Troy and Aemond work their stuff out (feat. Cygnet and the Professor)

 I forgot to post this, somehow, but it was written April 4^th. Transcribed January 29, 2024, but backdated to the original date of writing. Note: I did read the parts of Fire & Blood with Alys Rivers in them, but I don’t have that great an idea of how to write her. Please bear with me. I’ll most likely also change the way I write her after season 2 comes out. My intent is NOT to vilify her! The character in this who has a problem with her is acting on personal issues that have nothing to do with my own opinion of Alys. I love her.

While Lydia and I decided not to canonize Aemond living on campus, I’ve decided to keep that in this solo because otherwise, I’d have to cut a line of dialogue that I don’t want to cut. (That part’ll be orange.) Aemond himself is also possibly very OOC 😅

This is also so far into the future that a lot of things will have changed by the time we get even close to here; we might even decide we don’t want to use this drama angle at all. But hey, I still want to post this up because it was a lot of fun to write and it brings me joy to make my friends read it >:D

 

Despite how cool he acted, Troy was really quite sensitive. He didn’t care if his schoolmates attempted to bully him, but any sort of conflict with his close friends devastated him. He was quiet about it, perhaps too quiet. He did most of his usual activities—schoolwork, sports, attending parties he was invited to—but instead of being the brightest light in the room beckoning others to share his joy, he did his best to fade into the background, to call as little attention to himself as possible. He was entirely noncommittal, going with the flow so much that he could get swept away like driftwood in a rip tide.

It’s difficult to say how noticeable this was from the outside. Troy never shared plans for the future with anyone. He’d gone to college because it was the natural next step after high school, but he’d never declared a major. His first semester, he’d taken classes the counsellor had recommended to him. This semester, he was taking Aemond’s classes. Next semester, if things remained tense between them, he’d either take Cygnet’s classes or only undergrad requirements. Several faculty members lamented that a young man as bright as he was—straight A’s in every class—had no real ambition. When the counsellor asked what career field Troy was planning to go into, he’d given her a confused look and told her his parents didn’t expect him to work. Team sport were seemingly the only thing he did for the fun of it, but even there he showed no desire to stand out. So if he was more listless than usual, it wasn’t a teacher or coach who would notice.

 

Cygnet had never really liked Aemond. She tolerated him for Troy’s sake, but Troy had been acting differently lately and Cygnet would bet quite a lot that his depression had something to do with Aemond’s dalliance with Professor Rivers. Cygnet hated them both for breaking Troy’s heart. One day she decided enough was enough and went to confront Aemond. Suffice to say it went badly: Cygnet tackled Aemond when he tried to walk away; he pulled a knife on her; she bit his hand, forcing him to drop the knife; and both Troy and Professor Rivers stepped in to break up the fight.

“Really? The middle of the hall?” the professor demanded.

“Would the custodial supply closet be preferable?” Cygnet shot back.

“Would you stop?” Troy sounded more exasperated than Cygnet could remember hearing him. “We don’t want anyone fired or expelled,” he added, picking up Aemond’s knife and pocketing it. “Let’s just talk in our rooms or something.”

“My room,” Cygnet muttered. “I don’t have a roommate and it’ll be less suspicious than using Aemond’s.”

“I do believe that’s the most considerate you’ve ever been,” Aemond said dryly.

“Stop,” Troy repeated firmly.

 

Not another word was said until they were inside Cygnet’s room.

“Who goes first? Are we drawing lots?” she asked.

“Fuck that. Troy, do you think I led you on so I could lay with you?”

Troy took Aemond’s hand and led him to sit on the vacant bed. “You said you didn’t want to corrupt me, and I want you to know that no matter what happened, you didn’t. But… when you—" Troy’s voice began to tremble, and he swallowed. He took a breath, then continued. “You didn’t want to be my boyfriends afterwards, I’m not gonna lie, that hurt. I figured I’d give you some space if that’s what you wanted, and I’m glad we’re still friends. But… when we got back to school, you immediately got a girlfriend. So which is it? Did you sleep with me and decide you don’t like men after all, or is it just me you don’t want a relationship with?”

Aemond hadn’t expected Troy to be both that complex and that dense. “You do realize your parents basically proposed to me on your behalf,” he pointed out. “It’s too much pressure. I don’t expect you to understand, but I can’t marry you.”

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Cygnet muttered. Aemond was about to tell her to shut it, but she made a mad dash to the bathroom and ran the water.

“Bad sushi,” Troy explained. “Aemond, Baba doesn’t speak for me. I just turned 18 a few months ago. You really think I’m thinking about marriage right now?”

Aemond blinked at him. “I was your first and your family gave us permission to date. I thought you all expected it to lead to marriage.”

“No!” Troy exclaimed. “I didn’t! You didn’t think to just ask me before telling me you didn’t want to date me?”

Professor Rivers finally spoke up. “I think now would be a good time to tell Aemond what you do expect from him.”

Troy nodded. “Yeah, of course. Aemond, I love you. I want to hang out with you after class sometimes, go out to eat off-campus, snuggle up and play video games. You know, all the things we used to do. But I also… Look, man, it doesn’t have to lead to anything you’re not comfortable with, but I need the label if we… if we kiss again or make love again.”

“You grew up in a whorehouse and you still call it making love,” Aemond muttered.

“Only with you,” Troy answered. “Letting Cygnet fuck me is completely different.”

“And Shadow?”

“I don’t touch Shadow. I’m not going to try replacing you with another guy, Aemond, you mean too much to me. I let Cygnet do her thing because she wants to, but I like it better when she’s sleeping with Shadow.” Troy paused. “I’d enjoy it if you joined us,” he added, looking down at their hands, which were still clasped together.

“What about Alys?” Aemond asked.

Troy’s brow furrowed in confusion, then he followed Aemond’s fond gaze to the professor.

“I mean, I don’t mind you seeing each other as long as I get to spend time with you, too,” he said. “Come to my big games and skip the little ones, you know, spend at least a couple nights on campus with me.”

Aemond felt all the tension leave his body. He pulled Troy into a hug and clapped his back. Then he tensed right back up again as Cygnet came back from the bathroom.

“It would seem Troy and I are now in an open relationship,” he informed her, “so we’d all appreciate it if you could stop being such a bitch.”

To his surprise, Cygnet laughed. “Yes. Totally. And I’m sorry, you guys. I know Troy doesn’t like me like that, but I still have feelings for him and I’m still protective.”

Aemond grimaced. “If you know he doesn’t like you, you should stop fucking him.”

“No,” she said. “But you’re welcome to join us.

“… I’ll think about it.”

Self-indulgent: Trinket Ruins Dinner [SOLO]

A/N: My understanding of Valyrian grammar is rudimentary at best. Also, I couldn't do the accents because I'm writing this on a device that doesn't allow for "fancy" lettering.

As the serving staff set the roast pig down on Aemond's blind side, Lucerys started snickering, catching Aemond's attention. Before Aemond could react, though, Trinket-- the fluffy, pampered teacup dragon who could always be seen at Aemond's side-- flew over to the boy. Luke had the grace to look nervous as Trinket raised a forepaw in greeting.

"Er... Greetings, Trinket," said Lucerys, his voice shaking slightly. Trinket murred quietly in acknowledgement, then slowly, carefully, touched his paw to Luke's brow.

Aemond stood. "Dohaeras, Trinket!" His voice was like a whip, snapping through the dining chamber.

'I am serving you,' Trinket thought, flicking his tail. He let his claws extend, just enough to make Luke even more nervous.

"Trinket!" Aemond insisted. Trinket stuck his little forked tongue out at a whimpering Luke, then withdrew his claws, lowered his paw, and flew back to Aemond's side of the table. He sat down beside the roast pig, extended the claws of his forepaws, and calmly began shredding the animal.

"What in the seven hells do you think you're doing?" demanded Rhaenyra.

Trinket's tail extended and flashed through the air as he sky-wrote in something like glittering smoke: "I want pulled pork."

"Not to the pig," Rhaenyra said. "To my son."

