI stuff makes no sense whatsoever!). It’s really more of a mood piece - the lighting, the music and the performance combine to make this a strangely ethereal show, dealing with unrequited love, grief and the importance of human connection. It’s slow and contemplative and a little odd in its structure (there’s very little set-up, so you feel like you’ve been dropped into episode 3 of an established show). This may put some people off, but I really liked it.

I started watching it because of the leads (who I’ve loved in other shows) and they didn’t disappoint. She is so kind and lovely; he’s a little odd - like a robot learning about life. But their relationship is so beautiful (it even included one of my favourite niche tropes: insomniacs who can only sleep around each other).

Apparently the episode run was cut down from 16 to 12 because of poor ratings, which is a real shame because i think a bit more time was needed to really sell the female lead’s emotional arc. It all felt a little rushed at the end, but I still enjoyed it, and admired that it tried something a little unconventional.

Actor ASI: While you were sleeping (secondary lead).

Actress ASI: I am Not a Robot; Love in the moonlight (secondary character)

16. Rookie Historian - NEW ENTRY

An independent, educated woman choses to become one of the first female court historians, rather than get married.

This show had a really interesting premise and I enjoyed watching the rookie female historians navigate court-life (battling workplace harassment, misogyny and patriarchal values) and developing a real friendship with each other.

The female lead was fantastic - she was headstrong, pragmatic, unapologetically intelligent, a lover of books and a hater of injustice. She shared that love of books with the male lead, who was sensitive, soft-spoken, and innocent. The ultimate beta hero, who’s romantic fantasies involved him feeding her cookies and fanning her while she sleeps!

Their romance took a backseat for a lot of the show, but I didn’t mind as the plot was exploring interesting topics such as intruders from the West, catholicism, and censorship, etc.

Actor ASI: My ID is Gangnam Beauty

Actress ASI: Bride of Habaek

17. Tempted/The Great Seducer - NEW ENTRY

In an act of revenge, a wealthy heir makes a bet with his friends to seduce a hardworking female college student

10 minutes into this I started to get major Cruel Intentions vibes…which made sense when I found out it was also an adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons! It doesn’t have the dark edge or overt sexuality of Cruel Intentions (which is one of my favs) but its still good - mainly due to the male lead. I ADORED him in TKEM and he’s really good here. I’m a sucker for the ‘bad boy falls in love for the first time’ trope and he played it so well. The female lead was also good - she was self-aware, strong, intelligent and took no shit. I was less interested by the love affairs of the adults around them, but overall it was a good show.

Actor ASI: TKEM (secondary character)

18. My Love from the Star

Alien stranded on earth meets an actress soon before he’s due to be rescued.

It took a couple of goes to get into this one, but I’m glad I finally watched the whole thing (the female lead was initially very irritating, but she improved a lot). I enjoyed the present-day romance and all the flashes back to the past. However, the ending was really abrupt and disappointing (which kept it out of my favourite list). There should have been 1 less filler episode in the middle, and a decent, fleshed out finale instead.

Actor ASI: Its ok to not be ok.

Actress ASI: Legend of the blue sea

19. Because this is my First Life

A rational-to-a-fault software designer and an aspiring screenwriter come up with an unconventional way to solve their housing problem

When I started this, I thought it was going to be all light and fluffy (the main character’s job in the beginning was to insert the product placement in Korean dramas - hello, Red Ginseng! - which I found hilarious and meta) but it had a surprisingly melancholic tone throughout and touched on issues of workplace harassment and gender roles. I didn’t warm to the male lead until right at the end (which was probably partly intentional - he’s very remote and closed off) but overall I found the story quite lovely. Plus it had a really great central female friendship and their conversations actually passed the Bechdel test!

20. My shy boss / Introverted boss

An extroverted actress takes a job at a PR company working for a man with crippling shyness

This was another deceptive show; I thought from the title and the synopsis that it would just be a light opposites attract comedy about an introverted man and an extroverted woman. But I was almost in tears by the second episode when the Tragic Backstory came to light, and we saw the full extent of the Boss’ struggles to communicate with other human beings. He has such a rich, funny, and smart inner monologue, and the way he overthinks every interaction is really endearing…which makes the contrast with his silent and withdrawn external persona all the more stark and heartbreaking. You really root for him to find happiness. This was overly long (a common pitfall with these shows) and there was some distracting shaky camera work in some of the close ups. There were also implications early on about workplace sexual harassment and possibly dubious consent in a one night stand which were dropped, leaving a bit of a sour note. Despite that, it was overall fairly enjoyable and has one of the cutest confession scenes!

The OK

1. The K2

An ex-mercenary takes a job as a bodyguard protecting the illegitimate daughter of a politician. A sort-of Snow White retelling.

This started off really well; there are some amazing fight sequences (hello, shower room scene!) and JCW has never been hotter - its worth watching for him alone. However, the back half became really bogged down in double crosses and manipulations, and it focussed too much on the politicians. The writers did well to give these characters some layers, but they were all essentially doing bad things for the wrong reasons, and I just didn’t care about them. The show was much better when it was following K2’s journey. The romance also started off well, but was a bit underdeveloped (mainly because they barely interacted).

Actor ASI: Healer, suspicious partner, Backstreet rookie, Melting me softly

2.Bride of Habaek / Bride of the Water God

A God of the Land of Water visits the human realm to fulfil a task before ascending to his throne. He enlists the help of a ‘divine servant’, a down-on-her-luck psychiatrist.

I started this because I liked the lead actor. His baby-face can’t quite pull off the intensity needed for this role, but he was still cute as the arrogant, imperious God brought low by his circumstances - no money, house, powers or (most importantly to him) driving license. I also liked the female lead - she so desperately wanted to hide her kind, compassionate heart from a world that had battered and bruised her. There were some good individual scenes (especially the 'confession’ moment, which was just lovely), but the show ran out of steam towards the end, and ultimately felt like a waste of potential.

Actor ASI: Weightlifting fairy Kim Bok-joo

Actress ASI: Rookie Historian

3. Her Private Life

A talented art curator tries to keep her professional persona separate from her fangirl obsession with a pop idol.

