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loopy-froots · 3 years

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Childhood Friends

Brahms Heelshire x afab!Reader

Author: @loopy-froots

Word Count: 3261 (WOW wtf…)

Slight request by @leahromanof : small age gap (Brahms is 26-28 and the reader is 20)

Summary: The Reader grew up very close to the Heelshire family, as their parents were business partners with them. However, after the fire incident, Brahms and the Reader took some space from each other. While the Reader knew Brahms was still alive, they didn’t know under the circumstances he was. When a sudden tragedy strikes their family, the Reader is left with no home. The Heelshire family offer their home with welcoming arms, but much has changed between all of them since they have last seen each other.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, swearing, slasher x reader, smut, virgin/unprotected sex (masc and fem), abusive parents (fem), insecurities (on both parts), slight age gap (6ish years?), a slight size kink (if you squint?), etc.

Author’s Note: I wasn’t too sure what to write for the age gap so I hope this is good enough!!! I also threw in a lot of personal needs I’ve been having, so I hope y’all don’t mind! Feel free to let me know your thoughts!!!

~~~

*2nd Person POV*

You couldn’t believe this was happening. You were finally going to see your beloved childhood friend, Brahms Heelshire, again after close to ten years of separation. You wished this was not under these circumstances, as you never intended to cause your family such turmoil.

“Y/n! Come in, why don’t you?” Mr. Heelshire exclaims as he opens his front door. He must have seen you walk up their driveway. You can see Mrs. Heelshire inside, but she shares a concerning expression. Trying to brush it off, you step inside and am greeted by the warmth of the house. It was a terribly chilly winter day, and the walk there exhausted you.

“Come, dear! Let me get you a cup of tea to warm you up! You look rather frozen!” Mrs. Heelshire snaps out of her funk and laughs al0ng with her husband. Their jovial attitude makes you feel rather welcomed and loved.

“I cannot thank you enough, Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire… I… I’m terribly sorry that this all happened… especially so suddenly…” You look down with embarrassment.

“Nonsense! We’re always happy to have you, Y/n! Our home is yours!” Mr. Heelshire smiles at you, but you get a somewhat urgent vibe from him. You’re not sure how to feel about it, but you figure since they’re being ever so kind you were in no position to question.

“Now, dear… why don’t you tell us exactly what happened… Perhaps we may help with your parents’ situation?” Mrs. Heelshire gently suggests, but you shake your head in disagreement.

“Unfortunately, I’m not sure that’s possible… you see, I recently came out to my parents as non-binary… they’ve never been overly supportive of that kind of stuff, but I knew I couldn’t hide myself any longer…” You explain shamefully.

“Oh my… that is a rather difficult predicament, hm? However, we want you to know that we fully support you… in fact, our own Brahms considers himself genderfluid,” Mrs. Heelshire shares, which honestly makes you feel less alone.

“Really? I… I had no idea… Thank you, but speaking of which… where is Brahms…? Does he still live with you?” You wonder.

“Oh, um… yes… he does, but he’s grown to be rather… timid… so he doesn’t always come out when people are visiting…” Mr. Heelshire explains swiftly, and you try to understand. You don’t fully know what he’s been through, so who are you to judge his social anxieties?

“That’s alright. Well, I just hope he knows how excited I am to see him again…” You confess, causing a surprised reaction from the Heelshire couple.

“Really? Well, that’s certainly wonderful! I’m sure he'll become more open to meeting you after he gets used to you being in the house…” Mrs. Heelshire states with a gentle smile, and you nod your head in agreement.

With that, you are then taken on a tour of the house. You’re shown areas you can and cannot wander to, and you mentally note each location that’s off limits. You’d never want to make the Heelshires uncomfortable, despite how curious you were. They show you to your room, which you immediately recognize as Brahms’ childhood room.

“Oh wow! This looks exactly how I remembered it!” You giggle.

“I’m glad you’re fond of it still, as Brahms insisted you take his room for your own… comfort…” Mr. Heelshire shares, but something tells you he’s not entirely being honest. However, you ignore the feeling bubbling up in your stomach.

“Well, feel free to unpack your things dear. As we mentioned before, we are planning on going on a trip within the next few days. So it will be just you and Brahms for a while…” Mrs. Heelshire reminds you, and you shiver slightly for some reason.

“Oh, yes… Well, I hope the two of you enjoy it!” You politely respond.

~~~

“Goodbye, dear! And remember, follow the rules and you’ll get no trouble from our dear Brahms!” The Heelshires bid you farewell and leave in their cab. Closing the door, you sigh in relief.

“Alright, follow the rules… I can do that… it’s the least I can do since they were so kind as to let me stay for a while…” You motivate yourself.

“Y/n…” A sudden familiar, childlike voice echoes through the house. You looked around to see who it came from, but you saw no one. It had to be Brahms, right? Who else could it have been, but where was he?

“B-Brahms?” You sheepishly call out. You hear no answer and suddenly feel quite stupid. Maybe you just heard the shifting of the house or imagined someone was calling your name?

“Alright, focus… first things first, making some lunch… hopefully he’ll come down to eat with me…?” You hope. You could’ve sworn you heard another childish giggle somewhere, but you try to shake the skittish feeling building up. You quickly make whatever you feel like for lunch, desperate to finish so that you can call Brahms down to eat.

“Um, Brahms? I… lunch is done… if you want some?” You yell throughout the house, but you hear no answer. Finally feeling defeat, you turn back to the kitchen and notice that one of the plates of food has disappeared.

“How did he get to it without me noticing?” You ask out loud. Every instinct within you tells you that something was wrong, but you tried your best to give the man some time to adjust to the new living situation.

“Y/n…?” In the middle of eating, you hear a now more adult version of the voice you heard earlier. You drop your fork in surprise and frantically look around for the source. You then see a tall and scruffy looking man standing at the end of the dining room. He was holding the plate that is now empty, and you figure that must be Brahms. He was very odd looking, in all honesty. He wore a porcelain mask that resembles the type of little dollies you used to keep as a kid.

“Oh, um… h-hello, Brahms…?” You try to be friendly towards him, despite the creepy feeling you got from him already. However, him not answering causes the suspicion to form again.

“Um… did you enjoy the meal I made for you?” You try to spark a conversation, but Brahms nonverbally nods in response.

“That’s good! I’m… glad…” You smile awkwardly at him, but his masked face remains expressionless. You shift uncomfortably in your seat, and Brahms notices the tense state you’re in. He begins to step closer to you, and sets his plate on the table. Sweating profusely, you wonder what he’s doing. He steps closer and closer to you until he’s directly in front of you. While you sit, he towers over you. You’d never admit it, but he’s very intimidating. However, you try your best to be polite.

“Is… everything alright, Brahms?” You ask innocently. He just stares at you, though, never saying a word. When you were about to get up and try to walk away, he grabs your arm and pulls you into him.

“B-Brahms…?!” You exclaim as he squeezes you in his broad arms. He’s rather warm, but trembling. Your heart relaxes when you realize he only wanted a hug.

“Y/n… nice to see you again…” He finally peeps out. Your cheeks heat up, but you lean into the embrace. The two of you just hold onto each other for a few moments, enjoying each other’s presence.

“Good to see you, too! I was worried you were upset with me for coming back after such a long time…” You try to pull away and look him in the eyes, but his grip keeps you there.

“Mm, no… not upset… lonely…” He breathes into your ear, sending a chill down your back. He was… lonely? That makes you feel bad… really bad… how could you leave him like you did after the incident?! It wasn’t completely your fault, as you parents were the main reason you stayed away. They told you what a dangerous person Brahms was, and they forbid you from being influenced by him in any way.

Additionally, your parents never liked how fond the two of you seemed towards each other, despite the slight age difference you had. Brahms was only six years older, and to you it didn’t matter for terms of friendship. However, your parents saw the attraction Brahms had towards you right away. As children, it only developed into a little crush, but the older the two of you got the more obvious it became, to the adults at least. You seemed quite oblivious to his attempts to woo you, as you had just thought he was being friendly.

“I…I’m sorry, Brahms… I should’ve… I wish I’d have… I’m sorry…” Tear well in your eyes as you look down from his gaze. Your focus then shifts to the ever growing bulge in his pants that you hadn’t noticed before.

“It’s alright… happy you’re here now…” Brahms strokes your hair with his free hand, and he leans into you. You feel him stroke your neck with his nose, seemingly trying to get a reaction out of you. Completely frozen, you felt unsure of what to do. All of the sudden, your head’s ideas clicked and made you realize the years of yearning he’d been doing for you.

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t still have feelings for the boy you grew up with. You always admired how protective he was of you. You never admitted your affection towards him, though, as you thought he might react negatively. To you, the age difference acted as a barrier, but to him, it seemed he didn’t mind in the slightest. All he’s ever known was his love for you, despite the age gap. However, is this still the same boy as before? You probably barely knew him anymore. Then why were you getting so flustered over this simple interaction?

“Brahms?” You look back into his eyes with a curious glint. What was he planning with you?

“Hm?” He nonchalantly answers.

“Are you…?” You start, but then feel too embarrassed to finish.

“Yes,” He agrees without needing you to explain. You feel him jerk his hips into your stomach softly, desperate to get some friction between the two of you. As intoxicating as he was being, you still felt unsure of your stance with him.

“I’m not sure I want to… I mean, this is so soon… don’t you think?” You try to reason mainly with yourself to try and stop this from happening. With that, Brahms stops and pulls away from you with a pout.

“No?” He questions with sweet eyes.

“I… yes…?” You try to stand your ground with yourself again, but it’s no use. Brahms’ heartfelt pleading turns you to putty in his hands.

“Please?” He begs. With that, you finally agree, and he’s onto you. Groping all up and down your sides, front, and back, he feels every inch of your body as if he’s desperate to find something in you.

“Brahms… wait…?” You stop him again, realizing you hadn’t seen his actual face yet. You politely ask him to remove his mask, but he visibly slumps.

“Why…? You… don’t want to see me…” Brahms insecurely explains, but you shake your head.

“I do! Please…?” You whine as he continues to feel up your back. Brahms hesitates slightly, then agrees. With that, he slowly removes the porcelain from himself. This leaves his bare, burnt, and uncertain face into your view. You’re unsure of what to say at first, as your feelings are conflicted. However, you quickly decide to go with what your heart felt.

“You’re so handsome, Brahms…” You confess with a sheepish smile. He doesn’t respond, though, almost as if he’s debating what to say as well.

“Mm!” You moan through a sudden kiss he placed on your lips, making Brahms smile to himself in the kiss. He loved the way you reacted to his touch. He quickly realized you were feeling the same towards him, and that gave him the confidence to continue. You rapidly grew a certain heat in your pelvic area, but the feeling was still unfamiliar to you. Only on the rare occasion did you allow yourself the pleasure, but you felt guilty for it every time.

“Slut… whore… useless daughter…” Your parents’ past words radiate in your head, and a panic washes over your body. Brahms senses your inner conflict again, and stops once more.

“Y/n…?” He gently asks to see if you’re alright. Tears well up in your eyes as the guilt of disappointing your parents consumes you.

“I’m sorry, I just… my mom and dad would be so upset… I just feel so… lost…” You admit, and Brahms wipes your cheeks with his calloused hands.

“Mm, screw them…” He chuckles darkly.

“But…” You try to argue, but he shushes you instead.

“They’ve never been good to you, Y/n…” Brahms shares, and it confuses you at first. They’ve always given you food, shelter, and anything else a child would need.

“But they… they mean well…” You try to reason it out, but he still disagrees.

“I’ve been watching, listening to how they treat you your whole life, Y/n… the way they scream at you, gaslight you, disappoint you… that’s not love… that’s abuse…” Brahms whispers with a broken heart for you. The pain of realization hits you, but you try to muffle your cries with your hands over your mouth.

“I’m so sorry… I know how hard it is… but I… I want to love you… really love you…” He kisses the top of your head sweetly. His words fill your heart with hope that you might not be miserable the rest of your life.

“Really…? I mean, I would love that… but I don’t want to force you into anything…” You self doubt yourself.

“Absolutely. I mean, hell… why do you think I was doing all of this?” Brahms wonders, and you suppose he’s right.

“Yeah, true… I’m sorry, I just feel bad… but thank you, I’d love to… y’know…?” You admit with a shy grin, which he immediately returns.

“Good,” He smirks and kisses you again. This time, the kiss was much more desperate for the sweet result. Brahms shows no mercy for you this time as he begins biting your lips. Your little gasps invoke a strong sense of pride within him. He was making you feel this way, and he alone would make you feel good.

“Hm,” His deep voice rumbles in his chest. Your eyes flutter open and shut, unsure of how to go about this situation. Squirming around awkwardly, you then feel Brahms grab your waist as he lifts you up and onto the table.

“Ah! Brahms...?!” You yelp in surprise.

“Take off your shirt, Y/n.” He demands, already sliding his hands underneath. You timidly follow his instructions, removing your shirt and bra from your body. Brahms looks down from your face and onto your breasts. He adored them, so he ran his hands over them as he gave each nipple a cheeky pinch.

“Oh, Brahms…” Your eyes close in bliss, but he snaps your attention back to his eyes.

“Look at me,” He suggests sternly.

“O-okay…” You do as he wishes and stare deep into his icy eyes. He’s tender and gentle, but he still makes you feel so small next to him.

“You’re so pretty, Y/n… I’ve always loved you…” Brahms brushes a stray lock of hair out of your face, giving him a better view at your beauty.

“I have loved you for the longest time, too, Brahms… I just never knew how to tell you…” You try your best to express your feelings, but your past experience with doing so has never been easy for you. Each emotion you shared ended in an argument with your parents.

“I’m so glad… please…” Brahms pleads, leaning his forehead against yours. He didn’t have to finish for you to understand what he wanted.

“C’mere…” Your sudden burst of trust hits the two of you like a train. Brahms roughly attacks your neck with his lips and teeth, nipping at all your sensitive areas. Exploring each and every inch, he scopes out which areas you like best.

“Mm, Y/n…” He whimpers, rubbing his needy cock against your body. You had neglected it for far too long, and you wanted to give it some love too.

Lowering your hand down to his member, you stroke him through his pants. Pre-cum leaks from his tip and soaks through his underwear slightly. His moans fill your ears with sweet misery. The lack of being inside of you was killing him, but he wanted to take things slow for you.

“Ah, Y/n…! Please! I’ll be a good boy!” He begs you to allow him entrance, and you agree. Instantaneously, he pulls his clothes off and prepares his painfully hard cock to slide into you.

“Oh! You feel… so tight…!” He didn’t tell you, but this was his first time as well. The first feeling of being inside of someone, especially when that someone is you, was the best feeling he’s ever felt. He couldn’t help himself but pump in and out of you. He tried his best to go slow, but his selfish excitement got the better of him. However, you were far from upset by this.

“Ah! D-don’t… stop…!” You plead with him, and he obliges. Slapping his body into yours in a rhythmic motion causes you to quickly feel that coil in your stomach tighten around him.

“F-fuck…! You’re gonna make me…!” As quickly as it started, your love making ended. The two of you came together simultaneously, and everything felt perfect to you. However, Brahms felt a wave of guilt.

“I… I’m sorry… I wish I had lasted longer… and I shouldn’t have pressured you into this…” He goes on and on about all the things he could’ve done better, but you then stop him with a chaste peck on his lips.

