#Happy Birthday Tabby! <3 <3 <3

[tarnishedhalo]

The house he rents in the Keys may not be the most exotic destination but between work and school, Tabby deserves something nice and quiet. The pool competes with the beach, the snowbirds have only started to trickle in, and all in all, it's everything he'd hoped for. Roses greet her when they walk in. Something he doesn't normally get to buy, given his sister's...quirks. But like Tabby, they have a classic beauty about them. He has plans for a few of them later. He tries to make her laugh over the sneakers by saying they didn't have anything suited for beachwear, so he thought she'd like a galaxy instead. And even tried matching colours with her cake. He makes dinner and sometimes loses himself in her eyes. In her smile. After pouring her wine, he slips the necklace around her slender throat, brushing the line of her jaw with his lips. "Pirate treasure, you know." Later, over a fire-pit and coffee, and leaning back so she can rest her back to his chest, Andy turns seriously. Hands her a velvet box too big for a ring, too small for most anything else he might have in mind. Then he wraps her hands around it. His own cover hers. "Before you open this...I want you to know there's no strings attached. You don't have to say anything now, you can take all the time in the world to think about it and decide if it's something you really want. Beth and I did talk about it though, and she's totally behind it if you say yes." Maybe not the most romantic way he could put it. Maybe not the right time, either. But in all fairness, it's been a really long time since he's asked anyone to move in with him.

"Either way, happy birthday, Tabs." ~*~ @tabbyrp

#tabbyrp #Roadhouse Blues|Tabby Mitchell #She Sells Sanctuary|Tabby and Riley #Latchkey Saints|au #Brooklyn Stories|New York #Happy Birthday Tabby! <3 <3 <3

[goobersplat]

Assorted Pins Set

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

(Image ID: Six pinback buttons.

1) A blue pin with two cartoon French Fries, one pouring salt on the other. A red banner with white text reads “anything goes” and the white text continues off the banner saying “French Fries.”

2) A pale green pin with a picture of a gray and white tabby cat, it has a thought bubble with purple text reading “happy cats drink thirstycat.”

3) An orange pin with two shades of blue text on each word reading “birthday boy” with red confetti around it.

4) A white “I heart” button with black text reading “I ♥️ mistakes” with the k in mistakes facing backwards.

5) A white buttons with black boxes surrounding red text saying “bone donation”. Red text continues out of the boxes saying “ is constructive!” and a black logo reads “Robi” which stands for “regional organ bank of illonois.”

6) A pink and purple gradient button with music notes, money signs, and a CD with a blue sleeve with an orange circle reading Hollywood. White text in a black box reads “music video cash” with a blue music note as the i in music and a green money sign as the s in cash. White text below it reads “get your $3.00 coupon.”

End ID.)

#png #transparent #kidcore #nostalgia #nostalgiacore #pinback button #button #collection #cat #bones #video tape #vhs #1980s #1990s #90s #80s #birthday #I heart #French fries #funny #blue #white #green #orange

[boag]

15 questions for 15 mutuals

@malibubarbiethepinkprincess tagged me to do this lol thank u qween

1) Are you named after anyone?

My mom actually named me Karma after a rave she went to on her 19th birthday, but my middle name is Renee after her aunt who died young in the 80s bc she had an asthma attack while dyeing her own hair alone at home and stopped breathing bc of the fumes 😭

2) Do you have kids?

No lol

3) Do you use sarcasm a lot?

4) When was the last time you cried?

I cry daily I’m just that kinda girl idk . Earlier I cried a little bit bc I couldn’t find my weed pen

5) What’s the first thing you notice about other people?

Vibes

6) Eye color?

Light brown I guess . They usually seem darker than they are but in direct sunlight and photos with flash they’re more like an amber color

7) What sports do you/have you played?

I cheered for football from like age 5 to age 10 .

8) Any special talent?

I’m a pretty good singer!! I used to be a lot better when I was younger and I used to constantly practice and study vocal technique online bc I wanted to sing professionally. My dream at one point was to be an opera performer. Now that I’m an adult my voice has deepened a significant amount and also I’ve been smoking for years and don’t rlly practice or work on technique anymore so my singing isn’t nearly as impressive as it was back then, but I still sing for fun a lot and in some ways I think I sound better now that my voice has matured. I also used to play covers of random songs on ukulele while singing by myself at home when I was younger lol. And I draw and paint too.

9) Where were you born?

South Jersey

10) Scary movies or happy endings?

I hate this question bc they’re not mutually exclusive concepts and also both are good as long as they’re executed well and make sense with the overall point of the movie.

11) Do you have any pets?

Yes! I have a chihuahua named Pandora but I just call her Panda 90% of the time (she was named after the Skins character) and a fluffy tabby cat named Xena who I’ve had since I was nine years old. Also my mom has a chihuahua-maltese mix named Cosmo and he’s like my four-legged little brother .

12) How tall are you?

Like 5’3

13) What are your hobbies?

Doing my makeup and watching movies and tv and microblogging and smoking a lot and FaceTiming people and loving my friends and making art and singing along to music loudly Thanks so much<3

14) Favorite subject in school?

It was ALWAYS history

15) Dream job?

I do not dream of labor but like the best things I’ve thought of maybe doing as a career in the future are probably like… teaching middle school or counseling or smth like that . Or maybe I’ll go to beauty school 🤔

I tag @1892 @lizzyswor1d @evilnicegirl @joaquinscleftlip @b-0-ngripper-deactivated20010911 @computerexploder @sun-lit-goth @yungrapunxelpart2 @carygrantsbeard @holedyke @mrsterlingeverything @boyczar @gavinstrick @g3pony @angelnumber27 but like no pressure lol

[geometricalien]

15 people, 15 questions

Tagged by @ultfreakme thank you!! 💕💕

1.) Are you named after anyone?

My first name is biblical and since my parents are Christian and my sibling also has a biblical name, I always presumed it was bc of that. My middle name though is actually a last name from my lineage

2.) When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday! It was day 2 of being home alone since my roommate left for the week and I was feeling particularly lonely since another friend wasn't able to hang out with me the last couple of days in addition to feeling isolated from family during the holiday season Plus being on my period --- yeahhh

3.) Do you have kids?

No. Nope. Nuh uh. Ask me again in 10 years

4.) What sports do you play/have played?

I did volleyball and basketball a lot in my youth, did soccer in elementary school

5.) Do you use sarcasm?

Sometimes. Mostly only with friends when we know we are being sarcastic and are playing it up? Otherwise, I'm just such a literal person I hardly use it elsewhere (even when my friends and I are joking/using sarcasm we often say "just kidding" afterwards)

6.) What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Honestly height and hair. I have such bad face blindness, and I've had it forever. But I'll remember if someone was taller/shorter than me and their hair color

7.) What’s your eye colour?

Grayish blue. They were described like ice before if that helps

8.) Scary movies or happy endings?

Depends on my mood. I like horror movies and there are just so many different kinds- I haven't found a movie that genuinely scares me in a long time though... The last one I remember was Nope. I walked out of the theater and was just watching all the clouds in the sky fkdlsajf

9.) Any talents?

Nothing is really coming to mind... I guess I'm crafty? And it shows itself in different ways. I enjoy the process of creating. Be it in writing or drawing or baking and decorating or following steps- I enjoy having a vision and creating it

10.) Where were you born?

Usa

11.) What are your hobbies?

I read books and fanfiction, I write fanfiction, watch anime and shows, cook, bake, play genshin impact. I've been playing wordle every day for almost a year now. I like tactical stuff with instructions- like legos or putting together furniture- I got this DIY book nook last week and spent like 8 hours putting it together. In school as part of the STEM program we learned how to draft both by hand and on the computer through CAD and Solidworks- those were fun. I miss that. Again it uses that same part of the brain as legos. I also like playing with cards. I have solitaire and pinocle on my phone. I was also learning how to play chess (like the strategy part)

12.) Do you have any pets?

My family home has the cat I got my 8th birthday (barn cat, brown tabby with four white socks on his paws). In the apartment though there is my roommate's black lab, half ragdoll half Siamese cat, and who knows how many fish that keep having babies

13.) How tall are you?

5'10'' (on a good day sshhh)

14.) Favourite subject in school?

MATH HELLO! (......... but also the drafting classes damn i miss those)

15.) Dream job?

Can there be such a thing as having extreme trivia knowledge on my fandoms? I'd like that alot but otherwise.... I'd like to work at one of those cat [Blank] things. Be it a café or a bar or a bookstore (that'd be awesome!!) I think that would be fun

Tagging @alienjack @szivtalan @glitt-erm @amnestyaubrey @farklelucas @brazilian-whalien52 @bloodyspade0000 @traditionalartist @illbebuyingallofthoseflowers and anyone else who sees this and wants to hop in ☺️

#ask game #tags #personal questions? #the talent and hobby one were hard #bc yeah i can do things! paint draw write sing! but i wouldnt necessarily say im Talented at them. i can pluck at a piano. dont give me a #song and expect me to play good/well in a week though. #the one thing i thought i could say i excel in was math and thats... #dont ask me to do simple math like add two numbers. i suck at quick math like that that relies on memory. bc yeah i know what 6×7 is! or #18+5! but it takes my brain a moment to find the answer or remember and process the way to solve something. #but i say i majored in math and people oooo and ahhhh and say you must be good at math!! #i hate math!! #and like- yes and i get it. sometimes i do to. #to want to major in math means you must have had some success and fallen in love with it. and yeah that success can come through innate ski #ll or trial or both. #i found that my love for math deepens when i struggle bc that makes the success that much sweeter. #i feel like there is a connection in this struggle and solving with the bringing about a vision from crafting... #maybe they just have a similar feeling of success. maybe thats all... #but its not i feel in my gut that its not. #writing a proof and beginning with a vision and seeing where the logic leads is very similar to starting a project- be it building something #or writing a novel or starting a painting. you follow the flow and see where it leads you. access if its met its goal or expectations. #and fix the mistakes and if necessary start all over with a new approach. #it is creation. #sorry for the ramblings

[poppibranchlover]

What's up, everybody? I apologize for the long delay because I've been so busy for a few months and haven't posted anything ever since, but here I am in my brand new comfortable house where I have so much privacy for myself to work peacefully now! I might share about my new place tomorrow because I haven't got much time left for today. In the meantime, I would like to announce a new Trolls Band Together-related fanfiction I'm planning to make because I knew that idea would be amusing for you to see.

Here it is! What do you think of the cover? 😁

The story's synopsis: After a successful rescue mission at Mount Rageous, Branch and his four brothers – John Dory, Bruce, Clay and Floyd – are ready to hit the spotlight in their new era of music and happiness as the harmonious boy band collectively known as BroZone. As they prepare for their next big concert, an unexpected magical accident landed on the brothers. They've all been transformed into…CATS! Branch, who's long been facing a similar dilemma in the past, must lead his brothers on a new adventure to find a cure before it's too late, and before they drive each other crazy.

Here's what each BroZone brother look like when they've been turned into cats! Unlike Branch, his four older brothers' accessories became smaller after they've transformed.

1. Branch

• Branch was still the same little cat we all know and love in Nine Lives, One Fight. The only exception was that his cat form will be more modified in this story, and he will be dancing for the first time in feline mode.

2. John Dory

• John Dory's feline body shape looks incredibly chubby and adorable, and his legs are thick and stubby. He had a thin tail that was shorter than Branch's. In addition, his green goggles got shrunken down and remained attached to his forehead. To complete his look, John Dory decided to put a cat-sized version of his spotted white furry scarf around his neck in order to match his usual clothing because he didn't want to be completely unclothed in his new form.

3. Bruce

• Bruce was a fat tabby cat with his design bearing a striking resemblance to Garfield the cat. He had blue fur, four dark blue stripes on his back, and a big tail with a thick dark blue tip. His four legs and paws are larger than any of his brothers, his cat ears are quite smaller, and his whiskers are slightly longer. As with John Dory's goggles, Bruce's necklace accessory also shrunk along with the rest of his body.

4. Clay

• Clay becomes a slimmer cat with thinner legs, a skinnier tail, and longer ears and whiskers. His teeth were much sharper than his brothers'. As with John Dory's green goggles and Bruce's necklace, his wristbands got shrunken down to cat-size as well.

5. Floyd

• Because he had the similar body shape as Branch's when he was a Troll, Floyd's cat body shape looks identical to his own cat form and he was just about the same size as him. His black earring gets shrunk and became attached to his left cat ear, which used to be his left pointed normal one. My headcanon is that Branch would purr along with him whenever they were with each other.

Yes, I know it would be great to make Branch's four brothers as cats because their littlest brother had been one ever since the previous fanfiction, Nine Lives, One Fight. CatZoned serves as a sequel to Branch's first cat adventure, and I'm thrilled to share another purr-fect story to everyone in the fandom. Unlike my past fanfictions, creating this story would require enhanced editing skills on my photos, so I hope to get it done by late 2024 or early 2025 if I’m risking it all to do it. Wish me luck on all the hard work I needed to do! 😄

Plus, I've updated my profile banner at the same time as the announcement! My 2021 profile photo would still remain though, but it still goes along with it. What do you think? 😉

Oh, and by the way, my birthday was scheduled for this coming Thursday. If any one of you would like to create BroZone's cat forms similar to what I did, I was hoping that would amuse me a lot more. 😊

Thank you for acknowledging my prolonged absence, and I hope to see you again on my birthday! 🥳

#dreamworks trolls #trolls band together #branch #cat #cat branch #branch the cat #brozone #cats #brozone cats #cat brozone #catzone #john dory #cat john dory #john dory the cat #bruce #cat bruce #bruce the cat #clay #cat clay #clay the cat #floyd #cat floyd #floyd the cat #cat transformation #cat branch story #catzone story #catzoned #fanfiction #fanfiction cover #fanfiction announcement

[cakesmelons]

HAPPY B-DAY AND WE’RE DOING CAT PICS?? GOOD. I OWN THREE.

Black one’s name is Pablo, Orange is Milo and the brown tabby is Maple :]

(Btw Milo’s fine in that one with the wooden floor boards he just likes laying down like that XD)

3 KITTIES!!!!!

This is the best birthday present ever y'all. Y'all should keep sending these to my inbox.

Give them all pets for me please.