This was cute and I loved the central relationship - he was so supportive of her, and their interactions were refreshingly mature and their banter felt really natural. Ultimately, it was a bit forgettable (I’m not dying to rewatch any of it), and the last minute tacked-on childhood trauma subplot was really unnecessary.

Actress ASI: Healer, Whats wrong with secretary kim, I’ll go to you when the weather is nice.

4. Touch Your Heart

Star actress rocked by scandal works at a law firm to prepare for her comeback role

This starred the secondary couple from Goblin and I really like them, even though they are playing very different characters in this (more opposites attract, than doomed lovers). It’s a bit too ‘cutesy’ and I had to fast forward a lot of the secondary romances which I wasn’t invested in.

5. My Secret Terrius

A secret agent on the run gets embroiled in the life of his next door neighbour - a mum of young twins.

The romance in this was underwhelming; the two characters ended in a really cute place, but it felt like set up for a story I probably would have liked more than this one. In saying that, this was still a relatively enjoyable watch; the female lead was great - she was constantly underestimated as ‘just a housewife’ but she was smarter, and more determined and resourceful than the spies around her. The male lead’s interactions with the twins were adorable, and there was a good cast of supporting characters. However, I’ve already pretty much forgotten the main espionage plot!

Actor ASI: Oh My Venus

6. Lawless Lawyer

A gangster-turned-lawyer moves to Gisung to take on corruption with the help of a suspended female attorney

I liked this more at the beginning; it reminded me a bit of Itaewon Class, with a charismatic lead, an intricately plotted revenge scheme that the audience only becomes aware of as the series progresses, and a take-no-shit female lead who was introduced hitting an authority figure! However, it never really gripped me (it took me weeks to finish) and a couple of the villains were overacting and hamming it up all over the place. But I loved the two leads, and their relationship was good, despite feeling a bit rushed.

Actor ASI: Scarlet Heart

Actress ASI: Its ok to not be ok, Hwarang (tertiary character)

7. 1% of Something - NEW ENTRY

To gain his inheritance, an arrogant, aloof CEO has to enter into a marriage contract with a sweet primary school teacher.

I liked how streamlined this was: it was just a show about two people who fall in love despite their best intentions. There was no overly complicated plot, and even the conflict that keeps them apart towards the end felt very organic and unforced.

She is a delightful ball of sunshine. He is a little overbearing but has his own charm. And bear with the bad haircut and appalling fashion sense - he improves at the end!

8. Melting Me Softly

Two people are accidentally cryogenically frozen for 20 years. They have to navigate the modern world and their new lives together.

Another good concept, but it ultimately descended into little more than a light work-place romance. Had a couple of good kissing scenes, but it was overall a bit forgettable.

Actor ASI: The K2, healer, suspicious partner, backstreet rookie

Actress ASI: Just Between Lovers

9. My Sassy Girl

A 'sassy’ princess meets an ambitious scholar in less than ideal circumstances…

I enjoyed the fact that this Joseon period drama focused on a Princess for a change, and not a prince. She came across as more 'obnoxious and immature’ than 'sassy’ in the beginning, but once it was made clear that she was actually a decent, kind person underneath, I soon warmed to her. I also liked the relationship with the male lead, which amounted to a pretty good enemies-to-lovers story. It took a bit of an unexpected turn right at the end, but my independent, feminine self was good with it. Overall, this was a pretty easy watch, but nothing special.

10. Hwarang

Follows a peasant who joins the newly-created Hwarang (Poet Warrior Youths in ancient Korea) to enact revenge for the death of his best friend

I enjoyed the scenes of the Hwarang hanging out and bonding - so many cute bromances in this! But I couldn’t really connect with the central story and romance, due to a major case of SLS (Second Lead Syndrome) - as much as I’m a fan of Park Seo-joon, I adore Park Hyung-sik, and I found his character, journey and relationship with the female lead much more compelling. The ending still managed to feel somewhat satisfying, but I won’t be rewatching any of it.

Actor ASI: Itaewon class, What’s wrong with secretary kim, Fight for my way

The BAD

1. Hyde, Jekyll and Me

A woman becomes involved in the lives of 2 men, who share one body

Hyun Bin is sooo watchable in this, especially as the slick-haired, glasses-wearing, uptight Seo-Jin. And the show started well…but quickly went off the rails into a convoluted, dragged-out revenge plot. It was a bit of a slog to get through, to be honest.

Actor ASI: CLOY

2. Queen: Love and War

The long lost twin of a recently assassinated Queen assumes her identity to enter the Bridal selection to wed the resurrected King and seek revenge.

This was a bit of a mess (as you can tell from that synopsis!); it felt like the first few episodes were rushed through as a sort of ‘prologue’ before the main thrust of the story…but that prologue contained A LOT of plot with some major character revelations that were rapidly skimmed over (e.g. the female lead was introduced as having complete amnesia; but almost out of nowhere she casually mentions that she got all her memories back and now knows who she is). Because of this, it took me a while to get a sense of who the characters really were. A lot of the usual Joseon plot points played out (scheming ministers and untrustworthy queens) but it had some unique features - I especially enjoyed the bridal selection scenes and seeing the lead female outwitting her rivals in the various challenges. But ultimately, I fast forwarded a lot of this and it was pretty forgettable.

Actress ASI: Doctor Stranger.

Actor ASI: Backstreet Rookie (secondary character)

3. Backstreet Rookie

A struggling young woman takes a part-time job at the convenience store run by her high school crush.

I was really not a fan of this show, and probably would have stopped watching if it wasn’t for Kim Yoo-jung. Her character was really likeable - kickass, but vulnerable, and so loving and kind. You were really rooting for her throughout. The show also had some interesting things to say about inequality (there was a lovely scene between the male leads’s parents in episode 10 touching on this theme)…but that’s about it for the positives.

