hcneysweets

[hcneysweets]

GIO:

Technically speaking, Gio knew each step that led him to the car with Florence sitting in his lap. He was pushing 24 hours working on his newest project (without really realizing he was getting close to working 24 hours, he got distracted and lost track of time quickly when he started working) when the group showed up, his grandparents being extremely excited that they would finally get Gio out of “his weird hole” as they liked to call it, Tanner pushed him to his room and complained about his lack of swimsuit choices, and then they were telling him to get into the back and the next thing he knew, Flo was sitting in his lap and despite figuring that he could take a nap during the drive down to the beach (he had no idea how long the drive would take, but even if it was just fifteen minutes, he mastered short power naps by now), he was wide awake and his brain probably short-circuited because he wasn’t really getting anything that the group was talking about, he just kept thinking about how Flo was sitting in his lap and he didn’t know what to do with his hands because touching her felt inappropriate and he was trying not to stare and it was a lot. A lot.

And then Flo was chatting about something and looking directly at him and he could hear her voice, but nothing really registered of what she was saying because as she turned around to talk to him she shifted in his lap which only reminded him all over again that /she was sitting in his lap and she hasn’t had anyone sit in his lap who wasn’t his sister which was probably pretty pathetic if she thought about it, but that didn’t change the facts still. And then Florence was looking at him expectently, which makes sense, because if somebody was talking to you, they expected an answer but how do you even answer somebody if you have no idea what they were saying or if you could even speak in that moment?

Gio ended up just saying, “Huh?”

He cursed inward while Tanner and Logan were snickering next to him. He sounded like a dick. Couldn’t even say a “what?”, no, all he could push out of himself was a huh. Get it together, Giovanni, you managed to make them believe you’re a sort of functioning human until now, don’t fuck it up this time. He blinked rapitly and cleared his throat before saying, “Sorry, what was that? I kind of zoned out for a moment.”

Florence felt like she understood Gio a little better these days, he was quiet and sweet and she didn’t expect him to be rude to her or anyone else on purpose. She probably wouldn’t have been all that embarrassed by Gio’s lack of a response, assuming it was an accident, if it wasn’t for the fact that Tanner and Logan were snickering at her. At least, that’s what she thought made the most sense. She asked a question and instead of listening and answering her, Gio hadn’t even been paying attention so the boys clearly found it hilarious that she couldn’t even get his attention while this close to him.

She felt her cheeks burning a little as she shot Tanner and Logan a glare and nudged them with her foot. “Shut up you two!” Logan raised his hands up defensively and they both did their best to restrain their chuckles so that they didn’t get kicked harder. Florence turned back to look at Gio before quickly glancing down to avoid eye contact now feeling sheepish for having to repeat herself. “It’s nothing. You’ll see how nice the beach is when we get there. It shouldn’t be too much longer, right B?” she leaned forward as she addressed Bernadette, trying to get past her embarrassment.

“Almost there!” Bernadette replied in a sing-song voice, quickly glancing back at everyone in the back seat. Not too much longer they turned a corner and the view of the beach was right in front of them, the clear blue water, the colourful umbrellas in the white sand. Florence grinned as she looked out the window at the view in front of them as Bernadette parked the car. She practically jumped out of the car from excitement once they had stopped, turning to Gio and waving for hurry. “Come on, let’s grab some stuff and find a good spot. We gotta make our claim before someone else does!” she explained, already past her embarrassment from earlier as she moved towards the trunk of the car to grab a bag with everyones towels as well a little cooler with drinks to hand over to Gio for him to carry.

#;;thread #{thread:florence} #{opp:giovanni}

[hcneysweets]

GLENDA:

The thing is, Glenda logically knew she had no chance with Peter. He was older and a lot cooler than she ever could be, and just to be hanging out with him these last few months and getting to be his friend was so amazing. They were awkward, sure, but there was a sort of understanding between them. They were awkward together. But sometimes she liked to think that the chaste way he looked away or the way he sometimes stumbled through some words meant that he felt something similar for her, that maybe, just maybe she had a shot. She knew it was just pointless hope, but she was allowed at least that.

But the way Peter looked at her - it left no room for hope. He looked like a deer in a headlight (technically she knew she must have looked like a deer in a headlight, too, but she’d like to imagine she looked like a kind of scared, anxiously optimistic deer in the headlight). And just a couple of moments later he not only just simply refused her, he ran away from her. He was so uninterested in kissing her, he actually ran away. 

She could hear commotion around her, somebody running after Peter (which she later realized was James) and maybe it was Gladys’ voice calling after him, all while Glenda just stared at the empty seat next to her.

She wasn’t sure how long it took her to get out of the daze she felt herself to be in, but suddenly she was way too aware of everyone around them, probably looking at her and judging her and pitying her and her face flared up and she suddenly wanted to get out of there.

“I– I shou– I–“ she was stuttering, not finding the words, feeling like an idiot and like before when she couldn’t speak a single word around people (except for the very few exceptions, Gladys being one of them). In the end, she just pushed herself up to her feet and scurried away. She felt more hurt than she thought she would be and she wanted to just go back to the Ravenclaw Tower and bury herself under her blanket and not come out of there for days, but if she just left the party, that would have felt like just running away, and it felt like she would have given more reason for people to judge or pity or feel sorry for her, or all three at the same time, and that was the last thing she wanted.

She somehow ended up by the drinks and snacks table and she found herself reaching for the firewhiskey. People drank when they were upset, right? She could be one of those people. She liked firewhiskey, when Peter and her tried it. “Gladys, heeeeey!” she turned with a fake cheerfulness towards her friend when she noticed her coming after her and took a big gulp of the firewhiskey.

“I’m sorry spin the bottle was such a doozy, I know you were hoping to kiss James and hopefully he will be back later and maybe not spin the bottle, but somehow you guys could… you know, go there. I guess. Why did you not tell me you liked him, by the way? I would have helped! I mean, not really sure how exactly, but we could have figured something out, or you could have just talked about it and I would have listened.” She said all of this super fast and without any air, so she finally stopped and took a big breath of air and then decided to take another big gulp of the alcohol in her hands. She definitely did not want to talk to Gladys about James so openly, but anything to make sure Gladys wouldn’t bring up… the Peter situation.