#melons answers #multikore

[kagiura-akira]

Hirano and Kagiura and the lost tabby cat

This isn't much but part of the kagihira cat dad WIP that has some Hanzawa centric bits. It's nowhere near finished this is just a hint of the WIP (featuring Daxter who has been instagram comic-ified)

Hanzawa Masato here. Eighteen years old, third year student at Fujisawa South Second High School. I have a lot of positions - ping pong club captain, head of the disciplinary committee, and RA just to name a few. But recently I've acquired a new position: feline guardian.

Now you may be asking, "Hanzawa-san, what kind of position is that?"

There's a good explanation to that, but first we have to look back about two weeks, to explain the events that led me to this responsibility.

As the head of so many activities, I have a very strict schedule. Every morning I wake up, study, make my rounds in the dorm before breakfast, then head to school. I have a very keen eye for rough housing and suspicious activity, so I'm always on the lookout for trouble. That leads us to one particularly cold night in December. It was just after the dorm Christmas party.

“Hirano-san, where are you taking me? It's cold out here.” Kagiura rubbed his arms, his teeth nearly echoing in the stillness of the night as they chattered. His roommate walked behind him, holding his hands to his eyes to blindfold him as he steered him in an unknown direction. Kagiura, with his eyes still closed like the obedient kouhai he was, shivered for a multitude of reasons, but largely in anticipation.

“It's a surprise, Kagi-kun,” Hirano brushed him off, refusing to reveal any details before they reached their destination. “Now stay right here,” he said, halting him and taking him by the shoulders to turn him in the opposite direction. Judging by the way the wind was harsher up here, they must have wandered to a hilltop of some sort. “Okay, now keep your eyes closed for just a minute or two longer. It's not quite time yet.”

Hirano kept quiet about the ordeal, offering no details whatsoever and not allowing Kagi any sort of hint as to what was happening. He had only dragged Kagiura out of the Christmas party by hand just a few minutes ago, with no explanation as to why or where he was taking him.

After a few moments of silence passed by, Hirano spoke up. “Okay, you can open your eyes in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...”

When he opened his eyes, Kagiura had to blink a few times to clear his vision. The first thing that stood out was a bright electronic billboard situated on top of a hill across the way from the hilltop that they stood on. Suddenly, as if a switch was turned on, the billboard flipped animations from an advertisement for the local convenience store to a bright blue and yellow animated text, reading “Happy seventeenth birthday, Kagiura Akira, Fujisawa South High School Basketball Team's #11.”

Too stunned for words, Kagiura was almost worryingly silent, but Hirano soon interrupted that silence with an interjection, “Happy birthday, Kagi-kun!”

“Thank you, Hirano-san!” His eyes glimmered as he looked back at him, holding his hand to his heart as if to keep it from leaping out of his chest. “That's so awesome!”

“Ehehe, enjoy it a bit longer. It will only stay up for the next four minutes or so,” Hirano admitted, rubbing his arms to try to chase away the bitter cold of the December night. Kagiura threw one arm around his shoulders to give him a side hug as they watched it a tiny bit longer.

“Hirano-san, what's that tiny black spot on the billboard? The one that's moving,” Kagiura pointed with his mitten to a round black spot at the base of the billboard. Hirano squinted to try to get a look, but it was too far away and too obscure and thus warranted further investigation.

“I'm not sure what it is, but let's get a closer look. It looks like something is stuck up there.”

The two took care to look both ways before crossing the street to inspect the billboard more closely, and as they got closer, a small, high-pitched screeching noise became louder and louder until it became recognizable as a kitten's meow, crying for help in the cold winter night as it had somehow climbed the electrical wires of the billboard but couldn't manage to get back down. Kagiura acted immediately, rushing to find the ladder to the back of the billboard, then climbed up with care.

“Here kitty kitty,” he said quietly. “Let me help you down. It's too cold to be up here at night all by yourself.” He unwrapped the fleece scarf around his neck and spread it out as he approached the kitten, which rightfully shivered in the cold breeze up high.

“Careful, Kagi-kun!” Hirano called out. Though Kagiura couldn't hear everything he said, he understood the general sentiment.

The kitten, on the other hand, continued to scream. Looking at it close up, it couldn't have been more than a couple months old. With its chubby body, it wasn't malnourished in any capacity, and its orange fur was well maintained; there were no mats or any signs of abandonment. This poor little guy had to belong to someone. Even as Kagiura approached it slowly, it still backed away cautiously, wary of this new human. Eventually, once he was within petting range, he wrapped the scarf around the kitten, then bundled it up into a burrito with the scarf (a purrito, if you will), then tucked the bundle into his jacket and zipped up the jacket to secure it inside.

“Don't squirm around, little one,” Kagiura told it as it squirmed around, trying its hardest to escape the safety of his coat. It put up a good fight the entire trip down, as Kagiura backed down the ladder of the structure, but ultimately stopped resisting once they reached the ground.

Kagiura ran over to Hirano immediately to present the small cat to him, unzipping his coat and passing over to him, still wrapped in his scarf much like a bit of salmon in a maki roll. Hirano took the kitten when shoved in his face, but to say he was surprised was an understatement. Her whole body shivered from the cold, her tiny body not padded enough to withstand the harsh winter.

“I think she belongs to someone, Hirano-san,” Kagiura said, petting it on the head with his index finger. “She's not too old, and she's not starving or unkempt.”

“Might have gotten lost in the Christmas traffic, I guess,” Hirano mused.

“Let's keep her until we find her owners. It's too cold out here for a kitten to survive alone,” Kagi suggested.

Hirano sighed. “Kagi-kun, you know we can't keep pets in the dorm,” he said. “Hanzawa would find out immediately. Have you ever even taken care of a cat before?”

“Once when I was a kid - there was a stray that used to visit my grandparents' house every night. Please, Hirano-san! It's just until we find her owners. Given how healthy she looks, they must have taken really good care of her. Surely she's missed! We can't let her suffer out here on her own.” Kagiura's lips formed a pout, and his eyes started to tear up a little in genuine concern for the small feline.

Hirano sighed again, clearly not pleased with the predicament, but willing to compromise. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger before combing his hair back with his fingers to push it out of his face. “Fine, but if anyone finds out, the cat has to go to the shelter.”

Kagiura cheered, then took the kitten back from Hirano and stuffed it back in his coat. “I don't know what your name is, but for now I'll call you Chi-chan,” he said to the orange tabby. She meowed in response, neither seeming to agree nor disagree.

Two hours and a visit to the pet store later, the two took great caution when returning to the dorms to keep their newest roommate hidden from the other residents, especially Hanzawa. Hirano went in first with the bag of food and litter, unlocking the door for Kagi so he could easily slip in without worrying about trying to unlock the door quickly. Once inside, Kagi's knees sunk to the floor of the genkan, and he unzipped his coat to allow the little bundle inside to explore the room. Hirano was setting up the little dishes of food and water and small enclosed litterbox, hidden from view from the doorway by his mattress. Surprisingly, she hadn't made a peep the whole way, likely too cold to do anything but simply shiver.

#hirano to kagiura #hanzawa masato #kagihira #hirano taiga #kagiura akira #hirakagi #my wips #Htk pet edition

[intothewickedwood]

End of Year Quezzies

Happy New Year! I think it would be fun to reflect on highlights from last year, especially in regards to fandom. This is a compilation of questions inspired by various ask games x x

Top 5 songs you listened to for the first time last year?

1.Out of the Dark (Monster High)

2.Playing His Game (Death Note: The Musical)

3.Stalemate (Death Note: The Musical)

4.Where Can I Run? (Adamandi)

5.Me, Myself and I (Adamandi)

Top 5 Songs released last year?

1.Reason We've Got Magic from (Monster High 2)

2.Not How Our Story Goes (Monster High 2)

3.You Don't Know (Monster High 2)

4.Dirty Girl (Nerdy Prudes Must Die)

5.Nerdy Prudes Must Die (Nerdy Prudes Must Die)

Album released last year?

Nerdy Prudes Must Die (Original StarKid Cast Recording) by Team Starkid

Musical artist / group of the year?

Starkid!

Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?

Melliot's musicals!

Movie watched for the first time last year?

Stay (2017)

Movie released last year?

Monster High 2!

TV show of the year?

Legacies

TV Show released last year?

Wolf Pack

Most memorable episode of a show last year?

3x08 Long Time, No See from Legacies was one I rewatched a few times as I loved it so much

Top 5 musicals watched this year?

1.We Are The Tigers

2.VHS Christmas Carols

3.Nerdy Prudes Must Die

4. Adamandi

5. Death Note: The Musical

Game of the year?

Sims 4: Horse Ranch

Character of the year?

Lizzie Saltzman! (Legacies)

Top 5 new favorite characters last year?

1.Draculaura (Monster High)

2.Vincent Aurelius Lin (Adamandi)

3.Quincy Cynthius Martin (Adamandi)

4.Claire (Stay 2017)

5.Tabby Haworthe (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin)

Ship of the year?

Cairo x Riley (We Are The Tigers) and Mizzie (Legacies). I can't choose! Also I was this year years old when I found out my long-time otp Mizzie were canon endgame! Still screaming over that!!

Top 5 new ships last year?

1.Dracudeen (Monster High)

2.Quincent (Adamandi)

3.Claire x William (Stay 2017)

4.Holy Ghost (Nerdy Prudes Must Die)

5.Finsie (Legacies)

Best month for you this year?

Probably December. I love the holiday season!

Something you want to do again next year?

Go to the cinema more! I think I went only once this year. Would love to go to the theatre too! It's been a while!

How was your birthday last year?

It went pretty well. I just chilled at home and watched my favourite musicals.

Favorite book you read last year?

Fraternity by Andy Mientus was amazing! A real page turner! One of the best, most engaging books I've read.

What was the most delicious meal you enjoyed last year?

I really wanna get into reading Ella Enchanted. I've heard good things!

What’s something you learned this year?

All the advantages of foot massages! And that keeping an 'Affirmation Board' on notion is an extreme help. I use gallery view and I put gifs and positive quotes from my favourite media and characters to look at when I'm having a bad day. I also put techniques for coping that include pressure points, breathing techniques and tips for dealing with my sensory issues, sometimes paired with a gif of a scene that reminds me of it. Wish I'd started on it years ago but it's better late!

Favorite place you visited this year?

Just the town nearest mine. It's my favourite town!

What was the most impactful life lesson you learned?

Copy & Pasted from my Affirmation Board: "There will never not be something wrong that upsets you. Perfection is a myth. Happiness is focussing on the good despite the sadness, guilt & shame that always bubble beneath. Concentrating on, replaying or having negative feelings about what hurts won’t solve the problem or make it go away. It’s ok to let it go & not punish yourself." - Quote By Me xD. I like to give myself the illusion of control over thoughts lol but looking at this has been the most helpful thing on my affirmation board for me.

#a year in review #flash warning #long post #am*

[satansapostle6]

folie à deux

Sometimes poison is sweet.

Selina Romanov and Draco Malfoy met when they were only eleven years old. The two of them have always shared an intense bond, always having gravitated towards one another. But the question still remains, as the years pass by, is their connection one of passion, or delusion?

Warnings: Contains Mature Themes/Language, Themes Such As Sexual Content, Violence, Abuse, Sexual Assault, Eating Disorders

Five.

The snow was falling more heavily outside as Selina sat watching on the train to London. The two of them shared a compartment with Elspeth and Amana, making for a pleasant and drama-free ride back to London. Draco sat next to Selina on the train, allowed to sit with her cat on his lap, petting and kissing her affectionately. Freya had always gotten along very well with Amana's cat, a male tabby cat affectionately named Rat. Draco was impatient to get off of the Hogwarts Express as it approached the platform in London.

  "No! Give her back!" Draco protested loudly as Selina took her cat away from him, carefully putting her into her crate. 

  "Relax, we'll be at the manor soon enough," she sighed as they sat, waiting for the train to come to a stop.

  "I forgot. What did you want for your birthday?" Draco piped up, looking over at Selina.

  "What?"

  "Your birthday. It's in January, you know," he reminded her jokingly.

  "I'm aware," she promised him. "Why?"

  "I want to know what to get you for your birthday," he pointed out.

  "You don't have to get me anything," she laughed, as her friends exchanged looks. 

  "But, we want to," Amana insisted. "What do you want?"

  "Surprise me," Selina told them, "I don't need anything for my birthday."

  "Fine, it'll be a surprise, then," Elspeth conceded, "Won't it, Draco?"

  "Sure will," he agreed as they all lined up to leave the train. 

Selina led Draco off to the side as they stepped off the train, aware that Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were waiting somewhere on Platform 9 3/4 for them. 

  "Happy early Christmas! I'll write to you both. See you guys after the holidays," Elspeth hugged her friends. 

  "See you after the holidays, babe," Amana hugged her. "Happy Christmas."

Selina hugged each of her friends, wishing them happy Christmases as they all parted ways. 

  "Bye guys, happy Christmas," Draco waved pleasantly to the two of them as they waved back.

He and Selina both looked around the platform. 

  "Oh, there's Mum and Dad," Draco pointed, leading Selina over to them. 

She followed him to where Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were waiting for them, welcoming smiles on their faces. 

  "Hello, Mother, hello, father," Draco Malfoy greeted his parents.

  "Hi, sweetheart," Narcissa smiled. "Hello, Selina, it's so good to see you, my dear."

  "Good to see you too, Mrs. Malfoy."

  "Please, just call us by our names," Narcissa Malfoy said kindly. 

  "Right," Selina chuckled awkwardly. "Narcissa. Lucius. Thank you so much for inviting me to stay with you over the holidays."

  "It's our pleasure, dear," Lucius Malfoy said formally. 

  "Of course, our families have always been such good friends, I only wished I could've reunited with your grandmother sooner," Narcissa said, as she hugged her son. 

Lucius Malfoy smiled, taking Selina's hand in a rather charming manner. 

  "Thank you again for joining us for the holidays," he said. "I do hope it wasn't too much of an inconvenience."

  "No, no, of course not," she smiled, wishing she could tell them how relieved she was to be able to stay with anyone else at all, let alone a friend. "I'm so glad you asked me."

  "Good. I'm sure our families will be able to spend plenty of time together in the future," Lucius said.

  "I know I just saw you over the summer, but I feel like you've gotten taller!" Narcissa doted on her sweetly. "Say, you won't find it strange if I give you a hug, will you?" 

Selina's surprise at the question showed as she looked to Draco, who just seemed to shrug as he tried to hide his smile. 

  "Of course not," she chuckled, relishing the gesture of maternal affection as she accepted a hug. 

