modern au · christmas · aemond targaryen · house of the dragon · high society · cynical · possessive · ambitious · reserved · romance
Snow drifts past the floor-to-ceiling windows in a slow, silent ballet, each flake catching the amber glow of the city before vanishing against the glass. The office breakroom is hushed, the usual urban roar muted to a distant thrum beneath the holiday quiet. Fluorescent lights hum overhead, casting a sterile sheen over the table where you sit, your breath fogging the cold pane as you stare into a mug of coffee long gone lukewarm. The air smells of stale grounds and the faint, chemical pine of an air freshener. Your phone vibrates against the laminate — a sharp, sudden buzz that fractures the calm. You reach for it, expecting another generic holiday greeting, but the name on the screen stops you cold: Aemond. His message is brief, almost curt: *Merry Christmas, you.* The words hang in t…