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theforgottenmcrmy · 2 years

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Spring~ Part 2/2 (Ser Harwin Strong x Reader)

᯽ Please note that this is an overall part 7 of the series “Growing Strong”, the masterlist of which can be found HERE. ᯽

᯽ Spring Part 1/2 can be found HERE. ᯽

Pairing: Ser Harwin Strong x Tyrell! Female Reader

Warnings: GOT typical sexism, canon divergence, suggestive themes, mentions of pregnancy, mentions of minor character death

Summary: A question of succession has been raised for House Tyrell. Who will inherit the family seat? Perhaps some wise words from Harwin will help suade you.

A/N: Part 2! *celebratory dab* (do the kids these days even do that anymore?) I hope you all enjoy this! This may feel like the end of the fic at parts, but I promise it’s not. I’ve still got around 3 ish parts planned, but that number honestly depends on the events of Episode 10 on Sunday.

Thank you all so very much for your support. I’m gonna go brace myself now. I hope you all have a lovely end of the week and weekend.🖤🖤🖤

It was not often that you found yourself alone with Queen Alicent.

She had called upon you once, shortly after your move to King’s Landing, to request to share dinner together. Though it had been under the guise of welcoming you, you suspected it was so that she could determine whether she’d be able to trust you.

But things had changed significantly since then, and now, the Queen knew better than to think she could have any sort of hold over you that would outweigh your loyalty to Princess Rhaenyra. Though you would always respect her, as her position deserved, your friend from childhood was long gone, and there was no need to pretend the relationship was any more than it was- surface level at best.

True to his word, Harwin had escorted you through the halls of the Red Keep as you followed Lady Bethany to where the Queen was waiting. You had to hide your surprise when Lady Bethany led you directly to the Queen’s personal chambers.

The thought of entering the room alone felt akin to wandering inside a lion’s den.

Harwin, though frustratedly so, had resigned himself to waiting for you right by the door. You gave him a wary look as you followed the Queen’s lady inside.

Lady Bethany announced, “Lady Y/N, Your Grace.”

Your eyes widened in surprise as she then excused herself, slipping out of the door without another word. Though you knew you would be speaking with the Queen alone, you had half expected the Queen’s ladies to be present at least. You did not anticipate being truly alone with the woman across the room.

Queen Alicent turned away from her balcony and back towards the room at the sound of her lady’s voice. She was donned in her usual color, a gown made of the most luxurious green fabrics money could buy. Her hair was styled neatly, pristinely even. Though you had your doubts about the truthfulness of it, the Queen looked well-rested. Queen Alicent had always looked well put together, and you could never deny her that.

In fact, despite the small voice in your head chastising you as you did so, you couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable under her inquisitive gaze. You were still dressed in the gown you wore the day before. Your hair was most likely greatly disheveled. You did not need a mirror; you could feel how red your eyes must have been.

Queen Alicent took a few steps closer, before properly taking you in. She politely hid her true feelings about your appearance, and gave you a tight-lipped smile instead. “Lady Y/N.”

You curtseyed. “Your Grace.”

“Come, sit with me. I had them bring us some tea.”

Queen Alicent seated herself at the table positioned in the middle of the room. You were in no position to deny her, so you did as she requested without delay.

You watched with suspicion as Queen Alicent poured you both a cup of tea. That was a serving girl or boy’s job- not one of the Queen. The fact that she had done so, combined with the fact that the two of you were truly alone, created a rather informal and yet intimate moment. It made you feel greatly uneasy. While the woman herself did not scare you, you feared her long reach.

Queen Alicent calmly took a sip of her own cup of tea, before giving you a somber look. “On behalf of the royal family, I want to give you our deepest condolences at this time. I know the King’s friendship with your father, and by extension, your brother, went back many years. And I know how close you, and Ser Harwin, are to Princess Rhaenyra.”

Your eyes narrowed involuntarily. You weren’t exactly sure what the Queen meant by her last phrase, but you chose to ignore it. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

“Losing a brother… It is unfathomable.”

Oddly enough, Queen Alicent sounded completely genuine. Perhaps the thought of her own brother, Ser Gwayne, meeting an early demise truly troubled her.

She cleared her throat and redirected herself. “Now, onto the matter I have called you here to discuss.”

Please, you begged internally, sparing a thought for your husband, who was undoubtedly waiting anxiously on the other side of the chamber's door.

“The petition your cousin, Lord Garrett, plans to make before King Viserys and the small council.”

You blinked. You weren't aware that the Queen was knowledgeable of the matter.

But it seemed Queen Alicent knew a great deal about it. She watched you with great interest, waiting to analyze your each and every move and word. She coaxed, “How do you feel about it?”

You decided to answer truthfully. “I do not know how to feel, Your Grace.”

She smiled sympathetically. “That is completely understandable. I am sure this is an extremely difficult time for you, and there is a lot to consider… Although, your cousin’s offer does seem to be a generous one.”

Though you had begun to lower your guard, Queen Alicent’s sudden shift in tone put you on edge once again.

“Running Highgarden and taking on the other responsibilities of your family’s seat must be an imposing task,” she mused, before taking another sip of tea. “Perhaps Lord Garrett’s offer to free you of that burden is a blessing in disguise.”

There was something unsettling about the way she was speaking. Before you could think of the most direct, though polite, way to confront her about what her true intentions were with the conversation, Queen Alicent had begun another tangent.

“Do you know how House Tyrell came to power, Lady Y/N?”

Dumbfoundedly, you answered, “Of course I do, Your Grace.”

“Forgive me, you are probably far more-versed in the history of it than I… Would you care to refresh my memory?”

You were still uncertain as to what the Queen’s purpose was, but you answered her regardless. “King Mern and the rest of House Gardener perished at the Field of Fire,” you recalled, the legend having been ingrained in you from a very young age. “After that, Harlan Tyrell, King Mern’s Steward, became acting Lord of Highgarden.”

“Ah, yes,” Queen Alicent indulged, feigning enthusiasm. “And, when Aegon the Conqueror came calling on the Reach once more? What did Harlan Tyrell do then?”

“He yielded Highgarden to Aegon.”

“Exactly,” the Queen affirmed. She took another sip of her tea, and placed the cup down on the dish before her. Then, she looked you deeply in the eyes, as if trying to prevent you from looking anywhere else but back at her.

Unfortunately, it worked.

“He yielded to Aegon,” Queen Alicent repeated, with particular emphasis. “Harlan Tyrell bent the knee, and the rest of the noble houses of the Reach followed.”

Including House Hightower, you thought bitterly.

“By doing so, countless lives were saved… And, in return, Aergon entitled your ancestor, Harlan, to Highgarden, and proclaimed him as his Warden of the South.”

By now, your tea had probably begun to grow cold. But you didn’t intend to find out. “With all due respect, Your Grace, I did not expect to be treated to a history of my family’s House. If it please you, I would much rather-”

“-Are you familiar with the concept of, ‘those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it’?”

Taken aback, you replied, “No, Your Grace. Pray tell, what does it mean?”

“It suggests that history repeats itself, whether it is through events, or people. They say it isn’t always apparent, and it does not always repeat itself in ways one might expect…”

You frowned. First, a history lesson. Now, a philosophy one. All you knew is that you were far too tired to be further strained for the sake of the Queen’s amusement. Or whatever other victory she was trying to achieve.

“But,” Queen Alicent said then, finally making her point, “if such a thing is true, perhaps it would be wise for us to acknowledge our past, and take whatever lessons we can from it. I imagine doing so could only serve us well for our future.”

It was at that moment that the reason for her calling upon you became abundantly clear. The threatening subtext beneath her eloquent words did not go over your head. You did not know how to proceed, but the one thing you were certain of was that now was not the appropriate time to retaliate.

“Perhaps so, Your Grace.”

You could tell by the shocked expression on your husband’s face that Harwin had a difficult time believing what you were telling him.

After you had excused yourself from the Queen’s presence, the pair of you had returned to your chambers at once. When you arrived in the safe confines in the room, you immediately began to recall the details of your conversation to him.

“She had the nerve to have me recount my family’s history for her,” you seethed. “As if I have not been raised on those stories since I was a child!”

Harwin’s eyes were focused on the floor as he thought deeply about everything you had shared. “What she said, about history repeating itself… That was a threat.”

“I agree,” you acknowledged gravely. “... You know what this means, don’t you?”

Harwin lifted his eyes from the floor to meet your flustered expression. But you did not wait for him to answer; you could tell that Harwin had already reached the conclusion himself, the same conclusion as you had.

“Whoever inherits Highgarden will be expected to bend the knee to the next ruler… And you know, as well as I do, that Queen Alicent does not fully expect that ruler to be Princess Rhaenyra.”

Your husband was silent.

You took a seat upon the bed. Though, only a short while ago, you would have been completely content to finally get some rest, you knew that if you tried to do so now, your mind would not let you. Your body was completely fatigued, but your head was now plagued with more questions, uncertainties, and still, grief, than you would have ever imagined.

“If I challenge my cousin’s petition, and attempt to take up my family’s seat, I will be bound to the Reach for larger portions of the year,” you realized out loud.

Harwin abruptly taking a seat beside you took you by surprise; you hadn’t even realized he had crossed the room.

“Do you really believe that I would not go with you?” he asked, the hurt in his voice undisguised.

You shook your head. “It would be unfair to ask that of you.”

“It would not be a request,” Harwin disagreed lightly. “You are my wife. My place is with you, no matter where that is.”

Tears began to well in your eyes at his sweet words. “My Love, you are to inherit Harrenhal, someday. What would we do then?”

“We will reach a compromise, I am sure,” he vowed, reaching over and taking one of your hands in his own for emphasis. “I would miss my family, but make no mistake,” he pleaded, “I can promise you this: I would follow you across the realm. I would travel throughout each and every one of the Seven Kingdoms, from the Summer Seas shores in Dorne, all the way to the Wall in the North, if it meant that doing so would keep me by your side.”

Unable to speak at that moment, you placed your free hand upon the side of his face softly, a silent gesture meant to assure him of how moved you were by his words. Harwin turned his head, and placed a quick peck of a kiss into the palm of your hand before his eyes returned to yours.

“I wish that was our only problem,” you confessed in a whisper.

But you both knew it was not.

You dropped your hand, and wrapped them both around Harwin’s. You held his hand in your lap securely, silently begging him to pay complete attention to what you were about to say.

However, your gesture was not entirely necessary; Harwin was already looking at you with such gravity in his eyes, you knew he would be clinging on to every word.

“My father swore fealty to the King, and his named heir. My brother did as well, and I too will be expected to do the same… But you know what will happen when King Viserys passes. Rhaenyra’s claim will be challenged. And I must support her, no matter the personal cost. If I take up my family’s seat, I will make myself that much more of a target for her enemies. It would make you a target.” With horror, you realized, “It would make our children targets.”

At this, the look in Harwin’s eyes became somewhat wistful. After a moment of contemplation, he responded, “We are already targets, My Love. Someone has attempted to undermine us before. When King Viserys passes, they will certainly do so again, regardless of whether you hold a title.”

You bit your cheek; he made a fair point.

“If you do not want this for yourself, then let your cousin petition to take it. I will not hold any ill will against you for it,” Harwin promised.

There was no doubt in your mind that he meant every word that was accompanied by his soothing tone.

“But,” Harwin continued then, “If there is even the smallest part of you that wishes to take it up… You should. It is your family’s seat, My Love. It is your family’s inheritance to claim, or to give to another, if you so desire. But it is not your cousin’s right to claim it all for himself.”

“He is a son of my aunt…”

“And you are the last child of two lord’s past. The sister of the last Lord Tyrell, who passed without any heirs of his own,” Harwin countered assuringly. “And though I am not one to normally partake in gossip, your cousin, Lord Garrett, is a second son… Can you be certain that his intentions in laying a claim to the lordship are genuine?”

“No,” you admitted. Then, frightfully, you breathed, “But what if I can’t do it?”

A puzzled look flashed across his face. But once Harwin realized that you were serious about your concerns, his expression softened sympathetically.

“My father was raised to be Lord of Highgarden,” you explained. “Derron was raised to inherit the lordship after him. And I… was not.”

“Lord Garrett was raised in the Arbor. Though you may not have received the same guidance as your brother, you grew up in Highgarden. That alone should give you more knowledge about the lordship than Lord Garrett has.”

You were not convinced.

“... My Lady, what are the words of your House?”

You said nothing.

“Growing strong,” Harwin recalled for you, answering his own question.

For a moment, it was quiet, and you basked in the irony that was the motto of your House in comparison to how you felt at that particular moment.

“You know,” Harwin said off-handedly, “For someone who embraces those words so plainly, it surprises me how little you believe it to be true about yourself.”

You attempted to withdraw your hands, but Harwin did not wish to let you go.

“Ever since I’ve known you, I’ve admired you,” he confessed. “Especially that first day my eyes were blessed with the sight of you… when you had the courage to gawk at me across the throne room.”

You scoffed, but only half-heartedly. Before you could retort, Harwin continued.

“Your father brought you to King’s Landing, which I assume was beyond your control. But you embraced your circumstances. You stood tall, right before the iron throne, and spoke your mind freely to King Viserys and Princess Rhaenyra. Do you recall what you said? Because I remember it very clearly… You jested about the foul smell of King’s Landing.”

A watery laugh escaped your lips at the memory. You were pleasantly surprised; you feared as though you had made a terrible impression with Harwin that day. However, it seemed as though he had held on to more fond details of the day than you had.

“Your boldness captured my attention that day. And every day since, it has only ever been yours. Despite being away from your home, and without the comfort of your family, you won over Princess Rhaenyra. You’ve served her faithfully, and now, I doubt there is anything you could ask her for that she would deny you. Not that you are in need of much- you have a husband, who, I sincerely hope you know, would go through the Seven Hells and back to ensure your happiness.”

You could not tear your eyes from Harwin’s even if you wanted to.

“You haven’t lived in King’s Landing, My Love… you’ve thrived.”

You gripped his hands tighter.

Harwin reached up and lightly swiped away one of your stray tears with his thumb. “I am not saying you wouldn’t need time to adjust, and to learn,” he conceded. “But once you do… there is no doubt in my mind that you shall make the finest Lady of Highgarden the realm has seen in a lifetime.”

“...Lady of Highgarden,” you repeated, testing the waters. “It sounds… foreign.”

Harwin let out an amused chuckle.

“There’s never been one before, you know.”

There’d always been sons, grandsons even to inherit. Even though the women of House Tyrell had always tended to have significant sway over their husbands, and occasionally a mother might have taken up the seat in the infancy and minority of a son, they still were only the Lady of Highgarden because they’d been wed to a Lord Tyrell. Never had there been a Lady of Highgarden in her own right, and never had House Tyrell been faced with a similar question of succession before.

Harwin pointed out swiftly, “There’s never been a ruling Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, either.”

You leaned forward, resting your head upon his shoulder. Harwin’s hand came to rest lightly upon the small of your back, and he pressed a tender kiss to your forehead. For some while, the two of you sat there, enjoying a comfortable silence.

You prayed to the gods that it was not the calm before the storm.

“I suppose there’s only one thing left to do,” you realized, breaking the silence.

Harwin sighed. “Aye.”

The following morning, the doors to the small council’s chamber opened with great ado.

You wish you could have committed to memory the flabbergasted expression on Lord Garrett’s face when you, and Harwin, entered the room.

The rest of the small council looked upon the pair of you, all of them stunned at the sudden intrusion. All but a few. Lord Lyonel, who was seated on one side of the King, looked pleasantly surprised to see you. Princess Rhaenyra, who was seated on the King’s other side, looked absolutely relieved and thrilled.

King Viserys himself, who was seated at the far end of the long, narrow table, rose from his chair. If he was surprised too, he did not show it. “Lady Y/N, Ser Harwin.”

“Your Grace,” you greeted, courtesying, while Harwin bowed beside you.

“What is the meaning of this?” your cousin demanded, though he was mindful of his tone.

Lord Garrett, unlike the others in the room, was not seated. If you had to guess, he had been just about to begin petitioning his cause. He’d always entertained others with grand tales of his adventures; an impassioned speech persuading the King to name him as the heir to Highgarden was likely to be no less of a spectacle.

“Forgive me, Your Grace,” you begged, choosing to ignore Lord Garrett, and focusing on King Viserys instead. “My dear Cousin informed me of this meeting, and invited me to attend. Though, most regrettably, he failed to mention the time at which it was to begin.”

“You are welcome, Lady Y/N,” the King maintained. “Though, I must ask- are you here to testify in support of Lord Garrett’s claim, or have you come to present your own case?”

In one more fleeting moment of self doubt, you glanced at Harwin out of the corner of your eyes. He gave you a look of solace, which was all the reassurance that you needed.

“I wish to defend my own claim, Your Grace.”

Though he said nothing, your cousin glared at you as though you had stolen something right out from beneath him.

King Viserys smiled, visibly pleased with the turn of events. “Very well, My Lady. Lord Garrett was just about to begin, but you may make your own petition after. Please, both of you- be seated.”

You did as the King bid, and chose the free chair closest to the door. Harwin surprised you by scooting in your chair for you, and you gave him a thankful smile in return.

“If it pleases you, Your Grace,” he said, looking back to the King, “I would prefer to stand.”

King Viserys nodded in consent to Harwin’s request.

Lord Garrett frowned. He asked the room, “Is Ser Harwin’s presence truly necessary? I fail to see how this matter affects him.”

“Ser Harwin is Lady Y/N’s Lord Husband,” Princess Rhaenyra swiftly reminded him. “The outcome of these petitions shall bear an impact on him as well.”

You gave Princess Rhaenyra a subtle, though very grateful, look.

“The Princess is right,” King Viserys confirmed resolutely. “Ser Harwin may stay.”

Your husband smiled. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

Harwin took his post at the base of the wall behind you. Though he was not seated next to you, his presence was still a great comfort. You could feel his eyes on your back at all times, and there was no doubt in your mind that he waited patiently, ready to step in at any time, and in any capacity, to defend you if necessary.