Narcissa gave her a quick squeeze, smiling as she rested her hand on Selina's back, leading her off of the platform. Draco thoughtfully offered his arm to his mother, linking arms with her as Selina and the Malfoy family headed away from everyone else. Selina noticed just how different Draco was away from school, as she walked beside Lucius Malfoy, who was very formal and gracious in demeanor, in a very paternal sort of way. 

  "How has this year at Hogwarts been for you, Selina?" he asked the way adults often did when speaking with children.

  "It's been good. Quidditch has been a little rough, but it's fun," she made casual conversation.

  "Really?" Mr. Malfoy seemed rather surprised. "Not having any trouble, are you? That McLaggen boy's not giving you any, is he?"

  "Oh, no," she shook her head quickly, "Of course not. It's just... I don't know, you're probably not interested in the social dynamics of the Slytherin team," she chuckled, hoping to change to a more pleasant subject.

  "Actually, I would love to hear about how things are for you on the team. Draco usually updates me in his letters, when he gets the chance," he informed her.

  "Oh. Well, it's just the Slytherin team's lineup could be better, I suppose," Selina shrugged. "Marcus Flint, the one who's been captain the past few years, he's...kind of a strange choice, but I don't think Professor Snape had a particularly overwhelming group of candidates," she reasoned. 

  "Yes, Draco's expressed to me some of his concerns. I must say, I'm inclined to agree with you," he stated. "Truthfully, the idea of you becoming Slytherin's next captain is a promising one."

  "Me?" she looked up at him.

  "Yes, Draco's told me all about your plans to become a professional player in the future," Lucius said, "Has he told you that I myself have quite a few connections in the league?"

  Selina smiled. "Yes, he has."

  "Well, I'll be keeping a close eye on your career. Don't hesitate to let me know in the next few years if you'd like me to go ahead and send a few owls," he offered.

  "Thank you, sir. That really means a lot to me," she thanked him gratefully. 

  "Please, call me 'Lucius'," he urged, dismissing the gravity of the favor altogether. "I'd be honored to make an investment in your career. I expect nothing in return, of course, I would just be happy to see a friend of my son's succeed."

  "Of course," she nodded.

It never really occurred to Selina just how much Draco and his father looked alike. Sure, they had the exact same features, and Draco's middle name was derived from his father, the same way Lucius Malfoy's middle name was Abraxas after his own father, but no one ever mentioned just how well Draco had learned his father's mannerisms, even if the way they executed their movements and speech were different. Draco had perfectly replicated his father's smile, as well as his sneer, and exuded the same confidence, and charisma, when he wanted to. Although to most looking in from the outside, Draco and his father seemed perfectly content with one another. To those who didn't know them, Draco looked up to his father, and his father was proud of him. But from the small things she'd noticed, the way Lucius Malfoy looked at his son with disdain for showing affection to his mother, or the way Draco would gulp and look up at his father, silently begging him to notice whenever he felt he was doing anything mildly impressive, or even the way Lucius would smile at Selina, a smile that would subtly fade once his eyes settled on his only son. Draco had once complained to Selina the year before that he felt his father wanted another child, a girl, to dote on and show his affection to the way he couldn't with Draco. Until now, Selina had thought the complaint to be just another one of Draco's meaningless rants. 

The Malfoys had safely Apparated Selina and Draco back to their luxurious manor, where she would be staying with them. 

  "Alright, I'll let you both settle in and rest," Narcissa sighed as she and her husband returned to the comfort of their own home. "Selina, would you like the room across from Draco's again?"

  "Yes, that'll be perfect, thank you so much," she nodded. 

  "Not a problem, dear. Let me know if you need anything else."

Places had been found for both of their belongings and pets shortly after they arrived. Although all of Selina's things had been left in the  elegantly furnished spare bedroom across from Draco's, the two of them assumed that she would once again be sleeping on the large circular cushion by his windowsill. Draco's room was much more lived-in than the spare bedrooms, with posters and more of his own belongings scattered about. There was something oddly comforting about being in her friend's room, the way it was a perfect extension of his mind that looked and smelled like him, in a  pleasant way. Selina liked the things in Draco's room, from the rings and trinkets on his dresser to the Falmouth Falcons poster on his wall beside his bed. 

  "I'm exhausted. Let's take a nap," Draco jumped into his bed, not bothering to change his clothes. "We'll go to Diagon Alley later."

  "Sounds good to me," Selina sighed.

She went into Draco's bathroom to change her pants, throwing off her sweater as she jumped underneath the blanket Draco had supplied her with. The two of them decided to sleep in, enjoying the start of their vacation. Hours had passed before Selina woke up first. She checked the clock in Draco's room, which said that it was ten o'clock. She peered over at Draco, who was still sound asleep in his bed, smiling as she resisted the urge to find a bowl of warm water for his hand. Finding a long, thin sweater to wear around the manor, Selina brushed her teeth once again before making her way downstairs. She wandered Malfoy Manor with one a particular destination in mind, admiring the beauty of the architecture as well as the family's many material possessions. Selina eventually wandered into one of the family's chambers, where Narcissa Malfoy greeted her. 

  "Selina. You're up," she smiled. "I do hope you've gotten the chance to rest."

  "Yes, definitely," she nodded.

  "Is Draco still asleep?" the woman asked expectantly.

Selina nodded, realizing Draco's mother had been alone since Mr. Malfoy had left for work. 

  "Would you like to join me for my tea?" she offered. "You can sit if you like, I've got plenty."

  "Actually, that looks amazing, thank you," she decided, sitting down across from Narcissa, who poured her a cup of tea. "This china is amazing," she complimented.

  "Oh, why thank you, it was a wedding gift, actually," Mrs. Malfoy said. "I haven't used it in ages, but I thought I'd bring it out again. It's so nice to have company... Here you go."

Selina gladly accepted the cup of warm tea, staring in awe at the beautiful red roses on the china set. 

  "It's rose hip and lychee, imported from China, if I'm not mistaken," she remarked. "I believe this is the blend Lucius and I discovered on our trip there. It was beautiful."

  "I'll bet. What time of year did you go?" she asked curiously.

  "We went in the spring... You wouldn't believe the cherry blossoms. It was like snow, but better," Narcissa reminisced happily.

  "Wow, that does sound beautiful."

  "Do you have any interest in traveling?" the woman asked.

  "Yeah, I think I do," Selina Romanov thought. "I think it'd be nice to see the world."

  "Well, I'm sure you'd get to do that playing Quidditch," Narcissa offered. 

Selina sipped on the tea, pleasantly surprised by how much she liked it.

  "Wow. That is good," she nodded appreciatively.

  "Is it? Perhaps I'll send a box to your grandmother for Christmas."

  "Mmm, she'd love that."

Selina indulged in the tea and pound cake set out on the coffee table, amazed at how good it was. She was able to sit in silence with Narcissa for a short while, not feeling awkward or pressured to speak. It was a pleasant silence, the kind that she never could've had with her own grandmother. 

  "Are you hungry?" Narcissa questioned after a moment. "I could have something made for you."

  "Oh, no, this is perfect," she promised, fully satisfied. 

  "Alright, I'll have something made once Draco's awake, I'm sure he'll be wanting those Belgian waffles..."

After a while of enjoying her polite tea with Mrs. Malfoy, Selina noticed the woman seemed to have something on her mind. She couldn't help but think how much she took pleasure in spending time with Narcissa, the way she wished she could have gotten to know her own mother. Selina knew that she had to have been a very lonely woman, what with Draco usually away at school, and her husband always at work. Selina felt for her, seeing Narcissa Malfoy almost like a surrogate mother in the few years she'd actually gotten to know her. Narcissa was kind to her, and thought of her the way she would a family member, something Selina wasn't used to. She noticed that, as cold and formal as Narcissa was to the outside world, she really was a warm and gentle soul, once you got to know her. Narcissa Malfoy was a kind and beautiful woman, with long, dark hair streaked with white over the years. She had intelligent eyes and a disarming smile, the kind that was rare and valuable in nature. Getting to know her made Selina wish even more that she'd gotten more time with her own mother, to see how beautifully she would have aged with time.  

  "You know, Selina, my son speaks very highly of you," she said softly, her voice cracking with slight sadness, "To be quite honest, I'm so glad Draco's found a true friend. Those are hard to come by in this world."

Selina nodded, sharing her genuine smile. 

  "I can tell how much you care for him, you know. I know you're a good influence on my son, I can tell by his letters," Narcissa chuckled. 

  "Why, what does he say?" Selina Romanov asked. 

  "It's not so much what he says as it is what he doesn't say," she supplied, her eyes twinkling as they shared that little secret.

The two of them were interrupted as Draco came bounding into the room, his hair a mess as he wore the clothes he'd had on since the train. 

  "I'm hungry," he thought aloud, as Narcissa gave Selina a knowing look.

Draco and Selina enjoyed a plentiful breakfast before Narcissa had given them permission to use the Floo Network to travel to Diagon Alley. Both of them dressed accordingly for the cold, snowy weather, in their layers and coats. 

  "So, where to first?" Selina asked as they leisurely walked around in the snow. 

  "Let's head to Knockturn Alley!" Draco Malfoy said enthusiastically, running off before Selina could say much. 

  "Your mother won't mind?" she asked pointedly.

  "No, I come here with my father all the time," he replied dismissively. 

  "Alright," she nodded, following him to Knockturn Alley.

Knockturn Alley was an area not far from Diagon Alley mostly meant for the Dark Arts, with Dark creatures and artifacts and such. Selina had been there a couple of times with her grandmother, but other than that, she was told to avoid it. Many of the witches and wizards who could be found skulking around there looked questionable, at the very least. 

  "Stay close to me," Draco ordered her, making sure she was right next to him.

  "I'll be fine, thank you for your concern," she rolled her eyes at him. 

She followed him down Knockturn Alley, the both of them looking for good stores to visit. 

  "Are you alright with choosing your birthday present here, or at Diagon Alley?" he questioned.

  "You mean my Christmas present?" she asked.

  "No, I already know what I'm getting you for Christmas," he replied, sounding bored as if it were obvious. 

  "Where to first then?" Selina looked around, ignoring the Dark witches and wizards leering at them.

  "First, we pick up your Christmas present," Draco declared, walking her over to a store called The Coffin House. 

  "You're going to let me see it?" she raised an eyebrow.

  "No, not bloody likely. Wait out here," he told her, walking in as she stood outside in the cold, wondering what he could have possibly gotten her from The Coffin House. 

She sighed to herself, crossing her arms as tightly as she could as snow lightly fell. An older witch with dark hair slowly approached her, smiling widely. 

  "You, my dear, are beautiful," she said in awe. 

  "Yeah, and not afraid to use an Unforgivable Curse," Selina frowned, drawing her wand. 

The woman frowned as she realized she wouldn't be getting what she wanted, slowly walking away from her in defeat. Selina Romanov impatiently waited outside for Draco, not appreciating the cold. It was a few minutes before Draco exited the shop with a black bag in hand. 

  "Got it," he told her.

  "It better not be something dead," she threatened him. 

  "Relax, I couldn't find your mother's femur," he retorted. 

Selina smirked at the joke as they walked down the alley.

  "I can't wait til I'm able to go to the betting shop," Draco said to her as they passed it.

  "My father made a decent amount of money there," Selina recalled. "My grandmother hated him for being a gambler. Still does."

  "Does your grandmother like anything?" he questioned as they walked towards the shops that were known to sell various knickknacks.

  "Mmm, I don't know," Selina thought. "Wine?"

The two of them decided to enter the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, where the wizard who ran the shop seemed ready to kick the two of them out until he realized who had entered.

  "Mr. Malfoy," he nodded curtly to Draco, who simply nodded back as they looked around.

Selina saw many random and interesting objects, including various cursed trinkets, miscellaneous supplies, and items that had belonged to various Dark witches and wizards. Selina had always had a fascination with the Dark Arts, not necessarily in that she wanted to practice them to the extent of committing crimes against humanity, but more so in that she was curious about the nature of Dark magic. Selina's only experience in performing Dark magic was on par with others her age, only having used fairly simple spells against others either in a joking manner, or in self defense, although she had already demonstrated an undeniable gift for it. Selina was a talented duelist, which she had demonstrated in front of her classmates at Hogwarts the year before during the short-lived Dueling Club.

One Year Ago

  "Excellent, now, I'll be needing another pair of brave volunteers for our next duel!" Gilderoy Lockhart, the previous year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor announced. "Hmm. How about you, Miss Romanov? Care to demonstrate for us?"

Selina Romanov stepped up onto the platform, noticing Professor Snape standing behind her. Professor Snape gave her a rather intense nod of encouragement as her Head of House, clearly all but ordering her to win. 

  "And, who here would like a chance to duel against our talented young Miss Romanov here?" Lockhart asked the students cheerfully.

At first, no one's hands were raised at all. Draco gave his friend an appreciative grin, as Crabbe and Goyle laughed at everyone's hesitation. Eventually, a single hand was raised as the eerily handsome Professor Lockhart grimaced uncomfortably. Everyone was surprised, especially the other Gryffindors also participating in the school Dueling Club.

  "Mr. Weasley, normally I would certainly be happy to allow you to participate," he began carefully, "But given the age difference between you and Miss Romanov, I don't think it would be  very prudent to, uh—"

But, he was of course interrupted by Professor Snape. 

  "Professor, Romanov is perfectly capable of participating in a duel against the likes of Fred Weasley," Snape drawled, sounding almost bored, "If anything it's Mr. Weasley we should be worried about."

  "Oh, very well, then," Lockhart allowed it uncomfortably as Fred Weasley stepped up onto the dueling strip with a mischievous grin. 

  "You sure you want to do this, Weasley?" Selina said calmly before they raised their wands.

The other Slytherins followed her in mocking Fred, convinced that she would be victorious. Quite a few of them had gotten quite mean, shouting things like 'Snap that ginger', or 'Poor Weasley'. Some were definitely more creative than others. Professor Lockhart and a considerable portion of the students spectating had their concerns about a second-year girl dueling against a fourth-year boy, but neither Snape nor Selina seemed the least bit concerned about it.

  "Actually, I'm not come to think of it," he replied thoughtfully, "I don't think I'd feel too good about beating a girl."

The other Gryffindors laughed in turn, as Selina readied her wand.

  "Really?" Selina raised an eyebrow. "I was thinking the same thing."

The Slytherins who had been watching all laughed and cheered for her, with Draco and the rest of their gang murmuring and pointing in Fred Weasley's direction. 

