#and my friends are sick of me talking about mel

[midnightbluebells03]

Good luck babe!

CW - Owen mention, fingering (R receiving), oral (R receiving), hair pulling (A receiving)

Reader is fem, described as wearing a dress and heels.

WC - about 3000

No outbreak

Leave me requests so I can get out my writers block pls and thx xo

If Abby Anderson wasn't in denial of her sexuality, there's a chance you two could've been real. You got along like a house on fire, practically a perfect match. But the mix of comphet, her on and off again relationship of Owen and her crippling fear of being vunrable has left you two like this. Having not talked in just over a month, not a word since your argument about the fact she had been using you as an experiment without considering how you felt. And how did you feel?

Crushed.

Maybe you should know better. But yet again it's a Friday night, your other hook ups weren't out tonight and who else but Abby fucking Anderson was giving you eyes from across the room. Leaning against the bar with a tight black wife beater that makes you drool and matching cargos.

It's the first time you'd seen each other since you screamed in her face and called her selfish. And yet the butterflies in your stomach were boardering on a stampede. Her eyes scanning your body up and down while her hand stays clutching her beer bottle. So tight you're almost worried it'll smash in her unforgiving grasp.

Against your better judgement you decide to ignore the angel on your shoulder, also known as your best friend Ellie. Chugging back your drink and handing her the glass. Starting to make your way over to Abby.

Ellie rolls her eyes and shouts after you. Hardly breaking through the noise. "Don't come crying to me when she breaks your heart again!"

"Cmon Els, it's just some fun" you call back before pushing your way through the crowed dance floor and coming out at the other side. Looking up at those baby blue eyes that make a rush of emotions flow through you. You should be mad at her, should cuss her out again for using you. But tonight, you couldn't find it in yourself to care.

You just needed her again.

"Can I get you a drink?" Her normally confident voice has a slight wavier to it. It makes a slight smirk spread across your lips as you take the beer from her hand. Taking a large drink before your nose scrunches up at the taste. You were more of a spirits girl, a cocktail if you felt fancy.

"So no Owen tonight?" The venom in your voice is clear. There's not a soul in Jackson you wanted to punch more than him. The whole reason Abby was so unsure of herself in the first place. The way he managed to weasel his way back into her life time and time again. But yet you couldn't hate Abby for doing the same thing to you.

"He's back with Mel...shes pregnant." You give her a sympathetic look before handing her back the bottle. "I don't wanna talk about it" she mumbles, barely loud enough for you to hear over the thumping music. She finishes it off before placing it on the bar counter behind her.

"How about we don't talk at all then?" You say before she can even turn back around. Watching as her movements stiffen, and she slowly faces you again. Cheeks flushed that shade of pink you could never be sick of. "Your place is close, Ellie's gonna meet with Dina soooo". Your sentence trails off, the suggestion in your voice clear.

The mention of your best friend makes her eyes widen. Looking around the room to try and spot her. "Ellies here?". There's a slight fear in her voice, something that makes you roll your eyes and scoff.

"Oh calm your tits Anderson you could literally kill her, I don't know why you're you're scared".

"Um let me think" she says sarcastically before looking down at you. "The psycho bitch keyed my car". You fight back the giggle that wants to escape your lips. After days of you crying over your ruined situationship Ellie took it into her own hands. And while you told her it was a stupid idea, you couldn't help but hug her and say thank you.

"Can't prove that" you shrug, looking down at your feet a little nervously. Scuffing your heels off the ground. "Look if you dont-"

"I do" she interrupts, her hand now resting onto your exposed arm. You look back into her eyes. Taking a deep breath and accepting that this was going to hurt tomorrow, but it was worth it. Since even just this little touch was making your skin feel like it's on fire.

"Say it." Your voice is stern, watching as Abby bites her lip softly. Leaning down to whisper into your ear.

"I...I want to fuck you"

Your hand comes up to hers, interlocking your fingers and leading her out. "Cmon then" the judgmental gaze coming from Ellie catches your attention before you reach the door. So you wave over and mouth 'I'll call you' while making a phone with your hand. As soon as you're out the warmth of the bar and in the unforgivng chill of the night, a shiver runs up your shine. "Fuck it's cold!" You squeal slightly.

Abby chuckles, looking around to make sure no one can see you two before her arm wraps around your shoulder. "Wouldn't be cold if you wore real clothes." The playfully dig at your revealing dress makes you push her away. With a fake gasp you point a finger into her defined arm.

"Don't slut shame me Anderson" you giggle softly before returning to her side looking up at her. Taking in the way the streetlamp lights bounce off her features. The way her hair flowed in the slight breeze, it was down for once tucked neatly behind her ears. "Besides I was trying to get fucked not stay warm" The slight look of hurt that flashes across her face makes you raise an eyebrow. "What? You jealous?"

"No" she protests, but they way she won't look at you is telling. Before you can question her again, she points towards the door to her apartment complex. Leading you over before punching in her code and opening the door for you. "Cmon before you get hypothermia"

You walk in and wait for her to be back beside you before you both continue up the stairs. "I thought you were meant to be a super smart med student, it's not cold enough for hypothermia". You're trying to lighten up the mood by teasing her lightly. Remembering the time you were convinced you had hypothermia because the heating in her apartment had gone out while you were over. Her door comes into view, and you listen to her dig the key out from her pocket.

"Yeah yeah, just get inside" Abby rolls her eyes while holding the door open for you again. Maybe it would be easier to hate her if she wasn't so kind, if she wasn't so pretty, if she didn't know you so well. The door shuts behind you as you take off your heels. When you turn Abby is just standing there. Fidgeting with her fingers and avoiding eye contact. "Look um...I- I'm sorry-"

"Save it Abby" you inturput, knowing that it would be nothing productive. It would be the say sorry she gave you atleast five times before you blocked her number. "I don't want an apology I want to cum" Abby steps towards you slowly, your hands moving up to her chest. She quickly takes off her boots before straightening back up.

"Yes ma'am" you giggle softly as her hands wrap around your waist and lift you up. Forcing your legs to wrap around her waist as she carries you to the bedroom. Taking your purse and putting it onto her nightstand before gently placing you down onto her navy blue sheets. Moving so she's looming over you. Her calloused hand running up your outer thigh, inching under the thin fabric of your dress as her lips trail down your jaw to your neck. Sucking a purple mark right in your pulse point that has you gripping for her hair.

"Fuck" you moan softly, feeling her smirk into your skin. You sit up inpatiently, pushing her back by her chest as you fumbling with the zipper on your dress. Huffing when you can't reach it.

"Desperate much?" Abby teases before reaching around and pulling it down for you. Helping to pull the fabric off before throwing it onto the floor. Letting her see the matching lingerie you had picked out for the night. "You really were trying to get fucked huh?"

"Yeah" you swallow hard as her eyes scan over you slowly. "You like it?" The truth was you had bought it for her, baby blue lace that matched her eyes. But she called off your little situatuonship before you got to show her.

Abby reaches her hand out for your cheek, pulling you in. This was new. She'd never been one for kissing during. You guys had made out maybe a hand full of times. Her lips touch yours, and you just melt into her. Arms drapping around her shoulders as she pushes you backwards. Her hand running up from your thigh to your chest. Palming your breast through the barley there fabric. When you moan softly she takes the chance to push her tongue past your lips. Deepening the kiss as your nails start to big into the skin of her upper back. When she finally pulls away slightly, the thin string of saliva still joining you together makes your stomach tighten.

"Abs" you whine softly, arching your back so she can slip her hands around and undo the clasp of your bra. Adding it to the floor alongside your dress.

She kisses you quickly "I love it". Abby mumbles before restarting her trail down your body. From your jaw to your neck, ending at your breast when she takes a nipple in her mouth. Swirling her tounge around the hardened bud as you arch into her. Moaning softly as your eyes flutter shut. Fuck you missed this. The way she made you come undone. Every touch so purposeful.

And God knows if she'd ever let you touch her you'd be the same.

The feeling of her fingers brushing over your clit through your panties makes you gasp. Slightly embrassed by the fact Abby can definitely feel the wetness seeping through the fabric.

"Stop- stop teasing me Abs" you plead as her mouth detaches from your nipple.

"Cmon pretty girl you clearly like it" she teases, rubbing your soaked panties. "What do you want?" You just look at her and bite your lip. Eyes darting down to her fingers but she tsks while shaking her head. "Say it" your own words repeated back to you. Because as much as Abby was unsure of herself when it came to you in public. In the comfort of her own four walls, she's as confident as ever.

"Fuck me" you say, the shake in your voice making Abby smirk. You clear your throat before speaking clearly. "Please Abby fuck me". Her fingers hook onto your panties as she moves back. Slowly peeling them off you and adding them to the pile. You sit up and tug at her shirt. Hoping she'll be feeling generous.

"Baby-"

"Please Abs" you cut her off, bringing your hands up to cup her cheeks gently. "I- I won't touch you, I know the rules by now just...wanna see you" she presses a hand to yours before nodding. Pulling back to grab them hem of her shirt. Slowly pulling it up and over her head.

When you started this situationship you asked her why she didn't like being naked. Why she never asked for anything in return. And the tough girl you'd known just looked at you softly and said. 'I just...I don't think I look good'. You left it at that, but you couldn't help the pity you felt for her. Because the truth was Abby was stunning, maybe the most gorgeous girl you'd ever seen. But there was clearly a voice in her head, who you could only assumed was Owen, telling her otherwise.

When her shirt hits the ground your eyes wander over her body, taking in her black sports bra and her washboard abs like you're obsessed with. "You're so pretty." You don't even realise you've said anything until she blushes softly. As Abby leans beck over you, you reach up and tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear gently. Just holding her for a second. God, you aren't drunk enough for this. A wave of feelings washing over you like a tsunami.

"What do you want baby?" Abbys voice breaks through your haze. "I've got the str-"

"Fingers" you inturput, just desperate to feel her. Just her.

"You don't usually want fingers" she teases "that's normally your warm up" Abby slowly moves her hands up your inner thighs, spreading your legs so she can look at your dripping pussy. "Fuck...you're soaked"

"Mhmm" you gasp her her fingers make contact with your clit. Making your hips jump slightly in a way that makes Abby chuckle. "You drive me crazy Abs"

She starts to move in slow, steady circles around your sensitive bud. Working soft gasps and moans from your lips as she kisses up your thighs. "Wanna taste you" she mumbles into your skin. Sure, you heard it but she didn't need to know that. So you snake your hand into her blonde locks at give her a gentle tug.

"What was that?" The fake innocence in your voice almost makes you want to laugh.

Abby looks away from you and goes to say it again so you place your hand on her jaw. Forcing her to keep eye contact. "I want to taste you" you raise an eyebrow, waiting on more. "Please?" The way her voice trembles slightly is the biggest ego boost. Working such a strong, confident woman to a mess like this is better than any drink you could've bought at the bar.

As soon as you nod your head and release her jaw, Abby wastes no time. Kissing down your stomach before her lips meet your clit. She gives you one fat lick from your hole to clit, her arms wrapping around your thighs to bring your legs over her shoulders. Abby's grip is so tight even if you wanted to move you'd stand no chance so instead you throw your head back into the pillow. Moaning shamlessly as her tounge works around your clit.

The pleasure makes a warmth spread across your body, your hand tangled in her hair as you hold her close to you. Trying to grind your hips into her but stopped by her hands pinning you down. You're almost convinced there's going to be bruises there tomorrow. "A- Abby" You whine, pleading for more.

She pulls back slightly, looking up at you with your wetness dripping down her chin. "Hmm?"

"Fingers please" your hand squeezes over her own. "Please Abby I'm so close"

Humming softly, she loosens her grip of her right hand. Slowly tracing over your skin until she reaches your mouth. You don't need to be told. Parting your lips, you let her push in. Sucking while keeping eyecontact. When she pulls them out you whine at the lose but it doesn't last long. As they slip into your hole your eyes roll back. "Fuck you're so wet" Abby gasps softly. Once you take her down to the knuckles she let's you adjust. "You good?"

"Mhm" you moans softly "move Abs please?". She doesn't need to be told twice, her fingers slowly starting to pump in and out of you as her mouth moves back to your clit. You can't help but clentch around her as she works you to your peak. Her neighbours must hate her, or really they must hate you. The way your loud moans echo throughout the room as she gets you closer and closer. You grip the sheets beneath you, screwing your eyes shut as your back arches. Orgasm washing over you while all you can do is chant her name over and over and over again. Completely lost in the pleasure.

Abby's pace slows after your finish over her fingers. Only pulling out once your breathing starts to steady and you open your eyes again. She moves up next to you, slumping down as your arms stay pressed together. The sudden silence hanging thick in the air. Uncomfortable, tense. But you break it.

"Are you gonna accept you like women yet?" You ask quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

"I don't" you don't wait for her to continue, instead you move yourself off the bed to start pulling on your underwear. You've been here so many times you just make your way to her closet, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a tshirt that's going to drown you. Planning on adding them to your small collection if her clothes. Even if they had all been shoved to the back of your closet. Abby sits up, stammer out some kind of explanation as you don't look at her. "I- I mean I do, but you know that this is"

"Mhm" you reply, the agitation clear in your tone. You quickly fix your hair to the best of your ability before picking up your dress and pulling out your phone from your purse. Slinging the bag over your arm as you request an Uber.

Abby just looks at you, nervously playing with the end of her hair. "I- its just the way I am-"

You inturput her with a sigh, finally looking at her with a slight pity. "It's not just gonna go away, but its your life Abby if you wanna be misrable and act like you dont like women thats your call" your app pings letting you know the ubers already here and you're silently thankful. Because the familiar feeling of falling for Abby is creeping back into you. "Good luck, babe" you say softly before heading out. Glancing down at your heels at the door with a groan. Reluctantly slipping them on before hurrying down to the Uber.

Maybe one day she'll change.

#Spotify #lesbian #wlw #fanfic #smut #writer #angst #writing #fanfiction #tlou #abby the last of us #the last of us #abby anderson smut #abby anderson x reader #abby x reader #abby tlou #abby anderson #request

[angelltheninth]

Arcane Characters Being Your Co-Workers

Pairing: Jinx, Vi, Caitlyn, Ekko, Vander, Silco, Sevika, Viktor, Jayce, Mel x Reader

Tags: fluff, developing relationship, co-workers, flirting, teasing, eating together, cuddles, kissing

A/N: I really hope we hear some Arcane news soon cause I am really, really itching to see these characters again.

Jinx almost never leaves you alone while you're working. She likes poking at you, taking your tools away and then kissing you, both on the cheek and on the lips.

The only time she's calm is when she herself is working away on her gadgets. Even then there's always music in the background, her humming and small sounds of sparks and buzzing. She can sometimes stay in her lab very late but that's why she has a comfy couch there to cuddle on.

"If ya want this back sugar you're gonna have ta give me some sugar. Oh come on, I know ya can do better then that, lay one on me. Or maybe ya'd rather stop working for a bit and move this to the couch? Just to warm ya we're gonna have to pull extra hours."

Vi finds it a bit hard to focus on work at first. He's pretty restless when she works so she needs to keep moving constantly. If she doesn't then she'll walk right over to you and start kissing your neck, that's more fun.

Can stay up longer if she needs to, she always likes walking you home, its one of her favorite things about the two of you working together. If you're both really tired you'll let her sleep over at your place, or she's just saying that as an excuse. After all you're both going to the same place tomorrow and she always waits for you.

"Yeah, I am bored, aren't you? Why do this paperwork when we could be out there putting the hurt on the bad guys. Come on sweet stuff, I know you're hungry for some action too. Or is it... a different kind of action. If you lock that door we could... ouch! Alright, sheesh, I'm joking! Or am I?"

Caitlyn is fully focused on her work, there's very little that can break her concentration and drive once she gets started. She can sometimes get too into her work, almost forgetting you're there.

Knows she should do better but she just can't help herself, she would rather get the work out of the way as fast as possible and then spend the rest of the day with you. She trusts you to tell her when she's going overboard as she has gotten herself sick before due to working too much.

"Just a bit more and I'm done darling. I have a surprise for us tonight, so be patient. Looking at me like that won't get me to talk, you should know this by now. A trade? What kind of trade? Just one kiss? Oh, darling, my secrets are worth much more then that."

Ekko manages his work time really well, and in turn yours. He always makes sure you both have a lot of breaks and enough time to properly eat your lunches and of course some time away for kissing.

Might get a bit distracting working with him when he's covered in grime and oil but he wants to keep you focused on the work. At least for now, you can have plenty of fun later. Loves to cuddle by the window and observe the on goings in the hideout to take his mind off work.

"Break time Firefly! You're gonna work yourself into an early grave if you keep this up. Oh yeah? And if I say you need to stop? I'm not afraid to tear you away from the desk you know. If I can catch you? Hah, doesn't that defeat the point? H-hey, don't just kiss me and run!"

Vander wakes up early, earlier then anyone and open the Last Drop for business. Everyone already knows it opens early so its a rush from early hours of the morning all the way into the night.

Flirty when you're really close to him, leaning over the bar or telling him what drinks need to be made. In general though he likes to keep things professional, as much as he can with his friends teasing him about paying you in many different ways.

"Pay them no mind darlin' they're just being jealous of us. To tell you the truth I don't know which one of us. Don't worry, we can close up early and then I'll take you out to dinner, no kids this time, just you and me. Yeah I mean it this time! I do! They're not gonna follow us this time!"

Silco has a lot of work to do day in and day out so having someone working together with him takes a real load off his shoulders. Not to metion that its a lot more fun to have a pretty face in the office, despite the distractions it might cause.

Pulls you by the wrist and kisses your cheek when you do well or bring him coffee. It took a while for him to get used to having someone to actually work with on equal footing but he can't deny how nice its been too. He wouldn't trade you being here for the world.

"Thank you for the warm coffee darling, it really hits the spot. Did you take some for yourself? You can have a sip of mine then. Oh! Hold on, you've got a little- Hahaha, what's wrong? I thought you liked my fingers."

Sevika hated having you dragging along at first. She works best when she's on her own, with no one weighing her down. She wasn't sure she could trust you to watch her back at first but after seeing you punch out a few people she offered to buy you a drink.

It kind of went from there, she started bringing you along for more jobs and putting more trust in you. Kissed you on impulse when she was out with you and luckily for her you kissed back, otherwise the work dynamic would have gotten real messed up, now its just gonna be more fun.

"Care to make a bet with me sweet thing? Let's see who can take out more of these losers today. You win, you get a kiss from me. I win and I get a kiss from you. Sounds like a good deal to right? Ugh, if you get flustered that easily you're gonna end up losing."

Viktor gets even more serious then usual when he's working. Luckily the two of you are in perfect sync and manage to get things done in a timely manner, which then lets you leave a little bit early.

In the past Viktor was very well known for spending nights at the lab but lately, since getting into a relationship with you, he's developed a healthier working schedule. Loves it when he's looking at the board and walk up behind him and casually hug him around his shoulders. He leans closer so that you can kiss him and then goes back to thinking.

"Be done soon darling, then we can go home. We can pick up some food on the way since we both skipped lunch today. Maybe we can take turns making homemade meals? Sure, we can cook together, I find that I work much better with you by my side anyway."

Jayce sometimes teases you while at work but most of the time he does keep his focus. There have been occasions where he pulls you in his lap saying it helps his concentration but you really doubt that because it always seems to do the exact opposite.

Loves eating lunch with you and taking little walks as breaks and fresh air. He started getting desk neat instead of notes and books being scattered around everywhere to make it easier for the two of you to coordinate with each other. Otherwise his work place can get quite messy which you have teased him about before.

"Made some food for us today babe. Almost burned it but this time I was watching it closely. I also made sure that the notes I took last night are... well... readable. Sorry about just unloading on you like that last time. Wha- Why are you laughing? Unloading? What's so funn- Oh. Uhm. Not like that, I'm not sorry for that."

Mel is very strict when it comes to work. Work time is always just work time, nothing else. There are certainly some looks passing between you two but it doesn't go much further then that while you're both on the clock.

During break though, she can't get enough of you. Kissing, touching you, keeping you close, her arm wrapped around yours, whispering into your ear, making you shiver from her words and her touch before leaving you high and dry, or rather hot and bothered and going back to work.

"We can't be doing this right now darling, there are things to do. Besides each other I mean. I won't deny I may have went too far with my teasing but I assure you I will make it up to you. Just be patient for me."

#arcane #arcane x reader #jinx x reader #vi x reader #caitlyn x reader #ekko x reader #vander x reader #silco x reader #sevika x reader #viktor x reader #jayce x reader #mel x reader #arcane imagines #arcane headcanon #arcane fluff #league of legends #league of legends x reader #league of legends imagine #league of legends headcanons #league of legends fluff #arcane x you #league of legends x you

[pinkthrone445]

-Abbott's house-

Pairing:Melissa Schemmenti x Reader

Gender:Fluff, funny, soft

Warnings:none(?) future smut

Summary:The district gives the school the idea of spending a month living together to strengthen bonds, you never thought that would change your relationship with some so much.

Hi! This is an interactive story, if some thinks about something funny that one of the people of Abbott would be like to do, and you would like me to introduce it in the second part of the fic, you can leave it on the comments. I hope you like this part!

Abbott's shenanigans

There are a lot of things that influence the relationship we have with people, spending a lot of time together, going on vacation together, going on dates, being with someone when they're sick and taking care of them, having a fight or a problem that requires assistance, living together, and so on. It could change the relationship for the worse or strengthen the existing friendship, or sometimes even make love grow.

You and your Abbott classmates commonly spent a lot of time together at work, so you never thought that living with them would make much of a difference, but you were wrong and didn't know how much until Ava walked into the teacher's room accompanied by Janine to make an important announcement.

-"Please, if I can get your attention... I have an important statement, as the vacations arrives, Abbott will begin to do a month of interaction together to reinforce the fellowship and friendship between us so we can work better together as a team an as a family, you can say that you do not want to go, but keep in mind that it will be an all-paying month in a shared house, the groups will be 8 people per house, which if everyone says yes, this group will be a house shared by Melissa, Barbara, Jacob, Gregory, Ava, (Y/N), Mr. Johnson and I"-Commented a very excited Janine seeing everyone-"The house has 5 rooms, so some will have to share a room and others won't, we will fix that later depending on who says yes... It also has 1 private bathroom per room and a large one downstairs, it has a fully equipped kitchen, a dining room and living room with television, a terrace, a patio and a heated pool... The only thing you would have to bring is the clothes you would use, personal towel and any hygiene items you prefer besides personal medicines... You will also have money to go shopping, there will be group activities and you will have 2 days completely free to do whatever you want or go visit your family. If you want to be part of this, talk to me or Ava and we'll write you down, I hope you take advantage of the time the district decide to give us something for free..."Janine muttered the last part before leaving the teacher's room, leaving you all a little surprised with the news.

