Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Alicent, talk to me,” is the first thing Gwayne says the moment Alicent steps into the office. It’s six in the morning, but the fluorescent lighting in the Eisenhower offices would lead anyone to believe otherwise. Alicent has always hated how harsh it is, but she’s always moving too quickly to complain about something as frivolous as light bulbs. Every day of her job is hitting the ground running, something Alicent has gotten used to in her years working alongside her brother. 

She had ran his campaigns ever since grad school, working him up to a congressional position until eventually he had been tapped for Vice President—which had been an entire uproar that Alicent had to manage since everyone was demanding to see Hightower birth certificates because their posh accents tend to come across as elitist which meant Alicent had to write and rewrite far too many statements explaining that yes, Gwayne Hightower was born on United States soil and was more than able to take his place in the line of presidential succession should he need to and yes, the accents come from being raised in England after their parents divorced at the ripe age of seven years old for Gwayne and five for Alicent and yes, they went to boarding school, but no they are not elitist. Well, not elitist enough for it to be a problem. Nonetheless, her brother now held the office of Vice President of the United States. It was not a glamorous position in the slightest, but Gwayne made it look like it. 

With no campaign to run, Alicent put her skills to use as the Director of Communications which basically means she has to hear everything all of the time. It is exhausting, but after years of chaos, she’s grown irritatingly used to it. 

“Oil wants someone on the clean jobs committee,” Alicent delivers the news with a solemn expression, grateful for the coffee that Gwayne’s secretary hands over to her. She barely has time to stop moving and grab it before she’s ushered into Gwayne’s office alongside his Chief of Staff, Mysaria. 

“We can not put oil on clean jobs.”

“Fucking obviously, Gwayne,” Alicent seethes, pinching the bridge of her nose, “Clean Jobs is a shit initiative anyway and you know it’s never going to pass, but if we get someone from oil onto Clean Jobs, everyone else is going to know it’s never going to pass. My job is information, I am giving you information. Also, you have to do a photo op for this stupid cafe that is opening downtown, apparently some fucking guy is doing it to raise money for his mother’s hospital bills—I don’t know, but the president can’t make it, so you have to do it.” 

“Of course, the president can’t make it, he only makes it to the interesting stuff,” Mysaria comments dryly, clicking through something on her phone. “We can tap Chuck for oil’s representative. He’s retired, but he’s still oil. With him not actively in, we might be able to sway the majority.” 

“We’re never going to pass Clean Jobs,” Gwayne groans, chugging the rest of his coffee with the same enthusiasm as someone doing a shot of straight vodka. Alicent grimaces at the sight. “He gave me Clean Jobs to pass the time so I don’t just sit here twiddling my thumbs, it’s never going to pass. I never get to do anything.”

“If you want to do something interesting, run for president,” Mysaria suggests with a sarcastic lilt to her voice. Alicent scoffs slightly, coughing to cover up her laughter. 

Gwayne glares at the both of them and Alicent relents, “I’ll put feelers out on Chuck, but find me other options. Let me make some calls.” 

With that, Alicent leaves the two of them in the office, dialing her first number and pressing the phone to her ear. She leaves a message with one secretary before the office door opens and Alicent groans. 

“Out—get out.” Alicent is not in the mood to deal with Rhaenyra Targaryen. 

“It is my job to be here, Alicent, perk up,” Rhaenyra sneers, though she’s so humorous about it, it makes Alicent want to throw up. Being the White House Liaison, Rhaenyra is not someone well liked in this neck of the woods but that is less accredited to her position and much more accredited to the arrogance she oozes. “I heard they’re making you put oil on Clean Jobs, you’re screwed, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Alicent spits back, taking a sip of her coffee and slamming it down on her desk so hard she thinks it may crack. “Is there a reason you’re here or are you just feeling like gloating?” 

Rhaenyra slides around the people milling about to stand right in front of Alicent’s desk. She glares up at her from her keyboard—Alicent has far too many emails to send—emails she knows are going to elicit very angry responses and she does not need to be in a worse mood than she already is. Rhaenyra, without a doubt, makes her mood worse every time they simply breathe the same air. 

Her typing slows as she drags her gaze up at Rhaenyra—admittedly, she does always manage to look good. Her silver hair is shorn to her shoulders; Alicent has never seen it longer, and her white button-up has sleeves rolled to her elbows, tucked into a pair of tailored navy blue work pants. Alicent knows damn well that Rhaenyra comes from money, so often she finds herself wondering why Rhaenyra slums it in a liaison position when she could be working much higher up in the West Wing. Alicent sometimes wonders if she turns down promotions just to spite Alicent. 

Rhaenyra leans down with two palms against Alicent’s desk, a small act that makes her fume—and Rhaenyra knows it’s going to make her fume. Alicent can’t help but sneak a glance to the light bit of skin that is now exposed to her. It’s instinctual, of course, doesn’t mean anything. Alicent glares at her and waits for whatever piece of information Rhaenyra is going to spew and ruin her morning. 

“You’re gonna try and get Chuck, right? You’re fucked if you get him because oil hates him and so does everyone else—”

“You’re better suited delivering this news to Mysaria, I just send emails. Didn’t you call me a glorified secretary once?” Alicent offers her a pursed lip smile before resuming her typing, trying to hide the fact that her eye is almost certainly twitching. 

Rhaenyra rolls her eyes. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.” 

“I hear everything,” Alicent reminds her with a smile, “Did you come here just to tell me what I already know or are you actually planning on doing your job? I’m still waiting.” 

“I have an in with Barry, he’s going to be a better man for Clean Jobs. He’s still oil but he does enough greenwashing shit that I think you’d be able to get away from it enough for the initiative to pass,” Rhaenyra offers, drumming her fingers against the mahogany of the desk. “You won’t be able to get him without me, though, he fucking hates your brother. But he owes me a favor.”

Alicent scoffs, reaching for her coffee once more. She distantly wonders if six in the morning is too early to start drinking. “And why would you utilize such a favor on… what? Helping the veep? Do I have to give you my soul while we’re at it?”

Finally, Rhaenyra leans back against the wall of the cubicle behind her, crossing her arms. “You have to let me take you to dinner.” 

“I’m not an escort, Rhaenyra, I am sure there is some supermodel out there you can call to take care of you,” Alicent hums, switching tabs to do a deep dive on Barry just to ensure Rhaenyra is telling the truth. Not that she’s going to take her up on the offer because she would rather die a horrible, fiery death than go out to dinner with Rhaenyra Targaryen. However, Chuck is a lost cause. On top of the lost cause that Clean Jobs already is. God, Alicent should have gotten a job working for the president. “Why do you need me?”

“Because I want you,” Rhaenyra shrugs as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Alicent glares at her from above her computer screen. “Alicent—it was only a matter of time. You work in communications, I’m the liaison, it’s fated. You might as well just let it happen.” 

“I don’t know why any sane person would take remotely any pleasure in taking someone that absolutely abhors them out on a date—”

“Who said anything about a date?” Rhaenyra interrupts her with a furrowed brow. For a moment, Alicent can’t help but blush at her assumption. Though, Rhaenyra eventually relents, “No, I’m only joking, it would absolutely be a date, yeah. You’re just so fascinating, I want to pick your brain apart with like… an ice pick or something.”

“A lobotomy, you are describing a lobotomy,” Alicent murmurs. Seemingly, Rhaenyra is telling the truth about Barry. Which would be significantly more helpful than their only other option—an option that is about as helpful as a bullet to the brain. “How romantic.” 

“You need Barry.”

“It would be a shining light on a sinking fucking ship, so really none of it matters,” Alicent drones on with a weary sigh. Despite her refusal, though, Rhaenyra is still standing there. Alicent lets her hang there for another drawn out moment before she looks her way once more. “You’re seriously telling me you would give us the single most useful thing you have ever done so long as I go on a fucking date with you like we are high schoolers?” 

Rhaenyra pretends to consider it for a moment before nodding quickly. “Yeah, pretty much. We can call it a business dinner if that makes you feel better. I know you have an ego problem.”

“I have an ego problem?” Alicent scoffs, pushing her chair back so she can stand and face Rhaenyra. Even though the woman is slouching, Alicent still isn’t quite as tall as her—a fact that never fails to drive her insane. “Get the fuck out, Rhaenyra.”

“I’m not getting the fuck out until the veep tells me to get the fuck out.”

“Ah, Rhaenyra,” Gwayne comes out of his office with Mysaria trailing behind along with his personal aide, Criston Cole. “Get the fuck out.” 

“Always a pleasure,” Rhaenyra says with a tight grin. She raps her knuckles against Alicent’s desk, telling her, “Friday at eight?”

Alicent stares at her for a long moment, tapping her kitten-heel-clad foot against the linoleum floor. “Fine, Friday at eight.”

Rhaenyra smiles in a way that makes Alicent wish she could punch her before leaving the office. The second she’s gone, Mysaria is in front of her. “What is happening Friday at eight?”

Alicent groans as she settles back down into her chair. “Rhaenyra can get us Barry.”

“Oh, my God, you’re selling your soul,” Mysaria comments. It wasn’t as if Rhaenyra hopelessly chasing Alicent was really kept quiet amongst this office, but it still embarrasses her slightly. She isn’t sure why Rhaenyra plays these games—because that’s all they are, games. Rhaenyra isn’t seriously attracted to her nor does she really want to take her out, she just wants to watch Alicent squirm. Alicent is just mad that it works. She wishes Rhaenyra didn’t know just how exactly to get underneath her skin, it’s nothing short of maddening. 

“I’m selling my soul,” Alicent affirms with a forlorn expression on her face, “but if we get Barry, then maybe we can get Clean Jobs. I don’t know—I’m grasping at straws. We are so fucking useless.”

“Well, at least the president is one heart attack away from us being slightly less fucking useless,” Mysaria sighs before returning to her own desk with little more to console Alicent. She can’t believe she agreed to go on a fucking date with Rhaenyra. Sometimes, she thinks she needs to just quit politics altogether. 

The only instructions Rhaenyra texted her prior to their date were dress nice which was entirely unhelpful. Not that she cared —if anything, she only cares because there’s a slim chance she might be photographed at some point given her status in politics. Rhaenyra almost certainly would be photographed, but if Alicent dresses too nice then people will automatically know it’s a date so really, she should go for business casual.

Except every business casual outfit makes Alicent want to rip her brains out right now. Part of her wants to test Rhaenyra’s resolve—find out how far this bit between the two of them can go. Which means she keeps eyeing her suspiciously slutty little black dress that’s currently hanging in her closet. It’s a simple enough halter with a tie that hangs down the back, creating a nice movement. If Rhaenyra wants to play this game, Alicent will almost certainly play it in return. She shrugs off the bra she had worn to work, tugging the dress over her hips and adjusting it. A good amount of her chest is on display, which is precisely how Alicent wants it. She reaches for black pumps and settles with leaving her hair down—if only because she has it up for most of her work day that her scalp almost always hurts by now and today is no exception. 

“Clean Jobs,” Alicent whispers to herself in the mirror as she applies eyeliner. “He fucked over the filibuster reform, sure, whatever, it’s stuck in committee and will be for the next forty fucking years, but Clean fucking Jobs. Please be worth it.” 

With that, she grabs a black shoulder bag and heads downstairs, her apartment door behind her sounding suspiciously like the lid of a coffin slamming shut. 

Rhaenyra offered to pick her up—though Alicent is almost certain this is a rouse to get her address so Rhaenyra can take out a hit on her, but if she really wanted to, she could dig through employment records so Alicent appreciates that she at least asked. The car waiting for her is a sleek, black maserati though Alicent isn’t sure she expected anything less. 

The driver’s side door opens and Rhaenyra steps out and, unfortunately, looks amazing. Her shirt is silk, an ivory color that shines against her fair skin, tucked into well-tailored black pants that make her look ten times more appetizing than she already does—not that Alicent often notices how attractive Rhaenyra is. Her fingers are adorned with rings and a couple of necklaces hang down against her chest. With her shirt half-unbuttoned, Alicent can see the slightest peek of a tattoo on her sternum. 

Alicent straightens her shoulders and attempts to make it seem like she has not been shamelessly checking Rhaenyra out—though it hardly seems to matter considering Rhaenyra is still dragging her gaze up the long, long legs Alicent has left exposed for her this evening. She finds brief satisfaction in knowing that currently, Rhaenyra can’t take her eyes off of her. 

Seeing that Rhaenyra clearly wanted to open the door for her, Alicent beats her to the chase, stepping past her to open it, but pausing before sliding into the car. “I’ve penciled an hour into my schedule for this, that’s all you have before I text the veep 9-1-1 under the table.”

“You’re never not charming,” Rhaenyra retorts as Alicent slides into the car. She slams the door shut once Alicent is settled before walking around and getting back in. As soon as the door is closed behind her, Rhaenyra is speaking, “You know, when you’re off call, you really don’t have to call him the veep. The entire country knows he’s your brother.” 

“This is a work dinner,” Alicent reminds her, though they both know that’s not true. If this were a work dinner, Alicent would wear a skirt that went to her knees. Instead, her dress barely covers her ass and she is sitting in Rhaenyra’s personal car and her work phone is off. Alicent is almost certain she’ll have to put out about thirty fires the moment it’s back on, but right now, it is disturbingly off. Alicent feels as if she has snuffed out her own child in doing so. 

“You dress like that for all your work dinners?” Rhaenyra comments on exactly what Alicent was hoping she wouldn’t, though Alicent notes the way her eyes seem to linger on Alicent’s thighs. She relaxes slightly, crossing one leg over the other. “You’re gonna make me jealous.” 

“Fuck off,” Alicent bites—before feeling slightly apologetic. Only slightly. “Sorry, it’s instinctual.” 

Rhaenyra sighs. “You know, if you really feel like I’m holding you hostage right now, I can drop you right back off at home. Yeah, I’m doing a favor for you, but I’ve already sent the email to Barry’s team, I can turn the car around.” 

The sincerity in her voice surprises Alicent, catching her off guard. She has a clear out—one Alicent knows she should take. She can’t stand Rhaenyra and the thought of sitting with her for more than thirty minutes seems absolutely miserable, yet here she is. After all, she doesn’t want to waste a perfectly good outfit. “No, I intend to hold up my end of the bargain. It’s only fair. I don’t get as far as I do in this business by reneging on the deals I make. I’m sure I can last one dinner with you without wanting to blow my brains out.”

“How romantic,” Rhaenyra retorts, repeating Alicent’s own words from earlier in the week. “You have an honor code, it’s cute.” 

“It’s not an—” Alicent begins to defend herself before giving up with a sigh. “Whatever. Shouldn’t you be glad? Two years we’ve worked together and you’ve been asking me to dinner for at least half of that. This must be Christmas morning for you.” 

Rhaenyra is quiet. Alicent had hoped for at least a chuckle, but instead, she gets absolutely nothing. Her shoulders tense with the silence, unsure how to handle it. After a moment, Rhaenyra finally says, “Well, in my defense, we go out to lunch all the time.”

“Lunches typically spent cursing you out.”

“It’s hot,” Rhaenyra says with a shrug. She turns a corner before pulling into a parking spot in front of one of the nicer restaurants Alicent has been to. It’s nice enough that she usually only meets senators there alongside Gwayne, never on her own accord. Alicent balks slightly at the notion that Rhaenyra would think to take Alicent to a place like this. She’s… charmed. Only a bit. Not enough to forgive Rhaenyra for the miserable two years they have been working together. Well, she supposes they are nothing if not entertaining, at the very least. 

She doesn’t realize she was staring until Rhaenyra comes around to open the door for her, offering her a hand. Alicent wants to slight her, but she finds herself taking it anyway and letting Rhaenyra help her from the car. Alicent lets go of Rhaenyra’s hand quickly as if she has been burned, desperate to create space between the two of them. 

Rhaenyra seems to get the memo, shoving her hands in her pocket and following Alicent into the restaurant. As soon as Rhaenyra says her last name, the hostess lights up and happily takes the two of them to their table, a glimmer of recognition in her eyes when her gaze lands on Alicent. Being in D.C, everyone knows politicians, even the little guys, yet sometimes, Alicent yearns to be in a place where she is not so seen. 

The table is quiet when they get there, neither of them seeming to know how to start a conversation. Eventually, though, Alicent finds herself surprised to be the one breaking the silence. “This is a nice place. I’m almost inclined to say you have good taste, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you were simply stalking my Google calendar.”

“They pay me too much to stalk your Google calendar,” Rhaenyra says with a smile, eyes still on her menu. “I have my secretary do it.”

“You do not have a fucking secretary.”

“You’d have to step foot in the West Wing to know that,” Rhaenyra reminds her and Alicent rolls her eyes. “You know, if you weren’t so loyal to your brother, you’d probably do really well with us.”

Alicent scoffs, wishing the waiter would hurry up with the bottle of wine they ordered. “Don’t tell me the whole reason you’re doing this is because you want to fucking poach me. Gwayne and I have our issues, but I wouldn’t abandon him.” 

“He has Mysaria.”

“Rhaenyra.” Alicent glares sternly across the table. 

Rhaenyra only chuckles softly, a condescending noise, though Alicent is far too used to those from her. “I’m kidding. I’d at least wait until midterms to poach you. No, Alicent, this dinner is happening because I think you’re so attractive it’s frankly unfair to those around you and I wanted to take you out to dinner. You can call it a work dinner all you like, but with you in that dress, I am not thinking about work.” 

Alicent opens her mouth to say something, but finds herself at a loss for words. When she can’t find them, Rhaenyra fills in for her, “Sorry to play my cards so early, but—oh, the wine, thank God.”

Alicent shares the sentiment as the waiter opens the bottle and pours two glasses for them, leaving the bottle on the table. Alicent happily takes a sip almost before the man’s back is even turned, grateful for the slight reprieve in the conversation. It gives her a second to collect herself before speaking once more. “So, you had to blackmail me instead of asking me out like a normal person?” 

“I asked you out like a normal person two years ago, but you ignored me, so I figured this was my only shot.”

“You what?” Alicent pales. She remembers no such thing. And Alicent remembers everything. She has never forgotten a thing in her life, certainly not pertaining to Rhaenyra.

“I asked you to coffee like two days after we met,” Rhaenyra explains, sounding almost annoyed that Alicent doesn’t remember. “You looked right past me and started talking to someone else, so I figured it was moot. But the foolish little girl in me didn’t quite give up hope and now, I’ve gotten you Barry and cursed you to a dinner with me.” 

Alicent settles with the information. Clearly, she hadn’t heard Rhaenyra. If she had heard Rhaenyra, would she have said yes? She hardly remembers how she felt about Rhaenyra two years ago, but it probably was with slightly less annoyance than she now harbors for her. Maybe Rhaenyra would have stood a chance. “I didn’t hear you. I apologize.” 

Rhaenyra looks caught off guard by the apology, but in a flash of a moment, the same nonchalant expression is back on her face. She simply raises her glass, “Well, I’ve got you now.”

Alicent finds herself blushing, but she’ll blame it on the wine. “And what, do tell, are you going to do with me?” 

The last thing Alicent expected to end this dinner with was straddling Rhaenyra’s lap in the backseat of her stupid fucking beautiful car. Truthfully, Alicent wasn’t sure what happened. They dropped the work talk, Alicent thought it might be fun to flirt (the glass of wine she had thought it might be fun to flirt) and one thing led to another until Rhaenyra was practically flagging down the waitress for the check and they were speed walking to the car. 

