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nevieatiny · 5 months

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Mrs. Park?

Seonghwa x reader

Summary: Maybe there were different ways to help your boyfriend get a refund, but calling him your "husband" made it sound more dramatic, right?

Word count: 1,449

Genre: Pure fluff

You loved your boyfriend more than anything in the world, you really did, however, something that you hated and you mean HATED about him was that sometimes he was way too nice and struggled to speak up for himself.

You've been doing a lot of christmas shopping recently, and because of that he choose the wrong size when he picked a sweater for his mom, he made you promise you would not intervine this time because he was a "grown man who's able to do a refund by himself" so you did try to look around the store in the mean time, however not even the toy section was able to distract you from that feeling of something going wrong or someone being rude to your boyfriend.

you've worked in customer service for several years, you knew all it took was being nice, but at the same time there was people who just hated being there and would mistreat customers just to make them leave, it was ok if someone did that to you, you knew how to defend yourself and speak up, but some people don't.

So after 15 minutes of your boyfriend not coming back you're heading to see how he's doing at the customer service counter, as you approached the only thing you saw was your poor boyfriend tapping his fingers anxiously against the counter, he was all by himself you assumed he was waiting for the customer service rep.

"Before you shush me away" you said as you were approaching him "i just want to see how you're doing so far, i see that no one's here, so i'm guessing great" you patted his but few times before leaning on him, you were waiting for a lame comeback, but all he did was to lean his head on top of yours and let out a long sigh "how do you do this?" "was it that bad?" that's when he took his phone out looking at the time "she's been gone for more than 10 minutes", you didn't knew how to feel, at first you felt bad for him, he seemed almost sad about it, but after that it was pure rage, why would they do that, you get that christmas and new year could be the toughest time of the year for anyone on customer service, it was 11 am but the place was literally empty.

"Do you want me to take over?" you asked while running your fingers through his hair "i really thought i could do this by myself this time" "yeah but to be fair you choose to do this before christmas, everyone is miserable by now and they just want to go home, most likely they would have to work during christmas, that's not an excuse tho" as you were talking to him you saw a young girl approaching, she might not even be 20, she had a frown on her face and rolled her eyes when she saw you, and at that moment you knew what you were dealing with.

"theres nothing we can you because you bought this 2 weeks ago" she threw the sweater and the receipt on the counter not even looking at you, and before your boyfriend took the clothing piece (most likely as a defeat to just leave right after) you spoke "that literally does not make any sense, when we bought that they said we had a month to get a refund if we keep the receipt" she looked at you for a few seconds before trying to respond before you cut her off "you made my husband wait for 10 minutes just to come up with a stupid excuse to make him leave" Seonghwa looked at you with a surprised expression, he knew what you were doing, but that didn't stopped his heart from beating faster and faster, he took a deep breath to calm himself while he pretended to straighten his clothes with his hands, for a moment he looked down at your hand and he thought about grabbing it, but then he remembered you were kinda busy trying to do what he was not able to.

Maybe you were raising your voice too much because a few seconds later an older man dressed in a expensive suit joined her behind the counter "'I'm sorry ma'am, how can i help you today?" this time your boyfriend spoke behind you, giving him the garment "i'm just trying to get a refund, i choose the wrong size" you knew Seonghwa usually avoided conflicts, but the fact that she let him just waiting like a fool standing there just fueled you anger "My husband kindly came here asking for a refund and your employee left him here waiting for 10 minutes, she went i don't know were and came back with a lame excuse to make him leave, this is unacceptable, do you let your employees treat people like that?, what if he was an elder who had no idea what to do just trying to get a gift for his loved ones?" that's when you felt Seonghwa's hand on your waist gently bringing you closer to him "I'm so sorry to hear that ma'am, and i do apologize for the inconvenience" at this point the girl was standing beside him with her arms crossed "maybe she meant to say that we can give you a refund or you can choose the right size of the same sweater you choose before" he just looked back at the girl with a forced smile, hoping she would not make the situation worst, when she didn't respond you just looked back at him "don't worry, you don't have to apologize, but it's up to my husband" the man behind you passed the last 5 minutes daydreaming, he already had a venue in mind, he was thinking whether the cake should be a classic white cake or maybe he would ask you to let him have a Star Wars themed cake, after that you could go to New Zealand as you've always planned for your honeymoon, or maybe Paris?, no, you've always wanted to go to New Zealand, and since he is for sure insisting on the Star Wars themed wedding that's the least he can do for you, or maybe a lego cake? that would be new, his friends would definitely envy him for that.

"Babe" That's when he realized the three of you were looking at him so you had to repeat the question for him "i think we can pick the right size this time" "of course Sir, that's a great idea, we can wrap it as gift for you as well" the older man looked at the girl this time and asked her to go and get the sweater for you, he didn't had to but when she rolled her eyes you decided she could use a few extra steps "Can you show me your ID to process it on the system please Sir?" your boyfriend seemed off, in the clumsiest way possible he took out his wallet to show his id.

After just a few minutes the employee gave you the gift wrapped up and ready along with your receipt "Again i'm so sorry for the inconvenience Mr. and Mrs. Park, and happy holidays" your boyfriend took the gift and quietly bowed at them before wishing them happy holidays as well, at this point the "Husband" thing was long forgotten to you, but as the two of you walked out of the store you saw your boyfriend looking at the gift as if it was the most interesting thing in the world "you ok?" there were a few seconds of silence before he spoke " I've always feared that you would beat me up to ask you to marry me, but i never thought you would do it in a department store" that's when it hit you, you didn't even asked him if it was ok "i'm sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable, i just thought it sounded more serious, i think i got carried away" "it's okay, you look hot when you're mad" even after developing the ability of have a verbal fight without crying and thinking that you were in control of your emotions this man never failed to make you a blushing mess with the most simple things "aawww, are you blushing right now Mrs Park?" you looked at him clearly not knowing how to react, smiling and frowning at the same time, this action only made Seonghwa kiss you in the middle of the hallway "keep teasing me and next time you would have to call the pizza restaurant yourself"

#ateez angst #ateez au #ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez fanfiction #ateez fluff #ateez imagines #ateez imagine #ateez fic #ateez x reader #ateez scenarios #ateez seonghwa #seonghwa x reader #seonghwa x y/n #seonghwa imagines

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targaryenrealnessdarling · 1 year

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A Stranger’s Dance (1)

Summary: You have not seen Prince Aemond for many years and to his surprise and curiosity, you seem to have changed.

I was listening to this song and couldn’t shake the idea of a woman being so engrossed in the dancing that Aemond just watches her in curiosity from across the room. why does it make me wanna cry tho, this sweet boi deserves love

Warnings: fluff, sexual tension, kind of sexual words, mega fluff so you know i still have a soul after A Mother for a Son

A Stranger Masterlist

Part 1 / Part 2

Aemond could only shake his head, watching his older brother from across the room, two goblets of wine in hand and each of them equally spilling over the top of the brim all over the floor. He let out an exasperated sigh, eye scanning as he watched his drunken King of a brother make his way across the floor, bumping into various dancing couples, sharing the wine in the form of covering them with it. But what could they say to their King? They could only idly watch and let out puffs of anger at the new stains down their fine clothes.

Aegon's obvious over drinking did not dampen the mood of the room though, it was hot and warm in the banquet hall tonight. Less formal than their usual and the various lords and ladies of the land had not dressed up quite as much for this event. It wasn't anyone's nameday, nor was it a special occasion entirely, but a chance for the lords to make their connections with other lords while their wives laughed with one another and drank copious amounts.