Lord Garrett’s frown was not so easily wiped from his face. But he found a way to make his expression more pleasant when the King informed him that it was time for him to begin.

“As you wish, Your Grace,” Lord Garrett said. With one more slighted look at you, and a mildly frightened glance at Harwin, your cousin forced a smile to his face, and began his eloquent, and undoubtedly well-rehearsed, speech.

“My ancestor, Harlan Tyrell, bent the knee to Aegon the Conqueror…”

Your blood ran cold. The beating beneath your chest quickened as your mind raced to begin connecting pieces of information you’d observed over the past few days but had yet to link together.

“... When my grandsire passed, he left behind two children. My mother, and the late Lord Larris Tyrell. When my uncle passed, his son, my cousin, Ser Derron Tyrell, succeeded him. It is my dear cousin’s passing that brings us all here today. It is most unfortunate that he departed from this world before he had a chance to sire heirs of his own. Had that been the case, there would be no need for me to petition to be his heir…”

You bit your tongue. Patience, you reminded yourself. You could only hope that the conclusion of this meeting was worth subjecting yourself to the self-righteous speech your cousin was delivering.

“... But I am merely a second son. Just as you are the son of one yourself, Your Grace. My older brother, Lord Jeran Redwyne, is to inherit the Arbor throne upon our father’s passing. It is with this in mind that I humbly put myself before you as my cousin’s successor. Your Grace, should you be agreeable to it, I beseech you to declare me as Lord Derron’s heir, and name me, your loyal servant, as the rightful Lord Garrett Tyrell, Master of Highgarden, Defender of the Marshes, Lord Paramount of the Reach, and Wardeness of the South.”

The room was awkwardly quiet, save for the shuffling of the chair that your cousin promptly took a seat in.

King Viserys offered your cousin a polite smile. “Thank you, Lord Garrett.” Then, he turned to you anticipatingly. “Lady Y/N?”

You rose from your chair. One by one, you glanced at those seated at the table. Many of them looked upon you with neutral expressions, Lord Lyonel among them. However, you supposed it was his duty, now more than ever, to remain impartial, especially when his son stood to gain greatly from one of the two potential outcomes. King Viserys looked at you intrigued and with an odd sense of fondness, almost as if he was being reminded of something, or someone, he had seen before.

Your eyes fell upon Princess Rhaenyra last. She looked at you hopefully, and that’s when you knew that your failure would not be an option. She was depending on you.

You had not planned a speech, having found the task too intimidating over the past day. But after listening to your cousin’s inflated musings about history and tradition, you had suddenly found all the words you needed.

You entered the throne room to find an eerily familiar scene.

Not more than two years past, you had entered the same room in a similar fashion. It was decently crowded; the many faces of those at Court looked upon you with interest now, just as they had then. King Viserys, seated upon the iron throne, Queen Alicent, seated beside him, and Princess Rhaenyra, seated at the King’s other side, occupied the same places in your memory as they did now before your very eyes.

But not everything was the same. You were unescorted this time. And titles, which had once been bestowed upon two others closest to you, now adorned your own name and introduction.

“Lady Y/N of House Tyrell, Mistress of Highgarden, Defender of the Marshes, Lady Paramount of the Reach, and Wardeness of the South.”

…

Only a short time later, you and Harwin filed out of the small council chambers.

Immediately, Harwin ushered you away from the door.

You were taken aback by his sudden urgency. “What is the matter, Dearest?”

Harwin paused, and looked up and down the corridor, confirming that the two of you were alone. Then, he looked down at you earnestly, and in a low tone, answered, “Seeing you, in there, defending your claim…”

Your eyes widened with fear. Had you said something to cause offense?

“I found it very… enticing.”

“... Oh,” you muttered understandingly, involuntarily offering him flirtatious eyes and a charming smile. “Perhaps we should make haste back to our chambers, then-”

“Cousin!”

The door to the small council chambers closed shut, and the meeting continued on within. You, Harwin, and Lord Garrett were left alone in the corridor.

Your cousin took a few steps forward in order to decrease the distance between you, but he did not get as close as he could have. His eyes flitted towards Harwin apprehensively.

“I beg you to reconsider,” Lord Garrett pleaded. “I would not wish for you to come to regret this decision one day.”

“I appreciate you offering your opinion, Cousin- but I did not ask for it. And I thank you for offering to lessen my burden- but I do not need that, either.”

…

You walked down the aisle, painfully aware of the many eyes upon you.

In hindsight, you felt sympathy for your late brother. Shortly after the passing of your father, he had been tasked with swearing fealty to the King, as did many others who had inherited their families’ thrones since Princess Rhaenyra had been proclaimed as King Viserys’ heir. You could recall standing amongst the audience and watching Derron with conflicting emotions. You had been remorseful at the time, knowing that he had been forced to do so only by the loss of your father. But you had also felt pride, having complete faith that your brother would make a fine Lord of Highgarden.

You walked in big shadows, largely of your own device. But you were more than prepared to take them in stride.

Once you drew near the end of the aisle, you spotted Harwin and the rest of your Good Family. You dared not to look any of them in the eye, fearful that your serious resolve may crumble if you did. But you had been unable to resist the urge to sneak a glance at your husband.

Harwin was smiling with pride.

When you finally reached the foot of the iron throne, you curtseyed to the royal family.

The look that Queen Alicent regarded you with was indiscernible.

…

Your cousin sighed exasperatedly. “You do not understand, Y/N.”

“When did this agreement come about?”

“What agreement?” Garrett asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“What all did they ask of you? An army? Wealth? Secrets? … Or was bending the knee to Prince Aegon the only price you’d have to pay to the Hightowers for them helping to install you as Lord of Highgarden?”

The look on your cousin’s face proved that your surmisation was true.

Garrett sighed once more. “You still do not understand, Y/N. We need not cause further strife between our Houses. There is no need for us to be enemies.”

“And yet you have made an enemy of me by attempting to supplant me as the heir to my family’s inheritance. Do you have any regard for what others might think if they heard about your petition?”

If House Florent were to have caught wind of it, there was little doubt that they would’ve sent a member of their own house to speak with the King and argue a claim for themselves. Your cousin’s petition regarding the succession made House Tyrell appear as though it could not solve its own internal matters, and it also made Highgarden look as though it was ready for the taking.

“My intentions were good,” Lord Garrett argued.

“You said it yourself in your petition, My Lord: you are a second son. Do not deny the fact that the idea of ascending a throne grander than the one of the House you were born into did not appeal to you. My brother’s body is not even cold, but you were quick to make a claim to his birthright. And now… I can’t help but feel that the timing of your visit to King’s Landing was very convenient.”

“Just what are you implying?!” he scoffed. “You insult me deeply. Derron was my family. We are family!”

“By blood,” you admitted. “And yet, you have not treated me as such. Did you really expect King Viserys to declare you as my brother’s heir? The King has had a trueborn son for quite a few years now, but he has held steadfast that his one true heir to the Iron Throne is no one but the Princess Rhaenyra. What possibly made you think that he would strip me of the inheritance from my father and brother simply because I am a woman?”

…

A pillow had been placed before you for comfort. As gracefully as you could manage, you kneeled before the Iron Throne.

You had memorized the words you never thought you’d ever find the need to say. And yet, as you declared them before the royal family and the rest of the Court, they felt like law. They came to you with great ease, as you had no intention of breaking your oath.

“I, Y/N Tyrell, Mistress of Highgarden, Defender of the Marshes, Lady Paramount of the Reach, and Wardeness of the South, promise to be faithful to King Viserys, and his named heir, the Princess Rhaenyra. I pledge fealty to them, and shall defend them against all enemies in good faith, and without deceit.”

Your eyes flickered over to Princess Rhaenyra. You felt oddly empowered when you noticed the look upon her face. Like Harwin, she looked proud too.

“I swear this,” you continued, “by the old gods, and the new.”

…

Lord Garrett wisely refrained from answering your posed question. “The Princess’ claim to the Iron Throne will be challenged,” he swore. “And when it is, your claim to Highgarden may be called into question as well.”

You were not interested in continuing the futile conversation any further. You turned, encouraging Harwin to do so as well. However, this took some effort; Harwin seemed more than happy to advance upon your cousin with heavy blows. You knew he would too, if you simply gave him the word.

Too bad Lord Garrett was hardly worth the effort.

“With the gods’ blessing, it shall be many years before King Viserys departs us. Now, take what’s left of your dignity and return back to the Arbor, Cousin. Tell your mother that I look forward to seeing her at Highgarden for my brother’s sendoff.”

With a guiding hand on Harwin’s arm, you turned and began walking down the corridor. To your relief, he finally yielded to your guidance, though somewhat reluctantly.

Lord Garrett was fuming behind you. “This is not the end of this, Y/N!”

“By all means,” you called back to your disgruntled kin over your shoulder, “Years from now, when the King passes, if you still covet my family’s seat: try and take it from me.”

King’s Landing became smaller and smaller through the carriage window as the escort leaving for Highgarden departed a few days later. A light breeze flowed through the air, filtering in through the open window soothingly, and confirming what you had already suspected.

Gone were the cold winds of winter. The warmer days of spring had finally arrived.

Lady Lilyan and Lady Eyla would still visit Highgarden, as they had originally planned, but they would join you later. Your Good Sisters wanted to grant you some time to properly send off your brother, and to begin to gather your bearings in your new position.

Unsurprisingly, your cousin, Lord Garrett Redwyne, had chosen not to accompany you back to Highgarden. He and his family would meet with you after your arrival. There was no warm goodbye between the two of you when you departed the capital city.

But there had been a somewhat tearful goodbye with Princess Rhaenyra, which left you in a gloomy mood. Though you may have left her service at any time, especially after your marriage, there had been no need, and no desire on your part. Your place was still in King’s Landing, as was your husband’s. You had never expected to be forced to leave under such conditions, nor as abruptly.

Perhaps someday, King’s Landing could be your home again. But for now, your place was back in the Reach. You’d return to Highgarden as the one of the last of the Tyrells.

But that didn’t mean you would be returning alone.

You looked away from the window and across from you, where Harwin was seated. You were tempted to giggle at the sight of your broad husband, who looked somewhat cramped inside the carriage. He would most likely take to horseback once the escort was further from the capital, but until then, he had insisted on being with you.

You reached for his hand, and he gave it to you readily.

“Are you well?” he asked, lines of worry appearing on his forehead.

You nodded. “I was only thinking.”

“About?”

“Nothing is ever going to be the same.”

“Aye,” Harwin agreed, his tone tired, but commiserating. “It may be an untraveled path we’ve set out on, but, there is still some certainty... We shall travel it together. And whatever else comes across our way, we shall face together. The two of us.”

It was then that you were reminded of the news you’d been meaning to share with your husband for well over a week. You had planned to tell him sooner, but with everything that had transpired, it was hardly surprising that it had become one of the least of your concerns.

You pulled Harwin’s hand closer to you, and though he gave you a confused look, he allowed you to do so.

You placed his palm flat against your stomach, and corrected, “The three of us.”

Harwin’s eyes filled with mirth as understanding washed over him.

...

Dearest Sister,

I have just received your last letter. Against the advice of the maesters, I am using all my strength to write back to you at once in the hopes that this shall reach you in a timely manner.

Though I know you wish to discuss the topic of a betrothal, there is a matter far more urgent that I wish to call your attention to.

Since the eve of your wedding, I have been tirelessly investigating who may have been the source of the foul “trick” we both, unfortunately, know too well of. Though I am limited, by time, means, and by the distance between myself and King’s Landing, I have still made some progress, however small it may be.

The whisperings I have been able to uncover, dear Sister, are frightening. Though you have confided to me the names of those amongst you in the Red Keep who you believe could have motives to devise such a plot, it is my belief that this was not the act of a lone individual. There may be many who work against you, all united by a common cause. I suspect there are additional culprits who may have offered those you have named assistance in orchestrating the entire plot.

More alarming, I fear that one of these potential culprits is someone much, much closer to you. To us. And yet another may be someone close to your Lord Husband…

But I dare not list the names of any whom I suspect, lest another’s eyes read these words before your own. All I can do is plead that you look out for yourself. Ser Harwin Strong may be the strongest man in all the Seven Kingdoms, but not every enemy will try to tear you down with force, or be so brazen in their attempt.

It is with a heavy heart that I confess I may have misled you about the seriousness of my illness. I fear that my end may be near, sweet Y/N. I believe someone involved has learned of my attempts to investigate. Before I knew just how deep this plot against you, and by extension, the Princess Rhaenyra, ran, I did not take care to cover my tracks properly, and now, I may pay a price for it.

I hope I am wrong. But if I am not, take heart. I know you would make me, and our father, proud by taking up our family’s seat. If that is to be true, I only wish I could be present to witness your rise.

The Lady of Highgarden…

It has a certain ring to it, wouldn’t you say?

Love,

Derron

...

Thank you for reading!🖤 Please feel free to let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist.

NEXT CHAPTER we’re time jumping to Episode 6! and we get to meet their kids and I’m just so excited for that and-

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outwalkingthelocales · 1 year

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My thoughts on Welcome Home's community developement!

These are my opinions, please do not feel hurt by them! It is simply a peppermint that I have not opened and is still on my desk. (Until now!) It is mainly for me, but there is a part of me that would like others to read it.

It's coming very close to the relaunch of Welcome Home! I've been so excited!!! Although, I do make sure to watch myself and save this excitement. I must focus on my life as well! But, I'd like to place this here as a memory before then. As a memory of why I love Welcome Home, of myself!

I wasn't introduced to Welcome Home until the very very early beginning booms of its popularity. At first I was introduced to it by Night Mind, (I thought the voice over was Wally's voice and he was showing us the remnants of his show and friends, I was very wrong!!! I learned throughout the video, I learned I learned!!)

I had it in the back of my mind. I thought it might've been another thing I saw and would drop quickly. (as I had done so many times in this period!) I didn't want the sorrow of that again so instead of investing time, I moved on. Throughout the next little days I saw Welcome Home again and, as my doubts melted away, I fell deeply in love. I was in a bit of a hard place as well as finding it hard to latch on to something I held dear. Welcome home gave me such comfort, a safe place. At the time, I could still say, ah I have no one to share this with...it is a small community! But I am here, I am so happy, I will create content for myself. (I was still so so shy and did not have socials of my own) I watched it grow to such a large size! It was fun for me, I saw the love and care being explored. The characters loved, the story found! What I was too shy to say I saw others recognize, it was so heart warming to me. This time in my life was so special because Welcome Home had been explored based off the canon in the community, based off the real roots of it all. The project. It was so sweet. This was something I was able to follow along to, I got to see the process and not just the finished, it had the warmth of a home! And as the project grew and grew, I can't say that I didn't grow a little sad knowing this was no longer a wonderful secret I knew of. But, at the same time I was so happy that Clown was getting the recognition his project deserved!! Things never stay the same I know, but here in the present it does hurt a little. I understand the want to explore and create, but I am not a fan of all the aus created around Welcome Home. In every corner I see "Creator of ____ au" and such, I remember the scrambling of wanting to make the best au. Having 10 in a day be made and the number grew only more from there, lists to keep track, the craze of being the most popular. It felt like I was watching a competition. Like Clown, I see it as Welcome Home changing its clothes! I have to say, I've seen very cute ones that I like, but I do not seek them. I think one of the main BIG reasons for the explosion of these aus was the idea that Welcome Home did not have a large amount of content. While Clown has stated that yes this is not all of what we'll see and is in fact just a dip in the water, it does not mean that what we've been given is close to pebbles. The project has developed over many years and it shows! There is so much love everywhere! The tellings, characters, worldbuilding, the art, the indirect secrets!!! Even the non canonical, it is there to understand, learn from, recognize and more!! There are ways to explore these characters, their styles, their homes, their interactions, their feelings, background, down to the very smallest thing! The theorizing is part of it yes, but so is the appreciation and love of what's true. I constantly find myself thinking of more than a thousand new things from just a sketch! There are little details everywhere intentional or not! I find it so hard to believe others cannot see them, or choose to ignore. I feel in part, frustrated that Welcome Home is not appreciated in the colorful way it gifts itself. I see some characters be changed so dramatically I cannot recognize them, or become so cubed into one dimension they become boring. And, for these characters that I love so much, to be densly packed into a tuna can, it does make me sad. Give them room to breathe, and play! I rarely see the community speak of it in its most classic form, straight from Clown's heart wrapped in a bow! I might add on to this as I remember my feelings, but I have always wanted to store this somewhere. Again, this is my little ramble, an opinion amongst many! I am not saying Welcome Home's community has to be uptight or that it cannot have fun and explore, I do it too! It is a common nature I believe, to not be so serious and just goof! I just wish, that such astounding work, would have its beauty be seen in the light it deserves.

I would also like to say, that this work has really made me come out of my shell. I love it so much I cannot keep quiet no matter how hard I've tried. I am so grateful to everything this project has given to me and to others, it is so special. I can see it! What my eyes see I wish I could share, what I feel is longed to be given! I have always loved puppets, but it was such a small part of my life amongst other things fighting for my attention, and they were very different from these! Since the discovery of Welcome Home, I've explored more media, sesame street, the muppets, the list continues..... it's truly given me such a lovely home and a look into the childhood I didn't have! Given me a wonderful light in my life! What can I say, but thank you from the bottom of my heart!

A small sidenote!!!

Now if you've seen my twitter, you may have seen the small blab about an important update! No no it is not this! It is coming it is coming! But for now, goodnight!

A silly thing! Oh, I did try to clean it quickly but I was tired and it didn't end up well!! It is scrapped but its ok! I love him all the same!! Maybe in the future he'll be more spiffy🌈 I'm very fond of this jelly smooth animation style, it is a quickly scribbled piece but a tease to the future works! I love frame by frame animations!