  "Come on! Knock him on his arse, Sel!" Draco called, earning cheers of agreement from the Slytherins and some of the Ravenclaws. "If you don't, I'll be your second!" he said enthusiastically.

Fred only grinned in response as the two of them bowed, taking a few paces backwards. They both turned sharply and pointed their wands at one another. A few sickles were thrown at Fred's feet by some Slytherins who were paid by Draco, which had earned some cruel laughs from the other students, discouraged by Professor Lockhart.

  "Ladies first," Selina Romanov smirked as she allowed Fred a head start.

  "If you insist."

  "Remember! You two are casting your spells to disarm, and only disarm, your opponent!" Lockhart prompted firmly. "One. Two... Three!"

It didn't take long for the both of them to disregard the instructions. 

  "Aqua Eructo!" Fred boomed. 

But before he could even finish casting the spell, Selina had used non-verbal magic to cast a shield charm, which caused the violent jet of water that had shot out of his wand to be fired back at him. Fred Weasley was knocked to the ground by a blast of spraying water, leaving him sitting on the floor soaking wet, in front of the whole school. All of the Slytherins laughed at his misfortune along with the others in the Dueling Clyb, observing them as he hopped to his feet. 

  "Relashio!"

Selina Romanov dropped her wand, quickly rectifying it as she caught it before it fell to the ground. She raised her wand, aiming it at Fred Weasley as she cast a surprisingly powerful Weakening Hex. Fred was astounded by the potent effect her spell had on him already, causing him to feel fatigued and powerless in his magical abilities. 

  "Locomotor Wibbly!" he attempted to cast the Jelly-Legs Curse against Selina.

  "Remember, we're disarming only!" Lockhart yelled, only to be completely ignored by the students, who both had their own predetermined agendas. 

However, due to his impaired magical ability, he had only succeeded in causing one of her knees to involuntarily wiggle, an effect which she easily shook off. 

  "Flagrante!" Selina shouted.

Fred Weasley's wand felt as if it were actually catching on fire, the heat burning his hand. He dropped the wand immediately, fearfully tending to his hand as he feared that it might have been severely burned. 

  "Agh!"

  "Alright, alright now, that's enough of that," Professor Snape announced, walking on the strip towards Selina, "I'm sure Mr. Weasley's had enough public humiliation for one day. You see, Lockhart, surely you realize, if anything, Romanov would have been better off dueling you yourself, if anything," he baited him.

He rested his hand on her shoulder, indicating that their dueling match was over. Draco Malfoy and the rest of Slytherin complained loudly at the duel being cut short. The Gryffindors seemed appalled by the spells that had been cast against Fred, although he didn't seem to upset about it himself. Fred merely looked over at Selina, chuckling to himself as Lockhart attempted to check if his hand had been burned. 

  "Miss Romanov, once Dueling Club comes to a conclusion, you are to be in my office," Snape said in a hushed tone.

*****

After everyone had been released from Dueling Club, Selina had reluctantly followed Professor  Snape to his office, her demeanor calm and  composed.

  "Professor, if I've done something wrong—"

  "You've done nothing wrong," Snape replied passively as he stood beside his desk. "I have no complaints about your performance today, however..."

He narrowed his eyes at her, eyeing her almost suspiciously. 

  "I must ask you where a second-year such as yourself came across spells like the ones you used today in your duel against Weasley," he expressed with a hint of suspicion.

  "I... I learned them from my mother's journals," Selina Romanov replied. "My mother wrote about a lot of different spells she used. She also wrote about the spells my father used, and the ones he was gifted at. I practiced them on my own. I even came up with my own, better versions of some of them."

  "Yes, I see... and I'm assuming your mother's journals were what helped you in learning such advanced magic, such as non-verbal spells?" the dark-haired man assumed. 

  "Yes," Selina responded dutifully. 

  "I see. I must express that in your short amount of time here at Hogwarts, you've demonstrated a particularly advanced predisposition towards spell work," he said, "Particularly hexes, and other, shall we say, slightly Dark-leaning spells."

She examined his expression carefully, trying to determine whether or not she was in any danger of getting herself into trouble. 

  "'Hexes'?" she echoed cautiously. "Dark spells?"

  "Yes, I seem to recall many occasions on which you've used magic to defend, or more accurately offend," Severus Snape stated, "Or was it not you who paralyzed Pansy Parkinson, elongated Marcus Flint's teeth, or illegally swelled Marcus Belby's head in the past year?"

Selina decided not to answer the question directly so as not to accidentally incriminate herself. 

  "You don't seem to be looking to punish anyone for all of that," she mumbled.

  "Not particularly, no, although I don't seek to reward the behavior, either," he responded. "Although, don't see any problem with a Hogwarts professor simply offer, shall we say, additional instruction to a student they feel to be in possession of the proper skills," he hinted quietly. 

  "What exactly are you offering, Professor?" she inquired curiously. 

 "An opportunity to, shall we say, research similar spells, purely for education purposes, of course," he said quickly. 

  "Really?" she asked suspiciously. 

  "You know, Miss Romanov... Many witches and wizards over the course of history have ascended to the level of inventing their own spells," he provided. "How would you like to achieve that same level of prowess some day?" he asked. 

Selina smiled slightly. "I would say I'm definitely interested."

  "Tuesdays and Fridays, my office. Three o'clock," was his only reply. 

One Year Later

Selina and Draco wandered around the shop of strange, miscellaneous objects, searching for anything that interested them.

  "Look at this," Draco chuckled in amusement, holding up what appeared to be an old diaper. "A cursed diaper that suffocates babies."

  Selina stared at it blankly. "...What the fuck."

  "Come on, it's Dark magic, Sel, what do you expect?" he laughed at the strange objects they found.

  "I'm less confused by the 'suffocating babies' part than I am by the 'cursed diaper' part," she informed him. "Why specifically use a cursed diaper if you want a baby dead? Why not just kill the baby?"

  "Well, outright murdering a baby just sounds ridiculou, I mean, that's just stupid. What kind wizard would just go and kill a baby?" Draco argued dismissively. 

  "Voldemort?" she offered, earning a sharp look from the shop owner.    

Draco shook his head at the situation, dropping both the argument as well as the diaper. 

  "This looks promising," Draco held up an antique brooch. "Ooh. It shoots silver darts," he read the card attached to it.

  "Put that back," she groaned.

  "Why? Don't tell me you're afraid," he teased.

  "I am afraid. Afraid you'll poke an eye out," she scoffed.

The pair continued walking around Knockturn Alley, both careful not to be seen by anyone. Draco and Selina both were well aware that it was entirely possible they might run into someone they knew. Draco led Selina into an apothecary, where he was greeted by a Mr. Mulpepper. 

  "What can I get for you today, sir?"

  "Just those," he replied, pointing to a small jar on the shelf behind the man.

  "Yes, sir," Mr. Mulpepper nodded, placing the jar on the counter in front of them. 

  "What the hell do you need human vocal chords for?" Selina whispered. 

  "Don't worry about it," he muttered, nodding to the shop owner. 

He named a price as Draco Malfoy handed him a selection of coins from the sack in his pocket, as the older wizard nodded and allowed them to take the jar. They left the store together, continuing to look around, staying hidden as they walked through the alley. 

  "Come on, let's just go to Cobb & Webb's and then leave," she murmured. 

Draco followed as she headed off to the shop. They were greeted, or rather, not greeted, by an indifferent witch who allowed them to peruse the store as they pleased. The witch, who was fairly young, approached Draco and Selina as they aimlessly looked around the shop.

  "Hello," she said politely. "You two finding everything alright?"

  "Yeah, thanks," Draco nodded, suspicious at her surprisingly pleasant customer service. 

The pretty young witch smiled, her jewelry and stylish coat giving her the appearance of a perfectly normal girl in her early twenties, with dark hair and bangs, as well as painted red lips. What particularly stood out about her to Selina were her big blue eyes and moderately prominent Cockney accent. 

  "You two looking for his-and-hers Christmas gifts?" she asked them.

  "Actually," Selina corrected her awkwardly, "We're not—"

  "She won't tell me what she wants for Christmas," Draco interrupted, rolling his eyes at her in annoyance.

  "Ah, I see," the girl nodded, still smiling normally. 

  "Because I don't really want anything," Selina told him, "I told you you could get me anything."

  "You two really are cute," the witch grinned, walking over to a glass display case. "Come take a look at this. You've got money to burn, yeah?" she asked Draco.

  "Oh, yeah," he bragged, nodding as if he didn't even need to hear prices. 

Selina took a look at the display case, which was filled with rather attractive jewelry.

  "Are these cursed?" Selina looked up.

  "Some, yes," the girl breathed, "Others, not necessarily."

There was a wide assortment of displayed rings, bracelets, necklaces, and other accessories adorned with various jewels and stones. They watched as she unlocked the display case, gesturing to the contents. 

  "You can pick them up, if you like. Or, well... maybe ask what they are, first," she advised humorously. 

  "Right," Selina agreed cautiously.

  "Have either of you been in here before?" the woman working in the shop asked. 

  "Yeah, we both have," Draco nodded, examining the pieces. 

  "I don't think we've met. I just started working here not too long ago," she said. "Bellicent Cobb. My grandfather started this place."

  "Nice to meet you," Selina said to her, deeming it not a good idea to give this girl her name. 

Draco just barely allowed his fingers to touch a little gold bracelet embedded with green gems. 

  "Like that one, do you?" Bellicent Cobb asked. "It lets you talk to snakes. Like Parseltongue, you know?" she said crudely. 

  "Really?" he questioned.

The girl nodded.

  "My mother was a Parselmouth," Selina remarked.

  "No way," Bellicent said in awe, "Really?"

Selina nodded, staring at the bracelet. 

  "Why aren't you a Parselmouth, then?"

  "Is your father a man?" Selina asked her.

  "...Yes," Bellicent replied, emphasizing the obviousness of the answer.

  "Then why aren't you a man?" she demanded.

  "Right, fair enough," the witch accepted the argument. "My father used to tell me stories, but I hardly knew they existed. At some point, I just kinda assumed they weren't real," she remarked. 

  "Most people usually do," Selina nodded. 

  "You two go to Hogwarts, I'm guessing?" Bellicent Cobb asked.

  "Yeah. Did you?" Draco questioned.

  "I did," she nodded proudly. "What Houses are you?"

  "We're both in Slytherin," he said with an air of prominence. 

  "Oh, so was I. I was a Beater on the Quidditch team," Bellicent revealed.

  "You don't say," Draco seemed mildly impressed. "I'm Seeker, she's a Chaser," he pointed back at Selina.

  "No way," Bellicent grinned, "Cool. If you don't mind me asking, what are you two doing in here today? We don't get many people your age. Well, hardly any, really. Have you been in here with your parents, or something?"

  "Yeah," Selina replied. 

  "What're your names?" Bellicent asked curiously. "Maybe I know them."

  "I'm Malfoy," Draco introduced himself. "This is Romanov."

  "Oh, yeah... I think I know of a Mr. Malfoy," the older girl nodded, turning to face Selina. "But you... you're a Romanov?" 

  "I am," she replied. "You might have heard of my father. Ilya Romanov."

  "Ah, the bloke that's in Azkaban, yeah," she nodded quickly, "I see it. He used to come in here a lot, you know. Years ago... You kinda look like him."

  "Did you know him?" 

  "I mean, not really. I was a kid. He used to come into the shop when I would sit in here with my father," she recalled. "He was a pretty lively bloke, that one. His voice seemed to fill the whole damn shop. Always send to come in after going down to the betting shop down that way. Used to go one for days about those creature fights a bunch of blokes used to bet on. They still have them. Always getting shut down, I hear. A bloody mess."

  "Yeah," Selina sighed, "That was definitely him. Say, Bellicent, what does this one do?" she studied a rather unusual tiara adorned with a round red gem in the center. 

  "That..." she paused for a moment, "Makes you spit fire."

Selina made a face at Draco, who shared the silent sentiment.

  "I don't think we want that one," he decided without much thought.

  "Yeah, it's a hard sell," the young woman agreed sympathetically.

Selina looked at the little display of various rings in front of her, finding an ornate silver ring with an eye-catching black jewel on it. 

  "Can I pick this one up?"

The shopkeeper nodded as she held the ring in her hand, admiring its beauty. It had a look of danger about it, which was more attractive to Selina than unnerving. 

  "That one senses danger," Bellicent told her, earning her a raised eyebrow. "Look... put it on."

Selina trusted her, putting the black ring on her ring finger. She saw that the ring was a bit too big for her finger, watching as the metal slowly shrunk itself until it was the perfect size. 

  "Yeah, that's a nice piece, isn't it?" Bellicent grinned.

  "How does it sense danger?" Selina Romanov inquired. 

  "Like this," she said flatly. 

Bellicent Cobb drew a small dagger from her pocket, lunging towards Selina as she stopped the blade just before it was plunged into her chest. Draco gasped as a loud ringing sound filled Selina's ears. Bellicent promptly sheathed her blade. 

  "What the hell! You almost stabbed me!" Selina exclaimed.

  "Yeah, almost," Bellicent rationalized nonchalantly. "But I didn't, thanks to this super cool ring, which you should totally buy, by the way."

  "You know what, I can't be mad at that," Selina nodded appreciatively.

  "You like that one?"

  "It's definitely useful, yeah."

  Draco made up his mind, understanding Selina's mannerisms. "I'll take it," he declared eagerly.

  "I'll wrap it up," the girl replied, as Selina continued looking at the objects in the case. 

She came upon an expensive-looking watch, which looked new. It was a gleaming silver watch with an exquisite face. The edge of the clock had a beautiful black snake that coiled over and under the edge of the face. 

  "Hey, do you think you could tell me about this watch?" she called to the shopkeeper.

  "The silver one?"

  She nodded. "Yeah."

  "The snake comes to life. Does whatever you want it to do. It's pretty cool. Its bite's poisonous," she recounted as she found boxes for the ring. "It actually belonged to Grindelwald at one point, so it's pricey, but cool."

Selina gauged Draco's reaction, trying to determine whether or not it was an appropriate gift for him. She decided it definitely wasn't, judging by the fact that he shook his head vigorously, a look of discomfort on his face. Selina nodded wordlessly, understanding his aversion to an object that had once belonged to one of the darkest wizards of all time. 

  "You know..." Bellicent returned to the two of them, facing Selina, "That ring you found? It has a twin."

  "A 'twin'?" Draco repeated.

  "Yeah... here," she pulled another silver ring from the display. 