Trinket kept calmly shredding the pig as his tail wrote, "He can handle it. After all, he and his brothers are strong."

Daemon motioned to cut the music as all eyes turned to Trinket and Aemond.

"What did you just say?" Jace asked, incredulous. Trinket ignored him.

"Trinket," said Daemon, his voice soft and menacing, "I think you should tell us what you mean by that."

"Did Aemond tell you to say that?" Rhaenyra wanted to know.

Trinket paused and looked at her, then slowly shook his head.

"He's lying!" Jace insisted.

"Taobi kostobi daor?" Trinket wrote, confused. 'The boys aren't powerful?'

Relief swept through the atmosphere... just for a moment.

"Trinket," Daemon asked, "has Aemond ever mentioned anything about 'House Strong' to you or made comments about my stepsons' parentage?"

Trinket went back to shredding his pig as he thought. "Your stepsons are of House Targaryen. Targaryen is a powerful house," he wrote after a moment.

"That settles it," said Alicent with finality.

"Issa. Biarvose," Trinket wrote, sticking his tongue out at Luke again with a little fttth. 'Yes. You're welcome.'

Aemond picked a grumbling Trinket up and sat him firmly down in his little booster seat. Trinket dunked his paws into his personal basin defiantly, splashing a little more than strictly necessary.

"Lykiri, Trinket," Aemond whispered, petting him soothingly. Trinket slowly allowed himself to relax. When he'd decided his paws were clean enough, he blew on them lightly to dry them and then reached for his pig. Aemond scooted it towards them and allowed the teacup dragon to dig in.

After Winter Holidays - Troy, Shadow, Cygnet, Aemond

House of the Dragon Mafia/Solo-verse AU. Written between March 2nd-7th, 2023. Partially RPed out with Eri. Real talk: I'm a little self-conscious about the portrayal of one of the characters. I'm trying very hard not to vilify this person and make it clear that one person's bias is just her bias. I was also trying to be ... somewhat subtle due to said self-consciousness, but it's honestly quite obvious. Some beats in this are fairly contrived, as well. I guess I'll just stick with my usual "Don't like, don't read" defense. Naturally I had to have a CXGF reference ("Who's the new guy? I don't trust him!") and, yes, you're going to have to get used to seeing Shadow ;)

I do have a lot more to add to this, but I figured it's best to just get what I've got so far typed up so I can move on to other moments in the timeline :D

After the holidays, Troy came back to school to find a red-haired stranger in his room.

“Hey, man,” he greeted the redhead. “I’m Troy.”

The other boy smiled at him from the bed, which had been made to look like a nest more than anything. “Shadow. Or Shad."

Troy nodded affably. “You new here?”

“Yeah, just started. My parents move around a lot, and I guess right now we’re here.”

Troy took this all in. “Cool. Have you met the rest of our hall yet?”

“Yeah, are the people in charge of assigning dorms on drugs or something?”

Troy shrugged. “Maybe. Drugs are pretty common.”

“Have you seen the guy across the hall? He looks….” Shadow gave a low whistle. “Serious.”

Troy didn’t answer. What could he say to that? At least Shadow wasn’t insulting Aemond. Instead, Troy asked, “You met the girl next door yet?”

Just then there was a knock on the door, perfunctory, until it swung open and the girl next door strode in and threw her arms round Troy’s neck.

“She your girlfriend? Should I leave you two alone?” Shadow asked.

“No, stay—”

“It’s fine—”

They both answered at the same time.

Cygnet chuckled. “Hey, I’m Cygnet. You must be Troy’s new roommate. Just so you know, we’re not exclusive.’

Troy raised his eyebrows at her. “Thanks for that,” he said.

Shadow stared at them, trying to figure out what was going on between them.

“And don’t worry about Aemond,” Cygnet continued, pointing to the door. “He may look scary, but he’s a real sweetheart if you can get past the giant walls he puts up."

“He mostly keeps to himself,” Troy added.

Cygnet gave Troy a strange look, then tilted her head. “Have you met the new botany teacher?" she asked, voice carefully measured, as if she was turning the topic deliberately towards something light and pleasant. Troy knew her better than that, but he’d probably find out what she was up to soon enough.

“You’re taking botany?” Troy asked.

Cygnet shook her head slowly, not taking her amber eyes off Troy’s turquoise ones for a second. “Désmoda is. But I hear the new professor’s quite the cougar. Maybe I’ll audit it. Trent will understand if I have to cut back my hours at Mad Tech. My education’s a good cause, right?”

Indecipherable doe eyes. What the hell was she on about?

“I think he’d prefer if you found a way to combine the study of plants with his latest surveillance gadget, however that would work,” said Troy, trying to figure it out.

Cheshire grin. “Why, Troy, you’re a genius,” Cygnet purred. “I think I’ll do exactly that.” She kissed his cheek, winked at Shadow, and scampered off.

Troy and Shadow exchanged a confused look, then Troy shrugged. “She works for my dad. Sometimes she’s just… like that,” he explained.

“She seems nice,” Shadow said politely.

Troy nodded. “She’s nice,” he agreed. “Listen, what she said—if you want to, you know, sleep with her, and she’s game, please, feel free.”

Shadow sort of stared at him. That was forward. He’d never met a guy who just offered up his girlfriend like that. “I’ll think about it. Thanks,” he said, not wanting to be rude. Yeah, Cygnet wasn’t a bad-looking girl, but if Troy was that willing to share her, there must be something… off about her, right?

“Sure, anytime,” said Troy, unaware he’d said anything out of the ordinary.

 

Cygnet ended up signing up for botany since there were still a lot of open spaces before classes started. Somehow, it didn’t seem to matter that she was the only underclassman on the roster.

“How the hell did—” Désmoda’s question died in her throat when Cygnet subtly flashed something in her palm.

“Favor,” Cygnet mouthed.

“Regards,” Désmoda mouthed back.

Cygnet slipped the recording device subtly into the pocket of the professor’s floor-length black cloak, which hung from a hook on the wall by the door, then sat next to Désmoda near the front of the class.

“I have one just like that,” Désmoda murmured. “It’s almost like she’s one of us.”

Despite their four-year age difference, Cygnet simply said, “You may have a point.”

When the professor strode back into the classroom, Désmoda nudged Cygnet. “Why didn’t you tell me they hired your mom?”

Cygnet looked up, then treated her friend to a deadpan stare. “Funny,” she said dryly. “That’s not Sola and you know it.” But likewise, Cygnet knew what Désmoda meant: Their botany professor looked like Cygnet might in twenty years, all creamy skin and long dark hair and eyes that looked like they knew more than anyone had the right to.

“Welcome to botany,” she said in a voice as cool and clear as glass, and the lesson began.

 

Study group had expanded since the beginning of last semester. It used to be just Troy, Aemond, and occasionally Cygnet. Then Cygnet had started bringing Cin and Dés. Now Shadow was hanging with them too. Actually, Shadow tended to hang out a lot of places Troy was. He’d even tried out for the football team. Aemond knew this because now all of a sudden half the team was joining them, ostensibly to study. Troy wouldn’t have invited them, so that left exactly one possibility.

Aemond noted with some satisfaction that Troy’s new roommate didn’t seem overly comfortable around him. But that alone wasn’t enough to make Aemond stick around in a crowded study group when he’d much rather be alone. He bailed out before dinner the first week, but someone then had the bright idea to try to hold study group in his room. He’d left immediately and stormed round the halls till he’d bumped into someone, sending a stack of books clattering to the ground.

“Perfect,” he muttered. “Sorry.” Without looking up, he gathered he fallen books and returned them to their owner. He was already sweeping back down the hall lost in his own thoughts by the time she’d dismissed his apology.

He and Troy were friends again, and Troy wasn’t any less nice than usual, but there was a distance between them now. Meanwhile, Troy’s new roommate, Shadow, was clearly all over him. So was Cygnet, but that wasn’t unusual.

Cygnet. She was likely to know something about the new guy. (Aemond didn’t trust him.) He turned round to head back to their hall and nearly collided with someone again. He closed his eye and pursed his lips in frustration.