Rhaenyra’s hands find her waist as she drags Alicent where she wants her, bracketing her legs with her thighs. Alicent pants as Rhaenyra’s lips find her neck, trailing up her jaw and almost going for her lips, but Alicent pushes her away, gripping her chin with one beautifully-manicured hand. “I do not like you. I don’t kiss people I don’t like.”

Rhaenyra watches her breathlessly, a relaxed grin on her face as she asks, “How’ll we pass the time, then?” 

Alicent hikes up the already short fabric of her skirt until Rhaenyra gets the idea, hands squeezing her thighs. Alicent can’t believe how turned on she is—Rhaenyra will never let her live this down as she grinds her hips against Rhaenyra’s, desperate for her touch. Her lips find Alicent’s neck once more, careful not to linger too long lest any marks be left in her wake considering they have to be at work in the morning. Her hands find Rhaenyra’s shoulders, digging into the soft fabric of her shirt as Rhaenyra reaches up and begins to tug her rings off of her fingers. It’s a sight Alicent should not find as hot as she does, but unfortunately, she’s practically salivating. 

With her jewelry tossed aside onto the leather seats and into the depths of the car, Rhaenyra brings a hand between Alicent’s legs with haste, a stifled moan falling from Alicent’s lips as Rhaenyra’s knuckles brush against where her aching wetness as soaked through her underwear. Alicent shudders as Rhaenyra teases her, her head falling against the woman’s shoulder as her hips continue to grind down on her, aching for more of her touch. 

Giving into her desperation, Rhaenyra shoves Alicent’s underwear aside and dips her fingers into her wetness. Alicent moans, resisting the urge to sink her teeth into Rhaenyra’s neck. Instead, she lingers on her shoulder, biting down through the fabric as Rhaenyra pushes two fingers into her. Rhaenyra’s free hand grips her hips tightly, keeping Alicent from moving as much as she would like, fucking into her far too slowly for how little time they have. 

Alicent groans, burying her face in Rhaenyra’s neck as she speeds up, pumping two fingers in and out of her, spreading them out with each inward press. Her hand comes up to tangle in Rhaenyra’s short hair, tugging at her scalp and relishing the feeling of fullness each pump of Rhaenyra’s fingers. 

“Can you please fuck me like you mean it?” Alicent asks, desperate to feel the burn of deeper pleasure. 

Rhaenyra scoffs, “I should have known you’d be bossy.”

“Yeah?” Alicent’s voice is completely breathless, making her lose some of the edge she wishes she had over Rhaenyra. “You’ve thought about this?” 

Rhaenyra adds a third finger and picks up the pace, working a strangled moan out of Alicent. “How could I not? Have you looked at yourself?” 

“Don’t give me more of an ego than I already have—oh, right there, Jesus, fuck,” Alicent curses, pressing her hips down against Rhaenyra’s fingers as she fucks herself on Rhaenyra’s fingers. “Fuck, Rhaenyra.” 

Her nerves are alight as Rhaenyra fucks her without mercy, the two of them working in tandem now in a way that has Alicent gasping. She can barely get words out as Rhaenyra gives her little room to breathe. Alicent can feel her orgasm creeping up on her, her stomach tangled up in knots as she chases her pleasure desperately. Rhaenyra continues fucking into her deeply, hitting every nerve that has her legs practically twitching. God, Alicent hates that Rhaenyra is good at this. Of course, she’d be good at this. 

She shudders as her orgasm rattles through her, feeling her body relax against Rhaenyra as the woman’s pace begins to slow. Alicent groans, hands digging into Rhaenyra’s shoulders as she comes down. Looking at Rhaenyra in the dim light, realization sets in. The worst part of it all is that Rhaenyra looks absolutely beautiful. Alicent has always known she was hot, it was the sort of thing that demanded to be seen, but here, illuminated in street lights, she’s breathtaking. This is bad, this is so, very bad. 

Rhaenyra pulls out of her gently, letting her underwear fall back into place as the two of them catch their breath. After a moment, Rhaenyra breaks the tense first. “Can I drive you home?”

Alicent sighs, still not moving from Rhaenyra’s lap as she reaches for her phone and turns it back on. The first thing she sees is a voicemail from Gwayne. 

“I should probably just get a car. I have to go to the residence,” Alicent sighs, running a hand through her hair. Rhaenyra’s hands still rest on her hips and neither of them seem to want to move. “Fuck—I—Sorry. I’ll see you on Monday.” 

With that, she finally lets herself get off of Rhaenyra’s lap, immediately missing the warmth. Rhaenyra clears her throat, reaching over and opening the door for her. Alicent wishes there was a better way to end this—part of her wants to let Rhaenyra drive her home and figure out what else they can get up to—but duty calls. 

She gets out of the car, leaning down with one arm on the edge of the door as she looks at Rhaenyra. “If anyone asks, this never happened.”

“Scout’s honor,” Rhaenyra does a mock salute. Alicent rolls her eyes, slamming the door shut behind her. 

No more than two minutes later, her car pulls up and Alicent gets in it before she can see Rhaenyra drive away. She’s made a lot of mistakes in her career, but this may very well be the worst. Even so, she can’t stop thinking about it. God, she’s screwed.

Chapter Text

“Why did you call me here at nine in the evening?” Alicent asks in a rushed tone the second Gwayne’s secret service agent opens the door for her. She spent most of the car ride trying to will herself to be less turned on, wishing she didn’t have to take a work meeting while she still has the image of Rhaenyra beneath her. Rhaenyra who was suddenly charming for the first time in her life. Alicent has no idea what to do about it. 

“What the fuck did you do to get Barry for Clean Jobs?” Gwayne responds to her question with another as he paces the residence. “Oh, you look good. Did I interrupt something? Were you on a date? You don’t date.”

“It doesn’t matter, work comes first,” she brushes him off and prays that will explain away everything, even though she is almost certain Gwayne will pester her about it anyway. He offers her a look of pure disbelief as if he’s two seconds away from calling bullshit on her. “I told you, I pulled a favor with Rhaenyra to get you Barry. You’ll get oil and you’ll get your Clean Jobs initiative passed and everyone will cheer. I have done my job. Is this seriously why you called me here?”  

Gwayne narrows his eyes at her, leaning against his entryway table with his arms crossed as he stares down his sister. “You were on a date, weren’t you?” 

“I don’t see how this concerns work, Gwayne.” 

“If we were at work, you’d call me Vice President,” he retorts. “I have never in my life seen you go anywhere not in a blazer and here you are. I can see your legs, it’s revolting. Who were you out with?”

“If all you called me for was to ask how I got Barry, I am going home,” Alicent sighs, heading for the door, but Gwayne stops her with a gentle hand on her arm. 

“I’m your brother, when was the last time we had a proper chat?” Gwayne sighs, looking at her with big round eyes that he knows are going to work on her. Alicent relents—because of course she does. “I’ll put the kettle on.”

So, Alicent somehow ends up in Gwayne’s kitchen with a cup of tea, still in her dress from the date with Rhaenyra—that she’s still thinking about even though the main thing she should be thinking about is politics. Alicent should have used her dinner with Rhaenyra to get more information from her about what POTUS is thinking about Clean Jobs, if he thinks of Gwayne at all. Alicent isn’t entirely sure he does, but she’ll never tell her brother that—she’s been in the car while he’s on the phone with his receptionist far too many times hearing him ask if the president called. He never has. The closest they get to interacting with the president is through Rhaenyra and that is hardly a pleasant experience. 

“So, this date,” Gwayne says, gently pouring the hot water into two mugs with tea bags in them—perhaps un-American of them, but being raised in Britain has left its mark on them. “And you can’t tell me you weren’t on one, I know you have tried to get everyone to believe you are some cold, heartless bitch, but I’m your brother. I already know this about you. So, just be honest with me. Who has captured that frozen little heart of yours, sister?” 

“No one has captured anything,” Alicent sighs—because Rhaenyra hasn’t. She has proven that she can occasionally be less annoying and that she is good with her fingers. That is all Alicent really needs from her. This job of hers does not allow much room for relationships—let alone normal and healthy ones—and it’s not that Alicent wants a relationship with Rhaenyra of all people anyway. “It was just—a favor.”

Gwayne puts the pieces together faster than she would like over a single, solitary word. “You went out with Rhaenyra? You hate her guts.”

“You needed Barry,” Alicent says with a shrug, trying to appear nonchalant even though she feels incredibly tense. She lifts the cup of tea to her lips, blowing on it softly before taking a gentle, tentative sip. “I did what I had to do. It wasn’t so bad, she’s… she can be less insufferable when she wants to be.”

“Then how is she so insufferable all of the time?” Gwayne asks, to which Alicent just shrugs and shakes her head. “There’s something else you aren’t telling me about it. I can see it in your face, you have a tell.” 

Alicent hums, looking into her tea before throwing the rest of it back as quickly as she can even though it singes her tongue. It’ll be fine by morning anyway. “Well, would you look at that? I really should get going. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow, brother.” 

Before Gwayne can argue, Alicent brushes past him to drop her teacup in the sink before grabbing her bag and heading for the door. He chases after her, but she just pauses with a hand on his arm, pressing a kiss to his cheek before bidding both him—and his secret service agents—goodnight at the door. The night air is cold on her exposed skin and she shivers, partially wishing she had accepted Rhaenyra’s offer to drive her so at least she would have a car waiting for her. Instead, she has to wait for a car to come and get her. Part of her is almost tempted to call Rhaenyra and see what else they can get up to, but both of them will have to be in the office far too early and she can already feel an exhaustion headache forming. 

The car arrives quickly enough for the chill not to kill her, but she is still grateful for the reprieve. She scrolls through her email to make sure she didn’t miss anything overly important—thankfully, it seems Friday night has actually been calm for the first time in her life. Just a confirmation from Barry’s team that he’s good for Clean Jobs and a reminder about an event Gwayne needs to attend Sunday night. It’s a formal event—some fancy birthday party for a Senator that they all hate anyway, but with Gwayne being the head of Senate, he’s required to be there. At least it gives Alicent an opportunity to put one of the dresses that she so rarely gets a use out of in her apartment. 

By the time she gets home, she has a text from Rhaenyra— all okay with the VP? 

Don’t text me like we’re friends, Alicent replies, scoffing to herself at Rhaenyra’s antics. Of course, Rhaenyra would get an inch and take a mile. It’s in her nature. 

Ok. Rhaenyra replies quickly. Alicent thinks that may be the end of it, kicking off her heels and heading for the fridge to pour herself a glass of water. Her phone on the counter vibrates once more. Want to finish what we started then? 

The text gives Alicent pause. It’s a bad idea. Alicent doesn’t have bad ideas. It’s not in her nature. Yet, this one is horribly tempting. Alicent chews on her lip, staring at the text on her phone. If I have to be in the office by eight, I know you do, too. 

It’s a Saturday, we both know eight is basically sleeping in. 

Alicent is finding it incredibly difficult to say no. But if she says yes, than she’s basically admitting to Rhaenyra that she wants her and that is the last thing Alicent wants to do. If this is going to work, she must remain in charge. Rhaenyra can’t know. Not that Alicent wants her in any important ways, of course. Just to get off. Even that is a power Alicent must hold over her. 

Go to bed, Rhaenyra, she sends instead of what she really wants to. She sighs and heads to her bedroom, setting her alarm and plugging the phone in before getting ready for bed. God, Alicent can’t believe she slept with Rhaenyra Targaryen. The worst part of it all—she wants to do it again. 

Alicent lights a cigarette on the balcony of the West Wing offices, her laptop balanced on the edge of the railing because work is so slammed she can’t even take a proper cigarette break anymore. The First Lady made an offhand comment with a hot mic calling Gwayne a fruit which means now they have to do damage control and Alicent’s entire job for the day is telling people that her incredibly gay brother is, in fact, not gay at all. Her phone rings—another journalist. The twentieth in the last hour. So much for a calm Saturday. 

“Vice President Director of Communications, Alicent Hightower,” she answers in a droll tone, blowing out a long drag as she waits for the inevitable question of whichever journalist is now bothering her. 

“Miss Hightower, care to comment on the First Lady’s remarks directed towards the VP?” The question is fired so quickly, his words so rapidly spoken as if he knows Alicent is going to hang up as soon as humanly possible. She doesn’t even catch his publication, 

“The Vice President’s unmarried status has been called into question more times than I can count, though to automatically assume anything other than what he has so graciously shared with the American people is outdated and rude, which the First Lady has since acknowledged in a private meeting with Vice President Hightower,” the statement rattles off her lips as she takes another drag, hanging up the phone before another question can be asked. The President’s office is already working on releasing a similar statement—especially considering the First Lady has been such a champion of queer rights since her husband took office. Alicent is used to such a thing—being a hypocrite is in a politician’s job description. 

It’s not that Gwayne can’t be out as the Vice President, but that he shouldn’t. Alicent used to run his campaigns, she knows the American people like the back of her hand. Gwayne is charming enough to win smaller elections—he could get away with being gay if he were going for something like Governor, or maybe even a Senate position these days, but the President already toed the line of being too left-leaning (which, of course, means hardly at all), which meant the running mate he needed was not some champion of diversity—he needed a straight white man. Alicent gave him Gwayne. She didn’t like it. Especially given her own ability to be semi-out (American politics is a modern day don’t ask, don’t tell), it feels cruel to be one of the hands holding the closet door closed for Gwayne. They’ve talked about possibly having him come out after the President gets re-elected, but that makes the prospect of his own future presidential campaign an uphill climb. 

Alicent finishes her cigarette and heads back into the office, preparing for her phone to ring again while her laptop remains tucked under her arm. She raps her knuckles against Mysaria’s desk on her way to the door, letting her know, “I’m going to the Press Secretary, she needs Gwayne’s statement for this afternoon. Don’t let Criston burn the place down while I’m gone.”

“One crisis and you start acting like Chief of Staff,” Mysaria says with a laugh, “I’m not retiring anytime soon, you know.” 

She scoffs, “Please, I was a campaign manager, you know ninety-percent of my job was crisis management. It’s like riding a bike, I can’t help it. Besides, I’d miss you too much to replace you. Did you speak to Harwin about how the hot mic footage got leaked?” 

Mysaria nods. “He dealt with it. Go to Press, I’ll handle shit here.”

Alicent blows her a kiss before dropping her laptop off at her desk and shoving her work phone in the pocket of her slacks, heading for the door with a weary sigh. Her phone rings again as she stalks the hallway, her reasonable black kitten heels clacking against the tiled floors and echoing around the high ceilings. “Vice President Director of Communications, Alicent Hightower, you have two minutes.”

“Dan Heady, USA Today, will the Vice President be making a public statement on the comments picked up by the First Lady’s microphone? Will there be a press conference?” 

Alicent’s response is the same dry tone they all have been today, “There will be a statement released with the press meeting for the day, yes, matter of fact, I am on my way to deliver it— fuck.” 

She curses as she bumps into someone’s shoulder, nearly tripping over herself as she stumbles. Alicent doesn’t stumble. She would have fallen completely to the ground if not for the strong arm around her waist. Rhaenyra stabilizes her quickly and Alicent groans, pressing the phone back to her ear and holding up a single finger to silence Rhaenyra’s confused expression and open mouth. “Apologies. I am on my way to deliver to the Press Secretary herself. More to be released soon.”

Alicent hangs up the phone without a goodbye and shoves it in her pocket, brushing herself off as she looks at Rhaenyra—her eye twitching in quiet rage. “Would it kill you to watch where you’re going?”

“Maybe if you were paying attention, you would have stayed to the right side everyone knows you’re supposed to stay to the right, not the middle,” Rhaenyra retorts and Alicent would smack her if the unfortunate sight of her did anything but remind Alicent of last night. She had dreamt of it, which was wholly embarrassing for her.  

“Oh, I am sorry, would you like to get into the politics of fucking walking right now? I was clearly on the phone which meant you are the one that is supposed to step away because I was doing my fucking job. I don’t need to watch where I am going when I am single handedly trying to keep your First Lady from being branded an old, homophobic, crone, which she is.” 

Rhaenyra rolls her eyes, stepping closer to Alicent with her hands shoved in the pockets of her work pants. She looks impeccably good in a tight white undershirt paired with a sleek black blazer and slacks, which is entirely unfair when Alicent is trying to be angry with her. “No, you’re trying to keep the country from finding out your brother is gay, which he is.” 

Alicent’s eyes widen. She doesn’t think as she grabs Rhaenyra by the lanyard of her employee badge and yanks her into the nearest room—which happens to be a filing closet. With a single lightbulb. Alicent has cursed people out in nicer places than this, but this will have to do. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing saying that in a busy fucking hallway, Rhaenyra? The last thing I need is a fucking whistleblower leaking my brother’s sexuality when the First fucking Lady nearly did it herself. God, it is like you live and breathe to make my life harder, is that what you do?”

Alicent paces around the small room, dropping the statements she was carrying on top of one of the filing cabinets as she tries to avoid looking at Rhaenyra (looking at Rhaenyra will either make her ten times more angry or more turned on than she would like to be at work, she isn’t sure which yet). When she does finally spare a glance at the woman, she’s infuriated. Rhaenyra is just leaning against the door, watching her with her hands in her pockets and her lip caught between her teeth in a quaint, teasing grin. 

Alicent’s eye twitches as she exclaims, “What? Is there something on my fucking face? Is something about this funny to you?” 

“It’s really hot when you yell,” is all Rhaenyra says to defend herself, shocking Alicent into silence. “I don’t think you’ve ever properly yelled at me before. I had a feeling it would be hot, it was hot enough last night and that was more like a firm command, but yeah, this is doing it for me.” 

Alicent steps forward, eyes wide and dangerous as she steps to Rhaenyra. She’s still panting with anger, but Rhaenyra is cool—too cool, it only angers Alicent more. “Do not provoke me right now, Rhaenyra, I am not in the mood.”

Rhaenyra seems to take the warning as more of a challenge as she asks, “Did you think of me last night? Running off to the residence, of all places, in that tiny little dress, talking about work while I had freshly fucked you. Drove you crazy, didn’t it?”

“Not crazy enough because if I recall correctly, I still spent the night alone,” Alicent reminds her as if that will change the fact that she fell asleep to the thought of Rhaenyra touching her. That she desired so deeply for it to happen again. “And I’m not doing you any more favors, Rhaenyra.”

“Ouch,” Rhaenyra says, but it lacks bite. “Though, I don’t remember asking to fuck you in the back of my car, you seemed to do that all on your own. I know you lie for a living, but c’mon, Alicent, we both know better than that.”

Alicent wasn’t sure if she wanted to slap her or kiss her. What she did know was that Rhaenyra’s low tone was doing something to her, sending aching pulses of desire right between her legs. She steps closer, trying to appear intimidating, but Rhaenyra just takes the opportunity to grab Alicent by the waist and yank her even closer, slipping a thigh between her legs. Alicent’s breath hitches as her face is now mere centimeters away from Rhaenyra’s. For a moment, it seems like Rhaenyra is going to go for her lips, but she changes direction, instead, pressing her lips in a soft, barely there kiss to her jaw. 

She presses more and more along the line of it until she reaches Alicent’s ear, saying, “Don’t worry, I remember the rules.” 

Alicent’s eyes slip closed as Rhaenyra’s hands reach for her belt, worrying her lip between her teeth as she resists the urge to groan at the feeling of having Rhaenyra so close. In a vain attempt to be logical, she tries, “We’re at work, Rhaenyra. The Press Secretary is expecting me.”