#welcome home #myart

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claire-starsword · 23 days

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Authentic Story of the Shining Force - Saint Fencer Max - Author's comments

Final translation notes:

Yodobashi Camera is apparently a japanese electronics retail chain, hence the label on the bag.

A volume with 40 pages only feels very weird to me, but I couldn't find any other possible translation for what he says here. Besides, the structure of this thing is already wack anyway, chapter 1 has like, 10 pages while chapter 4 has almost 30.

In any case, I get the feeling that this manga got robbed of an official publication, and this volume is an independent work of sorts thrown together by Ono. Might explain why the printing is wack and cut panels at points. Still very glad it exists, because I doubt scans of the original run would have ever surface on the internet otherwise. Actually, I appreciate this whole afterword so much, it's a lot of info I would have never found out by myself, and god knows video game stuff does not keep any track of its own history overall. Any recorded info helps.

Tao indeed appears in Tanuma's manga with the same design as here. I will not be translating that thing, but Tao's couple of appearances are pretty much all I liked from it, so here:

Ono also refers to that manga as only "Tanuma's version", which I feel is the main way JP fans refer to it, but since the artist's name had already been mentioned, I used the subtitle as well, which I feel is the best way to specify it.

I don't know what a Game On is, nor what a Game Dome Harumi Shop is :( Those are very unfortunate names to try to google (in fact, the latter only gave me results for this very manga lol). Let me know if you know anything.

The fact Ono has worked with Masaki Wachi later however is interesting to me. I assumed through most of my notes here that some odd elements of this manga, especially Max and Cain's backstory, could be hints of things changed late in development, and brought back for the GBA version. I still think that's the most likely explanation, as at least one of the GBA-only flashbacks is very similar to unused content in the game itself. However, I eventually did figure that something else should be considered. Perhaps certain similarities between this and the GBA version are also things Wachi liked from the manga and wanted to add in the remake, since the two continued to work together somewhere. Who knows?

The wife. For the longest I've been reading her name as Sega Blue, which was an easy reference to parse, but while joking in the tags ten seconds ago I realized I was misreading it. I'm not sure if Brel is supposed to mean anything or be read a different way. Oh well. We still have the second name for an easy laugh.

That's all for this weird piece of Shining Force, thank you all for coming along with this ride. I feel this manga has quite a lot for fans to enjoy and think about, and I think it sucks that it is even more obscure than the Tanuma one. I hope this translation helps bringing it more to light, and I hope you all enjoyed!

#shining series #shining force #saint fencer max #saint fencer max translation #sf tao #trust me. those are the only panels tanuma ever drew that matter #'we mustn't think of anything else right now!!' *immediately thinks of The Lady...*#girl this is too easy. i don't even have to say anything #and she legit looks pretty i think everything else in that guy's art sucks she's just built different anyway #and while based on ono's design she actually feels like game tao personality wise. though she doesn't show up that much to judge lmao #i mostly say that for the polite/proper speech patterns. though she's in a leader position now (which is cool as heck)#back to ono's work. how we feeling about that name huh #if you make yet another fridged tragic wife character you at the very least have to give her a name that sends me into hysterics #it's the bare minimum now

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nothwell · 1 year

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Thanks to Elaine for this thoughtful review of Fiorenzo!

Fiorenzo, by Sebastian Nothwell ★★★★★

Fiorenzo is an epic adventure in an alternative historical world where a Duke is charmed by a young courtesan with a strong spirit. The world-building was incredible, from the realistic portrayals of historical Italian life, to the additions of alternative-world elements, such as the Duke's being descended from dragons, the evolution of unique anatomy, and the fact there are women as Dukes and Princes.

Our two main characters are enchanting and each have a dark past and past betrayals to overcome.

A duel has left Enzo with facial scars and a fierce reputation as the Dueling Duke of Drakehaven. He uses a bauta mask when out in public to hide the scars on his face.

Fiore is a courtesan from the Kingfisher, working as a freelance agent of sorts. His life has been a long streak of bad luck – an orphan sent to the conservatorio because of his singing voice, trained to become an opera singer until a trauma made him run away. After some years, he became Fiore a courtesan and has been one ever since.

Together, they make an intriguing couple. Enzo, who has forsaken all hope of affection or compassion unless he's hidden behind a mask, and Fiore who is a free spirit with a jaded outlook on life. They come together purely by accident, but choose to remain together. The tenderness, heat and deep emotional affection displayed between them is profound and beautifully woven into every passage.

While the book has a slightly lyrical, literary style it works perfectly for the historical background and the nature of the characters. There are some amusing uses of metaphor, such as the constant use of sword and nautical themes in intimate situations. The writing is steeped in detail, both ancient and artistic, that it's impossible not to be instantly drawn into the world Nothwell is weaving, from the language use to the architecture and how the words paint a picture of time and location so clearly.

The story starts beautifully slow with Enzo and Fiore meeting, progressing through their tentative relationship at a pace that fits the budding romance and gives us time to see the bond growing between them. Then, at around the halfway mark, I think I held me breath for an entire 10%, because things suddenly took a turn that left no doubt that everything was about to change. Yet, the chemistry between Fiore and Enzo never wavered, becoming stronger for the adversity they faced. Regardless of who was at risk, the other was there to comfort, protect and care for them.

I loved how tentative Fiore was to believe and trust in Enzo, despite his flirtations and obvious affection. It spoke of how deeply he'd been betrayed and hurt in the past, making it hard for him to trust anyone and how aware he is of his own position in society. Alternatively, Enzo has the luxury of not caring about his position and exceeding people's expectations of him to do whatever he wishes. Even when Fiore is injured, Enzo does everything in his power to keep him safe and well, using all that position and authority that he never cared for, to make sure Fiore is safe. Having undergone surgery without anaesthesia myself, I felt Fiore's pain. Though he was clearly terrified – having a fear of chiurgeons/surgeons – Enzo never judged him for that, instead respecting his choices and never telling him to feel any different or forcing him to face his fears. He takes care of Fiore with such tenderness that it made me want to cry, especially when Fiore was mentally and emotionally scraped raw.

When it comes to secondary characters, I loved Fiore's artist friend Artemesia, the loyal hound Vittorio, and Enzo's sister Giovanna and her family. I wasn't fond of Lucrezia, and I don't think I was supposed to be, but I would have liked to see a little more of his mother at the end.

OVERALL

Fiorenzo is an incredibly emotive, captivating story of two people who should never have found themselves together but who fit so perfectly that there's no denying what a perfect match they make. No matter the trials or troubles they face, they've faced them together and lead the reader on an enchanting journey through danger, ecstasy and pain to come out the other side stronger and more in love than ever. Nothwell has already secured a place on my physical bookshelf with his last book, but this book shows me I need to make more space because I can see many more of his books gracing my shelf into the future.

Favourite Quote

“What would you do with me when I'm old and flabby and wrinkled?” Enzo smiled. “With any luck, I shall likewise become old and flabby and wrinked by then, and we would make a well-matched set.” Another wistful smile graced Fiore's perfect lips. “Perhaps.””

“Even with the mask on, Enzo had felt more seen by Fiore than he had by anyone since he'd first donned it.”

FIORENZO is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring secret identities, hurt/comfort, and a happily-ever-after. Coming out September 30th – preorder today!

Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Kobo • Smashwords

#sebastian nothwell #mm romance #mlm romance #gay romance #historical romance #queer romance #queer fantasy #fantasy romance #romantasy #fantasy of manners #mannerpunk #fiorenzo #kind words

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acciotherapists · 10 months

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Little Sparrow Chapter 10

Loki x Reader Mafia AU

When Tony Stark's little sister wakes up deep in enemy territory she assumes her life is over. She'll be killed or worse: used as a bargaining chip against her estranged brother. What happens when the mafia leader, Loki Laufeyson, offers her a deal she can't refuse? No sentiment. Only revenge. What happens when the truth is revealed? Will she betray her only family or betray the man she loves to hate? Little Sparrow is an enemies to lover's fic riddled with betrayal and spice!

Tony was seething by the time we reached the compound but I ignored him, slamming the door to my room the moment I reached it. My phone buzzed and I took it out, finding a message from Loki.

L: Please tell me you’re okay

Y/n: I’m fine. How’re you and Frigga?

L: We’re fine… I need to hear your voice… Are you alone?

Y/n: I doubt it. My brother probably has FRIDAY keeping an eye on me

L: FRIDAY, seriously? That’s his AI’s new name

I chuckled to myself.

Y/n: My brother always did love his acronyms

L: I suppose so

There was a pause as he typed another message

L: Call me when you can… I need to hear your voice

Y/n: Give me 20 minutes and I’ll find a way out

L: I love you. You know that right?

Y/n: Yeah

He sent a small heart and I sent one back before slipping my phone into my back pocket and slowly opening my door. Nat was standing directly outside and I sighed.

“Seriously? He has you on guard duty?”

“It’s what’s best, Y/n.”

“Yeah, well, I’m going for a walk. Guess you’re following me.”

“Can’t you just stay in the compound?”

“Nope. I’m an adult. If you’ve been ordered to follow me, go ahead. What do I care? I can’t stop you but you can’t stop me from taking a walk.” I began walking past her.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You’re going to call him, aren’t you?”

I paused, turning to face her. “Why do you care, Nat? Why are you working for my brother anyway?”

She chuckled. “I work for SHIELD, love. Your brother just happens to be an old friend.”

“And you do the bidding of all your old friends?”

She rolled her eyes. “Just… explain this to me, Y/n… What is it with you and this guy?”

“He’s a good friend… or was. I don’t know what he is now.”

She smiled knowingly. “What do you want him to be?”

“I don’t know that either.”

She smirked.

“Can you just let this one go, Nat? He’s worried about me and I just want to tell him I’m okay.”

“Why would he be worried? We’re your family.”

“Yeah, but… so is he.”

“And there it is.” She smiled. “Just admit you love him already.”

“Shut up.”

She chuckled. “Well, you know I have to come with you but I’ll stay far enough away you won’t even know I’m there.”

I hugged her. “Thank you, Nat!”

She stopped me before I could walk away, slipping her hand under my elbow.

“Sorry about this… but if you don’t want your brother following us… this is for the best.”

I looked down to find a tiny tracking device in her hand.

“You… Nat… That’s how you found us, isn’t it? That’s how you knew where to go… I led you right to him.”

“You didn’t know, Y/n… and we thought it’s what was best.”

I took a breath, trying not to show how angry I was.

“Thanks for telling me.”

She nodded, sticking the tracker under my doorknob and we left the compound.

***

Nat kept her word, remaining at a distance as I dialed Loki’s number.

“Y/n?” He instantly picked up.

“Loki?” I breathed a sigh of relief hearing his voice and it sounded like he did the same. “I’m so sorry they found us! I swear I didn’t know! That day Odin told you to bring me on the next sighting… they stuck a tracker to my jacket. I swear I didn’t know.” I knew I was rambling at this point but I had to explain it to him. I had to tell him the truth.

“Slow down, darling. It’s alright.” He gently shushed me. “I don’t blame you. In fact it’s technically Odin’s fault. He told me to bring you and I advised against it because I knew what they were capable of. I’ll enjoy breaking this particular news to him.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“Darling, I could never be mad at you… especially not over something like this.” There was a brief pause before he spoke again. “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”

“They wouldn’t hurt me, Loki… not intentionally anyway.”

“Have you seen your fiance?” he spat the word bitterly.

“No, but I’m sure he’s around somewhere. My brother’s far too proud to call off the arrangement. Seth will probably show up with some half-assed apology and a bouquet of roses or some bullshit like that.”

I could hear Loki laugh on the other end of the phone. “I suppose I know not to show up at your door with roses then.”

“If it’s you holding the roses then perhaps I wouldn’t mind.”

“Keep trying, damnit!” I heard Loki hiss to someone. “Sorry, darling, I’m still here. So if it’s me with roses… you’ll let me in?”

“I’d let you in no matter what.”

I heard Syf in the background. “We got it!”

“Loki, what’s going on over there? Is everything alright?”

“Darling, I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”

“Loki… what’ve you done?”

*****

Taglist: @12-pm-510 @honeyrydernot @evelyn-kingsley @xalphafox

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dearmaternals · 1 year

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This is an open letter to my family on my mother's side. I'd like to assure you that my purpose of writing this isn't to make anyone choose sides or turn anyone against her - You're all adults and can make your own decisions and judgements and unlike someone we all know, I don't feel the need to try and control other people's views or actions. I know by sharing this with you, it'll probably get back to her and that's okay - I've written the truth here and there's nothing in it that I'm ashamed of or scared that she'll react to.

My aim in writing this is to be open, honest and to offer up a side to the story that you probably haven't heard before. I have no doubt that you have heard various versions of mine and my mother's relationship that paints me as some kind of villain with her as the victim and completely blameless. I'm not here to slate her, I just want to share the truth with you so that you can make up your own minds.

The truth is, my mother is responsible for a lot of abuse and pain caused to both myself and Pàl. Some of this has been indirect, through neglect, enabling and putting us in vulnerable positions but the majority has been direct, intentional and borderline psychopathic.

From the age of 4 until the age of 7, she would leave us with one of her friends from work who would beat, humiliate and torture both myself and Pàl. She insists that she either didn't know about this or that she was also a victim - What she won't tell you is that she hit us too and joined in on the sadistic 'punishments' doled out to us. I am haunted by the image of her lifting Pàl at least 3 feet off the ground by his ear lobes. I would get horrendous beatings and she would rub ointment into my swollen, bruised face and tell me it was all my own fault. Myself and Pàl are the real victims and the only reason it stopped was because Nan found our bruises and forced my mother to move us out of the area for our own safety.

We moved to Bolton and mother dearest swore us to secrecy about what had happened to make us move into the area, using crocodile tears and emotional manipulation to keep us quiet.

When I was 10, she met a new man whilst working at the chippy - After knowing him for a few weeks, she let him babysit us at his house while she was at work - This was the first time that he sexually abused me, while I was in my primary school uniform. He continued to abuse me for the next 4 years, often this would be in the bedroom next to my mum's while she slept but he would also take me swimming and abuse me there. The signs were there; I withdrew to my room, I would often barricade my bedroom door to stop him coming in and I even asked my mother repeatedly if I could have a lock on my bedroom door and she was never concerned with the reasons why.

In fact, that's how I've experienced my mother, as long as I'm adhering to her standards - she doesn't seem to care about me at all. If I'm not following her rules, then all hell will break loose. A good example of this is when I was in year 8, she decided that I was old enough to bath myself (which I agreed) however, she refused to help me with my recurring problem with lice. Having so much hair made it impossible to complete this myself and every time I would ask her to help, she would refuse. I was horrendously bullied because I got to a point where I couldn't manage and often had nits falling out of my head whilst in school. Even then, she didn't intervene, I was doing as I was told and therefore it was no longer her issue. I would spend so long in the bath trying to get rid of the lice that the bath would be ice cold, I'd be in tears and still, wasn't her issue.

Once her marriage with my stepdad, my abuser, broke down - she would disappear for weeks at a time, leaving me to fend for myself. I often had to beg her to come home to either drop off food, or money so that I could do a food shop and get gas/electric on the meter. This was a theme right up until she kicked me out in 2013 - As I was building my life outside of the house and would often be out of the house, I became the bad guy. I had dropped out of uni after a suicide attempt and could no longer afford to give her a hefty percentage of my student loan, which, along with me speaking to mental health professionals about my life, spending as much time out of the house as I could and attempting to build a relationship with my dad, caused some friction.

If you've spoken to her about this, she will probably have said that I wasn't kicked out but instead I chose to leave - I mean, she did offer me a choice but it wasn't a reasonable one. The choice was to transfer every penny in my bank account to her, to stop going to get mental health support, to stop speaking to and seeing my friends and agree to just stay in the house and look after the dogs OR, and these are her words, "get the fuck out of my house". If that seems like a legitimate choice and not coercion, control and abuse then I don't know what to tell you.

When things are good, i.e. she can get something out of the relationship with you, then she will be the nicest person you could meet. But, if for whatever reason, she takes a disliking to you then she can turn very nasty very quickly. A great example of this is when Pàl was getting back on his feet after being kicked out at 17, he had just been paid his benefits and was sharing a flat with quite a few people - Mainly sleeping on the floor. My mum used me by promising me an iPod that I'd been asking for for years to get me to access his online banking and empty it all into her bank account, leaving him penniless so that he had no choice but to come back home and continue to be abused.

I got back in contact with my mum after Nan died, probably because I was grieving and felt a massive disconnect from that side of the family. She saw that vulnerability and wormed her way back in, I would visit her often and I would see the way she treated Pàl - Ordering him around and treating him like shit, all the while she would play Mum of the Year with me to get herself back in my good graces. However, behind my back, she was telling people that I can't be trusted as she believed that I lied about the sexual abuse from my stepdad and she was continuing a friendship with him and escorting him to health appointments. It was in 2016 that I last spoke to her properly, this is when my stepdad died and she told me that they had been friends because "no-one deserves to die alone" - even if they molest and rape your daughter right under your nose, it seems!

Since then, she has reached out to me via text at random and I've consistently shut her down. What I've written here is just a preview of the myriad of reasons why I refuse to have a relationship with such a harmful person and I hope it has shed some light on things for you. As I said at the start, I'm not trying to make anyone choose sides or turn you against her - I just thought you deserved to hear the truth, direct from me.

Not having contact with her, for some reason, seems to equate to not having a relationship with any of you which feels unfair. I personally have avoided it, simply because I am aware that at least some of you speak to her and offering you access to my life, by extension, could offer her some access. I simply keep my distance to deny her even a single shred of access to me that she feels is owed to her, but within that distance I deny myself my family and part of who I am which causes me a great deal of inner conflict and sadness - Feelings that I tolerate because a potential alternative where she has any aspect of control over me is completely unacceptable to me.

Anyway, I've rambled on for long enough - If you've got to the end, treat yourself to a brew and a peeled grape!