Overall, it was just too OTT and manic and most of the characters were barely more than cartoonish caricatures. One character was actually repulsive, and the fact that he got his own romantic subplot was just gross. I’m a big fan of Ji Chang-wook, but I didn’t like some of his acting choices in this, and his character spent far too long in a relationship with another woman, which meant the main romance felt underdeveloped.

And…it ended without a kiss. I was so pissed off! I put up with 16 episodes of crap, expecting a decent pay-off at the end…but no. I wouldn’t recommend this one.

Actress ASI: Love in the Moonlight

Actor ASI: Suspicious Partner, Healer, K2, Melting me Softly

The UNCLASSIFIABLE

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

A modern girl is transported 1000 years into the past where she becomes embroiled in the lives of the Royal Princes.

I honestly don’t know where I stand with this one! Did I love it? Did I hate it? I seriously don’t know!

I was reluctant to start this (I knew it didn’t have a happy ending) but I was told its a rite of passage for KDrama newbies to watch this show. And there were some great things about it - the male lead was amazing! So intense and tragic, with the most arresting face. The music was also GORGEOUS, as was the scenery - the whole production felt very sumptuous. The palace intrigue stuff was also more compelling than most of the other historic dramas I’ve seen. I recognised several of the Princes from other shows, and I became really invested in 3 of them…which made the constant threat of them betraying each other/killing each other AGONISING. This show was heavy on the Emotional Torture Porn, and some of it felt gratuitous, because I just didn’t understand the motivations behind some of the plot points/character’s actions.

I also wasn’t a big fan of the female lead; partly because the actress only seemed to have 2 facial expressions to work with, but partly because and any hints that she was a modern girl with modern sensibilities quickly disappeared. It was this independence and spunk that made all the princes fall for her (to varying degrees) but she lost all of that and it left me wondering why they bothered with the time travel aspect at all.

I finished the show feeling wrung out and with the overwhelming sense of “Why? What was the point of that?”

Buuuuuut…it has lingered with me - as @talenevertold said when we were discussing the show, “Nobody enjoys it in the process… but it leaves this unique bittersweet aftertaste…” and that’s absolutely true; and it probably true that this show IS a rite of passage that everyone should watch. But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

and...The MEH (i.e. DNF):

This list is getting long! I have a bit less patience with shows than I did in the beginning - there are so many to get through, so I’m not willing to waste my time on anything that either doesn’t grip me from a story perspective, is far too slow, has mediocre acting and/or is too soapy.

Master’s sun

Tale of Nokdu

The Heirs

Meow, the Secret Boy

Love Alarm

One Spring Night

Suits

Chocolate

Doctor Stranger

The scholar who walks the night

If I’ve made a heinous mistake by dropping any of these - get in touch and plead the case for why i should give them another chance!

#kdrama #kdrama recommendations

19 notes · View notes

cilldaracailin · 4 years

Text

Heaven For Everyone

Hello my Tumblr Lovely’s!

Happy New Years Eve Eve (Not that I care for New Year Eve at all. Just another midnight to me)

Anywhoo, here is the next part in this Robyn and Taron story. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks so much for all the likes, love and comments!

Suze xx

*Disclaimer - I don’t know Taron or his family and this is just a piece of fiction*

“A faithful friend is a strong defence; And he that hath found him hath found a treasure.”

Although Tina had tried to keep the conversation going with Robyn as they followed Taron along the railings, she could see that her attention was completely focused on her son, watching his every movement, stepping closer so she could hear the conversation he was having with the interviewers.

“Do you always keep such a close distance to him?”

Robyn had been focused on Taron’s voice, listening to him explain yet again about how the film had managed to complete production, after having to halt filming for two months, that she hadn’t heard Tina’s words and turned to her, biting her lip, embarrassed. “I am sorry Tina. What did you say?”

“Do you always keep such a close distance to him? Every time we move, you inch closer to him.”

Robyn looked to the carpet and then to Taron, understanding what Tina meant. She had been stepping in towards the barrier every footstep they made and now instead of being metres apart, they were only a few feet away from him.

“I didn’t even realise.” Robyn stepped back to stand next to Tina,

“It’s sweet.” Tina smiled. “I don’t think I have ever known anyone, except for his family and Lyndsey to be so in tune with him and watch him so carefully.”

“Might be a little obsessive.” Robyn admitted.

“Not at all and very understandable.” She saw the confused look on the young woman’s face. “Robyn you sat with him in the 7/11 and watched over him constantly and do I even need to mention last weekend?”

“I don’t know what it is. I just have this need to look after him, to make sure he is ok.”

Tina felt her heart fill with pure love for Robyn but also a little sadness. “You do this for Keith?”

“Yep. Tried and failed miserably.”

“He really was an arsehole wasn’t he.”

“In the beginning no. He was lovely but then turned into an arsehole.”

“You gave everything to him?”

“And more.” Robyn nodded. “Never got anything back. I should have realised it sooner but then I think I was trying so hard to please him that I never really looked at our relationship and how one sided it was.” She saw a look of worry in Tina’s eyes. “Taron is so different Tina. He is a wonderful man and has looked after me so well this weekend and he followed me after I stormed out on him yesterday afternoon.” Robyn’s hand went to her mouth when she realised what she had said. “Oh shit. I mean it was just a little disagreement we had and it is all sorted now and it was just tiredness on my part and the crappy journey getting here and tempers were a little frayed but we are fine now and…”

Tina smiled, placing her hands on Robyn’s shoulders. “You don’t have to explain anything to me and once my son is looking after you too, then that’s all that matters to me and little arguments are natural between two people who love each other as much as you and Taron do.” Robyn nodded. “Once you can both admit you were wrong and apologise each to each other and hug tightly, you’ll be fine and let him look after you this weekend. Surely it is your turn by now.”

“He promised me a movie day tomorrow.”

“That’s all after everything you did for him last weekend? A movie day?”

Robyn laughed. “It’s perfect. Definitely needed after the rush of the last few days.”

Tina shook her head. “My son, the romantic. A movie day.”

“Perfect.” Robyn insisted, her head turning to Taron as she heard his voice over the noise of the crowd, his tone a little less cheery than it had been previously.