With the hand that is not currently dipping into Alicent’s slacks to brush against her already embarrassingly soaked underwear, Rhaenyra flicks her wrist so her watch faces her, tilting her head as she says, “You have two hours until the press meeting. I’m sure you’ll make it in time. Just say you got—” Rhaenyra pauses, her fingers pressing against the center of Alicent’s dripping cunt through her underwear, “caught up.” 

Alicent grabs Rhaenyra’s wrist, finding what little resolve she has left, spitting, “You don’t get to tease.” 

Rhaenyra lets her hand be guided down the front of Alicent’s underwear, flesh meeting flesh. Alicent guides her deeper until her fingers begin to explore the dripping folds of her aching core, just barely skirting over her entrance before darting over her clit in a way that causes a frustrated groan to fall from Alicent’s lips. “What did I just say?”

“Remind me again,” Rhaenyra comments, lifting her head to meet Alicent’s gaze, pressing firmly against her clit as she does so, causing Alicent’s leg to twitch slightly with unexpected pleasure. 

“Just fuck me, you know we both have to get back to work,” Alicent seethes, though her words lack the bite they would normally have if not for Rhaenyra’s gentle pressure circulating her clit, teasing the bundle of nerves endlessly when all she craves is release. 

Finally, though, Rhaenyra follows instructions as she presses two fingers inside of Alicent, letting her adjust for a brief moment before setting a quick pace that matches the urgency Alicent feels. Her lips are gentle, careful not to leave any marks on the taut flesh of her neck as her fingers spread out inside of Alicent, her blunt nails scraping against her inner walls in a way that has Alicent wishing she didn’t have to bite back her moans. She tangles her fingers in Rhaenyra’s hair to ground herself, bucking her hips against Rhaenyra’s fingers only to be met with the friction of her thigh still between her legs. The combination of the two is almost overwhelming. 

“God— fuck,” Alicent breathes out as Rhaenyra presses in with another finger, her thumb reaching up to tease her clit as she fucks her. She wishes they had more time—that this wasn’t happening in a shitty filing closet that smelled like old paper and dust. She wants to get Rhaenyra in a bed. But Alicent rarely has time to see her own bed let alone anyone else’s. 

Rhaenyra’s hand holds her by the small of her back, keeping her body pressed up against Rhaenyra. Alicent revels in her warmth, wishing there were less clothes between the two of them. She wants to feel Rhaenyra’s skin against hers, to spread her out and trace the lines of her body. She yanks on her short locks, threading her fingers through them as she feels her orgasm encroaching. 

She buries her face in Rhaenyra’s shoulder as she shudders, trying to hold on if only so this lasts a moment longer, but Rhaenyra hits a spot that tips her over the edge before she’s fully prepared for it. She grips tightly onto the other woman for purchase, Rhaenyra’s strong hand on her back not letting her stumble (she tries not to think of how easy it had been for Rhaenyra to catch her in the hallway—how smoothly her arm had slid around Alicent’s waist as if it were second nature) as she breaks apart beneath the touch of her. 

When her orgasm settles, Alicent grabs Rhaenyra’s wrist and tugs until she pulls out entirely. She creates space between the two of them immediately (because she isn’t sure what might happen if she allows herself to linger), righting herself and zipping her pants back up—redoing her belt with shaky hands. Rhaenyra just watches her.

“It’s a marvel to find out you’re actually good at something for once in your life,” Alicent spits, bringing a hand up to brush a lock of her hair back into place. It probably looks like a mess, but she covers it up by tugging a hair tie off of her wrist and throwing it into a quick ponytail that seems messy on purpose instead of mid-day sex hair. 

“Pretty, pretty words Alicent,” Rhaenyra sighs, bringing her fingers to her lips and licking them clean. Alicent coughs, biting back a moan at the sight. “Doesn’t change the fact that you’re begging for it. You should be getting that statement to the Press Secretary, I hear she’s expecting you.” 

“I was not—” Alicent begins to defend herself, though she can already tell it’s useless judging by the expression on Rhaenyra’s face. “Don’t start thinking this is going to get me to like you. I can see it on your face, the cogs are already turning. Stop them. This can’t happen again—certainly not at work.”

“But other places are free game?”

“Rhaenyra,” Alicent stops her, expression stern. She brushes herself off and reaches for her papers, tucking them below her arm and trying desperately to appear more put together than she feels. Truthfully, she feels nothing short of weak in the knees and looking at Rhaenyra is only making it worse. “I’m serious.”

Rhaenyra just shrugs and steps out of the way of the door. “All right then. It won’t happen again. You go first, I’ll wait a few.”

Alicent draws in a deep breath, trying to channel confidence into her stance, but knowing Rhaenyra probably sees right through her. She hates giving the other woman so much power over her, but it is hard to resist when she’s as good as she is. Alicent knows this can’t happen again—it’s no good for either of them. 

Yet, as Rhaenyra’s eyes follow her out the door, she has a suspicious feeling that this is only going to get a whole lot messier. Still, she closes the door quickly and without a second glance at Rhaenyra. Her phone buzzes in her pocket and she mentally prepares herself for another journalist, but instead, a text awaits her— your ass looks great in those pants. 

Alicent sucks in a breath, ignoring it as she heads down the hallway, determined to make it to her original destination with no more distractions (though, her underwear is still ruined and her legs are still a little unsteady with each step. She’s beginning to regret the heels). Her phone buzzes again. Another text. See you at the party tomorrow. 

She curses silently to herself—of course, Rhaenyra would be there, she’d be a fool to think they wouldn’t run into each other. It’ll be fine—all she has to do is resist the one person that has managed to tempt her in years. Easy. She delivers her statement without further issue, but the one thing that remains on her mind the rest of the day is unmistakable— Rhaenyra.

Chapter Text

Alicent clutches a glass of champagne tightly in one manicured hand even though she knows she does not have the luxury of getting drunk tonight no matter how desperately she craves to. Her dress is too tight and it’s an off the shoulder sleeve meaning she has limited use of her arms, which she hates. Admittedly, though, every time she catches her reflection in one of the decadent mirrors on the walls, she does look good. Her dress is sleek and black, stopping just at her ankles and giving way to the black pumps she wears. It’s paired with a pearl necklace and her hair is tied up in an updo that’s much nicer than what she usually throws it up into for work. These sorts of work events always feel stuffy—Alicent can’t even remember which Senator they’re supposedly celebrating tonight, even though that is technically supposed to be her job. She’s sure Criston will be standing beside Gwayne all night whispering things he needs to know in his ear. Technically, she’s not supposed to have left his side either, but she needed a moment. 

She finds herself on the balcony, opening her clutch to find nothing but her phone and a pack of cigarettes along with a lighter (the essentials). The champagne glass is then balanced on the balcony railing as she lights a cigarette against the night sky, watching the twinkling lights of Washington D.C. below her. It brings her a strange sense of peace—to know that while she’s stuck here, the world keeps going. She’s sure if she checked her work phone, the chaos of the real world would invade, but right now, it’s powered off and work takes a pause. So, she watches life go on from the outside. 

A throat clears beside her and she finds Rhaenyra standing there. Alicent hadn’t even heard the door open. Alicent doesn’t say a word as she offers over the cigarette. Rhaenyra takes it happily, taking a long drag before passing it back. 

“This stinks,” Rhaenyra sighs, leaning down with her forearms against the railing. Alicent allows herself to steal a glance at Rhaenyra’s outfit—a finely tailored suit with a sleek black tie keeping it all together. “You look great. Would it be bad form if we left?”

“I think I’m technically still working,” Alicent sighs, taking another long drag. Only a few centimeters remain between her and Rhaenyra and she finds herself wondering what might happen if that space were to close. She turns her head to look inside—spotting Gwayne, taller than most and with a head of soft red hair which makes him easy to pick out in a crowd, laughing it up with some old white guy she doesn’t recognize by the back of his head. If he needs her, they have signals and ways of finding each other. She turns back to Rhaenyra. “Did you have something in mind?”

“Is that you willingly asking to go somewhere with me?”

Alicent scoffs. “I think it was me asking if you had something in mind. Don’t take a mile when I give you an inch, Rhaenyra.” 

Rhaenyra just sighs, reaching for the cigarette once more. “Is it a mile if I suggest getting a drink with me?” 

“Half mile,” Alicent retorts, watching the way Rhaenyra’s cheeks hollow out with the drag, watching the way she inhales the smoke and blows it out through perfect lips. Highlighted in the glow of the soft outdoor lights, all Alicent can focus on is the line of her jaw and the glint in her eyes. A drink with Rhaenyra could realistically only end up in disaster. “Look at the way we’re dressed, we’d stick out like a sore thumb.”

“You’re making excuses.”

“Obviously,” Alicent says with a roll of her eyes. She watches as Rhaenyra straightens out, stretching out her back and loosening her tie. Alicent’s gaze sticks to the small amount of skin by her collar now available to her eyes. 

“Well,” Rhaenyra begins, turning back around to stare at the event. Alicent would maybe rather die than step back in there. “I will be going to get a drink, then. And not this shitty champagne they’re trying to convince us is expensive. I think I’ve drank better champagne out of a box. You’re more than welcome to join me.”

Alicent doesn’t move, instead drumming her fingers against the railing as she watches Rhaenyra head for the door. As if knowing the woman’s gaze still rests on her, Rhaenyra pauses with a hand lingering on the handle, turning and looking back at Alicent. Alicent stubs out her cigarette with a sigh, heading for the door. Rhaenyra smiles, holding the door open for her and Alicent turns to see Rhaenyra’s eyes on her ass as she steps through the door. She scoffs, rolling her eyes as they sneak along the outer line of the crowd, heading for the exit as swiftly as she possibly can. 

She shoots off a text to Gwayne letting him know that she’s leaving and to call if there’s a 9-1-1 before shoving her phone back into her clutch and sneaking out the exit with Rhaenyra close behind her. Out in the hall, her heels click against the linoleum tile, creating an obvious echo as they make their break for it. The moment she’s out of the party, Alicent feels as if a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. 

Outside on the curb, they wait in a discomforting silence for the valet to pull Rhaenyra’s car around. Alicent, of course, had ridden with her brother and his escort and for once, she’s grateful to travel with no lights and sirens. She taps her foot against the cement, wishing she had another cigarette. She almost thinks to break the silence, but just as she opens her mouth to form words she isn’t sure of yet, the car pulls around. Rhaenyra smiles, tipping the valet and taking the keys. 

Alicent opens her own door, sliding in and tugging her dress with her, crossing her legs and settling into Rhaenyra’s car. Finally, the silence between them breaks, “Where did you have in mind?”

“A place we won’t stick out,” Rhaenyra says with a shrug, not letting Alicent into her mind. “You’re much nicer to me when we aren’t at work. It’s weird.”

“You’re annoying when you’re at work,” Alicent answers as if it were obvious. “Something in the employee badge possesses you.”

“Was that a joke? Did you actually joke with me just now? Oh, I’m calling the press,” Rhaenyra teases, taking a turn down a street Alicent doesn’t recognize—then again, she’s only lived in D.C. for a few years and her job doesn’t really allow her to get out much. 

“Don’t get used to it,” she scoffs. “I still can’t stand you, you’re just the lesser of two evils right now. And you owe me a drink.”

“For?” 

Alicent shoots her a bored look, “You took my parking spot about six months ago and I know you did it just to spite me because you waited until I pulled in to get out of your car so you could watch my reaction.”

Rhaenyra actually barks out a laugh which only irritates her more. “Of course, you would keep track of when I stole your parking spot. It doesn’t even matter—I have west exec parking now.”

“Fuck you.”

“Oh, ouch, let me just cry in my car over that one… in my west exec parking spot,” Rhaenyra mocks offense, pulling up outside of a subdued looking building. A valet opens Alicent’s door for her, offering a hand to help her out of the car which she accepts (if only to spite Rhaenyra) and watches as Rhaenyra hands over her keys with a polite grin along with a bit of cash that looks a bit too hefty to just be a valet tip. Working in D.C, the one thing Alicent has learned is that sure, money talks, but money is also excellent at keeping mouths shut. 

Rhaenyra keeps a respectful amount of space between the two of them as she follows her inside, opening the door for her. Inside the building is a lounge that is much nicer than the dive bars in which Alicent spent most of her college years. The music is not overwhelmingly loud, but enough that the volume doesn’t cause chatter to be overheard and Rhaenyra guides Alicent to a booth with an arm just a hair away from wrapping around her waist. 

“What are you drinking?” Rhaenyra asks, leaning down as Alicent gets settled in the booth, resting her chin on her palm as her elbow braces against the table. 

“Whatever, just not that terrible champagne,” Alicent says with a quiet huff that might almost be mistaken for a genuine chuckle— almost. Rhaenyra nods and disappears towards the bar, leaving Alicent alone with her thoughts. God, if she squints, this is almost a second date. Alicent doesn’t go on second dates with people she can’t stand—she rarely goes on first dates with them. This is an anomaly. 

Rhaenyra returns shortly with martinis for the two of them and Alicent is grateful Rhaenyra seems to understand her well enough to know that what she needs right now is just straight up liquor. She settles down opposite Alicent, loosening her tie until it’s just hanging around her neck and undoing the top button of her shirt. If she’s trying to drive Alicent crazy, it’s working. 

“Clean Jobs is looking strong,” Rhaenyra starts off, fingers drumming against the table. “POTUS thinks it’ll do well.”

“Are you seriously going to entertain me with shop talk right now? You’re much more charming when you’re not reminding me that you work for the President of the United States because that is where you derive most of your irritability,” Alicent groans, pulling the pins out of her updo and letting her curls fall loose around her shoulders. “If the only thing you can think to speak to me about is work, then you may as well just take me back to your apartment now.” 

Rhaenyra watches her with a careful glance, eyes following the path of her curls and the flex of her arms. “Well, I’d at least let you finish your drink.”

Alicent chuckles, taking a hearty sip of the martini. She pulls the toothpick out and scrapes the olive off delicately with her teeth, avoiding Rhaenyra’s eyes even though she knows the woman’s gaze hasn’t left her. “Don’t talk to me about Clean Jobs because I’m not going to risk giving you an opportunity to gloat—”

“But I really should because you wouldn’t have gotten Barry without me and you will never escape that,” Rhaenyra reminds her with cockiness lacing each and every word of her sentence. Alicent narrows her gaze, feeling irritation build. 

“I had to know you were going to dangle that over my head for the rest of my fucking career, I should have never let you do that.”

“What? Get you Barry or—”

“Don’t,” Alicent stops her with a cutting tone, taking another hearty swig of her drink even though the liquor burns her tongue. It only fuels her more as she straightens up in her seat, tension bleeding into every movement of hers. “You can hold Barry over my head all you like, but not that.”

Rhaenyra raises her hands in mock surrender, pausing for a moment before reaching for her own drink. “Fine, fine, I concede. You scare me.”

“Good.”

“You’re like one of those mean scary witches I’d see in some Halloween movie at the age of like eight and be very confused by,” Rhaenyra continues, leaning with her chin on her palm as she looks over at Alicent. “Like I’m terrified by you but also so, so turned on.”

“You were turned on at eight?”

“It’s a flawed metaphor.”

Alicent scoffs, a teasing grin on her face that she covers up with the martini as a loose chuckle falls from her lips. “You’re ridiculous. I think I liked you more when I only saw you during business hours.”

“That implies you like me at all and that seems dishonest of you,” is all Rhaenyra responds to her, shooting her a look that can only be described as devilish. Alicent thinks back to her offhand comment about going back to Rhaenyra’s apartment. As curious as she is about where the woman lives, she’s much more curious about what her bed would be like. 

Alicent can only offer a shrug, sipping down the rest of her drink. “I’m going to get another drink, would you like anything?”

Rhaenyra just lifts her still half-full glass and shakes her head to which Alicent grabs her clutch and stands to go for the bar. After a moment, she pauses, turning back to Rhaenyra with a sigh. “I did not bring my wallet because I did not think I would be leaving the party.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Rhaenyra rolls her eyes as she reaches for her credit card, but there’s the hint of a teasing smile on her face as she hands it over. “What do I owe this one for?” 

Alicent taps a finger against her chin as she continues to think for a moment, eventually saying, “White House Correspondant’s Dinner last year you said Gwayne’s speech sounded like it had been written by someone who googled synonyms for every other word. Yeah, that was me.”

“That was justified because who the fuck uses the word curmudgeon in a comical speech?” Rhaenyra rolls her eyes. “Whatever, go get yourself something nice. I get paid from the list of actually important people in the West Wing.”

Alicent bites back a retort, settling for just a glare as she retreats back towards the bar, grateful to get another drink as soon as possible. As covert as this place is, Alicent can still feel eyes on her as she stands by the bar, though half the time she can’t tell if it’s because of her job or because of the company she’s currently keeping.

“Alicent Hightower, I thought I recognized you,” a male voice interrupts her train of thought and Alicent groans as she turns to see a man she maybe recognizes, but honestly can’t place right now. Knowing her luck, it’s probably some greasy manchild she slept with in college before figuring out she didn’t swing that way no matter how many times she forced it to happen. “Long time, no see.” 

“Yeah, God, what’s it been—” she feigns recognition, letting her sentence drift off and hoping he’ll fill in the blank.

“Undergrad, right?” he supplies thankfully, “Like, sophomore year I think was the last time I saw you anywhere other than a television. Crazy we’re both working in D.C. now, but you’re with the big wigs. Well, almost big wigs.”

“My office is still in the West Wing,” Alicent points out with raised eyebrows as she waits anxiously for her drink to arrive. “Where’s yours?”

“Politico, these days, actually,” the man—whose name she is still seriously struggling to remember tells her and Alicent tries not to look as tense as she feels. Judging by the way he’s eyeing her, they either slept together or he wishes they did, she still isn’t sure. But what she is sure of is the last thing she wants to do right now is speak to a journalist. “I can’t believe I have you here, yeah, hey, is it true the Vice President got into a fight with the First Lady over her comments?” 

Alicent gnaws at the inside of her cheek, grateful when the martini finally lands in front of her. She hands the card over to the bartender, noticing the man watching her carefully. “Rhaenyra Targaryen’s card, now that’s interesting.”

“Look, Dan, or Andrew, or whatever the fuck your name is,” Alicent starts with a faux-polite smile. “You may think that because you fucked me in college or dreamed about fucking me in college that you can stand here and weasel information out of me and get your little in at the white house, but that’s not going to happen. I am not at work, I am at a bar on my night off and frankly, as a, I’m sure, respected journalist, you should know better not to piss off your sources. Politico should have the official Vice Presidential statement on their desk ready for print already, you’re late.” 

Alicent reaches for her martini, downing the small cocktail in one gulp of rage before pushing past the man, purposefully bumping her shoulder into his as she stalks off towards the bathroom. Maybe it’s a bad look, but no matter how long Alicent has worked in politics, she has never quite gained patience for arrogant men. Besides, it’s her night off. The press can run a story on the bitchy Communications Director all they want, but unless she works for POTUS, her name would fade from papers within a day. 

