‘Why the hell did I let them talk me into coming to this club?'

You know your friends are only trying to help you get through a rough breakup. “It’s time to stop moping and sitting around in your pj’s,” they tell you. “You need to get dressed up, go out, and have some fun,” they insist. So you give in, pampering yourself with a full beauty routine, choosing a racy bra and panty set, and putting together a little black outfit.

Checking yourself in the mirror before you leave, feeling better than you have in the past two weeks, with some of your old confidence coming back knowing that you look good. When your little trio walks into the packed club, you’re glad your friends talked you into coming out tonight, instantly feeling the intoxicating energy from the flashing lights, pulsing music, and dancing crowd.

Snagging a spot at the bar, you buy the first round of drinks, genuinely smiling for the first time since your boyfriend broke up with you. You’re enjoying your second drink and playfully teasing one of your friends when you spot him on the dance floor. Your now-ex-boyfriend who has his hands on his new girlfriend’s ass.

Wanting to act like it doesn’t hurt, you let your friends drag you out to dance. You try to enjoy yourself; you really do, but now the music is too loud, the club is too hot, and you just want to get off the dance floor. Giving your friends a weak smile, you let them know you need a break from dancing and head back to the bar.

Squeezing into a gap at the crowded bar, you try to catch the bartender's attention. While you wait, your mind goes back to your ex-boyfriend. Even though the spark between you was fading, the breakup came out of nowhere. How quickly he had another girlfriend led you to think he may have been cheating on you. So strong was your suspicion, you went to get tested just to be safe. ‘Doesn’t matter,’ you tell yourself. ‘It’s over, and you’re better off without him,’ you try to convince yourself, but it still hurts to be replaced so easily.

You’re drawn from your thoughts when a drink is placed in front of you. When you look up, the bartender says, “It’s from the guy at the end of the bar.”

Turning to look in the direction she’s pointing, you see the buyer of your drink, his long silvery white hair an easy giveaway to his identity. With a tilt of his head, he motions for you to join him.

You’re relieved to see a friendly face, so you don’t hesitate to pick up your drink and make your way over to him. With a genuine smile, “Hi Aemond, I didn’t see you over here.”

Aemond Targaryen returns your smile and immediately offers you his seat at the crowded bar. “Fortunately, I did see you.”

“Thank you, and thanks for the drink too,” you tell him as you slide onto the stylishly modern barstool, draping your leather jacket over the back.

You’ve known the Targaryen siblings for about a year, with Helaena being the one you met first. Since you were new in town, she took you under her wing, showing you the best places to hang out and eat and introducing you to people, including her brothers. Aegon is laid-back with a great sense of humor. He’s also quite a flirt, but a playful smack from his sister made it clear that you were her friend and not to be messed with.

Aemond, who’s a few months younger than you, is very different. Nowhere near as open as Hel and far more serious than Aegon, he's always intrigued you. He’s soft-spoken and reticent, holding back much of who he is, and that makes him difficult to read. You think that guardedness stems from a childhood accident that cost him an eye and left his face scarred.

For a while, you wondered if he liked you at all or if he was just trying to be nice because of Hel. But at parties, your boyfriend usually ended up playing games with Aegon and the guys, and you somehow ended up hanging with Aemond, just talking. Having those chances to talk one-on-one, you discover quick intelligence, a wry sense of humor, and a few shared interests. You decide that he’s just naturally reserved—someone who needs time to relax around people.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad I saw you,” he says, leaning down a bit to be heard better. “You look amazing."

Smiling at the compliment, “You clean up pretty good yourself."

While you’ve struggled to get a handle on his personality, there is no question in your mind regarding his looks. Dressed in black, his button-down shirt and trousers look tailored to his tall and trim build, he exudes sleek athleticism. His casually rolled-up sleeves show off his slender forearms, a stylish, expensive watch on his wrist, and beautiful, large hands with long, slim fingers. His angular face has chiseled features that give him a uniquely handsome appearance. Not even the faded scar or black leather eye patch can detract from his striking good looks. Tonight, his pale, silvery hair is simply pulled back into a loose braid that ends between his shoulder blades.

Taking a sip of your drink, you give him a curious look. “I’m surprised to see you here. Let me guess, Aegon dragged you out and then disappeared in search of something in a short skirt and heels."

“Are we that predictable?” He asks with a crooked grin. “Aegon wanted to meet up with some pretty little thing he’s had his eye on, and I apparently need to get out more.” Reaching for his own drink, ”What’s your story?”

“Some friends decided I needed a night out,” you admit sheepishly. As you answer, you see your ex-boyfriend back on the dance floor.

Aemond, noticing your stare, turns to see who you are looking at. He then moves around to stand between you and the dance floor, blocking them from your view. “Forget about him; he’s not worth it.”

You look down at your hands folded in your lap, trying to push down the hurt you feel when he urges your chin up with his fingers. He looks at you intensely and says, “Don’t cry over that asshole. You deserve far better than the likes of him, babe.”

Meeting his gaze, you nod your head and pull yourself together. ”You’re right. It may take some time, but I’ll be fine.” You down the rest of your drink with a determined smile.

Before you can stop him, Aemond somehow manages to catch the busy bartender’s attention and motions for another round of drinks. When you protest, he leans closer, putting his arm around you and resting his hand on your shoulder. “I’m taking care of you tonight, pretty girl.”

“You'll be better than fine, and it won’t take as long as you think,” he continues with a cocky little smile. “You just need someone who knows how to treat you."

A little jolt goes through your body; whether it’s from the heat of his hand resting on your exposed shoulder or the difference in his demeanor, you’re not sure. This is a more confident and assertive Aemond that you haven’t seen before, and the little nicknames are completely new.

But unsure of your instincts, you jokingly say, “Yeah, some day my prince will come.”

“Hmm. Maybe he already has, princess,” he replies before leaning very close to you, his lips almost brushing against your ear. “I’ve always had a crush on you, always wanted you.”