She had no idea things were going to go down the way they did when she suggested this ploy to James. How was anyone supposed to anticipate Peter running off the way he did? She tried to call out for him but he was off and easily disappeared into the crowd. Gladys looked at Glenda, the poor girl just sitting there in shock. This was the last thing she wanted to happen with the boy she liked. If Gladys was in her shoes she would probably die of embarrassment and knew she had to help her friend. 

Before she could make it over to Glenda, she had already picked herself up and headed in the same direction as Peter and James. Gladys wondered for a moment if Glenda had more courage than she thought she did and was going to confront Peter. Once she started to follow her friend she realized that she was just grabbing herself a drink to drown her sorrows. Gladys felt so bad, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Following Glenda’s long winded greeting was difficult. Gladys tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out how Glenda got such an impression. “What? I don’t like James! I mean...he is really cute and he’s surprisingly really smart, people don’t seem to realize–” she cut herself off, she had an interest in all four of the Gryffindor boys but...not like that and she couldn’t go off on her Marauders tangent right now. “I promise, if I liked James, I would have told you. Me and him were trying to do all this for you and Peter! I really thought a game would take the pressure off you guys, but I had no idea he would freak out like that...” 

#;;party for the ages #;;thread #{thread:gladys} #w/glenda

[hcneysweets]

LETTY​:

Letty gave Erika a satisfied grin, “I am a very impressive person,” she stated, biting the bottom of her lips slowly since Erika seemed to keep looking at it, and she loved teasing her. “I never went to school for it, you’re lucky you got to do it. Did you enjoy it? What kind of things did they teach there?”

Letty wasn’t completely sure where she lost Erika in her story, she didn’t notice the exact moment when Erika’s mind went somewhere else, but by the end of her words, she was sure Erika wasn’t listening. For some reason she still asked back about her experience, even though she was almost positive Erika didn’t hear a single word of it. And it became true when Erika, seemingly finally shaken out of her own thoughts, asked back, proving to her that she didn’t hear anything she just said.

But she could have dealt with that. What Letty couldn’t deal with and found extremely hurtful was the way Erika sounded condescending and so surprised that she worked on Broadway. She knew it was a hard field and even harder to get a good, steady job there, let alone advance to the position she did, but that didn’t mean she appreciated the disbelief she heard in Erika’s voice. As if they didn’t just establish that even the clothes Erika ripped off of her not so long ago were made by Letty herself.

“I’m being very serious right now, you don’t have to sound so surprised,” she grunted, sitting up and pulling the sheet around her naked body. “Believe it or not, I am actually really good at my job, and I made some amazing costumes on different Broadway plays. Why yo you even ask, though, if you don’t plan on believing me, is beyond me,” she added as she was looking around the room, trying to find her clothes. They started getting rid of them the moment the front door closed behind them, so finding her shirt or her skirt was probably a lost cause in this room, but her panties should have been… there it was, right next to the doorframe. “Maybe I should get going,” she said and she moved out of the bed for the panties and slipped into them.

It was clearly Erika’s fault that Letty was reacting like this but that didn’t mean she was suddenly going to jump and apologize for her actions, though. Her mind was still stuck on Broadway and her own feelings that while she could understand how her words could have come across, she had been too triggered to even consider giving Letty an apology. Besides, the way she seemed to quickly insist that she should get out of there made Erika feel as though she had no time to explain herself. Her outburst had nothing to do with Letty’s skills at all, she knew she was talented, she’d seen the work she’d done every time she took her clothes off but Letty seemed to be just as stubborn as Erika was.

The blonde groaned as Letty got out of bed and put her panties back on, Erika reaching over for a shirt to slip on. “Fine. Go if you want to go.” Erika snapped back. She had fucked up, she wasn’t in the right headspace right now and rather than beg for forgiveness, the logical solution was to just keep pushing her away even more. It was already confirmed that she was incapable of keeping a good thing going. “I don’t care, thanks so much for making me cum, don’t forget any of your Broadway certified clothes on the way out!”

She could tell she was being harsh but she couldn’t stop herself. If Letty wanted to leave that was fine, Erika had enough people ditch her to know there was no going back so she had no problems burning her bridges. She climbed out of bed, opening the door to her bedroom for Letty. "Have a good life, good luck finding someone who’ll eat you out as good as me.”

#;;thread #{thread:erika} #{opp:leticia}

[hcneysweets]

[ @queenofhcpes​ ]

Florence loved the beach, getting to take the short drive down and spending the day in the sun with her friends was probably one of the best feelings. Now that Gio was part of their group, he got to experience it too which was even more exciting. He deserved it! Especially since he seemed to prefer being cooped up with his robots rather than get out in the sunshine. So it shouldn't have been a shock when she and the gang showed up to his grandparent's place already decked out in their beach gear asking for Gio to come out and play.

Bernadette drove (since she was, objectively, the best driver of the group) with Lizzie sitting with her in the front while the boys and Flo squeezed themselves into the back. This was easier when it was the five of them but they had no issues accomodating for their sixth member. Florence ended up situated on Gio's lap for the duration of the drive from his grandparents place to the beach with Logan playfully complaining about it which resulted in him and Tanner jokingly bickering. Flo rolled her eyes at them before turning her head to look at Gio. "Anyway, Gio! You haven't been here long enough to see this beach in all its glory yet, have you? Trust me when I tell you it's the best, we come here almost every day during the summer. So don’t be shocked when we start showing up even more often than usual."

#{thread:florence} #{opp:giovanni}

[hcneysweets]

[ @queenofhcpes​ ]

Things with Mark were going well, which was a big surprise to Wren to say the least. Things never went this well for this long for her and in a way, it was actually starting to scare her. It was hard to believe that for once, someone good had come into her life and was actually planning on staying. It was only a matter of time before he realized what a mess she was and decided that it was time to leave her behind.

She had been worrying that might end up being tonight. He texted her while she was at work saying he had a surprise for her and somehow her mind immediately assumed the worst. What kind of crazy person would surprise you with a break up like this? Maybe he had no idea how to break it to her and this was the first thing that came to mind rather than the ever so obvious *we need to talk*. Wren had to prepare for the worst so her entire shift and then the drive to their apartment building was this agonizing feeling of bracing herself for Mark to tell her it was over.

