#than waking up on a ship with his face still feeling fire

[muffinlance]

PEEEEEASE!!! Some Song and zuko shenanigans!!! I just love how you write them <3<3<3

The ostrich-horse comes back weeks after she was stolen. She raises one big foot and scratches at her harness, which clearly hasn’t been tightened properly, because the saddle finishes slipping sideways and dumps the thief himself into the dirt outside her stable. Song is just coming off from a shift at the clinic, so her first thought isn’t That bastard, it’s Dehydration, probable sunstroke, has he had a single meal since he left us, that bastard.

His eyes are closed. His breathing is shallow. She nudges him with a foot, then pats him down. Two swords and a knife get hidden in the shed at the bottom of a grain bin. She draws up two buckets of cool water from the well. One of them goes in the ostrich-horse’s trough. The good girl coos, and drinks greedily. The other one goes over the thief’s head.

He sits up, sputtering.

“Hello, Junior,” she says, and drops the bucket on him, too. 

“What? Where? …Song?”

He doesn’t have the grace to look sheepish. But she’ll take the flash of fear in his eyes, the way his shoulders twitch under the lacking weight of his swords, the way his hands convulse around the bucket. It feels good. Probably not in a way she should like, but it’s not like she’s planning to do whatever it is he’s afraid of. 

(He was afraid the last time he was here, too. But not of her.)

“The well’s in back,” she says. “Get a drink. Don’t make yourself puke. And don’t steal my bucket.”

She’s moved on to brushing the ostrich-horse’s feathers when he comes back. The ostrich-horse has moved on to pecking grain. Li is holding the bucket, and wobbling a little. His skin is still sun-flushed.

“Sit down,” she orders, pointing to the porch, with its shady overhang. 

“What…?”

“Sit.”

She finishes rubbing down the ostrich-horse’s feathers. Checks her feet for scuffs and stones, and her legs for strains. Then she walks past a sitting, wide-eyed Li, goes into the house, and comes back with a basket of carrot-potatoes and a scrub brush. 

“Clean these,” she orders. “You know where the water is.”

And he’s already got a bucket to do the washing in. He’s been clutching it since she handed it to him. She’s getting a little sick, of that cornered pygmy puma look of his.

“You got a meal and an ostrich-horse rental from us, last time,” she says. “This time, it’s payment up front. With interest.”

“I don’t have any money.”

“Work for it,” Song says.

Li has no idea how to clean a tuber. He’s very diligently overdoing it when her mother comes home.

“Hmm,” she says quietly, stopping next to Song. “Do I need to get someone?”

Li’s shoulders stiffen, because he’s got better hearing than either of them thought, and because he has to know that ostrich-horse theft isn’t treated lightly. Their town isn’t big enough to warrant guardsmen, but a few neighbors and a rope would get things done. 

“He’s starving,” Song says, after moving this conversation farther away. 

“Hmm,” says her mother.

“Our ostrich-horse isn’t.”

They both stare across the yard. At a refugee with golden eyes, who doesn’t know how to even start preparing his own meal. But whatever money he had, however he’d gotten it, he’d let their bird—his bird—eat first. 

They don’t let him sleep in the stable, for obvious reasons. He doesn’t run off in the night, for less obvious ones.

[ancuninfiles]

Bite Night

Gif by @astarionposting

18+ MDNI - M/F - Astarion x Tav (Baldur's Gate 3) - Words: 3.6K

Tags: smut, somnophilia (if you squint), non-consensual vampire bites, blood drinking, enthusiastic consent (sex), vaginal fingering, P in v, creampie, mating press, outdoor sex, soft Astarion, sorcerer Tav, nondescript Tav, Aftercare, idealized version of events, no beta we die like cazador

Summary: It has been 3 days since the nautiloid crash. Tav may be the sweetest person that Astarion has ever met. Night falls, and he is overcome with intense feelings of hunger. Tav sleeps alone, peacefully by the fire. He can hear her pulse from the treeline, and it invites him in. Or... could it be more than her pulse inviting him in?

Sorry, Idk how to write summaries. :,)

Read on AO3

Astarion had never met someone like Tav. She was so kind to him, despite their first meeting beginning with him holding a dagger to her throat after having tricked her into thinking he needed help. It was interesting to note that in retrospect, Tav being a sorcerer, could have easily used Shocking Grasp on him while he held her, pinned beneath his blade. She, instead, was oddly compliant. 

__________

“I saw you on the ship, didn't I? Nod.” Astarion cooed

Tav looked up at him with eyes half-closed and eyebrows knitted together, nodding. A look he could only assume was partially caused by the sun beating down on her face. It was as if she completely surrendered to him, going practically limp in his arms, which made him soften his grip slightly.

“Splendid, and now you're going to tell me what you and those tentacle freaks did to me.” he peered down at her, eyes briefly flicking to her neck and then up to her eyes again. Despite her relaxed form, her pulse was quickened and it was distracting. Astarion's mouth started to water slightly.

“I- I didn't do anything… I was abducted, same as you!” She pleaded.

“Don't lie to me. I- AUGH” Astarion yelped, as a purple aura surrounded both him and Tav. Their minds were suddenly connected, he was able to peer into her thoughts and feel what she was feeling. 

To his surprise, her mind had been focused on compassion towards him, the man holding a blade to her throat. “He and I have the same problem. These tadpoles. And he is likely reeling after all this. He could be a good ally to have.” 

Astarion's mind had then shared broken pieces of his past with Tav. Pieces that he would have rather kept to himself, but nothing incriminating yet. “What was that!? What's going on!?” He raised his voice.

Tav's was panting as if their minds connecting had worn her out. “You saw into my mind, it was the parasites! They connected us.” She said, with her eyebrows still knitted. Her mouth was agape and she took one last big breath before calming her expression. 

Her breath smelled of mint, and her hair smelled like lavender. ‘Gods, her scent, her pulse, her expression. Everything is distracting about her.’ he thought to himself. 

Although he would have loved to hold her for longer, grab her hair and sink his teeth into her flesh, he decided against it. Feeling confident that she was not a threat, he released her. They maintained eye contact with one another as they both slowly stood up.

‘She wants to be my ally’ he thought to himself.

__________

They had picked up a couple more allies on their misadventure so far. A cleric with an odd name and an annoying wizard who talks too much. Tav seemed naive. She was picking up strays left and right. Were these others to be trusted?

Tav had a way of making everyone feel accepted and comfortable. “If you need anything, please let me know. I don't care if I'm sleeping, reading, or otherwise busy, you can wake me up. I want to help.” she exclaimed to the whole group with an earnest look in her eye. She made sure to look at everyone in their eyes when she said this. 

‘Gods, she couldn't be more sweet. So tempting.’ He thought to himself. He wondered if she would taste as sweet as she acted, but no, he had to stop thinking things like that. Even Tav would surely end him if he were to slightly hint at the fact that he was a monster. 

Besides, Cazador would most definitely flay him for drinking the blood of a thinking creature. Although, the parasite had granted him immunity from the sun. Maybe Cazador can't control him at all anymore.

__________

It was time to settle in for the night. They had an exhausting day looking for a healer, which they had to fight through a hoard of goblins to get to. It had been 3 nights since the nautiloid crash, and Astarion had already snuck off the previous night to find  a boar, which he stupidly left in the middle of the road. Tav and the cleric had fixated on it. The cleric had pointed out that the boar had been left fully intact but without blood. To Astarion's dismay, these stangers were smarter than he initially had thought.

Tav was so exhausted that she had fallen asleep beside the fire, while everyone else left to their tents. She was a powerful ally indeed. Tav and Astarion carried the team, while the wizard was frequently coming within an inch of death and you would have thought the cleric was blind because she missed almost every shot. 'Leave it to Gale to cover the ground in grease and then slip in it and fall prone, himself', Astarion thought.

While everyone was sleeping, Astarion slipped away into a clearing in the woods to have some privacy and decompress after all that's happened, for the first time since the nautiloid crash. Finally able to be alone with his thoughts, Astarion's memories of his master plagued him. It was as if he were there, reciting his rules. 

First, thou shalt not drink of the blood of thinking creatures.

Second, thou shalt obey me in all things.

Third, thou shalt not leave my side unless directed.

Four, thou shalt know that thou art mine.

'Terrifying. So much for being alone with one's thoughts' Astarion thought. He left the clearing in distress, feeling like he was being stalked by Cazador. 'He can't control me anymore, I can walk in the sun...' Astarion told himself, in an effort to calm himself down. A burning feeling climbed up his throat. He was starving. Exerting himself more than usual was likely to blame. He had to find something to eat, soon.

__________

Astarion made his way back to camp, stopping at the tree line to assess the state of the camp. Sweet Tav was still sleeping soundly by the fire. Sweet Tav's words replayed in his head. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I don't care if I am sleeping". Sweet Tav who had shown him compassion almost immediately after he had pulled a dagger to her throat. Sweet Tav whose breath was minty, whose hair smelled of lavender, and whose pulse sounded so beautiful; hypnotic. 

Astarion snuck close enough to Tav to see her throat, so beautifully exposed. An easy target. Tav was wearing nothing but a thin silky nightgown with small flimsy straps. Her supple legs were exposed and glistened in the firelight. The wind blew and her scent wafted into Astarion's face. 

This was too much for Astarion to bear any longer. He slowly and stealthily climbed atop Tav, making sure not to wake her. He held his breath, he didn't need to breathe anyway. She was lying on her back, so Astarion slotted his leg between her thighs and placed his left elbow on the ground beside her head. He used his right hand to tilt her chin to the side slowly and gently brush her hair away from her pulse point. 'Formalities' he thought. Astarion slowly lowered his open maw onto Tav's throat. Finally puncturing the skin, blood started flowing into his mouth as he latched on almost like a feral animal. Tav's blood was ambrosia, it tasted like nothing he had ever tasted before. It was sweet, but complex like a fine-aged wine.

He could no longer control himself, he was sure to wake her. He tightly grabbed onto Tav's hair with his right fist and pushed her neck into his lips. It was then that he heard a sweet mewl coming from Tav. 'Of course, she would be moaning when a monster is consuming her.' Astarion groaned into her neck and brought his knee flush up to Tav's core. Tav began to writhe beneath him, arching her back and slowly bucking her hips on his knee. She was enjoying this. A desire started building in Astarion's lower abdomen, causing his cock to strain against his pants. 

Astarion continued to take generous gulps of Tav's blood, running his tongue across her pulse point to try and force more blood out, faster. He let loose a primal groan into Tav's throat and then repositioned himself so that his clothed cock was pressing into Tav's exposed cunt. She accommodated Astarion and wrapped her legs around his pelvis with tact and enthusiasm. Tav reached her right hand up to Astarion's curls, but Astarion grabbed her wrist and pinned it beside her head. Tav moaned, but her rutting became slower, as did her pulse. 

"Astarion - I" Tav whispered. Astarion finally came to and unlatched his teeth. His brows knitted together as he licked, and pressed his tongue firmly against her wound to soothe Tav and congeal the blood. He placed a chaste kiss on her neck, and then slowly started releasing her wrist, but Tav let out a breathy whine into his ear and grabbed his left hand, lacing her fingers with his. Perplexed, he looked up at Tav with round eyes. She was gazing at their laced hands. Astarion eyed her fresh puncture marks to make sure the bleeding had seized, and then gently tilted her head to face him. 

Her eyes were wet and filled with lust. Her chest was heaving, her cheeks were flushed, and her pupils were blown out.  "Why did you stop?" Her voice came out breathy, almost a whisper. 

Astarion smirked, "Oh, you sweet, generous thing." 

Tav's left hand came up to touch Astarion's face in a gentle caress while her right hand was still affectionately connected with his left. She eyed his lips, taking in the blood on his chin and swiping it softly with her thumb. Her eyes fluttered back up to meet his gaze, but he was eyeing her lips as she had his. 

Tav's lips were the same colour as her blushing cheeks. They were seductively parted. Astarion's gaze shifted back to Tav's eyes again, as she caressed his face with her thumb. Such a gentle little thing, and after what he had just done to her. He ought to feel shame for taking from her. 'She is so beautiful' he thought. The firelight flickered in her wet, sleepy eyes. Her hair was gorgeously spread amongst her bedroll. She was like an angel, no, a goddess. It was hard to believe she was real, or that someone could even forgive him for what he had done to her, let alone want him to continue. He looked at her with concern in his eyes which were becoming wet themselves.

Tav's hand slithered shakily to the nape of Astarion's neck. "I want you if you'll have me." She smiled earnestly, her eyes curled with her smile like tiny rainbows. She caressed his nape as she did his chin. "Please, Astarion." She sang

His name sounded like a melody on her lips. She was a siren, pulling him in with her song. Pulling him in, to drown in her. Their lips crashed like the waves in the Sea of Fallen Stars. They moaned into each other as their tongues danced around one another's teeth, exploring, and tasting. Astarion didn't want to stop until he had tasted every corner of her maw. Their kiss was bruising and sloppy. Tav made advances with her tongue as well, and she opened her mouth wide enough to let Astarion explore deeply.  Her mouth tasted as minty as it smelled, and his mouth tasted like her blood. He paid extra mind to not hurt her with his fangs. 

One of her hands tangled in his hair and the other hand rested on his back. He pressed his pelvis closer to her's and he groped her soft flesh with one of his hands, hastily exploring her body and reaching under her nightgown to grab her breast. He pinched her nipple and rubbed it between his fingers. Tav let out a higher-pitched moan in his mouth. He snaked his hands down to her exposed and throbbing core. She was unbelievably soaked. Finally lifting his mouth from hers, he looks at her with a smirk and says "You are positively dripping for me, darling." He started rubbing slow circles on her clit and her back arched, seeking more from Astarion.

 She groaned. "I want you inside me, please." Her eyes pleading and her words drifted out in a soft sigh. She was squirming slowly and weakly. The poor thing was so weak from the blood loss.

He peered down at her face which seemed to be blushing more and more, and her skin was now glistening with a thin layer of sweat. "Only because you ask so sweetly." He exclaimed before plunging two digits inside of her, working her open. She hummed in a whiney tone, which only egged him on further. His fingers curled up as he patiently started getting her hole ready for his cock. Her mouth opened and her eyes nearly rolled back into her head. She was the most enchanting creature in all of Faerün. He wanted to do anything for her, and he wanted to bury his cock entirely between her legs.

His free hand pushed her nightgown above her breasts, exposing her naked and writing body to the night air. It hadn't occurred to him until then that they were in the middle of camp. The cleric and the wizard could catch them, but Tav seemed unbothered. Astarion had noticed that his senses were much sharper after drinking Tav's blood. He realized he was confident enough that he would hear anyone coming long before they could see anything. 

His fingers started to pump into her faster, and he palmed her clit. Her breathing became heavy and jagged. "I'm so close! Astarion!" She moaned his name as her pussy fluttered around his digits. He fingered her through her orgasm, only pulling away when she started to twitch at the touch of her clit. She inhaled deeply and let out a groan. Her head fell back and her breasts rose and fell with each exasperated breath. "Hmm, you are wonderful, Astarion." She hummed with a bright smile on her face.

Astarion crept up to meet her eyes with his, "You're unbelievably beautiful." He said sincerely. She looked up at him with her pleading eyes again. He brushed her hair with his fingers and admired her features. He brought her into a molten kiss that both burned and bruised their lips. His hand caressed her naked torso, gripping her in every place he could before landing his strong grasp on her ass. Their kiss flew apart and she let out an exceptionally whiney moan and looked down to where his clothed cock was.

His cock was beginning to strain unbearably against his pants. He expertly unlaced his trousers and his large member sprang free, glistening with precum. He glanced down at her soaking core, her thighs were covered in her cum. He hooked her knees over his biceps and he teased her entrance with his cock. He groaned and exhaled, and looked at her face so he could read her expressions. Her brows scrunched in anticipation.

"Hmmm please fuck me. I want you to fill me up so bad." she sobbed and clenched her jaw. 

Astarion groaned "I love it when you plead for me, little love. Your voice sounds so sweet. Please tell me if you want me to stop, can you do that for me?" 

She bit her lip and looked him in the eye, again with that sweet look on her face. "Mmhm"  she nodded.

He didn't need any more confirmation from her as he slowly sunk his cock into her hole. Her mouth opened slightly and she started breathing heavier. He pulled out all the way and stroked her wetness onto his shaft. He sunk back down into her languidly until he finally was fully inside. He grunted at the feeling, and she was breathing heavier than ever. Her jaw was clenched and her eyes were wet.

"Are you okay, sweet love?" He said with concern as he stilled inside her.

"Mmm yeah. You're just - so big, I've never had someone -reach into me so deeply. It doesn't - hurt, I promise" she spoke softly. Panting throughout her sentence. "It feels, so good" she whined.

His cock twitched at her enthusiasm and she moaned quietly. "Oh darling, I am going to fill you right up," he said as he pulled back and then snapped his hips into her. He leaned down to her and stroked her cheek as he kissed her jaw. "Precious." He whispered in her ear.

He began rutting into her at a consistent pace. She pulled his shirt up to feel more of his skin against hers. She was so warm compared to him, her aura engulfed him like the fire they lay next to, consuming the carbon in a flickering rage. She was so tight, and warm, and wet. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be able to last, but he knew he wanted to make her cum one more time before he finished.

He reached down to her clit, and started rubbing tight quick circles. She moaned between her teeth and the muscles in her legs tensed. Her mouth fell agape and she started panting beautifully. "That's it, good girl. Cum on my cock." 

His words were enough to send her over the edge, and her cunt clenched and fluttered around his cock. He fucked her through her orgasm, only stopping his attention on her nub when she was pulling away. He readjusted her legs atop his shoulders, and her knees were practically beside her head. He was able to reach deeper in her than before, and his cock was hitting her sweet spot at a perfect angle. 

"Do you want me to fill you with my cum, darling? Is that what you want?" He teased as he fucked her mercilessly.

"Yes!" She begged, "Please, I need you to fuck your cum into me!" 

Her lewd suggestion sent him toppling over into his own climax, and he pressed himself deeply into her folded form. Groaning as his head fell to her side, he placed chaste kisses on her neck where he had bitten earlier. She could feel his cock twitching deep inside her, his spend spurting on her walls and dripping down her ass. He pulled out a few inches and then slammed back into her again, stuffing his cock into her deepest depths, making sure that her desires are met and that his seed has thoroughly coated every corner of her tight, quivering hole. 

They stayed connected for many long moments and then eventually they both rolled over to lie on their sides, facing one another. They stared deeply into each other's eyes. Astarion pulled his pants back up, and Tav lay sleepily with her flesh still exposed. "This won't do." He said as he scooped her up with his arms.

"Oh!" She squeaked, as Astarion carried her bridal style to his tent.

He lay Tav down on his bedroll. "One moment, love, I will be right back!" He said with newfound energy.

Astarion searched for one of the most soft fabrics that he had kept for future sewing projects. He found the silky red cloth and he soaked it with water from the river. It was cold, but it will have to do. He made long strides back to his tent to find Tav, who was almost sleeping. 

"This is going to be a bit cold, little bird." He cooed. He then ran the damp cloth along her most vulnerable parts. She hummed sleepily and smiled as he slowly cleaned her up with seemingly the highest degree of care. He then took the same cloth and cleaned himself up briefly. 

The night was warm, but Tav, being alive, was more susceptible to the temperature. He only had his brown boyish blanket in his tent, so he quickly went to Tav's tent and snagged all of her pillows and blankets to bring them back to her in his tent. She was like a sleepy doll. He propped her head up on the softest pillow and covered her body in the warmest blankets. She sleepily hummed with glee, and Astarion looked at her snuggled up in the blankets, admiring his handiwork. 

He changed into a fresh set of night clothes and then joined her under the blankets. He faced her and affectionately brushed his fingers across her cheek and under her ear. His palm rested on her cheek and his thumb stroked her cheekbone. He would speak to her about all this in the morning, and apologize for feasting upon her like a ravenous beast; but for now, she was in his arms and he felt an unyielding desire to take care of her. She nuzzled into him and kissed his hand. He leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead. She turned around so her backside was facing him. She scooted back to connect with him. His touch was soothing and cool against her under the warm blanket. He froze for a moment at the overwhelming affection, and then he fell into her and held her tight. 

He didn't know exactly what these feelings were, but he knew that this was nice.

They both closed their eyes, and Tav fell into a deep sleep. Astarion began to trance. He didn't know it yet, but this would be the best trance he would have in 200 years.

Author notes:

HEY. Thanks for reading if you made it this far. I actually haven't really ever written anything before, and I don't plan on writing anymore. It took a really long time, and it was way harder for me than I thought. The number of times I had to look at synonyms. Ffs... lol. But YEAH. I actually don't have much of an interest in writing anyways so it's all good. Srsly kudos to any of you who are writing fics, especially the lengthy ones. I have no idea how you do it. Every paragraph is a brain fart for me. Please don't mind any mistakes. I used grammarly, and I TRIED MY BEST LOL. ANYWAYS, LOVE YOU, SMOOCHIES.

[sun-snatcher]

hello! i love ur work and i was wondering if u could do some live action zuko angst (that makes ur heart sink) and then it progresses to fluff (that makes ur heart swell) please? HAHA idk if it makes sense but i rlly love ur work!! hope ure doing well n no pressure!!!

🐉・ HEARTBURN

summ.  Fresh from his banishment, Zuko faces the aftermath of his punishment in both his dreams and his waking hours. pairing. Zuko x f!reader (established relationship) w.count.  1k.  a/n.  A bit abstract on this one, but just typical dream logic. A glimpse at Zuko’s descent into madness, almost? Sorry anon if this is mostly angst than fluff! 🧎🏻‍♀️

Zuko’s dreams manifest at the scent of burnt flesh and the sound of his own screaming.

He feels the molten sting of a melting crown upon his skin and the fantastical beast that is his father; something monstrous— something scaled, fanged, clawed, and too large an appetite, with a touch and breath of fire that lights the skies in a blaze.

( He wakes up with his voice hoarse from screaming. The 41st Division will eventually learn early on not to mention it. They just leave a hot pot of tea ready for him come the mornings, by General Iroh's orders. )

Sometimes, it transgresses. Sometimes, it’s his mother who burns while he watches from the sidelines of the Agni Kai; Or Azula. Their shrieks mix with his when he wakes. 

Sometimes, it’s Iroh who scalds him. Great Dragon of the West, jasmine-white with razor teeth and a flame that burns as hot as the sun; serpent eyes a shining gold and a sharper tongue that spoke of his disappointment for his nephew. 

Sometimes, it begins with you.

Please, you beg, at the foot of a winged beast. It speaks in the voice of his father; damning, all-encompassing. It warns the Prince the price of compassion, of mercies, and of weaknesses. Eliminate her, or I will. 

Rarely does Zuko ever move. He’d plead in your name, to spare your life. It never happens; he just wakes to the smell of smoke and the sound of your screaming.

( There are dreams he doesn’t speak at all to defend you. The shame devours him whole. )

“I’ve killed you over a hundred times, in my sleep.”

In the aftermath of another nightmare, you turn to face Zuko. You’re not quite sure what to say. 

“Other nights, it’s the 41st, or Uncle,” he says, quietly. “Even mom, or Azula.”

You turn back to the small medical chest on the desk. The infirmary is quieter at times like these; the soldiers of the 41st know not to visit the usual haunts of their Prince. Tonight, Zuko will have to replace the bandages of his scar, and there are only two people on this ship he’d ever trust in his life to lay a hand on it.