His words cause a flutter in your chest. When he takes hold of your hand and starts rubbing his thumb on your skin, your breath catches in your throat. “You never said anything." is all you can manage to get out as you turn your head to look at him in surprise.

“That was a mistake I‘m not making again."

Your faces are only inches apart; you’re studying him with wide eyes while your mind races to process this new revelation. The sounds of the club disappear; all you can hear is the pounding of your heart. Closing the slight distance between you, his lips barely brush against yours before pausing, waiting for a signal from you to continue. When your lips instinctively part, he takes that as the go-ahead to kiss you slowly.

His mouth is soft and hot, and his tongue running along your bottom lip feels so good. He pulls back much too soon for your liking, now that passion has sparked inside you. When you impulsively reach to wipe a trace of your lipstick from his mouth, he quickly captures your thumb, drawing it into his mouth, licking and sucking on the tip before releasing it with a kiss.

As warmth rushes through your body, you can feel your skin tingling. The thinking part of your brain tells you this is a bad idea; it’s too soon after your breakup and too impulsive. But the seductive look on his face, the breaking of physical barriers, and his admission of wanting you has started a throbbing between your legs.

Since you’re still stunned silent, he takes the initiative. “Tell me what's going on in that pretty little head of yours."

Biting your bottom lip, trying to sort your thoughts, you ask, “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Aemond’s mouth tightens at the question, “I wasn’t sure if the attraction was mutual or if you just saw me as Hel’s kid brother. So I hesitated.” He looks away from you before adding, “Then you met him."

Knowing that opening himself up to others is not easy for him, you gently squeeze his hand in encouragement because you’re raw from your breakup and you need to know just what you could be getting yourself into with Aemond.

Shrugging his shoulders. "You seemed happy, and I thought I blew my chance with you.”

Little things about your friendship start to click in your mind, bringing a smile to your face. Now you’re the one holding his hand, rubbing circles with your thumb on his skin.

With a hopeful smile, he asks, “Can we get out of here?”

His request makes your heart thump in your chest, and you shift your hips in your seat before asking, “Where to?”

“My place?” Quickly adding, “We could talk some more or..." leaning close to your ear, his voice dropping lower with desire. “I could show you how much I want you, princess.”

Deep down, you’ve always loved the sound of his voice, and this new seductive tone causes a shiver to go up your spine despite the heat that is spreading through your body. Almost before you realize you're doing it, you’re slipping off the barstool, hoping your legs won’t shake.

Steadying yourself with a light hand on his chest and smiling up at him, you take a breath and say, “Alright, we can go... talk.”

Your reply earns you a rare, dimpled grin from him. He helps you slip on your jacket before firmly grasping your hand to begin leading you through the crowd to the exit. On your way out, you pass a grinning Aegon, but Aemond only glances at his brother, not bothering to stop.

Once outside, in the chill night air, he puts his arm around you as you walk through the parking lot. “You’re just going to ditch Aegon?” You ask with a chuckle.

“He knows what I’m up to,” he replies with a smirk. Laughing at your expression. “Aegon would get your boyfriend to play those stupid games at his parties so I could have some time with you.”

Reaching his car, he pulls you into a slow, deep kiss, holding you close to him with his large hands on your hips. Soon you’re fisting at the soft, expensive fabric of his shirt because it feels so fucking good kissing him, feeling him press his hard body against yours. You let his tongue tease its way past your lips to dance with yours as his fingers dig into your skin before he reluctantly pulls back to open the car door for you.

During the drive to his place, you text your friends, reassuring them that you are with Aemond and that everything is fine.

Curious about something, “So when Helaena would suggest a girls movie night, but we would end up at your place, you put her up to that?”

“I did not; she volunteered to do that.”

“My friend sets me up so her brother can walk around like a slut in sweatpants and a messy man bun. Wow, you Targs are something else,” you laughingly tease.

“I was desperate, pretty girl." His blush was visible even in the dim light of the car. “But you noticed,” he chuckles.

Aemond’s apartment is in one of the pricier buildings in the city, but you know his family has money. You’ve been here before, hanging out with the siblings for movie nights. Before you can even toe off your heels by the door, he pulls you to him with one arm around your waist, burying his face in your neck, nipping at your skin, then soothing the little bites with his tongue, making you moan softly.

“Wanted you so bad for so long,” he murmurs between little wet kisses over your throat.

Playfully, you tease him while tugging on his long braid. “Have you been thinking dirty thoughts about me all this time?”

“Fucking filthy thoughts,” as he crushes his lips against yours in a demanding kiss that takes your breath away. You both work to shrug your jacket off, letting it fall to the floor. You can feel the wetness forming between your legs as his long fingers caress the bare skin of your waist.

Pulling his shirt up, your hands explore the lean muscles of his flawless skin. When you bite at his lip, he groans into your mouth and grinds his hardening cock against you.

Trailing his lips down your neck, “Tell me you want me. I need to hear it," he pleads.

“I want you, Aemond; I want you to fuck me,” you moan breathlessly.

With your words, the last shred of restraint either of you had disappeared. By the time the two of you reach his bedroom, both of you are half naked, leaving a trail of clothing and shoes along your path.

“Fucking gorgeous tits,” he mumbles against your hardend nipple before taking it into his hot mouth again, sucking eagerly. Your other breast is being cupped in his strong hand, his fingers teasing the delicate peak. “Perfect tits all for me,” he hums as he switches to begin lavishing the other with attention.

His loose braid is long undone, and your fingers are tangled in his silky, soft hair. You can’t resist the urge to bait him a little. “You think just ‘cause you lick it, it's yours?”

His eye immediately shoots up to your face, and you feel a rough hum against your skin. Backing you up until your legs bump into his bed, he playfully pushes you down on the mattress.

“Aemond?” You squeak as you see the evil gleam in his eye. Kneeling on the floor, he pulls your legs to the edge of the bed and presses his face between them, rubbing his nose over your covered clit and inhaling deeply.