Once she reached their building, she couldn't wait. They lived right next to each other so rather than stopping off at her apartment first, she decided to just rip the bandaid off and knock on Mark's door. When he opened the door she played it cool, a smile on her face as she looked up at him–god he was so cute, she'd miss getting to see his face and know that he was all hers. "Well hi, neighbour. A little birdy told me you've got a surprise for me?"

#{thread:wren} #{opp:mark}

[hcneysweets]

[ @queenofhcpes​​ ]

Ever since her talk with Blanca the other day, Oli had been considering her offer. It seemed as though Jennifer wasn’t trying to get in contact with her after she kissed Blanca and that was good because she still wasn’t ready at all to talk about her letter. All night she continued to think about it and maybe it was a good idea after all. Fake dating until this whole thing blew over started making more and more sense the longer she spent thinking about it.

The next day at school Oli made sure to keep her distance from Jennifer as she went to find Blanca. It wasn’t too difficult, Blanca was easy to figure out, she was athletic and on the basketball team so locating her on the school basketball court was pretty much a no brainer. For a moment Oli stayed back, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to do. It was crazy, an insane idea that could backfire completely if they didn’t execute it perfectly, but what other choice did she have? As confidently as she could, she walked over to Blanca holding her head up high.

“Hey, Blanca. I gave it some thought and...I’m in. We should probably set some ground rules first but...let’s do this.”

#;;thread #{thread:oli} #{opp:blanca} #casually changing the name of the girl she liked cause im pretty sure i forgot it #so jennifer it is

[hcneysweets]

CHARLIE‌:

If there was one thing Charlie was good at, it was hiding her true feelings and thoughts from her parents, from her entire family, really. She perfected her method over the years. It started out small - not letting them know about the kind of music she liked -, and then gradually it built up to basically not telling them anything about her life and playing a role whenever she was home. Considering how little time she actually spent home, it wasn’t that big of a deal, she could easily do that. And if she was honest, she thought she was prepared for anything.

Anything, except for Nancy - the girl she was kissing less than 24 hours ago, the girl who was cute and sweet and interesting, the girl she was trying to get ahold of but who hasn’t texted her back yet, the girl she hoped she could see again -, walking into her family’s house on her brother’s side as The Girlfriend she already heard so much about.

She didn’t think this was even a possibility. Why would she? She wasn’t living in a movie, why would she run into her brother’s girlfriend and end up making out with her of all people? It made more sense than not to have even crossed paths with Matt’s girlfriend. Especially because in her mind, if this girl was Matt’s girlfriend, she couldn’t possibly be at a party, talking about kissing girls - and actually doing it, too. Then again, now if she was thinking about it, Nancy looked like a fish out of water in the beginning, kind of like how she herself must have looked on her own first party ever, and just because she was somebody her brother liked or her parents approved, didn’t mean she couldn’t be curious about girls. Look at her, anyone who knew her as Charlotte wouldn’t even think twice about her being the perfect daughter to her parents…

She was fucked. So, incredibly, undoubtedly, annoyingly fucked.

She should have just stayed at the dorms for the holidays, damn it.

She allowed herself exactly three seconds of shock, however, because after that her survivor instinct kicked in and she found herself putting on her mask of a smile that she perfected over the years. This is just another day of pretending you’re the goodie two shoes your parents think you are, she told herself. And you can’t screw Nancy either. Even if she wanted to, just in a completely different way in this case. Fuck, she couldn’t think like that, not anymore.

“Hello there, Nancy! So nice to meet you too,” she said cheerfully, shaking Nancy’s hand, forcefully ignoring her thought about how the previous night when they touched, she was pulling Nancy close against herself. “Matt talked about you much, I feel like I already know you.” That at least wasn’t a lie, her brother gushed about Nancy so much lately, he was clearly in way too deep. She was so fucked. Matthew could never find out about this. “If you ever want to hear the embarrassing stories about him, or see baby pictures he wants to hide, you can always come to me, I have them and am happy to share.”

This was the strangest situation that Nancy had ever been in and in all honesty, she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She felt the urge to scream and faint at the idea that the thing she had spent the day stressing about, the way she lost control of herself, opened up and ended up kissing another girl, was now standing right there in front of her. Nancy had hoped that she would be able to forget about it, leave this experimentation behind her and keep dating Matthew as though nothing happened.

But now she couldn’t because Charlie stood there before her, practically taunting her, dangling in front of her as something that she could never forget. Was she a bad person for this? How was she supposed to know that someone that was part of this family, would be at a party, covered in tattoos and kissing other girls? It shouldn’t matter if Nancy knew or not, the fact of the matter was that she kissed another girl while in a relationship and that girl was her boyfriends sister. Even though she liked it a lot (maybe even more than she liked when Matthew kissed her) it felt dirty and wrong and that feeling would be creeping on her for the rest of the day.

Nancy wondered what was going through Charlie’s mind as they shook hands, the way she so easily played nice as if this was indeed their first time meeting. Nancy couldn’t lie like that, she could feel the knots in her stomach and her face turning red at the sly implication that they did know each other already. She quickly turned her head to look at Matthew to see if he picked up on anything but all he did was smile, happy to see that his girlfriend and sister were getting along. “Right, yeah uh...he’s talked about you too. It really is great to finally meet you.” Letting go of her hand, she clasped both of hers together nervously, hoping that it just looked like “meeting-the-family” jitters.

“Baby pictures! That sounds fun! Matthew, I think you should definitely go help your mom out so that...Charlotte and I don’t have to hear you grumbling about your baby pictures.” she suggested, rather hastily but with a sweet little smile on her face that the only thing you think she could be up to was getting a glimpse at the most embarrassing picture they had. Matthew did groan a little but ended up accepting mainly for the idea of the two girls spending time together even if it's at his expense. He gave Nancy a quick little peck on the lips which she returned, hoping her awkwardness came off as being uncomfortable with the PDA in front of Charlie. Once he had left the room and it was just Nancy and Charlie alone together, the awkward look on her face hadn’t faded as all she managed to say was, “Hi...”