“You were perfect. Thank you,” You lovingly look into his eyes. He searches for any sort of regret, but when he finds none he settles into your arms.

~~~

MY REQUESTS FOR DRAWING AND WRITING ARE STILL OPEN!! FEEL FREE TO SEND AN ASK/MESSAGE WITH YOUR IDEA!!

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uwuwriting · 4 years

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Abusive boyfriend w/ Midoriya, Bakugou and Todoroki

Request: Can I have deku, bakugo and Todoroki reacting to the readers unhealthy boyfriend. He brings her down a lot and abusive. - anonymous

Being part of a toxic relationship is so so soooo painful. Thankfully reader-chan has her heroes to save her. Hope you like it. Love ya.💖💖💖

masterlist

rules

warnings: abuse both physical and mental, ptsd and panic attacks, cursing, characters are aged up (they have graduated)

Midoriya Izuku

-Okay so he basically was the one who managed to build your confidence back up after the horrendous break up with your ex.

-Your ex never laid a hand on you but his words were enough to bruise your ego and self worth so much that you believed that you were nothing compared to others.

-From looks to personality, you believed that even a snail was more worth it than you.

-Now you are a beautiful girl and very very smart.

-Guys and girls looked your way even though you were in a relationship.

-And your ex was having none of it.

-It started off really subtly.

- “Are you sure you want to wear that to dinner?”

- “We are going to grab some coffee not going out for drinks.”

- “Don’t you think you are showing too much skin?”

-Then the body shaming started.

- “I think you shouldn’t wear that, I mean look how large it makes you look.”

- “Have you been eating more?”

- “How about I make a diet for you?”

-This really brought you down.

-It reached the point where you would only wear really baggy hoodies in order to hide your body.

-After that turning point he still wasn’t satisfied.

-People, although fewer than before, still had the nerve to hit on you and it was getting on his nerve.

-He started belittling you in front of friends and acquaintances, destroying your already fragile confidence.

-He had dug you a grave and sugarcoated the casket with empty I love you’s.

-He had made you believe that he was the only one who would accept you and love you despite you’re so flawed.

-And he managed to keep you for quite some time.

-Then Midoriya comes along.

-A childhood friend who had become a pro hero and on the top five.

-He saw how skinny you had become, borderline unhealthy, how you shied away from him and literally everyone.

-You were like a scared deer.

-Then the boyfriend came in and everything fell into place.

-Midoriya is smart, he caught on your boyfriend’s belittlement and the reason behind it.

-Now getting you out of this toxic relationship is his new mission.

-You ran into him more often after that first encounter and he always talked to you, complimenting you whenever he could.

-Your boyfriend didn’t catch on until it was too late.

-Midoriya had managed to get you to talk about your relationship and what your boyfriend was like, he had opened your eyes to his abuse and helped you built up the courage to stand up to him and dump his ass.

-He was there of course to support you after the break up.

-And of course after months and months of seeing each other almost everyday, you two became a thing.

-Finally you get to experience true love with someone who truly appreciates you.

Bakugou Katsuki

-You and Bakugou have been friends since high school.

-Inseparable.

-He comes to you for everything, all his troubles are solved by you and you alone.

-You’re special!!

-So when you get a boyfriend he is the first to meet the guy.

-In truth he really didn’t want to because he has been in lobe with you for the longest time and seeing you with someone else reminds him that he is a coward.

-Anyway he meets him and everything is fine, he looks decent and he seems to treat you well.

-As months pass you seem to distance yourself more and more from him.

-Bakugou at first is angry, he is fuming I tell you.

-He doesn’t like the silence that he receives when he calls, or the single word replies when he texts and he especially despises your refusal to go out with him like you used to.

-He gets that you have a boyfriend now and you have to spend more time with your bf but he still felt betrayed.

-Then doubt started to settle in his mind.

-Maybe you realized he wasn’t worth the trouble, I mean he is a difficult person, maybe your new boyfriend opened your eyes and now you want nothing to do with him.

-Or maybe you figured out he was in love with you.

-Had he been scowling more than usual while he was meeting your boyfriend?

-He wanted to ask you what he did wrong but he couldn’t reach you.

-So he sucked it up and drowned himself in his hero work, drowning his nagging mind along with his free time.

-Then something unexpected happened.

-Uraraka visited him, worry written all over her face.

-She was worried for you and wanted to ask him if everything was alright, since he was your best friend.

- “She stopped showing up to our weekly girl evening and she won’t answer my texts.... I’m really worried for her Bakugou.”

-That was the last straw for him.

-He went to your apartment and after five minutes of knocking your boyfriend opened the door.

-The scowls on the guy’s face was really REALLY pushing his buttons.

- “Is Y/N here?”

- “What do you want her for?”

- “I want to talk to her.”

-This man..... he closed the door in Bakugou’s face.

-Well closed is putting it mildly.

-He slammed the door shut with so much force that a mirror down the hall rattled.

-Bakugou was ready to blow the door open when he heard the shouts.

- “Y/N why the fuck is that guy here?”

- “W-what guy?”

- “Don’t act all innocent you slut! The guy you are fucking!”

- “I-I don’t k-know who y-you are talking a-about.”

-The moment he heard your sniffles echo through the door he was inside the apartment shoving the guy away from you.

- “Don’t you fucking dare speak to her like that, asshole.”

-You were trembling behind him and Bakugou could feel the sob threatening to escape your lips.

-Looking over his shoulder at you he spoke gently as if you were a scared kitten.

- “Y/N could you go get some of your stuff ready? I’m taking you away from this dickhead.”

- “Who do you think you are? That’s MY girlfriend she listens to me alone!”

- “Don’t speak as if she’s an object!”

-You had disappeared to your room to get your things and were now clinging to Bakugou’s back.

- “So you are fucking him. What should I have expected from a whore like you!”

-Okay now Bakugou was presented with two options.

-Option A: beat the living shit out of this guy and most likely losing his hero license for a week.

-Option B: get you out of here and let this asshole boil in his own defeat.

-He went with option B.

-Wordlessly he guided you out of your apartment complex and into his car, drove you to his house and proceeded to help you calm down.

-You had had one panic attack in the past so he didn’t really know what to do.

-But he managed.

- “Whatever he said to you isn’t true. I don’t know what actually went down between you two and what he got into the pretty little head of your but none of that matters. Just know that we are all here for you. Me, the girls even stupid Deku. And we love you, I love you so don’t worry about anything. Everything will be alright.”

-From that point on everything was history.

-It didn’t take long for you two to start dating and Bakugou made sure to have a firm talk with your now ex boyfriend when you ran into him at the grocery store.

-Get wrecked douchebag.

Todoroki Shouto

-Toxic relationships is something Todoroki is a pro at this point.

-He grew up in one so yeah.

-He sees the signs of the abuse faster than anyone.

-First of all, you inch away from anyone who starts flaying their arms.

-Despite the warm weather you always wear long sleeves.

-And he has seen you applying extra make up around your eye once.

-He also notices how you always try to avoid annoying your boyfriend, like you take extreme measures.

-You distance yourself from other males going as far as to avoid him to an extent.

-Then he sees the bruises.

-You two were training at the agency’s gym when your shirt rode up your torso and there was this huge bruise right under your ribs.

- “Y/N who did this?”

- “Oh I just got slightly injured during my last patrol.”

-He isn’t buying it since he was with you during your last patrol and you didn’t get injured.

-But he lets it slide because he believes that you know whats best for you and you will get away from this guy.

-But for some reason you stay with him.

-For months.

-And Todo can’t take it anymore.

- “Y/N can I talk to you?”

-He talks to you about what he has seen and that he knows that your boyfriend is doing this to you.

- “So please, please leave him, get out while you can. Y/N I can’t see you hurt like this.”

-You see the thing was that you had made the stupid decision of moving in with him and now.... you had nowhere to go.

-If you broke up with him you wouldn’t have a place to stay and you couldn’t start searching for a new place, he traces your phone and search history.

- “You’ll live with me. I’ll give you everything you need just please please let go of him. He doesn’t deserve you. I hate seeing you so hurt and broken.”

- “Please come with me then, Shouto I-I can’t do this alone.”

-Of course he came with you, standing in between you and that asshole as he went to strike you when you broke the news to him.

- “You are leaving me for this piece of shit huh? Of course you would you whore!”

-He went as far as activating his quirk, attacking Shouto in an attempt to get to you.

- “I own you you fucking slut! No one will want you! You are mine!”

-Shouto wasn’t as calm as Bakugou in this situation, punching the guy before leaving the apartment, making sure that the guy got the message and wouldn’t try to come after you.

-Back at his apartment, Shouto comforted you as best he could.

-You know where this leads.

-Shouto gives you the space you need before making a move.

-My mans waits months before even remotely flirting with you.

-After a year long wait he finally manages to ask you out.

-And the rest is history.

TAG TEAM AY:

@iwaqchan @the-arcana-fan-fic @angelwritings @axerrri @dnarez-mangetsu @reinyrei @bemorefiction

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lfcology · 3 years

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are you afraid of the dark? | charlie weasley

summary: Part of a new series where I write about Harry Potter characters helping/reacting to the reader and their fears. This is about Charlie and the reader back at The Burrow for the first time in years. Reader has hid her fear from him but finally has no choice but to talk about how she’s scared of the dark.

pairing: Fem!Reader who is a Dragonologist x Charlie.

word count: 1.6k

warnings: None besides the fear of the dark and mentions of food.

A/N: This is my first fic here! Please Tell me what you think!

It seemed foolish – having one of the most feared jobs in the wizarding world yet being afraid of the dark. It was something you hid well, no one ever picked up on the fact that you always had a light on when the sun went down. And, if they ever were to ask a question, you were able to cover it up with a little white lie. It wasn’t something that posed you as a real issue until Charlie Weasley entered your life. You two had been friends during your time at Hogwarts, in the same year and both loving magical creatures. As the years went by you two found yourselves smitten with one another. He, just like you, was enamoured with the scaley, temperamental beasts that were dragons. It took a bit of persuasion from Hagrid (who insisted his two favourite students would make a perfect pair) but Charlie asked you to Hogsmeade and the rest was history. You two got accepted as apprentice dragon trainers in Romania together and after years the spark of infatuation you two felt grew into genuine and strong love.

Your fear of the dark was never a topic that came up. Working with dragons meant being awake during their most active hours – the night. Their fire lit up the darkness of the sanctuary and when you two finally got the time to sleep, it was daytime, the sun provided all the light you needed to have your fear dissipate. The only time, after years of being together, Charlie noticed you acting strangely about the topic was the winter of 1995.

It was the first year you were spending Christmas at The Burrow, having such a hectic work life meant you and Charlie opted to spend most holidays in Romania. Molly trusted the two of you not to have any funny business go on and let you share Charlie's childhood bedroom with him (despite the no girls in the bedrooms rule that was put in place years before). After working the night shift for so long the pair of you welcomed a warm home, comfy bed and a hardy nap with open arms. Molly hated to wake you two up but hours later she came in to let you two know dinner was ready whenever you two wanted it.

"Morning." Charlie joked as he stretched his aching limbs out.

Evening was coming closer and as you looked out the window you saw that the last moments of sunlight for the day were illuminating the bedroom in a golden stream of light. Charlie Weasley looked utterly ethereal from his spot next to you. His tangerine coloured hair rested ever so gently across his forehead from where he'd decided to let it grow out. The constellations of freckles speckled his face almost perfectly despite being so randomly placed – It was as if the sun had personally come and kissed them upon his skin. Photos were pinned around the room showing him both before and during his time at Hogwarts and looking at the man in front of you now your heart swelled. He had grown into such a wonderful human. His jaw filled out and was stronger as if a symbol of the confidence he felt in himself. Charlie had grown up but lost none of the boyish charms he had when you fell in love with him. He donned a couple more scars than when he'd left England all those years before but he still fit into The Burrow like a glove.

He ran a calloused hand through your hair and pressed a kiss to your forehead before sitting up and cracking some of his bones in an attempt to wake up more. You hummed contently and kissed him softly before putting on a signature Weasley sweater (gifted from Molly after only dating Charlie for 2 months).

"Well, looks like Sleeping Beauty and (Y/N) are finally awake." Fred teased from his spot at the kitchen table.

He and George were tinkering with what you assumed was another invention of theirs as Charlie lovingly smacked the back of their heads. You smiled at the brotherly moment before taking a seat and having plates mounted with food placed in front of you just as quickly as you blinked. It was delicious, just what you needed to start a much-needed vacation. The cosiness of The Burrow mixed with a full tummy had you lulled into a sleepy stupor. Charlie continued chatting with his siblings, most of which were home from school for the holidays, as you leaned into his side. Between the couch beneath you two, the muggle Christmas song playing somewhere in the house and him stroking your shoulder: it felt like home.

After a few more stifled yawns from Charlie, Mrs Weasley sent you both back to bed in hopes tomorrow would bring more family time. Coming back to Charlies room felt different. The curtains were still open but with only the waxing crescent moon in the sky to provide light it was eery. You tried to remain calm despite feeling your fear rising in your throat. Charlie was around and surely that would give you enough comfort to fall asleep without a hitch, right? You slipped off your sweater knowing Charlie produced heat like a campfire and slid into bed in hopes of a quick and dreamless sleep. The Burrow, despite how strange it seemed, was silent. You assumed someone had cast a silencing charm on the room for you two to rest peacefully but right now it only fuelled your fear more. You laid motionless for the most part, Charlie snuggled up as usual with his arm around your waist as you stared at the ceiling. You were tense and after a few kisses to your neck from the boy didn't gain your attention he sensed something was off.

"Goodnight my love." He said trying to gauge your reaction before mentioning something.

He pretending to sleep, listening intently to your breathing and analysing the tenseness of your body beneath his arm. You, on the other hand, paid him no attention. How could you when fear clouded your vision more than the darkness itself. You felt as though the room was filled with evil beings and creatures just waiting for their moment to attack. It sent a shrill fear down your spine and your breathing picked up dramatically making Charlie frown and sit up. With the flick of his hand, he wandlessly cast a charm to turn on his bedside lamp.

"Hey..." He muttered softly to get your attention.

Your eyes were wide and glazed over, you were on high alert and even as you looked around the room and saw it was only old Quidditch merchandise around and not monsters you didn't relax. Charlie held your hand ever so gently making your eyes snap down to him where he gave you a calming, reassuring smile. It wasn't a very different look than what he'd give to a wounded animal.

"Hi..." You replied trying to seem normal.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he looked around the room in an attempt to see what had startled you so much.

"Yes, just thinking-" You tried to reassure but he only furrowed his deep brows at you in disbelief. He could easily tell on your face that you not only were lying but something was most definitely worrying you.

"C'mon, tell me, Princess." He said with a frown. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

You sighed knowing you couldn't hide your secret much longer. You felt more at ease now that the light was on but as you stared at it you wondered what Charlie would think once he knew your secret. "'S nothing." You shrugged but he once again wasn't having it.

"You're a terrible liar." He teased trying to lighten the mood but when you didn't give him so much as a smile, he knew it was serious. Sitting up straighter and clearing his throat he held both your hands in his larger ones. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" He asked as you bit your lip and ducked your head in shame.

His head followed yours and he tried to meet your eyes again which made you smile slightly as he resembled a child wanting answers. "I'm afraid of the dark." You finally muttered.

He tried to hide his shock but couldn't help but let out a surprised giggled which only made you pout more. "You said you wouldn't make fun..."

"I know and I'm sorry for laughing but-" He shook his head in disbelief. "You work with arguably one of the scariest animals in the world but you're scared of the dark?"

You fiddled with the hem of the blanket as you tried to think of a way to explain it. "It's not so much the dark itself that scares me." He leaned down in bed again and rested his head on his hand to give you his undivided attention. "You and I know better than anyone what kind of stuff hides in the shadows..."

He nodded and stroke your hair back away from your face once you laid down with him again. "You should have told me earlier. You know I wouldn't mind sleeping with the light on. Hell, we do it every day considering how messed up our sleep schedule is." He said referring to your night shifts.

"I didn't want you to think I was silly." You said with a shrug.

Pecking your lips softly he turned over and flicked the light off again before grabbing his wand from the nightstand and casting a nonverbal spell. Before your eyes, a baby dragon sprouted from the tip of his wand and was glowing a gorgeous warm white. It flew around the room exploring, not much different than the babies you work with on the regular.

"Ronnie used to have trouble falling asleep so I would make these little guys for him." He explained.

You didn't feel scared anymore. Between the light that the dragon illuminated as it pranced around the room and the strong arms of Charlie around you, you felt sleep calling your name.

"I'm always going to be here to protect you from whatever hides in the dark," Charlie said just above a whisper as the baby dragon settled gently on the bed between you two. "Even if it means a little light in my eyes." He teased making you smile and peck his lips as a wordless form of showing your love.

It didn't take long for you to fall asleep, then the dragon, and lastly Charlie. He watched over you to make sure you were safe and comfortable before resting his eyes. By the time you woke up the sun was out, the dragon was gone and your tangerine haired boyfriend had you protectively in his arms. You had no fears when Charlie was around.

#charlie weasley x reader #charlie weasley #charlie weasley fanfic #charlie weasley oneshot #the burrow #weasley family x reader #harry potter #why didn't they put charlie in the movies :(#phobia series

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bokutosworld · 3 years

Text

then and now | kuroo t.

pairing: kuroo tetsurō x f!reader word count: 1863 words, fluff! mutual pining! warning: manga spoilers, with mention of kuroo’s timeskip occupation summary: always the bridesmaid, never the bride. you thought your time would never come until someone from your past comes along and brings up something you’ve long forgotten. OR where you and kuroo make a silly marriage pact and he shows up after years apart to make it come true.

He chuckled, now comfortably holding your one hand and hiding it in his pocket to keep it warm. “Here I was wondering if you were waiting for me.

Because I was.”

The church bell tolls, white doves are released, and joyful cheer and applause erupts from the crowd as the newlywed couple steps out from the cathedral. The now husband-and-wife gaze at each other full of love, and it is a sight guaranteed to make one envious and long for that same kind of affection.

But to you, it’s a scene that you’ve seen so many times that it already feels like a short film played on repeat. For the past year, you’ve lost count of how many weddings you’ve attended – whether as a guest or part of the bride’s entourage – that you’ve acquainted yourself with the workings of the event.

Heck, you’ve even memorized the readings of the priest that if they ever need a replacement, you can be the stand-in and officiate the program.

However, this wedding was different. Your best friend of more than fifteen years is the one who walked down the aisle, and you’re more emotional than you expected you’d be. Earlier in the morning, she woke you up, feeling sentimental, and demanded a pep talk. It was laughable because, more than her, you thought it was you who needed that assurance as you sent off your childhood friend to a new journey in her life.

The whole ordeal felt surreal and somehow, a tad more personal, because it wasn’t just any bride – this was the same girl you grew up with, the one you’ve seen in diapers, the one who held your hand in the playground, the person who you always ran to for boy troubles. Watching her exchange vows and rings felt like a coming to life of a scrapbook page, a long-awaited dream that you’ve talked about together in sleepovers where none of you really slept.

It made you wonder if you will ever march down the same aisle towards the waiting arms of your beloved.

---

“What a wedding, huh?”

The hotel reception was no different to the ceremony that took place prior. This time again, you wore the bride’s maid-in-honor hat and only after making sure that everything – that included the food, drinks, and entertainment – were in place did you take your place on the table and chatted with your old friends from high school.

The conversation started off with comments on how grand, intimate, and special the ceremony was. They talked about how it was wedding season, counting just how many of their schoolmates have already been wed. And before you knew it, eyes were on you and you had an inkling of what would follow.

“So,” Yoshioka, your former student council president, turned towards you. “You’re the only bachelorette left in our batch. We’re just curious.”

You laughed awkwardly, “No, please don’t expect a wedding invitation from me anytime soon. I’m still happily single.” The smile you wore felt strained, but whether the other girls recognized it or not, they chose to not comment further.

“Besides, it’s a great source of joy for me just being able to see you guys get married.” Noticing that the lights have begun to dim and focused on the spot on the stage, you clapped your hands, “Now, let’s just enjoy Yukie’s wedding, alright! Look, they’re coming out.”

As soon as the couple walked to the floor for their first dance, you heaved a sigh of relief and slumped in your cushioned chair. They moved gracefully as one across the dance floor, seemingly lost in their own world as they gazed deeply in each other’s eyes and swayed to the tune of the love song.

You thought back to the conversation earlier and weirdly, you felt a pang inside. Truth is, in every wedding you’ve attended, you can’t help but feel wishful. You consider yourself successful in almost every aspect of your life but sometimes, it can feel dejecting when you return home to an empty apartment at the end of a tough workday.

A part of you craved to make that little girl’s dream come true of wearing the wedding dress that you’ve designed, staying up all night for a bridal shower, and walking down the aisle to where your lover was waiting.

When the couple’s first dance ended, the host entered the stage and the program officially began. You could only hope that hours would pass faster.

---

Two hours into the reception and you can already feel the shots kicking in your system.

It wasn’t a really good idea downing five straight shots of tequila. At first, you thought it would quell your nerves, make you let loose and be the funnier version of yourself as you stepped to the podium to deliver your congratulatory speech to the couple.

In retrospect, it looks like the drink did its job as you managed to emit laughter and emotional tears from the crowd as you reminisced on your relationship with the bride, recounting the story of how she fell deeply in love and decided that he was the one.

But now, hunched in your seat with head on your hands, you were seemingly tipsy and all you could think about was escaping outside for some fresh air.

So, you did. When the groom’s best man took the stage, you saw this as an opportunity to quietly slip to the balcony.

Shutting the door behind you with a quiet thud, you eyed the empty balcony and sat towards the nearest bench. The surface was a bit cold as the city was now ushering the season of fall, signaling the arrival of long nights and chilly evenings. You shivered slightly and tucked your coat closer to your body as you stare at the darkness.

You don’t know how long you’ve been outside until you heard the door open and in came a tall, attractive, and oddly familiar man. His face held a warm smile as you noticed that his gaze was directed towards you.

“Long day?”

And it was only until he stepped closer and stood in front of you, the moonlight illuminating his face and accentuating his features, that you realized who he was.

“Tetsurō?!”

When was the last time you saw the Kuroo Tetsurō? You racked your brain for your last encounter with him and your memories point to your high school graduation. All of a sudden, you felt small and your surroundings became hot as you stood in front of him. Your former childhood neighbor. Former best friend. Former crush.

Not that he had any idea about that last item.

“I thought I saw you earlier before the reception started,” he made himself comfortable on the bench, patting the space beside him to urge you to sit as well. “But it’s been so long since I last saw you so of course I thought I was hallucinating. Then you gave a speech on stage – which by the way, I thought was awesome, you’re still as witty as you were before – and my suspicions were confirmed.”

You were breathless. Speechless. What were the odds that your reunion with him would be at a wedding?

“Did Yukie send you the wedding invitation?”

His laugh echoed in the darkness of the night, “Yeah, she did. It was nice to see familiar faces again.” He stared back at you, “I missed everyone.” I missed you, he wanted to say.

You hummed in agreement and without realizing, the two of you engaged in a comfortable conversation with Kuroo leading just as he always did. Being charming just as he always was. Telling you stories from the part of the past that you didn’t know. Catching you up with his present where he now works in the sports promotion division of Japan Volleyball Association.

A small part of you was relieved to know that Kuroo was doing well and successful just as you always hoped he would be. Years of no contact with the boy that stole your heart from day one certainly left you lonely. You wouldn’t say it out loud but he was part of the equation of why you still haven’t tied the knot. It was silly but you always thought that no one could measure up to him.

Absentmindedly, you started fiddling with your fingers, a habit you’ve formed when you were feeling cold, and Kuroo noticed. And just as he always did back then, he enveloped your hands with his and brought them to his lips to blow warm air on them.

“That better?”

Your heart threatened to flutter, “Yeah, thanks.”

After a long while of silence, Kuroo spoke. “I see there’s still no ring on your fourth finger.” He was now nonchalantly stroking your hands, letting his fingers slip in yours.

You coughed nervously, averting your eyes from his deep ones. “Well, I haven’t really found anyone.”

He chuckled, now comfortably holding your one hand and hiding it in his pocket to keep it warm. “Here I was wondering if you were waiting for me.

Because I was.” Oh no, be still my heart, you thought.

Kuroo went on, “Remember that silly pact we made on the night before graduation?”

Your mind takes you back on that evening when you and Kuroo were sitting on the rooftop, away from the noisy crowds and drunk soon-to-be college students. This was your thing, enjoying the calmness and admiring the stars spread out in the night sky.

That evening, you and Kuroo talked about the uncertain future that lied ahead. That evening, you bared your soul to him, letting him in on your worries and you fell apart in his comforting presence. He, as always, acted as your anchor, assuring you that he would always be your biggest supporter and that he’d always cheer on you even from afar.

That evening, with the two of you drunk on the excitement and the many possibilities for the new chapter of life, he brought up a proposal.

“I have a crazy idea.” Kuroo linked his pinkie finger with yours. “If we’re still single and not yet married by the age of 35, I’ll find you and we’ll get married.”

Swept away in the moment and the thrill of the idea, you agreed and sealed the proposal with a harmless kiss.

“You still remember that?” You questioned, not expecting him to actually remember that silly pact. Not expecting him to be holding on to that agreement.

“Sometimes, I wonder where we could be now if I just manned up and asked you out that night instead of pulling that act.” He holds your gaze, careful as he brings a hand to cup your cheek. “I’ve liked you for the longest time. And if you’re still available, if you’ll still have me, I am yours.”

“But we’re not yet 35, Kuroo,” you teased. He chuckled and playfully shoved you before bringing you in an embrace.

“I’ve decided years ago. You’re the only one for me,” he pulls away. “I’m sorry it took me a long time.”

And that night, it wasn’t only your best friend that went home feeling the happiest girl in the world.

Because there was Kuroo who was ready to make up for lost time and give you a reason to look forward to your trips back home.

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu imagines #kuroo x reader #haikyuucreations #haikyuu fluff #kuroo fluff #kuroo scenarios #kuroo imagines #kuroo tetsuro x you #haikyuu kuroo #haikyuu one shot #kuroo tetsuro fluff #haikyuu drabbles #haikyuu x you

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starshine583 · 4 years

Text

New Girl on the Block (2)

(So there are Journal Entries that are supposed to go with these fics, but I’ll admit they’re not as details haha. It’s up to you if you wanna read them or not, but please enjoy this chapter either way!)

Ch.1 / Ch.3

Chapter 2: Looming Support

Marinette bustled down the last few steps to the bakery and made a mad dash for the door. She should arrive at Rosemary right on time- for once in her life -but Felix was supposed to be meeting her there since they shared their first class together, and his demeanor gave her the impression that he preferred to get to class early instead of right on time.

“Oh- don’t forget you’re croissants for lunch!” Sabine called after her, causing Marinette to screech to a halt.

“Right, right, thanks Maman.” She replied hastily, nearly yanking the paper bag from Sabine’s hands.

“Careful with those! They’re fresh!” Sabine warned.

Marinette only nodded, as it was the only thing she had time to do, and ripped open the bakery door. The school was now five blocks away instead of two, but if she started running-

“Marinette!”

All thoughts of Felix and Rosemary flooded from her mind when the chipper voice of Adrien Agreste reached her ears.

She glanced up to see her former classmate- and former crush, for that matter -stepping out of his silver car. Her first instinct was to run, but her feet refused to move, as if they were rooted to the spot from sheer panic. Why was he here? No, nevermind. She knew why he was here. The look on his face gave it all away. That easy smile paired with those stupid, pitying eyes was a look she’d seen a thousand times before. He always wore that expression when he was about to give her another lecture on why she needed to be the bigger person and let Lila figure out the error of her ways on her own.

“Marinette, I’m so glad I caught you! I tried to visit yesterday, but Mme Sabine said you weren’t home.”

Marinette held back a smile, knowing full well that she’d been home all evening yesterday. Her mother was such a saint.

The humor didn’t last long, though, because Adrien continued, “I wanted to talk to you about your transfer? When did you decide to change schools? You didn’t even say goodbye.”

Involuntarily, she started shifting from foot to foot. Aside from the fact that merely looking at Adrien made her immensely uncomfortable, school would be starting soon. The last thing she wanted to do was cause Felix to be late if he decided to wait for her. “A-Adrien, I really need to go.”

His smile wavered. “Maybe I can give you a ride? I really think we should talk.”

Finally regaining command over her own two feet, Marinette shuffled a step back. “No, t-that’s alright. I don’t want to trouble you.”

Adrien stepped forward. “It’s no trouble-”

“ThanksbutIreallyhavetogonowbye-” The quick farewell shot from her lips as she tore off down the sidewalk, giving him no room to argue. She knew Adrien all too well, and she knew that he would keep her there all day if it meant persuading her into his vehicle- or anywhere private -for them to “talk”.

Marinette turned left and right, winding through the streets and back alleyways of Paris. It wasn’t the ideal detour, but she wanted to be absolutely certain that he didn't follow her. If Adrien was willing to show up at her house, she doubted that he would hesitate to show up at her school too.

So she ran, ignoring the burning in her legs and desperately praying that Felix wouldn’t glare at her too much for the inconvenience.

~~~~~~

Time: eight thirty-two in the morning, exactly two minutes after classes were supposed to start.

Felix never considered being late a problem so long as it wasn’t a regular occurrence. The tardy marks that assaulted his otherwise perfect attendance, however, were a bit of a nuisance. If it had been anyone other than Marinette, he would have left as soon as the class bell resonated within these borderline cavernous halls.

A pair of footsteps developed in the distance, faint at first. He didn’t bother turning his head until the sound grew into a loud tapping on the pavement, but what he saw surprised him. Marinette, the very girl he was waiting for, was sprinting towards him. If that wasn’t enough, she ran right past him and into the school! Granted, she spouted something in his direction as she passed, but he certainly didn’t catch it.

Felix, despite being thoroughly confused, followed her inside, where she was now bent over and gasping for air.

“I’m- I’m so sorry for- for being late.” She panted, briefly glancing up as she did. He noted that her gaze was focused more on the windows than him, though.

“It happens.” He murmured, curiosity prompting him to look out the windows as well. A few cars passed, but nothing out of the ordinary. What was she looking for?

“You’re not mad?” She huffed, flicking her eyes to the window again and taking a step to the right. Was she trying to hide from something?

Felix frowned. “No, but we should get to class. Getting detention on your first day isn’t the best first impression.”

Marinette nodded, drawing in one last breath and straightening. “Okay.. History’s first, right?”

“Correct. They’ve already started, though, so we’ll need to be discrete.”

She pulled a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”

He shrugged. “It’s only the first class of the day. Once the next class starts, our schedules will right themselves, and our lateness will be forgotten.”

And it was. By the time Felix met up with the others for lunch a few hours later, Marinette was bright and cheery and not nearly as distressed as she had been that morning. He idly wondered what could have caused so much panic for her, but it wasn’t his business to ask. They’d only known each for a day, after all. If she wanted to tell him about her problems, she would.

“Ready to go, Mari?” Allegra asked, looping her arm with Marinette’s. “The restaurant is a bit far so I’m gonna have you ride with me, if you don’t mind.”

“We’re going to a restaurant?”

“Yeah, where else would we go?” Claude replied.

A soft “oh” passed Marinette’s lips, and she looked down at the small, pink package in her hands. “I, um.. I thought we were just going to eat at the park or something, so I brought my own lunch.”

“That’s alright!” Allegra smiled. “We’ll just go to a cafe instead. I know this outdoor one a few minutes from here that has the most splendid pastries.”

“Are you sure-”

“Of course we’re sure.” Allegra insisted, waving off Marinette’s concerns as they walked outside. “This lunch is for you, after all.”

Her bluebell eyes blew wide at the information. “For me?”

“It’s our way of celebrating a new member of the group.” Allan casually explained.

“Felix didn’t get a lunch since we already have to drag him by the ankles to everything else we do.” Claude added with a smirk.

Felix rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t disagree. They really did jump through a lot of hoops to hang out with him. Why the trio went through so much trouble, he’ll never know.

Marinette, however, giggled at the knowledge and stole a glance in his direction.

Feeling as if he should acknowledge her look, he leaned towards her and murmured, “You can still run. The ‘initiation lunch’ hasn’t started yet.”

She put a hand over her mouth to stifle her increased laughter. “I think I’ll take my chances.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Suit yourself. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were all climbing out of their respective cars- Marinette hopping out with Allegra -and deciding which table to steal for the half hour they had left. Claude jumped to a circular table near the edge of the street because it “had more sun”. Since no one else had a specific preference, they followed along behind him.

“We try to make it a point to have lunch together whenever we can.” Allegra said to Marinette as they sat down. “Usually, we get to have one at least once a week.”

“Felix always tries to escape, but struggle is futile when Allegra is involved.” Claude whispered to the ravenette. The fact that he had to lean all the way across the table to do so, however, caused everyone to hear it anyway.

Allegra pulled a cheeky smile, not even denying the comment. She knew how ruthless she could be when she wanted something, and it was a trait that she held in high esteem.

Marinette, once again, fell into a small fit of giggles. Felix found that he rather enjoyed hearing her laugh, which was surprising. People who laughed at every other word in a conversation usually irritated him. They were either looking for his approval or just had dreadful, snorty laughs in general. Not hers, though. Something about Marinette’s laugh reminded him of tinkling bells or pure sunshine. It almost made him want to laugh along with her.

“How long have you all been friends?” Marinette asked curiously, resting her elbows on the table and her chin on the back of her folded hands.

Allegra was the first to answer. “Claude, Allan, and I have been friends since childhood, but Felix was roped into joining us a little over two years ago.”

A waitress came by to take their orders for drinks and food, but after she left, Marinette continued the conversation.