The quick ten-minute interviews were fast and momentary and by the time Taron had shook hands with the twelfth media personal, he was definitely feeling tired. Even though he knew he was over his chest infection, his body still became weary by early evening and he knew his quickly depleting energy was one of the reasons behind his changing mood. The other was the sudden risky question he had just been asked about Robyn and the scandal of that morning.

“As it would have read in my statement this morning, no one has the right to invade my personal space and sneak into my hotel to try and spy on me and then run Robyn’s name through the dirt? She saves my life and is given hell for doing so. All she deserves is…”

“… Not to have my name dragged through mud again, especially when what happened this morning was not my or Taron’s fault.” Robyn came to stand beside him and slipped her arm around his elbow. “You can understand Taron’s frustration over it all especially when such a ridiculous story overshadows his excitement of finally getting to promote Kingsman this evening. It has been a long time coming and such hard work has been put in by all involved to have the movie ready for tonight. I know I am looking forward to seeing what Eggsy has been up too. Taron had been very tight lipped over the story.”

Robyn didn’t look at Taron but kept her eyes focused on the shocked female interviewer, her eyes wide, her mouth stuck in an ‘o’ shape. “Well yes of course, of course, rumours all of it.”

The Irish woman nodded, feeling Taron reach over to give her hand a light squeeze. “And we have so many other things to concentrate on this evening instead of those rumours, like the Kingsman movie and this wonderful occasion.” The reported nodded. “Actually, if you excuse me and Taron, his mother is looking for him. I presume you were finished speaking?”

Lyndsey stepped over to the railing. “Our time was actually coming to an end. Is there anything else you would like to ask Taron?”

“I think I got all I needed thank you.”

“And I am sure your article will be full of the information relating to the premier this evening and nothing else.” Lyndsey gave a little warning.

The lady nodded and shook Taron’s hand as he held it out. “Nice to meet you.” He said giving her a firm hand shake, before he turned away, still with his arm linked with Robyn’s, heading for his mam but he side stepped around her, walking Robyn away from edge of the carpet and into the middle, the two surrounded by all the other guests invited to the premier. Once he was sure there was some sort of cover, he turned to Robyn.

“Maybe I should have just asked you to come and stand with me for the press part of the night.” He reached forward and tucked some hair behind her ear, only then noticing the green earrings that matched her dress in colour.

“I should say I am sorry but I am not.”

“Me neither.” Taron agreed.

“I could hear the change in your voice and this evening is for you and your movie, not to challenge you over stupid online opinions. I won’t have your mood dampened by that.”

“Fiery Robyn my favourite.” He chuckled, stepping close and giving her a hug, his arms wrapping around her tightly, Robyn’s free left hand going to the back of his neck. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Robyn moved her head to kiss his cheek before dipping her face back into his shoulder. “You ok Taron? You seem to have lost some of the spring in your step from earlier.”

“Just feeling a little tired. It normally hits me around this time in the evenings and it was an early start this morning too.”

Robyn dug the tips of the fingers of her left hand deep into Taron’s back. “Still recovering.” She whispered into his neck. “You need to take a break for a second?”

“Nah I am good. The question was unexpected so it threw me a little. Thanks for coming over.”

“Your mam pointed out that I was slowly edging closer to you as you moved down the media line.”

Taron chuckled against her, running his hands slowly up and down her back, feeling a very slight chill on her skin. “Why am I not surprised.” He tried to hold in the pleasurable moan he felt from Robyn’s hand on his back but it came out quietly.

“You really didn’t bring any vouchers with you?” She asked him, feeling him shake his head. “Taron you are really wasting massage opportunities.”

“I will wait until you have full use of both hands.” Robyn applied the perfect amount of concentrated pressure on the back of his neck and he sighed happily. “But then again one hand is better than no hands.”

“With our movie day tomorrow, there is going to be no time for massages.”

“Not even a quick head one?” He asked lifting his head from her shoulder.

“You got one of those already. Movie day with popcorn and m&m’s and cuddles.” She confirmed, Taron’s face lifting in a wide dimpled grin.

“You are going to make me watch soppy romantic movie’s, aren’t you?”

Robyn smiled. “I am sure we can come to a compromise with the movie choice.” She straightened his tie a little, making sure it was sitting straight. “You should probably get back to it.”

“Two more minutes.”

“You should listen to her Taron. A woman is always right!”

The two turned to see Matthew standing beside them, along with Colin Firth, both with a grin on their face.

“So, this is the wonderful Robyn.” Colin stepped forward to take Robyn’s hand and kiss it gently. “It is nice to finally put a face to the name, one I have heard a lot of.”

Robyn could feel the blush creeping into her cheeks and it wasn’t because she was meeting Colin Firth but because of his words. “I think you and I should take some time to sit and talk about all the times Taron has mentioned my name.” She replied back. “And it is so very nice to meet you.”

“Ready to swoon chicken?” Taron whispered to her, seeing the blush stretch to her neck.

“And once we have thoroughly discussed every time he has mentioned my name, perhaps you can then share some stories of Taron for my own amusement.” Robyn ignored Taron’s words, continuing to address Colin. She then turned to Matthew. “Nice to see you again.”

The two hugged before she stepped back to the Welshman who was frowning a little.

“Don’t frown Taron.” She smiled at him, slipping her hand into his.

“Always ganging up on me no matter where I go.” He complained.

“Always telling stories about me no matter where you go!” She countered.

“They are all good!” He pouted but he had to smile as Robyn ran a finger over his forehead and then down his cheek, his lips lifting in a large smile. “I dislike you.”

“No you don’t.” Robyn laughed.

“No I don’t.” He agreed. “Never.” Taron turned to Colin and Matthew. “So, Colin, this is Robyn.”

“I can see that young man and we have already made our introductions.”

Robyn reached for Taron’s hand again to give it an encouraging hold. “How has you evening been so far?” She asked the two men standing opposite them.

“Loud.” Colin replied. “But been wonderful. It is always a pleasure to finally to get to share our movie with the world, especially considering the circumstances of ours. You haven’t seen it yet have you?” He asked Robyn.

