#ruby engagement ring settings

[makeupreviewandbeautyblog]

5 Ways to Design Your Dream Ruby Engagement Ring

As two hearts intertwine on the journey of love, the significance of an engagement ring becomes a resplendent symbol of commitment and devotion. Amidst the plethora of gemstones, a natural ruby stone emerges as a timeless and captivating choice, igniting emotions with its fiery crimson hue. As a variety of the mineral corundum, rubies boast a mesmerizing red hue ranging from soft pinkish-red to…

[metalicious-jewelry]

Unveiling the Stunning Bridal Jewelry Set for Your Special Moments

At Metalicious, we believe every love story deserves to be celebrated with extraordinary jewelry. From unisex wedding bands to anniversary rings, promise rings, and bridal sets, our collection offers an array of designs that capture the essence of your most treasured moments. 

[yandere-romanticaa]

I'm just imagining how Gilbert von Obsidian would admire the pretty engagement ring he put on your finger as you eat breakfast together.

He has you brought back to him to his kingdom, dressed in the finest midnight black silk, the scent of fresh roses still lingering on your flesh as he indulges in the softness of your neck. Sometimes he just allows his lips to linger, to tease you like the cruel man that he is.

Other times, his patience snaps like a twig and he just bites.

The bites are never gentle. They're rough and sharp, the bruise would stay there for weeks to come and don't you dare cover them up.

You would just upset him if you did that, and that is not something you want to do.

It gets harder and harder to focus on the food in front of you as Gilbert just keeps going at it, his red eye twinkling like a ruby, its sheer redness nearly blinding you with its intensity.

You are at an impasse - do you fight him? Your spirit is still intact and you have no desire to stay stuck in this gilded cage he set up for you. But you just think back to all the blood that was spilled because of you, how many people lost their lives because they helped you, none of which knew that you were engaged to the deranged beast prince of Obsidian.

Gilbert sinks his teeth into you once more and you are brought back down to reality.

There really was no fighting him anymore, was there?

You let out an accidental little yelp, much to Gilbert's pleasure. You feel him grin, his pearly whites tainted with your thick, scarlet blood, just how he liked it. He won, he knew this.

He was just happy that you finally were aware of that fact too.

[sunflowersteves]

can you write about carmy & readers first time after getting engaged 🥹

omg omg omg fiancé carmy just does it for me ok? and ik for a fact that the man wouldn’t wait once you got home. also I couldn’t find a picture of the ring I wanted so just pretend.

warnings || fluff, established relationship, SMUT, soft sex, riding, mention of oral sex, 18+ only

masterlist

You looked down at the small diamond ring that was garnished with two rubies on a sparkling gold band.

You were smiling so brightly that your cheeks started to desperately ache. The stones glistened, and you felt in awe as your chest fluttered with adoration. 

Your admiration for the ring had stopped as Carmen’s voice rang through your ears. “Are you sure you like it?” He asks, eyebrows furrowed and head down, looking at the delicious food he had made. His left leg was bouncing up and down as the thoughts piled one over the other. 

Carmen had asked you that same question about four to five times now. He asked you once after you said yes, two in the car ride, and one while walking up the stairs of your apartment complex.

Despite your reassurance—sometimes too much in a daze of staring at your hand to realize he had even asked you a question—Carmen still couldn’t quite get it into his head that you said yes. 

It was as if his head was still in a jumbled mess—still sweating and knuckles turning white on the steering wheel. His heart couldn’t stop thumping against his chest, and anxiety-filled thoughts rushed over another. The nagging feeling that he doesn’t deserve this and that he doesn’t deserve you had taken over his brain.

His entire speech happened in such a blur with his stuttering sentences and shaky voice. He watched as your eyes glistened with unshed tears as you shouted, “Yes!” It took him a moment to realize your response—his eyes slowly blinking with his mouth parted open to then at lightning speed getting up off of the ground and crashing you into a hug. It just all felt so real. 

You stand up from your end of the table and walk over to him, taking the spoon that he’s frantically tapping in his hand out from his reach. “Baby,” You coo, pressing your palm against his cheek.

It was the most obvious thing in the world to you. You couldn’t stop staring at it since he put it on your ring finger, but you knew that he just needed a little encouragement to swat those thoughts away. “What’s going on?”

Carmen had proposed. Richie had called you saying there was an emergency at The Bear. Of course, he failed to mention that everyone was okay. You rushed to the restaurant in a frenzy, grabbing the bare minimum and speeding down the highway roads.

When you arrived, you practically jumped out of the car and ran inside. Your brain had thought of the worst possible outcomes—a burned-down restaurant and hurt people. It was sending you into a spiral. 

But then, your heart stopped at the view in front of you. This time, the thumping of your heart was pure elation (minus the mental note to yell at Richie later). The entire restaurant had been closed, and a small candle-lit table had been set up—rose petals trailing across the concrete floors. 

Carmen and Richie were arguing but they didn’t see you quite yet. “You didn’t even fucking tell her anything?” Carmen huffed.

Richie just rolled his eyes and scoffed. “No, you fuckin’ bitch. I just said there was an emergency.”

Carmen’s hands exploded around him, an unlit cigarette between his middle and index finger. “Are you fucking serious right now, cousin? She’s probably freaking the fuck out—an emergency? Fuck—” Richie just rolled his eyes and shrugged, but then his eyes locked with yours and a huge smile spread across his lips. The rest went in a blur, and before you know it, Carmen got down on one knee. 

“I-I just—I don’t know. I wanna make sure that I’m doing this right.” His eyes finally look into your own. Your heart just about stops at the sadness that’s swimming through them. 

“Carmy, baby,” You moved his chair back, wooden legs sliding against the hardwood floor. You climbed onto his lap, legs on either side of him. You pressed a hand to his chest, and you gently rubbed your thumb against his soft, white t-shirt. 

His hands rest on your hips, and they squeeze the soft, plushy flesh. He let out a content sigh, some of the anxiety already dissipating from his thoughts.

He wants everything perfect, just for you. The irony of it all is that you do think everything’s perfect. Everything is always perfect with him.

“Let me see, bebita.” Tina couldn’t stop smiling, taking a glance over at you staring at your ring. You were waiting for Carmen to finish talking with Natalie before leaving the restaurant. Tina had found you, staring happily at your finger. 

She cursed under her breath, eyes widening.“Ay, coño—” She continued to watch the small diamonds sparkle underneath the kitchen lights.

Then, she smiled. She looked at you, and she had the biggest smile on her face. You make Carmen so happy, and he knows he makes you happy.

She was truly excited for her friends. “You know, this was Mikey’s ring. It was their grandmother’s or some shit, but—” She pauses, smiling right at you. “It was definitely his.”

Your eyes widened, mouth agape. “What?”

“You’re perfect.” You say, looking into his ocean eyes. “You’re doing everything right.”

He searches for something. He searches for anything. Any doubt, guilt, lying—literally anything. He continues to stare at your beautiful face, looking from the plump of your cheeks to the curve of your lips. 

His eyes look back up to yours. Nothing. He found nothing but pure love and adoration between your irises. He choked out a sound. It was garbled and whimpering. It made your heart clench. 

“Carmen—” Before you could even react, his lips devoured yours. You gasped against him before melting completely, hands going into his messy hair. His hands scaled your body in a passionate frenzy, desperation hitting his gut to pull you even closer to him. 

You moaned against him as his tongue pushed through your lips and into your mouth, swirling and tangling with one another. His hand went to cup your cheek; it was so gentle and sweet—the action made affection swirl in your chest. 

He parts from you, only for a moment. “Please. I need—I need to be inside you.” Another breath-stealing kiss, lips molding against yours. “You’re so—you’re so perfect, baby. N-need you.” He pants out. 

“Fuck, Carmy.” Your hands move to fumble with his belt. He continues to kiss you, lips smearing against your jaw and chin. Jittery, your hands bumble around and finally find the button to his pants. You shuffle them down his thighs, letting out a moan at the sight of a bulge in his boxers. 

“Carmy—” You whine. His fingertips graze your shoulder and lift the spaghetti strap of your dress. “Please.” You feel dazed and desperate. You feel a burning sensation sprout from your chest, and it ignites across your entire being. 

