The King and the Assassin
Damian blearily blinked at the stone that tilted and shifted beneath his body, spattered with his blood and leaking out towards the edges of the summoning circle. He had been hit in the head. It throbbed. He was dizzy, even laying on his side on the floor and not moving. His limbs had been bound and he couldn’t raise his hands to hold his head until it stopped spinning. Or, and probably more practically, staunch the bleeding in his stomach. His grandfather chanted some language Damian didn’t know, which was impressive. Damian knew many languages.
Ra’s volume grew and the circle burst into a wall of green flames and glinted eerily on Damian’s blood in the cave's dim lighting.
Damian’s heart should be faster. He was frightened. Frightened what his grandfather would do with whatever came through the summoning circle, frightened of death, though he’d never admit it, and he was bleeding out. He’d lost so much blood. It was probably better that his heart wasn’t beating faster.
He was going to die. Would his father refrain from killing Damian’s killer, like he’d refused to kill Todd’s? Damian had known it was a sore spot between the two, and it was quite enraging from this new perspective. Depressing.
Maybe one of Damian’s siblings would avenge him. Perhaps Grayson.
The flames surged higher and the temperature plummeted. Damian shivered, though that could be the blood loss. His grandfather stopped chanting as deafening cracks like two glaciers ramming into each other boomed and echoed across the cave. Static was slipped into the cacophony between the screeching crashing and just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.
The noise was gone, the flames sputtered out, and Ra’s stared in awe at something Damian couldn’t see. Stone pressed into the side of his face and the world was lilted sideways. But he could feel it. The presence of overwhelming power radiating somewhere above him that covered him in goosebumps and took his breath away. The strength was formidable. It was suffocating.
“Really? Another one?” The being’s displeased grumble resonated in the air and layered as if many spoke at once. Damian breathed deeply.
He was going to die soon. There was no point in being scared of whatever this thing was.
“Your Majesty,” Ra’s started. “I am Ra’s Al Gh—“
“I don’t care.”
His grandfather’s face twitched and his jaw clamped shut with irritation written along the tension in his muscles.
If Damian were in a better state he might have snorted. No, perhaps he would have just stared as he was doing now. No one interrupted Ra’s, Demon Head of the League of Assassins, and if they did, they wouldn’t live much longer. But his grandfather remained silent in the face of this being.
That did not bode well.
“Who is this?”
Damian’s heart stuttered as feet armoured in sharp, glassy ice, came into his vision. They landed delicately in front of him as if gravity was an option.
Okay, now he was scared again. If Grandfather was wary of this being, Damian didn’t want it’s attention.
Damian was a vigilante, he was an ex-assassin, he’d faced many terrible things, he didn’t get scared. This was ridiculous.
“My grandson. Damian Al Ghul.”
The being crouched down and Damian was met with glowing, green eyes that swept him up and down.
Damian didn't like this at all. He’d feel much better facing this creature’s evaluating gaze, standing, unbound, and uninjured. This sensation was quite unsettling. Damian’s eyes grew hazier by the second and he tried his best to study the being in turn.
It had snow-white hair and pointed ears. It’s tanned face was dashed with freckles and wore black ice for chest armour. White ice, similar to it's boots, protected it's hands. It looked young. No older than Damian himself. Perhaps a year or two younger.
The being hummed and it buzzed not unpleasantly in Damian’s ears.
“Your Majesty, I have summon—“
“Shut up.” It said absent-mindedly, never straying it’s gaze from Damian. Ra’s begrudgingly did as he was told. Damian caught glimpses of his seething disposition behind the being blocking most of Damian’s view.
Then, the being smiled at him. Rows of sharp teeth were visible behind abnormally long canines and Damian withheld a shudder. He didn’t show fear. The being’s smile was disturbingly sharp, unnaturally wide, Damian’s heartbeat ticked up, but he didn’t show fear.
“My, my, you’re a pretty one, aren’t you?” It said and Damian blinked. He didn’t. . .he didn’t know how to process that. The being’s hand reached out to brush his hair out of his face, frigid digits brushing lightly against Damian’s skin. “Tell you what.” The being said, his smile a little less wide, but no less haunting and filled with anticipatory intent that Damian didn’t find reassuring at all. “I’ll heal you.” The being’s head tilted. “And in exchange, you give me your hand in marriage.”
Damian short-circuited. His heart paused. His mouth parted. He may have stopped breathing for a moment.
He blinked several times.
Surely he misheard that.
“. . .What?” He croaked. It took a concerning amount of energy to speak that one word.
“Times a-ticking.” It sang lowly, a knowing smile on it’s face. “You don’t have much longer. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re a ghost or living, but. . .” The being leaned slightly towards where his head tipped to get a better look at Damian’s soon-to-be death wound. “I assume you’d prefer the latter?”
Damian stared up at the being, dumbfounded. Knots of indecipherable emotions sat heavy in his chest as he nodded, mutely. He didn’t know what else to do. His family had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. By the time they figured it out, Damian would be dead. He could feel a darkness creeping into his head and tiring at his eyes. His body felt heavier the longer he laid here and the call to sleep grew stronger and stronger.
He would never wake up.
Or maybe he would become a ghost. That’s what the being said. Was it a ghost? His grandfather had said something about a ghost king, now that he thought about it. Damian had been a little too concussed to pay attention properly.
“Wonderful.” The being drawled with a widening smile that made Damian doubt that this was really a good idea.
From nothing, a rolled up piece of green, slightly glowing paper, manifested in the being’s hand. The ghost let it fall open with a flourish. The being read it aloud.
“Damian Al Ghul Wayne,”
How did this ghost know he was a Wayne?
“In exchange for being fully healed, agrees to wed me, High King Phantom,” He flashed him another toothy smile “And reside in the Infinite Realms in the Royal Keep. Sound good to you?” It—Phantom—said.