“Sorry about that,” said a woman’s voice in front of him. “I seem to keep showing up in your blind spot.”

Aemond opened his eye, and his annoyance immediately melted away. Standing before him was a striking woman, raven of hair and ivory of skin. He felt the corners of his mouth rise in a smile. “I’ve been careless,” he said. “Excuse me.”

“Actually, there’s something you can help me find,” the woman said. “It seems one of my students planted a tracker on me. I’d like to find her and ask what she was thinking.”

 “Perhaps if you show me your roster,” Aemond began. But she was already shaking her head.

“Please, escort me to your dorm. If I’m not mistaken, Miss Campbell resides there, too.”

“Cygnet?” Aemond asked rhetorically, partially reeling from the idea that she knew exactly who had put a tracker on her. He was fairly certain she wasn’t a robotics professor; did she know Cygnet worked for Mad Tech? “Why would she want to spy on you?”

 

Cygnet had also bailed on study group, shortly after Aemond left. She’d hoped the most, well, studious among them would be able to lend some damn structure to the group, but alas. So she’d stalked off across the hall to Troy and Shadow’s room. She’d just finished her homework and had chosen to strip off and climb into Troy’s bed to wait for him when she heard a familiar voice outside the door.

“Maybe she went to dinner with the others. I’ll text Troy.”

Cygnet didn’t bother getting dressed before rushing to the door and opening it. “Hey, Aemond—Professor.” She grimaced. “You found it, didn’t you?”

“Would you like to explain what was running through your empty little head?” Aemond asked tightly.

Cygnet’s grimace turned to a soft, sweet, innocent smile. “Of course,” she said in syrupy tones. “As you know, I missed Sebastian’s 35^th birthday—oh, he’s the lawyer for the firm where I’m interning—and I thought as a belated gift, I’d test out some of our firm’s new equipment. I’m really sorry, Professor. I should have asked if you wanted to be my guinea pig.”

Aemond was none-too-pleased at the reminders that 1) Sebastian was round the same age as Aemond’s mum, and 2) Sebastian was still practicing law. He clenched his jaw, not least to keep it from dropping at Cygnet’s audacity. “Why,” he gritted out coldly, “would you do him any favors?”

Cygnet giggled. “Silly Aemond. If only you knew.”

His hand twitched at his side as he resisted the urge to pull a knife on her.

“Sebastian’s done you favors, hasn’t he.” The other woman saw fit to join the conversation. “He defended an English professor you had a run-in with. Took him to dinner afterwards. He hasn’t been seen since, has he?”

Cygnet laughed again. “Yeah, that’s old news,” she said. “Freshman year old. Unless… you’re implying he’s been found?”

Those fucking doe eyes. Why does she like to pretend she’s so innocent?

“Not by the authorities,” Aemond’s companion said calmly. “It can stay that way if you’d like, Miss Campbell. All I ask is that you be… hmm… selective in what you share with your employer about me.” So saying, she coolly, deliberately straightened the tracker that was now on her lapel.

“Of course. Thank you,” Cygnet replied. “Although, and I’m sure you know this already, our little family say the rosary to the loophole, not the law. Please enjoy the rest of your night, Professor.” She retreated into Troy’s room and more-or-less gently closed the door, then flopped onto Shadow’s bed. Désmoda had been right, she thought, to tip her off about the new teacher.

 

The study group had, of course, devolved into a party by dinnertime, so naturally Cin and Désmoda took it upon themselves to get everyone completely fucking wasted, except Troy.

“No, my parents gave me this truck so I could designated-drive all you party animals,” he said, referring to the Dodge Ram he’d gotten last Christmas.

“Okay,” said Shadow, “so you know what we’re gonna do? I’m gonna take a shot for every one that you refuse. I’m gonna take your drinks for you and you can live vicariously through me.”

Shadow was already two drinks under by that point, and Troy shook his head.

“Nah. I don’t want you waking up in my bed asking me all kinds of crazy questions and throwing up on my favorite rug.”

But somehow, Shadow still ended up getting embarrassingly drunk by the time they got home. Therefore, he was only slightly surprised to find that crazy girl from earlier in his bed.

Crazy or no, she was supple and responsive, leaning eagerly into each clumsy touch, returning each sloppy kiss. Shadow didn’t even notice Troy leaving the room again as he lost himself in his new roommate’s girlfriend.

 

Aemond hadn’t had much time to decompress or process anything after he and Cygnet’s professor parted ways. He was understandably annoyed when he heard a knock on his door before he’d had a chance to get his damn shoes off.

Troy quailed before his favorite friend’s thunderous expression. “Hey,” he said nervously. “Mind if I crash here tonight? Shadow and Cygnet are….” He made a face. If possible, Aemond’s expression grew even darker, but he waved Troy inside and closed the door. Before Troy could ask what was wrong, Aemond spoke.

“Don’t sleep with her anymore.” His voice was soft as usual, but his hands were clenched into fists at his side. “She put a tracker on her new teacher as some sort of demented gift for….” His mouth twisted unpleasantly.

Troy didn’t understand. “You think she’s still sleeping with him?”

“Does it matter?” Aemond barked, startling Troy. “Either she sides with him or she sides with me. You get a pass from choosing because you’re his son, but the least you could do is stop letting her fuck you.”

Troy held his hands up, then backed out of the room and closed the door. Before Aemond could decide where to go, Aemond came out, too.

“Sleep in there if you want. I need a smoke,” he said. Troy nodded. Maybe after Aemond calmed down, they could talk. Productively.

For now, Troy went into Aemond’s room and made himself comfortable on the unoccupied bed. He picked a shirt up off the ground and stuffed an unused pillow into it, then kicked off his shoes and curled up to sleep, clutching the pillow to his chest. He missed his Aemond, his best friend, the one who he understood. He didn’t like this feeling of having to tiptoe on eggshells. They’d just gotten back to school. How was Troy going to ask Aemond not to police who he slept with, without risking setting Aemond of again?

Besides, he already knew what would happen if he called it off with Cygnet. The second he told her it was because Aemond didn’t want him to, she’d go on a rant about how it was none of Aemond’s business unless he was planning to make Troy his boyfriend. So instead of thinking about it, he decided the safest option was to just curl up and go to sleep.

 

Cygnet woke up in Shadow’s arms. She checked the clock on her phone, which had just enough battery power to get her through the day. 6:30 a.m., just like always. She nudged Shadow awake.

Shadow sat bolt upright in bed.

“Easy,” Cygnet said. “Just get dressed. It’s breakfast time.” She went over to Troy’s side of the room and raided his closet for a faded pink Grateful Dead shirt and a pair of shiny forest green jeans. When she went to wake him up after pulling her clothes on, he wasn’t there.

“Should’ve known,” she muttered to herself. She went across the hall, gave Aemond’s door a perfunctory knock, and let herself in.

 

Troy woke up with heavy sleep creases on his arm and numbness in his fingers. His watch was digging into his wrist. Someone was tugging his pillow out of his arms.

“Aemond?” he murmured hopefully.

“Aemond isn’t here,” came the voice of his other best friend. “It’s time for breakfast.”

Troy stood, stretched, and crossed the room. “Aemond… didn’t come home last night?” he asked rhetorically. Instead of making some sarcastic remark, Cygnet came up next to him and squeezed his hand.

“Come on,” she said gently. “We have to show Shadow the way to the dining hall.”

Troy nodded after a pause, and they escorted a sleepy and somewhat grouchy Shadow to the dining hall. Troy bought breakfast for all of them and they sat at the usual table.

Aemond wasn’t there, either. Instead, he was two tables down engaged in an animated conversation with some lady. Cygnet saw them, too, and something was going on in that head of hers because she picked her tray right back up and went to sit with them. Troy and Shadow followed.

“Good morning,” Cygnet said with a cheer Troy was sure she didn’t feel. “Aemond, we missed you at wakeup call.”

Aemond’s smile—his lovely genuine smile, the smile Troy had been missing all winter—didn’t falter. “I slept off-campus,” he explained casually.

“Cool.” Cygnet nodded. “Seems you pried Désmoda off your brother in time to get her here for breakfast.” She waved her friend over. “How is Aegon doing, by the way?”