This was also the thing that separated this event from normal banquets. At the usual banquets, everyone was reserved and drank one, perhaps two goblets of wine.

Here, everyone was flushed with drunkenness and seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. And with the amount of people who were dancing with one another stretching all the way down the hall, it was hot and sweaty, but perhaps as happy as some had ever seen, certainly since the recent war.

Aemond was beyond these kind of events and did not attempt to hide his contempt for it, sitting at the top table and having a perfect view of everybody, he simply scanned everybody drinking, dancing, hugging, laughing. He simply sat there, watching other people have their fun, occasionally sipping his wine, progressively getting more tired as the night went on.

Even Halaena had joined in, leaving Aemond largely to himself at one side of the table, fingers impatiently tapping at the tablecloth. His mother, Alicent, had just excused herself to her chambers after feeling tired, no doubt wanting to be rid of the experience also.

Aemond was quite rudely snapped out of his trance by his brother Aegon almost launching himself across the table, reaching out for Aemond like a child.

"What is wrong with you…" Aegon slurred, picking his heavy head up from the table to give Aemond a half lidded smirk.

Aemond quirked a brow, "What is wrong with me?" he asked, finding Aegon's display less than funny. But what irked him more was his brother suggesting he was being spoilt sport for not joining in on the festivities.

"You're just so boring…everyone else is having a good time, hip" Aegon hiccupped. Aemond shook his head,

"I am not everyone else" he answered simply. This answer didn't seem to satisfy Aegon, who huffed and rounded to the back of the table to place a hard hand on his brother's shoulder. Aemond seemed to stiffen visibly, only turning his head enough to see his brother in his peripheral.

"Well, brother hip are you not going to guess what I heard"

Aemond's jaw tightened, not bothered with entertaining his brother, "What"

Aegon leaned in to whisper, "Guess who will be gracing us with their presence tonight"

Now he was just being annoying.

"Who"

"Y/n"

"Aegon…" Aemond answered, looking at him, "…why in seven hells would I care?"

Aegon feigned shock, "Well excuse me. I am only trying to introduce some female company into your life, brother"

Aemond could have rolled his eye. It was long known by now that Aemond had been pressured to court a woman to marry, as he had heirs of his own to sire. His own mother had recently said he should not wait so long before marriage and as a Prince he had duties to fulfil. And despite Alicent giving him the option of choose his own wife, he arrived at no options.

All the ladies at court were uninteresting and only desired to be married for the title of being Princess. This notion was extremely unattractive and, in a way, felt jealous of Aegon, for his situation had been placed before him without any effort.

Even if he attempted to court a woman, his confidence in himself had been something of a challenge since the incident. Despite not feeling as downtrodden as he had done when he was younger, there was still a lack of confidence that tugged at is heart.

"I had all but forgotten her" Aemond answered, barely remembering how you looked. It had been years and years since he had last seen you.

Aegon slumped in a chair next to his brother, pulling a goblet closer to him, listening to the loud music in the room, "Yes, she was a mousy little thing. Quiet, nervous type. She was the one with the…" Aegon pointed around his eyes and Aemond's eye met the table in thought.

Oh yes. He remembered you now.

You had indeed been a nervous, small child, who despite being aged about two and ten, looked a couple of years younger you were so small in stature. You had also been born with two different eye colours and while being reminiscent of a beautiful Targaryen Princess, you were neither a Targaryen nor a Princess, so the compliments never came your way and it was a point of bullying for some time.

The Prince could barely think of a time he had spoken to you, but he thought he must have done. He never remembered you speaking back to him either…where were these memories.

"She is coming with her father, they say hip Oh! There!" Aegon pointed to the corner of the room, where a man who was far past middle-ages had entered, weaving through the crowds, but he was alone.

With a huff he eventually made his way up to the top table, offering a bow to the King and Aemond beside him, "My King, your Grace" he greeted. Ah yes, Aemond remembered this man now. He was a very jovial man rarely without a smile on his face, unlike a lot of lords. Now that he was older, he had a well-groomed white beard, but his smile remained wide.

"Lord Highgreen, it is a pleasure to have you" Aegon replied, strangely cordially and holding back another hiccup. His eyes drunkenly scanned the room, "I was led to believe your daughter would be joining us?"

After taking Aegon's hand in a handshake, he smiled widely again, "Ah yes, she is already dancing, your Grace. I will go and fetch her" he turned and disappeared back into the sea of dancing bodies. Aemond watched him walked away, intrigued. Was she here dancing this whole time? He thought to himself. He wondered what you looked like after all these years.

"I do wonder what keeps him happy" Aegon started, Aemond's eye never leaving the back of Lord Highgreen's head, tracking him in his mind, "Poor bastard only had one daughter before his wife died, waste of a good woman"

Aemond had done a wonderfully good job of ignoring his brother's quips and watched intently as Lord Highgreen stopped before a young woman who Aemond could not make out very well in the moving crowd, only noting that she had dark brown hair that fell long around her shoulders. The music was loud now and the crowd reflected this as their dancing became faster and faster, their pink, smiling faces obstructing the view.

Aemond could see that he had been pulled into a dance with the young woman as the current song was nearing its end and he felt a smirk rise to his face as he watched the young lady dance around him, but he did not complain it seems, face as wide with laughter as ever.

As the song came to a close and every began clapping, awaiting the next, Aemond saw a part of her figure. She was smiling and bowing to her father, as if he were her dance partner only to immediately be pulled under his arm to be led to the table, once again disappearing amongst the people.

He only once got a good look as they both stepped up to the top table, a few steps above everybody else, she was saying something unintelligible to her father, her face pink with laughter. Lord Highgreen turned back to the men sat before them, bowing his head once more.

"Your Grace, my daughter, y/n"

It was only now that the young lady looked upon the two men, who were wordlessly staring back at her. It was true, she was the same person, but completely different.

She wore a sage green dress, decorated with golden detail and corseted at her waist, her neckline was slightly lower than a noblewoman's would be, with her straps handing delicately of her shoulders, exposing her flushed chest after all her dancing. Her eyes landed on Aegon first, immediately offering a curtsy, head dipping as she did so, her dark brown locks falling around her shoulders.

"King Aegon" she said. Her voice. Her voice was lower than you would imagine but soft and flowing. She no doubt had a lovely singing voice.

Her focus now landed on Aemond, who was inadvertently gripping the goblet in front of him with such tightness. Surely, he thought, this could not be the mousy child he scarcely once knew?

She nodded her head once more and Aemond could not help but look deep into her eyes, her right, a light green, her left a clear blue. In most lights perhaps you could not even tell they were different colours, but here it was clear. The sheer sight of her delicate face alone let a fluttered feeling in his stomach loose.

"Your Grace" she greeted Aemond, her gaze lingering on him for what felt like a lifetime.

"I do not blame either of you for not recognising her, she has outgrown me even" Lord Highgreen said suddenly, breaking this glance as you looked over at your father.

"Father, please" you said with feigned embarrassment.

Aegon, no doubt because of the wine, seemed to break out of a trance, "My lord, where in seven hells have you been hiding her!"

Aemond kicked his foot under the table, wordlessly telling him to be quiet, making you bite your lip to stifle a laugh. If you had been looking at Aemond, you'd find that he had not taken his eye off you.

"I had hoped to sneak her out of Green Hill to have her as one of Queen Halaena's ladies, my King" he answered smiling once again. This details seemed to peak Aemond's interest and he straightened up, pulling the wine to his lips, "to seek a husband" he finished.