Not really, but what else was Damian supposed to do? He had a thought. “Family.” He managed to say with some effort. “Visits.”
The ghost hummed and nodded amicably much to Damian’s relief. If he can see his family and tell them what happened, maybe they can help get him out of this.
Phantom waved his hand and new words appeared on the contract. He cleared his throat. Damian was starting to think he’d die before they got through all this.
“Damian Al Ghul Wayne, In exchange for being fully healed, agrees to wed High King Phantom and reside in the Royal Keep, with the exception of familial visits to the mortal realm.”
Damian kept his surprise from his face. He’d expected his family would be brought to the Infinite Realms, not the other way around.
“How ‘bout that?” Phantom smiled down at him.
Damian nodded. Or tried to.
Phantom’s smile got wider. That bad feeling swirled again in Damian’s stomach.
A feathery pen appeared in Phantom’s free hand and he scrawled his name in flowy letters along the bottom without hesitation. The pen disappeared into thin air. Phantom reached over Damian to slice through his chains easily with a claw.
Damian’s vision was blurring and his movements were sluggish as he pulled his freed hands in front of him. Phantom held out the same pen to him before Damian could even look at his raw wrists, and his shaking hands could hardly grasp it.
“Here. Let me.” Phantom placed the pen between the dying one’s fingers and held his freezing hand over Damian’s. He guided it toward the contract that floated near Damian’s head and touched the pen to paper.
Damian breathed uneasily as green, glowing ink followed the path of the pen, drawing out his name in increasingly alarming reality.
What was Damian doing? This was insane. Was this actually happening?
His heart beat faster, his blood flowed quicker, as the last letter was finished off with a flourish.
The contract glowed brighter and brighter until it disappeared ,conclusively, along with the pen.
Phantom turned to him and held a hand out. The effect was immediate. Damian’s blood ran backwards, dredging back from where it had leaked all over the floor to return to the veins it had been pumped out of. The black threatening to take over Damian’s consciousness slowly dissipated, and his wrists and ankles were healed of the chafing from the shackles. Breathing became easier. His vision grew clearer. His pain was gone. All of it.
Phantom’s hand dropped and Damian pushed himself to sitting, wondrously clenching and unclenching his perfectly functioning hands.
“Better?” Phantom said, standing up. He held a hand out to Damian. The latter eyed it cautiously before flicking his gaze up to the ghost’s face.
“Yes. . .thank you. . .”
“Don’t mention it.” The being hauled Damian to his feet with a casual strength that seemed to surpass his lean muscle. As if Damian weighed nothing at all. The ghost king was a bit shorter than Damian’s six feet and floated to his eye level. He smiled once again. Was it automatic, or did he realize how off-setting it could be and used it? “It wasn’t a favour, after all.”
Damian’s jaw clenched and he hummed, disgruntledly.
“Awww.” The being laughed disappointedly. “That bad, is it?” He raised a hand to Damian’s face and he jerked back, catching the wrist before he could think better of it, and immediately cursing himself for acting so recklessly. Phantom’s hand went intangible and Damian’s eyes widened imperceptibly as it was pulled through his grasp. “Alright, alright.” Phantom placated, holding up his hands.
“Tt.” Damian clicked his tongue, hiding his relief and how erratically his heart fluttered in his chest.
“Your Majesty, might I have your attention?” Ra’s voice was strained with displeasure and he stood stiffly, restrained retaliation to the blatant slights on his person.
“Oh. Right. The fruitloop. Forgot about you.” The smile fell from Phantom’s face as if it had never been there. His tone dropped all previous easiness—because that is what it had been, seeing the undeniable change—and regarded the Demon Head rather coldly. “The one who decided sacrificing his own grandchild was a good idea.”
Damian glanced to the high king, something easing just a little that the king seemed to have some sort of moral compass.
His grandfather paused, realizing he had made a terrible mistake and calculating a way out of this. “He was the only one wort—“
“I don’t really care for your excuses.” Phantom spat, his voice gaining more layers and glitching with harsh static that wasn’t there before. The room grew colder and frost leached across the ground from where Phantom floated. It didn’t touch Damian. “I have heard about you, a man pretending at being immortal and killing whoever you pleased. I can smell it on you.” Phantom snarled lowly as he neared the man, making his grandfather pale; a feat Damian has never seen accomplished. “Ectoplasm—the realm’s ectoplasm. You’ve tainted it.”
“I perfected it.” Ra’s said quietly. Stupidly.
Phantom hovered over Damian’s grandfather, a wicked, small smile curving up one side of his face.
“And now they’re gone. Have fun picking out a casket.” Phantom chuckled darkly.
Ra’s had gone deathly still, not daring to attack a being so powerful that could apparently wipe out the Lazarus Pits without even being present to do it.
The vehemence was utterly gone when Phantom turned and floated over to Damian. “Ready to go?” He held out a hand.
Damian’s muddled, dumbfounded attention was on Phantom’s opposite hand casually trailing downwards and ripping open a green, swirling portal. The colour was similar to the pits. But. . .purer. Like Phantom’s eyes.
Damian looked into them and the king seemed to take that as answer enough. He gave a toothy grin and pulled Damian through.
622 notes
·
View notes
Rumours
Aemond Targaryen x (Ex)wife
Chapter VII: Landslide 🎼 Masterlist
Summary: Life goes on, even with a broken heart. Can you and Aemond move forward as bandmates, and not partners?
Warnings: 18+, AFAB reader, she/her pronouns, smut, feral lovemaking, P in V, toxic family dynamic, angst
Word count: 5000
A/N: As always, thank you so much for helping me my lovely Justine @theoneeyedprince 🩵
You dismiss another call from an unknown number with an annoyed flick of your finger and continue reading the document in front of you, eyes scanning over the deed poll forwarded to you by your solicitor.