Immediately the murmurs and questions began

-"Gregory let's go together and share a room!" - Jacob murmured excitedly, grabbing his friend's arm

-"I don't know... I have my day to day planned even to what I eat, it would be a big change" - he replied without much conviction

-"Please! If we do this I'll have one more month to find a new apartment... Besides this will help me with my breakup...You know how sad I've been"-Jacob was using the pity card and Gregory knew it, but he loved him too much to say no...

-"Fine, but you better keep the room clean" - Gregory muttered under his breath, and Jacob jumped and danced happily

-"Are you going Barbs?" - Mel asked her friend she shrugged her shoulders

-"I have to ask Gerald first, but if I go, I want a room to myself so I can use my breathing machine... You?" - Barbara asked

-"I think maybe...I'm very bored alone, it will be a good distraction... You?"-Mel asked you this time while you were eating

-"I want to... I mean, paid vacation? Count me in, besides I don't have anything else to do"-You smiled looking at the redhead.

Little by little, everyone else got on board with the idea of spending the vacation together, so before you could think about it much more, you were already driving to the house where you would spend the next month of your life.

You were one of the first to arrive, even though there were already two cars in the driveway. You carefully unloaded your bags and walked inside the house, suddenly finding Ava and Janine talking and arguing.

-"Hello girls..."-You whispered trying to go unnoticed and not interrupt or get involved in the discussion

-"(Y/N)! Welcome!" - Janine yelled, walking away from the principal and getting closer to you-"All the rooms are assigned already... Yours is the one to the right in the second floor, you can settle in and when everyone arrives, we will handle you sheets with the schedule for the month, Okey? Enjoy" -The petite woman barely let you say hello before going back to her chat with Ava. You carefully brought your bags up and noticed that you had a shared room, although you still didn't know with whom.

After settling everything in, you felt more people arrive at the house and before you knew it, your roommate had walked through the door

-"Hello roommate" - Mel muttered, leaving her bags on her bed and smiling at you

-"Oh, hi Mel... I thought you will be sharing a room with Barb... I mean, sorry, from everyone that I could got, I'm happy it's you..." - You muttered a little embarrassed

-"Yeah... Barbara wanted a room to herself, but Ava and Mr. Johnson asked for it first, so Barbara was assigned with Janine, Gregory, and Jacob together and you and me together..."-The redhead began to unpack her bag as you looked at her

-"Do you want me to swap rooms with Barbara so you are together? It's not a hassle at all" - You responded, helping her with her stuff

-"Don't bother, Ava did this because she wants us to strengthen our bonds with people that we don't get together as much, so we are stuck together... Also, Ava did this arrangements because she wanted a whole room for herself"-she muttered, arranging her clothes on one of the furnitures

-"Okey... Do you want to set some ground rules or something? I don't wanna bother you"-You asked sitting on your bed looking at her

-"Just by saying that, I already like you a thousand times more... I just don't want the light on after 12 if possible and dry the bathroom thoroughly after a shower. I think that's it. You?" - she commented, turning to look at you and you shrugged your shoulders

-"I don't think so..."-You muttered before you pulled out one of your books and started reading while she sorted out her things.

The week began to pass normally, each one received their activity sheet, which included movie nights (each one would choose one movie per night), you had physical activities together, walks, reading nights, month game night, each one was assigned a place in the house to clean and other chores together. Everyone would have to cook or go shopping from time to time. Take some classes for school, etc.

It would be a busy and interactive month.

Your coexistence with Mel was going well, more than well, the fact that you didn't make her angry so far said a lot.

When the first movie night rolled around, Jacob chose the movie "It", which you tried to avoid because you didn't like horror movies and because you hated clowns, but Ava said it was a must-do activity so you had to stay, although the truth was that she wanted to laugh at how scared you were.

Before the movie started, you made popcorn for everyone and sat next to the redhead who was the only empty spot on the couch. Mel smiled at you and covered your legs with the blanket she had, sharing it with you.

At first you avoided watching the movie by looking at your phone, but Ava told you to turn it off so you no longer had any distractions, nervously, you started playing with your fingers but Mel noticed your fidgeting, carefully she took one of your hands with hers and intertwined her fingers with yours smiling at you

-"It's okay, it's just a movie, I'm here with you..."-she whispered close to your ear, making you blush. You never thought that sharing just a couple of days together would make the redhead more fond of you and want to take care of you.

The rest of the movie you saw it without letting go of her hand and shaking a little when the damn clown appeared, witch was all the time.

At the end of the movie you were one of the first to go to your room, as soon as you entered you lay down on your bed and started watching cartoons on your cell phone trying to get the face of the damn clown out of your memory. Mel carefully entered the room and stared at you tenderly, you looked like a small sacred child

-"Are you watching Bluey?" - she whispered, trying not to alarm you

-"Yes... I hate clowns and now I'm scared and I won't be able to sleep if I'm like this... Don't laugh at me please"-You muttered in shame and she shook her head

-"Never... I'll go take a shower, you can leave the lights on tonight if you want..."-She responded taking off her clothes in front of you, seeing her in her underwear made you forget your fears for a moment, it wasn't until the redhead walked through the bathroom door that you came back to reality and back to your cartoons.

After a few minutes, the room filled with the scent of flowers when the redhead came out of the bathroom, you followed her with your eyes waiting for her to go to her bed, but instead she stood in front of you

-"Move a little, give me a little of room, I'll sleep with you so you don't get bad dreams"-Mel suggested and you gave her space a little confused, thinking maybe she was joking. She carefully climbed onto your bed with her pajamas on and gently hugged you making you snuggle on her chest, consciously or unconsciously, this was making you feel safe and calmer.

Your heart began to beat more slowly and your head stopped thinking, her hands gently scratched the back of your neck and the beating of her heart over your ear made you breathe more calmly and steady, even the darkness and silence of the room provided a calm atmosphere now that she was by your side.

When Mel began to feel like you were falling asleep, she kissed your forehead gently

-"Good night hon, I'll take care of you..."-She whispered before you fell asleep completely.

Unable to believe it, you slept through the night without any nightmares, and when you woke up Melissa was still by your side sleeping and cuddling you. Not wanting to wake her, you tried to gently snuggle closer to her. You couldn't believe how good she smelled and how beautiful she looked while she sleeps. When you were about to snuggle up on her chest, her voice startled you

-"I'm already awake hon... Good morning" -she commented in a thick voice making you blush

-"I'm sorry...I...it's just that you're so warm that I wanted to get closer to you... Besides you smell so nice..."-You began to stutter from nerves that you had been caught in your attempt to be close to her-"I didn't want to disturb you, just feel your warmth..."-The redhead snuggled you with her arms putting you close to her chest making you shut up by being almost between her breasts

-"I said good morning... And you didn't answer" - She commented in a raspy voice

-"I... I'm sorry, good morning Mel" - You replied and closed your eyes taking a big breath to etch her perfume into your memory

-"Did I help? Did you have any nightmares?" - She asked and you shook your head with your eyes still closed-"Good... Do you want to go cook breakfast together?" - She asked again and after a few seconds of thinking, you nodded. Although you'd like to stay in that bed for as long as possible, if you said something, you might make her feel uncomfortable. Gathering all the strength in the world, you sat up on the bed and stretched out your arms under the watchful eye of the redhead.

After the two got ready, you went to the kitchen with the redhead to make breakfast. No one was up yet, so that gave more peace and quiet to cook. You and the redhead worked together like a well-oiled machine, it seemed like you had been cooking together for years as you saw how you helped and understood each other. The redhead put on Italian music and was surprised when you started singing, seeing you with different eyes than she did a few days ago.

At the time you didn't know it, but that month would be one of the most intense and crazy where your life would take a 180-degree turn, changing everything, especially your relationship with your coworker and roomie.

#melissa schemmenti soft #melissa schemmenti smut #melissa schemmenti x you #melissa schemmenti fanfic #melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti #abbott elementary #melissa schemmenti abott elementary #abott elementary fanfic #abbott elementary fanfic #abott elementary #abbot elementary #lisa ann walter fanfic #lissa ann walter #lisa ann walter #lwl #pinkthrone445 #Pinkthrone445fanfic

[g1rld1ary]

omg hiiiiii! just saw your requests opened, so excited! i was hoping you could write something for lockwood with the enemies to lovers trope. anything you feel like with that is awesome! and ofc if you don’t want to feel free to not write it 🩷🩷

-mel

what once was ; anthony lockwood x reader

➻ synopsis: you and lockwood hated each other, you had since you were just starting out as agents. when your team is made to work with his on a big case, deeper feelings might just get revealed

➻ word count: 10K (exactly, what are the chances?)

➻ warnings: swearing, mentions of kissing, angst maybe?, injuries

➻ thank u so much for this request lovely!!!! i am SO sorry this took almost a month, but it's the longest fic I've ever posted here so hopefully that makes up for it a little?? if this isn't what u had in mind pls let me know and I'd be happy to write something different! ik it might not be exactly enemies to lovers but I hateee when the dynamic has no respect or reason to be lovers. anyway thank u for the request lolol!!!! xxxxx

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You thought you were a good person. You dedicated your life to fighting ghosts, you helped old ladies cross the street, you recycled when you could. That was enough to be considered a good person, right? You were almost totally convinced, except for the all the vile things you had to say about Anthony Lockwood.

He was, with no exaggeration, the bane of your existence. You had known him all your life, but hadn’t been friends with him since you were both twelve, just beginner agents. And yet, despite all of this hatred burning up within you, it seemed like the universe wouldn’t give you a moment of peace.

You understood running into his company every once in a while — agency events, maybe the occasional case, but lately it seemed like it was every week you had to face Lockwood’s nauseating grin and infuriating attempts at being charming. Whether it was your respective teams being sent on overlapping missions, picking up more supplies or just trying to pick up a coffee after a draining night, you had started to see Lockwood everywhere.

When you saw him again whilst you were picking up some doughnuts for your team you couldn’t help yourself snapping at him.

“God, are you obsessed with me or something, Anthony?” You barely spared him a glance as you finished the transaction with the cashier, quietly thanking him as you left. Lockwood did the same, practically throwing down his cash to catch up to you.

“You wish I was obsessed with you! I am just as unhappy as you are, trust me.”

“So what, you chased after me just say something we both already knew? Or do you have something you’d like to say, an apology perhaps?” You chanced a look in his eyes. Hurt flashed through them, and you felt a sick sense of satisfaction.

“I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” He cried, almost dropping his own box of pastries when he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. You didn’t try to hide the rolling of your eyes.

“Whatever,” You huffed, before being struck with an idea. “By the way, did you hear that I’m now a team leader? That makes me the youngest in at least ten years — maybe ever. Pretty good for someone not fit to be an agent, don’t you think?” You feigned an interest in his opinion. His face dropped for a moment, then contorted to become almost polite.

“That was never—” You interrupted him with another sigh.

“Anthony, I really don’t care to listen to you discredit my achievements anymore.” You left him on the side of the street, marching back to your dorm at Fittes. You didn’t need to hear him tear you down and ruin your self-confidence more than he already had — not that you would ever tell him that. Lockwood was similarly disgruntled. Every interaction between you two turned into a fight regardless of what he said; he just couldn’t win.

You had a week of blissful distance from Lockwood and Co before you ran into them, quite unfortunately. You and your team had been assigned to an apartment that allegedly housed a few Type Ones, nothing serious but the residents had complained of hearing noises at odd hours. You held a bit of doubt — living in the dorms had forced you to become accustomed to the most bizarre noises at night, and those were most definitely not ghosts. Plus, adults tended to be paranoid; the noise could be anything from rodents to their little children being awake in the early hours of the morning.

Still, you had a job to complete, so you trudged your small team up to the apartment in question, ready for a quick job and to be cozy in bed before midnight. When Lockwood and Co were standing outside the apartment next to your appointed one, your face dropped into a scowl.

“What are you doing here?” You snapped, talking directly to Lockwood. He hesitated for a moment before turning to face you, brilliant smile shining.

“Lovely to see you again too, sweetheart, we’re actually here on a job? Nice of you to come as our clean-up crew, but that really won’t be necessary. Run along now.” You had to hand it to him, Lockwood had perfected his condescending tone. You were going to respond when the girl behind him began to talk.

“Hey, I recognise you! You’re—” Lockwood cut her off quickly.

“Alright, Luce, I think it’s time we go inside, don’t you?” He was shepherding the girl through the apartment door before you could process what was happening. George, to his credit, looked highly amused at the whole thing. You always liked George, even when he was at Fittes, and seeing him was usually the only upside to your interactions with Lockwood and Co.

“Who’s the girl?” You asked, nodding your head to where she and Lockwood had disappeared to.

“Lucy Carlyle,” He answered, “She’s a Listener — still learning the ropes.”

“And she knows me how?” George just smiled, and you could tell he was keeping secrets.

“I’m sure you’ll find out one day.” He began to follow the rest of his coworkers and you pouted.

“I hate when you side with him!” You called after him, before composing yourself and directing your own team to start the night. They just went along with it, used to your behaviour, and set up your equipment for the mission.

It was not going well. You could all feel a supernatural presence, but no ghosts and no signs of what you’d thought might’ve been the source. Plus, all you could hear was the apartment next door — their stompy footsteps, their laughter over the tea you knew they always had, and one of them wouldn’t stop knocking on the fucking wall.

It was supremely childish, and you would put all of your bets on it being Lockwood trying to throw you off your game. Unfortunately, it was working. And your bad mood was spreading to your teammates. The mission was certainly not going well, all four of you picking fights and throwing digs at each other as you searched uselessly for what could possible be the source, all with no confirmed supernatural presence.

Just as you were about to say something really cruel to your favourite member of your team, the words died in your throat. The temperature rose a few degrees, and you could practically see all your negative thoughts floating away. By the looks of it, your teammates all felt it too. When the freezing shock of the change wore off, you all resigned to embarrassment, realising exactly what had just happened.

This was only furthered when Lockwood waltzed into the apartment, cocky grin practically blinding you.

“Guess that another successful mission for Lockwood and Co now includes saving the careers of egotistical Fittes agents too now,” He crowed, and you rolled your eyes so hard you thought they might disconnect from your face.

“Clearly,” You tried to keep your tone level, “The source wasn’t in this apartment, so we couldn’t have found it regardless of if you were here.”

“Plus they were just Type Ones. You didn’t save any lives, Lockwood,” Your best friend, Sarah, piped up and you smirked.

“Maybe not in the physical sense,” He conceded, “But I definitely saved the career of the ‘youngest ever team leader’ — don’t think you would’ve kept the position for very long if you couldn’t fight a simple Type One.” You turned red in humiliation. How dare Lockwood act so high and mighty, like you owed him the career you fought so hard for? You wanted to express all the seething fury that burned your tongue, but the only thing that came out was a vicious declaration.

“I hate you, Anthony Lockwood.” Lockwood at least had the decency to look somewhat hurt. Although you’d been arguing for years with the insults only getting meaner as you both grew up and developed more precise vocabularies, neither of you had ever vocalised any hatred before. It cut deeper than Lockwood thought it would. You didn’t wait to observe the intricacies of his reaction, storming out of the apartment, making sure your kit bag hit him heavily as you passed.

“Well,” Lockwood broke the awkward silence that fell over the apartment, “I think we’re all done for the night. Let’s go.” Lockwood and Co began packing up their kit bags and gear, Lucy sweeping some leftover magnesium dust under an armchair. Lockwood paused in the doorway, looking back to Sarah with a curious softness.

“Make sure she’s alright, yeah?” Sarah nodded, swallowing a curious look. With a final nod he was gone, leaving the rest of your team to wonder what had just happened to shift the dynamic.

Back in your dorm at Fittes, you were still fired up. Pissed off by Lockwood’s ego, his audacity, you had practically already paced a hole in the floor upon your short return from dinner. All of these years and he still didn’t believe you were a capable agent, let alone team leader! You may not have really hated him; it was hard to truly hate someone who you shared so much history with, but you were glad you said it. Glad you hurt him, even a little. Maybe then he’d know how you felt.

He had — probably unwittingly — saved you arse though. It was one of your very first missions and unfortunately Lockwood was right; a team leader who couldn’t defeat a simple Type One, or realise that their case was a goose chase in the wrong apartment, wouldn’t last. So although he was the one who had told you you couldn’t be an agent in the first place, you probably owed your current position to him, which only mad you more mad. It was an endless cycle of being angry at Anthony Lockwood.

When Sarah came in to sit on your bed, you still weren’t done, taking the opportunity to verbalise your stream of thought.

“He is simply the worst person in the whole world and has no respect for me! I mean, he wouldn’t have helped at all if it didn’t serve his own inflated ego ,” You said, throwing your hands in the air in anguish. Sarah simply watched, barely concealing her amusement.

“Ok, but have you considered maybe he just argues back because you hate him? I mean, where did it start?” You huffed, vaulting yourself back onto your mattress.

“When we were twelve years old, he told me I couldn’t be an agent. I said ‘fuck you’ and have worked my bloody arse off to be one despite it, and to become the youngest team leader at Fittes, and yet every time I see him he still tries to sabotage my career or make me look stupid! God, he drives me up the wall!”

“So you’ve said all these horrid things because he didn’t believe in you?” She laughed a little, eliciting a deep frown from you.

“You don’t get it,” You said, tone solemn, “He was my best friend. He was supposed to believe in me even when everyone else said it was dumb.” The dampened mood brought a premature end to your conversation, Sarah leaving you to your thoughts and feelings as you dwelled on the past in a way you would usually forbid yourself from.

You pulled a framed photo out from behind your stack of books on the shelf. You and Lockwood as children, smiling brightly on a day at the beach, a spade in your hand and a bucket in his, your free ones intertwined as kids often do. You didn’t know why you’d kept it after all these years, looking at any photo of Lockwood typically made you mad, but you felt a bit guilty discarding the keepsake, especially the handmade frame his parents had given you one birthday before they passed. Plus, the memory untouched was one of your favourites — one of the last of your carefree days in childhood when you and Lockwood were best friends and both your families were whole. You held it softly for a moment, indulging yourself in being swept away by memories before deciding enough was enough and returning to the present, distracting yourself with a novel you’d picked up.

You were given a few weeks to cool down, blissfully free from any trace of Lockwood. You thought he must’ve been aware of the heightened tension between you recently, since you’d seen Lucy shopping around Arif’s and ran into George whilst getting your usual Friday night takeaway.

Hearing your name being called from around the corner of an aisle you turned quickly, reflexes on edge. Seeing it was just the redhead you relaxed, making yourself smile.

“Oh, hi, Lucy. How are you?” You made polite conversation, continuing on with your shopping. She replied cordially, a vague awkward air between you that you were both trying your best to overcome.

“We’re all really sorry about the case the other day, by the way. We didn’t mean to take it over or jeopardise your job or anything.”

“It’s nothing,” You assured, “I shouldn’t have let my emotions get the best of me, every agent knows that.”

“Yeah, but if Lockwood hadn’t—”

“Lucy,” You interrupted, “You don’t need to condemn Lockwood, or defend him. We both know where we stand with each other and that’s ok. I hope that doesn’t stop us from being friends either; you’re sweet.” Lucy managed a smile, revealing a pretty sparkle in her eye.

“I’d like to be friends too. Maybe we just won’t tell him,” She giggled, and you nodded gravely.

“Sounds like a plan.” You left Arif’s with a bag full of groceries and plan for coffee sometime.

George was less forgiving than Lucy. As you bickered over who got the last can of Coke in the restaurant’s little fridge, he imparted some of his very much unwanted advice.

“You should apologise. I think you crossed a line,” He said and you rolled your eyes.

“He questioned my right to even be where I am — I think I have the right to be pissed at him.”

“He didn’t mean it,” George said quickly. Almost too quickly.

“How would you know?” You narrowed your eyes. George recoiled — he’d been caught.

“You know,” He trailed off, “Lockwood’s not like that. You should know that better than anyone.” You huffed again, fed up.

“I knew,” You corrected, “He’s shown me exactly how he feels about me now. And I am absolutely fine with that. I’m taking the Coke.” You ended the conversation abruptly, snatching the can out of George’s grip.

“But Lockwood doesn’t like any of the other flavours!” He called after you. You exaggerated a laugh, not looking back as you opened the restaurant door quickly.

“I know!” You yelled over your shoulder. George watched you leave, calculating look in his eyes. You said you hated Lockwood, he didn’t doubt you believed it, too. But he knew that most people didn’t remember which fizzy drinks their enemies liked.

⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆

Thankfully, you got just the distraction you needed. Your team had been given one of the most exciting cases on the Fittes roster. One of those old boutique hotels with funnily named rooms and a long, terrible history that had you buried in fascinating research. You couldn’t believe your team had been given the assignment, it was a sign that you were really beginning to be respected as a team leader in the agency. So, you couldn’t screw it up.

You and your team had been practically camped out in the Fittes archives, researching as much as you possibly could about the old hotel. There were a smattering of unfortunate deaths across the years — some darker than others, but you were confident it was nothing you couldn’t handle. The owners hadn’t specified exactly what supernatural experiences they had seen around the hotel, just that it was clear there were several presences around and they wanted them all gone to reopen the hotel as soon as possible. This did admittedly make you a little apprehensive — you didn’t actually have a solid idea of how many ghosts you’d be dealing with, and it was anyone’s guess how many of them would be Type Twos.

Finally, you were confident you and your team had done as much research as you could, and you were prepared for anything. And so you packed your kit bags, took the train ride and rocked up to the hotel mid afternoon, confidence overflowing. By nightfall you’d been on a tour of the grounds, set up your base and had started brewing some tea to get you all in the zone. You took a glance out the front window, seeing movement in one of the windows of the house next door. It was owned by the people who ran the hotel and they intended to open it as a second venue, but delegated the job to some smaller agency since the stakes for it weren’t as high.

It was all going well for a while. You had a plan to go room by room, making each ghost free before finishing in the majorly haunted kitchen. You were inclined to believe there’d be a cluster of Type Twos there since it was set alight years ago, and the accident had been swept under the rug in favour of saving the business.