Aemond pulled the goblet from his lips, swallowing hard, more interesting details demanding his attention.

"You are not betrothed" Aemond asked you, making your eyes land on him once again. His gaze over the rim of the goblet made it so you could not help but send him a smirk,

"I am not" you answered, "Your Grace"

Aemond did not know if he had misheard, but the way you had decided to leave the sentence to hang in the air made his curiosity peak again and he himself could not help the one-sided smirk that came upon him.

Halaena seemed to appear at your side all of a sudden, grasping your hand excitedly, "Y/n, come join me for this next song!" she said, a wide smile on her features. You looked over to your father and he nodded softly, you thanked him wordlessly and allowed Halaena to guide you back to the main floor. But not before catching eyes on the one-eyed Prince for a moment before turning and disappearing into the crowd, joyful, stringed music starting up once again.

After that meeting, Aemond could only see you amongst the crowds, dancing with his sister joyfully. Once her father had walked away after delivering his greetings, Aegon laughed drunkenly, gulping down one whole goblet before turning to his brother, "Brother, you will scare her away if you keep staring at her like that"

"She would be lucky to escape knowing your drunken eyes on are her"

Aegon leaned into his brother, "What a hypocrite you are, brother. I see how you look at her. Do not tell me you don't desire to bend her over this table and-"

Aegon had stopped as Aemond's eye looked slowly over, wordlessly advising him to quit while he was ahead. Aegon nodded and picked up two more goblets, "Alright then, just don't wait forever"

Aegon almost ran away from the table, only turning back to Aemond to mouth fuck her, making Aemond roll his eye in annoyance.

You twirled around with Halaena until the song ended, your experience of the Red Keep so far had only been good, although perhaps if they had parties like this every evening it would be even better. There was nothing better than a hot, drunken party to loosen up the average gentleman.

At this point you were a few wines deep, having a great time and once the song ended, you raised your hands to clap for the band. Turning quickly, you picked up another goblet and bought it to your lips, letting out a happy sigh as you leaned against the wall, watching as people ramped up for another dance. In the distance, your father was dancing with a widowed lady, smile wide with glee and it made you giggle to see him drunk.

You stood there for a moment to people watch before feeling a tall presence next to you, being slightly disappointed it wasn’t someone else.

“Evening, Lady Highgreen”

Internally, you rolled your eyes but forced a smile to come across your face.

Ser Tyland Lannister. There was no doubt in your mind what he wanted, he had taken no wife and had no children. His actions as of now were as clear as they could have been without him saying anything. He was a good decade your senior, but even when you were a child he bought it upon himself to isolate you from the other older children, were it not for him, they might have found it in their hearts themselves to be your friend. But he was a bored, single, twenty-something year old at the time, so pleased him to no end to see another creature in suffering.

“Ser Tyland, it has been years” you feign interest in some information from the past few years, his eyes widened with glee as if seeing something shiny,

“Yes, my Lady and how you have grown and, if I may be so bold, what a beauty you have become”

You raised your eyebrows, taking a sip from your goblet, emitting a small hm in response, finding it difficult to hide your disinterest. However, Tyland being Tyland did not pick up on the hint and moved closer, forearm leaning on the wall next to you. His lids looked heavy and he himself looked about ten glasses of wine deep.

"I hear you are in the company of Queen Halaena's ladies" he started leaning in closer, you instinctively moved your head away, a whisper of a grimace on your face, "Perhaps we may run into each other more often" he said lowly.

You opened your mouth to give some kind of charming quip back but before you could, a large hand had been placed on Tyland's shoulder in a fake friendly manner pushing him away.

"Prince Aemond" Tyland had his eyes wide open now, with a hint of fear that he had done something wrong. Aemond rounded him, now stopping to place himself in between the two of you, the fear on Tyland's face enough to make you bite your lip to stomach a laugh.

"Allow me a moment with the Lady, Ser Tyland" Aemond almost barked the command at him, so much so he may as well have told the Lord to fuck off.

Tyland with a messy bow of the head to you and the Prince shuffled away embarrassed, Aemond watched him walk away with his tail between his legs, turning back to give you a look as if to say thank me later.

You smiled up at the Prince in thanks, heart beating faster as he took his spot at your side where Tyland had been. The air immediately felt different with his presence, it felt calm but at the same time electrified, as if the Prince had plenty to say to you.

"I apologise for my brother's behaviour" Aemond said, you raised your eyebrows with a smile, pulling the goblet of wine from your lips to lick the wine there.

"On the contrary, my Prince, I was surprised to find him quite cordial. Despite his attempts to hide his surprise"

Aemond smiled, "His surprise?"

You cock your head in feigned annoyance, a smile still evident on both your faces, "Oh let us not pretend, my Prince-"

"Aemond" he interrupted, hands placed behind his back, clasped together with a faint nervousness. Perhaps he had not expected you to have changed quite this much.

"Aemond" you respond and he could not help but stare at the way his name passed your lips and the way you licked the wine from them every time you took a sip, "Let us not pretend that you are both not surprised at how I have turned out. Rightly or wrongly, I was a shy, reserved child, I am surprised you remember me at all"

"Rightly or wrongly it does not matter" he said quicky, surprising you, "You did not deserve that extent of childish bullying"

There was a pause and a silence in the air now, the laughing and music of the room becoming muffled for a split second as you observed each other. Your eyes scanned his body before returning to his gaze, you were not the only one who had changed.

"I confess, I remember very little of you…" he started, his gaze flicking to the floor every now and then as if in shame, "…and I do hope that I never said anything that would have offended you, my Lady.

It is no excuse that I only feel saddened by your situation having lost an eye of my own, knowing how cruel people, especially children, can be.

If it is any consolation, I never understood why you suffered the ridicule that you did" Aemond realised that he had been pressing his thumb harder into his palm behind his back the entire time, heart beating out of his chest with nervousness. Was the truth inside him that he craved forgiveness? That he felt bad he could not remember if he had offended you or not?

The pause hung in the air for a moment, and you gave him a small, albeit sad smile, nodding your head, knowing exactly what he wanted to say, "Thank you, Aemond…" you trailed off, placing a hand on his tense, leather clad arm, "…and for what it is worth, you never said anything like that to me.

On the contrary, I saw you read many history books, conveniently left on the pages of Princess Alyssa. She had the same condition, did she not?" you smiled, his eye met yours, but his emotion was difficult to read. You squeezed his arm, sensing that perhaps he did not like to be touched and pulled away, tucking your arm back underneath the other to take a sip of wine.

"I thought it quite beautiful" Aemond answered suddenly, not wishing to meet your eyes as he said this he feigned interest in the dancing crowd, but he missed the smile you hid beneath the rim of your goblet.

You pushed yourself off the wall to stand in front of Aemond now, looking up at him, he had no choice but to look down at you now.

"There is no need for defences now. I am happy" you say, letting that hang in the air for a moment. After a moment, Aemond allowed a small smile to pass. The air felt charged and you swore if you were to touch with skin, you would feel a burst of energy between you, but perhaps it was just your heart hammering in your chest.

The music suddenly changed to a slow stringed ballad, and you turned to see everyone had broken out into couples, you couldn’t help but smile as Halaena pulled Criston Cole into a dance against his will.

"Shall we?" Aemond asked, hand outstretched to take yours. You licked the wine off your lips and placed the goblet down on the table, letting your hand glide into his. You were right, you felt the energy between you as skin touched, hairs on your arm stood on end as you met his gaze once again and you found yourself wanting to know what was going on inside his head.