Aemond had stopped smiling right around the time Cygnet had mentioned Désmoda and he was now prodding awkwardly at his eggs. Troy’s mouth went dry. Aemond hadn’t come back to the dorm last night, nor had he gone home.

Apparently, Shadow caught it, too. “Where did you sleep, then? A cabin in the woods?”

Aemond looked up. “I prefer ‘cottage in the forest.’ More cozy, less implication of an axe-murderer.”

Désmoda slid her tray onto the table and sat down. “Who’s an axe-murderer?” she asked, sounding absolutely delighted at the thought.

“Professor Rivers,” Cygnet replied, grinning.

The air went still, but Désmoda didn’t seem to notice. “Morning, Professor,” she said easily. "Aemond, Troy, Cygnet… sorry, new boy, I already forgot your name.”

“Shadow Clement,” the new boy said. “I think my parents met your parents.” To the rest of the table, he explained, “Both our parents are diplomats.”

“Mm, correction,” Désmoda said, waving a piece of toast. “My dad’s a diplomat. Mom’s a titled socialite. And they’re both back home in Hungary.”

“That’s why I’m residential this semester,” said Shadow. “My parents are out-of-country, too.”

“Same here,” said Cygnet. “My mom’s a fashion designer in France and my dad’s in the French service.”

Troy and Aemond blinked at her. Before either could ask how the hell she knew what “Diarmuid Something” did for a living, she continued.

“The divorce was so hard on my mom, for a while we just wanted to pretend he didn’t exist. Mm, but that’s boring. Troy’s parents basically took me in. They’re great. A techie and a lawyer, both own their own practice. I’m actually here on their scholarship and interning at their tech firm. Oh, and Aemond’s parents—well, I’m sure he told you last night. What, uh… what does your family do, Professor?”

“It’s time for class,” Aemond said, standing and taking his tray to empty. “Coming, Troy?”

“Yeah, I’m right behind you,” Troy said with relief.

He waited till they were in the classroom and therefore fully out of earshot of Cygnet before asking. “Did you spend the night with that teacher? She didn’t take advantage—?”

“It’s not like that,” Aemond interrupted. “I needed to get out of here. She let me sleep on her couch. She… understands me.”

“That’s cool.” Troy tried not to assume he was implying that Troy didn’t understand him. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved. It wasn’t his right to be jealous, he knew that, but his feelings were hurt that Aemond hadn’t wanted to sleep in his own room just because Troy was there.

 

Aemond waited for Troy to say something else, to look at him rather than staring straight ahead, to smile and take his hand like he normally would. Troy being impassable was unusual for him. Was he jealous? Or was he pissed at Aemond for their fight last night? Aemond thought about reaching his hand out to take Troy’s, to reassure them both, but before he could, Troy was pushing open the door to their classroom.

After they sat down, Aemond whispered, “I changed my mind.”

“About what?” Troy sounded guarded.

“You and Cygnet. Maybe if she goes back to fucking you instead of Shadow, she’ll nose out of—”

“That’s pretty rich, man,” Troy said. “No offense, but who I sleep with isn’t exactly your business since we’re not together. You want me to tell her to butt out of her teacher’s private life? Yeah? Then you butt out of my sex life.” He swallowed and closed his eyes.

“Fine,” Aemond replied, trying like hell to ignore the unpleasant feeling that tore at him watching Troy fight back something. “The same goes for the both of you if I start sleeping with Alys. Neither of you has the right to say a fucking thing about it.’

Troy didn’t look at him. Didn’t even open his eyes. Just tilted his head back to face the ceiling. “Whatever, man. As long as you’re not being pressured, you’re right, it’s nobody’s business. You could do me a favor and make an effort to be discreet about it.”

Aemond scoffed. “You’re being ridiculous.”

Now Troy did look at him, turquoise eyes brighter than usual. “Yeah, you got me,” he agreed. “I guess being in love with you is pretty ridiculous.” He stood and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. “Take notes for me. I’m gonna go do laps.’

Shit. Aemond closed his eye briefly. “Troy—”

The door opened before Troy got to it.

“Going somewhere, Mr. Lita?” asked Professor O’Donnell.

For a brief, shining moment, Aemond hoped Troy would shake his head and sit back down. O’Donnell didn’t give athletes special treatment. But Troy didn’t seem to care. He looked O’Donnell square in the face and said, “Yes, sir. I’m skiving off class to swim laps. Oh.” He reached into his messenger bag, selected a folder, pulled out a packet, and handed it to O’Donnell. “Here’s my homework. I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

“Mr. Lita, there’s a pop quiz today,” O’Donnell said before Troy could leave.

Troy looked between Aemond and O’Donnell, ignoring the groans of the rest of the class. “I’ll take the F,” he said.

“For fuck’s sake, Troy!” Aemond snapped. “Stop being a stubborn cunt and sit down.”

That got his attention… and unfortunately, everyone else’s. A ripple of laughter wove through the class.

“Language,” O’Donnell said testily. “This is a classroom, not happy hour down at the pub.”

But Troy took his seat, so Aemond counted it as a win. He reached for Troy’s hand. “I’m… sorry.” The words had never come easily, and he almost choked on them now. Troy looked at him with a chillingly unreadable expression, but allowed Aemond to take his hand. They continued holding hands as they sat the exam; luckily, Aemond was ambidextrous. Professor O’Donnell didn’t like it, but since each kept his eyes on his own paper, he had no grounds for complaint.

Troy released Aemond’s hand when class was over and swiftly left the classroom without him. Aemond hastened after him and caught his arm in the hall.

“Hey,” he said. “That was… nice.”

Troy didn’t move. “What you said in there wasn’t. Thank you for apologizing, but if you want us to be friends still, you will never call me a cunt again.”

Aemond remained silent. He knew he shouldn’t have lost his temper with Troy, knew his friend was sensitive at heart despite how cool he acted, but he didn’t regret getting Troy to sit his stubborn ass down and take the pop quiz, which Aemond even suspected O’Donnell had moved up on the spot to punish Troy for trying to skip class.

After a long moment of awkward silence, Troy pulled his arm away and kept walking to political science. At least he’s not skipping, Aemond thought.

When he’d taken his seat, Aemond leaned over and whispered, “I am truly sorry fi I hurt your feelings”—Troy scoffed and moved to stand—“but, BUT, you shouldn’t fuck your grades just because you’re mad at me.”

When Troy responded, his voice was cold and without emotion. “You need to stop telling me what to do.”

Another awkward pause.

“Well, I love you, too,” Aemond whispered, almost to himself.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but your timing’s shit. You can’t say that just to end a fight.”

“Now who’s telling who what to do?”

 

And that’s all I got round to writing! Stay tuned for the next entry in the Solo-verse Melodrama Soap Opera!

Sebastian x Alicent - Unexpected Pleasure [SOLO]

This is why I shouldn't write stuff based on the dreams I have after trying out a new toy.

Direct sequel to a solo wherein, among other things, Cygnet barges into Sebastian's apartment and shags him.

Over the next few days, Sebastian was contemplative. In the last 18 years, he'd almost entirely forgotten what sex with a woman was like. He didn't much care for their high-pitched moaning, but he did like other aspects of sleeping with them, like having a lap drenched in the cream Cygnet had gushed all over him, among other things.

It took yet another several days for him to ask Nathaniel to find them a girl to share. Nathaniel raised his eyebrows but agreed. He set AJ to disguise mode and sleep mode in his closet, then set out. To Sebastian's surprise, he brought someone back within the hour.

Even more surprising was just who that woman was. She and Sebastian stared at each other as Nathaniel ushered her in.

"You did tell her she'd be sleeping with me, right?" Sebastian asked.

"No," said the husky alto voice of Aemond's mother, Alicent. "He just said he was bringing someone home as a favor to his boyfriend and asked if I'd be interested."

Sebastian looked from Nathaniel to Alicent and back again.