Back to only carrying your maiden name. Targaryen officially removed.
It’s strange, like the marriage never happened.
You can’t decide if the thought is comforting or devastating. What would your life be like if you’d never met Aemond? No fervid passion. No ruinous heartache.
Last year, you couldn’t imagine a day when you wouldn’t be by his side. The man you called family. Your husband.
It’s official. You’re not family anymore.
Aemond’s voice is hushed as he speaks to his grandfather out on the balcony. He’d asked you to wait in the living room as he took the call, but not being by his side makes you feel restless.
You knew Otto would be ruthless; stooping impossibly low in order to make Aemond rethink his decision to leave the firm to pursue the band full time.
He finally emerges from the balcony, eyes half-lidded from exhaustion and face hollow. You shift your body slightly on the sofa, bringing your arms out so he can sit down next to you and fall into your embrace.
He does exactly that.
Your fingers come up to comb through his hair as you gently ask, “What did he say?”
Aemond just sighs as he moves to hide his face in the crook of your neck, arms leisurely placed around your waist.
You already know the answer.
That he was ashamed of having a quitter for a grandson. That Aemond will never amount to anything without his grandfather. That he’s too intelligent to think that pursuing a band could be a viable career path.
“What do I do now”, he mumbles defeatedly against your skin.
You tap his cheek lightly with the tip of your finger to make him look up at you.
Your eyes lock, and you place your hand on his cheek, gently stroking your thumb over his cheekbone,
“I am your family now, Aemond. We’ll always have each other”
You seal your reassurance with a kiss, and he eagerly reciprocates, pushing himself up to hover over you. You sink further into the sofa cushions as he surges down to kiss you again.
And again.
His kisses are slow and forceful, nearly sucking the soul out of you, leaving you breathless.
You soon find yourself in your shared bed, Aemond arms still wrapped tightly around you.
He lets his forehead down to rest against yours, and gazes into your eyes with an almost manic stare as he whispers,
“You’re my everything”
Each of his kisses, touches and whispers echo the devotion he feels for you, and warmth spreads like wildfire in your chest. This must be what it feels like to have someone love you entirely.
When the two of you become one, he rolls his hips against yours unhurriedly, sending pleasurable sparks through your body. It feels so, so good all you can do is moan, and you bring one hand up to grab a fistful of the hair at the back of his head, smashing his lips against yours in a messy kiss.
The only sound in the room, in the entire flat, is your matching breaths as you entwine pants and moans, lips never leaving the other’s.
You can hardly form a coherent thought as each of his thrusts makes his pelvis press against your clit,
“Don’t come yet”, he breathes into your mouth and kisses you again. You nod obediently.
He turns you so that you're on your side and lays down right behind you.
His large hand caresses the smooth skin of your thigh before grabbing your flesh, draping your leg over his hips as he begins to rut into you, a bit harsher than before.
You reply with a moan, letting him know how good he feels. Your hand searches his, still on your thigh, and you hold onto it for some stability as your body jolts forward with each harsh snap of his hips.
He goes harder, thrusting into you with his face pressed to you cheek, mumbling in your ear,
“Feels so fucking good, baby”
You moan again and move your face slightly to place another wet kiss on his cheek. They’re flustered, and the top of his ears are almost as red as his face. There’s a determined look in his eye that wasn’t there before, fiery in a stern way that doesn’t quite match your passionate love-making.
Using his arm for leverage, he lifts his body slightly, fucking you harder and harder. Your body gets pushed into the mattress and you find yourself on your stomach, one hand sneaking down to rub circles between your thighs. Aemond grunts as your walls clench down on his length, his face now shielded in your hair.
“I’d fucking die for you, you know”, he grits out, continuing his merciless pace.
Though your peak is nearing rapidly, rendering your brain nearly useless, you feel like something’s not right.
He sounds angry.
You turn your head from where it’s pushed into the mattress. He looks deranged; hair falling in front of his face and pupil blown wide, eyes filled with something you can’t really decipher.
But it’s not purely lust.
You call his name and bring your hand up to stroke his cheek, searching for his eyes. He keeps his gaze on your body, refusing to look up and meet your concerned frown.
“Aemond, are you okay?”
He dismissively grunts at your question, but slows down and finally meets your eyes.
Is he upset?
You’re not sure what’s going on, but you see that sadness reflect in his eyes; the same vulnerability that pops up whenever he feels threatened.
When he feels like he might lose you.
It’s usually obscured by anger, but now it seems too potent for him to suppress.
Staring into his seeing eye, you console him,
“I love you too, Aemond”
His expression falls.
His eyes shine with sadness.
It makes you sad too. If he’d only let you in on what makes him like this, you could help him; reassure him that whatever it is he fears won’t come true. But he doesn’t let you in.
And all you can do is watch.
The movement of his hips falters, and he says nothing, only breathes heavily.
The hand you have resting on his cheek slowly travels down to his chest, and you push him gently, gesturing for him to lay down on his back.
He follows your silent instructions without protest.
You turn around and move one of your legs so that you’re straddling him, hands resting on his chest. You slowly sink down on his cock, feeling whole again as it stretches you out in the most perfect way.
You moan and throw your head back, setting a slow, steady pace. Your hips move up and down, front and back.
Aemond’ s hands squeeze your hips harshly as he matches your rhythm, bucking up into you, losing himself to pleasure once more.
“You feel so good, baby”, you tell him, pace never faltering,
“No one could ever make me feel as good as you do”
He moans, one hand moving from your hip to your breast, cupping it and pinching your nipple between his fingers.