You’re shifting towards where he’s sitting on one of the cots. “May I?”

( You ask. You always ask. Even when you’ve done this nearly fifty times, you ask. Zuko is glad; there’s a comfort in agency, especially when he’s gotten so used to losing it every time he sleeps.  )

He nods, and you make quick work to unravel the bandages. When the layers come away, you observe the way his left eye shuts and opens as he blinks, remaining half-closed into a permanent expression of pain. He looks away, downcast. 

The skin around is stretched taut, some areas rawer than others, marred with growing scar tissue that knots in twisting valleys. ( Zuko has only seen the scar once. He’s covered the mirrors in his room ever since; avoids glancing at his own passing reflections. )

The wound is still fresh; the memories fresher.

You don’t flinch at the sight or recoil like the other soldiers or dignitaries. 

He finds… solace in that.

( Something roils in his mind. It uncurls and hisses and growls. )

“Tilt your head for me,” you say, ready to replace the cotton on his eye with a new one. 

He stops your wrist just as you do. 

Your heart jumps at the contact. His hands are warm.

“Why?” he blurts.

You blink in confusion.

“Why’d you come with me?”

The reply is instant, and unintentionally drowned in affection. “Where else would I have belonged?”

Zuko almost answers instinctively: With me. By my side. He shakes his head.

“You should have never come,” he says, instead. He’d grown fond of you over the years. Too fond; over some Firenation colonel’s daughter, a force to be reckoned with and yet a childhood friend who he’d played and studied and fought with countless times. Fond enough that he’d been foolish to let you step foot into the ship of the 41st Division the day he’d been banished; fond enough to be foolish enough to allow you to put yourself in harm’s way. “You could’ve had a better future back home.”

“But a miserable one,” you counter. 

His nostrils flare as he sighs. You watch the way his brows weave to a frown, the way they always did whenever he’s tamping down his frustration. "Nothing is more miserable than being banished from home. Yet here you are walking away from it.”

“You and I both know the palace was never a home for me,” you say. “I’ve been by your side my entire life. I’m not about to break that streak over some punishment. You matter to me.”

Zuko’s heart stifles. 

( Compassion, he hears the wings of the blood-red dragon in his dreams unfurl. Compassion is a sign of weakness. )

“It was a stupid move,” he blurts, letting go of you. He had wanted it to be emotionless, but it comes out as distinctively bitter: “Sooner or later you’ll come to regret your decision. Then, you’ll see I was right all along.”

“Maybe,” you say, just to appease him. “But I doubt it.”

( Lies, jeers the serpent. You have only yourself to rely on in this world, Zuko. )

For the sake of conversation, you don’t provoke him further. You continue, instead, with replacing the dressings around his eye. He’s angry enough as is with the world— with you. For being stubborn. And strong. And steadfast. And loyal. And—

Zuko glances at your face in focus, your hands so careful in binding the gauze it’s nearly featherlight. “Tell me if it hurts,” you say, with gentle authority. 

The ire leaves his body. Zuko’s gaze softens at a realisation:

“Not once have you ever hurt me. Not even in my dreams.”

It’s a statement so frighteningly vulnerable that it has you stilling. Your breath staggers. Something swells in your chest. You let your hand rest on his cheek, thumb below his scar. The touch is reassuring. Zuko wants to lean into it.

“I don’t think I ever could,” you answer, honestly. 

( She can, sings the beast. She will. And once she does, know that it will burn tenfold than what I've done. )

Zuko's hand settles on top of yours. 

“You can hurt me,” he concedes, solemn, voice barely above a whisper. “You can if you must. I command it.”

( The dragon in his head hisses. For now, it retreats. )

[clu-ven]

Uh oh... there's only one bed! The Bad Batch Edition

word count: 2.1k - tw: mention of nightmares

After getting ambushed by some bounty hunters, what started off as a simple job quickly became a shootout. Luckily, no one got hurt but thanks to a few explosions and blaster fire from almost every direction, the Batch got split up. 

Thankfully the bounty hunters retreated after the initial shootout, jumping on their speeders and fleeing. Although this makes things a bit easier, you’re still separated, with most of the Batch already regrouped. Now the last two people left to join them are you and him, the both of you side by side and listening intently to the others over an encrypted comm channel. 

After some debating, the Batch concludes that you two should find somewhere to spend the night and join them back at the ship tomorrow, deeming the trek back to the Marauder too dangerous after dark.

Once you find a gloomy (but cheap) motel, you go up to the main desk and ask for a room. With the excitement of the day turning into exhaustion, neither you or him think of clarifying what kind of room you want, presuming the receptionist gives you the key to a twin room. 

Expecting to see two beds in the room, your eyes go wide when you open the door to see only one…

HUNTER

Entering the room to see only one bed, Hunter sighs, his shoulder deflating. It’s been a long, strenuous day and debating over who gets the bed isn’t what he needs right now.

He automatically offers it to you, not only out of exhaustion but because he genuinely thinks you deserve it more. Hunter’s never had a comfy bed, often preferring to nap on the chairs aboard the Marauder than the actual bunks. So the way he sees it, sleeping on the floor is more familiar to him.

But of course this doesn’t suit you, insisting that he takes the bed instead. He’s too tired to do this “No you should have it” “No you” debate and so he’s quick to compromise, commenting on how the bed is big enough for the both of you.

Hunter’s extremely respectful when you’re both in the bed together. He keeps close to the edge of the bed and opts to sleep on his side so he takes up as little space as possible.

And that should be it… both of you staying on your respective sides of the bed and nodding off to sleep.

But that doesn’t sit right with Hunter.

He’s overtired but being in a new environment means his senses are on high alert. Hunter doesn’t see how he’s supposed to get any rest while his senses are completely on edge. And so he turns to the one thing his senses are familiar with… you.

You hear him turn over and within a few seconds, you feel Hunter’s arm slowly wrap around you. He does this very cautiously, keeping an eye out for any sign of discomfort from you. But when you let out a soft sigh and move towards Hunter, he takes that as a good sign.

With his arms around you, Hunter nuzzles his face into your hair. Your scent grounds him, your body acting as a safety blanket to his senses as he finally drifts off to sleep.

He keeps his arms around you during the night and when you wake in the morning, you find your head softly pressed against his chest and Hunter’s face still covered by your hair. He wouldn’t speak about this afterwards, unsure what to say or how to explain his need to have you close but if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, Hunter will definitely be cuddling you again.

TECH

When Tech sees the bed, he understands what the most logical solution is… albeit slightly flustering to think about.

Sharing the bed means the two of you will get some proper rest and considering you’ll both need to make it back to the ship tomorrow, rest is something you both desperately need.

But Tech doesn’t suggest it immediately, taking his time to look around the small room for any viable alternatives. He could sleep on the floor but considering the large amount of stains and random discolouring, Tech’s pretty sure he’ll catch some kind of sickness if he lays down on it.

Already beginning to build a barrier of pillows down the middle of the bed, he shares his thoughts with you and how he believes sharing the bed is the best option.  You (obviously) don’t oppose his plan and help him with the barrier.

But is the barrier needed? Nope, in fact within an hour, you’re already dismantling the pillow barrier.

You both try to get some sleep but after the events of the day, you’re worried and ask Tech what he thinks will happen next. That turns into a conversation about if the Empire will ever truly let the Batch go and then discussing what you both hope to do in that ideal world, where the Batch is truly free. During this conversation, you both begin removing pillows from your barrier, finding it hard to have such a deep conversation with pillows blocking your view of one another.

Tech knows he should cut the conversation short and get some much needed rest, but there’s something within him that stops him from doing so. Usually it’s impossible to talk with you for this long without some kind of interruption from the others.

It’s rare to get so much time to talk to you one on one and now that he has all night with you, Tech doesn’t want to waste it. Kriff, fantasising about the future is the last thing Tech would normally do but with you? He can do it all night if you want.

It’s almost the early hours of the morning by the time you drift off to sleep, your head lazily resting against Tech’s shoulder as your eyes begin to close.

Tech doesn’t mind, shortly drifting off to sleep after you with a small smile on his face and arm wrapped protectively around you.

WRECKER

This doesn’t really phase Wrecker. The second his eyes land on the lone bed, he only has one question; do you want to be the big spoon or little spoon?

The way he sees it, there’s not much he can do to change this nor is this a big deal to him.

You’re both good friends and this wouldn’t be the first time you’ve fallen asleep together. Simply, it is what it is and Wrecker’s okay with that.

It’s been a turbulent few weeks but Wrecker sees this as a break away, a mini vacation for just the two of you.

If you haven’t eaten yet, he’ll suggest you both go out to a local shop and buy as many snacks as you can. Wrecker is basically seeing this as a sleepover and what’s a sleepover without some midnight snacks?

The room is pretty basic so while there’s no way to watch any holomovies, Wrecker instead finds entertainment in your stories about life before the war. Any story you have, whether it be about your childhood or a night in 79’s, Wrecker wants to hear it.

The both of you spend most of the night sprawled across the bed, doing little competitions like who can throw a snack highest and catch it in their mouth.

When you’re both out of energy, there’s no actual discussion about sharing the bed. It just happens naturally, your head resting on Wrecker’s large arm as sleep takes over.

When you wake up the next morning, you’re on top of Wrecker, who’s snoring softly against you. His arms are thrown loosely around you as he holds you against his chest. Yeah you’re basically his replacement for Lula the Tooka doll.

It’s hard to get up, not because of Wrecker’s grip but because he’s so damn cosy. Closing your eyes, you decide another five minutes of bliss wouldn’t hurt.

ECHO

He won’t admit it but when the door slid open to reveal only one bed, Echo got a twist of anxiety in his gut.

Suddenly he doesn’t feel tired (or at least that’s what he tells you). And besides, the bounty hunters could still be lurking around so it’s dangerous for you both to sleep. Before you can question it, Echo gives the order that you sleep and he’ll take watch.

Echo can be quite a stubborn guy when he wants to be, so no matter how many times you suggest he gets some rest or offer to take the first watch, Echo brushes it off and insists he stays up.

It doesn’t take much thought to figure out why Echo is so adamant about staying awake. Sleeping next to you would be a dream come true for him but what if his modifications hurt you while he’s asleep? 

One accidental move of his arm during the night and he could hit you over the head with his scomp link. The very thought of that frightens him so if it were to actually happen, Echo is sure he wouldn’t recover.

After much back and forth, you get him to take watch while sitting on the bed, his back against the headboard as you sleep next to him. That way, at least Echo has some comfort, you under the duvet beside him while he sits rather rigidly next to you.

You fall asleep pretty quickly but you move quite a bit. Tossing and turning in your sleep, your brain can’t seem to relax, too wound up with all that’s happened recently.

Eventually, you roll a little too close to Echo, your body bumping off of him as you throw your arm around his waist. He stills, unsure whether he should move or if doing so would wake you.

Within a few seconds, you curl your body against his, your head resting on his thigh as you hold onto him, finally seeming peaceful in your sleep.

Echo has to admit, it’s pretty cute to see you relax almost the second you cuddle him, a warm feeling igniting in his chest. Suddenly, his worries begin to melt away and he wants to curse himself for overthinking the situation and not grabbing on to this opportunity while he could.

Despite being somewhat annoyed at himself, Echo’s grateful you’re next to him, nuzzling into him as you sleep. Absent-mindedly trailing his hand up and down your back, Echo rests his head against the cushy headboard, letting sleep take over.

CROSSHAIR

He rolls his eyes. That’s his first reaction. After all the shit he’s been through today and now this?! Crosshair isn’t happy.

You almost don’t catch what he says, his words coming out as a mutter as he tells you to take the bed and he’ll keep watch. Crosshair isn’t in the mood to debate this, so any suggestion you make of him also getting some rest is met with a sarcastic reply or a quip about how you’re wasting energy complaining when you should be sleeping.

While you get into the surprisingly soft bed, Crosshair sits at the bottom of the bed, sniper in hand as he cleans the weapon. It doesn't need to be cleaned but keeping himself busy helps fight off the urge to sleep.

Silence fills the room and you drift off to sleep, knowing you’ll be safe with Crosshair keeping watch.

But as soon as you fall asleep, that feeling of safety fades away and the nightmares begin. They don’t happen every night but when they do, the nightmares completely take over, causing you to mumble to yourself and flail in the bed.

When you leave out a particularly loud cry, Crosshair pauses, glancing behind his shoulder at you. He doesn't need an explanation of what this is, suffering from his own nightmares. 

Settling his sniper down on the wobbly coffee table, Crosshair moves closer to you, sitting beside your sleeping figure and watching as your face becomes clouded by dread. 

He’s not sure what to do, but hesitantly Crosshair places his hand on your shoulder, trying to still your erratic movements as he says “It’s alright, I’m here, you’re safe with me”.

His voice soothes you in ways you can’t even describe, his tone so calm yet confident. He’s shocked when the nightmares seem to subside, further encouraging him to continue his reassurances to you.

The more he reassures you, the more you seek out Crosshair’s warmth, your arms instinctively reaching out to him. As you try to cuddle him, Crosshair rolls his eyes before moving deeper into the bed, letting you cuddle into his side. This isn’t how he expected the night to go but now that you’re sleeping with your face in by his neck and leg on top of his, he assumes he’s stuck like this until you eventually wake up.

[ellewritesalright]

The Lost Princess - Part 1

Kaz Brekker x fem!reader

Synopsis: The old Queen Mother of Kerch's former royal family is offering a hefty reward to whoever returns her rumored-to-be-alive granddaughter to her. Kaz being Kaz hears about the reward and hatches an elaborate plot involving a fake princess. Reader is a lowly amnesiac orphan and escaped indenture who flees to Ketterdam where she gets tangled in Kaz Brekker's plot.

A/N: Hello friends!! Here is part one of a series I started writing a few years back but never published. It's inspired by the movie and musical Anastasia. I hope you all enjoy, and I hope it makes enough sense haha

Warnings: sickness, mentions of death, mentions of drowning, mentions of violence. pls let me know if I've missed anything

Word Count: 2056

..........

It was happening again.

You sat upright in the bed of your cheap lodgings, swinging your legs to the side and touching the floor. The threadbare rug was itchy against your toes as you took deep breaths, a desperate attempt at grounding yourself. Still, the dizziness did not subside. It came along every so often, never without the cryptic nightmares. There was always vertigo and memories of plunging into dark waters.

At least, you thought they must be memories. There was a significant gap in your mind from birth to the age of about ten, and the first thing you could remember was waking up on a fishing boat on the True Sea. The fishers handed you over to their boss, a wealthy merchant named Devisser, once you made port, and you were made to work for him in a fifteen-year indenture. You had worked as a scullery maid in that man's second home on the southern shores, but you managed to escape your indenture five years early, running off to Ketterdam.

Nowadays you were free to do whatever you pleased--if it was within budget, of course. You had precious little in your life, and you couldn't squander your money in the gambling dens of the city. 

You had to be smart if you were to make it to Os Kervo. Another maid at the house had said that there was a better chance of smuggling yourself to Novyi Zem than to find a safe passage to Ravka, but you didn't let her sway you. You had to get to Os Kervo. It was difficult to explain, but you felt instinctively that someone was waiting there for you. In your dreams, the better and brighter ones where you could feel the warmth of arms around you, there was a voice that whispered, "I'll meet you there, my little tiger. We'll be together in Os Kervo."

The only trouble was how you could get there. You had no travel papers or identification, and it was difficult to obtain any--even fake ones--with such little money. It was a difficult position you were in. 

So you went about your life, picking up odd jobs using fake names. Your name is already fake as it was. The surname, Vos, was given to you by one of the more kind fishers who pulled you from the water. He gathered a mound of blankets around you and sat with his arm around you, trying desperately to keep you warm. Sometimes you wondered about him, wondered whether he was still fishing for Devisser. Perhaps if the captain of that ship had not seen fit to hand you over to their boss the kind fisher would have taken you in. Life might have been better if you had been offered a chance at a family instead of an apron and a crushing daily workload. 

Your feet carried you to the wardrobe in this shabby lodging room. You had to sweep a spider off your jacket before you slipped it on. The morning air was a nice reprieve against your warm face as you walked down the streets. Shops were opening, food vendors were starting the fire in their ovens; Ketterdam was waking up.

You meant to walk further than the Barrel, but you stopped as you saw the window of some sort of pawn shop. There was a dress in the window. It was the emerald green of a kind of fabric you had never owned but knew instinctively would be smooth to the touch, like a flat stone one might skip on the ocean. There was something so familiar about the short ruffles of the over-the-shoulder sleeves; perhaps you had seen a guest at the big house wearing something similar when you used to spy from the door to the servant's quarters. 

There was no way you would be able to purchase such a beautiful gown, you barely had enough money to get by as it was, but you were drawn into the shop because of it. You had to spend some more time around it and the other beautiful items in the shop. You hadn't been around such lavish things since… well, never.

The bell above the shop door jangled, alerting a woman at the counter to your appearance. She smiled, but the sight struck you in the chest. As an amnesiac orphan, you learned early on that people saw you as weak, helpless, and naive. For your youth and lack of guidance, you were perceived as easy pickings, and people tried their tricks on you more often than you could count, especially here in Ketterdam. You'd learned to tell what was genuine and what was fake when you interacted with others, and the woman's smile was the first real smile you'd seen in a long time. 

"A beautiful dress for a beautiful young lady," the woman said.

You shook your head with a pleasant enough smile. "I was just looking. I could never afford such a thing."

"And yet here you are in my shop." She followed your eyes to a case of assorted valuables. When she saw the dull music box you stared at she hummed. "Would you like to know a secret?" You turned to her "That music box is from the old palace. It belonged to the missing princess herself, I swear on Ghezen and the saints."

You pondered the validity of her words, keeping a level expression so as not to upset her with your doubt. Everything you heard about the dead royal family seemed like it happened a lifetime ago, and no amount of rumours about one of their daughters being alive somewhere would make it any less a ghost story. 

Still, you smiled politely. Despite her pleasant expression, she was only trying to sell you something, something you would not need even if you could have it. It wasn't even the most eye-catching thing in the display, just a decrepit old music box of tarnished silver. The music probably didn't even play anymore.

"It's lovely," you lied, "though I don't believe I could afford it."

"I could give you a special deal. I like to think there's something in my shop for everyone. The music box deserves to go home with you."

"That's generous, but--truly--I cannot make a purchase."

She tilted her head at you. "What is it you want, my dear? You've come into my shop, looked around, and you have the nerve to refuse my generosity--what is holding you back?"

"I've already told you," you said, "I couldn't afford it."

"And if I gave something for free?"

You brushed her off. "That's a terrible business model."

"Perhaps. But I like you, little runaway that you are. You're a long way from home--you deserve something nice."

You felt your pulse quicken. She shouldn't have known that. You weren't on the list of runaway indentures, so the stadwatch wouldn’t be looking for you. You breathed in before you could turn to her, balancing your composure with great care. Emotions were not useful in situations like this. "What brought you to that conclusion?"

"You keep your head down, which is normal in the Barrel, but you're not doing it out of habit, you're doing it out of fear. You must be hiding from something--from someone."

She was apt, you'd give her that. The trouble was figuring out the degree to which you could trust her. She could sell you back to Devisser in a second if she wanted to, but she could also be willing to help you. After all, she did say she liked you. You looked her in the eyes and then spoke.

"I'm trying to get to Ravka. The thing is, I don't have the money for travel papers, be they legal or illegal. I can't afford even that, and I could never afford anything in your shop." You straightened out, about to leave. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time--"

"Brekker can help you."

You stopped in your tracks. 

“He can get you to Ravka, no travel papers necessary.”

You faced her again, questioning, “Where can I find this Brekker?”

“He owns a club down the road from here. The sign has one of those annoying blackbirds on it.”

“A raven?”

“No, a pesky crow.” She fiddled with a set of keys around her neck. “Anyways, he can help you on your way. I assure you.”

“How much will this information cost me?”

“Nothing, my dear. I hope you make it to Ravka.”

You thanked her, ducking your head as you left the shop. You kept a wary eye about you as you wove through the streets, finding your way back to your lodgings. There was little trust in such a wicked city as Ketterdam, specifically here in the barrel, and you were constantly looking out for any sign of danger. The shopkeeper wasn’t dangerous, not from what you could tell, but you had to keep your wits. One false move and you could be sent back to Devisser. 

You couldn’t let that happen.

..........

Kaz stepped out from the back of the shop after the bell above the door rang out once more, signifying your departure. He was lucky to have been behind a particularly packed shelf furthest from the door, else you would have seen him and wouldn’t have explained your plan to Eugenia, the shopkeeper. Eugenia, for her part, did well to nudge you in the direction of the Crow Club. Undoubtedly she would want some credit for that, he knew. And, just as he thought, she brought it up as soon as he reappeared. 

"I've found your missing princess for you, Kaz," Eugenia smirked. "And how valuable she'll be for you."

"You didn't do anything for me, Eugenia. She'll be just as impossible as the others," he retorted.

He'd been auditioning young women to play the part of the missing princess for months now. Ever since he'd heard of a hefty reward posed by the old duchess and grandmother to the princess, he'd devised a plan, learning everything he could about the toppled royal family.

"I think she's the one. Do you know why?"

He kept his stare neutral, but the disapproval remained on his lips in permanence. Eugenia liked to speak as though she knew best, leading tourists and tramps into traps as she sold them tin under the guise that it was rare silver. Even wisdom offered by her would be false.

She continued. "She'll play the part--and she'll be damn good at it--because she's desperate. Desperation makes us do what we otherwise would not."

He tilted a brow at her. "What do you want?"

"Waive six months of my rent," she said. There was no way she thought that he would accept this deal. He didn't even have confirmation that you would find him or that you would be willing to go through with his masquerade. Eugenia was a fool.

"If she is a good fit for the princess, I will waive one month of your rent," he bargained.

"Hold on, she is going to make you a million Kruge--I deserve more than a month for that."

Kaz frowned at her, leaning into his cane. Who was she to make demands? "Firstly, there's no guarantee that she can do the job. Secondly, even if she is a good fit, I don't owe you anything. You decided to send her to me before you thought to broker a deal; I don't owe you a thing." 

She thumbed at her ring of keys. Eugenia was upset with herself and with him, he could tell. 

"If she can play the part," Kaz said, straightening out, "I am willing to waive three months of your rent on the condition that you supply me with whatever I might need from this shop free of cost."

"Whatever you need for the job, right? I can't just give you anything you want from now on."

He nodded. "Just for the job. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal."

Kaz left the shop without the rent that he'd initially come to collect, but with something much more valuable if he played his cards right. He'd only caught a glimpse of you, but he was inclined to believe what Eugenia said. Desperation makes us do what we otherwise would not, and you had sounded plenty desperate.

..........

A/N: Thanks for reading! Feel free to like, reblog, and comment if you want to read more, I really appreciate the feedback! If you want to be tagged in the other parts of this series please comment on this part or send me an ask. And if you want to request a fic, please feel free to send in an ask. Otherwise, I hope you have a great day/night :)

Masterlist

Tags: @justvibbinghere @happyhauntt

[ghostofskywalker]

Sweet Dreams

Hunter/Reader

Fictober Day 1 of 31

Words: 914

Summary: You get a visitor in your bunk for the night, and Hunter can't help but find it adorable.

Note: happy october everyone! i'll be posting 31 fics for 31 different characters this month!