"What?" Nathaniel asked. "She's our age, she's hotー"

"She's Aemond's mom," Sebastian finished. Nathaniel closed his eyes. Sebastian thinned his lips and nodded. "Yep. Good job, Nate."

"It's not like I ask a girl's family tree before I bring her home," Nate said defensively.

"Okay. Alright." Sebastian turned to fully face Alicent. "What do you want? In or out?" he asked, as if to an indecisive cat.

Alicent took a moment to think. She'd have to be crazy to say yes. This was the guy who'd taken advantage of her nineteen-year-old son! A man her own age, which made him.... She didn't want to think about it. On the other hand, he'd filled out nicely since the trial and had clearly been taking good care of himself. Even as someone who hated him, she had to admit he had an odd sort of sensuous beauty.

She took a step forward, then another, maintaining eye contact with Sebastian as she unbuttoned and removed her blazer. Sebastian affected a cocky demeanor, trying to look as though he'd expected her to stay.

"Alright," he said, "how would you like to do this?"

Alicent froze halfway through removing her blouse. "What do you mean, how?" she asked.

"Well, what do you normally enjoy during sex? What's your favorite part?"

"When it's over," Alicent said shortly.

Sebastian blinked. "You... you've never enjoyed it?" Then why the hell would she agree to this?

She stared stonily at him. He remembered, at his trial, he'd seen her come in with a decrepit old man who looked to have a foot and a half in the grave. Of course... that would be her husband.

"Fair enough," he said easily. He led her to the bedroom and beckoned her to sit. She hesitated, but unzipped the skirt of her sensible suit and let it fall to the floor, then removed her nylons and large white underpants equally unceremoniously. She sat stiffly next to him, staring straight ahead.

"You look like you're heading to the gallows," Sebastian remarked, gently parting her knees. She didn't react. He sucked on his thumb for a moment as he spread her wider. Then he took his thumb out of his mouth and slid it between her lower lips, rubbing the side of her clit as lightly as possible.

Alicent gasped as sensation flooded her. It was like he'd jolted a part of her awake that she'd never even known existed. He eased her onto the bed, having her lean against the wall while her head and lower back were supported by pillows, then continued his ministrations. He slipped his thumb inside her for more moisture, then rubbed the other side of her clit. She closed her eyes and pressed her head back against the memory foam pillow, tilting her pelvis up into his touch without thinking about it. Her breath shortened as he kept touching her, stroking tiny circles around her sensitive nub. Then, without warning, Sebastian slid three fingers inside her and rubbed her clit with his thumb, applying more pressure than before. He found her G-spot effortlessly and rubbed the pads of his fingertips against it. The pressure built and built and built inside her until....

"Yes... I love it when they squirt," Sebastian was purring. Alicent Hightower had just had her first orgasm. With it came the understanding that there was a world of pleasure she'd somehow never known about, of which she'd been robbed all these years. She looked up at Sebastian, panting, breathless, wondrous. She really was, he thought, quite beautiful. He stripped down quickly and rolled on a condom from the bedside table. He was about to position himself between her thighs, but then he had a better idea. With a wicked smirk, he crawled onto the bed next to her and coaxed her to straddle him. She did so, a little uncertainly, and he guided his cock into her, sitting up straight and pulling her legs around him when she had fully enveloped him. He allowed her some time to adjust, enjoying how the various muscles of her vagina clenched experimentally as she got used to him.

If she'd ever felt this full before, she hadn't enjoyed it nearly as much. She found she wanted to ride him, wanted to feel him sliding in and out of her. She braced her hands on his shoulders. He took her right hand, licked her middle fingerー "What are you doing?" ーand placed it between the folds of her lips, spreading them with his other hand to make it easier for her to touch herself as she rode him. She moved her index and ring fingers to where his fingers were and he smiled and removed his hand, placing it at the small of her back instead.

She couldn't ride much with her legs locked around him, so when she'd adjustedー when she wanted moreー she moved back onto her knees, now bracing both hands on his shoulders and riding his cock at a fast clip. Desire had quickly blossomed inside her and she moaned as she rubbed her body against his. Her low, sultry voice was a delight to Sebastian's ears, and he did everything he could to encourage those sweet sounds of hers. He held her hips gently and bounced her up a few times, but mostly he let her have control. She was grateful for it, riding him like a bucking bronco until her legs got tired and she wanted him on top.

He wrapped her around him again and picked her up, moving them to a more suitable position in the middle of the bed. He gathered her hair over one shoulder so she wouldn't have to lie on it. Then, experimentally, he hoisted her left leg onto his shoulder while keeping the right one wrapped round his waist.

If she hadn't been seeing stars before, she certainly was now! Sebastian really was sadistic, she decided. He liked to grind his head against that special spot inside of her until she started to shake, then pull most of the way out and make a series of shallower thrusts. Worse, he seemed completely unconcerned with whether or not he got off, almost like he was just in this to torture her! She made a bestial sound and wrapped her right leg tighter around his waist, forcefully keeping him in place while she tried to chase her second orgasm.

"Good," he whispered, rewarding her with some nice, deep, grinding thrusts. He went slow at first, then faster and faster until he was matching the urgency of her speed. Then, just as she was about to come, he stopped moving completely.

"What NOW!?" she demanded, glaring at him as she bucked up against him needily.

"I want to try something," he whispered, gazing down at her with something remarkably like affection. She was curious despite herself, and she nodded impatiently, gesturing for him to get on with it. She regretted it almost instantly: He reached into the bedside drawer for a rubber glove, another condom, a tube of lubricant, and a brand-new device that was thin and oblong with large, bead-like bumps. She stared at it as he unpackaged it andー 

"Please tell me you're not going to do what I think you're going to do," she demanded incredulously.

Sebastian gave her an unusually soft smile. "Unless you'd like Nathaniel to join us?" he suggested. "Or we could stop altogether."

She inwardly debated the merits of having this man ｋiｌｌeｄ, but ultimately decided against it. "Will it hurt?" she asked with apprehension. He nodded, but went back to fucking her, grinding against her G-spot and getting her wound up again. She didn't even notice him lubing up a finger until she felt it circling the most forbidden part of her. She jumped; even Viserys had never been so daring with her, and yet....

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked gently. "Should I stop?"

She didn't know if he meant stop playing with her ass or stop having sex altogether. She shook her head, no. Besides, even with this new sensation, she was close, so closeー!

She wouldn't have guessed it was his finger pressing inside her that would have sent her over the edge again, but it did. She clung to him with both arms and legs as she rode out her climax, crying out, almost keening for him!

Then the finger was gone, but she had barely time to register its loss before the beaded-like toy was pressing into her ass. Sebastian held the base of the toy in place until he was sure she had adjusted to it, and then....

"Oh, FUCK!" she cried out, clenching hard around the rhythmically buzzing toy and Sebastian's maddeningly rock-hard cock. Why hadn't he climaxed yet? she wondered with some measure of indignation. "Fuckーyesーmoreー" she begged. The speed and intensity of the vibration increased. That wasn't what she'd meant and she growled her displeasure.

Sebastian paused and turned off the toy. "Did you just growl at me?" he asked incredulously. "Like a little wild animal?"

"Watch your tongue!" she snapped, thoroughly vexed with him. He grinned then and leaned in close, running the tip of his tongue slowly along her lower lip. Then, before she could respond, he pulled out, flipped her over onto her stomach, turned the toy back on and back up to its previous setting, and, pulling her hips up and back a bit, thrust back into her easily. She was dripping wet and he loved it! He liked the vibration he could feel through her wall, too, and the way it made her clench around him even more than she had been. He decided he'd been edging her long enough, although it was a heady feeling, controlling the orgasms of someone who'd never had them before. He gave into her renewed, desperate mewling and slammed into her, hard and fast, just barely careful enough not to hurt her. She let out a long, low wail as she came. He could have come with her, but instead he flipped her back over, rolled off the condom, and jerked off over her tits. She moaned helplessly as she felt great ropes of semen splatter onto her chest, torso, and neck. Some of it got into her hair. Then he used a handful of her hair to wipe his cock clean, smirking at her indignant expression. She sat up, reached for him, and, to his great surprise, sucked a little bit more out of him, swirling her tongue around him to lick him clean.

He scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom once he could reliably use his legs again. He set her down in the tub and unhooked the showerhead, then turned on the water and tested it. She flinched as the first cold drops hit her feet. As it warmed, Sebastian slowly, oh so achingly slowly, moved the sprinkling stream from her toes up her calves, up past her knees, up her thighs... but avoided her vulva altogether as he gently washed her stomach and chest as her body twitched with need. He held the showerhead with one hand and circled a bar of soap on her cum-covered skin with the other.

"I considered having Nate lick it off you," he confessed. "Maybe next time."

She found herself nodding in agreement. Two experienced hunks exploring her body... what a thing that would be! She spread her legs wider, draping one over the edge of the tub, and began touching herself again, spurred on by the vibrating anal beads that were still inside her.

He replaced the showerhead, aiming the spray onto her face and forcing her to close her eyes as he climbed into the tub and buried his face between her legs. He slid his hands under her ass and pulled her up to get a better angle so he could tongue-fuck her. He couldn't believe this woman had had one child, let alone four. Her body was perfect. She had a little stomach pouch that came with age, which she hid in the panels of her control-top pantyhose and sensible A-line skirts, and her tits were also completely natural and typical for her age. But there wasn't a touch of silicone or Botox in her. Her body was soft and curved around him just right. He liked the way she tasted, too; she didn't eat a lot of junk food, and she did eat a lot of fruit. He moaned as he explored her folds and crevices with his tongue. Then he focused his tongue's attentions on her sensitized clit, holding the top of her lips slightly open with one hand while sliding three fingers of the other hand into her cream-slicked vagina. She cried out as she arched and thrust into his hand and mouth. He gave her nub a little kiss as he brought her screaming again; he was clearly proud of himself. Then he stood, unhooked the shower head, and carefully cleaned her vulva with just water and a soft cloth.

Her abs ached from how much her stomach had clenched today, and the rest of her muscles needed relaxing as well. The hot water felt nice; Sebastian had changed the setting and let it cascade properly over her. He got in the tub and arranged them so that she was sitting in his lap, then powered off the anal toy and pulled it out. She moaned hungrily from the loss and kept her eyes closed as he cleaned it thoroughly with soap and water. After he set it aside and washed his hands, he set a washcloth over her eyes and washed her long, thick auburn hair, caring for it like he'd cared for the extensions he'd used to wear.

"It's quite odd," she said as he combed some olive oil concoction through her hair with a wide-toothed comb. "You don't seem like a selfish lover."

He stopped himself from sighing. Here we go....

"I have my moments," he replied tentatively.

"I hope you don't expect me to forgive what you did to my son." She was coming down from her afterglow and remembering just how much she despised the creature petting and pampering her.

Sebastian would never get used to the stabbing feeling that came to his heart whenever someone reminded him that Aemond hated him. He'd explained himself a hundred times, but he couldn't make anyone listen or understand or care.

"I'll never touch him again, you know," he said quietly. "Whether you mean to threaten me, beat me and destroy my work like Aegon did, ｋill me... None of that makes a difference."

Alicent scoffed. "Don't tell me you've suddenly grown a conscience."

"I haven't," Sebastian agreed. "I stand by what I've been saying: I meant to relax him. I didn't realize he was blackout high. And no, even if I took advantage of him, I don't regret waking up next to him or buying him breakfast."

"Or paying him a fortune in hush money," Alicent added.

Sebastian frowned. "That was restitution, not hush money. Look, I adore Aemond. I'd never have hurt himー"

"But you did, you stupid boy!" Alicent's temper flared, and she raged at him before she could stop herself. "You traumatized him! Don't you realize that? He couldn't safely show his face for months with it plastered all around town! We're a powerful family, Sebastian, and we have enemies, not that I expect you to understand!"

Sebastian let her rail at him as he continued to methodically comb detangler through her hair, careful not to pull. When she'd finished her tirade, he said, "I understand. I wouldn't have displayed them if I'd knownー"

"Known that it's in poor taste to show off paintings of you and someone you raped?! You should have at least known that much!"

Sebastian had intended to tell her that her son went to school with his, that they were good friends, that they might even be more. But this wasn't the right time, not when she was in such a fit of pique. She might demand Aemond switch schools, and Troy would be devastated.

Instead, he said, "I'm sorry. I don't think I'll ever see this the way you do, but I am sorry I've hurt him. And if you haven't already taken care of whoever was after him, I'd be more than happy to assist you. What I lack in common sense, I make up for in resources," he half-joked.

Alicent smiled despite herself. "You're too horrid to be so charming," she replied.

He finished with her hair and gave her a little hug from behind. "And yet you slept with me. Willingly, I might add. I gave you the option to leave."

"I have no idea what I was thinking."

Sebastian gently tilted her forward so he could get up and turn off the water. "It's nice to be desired?" he guessed. "You're in your mid-thirties and a mother of four. You know you're not going to be young and beautiful forever, and maybe you're afraid you're wasting your youth." He helped her out of the tub and handed her a plush, sage-green towel, the exact shade of Trent's eyes. He then dried himself off as he spoke. "It's nice to have someone who's also young and beautiful attracted to you, someone you know isn't going to breathe a word about any of this to anyone. And... you were curious. Even when you saw it was me, you wanted to know. Would I be rough or gentle? Could I satisfy you or do all men care only about their own pleasure? Was I, specifically, going to just use your body? Hurt you? Force you to stay here as my sex slave?" His gaze bored into her, as if staring into the depths of her soul. It unnerved her.

"Actually, I wanted to know if you had the balls to fuck the mother of the boy youー"

Sebastian waved off the rest of her sentence. "Yes, yes. Think what you want about what I did with him. You won't listen to me anyway."

"Were you lying?" she asked bluntly, wrapping the towel around herself and allowing Sebastian to dry her hair. "At your trial, you said you couldn't remember that night."

He gave her a sardonic look. "Let me ask you something. Was he bruised? Lacerated? In any way physically injured?"

Alicent tried to remember. He might have had a hickey, she thought.

"Come on," Sebastian urged. "You're his mother. You would remember if he'd been harmed, and you'd have answered by now. Regardless of whether your entire family thinks I forced himー"

"You DID! He would never have slept with you sober!" Alicent insisted, wrenching the towel out of Sebastian's hands and throwing it into his hamper.

He slept with someone who looks like me. He slept with my son. Willingly. Sebastian bit back the retort that was on the tip of his tongue and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. After he exhaled, he said, with forced patience, "Regardless, I was clearly careful with him. I must have been gentle with him." Just as I was with you.

"I don't want to sleep with you again," she said abruptly, storming back to the bedroom to grab her underwear and skirt.

"Agreed," said Sebastian. She stopped and looked back at him questioningly. He raised his eyebrows. "I'm agreeing with you," he explained. "If you don't want to, then don't."

She scowled. He had a twisted sense of ... everything, really. "And if I did?" she challenged him. "If I wanted to? Then what?"

He stared back at her, either unwilling or unable to comprehend where she was going with this. She stormed right back over to him, grabbed his face, and kissed him ferociously. He seemed to allow it. After a moment of numb shock, he kissed her back. She could taste her slick on his lips and tongue, and was surprised to find she didn't mind it.

"You'll be sore in the morning," he warned her when the kiss broke.

"I don't care."

"I mean it." He looked at her seriously. "Even what we've done today, your body isn't used to it. If you tire yourself out too much, you may be limping tomorrow. Those skirts and heels of yours aren't exactly forgiving. Someone you work with is bound to notice."

She shook her head. "What exactly do you think I do for a living?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Something, something, board meetings, blah blah blah?" he guessed. "Look, you can stay here if you want, but you need to rest. Or, go home, climb on top of that desiccating corpse you call a husbandー ooh, you slap hard, babyー mm, yesー okay, stop. Anyway, you can go home, sleep with your husband, and try to pass off your discomfort tomorrow as overexerting yourself with him, but I don't think anyone will buy it."