You sigh in pleasure and lay down on top of him, hands moving to cup his face. Your thumb strokes the marred side of his face, and you notice his gaze flickering away from yours. With a persistent grip, you push on the side of his face to make him look into your eyes again,
“You’re mine. And I’m yours”
Your lips meet his, and the kiss you thought would be slow and sweet turns heated as Aemond harshly grabs your body again, arms wrapping around your waist. He bucks up faster, fucking you harder, and with a startled, pleasure-drunk cry into his mouth, you abruptly peak. He follows with a loud groan, and moves his face to the crook of your neck again, just like earlier in the evening.
He holds your body securely against himself, and after a while, you try to pry his arms away and get off him, but he just mumbles into your neck,
“No, please”
You lay your head back down and close your eyes. Aemond is deadly silent, but you feel his breath against the skin over your collarbones, and something wet slides down the hollow of your neck.
Shut out and without being allowed in, you try to soothe him the only way you know how,
“I love you”
Two days have passed since your live show in Winterfell, and your phone won’t stop buzzing with incoming calls from unknown numbers.
You know they’re from journalists hoping to get a comment from you about the performance and your new song, the drama of it clearly being about your ex husband fuelling their thirst for gossip.
You’d spent the time since the concert in isolation, essentially doing nothing besides watching TV and eating takeaway in your hotel room.
You left Winterfell yesterday, boarding an overnight flight to Oldtown for your next show.
Today, you’ve finally found a reason to get out of the hotel room, planning on an afternoon looking around the vintage shops that are scattered around the narrow cobblestone streets of the quaint town.
You spend nearly an hour in your favourite boutique; a hidden gem a few minutes away from one of the more famous shopping streets of the city.
When you and Aemond were still together, you often came to Oldtown to visit his mum. Seeking some familiarity after her husband, Viserys Targaryen, passed away, she decided to move back to her hometown and hasn’t left since.
Alicent thrived in the town she grew up in, and whenever you came to visit, she eagerly showed you around all the places she’d frequented with her friends as a young girl.
Aemond, in turn, had shown you his favourite spots as well; bookstores, record shops, and organic coffee shops. You remember that one time he tried to convince you that the all-natural, no sugar brownie he’d ordered tastes just as good as the real deal. The face of betrayal you made as you took a large bite of the brick-flavoured monstrosity he’d dared call a brownie caused Aemond to release the most out-of-character belly laugh you’ve ever heard.
The memory still pulls your lips into a smile.
Stop it!
You try to shake your head in a feeble attempt to erase the train of thought. You need to make new memories here now.
Memories not tainted by him.
The last rays of sun for the day shine through the gaps between the ancient buildings cramped together on the streets when you decide to make your way back to the hotel. You pull out your phone to type in the address, still not familiar with navigating Oldtown on your own. The map on your phone shows that it’s a 15 minutes walk along the water to your destination, the perfectly idyllic end to a quite okay afternoon.
The sun quickly sets behind the stoney, worn houses surrounding you, and street lights illuminate your path as you walk, enjoying the calmness of the rather large city. Most people have returned home as darkness envelops the streets, leaving you alone on your way back.
You turn to walk down one of the sidestreets towards the hotel, when you suddenly feel a hand on your shoulder, pulling you out from your thoughts.
You abruptly stop and look back, catching the gaze of a man you’ve never seen before. He smiles at you in a way that makes the hairs at the back of your neck stand.
Still with his hand on your shoulder, he asks,
“Aren’t you the singer from Dragon Dreamers?”
“Yes”, you reply, unsure of how to assess him. There’s something in his intense stare that causes unease to chill you from within, yet you appear to be frozen in place.
You have been approached by fans on occasion before, but never alone in a somewhat unfamiliar city.
“I’m a huge fan. This might be a bit forward, but could I take you out to dinner?”
The hand he has placed on your shoulder squeezes your flesh over your jacket. His eyes are expectant, not blinking, and his voice is slightly strained, adding to your already uncomfortable state.
“Thank you, but I’m on my way back to my hotel, and-, I-, I need to get back”
Your answer is hurried and clumsy, and you hope the stranger will understand your discomfort and leave you alone.
“Oh, where are you staying?”
His eyes light up when he adds,
“I can walk with you”
“That’s kind of you, really, but not necessary, I’m okay. Thanks”
You try to hide the dismissal behind a veil of politeness, hoping he’ll take the hint and leave you alone.
You turn around to walk away, almost stumbling over your own feet as they move quickly over the cobblestoned streets.
The man doesn’t say anything else, but you notice him in the corner of your eyes. He starts walking in the same direction as you, only a few steps behind. He’s close enough to keep you within his sight, far away enough for it to seem innocent.
Is he going to hurt you?
Your heart beats faster.
Force himself into your hotel room?
You can hear your heart drumming in your ears, panic washing over you.
You don’t dare to look back at him, afraid that he might take it as another invitation to engage you in conversation, but he stays in the corner of your eye; like an ever-looming monster.
Luckily, there’s a small group of people walking ahead of you, oblivious to the fact that you’re being followed by an unknown man.
What would he do if they weren’t here?
Your steps grow quicker.
You glance at your phone; still a 10 minutes walk until you reach the hotel. The man behind you speeds up his footsteps as well, matching your pace while staying a few metres behind you.
You’re still too scared to look behind and properly face him. The small group of people walking ahead of you look like they might turn by a sidestreet at any moment, and fear pierces your heart at the thought.
Then you’d be alone. With him.
Maybe there’s a corner shop or something around here where you can pop in and spend enough time for him to get bored and leave?
Or maybe you can call someone to come and meet you?
Looking up at the buildings surrounding you, you realise that you recognise this street.
This is the area where Alicent lives.
Maybe he’s staying there?