He helps you out of your dress, and his hands fumble with the back of your bra. Meanwhile, you’re also fumbling with getting his boxers off. The position of sitting in the chair had made this much more difficult. “Baby, fuck.”

“Need you, Carmy.” You whine. It caused him to smirk down at you. Eventually, the two of you get all of your clothes off, discarding them somewhere on the floor. You were still straddling his thighs—kisses so sweet and passionate that they tingled against your lips. 

His cock was hard, leaking with some pre-cum, and it made you shudder. His eyes were half-lidded as he stared at you with hazy eyes. You position him to your entrance and slowly sink into him.

You both moan against one another, breathing in each other’s presence. Carmen’s head rolls against your shoulder, biting down at the clench of your walls. You start to ride him—hips rolling against his own. 

“Gonna—fuck—gonna make you my wife.” He breathes out. He watches the way you slick smears against his thighs and the way he disappears into your tight cunt. You loudly moaned against him at the affirmation of his—making you even wetter than before. 

“Wanna—wanna be your wife, Carmy.” You whispered against his soft skin. His lips lower to the perky bud of your nipple and swirled his tongue around the sensitive area. “Want—fuck me—want you to be my husband.”

You could feel his cock twitch at your words. His lips revert their way to where he really wants them—your lips. You whimpered at the feeling of him pushing you further.

The hand on your back was rough from calluses. The new position made you whine and cry, Carmen whispering sweet, sweet praises. “Doin’ so good for me, baby. My–my fuckin’ girl. Look at you, so-so good. Gonna make you my wife. My fucking wife.”

His words are what send you over the edge—the sweet praises and confirmations of his love became too much. “C’mon, pretty girl. Let go for me. Be a good girl and let go.”

With a loud moan, your walls spasm around his cock and gush all over him. You’re screaming his name like a prayer that won’t leave your lips. Your legs shake, unwilling to move any longer. He’s whispering to you again and again, but this time you weren’t listening. 

He was on the verge of an orgasm too, but there was a bigger, more primal need for him to do first. He watched as you slowly slid out of him and he started to press gentle kisses across your shoulder and neck.

He watches your eyes slowly come back to him, and he waits. “I love you, baby.” He says, pressing a kiss to your nose.

“I love you too, lovebug.” You say, a lazy smile curling your lips. You look down to see his hard cock against your thigh. You open your mouth to say something—wanting to take care of him, but he stops you with a shake of his head. 

“I’m gonna—I’m gonna eat you out. I need to taste you. I-I—” He stutters through his words, and the desperation settles on his chest. He needs to taste you on his tongue. He needs to hear the sweet sounds that escape your mouth as he eats his favorite meal. 

“Carmen. Fuck, yes.” 

The first night of being Fiancée’s with one another was going to be a very long night. 

[the-jewel-catalogue]

This gold ring is the engagement ring given by Prince Francis of Teck to Princess Mary Adelaide, parents of Queen Mary. The ring is set with five Burmese rubies and twelve diamonds. The inside is inscribed with “Franz, April 6, 1866.”

The ring is now part of The Royal Collection.

[tiaramania]

Did you catch what rings Catherine is wearing in the various shots of the latest video? I’m interested if the ruby “promise ring” in particular shows up again.

Alright let's talk rings!

Birthstone Ring

The Princess of Wales started wearing this ring during university and it has been speculated that it was a gift from Prince William but never confirmed. The ring is a gold band set with garnets and pearls which you guessed it - are William and Catherine's birthstones. The last time it was worn publicly was 2013 and she always wears it on her middle finger not her ring finger. I don't remember it being called a promise ring back when they were dating but now when I look it up all of the magazines and entertainment news sites call it that. I guess calling it a promise ring grabs more attention.

Diamond Eternity Ring

In 2014, Kate added a diamond eternity band to her engagement and wedding rings. It is the Eclipse Diamond Eternity Ring by Annoushka which features diamonds set in white gold. The ring has been speculated but again never confirmed to be a gift from William to mark the birth of their first child the year before.

New Mystery Ring

In August, she debuted a new eternity style ring in a video congratulating the returning British Olympians and then wore it again for the video announcing the end of her chemotherapy treatment. There has been a lot of speculation about this ring and what it means. It seems to be worn in place of her sapphire engagement ring so my best guess is that the ring is set with diamonds and sapphires. As for meaning it's probably nothing deeper than her engagement ring being ginormous and wanting a more comfortable one to wear sometimes. I know a ring of that size would get on my nerves constantly.

There also looks to be a fourth ring in the stack now on the outside edge. The order is gold wedding ring, new mystery ring, diamond eternity ring, and new small ring. I'd like to get a better look at it but it could be nothing more than an guard ring meant to keep the others from slipping off.

[cowlovely]

okay! so. i’ve seen many people online say multiple times that the deleted scene of arthur giving merlin his mother’s sigil—

(you know, this one👇)

is essentially a medieval proposal, and that that’s probably the reason why the scene was cut. i’ve never really thought that much of it, but coming across the comment again earlier today, it made me wonder if it was actually historically accurate at all.

the short answer is no, but the long answer is a little bit more complex.

i spent about an hour or so combing through articles and other online resources, and couldn’t find a single source vouching for sigils/seals being used as a way to propose. i did, however, find these two pieces of information:

which make it clear that sigils/seals and signet rings reflect the same meaning and purpose, and that inheriting one signifies family ties and marks you above common men. signet rings were sometimes used as engagement rings (in fact, the ring arthur gives gwen in the series is a signet ring with his father’s sigil), but engagement rings were more commonly ornate gold bands set with precious stones like sapphires or rubies.

but! regardless of the fact that it isn’t technically a medieval way of proposing, i think you can still regard it as such, given the fact that it is essentially marking merlin as arthur’s family (his mother’s side no less!), and that arthur proposed to gwen in nearly the same fashion with the signet ring. i rest my case ✌️

[itsbubbleteataro]

Hehe inspiration is fun

I'm kinda in the mood for some angst so let's get to it! I ended up getting inspired by one of my favorite songs by my favorite band.

Please enjoy!

Pairing; human!Alastor x human!fem!reader

Warning; Alastor being Alastor, death, gore, murder, cannibalism 

Six feet under the stars

Summer of 1932 in New Orleans

You and Alastor had been living together for quite some time now. You moved in with him around two years ago and have been engaged for a little over two months now.

Tonight was a rare night where Alastor had gone out again for both a hunt and a surprise for you. Yes, you knew about his hunts and to be honest you didn't mind them. I mean you yourself had been doing something similar.

You were the daughter of a tea salesman and were well versed in the art of tea. Sometimes when dealing with a rather rude customer as you worked at your father's shop, you snuck a little something extra into the teabag, just a pinch of arsenic. Okay well maybe not just a pinch but enough to kill a man.

Anyways you looked at yourself in the mirror checking your appearance once more in the mirror. You wore a simple sundress as it's the summer and summer in the bayou can get quite hot and swampy.

You looked at the paper on the dining room table double checking where it said to meet Alastor. You laced up your boots with the heels before you stepped outside, walking down to Thames street where your lover wait for you.

*******

When you approached your fiancé you saw that he had changed out of his hunting clothes, he must have stopped at home while you were busy getting yourself ready.

With a hum the two of you linked arms and walked towards the outskirts of a different part of the bayou. Don't get me wrong, Alastor still knew this part very well and you trusted him in every way shape and form and in turn he trusted you. Trusted you enough to see him covered in blood, eating human hearts, even his hair in its naturally curly state.

Alastor lead you over to a waiting blanket and picnic basket, taking your hand he brought you to sit down.

"I was hoping we could have a lovely picnic this fair evening baby" 

His eyes shown in the low lighting. You swooned. He was always doing sweet things like this for you. You helped him set up the food, your matching engagement rings sparkling in the starlight. He had picked out matching rings himself, the main stone in yours being a ruby with small diamonds around it. A blood red stone, fitting choice for two serial killers.

About halfway through your evening you both had finished the food. It was one of the rare occasions that you too indulged in the taste of human flesh. Your head was against his shoulder as you watched the fireflies dance in the distance, taking in each others peace when you felt Alastor stiffen.

You were pulling your head back to ask what was the matter when you felt it, a scorching, red hot, searing pain in your shoulder. Your hand flies to your shoulder as a scream is ripping from your throat. Alastor's eyes widen and for the first time in a long time he feels terror make its way into his heart.