#;;thread #{thread:nancy} #{opp:charlie}

[hcneysweets]

DANTE‌:

To say that Carmella was saving his life was a huge understatement. Dante wasn’t sure how he would have gotten through these last couple of days without her. In fact, wasn’t really sure how he would have gotten through any of this since he went back to school. There were easier periods, sure, but so many of his nights were spent cramming or reading his textbooks, and as bad as it sounded, he couldn’t have done it if he had to take care of Marti as well. Made him feel horrible, made him feel like a bad dad, but he kept telling himself that he was doing this for Marti. In the long run, it would be better for both of them.

Didn’t mean he felt any less guilty for any of this in this moment.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position, moving his head to the sides to get the cramp out of his neck. The books in his lap fell to the floor and he let out a groan, “Sorry, sorry, hope they didn’t hit you,” he muttered, embarrassed as he quickly picked them up and put them next to himself on the couch as he fell back down into the cushions.

“Thank you so much, for all of this. You really have no idea how grateful I am for everything you do for us, for Marti.” Sometimes he wasn’t sure how he got this lucky with Carmella. She was great with Marti, she didn’t mind staying late when he clearly needed it, she somehow seemed to accept what a huge mess he was and instead of criticizing him, she tried to help out as much as she could - could he really ask for anyone better?

“I think I’ll get a chance to read through my notes during my lunch break, but I should probably do some more revision before I go to bed tonight. Even if a little bit stucks in my brain, it could help.” She was probably right, though, he should sleep, but unfortunately all the different facts wouldn’t just seep into his brain if he put his books under his pillow. And he was almost certain it would be uncomfortable to sleep like that, too. 

“Oh, fudge,” he muttered suddenly, “you’ve been working all this time and I’m just sitting here - take a seat, relax a bit, you definitely deserve it. Do you want something to drink? I can get you something. Or make some tea, if you’d like? I’d offer coffee but I’m pretty sure you want to sleep at night. Or, you know, if you just want to get the hell out of here, I understand that too.”

Carmella admired Dante for all the hard work he was putting in. It wasn’t hard to notice how difficult it all was for him, Martino was so young after all and so much of Dante’s time was spent either at work or studying. Some people she worked for were barely around because they didn’t care for their child at all and felt that taking care of them was a waste of time but this wasn’t one of those cases. All the effort and time that he spent away for his son was for him. He wanted to be there but he wanted to give his son a good life, so if that meant that Carmella had to stay a little bit longer than normal to keep Marti company, she was all for it.

“Please, this is my job. I’m here to help, and Marti is such a sweet kid, it’s a pleasure to get to spend as much time as I can with him.” She answered with a grin, waving off his thanks casually. It was appreciated but the way he thanked her made it seem as though this job was a hassle which, it really wasn’t. 

Nodding her head, she pursed her lips together at his response. She wasn’t Dante’s caretaker so she couldn’t make him go to bed like she had to do with his son but it couldn’t hurt to try a little bit of convincing. “Well, you don’t want to stay up too late. If you’re this exhausted you might not be able to retain as much information as you think, you might even sleep through your alarm which would just be even worse, we really don’t want that.” Her tone came out sounding motherly, similar to the kind of voice she used when talking to the kids she took care of. It was practically the default for her in these kinds of situations.

When he offered her something to drink and to sit down she was a little surprised. It had been getting late and truthfully they should both be getting to bed at this point. Carmella felt rude refusing though, she had this feeling that he didn’t have a lot of interactions with other people but she couldn’t be too sure. Regardless, she accepted the offer and had a seat. “Tea would be lovely, thank you. If this is a bribe to get me to help quiz you before you completely knock out, then I accept.”

#;;thread #{thread:carmella} #{opp:dante}

[hcneysweets]

RAUM‌:

As the witch stands, Raum is a little too pleased with how he towers over her. This form hasn’t always been his choice when coming to this realm. For quite some time he’d choose a crow but pretending to be human allows him to mess with others lives a bit easier. Dark hues watch the little witch, his pupil momentarily expanding over his entire eye before blinking and returning to humans eyes. A simple intimidation tactic. 

Raum scoffs at her words, eyes rolling as he begins to move around the room to feed his curiosity. “I could’ve guessed such a thing. A little witch or a naive human always calling to darker things to keep breathing.” He takes in a deep breath, the air around him not smelling like the fires of hell and he isn’t too fond of it. Plus the sweat underlining of the witch’s scent mixed in. He turns, his hands flipping a coin between his fingers. There’s a deep craving in his gut for blood to spill, it has been too long since he was used in a fight.

“My price is the same as always.” He rolls his shoulders back, staring her down and a slight smirk pulling on his lips. His hand cups the witch’s chin and he leans down until there’s merely a breath between them. “Your soul.” He purrs the words. It had become a cliche to ask for such things, but for a demon there’s really nothing better to ask for. He could be colder, ask for the soul of an innocent but he doubts very highly this witch would do such a thing. So, Raum makes a deal that fits. “Your soul, for my strength. Just say the word and I’ll make all your problems go away, but when your time comes- you’re mine, little witch.”

Slowly, with her eyes wide staring at him as he leaned in close to her, Aurelia nods in response. She knew that the price would be steeper than just trinkets or money. The way the demon looks at her makes her believe that he thinks she’s stupid. Maybe he’s not entirely wrong, but she would categorize this as more of a desperate decision as opposed to a stupid one. Either way, if she plays her cards right, he might be so set in his ideas of this silly little witch that he won’t anticipate any sort of fight.

There’s a spell that she believes can help her with this, a bonding spell that she once read about that could potentially save her when Raum comes to collect her soul.  It was the best chance that she had at keeping her soul from being taken to the depths of hell. After a moment, Aurelia finally took a deep breath and spoke. “My soul...and you will eliminate the ones I need out of my way?” She did her best to sound as though she didn’t understand the concept, like she was still figuring this out even though he had already spelled it out very simply. 

“I’ve never done a deal with a demon before. I’m not sure how you operate but I only have one request.” she insisted, releasing herself from his gentle grip on her chin and staring up at him sternly. “If that’s what it takes, my soul for your power, I ask that you come to claim my soul after your job is complete. Only when I know you’ve held up your end of this deal.”