Resting on your elbows, you watch him tug down your panties, leaving you naked. He pushes your thighs wide with his large hands, and you see him shamelessly stare at your soaking wet pussy. “Who made you this wet, princess?"

You let out a gasp as he flattens his tongue and licks the length of your slit, never taking his eye off you. “Mine now,” he says with that familiar smirk of his.

Giving him your best, not impressed look, “It’s gonna take more than that, Targaryen.” you reply sassily. You watch him stick out his long tongue and start flicking your clit, before placing his lips over your little bundle of nerves, alternating between sucking gently and swirling his tongue over it.

Before long, you fall back on the bed, closing your eyes and giving yourself over to the wonderful sensations his mouth creates. His lips and tongue move through your folds, teasing your entrance, before returning to your swollen bud. Every little whimper or sob he pulls from you seems to spur him on. Compared to your ex, Aemond is the pussy eating champ.

Finding a rhythm that has you moaning “Fuck, you’re good at this.” He swells with pride, determined to make you a quivering mess. He relentlessly applies just the right amount of pressure on the right spots again and again. Your world is nothing but sloppy, wet sounds coming from between your legs and the orgasm building deep inside you.

When you reach down to tangle your fingers in his hair, your nails rake his scalp, causing him to moan into your pussy. "Mmm, baby, I’m close..don’t stop,” as you start to grind your hips against his mouth. Before you know it, waves of ecstasy that have your toes curling are crashing through you,leaving you shaking and breathless.

Aemond stares at your quivering pussy, watching more wetness leak from you. “You never answered my question. “Who makes you this wet? Hmm?” 

Still blissed out from your orgasm, you gasp as he slides a long finger inside you. “You do, only you,” you whimper.

“That’s my pretty princess,” he coos as he adds a second finger, slowly dragging them in and out of you. “You gonna let me fuck this pretty pussy?”

‘Mmm yes,” While he rises from the floor, you move to the center of the bed, stretching contentedly and giving your legs a rest. You enjoy the sight of his erection straining against his boxers while he opens a drawer in his nightstand and pulls out a condom packet.

“Aemond, we can skip that if you want. I already got tested after the breakup; all good.

“I’m good too, promise," he says as he drops the condom back in the drawer. Lowering his boxers, he frees his hard cock. You wet your lips with the tip of your tongue at his perfect size while you watch him lazily stroke himself. Just looking at him makes your pussy clench; he’s the perfect blend of beauty and masculinity.

“Do you realize how fucking gorgeous you are?” You wonder aloud, your voice smokey with your arousal, taking in the glorious details of the sight before you. From his tousled hair falling past his shoulders to his defined, lean muscles and slim hips, you think he is a work of art.

His pale skin, already flush with his own desire, colors even more down to the tip of his beautiful, long shaft. Joining you on the bed, positioning himself so he is looming over the length of your body, he lowers down to kiss you, his hair falling in a silvery curtain around your head. You can taste yourself as he plunges his tongue past your teeth, deliciously invading your mouth.

Wrapping your arms around his waist and your hands on his back, you pull him closer, wanting to feel his weight on top of you. The soft hairs on his chest and legs tickle your sensitive skin, while his cock is hot and hard against you. You part your thighs wider to let him settle between them, curling a leg around his hip.

“You ready for my cock, pretty princess?” His voice is rough with his need to be inside you when he starts moving his length between your sensitive folds, coating himself with your slick wetness.

Nodding desperately, “Mmm, yes,” you murmur, ready to start writhing beneath him.

Finding your entrance, the head of his cock slowly pushes into you, making him hiss, and he doesn't stop until he can’t go any deeper. “Fuck, you're tight around me.” Slowly, he withdraws halfway before sliding back in and holding himself steady. Giving you a cocky grin, “I think you’re used to something smaller being in you.”

You know it’s true. You’ve never felt this full before, so wonderfully stretched. Your eyes go wider, and a moan escapes you when he gives a more forceful, deep thrust into you.

“Hmm, I’m right,” he smirks knowingly. His muscles flexing with each snap of his hips.

Sensing that he eats up praise the way he eats pussy, you’re happy to give him what he wants. “Fuck, you’re big; it feels so good.” Each time his cock hits that sweet spot inside you, a little jolt of exquisite pleasure goes through you, and you grip his hips harder, raking your nails along his skin.

“So beautiful.” He’s captivated by the sight of your tits bouncing as he pounds into you. “Taking all of me so well, princess.” He coos as he hooks an arm under your knee, the new angle causing more friction against your patch of nerves as he somehow picks up his pace.

“Close, so close,” you whimper. It’s not long before the tightened coil suddenly snaps, making you cum hard with an earth-shattering orgasm that leaves your body shaking.

Your pussy clenching around him starts to send him over his own edge. His balls tightening as he keeps fucking you through your climax. His release leaves him grunting and shuddering as his cock twitches and spurts hot cum deep inside you.

Both of you are left reeling as Aemond rolls off and flops on his side next to you. He gently gathers you into his arms, pulling you close and burying his face in your hair.

You can hear his soft hum of satisfaction, and you can feel his heartbeat against your hand on his chest as you lie in his arms, both of you trying to catch your breath.

“You good, princess?” He asks and gives you a soft kiss on your forehead with your contented sigh of "yes." Soon you both force yourselves from the too-comfortable bed to clean up. When you come out of the bathroom, Aemond gives you a soft, well-worn t-shirt to put on while he is already wearing gray sweatpants that hang low on his hips, no shirt, and his hair is up in a messy bun, earring a muttered, ”Slut,” from you.

“How come I call you princess, and apparently my nickname is 'Slut'? he teasingly asks.

“Awww, would you rather I call you ‘Prince Aemond'? You come back with mock sarcasm.

Well, the back of him.