“No not yet. I am very much looking forward to seeing what actually happens. Taron has told me nothing.”

“I don’t know how he has managed to keep it a secret from you.”

“Well to be fair to Taron, I haven’t really asked him and I guess, we have been distracted over the last few days.”

“Well that is true. Got himself in a spot of bother last week.” Colin commented. “I am glad to see he is much better now.”

Robyn could feel the tighter grip Taron was using to hold her hand. “There was just a lot on his shoulders and quite understandable after what happened in Florida but look it has all worked out now and speaking of work, you three had better get back to it. Can’t be seen just standing here chatting when there are still a number of press to be seen too and the fans too.”

“Always the voice of reason.” Matthew nodded. “But yes we should. We don’t want to miss the screening after all the work we put in. Robyn…” Matthew leaned into kiss her cheek. “A pleasure as always.”

“Robyn…” Once Matthew had moved back, Colin gave Robyn a kiss too. “Perhaps later on, once all of these formalities have finished, we could actually sit down and have a conversation we can hear.”

“I would very much like that.”

While Matthew and Colin walked away to their left, Robyn and Taron turned to each other.

“You didn’t swoon.” He commented.

“Swoon?” Robyn asked confused.

“That was Colin Firth.”

“Yeah I know that Taron and?”

“Seriously? Not a Colin Firth fan?”

“I never said that. He’s a wonderful actor. Just ya know, not my type.”

Taron fully grinned and took his hand from her, crossing his arms over his chest. “So Robyn what is your type?”

“What’s yours?” She countered with a matching grin.

Shaking his head Taron laughed a little. “Well I guess my mother will be pleased. She is a big Colin fan.”

“I will happily inform her then. I can feel eyes staring at us for even talking to him.”

Taron rose an eyebrow her way. “That is probably just the hundreds of people around us watching me and you have a casual conversation on the red carpet.”

“And the media waiting to speak to you.”

“Well I guess I should head back to my obligations and duties.” He slipped his arm around her waist and they started to walk back to where Lyndsey and Tina were waiting. “Though it is my premier. I should be able to do whatever I want tonight.”

Robyn grinned. “You wanna try and pull that stunt with Lyndsey?”

“Uh-uh. Definitely not.”

“Yeah I didn’t think so.” Robyn agreed as they reached his publicist and mother who were standing together happily chatting. “I promise I won’t step in again.” Robyn apologised to Lyndsey. “I honestly can’t help it.”

Lyndsey smiled. “I would begin to think there was something wrong if you didn’t step in. I have told you before, it’s fine. A little sass never hurt anyone.”

“Until it appears in the paper the next day.” Robyn replied a little sadly. “I should have just stayed back. We really didn’t need my sass after this morning.”

“Nothing wrong with a defending yourself Robyn, even more so after this morning and I am sure the press is used to you standing up for Taron after all these months.” Lyndsey assured her. “We need to get back to press Taron. We still have over half to finish and then if you want to greet the fans too, we need to move through it as quick as we can. We are cutting it short on time.”

“I will stay with Tina.” Robyn assured her. “Unless someone gets snappy with him again.” She winked.

The four laughed, Taron giving Robyn a wink. “I shall await your fiery arrival with baited breath.”

Lyndsey and Taron strolled back over to the media, while Tina stood close to Robyn.

“Should we stand closer to him so you can make it in one step?” She teased. “He has told me about your protective nature but to see you actually defend him without question?” Tina wrapped her arm around Robyn’s waist. “Thank you.”

Robyn didn’t have to worry about the remainder of Taron’s obligatory interviews or the questions asked of him as they were all relating to the movie, the last one ending in a fit of laughter as Taron had to answer all of his questions with words starting with the letter ‘k’. He grinned and nearly skipped back towards his mother and Robyn.

“And done.” He breathed. He was so relieved to have the main media portion of the evening done and now he could feel himself relax more and not have to worry about questions asked of him. Apart from the one asked that Robyn saved him from, every other interview had been a breeze and the last few he actually enjoyed a lot, knowing he was coming to the end of them. His tiredness still lingered but with the most stressful part of the evening dealt with, he felt he could yawn or not hold himself so upright and straight and be judged for doing so.

“Now you just have to face the fans.”

Taron’s face fell a little at Robyn’s words. “Oh.”

“Need someone to be your photographer?” She asked him.

“You wanna?”

“Means you get a chance to meet everyone.” She said to him. “Team work makes the dream work.” She added with a grin.

Holding his arm out, he nodded. “Sure.”

Tina stood next to Lyndsey as Taron and Robyn made their way towards the cheering fans.

“They don’t see what we see do they?” Lyndsey asked.

Tina shook her head. “Until they admit their feelings to each other, they won’t.” She smiled despite the sadness around her words. “I am not worried though Lyndsey. It will come with time but until then, I shall look on and I will just pretend.”

Lyndsey laughed. “I don’t think you have to use your imagination much Tina. It’s pretty obvious.”

“You saw a lot last weekend, didn’t you?” Tina turned towards Taron’s publicist. “Care to let me in on the secrets?”

Lyndsey shook her head. “I think you have a pretty good idea yourself.”

“Head massages?”

“And little kisses and touches that I definitely shouldn’t have been privy too.”

“Such as?” Tina probed, a wide smile on her face.

“Uh-uh.” Lyndsey said. “All I can say is that I have never seen a man melt into someone’s touch so quickly.”

Tina laughed a little and smiled. “He is a softie at heart my Taron.” She turned to watch her son stroll down the carpet, his body nestled right beside Robyn’s. “I know he will be good for her too. Sounds like she needs someone who she can completely rely on no matter what.”

Lyndsey nodded. “He will definitely do that for her.”

“Definitely.” Tina replied, her voice in a dreamy tone, her eyes still watching her son as he wandered across the carpet set out for his night. She was so incredibly proud of him and was ecstatic that she had managed to come along and support him, even more so when she got to see just how important Robyn had become to him. When Taron spoke to her, the conversation always somehow managed to turned around to Robyn and Tina could now physically with her own two eyes, see how much he loved her, even more than when she came to visit him for his birthday last year but now along with his love for her, Tina knew Robyn felt the same.

