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#I don’t remember how to spell its name sorry
what-the-fuck-khr · 4 months
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Happy New Year from Amano! 🎉
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book-place · 1 year
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American Pie
Warnings: Harry Potter series spoilers, character death, violence, cursing, let me know if I missed any :)
Pairings: Harry Potter x aunt reader
Request: Hello I was wondering if you could do a part 2 of the potter twins . Like where y/n gets hold of Harry and sends him off and stuff and seeing him grow up and he can like rely on you ? And like your a cool aunt and everyone loves you ? You don’t have to but sorry for bothering you
Request by: @bellboy2107
*not my gif*
Summary: Since your brother was now gone, Harry was the only person that mattered to you
A/N: Welcome to book place’s one year event!!; This is a part 2 for Potter Twins
Inspired by: American Pie by Don McLean
Please don’t plagiarize my work, you may reblog if you like but I’m asking that you don’t steal my hard work
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Long long time ago, I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
Slowly, your eyes opened and tried to adjust to the light streaming through the windows directly at you, as if on purpose to wake you up.
Stifling a groan, you sat upright and dropped your head into your hands, not wanting to face the day. Not another one. You didn’t know how much longer you could do it without your brother by your side. And it had only been a month.
The singular thought keeping you going was the thought that one day you would be able to get Harry back, your last link to James and your only surviving family member.
It had been a struggle tracking him down, it was as if he had disappeared off the face of the earth. But you weren’t yet ready to give up.
You had meant it, you would find the boy. Even if it was the last thing you ever did.
And I knew if I had my chance, that I could make those people dance
Picking up the Daily Prophet, you shoveled a spoonful of eggs into your mouth and began reading.
The news had long since slowed down, and tried to move on from the war by talking about it. As if that would erase it from everyone else’s memory. As if it never happened.
It was quite boring, the new players for a quidditch team, some Ministry of Magic mishap with the muggle thing called hand sanitizer mixed with a hair growing potion.
But then you got to the last page.
The reporters finally got a full list of everybody that passed on during the war. Names on random spots of the page jumped at your eyes in sharp, dangerous pangs.
James Potter. Lily Potter. Marlene McKinnon. Fabian Prewett. Gideon Prewett-
You harshly pushed away from the table, not paying any mind to the high pitched scraping sound it made against the floor, and your breathing picked up.
You couldn’t do this, you couldn’t be here, not without them. Not without them. Not without them. Not without-
Harry.
You needed to find Harry. He was the only thing that would keep you grounded. And if you didn’t find him soon, you don’t know what you would do. What you would live to regret.
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
After finishing buttoning up your cloak, you let out a sigh, slowly letting your eyes drift to the dresser in the corner of the room, the one that held a picture on its surface.
In it, you were jumping on James’s back making funny faces, stuck in a timeless loop of happiness.
What the camera hadn’t picked up on was Mia and Fleamonts smiling faces behind the flash, capturing the moment for all of eternity.
It was one of the only photos you could stomach to keep on display.
But February made me shiver
Finally. You had finally done it.
Frozen, you stood before the plain brown door with unseeing eyes and a mile-a-minute mind.
Harry James Potter was sitting just beyond this door.
You had finally been able to track him down with mountains of spells and potions that had taken months to go through. You had a first gone to Dumbledore, hoping he would give you any indication as to where your nephew was, but he offered you nothing, claiming it was safer that way. You had proceeded to storm out of the room, slamming the door harsh enough to shake the walls behind you.
The wind rushed against your skin like a swarm of needles, and you shuddered a little, officially breaking out of your thoughts and you raised your fist to knock on the door.
With every paper I'd deliver
You couldn’t believe your own eyes, not as you stared down at one year old Harry in your arms, staring up at you with wide eyes and an even wider, gummy smile.
You hadn’t wasted another second after standing on the Dursleys doorstep to storm in wand ablaze and demand you take your nephew.
The cowards didn’t even put up a fight as they let you take him, but you wouldn’t complain- you were able to get in and out without any trouble.
Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step
“Auny Y/n! Auny Y/n!” Young Harry babbled, making grabby motions with his chubby hands up at you from his crib.
You smiled softly, reaching your arm out and allowing his tiny fingers to wrap around your much larger ones.
The second a knock sounded through your home, your entire body stiffened and your hand automatically went to the wand you kept in your pocket at all times.
Turning on your heel, you left your giggling nephew behind as you slowly crept towards the front door, unsure of what was awaiting you on the other end.
Tentatively, you peered through the small window near the door and let out a sigh of relief, stance automatically relaxing as you opened it to reveal the headmaster of Hogwarts. Though you were still angry with him for not revealing Harry’s location, at least it was him and not anyone else.
“What do you want, Albus?” You asked, long since having stopped using teacher-student formalities.
He looked up at you with sad eyes, “I-“
Harry let out a particularly loud babble behind you, and your body once again stiffened.
What if he tried to take Harry away from you? What if you couldn’t stop him? What if-
“First of all,” His tone softened, “How is young Harry doing?”
You eyed the man skeptically, “He’s doing fine,”
He chuckled lightly, “I assure you, I’m not here to take him away, Miss. Potter.” His words made you calm down once more, “But I am afraid I come bearing bad news.”
It was like someone was playing with an on and off switch with your emotions, allowing you to think everything was okay before flipping the switch teasingly.
“I understand that you haven’t always been the closest with Sirius Black,”
Your eyebrows furrowed, “No,” You admitted, “Not like James is-was, but he’s still my friend.” You cleared your throat slightly at the small error you made.
“I’m afraid Mr. Black has been sent to Azkaban for the murder of Peter Pettigrew.”
You didn’t know if it was possible to have your heart torn into any more pieces than it already had been. But if it was possible, then that’s exactly what happened to you in that moment.
Though you and Sirius hadn’t in fact been very close, you had been there for him when he moved into your house that one summer after things got really bad with his parents. The two of you could always joke around in a class together and be comfortable around each other.
You never could have pictured him killing one of his best friends- even though you barely knew the other boy. From what you saw though, Peter was a sweet and gentle kid that would do anything for his friends. Just like how Sirius used to bed
“I shall leave you alone once more,” Albus declared softly, “And Miss. Potter?” He called after a silent moment. “I truly am sorry for everything.”
You slammed the door in his face.
I can’t remember if I cried, when I read about his widowed bride
For the first time in weeks, you picked up the Daily Prophet after being able to put Harry down for his first nap in a while, that boy was as stubborn as his father.
You casually flipped through the pages, skimming over the sections that went on about quidditch matches finally starting up again after the war. What you hadn’t expected to see, was the grinning faces of your brother and sister in law on the last page.
Your breath caught in your throat and your eyes went wide when you realized that it was a tribute to the two of them from some of their friends from their time in Hogwarts. Some kids that knew them well enough to be friendly, but not enough to have any right to print a long section in the paper about how impactful their lives were.
It felt as though your lungs were closing in on themselves as you stared down with watered eyes at the words. You thought you had gotten over it. You thought you would be able to move on.
But seeing the page-long writing about them pushed you over the edge and you dropped the paper as you collapsed to the ground with a sob.
You reached a hand up to cover your mouth so you wouldn’t wake Harry, who was sleeping soundly in the other room over.
Apparently you weren’t quiet enough though, because Harry’s cries soon joined yours, alerting you of his newly awoken form.
Quickly, you reached up and harshly wiped your tears away. You wouldn’t let your own grief get in the way of taking care of Harry. You were going to do everything in your power to look after the boy to the best of your ability.
“Hey, Harry,” You smiled softly as you entered the room, bending down and scooping him into your arms, “It’s alright, it’s alright. I’m here now.”
But something touched me deep inside, the day the music died
“Auntie! Auntie!” Harry cheered, tripping over his own feet as he stumbled into the room, “Look! Look!”
You raised your head with an amused twinkle in your eyes as you moved your gaze to meet his, “What is it?”
Grinning wildly, he took a large eveleope from behind his back and presented it to you, “It’s my Hogwarts acceptance letter!”
Pride and happiness swelled and whirrled around in your chest and you broke out into a grin that was similar to his, “Oh, good job, Harry!” You cried, wrapping your nephew into a tight hug that he excitedly returned.
“Merlin, I can’t believe I’m going to Hogwarts,” Harry rambled, “I mean, after all the stories you’ve told I feel like I’ve already been there, but it’s still-“
“Harry,” You cut him off with a small laugh, pulling away and putting your hands on his shoulders, “Do you know what this means?”
He shook his head, messy hair that was much like James’s flopping back and forth, “What?” There was curiosity in his voice.
Your grin widened, “It means that we need to take a trip to Diagon Alley!”
The boy let out a cheer, jumping up and down on the balls of his feet.
With that, the two of you took the floo network and began shopping around for any and everything that he could possibly need during his year, all while memories of the past tickled the back of your mind. Of the summers before every September that you and your family would spend roaming these very streets.
As the two of you sat down at a small table with some ice cream, you couldn’t help the small, sad smile you sent Harry’s way.
“Wha’?” He asked through a mouthful of the food.
You shook your head softly, “This just reminds me of times with your father.” You admitted in a small whisper.
He smiled understandably and reached over to squeeze your hand, “It’s alright, Aunt Y/n.” He comforted, “Because you have me now.”
You gave him a teary smile and patted his hand appriciantly, “Thank you, Harry.” You reached over with your other hand and ran it through his messy locks, “I know I do.”
So bye-bye, Miss American Pie
“Your grandmother always used to fuss over me and your father like this,” You mumbled, dusting imaginary lint off of Harry’s shirt, “I can't believe I’m turning into my mother.”
The boy smiled, “Getting more like an old lady every day.” He teased.
You scowled, reached up and lightly slapped him upside the head, “Watch it,” You mockingly scolded, “Or else I’ll make you live in the closet under the stairs when you get home.”
His grin widened and he reached over and wrapped his arms around your waist, “I’ll see you at Christmas.” He mumbled into your shirt.
Harshly, you blinked away tears that had begun to fill your eyes, not wanting to cry in front of your nephew over something as simple as him leaving to go to Hogwarts.
“I shouldn’t be crying, right?” You mumbled into his ear.
He pulled away with a laugh and shrugged, “I don’t mind.”
You smiled at him through your blurry vision and reached up to cup his cheek, “I want you to write all the time. Don’t hesitate to come to me if you need anything. I mean it, Harry.”
“I will.” He promised, hugging you quickly again so you could kiss the top of his head before standing back and picking up his bag, “I better go before the express leaves without me.”
“Yeah, yeah,” You cleared your throat, “Good idea.”
“I love you, Auntie!” He called before disappearing into the crowd.
“Love you too,” You whispered to the empty place he had once been standing in.
“Oh, darling.” The familiar voice of none other than Molly Weasley cooed, making her way over to where you stood and wrapping a comforting arm around your shoulder, “First year is always hard.”
You let out a watery chuckle, “I don’t know how you’ve done this so many times.” You admitted.
“It’s still hard,” She confessed, “But it started to get a bit easier over time.” She turned her head to smile at you, “I’m just glad that Ron and Harry are together.”
You hummed in agreement, glad that he was with the childhood friends that he met in nursery school, causing you and the rest of the family to grow close as well over the years. Well, after they got over the fact that he was The Harry Potter, that is.
“I’m gonna miss him,” You mumbled.
“I know, but he’s going to do so well at Hogwarts. You’re going to be so proud of him.” The woman reassured you.
You smiled at her, “Both of them are gonna make us really proud.” Bringing her son into this as well.
Molly shook her head helplessly, “It’s either that or we will be getting a letter for their expulsion in a week.”
“Fred and George made it this far.” You teased with a small snigger.
She threw her head back with a laugh, “Indeed they did.”
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
You smiled widely at the letter that sat in your hands, reading and rereading everything that Harry had to tell you about his first week at school.
About the new friends he made, the adventures he already had in Gryffindor house, and even some of the enemies he made. Though, you couldn’t fault him for hating any son of Lucius Malfoy.
What you had said to Molly was true, you were going to miss Harry. But Hogwarts would be good for him. He would be able to make memories just like you had. The good and the bad.
Not only that, but he wouldn’t have a war to worry about. He would be able to enjoy being a kid within the walls.
Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
“Happy Christmas!” You and Harry cheered in sync the moment you stepped through the doors of the Burrow, piles of presents in your arms.
“Oh, Happy Christmas!” Molly cried happily, coming around the corner and beginning to help you with everything, “Boys!” She snapped, “Come help the Potters with their things!” Before smiling kindly at the two of you once more, emitting laughs from your lips.
“Thank you, Ron.” You breathed out once he took a particularly heavy wrapped box before turning and nodding in greeting to Arthur, “Happy Christmas.”
“Happy Christmas, yourself.” The man chirped back while grinning and pulling Harry into a quick side hug before ushering the two of you into the living room where the rest of the Weasley children sat.
Quickly, they all scrambled up at the sight of the two of you and you all exchanged hugs and joyful greetings.
“Can we please do the presents now, mum?” Ginny whined, “We’ve been waiting all morning!”
Her mother looked down at her sternly, but you were quick to wrap an arm around Mollys shoulder and smile at her, “Come on, Mol, it’s Christmas!”
“Yeah! Listen to Aunt Y/n!” Fred piped up, George nodding along with his twin.
“Oh, alright,” Even Molly couldn’t hide the smile that sat upon her features as she said it though, “Pass them out, all of you.”
You looked up in surprise and slightly wide eyes when Ron shyly handed you a gift, “This is for you,” He mumbled.
“O-oh, thank you, Ron.” You said genuinely, not having expected anything at all.
As soon as you opened it, tears began to fill your eyes when you saw the contents. It was a sweater with your first initial sewn into it.
“I know I normally just do it for the kids,” Molly spoke, “But I figured you could use one too.”
You bit down on your lip slightly, running a hand gently down the soft fabric. It reminded you of when your own mother used to knit, “Thank you, Mol.” You whispered, thankful that the children were too preoccupied with their own gifts to realize what was going on.
“Oh, come now. Cheer up,” She rubbed your back comfortingly, “It’s Christmas.”
You smiled over at her, leaning your head against her shoulder, “Thank you.” You repeated.
Singing, "This'll be the day that I die"
“What the bloody hell happened?” You demanded as soon as you slammed open the doors to the Hospital Wing and stormed into the room with a cloud of rage sitting over your head.
“Ah, Miss. Potter. So nice of you to join us.” Dumbledore spoke, standing up from beside your nephew's bed, where he lay unconscious. The man spoke in such a way as if you had simply run into each other at the grocery store.
“Cut the bullshit, Albus.” You snapped with a deadly glare set on your face, “Your letter only told me that Harry was unconscious. You didn’t tell me a single thing about how he ended up unconscious.”
He sighed, cutting right to the chase, “I am afraid that Voldemort has returned.”
You froze in your steps, heart hammering mercilessly against your rib cage, “What did you just say?” As if he would change his words by your tone alone.
“This might be a conversation best had while sitting down-“ He gestured to some visitor chairs.
“I much prefer to stand.” You seethed, unable to slow your racing thoughts.
So the headmaster explained.
Voldemort. The man who slaughtered everyone you loved in the name of his pathetic war- and almost succeeded with taking Harry- was back and he went after your nephew again to try and seek revenge.
“I thought Hogwarts was safe.” It wasn’t hard to miss the way you had shifted your body so that you were standing in front of Harry’s bed, as if you alone could create a wall of protection around the boy, “This is supposed to be a place that will protect him.”
“Indeed,” Was the only answer you were offered.
You scoffed, “I hope you know that he will not be returning next year after all this.”
“Are you sure that is wise?” The older man asked with a single raised eyebrow, “It is your choice Miss. Potter, but don’t you think that it’s better for Harry to be surrounded by some of the finest witches and wizard staff who will now keep a closer eye on him?”
That made you hesitate.
“You alone can’t protect the boy from the world.” He continued.
Slowly, you turned your head to stare down at Harry, who’s steady rise and fall of his chest was the only thing indicating that he was still alive.
This will be the day that I die
“I don’t like this,” You mumbled, crossing your arms over yourself as your eyes flitted around the train station.
He sighed, “I know, Aunt Y/n, but I think Dumbledore was right, Hogwarts is the safest place for me to be.”
Finally, you met his eyes and sighed, dropping your arms to the side, “I know,” You admitted, “But that still doesn’t mean that I have to like it.”
Harry gave you his best attempt at a smile, “I know.”
“Here,” You reached forward and plucked his glasses off his face before rubbing them softly against your shirt and placing them back on the bridge of his nose once you deemed them clean enough, “Remember what I said?”
“Notify you the minute anything seems off.” He repeated the words you had drilled into his head over and over again over summer break.
“Right,” You breathed out, “Now, are you sure you still want to go-“
“Yes.” He smiled a little bit, “I’ll be fine. I have Ron and Hermione.”
You huffed a bit, “I know that, but-“
“Auntie.” He spoke sternly, “You don’t need to worry, it’ll be fine.”
You were silent for a moment, before you put your hands up in surrender, “Okay, okay, alright.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Did you write the Book of Love?
“This is the second time,” You ranted angrily, pacing up and down Dumbledore's office, “This is the second time in two years that Harry was put into immediate danger in this school.”
Albus sighed, eyes following you back and forth, “I assure you, it was never my intention to put him in any harms way-“
“I never said it was.” You rounded on him, “But it still seemed to happen under your watch.”
He pursed his lips together, “That is very true.”
You reached up and ran a hand through your hair in frustration, “What am I supposed to do now? You claim that Hogwarts is still the safest place for him, but he was attacked in this building twice.”
“I assure you, Miss. Potter, necessary precautions will be taken to ensure the safety of him and all of the other children.”
You glared at him, “I was told something like that last time. But then Harry was still attacked by a basilisk.”
It was silent for a moment before he spoke up again, “I didn’t tell you this before because I didn’t want to further worry you nor Harry, but there is a possibility that Voldemort is still out there.”
You sucked in a sharp breath at his words, “But you said after last year-“
“I know what I said,” He agreed, “But there is a large chance that I was wrong.”
Your eyes snapped over to meet his, “Having him here is better than having him outside of here if he decides to come for him again.” You whispered quietly.
Albus nodded, “My thoughts exactly.”
Slowly, you nodded and turned to leave, but paused with your hand on the doorknob, “Let’s not tell Harry yet. Just in case it’s not true.”
“You have my word.”
With that, you exited the office, softly shutting the door behind you.
And do you have faith in God above?
“Remus,” You froze, breathing out the name almost as if you didn’t believe that you were saying it.
“Y/n,” He was in a similar state to yours, staring at you with wide eyes, neither one of you paying any mind to the commotion of the platform going on around you.
The two of you hadn’t talked since that day you shoved him away while grieving for James. Sure, he tried to reach out from time to time, but ultimately decided that space was what you had needed the best.
You swallowed, “What- what are you doing here.”
“I’m going to be the new defense against the dark arts professor.” He informed you while clearing his throat, “It’s good to see you.” He added after a moment.
You shook away your shock and decided upon smiling kindly at the man, “You too, Remus, you too.”
“Is…” He trailed off, seeming to try and find the right words.
“Harry just got onto the train with some friends.” You informed him, knowing exactly what he was going to ask.
“Third year?” You nodded your head and he let a small breath loose, “It feels like we were just his age.”
Your smile turned sad, “We might as well have been.”
The train whistled and both of you turned to look at it.
“I should go.” He spoke, giving you one of his famously kind smiles.
Your face turned serious, “Listen, Remus. I know that I’m in no place to be asking for favors, but-“
“Of course I’ll watch over Harry.” He said softly, “And not just for James. For you too.” He looked you in the eyes to show his sincerity.
“Thank you.”
He shook his head, beginning to walk backwards towards the train, “There’s no need to thank me.”
It felt like a weight had been lifted off your chest because even though you hadn’t spoken to the man in years, you knew that he was one of the only people alive that you would trust with not just yours, but Harry’s life as well.
If the Bible tells you so
You gripped the Daily Prophet tightly, eyes scanning over the same line again and again. The one that read that Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban.
The very man that had not only betrayed Lily and James, but had also killed Peter right afterwards. And now he was loose and running amok in Merlin knows where.
As long as he stayed far away from Harry, you couldn’t find it in yourself to care. Even after all he did. It was best not to dwell on the man who had taken everything from you, it would only consume your entire being.
Do you believe in rock 'n' roll?
You crept up the creaking stairs of the Shrieking Shack after receiving a vague letter from Remus that you had no reason not to wholeheartedly believe.
He would never under any circumstances lie about Sirius Black not being the traitor that you all thought him to be. That Peter was really it and he was still alive. You knew you could believe it because James and Lily’s deaths are nothing to joke about, and Remus more than anyone knew that. So that’s why you had snuck into Hogwarts and were meeting him here.
As soon as you reached the top of the stairs, your eyes locked onto Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all cowering in a corner of a top room and you rushed to their sides. Immediately, you reached out to cup Harry and Ron’s cheeks as your eyes scanned over Hermione for any sign of injury.
“Are you guys alright?” You asked worriedly.
Without a word your nephew guestered shakily to a figure behind you, and you whipped around to face what he was so scared of.
Remus standing beside none other than Sirius Black.
Though he was dirty and had changed so, so much from the last time you had seen one another, you didn’t hesitate to spring forward and wrap your arms around his neck, bringing him in for a hug.
True, you had never been as close to him as your brother had. But you still spent most of your summers with him and he had once been someone you could consider a friend. And you didn’t have many of those now adays.
“What are you doing?” Ron shrieked in horror before either you or the man could get a word in to one another after pulling away, “He’s trying to kill us.”
“No, he is not, Mr. Weasley.” Remus explained patiently, “But I am afraid that there is another being in this room that is.”
“A-Auntie?” Harry asked shakily, “What’s going on?”
Before you could respond, a rat you hadn’t even noticed leapt forward and transformed into a man midair. A man you knew to be Peter Pettigrew.
The sight of him alone made you see red. Every bit of pain, grief, and despair that you had felt within the last thirteen years all coming to crash down on you at once because it was all due to him. He was the reason James was dead.
Ignoring Sirius’s hand that flew out to stop you, you stormed over and grabbed Peters collar with so much power that the large man was left stumbling, and pulled out your wand, jabbing it painfully into his neck.
“You dirty little rat.” You seethed, “How dare you,” You took a deep breath and repeated the question, shouting it at the top of your lungs this time. You missed the way the three children flinched at the suddenness of it.
You sensed the two men coming to stand at your sides.
“I’m going to kill you for what you did.” There was no threat behind your words, it was only a clear statement.
Gently, Remus guided your hand down, “He’ll pay for what he did.” He whispered the promise in your ear, “By sending him to Azkaban.”
You didn’t reply, just pushed your wand into his neck harder, making him whimper pathetically.
“Harry doesn’t need you going to prison too.” Sirius muttered from beside you, and those words finally made you pause.
You glanced over to where he stood, being held back from springing forward to help you by his friends, and you finally, reluctantly released your death grip on Peter.