Hand in hand, you turned to make your way into the crowd, laughing lowly to yourself as Aemond stood tall amongst them, unable to disguise his height. You felt a ghost of his other hand at your waist, resting at the waistline of your dress as your own arm came to his shoulder in preparation for the dance.

You looked at your feet first before looking up at him, beginning to sway with the slightly slower music, a perpetual smile on your features as you stared back up at him.

"I forgot to thank you for ridding me of Tyland Lannister earlier" you say, he shook his head in dismissal.

"Tyland Lannister approaches anything that has a heartbeat. In fact, even now I see he has already moved on"

You stifled a laugh, "Let me see" you said quietly. Laughing lowly, Aemond twisted around as if you two were dancing to allow you to see what he had. In the corner of the room, Tyland Lannister was badgering your own father, sloppily drinking down more wine so that it ran down your face. It was not even the situation that made you laugh, but the look on your father's face of pure disgrace, a man who always wore a smile on your face.

You accidentally let a laugh loose which caught the attention of your father, who upon catching your gaze smiled widely as he realised who you were dancing with. You rolled your eyes and returned your gaze to Aemond who was already staring down at you longingly.

"Excuse me, I originally thought he approached anything with tits but it does seem like the standards have dropped somewhat" you reply, making Aemond himself stifle a laugh.

"Do not do yourself the disservice, my Lady. Any man who does not approach someone like you is a fool" Aemond said, like word vomit it just came out and he caught himself just as he said it. He felt like his brain was working a mile a minute and the tension it created caused him to grip onto your waist a little tighter, something that did not go unnoticed by you.

"How very forward of you" you respond, voice lower now. You saw his eye narrow slightly, becoming darker with a feeling that was not there before, "If I knew any better, my Prince, I would say any woman not to approach you is also a fool"

Your movements slowed somewhat, there was a different, heavy feeling now, but not a feeling either of you disliked. You could see how his gaze was focussing on all aspects of your face, hanging longingly on your lips most of all and then your eyes. You could not help but do the same to him, wordlessly studying every part of his features. The way his thick hair swayed with the movements of your dancing, the way his pupil had become larger and the violet ring around it shining brightly. As if he had been made by the Gods themselves, his face was angular, masculine with sharp angles, all you wanted to do was drag your hands across them.

You watched intently as Aemond seemed to lean down, closing his eye, the smell of your perfume invading his senses. His grip on your dress at your waist tightened and you realised now that he was annoyed at the fabric, tugging at it, as if wanting to see what had been beneath it this entire time.

You had only closed your eye for a moment before you heard him whisper against your ear, feeling his hot breath against your flushed neck and exposed skin of your shoulder. You thought you could relish in this feeling, his chest now achingly close to yours, and if you had pressed against him, you would have felt his stiffness bury into your leg.

"I cannot kiss you with your father in the room" he said quietly, "There are many other things I would rather do" pulling away slowly but still staying close, closer than he had been before as if wanting to drink all of you in.

You simple smile back at him, eyes glazed over in a new found desire.

"Like what, my Prince"

You could see his chest rise and fall in a deep breath, as if desperately trying to control his emotions.

"At your behest, I happy to demonstrate"

You could not help the feeling that took over you. You were acutely aware of where his hands were now, how he touched your hand and his thumb that was caressing it. How he fisted the cloth of your dress at your waist in need. How his broad and wide body seemed to envelop you completely. All of this sent a warm feeling that settled in your abdomen.

You realised that the slow dance has ended, and a new, joyful song had begun, you turned to the people in the room who were all jumping now hand in hand. You looked back at Aemond, smiling, "You don't strike me as the type to dance to this music"

Aemond seemed to playfully shake his head, "You would be correct in that assumption" he answered, making you laugh.

Halaena bounded up to you, taking your now free hand, a wide grin on her youthful face, "y/n! This is the last song, will you come dance with me"

Halaena seemed to look between you, seeing how close you were to one another and sent a smile to her brother. Aemond nodded and bought your other hand to his lips and kissed the delicate skin there, "Y/n" he simply said as he started to turn away.

"Brother, do not leave! You are more than welcome to watch!" Halaena said, making Aemond stop in his tracks, hands behind his back. He simply stood there smirking at you,

"Alright then" is all he answered.

You kept your eyes on him the entire time as you allowed Halaena to pull you into the crowd, only then engaging in the powerfully joyful dance. You jumped, skipped, laughed and danced, the hour was late and you were several glasses of wine deep, but you had never felt more alive. The room was warm with candlelight, hot with bodies. As you spun around, clapping at the music, your eyes landed on Aemond leaning against the wall, giving you a slow clap. And you just knew that he had been watching you the entire time.

It was true, Aemond had watched you dance your heart out with his dear sister. Watching as you laughed, clapped, and turned the most glorious shade of pink at your cheeks. His hands gripped at one another, feeling as if his stomach were doing backflips, not used to this genuine feeling deep inside his chest. Watching you enjoy yourself was almost as good as anything else.

And when your eyes finally met after the dance, he nodded his head to you in goodnight.

#prince aemond #Aemond x Reader #aemond targaryen #Aemond the Kinslayer #aemond one eye #aemond fluff #hotd fanfic #hotd fluff #house of the dragon #house of the dragon aemond #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond smut #aemond targaryen smut

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thana-topsy · 6 months

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So wait, are you implying that Falmer babies are born like normal, but since they're raised by other Falmer, that's why they become animalistic?? But they can be raised by people, and develop normally?? I'm assuming they're born blind tho?? Genuinely, I am curious, not trying to sound accusatory :')

Ahhh my friend, it is safe to say at this point that I have dedicated nearly two years of my life to exploring this question lol. Apologies in advance. You've activated my trap card special interest.

Sarel comes from my fanfic "Halfway to the Sky", in which a mage kidnaps a Falmer child and raises him as an experiment to see if he can be taught to live as a "civilized" person. The short answer to that initial question is: yes, Sarel is just a normal elf child, though still blind.

As to the other part of your question, (if Sarel had been raised among the Falmer, would he become "animalistic"?), I'm going to answer charitably by pointing out that we are dealing with Fictional Races of People, in which our interpretations of these races are going to vary, and that's okay. First off, my interpretation is not "the correct" one. So any answer I give is just my personal take. Second, the way we are told to play the game (by the mechanics of the game) also informs our perception of these races. And lastly, there is no one-to-one allegory at play here in terms of "The Falmer represent [x] race in our world." I just wanna get that out of the way.

So, all that being said, the question always comes back to "what does it mean to be civilized"?

In the game, we are told that the Falmer are hostile and violent, so we must kill them, and that they are 'devolved', even though evolution cannot move backwards. So, to correct that second misunderstanding, the Falmer are actually evolved to better suit their current living environment, and as to the first, we (the player) are intruding on their settlements. I can only imagine anyone with a sense of self-preservation would react with some amount of hostility to the loud, shouty person carrying weapons.

To continue to use game-logic, we are shown that the Falmer construct buildings, create weapons and armor, craft potions, lay traps, enchant objects, and use magic. Already, these are things that animals, by definition, cannot do. To be a magic user, a character must have a relatively high Intelligence stat, (we see this in the older games more than in Skyrim). In order to construct settlements, people must also have the ability to work in groups and communicate. We never hear the Falmer speak to each other in-game, but the implication that they have language and a social structure is right there in what we're shown.