His silver blond hair tied up in a messy bun with a few loose strands in the back. Despite working at a very cozy diner, he held himself high as if he were royalty attending to his subjects with grace. When he greeted customers he simply held his hands behind his back. You couldn't stop looking at them. They were just hands, yet you were fairly attracted to them. 

As he finished taking the customer's orders he could feel eyes on him. He left them, turning to leave, only to immediately find your eyes on him. A smile tugged on his mouth as color crept up his neck. It was a brief meeting and as soon as it happened it stopped and he went back to working. 

You wanted to stay to try to talk to him but as thunder sounded you took that as your cue to start the walk home.

Tomorrow. You'll come back tomorrow. 

The chime of the bell greeted you as you entered Olde Town Diner. Mrs. Tully, who owned the diner with her husband, greeted you with a big smile. 

"Your table awaits you, deary!" She called.

"Thank you, Mrs. Tully," you said cheerfully. You were about to head to your table when your curiosity got the best of you. "There was a waiter here yesterday," you started, "I've never seen him before. He had silver blond hair?" You hoped it didn't sound too obvious that you wanted to meet him. 

"Oh, you must be talking about Aemond. He's been for a few days but his shift didn't match the times you would come in," Mrs. Tully explained. Mischief danced in her eyes. "Does our dear find the mysterious Aemond attractive?"

"No! I mean," you paused, "I'm curious about him, I guess. It wouldn't hurt to make another friend."

"Sure, deary," she winked.

You knew you were blushing and kept your head down to hide your smile as you went to your table. Denying your attraction to this Aemond only made your nervousness worse but you laughed it off. Since winter break has officially ended you were actually able to relax at the diner instead of cramming in homework. You took a moment to breathe it all in before pulling out a book to read, Assassins of the Night. Not only was it a fun read, but it completely immersed you into their world. You were a few pages in when Aemond appeared.

"Hey, my name's Aemond and I'll be taking care of you today. What can I get you started with?" The words flowed out of his mouth.

Looking up from your book you were able to see him. Once again, his hair was in a messy bun but this time you could see how perfectly it framed his face. One eye was a piercing violet while the other one had a beautiful sapphire in its place. His uniform consisted of a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows; a silver chain, and black sacks. 

You couldn't help but stare in awe again, words completely unable to make their way to the surface. He was so gorgeous.

"Um… I'm sorry if you feel uncomfortable," he apologized, "I can get Mrs. Tully to come take your order if you want." Shame blazed across his face but it was gone as soon as it came. 

You blinked and came back to your senses, "No! I mean, I'm sorry. I was caught off guard. I've been coming here since the beginning of the school year and I've never seen you." 

Awkwardness hung in the air.

"Um, I'll take some blueberry pancakes with a cup of coffee."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll get that started right away," Aemond gave you a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and turned on his heel.

A few minutes passed when Aemond came back with your food, "Blueberry pancakes and coffee." 

As he put the food in front of you, you gathered the confidence to ask him, "Would you like to eat with me?"

Aemond gave you a confused look. "I'm working right now?"

Embarrassment flooded you. "Of course," you awkwardly laughed. "It's just that I'm really the only one here and um…I wouldn't mind the company."

"I don't know you."

"No, but we could get to know each other."

Your eyes met his as you simply stared at each other, neither of you quite knowing what to say.

"I guess I can ask Mrs. Tully. She's been saying how I need to get a social life," Aemond let out an amused breath and went to ask.

He took all but two steps when Mrs. Tully yelled out, "SIT WITH HER, AEMOND. GOODNESS KNOWS BOTH OF YOU NEED OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR LIVES!"

You both blushed as Aemond took the seat across from you. Tension hung in the air for a few moments. You were about to say something when Aemond beat you to it.

"What's your major?" He blurted. He looked slightly terrified.

"I'm a lit major, I enjoy reading and analyzing and writing," you explained. "I've been devouring four books a month, might as well learn how to make a career out of it, right?"

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I don't attend the university. I'm just…here," he took a breath. "I graduated from University of Old Valyria two years ago. I came here to start over."

"Wow, wasn't expecting that one."

"It usually takes people by surprise, those who ask."

"I get that, staying in the back. There's solitude in it. But it can get lonely."

"It really can."

For once, there was a comfortable silence. Genuine smiles graced both of your face, and soon enough, you and Aemond were talking about everything and anything - sharing stories, good and bad. You discovered both of you come from broken families. Aemond's dad didn't give a shit about anyone except his daughter from his first marriage. You told him that your mom and dad fought constantly. Sometimes it got so bad that small pieces of furniture would get thrown. By the time you and Aemond finished talking three hours had passed and Mrs. Tully began ushering both of you out, not without a knowing smile, of course.

"I just realized that you never gave me your name," Aemond said.

"Shit, yeah. Sorry about that," you gave him a small smile before giving him your name along with your number. "We should do this again, Aemond. I really enjoyed it."

"Absolutely. Not to be too weird or anything, but can I walk you home?"

As it turned out, you both lived at the same apartment complex and the same floor. You stood outside your door, unable to keep yourself from smiling, as you said your goodbyes for the night.

"I guess, but I don't want you to walk one way only to find out you have to go to the other side of town."

Over the next year you and Aemond continued to build your friendship. You knew everything about him and you, him. Every little facial expression, every bit of body language, you knew it all. 

As you were ending your final year at university you moved in with Aemond. You two were as thick as thieves, basically being a package whenever it mean going out. It was more than a friendship, though. It always has been. It was that neither of you wanted to admit it. Accidental brushes of hands, long hugs, the forehead kisses you insisted were platonic peppered your days. 

Until one day, Aemond decided to take you to the lake for the day.

"Aems, this is beautiful," you stared in awe at the sparkling water and the lush grass.

"I thought we could have a nice picnic away from the city. It can be a lot, you know? And we haven't left it since you moved it," he said.

"Aw, look at you, being observant," you laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he chuckled.

Playfully elbowing him you couldn't help but feel loved. No one ever thought about things like this concerning you.