“Should we head inside and take our seats?” Lyndsey asked Tina, taking her from her inner thoughts.

“You don’t need to be with him for meeting the fans?”

Lyndsey grinned. “Taron not only has his own personal photographer by his side, but a bodyguard too. You think Robyn will let anything happen to him?” Her smile grew as she watched Tina’s face crinkle with her own grin. “They’ve done this before together and I am very happy to let them go together too. For some reason the fans have really taken to her and if this is going to go the way we know it will, it’s good for them to stick together, for their unity to continue to show.”

“Well then I guess we should go inside and leave them to do it.” Tina agreed, stepping in time with Lyndsey as they headed in the direction of the theatre doors, leaving the crowd and noise behind them.

As Robyn walked with Taron towards the fans, she let go of his arm and stopped walking so they now stood in the middle of the carpet once again surrounded by the other guests of the premier.

“Robyn?” Taron looked at her confused. “You alright?”

“Need a pick me up?” She asked.

“A pick me up?”

“I know I haven’t eaten anything today except for breakfast very early this morning and I doubt you ate anything because of a combination of nerves and just not feeling like it.”

“And once again you have taken up residence inside my head.” Taron would never get used to Robyn knowing him so well.

“How many cups of coffee did you drink today?” She chuckled.

“Only two.”

“Including the two at breakfast?”

Taron rolled his eyes. “Four then and two cups of tea.”

“So, you feel like a sugar rush? You could probably do with one.” Robyn opened her clutch with her left hand and pulled a red packet out and held it up for him. “Turtle break?”

Her stomach rolled in wonderful circles as Taron’s laughter came from the back of his throat and his eyes crinkled at the sides with his giggles. It was her unquestionable favourite sound that he made.

“You brought turtles?” He asked still laughing. “And to my premier?”

“I was going to save them for tomorrow but brought them with me in case you needed an energy re-fill.”

“And you got turtles from where?” He asked taking the packet from her, tearing it open.

“From you, from when you came to see me for RENT. I never actually ate them and it’s kinda strange not sharing them with you.”

“I definitely needed this.” Taron handed one of the chocolate turtles to her. “And I am sure you do too. Thank you.”

“Welcome.”

Taking a quick five-minute snack break, Taron kept close to Robyn as he closed his eyes, feeling the sugar from the chocolate hitting his blood stream immediately, a little rush of energy charging him. He hadn’t felt hungry at all during the day, the steady stream of coffee that Lyndsey was providing him, keeping his hunger at bay, but now with a little bit of food inside him he could feel his stomach rumbling in appreciation. He broke the last turtle in half and after giving Robyn her part, ate the last piece in one go. “That’s definitely a first for me. Taking time out on a red carpet to have a snack.”

“Weird that no one stopped us from doing so.”

“Robyn. It’s my premier.” He said as he slipped his arm into hers and started to walk. “I could sit on the ground and just sit if I wanted too.”

“You are really telling me, that because you are the Taron Egerton and this is your movie, that you could sit on the ground and no one would care?” She saw him nod from the corner of her eye. “Ok well as I am your guest, can I deface the poster then?”

“Robyn!” Taron exclaimed.

“Well you are here because of me because I saved your life and everything so I guess I have full rights to draw a moustache on Colin and boobs on you.”

Another full belly laugh came from Taron. “Draw away chicken. I won’t stop you.”

“Might have to borrow a sharpie from one of your fans.”

“You go right ahead Robyn but maybe let me get these autographs done first.”

Starting at the top of the red carpet, nearest the Lego store, Taron greeted the fans, those at the front of the barrier waiting since early morning for their chance to get a signature and photograph of the stars coming to the premier. As Taron grinned, smiled, posed and signed, Robyn stood back and let him have his moment with the fans. She knew he enjoyed doing this and spending time with those who supported him so positively and she only stood in when he asked her to take the photo, the excited spectators preferring to get a selfie with Taron, rather than having someone to take the photo.

“Robyn?”

Even though she stood away from the metal barrier and the noise of the crowd calling the name of those walking down the carpet and Taron’s even louder, was deafening, she still heard her name called clearly above the roar of the crowd. Robyn saw that Taron’s attention was completely taken by those who had come to see him, so side stepped a little as she heard her name called again. Lifting her dress, frowning a little as the fingers of her right hand curled in too tight, Robyn forgetting about the ache and pain with the excitement of the premier, she walked a little, hearing her name called again and scanning the crowd saw the owner of the voice who said her name.

“Julia?” Robyn saw the surprise in the young girls face when she acknowledged her. “See you managed to get a space at the barrier then.” She stepped over to the metal bar, standing right in front of one of the girls who had snuck into the spa of the hotel.

Julia could feel the embarrassed blush fill her whole face. “I am so sorry about what happened Robyn. I didn’t know that was what Ashley had planned.”

“You didn’t think it strange when you walked into the hotel and straight into the lift and spa?”

“I really didn’t…”

“And yet you had your swimsuit on.” Robyn replied before Julia could finish.

“Robyn I really didn’t know.” Julia’s voice was quiet. “I am sorry.” Robyn stared the young girl down. “Ashley told me we going to a spa for the day, that she had organised it with her aunt and it wasn’t until we had gotten into the spa that she told us it was where Taron was staying and her aunt had told her he was taking a swim. I would never have gone if I knew it was what she was going to do.”

“But you still went along with it when you found out.”

“And I am so ashamed of myself for doing that. I never was good at standing up for myself.” She quickly continued before Robyn could say anything in reply. “I had nothing to do with what Ashley wrote online either. I didn’t even know she had done that until I read it myself. It is not what I think at all.”

Robyn placed her hand over Julia’s on the barrier. “I heard you do a pretty good job of defending me.” She said gently.