She shoves open the door for the bathroom with a shudder, hands gripping the clean porcelain of the sink as she stares at her reflection. Her cheeks are flushed with the alcohol and her hair billows down her back, framing the exposed skin of her shoulders and collarbones. Alicent works to steady herself, taking deep breaths until her petty anger subsides. The door opens behind her and Alicent straightens up, sucking in a deep breath and trying to appear like she’s regained her composure. When she looks in the reflection, though, she sees it’s just Rhaenyra. 

“What do you want?” she snaps, keeping her eyes on the reflection instead of turning around to face her. Rhaenyra is watching her carefully, eyes tracing down her form as if trying to take stock of her. 

“I saw a douchebag standing at the bar where you were supposed to be and caught you storming off,” Rhaenyra shrugs, leaning against one of the stall separators with her hands shoved in her pockets, watching Alicent’s eyes in the mirror. “Did he try anything with you?”

Alicent sighs, shaking her head. “No, no, just work. It’s always fucking work. I can’t live and breathe without speaking for the fucking Vice President. It’s exhausting.” 

Rhaenyra watches her for a moment, taking a step forward but not quite closing the space between the two of them. Alicent is careful to watch her every move. “We don’t have to talk about work.” 

Her eyes watch the reflection, hands twitching against the sink. Maybe it’s the alcohol or the petty annoyance flowing through her veins, but Rhaenyra’s offer sounds remarkable. Rhaenyra takes another step and Alicent bows her head, contemplating. She can feel Rhaenyra’s eyes on her—always on her. 

She barely registers her own actions as she turns around and pulls Rhaenyra to her, grabbing her by the belt loops and smashing their lips together. She doesn’t have time to think about the connotations of such a thing—Lord knows she’ll blame it on the alcohol if Rhaenyra asks her about it—all she cares about is the heat of Rhaenyra’s lips on hers. Rhaenyra kisses her back deeply, pushing Alicent up against the sink with a strong hand on her waist, sliding a thigh between her legs up against the fabric of her dress. 

Alicent is vaguely aware they could be walked in on at any moment, but Rhaenyra seems to voice this conclusion first, breathing out in between panting kisses, “We should—we should get out of here. I’d rather you be in the papers for cussing out a reporter than an affair in the bar bathroom.” 

“Is this an affair now? Is that what it is?” Alicent asks, a teasing lilt in her voice that she would deny if asked about it at gunpoint. She does not joke with Rhaenyra. She’s simply had a couple of martinis and didn’t eat enough today. This is a petty excuse considering her mind feels absolutely clear enough to follow Rhaenyra out of the bathroom as quickly as possible.  

Her car pulls up quickly and Alicent lets Rhaenyra open the door for her if only for the sake of brevity, settling into the car as her heart races with anticipation. Rhaenyra pulls away from the curb quickly, driving safely enough for Alicent to not be concerned, but fast enough for her to know Rhaenyra is feeling the same shiver of anticipation as her. Alicent checks her phone briefly, immensely grateful to see nothing from Gwayne or anyone else on her team. The last thing she wants to think about right now is work. 

They don’t drive for long before Rhaenyra pulls up in front of a townhome—something that looks oddly cozy given Rhaenyra’s personality, but Alicent can pick it apart later. Right now, all she cares about is Rhaenyra’s arm helping her out of the car and tugging her inside. 

The door is barely shut behind them before Rhaenyra is shoving her up against it, though she hesitates—clearly waiting for Alicent to make the first move. Alicent thinks of the silent question and what her answer might mean, but she can’t bring herself to care about that right now. Rhaenyra’s nose brushes against hers, their lips a hair's breadth apart. Alicent closes the gap first, though Rhaenyra deepens the kiss immediately, keeping Alicent pressed up against the door with a hand on her waist, fingers digging into the fabric of her dress. 

“God, I’ve wanted to take this thing off you the moment I saw you,” Rhaenyra groans against her mouth, pulling her away from the door and heading for the stairs. Alicent follows her willingly, keeping her fingers intertwined with Rhaenyra’s as her heels click against the wood, echoing around the stairwell in their urgency. 

Rhaenyra backs into the door of her bedroom, tugging Alicent with her as their lips meet once more. Alicent kicks off her pumps without a second glance, pulling away from Rhaenyra and letting the air settle between them. 

Rhaenyra watches her carefully as Alicent turns around, pulling her hair to the side and over her shoulder. “Well? You wanted to take it off of me.” 

That’s all it takes for Rhaenyra to jump into action, a warm hand on her shoulder as the other tugs the zipper of her dress down, letting the dark fabric fall from her shoulders and down to the floor. Rhaenyra presses a kiss to the nape of her neck, another hand finding her waist as her back presses against Rhaenyra’s still clothed chest. Alicent is innately curious what it’ll be like when they finally have time and proper privacy. It’s exhilarating to think about. 

Keeping Alicent pressed up against her, Rhaenyra’s hand trails around her waist until her palm presses flat against her stomach, the tip of her thumb just barely dipping below the waistband of her underwear. Alicent sighs, letting her head fall back against Rhaenyra’s chest, eyes slipping closed as she revels in the touch of the other woman. Alicent almost feels content to let Rhaenyra take charge— almost. 

She turns around in Rhaenyra’s arms, shoving her hands beneath the shoulders of her blazer and pushing it down until it drops to the floor in a crumpled mess of fabric. Alicent pushes Rhaenyra until the backs of her knees hit the bed, watching as Rhaenyra climbs onto the mattress, kicking off her shoes and undoing her belt. 

“You know,” Rhaenyra comments, propping herself up on her elbows as she climbs further up the mattress. She tilts her head, a flirtatious grin on her face as she continues, “Since we’re in the comfort of my own home…”

“Out with it,” Alicent groans, climbing onto the mattress after her until her thighs straddle Rhaenyra’s hips, careful fingers undoing the buttons of her shirt. The more she unbuttons the sooner she realizes that Rhaenyra isn’t wearing a bra. Alicent bites her lip as Rhaenyra lets her chest become exposed, running her hands down her skin and just barely brushing her fingers against the woman’s erect nipples. 

Rhaenyra sits up, a hand at the small of Alicent’s back as she brings the woman close enough to whisper in her ear, asking, “How about I fuck you properly?” 

Alicent bites back a whine as she climbs off of Rhaenyra’s lap, nodding as carefully as she can. Control, she’s the one in control here. If only the thought of riding Rhaenyra’s cock wasn’t driving her absolutely crazy right now. Alicent reaches for her zipper, tugging Rhaenyra’s slacks down along with her underwear, nothing but her button-up hanging loosely off her shoulders. Rhaenyra opens her bedside drawer, reaching for her strap.

“Do this often?” Alicent asks with a slight chuckle. She reaches around her own back to unclip her strapless bra. Rhaenyra catches the movement, eyes flicking immediately to Alicent’s exposed breasts as she becomes momentarily distracted. 

Rhaenyra climbs off the bed, stepping into the harness and pulling it up her hips. Alicent’s eyes trace the strong lines of her body, appreciating every bit of skin exposed to her. “I keep it clean, don’t worry.” 

Alicent rolls her eyes, watching the woman with her teeth between her lip, practically twitching with anticipation. Rhaenyra pulls lube out of her bedside drawer as well, tossing it onto the mattress beside Alicent and following shortly after. Rhaenyra grabs Alicent roughly by the hips, kissing down her jaw and neck before lingering on her tits, lips and tongue taking a nipple into her mouth. Alicent gasps at the sensation around her sensitive flesh, hips bucking up towards Rhaenyra. As if sensing her desperation, Rhaenyra dips a hand into her underwear, tugging the fabric down her legs until it’s tossed aside entirely. Alicent is dripping between her thighs and Rhaenyra is quick to dip her fingers into her soaked folds, teasing at her clit before dipping down to her entrance. 

Rhaenyra is quick to press two fingers into her entrance, stretching her out in preparation for her strap—which is bigger than Alicent is used to, mainly because she so rarely gets the opportunity unless it’s a stolen moment with herself at night. Alicent’s hips buck up against the mattress, seeking out more and more of Rhaenyra’s touch. Rhaenyra bites and sucks on her chest, no doubt leaving a mark—one that’s still low enough to be covered by her work clothes. Alicent is glad that of all things Rhaenyra seems to understand discretion the most. 

She can feel her desperation building as Rhaenyra stretches her fingers out inside of her, adding a third with her next inward press. Alicent has had enough of this. With a strong hand on her shoulder, Alicent pushes Rhaenyra until she lies on her back against the mattress. She reaches for the lube and pours some onto her palm, reaching for Rhaenyra’s strap and lathering it properly. Rhaenyra’s watching her with wide eyes, desire lacing her every feature. Alicent’s heart thrums in her chest, a chill of anticipation running down her spine as she climbs onto Rhaenyra’s lap, a hand bracing herself on her shoulder. 

Rhaenyra’s hands find her waist as Alicent lines herself up with Rhaenyra’s cock, biting back a whimper as it first presses at her entrance. 

“Fuck,” Alicent breathes out as she sinks down onto Rhaenyra’s strap, nails digging into her shoulder. Her eyes slip closed as she bottoms out, slowly grinding her hips against Rhaenyra’s as she gets used to feeling of being so full. Pleasure thrums through her veins as she rolls her hips, relishing in the way Rhaenyra’s fingers dig into her skin. 

“God, you’re—”

“If you call me beautiful, I will cut your throat out,” Alicent seethes, keeping her eyes closed as a hand presses flat against Rhaenyra’s chest, chasing her own pleasure on Rhaenyra’s cock. A steady moan falls from her lips as she lifts herself up and slams herself back down, working with Rhaenyra to create a steady pace. 

Rhaenyra only seems content to lie still for so long as she begins to fuck into Alicent, hips snapping up against the mattress as her pace quickens, fingers digging into Alicent’s waist. Alicent’s wetness drips against her thighs as she can feel her orgasm building. She doesn’t want this to end, she wants the night to be wasted riding Rhaenyra’s cock, feeling so unbelievably full as Rhaenyra gives her orgasm after orgasm. 

Words are lost on her as broken moans tear from her throat, nails digging into Rhaenyra’s skin and scraping lines down her chest. Rhaenyra grunts the ring of the harness almost certainly pressing down on her clit as Alicent fucks herself on her cock. Alicent’s first orgasm catches her off guard, washing through her as she lets out a wrecked moan, head falling as her eyes remain closed, frantically grinding her hips against Rhaenyra as she chases more and more of her pleasure. 

One orgasm doesn’t seem to deter Rhaenyra in the slightest as she grabs Alicent’s hips and turns them around, her cock slipping almost entirely out of Alicent as she presses the woman down against the mattress only to slam back into her and fuck her at a pace that is nothing short of brutal. Alicent lets her take control, hands gripping Rhaenyra’s shoulders as she lets herself be fucked into the mattress. Rhaenyra’s hips snap against hers over and over again to a point where Alicent is almost certain her legs will be sore in the morning, but she doesn’t care. 

“Fuck, Rhaenyra,” Alicent breathes out, scratching lines down Rhaenyra’s back. She wants to leave a mark the same way Rhaenyra is leaving a mark on her. Equally destroyed, equally forced to remember in the morning. 

Rhaenyra leans down, tracing her lips up Alicent’s neck and jaw until she reaches her ear, “I can’t believe all it took to shut you up was my cock.”

Alicent groans, “If you ever tell anyone about this, I will single handedly guarantee you never work in D.C. ever again.”  

Rhaenyra meets this statement by pulling almost entirely out of Alicent before slamming back in and picking up her brutal, hurried pace once more, easing a scream out of Alicent. She can’t remember the last time someone made her this loud in bed. She’d be embarrassed if it didn’t feel so fucking good. 

A second orgasm wrecks her, Alicent’s entire body clenching around Rhaenyra’s cock for a split second before she feels entirely boneless. She tugs Rhaenyra close to her by the loose fabric of her shirt that’s still hanging half off of her shoulders, bringing their lips together. She bites Rhaenyra’s lip until she tastes a tinge of blood, feeling the way Rhaenyra moans against her mouth, slowing down her thrusts in a lazy pace, though not quite pulling out of Alicent. Alicent keeps her hands on the small of Rhaenyra’s back, not letting her pull out as she remnants of her orgasm rattle through her. 

They separate into a mess of panting and mingled breath and Alicent finally lets go of her, letting Rhaenyra pull out of her entirely and fall down onto the mattress beside her. Alicent rests her hands against her stomach, watching out of the side of her eye as Rhaenyra kicks the harness down her legs and tosses it to the floor to be worried about later. 

“Are you going to run away after this time, too?” Rhaenyra asks once the silence between them has settled. 

Alicent shakes her head. “I’m not sure I can walk, so not yet.”

“Not yet,” Rhaenyra repeats, a sense of mock awe in her voice, “We’ve come so far.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Alicent breathes out, yanking Rhaenyra over to her and pressing their lips together. She shouldn’t have let herself kiss Rhaenyra—she knew the moment she broke, then she wouldn’t be able to stop. Now that she knows Rhaenyra’s taste, she knows it’ll be harder to forget it than to have never known it at all. 

When they pull apart, Rhaenyra breathes out, “I thought you only kissed people you like?”

Alicent groans, rolling her eyes. “You are on thin ice, Rhaenyra.” 

“Whatever, whatever,” Rhaenyra scoffs, getting out of bed. Secretly, Alicent mourns the loss of the warmth. She reaches into her dresser drawers, pulling out fresh underwear and tugging them on along with a pair of sweats. “You’re more than welcome to shower if you want. And I can lend you something if you want to stay.”

Alicent sits up abruptly. Staying the night is a huge no in her book. But at the same time—she’d have to call a car to pick her up from Rhaenyra’s house at one in the morning and if the driver recognizes her, that could be bad news. Not to mention the idea of getting up at all seems absolutely miserable to her right now. She knows if she stays the night, Rhaenyra will probably tease her endlessly about it, but that may be a price she’s willing to pay. 

After a moment, the decision is made. She sighs, “Just hand me some clothes.” 

Rhaenyra nods, grabbing a t-shirt and sweats and tossing them in Alicent’s direction. As she dresses, Alicent watches as Rhaenyra handles her dress carefully, putting it on a hanger and letting it hang from her closet door. The gesture does not go unnoticed by Alicent, though she refuses to comment on it. 

“I can sleep on the couch, or—”

“Jesus Christ, you were just inside of me, I think we can share a fucking bed,” Alicent spits out, shaking her head slightly as she runs fingers through her mussed up hair. Rhaenyra just shrugs, tugging off the blanket they had just destroyed before climbing under the sheets. Alicent keeps a safe amount of distance between the two of them, turning her back to Rhaenyra. 

She half expects Rhaenyra to make some stupid joke, but instead she just settles silently, turning onto her side. Alicent almost wants to turn around and face her, but she doesn’t let herself. This isn’t happening and they will never speak of it again. 

Alicent falls asleep to the soft brush of Rhaenyra’s knuckles against her back.

Chapter Text

Alicent wanted to sneak out of Rhaenyra’s house before the woman awoke to endlessly mock her for staying the night, but, unfortunately, they both work for the White House. And the White House has other plans for Alicent. Rhaenyra’s phone is the first to go off around five-thirty in the morning. Alicent groans awake, reaching for her phone before remembering she’s not, in fact, in her own bed in her own apartment, but instead, in Rhaenyra’s. She rushes to silence her phone before the realization dawns on her that it’s Rhaenyra’s phone going off, which means Rhaenyra herself is beginning to stir awake. This movement also causes Alicent to realize that somewhere in the night, Rhaenyra’s arm slid across her waist. The absence of warmth is noticeable almost immediately.  

She sighs softly to herself as Rhaenyra shoots a glance over to Alicent before pressing the phone to her ear with a quick, “Hello?” 

Rhaenyra mouths a silent apology to Alicent as she climbs out of the bed, heading out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Alicent contemplates her options. She should grab her dress and shoes and get the hell out of here, but that now involves saying goodbye to Rhaenyra. Her options are feeling incredibly limited. She groans, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she climbs out of bed. 

The phone call is concluded by the time Alicent makes it downstairs, finding Rhaenyra making coffee downstairs, two mugs sitting on the counter. Alicent bristles at the sight, wishing she had a chance to sneak out. Rhaenyra is watching her carefully as if she’s some escaped zoo animal resting on her haunches, ready to attack. 

Alicent speaks first, “I should probably get home so I can get to the office. Can’t exactly show up in this.” 

“You look good in it, though,” Rhaenyra comments, pushing a mug over towards Alicent. “I figured you’d take it black, you seem kind of evil in that sense.”

“Fuck off,” Alicent groans—even though she does drink her coffee black. She knows she shouldn’t linger, she needs to leave. She takes the mug anyway. “What was the call?”

“Official POTUS business,” the woman retorts as she leans against the kitchen counter, the two of them facing each other on opposite sides of the small kitchen. “Just kidding, it’s just some shit about the party last night and Senator McDermott is in the hospital.”

Alicent rolls her eyes, “Good, I hope he dies.” 

“Yeah, he’s a shitty one,” Rhaenyra sighs. Her eyes watch Alicent carefully—distantly, Alicent wonders what she sees when she looks at Alicent. “You don’t have to look like such a wounded animal, you know. It’s okay that you’re here. I won’t start thinking you’re in love with me because you stayed the night once. It was logical and you’re always logical.” 

“It’s not that—” she begins, though her sentence fizzles out because it kind of is that. “I don’t hate you, Rhaenyra. I would not be here if I hated you and I know you are not under any false pretenses as to how I feel about you, we both know what this is.”

“So what is it?”

“It’s—” Rhaenyra watches her. Alicent can’t think of any words that could possibly capture this. Last night, Rhaenyra had called it an affair, the thought made her chuckle. “We are two professionals who don’t have time for normal relationships, so we are blowing off some steam. That’s all this is.” 

Rhaenyra nods thoughtfully, taking a sip of her coffee. “So, if you had time for a normal relationship is that what we’d be?” 

She has no answer for the question. If Alicent liked Rhaenyra—which she doesn’t— there would be no time for them to even thoughtfully pursue anything, so the point is overwhelmingly moot. It’s almost midterms, which means the office is going to be a mess of backing and not backing and shitty politics and a billion phone calls for Alicent to take and after that, it never calms down. She’s on call twenty-four hours a day because even if it’s her night off, she’s still blood related to the Vice President meaning she’s never really off. Dating has been out of the question for Alicent for so long she has no idea how to even do it—and that’s all if that’s something she would want to do with Rhaenyra. Which she doesn’t. 

Except, she’s standing in Rhaenyra’s kitchen at five-thirty in the morning, drinking coffee Rhaenyra made. And it’s not excruciating. Rhaenyra’s t-shirt hangs off her a bit just by nature of her height and the coffee is warm and she’s comfortable for once. Alicent isn’t sure what to make of it. 

After she hesitates too long, Rhaenyra seems to figure out that Alicent has no answer for her. “Let me get ready for the office and then I can drop you off at home on my way in.” 

With that, Rhaenyra puts her empty mug in the sink and heads back upstairs, leaving Alicent to finish her own coffee in the kitchen. 

“You’re having sex with someone,” Mysaria stops by Alicent’s desk that Wednesday, catching her entirely off guard. Alicent’s eyes widen as she looks around the office to ensure nobody heard. “We are heading into one of the most stressful times of our West Wing career and you are quite possibly the most relaxed I have ever seen you. Who are you having sex with? Is it one of the interns? I wouldn’t blame you, there are some cute ones this year—”

“I’m not having sex with anyone,” Alicent exclaims before gasping and lowering her voice, repeating in a whisper-shouted tone, “I’m not having sex with anyone. I’ve been… going to yoga.”