She plopped onto his bed with a huff, then winced. He was right, and she didn't like it. Seeing her concession, Sebastian nodded to himself. He went to his closet and picked out a pair of boxer briefs and a simple shift dress for her to sleep in. After handing them to her, he went and got some muscle relaxers and a bottle of water. He showed her the bottles and explained to her what the muscle relaxers were for and that she might be drowsy and thirsty in the morning, but they shouldn't give her a headache or affect her motor skills. After a few moments' hesitation, she agreed to take them.

"Do you want me to sleep here next to you or in the other room with Nathaniel?" he asked gently.

"The morning after regret will be worse with you next to me," she said. It was refreshing to be this blunt without consequences. She didn't care what Sebastian thought of her or if she offended him. The only thing she liked about him was the pleasure he'd given her.

Likewise, Sebastian didn't much care about her opinion. He measured out the correct dosage of pills, put them on the bedside table next to her with the water, and took the pill bottles back to the cabinet. Then he and Nathaniel cuddled up together in the guest room in the middle of a pile of blankets.

Nate had heard everything, and yes, he'd enjoyed listening, and enjoyed himself while listening. He wasn't too surprised Sebastian hadn't invited him to join; Alicent didn't seem like the kind of chick who was used to one man actually pleasuring her, let alone two. Assuming this wasn't a one-time thing, she'd have to be eased into it.

He'd also caught snippets of the painful discussion the two of them had had in the bathroom. He wasn't going to say anything about it either way, but he did hold Sebastian extra tight and stroke his hair soothingly before asking for sex.

Sebastian nodded. It wouldn't be fair to deprive Nate, who was always so good to him, when Sebastian had been able to get almost his fill of pleasure that day. Besides, Sebastian usually only penetrated women, and his ass was aching to be used. 

Désmoda x Aegon - Morality Pet Character Sketch [SOLO]

 Takes place in the Mafiaverse AU Lydia and I were writing in. Written February 6th and 7th, 2023. Can take place anytime after Désmoda and Aegon start hanging out, so I might backdate it eventually.

... I wrote this before watching High Life, and it hits a hell of a lot differently now, but Désmoda is a comedically terrible person soooo I'm keeping this in her profile.

Obvious CW for sexual violence is obvious. My dreamscape had gone into more detail about Désmoda and Aegon's sex life, but I was somewhat rushed writing this out, so I'll have to save the smut for another time.

It took Désmoda a while to get the measure of the young man she’d personally carded on entry to her club. Unlike his boring brother, it seemed Aegon actually enjoyed getting so damn blasted on recreational drugs that he couldn’t remember his name or what city he was in. But one could hardly be too careful, so it took some time for her to start trusting him with her more hardcore drugs. Once she was sure he wouldn’t report her like a little bitch and get her business shut down, she allowed him VIP access to The 1000^th Spoke. He drank for free and did drugs for free. She could afford it, as she was compensated monthly by a nameless benefactor. So Aegon got the highest quality drugs and drink Désmoda’s and Cin’s chem team could provide. The more she got to know him, the more she decided he was worth it.

Back in Hungary, Désmoda’s mother, a marquess whose expensive tastes had nearly run the family fortune dry, had wanted to raise her to be a proper lady so she could find a rich husband to support her while she tended to her needlepoint or did whatever it was rich housewives did. From what she understood of Aegon’s hungover grousing, his parents expected him to make a marriage they considered advantageous and take over the family business when his decrepit old father finally kicked the bucket. He was as uninterested in his parents’ plans as Désmoda was in hers, and spent as many nights as he could get away with at The 1000^th Spoke, or, more specifically, in the penthouse above it.

Désmoda had a reputation for kidnapping lusty men and forcing them to be her sex slaves. All rumours, nothing proven either way; in fact, no-one really took the gossip seriously enough to report her in the first place. Whether these whispers were founded or not, she treated Aegon well. She fed him vitamin water and spoke gently to him before he went to sleep, and had a chef bring him breakfast in bed when he woke up. She found it refreshing, having someone to take care of, especially someone who was so much fun!

Those rumours surrounding Désmoda weren’t entirely unfounded. Some of the people Cin’s lab regularly supplied to recreationally were defence lawyers, a few of whom still had the shadow of a conscience between them. They got their clients off on technicalities for the most heinous of crimes… then turned round and volunteered them as test subjects, off the books. Cin and Désmoda plied them with drugs, sex, and promises to learn the truth of their involvement, in the crimes of which they’d been accused and others. The truly innocent were put through a paid study of one of Cin’s above-board, pharmaceutical drugs, received their compensation, which included a generous amount of hush money, and sent home with a doctor’s note. Overall, they were fine; it was just a handy excuse to take a couple weeks’ vacation if they wanted.

But the guilty, those eels that slipped through the jaws of justice, they were punished properly. Désmoda kept them in a secure, soundproof location. She was kind enough to give them mats to sleep on and an IV drip that kept them fed just enough to keep them alive. She gave them stimulants to enhance the pain when she wanted to torture them, and took great pleasure in oh-so-slowly cleansing and cauterizing wounds she inflicted on them. When they were suitably disinfected, she’d have sex with them, plying them with vasodilators beforehand. If she couldn’t have them one way, she’d take them the other. Collecting strap-on toys was a hobby for her; using them was another. If her pets pleased her in bed, she gave them painkillers and let them sleep. If not, she suspended them, then stuffed them full to bursting with ice cubes and waterproof vibrators turned all the way up, sealed in rubber panties. They’d stay like that till whatever time the next day she saw fit to release them. Then she’d bring them to the bathroom, where they’d empty themselves and be hosed down, then taken back to their mat.

Those who pleased her also got the privilege of real food the next day, and a reprieve from torture. She’d still use their bodies, of course—for chores, that is. She dressed them up in uniforms and had them serve her guests and patrons, laying on white grease paint and black eyeliner so thick they’d be unrecognizable. Part of their uniform also included a ball gag. She wouldn’t have them speaking out of turn, after all.

When Désmoda learned that her new friend Aegon had a penchant for imposing himself on household staff, she was delighted. Far from punishing him, she allowed him access to her female prisoners; they were his sex slaves now, and he could starve or torture them to death if he wanted. She remained unconditionally tender and friendly towards him, leaving him to work out his issues when he needed to. And when he still wanted to dominate his family’s servants, she sometimes joined them. Other times she’d take the girl when Aegon was done, give her a mind-blowing orgasm, and then take her home so drugged-up she’d assume everything was a dream.

Having sex with Aegon one-on-one was a wholly different experience. They relaxed around each other, giggled, had fun. Sleeping with him was paradoxically both casual and meaningful. They were good together, whatever they were, and she at least saw no need to label their relationship. The day might come when he found someone who suited him better, but until that time came, she’d enjoy what she had with him without questioning it. Caring for someone was rare for her, but at the very least, she accepted him for exactly who he was, and he seemed to accept her in turn. The sex was pretty good, too. And really, what more could any of us dare to ask?

Troy x Aemond: Just Friends [SOLO]

Based on the modern Mafiaverse AU Lydia and I wrote in 💚 Takes place after "Troy's First Time", so... after Thanksgiving 2023. Technically also takes place before the Sebastian/Alicent one. Written January 29th-30th, 2023.

“I’d rather just remain friends.”

Troy was stunned speechless. So then, his feelings for Aemond had been unrequited after all. His body tensed in an effort to fend off the pain shooting through him.

 

Aemond couldn’t tell what Troy was thinking, but he seemed to be mulling it over. Tense moments passed, in which Aemond silently prayed Troy wouldn’t turn out to be as insane as Sebastian, nor as obsessive or entitled.

He wasn’t. After he’d processed Aemond’s words, Troy simply said, “Cool. See you in class,” and left. Still, Aemond spent the rest of the weekend waiting for the other shoe to drop. What if Troy had told his parents and they were out for Aemond’s blood? Rejecting Sebastian had caused enough trouble, but at least he’d mellowed out when it looked like Aemond might start dating his son. What would Sebastian do now that Aemond had spurned is generous “Welcome to the family”?