So, in this long-winded, roundabout answer to your original question: I do not think that the Falmer are animalistic at all. I think they are culturally different, but made of the same stuff as Joe Thalmor over there. They have a different way of living in the world, and they adapted to their environment as best they could. This does not mean that they are perfect or better. But I think that referring to them as animalistic plays into what the game tells you to think, all while giving you a lot of evidence to the contrary. They're very much a complex, functioning society of people. We just never see their side of the story.

#topsy's asks #topsy rambles about the falmer #again some more #falmer #skyrim #skyrim meta #tes lore

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thelesbianluthor · 3 months

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Saw people talk about the fact that the trio knows every single threat they have to face before they have to confront them in the show vs in the books they actually fall into traps and then have to find a way to escape it.

This is one of the main issues i have too honestly. I understand the choice of making annabeth pick up on the statues and the name of the place and obviously guess "oh that is medusa". It works bc medusa is important and connected to her mother and like the context clues are staggering.

But comparing that moment to the start of episode 7 (which i actually really enjoyed especially compared to ep6) makes the show lose most of the tension they could have.

Like why make it an immediate exposition dump on "oh you are this and you do that and we are here for this and that" i don't mind the change of making the shop the entrance of hell but why can't they just for once fall into a trap like? They are 12 years old trying to avoid a war and fix a situation way bigger than them, they are smart and quick witted but let them make mistakes and NOT KNOW some things.

I feel like a lot of the potential of the first scene went out of the window and it just became a "here's an exposition of a scene that happened in the book" and that way even if you cut it you don't lose anything really.

Changes are a GOOD thing and that is not my issue with the show at all! I have already said that I mostly enjoy the changes that were made and I am not expecting nor want a scene for scene copy but it does make it a lot less interesting imo if they go into EVERY SINGLE SITUATION knowing what they are up against for no real reason.

You can have them know some things and guess who they are up against but like if it happens every time the tension of the danger gets lost a lot and it becomes repetitive imo.

On the good side of things tho I think you can see in general that the trio has gotten a lot more comfortable in the characters and the improvement it's very visible. I already said how I really love the casting and I only expect them to get better at portraying the characters that is a no brainer.

The flash backs were probably my favorite part of the episode along with the way they decided to visually represent Hell.

I love that we get to see a peak of Sally and Poseidon's dynamic and how hard it was for Sally to raise Percy, not only bc of the risks his godly heritage brings but also bc she was a single mother and society in general tends to give up on people that don't fit the mold.

Small Percy thinking his mom wanted to get rid of him and saying "I would never do that to you" even tho she has spent every moment doing her best to protect him vs an older Percy having to choose to leave his mom behind so he can do the right thing even tho everything he has done has been fueled by the desire to save her. That was beautiful and tragic.

Casting in general is incredible bc even with the little we saw of Poseidon (I knew the actor from black sails so I knew he would be great) I think he really nailed it.

Hades is maybe a BIT too silly but I can live with it honestly. Like we'll have time to explore and make other characters deeper later on so i don't see this as an issue.

The decision to make them aware of Kronos and tell Hades is interesting and I do like that he offered to protect Percy if he believed to be at risk.

I understand that with how things are now you never know if a show will be renewed and if you'll get to actually finish your story so I don't mind them making certain stuff known sooner and sprinkling references to future events or call backs (MOA percabeth reference I am talking abt you).

Overall I think that the strongest suit of the show right now is the cast and the way they show characters dynamics and their potential.

Like I have said before my criticism stems from my love for the material and my wish for it to do well. I have opinions that maybe will not match with others and it's okay! Not everyone has to like something! I WANT the show to keep going and grow and evolve into a better adaptation with each step because I really love the basis they laid down, the story and the characters and I see the potential most of all. I can't wait for the last episode.

#pjo rant #pjo rambles #percy jackson #i really like episode 7 in general #i think it was a lot better than 6 like that one was maybe the weakest #i am excited for the last one bc i think it will be even better #most of all baby percy and Sally moments almost made me cry with each scene #he was so small and sally was trying so hard #love them #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo tv show #pjo spoilers #pjo series #pjo

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sangwooooh · 1 year

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Why won’t you speak?

“As I am standing over your dead, rotting body, I wonder: are you cold?”

Story: between Dick and Jason, Bruce adopts another hurt boy. M/n was around before Dick left, so he really considers him his older brother. When Jason comes around, M/n can’t help but feel jealous. After all, M/n is weak. He can’t be Robin.

Warnings and additional notes: M/n is using crutches to walk because of a car accident in which he took part at the age of twelve, the car accident that killed his parents. Bruce Wayne takes him under his wing, making sure he gets all the medical support he needs, making sure he is cared for. M/n is envious of Bruce’s soft spot for Jason. Major character death. Canon compliant… ? There are things added by me, of course.

—. —

The large doors of the library open with a burst of uncharacteristic storm.

“When has Batman died and put you in charge.” Jason’s shoes make an almost soundless approach in M/n’s direction.

M/n chuckles, “Oh my, aren’t you an opinionated little brat?”

Jason’s tongue clicks. No. He ain’t doing this shit. He takes a few more steps towards his tormentor.

“ I am Robin.” He points towards his chest. “Me. Not you, M/n. I should be in charge, not you.” He might not be in his suit, but he is Robin. And not even this bastard could take that away from him.

“Yeah, yeah. Listen here, you little asshole. You need to calm down. I don’t like you getting in my face. You annoy me. ” M/n rolls his eyes, and crosses his arms, leaning on the windowsill. The library is getting too crowded for the both of them. “Well, you don’t really have a choice. I’m older, more responsible. Don’t you have to listen to me or something?” Jason locks eyes with his fake brother, watching the words fall from his lips like boredom in the wind.

“You’re only two years older. Don’t act superior just because you’ve been here a little longer than me.” Jason wants to scoff, instead he draws back. Only to rethink his decision and bite. “Even so, I am Robin. And you’re just sickly prickly M/n. Nothing special there.”

There is a crack in M/n’s smile. Small, but noticeably there. Almost makes Jason regret it. Almost.

M/n scoffs, hiding the hurt, “You need to calm down, little asshole. It’s Alfred who holds the rule anyway. Don’t even know why you’d think it’d be useless, little me.” M/n tilts his head tauntingly, picking up his crutches and making his way out of the library. “Congratulations though. You’re pathetic.”

Jason rubs his eyes in exasperation. They will never get along. Never.

“Master M/n, is everything alright?” M/n tries to calm himself, almost bumping into Alfred. He feels like he’s gonna burst, but he can’t let the tears fall.

“Oh, Alfred… Sorry. I didn’t see you there.” M/n forces a smile. And he is sure it doesn’t fool Alfred. The elder man always knows.

“It’s quite alright, Master M/n. My question stands, however. Is everything alright?”

M/n averts his eyes, “Of course.” He stumbles a bit with his crutches as he tries to pass Alfred.

“You should try and get along with Master Jason. He is family. You two are family now, Master M/n.”

M/n doesn’t even feel like protesting. This Jason boy came after Dick left, almost as if their father was trying to replace his oldest son. And M/n can’t bear the thought of that. Of course he doesn’t like Jason. They’ll probably never get along.

“Alright then.” Alfred smiles and helps M/n down the stairs. “How about some tea?”

M/n relaxes slightly in the comfort of Alfred’s warm arms, “That sounds great, Alfred.”

Going down the stairs is becoming harder and harder for M/n. It’s like his legs are becoming lazier and lazier, which is normal considering the doctors already informed them about the changes waiting to happen. M/n doesn’t dwell on it most of the time. However, there are those moments of silence in which he can’t help but want to hit his head with something or accidentally drop one of those candles onto his own clothes. Jason had caught him in one of those moments in the library earlier. M/n gets nastier in terms of behavior around then, and truly he doesn’t have any interest in insulting Jason that much (just a little). The little prick just knows how to find his moments.