“We don’t have time for fucking yoga.”

“And we have time for sex?” 

“If you’re good, yes,” Mysaria scoffs, leaning down with her hands braced against the wood of Alicent’s desk. There are certainly more important things they need to be doing right now than debating Alicent’s sex life, yet here they are. A Senator is in the hospital dying, but Mysaria is focusing on this instead. “So, who is it?”

“It’s no one—” Alicent begins, interrupted by the opening of the door as Rhaenyra pushes into the office. She rolls her eyes because, of course, the woman’s timing couldn’t be worse. “Christ, what does she want?”

“Alicent,” Rhaenyra singles her out, looking out of breath as she pushes past everyone to get to her desk. “I need to talk to you.”

Mysaria’s eyes dart between the two of them and for a moment, Alicent wonders if she’s managed to put the pieces together. If she does make the connection, she says nothing to Alicent—instead raising her hands in mock surrender before disappearing from the desk and going back to speak to Gwayne about something. Alicent sighs with relief the moment the woman is gone, grateful she does not have to attempt to cover for herself any longer. Rhaenyra looks both directions before she leans down and gets far closer to Alicent at her desk than she probably needs to be—especially when Alicent is facing such allegations. 

“That reporter you ran into the other day? Yeah, he’s pissed and I think he kind of used Politico as a means to accuse us of sleeping together,” Rhaenyra explains in a hushed tone, pulling the article up on her phone and sliding it across the desk so Alicent can scroll through it. It’s a flimsy expose on the staff of the White House with a byline that already has Alicent rolling her eyes. She skims the article and sees it’s largely focused on their run-in at the bar paired with a few public sightings of Rhaenyra and Alicent like it’s People Magazine. If Alicent could roll her eyes any further, they would 

“Okay, I’ll draft a state—” is all Alicent can get out before her phone is already ringing. “Jesus Christ—Hi, Politico so great to hear from you, I wasn’t aware you were a fucking gossip mag. I don’t know about you, but I’m not in the business of fucking around. I want whatshisface gone. You and I both know a reporter like that will only ruin you in the end if he’s going to let a petty slight in a bar urge him to write one-thousand words of falsified slop. Oh? A statement? Okay, if grabbing a drink with a colleague after a state-sanctioned event means they’re sleeping together, then the West Wing is a fucking orgy. Goodbye.” 

Alicent hangs up the phone, slamming it down against her desk with a huff before realizing almost everyone in the office is staring at her—Rhaenyra included. She rolls her eyes. “Don’t you guys have jobs to do?” 

Everyone immediately disperses, divulging into their previous tasks and pretending Alicent’s outburst didn’t happen, which she’s grateful for. She does notice Mysaria’s eyes drifting between herself and Rhaenyra, a fact she is not going to acknowledge right now but is going to bookmark in her mind to worry about later. She stands from her desk quickly, motioning for Rhaenyra to follow her onto the balcony away from the prying eyes and ears of their colleagues. 

Alicent doesn’t check to see if Rhaenyra has followed her, but listens for the steady sounds of footfalls behind her as she lights up a cigarette before turning to face her. 

“The way you talked to that reporter really did something for me, I can’t lie,” Rhaenyra chuckles softly as she shoves her hands in her pockets and leans up against the balcony railing. Her eyes are glued to Alicent as she takes a drag, gaze following the hollow of her cheeks and the slow movement of her throat. The coupling of bruises she left on Alicent’s chest are still there—yellow and faded, but undeniably there. Alicent brings her hand to the spot on her chest as she crosses her arms, pressing down softly through the fabric of her blouse to see if they still ache. 

“You have a kink for shouting, it’s weird,” Alicent comments, watching the people and cars of Washington D.C. instead of looking at Rhaenyra. “We’ll have to be more careful. It’s lucky we were both at the party that night, but that won’t always be the case.” 

“Why do you care?” Rhaenyra asks with a shrug. “We’re like D-Level government employees, only the most annoying Poli-Sci major at Georgetown knows who we are. Admit it, you’re just embarrassed to be seen with me. You don’t want people knowing you would stoop so low as to hook up with me, I get it.”

“Don’t—” Alicent begins, not sure what to say to such a statement. She runs a hand through her hair, taking another long drag and hoping it will help to calm her down. “I’m sorry, I don’t need my brother and all of his employees knowing the details of my sex life. And I certainly don’t need them splashed across the front page of Politico, of all places. I do this job because I like pulling the strings, I like working behind the scenes, I don’t want to be front and center. It’s nothing to do with you. I’m not in the business of sleeping with people I’m ashamed with, if I were, I’d still be sleeping with men.” 

Rhaenyra barks out a laugh at this, stepping closer and taking Alicent’s cigarette from her hand, the tips of their fingers brushing as she does so. Alicent blushes slightly at the closed distance between them, knowing her colleagues could take a peek out the window at any moment and catch on. “Well, I’m pretty sure half of D.C. knows I’ve been chasing you like a dog and it’s tail for years. So, I’ve got nothing to hide.” 

This time, Alicent blushes properly, turning away from Rhaenyra so she can’t see the vulnerability spelled out on her face. “Don’t you have work to be doing? Go liaise somewhere.” 

“My entire job is to liaise here,” Rhaenyra scoffs, a light chuckle falling from her lips as she almost steals the last of Alicent’s cigarette before giving it back when she turns back around. Alicent should just light a new one and let Rhaenyra have it, but part of her thrills at the thought of putting her lips where Rhaenyra’s once were. “But you’re right, we shouldn’t talk about this here. If you don’t want people we work with to know, then it’s fine. It’s not like we’re dating.”

“Right,” Alicent sighs, ashing her cigarette as her other hand grips the railing dangerously close to where Rhaenyra’s arm rests against it. It would be nothing at all to reach out and let her fingers brush against the fabric of Rhaenyra’s sleeve. She holds back the urge. “People like us hardly have time for relationships anyway, you and I both know the point is moot.”

Rhaenyra just pushes away from the railing, running a hand over her face as she sighs. “You say that like you like me enough to date me, anyway.”

“Rhaenyra.” She turns to face where the woman now stands, further away than she would like, drumming her fingers against the white railing. “It’s not that I dis like you.”

“That makes me feel great, thanks.”

“You know what this is,” Alicent scoffs, crossing her arms as she turns to face the street. 

She hears Rhaenyra’s footsteps and expects her to walk away, but instead, she just comes up close behind Alicent, whispering in her ear in that low, velvety voice she knows drives Alicent crazy. “Then why do you still have my shirt? And don’t pretend you aren’t still fingering those bruises I left. I know what this is, I made my peace with it, but do you?” 

“Rhaenyra—” Alicent turns around, but Rhaenyra has already backed off, a teasing grin on her face. 

“Why don’t you come over after work tonight? You can bring my shirt back.” The offer is still hanging in the air when Rhaenyra disappears, leaving Alicent nothing short of dumbfounded. She stares at the space Rhaenyra just vacated, in awe, and lights another cigarette. 

Alicent shouldn’t be here. She should have gone home after work instead of driving straight to Rhaenyra’s, yet here she is. Rhaenyra’s clothes sit on her passenger seat—truthfully, she’s had them in her car for days, prepared to give them back to her, but she hasn’t been able to bring herself to do it yet. Alicent isn’t sure why she’s so hung up on such a simple, easy thing, but she is. She huffs, grabbing the clothes and getting out of the car, stomping up to the front door. 

She knocks politely, her fist barely making contact with the door before it swings open to reveal Rhaenyra. The setting sun casts an orange glow on the street, basking Rhaenyra in golden light. Alicent smiles smugly as she holds out the clothes. “As ordered. I’ll be going n—”

As she goes to turn around, content to tease Rhaenyra and leave, Rhaenyra reaches out and grabs her wrist, the clothes falling to the floor inside the entrance as the woman tugs her close enough to kiss her. Alicent melts into the kiss, though she’s initially caught off guard, once she realizes what’s happening, she lets Rhaenyra tug her inside. She had a feeling this was going to happen which is precisely why she should not have come here. Yet, now that she’s here… it’s free game. Rhaenyra’s hands find her waist, sliding into the back pockets of her slacks as Alicent smiles into the kiss. 

“I knew it,” Rhaenyra says as she pulls back, “You do like me.” 

Alicent groans, tugging herself away from Rhaenyra as she closes the door behind her. “Because I let you kiss me now?” 

“You’re blushing down to your collarbones right now, by the way,” Rhaenyra comments as her eyes flicker down to the skin not covered by Alicent’s blazer. She scoffs, making a vain attempt to tug her blazer closed to cover up, but it does nothing. “You like me, let’s go out to dinner.” 

“I—” Alicent opens her mouth and closes it once more, at a loss for words. She looks down at herself helplessly, “I’m in my work clothes.” 

“Just take off the blazer, you look great, you literally always look great,” Rhaenyra chuckles, tugging on Alicent’s waist and bringing her close. Her head hangs down low enough that it would be easy for Alicent to close the gap between the two of them—so, she does. 

It feels strange to kiss Rhaenyra sweetly, without the promise of something more happening between the two of them. The butterflies causing a storm in her stomach are unfamiliar to her and most unwelcome, but she doesn’t know what to do about it. The worst part of it all is that she likes this with Rhaenyra. The kiss begins to deepen as Alicent presses her front against Rhaenyra’s chest, inching closer to the wall so she can get a better vantage against her. 

Rhaenyra laughs, kissing the line of Alicent’s jaw and down her neck. “Try to distract me all you want, I’m still asking you to dinner.” 

“The night is young, we have time for both,” Alicent hums, letting her eyes slip closed as Rhaenyra’s lips meet her flesh again and again. 

“You insatiable woman,” Rhaenyra hums against her skin, only succeeding in tempting her further. Her lips trail back up Alicent’s neck before landing on her lips once more in a saccharine kiss. 

Alicent sighs against Rhaenyra’s lips, pulling away to say, “Okay, fine, we’ll go to dinner.” 

“Beautiful.” Rhaenyra draws her hands along Alicent’s arms before slipping them beneath the shoulders of her blazer, pushing the piece of fabric off. She hangs it on one of the chairs at the kitchen table before tugging Alicent in by the belt loops, eyeing her form. “Perfect, you’re all ready to go.” 

“Whatever,” Alicent can’t help but laugh as she shakes her head softly, “You’re driving.” 

They end up at some burger joint twenty minutes out of D.C—a distance Rhaenyra had teased as “So no one we know will be there.” It must be a place Rhaenyra knows well, though, because she smiles knowingly as Alicent lets out her first burst of delight at the delicious burger in front of her. 

Alicent watches her curiously as she takes the end of her thumb into her mouth to lick off a bit of stray sauce. “You take all your hook-ups here?”

“Is that what we’ve settled on?” Rhaenyra asks, watching Alicent with crossed arms as she leans back in her seat. “Is there a word for when it seems to keep happening?”

Alicent rolls her eyes, “Whatever. You didn’t answer my question.”

Rhaenyra shakes her head, “Nah. I don’t get out much, I work the same hours you do. My mom used to take me here, though, when we’d visit my dad at his office in D.C. We lived about an hour south because we couldn’t afford the city, so when we’d stop here, I’d know we were almost there.”

“Your father worked in D.C? Who’s your father?” Alicent asks, brow furrowed. 

“I’m surprised you don’t know,” Rhaenyra comments with a sly laugh, scratching the side of her nose as she avoids Alicent’s gaze. “My father was Viserys Targaryen.”

Alicent drops her burger softly against the plate. “Your father was the fucking Chief of Staff? Why did I never put that together, oh, my God, you nepo baby! You’re a fucking White House nepo baby!”

Rhaenyra rolls her eyes, raising her hands in mock surrender. “It was ages ago and he served a Republican president, so it hardly counts. Besides, he was already dead by the time I got into politics, it’s not like he was out here pulling strings to get a position. I mean, I’m sure it helped…”

“Of course, it did,” Alicent scoffs. “I can’t believe this. Whatever. I’m over it, I’ve decided to move past it for my own sanity. What about your mother?”

This question gives Rhaenyra pauses and Alicent senses she crossed a line. Even so, Rhaenyra still answers, “Oh, she, um, died when I was twelve. I’ve only been here sparingly since then. There wasn’t much reason to go when we weren’t… yeah.”

The weight of knowing this and knowing that Rhaenyra has now brought Alicent here is heavy on her shoulders. She picks at her fries half-heartedly, avoiding Rhaenyra’s gaze. “I’m sure she was lovely. She at least had good taste in burgers.” 

This gets a small laugh out of Rhaenyra. “She did, yeah, this place is fucking great. And it’s good for when I need to get out of the city for a bit. Even if it’s just because you don’t want to get caught.”

“It’s not a sin to not want everyone in my business,” Alicent sighs. “Besides, I’m no good at hiding it anyway. Gwayne knows I went out with you and Mysaria is convinced I’m having sex with someone, so it’s not long until they conspire against me and put the pieces together. I just… I don’t know. Wanted to hold onto it for myself in some fucked up sort of way. Besides, we’ve barely been at this a week, there’s still time for it to burst into flames.”

When she looks up, Rhaenyra is just watching her with her chin propped up on her palm. Bathed in the light of early evening, Alicent almost can’t take her eyes off of her. Sometimes, she thinks it’s honestly just unfair how attractive Rhaenyra is without even trying. Alicent sighs. “I’m not ashamed of you.”

“I didn’t think you were,” Rhaenyra sighs in response, pulling back and tossing a fry into her mouth. “I mean… maybe a little bit. Then I watched you on the phone with that reporter and I don’t know, I started to get it. We work in a place where everyone knows everything, including everyone’s dirty secrets. It’s a rare thing to get to keep something entirely to yourself.” 

Alicent’s shoulders deflate, weary with relief. Even though some part of her still feels guilty. “You’re right, you know. I do like you despite all my best efforts to prevent such a thing. I don’t know what that is going to mean for myself or for whatever is going on between the two of us because as I’m sure you’re aware, that having feelings in this career is akin to suicide.”

Rhaenyra nods solemnly, though she’s clearly biting back a smile at Alicent’s admission. “I knew it.” 

“Sod off,” Alicent rolls her eyes. A comfortable silence settles between the two of them as they both dig into their meals, seemingly remembering they’re there now that they’re not so lost in each other. Alicent doesn’t know what to do with this at all. She’d love to talk to Gwayne about it—he’s always been the more romantic out of the two of them, but that would require admitting to Gwayne that she a) has a heart and b) is sleeping with Rhaenyra Targaryen. Both of these things would be detrimental to her reputation should he discover them. 

After a while, Alicent admits softly, “I don’t really know what I’m doing.” 

Rhaenyra just chuckles quietly, shaking her head to herself before shooting a teasing grin over in Alicent’s direction. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say that.”

“You bring out the worst in me,” she retorts, though she finds it difficult to bite back the smile. “Shut up and eat your food. We’re running out of time to have good sex before one of us inevitably gets called into work in the middle of the night.”

This earns an honest laugh from Rhaenyra. “Deflect all you want, Alicent, it won’t change the fact that you like me.” 

Alicent leans back in her chair, their ankles crossing and bumping against one another beneath the table. “You’re insufferable.”

“You like it.”

Chapter Text

“Senator McCleary doesn’t want you endorsing him,” Alicent tells Gwayne, sitting cross-legged in his office as she scrolls through her phone with most of her meeting notes on there (perhaps unprofessional, but she refuses to walk around with an iPad—call it un-American, but she hates it). “He thinks you’re gay and bad at your job.”

“He is gay and bad at his job,” Mysaria groans, running a hand through her hair as she pushes her rectangular glasses higher up on her nose. Gwayne guffaws, but Mysaria keeps speaking before he can properly interrupt. “I think we should shift gears to Senator Oran anyway, she’s popular with the 18-24 demographic like Gwayne is and unlike McCleary, she’s not on record saying abortion is murder, so she’s got that going for her.”

Alicent nods, continuing to scroll through her notes, “Yeah, I’ll reach out to her secretary to get a confirmation and send it your way, Mys. Anything else for us, Gwayne?”

Gwayne just sits at his desk with his chin on his palm and a bored expression on his face. “Why do I hire people just for them to be mean to me? I pay you and this is how you treat me. Gay and bad at my job. Only one of those is true, come on.”

“Aw, you’ve been straight the whole time?” Alicent muses with a condescending expression, tilting her head with wide, affectionate eyes as she looks at Gwayne. Before he can retort, she stands up in a huff, walking over and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “Gotta go. Some of us are good at our jobs and have things to do.”

Before he can protest, Alicent leaves the office with just Criston and Mysaria in there, letting the door close softly behind her. The first thing she sees when she turns is Rhaenyra sitting at her desk with her feet propped up on the wood. Alicent rolls her eyes, stalking over and shoving Rhaenyra’s legs off the desk with a resounding thud. Rhaenyra is all too relaxed, looking at Alicent with a teasing grin. She knew admitting she didn’t hate her would go straight to her head—really, Alicent should have seen this coming. 

“Sorry, I don’t have any meeting time for idiots, you’ll have to come back tomorrow,” Alicent hums, looking at her watch as she leans against her desk, eyes tracing over the sight of Rhaenyra in her chair. “Oh, actually, now that I think about it, I’m busy then, too.”

“You lack bite these days, Hightower, I’m starting to feel bad for you,” Rhaenyra retorts with a gentle laugh. Beneath the desk, where no one can see, she bumps her ankle against Alicent’s. “Who’s VP backing for midterms?” 

“Oran. McCleary isn’t a fan of my brother, you guys are probably better off backing him than we are, though I’m not entirely sure it really matters in the end. It works out anyway since Oran is a New Yorker and we lived there for years so if you squint it’s a cute little home state moment,” Alicent explains with a shrug, bumping Rhaenyra back. She looks around, acutely aware of a couple of people’s eyes on them, but nothing to be overly worried about. It’s not as if they’re doing anything particularly compromising—although, speaking to each other in a friendly manner could be considered compromising to certain people (re: the overly perceptive Mysaria), but she’s still in the office with Gwayne meaning Alicent is safe for now. 

Rhaenyra nods thoughtfully, crossing her arms. “Good choice, just like Barry.”

“Fuck off.”

“If you say please, maybe,” Rhaenyra’s response is quick, poignant as she stands, now a head taller than Alicent. “Coming to dinner tonight?” 

Alicent looks around with wide eyes, pressing a finger against Rhaenyra’s chest and pushing her back so there’s a bit more space between the two of them. “You need to be quiet. The last thing I need is everyone finding out I spend time with you willingly. Now, if you don’t mind, we’re a month out from midterms and I have work to do.” 

Rhaenyra scoffs, rolling her eyes and stepping around Alicent’s desk, making sure to bump Alicent’s shoulder on the way out. Alicent sighs, shaking her head in disapproval as she watches Rhaenyra walk away to bother some of her other coworkers. Settling down at her desk, she finds herself missing the woman’s presence more than she would like to admit. The past couple weeks, they’ve been seeing each other far too often considering how busy they are. She hasn’t let anything at work slip, but Alicent is dangerously close to starting to look forward to seeing Rhaenyra. It’s not a good look considering her beloved reputation for being the most cold hearted bitch in the office. The last thing she needs is for people to know they can get to her. 

That being said, she is partially, maybe looking forward to seeing Rhaenyra tonight. Only a little bit. 