Clone Troopers Masterlist

The sound of someone whispering your name and the feeling of that same person shaking you awake was the first thing you registered when you opened your eyes. The bunk area of the Marauder was still completely dark, indicating that it was not yet morning, so you were a little confused about the reason you were being woken up at this point.

Blinking your eyes open (and trying to keep them from immediately closing again), you could see the faint outline of someone next to your bed. “You need smmm?” you managed to croak out, voice heavy with sleep. There weren’t too many rules on this ship, but one of the ones that did exist (and was usually well-respected among the squad) was the one about not waking you up, unless there was a serious problem (like fire, death, or ambush).

In the haze of your sleepy state, you could hear Omega’s voice, and as the world came into focus you could see that it was indeed the young girl who had woken you. “What’s wrong?” you asked, immediately snapping awake when you noticed the tearful expression on her face.

“I had a nightmare,” she admitted softly. “And I know you said-”

You reached out to take her hand. “I remember,” you said, shifting so that there was more space next to you in your bunk. “Do you want to lay with me for a while?”

Omega nodded, immediately crawling in next to you. A little bit after she had started traveling with you and the Bad Batch, you had all had a conversation about nightmares. When the other members of the batch had left the area, you had softly offered that if she ever had a nightmare and she wanted some company or wanted to be somewhere else, she had full permission to just crawl into your bunk, whether you were in there or not. At first she had tried to say that your offer wasn’t necessary, but softened when you talked about having nightmares yourself, and the two of you agreed that even big kids could be scared sometimes.

“Do you want to talk about it?” you asked as she got settled next to you, and you wrapped your arm around her once she had gotten comfortable.

“Not really.” Her voice was soft and slightly shaky, and you just smiled as you brought your arm up to run through her hair, the soothing gesture bringing a smile to her face.

“That’s fine,” you whispered. “I’m here if you change your mind, but it’s okay if you just want to stay here too.”

She nodded, and you could see (even in the dark of the ship) that she was growing more and more tired. You brought your blanket up to cover more of her body than it had been before, and the sound of your soft hums guided her to sleep, with you falling back asleep right beside her.

***

As Hunter stared out at the blue streaks of hyperspace passing by, he tried to keep his fatigue at bay. If it were up to him, right now he would be snuggled up in his bunk, fast asleep as someone else took a shift making sure that nothing in the cockpit blew up while they soared between systems. But unfortunately it was his turn to spend half of the night awake, and that dream could not be a reality for another hour or so.

Well, if it was really up to him, he would be snuggled up next to you. While he did not yet have the official title of “boyfriend,” something serious was certainly developing between you and him, and sometimes the two of you shared a bunk (something he secretly hoped happened every night). He didn’t think his brothers knew anything about it, but he wasn’t sure.

By the time Echo stepped into the cockpit to relieve him of his “shift,” Hunter was yawning and could barely find the ability to stay awake. He nodded at his brother in thanks as he got up to head back to the bunks, but as he walked down the hall, he could have sworn that he heard Echo say something about not being able to sleep in his bunk, which he just barely acknowledged before stepping into the room. Suddenly, his brother’s comment made both more sense and less sense (if that even made sense at all).

Hunter’s bunk (as expected) was completely empty, but he finally found the answers to his questions when his head turned to look at your bunk.

Omega was cuddled up next to you, and the two of you had similar expressions of tranquility on your faces. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face at the scene, and there was a part of him that wanted to see if he could get into bed as well, to try and wrap his arms around both of you. But he knew (as did Echo, apparently) that he wouldn’t be able to do so without disturbing you, and so Hunter decided to sleep in his own bunk for the night.

As he fell asleep, he tried not to think about the fact that he had apparently not been as secret in his affections as he previously thought, and it was likely that everyone on the ship knew something about his affinity for you.

And of course, he also couldn’t stop thinking about how cute you and Omega looked cuddled up together.

- the end - 

i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!

[iggy5055]

Yandere Emperor Darth Vader x Reader Part 2

Suites Vader. Vader uncrispy.

Summary: (Y/N) walks up feeling different but she can't figure out why while Vader gets her to their new home safe and sound.

Warning: depressing, memory manipulation, yandere, obsessive.

Waking up felt fuzzy, fuzzy and painful. Like parts of my mind were in a thick fog, I knew I was forgetting something, that there was something missing I just didn't know what. It felt like a lot though. That, and I had a headache that could kill a Rancor.

I reach my hand up to my head but as I reach up I felt two large, strong arms wrapped around my stomach tightly and an equally strong body pressed to my back. Despite the restricting arms I didn't feel scared. I felt safe, calm, happy and really really comfortable aside from the spitting headache.

I look around trying to figure out what I did and didn't remember. I look around, my eyes a little blurry from sleep. I don't think I've ever slept so hard in my life.

I was in a bed, a huge very soft bed. I was facing a huge window. I knew I was in space, I knew I was in space, that much was obvious but instead of seeing little white dots of stars I saw blue lines moving really fast. I was really confused, I had never heard or seen anything like this, maybe it was a space thing, like a bunch of shooting starts in space. It was an amazing view though. Bathing the room in a soft yet strong blue. It was a strong contrast to the red and black of the room.

I look over to what I assumed was a refresher door, and beside it a fireplace. I had to crane my neck to see it, which did nothing for my headache, the arms around me not giving any space to really move. The fireplace was lit, letting off a warm glow. The light from the fire meeting the blue light from outside meeting to make a soft sunset, It looked like the most beautiful sunset in the galaxy. It was an odd mix of colours but it was none the less gorgeous.

I tried to get up only for the arms around me to tighten, but regardless of the arms I fell back immediately, my headache only getting worse as I get up. Both my hands shoot up to my head holding it.

I couldn't hold back the whimper, the pain being much worse now than when I woke up. I felt the arms around me shift, but I didn't pay much mind to it, almost not even noticing it until a hand reached up and placed itself on my forehead, forcing me to lean my head back into the parson behind me.

The hand was warm and nice but sightly callused from what must have been years of training and hard work, but none the less comforting.

"How are you feeling, little one?"

His voice was concerned yet calm but I still froze, my eyes shooting open finally remembering who I was with. Remembering that the Emperor had taken me onto his ship, but for the life of me I couldn't remember details. Just that he came to my small little planet and then I was on his ship only to pass out sometime while looking up at him as he carried me aboard.

It seemed strange, I remember feeling terrified but also very safe, but I don't remember anything else.

I didn't say anything, I didn't even know what to say. I had to take a second to remember what the Emperor just asked me, Still a little shocked that it was the Emperor holding me to his chest. But after a while of silence he seemed to get impatient.

"Little one?"

His tone was a little harder this time but it wasn't angry hard more like making sure he was heard hard. But either way he was still clearly wanting an answer. But one thing was clear, he sounded almost, worried?

"M-My head... it h-hurts."

I felt him shuffle behind me, his comforting hand leaving my forehand. He moved around but I didn't turn to look at him, not wanting to hurt my head by moving anymore and in all honesty being too scared to look at him right now.

I mean I was with the fucking Emperor. Not only that but I was complaining about a headache to the Emperor.

I felt him get out fo the bed and heard footsteps walk over to me. I keep my eyes open but don't dare look up at him, keeping my eyes on the window and the strange blue lines. He kneels down, giving me a good look at his shirtless body. He was clearly strong, muscles decorating his body for years of training and work.

Once he is on his knee he tilted his head slightly to the side, forcing his face into my line of sight, finally I turn my eyes to look at him. His face was soft but still a hint of concern in his eyes.

He reaches his left hand up lightly placing it on the side of my head, rubbing his thumb lightly on my temple. Even thought his touch was light as a feather it still hurt. I flinched a little, the touch making the painful pressure and throbbing feeling in my head only getting worse.

I flinched and wined a little, trying to move back into the bed, snuggling into the pillow and pull the blanket over my head. Only reviling the top of my hair.

I could hear him chuckle for a second, but only for a second. I heard him get up as I regret my decision to snuggle into the bed the movement hurting my head even more.

He shuffled around but I didn't bother looking or paying any kind of attention to him just keeping my eyes closed tightly like the tighter I keep my eyes shut the faster the pain will leave. If only.

I heard him shuffling around then a door opening and closing followed by silence.

Finally I let out a loud sob. I didn't want the Emperor to see me cry so I tried to hold it in. Especially because I had a huge gap in my memory. I felt like an incomplete puzzle, and that scared me.

I couldn't help the deep glare that was on my face. I should have been able to wake up before her, already having food waiting for her and having pills for her when she was done her food. I checked the time, it was 10:24 and she didn't eat supper last night, she must be behind starving.

The head ache was clearly worse than I thought. I was a fool to think it wouldn't feel like her head was spitting open. I was fully in her mind and she didn't even seem to notice a thing. Which made sense, all I could feel was a pain like she had never felt before. My poor little one. Even with her memories blocked off she was still so scared and confused. It made sense of course, she had a huge gap in her memory. She knew she met me but she didn't know or how she got here. When I explain i'll have to figure out some kind of story.

All she knew was that she saw me in that poor excuse of a port but after that there was nothing until I was caring her onto the ship and put her to sleep with the force. But of course I can only do so much, I can't do anything about her emotions.

I walk over to the kitchen. I couldn't wait to get back to Coruscant, having our own rooms, kitchen, library. Not being stuck in a stuffy ship. I couldn't wait to show her the garden. Considering the forest covering most of her planet I imagine she would love it. It will be much better once I get her out of that stuffy room, but I imagine meeting new people isn't in her best interest right now. the first step is for her to trust me. Culture shock isn't what she needs.

Getting to the kitchen I open the doors and freeze at what I saw, my vision turning completely red.

I had given orders to have all meals prepped by a specific times during the day for me and my little (Y/N) and to be on call for any other foods and snacks she may need at any time. But instead of having food completely prepared and ready for me to take to my hurting love despite being past the time it should be ready almost three hours ago I find my chefs lazing about doing nothing. No food, no prepped food, not even anyone getting ready to cook just standing around and catting.

The second I comprehend what was really in front of my I stretched out with the force at the speed of light. The whole room froze. Every chef, every sous chef and every dishwasher froze. The room went silent. They all slowly turned, partly from fear and partly from my heavy force signature surrounding them. They're eyes where wide and scared, very clearly scared but also very shocked, but not because I was there. Only then did I realize I didn't have my armour on.

I immediately got even more annoyed. The armour was heavy and clunky and very strong but the main reason I wore it was because of the fear it brought others. it made me seem inhuman, covering me head to toe. Never having it off made me seem inhuman. Last night they had already left but the food was ready. I just had to heat it up and take it to her so they had never seem me like this.

I did take solace in the fact that I could still kill them and it is impossible for them to know me as Anakin Skywalker but I still wish I could keep completely anonymity, it was convenient being faceless and only known as the Emperor or Lord Vader, but now the name had a face. I'll have to kill them before the news spreads but right know my little one was alone, hungry and in pain and she is my highest priority.

Slowly I move closer, almost at a stalking pace, like a wolf hunting its prey. No one dared to move after they turned to face me. Eyes wide and mouth slightly opened.

"Explain."

My voice was clipped and harsh. I stared down at the head chef, waiting for him to reply.

He couldn't move. I wasn't using the force on him but it was heavy in the air. I would bet he was even having some trouble breathing. Sweat was dripping from him, frozen like a deer in headlights.

I was beginning to lose my patients, my little one was still in our room all alone in pain with no food and now she won't be getting food for a least a half hour. I knew he heard me. I was very clear, not only that but I was right in front of the incompetent fool I call my chef. Though I should say former.

I raise my hand forming a pincer shape with my fingers as it goes, the chef rising with it. Now clawing at his neck only to find nothing grab-ably there.

"I don't like repeating myself but I will ask once more. Explain."

I loosen my hold on his neck with the force, letting his feet touch the floor once again but I still had a good grip on his neck not choking his but still causing weight a bit of discomfort but know he could explain himself.

"I-I-- Who---?"

I almost rolled my eyes, he really could figure out who I was? He truly was incompetent.

I squeeze his neck harder.

"Try to guess."

I didn't want to play games, it only wasted my time and dragged out my loves pain but right know scaring him to death seemed like the most appealing option.

His eyes where wide as he gasped. I wasn't stoping his breathing completely, but I was still only allowing him little tiny breathes every know and then. I find this makes the suffocation worse. It lets them think for just a moment that I would stop and they would be able to breath right in no time, only for the hope to disappear as quickly as it came.

His sclera began to turn red as his eyes became blood shot. The chef had very vibrant green eyes the blood red was a strong contrast as his face suddenly pales.

"M-my Lo-lord?!"

I tilt my head slightly as the grin of a killer stretches across my face.

"You know why I am here?'

His face only seems to get whiter, finally realizing how much trouble he was really in, remembering what I had instructed them to do.

"M-my lor-d--"

I tighten my grip on his neck so hard his head looked like it was about to fall off only for me to release him once more.

"I suggest you stop stuttering and start explaining.'

He rubs his neck for a moment gasping and swallowing the saliva that had begun pooling in his dry mouth.

"Why isn't my loves food prepared?"

He only seemed to get more scared. if it wasn't for the adrenaline coursing through his body he probably would have passed out or even died from his heart failing after beating too fast and strong for to long.

he dropped to his knees his hands clasped in-front of him.

"My lord, please. when you didn't come at your designated time we figured that you wouldn't need your meal till lunch so we had gotten rid of it."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was so blind with rage My arm shot out to the side only for a crash and a thump with a sickening cracking should to be heard.

The chef slowly turns his head in the direction of my out stretched hand. There, in the direction of my hand was the sous chef, His eyes open and dull as the life drained out of them after crashing into a bunch of kitchen counter and supplies by my will and control of the force only to die instantly when he hits the far wall. His ribs shattering in his body on impact. A quick death, and more than he deserved.

"Because of your choice my beloved is now hungry, in pain, and won't be getting food as soon as she should."

My voice was seething with anger. I was barely keeping it together.

"Please my lord, forgive me, it will never happen again."

He continued to beg for his life and make promises about how he will be sure my lovely doesn't go hungry ever again. Well tempting, I knew he would die. first of course he will cook for my love until our trip is done but once we land on Coruscant and my love is situated he will die the most painful death I could imagine.

I hold my hand up finally deciding what to do.

"First; you will cut some fruit, then you will make the best breakfast you ever had like your life depends on it, and If I ever find my loves food is not ready at any time past her scheduled eating time, you will suffer like no one ever has before. "

He nodded immediately, of cues he didn't know the second we landed he would suffer whether my love enjoyed the food or not. but if she docent, i'll be sure he will be alert for every kind of pain I choose to inflict.

Within seconds I was handed a plate of cut fruit, cut by one of the chefs helpers and they all started to cook a proper meal.

I turn and walk out the door food in hand and grab my comm with the other to contact my Purge troopers.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Once the chefs are done cooking for the day take them to the brig, make sure they suffer but be sure they can still work tomorrow. And post two guards at the door at all times."

"Yes, my lord."

The trooper sounded a little too happy about the impending torcher, but they did seem to enjoy causing pain. But then again that was what they are good at. It's why they are purge troopers. They are meant to cause pain.

I begin to walk down the hallway to my loves and my room. As I walk I realize that I wasn't monitoring her with the force anymore. I figured it was best to constantly be monitoring her with the force as she shifts into this new confusing way of living, but in my anger I hadn't even noticed I wasn't monitoring her mind.

I sigh, feeling like a fool that I couldn't keep my force around her, both feeling how she feels but also making sure that she could feel my force around her and that if felt safe and calm, like a warm blanket on a cold day.

I was almost there when I reached out to her again only to pick up my pace. Once my force reached her I immediately picked up the pace while still being mindful of her food.

I reached the door in record time, now feeling her distress even stronger. I could hear her soft sobs throughout the door.

I open the door, I knew she heard it because she tried to quiet down her cry's and be a still as she physically could when in so much pain.

I slowly move over to her, not wanting to startle her or scare her anymore. I didn't like that she felt the need to hide her tears for me but I did understand it. I was new, her location was new, her whole life was new and it was only the second day and she was only awake for about a half hour last evening. She had almost no time to process her new surroundings.

Her back was to the door facing the window but the blanket was over her eyes, only to top of her head with the cutest bed head hair. All messy and tangled.

I place the fruit down on her bed side table. Kneeling down beside her, opting out of sitting on the bed not wanting the movement of my siting down to distress her even more.

The blanket was held over her face till about the middle of her forehead with clenched fists. For the look of the blanket, her knuckles must be snow white. She was shaking horribly. Letting out the occasional hiccup as she tried to suppress her tears and sobs.

My heart broke at the sight of her. It hurt me more than I could comprehend.

I gently place my hand over the blanket on her face. I could feel her tense. Trying to stop her shaking but failing in the end. I tugged on the blanket a little, not trying to pull it off but just letting her know I was there and that I wanted to see her face. She didn't let her hands budge for a second but when I tugged a little again her hands moved a little.

I continued to gently move the blanket down till it was just under her chin. My heart seemed to shatter at the sight of her.

Her eyes where full of tears her cheeks red and puffy and she had red spots all over her neck indicating popped blood vessels. She refused to meet my eyes, clearly embarrassed.

I reach my hand up to her head. Once my hand touched her hair she flinched and closed her eyes at tight as she possibly could.

I gently start to stroke her hair, slowly coxing her to relax her tense muscles. Her eyes didn't open but they did relax. Her shaking didn't stop but she wasn't shaking in fear, she was shaking in pain.

"Hello, little one."

I make sure to keep my voice in a low calm whisper, loud noises or even just a regular voice would only hurt her more.

She open her eyes a little, looking up at my shyly.

"I know you are hurting my love but I need you to eat a little something before I give you something to take the pain away."

She shakes her head a little but then stops immediately when she realized it only hurt her even more.

"I know it hurts but you need to sit ups and eat a little, you haven't eaten for hours and you need to put something in your stomach."

She looks up at me again and closes her eyes again. I thought she was going to try and fight me, but she slowly moves to sit up. Before she can move too much I reach under her knees and her back while she was still wrapped up in the blankets making sure her head wouldn't be jostled too much. I lift her up and sit down on the bed placing her on my lap and having her lean on my back. Her head resting on my chest.

I didn't take the time before to realize how much shorter she is compared to me but as she sits on my lap its all I could think about.

After a moment of not moving and making sure she wasn't uncomfortable I reach over and grab the plate of fruit.

Once I held it in front of her she wiggled free one of her hands and reached for some food.

I chuckled a little, feeling her back move with my chest while I reach out my free hand and grab hers. She gasps a little clearly not expecting my hand so focused on the food in front of her.

I lean down and whisper directly in her ear, my lips pressed against the shell of her ear.

"Let me, little one."

Slowly her hand retracts back into her blanket cocoon making my hand let go of hers.

Once I was sure she was all wrapped up I reach over for a piece of fruit and hold it up to har lips, mine still lightly brushing her ear.

She hesitated for a moment, not wanting to be fed. I could feel her calm down a little however, her pain was still very present but her tears where starting to dry on her little cheeks and she was also losing some of the red in her cheeks.

Actually from what I could see from behind her and her side she was losing too much of her colour. She was getting so pale. She really did need some food.

I nudge the slice of fruit on her lips a little, trying to coax her mouth open. Finally she opened her mouth letting me slip the fruit into her mouth. As she chewed her fruit I brushed her lips with my thumb. They where so soft, all I wanted to do was kiss them. But I knew that would be too much for her, too much for her to bare.

Her mind was a mess, her thoughts in scrambles. I doubt she was even was thinking, just feeling. feeling scared, feeling confused and feeling a lot of pain.

The fear I couldn't do anything about yet but the pain and confusion I could.

She was nearly done her fruit, I could see her struggling to get through the pain.

"Atta girl, you're almost done, just a few more bites."

She turned her head and looked back at me, her eyes where glossy but the tears weren't falling just yet.

I lifted the last piece of fruit up to her lips, there wasn't a lot but more food was coming and once she gets some strong pain killers in her system she would feel much better.

She open her mouth and take the last piece of fruit. I had some juice on my fingers and she sucked the pads of my thumb and pointer finger lightly before starting to chew.

The feeling of her soft, perfect lips practically kissing my finger pads almost broke me. Almost made my composer shatter. All I wanted to do was lay her down on our bed, and hover over her as I did nothing but made she feel the best pleasure she has ever experienced. Make love to her till all she saw was stars. Till she was passed out in pure pleasure as I tucked her into the blankets and hold her till she wakes up in the morning.

I was broken out of my fantasy when I heard her let out a groan. Her head wasn't resting on my chest anymore. She was leaning forward, her hands once again no longer in her little cocoon but holding her head.

Without a word I picked her up again and set her down having her leaning on the head board, making sure her back was supported. I gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be right back, little one. Just breath I'll make all the pain go away."

I walk over to the bathroom, I kept several high end pain killers, mostly for my arm. I bend down and get the least potent drug I could but even so it would still leave her almost numb. I had a very strong drug resistance, having needed to take these pills for a long time. But for someone like my little girl who has probably never needed anything but a regular pain killer in her life it will hit her hard.

Just as I was walking out with my pill bottle There was a knock on the door. I sigh but hold back doing anything more. I didn't need (Y/N) to think I was angry or annoyed at anything just in case she would think all my anger was directed at her. The sigh alone was too much of a slip.

I set the pills down on her bedside table and cup her cheek as I kiss her forehead again.

"Just another second, baby girl."

There was another knock on the door, I could feel her flinch harshly at the sound of the door.

I nearly growl, barely catching myself. I storm over to the door opening it to see the Chef looking terrified with two purge troopers behind him.

By the look on his face he knew I was clearly angry.

"Your food, my lord."

I was handed two plates of waffles with fruit and syrup and a tall glass of orange juice.

Without another word I close the door the turn to (Y/N). She was eyeing the pills clearly wanting them.

I place the food on the glass table in front of the fire place and place a few more logs on the fire to keep it strong.

I walk back over to her with the glass on juice in hand and sit on the bed taking the pills off her night stand and placing the cup on the nightstand.

I open the bottle and place one pill in my hand. The drug was so potent she would only need one pill to last at least twenty four hours, well enough time to get to Coruscant. And while we where in light speed we should be there by mid noon.

I hold the pill up between my thumb and pointer finger.

"Open wide."

Without hesitation she opened wide, allowing me to pop the pill inside. I grab the glass of juice and hold it to her lips letting her take a few sips.

When I start to pull away the cup her little hand grip my wrist and holds the cup to her mouth drinking as much as she could.

I couldn't help the chuckle coming from me as I stared at her cute little face as she tries to drink as much juice as she possible could.

"Easy there, baby girl. there's no rush."

She finally lets me take away the cup but it was already practically empty.

" The pain killers will start to work any second. It's a very strong pain killer, ok?"

She nods mutely.

"I imagine you have lots of questions."

She nods again.

I take both her hands in mine. She felt so cold, colder then she should be.

"Come sit with me by the fire my love."

She still didn't look up at me but she shakily got onto her feet. She tried to take a few steps but she was a little shaky from the pain, the pain killer not fully kicked in just yet.

I stand up and wrap an arm around her waist, guiding her over to the couch. Sitting her down and getting a fuzzy blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders.

I make sure to push the waffles over to her.

"I know you have a lot of questions but you also have to eat a some more food."

She looked up at me, her eyes telling me she was clearly still scared.

"How about this, you ask me your questions, but when I answer them you have to take one bite of your food. Ok?"