#;;thread #{thread:aurelia} #{opp:raum}

[hcneysweets]

SANAM‌:

       In a way, Sanam finds comfort in being told he’s not intimidating. It meant he wasn’t like his mother. But sadly not everyone shared the same view as him as the princess does. But- that’s alright, he’ll let himself enjoy this rare moment of someone not running from him or insulting him. “Thank you-” He straightens himself out, his back thankful for it and he pushes his glasses back up his face to save them from falling to the floor. He’s far taller than the other but he hopes being at his full height doesn’t make her change her mind. There’s a small flutter of a shy smile on Sanam’s lips upon being unformed of the princess wanting him to be himself. No one has ever told him he could be. He’s always shrinking himself for others, staying hidden, quiet, like a passing shadow on a cloudy day. 

“Allow me to do all the fighting- or as I prefer it, healing.” He smiles softly, placing the book down with care. Sanam loves to heal old books, to stitch battered spins back together, to replace damaged covers, etc. Because to him he wasn’t simply fixing a book- he was fixing a story, an entire world held in such timeless pages. Books heal others all the time with their ability to whisk people away from their pain and off to the greatest adventure they’ll ever go on. In other words, books help Sanam work on healing his own wounds- so he helps them heal theres.

At the question of him not trying to procure the ring, he shrinks upon habit. His expression holding some shame as he clears his throat and glances down at his feet. “Er- well- I’m… My mother wasn’t exactly-” He stumbles unable to seek the words he wished to speak. He scratches the scruff on his chin before sighing. “I’m the son of a banished witch. You wouldn’t want to marry me.” Sanam knew his lineage was clouded with villainy and he knew that taking the key he would bring that into the life of this princess. And he doubted the court would agree to it, if anything they may banish him too for even trying. From what he has seen and heard of the princess, she’s beautiful, inside and out. Sanam cannot say the same of himself.

“Oh, that’s good.” Some ease spreads through Sanam knowing the cat was safe and resting. He couldn’t imagine what it must be like having people throw themselves at you to take a key. “Oh, n-no, she’s not been any trouble at all.” He shakes his head, brown waves of hair falling across his forehead and a few strands resting on his glasses. “If anything- her company has been… nice. I don’t get many visitors so it’s nice to have her around.” He pauses before quickly asking a question. “I hope that’s okay with you, your highness?”

There was a part of her that felt tempted to reach out for him affectionately. Placing her hand onto hers or moving strands of his long hair out of his face but she refrained from doing so. He had no knowledge that she had been in his presence for weeks now, watching him, taking an interest in him. Something about him was different and simply drew her in and kept her coming back. Perhaps it had to do with his lack of attempts to participate in her game but no other man had caught and kept her attention the way Sanam did.

“It’s a shame, really.” She started, the smile lighting up his face at the talk of healing books causing a smile of her own to form. “If anyone took the time to talk and get to know you and see that sweet little smile of yours, I’m sure they would stop comparing you to your mother in no time.” There was nothing treacherous about him and yet people were living in fear that he may do something harmful to them. She wondered if she could change that or if, even as a princess, her opinion didn’t matter simply because it didn’t fit with the majority. “I do look forward to seeing what you can do. I may have to bring you any others I have that have gotten pretty worn over the years.”

Marisol could understand why he was so fixated on who his mother was. The rest of the city seemed to be doing the same, even her own guards being worried something would happen to her for stepping into this shop. But one look at him made it easy to realize that he was not a threat to anyone. It upset her greatly just thinking about it. She tried not to let that show on her face, however, she simply hummed and nodded in acknowledgment of his answer. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she commented simply, her eyes wandering the store as she took a few steps towards one of the bookshelves. Her fingers delicately pressed up against the spines of the books before turning back to Sanam and giving him a smile.

“Of course! If you can be so gentle with these books of yours, I trust that you’re capable of being gentle with her and keeping her safe.” Marisol took a step closer to him, placing her hands on the counter between them as she leaned in a little closer to him. “And you can call me Marisol. Please don’t bother yourself with the royal titles, okay?”

#;;thread #{thread:marisol} #{opp:sanam}

[hcneysweets]

JENNY:

[ @hcneysweets ]

Jennywasn’t the type of person who put too much effort into keeping to schedules.She made sure that she was on time when performances were happening and shetried not missing her flights, that would be too expensive of a mistake, but otherthan that she didn’t mind if not everything went according to plan. If trainingran a bit late, so be it, it happened because they were in the middle oflearning certain movements and her dancers needed that extra time to know themoves perfectly. If she missed the bus, no problem, she could catch the nextone. If she arrived somewhere ten minutes late, it was okay, she could alwayssend a text and reassure the person she was coming, if only a bit later thanexpected. But lately, she’s been trying to keep to her schedules a lot more strictly,mostly because of Tashi.

They’vebeen talking to each other ever since Jenny flew back home, first texting andthen switching to phone calls and sky chats when they had the chance. Tashi wasamazing and Jenny knew that if they weren’t living on opposite sides of theworld, she would have already asked the woman out. How could she not? Butthings were complicated and she wasn’t sure if either of them were willing tomake the next step. It could go horribly, so, for now, they were sticking tocommunicating through text and calls whenever they could.

Which iswhat made Jenny pick up her new habit. Timezones were a bitch and with both oftheir schedules being crazy busy due to work, it was hard to find the time thatwas right for both of them to be free long enough so they could sit down andactually, talk through Skype instead of texting back whenever they had theopportunity. So in the morning she started making an extra half an hour breakin between two of her training she did so the two of them could speak - it wasthe beginning of the day for her while the end of the day for Tashi, whichmeant she was hopefully at home at their usual call time, though there weremore than one occasions when she caught the woman still in the office, pullingcrazy long nights.

She lookedat the clock on the wall above the mirror and once the song was over, sheclapped her hands together several times. “Alright, it was good. We’llstill have to work on the small details, but you did good guys, stretch andthen hit the shower, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” She waited for everyoneto loosen up and start doing stretching exercises before she headed off to heroffice - it felt insane that she actually had an office at this point as thecreative head of the dance studio, but she didn’t complain one bit. She took aquick look at herself in the black laptop monitor, pulled the hairband out andshook her hair to look better and smiled when the monitor lit up because Tashiwas calling. “Hey, how is it going?” She greeted the woman with agrin. “I can’t see your background, you’re not still in the office,right?”