As soon as you let go though, you reeled your fist back and sent it flying forward until you heard a satisfying crunch and a scream of pain from the traitor.
Without a look back, you allowed Remus and Sirius to grab either arm and begin to drag the struggling man out and you went to the trio that was still in the corner.
“Are you all alright?” You repeated your earlier question.
“Was that him? The man that turned my parents in?” Were Harry’s only words.
Ron and Hermione silently exchanged glances before slipping out of the room to give the two of you some space.
Biting down on your lip, you nodded your head and immediately wrapped your arms around the boys shaking form, “Yeah, yeah it was.”
“Did you almost kill him?” His words were slightly muffled through where he was resting his head against your shirt.
“Yes,” You didn’t even try to lie to him, “And I would have if I wasn’t reminded that you still needed me out here, not needing me to be thrown into Azkaban.”
He looked up at you with tear filled eyes, “But that’s where he’s going?”
You sighed and nodded, “Yeah, yeah. That’s where he’s going.”
Can music save your mortal soul?
“I miss James.” Sirius spoke up after a comfortable silence had been sitting over the two of you for many moments.
You hummed, glancing at the man from the corner of your eye, “Yeah, I do too.” You said quietly.
You both sat a little bit away from the group, staring up at Hogwarts, so beautiful and lit up at night.
Neither of you spoke for another minute before you blurted out, “I’m sorry.”
He turned to you with furrowed eyebrows, “What for?”
“I didn’t at first…” You spoke hesitantly, “But I guess over time I began to believe that you really had betrayed them.” You shook your head roughly with a scoff, “There was just not other explanation and I couldn’t let myself live like that anymore. Going it over again and again in my head without end to try and figure out what really happened-“
“Hey,” He cut you off by placing a hand on your shoulder, “It’s alright, Y/n. I get it, I promise you, I do.”
“It’s still not fair to you.” You whispered.
“Maybe not,” He agreed, “But at least now we both can rest knowing that we put away the man that really betrayed them.”
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
You let curiosity take over and you blindly let your feet begin to walk by themselves towards the kitchen, where music appeared to be floating from.
Pausing at the entrance, you took in the sight before you. Harry was gently bobbing his head up and down to the music that played out of an old music player that sat on the counter as he made cookies a few feet away.
“This was your father’s favorite song,” You made your presence known with a small voice.
He startled, eyes whipping up to you frantically before relaxing when he realized it was just you, “Really?” He asked.
You nodded, “He would drive me and mum crazy by blasting it in his room with Sirius. They would sing at the top of their lungs to see who would get yelled at first between the two of them. It was always James though.” A fond smile played at the ends of your lips.
“Sirius didn’t tell me he liked this song.” He said, resuming his previous activities.
“Eh,” You waved it off, “There’s too many memories we have with your father to keep them all straight.”
He laughed lightly at that, “Wanna help with the cookies?”
You smiled and went to stand beside him, listening to your brother’s favorite song.
Well I know that you're in love with him
“Aunt Y/n?” Harry called hesitantly, shuffling into your room.
“What’s up?” You asked, looking up from your book with a raised eyebrow.
The boy's cheeks turned red and he began stuttering, “U-uh, how- how do I tell a girl that- that I l-like her?” He looked like he was about to die from embarrassment.
Immediately, you snapped your book shut and patted the empty spot on your bed next to you for him to sit down, which he did.
“Who is it?” You asked automatically, a small smirk pulling at the ends of your lips.
Quickly, he shot out of his seat, “You know what, this was a bad idea-“
“Hey, hey, no.” You stopped smirking, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just excited, is all. Tell me about her.”
“Her- her name is Cho,” He mumbled, eyes averted to where he was fiddling with his fingers, “And I really like her but I don’t know what to do.”
You smiled softly, wrapping your arm around the boys shoulder and pulling him down onto the bed beside you, “Just tell her how you feel.” You told him, “That’s the best thing you can do. No big gestures or confusing signals, just the honest truth.”
“What if she doesn’t like me back?” He looked up at you as he softly spoke the question.
You squeezed his shoulders lightly, “Then she’s an idiot.” You reassured him.
He laid there for a moment, taking in your words before nodding along slightly, “Thank you,” He mumbled.
You playfully poked his side, “Look at my little boy growing up.” You teased.
Harry scoffed a bit, cheeks tinting red again as he tried to push your hands away, “Shut up.” He protested weakly.
“Hey,” You pressed a gentle kiss on his forehead, “Let me know how it goes. Okay, bud?”
He nodded, standing up and quickly scurrying out of the room to be saved from any further embarrassment.
'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym
“The Triwizard Tournament?” You burst out, leaning back in your chair and running a hand through your hair, “What kind of bullshit is that?”
Harry grimaced, “I kinda don’t have a choice in it, Aunt Y/n.”
You rubbed two hands down your face before looking down at your nephew through the floo network, “I know, but why does it always have to be you?”
“Because I'm special?” He weakly joked.
A scoff escaped your lips, “Yeah, that’s special alright… Just- just promise me that you’re gonna be careful.”
“Of course I will,” He reassured you before shaking his head and laughing to himself, “I feel like this is the only conversation we ever have.”
“That,” You glared pointedly at him, “Is because of your father. The two of you always seem to attract trouble, whether you want to or not.”
You both kicked off your shoes
“He-he was killed right-right in front of me-“ Harry sobbed into your arms as you gently rocked him back and forth, tears of your own sitting in your eyes.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” You kept mumbling over and over again into his hair, where you had buried your face.
He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve any of the shit that happened to him or anything that he was forced to live through. And of course, the Triwizard Tournament just had to be added to that list, and Voldemort was really back this time.
“Cedric is gone,” He choked out, hands gripping onto your arms tightly- desperately- as if they were a lifeline for him.
“I know, I know,” You blinked and tears slipped down your face, “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
Then I dig those rhythm and blues
“We’re getting the Order back together,” Sirius informed you, leaning back in his chair with a small grin, “So I suppose I’m here to recruit you.”
You scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest, “Because the last Order ended so well.” You shot out sarcastically.
The man’s smile faltered, “It’ll be different this time.”
For some reason, those words only made you angrier, and you harshly pushed back your chair and stood up, pointing accusingly at him with a glare , “In what sense?” You hissed, “In the sense that I don’t have a brother to lose anymore? In the sense that it’s just another war?”
He shook his head from side to side sadly, clearly trying not to take your words to heart, “In the sense that you have Harry to think about and look after this time.”
That made you freeze, just like he knew it would, and you dropped back down into your seat, “Shit,” You cursed softly, running a hand through your hair.
“We will win this time,” He told you confidently, reaching out and squeezing your hand, “We’ll avenge James, Lily, and everyone else that we lost the first time around.”
Hesitantly, you began nodding, “Fine, I’m in.”
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
“What the hell were you thinking?” You shouted over the chaos, eyes panickingly sweeping over Harry for any sign of pain, your hands tightly gripping his shoulders.
All around you, Order members and Death Eaters shot curses at one another with no sign of slowing.
“I- I thought he had you and Sirius,” The boy quickly explained, “I couldn’t reach either of you and it was driving me crazy, I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing.”
“Why would Voldemort have brought us to the Ministry?” You hissed at his idiocy before sighing heavily and stepping back slightly, “Okay, okay, I would’ve done the same. I’m sorry for getting mad.”
Tears began to fill his eyes, “I’m sorry for coming here.”
“Hey, hey,” You rushed to comfort him, “It’s not your fault.”
“Y/n!” Sirius called with a grunt from nearby, narrowly blocking a curse thrown his way, “I hate to break up your little Potter reunion, but I could use some help over here!”
With one last smile at Harry, you tightened your grip on your wand and took off in Sirius’s direction, the sound of footsteps behind you letting you know that he had followed you.
Quickly, you threw a stunning curse towards Sirius opponent, sending him flying back into a nearby wall.
“It’s just like old times!” Only Sirius could grin that wildly despite the circumstances.
You scoffed playfully as Harry joined the two of you, both blocking two separate curses in sync, “If this were like old times, then you’d be owing me a drink for saving you!” You teased.
For a split second, he diverted his attention away from the task at hand to smile wider at you, “Maybe I’ll get you one-“
He was cut off by a blinding flash of green being sent directly to his chest.
Both of you froze in sync and you were forced to watch with your feet glued to the ground as he looked between you and Harry with a small smile before his body was pulled into a nearby veil.
Your blood curling scream sounded through the room long before Harry’s did, and you were practically numb to the arm that Remus wrapped around both of you as you each sobbed violently.
You weren’t even able to register the way the man himself was shaking with tears, but he didn’t let up his grip on you and Harry.
How many more times did this have to happen for you to become immune? How many more people did you have to lose before you stopped shedding tears in their names?
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
With a shaky sigh, you dropped the pink carnation bouquet that you had picked out into a vase you and filled with water and let it rest on the counter, where you then let your head fall and rest upon.
“What’s with the flowers?” Harry piped up softly from behind you.
You raised your head to look at the beautiful plants slightly before signing again, “When Sirius first moved in with us, he didn’t know how he could ever thank my parents for what they had done for him. So he started doing little things to say thank you, meaningful things. One of them was picking a bundle of these types flowers that grew nearby the house and bringing them to my mother, getting her new ones every time the others died.”
He nodded in understanding, gazing at the pink leaves, “They’re beautiful.”
A hum of agreement left your lips, “My mother thought so too.”
But I knew I was out of luck
“With your bad luck, I’m surprised you three idiots made it this long.” You informed them with a small, playful scoff.
Hermione smiled a little bit, “Yeah, me too.”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m grateful for it!” Ron squeaked, and frowned a bit as the three of you laughed.
“Auntie, we have to get on the express.” Harry said softly.
You nodded a little bit, pursing your lips, “I know.”
“We’ll be careful,” Hermione promised, and you smiled softly at her while cupping her cheek, rubbing your finger up and down subconsciously.
“Oh, come here.” You quickly pulled all three children into a tight group hug before kissing every one of them on the tops of their heads.
The day the music died
“What happened that night?” You whispered, watching as Harry’s eyes glazed over quickly and his defenses went up.
He shrugged stiffly, and though you felt guilty for asking, you needed to know what really went down at Hogwarts the night that Dumbledore was killed. You needed to know how much Harry would be affected by it and how negative that affect would be.
“Harry,” You begged with a soft whisper, “I just want to help you.”
“I know,” He admitted with a sigh, dropping his head against the back of the couch you both sat on in your living room.
Silence fell over you for a few minutes that consisted of you chewing on your bottom lip nervously before he finally spoke up again, “We need to prepare for a war.”
His words made your head snap over to him in alarm, “Don’t talk like that,”
“It’s true,” He insisted, turning his body to face you, “After everything that’s been happening, we both know it’s coming.”
You shook your head stubbornly, tears filling in your eyes, “Don’t you talk like that,” You warned through gritted teeth, “Your parents died so you would never have to live through a war like we did.”
He sighed, reaching over and wrapping his arms around you, “I know,” He whispered into your hair as you leaned your head against his chest, “But it’s true. And I’d rather fight and defend others than not and watch them die.”
You squeezed your eyes shut, “But you're just kid.”
“I know.”
“It’s not fair.”
“…I know.”
“Please reconsider this, Harry.” You turned so you were staring up at him with wide eyes, “I know that I’m not your parent, but please, don’t go through with this. This isn’t what they would want for you.”
“Would they prefer I stand by and do nothing?” You fell silent, “They fought in the first war, and if they were still alive, they would fight in this one in a heartbeat… you know I’m right.”
You dropped your head in defeat, because you did know that he was right.
“Then I’m fighting with you,” You sat up.
He was quick to shake his head, “I don’t want you getting hurt-“
“You forget that I’m the adult here, Harry.” You reminded him sternly, “And if I can’t stop you from doing this, then you can’t stop me either.”
Slowly, he nodded, “Okay… okay… We’ll do this together.”
I started singing bye-bye, Miss American Pie
You gripped your wand tightly as your eyes scanned the forest back and forth, you quickly glanced behind you at the sound of leaves crunching.
“Under different circumstances,” You spoke as Harry sat beside you, “This place would be beautiful.”
He hummed in agreement, looking around as well.
The tent that Ron and Hermoine were in rested a few yards back, where they hopefully were sleeping off the craziness of the day.
“Your mother would kill me if she knew I wasn’t sending you to school this year,” You laughed softly at your own words.
Harry chuckled beside you, kicking at the ground a little bit when his smile faded, “I wish I didn’t have to drag you all into this.” His face was twisted up with guilt.
“Hey,” You grabbed onto his hand and shook it slightly, “This was our choice, we all knew what we were getting into. But we all love you, so it’s gonna be worth it.”
“What if one of us doesn’t make it?” He wondered out loud, voice barely above a whisper.
All at once, your body stiffened, “Don’t talk like that.”
“It’s true though!” He cried, “What if Ron, Hermione, or-or y-you die because I dragged you into this?”
“And what if we hadn’t come along?” You rounded on him, “What then? Would it have been you that died?” You asked furiously, “I would die in a heartbeat to keep you safe- all of you.”
He paled at your words, looking slightly nauseated, “You can’t die.” He whispered.
“Then we’re going to drop this discussion.” You determined, “And neither of us are going to think about it again. Got it?”
He nodded numbly and you sighed, “Come ‘ere,” You muttered, wrapping your arm around him.
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
The snow fell gently across the town that you had once viewed as beautiful. That is, until your brother and sister in law moved into a certain quaint house and your entire life was flipped upside down.
You swallowed harshly, fighting with every bone in your body not to turn around and sprint in the other direction with every step forward that you took.
Hermione and Ron had gone off to a small coffee shop, muttering about giving you and Harry some space.
The boy had his arm tightly locked around yours and he seemed to be struggling just as much as you were, both of you with your feet frozen right in front of the cemetery.
“I haven’t visited this place,” You admitted with a guilty whisper, “Not once. I didn’t even show up to the funeral. I couldn’t.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Harry asked you hesitantly, eyeing you sideways.
You forced a tight smile on your face and gave him one nod of confirmation, “It’s about time I said goodbye for real.” Before adding, “Both of us.”
With that, arm in arm, you slowly made your way past the gravestones until you came upon two side by side with the names of Lily and James Potter printed across them.
You inhaled sharply at the sight of it, blinking away tears, knowing that they would freeze instantly on your face if you let them loose.
Slowly, Harry took out his wand and muttered a small spell that Hermione no doubt taught him, and a bundle of pink carnations appeared on each of their graves.
A watery laugh left your lips at his actions, causing a small smile to pull at the ends of his own lips, “They’re beautiful, Harry.”
He rested his head against the top of yours and you each silently said your own goodbyes to the ones that you lost.
Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
“Look! They’re here! They’re here!” Students all around you cheered, and you couldn’t help but feel a slight spark of happiness at the looks of hope and joy on their faces.
When you and the children had returned to Hogwarts to finish what had been started, you hadn’t expected all of these students to begin cheering your names as they finally got their first sign of hope in seemingly months.
As your eyes scanned through the sea of kids, you knew that you couldn’t let them down. They had all lost so much, being forced to go through what you and your peers had back then in some ways, and you would be damned if you let them suffer any longer.
Glancing over at Harry, you knew instantly that he had the same thoughts.
Singing, "This'll be the day that I die"
“No!” You screamed so loud that it felt like your throat was ripping, but you could barely feel it over the pain in your heart, “No! No! No!”
Molly let out a sob, quickly wrapping her arms around you to stop you from running forward towards the Death Eaters at the sight of Harry’s limp body in Hagrid’s arms.
“Harry Potter is dead!” Voldemort announced with a malicious grin, thoroughly enjoying watching as your entire world came crashing down right on top of you, suffocating your lungs.
It felt as though he held your heart in his disgusting hands and was squeezing it in an agonizingly painful way.
Arthur had to make his way over and wrap an arm around you as well, your sheer strength from anger and denial making it impossibly difficult for Molly to hold you alone.
You couldn’t even hear the rest of what The Dark Lord had to say over your hopeless, despair-filled cry’s that raked through your entire body violently.
Harry was the only thing that had kept you going after all these years, after what happened. And with him being gone now, you knew that you wouldn’t be able to go on. Not without him.
Then, without warning, Harry’s body rolled out of Hagrid's hold and he jumped up, locking eyes with you briefly before picking up his wand and pointing it at Voldemort.
You gasped, a large amount of air filling into your lungs for the first time since thinking he was dead, to much in a state of shock to even register the chaos that erupted all around you as everyone sprang into action, firing spell after spell at the opposing side.
When you finally snapped out of it though, you sprang forward and fired a deadly curse towards Voldemort, years of rage and heart brokenness behind it for everyone and everything you lost at his hand.
He barely even glanced at you as he deflected it and sent a light of green straight into your chest.
This will be the day that I die
It was over. The only war was finally over. And for the first time in weeks, Harry felt himself smile as he desperately looked around for you. Despite all the two of you had gone through, at least you would be able to enjoy the new world- one rid of Voldemort- together. A world that was finally safe.
His eyebrows furrowed and he paused in his steps when he caught sight of Hermione, Ron, Molly, and Arthur all standing in a circle in the middle of a hallway, every one of them crying.
He moved forward to see what was the matter, “What is it? What’s wrong-“
Harry cut himself short and he felt all the air get knocked out of his lungs, sending him falling to his knees, “A-auntie?” He stuttered out, mouth running dry as he looked down at your limp form on the ground.
Your lips were parted slightly and your eyes were wide open, staring unseeingly at a nearby pile of rubble.
Everyone’s heads snapped over to him and Molly fell down beside him, wrapping her arms around the boy, “Oh, Harry-“
He immediately shrugged off her hands, instead frowning slightly and beginning to shake your shoulders, “Auntie? Aunt Y/n, wake up.”
All anyone could do was just stand there and watch silently with tears streaming down their faces.
“No,” He choked out when you didn’t stir, “No, wake up. Please, please wake up,” He begged through sobs, “We’re free, we’re finally free. Wake up!”
Nobody left his side, not for a single second of the hour he sat there, screaming- pleading- begging- you to wake up until his throat was raw and scratchy and he fell backwards on his heels.
“All she ever wanted was what was best for me.” The boy whispered, “That's all she ever wanted.”
“Then let’s give her that,” Molly spoke softly, hugging him again, “Honor her by living your life to the fullest. She wanted your happiness more than anything in this world.”
Harry looked down at you once more, the woman that had taken him in on her own free will in order to honor her brother and lost friends. The woman who raised him and taught him everything he knew. The woman who gave him everything. The woman who sacrificed herself so that he could keep living his life.
It’s LeviOsa 🪄- @i-writes-things @kiyomi-uchiha777
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wrathful--artist · 1 year
Text
The Caged Bird and The Chased Mouse
Part 1! \/
Okay so this idea wont leave me, genshin Sagau, classic isekai imposter scenario, but you didnt do the main sumeru story quest yet (like i did on my account, I did everything else, except the story when it came out). I’m so sorry if I mess up characterization, spelling, or general writing structure, I don’t write often.
WARNING FOR: Swearing (F-word and thats it)
So let me set the scene:
You have been isekai’ d into the Genshin world and you’re the creator but its an imposter situation. You’ve been to every other region and have been chased out, betrayed by characters you love and trust. You venture into Sumeru, with an idea of the layout but no clue of what will come next when you step into Sumeru City.
You walk into Sumeru City, amazed by the architecture in person but wary of what might happen if people catch a glimpse of your face. You wander around, just listening to conversations and seeing what foods they have to offer, eventually ending up near the Academiya. You consider if you want to set foot into the daunting structure, considering it looks guarded well and if something went wrong you’d be in the deepest trouble, unsure how the Archon of the region would react to you (poorly you assume). But against your best judgement you start walking in, far too curious for your own good. You get a handful of steps into the building until you run into who looks like a playable character, one you haven’t met before but vaguely remember from the leaks. With grey hair and skin tight shirt, look at you with suspicious, I mean who wouldn’t be suspicious of someone in a cloak that you can’t see their face.
“….” He stares at you with an intense gaze, as if we can see right through your disguise, you’re hoping he can’t actually do that.
“Well it seems we have a newcomer, hello there.” He finally speaks, “My akasha doesn’t seem to know who you are, are you new to Sumeru?”
‘Akasha?’ You think, regretting the fact you didn’t play the story quests before getting sent here. You stay silent, unsure how to respond.
“Are you, or are you not? I’d like an answer or else i’m afraid I’ll have to call the guards.” He adds the last part, to add pressure to you.
“Yes, yes! I’m new to Sumeru and I thought I might take a look at the illustrious Aca- uhm, Academiya!” You mess up on the last part, nearly forgetting the name of the building you’re in.
The grey hair man gives a hum in acknowledgment, but doesn’t give any indication that he fully believes you. You’re getting more nervous as the pause stretches on and curse at your idiotic curiosity, you’re praying to whatever higher being thats left in Tevyat to have this guy to let you go. He starts to circle you, taking in your outfit and body language.
“Alright, well, do make sure you don’t cause too much of distraction, the students need their focus.” He finally breaks his silence and gets out of your way. You let out the biggest breath out in relief, the guy absolutely catches it but you don’t care enough at the moment while your body pumps adrenaline. You debate with yourself if you actually want to continue in self or just run out, but decide it’d look far more suspicious to just run out after that exchange. You give a nod to him and start walking to the main door, you’re able to see some books so you assume you’re walking into a library.
Once you enter room and get near the middle, you’re in awe of how large the room is, how high the books reach, and just how many books are crammed in one room. You imagine you could start reading and wouldn’t finish all the books in the library by the time you die. You start walking around the room, with an odd feeling as you walk around, as if someone was watching you, but you brush it off as someone took notice of the weirdo walking through their space. Once you finish that you start your walk out of the Academiya, entirely done of it’s stuffy feeling that you’d mostly ignored.
As you walked out your foot catches a ledge making you fall to the floor, with your hood pulling back enough to show your face, you yelp.
You catch yourself before your face makes contact with the floor, not taking notice that the hood had fallen back. People started to look where the noise came from and stare in shock at seeing the creator’s- no, the Imposters face. You notice the attention on you and reach up to the hood, and pale when you realize what had happened.
You book it.
You run back into the Akademiya, with a vague idea of an escape ruin, you take left and start running up the wooden ramp. You can hear calls of “GET THEM” behind you, thats starting to gain on you. You run through the almost maze-like path with your feet pounding on the stone with students looking at you with bewilderment. Your cloak flipping behind you as you start to get closer to the top, with your ripped clothes underneath showcasing your struggles from the other three Nations.
You reach the top and jump forward, avoiding the spears of guards and get to the large green door, unsure of what’s behind but hoping, hoping to the fake stars above that it’s a safe place. You struggle to get it open but get yourself in and quickly slam the doors shut. You can hear pounding but it doesn’t seem like the door is going to open, you slowly step away and turn around to assess the room you’ve entered. As you look to the orb in the middle to walk forward to get a better look of what seemed to be inside-
Oh your stars.