You, his love, had been shot by a clumsy hunter who had mistaken the two of you for a pair of bobcats out of all things.

You hunched over, eyes full of tears as you even try to process of what happened when a second shot rings out, this one hitting your torso.

Alastor was furious, quickly confronting the hunter who had yet to realize that he had infant shot a person. All you could hear was the hunters scream as Alastor quite literally ripped him apart with his blade.

He first cut the tendons in the hunters legs so he couldn't run, then sliced the ones in his hands so he can't fight back. Then he stabbed and stabbed and stabbed and stabbed, stopping only after he had plunged his blade between the fools eyes and twisted it.

By the time he had finished with the hunter he turned to you. Quickly going down to you he held you in his arms. His hands were shaking and he was covered in both your blood and the hunters blood.

You were losing blood fast and you both knew it.

"I should have known better than to call you out tonight-"

"Oh hush up love"

You cut him off. You didn't want him blaming himself for your death. You knew you were going to die when you felt your fingers starting to tingle from blood loss.

Alastor gripped your face with one of his hands,

"My dear, I fear that if you're gone I won't be able to hold back. I may just tear this place apart."

Alastor choked out, feeling tears well in his eyes. You took a shaking breath, leaning into his touch.

"Then tear the world apart if you so desire. Just as long as you promise to meet me again someday"

Alastor nodded his head, his heart breaking in two as your voice became weaker and weaker.

"I love you Alastor"

You reached a hand up to his cheek, rubbing it gently.

"I love you too (y/n)"

Upon hearing such words you know that your body won't be long for this world. You let a gentle smile rest upon your lips, pulling his cheek weakly in an attempt for him to do the same.

He gets the message and forces himself to smile as tears rundown his cheeks. With one last breath your eyes flutter shut, your hand slipping from his face and your soul plummeting straight down to hell.

He holds your body close and sobs. The smile never leaving his face as he does. He sits back up, packing up the picnic and stuffing it all in the basket, blanket it and all. He pushes his arm through the loop of the basket so he can pick up your lifeless body.

He makes his way back to your shared cabin walking through the bayou as he didn't want anyone thinking he had killed you, his precious lover.

He knew he would have to give you the best burial money could buy, so he did just that. Your tombstone was made of marble, your name engraved as "(y/n) Hartfelt".

The day he buried you was one of the worst days of his life, right up when he had buried his mother. He visited your grave daily, telling you about his day. His never stopped grieving.

Fall of 1933

Alastor had been shot burying a body. He had gotten sloppy after your death, his hunts becoming more erratic as he worked through his loss. A hunter had mistaken him for a deer.

First his love had been mistaken for a bobcat and now him a deer, how fate has a way of working.

He welcomed his death, being found with a smile etched on his face for he knew that he could finally reunite with his lover as his soul plummeted down to hell.

He had a matching tombstone to yours, it being placed in the grave yard next to yours. As his coffin was lowered down into the ground and the dirt piled on, he rest easy.

As the two of you could finally be reunited,

Six feet under the stars



[lokittystuckinatree]

Happy Pride losers, I’m ready to be clowned but my dumb ass is now convinced Rogue is the Master…

Rogue and Renegade have eerily similar meanings under the right circumstance.

To rebel against an organized group. To go rogue.

An endearingly naughty person

Koschei, our second fave Renegade Time Lord

Apparently they were also called a Rogue Time Lord? I am not making this up.

Although Maestro is Master in Italian and look how that turned out

“Lord” interesting.

Red and Blue. The master and 13 were red and blue coded respectively. Have they switched, Symbolically?

Rogue was looking at the Doctor rather nefariously, even once they were buddies. Just go through some of the scenes again. It’s harder than you’d think to tell if he’s trying to seem seductive or evil

The entire premise of this ep seems to be “things are not as they seem; people are not as they appear” which is a Master staple

The Master has been haunting the fuck out of the narrative lately.

Here’s my thread on just how much

When I saw the first trailer, I instinctively thought “ballroom dance guy” was gonna be the new Master

The inside of Rogue’s (familiarly messy) ship has controls eerily similar to the configuration of a TARDIS.

Rogue is obviously a time traveler if he has that space ship and knows DnD (Rogue + Time + Lord. Oh?)

DnD might be a dead giveaway

Was Rogue’s name being inspired by DnD necessary to include? Cute thing the writers wanted to put in, or clue?

Why would Rogue know what DnD was but not know what cosplay or improv was?

The Master has been taken prisoner by the Toymaker, infamous for his love of? Games. You know who also has a running theme of “winning” and “losing”? The Master

In DnD you play as a character and rely on skill and chance to survive within the confines of a structured storytelling game. Bending the rules is often involved. The Master tried that against the Toymaker and failed.

DnD players will often have little tiny figurines of their characters. Remind you of anything?

the Master is a dnd rogue archetype. Trickster, lone wolf, shapeshifter.

If the Doctor is symbolically trapped in a TV show, is the Master trapped in a game? If the Toymaker is the DM, is he going rogue against the Toymaker?

The Master is infamous for their disguises and “cosplays” and has catfished the Doctor before.

Rogue is almost suspiciously too much the Doctor’s type. He’s like the love child of River Song and Jack Harkness. He is exactly the type of character the Master would create to lure and seduce the Doctor.

He and the Doctor just…get each other. It’s like they’ve known each other for much longer than a few hours. They’re too cushy (haha)

Rogue threatened to kill the Doctor, and then imprisoned him in a nice little cage. Familiar?

He tried to make the Doctor kill Ruby, who we all know is just Clara 2.0. Familiar?

He knows too much and too little

He knew the party was attended by alien birb people but only knew about one alien birb? And did he reaaaally think Doc was an alien bird?

The Dancing. They knew they wanted there to be a dance party before they even settled on a time period setting for the episode. Enough said.

The ring was…interesting

That’s a lot of commitment, even if only a promise ring. Something tells me he intended it as an engagement ring though

Someone tried to write a book in the 80s where 5 and Ainley were ex spouses, but it was shot down

Just an unrelated detail, but a ring on the pinky is a gay thing

Mirroring. Thoschei do that. A lot.

“You!” “No, you!” “no, you!”

The way they danced

The scene where they kept turning on and off the music

Speaking of music…Bad Guy by Billie Eilish? Too on the nose? Can’t get you out of my head? Poker face?

You remember that lady’s hand that picked up the Master in his widdle toof? Hand of the Rani?

This episode was written by two women. The Master would literally be in women’s hands

I remember watching Sacha Dhawan’s Spy Master for the first time and going…darn, he reminds me so much of Avengers era Loki. Kate Herron directed season 1 of the Loki Series and had a lot of creative control. Would it really be surprising if RTD (confirmed Loki fan) went to her for the Master after Sacha?

Didn’t Russell say he’s leaving the Master for “other writers?”

“The Master is parked” did he happen to park a Tardis disguised as an everyday spaceship???

In an interview, Kate said she and Briony designed Rogue to be the Doctor’s “equal”

References

“When I see him, I’ll know” and he is drawn to Rogue like a magnet.

“Travel with me” who must you be to want the Doctor to be your companion instead of vice verse

“We can argue across the stars”

“I’m in your head” + “can’t get you out of my head” + the Master being referenced multiple times in almost every episode since PoTD

“I’m trigger happy” feels really fucking intentional

He said “find me.” If he is the Master, the person he lost was the Doctor, (notice he said “them” and not “her” or “him?”) and the Master and Doctor always find each other.

Scream of the Shalka? And didn’t the Master fall through the floor like 40 times in Curse of Fatal Death? Richard E Grant was the Doctor in both of those.

For more, @bugeater77 and friends have this lovely thread

Guys CHECK MY REBLOG, RTD posted something wild.

[hanakoofthejungle]

Another HuskerDust Hazbin Hotel fanart because I am obsessed with these two.

Speedpaint process below:

This piece is based on the fanfiction, Wicked Old Soul by BunnyBight. It is also a Overlord Husk AU fic but has its own distinct and captivating plot. I highly recommend.

The scene comes from Chapter 24 where Husk and Angel host an engagement party for Asmodeus and Fizzarolli, and of course they have to dress the part :))) in other words, excuse for me to draw Husk in a fancy suit and Angel in a beautiful dress.