Tashi's life revolved around work, it was practically all she did at this point. She spent far too many hours in her office, having meetings and making deals with other companies, proving what a hard worker and valuable member she was to these people. Her professionalism was through the roof but when it came to casual interactions and making connections, she fell flat. The fact that Tashi was even able to secure a woman's number before leaving the hotel opening in the Caribbean was a miracle.

Timezones were a tricky thing to manage, unfortunately. Jenny living in the States while Tashi was back home in Australia was a complete pain but they somehow made it work. Skype chats and FaceTiming each other on a schedule that worked best for both of them and even if the times didn't completely work, they made the time.

Tashi was still at work when Jenny called, luckily just in her office nearing the end of her workday. She sat down in the chair behind her desk and did her best to position herself in front of the window before answering. She looked around for a quick second when Jenny asked her if she was still at work, turning a bit more in her chair to make sure there was no trace of work. "Nooooo..." she answered, making it extremely obvious that she was indeed still there. "I'm pretty much done though! I was close to heading out before you called so I'm all yours." Tashi just hoped that nobody would see she was still around and come to interrupt them. "How was your day? How did the dance practice go today?"

#;;thread #{thread:tashi} #{opp:jenny}

[hcneysweets]

[ @queenofhcpes​​ ]

A new school year was approaching and Mary was ecstatic to be on her way back to Hogwarts. Her entire summer was filled with classes for muggle studies (and no, not the same class that taught clueless purebloods how muggles lived their lives). Magic wasn’t the kind of thing her parents wanted her to get into, they didn’t want her to have absolutely no knowledge when it came to math and science and all the other courses that were taught in muggle schools. She understood where her parents were coming from but at the same time, it was painful to spend nearly her entire summer being home schooled by a tutor when she wasn’t planning on getting a muggle job once school was over.

The best part of her break was the letters from her friends, reminding her that the outside world of magic existed and that she was part of it. As always her friends kept in touch as well as the newest friend she made at the end of the year, Daisy. Mary felt the most eager to read Daisy’s letters whenever she got them and took a lot of time out of her day to make sure her response was perfect. She didn’t want to ruin their friendship by saying something weird or dumb! She already passed that point with the rest of her friends and she wasn’t used to figuring out what to do around new friends but she tried her hardest.

It went well enough that they planned to meet up at Diagon Alley to pick up this years list of requirements. The place was bustling as always, but between the other students and the locals doing their daily shopping, Mary was able to find Daisy in the crowd as she approached their agreed upon meeting point. “Hey! Daisy over here!” she called out, waving excitedly to the other girl, pulling her into a hug when she came over. “It’s great to see you, you haven’t picked up anything yet, have you?”

#;;thread #{thread:mary} #{opp:daisy}

[hcneysweets]

HEIDI‌:

Heidi tried and tried, but no matter how many buttons she pushed, it didn’t seem to work. Whatever happened, whatever got fucked up in the system, it was not connecting them to anyone through that little speaker thing that was supposed to be there for exactly these kinds of emergencies, nor did it seem like the alarm was working. Or it just signaled on the other end where it was supposed to and it shouldn’t have made any voice or sound right there for them. She wasn’t sure. But she knew they had to notice sooner or later – people would start complaining about the elevator not working and it would only be a matter of time for them to realize something was wrong. The question was, how much time it would take to call somebody to fix things.

When she turned around, she was surprised to see Isadora sitting on the floor, legs stretched out near her heels and while before she took great care in making sure she didn’t look at the woman’s legs or that tight skirt she was wearing and definitely didn’t imagine standing in between them, Isadora wrapping her legs around her and pulling that skirt higher, but now she couldn’t help herself a look. She looked amazing. Professional as always, maybe even more so since the kiss or Heidi started paying more attention.

She felt awkward. She was never really good with people interactions and she certainly wasn’t good in a situation when she didn’t understand where the two of them stood. The only person she truly felt comfortable – and not the kind of comfortable when she was ready to throw a punch so she didn’t care about anything else – was with Erika. Nobody else made her feel as comfortable and as good in her own skin as her little sister, and in moments like these she hated it. Putting up a front that she was cool and collected and she knew what she was doing was harder than almost anything else, especially at that moment.

She wondered if she should sit down herself and when she decided she would, she contemplated if she should sit right next to Isadora or across her. She didn’t want to make the woman feel uncomfortable but sitting across from her didn’t feel right either. Or maybe she just wanted to be closer to her. Heidi wasn’t sure. Eventually, she decided to sit next to Isadora – she had an easier job since she was wearing a pantsuit so she didn’t have to worry about a skirt slipping up where it wasn’t supposed to – and crossed her legs as she stretched them. She was being painfully aware of every movement she made not to touch Isadora.

They sat there for several awkward, silent moments. Heidi wanted to blurt out how she believed Isadora must have misunderstood her after the kiss, but they didn’t know how long they were going to be here and she didn’t want to get rejected only to be here for several hours and making things worse for both of them. So instead, she started talking about something else. “The first time I came into this building the elevator got stuck too. I wasn’t in it, thankfully. It was the defense attorney who got stuck in there and I was so mad. The judge postponed the trial until the guy got out of there, but we didn’t know how long it would take so nobody could actually leave. We were just sitting around, waiting for him. It took several hours, but it was probably the best thing that could have possibly happened. I am not sure what he did inside that elevator, but he worked himself up so hard that he made the most amateur mistakes when it counted. I am pretty sure he only takes the stairs since then.”

Izzy had never been in this kind of situation before. Sometimes you think you know how you’re going to react to something but then once you’re actually in the moment experiencing it, you do the complete opposite since you never thought it would actually happen. People must have gotten stuck in elevators all the damn time and gotten out safe and sound, so why was she feeling so stressed out about it? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was just her and Heidi, alone together along with the unaddressed elephant in the room (or in this case, elevator). 

The fact that there was no kind of notification that someone was on their way to help them just made this even more stressful for her. It was almost laughable. How was it possible that they were stuck there with absolutely no idea how long they’d be stuck? She took a deep breath and leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes both in an attempt to relax but also to keep herself from having to make awkward eye contact with Heidi. It was as if the world wanted her to suffer for acting on impulse. It had been a common occurrence with the way she would pick up hobbies, jobs, people and then drop them on a whim but she was slowly moving past that, proof in the way she managed to keep this job for as long as she did. But now it felt like she was being punished for it, making a fool of herself and then having to sit there and face it.