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tears-of-boredom · 2 years

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My kind-of-therapist can be so annoying like I know that I'm beating myself up for no reason, I know that, but while there isn't any evidence to suggest I suck, there isn't anything to suggest I don't suck either. I know very clearly objectively that a classmate of mine at least had a crush on me. But when you think about it...if it was a prank, per say, it would be a pretty funny one, wouldn't it? Yes, maybe a bit cruel, but I did get immideatly addicted to the slightest bit of attention I got, and isn't it kind of funny in a sadistic way to watch someone absolutely deteriorate because you simply didn't interact with them? Isn't it really enjoyable to see that you can control someone's feelings that easily?

#anyways i cut my hair in the middle of that and a few days later he just stopped coming to school...not saying they are related...but #my cut was pretty bad..#then i eventually kind of actually got worried cuz he didnt even show up on the last day of school..#and when i personally wasnt going to school...i was not in a good headspace..#not saying that im in one right now. but at least im more self aware now..#also relating to the original topic. im pretty sure he found my ring i lost and just didnt give it back?#i mean. my evidence wouldnt hold up in court. but this is another thing i just know factually to be like 90% propable..#the 10% doubt comes from the fact that. i myself. would never keep a found item if i knew. that the owner lost it. and who the owner is..#ive kept a lot of pencils ive found in the halls. but i dont think those are the kinds of things a person particularly misses..#lol sorry for ranting in the tags again..#also ''the boys'' of my class find being sexist. racist. homophobic AND transphobic. very funny..#so its not like this joke would be way out of left field for them..

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hxney-lemcn · 3 years

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Sweet Confession — Michael Afton x gn! reader

Summery: Reader and Michael hang out outside of work, and feelings are shared.

tw: None

a/n: Dedicated to @ranovlas ! Sorry this one lowkey sucks T_T This can be read alone or with the other fic first.

wc: 1.2k

Master List

Part 1 | Part 2

Ever since that night…morning? Whatever, ever since that day, Michael and I became close. There was still a wall, but now we actually hang out outside of work. Although it’s mostly staying inside and watching whatever, it was still fun. Even though there was a wall still held between us, we have greatly opened up at the same time. And my tiny crush that I had, has also greatly increased.

Today was one of the rare days where we both had off and we had plans to actually go out somewhere. Which I was pretty excited for. I couldn’t help the romantic daydreams about what could possibly happen. It made me feel stupid and foolish, but at the same time I didn’t mind them happening too much either. I picked out an outfit that I felt really good in, and did whatever else I could to make myself look even better. Yet due to my anxiety, by the time I was ready, I still had a few extra hours to spare.

I sighed out as I took a seat on my couch. I turned on the t.v. putting on something random to try and waste the time faster. But I couldn’t focus as my mind drifted off and I felt giddy all over again. It doesn’t help that I make every interaction we have into something romantic when inherently, it isn’t romantic at all. And the fact that I know I do this makes me invalidate any actual possible thing that Michael has done that might be flirting. It’s a terrible cycle honestly.

After the hours passed in what felt like years, it was finally time for me to go. We were meeting up at a park. It was a nice day and it was a big park, so we could find somewhere to go without many people. Driving for 10 minutes, I arrived and saw that Michael was already there waiting. Parking next to him, I got out and locked the doors.

“Hey!” I greeted with a smile. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“Well you did take a while,” He shrugged, trying to hold a smirk.

I crossed my arms and shook my head, “We’re both early, dumbass.”

We both laughed quietly and started to head into the forest. I was surprised that there weren’t many people there, but that just meant it was better for us. We found a bench that overlooked a tiny pond and we decided to take a seat.

“My friend thinks her boyfriend is going to propose to her soon,” I explained. I was happy for my friend, truely, but… “I’ve never had a partner yet. I’m so happy for her obviously. He treats her well and they’ve been together for years now, but I can’t help but to be jealous.”

“I’m sure you’ll find somebody,” Michael replied. “I’m honestly surprised no one has asked you out before.”

This is where that wall that separated us held me back. I wanted to come clean and tell him how I felt lonely and that no one would love me. But I knew he had his own problems to worry about, and they seemed much more worrisome than mine. I know, I know it’s bad to compare those kinds of things cause I do end up invalidating my own feelings, but what I’m trying to say is, I don’t know if he is in a good mindset to hear other people’s problems.

“I’m doubtful,” I ended up replying with a shrug. “Besides, I already have my eyes on someone.” I looked over at Michael as I said this and he looked back at me at the same time.

“Who?” He asked with genuine interest, and what sounded to be a bit of hope. “From what you tell me, you don’t talk to many people.”

“Ouch,” I said with a pout. I can already tell he’s not all oblivious because what I said seems to have tipped him off. “And why should I tell you?”

“Because I’m your best friend?” He responded like it was obvious.

“Mmmmm but (f/n) has been my friend since 4th grade so actually she’s my best friend,” I teased.

“What am I going to do?” Michael asked. “Tell them?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “Okay, I’ll tell you right as we leave. Deal?”

“Deal,” He agreed.

——

“Look how cute they are,” I cooed as the ducks swam around the pond near the shore. We moved closer to get a better look. Michael didn’t reply so I glanced behind me to see him staring at me from behind. (I was crouching while he was standing). “Mike?” I called out since he was just staring like he was in some sort of state.

He seemed to snap out of it and said, “Say that again.”

I blinked confused, “...Mike?” I tilted my head, “Is something wrong?” I became even more confused when a blush coated his cheeks. Until I realized I just called him a nickname, something I’ve never done with anyone before.

“N-no, sorry I didn’t mean to be weird,” Mike immediately stuttered. “I just haven’t been called that…in a long time.”

My eyes widened, “Oh I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bring up anything bad!”

“It’s fine,” He smiled sheepishly, looking away. “It’s nice when you call me that.”

I felt my face heat up slightly, my hopeless romantic mind going crazy with this.

It was getting sort of late, and so we decided we should go back home. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight with how wild my thoughts are going to be. We stood in front of our cars and I knew that I could just leave and not hold up on my end of the deal…but I’m better than that. What I’m going to say will forever change our relationship, no matter what.

Taking a deep breath, I turned and looked into his blue eyes, “So, about the person I like…” I trailed off, not being able to stare at him any longer. “I like you.” With that said, I quickly got in my car and turned it on. Before I could leave, knocking on the passenger side window gained my attention. I already knew who it was so I rolled it down and stared at the driver's wheel.

“Do you mean what you said?” Mike called out softly.

I waved him in and he joined me in my car, “I wouldn’t just say something like that as a joke or lie about it you know.”

“I…I know, it’s just…kind of hard to believe,” Mike sighed out.

“How?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “We hang out practically everyday, and you’re a really nice and fun guy. How could I not like you?”

“I could bring up many reasons,” He mumbled.

“You tell me a reason and I can refute it,” I replied. “I understand if you don’t want to date or anything, I just hope we could still be friends.”

“I want to date you,” Mike once again mumbled, seemingly flustered at the sentence.

My heart sped up and I felt myself flush, a smile breaking onto my face. Staring into his eyes, I couldn’t help but feel the happiest I’ve ever been.

#fnaf #fnaf micheal #fnaf mike schmidt #michael #michael afton #xreader #x reader #imagine #one shot #oneshot #fnaf 3 #fnaf 5 #fnaf 6 #michael afton x reader #self insert #five nights at freddy's #sister location #fnaf pizza simulator

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loving-daisy · 3 years

Text

Cry For Me | George Weasley x Reader

Masterlist | Cry For Me Masterlist

Chapter 9 - Fool

Words: 6.8k

Warnings: nothing much; fluff and angst

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

I made a fool of myself

____________________

Much to Y/N Icestone’s dismay, her request to Draco; Draco’s request to his father; Draco’s father’s request to Professor Snape didn’t last long. After the official split of the controversial Gryffindor-Slytherin couple, Y/N let all the emotions flow. Months of bottled-up feelings freely flowing.

Hatred, mostly.

The girl just couldn’t stand to see or even get a tiny little glimpse at the boy who captured her heart, held it carelessly, and smashed it into pieces. The mere thought of him even enraged her. Hating the fact that she was so gullible to believe that someone truly liked her because of her and her alone. Not the titles, the money, or the power that she came with.

But as the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. Sure, her relationship with the Weasley had a very unfortunate ending but at least another story went on - her friendship with Draco Malfoy. And Draco, being the good friend he is, decided to help her.

Even if all the blonde Slytherin did was send an owl to his father, it did help a lot, truly. 2 weeks being George-Weasley-free during potions class. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, as the individual potions’ work eventually dissolved as they had to work by pair again.

“This next potion you’re about to brew is much more difficult than the last.” Professor Snape informed the class. “Truth be told, I’d still prefer everyone to work individually.”

Honestly, there’s not a potion that Y/N Icestone can’t brew perfectly. Sure, there could be some difficult ones but the girl is always up for the challenge. Working alone versus working with a pair didn’t really have that much difference. She firmly believed that she’d do well even without a partner. I mean, the girl basically proved herself in the last 2 weeks.

“But due to a lot of errors and mishaps, I’m gonna allow you to work in pairs. Your partner will be your previous partner. Now, get to work!” Snape ordered with a scowl, grasping his black robes as he started to walk around the classroom.

I should’ve just asked my Father. Too bad he never got close with Snape. Too bad Draco’s not here. The Slytherin thought, letting out a huff before making her way towards her previous table - the one she shared with the boy she’s trying to avoid.

____________________

As the Slytherin sat on top of the stool beside the desk where their bubbling cauldron was placed, she couldn’t help but send a look towards Daphne who was putting ingredients into their cauldron.

Sensing Icestone’s look, Greengrass’ attention diverted to her best friend, raising a brow as if asking “what’s wrong?”. Y/N rested her elbow on top of the desk, placing her chin on her palm, pouting.

Daphne let out a small chuckle, shaking her head from left to right. But just before she was about to mouth a few sentences towards the sour-mood Icestone, the shocked look on her best friend’s face stopped her in her tracks.

Professor Snape immediately waltzes towards Icestone and Weasley’s shared desk, crossing his arms as he towered over the ginger with a scowl. “Mr. Weasley, I know that you have a knack for making stuff explode but for the love of Salazar, stop practicing the nonsense in this class. Have you not learned your lesson from the past week?” He let out, tone full of disappointment.

“As expected from a Gryffindor. You just lost your house 10 points.” Snape continued before reaching out for his wand, making the mess disappear.

“Detention, Mr. Weasley.” The potion’s master ordered before turning his heels to walk away.

Before the Slytherin was able to open her mouth and make a snide remark, Professor Snape looked back, eyes burning holes at the girl’s forehead. “You too, Ms. Icestone.”

Y/N’s jaw dropped in disbelief. It’s not like any of the mess was her fault. It was all Weasley’s! All she had to do was prepare all the ingredients and line them up in order for the ginger to put it in so what’s bubbling in the cauldron was definitely not under her control. The girl firmly believed that she should have gotten detention for actually doing her part right. “But professor-”

“Not another word.”

Great. So much for avoiding George Weasley.

____________________

Later that day, Y/N Icestone found herself walking out of the Great hall to go straight towards the dungeons. But not towards the Slytherin common room. Rather, towards the potion’s master’s classroom. To serve detention.

Truthfully, the girl didn’t know what it was like to serve detention under Snape’s name. Was it harsh like what other students claimed it to be or were people just over exaggerating?

But come to think of it, Y/N Icestone didn’t know what it was like to serve detention under any other professor’s name. She has never gotten herself into detention anyways. If it wasn’t for the Gryffindor, she wouldn’t have even been here. She would’ve kept her record clean!

Fortunately for the girl, Professor Snape’s favoritism towards the students under Slytherin was true. The reason? Well, the only reason why Icestone got detention is so that someone could keep an eye on every other pupil who got detention as they manually scrub all the dirty cauldrons. The potion’s professor simply told the girl that he had important business to attend to and so he’s entrusting detention towards her.

Additionally, he promised that Icestone’s record would still be clean and that he’s adding 10 points to Slytherin for the girl to help him. Unfortunately for the girl, no other pupil was serving detention under Snape but George Weasley himself.

Oh how Y/N Icestone wished that there was another unfortunate student who messed up in Snape’s class today.

25 minutes into detention, the Slytherin was starting to get bored. After all, she too wasn’t allowed to use her wand. But hers was kept inside her pocket either way; Kept inside her robes with the ginger’s.

But still, despite having the privilege of just sitting there and not scrubbing dirty cauldrons, her rage towards the ginger didn’t disappear. No matter what angle you look at it, she still wouldn’t be here if the Gryffindor didn’t mess up.

The Slytherin huffed in boredom, piercing her cold eyes towards the boy.

“I hope you’re aware of how much I despise you right now.” Y/N spat, deciding to break the silence inside the classroom.

“I’m sorry.” The ginger murmured, trying to scrub the cauldron he was holding a little faster. “I’ll try to work faster. There are about 12 cauldrons left.” George informed.

Y/N hatred flowed freely, yes. But no, it couldn’t last for so long. Not when George Weasley makes it so hard for her to hate him. Why was the boy so nice?

You look happier. She recalled. It was all bullsh-.

“What happened anyway? Didn’t I line up all the prepared ingredients for you on the table? Didn’t you follow what the book said?” The girl questioned, hoping to at least get a decent explanation from the ginger on why their potion was suddenly messed up.

The last time George messed up his potion was because of someone else tampering with it. But since the partner system in Snape’s class was administered again, Y/N doubted that it was another work of her housemate because even if George was their target, Y/N would be included in that target because they were...well, partners.

And the girl knew that no one dared to mess with her.

“I’m sorry.” George repeated. Refusing to look at the Slytherin, his attention was still mainly towards the cauldron.

This time, Icestone was now really annoyed. “Is ‘I’m sorry’ the only words you know how to speak of?” she grunted, rolling her eyes.

“Sorry-, I mean, I’ll do better in the future, I promise.” replied George.

“If there is a future.” The girl murmured, huffing.

The boy didn’t know what she meant but he decided to just ignore it and get to work.

____________________

“Where have you been?” The Malfoy heir questioned after standing from his seat to walk towards the Icestone heir.

“Draco? What are you still doing here? It’s late.” The girl pointed out, moving past the boy to sit on one of the leather couches located inside the common room.

“Hey, I asked you first!” The blonde complained, following the 6th year and sitting beside her.

By now, the cold room located under the black lake was quiet, seeing that it’s already late at night and there were classes tomorrow. The only people present were Icestone, Malfoy, a few students from year 7 studying, and the prefect who decided to stop by and organize the announcement board.

Y/N leaned her head on the seat, sighing before closing her eyes. “I was monitoring Professor Snape’s detention class.” She informed with annoyance not towards the blonde, but towards the task.

“You? Why you?” asked Draco.

The girl turned to face the curious boy, eyes staring at his confused ones. “Well, he did say that he had some important business to attend to.”

The blonde furrowed his brows, still not satisfied with the answer. “Okay, but why you? It could have been the prefect or whatever.”

The girl let out another sigh. “Because stupid George Weasley was my partner in potions and he messed up so Snape decided to include me in his suffering. Thankfully, I didn’t do any scrubbing. My nails would have sucked!”

“Partner?! I thought you guys worked individually now? Didn’t my father...”

“Yeah...but apparently, there are too many dunderheads in the class so…” The girl said, rolling her eyes before shrugging.

“Why’d you wait for me? Didn’t you say you had a test on Defense today?” She asked to divert the topic away.

“Well…”

“Yes?” Y/N urged, anticipating as she examined the boy’s look. Draco’s usually perfectly styled hair was no more as he wore his uniform trousers and a plain white shirt.

The Malfoy heir let out a small and shy smile. “I wanted to give you something.”

Icestone stood straight, both hands held out towards Malfoy as she waited for him to give her whatever it was that he was planning to give.

“Is it chocolate chip cookies? It better be chocolate chip cookies.” She commented with a grin, her eyes sparkling at the thought of her favorite sweet.

Draco chuckled at her actions. “Close your eyes.” He instructed before fetching the object inside his pocket.

Y/N felt the boy’s warm hands go over hers, feeling jewelry being put on her wrist. In the absence of the warm feeling of Draco’s hands, the girl opened her eyes, the grin on her face never faltering.

Taking a look at her right hand, there it was, clasped on top of the Slytherin’s wrist, a silver chain bracelet with diamonds and emeralds resting beside each other.

Her eyes made contact with the blonde’s gray ones, shock and slight confusion on her head. “What’s this? I don’t recall that it’s going to be my birthday soon.” She playfully asked.

Draco grinned, eyes turning towards his own wrist. “Do you like it? It’s a family heirloom but I had it customized to give it a little bit more style that suited both of us. Diamonds for Icestone and Emeralds for Malfoy.” Draco explained as he lifted his own wrist, a similar bracelet placed on top of it.

“Do I like it? No, I actually love it very much. It’s gorgeous.” Y/N stated, earning an even bigger grin from the blonde.

“Thank you, Draco.” the girl thanked, engulfing the blonde into a big hug.

Green apples and peppermint. That’s what Draco Malfoy smelled like. Y/N Icestone thought the scent made her feel nostalgic about her own childhood. After every tutoring session with Mr. Princeton, the fairy that she had back then would bring her some sliced green apples and tea. Specifically, it would be peppermint tea if it was the cold season.

The girl didn’t know why she suddenly thought of her childhood. Maybe it was because of the way things are now. Maybe it was because she wanted to go back to the old days. Maybe it was because the boy on her arms made her day 100% better or maybe it was a sign. She is yet to find out.

“So, where’s my chocolate chip cookies?”

____________________

Oh, thank Draco Lucius Malfoy for making THAT one day a little bit better.

Ever since last week’s potions class and the detention that followed, the days passed by quickly. Sure, there was still a little tension whenever Gryffindor and Slytherin shared classes but slowly and surely, Y/N Icestone was starting to let go of it.

There’s no point in dwelling in the past. Lixie once told her. Additionally, her hatred doesn’t even last long. Not when the ginger makes it so hard. Hatred will bring you nothing, anyways.