I took a lot of leeway in interpreting the clothes.

BunnyBight describes Angel's dress as "made of a black shimmery material. Not sparkly, it was too subtle to be called that. The top of the dress wrapped over one shoulder and under the other. It fit snug to his body until it hit his hips where it then draped straight to the floor. The front of the dress had a large opening. The left side of the skirt fell straight down but then another layer started at that hip and crossed in front to end at his right ankle. His entire left leg was bare as was the bottom of his right leg." So I was thinking of silk chiffon as the material for the blouse/bust and first layer of the skirt and taffeta silk for the bodice and second dress layer. As both fabrics has shiny property, they would look a bit more grey than black as opposed to Husk's wool suit. I added a layer of pearlescent watercolor on top to make the dress shimmery but it doesn't show after scanning. Check out my speedpaint Youtube short to see how it shines under the light. The dress is also supposed to have gold and red playing cards embroidery, but I was lazy.

Angel's necklace is the centerpiece of the outfit, '[t]he necklace was an intricate design of many small black diamonds and seven large rubies, all set in gold [...] It looked like something royalty would wear." So I went ahead and based the necklace on Empress Elisabeth of Austria's ruby parure. I saw the necklace in her portrait by Georg Martin Ignaz Raab while visiting the Schönbrunn Palace some years ago. There are exactly 7 rubies in this fanart and some small black diamonds. The details do not look good up close since I was drawing on a small A5 size paper and this is the best I can manage with tiny tiny jewelry. BunnyBight also mentions a pair of earrings that go with the set, but I don't know where the ears of a spider locate so I replaced those with a matching hair ornament.

"Husk was wearing another three piece black suit with gold pinstripes and buttons. His gold bowtie looked fabulous over the red shirt he wore with it." I found that when executing all these details on paper, the suit would look very busy and lack an emphasis. Hence, I instead put Husk in a pure black double breasted suit, kept the red shirt and placed all the red, gold and black color in the tie as the highlight of his outfit. I couldn't draw the tiny "little gold and red playing card cufflinks at his wrist" (again the limitation of traditional art on small paper) so I replaced the with heart shaped gold cufflinks. A nice allusion to Husk's wearing his heart on his sleeve just for Angel, which was definitely my plan all along and not just mere coincidence. I skipped Husk's fancy top hat and cane because I was lazy. One very wrong detail in this whole outfit is Husk's ring which he doesn't get until Chapter 36 :((.

The background is just me freehand drawing that tapestry with card symbols and other motifs appear in Loser, Baby and the marble column.

[theroyalsims]

ROYAL WEDDING: WHICH TIARA WILL ANYA WEAR?

Aside from guessing which designer has been tapped to make Anya's dress, people are also taking bets on which tiara she'll wear on her big day!

The recent banquet only intensified people's curiosity over which tiara Anya will be wearing for her wedding. That's not exactly an easy decision to make, considering HRH has quite a lot of tiaras at her disposal. So here's a quick look at some of the sparklers that we *might* see atop HRH's head come her much-awaited wedding day. We split the tiaras under four categories: The Favourites, The Diamonds, The Necklaces, and The Emeralds, plus a bonus category!

THE FAVOURITES

The Brindleton Foliage Tiara

The diamond and ruby piece was given a rebirth by Queen Emilia when she dusted it off and had it repaired and slightly altered. The tiara, considered a blood princess tiara, can only be worn by blood princesses. It's been a hot minute since Her Majesty has worn the piece, and it's now perhaps more associated with The Crown Princess.

The Stafford Tiara

The impressive tiara, which features a graduating scroll motif, is an 18th birthday present by the Stafford Royal Family to the Crown Princess. Personally dubbed as "her favourite," HRH has worn it through the years, and she even wore it for her official portrait a few years ago. We won't be surprised if HRH picks this stunner for her royal wedding!

THE DIAMONDS

The Brindleton Comb Tiara

The Brindleton Comb Tiara is one of the most unique and versatile pieces in the royal collection. The all-diamond diadem is composed of three individual combs. Each can be worn individually, or they can be locked into place to form the tiara. HRH has worn it a couple of times, and she seems to prefer to wear all three combs in one go, making it seem like she has a halo of diamonds that goes all around her head.

Brindleton-Rennaux Tiara

Speaking of versatile, the latest tiara to join HRH's collection is also quite customisable, thanks to its removable central diamond, which can be replaced with accompanying "extra" stones. The piece has garnered the nickname "Brindleton-Rennaux Tiara." It was commissioned by Prince Jacques for Anya's thirtieth birthday. The diamonds used for the piece were derived from the private collection of Prince Jacques' mother, the late Queen Theodora of Rennaux.

THE NECKLACES

The Queen Astrid Necklace Tiara

This all-diamond tiara was an anniversary present to Queen Astrid (Anya's maternal great-grandmother) from her husband, King Frederik. It was originally meant to be a necklace, however, the late Queen commissioned the royal jewellers to transform it in such a way that it could be worn as a headpiece, too. The Crown Princess has worn the tiara twice - at Princess Katrine of Arendahl's wedding, and more recently during last week's Selvadoradan Banquet.

The Debonne Tiara

Another necklace-cum-tiara Anya seems to love is the Debonne Tiara. The piece was a present from Lady Amarie Debonne to the late Queen Astrid. It features a dainty floral motif, which includes diamonds and pearls. The headpiece is set in yellow gold and it matches Anya's engagement ring perfectly! HRH has also worn this tiara twice - first during her state visit to Tartosa, and she also wore it for her engagement photoshoot.

THE EMERALDS

Queen Ophelia’s Birthday Tiara 

This now-iconic tiara was a birthday present from King Leopold to his wife, Queen Ophelia. The piece is also very flexible, and can be worn with emerald pendants, pearl pendants, worn with just the diamond hoops. The Crown Princess has donned it a handful of times, and should she wear it for her wedding, it would be a wonderful way to honour her grandmother.

Brindleton Lace Tiara

According to Brindleton customs, brides are encouraged to wear emeralds on her wedding day for good luck, so The Brindleton Lace Tiara definitely fits the bill! It forms part of the Brindleton Emerald Parure, and most people probably remember it as the tiara that Anya "stole" from her sister Eleanore during the latter's wedding a couple of years ago. Whether or not Anya will be petty enough to wear it to her own wedding, guess we're going to have to wait and see!

Queen Emilia's Birthday Tiara

This meaningful diadem that features a large central emerald was an 18th birthday present from King Leopold to his daughter, then Crown Princess Emilia. Through the years, many royal heads have worn the tiara including Crown Princes Anya herself. There's a chance Anya might choose this as her wedding tiara given its relevance and history, and of course, as a way to honour her mum.

BONUS CATEGORY: THE HONOURABLE MENTIONS

While some say that brides should not wear pearls because their tear-shaped appearance symbolises tears to be shed due to a sad marriage, others claim that pearls are good luck and signify a fruitful and successful union. Some pearl tiaras that could be worn by Anya include The Queen Astrid Diamond and Pearl Tiara (L), which she wore to her visit to Selvadorada; The Brindleton Bow Pearl and Diamond Tiara (C) which features an array of suspended teardrop pearls; and the Brindleton Clam Tiara (R), which HRH once wore in an official portrait.

Of course, Anya could surprise us all and pull out a long-unseen tiara from deep within the royal vaults, or even a newly-commissioned piece for her wedding day! Either way, we're quite certain it'll be a stunner, just like all the other tiaras HRH has worn in the past.

One thing's certain, though. All this tiara talk has us desperate for more royal wedding updates!

[pacthesis]

if ur like me and was wondering why does it seem like engagement rings are limited to diamond, moissanite, ruby, sapphire

the answer is cause they are hard

other stones for daily wear may need to be replaced down the line and/or handled more carefully apparently

but i've been wearing an aquamarine (beryl) ring nearly daily on my dominant hand for the past 6 months and so far so good but i clean it like once a week and tbh im careful and baby it lol

if ur heart's set on emerald / morganite / aquamarine etc its worth a shot?

if ur curious about any stone you can look up "(rock name) mohs hardness"

apparently be prepared to replace anything below 8.5 for a daily wear ring in the long run

7 and below is suited for babied rings or necklaces/earrings

(quartz is in dirt so probably remove rings when gardening lol)

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

The Honey Trap part 3: final chapter.