Her eyes opened for a moment as she heard Heidi following her lead and sitting down beside her. Isadora could feel her face getting warm, hoping she could easily explain the blush as it getting too hot in the elevator. Not talking seemed to make things even worse and she tried to figure out what to do, what to say to stop this awkward silence as they waited. Luckily, Heidi was the one who broke the silence by telling a story that elicited a soft chuckle from Izzy. “Honestly, I don’t blame him. I think I’ll only be taking stairs from now on too.” At least this had happened before and made it more likely they would be saved. “But you’d really think they’d get that checked out if it’s happened multiple times. I’m definitely going to have to talk to someone about this. They really should shut this down until someone has properly looked at it.”

#;;thread #{thread:isadora} #{opp:heidi}

[hcneysweets]

RAUM‌:

     Raum can feel the moment he is being summoned in the very feathers of his wings. It has been over two decades since someone has had the courage to speak the very words that pull the demon from the mouth of hell and into the mortal realm. It feels exhilarating, his eyes slip shut and he stretches out his wings in anticipation. His form will soon twist, break, snap, and form into something far more appealing for the place he’s being summoned too. It’ll hurt like a bitch but the pain will be worth it once he’s unleashed to wreak whatever havoc is being asked of him.

There’s a few cheers from those who walk these fiery pits with him upon noticing his form shifting. They know he’s leaving them for some time but he’ll send them toys to play with from where he’s going. New souls to break and torture for as long as they see fit. It was always the plus of being summoned, that whomever ended on the wrong side of him would becomes his followers little toys. If you’re killed by a demon there’s only one place for you, and praying won’t help.

Though as dark eyes finally open, the breeze hitting his skin instead of relentless heat he spies a little witch. Of course, his first time being summoned in two decades and it’s a witch. Not as fun as half-witted teenagers reading out loud ancient latin but he can still find the fun in it all. Having legs and arms again is slightly uncomfortable, but he embraces his new skin and moves in it like a predator towards prey. “Why have you summoned me little witch?” He may delight in her shock, a low gravel of a chuckle slipping passed his lips rather than a beak for once. “A demon finds his fun in a variety of ways.” He links his hands behind his back, circling the other and being less than subtle as he drifts dark hues over her form. “My assistance comes at a price, little witch. Pay the toll and I’m all yours.”

Aurelia understood that it wouldn’t be so easy to gain the aid of a demon. There always had to be a price but she did her studying. She knew about Raum and his power and what he might ask for in return. The idea of outwitting a demon was highly unlikely to be carried out, something could go terribly wrong but she had to try. She stood up from where she had been sitting to make the incantation, still being towered over by him, vaguely threatened by the sight. He was on her side though, at least for now.

Clearing her throat, she stood up straight, as tall as she could to not look frightened by him. “There are people after me, strong people and as much as I wish I could, I can’t take them all on my own.” How she wished she had that kind of power but she certainly pissed off the wrong group of villains and she deserved what was coming for her. Just because she deserved it didn’t mean she would take it lying down, however. Aurelia would do whatever she needed to keep herself safe, even if that meant making a deal with a demon.

“Name your price, I’m willing to pay as long as you’re willing to lend me your strength.” Her eyes were staring up at his, dark and intense, attempting to prove herself as worthy. Would he be able to sense any deception if she put on a brave front? Or would he just be too interested in the fight to notice? Aurelia took a deep breath, awaiting his answer. “So tell me, what is it that you want from me?”

#;;thread #{thread:aurelia} #{opp:raum}

[hcneysweets]

SANAM‌:

     At the mention of his inability to stand straight, Sanam makes no move to straighten up to his full height. He wasn’t simply doing it for the other’s sake, if anything this is just how he stands now after years of ridicule. If it wasn’t bad enough he was the son of the most hated woman in the city but he was also taller than everyone. So he stuck out in a variety of ways and all he wanted was to blend in, to become invisible. It’s easy to become invisible inside a book shop, the stories locked in each spine are far louder and intriguing than the tall quiet boy in the corner. “Sorry I just… I always stand like this with people around- most tend to not like me towering over them.” He shrugs, fighting the urge to take his glasses off and clean them. “Not sure I can stand straight anymore- no disrespect your… majesty? Sorry I just… I don’t really know what I’m doing.” In this situation and in life in general.

Though with the introduction of a book, there’s a light in those brown eyes that surpass the nervousness clouding them. Now this is where Sanam shines. Social interaction? He’s terrible at it but a broken book with very little hope left in it? He can fix that, he can restore it to it’s full glory so it can continue to tell it’s story to anyone willing to read it. “Poor thing-” He breathes out more to himself, gently reaching out to take it before stopping an inch from it before realising he can’t simply take a book out of her hands, she’s a princess! “Can I-” He glances up, messy brown locks falling across his forehead. He usually ties his hair back but today was a little cooler so his hair is wild and free right now. Just his luck, the day he doesn’t tie it back is the day royalty comes through his door.

“There’s still life in it. There’s hope yet.” Once being allowed to take the book, he takes it in gentle hands. The pads of his fingers run over grooves in the binding, checking stitching and the glue holding some of the pages together. It’s as if the princess fades away, his attention entirely on the book in his hands. He grabs a leather wrap from under the counter, opening it to reveal all his mending tools and places the book so gently beside it as if it’s made of glass. Once the book is safely on a clean surface he finally looks up at the princess. “I can have it good as new in-” He hums, eyes drifting as he thinks over what he has to do. “A week? I don’t have anything else to repair so I can focus just on this-” Then his mind thinks of the cat and he worry colours his features. “Weird question but… Your cat usually passes through here and I haven’t seen her today- is- is she alright?” He pauses and shakes his head for a moment. “I’m not asking for the- the whole key thing just… She rests in my shop sometimes and I’m just- worried someone’s hurt her trying to get that key.”

Turning her head around the empty room, as if searching tor anyone else that might have an issue with him standing confidently. "Well, I don't see any other people around. I don't have a problem with you towering over me, you don't look like much of a threat to me." Did that sound like a compliment? She sure hoped it did, it was obvious that he didn't want to be seen as a threat. It was astounding that anyone could find him intimidating, sure his mother was someone to fear but he looked so gentle she would never think he would go out of his way to hurt someone. "It's alright, I'm just joking around." She told him with a soft chuckle. "If I'm being honest, the whole royal treatment can get a bit dull after a while. So just...be yourself."