That’s a fucking child.
What the fuck.
You stare in shock at the little girl seemingly trapped in a green orb in a large empty room. She’s looking at you.
You start walking even closer, she follows the movement. She isn’t scared or mad or venomous, she just watches. You try reaching your hand up to touch her prison, only then realizing that it was too high up for you to touch. She seems to understand what you want to do and touches the wall of her prison, a ghost of a hand touch. You sit down after a few minutes of starring at each other, and yawn. You havent slept in a while due to circumstances, so you lay your head down knowing that any second they could come and get you but honestly, you just wanted a rest and get away from this new reality you’ve found yourself in. You drift off and all you hear is..
“Everything will be okay.”
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Okay so,, i really hope people like this, this was just my thought to the screen and I’m very willing to make a part two!
I also added a doodle because i done know thought it’d add to the story
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adelarsims · 2 months
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OC QUESTIONNAIRE: IVO
thank you @simarcana for the tag :)
if any of you wanted to know ivo a little better, here's your chance.
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hello, my dear. i believe we never met... i'm the spellweaver here at the Academia, and a substitute librarian for the time being, until they find someone else for the job. so... in which capacity i may be of help?
NAME: that would depend on who you see in front of you right now, me or the... oh. then just ivo is more than enough, there is no need to stand on ceremony ~
NICKNAME: with such a short name as mine, no one really called me anything else. if you don’t count common words of endearment, but i don't think that counts.
GENDER: ...hmm. that made me think. i’m used to think of myself as a man, but when i imagine being offered a different opinion, it doesn’t feel alien or make me uncomfortable either... there's always something yet to be discovered about ourselves, isn't it.
STAR SIGN: Pisces, but you might not find it very fitting anymore, now that i... oh, apologies, i got a little distracted for a moment.
HEIGHT: i never bothered measuring my own height exactly. probably a little over 180 barefoot, a little under 190 on heels... why would that be important? i assure you, 171-cm-on-heels worth of the Grand Sage in a bad mood can be much scarier. ah, you want me to get you this book from the upper shelf? in that case, my dear, how about i teach you a little beckoning spell if you have the time? it will come in handy when i’m not around to help. ~
ORIENTATION: there was a time when i preferred one gender over all others. now i prefer not to prefer either. that is just for the best for everyone. i’m truly sorry if you asked out of... personal interest, my dear.
NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: i’m afraid even i don't have the answer. i was here for as long as i can recall, but my childhood memories are rather... hazy. it was definitely warmer than here though, that much i remember.
FAVORITE FRUIT: peach, the juicier the better. even imagining it in my hand, its fuzzy skin is warm from the sun, juice streaming down my fingers and palm and staining my sleeve... ah, it almost makes me feel the taste in my mouth.
FAVORITE SEASON: summer. cold and damp weather can be very hard to endure, it takes a huge toll on my mind and body alike.
FAVORITE FLOWER: a whole field of forget-me-nots. and the apple tree blossoming in the warmest month of spring. it’s not something you could pluck for your amusement and put in a vase... you can only appreciate it and step away, carrying this moment of peace in your heart.
FAVORITE SCENT: oh, you know these thick, spicy scents that are an essential part of every tiny store that sells all kinds of fake occult knick-knacks impressionable young humans are so obsessed with? yeah, this scent. it’s just... so nostalgic for some reason.
COFFEE, TEA, or HOT CHOCOLATE: i much prefer pomegranate wine, my dear, but alas, now that i’m not allowed to drink alcohol anymore... it would be linden and melissa herbal tea. aside from its mild taste and soothing qualities, another great thing about it is that it never becomes tart even if you forget about it for a long time... however, i would also never say no to a cup of hot chocolate in a pleasant company ~
AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: more than nine, preferably. sadly, i’m rarely given that luxury. everyone always needs something here, and you can't really say no when it's the Grand Sage who's asking, now can you?
DOGS or CATS: neither, my... guest doesn’t like animals. or, rather, they do not like to be in my presence anymore. why are you looking at me like that? i thought professor Ember warned you about... i see. apologies for confusing you then. at any rate, if i have to choose, then cats. a cat sleeps for twenty hours a day and wouldn't give me any trouble, while having a dog demands too much physical activity for my taste.
DREAM TRIP: anywhere warm, my dear. (...where i really want to go is to go back in time and make a different decision, one i won’t be regretting for the rest of my days, but...) oh, i look sad? these cold stones just aren’t good for my morale. winter this year was awfully long.
NUMBER OF BLANKETS: indefinite. nothing better for the night than making a warm cozy nest out of thick fluffy blankets. the flip side is that the warmer and cozier your blanket nest is, the more heartbreaking it is to leave it in the morning.
RANDOM FACT: there’s a belief among academia students that if you jump across the hall all the way to the statue of the First Sage on just one leg the day before the exam, and throw the note with your request, and the note stays in the statue’s hands, you will get an A+ without trying. no, no, not lazy, most of them prepare for exams anyway... it’s more of a tradition now. sometimes they write completely unrelated things. poems, love confessions to each other... someone even begged the statue to make professor Ember have a crush on them, poor soul. how do i know all that? whose responsibility it is to retrieve all these notes from the statue, you think?
--
tagging @kisica-plays, @pralinesims for OC you didn't answer this for, @agena87, @adoringsentiment, @kri-babe, @puppycheesecake and anyone who sees this and suddenly wants to hop on that train
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the-derpy-duck · 5 months
Text
The TFA universe is a fucking nightmare and I wish people would actually talk about it. Long rant incoming.
Don’t expect good spelling or grammar I’m sorry
Like the show didn’t even care enough to address how fucked everything was. Like all the little baby robots just don’t have names until they go through the military/boot camp, which doesn’t make a lot of sense as the whole point of basic training/boot camp is taking away one’s identity and individualization aka what a lot of cults and extremist groups will do to get people to go along with whatever they want them to, as it’s a lot easier for group think to occur when there is a group. The whole “small cog in a bigger machine” bullshit speech is literally just that but dressed up to look and sound pretty (propaganda). But half of the names given at the boot camp are insults and that’s really fucked up. And it’s almost implied that the other transformers recognize Bulkhead and Bumblebee’s names as being insulting in nature because when Sari introduces herself to Bumblebee it sort of goes like this:
“My name is Bumblebee” “I’m Sari” “Oh don’t be, I like my name.”
But that would also imply that the show was thinking about acknowledging how messed up its own world is and I don’t really think it is. I think that’s a joke, was meant to be taken as a joke, but could be read into as world building or something.
It’s been a hot second sense I’ve rewatched season three of tfa but from what I remember, Ultra Magnus was sort of a dictator? Like I know that there is some form of election, but the main way anything gets done is through the council of primes and in TFA it is established that “prime” is a military rank, and those who advanced to “prime” have to be approved by the council, which Ultra Magnus is the head of. He doesn’t have full dictation over it (he wanted OP to not be horribly punished) but he does have a sizable amount of control (op was still given a job and got to keep his rank). The election cycles are nonexistent as the only time anyone thinks of trying to replace Ultra Magnus is when he is on his death bed. So is it like the Supreme Court? The people technically elect a leader but the council that would decide on important laws and if they are constitutional is chosen by the leader, not the people, can serve until they die, and can do fuck all and no one will challenge them because they have the final say on the law? For a thing like economics or the Supreme Court it would make sense to have these be not elected officials for the sole purpose of “they wouldn’t be pressured by potentially not being re-elected and so they would be able to do their jobs without worrying if it would please the people.” A lot of things done to fix and adjust the economy will look really bad at first but it ultimately serves to balance everything. But the people in charge of the FED and other economic shit also don’t serve until they die. Long tangent to say, not a lot of democracy in this word.
The only way to gain power in cybertron seems to be to either join the military or do a hyper specific job. Also how long has ultra Magnus been the leader? Was no one ever unhappy with how he lead? Sentinel Prime was but that was seen as a bit of a taboo. Also Sentinel’s Cybertron immediately turning into an Orwellian styled red scare nightmare was a choice. Establishing curfews during a time of potential war where the planet/country/city could easily be targeted for an attack isn’t in itself unreasonable. It’s immediately taken to 11 but the general idea of curfews makes sense. As well as reporting potential spys for the main reason that spy’s had been proven to have infiltrated the prime counsel thing. It goes to fear mongering almost instantly but the general idea isn’t bad.
Im interested to know how Ultra Magnus would have handled the situation because the show just sort of is neutral about him. He’s just there most of the time and tells OP not to try and be a hero. I want to know if he would have done something similar to Sentinel and I want to know if the show would address it. Because the general difference between UM and SP is that UM is better at hiding how much he manipulates power. He’s still a dictator even if he isn’t an antagonist force. He’s not a benevolent dictator because dictators, by definition, cannot be benevolent. If they were truly benevolent then the people would get a choice in the world that they live in.
All this to say, “dictator bad”
ALSO is there no trial system? Wasp just was sent to prison and they didn’t think to look into any of the evidence? Did no one think to maybe investigate the people who would have had the codes or spare keys for the locker things? Do they just send people into solitary confinement without any sort of hearing or evidence or was Wasp just waiting for his court date? Why does Optimus want Bumblebee to apologize to the guy who clearly doesn’t want to speak to him? He literally watched Bumblebee give an apology and a reasonable explanation for his actions. He wasn’t making excuses he was manipulated by a person who he thought was his friend and the main reason why he was able to be so easily manipulated was because the person in power was actively antagonist towards him. He did the right thing. He asked a person, who would have known how to make a report, how to make a report. If shockwave wasn’t the person who was in that roll then Wasp probably wouldn’t have been framed. And even if Bumblebees wasn’t the one who found the things in his locker, Sentinel still would have found them because Shockwave planted them. I’m sorry but asking a person how to make a report so you can go around the person who is acting aggressive towards you and holds a significant position of power over you isn’t the same as purposefully ruining someone’s life. Bumblebee was going off of evidence that was 100% circumstantial, biased, and highly questionable, that doesn’t automatically mean that he was trying to frame Wasp. If he had reported that he overheard a spy communicating with the decepticons and had reasons to believe that it might be Wasp, then I would assume that whoever the fuck would do an investigation and either clear Wasp or just arrest him because due process and fair trials is for babies. In which case, it still wouldn’t be the fault of a person who isn’t in control of anything. Blaming Bumblebee for what happened to Wasp is like blaming doctors for how expensive medical treatment is. He trusted the wrong person and that person used his trust against him. The people in power did not think to do an investigation into any of this. And even if the whole Wasp thing was open and shut why wouldn’t they look further into this? Maybe there was other spy’s? Did anyone think about that? No? It also isn’t Bumblebee’s fault that Shockwave got to the position of Prime. The security system and the people in charge of screenings didn’t pick up on the fact that there was a spy. That is not the fault of a random cadet who trusted someone. Shockwave’s actions and the people who died because of them are the fault of Shockwave. Bumblebee’s fuck up did help him not get caught, but it was also the closet we see to him being caught before he becomes a prime. If the people in the TFA world weren’t so fucking stupid then this wouldn’t of happened because maybe this hyper advanced world would have fucking security cameras. If they can figure out how to bend time and space then I think they can figure out how to install things that would record a conversation.
WAIT- doesn’t Bumblebee use something similar to that to figure out the decepticons plans and relay it back to earth? And they have computers that have screens so why don’t they have cameras installed?
Anyway, Wasp blaming Bumblebee makes sense. It makes sense that he is angry at him and it makes sense that he wouldn’t forgive him. That’s not the issue I have with this the issue is that OP also blames Bumblebee. Which I guess would also make sense as animated Optimus seems to be deeply rooted in the military and is a string supported of Ultra Magnus. It is stated in the first episode that he watches propaganda and repeats the military speech about being one big machine. He lies to save his friend and he sucks for that because his friend abuses his power whenever he gets the chance to and he knows this. Optimus lying for Sentinel is much more  egregious to me than what Bumblebee does because Bumblebee didn’t know that Longarm was a spy. I understand why Optimus would lie for Sentinel, he is a loyal friend and he definitely did blame himself for what happened. That doesn’t change the fact that he KNOWINGLY let a person who he knew to be irresponsible and who got others into dangerous situations into a position of power. I think Ultra Magnus knew that Optimus was lying and like- why are you people like this?
Bumblebee could have been called out for so many different things that he actually did. Like is he a bad friend? Yes. He treats Bulkhead badly, most of there interactions are just him insulting Bulkhead and Bulkhead never insults him back. If they both were insulting each other then I wouldn’t really have an issue but most of the time they are seen together it’s just Bumblebee being an asshole. He’s willing to abandon his team and objective to chase down Blurr, he doesn’t listen when people tell him not to do something and it often leads to problems. There are reasonable things to call Bumblebee out on but the Wasp thing doesn’t make sense. If Optimus wanted to address Bumblebee never taking responsibility for his own actions, then why not do that when a consequence is the result of Bumblebee’s actions in a meaningful way. What the hell was he supposed to do? He didn’t know how to make a report so he asked. This is one of the only times that Bumblebee stops to think and consider his options, he could have immediately began spying on Wasp and the other cadets but he didn’t. He wanted to pass it off to the right people who would be able to handle it.
Animated OP frustrates me because I come so close to liking him and then he does something that personally annoys the hell out of me. I get why he would lie for his friend who was manipulative and generally awful towards him but its still just like— you have seen the consequences of his actions. This is no longer just hurting you or him, it has maybe killed a person and he has not changed. Optimus thinks he can change but he has an obligation to not let him hurt anymore people and he just needs to tell the truth. It’s really hard to leave friends behind, I know that. Even when they hurt you and actively make your life worse it is still extremely difficult to let that relationship go. I appreciate how Optimus has issues in that regard. But it’s gotten to a point where Sentinel’s poor judgment and refusal to listen to others puts himself and others in danger. Optimus gave him the opportunity to continue to cause harm to others, and he really wants to sit here and say that Bumblebee was making excuses when he just wasn’t? And he never and would never be called out on this.
One last thing, Ultra Magnus and the rest of the high command clearly don’t give a shit about the cybertronians who were fighting (they were so willing to just kill Arcee for the activation code) in the war and also don’t ever try to investigate any issue further. Potential spy? Eh sure throw him into solitary confinement. One of our top cadets went missing and might have died but no body has been recovered? Well fuck, gotta just say she died and not look into it to make sure there wasn’t any malpractice.
So in conclusion:
The name thing both doesn’t make sense and makes too much sense
Ultra Magnus is kind of a dictator kind of not a dictator
Optimus prime spew’s military bullshit and propaganda and no one cares
Wasp is a dick, didn’t deserve what happened to him
Bumblebee is an asshole, he still didn’t try to ruin a persons life.
No one cares about investigating serious crimes and accusations
108 notes · View notes
amysteryspot · 1 year
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A Moment of Jealousy | S.R.
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Summary: Reader offers to help Spencer when he needs a plus one to go to his friend's wedding. What she didn't expect was to feel so angry when one of your coworkers starts flirting with him.
Warnings:female reader, no use of (Y/N); jealousy; fake dating; fluff; little bit of angst; friends to lovers; coworkers to lovers; mentions fo drinking; mild smut (+18); secret relationship until it isn't.
Word Count: 4.1K
Requested by: @hb-writes
A/N: Hey there, love. I'm sorry it took me forever to fill your request, but I got carried away and made it a whole oneshot instead of just a blurb. A special thanks to @foxy-eva for beta-reading this one.
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SPENCER REID MASTERLIST | MAIN MASTERLIST | FOLLOW MY WRITING AT @mysteryslibrary
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You tried, really hard, not to let people know how annoyed you were by the situation.
“I didn’t know you two were together,” Elizabeth says, surprised.
“Not for long, so we’re keeping it low while everything is still new,” Spencer answers, smiling at you. You smile back, looking at Elizabeth who was already staring back at you.
“I heard about how you arrested that guy last week. It must have been scary.”
“Yeah, it was but I had backup, so I knew it would be okay to push it a little bit.”
“Everybody’s impressed, I heard people in the white-collar department talking about it.
“It was a team effort.” You smile, politely.
“Teamwork is difficult in its own way, it must be harder on you two. Spencer is so clever and you are so…” she paused, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, “so strong.”
Blinking once, twice, you force yourself to give her a grim smile, but after that, the conversation turned into a blur for you. It took everything in you not to take it personally, you and Spencer were not dating after all, but the comparison just made you feel… inappropriate. Like you weren’t enough to be with someone like him.
When Elizabeth finally left, you could barely control your feelings.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” you exclaimed, making Spencer turn his head to look at you.
“What happened,” he asked, confused.
“What happened? What happened, seriously,” you asked, incredulous. “What fucking happened is that Elizabeth has been flirting with you for the past hour and you did nothing to stop her,” sneering, you made sure to spell her name with a sickly sweet voice.
Spencer frowned, turning his head to search for Elizabeth, who, of course, was looking back at him, trying to look demure as she waved at him right before putting a loose strand of hair behind her ear. In his defense, he did look oblivious to agent Parker’s advances towards him, which did absolutely nothing to wane your anger. When he looked back at you, something seemed to click inside that big brain of his.
“Oh,” he exclaimed, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, “you’re jealous.”
“I am…” it took you a moment to process his words, “Am I what?”
“Jealous,” he promptly answered. “Of Elizabeth,” Spencer made sure to stress her name and you wondered, for a second, where that smug smile came from.
“You’re fucking delusional, Doctor. I’m just worried about how you’re making me look like a complete idiot by flirting with Agent Parker. We’re supposed to be a fucking couple, after all.”
“Yeah, I know,” he nodded, “and that was your idea.”
“To save your ass, because you’re always alone in those kinds of events and you didn’t want to come with that woman Morgan set you up with… What was her name? Kristen?”
“Lauren,” Spencer corrected, putting his hands in his pockets, smirking.
Of course he remembered the name.
“Whatever. It does matter that your friend is getting married, you didn’t want to come alone and I’m here to help you. All I’m asking in exchange is that you don’t make me look like a fool by flirting with someone else.”
"That 's it,” he asked, taking a step closer.
“Yeah,” you nodded, skipping a breath as he stepped closer again, resting one of his hands on the small of your back, “that’s it.”
“Now, you see, I don’t believe you.”
He was so close that you could hear his breath and feel the heat of his body.
“What I do believe, is that you came here with me because you didn’t want anybody else in your place, anybody else with me, and that you’re so riled up by Elizabeth talking to me only because you’re jealous of her, even though all the poor woman did was compliment you the whole time.”
“I… what?”
“She’s interested in you, not me,” Spencer explained and suddenly you felt more like a fool than before.
Looking over his shoulder you could see the disappointed look on Elizabeth's face as she looked at the two of you, but she did smile when your eyes met and, even in the distance, you could swear she was blushing.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh,” Spencer laughed.
“This doesn’t mean that I’m jealous.”
“Oh, it doesn't?”
“No, it does not,” you answered, blinking a couple of times, still trying to process what was happening.
“So you wouldn't mind if I wanted to leave right now, taking you to your home and deciding to go out with Lauren? She texted me a few minutes ago.”
You bit your tongue before answering a faint, “No.”
Spencer hummed, letting go of you and offering his hand for you to take.
“Let’s go then, we already did what was supposed to be done here. Don’t want to let Lauren wait.”
“You… what?” For a moment, you couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Here you were, doing him a favor, and he was paying you back by talking to another woman all this time? “If you’ve been talking to her all this time you should've brought her with you, not me,” you exclaimed, letting go of his hand, walking past him only to hear him laugh.
Turning around, you saw Spencer smiling smugly and all you wanted at that moment was to wipe it out of his face.
“What’s so funny, Reid?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“Yes,” he confirmed, “you.”
“What’s so funny about me,” you asked, crossing your arms in front of your chest.
“You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
“How many times I gotta say that I’m not… Wait, you just said that I’m cute?”
“That’s what you registered from what I said?” he asked, with a hint of amusement in his tone. 
“No, good Doctor, I was saying that I’m not…”
You never got to finish the sentence because Spencer pulled you to him by the hand and planted his lips on yours and, suddenly, you didn’t want to talk anymore. All you wanted was to be able to feel his lips against yours all the time.
Spencer wasn’t half as gentle as you imagined him to be. His hands gripped you tight, keeping you impossibly close to him, and his chapped lips were hungry against your own. When you both came up for air he gave you a quick peck, smiling.
“There’s no Lauren.”
Still in a daze from the kiss, it took you a minute to process his words.
“What?”
“There’s no Lauren. There never was. Morgan just said he was tired from both of us circling around each other, so when the wedding invitation came up he took it upon himself to bring us together. He said you would be jealous about me bringing someone else to the party, so he created that someone.”
“Morgan… what?” Still confused, you were unable to form a coherent sentence.
You were going to kill Derek.
“He wasn’t exactly wrong, was he?”
“You were on board with that?”
He smiled, sheepishly, looking a little bit guilty.
“I’m gonna kill you…”
Again, you were interrupted mid-sentence by Spencer’s lips on yours. Not that you were complaining.
“You’re not going to kill anyone,” he said, both of you out of breath. “Here’s what is going to happen. We’re going to say our goodbyes to the newlyweds, I’m going to take you home, and you’re going to invite me for coffee.”
When you opened your mouth to speak Spencer silenced you again, this time by resting his thumb against your lips.
“Ah,” he reprimanded. “We’re both going up and we’re gonna have a talk about what is happening between us. Okay?”
You weren’t sure what did it for you: maybe it was the hazel of his eyes shining so brightly as he looked at you or his honeyed voice as he told you what was going to happen, maybe it was the way he was holding you so close to his body that made you so comfortable it felt like home. What you were sure of was that there was no point in trying to hide it anymore.
“Okay,” you sighed, relaxing into his arms much to Spencer’s content.
He kissed your forehead, releasing you from his arms and clasping your hand in his instead. When you two turned around to say your goodbyes, there were a couple of people staring at you, including Elizabeth. You shied away from their stares, noticing a blushing Spencer guide you through the crowd. Then you felt a hand grasping your arm gently, making you stop and see an old lady, who you recognized as the bride’s grandmother, smiling at you.
“It’s so beautiful to see such a young couple like yourselves be so in love with each other. It reminds me of me and my husband, we were married for 63 years until he passed away. There will be hard times, but don’t give up on love. I wish you two the very best,” she patted your hand and left, smiling.
You looked at Spencer dumbfounded, finding him looking at you already, a smile on his face. Spencer only squeezed your hand, leading you to the newlyweds before you two left the reception, looking for a taxi.
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The ride to your home was silent, your hands intertwined as both of you looked through the windows in opposite directions. After you entered your apartment things shifted from 1 to 100 in a second.
Before you could understand what was happening, Spencer had you pressed between his body and your door, his lips hungry against yours. Responding in kind, your hands found his hair, tugging at it and making him moan against your lips.
Walking both of you to the couch, you gently pushed Spencer to fall against it, quickly straddling his hips before you could lose the courage to do so. Your kisses were greedy, his hands trailing up your thighs, hiking your dress in between his fingers.