“It’s cool that you all have stayed such good friends over the years. At my other school, I somehow got put in the same class of people for six years straight, but..” She trailed off, her smile fading slightly.

“But what?” Felix prompted, ignoring the surprised look the others gave him.

If someone had told him yesterday that he’d be asking a random girl about her troubles, he would have said they were ridiculous, or better yet, not responded at all. When it came down to it, Felix wasn’t a sensitive or compassionate person.

And yet, here he was, asking Marinette to continue addressing her woes- and they were woes. No one looked that depressed when thinking about cherished memories. -for a simple life story. Felix wanted to know what made her tick, how she became the person she was today. He couldn’t do that with the scarce information that he currently possessed. If she was close to telling them something important, why waste the opportunity?

Marinette’s eyes met his, also holding a bit of shock.

“But..” She repeated, casting her gaze downwards and lowering her hands. “I guess being childhood friends wasn’t enough to keep us from drifting apart.”

The table fell silent.

Even as the waitress came back with their drinks, even though Claude- who usually never shut up -was sitting right there, the table fell silent. It was one of those moments, Felix supposed, that had to be silent, to reflect on the grief that hung so heavily in Marinette’s words.

Finally, Allan put his hand on hers. “We’re here for you.”

The statement was soft, but strong and filled with sincerity. Allegra and Claude reached forward and grabbed her hand as well, showing their shared support.

Marinette put her free hand on top of theirs, her eyes glistening with tears, but her smile warm and grateful. “Thank you.”

Although Felix didn’t partake in the handholding, he offered her a meaningful look. “I told you: once the ‘initiation lunch’ is started, you’re stuck here.”

A choked laugh came from her, and she wiped away a single, stray tear. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

~~~~~~

Marinette popped the last bite of her meal into her mouth and started balling up the wrappers and dirtied napkins to put them back in her lunchbox so she could throw them away later. She’d decided to wait until the others got their meals from the cafe before eating her prepared lunch, which resulted in a time crunch that required her to somewhat scarf down her food. Marinette didn’t mind it, though. Allegra moved their entire lunch date to another location in an effort to accommodate her. The least she could do was wait an extra ten or twenty minutes before eating.

“What is that heavenly smell?” Claude asked, going so far as to stand from his seat slightly.

Marinette, who had just taken out her mother’s croissants, smiled. “Maman packed me fresh croissants from our bakery this morning.”

“You have a bakery??” Claude asked next, rising further from his seat.

Allegra swatted at his arm. “Claude, behave yourself. We’re in public.”

The brunette sat down immediately, but his eyes remained on Marinette. Or rather, the paper bag she was holding.

Marinette giggled. “Yes, about five blocks from Rosemary.” She then opened the bag and fished out a croissant. “Would you like to try one?”

“Absolutely!” Claude said, almost urgently, as he shot out of his seat to grab the offered food.

“Claude!” Allegra hissed.

Instantly, he sat down again, reminding Marinette of a hyperactive, yet well-trained puppy. She couldn’t help grinning at the sight.

“They’re chocolate flavored.” Marinette informed as she handed it to him. “We also have a cheese-filled one, but I don’t have any of those today.”

Claude didn’t hesitate to take a bite of the croissant, and she watched with an amused smile as his entire being seemed to melt into the chair.

“Is it really that good?” Allegra inquired, reaching up to take a piece.

Claude jerked away, clutching the croissant to his chest as if it were a priceless heirloom. “No! She gave it to me!”

Allegra lips pressed into a thin, impatient line. “I just want one little piece.”

He shook his head. “Get your own croissant.”

“Claude-”

Before she could argue any further, Claude shoved the entire croissant into his mouth.

“Claude!” Allegra cried, both annoyed and concerned at the same time.

“I have more!” Marinette rushed to say, not wanting the conflict to worsen. Thankfully, the two turned back to her.

“Maman packed a few extras since she knew that I was eating with you guys.” She explained, taking out another croissant.

Allan put a hand to his heart jokingly. “Aw~, you talk about us?”

A light blush dusted her cheeks, and she handed Allegra the croissant. “Well, you four are definitely a memorable group.”

“We wouldn’t be fun if we weren’t.” Claude winked, taking another croissant himself. It was actually Marinette’s croissant, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. His giddiness as he bit into the breaded treat was too good to ruin. Besides, she could always snag another one when she got home.

Allan hummed with pleasure next to her. “How did you make them so fluffy?”

“Maybe you guys can come over sometime to find out.” Marinette suggested with a smile. They’d taken her to lunch, so it seemed only fitting to invite them to her house as thanks.

Claude immediately brightened. “Can we really?”

She giggled. “I don’t see why not. I’m sure Maman and Papa would even teach you how to make the croissants yourselves if you’re nice enough.”

“Girl, you just say the word. I will be the epitome of nice.”

A round of laughter spread amongst the group. As if Claude could be anything but chaotic for more than a few minutes.

“We would love to come over.” Allegra said, still holding a wry smile from Claude’s comment.

Marinette beamed. “Great! I’ll see when Maman has a free day.”

A beeping sound cut into the conversation, and Felix glanced down at his watch. “Time’s up. We need to get back to the school for our next class.”

“You have a timer?” Marinette asked, purely curious, as they all started getting up.

“Felix always has a timer.” Claude interjected.

Felix sent him a glare. “It’s a practical thing to do. If I didn’t set a timer, we would all be expelled by now for being late to class too often.”

“He has a point.” Allegra allowed, pulling her purse onto her shoulder.

Claude shot her a betrayed look. “Don’t side with him!”

Allegra merely shrugged in response. “We’ll see you guys back at school.”

“We?”

Allegra made a small gesture between herself and Marinette. “We’re riding together, remember?”

Claude straightened. “Hey, that’s not fair! You got to ride with her on the way here.”

Allegra rose a brow. “Your point?”

Claude flailed his arms, as if it were obvious. “So it’s my turn to drive her.”

“Your turn?” Allegra scoffed. “She’s a human being, not some object to be thrown around!”

“Says the person who gets to drive her.” Claude retorted.

Allegra narrowed her eyes. “Fine. Why don’t we let Marinette decide who she rides with?”

An involuntary squeak escaped Marinette’s lips as the two turned to her.

“Oh, um, well-”

Felix’s sigh cut her off. “Enough. I’ll drive her.”

Claude’s jaw dropped open.

Allegra blinked.

Marinette just stared at him, vaguely aware of Allan smirking approvingly next to her.

“If that’s alright with you.” Felix added, breaking their stunned silence.

“O-Oh! Uh, yes. That’s fine.” Marinette replied unthinkingly.

He nodded. “Good. Let’s get going then.”

Marinette shuffled along behind him, sparing a quick glance to Claude and Allegra. They were still staring, though Allegra now had enough sense about her to clench her jaw from displeasure.

She managed to give them both an apologetic look before Felix led her around the corner to where his car was parked.

He helped her in, then got in himself and ordered the driver to take them back to school.

~~~~~~

Felix stared out the car window as he tapped his index finger against his thigh. They were alone now. Just him and Marinette. This situation provided a million opportunities. He could ask her more questions about her old school, or her home life, or how she was enjoying the school so far. If she assumed that he was prodding, she might clam up, though. So he should probably choose one subject for the time being. Which question was most important? Which would give him the most information?

His finger started tapping faster in thought. Her old school seemed to be a touchy subject. That would be shut down quickly. She’s also extended an invitation to her house. Any questions he asked about that would be answered eventually anyway. That left her opinion of Rosemary Highschool, but that hardly reflected much of her personal life.

Felix checked his watch. They would be at the school in roughly five minutes, and there was no telling when they’d be alone again, what with Claude and Allegra running about. He had to ask something.

He stole a glance in her direction. Marinette was staring out the window as well, quietly twiddling her thumbs. He found that it was something she did often- fiddling, that is. It must be a coping mechanism for her anxiety. She practically couldn’t sit still during their first class after the mysterious scare she’d had that.. morning..

Felix cleared his throat. He knew what he wanted to ask her now.

“Can I ask you something?” He began, hoping she wouldn’t be as annoyed by this as he himself would be.

Marinette startled, whirling around to face him. “Sorry?”

“I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Oh.” She said, relaxing a bit. “Okay.”

Felix drew in a small breath. So far so good. “This morning, you ran into the school and avoided the windows for the first class period. I don’t mean to pry, but were you running from something?”

Panic flashed across her features, and her hands trailed up to mess with the tips of her jacket. “It’s.. it’s nothing, really... I guess you could say I didn’t leave my old school on good terms.”

Felix blinked. That’s an interesting reply. What did the relations of her old school have to do with her running from something? (Nevermind the fact that Marinette leaving anyone on ‘bad terms’ was shocking. She didn’t seem like the type to make enemies easily.)

“..Is someone stalking you?” He asked, somewhat thinking aloud. The way she ran into the school didn’t strike him as someone who was casually hiding from an awkward situation. If she left her school on bad terms, perhaps someone was trying to corner her for revenge?

She shook her head frantically. “No, no, no! Well.. technically yes, but ‘stalking’ is a strong word. He-”

He?

“-just wants to ‘talk’.” Her expression soured at the last word, and Felix wondered what sort of things one must talk about to have her on the brink of scowling.

“You know we don’t mind picking you up.” He offered. It’s not his policy to involve himself in personal disputes, but Allegra would have his head if he didn’t suggest some sort of support. Plus, more car rides would provide more opportunities for him to ask questions. “If you’re worried about being followed, Allegra and Claude will probably fight tooth and nail to drive you to school too.”

Marinette shook her head again. “I really appreciate it, but that’s not necessary.”

Felix watched her for a moment, not missing the way her hands started fiddling a bit more in her lap. “Well, if you ever change your mind..”

“You’ll be the first to know.” She promised with a smile. It looked a bit forced in his opinion, but he nodded nonetheless.

Felix supposed he should feel wary towards the new student. She hadn’t mentioned why she left her old school, though she admitted she had unnamed squabbles there. That can be considered innocent, but it can also be a skillful way to avoid consequences. As far as he knew, she could be running from her victims who decided to rally against her.

And yet, he couldn’t help being filled with this sense of morbid curiosity. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a fashionista who appears to have a big heart and a troubled past. She lives in a bakery, yet managed to attend one of the most prestigious schools in the city- possibly the country. She’s riddled with nervousness, but every step she takes tells you that she knows exactly what she’s doing.

Who exactly is Marinette Dupain-Cheng?

Felix couldn’t wait to find out.

Tag List: @artbyknigit @athena452 @nickristus-dreamer @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @arsaem @abrx2002 @neakco @pawsitivelymiraculous @too0bsessedformyowngood @nathleigh @lusicing @officiallydarkgeek @all-mights-asscheeks

#Felinette #Felix Culpa #Marinette #Quantic Kids #Rosemary AU #New Girl on the Block

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eleanore-delphinium · 3 years

Text

The Gift: Chapter 2 (Childhood Arc)

Chapter One

Chapter Two: (you are here)

Jean & Diluc

Diluc and Jean became acquainted with one another at the age of ten and eight respectively. Diluc was a rather bright and happy child growing up and Jean was quiet and reserved. It came to a surprise to a lot of people how the pair got along so well.

In fact, Diluc could be considered rather rambunctious and reckless and Jean was cautious and critical. And because of that, the others who didn’t question how they got along, understood why they did. They were what they considered opposites attract, Yin and Yang.

“Diluc! Wait up for me!” A ten-year old Jean complained as she climbed up a rock with difficulty. She looked up from climbing and a hand was outstretched in front of her. It came from a boy with red hair and red eyes—Diluc Ragnvindr, heir to the Dawn Winery. Her silver eyes glittered under the sun with a hint of blue as she felt blinded and surprised by the presence of the boy in front of her as the sun right behind him.

She took his hand and he pulled her up. The wind blew her blonde hair around.

“Look, I told you that there were knights fighting some hilichurls!” The twelve-year-old Diluc said proudly. He had dragged Jean out so that they could look at some knights in action.

“I’m going to be one of them, Jean. And I will defend Mondstadt with everything I got!” His claymore faded behind him in gold dust, in her eyes it made him look like he was shining as he said those words. Her grey-blue eyes silently look at the claymore floating behind his back as it reappeared in gold dust again.

“You have been training hard.” She couldn’t help but remark, as it was after all the truth. He had been training very hard at swordsmanship at the age of eight, despite it being a skill he didn’t necessarily need. And when he got his vision at the age of ten, it was like the world was fully his, at least that was what he told Jean. But it was different for her, she had trained her posture and strikes with wooden swords since she was five and slowly changed into different kinds of swords as she grew and improved. Recently she had started using an actual sharp metal sword fitted for her. In her case, learning swordsmanship was a necessity.

Jean is known to be the more responsible one between the two, it was a fact that Diluc had set his heart out to being a Knight of Favonius. And Jean wasn’t quite sure about her future, but it was already decided for her, as a Gunnhildr it is natural to be a Knight of Favonius.

She had just recently decided to take up the sword and try to follow her mother’s desires with a passion that should compete with Diluc, but she didn’t even know what her objective was after mastering the short sword. If it was something she even wanted to do.

“Don’t worry Jean, you’re going to be a great swordsman. I know it.” Diluc said, feeling that Jean was slightly upset. She looked at him with pressed lips, he has always known what he wanted to become.

“Says the heir to the Dawn Winery.” She mumbled, and he bumped onto her shoulder playfully.

“That is my Father’s legacy. Of course, I will keep that alive, but I also need to chase my own dreams.” He replied smoothly, she felt as though it must have been something he had known for a long time.

She was envious of that certainty.

Diluc pulled her to hide behind a small bump on the ground. She quietly observed the Knights of Favonius by Diluc’s side and she was rather impressed with their fighting skills. She could only hope to be at that level soon. Jean looked at Diluc and she knew that the boy beside her would surpass the knights fighting right now.

“We should probably go.” Jean urged gently and Diluc looked at her with a slightly stern gaze.

“We just got here, Jean.” He responded quietly.

“But—” Jean said but was cut off.

“Don’t worry, if anything happens, I can protect you!” Diluc said confidently and in all honesty, Jean knew he could, he was rather capable for a twelve-year-old, but her innate nature wouldn’t allow it or perhaps it was her training.

“Diluc—” She tried again.

“They are over here!” A man called out pointing to the kids, and Diluc automatically grabbed Jean’s hand and ran away from the man.

“I can’t believe they found us.” Diluc said as he ran holding her hand firmly, Jean who was forced to follow him wanted to pull her hand away.

“Diluc, I think we should go back.” Jean tried to urge Diluc again.

“No, we just got out! Aren’t you tired of always studying?” He grabbed her and hid behind a tree as he silently observed if they were followed, and they saw no one behind them.

“C’mon, I think we can go to the Winery.” Diluc took a step forward but Jean remained planted on where she stood.

“That’s pretty far, Diluc.” Jean mumbled faintly.

“We’ve gone there many times before.” Diluc replied, keeping an eye for any movement around them.

“With permission.” She quietly added. “This time I ran away from training, you do realize that I will have to make-up for what happened today, some other day.”

“You’re just ten—they are overworking you.” He said sternly and she avoided his red eyes. Diluc was virtually perfect, he could be very good at something new and master it just as easily. And since he has a fiery passion for his claymore and combat, it was natural that he would more than just excel at it. He was at a level no one should be at—at the age of twelve, especially since he started late in training compared to her.

But the same thing could be said about Jean, she knew more than what a ten-year-old should know. But that was a result of the kind of upbringing she had. The sheer effort that she had to always display and give to please her mother, as the next heir of the Gunnhildr clan. And yet, she knew very clearly how Diluc had tried his very best to offer her a glimpse of a normal childhood.

Jean in a sense, aspired to be him in so many ways.

She was very much inspired by his capability. And his passion for justice. And his freedom.

“Alright.” She agreed quietly, even though in her head she disagreed completely. She will have to pay the price of what they are doing today, she knew it well. But looking at Diluc’s clear eyes, she couldn’t help but sigh in hushed tranquility. Diluc was always admirable.

And they carefully made their way to the Dawn Winery while Diluc kept an eye out for anyone following them. They arrived unfollowed, but they realized someone was at his villa’s front yard, Diluc’s father—Crepus was arguing with a blonde-haired woman, the same shade as Jean’s hair. Jean recognized the back of the woman before the woman’s voice could even register in Jean’s head.

Crepus' eyes glanced behind the woman, who had seen his eyes shift and turned around to see Jean and Diluc. The moment she finished her turn, Diluc automatically stood in front of Jean with a glare directed at the older woman.

“Diluc, you have been causing trouble.” Crepus said with crossed arms, but his eyes held the smallest hint of delight at his son’s antics.

“They are overworking Jean!” Diluc argued back with a stronger glare directed at the older woman.

“That is none of your business, kid.” The woman replied.

“She is just a kid; she should be playing around!” Diluc yelled and received a cold glare from the woman. It was cold enough to make him flinch.

“She is not just a kid; she will be the future leader of the Gunnhildr clan.” She said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Frederica,” Crepus called out to the woman in front of him and she tilted her head a bit to the right acknowledging him. “She should still be able to play around like a normal child.” There was a silence that passed by them.

“Jean, what do you think?” Her cold blue eyes landed on the girl behind Diluc who remained quiet in the presence of her mother.

“I do not dare to question my mother's upbringing. I am raised to be well equipped as the future leader of our clan.” Hearing Jean’s reply, Diluc could not help but clench his fists.

It is true that when Diluc was ten he had received his vision, and worked hard to do justice to it. He chose to not play around with children his age because he wanted to master his craft and join the Knights of Favonius even more now that he had a vision. But that was not the case for Jean and he was so aware of his privilege.

“Jean.” Diluc turned to look at her but her expression was steely as she stared back at him.

“When I went out with you today, I knew this would happen. It is inevitable. I thank you for the company Diluc, but sadly I will have to go now.” Jean gently touched Diluc’s shoulder whose face showed his guilt. “Do not feel bad, I wanted to join you.” She gave a faint smile. It was the truth that she wanted to go with him when he arrived under her windowsill earlier that day, even though she knew that there would be consequences that would follow.

“Mother, I apologize for my actions.” Jean stepped out from behind Diluc and approached her mother. “I will take responsibility for my actions.”

“Good, as it should be as the future head of the family.” Frederica said the cold stare from her blue eyes made Jean think her mother’s gaze was certainly made of ice.

“Jean, I—” Jean turned to look at Diluc and the sadness in her face made him pause.

“Till next time then.” Jean feigned a smile and did not wait for a reply from Diluc as she turned to look at her mother. “I am ready, mother.”

“Crepus.” Frederica said with a pointed look towards Crepus and a raised brow. “I would advise you to correct your son’s behavior, but I doubt you would.”

Crepus did not take Frederica’s words as offensive, instead he smiled and nodded to her pretending to take it into consideration. Frederica knew that he was just nodding out of politeness.

Jean followed behind her mother as the two went their way. Diluc’s gaze followed Jean until she was out of his sight and he thought that she looked so forlorn. But she never glanced back at him before she completely disappeared from his sight.

“I hope you had fun.” Crepus couldn’t help but say and Diluc finally turned his head to look at his father who appeared sad.

“I did… but-“ He looked back at the general direction of where he had last seen the mother and daughter pair. “Will she be in big trouble?” He added quietly.

“Frederica wouldn’t give her daughter a hard time, I’m sure of it.” Crepus replied but Diluc looked at his father with pressed lips. He knew his father was lying to comfort him, but Diluc nodded and slowly walked into the mansion with unhurried steps.

“Brother!” A blue haired boy called out to Diluc from atop the staircase, Diluc smiled when his eyes met the other boy’s periwinkle eyes.

“Kaeya.” Diluc said and his distress from what happened outside was completely forgotten after seeing his brother. He quickly walked up the stairs and Kaeya’s eyes widened with delight.

“Father, I will accept any punishment you decide to give me due to my actions!” Diluc said as he ran to his younger brother halfway through the stairs.

Kaeya was a year younger than Diluc and he was adopted over a year ago due to certain circumstances. Kaeya used to be such a cold child, but with great effort, Diluc and Kaeya became close and Kaeya came to look up to his older brother Diluc with much love and respect.

When Diluc reached the top of the stairs Kaeya pulled his brother towards the library door. Diluc chuckled as he watched this playful child attempt to drag him away. He wasn’t always like this, it brought Diluc happiness seeing how joyful and playful Kaeya has become.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you two were up to!” Crepus replied as he watched his two sons with much love in his eyes.

“Kaeya, you seem way too excited.” Crepus laughed looking at his two sons, even though he is pleased in knowing how cheerful the blue haired boy has become after what has happened to him. Although he has to admit that he was very surprised to see that Kaeya developed a great respect for Diluc.

“This is for us boys only!” Kaeya yelled back to his father as he pushed Diluc into the library and shut the door behind him with a bang.

Crepus did not think that the slamming of the door was disrespectful, he knew that Kaeya was merely too excited and Crepus laughed wondering what the two boys could possibly be talking about.

“So, did you see her?” Kaeya asked instantly as he held his brother’s shoulder and Diluc laughed at his reaction.

“Yes, I did.” Diluc replied and his younger brother looked at him as he waited for more to be said. The joy in Diluc’s face slowly faded as he sighed and turned around.

“Based on your reaction, something bad happened?” Kaeya said as he followed behind Diluc who sat on a chair with another sigh.

“Her mother came here to pick her up.” Diluc said in an exasperated tone.

“Ah, that was what that was.” Kaeya mumbled as a frown formed on his lips. “So, you weren’t able to show her?” Kaeya sounded quite upset.

“Why do you sound more upset than me?” Diluc playfully retorted as he crossed his arms over his stomach.

“I went through all that trouble to distract our father.” Kaeya glared at his brother as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You weren’t even able to show her what this was all for. Jean’s mother is too much!”

Diluc stared at his brother who was obviously fuming in anger and laughed.

“It is alright, there are still more chances to see her.” Diluc looked at Kaeya, whose anger was slowly dissipating.

“Have you done your training for today?” Diluc inquired and Kaeya shook his head.

“Then, get your sword and let’s go out and train.” Diluc then stood up. “I will go and inform father.”

“Alright.” Kaeya replied as Diluc walked out. “I will follow in a bit.” Kaeya took a peek from the window and noticed the pair of blondes climbing onto a carriage with the Gunnhildr crest.

But on that day Diluc was gravely mistaken, he had thought he would see Jean again, unfortunately it would take three months to be able to see each other again. He had attempted to see her, but the security and Frederica would not let him through. He did not expect that she would go this far because he had forced Jean to ditch her lessons for a few hours.

Diluc’s mood had soured when he realized in the third week that Jean’s mother would drag this out. She might even use this opportunity to cut off ties. He was quite angry.

“Diluc,” Kaeya got no response. “Brother?” Kaeya called out a little louder in worry as he saw his brother’s expression turn dark.

“Brother!” Kaeya shook Diluc and the latter stared at his brother and sighed.

“I’m sorry I’m making you worry.” Diluc said, resting a hand on Kaeya’s shoulder.

“The Winery hasn’t hosted a party in a while. Your birthday is coming up.” Kaeya said matter-of-factly and Diluc raised a brow at Kaeya, catching on to what he was implying. “And a festival in Monstadt will soon follow, I’m sure something could be arranged.” A warm smile appeared on the red boy’s face.

“Yes. You are right.” Diluc agreed, recalling a memory from two years ago.

“A Party.” Diluc said and Kaeya couldn’t help but be charmed by his brother’s smile. One day, he too would have such charisma.

CHAPTER THREE

#genshin impact #otp #jealuc #jean x diluc #diluc ragnvindr #jean gunnhildr #romance #fanfiction #crepus ragnvindr #frederica gunnhildr #kaeya alberich #childhood #the gift #eleanore delphinium

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sleepy-sunlight · 3 years

Note

Hey have you been busy or have you not been getting many requests? I miss your writing! If you have the time could you write something where the inquisitor has a child (around 5 years old) and the child stays with Cullen and the others at Skyhold whenever the Inquisitor is away? Thanks, I hope you've been doing well 💞💞

I’m a mix of busy and living for the next time I sleep so it’s been a bit messy life-wise but I’m trying to start things back up! Ideally, I’m trying to set up a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule where I post a prompt on one of my three blogs each day because I should be totally free during those days!

Anyways, thank you for your patience, and have a fantastic day!

———————————————————————————————————–

Cullen grew up the second oldest of four. Most of his early childhood was spent parceling out responsibilities for watching over Branson and Rosalie with Mia.

Branson was the epitome of what his mother had liked to call a ‘wild child’. He’d climb up to the tallest trees in Honnleath and when he found himself too high to properly come back down his solution was to swing from the branches until they broke. One could only guess how well that turned out.