The entryway was easy; a few Type Ones that practically led you their sources, clearly just wanting to finally be laid to rest. There was one nasty Limbless that gave you all a fright, but your researcher, Ben, was always miles ahead of the rest of you and knew exactly who the ghost was and therefore how to put him to rest. You told him you owed him a beer later and moved on, crossing a single room off the floor plan and shifting into the library, which was not so easy.

You started to think things were not as great as you originally anticipated when you turned to face the mass of Type Ones. Not the end of the world, a little bloody annoying though. Sarah seemed to agree, kicking the leg of a couch in frustration. The four of you figured your way out of it, though significantly depleted of supplies.

You returned to your home base to recoup, physically and mentally battered.

“What’s the plan?” Sarah asked, chugging down mouthfuls from her water bottle. You bit the inside of your cheek as you thought hard, tapping your fingers insistently on the old wooden table.

“Alright, I think we’ve got enough for one more safely. Kyan, you go outside and get the rest of our equipment whilst we hit the second bedroom.”

“If we’re right then there should only be the one ghost there, right? The strangled woman?” You nodded in response to Ben, mentally drawing your plan.

“And if you’re wrong?” Kyan asked.

“We won’t be,” You affirmed, tapping twice on the table to get you all moving.

Kyan left the building to go fetch the spare supplies and the remaining three of you ventured into the second bedroom. Everything was as it should be; lower temperature, creeping feelings of unease and miasma. You’d put together your chain circle and were feeling good about the Type Two woman you were facing, well, as good as you could in those circumstances.

That was, until it wasn’t just one Type Two. Despite the research and preparation you’d undertaken, there was definitely more than one Type Two enraged by your presence in the room at that moment. There was the woman, an angry apparition of some sort — you didn’t have the time to exactly figure out which subtype she fell into when a man also appeared. Shit. He wasted no time showing you he was aggressive too, and your heart sunk into your toes.

Doing some quick mental calculations, you announced the new plan — to get out. As team leader, you refused to be responsible for an injury or something worse because you wouldn’t back down when you knew you didn’t have enough defences left.

“Soon as it’s safe, get the fuck out of here,” You said, feeling to make sure they were still both in the circle with you as you stood with backs inward. “Use your defences as liberally as you feel you need to — we’re all getting out of here tonight.”

“What about the sources?” Sarah asked nervously, “We’ve only got one or two so far.”

“Who cares? Most agencies get one or two a mission and we’re in a giant bloody hotel. We’ve got more nights to get this done. We can’t get it done if you lot go off and die, can we?” Ben shrugged.

“S’pose not. Let’s go.” With that the three of you made a run for it, bolting out the bedroom door and into the corridor.

“Oh fuck!” You yelled, dodging out the way of another phantom headed your way. Evidently your previous endeavours had attracted the attention of some of the other ghosts inhabiting the hotel, none looking all that happy.

Your swear words didn’t falter as you continued the escape, ducking and jumping and making an utter fool of yourself to ensure you all made it out alive. You’d been covered by Sarah a few minutes ago with one of her magnesium flares, and so returned the favour without hesitation, only faltering slightly when you realised it was your last. You tried not to worry about it too much, you were nearing the laundry where there was a back door you could get to.

The closer you got to your escape the fewer visible apparitions there were. That was a good thing, your chances of ghost touch reducing greatly. However, that didn’t mean you weren’t still being hunted. A poltergeist had found you somewhere along the way, and the stream of things being thrown at you hadn’t ended yet. You’d vaguely felt something heavy hitting the back of your head and shoulders, but the adrenaline pumping through your veins was withholding the pain for the moment.

You’d crossed the threshold into the laundry, the back door within your sights. Maybe you got complacent, believing the end was nearer than you thought. Maybe it was just awful timing. However, as your feet hit the tiles of the room, you were being swept off your feet by the washing machine sliding into you, crushing you between it and the wall. You cried out unintentionally, feeling a sickening crack inside your chest. Your teammates turned back, door wide open and safety in sight.

“Don’t you dare come back for me,” You croaked, the wind pushed out of you. “Or I swear to God I’ll come and haunt you.” Ben took the threat and ran, ducking out the door into the fresh air of the night. Sarah hesitated, turning back to lock eyes with you, regret painted across her features. With a final threat she left too, leaving you to try and push the machine away from you in order to make your own escape. However, in an unfortunate series of events, the adrenaline started to wear off after your chase and you felt the sharp pain running along your skull, a thick drop of blood making its way down from a strand of hair into your left eye. Plus, you were pretty sure the machine had broken one of your wrists as any pressure you put onto it trying to move the machine set your nerves on fire, leaving you just your legs to try and make an escape. Turns out it’s harder than it looks to push a stupidly heavy washing machine away from you with your legs when you’re incapacitated on the floor.

Seeing your best friend the strangled woman approaching you sighed, trying to resign yourself to your fate. There was no way you were making it out without a miracle, and you were never the lucky kind. As she spotted you, you sealed your eyes tightly closed, unwilling to watch your own demise. It never came. When you chanced one eye open all you saw was sparks, the unmistakeable smell of a magnesium flare filling the room. You didn’t know what to feel. Relieved, of course, pissed off that your team had disrespected your wishes and endangered themselves, faint from the adrenaline and blood loss. Mostly faint, you decided, as you lay your head back against the tile, a sleep sounding like the nicest thing in the world suddenly.

You must have passed out for a minute or two as when you opened your eyes again you were in the air, distant voices yelling over the explosions and lights, but you felt a million miles away. You cuddled yourself into the body of whoever was carrying you — they were warm and your body felt ice cold. Everywhere you looked appeared blurry (and slightly pink, presumably from the blood in your eye), so you granted yourself some mercy and simply closed them. You thought you heard a mumbled “Hold on for me,” But you couldn’t be sure, everything was ringing in your head and the weight of staying awake was heavy on your foggy brain.

The next time you woke up was about half an hour later, or so you guessed. The sky was fractionally lighter than you remembered seeing, inching towards dawn, and you were laid down on dewey wet grass. The cool of it was nice on your skin, though you knew it would do major damage to your hair. Not that that was your greatest concern at the moment. You pushed yourself up on your elbows slowly, looking around at the scene that was coming into focus. Your team were on one side of you, looking exhausted but mostly physically fine. Straight ahead of you was Barnes, not looking as disappointed as you thought he would after a failed case. To your left was Lockwood and Co. Why were Lockwood and Co here? Why was Lockwood looking at you so intently, and why did he look like he was worried about you?

Only the first of your questions was answered. Evidently Lockwood and Co were the ‘small agency’ the hotel owners had given a chance for the smaller house on the edge of the property. They heard the commotion your team had made and Sarah’s screaming outside the kitchen door and came to save the day — of course. You were about to put up the protest that you didn’t need saving but it died in your throat when you saw the serious looks of everyone around you. Clearly this wasn’t the time for any of your bullshit.

“Clearly this case is bigger than your team can achieve,” Barnes said, and the fire was reignited within you. He must have been able to see what you were going to say and cut you off, “But I’m not taking you off the case.”

“Thank you,” You said quickly, tension in your shoulders releasing slightly.

“Lockwood and Co will work with you until the hotel is ghost free.”

“What?” You and Lockwood cried in unison, and you felt his eyes fall back on you. You refused to meet his gaze.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Sir—” You started, being cut off by Lockwood.

“We don’t work well together—”

“I happen to know you both need this case, or do you not care about the future of your jobs?” Barnes raised an eyebrow in the intimidating way only he could pull off. He had you there. Failing in a case, especially one that resulted in a near death experience would certainly jeopardise your trajectory at Fittes, and, unbeknownst to you, Lockwood and Co were pretty desperate for some good representation, unable to receive the praise deserved from the Combe Carey Hall case. You looked at Lockwood to find him already searching your face. After a moment of silent arguing between the two of you, you turned back to face Barnes, exaggerated smiles on both your faces.

“We’ll do it.” You smiled sweetly. A few more formalities sent Barnes and the other DEPRAC officer off, and only the two teams were left standing around, shifting uncomfortably under the weight of all the kit bags.

“So what do we do now?” Sarah asked, a thought very similar to the ones bouncing around your head at the moment.

“Breakfast?” George suggested, and you didn’t think you’d ever seen your team agree to something so enthusiastically. The group of you all headed back to the train station, but Lockwood didn’t let you continue in the line to get your ticket. Instead he pulled you away from the crowd, seeming to have already told Lucy what was happening, judging from her cheerful wave goodbye.

You glared at him, yanking your arm away then groaning at the pain.

“What are we doing, Lockwood?” You asked with an exaggerated huff.

“We’re going to the hospital,” He said, unbothered by your protests. “And don’t say you’re fine because it’s clear you’re injured. I’d say a broken wrist, concussion and maybe a cracked rib, but we can let the doctors tell us I’m wrong, I’d be happy for them to tell you otherwise.” That shut you up, not least because you knew he was probably right. You’d been given a shot of adrenaline and a few painkillers by the DEPRAC officer who accompanied Barnes over, but you probably did need actual medical attention.

It was a very awkward cab ride to the local hospital. You and Lockwood were so used to arguing by now that silence felt like the only other viable option. You couldn’t make small talk, what would you even talk about? The only thing you knew about his life was his childhood, and you sure as hell weren’t gonna talk about that. The tension was palpable in the backseat, and when the cab driver wished you good luck for the hospital visit, you figured he didn’t just mean because of your injuries. You did force yourself to thank Lockwood when he paid for the ride though, even if it was just for the sake of the day moving on faster.

At least the waiting room created its own noise; beeping and chattering and footsteps filling the silence between you two. You struggled with the form in front of you, inconveniently having your dominant hand be out of working order. You painfully etched out your information over an embarrassing amount of time before Lockwood huffed loudly and snatched the clipboard from your lap.

“Fuck’s sake,” He muttered, pulling his own pen from his suit pocket, beginning to scribble down the answers for you. You just relaxed, your tired, drug-addled brain being allowed to rest for a moment. It wasn’t until he asked about your health insurance that you fully realised he was answering the questions by memory and forced your eyes to focus on the paper. Sure enough he’d gotten it all right, birthday and middle name included. You glanced up at him curiously, but it seemed like this was the moment he refused to make eye contact. You only had to inform him of things that had changed since you’d fallen out, neither of you verbalising that fact.

Things didn’t change when you were called into the doctor’s office either. The mix of pain, medicine and sleep deprivation led you to embrace the exam table and bordered on falling asleep as Lockwood talked for you. He’d gotten the rundown of the actual events from Sarah and his brief moments when he saved you, and explained the night as you got an x-ray for your hand. Plus, as you were waiting for the cast (it was, in fact, broken), he explained your previous medical history — the knee you dislocated when you were nine and the broken pinky finger from the year after. You only had to participate to explain the injuries you’d acquired during your career as an agent; the ones from after you and Lockwood stopped being friends.

The whole trip was extremely bizarre and slightly unnerving, and you were glad to get on the train on the way back.

“You were wrong about one thing,” You said, pulling out your walkman from your kit bag.

“And what’s that?” Lockwood asked, and you got the impression he was bracing to be yelled at again — you felt almost bad.

“No cracked rib for me.” You grinned, beginning to laugh uncharacteristically. You didn’t know why, it really wasn’t that funny, but Lockwood followed suit soon after. The two of you laughed borderline hysterically, much too energetic for that hour of the morning when everyone else was still heading to work. It only tapered off when your poor ribs couldn’t take it anymore (not broken but aggressively bruised), and the two of you fell back into silence. You had your music and Lockwood had a magazine you suspected he’d stolen from the A+E waiting room.

The only other time you spoke during the trip was when you summoned the courage to utter a somewhat genuine “Thank you.”

“What?”

“Thanks. For not letting me die. And stuff.”

“Oh. You’re welcome,” Lockwood shot you a smile, the glowing kind you rarely got to see anymore.

As you got back to London and closer to Portland Row where your team was waiting, the air seemed to get thicker between the two of you once again. Maybe it was the proximity to the things that had torn you apart or the sense that you had predefined roles to play, but the carefree air between you had dissipated, leaving only the familiar tension that had been building over the last four years.

You followed Lockwood inside, trying to hide the out of body experience you were having returning to his family home after so many years. It had changed a little, of course, but still felt overwhelmingly the same, which both scared and comforted you. All the freaky foreign ghost hunting objects still littered the shelves, and you took the liberty of admiring them once again, remembering the stories Lockwood’s parents would tell about them and the adventures they’d had when collecting them. In your periphery you saw Lockwood hurriedly grab something off the wall by the stairs, shoving it in a drawer, but you really had no interest, choosing instead to reacquaint yourself with the house. The glimpse you got up the stairs showed a myriad of framed pictures of Lockwood and you scoffed — of course his ego would be on full display within his own home.

⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆

It was surprisingly easy to get into the groove of working with Lockwood and Co. Obviously you already liked George and Lucy, but your team seemed to work unexpectedly well with theirs. You and Lockwood stayed out of each other’s ways, the few times you were left to work together resulting in another stupid argument. The first time when you thought he was calling you dumb, the second over something minuscule; who’d let the tea brew too long so it tasted shit. And then who had to subsequently get up and make the next pot. Despite both of you honestly trying to be professional and get on with the job, it was agreed by everyone that it was simply easiest to keep the two of you apart as much as possible.

However, when the hotel owners wanted the leaders of both teams to meet up for updates on the case, you couldn’t get out of it. The day wasn’t looking good. You’d shown up to Portland Row so you could get a cab together — the meeting being dinner in central London, and had already argued with him over his choice of socks. In your defence, the powder blue socks matching your dress did make it look like you were a high school couple trying to match at a formal! However, George had rolled his eyes and pushed the two of you back out and towards the waiting cab, effectively ending that argument. You’d also teased Lockwood for bringing his rapier to a business dinner, but that was neither here nor there.

You’d held it together for most of the dinner, both of you putting on your best fronts and using your most formal tones to convince the elder couple that you were confident about the case. You found yourself kicking his shins to stop Lockwood from making promises you couldn’t keep regarding the case, and he got you back with condescending remarks, correcting you when he disagreed with how you presented the case. Altogether though you thought you were pretty subtle, and the two of you were presenting a model image of your respective companies.

However, when you shot Lockwood one of your saccharine smiles under the pretence of friendliness — he’d just undermined your authority again and stolen the best piece of dessert that you were going for, as if he didn’t torture you enough — you were shocked to hear the woman across from you laugh.

“It’s so wonderful to see you two bicker like an old married couple,” She giggled, and both you and Lockwood’s jaws dropped. “I mean, it just seems so dismal to be dating in these times, but you two give me hope that the future generations will still be able find love despite the Problem.”

“And clearly you’re both sensible kids, which is very important for a lasting relationship. Working for two different agencies would surely diffuse tensions around all those dangerous missions and such you agents partake in — except for this one, of course,” Her husband chimed in, jolly glint in his eyes.

“Yes, yes, but it’s important to remember to be kids as much as you can. But you two playing footsies all night has proved that you’ve got that covered too. Silliness is just as crucial as being sensible, it’s how a marriage stays fun. We would know, we’ve had fifty odd years of it!”

You didn’t know how to react, and by the looks of it, Lockwood didn’t know either with his signature smile frozen on his face. First of all, you were not playing footsies with Anthony Lockwood — the bruise forming under his trouser leg was testament to that. Second of all, you had no idea how the woman could get your dynamic so incredibly wrong. Aside from all of Lockwood’s double edged comments and cocky corrections of basically anything you said, the two of you had hardly addressed each other directly all night, you might as well have been strangers!

The dinner wrapped up very soon after. The couple had taken a liking to you both and so trusted your teams to handle the case as you saw fit, only making you promise to take a romantic weekend getaway (or honeymoon! As the woman had remarked optimistically) to the hotel once it was completely ghost-free and renovated. For once you were glad that Lockwood was unable to ever shut up as he took the lead, seeming to believe that corroborating their assumption was the best choice in your situation. You weren’t sure you were entirely comfortable with lying to this sweet old couple, but you couldn’t deny that Lockwood was a better talker than you, and would probably handle the situation with more delicacy.

That was how you ended up being led out of the restaurant with Lockwood’s hand on the small of your back. You wondered if he’d ever done this before, and you didn’t know if you meant for a real or pretend relationship. You both said your goodbyes to the couple, flattered by the abundance of compliments they paid you — both personally and professionally, assuring you they were overjoyed to have your teams work the case. Just before they stepped into the cab the woman took you aside.

“Hold onto a boy who looks at you like that,” She said, “You might fight, but when he’s this in awe of you, you’ll find a way to make it work.” You didn’t know how to respond to that and so simply nodded, offering a weak smile as she slid into the back seat of the taxi.

That left you and Lockwood alone. You just looked at each other for a moment, unsure of how to proceed.

“Do you mind if we walk home? I really fancy some air right now.” Lockwood easily agreed, looking rather flustered himself, and off the two of you went into the night.

Neither of you spoke for a while, but you could tell he wanted to. Lockwood always chewed his lip when he was holding something back, he had since he was a child. You sighed and asked him, knowing it was the only way to make the habit go away.

“Nothing,” He said, “Just weird. Don’t you think?”

“Nah,” You lied, “Old people just say things like that all the time. They don’t care to know the full picture.”

“Which is?”

“We hate each other.” Hurt flashed through his eyes, but it didn’t make you feel as good as it did the first time you’d said it.

“I don’t hate you,” He said quietly, almost a whisper.

“What?”

“I don’t hate you. We don’t get along anymore, but I don’t hate you. I hope you know that.” You faltered for a second. Had his use of ‘anymore’ been intentional to create a stabbing feeling in your gut?

“Oh. I guess I don’t really hate you either, if we’re getting sappy about it.” You tried to diffuse the tension growing between you, not wanting it to evolve into a discussion about what estranged you in the first place. Lockwood refused to apologise and you refused to forget, resulting in the bitter stalemate you’d been locked in for the past few years.

Your distraction came with a glance over Lockwood’s shoulder, and the wisp of a phantom coming into view. Lockwood was trying to continue the conversation about your developing relationship, but stopped when he noticed you frozen beside him. Turning slowly he swore when he saw the ghost, going straight for his rapier.

“Put your hand into my coat pocket,” He said, effectively drawing you from your freeze.

“Excuse me?” You whisper-yelled, not in the mood for him to try and lighten the mood with whatever dumb joke he was trying to make.

“Just trust me, I have flares in the inside pocket, just reach in and grab them to defend yourself whilst I keep an eye on them.” Them? You wondered until you looked around, seeing other ghosts start to emerge from the shadows, attracted by the scene you were obviously creating. You wasted no more time, ignoring the intimacy of reaching into Lockwood’s jacket, grabbing yourself a flare for each hand. With you accounted for, Lockwood told you the plan, he’d fight a path back to Portland Row and you’d cover the both of you with the flares, since you weren’t good for very much else with a broken wrist and no rapier.

It was hardly the most intense situation you or Lockwood had been in, but as the primary fighter in the situation, Lockwood was still putting up a good show of skill. Despite yourself you were entranced, admiring the graceful way he moved with the rapier, so in tune with it you’d think it was connected to his arm. As much as you hated Lockwood — well, you’d just established you didn’t actually hate him. As much as you thought he was egotistical and irritating, you had to admit that you really admired him as an agent. Lockwood was undeniably talented with a rapier — it was the fencing competition that got him started in this business in the first place — but to watch him in action was really something special. If you didn’t know better you’d think it was easy for him, he fought with the same ease and elegance he might drink a cup of tea.

You were so caught up in watching him that you hardly noticed when you arrived in front of 35 Portland Row, both luckily un-ghost touched. You were also alerted to the proximity you’d found yourself in. You’d stayed close obviously, not wanting to be left to the ghosts, but when Lockwood had turned to make sure you were still with him safely inside the iron fence, you found yourself only inches apart.

At this distance you were alerted to just how much he’d changed since you were kids. He was taller, obviously, your chin tilted up to make eye contact. He’d lost the baby fat that used to fill out his cheeks, leaving his face defined and bordering on gaunt — you figured he wasn’t taking very good care of himself, judging on the dark circles that seemed by now permanent. Plus something had changed in his eyes. He didn’t look carefree anymore, something dark and tortured lay behind the charming smiles. It wasn’t hard to guess what it was, and you figured you probably had something identical. However, the small scar on his jawline from when you accidentally flung a plastic toy into his face was still there which drew a small smile from you. Something within you urged to run your finger along it, and you felt your fingers twitch before you realised how inappropriate it was. That instinct didn’t feel so bad though when you caught Lockwood’s gaze shift down to your lips. Only momentarily, but you saw it. And worse? The fact that you didn’t mind. After all of these years and the fighting and terrible words shared, here you were maybe about to kiss Anthony Lockwood. You would be disgusted with yourself if you didn’t have so many other feelings fighting their way to the top.

The front door opening was enough to make you both jump apart, you rushing towards it to get as far from Lockwood as possible.

“Hey Lucy!” You called, practically floating up the front steps you were going so fast.

“Uh, hey, guys. We thought we heard you outside so I got sent to check. Had to make sure you weren’t secretly making out or something,” She joked and you forced out a laugh, far too loud to be real.

“As if! Come on, I’m dying for some tea.” You slid past her, rushing straight to the kitchen for a minute to think.

Lucy watched you go suspiciously, before turning to Lockwood.

“What did you do?” She interrogated, all her scary Lucy-ness coming out.

“I don’t know,” Lockwood replied earnestly, still somewhat dazed himself. Lucy gave him one last look up and down before returning inside, leaving Lockwood to fix his smile on before rejoining the two teams.

⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆

The week leading up to your team’s next attempt at the hotel was extremely weird. You and Lockwood hadn’t spoken about what had happened (or almost happened) out in the front garden, but you had had a long talk about your behaviour lately. Over a few cups of tea in the kitchen whilst the rest of your teams were working down in the basement, you managed to both admit you were being dickheads. There was no mention of the underlying factors of your resentment, but you both agreed for the sake of your jobs you would try and be friends, or at least civil. No more bickering, no more picking apart small comments, no more rolling eyes.

It worked for a bit, which was really complicating your emotions. On the one hand, Lockwood was lovely, like he’d always been, and it was kind of nice to be able to talk and joke with him again after so many years, although you both carefully avoided the topic of your personal lives. On the other hand, it made you sad to pretend that everything was fine when you knew what you did. He didn’t think you could be an agent; Lockwood didn’t think you were good enough. And you could both pretend all you liked to be friends, but as long as that was what he thought about you it could never be real. So, while you’d both stopped your rivalry on the surface and gotten on with the case, there was a tension bubbling behind your smiles that both of you could see whenever you locked eyes.