Rhaenyra picks her up for dinner. Alicent had barely just made it out of the office with enough time to change into a black slip dress with some half-sheer black tights and mary jane pumps by the time Rhaenyra is knocking on her door. She’s let her hair loose from the claw clip she shoved it into today, auburn curls now billowing down her shoulders, still rustling with the way she rushed to get to the door. She swings it open to reveal Rhaenyra—her eyes trace over the woman’s form, taking in the ivory dress shirt that’s more unbuttoned than it is buttoned, tucked into black slacks with sleek loafers to match. Alicent is still fastening a pearl earring as she opens the door, nodding for Rhaenyra to enter. 

“Sorry, something with Oran’s reps got held up, took forever to get settled on a fucking statement,” Alicent huffs, heading over to the mirror in the entryway so she can finish putting the earring on. She grabs the necklace she planned to wear off the entry table and tries to put it on, but Rhaenyra stops her with a hand on her shoulder.

Alicent sighs and hands the clasp over to Rhaenyra, who gets it with ease. “It’s fine, we have some time until our reservation anyway. Almost enough time for me to show you how much I love this dress.”

Alicent can’t help but chuckle as Rhaenyra presses up against her back, her hands teasing at the hem of Alicent’s dress. The offer is a tempting one—one that Alicent currently feels pooling in between her thighs, but her penchant for punctuality is her undoing. “I would hate for us to be late.” 

She turns around and Rhaenyra takes this moment to push her up against the entry table gently until Alicent’s hands grip the edge of the wood. “Careful, hm, this table’s curated vintage. Took me ages to find.” 

“You’re so pretentious, it’s hot,” Rhaenyra mutters against her neck, pressing a kiss to the line of her jaw. Alicent lets her eyes slip closed, relishing in the strained touch for a minute. Her hands ghost along Rhaenyra’s waistband, oh so tempted to risk being late to dinner. She continues kissing down Alicent's neck and down where her collarbones are exposed, “I can be quick.”

“Down boy,” Alicent laughs, a finger underneath Rhaenyra’s chin tilting her head up so Alicent can meet her lips. She forwent lipstick for this exact reason—she can always apply it in the car when she’s certain she won’t be overly tempted to smear it across Rhaenyra’s lips and chin. “You were the one who asked me to dinner on our night off.” 

Rhaenyra pulls back with an overexaggerated pout, her hand loosely grabbing Alicent’s wrist and beginning to tug her to the door. “Yeah, but that was before I saw how good you look. Now I only have one thing on my mind. But fine, we’ll eat, I guess. Mainly because I can’t believe you agreed to this.”

“We went out last week,” Alicent reminds her as she grabs her purse and locks the door behind them. “I know keeping track of things is hard for you, but I should hope you remember such a thing. I’d be insulted if you didn’t.”

“Yeah, but that was cheap burgers, this is a proper date,” Rhaenyra hums, “You’ve got on a pretty dress and everything. This is monumental. I didn’t even have to blackmail you.”

Alicent scoffs and rolls her eyes, shifting their hands so her fingers can interlock with Rhaenyra’s. Rhaenyra seems hesitant to accept the gesture at first before eventually her hand relaxes and she clasps Alicent’s with ease. It feels easy to walk side by side with her down to the curb where Rhaenyra’s car is waiting for them. Rhaenyra opens the door and Alicent reluctantly lets go to slide into the passenger seat. 

“This place isn’t so far out of town, but it’s so good, you’re not allowed to be mad at me,” Rhaenyra comments as they drive off. Alicent just scoffs, hiding her smile with her hand as she watches the city streets pass by. Sometimes Alicent wonders what it’s like to have a true day off—to just get to roam around the city she lives in and take in the sights around her. She’s lived in D.C. for years and so rarely has she truly stepped outside of the West Wing. “Alicent?”

“Sorry,” Alicent comes back to attention as she turns to face Rhaenyra, crossing one leg over the other and resting her hands in her lap. It’s a bit uncomfortable since her subconscious is almost certainly still entertaining the offer Rhaenyra presented her with, but she’ll have to survive. “Was just thinking about stuff.”

“Stuff, very specific,” Rhaenyra chuckles, shaking her head slightly as they take a left turn. 

“Do you ever just wish we got time off?” Alicent sighs, running a hand through her hair. “I used to love the non-stop thrum of working in D.C, but lately, I don’t know. Maybe I need a vacation.”

Rhaenyra hums thoughtfully, considering Alicent’s words carefully. “We could go somewhere. Take a weekend off after midterms or something, might be nice.” 

Alicent doesn’t think too harshly about it—a weekend getaway with Rhaenyra like they’re some sort of couple. Aren’t they? After all, they are currently dolled up to go to a nice dinner like it’s some anniversary instead of just an average Friday night. “It’d be impossible to get the time. I mean, even if we’re on vacation, you know we’re still working.”

“Yeah, but you could be working from a hotel room in Italy or wherever,” Rhaenyra says with a wave of her hand. Alicent sighs and considers it, her gaze once again falling to the window. The restaurant comes into view—an upscale Italian place Alicent remembers hearing about. The door is opened for her by the valet and Rhaenyra offers her a hand to help her out of the car. Alicent hardly thinks twice about lacing their fingers together once more. It feels too natural being with Rhaenyra, too easy. They were never supposed to get this far—Alicent was supposed to hate her for all eternity and it’s starting to get very disconcerting that she does not seem to be able to hate Rhaenyra anymore, no matter how hard she tries. Everything she used to find irritating about Rhaenyra is just endearing to her now; it’s a curse. 

They settle down into a booth and Alicent allows her ankle to brush against Rhaenyra’s pant leg as they’re handed menus. Rhaenyra orders a bottle of wine and Alicent lets her, poring over her options and enjoying the moment of peace. 

“So, no work talk,” Rhaenyra prefaces, “Give me like a favorite movie or something. I have almost nothing to go off of.”

Alicent snorts, “I haven’t had time to watch movies in about six years. If I had to choose… Coraline. Childhood favorite.”

“You were a little creep, weren’t you?” Rhaenyra asks with a loud laugh, “That movie is scary to me now, I can’t imagine little baby Alicent watching that.”

“I was never a baby, I just popped out of the womb fully formed and entirely evil,” Alicent reminds her playfully as their bottle of wine arrives and the waiter pours a glass for them each. Alicent happily takes a sip, grateful at the first brush of red wine down her throat. Her ankle runs comfortingly against Rhaenyra’s leg, resting there. 

“You’re not evil,” Rhaenyra mutters, sounding defensive as if the statement personally offended her. She clears her throat and looks up from her menu, asking, “Is this like a Benjamin Button situation? Should I be worried about you turning into a baby?”

Alicent shrugs, “You may be in the clear, but I suppose only time will tell.”

Dinner dissolves into quiet and entertaining conversation and Alicent finds herself entirely at peace. Her phone doesn’t ring and neither does Rhaenyra’s and for a moment it feels as if they have a proper moment to exist to themselves. Alicent still feels the flush from the wine as she follows Rhaenyra out to the car, hand clinging onto hers. As she gets into the car, Rhaenyra presses a quick kiss to her temple before helping her in and Alicent can feel her cheeks flushing red as a result. 

The drive back to Alicent’s apartment is a quiet one filled with soft music from the radio and Rhaenyra’s hand resting gently on Alicent’s thigh as she leans with her elbow on the center console and her chin on her palm. Something once restless has now settled in her chest and Alicent has no clue what to make of it. 

Standing on the curb outside her apartment, Alicent lingers. She leans on the brick wall that leads to her building, two hands holding the handle of her bag as Rhaeryra looks at her with her hair loose in her eyes and her hands shoved in her pockets. In the lamplight, she’s the most beautiful thing Alicent has ever seen.

“It really is stupidly unfair how attractive you are,” Alicent sighs, tilting her head as if to look at Rhaenyra from a better angle. She voices the question she knows Rhaenyra was thinking of anyway, “So, are you coming upstairs or not?”

“I was waiting for the lady to give me permission,” Rhaenyra chuckles, stepping forward and sliding her arm around Alicent’s waist while the woman unlocks the front door to her building. 

Alicent rolls her eyes, “Are you a vampire? You’re the one who was whining about how badly you wanted this dress off earlier.”

“Permission is still important,” Rhaenyra reasons with a laugh, letting Alicent practically drag her up the stairs. Alicent finds herself giddy—like a little girl with a crush on the playground. She opens the door to her apartment with Rhaenyra’s warm breath at her back, an arm around her waist. 

She turns around in Rhaenyra’s arms, wrapping her arms around her neck and practically dragging her into the apartment, kicking the door closed behind them. Rhaenyra presses her up against the entry table and kisses her deeply. Her hands run up Alicent’s thighs, gripping one leg tightly and holding it up, her hand slowly inching below the silky fabric of her dress. Alicent lets her fingers tangle in Rhaenyra’s nape, kissing her with the same hunger she’s had to suppress all night. All she could think about over dinner was Rhaenyra pressing her into the mattress again. 

“God, fuck me, please,” Alicent breathes against her lips, the two of them stumbling through the apartment towards Alicent’s bedroom. They haven’t done this here yet—in fact, Rhaenyra has never been more than two steps into her apartment until right now, but she can hardly focus on such a fact when Rhaenyra is kissing down her neck, hands gripping her so fiercely like she’s afraid Alicent is going to let go. 

They stumble into Alicent’s room—highlighted by slivers of moonlight and little else. Alicent tugs Rhaenyra’s shirt out of where it’s tucked into her slacks, unbuttoning the remaining buttons and sliding it off of her shoulders. Rhaenyra reaches for her face, kissing her like a starved man getting his first bite. Alicent moans into the kiss as Rhaenyra slides one strap off her shoulder and then the next, the light fabric falling to the floor. 

She tugs Rhaenyra onto the bed, pausing with a sigh to undo the straps on her shoes to which Rhaenyra just smiles at her, kissing down her neck and chest as she finally kicks them off, tugging her tights down with them as soon as she can. 

“You really do need it, don’t you?” Rhaenyra teases against her chest, pushing Alicent down against the mattress as her kisses continue. She tugs one of Alicent’s nipples into her mouth, teasing the sensitive flesh with her tongue and the warmth of her mouth as Alicent moans, hands tangling in her short blonde locks as her hips buck up against Rhaenyra’s strong form, desire thrumming in her veins.

“God—yes,” Alicent spits through broken moans. “Your cock, please.” 

Rhaenyra looks up at her, strands of hair falling in her eyes and a coy smile on her lips, “You got something for me, princess?” 

Alicent bites her lip and nods, reaching for her lowest bedside drawer. She pulls out a harness (one an ex left years ago and Alicent was not letting that go) and tosses it over to Rhaenyra with a pleading look in her eyes. 

She watches as Rhaenyra stands from the bed, undoing her belt and pulling it out of its loops achingly slow as if knowing just how badly Alicent wants her right now. Alicent’s fingers fist in the sheets as she watches Rhaenyra, eyes tracing every line of her body as if trying to commit it to memory—(Sometimes, Alicent wishes she got into art instead of politics if only so she could observe Rhaenyra’s body with the eye it deserves). 

When Rhaenyra is ready, she leans down and lifts Alicent’s chin with two fingers, lips just barely ghosting over hers, not close enough to touch, but enough to feel the warm breath carried with her words, “I think I’ve got you more wrapped around my finger than you’ll admit.” 

Alicent pulls back just as Rhaenyra goes for the kiss, a teasing grin on her face. “Don’t let that ego get too big, you know I’m still in charge.” 

“How could I forget?” Rhaenyra hums, climbing onto the bed until she’s on top of Alicent. Her weight is a comfort, one that only furthers the pooling desire in her underwear. The brush of the dildo against the pressure between her legs is only making it worse, but Alicent is determined to keep her brave face up. If she wants to be in charge, the last thing she can do is give away just how badly she needs this. 

Rhaenyra kisses down her chest, fingers teasing at her underwear, running beneath the fabric along the crease of her thigh yet not quite tugging it down. Alicent’s had enough of this. She puts a strong hand against Rhaenyra’s chest, pushing her until her back is against the mattress. Rhaenyra just smiles as if this was her plan all along. 

She rolls her eyes, running her hand down the smooth flesh of Rhaenyra’s chest. Her hands ghost over Rhaenyra’s tits, lightly brushing against a nipple and watching the way Rhaenyra’s mouth falls open in a quiet gasp that she very quickly tries to bite back—right where Alicent wants her. Alicent keeps Rhaenyra down as she pushes her own underwear aside, dipping two fingers into her own slick folds, very aware of how Rhaenyra’s eyes are watching her carefully. 

Alicent continues making Rhaenyra watch her—one of her hands coming up to reach for Alicent’s cunt, but she’s quick to push it back down. Alicent dips two fingers into herself, stretching herself out carefully and quickly because, as much as she’d like to keep up appearances, she thinks she may die if she doesn’t have Rhaenyra’s cock in her in the next five minutes. Rhaenyra, however, does not need to know such a thing. 

When she feels she’s prepared enough, she slides her fingers out, settling herself on Rhaenyra’s hips just below where she really wants to be. Alicent reaches out and rests her slick fingers on Rhaenyra’s bottom lip. Dutifully, she opens up and Alicent watches as Rhaenyra sucks her fingers into her mouth. Alicent bites back a moan as her teeth gnaw at her bottom lip, stuck in the feeling of Rhaenya’s tongue swirling around her lips. 

She lets Rhaenyra grab her hips as she adjusts so she can tug her underwear down and toss it aside completely. Alicent tilts her head down, curls falling over her shoulders, asking, “Who’s in charge?” 

“I think you know,” Rhaenyra breathes out, sounding absolutely out of breath as her hands dig into Alicent’s hips tightly enough to bruise. Alicent suppresses a moan as she climbs back onto Rhaenyra’s thighs, lining herself up with the slick cock waiting for her. She stifles a moan as Rhaenyra guides her down, feeling the way she stretches around Rhaenyra. A whine falls from her lips as she sinks down until her hips are flush with Rhaenyra’s, a gentle gasp outlining her mouth in a gentle ‘o’ as she begins to grind against her cock. 

Rhaenyra is just watching her with a curious look in her eyes, guiding her hips with each movement. Her grip is fierce as she digs into Alicent’s flesh, eyes watching everything Alicent does. Rhaenyra seems content to let Alicent have her fun for a moment before she shifts their positions, catching Alicent off guard. 

Alicent whines as Rhaenyra pulls out of her, practically tossing Alicent down onto the mattress. She sits up like she’s going to fight back, but Rhaenyra shuts her down with a devastating kiss and a hand on her waist. Alicent moans into it, craving the fullness of Rhaenyra’s cock inside of her. Rhaenyra begins to kiss down her neck before using the grip on her hips to turn her over so her stomach is pressed against the mattress. She pushes her hips back up against Rhaenyra without even thinking about it, knowing the second she does this that she’s effectively played her hand. 

She can feel Rhaenyra’s breath hot against her neck, followed by the words, “You know who’s really in charge, baby. It’s okay, you know, you can cuss me out at work all day long, but here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone beg for it the way you do.”

Her head falls against the pillow as she continues pushing back against Rhaenyra, her body begging to be filled once more as she tries to turn and face her, breathing out, “God, I can’t fucking stand you.”

“Tell yourself that all you want, we both know it’s not true,” Rhaenyra chuckles, pairing the words with an all too soft kiss to her temple—a kiss that, of course, serves as distraction for Rhaenyra to slide back into her. Alicent moans loud enough to be heard in the next apartment over, pushing herself back against Rhaenyra as best she can with a strong hand on her hips pushing her into the mattress. There’s no point in fighting for control when Rhaenyra seems content to finally give Alicent what she wants, so she lets herself be pushed down, relishing in the warmth of Rhaenyra’s hand on her back and her hips snapping against hers with each inward thrust. 

She’s so pent up she can already feel the tension twisting and turning in the pit of her stomach, the familiar feeling of an oncoming orgasm almost overwhelming as she lets Rhaenyra fuck into her. Her grip is loosened, enough that Alicent could easily move if she wanted to, but she stays put, content with the way Rhaenyra kisses down her spine as she fucks into her. Alicent gasps as Rhaenyra angles herself in a way that hits a perfect spot inside of her, biting the edge of her pillow in a vain attempt to keep herself quiet. 

Her orgasm catches her off guard, smacking into her as her body releases the building tension, feeling the way she spills around Rhaenyra’s cock while the woman doesn’t let up. Alicent doesn’t want her to as she continues chasing her own pleasure. She pushes back until Rhaenyra is back sitting on her knees and Alicent is flush with her chest, grinding her hips back against Rhaenyra’s cock as the toy continues hitting exactly where she wants it to. Alicent reaches for the nape of Rhaenyra’s neck, tugging her closer until Rhaenyra gets the idea and starts running kisses down her neck, teeth nipping at her shoulder and collarbones as she sucks red spots into Alicent’s pale flesh. 

Still overstimulated from her first, her second orgasm is not far behind as she clenches around Rhaenyra, feeling herself let go as she spills down the soft flesh of her thighs, reveling in the feeling of Rhaenyra’s lips on her skin. As she comes down, she finally pulls herself off of Rhaenyra, turning around so her back is against the mattress and tugging Rhaenyra down with her. 

Their lips meet and Alicent smiles into the kiss, letting Rhaenyra press her gently into the mattress. Alicent undoes the harness for her, tossing it aside and tangling her legs with Rhaenyra, reveling in the feeling of nothing but flesh against flesh. They’re so interlaced, Alicent begins to lose sight of where Alicent ends and Rhaenyra begins. 

Alicent sighs as Rhaenyra falls against her, her hands tangling in her short blonde locks, now coated with a thin sheen of sweat as Rhaenyra presses a gentle kiss to the crook of her neck. After a moment, Alicent finds herself the first to break the silence. “God, we’re a couple, aren’t we?” 

“I was wondering when you were going to come to that realization,” Rhaenyra laughs, propping her chin up on her palm as her elbow so she can look over at Alicent. She scoffs, pushing Rhaenyra slightly but the woman’s only response is to wrap an arm around her waist and tug her into a kiss. Alicent sighs into it and Rhaenyra pulls away, whispering, “I didn’t want to rush you. I know that frozen heart of yours needed room to thaw.” 

Alicent rolls her eyes, pushing Rhaenyra away and getting out of bed. Rhaenyra whines as she leaves, but Alicent flips her off half-heartedly as she gets up to grab new underwear and a t-shirt. She’s almost certain Rhaenyra left marks she’ll have to cover up for work, but that’s something Alicent is going to worry about in the morning. 

She sifts through her drawers, finding a pair of boxer shorts she usually wears on her lazy days and tossing them over to Rhaenyra, asking, “Are you staying?”

“Do you want me to?” She grabs the shorts and tugs them on, sitting on the edge of the bed. Rhaenyra spreads her legs slightly, grabbing Alicent by the waist and tugging her into the middle of them. Alicent smiles softly, her hands finding their place on her shoulders. “You’re not exactly making it easy to leave.”

“God,” Alicent groans, pushing Rhaenyra back down against the mattress and clambering on top of her. It’s a lazy act, one borne of a mere need to be close to each other rather than chasing anything in particular. Though, Rhaenyra is still bare chested and Alicent won’t pretend she isn’t enjoying the view. “If we’re a couple, does that mean I have to stop being mean to you at work?”

