#i wish i was rich then i wouldn’t be so worried about missing flights and delays and stuff

[aturnoftheearth]

i love having anxiety it’s like there’s this trip that’s still 5 days out but i’m taking deep breaths trying to keep my heart from jumping in my throat every time i think about the potential for it all to derail !!!!!!

#flying out of florida and into texas and then denver like yeah sure the weather is fantastic in the springtime in those 3 states and not at #all unpredictable 👍 #and booking hotels and tickets to things that are non-refundable like surely this will all go according to plan #i wish i was rich then i wouldn’t be so worried about missing flights and delays and stuff

[ohheyitsokay]

Hello!!! I have come with a soulmate au request: could you write one with Benny Miller, where the voice inside your head is yoursoulmates voice. And he's just like "omg! You're the one with the beautiful voice!"

Everyone, say thank you to @fangirl-316 for being the very first person on my taglist, and thus one of the main reasons I'm still writing.

My dear, please consider this fic a very small portion of my thank you, for how far that encouragement went.

warnings: so much fluff it's not even funny

>>

soulmate requests

<<

You and your soulmate lead quite different lives - you only heard his voice saying your thoughts every couple of days at first. It was supposed to happen when you had a thought that could've been one of theirs, normally something simple about needing to get groceries or hoping for rain.

But, the majority of thoughts the two of you shared were "Ouch." A deep, warm voice would boom through your mind, filling it like broth in a bowl on a cold day - comforting, but confusing. It made you wonder if your soulmate was clumsy, like you, or if he got himself into trouble.

He didn't share your complaints, though, and that simple realization bloomed into a full, indulgent daydream. If he got hurt, but didn't complain... maybe you're soulmate was strong, in all the good, selfless ways that heroes were. The daydream fit, and stuck, and it became your mission mission learn more about him whenever you could

It didn't take you long to learn how kind he was, after all. "No worries," he'd say, and you could almost hear his smile, or "I've got you."

And when you were being your most kind, your most thoughtful, you heard him more than ever. It was sweet, inspiring, his unintentional little encouragement to help your neighbors or lighten the mood.

So one day, deep in your longing to meet the one who's voice was rich as a hot meal from a diner, you took a risk.

He made you feel adventurous, grand, his voice in your mind, as he encouraged the world to do it's worst. The ferocity in which his tone reinforced your moments of confidance were like shots of caffeine in your bloodstream. You were certain he was a protector, a - a fighter.

For him.

Your cousin had become interested in a professional fighting ring by a girl at her gym, and had been begging you to come with. So you took the risk, and allowed yourself to be dragged into a chaotic room full of sweaty boddies and goading cheers.

People were yelling to talk to each other, a triumphant man was soaking in adoration, and your feet stuck to the floor.

The next fight had already started, and as you squeezed into a place you could see, your heart stopped. Above you, solid legs, a bare chest heaving with deep breaths, broad shoulders. From your angle, you could see half a grin, and one of the most beautiful blue eyes you'd ever seen.

Benjamin - Benny - Miller, someone said.

Then he was moving, fuid and fast, like he was animated, and you watched, enraptured. You barely processed his opponent, just a man in contrasting colors, as you stared. The noise became an afterthought, and the back of your mind registered your cousin moving away to search for her friend.

Still you couldn't move, you were planted, still as a statue as your heart began to beat again, pouting unevenly as you watched.

Was it normal? To be filled with liquid fire and to hope desperately for a fighter's safety and triumph at the same time?

It was just.... adrenaline. It was because you were new to this. Everyone around you probably felt as intensely as you did about every thud of gloves against skin, at one point in their lives, anyway.

The noise came back in full, as you were reminded how out of place you were.

"You want anything, honey?" The waitress had pity in her eyes.

A gloved fist came in contact with a perfect jaw.

Ouch.

His voice, as always.

"No, thank you." You didn't even look at her, wondering and watching as your injured hero smiled to himself a little bit.

-

"I don't believe you," you stared suspiciously.

"No, she's telling the truth." Looking between your cousin and her friend, you felt your fight or flight response kick in.

"I just feel silly." Involuntarily, you backed away. They were insisting you push through the sweaty crowd, accross the sticky floor, to talk to him. They promised it was normal. "I wouldn't wouldn't know what to say."

They both looked at each other, and your cousin shrugged. It was true - as desperately as you wanted to encourage him, you'd barely made a peep during the fight. Instead you stared, almost forgetting to breathe, and eyes almost drying out as you ignored the insitict to blink, least you miss a single second. Even after your embarrassment reared it's head, you'd felt strange - both invisible and like you were alone in the crowd, your willpower alone his encouragement. Cheering felt impossible, your tongue was dry in your mouth as you thought wishes into the universe. Prayers, for him or to him, you weren't quite sure.

Relenting, your cousin gave you a more gentle look, before saying changing the topic. It emboldened you, her kindness, as your soulmate said, "Thank you," to her for you, and you slipped away. The fighter deserved a lite of your praise, after all. Looking in the blue of his eyes seemed impossible, but you found the waitress from before.

So what could you say, now that he was surrounded by friends and fans, clapping the smooth of his shoulder and ruffling his seemingly silken hair?

Meekly you shook your head, trying not to look at him from across the room.

"Hey, hun, how can I help you?" She paused, curious and fair, a testament to the establishment.