Julia finally looked up. “Taron wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you and what you did for him. Ashley is so incredibly jealous of you and what you and Taron have. She thinks she has a chance with him when it is so blatantly obvious that you and Taron are together.”

“We are not together. Just friends.” Robyn replied quickly, ignoring the look on Julia’s face. “What Ashley did nearly ruined Taron’s day and he has been looking forward to this for so long and while she clearly wanted to hurt me, her words hurt him. Really, she just angered him more than anything, upset him that his fans would stoop so low.”

“He is human and has feelings too.” Julia repeated Robyn’s words from earlier that morning. “I am really sorry. I never meant for either of you to be hurt by what we did.”

Robyn nodded and smiled. “Thank you for your apology.”

“I have told Ashley that what she did was out of line too.”

“Bet that went down well.” Robyn’s head turned as she heard a loud cheer and saw that Taron was moving closer her way.

“Yeah been kicked out of the trio.” Julia replied sadly.

“Feels shit right now but believe me, in a few weeks, you won’t miss them at all.”

“That’s what my mum said.”

“You mingling with my fans now?”

Robyn felt Taron stand right close next to her and she turned her head to him. “Maybe these are my fans.” She joked, enjoying the smile he gave her. “Actually, this is Julia. She is a big fan of yours.”

Robyn saw the flicker of recognition as she said the name Julia and he quickly hid the surprise with a hasty smile.

“Hello Julia.” Taron had seen Robyn walking down the carpet and stop in front of some fans and although initially was worried about the conversation she could be having with the girls, as he stepped closer, he saw a smile on her face and was relieved. That was until he heard the name of the girl she had been speaking too. He instantly recognised the name Julia as one of the girls who had snuck into the spa and he was ready to frown and step away but he felt Robyn place a hand on his lower back and give him the lightest of pushes towards the barrier, so followed her lead. “Thanks for coming out.”

“Taron I am really sorry about yesterday. It was never my intention to hurt you or Robyn and I had nothing to do with…”

Feeling another gentle push on his back, Taron interrupted the young girl. “Hey that was yesterday and this is today.” He took the photo from her hands. “Would you like me to sign this for you?” She didn’t answer him but nodded and he quickly signed his name. “Photo?” When she nodded again, Taron looked to Robyn. “Would you mind?”

With a smile, Robyn took Julia’s phone from her and took some photos as Taron posed next to her, giving back the phone when she was done.

“Thanks Taron.” She stuttered. “You two are so lovely together.” She managed to get out too.

“We’re not together.” Taron and Robyn spoke at the same time, looking to each other, smiling.

“Just friends.” Taron said firmly. “Hope you enjoy the movie.”

Julia nodded. “I know I will. Thanks Taron.”

The Welshman nodded. “Well I had better keep going.” He took a look to Robyn and was so glad when she could not only read his mind but his face too and she started to turn and walk to her left, Taron following behind. He stopped at the next group of fans, while Robyn stood a little closer to him than before. She was contemplating the benefits of a stamp of his signature as he quickly signed the last of the autographs that he could, apologising that he could only sign photographs now rather than taking selfies as time ticked on, to make sure he gave something to those who had waited all day to see him.

With a final wave, he slipped his hand into Robyn’s left and he guided her towards the doors of the Odeon which were held open for them and they walked into a buzz of activity and rush of warmth from the cinema’s foyer. He politely refused the glass of champagne that was offered to him and still holding Robyn’s hand moved to the ticket windows which were the quietest part of the busy crowd.

“You do realise she was part of the trio that snuck into the hotel and tried to get a good look at me as I took a swim, right?” Taron saw Robyn’s eyes open wide and the slight nod she gave. “Explain it to me.”

“She actually stood up for me in the changing rooms. Told that girl called Ashley that I wasn’t out to take advantage of you, particularly after I saved your life and has been dumped by her so-called friends for doing so.” Robyn saw Taron’s features immediately soften. “She’s a good kid. Waited all day to tell me she was sorry for what happened. Thank you for being nice to her.”

“Well I felt the little pushes you gave me and you know I trust you.”

“It’s those little gestures to the fans that mean the world. Helps to change opinions and keep them on your side.”

Taron found himself biting his lip as he listened to her. “You are so wonderful; do you know that?” He said honestly, his words filling Robyn’s face with a smile. “Thank you for coming with me tonight. For someone who was so against doing this when we first met, well look at you now! In a fancy fancy dress and sassing the media.”

Robyn chuckled. “Who would have thought it. You make it easy Taron. You know I was really worried about this evening but for some reason, the nerves disappeared and I haven’t even minded all the camera flashes.”

“You will have lots of picture to choose for your piano now.”

“I have already chosen the one I want to use.”

“What? How and when?”

“Well my chaperone left me so I had time to browse some photos on my phone.” Robyn took her phone from her cutch and awkwardly typed the pin code in to unlock it. She opened her gallery and swiped the photos she had from the evening until she found the one she had already planned to frame. It was one Stella has taken where she stood with her back to the camera, and while her left hand rested flat on Taron’s chest, his two arms were around her waist and they were smiling as they looked at each other. It made her heart swell with love for him and her stomach fluttered in a jittery mess.

Taron knew Stella had been very snap happy as she insisted on taking many many photographs but he hadn’t a chance to look through them yet and the one Robyn was showing him took his breathe away. The smiles on their faces were so genuine and she looked so perfect as she stood with her hand on his chest. “You know I am going to ask you to send those photos to me.”

“Already done it.” Robyn replied. “You had a lot of interviews to go through.”

He grinned. “Thank you and I am glad it hasn’t been too daunting for you.”

Robyn shook her head. “Nope and I got some good girl talk in with your mother too.”

She was still laughing as he nuzzled his face into her shoulder and laughed even more as he tickled her very lightly before he placed his warm hands flat on her bare back. She gladly returned the tight hug, soaking up his warmth. April in London wasn’t providing the warmest of weather and although it was dry, a breeze still floated around and caused a shiver to run through her at times. Taron was his usual cuddly and heated self and she enjoyed the unexpected hug from him.