Before you can think any further, your fingers press on the screen of your phone, going into settings, unblocking the familiar number before pressing the little telephone icon.
You hear two signals before the call is cancelled.
Fuck! Now he ignores your calls?
Your fingers move quickly as you type out,
“sorry someone’s following me I’m walking home please pick up”.
Barely a second passes before your phone buzzes.
“Hi! Yes, I’m just around the corner, can you see me yet?”, you ask in a way too hurried tone, ruining your own attempt at sounding casual.
Your voice is loud and high-pitched as you try to signal to the man behind you that someone’s coming to meet you.
Hopefully he’ll give up his pursuit and leave you alone.
“What street are you on?”
You can hear Aemond shuffling around on the other side; picking up keys and putting on his shoes.
You look up at one of the buildings, reading the name of the street,
“Yes, I’m standing on Gardener Avenue, where you told me to meet you”, you continue to babble, hoping the shadow behind you will finally stop following you as it appears you’re about to meet someone.
“Do you remember the way to the apartment?”
“Yes"
“Walk towards it, I’m coming out to meet you. Stay on the phone with me”
Aemond sounds calm, but there’s something urgent hiding in his stoicism.
“Yes”
The conversation dies out. You’re not really on small-talking terms, so trying to fill the silence between the two of you proves tricky. Despite the silence and awkwardness, the panic that had been sprinting within you seems to ease knowing that Aemond is there.
The group in front of you eventually turn down a sidestreet, and in the corner of your eye, you see the man behind you walk faster, coming closer.
Another wave of fear crashes over you, and your heart beats so fiercely your chest hurts.
Is Aemond coming?
Maybe if you pretend to see him, you’ll finally be left alone.
“I think I see you!”, you exclaim in vain, hoping the man behind you won’t see through your lie.
He’s right behind you, so close you can hear his laboured breaths. You can’t breathe.
But then, you see the familiar silhouette of a tall man with broad shoulders appear in quick and confident steps around a corner.
The unknown man behind you seems to retreat in an instant, but it doesn’t stop Aemond from calling out,
“Were you fucking following her?”
He’s gone before any further confrontation. Left is you and Aemond, alone on a dark, empty street.
Closing your eyes, you try to take a few deep breaths to ground yourself, still feeling unnerved from what had just happened.
Breathe in.
Hold three seconds.
Breathe out.
Hold three seconds.
“Are you okay?”
You don’t open your eyes.
You can’t look up at him, knowing that the flicker of hatred in his eye as he regards you will push you over the edge; push you to release the tears that have been waiting to spill since the strange man first laid his hand on your shoulder.
“Yeah, just need to get back to the hotel”, you mumble and inhale deeply once again to ground yourself.
It doesn’t help, not really.
The lump in your throat feels like a painful stone blocking your airflow.
You feel Aemond step closer to you, tenderly placing a hand on your elbow as he silently waits for you to continue.
You reluctantly open your eyes to look up at him, surprised to find his face reflect gentle understanding. The unexpected act of kindness pushes you over the edge and you let out a shaky breath as you feel the pent-up tears spill from your eyes,
“Sorry, it’s just-, I mean, nothing happened, but…”
One of your hands comes up to wipe away the tears that slide down your cheeks.
“Something could’ve happened”, Aemond finishes for you. He sounds like he usually does; stoic, but you can sense the hint of sympathy there.
“Sorry for calling you so suddenly, I shouldn’t have-, I didn’t know who to call…”
The words tumble out of your mouth ungracefully, matching the hurried pace of your still frightened heart.
“Don’t apologise”
He squeezes your elbow softly in reassurance,
“Come back to mum’s place with me”, he says, “It’s just around the corner”
“No, really, I’m fine! Nothing happened and I need to rest before tomorrow’s show”, you explain as more tears slide down your cheeks.
Fucking stop crying.
“You shouldn’t be alone right now. Come up, just for a cup of tea to calm your nerves. Please?”
Aemond’s voice is more gentle than you remember him capable of.
Defeated, you reply with a silent nod and let him lead you back to his mum’s home.
As you step into Alicent’s lavish apartment, you're hit by nostalgia so potent it makes more tears well up in your already damp eyes.
Everything smells the same.
Everything looks the same.
“Is she here?”, you ask, voice small and unsteady.
“She’s out having dinner with Cole”
Aemond takes off his shoes and neatly places them on the shoe rack. He moves to the kitchen to fill the kettle and you follow closely behind, discreetly sweeping the back of your hand against your cheek to wipe away the tears that keep sliding down.
Fucking pull it together!
Aemond flicks his hand towards the chair by the small, round table in the corner of the kitchen; the breakfast nook where Alicent would serve coffee and fresh bread in the morning whenever you stayed over.
It’s all so familiar, yet being here feels so different; almost taboo. Like you’re not allowed here anymore.
You sit down and place your hands on the table, nervously tapping your fingers together as you wait for Aemond to bring the tea over.
He places the flower-patterned cup with gold details by your restless hands and sits down in the chair opposite yours,
“Drink”, he encourages and takes a sip from his own cup, seeing eye watching you intensely.
You pick up the cup, experimentally sipping, letting the hot beverage warm you from within.
It’s comforting.
“Do you really tell yourself I never loved you?”
Aemond’s sudden question takes you by such surprise, you nearly choke on your tea.
Your eyes dart up from watching the cup in your hand to watch him. His expression is as calculated as always; not letting you in on what he’s thinking. Still, his voice is gentle, like it’s been since he came to your rescue.
“I-”, you begin, trying to come up with an answer to his absurd query.
Why is he asking you this now?
“I mean, sometimes it felt like you didn’t love me”, you answer truthfully, carefully observing his reaction.
He gives nothing away as he hums in response.