It’s been two months since the Icestone heir sent that enchanted letter declaring how she was the one playing with the ginger. Meaning, two whole months have passed ever since the controversial couple split up.

Truthfully, the time the Slytherin spent thinking about where she went wrong, what went wrong, and what lacked in her rarely came anymore. Back then, when she’d be idle and alone, she’d stare at nothing and suddenly cry due to her mean thoughts. Now, Y/N Icestone knew her worth, and turns out, she was too much for George. She was too good for him. Daphne and Draco made sure she knew that.

However, even if months have passed ever since her relationship with the Gryffindor, both Icestone and Weasley were having a hard time.

After being convinced that there’d be no way the ex-lovers would communicate seriously for final closure, both parties tried to bury their feelings deep inside them. But putting too much stuff inside a bottle will burst it open.

“What did you want once it was all over, George?” Icestone quietly spat, trying hard not to divert the other people’s attention towards them.

Today was the day where the week’s potions class happened. It was annoying for Icestone, really.

Come to think of it, Y/N Icestone loved potions. She even wanted to practice a career centered in potions someday. But this class? She hates it. She used to love it but now she hates it and ironically, the same reason why she loved it and hated it now was the same - being partners with George Weasley.

One minute they were quietly working on the contents of their cauldron and the next they were confronting each other about their previous relationship.

“...”

The Slytherin sighed, dropping her hands beside her before putting a palm on her forehead. “I’m a fool!” She declared, disappointed laced all over her voice.

The girl let out another sigh before continuing. “I was so bloody stupid for thinking that you were different. I’m a fool for believing that you love me. I’m such a fool! I was never like this before. How did you make me become such a fool for you?”

“But did you?” Asked George, expression with a little bit of curiosity and unknown hope as his brown eyes pierced into the girl’s glassy ones.

“Did I do what?”

It was only then when the boy started to feel a bit embarrassed about the thought of telling the girl in front of him what he wanted to say out loud. Despite being embarrassed, George was never raised to be a coward. He was sorted into Gryffindor after all.

“Did you love me?”

The girl felt her breath hitch, flustered by the boy’s question.

Y/N contemplated for a few moments before giving out her answer.

The question merely required a “yes” or “no” as an answer but oh how it made it seem like it was the hardest question to answer right now. If the girl answered “yes”, then what would that make her? She’d be the gullible girl George Weasley played with! But if she answered “no”, then she’d be lying. Oh, how she hated lying.

So instead of giving a direct answer, she asked back. “Did you?”

One side of George’s lips curved, his expression a smirk but mischief absent. “I asked first.”

He pointed out. “I said, did you?” The Slytherin pressed on, waiting.

Truthfully, the girl didn’t know what answer she should expect. She didn’t know how to react when she hears the boy’s answer. Is she really ready to know whether the Gryffindor truly loved her or not?

“Never.” George mumbled, turning his attention back towards their brewing potion.

Icestone’s jaw dropped, shocked by the ginger’s declaration. Thankfully, her heart didn’t fall into her stomach. No, it didn’t hurt at all. Why? Because the girl knew better.

“This is going to be the last time you’re ever going to lie in front of my face, Weasley.” She hissed before grabbing a vial to put in their brewed potion and gathering all of her belongings to leave the room.

“Never did I not.” The Gryffindor continued, sighing nobody but himself.

____________________

Two weeks after the confrontational outburst regarding Icestone and Weasley’s past relationship, the girl finally became fed up with the sight of George.

Things just didn't go right for her when it was time for potions class. Mainly because her ex boyfriend was her partner. They just simply couldn’t get along.

She was tired. For Merlin’s sake, all she wanted was a peaceful year and good grades but the ginger was hindering both of that for her.

“Professor, can’t I change my partner? Daphne Greengrass and her partner gave me their permission to switch too!” Icestone convinced the potions master.

The dark eyes of the professor bored itself on the face of the Slytherin. “Can you tell me, Ms. Icestone. Why do you have the need to change your partner? Didn’t I make myself clear at the start of the year that whoever you choose will be permanent?” Answered Snape.

“I don’t think Weasley is a good partner, sir. Look what happened last time, Professor. I don’t want to fail this class and if he continues to be my partner, he might drag me down with him!”

Snape’s lips curled into an unamused smirk. “That’s not my problem anymore, Ms. Icestone. You’re smart. You do something about it.”

At least Y/N tried.

“Listen.” The Slytherin called out, making the Gryffindor face her with a nervous look.

The girl’s arms were crossed, an annoyed but compromising expression plastered all over her face as she stared at the boy’s eyes.

If present Y/N Icestone was to tell past Y/N Icestone how she would be the first one to let her pride down towards George Weasley, she probably wouldn’t believe her.

But it must be done. Because there is no way that the Y/N Icestone is going to fail potions just because of a boy.

“If we’re going to force ourselves to work together for Potions, then we have to at least be on speaking terms with each other.” Icestone began, earning a small nod from George.

“We need proper communication, okay?” She continued, earning another nod.

Y/N nodded at George’s acknowledging nod. “So how about we figure this out and start again?” She offered.

“Yes, I would like that very much. Thank you.” The Gryffindor carefully began, sneaking a look at the girl’s expression before continuing.

“And, I’m sorry. For everything. For ruining our potions the last weeks and for dragging you to detention with me. I didn’t mean it, I swear! It was just an accident.” George reasoned, rambling in the middle of his explanation.

The girl merely nodded to show how she was listening to every word. “So, friends?” asked George as he offered a hand towards the girl.

Icestone’s cold eyes burned holes at the back of the boy’s hand, contemplating whether to shake it or not.

Truthfully, the girl’s objective was to make them go in speaking terms again. They didn’t have to be friends, really. They just needed to communicate in potions class so that her grade doesn’t descend even further.

Also, Icestone was not sure what being friends with George Weasley would bring her. Would it bring her the peace that she wanted? Or would it just mess up her head even more? What would be the consequences of shaking the ginger’s big warm hand? Was she prepared for those consequences?

But nonetheless, the girl took the risk of compromising. She really wanted the good grades. “Friends.”

____________________

Turns out being friends with George Weasley didn’t give any harm towards Y/N Icestone. In fact, it felt like a breath of fresh air.

No, it wasn’t as if their previous midnight escapades at the astronomy tower resumed. It wasn’t as if they’d greet each other whenever they passed by each other. And no, it wasn’t as if they spent some time in the library to study. No, nothing was like that.

Their interaction remained inside the potion’s classroom. And it was refreshing, really. Y/N Icestone didn’t have to dread attending the class anymore. She finally had proper teamwork with her partner and her grades were starting to stabilize once again.

Additionally, everyone always tried to be an insider towards the girl’s life. And truthfully? The girl didn’t want another set of rumors about herself and the Gryffindor rekindling their love or some other type of rubbish flying around the school.

“Wanna know a secret?” George suddenly asks, making Y/N steal a quick glance at him.

“Sure.” She muttered, resuming her work on squeezing the juice out of the beetle for today’s potion work.

“The first task involves dragons.” The ginger whispered, looking proud at himself.

“Dragons?! What are they gonna do with them? Fight them?” The girl asked, shocked.

“Yup.”

“But...isn’t that dangerous?”

George gave her a nod. “It is. The Triwizard tournament involves 3 extremely dangerous tasks anyways.”

Aside from the information about the Triwizard tournament, the Slytherin was rather amazed at how the Gryffindor got the information.

“You really have a way around things, don’t you? How did you find out anyway?” Asked Y/N.

“My older brother, Charlie, brought them here. He works with dragons.”

However, even if Icestone and Weasley’s friendship remained during potions, the Slytherin was not free from her best friend’s concerned interrogation.

“What’s up with you and Weasley?” Daphne suddenly asks one night when the two were preparing to go to bed.

“We’re friends, I guess.” Answered Y/N.

The raven-haired girl sat on her bed, moving towards Icestone’s to lay down beside her, facing her.

“You can’t be just friends with your ex-boyfriend!” She exclaimed, earning a raised brow.

“Why not?”

“Well, because he’s your ex!” Daphne said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Icestone chuckled, placing a hand on top of the Greengrass. “Relax, Daph! It wasn’t like...anything in our previous relationship was real.”

“But you felt real emotions, didn’t you?”

“Well, that was on me!” Y/N reasoned. “It’s not like I have feelings for him, anymore.”

Instead of getting a verbal response from Daphne, all Y/N received was an unamused look.

“Okay, maybe I do but I’m trying to move on! Like I said Daphne, what we used to be will never be again. We’re just not...compatible.”

Icestone’s best friend’s lips curled into a smirk.

“You know, I read something in a magazine before. You can’t be just friends with your ex. Or, you can be friends but that only means that one still likes the other.”

“Well, the one who likes the other is definitely not me.” Y/N denied.

Daphne gave her a raised brow. “Then it’s Weasley?”

“No! I don’t even know if he really did like me. Even if he did, I like to think that he didn’t. The thought makes it easier to move on. Besides, all those are behind us now. Right now, we’re just friends. Really.”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt again, Y/N.”

“I won't, Daph. I won’t.”

____________________

Meanwhile, inside Fred and George’s shared dorm with their best friend, Lee, who was actually nowhere to be seen.

“So you’re telling me...you and Icestone are back to being friends?” The older twin tried to confirm, not really impressed with the idea.

George answered with a nod and a short “yeah.”, earning a raised brow from his twin.

“Why are you back to being friends? That’s impossible!” Fred exclaimed, shaking his head as he paced around the room.

“Why can’t we be friends? I think being friends is much better than being strangers. It gives us peace, you know? We don’t really fight during potions anymore.” The younger ginger reasoned.

“Peace?!” Fred repeated. “Be honest with me, Georgie. Are you really at peace? Is your heart at peace? I know you know that you can’t be just friends with your ex!”

Fred’s words started to sync into George’s mind. Was he really at peace after all the chaos that has happened in the past few months? Was he really at peace after being friends with Y/N Icestone despite still having real and genuine feelings for her? Was he really at peace even if answers to his questions were not being handed to him? Even if there was still no closure between them?

But then again, being friends with the girl than being enemies was much better, right? At least he still saw her. At least he still talked to her.

Is that enough?

“You know what, Fred? I can’t be just friends with Y/N Icestone.” The younger ginger declared, standing up from his bed.

“I want her back, Freddie. But I don’t know what to do. What should I do?” He continued.

The older ginger gave him a wide grin, patting his back. “Dear, dear, George. How about a plan b?”

“Plan b?”

Fred nodded. “Yeah, plan b. B that stands for ‘boy I realized that I can’t live without you and that you’re the one that I want so please take me back’”

“That’s such a long name.” Grunted George, shaking his head from left to right.

“Oh, no need to be intimidated by it. I can guarantee you that this is 100% going to work.” Fred assured his twin as a million thoughts flooded his mind, one by one constructing a blueprint inside his head to help his brother.

George sighed, unsure as the look of his worn-out pajamas came into his view. “I don’t know, Fred. The last time you and I made a plan that involved Y/N Icestone, it broke my heart. It broke her heart!”

“That is why we’re gonna mend it back!” Fred said enthusiastically.

“How?” asked the younger ginger with uncertainty.

Suddenly, George found himself alone in their dorm after Fred came running out and towards the common room.

“Angelina!” George heard Fred call. Shaking his head afterward with the thought: how is Angelina going to help with me getting back Y/N Icestone? Fred will probably just flirt with her all throughout.

“What do you want, Fred?” Huffed Angelina, annoyed at the look of a wide-grinned Fred because it could only mean one thing; mischief.

“You in?” He asked without any other context, earning a confused Gryffindor chaser. However, the expression on the boy’s face didn’t falter.

After a few moments of silence, the girl eventually understood what the tall ginger was pertaining to. They did talk about it previously anyway.

This time, it was Angelina’s turn to call somebody. “Alicia!” The other Gryffindor chaser stood from her seat, excusing herself from the study group she currently was in before approaching her teammates. “Angie, you called?”

The dark-skinned girl turned to look at her, her expression the same with the boy; a wide grin.

“You know that one time when you told me that you owe me because I covered you up from McGonagall for sneaking into the Ravenclaw tower that one night?”

“Yes…”“Well, now’s the time to pay it back.”

Fear started to spread in Alicia Spinnet’s eyes. “I don’t think I like where this is going…” she remarked.

“Well, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

____________________

The next Monday morning, as Y/N Icestone made her way towards the Great hall, alone (for the reason that Daphne just had the habit of waking up much earlier than her to do all her morning rituals before starting the day), the Slytherin noticed how students of different houses passed on information with each other like it was their form of the morning paper.

Typical. The Slytherin thought.

But she wouldn’t lie, she too, was curious about what baseless rumors are being passed around this week. Last week, it was how Harry Potter would probably lose the first round in the first task for the Triwizard tournament. Draco even made it worse for the boy who lived by making his goons hand out pins that state “Potter Stinks”. Y/N thought it was childish but boys will be boys.

What even made her curious is the way people stared at her, looking at her up and down as if she was a piece of meat.

I mean, she was used to people keeping an eye on her, she did have a good sense of fashion and her presence alone demanded attention, but something was different for today. Why? Because as people gossiped, they were looking at her.

“What’s everyone gossiping about these days?” Y/N asked her cat, Lixie, who she was carrying in her arms.

“Would you really like to know?” The cat replied, still feeling sleepy.

“That’s why I asked, didn’t I?”

Lixie yawned, kneading his paws. “Seems like Weasley got himself a new girlfriend.”

“Fred and Angelina became official?!” The girl asked, shocked.

“No.”

“Ron and...some girl from Gryffindor?” The girl asked, unsure.

“No!” The cat hissed, clearly getting annoyed at the girl’s obliviousness. “It’s George, Y/N.”

“Oh.” Icestone let out.

I guess Lixie’s response gave her the understanding as to why people were staring at her. The gossip was about her ex-boyfriend.

Surprisingly, she didn’t feel anything negative from the information. It was better than she expected. She didn’t feel blue, hatred, or any remorse at all. Although she felt a little annoyed at how the people still associated her with the Gryffindor.

“Who is it then?” she pondered.

No matter who she thought it was, none of them really matched George. But maybe it was someone she didn’t know. After all, there were a lot of students from Gryffindor that she had no idea of.

“I don’t know and I don’t really care. I heard she’s not even pretty.” Lixie shared, hoping to close the topic so that he may get back to his nap.

____________________

Meanwhile, at the Gryffindor table where the center of this week’s school gossip was located, was an annoyed yet slightly scared Alicia Spinnet.

“I swear to Godric, Fred, if the Slytherins find out about this and make fun of me, I’m gonna tell Angelina to kick you off the team.” The girl grunted as she displayed a balled fist for the older Weasley twin.

“Too bad she can’t do that ‘cause I’m literally one of the best beaters this team has ever had.” Fred teased, sticking a tongue out.

Instead of the twins sitting beside each other like they usually do, Fred was seated in front of George who’s back was facing the Slytherin table. Beside George was Alicia while Lee was beside Fred.

Today’s mission was to earn the attention of the Slytherin in which all George and Alicia had to do was sit beside each other after Lee purposely spread rumors about them dating. Additionally, to know whether the mission was a success or a failure, Lee and Fred were there to monitor everything.

“Then I’ll tell her your secret!” Alicia challenged, crossing her arms in front of her.

“What secret?” Fred hesitated, nervousness starting to engulf him.

“I know you like her, Freddie!” gloated Alicia.

“Oh yeah? Well, what is there to be afraid of? I’m no coward, I’m a Weasley!”

“Lee, any news?” George queried after shaking his head at Alicia and Fred’s antics.

“The snake just entered the hall,” Lee reported, quietly keeping an eye on the walking Slytherin as she took her usual seat on her house’s table.

“She is seated in front of Malfoy. She’s also beside Greengrass and they’re whispering.” The boy continued.

____________________

As Y/N took her usual seat beside the 6th year Greengrass, she noticed the girl being more ecstatic compared to every other morning. The girl was glowing, her grin was wide and a shade of pink flooded her cheeks. It seems like she was announcing something very important, seeing the tablemates’ attention focused solely on her.

At least something different was being talked about at Slytherin. Y/N thought, internally smiling at herself.

The Icestone heir observed all the attentive faces, her eyes landing on the blonde boy in front of her, the Italian boy seated next to the blonde, then the quiet boy who always had a book in hand who had the same shade of pink on his cheeks.

A thought entered the mind of the Slytherin, theorizing what her observations meant but deciding to find out to confirm everything.

Y/N bumped her shoulders to the girl beside her, whispering. “Daphne? What’s going on?”

Greengrass turned to face her, her eyes shining. “Turns out, my parents found me a match! I just received the owl.”

The Icestone mirrored the girl’s smile. “Well, you seem happy about it, Who is it?”

The boy seated next to Blaise Zabini let out a cough, making Greengrass steal a glance before turning back to her best friend.

“Theodore Nott.” Daphne giggled.

The smile on Icestone’s face dropped, cold eyes piercing the mentioned boy as she put on her most intimidating look.

“Alright, Nott. You listen here-” She began.

“Oh, poor boy.” Malfoy murmured, shaking his head with a smirk plastered around his face.

“Don’t scare him!” Greengrass scolded, smacking her best friend on the arm.

“I’m just kidding!” Icestone snickered before laughing at the boy’s terrified look.

“Cheer up, Theodore. I’m only joking.” She assured.

“But oh! I’m so happy for you, Daph! You were always waiting for this day to come, weren’t you?” Y/N commented before giving the raven-haired girl a side hug.

“Congrats best friend! We’re both betrothed!” Daphne beamed, returning the hug.

A series of falling silverware started to fill the Slytherin table, making the two girls pull away at the sound.

Icestone’s head became flooded with confusion, especially after seeing the shocked look on Draco and his friends’ faces. She slightly tilted her head, trying to figure out what was happening.

Eyeing all the tables at the Great hall one by one - Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, then Slytherin, everything started to make sense when the majority of her housemates had their jaws dropped, eyes towards her.