“Taron!” The duo turned when they heard Lyndsey’s voice. “What on earth are you doing out here! You were supposed to be inside and ready to walk on stage ten minutes ago.” She marched over to him. “We are waiting on you and surely you can hug Robyn at every other moment during the evening except the one where you are needed somewhere.”

They turned to Lyndsey, Taron looking at her apologetically. “Sorry Lyndsey. I am coming.”

“Now please.” She replied, gesturing towards the double doors she had just come through.

He took Robyn’s hand in his and started to walk across the lobby and instead of moving to the double doors, led her to a set of stairs. He gave a nod to the security who stood either side of the carpeted stairs and holding Robyn’s hand tight, walked with her up the steps.

“Taron!” Lyndsey called after him.

“I am bringing Robyn to her seat and then I will be right there.”

“You have two minutes and I expect you back here with me.”

He didn’t answer his publicist but kept a tight grip on Robyn’s left hand and continued to walk up the stairs.

“Taron?” Robyn was utterly confused as he led her up the soft cushioned carpeted stairs.

“Two-tiered cinema for premiers.” He explained. “Those directly involved in the movie and their guests sit on the top tier, while the others sit on the lower level.”

“Seriously?” Robyn stopped mid step. “A cinema with an upstairs and a downstairs?”

“Only the best for a premier chicken.”

Once at the top of the stairs, another two security men met them as they stood at an ornate wooden door, opening it to let them through. From previous experience, Taron knew exactly where his seats were and he moved down the steps and to the very first row on the balcony. Heading down the stair to the row, Taron greeted those who said hello to him and he stopped, turning to Robyn.

“My mam is sitting there in the middle. I have to go and introduce the movie but I will be right back after. Take a seat chicken.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek and then turned quickly almost skipped out of the row to jog back up the steps to the double doors.

Robyn watched him until he disappeared through the crowd, before she lifted her dress and wandered down the row of seats that were reserved for the cast of the movie and their guests. She was glad for the large gap between the row and edge of the balcony as she passed by family and friends of others who were already seated and smiled when she saw her name wrote on a white crisp piece of paper stuck to a seat, dead centre in the theatre, Taron to her right and Lyndsey to her left. Tina was sitting the opposite side of Taron and was already seated and waiting.

“Got distracted along the way?” She questioned with a smile.

“Just a bit.” Robyn answered as she carefully sat down, fixing her dress and crossing her legs, her clutch sitting neatly on her lap. She glanced to Taron’s mam. “So might seem a bit of a stupid question but do we just watch the movie as normal?”

Tina’s smile grew. “Pretty much. Taron will help to introduce the movie and then it plays as any movie would. Once done, people linger to congratulate the cast and then there is the after party where those who are invited head to celebrate the completion of the film.” Tina saw Robyn nod. “It’s the media frenzy outside that is the tough bit to get through. Now it’s the fun part.”

Robyn agreed with a nod. “I am looking forward to it.”

Tina reached over to take Robyn’s hand. “It is only finished because of you Robyn. It’s come full circle because of what you did for him and I will never forget that.”

Robyn didn’t get to reply as the cast made their way onto the stage to a round of applause and a cheer. She gave Tina’s hand a squeeze before turning her attention to the screen which Taron, Colin and Matthew stood in front of.

Taron had ignored the looked frustration on Lyndsey’s face as he met her downstairs. “Yeah I know, I know. I am working tonight and have work obligations to attend too.”

“You are nearly done and then you can hug her for as long as you want. Right now, you have a movie to introduce. We are all waiting on you.” Lyndsey said to him as they walked through the double doors that led into the lower tier of the cinema. He hadn’t even realised that everyone had already made their way in, ready and waiting for the showing of Kingsman, while he tried to get inside Robyn’s head and understand her kindness to those who had been so disrespectful to her. He looked around as he walked, looking back over his shoulder to the top tier trying to see Robyn and she was sitting centre of the aisle, in conversation with his mam. Focusing on walking straight, and breathing to keep his nerves at bay, he saw that all the other guests were seated, or standing where they were meant to be seated waiting for the movie’s introduction by himself Matthew and Colin.

As the Welshman walked down the right aisle, he could see his director and co-stars waiting patiently for him before they made their way on stage to introduce the movie. He apologised with a shrug of his shoulders and followed them up the black steps and onto the stage in front of the large screen. It was always a formality before the movie started, getting the cast to say a few words and he hoped the words would be few, not wanting to be stuck on stage for too long, feeling awkward and embarrassed.

“We won’t make this moment last too long, unlike the filming of this movie.” Matthew joked. “It has definitely been a roller-coaster of a ride while we filmed but with a lot of hard work and dedication, I am proud to be standing here, ready to share the next instalment of the Kingsman fellowship with everyone. I just want to say thank you to all who were involved and you all know who you are.” He passed the microphone to Taron, who took it.

“Erm, I don’t really have much to add except to say my own thank you’s and like Matthew, you also know who you are. It’s no secret that this shoot has not been my easiest but I am so proud of what we have achieved and hope you all enjoy the movie. Eggsy holds such a special place in my heart.” Taron placed his right hand over his heart and looked up to find Robyn in the crowd upstairs. “I am ever so grateful for that more than anything.” Giving a smile, which he beamed toward Robyn, Taron handed the microphone to Colin.

“Well I suppose there is only one last thing to say and that is manners maketh man.”

A huge cheer went in the cinema and the three men walked off the stage and down the steps, quickly making their way down the aisle and towards the exit of the lower tier. Taron took the stairs two at a time, pushing the doors open, not looking behind to see if Colin or Matthew were following him and jogged down the steps to the first row, quickly making his way towards his seat, breathing a little easier once he was seated. He immediately felt his hand being taken by the women on either side of him and smiled as the logo for Marv appeared on the big screen in front of his eyes. Back in September as he sat in his flat in Aber, healing up after the incident in Florida, he never thought he would be sitting watching the final version of the movie that had been one of his hardest shoots to date and he settled back into the chair, getting comfortable ready to listen to the reaction of the crowd.

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