“You seemed miserable being with me”, you add, wondering if this is the long overdue heart-to-heart both of you have been avoiding.
“Sometimes I was”, he replies matter of factly.
You’re not surprised by his response, not really, but having your suspicions confirmed allows you to prod further,
“I guess I just wonder whether you loved me, or just the idea of me?”
You know you’re poking a resting bear, but you can’t help yourself. You need to know what he thinks about all of this.
About you.
Aemond doesn’t blink when he answers,
“You were my first love”
You feel that all too familiar lump in your throat reappear.
“It was all so new to me, caring about someone so much. Someone who’s not family. I didn’t know how to handle those feelings”, he admits and you have to stop yourself from letting the astonishment you feel from his confession show on your face.
It’s quiet for a while. You are too shocked by Aemond’s sudden introspection, and he’s still cautious about opening up, observing you expectantly.
After a few deep breaths and some soothing tea, you speak up,
“I know things have been hard for you Aemond, and I-, I really tried to understand you. But my sympathy for you wasn’t endless… It-, I ran out”
You really don't want to fight, you don’t think you could handle it in the state you’re in now, but being honest with your ex husband always came with the risk of him lashing out.
He sighs, leans back, and locks eyes with you,
“I know. Thank you for… trying”
And that’s it. The conversation dies, like it’s run its course. Just like your relationship.
Aemond calls a taxi for you to bring you the short distance to the hotel. Both of you stay in your seats, waiting for your ride in silence.
There’s still one thing you need to tell him.
“I really want this to work, Aemond. The band, I mean”
Aemond hums in response again, finger tapping rhythmically against the top of Alicent’s kitchen table,
“Me too”, he replies after some time of silence.
It almost feels official in a way, the fact that you’ve finally agreed with each other that the band comes first; even before your broken hearts.
The silence persists as you down the last of your tea.
You feel a strange mixture of emptiness and melancholy inside. It all hits you at once; the divorce, removing his name from yours, continuing on as nothing more than business partners.
It starts as a sting in your chest, but blooms out into a suffocating ache.
He doesn’t want you anymore.
And you don’t want him; can’t want him.
It does not matter how wonderful it had been at times. The pain of the heartache you caused each other weighs heavier. And there’s nowhere to go but forward, even if your heart breaks with each step.
Life goes on.
The performance in Oldtown is just as exhilarating as the previous lives had been.
The crowd is loving every second and the venue is packed.
You feel alive.
This is it.
This is what matters.
Your biggest hit from your first album, Landslide, is a permanent feature in any show you play.
You’d written it from the sidelines, watching as duty tore the person you loved most into every direction possible.
Tonight, as you stay on the stage with Aemond and your band members retreat backstage, singing Landslide suddenly feels different.
You shoot him a quick glance before approaching your mic to introduce the next song.
They’re shouting your name, shouting Aemonds name, and you think you hear someone yell out ‘the sound of the woman that loved you!’
Speaking with Aemond earlier today, when you agreed you’d prioritise the band over any dispute you had, has left you nostalgic. Singing ‘Landslide’ feels like offering a piece of your heart, the heart he had held in his palm, to him once again.
“I wrote this song about a boy who had to grow up too fast”, you say, and Aemond starts to pluck the strings of his guitar.
‘I took my love and I took it down’
‘I climbed a mountain and I turned around’
‘And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills’
'Til the landslide brought me down’
You’d never told Aemond you wrote this song about him and his grandfather.
There was never any need to. You’re convinced that he already knows it’s about them.
You can’t help but to look over at him; at the way his hands move gracefully over the guitar.
‘Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?’
‘Can the child within my heart rise above?’
Leaving his grandfather’s firm and subsequently leaving the path his entire life had led to had been tough for him, even with you by his side.
And now he’ll have to navigate this new course alone.
You still find yourself worrying about him; for the boy robbed of his vision, forced to grow up faster than most.
‘Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?’
‘Can I handle the seasons of my life?’
‘Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you’
He’s had to adapt; had to rethink and relearn everything before.
He will be fine.
Maybe you just worry about him because you hope, somewhere inside, that he won’t be fine without you?
A selfish wish for him to need you.
‘But time makes you bolder’
‘Even children get older’
‘And I'm getting older too’
It’s time to let go.
For the first time since the beginning of the tour, you don’t feel an urgent need to escape to the solitude of your hotel room as soon as the show is over.
You move unhurried backstage, gathering your things, looking over your stage outfits, pondering if you’ll wear the same thing each night or mix it up.
Just when you’re about to leave, you see auburn hair flash by as Alicent Hightower enters the backstage area, throwing her arms around her two children, loudly gushing over how incredible the show had been.
You go back to inspect your wardrobe with your back turned to them, suddenly feeling stiff and awkward with your ex mother-in-law in the room.
You haven’t seen her in months, not since before the divorce.
As the chatter behind you dies down, the clicking of heels grows louder before coming to a halt.
You know she’s standing behind you, one gentle hand coming up to lightly tap your back.
You turn around with a forced smile on your face.
How do you act around your ex-husband’s mother?
Alicent’s large, warm eyes shimmer as she looks you over, grabbing your shoulders to pull you in for a hug.
“Darling, what an incredible show! You were absolutely fantastic”, she compliments, smiling wide.
You smile back at her,
“Thank you, Alicent”
“How are you holding up?”
Her tone is soft, and her hands stay on both sides of your shoulders.
“I’m good”, you reply shortly, not really sure whether you should confide in your ex-husband's mother or not.
“I’m so glad you can put your differences aside and continue to work together”, she says sympathetically, but her choice of words make you wince slightly.
“And now is your opportunity to be brave. You’re both such wonderful artists. Focus on the music, alright?”
“Yes”
Your answer sounds meek. Her words send a pang straight to your heart.