Note: the idea of sexpionage is wonderful to use in fics, but I want to make it clear that sexpionage is a daunting and grim reality too, and I am very aware of that and do not mean to ignore that. It is a trope I am using, lighthearted, but I do not want to pretend that the actual act of sexpionage is not horrific to many involved. That being said, I will not describe the horrors of it. This is a work of fiction, but created with some knowledge about the real thing.

part 1 - part 2.

Warnings: 18+! smut/angst. brief mention of suicidal thoughts, suggested form of sexual abuse (not described, only hinted to explain the character's emotions).

Pairing: Modern Spy!Sihtric x Spy!Reader (f)

Summary: You and Sihtric both had one more task to do.

Word count: 6k (sorry). 

Masterlist

You and Sihtric continued to meet and hook up over the course of the next few months. You slowly began to earn each other's trust, despite both knowing there was something left unspoken between the two of you, and you both managed to sneak further into each other's lives. You were careful with Sihtric, as you had been told that he was a hardened criminal and a vile drug dealer. But the soft edges he showed you once you began to spend more time with him just didn't add up to his apparent reputation of being cruel and heartless. 

Everything you had learned about him before you were sent to seduce him didn't make sense with his entire behaviour in private with you. You had seduced dozens of men like him, who had done the most terrible things and had produced the greatest amounts of drugs, and Sihtric truly wasn't like any of those vicious men. You were convinced Sihtric was able to kill, no doubt about that, and that he could stand his ground when it came to doing drug business. But something was off. You felt as if you didn't know everything you had to know, and it didn't sit well with you.

Sihtric also didn't know what exactly there was about you that made him question your story. He couldn't confirm that you were a spy of sorts, but it was suspicious how careful you were. He knew better than to fall for a simple honey trap, but he also refused to believe you were setting him up. And why would he be set up? As far as Sihtric knew, he hadn't done anything wrong. Unless you were sent by Skade, but that didn't make any sense as Skade allowed him to be close to her and all up in her drug empire. Sometime ago he had informed his superiors he'd be off the radar for a while in order to infiltrate further, but he wasn't aware that those in charge of him had taken this as a confirmation he had gone rogue.

And beside all of that, you had completely clouded his mind, as intended, for he quickly developed feelings for you after that night you gave him the best blowjob of his life. He had gifted you some expensive jewellery a few weeks after that, a golden ring with a red ruby, which was the ultimate sign that you had him completely trapped and he wasn't thinking straight anymore. And all you had done to get him to this point was sucking his cock and stroking his ego when you weren't sucking him off. That's how easy men were.

But Sihtric also continued to do his job whenever you weren't around, keeping up appearances and sweet talking Skade in order to lure her further into a trap of his own. Because Sihtric had been doing the exact same thing to Skade that you were doing to him, but he had been doing it for much longer with her. And in the end, he could never understand how you had him fooled just the way he fooled her. It had taken a long time before he earned Skade's trust, and he had done it just like you, by the rules he was taught and by engaging in uncountable sexual activities with her to win her over. 

But once he realised he needed to get his hands dirty for her in order to eventually take her entire empire down, he had to go beyond what he was taught and he stopped playing by the rules. Everytime he called in new intel, his superiors would tell him how to proceed but they clearly didn't know who they were dealing with. Skade was a mistress of lies and tricks, and she would see right through Sihtric eventually if he did as he was told by those in charge. So in a way he could agree that he did go rogue, but he never turned his back on his country or meant to disrespect those who had sculpted him into the spy he had become.

And Sihtric definitely didn't work for Skade, but he simply made everyone believe that he did and it took all his self discipline to stay clear headed about it while he would occasionally leak some intel to his employers, who still happily accepted that intel while plotting his assassination behind his back. 

But then you appeared… and you changed everything.

By now Sihtric had figured your story about wanting to become an actress was bullshit, but since you had him wrapped around your finger he didn't care what your motive was, he just wanted to have you around. However, his suspicions about the time and reason of your appearance, and the way you handled yourself, were confirmed when you came over to his apartment one night and spilled a secret because you, without realising it, were wrapped around his finger all the same.

'Cnut?' you frowned after he asked if you knew him, 'yeah, I've heard of him. And I know more than you think,' you smiled with a wink.

'Oh, do you?' Sihtric gave you his half smile as he leaned in closer while he sat next to you on his couch, overlooking the darkened city.

'Yes, but it's a secret,' you giggled.

'Come on,' the charming spy laughed as he placed his hand on your thigh, 'tell me. You tell me a secret and… maybe I'll tell you a secret,' he winked.

You rolled your eyes, but you weren't immune to his tactics, the same way he couldn't resist falling for yours. And so you told him more than you should've when he began to kiss your neck, leaving soft and openmouthed kisses as his lips trailed from your ear to your shoulders.

'Cnut is not dead,' you breathed, 'he's arrested. But you can't tell anyone about this.'

Sihtric hummed in response and slowly slid his hand under your short dress.

'How do I know you're telling the truth?' he whispered against your lips, realising you had still never kissed him.

'You'd just have to trust me on that,' you whispered back, refraining from pressing your lips onto his, 'now, tell me your secret, pretty boy.'

'My secret?' Sihtric laughed softly as his teeth grazed your ear, while his hand moved further up under your skirt, 'I'll tell you my secret,' he murmured, 'but first I want to taste you.'

You watched him smoothly drop to his knees in front of you, his dimly lit apartment casting shadows over you both as you looked at each other for a moment. You knew what was about to happen, and you allowed Sihtric to slide down your panties and to lift your legs over his broad shoulders, while you fell back on his comfortable couch. Your hands moved though his short hair while your back arched with each stroke of his tongue and each movement of his fingers. 

You felt dizzy at how good he made you feel, knowing exactly how and where to touch you combined with the perfect pressure. You never had experienced a man this skilled, which should be cause for alarm, but you were too dumbed down by the way he pleased you that you couldn't think straight anymore. And even if it had alarmed you, you wouldn't have listened to your gut anyway, because all you wanted to focus on was the fact that the most handsome man you had ever met was also the only man who knew how to give you the perfect oral pleasure. And you couldn't give a single fuck about anything else in that very moment while his head was between your thighs, his tongue between your folds and his fingers inside you; kissing, licking, sucking and thrusting until you came with a satisfying moan.

'My secret,' Sihtric whispered after he wiped his mouth and climbed back up to you, 'is that I'm falling in love with you.'

Your breath suddenly hitched in your throat upon hearing his words. You knew you had him trapped, but hearing him say he was truly falling for you… it caused you to feel a sudden pang and you pushed him away as you jumped up.

'Hey,' he scoffed, confused at your behaviour, 'what the fuck?'

'I- I'm sorry,' you stammered as you almost tripped over your feet, your legs still unstable after the intense orgasm he had given you, 'I need… I need to use the… the toilet.'

You stumbled through his apartment as you searched for his bathroom, your head still spinning while your lungs kept demanding more air. You slammed the door shut and locked it, then raked your hands through your hair as you paced barefooted back and forth over his heated marble floor.

'This cannot be happening,' you whispered to yourself in the mirror, 'you can't catch feelings. You can't catch any feelings for that fucking guy! What is wrong with you? Pull yourself together, you dumb bitch! You know better… you've been taught better… you can't fall in love.'

You tried to collect yourself before you left the bathroom, finding Sihtric was smoking outside on his balcony, and you awkwardly told him you had to go back to your hotel. Before he could ask what was wrong, you had already left. And Sihtric hadn't been lying when he told you he was falling in love with you, he just had no idea on how hooked he was yet.

Luckily Sihtric had been out of town for a few days after that disaster of a night you had last time you saw him. You still stayed in touch during texts when he was away, and sometimes he would even call you because he missed you. And it seemed as if he had completely forgotten about what happened that night. But of course he hadn't, he just wanted to move forward with you and wanted to believe you liked him as much as he liked you. So when he was back home after those couple of days, he immediately called to invite you over.

In the days you hadn't seen each other you were able to pick yourself up again and get a grip on the situation at hand. You were here to do a job, nothing more and nothing less. And no matter how beautiful your target was or how you'd gladly let him actually fuck you whenever he would want to, fact was that your goal remained to eliminate him once Skade was arrested. So catching feelings was out of the question, because there was no future at all. 