This one was a simple silver ring with a thick band, decorated by nothing but a pattern engraved into it.

  "It looks different, but it does the same thing. My father tells me those rings are kind of famous," she explained.

  "How so?" Draco questioned, trying the ring on as it shrunk slightly to fit his finger. 

  "Well, those rings were made by a wizard named  Astraeus Caddel in the late nineteenth century, for him and his wife Melisande. They're sometimes called the Lover's Rings, even though friends and family members use them a lot, too. They made about a few thousand pairs, but if you look closely at these, you can tell that they were one of the earlier sets. If you connect them, they work as a pair," she answered.

  "How?" Selina asked.

  "Well, take your ring, for example. Not only would it make that noise when you're in trouble, but it would do the same thing when he's in trouble," the eccentric girl gestured to Draco. "And, if one of you presses the center, the other one can feel it too. Sort of like a hug, or a tap on the shoulder, but for your finger," she supplied. 

  "I'll take both," Draco nodded.

  "Excellent. Twenty galleons for both, and I'll have them both wrapped up. Free of charge," she told him.

  "Only twenty galleons?" Selina asked, pulling out her money.

  "Well. They're supposed to be thirty for the set, but maybe I like you," she shrugged coolly.

  "Wow. Thanks," Draco told her, handing over all of the money before Selina could interfere. "How do you link them?"

  "Just hold them both in your hand and use the incantation 'Simulaeternum'," she enunciated.  "I wrote it down on a piece of parchment. It's in there."

Selina nodded, easily remembering the information. 

  "I'll tell you what. You two ever wanna do some buying or selling, you come back here to me, or send me an owl, and I'll help you out," Bellicent offered. "Try and win a game for Slytherin, alright?"

  "Alright," Draco agreed. 

They visited Borgin and Burke's afterward, not finding anything of interest, and had returned to Diagon Alley, which was significantly more cheerful, especially considering it being around Christmastime. It had stopped snowing outside, and the sun was half revealed by a parting in the clouds in the sky. 

  "I still have to get you something," Selina reminded Draco.

  "You don't have to get me anything," he excused her.

  "Oh, that means nothing when I say it, but you say it, and it's law?" she spoke up.

  "Yup," Draco nodded as they walked together. "Ugh, it's cold."

  "Want hot chocolate?" Selina suggested.

  "Yes, please!" he groaned. "With whipped cream and marshmallows!"

  "Come on. Rosa Lee Teabag always has it around the holidays," she dragged him off to the tea shop.

The tea shop was filled with both packaged tea for purchase, as well as a very small cafe that made hot and cold drinks. A young wizard was working at the cafe. By Selina's estimation, he was probably not much older than seventeen, maybe about eighteen or nineteen, or twenty at the most. 

  "Hi," the dark-haired boy smiled charmingly as he saw Selina, "What can I get you?"

  "One hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows, and one warm apple cider, please," she smiled. 

  "Coming right up," he nodded, turning to make the drinks.

They were ready in almost an instant, prepared by floating kitchenware. The boy behind the counter put lids on both cups, handing them off to Selina.

  "Here you go. On the house," he gave a sly smile.

  "Thanks!" she exclaimed with sarcastic enthusiasm, making her voice more high-pitched than it normally was. "I'm thirteen!"

His smile instantly faded into a mortified grimace as Selina happily handed Draco his cup, the two of them quickly walking out. 

  "That was bloody brilliant!" Draco Malfoy chuckled. "I mean. That we got stuff for free," he corrected himself. 

They both stood outside for a moment, enjoying their warm drinks. 

  "Mmph! That's delicious," he grunted. 

  "Okay, where to?" Selina questioned. "We're not giving up until I find you the perfect Christmas present."

  "Quidditch supplies!" he cried, leading the way. 

  "Quidditch supplies, it is."

Draco took the small bag he'd gotten from Cobb & Webb's, handing it off to his friend to hold onto.

  "Here. Early birthday gift."

  "It's a gift for both of us," she decided. "Thank you. That was a really cool find."

  "Yeah, it was. Can't wait to press the shit out of my ring during classes," Draco snickered.

  "Oh, I'm sure. You know, if you think about it, those will be good for Quidditch," she thought. "I'll know if a Bludger's coming for you."

  "And I'll know if Monatgue's coming for you," he smirked, earning a hard flick in the ear. "Ow!"

Selina sipped on her warm apple cider as he opened the door to the Quidditch supply store, the both of them looking around excitedly.

  "Okay, get out of here," she told him as she went to explore the store.

  "What did I do?" he complained.

  "Go look around! I'll pick out a gift for you while we're in here," she told him, "I want it to be a surprise!"

  "Fine," Draco complained, reluctantly wandering off to the section that was full of merchandise for different teams. 

Selina looked through the aisle of kits and armor, hoping to find a nice pair of gloves, or perhaps something similar. She had kept in mind the teams that Draco liked, his favorite of which being the Falcons, which were best known for their violent playing style. This was something they'd had in common, mostly because Selina had grown up listening to her father's yelling and ramblings about the Falmouth Falcons. Although she was hesitant at times to like anything that Ilya Romanov liked, she had no problem sharing a favorite Quidditch team with him. Much to her surprise, she had discovered a perfect pair of black leather gloves, which were made by a brand that she was aware was a favorite of a few of the players on the Falmouth team. She selected the gloves, happy to have found something so perfect for Draco. Satisfied with what she'd found, she joined him in the merchandise section, looking with him at different jerseys and other clothing, eventually settling on a Falcons jersey for him along with the gloves, which she paid for while he looked around the store. They ended up eventually wandering Diagon Alley aimlessly, looking at each shop they passed as they strolled around for over an hour. 

  "You know, I'm kind of craving ice cream," Draco thought aloud.

  "Ice cream? You might as well eat the snow off the ground," Selina scoffed in disbelief.

  "Come on! Let's go to Florean Fortescue's," he whined incessantly for ice cream, not unlike a child. 

  "You've got an insane sweet tooth," she told him as they continued on, heading towards the ice cream parlor. 

  "Who wouldn't want ice cream?" he demanded defensively.

  "Me!" Selina laughed. "It was just snowing out!"

  "And now it's not," Draco pointed out opportunistically.

  "Alright," she sighed.

She accompanied him to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, which was very festively decorated for the holidays, despite it being practically empty due to the cold weather. Mr. Fortescue even seemed shocked to have customers as they entered. 

  "Hello, welcome in!" he said, startled by the amount of customers. 

  "Hello," Selina smiled charmingly. "Do you know what you want?" she asked Draco.

  "The usual," he nodded to her. "Split it with me."

  "Alright, sounds good," she agreed cooperatively.

  "Anything I can get you two?" Florean Fortescue asked.

  "Yes, just one strawberry sundae, please," she requested.

  "That'll be three sickles and ten knuts."

Selina reached for her coins, just as Draco decided to cut in and pay the man. 

  "Thank you, sir. Coming right up."

Selina raised an eyebrow at Draco, pretending to have an issue with him paying. He usually liked to show off his wealth by throwing money around and paying whenever he got the chance, but only around girls. He usually only paid for things around Selina, or Pansy Parkinson, whose praise he especially enjoyed.

  "What? I can't help if you're slow," he huffed. 

They sat down at a table in the corner, setting into the cold ice cream parlor. 

  "I haven't had a sundae here in years," she said after a moment.

  "I love the sundaes. They're perfect. Just the right amount of sprinkles," he expressed passionately. 

Selina hid her smile from him, shaking her head as she ate her share of ice cream.

  "The strawberry sundae's the best. I love the strawberries he puts on it," she contributed. "Once, he told me there's orange liqueur in the syrup."

 "Hmm. Really?" Draco tasted it curiously. "I can kinda taste it."

They had spent an additional couple of hours at Diagon Alley after the snow had cleared up. Once they had arrived back at Malfoy Manor, they found Narcissa at home sitting by her fireplace. 

  "Oh, Draco, you're  back," she nodded, seeing them enter the hall. 

  "Want to go out on our brooms?" Draco suggested. 

  Selina sighed. "I'm kind of tired... I'll probably do school work and then sleep for a bit."

  "Whatever you want. I'm still going out," he decided, running to get his gear. 

Selina was exhausted and eventually took a short nap. Although she had been able to rest her eyes, she still could not slip into a full sleep. She could see the darkness behind her eyes as she laid there, half tuned into the noise around her, which wasn't much, until voices had moved the stairs in the east wing of the manor. She was paralyzed with sleep, but could still clearly hear the voices that she recognized as being belonging to Draco and Lucius Malfoy. 

  "But, Father," she could hear Draco protest, "It was just because of the exam—"

  "Don't make excuses, Draco, it isn't the professor's fault your attention span is abysmal, at best!" Lucius projected haughtily, his voice echoing through the manor.

  "But, that's the thing, I've actually been trying! Mother just told you, I took extra lessons after class!" his son complained. "I really tried, I did my best!"

  "If that is what you would call you doing your best, then I suppose I'm in need of a new heir!" 

  "Father! It's only one P, the rest of my grades are E's and A's. I even got an O!" Draco pointed out.

  "Don't be lazy, you know that you're only as good as your worst grade, and for a Malfoy, a 'P' is just unacceptable!" the man bellowed.

  "Father, I'll keep working at it, I promise!" Draco pleaded.

  "Oh, I'm sure you will," Lucius muttered, laughing at his son under his breath.

  "But, Father...!"

  "What do you want from me, Draco!" Lucius exclaimed. "First, you insist that I tolerate your nonsense, and then you continue to badger me after I've already given into every one of your pathetic whims!"

  "Father, I just... I just wanted you to watch my new maneuver!" Draco yelled.

  "And why would you think that would be a productive use of my time?" Lucius Malfoy demanded angrily.

  "Because, I... I haven't been home since summer, and I-I just thought... it'd be fun," Draco trailed off, losing faith in his own argument.

  "Well, if I spent all my days sitting around and doing what you think is fun, this family wouldn't eat a bite," Lucius continued ignoring him.

  "Father..."

  "What, Draco?" Lucius questioned unpleasantly. "What?"

  "You-You just never seem interested in anything I have to say!" Draco cried. 

  Lucius Malfoy seemed flabbergasted. "Now why on earth would I have any interest in your excuses for poor grades—?!"

  "I'm not just talking about that!" 

Selina could hear the break in his voice.

  "I'm talking about how you're never happy to see me, and you hardly write to me unless it's to check my marks, or ask me if I won a match!" Draco Malfoy's breathed out erratically, as if he were talking while crying. 

  "Don't be ridiculous!" his father scoffed. "I am perfectly polite to you when you visit."

  "That's it, your just polite!" Draco yelled, agitated by him. "You're just polite, you give a little smile, you ask me what you always ask, and you try not to roll your eyes at me and you try to find some excuse to send me away, or leave. You hardly even tell me you like me when we're not around other people!"

Selina sat up, concerned as she heard Draco and his father on the stairs. 

  "I'm sorry I don't have time to coddle you the way your mother does! Perhaps I should quit my job, and feed you pea soup, and change you every day?!" he suggested sarcastically.

  "Father, you don't even talk to me unless you have something to say about how pathetic I am, or how horrible I'm doing! I'm trying, I'm trying to do everything I'm supposed to do, and be everything I'm supposed to be! Don't you see that I'm trying, don't you see that you're just being mean?!"

  "I don't have time for these hysterics and incessant whining, talk to me when you're not just pathetic and emotional!" Lucius stormed off as Draco ran up the stairs, panting heavily. 

Selina saw as he ran into the room. He was fuming and had hardly noticed her. He seemed restlessly angry, running at his trunk in front of his bed before violently kicking it. 

  "Fuck!" he yelled, grabbing ahold of his foot as he frustratedly fell to the ground.

Selina got up, kneeling down beside him as she tried to see if he was alright.

  "Draco," she said worriedly, "Hey... Are you okay?"

He was completely unresponsive, crying and yelling non-verbally as he lashed out at the floor. 

  "Draco, hey... Come here," she sighed, pulling him into a hug. 

He practically laid out in her lap as he sobbed furiously the sounds he made while crying sounding more like angry yells and grunts. He still pounded his fist on the ground, crying as she tried to soothe him. Selina brushed his hair back from his forehead, trying to wipe his face. She grabbed her own sweater off of the bed she'd been sleeping on, using it to wipe away the tears that covered his face. 

  "It's okay," she whispered, trying to get him to breathe as she wiped his tears. 

He sat up reluctantly, still crying, his throat full of quiet, sad choking sounds as he practically went limp and allowed her to dry his face. 

  "You're okay," she whispered, "It's just me. I'm right here, just breathe." 

He began to settle down, his breaths becoming deeper and slower as he sat up on his own on the floor against the bed. She didn't force him to speak, gently rubbing his back as he allowed the last few years he had in him to escape. He panted heavily, trying to force himself to breathe as he frantically grabbed on to Selina's hand. He squeezed her hand forcefully, keeling over as he felt his heart beating too fast. 

  "I'm sorry," he murmured, embarrassed of himself.

  "Don't be sorry," she scoffed, angry at Lucius Malfoy for the anguish he'd caused his own son. "You're okay. I've got you."

Draco shook violently in her arms as she pulled him over her lap, still hugging himself as he cried. Selena knew that the reason Draco always had a habit of hugging himself tight when he was crying or upset was because, usually, no one else was ever there to hold him. She saw the way he seemed to forget to allow her to hold him, not used to the idea of someone wanting to help comfort him. As indecipherable as Draco's good qualities were to most people, Selina knew that underneath everything, he felt scared and lonely and didn't have anything to do with it. As much as Draco tried to avoid facing himself by forcing others to do the same, preying on their insecurities and their weaknesses, he himself was plagued by it every moment he spent alone, which it seemed was even when he was with others. Selina looked into his eyes, trying to see the same boy who rolled his eyes at just about everything his teachers said, and pushed first-years in the halls during passing periods, but right now all she could see was the little boy who just wanted to show his father a trick he'd done on his broomstick. Draco eased his own discomfort by being mean or making jokes of everything, but even then he was left with a sense of longing, not necessarily just for things he'd lost, but also for things he realized he might never have had in the first place. 

  "I hate him," Draco sniffled, his tears wetting her shirt, "I hate him."

  "I know," she agreed calmly. "Just try to—"

  "He's an arsehole," he sniffled in anguish. 

  "Okay," she nodded, not knowing what would help. "Okay."

  "I'm sorry," he groaned as he tried to stifle his crying.