She looks down at the plate of waffles. After a few seconds of her eyeing the food suspiciously her stomach growled, loudly.

Her cheeks became a bright crimson, and she looked away from the food.

I couldn't help my chuckle, she really was the cutest little thing.

I grab the plate of food and set it on my lap, grabbing the fork and knife and cutting a good piece of waffle off for her.

"Whats your first question, my love?"

She looks up at me, clearing wanting to ask her question but not wanting to eat. I could tell she thought it might be poisoned so to ease her mind I ate the piece that was on the fork.

Once I swallowed she seemed to lighten up a little.

I cut another piece off and wait for her to ask her question.

"W-where, am I-i?"

I smile lovingly down at her, happy to see her opening up a little. I hold the fork up to her lips, waiting for her to eat it. She hesitated again but this time it was just because she was embarrassed to be fed.

She put the fork in her mouth and started to chew, waiting for me to answer her question.

"We are currently on, my ship called The Executor."

I answered as I cut another piece of waffle for her. She nodded and swallows, taking in my answer.

"W-where are w-we going?"

She takes the next piece of waffle into her mouth.

"We are going your new home, Coruscant."

She nearly choked on her waffle, clearly not expecting that.

After she swallows she looks at me in shock.

"Your taking me to Coruscant?!"

I smirk a little and hold up a new piece of waffle up to her lips. She was clearly unamused but didn't fight and ate the waffle.

"Thats right, you know who I am don't you, my love?"

She nods, I knew she knew who I was, and I assumed she guessed that I was taking her to the galaxy capitol but some part of her must have thought it was to far fetched. A girl like her, being taken to the most luxurious planet in the galaxy, it must have felt like a dream.

"Well as my love it only makes sense to take you home with me."

Her cheeks suddenly got as red a a tomato. I had called her my love plenty of times but it could have easily been mistaken as a silly little nickname, having me actually call her my lover would seem a little abrupt.

"H-How did I b-become y-y-you're... love?"

She was clearly embarrassed, the words must have felt very foreign on her lips.

She was looking away from me, instead staring at the glass table and not seeing the waiting food in front of her.

I gently press the waffle to her lips making her gasp slightly, not expecting it.

She looked back up at me but didn't take the waffle into her mouth.

"You need to eat my dear, or I won't answer your questions till you do."

She stare at me, weighting her options. Her fear and pain was dialling down, near non-existent, mostly she was just feeling curiosity and at the moment more than a little defiant. Not liking the 'no answers unless you eat' rule.

She sighs a little but take the bite, eating it with a bit of a pout. I could help the urge to kiss her when I noticed a bit of the fruit sauce was on the corner of her mouth. And not being one to pass up such an opportune moment I leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth getting rid of the sauce but also being able to finally kiss her.

She went eye wide and stoped mid chew, I chuckled at her reaction. She swallowed quickly and turned her head away.

"You, didn't answer the question."

Her voice was quiet and timid, If I wasn't siting right beside her I probably wouldn't have heard her.

"I came to your small planet the fuel up my ships, we where visiting different planets around the galaxy and needed to fuel up, your planet was the closest. When we landed I had seen you in the space port but you had seemed to be in a rush. But from the second I saw you I knew I had to have you. I felt like the force was pulling me towards you, love."

She nodded, understanding my words so far.

"Me and a few of my men followed you to your tiny little village. I wanted to have you, but I didn't expect to just take you, however, when I found you your mother was beating you. Screaming something about getting the order wrong."

She looks up at me in shock, I wait a moment to see if she had something to say. She didn't speak but she had tears growing in her eyes.

"Ohhh, my love."

I coo at her, pulling her into my lap and kissing her temple. Being sure that her blanket was still tightly wrapped around her.

"It's ok, you're safe. Do you want me to continue?"

She lets out a shaky breath, trying her best to calm down and holding back tears but nods.

I make sure to hold her close and tightly, making sure she felt as safe as possible.

"When I saw her hurting you I felt like I couldn't breath. It hurt me to see you like that. Crumpled up on the floor as you where being beat. I had my trooper hold back you mother and father when he came out to defend your mother and I asked you if you where of. You where sobbing uncontrollably and bleeding from your head, begging for me to save you. so I took you to my ship and had a doctor look at you. You where in a batch tank for a few hours to heal your wounds but the doctor said you might be suffering from amnesia due to head trauma."

Once I was finished explaining she burst like a dam. Sobbing and crying, clinging to my chest as tightly as she could.

It broke my heart to see her like this but this was for the greater good. As far as she knew I was her saviour. I was the person she felt she should run to when she was scared and in distress. This would work out perfectly.

It started to all take sense. My puzzle was becoming complete. I remember seeing the Emperor at the port. I remember being in such a rush to get home but not why.

Know he is saying that my mother beat me so bad because I was in such a rush to get home I messed up the order and she was so mad she ended up beating me so hard I have amnesia.

All I could think of is how he saved me. It made sense. The dots where connecting, and it explained my horrible headache.

I clung to the Emperor as hard as I could, scared to let go. I was in the middle of space going to a planet I knew nothing about with both the strongest and most scary man in the world.

I was wrapped tightly in his lap, him holding me close to his chest. I could feel his strong steady heartbeat under my fist. It lulled me into calming down.

I couldn't stop my tears from coming and my slight sniffles and occasional hiccups.

"Thats it baby girl, I got you. Just calm down. Slow deep breaths."

My tears stopped and my hiccups slowed down as the weight of the situation really hit me. The Emperor himself had saved my life and essentially calmed me as his lover.

I started to shake, realizing I had no idea what to do or how to act in this situation. If I did what he wanted and did it right I was safe, if I did something wrong I could end up dead.

My shaking became uncontrollable. I wanted to push away from him but I didn't want to make him angry. So I figured the best thing I could do was to ask to be let go and apologize like a mad woman if he got made.

"M-my lord... c-could you p-please let me g-go?"

He let out a deep chuckle, his hand coming up to run his fingers through my hair. I gasp, but not because of the motion but because of his hand.

I was too scared and in too much pain earlier to realize that is was fake.

He pulls his hand from my hair and put it in front of my face, showing me his hand.

It was clearly beautifully constructed. It was slick black with hints of gold here and there.

I reach out a little to touch just focusing on the hand not paying attention to who it was attached to.

I come back to my senses when my hand was a few inches away and pull back when the hand in question moved to grasp my hand.

"No need to be shy, my love. You can touch me as much as you want."

His lips where pressed on my ear, a shiver running up my spine. Which now that I thought about it, felt completely bare.

"M-my lord, pl-please."

He keeps his lips pressed into my ear, his right hand still holding mine and stroking my fingers.

"On one condition."

I looked up into his amber eyes cautiously. While waiting for him to answer I took a second to take in his features.

He really was handsome. Slightly curly brown hair that came down to his shoulders in waves, amber eyes that seemed to look into my very soul, and very strong facial features. I notices he had a long scar going down his right eye. It looked like it really hurt.

"You have to call me Anakin."

I tilted my head to the side a little. Call him Anakin?

"I t-thought your name w-was Vader."

His hand let go of mine, moving to run his mechanical fingers through my hair once again.

"That was a name given to my by my late master, the previous Emperor, however the love of my life should call me by my true name."

I blushed when he said I was his true love. I barely knew him and he didn't know anything about me.

As if he could read my mind he smirked. It was like he knew something that I didn't but in all fairness he probably did.

I nod, agreeing to his terms.

"However that is a name only to be used in private, when in public you should call me Vader, or, you're love"

My blush deepened.

"o-ok."

I push on his chest a little, wanting to remove myself and get some distance. but his hand around my waist tightens. It wasn't painful, but the message was very clear.

"I want to hear you say it my love. Say my name for me."

I look up at him more then little hesitant but I didn't really have any other choice.

"o-ok... A-Anakin."

With a loving smile he sets me down in my previous spot on the couch, the fire still making the room warm and cozy. I look out the window to look at the shooting stars again.

"Isn't it d-dangerous for the ship t-to be fling in shooting s-stars, my lo- A-Anakin?"

I look back at him only to see a pretty confused face followed by yet another chuckle. It was getting embarrassing how often he would laugh at me.

"Those aren't shooting stars my love but you are kind of close. those are star lines. Thats what stars look like in hyperspace."

My eyes widen. I knew what hyperspace was, Bane would sometimes tell me about different things around the galaxy. The planets he visited, the different kinds of species around the world, and all the amazing things about travelling through space. But I never knew what it might look like when a person was actually in hyperspace.

"I-it's... beautiful."

I was mesmerized by the beauty of the star lines so I wasn't looking at Anakin but when he spoke I could hear a smirk in his voice.

"Just wait till you see Coruscant. I have a beautiful garden with all kinds of flowers and plants."

I looked over at him. I couldn't help the smile that came on my face, his smirk turned into a loving smile but after looking into his eyes for a while my smile faded.

I realized that I hadn't even thanked him. He had feld me, kept me warm, took away my pain and even saved me when my mother was beating me and I hadn't thanked him.

I start to tear up, He did all this for me, made me feel safe, wanted and loved and I didn't even think to thank him yet.

Tears start to fall down my cheeks and his smile disappears, replaced with a look for worry. Both his hands came and cup my cheeks rubbing away my tears. The kind action only making more of them fall.

"My love, what's wrong?"

I couldn't help the hiccup that escaped my lips as I stutter and try to tell his why I was crying but I just couldn't get the words out.

Anakin pulls me into his lap one more, holding me, cradling me in his arms and using his hand to guid my head to rest in his neck as he hold me, rocking slightly, coxing me to calm down.

"Shhhh, princess. Tell me what wrong. I have you, you're ok."

After a few more hiccups I start to calm down, taking some deep breaths I finally get the words out.

"I'm s-so sorry... I-I-I n-never thanked y-you, for every-everything you h-have done for m-m-me."

The words where choppy and poor with all my sobs but he heard them.

He cooed at me a little rocking me lightly.

"Ohhh, baby. You don't need to thank me, no no no. It's my job to take care of you, my love."

I kept babbling on in incoherent sentences. Trying to tell him how I did have to thank him and how I didn't deserve his kindness. The last part he seemed to hear because without a seconds thought He pulled me flush to his chest and kissed me.

Perfect. This was perfect. Everything was going better then I could have imagined it. She was completely giving into me. Relying on me.

I could feel she felt safe, safe and loved. She was shy, but it only made her all the more adorable. She was so innocent. Innocent and warm. I would do anything to protect the love of my life.

I could feel her tense up as I kissed her deeply. She wasn't scared, I just took her by surprise.

she started to push against my chest after a few moments. My poor little one was running out of breath.

I reluctantly pull my lips away from her soft ones. She tries to catch her breath and clings to me tightly.

I couldn't help but kiss all over her face. Her cheeks, her temple, her forehead, the corner of her lips. anywhere that didn't prevent her from catching her breath.

Her eyes where closed, too embarrassed to look at me, a deep blush only getting darker with each little peck and kiss I gave her.

I gently grasped her hands in mine, removing them from my chest, lifting them to my lips and kissing each of her knuckles.

Once I was done I held her hands to my lips, savouring the feeling.

After a while she finally opened her eyes to look at me. Her beautiful eyes now all red and puffy from her tears.

"Ohhh, my love."

I kiss her hands again. Holding them to my lips as I gaze into her beautiful eyes.

"You never have to thank me for anything my love. The force led me to you, and I will take care of you for the rest of our lives."

She nods shyly and thanks me again and I couldn't help my chuckle.

"I just said you didn't have to do that, my love."

She blushed and looked down. She lets her head fall into my chest with a light groan.

I move her around so I could hold her bridal style in my lap, her head now on my shoulder.

I lift my hand and card my fingers through her hair, taking my time and enjoying the feeling of her soft hair with every stroke of my hand but I stopped then she groaned softly again.

I press my lips into her temple softly.

"What's wrong, my love? The pills should be working by now, are you still hurting?"

She shakes her head and I instantly relaxed, knowing she wasn't hurting but know my curiosity was peeked.

"Tell me what's wrong my little one."

She shakes her head.

"N-nothing, I-i'm just... tired."

I gently kiss her temple again, lifting her in my arms holding her close and walk over to the bed.

"Yes I imagine, the pills have a tendency to make one a little drowsy, let's get you back to bed my love, by the time you wake up we should be arriving at Coruscant."

I pull the blankets up to her chin and kiss her lips lightly. She smiles up at me softly and blacks out.

I laugh lightly at how quickly she fell asleep giving her one last kiss as I gaze at the love of my life.

I walk over to the dressing room in the bathroom and put on my suit. Unfortunately I was still the Emperor and couldn't spend all day and night with my love.

I had to clear my schedule as much as possible so that I could be with her as she grows accustom to her new life.

I walk out, taking one last glance at (Y/N) watching how the blankets rise and fall with each of her little breaths before walking down the hall, making sure I had two purge troopers outside my room if my love needed help, and pulling out my comm to contact the Commander of the Purge Troopers as I make my way to the bridge.

"My lord?"

"Be sure to have my rooms on Coruscant ready for for me and my Empress."

"Yes my lord."

Waking up a second time was easier. I knew where I was. I knew who I was with and I knew where I was going. It wasn't scary or confusing. With everything sorted know it really was just, safe.

I look around the room, there wasn't a pair of strong hands around my waist restricting my movement and the emperor wasn't anywhere in the room that I could see. I listen for the shower in the refresher but I didn't hear anything so it seemed safe to say I was alone.

I look out the window again. The beautiful star lines still there. Casting a beautiful blue light into eh room still, but this time it didn't mold with the red and orange from the fire.

I look over to the hearth again. No fire. I move out fo the covers only to shiver and wrap my arms around myself. Without the fire the room was pretty cold. I stand up, looking down at the clothes I was wearing.

Anakin must have changed my clothes after the doctor treated me because this definitely wasn't mine.

I walk over to the 'fresher to get a better look at myself in the mirror.

I was in a It was long midnight black silk night gown, going down to my ankles with a slit going up to my upper thigh. It had an open back and thin straps smaller them my pinky and a dip in the chest that didn't leave much to the imagination.

No wonder I was cold, the gown was very gorgeous but it was also very thin and with so much bare skin in space no wonder I was a little chilled.

I see a door in the mirror behind me and turn to open it.

It was a walk in closest and dressing room. On the right where the Emperors Clothes, shoes and what not but to the left was cloths for a women.

I was very cold and I figured he wouldn't mind it I changed into something a little warmer.

I run my hands over the clothes. Most of them being black and red and the occasional white.

I grabbed one of the dresses, seeing as that most of the clothes here was dresses.

It was a black floor length gown that was a fairly tight fit till it reached the top of my knees where it flared out. It didn't have sleeves and it had a beep plunge neckline and left my baco completely bare but the thin shoulder straps did have a kind of fur cape the fell to the middle of my shoulder blades and wrapped around my upper arms, leaving the rest of my arms bare, accompanied by a hood to cover my head if I needed

It also had fur on the bottom trim of the dress. It was made in a velvety kind of fabric but had a matte look to it. It was a very beautiful dress, clearly high quality and expensively made. I felt a little out of place in it but I was much warmer now so I didn't really bother to feel too uncomfortable.

I put on a pair of black flats, forgoing the high heals knowing I would only fall over in those and made my way over to the door.

I press the button on the panel on the side of the door and it slide open. I see two storm troopers in black standing on either side of the door. I gasp a little not really expecting them.

One of the speaks but he doesn't turn to look at me.

"May I assist you, my lady?"

The title sound weird.

"Could you tell me where An-"

I freeze mid sentence remembering what I should call him when other are around.

"Where Lord Vader is?"

"Of course miss, right this way."

We walk down the cold hall for a little, the only sound being our footsteps.

There where troopers in white armour every now and then standing at doors or walking around in what I assume is a patrol.

Finally we reach large double doors that fly open to what I assume is the bridge of the ship.

At the end of the gangway I see the Emperor, in full armour staring out at the star lines of hyper space.

When he hears the door open he turn and looks at me. For a moment he just stare till he reaches a hand out for me, palm up.

I walk over and place my much smaller hand in his.

"You are just in time my love, we are about to exit hyperspace."

Before I say anything he gently grips my shoulder and move me to stand right in front of him. His hands never left my shoulder aside to slip them underneath the fur 'cape' to touch my bare shoulders, The touch of his leather clad hands making a present shiver run up my spine. But the leather gloves did make his hands a little cold.

I stare out at the hyperspace star lines, hypnotized by the beauty of the sight.

Suddenly there is a large jolt, forcing my back into his body behind me.

The star lines fade away till I see a beautiful planet.

I couldn't see any green but I could see light for all over one side of the planet.

The planet itself was huge, much bigger them my home planet. clearly full of technology I couldn't even dream of.

I gasp my hand coming up to cover my mouth. Even without any forests or any large body of water it was still a sight to behold.

The lack of nature a clear sigh of high class and innovation. No wonder it was the galaxy capital.

My back was still pressed tightly to Anakin's back. One hand of his was still on my shoulder the other coming across my front, Holding me to him.

I felt him lean down to my ear, he was waring his mask so I could see his face but from the sound of his voice he was smirking.

"Welcome to your new home my Empress."

[yiangchen]

it's so tragic funny that while i was watching t100, jroth was so adamant that there was nothing romantic there with bellarke, that it literally made me doubt what was very clearly being written as romantic (and it actually was. like, we know this now. it has been confirmed).

looking back, bellarke could have kissed at so many different points in the show, without changing anything else but having them kiss, and it would have made perfect sense. it would have flowed. it would have aligned with their relationship development.

just think about it. 1x09. unity day. is this a bit early? yes. but do they have the chemistry? yes. and have they had sufficient build up for two characters to have their first kiss? yes. honestly more than a lot of ships that happen in the first season of their show. especially since day trip just happened! plus, the flirting during unity day was...not subtle.

listen...she wanted to kiss him here so bad. seriously though. clarke could have and that would have been a very natural progression of this scene. it would have especially fit the early drop ship days vibe.

(or you could add in a scene where clarke finds him later, now sufficiently buzzed, they flirt some more, then she kisses him, and bellamy's like, "woah, woah, princess, what are you doing?" but he's smiling and she just shrugs with a smile and goes in to kiss him again, saying "having fun", and bellamy says, "you're drunk" and clarke is exasperated saying, "well you told me to!" and bellamy laughs, very amused, and from the look in his eyes, you can tell that he is also very very VERY smitten.)

if you still think that's too soon, yeah, i tend to agree. i love the idea of s1 bellarke in fanfic, but for the show, i prefer a bit more of slowburn. so let's push it to season 2. no, that's not a true slowburn, but still, you had to wait a little for it, and a lot of shows do this successfully. so anyway. 2x05. post iconic reunion hug, shot in a very romantic way i might add.

bellamy is watching clarke sleep by the fire, she wakes, we have some platonic gazing with firelight flickering across their faces...

we all know how the scene goes. he reassures her. he confides in her. she reassures him back.

i'm sorry, but the way they are looking at each other here? dude, if they had been sitting any closer, they could have kissed. i tend to think it would be more in character for clarke to initiate a first kiss with bellamy in s1-4, but in this scene, i 100% could see bellamy going in to kiss her after this.

(and yes, i'm aware that octavia was pretending to be asleep this whole time, but honestly, her reaction to them would have added some much needed levity to the situation. octavia is a bellarke shipper, after all. also, some people might say that this would make clarke's "i love you" to finn less believable, but i disagree. you can have feelings for two people at the same time. i mean, she literally kisses lxa very quickly after finn's death sooo yeah...plus, it would have made the bellarke angst of s2b/3 even better.)

maybe you still want more of a slowburn though, and that is perfectly fair, which brings me to s3, which in my opinion would have been one of the best seasons for canon bellarke. alright. 3x05. hakeldama yup! it was prime time for a first kiss. i mean, all the build up of s1/2 obviously, but also...this had just happened:

but anyway...back to hakeldama. this is the peak of their angst. nothing tops it.

but then, after the heat of the moment, the softness comes in. as it always does with these two. they wind up sharing the softest, most romantic scene in this entire show (fight me).

that last gif, man...at this point, i think they would both go in for the kiss. mutually initiated. god, it would have fit the scene so well!

(some people might say that this would invalidate clarke's love for lxa, considering everything that happens two eps later, but again, i disagree. like i said before, you can have feelings for two people at the same time. people might also say that this would undermine bellamy's relationship with gina, but you know what? the whole fucking narrative undermined that relationship, so i really don't care. i loved gina, but if clarke can kiss lxa right after finn's death, then bellamy can kiss clarke right after gina's death. this show is messy, okay? and bellarke are messy as fuckkkk.)

still think it would be too early? okay. season 4 then. very recently, i realized how easy making bellarke canon in s4 would have been, holyyyy. starting off in 4x03. bellamy is sleeping on the couch and clarke watches him sleep with the softest smile on her face (i'm still crying about this btw). i can't find the right gif, but you all know the smile! then clarke is struggling so bellamy wakes up and is there to support her, making a declaration that has romantic undertones, it just does!

and then clarke lowkey makes a move on him lmao. for real though?? what was this???

i would only change one thing here. he takes a seat beside her first and then puts his hand on her shoulder. so that way they are eye level (aka kissing level).

when she lifts her head off their hands, their faces would be so close. maybe bellamy would tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, not realizing how intimate that kind of thing is until he does it. i could see them kissing here. clarke would initiate. although, i think it would be so much better if it was just an almost kiss. bellamy tells her she should get some sleep right before it happens.

and then in 4x06...

it's actually so funny how she says that and then she's like 'oh no. that sounded like it implied something. i did not mean to imply.'

and bellamy's over here like 'omg she's implying.'

which leads to him literally about to confess. i'm sorry, but there is no other way to interpret....

and of course clarke interrupts, but this is the moment, you guys! this could have been the moment.

right after this, before roan's interruption, there's a pause, and then clarke kisses him. it's a quick one. the kind of kiss where she has both of her hands on his face and he's so stunned by it that his eyebrows raise in surprise and before he can even process that it's happened, she's pulled back and they're looking at each other, a bit in awe, both surprised that she just did that.

then in 4x09, we actually get to see the reunion!! and it's the running kind. just like 2x05. only this time, after they run to each other and hug, bellamy pulls back and takes her face in his hands to examine her for injuries, and once he realizes she's okay, probably after she reassures him and puts a hand on his face, then he kisses her, but they both go in for it (and i cry).

in 4x13, i would change the location of the head and heart scene. somewhere more private...a bedroom (!). so, after this moment:

and bellamy turns away, upset, clarke pulls him back to face her and takes his face in her hands. his eyes are watery. so are hers. she kisses him. one thing leads to another and we get the sex scene we deserved!! then they're lying in bed, cuddling. bellamy's head is on her chest and clarke's playing with his hair. that's when she decides to ruin the moment lmao and continues the head and heart convo with "we've been through a lot together, you and i." i can just see it so well. they would shift so that they're laying on their sides, facing one another. maybe clarke's fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck now. when she says he has a big heart, her palm rests on his bare chest. when she says he has to use his head too, her fingers of her other hand shift from his neck to his temple. when bellamy says, "i've got you for that," clarke kisses him. their foreheads stay touching for a few breathes, then she pulls back to look at him and says that raven's premonition came true. like...am i crazy or would this have worked so well?? literally the same dialogue but...they're together.