Rosalie on the other hand was a fan of collecting every insect or small animal that crossed her way. Cullen could still remember the yelps his mother would try to hide at the sight of Rosalie holding a long, winding centipede in her palms. The worst was a feral fox cub that’d subsequently became loose in the house. That’d been an eventful evening.

Neither sibling was ‘ideal’, but he supposed even he had his own faults.

Nevertheless, it made Cullen oddly ideal with children. For all his military abilities and fighting talent, most were astonished at how in the snap of one’s fingers, Cullen could stop even the worst wailing from a child. Josephine once said she’d “pay him double his Inquisition salary to babysit her siblings.”

Cullen had responded with “what salary?”

Considering money was Josephine’s department, the subject was swiftly dropped.

However, that didn’t take away from the actual babysitting Cullen found himself in.

Very few, after all, expected the Inquisitor to have a child.

Your child’s name was Olivia – just five years old and more of a firecracker than you were. Her hair was often in braids, so for all her running and scrambling about, she wouldn’t get caught on anything. For her birthday Varric had given her a little yellow ribbon, and she’d wear it to sleep if you didn’t insist otherwise.

She was a troublesome little thing, but she was one of the few bright things in your world, and you clearly treasured her. She’d race to you as fast as her legs could carry her when you’d return to Skyhold and every time you’d scoop her up in your arms and swing her until you both were left dizzy and stumbling throughout the courtyard. No matter where you went you always came back with something for her, and whether a fanciful toy or simply a flower, Olivia adored it.

She even had a secret hiding place for all the presents you brought her. She’d shown Cullen one evening and despite knowing just about every detail of the gifts, he’d still ask like it was the first time he’d ever laid eyes on them.

Curiously enough, Olivia had a fondness for the Commander. Often times when you and Cullen would take walks along the barracks Olivia would follow behind, holding loosely onto the end of his shroud. She liked it especially when each of you would hold one of her hands and swing her back and forth. It was… domestic in a sense. Far more than Cullen ever expected for himself.

He’d hardly even expected to meet someone like you – so full of life and passion for all that you did. You were a breath of fresh air in the coldness he’d so well known. Cullen hoped Olivia hadn’t noticed how he stared but she was nosy – she took that from you.

She’d been given plenty of opportunities to be nosy since you’d left, asking Cullen specifically to watch over her.

“I won’t be long,” You’d told him the evening before you left. “But there are reports of red templars making advancements towards a village and I-”

“I know,” Cullen hesitated but set a hand on your shoulder. He didn’t know if his smiles helped you at all, but he offered one anyway. “You don’t need to explain. I’ll help however I can, including taking care of Olivia.”

You let out a sigh of relief and laughed. “Thank you I-” You couldn’t figure the words and so instead hugged him, winding your arms around his neck. “You’re the best.”

He was left stunned for a moment. It wasn’t like he’d experienced much affection in his life once he’d left for the Templar order – so much as a hug was almost foreign to him. However hesitantly, he managed to return the gesture. His hovering hands shifting to hold you tight.

He forgot how much he missed such a simple thing as a hug.

You left shortly thereafter both of you a little sheepish but warmhearted, nonetheless. Olivia followed you to Skyhold’s gates, holding your hand but still stumbling to keep up despite her best efforts. When you knelt to meet her, she nearly ran right into you, only caught by your grip shifting to her shoulders.

“Woah there, soldier!” You laughed softly. “You know you can’t come with me.”

Olivia immediately began to pout. “But I’ll be good! I promise!”

“It’s not a matter of being good, it’s dangerous.” You smiled warmly, squeezing her shoulders. “Even for the toughest kid around! You got to stay here, keep everyone safe.”

Before Olivia could object you spoke once more, lowering your voice to a whisper. “In fact, I’ve got a super-secret mission for you. I need you to personally look after Commander Cullen – keep him out of trouble.”

Olivia shot a quick glance to Cullen who stood a little way off, pretending to look at a set of reports.

“Okay! I know you like him!”

Cullen had to work very hard not to look up and see your expression in that moment. But he supposed he wouldn’t want you to see how red he’d become either. At the very least, he heard a gasp.

“I-It’s ah – it’s our little secret though! Don’t forget, okay?”

Olivia nodded. “I won’t!”

“Promise?”

Olivia huffed. “I promise!”

You chuckled. “Alright, alright. I love you, Olivia.”

Cullen looked up to see Olivia jump up to hug you, burying her head in the crook of your neck and failing to hide the tiniest sniffle. She always hated seeing you go.

“I love you too.”

With a wave of your hand, you and the rest of your team left. Olivia refused to budge an inch before you disappeared beyond sight. Even then she only moved a few steps forward, perhaps in hopes to catch one last glimpse of you.

“Miss them already, do you?” Cullen approached the child steadily, making his heavy boots clearly known to not startle her. He even spoke quietly.

Olivia gave a meek nod, wiping at her eyes quickly.

Cullen pretended not to see – if she was anything like you it’d only make her more embarrassed.

“I miss them too.” Cullen said. “But while they’re gone… would you want to sneak a few extra treats from the kitchen? I won’t tell if you don’t.”

Olivia perked up just a tad. Cullen offered his hand that practically swallowed Olivia’s when she accepted it. But she smiled.

“Okay.”

She hid an entire extra loaf of cinnamon bread in Cullen’s shroud. It was awful, thinking of the sugar and sticky cinnamon that was sure to attract insects of all sort, but worth it. She giggled the whole time, and still considered it an ‘extreme scheme’ even though no one cared and at least three kitchen-maids watched them the entire time – pretending to hide little Olivia from everyone else.

She didn’t even bother to have the bread cut into slices, sitting in his office breaking it apart in chunks and pieces.

“I can cut it if you want, you know.” Cullen told her, his brows furrowed.

“No, I like it this way. It’s a surprise every time!” Olivia raised her head to the Commander, swinging her legs in the seat across his desk. “Do you want some? I’ll share, but you can’t tell Varric! He’ll get jealous.”

“Why would he-” Cullen immediately remembered Varric’s proud title as Olivia’s ‘partner in crime’ and found the answer for himself.

Admittedly Cullen would’ve said no. He never had much of a sweet tooth. However, Olivia clearly wanted to give him a piece and already had two corners of the bread pinched between her fingers to give him. It was just something a person couldn’t say no to.

“I’d love a piece.”

It was just as sugary and sappy as he’d imagined.

“Oi, metal britches!”

The yelling came a few hours later, when evening started to paint the sky overhead and the sun dripped in through his windows. It didn’t take a genius to recognize Sera.

She nearly kicked the door in, and as if that wasn’t enough, slammed her firsts against his desk with enough ferocity to shake the very earth. The mischievous glint in her eyes was anything but good.

“As appealing as the name ‘metal britches’ is, could we try another name next time?” Cullen frowned. “Perhaps my real one?”

“Nah, I like this one better. Listen, I’ve got this great idea for an ambush on this Orlesian snobs – and I know you hate Orlesians just as much so I was thinking I could get your head of your ar-”

Cullen nearly jumped out of his seat trying to stop Sera. “Reserve the language for when children aren’t around?”

“Wha-” Sera wrinkled her nose only to twist her head and see little Olivia, watching Sera with the utmost awe. Olivia happened to look up to Sera with her ‘fun-loving’ pranks. It brought comfort when you were gone. “Oh! Pipsqueak! I was wondering where you’d run off to!”

She peered over to see the last bits of the cinnamon bread. “Mind if I swipe a piece?”

“Mm!” Olivia eagerly gave Sera the rest. Of all the people Sera loved to torment, Olivia was never one of them. If anything, she had a soft spot for the child.

“Oh no that ain’t necessary but you’re a sweet thing for offering.” Sera leaned in to Olivia, pretending to whisper, but only brought her voice louder for Cullen to clearly hear. “See, I was trying to get Mr. Boring over here to have some fun for once, but I don’t think he’s gonna budge.”

“Cullen!” Olivia exclaimed, puffing out her cheeks.

Sera stopped her further protests. “I know, what a bore! But I’m thinking if he won’t have some fun – why don’t we?”

“Now Sera-” Cullen rose from his seat. “The Inquisitor asked me specifically to look after Olivia while they were gone-”

“We’re not going to Halamshiraal get your knickers out of a twist!” Sera snorted. “I’ll bring her back in one piece, but a kid can’t sit around all day!”

“I…”

Olivia was gripping excitedly at the edge of her seat, and if her toes could reach the floor they would’ve been tapping too. Anyone could see she desperately wanted to spend time with the ‘fun rogue’. Cullen could be fun too – it just didn’t include putting buckets of water over their ambassador’s door. Less dangerous fun.

“Nothing reckless,” Cullen pinched the bridge of his nose. “If I see so much as a scratch on Olivia, I’ll have your quarters repurposed to a storage closet.”

“If I get a hair on the squirt’s head out of place, I’ll banish myself, does that make you feel better? I won’t get in the way of your crush on the boss.”

“I do not-”

Sera and Olivia were already gone before he could even finish, giggling as the elf lifted the girl onto her shoulders and scrambled out. It was almost fascinating how quickly he could come to regret a decision.

They were gone for a few hours, when night arrived and a chill soaked into the floor Cullen began to pace, anxious and ready to go searching top to bottom for Olivia.

He only made it to the grand hall when he found the two of them. Sera, snoring with her head fallen back in her ornate seat with Olivia, sleeping sound in Sera’s lap. A blanket was slipped over the two of them, and just a few feet away in another chair was Varric, watching the fireplace crackle.

“Don’t you worry Curly, I kept them distracted.” Varric laughed and took a sip of his wine. “You’d be surprised how much Buttercup loves a good story.”

Cullen let out a sigh of relief as he made his way to Olivia. She was clutching onto to Sera and her head was laid lazily on her stomach, a slow rise and fall lifting her up and down. She looked so comfortable; it was almost hard to wake her up.

“Was she a handful?” Cullen asked.

“Olivia or Buttercup?”

“Either one.” Cullen scoffed.

“Buttercup is a given, but Olivia is always a pleasure. It’s nice to have someone actually enjoy my rough drafts – they’re just what put Sera to sleep.” Varric laughed to himself. “Everyone’s a critic.”

“I’m surprised the Inquisitor didn’t take you with them,” Cullen remarked. “Dorian, Blackwall, and you are typically their regular party.”

Varric simpered. “As old as Blackwall looks, I’m older – and you’ve got to give the elderly a break.”

“You can’t be beyond your late thirties.”

Varric raised a glass amusedly. “Or maybe I just age that good. Either way, mentally, I’m in my sixties. I like to have the occasional night in!”

“Does that mean Olivia could call you ‘grandfather’?”

“Don’t you dare put that idea in her head Curly.”

Cullen turned his attention back to Olivia with a laugh. He gently scooped her up in his arms, and Sera only mildly objected in the form of halfhearted tugs at his gauntlets. The second Olivia felt the fur of his cloak she sank against it; even attempting to wrap herself up like a blanket.

“Thank you for watching over her, Varric – even if only for a short time.”

The dwarf shook his head. “No trouble. You just make sure that one gets some shut-eye.”

Cullen took Olivia to your quarters – It had a grand enough bed that you shared with your parent when they were here anyhow. The few times Cullen had entered early, Olivia would be snuggled up among the silk sheets like a burrowed rabbit. She’d never get out if you didn’t make her.

He pulled back the blankets and set her down gently. The second she recognized just where she was, Olivia grappled at the sheets and pull them up to her chin – even her cheeks were smothered against her pillow.

Cullen would’ve left to return to his own room when Olivia reached out for his hand and ruined that plan.

“Can you stay, Mr. Rutherford?”

She only used that name when she wanted something out of him. It worked every time.

Cullen paused briefly, relenting as he sat down at the foot of the bed. “Of course, Olivia.”

“Can I ask you something?” She mumbled, eyes only a tiny bit open and words slurring.

He smiled softly. “Of course.”

“Do you… do you like them?” She clearly peeked one eye open at this point. Olivia was far from subtle.

“Like who?”

“You know… my… parent…” Olivia sat up, rubbing at her face groggily but far too curious to sleep just yet.

Cullen’s heart jumped into his throat. He swallowed hard, and even then, his chest heaved like a drum. “Why ah – why would you ask that?”

“I see how you stare – and how they stare. And I…” Olivia brought her knees up to her chin. “I want you to be a part of our family.”

The rapid beating of Cullen’s heart stopped, his fidgeting fingers stopped, and his panicking brain stopped. All that remained was a warmth, gentle, and protective like a lantern in a dark night. It never felt so easy to say exactly what he meant.

“I think I’d like that too. But I’ll have to be a bit braver before I can tell them.”

Olivia saw his faint, nervous smile and leaned over so that she drooped over his shoulder. She did her best to drape a bit of the blanket over him but even at her best, she only managed to cover his knee. A valiant effort.

“I’ll cheer for you then,” Olivia yawned. “so, you can get brave. Would that help?”

Olivia truly was just like you. Maybe that was why he found himself adoring her just so much. You were always so encouraging and supportive – even at your worst, you found a way to brighten someone else’s day. You passed the kindness in your heart down to Olivia, and it showed.

Perhaps when you returned Cullen would finally tell you all the things that’d be brimming inside of him. How he cared for you like he’d never known before and wanted nothing more than to simply do the same for you. For the first time, he felt like he could.

“I think it already is.”

Cullen would’ve thought Olivia already fallen fast asleep were it not for the little grin spread across her face.

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saturnsummer · 3 years

Text

permanently inked (G rated)

notes: since everyone freaked out over beam’s tattoo on twitter, i was very much inspired to write a situation when joonhwi gets a tattoo and sol finds out. here's a G rated version, which slightly more details than my twitter one!

joon has always liked the idea of having a tattoo

no, he doesn’t mean the kind you see on mafia gangs or yakuzas. he means the dainty one of fine calligraphy and those minimalistic arts.

but he was never certain of what to get. a ramyeon bowl seemed like what a child would think. having inked the name of his mother or father seemed…too odd. after all, he didn’t grow up with them.

but his uncle…it was a different story.

his uncle from the beginning was his superman. from a young age, he loved sitting in the lap of his uncle while reading reports and asking his uncle the meanings of words of ‘perjury’ and ‘defamation’.

even after his passing, when all the truth had been dug up, he tried all he could to stay angry at his uncle. but all he found was guilt, shame, and regret.

but why does he so badly want something to remember his uncle by?

so when he found himself looking at different tattoo designs, he knew that he wasn’t going to be forgetting about this idea any time soon.

he scrolled through many, many ideas. traditional calligraphy. pictures and outlines. but none of them appealed to him. they were all too cliche or not to his liking at all.

and him as a future prosecutor? he rather have a tattoo somewhere hidden so his clients wouldn’t be scared off.

then he finally stumbled upon a photo of someone’s designed tattoo. it was nothing too complicated, minimalistic and in pure black thin ink.

but what struck him was how it was an outline of a man, with spectacles alongside a lady with long hair.

at that moment, he just knew that this was the design he was going to use. he immediately went to flip through different photos of him and his uncle, but as soon as he started looking at the most recent one, his heart sank.

because all he could remember was how angry he felt towards him, and how misunderstood his uncle must have felt. how lonely he was to die alone with no one by his side. how…he died for the sins of another.

a tear slipped as he shut his album. he quickly stored the album back into his cabinet, but a printed picture fell out and fluttered to the floor. picking it up, he managed a small smile.

it was a photo of him and his uncle on his tenth birthday. he was all smiles, in his favourite power rangers shirt, and his uncle, looking so much younger than before, rid of burdens, tears and troubles, actually giving a smile.

it was the most memorable birthday of joonhwi’s, considering that it was one of the birthdays that his uncle gifted him his favourite action figure along with new books and a playstation 2.

staring at the photo, he couldn’t help but be reminded of the times his uncle would come home with different ramyeon flavours and cooked them in a special way.

eighteen years later, he has still not figured out how to recreate the taste of the ramyeon of his childhood.

with that, he took the picture, stuffed it in pocket and headed out the front door of his dorm room.

but he stopped as he locked the dorm room. what would jiho say? or his new girlfriend, sol? tattoos weren’t a big thing in korea. will they shun him, like society does? or will they accept him despite the permanent decision?

just at that moment, sol called him as she asked if he wanted to have lunch. he hesitated, and asked if he could meet her at the entrance of school. sol just hung up and joonhwi went ahead to the entrance.

there, her hair in a high bun and in a simple sweater and shorts, stood his girlfriend of one month. greeting her with a small peck, she blushes as she ask what’s up.

“what? what do you mean what’s up? how do you know im troubled?”

“everything about your voice says it. spill it, what is it?”

joonhwi couldn’t lie, especially not to her. bringing her to sit at the plush chairs of the lobby, he tells her about his want of having a tattoo, how he wants one to remember his uncle by. not the one that died, but the one from his childhood.

“joon, that’s so sweet of you. you sure? it’s permanent, you know. you won’t regret it?”

“no. sol, it’s been on my mind since i was, what, 21? i just never knew what to get. and…you’re not mad? you’re not disapproving of me?”

“how could i? joonhwi, when i said i’ll be rooting for you in your uncle��s place, I meant it. you aren’t impulsive like i am, and you’ve said it. you wanted it since 21. it’s been seven years, I think it’s a decision you won’t let go, no?”

and he finally realises that the entire time he’s talking she’s been smiling the whole time and nodding while holding his hand in his lap.

sol was never one to judge, and he couldn’t have loved her more at that moment when she kissed his knuckles and pulled him up telling him “come on now, let’s go!”

and with that, hand in hand, all thoughts of lunch was forgotten as they headed to the streets of town to a tattoo shop, safely hidden away from the main streets.

joonhwi had done plenty of research for this particular shop. he has seen the work of the artist, the way her steady hands created straight lines and thin minimalist styles of art. it was what he wanted.

nervously, he explained with the lady what he had in mind as the lady sat patiently and listened, tracing the photo over with tracing paper and asking if she could take a photo.

he contacted the lady a couple more times, as she forwarded different designs, styles and artworks over to him. with sol, they spent hours deciding on the best design.

sol and joonhwi went through the designs in secret on their quiet nights at the bleachers as sol pointed out her concerns with one design and he sat, chocolate milk in hand as they zoomed in on the fine details and shortlisted them.

ultimately, they concluded on the one he always wanted; a minimalistic piece that just outlined his uncle and him. no special shadings, colours or anything. thin, neat and simple. his uncle would have liked it, considering how he knows that the only reason why he is neat is because he observed the way his uncle would adjust the books on the table to perfectly align with the edge.

on the day of the appointment, joonhwi thought of where to put it. he knew he had to keep it hidden away, so somewhere on his arm wasn’t the best idea.

“joonhwi, how about your chest?”

“?”

“well…you said you want to hide it, after all, our future jobs aren’t exactly best for tattoos. having it on your chest would be the best, wouldn’t it?”

sol made some sense. it was a good spot to keep it concealed, yet meaningful enough. his uncle was always going to be in his heart and he will always be remembered.

so as the tattoo artist imprinted the design blueprint on his chest, just above his heart, he stared at the mirror with the design.

he was finally doing it.

sol came over behind him as she stepped in front, looking at the tattoo on his bare chest. her fingers traced it lightly before his hand caught hers.

“you sure?”

“i am. i am now.”

“it looks beautiful.”

leaning back onto the chair, sol grabbed onto his hand and squeezed it for comfort.

“if it hurts, just squeeze my hand, alright? it’ll be over in a bit.”

the artist got to work, as she dipped the needle into the ink, needling the ink permanently into his skin. joonhwi’s eyes were shut as he held his breath from the sting.

sol rubbed his biceps as she whispered to him. “you’re okay, it’s alright. shall we get ramyeon or army stew later?”

joonhwi knew sol was trying to distract him. and so he did his best. he chatted about their meals later, what should they do with the next week before they get back to school with their regular lessons. sol suggested to start studying, but joonhwi only agreed if sol were to take it easy and not cram. as a 3L, she didn’t need to faint again.

sol was right, though. distracting him worked, as the artist finally finished her work on him and wiped the blood and ink, before cleaning it. she stuck a clear film on it, and advised him on how to properly care for it for the next two weeks.

as promised, sol and joonhwi dined out at a army stew restaurant in town they always wanted to visit and they had a nice quiet lunch, a rare day for them to be on a date alone and eating out.

jiho found out the night after, as he noticed the different aftercare products on joonhwi’s desk. he didn’t say anything or ask, but nodded in acceptance. (secretly, he thinks his hyung looks cool.)

as they met with the group on casual study sessions, bokgi pointed out the plastic under joonhwi’s white shirt and joonhwi finally announces he has a tattoo.

“HYUNG THAT'S SO COOL WOAH” is what bokgi says before earning a smack from sol who clicks her tongue disapprovingly. “min bokgi, don't get any ideas of having a tattoo!”

bokgi was about to argue back, but realised that he was indeed about to say he wants one too. joonhwi just laughs as he wraps his arm around sol's waist.

when they find out what it meant, they fall silent.

"it's lovely. i think it's poetic" yeseul says, but the tension was still there. they knew how much joonhwi respected, admired, hated, resented his uncle. despite all the emotions and thick tension, joonhwi stood up, "come on, they're serving dakgalbi today, let's discuss our weekend plans over lunch."

two weeks later, as joonhwi removed the bandage on his chest, he smiled at the permanent memory of his uncle, now engraved on his chest above his heart.

maybe he did enjoy his childhood.

his emotions were always temporary. his anger, guilt, shame, happiness, sadness. but one thing he knew he wanted was permanent was his memory of his uncle. the one he grew up loving, the superman he looked up to.

the uncle, seo byungju, that raises him like his own son.

#law school kdrama #law school #law school netflix #law school jtbc #jtbc law school #kim bum #ryu hye young #kang sol a x han joon hwi #kang sol a #han joon hwi #tattoos #fluff #tattooed kim beom #original by akinosakiya #solhwi #joonsolA

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nah-she-didnt · 3 years

Text

A Home Cooked Meal

Now on AO3!!

--------

Lily was in trouble.

She’d tried everything. She’d used muggle pregnancy tests, downed a magical pregnancy detector potion, and even read books about how a normal, healthy, not-pregnant nineteen year old could miss her period for two months in a row. But it was no good. Lily was nineteen, a full-time soldier in the Order of the Phoenix, and pregnant.

She had so far avoided telling her sweet, sensitive, nineteen year old boyfriend about her pregnancy. After all, life was hard enough these days without having a baby dropped in your lap. Lily reckoned it would be kinder to refrain from telling James about the baby for the next seven months, then one day give him the surprise of a lifetime. Yes, Lily thought, seven precious months of sanity before ruining his life was a foolproof plan.

Lily tried desperately to shove all thoughts of her pregnancy aside as she tried to focus on the present moment. She, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter sat in the living room of another Order member, sipping tea and snacking on biscuits. However, at that precise moment, Lily felt so nauseated that she wondered if it was possible to die from pregnancy hormones.

Lily was quite sure that Arthur Weasley had been bulled into inviting the five of them over by his wife, Molly, after the last Order meeting when Sirius mentioned that the they had all been too busy with missions to cook for themselves for the last few months. As soon as Molly heard that the teenagers had been subsisting on nothing more than takeaway and cheese on toast she insisted that they all join her and Arthur for a home cooked meal.

Mrs. Weasley bustled around them now, offering them more tea and insisting that they call her “Molly.” She was an outgoing woman with a kind, round face and more energy than Lily had ever had in her life. How else could she take care of five little boys and another on the way?

“Now, I’m going to pop back into the kitchen and finish dinner. Arthur should be home from guard duty any moment now, so you all just relax and enjoy yourselves!” Mrs. Weasley beamed at them all, then slipped from the room.

Lily sat back in her seat on the couch and looked around, trying not to think about how sick she felt. The house was warm and inviting, but chaotic. Children’s toys littered the ground, and Lily was certain that the Weasleys had at least twelve small red-haired children running about the house. She had not remembered any of their names, but they all seemed to be full of reckless energy and looked exactly the same. This is my future, Lily thought to herself dejectedly as she watched one of the older boys, Will or Hermes or whatever his name was, sprint around the living room on a toy racing broom, cackling wildly.

Sirius seemed completely at ease with the children. He lay flat on his back with his arms sticking straight up in the air, holding one of the smaller boys under the armpits. The boy shrieked with delight as Sirius swung him from left to right and narrated a fictitious quidditch match in an affected announcer’s voice.