They get to the bottom of the stairs, but Alfred doesn’t let go. The man really knows everything.

When Bruce gets home, things haven't necessarily changed in any way. Alfred meets Bruce in the foyer, as it usually is when Bruce comes back from business. And then there is Jason who runs ahead of his brother and forcefully throws himself at Bruce with all his young years and fire thrumming in his veins, like he owns the world and Bruce, as well, with it. The man once young boy himself remembers owning the world once, it was not bare then. Behind, with struggle unfit for a child, M/n staggers forth with his ebony crutches. Jason does not let go of his hugs easily, in fact he holds on as if Bruce would disappear if he ever dared to let go earlier than he should. Thus, the man lets his son hug him tight. Moments later, Jason reluctantly lets go, making way for his older brother, who visibly stumbles on an uprise in the carpet.

M/n yelps as one crutch gets caught in the crimson material. He falls in front of everyone's eyes, but is caught by Alfred who is nearer to him. Bruce wants to reach out, he would've reached out. Yes. If, just so, he were closer to his son. Alas, distance is great in between them.

They head into the living room where Jason tells Bruce all about his exploits around the manor and how Bruce’s bedroom is actually haunted when he isn’t there. That gets a smile out of the man, rare as they are. His life has become increasingly livelier since Jason became part of the family. After all, the quiet of Dick’s departure was sadly difficult for one little M/n to fill, though the efforts were there. Bruce just… couldn’t make himself meet his son halfway.

After dinner Alfred corners him in the emptiness of Bruce’s study (not his, his father’s study). The older man wears that look on his face, the one he shows only to Bruce and especially when he ‘s done something bad, like stealing a cookie when he was younger, or choosing to dress up as a bat.

“You should talk to him more.” Alfred keeps his eyes on Bruce and the man once boy under that gaze doesn’t know if he should look away or try to dominate the stare down. It’s an automatic response, he reckons. It would never work on Alfred, either way.

“Jason is fine, he talks to me now.” That gets another smile out of Bruce. He fears these days he is getting stiffer, body hardening with the darkness and the years. Maybe he is actually growing softer?

“It’s not Jason I’m worried about, sir.” Alfred leans forward and places a tray with two cups and a teapot on it. It smells good, roses and camomile?

“M/n? Should I think there’s something wrong with him?” Bruce raises an eyebrow.

“I don’t know, sir. Should you not?” Alfred continues to look at him, almost as if his eyes harden. It’s hard to tell, even with the bat’s experience.

“Is something wrong with him?” Bruce takes a seat on his father’s old leather chair that was once black but now tints to brown. The chair sighs underneath him with tiredness becoming of age.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself, sir?”

Bruce would ask. He really would. He should… but it’s late. The boy probably sleeps already. “It’s late, Alfred. Some other time, perhaps?”

Alfred scrutinizes him, yet ends in a half concealed sigh. He wasn’t going to tell his Bruce, the stubborn and with years worth of guild child he so much wished fulfillment to about how his son still stands at the dinner table, ashamed to ask for help and beating himself down over how he would never be good enough to help his father the way his younger brother does. No, Alfred shall deal with that himself, as he always does. Foolish master Bruce. He ends with a, “You know best, sir.”

Bruce doesn’t know best. He’s never felt himself as holding the power of knowing whats and ifs and what ifs. The ‘what if’ of the situation, it always arises at the time when his weakness fills him with the dread of what has been. What if he’d said “let’s stay for another movie” the night his parents died. What if he’d spent more time trying to talk with Dick instead of arguing foolishly and towards nothing, like the boy wasn’t the son he so cared for, like he hadn’t been the only once. What if he’d listened to Alfred and talked with M/n more, mended the disruption between him and Jason. What if he’d protected Jason the way he should’ve protected him, the way his soul screamed to keep the boy safe because how can you let someone else suffer when it is you who should have been? It should never have been Jason. Not his Jason. Not his boy. Not his hope and his dreams and the one he holds as if he were holding his younger self. Not the Jason who laughed so hard whenever something remotely funny came to light. Not the Jason who ran to the door to welcome Bruce, jumping into his arms with all his young years and fire thrumming in his veins, like he owns the world and Bruce, as well, with it. ‘Welcome home, dad.’ Not… Not Jason. Not Jason, God, please, not him. Don’t let it be like this, Bruce’s soul screams as it trashes and shoves and splits, stabbing and scratching and killing to get out.

Jason Todd, beloved son and brother, full of fire and full of life

with all his young years and fire thrumming in his veins, like he owns the world and Bruce, as well, with it

The morning Bruce has to come home and let Alfred and M/n know that Jason won’t be home for dinner tonight or any other night, the sun shines on a clear sky. It smiles upon the Wayne lands, over the gardens and the pond. M/n is there with the flowers, reading a book. ‘The three musketeers’ the title reads. Does M/n enjoy reading? Maybe he does. Bruce isn’t around enough to figure out a pattern.

M/n’s eyes raise from the pages, smile a bright one, as the sun above them with a glint in his eyes and hair tussled with sleep and the ends of dreams.

Bruce must look all the wiser and the better and the all powerful because his son’s smile becomes smaller with what Bruce can only read as surprised… a little concern as well.

“Welcome back, dad.” The boy speaks, voice carried by the breeze and the petals of the flowers.

Bruce says nothing. He can’t bring himself to. Because how can you ever begin. How… How do you tell your son his brother has died before they even had the chance to make up after an argument? How do you let your son know, he will be in a quiet house yet again? How do you tell your son you’ve killed his brother?

M/n’s smile falters yet again. And he must sense something because he looks around. Behind Bruce, to the gate, to the flowers and to the door where no one but Alfred stands.

“Where is Jason?” His smile is gone by now, replaced by something akin to curiosity. “Did he get lost?” A small laugh bursts at that.

M/n locks eyes with Bruce again.

Bruce isn’t smiling. His lips haven’t even twitched. In fact, Bruce thinks he is getting worse by the second and it must be showing in some way because M/n forces himself to keep a smile on as he struggles to get up with the help of a crutch. He almost falls twice, but stands almost straight soon, book closed in hand, a finger inside to keep the page. The boy is pretty far into the book. Bruce doesn’t know if it’s the first, the second or the third volume.

“Dad… are you alright?” His son asks him with those alight eyes that speak the language of the sun and the moon. He looks around again, maybe he hopes to see the brother he so is annoyed by. There is no annoyance in his eyes. “Where is Jason, dad? I didn’t see him go inside.”

There’s a shake in Bruce’s eyes, a tremor of the lips. M/n pushes himself forward on the crutch. It gets stuck in the grass for a second, but it does not stop the son from approaching the bat with no suit, no protection.

A shove closer, half a stumble backwards.

“… dad?” Bruce lets his son see his head fall down, down, down, looking at the grass next to his shoes. Bruce thinks he shook his head somewhere in between the burn of the sun on his neck and the thud of ‘The three musketeers’ by Alexandre Dumas, fallen to the earth. For a moment, Bruce imagines the volume as his own head, rolling on the too green grass, blood dried and burned by the sun.

“M/n… Why do you hate me?”

“…”

“Have I… done something that wrong? I know I can be annoying and loud and sometimes want attention, but I don’t mean what I say to you. I never do, not the bad stuff at least.”

“I… I don’t hate you, Jason. How could I? You’re everything I wish I was.”

“Why?”