And so you were back to pretending all over again around him, playing the picture perfect love interest while you slowly forced yourself further into his shady business. And Sihtric? He so desperately wanted you to be the real thing, he was completely blinded and smitten by you, and he had slowly spilled more secrets about the business he did with Skade and about the part he played; closing drug deals for her.

You turned off your emotions when you met him again, or so you thought, but you couldn't keep your hands from lightly trembling when he opened his door and smiled at you. And you couldn't help but feel safe and at peace once he held you in his arms while he told you he had missed you. And after another steamy evening that consisted purely of oral pleasure and no kissing, you found yourself next to him in bed again, both naked with only a thin sheet covering everything below the waist.

'You are so perfect,' Sihtric smiled with his love dazed eyes, 'what are you doing with a guy like me?'

'I guess… I was just born to be a trophy wife,' you joked and shrugged lightly.

'A trophy wife?' he laughed and shook his head disapprovingly, 'honey…'

'Your trophy wife,' you said and gave him a playful wink, which made him weak to his knees once more.

Sihtric smiled at your sweet words, but his smile quickly faded and a concerned look painted his face as if he suddenly realised something.

'Look,' he spoke softly after he sighed deeply, 'the people I work with and the work I do… I'm afraid I will only ruin your life, darling. And I don't want that for you.'

'Well,' you scoffed lightly, 'if you don't want me around-'

'No, no,' Sihtric said calmly and prevented you from getting up, 'that's not what I said, darling. And that is not what I meant either, because I do want you around. I like having you around. You seem to understand me in a weird way, and you're not… you're not scared of the world I live in. Or perhaps you are a really great actress,' he chuckled, 'but you don't seem worried about what I'm involved in.'

'It does scare me,' you half lied, 'but I had a rough upbringing and was taught to take care of myself. And I like being around you too,' you whispered as you traced the scars on his beautiful face, 'I feel safe with you… and loved.'

You hated how the truth was spoken by you. As much as you had tried to tune out any of your own emotions, it was impossible around him and every second you weren't with him you simply craved to be with him. It was overwhelming and frightening, but you couldn't pull yourself away even though you knew you'd have to pull the trigger eventually and kill him.

'Good,' Sihtric smiled, 'I want you to feel safe and loved with me, because you are, I promise. And actually, there's something I have to tell you.'

'What?'

'So, I don't even know if we're really dating,' he said, his silky voice warming you pleasantly once again, 'but I don't do casual dating, I'm quite impatient.'

Sihtric always thought it was funny how impatient he was in his day to day life, while when it came to his job, he had all the patience in the world. And that's another thing you had both learned; to have patience. And you both had all the patience in the world when it came to enchanting your target and finding out their secrets, if you weren't blinded that was.

'What are you implying?' you smiled, then seductively bit down on your lower lip while his eyes trailed off to your bare breasts for a moment and his fingers trailed down your neck.

'I have to leave soon.'

'Leave? Where to?'

'Abroad,' he said, keeping it vague, 'Skade is sending me to close a business deal.'

'Oh? What kind of deal?' you asked, carefully prying as if he didn't know by now that you were well aware of the drug deals he made.

Sihtric chuckled, 'A big deal, darling.'

'So… what is it you want with me? You know I'm not in that business.'

'I want you to join me,' Sihtric said rather bluntly, 'a pretty woman on my arm always looks good during a deal. And if I can't persuade them,' he leaned in and lightly traced your lips with his thumb, 'then maybe you can,' he winked.

You laughed and touched his arm again, like you always did when he made you laugh, which still seemed to be well received as he wetted his lips while he looked at you.

'So,' you said, 'how could I possibly persuade whoever you do business with?'

'All you have to do is look pretty next to me,' he half murmured as he held your chin and leaned in even closer, 'you know, just be my trophy wife. You think you could do that for me, doll?'

You accompanied Sihtric on his business trip a few days later, after careful consideration with your superiors, and you had set up a plan on how to proceed. You travelled first class to some tropical island you had never even heard of, but this wasn't a holiday, because once the plane landed you knew you had to get down to serious work.

Sihtric kept you close the entire time you were together, being unable to keep his hands off you and just desperate to finally kiss you. But you always managed to make him forget about the numerous warning signs he had noticed, by dropping down to your knees and pulling down his pants. It was almost funny how easy to control he was, and yet you couldn't help but feel awful about it. And to make him forget about all the questions he still had about you, dropping down to your knees for him was the first thing you did once you arrived at the hotel room. And when Sihtric took a shower after that, his head still spinning as he stumbled to the bathroom, you were quick to sync his phone with yours so you could track his whereabouts if needed.

And it would be needed later that day, when Sihtric suddenly told you after dinner that he had to go and meet someone. He'd be back in two hours or so, he promised, and while you kept track of his location you also finally found some time to go through his stuff. His location told you he was at some other hotel on the island, and the drive there seemed to have taken about thirty minutes, so you had enough time to snoop around.

You managed to hack into his laptop, which he had foolishly left, and after several attempts you found a way into his seemingly hidden files. You had to give it to him, he knew how to hide his stuff, which struck you as odd as the way he had stored and hidden records on his laptop was done in the same way as you had been taught. You tried to shake the weird feeling in your gut, that he could be a spy turned traitor, and you scrolled through as many files as you could and as fast as you could. 

At least an hour had passed before your eyes landed on a recent file and, once opened, you discovered it held information about the deal he was to make tomorrow, with you by his side. And it turned out it wasn't just a regular deal, it was a deal with some government officials and Skade was supposed to be present too. Shocked by your discovery, you immediately called it in and then noticed that Sihtric's location changed; he was on his way back to you.

When Sihtric returned he seemed completely different. He was quiet and his eyes were empty. He didn't even attempt to kiss you, like he usually tried, instead he just strolled past you towards the bathroom without being able to look at you.

'What's wrong?' you asked him, truly concerned.

'Just tired from the trip,' he half mumbled as he took off his white blouse and his belt, throwing them on the bed before he locked the bathroom door behind him.

His behaviour struck you as odd. He had never looked like this before and beside that, he had showered already only a few hours ago. Once you heard the water running you went over to the bed to pick up his clothes, hoping to find a trace of something that would tell you what was going on. And as you attempted to fold his blouse you suddenly noticed smudged lipstick stains on the inside of his collar, and your stomach dropped. You stared at the stains and sat down on the bed, feeling as if the rug had been pulled from underneath your feet when suddenly everything started to make sense. And just when it all clicked, you received a message from your boss, confirming everything you had just figured out; Sihtric was a former spy, trained exactly like you, and had been seducing Skade in order to get close. And as you remembered reading that Skade was to be present at the deal the next day, you knew exactly where Sihtric had been and what he had done to persuade her to be there. And you knew exactly how empty, disgusted and used he felt right now while he probably tried to wash away the feeling.

And while you tried to keep yourself together, being shocked by finding out he was a former spy gone rogue and also by understanding that the man you had fallen in love with just had sex with someone else, Sihtric fell apart in the shower. Biting down on the towel between his teeth as the hot water rained down on him, tears rolling down his cheeks while his pained grunts were muffled by the towel and the sound of running water. And as you tried to think of how to proceed with your task, which remained unchanged despite your newly gained knowledge, Sihtric wondered how much longer he could do his task. How much longer he could let his body be used by a woman who disgusted him while he had fallen in love with you. And you realised you still had to kill him, because no one, not even you, knew that Sihtric never truly went rogue and that it was all part of his plan to take Skade down.

And Sihtric was done, he realised when he looked at himself in the mirror, and he'd rather blow his own brains out than ever having to sleep with her again. He was done. It had to be done tomorrow. He'd make sure it was going to be done after tomorrow. And with that thought he picked himself up again and joined you in bed, where you both silently wept in the dark as you held each other.

'I know how you feel,' you whispered after a long silence.

And those were the only words being spoken before your trembling lips found his in the darkened room, and you finally captured each other in a long-awaited kiss. Short and soft pecks at first, which slowly turned into longer and deeper kisses, until you tasted each other's tears and felt each other's tongues while your hands were in his hair and his roaming all over you body. 