You spent the entire day at the lake, splashing each other with water, eating sandwiches, reading, and simply enjoying each other's company. Too soon, the sun set and the moon came out.

"We should get going, Aems, it's already -," you yawned and stretched.

"Just a few more minutes. Look up," he pointed at the sky.

You raised your head up towards the night sky and gasped. The moon glowed soft and the stars were scattered all around it. You never saw the sky like this when you were growing up. It was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen, nothing could top this. 

Until a shooting star blazed across sky. All you could do was stare at wonder and bask in its beauty. 

What you didn't see was Aemond staring not looking up at the sky, but at you. A smile graced his face when he saw how happy you were. He took this moment to scoot closer to you and put an arm around you. He's done this many times before but this time was different. Warmth spread through your body. You could feel your stomach start to coil and you suddenly felt nervous.

"Aems, meteor showers don't happen often," you stated. You closed your eyes as you asked the question, "did you plan this?"

Aemond ran his free hand through his hair. A blush crept up his neck. "Yeah, I did. I thought it would be a nice -"

You cut him off, "it's beautiful, Aems."

"There's something else I wanted to do, if you're okay with it."

"Of course."

Aemond leaned in slowly, giving you the time to choose to pull back if you wanted. But you didn't. Instead, you glanced at his lips then met his eye and smiled. You met him in the middle as your nervousness disappeared and joy took its place. His lips were as soft as you thought. The kiss was gentle and perfect. In that moment you knew that you two were made for each other. When you separated you couldn't help but grin wildly at each other.

"Yes, Aems, a hundred times yes," you said as you captured his lips in another sweet kiss. 

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked.

Living together didn't change much except for the kisses and touches. You were more intimate and I'm playful with each other. You shared even more secrets with each other, including your fear of being in a relationship similar to your parents'. 

Eventually, you got rid of your bed and moved into Aemond's room. That night was when you finally had sex for the first time. Like your first kiss, it was gentle and sweet. It wasn't fucking, it was making love.

Two years passed before cracks started showing.

At first it was over small things, dishes not being washed, the toilet seat left up, not taking out the trash. Nothing was ever said, both you and Aemond didn't want to deal with confrontation so you were passive aggressive to each other. You started to go out more, not realizing you were trying to stay away from the apartment. Aemond noticed this but never said anything, he didn't want you to think he was controlling.

But he couldn't take it anymore.

You came in late that night, around two thirty in the morning. He was waiting for you on the couch facing the turned off TV.

"I thought you'd be asleep by now, Aems," you said softly.

"I'm not," there was a bite in his words.

A pregnant pause.

"You don't think I've noticed how often you've come home late, how you disappear for most of the day?" 

"Aemond, you know I'm just hanging out with some friends."

He bowed his head, "who is he? Who are you seeing?"

Your eyes widened at the accusation. "You think I'm cheating on you, Aems? Do you really think I don't want you?"

Aemond stood up from the couch and stalked over to you, "It certainly seems that way. You won't even let me kiss you for too long."

"Aemond, this is ridiculous, you know I love you," you reached out to him but he pulled away.

He huffed, "Yeah, sure."

"I love you and only you," your phone buzzed. 

Aemond tensed, "Who's that?"

You rolled your eyes, "It's just a friend named Cregan."

Red flashed across his face. "Cregan. You mean Cregan Stark? That fuck boy?"

"He's not a fuck boy, Aemond. And he's just a friend!" You insisted but you were losing your patience.

"I'm going to bed," he said. As he turned around you heard him whisper, "Just go fuck him."

"Excuse me?" 

"You heard me," he refused to turn around to face you. "Go fuck Cregan."

"You know what, fine. It's not like you haven't been trying to get into Floris's pants too."

Aemond turned around so fast he knocked over a plastic succulent as he turned back to you. He grabbed the nearest thing to him, a set of keys, and threw it across the room. 

"Don't. You. Fucking. Dare. I've never touched her," he looked at you with such rage you wanted to back down but you didn't.

"Whatever you say, Aemond," you rolled your eyes and went to leave the apartment when something smashed into the wall next to your head. A framed photo of you two at the lake. You whipped your head around, fear in your eyes. You started to hyperventilate. You couldn't breathe.

The anger on Aemond's face was immediately replaced with regret. "No, no, please, I'm sorry, I didn't -"

You didn't let him finish as you ran out.

Running out of the complex you knew you had to get as far away as possible. You didn't know where to go, nowhere made sense, everything was wrong. Nothing was real. So you went to the only place that could bring you peace at this time of night.

The lake.

You hopped into your car and drove as fast as you could to the lake. It wasn't until you sat on the shore that you let the tears escape. Hugging your knees tight you did you best to stifle your cries. You were shaking. Nothing was right, nothing was real. This was a dream, it had to be. Your nails started to dig into your skin as you finally let out your cries.

A hand touched your shoulder and you resigned yourself to your fate. You didn't know who was there but it didn't matter. Everything was wrong, anyway. Nothing made sense. 

Then you heard him.

"Please, please," the voice begged.

You could tell it was Aemond. He knelt down next to you and placed his other hand on your knees. You balled yourself up tighter.

"I'm… I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

You could tell he was on the verge of tears but you didn't look up.

"I know I was wrong. I was angry and I let it fester and I took it out on you, please," he choked on your name. 

Nothing. You said nothing.

"If you want me to leave, if you want us to stop," he took a shakey breath, "just say the word and it can end. We won't ever have to see each other again."

Silence.

"Okay," he swallowed, "I'll go." 

Aemond removed a hand from your shoulder and went to stand up but your hand grabbed the other one on your knee.

"No, please don't leave me, Aemond." You whispered. 

You took a deep breath before unraveling yourself but you didn't look at him. Not yet.

He brought his hand to rest on top of yours. "I won't leave, I promise you I won't. I will never leave you alone," he gasped. You could hear him struggling through the tears.