It’s all so final.
It’s all over.
You look into each other’s eyes, a thousand words said within mere seconds as you feel your eyes well up with tears.
Alicent offers you a sad smile before embracing you in another warm hug.
Silent, hot tears slide down your cheeks as you mumble into her hair, “Will you take care of him?”
She pats your head, hand sliding down to stroke your hair lovingly, And then she hums, sounding so much like her son.
“Mm. Thank you for loving him”
A/N: Thank you sm for reading!
264 notes
·
View notes
The Harrington Pattern Part 1
Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late uploading today, but I went to bed early last night and forgot to schedule this.
Oops!
But! Welcome to what I've been calling Steve is a History Nerd agenda. We see in season two on Steve's essay for colleges that he can link his grandfather's military service with his prowess on the basketball court.
It is also surprisingly well written. *shakes fist at the Duffers stop telling us he's stupid and then showing the opposite, please! Let him be smart, too!*
Summary: The Renaissance Fair is finally back in Hawkins after three year absence (Starcourt was built on the fair site and after the fire it was bulldozed back to it's original field). Everyone is excited, even Steve to everyone's amazement. But Steve is hiding other hidden depths as he offers to help the kids make their costumes for the Fair.
Lucas is struggling with being both a nerd and a jock and fears the judgment of his friends. Steve sets out to help him overcome those doubts to be himself.
Tagging the untaggable: @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03
***
Nobody expects Steve to be excited for the Renaissance fair. Dustin, Will and Lucas spend hours plotting bribes, schemes and out and out manipulations to get Steve to agree to take them. Even Robin expected him to side with her about the dust and the filth. Eddie expected him to be dismissive of the fantasy aspect of it.
Boy were they all wrong.
For it was Steve to bring up to the group after a rather successful D&D session.
In his hand was a bright pink flier and a wide grin on his face.
“Guys! The Ren Fair is back this year,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “I’ll finally be able to show off that tunic I’ve been working on.”
All heads turned to Steve in shock.
There was a cacophony of questions.
“Since when did you know how to sew?”
“What do you mean back? I didn’t even know Hawkins had one to begin with!”
“You want to go to the Ren Fair?”
“Why would you want to spend all day in the heat and dirt?”
Steve looked around at all off his friends in shock.
“Guys, I love the Ren Fair,” he muttered. “Didn’t you guys know?”
All their jaws dropped.
And Eddie? Eddie felt an icicle to the heart at the sight of Steve’s hurt expression.
“You’ll pardon the peasants, my liege,” Eddie said, bowing grandly. “I’m afraid we have all be harboring under the delusion that Ren Fairs were beneath your notice.”
Steve blinked at him a moment. “But I love that stuff. It’s the history and sword fights and jousting. It’s the like medieval Olympics. It’s the romance and chivalry of knights fighting for a fair maiden’s hand. It’s getting to dress up in fancy clothes and rip into turkey legs like a savage. What’s not to like?”
Dustin frowned. “Who here knew Steve liked history?”
Robin and Nancy raised their hands. They looked around waiting for me people to join them. But they stayed down.
Steve ducked his head and scuffed the floor with the edge of his sneaker.
“The ex-girlfriend I’ll buy,” Dustin continued. “But Robin didn’t become friends with Steve until after he graduated so how did she know?”
Robin blinked at them owlishly. “You mean you guys don’t know?”
Everyone looked around each other and then shook their heads.
“Steve was in my AP history class my junior year,” she said as if this was know fact.
“You do know that AP stands for advance placement, right?” Mike asked.
Eddie smacked the back of his head. “She was in it, dude. Don’t be an ass.”
Steve looked up at him and smiled a little.
Good, Eddie thought. Nothing like a little Mike violence to cheer up Steve.
“He wrote an essay for early placement college exams,” Nancy said. “He didn’t get a chance to turn it in because of our second go round with the Upside Down, but it was really good. It needed a little neatening up with the actual writing, but the history was solid.”
Steve blushed. “Thanks.”
Dustin looked skeptical. “What’s your favorite part of history?”
Steve opened his mouth and then closed it again. “I liked hearing about my grandpa’s time in the US army during WWII, but that was more because he made it interesting. But I really like the Industrial Revolution. Or rather the first Industrial Revolution. There have been four. The first one was from 1760-1840 and featured heavily in the textile movement.”
The room was silent.
“Why textiles, Stevie?” Eddie asked as the silence grew awkward.
Steve lit up like a child at Christmas morning and he began talking about the British textile movement.
“What the hell?” Dustin huffed, breaking into Steve monologue.
Steve ducked his head again and blushed. “Just because I’m not interested in science and fantasy doesn’t mean I’m stupid.” He straightened up. “And yeah, sometimes I get things wrong. But everyone does at some point. In fact I get a hell of a lot more flack for my intelligence than Eddie does and he repeated his senior year twice!” He took a deep breath and then ran his fingers through his hair.
“No offense,” he said waving to Eddie.
Eddie looked up at him with earnest eyes. “None taken. I concur.”
They all looked around at each other in shock. Like they hadn’t realized that they had done that.
After a few moments, Steve put his hands on his hips and pointed at all of them.
“So do you guys want to go or what?”
Eddie sat back with a smile as everyone roared their approval.
*
“No corsets,” was Robin’s only firm and fast rule for Steve when it came to dressing her up for the Ren Fair.
Steve looked her up and down. “Why on earth would I want you in a corset? Have you looked in the mirror?”
“Uh...” Robin said. “Is that a trick question? Of course I have. I don’t what that has to do with saying no to corsets though...”
Steve rolled his eyes. “In order to give you the curve you need to match the proper silhouette you would need to be cinched to hell. And as this is supposed to be fun.”