And before you fell asleep, you both had it figured out without needing to say the words. You were both trapped in the world of sexpionage, and you had both broken one of the main rules: don't ever fall in love.

The next morning you both woke up early. And while still being sleepy, your lips found each other again while hands dared to discover further under the sheets. The room was cool and quiet while the sun struggled to force its light through the dark curtains. You got lost in each other; in the kisses, in the touches and in the sound of the soft and needy moans you both let slip from your mouths. You felt his weight pressing onto you comfortably while his hard cock teased your soaked entrance before he smoothly pushed inside you. 

He kissed you as you gasped at the feeling of him, and he carefully took your hands, locking his fingers with yours before he pinned your hands down above your head while he slowly began to thrust into you. You kissed passionately as you made slow and deep love, which was unlike anything either of you ever felt before, and it felt like heaven. The tenderness in the touches, the love in the kisses, and the sweet, heavy and long moans that you both spilled onto each other's lips were pure and absolute bliss. And you both never thought you would experience intimacy in a safe and pleasant way such as this, and it was addictive. 

After you both climaxed, Sihtric pulled you in his arms as he laid on his back. He took your hand and kissed it softly before he placed it upon his chest, allowing you to feel his beating heart.

'Do you feel that?' he whispered, his voice still raspy.

'Your heart?'

'Mhm,' he hummed softly, 'that belongs to you.'

You closed your eyes in an attempt to fight your tears, but it was already too late.

'What's wrong?' Sihtric asked as he heard you sniffle, 'did I do something? Did I hurt you?'

'No,' you reassured him and buried your face in his neck, 'no. You're the only man who has never hurt me.'

Sihtric was quiet for a moment, holding you tightly wrapped in his strong arms as you wept, and his mind spiralled as he remembered today was the day that everything would end.

'I have to tell you something,' he whispered after you had wiped your tears, 'and I'm risking everything by telling it. My life, my job… everything. I know you stepped into that pub for a reason, the night we met, and I'm still not sure what exactly that reason is, but before we go to that deal later today, I need you to know that I am not a drug dealer. I'm a spy… with the profession being sexpionage.'

'I know,' you whispered hoarsely, 'I figured it out yesterday, when you came back to the hotel. You… you were with Skade, weren't you?'

'I was,' Sihtric confessed, clearly upset, 'and I'm sorry. I don't want to be with her like that, but I learned how to switch my emotions off, so it hasn't been that rough to get to where I am now. But then I met you. And,' he sighed, 'it's like you awakened every emotion in me that I had tuned out for half of my life, and I can't tune them out anymore. The last few times I was with her… it was awful. I had to keep seeing her because I couldn't fuck up the trap I had set up, but I was falling for you in the meantime. And I… I am in love with you.'

'I'm in love with you too,' you said, finally telling him at least something that was completely true, and you started to cry again.

'What's wrong?' he asked again.

'Everything,' you cried, 'everything! I fucked up everything.'

You sat up and Sihtric took your hands, 'What do you mean, darling?' he asked.

'Sihtric,' you said with a sob, 'I'm the same. We are the same. You know there is a reason why I seem so understanding, and it's because we do the same kind of work. We are both trapped, our bodies belonging to those in charge of us, and we can't seem to get out of it. You were my target. I was to seduce you and to get as close as possible to Skade, so I could take her down.'

'You were sent to take Skade down?' Sihtric asked, then scoffed as he was bewildered, 'that is literally why I am here. It was my job to take her down, and I'm so fucking close-'

'But you… you went rogue,' you said, confused, 'they told me you had gone rogue and you were actually working for Skade now.'

'No, no, no,' Sihtric shook his head, 'no, I did everything I could to make it look like that, but I am not a traitor. I still leak intel-'

'What? What do you mean? You are still working for…'

'I am. I am still working for my boss, our boss, it seems. I give intel when I can but I am not playing by the rules anymore, and they know that.'

'But, Sihtric,' you said and swallowed hard, 'they… they sent me to kill you.'

Sihtric froze. He stared at you as the room was faintly lit by the warm sun outside, and he felt his heart pounding out of his chest.

'What do you mean?'

'I was told that you can't be trusted, but I was never told that you still give them intel. You still work for the same people as me, but they… they want to get rid of you because they don't trust you. I was meant to be a honey trap… but I fell in love.'

Sihtric still stared at you, and he then began to laugh out of despair. He already knew you hadn't been fully honest, but that you were a honey trap was beyond him.

'So… nothing between us was real?' he asked, clearly hurt and yet not completely surprised anymore.

'My feelings were real,' you said quickly and took his face, 'I promise, everything was real except for my background story. My feelings were real… but I… I have a job to do. I have a team who is prepared to arrest Skade during that deal today,' you whispered brokenly, 'I have a job to fulfil.'

'I know,' Sihtric said as calmly as possible, but his voice was shaky, 'do what you have to do. I don't want to know your plan, just do it. Because I promise you, I can't take another day living like this anymore. Promise me that you'll kill me too, even if Skade gets away.'

'No, Sihtric-'

'Promise me,' he said, his tone urgent while he grabbed your shoulders, 'if she gets away I will have to continue this assignment, and I can't fucking do it anymore.'

'I… I can't-'

'Yes you can,' he almost shook you, 'you were trained to do that. You can kill me, darling, I'm your task,' he said and grabbed your chin, only to kiss you almost painfully before he spoke again, 'I'm just another target.'

You and Sihtric hadn't spoken a word anymore since that morning. You had breakfast and lunch together, and then both dressed up for the planned meeting that evening. The tension was sharp, but you both tried to ignore any feelings involved in order to do your job. It wasn't easy though, and more than once you both lost control and ended up kissing each other while tears were fought quietly, until the dreadful moment arrived.

You and Sihtric arrived at the agreed meeting point to close the deal. The government officials who were there to buy drugs were already waiting in the abandoned warehouse. You carried a gun strapped to your thigh, which was hidden by your flowy dress, and you walked alongside your target, who was dressed just as sharply and carried a gun underneath his blouse. You played the trophy wife role well, and the buyers fell for your charms with ease while they negotiated with Sihtric. And Sihtric could only admire you silently, the way you wrapped anyone around your finger with ease was a delight to watch, and he cursed himself internally for being just as foolish as those men were now. But at least, he thought, there had been something real between the two of you. And if he was to die today, he would be honoured to have it done by your hands.

And you admired Sihtric just as much, the way he was so confident and knew exactly what he was talking about. But it also saddened you, as you knew he was only able to be this convincing because he had been stuck in this nightmare for far too long. Through your ear piece, hidden behind your hair, you were given updates about the status outside. Then Skade arrived, and by the look on her face when she saw you, Sihtric hadn't told her a word about you. But she knew this was not the place and time to argue, and she trusted him completely so deemed your presence safe.

But she'd be proven wrong within a matter of minutes, when you were warned only a split second before an entire team of black ops stormed the warehouse. You grabbed your gun as you stepped away from Sihtric, and you both saw how Skade made a run for it while the government officials got pinned down to the cold ground and were arrested.

You looked at Sihtric, who never made an attempt to reach for his weapon as he saw how his target seemed to get away, just as he had feared, and he took a few steps back.

'Do it,' he said to you as he dropped down to his knees, 'don't make me go back to her, please.'

Your eyes darted between your target and Skade, and you pointed your gun at Sihtric while Skade reached the doors of the warehouse.

'I… I truly loved you,' you whispered, and a pathetic single tear rolled down your cheek.

'I know,' Sihtric replied, 'I did too. Thank you,' he swallowed hard, 'for at least making me feel something real before I die.'

Your hands were unsteady as you kept the gun pointed at him. And Sihtric closed his eyes before multiple gunshots echoed through the warehouse, followed by a shrill shriek and the shouting of men who were there to back you up.

'No!' you shouted and ran towards Sihtric as a group of men closed in on him.

You pushed through them and kneeled down beside Sihtric, wrapping your arms around his heavy body and kissing his face all over while you cried and barked an order to the men around you, who listened and then backed away as you caressed your target's face without getting a response.

Several hours later Sihtric woke up in what looked like a hospital, and he figured he must be dead once he saw you sitting next to his bed. He tried to move but you quickly stopped him and hushed him when he tried to speak.