(plus, this could have led to clarke raising bellamy's kid--august--along with madi over those six years they are separated, i'm just saying!)

maybe you still think that season 5 was the ultimate time for bellarke to go canon, and you know what? i honestly might just agree. the set up was there with clarke calling bellamy every day for 2,199 days. the potential was there. madi was the biggest bellarke shipper i swear. she wanted them to be together even more than all of us combined i think. for a bellarke kiss though, you would almost have to drastically change the course of events...unless you go with 5x13 and blecho have broken up earlier in the season. after clarke wakes bellamy from cryo (still crying about this moment, yeah!), i could see them having a moment.

before jordan walks in, maybe clarke helps bellamy out of the pod, and once they're both standing, bellamy would finally make his move. instead of bellamy asking why they're the only ones there, clarke does. bellamy tells her, "we'll figure it out, clarke, but first, i have something i wanna say." maybe he does something soft, like take her hand or brush her hair behind her ear. clarke is staring at him, not quite believing what is happening right now, but deep down, she knows. he tells her, "those six years without you were the worst of my life and i don't wanna waste any more time." clarke is wearing a watery smile, still not quite sure she believes what she's hearing. she tells him, "i radioed you every day you were gone." bellamy's whole face lights up and he tells her, "i know." their foreheads touch. both of his hands are cradling her cheeks, her hands are cradling his wrists. she whispers his name. it's the kind of kiss where the time before the kiss is excruciatingly long, but once they kiss, it becomes much more urgent as they finally give in to all of the feelings. god. would have been ICONIC.

plus, they both looked absolutely gorgeous in this scene. hello???

would have been one hell of an aesthetically pleasing first kiss holyyyy. then jordan interrupts and makes some comment about how his mom and dad were right all along :)

if not season 5 though...moving onto season 6. 6x10 to be exact. i know i've said that other times were the ultimate time for canon bellarke, but this episode is too! or right after it in 6x11. there are two scenarios that i see playing out here. (in both, blecho have broken up previously.)

in the first scenario, it's 6x10. as soon as bellamy saves clarke and she wakes up, instead of going in to hug him, i swear when i was watching it that i really thought she was going in for the kiss. that was the one and only time where i legitimately thought they were about to kiss while watching. it had never made more sense than in that moment. even with all of jroth's attempted brainwashing, my mind was stronger in that moment. it saw it coming. or at least i thought i did lmao. i know they didn't actually kiss.

but listen.

they really should have.

clarke is literally looking at him like this:

come on, man.

i usually say that bellamy should be the one initiating post s4, but in this moment, it would have been clarke.

and if not then, the other scenario is that they hug as usual. clarke gets some rest as usual. but when she wakes up in 6x11 and bellamy is at her side, they are in a separate private tent. they have that same conversation that they do. they argue about clarke risking her life again. but then...

he tells her, "hey, i just got you back." he says it firm but soft. i see bellamy initiating the kiss here, especially since he's almost lost her twice now, but once clarke realizes that this is really happening, that after all this time he wants her just as much as she wants him, she would for sure be the one initiating everything else. she would be sitting in his lap making out with him so fast jfsldkjfaslk and you know what? good for her!! they either just kiss a lot here, laying down on the bed, all tangled up together, and then they're interrupted, or maybe, just for once, they're allowed to be happy, uninterrupted, and they sleep together. either way. natural progression.

that's really the point of this longwinded post. so many times it could have happened. all of them a nature progression of the story that was being told.

then comes season 7...

there are no words.

6x13 left them off in a perfect place...

the set up was literally right there! they should have kissed in 7x01!! they should have lived happily ever after with madi in a seaside cabin situated in a field of gold!!

[try-set-me-on-fire]

It’s only 11:22 pm on Thursday for me but (west coaster who likes to sleep in voice) I never get to kick start the tag train. It’s Fuck It Friday! Here’s the first draft of the opening scene of the cruise ship spec fic I’ve been outlining…

Buck is always surprised at how heavy water is. The way it pulls at his limbs, tears at his clothes, wants to hold him down deep inside of itself — it sneaks up on him. He should have been ready for it, this time. They’ve been out on the ocean for hours, wet salt soaking into him as they worked, frantic, time limit impossible to forget as the wave got closer and closer to the upper decks. The burn of it, too. As he spins, directionless, in the dark, he thinks it’s unfair that he’s going to die with his lungs on fire so far away from any flame. For years, now, he’d thought he’d die in a house. Not his own, probably, but at least it would be someone’s home. He’d get eaten right along with it, inferno chewing through his bones and family heirlooms alike. He thinks he would feel less alone, that way, than he does now. His head gets fuzzy, his limbs unresponsive, time stretches and shrinks. He doesn’t think much of anything at all.

And then he wakes up.

It’s painful, the big ragged gasps he’s taking, and he can hardly see or hear or feel anything around him, except- there’s a hand, on his face, someone is speaking-

“-id, come on kid, breathe for me, that’s it-“

The hand at his face rubs at his sternum, now, easing the hacking coughs shaking right through him. “B-Bobby…”

“Right here, I’m right here, Buck.”

He is, leaned down over him in the dim light of- wherever the fuck they are. Buck can’t even be reasonably sure the light is dim, he might just not be fully processing the world at the moment. It’s- Bobby’s here, looking at him all overjoyed and worried at once, and- Bobby’s here, and Bobby was hurt, Bobby is still bleeding, crimson leaking down his chest, staining his clothes and Buck’s, now, too. “Y-y-you were supposed to go- I told you to leave.”

Buck’s brain is definitely still off kilter, because Bobby laughs, grinning down at him. “Well,” he says, and it sounds sort of echoey, light fading even more. “I never have been a very good listener.” He thinks Bobby might be holding his face again- he thinks Bobby is holding him, and- if he’s dying again he thinks this might be better than a house. As the light leaves completely he can just barely make out the warmth of Bobby pulling him closer, and faint words, rumbling like they’re muffled against his skull, “I’ve got you, kid.”

Tagging @lover-of-mine @rewritetheending @daffi-990 @malewifediaz @jeeyuns @eddiebabygirldiaz @shitouttabuck @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @thewolvesof1998 @bigfootsmom

[dragon-kazansky]

Spirit of the sea

Izzy Hands x Reader (GN)

You were a member of Blackbeard's crew long ago. Then you became a ghost story. Izzy Hands only sees you in his dreams these days, until he sees you for real when investigating Stede Bonnet. This sets him on a rollercoaster of emotions between you and what his captain is doing.

{Masterlist}

{Previous Chapter} - {Next Chapter}

Warnings: Calico Jack. Sad Izzy. Sad you.

Chapter Seven - Blind Man's Cove

♡♡♡

Izzy sits in Spanish Jackie's bar. He had just made a deal with the British Navy to hand over Stede Bonnet. When the Navy left, Izzy was left to sit on his own at the back of the bar. He had his head in his hand, his hair messed up from where he had ran his fingers through it. In his other hand was the ring he wore around his neck. It felt heavy in his palm.

"Be safe," he whispers.

He stared at the little piece of jewellery and then closed his fingers around it, closing his eyes for a moment. God, he wishes you had come with him. He wanted to mend the damage done from 6 years apart. He wanted to be able to look at you and feel normal again.

Stupid fucking Stede Bonnet.

And yet, it was because of Bonnet they found you again. Still, he needed to get rid of the man. He needed his Blackbeard back.

He just hoped you would find it in your heart to forgive him what he had done.

♡♡♡

It was late at night. You had fallen asleep in Izzy's old bed once again. Lucius had been earlier to check on you as he done every night so far.

You had only just drifted off to sleep when you heard voices. One of them was definitely Edward. He sounded excited.

Sighing, you sat up. "What is he doing?"

You get up out of bed and make your way up onto the deck. What you see was not what you were expecting. No fucking way was Calico Jack onboard the Revenge.

"Fuck off."

At the sound of your voice both Jack and Edward turn around. Ed looks beyond excited.

"Look who found us! Jack, Calico Jack!" Ed grins.

Jack grins too, but his is more of a smirk than a smile. "Long time no see. Last I heard, you were a spirit haunting the waters."

"Yeah, that... that's just a story," you say. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Came to see ya both, didn't I?" Jack drapes an arm around your shoulders and guides you back toward Edward. "Three pals back together again! Just like old times."

♡♡♡

Stede wakes up to the sound of cannon fire. He comes up deck to find you leaning back against the railing as Edward and Jack have their fun. The rest of the crew are present too.

"What's going on? Who are we attacking?"

"Hey! Shit, did we wake you?" Ed asks. Jack and himself had been drinking for a couple hours by this point. "Shot, sorry, we were a bit too loud."

"I mean... cannons are loud," you mutter, taking a swig of your own drink.

"We were blowing stuff up. I just got laid a visit by my old ship mate, Calico Jack."

"OK... um... Old mate? Well, if he's a friend of yours, hello." Stede greets.

"Who's the big gal?" Jack asks.

"Would you fuckin' stop?" Ed playfully shoves him. They both laugh. "He's joking. He's fuckin' joking. You're not a girl."

You take another swig from your bottle as you watch the exchange.

"Jack, Stede Bonnet. Stede Bonnet, Jack."

"Good to meet you." Stede shakes Jack's hand. "So, er, what are we blowing up?"

Edward goes on to explain they had found and old chest of drawers. Stede comments that it was an old family heirloom, but he shakes it off as if he wanted to blow it up anyway.

He promptly invites Edward to breakfast, where Jack tags along. Stede doesn't look too pleased, but rolls with it.

You decide to take your bottle of rum over to the nearest steps and sit down. Lucius spots you and makes his way over, pulling a face.

"Rough night?"

"Didn't sleep much." You tell him, lowering the rum bottle from your lips. Lucius reaches out and takes it from you. You hadn't drank as much as the other two had, but Lucius wanted to stop you from drinking any more anyway.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"What's left to talk about? I miss him, okay..."

"What's the deal with Jack?" He asks.

"He's Ed's mate."

"Go on," Lucius urges.

"He's a bit of a wild card. Crazy shit will happen while he's here, for the record. He brings out some of the crazy in Blackbeard."

"Okay. Anything else?"

You sigh and look at him. "He was a drunken fling. That what you wanna hear? It happened once, never again."

Lucius grins. "Feels good to get out in the open though, right?"

"I don't know how that information makes amy difference to anything," you say, burrowing your brows in confusion.

"It doesn't, I just wanted to hear you open up. See, you're learning it ways. You're one of us."

You laugh softly.

♡♡♡

Lucius spent a good portion of the morning with you, Pete joining you both at some point. You were enjoying your time with them chatting and sharing stories. Pete shared of his made up stories about his time on Blackbeard's crew. You found amusement in them and Pete seemed proud you liked them.

When Edward and Jack returned to deck, Jack had his whip at the ready. Edward at up some bottles along the railing of the ship.

"What are they doing?" Pete asked, watching the two men.

"Whippies."

Calico Jack was a master of the whip. The crew cheered as he broke each bottle without missing a beat. You can't deny his skill, no matter what you may think of the man.

Stede looks rather horrified.

"Whippies! Whippies! Whippies!" Everyone starts cheering.

Jack whips the cards from Swede's hand.

"The guy's an absolute legend with a whip." Ed laughs.

"How long's he staying, do you think?" Stede asks Ed.

"Ah, fuck, I don't know. I mean, you know, we're keeping it open-ended. You can't put a fuckin' time limit on fun, mate! Jack! Whip my balls!" Ed urges, laughing.

Jack whips his balls.

Of course it fucking hurts.

You sigh, having seen enough. You get up and walk across deck.

"Hey! Where ya going?" You hear Jack call.

♡♡♡

You lay on Izzy's bed and look up at the ceiling. You were glad to see Blackbeard had perked up a bit, but you were also a bit sad to see Stede not looking so comfortable. You knew Jack could be a handful.

However, Jack is not so much on your mind as Izzy is. You find yourself thinking about him a lot these days. His absence is really settling in.

You would give anything to see his face again.

"Come back, Izzy... please..."

The cabin is terribly quiet. It feels lonely. God, you miss that man.

♡♡♡

"There was the time he saved my life."

Ed and Jack were sharing stories with the crew. You were up there doing some chores on the ship as the others had stopped to listen.

"I don't like to bring it up. It's a bit immodest." Jack brushes Ed's words off.

"Come on!" "Tell us!" The crew plead.

"It was actually not too far from here, uh, matter of fact, on old Blind Man's Cove."

"Well, you know what. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be alive today," Edward says.

"I love this dopey bastard right here." Jack laughs. "That's a real pirate! Not like one of these store-bought types."

You glance at Stede when Jack says that.

"Jack, I hate to ask, but... where's your ship and your crew?" Stede asks. "You'd think a real pirate would have those."

"Well, I'm kind of, uh, between things at the moment." Jack replies. "Look, fellas, I know it looks like I'm killin' it, but, uh... I'm really not."

There's a pause of silence.

"My crew mutinued." Jack cries. "Third time it's happened this year."

Edward comforts him. Everyone looks at Stede, disappointed.

"You made him cry." Pete says.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Well, it was a pretty bitchy question." Lucius frowns.

Ed takes Stede off to the side to talk to him. The crew move in to comfort Jack.

"It's okay, CJ. I'm sure it wasn't personal." Roach tries to comfort him.

"Yeah, well, when they tie an anchor around your leg and throw you overboard, it feels pretty personal."

"We were gonna mutiny on Stede," Pete tells Jack.

"Yeah, probably again someday." Swede adds in.

Jack smiles at them. "Thanks, fellas. Real nice of you to say."

"Calico!" Stede returns. "I was thinking would it cheer you up if we went for s little trip? Perhaps somewhere fun?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Don't make a bother for me."

"Where you wanna go?" Ed asks.

"Well, I haven't been to Blind Man's Cove in years."

"Well, Blind Man's Cove it is." Stede smiles.

♡♡♡

"Yardies! Who's up for yardies?" Jack yells.

You sit on deck, the ship just off the coast of Blind Man's Cove. It's definitely a pretty island, but the cove is quite closed in.

However, the crew have their fun.

Roach attempts a game of yardies, but doesn't clear the deck. He's alive, but man would that have hurt. You felt it yourself as he hit the side of the ship.

Later you all find yourselves on the beach. They attach a knife to a turtle and try to get it to fight a crab. The funniest part about this was watching each of the crew take sides. Turtle or crab.

Stede was standing beside you looking horrified. "This is fun?" He asks softly.

"To some."

"But not to you?"

"Oh no, not to me. Nor you by the looks of it."

Stede sighs softly.

At one point Stede goes off into the trees to pee. You'd all been drinking rum like there was no tomorrow. Jack also disappeared from the beach and you had a speaking suspicion he went after Stede.

You watch Blackbeard. He seems chipper. A lot like his old self before Stede Bonnet. Just how you remembered him. He turns and sees you, smiling.

"Isn't this fun?" He asks.

"Yeah. Fun."

Ed swings his arm around your shoulders and pulls you into his side. "Come on, smile! Just like the old days."

"Sure."

"What is it?" He asks.

"Nothing..."

"Oh... Is this about Izzy?"

You fall quiet.

"He's gone. He made his choice."

"I know. I don't need to be reminded. You can still miss someone, ya know?"

"I know."

Stede returns from beyond the trees and marches down the beach. Ed spots him and follows him. "Where you going? We're about to have a coconut war."

Turns out Stede isn't having much fun. When you hear he was heading back to the ship, you felt like doing the same. Though you knew Lucius would probably come scold you for sulking later.

Jack throws a coconut at Ed. Stede heads back to the dingy. You catch up to him.

"Can I go back with you?"

"Not having fun either?" He asks softly.

"Not really."

Stede smiles and nods. "Come on then, let's go back to the ship."

♡♡♡

When you both get back to the ship, Stede invites you into his cabin for some tea. You decide to take him up on his offer. The ship is quiet with just two of you, but it's kind of nice.

Stede pours you both some tea and some cake he had Roach prepare earlier. You both sit down and enjoy.

"I don't like who Ed is when he's with Jack," Stede says, sipping his tea.

"I know it's very different from what you've seen of him, but he really was like that all the time before."

"Yes, so I've heard." Stede sighs. "Still, the Ed I know was so different."

"Yeah. You... softened him up a bit."

Stede looks at you softly. "Is that bad?"

"Not necessarily. Just different. I don't hate it." You take a bite of your cake. "I've been getting a bit used to being on this ship."

Stede smiles. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Thank you."

While the crew pass time on the beach, you and Stede hang out. He takes you through some of his books, tells you where some of his furniture is from, and you tell him a few stories of your own sailing days.

"You talk about Izzy a lot," he points out.

"Do I?"

"Yes. You sound quite close."

"I thought we were. Turns out I was wrong."

"How so?" Stede furrows his brow at you. The pout of his lips in confusion was, dare you say, somewhat adorable?

"He left. Didn't hesitate. I must be pretty easy to leave."

"Why didn't you go with him?"

"He did ask me to, but... I don't know."

Stede reaches out and gives your hand a friendly pat. "Well, I for one am glad you stayed."

♡♡♡

As night draws in, Stede retires to bed. You decide to do the same, curling up in Izzy's old cabin again. You still refer to it as his even though he's not here any more.

The crew had returned and they had clearly being drinking none stop. The sound of smashing is keeping you awake.

You decide to at least see what's going on. When you get up to deck, Buttons is yelling at them for being so loud. He was trying to moonbathe.

"Sorry, Buttons. Maybe he's right, guys. Should we pack it in?" Ed said, clearly drunk. "It's been a day."

The crew begin to agree, and you're about ready to help some of them get to bed, but Jack refuses and grabs his whip.

"King Coconut says, we go," he whips a sack nearby, "another," he whips the deck, " round!"

Lastly he whips wildly and everyone gasps in horror as Jack whips Buttons' seagull, Karl. You stare wide eyed as Buttons picks up his little bird friend.

"He's deid." Button says, his accent heavy. "You... killed him."

Buttons hands Karl over to Roach and starts talking in tongues. "I hex upon ye, I hex upon ye, I hex upon yeee...!"

You watch in mild confusion and fascination.

"Well, thay was some weird shit."

You walk over to Jack. "You should go."

"Oh, come on. It was an accident." He grins.

"Get off my ship!" Stede calls from behind you. You move away and let him come closer. "Like they said, you should go."

"Fine. I don't give a shit. Party sucked anyway. I'm out. Who's with me?" Jack asks. He looks at you, but you remain standing beside Stede. "Oh, come on. You don't wanna stick around with this fop, do ya?"

No one moves.

Jack turns to Ed. "Blackie? I saved your life man."

"Yeah."

Stede's expression falls. "Wait. You're leaving? With him?"

You frown. First Izzy, now Blackbeard?

"This is who I am, Stede." Ed speaks quietly. He glances at you, but you don't move. "You were always gonna realise what I am."

Edward walks over to the side of the ship and then looks back over his shoulder. "Take care, mate."

You take a deep breath before walking off.

♡♡♡

Lucius was on his way to go see Stede, but decided it best to stop off by your room first. As expected you were curled up on the bed. He doesn't have to say anything for you to know he was there.

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" He asks.

"With pity."

Lucius steps into the room. "I wasn't. I did want to make sure you were okay though. First Izzy, now Blackbeard."

You look at him unimpressed.

"I'm gonna go check on the captain. You coming?"

You sigh softly and get up. "Yeah."

Turns out Stede was worse off than you. He was sat by the window with his telescope, watching Ed on the beach. Oluwande had spent the night in here, so he hadn't slept all that well either.

"Has this been going on all night?" Lucius asks.

"All night. No breaks."

Lucius goes over to his captain to try and talk to him. You sigh and watch from beside where Olu is seated.

"Morning, Captain. Do you mind putting the scope down for a sec?"

Stede doesn't budge.

"Okay, I will just take this..."

"No..."

"One, two..."

"No!"

"...three."

Lucius takes the scope from Stede. He hands it over to you and you tuck it away somewhere safe.

"Long night?" Lucius asks.

"I don't know," Stede replies softly.

"OK. And do we think this more of a spat or a rupture with Blackbeard?"

Stede rests his head back with a think against the window panel behind him. "I think it's done."

Lucius sighs.

"Well, lucky for you... I'm fantastic at break-ups. I helped them with Izzy, so I can help you too."

"Izzy and I didn't break up," you say.

"Yes you did."

"We weren't together to begin with."

"Eh," Lucius shrugs. He walks past you swiftly and Stede returns to sulking.

♡♡♡

"I just wanted to let you all know, we'll be holding a buriel at sea for Karl." Stede talks to his crew.

Buttons sobs in the background.

"Understandably, Buttons is..." Buttons cries again. "...rather audibly upset. And on a related note, Blackbeard will no longer be sailing with us."

You sigh and look down at the deck. Maybe this was payback for leaving them 6 years ago. They've all left you.

"It's a big one, I know. It was a mutual decision, which I initiated first."

"So this mean we're back to being captained by just... you?" Pete asks.

"Look, technically, you've always been captained by me, and only me, so there's no change there." Stede replies to him.

"Right, but what if some of us saw ourselves more as Blackbeard's employee?"

You roll your eyes.

"I can still stay right?" You ask, turning to him.

"Course. I'd be sad to see you leave too..."

You give Stede a comforting smile and pat his later lightly.

"Look, these things happen. Sometimes captains drift apart. I know its tough, but chin up. OK? Neither of us will like you less or more than we did before."

"Bad news, Stede." You say, looking out to see.

"It is. It's terrible news," Stede replies, sighing.

"Not that. That!" You point out to sea.

An English Navy fleet have arrived. Three big ships trapping the Revenge into the cove.

"That's a lot of ship."

"Yeah, and we're trapped," you tell him.

A cannon is fired and it hits the unicorn as the front of the ship, completely beheading it.

"Warning shot," you tell Stede. "The next one's into the hull."

"Right, we should probably fire back at them, um... Prepare the cannons!"

"Wait!"

You all turn around to see Ed climbing back onboard.

"Hoist the white flag!"

"Ed!" Stede smiles. You smile too. He came back.

"Better alive than dead."

You and Ed nod at each other.

♡♡♡

Izzy watches the Revenge from the English Navy ship. He's gripping the ring around his neck as he keeps his eyes on the other ship.

"I'm here," he whispers.

The white flag is raised on the Revenge and Izzy holds his head up higher. He gets into one of the boats with the English and they row toward the Revenge, toward you.

Izzy was coming back.

♡♡♡

@grippleback-galaxy - @askmarinaandothers - @godlikegallagher - @for-fuck-sake-im-alive - @whiskeyswriting - @lxsm2 - @bloody-bunni666 - @the-chocoholic-writer - @bugbugboy - @callmemana -

[balanceoflightanddark]

What if this happened?

Azula and Zuko manage to capture the avatar right after Katara quickly healed him while still in Ba Sing Se. The gaang were forced to leave without Aang, altering the day of black sun plan into a rescue mission.

Until the end of "Day of black sun pt 2", Aang is stuck as Azula's prisoner. As the main character, Aang would still have the most screen time but it gets shared with Azula and he spends the most time with her.

What do you think will happen between them? What could "The Beach" episode look like with Aang in it?

Well, this is an interesting ask.

The first most definite thing I can say is whether or not Azula and Zuko know that Aang is alive. I would wager they would capture his body which might not necessarily be conscious to show that the Avatar is indeed dead. Naturally, this could lead to a nightmarish scenario like at the start of Book 3 where Aang wakes up on a Fire Nation ship, only for it to be under the control of the Fire Nation instead of being captured.