You lost no time in freeing him from his jacket, and then his tie, making quick work of unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt, trailing kisses along his jaw and down his throat.
“Wait,” he mumbled, holding both your hands in his own, making you stop to look at him. “We need to talk.”
He was right. That was what you were here for in the first place, you were just too lost in each other and ended up caught up in the moment.
“Yeah,” you nodded, taking a deep breath, “yeah, you’re right.”
You two stared at each other for a moment before kissing again. It was too easy to lose yourself in him, but you really needed to talk so, despite your desires, it was your turn to part from him.
“Coffee,” you murmured against his lips.
Spencer nodded, eyes traveling down your figure as you got up, observing as you set your dress straight.
“Yeah, coffee.”
The two of you looked at each other for a moment too long and before you could change your mind, you turned around and left for the kitchen to start making your coffee.
Suddenly there was a presence behind you, strong hands at your waist pulling you close to his body while Spencer trailed kisses down your neck.
“What happened with talking?”
He turned you around in a swift motion, helping you up to sit on the kitchen counter and making quick work of standing between your legs.
“We can talk later.”
And then his lips were on yours and everything else faded to black. There was nothing but him, the feeling of his hands roaming your body, the taste of him on your tongue. It had always been easy for you to get lost in Spencer: in his words, the way he talked, his mannerisms. You shouldn’t have been surprised at how natural it felt to get lost in his touch, letting desire take over as you two melted against one another.
You were too hungry for each other, kissing and grabbing at whatever bit of skin was revealed. One of your hands rested against his chest, right above his heart, feeling his heartbeat, delighted when you noticed how each one of them matched yours. It was as if everything the both of you had gone through was supposed to end here, at this moment, when you were so in tune with one another that even your heartbeats were in sync.
“I want you,” he panted against your lips.
“Then have me,” you answered, before he joined your bodies, making you gasp his name, eyes closing as you gave yourself to him completely.
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Waking up next to Spencer should have made you feel in the clouds but it had the opposite effect. Thinking about the previous night, you became worried that all that had been just a one-time thing, maybe the alcohol talking, some unresolved sexual tension that would probably dissolve now that you two got it out of the way. How would it be at work? Would it change anything? Of course, it would, there was no way you would be able to ignore what had happened. You hated how your brain simply wouldn’t let you be happy for more than two seconds.
Spencer stirred awake, slowly stretching his long limbs beside you before resting an arm around your waist, and nuzzling your hair.
“‘Morning,” he mumbled in a raspy voice, nuzzling your hair.
“‘Morning,” you answered, basking in his warmth and affection, forgetting your worries for a second.
Considering how averse to touch Spencer is, you were pleasantly surprised at how good he was with his hands and mouth. Despite the fact that both of you were a little tipsy, Spencer made sure to explore every inch of your body, seemingly as much touch-starved as you were.
Leaning in, he captured your lips in his, kissing you lazily as both of you started to process being awake.
“We should’ve done that sooner,” he said, leaning into his elbow to be able to look at you.
“What? Have a good night of sleep?” You joked, grinning at him.
Spencer smiled back, quickly tickling you, making you squirm and beg for him to stop. When he finally relents, you look at him, both of you wearing big smiles.
“We never got to talk last night.” You laid on your back, looking for his reaction.
“Do we need to? Because I think things are pretty clear after what happened.” He grins.
Playfully, you slapped his arm and silence filled the room for a moment.
“What now?” you asked.
“I think it is safe to say that we both want to try this out or we wouldn’t be here. So we do just that, take it slow, see what happens.”
Nodding, you snuggled closer to him. Spencer pulls you to rest partially on top of him, kissing your hairline.
“Do we need a label?” you asked.
“Not if you don’t want one.”
“Do you need one?” You asked, lifting your head to look at him.
“Not as long as I have you.” He answered, leaning in to peck your lips.
“Coffee?” You grinned, making him laugh.
“Coffee.”
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Never in your life would you imagine that after one night, just one night, it would be so difficult to pretend that anything has happened between you and Spencer.
Of course, you were prepared for that when you offered to go with him to the wedding, but you also didn’t imagine that you two would end up in your bed, so you were kinda expecting that things would be less awkward. The team would ask how things had gone, and you would tell them how the party sucked and that was it.
Instead, you had to be careful to not look all lovey-dovey when you arrived in the bullpen, after having to part ways before going into the building to avoid letting people know you two have come to work together.
As you expected, Penelope was waiting for you as you stepped out of the elevator, dragging you to the Batcave before you could utter a word.
“Tell me, how was it?”
She was practically bouncing on her chair, excitedly waiting for your answer.
You had to bite the inside of your cheek before answering.
“Boring,” you answered.
It was partially true. You were never a fan of weddings, even more when you don’t know anybody, so the ceremony, even though beautiful, was not enough to get your attention. After the reception, though…
“Oh, common, you can do better than that.” She complained. “Was the bride beautiful?”
“Yeah, she was. Very traditional, white dress, pretty flowers and all that jazz.”
“And boy wonder?” She asked, a hint of mischief in her smile.
“Spencer was… Spencer.” Which was more than enough for you. “He was, you know, wearing a suit, worn out converse, just… Spencer.”
“And I bet girls were all over him.”
You chuckled a bit at that, remembering Elizabeth.
“Yeah, they were.”
“Nothing more for you to tell me?” she inquired.
“We got out of the party, Spencer took me home, and we’re here now. That's it. Nothing interesting to talk about.” You said, omitting the in-between Spencer taking you home and you two get to work.”
“That sucks,” Penelope complained, making you laugh.
“Sorry for disappointing you.” You shrugged, getting up and patting her shoulder.
“There’s always next time.”
You met Spencer at his desk. Looking around before approaching him, making sure no one was around, you nodded at him.
“JJ and Emily got me the moment I entered the bullpen.” He complained, making you smile in sympathy.
“Pen was waiting for me outside by the elevator.”
He hissed, opening and closing his hands, which you deduced was his way of avoiding reaching out to you.
“This leaves us with Rossi and Hotch,” he said.
“They won’t ask.” You assure him, before thinking again. “I think.”
“Maybe not to us.”
“Well, they do have the girls as a source of gossip.” You sighed.
“Derek on the other hand…” Spencer started, trailing off as you two saw Morgan enter the room.
He looked at the both of you like he knew something the others didn’t. And he did know, considering how he and Spencer had planned the whole “Lauren” thing.
Pretending nothing happened and ignoring the smirk on your friend’s face, you head to your desk, preparing yourself for work.
Not long after, you got him alone in the kitchen under the pretense of getting a refill, standing beside him as you stirred the fresh coffee in your mug.
“You’re gonna regret this.” You said, giving him a side glance.
“Regret what, pretty girl?” Derek asked, turning around to lean into the counter, eyes fixed on you. “Getting you and pretty boy together?”
“We’re not together.” You answered quickly, taking a sip of your coffee to distract yourself.
“Come on, you may have tricked the rest with your lies but don’t forget that I know everything about Lauren.” He grinned.
“Yeah, that’s the reason why you should watch your back.” You smiled sweetly at him, the slightest treat in your tone.
“Should I be worried, pretty girl?” He smiled back, sipping his coffee.
“Oh, I don’t know. You know how people are, someone could share some compromising photos of a certain agent when he was a child, or maybe tell your baby girl about you ignored her advice and went to dinner with that girl… What was her name? Oh, Vivian, right?”
“You wouldn’t.” He said, a hint of worry when you mentioned Penelope.
“Just watch your back, Morgan.”
It only took the time for you to reach the door for his voice to ring in your ears again.
“Or I could always tell people how our pretty boy and pretty girl are now a pretty couple.”
Not daring to turn around to look at him, you gripped your mug tighter, trying to mask 
“We’re not a couple, I already…”
He interrupted you, saying, “You arrived together.”
You gulped, closing your eyes and swearing mentally.
“We did not,” you denied.
“Pretty girl, I saw you two in the parking lot,” Derek explained, standing beside you.
“Derek, you won’t…”
“My lips are sealed.” He said, making a zip signal. “But if you wanna keep this low you two have to be more careful. Penelope might have bought your story this time but you know how she is.”
“I know, I know. She’s going to kill the both of us when she discovers this.” You said, pinching the bridge of your nose. “We just want to take things slow.”
“I’m not blaming you for not coming out in the open about this now, just take care.” He said, getting closer and placing a kiss on your forehead. “And just so you know, I’m glad that you both are figuring this out, whatever it is.”
You smiled, “Thanks, Derek.”
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It was a slow day, with lots of paperwork and boring stuff.
“Drinks tonight. Who's game?” Emily asks, getting up from her chair and picking up her jacket.
JJ nodded, “I’ll let Will know that I’ll be out a little late.”
“You don’t even have to ask,” Derek said.
Spencer looked your way and silently agreed that going out for drinks with a bunch of profilers so soon wasn’t a good idea.
“I think I’ll pass this time.” You said, not making a move to leave. “Yesterday I had drinks enough for a couple of days.”
“Giving trouble to Spencer, huh,” JJ said.
Spencer blushed a little. “Just a little bit.”
Everybody laughed as you rolled your eyes, trying to avoid thinking about the kind of trouble you’ve had given him.
Morgan looked at you with a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Let's go then. Hotch and Rossi will meet us there in a few, I’ll go get Penelope.” He said, leaving.
“Spencer?” JJ asked.
“Not today, thanks,” he refuses.
“She really gave you trouble yesterday, huh?” JJ joked, before saying her goodbyes to you two.
“You have no idea,” Spencer mumbled under his breath, a smirk on his face.
You throw a ball of paper at him, making him laugh. After that, the both of you prepare to leave in silence, walking together to the elevator.
“My house or yours?” Spencer asked.
“Aren’t we going a little too fast?”
“Haven’t we danced around each other long enough?” He retorted, looking at you.
“Mine.”
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In the end, going slow turned out to be far from what both of you wanted. When Spencer wasn’t in your apartment, you were in his, and it was becoming more and more difficult to hide things from your colleagues.
There were countless times in the past few months when you two almost got caught by them. The last one had been in the kitchen when the two of you were getting coffee and Spencer took the risk of taking your hand and his at the same time that Emily entered. You were quick to drop your mug as a diversion, but it was close enough to make the two of you try and distance yourself a little more at work. That seemed to work until one of the times the team decided to go out after a case.
You had roomed with Emily, making it impossible for you and Spencer to see each other for over a week. The both of you were touch starved, having missed each other more than anything despite having seen each other every day. That leads you to this fateful moment.
“So that’s what you two have been sneaking around these past few months,” Emily exclaimed, making you and Spencer jump away from each other.
“If we tell you that this is not what you’re thinking, it won’t work, right?” Spencer asked with his big brown eyes, looking as guilty as someone could be.
“Absolutely not.” She said looking between the two of you with a smirk on her lips. “We’ve been betting on how much time you two would be oblivious over the fact that we all knew.”
“You knew?” You asked and Emily nodded. “All of you?”
“The wedding, right?” She asked, making you try and get your jaw off the floor.
“Fuck,” you and Spencer spoke at the same time.
“Come on, lovebirds. Let’s go downstairs and meet the others for drinks.”
You looked at Spencer, that only shrugged, taking your hand in his so you could follow Emily to the elevator. At that moment, you thought that everything was falling into place. You had Spencer and that’s what mattered.
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marixrose · 9 months
Text
Asra Alnazar- Memories
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I don’t remember much before I met Asra. All I remember is waking up and Asra being there. I didn’t know who he was at the time, but I had a feeling I knew him before.
He tried telling me what happened but when I try to remember I get terrible headaches. I’ve been trying to find a way to regain the years of memories I no longer have.
I’m walking around the market trying to find some ingredients for a spell that might help. I found it in one of Asra’s books. I didn’t tell him what I had planned in case he tried to talk me out of it.
I finally found what I needed. I paid for it then hid it inside my bag. I started to make my way back to the shop, head down avoiding everything around me. 
I looked up every so often to make sure I was going the right way, but suddenly I saw this painting. The man in the painting looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t put a name to his face. I tried to remember but all I received was a headache. 
I stopped a woman walking in the street, “Who is that in this painting ma’am?” I asked her. She looked at me as if I was stupid, “That’s Count Lucio.” she said before walking off muttering to herself. 
Was I supposed to know who that was? I continued to walk to the shop, a million questions running through my mind. 
As I entered the shop I placed my bag on the counter, and went to look for Asra. 
I found him pacing in our room, “Asra?”
He turned to look at me with a shocked expression written over his face, “Y/n where have you’ve been? You just left without a note, do you know how worried I was?” 
I suddenly felt guilty for making him worried, “I’m sorry I went to the market, I thought I would be back before you woke up.”
He sighed before walking over to me and engulfing me into a tight hug. “I’m not angry, just worried. Next time at least let me know where you’re going so I know you're safe.”
He worries too much about me. He seems to panic if he thinks I’m going to get hurt or could be in any danger. 
“Why do you worry so much about me?”
This seems to take him by surprise as he pulls away from me, still holding on to me. “Because I care about you, what makes you ask such a question?” 
“Sorry, just forget I said anything. I do have one more question though.” 
“Go on love.”
“Who's Count Lucio?” I whisper, even though I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.
He is silent for a moment, fear flashes across his face. “Asra, what's the matter?”
“He was the one who died in the fire in the castle two years ago.”
I remember being told about the fire, but I remember none of it. 
“I felt as though I knew him before, but when I tried to remember I got another headache.” 
Asra looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. 
“You know something, don’t you?” I ask, suddenly feeling cold.
He slowly nods, “I do.”
He knew something about my past, and he didn’t tell me? I don’t know how to feel right now. Betrayed? Hurt? Confused? All three.
“What is it?” I ask, voice breaking. 
“Before you di-… lost your memories you did knew Lucio. You were his servant, he kept you a secret. A-and that night- the night of the fire, you were there.” He manages to say even though he looks like he is about to break apart. 
“Where?”
He looked shocked by the sudden question, “Where what?”
“Where was I in the room that night?”
He hesitated before answering, “His closet.”
“How did I make it out?” I ask the question I’ve been wanting to ask from the beginning. 
He was silent for a second, before looking me in the eyes. He looks pained, and I already know the answer. 
“I didn’t.” I whisper, tears burning my eyes, “Did I?”
He looks like he's about to break down in tears when he answers, “No, you didn’t”
I rush out of the room, still in tears, and grab my bag. I start to unload its contents as Asra rushes to me. 
“Y/n what are you doing?” He panicked.
“I found this spell in one of your books that should help me regain the rest of my memories.” I stop what I’m doing and turn to him, “Please don’t talk me out of it.” 
He looked scared, but then relaxed. “If I can’t stop you, at least let me help you to make sure you do it correctly.” 
I nod and let him help. Together we set up everything we need for the spell to work, as the book says. 
When we are finally finished, I look over to Asra, “Thank You.” He smiled softly at me, “Anything for you.”  
I take a deep breath before I start to chant the spell. Asra stands back, tears brimming his eyes, but he doesn't do anything to stop me. 
Once I complete the spell, I start to feel light headed as everything slowly turners black. “Y/N!” I hear Asra scream before I fully black out.
“Y/N!” I hear Asra scream, but this time I’m somewhere different. “Y/N, get out of the room!.” 
That's when I open my eyes to find myself in a room filled with flames. I looked around panicked, I tried to move but I couldn’t. “I-I can’t move.” I shout. 
I look around and I see everything in flames. I don’t recognise the room, until I do. This is Luico’s room. 
I look towards Asra who’s in the doorway, trying to get to me. “I’m coming Y/n, try not to breathe in any of the smoke!” he yells as he covers his face with his scarf. 
I try to cover my mouth but I already feel light headed, and I can’t move. I slowly start to lose consciousness. 
“Y/N! Look at me!” Asra screams, tears running down his face. He was suddenly pulled back by someone- Julian. I remember his name now.
“NO! I HAVE TO SAVE THEM LET ME GO!” Asra screams, trying to get out of Julian’s grip. 
“It’s too late, there is nothing you can do now.” Julian shouts over Asra’s screams. 
I can feel myself start to burn. I take one last look at Asra to see him crying and screaming as he watches me burn. 
“NO! PLEASE, PLEASE, Y/N. DON’T DIE ON ME!” Asra screams as I lose all consciousness. 
Before Fire  
“Asra!” I yell running to him as he stands by a tree. 
“Y/n, how lovely to see you.” He says as he hugs me. 
I look around and it looks as if I’m at the castle, in the garden. 
“How was your last trip?” I asked him, reliving the memory.
“It was successful, but lonely without you.” He says as he leans down to kiss my neck. 
I blush, “We could run away together. Get away from this all.” He continued. 
“You know we can’t do that. They’ll find us someday.”
“But we’d at least be together, love.” 
I sigh, “Someday.”
“Someday” he whispers. “Look at this beautiful tree.”
I smiled looking up at it, “It is beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you though.” he smiled down at me, “Let’s write our names on it.”
“What?!” I asked, looking at him shocked.
“You heard me,” He said, pulling out a pocket knife. He squatted as he began to carve his name into the tree. I slowly followed suit. 
Asra + Y/n was written on the tree now. 
“Better hope Lucio doesn’t find this,” I say laughing.
“He won’t” He said before whispering a spell. Nothing happened to the tree.
“What did you do?” I asked curious. 
“I placed a spell so that only you and I can see the writing,” he said smiling. 
“Y/n!” I heard my name being called within the castle.
“Must be Lucio,” I say sadly, “I see you again soon?”
He smiled sadly, “Until next time love. I love you.”
I smile back, “I love you.” I say before going back inside the castle.
I felt this emptiness, like I knew without Asra I wouldn't be whole.
“Y/N! WAKE UP!” I heard Asra’s shaky voice, “Not again, please not again.” his voice broke.
I slowly open my eyes confronted with Asra’s tear stained face. He looked scared, panicked, and broken all the same time. 
“Asr-” I tried to say before I was cut off, being hugged like this was the last time he’ll ever see me again. 
“You’re never doing that. I thought you died again. I thought-”
“Asra, calm down. I’m fine, I’m not hurt and everything went as the spell said it would.” I whisper trying to calm him down. 
He held on to me for a few minutes before pulling away. 
“Did it work?” He asked, voice broken from all his screaming.
I nod my head, “I remember everything.”
He began to shake again, sobbing. He brought his hands up to his face to shield his tears. 
“Oh Asra darling.” I say before bringing him to my chest.
“You don’t know how it felt to watch the love of my life burn in front of my eyes and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.” He cried, “Having to hear your screams knowing I couldn’t do anything.”
“It’s not your fault, you tried your best.” I whispered. “I’m here now, thanks to you and your magic.”
He nodded and whispered, “I had to bring you back, I’m just grateful the Arcana helped bring you back to me.” 
We stayed in each other's arms until we decided to go to our room. 
“Asra?” I asked, holding him as we lay on our bed.
He hummed acknowledging me. 
“I love you.” 
“I love you,” He whispered back before falling asleep.
I smiled as I too fell asleep. Finally becoming whole again. This time with memories. 
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sgt-morgan · 1 year
Note
Angst related to season 2 with elektra coming back and current gf struggling with insecurities regarding her relationship with Matt
Deserving ❤️‍🩹
Summary: You and Matt are in a situationship, and Elektra seems to spell trouble for your budding romance.
Warnings:AFAB & Female identifying reader, angsty, hurt comfort. I am not super versed in the art of angst, and I don’t know what to tag. If you want a warning here it is.
A/N: I hope this satisfied your ask, I want more of them! I hope this is what you wanted!
Daredevil Masterlist
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Jesus sweet Christ. She was back. Long black hair, Hot as the ninth level of hell, knows how to kick ass, clever, rich. Not a lot to compete with there, you supposed, she’s just… hotter? It just… didn’t make sense to you, if Matt had access to all… that. Why in the name of all hell was he choosing to date an obnoxious, mouthy, poor, accident prone lawyer with no notable features to mention. It made exactly no sense. You weren’t that serious you supposed, you sort of dated, three real dates, patching a lot of bruises, snuggles on couches, you supposed that you were considered his girlfriend. Maybe not though, I mean Jesus, she is both named and dressed like a mortal combat character. On a good day all you could compare yourself to was someone from street fighter two. How were you to compete? Someone was clearly winning here, and you didn’t feel like it was you.
They had totally fucked too. The body language, the smiles, the communication? They knew each others bodies. No denying chemistry. You were confused about all your feelings too. Was this jealousy? No, it felt more like… resignation? Like okay, hot boyfriend has a super, SUPER hot ex, there’s very obviously some unrequited feeling, you are a worm and they’re bald eagles. Eagles don’t date worms, they consume them then fly off to their hotter eagle-y girlfriends and sometimes maybe reminisce about how good the worm was, before remembering how much cooler their girlfriend was. God, this sucked. But, then again, you remembered them dating in college, and she made Matt miserable for a time. You remembered stories from college, you remembered how long putting Matt back together took for you and Foggy. You remembered how hard he fought being loved. Remembered his belief that he was a terrible person. Remembered the long road back to happiness. Surely, you thought, surely there was no love lost there. She just needed his help, Daredevil’s help. They didn’t want each other. They were like oil and water. It would be fine. You decided to give Matt the benefit of the doubt.
You two worked and acted as if nothing was wrong. However, while for you it was an act, for Matt, he saw it as a sign that he could lean in on what he was trying to accomplish with Elektra. It was taking its toll, but Matt was yet to notice. It was horrible, you felt miserable, and you had no other choice but to simply wait it out. You knew he would make the right choice eventually, but when?
Sometime in the middle of this you’re approached by Jeri Hogarth. It’s a good offer, smart, pays good, right in your wheelhouse, and with a shining endorsement from Jessica Jones. (Or as shining anything Jessica says can get.) It seems tempting, but you don’t accept. You can’t, not when you Foggy, and Matt have built so much. Then he doesn’t show to court.
“Mathew! You can’t just bail on this case! There’s no way we can do it if you’re not-“
“We’re sorry, you’ve run out of time.”
“Damn it!” You slammed your phone down and continued to pace, waiting for Matt but he never showed. You knew about the Roxxon Gala, but with him putting all of your necks on the line for Frank fucking castle, you expected him to show. Not only that, but he’s bailed on dates, she’s staying in his apartment, she looks at you like you’re garbage and Matt just… lets her. Jeri’s offer weighs. It gets more attractive by the hour.
“I’m here!” He cries, finally bursting through the first set of doors, you usher him in, and witness the whispered argument between him and Foggy and don’t really think much of it. One time mistake, he will do better, besides, we’re saving the world here.
Things keep spiraling though, and you’re having to do friendship triage. You have to take the brunt of his and Foggy’s headbutting. It’s obnoxious, when you built this practice, you did it to make your lives better, not ruin your friendships. It’s weighing on you. Matt can tell, and the guilt he feels is unmatched. He just can’t stop. This feels too big too… important. Then one ninja battle too far puts you over the edge.