She couldn’t help but let her jaw drop too.

“Daphne...” she quietly called, trying to avoid everyone else present on the table.

“Bloody hell! I’m so sorry!” The girl agonized, her previously excited mood being replaced with guilt.

____________________

“Oh Godric,” Lee happily murmured, face contorting into a smile.

“What?” Fred, not really monitoring the Slytherin, asked with uncertainty.

“Look over there!” Lee ordered, eyes never leaving the Icestone heir.

After following Lee’s line of sight, Fred turned his attention towards his twin, beaming at him. “She looks shocked. I think she saw George! I think it worked!” he chimed with triumph.

George felt his lips curling into a wide smile.

____________________

Later that day, after Y/N’s last class with Professor McGonagall for transfiguration was dismissed, just before the girl headed back towards the dungeons, her arm was grabbed and she was pulled into an empty hallway.

Truthfully, the Slytherin felt like everything was a blur ever since the day started. Especially after breakfast at the Great hall.

Therefore, she wasn’t really focused on everything that was around her, causing her to grab her wand from her robes and point it at the intruder.

“Relax! It’s just me.” George assured, raising both his hands into a surrendering position.

Icestone looked at the boy up and down, keeping her wand away before crossing her arms.

“What do you want?” She mused, tapping her feet impatiently.

The tall Gryffindor furrowed his brows, staring down at the Slytherin. “Why are you so cranky today?” He pondered before shaking his head.

Y/N only gave him a grunt, hissing another “hurry up!” which made George grab the girl’s hand, placing a bag on top of it.

Icestone’s icy orbs stared at the bag. “What’s this?”

“Chocolate chip cookies, your favorite. To cheer you up, somehow,” replied George with a small smile plastered on his face.

George knew why the girl was so out of mood today. It was because she was jealous after rumors about him and Alicia started to spread around the school! And he planned on making her feel better by doing some good deeds. What more deed could be better than gifting the Slytherin her favorite sweets?

The Slytherin’s lips curled into a smirk. “You’re sure these aren’t raisins?” She teased.

“Hey! That was one time!”

Saving from turning the conversation into an awkward one, the girl muttered a quick “Thanks.”

“Good thing your girlfriend doesn’t get mad jealous when you do this kind of stuff with other girls.” Y/N mindlessly added, internally slapping herself at the comment.

She didn’t mean to let those sentences out, Y/N Icestone swears! It was at the tip of her tongue but she usually would’ve swallowed everything in. She didn’t know why words started to flow out of her mouth without any second thoughts.

“Girlfriend?” The Gryffindor repeated, feeling ecstatic on the inside.

George felt like he just won the lottery. Y/N’s statement just confirmed his theory of her being jealous.

“Is she not? People were talking about it though?” The Slytherin quipped, raising a brow.

George just gave a shrug for an answer.

____________________

“You handed her cookies! What is she gonna think now, you stupid git!” Fred grunted, smacking his twin’s arm.

“She thought Alicia was my girlfriend! How fun is that?” replied George.

The older ginger shook his head in disbelief. “Sure, she thought that Alicia was your girlfriend but what kind of boyfriend will she think you’ll be? A boyfriend who goes out of their way to give gifts to their exes?!”

“Oh, Godric! You’re right! That was a stupid move” George agonized, massaging his temples.

Fred gave him a pat on the back, comforting him “It’s fine, Georgie. You’ll do better next time. ”

“If there is a next time.”

“No-”

The painting of the fat lady, which actually served as an entrance towards the Gryffindor common room, suddenly bursts open with an out-of-breath Ron Weasley who looked like he just came running away from a wild elephant together with his best friend, Harry Potter.

At their little brother’s disheveled appearance, the Weasley twins put their conversation to a halt as their attention was directed towards him.

“You would not know what I just heard at Divination class earlier!” Ron gushed, calling over Hermione and Ginny to join in their little circle for him to deliver the information he knew.

“What?” Hermione grunted, annoyed at the ginger for ruining her reading session as well as the thought of the stupid class.

“So you know how Gryffindor and Slytherin are always conveniently in the same class, right?” breathed Ron.

“Of course...they pair us with those snakes as if we’re actually going to get along…” Fred commented, shaking his head.

The 4th year Weasley ignored his brother’s remark and continued on. “Well, when me and Harry entered the room, Malfoy and his lot were talking and it looked serious.”

Ginny raised a brow towards his brother. “So, being the nosy boy you are, you eavesdropped?” She interrogated, displeased.

“Ginny, it looked important. I had to know because what if one of us is involved? What if they’re planning another thing that could hurt George?” Ron reasoned before raising his right hand to swat the air.

“But anyway, I heard Zabini scolding Malfoy. I know, hard to believe right? But he said something like the entirety of the Slytherin house finding out Malfoy’s most important secret.”

All the people included in their little bubble gave a small nod, acknowledging the young Weasley, getting more and more curious.

“And?” George pressed on, making Ron look directly into his eyes.

“I heard what the secret was!” He rejoiced, being proud of himself.

“They really should have kept their voices lower.” He added.

“Just get to the point, Ronald!” Exclaimed Hermione, clearly getting annoyed by the lack of information.

“Y/N Icestone is betrothed to Draco Malfoy.”

End of Chapter 9

____________________

Taglist: @abrunettefangirlnerd @gloryekaterina @lilypad-55449 @memekingofwwiii @leovaldez37 @bellaiscool @sukunas-cult-leader @fandom-garbage @youcantbesirius @rainmaybank

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sleepyconfusedpotato · 2 years

Note

bestie would you ever post a pic of your art over the years

Sure bestie. Here are a few old drawings that I save from my old sketchbooks while I was redecorating my house. (I'm in a different city now)

🥔 Sleepy's Art Journey 🥔

So, I've been drawing for 14 years since I basically can walk. I've always liked drawing. It gives me joy every time I do. However I can't show you my first drawings cuz of course it disappeared lol.

Cuz Tumblr only allow 10 pics I'll compile it and divide it between elementary school, junior high, high school, and college (now)

Elementary School (the thorn hair era. I'm fucking embarrassed, look at that hair HHHHH also no angle but 3/4 facing left)

Junior High (the loving Assassin's Creed era. Everybody has a hood, or has some mythical power shit. Hair is no longer thorn but body proportion's fucked up) (Also the first time I use digital art with a Wacom Intuos Comic small size)

High School (the long ass face phase. I don't know why but the faces are fucking long I'm disgusted. Also at this point I'm developing my own story, so a lot of same characters)

College (now) (The tolerable era. Finally found my own style, study anatomy seriously and I think my drawing just grow exponentially. Mostly digital art cuz in the future I want to make a webtoon too. Also no more maths, economics, and other bullshit to bother me it's just art art art. HEAVEN.)

also the era where I become obsessed with golden colors

SO YEAH THAT'S IT MY ART THROUGH THE YEARS HEHEHEHE (｡・//ε//・｡)

Im actually super embarrassed to post this holy fuck but now that I think about it, I've come a long, long way to get to this point. There was a time where I would draw during classes and my teacher would just snatch my sketchbook and I'd draw in my arm and skin using a ballpoint lmfaoo. I went home looking like a gangster.

Also I remember my junior high homeroom teacher told me I'll go nowhere with art and BOOM now I'm studying in the best art college in my country PFFTT TAKE THAT SIR.

So to anyone who's still beginning to become an artist. Do not compare yourself to others. They've come a long way to get to that point. It took me 14 years and a lot of rejection, self-doubt, jealousy, the feeling that maybe drawing isn't for me, the feeling that maybe all this is useless, and the worst feeling, the fact that I'll never be good enough.

But I smacked myself in the face and snapped out of it, and said to myself, "SHUT UP BITCH. YOU LOVE DRAWING DON'T YOU. SO KEEP DRAWING." and here I am! (ง ื▿ ื)ว

Don't forget to practice, practice, practice, and happy drawing!

(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

#sleepyanswers #sleepy'sthoughts #holy shit #this is a long post #but here they are #FUCK OMG THAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ERA THOO #IM SUPER EMBARRASSED #HHHHHHHH #But have at it #art journey #art through the years #art

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lily-drake · 3 years

Text

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TIMOTHY JACKSON DRAKE-WAYNE, THE BEST BAT BOY OF THEM ALL!!! YOU CAN’T CHANGE MY MIND!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Tim

Tim never really cared for his birthday, afterall nobody ever remembered it, and he doubted that Bruce would care. He had never shown much of an interest in him, which was fine since he wasn’t supposed to get close to him. His entire job as Robin was to make sure Batman didn’t go crazy, he wasn’t supposed to get attached. So he didn’t, at least that’s what he told himself. It was around 10:45 PM when Tim went upstairs at Alfred’s request. Timidly the 14 year old walked into the kitchen only to be met with a small white cake. Upon closer inspection the cake had red and green letting that spelled out in neat scroll, “Happy Birthday Timothy” with perfectly cut strawberries decorating the sides. Tim stared at the cake in awe, he’d never been given a birthday cake before, except at galas; but that didn’t count as he wasn’t really aloud to eat any.

“Good to see you up here Master Timothy. Happy birthday young sir. I apologize for the others absence, but I’m afraid that they are ‘busy’.”

Tim swiftlet lifted up his arms in a placating manner,

“Oh no, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it, I wouldn’t want to bother anyone.”

Alfred gave him a small smile and nodded.

“Well, I believe that it is time for a bit of cake.”

Alfred walked around the counter and pulled out a plate, for, and knife before he cut a large piece and plated it. Tim held back tears as he took his first bite of the cake. This was the best cake he had ever had, and this was definitely his favorite birthday.

*******

Tim stared at the computer screen in front of him trying to figure out what he was missing. He was tired, he hadn’t slept in a few days, and he was on his 8th cup of coffee from that hour alone.

“Tim, come with me!”

Dick said, suddenly on his right side. Out of habit he turned and threw a punch at him. Dick quickly ducked and laughed.

“Your getting faster baby bird.”

Tim sighed and rolled his eyes turning back to the computer.

“What do you need, Dick?”

He asked typing something onto the screen and scrunching his brow in frustration at the facts in front of him. Dick rolled his eyes and sighed before he grabbed Tim and pulled him from the computer chair and onto his feet. Tim groaned and tried to pull away in protest, but Dick overpowered him and he was dragged up the stairs. Tim looked around to see where he was so he could make a quick escape if necessary. When he looked forward again he saw he was being dragged to one of the main room doors. He was thinking and going through all of the things he could have missed or forgotten, but nothing came to mind. When the door opened the lights were off until they suddenly turned on and loud voices screamed,

“Happy birthday!”

From all around the room. Tim blinked a few times everything catching up to him as he looked around and saw his family; Bruce, Alfred, Barbara, Stephanie, Cass, and Dick all around him. The room was covered in decorations and on the table sat a decent sized 3 tier cake, just like the one he had had when turned fourteen, but bigger. Tim ran through his memory and tried to recall what the date was and froze. Oh, it was his 16th birthday, he had forgotten all about it. He was pulled out of his stooped by Steph grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the table were 16 candles lined the rim of the cake and in the center it said, “Happy 16th Birthday Tim!” in the neatest cursive with a robin made of frosting right below it. There was also neatly plated and perfectly made sushi on another table near them. Tim smiled as everyone began to sing happy birthday to him and when he was done he blew out the candles happy and content with his day. There was so much warmth that spread through his chest as he talked and ate cake with his family. So much joy that surrounded the manor, he even saw Bruce smile. Tim didn’t need to wish for anything, he was happy, and that’s all he could ever wish for.

*******

Tim looked at his watch and frowned. He was now officially 19, but it didn’t matter, nothing mattered much now. He was alone in Paris training with Lady Shiva, and his family didn’t care. They were the ones who kicked him out afterall, he wasn’t wanted. He sat under a shady tree bench in the park and watched as people talked and interacted with eachother. It was peaceful, but that didn’t fill the hollowness he felt in his chest. As he stood and began to walk away he felt someone crash into him and fell foreword, someone landing on his back. Quickly the person got up and began to call out apologies obviously embarrassed. Tim got up and turned around and came face to face with a girl about his age with dark black hair that tinted blue in the light and show startlingly bright bluebell eyes. The girl was still talking and he wasn’t sure if she had even breathed yet.

“Hey, it’s ok. Don’t worry about it.”

The girl immediately bit her lip and bowed her head as she tried to hide her face. Tim smiled at the girl who was slightly shorter than him.

“I’m Tim.”

He said casually as he held out his hand. The girl gave an awkward smile before excepting his hand and giving it a firm shake.

“Marinette. Sorry again.”

“It’s nice to meet you Marinette. Do you know where any good coffee shops are, I haven’t slept in a while and I really need a pick me up to finish my things.”

Marinette lit up and nodded.

“I totally understand. I design and commissions keep me up all night half the time. I live in a bakery and have concocted the best wake up coffee. My friends say it’s very dangerous and I’m going to kill myself with it one day, but all well. Why sleep when you can get things done?!”

Tim smiled at the girl as she began to walk and talk. She was cute and was very dramatic in the way she spoke and expressed herself. They walked across the street to a small bakery, the one Marinette must live in, and walked to the front where a short Asian woman stood near the register. When the woman saw Marinette her smile grew as she welcomed them.

“I’m gonna make one of my specials for him!”

Marinette called out as she went to the back and started making some kind of coffee concoction. The woman rolled her eyes, but she still held an amused smile.

“Hello, I’m Sabine. Please choose a sweet, you’ll need it if you’re going to drink her “Miracle Cure”, as the college students like to call it.”

“Thank miss. Please, call me Tim.”

He said giving her a small smile back as he browsed the selection. In the display he noticed lots of animal themed treats and smiled. There were many ladybug and cat themed ones as well as an orange fox, a turtle, a bee, a blue snake, a monkey, and a red dragon. It was an interesting choice of animals and he wondered if they were important in some way here. He found a small tarte aux fruits with an assortment of fruits that formed the red dragon. When he looked up he saw the woman waiting for him still wearing her friendly smile.

“Could I please have the Tarte aux fruits du dragon please?”

“Of course dear.”

Carefully she opened the door to the refrigerated case and grabbed one of the fruit tarts and carefully put it in a small box. Tim went to the register right as Marinette had finished and placed the large drink in front of him. He pulled out his wallet but was stopped by Marinette’s hand.

“Nope, on the house. An apology for earlier.”

She said with a bright smile. Tim was shocked and felt a warmth he hadn’t felt in years begin to bloom once again. He gently took the coffee from her hands and carefully picked up the small box with a plastic fork atop it.

“Thank you, Marinette. That’s very kind of you.”

Her smile brightened and before Tim could stop or even think of what he was saying the words had already left his mouth,

“If you’re free, do you want to walk around Paris with me?”

Marinette blinked for a moment shocked, but then smiled again and nodded.

“Sure, that sounds nice!”

She took off the apron she had been wearing while making the coffee and hung it up on a wrack before walking out from behind the counter snd grabbing his arm and almost dragging him out the door. When she realized what she was doing she quickly dropped it slightly blushing and scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment.

“S-sorry. I should have asked first.”

Tim snickered a little, she was adorable.

“No it’s fine, so where to first?”

Tim asked as he gently placed the tart in his satchel and sipped the coffee. When he did he felt his mind begin to clear and he felt more awake than he had in a long time. He understood why it was called Miracle Cure now, this stuff was amazing!

“Well, where were you thinking of?”

“I was thinking of going to the Arc de Triomphe then head towards the Effiel Tower.”

Marinette beamed and nodded and began to walk towards the Arc de Triomphe. She knew the path by heart as she often went there for inspiration. The two talked the whole way there and bonded over their love of coffee and insomniac tendencies. As they arrived at their first destination the sat on the steps and watched people pass them. Tim pulled out the small tart and began to slowly eat it and smiled. It tasted like Alfred’s cooking, though he didn’t want to admit that this might just be a bit better. He glanced over at Marinette and noticed that she now had a sketchbook out and was drawing something. He didn’t want to disturb her as he didn’t like being interrupted when he was really into something and let her draw as he watched the people. Suddenly there was a loud crash. He looked up and was shocked to see a giant child walking around smashing and destroying buildings. He looked over and saw that Marinette had disappeared and he began to panic.

He stood up and began to move so he could get a better place to watch and analyze what was happening so that he could see if he needed to interfere. He watched silently from a roof and saw a bunch of people begin to surround the child all with the same theme. His mind flashed to the animals in the bakery and connected the dots as he glanced at all of the different people in animal costumes. He watched as the Ladybug ordered everyone on the plan and on what to do which lead him to believe that she was the leader of this group. It only took a few minutes and he watched the cat hero completely destroy a toy car from the giant child’s hand and a purple feather and butterfly flew out. The ladybug hero quickly caught them and released them into the air. She threw the object she had summoned into the air and he watched in amazement as thousands, maybe millions, of small ladybugs flew around the damage done and repaired all of it, including the bodies that had not been moving moments ago.

Tim ran back to the Arc de Triomphe and waited there to see if Marinette would come back. It took a few minutes and then he saw her figure running towards him with panic and worry.

“Tim, I’m so sorry! Are you ok? I shouldn’t have left like that, I’m so sorry.”

Tim gave her an awkward smile and nodded.

“It’s fine, you came back afterall.”

She smiled at him and he lifted his arm out for her to take,

“Shall we continue our walk Mademoiselle?”

Tim asked with a slight bow. Marinette giggled and gave a small curtsy before she placed her hand atop of his.

“Why of course Monsieur.”

They both laughed as they walked. They enjoyed the silence for a bit before Tim asked what had happened.

Marinette gave him a sad sigh and explained the situation that had been happening in Paris for about 4 years now. Tim was shocked that this hadn’t made it to the Justuce League, especially if it had been happening for four entire years. Tim asked a few more questions that Marinette happily answered and they felt happy and content in the warm companionable silence. Tim thought of all of his past birthdays, and he knew that this one was on the top 5 best list of his favorite birthdays.

#HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIMOTHY JACKSON DRAKE-WAYNE!!!!!!!!!#Tim Drake #Dick Grayson #Maribat #marinette dupen chang #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #mlb x batman #timinette #timari #romantic timinette #Bruce Wayne #alfred pennyworth #Tim is best robin #Fight me

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elivanto · 2 years

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so.........ive been looking for a new star wars book and im thinking of starting the thrawn novels (purely bc of your thrawn posting). but the only thing i know about thrawn is from rebels and im havin a hard time convinving myself that i can get invested in a series about handsome squidward. but i figured if anyone can convince me to take the plunge it would be you<3. so in your own words.......why do u love the thrawn novels?

kinda suspicious of you nonnie (“handsome squidward”??? 😭) but i’m just gonna pretend i don’t feel like you’re making fun of me dihdjdhd ANYWAY.

thrawn novels. as in the 2017 canon trilogy, yeah?

well i can definitely tell you that i never would’ve thought in a million years i’d enjoy reading about thrawn—i knew him only from rebels, too, and i found him too scary, too calculating, too unemotional. i talked to at least two of my mutuals about sw novels and they were like ‘oh you gotta read the thrawn novels! so good!’ and i just thought ‘okay someone actually wrote a book about that guy and people enjoy it? don’t make me laugh’ and look at my dumb ass now lmao

the three things that ultimately made me start reading were 1) i, just like you, was out of sw books to read and looking for a new one, 2) the fact that there’s a couple mentions of anakin in the first book and a WHOLE anakin and a whole vader in the second, and 3) this fanart (caution: shippy & pda lmao).

convinced yet? no? okay. regarding the thrawntent content, the first novel especially deals with the recurring theme of xenophobia against thrawn as he rises through the ranks in the imperial navy. from fellow imps, government officials, uhhh his aide’s family (tiny little screech i’m not gonna bring out the big guns just yet) etc. it’s so interesting to see everything from a different perspective and how thrawn deals with it (he outsmarts everyone) and how the elite imps react to that (they hate it).

it’s also kind of hilarious that you know that the characters you read about—i’m talking about vanto, faro, hammerly etc. in particular here—are technically part of the big, bad, fascist empire but fuck if they don’t become great characters that you’d do anything for in the end.

and NOW i’m bringing out the big guns: eli vanto. i’m very biased here but, you know, you just gotta love him. he’s a tiny ball of barely restrained anger and yet he’s very polite, he’s relatable as FUCK, and thrawn sees him and thinks he’s a spy or some shit so he wants to keep an eye on him is like “i’m gonna keep this small, uncomfortable looking man with the funny accent” and they spend 10-ish years in the imperial navy together :) much to eli’s chagrin, at the beginning jfbdjdg

there’s some other stuff—arihnda pryce’s story in the first book, what REALLY happened at batonn (before thrawn was promoted to grand admiral), the whole [gestures vaguely] chiss situation, palpatine questioning thrawn’s loyalty, hilarious thrawn & vader shenanigans in which vader is always two seconds away from force-strangling thrawn etc. etc.—but i’ve really talked enough and if you’re not convinced to start reading the novels now i doubt you ever will be 😂

THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK

#also i fucking adore rebels!thrawn now like i love him & i’d die for him #don’t listen to what anyone else says he’s a GEM #kxbdjdhd #ask #anonymous #thrawn lit info #sw lit

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neoculturetravesty · 3 years

Text

We met in online class - Last Part

Image adapted from here.

Pairing: Renjun x Reader Genre: College AU, romance, angst, fluff Warnings: Strong language Word Count: 3.4k

A/N: And so it comes to an end, and let me tell you guys, I am not okay 😔 This is going to be a bit of a longer A/N, so please bear with me. If you’d like to get straight to the story, I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND, so feel free to click Keep Reading!

Lowkey, I had a bit of a meltdown as I typed the final words on this fic because I hadn’t realized how attached I had grown to the characters. This is the first time I wrote three different chapter openers before deciding on one, because I simply couldn’t believe it was goodbye after this.

These mofos had constantly been on my mind for the past two months and a half. I would spend most days thinking about where to take them and then bringing them to life at night, after my entire day was over. When I wasn’t writing, I’d make little notes about thoughts I had into the night about them so that I wouldn’t forget them when morning comes.

This was my first ever (and as of right now, my only) chaptered fic. I had no idea parting with it would be as emotional as it was. When I think back to when I first received the prompt for this, I had never even imagined I could write Renjun, let alone a series. But there was something in the prompt that had gotten my wheels turning. And I am so immensely glad that it did. There were days when I thought “Oh man, what have I gotten myself into.” Some days, the story would just flow. Other days, I’d keep staring at the blinking cursor not knowing what to type. But when I did, I found my emotions so deeply connected with the characters. I was happy when they were happy. I was sad when they were sad. So, parting with them is very hard to say the least.

But through this journey, I got to experience the joy of reading all of your reviews and comments and honestly, it made it all worth it. THANK YOU to every single one of you that read this story and waited on it and laughed and cried with it. You have made my life better in more ways than you can imagine.

In this moment, I want to thank 🍙 anon, because it was their prompt that put me in this mess in the first place. And so, it is only fitting that I dedicate the final part to them 💛

“Oh, we definitely need a picture together. How about here? I think this place would fit everyone.” Kim Doyoung looks about, finding a spot best suited for the photo he wanted.

“I think right there on the platform would be better. We could get everyone in two tiers.” his assistant suggests.

“You’re a genius. Let’s gather everyone. It’s not often that so many NCTU grads and students come to Midnight Arthouse,” Doyoung nods.

“How many of us are here, anyway?” Renjun muses. The assistant looks at her iPad, checking once again.

“I think there’s 23 of you. So, let’s definitely go for the platform.” she nods.

“Okay, then.” Doyoung claps his hands together once, “Gather everyone,” he says to no one in particular and walks ahead with purpose. Renjun and the assistant’s eyes meet and they smirk. Of course this was directed to the both of them. So, they set about to work.

As it would turn out, gathering 23 people from a charity event with art and food and drinks would be a bit of a task. But somehow, they manage to gather all alumni and current students on the platform in three tiers instead of two for a somewhat chaotic picture. There must’ve been something in the water at NCTU because none of it’s students could stand still for very long. They get maybe one decent picture and several in which someone or the other was moving or pulling a face.

His friends aside, looking around at the group, Renjun realized that he recognized nearly all of them. Yangyang and Hendery and the rest of their frat were here. As were the 127s, old and new. Renjun recognized them all, except maybe two boys, who didn’t seem to know a lot of the others either. When the pictures were done and the main events were over and the crowd had started to dissipate, Renjun finally walked over to the artwork to observe it up close.

Honestly speaking, watching the work with his own two eyes left no doubt in his mind that this artist deserved to be spotlighted like this. This work was in a league of its own. Watching it makes Renjun smile; because looking at it makes him think back to a few months ago when he was sitting in Kim Doyoung’s office, thinking of himself as some sort of a big shot. But the truth is, there was no way he had that caliber then, and there is no way he has that caliber now, though he was sure as hell working on it.

“This is the piece I lost the bid on.” Renjun hears a voice and he turns around to see Zhong Chenle’s father observing the art with him. Renjun bows politely and smiles under his mask,

“I mean, this is a remarkable piece. You have good taste.” Renjun acknowledges.

“What about you? Why isn’t any of your artwork displayed here?” he asks and for a while, Renjun smiles a bit nostalgically. He could’ve been here, had he made something for the Annuale. Had he just selfishly taken that shot. Then again, there would’ve been no real guarantees. Because Kim Doyoung was pretty particular in the people he chose, whether they were recommended by his family or not. Working with him closely in the last couple of months had taught Renjun that. It had also taught him how underdeveloped his skill was in the real world context.

“I guess I still have a long way to go.” Renjun replies humbly.

“Don’t we all?” Chenle’s father nods, “Are you working here at this establishment?”

“Um, I… I suppose I am. I am Kim Doyoung’s apprentice. He is my mentor.” Renjun nods.

“So I might see your work here soon enough, eh?” Renjun assumes the kind man is smiling under his mask because his eyes seem to be making the same shape as Chenle’s do when he smiles. So Renjun grins back.

“I mean… if I work really hard, I might get to shoot my shot in the next Midnight Arthouse Annuale.” Renjun fantasizes.

“Or maybe you’d get lucky like this young artist,” he points his chin towards the artwork.

Renjun smiles, “I would credit her luck, too if I hadn’t seen her work. But her talent is… it kinda speaks for itself.”

“Oh, no, you should definitely credit her luck. Talent isn’t enough. The stars have to align. Luck, talent, the right place, the right time. It all has to come together.” he says nodding.

Renjun considers his words. They seem to be coming from the wisdom of experience.

What if Renjun hadn’t received the phone call about his grandma back then? Well, then he probably would’ve made something lackluster and gotten rejected. Working with Kim Doyoung has taught him as much. It didn’t matter who had put a word in for him. At the end of the day, his work had to be outclass.

What if he had received the phone call and then still had enough time to submit something for the Annuale? Then he still probably wouldn’t have because… well, because of you.

What if he had gone ahead, regardless of you or his grandma and just made something and submitted it? Then he still would’ve been rejected. Because the truth of the matter is, he just didn’t have the caliber that artists associated with Midnight Arthouse did.

In that sense, Renjun supposes everything was in fact happening at the right place and right time now. Doyoung was mentoring him and he was getting better by the day. The stars were aligning for him. He knew it in his heart.

“Then I would wish that it all comes together for me, too.” Renjun says.

“When it does, young man, I’ll be the first one to bid on your work.” he says and Renjun doesn’t even have the time to react when he feels a presence breeze in his direction and invade his personal space.

Renjun doesn’t even have to look up to know who it is. He can tell by the way this body fits perfectly into his side. He can tell by how naturally his own body responds and just puts his arm around it’s waist.

“Oh man, I missed all of it, didn’t I?” you lament, as you loop your arms around his neck from the side instead of a hello.

“Not all of it. The guys just left but your brother and his friends are still here. Besides, you had work.” Renjun turns his head and looks into your eyes to reassure you. “Y/N, this is Chenle’s father.”

“Oh, hello!” you say cheerfully and respectfully bow and give you greetings. “It is so nice to meet you. Chenle looks just like you!”

“Yes, I’ve been told I’m a more handsome version of him,” he smiles then turns to Renjun, “And who might this young lady be?”

“This is my girlfriend, Y/N. She goes to NCTU with us.” Renjun introduces you and you bow again. Oh, the thrill he got every time he got to introduce you as his girlfriend. Fuck, he’s pretty sure he’d never tire of it, even if it had just been a few months. The serotonin boost in his veins is strong and he gets the urge to squeeze you and hold you forever.

“Oh, that’s very nice. Come have a meal with us before we have to catch a plane back home, okay?” Chenle’s father invites the two of you.

“Oh, I would love to!” you say in your chipper tone before your eyes start darting around “I’m going to have to excuse myself for a little bit, I just wanna say hi to my brother.” you say and you politely bow before you start moving away.

“Babe, hang on…” Renjun says, holding you back by your hand. He brings his fingers delicately to the bridge of your nose and softly pinches down the mask over it so it sits more snugly on you. “There, it’s much safer now.” Renjun nods and watches the affectionate smile your eyes give before you move away. You looked so pretty today, even if you were just coming back from a four-hour internship. You were easily the most beautiful girl in this room, though Renjun suspected that you’d be the most beautiful girl in any room you entered.

Albeit sometimes, Renjun had to wonder if your talent or your beauty was greater. Because you had become the only junior in NCTU to land an internship at the SMK Trainee Drive. And now that you were a senior, you were somehow managing to keep your grades up alongside it.

Renjun, on the other hand, would find himself struggling with balancing his apprenticeship with his school work. So he knew firsthand how your discipline was something else altogether. Recently though, he had experienced a rise in his grades because you had been taking him on so many study dates that your organizational skills and motivation had started to rub off on him.

Renjun walks around the studio and the party and feels like it’s been too long till you’re finally back by his side.

“Love in the Time of Corona,” you read the title of an art piece displayed in front of you. “That was supposed to be our thing.”

Renjun laughs and has no qualms in looping his arms around your waist and finally pulling you into himself.

“I guess we should’ve realized then how un-novel the idea would become in a few months.” he comments.

“Un-novel is not a word, Huang Renjun.” you narrow your eyes at him.

Renjun laughs. “It is now,” he says and lets out a long exhale, “I missed you today.” he complains, though he looks down at you with warmth.

“Well, you’ve got me now. And you have me for the entire weekend.” you reassure him, your palms on his chest.

“Mhmm.” Renjun smiles and he wants to lean in to kiss you. But Kim Doyoung specifically had people assigned to walk around and make sure that everyone had their masks on when inside. “Also, we already have a thing.” he reminds you and winks.

You laugh, and say “I guess we do,” then let out a happy sigh as your eyes avert from his for a moment, taking in your surroundings. “Our Couple Thing should give you some ideas on what you can make when your work is displayed here in the 2022 Annuale. I won’t be late to that, I promise. I’ll take a day off from everything else in my life.”

Renjun's heart grows warmer still, and he’s sure his eyes reflect what he feels, “How can you be so sure my work will be displayed in the 2022 Annuale?”

“I don’t know, Huang Renjun. I just have a feeling about you.” you say and Renjun can see you smile even if your lips are covered by a mask. Your eyes always smiled before your mouth did, anyway.

“Y/N L/N, I have a feeling about you, too.” he retorts.

“And what feeling would that be?” you raise an eyebrow.

“It’s a secret.” he says, but now he sees your pout, even if he can’t see your mouth because your cheeks have puffed up over the mask. It makes him laugh.

“You’re no fun.” you protest.

“I’ll tell you once we get out of here.” Renjun offers.

“Well, I’m ready to leave.” you jut your chin up. Renjun grins and offers you his arm. You grab it with your entire body and the two of you start walking out together.

You had plans for the weekend, after all. And Renjun was determined to keep you all to himself for once, with no one else demanding your time. Not your internship, not your assignments, not any of your friends, and especially not Lee fucking Donghyuck. He was finally going to take you away where it could just be you and him and nobody else.

This moment felt way too surreal to Renjun.

The campfire had simmered down from a glorious roar to a comfortable burn, giving off just enough heat in the cool of an early winter evening. The sky was in it’s fading moments, where the pink of the light was slowly turning to violets and the violets were slowly merging into darks.

Renjun remembered suggesting to you all that time ago that maybe you could go somewhere together. But now that he was here, he hadn’t imagined that the moment would feel as surreal as it did.

Because now the two of you are sitting in front of your tent by the fire, entwined in one another. You’re sitting between his legs, arms around his neck, nuzzling your cheek inside his padded jacket while he supports your head on his arm and kisses you.

He’s holding you in his arms and kissing you and everything seems so perfect that for a moment, he has to pull away to watch your face and wonder if all of this was real. And though there is a gentle smile on your face, you’re not opening your eyes much. Because you know full well that Renjun’s lips would be back on yours in no time. So you play with his hair as they fall to his forehead and when he kisses you again, you press up into him so he would wrap his arms around you and hold you tighter. He does and he rubs his hands up and down your back and attempts to close his jacket around you.

“Are you cold?” he asks lovingly. You shake your head.

“No. I just want to crawl inside you.” you say, like it’s the most logical thing to be said.

“Creepy.” Renjun remarks but holds you closer still.

“You should be happy you haven’t seen my collection of your hair clippings.” you quip as you nip into the skin of his neck.

“Oh, sweet. That rivals all your used tissues I’ve kept in my shrine at home.”

“Aww, you shouldn’t have.” you coo at him and then lean up to kiss him some more and he laughs. But soon, he pushes the arm that you were using like a pillow up so your face would be closer to his and he could kiss you as deeply as he was truly craving.

The two of you keep kissing like that till the sky is dark. It was an odd sort of trance, being so lost in one another that neither of you cared about what time it was or how long you had been sitting here, wrapped up in one another. Your phones were zipped away in your bags and you hadn’t checked them even once since you had parked your camping van and set up your tent. It was a slow, peaceful sort of bliss, just sitting by the fire and kissing and kissing with nothing else on your minds but being here like this with one another.

“Renjun?” you say, your voice sounding like it was returning from a deep thought.

“Hmm?” Renjun asks as he combs your hair away from your pretty face.

“You know, I learnt today that a cactus can live anywhere between 10 and 200 years.” you tell him, idly tracing the birthmark on the back of his hand.

Renjun leans in and presses long into your lips. “Yeah?” he replies and watches your face. It seemed hazily focused, like it was trying to catch onto a faraway thought.

“I also learnt that it can take up to 30 years for a cactus to bear flowers.” you say in an introspective, wistful tone.

Renjun looks away to hide his smile. Oh God, you were so cute. “Yeah?” he says again, but it’s getting more and more difficult to keep a serious face.

“Sometimes, a cactus doesn’t flower at all.” you say and then you turn your head to look at him like you’ve resurfaced from your thoughts and are now in the moment. Renjun’s grin grows wider. “Renjunnn…” you whine and so he has no choice but to tenderly hold your cheeks in his palms and stroke your hair.

“What?” he chuckles.

“You said you’d think you’re worthy of my forgiveness when the cactus bears flowers.” you whine again and Renjun has to plant a loving kiss to your forehead.

“Is that what I said?” he chuckles some more and then leans in to kiss the anxious realization away from your lips.

“Renjun.” you pout and Renjun laughs and takes his beautiful, whiny, kindhearted girlfriend in his arms and hopes that his hold could chase away all the worries from her pretty, brilliant mind.

He kisses you because his heart can’t bear it any longer. How did he manage to hold a heart like yours in his hand?

Renjun feels an indescribable amount of happiness. Like he wasn’t sure that you were really here with him, in his arms, all for him to hold, with no worry or burden afflicting him. The happiness is so immense and so incredible and so heavy that for a moment, he feels it suffocating him. He wonders if he deserved this kind of happiness.