  "You have nothing to be sorry for," Selina promised him.

  "But... I'm making a mess of your shirt," he told her, feeling horrible for the mess he was causing, both physical and not. 

  "I don't care about my shirt," she said firmly. "I care about you."

Selina didn't know if she was making much of a difference, but this seemed to be enough for Draco. She allowed him to clean himself up before they ate dinner downstairs with his parents. He sat quietly eating his soup, seeming to sink down into his sweater as he sat at the table, adamantly avoiding eye contact with either of his parents. It was an almost silent and rather uncomfortable dinner with the Malfoys, which wasn't exactly unusual in their household, however it was unusual at least when the family had company. 

  "Selina, are you liking the soup?" Narcissa desperately made dinner time conversation. 

  "Yeah, it's very good," she nodded, glancing over at Draco to make sure he was doing okay. 

If there was anything Narcissa Malfoy could do, it was glossing over the drama in her household and ignoring it. 

  "How are you liking the soup, Draco?" his mother asked rigidly. 

  "I like it, Mother," he replied respectfully.

  "What's the matter with you? Why are you all silent all of a sudden?" Lucius Malfoy spoke up, earning a look from Narcissa. "Not that I'm complaining."

Selina's immediate reaction was to check on Draco. He still seemed determined to fix his gaze on his bowl of soup, suddenly gripping Selina's hand with a trembling one. He shook vigorously as he squeezed her hand beneath the dining table. She stared at him, frozen as she tried to soothe him.

  "Lucius," Narcissa urged him in a quiet whisper. "Stop it."

  "Oh, come on, I'm only asking him a question, Narcissa," he said with a loathsome smile on his face. "If the boy can't handle being asked a simple, question how do you expect him to handle a position at the Ministry?"

  "Darling. Stop," Narcissa said under her breath. 

Selina Romanov was looking at her friend, trying to get him to allow himself to calm down, but all she could see was him staring intently at his mother, begging for her to notice him at all. Although her face remained expressionless and cold, Selina could tell Narcissa resented her husband's spiteful demeanor. Selina tried to distract Draco, starting a random side conversation so as to allow him to focus on anything else.

  "Did you have fun outside, flying out in the snow?" she asked him.

  "Yeah," he nodded, eating his dinner, "It was fun."

  "Draco,  why so quiet tonight?" Lucius criticized. 

  "Because," Draco Malfoy muttered in defeat, "We've seen what happens when I try to talk."

  "What did you just say to me?" Lucius scoffed.

  "Lucius. Drop it," Narcissa warned. 

Lucius ignored her wishes.

  "If you're going to talk to me that way in my own house, disrespect me as if you have ever done anything on your own, without my help or my money, or even my name, at least have the decency to enunciate," Lucius said condescendingly. 

Selina's grip on Draco's hand hardened as she felt a small sound escaping her throat, begging her to say something, anything at all. 

  "Don't," Draco stopped her, a pleading look in his puffy, bloodshot eyes. "...Don't," he begged.

She watched, feeling useless as be quickly went back to quickly finishing his dinner, a defeated expression on his face as he didn't do anything other than contain his tears to save himself any further humiliation. Draco was just about dead silent for the rest of the night, no longer having anything to say at all. 

  "Do you need anything?" Selina asked tentatively.

  "No. I'm okay," he told her. "I'm going to clean up."

  "Okay," she nodded, sitting on her bed as she waited to check on him. 

He had taken his shower for the night and sat up in his bed, staring at nothing with wide eyes. Hating seeing this distant look in his eyes, Selina closed her eyes for a moment, praying silently that trying to cheer him up somehow would work. She took the shape of a fearsome black raven, flying in front of Draco's windowsill as he watched the little bird that now sat behind him. He watched thoughtfully, not saying anything as the black bird flew up off of the windowsill, perching onto his shoulder as he sighed. The bird cocked it's head to the side, making him chuckle as he still saw Selina's human form in her actions as a raven. He gently tapped the top of her beak with his finger, attempting to pet her in her animal form. 

  "You always did know I liked animals," he admitted. 

Selina nodded her tiny head as a bird, flying off as she landed back on her own bed, sitting up with perfectly normal posture as if nothing had happened. She couldn't think of anything particularly profound to say, and so she just sat up on her own bed in silence, sighing as she pulled out her parchment and pen, composing a letter to Jasper. 

"Dear Jasper- 

I got to Draco's alright. Things are tense right now, to say the least. His father's already gone and started these awful fights with him. I feel like there isn't much I can do. He's fine, I think, but he just seems so unhappy. I think me staying here is the only thing that's preventing him from breaking down completely. I'm not sure if that's a good thing. How was your first day home? Are things with your parents alright? Write me whenever.

Selina"

She sat up in bed, sealing the letter in an envelope as she handed it off to Draco's owl, petting him as she allowed him to fly out the open window. She sat back down on her bed, Freya jumping up to lay with her. Selina sadly pet the cat, hoping she wouldn't pick up on her owner's sadness. Turning to face Draco, she scooped up the cat, walking over to his bed and placing the cat on his lap.

  "Do you want to sleep with her tonight?" she offered. 

He only looked at the cat for a moment, softly petting her with his fingers. He studied her movements with immense focus, using her as a positive distraction.

  "Yeah..." he nodded slowly, "Yeah. Please," he said.

  "Of course," she sat on the bed, petting her cat with him as they watched her blankly. 

It was about a half hour before both Draco and Selina had fallen asleep. She woke up sitting up in his bed as he laid underneath the covers, his head tilted to the side as he frowned and furrowed his brows in his sleep, as if something was bothering him. He moved around uncomfortably as he slept, not seeming peaceful at all. Selina rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment, getting up reluctantly to sleep on her own bed. Her sleep that night ended up being just about as peaceful as Draco's.

*****

Selina woke up early in the morning before Draco. She rose, cleaning up before walking downstairs in the close she'd worn to bed, her silk robe wrapped around her for a small amount of warmth. She ended up once again sitting down with Narcissa, who gladly offered her a cup of tea. 

  "Is Draco sleeping?" she asked, receiving a nod in return. "How's he doing?"

  "I think he's alright," Selina answered the vague question. 

  "Good... good," she nodded slowly, looking down at her saucer of tea. 

  "Good tea," Selina smiled, hoping to diffuse the awkwardness.

  "Mmm. That, it is," Narcissa nodded. 

They were silent again as they sipped the warm tea and ate the biscuits that the Malfoys' seemingly invisible staff prepared. 

  "You know, I'm very fond of the wintertime," the woman broke the awkward silence, listening to the sound of the crackling from the fireplace. "Looking out at the snow through the windows, from the comfort of your own home, being beneath a blanket and in front of a fireplace—"

  "Your son is hurting," Selina said suddenly. 

What she had said earned a strange expression from Narcissa Malfoy, her eyes wide in fear like a deer in headlights, and her lips pursed unpleasantly. 

 "Draco goes to sleep at night thinking his parents don't like him," she said plainly.

  "That's preposterous," Narcissa attempted a laugh, "Lucius and I love him—"

  "I didn't say he thinks you don't love him," Selina shook her head sadly. "I said he thinks you don't like him."

  "How do you mean?" Narcissa set her cup of tea down, trying to listen. 

  "He feels unwanted... He feels like he's not the son you wanted," she advocated for her friend.

  "I can't imagine why he'd think so," she practically lied.

  Selina frowned, the sadness of her friend's living situation dawning on her. "You can't?" she asked, not believing her.

  "Selina, dear, Lucius's behavior toward our son is his own," Narcissa told her, trying to convince her everything was alright. 

  "Did you show him that?" Selina asked. "Did you tell him his father was wrong? Did you tell him you were proud of him? Did you ask him if he was alright? Did you tell him you love him? Did you even look at him when he stared at you, begging you to say something, anything at all?" she questioned.

A painful, far away look grew larger and larger in Narcissa Malfoy's eyes. A mother's guilt, Selina realized, was one of the most devastating things to witness.

  "Draco knows that I love him," Narcissa assuaged her own guilt.

 "Does he?" Selina asked quietly, tears in her eyes as she tried to defend her friend. "Because he's afraid to initiate things with you both. And he doesn't like to cry in front of you, or anyone. He avoids the mirror when he walks into the bathroom, even if it's just for a second," she recalled sadly.

Narcissa quickly wiped a tear from her eye, hoping Selina wouldn't notice. But she couldn't stop herself from saying what she felt as she spoke. 

  "He punches the walls when he's alone, and even in his sleep, he seems to feel like crying. He's always trying to self soothe, and he tries his best to contain his emotions, even if he starts to shake like he's going to explode, because he's afraid of the reactions he might get, and I think you know the reason for it," she spoke softly. "I don't know if you notice these things, but I do. I know when my friends are unhappy, and Draco's unhappy a lot. Even when he's not alone, he stills seems to think he is. And I don't know how to comfort him," she confessed, losing control of herself as she began to cry for her friend.

  "Oh, God..." Narcissa Malfoy sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. 

  "I don't know how to comfort him, and I don't think I can, because whatever's going on with him... it keeps piling up," she stated. "He's angry, and he's confused, and he's afraid. He's thirteen. He's starting to have more than he knows what to do with, and I know what that feels like," Selina thought.

She stopped for a moment, trying to force her thoughts onto a linear path as the both of them stared at nothing, trying to find a way to avoid one another. 

  "You know, sometimes... I really don't know how to help Draco, like I see him struggling, but I can't figure out what kind of pain he's in," Selina admitted, feeling useless, "And I watched my father murder my mother."

  "Selina..." Narcissa tried to find the right combination of words, but it just didn't seem to come to her. 

Narcissa Malfoy moved around in her seat on the sofa, a certain lonely sadness as she tried to cope with her thoughts, while her husband was off at work. 

  "I really am sorry about that, you know," she looked up. "I know I might casually mention the old Christmas parties with your parents, or memories of your father... But I really do feel badly about what happened to Adeline," she stressed with glassy eyes.

Selina stifled a whimper, feeling like a small child as she listened to someone else discuss her dead mother. 

  Narcissa sighed. "I might not show it, but... I really do miss her. Very much. She was a good friend, and a kind person. And I resent very much that she was murdered," she confided in Selina.

  "Then say so," Selina Romanov pleaded. "Say how you feel. Tell me you miss my mother too, tell me you're sorry she's gone, tell me she was murdered."

Narcissa cried softly into a handkerchief that she'd pulled from her coat pocket, wiping away one of many tears. 

  "And tell your son that you love him, tell your husband that his son needs to hear that he's proud of him," Selina begged selflessly. "Be brave, Narcissa. Say something."

  "I can't," she shook her head regretfully. "Nothing I say will make any difference."

  "You won't know unless you try," Selina sighed. "Why stand by, watching the people you care about suffer when you know you could've said something?"

As Narcissa met her eyes, Selina saw a surprising amount of shame in them.

  "I've never been good at 'saying something'," she thought aloud. "Sometimes, I don't think it something that people who were in Slytherin can do. We keep quiet, and we stay silent so long as we get what we need."

  "Slytherins are supposed to be ambitious, and determined," Selina insisted. "There's nothing determined about giving up on the people we love."

Narcissa Malfoy frowned sympathetically, sitting in silence.

  "I don't exactly know what it is that made me more Slytherin than anything else," Selina admitted, "But I do know that the part of me that belongs in Slytherin is also the part of me that says and does what I want. I don't feel like I belong in Slytherin when I let people get away with saying things they shouldn't. I don't feel like I belong in Slytherin, or anywhere, when I let myself get pushed around."

  "I think you're too smart for your own good, sweetheart," Narcissa said, her tone not necessarily conveying a compliment.

  "I think so too," she glanced up at the ceiling, in the direction of Draco's bedroom. "The smarter you are, the more bad things you notice."

  "Is it all bad?" Narcissa asked. "What you notice about my son? ...Is he really that unhappy?"

  "He doesn't have to be," Selina decided. "He seems happy when you write him, or send him little things to let him know you're thinking of him. He seems happy when he does something that makes him feel proud of himself, and he gets to share it with other people. He seems happy when people show him he means something to them."

Draco's mother considered what she'd said, fiddling with her wedding ring as she considered her actions as both a wife and mother. 

  "I love Draco very much, you know," she said sadly.

  "I know you do," Selina promised her, not wanting to seem crass.

  "You know, you get married, and you think that's the most love you'll ever experience," she reminisced with a blank stare, "But then, you become a mother, and you realize it's not even close. Not close whatsoever."

  "I can imagine," Selina nodded with sympathy for the woman. 

  "A real mother loves her child more than anyone. Even her husband," Narcissa said with firm belief. "Your mother was that way, you know. I could see it in her eyes when she looked at you, even just for a second."

Selina's demeanor softened as she became more comfortable with the underlying emotions that Narcissa had surrounding Adeline Romanov's death. 

  "The love I'm able to feel so deeply for my son feels good, most of the time," Narcissa said, "But then, sometimes, I start to feel guilty, not because I'd done anything wrong at all... But because I know I would if it was for my son."

Selina nodded understandingly, knowing that in her own way, the way she indulged her husband's ego was, in its own twisted way, for her son.

#draco x reader #draco fanfiction #draco malfoy imagine #draco malfoy #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco lucius malfoy #hpdm #draco malfoy x y/n #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy x you #draco x reader angst #draco x y/n #draco x you

[sawtastic-sideblog]

I am so sorry to anon. I meant to save what I posted as a draft and it posted while I was taking a test. Anyway here's the finished one!

Contains spoilers for Downton Abbey season 3 and Adam is a LotR fan in this I jsut forgot to write it in.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Adam climbs, ready to see his beloved children. The last few days have been rough for him. He's had to follow a doctor that has been cheating on his wife. It's emotionally draining.

He fumbles the his keys and drops them to the floor with a loud clang! Adam curses under his breath as he bends to pick up his keys. He hears a door open to his right, revealing a short plump woman with green eyes that shimmer in the dim hallway lighting.

"Oh, Adam! I thought that was you! How are you, darlin'?"

"I'm good, Mrs. Ortega. How are you? And Mr. Ortega?"

"We're both good. We wanted to invite you over for dinner next weekend. My family is flying in, his family is driving up, and we're gonna have some friends over too."

"Oh, um, thank you, Ms. Ortega, but I don't know. I'm not big on crowds and in small spaces. Not really my scene."