“Aha… I think I say all I say and blame you all the time because, not so deep down, I’m envious of you.”

“Envious? How could you possibly be envious of me? You’re older and you’re smart… and you don’t get into trouble with the teachers.”

“Ha, well, I suppose I’m envious because dad is close to you, the way he isn’t with me. And… and because you are with him the way I could never manage.”

“But… it’s really not that hard. Just talk to dad, I’m sure it’s gonna be alright.”

“Aren’t you wise.”

“Ha ha. I’m serious, M/n. If you want something, just do it.”

“See? That’s why I’m envious of you.”

… or maybe I admire you for it. Is what M/n imagines late at night, a conversation that could have been between Jason and him, especially close after the funeral, when Dick drinks in his room and their dad drinks in his study and Alfred cleans up the dinner none of them really taste any more, but only eat as unfeeling corpses coveted in a quiet house.

Part 2:

#batman angst #batman #male reader #batfam #bruce wayne #jason todd #alfred pennyworth #angst #character death #dc comcis #dc universe #dc batfam #dc batman #bat brothers #disabled character #reader insert #dc x reader #batman x reader

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idksmtms · 13 days

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You Are Not One of Us (Poseidon x Norse Goddess!reader) - Part 5

Full Request: https://www.tumblr.com/idksmtms/741566020545839104/im-back-and-this-is-part-2-and-some-things-i?source=share

AN: My sincerest apologies for how FUCKING long it took me to get this out. But just so everyone knows, I am trying to finish writing the ENTIRE story before I post but it is taking me longer than expected because of self control issues. So depending on how much I get written by next week I will either post another part or post the entire story. (Let’s be real, it’ll probably just be another part). But thank you so much to everyone who is reading and waiting patiently for me to get my shit together. I appreciate every single one of you to the moon back!

Summary: You go into hiding for your child’s safety and meet a kind young woman. You make the biggest decision of your life.

Word count: 3,026

Trigger Warnings: she/her pronouns, AFAB reader, profanity, innuendo, age gap (even tho they are both thousands of years old), god racism?? Idk they act like “foreigner gods” is a bad thing, liking the fact that he looks older (is this a warning???), giving your child away (please let me know if I missed any)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians characters. I do not claim to own any of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians characters. I do not own any pictures used nor do I claim to do so.

Always appreciate comments, likes, and reblogs :)

In the aftermath of your announcement, you and Poseidon sat together in your little hut trying to come up with a plan to keep your future baby safe. You had both agreed that you could not stay here. Too many people knew about the hut, and you couldn’t risk anyone dropping in for a visit when you weren’t expecting them. You would have to go somewhere no one could find you, at least until you had the baby.

“I-” you paused, knowing what you would have to do but not wanting to say it. Poseidon gently rested his hand atop yours, threading your fingers together as you lay side by side on the bed. “I cannot keep him, you cannot either, not until he grows anyway.” You swallowed back your tears as he turned his head and kissed your temple, keeping his face pressed to your hair as you continued talking. “If we want him to live, if we want there to be no way that either of our peoples may kill him, he will have to live on his own until he is grown, until he can fully use his powers.” Your voice wobbled so much that you wondered if he had understood a single word you had said.

“I know,” he whispered, eyes closing as tears began to gather again. “I know.”

“We must disguise him in some way, as a demigod perhaps?” You posed, trying to push through, trying to force yourself to acknowledge that this is really the only way to keep your child alive long enough to see him again.

“Yes, as a demigod he will be able to live at Camp Half-Blood, he will be safe there until he is grown. He can train, and… he will be happy, I’m sure,” Poseidon’s voice quivered just as yours had and you turned onto your side, wrapping your arm around him and burrowing your face into his neck, inhaling the scent of his skin. He could feel your lashes against his skin and it tickled, but he refused to move away, moving closer in fact.

“Yes,” you replied, and both of you went silent. You weren’t sure for how long, but when he reached up and rubbed at his face, you pulled back. He looked down at you, a gentle smile on his face as he shuffled forward and kissed your forehead.

“I know where you can go. The beach where we first kissed,” he smiled against your head and you giggled, shaking your head, tears now dried. “It has become popular with people now, they have built cabins just before the shoreline. You can live in one of them, hide in plain sight as a human on holiday. If anything goes wrong, just walk into the water and I will find you.” You nodded, agreeing without a second thought. You knew he only had your best interests at heart. You would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked.

So it was settled. Poseidon would bring you back to that beach, set you up in one of the houses, whichever was closest to the water, and you would live there until the baby was born. He would visit when he could, though it wouldn’t be often lest someone find out where you were, why he was disappearing. The only things you really had to ‘pack’ were your sword, you would go nowhere without it now, and your pearls. They would go everywhere with you, even to death.

Poseidon kissed you, long and hard, before leading you into the water and off to your new life.

You first met Sally Jackson on your third day in hiding. You had finally decided to venture out of the cabin, desperate to lay on the beach and catch the sun at least for a few hours. You had walked along the water's edge, dipping your toes in but nothing more or he would get worried and try to come to you. You had walked to the edge of the cabins, whispering to your child, stories that you made up in the moment or histories of the gods that Loki had once told you with glee. On the way back, just when you had turned, you saw her walking toward you, or rather, toward the final cabin.

She was beautiful, in a gentle and effortless way. Her hair was brown and windblown, curling in the sea air. Her cheeks were ruddy from the sunshine but still smooth, and permanently pulled up in the hint of a smile. Her eyes were blue, a blue that reminded you of Poseidon, and you couldn’t help the lifting of your spirits. She wore a blue sundress, flowy and almost grecian in its colour and style. She was young, surely in her twenties, and you could only wish that the blink of her existence would be remembered.

“Lovely day, isn’t it?” She asked as she approached, sandals in her hand, arms swinging happily.

“Beautiful,” you replied, smile brightening. “It would be foolish not to step out and catch the sun.”

“Agreed! One hundred percent,” she laughed, a deep and jovial sound that made your stomach tickle and laugh along with her. “Are you staying in one of the cabins then?” She asked, walking a little closer and standing by you as you looked out at the ocean (rather wistfully).

“Yes, just down the other end, the one closest to the water,” you told her, pointing toward your new home.

“Oh wonderful! I’m just here,” she gestured to the final, tucked farther back and close to the septic tanks. “I’m Sally, Sally Jackson,” she held out her hand to you, eyes bright.

“I am Y/n,” you answered, shaking her hand gently, watching her in awe. She may be human, but she was the best one you had encountered to date.

“How long are you here?” She asked, walking with you despite it being the opposite way to her home.

“A long time,” you answered simply, but when her face twisted in question, you laughed, and tried again. “I’m pregnant, you see,” you rested your hands on your belly though it wasn’t showing yet.

“Oh! Congratulations! That’s amazing!” She clapped happily, stopping to reach over and hug you tightly, dropping her shoes in the sand.

“Thank you,” your voice was small, clogged up with emotion. She was the first person you had told other than Poseidon. The only person you could tell really, the only person who couldn’t do anything to hurt your child. “Anyway,” you wiped under your eyes, “I am staying here until the baby is born.” She nodded along with your words, ‘ahing’ in understanding.

“That’s amazing, you picked a wonderful place. I would love to stay here before I have a child.” Her voice was wistful and you just rested a hand on her arm, hoping to comfort her in a way words couldn’t. You didn’t know much about her, almost nothing at all, but she was good, good to the core. You could feel it.

‘I’m sure it will happen,” you answered, and she just laughed lightly, smiling brightly at you in thanks.