“And that’s Langley with the quaffle, Langley flies left, dodges Ghulam, rolls to miss a bludger from Bagman, feints right, shoots, LANGLEY SCOOOOOORES!”

When Langley scored, Sirius swooped the child in a full circle above his own head, finally pausing when the boy was completely upside down and giggling madly. James watched Sirius with polite interest, though he clearly felt awkward around the small Weasley children.

“Blimey, Sirius, it’s too bad you played beater instead of commentating at school. I might have been able to find a beater who could actually fly.”

“You’re just jealous that you can’t chase as well as Langley does in my reenactment,” said Sirius with an easy smile, setting the child back on the ground. The boy clapped his hands together and screamed “Again! Again!”

Sirius obliged, grabbing the child this time by his ankles and swinging him through the air.

“Are you alright Lily?” Peter asked nervously, “you’re looking a little green.”

“What? Oh, yes, fine,” said Lily distractedly. She purposefully avoided James’ gaze.

Finally, the child called Fred seemed to tire of the quidditch match, and toddled off to play with his brother “Geowge.” Sirius lounged against the parlor table and popped a piece of Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum into his mouth.

“Blimey, I didn’t realize we were in the presence of Mary-bloody-Poppins over her.”

“Don’t be grumpy because I’m good with kids and you aren’t!” Sirius exclaimed before blowing a large bubble that burst with a soft pop!

“Who says I’m bad with kids? Kids love me!” cried James, whipping around to look at Lily, Remus, and Peter for support. They all pointedly averted their eyes.

Pop!

“Remus! What about that time I visited your house in Wales and there was that little muggle boy who lost his mum in the market? I was good with him! He got back to her safe and sound.” James pleaded.

“Yes... but you did ask him he’d kidnapped stolen by hinkypunks.”

James threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. “Oh come on! In Benny And The Hinkypunk the little boy gets kidnapped by hinkypunks, but he’s alright in the end! My mum told me that story all the time when I was a kid and I loved it. I was trying to cheer him up!”

“Yes, James, but he was a muggle,” said Remus patiently, “so all he knew was that a strange man was asking him if he’d been kidnapped!”

“Alright. Fair enough. But kids love me. Kids love me, don’t they Lily?”

Lily nearly spat her tea into her lap. “Pardon?”

“You think kids love me, right? I’m fun! I play quidditch! I own nearly every Zonko’s product!”

“Oh, right, yes James, I’m sure kids would...would love you.” Lily looked away quickly, trying to hide the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. Yes, she thought, James’ children would probably love him dearly. He’d be an incredible father, the perfect combination of jokester and role model. On the other hand, she couldn’t picture herself as a mother no matter how hard she tried.

Pop!

“Sirius, if you don’t stop blowing bubbles, I’m going to murder you,” Peter moaned.

“Can’t, shan’t.” Pop!

Lily stood up suddenly. “I’m going to see if Mrs. Weasley needs any help in the kitchen.”

“Oi, Pete, you go too,” said Sirius lazily from his spot on the floor, “make us look good.”

“Stop blowing that stupid gum and go yourself!” Peter replied, chucking a small pillow from the couch at Sirius’ head.

Pop!

Lily walked away from the sounds of Sirius and Peter bickering and towards the kitchen. She knew she had never been in a house like this before. Every square inch was accounted for. Even the slats in the ceiling and the ledge over the doorways were built for extra storage. With five children, Lily thought, they must need all the storage they could manage.

Lily often thought that as a muggle born she could tell when a place felt overwhelmingly magical in a way that her friends who grew up around magic could not. The house seemed to positively radiate with warmth, comfort and magic. It must be a wonderful place to have a childhood.

Lily paused awkwardly in the doorway to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had her back to Lily as she stirred a pot of something that smelled delightful on the stove. Lily, not wanting to scare Mrs. Weasley, coughed quietly to make her presence known.

Molly looked around and smiled warmly at Lily.“Oh, hello dear, do you all need anything before dinner?”

“Uh, no thank you, Mrs. Weasley,” Lily said as cheerfully as she could muster. She tried hard not to regard Mrs. Weasley’s significant bump underneath her apron. Lily didn’t know much about pregnancy, but she knew that Mrs. Weasley must be far along indeed.

“Are you sure? I could make you a cup of ginger tea if you like.” Mrs. Weasley’s tone was casual, but Lily could just barely make out a knowing look in her eyes.

“Yes, that sounds lovely, thank you,” Lily said nervously. Mrs. Weasley couldn’t possibly know, could she? Perhaps women who’d been pregnant before, especially women on their sixth pregnancy at least, had some sort of special pregnancy powers. No, that was silly, she was just being paranoid.

“Here you are, dear,” Mrs. Weasley said as she placed a piping hot cup of tea in front of Lily, “I added in a slice of lemon. I always say, a lemon is just the trick for when you’re...not feeling your best.”

Lily’s heart sunk. “How did you know?” she asked desperately, feeling close to tears.

“Know what?” Mrs. Weasley asked innocently, “I’m sure I don’t know--”

“You do. You know, and soon everyone will know because I won’t be able to hide it.” Lily sunk into one of the kitchen chairs and put her face in her hands.

Mrs. Weasley was silent for a moment, then said “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I simply guessed, that’s all, and I never meant to let you know that I had. You’re glowing, my dear, but you still look miserable. I’ve only felt that way a few times in my life, and they all resulted in the boys that fill this house.”

Lily nodded, sniffing loudly. “I’m trying to hard to keep it together, but I just can’t hide. I feel awful all the time, and I know most of it is morning sickness but there’s also this huge weight in my heart and I can’t do anything to--to fix it.”

Mrs. Weasley nodded sympathetically. “I know just how you feel. I just saw you looking so miserable in there, and I remember how awful I felt every time I was in my first few weeks. A cup of ginger tea with lemon always soothed my stomach, so I thought it would help, but I see I’ve only made things worse.”

Lily sighed into her hands, then dropped them to look at Mrs. Weasley. “You haven’t. Actually,” she said, realizing for the first time that it was true, “I’m relieved someone else knows. I haven’t been able to bring myself to tell anyone else.”

Mrs. Weasley covered Lily’s hand with her own and stroked it with her thumb. “It’s going to be alright. Whatever happens, you’ll see, it’s going to be alright.”

“It’s not,” whispered Lily, her eyes filling with tears. “I’m a muggleborn. James and I swore we’d fight this war until it was finished. I can’t bring a baby into this mess? The baby of a mudblood and a blood traitor! How could I do that to an innocent child?” She was really sobbing now, and gratefully accepted the handkerchief that Mrs. Weasley produced from her apron pocket.

“Now, you listen to me,” said Mrs. Weasley soothingly, but with authority, “you are the only one in the world who knows what’s best for you. You’ll be able to make the right decision, and if you raise a baby in this mess that baby will be the luckiest child in the world because it will have you for a mother.”

Lily gave a forced chuckle. “It doesn’t feel like it. It feels like I’ve just doomed this baby, James, and myself all in one go.” She looked up into Mrs. Weasley’s concerned face. “But thank you for saying that. It’s nice to know that someone with so much mothering experience doesn’t think I’ll muck it all up.”

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her. “Never, dear. You’ll be wonderful. Plus, I’ll be here to help,” she laid a hand across her round stomach, “you won’t be the only one dealing with the hormones and mood swings, will you?”

Lily smiled. She was starting to feel a bit better. After all, Mrs. Weasley didn’t think she was a terrible person. She didn’t think that Lily had doomed James to a life of misery. Her heart sank again. James.

“I can’t tell him,” Lily said, shaking her head, “I can’t tell him. We’re so young. We haven’t even talked about marriage. How am I going to tell him that he’s going to be a dad?”

“Surely you could tell him, couldn’t you?” Asked Mrs. Weasley kindly, “That boy is simply mad about you, everyone can see it. He’d follow you to the ends of the earth.”

Lily laughed at this. It was true, James had told her as much himself. And she would do the same for him.

“He’d be a wonderful dad. He’s just so young still, so...”

“Immature?” Mrs. Weasley said cheekily.

“Well, he’s more mature than most, but he’s nineteen years old! This should be the time that he has fun, not gets saddled with a baby.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, dear, but no one is able to have much fun these days,” Mrs. Weasley smiled sadly, “it’s times like these that people realize the most important things in life. Love. Family. A purpose beyond yourself.”

That was true. It’s not as if a baby would interrupt James’ wild youth. This war had forced them all to grow up too quickly. James and Lily spent nearly all their time these days on the order, fighting for something bigger than themselves. James had already willingly taken on that responsibility, perhaps he would be ready to take on another.

“I really think you should tell him, Lily. Give him the chance to react, then decide what you’re going to do together. Who knows, he might surprise you by being more mature than you think--”

At that moment, there was a loud howl from the next room like a wounded animal. Remus came bolting into the kitchen, then, upon seeing the two women sitting and talking, stopped suddenly. He tried to arrange his face into a calm expression then asked, “um, pardon me, Mrs.--uh--Molly, would you by chance know how to get--uh--chewing gum out of someone’s hair?”

Suddenly James came hurdling into the kitchen too, supporting a limp and partially-blind Sirius with him. Sirius had been rendered partially-blind by the infamous piece of chewing gum that was currently stretched across his face, held in front of his eyes by the bits of wavy hair that framed his face.

“MOLLY!” he screamed, clutching at the air in front of him in panic, “HELP ME! MY HAIR! MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR!”

“There was, um, an incident in the living room,” James snickered. He was clearly trying, and failing miserably, to keep his shoulders from shaking with laughter at his best friend’s misfortune. “Peter here--”

“I told him to stop blowing those stupid bubbles!” Peter cried indignantly. “I told him! I don’t regret it in the slightest.”

“Because of you engorging my bubble my hair is ruined!” Sirius tried to swipe for Peter with his outstretched arm, but caught Remus by mistake. “Ouch!” “Ooh, sorry Remus, love! I was trying to catch a rat.”

“Boys, boys!” Mrs. Weasley shouted, getting to her feet. “I have five children, I am perfectly capable of removing chewing gum from hair without any lasting damage.

“You promise?” sniffed Sirius, who was gently caressing his affected locks.

“I promise. Now, everyone, stand back and go into the other room. I need room to work...”

Lily, James, Remus, and Peter all trudged into the next room.

“Nice one, Pete,” said James, still laughing.

“Oh he can bugger off, the dramatic git,” said Peter, though he was smiling too, “his hair will be fine.”

“It better be. How will he react when he finds out I’m only with him for his thick, luscious locks?” laughed Remus.

“Hey,” James said to Lily, bumping her shoulder with his, “you’re quiet. Was the great gum-hair incident of 1979 not entertaining enough for you?”

“No, of course it was,” Lily forced herself to smile, “I’m just taking it in. It’ll be quite a shock at first, but I suppose I can get used to a bald Sirius Black. Let’s just hope his skull is a normal shape.”

“Precisely!” cried James, “ We’ll just have to let him know that we love him no matter what, right?”

“Right,” said Lily weakly. God, he would be a fantastic dad.

A few minutes later, Sirius and Mrs. Weasley re-entered the living room, Sirius’ hair gum-free and unaffected. He shot a dirty look at Peter.

“I’m going to get you back for that.”

Peter shrugged. “I’m sure you will. Now, Molly, can we help at all with dinner?”

“No, no, you all just stay here and try not to cause any more trouble. I have enough to worry about with my children running about, I don’t need four more!”

“Four? What about Lily!” cried Sirius indignantly.

“Oh, I think Lily has wisdom beyond all your years,” Molly said, winking at Lily. “Arthur will be back soon, then we can sit down to eat.” And with that, Mrs. Weasley disappeared again into the kitchen.

“Wow, you two really must have bonded in there,” James said with an impressed tone. “What did you talk about?”

“Oh, you know, girly stuff, you wouldn’t be interested.”

“I beg to differ! I love girly stuff I’ll have you know.” James said with mock indignance.

“Girly magazines don’t count, dolt.”

“Ha ha ha,” James laughed sarcastically, “just you wait, Evans. One day you’ll realize there’s much more to me than meets the eye.”

Lily looked at James out of the corner of her eye. James, who had protected Remus and kept his secret for years. James, who had taken Sirius in when he ran away from home. James, who watched out for Peter and stopped Sirius from picking on him too much, because that’s just who he was. He would always look out for those who needed him. And she needed him now more than ever.

“Maybe you’re right.” Lily smiled.

Somehow, she thought that maybe this would work.

#Jily #cw: pregnancy #Wolfstar #hurt/comfort #Mrs. Weasley is a goddamn hero #nina writes #Sirius but with chaotic gay energy #James was the best dad #prove me wrong

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themysteriousauthor18 · 4 years

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Radiodust oneshot [Childhood friend AU]

Artist of picture above:

A wild deer, that’s how it started.

A wild deer and a small boy watching it from the bushes. His brown eyes watched it curiously with the handgun in one of his hands, waiting for a perfect angle. As he raised it ready to aim the perfect shot would have been fired….if not for the sudden intrusion.

It was quick a blur almost but the mop of blonde hair was obvious as the small person ran at the deer and they almost had it. But the deer was faster and it moved at the last second causing the stranger to fall face first into the dirt. The brunette groaned, annoyed as he got up from his hiding spot, watching in aggravation as the deer made it’s escape. Far too fast for him to land a hit.

He looked over to the spot, it was a child and as he approached he noticed the small hand knife in their hand. He wasn’t scared though. “Hey.” The little brunette said, crossing his arms and frowning, the little blonde pushed up onto his elbows and a pair of lime green eyes met brown.

He had never seen such bright and pretty green eyes and he found himself staring for a second before regaining his thoughts. “Ya ‘don scared off ma’ prey.” The other boy tilted his head as he got to his knees before his feet. Once he stood the brunette stifled a laugh somehow taking pride in the fact that the other was at least a foot shorter than him.

“I saw ‘em first.” The brunette stared quizzically, he sounded funny.

“You got da weird voice.” The little blonde boy stuck his tongue out.

“Yeah well, you talk funny.” The two little boys exchanged looks for a second before the smaller of the two looked away. The brunette couldn’t help but look at the knife on the other hand.

“Why ya got da’ knife?” The blonde looked down at his knife.

“My pa is making me hunt animals.” The brunette scoffed.

“Dat’s dumb. A gun is betta.” The little boy smiled.

“That’s what I said!” His smile faded soon after, the brunette liked his smile. It was...nice. The shorter of the two glared at the grown. “But whenever I say that he hits me...so I stopped saying that.” The two fell silent the only sounds being the subtle forest sounds around them and heavy sounds of cicadas in the hot summer heat.

“What’s your name?” The brunette finally asked his curiosity getting the better of him. He was sharply dressed for his age and the other found it strange. His outfit looked like it had been stolen from someone, multiple tears in the pants and white T-shirt he wore.

It was a stupid choice to be talking to someone, especially out here. His father had told him never to trust anyone yet here he was talking to a boy that was strangely out here in the woods on a hot summer day. Especially when children would be playing in a pool somewhere or getting ice cream.

And despite all that, he found himself answering. “Anthony.” The brunette found himself smiling, something he rarely did these days.

“My name is Edward.” The taller of the two said, reaching his hand out as if they were businessmen.

Anthony looked at the hand curiously but found himself grabbing it. They shook and their hands stuck together for a little longer than normal before awkwardly separating.

Anthony looked at the ground. “So uh..how old are ya’? I just turned 9!” The brunette narrowed his eyes.

“10.” The blonde looked up amazed.

“Wow your old.” The brunette gawked at the bluntness.

“ ‘Dats real rude!” Anthony only grinned.

“But it's weird.” Edward tilted his head confused.

“Why?” He couldn’t help but stare into those large round doe-like green eyes. The freckles, blonde hair and pale skin..it was all so interesting to look at. Was it because he was younger that he looked like that?

“Well I’ve met older people and they weren’t cute. But you are.” Edward smiled nervously.

“D-you can’t go sayin’ ‘dat!” The shorter was simply confused.

“Huh? Why?” Edward frowned his cheeks tinting a like pink.

“My fatha’ said it ain’t okay for boys to be goin’ around and liking boys. He don’t like it…”

“Oh…” Anthony muttered staring at the grass, as if it held the answers.

“Well, I like you!” The brunette’s face flushed a bright red.

“D-don’t be sayin’ dat!” He gawked, completely shocked. He’d never met someone like this or a boy who had said something like that.

“Well I am so there!” Edward crossed his arms.

“You very weird.” The blonde boy only grinned.

“I know. Oh-I gotta go! Bye Edward!” The boy suddenly took off running and before the brunette could question just why he’d run off, he could hear the boy's name being called by a gruff voice.

...Maybe he would see him again.

Two boys, each drastically different, it seemed as if a friendship like theirs would never work out. But somehow it did, in that small quaint town of New Orleans they seemed, by luck, to run into each other again and again. And somehow that friendship grew and they got along. They would go into the woods together and attempt to hunt or sometimes just sit around and talk about random topics.

Although only the mothers knew of the boy's friendship, and would be the one to maintain this secret friendship. Although there was a lot of bad on each of the boy’s sides, for what it was worth, when they were together things almost for those two years, were perfect.

And then those 5 years came to an end.

A soft knock came at the door but Anthony refused to look up from the floor. He heard the door open and still refused to look up. He expected to hear the booming voice of his father yelling at him, snatching up and beating him. But instead he only heard the light tapping of shoes as they got closer…

This led him to think that it was his mother who had entered his room, and so he looked up. But his eyes widened in shock, it was not his mother who was currently closing his door very quietly nor her who was smiling sadly at him right now.

“Ed!” He whispered loudly as he got up from his bed and tackled the other in a tight hug. In these two years the other male had grown a bit taller, his voice had gotten a tad deeper and he now wore glasses. But other than that, he hadn’t changed very much. The way he hesitantly passed Anthony’s shoulders before gently pushing him away only proved this.

“Are you alright?” He asked, he had begun suppressing his accent since a year ago, and although Anthony wasn’t sure why he never bothered to question it. Even if he did miss it.

Anthony nodded with glossy eyes that he tried to wipe. Edward was dressed in that blue polo again, the one they always wore in schools. Wait did he just skip school? “How did ya get in here..” Anthony whispered. Edward simply shook his head dismissing the question as unimportant.

“Why are you frowning?” Anthony wiped his eyes.

“You know why! I ain’t gonna be in New Orleans tomorrow…” It was all his father's fault, and he truly hated him for it. He had done quite a lot of horrible things but this was one of the worst. They were being forced to move back to New York just because of his father's work. Naturally he didn’t have a say so in it and, it would also be the last time he would be able to see Edward. He didn’t have a cellphone, he wasn’t allowed one and Edward was far too poor to afford one. Anthony didn’t know his new address and he didn’t want to get the other in trouble for possibly sending letters to his home.

Truly, it seemed this would be the last time they would be seeing each other.

It seemed.

And Edward knew this.

He was frowning now as he moved his thumb to wipe a stray tear from the shorter boy's face. “Don’t frown Anthony. You have a beautiful smile.” Anthony sniffled as he shook his head resting it against Edwards chest.

“I don’t wanna say goodbye to ya...you're the only person in this shit hole whose actually nice to me...everyone else sucks.” This time Edward allowed the contact, he kept his hands on Anthony’s shoulders.

“I don’t wanna say goodbye either Anthony.” He admitted quietly. He gently patted the other's head. “But there’s nothing we can do.” Once again he pushed the other away holding him at arm's length. Anthony looked up with glossy eyes once more. Edward smiled sadly, and reached into his breast pocket taking out the red handkerchief.

“Come now, a frown doesn’t suit your pretty face.” Anthony took the handkerchief and wiped his eyes free of any tears. He held it up to hand it back but the other simply shook his head. “Keep it.” This caused the corners of Anthony’s lips to tug up almost into a smile. It was that smile that Edward craved whenever they met up, whenever he saw him and whenever they said their goodbyes.

And this time was no different.

“Sbrigati, fottuto marmocchio!” The familiar gruff voice shouted from the hall in italian. Anthony’s smile vanished as did Edwards.

He sighed, suppressing the urge to cry once again. “I-I gotta go…” he muttered in a broken voice.

“Hm, I think not. Not until you smile.” Anthony looked up.

“Ed-your gonna get me in trouble. Move out of ‘da way..and..and you gotta go before you get found by my pa.” Anthony bit his lip swallowing the tears as he gestured to the locked window. He wanted to run, run away with Edward..but he knew he couldn’t. They wouldn’t survive out there, and he knew his father would find him. Running would just make it worse...besides, he refused to leave his mother and sister.

Edward only shook his head. “Not until you smile. So how can I get that to happen?” Anthony looked to his feet, only shrugging. Edward hummed lowley as he took a step forward noting to himself that he’d locked the door. He tilted Anthony’s head up and without warning leaned down and pecked his lips.

The blonde was shocked, thrown off even. The action was enough to get him to back away, the back of his hand covering his mouth. Edward only smirked, finding Anthony’s bright red face and confused green eyes that searched him, humorous.

“E-Ed what the hell! W-why did you do that.” The brunette only looked quizcally, the smirk on his lips not falling.

“Did you not like it?” Slowly the hand covering Anthony’s mouth lowered, his eyes looking anywhere that wasn’t Edward.

“.......I did.” He said quietly, almost too quiet to hear. Almost.

Edward stepped closer once more, leaned down again but stopped just an inch from Anthony’s lips. He smiled softly, and Anthony kept his eyes away even though he could feel Edwards breaths on his cheek. As he felt the others hand come up to cup his cheek he found his eyes tracing back to the brunette. Those large green doe eyes stared up into brown.

Anthony leaned up pressing his lips against Edwards and grabbing the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. Edward only tilted his head, locking his free arm around Anthony’s hips.

Time seemingly stopped for just those few minutes. And for once, Anthony felt safe and warm.

And then that moment was over.

The loud banging at the door and failed attempt to open it brought the young pair back to reality causing the brunette to quickly pull away. Angel looked up at him alarmed as he moved over to the window quickly opening it, ignoring the angry italian behind the door. He sat perched on the window ciel, the jump down wouldn’t hurt too much as long as he landed in the bushes.

He looked over to Anthony and reached his hand out. “Anthony come with me.” The blonde looked at the offered hand and slowly shook his head. “I can’t Ed...my sister. A-and what about your mom..” Edward frowned deepened as he sighed.

He leaned forward, cupping Anthony’s face and kissing him gently one last time. It was short this time, but sweet. He stared into those bright green eyes resting his forehead against the others. “....Goodbye, Anthony.”

Anthony’s eyes become glossy once more, he couldn’t help but sniffle once again. “Goodbye Edward..” he hoarse words came, and they were the last things the brunette heard before tearing himself away and jumping from the window.

“Wow that sounds like a childhood love story.” The blonde-haired girl said from Angel’s bed. He sighed leaning against his dresser. He took another hit from his joint, his eyes staring out the window and into the city of New York.

“Eh it was probably the heat of the moment.” The women hummed.

“Your an adult now, why not just move back to New Orleans and go lookin’ for him?” Angel shook his head taking another long drag from the joint, this time letting stay in for a second before blowing it out. The smoke filled the room, not that it bothered the women.

“That was 10 years ago Cherri, he’s probably long gone by now. An I don’t even remember his address let alone where he lived in New Orleans.” She laid down on his bed. “Plus I can’t. Just cause I got my own place don’t mean pa ain’t got his hooks in me still.” She frowned.

“Well, who knows...maybe you’ll meet him again someday. Loves got a way y’know?” Angel looked into the mirror, he’d grown up his features matured..freckles not as visible anymore. But most importantly, his eyes didn’t sparkle a bright green like they had back then. Sometimes he wondered if that kiss really happened, or if it was all just his imagination. Trying to make something good of a sad memory. Wanting to kiss the guy he’d developed a crush on.

Did it ever happen...or was it simply a false memory?

“Yeah….I hope so.”

But he wouldn’t get his hopes up.

He knew better.

He suppressed a sign as he leaned over and switched on the radio. He wanted to listen to something while he did his make up.

“Good morning all you listeners! Today is quite a lovely day yes indeed! A pleasure to have you all listening once again. I shall be your host for today, Alastor haha! Now let us see what dreadful things are to be had today in the city of New York!”

Angel frowned only listening to that broadcast in the background..

…..Maybe they’d meet again someday.

#radiodust #au #childhod love #alastor #angel dust #oneshots #fanfiction #alastorxangel

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katelynn-a-fan · 3 years

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Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Chapter 8

First | Previous | Next | Masterlist | Ao3

Summary: Roman and Remus have two very similar, but very different conversations. One might be more... eye-opening than the other. But both of them has something they have to deal with.