“Matt! Are you here? We need your he-“ there she is. In his bed. In your clothing. “Oh.” Your voice comes out strained and small. Matt has never heard it that quiet. That defeated.
“Honey it’s not-“ but he doesn’t get that far. Your whole body just… deflates. He can hear the silent tears, feels the shuddering. You’re done. This was the last straw. He can tangibly feel you slipping through his fingers, hears the shatter of your heart and that’s when he knows he’s been a fool. “Oh. Oh my love.” He coos, reached for you, desperate to put back all that he’s broken, trying to stop the sand spilling out the hour glass. You flinch away. His whole heart shatters. Breaks to a million pieces and falls there at your feet.
“Matt I-“ you shrug, a mirthless laugh shudders through your tears. “I don’t even know what to say here.” He drops his head and nodded, properly scolded.
“No. I- I don’t blame you.” He nods, gesturing towards the bedroom. “She was stabbed, it was poison- I… It’s not about that though. I know.”
“Do you?” You sniffle. “I don’t think you do. Matt I-“ You sighed and gathered your things. “I had to help put you back together with my own two hands Matthew, she ruined you, and you’re letting her do it again. I don’t even recognize you anymore. That’s sad Matt, because I was just starting to love you. I’m… I’m done.”
Then, you were gone. Your letter of resignation was on their desks promptly by 7 am, you accepted the job with Jeri Hogarth, and that was it. Matt fucked it all up. He kept fighting, but there, all day every day was this immense pain. He has lost You. You, the woman who every day smiled at him, and made him a coffee, and joked about his night life, you who never once required him to give up a part of himself to save your friendship, you, who had loved him. Loved him completely. He’d lost it all. Then, he lost some more. Frank castle had disappeared, and they had lost the case. Foggy and Karen left, Elektra died. He was all alone.
Then like the warm sun after a long winter, you came. It was the day of Elektra’s funeral.
“You’ve gotta let ‘em all go Matty. It’s time. I’ve told you, over and over, going have to let go of your emotional ties. You’re weak with them.” Stick shrugged, “without them, you could accomplish so much more.”
Matt chuckled bitterly, “No. You’ve taken too much from me already, but you won’t take my heart. Elektra is dead, we defeated the hand for now, but I never would have even thought it was worth it if it weren’t for them. For Elektra, Karen, Foggy. They are worth it. My love for them is worth it.” He shook his head, and tears welled in his eyes. “Y/N was worth it too, and you took that from me, you and Elektra and your little games. You took it from me, and Y/N may hate me. God! I hope she does hate me! She was the one good thing I had Stick, she put back together all those little shattered bits, and built me back into the man I am today. Then, I repay her with this.” He gestures to Elektra’s grave, to the city at large, to himself. “She was beautiful, and kind, and perfect. She made me happy. She made me want to keep fighting for this stupid city, and now Elektra is dead, you’re still here ruining my life, and Y/N hates me. Even with all that, it was worth it. Because if for one second, she is safer than she was before I made this sacrifice. Then fighting to the death, for this city, for her, is worth it. I love her Stick, that’s the only thing that keeps me going. I love her, and now she’s safe. Safe from the hand, safe from Frank Castle, and she’s safe from me. Knowing that Y/N has a chance to flourish and grow, that’s what makes all this fighting, this pain, the devil. It makes it all worth while. If I give that up, what is it all for?” Then he sat in silence, and stick went away.
At first, sitting there at Elektra’s grave, he thought the smell of your perfume was a hallucination. Another stray temptation, another ghost of a memory come to haunt him. He treasured it though, even the idea of you was a beautiful thing. He embraced the memory, though it was painful. Then he was enveloped on it, the smell surrounded h, then he realized he was no longer alone. He froze. Then his senses started to catch up to his reeling mind. The smell, the faint taste of the sweat of your brow in the breeze, the sound of your breath. You were there. You were there, sitting and staring at Elektra’s grave, holding flowers. Then you reached out a hand, and stroked his cheek. He pushed his face into your palm, starving for your touch. He whimpered, the tears he was holding finally let loose. Then you were speaking.
“I don’t hate you Matt. I couldn’t if I tried.” You sighed and bundled him to you. Placing the flowers on the bench and holding him as he cried. You had heard everything.
“I never got the chance to tell you.” He cried, “you were gone- I let you go. But I never told you.” His sobs wracked his body, and you ached with their severity.
“Tell me what Matty?” You shushed, drying tears and attempting to coax him to an answer.
“I never told you I loved you.” He sighed and clutched your face in his hands. “It’s you, it’s always gonna be you. I love you, I love your humor, your laugh, your smell, the touch of your hands can cure my every wound. It’s always been you. I was just too stupid to see you slipping away. I never wanted to loose you. You’re my everything, I just never said anything because- because you deserve so much better than me. I’m so sorry.”
“Oh Matthew,” you began to cry as well, “My sweet, imbecilic devil man. You always deserved me, every day you throw your life on the line for us, for this city. I always thought you deserved me, and I deserve you. I didn’t see that at first, and I should have fought for it. I left you when you needed me, and I’ll never forgive myself”
“No!” He cried, pressing your foreheads together frantically. “You will never take the blame for this. I was wrong you deserved the best of me, and I didn’t give it. I gave up? I was a fool.”
You laughed and nuzzled your noses closer. “Then let’s call it a draw and say we were both foolish. We can be fools together. We deserve each other.”
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Finished heaven official’s blessing and I really enjoyed writing an analysis on helluva boss I want to make this a regular thing because it’s fun so here’s my thoughts on
Heaven Official’s Blessing
Spoilers (duh)
I think it’s incredibly impressive when someone can make an overarching narrative in which different seemingly disjointed events are significant without A) putting a giant exclamation mark on top saying “REMEMBER THIS IT WILL BE IMPORTANT LATER” and B) Significantly over or under emphasizing the importance of the scene in the moment. Each event stood on its own and I liked that.
There were several janky sentences and word choices but that’s a translation issue, this writer clearly knows what she’s doing.
Characters were a lot of fun and distinct, my favorites were Feng Xin, Pei Ming, Qi Ying, and Ling Wen whenever they were on the page I was like Ah yes, these pages are gonna be enjoyable and I was right, they’re all delightful (cept the brocade immortal stuff, but like I don’t care, Google assistant is fun) Xie Lian and San Lang are delightful, love them, and San Lang is so effed in the head it’s enjoyable to try and imagine what unhinged thing he’ll do next
Tbh there isn’t much plot breakdown I want to do with this series because it knows what it is, it’s a fanfic ass book with good times, trauma, gay fluff, and fights. Need I say more? That’s not a detractor, it’s a strength. Be what you are and own it because a house with a house’s foundation is a great house but slap a building on that house’s foundation and it fails in both regards.
The only aspect I’m going to analyze is the narrative voice the books are written in because holy crap is it super impressive. Xie Lian is a super mature (or ditzy, depending on your point of view) character, he doesn’t dwell on things, doesn’t hold grudges, doesn’t really care that much about people’s histories or even their present, doesn’t focus much on externals and it comes through in the way the book is written. I noticed this when throughout the books San Lang would do fucked up stuff like make it rain blood and kill a pit’s worth of people and Xie Lian kinda didn’t really seem to care and at first it pissed me off, why isn’t the author letting consequences occur because of these peoples’ actions, but then as it held consistently throughout the book and other people kept being super concerned about stuff, like Pei Constantly asking after Shi Qingxuan (I don’t know how to spell their name, it’s so hard to keep track I’m so sorry) or people bringing up Banue, I realized this is just Xie Lian, other people in the book are regular people like me, this one guy is just experiencing things, going “Well, ain’t that something” and then just moving on. Honestly iconic, but also I was halfway through book six when I realized. Especially since whenever they do flashbacks Xie Lian does all normal stuff. He describes settings he’s in, he mentions events that happened a few pages ago, he tells the reader how he feels, it’s after he experiences all his shit he goes through that this all kinda slips away. In “present” scenes he’ll reference things as they come up but like in the flashback after Mu Qing leaves they talk about it a few times and I find that aspect of acknowledgment to be noticeably absent in the “present” scenes. After the black water arc there is a complete lack of discussion about the frankly trauma inducing event that just transpired but sure Cie Lian, you and San Lang have to not hold hands for the billionth time. At first I thought is this author high but then I realized what shes doing is characterizing through prose which is IMPRESSIVE AS HELL. This may be a point I noticed and am now misremembering the entire series just to bolster my take and if that’s the case then I shall sheepishly shrug and say I’m sorry. I’m not rereading 8 books to write a tumblr review. Maybe if I ever start a YouTube channel
I don’t know, I just find it to be an incredible feat of actually good writing when a story is being told through the lens of the main character and you can characterize that character by simply reading the story and seeing how it’s written, not even through dialogue and action. It’s kinda like the Great Gatsby or a Separate Peace, and it’s super cool that a book like this can accomplish the same thing that makes those classics great. There isn’t as much symbolism or analytical potential but those books wouldn’t be nearly as impactful as they were without great execution, which this book pulled off in spades.
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aquanova99 · 1 year
Text
Haunted (Cato x Reader)
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Part 7
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A/N: Im sorry its taken so long I am trying to wrap up book one but how do I change it and leave out unnecessary details... I'm working on it
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Cato’s POV
The room was tense. Seeder’s gift was sure to draw some attention. Rumors swirled around Rue’s death sparking anger in District 11. While the victors had become friendly throughout the years of mentoring bringing them together it wasn’t a common theme to grieve over other tributes like this. From the same district, maybe. Then again, alliances did not normally cross over between more than one district outside of District 1,2, and 4. The mentors whispered what her actions would bring upon them. Haymitch had been in and out of the shared viewing room. Only talking to Chaff a handful of times.
 You’d been largely silent focused on the screen anytime y/n came into view. She was stone faced the morning after Rue and Marvels death. To someone from the capitol it could seem that she was simply waiting for the next canon to go off, but it would have been a stretch. Anyone with half a brain could see she was in a catatonic state. You wondered if Thresh really believed Marvel had gotten help in his endeavor with Rue. Likely not, Thresh seemed shaken up enough that he seemed the type to avenge his tiny friend and from what you saw he had made his way to the part of the arena covered in a field of wheat. If he knew about the dangers it was as a good place as any, you certainly wouldn’t have chased him out there.
Cashmere decides to sit next to you, clearing her throat and wakes you out of trance you seem to keep finding yourself in. She doesn’t speak to anyone in particular, but you know she’s directing every word to you. “She’s different, that one. We will have to help her when she comes back.”
“Don’t all tributes get that, mentors for the first year.”
“Hm? I don’t know what you mean, I must have been thinking out loud. It would be a shame if she couldn’t dig herself out. We don’t want her to go through the same thing Annie did.” With that Cashmere floated away. Annie. The girl from 4. She had come out a little more messed up  than the usual victor, dissociating completely in certain situations as if she was somewhere totally different. Finnick had taken upon himself to help her get through her spells, and as much as he could try and hide the pair had grown dependent on the other, completely and totally in love with each other. It was easy to ignore everything when they were home, but Finnick was often called away and playing the role that was forced on anyone who had received help from sponsors. Even those who got nothing could be forced into keeping some annoying capitol citizen ‘company.’ You remember it had only been a month after you had gotten out of your own games. You still hadn’t left the arena, I guess that was your own fault for finishing so quickly, it never processed right. The woman…you couldn’t remember her name, you barely remembered her face, all you saw was a threat. You’d broken her arm the second she touched you, and then…well its lucky there were more people hanging around because before you knew it you were unconscious.
Killer Cato. The only good that came from that name is that until Brutus and Enobaria deemed you safe you were lucky enough to avoid traveling back and forth to the capitol. Most of the time the tributes were allowed to live their life as victor peacefully until the victory tour, most of the time. Some victors like the morphlings or the ones who weren’t conventionally attractive or maybe the ones who got lucky and survived the games on their own were left to their own devices. Most of tributes from 1, 2, and 4 were asked and more often than not told to pay a visit to the generous people of the capitol more quickly than the others. Unless she did something unappealing to the viewers y/n would probably suffer the same fate. Cashmere’s words soothed you, maybe there would be a way to keep her away from that life for now. Seeing as she risked her life for family, or something close to family, its likely the threats the capitol offered would force her to comply…These feelings were weird. You didn’t understand why it mattered. If she won you would only see her once a year once you were both mentors. Out of all of the tributes, she seemed like she had the best head to win, that’s all. Right? Maybe you can get some use out of the training center.
Hours go by, and it’s a slow day. The gamemakers are going to have to do something to pull them together, Y/ns eyes are hollow as she sits by the fire, seemingly waiting for anyone to come find her. They don’t. Arioch and Clove wont be lured by something so similar to what destroyed their supplies and killed an ally, not yet anyway. You wonder if Clove and Arioch had realized he had been ready to turn against Arioch, if they did neither showed any sign of doubting him. The red-headed girl is still spying on them, waiting for an opportune time to try and steal whatever foods been handed to them by the sponsors. Clove had been keeping Arioch calm, but he was getting angry. Lyme was only giving what was absolutely necessary for them to eat. She worried they wouldn’t be able to ration it properly and judging by how annoyed Arioch was getting she was right. It was clear he was fond enough of Clove that he knocked it off whenever she would say something about it but she had her fair share of complaints. You were shocked no one had gone where Thresh was hidden, it seemed to be abundant with food. If you knew about it anyway, which you were almost positive your tributes wouldn’t. The academy you trained for the games had classes on interviews, deadly snares and traps, and the biggest majority fighting, there were also classes for food and foraging but it was never forced. And realistically, you never needed to know about that, seeing as there was always a steady stream of sponsors willing to bet on your districts training.
Then finally as everyone is ready or already retiring to their rooms for a night of unrestful sleep, the trumpets sound. Haymitch sits back down in a spot next to you, a his hands clenched together as he rests his arms on his knees. Not even looking at his screen. You realize he knows what is about to happen, what the announcement will be. And you couldn’t have been more wrong. Claudius Templesmith has an announcement. You expected a feast, something to give Peeta a chance but no, the words ‘rule change’ freezes every victor left in the room. You realize why Haymitch has been largely absent today. You realize Peeta’s one sided pining has worked, and you also realize that maybe, it wasn’t so one sided, she’s teary eyed as his name leaves her lips the second the announcement is over.
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Y/ns POV
You were about to be sick again. You had never felt so conflicted. You should wait until morning. Every instinct screamed at you to not be so reckless.  You couldn’t sit still, couldn’t sleep. You had your night glasses anyway…the ones Thresh had told you about. Thresh. The one who could have had an ally had you been able to save Rue. Rue. The young girl who could have made it if she hadn’t teamed up with you. Really it was the tributes of District 11 that originally urge your feet forward. You felt a guilt begin overing you under a weight that seemed to be getting heavier to shake off the more you allowed yourself to think of either of them. And Peeta. You could have ruined everything. He had continued playing up the star crossed lovers, why else would the gamemakers make a rule change like this. You move quickly and silently, theres only one place he could be, really. Arioch had gotten in your head, if Peeta was really that badly injured you may not have much time left, and you’d be damned if you lost anyone else. You only stop to rest when you’re close enough to the stream that you hope you’ll be able to hear or see Peeta.
The second daylight hits your still weary eyes you sit up. It stirs you from a rather unfulfilling sleep  and you are off to try and find Peeta again. You almost give up several times before you manage to find that blood-streaked boulder. Hes close. He has to be.
You were amazed how even near death Peeta seemed to have his sense of humor intact. In other news, you suddenly remembered how much you hated the act of cleaning wounds.
“Something wrong?” He asks after seeing my face.
“Shut up.” Peeta laughs as you try not gag while cleaning his wound.
“How do you manage to kill anything around here?”
“You never know, I may be killing you as we speak.”
“Cant you just use that spear?”
“My food isn’t draining pus all over me. Blood I can handle.” You shove him some dried fruit and continue working on him. Its clear the wound is far above any medical capabilities you thought you had. After working on his leg for an hour you are finally able to wrap, and all you can do is hope for the best.
“I need to clean your…undershorts.”
“Okay.” He says it so calmly you grit your teeth, you’ve cried too much in that past couple of days for nakedness to be another thing on an ever growing list that makes you squeamish. You just avoid looking in his direction while he takes them off and turn your back to him as you get cleaning. “So no pus, but nakedness is okay? Or are you just being stubborn like how you were with Haymitch?”
“Speaking of…have you gotten anything?”
“No, what did you get?”
“Burn medicine.” You don’t need to say anything about the bread its an unnecessary truth. “It was when it was earlier in the games so he could probably afford it then.”
“Uh huh, not because you’re his favorite or anything.” You’re unsure what to say. You cant deny you and Haymitch understand each other on a different level. And survival wise, you could outlast anyone here. Maybe he could only bet on one of you. But with the rule change… ugh the whole rule change. The capitol has to be waiting for you to kiss him or love him. I mean youre washing his damn underwear, cant that be enough.
“I bet you he’ll send you something when he can.”
“Its okay Y/N, besides I know what will make me feel better.”
“Me too. Medicine.”
“No, you. I mean obviously you’re doing something right.”
 You toss him some damp clothes to put back on. “Lets hope I am and your fever breaks.”
“Seriously thanks for coming back for me, I know you didn’t hav—” You cut him off and hugged  him as tight as you could
“Just get better okay.” Because you did want him to get better. Whatever the reason was, the gamemakers are falling for his pining and giving you a chance to return it. Honestly after everything that happened with Rue, you kept thinking back to his words the night before the game. And this was something the games wouldn’t change. You weren’t in love with Peeta, and you couldn’t pretend. He was more of a family member or friend you would do almost anything for. But kissing him would feel wrong, be wrong. A hug is as much as the capitol would get for now, if your feelings changed later and you both made it out of here maybe you could play along.
“Is that all I get.”
“Get better and then maybe, maybe you get more.”
“I’ll take what I can get.” Peeta was so good at this. It didn’t take him long to doze off. You take the time to collect more water and hunt for anything near the stream. You know through the slower moving parts the fish could be easy pickings. You debate staying with Peeta, but you both need something in your system. Maybe you should let him rest, but you cant hunt for anything with him out in the open. You relent after about an hour and coax him into walking with you down the stream, as long as he can anyway. You comfort him as he gathers whatever strength he has left and when hes ready you find a small cave like formation a little way above the stream. You let him sleep and work on making the cave as unnoticeable as you possibly can. You let him sleep and work on making the cave as unnoticeable as you possibly. You manage to further downstream and pick off a few fish where the water is slow. You try to ignore how badly you missed a few times and instead try to figure out how to make yourself more appealing to any possible sponsors, you cant tell him you love him but if you cant give him medicine, maybe you can give him hope. The audience might turn their indifference into pity if you could make them believe that you cant allow yourself to fall in love yet. You take a deep, dramatic breath before entering the cave.
Peeta is still sound asleep in your sleeping bag. Good. It will be easier to do this when hes not fully coherent. You crouch besides him and brush a strand of hair away from his face, you try to show your hesitation, tapping your fingers and shaking your leg before shaking your head and kissing him on the cheek. A cheek that is rapidly raising in temperature.
Peeta stirs, “Mm Y/n?”
“I caught us some fish.”
“Thanks for finding me,”
“It’s the least I could do. Just get better for me, okay?”
“You know what would really make me feel better?” You roll your eyes, he is much better at playing the lovestruck boy than you could ever hope.
“You already got one. But if you actually get better…” then what? You don’t want to kiss him, “then maybe.” That’s the best you can do for now.
“I’ll take it.” He smiles at you. You can tell the fever medication you have is having next to effect on him. If he doesn’t get medicine soon he’s going to die. You both know it. You hear a soft crunch of leaves and you’re up in an instant. Peeta grabs your hand to try and stop you from doing anything dangerous, you squeeze his hand and put the other on his cheek. You then quickly grab your knife and sneak to the edge of the cave, you try not to laugh when you see the silver parachute at the foot of the entrance. Haymitch is obviously rewarding your actions. Not that they aren’t out of real concern but regardless its clear that hes going to keep pushing for you to act like this if its what sends you food. Realistically, what you want is medicine but you aren’t likely to get that at this stage in the game.
“Hey Peeta! Looks like Haymitch decided to send you something after all.” You are able to convince him its for him soup is easier for him to eat, otherwise he would have sent actual food. It seems to make sense to him anyway. Apparently even soup is a struggle for Peeta, “And here I thought you wanted to get better, I guess no kisses for you.”
“Not fair.”
“Please Peeta, you have to get better.” It takes entirely too long for him to stomach the tiny pot of broth. Once he sleeps, you put the last of your bandage supply left on his warm forehead. Great. Now you wish you had made out with more in the arena before you blew it up. Whatever. You could mope while you kept watch since its all you could do for now. Anything else is just hope that the audience enjoyed what you did today.
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Cato’s POV
Haymitch continues to go in and out of the room. If this had anything to do with the rule change, you can only hope he continues doing it. Y/n finished telling a story about her and her brother scrounging around their house to look for anything valuable to sell to buy their younger brother something for his birthday. To probably most people, it should be clear she had some other way to get their brother an old guitar. Music is something that seems relatively prevalent in her house, you think back to her singing with Rue. You wonder how often she’s gone without eating to feed someone else in her family, she was barely sleeping to continue to check on the boy from her district. For some reason the kiss she gave him kept replaying in your brain. He was definitely hurting her chances of making it, but its clear she struggles to not help out other tributes. That probably isn’t making Snow very happy. The concern on her face grows as she finishes her story and rechecks Peetas leg, which won’t make it without any medicine soon.
She cleans the bandage again, clearly not helping make a dent in his fever. They both know the blood poisoning will take him out soon if the games don’t end in a matter of maybe two days tops. And after the camera has shown Thresh doing quite well…it doesn’t seem like Peeta would be the one to outlast his fellow tributes. Haymitch almost collapses into the couch, you’re shocked he doesn’t spill the whiskey in his glass.
“You alr—” you try to ask before he puts one finger up, effectively quieting you while he takes a sip. Guess he’s doing worse than you thought.
“Its too expensive.”
“The medicine.” Its meant to be a question but you know the price is too much for any sponsor to fork over.
“Hopefully Effie and her gaggle of friends have gossiped enough to get an idea to the gamemakers.” Almost on cue the trumpets sound an announcement. When Claudius Templesmith begins speaking Haymitch laughs to himself, “Sometimes I think I might actually love that woman.”
Just as quickly as relief hits, Peeta threatens to follow Y/n to the banquet. Haymitch mutters something about Peeta making everything difficult and steps out again. You think how hard it must be to do this alone all these years. Most all of the other districts have someone else to divide the work out. Haymitch looked as tired as his tributes in the arena. Maybe ten minutes pass before he stumbles back into the viewing room. You just hold out some kind of spirit in a cup. He raises it to you before letting his head fall back.
“Nothing else I can do.” Y/n has been arguing with Peeta on letting her go to the cornucopia. The small vial meant nothing to you but Y/n stared at it for a long while before going back to the cave.