It all came to a head when you started discussing your action plan for the hotel. All seven of you were standing in the basement of Portland Row, staring at a blown up floor plan of the place, little figurines representing each of you. It didn’t take you long to realise that you weren’t being represented.

“Where am I?” You asked, an uneasy silence falling over the room.

“You’re not coming.” Lockwood took the fall, even though it had been a unanimous decision whilst you were on an Arif’s run one afternoon.

“Excuse me?” You couldn’t help the biting tone in your words, fury you’d worked hard to conceal bubbling back up to the surface.

“Your wrist—” Sarah tried to reason, but something in you had unlocked and you were not backing down this time.

“You and I know full well if this was a Fittes case I would still be out in the field, broken wrist be damned,” You spat, and you could practically see the gears turning in Lockwood and Lucy’s heads.

“They make you go into the field injured?” Lucy asked, but you weren’t focused on answering her — George nodded for you.

“So who’s barred me from being in the field, on what I might remind you, was my case first.” There were a few moments of silence where no one wanted to be the subject of your anger, but with a resigned sigh, Lockwood accepted the blame.

“It was my idea.” You couldn’t help the frustrated groan that came out of your mouth.

“God, this is so typical! You’ve never thought I was good enough, and now what? Sabotaging my cases? My career? Because you don’t believe in me,” Your voice broke on the last sentence, and you could feel the tears heavy behind your eyes, threatening to fall. You spat a final “Fuck you,” before running up the basement stairs, up to where you knew the bathroom would be for some privacy.

You realised when you were at the top of the stairs that in your time working with Lockwood and Co you hadn’t actually used their bathroom, and didn’t remember which of the closed doors it was. Choosing one blindly you shut yourself inside, finally letting the tears that blurred your vision roll down your cheeks.

You sobbed heavily, indulging all the terrible feelings you’d been concealing for far too long. When the tears weren’t so frequent the setting around you came back into focus, and you noticed with a start you definitely weren’t in the bathroom. The view from the window told you it was Lockwood’s late parent’s bedroom, but the used furniture and messy bed said someone was still living there. Your stomach dropped as you stood, wiping the tears from your eyes. Looking around you were sure this was Lockwood’s room, the suit jacket on the desk chair a dead giveaway. However, a picture frame on his nightstand attracted your attention the most. It was the same one you had in your dorm at Fittes, the one gifted to you by Lockwood’s parents for your birthday. Both of you grinning widely and carelessly joyful. It had been so long since you’d felt like that, even longer since you’d felt it around Lockwood. The thought made your heart ache a bit. His parents would be so disappointed in the two of you. That made you start crying a little again, picking up the photo to examine it closer.

“It’s been there since you left,” A voice from behind you said. “I couldn’t bring myself to put it away.” You hadn’t noticed Lockwood come in and you didn’t know how long he’d been standing there. You put the photo down with a start, turning away to wipe your face dry again.

“Go away, Lockwood. Just give me a minute and I’ll be back downstairs. I overreacted but I need to get over it, okay?” You snapped, praying your face wasn’t still red and splotchy (it was).

“No,” He said, and you turned to face him curiously. “Look, this has gone on long enough and we need to fix things.” You crossed your arms petulantly, a silent challenge for him to fix the damage you believed to be all his. “You said downstairs that I thought you couldn’t be an agent. Why?”

“Don’t you remember when I told you I wanted to be an agent like you?” You scoffed, “You all but laughed in my face! You said I couldn’t do it, that I’d be injured or killed and I couldn’t handle it. I’ve thought about that every case since, you killed my self esteem for years. I thought that if no one else, my best friend should have believed in me. But here I am, youngest team leader at Fittes with the highest successful case rate for my division. All in spite of you.” Lockwood stared at you, and you could practically see his neurons firing and making connections at a million miles an hour.

“That’s not what I said.” You could barely contain your bitter laugh.

“Does it matter? You didn’t believe in me, that’s what’s important.”

“No,” He said, “Because that’s not what I meant at all. I did believe in you — I do. I always have.” You scoffed again as he stumbled over his words. A little grovelling now couldn’t make up for all the years of anxiety and insecurity he’d caused.

“I mean it! If I didn’t believe in you, then what’s all this?” He led you to one of his dresser drawers. Opening it there were a stack of papers and you picked a few of them up, flipping through them. Every single one was about you. Photos from your childhood together, newspaper clippings of your successes throughout the years, the magazine article you interviewed for talking about women in power in the ghost hunting field. Lockwood had saved every piece of media about you, the ragged edges showing he’d ripped them out just to keep them. You remained silent, astonished by this new revelation. You looked up at him, and Lockwood could have cried at the look in your eyes.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t be an agent,” He explained, “Or that’s not what I meant. I meant that you shouldn’t, or more clearly, I was saying don’t. Asking. Don’t you remember? My parents were dead, my sister had just died. You were all I had left, and I didn’t want you to jump head first into the most dangerous job in the world. I wanted to protect you.” It was Lockwood’s turn for his voice to break and tears to arise, and you suddenly felt supremely stupid.

“Oh,” Was all you could say. After all of these years; the insults thrown and dirty looks exchanged, all your anger came from a misunderstanding? Not only that, a misunderstanding that twisted such an earnest declaration of care into something so awful.

“But you did it, and you weren’t just any agent,” He laughed slightly despite his emotions, “You were the best bloody agent Fittes has ever seen and all I could do was watch from the shadows and be proud of you silently. Why do you think Lucy knew who you were already? There were pictures of you all over the house before I made them take them all down when I knew we were working together. I didn’t want to scare you off.”

“But all the arguing…” You trailed off, still unable to completely process this information.

“Just because I love you doesn’t mean you don’t drive me up the wall, especially when you were being — or I believed you were — deliberately obtuse to my efforts to explain myself. But now I see we were just on totally different wavelengths.” You were really struggling, there was a lot of new information being revealed at such a rapid pace that was completely changing your perspective on your whole adolescence.

“You love me?” Lockwood did laugh this time, loudly and with the same charm he usually had.

“Yes, you idiot. I have since we were kids.”

Oh. Oh. You suddenly felt like an idiot. All of this time you thought that Lockwood believed you were weak, not good enough, not worthy of your successes, when in fact it was the complete opposite. And then you thought about how you felt about Lockwood. How his believed lack of faith in you affected you so much because you cared so deeply about what he thought of you. How you could never bring yourself to look away when he was fighting because he was so completely in his element. How nice it had been to be able to joke around with him during your research. Oh God. You thought you simply respected him and his skills as an agent, but evidently the truth had been just out of reach your whole life.

“Anthony?” He was already looking at you, eyes searching deep into your soul. “I think I might love you too.” Neither of you could help the kiddish smiles making their way on your faces, and he wrapped his arms around you tightly before you knew what was happening. It felt nice to be held by him again, the last time would have been after his sister died. These were much better circumstances.

When you both came down the stairs later, no one mentioned your intertwined hands. You all had a lovely dinner at Portland Row, warmth and laughter filling the space and making you feel at home like you used to when you were a kid.

It wasn’t until you were on your way back to the Fittes dorms that Sarah leaned over to you, mischievous grin on her face.

“Tell me you were making out up there, please,” She giggled, and you shoved her away lightheartedly.

“Shut up,” You laughed, “Besides, it wasn’t making out.”

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[morgana-larkin]

Got a prompt messaged to me by someone who wants to remain anonymous. The prompt is: Melissa likes reader or OC that looks like Jodie. And the woman in the picture with Jodie is the reader/OCs best friend. Melissa thinks the brunette is dating reader/oc but they aren’t dating.

I had a lot of fun writing this, I’ll be honest. Also I would have had this up yesterday but audition season is here and I’ve been really busy going to those. I left this on a steamy cliffhanger, I might make a part 2. I’ll post the picture it’s referencing at the end of the fic in case you want to see it for reference. Anyways, as always not edited in the slightest and I hope you like it!

On another note: After I’m finished with all the prompts I currently have, I’m thinking of writing Marilyn and reader (redheads are my biggest weakness… I regret nothing)

Blood As Green As Her Eyes

Warnings: Jealous Mel, references to smut, small not very detailed unfinished smut scene, good luck! 😉 😈

Words: 4.4k

Melissa walks into the break room and looks over to try and find you and sees you near the couch but you’re talking to someone she’s never met before. She walks a little further in and gets the tail end of the conversation.

“Alright see ya later beautiful.” You tell her.

“Right back at ya sweets.” The woman says and then leaves.

You see Melissa is there now and you go to her and sit at the table with her and Barb.

“Hello ladies.” You tell them and Barb smiles at you and Melissa glares at you.

“Who was that woman you were talking to?” She asks.

“Nicole? Oh she’s my best friend!” You say as you straighten your posture. “We’ve known each other for years. We met in high school and it was like instant connection.” You tell them excitedly.

Melissa doesn’t buy it though. With the way you talked to her and about her, it was obvious to Melissa that you’re dating her. Melissa ignores the sick feeling in her stomach.

The next morning you walk in the break room and your blonde hair is wet from the rain.

“Did you forget an umbrella hun?” Melissa asks you and you nod with a pout.

You go to sit down but then Nicole rushes in and you turn around.

“Hey you forgot your lunch on the way out. I gotta get to work but just wanted to drop it off quickly for you.” She tells you and hands you your lunch.

“Oh thanks love.” You tell her and Melissa scrunches her eyebrows. She knows you’re British, you have the accent and you told her, but the nickname threw her off.

“No problem sweets.” Nicole says and gives a quick kiss to your cheek then leaves. Melissa glares at Nicole the entire time. She clenches and unclenches her fists a few times to calm down. You put your lunch in the fridge then sit down at the table.

“Maybe I should go to the bathroom quickly and use the blow dryer to dry my hair.” You say with a chuckle and Barb laughs with you. Melissa just gives you a forced smile and you give her a confused look.

Melissa is bringing her kids to gym class that you teach. You see her and her class and you put your phone away instantly and give them a smile.

“Hey kiddos! Go on and get changed!” You tell them with a smile and they all run to the change room. You see Melissa still hanging around. “Hey, aren’t you gonna use the break to relax or whatever you do during this period?” You tell her curiously.

“No, I think I’m gonna hang around this time. Watch why they’re always so excited about gym class.” She tells you with a smile and you blush a bit.

“Alright! That’s not a problem at all! I would love for you to stay actually.” You tell her and the smallest blush makes its way to her cheeks.

“What were you doing on your phone btw? You put it away rather quickly. Are you sexting or something?” She jokes with you and you giggle.

“No! I was just texting Nicole something but it’s not as important as gym class.” You tell her and her blood boils a bit at the mention of her name. The kids start coming in with their gym clothes on and you turn to face them. “Alright guys! Today we’re playing dodgeball!” You tell them with a one clap of your hands and they all cheer. “And before we split up into teams, remember, no aiming at anyone’s face. And I’m looking at you Niyah.” You say and the girl just shrugs. Melissa goes to sit on the edge of the stage with her legs dangling off.

She watched as you picked 2 team leaders who then chooses their team. You then blow the whistle when they’re all ready with the balls in the middle of the gym. And then they all run to the middle to get a ball. You walk onto the stage and sit beside her and watch everyone. At some point, a ball comes directly at Melissa and you catch it then hand it to whoever is near you guys. You two end up talking while you still keep an eye on the kids.

And then Niyah throws a ball and hits a kid in the face and they fall. You immediately jump down and blow your whistle. “FREEZE!!!” You tell them and they all immediately stop and you run to the kid that was hit. “Niyah, we talked about this.” You tell her and she just shrugs again. You help the kid that fell to get up and make sure they’re alright. “Are you ok sweetie?” You ask very soothingly to him. He nods but looks upset. “Do you want to come sit with me and Ms Schemmenti on the stage for a bit?” You ask him and he nods again. You guide him to the stage and once he climbs up, you blow your whistle, signalling for the kids to continue the game. The boy ends up sitting in between you and Melissa and you look at his face again. “You have a small bruise forming but other than that, I don’t think there’s anything else.” You tell him and he seems upset that he got hit. “You know you’re very strong.” You tell him and he looks up at you. “You got hit in the face, fell down and you still got up.” You tell him with a smile. “That’s the mark of a strong person.” You continue and he smiles at you when you tell him that.

Melissa looks at you and sees how you are with the kids and can’t help but think of how beautiful you are, inside and out. 5 minutes later the boy asks if he can rejoin the game again and you nod at him. “Of course, you can rejoin whenever you want.” You tell him and he jumps off and runs back to the game.

You and Melissa continue talking and you notice how her hand is subtly touching your hip and you blush. The power this woman holds on you with just a touch.

In the morning the next day Melissa is on her phone scrolling through instagram. She’s mindlessly doing it until she comes across one of you and Nicole sitting together on a couch and you both have big smiles. Melissa freezes and stares at it and unconsciously grips the phone tightly.

“Melissa, are you ok?” Barb says and gently puts a hand on her upper arm for comfort.

“What? Oh, fine.” Melissa says and you walk into the room then and she smiles, then that smile immediately drops when she sees Nicole following you. “Actually I gotta go.” Melissa then says and grabs her stuff then stands up.

“Morning Melissa! Oh are you going somewhere? We were gonna join you.” You say innocently and with a big smile.

Barb sees how Melissa grips her pen so tight that her knuckles are turning white, while you are none the wiser.

“I’ve just got some stuff to do before school starts. I’ll see you later Barb.” She says with a frown and then walks out of there.

“Is she ok?” You ask Barb and she just looks at you confused as well. Then she replays in her head what happened. Melissa was scrolling on her phone through instagram and obviously saw something she didn’t like, then you came in and she smiled, and then it dropped. Why?

“Did you post something on instagram lately?” Barb asks and you nod. You showed her the picture you posted an hour ago that you took yesterday afternoon, then suddenly the pieces fall into place for Barb. Melissa likes you and she’s jealous of Nicole. Barb has to do some digging, cause while she doesn’t think you and Nicole are dating, Melissa might, and Barb has to be certain before she talks to Melissa. “Just out of curiosity dear, are you and Nicole going out? I mean like are you dating?” She asks and you shake your head.

“Me and Nicole?” You say while pointing towards you both, even Nicole is confused by the question.

“Why would you think that me and y/n are dating? I mean not that there’s anything wrong with y/n, it’s just, she’s not my type. Gender wise.” Nicole says.

“I mean ya I guess we can come across as a bit flirty but we’re just comfortable with each other.” You say with a smile. “Besides she’s not my type either, personality and looks wise.” You say and Nicole nods.

“Ya y/n is a great friend but would be a terrible partner for me.” Nicole says and all 3 of you laugh.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what is your type dear.” Barb asks you and you have to think about that. You know your type, and it’s Melissa, you have a crush on her and the only person who knows about your crush is Nicole and she’s been pushing you to get closer to her and ask her out. You want to tell Barb but she’s Melissa’s best friend, and while you know Barb won’t tell her if you tell her not too, it’d still be awkward if she knew. So you have to say your type without letting on that it describes Melissa.

“Well I guess women that have like a lot of spice to their personality, like they’re not plain.” You say with a big smile. “And I guess I do have a soft spot for fiery redheads.” You say a bit cautiously and you see that Barb’s expression hasn’t changed so I guess she hasn’t figured it out yet, so you continue. “And older women, I think they’re hot.” You say and Nicole playfully smacks your shoulder.

“Ya you and those milfs, I swear.” She tells you and you giggle. Barb looks at you two confused.

“What’s a Milf?” She says and you both look at her.

“It stands for Mom I’d Like to Fuck. But it’s also meant to describe older women that you think are hot.” You explain to her and her eyes widen a bit but you think it’s because of the description of Milfs and not of the woman you like.

“Is there anyone that you like right now dear?” She asks you and you nod timidly.

“Ya she does!” Nicole says and you glare at her. “I’m gonna leave now, gotta get to work, see ya sweets.” She tells you and waves at you and Barb goodbye.

“Is it Melissa?” She asks you and you snap your head at her and eyes wide a bit. That was all the answer Barb needed but of course you try to defend yourself.

“What?!? N-no…of course not! Why would you think I like Melissa?” You say, stuttering and stumbling through the entire sentence.

“I’m just wondering dear that’s all. I have something to do before school as well. I’ll see you at lunch dear.” She tells you and you say goodbye to each other.

Barb gets to Melissa’s room in time to see Melissa throw a pen across the room, and she sees no others on the redhead’s desk.

“How many pens have you thrown across the room?” Barb asks her and Melissa whips her head to her.

“I lost count.” She says to her, then goes to collect all of them. She picks up what looks to be about 10 pens and a couple markers and highlighters.

Barb wants to tell Melissa what she knows but thinks that Melissa might brush her off, so she decides to tell her tomorrow after she has time to blow off some steam. Which in retrospect, turns out to be a mistake.

Melissa goes to a gay club after to blow off some steam, and she ends up chatting it up with a girl there and then makes out with her at the club. You end up seeing that, as you also went to the club to try and move on from her since you think Melissa will never have an interest in you. Melissa ends up taking the girl home and you were watching her the entire night, she never saw you though. You really have to move on now. You end up telling Nicole what you saw and she said she can be around with you more in the mornings and after school so when you see the redhead, she can provide comfort for you.

So on the Friday morning, Melissa comes in with a small pep to her step as she had sex with the girl last night and you notice it. Nicole is with you though on the couch, you decided to stop sitting at the table with Melissa and Barb to avoid the redhead. As soon as Melissa walks in, she sees you and Nicole on the couch, and Nicole has an arm wrapped around your shoulders. Melissa gets angry at that and ends up taking it out on Jacob and throws his android at the wall with a “GO BACK TO THE BLUE BUBBLE!” She yells at him and Jacob tries to act like that didn’t faze or scare him.

You look over at Melissa when that happens and she catches your gaze. You two lock eyes for a second then you turn back to Nicole and Melissa stomps out of there. Melissa ends up telling Barb that she went to the gay club last night and hooked up with a girl, and later you end telling Barb that you went to the club as well when she asked what was wrong.

“I went to the gay club last night and being there just didn’t help anything.” You told her and even if you don’t say it, Barb knows you saw Melissa there, and she knows Melissa didn’t see you.

Over the next couple of weeks, Nicole has been coming with you into the break room in the morning or you go to your classroom with her to avoid the redhead, and she meets you after school to avoid Melissa as well.

“Hiya sweets!” She greets you one Friday afternoon and then you end up catching Melissa giving a glare in your direction. You see that it wasn’t directed at you though, it was directed at Nicole and you got confused.

You and Melissa both end up at the club again only it was reversed this time. She sees you there and you don’t see her. She sees you there alone looking upset and Nicole nowhere to be seen. And then she decides to go and talk to you. Before she gets to you however, a girl comes up and starts talking to you before she does. She freezes and sees that the girl is flirting with you and you seem to be liking it. That makes her confused because as far as she knows, you’re dating Nicole and you’re monogamous. She starts to get jealous again and stomps out of there before she starts a fight with either that girl who’s flirting with you or some random person.

On Monday morning she decides to talk to you at lunch. She knows that for some reason you seem to avoid the break room now so she’ll have to go down to your classroom. You at the moment are having a discussion with Nicole before school starts.

“What are you going to do y/n? Cause you can’t avoid Melissa forever and I can’t always come down to support you.” She says and you sigh.

“I know, it’s just hard right now. I mean ever since I saw her take that girl home a few weeks ago. I just keep thinking about it.” You tell Nicole and she nods.

“I keep telling you to talk to her.” Nicole tells you and you sigh.

“You know I won’t. You don’t have to come with me in the mornings anymore you know. I can just hide out in my classroom. I mean there’s what? 16 weeks left until summer break. And then I can spend the summer just getting over her. And then she’ll never even know how I felt cause then it’ll go back to normal next school year.” You say confidently. Melissa sees your door mostly closed and decides to keep walking, knowing that Nicole’s in there too. You hear her heels and you go and look out your door and see her walking to her classroom. You think it’s good that she didn’t stop by your classroom or else she might have heard your confession and you let out a sigh of relief.

“If you just tell her then you’ll know if she likes you or not. I mean what if she likes you back?” Nicole says and you shake your head at her. “Honestly you lesbians are so dramatic.” Nicole teases you and you flip her off. “I love ya too y/n.” She says and then leaves for work.

At lunch Melissa comes to see you after grabbing her lunch from the fridge. She runs into Barb and tells her she’s going to see you and Barb smirks and tells her good luck.

She arrives at your door then Melissa takes a deep breath and knocks on your door. You open it and almost slam the door back in her face but instead you just freeze.

“Hi.” She tells you and leans on the doorframe. She’s so cute you think and then remove those thoughts, not the time to check her out.

“Something you want Melissa?” You ask her as neutral as possible and she’s slightly taken back by this. You usually have a big and bright smile when you greet her.

“I just wanted to know if you were ok? I haven’t seen you as much lately.” She says and you look at her eyes then look away from her eyes as fast as possible.

“I’m fine, just don’t feel like being in the break room.” You tell her.

“Why?”

“That’s personal.” You tell her with a bit of a snap to it.

“Can I come in?” She asks you and you shake your head.

“No.” You tell her flatly.

“Why not?” She asks you confused. “You always were happy to have people around in your classroom to visit you.” She tells you.

“Well I decided that I’m going to avoid people from now on.” You say and go to close your door, but Melissa with quick hands, stops it and pushes it back open and you stumble back from the force a bit. Melissa takes the opportunity and walks in and closes and locks the door. She then turns to look at you with an unimpressed look. “What?” You ask her and she walks towards you, you however began to walk backwards to avoid her and she keeps walking towards you. You then get stopped by your desk and Melissa traps you there and looks at you closely.

“What’s going on with you hun?” She asks and you begin to breathe deeply. You don’t reply and she continues to try and get you to talk. “I saw you at the club on Friday night, flirting with that girl.” She tells you and your eyes go wide then you narrow your eyebrows at her.

“So?” You question her.

“You seem to be enjoying it and playing along. I thought you were dating Nicole.” She tells you and the built up anger that was starting inside you immediately disappears and all that’s left is confusion.

“You think Nicole and I are together?” You tell her and press your lips together to try and suppress a laugh.