"I was wrong. I was very wrong. What I said and what I did wasn't okay, it was far from okay. And I promise I have never looked at or thought about anyone else the way I do with you. I know you love me unconditionally but my paranoia got the better of me."

You looked at the lake ahead of you, "It's going to take time, Aemond, a lot of time until I can trust you again."

"I know, and I'm willing to wait." After a few moments of silence Aemond said, "I think of you every day, about this lake. I knew I loved you before then but watching you look up at the sky made it real."

You let out a chuckle as you finally looked at him, "I knew then, too, Aems." You took another breath, "I'm sorry for what I said, too, it wasn't fair. And for avoiding you. Work started becoming too much and I was overwhelmed and didn't want you to see me in such a mess, so I went out."

"We'll get through this, I promise," he took you in his arms and held you tight. "Let's head home. We'll take my car and pick up yours later."

You sniffled, "Okay."

Aemond helped you get up and walk to the car. Your legs were jelly, your body was drained. The drive home was silent but you two held each other's hands.

That night Aemond wrapped his arms around you tight. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So is his dick really as big as they say it is?”

  Lyra coughed on the piece of kale she’d just forked into her mouth. “What?” 

 Baela raised her eyebrows suggestively. “How long is it?” 

 Lyra rolled her eyes. “You know we didn’t actually have sex, right?”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Rhaena grinned. “That sex scene was realistic as fuck.”  

 “But you at least saw him naked, right?” Baela asked eagerly. 

 “No!” Lyra laughed. She threw a fry at her sister across the table and it clung to her silver-blonde curls. Baela flicked some of her lemon water (room temperature, obviously) at Lyra in retaliation. 

 “Would you call it a porn addiction, hypothetically, if you just want to watch the same, tasteful, “how-can-it-be-considered-an-R-rated-movie-if-there’s-hardly any-nudity” sex scene over and over again?” Rhaena asked genuinely, chin contemplatively in the palm of her hand.

 “Gross,” Lyra smirked good-naturedly, popping a fry into her mouth. “You guys are a bunch of perverts.” 

 “How can you blame us?” Rhaena giggled. “He’s so  hot."

 Lyra rolled her eyes in response.

 Their current topic of conversation (as most of them had been recently), revolved around Lyra’s costar/nemesis, Aemond Targaryen. 

 Lyra and Aemond had spent most of last year filming an epic, World War I era, tragic romance, called The Great War. The movie was scheduled to be released in two months, and Lyra had just returned to LA after seeing the premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The lead actors were praised for their performances, earning award-season buzz for their incredible on-screen chemistry. But what the press had yet to find out, (and the production company certainly wasn’t keen on leaking the information) was that the two stars had been at each other’s throats for most of the shoot. They had constantly bickered on-set, disagreeing about almost everything. The studio had been forced to bring a moderator in during filming. But their off-screen hatred hadn’t ruined their characters’ relationship. If anything, it had elevated the passion between them. As soon as filming wrapped, Lyra and Aemond gratefully went their separate ways. And besides the film festival, where he spent most of the night ignoring her, they hadn’t seen each other since. 

  “Oh, did you see that Rolling Stone article? They placed you second on their list of favorite current nepotism babies.” Baela said. She was Lyra’s media and marketing manager. One summer, when Lyra was off filming an Indie movie in a remote part of Europe, Baela had been entrusted to update her Instagram account every few days. Lyra had gained five million followers in less than a week, and Baela had been in charge of her social media presence ever since. 

 “Who was number one?” Lyra asked, although she had a feeling she already knew the answer. 

 Baela smirked. “Aemond Targaryen, of course.” 

 Lyra furrowed her brows. “That seems sexist.” 

 “At least when people bring up the nepotism conversation, his name will always come up first,” Rhaena said. 

 Lyra’s mother was Evera Lys, an actress from the 90’s. Evera and her co-star, Daemon Prince, from the popular teen drama  Westeros High, had begun dating right after the show finished airing. Their whirlwind relationship had been plastered on every magazine cover and tabloid at the time, and they got married after only six months of dating. But tragedy struck a few years later, when Evera died from complications in the hospital after giving birth to Lyra. 

 Despite never getting to meet her mother, Lyra had had a mostly happy childhood. She had grown up in Malibu with Daemon, his second wife, screenwriter  Laena Velaryon, and their twins, Baela and Rhaena. And they had all become very close.  

 Daemon rose to even greater fame after starring in the period piece, The Iron Throne, with Oscar-winning actor, Viserys Targaryen. Aemond’s father. Hence the nepotism. Daemon and Viserys had played brothers, and became best friends during filming. After his amicable divorce from Laena, Daemon married Viserys’ oldest child, Rhaenyra, his daughter from his first marriage. Viserys had been initially hesitant about his daughter dating someone who’d been like an uncle-figure to her, but had grown to accept and respect the relationship after seeing the love they had for each other firsthand. Viserys’ second marriage to supermodel Alicent Hightower (Rhaenyra’s former best friend) had apparently caused quite the scandal back in the day. And it was rumored that Rhaenyra was his favorite child over the four he’d had with Alicent.  

  Since Lyra’s father was best friends with Aemond’s father, and Lyra’s stepmom was Aemond’s oldest sister, Lyra and Aemond had known each other long before they had been casted in The Great War. They had gone to the same private schools, and had seen each other often through the years at family gatherings and holidays. Even though Aemond was two years older than her, they had competed in the same acting classes and extracurriculars throughout their childhood. When Lyra got the part of Sandy in their school’s production of Grease, Aemond was casted as none other than Danny Zuko. And the same week Lyra had finally gotten a call-back audition for an actual speaking role in a network show, Aemond had booked his first movie. Granted, his character ended up having only two lines, but still. The small role landed him a SAG card and an IMDb page.

 Lyra couldn’t remember a time they hadn’t been competing against each other.

 “Speak of the devil,” Lyra muttered as her phone buzzed with Aemond’s contact name, sliding the screen to answer his call. “What do you want?”