Word count: 8k (8008)

Warnings: Self-deprecation, slight Remus-style imagery

Tapping his fingers restlessly on his knee, Roman’s breathlessness abated as Remus and Janus disappeared around the doorframe. A pressure suddenly lifted from his lungs as Roman was sure Remus was finally out of the picture for a while.

A sigh naturally escaped from his lips. Roman hoped it sounded more tired or long-suffering than relieved. Patton shouldn’t have to worry about Roman or anyone else right now.

Patton’s love, if barely a day old love, was obvious the moment anyone would look at him.

First things first was Patton’s face, the obvious place to go to at first. The small yet sad smile on Patton’s face as well as the soft but bright look in his eyes as he seemed to stare at Thomas’s face for hours. Patton was obviously hoping for Thomas’s swift recovery, but Roman thought back on Dr. Kagan’s words. Thomas likely wouldn’t wake up for a while.

Even still, at least for Patton’s sake, Roman was glad Thomas was okay.

Roman’s eyes traced Patton's face to his arm and then down to his hand, where Patton’s hand gently rested on the bed, lightly gripping Thomas’s tiny hand. The grip was protective but gentle. Like a dad who was holding his newborn baby for the first time or the love between anyone committed to living the rest of their lives with someone, romantically or otherwise all in one handhold.

Unconditional love. A love that asked for nothing, but gave everything it had no matter what.

That’s Patton alright, he’ll do anything for you, but Lisa Minnelli help you if you try to do anything for him. Tomatoes? They’ve got nothing on a Patton who’s just been told you did something for him.

It was because of Patton’s obvious love for Thomas that Roman missed that Patton was actually speaking to him.

“-oman!” Patton's voice finally cut through Roman’s thoughts.

Jumping slightly as he had been caught off guard, Roman glanced back up to Patton. Expecting what he found when he looked up, Patton was tilting his head and had his lips pursed slightly. The muscles in his face were tense, especially in Patton’s forehead, wrinkles forming as his brow dipped down towards his eyes.

Roman wrung his hands a little, because how long had Patton been calling him? He cleared his throat.

“Uh, yeah Pat? I- uh didn’t catch what you said. Did- did you say something?” Roman managed to smile a little, but it was definitely mostly fake. Patton frowned but didn’t comment on it. Instead, he shifted himself to face Roman more. His gaze was softer after that, though.

“I haven’t said much of anything yet. I was mostly just trying to get your attention.”

Shoulders drawing up as he averted eye contact, Roman’s voice grew moderately quieter.

“Sorry, I uh… got distracted.”

Patton shifted yet again on the edges of Roman’s vision and Roman nearly startled when Patton’s fingers brushed his knee.

“Hey, you don’t have to apologize. We all get distracted sometimes, it’s no biggie.”

His shoulders beginning to relax nearly as quickly as they tensed, Roman looked up only to get slapped in the face with the look in Patton’s eyes that thirty seconds ago had been reserved just for Thomas. Unconditional love, a kind of love with enough patience to rival a stone’s. A stone could wait centuries to only shift an inch.

“Okay... What- uh... What were you going to ask me?” Roman prompted, turning the focus back on what Patton was wanting to ask Roman about. Certainly it was not to direct away from the heat on Roman’s cheeks. Certainly not.

Patton blinked slowly, a frown dipping onto his face before Patton’s brow shot up.

“Oh yeah! I guess I got distracted as well. I- I wanted to ask you because I never got the chance before Remus came. Why were you and Janus able to come home so early? Did- did you-”

Roman put his hand gently up to stop Patton’s eyes from progressively gathering more and more moisture as obvious tears began to threaten falling from Patton’s eyes.

“Hey. Everything went fine. We were just able to get away earlier and got an earlier flight as well. I’m confident in Janus’s abilities and his performance for this time, like every time. What kind of friend/employee would I be if I wasn’t confident in Janus’s abilities?”

Patton’s hand skirted across Roman’s knee again.

“Still a great one, Roman. I- It’s not that I’m not confident in Janus’s abilities, but that they don’t see that and pass him over for a role… I’m s-” Patton suddenly slammed his mouth shut, glancing away from Roman as his shoulders dipped down.

Roman smirked, crossing his arms as he let the smug expression flood across his face.

“You were about to apologize, weren’t you? Now, what did you say about that? I wonder.”

Tone lightening considerably, Roman’s smirk grew when Patton’s face bloomed into a smile much less smug than Roman’s at the obvious teasing.

“Oh shut up, you.” Patton’s expression went rosy as he rolled his eyes at Roman, but something made Patton’s expression suddenly drop as fast it became rosy.

Roman leaned towards Patton as he tilted his head as Patton had a minute before. His elbows rested on his legs to balance himself.

“Patton?” It was apparently Roman’s turn to try to get Patton’s attention as Patton stared at a random spot on the hospital bed. Roman’s heart sped up in his chest as Patton didn’t respond at first.

This is probably what Patton felt like when I was distracted by him and Thomas. I don’t like this feeling.

However, unlike with Roman, Patton snapped out of it of his own accord. Without a sound at first, Patton turned back to Roman, abruptly beginning to fidget and fumble with the edge of his own sleeve with his free hand leaving Roman’s knee.

“Patton? You okay? You look upset…”

Fumbling stopping for a moment, Patton met Roman’s eyes, strangely frantic.

“What were you saying when you got here… I- you said something about thinking I was… something. What did you think I was?”

Roman sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck

”Um well you see… Why-”

“-did you bring me out here?” Remus whispered to Janus as he waited for Janus to catch up with him in the hall after going first out the door.

Letting the silence drag on, Janus didn’t respond at first, not stopping when Remus joined up right beside him. It didn’t click why until Remus caught a Janus glancing back at the door. That was the reason, Janus didn’t want Rom- them to hear.

Taking a few more steps, Janus finally cleared his throat.

“Well, we are legitimately getting food. I wasn’t lying about that.”

Remus frowned. “I didn’t think you were, but I can tell walking with me isn’t just for the sake of walking with me. There’s a reason beyond that, I can tell.”

Janus’s footsteps stuttered a moment before slowing gently to a stop. Now obviously glancing back at the door, Janus’s body tensed and relaxed in waves, his muscles pumping in a strange almost heart looking way as Janus nearly backed up into the wall. His hand approached his ears slowly, but Remus couldn’t hear anything loud. Remus’s stomach dropped.

Is he hearing something? I don’t know what to do, um… grab his shoulder. Yeah.. that’ll work.

Luckily, whatever spiral Janus had been stuck in ended the moment Remus gripped Janus’s shoulder.

As Janus looked up, Janus’s eyes were wide, but quickly went back to normal as Janus eyes lit up in recognition of Remus, like Remus hadn’t already been there the whole time.

“Oh, yes, uh. It’s not just about the food…” Janus pushed himself away from the wall with a slight head shake, glancing around at his surroundings as if he was seeing them for the first time. “I wanted to talk about you and your brother.”

Suddenly rooted to the spot, Remus' knees went weak, but not from exhaustion. Oh no, it was like everything was suddenly happening at once and Remus’s voice suddenly never existed.

A list of places to hide popped into his head as his mind was demanding him to run, but his body wasn’t cooperating with him. All he managed to do instead was walk straight into Janus in one step.

“Woah, Remus. I’m right in front of you, no need to get closer.”

That’s not what- Remus cut himself off as his mind finally caught up to what his body was doing. He shoved himself back hard but was stopped almost immediately by Janus’s steady hands.

“Remus, hey, I’m not trying to pull one over on you or anything. Honestly, I'm going behind Roman’s back to even do this because he hasn’t ever actually told me what actually happened between you two.”

Remus’s mind automatically quieted at that news.

“Wait… you don’t? I thought...”

Staring at the ground intently, Remus ran his hand through his hair,

How-? Janus is Roman’s partner, of all the people it should be Janus he tells… though… Patton doesn’t know either, so…

“You thought I knew why Roman hates you? ...No, I don’t, but that’s fair, I thought you knew that I didn’t know what is between you either. We both made some broad assumptions, so we’ll just call this even and move on I guess.”

Remus met Janus face to face at that. A sudden lump in Remus’s throat made it hard to swallow, but eventually Remus gulped down the saliva that had been pooling his mouth while he was frozen.

“So, uh, my brother? He- we are, of course, brothers and twins. When we were young we had our own language and had our own little world with our own social rules that dominated both our childhoods. We were inseparable, but that didn’t stop us from fighting… a lot. It was never too bad, but it was never completely good either. I got him into trouble sometimes because we’re twins and they mistook him for me. But then… I drew a mustache on my lips every day and that stopped being a problem unless someone didn’t know about the difference or when I still wanted to be a little shit and cause some chaos to try to see if I could get Roman in trouble.”

Remus blinked, his tangent cut off as his face drifted into a dreamy smile as he looked back on his childhood. He immediately dropped his smile, straightening up again.

“That is to say we were very close before everything happened.”

Janus frowned, eyes skating up and down Remus for a long moment which made Remus want to squirm under the scrutiny. It brought thoughts of his own that he would rather not think about Janus with him not even three or four feet in front of him.

“Okay, then. Why-”

“-did I ask something about that? That’s a very good question.” Roman’s voice dropped to a mutter as Patton’s stare seemed to pin him down, making Roman fidget in his chair, tapping like he had been as Remus left the room.

When Roman doesn’t continue, Patton fills the silence instead.

“And? I’m… starting to worry about this… You’re so hesitant to talk about anything. Maybe, I shouldn’t ask you to talk about it, you don’t have to-” Patton started to turn away from Roman back to Thomas, but Roman grabbed Patton’s free hand, pausing his hand where it had been still fiddling with Patton’s sweater.

Patton turned back around to Roman, a small exhalation of air leaking from Patton’s lips.

“Patton. I want to, I’m just… worried about how you might react, but… you have to know. I promise it’s not as bad as any of the worst-case scenarios you can come up with.”

Roman paused, searching Patton’s face, yet avoiding direct eye contact with him.

Deciding he could stall no longer, Roman inhaling and exhaling out again slowly before he began to explain.

”Well, we came back to the house and I tried to surprise you with a grand entrance, went all out with it with the voice too, but you weren’t there of course,” Patton rolled his eyes fondly, a smirk on his face at the dramatics despite not even having experienced it in person. “So we looked around the living room a bit and talked for a little bit.”

A pang in Roman’s gut erupted as he failed to mention that it was less talking and more arguing or more accurately a tense silence instead. Patton shouldn’t have to learn about that part of the conversation, so Roman just… didn’t mention it.

Wiping his brow with the back of his wrist, Roman gazed down at the ground for a moment, pausing before he continued his retelling.

“At a point in the convo, Janus noticed that the kitchen light was on and-”

Eyes going wide, Patton stiffened a little, his grip on Roman’s hand tightening. His voice was higher pitched than normal when he exclaimed.

“It was? Dog it! I never meant to do that, I don’t want you guys to pay more than you have to on the electric.”

Roman smiled, squeezing Patton’s hand gently back. His own shoulders relaxed as Patton’s posture began to slowly relax, Roman’s voice taking on a soothing quality.

“You didn’t mean to, Patton. That’s all that matters. Plus, leaving one simple light on without being needed for half a day is nothing compared to the TV or other lights we have on on a regular basis. I know you care about that a lot, but I won’t be angry with you over one or two missed lights.”

Breathing out slowly through his nose, Patton closed his eyes. Slowly, he offered Roman a small but growing smile even with his eyes still closed. When Patton opened his again, they were steady and clear. It lightened the grip that had come around Roman’s heart when Patton had first asked about what they had been so concerned about.

“I know. It’s… hard sometimes. I don’t nearly contribute to payments as much as I want and I want to be able to pay my share instead of making you both pay more.”

“Patton.”

Roman gave his voice the weight it needed but still held back. Having curled up a little, knees drawing up into the seat of the hospital chair, Patton looked up.

“We don’t care about the money. Please don’t feel obligated to work yourself too hard because you can pay your ‘fair share,’” Roman put up air quotes, putting a fair amount of emphasis on the words. “We are happy with whatever you are able to contribute now. Please don’t worry about that.”

Patton nodded, though it was much less genuine looking as he avoided Roman’s eye contact and gave a weak laugh.

“Okay…”

Roman didn’t continue for a long moment staring at Patton and his (once again) slowly tensing posture, but something in him instructed him to leave the topic alone, if just for a moment. He kept his voice soft at first once he continued, slowly growing back to a normal tone as he went on.

“Alright. So… we- well, he noticed that and turned it off. We knew you’d never want to leave a light on like that, so we got worried that something had happened to you. At first, we thought you were sick, so we went to your room. We thought you were still asleep, so we didn’t barge in. But when we saw that your bed was empty, we immediately went into investigation mode searching the whole house for you.” Roman shook his head as Patton cringed, forging on to lessen the time Patton would have to hear about this. “So we each searched parts of the house, Janus found a drawer ajar in the study and-”

Patton flinched, his fingers twitching around Thomas’s hand..

“Oh. I got an ice scraper from there because it was snowing and everything and that was the only way to see.”

Roman began to nod but froze when what was next was something that might upset Patton. Letting out a nervous laugh, Roman subtly wrung his hands as he glanced away from Patton.

How could I even put this lightly?

“That’s smart, Pat,” Roman let his shoulders relax just a little bit again when Patton beamed at the praise. ”Going back to what happened, um… we thought you had been taken or kidnapped because the drawer had within it long and semi heavy things in there and we thought that was proof that you grabbed something to defend yourself with. We called you in case you weren’t actually taken, but you didn’t pick up…”

Patton’s free hand went down to his pocket immediately, resting on the obvious outline of his phone in his pocket. Giving a strange look that Roman couldn’t decipher at him, Patton pulled out his phone with one hand and fiddled with it for a moment before pausing.

“What are you…” Roman asked.

Tapping the screen, Patton held up his phone as Roman’s voice suddenly came through the speakers.

The words Roman remembered uttering flooded into his ears.

“Hey Patton, I- We don’t know where you are right now, just know that you’re going to be okay. We're going to find you, I promise. I love… you...Patton.”

Patton’s hand nearly dropped the phone when it began to tremble. Without a second thought, Roman grabbed Patton’s hand between the two of his and held tight.

However, instead of being sad, Patton looked up with a smile on his face.It was certainly not a full one, but it was much more genuine than the half-smiles either of them had been barely committing to. Roman’s mouth almost fell open on the spot.

“Thank you, Roman. You’re so thoughtful.”

Roman sat there on the verge of his jaw-dropping straight to the floor before he straightened up again, coughing awkwardly away from Patton. His cheeks were heating up way too fast and he wanted them to stop. Even as his cheeks still were blazing fires, Roman was turning back to Patton again almost immediately.

“Um... To finish off, I did that and then we found the blood from Thomas on the couch blankets and the vase in the trash, saw Remus’s car and connected the dots, and then came here. You know the rest.”

Patton pursed his lips, face drawing together until his face cleared. His eyes opened wide as he softly gasped.

“Oh yeah, I did break the vase… Remus… must have cleaned that up while I was attempting to find my keys and wallet.”

Roman blinked.

Remus?

“Remus cleaned the vase? I thought that must have been you?”

The corners of Patton’s mouth dipped a little as Patton shook his head resolutely.

“No, I would remember something like that. I’m-” Patton stuttered, his mouth faltering. “I’m sor- I… didn’t mean to make you fear for my safety so much.”

Roman shook his head.

“It’s fine. Emotions were running high for you and you had a child to worry about. I can see how you might not have had ‘contacting your partners about what had happened when they were supposed to still be coming back’ high on your priorities then. Even if you had told us anything, it would’ve likely had the same effect on how you feel right now with how you didn’t want us to worry after the fact. Your emotions are valid, but please don’t feel obligated to do anything for me and Janus, alright? We love you.”

Patton was silent for a long couple of moments before his mouth opened and his free hand suddenly shot out.

“Thank you.”

Slamming into Roman’s shoulder with quite a bit of force, Patton’s hand came down forcefully enough that Roman might have had his knees buckle under him at the very least if he were standing.

Janus’s hand was heavy and firm on Remus’s shoulder. Having brought his hand down fairly heavily on Remus’s shoulder, it definitely caught Remus’s attention. It was heavy enough that Remus couldn’t ignore it being there, but it was just enough to not be unbearable.

“I- I still don’t understand. Roman is never this harsh, this… sharp, this… glare-y, unless he’s really serious. He’s told me not to bring you up and I thoughtlessly did this morning and we nearly got in a fight over it. I can’t imagine… I want to believe what Roman implies with all of his harshness towards you, that you did something bad or insulted or something.”

Remus bit lip as he cringed, turning his back to Janus to try to quickly hide the actual genuine emotion that statement elicited in Remus’s heart. And it wasn’t a nice emotion, it was a twisting pain in Remus’s heart that made Remus want to scream.

He had no idea who he wanted to scream at, Janus? Roman? Everyone in particular who looked down upon him or hated him because of who he was or what he did in the past? Honestly, did it really matter who he was going to scream at?

Other than Patton. Out of everyone, Patton was the only one Remus may never say a bad word about, much less scream wordlessly at him in frustration of nothing in particular.

Janus is actually being nice to me for a change, do I really want to scream at him? It’s not my fault Roman only expressed his vague dislike for me and not my side. I can’t blame him for preferring his actual boyfriend over me.

“Remus? Are you okay? Do you need to go back to Thom- his hospital room?”

Oh, yeah.

Remus was staring down at the intersection of the hospital wall and the floor.

I should probably turn back to Janus. Now that I am not about to scream in his face, it’s only fair to face him again.

Only fair.

Plastering a hopefully believable grin that was nowhere near the caliber of his usual borderline insane looking grin, though it did fit exactly how tired he was, Remus met Janus’s eyes, no longer facing the wall away from him.

“Nah, I’m fine, Short and Snaky, just still trying to wake up a little. I wouldn’t have come if I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it.”

Janus didn’t even try to appear like he believed Remus, crossing his arms and angling a questioning brow to him in a very obvious way of saying: Oh really? With all the sarcasm that Janus had in him, which was probably a lot.

Without Janus even having to speak, Remus was dropping once again, letting everything visibly hang on him. It was like 10-pound weights were added to most of his body at once. Looking away once again, Remus focused back down on the ground purposefully this time.

“Okay… okay. That… did sting a bit, the comment about me being less believable or whatever, but that’s par for the course. You’re not the first to think that either. Roman’s always been the ‘golden child’ and I haven’t. I’m used to it though. It’s fine.”

Remus didn’t wait for the agreement that was surely going to come from Janus. Starting to walk away, he merely expedited the process of getting on with getting to the cafeteria by leading them down the hall again. He had held both of them up enough.

But a hand on his arm stopped Remus in his tracks, his eyes widened and he stiffened as he turned back to Janus to get whatever scorn he was bound to get. More of the usual? He was used to that from anyone who didn’t know him that well.

Except, that in his surprise he glanced up at Janus’s face and it was… not that at all. If anything, it was incredibly gentle, the opposite of scornful.

“Remus, that’s not fine… You aren’t supposed to feel that way, or… no one should’ve made you feel that that is the case at all. Even if your parents were obvious in who they liked more or whatever, that’s no excuse to talk down to you about something you could never change or that whoever you are wasn’t something worth valuing!”

Remus blinked, a lot. His blinking was almost like a strobe light, his eyes spending as much time closed as open.

“Uh....” Remus offered, at a very rare loss for words.

Thankfully, Janus continued on for him, a light squeeze on Remus’s shoulder accompanying him.

“You shouldn’t have to think that. You don’t seem too… non-goldeny to me. They probably said things because they just don’t understand you, and you probably did things back then because you didn't understand them. Unless there’s something I’m missing, I don’t think either of you tried to understand each other, Roman included.”

Shaking his head Janus squeezed Remus’s shoulder again, the grip finally not feeling harsh or condemning despite its utmost gentleness. Still shaking his head, Janus leaned back, removing his hand from Remus’s shoulder.

“You… don’t have to talk about what happened between you two at all if you don’t want to. Just know you aren’t bad or whatever self-deprecating words are bouncing around in your cranium up there.” Remus flinched, closing one of his eyes when Janus brought his fist up. However, Janus simply rapped his knuckles on Remus’s head. “You can never be ‘bad’ if you're always trying to be better. Just because you fail doesn’t mean you didn’t try.”

Smiling slightly wider for a moment, Janus lingered his fist on Remus’s head before pulling his hand down and just waited.

It took a long moment of staring blankly back at Janus before it hit Remus that Janus was simply… waiting.

Straightening up with an awkward cough, Remus brushed out the wrinkles that had formed in his nurse’s uniform. He paused for a moment at the fact that he still had it on, though the fact that he hadn’t remembered taking it off would serve to prove that it would still be what he was wearing.

Why does it suddenly feel weird to have this on? I’m still here at the hospital, so why does this suddenly feel out of place? Maybe it’s just… everything. My brain doesn’t know what to feel anymore, so everything just feels off.

Clearing his throat conspicuously once more, Remus stepped over to the wall. He placed his back on it, trying to alleviate the sense of wrong coursing through him as he prepared to talk about his brother after not daring to for… Remus couldn’t remember the last time he had spoken about it other than his own partners. Remus just wanted someone to talk to again, to stop this hiding...

The moment his back did hit the wall, most of the sensation of wrongness melted away, only leaving the tension of admitting to someone who was quite nearly a stranger one of his most vulnerable secrets or conflict.

Janus stepped towards him abruptly, but the move was obviously more of a following step as Remus had moved away from where he was than an advancing step judging by how Janus was remaining the same distance away as before.

Measuring his breathing, Remus took a moment to clear his mind the best he could. To let himself think about everything clearly without inward distractions no matter how much it hurt to think about. Sure, all of the daily thoughts that ran through his mind were still there, churning and writhing in the back of his mind, but they were slowly drowned out by all the memories pertaining to him and his brother.

The memories were sharp and pointy, like knives or needles, poking Remus painfully if he tried to squirm an inch in thought. Scenes of the hurt and anger and just… bad feelings replayed in his mind as he faced them head-on for the first time since they had been created.

Once Remus was ready, he opened his eyes, not knowing when he closed them, and began.

“The truth is…” Remus ignored the sudden impulse to finish the phrase with ‘I am Iron Man’ like at the end of the first Iron Man movie, this was a serious moment.

“I… don’t know why Roman hates me.”

Waiting for Janus’s reaction, Remus glanced up to find an expression on Janus’s face that he didn’t expect.

“What?”

“-can’t you make mistakes?” Gripping Patton’s hand on his shoulder, Roman squeezed Patton’s hand in what he hoped was a comforting way.

When Patton didn’t immediately respond, Roman’s face softened, his forehead smoothing out a little. Something about Patton’s expression, his mouth pressed carefully into a thin line and the slight avoidance for eye contact namely, told him that Patton didn’t think he could make mistakes.

“Oh habibi, darling, please don’t fret. You’re human, I’m human. I can make mistakes, right?”

Roman gripped Patton’s hand tighter, pulling it from his shoulder and cradling it into his chest as if he were carrying his most prized possession. His eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, if he opened them any wider.

Just being in the room with Remus has him rubbing off on me… I… no… I can’t think about him right now. Patton’s the priority.

Keeping his head bowed for another moment, Patton finally looked up, eyes just as wide as Roman’s if not even wider. Painfully conflicted, Roman’s heart nearly combusted at the sight of the conflict in Patton’s eyes. As if the fact that he could make mistakes was something that was hard to grasp for Patton.

How are you, so perfect and beautiful in all you do, doubtful of your own abilities? If I was half the man you were...

Patton squeaked, the notes slightly strangled, and suddenly slammed his face into Roman’s chest.

“Uh- Um… You okay there, Pat?” Roman stammered, his cheeks tinging the lightest shade pink at the sudden initiate gesture.

Patton muttered something into Roman’s chest that didn’t quite reach Roman’s ears. Eyes trailing down from how Patton’s hand was still intertwined with Thomas’s somehow, Roman frowned down at Patton.

“What… what’d you say there Pat?”

Patton pulled back from Roman’s chest just enough to be decipherable, his face still not visible for Roman. Though he could swear he saw a blush coloring Patton’s cheeks, what could be the cause of that?

“I asked you if you really thought that, the… perfect and beautiful stuff? I… don’t deserve…”

Roman’s body stiffened. Pulling himself away from Roman as he himself stiffened, Patton snatched his hand away like Roman was a hot stove.

“Oh…Oops I… said that out loud? Oh.” Roman sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck before his mind latched onto what Patton had said at the end. His eyes narrowed. “Wait, were you about to say you didn’t deserve that praise? I’ll have you know that you deserve all of the praise that I can give to you and more. You’re usually the one that gets on us about self-deprecation. It’s time to listen to your own advice, Pat.”