‘I guess I don’t have to go to the feast after all. Haymitch sent you some medicine.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah it says to take it like a shot. But it smells nasty. You’re stomach will probably try and reject it.’
‘I’m sure it wont.’ He snatched the vial with what little strength he had. You didn’t miss the smirk she had as he tried quickly drank it back. She played a big gamble on his ego and it paid off. She immediately plugged his nose and covered his mouth before he spit anything out. The effort was already draining the little energy he had, his attempt to force himself to throw didn’t help.
‘I’ll be back before you know it.’ Peetas anger reached all the way to the capitol. His eyes brimmed with fury as sleep overtook him. Y/n was smug at her victory, but she quickly leaned over him. Fussing over the sleeping bag covering him, cleaning any remaining medicine on his face, brushing his now sweat soaked hair from his face. ‘I hope you know I had to. I need you to make it.’
You watch as she presses her lip against his and try to find some logical reason on why you suddenly feel the need to go hit something. Y/n wastes no time. She starts arranging the cave to be almost undetectable. Luckily, she had been working on it before, as she finishes quickly. She walks for awhile and sets up a fire, with dusk settling it gives her good cover and she has time to cook everything she had caught the past day, making a decent meal of rabbit and fish. She finishes and fills the water containers when she gets back to the cave before allowing herself to sleep again. She only allows herself a few hours. You find yourself worrying about her lack of sleep.
The camera pans to the other districts again. The girl from five is starving and damn near freezing to death. Her item will definitely be something to protect her from the weather. Cato and Clove are cold too, their breaths making small white clouds, but they have the experience with cold weather training. Thresh seems fine too. You wonder what will be in store for those three.
‘Come on. I promise to make it a good show.’
‘No way. I kill her.’
‘Don’t be like that. You’ve killed almost everyone else we’ve dealt with and since you missed loverboy, its only fair I get a shot at her now.’
You don’t have to wonder who they’re talking about.
…’You’ll drag it out.’
‘Of course, when I’m done with her they’ll forget why they were ever rooting for her in the first place.’
‘Good thing you’re on my side, Clove.’ He chuckles, Clove grins with a sense of pride
‘So I can do it??’ Too excited, you think
‘Yeah sure.’
You didn’t expect Clove to do anything else. One of her critiques from the academy was quite literally how she wasted too much time making a show of things. She needed to prove she belonged. Its why all of you were shocked when she was the one picked from your district and not another eighteen year old to match Ariochs anger. Then again, if Arioch had another one of him out there they would have torn eachother apart before getting out of the blood bath. Probably over who got a certain kill.
Y/n began her journey back to the cornucopia. You wondered why she walked somewhat sideways until you remembered the big explosion. The ear must have been permanently damaged, or damaged until she made it back. She stopped more often than not to make sure she was hearing correctly. There was nothing. She arrived to her original hiding spot with no issue, with the glasses she slowly moved as close as she could. Arioch and Clove had sought out the space closest to the lake, which ended up helping Cora, the girl from five. She had snuck around the other side of giant cornucopia, hiding inside and ensuring she would be the closest to the feast the second the table appeared. Thresh was at the biggest disadvantage, positioning himself at the back of the cornucopia, He would need to listen for when the table came up because he definitely could not see from there.
District 5 had the right idea. Y/N realizes this the second she runs off. She wastes no time and runs in immediately after and grabs the tiny bag for her district, unfortunately Clove comes to the same realization. Y/n tries to follow District five but it’s clear Clove will be there before she can run off. You wonder why she only brought her knives but then again, the other weapons would require more time for her to aim and might end up hindering her. Cloves first knife is knocked away. You’re sure Y/ns cut up at least a little but not enough to stop her. She throws her own knife and it lands in Cloves right shoulder. Fortunately, that’s the arm she throws with. Unfortunately, this incites a rage you werent aware she had. She yanks the knife out, and switches it to her other hand quickly. Her aim is off now, and the knife whizzes past y/ns head. Y/n makes the mistake to look at where the knife landed and in that second Clove is tackling her to the ground. You remember your conversations on the roof that seem so long ago, and know she wont make it out of this. Your heart sinks to your stomach. Clove begins relishing in this, she knows this information just as well and is going to make her suffer just like she said she would.
‘Well if it isn’t the girl on fire. Whats the matter 12, worried about getting the medicine to loverboy?’
‘Worried about getting your screentime?’ She smirked until Clove threw a relatively soft punch considering her arm was clearly struggling to lift itself.
‘Not at all, I promised to give the audience a good show. Its funny because if it was Arioch right now, he’d probably finish you off pretty quickly. Would that be better for you? To go as quickly as your pathetic little friend?’
The mention of Rue has her struggling to unseat Clove with no avail, ‘Shut up. You don’t get to talk about her.’
‘The girl who hopped around in the trees. Rue? Well, we took care of her, and nature will take care of loverboy. and now I’m going to take care of you. Now, where to start?’ Y/n lifts her head trying to do anything to get Cloves balance off just to get a better chance of getting out of there. Clove is taking delight in her struggle, ‘I think we’ll start with your mouth. Make sure you blow loverboy one last kiss.’
‘Wow so clever. But if I can only say one last thing…’ Clove is puzzled for only a second more before Y/n spits in her face.
Clove gets one more punch as Y/n continues to struggle. When her nose begins to bleed she stills becoming unblinking, staring down her last opponent. You see Thresh coming up to the table freezing as he hears the entire conversation. ‘Lets start then,’
She barely leans over to trace the outline of Y/ns lips before he yanks her off his former ally. Flinging her to the ground. ‘You’re the one who killed her??’
Clove begins scooting backward, frantic at another opponent she clearly did not expect. Arioch had begun looking for another tribute where Y/n ran out of and was only now heading back to his original hiding spot.
‘No! No, it wasn’t me.!’
Thresh picks her up again holding her against the cornucopia. ‘I heard you!’
Arioch is already beginning to run as Clove begins screaming for help. He answers her but he’s too far. Thresh smashes her into the cornucopia. Y/n is still sat as she looks up in shock. Cloves body has the slightest moan escaping her lips. You look away, hating that the death wasn’t quick that somewhere in her mind she feels the pain coursing through her body. Your eyes snap up when Thresh speaks again.
‘Just this time Y/n. For Rue.’
Y/n eyes look at the two bags he has, ‘Don’t do it Thresh. Its not worth it.’
‘Clove!’ Ariochs voice makes Y/ns stand in a defensive position.
‘You better run now, Fire Girl.’ Y/ns scrambles to collect her knives and begins to run. She pauses when she hits the edge of the forest. Thresh has run off with both backpacks which could be a really smart or really stupid move. She looks at a frozen Arioch leaning over Clove and continues to run towards Peeta.
Y/n makes several stops as she runs towards Peeta, once to make sure her nose had stopped bleeding, it had. Once to see if her arm had stopped, it had not. She squeezed it shut until her feet hit the stream. She stops several more times to bend over and hold her head. You assume she is getting dizzy. The punch probably giving her an effect of a concussion. Every time she stands again she seems to have trouble getting her bearings but she makes it to the cave. Her hands shake as she struggles to open the small box, it contains one needle. She fumbles to unzip the sleeping bag and the second Peetas arm is exposed Y/n tries to center the shot. She has to take several deep breaths to calm the adrenaline that is sure to be coursing through her body, her hands are still shaking but she is able to slowly press down on the needle’s plunger. When shes finished she throws it across the cave and curls up into a ball, finally succumbing to the sleep that’s been eluding her since finding Peeta.
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Y/N’s POV
You couldn’t cry, not again. You’ve cried too much in these games. One, its embarrassing, two the capitol cannot have another excuse to make you look weak. So when Peeta tells you Thresh’s picture is in the sky you ask if he can take the first watch and you cover your face with the sleeping bag until the tears stops falling. You have a feeling Peeta understands, but to what extent?
You’d woken up to the sound of the anthem. Peeta stroking your hair like you had done to him when he had been sick. You had to explain how you had worked with District 11. How Thresh moved you to a safe location after the tracker jackers, how you had helped fix his shoulder, how you’d gotten them both food and blew up the career’s supply, and the worst part…the part you didn’t want to ever discuss, Rue. Peeta had made a remark about how he must have felt like your alliance was still technically in place since Arioch and Clove had still been around. But you knew deep down, that it wasn’t about you, but Rue. The feast you had gotten for excitedly hugging Peeta and peppering his face with light kisses had suddenly turned to lead in your stomach. You had pretended to get caught up in the moment, and apparently, it had been enough for Haymitch to let you both eat real food while hiding in the downpour that had been happening the last couple of days.
Under the sleeping bag you think about anything besides your fallen allies. So you retrace the events leading up to the meal, the kisses, Peetas retelling of how he fell in love with you…well how he fell in love with Katniss. You had been friends with Katniss long ago, when you were both really young, and the memory albeit fuzzy was there of a young more cheerful Katniss telling you all about how she sang the valley song for her class. Then the mining incident happened, and the resentment that your father was one of the few to make it while hers was gone forever drove a divisible wedge. After that, it felt wrong to compare situations. Without your own father being able to work, you had lost him too. Pride had made him bitter and somewhat cruel, and he refused to work. Your mother was so focused on rehabilitating him, it fell on you to help your brothers. You remember how your father said nothing before you left, except to make himself seem like somewhat of a hero. You had once thought about how different you and Katniss had grown to get to the same indifference towards your parents. You could barely manage to be in the same room with your father while Katniss still held him in the highest regards, you at best felt pity for your mother for being tied to someone who believed he was better than everyone. Katniss for lack of better words, hated her mother for the abandonment. You were so similar you wished everyday you could restart the friendship you two had had long ago, you also wonder what she makes of this whole act and Peetas story that so clearly reference her. He was great at changing small details to make it plausible. You had just promised him that when you both made it out of there he could take you on an actual date, playing enough to keep the audience’s hopes up, well and Peeta kept poking fun at you saying he was planning on going all out when you got out. Regardless, you both played on this story and got the incredible food that you were trying to inhale before he looked outside the cave and saw Thresh’s picture in the sky.
Thresh. You should have told him about that extra backpack you’d hidden in the beginning of the game. Stopped him from taking Ariochs backpack. He was sure to have made Threshs death slow…and painful. You think about the last time you ever saw him he finally used your name. The capitol food threatens to make a reappearance. You give Peeta one of your knives, tell him to hide it in unless he absolutely needs it. He could train with the arrows tomorrow because honestly, you weren’t proving to be very good with it. You wonder if Katniss was irritated at how poorly you aimed, you wonder if she would train you on it when you got home. You wondered if you could be friends again. You focus on that instead of the sleep that’s eluding you again now that you’re thinking of Thresh’s murder. Now all you had was Cora and Arioch. Arioch you could handle, Cora…you remember how she almost agreed to be allies, and had least said you wouldn’t gun for each other.
Eventually, Peeta wakes you so you can keep watch. You comply soundlessly. You’re so thankful you aren’t alone anymore because really, you were barely making by before the rule change. You were tired of killing, you didn’t need anymore blood on your hands. Of course, this is the hunger games, and you knew that likely you wouldn’t have a choice.
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Catos POV
Peeta had proven being kind could save your life in the game. You saw Y/n’s panic as she spun around expecting Peeta to have eaten those berries. Instead, they find the District 5 girl. Y/n cleans the berry stains from her mouth and hands, and closes her sunken, hollow eyes before trying to move Peeta along. He meanwhile, was waiting for the two of them to be able to eat together, really he’s quite lucky, most people would have snacked on the berries before meeting back up with an ally. His naivete, sparing him a quick death. She claimed she wanted to get some space before Arioch barreled through the woods but likely, she was uncomfortable with another dead tribute. She needed to compartmentalize. The capitol wouldn’t like how torn she seemed everytime a picture was shown in the sky.
You noticed Haymitch was all but telling her to accept Peetas affection. She seemed to be trying to suppress her attraction to the guy, but you were unsure how much of it was an act. It was clear the audience was going crazy over what they saw as fear of losing someone she was in love with. Fear of admitting something that was too good to be true. Their return would ensure the two of them would be forced to get into a relationship immediately. You wondered if they could keep up the whole pretense.
In the real world the victors we’re headed back to their respective floors for dinner. You and Enobaria went to the couch while Brutus went on about how Arioch would win out.
The temperature was dropping quickly too quickly. This was the finale. Everyone would have work off tomorrow throughout all of the districts. And Arioch now had the advantage of complete body armor. Seemed a little unfair but I guess it was two against one. Peeta was about as good as Glimmer with the bow and arrow. Y/N held Marvels spear as they headed to the cornucopia. The camera pans to Arioch confidently walking deeper into the forest where the girl from district five was picked up. He’d been hunting since brutally torturing Thresh in the downpour. The fight could go either way, but Arioch was going on pure rage and vengeance. He made the death painfully slow, making cuts that individually wouldn’t kill anyone. Thresh fought back well, the weapon and armor he had stolen came in handy. The rain however made it hard for him to see clearly and Arioch still had the glasses. You were somewhat surprised when Arioch didn’t scream his success after finishing him off.
The gamemakers has quieted the background noise they had going on. The snarling was unmistakable. You could hear whatever creature was back lick it’s lips as it growled in Ariochs direction. Muttations. Half wolf and half human like things that looked like… oh god. You turned to look at Enobaria, maybe you were wrong. Her scowl told you your suspicions were correct. She quickly stood up and retired to her room. The rest of your victors were silent, knowing how she felt about the mutts, about herself every day she woke up, every time she looked in the mirror. You wondered if she thought she was just like those mutts on the screen. You wished there was something you could say, anything to help. But words weren’t really your strong suit.
When you turn back to the screen Y/n and Peeta have heard Arioch and the mutts running towards them. She should have thrown her knife the second she saw enter the clearing. But she frozen. Utterly frozen at the giant creatures following him, figuring out exactly what they were. Who they were.
Peeta yanks y/ns arm. They barely managed to make it to the cornucopia without any injuries.
‘It’s them. All of them.’ Y/n whimpers as she fumbles to tie a bandage on Peetas once again, bloodied leg.
‘Are- are those their real eyes???’
You force yourself to look at the muttations a little more closely. The eyes definitely looked entirely too human. It was a sick thing to do to them. Even dead their bodies served the capitol. Always loyal to the capitol.
The hair on the wolves had different textures, the one who could only be Glimmer had blond shiny hair, the one with the number four had curly hair throughout his entire body. You refused to look at them any more. You looked up when you heard y/n scream out just to see Arioch yank her hair to throw her back on the floor. Peeta quickly tackles him, even injured it’s clear Peeta has experience fighting but he’s injure and Arioch quickly has him in a headlock. Y/n is already trying to figure out where to aim the spear.
‘Drop it or he dies.’
‘He dies and you come in second.’
‘Then I get one last kill.’
‘Yeah real impressive killing someone injured, but seeing as you couldn’t kill him the first time I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised you need to prove a point.’ She grinned, she was playing a dangerous game. Peeta was weakly clawing at Ariochs arm but the stalling could only go so far.
‘I was supposed to win. It should have been me or Clove..’
‘Come on Arioch, we all know I’m the one you have to beat. Look I’ll even go no weapons, no arrows, no spears, no knives.’ Arioch laughs at what seems is y/n signing Peetas death certificate.
It finally registers to Peeta what Y/n wants him to do. She sighs and pats her leg as she bends down, eyes on Arioch while she lays down the spear. Peeta manages to dig the knife y/n had told him to hide straight into Ariochs thigh.
He’s caught off guard and instinctively goes to remove the knife while screaming in pain. Y/ns gamble paid off, she throws her own knife towards his head. It nicks his already injured forehead sending a gush of blood down his face. The pause gives Peeta the room to push him off the cornucopia. Arioch isn’t one to go down easy, you think at the mutts that are way too excited to have him back down on the ground. Y/n rushes over to Oeeta cupping his face in her hands…
‘Are you okay?’
‘Yeah. Much better now.’ He pulls her in for an embrace they share until Ariochs screams begin cutting through the freezing air.
You find yourself holding your breath as they try to figure out how to help Arioch. Peetas convinced he would waste all of the arrows. Y/n is unsure without her knives but exasperated takes the bow and arrow from Peeta. And for the first time that you’ve seen in the arena, she hits her mark and the canon goes off.
‘That’s it! We did it!’ Peeta says through chattering teeth. Y/n collapses next to him and rests her head on his shoulder. Just like that the mutts disappear back into the woods. Y/ns eyes trained on the remaining wolves, saying goodbye to her friends one more time.
‘I can’t wait to go home.’
Peeta tries to cheer her up again, ‘you know what this means?’
‘What?’
‘You have to go on a date with me now. You promised.’
Y/n laughs, ‘you promised actually…but I’ll hold you to that.’ She lifts her and pulls his chin closer to hers and presses her lips firmly on his. His hands pull her closer before she pulls away. You find one of your nails has begun going back and forth on your skin, digging into it and leaving a large raw scratch in the palm of your hand. Some act.
Where’s the damn hovercraft? Hours go by and y/n and Peeta are forced to huddle together to try and preserve whatever body heat is left between the two of them. You go back to the viewing room where most of the victors are watching as intently as you plan to.
‘What’s taking so damn long?’ Y/n asks by the time the sun begins to rise again
‘Maybe we need to move away from the body. They probably still need to collect it.’ Already y/n has figured out what’s beginning to happen. She presses her lips together but nods.
‘Well then let’s move.’
They both move slowly. Probably as quick as their bodies can move after spending the night in freezing weather. They make it to the edge of the clearing, certainly farther than they were from the district five girl. When the hovercraft eventually grabs Ariochs bloodied body Claudine’s Templesmith’s voice echoes through the arena. You lean as close to the screen as you can just in case you miss anything.
‘Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revisions have been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!’
Y/n closes her eyes and takes a deep breath knowing deep down this was coming. She looks at Peeta. Injured and takes a step back.
‘Dont y/n. One of us should go home.’
She shakes her head, ‘No.’
‘Y/n—‘
‘Peeta, I can’t. You could go and see—‘
‘Don’t be dumb y/n. I’m not going without you.’ She’s about to protest when he says, ‘that’s fine, you’ll outlast me anyway.’
He’s about to remove the bandage he has wrapped around his leg that’s already soaking through when y/n screams, ‘No! Just wait. Please.’
‘They have to have a winner y/n.’
That’s when she hatched the idea. ‘No. They don’t.’
She holds out the night lock berries. Peeta is about to protest when she tells him to trust her. They split the berries. Your throat is dry. You want to scream at both of them. Stop. Don’t give everything up now.
‘3.’
‘2.’
….
‘1’
They both have the berries on their lips when Claudius Templesmith comes back, frantic ‘Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Y/N L/N and Peeta Mellark! I give you the tributes of District Twelve!’
But while the announcement caused y/n to freeze, it caused Peeta to bite down. You could hear a pin drop in the room. Y/n spots the berries out and turns to Peeta excitedly, before she sees him try to open his mouth but fail as the night lock seizes his system and he collapses to the ground. Her moth drops and she’s frozen until the canon sounds one. Last. Time.
Haymitch smashes a glass across the room, “Damn it!” He storms out with Chaff following behind him.
‘No. No no no no. Peeta wake up.’ She falls to her knees and lifts his head on her lap, when he doesn’t respond she tries to shake his shoulders. ‘Peeta! Wake up, damn you! We just won. We’re supposed to go home. You owe me. You promised me! You said you would take me out so GET UP!’
She’s bawling by the time she gets out those last words. When the hovercraft comes for her and I guess Peeta as well she covers his body not making any effort to leave. You grimace, you know what happens when you don’t voluntarily go to the hovercraft.
‘Ladies and Gentlemen I am pleased to present the Victor of the 74th Hunger Games! Y/N L/N’
‘No! It’s both of us. Shut up!’ She screams as Peacekeepers descend from another hovercraft. She seems to be to busy rocking Peetas upper body gently alternating between telling him it’s okay to get up and begging him to open his eyes.
The peacekeepers each grab one of her arms and she goes feral; kicking and screaming protests, ‘No! LET ME GO! You can’t leave him please! No!’
You find yourself wanting to tell her it’s going to be okay. But you know that’s not entirely true. Still, you wish you could comfort her. The room is a mixture of mouths agape, people holding in their shock by covering their mouths, and looking at eachother with a look that can only be described as confusion. You all watch as her cries get quieter and quieter when another peacekeeper sedates her. And just like that her body ascends into the hovercraft, coming back to the Capitol.
That’s when it hits you. Y/ns coming back. And she’s going to have a whole new game to play.
⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆
Taglist: @chloe-skywalker @ietss @tomihoeka @chiimiki @akinatrix @inky-sun
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juletheghoul · 2 years
Text
The Party
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AN: No thoughts, only thots about meeting Frankie at a party you were reluctant to go to in the first place. There's infidelity here - so if that's not your jam no worries! Enjoy!
Pairing; Frankie Morales x f!reader
Warnings; Infidelity, (18+ no minors) piv sex (wrap it up), swearing, dirty talk, unhappy marriage - mentions of divorce.
Word count; 2k
reblogs are appreciated
Masterlist
--
Her lips were parted slightly, her eyes dilated and her pulse was almost visible on the delicate skin of her neck and the realization hit him like a sledgehammer.
My wife hasn’t looked at me like that in years.
“Sorry? I didn’t quite catch your name.” He instantly likes her voice and tries to imagine what she’d sound like in bed and for the first time in god knows how long he isn’t ashamed of himself. 
“It’s Francisco - you can call me Frankie.” He shakes her hand, holds onto it probably longer than he should and he knows his dimple is staring her in the face with the way he's smiling. “How do you know James?” He gives her a once over, almost subtly and he’s happy to see her fluster a tiny bit. 
“Oh um - ha I actually don’t - I came with a friend. Maureen - do you know her?” She fiddles with her dress, smoothing it down with her plump lower lip between her teeth. It’s endearing and he wants nothing more than to pull her close - to nuzzle at the hollow of her throat but she looks at his hand when he takes a sip of his beer and the spell is broken. She sees it, he knows she does and there’s nothing he can say. 
Fuck. 
“Oh, I’m sorry - I didn’t realize.” She frowns a little staring at his wedding ring, more flustered than before but now it’s out of embarrassment and he feels cruel, like he’d led her on in some way. 
“Yeah, that’s - sorry that’s-” He doesn’t know what to say to this lovely thing in front of him. 
Technically, yes I’m married but my wife has been cheating on me for years, I just got the proof I needed a couple of days ago and I’m going to divorce her ass. Wanna fuck?
“There you are, have you seen my purse?” His wife came in right on cue and then he was alone with her, a swirl of a skirt left in the pretty woman’s wake - he sighed loudly, not that his wife commented on it - or even noticed for that matter. “There it is - oh look - your buddies are here! Why don’t you catch up with them?” She didn’t look at him as she said it - too busy fixing her lipstick and he knew then that her side piece was here.
He felt nothing. 
“Sure honey.” He spoke the words to her back as she walked away from him - he couldn’t even remember when he stopped watching her go. 