“The thought of you being nice to me at work sends chills down my spine,” Rhaenyra scoffs, her hands clasped behind her head as she watches Alicent trace patterns against her stomach. As if sensing Alicent’s anxiety, she reaches out for one of her wrists, tugging her closer and forcing Alicent to look at her. “Hey, Alicent, seriously, we don’t have to be anything you don’t want to be and we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. I know you don’t date and I know if you did, I probably wouldn’t be your first choice—”

Alicent shakes her head softly, cutting her off. “Don’t say that. I wouldn’t be here if you weren’t my first choice, Rhaenyra.” 

Rhaenyra looks up at her, eyes wide with insecurity. It’s then that Alicent realizes Rhaenyra probably feels just as anxious about this as she does. Strangely, the thought is an odd comfort. Alicent reiterates, “I… like you. And I like what we have. And I wouldn’t mind… exploring it as an official thing. If you also want that. Which, I hope you do.”

“Alicent, I have had an embarrassing crush on you for at least two years, of course, I want that,” Rhaenyra laughs, suddenly relaxed as she pulls Alicent down onto her. Alicent laughs, kissing Rhaenyra. “I’m still surprised I made it this far.”

Alicent shakes her head, falling beside Rhaenyra on the mattress. “You’re an idiot.”

“Yeah, but you’re dating me,” Rhaenyra reminds her. Alicent laughs, letting Rhaenyra bury her face in the crook of Alicent’s neck, pressing a soft kiss to the skin there. 

Alicent lets out a content sigh, her fingers running softly through Rhaenyra’s hair. “Yeah, don’t make me regret it.” 

She doesn’t mean it, though, not when she can feel the way her heart flutters in her chest having Rhaenyra this close. She just tugs Rhaenyra closer and lets sleep come easy.

Chapter Text

Everyone is staring at Alicent when she walks into the office on Monday. Alicent doesn’t realize it until she’s settling down at her desk, looking up to see every single pair of eyes in the room looking at her. Alicent looks around suspiciously, wondering distantly if there is something on her face. In her years in this office, Alicent doesn’t think she has ever heard this quiet. Distantly, she thinks a pin drops. 

“Don’t you guys have jobs?” she spits, suddenly defensive as her form shrinks only slightly under the pressure of being so noticeably watched. No one seems to be providing her any answers, which only frustrates her further. “Have I grown another fucking head? Someone tell me what is going on before I start shooting.”

Mysaria is the first to break, striding over to Alicent’s desk and sliding her tablet onto it with a news article pulled up, the headline glaring back at Alicent— VP Director of Communications Spotted Cozying Up To White House Liaison on Night Off. The source is some D.C. gossip magazine Alicent is forced to sift through from time to time when Gwayne gets up to something frisky, but other than that, she typically pays it no mind. Here, though, are paparazzi photos of Rhaenyra and Alicent all cozied up at dinner. 

The worst part of it is probably how disgustingly in love Alicent looks—a chin on her palm as she gazes at Rhaenyra with eyes that could only be described as that of a puppy dog's. It’s unmistakably a date, though, this much is clear. Their demeanor in the photos is nothing of the typical work lunches and dinners Alicent finds herself on and one of the photos has even caught Alicent playing with Rhaenyra’s fingers across the table. An act that, at the time, had felt so natural she hadn’t even thought of it until it was staring right back at her. 

Mysaria leans down to whisper, “I knew you were fucking someone, but Rhaenyra?” 

Alicent sighs, not bothering to read the article itself as she shoves the tablet back at Mysaria. “She’s…. She’s not so bad. And we’re not just sleeping together, we’re… dating. Tentatively.” 

“I never thought I’d see the day,” Mysaria hums. After a moment, she turns to the staff and barks, “You lot get back to work, you aren’t paid to stand around and gossip.”

Everyone begins to mill about, their eyes still flittering over to Alicent every other moment, but unfortunately it seems as though that is going to continue throughout the day. Alicent sucks in a deep breath, her shoulders tensing as Mysaria leans against her desk, still watching her carefully. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Mysaria whispers, sounding mildly offended, “I know we’re co-workers, but I’d hope after running two campaigns together, you’d tell me when you started actually dating someone. I don’t think I’ve seen you date anyone in the last six years, Alicent. An insane pick, too, while we’re at it. It’s like modern day Romeo and Juliet and you didn’t think to tell anyone?” 

Alicent opens up her computer and begins to review her emails, pausing to look up at Mysaria with a pointed look in her eyes. “Do I seem like the type of person that would tell anyone about my dating life? Besides, it is fairly recent, anyway. I’d have told you if we were engaged. Then I’d know it was serious.”

“You’re the most ridiculous person I’ve ever met,” Mysaria scoffs, going to say more but the door Gwayne’s office opens. 

Alicent sighs before he even speaks the words. “Mysaria, Alicent, in here.” 

She groans, standing up from her desk and following her friend into the room. She doesn’t bother sitting down, just standing there with his arms crossed as Gwayne closes the door behind them. 

He stares at his sister for a long time. For a moment, Alicent almost considers leaving if only to provoke him into saying something. Finally, he scrunches up his face, asking, “Rhaenyra?” 

“Yes, Rhaenyra,” Alicent sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose as she avoids looking at her brother. “Perhaps, we have judged her… too harshly in our time here. As it would turn out, she can be quite charming when she wants to be.” 

“Yeah, clearly, because she charmed my heartless sister into bed,” Gwayne guffaws, beginning to pace around the room. “I can’t believe this. And you didn’t tell me? Your brother? How long has this been going on?”

“Since we had tea,” Alicent clears her throat, keeping her eyes on her shoes. She can’t help but feel as if she were on trial—and it’s not a pleasant feeling. They have better things to be worrying about than this, but she knows if she doesn’t give Gwayne the answers he wants, then he is never going to let this go. He’s already never going to let this go. Alicent is certain she will continue hearing of this over the course of at least the next ten years. Probably more. “I would’ve told you eventually, everything is still relatively… new.” 

“But you’re dating?” Gwayne asks, “Like, actually dating?”

Alicent nods. 

“Oh, my God,” Gwayne gasps, covering his mouth with one hand. “Father is going to kill you, by the way. He’s fine with you being a lesbian, but dating a Targaryen?”

“I know, please don’t remind me,” she groans, “Can we please just get back to work?” 

He narrows his gaze at her and she knows there’s more he wants to ask, but Alicent can only take so much of this in quick succession. She looks up at him, meeting his eye with her chin jutted and arms crossed, challenging him in a way. Eventually, he relents, brushing her off with a wave of the hand. Alicent leaves the office as quickly as possible. She skips the office and goes straight into the hallway, craving some fresh air. She doesn’t stop until she’s downstairs and out on the lawn, bumping into who knows how many people on the way down. 

Once she’s outside, she takes a deep, shuddering breath, pressing a hand to her forehead as she struggles to compose herself. It’s not that she’s embarrassed to be seen with Rhaenyra—though a few weeks ago, her answer on that front may have been different, but that never in her time in politics has Alicent so thoroughly had her privacy violated. She’s meant to pull the strings, everything that goes to press surrounding their office goes through her first. No one tipped her off to this, not any single one of her press contacts, and she feels thoroughly betrayed. 

No one is supposed to care about her—it’s all supposed to be about Gwayne. But it was her name in the papers today and that is a feeling Alicent utterly despises. She lights a cigarette with shaking hands, praying it’ll do something to calm her down but the typical relaxation she usually finds in the first drag is nowhere to be found. She hears the sound of footfalls behind her and whips around fast enough to nearly loosen the clip holding her hair up.

Rhaenyra stands there, looking at her with wide eyes, looking unsure of what to say. Alicent doesn’t blame her—if someone was having a nervous breakdown after being seen with her, she wouldn’t quite know what to say either. One thing she can tell, though, is that of all things, Rhaenyra looks insecure. As if she thinks Alicent is going to use this as an excuse to run, to disregard everything she said the other night. 

Instead, though, Alicent just drops her cigarette and steps over to Rhaenyra, falling against her chest and letting it ground her. Rhaenyra hesitates for only a moment before wrapping her arms around Alicent, the flat of her palm rubbing comfortingly against her back. Alicent wonders distantly if someone will try to photograph this, too. After all, she can never be too sure. 

“It’s my fault, I should’ve taken us further outside of D.C,” Rhaenyra whispers, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t, don’t do that,” Alicent sighs against her chest, arms cradled against herself as she lets Rhaenyra hold her. “I’m not embarrassed of you, it’s not that. It’s just… startling. I’m not good at not being in control, if you haven’t noticed.”

“I know how you feel,” Rhaenyra hums, letting go of Alicent slightly so they can have enough space to look each other in the eye, though her touch lingers softly on Alicent’s upper arms. “Though, I do think our control issues manifest… differently.”

The teasing lilt in her voice and the way she tilts her head gets a chuckle out of Alicent as she sniffles, hardly aware her eyes had even welled up with tears in the first place. “The only place I like losing control is with you, but this… this is just shit.”

“It is, I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? You’re in the photos, too,” Alicent reminds her—as if either of them truly need the reminder. 

Rhaenyra just shrugs slightly. “Yeah, but you’re the one who is big on keeping her private life private. I jeopardized that for some good Italian food and I know, you’re just going to say it’s not my fault, but I don’t care because I like you and I don’t like seeing you upset. Though, there is a silver lining, I suppose.”

“And what is that?” Alicent scoffs, looking up at Rhaenyra, feeling the way it settles her. Her once roaring heart is not a gentle putter, turmoil in her stomach replaced by the familiar flutter of butterflies caused just by being near to her. 

Rhaenyra chuckles, leaning in close to press a kiss to Alicent’s temple before saying, “You look really beautiful in those photos.” 

A flush of red spreads across her cheeks as Alicent hides her face in Rhaenyra’s chest. “You’re ridiculous. This is serious, you know.”

“And you’re seriously gorgeous, that’s all I really care about,” Rhaenyra reiterates with a teasing grin, eliciting a smile from Alicent, even though it’s against her will. “Come over after work tonight, I’m still thinking about you in that dress and there are many things I would like to do about it.”

Alicent scoffs, pressing a hand to Rhaenyra’s chest and pushing her away teasingly, her cheeks flushed entirely red. “Oh, shove off. You’re insatiable. Get back to work.”

“I will as soon as you tell me if you’re coming over tonight,” Rhaenyra chuckles, shoving her hands in her pockets as she watches Alicent. “Is my girlfriend coming over? Please say yes.” 

“Fine, fine, I relent,” she says through a bout of laughter, trying desperately to hide her blush with her hand and failing miserably. “Yes, I’m coming over. Now go to work.” 

“Okay, fine,” Rhaenyra rolls her eyes and goes to walk away. Before she can disappear, though, she pauses, turning back around to grab Alicent loosely by the wrist and tug her into a kiss. When she pulls away, she asks, “I assume a filing cabinet closet is out of the question?”

Alicent just stares at her, expression trying its best to be irritated but is still far too affectionate for her own good. “Just go.” 

Rhaenyra laughs, kissing Alicent on the cheek before heading back inside. Alicent takes another moment to herself, shaking her head softly as her mind now lingers on Rhaenyra’s antics before she begins to head back up to her office with hands less shakier than they were before. The loss of control is still something she’s grappling with, but she has Rhaenyra in her corner now. Her name will probably fade from the papers in the next couple of days and no one will likely think of it again. She just has to wait and hope.

When Alicent returns to the office, more than half of her coworkers look as if they’re scrambling to return to their seats from the window. Alicent rolls her eyes, the door slamming behind her with a resounding thud as she stares at them with her arms crossed. They’re all looking at her, but pretending they’re not. She sighs. “Go on, then, ask me whatever you like.”

That evening, Alicent finds a reprieve in Rhaenyra’s apartment. After the initial shock of the morning, the day was no less than its usual chaos—which means it somehow manages to fade into a cacophony of white noise in Alicent’s mind. At work, she can turn her mind on autopilot most of the time and just get everything done. Still, the stress bears itself down on her body against her will and a moment to relax is one that she will take. 

She’s barely made it one foot in the door before Rhaenyra is pressing her against it, something Alicent accepts happily with one hand on Rhaenyra’s face and a smile into their kiss. Rhaenyra’s hands find her waist, keeping her close until their fronts press together. The heat creeps beneath Alicent’s skin quicker than she thought it would, though it’s not something she necessarily minds. 

“It’s unfair how hot you make business casual look, you know,” Rhaenyra mutters against her lips, shrugging Alicent’s blazer down her shoulders. “You feeling better?”

“Better now,” Alicent grins, tugging Rhaenyra into another kiss. “You called me your girlfriend.”

“We’re dating, aren’t we?”

Alicent nods, biting her lip softly as she looks at Rhaenyra. “Yeah, we are.”

“Perfect, then if you don’t mind, I’d like to take my girlfriend to bed,” Rhaenyra hums, tugging Alicent deeper into the building as they head for the stairs. Alicent follows her happily, kicking off her shoes as she goes and letting Rhaenyra drag her upstairs. They make it to the landing before Rhaenyra starts kissing her again. Alicent complies, bringing her hands up unbutton her work shirt as Rhaenyra begins to kiss down the line of her jaw and down her neck. 

“I wasn’t kidding when I called you insatiable,” Alicent hums, her hands tugging Rhaenyra closer by the belt loops. She lets her head fall back against the wall with a solid thunk, ignoring the slight pang of pain from the contact as she focuses on the force of Rhaenyra against her, thrums of pleasure and desire pooling between her legs. Both of them are still wearing far too many clothes for Alicent’s liking, even as she shirks her blouse and lets it fall to the floor. 

“You like it,” is all Rhaenyra says in response and Alicent can feel her shit-eating grin against her neck. 

They don’t make it to the bedroom before Rhaenyra is tugging Alicent’s belt out of its loops, unbuttoning and unzipping her pants and not even bothering to slide them down at all before her hand slips between the waistband of her underwear and her skin. Alicent lets out a surprised moan as Rhaenyra’s fingers first make contact with her slick wetness, just barely ghosting over her clit in a way that has her struggling to support herself. It doesn’t matter, though, because Rhaenyra is there with a strong hand on her thigh to hold her up when she needs it. 

She comes back up to kiss Alicent properly and Alicent kisses back fiercely, tugging Rhaenyra’s bottom lip between her teeth, content to devour her as their tongues intertwine with one another in a mindless, hungry kiss. Rhaenyra’s fingers stop their teasing and dip below to her entrance, pressing inward with two fingers and stretching out inside of Alicent. She moans into the kiss, unable to stop herself as Rhaenyra draws the sounds out of her. The firmness of Rhaenyra pressed against her is grounding, Alicent’s hands writhing against her skin and sneaking up beneath her shirt, desperate to feel flesh on flesh. 

Rhaenyra lets go of her for a brief moment to undo her bra, tossing it aside and letting her lips leave Alicent’s to create a trail down her neck and chest. As she continues fucking into Alicent, she takes a nipple into her mouth, teasing it with her tongue and teeth in a combination of sensations that drives Alicent absolutely crazy. She moans desperately, feeling the sounds tear at her throat absolutely out of her control. She wouldn’t be surprised if her voice was gone by morning—she’d just have to tell her co-workers she must be catching a cold. Even though they’ll probably all assume what they want to assume. 

Alicent slides down the wall slightly, gripping frantically onto Rhaenyra’s forearm to keep herself steady, feeling her legs get weaker by the moment. Rhaenyra seems to only take this as a challenge, pressing into Alicent with a third finger. Her arm on Alicent’s waist helps her slide down the wall gentler than she probably would without the support. Rhaenyra tugs Alicent into her lap, shifting the angle of her wrist to hit the spot she knows drives Alicent absolutely crazy. Alicent lets her head drop onto Rhaenyra’s shoulder, her back no longer against the wall as Rhaenyra becomes her only support. She didn’t think she was desperate enough to fuck on the floor, but it seems Rhaenyra brings out the worst in her. 

In her haze, she tugs Rhaenyra’s shirt over her head, catching her breath for the slightest of moments before rejoining her lips with Rhaenyra’s. The pressure in her stomach is overwhelming, but she wants to stave off the orgasm if only to live in this minute a little while longer. Despite her wishes, though, it quickly becomes too much as she moves, biting down onto Rhaenyra’s bare shoulder as her orgasm flows through her. She clenches around Rhaenyra’s fingers, relishing in the soreness of her knees against the hardwood floor. 

Rhaenyra grunts softly, her fingers tangling in Alicent’s hair and tugging softly, caressing Alicent as she comes down. Alicent breathes heavily against Rhaenyra’s shoulder, pressing kisses along the bite mark she left in a vain attempt to make up for it. 

“Didn’t take you for a biter,” Rhaenyra whispers with a slight grin as she pulls her fingers out of Alicent, “You’ve been holding out on me.”

Alicent scoffs, a breathless smile forming on her face as she sits back without quite leaving Rhaenyra’s lap. Both of them look an absolutely devastating mess, but Alicent isn’t quite sure she’s ever seen someone look as attractive as Rhaenyra does right now. Her hair hangs loosely in front of her face, her chest bare while her slacks remain firmly belted around her hips. She runs a hand through her short locks, pushing them out of her face as she leans back with her hands against the hardwood. 

“It’s been a rough day,” Alicent breathes, “Can’t I take it out on you?”

“Like that? You can take out whatever you want on me, baby,” Rhaenyra chuckles, reaching for Alicent’s hips and tugging her closer until they’re falling flat against the floor, tangled up in another messy kiss. Against her lips, Rhaenyra says, “Looks like we’re back to never making it to the bed.”

Alicent laughs, throwing her head back and tugging Rhaenyra closer to her so she can kiss her again. “There’s still time.” 

This seems to spark an idea in Rhaenyra’s mind as she stands from the floor, tugging Alicent up with her on unsteady legs. Rhaenyra tugs her over to the bedroom, grabbing Alicent around the waist and tossing her onto the bed. Alicent laughs at the show of force, sitting up and reaching for Rhaenyra. 

“Nuh uh,” Rhaenyra chastises, pushing Alicent back and tugging her pants down her legs. 

As soon as Alicent is fully nude, Rhaenyra is climbing between her legs, propping one of Alicent’s thighs over her shoulder and pressing a kiss to the immediate flesh. Alicent shudders with anticipation, relishing in the feeling of Rhaenyra’s warm breath against her sensitive cunt, still dripping with the leftovers of her first orgasm and newly formed desire from having Rhaenyra near once more. 

Her head falls back against the pillows as Rhaenyra’s tongue lines the crease of her inner thigh, cleaning her up. Her hips push further against Rhaenyra’s face, desperate for more of her tongue and less of her incessant teasing. Rhaenyra, though, just pushes her down with a firm hand on her hips, teeth nipping at her thigh as if to punish her further. A whine slips from her lips as Alicent fights back against the grip, though without any real heat to her actions. She’s content to let Rhaenyra press her into the mattress, especially as her tongue finally makes contact with her aching cunt. 

Rhaenyra’s tongue is devilish against her, swirling around and exploring everywhere except where Alicent really wants her. She moans, her voice shaky and broken as she struggles to form any words in her mind besides Rhaenyra, Rhaenyra, Rhaenyra. Her tongue teases at her entrance, pressing into her ever so slightly before coming back to press against her clit. Alicent yelps at the sensitivity, her hands making a proper mess of Rhaenyra’s hair as she attempts to buck her hips beneath her. 