Gaping his mouth open like a fish, Patton looked about ready to protest before he closed his mouth suddenly.

“I… feel bad about being a hypocrite, but… yeah… I should listen to myself a bit more.” Patton offered a small smile once again.

Tutting, Roman cupped Patton’s chin, watching as Patton’s eyes drooped.

“What am I going to do with you, dapdoub? My little teddy bear?”

Leaning into Roman’s gentle caress, Patton’s eyes closed for a moment before almost immediately snapping open again. Under him, Roman’s chair shifted a little and Roman had to look down at what the disturbance was. Patton was lightly tugging at the chair with a suspiciously innocent expression on his face, doe-eyed and unassuming.

“How about cuddles? Because that’s what you do with your Daddoub, cuddle them?” Roman caught a ghost of a smirk flashing across Patton’s face, but plausible deniability served that it could have just been Roman’s imagination.

Roman rolled his eyes but didn’t comment on that or the pun.

“Fine. But it’s because I wanted to, anyway.”

Roman was too busy scooting his chair forwards to look, but when he spoke, Patton’s voice was very, very smirky sounding.

“Alright, Roman.”

When Roman was finally in range, he opened his arms and let Patton guide him onto his chest, but something struck him.

“Wait, a teddy bear’s not supposed to be Big Spoon or… whatever it’s called. You’re supposed to…” Roman was stopped mid-sentence by a playful finger to his lips.

“Shh, it doesn’t matter because cuddles.”

“I-”

“Cuddles.”

Roman huffed, but didn’t protest as he let himself be pressed gently against Patton’s taller and slightly broader chest.

If Patton cuddled up against me, he would be much more uncomfortable having to bend down… So this is fine…

They stayed like that in silence, Roman beginning to want to trace his eyes down Patton’s arm again to find if Patton was still holding Thomas’s hand.

That was until one simple but sudden sound had both of them startled.

Bee-

-eep!

Both Remus and Janus jumped as a loud beeping came from the vicinity of Janus. The moment of confusion was momentarily broken as Janus plunged his hand into the noticeable sagging pocket of his pants. Remus looked silently on as the sound was now revealing to be Janus’s phone. After a moment of fiddling with his phone, brow furrowing in concentration, the beeping stopped and Janus refocused on Remus with a slightly pained expression. Biting his lip, Janus quickly slipped his phone back into his pocket.

“Sorry, that was the alarm I set so that we didn’t waste too much time talking and not getting back. I don’t want them suspecting anything.” Janus gestured ahead of them, moving his arm back and forth more and more rapidly as Remus still hadn’t moved at first. “Come on, let’s walk and talk. I’m honestly getting hungry despite everything that’s happened.”

Janus’s stomach growled right then, eliciting a kind of barking laugh from Remus at the perfect timing of it, finally moving Remus forward as his mind quickly caught up with what was happening.

“Me too, Jan, me too,” Remus repeated as he passed Janus.

Immediately stepping off with Remus, Janus kept pace with Remus. It took a few moments for Janus to finally speak again, continuing where he let off.

“What the fuck?”

Remus nearly stumbled as Janus’s voice abruptly exclaimed nearly straight into his ear. His hand came up instinctively to cup his ears.

“Huh?”

“What do you mean, huh? Not to be an asshole or whatever, but how- How do you not know why your twin hates you?”

Remus blinks, he blinks until the moisture in his eyes starts to cloud his vision. Gripping his nurse’s uniform, the uniform that was wrong. Wrong. Wrong! Wrong!

Remus gulped.

Is that stomach acid or am I just really that stupid that I’m actually crying over this? Figures. Same old me that never changes and is still that stupid old… monster.

“Because I just don’t!” Remus nearly shouted, catching a few looks from strangers walking past. But he didn’t care, he couldn’t care, he shouldn’t.

Twisting his outfit in his hands, a wave of emotions carried him as his mouth moved without him putting much thought into his words.

“I don’t know what I did or what he thinks I did, but he hasn’t ever given me a chance to explain! The last time I tried to talk to him about it, he threw his complete collection of Shakespeare’s plays at me. I still have a scar from it. Ever since then, it’s been tense and we’ve ignored the problem when we’re forced to interact. I can see that he’s hurt and I’ve wanted to help, but the motherfucker won’t ever just talk! Still think the best I can of the guy and he just-”

Cut off, Remus’s voice caught in his throat at the same moment Janus placed a gentle hand on his chest, stopping him in his tracks, audibly and physically.

Wishing the blurriness in his eyes would go away, Remus clenched his outfit harder, not keeping eye contact with Janus, who was desperately trying to meet his eyes.

God, the one guy who usually can’t look me in the eye usually is the one desperately trying to! Such a fuck up, he shouldn’t have to do that! You’re forcing him to do that.

Pulled apart by two conflicting impulses, Remus was frozen until a grip on his chin forced his head up near painfully. Meeting Janus’s startling heterochromic eyes, Remus squirmed immediately to try and get away

“Remus, breathe. You’re almost hyperventilating.”

Oh… that was why Remus was nearly bouncing up and down. His gasps of air that weren’t nearly enough had nearly taken over his whole body.

With Janus’s hands guiding him, he distantly sat down, or he must have at some point in his oxygen-deprived haze, as he was suddenly sitting with his back pressed against the wall. A hand that could only be Janus rubbing small circles on his arm and as far back on his back as it could reach.

That touch was what finally snapped Remus back, the steady feeling of right, right, rightness, slowly leaking back into his bones instead. Like a broken record, Remus looked up slowly into Janus’s eyes, ready for scorn once again because he was actually crying and panicking for no reason. But instead, Janus’s eyes were only filled with obvious concern, forehead wrinkled but as soft as it could be drawn together.

Choking back the bile and saliva and maybe snot that accumulated in his emotional fugue, Remus’s body shuddered in a sob as he tried to speak. His throat was still closed off, even when he had already removed the physical barrier for him to do so.

“Don’t worry, you don’t need to speak right now. Is it okay if I leave you here to go get the food for everyone? I can-” Remus surged forward abruptly, cutting off Janus as he held tight to Janus’s sleeve. He was still unable to say anything, but Remus opened his eyes wide in what he hoped was the same kind of way we had experienced Patton’s own puppy dog-like eyes.

It seemed to work, Janus huffing before swatting at Remus’s grip on his sleeve.

“Alright, alright, we’ll go together. Just don’t think this is over, your eyes will give you away. Do… you want Roman’s glasses? I swiped them from him when he wasn’t looking.” Janus said as he dug around in his other pocket and produced a pair of black sunglasses that were almost comically large. Remus stared at them, half of him in disbelief and the other half wanting to laugh at the absurdity of them. But… they would work.

Remus nodded minutely, carefully taking the sunglasses before shoving them onto his face and trying to push himself to his feet. Unfortunately, his body apparently was revolting as his attempts only resulted in the resounding thud of his head on the wall.

Blinking, Remus groaned but obliged the grip that he had to search a moment for in his suddenly dim surroundings.

Wow, these glasses are pretty strong, was what Remus wanted to say, but his voice was still betraying him, but by how he stretched his hands out, Janus still responded.

“Oh… yeah, those are pretty strong. They are technically mine, but Roman usually wears them when I don’t need them. He says it helps his look, which is mostly bullshit.” Remus full-on snorted, trying to hide it behind the thin excuse of a cough. Smirking, Janus offered his hand for Remus to grab and yanked Remus up, linking their arms once Remus was situated upright. “Yeah, I know, but he loves it and I love- I love him, so I tolerate the borderline thievery.”

His free hand flying to his face, Remus stifled another snort that definitely wasn’t a cough at Janus’s joke.

Wishing that his voice had worked, Remus let Janus lead him into the more bustling cafeteria, leaving the more secluded alcove near the cafeteria. Because if his voice had been working, Remus would’ve been absolutely howling in laughter.

Instead, Remus supplied a firm squeeze to Janus’s upper arm when he finally pulled his hand away from his mouth. Without looking at Remus, Janus lifted the side of his mouth in a smirk, not doing too much to react as they stepped into the very short line to get what they needed: yummy, yummy food.

“You decide what you want, I’ll see what I know everyone else would like.” Remus nodded as Janus unlinked their elbows, placing his hand on his chin thoughtfully as he began to analyze the menu. However, a flicker of a glance from Janus made clear Janus wasn’t completely disregarding Remus, after all, he had just had… a panic attack? Was that what that was? He hated that feeling. Now he got why Virgil was so distraught during and after the experience.

Oh yeah, they’ll be back soon, I’ll text them later… I don’t think I even have my phone right now.

Remus patted his pockets, eventually outlining the vague shape of his phone indeed in his pocket, separate from everything else he needed in case of emergencies, most of which he had at the very least considered using on Thomas when he came in. He was grateful that he had already put on his scrubs before Patton called or he would’ve had to change rapidly into them or just deal with not having the materials he could easily get with scrubs on.

Finally gazing up at the menu, it took a few moments for Remus to tip Janus’s sunglasses down because there was no way he was going to read the menu with them on.

It was a quick look over before Remus had in his mind exactly what he wanted, really there was no question. Janus wasn’t done by that point, though, and he waited patiently, pushing his sunglasses back over his likely red-rimmed eyes.

Good thing they have brunch, cause those actual chocolate chip pancakes look good. I hope they aren’t like the trash version of pancakes that we had at school.

As Remus waited, his stomach growled, the first indication since this whole ordeal started that he was actually hungry. Listening to his stomach for the first time in nearly a day, he began to fantasize about how the food would taste, how the sensation would feel. He usually liked eating new foods, which he was quickly running out of because there were only so many different foods until there weren’t any more, but right now he just wanted something familiar after all of… that.

That’s not something you see every day, me wanting something traditional. Who is this man?

Remus smirked before a grip on his arm signaled Janus was done.

“What do you want, Remus? Have you decided yet?” Remus nodded, not bothering to actually make eye contact as no one could see his eyes, so why bother when you could just… don’t. He pointed to the chocolate chip pancakes and frowned when Janus did a double-take at the menu, frowning himself.

“Huh, that’s what Roman likes too… Though, I guess twins have similar tastes. Ok, hello! I’m gonna get a thing of...” Janus kept talking, but his voice became background noise as Remus stared up at the menu, instinctively following Janus without a word.

Though he couldn’t make out the words properly behind the sunglasses, Remus stared right at where it had been as his thoughts washed over him.

Roman… still eats chocolate chip pancakes? Why would he do that? It was… our thing, our twin power fuel. I can’t even eat them without remembering that, why would he still be-

Remus almost heaved up the non-contents of his stomach without the slightest warning, which cut his thoughts short as if he hadn’t been yearning for food desperately just moments earlier. The movement was small and halted the moment it began, but that was enough for Janus to turn to Remus with a very subtle frown.

“Hold on a moment, I apologize. Remus, are you okay?” Remus nodded his head fervently, not wanting to alarm Janus or make a scene. Janus, however, leveled a simple eyebrow raise at Remus that had him instantly deflating. Waving a hand at Janus, Remus stepped over to the side, right beside the end of the counter.

Frowning even more, Janus lingered in place, fully focused on Remus before he snapped back to the person behind the counter. Remus wasn’t even paying attention to the people behind the counter, they were a ghost of an afterthought. Instead, his eyes were either on Janus or on a random spot in the room that wasn’t a person.

Body numb, Remus stood at the end of the counter as Janus moved closer and closer. Janus interacted with the undetermined person behind the counter before pushing a bag of food into Remus’s chest.

“Come on, let’s get back quick.”

Staring blankly at the bag for a few moments, it took a few moments before Remus wrapped his arm under the bag with one hand and grabbed the loops at the top of the bag that Janus was holding out for him.

Acting first, Janus stepped towards the exit and Remus wasted no time in following.

It wasn’t until the hallway that Janus dared to speak.

“Remus, I know I’ve asked already, but… are you really okay? You paled halfway through that and I was half expecting you to collapse or throw up or something.”

Remus jumped.

How does he know my tells so well? We’ve just met- wait… Roman’s my twin, of course we’re going to be a bit similar, so… I guess…

Remus sighed, running his right hand through his hair. “Later, just… I remembered something I hadn’t thought of in a while. Please don’t push me.”

His hand paused in his hair, though he never stopped walking. Drifting down, Remus ran his finger across his lips over and over. Remus’s voice was back.

“Oh, your voice is back. And don’t worry, I won’t push it. But… What did happen? I know you don’t know why, but when was the first time Roman was angry with you?”

“I- um..”

Remus stayed silent for a while once again, but found his voice just as there was a commotion behind them and a doctor that looked vaguely familiar flew past them. They were yelling something as, but everything was hectic enough that neither man caught what was said.

“Don’t turn left. Don’t turn left. Don’t turn left.” Remus muttered after the doctor.

And of course, the doctor reached the end of the hallways and ran left.

Exchanging only a single glance, both Janus and Remus began to pick up the pace. They were almost full-on running with how fast they were hurrying, the bags in their hands jostling the to-go boxes in them noisily.

“Did you recognize that doctor? I thought… wasn’t it..?”

Remus’s chest tightened painfully as he connected the details he’d noticed of the fleeting doctor. His face definitely paled.

“Dr. Kagan?”

Janus made an indescribable noise from beside Remus. The cacophony of the boxes still backdropped their heavy gasps of air as they ran down the halls back to Thomas’s room.

“Yeah, fuck!”

Through the twisting and turning hallways, it was only a matter of time before Janus turned off the wrong way.

“Wrong way, Jan. Come on!”

Cursing, Janus turned on his heel and speed-walked back to Remus, barely able to keep up with him now.

Before they turned the last corner to Thomas’s room, something stopped both of them in their tracks. Remus’s feet glue themselves to the spot and so did Janus.

Patton’s high, ear-piercing wail reverberated down the hallway, breaking both of their hearts in half.

#sotr #sort #sanders sides #roman sanders #patton sanders #janus sanders #remus sanders #royaliceit #dukeceit #platonic royality #chapter 8 #eventual romantic dlampr

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bewaretheidesofmarchyall · 3 years

Text

Dream SMP Good Omens AU Part 3!

There’s another chapter of the Good Omens AU! This one is Bedrock Bros, it’s on AO3 here, but also below the cut

Technoblade was determined not to care about Tommy. He lost that particular battle.

-----------------

"Let me get something clear. I'm not sure why you're here, or what you're planning, but I haven't survived as long as I have by giving strangers the benefit of the doubt.". Technoblade paced around his opponent, making every word clear.

"You may have been able to pull the wool over Phil's eyes, but I see through this whole game.

You think you can show up in our home, learn our secrets, and report back to your boss, right?

Well, mark my words: I'm going to find out your plan, I'm going to track down the guy you're working for, and I'm going to get you out of our lives.". He glanced back.

"Are you even listening to me?".

The opponent stared blankly at him through crib bars. Technoblade folded his arms.

"I'm starting to think you might actually be a month-old baby.". Phil walked into the room, looking exasperated.

"Techno, are you interrogating the child again?"

"Listen, this orphaned child is hiding something, I know it."

"He didn't crack the first seven times you tried this. Just give it a rest, mate."

"I think I have the perfect negotiation strategy this time."

"Which is?"

"The threat of violence. Allow me to demonstrate.". He removed a sword from the wall and held it over the crib.

"Who do you work for?". Tommy looked at the blade like it was the coolest thing he'd seen in his young life and reached for it. Techno held it out of the child's reach.

Phil, unamused, swooped in, took the sword out of his hands, and half-led half-pushed him out of the house.

"I think that's enough for today."

"But-"

"Nope!”

"Just promise me you won't trust him."

"I already don't, but it's my job to keep Tommy away from danger, and I think a sword qualifies."

"I wasn't going to stab a baby. It was an intimidation tactic, I was intimidating the baby.".

Phil apparently thought that was a ridiculous thing to do, and he closed the door, leaving Techno on the porch.

The new neighbors were out in their yards.

The surly one two houses down with the business suit flipped him off as a way of greeting, while the strange guitar guy waved cheerfully, "accidentally" pointing a garden hose at the businessman in the process.

Technoblade hadn't bothered to learn either of their names. He neither liked nor trusted them, but they weren't the most important issue at hand.

No, the most important thing right now is figuring out how to end the Tommy Problem, so me and Phil can be unbothered and safe. I look after my family and no one else.

His days of living in our home are numbered.

-----------

Now, knowing your enemy is crucial to any conflict.

So, when Technoblade wasn't maintaining the old secret identity, exercising Steve, or looking after his collections of books and bones, he was gathering intel.

Unfortunately for him, babies were perhaps the most boring creatures in existence.

They couldn't speak, they couldn't move around much, they didn't have any kind of personal philosophy to argue against.

Even after two years of gathering information, he wasn't able to learn much about the thing's strengths, weaknesses, and motivations besides the basics:

Strengths: Phil's protecting him and might be a bit attached.

Weaknesses: A literal baby, untrained in combat.

Motivations: ??? An enigma.

He was a patient man, but two years of learning nothing was testing his patience. This was the only reason why he agreed to look after the toddler for an afternoon.

------------

Phil dropped Tommy off at Techno's house with very little prior warning.

Techno hadn't been expecting to ever have to look after a toddler, even for a couple of hours, and he reacted to the idea with reluctance.

"Why can't Wilbur do this again?"

“Because I’m leaving to go look for him. I had a concerning phone call, and Wilbur might be in trouble with the law or something worse. It’s a long story, but could you please watch Tommy for a little while?”.

Technoblade tried not to show his distaste for the idea of babysitting, and agreed.

All I have to do is keep him alive and unharmed for a couple of hours, hopefully learning more about what he is and why we have him. I can do that.

As soon as Phil left, he found a notebook and pen. He was going to take copious notes to make this worth it.

-------------

1:32 PM: The kid has just been released into my house. He immediately tried to fall down the basement stairs. I stopped him, but he's on the loose again.

1:45 PM: Note to self, add Unlimited Energy to the strengths column.

2:00 PM: Another round of are all children like this, or is it a supernatural thing! He apparently has the capacity to scream for five minutes straight without breathing. This is because he's upset that I won't let him on the basement stairs, which he has decided is the best part of the house because I don't want him there.

2:04 PM: On the loose once more.

2:15 PM: It's like someone released a miniature earthquake into my house. This thing is chaos incarnate loose on the mortal plane.

2:28 PM: he may or may not have a knife

2:29 PM: Crisis averted, he does not have a knife anymore.

2:33 PM: It has now been over an hour. The child is alive, my sanity is not.

2:46 PM: Steve likes him. He's an impeccable judge of character most of the time, wonder what went wrong. This would be kind of sweet, if it weren't for the fact that Phil might see that I googled if polar bears ate children.

2:47 PM: Just to clarify: Steve has not eaten the child at the time of this entry.

4:19 PM: You know what really annoys me? The voices haven't helped at all with this. I'd assume one of you would have some helpful advice, but it's just "blood for the blood god" and "E". I know that I didn't become the blood god by saying "Yeah, that seems like a reasonable amount of blood", but there are other things in life.

4:23 PM: I think I finally figured out something. The kid likes fire and (again, is that normal for human children??) and I'm exploding things at a safe distance. He's entertained, I'm getting rid of my spare Molotov cocktails, this is fine.

-------------

Techno put the notebook aside and lit another fuse.

He looked up to the window, where Steve was curled up around Tommy, stopping him from going anywhere.

He casually got out of the way of the explosion, let it happen, and ran back to the window nook in the house. Tommy was still grinning and staring at the crater in wonder.

I'm not completely failing at this.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

Techno wasn't planning on answering it, but a certain guardian demon walked unsteadily into the house anyway.

Wilbur looked somewhat dazed, like he'd been through hell and back in the last three hours. One of his hands was hidden in his coat, but Technoblade was pretty sure he was covering a wound.

Tommy looked even more excited about seeing him than he was about the explosions, and he ran over, clinging on to Wilbur.

Despite the state he was in, he smiled down at the toddler.

Techno waited to the side for an explanation, not sure of the right way to ask someone if they'd been in an alleyway shootout recently.

Eventually, Wilbur looked up.

"If you see a man in a sonic onesie, kill him on sight."

"Heh?"

"Just some advice. Anyway, thank you so much for taking care of Tommy for these couple of hours, but I'm back."

"Wilbur, from what I can see you're going to pass out in five minutes. You're not going to look after a toddler."

"Excuse me, I haven't slept since the 19th century and I'm not starting now."

"What?"

"Ignore that. I sleep as much as humans do. The point is, I'm here to relieve you from your post.".

Technoblade thought about it.

On the one hand, the chaos gremlin would be removed from my house.

On the other hand, it's just my luck that someone only shows up once I figured out how to kind of deal with the situation.

Also, that guy's at least on Death's lawn if not his doorstep.

"I don't need you to swoop in and take the credit, but thanks. I've been handling this just fine on my own.". A puzzled expression flickered on Wilbur's face, but he eventually nodded.

"Fine. I guess."

"When you pass out in three minutes, try not to do it in the potato garden or the bush."

"Not going to do that, but sure thing.". With that, Wilbur slowly got Tommy to let go of him and left into the evening. Technoblade turned to the child.

"Alright, let's explode something else."

------------

A little later that night, a voicemail was sent to Phil.

"If you're still looking for Wilbur, you can stop. He's back, and he's not dead. I mean, he's not exactly dead.

Apparently, he got into a gunfight with Sonic the Hedgehog. He's in", and there was a muffled crash, followed by a long sigh from Techno as he stared at the wall in disappointment.

"He's in the bush. Please collect him. Also, please collect your actual child, he's tried to chew on a skull. Thanks.".

--------------

Since the first time looking after Tommy hadn't been a complete disaster, Techno didn't object when he was needed again.

After all, the more he learned, the more he theoretically grew closer to bringing their lives back to normalcy.

So, he was like 8% of Tommy's childhood. He was no Wilbur, but the kid was still part of his life.

Little traces of Tommy were everywhere in his house, except for the basement, which remained under lock and key.

The walls were scribbled on, the fridge raided too many times to count, and action figures hidden in every corner.

Whenever he got the chance, he'd find a way to test the kid for some kind of supernatural ability.

So far, Tommy was able to leave salt circles, touch iron and silver, didn't care when he cooked eggshells, and could absolutely enter places without being invited (in fact, that seemed like his favorite thing to do).

Technoblade was certain that Tommy wasn't human, but he had to admit that the likelihood of him being a spy was slim.

He seemed like a perfectly regular child, or as regular as the circumstances allowed.

Techno had met his share of liars and actors in his day (hell, his neighbors fit the criteria), but he'd never come across anything that could tell a lie that convincing.

-------------

One would expect the years to fly by for someone like Technoblade, since he'd seen so many of them.

However, time had never sped or slowed for him. The years always felt like the exact same length of time.

Still, it was odd how fast Tommy grew up.

The years still felt like plain old years, no faster or slower, but it was a surprise when Technoblade realized that the kid was seven already.

----------------

Tommy liked comic books where the heroes won, so Techno hadn't expected him to like Greek myths.

He'd only read them to him because he'd been demanding a story, and it was either the book of mythology or Sun Tzu's The Art of War.

Seeing as Tommy was a second-grader, military tactics went a bit over his head.

"So, Hades decided to let Orpheus leave the underworld with Eurydice under one condition: He couldn't look back to see if she was following him. If he doubted the gods and looked behind him before they both reached the sun, he would lose her forever."

"That's dumb."

"The gods don't like being doubted."

"If he goes into the underworld to get her back, they should be able to leave without some trick!"

"Yeah, the gods are also jerks sometimes.". Tommy curled up on the couch, trying to turn the page to find out what would happen next.

Techno had hoped that a story would calm him down, but his energy seemed even higher than before, since he was invested in the plot.

"Do they make it?"

"We're getting there. Orpheus walked back through Hades-"

"He walked through Hades?"

"Hades the place, not Hades the god. He named his kingdom after himself."

"That's not a good way to name a kingdom. I wouldn't want to live in a place named Tommyland, even if I did have a country. I should have a country."

“Tommy, you don’t want to run a government.”

"It isn't a government if it's all me!"

"That-That's absolute monarchy. That's worse."

"If you could, would you clone yourself? I would. I'd have a clone country."

"Do you want to find out what happens next in the story or not?". Tommy quickly nodded, and let Techno continue.

"Orpheus walked back through Hades, not knowing if Eurydice was behind him or not. He walked through the Elysian Fields, and the pits of Tartarus, and the endless wasteland of the shades of Asphodel."

"What's Asphodel?"