Course, I wouldn't imagine Aang's initial escape attempt being too successful given that he just recovered from being shot in the back. Azula and Zuko would still be able to hold him till he gets to the Fire Nation where Ozai...I doubt Aang is going to be kept in good condition since killing him would just cause the Avatar to reincarnate. Therefore, I could see Ozai keeping him in torturous conditions not unlike what Zhao put him through in Book 1. Alive, but unable to do anything. Might even give Azula the "honor" of watching him since Zuko has returned to become the Crown Prince.

But let's assume that Aang is able to try and make an escape attempt a few times. I mean let's face it, he's not exactly someone who's easy to keep down. I could see Azula wanting to keep his escape attempts under wraps so Ozai's wrath would not directed towards her. Now here's where things get interesting. She starts noticing that Aang is avoiding killing anyone, isn't going into the Avatar State, and overall isn't acting like what the Avatar is expected to act like by the Fire Nation (which we can get some interesting worldbuilding by seeing how they view the Avatar from their perspective).

If we go down this avenue of thought, Azula might assume that putting the Avatar in torturous conditions isn't working since he keeps trying to break out. What she might feel work better is if he was broken mentally so he simply wouldn't have the will to fight. To this end, she might give him better conditions that are less torturous, but she'll try to break him by passing stories about his friends dying or being captured or something. Make it clear that he can escape, but break his will to fight. Maybe have daily "chats" taunting him.

Now here's where things get interesting: Aang won't break. He knows Azula's lying to break him...but in the process, she inadvertently starts letting him know about her upbringing by divulging what her worldview is. Maybe even starts to feel a bit sorry for her than anything. I mean he did feel bad for Zuko even when the latter was trying to kill him, so it's completely in the realm of possibility. Which in turn befuddles Azula since everything she does to break him doesn't work, and she knows he's sympathizing with her.

Which leads to the Ember Island. This could be Azula's last chance at breaking Aang, showing how pathetic he is for sympathizing with a monster and not even attempting to escape when he has a chance. It backfires since Aang knows enough that Azula is NOT a monster, and tells her this. And the reason he doesn't want to escape is because he's afraid that Ozai's going to come after her for letting him escape (which isn't out of the question since Ozai is becoming more and more frustrated with Azula's lack of progress). As badly as he wants to escape, he doesn't want anyone else to suffer on his hands. Not even Azula.

Now here you can go a few routes. For me, Aang would eventually escape once he realizes that Azula won't budge. But he times it during a time where her back is turned, like the Day of the Black Sun so there's a reason for why her security is lax. Or he comes into contact with the rest of the Gaang and he escapes during the Black Sun Invasion so as to make it look like a rescue instead of incompetence on Azula's part. Either way, I do feel that Aang would advocate for mercy on behalf for Azula or at least make sure she doesn't rot someplace after Sozin's Comet. Azula would obviously assume that Aang abandoned her like everyone else, but Aang coming back and telling her the truth would give her a bit of a mental safety net and possibly lead to the road for recovery.

All in all, this was a good ask. You can do a lot with this, either go Azulaang, worldbuild for the Fire Nation, humanize Azula to Aang, maybe cause Aang to form a rift with Zuko or Iroh due to their differing opinions on Azula. You can do something with this given the ideas I just pointed out.

[damn-stark]

Chapter 24 Me and the Devil

Chapter 24 of Moonlight

A/N- who's the devil in this situation?

Warning- Swearing, angst, talks of death, suggested SA, Aegon! SPOILERS for future events of HOTD!!!!

Pairing- Cregan Stark x Velaryon!fem-reader, Aemond Targaryen x Velaryon!fem-reader

Episode- After 1x09, events based off of Fire and Blood

(If you want to be tagged let me know)

————

The powerful are powerless to someone…don’t you agree?

Even in death Helaena’s words play in your head, this time they’re more significant and you don’t brush it off. More so now as you face this cruel night. You’re a warrior, a dragon rider, a princess, you’re stronger than he is, but even still you can’t escape what follows after the wedding ceremony.

At least you have the power to numb it away. You numb it all away.

You could say you're lucky though because he couldn’t get it up, no matter how hard he tried. But that still doesn’t mean he didn’t find other ways to take advantage of you. That is why he married you after all. He didn’t want a Queen with dragon's blood to rebuild what you lost, he just wanted something to use.

At least you can numb it away and live in your head.

That’s what you do. You don’t live in your memories, you live in a void full of anger and only accompanied by your mother. You see her everywhere you go, it startles you and makes you want to bring it all to an end, but when her death plays in your head in a loop you remember that patience is key for this all to matter.

That’s what keeps you alive too, that rageful thought. You navigate your life almost as if you’re asleep after the wedding night until finally one night you wake up to her on that day.

“I love you,” she mouths.

You gasp and find that strength you didn’t have before to shove back the men that held you down and run over to her as fast as you can.

You run and run with no pain in your chest, you sprint towards her as fast as your legs can carry you, but you can’t reach her, so you plead. Yet no matter how loud you think you are nothing comes out, it’s just your mouth flapping.

“Y/N, help me!” You hear her bellow. “Y/N, help me!”

Finally, you get close, but the fire rains down and she turns to nothing. When it’s dark and cold again all you hear is Aegon laughing, you see his smile as he sits paralyzed and useless in his chair.

That’s when you wake up and see everything, but it all hurts, color burns your eyes, and even breathing hurts to keep doing. But you do it, you fight on, and realize you’re on the ship. You’re going back home—no, back to King’s Landing. It’s not home anymore.

It’s going to be such a pain!

At least you’ll have Baela though.

Nevertheless, you get out of bed, throw on a fur cloak, and walk out to watch the waves crashing against the ship and then admire the stars reflecting on the blue water.

King’s Landing is going to be so different now, so lonely and bleak.

“Y/N?”

You gasp softly and stand up straight to peer back, noticing Baela walking towards you.

“Good morning,” you greet and slouch again as you look at the horizon ahead.

“I’d say it back,” she says and joins your side. “But the stars are still out.”

“Yes, but the moon is leaving,” you point out. “So it’s morning. Early morning.”

Baela sighs. “Whatever.”

You exhale deeply. “I can feel her, you know? Astraea,” you say to try and not wallow in anything that might trigger you for now. You’ll have enough of it later. Besides, there's something you’ve been meaning to discuss.

“Not completely but I can feel her presence,” you muse, “I can feel her soul intertwined with mine. I’ve felt it ever since I was young. I feel her far from here, and it’s taking everything in me not to desire her here.”

“Yes,” Baela agrees quietly. “I felt Moondancer too, but…there’s nothing now. It’s quiet where there was once life. But,” she adds thoughtfully. “There’s hope instead of grief.”

You scan the area and when no one is nearby you lean in closer to her. “Silverwing is alive. You can bond with her and gain an upper hand against the Greens when the battle unfolds. That feeling has to mean that you have to try.”

Baela's eyes widen and she leans in and whispers back. “How do you suppose I do that? Call out to her like a madwoman? Sail to her? I’m not even allowed to be out, I snuck out.”

“If she’s meant for you,” you insist louder. “She will come when you want her to. You have to try.”

“And if I die trying? It’s not the same as hatching a dragon,” she argues.

You look down and clench your jaw for a second. “No,” you agree. “But I need you to try. Please try.”

Baela lifts her chin and exhales deeply, you see her anger but she pushes it down and averts her gaze. “I will try something,” she mutters.

“That's all I ask,” you say and nod before you look away too.

A moment of silence passes before Baela speaks up on something different. “Have you eaten?”

You lean over the railing and sigh. “Not recently, no. I just don't get hungry.”

Baela turns her body to face you and looks at you with a scolding look you catch right away.

“What?” You chuckle

“You,” she points, “need to eat.”

You smile and shoot her a pointed look. “Do I need to listen?” You quip. “I am the Queen.”

Baela shoots you a pointed look and remarks. “Every time you say that about yourself you sound like an asshole.”

You grin. “Well, it’s true. I am queen. Bow,” you tease.

Baela tries not to laugh but she cracks.

“I am your king,” she plays along. “You must rub my feet and change me like a babe.”

“Oh?” You laugh. “My king, I have a present for you. It’s a wooden cock because you can’t get yours up to save your life.” You joke between chuckles. “I'm sure you have experience with things up your ass, no?”

Baela snorts. “Y/N!” She pushes you back.

You chuckle. “It’s true! He has stuff in his chambers!”

Baela looks disgusted and like she’s going to ask something, but then Ser Jason approaches.

“We’re approaching King’s Landing, Your Grace,” he announces.

Your smiles fade and you groan. “Obviously.”

Ser Jason sighs. “May I talk to you?”

You raise and eyebrow and nod stiffly. “Go on,” you actually let him talk. “We can talk with my cousin present.”

He hesitates, but he steps closer to say his peace. “I know you’re upset, and you have every right to be, but if I had not done what I did you would’ve died that day too.”

Maybe he’s right, but you can’t forgive him, you can’t look at the positive side with your mother gone. Yet you want him to have that sense of security and think he’s safe the same way you felt with him before he betrayed you.

That's what you want his punishment to be before you turn your back on him.

“It will take time,” you lie and step closer to him, causing Baela’s jaw to drop. “But I can learn to forgive you.” You offer him a faint smile and lean over to kiss his cheek. “We’re all we have left,” you whisper and pull back.

Ser Jason watches you in disbelief before he quickly bows and smiles. “That’s all I ask.”

You smile wider at him and walk away with Baela trailing behind you. “What was that about?” She complains.

You peer back and shoot her a smug smirk and nothing else.

From there on since you’re not trusted you have to wait for them to take Aegon to the Red Keep before you’re allowed to follow. And considering all the chain of events that have transpired it’s not much of a warm welcome or any at all. When you get to the Green invaded castle only guards welcome you.

“Is this how you treat your Queen?” You spat.

“It was the king's orders,” the man says stiffly.

You scoff. “The king or his cunt of a mother?”

The men look at one another and want to scold you but you are their queen so they leave you be and lead you to your room instead.

And while you walk down the halls, the once familiar halls are like being in a stranger's home, the warmth that basked these decorated halls is now cold and dark. The halls are emptier than before, they’re like ghost towns now. Everything is a painful reminder of what was lost and what was ruined.

“In here.” They open the door and the moment you step in it’s like being slammed by a mighty wave made of your entire life.

You had refused to acknowledge which quarters you were getting assigned to, even if you had known the moment you got here that Aegon and his mother would plant something cruel like this. Because you knew you would stand rigid past the door just like now. Because you knew you’d die a little more inside when you saw your quarters.

Nothing had changed, the walls were still painted the same color, and the same paintings and tapestries you would study when you were a girl decorate the walls. The herbal and flowery scent that mixes in your nose takes you back to when you would run in here with news or gossip, or with a book your mother wanted you to read her. The same couch that you would lay on with your mother is in the same place but it's empty without her there to greet you. The bed you would jump on with Lucerys and Jacaerys sits there empty and cold.

No one filled the room, laughter didn’t echo out, and conversations didn’t welcome you. Memories are the only company you have, they flutter around the chambers, but they work to bring you to tears and fuel your rage.

Every memory you shared with your mother in these very chambers runs in loops in your head faster and faster as you slowly deeper wander inside. The words she'd say echo in your head and her smiles flash in your mind until you’re there again, in that yard in Dragonstone watching her mouth her last words to you with fear and tears in her eyes.

Only it’s not actually the real memory, it's the fake one your mind is torturing you with. That moment he killed her plays now over, over and over. Making the rage explosive to the point you storm over to grab a cutting knife left on a tray of fruit.

It’s not like he can fight you off, he can hardly move. Even if he can move anything he's weak, so it’d be quick and effortless. It’s not what he deserves but as long as you see him suffering that’s okay too.

However, when you reach your doors again they open and your grandfather walks in.

“Grandfather,” you greet in surprise to see him well and unharmed, whilst you hide the knife behind your back.

“Where are you heading off to?” He asks and walks in, making you step back.

You shake your head nonchalantly. “Just a walk.”

Your grandfather studies you hard for a moment before he turns and shuts the door behind him. You walk back to try and sit, but he suddenly grabs you by your arms and leans in close to sneer. “Are you mad?”

You scoff. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Your grandfather immediately pulls your arm out and snatches the knife from your hand. “Right now he's in the throne room surrounded by his people, you won’t get anywhere near him. That’s not even counting the fact that you’ll get beheaded for even thinking of it,” he scolds you and throws the knife, causing you to gasp and yank away from him to run after it as if your life depends on it.

“I’m still alive aren’t I?” You retort and try to pick up the knife, but your grandfather comes after you and grabs you to pull you up.

“Stop!” He yells and pulls you towards him. “Stop now! You’ve acted like a spoiled child long enough, going around the kingdoms without consequences, it’s time you grow up and behave like the Queen you are.”

You gasp at the strength of his grip, but look at him with anger.

“Let me go,” you act with authority. “One shout from me and they’ll take you back to that cell.”

“Do it,” he challenges you.

You part your lips, but as you’re about to utter something you can’t build the courage to rat him out, instead you push him away and step back, making sure to hold eye contact.

“I see her every night, I see her in him every day,” you mutter and rub your arms. “I’m in that yard every night in my dreams.” You glare at him and fight with yourself to keep from crying. “She cries out for me to help even though in reality she never did. And I try because I’m a warrior aren't I?”

“Best I’ve seen,” your grandfather mutters.

“And yet,” you counter. “I can’t save her. I couldn’t. She’s gone, and all I had left of me was burned away with her. So please let me just relieve me of my pain and let me kill that bastard.”

“You do it and you’ll die, the children you cherish will grow up without their mother—”

“I don’t care,” you answer truthfully and walk back to sit on the edge of your bed. “Does it make me a bad mother?”

Your grandfather sighs and slowly walks over to you to sit by your side. “That I cannot say. But I don’t think so. You’ve lost too much, it’s not easy caring while you’re dealing with grief.”

You drop your head and nod even if that does nothing to assure you.

“Listen to me well, child,” he whispers, making you lift your head. “You need to be smart about your plan. You go in brash and it will only end with him being untouchable.”

You blink and look at him confused. He glances at the door then looks at you and leans in. “The time of the Green reign will come to an end, and you can help me do it.”

“You?” You probe. “What do you mean? What are you doing?”

“Come down to the lower east hall an hour past curfew tonight,” he says, making you confused, but also piquing your interest. “A firefly shaped torch will be lit by the door. That’s where we’ll be. Tell only who you trust with your whole heart.”

Only a handful come to mind when he says those words, but nonetheless, you grab his hand and nod softly as a smirk tugs on your lips. “I will...thank you, grandfather.” You sigh with relief and without thinking you wrap your arms around him.

“I will help this kingdom and save you from this rotten marriage if it’s the last thing I do,” he assures you as he hugs you back.

You smile softly for the first time, however, you don’t feel safe in his presence anymore.

——

*LATER THAT NIGHT*

All day since your grandfather told you about the secret meeting, you’ve been wary of going. You’ve been betrayed too many times to not suspect everyone, or your very own proud grandfather who is now out of the cell your mother put him in.

But you also know that turning your back on everyone is what made your mother flee from King's Landing, so there's only a select few you’re choosing to trust and have with you all the time in a place that’s surrounded by hungry vultures ready to tear at you when those protecting you aren’t watching.

Baela isn’t a trained warrior like you, but she does know her way around a sword, she’s smart too, headstrong, mischievous, experienced with politics, and loyal. There’s no one you trust more than her now. Which is why you’re bringing her with you, besides she hates Aegon as much as you do.

Yet she’s harder to reach than you thought. You convinced Aegon to let her have proper quarters, but he had them give her small quarters, and far ones too just in case she wanted to try anything. Luckily, the secret tunnels you know how to maneuver lead to her room, so it’s somewhat quicker since you’re not avoiding being seen. But she doesn’t know you’re going, so that’s bad too.

Which is why you slowly open the entrance and peek inside to make sure no one is with her. When the ghost is clear you spot her lying in bed already.

“Baela,” you whisper.

Said girl jumps and flips around with a small dagger in hand, so you quickly slip out and pull your hood off to show her it’s only you. “It’s okay, it’s just me! I came for you, so we can go somewhere.”

Baela’s face expresses many emotions, most of which you can’t see since the room is dimly lit now, but she makes sure to express it. “What in the seven hells is wrong with you? How did you come through there? Why?”

You step back and point to the secret passage. “I’ll explain on the way, just slip something on quickly we’re going to a meeting.”

Baela parts her lips to continue interrogating you, but she just exhales softly before she slips out of bed and slips on a simple gown just so she won’t be in her nightgown. After she shoves on her boots she quietly follows after you.

“What is this?” She asks.

“Secret passages that run all over the Red Keep,” you whisper. “My…mother would use them, she showed me around.”

“Oh,” she exhales softly and then continues with her interrogation. “What meeting are we going to at this time of day and using this maze?”

You peer back and shrug. “I don’t know really but it has something to do with killing Aegon and the greens so I wanted you to come with me.” You look ahead and she hums softly before she whispers.

“Thank you then…for trusting me.”

“There’s no one else I would trust but you,” you assure her. “Please don’t let me down, that's all I ask.” You look back and share a sincere pleading look.

Baela’s breath catches and her eyebrows knit together as she shakes her head. “Never,” she assures you.

The corner of your lips tug to a small smile, and now is when you feel that safety you longed for within these cursed walls.

“Good,” you say and then leave it at that to walk the rest of the way in silence.

Of course, once you come out of the passage and find the door with the firefly torch outside, you both hesitate.

“Are you sure about this?” She asks and looks at you.

You shake your head. “No. But I know there’s no other way to get rid of that monster up there so it’s the best thing we got.”

Baela nods and looks at the door. “At least we’re going in together,” she quips.

You smirk softly and nod stiffly before you sigh and step forward to slowly open the door. And the first thing you notice is the talking that silenced as the door opened. And second, is the shock on each of the men’s faces that surround the small wooden table when they see Baela and you, two women, enter the room. They look like they’ve seen a ghost or something even more horrifying.

“Your Grace, Baela,” your grandfather greets and stands up to quickly walk over and close the door behind you. “I’m glad you could make it.” He bows his head and turns to face the other lords who now stand and bow at your presence.

“Your Grace,” they greet.

The first person you focus on now is Lord Larys Strong though. Of course, he’s here, what else could you expect from a slimy snake?

He notices your glare, the murderous intent after he betrayed you, and lowers his gaze to act innocent. Something he’s not.

“Your Grace,” he greets and bows his head.

You fist your hand and step forward, but Baela grabs your wrist and pulls back. You snap your eyes to her and she meets your gaze to speechlessly tell you to stop.

You challenge her because after all he chose to betray you, you almost died because of him. You wanted to be his ally but he chose his own skin.

“Tell me what should stop me from killing you?” You ignore the warning and step forward to slam your hands on the table. “You sent a killer after me after we made an alliance!”

No one challenges you now, they just watch tensely as Larys lifts his head to meet your gaze. “I helped your mother,” he brings up.

“And you were also the one who helped Aegon out of here I assume?” You don’t care for evidence, you throw your theories at him. “You let my mother in, you betrayed me so why shouldn’t I kill you to prevent all of us here from getting killed?”

Everyone looks at the crippled man and waits.

“My word is not enough now I know,” he responds nonchalantly. “But I don’t want our kingdom to descend into chaos or be ruined by a war that is only further developing. I hope you understand that in order to get information from the Greens I needed to act like I was with them even if it meant betraying your trust. I apologize and I hope we can push it aside to work together and get rid of the tyrant who can’t even sit on the Iron Throne.”

He makes a point, and out of everyone here the Greens trust Larys blindly, Alicent especially does. But how can you trust this man even for just a sliver of a chance?

“We shouldn’t trust him,” Baela interjects. “But we will have a better chance at ending this tyranny if we keep him alive.”

You sigh deeply and blink to study her and take in what she said. Your anger is unmatched and not able to control anymore, what you want more than anything is to burn this all to the ground, but she's…right, and she’s the only one here you’ll listen to.

“Very well,” you sneer and sit down in the chair your grandfather is holding for you. “But need I remind you I don’t need my dragon to kill you, if you step out of line I will send you to the deepest depth of the seven hells,” you threaten him.

Larys swallows thickly and nods stiffly. “Understood.”

You groan and sit back to look at the lords gathered here. “Now explain what this is. Why have you gathered to scheme behind our back?”

Your grandfather moves to the side and pushes Baela’s seat in next to yours before he responds. “We want to be careful and with the Greens being wary of you we didn’t want to run our risk of being caught,” he explains calmly.

Sure that’s all of it, it’s not just because you have teets and no balls.

Whatever, you’re here now.

“Tell us what’s been unfolding over the past couple weeks?” Baela asks, leaving the lords baffled and confused as to why she was speaking.

“Aegon’s attempts at revenge against Rosby, Stokeworth, and Duskendale have proven to harden the hearts of the late queen's men,” Larys says. “The Riverlands, The North, and the Vale have risen their armies against the King and march this way. They might be our saviors.”

The North has finally decided to come? Where was he a couple of months ago when your mother needed him most?

At least the Riverlands proved their loyalty by joining Addam and you, but Cregan? Couldn’t it have been simple to leave a regent in his stead while he marched to your mother?

She’s dead now because she was alone. She’s dead because of the man they let live…

“Y/N, help me!”

No. No. You hear her cries again, you see her burning away in your mind. You see him smirking, and you can’t reach her in time before she vanishes.

You try to free your mind of those cruel thoughts for now though, you don’t want to see those vivid flashes, but your throat begins to close making it hard to breathe. And it’s as if the scene plays out around you, silencing the debate that was being had around you so all you can think about is that day. All you can think about is Aegon.

Aegon.

Aegon.

Aegon…

Patient waiting won’t kill him any sooner, and the fucking gods seem to want to keep him alive with every chance he has to die. But why should you wait? He didn’t wait to kill your mother, he did it without thought.

You’re queen now why should you wait and be merciful and want peace? You’re Queen, that’s what you are. You’re a Targaryen and have a fucking dragon, if the Greens want to spread fear you’ll show them terror…

That’s right, everyone who gave their backs to your mother will know terror because that’s all she felt when she died in bathed flames, that’s all you felt when you watched her die. So that's all they'll feel, terror.

They want to show off power, you’ll do it better.

That’s it. There’s clarity now. That’s the only way you’ll be able to stop the nightmares, the guilt, and the vivid flashes, by ending their tyranny with terror.

“…We crown Aegon the Younger heir and betroth Princess Jaehaera to him,” your grandfather suggests to the crowd. “After Aegon's death, the kingdoms won’t oppose and the queen's line will rule.”

Heir?

“No,” you cut in bluntly and in an unrecognizable voice. “Why do you need to crown an heir after Aegon's death, when you already have a Queen?”

The room goes still, and only confused and awkward looks get passed around.

“I was my mothers heir before her death,” you remind them.

“A Queen is what broke our kingdoms apart,” a lord argues boldly. “If we install you as Queen after the death of the King, then the war will develop into something that might just destroy us.”

You look at your grandfather and he sighs and stays quiet as he silently agrees. Every man in here agrees.

“She has a dragon,” Baela reminds them as she leans in to defend you. “One who has seen many battles. That alone will settle her claim.”

“Rhaenyra had a dragon too,” your grandfather rebuttals, making you sit up straighter and only burn with rage—“it doesn’t matter what she has with the Targaryen dynasty as weak as it is. Perhaps in twenty years when we have rebuilt a portion of what was destroyed can there be a Queen once more without opposition, but right now we all are marching towards the route that brings peace after bloodshed.”