Melissa looks confused. “Um ya, I mean it’s kinda obvious. She’s always with you, you guys constantly are talking, she comes in with you to school and picks you up after. You’re constantly flirting and posting pictures of the both of you together.” She says those last 2 with some anger and you quirk an eyebrow at her.

“Melissa, her and I are just friends. We may sometimes seem flirty but it’s innocent. She’s straight and she’s not my type.” You say and Melissa leans back, immediately releasing you and you get out from her entrapment. “Melissa what is all this about? You’re acting distant lately.” You say and she looks at your desk and has her fingers on it.

“I don’t like seeing you two together.” Is all she says.

“Why?”

“Because I thought you were together.” She says plainly and then it all hits you at once. The way she leaves when she sees Nicole with you, the glares she sends at Nicole, the way she ignores you both when you go to talk to her, the way her personality changes as soon as Nicole is in the room. Melissa is jealous.

“Is it because you don’t have a partner? Because it can be so easy for you to find one. I mean you found someone to hook up with a few weeks ago.” You tell her and her eyes widen.

“You were at the bar that night?” She asks and you nod.

“I saw you make out with her and then take her home with you.” You say disappointedly.

Melissa pieces it all together right then and there and smirks. She stalks towards you and traps you against the wall on the side where your doors are.

“Did you get jealous by that?” She asks you and you shake your head.

“What?!? Me? Jealous of you with another girl? Why would I get jealous of that?” You say and your voice gets high in pitch and she grins. You gulp as she gives you a look that she doesn’t believe you.

“I think you are jealous by that.” She tells you and lowers the pitch of her voice. “Tell me, did you want it to be you that I took home that night?” She asks and you look at her with a huge blush and you can’t find it in you to lie to her, so you nod. “Well do you want to know what I was thinking when that girl flirted with you?” She asks and you nod again. “I thought that I wish it was me flirting with you instead of that girl. She is just a girl who probably doesn’t know how to properly satisfy another girl yet.” She tells you and then leans in to your ear. “I’m much more experienced and know how to satisfy a girl all night.” She whispers in your ear and you shiver. “Ugh I was so jealous when I thought you and Nicole were together, I was mad. And then you started avoiding me and she was over every day and I wasn’t able to keep taking it. I went to that club every night and kept sleeping with girls to get my mind off of you and blow off some steam.” She tells you and you look at her surprised.

“You’ve been sleeping with a bunch of girls?” You ask her shyly and she nods.

“And either they weren’t experienced or maybe it’s because they weren’t you, I don’t know which one but it wasn’t any good.” She says and you look at how close she is.

“Can you let me go?” You ask her and she shakes her head.

“Do you know how much time I’ve spent picturing you in my bed, underneath me or up against my wall at my house. How many times I’ve spend fantasising about you when I’m touching myself?” She asks and you shake your head. “I mean fuck y/n, you drive me crazy.” She tells you and you’re a blushing mess right now but find enough strength in you to speak.

“I… I fantasise about you too.” You tell her and she smirks at you.

“Really?” She asks and you nod. “What do you fantasise about?” She whispers near your ear and you gulp.

“I-I picture you on top of me, domi…dominating m-me.” You start and you’re very nervous, but her smirk makes you continue. “And I imagine what it would be like to feel you inside of me and making me beg to let me come.” And while you speak, she drives her knee closer and closer to your core. Until she hits it and you squeak and buck your hips.

“Keep going.” She tells you while grabbing your hips and you gulp again before continuing.

“I thought about…about what your breasts would look like and-” you get cut off by you gasping as she moves your hips forward, making you grind against her thigh. “I thought- I thought about what your lips would feel like on mine and all over me.” You continue with difficulty and eventually you don’t need her hands guiding you as you’re turned on enough and you continue grinding her thigh on your own. She removes her hands from you and places them beside your head and then places her lips on your neck and starts kissing and sucking. She then tells you to continue. “Omg, Mel-Melissa.” You say a bit loud and she has to cover your mouth with her hand.

“I guess you can’t continue, since you’re loud.” She says against your neck. You’re close to coming about a minute later and she pulls away and you whip your head at her in shock.

“What? Why’d you stop? I was so close.” You say and she smirks.

“Oh I know. But I want to see your whole body and be inside you while you come underneath me.” She says seductively. “I want to take out all my jealousy on this pretty body of yours.” She says and bites your ear then pulls back again. “Why don’t you come to my house after school?” She asks and you immediately nod. “Good, now don’t touch yourself during the rest of lunch, I want you begging me for release tonight.” She tells you and you nod her head.

Melissa then grabs her lunchbox and then goes back to the break room. She enters with a grin on her face and the trio looks at her confused, Barb sees the grin but doesn’t comment on it. She just smiles and shakes her head.

Taglist: @esposadejoyhuerta

@imaginesmultifandoms

@idonothingalldays-blog

@sexysapphicshopowner

@dvrkhcld

@lilfartbox1

Let me know if you want to be added!

#melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti x oc #melissa schemmenti x you #melissa schemmenti #x reader #fanfic

[ellabism]

ive come up with more plot for my lovers to enemies and then enemies to lovers ellabs fic idea. if you dont know what that is i talk about it here

i think that this would all take place on both their day ones when they see each other for the first time. i can envision abby being out on her run with mel and manny when the gunfire can be heard and they see the WLF chasing this girl and ordering her to be killed. manny would talk about how its the trespasser that everyone has been has been talking about, and how they're a kill on sight target. but when abby aims her weapon for a clear shot, thats when she realizes its her. her long lost girlfriend from when they were young teenagers that she was almost certain was already dead. ellie notices that its her too. they spend the moment in silence together, both bewildered. a gunshot rings, which would remind ellie where she is and what is happening, and thats when she takes that opening for her to escape.

the reason why i think it should happen on their day ones is because i think then abby's priority will shift from traveling across seattle to find owen to instead find ellie because what the fuck was that. why is my girlfriend from years ago that i just assumed died in a FEDRA attack is actually alive and why is she in seattle and why do the WLF want her dead? and when she gets back to the stadium from her patrol she sneaks out to go find her.

towards the end of seattle day 2 is when they finally run into each other and it would take place of the boat scene and instead ellie and abby will fuck in some random building bc i said so. ellie is just as bewildered that her ex is actually alive and not dead but she also can't help but be enthralled at her muscle growth and her build and things go one way and abbys fucking the shit out of ellie.(yes ellies a bottom in ellabs i dont make the rules) this would be so juicy to me because instead of the regular story of owen cheating on mel its ellie cheating on dina. and after waking up next to abby the next morning she realizes what the fuck she just did and she gets terrified and runs off, leaving abby to wake up alone, and she has to find her. again. is it just abby's thinking or did ellie get more stubborn the older she got?

ellies a fucking mess on her way back to the theater because she doesn't know what she did and why she did it because she has a pregnant girlfirend back at the theater waiting for her return. shes so distraught she can barley focus on getting back safely. but thats before tommy ends up running into her. tommy tells her all the intel he's collected on the WLF and shares leah's photocards he found and he points at a girl with a long blonde braid next to some man, explaining that that's the person who killed joel. and ellies eye's widened. abby. she did it. she killed joel. as if ellie's emotions weren't scattered around her brain now she's in a full out panic attack and feels sick and throws up. her girlfriend from years ago, one that she shared many laughs and dumb memories with, was the one to brutally murder joel.

abby's out looking for ellie once again, she's not letting ellie keep running away from her. especially not after what happened last night. on her journey she runs into manny. manny is asking her where the fuck she's been. the WLF have been looking for her, and isaac just assumed she went awol and became an enemy of theirs. but abby doesn't care. she wants to know why the girl they ran into on their run is shoot on sight. and that's when manny explains that these trespassers, who are not scars, have been hitting them hard. he tells her that these trespassers killed some of their closest friends. danny, leah, jordan, nora, owen and mel. (tommy ended up doing most, since ellie had other things going on, but she still contributed nonetheless). and now its abby's turn to feel sick. all this time she was out chasing for ellie to have some type of hopes of having her join them and be together again, finding out that she's here murdering her friends, but why?

abby, now seething, is still going to search for ellie. but not with the same idea she originally had in mind.

yall i need this fic to be picked up PLEASE. i cannot write series or develop characters to save my life. but i need to see this fic actually come to live its all i ask for PLEASE.

#ellabs #ellie williams #abby anderson #the last of us #the last of us 2 #abby x ellie #ellie x abby #silly headcanons #tlou2 #tlou #yall please write this #i am so desperate #i want to see this be a thing

[shinycupcakebaker]

Hey, Mel! I don’t know what was going on with tumblr yesterday, but every time I tried to find your blog, it said it didn’t exist. 🙄 Stupid tumblr. 😒 Anyway, here is a list of my favorite Top Gun writers on here:

@discount-shades - She has two canon Jake series that are awesome and she just started a Jake Western AU (they’re all outlaws) that’s amazing so far.

@teacupsandtopgun - She has a phenomenal Jake x OC (Felicity March) that is sweet and spicy! She also has some gut-wrenching stories for Fanboy and Bob.

@topgun-imagines - She writes for both movies and her current Jake series is so heartbreakingly good!

@sometimesanalice - She mostly writes for Bradley and her Like I Can series is enough to make you swoon.

@desert-fern - She’s in the middle of a Jake series featuring a team of Navy Seals that enlist the Daggers’ help to take out a corrupt foreign power in the Middle East. Her Reader, Bear, is the commander of the Seal Team and she gives Jake sooo much shit! She also wrote a really sweet Fanboy oneshot about the Reader being completely overwhelmed with work and life and how amazingly sweet Mickey is about it. (It’s not quite a “sick” fic, but it is comforting)

@mayhemmanaged - She has two new series (both AUs) with Jake. One is being cowritten with @cassiemitchell about a group of vigilante women helping to protect abused women and all them are married to the men on the task force who are trying to catch them! May’s other story is about a dystopian society where Jake’s family are basically American royalty and he falls in love with a woman who isn’t “noble.”

@roosterforme - She has soooo many Bradley series. She also has some oneshots of Bradley, Jake, and Bob that are really good.

@tongue-like-a-razor - She is in the middle of two Jake series that I love. Less Talk and Brother’s Best Friend (Bradley’s little sister is the Reader in that one) they’re both slow burns which I love!

@startrekfangirl2233-writes - She’s in the middle of a kiss prompt challenge and has about a dozen one shots with the guys from both movies and different types of kisses. She also wrote a Bob oneshot that absolutely broke my heart!

@ohgodnotagainn - She’s in the middle of a coffee shop AU with Bob and the Daggers and it’s just so sweet and fluffy!

@beyondthesefourwalls - She’s writing a Bradley series about an ex-girlfriend that comes back into his life, but she’s got this creepy coworker that’s stalking her and making her life a living hell. It’s so good so far, and we’re only on Part 5!

@wkndwlff - She has some Bradley oneshots that are really good! The Sunday Scaries isn’t a “sick” fic, but Bradley is super comforting in that one.

@sylviebell - She just started a Bradley x Natasha series that seems like it’s going to be amazing! It’s a fake-dating, friends to lovers fic and those are some of my favorite fics!

@say-al0e - I’ve only read one of her fics, Home Run, but it’s a friends to lovers with Bradley that just blew me away.

@sweetwhispersofchaos - She writes Bob x Phoenix and I’ve only read one of her stories, Tomorrow, but it was so good I can’t wait to binge the rest of her masterlist.

I hope you find enjoy a few of the fics from these awesome ladies! BTW, I’ve got the sequel to That Part written and queued up for Tuesday. (I might have already told you that, but I can’t remember.) It’s a bit spicy, so be warned! 😏😏🔥🔥 It’s very music-centered and I’ve created a couple playlists that I’m going to post this weekend if you want to listen and set the mood for the story. ❤️

Becca!!! Oh my goodness!!! You are amazing beyond words!! I will check out all of these masterlists. I think I have browsed a few of them but I will dive deep into them all. I did find a sweet Bob x sick reader fic. Reader woke up with strep on their birthday. I had to giggle, only b/c my birthday is next week (27th) and if I wake up sick(er), I will not be happy. But, I’m feeling better. Everything seems to have moved from my head into my chest. I’d rather deal with a cough and not sore teeth and sinuses. Lol

I cannot wait to read part 2 of That Part!! Bring on the spice!! You’re awesome!! ❤️❤️🥰🥰

[fanartandfanfiction]

The saga of Meatball the Snake, chapter 4

(Special thank you to @hogwartslegacyreactions for teaching me the difference in poisonous and venomous, which led to a hilarious bit)

They spent another hour in there talking and hanging out before they went their separate ways. Ominis began searching for a place to stay, and Meatball bumped him with his head.

“Hello Meatball. We’re going on a trip this weekend.”

“Me too?”

“Of course. And you know who else will be there?”

“Who?”

“Melody. And Sebastian, but he’s the reason we’re going. Listen-“

The door opened and Sebastian entered. “Hey! Any luck yet?”

“I’m still looking.” He decided to switch to parseltongue. “This weekend will be difficult for us. Sebastian’s sister Anne is very sick. So try to give him a break, I know you don’t like him.”

“Sick? With what?” Meatball cocked his head.

“Ominis you know it creeps me out when you do that!”

“Sorry. We don’t know. She was cursed. It causes her extreme pain. She’s a dear friend of mine, I view her as a sister too.”

“I’m sorry. Maybe it will be easier with friends.” Meatball flicked his tongue across Ominis’ hand, and he rubbed his head affectionately. Maybe Meatball was right, having friends that care could make it a bit easier.

It was pouring rain when they got to Feldcroft. Meatball was curled up in Melody’s bag and Ominis was holding an umbrella over them. Sebastian was just getting drenched.

They reached the cottage he’d rented for the weekend and he unlocked the door. He held it open for them and ushered them inside.

“I still say all three of us could’ve fit under that umbrella.” Sebastian grumbled, going over to the fireplace and warming his hands before casting a drying charm on his soaked clothing.

“That was a cold rain! I’m going to go change into my sweater. Come on out, Meatball.”

Meatball slithered out of the bag and Melody headed down the hall. “Oh, there’s only two bedrooms. Which one am I in?”

“Either one. The couch folds out, so that’s where I’ll be.” Ominis replied.

“Nonsense! You’re the one who rented this place. I’ll take it.”

“Guys, we can figure it out later. Go on and change, I’ll text Anne.” Sebastian flopped down on the couch.

“Are you nervous about seeing Solomon?” Ominis asked, sitting beside him.

“Not so much for myself. I’m worried he’ll act like an ass in front of Mel.”

“Hopefully he’ll behave himself with company there.”

Sebastian’s phone buzzed and he looked down. “Damn. Anne isn’t up for company today. The rain makes her hurt more, we’re not sure why. She’s upset but I told her it’s fine, we’re here for the weekend.”

“It must be pretty bad then.” Ominis frowned. His heart broke for Anne, and for Sebastian as well. Anne was his twin, they were incredibly close.

“Yeah.” Sebastian said quietly.

“Hey, what’s with the long faces?” Melody asked, returning to the living room.

“Anne can’t see us today. She’s in too much pain.”

“Oh Sebastian, I’m sorry.” She squeezed his shoulder.

“It’s alright. We have tv and WiFi. And I made a stop before we left!” Sebastian pulled out a bottle of wine. “Shall we crack it open?”

“Might as well!” Melody said.

“I’ll find some glasses.” Sebastian disappeared into the kitchen and Melody grabbed Ominis’ hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I hate that Anne is in so much pain today.”

He felt Melody sit beside him. “You speak very fondly of Anne. Did you ever…?”

“No, I see Anne as a sister.” Ominis replied.

“Plus he knows I’d murder him.” Sebastian said, returning with wine glasses. He poured them each a glass. “Want to play a drinking game?”

“Like what?” Melody asked.

“Never have I ever.”

“Oooh that sounds fun!”

“I suppose.” Ominis said. He felt Meatball slither across his and Melody’s laps.

“Never have I ever…cheated on a test.”

“I call bullshit.” Melody laughed.

“I’m serious! I’ve never cheated on a test!”

Ominis sipped his drink and Melody gasped. “Ominis Gaunt!”

“It was for potions, where I already have a disadvantage.” He protested.

“I’m shocked. Ok, my turn! Never have I ever…stolen anything.”

“Do hearts count?” Sebastian asked.

“Ugh. No.”

“Then no.”

“Me either. I suppose it’s my turn. Never have I ever…broken up with someone.” Ominis said with a smirk. Both Melody and Sebastian took a drink.

Sebastian grinned at Melody. “You know, I could be very mean with this game.”

“How so?”

“Never have I ever gotten drunk and made out with Garreth Weasley.”

“SEBASTIAN!”

“I told you! Now drink up!”

“You’ve made out with Garreth?” Ominis asked, feeling a twinge of jealousy.

“Just once when I was drunk. Does it count as making out if it’s one sided? Apparently I was very determined and he had to pull me off of him.”

“It was hysterical.” Sebastian said.

“It was mortifying! I get very affectionate when I drink.”

“Shall I refill your glass?” Sebastian wiggled his eyebrows.

“Oh shut it!” She got an evil smile. “Is this REALLY how you want to play, Sebastian?”

“You don’t have anything on me.”

“Never have I ever dropped Ominis’ toothbrush in the toilet and put it back without saying anything.”

“OH MY GOD!” Ominis shouted. “That’s disgusting! You bastard!”

“It was CLEAN WATER!” Sebastian protested.

“If it’s so clean, go drink from it.”

“Look, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t undo the fact that I used a toothbrush that had been in the toilet.”

“Actually you still are, it’s the one you’re using.” Sebastian said sheepishly.

“I’m going to shove your head into that toilet when we get back. You know what, I’ll double down! Never have I ever tried to hit on Professor Garlick.”

Sebastian took a drink. “She’s not that much older than us.”

“She’s a lesbian, you idiot.”

“Never have I ever walked into the girls bathroom and used it!”

“I’m BLIND, Sebastian! And you didn’t tell me!”

“Ok, this game has gotten a little vindictive.” Melody said, putting her glass down.

“Never have I ever said Ominis was cute!” Sebastian blurted out.

“YOU’RE DEAD, SALLOW!” Melody tackled him to the floor and began beating him with a pillow.

“Should I bite him?” Meatball asked.

“No, they’re just playing.” He winced as heard the solid thumps of Sebastian being beaten with a pillow. “Maybe they’re not playing, but she’s got this.”

“I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! WHY ARE YOU SO VIOLENT?!”

“Alright, Melody, I think he’s learned his lesson.” Ominis said.

Melody hit him with a pillow once more for good measure. “Stop it!” Sebastian snapped.

“How about we order a pizza?” Melody said, finally getting off Sebastian’s back where she’d pinned him to the floor.

“Sounds good.” Ominis replied. Melody went to get her phone and he heard her softly swear.

“Damn. Trevor wants to meet up.”

“Now?” Sebastian asked.

“He says it’s important, they’re planning on poaching a herd of unicorns next week. I don’t really want to bring him here. Does Feldcroft have a pub?”

“Well, yes, but I’m not allowed in it. Long story.”

“No it’s not. You snuck in, drank too much, and threw up on the bartender.” Ominis replied.

“I’ll tell him to meet me there. I won’t be gone long.”

“Hang on, I don’t think you should go alone.” Sebastian said, walking over to her.

“It’s Trevor, it’s fine.”

“Take Ominis with you.”

“Sebastian, I don’t need a chaperone!”

“To go meet a shady poacher who is willing to turn on his own friends to win your good graces? I don’t think so. Come on, Mel, use your head.”

“I know how to take care of myself!”

“I know you do, but please. I’ll be worried sick. Take Ominis.”

“How about asking him before you volunteer him?!”

Sebastian sighed. “Ominis, will you go with our pretty young friend to meet a shady poacher twice her age in a bar?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll stay here and order the pizza. Please text me and let me know you’re alright.”

“I don’t understand why you’re so worried! We’ve met with him a dozen times!” Melody protested.

“And I don’t like the way he looks at you! Melly, look.” He walked up and took her hands in his. “You always want to see the best in people, even if they don’t deserve it. You think everyone wants to be your friend. And I don’t think you realize how many men would jump at the chance to meet an attractive 18 year old blonde in a bar by herself.”

“You talk as if I’m completely naive!”

“You are, to how men see you! You are a TARGET, a prize to be won in their eyes. And I don’t want that to happen to you.”

“Look, I’m glad you’re concerned, but I can handle myself. We’ll be gone an hour tops.”

“Ominis, don’t let her out of your-er, well…” Sebastian said awkwardly.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Maybe hold her hand the whole time so she doesn’t take off on you.”

“I’m not a toddler!” Melody snapped.

“Melody, he won’t let up, you should know that.” Ominis replied.

“Fine. Come on, Ominis.” She took his hand and they headed out the door. During their disagreement, none of them had seen Meatball quietly slip into Melody’s bag.

“So why is Sebastian in such a tizzy?” Ominis asked, enjoying the feeling of Melody’s hand in his. “Who exactly is this man?”

“His name is Trever Monahan. He joined a poacher camp when he was younger because he was homeless, but as he got older and more independent, he realized he didn’t want to be one anymore. One day I was clearing out a camp, and he came out with his arms raised. He explained his situation and asked if we could work out a deal. He’d supply me with information and in exchange, I wouldn’t kill him.”

“I’m sorry, you KILL the poachers?”

“Well not on purpose! But you can only be on fire for so long before you die!”

“Oh my god.” Ominis said, quietly shaking his head.

“Thank you for coming with me. And the cottage and whatnot.”

“Of course. I think you’ll like Anne, and I know she’ll adore you. Making a new friend could really help her mental health. She’s pretty much stuck in her home all day. She gets out and gardens when she can, but her Uncle Solomon doesn’t let her go far. I feel like I should warn you about him…”

“Sebastian mentioned he used to be an auror and that he’s not very friendly. That’s the kind of person I get along with well.” She smiled.

“Solomon is a bit different from Professor Sharp. He didn’t want children, but he was the only living relative to take Anne and Sebastian when their parents died. So he was already grieving for his job, I don’t entirely know the circumstances of why he quit, but I know it wasn’t good. So he was grieving for his job and his brother, and then forced to take in two children that had just become orphaned. Solomon has a lot of issues, particularly anger issues towards Sebastian. Sebastian believe that there’s a cure out there for Anne, and Solomon thinks he needs to accept that there isn’t. They butt heads a lot and Sebastian comes home less and less.”

“That must have been a difficult position for all of them.” Melody said quietly.