"Asphodel is where they put souls who weren't good or bad, but just kind of there. It's like the ancient Greek version of purgatory. They just stand in a meadow for all of eternity there."

"Sounds boring."

"It is. Anyway, Orpheus walked through all of Hades's kingdom. He could only hear his own footsteps and his breathing, and had no way of telling if Eurydice had followed.

When he crossed the river Styx, he asked the ferryman if there was anyone behind him, but Charon refused to answer him.

He got to the other side of the river, and all he had to do was walk through the tunnel to the surface."

"So he makes it?"

"We're getting there. Orpheus was almost to the surface, when things started to go badly for him in a special way. See, most Greek heroes are stopped by their hubris, but-"

"What's hubris?"

"Overconfidence. Arrogance. The type of person who'd try to take things from the gods instead of asking."

"Like Wilbur!"

"Exactly like Wilbur. But Orpheus was just built different.

Instead of being overconfident, his fatal flaw was doubting too much. He trusted no one, especially not himself.

So, just as he was about to step into the sun, he turned around to check if Eurydice was behind him.

And she was. She'd been behind him the whole time, but when he gave in to his doubts and turned to look, she disappeared forever.". Technoblade closed the book. Tommy was quiet, picking at a loose thread on a cushion.

"Is that it?"

"Yeah, that's basically the story."

"That's not fair. He goes down into the scariest place in the cosmos to get back the person he loves, and then loses because he turns around a couple feet from the finish line?"

"He gave into his fatal flaw. That's how most of these work."

"Hades probably knew that was his fatal flaw. And he chose that test to make him lose.". Techno blinked. He'd never thought about it that way.

"I mean, that's probably true. Like I said, the gods are jerks.". Tommy seemed disappointed by that, slumping and burying his face in Steve's fur.

"Do any of these have happy endings?".

Technoblade looked through the table of contents.

Achilles dies. Jason dies. Bellerophon dies. Atalanta got turned into a lion. Heracles and Icarus and Meleager all die. Even Theseus dies in disgrace. Seems like everyone dies, except-

"Perseus turns out okay.". Tommy brightened up a bit at that.

"Can you tell me about him?".

Technoblade found the right page and began telling the story of the man who got to go on a quest and survive.

The whole time, Tommy had his head on his shoulder, staring at the illustrations. Techno's arm fell asleep after a few minutes, but he neither noticed nor minded.

---------------

If anyone asked Techno if he cared about Tommy, he'd laugh in their face.

Of course he didn't! There was still a plan to get rid of him, it was just....delayed.

Once he grew up and went to college, he'd technically be out of the house. Which meant that the plan would still have paid off. Still a partial victory on his part.

Anyway, he'd say in very clear terms that he didn't care about Tommy. He was just some kid.

A kid that spent a lot of time at his house. A kid that he'd seen grow up. A kid that obviously cared about him.

The same kid that he taught how to throw a punch when he got into a fight at school, and which heroes corresponded to which constellations, and to call him whenever he needed help.

He'd say that he didn't care about that kid. But, out of the many liars he'd met over his long life, he was one of the worst.

And when Phil called him with a plan to make sure that Tommy stayed safe, he agreed, even though it would inconvenience him a fair bit.

Because above all else, Technoblade looked after his family.

#dream smp #dsmp #good omens au #c!technoblade #c!tommy #technoblade #bedrock bros #tommyinnit #writing #beware the drafts of march

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soranihimawari · 4 years

Text

who yuu loves

tagging: @smolbludandelions @m0nstergeneration20xx and anyone who loves the 5 W’s series event

|masterlist| >>

of all things to walk into, you were not expecting the bird you raised since it had long since been abandoned by it’s flock, to fly into the noisy gymnasium of your high school. classes had long since ended, but the boys volleyball club had an important match coming up, so you remembered takeda-sensei mentioning something about not having homework from his class for that day.

it wasn’t until you had arrived home and decompress that you found yourself climbing the fire escape of your parents’ apartment building to pay a visit to the birds you took care of. one of the oldest birds you took care of had been in your care since you turned twelve; he was a young crow hatchling whom you affectionally called ‘little brother.’ your mother had been terrified when you came home from middle school with a baby bird nuzzled against your neck, your father, on the other hand (who by trade was a vetenarian), shook his head.

“another one?” he asked once he noticed his wife staring daggers and mouthing something along the lines of ‘do something, she’s your kid too.’

“mmhm! i’m going to call him onii-chan since i don’t have a real one yet,” you said. the bird squawked in approval. you left your parents in the dining room after you took your leave and started to head toward the aviary up on the roof your building.

you said your greeting salutations for the flock while opening the cage of the aviary your father built during the summer you turned thirteen. your mother had given in through a series of compromise once she realized your love for your ‘onii-chan’ was the first of five crow siblings you’d surround yourself with in the days of your childhood.

since then, you were known amongst the neighborhood to be the girl with a murder flock. there were nasty rumors floating about you as you grew up and every school year, you were thankful you had two members of a certain sports club remained in your homeroom class after you began your first year at karasuno high school. nishinoya yuu and tanaka ryuunoske had similar personalities to a few of your feathery siblings once you got to know them in your first year attending karasuno. you also met the rest of the team formally during one of the practice matches prior to the start of your second year.

flash forward to this afternoon, you found yourself running back to campus after you explained to your mother beloved ‘onii-chan’ flew out of the cage probably because although you thought you heard the cage door shut, the lock must have finally fallen off. you had trained that bird through a series of conditioning encouragement treats the flight path to karasuno high. luckily, you were able to send a rushed text message to your two friends. with a blow of a whistle echoing throughout the walls of the gym, all talking ceased once you heard one of your senpai’s say, “there’s a bird in here.”

tanaka elbowed his best friend in the rib rather hard when the bird let out a raw squak.

“oi, noya, doesn’t that bird look like...?”

“shit, it is!” noya exclaimed excited upon glancing at the direction the bird call came from. after seeing your onii-chan with his best bud over the time he was suspended, noya knew you were close by. it was during this time too that noya had been called out for being a simp for two women and two women only: the goddess manager (kiyoko-senpai) and the queen of the northern sky (your nickname on his phone was always followed by a bird emoji & a cloud). tanaka, along with the rest of the second years who finally returned back to the folds of the team, had a boys night only sleepover called out noya for having a huge crush on you. noya couldn’t ever hide the ways his eyes lit up whenever you were within his line of sight, like right now when he saw your onii-chan flew past the highest point of his spiky hair.

“you two know this bird in particular?” sawamura-san, the captain of the team that year, asked them after the bird took its leave and settled on the railings of the second floor of the gym.

“not a bird captain-senpai,” you said in between catching your breath. the crow let out a triumphant caw. you tilt your head to the side to raise your forearm above your head. the bird flew toward your arm and perched itself there. you moved the bird to your shoulder with a soft smile.

“sorry if my onii-chan interrupted your practice guys,” you said, petting the bird under its beak. when your breathing finally returned to it’s natural rhythm, you had a cute grin strewn over your features when you placed your hands in your jacket pockets. “guess we’ll be going then. see you in class tomorrow noya. bye tanaka!”

there was another commotion altogether once you were off campus grounds.

“what a woman,” noya thought he said that to himself, unaware of his inability to control his vocal volume. he nearly combust on the spot because you named him first in your farewell. tanaka on the other hand had thought his spirit escape his body via his mouth when he saw you spoke so informally at their captain.

other members of the team made mocking kissing noises to tease their libero and their outside hitter.

“alright alright. enough of a break, let’s get back to work,” daichi instructed with loud clap.

“daichi, i don’t think we can,” his vice-captain states, nodding his head to the side of the court where noya.exe had stopped working.

the first and second years surrounded their teammates in a semi-circle.

“say noya,” ennoshita begins while folding his arms over his chest. there is a mischievous glint in his eyes. suddenly the other second years chuckle recalling the sleepover rankings of beauties in their year. “y/n-san is really pretty now that we’ve seen her in those yoga pants and tangerine jumper...”

that compliment broke noya’s brain even further. he was so close to coming back to reality and then with what ennoshita mentioned, the karasuno libero’s jaw went slack.

“noya-senpai’s face is really red right now!” hinata yelled.

“where’s the first aid kit? tanaka stopped breathing too!” yamaguchi exclaimed while their new manager in training, yachi, handed him the small box.

one thing was certain, nishinoya was not going to give up pursuing you because after all, you were the one who he loves most.

when you climbed back up on the fire escape to reach the roof that evening, you replayed the events of the shenanigans your onii-chan pulled the an hour ago. you thought nothing of it as you prepared to close the aviary for the night after to scatter the evening seed blend for their dinner. your onii-chan fluttered about to his side of the cage, his ebony eyes sassing you about seeing your crush nearly passing out from what you opted to wear sans hoodie in that brisk spring evening rushing out the door when you realize that he broke out.

“don’t look at me like that chibi-chan,” you say in a chastising tone.

the trouble maker sqwaked a resounding “uh-huh.”

“it was worth seeing noya’s adorable face though, haha,” you glance at the bird again. “besides, you like him too so don’t start. g’night boys.”

after you climbed back down from the fire escape and back into your kitchen window, you bid your parents good night explaining to parents you needed to read the next few chapters for your classic literature class taking your curry bowl into your room.

the following morning, your alarm rung at six in the morning. you decided to scatter the bird food for your feather-clad brothers in arms. when your brain decided to remember the look noya and tanaka gave you when your adopted crow-brother perched on your arm, you chuckle to yourself, wrapping your wool scarf around your neck (your hair was slicked back by a headband) .

“today’s white day boys,” you whisper watching your breath hover in the frosty air. “who am i kidding? it’s not like either noya or tanaka wants to risk ruining our dynamic.”

as soon as you said that, you shook your head to clear the jumbling daydream of your ever slightly growing affections for the two of them.

“wish me luck & try not to escape this time, mmk?”

—later that morning—

when you arrived at karasuno’s campus grounds, you saw that someone left something in your personal locker. there was a post-it note with noya’s handwriting on it; his handwriting was a bit rushed judging by the smear on the date in the corner.

ʍąɾçհ 𝟙५,

հҽɾҽ, վօմ ƒօɾցօէ էհìʂ ահҽղ վօմ Ӏҽƒէ էհҽ ցվʍ Ӏąʂէ ղìցհէ Ӏօѵҽ.

-վօմɾ ցմąɾժìąղ ժҽìէվ

“hah,” you coo. “only you.”

after you read the note, a blush formed under the corners of your eye. using your dominiant hand, you reached back into the locker and trace a finger over the ivory kanji stitching on the team jacket. the faint scent of the gentle rain shower fabric softener reached your nose, you hugged the gift.

when the first period bell rang, you shimmy out of your school sweater literally buzzing with excitement and put on noya’s team jacket. you pushed up the sleeves before you take your leave wandering into your classroom to view an ecstatic libero practically fainting on the spot while his best friend (and by default yours too) giving the buddhistivva face of prayer.

you stopped by noya’s desk thanking him for the jacket by planting a fleeting kiss on his cheek prior to your home room teacher coming in and you took the utmost pleasure in watching noya physically short circuit during roll call.

___________________________________________________________

noya’s letter in default font:

march 14,

here, you forgot this when you left the gym last night, love.

-your guardian deity

____________________________________________________________

tagging: @smolbludandelions & @m0nstergeneration20xx others looking for nishinoya fluff.

inspiration collage from various Pinterest arts & all content belongs to their original creators:

#noya x reader #nishinoya yuu x y/n #5W's entry #who yuu loves #fluffy libero crow x reader #1st short of the event #haikyu!! fiction #birthday boy noya #coincidentally posting it today

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gongju-juice · 4 years

Text

3. Once Upon a Southern Night

Something Old, Something New

Warnings: Some racial tension. . .also might be some language but I can’t remember tbh

The thing about change is that it’s just that—change. You can change something, twist it, mold it, or turn it into whatever you wish for it to look like, but you cannot ever get rid of its original identity.

Living in Forks was no short of that. Life was a blessing, and your days were filled with laughter and excitement. Beginning your senior year—Jasper had graduated—but the two of you were dating and closer than you’d ever been. He took you on dates to see the stars and bought you flowers and little trinkets to brighten your day. You read books in his lap and went on double dates with Amelia and her boyfriend, Stuart.

You knew something was strange about your family—so much so that your mother’s weirdness no longer seemed so personalized. Maybe it was the fact they never ate around you, or maybe it’s the account of their golden eyes. And like your mother (and everyone else, frankly), your boyfriend was so inhumanly cold, like a Roman statue left in an icy museum.

But what did you look like asking such crazy questions? After all, what else could it be but coincidence? As for your mom and Carlisle, they were siblings—it was normal for them to share the same traits. But as for the others—Rosalie and Jasper were twins—and although they were different personality wise, they both had the same pale skin and bronze colored eyes. Maybe the old saying is true: living together with someone really does make you look alike.

One day while your family all hung out at the Cullen house, you received a letter in the mail. It was a bright, shimmering white envelope with fancy lace trimming. You opened it carefully—sure not to cut yourself so as to not to trigger Jasper’s weird paranoia around blood.

“Oh my god!” you shouted, running into the living room. You looked at your mom. “Ivy and Dale are getting hitched!”

“Wow, Ivy?” she said. “I remember the two of you growing up like it was yesterday. When’s the date?”

“March 5. It’s going to take place on Dale’s parents’ farm. The reception’s going to be in the big barn house!”

You whirled in excitement, only to dizzy yourself into Jasper’s arms when you realized you’d fallen. He brushed a stray curl from your face.

“A wedding?” he said. “I thought Ivy was only seventeen.”

“You can get married in Alabama at sixteen with parental consent. I’m sure the Lauderdales were thrilled to hear of the good news. Dale has been hanging ‘round since we were six.”

You popped back onto the floor. “I’ve gotta find a dress and everything! Oh wait—I should call and see if we’re doing matching dresses or if we’re all gonna be wearing different ones.”

You picked up your phone and raced to the kitchen where you could find some privacy and feel free to freak out some more. She picked up on the third ring.

“Lucille!” you cried, “I can’t believe it’s finally happening! Please send me a picture of the ring ASAP, okay?”

She giggled. “It’s not a big deal, Y/N. We’ve been engaged since we were twelve. It’s just that now we’ve got that ice and permission to prove it.”

The phone buzzed and you looked at the image of the triple diamond ring which had a band of diamonds all around. You recognized that ring. It was Dale’s grandmother’s sacred family heirloom, the one that’s been locked up tight in their security safe. He only let you and her see it once when you were both thirteen and his parents were out in the field.

“I’m so excited for the bachelorette party!” you gushed. “We’re going to have so much fun! We should go to Pensacola and go to one of them spa places and then we can—”

“Y/N,” she said quietly, cutting you off entirely. “You’re not on the bridesmaids list.”

You were quiet, your flailing arms caught in mid air. “I’m not. . .but you said—”

“I’m sorry, girl, but Mama already chose who's going to be in my wedding. There’s

Charlotte, Mary, Clarabelle, and Lydia. . .the ones I grew up with.”

“But. . .what about me? Didn’t. . .didn’t we grow up together?”

“Yeah, but. . .it’s just not the same, you know? Those people are family. You can still come to the wedding, of course. That’s why I sent the invitation.”

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t feel hurt. Here was your best friend telling you that you couldn’t be in the wedding. Mrs. Lauderdale. . .you thought she really liked you. Was it because you moved up north?”

“Oh, alright then. I was just—just calling to confirm the date. March 5, right?”

“Yeah, March 5.”

You hung up the phone and sighed at the counter, your head hung down. Just then, Jasper came walking in. He came up behind you and held you in place, his head resting on your shoulder. Suddenly, your mood improved instantly. But that was the thing about Jasper—he was always brightening your day when you felt down. It was part of the reason you adored him.

“You okay?” he whispered. “You know you don’t got to go to that wedding?”

You shook your head. “Of course I do. It’s my best friend’s wedding. How could I miss her big day? Besides. . .how did you even know I was sad?”

He stiffened. “I. . .uh. . .heard the conversation in the hallway.”

“Oh, well I guess that makes sense.”

He held you for a while against the hard granite.

“Jasper?”

“Yes, darlin’?”

“Will you be my date to the wedding?”

“Absolutely.”

Rosalie was the one officially in charge in helping you pick your dress. Alice had a vengeful streak and wanted you to wear a big, white gown that would take all the attention away from Ivy.

“It’s wayyyy too hot in the south for that,” you pleaded, “and I ain’t trying to cause no trouble! It’s her Mama who did it, not Ivy.”

“She should’ve overridden that stupid decision then,” Alice continued, braiding your hair. It was still funny to know that the tiny pixie girl knew how to do a full-set of box braids. “If it was my wedding—”

“But it isn’t your wedding,” Rosalie insisted. “And Ivy isn’t your friend. Now like I was saying, Y/N, this little yellow sundress would look so cute with your skin tone. . .”

They even hooked up Jasper. They got him a nice cornflower blue dress shirt and a cream colored suit. Emmett even put on a whole show of picking his hairstyle, and even though they went through all that progress and hard work, you kindly reminded them that a heat wave was coming the weekend of the wedding and that it was best just to leave his curls the way they were. Jasper did not take kindly to his brother after that.

“Why don’t you come with us?” you asked your mom as she helped you pack the last of your luggage. “It’s gonna be so lonely with just me and Jasper. And besides, I’m sure everybody wants to see you!”

“No, no, I can’t. I’m scheduled for a surgery the day of the wedding. I can’t cancel it either. It’s a cancerous tumor that needs to be removed.”

You sighed, sitting up on your bed. “I can’t believe it’s here. She’s getting married, mom. We’re all going to be adults and pretty soon, if things go to according to plan, me and—” You cut yourself off as the overwhelming thought engulfed you.

“That’s right. You and Jasper will have your own wedding someday. . .speaking of which. . .we need to talk about the future.”

“The future?”

“Yes,” she sat on your bed. “There are some things you need to know before you set your eyes on your own big day. We’ll talk about that all soon, I promise. But as for now, go and enjoy yourself with Jasper. You’ll have him all to yourself. . .”

“Mom!” you shouted. “Jasper—he’s too sweet for that. He’s a real gentleman! It hasn’t even been that long ago since we had our first kiss, and he was scared to even do that!”

She raised her brows. “Hmmm, maybe that’s what he wanted you to think. But guys are never shy when it comes to that subject.”

The next day, your family wished you off at the airport. Jasper bought you first class tickets—a feat you deemed both extravagant and unnecessary—and you slept on his shoulder for most of the way.

Immediately, touching down in your home state, everything felt so different. It was humid and hot; the type of sticky that makes your hair stick to the back of your neck, and people were so much more cordial then they were back at Forks. Some gave Jasper strange looks as he wound his fingers with yours, but again, nobody was unpleasant.

You would be staying at a hotel about thirty miles out from the country. There were, thankfully, two queen sized beds parallel to one another in the tiny room. But Jasper insisted sleeping in the living room part where a half wall separated the two of you.

On the big day, your boyfriend pulled out an authentic cowboy hat (the likes you’d never seen before), and the two of you headed down Ivy’s long dirt road.

Fields of cotton and peas lined either side of the road, and for long stretches, there were no houses except the occasional large country home with animals and plots of cultivated land. The ditches teemed with life: jumping frogs, tadpoles, crawfish, and lillies.

“Gosh, it’s been so long since I’ve been in the country,” he said. “This place isn’t much different from home.”

“Home? In Forks?”

“Rose and I—before we were adopted—used to live in Texas.”

“Really? That explains your accent! I just thought you watched too many western flicks. Oh, but why doesn’t Rosalie have one?”

“Well, she just hides it, I guess.”

You arrived at the house. There was a trail of cars already parked in the grassy yard, and people made their way in their finest Sunday’s best to the row of chairs arranged in front of the big oak tree where the minister stood.

“Y/N!” one of your old childhood friends exclaimed when she saw you. She was dressed in a teal dress, and at her side was some unknown boy you hadn’t met. “It’s so good to see you!” She looked at your boyfriend. “And who’s this?”

“Jasper Hale, ma’am, I’m her date for the evening,” he answered, tipping his hat. The row of women waiting to greet you gushed at his manners, and dare you say, they checked him out so openly. You hugged his bicep tighter.

“Just for the evening or indefinitely?” she cooed.

“Indefinitely.”

You sat down in one of the middle rows, and watched in awe as the wedding processional came down the aisle. Ivy was dressed in a glittery dress and carried the largest bouquet of white roses you’d ever seen. Dale had tears in his eyes as he looked up at his bride. They were so perfect, so in love, it made your insides melt.

After the beautiful ceremony, the party moved the barn. The rafters were draped in lights and white ribbons and flower petals covered the ground. You chose a table nearest to one of the wooden walls and curled into Jasper’s side.

“You look so gorgeous,” he said, tucking a dandelion behind your ear. “You out-shined the bride, and you didn’t even have to wear that ridiculous dress Alice was trying to shove you in.”

“All of my girlfriends keep whispering about you. You’re the real star tonight. The best looking man in both Washington and Alabama.”

Just then, Mrs. Lauderdale approached your table.

“Y/N, how are you honey?” she asked as you hugged her plump form. As the mother of the bride, she was dressed in a simple white dress and rocked a crown of flowers in her hair.

“I’m wonderful. Have you met my boyfriend?” You allowed her to inspect Jasper as he offered a hand.

“My, my. What a fine young man,” she cried. “Who knew you could get such a catch?”

She pulled you off to the side, and although Jasper tried to follow, you insisted he stay behind.

“I hope you aren’t upset about the whole bridesmaid situation,” she said, patting your shoulder. “We wanted a small processional anyway—makes it so we can get to the food faster.”

You shook your head. “‘Course not. It was such a beautiful ceremony. And Ivy—she’s stunning,” you said as you admired her twirling form with her new husband.

“Well anyway, John and the guys want to see you. John?”

Mr. Lauderdale greeted you with a nod. “How’s it going?”

“All good here,” you answered enthusiastically. In all honesty, John and his friends intimidated you with their skeptical expressions and hawk-like eyes. It was obvious the men of the family didn’t like you as much as the girls did—and that was fine. You were here for Ivy, not them.

“You got yourself a white boy?” Vernon, Ivy’s brother, asked. “A Yankee?”

“Actually, Jasper’s a Texan. And yes, he’s white. But it isn’t weird or anything.”

Like he was in on the conversation, he smoothly slid in beside you, his cold hand wrapping around your waist.

“Pleased to meet you,” he said as he addressed the men. “I’m a Houston native, by the way. I was raised on a farm myself—had a chocolate brown mare named Buttercup and a field full of bulls.”

“Ah, really? That makes me even more surprised to see you here.”

“Pardon me?”

Vernon smirked. “Y’all go and enjoy yourselves.”

Jasper pulled you away from the barn with a little more determination than you thought was needed. He hadn’t looked nor spoken until the two of you were completely alone by the fence where the ponies ran.

“Are you okay?” you asked softly. “You seem upset.”

“It’s nothing. I didn’t like the way those boys were talking. Had to get outside and clear my mind.” He pulled you closer to his body, and his cool skin felt good in the heat of the night.

“Holding you like this makes me get so sentimental,” he admitted. “It makes me want to take you to the nearest courtyard and get official. It makes me want to buy you a hundred acres and a big, nice house by a river. It makes me want to give you a bunch of kids to keep us company, so we can grow old together and live happily ever after.”

“I like when you get sentimental,” you breathed.

“But,” he stopped, “that last part might not be able to happen. There’s something you should know about me—about our family before you decide to give your heart away.”

“What do you mean? What could possibly be so earth-shattering that it’d make me stop loving you?”

He ran his thumb over your bottom lip, staring deeply into your eyes. His brows were creased, forehead wrinkled in thought.

“Y/N, I wanted to wait to tell you, but I can’t stand lies. Most importantly, I don’t like to lie to you.”

“Just say it, baby.”

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness.

It was a tall man, about the same height and build as Jasper, with bright crimson eyes and long dark hair tied back in a ponytail. He stared at you intensely before casting his burning gaze to Jasper.

“It’s been a long time, old friend,” he said darkly before inhaling deeply. “And it’s been even longer, Camille.”

And here the real story begins. Also I like cowboy Jasper playing with ponies maybe I’ll do a drabble on that.

Part One Part Two Part Four

#jasper hale #jasper hale imagines #jasper hale x reader #twilight #twilight imagines #twilight x reader #carlisle cullen #edward cullen #esme cullen #emmett cullen #rosalie hale #alice cullen #cowboy jasper 'cause i said so #i asked my mama if i could be a horse rider and she said no

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