She couldn't help but admire the way he looked at the book, entering his comfort zone with ease. "Yes, of course–please." She spoke as she carefully handed the book over to him. Glancing around the room for a moment, it didn't take long for her gaze to fall back on him, the way he captivated her just like the book in his hands captivated him, it was remarkable. "Oh that's great I'm glad to hear it. It would kill me to part with it for good. I've had it for far too long to throw it away without a fight." She nodded her head and smiled. A week. She would be able to return in a week for another human interaction as opposed to silently observing him in her feline form.

At the mention of her cat and the genuine concern he had for her, Marisol's eyes lit up. There was a knowing smile on her lips, amused by his blissful ignorance but also his willingness to admit he wasn't interested in getting the key. "Not trying to get the key are you? And why is that?" She asked, her head tilting to the side, trying to look curious. He'd been allowing her refuge in his shop for a while and never made an attempt to grab for the key that by now she was aware of his lack of interest. Marisol liked to tease but was genuinely interested in why he seemed to be the only one not on the hunt.

"She's doing well though. She's at home resting today." She'd like to let him believe that her pet cat had a safe room for her to relax and lay around after all the running she was forced to do. "I did notice the little spot you have up there, I was assuming it was for a pet of your own. But I appreciate you keeping mine safe. I hope she hasn’t caused you any trouble."

#;;thread #{thread:marisol} #{opp:sanam} #shes already so god damn enamoured like !!! #shes like hes so cute so sweet we stan

[hcneysweets]

[ @witchcrafftwrites​ ]

Aurelia was in trouble. The danger may not be immediate but she knew it was there. Sooner or later...they would find her and she had a feeling it may be the former. She believed that hiding out in her little cabin in the woods, far from prying eyes along with her protection spells would be able to keep her safe but they were still on her tail. Drastic measures had to be taken, her enemies were clever and they were strong but she would make them regret coming after her.

She cleared an area on the wooden floor, following a book she had on summoning demons. She had never done this before but she felt it was her best bet at keeping herself safe. Have a demon do her dirty work? It made perfect sense especially when she couldn't waste any more time. She closed her eyes softly, reciting the incantation slowly and feeling her eyes roll into the back of her head. The energy surrounded her as she spoke, it felt like the walls were shaking around her, as though her shack would easily collapse around her until she finished speaking and everything fell silent.

Her eyes were still closed and she couldn't tell if it had worked. Allowing her eyes to flutter open, she didn't see anything in front of her but there was a voice behind her that startled her and made her jump. Whipping her head around she clutched her chest. "Shit! Is this what happens when you get summoned you sneak up on people?" She asked, taking a deep breath before looking the demon over though keeping some distance between them just in case. "Anyway...I need your help. I have...no other options, would you please lend me your assistance?"

#;;thread #{thread:aurelia} #{opp:raum}

[hcneysweets]

SANAM‌:

Sanam is usually alone. His mother has been banished to some far off land and he never truly found out what happened to his father. Though in order to find that out he has to talk to his mother and he’d rather avoid it. But, as always, he’s usually alone with only his books for company. However, that has changed recently due to a certain feline with the very unlucky job of keeping a key to the heart of the princess. He feels terribly sorry for the cat, seeing her weaving and dodging assailants all day. Thus he made his book shop somewhat of a safe space so she can rest, eat, simply exist without someone making grabby hands at the poor thing. Also her company was rather nice, just hearing the patter of paws on the shop floor or the occasional meow made him feel less… Isolated.

Sadly the cat hasn’t shown up today and Sanam hopes that maybe she’s found rest somewhere else and hasn’t been snatched up by a desperate man. Brown hues shift from his book to the little sleeping nook he made for the cat and he makes a mental note to add some blankets or hay to the area so it wasn’t just hard books to lie on. He knows he’s getting far too attached to the creature, that she’ll lose her key soon to some prince and he won’t see the feline again. But he’ll enjoy the company while it lasts. Everyone always leaves the son of the witch eventually.

Sanam’s attention is just slipping back to his book when he hears the shop bell ring. Not many are brave enough to venture inside, many sending letters for their orders so they don’t cross paths with him. He sits up straighter on his little stool and brushes unruly wavy brown locks to the side and makes sure his glasses are pushed back up his nose. Sanam nearly drops his book upon realising who it is but he catches it after some fumbling and nearly loses his glasses off his nose in the process. Shoving his glasses back up he blinks a few times to make sure he’s not seeing anything. But… yes, that’s definitely the princess standing before him in his tiny little bookshop. Despite being six two he tries to shrink himself a bit and offers a nervous smile. “Y-yeah er…” He clears his throat and scratches the back of his neck before offering his hand to her unsure of how to greet her. “I’m the owner yes. Can… Do you need any help?”

There was a look of amusement on Marisol’s face, watching the way he fumbled at the sight of her. It was nothing new, many people always did their best to try and impress her, falling all over themselves for their princess in hopes of pleasing her. It was fun for a few moments to watch someone squirm, the distress and awkwardness that came with thinking they had to prove themselves to her before she let them know that she didn’t actually want others to put so much work into being someone they thought she wanted them to be.

She reached over to shake his hand, standing tall in comparison to him who seemed to almost cower in her presence. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. But you know, I think you should always be standing up straight in the presence of royalty. It’s much more respectful.” she teased with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, mostly trying to gauge his reaction. If anything, it was more for him than for herself, she didn’t think he needed to make himself smaller for her benefit.

“Yes, actually um–” she paused to show off her tattered book, one that, truthfully, she hadn’t read for a very long time but was the perfect excuse to stop by and possibly return later. “This old thing is on its last legs it seems and I’ve heard you have a knack for book repairs.” she smiled, a little glint in her eyes as she knew she wasn’t being entirely truthful. There weren’t many people who had good or even neutral things to say about him and the only reason she knew about his interest in repair books was from sitting in the resting nook he had made for her and watching him do it. He didn’t need to know that just yet though.

#;;thread #{thread:marisol} #{opp:sanam} #i just....love him so much