ELLIPSISM, aemond targaryen

[041] (un)welcomed visitor

AS AEMMA SLOWLY began to regain consciousness, she took a deep breath and exhaled, shifting in her place. Stretching her legs a little, she felt the soft surface of the carpet under her, but at the same time she realized that she felt cold air on her back. Aemma frowned and moved closer to the source of heat next to her, leaning her head against it.

There was a calm breath and when she felt her head rise against her will and fall again, Aemma realized that what she was lying on was not something but someone.

Her eyes snapped open and immediately focused on Aemond who was lying next to her, lying on his back with Aemma's head resting on his chest. Aemma tried to sneak away so she wouldn't wake him and he wouldn't see what position they had gotten into while sleeping, despite the fact that they had been sitting up before and must have fallen asleep at some point. Then she realized that this task was impossible because Aemond had his arm wrapped around her and she couldn't move properly.

With a soft sigh, she gave up and turned back to Aemond, watching him sleeping soundlessly. Usually cold eyes closed, face without scowl. It seemed almost unbelievable since he almost always looked like that, even when he wasn't irritated. But now he seemed calm and vulnerable, just when he knew no one would ever see that side of him. Aemma quite liked this side of him.

Hesitantly she reached out and brushed a strand of silver hair from his face that had fallen out of his hairstyle during his sleep and Aemond unconsciously turned his head towards her hand as if he wanted to feel her touch longer. But with this movement, Aemma pulled her hand back and watched his face to make sure he wasn't awake, and when she made sure he was still asleep she slowly put her head back on his chest and wrapped her arm around him.

God, what am I even doing? she thought bitterly as she watched him. This was clearly not something she should be doing with anyone, let alone Aemond of all people. If they were unfortunate enough to be seen by someone, they would definitely assume that there could be something more than friendship between Aemond and Aemma.

And there wasn't. Because Aemma didn't like him. Naturally. He was annoying, cruel and mean to both Aemma and her brothers. So it was understandable that she wouldn't like him. She only spend time with him to maintain good relations between the families. But she didn't like him.

She didn't want to marry him or something, she just . . . sometimes she just thought (purely theoretically) about how would he be around her if he liked her too. If he would agree to forget the past and try to get along with her brothers. If he would answer Joffrey's questions as the boy would surely be amazed as soon as he saw him train. If he would get along with Daemon. With Rhaenyra. Would he be able to forgive Luke? Would he even try if she asked him to?

And . . . what would it be like to kiss him? What would it be like to be kissed by him? What would it be like to be in the same situation as yesterday, in the same proximity with the same intentions, but . . . this time he would not back away but move even closer and Aemma, Aemma would let him touch her in ways she had never wanted to be touched this much ever before--

"My mother's going to kill me," Aemma muttered under her breath and closer her eyes in frustration.

"That makes the two of us," Aemond said, his voice lower than usual as he shifted a bit.

Aemma felt herself stiffen and the sound, she lifted her head quickly and moved it away to look at him. "So you're awake."

He just hummed in response while rubbing his eyes with his left hand, his right still wrapped around Aemma despite being awake.

Aemma realized that her arm was still around his waist and immediately pulled it away, also trying to stand up and get away, but sensing her movement, Aemond's arm around her tightened and made her stay down.