“It was. He is a kind man deep down, but he’s also a man who has suffered and grieved and has a lot of anger. But he always welcomed me into his home during the summers and Christmas.”

“Really? You don’t go home for summer or the holidays?”

Ominis was quiet for a moment. “I do go home. Home is a place where you feel safe and with the people you love, who love you. My house is not that place. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I do.” Melody nodded. “It’s sort of like saying that having the same blood with someone doesn’t make them family. And I’ve known that to be true.”

“I’m glad you understand.” Ominis said, forcing down the knot of emotion in his throat. “We should be approaching the pub. It’s quite small, but it’ll do.”

They made their way into the pub, and Melody never let go of Ominis’ hand. He found that he quite liked the feeling of her hand in his. And he hadn’t had to use his wand to navigate, he trusted her completely. They sat in a corner booth and waited.

“It’s not often I let someone guide me without using my wand.”

“Oh! I didn’t notice that you weren’t using it.”

“It’s quite nice. I trusted you to lead me. I didn’t have to focus and constantly scan for obstacles.”

“I’m happy to do it anytime you like. There are far worse things than holding your hand.”

Ominis blushed. He opened his mouth to reply when she shifted and sat up straighter. “He’s here.”

Ominis heard the sound of a man’s heavy footsteps approaching. “Melody, lovely to see you, as always.”

“Hello Trevor. This is my friend-”

“I know who he is.” Trevor said, his voice threatening. “And I didn’t think you were the type to associate yourself with a Gaunt.”

Ominis stiffened and Melody squeezed his hand. “Ominis isn’t like his family. He does everything he can to separate himself from them.”

“My parents were killed by your father, boy.” Trevor said.

“I’m terribly sorry sir. They’re horrible people, my parents.”

Trevor was silent for a moment. “I’ll give you the information, but not him. I won’t work with a Gaunt, the whole family is disgusting.”

“I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t speak that way about my friend.” Melody said, tightening her grip on Ominis’ hand.

“Melody, open your eyes! He’s gotten you to trust him, then you’ll let your guard down. Never. Trust. A Gaunt.” Trevor practically spat the words at him and Ominis felt full of shame. No matter what he did, he was a Gaunt and would live under their shadow.

“Forget it. I don’t need your information. Come on, Ominis.”

“I wouldn’t feel right letting you leave with him.” Trevor stood up suddenly, blocking their path. “I think you should come with me.”

“She’ll do nothing of the sort!” Ominis said, pushing Melody behind him.

“Keep your mouth shut, Gaunt, I don’t care if you’re the disabled one, I’ll still knock your teeth out.”

“Let us go, Trevor.” Melody said.

“Not with him. He stays here.”

“You will let us go NOW, or I-” Trevor’s fist collided with Ominis’ face. Melody shrieked and Trevor let out a scream, which confused them. Melody looked down and gasped. Meatball had latched onto his leg.

“MEATBALL! NO!”

“Meatball?!” Ominis asked, holding his face.

“GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!” Trevor was screaming and trying to get Meatball off his leg.

“Let him go! NOW!” Ominis hissed in parseltongue. Meatball released him and slid back into Melody’s bag. The bar patrons were looking at them in horror.

Trevor’s leg was pouring blood from the snake bite. “Oh my god! Is he poisonous?!”

“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” Melody said, shoving past him and pulling Ominis with her. As soon as they got outside, she turned to him. “Thank you for standing up for me and I’m sorry you got punched, I’ll get you some wiggenweld as soon as possible but I think it’s best we go back before anyone decides to come after us. Are you up for a run?”

“I suppose. Just…don’t let me fall.”

“I won’t. Come on.” She gripped his hand tightly and they began to run.

Ominis didn’t run very often, and he quite enjoyed the feeling of the wind through his hair, and the total freedom of it. He wasn’t using his wand and was holding the hand of someone he trusted. He had a grin on his face as they ran back to the cottage.

When they arrived, they slowed down to a jog and Melody kept her grip on him. “Alright, we’re here.” She opened the door and led him in.

“You’re back earlier than I- What the hell?!” Sebastian jumped up and ran over to them.

“Here, Ominis, sit down. Sebastian, do you have any pain draughts or anything like it?” Melody asked, helping Ominis sit down on the couch.

“I think so.” Sebastian took off towards one of the bedrooms and Melody went to the freezer in the kitchen. She grabbed some paper towel and dampened it, then filled a baggy with ice. She brought the bag of ice over to him and handed it to him.

“Place this on the worst part, it should help with the pain and swelling. I’m going to wipe off some of the blood, it looks like he sliced your face with his ring.”

Ominis held the bag against his throbbing jaw and felt Melody sit beside him.

“Ominis, how comfortable are you with me?”

“What?”

“How comfortable are you with me? Like, are we close?”

“Yes?” He asked, puzzled. “I’m fairly comfortable with you.”

“Ok, good.” His eyebrows shot up as she climbed onto his lap, a knee on either side of his legs. “I needed to see this closer and I couldn’t reach it well. Is this alright?”

“Y-yes.” Ominis stuttered. She was so CLOSE and her breath was on his face and he wanted to place his hands on her hips and-

Oh. Oh no. This wasn’t good. He couldn’t develop feelings for Melody, he just couldn’t. Now he understood it all, the feelings of jealousy when she talked to other boys, the smile he got on his face when he heard her voice or smelled her perfume. It would be wrong and he didn’t want to alienate his only other friend by having feelings for her.

He was trying to distract himself but there was just so much HER. Her voice, her smell, her legs, her hands…

“This is a nasty cut. Are you alright? You look like you’re in a lot of pain.” Melody said quietly.

“I’ll be ok.” Ominis practically whispered.

“Here, I’ve got the- Melody! Are you trying to terrify him?” Sebastian said, coming around the corner.

“What?”

“You can’t just climb on people!”

“I needed to reach the cut!”

“Ominis, are you alright? Melly tends to forget other people have boundaries.” Sebastian said, handing Melody the wiggenweld and pain draught.

“I’m alright.” He took the pain draught Melody gave him and hissed as she rubbed a bit of wiggenweld potion onto the cut.

“Now get off him, you damn cat. What happened?” Sebastian asked, and Melody crawled off his lap and onto the couch.

“First things first, you need to ask Meatball if he’s poisonous to see if we’re going to be charged with murder.” Melody said.

“WHAT?” Sebastian asked, horrified.

“Venomous.” Ominis corrected.

“What?”

“Snakes are venomous, not poisonous.”

“What’s the difference?”

“If it bites you and you die, it’s venomous. If you bite it and you die, it’s poisonous.”

“Hang on, that doesn’t seem right.” Melody sat back, thoughtfully. “What if I bite a snake and it bites me? Would we both die?”

“GUYS!” Sebastian screamed. “What the hell happened?!”

“I’m not venomous.” Meatball said as he slithered over to Ominis.

“He says he’s not, it should be fine.”

“Ok good. Anyway, Trevor showed up and was angry that Ominis was there and said Ominis’ father killed his father and it was VERY princess bride. So we tried to leave and he wasn’t going to let us and then he punched Ominis and Meatball bit him and we ran and now none of us are probably allowed back there.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Princess Bride?” Sebastian asked.

“You know, ‘my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.”

“I’ve never seen it.”

Melody gasped dramatically and clutched her chest. “I know what we’re watching when we eat pizza!”

“I haven’t seen it either.” Ominis said with a smirk.

“Really? But it’s-“ she took in his smirk. “Oh you ASSHOLE!” She whacked him with a couch pillow.

“Hey, easy! I’m still recovering from an injury.”

“I’m sorry, my sincerest apologies, my knight in shining armor.” She loudly smooched his cheek, causing him to flush.

“Yes!” Meatball said excitedly.

They ordered their pizza and watched the movie, and Ominis was surprised when he felt Melody rest her head against his shoulder. After the movie, Sebastian popped open the second bottle of wine.

“So If I bite the snake and the snake bites me and we both die, what is that?”

“Let it go, Melody.” Sebastian grumbled.

“What if I bite the snake and someone else dies?”

“That doesn’t even make sense!”

“Ok, what if the snake bites me, then I bite somebody else, and we all die?”

“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MELODY THAT WAS TWO HOURS AGO!”

Ominis declined another glass, which was why he was clear headed, whereas his friends were acting like idiots. Sebastian had declared he wanted to do karaoke, and since they weren’t near a karaoke bar, just sang in the living room. Then Melody had decided she wanted to dance. Ominis was sitting on the couch with a small smile as he listened to his friends dancing around.

“What’s wrong with them?” Meatball asked.

“They’re drunk. They drank alcohol, and it makes you feel loose and fun.”

“Can I have some?”

“No, it would probably kill you.”

“Ominis is a great dancer!” Sebastian shouted over the music.

“I want to dance with him! Dance with me, Omi!” He smiled at the nickname she’d given him.

“I don’t think so.” He smiled politely.

“Pleeeeease?” He didn’t have to see her to know she was giving him puppy dog eyes.

“One dance.”

“YAY!” Ominis got up and walked over to her.

“Ominis is a fancy dancer. Let me change the music.” Sebastian fiddled with the controls and switched the song to a slower one.

“Come on, show me how to dance properly!” Melody was holding onto his shoulders.

“Alright.” He gulped nervously. “Your left hand rests on my shoulder. Your right one is held out like this.” He grabbed her arm and extended it with his. “My other hand rests on your waist here.” He placed a hand on her waist and ignored the way his pulse quickened. “Now you’ll step backwards when I step forward.”

He taught her some basic ballroom dancing and he was smiling as they waltzed around the living room. Sebastian, highly entertained, had moved the furniture out of the way. He spun her outwards. “Now, you’ll spin back-OOF!” Shed spun back faster than he’d expected and collided with him, knocking them both to the floor. Luckily it was carpeted, so it wasn’t too bad.

“That was amazing! We should dance more often! I felt so graceful!” Melody said, giggling on top of him.

“That’s the only time you’re graceful.” Sebastian quipped.

“Hey!”

“Alright, I’m going to bed. I suggest you two do the same.” Ominis sat up after Melody got off of him to go smack Sebastian.

“Party pooper!” Sebastian called, shoving Melody away as she feebly swung her arms at him.

“Goodnight.” Ominis was exhausted and headed down the hallway.

“Hey let’s do the lift from dirty dancing!” He heard Melody say.

“I don't know if I can- MEL, NO!” Followed by a loud crash. He just shook his head with a smile and went to bed.

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy fanfic #fanfic #hogwarts legacy modern au #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow #meatball #meatball the snake #meatballverse

[aquaquadrant]

I recently listened to the HTP playlist again and realised just how long you’ve had this thing planned out? If I remember correctly it was made around the time that part 1 was released and only now can you really start to see how well the songs line up. Some lines that caught my attention were

“Who’s that knocking at your door, you’ve got lots to answer for”

and “Never know who walks through the door, is it someone that you’ve met before?” Which are now SO PAINFULLY ACCURATE for when Bravo turns up at the Ranch. “Now you’ve got no one you can trust, think it’s wrong, your soul unjust, point your finger and deny”

Is again a great Bravo line and perfectly encapsulates his thoughts after being sent to Hels.

I know the Bravo playlist was made later on but Sharks by Imagine Dragons was so spot on for him

“You think you’re better than them, better than them. You think they’re really your friends, really your friends. But when it comes to the end, to the end, you’re just the same as them, same as them.” Crying screaming throwing up. I can imagine a sick animation during the bridge, “My blood is pumping I can see the end is right in front of me, Don’t take it from me I could be everything, everything!” the moment where Atlas screws over the whole operation and Bravo has had ENOUGH. Same with Snakes, “Wish I could knock your skull in, but I’m rising above it” I just- ajdybsfajcikdn!

You’ve written such an insanely complex character and then managed to create a playlist that summarises him better than words can? You’re so insane for this /pos

However this does make me concerned for future chapters. What lyrics have we glossed over that are also going to be perfect foreshadowing? I am sooo hyped for the next edition, meanwhile I will be rereading the entire thing. Thanks for the delicious angst Aqua!

CORVID. HOLY SHIT. if only u could see the way this made me pump my fist in the air.

bdubs voice: YOU ARE CORRECT. while i’ve definitely added new things as inspiration comes and made some changes here and there for logistical purposes (or for extra angst), the main plot of ‘from eden’ was planned before i even wrote the first chapter. the confrontation scene between bravo and tango+jimmy was one of the first things mel and i talked about when we were developing the au in summer of last year, which is why i was SO pumped to finally release it and thrilled by the positive response.

it’s been maddening to keep future plot points under wraps, but that also makes it fun when ppl theorize- whether they’re wrong or right (i’ve seen a little of both thus far). and mannnn it’s amazing to finally reach those long-foreshadowed moments and see the reactions. there should be at least a couple more of those kind of moments in the last few chapters ✌️

#hels to pay au #HTP ask #your analysis of those lyrics was spot-on btw #exactly what i was trying to convey w them #good shit 👌👌👌

[bellysoupset]

I think the original ask for this was from @sleepysickies, but my inbox may have eaten it. I'm sorry! Either way: jealous Bella who's sick + Lucas.

-----

Her head was throbbing.

It had been throbbing since the previous day, when she had been out with Wendy looking for house decor and she had thought it was simply from eating so much salt and not drinking enough water, but by now Bella was seriously starting to consider something else was at play.

Not only her head was aching like a nightmare, her stomach was super upset. She had forced herself to eat something for lunch, since she had skipped breakfast, but it had been a mistake. The few bites of her salad were swirling away, sending up the tiniest burps that tasted like bloody grass and to make matters worse today she was in student duty, which meant that instead of working from the nice A/C office, she was running around campus helping students with their issues.

This had been how she had met Lucas and the fact only made her all the more bitter.

At least it was the last call she had for the night, then she could clock out and go the fuck home.

It was decently late, she always got the late shifts that no one wanted, around 9 PM and the call was from the library. A group of girls were reunited around the computer, as if they could somehow summon it into working.

"Hi, Samantha Andrews?" Bella called, tugging on her red polo. It felt like it was suffocating her, "you called because there was an issue with your machine?"

"Yes," Sam was the shorter of the three girls, "I don't know what happened, I was trying to save my design and the whole thing bluescreened... Did I loose everything? It's due tomorrow-" it was always due tomorrow, Bella hadn't ever met a student who did things in time.

"Let me check," she sat down before the machine, starting to do the obvious things but that most people didn't bother to do before calling IT: cleaning cache, defragmenting, cleaning disks, running a virus check-

"No, I'm serious," one of Sam's friends said, giggling, "he walked up to me."

"Bullshit Melissa, he dates."

"So what?" Sam scoffed, backing Melissa up, "these football guys cheat on their girlfriends all the time, I don't think dating would stop him from making a pass on Mel."

"Guys, no," Mel whined, "I heard he's single now."

Bella tried not to listen, she really did. However while the malware scan ran, there were only two things to do: stare at nothing and overhear. Or she could focus on the horrible burning in her stomach, gurgling like hell. She could taste her lunch.

"Again, bullshit," the third friend replied, "we'd all know if the captain of the football team was single."

Oh no. Bella almost groaned out loud, she couldn't believe they had to be talking about Lucas of all fucking people to be talking about. With seven-fucking-thousand students and yet they had to be talking about the one guy she didn't want to hear gossip about.

"I think you are just jealous that he didn't want to take you home, Kelsey," Melissa scoffed and Bella's stomach churned at the mere mental image of it. She glanced over her shoulder. They all looked younger than her, they were first years for sure... Maybe second years.

Melissa was a ginger.

Bella pressed her lips tightly together, feeling sweat break over her forehead. She tried not to picture Lucas actually making a move on Melissa, but it was impossible, he was vivid in her mental image. The lopsided smile that used to make her knees weak, the sparkly green eyes... Her belly whined, being covered up by Kelsey gasping, offended.

"I am not! I'm just saying it sounds a little outlandish-"

"So what did he say exactly?" Sam asked, all interested. Bella burped, keeping her mouth shut and felt as little chunks went up her throat, then back down.

"We played some drinking game with his buddies and then he asked me if I wanted to leave with him," Melissa sounded so proud of herself, "his eyes are literally so pretty up close."

"Why didn't you?" Kelsey frowned, pouting and offended by the accusations.

"Some other football guy interrupted us," Melissa shrugged, "the one who looks like a disney prince."

"None of them," Kelsey chuckled, voice dripping venom.

"The one with the blonde hair?" Sam asked, frowning.

"No, the other one."

"None of them-"

"Uhm," Bella got up on shaky legs. She really was starting to feel faint, not just out of the pure anger at Lucas making passes in that barely legal walmart version of herself, but the queasiness had evolved into full on nausea, "there's a virus in your computer, we're - I'm going to warn the office to solve it remotely..." she squeezed the chair under her hand, "and to try and retrieve your work. They'll text you your protocol number-" her stomach clenched again and she gulped down, "is your phone up... Updated?"

"I think so?" Sam nodded nervously, "do I have to stick around...?"

"I'm afraid so," Bella agreed, trying to sound professional, "if that's all, then I'll go let them know."

"Yeah, that's all, thanks!" Sam smiled sweetly, before promptly sitting down on the chair Bella had left vacant and launching herself back into the gossiping.

Bella all but stumbled out to the front desk of the library. She used the staff phone to call IT and let them know, pressing her forehead to the cold wall.

Do you wanna go home with me?

What a fucking line, she scoffed, rattling off Sam's issue and quickly hanging up. She just really needed to go home... Or maybe get to the bathroom before she made a mess of herself.

Bella managed to turn the hallway and then another one, feeling drunk and disconnected from her body, until she slammed against a slab of concrete and nearly fell back on her ass, wasn't it for the slab reaching out and grabbing her arms.

"Hey!" Lucas' yelped, then sounded all breathy as he said, "Bell?!"

"Fuck," she groaned, "not you."

"Oh wow, you're the one who tried to run me over," he pouted, but didn't sound actually offended, "are you alright...?"

"What do you care?" Bella braced her hands against her knees, they were clammy, "you're ridiculous, you know? Moving on with a girl who just barely got her tits? Fan-fucking-tastic."

"I'm sorry...?" Luke frowned, all confused, "Bells, whatever are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you trying to fuck my cheap Walmart dupe," she gulped against the burning in her belly, swallowing it all down. Even nausea had to wait, because he couldn't just go and grab the first pale version of herself he could find. What a massive asshole.

"You're not making any sense... And no offense, but you look terrible, are you okay?"

"How-" she slammed a hand against his chest, "how dare you?"

Lucas planted a hand over hers in his chest, keeping it there. She could just feel his heart and Bella groaned, attempting to pull back, "how dare I do what?"

"Flirt with Daphne from Scooby Doo!" Bella glared at him, "really? Is that all it takes, a head of ginger hair?"

He let out an amused smile, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Bells..." then the little concerned wrinkle appeared back between his eyebrows, "is this about Spencer's sister?"

"Even her name- Mel" Bella groaned, "you make me sick."

"Oh it totally is," he let out a snort, "so what did you hear? Nothing good, I'm gonna guess-" once more she attempted to pull her hand back, since he was running his thumb teasingly over her knuckles, but Lucas kept it firmly into place over his chest, "I bet they're saying I made out with her?"

Her lunch moved up and Bella groaned, hanging her head, suddenly too nauseous to argue, "Luke, stop-"

"No, wait, it's probably even worse," he sounded a little sadistic, "to get you this pissed off- I fucked her and she's moving in with me."

"Luke, I..." she felt her eyes burn, mouth filling up with saliva. Bella attempted to swallow it down, failed miserably as it immediately filled up her mouth all over again, tasting even worse-

"You know it's all garbage, Bella, there's been no one since you," he squeezed her hand in his and she opened her mouth to retort, but there was a rush in her ears and suddenly she vomited all over the space between them, coving the tip of his sneakers with bright green.

"Told you to stop," she groaned and then her knees gave in. Luckily Lucas was already moving and he caught her easily, supporting her standing up.

"Bella, jesus- Baby, open your eyes, look at me- Bella, look at me!"

"Uhm-" her stomach gurgled and her head ached as she attempted to open her eyes, "Luke-"

"Okay, fuck this-" he quickly swooped her up, picking her up bridal style, "What the hell is going on?!"

Bella could've cried. She had missed him more than anything. This Lucas, not the stupid idiot who kept sending gifts to her dorm, this guy. The concerned sweetheart, who dropped everything for her, who made her feel number one even when she was feeling all types of crappy.

"Bells, please, talk to me?" he sounded very urgent.

"I wanna lie down," she groaned, squeezing his shirt in her fist and he nodded, pulling her up in his arms in order to fix her arms around neck and so he could press a kiss to her brow.

"I'm taking you home, don't worry-" he sighed, "you're definitely running a fever."

She closed her eyes, letting the momentary comfort wash over her, trying not to focus in the horrible sloshing in her belly. Going up and down with each of Lucas' footsteps as he carried her down the parking lot.

"I need to- My car is here..." she groaned and Lucas hummed something, his thumb brushing her back up and down.

"I'll get it later, Bella..."

She heard, faintly, the beep of his car unlocking and then Lucas was putting her sitting down in the passenger seat of his truck, his face coming into view once again. Bella groaned, dizzily resting back against the leather seat, as he strapped her in.

"Your hair is longer," she mumbled, blinking against the sudden exhaustion. Lucas let out a surprised chuckle, fixing the seatbelt so it wouldn't press against her belly too much.

"Yeah... So what is this? Are you in pain? Should I take you to the hospital or home-"

"I think it's just the flu," Bella sighed, breathing out, "I'm really queasy..."

"Tell me if I need to pull over, okay?" Lucas cupped her face, without thinking, planting a kiss to her forehead, "You'll be in bed soon."

Her eyes burned with a renewed desire to cry, so Bella just squeezed them shut and pressed her forehead to the cold window as he shut the door gently.

He didn't say anything else, despite the fact Bell could almost hear his frantic thoughts. Instead Lucas' hand came to rest at her knee, rubbing little circles against her skin with his thumb, as he split his attention between the road and her.

"I'm sorry about your shoes-"

"Whatever you heard about Mel is a lie."

They spoke at the same time and Bella opened a smile, curling up more in the seat as she felt her belly gurgle uneasily. She forced her eyes open, "what did happen with Mel?"

"Nothing," Lucas squeezed her thigh again, "she was drunk at a party I was at. She's Spencer's little sister, so I offered to drive her home. Aidan said he'd do it, so I dropped it, that was all."

