Cuddles and Confessions (Jacaerys Velaryon x gn!reader oneshot)

Cuddles and Confessions

Sunlight filters through Jace's window as he repeats vocab words for you to study. The shadow he casts is long and warm toned on his carpeted floor, stretching just enough to reach the base of the chair you're sitting in. He shifts his position from cross-legged to lying flat on the floor, fingers holding an index card. You rattle off the word you know connects to the definition in his hands.

You slump forward a little bit, arms wrapped around your knees. "God, Jace, we've been going at this for hours. It's gotta be time for a break."

"Well, I wouldn't phrase it like that," he all but laughs, "but sure. I think we're well-prepared. I mean, as well as we could ever be." He lifts his hand to his mouth to yawn.

In actuality, his mind has been elsewhere for a while now. He helped you study like a good friend while his eyes gazed over your form lightly, imagining how soft your hand would feel in his. How you could hold the stars in your palms and love in your eyes, shining as bright as the burn he felt for you. How nice it would be to graze over your face with his fingers, feather-light touches roaming the expanse he longs to kiss. It would be nice, he thinks, to see your eyes crinkle in a smile as he kisses the corner of your mouth.

He shakes his head, breaking the immersion. He can't let himself get hopeful. You're just a friend. A best friend. His best friend. A friend who he dreams of loving, a friend who makes the tips of his ears turn red when he looks at you too long. And that's all you ever will be, he reckons. He's far too invested in your happiness to risk it with a silly move like asking you on a date.

"Let's get a snack, yeah? I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry." You look down, happiness on the curve of your lips. It's surprising how much he can eat, really- he could put an elephant to shame. It's just one more thing you've noticed about him, one more thing you've grown to love.

He scoffs lightly. "Like I haven't been hearing your stomach growl for the last ten minutes. I literally offered you a snack and you said 'no, I'm okay'."

"Shush," You say, stretching your legs. "I was focused."

He scrunches his nose. He would drop anything to give you what you want. He'd find a way to bottle the moon in a jar if you said the word and give you the sun if you asked. "Sure."

He gets up, and you follow.

The sun disappears below the horizon, wind whispering softly through his open window. His room is illuminated with the soft light of a lamp, and you sit on his floor partially covered by a blanket.

It's not unusual for you to spend the night at his house. His mother and stepfather treat you like their own (when they're home at least), and his brother and half-sisters are as dear to you as any siblings would be. A warm feeling erupts in your heart when Rhaenyra ruffles your hair and Luke bursts into Jace's room to spend time with you. In some ways, you feel more at home with him than you do in your own house.

You've known him for forever, so the line between his family and yours blurs sometimes. It all really started when the Targaryen/Velaryon family moved in to the house right next door to yours.

Why they did it is a question that you don't think will ever be answered, though you think it has something to do with the odd circumstances surrounding Jace and Luke's dubious parentage. They needed a fresh start, they told you one time. They wanted to give their kids a chance at a normal life despite their riches was another excuse. In any case, you're glad they did.

Jace became a quick friend of yours. You first met when he was playing outside your window- you looked down on him like a royal stuck in a tower while your prince teetered on a little blue bike with training wheels below you. You called down to him, and he answered.