 “Nice to hear from you too,” he said. She could tell from his tone that he was smirking. Asshole. “You busy?”

 “I’m having lunch with Baela and Rhaena.”

 “Hi, Aemond,” Baela cooed into the phone’s microphone. 

 Lyra rolled her eyes at her sister’s enthusiastic greeting. As if his ego needs more boosting. “So, what’s up?”

 She could practically hear the leather of his jacket crinkling in the background. Aemond had claimed it was fake, but the $800 receipt Lyra had found in his trailer begged to differ. 

 “Have you checked Twitter recently?” he asked warily. 

 “Only every hour of every day,” she said, mocking the insult he’d thrown her way months earlier.  “It’s called interacting with your loyal fanbase,”  Lyra had said defensively, when he’d scoffed that she was on her phone too much.  “You should try it sometime!”

 “So you haven’t seen it then,” Aemond deadpanned. 

 “Seen what?”

 He sighed into the speaker. “I think you should probably just look it up.” 

 That was never a good sign when you worked in the entertainment industry. “Shit,” Lyra said, putting him on speaker and opening up Twitter. She quickly went to the Trending section and her stomach plummeted. #AemondandLyra was number one. 

 She clicked on the top article, headlined  Aemond Targaryen Cheated on Ex with Co-Star Lyra Lys.

  New York Socialite Alys Rivers, 40, claims that her relationship with actor Aemond Targaryen, 25, recently ended because he was having an affair with his co-star, Lyra Lys, during the shoot of their upcoming movie,  The Great War.  It’s no secret that the two actors had amazing chemistry, with one source even stating, “They spent so much time together, even when the cameras weren’t rolling. They’ve been close for a really long time and the long distance took a toll on his relationship with Alys.” The two stars have yet to confirm the dating rumors, but were seen “hanging out” at the Cannes Film Festival last week…

  “What the fuck?” Lyra frowned, completely forgetting that Aemond was still on the line. 

 “I know,” Aemond sighed. “It’s not great…”

 “Not great?” Lyra nearly shrieked. She took the phone off speaker as some of the surrounding restaurant patrons started to glance in her direction. “Alys just told the entire internet that you cheated on her…with me.”

 Baela and Rhaena widened their eyes from across the table and immediately pulled out their phones.

 “Okay, but have you read what people are saying?” Aemond asked. “Did you see what’s also trending?”

 Lyra looked under #AemondandLyra. The second most trending topic was #HesFree. Curious, she clicked on the hashtag and pulled up the top tweets.

 Justaholeforaemondtarg: lmaoooo Aemond finally dumped granny💀 #hesfree

  Sleeplysinseattle: Aemond Targaryen is the only person i will forgive for cheating. Thank you @lyralys, our lord and savior🙏 #hesfree

 wolfdaddy12: okay but is anyone talking about lyra’s dating history?? She literally bagged Cregan mf Stark and now Aemond Targaryen, she’s really God’s favorite huh😭😭 #hesfree

 Aemondtstan4life: is meemaw really trying to make us hate Aemond for finally getting out of their toxic relationship? She literally groomed him lol, as far as i’m concerned Lyra saved his goddamn life #hesfree

  “Holy shit,” Lyra said as she scrolled through the tweets. Based on the twins’ frequent gasps and laughter, they were reading them as well. 

 “I know,” Aemond said.

 “Wait, so let me get this straight,” Lyra began, getting up from the table so Baela and Rhaena wouldn’t overhear. “Alys told the press that you guys broke up because you cheated on her…but the internet is…happy about it?” 

 “Mostly,” he answered. “Listen, my publicist wants to get ahead of this. Can I meet you at your place in an hour?”

 Lyra glanced back at the table, the twins furiously typing on their phones. She let out a long sigh. “Sure, let me text you my address.” 

 “No need,” Aemond said. “I know where you live.”

 “Funny, I don’t remember telling you…” Lyra trailed off. She supposed Helaena must have told him. As much as Aemond seemed to exist only to drive her crazy, Lyra had always gotten along very well with his siblings.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Lyra drove through the Hollywood Hills in a daze. She hadn’t seen Cregan Stark, her boyfriend of almost three years, since their breakup a few months ago. It had happened shortly after she’d returned from filming The Great War in the UK. He was a rising Indie musician, and his album from earlier that year, Dragonfire (his old nickname for her based on her signature red hair), had been a huge success. He’d had a steady following before its release, but his fanbase had tripled in the months since. Most of the songs had been about her, of course. Love songs about their relationship. But the long months apart on separate continents had been difficult, and they would have only had a few weeks together before he was set to embark on his year-long tour. So they’d decided to take a break. 

  When she pulled into her private drive, after the security guard at the gate buzzed her through, she immediately noticed a familiar car parked in front of her expansive garden. 

 “Jace!” Lyra exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck when he opened the car door for her. “What are you doing here?” 

 “Just wanted to take advantage of your giant house and hot tub, obviously,” he grinned. But his face fell as he noticed something behind her. 

 She quickly turned and spotted Aemond’s black Lamborghini pulling into her driveway. Because of course he had one. 

  “That’s actually why I’m here,” Jace frowned, watching Aemond intently as he casually slid from the driver’s seat and made his way toward them. He threw his leather jacket over his shoulder and pulled off his Ray-Ban sunglasses. 

 Lyra internally fumed at how attractive he was. It was much harder to hate him. 

 “Like what you see?” Aemond smirked at her expression. And before Lyra could come up with a snarky comeback, he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek, dangerously close to her mouth. 

 “What the hell, Aemond?” Lyra breathed, pulling away. They’d kissed lots of times while filming the movie, of course, but this was different. She suddenly felt dizzy…and infuriatingly not in a bad way. 

 Jace stared at the two of them in shock, mouth agape. 

 Aemond shrugged. “Our little secret’s out, Lyr. We don’t have to hide anymore.”