She huffed, muffling a small sickening burp against her hand and Bella paused, swallowing against the urge to retch, now for a whole new reason, "uhm... So you didn't invite her home with you?"

"Please," he scoffed, then squeezed her leg again, "how are you feeling?"

"Humiliated," Bella closed her eyes, then leaned in and planted her head to his shoulder, "this doesn't mean anything."

"Okay," Lucas huffed, "you're really warm, baby."

"Yeah, I know..." she breathed out, slumping against him and pressing her nose to his jacket. It almost hurt how much she missed him.

Bell wasn't sure if she had drifted off or if Lucas was speeding, probably both, because they arrived at her dorm pretty quickly despite the fact it wasn't that close to campus.

She slowly peeled off from him, a blotch of red in the middle of her cheek from where it had been pressed against his arm. The movement was enough to wake up her stomach and Bella groaned as a wash of nausea rushed through her.

She undid the seatbelt, planting her hands to the dashboard and glaring at her feet, swallowing the bitter spit filling up her mouth. The passenger door opened.

"Bells?"

"Gonna be sick," she groaned, breathing deeply through her nose, "it really... It really fucking hurts, Luke..."

"C'mere," he turned her legs around, so instead of facing the inside of the car, she was sitting facing the outside. Bella shuddered as she felt him pull all of her hair up, a cold hand resting on her overheated nape.

She let out a moan, pressing a hand over her stomach, the uniform still clinging to her skin and suffocating, "it's not coming up."

"Let's get you inside then..."

It was awkward, to say the least. They weren't dating, they weren't even on speaking terms... Luke hadn't been to her dorm in so long that he no longer had a key. And yet here they were, Bella feeling too awful to pretend she didn't desperately crave the comfort he provided, Luke's arm wrapped around her shoulder as he held her up, unbothered by the sickly little burps she kept muffling against his chest.

"Keys?"

"My bag..." Bella shuddered, bracing against the door, "please hurry up..."

"Just a second, baby," he fiddled with her fussy lock for a second, before pushing it open just as Bella gagged against her hand. She didn't even wait for Luke to move out of her way, instead she snuck under his arm and rushed to the bathroom, dropping her bag in her hurry.

She didn't make it to the toilet, but to the sink and Bella immediately coughed up another gush of bright green puke. Her belly squeezed, whole body on fire and head swimming with the awful sensation.

Lucas pulled up her hair, gently peeling some curls that had stuck to the side of her sweaty forehead, "what the hell did you eat?" he said humorously, "crayons?"

Bella groaned, hunched over the sink and whined as the little chuckle he won made her belly ache even more, "please don't make me laugh, Luke."

"Sorry, sorry," he caught her eyes in the vanity mirror, smiling at her, "are you done?"

"For now," Bella nodded, turning on the water to wash the sink and her mouth, washing her mouth too. She walked back to the bedroom, while Lucas filled up a glass of water for her. The sticky sweaty sensation was the worse, so Bella quickly kicked out her shoes and unbuttoned her work polo, removing it.

"Bells?" Lucas stopped in the doorway of her bathroom, holding the glass, "uh- Do I have to turn around...?"

She was too tired to pretend to be bashful, when Lucas knew every inch of her body, "no. Get me my pjs, please?"

"Okay," he handed her the glass, "try to keep just a little down, Bell... Dots or stripes?"

"Anything," she rolled her eyes as he went through her mess of a first drawer, that housed all of the small stuff, pajamas, socks, lingerie, scrunchies, scarfs...

She kicked off her social pants, bunching it up and throwing them on the ground. Her stomach gurgled in relief as the waistband no longer squeezed it and she muffled a burp on her fist. There was a dent in her belly from where the pants had been squeezing her.

"Ugh, gross..."

"You're not gross," Lucas rolled his eyes, kneeling before her and patting her right leg, "up."

He helped her in the shorts and tank top, then grabbed the pants she had previously ditched, folding them dutifully. Bella tried not to think of how much she missed the many many fights they had had over her being messy.

She undid her bra from under the top and threw it at his head, but even distracted Lucas caught it mid air, throwing her a smug smile.

"As if you could outrun me."

"Don't, fucking, quote twilight to me," Bella kicked his thigh and he grinned back.

"What? Your favorite movie of ALL TIII-BELLA-" He giggled as she kicked his leg with even more force, before groaning as it promptly caused her stomach to slosh and jump.

"Ugh, bad idea..."

Luke frowned, putting the clothes away on top of her dresser and then stood next to her bed, "do you want me to get you the bin...?"

"Please," she nodded, even if she didn't feel like she was going to puke right at the moment, Bella knew it was going to come back sooner rather than later.

Lucas moved around and she closed her eyes, sinking in her mattress and trying to ignore the icky feeling of all the bubbles in her belly, rolling around.

"Here," he whispered, planting the basket right next to her bed, "I... Are you going to be alright?"

She nodded, opening her eyes in time to see the kicked puppy look he had on. Bella was not that strong, she thought, moving on the bed and grabbing his wrist.

"Could you... Could you stay? Just until my roommate gets here...?"

This was a bad idea, a horrible one, Bella thought as Lucas nodded eagerly, removing his shoes and then crawling into the bed with her. Horrible, terrible idea, she rolled onto her side and pressed her back to his chest, pulling his arm to wrap around her waist.

"Get some rest," Lucas whispered, planting a kiss on her naked shoulder, his hand sneaking right under her tank top to rest over her upset stomach.

A really bad idea.

#emeto fic #sickfic #stomach flu #emetophilia #mywriting #isabella martinez

[all-mirth-no-matter]

Lots and lots of thoughts and theories on Hades 2 so far. My Greek geek is overflowing and I have no where else to hyperfixate so here you go. Apologies in advanced and I’m so excited! (and will def be disappointed by the theories that don’t come true but that’s just the life)

First off, I definitely think Melinoë came after Zagreus reunited their parents and the sequel is set eons after. Time and the development process works different for gods so it could def be plausible. I’ve seen people saying she’s the older sis or that she’s been a secret the whole time, and while those are fun to think about, I don’t think there’s any way that’s gonna be the case here.

People call her Mel the same way they called Zagreus Zag.

Zag was STOKED to be a big bro and Mel loves him (even though she groans when he bear hugs her).

Persephone and Hades being relationship goals and they better keep them being lovey to each other and their kids. I’ll be so disappointed if they try to make it “edgy” by giving her a bad upbringing or having her been abandoned. Give me all the healthy relationship representations!

And of course, an updated portrait! Maybe as like a locket or picture frame in her bedroom at Hecate’s since we won’t be in the actual house.

I just really really want to see Mel loving her family. I hope she’s awkward and kind, but kick-ass and ready to kill for those she loves.

One of Hecate’s main stories is how she witnessed Persephone be stolen and helped Demeter search for her. I like to think that with the revised “kidnapping” story that the game does, this will also be revised to reflect Hecate and Pers being buds. Maybe she thought Pers got stolen and then helped her out when she realized her friend had fallen in love. Maybe she even helped construct Persephone’s home on Earth so she was hidden from everyone?

There is this blurb in the description referencing her affiliation with the Underworld, so hopefully that’s what they’re going to talk about.

Either way, Aunt Hecate.

It does look like in the trailer Mel calls her (or someone, I assume it’s Hecate) “Headmistress”, so I guess she’s maybe at a boarding school for witches? Idk how I feel about that, but again as long as she was raised with her awesome parents and bro, that’s all I care about for her backstory lol.

I mean, it could just be that Hecate is training her, similar to how Zag calls him “Master” Achilles because he was his teacher. But the “head” mistress part heavily implies that there’s going to be more mistress teachers, so that’s why I’m banking on a boarding school.

Also hope they reference Mel’s nightmare affiliations as well instead of just leaning in on the witchcraft stuff. It feels very heavy on the witchy stuff so far and the only thing that’s really referencing that part of her is the arm and leg (I’m guessing). I just hope they make this a big part of her personal journey since she is the “bringer of nightmares and madness”.

Would love to see her constantly fighting with this aspect of herself. Have her be sweet and kind and just wants to do good in the world and everything she touches turning into madness. I wanna see her fight to figure out how to flip this “curse” of hers around.

With that, it’d be neat to see like the Oneiroi and Morpheus, or other dream/nightmare related characters.

A dream realm would be sick!

I feel like it’s going to be similar in story mode to Zag’s where we’re just dropped into Mel’s story after it’s already started. Either the issue with Chronos and Hades happened after she started her school with Hecate, or she’s at the school as a result of.

If they don’t do this^, I’ll be surprised but not disappointed. I just can’t see them putting us through a backstory/training storyline. I feel like one of the cooler parts of Hades is the fact that you just drop in and slowly start to figure out what’s going on.

Aunt Nyx. Or at least some reference to everything she’s done for the fam.

GAIA (she could be like the Chaos equivalent)

Give me Mel descending into the Earth, into Gaia’s realm for some treacherous boons. It would be cool to show her having a real conflict with how she feels about her involvement in both using Chronos to kill his father Uranus, and then “helping” Rhea and Zeus kill Chronos. But now helping Mel because she’s her great-great-granddaughter (or triple great, depending on how they handle that incest bucket) and also knowing her son is cray.

Moons used in the same vain as Nyx’s Darkness, or something that is a call to Hecate’s three moon symbolism. I see that a lot of her design already has some references to moons paired with the sickle so that’s already pretty cool.

Same with like herbs/potions or stuff to collect for spells or levels up. It looks like there’s going to be a “magick” element to restore.

Hecate’s black dogs. Give me all the floofers.

And of course Cerberus being on guard as she gets to the gates of Styx. And I’d be down with him being a cuddle monster just like with Zag. (this will also depend on the storyline of the underworld and house and how Cerbs has been effected by Chronos, but a girl can dream of her giant three headed Clifford making a reappearance)

I do see the giant frog (her familiar, maybe?) and Mel giving it cuddles in the trailer. From the looks of it, that seems like her bedroom, so that’ll be interesting.

And since I consider this a direct-ish sequel, the Olympus family members will all be backing her up (which the game description does imply it as well). Maybe we’ll see some repeats for boons, but I kind of hope we get some new people and just some references to the OGs or special guest appearances.

That being said, give me Grandma Demeter again BUT transformed into a spring or summer version to show her transformation of having her daughter back and newfound family. Give her a new look and badass boons that rep that. Don’t go lazy on me supergiant.

Since we’re getting Apollo from the OG lineup, let’s see Hestia and Hera too with some badass boons. Give me fire and peacock emblems.

Hephaestus as the Daedalus equivalent. He’s too busy to meet in person but he gives you some kick-ass weapon upgrades.

Zagreus running Hades and not being happy about it. (again, depending on the story sitch. I just love the idea of grumpy responsible Zag lol)

Or Persephone, since she is the Queen after all.

And if that’s the case, then Zag could help Mel in some way. Idk if I’d want him to be a boon exactly, because there’s others that I’d want to see before him.

Either way, I definitely don’t think Zag will still be trying to escape out while this is happening. That’s another one that’s funny to think about and make memes of, but I’ll be very disappointed if that’s actually the case. I want to see the whole Hades fam in an uproar and fighting like hell to save Hades and the Underworld.

Or if Persephone isn’t running Hades (or maybe even if she is, whatever, again just depending on the story) it’d be cool to have her be a boon giver to her daughter. Her keepsake was sick and I’d love to see how powerful her boons are!

I hope we still get new and alt weapons with references to all kinds of fighters and witches, and maybe some ancient titans. It’s already exciting to see the sickle used for ref to Chronos.

In that same vain, seeing other myth or famous story references with the weapons the same way we saw before, with like Arthur’s sword, Lucifer’s gun, Gilgamesh guns, Beowulf shield.

Also how they brought in Nemesis using her sword aspect, I hope they bring in a couple of the other Greek characters that were named in the aspects using their weapons. Like Eris, Talos, and Chiron.

It’d be cool if they incorporated Selene in there too since she’s the Moon goddess and Hecate is all about them moons. (I just have a soft spot for Selene)

Selene could also be likened to a Chaos equivalent where Mel ascends to the moon or something. I still love the Gaia idea but this could be neat too.

Or seeing some more non-dark/night gods and seeing some like super cute bubbly bright ones that are like crazy deadly. Like imagine Iris, goddess of the rainbow, giving you crazy destructive boons to kill your enemies!

Also give me some more famous witches and enchantresses who help Mel out, or maybe who she has to fight, like Circe, Medea, Calypso.

It does look like in one of the screen shots there’s some odd looking creatures in the (what I’m guessing is) witch boarding school. So maybe it is related to Circe?

I hope Nemesis is used in a similar way as Meg (or even Thanatos kinda), where like maybe they’re fighting but over time they end up growing on them. Gotta love enemies to lover!

Same with Moros. And please have him bitch (but also idolize) about his more popular big bro Thanatos lol.

Speaking of Moros, in the trailer it looks like theres a super long scroll next to him and he says “there’s an opportunity for you”. So I wonder if he’s going to be like a Charon equivalent where you buy things from him or something like that.

It would also be cool to have some friendly Titans as side characters as she makes her way down, like maybe Prometheus or Atlas.

Some more heroes like Atalanta (give me a female heroine I beg you), Jason, Perseus, Bellerophon.

There does look like there’s a handsome unnamed character in the lineup that wasn’t in the trailer, and he’s exuding loads of hero pompousness lol so that’s my guess. Just not sure which he’ll be, prob Jason or Perseus if I were a betting gal. He looks too posh to be Hercules.

Or some hero-adjacent people like Hippolyta (Amazon Queen), Helena (of Troy), Cassandra (cursed prophet), Medusa, or Pandora who are pissed with what happened to them or want revenge. Idk, might be far fetched for this but you love to see it lol. (also didn’t intend for all those examples to be girls, but it’s funny how that ends up, ain’t it?)

Other mythical creatures that might be more earth related like cyclops, giants, Pegasus, chimera, sirens, griffins, etc.

I’ll be interested to see how they incorporate the time aspect with Chronos. I wonder if it’ll be like a time loop and that’s how they emulate the “dying” aspect from the first game. I hope there’s some time related items.

Please for the love of the gods, make dick jokes about Chronos castrating his father and the variation in myth of how Zeus then did it to Chronos. Like, I get it if it’s too cringe to outright talk about, but if they don’t make SOME reference to either, I’m calling cowards.

An equivalent to the fishing feature, maybe planting seeds or something dream related. Just give something cute and fun again.

Also having some crazy ideas of even another sequel. Especially if this one ends up being on Earth or focusing on the middle plane and getting to the underworld, how awesome would it be for one day having like another sequel where you actually get to fight through Olympus. Like maybe a backstory for Hades would be cool, of how they rose to power and he made it all the way to Mount Olympus just to draw the short stick and get sent back down.

Ok I’m done for today. Carry on with your lives and I’m sorry again for this long post showing up on your feed.

#hades #hades 2 #hades ii #Melinoë #Zagreus #Persephone #Hecate #hades supergiant #supergiant games #hades game #hades 2 game #Greek #greek mythology #mirth rambles #theory time #the hubs can only take so much #so that’s why I’m here lol #also just realized the way they spell chronos #who I usually spell Cronus or Kronos

[numberonesnarkfan]

things I've realised about Portal characters from writing them:

Any core that has never been referred to by another core by a distinct set of pronouns has no canon gender. Rainbow Core could be non-binary! Virgil could be a trans female! The only cores that are referred to by specific pronouns (to my knowledge) are GLaDOS, AEGIS and Wheatley.

cores that don't have any voicelines are especially gender-neutral. Heavy Metal Core could be a girl. Or enby. Or anything else! Assuming all the cores are male is boring.

to Mel writers: she's from the 1950s. How old is your grandmother? Chances are, Mel is as old or older than your grandmother. Think about the time period she's from and write her internal and external dialogue accordingly. Hell, ask your grandmother if you want.

to Virgil writers: if you follow the 'Virgil is the first/an old core' headcanon, then he has HEAPS of trauma. Remember that Aperture was canonically making robots even before GLaDOS was made. Think about how the humans would've treated him if he was around for humans to still exist in the facility.

to Nigel writers: I'm sick of the 'Nigel is a snitch' stereotype. In Aperture tag, he canonically breaks rules and rejects authority. He probably hates GLaDOS! Nigel does everything in his power to make subject 18's experience less painful, and is willing to break many, many rules for it. He's also ADHD-coded. Technically so is Wheatley, but Wheatley is coded with extremely low emotional intelligence while Nigel has slightly above average emotional intelligence.

to Wheatley writers: his idiocy is not low objective intelligence. He does know and understand things, and is smarter than some people spatially. But he has extremely low intelligence in other aspects. He's unable to plan ahead, but is very capable at coming up with ideas and solutions on the fly. He exists in the now, not in the future.

to GLaDOS writers: (courtesy of my friend @ask-glados) she's not mean for the sake of being mean. She holds grudges, but she's not as mean to everyone else as she is to Chell. Notice in Portal 2 how she completely ignores Wheatley until he becomes a problem. She's cold and calculating, and she should be written as such. (Unless she hates your main character in which case go for it)

to Chell writers: this one is more up for interpretation, but if you want to staunchly follow canon, the devs have said that she CAN talk, but she hates the robots so so much that she refuses to give them the satisfaction of responding to them. If you're not a canon nut, then go nuts. Pun intended.

tag me if you ever use any of this advice.

#portal #portal 2 #portal stories: mel #nigel aperture tag

[thefallenangelsgang]

Hee Hee Hoo Hoo just wrote some fucked up letters for my DnD campaign

[TRANSCRIPTS BELOW BREAK]

Playing an interesting take on Saltmarsh my group is affectionately calling Pirates and Parolees. Everyone in the party is a criminal out on parole except for me, a First Mate on the vessel that was supposed to give them job experience and serve as a sort of training while out on parole. We finished our first two prologue sessions (we are easing a lot of new players into DnD so we tried to take it slow) and ended with the ship being attacked by Umberlee cultists (our Quartermaster was a plant!) our captain and 7 other crew members died.

Now I am stuck in Saltmarsh with 5 parolees who's crimes range from identity theft to serial killing, my best friend (the captain) is dead, and I can't leave the Parolees without permission from the government.

For those that are familiar with my Edge of Midnight or Baldur's Gate 3 writing, or have heard me talk about my PC Wynleth Reiden, you may recognize some names on these. Wynleth is serving as an NPC in this campaign and as the main governmental contact for the characters. Her husband Zan Caimaris (who is usually dead when he is mentioned) was alive and the Captain on The Eliza Lee. He died in the Cultist Attack (or did he? *wiggles brow in Wynleth's backstory requires him to come back very sick, we'll see if my brother sticks to that though*)

My current PC, Asta Galhearth, was best friends with Zan and one of few that knew about Wynleth and Zan's relationship. He tried to save Zan from his watery grave but a Kraken got in the way of that. A kraken also killed the crew members he tried to save and then some. He's feeling really responsible about it so he resigns from the company. We'll see where this goes lmao.

[Letter 1]

Symond Larke Pride of the Gate Mercantile Seatower, Lower City, Baldur’s Gate To whom it may concern, I regret to inform you that the Eliza Lee has been lost, her cargo along with it. We were attacked off the shores of Saltmarsh, a mere quarter mile from our destination. We lost many crew to the attack, their names are listed below. Kharvas Gav -Rigger Concrete - Rigger Andor Den - Rigger Amya Den - Rigger Beacon Xath - Healer Mel Hallow - Cook Lilyore Zasebar - Cook Zan Caimaris - Captain Attached are letters written to their kin. Please dispense to their families along with their final pay. I hope it brings them some closure. Please also take this as my formal resignation from the company. I have failed my crew, my captain, and the Eliza Lee. I am no longer fit to command a crew or a vessel. I ask that you dispense my final pay to my wife as I do not know if I shall return from this journey. I have also enclosed a letter for her. The Parolees under Zan and I’s care have survived. I have contacted the Authorities and am awaiting further instruction. it was an honor to serve, Asta Galhearth

[Letter 2]

My darling wife, The ship was attacked. Zan didn’t make it. The surviving crew is stranded in Saltmarsh. I don’t know when, or if, I will be able to return home, I have resigned from the company. You should have received this letter with my final pay. I wish it was more but I cannot bear to continue to call myself a sailor with the blood on my hands. I failed them. I failed Zan. I failed you. I hope you can forgive me. I will try to write soon with updates on my journey home. Despite my exit from the company, I am still responsible for the parolees under my charge. The road ahead seems long and arduous, I long for nothing more than to feel your embrace. Pray for me, it seems I have incurred the Bitch Queen’s wrath. I will hurry along as fast as I can. Yours eternally, Asta

[Letter 3]

Wynleth Reiden Ambassador of Baldur’s Gate The High Hall, Temple District, Upper City, Baldur’s Gate Madam Ambassador, I regret to inform you that the Eliza Lee has been lost. We have lost a substantial amount of our crew, including our captain, and all of our cargo. The company has been notified and the remaining crew allowed to make their way back to Baldur’s Gate however they see fit. I have chosen to resign from my position with the company but, in reviewing the documentation, cannot cede my responsibility of the parolees taken under Captain Caimaris and I’s charge. I am looking for further instruction. I was ordered to await something concerning the parolee’s when we arrived here in Saltmarsh. We have arrived, though through unforeseen circumstances. If you are aware of any solutions to our predicament, or any clauses that allow me to shed this responsibility into more capable hands, I would be much obliged. I am completely out of my depth here and, frankly, have been since we picked them up in Waterdeep. Anxiously awaiting your response, Asta Galhearth

[Letter 4]

Wynleth, I am so sorry. I tried to save him, I really did, but I failed him. I’ll never forgive myself, Asta

#dnd #dnd oc #dnd character #dnd props #forgotten realms #dnd 5e #dnd 5e character #dnd 5e homebrew #ghosts of saltmarsh

[drdemonprince]

Are there any movies or such that you've really enjoyed lately?

awwww whoever you are you're so nice, asking me a light question when i've just been complaining about answering ones i get sick of (a fake problem that i created for myself and is no one else's fault).