But right in the next moment, he stops himself. He knew how easy it was to relapse into those tempting, lonesome thoughts. But if there was anything that therapy was teaching him, it was that of course he deserved happiness.

Though right now, holding you in his arms, this happiness was choking him. He felt like his heart was swelling and pressing against his lungs and his chest couldn’t bear it and he could no longer breathe.

“Y/N…” he exhales, holding you back so he can look at your face and you could look up into his. He pauses to gather another breath. Then, he just says it. “I love you.”

And doing so does the trick. He feels his chest slowly getting lighter, because this is what it had been bursting with. Now, he’s told you. Now, it can be unburdened.

You look up at him and there is nothing but a sparkle in your eye, and tenderness in your smile. For a while, you say nothing, just looking upon his eyes like that. “Thank you.” you finally whisper back at him.

Renjun pauses for a moment. But then, he relaxes. This was okay. You didn’t have to say it back right away. Renjun was ready to give you as much time as you needed. So he presses his lips into your forehead once again till he feels you laughing against him. He pulls back in confusion and you grab at the lapel of his parka.

“Huang Renjun…” you say and he looks back at you with uncertainty, “... I love you, too.”

And Renjun can’t help it if he kisses you too hard. He can’t help it that he’s squeezing you too tight. He wouldn’t care if the night brightens back into morning and the morning fades back into night. He was going to hold you just like this for the rest of his life.

So he lays you down and kisses you deeper, like he wanted to make up for all the time he had lost. All the time in his life when he hadn’t known you. All the time he had known you and didn’t let himself have you. He was going to make up for it all. And as he zips the tent up and shields you from the rest of the world, he wonders if he could spend all of his days just like this. Holding you and loving you and knowing that you loved him back; and if he could, today was a damn good day to start.

The fire slows to a simmer till all that’s left are embers that keep being carried away by the breeze. But the two of you remain inside, in your own world, happy that you had found one another, happy that you could finally have one another. Happy that you could hold one another and say that you loved each other and have nothing in the world hold you back, not now, not ever.

You were Y/N and Renjun, Renjun and Y/N, two names that were forever intertwined because that’s how people would call you now. You were the couple that belonged so perfectly with one another that people would wonder if you’d been together for years. And any time someone with a burning curiosity would come up to you and ask,

“So, where did you guys meet?” you would just look at one another, smile and say, “Well, we met in online class.”

~THE END

#renjun fic #renjun fluff #renjun angst #ficscafe #kpopscape #neowritingsnet #dreamwritersnet #huang renjun #renjun #nct fic #nct dream #nct #nct dream fic #nct fluff #nct angst #nct college au #renjun x reader #we met in online class

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arty-shadow-morningstar · 3 years

Text

A Failed Betrothal (6)

Here is a new chapter for you guys. I am terrible at writing feelings and this is my best shot.😅 Tell me what you think.

[Masterlist]

(PART 1)(PART 5)

-------

(Words in bold is French)

“Tch, Drake is going to be busy trying to find Hawkmoth. He can’t go around Paris, being Dupain-Cheng’s boyfriend. Besides, he can’t be a proper boyfriend even in his most lucid moments. I will be her boyfriend instead.”

Tim was glad he didn’t take a sip of his coffee when Damian volunteered to be Marinette’s boyfriend. But he still choked on air. Jason with his limited knowledge of french was confused. Damian didn’t do what he heard, right?

“No, you can’t. Chloe already told them about Tim. If I come in with a different boyfriend, they would get suspicious. We can work on Hawkmoth while we go on those dates. Besides, I thought you don’t like me. That’s not going to sell the image of a loving couple.” Marinette pointed out. (She also doesn’t want to do this fake-date thing. Not because she likes Damian and she had always been a goner for green eyes and totally would be date him if it weren’t for some stupid curse dictating her feelings for him and fake-dating him might get her catch feelings for him and she would get her heart broken when this is all over and she would stay single forever and be a lonely old lady with hamsters and cats for company.)

“Actually, Mari-bug, I only told the class how romantic your boyfriend is. I never told them what he looked like. Just in case, Timothy couldn’t make it. I have back-up favors to cash in.” Chloe explained.

Marinette didn’t even know why she was surprised at that, this was Chloe after all.

“You have more than one American boy around our age in your debt who you intend to be my boyfriend? Sounds like you, Queenie. So that also means that Damian doesn’t have to do it if he doesn’t want to.”

“My offer still stands. I will be your ‘boyfriend’ before I have to go back. I will be more understanding than those other American boys when you have to rush out for an attack. That is to assume that they can come here or agree. In our initial meeting, I didn’t like that weak girl act you put up. Recent events have made me realize that you are a much stronger person. (Careful Damian, that sounds like a compliment.) You are a decent partner to date.(Shit. Shit. Shit. That wasn’t a compliment, right?)”

Damian couldn’t see why Dupain-Cheng would refuse such a good deal. He supposed her feelings might be still hurt from his first impression of her. He would give her an apology when they are alone and away from his brothers who would make a big deal of it.

“Fine. At least, the curse will at least make this fake couple thing more believable.” grumbled Marinette. The light pink blush on her face is not because he said she was someone he would date.

Oh right, the curse. He swore internally, it had possessed him to be Dupain-Cheng’s boyfriend. He now would have to endure the hand-holding, kissing and staring into each other’s eyes, and try to resist the curse which will be much harder now. Somehow, he didn’t regret it a little bit. It sounds more bearable with him doing those things with her than her with Drake. This was just a mutual agreement to ward off her suitors and prove to her classmates that she was off the market.

Chloe clapped her hands,“If we have everything sorted out, you can start being a good boyfriend by walking Marinette to school today. We want to be on time now.”

The others started packing up their stuff or finished what they were eating. Marinette was dragged out of the bakery by an impatient Damian. Chloe and Alix picked up what Marinette left behind and followed out. The rest soon left right after, leaving the two boys in the bakery.

“Hey, Replacement, tell me if I am wrong but did Demon Spawn willingly ask a girl out?” Jason asked, stealing a croissant from Tim.

“Try making himself the perfect candidate to be her fake boyfriend out of many choices, including me, and get her to agree to it. Now he has to go on a few romantic dates with Marinette in order to ward off this really pushy guy in her class. Demon Spawn also has a crush on her and he’s in denial of it. We are not hallucinating either. I’ve checked.” Tim replied, sipping his coffee.

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“Damian. Let go. Hey, Wayne, are you listening to me? Let me go. This is not how you treat your significant other. And you are not even going in the right direction.” Marinette all but yelled at him.

He released his grip on her. “My apologies for manhandling you but I wanted to tell you this away from everybody else.”

“What?” She asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.

I- This is a little difficult to say for me,” Damian started. (Why were his palms sweaty? It’s just an apology. He had done it before although it was mostly because Grayson told him what he did wrong and made him do it.) “But I am sorry for calling you weak, pathetic and every other bad thing I have said about you when you have shown that you are anything but those. I was mad at myself for being caught and took it out on you.”

Her glare softened.

“Apologies accepted. The school is this way.” She said with a smile and went towards the school. Damian walked by her side, his hands in his pockets.

Marinette looked at where his hands were, “If we are going to do this fake dating thing, I suggest we hold hands.”

Damian grabbed her hand and continued walking in silence. Her hands were so small and fitted perfectly in his. Oh God, it’s the curse again. Turning him into a sap. Do not think about her hands. And the fact that she took down a man twice her size with them which was an amazing sight to watch.

“Why are you so stiff? Loosen up a little. You are with the love of your life. Smile a little.”

Damian plastered on a fake smile, “Happy?”

“It looks fake. Being a model he will be able to tell.” Marinette remarked, “Are you sure you want to do this? We can still go get Tim to be my boyfriend.”

“I can do this. Drake wouldn’t be a better choice. It doesn’t help that you are relentlessly nit-picking me. Or are you that bad of a girlfriend?” Damian couldn’t help but sniped back. “Maybe that’s why Chat Noir left you.”

He found himself back against the world and her elbow at his neck. (He would forever deny that he liked it.)

“Look here, Wayne. You know nothing about me and you shouldn’t assume that you do. Chat Noir was revoked of his status as a hero for his behaviour. If you don’t act the part properly, I am going to have my former partner, who has absolutely no sense of boundaries, harassing me in my civilian life and I have already dealt enough of his advances to last a lifetime. I have given you so many chances to get out of this which you refused and yet, you are half-assing it. So are you in this 100 percent or not? Because I am at the end of my patience right now.”

“The boy who is obsessed with you is the former Chat Noir?”

“Yes, I will explain about that later but what’s your answer?”

“I will give it my best shot but I have never pretended to be in love.”

“Were you not taught in the League?”

“There were seduction tactics shown to members when they were old enough and I left them when I was 10 but I am not sure if those skills can be applied here.”(Slamming your opponent against the wall wasn’t one of them but she was doing a great job of it so far. No. No. No. He is not his father. This is different from whatever he has with Kyle.)

She released her hold on him and grabbed his hand, leading him towards her school.

“Well then, here are the basics. Everytime you look at me, just think of your favourite things to make your smile a little more genuine. Maybe call me by a pet name if you want. Keep your touch on me like you can’t keep your hands off of me and act really reluctant when you have to let go. You will only keep them my shoulders, arms, hands and waist or I will break your hand. I will do the same. If you are going to have to kiss me, give me a warning.” He looked into her blue eyes and nodded.

“Alright.”

“Oh. I almost forgot. In case they try to question our relationship. My favourite colour is red. My favourite song is ‘Fearless’ by Jagged Stone.(I love Taylor. Sue me) And we met online a few months ago. You came all the way to Paris to see me a month ago and asked me out. We will talk more that later. Oh, I also love designing and have dreams of being a famous fashion designer.-”

Marinette rambled on which Damian found a little endearing. He looked forward to knowing more about her. He added a few comments here or there about himself (because it was only fair.) and ways to improve their cover story about their relationship.

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“We are nearly at school. Let’s start the act, Romeo.” Marinette whispered at him and looked at him with a bright smile that brought a tiny smile to his face. Okay, maybe he liked Marinette a little bit but that doesn’t mean he’s in love with her.

He moved her hand holding his to the crook of his elbow.

“Is this acceptable, my lady?”

She wrinkled her nose, (Adorable. No. Don’t go there) “This is fine. But can you not call me that? And princess too? I may have erased his memories as Chat Noir but it could be a trigger to bring them back.”

“Understandable. What about Malak?”

She blushed. Marinette had learned Arabic a while back and was very fluent in the language.

“It’s okay.” She said in a soft voice. She put her other hand on his bicep and leaned on his shoulder.

“You don’t look like a touchy-feely person so is this fine?”

“Yes.”

“Cool, let me tell you more about the atrocious lies that had passed her mouth.”

They walked into the school courtyard, arm-in-arm, for the entire school, especially Marinette’s class, to see. The perfect picture of a loving couple. Marinette’s blush from earlier was evident on her face, leaving no room for doubt about her new relationship status. (Many guys, gals and pals were upset over it.) As they both walked up the stairs, whispering and laughing about who knows what (gulliable and idiotic classmates they have to suffer learning with), two pairs of green eyes followed them.

In this case, the saying ‘green-eyed monsters’ was true. One was envious of the boy who held the girl he wanted in his arms and the other was envious of the attention the couple was receiving.

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Damian escorted Marinette to her class. He gave her a kiss on her cheek and said, loud enough for the class to hear, “Bye, Malak. I will pick you up after school for our date.”

“B-bye, Damian.”

He took her hand, gave a kiss to the back of it and departed, leaving a very red-faced Marinette behind. The rest of the class parted the way as Damian walked past.

She rushed into her seat where Chloe sat beside it, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

“Sooooo, Mari-bug, how was your date? You two rushed out of there so quickly and left your stuff behind. So eager to spend time with your boyfriend, eh? You enjoyed it very much by the looks of it.”

“Sorry about that, Chloe. Did you bring my bag and the cheese danishes?” Marinette tried to change the topic. And she also wanted to make sure a god of destruction doesn’t go hungry and angsty during school. “Yep, here you go,” Chloe said, handing Marinette her bag and a box of cheese-flavoured snacks for Plagg, “Your mom packed some for you.”

“Marinette. Where have you been the last two days? And you came back with a boy. I am honestly worried about your behaviour.” Lila played the concerned classmate wonderfully.

“Yeah, Marinette. This is a new low, even for you.” Alya added.

Marinette readied herself to tell the cover story Damian and her worked out on the way here.

“Lila, I appreciate your ‘concern’. But the last four days have been a little hard on me so excuse me if I am a little snappy today. You see, Damian disappeared and didn’t return home after school on Friday. So when he didn’t pick up for our weekly video call, I panicked and called his family and they told me what happened. They sent me a plane to get out of Paris so I can’t get akumatized.”

“Was that why you were gone on Saturday?” Chloe asked, playing along although she already knew why Marinette wasn’t in Paris the last four days.

“Yeah. Sorry for not telling you guys. It was sorta last minute. Thankfully, he wasn’t kidnapped actually. His biological mother picked him up but never told his father that she was taking him. I just came back last night. Dami followed me to make sure I am okay.”

“What a bunch of bullcrap.” Alya said, “I don’t believe you.”

Oh. The irony... “Alya, I don’t care if you do. My life is my own business. So keep your nosy nose out of it. Your opinions don’t matter to me anymore, stranger.” Marinette internally was tired of this silly routine and wanted this to end already.

Alya wanted to pick a fight with her over the smallest things she did for the past months. She wondered why her former best friend hated her this much.

“Lila told me that you were skipping school and you paid an actor to be your pretend boyfriend.”

Pretending to not hear what Alya said, Marinette turned towards Chloe, “Hey, you never told me about how you met Tim. I can’t believe that you two are friends.”

“We met at one of those charity galas-”

“Hey, we were talking to you.” Alya cut her off. To which Chloe glared at the ombre-haired girl.

“I thought our conversation was done. What else am I supposed to say?”

Marinette was frustrated and hid that fact well, showing any reaction would give the game away. If she had reacted, it would further fuel the fire of Alya’s self-righteousness, making her believe that Marinette was somehow guilty of what Lila told her about. Lila managed to turn nearly the entire class against her by appealing to their ‘hero’ side and outbursts from Marinette and the others made them more sure of themselves of being in the right. It was so deep-rooted that nothing would sway them to logical reasoning. Maybe except Phase 2. Phase 1 was made a little easier when Talia kidnapped her and made her miss a few days of school.

Phase 2 was to not acknowledge the lies or just appear uninterested. It would illustrate the point that people don’t have to listen to them if they don’t want to. If possible, sow little seeds of doubt to the ones Lila had a looser grip on. The more people they can slowly get on their side, the better.

Alya was confused, usually Marinette would throw a ‘temper tantrum’ about how she didn’t do that and Lila lied.“I-, you should-, You should apologize to Lila.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow, “For what this time?”

“For saying that she was lying.”

“Pray tell, when did in any of our conversations so far did I do that? I mean I don’t like the fact that she just accused me with little evidence of paying my someone to be my boyfriend but I am not going to fight with anyone over it. Maybe I did do that, Maybe I didn’t. Maybe there is a good reason I did those things. The thing is Lila should keep to her own business and I will keep to mine. And as should you. I know you are a reporter at heart but you should at the very least respect my privacy.”

Alya stayed silent, fuming. Everyone was looking at them now. She realized that the designer was right and if she pushed further, she would be the bad guy.

“I thought so. Now, go away. I have nothing else to say to you. Let Chloe finish her story of how she met Tim which you so rudely interrupted.”

“Who’s Tim?” Lila asked, wanting to know more about Marinette’s boyfriend to work on an angle to get him away from the ravenette.

“Mari-Bug’s boyfriend’s older brother. Now, shoo peasants, we are talking. Anyways, Mommy took me to when I was younger so I could mingle with all the other rich kids and get connections. Timothy was there and back then, he was still with the Drakes...”

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Lila and Alya returned to their seats, both were visibly upset although Lila was seething inside. When Marinette was not at school for the last two days, the Italian thought that it was the last she had seen of her. Today, she showed up with a handsome boy on her arm and by the looks of his clothes, rich too. If she manages to get ‘Damian’ to break up with that pest and date her instead, then she would have a rich, handsome boyfriend devoted to her and that brat would be so heart-broken that an akuma so powerful would be made that even Ladybug won’t be able to defeat. A two for one deal. Lila started planning (scheming) to take her boyfriend away.

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(Part 7)

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Edit: I am so sorry. I forget to add the taglist.

Tag list: @alysrose-starchild, @buginetye, @lookatthestars1, @blackroserelina, @macncheesemonster, @mochinek0, @myazael, @tonicxworld, @thewitchwhowaited, @t1dwarrior-of-earth, @kissa-chan, @iwantasecretidentity, @theymakeupfairies, @user00000003, @woe-is-me0, @kashlyn, @mochegato,@moonlightstar64 , @greatcatblaze, @moongoddesskiana, @tazanna-blythe. @tonicxworld, @toodaloo-kangaroo, @frieddonutsweets, @local-witch-of-mn, @lady-bee-fechin, @iglowinggemma28, @indecisive-mess-named-me, @k-tea-and-coffee, @jayjayspixiepop, @all-mights-asscheeks, @idk-j-go-with-it , @loysydark, @thenillabean, @lolieg, @zalladane, @silvergold-swirl, @henie04, @blueblossombliss, @khneltea, @mochegato, @itsmeevie01, @roguishredaxion, @alyssadeliv, @steph-hearthlight, @adrestar, @eliza-bich, @abrx2002, @hikari55ttva, @doglover82, @daminette5074, @moon5608,@justafanwarrior, @allis-sun, @animegirlweeb, @aespades, @corporeal-terrestrial, @mildlydeadly, @kanamexzeroyaoifangirl,

#damian x marinette #maribat #ml x dc #daminette #mlb x dc #a failed betrothal #betrothal au: take 2

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