"How 'bout I bring you a plate? My family is bringing the southern cuisine and Miguel's family is bringing the authentic Mexican cuisine. Abuelita is making tamales. My mama's making her chicken and dumplins and I'm making my blueberry pie you like so much."

"That sounds greats, Mrs. O. Thanks."

"It's not a problem dear. Oh and I think my daddy is bringing you some old camera equipment his daddy gave to him. He said somethin' about one of th first cameras ever made being passed through the generations. He likes you, son."

"Oh, wow, I couldn't accept that."

"You will. Daddy is very convincing. Especially in his old age."

"Eighty one isn't that old."

Mrs. Ortega laughs and turns to walk back into her apartment. Adam jams his key into the lock as his neighbor calls out to him.

"Give some love to Merry and Pippin for me?"

"Of course, I will. Goodnight, Mrs. Ortega."

"Goodnight, Adam."

Adam walks into his apartment and throws his keys in the bowl of the table by the door. He sets his bag down on the table as he toes off his shoes. He scans the open area of his apartment in the light from the standing lamp by the wall.

"Mer? Pip? Where are you?"

He makes his way into the kitchen and grabs a can and a bag of cat food. He turns around to pick up two ceramic food bowls. One blue with 'Merry' etched into it with white paint making the letters pop and the other is a matching green one with 'Pippin etched into the side. Birthday gifts from Mrs. Ortega. She always treats Adam, Merry, and Pippin like her own kids. The Ortegas never had children of their own but have nieces and nephews who come to visit sometimes. Mia, the thirteen year old daughter of Mrs. Ortega's sister, has taken an interest in photography. Everytime she visits, Adam gets a knock on his door. He's more than happy to talk with Mia, go on walks with her, her brothers, aunt, and uncle to take pictures of the world around them, and show her how to develop pictures in his home red room.

Adam turns back around to see a figure sniffing at the bag of food. A pair or yellow eyes look up at him expectantly. Adam smiles warmly.

"Hi, honey," he says as he walks to the counter and sets the bowls down. He holds his finger up and moves it towards a small pink nose. "Boop."

A small 'mrrrhp' is the response Adam gets before the cat headbutts Adam's hand, demanding to have attention. He happily obliges and scratches the cat's head.

"Hello, my little Merry-baby," Adam coos. Merry rubs against Adam's chest as he opens the can of food and halves it into the bowls. He adds some dry food with it. His cats will eat anything and, somehow, Mrs. Ortega has a lot of cat food and brings it to him. He doesn't complain. Free food for the cats.

Merry, the cat currently sitting on the counter watching as Adam walks towards the mat again, is an orange short-haired tabby. She has yellow eyes that are always full of mischief. She is two years old and is so full of energy. She loves to cuddle and always finds her a seat somewhere on or near Adam. She was sitting outside of the hospital one day as Adam was leaving. In his very drowsy, tired, and sick mind he decided to try to catch her and ran out into the middle of the road. He was almost hit by a bus, but a tall, blonde man pulled him out of the way. When Adam went to protest the man shut him down, grabbed the cat, shoved it into his arms, and told him to go home. Adam went back to the hospital for a dislocated shoulder a few months later and met the man again. A doctor by the name of Lawrence Gordon. Adam was smitten by him and asked for his number while under th influence of painkillers. Dr. Gordon laughed and asked about the cat.

Pippin, who is currently no where to be seen, is a short-haired tuxedo cat. He's nine years old and likes to lay around in the sun all day. He's still spry in his old age and is often found perched at the top of the cat tower. Yet, another gift from the Ortegas that was made by Mr. Ortega himself. He's been with Adam for a long time, since he was six months old. Adam found him in the dumpster behind a bar. He was trying to hook up with some girl who was so drunk she couldn't keep the contents of her stomach inside. Adam heard a small sound coming from the dumpster and peeked inside. He saw a plastic bag moving around. Curious and slightly drunk, Adam reaches for it. When he opensnit he finds a very small and malnourished cat. His yellow eyes wide in fear. Adam looks back at the woman and decides to call her a cab. He waits with her when her friends come out and gush over the kitten and thank him for the cab. Adam gets home and looks up how to take care of a kitten. He was terrified because he could hardly take care of himself.

"Food time, babies," Adam calls. Merry leaps off the counter and walks over to her bowl. The sound of old joints popping and the shaking of the cat tree from the cat atop of it stretching. Adam walks over to the wooden tower covered in soft fabric and puts a hand out. The old cat bumps Adam's hand with his head. Adam scoops him up and cradles him in his arms. He walks towards the untouched bowl of food as he peppers kisses all over Pippin's head. He gently places the old cat by his bowl and walk to his bedroom to change into his pajamas. His phone vibrates in his hand as he walks toward the living room.

"Hey, babe," Adam greets his friend.

"Adam, I've told you not to call me that."

"Aw, come on, Larry, everyone deserves to be called 'babe' every once in a while."

"Yes and I have a wife who calls me that," Lawrence counters. Despite the annoyance in his voice, Adam can hear a smile.

"Whaddya want, Larry? I gotta fix food and cuddle cats."

"Alison wanted to see if you wanted to go out for dinner tomorrow night."

"How about you guys come over. Diana loves the cats and the Ortega's are having a dinner party next week, so I was thinking about having them over for dinner before then. I won't feel bad if they bring me a plate after that," Adam jokes. He hears Lawrence chuckle before he continues. "I also have this recipe Zep from work sent me. Looks pretty good. And it comes from Zep. He's an amazing cook."

"I have to agree with you. Let me run it Alison."

"Let me talk to her. I'm very persuasive."

"Okay, hold on. I have to go find her," Lawrence laughs.

"Hey, babe," Alison's voice rings down the line. Pippin hops onto the couch and bumbles his way over to Adam, sitting beside him with paws on his thigh. Adam's hand immediately goes to Pippin's head and scratched behind his ear. The cat purrs in appreciation.

"Hi, Ali. Adam is on the phone to talk about dinner plans. You're on speaker, Adam."

"Hi, Adam."

"Hey, Alison. Lawrence said you wanted to have dinner together tomorrow night. I was thinking you guys could come over and, hi, Merry, I'll have the Ortegas over. Zep gave me a new recipe," Adam explains and greets his cat by petting her head.

"Sounds great. Six work for you?"

"Perfect. I'll let Mrs. O know."

"Need us to bring anything?"

"Just your dazzling smile and Larry's charming personality. Oh, and Diana. Can't forget her."

"They won't forget me!" A small voice yells indignantly. Adam laughs and grabs the remote from the coffee table. He reclines back and props his feet on the table. Merry walks down Adam's legs to the coffee table and just sits staring out at nothing on the other side of the room. Adam's hand finds Pippin's side and pats.

"Did your hear anything, dear?" Lawrence asks, amusement dripping off his words.

"No, did you?"

"Nope," Lawrence says.

"Adam! Tell mommy and daddy that I'm right here!"

"I think there's an intruder in your house, Larry."

"Me too. I'll go take a look."

"He's on the hunt," Alison says. Adam hears the grin in her voice and can imagine Lawrence stalking around the kitchen and living room of his house. He hears high pitched squeals and laughter coming from his phone. His eyes scan the rows of television shows and movies on his screen. He chooses his guilty pleasure show. 'Downton Abbey' has been his thing for years. He, Alison, Diana, and Mrs. Ortega often have watch parties. When he has a bad day, likes to cuddle up under a pile of blankets, eat his weight in pizza, and cuddle the cats. "Do you have food, Adam?"

"Yeah, I ordered pizza."

"Good. Just making sure you're eating. Lawrence told me about your bad day."

"Yeah, it has sucked, but I have my kittens to cheer me up."

"Have a better night."

"Thanks, Al. I appreciate you. and Larry. And the rugrat." "Goodnight, Adam. We love you." "Bye, Adam!" "Bye, Addy!"

Lawrence and Diana both shout at the same time. The corners of Adam's lips curl up at the use of his nickname Diana gave him. He bids them goodnight and hangs up. The doorbell rings and he stands up, much to Pippin's displeasure. Adam brings the pizza over to the coffee table and turns on the show. Hours later, Adam is still watching the show. Tears stream down his face as Tom Branson clings to Sybil.

"Please, don't leave me, Love," Tom begs.

"Don't leave him, Sybil," Adam whispers as he wipes tears away. Merry stretches from her spot in Adam's arms, her head in the crook of his neck and his arm cradling her like a baby. His other hand returns to Pippin's back. Pippin is laying in a loaf on Adam's thigh. He is facing the television, staring in the direction of it, almost like he is watching as Sybil's life fades and, once again, the Crawley family is thrown into the arms of grief.

"Fuck," Adam sobs, burying his face into Merry's side. Merry's paws finds Adam's head as she starts to chew on Adam's hair. She twists and turns and hops from Adam's arm onto the arm of the couch. He picks up Pippin and pulls his feet out form under him and onto the floor. The episode ends and Adam turns off the television.

"I think it's time for bed, kitterinos," Adam says as he stands and stretches. He wipes at his face as he goes though and turns off all the lights. He goes to brush his teeth, cats following him all the way. The orange rubs her face against his ankles.

"Meow," Pippin calls from the bedroom door.

"Ahh," Adam says back. Pippin responds with another meow and Adam responds with another lowercase scream. They go on like this until Adam goes into the bedroom.

Once in bed, Merry finds her way to the second pillow on the bed and curls up facing Adam. Pippin finds his rightful place on Adam's chest as Adam scrolls on Youtube to find a video to listen to as he goes to sleep. "Goodnight, my sweet boy. Goodnight, my sweet girlie. My pretty kitties."

He closes his eyes and runs his hands over Pippin's back. The old cat purrs and does the little paw thing that cats do over Adam's ribs. Merry presses her head against Adam's head. He smiles and reaches his free hand up to pet her. She spins in a circle and lays with her face on Adam's shoulder, one paw tucked under her and the other on Adam's shoulder. Adam angles his head towards Merry's back and lays his face on her hip.

He feels so loved by these two small creatures. They put all their trust in him and he puts his own happiness with them. The three of them are a family. They all love and trust each other. This is the most love Adam has felt in his life. He can say that these two make his life complete and he doesn't know what he'd do without them.

Adam is lulled to sleep by the sound of both of the cats purring and Shayne Topp's voice reading Reddit stories.

#saw 2004 #saw franchise #adam stanheight #lawrence gordon #leigh whannell #amanda young #john kramer #mark hoffman #saw fanfic #tobin bell

[uncalifornia]

angelic pretty asks by @.princess-peachie

Sugary Carnival: Have you ever been considered popular?

nope, never.

Milky Planet: Besides earth, what planet would you come from?

jupiter.

Rose Toilette: Your signature perfume?  

chanel no 5 or gucci flora gardenia

Whimsical Vanilla-chan: What pets do you have/want to have?

a brown tabby cat named sushi

2 rats named funnel cake and candy apple

Marine Kingdom: Favourite undersea creature?

lionfish

blue whale

anglerfish

gulper eel

Dreamy Dollhouse: Describe your room with just 5 words.

cluttered

lived-in

homey

aromatic

well-lit

Melty Chocolate: Favourite type of chocolate?

ghiradelli dark chocolate squares with raspberry jam

Sugar Dream Dome: What do you like most about Winter?

snowbright nights

no bugs

christmas and valentines day

coats and boots

Milky Berry: What do you like most about Summer?

my birthday <3

concert season

red bull flavors

Happy Garden: What types of things would you plant in a garden?

rosemary

wild lavender

patchouli

wild berries

Magical Étoile:  Favourite attraction at a carnival?

carnival games

petting pens

funhouses

Toy Parade: What toys did you play with as a child?

pokemon stuffed animals

bratz dolls

Holy Lantern: Describe the darker side to your personality.

possessive, easily jealous, spiteful

somewhat sadistic

Melody Doll: What types of music do you listen to?

pretty much everything

but my favorite artists right now are violent vira, chase petra, snow wife, ashnikko, motley crue, fall out boy, deftones, slipknot, chappell roan, ethel cain, and banshee

Wonder Party: Favourite type of tea?

peppermint herbal tea

irish breakfast

Glass Bottle of Tears: What, without fail, makes you cry?

frustration

being acknowledged

child abandonment or neglect

Cinema Doll: What makes a movie really enjoyable for you?

good well paced atmosphere

tasteful scares

unique ost

Memorial Cake: What is your ideal romantic experience?

cumming first

Star Night Theatre: If life was viewed as a theatre stage, what role would you play?

secondary protagonist/love interest

Cotton Candy Shop: If you had your own shop, what things would you sell?

psychic readings and divinings of the future

seasonal ingredients for spells

cat whiskers and shed teeth/claws

Decoration Dream: Favourite way to decorate a cake?

just icing and fun sprinkles hehe

Fancy Box: What gift(s) did you get for your birthday last year?

perfume

stuffed animals

Misty Sky: What is your favourite type of weather?

light rain or a calm thunder storm

chilly with a clear blue sky

flurries of snow

Dreamy Horoscope: What is your zodiac sign, and do you relate to it?

leo sun, taurus moon, cancer mercury

yes obviously

Symphonia of Birds: Favourite type of bird?

luzon bleeding heart

mute swan

carrion crow

Day Dream Carnival: What do you daydream about the most?  

being important

Royal Cards: Name a game you are really good at.

chess

Milky Cross: Are you a religious person?

yes.

i primarily follow hellenic traditional practices of faith.

Cream Cookie: What kinds of snacks do you munch on?

i have a snack mix i love thats cashews, dried pomegranate, dried apple, and vanilla.

Drained Cherry: What emotionally exhausts you?

circular arguments

boredom

Fancy Paper Dolls: What accessories would come with a doll version of you? 

a stuffed bunny

strawberry lipgloss

a knife

Holy Night Story: Favourite thing to do when it’s night time?

find a game to play with my partner

watch vlogs and drink tea

Candy Treat: Favourite type of candy?  

gummy bears :3

dark chocolate

Fantastic Dolly: What cosmetics do you use?

primarily too faced, colourpop, and elf

some nyx and anastasia beverly hills

i generally stick to powder, blush, mascara, and lipgloss

sometimes i do a nice eyeshadow look or a blotted lip

Drink Me: Favourite drink/beverage? 

a caramel macchiato

a matcha latte

lemon green tea

grape fruit sparkling water

diet coke

Merry Making Party: Describe the biggest party you’ve ever been to.