'It's okay,' you whispered and gently raked your fingers through his hair, 'you're okay, Sihtric. You only passed out.'

Sihtric looked confused, having no recollection of the events that happened prior to him waking up, except for one thing.

'Skade?' he mumbled weakly.

'You're free,' you said as you held back your tears, 'you're free, sweetheart. They got her. She almost got away, but the door she ran for was locked, so she was trapped. And I… I shot her in both knees so she couldn't attempt another escape.'

'Why didn't you kill me?' Sihtric asked as he began to remember.

'Because I am a shit spy,' you laughed through your tears, 'and I fell in love with my target.'

'The worst spy,' Sihtric chuckled softly while still a little dizzy, 'but not as shit as me.'

'I think you're a great spy,' you said and leaned in even closer, your noses almost touching, 'you made everyone believe you had gone rogue and were a traitor.'

'They're still coming for me about that, aren't they?'

'They are,' you sighed, 'they have questions. But I already heard they won't arrest you or ask me to still kill you. They just want a full report.'

'I got that.'

'I know,' you laughed, 'I've seen the amount of files on your laptop.'

Sihtric frowned at that, then smiled when he realised you had been doing your job while he did his.

'Tell me,' he then said, 'and be honest. Was anything real between us?'

'Yes,' you nodded, 'I already told you that my feelings were real.'

Sihtric smiled with a sense of relief, and he carefully took your chin.

'My feelings were real,' you continued, 'and the orgasms you gave me were real too.'

You both laughed before he kissed you, and then promised you that once all this shit was over he'd take you out on a real date and wanted to get to know the real you. You told him you wanted the same, but you also wanted to know what he was going to do next.

'Skade was my ticket out of this life,' Sihtric confessed, 'I'm done now. Early retirement, or whatever they call it. But what about you?'

'I resigned immediately after her arrest. No one can do this kind of work when you've fallen in love with someone.'

'Good,' he smiled, 'so… are we dating then?'

'I don't know,' you shrugged with a smile, 'are you sure you want to be with me? I mean, you still don't really know me.'

'Honey,' Sihtric said with a sly smile, 'you already had me trapped from the first night we met, what makes you think I could walk away from you now?'

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[the-darkness-does-not-bargain]

snippet 3, 1, 2

Rhaenyra looked beautiful today.  To Alicent’s annoyance, she looked beautiful every day.  Her long, soft hair was loose and straight, draped around her shoulders like a veil.  Her dress was Targaryen red with silver accents, just toeing the line of scandal by revealing her pretty neck and defined collarbones.  Around her throat was a heavy chain of rubies and black diamonds, chosen to complement the platinum rings decorating her fine fingers.  She stood tall, with hands clasped in front of her.  Unbothered by the heat, if she even noticed it.

She was a stark contrast to her father.  An alpha unlike him, she was bold where he was demure and brave where he was cowardly.  She was strong, healthy, and undoubtedly potent if her heavy scent and powerful allure were anything to judge by.

Thinking about that gave Alicent pause.  Potent.  That’s… no.  

She shook herself harshly.  What a ludicrous thought.  Ridiculous.  Ripping her gaze away from the princess, she forced herself to pay attention to the next petitioner, a sunburnt farmer from Duskendale.  He complained long to the King about a crop blight on his fields, one made worse by a lengthening drought gripping the area.  It was a pitiful situation, made more so by how it took all of ten minutes for her mind to stray again, this time to her latest failure the night before.  She fucked the King as her father bid, but Viserys had barely seemed interested.  He agreed to bed her more than he wanted to, and as she made the lonely walk back to her chambers afterward, she was made to confront the bleak, awful truth.

Viserys didn’t care about her anymore, if he ever did in the first place.  At best, she was convenient for him, a shield against the pestering of his Small Council.  At worst, she was a distraction less engaging than his model city, something he could pick up and put down as he pleased, like a plaything.  By all the world’s standards, he was a fine husband.  He never beat her.  He didn’t stray to mistresses or galavant with whores.  He wasn’t cruel.  Many would say that was the best she could ask for.  But what was a lack of cruelty worth when it stemmed from pure apathy?

She knew better.  She could lose what little was left of his interest at any time.  And if he finally grew bored of her, he could set her aside.  He could send her away, have their marriage annulled, and exile her to live out her days as a ruined woman.  Her father was very fond of telling her so.  The only way to ensure he couldn’t would be to have his child, to bind herself to the Targaryen dynasty with her own flesh and blood.  And if he couldn’t give her a child…

A civil war was raging in her mind.  To even consider the possibility was a sin, a smack in the face to all of her lifelong values.  To cheat on her husband and have a bastard?  To have Rhaenyra’s bastard?  The Seven would cast her soul straight into the Hells.  They would throw her down and seal the gates shut without a second thought.

And Rhaenyra would never agree to it.  She might be seduced away from her betrothed, but she would never betray her father, particularly not for Alicent’s sake.  Their relationship had not improved in the past five years.  At best, it had merely cooled.  Their interactions no longer devolved into screaming matches, but they were far from the warm, easy intimacy of the past.  Mostly, they were distant from each other, with everything they once shared forming an uncrossable gulf between them.

(Sometimes their eyes would meet, at balls or over dinner tables, and Alicent would feel weak.  She’d catch a flicker of heat in her friend’s gaze, and suddenly the years of festering ire and mistrust would fall away.  She’d see the desire for connection and feel it burn in her own chest.  Only for Rhaenyra to look away, always.  And whenever Alicent wanted to chase that spark, chase her, she succumbed to cowardice instead.)

So they were at an impasse.  It was a cold, bitter fact, but knowing it could not stop her mind from treading this dangerous ground.

If they were mated, Rhaenyra would do more than just fuck babies into her.  She would take care of Alicent; love her, pleasure her, protect her.  She would shower her with attention and never ignore her needs.  She would never lock her away to suffer her heats alone.  She would never rut inside her without care and fall asleep on top of her.  She would listen to Alicent’s opinions.  She would be the best sire a child could ask for.  She would be perfect.

But she would never be any of that for Alicent now, not with their friendship in ruins and Laena Velaryon on her arm.  She would also never give Alicent a child that could threaten her own claim to the Throne.  If she bore a beta or alpha son that was believed to be legitimate, tradition would give him the stronger claim.  Then Rhaenyra would be forced to fight for her rights, possibly to the point of war.

So it would never happen.  It was pointless to even think about it.

But she did, doggedly, helplessly, losing herself in girlish fantasy while the court’s misery dragged on and on.

[gabessquishytum]

Let's be clear - Hob does not need/is not looking for a sugar daddy. Thank you very much! And he got this job at (Tiffany's/Cartier/High-end Jewelry store) to help pay bills while he's working towards his PhD - commissions are generally really good, especially on the more expensive pieces. And he must be doing something right, as he's been able to sell a bunch of different pieces, for good commission, to a bunch of overly flirty rich people.

There's this one guy, one of the Misters Endless (there are a number of Endless siblings? that shop in the store at least once a month, each) that comes in who never buys anything. He softly (he might be blushing) asks Hob to show him pieces, asks Hob's opinion of what in the store he might like to receive, and there was that one time, recently, in the private show room when he asked Hob to try a few pieces on. So weird.

This guy is cute, and Hob wouldn't be adverse to a date or more - but he does need to be asked.

AHHHH I really like this a lot!!!

The thing is, Dream has never actually bought anything. He's in and out of the shop at least once each month but no matter how hard Hob tries to up-sell the latest pieces, Dream always just gives this small smile and says maybe he'll get it next time. It's almost like he's just coming in as an excuse to see Hob...

Hob certainly wouldn't accept a gift from a customer, but he really wishes that Dream would buy at least one of the pieces he has Hob try on. Maybe Hob would make an exception, just to get Dream to buy SOMETHING. He has had his eye on those diamond drop earrings for a while. But all he can do is stand there in his nice (tight) saleman's suit and smile, and hope deep down in his heart that Dream will ask him one day...

Imagine how good it feels a couple of years later when he and Dream walk into the shop, holding hands, in search of an engagement ring. Nowadays they have their own little showroom at home when Hob shows off his collection of diamond body jewelry for all those piercings that Dream never even knew he had... he'll have to get a whole new set to match the new engagement ring's stone. And he's going to look so pretty, absolutely covered in rubies <3