“Well, I’m glad there will be someone else around just as long as me,” she began, and you offered her a look of surprise. “Yes, I’ll be here for the next year or so. I’ve finished school, and I don’t really know what I want to do. They gave me this place for cheap so I’ll stay here until I can figure something out, I have enough savings for it anyway. Not particularly excited to run back to NYC just yet, you know? I love the city but it can get overwhelming really easily, and I need a long break. So it’s just me and my thoughts and the beach,” she shrugged, leaning her head back to stare up at the sky, bathe her face in the sun. You watched her for a moment, the peace on her face and the looseness of her limbs, and in that moment you made a decision you knew would alter the course of history.

You decided that Sally Jackson would be the one to take your baby.

You waited until it was midnight, when only the light of the moon shone over the beach. Then you ventured out, over the sand into the surf, walking until the water lapped at your knees and when you sat down each wave brushed all the way up to your neck. The water was cold but welcome. The feeling of your skin going prickly made you shiver as you waited for Poseidon to appear. You met once a month in the darkest hour of the night, at the place where the water always met the sand.

You sensed him right before you felt his arms wrap around you. He pulled you to sit between his legs, leaning against his chest. He pressed his face to your hair, inhaling deeply and sighing like every weight he had ever carried was suddenly lifted. You smiled, skin suddenly warm and tingly, and you tilted your head back to press a kiss to his jawline.

“Hello,” you whispered, a dreamy smile on your lips and eyes half open.

“Hello,” he returned equally quietly, then you both sat there in the quiet for some time. Though time was dwindling, neither of you wanted to disturb this moment of peace. It was so rare to feel completely at ease these days, and you wanted to take advantage of it as much as possible.

Finally, after a long enough time had passed that you knew you only had a few moments left together, you turned in his hold and grasped his face in your hands. Your thumbs caressed the apples of his cheeks, your fingertips just grazing the edges of his hairline by his ears. You smiled, a small warm thing that made his chest feel a little too tight.

“I have found the perfect person to take Perseus until he comes of age,” you finally said, voice so quiet that for a moment he thought it was just a whisper amidst the waves.

“Who?” It was short, clipped, not harsh (because he could never be harsh with you, even if he tried) but worried and almost desperate.

“Her name is Sally, Sally Jackson,” you sounded so happy when you said it, like you wholeheartedly believed in this person, so Poseidon nodded and leaned down to kiss the top of your head.

“And you trust her?” He asked, caressing your stomach with soft fingers that almost tickled.

“Yes.” There was no doubt in your voice, not even a waver, and he could see the firmness in your eyes, the conviction that the fates had led you to this woman for a reason, for this reason. “I think you should meet her, just to see for yourself. I-I know it is risky, but I think you will understand once you meet her.” You sat up and turned so you were facing him. You had a smile on your face, a small smile of hope that he hadn’t seen since you found out you were carrying his child. He nodded, but he didn’t smile. You understood, you understood better than anyone else would ever understand, and you reached up and caressed his bearded cheek, running your thumb over his cheekbones as he closed his eyes and leaned into your hand.

“I love you.”

“I need to tell you something.” You turned to face Sally as you both sat on the sand just out of the water’s reach. It was a bright and sunny day, the sand warm and crumbly under you, and you dug your toes and fingers into it.

It had been three and a half months since you had met Sally Jackson and you had spent almost every day with her. You would spend days walking along the beach, swimming in the ocean, cooking with each other or just reading in each other’s company. To her it was the perfect summer, to you… to you it proved so much more. She found it odd that you didn’t have a phone, that you had never cooked before, that there were so many normal things that you simply didn’t know how to do. But she was sweet, and patient, and always ready to help you no matter what.

“What is it?” Sally asked, sitting up onto her elbows on the blanket and turning to you, eyes squinted as she pushed her sunglasses onto her forehead.

“I have not been completely honest with you,” you gulped, rubbing your hands together before picking up some sand and letting it fall through your fingers. She waited for you to speak, and until the sand had completely fallen through your fingers, you didn’t. “I am not…”

“Not what?” She asked, leaning forward slightly and staring at you with eyebrows furrowed.

“I am not… human,” you finally breathed, turning to rest your cheek on your knees and watch her expression.

First she let out a breathless laugh, the kind that huffs out of one’s chest and doesn’t sound sincere. Then she gazed at you for a long while without saying a word. Her face was serious, not a hint of that disbelieving laughter from moments prior. She reached out and gently touched the ends of your hair, a dainty caress, then she sighed so long and loud that you began to worry about her.

“You sound absolutely insane, but I think I’m worse because I believe you. It actually makes a lot more sense that you’re something otherworldly rather than a human. Like you said you’ve never cut your hair but how has it not grown any longer than that? You said you’ve never been shopping in your life but you somehow always have new clothes. And… I don’t know, there’s just something about you that doesn’t seem real. You don’t seem real.” You smiled sadly as she spoke, closing your eyes and listening to the gentle swish of the waves crawling up the beach.

“I told you because there is something very important I need to ask you. If you are willing to listen, I will tell you everything that has happened that led to my being here. Then you may decide your answer to the question I will pose.” You opened your eyes and watched her face as you spoke. Her brows furrowed as if she couldn’t quite understand what you were saying and why you were saying it, but eventually she nodded and you turned to fully face her. You sat with your legs crossed, hands clasped, and began from the beginning.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, staring at you as if you had just asked her to cut off her head and hand it to you on a platter. You smiled woefully, a horizon of tears trembling on your lash line.

“I understand, it is a huge thing to ask of a friend, even more than huge, but you are the only one I trust, the only person I know who will be capable. My child cannot go back with me, they will kill him once they know who its father is. I… I cannot let that happen, Sally. I cannot. He deserves to live a full life, deserves to know that he is the product of love, that he is loved. He will grow up to be a god one day, he will grow up to be powerful and to unite worlds, simply by being himself.” You saw the way her chest trembled as she breathed, you could hear each raspy breath. Her nose was running, her upper lip pulled taut over her teeth as she chewed on it. Her eyes were rimmed with pain and redness and tears and you wanted to reach out and hug her but stayed your hand.

“Sally… I understand I have asked the world of you. And of course you need not make the decision now, you have all the time in the world, until this child is born. He will be disguised as a demigod, so even if either world discovers of his existence, they will not think twice about him. You must raise him until he is old enough to make the journey to Camp Half-Blood. He will be safe there, and your job will be done.” You stopped and you swallowed, wiping at your eyes. “You may think me crazy to ask this of you, I understand, truly, I do. But you are the strongest person I know, human or god.” She stared up at you, hands trembling and face open in surprise. You reached out and grabbed her hands. “Because you have something everyone can only wish for. A strong character. A strong will. I know no one else who would do this as well as I know you would. I know you will be the best mother, regardless of if the child is your own or not. I know you will nurture them, protect them, love them. So please, think about it, ask me anything you wish to ask, and only then, make your decision.”

Both of you sat there for hours, not saying a word. Sally had pressed her face into her hands, breathing steadily, and you could almost hear her thinking. You did not say a word, just lay flat on the blanket and stared up at the sky, hands on your stomach. You caressed it up and down, whispering to the child in your mind, telling him that this would be for the best, that this was the only way to keep him alive. But this did nothing to dissipate the pain in your heart.

You felt Sally shift beside you and you turned to look at her from where you lay on the blanket. She had finally pulled her hands away from her face and had wiped her eyes. They were still puffy and red but she was staring out at the sea with determination on her face.

“I want to meet him. Your husband. Before I decide.”

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