I really liked M3GAN. Such a frothy, self-aware romp with plenty of interesting nuances in how it considers parenting and the weirdly boundaried way that we all regard children. And why the fuck is nobody talking about Brian Jordan Alvarez/ Caleb Gallo making his film debut in this movie???? Tumblr should be shitting itself about our boy making good

I also really shit for Banshees of Inshirin. My lovely friend Mel hated it and said it lacked clarity of conviction and was way too on the nose with the friendship being used as a metaphor for the war. But fuck that im a simple man who as I age grapple with many troubling questions about whether life should be shaped by my relationships to others or whether it should be shaped by pursuit of a higher intellectual goal or an art, and so seeing both those points of view reduced to their most bloody absurdity was painfully satisfying to me. shit was good

An older film that my partner and I both really enjoyed recently was The Last Detail. I did not expect to find myself moved by a Jack Nicholson military movie but that flick was surprisingly abolitionist and one of the dudes rockingest depictions of tender male friendship ive seen in a minute.

i'm also on a real john hurt kick lately. and jeremy irons. cant get enough of them

[melissa-titanium]

in reference to my last rb;

you could say mother. he's very close with his adoptive sister :)

red or purple. he's very blue, but a LOT of koboreals are very blue. the only exceptional thing about his appearance is his terrifyingly vibrant red eyes. also red is his favorite color because blood.

he used to enjoy killing small animals that were in the castle and would dissect them and hide or bury the remains in various spots; usually in his or his sister's room. he only stopped because he realized he could kill other dragons instead. when he mentions this fact to anyone, he laughs it off which is usually unsettling.

i vaguely know what this means but not enough to. deduce an answer uhhh

his scars. koboreals tend to favor scarred dragons because it shows theyre strong and able to fend for themselves & survive through hard moments, and he REALLY latched onto that from a young age. he's a little more wreckless than he needs to be

well there's a lot that remind me of him so it's hard to choose, but one i have on my mind rn is youre going down by sick puppies. his music taste is just mine, but to match with my headworld i think he would really like classical/piano music.

anything and everything embarassing he's done haunts him, but his definition of 'embarassed' is just extra violently angry. i'd say losing a fight, but to *HIM* losing a fight is leaving the opponent alive, which he never does. maybe the times he's on occasion flirted with dragons on missions (he's very charming, cannibalism be damned) and they flirt back. its the only embarassing thing that doesnt make him unfathomably angry -- he just can't bring himself to be pissed over it.

he IS a vampire. he's technically also a werewolf. but i think if you had to choose i'd say werewolf. maybe he'd stop drinking people's blood. (who am i kidding, he probably wouldnt)

purple scarf with burnt tip

httyd. he would be like if toothless was just a wild animal with no empathy or compassion and also was really fucking hungry. for blood

i need to fully decide on this. mel's bed is a huge water bed shaped like a jellyfish but he is ME so he would probably sleep like me. flat on his stomach. he has no sheets, he's a koboreal and koboreals don't get cold; ESPECIALLY NOT HIM. he does not snore and does not sleepwalk. you'd expect both because of how loud and deranged he is when conscious, but he sleeps like a dead body.

he would probably choose koketira but i think he'd make the best podcast with amara. they'd probably just do some kind of chatter podcast talking about their experiences. too bad technology is tasreradian exclusive.

spinosaurus.

he is canonically really good at dancing; but AWFUL at freestyle. he can only do it well if he's told exactly what to do, but because of his inability to take advice without getting real bitchy about it, he never gets a chance to shine.

killing and eating people. he's awful he's literally a terrible person i could list so many but mostly his egotistical-ness and his lack of compassion for other creatures. he doesn't believe he's at the center of the universe, merely that everyone ELSE isn't. he treats other dragons like npcs in a video game (quite literally a huge basis of his early life behaviour.) he is basically just all of my negative traits shoved into a character and amped up to 100.

if you asked people his negative traits?

amara would say he has some bad influences, and can be a bit intense... but he means well.

mira would say he's a little mean, and gets really angry alot. but he's his best friend, so its okay!

topaz would approach the question from a methodical angle; he's sloppy when fighting, choosing to charge in and rip things to pieces rather than taking the time to think. he's impatient, but his lack of clarity in his demands just fuels his impatience. he gets very jealous, is enraged easily, and loves to place the blame on everyone but himself. ...but, otherwise, he's a good listener when you need someone to talk to.

izdaja and koke would probably say something wildly different because they met him at incredibly different points of his life.

barbarian. chaotic evil. my class and alignment because again he is Me

bugs. he can pry open a dragon's ribcage with his bare claws and eat their organs with a smile on his face, he can burn down an entire forest and kill dozens of rocokiri without remorse, he can steal, lie, murder, and hurt anything and anyone that comes in his path. but if he sees a fucking spider, he is DONE FOR. he's had nightmares about getting eaten alive by termites more times than he has claws to count on.

despite my love for music i unfortunately know jack shit about scales. he does canonically play piano, though. in a theme song made for him though i think he would have a cacophany of instruments in which an organ, drums and electric guitar are the most prominent.

he doesn't date.

he doesn't have a 'schedule,' as he hates restrictions. he stays up until he can't anymore. late, to him, is roughly 4 pm.

he only cries if it's;

a. crocodile tears

b. bodily/pain response. like if someone was cutting onions

he doesn't cry when he's sad. again; any and every negative wmotion he has is immediately transferred into rage.

he doesn't get embarassed really? but i think something he wouldn't like to bring up would probably be his poetry. he's known for being a skilled blacksmith & mechanic and an incredible fighter, not at all for his flowery words.

OK THATS ENOUGH MELPOSTING TONIGHT im done. bless

#melissa titanium #mel roars

[twoidiotwriters1]

Until The Very End -(WITS Sequel)

A/N: I almost forgot to post this on the 26th omg -Danny

Words: 3,386

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2003—2004

Remus stayed with her until Harry arrived, he'd called Tonks to let her know where he was but didn't explain much, Mel wanted this to remain a secret for as long as possible.

Harry found them curled up on the couch surrounded by comfy blankets and pillows, and a very talkative Remus was the first to welcome him home.

"Hello..." Harry took off his cloak and brushed the snow off his hair and beard, he looked at them with curiosity. "Moony! How're you doing?"

"I finished my treatment," Remus smiled so widely that the corners of his eyes wrinkled. "Mel felt a bit sick afterwards, so I brought her home."

"Sick?" Harry approached her promptly, placing a hand on her forehead.

"I'm fine now," she grinned.

Harry looked at Remus. "Thank you for looking after her while I was gone."

"Not a problem! And if you need help again, feel free to send an owl."

Remus patted Harry on the shoulder as he walked past. The Auror accompanied him to the door and Mel pushed the blankets off, hurrying to their bedroom upstairs and searching for something through their stuff.

"Mellow?" Harry called.

"I'm here!" She hid the item behind her back and waited for him.

The young woman heard his steps going up the stairs, then she saw his figure standing outside the room. He looked worried when he walked in. "Hi," he eyed her carefully. "You're acting oddly."

"You reckon so?" She smiled. "Why is that?"

"M'not sure..." he walked up to her. "You're sick?"

Mel's smile grew. "Tell me, Glasses... how much do you value your sleep?"

Harry raised a brow. "A normal amount?"

Mel's heart was so loud in her ears that she was struggling to form a coherent thought.

"Well, you still have a few months to enjoy it."

"What are you on, Mel?" He frowned.

"Close your eyes." Harry hesitated, but her gaze was bright and happy, so he did it. She turned his palms so they were facing up, and then she placed the soft material on them. "Open them."

He looked down and saw the small woollen sweater. Harry looked up. "Wait..." Mel just smiled at him. "Wait— are you..?"

"Yes!"

He blinked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Harry!" She laughed and cupped his face. "We're pregnant!"

It took him another moment to process the news, but when he did, Harry's arms wrapped around her and held her tightly. Mel could barely breathe, but she didn't let go of him either, and then Harry started to guide them to the bed, where her knees buckled and caused Harry to fall on top of her.

She laughed. "Careful! I'm with child!"

He kissed all over her face, Mel's chortles were the most beautiful sound he'd heard. With his arms still around his wife, Harry lifted himself a bit to look into her eyes. "You're sure about this?"

"I wouldn't've had sex with you if I weren't."

He grinned, lowering his face to kiss her. "I love you."

Mel caressed his face again, tracing his cheekbone with her thumb. "I love you too, Glasses. You'll be a fantastic dad."

He moved to look at the small sweater she'd given him, it was still in his hand.

"When did you buy this? It looks familiar..."

"It was mine and belonged to my father before me. My grandad sent it to my mum when I was a kid, and she gave it to me last year."

"Brilliant," Harry smiled, but she saw a shadow of something crossing his gaze briefly. "This is too big for a baby, though."

"I was five when I started using it, and I stopped wearing it until I was seven, a few months before meeting you, actually..."

He hummed in appreciation. "I'll look after the both of you, Mel. I promise."

She couldn't remember ever enjoying planning stuff this much. When they told their friends and family— that very same weekend, because they were too eager— everyone was extremely happy for them.

Hermione and Emily cried, Ron couldn't stop talking about how strange it'd be to see a little Mel or Harry running around their home. Their baby was something that was bound to get loads of attention, so they asked everyone to keep the secret.

The whole Weasley family knew, and Ginny told Luna, who told Neville, who in turn told Dean and Seamus— and the twins told Lee Jordan, and Angelina told Katie Bell, so by the time Mel and Harry asked them to keep it a secret, it was already useless.

Mel and Erick were back in the Ministry now that they no longer needed to supervise the treatments, it seemed that there were no side effects for anyone, so they could continue with the less fun part of it all.

They were empty-handed again, but that was a good thing at the moment. Erick wanted to spend time with his family, and Mel was going to need a few months to prepare for what was to come, it was better not to start any new projects now.

As soon as she set foot in the ministry, however, a bunch of reporters surrounded her.

"Dumbledore—"

"—Is it true you're having a baby?"

"Dumbledore, what does Harry think about this?"

"Mrs Dumbledore won't be giving any interviews," Erick stood in front of her, his tall figure was enough to push the others away. "Please abandon the premises before security kicks you out."

The reporters scattered against their will, some of them lingered a few feet away, staring at her middle as if waiting to see her stomach grow in size at any moment.

"We always knew it'd be next to impossible to keep it hidden..." she sighed.

Erick scowled at a reporter who locked eyes with him, the stranger rushed out of his sight. "Mr Greengrass won't mind it if you decide to go home. Finding the cure for Lycanthropy is enough to keep you employed for a while..."

"I won't have anything to do," Mel huffed. "I'll stay here and continue working, it'll keep my mind busy."

"This is your first pregnancy, Mel," the man insisted. "You shouldn't put too much pressure on yourself. I'm not saying you're weak or anything— just... well, the first time can be confusing, and scary."

"You know I've never been good at being patient," she said with a guilty smile. "And it's not like I haven't dealt with something like this before."

"But this time is not the same as before," he raised a brow. "It's your baby. If you want them to grow healthy and all, the first step is to treat yourself better."

Mel pondered his reply, she looked away with a grimace. "You're right..." she muttered, avoiding his eyes.

"What?" He smirked.

"You're right," she snapped. "I'm terrified, alright? Just thinking about it makes my hands sweat..."

"You're lucky we're neighbours, Anne can help you out!" Erick said blithely. "You'll have to put up with her chatter, though. I love it, but maybe you're not as fond of talking as you used to be..."

"Just because I stopped talking so much doesn't mean I don't enjoy listening," she argued. "I love Anne's chatter..."

"Harry will be all over you for the next few months. He's always been all over you," Erick rolled his eyes. "But now it'll be worse. Do you remember after the Yule Ball he started to tail you everywhere? Glaring at the boys who dared to look your way..."

"So cute," Mel's eyes brightened at the memory. "I hope our baby gets his eyes..."

"Right, I forgot you're as loony as your husband," he wrinkled his nose. "I'm already pitying your child."

"I pity your girls if you don't show how much you love them."

"Oh, you know I spoil my daughters," he laughed. "And I worship the ground Anne walks on, everyone sees it."

Mel couldn't help her smile. "I always thought you'd be the strict parent..."

"Nah, I always knew I'd be soft as a cloud."

"But sir—!"

"I don't want to hear it, Dumbledore."

"I can do it!"

"I got a direct order from the Minister himself to give you a whole year to look after your baby."

"Well, you can tell Kingsley to—"

"Mel," Mr Greengrass warned her. "Kingsley knows you. We all do. If we don't force you to stay home, you'll come to the Ministry up until the day of your child's birth."

Mel wished people would stop fretting so much about her. She was strong, a pregnancy wasn't going to be that hard to go through, right?

"What if I refuse?"

Her boss's face showed one of his usual smiles: discrete, but very telling.

"We foresaw the possibility."

"And?"

"Your husband is picking up your stuff from the office with Mr Flint's help, he'll take you home as soon as you leave this room," he grabbed an envelope and handed it to her. "That's a whole year's salary, plus your Christmas bonus. Good luck."

She stammered a reply, then realized that for the first time, she'd lost a fight. No one was going to support her, everyone wanted her to take a break and enjoy her pregnancy instead of making it more challenging.

She couldn't see how a pregnancy could be fun, even if Anne and Tonks always looked happy during theirs. Perhaps she only needed time, and the morning sickness was bound to diminish after a while, anyway. She hoped so, at least.

"Harry agreed to this?" Mel said at last.

Mr Greengrass smiled again. "He was the one who got Kingsley to talk to me."

The witch sighed. "I'm not even surprised. Very well, I can't do anything to convince you to keep me here, I suppose."

"No."

"I guess... I'll see you next December?"

"January," he corrected.

Mel and Harry decided to host the New year's party for all of their friends. They were well aware it'd be a while before they'd be able to do this again once their baby was born, so naturally, they offered to host every future gathering for the next six months.

Regulus, who Mel thought was going to react terribly to the news, decided that if he couldn't have a real brother, having a nephew was the best next thing. He wanted Mel's baby to be a boy.

"Can I be the godfather?" He asked her one morning, he and Teddy were staying for the weekend.

Mel laughed. "You're too young to be a godfather, Reggie."

"I'll be the godfather," Erick replied.

He and Anne were spending more time at the Potter's now that Mel was pregnant. Anne thought that Mel wouldn't suffer if she had company, which was true. Mel was a highly social person, and being isolated from her friends was irritating.

"No you won't," she snorted.

"What?" He looked at her. "You said I would be!"

"I said you'd be the godfather, but I never said it'd be the firstborn!" She exclaimed. "You made me wait until your third baby, so I'll do the same."

"It wasn't on purpose," he pouted.

"I know," she rubbed her belly happily. It wasn't big yet, but she was starting to feel a bump. "But you know me, if I get a chance to torture you, I take it."

"That's not nice," five-year-old Emily glared at her, she was seated next to Teddy and had Grey on her lap.

"That's alright, she's allowed to annoy your father," Anne replied calmly, she was helping Elizabeth to tie her shoes. "Daddy teased her a lot when they were younger and now he's facing the consequences."

"I didn't tease her that much! Do you know who did it? Fred and George! And I don't see them being mistreated the way I am!"

"That's because I don't see them often, but they'll get their part of the punishment, don't worry," she joked.

"Can we take Grey to the garden? I promise I won't let him bring mud inside," Regulus looked up at her imploringly with his stormy eyes.

"Come back before lunchtime— and look after Ellie!"

Regulus helped the little girl to leave the house and Emily carried Grey outside while Teddy grabbed a whole plate of biscuits and rushed out of the kitchen yelling at the others to wait for him.

Mel stared at the small group with lots of love. She'd been Regulus's age when she and Harry had first met, so she wondered if Regulus had already met his future partner— perhaps one of the kids he'd befriended at school? He was popular, their mother would get calls from little kids inviting Reggie to birthday parties all the time, Mel had never been invited to one of those at his age.

She would've been jealous if she hadn't been so happy for him. He deserved a happy childhood, and he was living it to its fullest.

"I'm home!" Harry entered the house but didn't take off his cloak, he'd gone home early that day because Mel had a doctor's appointment, and he always made space in his schedule for those.

Mel picked up her stuff. "We'll come back soon— feel free to eat and watch the telly if you want— and don't let Regulus eat the yellow flowers!"

"What?" Anne and Erick asked in bewilderment.

"He says they taste like honey," Harry explained. "Make sure he stays away from the bush— let's go, Mel."

Daphne ended up being her doctor since she was the only healer they could trust now that everyone wanted to know about their pregnancy.

"Anything we should worry about?" Mel asked her.

"Everything seems in order," she replied. "Are you having weird symptoms? Something bothering you?"

"No," Mel responded.

"Very well..." her friend frowned as she got closer to the papers in her hand. "Oh."

Harry's hand tightened around Mel's. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." Daphne observed the images carefully and her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, look at that!"

"Care to share your discovery with us?" Mel urged her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she laughed. "You see that?"

Mel and Harry looked at the images on the file, they didn't understand them, and it wasn't that exciting to look at the tiny dots when they didn't even look human.

"Is it bad?"

"That depends," the blonde woman responded. "Those dots— you see them? Those are babies."

"Babies?" Harry blurted out in shock.

"Twins."

"TWINS?" Mel tried to stand up but Harry put a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't... but we... none of us is a twin!" She stammered. "Our families never had twins! R-right?"

She looked at Harry, who shrugged. "Don't look at me! I'm an orphan!"

"So what?" Mel scowled. "You have a cousin! Ask him if you have any distant relatives—"

"Why are you so sure it's me? It could be you!"

"My parents were only children! Your mum wasn't!"

"She wasn't a twin, and my dad was an only child, too!"

"It's not the end of the world," Daphne tried to intervene, slightly nervous about their reaction. "It'll be okay! The only thing that's going to change now is you'll need to buy twice as much of everything... heh..."

"Good thing you're rich, Potter," Mel replied sarcastically.

"Good thing your boss paid a whole year in advance," he retorted in the same way. "And you wanted to continue working! Imagine you walking around with twins—"

"Okay, you win! I'll be careful..." she rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Twins, I tell you..."

"We're having twins," Harry tried —and failed— to hide his amusement.

Her mood changed drastically, the expression on his face making her giggle.

"Twins," she repeated in the same tone. "Just our luck, isn't it?"

Harry kissed her hand.

"Okay...." their friend stared at them, unused to the couple's interactions. "We need to change a few things, but you'll be fine, Mel."

"I know that," she squeezed Harry's hand.

"Are you sure you're okay, Mily?" Remus grinned.

Mel's mother was in shock. "You mean to tell me... that you're having two babies?" She was staring at them with wide eyes. "Two of you?"

"Yes, mum," she replied with a grin.

"Two little yous," Emily insisted.

"Don't say it like that," Harry scolded her. "We're not that terrible, are we?"

"No, I agree with her, it sounds like a nightmare," Remus hummed. "You were messy toddlers."

Emily shivered. "Oh, but you were also lovely, the both of you... lovely kids! I can't believe you're having two babies! Oh, I'm going to be the Grandmother of two babies! That was fast!"

"Ah, that's the real problem, then," Mel teased her. "What's the matter, Granny? You don't like being a grown adult?"

"I'm only forty-four, you prat," Emily glared at her. "I have an eight-year-old son!"

"Yeah, but our kids will call you grandma anyway."

"No, they won't," she said stubbornly. "They'll call me Emily just like everyone else."

"Harry!" Mel rushed out of the bathroom excitedly, Harry jumped to his feet with wide eyes.

"Don't do that!" He stopped her. "What if you trip from running out like that?"

"Oh, it's alright!" She brushed it aside. "Look!"

The young woman pulled up her blouse to reveal her middle. Harry didn't understand what his wife was showing him at first, then his eyes landed on the small bump forming near the end of her belly.

"See that?" Mel asked giddily. "It's finally showing! About time, don't you think? One would think that with twins the belly would grow twice as fast..."

Harry was looking at her stomach with an uneasy stare, Mel felt small and as if she'd done something wrong.

"I'm sure it's normal," she added shyly, "I'm joking, of course, you know that what I have in brain I lack in patience... Harry?"

He sank on the edge of their bed, Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, then pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry..." he kept his eyes closed. "I haven't been honest."

She pulled down her blouse and approached him. Mel reached out and ran a hand through his hair, Harry immediately leaned into her touch.

"I know," she sighed. "Are you ready to talk about it?"

Harry wasn't even surprised, of course she knew. That's what decades of knowing a person does. "I tried to ignore it..."

Mel sat down next to him and held the hand that was holding his glasses, she rubbed his wrist encouragingly.

"You know, most of our worries are a mix of imagination and bad experiences, but we know ourselves, and that's always good. We know where to draw the line between reality and fantasy."

"But what if knowing doesn't help?" Harry insisted, looking up at her with his bright emerald eyes. "I didn't have caring tutors looking after me most of my childhood, I was mistreated most of my life... what if I'm not a good father because of it?"

"C'mon, Glasses," Mel stroked his cheek. "You really think you'll be as cruel as your uncle?"

"No!" He said right away. "But I... I have no clue of what's coming— and when I think about our babies I... I get really scared. It's the second time in my life I feel this way."

"Second time?" She raised a brow. "When was the first?"

He shook his head. "When I told you I loved you for the first time."

"You mean that time you fell over the fence?"

He chuckled. "Yes. I knew I loved you, and I knew you loved me— but I was scared 'cause I didn't know if you'll take me anyway, so much had happened..."

"But it turned out okay, right?" She said. "Look at us now!"

Harry fixed his gaze on their intertwined hands. He couldn't brush off his discomfort, so she added more to her reply.

"You're not facing this alone. You're not the only one who's becoming a parent, you know? And after all, I'm the one that's going through physical changes, I should be freaking out more, don't you think?"

"That's true," he looked guilty. "I'm acting like this is all about me—"

"Stop," she cupped his face. "You're allowed to be scared, and I'm not telling you to suck it up and be a man— All I'm saying is, we have each other, so let's take advantage of that."

"How?"

"Well," she kissed his nose. "I'll borrow Erick's books on parenting and pregnancy and all that— and you can write to my mum and ask her to re-teach us to change diapers, prep bottles and what not, I'm sure she's got lots of tricks— Tonks and Remus as well— if we study the theory and then put it to practice, we'll have it all under control!"

"I s'pose..."

"You're also lucky we're surrounded by babies," she added, "we can borrow Josie for a weekend to see what is like! What do you think?"

Harry nodded. "I'd like that. She's our goddaughter anyway, we should have her around before we're too busy— Teddy as well."

"I'll write to their parents, then," she got up.

Harry caught her wrist and put his glasses back on.

"I love you," he said. "You always know what to do when I'm being stupid."

"Harry," she grinned, "I could say the same thing."

Next Chapter—>

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#twoidiots writing #hp fanfic #Harry Potter #harry potter fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #UTVE fic #harry potter xoc #WITT fic