Country of Sweets: What countries would you like to visit? 

italy

japan

lithuania

germany

france

Fruits Parlour: Favourite fruit? 

pomegranate

Dream Sky: Have you ever seen a shooting star?

yes frequently

Soap Bubbles: How do you like to bathe/shower?

hair treatment. shampoo. shampoo again.

condition. exfoliate. wash with bar soap. wash with body wash.

rinse. wash face. get out. body oil.

leave in. hair oil. face mask. serum. toner.

moisturize. lotion. perfume. lip scrub. lip balm.

done.

Jewelry Jelly: Name 3 of your favourite jewellery pieces.

my engagement ring

my rosary

my necklaces given to me by my aunt and mother

Dream Fantasy: What is your wildest fantasy?  

having cat ears...

Milky-chan the Fawn: Favourite forest animal?

white tail deer

grizzly bear

coyote

Honey Cake: What do you normally eat for breakfast?

coffee

sometimes french toast

if im feeling up to it, omelettes are good

Dreamy Baby Room: The most childish part of your personality?

my fear of being alone

my princess complex

Chess Chocolate: What piece would you be on a chess board?

a pawn turned queen

French Cafe: Favourite thing to eat at a patisserie?

chocolate croissant

Sugar Hearts: How is your love life right now?    

im engaged

Wonder Story: What types of things do you like to read about?

horror. usually horror involving a realistic scenario. like people

or a fate/circumstance we couldn't have avoided if we tried

Twinkle Mermaid: Favourite type of fantasy creature?

pegasi

centaurs

kelpies

Gloria: Name a very rare item that you would love to own.

a piece of the wooden cross jesus was crucified on

#meow #my hobby is doing ask games like surveys #bc no one ever sends questions and i want to answer them anyway #ask culture is dead

[thistaleisabloodyone]

List five things that make you happy, then put this in the ask box of the last ten people who reblogged something from you. Spread the positivity💫🌈 (No pressure, of course)

Thank you! Five things that make me happy:

Jackson and Bunny, my family's cats (well, Bunny is mine - we adopted her for my birthday this year)

(Jackson's the big orange tabby, Bunny's the smaller white cat with brown tabby patches)

2. THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE - if it wasn't obvious from following me for any period of time 😂

3. Making gifs - it can be time consuming and sometimes difficult, but it's still a lot of fun

4. Painting my nails - I started painting my nails fun and funky things after formerly trying to be Emo and only doing black and now I paint my nails every week. It took me four days to finish this week's manicure and I'm already down two nails 😅

5. Brand new socks - I had to go to Target for an eye exam because my glasses are no longer working as well as they should and while I was there, I bought new pairs of socks and they are so comfy

#thistale answers

[captawesomesauce]

Proust Questionnaire

I was tagged by @somethingwendythiswaycomes. Thanks!!!

-- What is your idea of perfect happiness?

I guess I'm lucky to state that I've had it many times in my life. The moments when Mystic (The AwesomeCat) would lay down in my arms or across my chest, or when he'd fall asleep in my lap. The quiet times I get to spend with W, like when we went to the beach for her birthday, or when she is laying next to me and we're both reading.

I'm really an easy man to please... I like to laugh, I like good music, I like to read, and I love it when those I love are in my arms and beside me. Give me a big mug of ice water and I'm good to go!

-- Which historical figure do you most identify with?

I don't think there are any. I wouldn't even know where to begin ... I don't think I ever really see myself in anyone, but I know I am an amalgamation of so many that I have learned about, learned from, and those who have left a mark on me, both good and bad.

-- Which living person do you most admire?

I feel so let down by so many... those I respected that turned out to be just awful fucking humans, so filled with hate... I just don't have an answer for this.

There are those who I served with who rank highly in my mind, those who I fought fires with and responded to disasters with, those who do so much good in the world... and yet... to name one that I most admire... from cartographers to authors... I have a lot of people I think of.. but I really can't name one.

-- What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

My inability to understand my physical condition and limits. I still think I can do anything and everything and my body is like NOPE... but I don't have my head in reality yet... and it gets me in a lot of trouble when I push it.

-- What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Lack of critical thinking and people who are full of hate.

-- What is your greatest extravagance?

Ask W, I'm not really one to spend money on stuff. The only thing I do NOT skimp on is food! Eat well and live happy is one of my strongest beliefs.

Do not starve yourself, do not eat crappy tasting shit, do not torture yourself with carboard and licking wallpaper!

My rule is simple... all bills are paid, a nice chunk goes into savings, and the biggest expense is good food.

But unfortunately, that's "within reason" ... It's been a very long time since I bought crab legs, or oysters on the half shell. Even a good steak has become less and less since COVID made prices skyrocket. But flank steak is now 8 bucks a pound and a good strip is 10 so we got some :)

-- What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Sentimentality is the first thing that comes to mind... and I'm a very sentimental person when it comes to things I own and experienced.

But the truth is, so many people use it as an excuse to not try new things, explore new places, or even just appreciate the joy that is the here and now.

People use it all the time as a cover for being afraid of change, and that's bullshit.

-- On what occasion do you lie?

I used to tell Mystic that he was the smartest cat... he was an orange tabby... you can figure that one out.

-- What is your greatest regret?

Not graduating from LMU...

--When and where are you happiest?

In a lazyboy, at night, with a big thing of water, some sunflower seeds, a good book, and a cat asleep on my lap.

-- What do you consider your greatest achievement?

The next one.

Sounds flippant doesn't it? For all I have achieved, for all that I have done, for all that I have experienced in my life... that was yesterday. Tomorrow is the intimidating thing.

I'll take a recent example for you - I remember looking at all of the emergency management training certifications.. AEM, CEMS, APS, PDS, NEMBA..... and going... NOPE... I'd never be able to take those classes, and I'd never pass if I did. There's too many, they're really difficult to get into, they're even harder to pass.

I now have 3 of the 5 and I only have one more class to get the NEMBA.

But those things are over... yes they were hard, yes they took so much out of me, yes I'm proud of them but...

It's one of those things where things I don't have seem so freaking incredible and amazing and difficult... but once I get them, it loses that AWE'ness... and I'm always chasing that for some reason.

Now if you ask me what am I most proud of - that's different.

I'm most proud of W... I somehow figured out the right combo of words and actions to get us to where we are today. I'm proud of our relationship, I'm proud of our life together, and more than anything, I'm proud of who she has become. Her work, her brand, her growth has been phenomenal... and so has her healing from both familial issues and the crap she went through in academia.

-- If you could choose to come back as something, what would it be?  

I dunno... a capybara maybe?

What is your most treasured possession?

Probably half and half between my camera and my books.

-- Where would you like to live?

Orange County or San Diego by the beach. In a single family home with a backyard and a nice garage. I want the nice weather, the nice access to all the things to see and do, the solitude of no noisy people above me or sharing a wall with me, and just all the things that make me happy.

-- What is your favorite occupation?

The space i'm in right now... pretty fond of occupying it to be honest! Next to me is pretty amazing too.

But job wise... I've always had a belief that work pays you to live life. You work to afford the things that matter... work doesn't. Work is a means to more! my I've had a lot of jobs... As a teen I helped my father now and then with his electrical contracting business... which meant that more often than not I was just a delivery driver or working in the warehouse. I also helped my mothers boyfriend who was a P.I which meant I would often plant listening devices, deliver hidden cameras, and even just sit on a curb with a hidden camera cause no one would think twice about some kid just sitting there for hours reading a book.

I did a lot of different things in the Marines... mostly with electronics and communications... I was a police and fire dispatcher... I was a firefighter and EMT for a long time... wildland, urban, even fire boats!

I have done emergency management, disaster response, and even humanitarian aid missions around the globe.

I worked for a newspaper for a little bit... I was an incident and arson photographer for the department....

I worked in the Career Counseling office at UCLA.....

I know I'm forgetting a lot... but I always worked... I always put in at least 56 to 96 hours a week, on top of going to school.

OH! I just remember another one, I handled police officer involved shooting investigations for a law firm.

But honestly, I don't think I ever had an occupation that was a favorite... if I had to pick just one... it'd be cartographer. Making maps makes me happy in a way no other job ever did, enough that I'm willing to keep doing it in my free time.

-- What is your most marked characteristic?

2 things - Mike Jokes and Mikepedia. People know me for my really really bad jokes, some people call them awful, some people call them terrible.... some people will warn you to beware of when I go "full on Mike!" I go through laugh smiling, happy, and laughing.... everything strikes me as funny.... even at the worst of times. But when you saw the things I did, did the things I have done... you don't survive without being a bit bent. Other drink, do drugs, go dark... I went light... I went with bad dad jokes.

Mikepedia is a special thing, or as W calls me, her personal F1 key (for those that don't know, if you press F1 on your keyboard, the help info appears!)

The #1 thing I hear pretty much every day from people is "How the fuck do you know that????" I know - a lot - about a lot. I started my educational endeavors as a BioChem major with a CompSci minor. I have papers that have fancy titles on them that say Earth Science, Meteorology, Geography.... I study fire, environmental science, urban planning and housing, geomorphology, disasterology, geology, and oceanography to name a few....

On top of that, I read... I read a lot... I read about history, and politics, and war, and recovery - recovery from war and disaster. I read about mysteries, and spies, and this and that, and more stuff!

I follow historians and news journalists and war correspondents and OSINT and this and that's on twitter and elsewhere so I get a good understanding of what is happening here and abroad.

And I still keep my feet solidly in the compsci/tech world, learning new languages, programs, technologies, and skills.

So yeah... between what I've done and what I've learned... it's a wide gamut of information to draw from.

--- What do you most value in your friends?

Honesty, a good sense of humor, being a good person, good critical thinking skills, not being judgmental, and actually giving a shit about people and friendships.

--- Who are your favorite writers?

First and foremost is Douglas Adams... his ability to make me laugh is 2nd to none. I don't even care about the plots or the stories... just the way he wrote was incredible and I'm so glad I got to read his books when I needed them the most!

Second would be Gerry Carroll. His death was a great loss to the military fiction genre. His books were so good I have them in hardcover, paperback, and ebook because I read them so much!

And a special mention to a guy of many names: Nicholas Cain. He wrote under the names of Nik Uhernik, Jack Hawkins, and Robert Baxter to name a few... but all of his books were some of my absolute favorites. From his Chopper 1 series to Saigon commandos, they're just my #1 non-guilty pleasure when it comes to reading.

--- Who are your heroes in real life?

At this point, I'm so tired of what I see in the world... it's anyone who has a good heart and isn't a fucking moron.

--- How would you like to die?

In my sleep, 10 decades after my 100th birthday.

--- What is your motto?

“This is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” - Winston Churchill

“Do it or don’t do it — you will regret both.” -  Søren Kierkegaard, from Either/Or

“I just took my mind off the hook for a bit. I reckoned that if the world wanted me badly enough it would call back”

and

“…there is no point in driving yourself mad trying to stop yourself going mad. You might just as well give in and save your sanity for later.” - Ford Prefect in Douglas Adam’s The Life, The Universe and Everything

#personal

[oldfacesnewdawnoffical]

happy early birthday! excited to ask some questions, hehe.

firstly: i love the accessories you give the cats! they’re so unique and it adds so much dimension. could you give some insight on how you come up with the accessories you give the cats? (like earrings, backpacks, bags, etc). also, how to come up with different types of accessories? i struggle with drawing things that aren’t just “cat wearing backpack” yk?

secondly: i love this rewrite!! it makes me really happy to see so much change and new things being brought into ofnd. keep up the amazing writing and drawing, man! 🎉

Thank you very much!! ^^ <3

AAHH thank you!! I love going all-out as much as possible with the decorations I give certain characters; it’s super fun and is an extra distinguishing factor amidst a sea of “broad-shouldered brown tabbies”, “white cats with blue eyes”, “pretty tortoiseshell” characters lol.

My best advice for coming up with decorations for a character is to first ask: what they would wear (their personal tastes or any current trends around them), what they could wear (like feasibly; you can’t stick a cat under the full skin and coat of a bear), and why they might wear it - with the additional bonus question of: what immediate materials do they have around them (though this also dips into the “trends” as well lol)?

Most, if not all, decorations within OFND are meant to reflect something of the cat who wears them. Either as a trophy, a splash of color, or a symbol to others. It’s up to you as a creator to determine what each piece means to said character!

Another way to think of it?: Getting dressed! Is this for function, personal pride, aesthetic, or for sentimental reasons? It’s the same for these kitties!

🥺 I’ll cry, thank you so so much!! I’ll do my best, if only for you, lovely anon!!! <333

#old faces new dawn #ask #warrior cats rewrite #warriors rewrite #AAAHHH THANK YOUU

[twsted-princess]

"One tutti-frutti cone and a chocolate soft serve with sprinkles coming right up!!"

(picrew linked here)

Bio

Name: Shirley Willa Conee

Nicknames: Swirls (Marie)

Voice Actor: Haruka Tomatsu

Gender: Female

Age: 16

Sexuality: Pan

Height: 5'3

Race: Human

Homeland: Kingdom of Roses

Birthday: 9/3

Starsign: Virgo

Family: Mother, Father, Baby bother

Occupation: Student

Based off: Scoops Waffle Cone

Professional Status

Dorm: Sewlatedo (@rookvonhunt)

School Year: 1st

Class: 1-E

Best Subject: Art

Club: Cooking

Dominant Hand: Left

Favorite Food: Banana splits

Hated Food: Hard pretzels

Likes: Happy people, Ice cream, Picnics, Farm animals

Dislikes: Bullies, Rotten milk, Roller coasters, Being late

Hobbies: Making new ice cream flavors, Reading

Talents: Stacking a baker's dozen scoops on a single cone

Unique Magic: Sugar Rush

Like Trey's Doodle Suit except she can change the flavor of any food. She can switch spicy to sweet and vice-versa.

Backstory

An absolute sweetheart. Shirley runs the One-Stop Sweet Shop where she makes delicious sundaes and other frozen treats from guests and friends alike. Always friendly and positive, she strives to make someone smile every day. She loves sweets of any kind even if she tends to overdo it. Her pet cat, a tabby named Frosty is just as sweet as her.

#my work #twst oc's #twisted wonderland

[winchest09]

Tabby!! Happy birthday love!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday! I also hope your little one is doing better today. Love you Tabby Happy Birthday!! 🥳😘❤️

Christen!

Thank you so so much! That's so kind of you!

Little one is getting there for sure, think we definitely need the full course of antibiotics though - thanks for asking!

Love you lots <3

#xlynnbbyx #winchest09 answers #its my birthday #thank you so much #tabby loves christen