-
The heat was crawling up your body, warming the apples of your cheeks with embarrassment and your legs couldn’t carry you away fast enough. You moved through the crowd of people you didn’t know, winding through the little groups of them while scanning for Maureen, hoping to catch a glimpse of the red shirt she’d been wearing - relief washing over you when you finally saw her.
“Hey- where’d you get to?” She smiled big, looking for the drinks you were supposed to grab. “No drinks?”
“Sorry- There were a bunch of people waiting so I came back.” You did your best to smile through the lie. “I’ll try again in a few.”
If he’s not still standing there.
Your stomach dropped at the thought of running into him again, a groan threatening to claw its way out of your throat. Why did he have to be so handsome? Why did he have to be exactly your type? Tall and broad, with that cute dimple and those soft waves- married waves. 
Why did you flirt back?
This question annoyed you a bit, it burned brightly in the back of your mind while you tried - genuinely tried to listen to Maureen chatting about - well whatever the hell she was chatting about. 
You saw his wife walk past the two of you then, a very pretty woman with gorgeously thick hair and Ruby red lips lost in conversation with a burly blond man, if he’d told her that you’d flirted then it would only make sense that she’d glance at you but mercifully she didn’t. Thank christ.
Maureen laughed and pulled you away from your thoughts, introducing you to a few of her friends from college and you busied yourself trying to remember their names, muddling through polite conversation while also counting the hours until she’d be ready to go. It wasn’t so bad though- they weren’t so bad. Her friends, while maybe a bit pretentious, were all in all nice enough and it wasn’t hard to find common interests with a few while she made her rounds until your bladder pulled you towards the bathroom. 
The door to the powder room on the bottom floor was locked, in use. Goddamn it-
“There’s a bathroom just up the stairs and to the left-” One of the hosts saw you standing there and came to the rescue “-please feel free.” With a polite thank you, you climbed up further and further until the door was opening before you. The scene inside froze you in your tracks, it was the blond burly man and Francisco's wife in the middle of a hook-up. 
Your mouth gaped open for half a second before you shut the door - unsure if they’d heard you, unsure if they even cared. 
Couldn’t even be bothered to lock the door???
You ran down the stairs as quickly as you could, almost crashing into the person just coming out of the powder room and after a nervous shuffle from both of you, you were safely tucked away in the enclosed space. After relieving yourself, and splashing your face with cool water came the time to rejoin the fray - maybe if you could make eye contact with Maureen, she would see the discomfort on your face but that was a dead end - she was nowhere to be found. 
I need a cigarette. 
-
He was standing alone on the porch of the house, taking in the cool night air and it seemed as though the Gods or the fates or whoever was responsible for the day was thoroughly enjoying your discomfort. 
“Oh - hi.” He smiled his dimpled smile and it was almost too much - you didn’t know this man, you had no idea what was happening in their marriage but what you did know for sure was how fucking disrespectful it was of this woman to fuck another man while her husband was here. “You okay?” His head tilted, concerned, beautiful. 
“Yeah. Sorry um - you wouldn’t happen to have a smoke would you?” Fingers crossed he’d say yes.
“No sorry - I quit a long time ago.” 
Fuck me sideways, seriously.
“No worries.” You stood there, gawping at him as he leaned his hip against one side of the railings. His smile faded and a neutral realization took its place. 
“Was it with a blond man?” His words were stones in your stomach, boulders being dropped from a great height. 
“What?” You hoped against hope that he wouldn’t make you do this. 
I shouldn’t have fucking come out here.
“It’s okay - it wouldn’t be the first time. It’s funny - I didn’t want to divorce her until I had the proof and I got it a couple of days ago.” He sighed big but it didn’t seem sad or heartbroken. “I’m not naive, it’s nothing new.”
“I’m sorry - I don’t know what to say. Are you going to confront them?” The idea of him storming upstairs and pulling them out of the bathroom for everyone to see made your skin crawl with anxiety. 
“Oh no, nothing so dramatic as that, I don’t care to - haven’t cared in a long time.” He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Just please don’t look at me like that.” You frowned.
“Like what?” It was your head that tilted now.
“Like you pity me - I’m okay, in a couple of days I’ll serve her with the papers and it’ll be done. For now I’d much rather you looked at me the way you did before you knew I was married.” He straightened as he spoke - taking a few slow steps towards you. 
“And how did I look at you before?” He was so tall, so broad and handsome. 
“You looked at me, like you wanted me.” He watched your mouth, licking his bottom lip as he spoke and suddenly it was too hot - your skin was too warm and your tongue followed the example set by him and swiping along your bottom lip. 
-
His grip is almost bruising, but his hands are so much softer than you would have thought and after a harder thrust one of them is sliding under your bra to hold the weight of your breast. 
“You feel so fucking good.” His voice is hoarse, the words clipped as he groans them into your ear. The plush swell of your ass is pressed up tight against his groin, his cock punching up into you in the back of his truck. 
I am letting a married man fuck me in the back of his truck, in a suburban neighbourhood.
The thought bleeds out of your brain with every snap of his hips, with every swirl of his fingers on your swollen clit. Your slick is dripping out around him, soaking the panties he roughly pulled down to fill your aching cunt. His cock sliding in so easily with how aroused you are and it takes everything not to scream out from how good it feels. 
“Feel how fucking hard you made me baby.” He picks up speed, pushing the air out of your lungs with the force of it - your eyes roll back - mouth a wordless ‘O’ as he steals the thoughts out of your head with the slip of his cock and the swirl of his fingers. “Talk to me baby- tell me it feels good.” He pulls you up, his hand moving up to cradle your jaw and bring you towards him in a misaligned kiss. All tongues and pants as he doubles down on his efforts to pull you apart. 
“It’s good - god it’s so fucking good.” Your words are almost slurred and he lets out a breathless laugh before he bites at your ear. 
You’re racing towards your orgasm, the tingle of it spreading from your center out through your limbs and when he pinches your clit between his two wet fingers you fall off the cliff. Euphoria burns through your veins, cunt clenching around him hard enough to make him groan from deep in his throat. 
“Where do you want it?” He grits it out through mashed teeth and you pull away, bending forward as best you can. 
“On my ass.” You pull your dress up past your hips, displaying yourself for him shamelessly. 
“Fuck-” He sounds pained and you can’t help but look back as best you can, the pain in your neck is worth the vision of him, his eyes down watching as he pumps his cock against your ass. One of his hands gripping you and with a shuddering moan he paints you in himself. “Jesus baby- fuck that’s pretty.” He rubs the sensitive tip through the mess on your skin before finally finding a tissue and wiping most of it away. 
The cab is steamy when you exit, your hair a mess, his shirt untucked but both of you giddy with post orgasmic bliss - wordlessly parting to join the party but not before saving your number in his phone.
After the blood has cooled and it’s time to go, he catches your eye at the door with a wink and a promise and as you walk out with Maureen you hope he’ll call soon. 
-
Tag list: @foli-vora @frannyzooey @danniburgh @greeneyedblondie44 @lola4pedro @ezrasbirdie @221bshrlocked @artsymaddie @supernaturalgirl20 @sleep-tight1 @softdindjxrin @wheresarizona @sherala007 @marydjarin @cannedsoupsucks @thirstworldproblemss @ilikechocolatemilkh @lori-tovar @freeshavocadoooo @hrk-fic-recs @greeneyedblondie44 @maxwell--lord @princessxkenobi @the-feckless-wonder @kirsteng42 @thisshipwillsail316 @feministfanboi @dihra-vesa @gaiuswrites @stevie75 @sweet-creature98 @readsalot73 @pedrostories @tobealostwanderer @mandocrasis @elegantduckturtle @diogodxlot @alczysz17 @evyiione @absurdthirst @beskarboobs @andruxx @littlemissoblivious @1800-fight-me @goldielocks2004 @maievdenoir @gracie7209 @omlwhatamidoinghere @hellovanessax @magikfanatic @frankiecatfish @mrs-ghuleh @pedritoispunk @studythoreauly @missswriter @pintsizemama @mswarriorbabe80 @a-trial-run-on-paper @la-le-lu @chickadee-djarin @dobbyjen @rosiefridayrogersunday @ajeff855 @anaaaispunk @johnsrevelation @the-witty-pen-name @zombiesnips-blog @quica-quica-quica @sarahjkl82-blog @fan-of-encouragement @queenofthecloudss @mandosmistress @deadhumourist @felicisimor @tuskens-mando @no-droids-on-sunday @sophiefatale2495 @toomanystoriessolittletime @what-iwish-you-knew @pedrostories @athalien @bi-thewayy @literallydontlook @pedrosbrat @gamingaquarius @localddreamers @luxmundee @iamafadedmoon @nakhudanyx @littlemisspascal @grogusmum @recklessworry @heyitmelexie @killyspinacoladas @gothicxbarbie @evildxad @dragonslarimar @spideysimpossiblegirl @chemtrail-mix @maievdenoir @kissasith @breezythesimp @altarsw @artooies-scream @staygolddindjarin @lorosette @softsweetedbeauty @c4psicle @littlemisspascal @yuiopiklmn @ameliaofasgard @squidwell @allthatsleftbehind @just-blogging-around @bbyanarchist @girlofchaos @maddiedrmr @frasmotic @planetariumx @acourtofsnakes @buckybarneshairpullingkink @astoryisaloveaffair @harriedandharassed @swtaura @evelynseventyr @send-me-to-valhalla
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maebyshifting · 4 months
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hey, apologies if this doesnt make sense, its like 1 am and i just got done with dance lol
so, bascially, im doubting shifting. How can i know if its real? Anti-shifters call shifting schizophrenia (however you spell it) or some sort of lucid dreaming. i dont want to waste my time if something isnt real yk? and other people say its just imagination and that i’m stupid for believing that i can shift realities. how can i fully believe shifting, with the little amount of evidence there is?
im not an anti-shifter btw, just curious! also sorry if these questions dont make sense, im in middle school and my english sucks (even though its my first language, lmao)
have a good day! happy shifting <333
shifting antis are usually people who gave up shifting they never shifted or genuinely think it’s a dream and we’re making things up.
i have lucid dreamt for a bit now. while dreams feel real, once you realize you’re dreaming and go lucid, everything feels malleable. shifting doesn’t feel like that. there’s a lucid dreaming term called persistent dreams or persistent realms (something along these lines) that has been talked about for a long time that is basically describing shifting using the lucid dream method under a different name.
lucid dreaming was heavily criticized when i was a kid (and way before even that) because it seemed impossible that people could control their dreams. now there’s tons of research on it. we are a tiny speck in a vast universe that is constantly expanding. if shifting is a super realistic version of lucid dreaming? i’m okay with that! i still know the experiences that i’ll experience are real to me. doesn’t matter what other people think.
because there’s not much research it can be hard to believe. but then i remember shifters talking about their grandparents shifting and keeping it to themselves, not putting a name on it. i think about our younger selves who shifted because our imaginations were so powerful to us. i think of the relief people feel when they shift for the first time. i think of the community that’s been brought together that gains nothing from lying about this. most of all i think about how we discovered this thing for a reason.
best advice i can give is join communities that allow you to talk to other shifters. shiftblr, discord servers, etc. are places you can talk to people who are likeminded and lots of people have genuine stories. for me, i keep shifting as a private thing only for myself and don’t really talk about it with irl friends. i’m not saying you have to do that, but that’s the balance that’s worked for me. but everyone’s different! listen to peoples stories and experiences and it helps so much <3 i hope that helps a little bit? my dms are open so feel free to dm me if you need anything!
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onomatopagu-et-cie · 10 months
Text
Cyrus, Katerina, Campbell
First impressions after re-reading DGM Some theories and observations Notes on Link, part 1 & part 2
Have a nice week-end!!
Again I'm sorry for the awkward english!!!!
(SPOILERS UP TO CH247!!!!)
▶ « Cyrus » and Cross
After focusing on Skulls and Link’s names, I wondered if there was something for Cross and Katerina, two enigmatic characters!
In volume 24, サイラス (‘Sairasu’), which is localized as Cyrus in the English translation, Mana and Neah’s ‘uncle’, is mentioned. This could add to the ‘Cross = Cyrus’ theory:
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Cross’s name in Japanese is クロス, which is pronounced ‘Kurosu’. The ancient greek form of Cyrus is Κῦρος, pronounced ‘kuros’ (like how you would pronounce ‘hybris’).
Is Cross the name Cyrus adopted after whatever happened at the Campbell mansion (and also, a symbol of the heavy cross he has to bear for Mana, Neah and Katerina)? Though it’s interesting to note Neah calls him Cross in ch215.
Now in the French translation, his name is localized as ‘Silas’, and the Japanese prononciation could lead to both localizations so I don’t really know if this holds any meaning!
▶ « Katerina »
Katerina is a variant of the name Catherine.
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The name became attached to the ancient greek adjective καθαρός, ‘pure’. Also, « Marian Cross » might be a reference to a kind of religious cross:
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A SAINT, you say....................
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A side note: on the miraculous medal, there were twelve stars, symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel and the apostles. There are two hearts on the medal. One heart bears a crown of thorns — the Christ’s Sacred Heart —, the other is stabbed by a knife — the Immaculate Heart of Mary —. Joined together, the two of them represent the Christ and Mary’s love of the world.
I don’t know if it’s relevant or not, but in ch121, Lavi managed to get out of Road’s dream by stabbing Allen’s illusion in the heart, which ends up piercing through Road’s own heart. And volume 13’s cover features a colorful focus on Lavi and the knife spilling blood in the foreground, which contrast with Cross, two crosses and the coffins coloring the background.
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Not to mention:
1) Grave of Maria accompanying Cross: her dress is adorned with roses which are associated to Mary, sometimes represented with a rose crown (the rosary also originates from them). The ‘saint’ from Luberrier’s family is drawn wearing a (presumably) white rose, symbol of purity, innocence and devotion. The black ribbon that covers Maria's head ends up in a butterfly-shaped bow. In christianity, butterflies symbolize rebirth after death like the Christ’s spirit. Though rare, Mary has been represented with butterflies (I also saw that butterfly in spanish is 'mariposa' and its etymology was sometimes supposedly linked to Mary, I wish I could read in spanish ;;).
2) The association of Maria to what looks like a memory of Katerina:
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3) In volume 13, Allen says Maria is the corpse of a parasite-type accommodator that is now controlled by Cross’s magic. Though it’s a forbidden spell, he was granted an extraordinary permission from the Order.
On the other hand, Cross suggested that Allen searches for Katerina in the mansion. This leads to the belief that she's pretty much alive, so perhaps Maria and Katerina are unrelated and Cross just remembered Katerina because the two are similar in personality. Their association is really tempting, though.
Especially since her whole face is concealed by her ribbon and we were recently given this page linking the two together!
Or who knows, maybe her soul got separated from her corpse or some other magic happened? We know so little so anything could happen!
It's a great stretch in all this, but Katerina’s name origin has also been linked to Hekate, a goddess of, among other things, liminality between spaces/worlds (entrances, exits, city walls, doors, gates, boundaries and crossroads, the living and dead realms ; one of her epithets was Enodia, ‘she of the road’), the underworld (she was considered the guardian of Hades’s keys, served as a guide), witchcraft (eg. in greek tragedies) and the night. Throughout history, she was also sometimes confounded with other divinities eg. Demeter, Artemis, Persephone. The dog was one of her sacred animals (represented accompanying her and also her sacrifice).
She wasn’t originally associated to the moon, but it became one of her main attributes with witchcraft later, as well as ghosts. In wicca, she is related to the Triple Goddess, which is associated to the archetypes of life (birth, death, rebirth), the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone or the moons (waxing, full and waning).
She was also later said to have a great knowledge of plants, especially to make poison.
The story uses these symbols a lot. The symbol of liminality especially reminds me of Road. (Of course I don’t believe there must be a correlation, references can just be references for the sake of it and highlight meanings, but the research was very fun!)
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▶ « Campbell »
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A CROOKED mouth…...... ? It’s THE telltale characteristic of the Noah’s memory, while Noah’s physical appearance features golden pupils and stigmata!
Now I don’t know where the story is headed with the Campbells, but I’m really curious to learn more, especially their link to Mana, Neah and the Noah!
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foolish-sparrow · 1 year
Text
Felix Votum
A/N: There's me telling everyone I wouldn’t start another wip until I had done a few more requests and finished my current wip lol I am such a liar. 
Warnings: Injury, anxiety
Word Count: 4.7k
Gryffindor!Reader x Hufflepuff!Rosé
6 years.
It has been 6 years and 362 days since you first arrived at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
6 years for Fate to wrap her red strings around you and another. 
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6 years.
It has been 6 years and 362 days since you first arrived at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Only the tender age of 11 when you first ran through the wall for platform 9 3/4, only 11 when you first boarded the Hogwarts Express for its journey through the countryside.
You had sat on the old seats, filled with the visuals from the stories your parents had enlightened you on from their own time within the magical walls.
You remember it all clearly; how you had been wondering what house you were to be placed in, what magical creatures you were going to learn about or spells you were going to conjure with your recently imprinted wand.
Too lost in wonderment and nervous excitement, you almost missed the shy, “um, excuse me?”
Turning towards the sliding door of your carriage, you blinked owlishly at the sight of an awkwardly fidgeting girl who was trying, and failing, to hold your gaze.
“Sorry to intrude, I was just wondering if I could sit with you?”
A smile instinctively curls your lips, your hand patting the seat before you can even think twice on the matter. “Of course you can.”
The girl seems to perk up almost instantly, making her way over to the bench opposite you and taking a seat. “Thank you, everywhere else was mainly full so I didn’t want to bother them.”
“That’s alright,” you wave off, sitting forwards so you were properly facing her, “my name is Y/N, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The girls bows her head slightly, dark brown locks covering her face as she does so, “I’m Rosé, it’s nice to meet you.”
Rosé, you remember thinking at the time, what a nice name.
- - - - - - - - - - ☆ - - - - - - - - - -  
Perhaps you should have guessed it during that moment, when she first spoke to you with the most impossible amount of softness coating her voice, that she would have been in Hufflepuff.
As the years passed it just made more and more sense. Loyalty seemed to come easily to her, and there was no denying she worked hard for what she believed in.
The two of you only grew closer during the moments you to spend together, as did a weird fuzzy sensation coating the inside of your chest.
You’re not sure when it had started, but you do remember the day you first noticed its subtle yet almost ghostly appearance from where it held your heart within its clutches.
It was in your third year; you had been in Gryffindor’s changing tent preparing for your first match against Slytherin.
You were in the process of putting on your gloves when two hands made their purchase of your sight. A warm body leaning itself against your hunched over back just as a voice filters into your ears.
“Are you nervous?”
The soft coating is unmistakable to you by this point, a smile already reaching your eyes before she even finishes her question.
“Gryffindors don’t get nervous.”
You can practically feel her eyes roll at your quip, removing her hands so she can join you on the bench. “So I wasn’t witness to you flinching every time that baby Acromantula moved one of its legs?”
Witty remarks filter through your mind, ready and waiting for your tongue to form their words, but you shake them away after one look at the teasing sparkle shining in her eyes.
“It was really..... hairy.”
Rosé’s laugh rings loud and clear, the sound of it sparking something deep.
You can feel the skin of your cheeks set alight, the muscles within stretching to their full capacity as you drop your gaze to the grassy floor below.
Her hand is warm when it reaches for your shoulder, the touch enough for you to meet her gaze and marvel at how soft it is, or how her now silky golden locks seem to glow.
The muggle invention that is hair dye. You remember her explaining how it works to you, the smell of the chemicals one you can’t see yourself forgetting for as long as you live.
“Not that you need it but good luck. Go and kick some Snake butt.”
She leaves with one last gentle squeeze, and with it you vow to catch the Snitch, just for her.
- - - - - - - - - - ☆ - - - - - - - - - -  
Your friend group also grows with the passing months.
Being in separate houses means that sharing a class is more luck than anything, apart from when it involves all four.
Your first friendship formed besides Rosé is with a somewhat eccentric Ravenclaw called Kim Jisoo.
She was an absolute blast to be around, so full of life and kindness. And whenever she helped you out with something it never felt like you were being talked down to like it does with some of the other Ravenclaws you have spoken with.
Her disposition made her quite popular with her peers, and she was just as kind and cheerful with them as anyone else.
But being her friend meant special privilages, one of which was being introduced to a particularly quiet Slytherin whose name rang with notoriety within Hogwarts.
Kim Jennie.
Rumours ran amok, a new one seeming to spring up every other day.
And while there was a particularly childish part of yourself that sometimes enjoyed listening to them, you had always been a firm believer on forming judgment on facts, rather than made up stories.
Not to mention, if the Kim Jisoo is friends with her, you refused to believe that she was a bad person.
The four of you seemed to fit somehow, filling the gaps and working together whenever another needed help.
And then the transfer student appeared, and what was once considered perfect just got a whole lot better.
Lisa brought such a new look on things that it was like a fresh breath of air.
Not to mention you liked to rub the fact she was also placed in Gryffindor right in their faces, you know, as a good friend would do.
Breaks between classes were now filled with the chorus of five distinct laughs rather than two, and your fondness for each of them poured with genuine affection whenever you wrote a letter to your parents.
You’re pretty sure Sir Hootingdon the Third, your beloved Eagle Owl, was beginning to grow tired of venturing back and forth so often, but you always made sure to reward him profusely for all of his hard work.
For a moment that unnamed emotion you felt back before in the quidditch tent felt like a fluke, a one-time thing. Perhaps the happiness of seeing your best friend mixed with the anticipation of a match left you feeling that extra more pumped.
Surely that had to be it? Because what else could it have been?
- - - - - - - - - - ☆ - - - - - - - - - -  
Things progressed smoothly, almost boringly, through your 5th year.
Well apart from the fact that both Jennie and Jisoo were elected Prefects of their respective houses.
Considering you had the dreaded prospect of taking your O.W.L’s soon you had mainly been preparing.
The quidditch matches also seemed to be going well, almost unnaturally easy even.
You remember talking to Lisa about it, and her agreement made you feel relieved somewhat. Knowing you weren’t the only one to think so, however, still didn’t explain why the other houses seemed to be holding back this year.
And then things came crashing down... literally.
As a Seeker, it was no debate that sight was your greatest ally, especially when trying to find something small, fast, and agile. That by itself could make things difficult, and then you need to add the fact that you were placed upon a flying broomstick and had people trying to hit Bludgers at you.
Yeah, things could get rough very, very quickly.
Today, however, today it would seem Gryffindor’s suspiciously high luck would run out during this match.
Because what was once a slight drizzle when you first entered the pitch was now an outright downpour.
Vision was poor, the first half of the match spent dodging not only the Bludgers, but the Quaffle as well. As people’s grips on the smooth object were precarious at best.
To make things worse, you had seen nigh head nor tails of the Snitch. The few glances at the Ravenclaw’s Seeker seeming to prove that they were going through the same complications you were.
“Right, enough of this.”