She’s too sensitive to last very long, something Alicent is sure Rhaenyra expected. Her second orgasm is one she feels coming, washing over her quickly while Rhaenyra refuses to let up. Alicent can’t say she minds such a thing. Sometimes she swears Rhaenyra was made to be between her legs and nowhere else. She sighs softly, whimpering as the woman’s tongue continues to clean her up with a gentler pressure—not chasing anything in particular, just taking care of her. Alicent caresses the back of her head as Rhaenyra looks up at her, a slight sheen around her chin and her cheek pressed against Alicent’s thigh. Alicent ruffles her hair slightly, smiling when a strand falls in Rhaenyra’s eye. The fact that she can so clearly see herself falling in love with this woman is terrifying. 

Alicent doesn’t linger on the future, though, as she tugs Rhaenyra up into a kiss, still tasting the bittersweetness of her own desire on her lips. She smiles into the kiss, tugging Rhaenyra up against her, her hand pressed against the small of her back. One of Rhaenyra’s legs slides between hers, their bare fronts pressed together as Alicent loses herself in the kiss. She could revel in the taste of Rhaenyra’s lips forever if she tried. 

“So,” Alicent hums, fingers curling in Rhaenyra’s hair as the woman falls against her. “Control issues?”

A faint blush spreads across Rhaenyra’s cheeks as she looks down at Alicent. “I like being in charge. Even if you’re the one bossing me around. It’s a different kind of in charge, I guess.” 

Alicent runs her fingers along the sides of Rhaenyra’s torso, “You can be in charge however you like.” 

Rhaenyra smiles and kisses her, pressing Alicent further down against the mattress. This kiss is softer than the others, affection lacing each shared movement. “I really like you, Alicent.” 

Alicent pulls back, one hand cupping Rhaenyra’s face as she searches her sparkling eyes. “I like you, too, Rhaenyra. I still can’t quite believe it, but I really do.”

Her words are met with an eye roll, but Rhaenyra still can’t hide the smile on her face. “You’re impossible. Never pleased, never!” 

“You can keep trying, though,” Alicent laughs, a finger under Rhaenyra’s chin dragging her lips to Alicent’s once more. “Preferably between my legs.” 

“I’m sure you’d love that,” Rhaenyra chuckles, pulling away from Alicent and rolling over onto her back. Alicent mourns the warmth, but allows Rhaenyra the moment to catch her breath. 

After a moment, Rhaenyra huffs, standing up from the bed with a firm, “Alright.”

Alicent pushes herself onto her elbows, narrowing her gaze at Rhaenyra as she asks, “What?”

“You said I have to keep trying,” Rhaenyra hums, a coy grin on her face as she undoes her belt, tossing it to the floor before nodding her head towards the bathroom. “So, are you joining me in the shower or what?” 

Alicent chuckles, shaking her head softly at Rhaenyra’s antics. Of course, it only lasts a moment before she takes the offered hand and follows her into the bathroom. For the first time in at least six years, Alicent finds she really quite enjoys being someone’s girlfriend. Even if it’s Rhaenyra Targaryen. Especially, if it’s Rhaenyra Targaryen.

Chapter Text

“Gwayne, do not— stop arguing with me, do not vote on that shit, your party will hate you—yes, I know they already hate you, that doesn’t mean you get to make it worse,” Alicent groans into the phone, pinching the bridge of her nose. She stands on the balcony of a hotel suite in Rome. At least if she’s going to be angry with her brother, she can do it with beautiful sights in front of her. They spared no expense, which means Alicent can see all of her favorite tourist spots in the city right in front of her. It does little to calm her down as she fights with Gwayne over the phone. “Look, I sent you all of the numbers and every possible statement you need to be making right now, it is impossible for you to fuck this up. Do you want to be on the ticket for re-election next year or not? Yeah, that’s what I thought, okay—”

She’s cut off by the feeling of Rhaenyra coming up behind her, warm and comforting arms sliding around her waist and calming her down almost instantly. She leans back against Rhaenyra warmly, feeling her headache dissipate just by nature of the closeness. “Gwayne. Listen to me. I’m on vacation, you have everything you need, please stop bothering me. I love you, goodbye.” 

Alicent hangs up the phone and pockets it immediately, turning around in Rhaenyra’s arms with a heady sigh, “I swear, it’s like leaving a bunch of kindergartners unattended and somehow they’re expected to run a country—or at least, pretend they’re running a country.” 

“You know that right now it’s not your problem, right?” Rhaenyra asks, tugging Alicent closer to her and tilting her head with a crooked grin, “We came here to get away from work.”

“Getting me away from work is like getting gum of your shoe, you should know this better than anyone,” Alicent laughs, pushing past Rhaenyra as she heads back into the room. Gwayne already ruined her morning cigarette with his phone call (which is unfair considering it’s the middle of the night for him and he still manages to bother her when she least expects it) and now she doesn’t feel like lighting another so she settles for getting ready for the day. Rhaenyra leans with her back against the balcony railing, watching as Alicent tugs her sleep shirt over her head and sorts through her luggage. It’s a hot day today so she grabs a black halter top from her bag and pulls it on, looking over her shoulder briefly at Rhaenyra. 

“I think it’s cute you’re wasting time getting dressed,” is all she says, pushing herself off of the railing and back towards the room. Alicent scoffs and rolls her eyes as she tugs her pajama shorts down, reaching for a long white skirt. Of course, she doesn’t get to it quite yet because Rhaenyra grabs her by the hips and tugs her close. 

“You are insatiable,” Alicent chuckles, but she lets Rhaenyra grab her in a kiss anyway. She melts into the other woman, feeling the heat of summer leak into the room and soak her to the bone. The majority of their trip that hasn’t been sightseeing has been spent in bed and that is certainly not something Alicent is going to complain about.

They intended to take the trip after midterms season, but then there had been a huge scandal with the First Lady that required the attention of everyone in the white house that swamped both of them for months and then it was just work and more work and more work. Now, though, a year later, they finally made it. Granted, the amount of international phone calls Alicent has worked up is startling, but it’s as close to a proper vacation as they’ll get. Alicent is just glad they made it on the plane without incident. On Monday, they’ll be back in D.C, but right now, Alicent lets herself be utterly consumed by Rhaenyra. 

Alicent hums into the kiss, fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of Rhaenyra’s neck, deepening it slightly as she opens her mouth to allow Rhaenyra’s tongue to slip in. She’s still half dressed in just her underwear and a halter top, but all thoughts of finishing the outfit leave her mind entirely. Rhaenyra grabs one of her thighs and lifts it around her hips before pushing her slowly back onto the bed. Alicent moans into the kiss as Rhaenyra’s thigh slots between her legs, applying pressure against the growing wetness between her legs. Her hands claw at the hem of Rhaenyra’s t-shirt, breaking their kiss only to tug the thin fabric over her head before letting Rhaenyra capture her lips once more. 

Rhaenyra kisses the line of Alicent’s jaw and down her neck, sucking softly and drinking her in slowly. That’s the nicest part of vacation, Alicent thinks, they have all the time in the world. Gone are office quickies or late night escapades that can only last so long before the exhaustion of the work day wears them out. Alicent’s body bends to meet every curve of Rhaenyra’s, the woman’s hand tracing down her torso and thigh, applying pressure right where Alicent wants her.

As a slow whimper falls from her lips, Rhaenyra whispers, “God, I love you.” 

“You’re a sap,” Alicent whispers, hands mussing up Rhaenyra’s hair as she continues kissing down her chest and over the fabric of her top. 

“Hm, I don’t hear you complaining,” Rhaenyra mutters against her skin, fingers poking a spot on her waist she knows will tickle her. A small burst of laughter falls from Alicent’s lips, falling into a soft sigh as she relaxes against Rhaenyra’s touch. “Tell me you love me, baby.”

“You know I love you,” Alicent mumbles, the words coming to her more easily than she ever thought they could. For the longest time, Alicent seemed to think she was completely incapable of love. Now, she’s vacationing in Italy with someone she’s been dating for over a year and she is absolutely, head-over-heels in love. “Now get to work.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Rhaenyra laughs, pressing kisses and playful bites into the supple flesh of Alicent’s thighs, climbing further and further down between her legs until one thigh is hooked over her shoulder. Her fingers slide teasingly beneath the lines of her underwear, running across her skin as if tracing patterns into the crease of her thigh before tugging the fabric down. Alicent watches as Rhaenyra shifts momentarily so she can tug the piece of fabric off entirely, tossing it to the floor before once more settling comfortably between Alicent’s thighs. 

Alicent sighs heartily, running her hands through Rhaenyra’s hair as she kisses the crease of Alicent’s thigh, so close to the aching heat of her cunt precisely where Alicent wants her—yet not nearly close enough. She tugs sharply on Rhaenyra’s hair, a curt reminder of who is in charge here, though the authority is lessened slightly by the whine that falls from her lips. 

“Please,” Alicent asks as nicely as she can muster, clenching her thighs around Rhaenyra’s head, trying to guide her right where she wants her. 

“So impatient,” Rhaenyra chastises, the heat of her breath against Alicent’s cunt driving her absolutely crazy. “Don’t rush, baby, you know I’ll take care of you.”

She rests against the pillows, relishing in the feeling of Rhaenyra between her legs. Her eyes slip closed at the first slow dip of Rhaenyra’s tongue into her soaked folds. Alicent whimpers softly, nothing more than soft mews falling from her throat. She would be embarrassed if not for the curving movements of Rhaenyra’s tongue distracting her from thinking about literally anything else. As she circles around Alicent’s clit, she brings her spare hand not holding Alicent’s thighs up, teasing two fingers at her entrance. Alicent moans, sensitive still from how they spent the previous night—in a position very similar to this—bucking her hips against the touch in a silent plea for more. 

Rhaenyra tastes her slowly, pushing one finger in at a time achingly slow as if testing the bounds of Alicent’s impatience with each passing second. The soft summer sun lands on the two of them from the balcony, bathing Rhaenyra in a warm glowing light, shining gold through her short blonde locks. The sun frames her like a halo as Alicent looks down at her, at how she devours Alicent with little care for any time in the world. It’s an act of service that is dripping with so much love and devotion Alicent hardly knows what to do with it.

She can feel pressure building in the pit of her stomach, body and nerves growing restless as her orgasm slowly builds and builds though Rhaenyra does little to rush her along, merely coaxing the feeling through her. Alicent sighs contentedly as Rhaenyra fucks into her, easing her along with the aide of fingers and tongue until she’s reduced to nothing but pretty gasps and a slowly unfolding orgasm. 

It washes through her, spots of white crawling beneath her eyelids as she brings Rhaenyra as close to her as possible, one hand tugging at her hair while the other scrapes at her back, creating thin lines of red to go along with all the other marks Alicent has made in the week they’ve been here. She settles against the pillows, feeling sated and dazed as she tugs Rhaenyra up into a kiss, not caring for the taste of Alicent still on her lips. 

They fall into the kiss, tangling around each other on the mattress, completely languid and only in search of each other. Alicent smiles into a kiss and Rhaenyra tugs her closer by the waist. It’s impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins as they bathe in the early sunlight. The world of American politics seems so far away in the back of her mind, all Alicent can think of is the woman wrapped around her. 

After a while, Alicent sighs, sitting up and looking down at Rhaenyra who is still lovingly splayed against the mattress. “Want to go get coffee? I want to stretch my legs a bit.” 

They’ve already seen most of what there is to see in the city, but neither of them were in the mood to go home so they stayed the full week anyway. Most of their time since then has been spend exploring local cafes and lunch spots, eating as much delicious food as they can and basking in the sun of a brutal summer. Alicent doesn’t mind the heat or the walking, though. It’s a nice change from D.C. Especially given the fact it’s been years since she was able to get away from the miserable city for any significant period of time. Part of her wants to stay in such a place forever, but she knows such a thing will never be possible while her brother is in any sort of office. 

“Have you ever thought about just staying?” Rhaenyra asks as Alicent gets up from the bed in search of her underwear and the skirt she had planned to wear before Rhaenyra had so rudely interrupted her.

“You know we can’t,” Alicent scoffs, pulling the fabric back up her legs followed by the skirt. She searches around for a pair of sandals since they likely won’t be doing too much walking today. Alicent never realized just how nice it was not to have to wear business casual every single day until she was here. 

“Think about it,” Rhaenyra sighs, sitting up and reaching for a white t-shirt from her luggage. “Maybe we lose the election and then what do we do? Find some other stupid political jobs that we hate that make us miserable where we never have time to see each other? Or, we can take off abroad, actually enjoy life for a little bit. You can’t tell me that doesn’t sound nice.”

Alicent chuckles softly, leaning down and pressing her lips to Rhaenyra’s. “It sounds absolutely perfect. It’s just not possible.”

Rhaenyra rolls off the bed and reaches for some denim shorts. She watches as Alicent heads for the connected bathroom, running a brush through her hair. “Alicent, POTUS isn’t running for re-election.”

Alicent stops mid brush, peeking out from the bathroom with wide eyes. “What the fuck do you mean POTUS isn’t running for re-election?” 

“After all that stuff with the First Lady—” Rhaenyra winces at the memory, “He thinks it’s best they take some time off and focus on their marriage and whatnot, I don’t really know the details of it all, it’s mainly a rumor right now as to the why and how, but yeah, he’s not running. Which means, I know I’m going to be out of a job pretty soon, but depending on what Gwayne wants to do…”

“That is Nice President Hightower to you,” Alicent notes with a grin, reaching over and tugging Rhaenyra closer by the waist. “If he’s going to run for president, I don’t know if I can be the one to run his campaign. I mean, I’m good, but a national election? I couldn’t—I couldn’t possibly. When is he announcing it?”

“Not long after we get back,” Rhaenyra says, “I promise I would’ve told you sooner, but it’s probably the most under-lock-and-key secret in the entire fucking country right now.”

“And you told me so you could convince me to run away to Rome with you?” Alicent can’t help but laugh, her fingers hooking into Rhaenyra’s belt loops to keep her close. “You are utterly and completely ridiculous, you know that, right?”

“But you love me anyway,” Rhaenyra reminds her, dipping her head to catch Alicent in a kiss. 

“I do,” Alicent whispers against her lips. “I will… think about it. Mysaria can run Gwayne’s campaign and we can…”

“Disappear?”

“Something like that,” Rhaenyra nods, kissing Alicent again. “What would you do? If not politics, what would it be?”

 Alicent sighs, trying to think of an answer. Truthfully, she’s had little time for passion in her political career, but she has enough savings that she could probably figure something out. “I don’t quite think I know. Maybe I’d get back into writing—I used to do that in college a bit, I was quite good. Or maybe I’ll teach myself to draw. Or we can open a little coffee shop—”

“Oh, now you’re talking, Hightower,” Rhaenyra laughs. Alicent feels truly elated for the first time in so long. It’s as if she can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel instead of the dreary hellhole that is politics. Once upon a time, Alicent had loved the chaos of it, but as she’s grown older and her jobs have gotten harder, the love she once carried for politics has been slowly slipping through her fingers. 

Alicent pulls away from her to finish getting ready, humming contentedly to herself. She never thought she would be able to see a future with someone the way she does with Rhaenyra and now that she can, she hardly knows what to do with it. She lingers in the doorway between the room and the bathroom, crossing her arms as she watches Rhaenyra finish getting ready. 

“I love you,” is all Alicent can think to say. 

Rhaenyra catches her eye immediately, looking almost caught off guard by the small statement, but a smile still forms on her face. “I love you, too.” 

“I want to open up a little coffee shop with you in Rome. Or Venice or Paris, or really wherever. And it doesn’t have to be coffee, it can be tea or flowers, I just—” Alicent sighs, biting her lip and resisting the urge to pick at her nails. “I’m not sure I know how to slow down. I’ve been running on full speed for the last decade of my life and you are the first person I have ever me that has made it feel possible to stop. To take it easy. I’m not sure that’s a kindness I’ll ever be able to repay.” 

Rhaenyra brushes a stray lock of blonde out of her face, approaching Alicent slowly. “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Alicent scoffs, turning away from Rhaenyra and pressing a hand to her chest, saying, “Don’t get used to it. Come on, I need some espresso if you’re going to tire me out like that every morning.”

Rhaenyra laughs, handing Alicent her bag before grabbing her hand and tugging her towards the door. Alicent follows willingly, relishing in the simple feeling of Rhaenyra’s hand in hers. The hallway is quiet this early save for the sound of their gentle footsteps as they head for the stairs. The city streets are still busy despite the time, but Alicent keeps Rhaenyra close as they head down towards the coffee shop that has been denoted as their favorite so far on this trip. They only have one more day in the city and Alicent is content to waste it away completely and utterly consumed by Rhaenyra. 

She orders her espresso and they settle at a table outside, basking in the sun before it gets too hot to bear. Alicent would miss the centralized air conditioning of her quaint apartment in D.C, but she thinks given the scenery alone it’s an even trade. Alicent sighs. “I can’t believe he’s not running. Gwayne will love this, but it’ll terrify him all the same. I wouldn’t even know where to begin a presidential campaign especially with so little time to prepare—can I let Mysaria know? She’ll want to start planning whether or not Gwayne knows.” 

“Can you stop scheming for like five minutes?” Rhaenyra asks with a chin on her palm, elbow braced against the table. She gazes at Alicent like she’s trying to commit her to memory. “I’m asking to run away to a foreign country with you and all you can think about is a political campaign, maybe you really are damned.”

“I am not,” Alicent laughs, though there is a deep-seated fear within her that she’ll never be able to truly escape politics. That the moment she’s out of it, she’ll instantly miss the insanity of it all, that she won’t know how to slow down. She does not yet share these thoughts with Rhaenyra, but she’s sure she will in time. Over the course of their relationship, she’s gotten used to the idea of telling Rhaenyra everything on her mind. “I just… in the event that I do quit, I want them to be prepared. I’ll need to train a replacement of course and—”

“Are you saying yes?” Rhaenyra cuts her off to ask, hope fluttering in her eyes.

Alicent pauses what she was saying, brow scrunched up in confusion. “I thought that was fairly obvious.” 

“Alicent,” Rhaenyra gasps, a grin breaking out onto her face. “You’re saying yes? To the most ridiculous plan I’ve ever conceived?”

“I think it would have been more ridiculous if you had just asked me to marry you, but my answer would probably still be yes to that anyway,” Alicent says with a shrug, hiding her smile behind her small mug. 

“Jesus, you’re going to drive me insane,” Rhaenyra rolls her eyes. “You’re crazy.”

“You’re the one that’s in love with me, so I don’t know what that says about you.”

Rhaenyra leans back in her seat, crossing her arms as she looks at Alicent in disbelief. “You want to quit our jobs and effectively run away?”

“Yes.”

“And you just said you would probably say yes to me asking to marry you even though I haven’t asked?”

Alicent nods. “Yes. I do think that’s what I said.” 

“Alicent Hightower, I am so in love with you,” is all Rhaenyra can bring herself to say, teeth gnawing at her bottom lip.

All Alicent can do is laugh, bathing in the summer sun of a city she may soon know better than she does, the dreariness of her daily life far, far in the back of her mind. Across the table is the woman she loves and that is enough. “Well good, because I love you, too and I want to build a life with you, wherever that may be. I will tell Mysaria about the campaign and then promptly throw my phone in the ocean, I think.”

Rhaenyra smiles, “I like that plan.”

Alicent can’t help but smile back. She thinks she quite likes that plan, too.