You were right not to trust him….

“Y/N, help me!”

They won’t ever want justice with fire and blood like you. They don’t want you. Not even if you sit and listen to them talk. You’re invisible and just a piece in their game.

No more.

“No,” you snap and stand up to cast your shadow over every single man here. “I will be the Queen. Not my baby brother. Why should I leave him that burden while I still live? Besides, I was my mother's heir, and I am queen now. I will be Queen and anyone who wants to oppose that can be met with dragonfire,” you state menacingly.

“Y/N, you are Queen but you need to listen, ” your grandfather tries to calm you down.

“No!” You snap. “We’re doing things my way now. Inaction is what got my mother killed. I am going to act.”

The room gasps, and only your grandfather has the courage to stand and oppose you. “Let’s say we accept, who will you marry to protect your claim? Aemond is dead, and Addam is dead. Lord Stark is a powerful man with the best army to protect your claim and reign, but let’s face the truth, he will never accept being king, his loyalty lies with the North. No one else besides him will grant you safety and a long reign. You and your dragon alone will die the same way your late mother did if you follow this path.”

You blink repeatedly in disbelief as you progress his words. Cregan was your trump card, he’s the man that would protect you, you may be furious with him but he’s powerful and your best ally. With him at your side no one would dare say anything against you. Plus…once this nightmare is over don’t you deserve happiness?

Joy seems like such an illusion now. There are things you blame Cregan for, but under it all you still love him. Don’t you deserve some bliss?

“You don’t know that,” you argue in a faltering voice. “He marches this way, he will accept if I ask.”

“Lord Corlys is right,” Larys interjects. “Lord Stark will never leave his ancestral seat to be king. They are proud people after all.”

You clench your jaw to keep from showing your confusion and the fact that you’re hearing and seeing it all again.

“Having your brother be your mothers heir will be the smartest choice,” you hear someone say through the screaming and the flahses of memories in your head—“and revenge is something you can still seek with that path. You just need to warm up to your husband to lower his guard and then act.”

What in the Seven Hells?

You snap your eyes over to Larys and glare at him as everything muffles within you.

“How will we do it?” Your grandfather brushes you off and doesn’t try to argue anymore, thinking he’s found your resolve. But your mind still spins and your goal still flashes brightly seeking completion.

But how? The answer has to be Cregan, it has to be…

It then hits you like a sudden arrow to the heart. The answer and solution to giving this damned kingdom terror and installing you as Queen.

“Write to Dorne,” you suggest numbly.

“What?” Your grandfather chuckles.

You meet his gaze and sit down to clarify yourself. “I will send the Martell’s a proposal they can’t refuse. They will secure my reign, they will help us end the Greens.”

They don’t know how much this actually costs you, giving away your chance at happiness for a loveless marriage, for someone you don’t know, and for people you never thought of as potential.

“Dorne?” A lord chuckles. “They would rather see us dead. Hell, they’d rather mate with their goats than ever accept an alliance with Westeros. They only know war, Your Grace, even thinking about an alliance is a fruitless endeavor.”

“Not excstly,” Baela cuts in and leans forward. “If y/n offers her hand and their first born child to be their heir, why would they not accept? Every effort until now has been offered with violence,” she explains almost proudly. “Not through our strongest pact, marriage. Besides, Ser Alyn could escort them here, hide their army in our ships, and they would arrive in one moon's rotation time. If we wait for the North, we will wait for two more full moons.”

You don’t want to marry a Dornish man. You don’t want that. But…if it's your best chance at accomplishing your promises and getting revenge then you have to take it, because the truth is if you don’t become Queen, then they win. Your mother fought so hard, she lost her life because of it, why should you give up everything she fought so hard for?

Right?

You sigh deeply and try to look down to just progress everything, but you suddenly see her standing by the fireplace. Her presence startles you and paralyzes you for a second, but she brings forth a reminder of who you’re doing this for, and what you’re doing this for besides the terror and revenge, something bigger than yourself.

Isn’t that right? Mother and everyone who came before?

The song of ice and fire, the threat in the north and that promise you made her is the silver of clarity in your raging storm. The exception that makes you accept.

“I will send a Raven and ask for aid and an alliance through marriage,” you cut in nonchalantly. “I will marry the Martell’s heir in exchange for them to take down our enemy, and bring us peace. We can’t wait two or three moons rotations. Aegon needs to die and that’s the only way we can guarantee it without us dying in the process, and without an uprising from a green loyalist.”

“It’s not a good idea,” a lord shares in annoyance. “If they refuse they could expose us to the greens and have us all killed for the fun of it.”

“They won’t,” Baela argues in your defense. “And we won’t know until we ask. So I vote yes.”

You swallow thickly and look at Lord Larys. He hesitates before he nods in agreement. The lord so boldly speaking up votes no, and so does the other lord next to him, leaving this vote up to your grandfather to break.

“Lord Corlys, you are our last vote, what say you?” Lord Larys asks.

Your grandfather exhales deeply and folds his hands over the table as he thinks. Baela and you share a worried look in your wait and catch him looking between the both of you until he just stares at you—or the necklace you wear that was given by your grandmother long ago.

“I vote…” he interjects and pauses to look at the men. “Yes.”

You wind up kind of disappointed, but also proud that he accepted.

“Very well,” you seeth with a smirk. “Let’s show them terror.”

——

*A COUPLE DAYS LATER*

Do what you must, they say. Get on his good side, they say.

It’s easy for them to say they don’t have to speak to their mother's killer, they don’t have to sleep with him or pretend to be their ally at every waking hour. Every time they say that, you need to remind yourself who you’re doing this for.

It’s hard but when you forget you see her standing nearby, or you simply look up at the sky like now and keep yourself from summoning Astraea to help you burn everything down.

You have to wait and hope every card gets played right before you act. Even if it’s a struggle when you see his ugly face. Like now.

“What are you doing in my chambers?” Aegon hides his surprise terribly. “And what are you doing on the railing? Get down.”

You sigh and turn around on the railing to face him. “I walked in since you are my husband—” lies you snuck in through the tunnels, but he doesn’t need to know. “And two, this is very fun.”

“Get down,” he sneers.

You smirk. “Call the guards and I will fling myself off before they can even walk in.”

Aegon challenges your smug look and knows he won’t win this one, so he lets you be instead.

“What are you doing?” He asks. “I usually have to call upon you.”

You sigh deeply. “Boredom brought me here and—”

“You’ve been drinking,” he points out.

You nod. “Aye. My mother's dead, Aemond’s dead, my dragon is gone, and I’m stuck here. I’m drunk.” You chuckle. “You’re not? We should celebrate.” You turn and continue to walk on the railing. “I actually enjoy drinking, albeit I never really have the chance to indulge since I am a woman.” You scoff. “They’re always telling me what to say, and what to do when all I wanted was to go on dragonback and explore the world.” You sigh and twist on your heels to jump back on the ground, noticing that he looks puzzled about you.

“What?” You probe.

Aegon exhales deeply. “What are you doing here?” he asks.

You sigh deeply and slowly walk over to him, noticing his eyes never leave you. “I told you already, I’m bored…and,” you clench your jaw as you walk behind him. “It’s not like I have much of a choice do I? Should I live my life in misery for the rest of it because we're married? I don’t like you, but I can grow to tolerate you. Why not start now?” You sit on his bed and slide the cup and jug to you to serve yourself wine. “So tell me what you wanted out of this life, Aegon?”

Said man turns the chair they made him with wheels and meets your gaze. He hesitates, but he parts his lips nevertheless. “I wanted to get away too, you know. Get lost somewhere, but they caught me and brought me back.”

You feign a smile on the floor and mumble, “now look at us. Our families dead, all for a fucking throne.” You take a long sip of the wine.

“We could’ve had a lot more,” he agrees.

You nod. “Yeah.”

Aegon shifts in his seat and when you look up you see him standing off his chair. His legs shake but he doesn’t fall, he slowly makes his way to you and sits beside you.

You had seen him walk before from afar that day he killed the Shepherd and those who called themselves King when there was no ruler. Aegon looked pretty pathetic, but you do have to say that you’re glad that the Shepherd and his followers are gone. If only you could’ve actually faced the man and not been away from the action.

Regardless, Aegon stood up that day, he was held up and helped mostly, but this time he’s doing it all alone. Which isn’t a good thing.

“You’re walking,” you point with fake interest.

“Everyday a bit more,” he says and puts his hand out. “Give me some.” He points to the cup. You dread it but you hand it to him and watch him with disgust as he chugs the rest, and then serves himself more.

“You know maybe we should have married from the beginning,” he says, making your eyes twitch. “I would have changed for the better.”

You bite your tongue but muster a response. “Really?” You laugh.

Aegon nods and hands you your cup. You take it hesitantly but need to keep up this rouse so you take it and drink more wine.

“Yes,” he says. “I would have. Aemond was obsessed with you. Ever since you left for winterfell he was all broody.”

You geniunly smile. “Maybe because he had his eye cut out,” you remind him.

“Hm, maybe,” Aegon says. “But he never forgot about you. I think that could’ve worked on me.”

You chug the rest of the wine to keep yourself from making fun of him. “There’s no point in dwelling in the past,” you mutter as you wipe the wine off your lips. “We do so we’ll be here for years.”

Aegon stays silent for a few minutes before he takes the cup and tops it with wine. “Yes,” he says. “You might be right—you know, we’ve never talked like this before. I enjoy it.”

You smirk and clench your fist as you fill with pride. “Maybe because we always bumped heads,” you retort.

He hums and leaves the chambers silent, letting you take the cup from his hand and gasp softly as you remember something. “I was the one who would throw the wine bags on your head at night,” you let him know with a grin.

Aegon snaps his head to you with his eyebrows furrowed. “I had to take baths every morning because of you,” he complains.

You chuckle. “That’s a bad thing?” You meet his gaze and flash him a grin. “Aemond and I would do it—well Aemond would watch most of the time, but we’d do it—it was a lot of fun. Do you wanna do it?” You get up without an answer and take the jug, and then collect a few empty sacks you had brought in for this occasion. Aegon follows but at a slow pace, when he finally reaches you you already have two sacks full of wine.

“You’re a Queen,” Aegon interjects.

You ignore him and look down and see the maester walking by in the yard below, so you grin and let your sack of wine fall. Before it can hit his head you grab Aegon and yank him down with you.

“Hey!” You hear the maester exclaim, making you burst out laughing.

Aegon watches you, he admires you, and can’t help but laugh along with you.

“Here,” you interject as you calm your laughs to hand him a sack of wine. “Do it.”

Aegon shakes as he gets up, and you follow suit but watch him instead of looking down, and feel your feigned smile fall and turn to a frown.

You could push him off and he’d probably die from this far, it’d all be over, and your mother and your entire family would be avenged.

You step forward and raise your hands. But then as you’re about to grab him a knock raps on the door, so you step back and spin around to face the doors.

“Come,” Aegon announces.

You groan and watch as your handmaiden Vanessa walks in.

“Yes?” Aegon asks with annoyance.

“Your Grace,” Vanessa greets and curtseys. “My Queen, the children require your attention.”

You sigh and then face Aegon to bow. “I’ll see you later.” You offer him a faint smile before you lead Vanessa out. Rather than telling you right away what the problem is, you walk in silence to your quarters because you know what this is really about.

“Is Wolf there?” You ask about Baela without actually giving her away.

“Yes,” Vanessa agrees.

You hum in comprehension and pick up your pace. Once you make it in your room, you tell the guards not to disturb you and stay quiet even as you see your cousin waiting for you. Your kids are here but Dyana and Vanessa stay with them as Baela and you walk into the secret passage to speak freely.

“We got a response from Dorne,” Baela announces, making you gasp. “I waited for you to open it.”

You hold in your breath and take the envelope she offers you, noticing the Martell house sigil stamped over the flap.

“Seven hells,” you mutter. “I’m nervous. You open it,” you say and push it back to her.

Baela is impatient to read what the letter contains so she quickly rips open the envelope and takes the parchment out. She opens the letter and you see her eyes read over the words so you move to her side and press yourself against her to read what she’s reading in her mind.

Dear, Queen—

Yes blah, blah, formalities! You scan over the greeting and unnecessary flattering words until you see what you want and gasp.

…We accept your proposal and feel more than honored to finally receive a proper offer that doesn’t involve hostility or impossible terms. Then again what can we expect from such a known and marvelous warrior such as yourself, Queen y/n.

You will wed my son and what would’ve been my heir, Prince Namor Martell, and finally our houses and kingdoms will be united. And you will get your revenge as well, be prepared.

We will send more ravens to debate our battle tactics. And if I can offer one piece of advice, if you wish to win this war and hold your peoples respect, they must fear you just as much as they love you. Don’t be afraid to show your power.

Prince Kaius Martell.

“Gods,” you gasp and feel your heart skip a beat. “Gods. They accepted…they accepted!” You exclaim with glee.

“They accepted!” Baela repeats and faces you with a grin.

You hold each others gaze for a moment before you throw your arms around each other and begin to jump.

“And you were right!” She adds and pulls back but keeps her hands on your shoulders. “About Silverwing. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but she came…we bonded.” She muses and smiles with awe.

You smirk and cup her cheeks. “Let’s show them real terror.”

.

.

.

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A/N- A few more chapters to go!!

Tagged- @namelesslosers @stargaryenx @chainsawsangel @lauftivy @winxschester @cloudroomblog @llarue @padsdarlg @sofietargaryen @gracielikegrapes @dreaming-of-the-reality @itzelpeyton @patdsinner33 @mrsdominickstark @elaena-aerrin @todoroki-slut @snh96 @urmomsgirlfriend1 @nifujiswhore @sweethoneyblossom1 @kaetastic

[awesomesauce-abbie]

Braving the storm

Word Count: 991

TW: None

A/N: Hello! This is my first time writing for Lotor and my first time writing for over a year so please feel free to leave any constructive criticism and let me if you enjoyed the post! Requests are closed as I can’t guarantee I’ll be posting frequently.

You and Prince Lotor had landed on an unknown jungle planet in hopes of finding food and shelter. The sinclince ship was fine but not exactly comfortable and your food supplies were nonexistent, purchasing them from a civilised planet was out of the question now that Lotor was labelled a traitor to the Galra Empire. His generals had abandoned him but not you, your loyalty to the prince was unshakable and was your love for him even if it was possibly unrequited. Lotor was a brilliant fighter and an even better strategist who unlike most Galra had a heart and cared about the lives of others including the lives of the planets he once conquered. He was so different from his monster of a father and was now wanted dead because of it. How lonely he must be you thought to yourself, even if your heart was broken you were glad to have stayed by his side.

You were distracted from your thoughts as Lotor approached you. “Here, it's not much but you should eat” The Galran prince held out a large unusual-looking fruit, it looked like an apple but it was the size of a melon, square-shaped and cobalt blue. “Thank you, sir” you smiled politely and took the fruit. “Oh come now, it's just the two of us. There is no need for titles” Lotor chuckled before taking a bite out of his space apple. “Sorry, I’m not used to addressing you so formally si-Lotor” you quickly corrected yourself, something that Lotor didn’t miss. He chuckled again, the noise was music to your ears. It was so rare for him to have a genuine smile let alone a real laugh, you committed the sound to memory lest you never heard it again. You had been staring at him for a few minutes now as you quietly munched on your fruit, you looked up to the sky and immediately frowned. The clouds, which had been white and fluffy less than an hour ago, were now a dark grey. “Looks like we’ll have a storm tonight” you muttered miserably “yes, we’ll have to find some kind of shelter. The sincline ship aren’t exactly comfortable but I did spot a small cave not far from here, it should be satisfactory for tonight.”

You both finished your food which was surprisingly filling despite its small size before gathering the few supplies you had and headed to the cave. It was small but it was dry and on higher ground so there was little chance of getting flooded. Lotor made a small fire just as the rain started but then there was the sound you dreaded most. Booming thunder, you thought your eardrums were about to burst. The horrid sound made you jump and you covered your ears just as the sky was lit up by a flash of lightning. You were shaking like a leaf, oblivious to the worried stares Lotor was giving you. The rain pounded on the roof of rock and the thunder only seemed to be getting louder, it wasn’t long before you were trembling and on the verge of tears. Lotor moved over to you and carefully placed a hand on your shoulder, you flinched at his sudden touch but looked up at him. Before he could get another word in, the thunder boomed again and you practically jumped into Lotor’s arms. He held you tightly for a few moments, a soft smile on his face. “It’s alright darling, you’re safe here with me” he said soothingly almost in a whisper before using one hand to cover an ear and pulled you into his chest. His gloved hand offered more protection from the storm, you focused on his heartbeat as you found it soothing and soon enough the calming rhythm lulled you to sleep.

When you woke the next morning, Lotor still had his arms wrapped around you. The storm passed, the sun shined brightly in the morning sky and it was a peaceful start to the day. You tried to sit up without waking him up but your efforts were in vain. He opened his eyes with a tired groan and looked over at you with a small smile. “Good morning, sleep well?” He asked, sitting up and moving away to give you space. You tried not to show the sadness on your face as you nodded. “I did thanks to sir, I appreciate what you did for me.” Lotor smirked at you “I told you to drop the titles or do you not remember? Never mind that I’m glad I was able to help you brave the storm and I will happily do it again for you.” Your heart pounded as he moved closer to you, any closer and you’re sure he would be able to hear your heartbeat. “T-that’s very generous of you Lotor” You smiled bashfully as you looked down to avoid his gaze. He reached out and cupped your chin in his hand and lifted your head up. “It’s the least I can do for the person who stolen my heart” he leaned in and kissed you. It was soft, delicate, you thought you were still asleep and having the most wonderful dream but you opened your eyes as Lotor’s warm lips were on your own. He pulled away shortly after, the kiss had been real and it had been perfect.

“You stole my heart long ago, my precious starlight but with so many eyes on us I feared that you would be in danger if you ever discovered how I truly feel about you. You understand don’t you?” Lotor was anxious as he asked but all you could do was smile. “Of course I understand, Lotor your heart isn’t the only that was stolen” you chuckled, his face broke out into a grin as he kissed you once more and you knew that you could brave any storm with Lotor at your side.

[ghostofskywalker]

Hello I was wondering if I could request a fluffy wrecker x gn reader that includes Lula? I have my own Lula Plush and yes I have become attached.

this did get slightly angstier than i originally intended, but there is hopefully still enough fluff for you :)

words: 1,332

summary: after a bad dream wakes you up in the middle of the night, wrecker comforts you.

clone troopers masterlist

Nightmare Repellent

“You are a traitor to the Republic,” one of the troopers was saying, his blaster raised high and directly at your head. He had no helmet on, and there was a look in his eyes that you couldn’t recognize, despite having worked with him since the beginning of the war. You couldn’t help but selfishly hope that there was a way out of this where you didn’t have to hurt the men you formed battlefield bonds with, but as more of your battalion raised their weapons and joined the droning chant, you had to be a little realistic. You clutched your lightsaber, trying to figure out a way you could back away and not have to hurt anyone.

Using Force to pull a blaster away from one of the men, you quickly set it stun before firing. They began to fire back at you, but the rounds coming from their blasters were not as kind as the ones coming from yours. As more and more of your men dropped the floor, you desperately began to race through the cruiser. There were a few ships that you could escape in, and once you got to hyperspace things would be a little easier, the most intense danger abated for a little while.

Your lightsaber deflected their shots as you ran, and you continued to stun the troopers as they surged closer and closer. It was a stroke of luck that this cruiser was only operating on a skeleton crew, because you didn’t know what you would have done if the entire battalion had been coming after you at this point.

“Stop right there, Jedi.” The cold and steely voice of your commander filled the room. He had apparently been missed in your stunning, and run to meet you by the landing bays. Your heart clenched at the way he addressed you. Despite the fact that he no longer spoke in the fun and carefree tone you were used to, the lack of your name in his words was what really broke you. Now, you were nothing but another Jedi to him, and you had no idea why this was happening.

But you knew enough not to listen to him. The sound of a blaster firing filled the room, and you felt the burn in your lower leg. Right as you turned to face him, lightsaber in one hand and blaster in the other, the whole world went black.

Your eyes opened with a start, and you immediately took in your surroundings. Your bunk on the Marauder was a lot more comfortable than the cold durasteel innards of the Republic cruiser you had just been looking at. It was all just a dream.

It made sense now, because that wasn’t how the story ended. You had ended up escaping (you wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t), and you had managed to stun your commander before escaping into the vast expanses of space, your life now completely different and the family you had before the war completely gone.

Your breathing was heavy and you could feel the sweat on your body, despite the fact that space was usually cold and the blanket you had was not that thick. You closed your eyes and tried to remind yourself that you were safe, that you weren’t actually on that cruiser, and that there was no reason for you to be afraid right now.

Hoping that no one else had heard your heavy breaths, you got out of your bunk and walked over to the small chiller on the other side of the room, where you pulled a small canteen of water out and downed the entire thing. When you finally pulled the container from your lips, you heard a voice break through the raging thoughts in your head. It took you a few moments to realize that someone was speaking to you, and you turned a bit sharply in the direction of the sound, only to see Wrecker sitting up in his bunk, a slightly confused expression on his face. “What did you say?” you asked softly, knowing that you probably had the expression of a tooka in headlights right now.

“I asked if you were okay,” he responded, voice uncharacteristically soft.

There was no doubt in your mind that Wrecker was your favorite member of the Bad Batch, and you were already harboring a bit of a crush on the squad’s demolition expert. Now, wrapped in a blanket and with a worried look on his face, you only felt your affection for him grow.

It took you a moment to decide what to even say to that, and eventually “I will be,” is what you settled on. “I just had a nightmare, that’s all.”

Wrecker nodded. “Do you want Lula?”

You shook your head at the offer, not wanting to take Wrecker’s beloved tooka doll away from him. “No thank you,” you said.

“Come on, she has magical nightmare-repelling powers!”

“Exactly, what if you have a nightmare while I’m borrowing her?”

Wrecker laughed, then quickly went quiet as he realized his brothers were still sleeping. “You don’t need to worry,” he said. “I don’t have nightmares often anymore.”

“But still,” you said. “With my luck, this would be the one night.”

“I’ve given her to Omega before and everything’s been fine,” Wrecker said. “Or we could always share her power.”

It didn’t take you long to catch on to what Wrecker was suggesting, and your mouth dropped open. You desperately wanted to say yes and crawl into his bunk with him, but something still stopped you. “I don’t want to get in the way,” you said softly, looking back towards your empty bunk, the blanket balled up from where you had practically ripped it off you after the nightmare.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I don’t know.”

“I know what it’s like to have a nightmare,” he said. “Maybe if you’re in another bunk, it won’t come back.”

Eventually you knew he wouldn’t let this go, so you nodded and tried to hide your smile at the grin that stretched across his face. Or at least, that’s the reasoning you gave your pesky internal monologue when it started to point out that you would most likely be fine in your own bunk. No, this definitely wasn’t because you had feelings for him, shut up! You walked past the rest of the sleeping batchers and tentatively got into Wrecker’s bunk, settling under the blanket as he laid down after you. Lula was gently placed in your arms and you squeezed the doll gently as you closed your eyes and tried to go back to sleep, the comforting presence of Wrecker beside you.

The next morning, you opened your eyes to see that you moved a lot closer to Wrecker during the night. His arm was slung over your abdomen while you curled into his chest, still tightly clutching Lula like she was going to fly away at any moment. He didn’t appear to be awake yet, so you decided to revel in the warmth and comfort for a little while longer. Reality could wait.