He grabbed her hand and started hauling her toward his car.
“Where are we going?”
“Thrifting!” he said with glee.
It took three different stores and a stop at the mall to get everything he needed.
“Give me three days,” he told her when he dropped her off at her house. “And I think you’ll like what I come up with.”
Robin eyed him warily. “If you say so.”
Steve laughed.
He crashed the next D&D session, showing up early to pick them up.
“What is everyone wearing to the Ren Fair?” he asked with a note pad on his lap and wagged the pen in his fingers.
“You want us to dress up?” Mike asked, eyes wide.
“Why not?” he asked with a shrug. “I’ve made my costume and currently reworking some thirfted threads for Robin’s outfit.”
Eddie blinked. “You made your costume?”
Steve shrugged again. “Yeah. I like sewing.”
There was suddenly an uproar and he held up a hand. “I can’t make you a full outfit before the Fair, but I can make over already made clothes to make them more historical. And maybe for next year I’ll have the time to make something special for everyone.”
Dustin eyed him suspiciously. “Like what?”
“Like tailoring pants to a tighter fit,” Steve explained “adding a sash or belt, turning old coats into vests and cloaks, things like that.”
They still weren’t sure how that would work out.
“Now I talked to Joyce and Claudia,” he continued. “And they’re both willing to help out in making sure everyone has something nice to wear. That includes Max and El.”
“Are the fair maidens joining us?” Eddie asked.
Steve nodded. “Yeah. Joyce is doing El and Will, Claudia is doing Dustin and Mike, and I’m doing Lucas and Max. Eddie said he already had a costume, so I didn’t have to worry about him.”
Eddie grinned. “You better believe it, pretty boy.”
Steve ducked his head and blushed. “So we’re all going thrifting with a $5 limit for each of you. But I wanted to brainstorm some ideas of what you wanted to go as so we don’t waste time wandering around.”
Everyone started shouting at once and it took Steve a good ten minutes before he got everyone calmed down enough to get what they wanted. Dustin wanted to go as a hobbit, but Steve had to nix that one.
“You don’t want to go running around the grounds barefoot,” he explained with a wince. “It’s not safe.”
“I’m going to have to agree with Stevie on this one,” Eddie said. “You guys have never been but there is all sorts of stuff laying around. It’s not indoors and the pathways are dirt lined. Think the state fair. It’s more like that then going to comic book convention.”
Dustin grumbled but conceded the point. Steve got them to decide on... well not quite peasant gear, but more rough around the edges than what Steve would be wearing.
Well, all but Lucas. He didn’t want to wear what they were wearing but he refused to say what he did want to wear.
So Steve dropped him off at home last.
They pulled into his driveway and Steve turned to him. “Do you not want to dress up? Because I won’t make you.”
Lucas picked at the loose string on his sweater. “It’s not that. I just remember the last time we did a group costume and they all thought I should be Winston because I was black like he was.”
Steve frowned for a moment. “The Ghostbusters, right?”
Lucas nodded. “I knew if I brought it up they’d shoot me down again.”
“So what did you want to go as?” he asked.
Lucas huffed out a sigh. “It doesn’t matter. It’s a stupid pipe dream anyway. Especially since you have to make Max’s dress and Robin’s costume, too.”
He opened the door to get out, but Steve reached over and slammed it closed.
“One, Robin’s costume is almost done,” he said counting out on his fingers. “Two, do you really think your girlfriend is going to want to wear a dress? And three, let me be the judge on what’s too much for me, okay?”
Lucas huffed a laugh at his second point. “Yeah, that was dumb of me.”
“So what is it?”
Lucas looked down again and heaved out a sigh. “An elf.”
Steve’s mind was whirling with the possibilities. “What colors?”
“What?” Lucas asked, not sure he heard Steve right.
“What colors would you want it to be?”
He pulled out the notebook and scrambled for a pen. Lucas pulled a pencil out of his bag and handed it to him.
“Uh I was thinking of a light blue and with a silver trim?” he said hesitantly.
Steve sketched something out. “Like this?”
Lucas leaned over to look at the drawing. “A little shorter so I’m not tripping over it and maybe those puffy pants?”
Steve adjusted the drawing and Lucas nodded.
“Yeah, like that.”
“All right,” Steve said. “I know exactly what to do and how to do it. It won’t be perfect because I don’t have time to do it right so I’ll be doing a lot of cheating. But yeah, it’s doable.”
Lucas gave him a hug. “Thanks, man.”
*
Steve called the one person he knew he could help him.
“Eddie,” he said the second the other man picked up. “I need your nerd connections to do a huge favor for Lucas.”
“Wha’cha got, big boy?” Eddie asked with a grin.
“You wouldn’t happen to know any Trekkies would you?” Steve asked chewing on his bottom lip.
“That depends, Stevie,” Eddie replied, “what’s the need?”
“Pointed ears.”
Eddie hummed. “I’m assuming you’re thinking Trekkie because of Spock and that’s a good thought. But I’m guessing since we’re going to the Ren Fair our stalwart ranger is wanting to be an elf?”
“Yeah,” Steve said. “Do you know anyone who can help?”
“Better than that,” Eddie said. “I know where to get the ears in the right... shade?”
Steve perked up. “Oh? I’m guessing Jeff?”
“Right in one, darlin’,” Eddie said with a soft smile. “I’ll give him a call and then call you back.”
“Thanks, Eds,” Steve breathed. “You’re the best.”
“Thanks, doll.”
****
I am so excited for this, guys. You have no idea. I'm little history nerd myself and this really fun to play around with.
Just a heads up. We WILL be addressing Mike's casual racism from the Ghostbusters scene because I don't like that it's never been addressed.
Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13
Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 @artiststarme @a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666 @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual
616 notes
·
View notes