 “So it’s true?” Jace shrieked. “You guys are…together?” 

 “Jace—” Lyra began in a panic. 

 “I came over here to make sure,” he sighed dejectedly. “How could you do this to Cregan? Did you cheat on him?”

 “No! I would  never —”

 “You know how close I am with him,” Jace said, running a hand through his shaggy, dark hair. 

 Lyra felt her throat start to tighten up. “Yeah…”

 Cregan was Jace’s best friend. That was how Lyra had originally met him. And up until now, Jace had done a pretty good job of not bringing him up around her. 

 “So how is he?” Lyra couldn’t help but ask. Aemond snorted from beside her. 

 “He’s not seeing anyone, if that’s what you’re asking.” 

 “That’s not what I was asking…” she mumbled unconvincingly. 

 “Well, he’s not,” Jace said. “But he thinks you’re dating Aemond now. And I guess he’s right.” 

 Lyra wanted to bury herself under her covers and never come back out. “Listen, I never would have done that to him. Okay? Aemond and I aren’t—”

 “—Aren’t ready to talk about our relationship,” Aemond interrupted hurriedly. 

 Lyra glanced at him in confusion. What was he playing at?

 “But neither of us cheated, I swear,” he said seriously. “Alys just made that shit up to get back at me for dumping her.” 

 Jace looked between the two of them skeptically for a few moments before nodding in resignation. “Alright, I believe you.”

 “Great,” Aemond said, slapping a hand on Jace’s shoulder and steering him back toward his car. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we just want to finally be alone.”

 Jace huffed in annoyance, but obeyed, sending Lyra one last, small smile and a promise to call later. 

 As soon as his car disappeared from the end of her driveway, Lyra stormed inside her house without looking back. She slammed the front door shut, but Aemond managed to stop it before it closed completely and made his way in behind her without an invitation. 

 “What the fuck was that?” Lyra yelled, turning to face him. 

 And to her fury, the prick had the audacity to smirk. “Just wanted to spend some quality time with my girlfriend.”

 He lazily slumped onto her living room couch and wasted no time in making himself comfortable. 

  She crossed her arms. “What are you talking about? This isn’t funny—”

 He sighed and leaned forward in the chair. “Okay, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have sprung that on you. But I have an idea to fix this situation. Before it gets worse.”

 Morbidly curious, Lyra took the seat across from him and waited for him to continue. 

 “If we say nothing,” he said, “If we ignore the rumors or even try to deny them, the majority of people will assume we’re lying to cover up an affair. A spur-of-the-moment, reckless decision that resulted in not one, but  two breakups.”

 “Cregan had nothing to do with this,” Lyra frowned. “We broke up before you dumped Alys. ”

  “But no one will see it that way,” Aemond sighed. “We shot a movie together for several months. In a different  country.  As soon as filming wrapped, both of us just happened to break up our respective relationships? It’s unfortunately very coincidental.”

 Lyra just scoffed, too hurt to reply. 

 “I know, this sucks,” he said gently, his tone suddenly more sympathetic. “But we could spin this story to make it seem…romantic. Understandable.” 

 Her eyes widened, slowly starting to put the pieces together. “You want us to fake a relationship?” 

 He nodded.

 “But how would that fix things?” Lyra asked. “Wouldn’t that just confirm the cheating rumors?” 

 Aemond rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, his smug and arrogant tone from before completely gone. “You know how the media works. Once something’s out there, people accept it as fact. But if we revealed that we fell in love while filming the movie…”

 “...they wouldn’t necessarily blame us?” Lyra finished.

  “Exactly,” he grinned. 

 “But I thought the internet was already on your side.”

 He shrugged. “Some, maybe. But it’s never the man’s fault, is it?” 

 She quickly pulled out her phone and opened Twitter again. In her shock earlier, she had failed to notice some of the more negative comments. About her. Hundreds of people calling her a homewrecker. A cheater. A slut.

 Because everyone assumed Aemond had cheated on Alys, they were now questioning the true reason for Lyra’s breakup with Cregan.

 Aemond noticed her sad expression, and his tone turned uncharacteristically sad. “I know, I’m sorry. But we can fix this.”

 “You really think this would work, though?” she asked quietly. “I mean, we could barely shoot a movie without almost killing each other.”

 The corner of his mouth twitched upward. An almost smile. “If we managed to convince the casting directors that we have good chemistry, we can convince anyone.”

 She let out a long sigh, still unconvinced. “You do realize that we’d have to lie to everyone we know.”

 “I know,” he said, running a hand through his long hair. “We couldn’t afford another scandal if the truth was leaked. But we worked too damn hard on the movie for it to be ruined by this. I need your help. Please?”

 “Okay,” she finally answered. “But I think we need to establish some ground rules.”

 “Like what?” he snorted. 

 “No kissing,” she said, crossing her arms.

 He scoffed. “You didn’t seem to mind when we were filming. This would be no different, we’d be acting.” 

 Lyra rolled her eyes. “I was being paid to do it before. It would be…weird now.”

 “Fine, whatever,” he muttered. “Anything else?” 

 She thought for a moment. “We can’t see other people, even secretly. It’d be too suspicious.”

 Aemond nodded in agreement. “Deal. Should be easy enough for you,” he smirked. 

 “Shut up,” she glared, throwing one of her couch pillows at him. “I’ve been asked on tons of dates since Cregan and I broke up,”

 “Mmm hmm,” he hummed sarcastically. 

  He stood up and stretched, revealing a thin strip of his defined lower abdomen as his shirt rode up. Lyra quickly looked away before he could notice her staring and her face beginning to flush. It was bad enough she’d had to endure seeing him shirtless while having to make out with him during the film shoot. It’s just pretend, it’s just pretend, she repeated over and over in her head as she followed him outside back to his car. 

 Aemond was already busy typing in his phone, making plans with his publicist for their official relationship reveal. “I’ll keep you updated,” he promised. “See you later, baby.”