With a frustrated kick of your legs you begin flying higher and higher above the pitch.
Clearly trying to find it amongst the masses wasn’t working, so perhaps an aerial view will make a difference.
You catch the other Seeker follow you for a second before coming to realise your motives; changing their trajectory towards the other end.
Frustration burns deep. Not because Gryffindor was losing, and it also wasn’t due to the less than ideal weather.
The main reason you enjoyed the sport so much was because of the challenge, and this year's matches, alongside the fact it felt like you were doing absolutely nothing to help your team right now left a burn where the excitement usually lies.
Even the usual noise from the crowed seemed to be dimmer than usual, and it irritated you.
Winning or losing never mattered, so long as you felt like you had been pushed to you limits, like you had gone into the game and done nothing but your absolute best.
Closing your eyes, you take in a deep breathe through your nose. There is still time, you tell yourself, you can still do something about this.
Your eyes open with the announcers' voice, the clear ring of goal scored averting your attention back down.
“And there’s Lisa with another goal for Gryffindor!”
Despite the low bubbling of frustration you do smile at that, doubly so when the familiar sight of blonde hair gets swarmed by a crowed of red lions.
Yeah, there’s still time.
Resolution isn’t quick to defeat the subtle anger, but with a slight adjustment on your broom you fill your lungs once more before it catches when a glimmer of golden shimmers amidst the grey.
The Snitch.
Your eyes lock on almost immediately, and with one simple maneuverer you’re in a nose dive.
The players, the cheering, everything; it’s all drowned out. Only you and the tiny golden trophy. Predator and prey dancing under the fall of rain.
The announcers’ deep timbre echoes once again throughout the pitch, but their words are tuned out.
Noise blurs into nothingness, compacted down until the only thing left is the frantic beat of your own heart.
Almost...
You thrust out an arm, fingers stretched out in preparation for the match to finally be over.
I’m almost ther--
Something makes impact with you hard and fast; the last thing your disoriented senses pick up is the lone scream of a woman before the world fades to black.
- - - - - - - - - - ☆ - - - - - - - - - -  
You remember waking up in painful confusion later that day.
The hospital ward was mainly empty, but your bed was crowded by friends, teammates and teachers alike.
“What...” You pause, face scrunching up in pain when you try and sit up right, “what happened?”
A squeeze on your right hand draws your attention, the tear-streaked face on Rosé meeting you as you turn.
“You received a Bludger straight to the side of the head,” Lisa explains, “I’m pretty sure you got knocked out straight away.”
That certainly explains the headache.
“Yes,” the Headmistress, Boa, cuts in. “Your accident was enough for me to call off today’s game. Clearly the weather was not on our side today.”
She looks you in the eyes then, and it makes you realise this is the first time you have ever spoken to her personally, “all things considered, you all played wonderfully, and I wish you a speedy recovery.”
“Thank you, miss,” you nod, wincing when the small movement brings with it a sharp pain; Rosé fussing over you within seconds.
The attention leaves you flustered, and therefore you miss the all-knowing smile Boa adorns before she leaves alongside the other teachers.
Your captain walks over to clasp your shoulder, his eyes a fair mixture of relieved and... proud?
“Not sure if it’s worth much but...” he reaches into his pocket and takes out a familiar golden ball, “we all know you would have caught it anyway.”
You blink down at the object before snapping your gaze back to his grinning face, “isn’t that stealing?”
His shrug is far too causal for your liking, “Snitch’s go missing all of the time, it just... got lost in the weather.”
You have no idea if that is a lie or not, but you’re not exactly left much of a choice to argue further when he manually places the ball into your palm, closing your fingers and sending you a little salute before he begins shuffling the rest of the team out of the ward.
You look towards Lisa, who is sending you the most devilish grin you have ever seen on her features.
“This was your idea, wasn’t it?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny.”
“Uh huh,” you roll your eyes, but there is no stopping the smile that curves the edges of your lips.
Jennie takes up your other side, the one currently not being hogged by Rosé, and takes a seat on the chair placed there, “how are you feeling?”
Putting the Snitch beside you on the bed, you reach up and begin gingerly touching the side of your head, almost immediately finding a rather large protruding lump. “Peachy.”
“If it’s any consolation,” Jisoo pipes up, “it was a lot bigger when you were first brought in, kind of looked like you were growing another head.”
“Gee, thanks,” you quip back, but there is no bite behind your words.
Eventually though, the others are shooed away by the Matron, and you can’t help but feel a pang of loneliness when they begin grabbing their things and make their way with a heartfelt goodbye.
Rosé is the last one to leave, and you are left utterly speechless when her arms hesitantly encircle your shoulders and draws you in, her breathe warm and melodic as it hits the skin of your neck. “Get well soon.”
You never get the chance to reply, she’s let go and gone before you even register her warmth is no longer there, but you do notice the deep ache in your chest when she’s gone.
Gryffindor go on to win the cup that year, but the only thing on your mind as you celebrate is Rosé’s hand in your own.
- - - - - - - - - - ☆ - - - - - - - - - -  
And then falls your 6th year, and with it the stress of taking your N.E.W.T’s.
And boy were they all that much more harder than when you were doing your O.W.L’s.
Nights were long, and sleep was precious yet fleeting. The time spent in the library outweighing everything else.
You and Lisa would stay up with the other 6th years, taking up a space within the common room to study. Each of you serving up matching dark bags under your eyes and an aura of upmost defeat.
Jisoo and Jennie were probably the only solace. Their notes were simple and easy to follow, the words quickly being absorbed by the rest of your little group.
“I may need to ask for your hand in marriage, Jisoo,” Lisa said once, and without a beat Jisoo stuck her hand out without even looking.
They helped you get through it, truly.
But they weren’t always with you. And during the late hours of the night, when everyone was already long gone into the depths of unconsciousness, you were wide awake.
Anxiety hit fast and deep when there was no one around to help you relieve it, Sir Hootingdon’s presence only working so much despite his best efforts.
And one night it became too much.
The nervous energy was pounding deep in your veins, and you felt far too crowded within the dorm room and common room respectively.
Desperate times and all that.
The castle was eerily beautiful under the silver moonlight.
“Lumos.”
With the small light now glowing at the end of your wand you began making your way down the steps of Gryffindor tower.
There is a part of you that wants to make the trek towards the kitchens, as just behind there lay Hufflepuff's dorm, but the thought of waking up Rosé for the rising dread in your chest just seemed far too selfish.
And that’s even if you make it to the dorm without getting caught, as well as getting into the common room itself.
So, you settle for a late-night walk to hopefully clear your mind. Even if the only thing it accomplishes is to rid you of the anxiety induced adrenaline.
A snicker from your left has you darting around with a startles gasp, the gleaming eyes of an old man in one of the paintings meeting your own.
“Taking a late-night stroll, are we?” His eyes drop a smidge, “and no Prefect badge either. Feeling brave, hm?”
Perhaps you should have felt fear, after all there was nothing stopping him from snitching to the teachers on your midnight walkabout.
“Yeah,” you sigh, lying was never your forte, “the N.E.W.T’s have me--”
“Inducing bouts of insanity?”
Despite yourself, a tired yet genuine laugh does escape passed your lips with a puff. “Yeah, that does sound pretty accurate.”
“Well,” he pauses, putting down his smoking pipe and rising from the wooden chair he was sat upon.
The painting he was in looked like it was done in... Italy? Perhaps. It was of a vineyard, the greyed walls of a castle placed further towards the back.
The man himself was dressed in clothing you wouldn’t even begin to know the era of, but he is of wealth, that much is clear.
“Have you ventured to the 7th floor per chance?”
You tilt your head at his question, confusion clear in your eyes, “no. Why would I?”
He makes a dramatic show of looking to his left and right before raising a hand to his mouth like he was going to whisper the secrets of the universe. “It is a place people will go to when they are in desperate need of something.”
The answer explains exactly nothing, and it leaves you with far more questions than anything else.
You go ask one of them, but a harsh “shh,” from another painting further on has you clamping your mouth shut instead.
“Go,” the man encourages, going back to the table he was originally situated at, “I hope you manage to find what you’re looking for.”
You don’t, but that was only because you do not go to the 7th floor.
Talking with the man actually managed to help calm you somehow. Not to mention you already thought you were pushing your luck with how long you had been breaking curfew, and so you had gone straight back to your dorm in hopes of at least catching some sleep for the lessons ahead.
Rosé corners you during charms, it was like she had a sixth sense when you werent properly taking care of yourself.
“What’s wrong?”
“You mean other than the high amounts of stress?”
She gives you a look, and you release a pent-up sigh, “I went for a walk last night.”
“What?!” She screeches, immediately becoming flustered when the whole class stops what they are doing in order to look at her curiously.
“Miss Park,” Professor Kim scolds, “indoor voices, please.”
“Sorry sir,” she mumbles out before turning back to you with a slight glare and a much, much quieter tone. “What do you mean you went for a walk? You broke curfew?”
You nod, preparing yourself for a lecture....
… That surprisingly never came.
Casting a curious look back at your friend, you become confused by the inquisitive expression highlighting her features. “Just... be careful.”
To say you weren’t expecting that would be an understatement, and it’s very clear your expression is showing this with the way she points and laughs at it.
From the other end of the table Lisa eyes you both in suspicion, somehow only catching words here and there as she works alongside her own partner.
Leaning closer, you shake away the lingering shock to ask Rosé a question that’s been bugging you since the night prior. “Hey, do you know if there’s anything strange on the 7th floor?”
You had no way of seeing your features last night, but you’re pretty sure it must have looked very similar to the one Rose is giving you right now.
“No?”
“Someone in a painting told me to go there last night, said it was a place people go to when they are looking for something.”
Her head tilts in that adorable way you love, and for the briefest of moments you’re left distracted. “Maybe they were playing a trick?”
That... actually hadn’t passed your mind when you had been talking about it.
“Well, I was gonna go and check it out after class--”
“--Alone?--”
“-- If you wanted to come with me?”
Rosé looks sheepish for a moment, “oh.”
Your smile is fond when you gently nudge her elbow with your own, her own lips curving upwards to match yours.
“You in?”
Her nod may have been a little too quick for some, but you are too excited to properly question it. Instead, you throw your arms around her shoulders for a grateful embrace, a cheer erupting from your mouth before you can stop yourself.
If there was something up there, you were going to find it.
- - - - - - - - - - ☆ - - - - - - - - - -  
“There’s nothing here.”
You’re not sure if it was disappointment coating her voice or something else, whatever it is was surely matching the feeling in your chest.
Just another empty hallway.
“Maybe you were right, Rosé,” you conceded, “maybe he was trying to play a trick on me. Must have been a teacher or something up here when we were talking about it.”
Not that you were entirely trusting of what a complete stranger tells you, the prospect to have some sort of haven during N.E.W.T’s just sounded like something you could absolutely do with right now. But, like many things, it was simply too good to be true.
Your eyes catch Rosé’s from where she stands watching you, and you send her a small smile. “Come on, let’s go find the others. We can always find a space in the Hall to study if it’s too busy in the library.”
At her nod, you begin to make your way back, but one step forward is all you manage before a strange noise filters into your ears from behind you.
You pull a muscle within your neck due to how fast you whip it around, almost losing your footing as your legs fail to keep the pace of your instincts.
Before you, on what was once just a plain brick wall like many in the castle, a series of swirls begin covering the surface.
They twist and turn, morphing into intricate shapes until two very large doors appear before you.
You turn to look back at Rosé in wonder, and she is clearly as awestruck as you are.
“Do we... do we go in?”
You are unable to answer her question verbally, but the visual of you walking towards the doors is probably all that she needs.
The handles are cold to the touch, but there was a kind of... vibration against your palm? It was like you were feeling the magic embedded within, comforting yet powerful. Not to mention, despite their size, it does not take a lot for you to open them.
You have no idea what to expect when you cautiously peek inside, but the sight of a grand fireplace surrounded by various types of comfortable looking furniture was definitely not it.
“What?” You hear Rosé whisper behind you, “what do you see? What’s in there?”
“A... room?”
Opening the door further you make your way inside. Rosé quick to follow as you both take it fin before turning back to each other.
“Do you have any idea on what this is?” You ask, and she shakes her head as an answer. “Hm, then let’s go ask the others.”
Lisa wouldn’t have a clue when you both went and asked, and to your slight surprise neither did Jennie.
“Oh, you found the Room of Requirements?”
The rest of you just blinked at Jisoo, waiting for her to continue.
“It appears when someone is in great need of it, or so they say.”
And need it you did; the five of you would use the room religiously for the rest of your 6th year.
- - - - - - - - - - ☆ - - - - - - - - - -  
And that brings us to the present day; the start of your 7th, and final, year at Hogwarts.
The thought does leave you emotional. After all, the castle had been your home for the past 7 years. You had entered it a child aged 11 and would be leaving it at 18 – an age that some would consider an adult.
Until that day, however, you still had the last of your N.E.W.T’S to finish.
The beginning of the first term was spent studying, surprise, surprise. But with access to the Room of Requirement you and your friends felt less stressed on the whole prospect.
One thing bothered you, however; Rosé.
She was acting... strange. A lot more... distant?
Anytime you touched her, accidental or otherwise, she would flinch as if burnt. Her whole face turning a bright red before she would move away from you with a small apology on her lips.
You weren’t quite sure what to make of it, or if you should bring it up with the others just in case you were worrying about nothing.
But that whole idea changed after she began just straight up avoiding you.
She was absent from the study sesh, and after looking at the door like a lost little puppy for the umpteenth time it seemed that Jennie had had enough.
“She’s in love with you.”
Not quite what you were expecting honestly.
“What?”
“--Jennie--”
“No Jisoo, I’m sorry but I’m doing this out of love for my friends... well, and the fact that they are both so oblivious I need to contently restrain myself from spiking their food with Amortentia.”
“I still think this should be handles in their own time,” the oldest of you interjects with that motherly tone of hers, and for a moment it seems to work before Jennie is shaking her head.
“I get that, I do, because there is a part of me that thinks the same. But I wouldn’t be doing this if they weren’t so obvious with it.”
From her seat beside you, Lisa quietly watches this unfold, her gaze constantly darting from Jennie and Jisoo before it lands back on you.
You’re... not actually sure what you’re feeling right now. Many things try and take hold within your chest and blossom. Happiness, unease, realization – they all rage war and cause havoc against your rapidly beating heart.
Rosé is... in love with me?
Oh.
Oh.
You’re not sure if Jennie and Jisoo are still arguing when you eject yourself from your seat and make a beeline for the door, nor are you aware that Lisa physically stops them from making chase; the only thing in your mind right now is Rosé.
The smell of her muggle perfume, the golden rays she has for hair. The way her smile has gotten you through so many bad days you have lost count.
You’re not sure when the warmth and comfort of friendship began to burn deeper. But that fuzzy feeling from that day in the tent makes a sudden and powerful return.
When you find her, it’s in the greenhouses.
She’s tending to some plants when she notices you; your haggard breathing, and flushed face.
“Is everything alrigh-oh!”
Your arms are around her in an instant, taking in her warmth. Everything that she is.
You do not tell her those 3 most powerful words, not yet, because you want the timing to be nothing short of perfect.
But when you do, it is going to be magic.
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dinas-a-bird · 1 year
Note
Heyyyy could you write Ellie x fem reader. Reader has an alcohol addiction and Ellie takes her to her first AA meeting? Ive been sober for a year today and its been rough and Ellie being a supportive gf is all anyone really wants :) if you dont feel comfortable writing it I fully understand
thank youuu :)
I'm really proud of you for being sober for one year thats amazing!!! I've struggled with addiction myself so I get how hard even getting to one year is. This ones for you my lovely anon 🥰
Breaking the Chain
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Pairing: Ellie Williams x fem!reader
Warnings: alcoholism, addiction, fluff, Ellie being a good gf, modern AU
Summary: Ellie takes you to AA
Word Count: 784
A/N: Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes, thank you anon for the request!
Ellie and you had been dating for roughly three years, and you had just moved in together last week. Ellie knew that you enjoyed a drink or two, during dinner, parties, or just when relaxing, but it wasn't until you started living together that she realized how much you relied on alcohol to cope with stress and anxiety.
Ellie started to worry about your drinking quickly, so she brought it up with you. At first, you were defensive and dismissive, saying that you had everything under control. But it soon became clear that you didn't.
One night, you came home late from work, clearly drunk. Stumbling through the kitchen, knocking over a chair, you went to hug your girlfriend, Ellie could smell the alcohol on your breath.
She’s had enough.
"We need to talk," she says, pushing you off of her.
You sigh, clumsily picking up the collapsed chair and sitting down. "I know," you said. "I've been trying to quit, but it's harder than I imagined."
Ellie kneels down in front of you. "I'm here for you," she softly rests her hand on your knee. "We can do this together."
You hang your head. "I want to quit," you whisper. "I really do. But every time I try, I end up drinking again."
Ellie sees a tear fall from your eye. She knows that you're struggling, and she wants to help.
"Have you ever thought about going to Alcoholics Anonymous?" she asks.
You look up at her skeptically. "I don't know about that," you say. "I don't want to be one of those people who go to meetings all the time."
She lightly rubs your knee, "It's worth a try," she says. "It's a safe space where you can talk about your struggles and get support from people who understand what you're going through."
You think about it for a moment. "Okay," you finally say. "I'll go to one meeting with you, but that's it."
Ellie smiles. "That's all I'm asking for.”
The next week, you and Ellie head off to your first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting together. As you walk into the small, dimly lit room, you feel your nerves building. You don’t know what to expect, and you weren't sure if you were ready to open up about your struggles with addiction.
The group leader welcomes everyone and explains how the meeting is going to work. Then, she invites the attendees to introduce themselves and share their stories.
One by one, people stand up and talk about their experiences. Some had been sober for years, while others were new to the program. You listened carefully, feeling a sense of belonging with the other attendees.
When it is your turn to speak, you stand up slowly, taking a deep breath and looking around the room. "Hi, my name is y/n, and I'm an alcoholic.”
The words feel heavy in your mouth, but you managed to push through. “I have been drinking for as long as I can remember.” you take a deep breath before continuing. “It started with a few drinks after work, just to take the edge off. But before I knew it the few drinks after work turned into a few drinks too many, and then I couldn’t get through the day without the alcohol.”
Looking to your left you see Ellie with a sad smile on her face, she reaches up and takes your hand. You smile down at her before continuing. “I have tried to quit on my own… although it never lasted long… The cravings would come back, stronger and I would give in, telling myself that just… one more drink wouldn’t hurt.” Ellie softly squeezes your hand. “But it did hurt, not only me but my girlfriend. She would come home to me drunk on the couch and I could see the pain she held as she watched me slowly disappear due to my addiction.” Swallowing the lump in your throat you look down at your feet, “They say the first step is realizing you have a problem… I have a problem… and I want to try to get sober”
When the meeting was over, Ellie and you stayed behind to chat with some of the other attendees. You exchanged phone numbers and email addresses, you even found a sponsor, a guy named Jesse.
As you walk out of the meeting with Ellie, you feel a weight lifting off your shoulders. You turn to Ellie, "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad we went to that meeting together.”
Ellie smiles softly, giving you a kiss. "I'm proud of you," she leans into your side. "And I'm here for you every step of the way."
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atmosghoul · 11 months
Text
Thinking about insomniatic Aether but it’s because his quintessence abilities means he can pick up other ghouls and siblings emotions and we’ll this happened at 1am enjoy.
Aether spends an hour and a half tossing and turning before he realises the restlessness keeping him awake is not coming from him or his pack but from a sibling of sin all the way across the abbey.
He reluctantly gets up and goes to track down the source. He follows the trail. It feels like a thread barely there but pulling him strongly.
He comes to a door and realises he doesn’t know who this door belongs to. He makes it a point to try and learn most of the siblings names and where they sleep in case of nights like this but he finds himself blank.
He sighs and glamours himself before he knocks gently, realising this might be a new initiate. He hears a gasp followed by muffle scuffling before the door is cracked open just a sliver.
A meek face peaks through and Aether can smell their fear spike. He offers a gentle smile and a soft wave of his hand.
“Uh hi,” he says barely above a whisper. “Sorry to bother you I just thought you might could use some help,” he gives a pause allowing them to reply but continues when they stay silent, still only able to see a portion of their face through the sliver of the door.
“I’m Aether. I’m one of Papa’s ghouls,”
More silence, but the door opens just a sliver more and they readjust their position so their full face is peeking through. Large green eyes slightly sunken due to exhaustion and possibly crying, shaggy brown hair in messy waves that fall in their eyes. Aether can see the tension already start to relax but there’s still fear there.
“Did they tell you about us ghouls?”
They take a moment but nod. Aether smiles wider and waits for any word from them but gets nothing but a face of fear attempting to be hidden.
“Can I come in? I usually offer the new siblings a bit of a welcome wagon but I wasn’t aware we had one. When did you arrive?”
They open the door wider and leave it open as they turn and walk towards their desk to grab something but don’t answer.
Aether notices the room seems more lived in than a new sibling’s should. Furniture moved out of its default arrangement, wall decor clearly having been there a while.
The sibling turns around holding a notepad with two words written on it.
Not new
Aether stares in confusion at the paper being held in front of him, wondering why they weren’t speaking “Oh I’m sorry I’ve never seen you around before. How long have you-“
He stops as the sibling turns around placing the notepad on the desk and writing something else before gently pushing it towards Aether again.
Face me when you talk
Suddenly it clicks and Aether feels like an idiot. He remembers hearing about a new initiate but never got the chance to meet them and in the fuss of going on tour he’d forgotten to introduce himself when they got back. A week ago.
He turns to the sibling and tries to recall the handful of lessons he’d taken years ago. Bored on the road during his first tour discovering humans had created a whole way of communicating with their hands.
His sign language skills are admittedly pedestrian but he gives his best effort.
I. Sorry. Not. Realise. My name A-E-T-H-E-R. Want. Help. You. Bad sleep.
The sibling smiles at the effort. They sign back a bit fast for Aether’s comprehension especially so sleep deprived as he is but he picks up the important bits.
They introduced themself as Rian and Aether has to ask them to spell it again because he thought they’d spelled Rain.
After a few times of Aether struggling Rian explains that they can read lips well enough and promises to sign slower so Aether can keep up.
Aether explains about his quintessence magic and what brought him to their room so late and Rian apologises before explaining that they’d been having trouble adjusting to life in the abbey. Being the only deaf sibling was difficult. The rest of the clergy were nice enough but trying to make friends was difficult and it had been weighing on them.
They chat through most of the night and Rian agrees to help Aether with his signing before they say their goodnights.
As Aether is headed towards the door he turns back to Rian and taps their shoulder.
You want help sleep? He signs.
Rian looks at him puzzled. Aether laughs and explains, speaking this time, that he can use his quintessence to help ease them to sleep before he leaves.
Rian agrees and Aether goes about explaining how it works before instructing Rian to lie in bed and get comfy.
Neither of them realised how often an occurrence nights like this would be.
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