Right as you closed your eyes and started to drift back off to sleep, you heard the frantic voice of Echo in the background, and you could have sworn you heard your name. Before you could make any noise or move to show them that you were in fact still there (and that nothing bad had happened to you), Hunter took care of the issue. “Everything’s fine, don’t worry.”

“But-”

“Trust me.” Footsteps echoed across the floor, but you kept your eyes closed and your body still the entire time. You were still tired, and you weren’t really in the mood to answer questions about why you and Wrecker were cuddling. “Let’s let them sleep for a little while.”

Echo mumbled something in agreement, and the two sets of footsteps moved away, leaving you to finally fall back asleep, the nightmares long gone and never coming back.  

- the end -

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[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Tuesday evening all :)

We’ve reached the conclusion of this Two parter. One of the most seminal and iconic moments for them. Not only as a ship but as characters. One of my all time favorite episodes. It’s the one where most people if they weren’t shipping them before they were after this. I was already locked and loaded for them at this point. This one added massive fuel to the fire though. Turned it into an inferno for me.

Also a chunk of the gifs I’m using are of Tim’s reactions through out the ep from a wonderful set I found. Would like to name it ‘Tim I can crush you with just my facial expressions. Let me count the ways Bradford. ‘ LOL let’s delve in shall we?

2x11 Day Of Death

We start this immense adrenaline rush of an episode with Lucy. She’s waking up and Caleb is tattooing her DOD tattoo on her. Then the sick MOFO asks Lucy if she knows what it is? She doesn’t answer at first. He says ‘Tell Me.’ Lucy looks down and sees her tattoo. Shakily replies ‘My day of death…’ He smiles sickly and we hit the opening credits. I hate him so much. Ugh.

Jackson notices Lucy isn’t home and figures her date went well. He arrives at work and finds her still missing. Checks in with Nolan asking if he’s seen her? He has not..They weigh telling Grey they don’t want her get dinged if she’s just late. They ask Harper if she’s seen Lucy. She says no and can sense more to their questions than they're saying. They start chatting if they should tell Grey. Nyla doesn’t waste a second before pulling Grey and Tim into it. Love this woman.

Tim’s face during the whole scene hits me right in the gut. This entire episode is an emotional gut punch honestly. This is the moment the worry and anxiety start their stranglehold on him and don't let go. His face goes through stages. First is realization then the outright panic and worry kick into gear. Tim licks his lips out of anxiety. He’s piecing the puzzle together and is absolutely terrified at the possible result.

Grey is the voice of reason during this entire scene. It’s much needed. Tim has a ton of info on this idiot. He immediately presents it. This is way of controlling his worry and panic. Tim can control where this whole thing starts at least. He has info they can use to easily verify if he is a real threat. Good thing he grilled Caleb so much. Rattles off his name, where he supposedly works, social media page etc Grey tells Tim to take Jackson and run a background check with Armstrong. They all split off with jobs to do. Love they were on it immediately for her. All hands on deck right away.

Nick is looking up ‘Caleb Wright’ and says he doesn’t exist... Tim instantly marches over to Armstrong's desk Says that can't be correct. He just saw it the other day. The anxiety continues to build for him. It’s written all over Tim's face. The panic and worry is starting to mount for him quickly. Eric is the king of expressions as we all know. This episode he kills me softly with them. Tim for the first time, is showing exactly how he’s feeling around everyone. Usually only Lucy gets to see this but not today.

No compartmentalization for him. Today he is an open book of anger, anxiety, and pent up stress. We truly get a look into how much he cares about Lucy. The weight he feels for putting someone he cares about in danger. There’s a lyric in the song featured in Lucy’s next scene. Says ‘My heart is on display.’ That is Tim in this episode. His heart is on display for everyone to see. He doesn't care who notices it. He is showing how Lucy being missing is destroying him. It awakens a piece of himself he’s been burying since they met.

We return to our girl strapped to a chair. She quickly is testing her restraints. The drug is wearing off and her wits are returning. Before she can test them further Caleb walks in. Eating eggs like this is completely normal for him to do. Tells her he would feed her but all the screaming makes you vomit. She asks for water. He says sure he's not a monster. Ok pal....

Lucy asks if this is why he hit on her. Caleb tells her no. She was a happy accident since the last girl didn’t work out. Ugh. That he was just there to scope out Armstrong. She asks him why the tattoo? He tells her it’s not for him. It’s for her. To get her to face the truth of her death. Sick sick SOB.

Lucy changes tactics and tries to rile him up. Asking if he got that from Rosalind? He defensively replies no it’s all him. She pokes the bear more. Saying she figured it was hers since she’s his mentor and all…He snaps again says they’re equals. Lucy continues her barrage and asks 'Does she know that?' God I love her. He catches on and says she’s good. That this is going to be fun for him. *shudder*

Grey and Armstrong are going over what they got from their canvass of the bar. The bartender recognized both Lucy and Caleb. There is video of them leaving but it’s not clear. They see car pull away but its stolen. Grey then says the words Tim has been dreading. His worst fear coming to life before him. That Caleb is Rosalind's apprentice and that he’s abducted Lucy… You can see the weight of responsibility and guilt Tim has now put on. It’s going to stay there for a long time. Long after they find her. We can already see the toll this is taking on him.

The way he swallows his anxiety. He's is beyond upset that she's been taken. Just watch Eric’s face especially towards the end. It encapsulates all of that. He is beating himself up in this moment. Convinced he is the reason she’s gone missing. Honestly I don’t know he could’ve lived with himself had they not saved her.

He is going to bear the brunt of this. It's who he is. To take on the full weight of this emotional burden. Now Lucy would never have wanted him to do this. Hell blaming him was the last thing she ever thought about. Tim is a pressure cooker of panic and stress in this ep. Every new piece of info or dead end only adds to that pressure. It’s not long before we see him truly implode…

Tim can’t handle this alone and recognizes this. So he calls Angela and is VERY vulnerable with her. His face as he waits for her to answer. Praying she picks up. He tells her Lucy’s been taken and he needs her. My boy has grown so much. Look at him reaching out and asking his best friend for aid. Even though he’s going to carry this emotional responsibility alone, he needs Angela help keep him sane. Because let’s be honest he is drowning right now.

Tim is trying so hard to keep his panic and worry from overtaking him. She immediately says yes and drags Wesley with her. They continue to talk about how to find Lucy. Tim is seething with anxiety his body language as anxious as I ever seen it. Nick poses she might already be dead. Harper jumps in and we get to see her growth as well. Defends Lucy’s tenacity. What a fighter she is, that she’s going to do everything she can to stay alive till they can save her. i.e. this next scene.

We go back to Lucy being the fighter Nyla was just talking about. Finally getting the restraints free. Effectively kicking Caleb’s ass on her way out. Sucker punches him so hard he's on his back.(Harper would be so proud) She makes it outside and you can see the vastness of a desert. Wherever Lucy is it’s remote af. She’s disoriented and hits that friggin trip wire. Makes me mad every time it gets her. What also pisses me off is Caleb couldn’t take her if she was 100 percent. It’s why he pepper sprays her. Our girl keeps punching even after he does that. He laughs until she gets one in. Deserved. Like Harper says she’s fighter. Sadly she loses the fight and he drags her away.

Angela shows up with Wesley in tow. It’s clear Tim being on the tip line is bringing him to his boiling point. He sends Wes to help Jackson with it. His stress is hitting an all time high when he talks to Angela. His emotions are something he’s normally very good at keeping in check but they are ruling him right now. Angela can see it instantly. She can also tell something is eating at him.

He starts suggesting desperate things like kicking down doors. Angela trying to right his ship logically asking what doors? He tells he doesn't know...but he can’t just sit here doing nothing. He takes off and Angela hunts him down. He says he doesn’t need a pep talk. (Yes you do…) Angela asks why did he call her then? Says he clearly needs to get something off his chest. To unburden himself.

Tim finally verbalizes the thought that’s been torturing him all day. That he did this. She was in danger because of him. Eric’s voice and how vulnerable he sounds while he’s explaining this My damn heart. Angela tries to assuage him of his guilt. Tells him he couldn’t have known. He refuses to be let off that easily. He's so mad at himself. Vibrating with anger. All the things he drills into Lucy he didn't do himself when it came to Caleb. He's so very angry and emotional he let this guy get past him.

That he should've seen him coming a mile away. Before even getting to Lucy. (He did though on some level he really did) But he's not going to see that logic right now. Says how she wanted to go home. But he told her to go out. That she went out with Caleb because he told her. The heartbreak all over Angela’s face when he tells her this. The acting is just top notch in this one. It’s always good but this entire ep is so emotionally charged. Everyone brought their A Game.

You can hear the crack in his voice to what he says next. He continues on to say she didn’t feel right about the whole situation. That she hesitated on going out with him, but he insisted and pushed her right at him. He is disgusted with himself. Look at that man's face above. He hates himself for letting her get taken, when he feels he could've prevented. it. Thus continues Eric’s destruction of my soul in this episode. Killing me good sir absolutely killing me. Such a good scene for Angela and Tim though. Glad it was captured in gif form.

Nolan is able to figure out with his visit from Rosalind about contraband. That’s how her and Caleb have been communicating. That if they can get to the smuggler they can get to the guard who’s been delivering it to her. Angela gets Wes on it for her with his connections. Says his clients aren't in trouble they just need the info.

We return to Lucy and her March toward the barrel. Caleb has planned something else for her. Not just the barrel but burial underground to go with it. Caleb tells her to get in. Lucy says no. He continues his diatribe by saying that at least in there there is still hope. Outside of it only death as he points his gun at her. Lucy then does the smartest thing of her entire capture. She fakes a trip and drops her ring. The very thing that saves her life.

She knows Tim with his cop eyes will spot it and save her. So damn smart on her end. Caleb has no idea what he was up against truly. He asks her any last words? Lucy confidently replies ‘You’ll be dead long before I am.’ Damn right he will be. Watching her get into the barrel and him kicking into the hole is hard to watch. I hate it so much. Her trying not to panic once she hears the dirt pile on top. Ugh I can’t. Melissa crushes the entire scene inside that barrel makes me wanna cry each time. Trying so hard to regulate her panic and breathing.

Now comes one of my favorite Tim portions of the episode. He’s been pent up and to his boiling point by time we get here. They have the name of the smuggler and it’s time to get some answers. This scene shows you the lines he’s crossing and depth of how far Tim is willing to go to save her. Idk if it’s wrong to find aggressively protective Tim so sexy. But this scene phew lord. It really hits the spot for me in that regard.

Doesn’t even hesitate to threaten with bodily harm. The last thing Tim has time for today is BS. You’re standing between him and his person (except he doesn’t know that just yet hehe). You aren’t going to win this fight my man. He doesn’t even give this guy a moment to mouth off. Slams his face into his steering wheel immediately and says it’s his day of reckoning. *fans self* It sure is. Now Jackson looks off put but I’m cheering Tim on. Also if this is how he is before he's with her can you imagine how he would be in S6 if something happened to her? Scorched earth. This is pretty damn close to that anyways.

Watching how he unravels in this scene just shows his utter despair in this moment. This is Tim at his peak of desperation. That he is literally willing to risk his career by injuring this guy to get what he needs. That by the book Tim Bradford is giving the bird to ethics right now to save her. Nothing will stand in his way to get her back. If he has to rough this guy up to get what he needs so be it. The thought of failing her is unacceptable. Especially since he feels he put her there. He’s shown many times he has her back. This is another level. Look at that final line above. He means every word of it.

God help the poor SOBS who stand in the way of Tim Bradford and who he cares for. I relate to this very much. I am the same way for those I care about. Deeply loyal and loving. You will experience hell rain down on you if you mess with someone I care about. So I get his mindset during this. Might not be the right way but it’s something I can most definitely relate to.

They get a name for Jerry Havel from the smuggler. Sadly it’s another dead end. The guy who lives there isn't Caleb. They find out he stole his identity. Used it to get to get close to Rosalind at the prison. I’ve never seen Tim look so damn dejected as above. He looks lost and broken, definitely in need of a hug. You know he feels like a failure right now. Just absolutely wrecked and distraught. Not a drop of hope left in him. Jackson comes up to him with some potential good news. Credit cards Caleb used in Jerry’s name.

Tim gets so excited saying the charges could lead them to Caleb. Jackson breathing some life back into our boy. They head back to the station to regroup. Wes is brilliant and associates Calebs obsession with Rosalind with his next killing ground. Something that would tie to her. Tim comes in and says he has a PO Box payment in Kern County. That he still makes payments even after he quit. That’s how they piece together she’s at Rosalind's Uncle's farm.

Then comes the song that makes me teary every time. So hauntingly beautiful her voice in the background as they race to the farm to save her. The cinematography in this episode is primo. The emotions it evokes are immense. Her singing the song that will haunt us all every time we hear it. Melissa is beyond brilliant in this moment. Singing but also crying because she believes this is the end for her. I want to cry just writing this out. This moment is so incredibly emotional. She’s accepted her fate at this point and yet still hasn’t at the same time. Beautifully tragic.

Harper and Nolan make it first. They see Nick is being held captive by Caleb. Sadly Harper misreads the situation and shoots him. Then starts the next emotional rollercoaster. John FaceTiming Grace in order to save him. God bless her for trying. The irony of them trying to save him so they can save Lucy. Tragically he ends up dying and his knowledge of where Lucy goes with him..

The rest of the team shows up shortly afterwards. Harper tells them Caleb is dead. They split up into sections to start searching the vast desert. It seems like they’ll never find her. The shots are so wide and boundless. Then Tim sees something glinting in the distance. The way he runs up to it knowing that’s where she is. The way he grabs it and instantly knows she's left her ring for him. Once finds the lid with his foot He starts screaming ‘I’ve got her!’ repeatedly.

He starts digging not even waiting for a shovel. He is as feral as he can be trying to dig her out with just his hands till help arrives. His desperation has reached critical levels as he digs to find her. With every swipe of his hands he’s trying to undo what he thinks he’s done to her. Once everyone else arrives, they offer Tim a shovel but he continues to dig with his hands. Almost in a trance with digging her out. He isn't wasting a damn second to take it because it could cost her.

I love how everyone helps to get her out but Tim fends them off once she's out. He wants to work on her himself. No one was going to touch her but him. This part always makes me catch my breath. The music, the way he frantically works on her, everyone’s reactions as he does. We’ve reached the height of the adrenaline and emotions in this moment. Armstrong and Grey look like it’s over. Everyone else is in shock around Tim. He refuses to give up. Giving Lucy CPR incessantly and being relentless in its delivery. He continues to work tirelessly on her. After another moment she finally comes back to him.

One of most beautiful parts of this scene and what gets me the most is her initial reaction. The last time she closed her eyes she saw Caleb. When she re-opens them she’s disoriented. Honestly a little panicked as well. It’s not until she hears Tim’s voice grounding her back to the present and seeing his face does she realizes she’s out. She not in that barrel anymore. That’s she’s safe in his arms and away from that monster.

Then she immediately breaks down. The way her hands shake as she reaches out for him gets me good. Tim see's this and he hides her in his chest. Softly cradling her head against him. Trying to protect her. Tim is instinctual in how he comforts her. Telling its ok. She continues to cry and god that kills me. Clings to him like the life line he is for her. Especially in this moment. So happy he’s the one holding her. He needed to be the first face she saw and Tim needed that as much as she did.

The way he cradles her so gently against him. My damn heart. I tear up every time I watch this scene. Holding her like she is the most precious thing on this earth to him. The immense amount of relief that washes over him. He looks like he wants to cry himself. Tears of relief. It’s the first time he’s drawn a real breath since she disappeared. He breathes that sigh of relief into her hair. It’s an incredibly intimate moment shared between them. Him lying his head on hers and the protective way he’s holding her.

Looks like he is shielding her from everything and refusing to let her go. Wanting to absorb all the sadness she’s experiencing in this moment. Can only imagine he held her all the way to the hospital too. If not he held her hand the entire ambulance ride back. Stuck to her like glue. Tim outwardly displaying everything he’s feeling in this moment. He doesn’t care who sees this. He would’ve moved heaven and earth to save her. It’s written all over this beautiful embrace. I’ll never be over this moment. Even years later. They already had me but this cemented me following them anywhere.

Tim could not be cuter staying by her bedside the entire night. Watching over her while she got some much needed rest. Her fierce protector standing guard. Also having when she wakes for him to be first face she sees again. Look at this man's face when he realizes she is awake. He could not be more adorable reading some teen magazine to pass the time. It's classic. Their banter picking up right where they left it. Not skipping a beat. Talking about BTS and which one was his soulmate haha He plays along then asks what that is? She laughs and its so nice to see he can still do that. God they cute. The look of sheer joy of her being awake is written all over his face.

She asks him if he’s been here all night? He looks like he’s about to cry and says no..it’s ok babe we know you’re lying. She knows too but lets it go. She just follows up with a very sweet ‘Mmhmm.’ with a helping of heart eyes for him. Honestly everything you need to know about how he’s feeling in this moment is in that gif above. Eric the king of expressions strikes again. Nolan, Jackson and Grace join them. Coming in to check on her as well. The way he watches her while she talks to the trio is so sweet.

She could say anything right now and he would be enamored. He’s just so damn happy she’s ok. Lucy says she’s never going on another date again. Grace says I don’t know that’s the takeaway. The boys all chime in it’s so damn funny. Saying mixture of things at once. ‘Statistically that’s pretty safe, Definitely should.’ LOL She asks if this is the kind of understanding she’s should expect from now on? Tim says pretty much.

Tim asks her if she’s hungry. She says starving. I bet she is poor thing god only knows last time she ate. Tim produces her favorite order veggie burger and fries with extra pickles. He’s so proud of himself for having got it. That he remembered. Look at him so pleased with himself having that ready to go for her. She could ask him for the world right now and he would deliver. No questions asked. Easy Tim your feelings are showing.

The rest of this scene is all heart eyes. It's a two way street of cuteness. We get our next iconic OTP line. ‘You know me so well. Too well’ ❤️ The way he says his half its like he’s finally giving into their bond and connection at this point. That there is something there he can't deny. He doesn't fully understand it right now but its there. We all know he will continue to try to ignore it but ultimately won't be able to hehe. The amount of heart eyes these two are throwing around during this is amazing. Surprised the others didn’t just leave to give them privacy haha No one else in their world when they get like this. Everyone else around them fades.

Phew what an episode it emotionally drains me each time in the best way. Melissa and Eric are rockstars. We’re so lucky to have them running this ship. If you didn’t see their chemistry or ship before this you sure as hell did now. It was there in all its glory the entire ep. What a ride.

~~~~

Side notes-Non Chenford.

I loved Wesley turning it around in this episode. As horrible as Lucy going missing was and the toll it took on everyone it helped right his ship. Show him perspective about what she survived. And honestly he was huge in what saved her.

John’s final scene with Rosalind is so good. The way he breaks it all down. How she’s lost. Caleb died, Lucy and Armstrong were alive, and he inadvertently gave them the rest of her kill sites in his notes. She looks down for the count. But before Nolan can leave she throws that tid bit out about Nick before he departs. Damn good ep holy hell.

thank you to https://the-rookie.fandom.com/wiki/2x11_gallery?file=2x11_015.jpg I needed one random screen cap ha

Also Thank you all for reading. For all the likes/ comments and reblogs. I hope I did this iconic episode justice. Truly one of my all time favorites of the series. ❤️ See you all in 2x12 :)

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 6

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Katara stands out on the ice, staring out after the dissipating trail of smoke. It was her father, about to leave to go hunting with a few men, who finds her.

"The ship is gone," she said when he approached, unsure of what else to say.

He looks at her, confusion written across his face. "Prince Zuko assured me that they would be gone by morning. Are you worried they'll come back?"

No, she wanted to say. She was worried they wouldn't come back. But she couldn't tell her father that. So she shook her head and numbly went back inside the village walls.

The rest of the day was a haze. She numbly went about braiding cords under her mothers watchful eye, messing up more than she succeeded. Sokka hovered, always nearby, even as he worked with some of the other boys to pack snow into a few holes in the village wall. Katara looked down at the cords in her hand, finding the misshaped braid offensive. Had she always been so clumsy with this?

That night, after another bland dinner, Katara crawled into bed, quickly surrounded by the warmth of her family. But it was heavy, stifling. She did her best not to squirm, even as Sokka snored nearby.

She barely slept, only to wake at dawn once again.

Standing once more at the section of ice where Zuko's ship had docked, Katara did the only thing she knew she could do. She set about her bending forms. As she pulled water from the sea and threw spears of ice with increasing at the icebergs off shore, Katara wondered if Zuko would ever return. Now that he had fulfilled his promise and returned her to the water tribe, she wondered if he would return home and never think of her again. Had that all she had been to the Fire Prince? A promise to be fulfilled.

"Katara," her mother called. "What are you doing out here?"

She looked back at her mother, her hair blown into her face. She could feel the top knot bun beginning to fall. She was a mess, angry and furious.

"Bending," Katara managed to say, though she could barely hear herself speak.

Her mother studied her for a moment. "Come inside. Let me fix your hair."

Without knowing what else to do, Katara followed her mother inside. She sat, as still as she could manage. Her mother spoke softly, telling Katara about some of the things she'd missed. Sokka had started training to be a hunter. Gran Gran was one of the head elders. Katara wasn't really listening, instead frowning as her hair was combed and pulled.

"Done," her mother said, clearly happy. "Better?"

Reaching back, Katara felt the long braid in her hands. It felt... odd. She'd worn her hair down as long as she could remember, save for the top knot. She could feel a slight breeze against the back of her neck.

"Yes," she lied. "Thank you."

Her mother smiled, more at ease than ones Katara had seen yesterday.

By noon, Katara had tugged the braid out and put it up in the traditional Fire Nation style.

As days passed, Katara continued to leave the village and train. Her mother would eventually bring her back, but it was in vain. Katara started to notice the looks the other villagers gave her. The way they whispered and pointed. The younger children began to avoid her, their parents giving warnings. She was so very red, so Fire Nation. See how she moves? See how she wears her hair? They have made her one of them.

Each morning, Katara takes a deep breath, and holds herself with pride. She had survived years in the Fire Nation, proving her worth as a healer. Now, she will survive in the Southern Water Tribe, proving her strength. She claimed an empty section of the village as her own, a mat laid out for her there, as she spent afternoons meditating.

A month into her return, she gained an opportunity. A warrior returned from a hunt with a gouge in his leg from the claws of a polar leopard. As her father discussed with the family what could be done, Katara approached the warrior. He stared up at her with fear in his eyes and his jaw set. All men were the same when they were wounded.

By the time her father had returned, Katara had moved back to her little spot. She watched, sitting straight and prim, as her father and the warriors family cried out in shock at seeing the severe wound as nothing more than faded scars. When her father looked towards her, she simply bowed her head. Healing was her job, and she was very good at her job.

A few days later, she finds her little spot turned into a proper hut, snow packed into walls, with enough space for her and another, the door wide. Slowly, people pop in, asking for help with all sorts of wounds. The tribe is always stiff, overly polite and anxious, each time they come to her. Katara doesn't care, simply doing her job and giving a polite bow when her patient leaves.

That night, when the air of her families hut seems to weigh her down, she gathers her things and moves into the healing hut. Her family is upset in the morning, but she can't bring herself to care. She feels like she can finally breath at night.

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