 

Troy was devastated, and of course the first thought to cross his mind was that he should talk to his parents or Cygnet about it… but he quickly realised that would do more harm than good. The last thing he wanted to do was paint a target on his best friend’s back. After all, they were still friends, and that was better than nothing. He’d just have to make sure they were still cool, and that meant backing off and letting Aemond decide when they’d hang out again.

He'd stopped going to all the parties on campus when he and Aemond had begun hanging out more. Now he was back on the social scene. He brought Cygnet, who was usually such a wallflower, to a frat party the next night. He kept her company till she found some people she felt comfortable talking to, then he mingled with as many people as possible, though he was still fairly straight-laced. A couple people wondered where Aemond was. Troy told them he was studying.

Sunday morning Troy made baked potatoes, scrambled eggs, and French toast to help his friends get over their hangovers. He found when he was chatting up his friends, cooking, cleaning, and exercising, he wasn’t thinking about Aemond. So he kept himself as active as he could and crashed anywhere other than his own room. Luckily, Cygnet was more than happy to share hers, and she confirmed when asked that she hadn’t tried sleeping with Sebastian again.

Of course, Cygnet wondered why exactly Troy didn’t want to go back to his room after the rest of the partygoers had dispersed. Troy didn’t want to talk about it, though, and she didn’t push. She opened her room to him and, when he asked (much to her surprise and delight), her bed as well.

Troy wasn’t sure what the hell had possessed him to try sleeping with Cygnet again. Maybe he didn’t want her to go through the pain of rejection. Maybe he thought he’d feel better, knowing his other best friend loved and wanted him. It wasn’t so bad as long as he could wear a condom and they kept the lights off. She was adventurous and affectionate, and… well, it could have been worse. It was better than being lonely. And he had remembered to tell her it would be better to keep things casual. She’d agreed, so it would all be okay, right?

 

Aemond really shouldn’t have been surprised, come Monday morning, to see Troy and Cygnet waltz into the cafeteria arm-in-arm. Well, more like she was clinging to his arm with both of hers and gazing up at him with moon eyes. Aemond was pretty sure that was Troy’s hoodie she was wearing, unzipped just enough you could tell there was nothing underneath it. At least she’d had the decency to put on leggings before parading herself in public. Aemond searched Troy’s face for any hint of discomfort and was punished with a dazzling smile, as the pair of them… bypassed his table completely in favour of the football team.

“Stay here,” he heard Troy tell Cygnet. “I’m going to get our trays, okay?”

“Okay!” Was she kissing him? Aemond scoffed to himself and returned his attention to his meal.

 

It’s only awkward if you make it awkward, Troy told himself as he got breakfast for Cygnet and himself. He’d smiled at Aemond upon entering, like he always did, but Aemond had stared right through him. He probably needed some more space, so Troy hadn’t gone to say hi or sit with him. Aemond would approach when he was ready.

Troy’s patience was rewarded sooner than he’d expected. As he was returning to his teammates’ table, he heard Aemond speak.

“Are you together?”

Troy managed a small, sad smile. “It’s just casual. She’s free to see whoever, you know, as long as they’re not related to me.”

“Mm.” Aemond didn’t really seem to care. That was fair enough. He’d probably just asked to be polite. As Troy was about to keep walking, Aemond asked another question: “Does she know about our… conversation earlier?”

Troy shook his head. “Of course not. I don’t want my parents finding out. Um, but hey, let me know if you want me to email you my lecture notes, okay? I’ll be running laps between classes, but I can….” He trailed off awkwardly.

Aemond looked up at him. For a brief, shining moment, Troy hoped he’d want to hang out. Grab coffee after class like they used to. Play “Destroy All Humans” after football practice.

 

So much for staying friends, Aemond thought. It was obvious Troy was ditching him just because Aemond wasn’t ready to be his boyfriend. He stared in shock, hoping Troy would recant and invite him over to play video games or study together like they always did. After a long pause, Aemond looked down and shrugged. “Enjoy yourself,” he said.

“Uh… thanks, man.” What the hell did Troy have to sound so unsure about?

Aemond scoffed. Maybe he’d go to the track after class and see if that wasn’t just some bullshit excuse.

 

Cygnet wondered why she and Troy weren’t just sitting with Aemond like usual. She saw them chatting—well, maybe “chatting” wasn’t the right word for it. Neither of them looked particularly comfortable. Were they in a fight? Was that why Troy didn’t want to go to his own room?

She stood and cuddled up to Troy from behind. “Mmm, you got my favourites,” she murmured, snaking a lox bagel off the tray.

He started. “Oh—yeah, sorry. You must be starving. Um, well, I’ll see you round, Aemond. I love—to catch up about our weekends,” he said, clearly in a rush to get back to breakfast with Cygnet and his football friends.

Cygnet gave Aemond a polite little smile and wave as she and Troy sat back down. Aemond just glared, or maybe he wasn’t a morning person. Actually, come to think of it, Aemond was pretty surly at all hours of the day. He and Troy couldn’t be more different in that regard.

 

Aemond dumped out the rest of his tray and strode out. He must not want to be late to class, Troy thought. For Aemond, “late” meant “getting there after the front row seats were taken.” He was an excellent student, one of many admirable qualities.

Actually, maybe Troy had made him feel awkward, with how long he’d lingered, with that slip at the end of their conversation. What kind of idiot said “I love you” to someone who made it clear they didn’t want to go out? Why couldn’t he think before he spoke?

He felt something touch his cheek. Cygnet’s hand. He looked quizzically at her, then realised she was brushing away a tear.

“Wanna go make out in the stairwell?” she asked, looking at him with those hopeful doe eyes. He grimaced and nodded. Maybe if he was late enough, he’d have a seat away from Aemond, seeing as how Aemond clearly wanted nothing to do with him.

 

“Lita, Troy.”

“Present!” Troy called as he stepped breathlessly into the classroom, lips swollen, hair mussed, cheeks flushed.

Professor O’Donnell was somewhat less than amused. “You can take your seat next to Mr. Targaryen,” he said. “Try not to cut it so close tomorrow. Athletes don’t get special treatment in my class.”

Troy bowed his head, then took his seat, front row off-centre as always. He stank of that bullshit “ocean”-scented perfume girls wore when they wanted to pretend they were mermaids. Aemond found himself wishing he’d thought to scoot over a seat so Troy would be forced to sit in his blind spot.

“Sorry about earlier,” Troy whispered. “I didn’t mean… um, we don’t have to catch up if you don’t want to.”

“Thank you,” Aemond whispered back. “I’m not interested in your sexcapades.”

For a split second, Aemond thought Troy might cry, but instead, he just pulled out his Chromebook, booted it up, and began taking notes as always.

The rest of the day was no less painfully awkward. Troy threw himself into sports and catching up with his jock friends. Cygnet ignored the athletes trying to hit on her in favour of clinging to Troy and kissing him at every opportunity. Aemond listlessly watched them walk laps hand-in-hand for a little while, then got bored and texted his brother to hang out.

 

The next day was more of the same, although this time Aemond didn’t acknowledge Troy at all during breakfast and made him sit on his blind side in class. For his part, Troy seemed less enthused about rubbing his rebound in Aemond’s face. Cygnet didn’t take the hint and was at least twice as clingy.

Troy noticed that Aemond wasn’t even touching his assignments. He wondered what could have possibly happened to make Aemond moody enough to neglect his studies. He wasn’t sure if they were friends anymore, but he still loved Aemond and cared deeply about his grades. Even if Aemond didn’t love him, he still loved learning, right?

He caught Aemond’s arm on the way out of their last class. Aemond stopped and looked at him questioningly.

“Come on,” Troy said, with the smile Aemond had sorely begun to miss. “We’re going to Il Fornaio.”

Aemond nodded. “A homework date.”

Troy beamed at him, and off to Il Fornaio they went.

 

From then on, things normalized between them. Now that they were both sure they were still friends, they hung out as easily as always, but Troy made sure to balance his time between his best friends and his other friends, and he was careful to treat them all with the same amount of affection (except Cygnet, whom he continued sleeping with at her request) so Aemond wouldn’t feel awkward.