"Would you..." you fidgeted. The request felt silly, like kids in a school yard, whispering telephone crushes.

"Just do it, talk to her."

"I just wanted to ask if - "

"Oh my God," a deep voice, from directly behind you. It cut through the chatter and shouts of the crowd, surprised and insistent. The waitress cocked an eyebrow and you turned, following her gaze.

"You're the one with the beautiful voice!"

Benjamin Miller was standing, close, the crowd behind him still marked from his rapid path to you. His eyes were wide, staring into yours like he wasn't sure if you were real.

Staring back, you panicked, wondering when he had even heard you before you registered.

His voice -

He was hugging you. Muscles and fat squishing alike, bones near creaking, you never wanted him to let go. He had changed, wearing soft clothes that smelled like sunshine, and his hands were pressing you against his bruises and God, you didn't want him to let go.

It could've been four seconds, it could've been four thousand before your feet felt like they were on solid ground.

"I knew when I saw you," his voice was loud, excited, before he seemed to realize he was still close, gripping you tightly. Jumping back, his hands ran over his face, and through his hair.

"Sorry I just -" suddenly, he looked almost shy, doubt flooding his eyes, the fear that he wasn't yours at the forefront of his mind.

"Hi," you said, grabbing one of his hands before it could stray out of reach. The nervousness from before seemed offensive, suddenly, because you knew him. This was the man who lived and breathed and thought encouragement and honesty and laughter.

You said your name, and when you half-laughed, giddy with bravery, he couldn't help but relax. "You're my soulmate," you said, more certain than you had ever been.

His own doubts abandoned, a warm hand wrapped around your neck, tiliting your face closer to his.

It was perfect, how he was laughing now, too, just as earnest and brave as you always knew he would be.

"Nice to meet you."

<<

@fangirl-316 @scribbledghost @writeforfandoms @beautyagegoodnesssize @princess76179 @mrsbentallmadge @horton-hears-a-honk

#benny miller x reader #benny miller #triple frontier #soulmate requests #maybe i dont know people #elle only posts soulmate rqs at weird hours thats the rule

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

🚨Warnings: Light p in v smut. Some angst. Lots of fluff. My grandfather’s name really is in the Smithsonian.🚨

Plain Gold Ring V:

Exactly Like You

“I know why I waited

Know why I've been blue

I've been waiting each day

For someone exactly like you” - Nina Simone

——————————————————————

Your last day in D.C. felt like the last day of your life. This life. Every article of clothing was packed. Every knickknack and tchotchke sent with the movers. You were ready for your next life. Did your next life include Andy?

The weather was beautiful. Sunny. Not too hot. You and Andy had planned on spending it outside seeing the sites. He had never toured any of the museums. You invited Jacob along. The second you said it you wished you hadn’t. You felt like a home wrecker even though Andy promised Jacob wouldn’t see you that way.

Andy was bristling with excitement. “He’s going to love you, baby.” You were not great with kids. You actively chose not to have them. You loved your nieces from a distance when they were little. Now that they are teenagers you feel a little more at ease with them. You are their cool rich aunt who spends an absolutely outrageous amount of money on them when you visit. You nearly fainted when Andy asked if you’d like to have children.

“Aren’t I too old for that?”

“You’re only three years younger than me. I know a lot of women who had their career before they had a family.” Your face snapped from terrified to anger real quick, “Not that you can’t have a career and be a mother. People do it everyday. Shut up, Andy.”

“You’re cute when you’re nervous. Have you thought of having children with me?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “Well, yeah. I’d like to have a couple more.”

“Oh. A couple he says.” You could feel the hives forming. “This seems like a good conversation to have right before I leave.”

He ran his hands up and down your arms. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to pressure you. You haven’t thought about it? Not even a little?” The door buzzed in the nick of time.

“Jacob’s here! Hallelujah!” You wiggled out of his arms to grab your shoes.

He laughed shaking his head. “We’ll finish this conversation later, young lady.” he pressed the intercom button, “Hey come on up, buddy. This is going to be great, honey.” He loved your nervous laugh and the way you fidgeted with your fingers. Just the fact that you were nervous told him you would love his son.

You heard voices coming from the living area. Fucking hell. Was that Lori? You contemplated going out of the window. You went into the bathroom to grab some lip balm. You knew full well that it was in your bag on the kitchen island. You were just staying out of their way. When you heard the front door close you reemerged.

“Ready to go?” Your eyes were wide and you were way too smiley. If Andy didn’t know better he would think you were on drugs.

“Yeah. I think no more coffee for you ok?”

“It’s nice to see you again, Miss Y/N.” Jacob extended his hand.

“Nice to see you too. So! The Smithsonian. What part are you most interested in seeing?”

“Air and space I think.”

“Then that’s where we’ll start. My grandfather’s name is actually on a plaque. I’ll show you. He was in the navy and built planes that were used in Korea I think. And my dad’s picture is there. He works for a division of NASA back in Louisiana where I’m from. He developed this little part of the rocket booster. He’s literally a rocket scientist.”

“That’s really cool. I’d love to meet him sometime…..”

Andy was loving every second of this. You and Jacob really got along. You were making plans to visit your father and stepmother over the summer and maybe hit the beach in Florida. Jacob’s face lit up at the prospect of meeting your family. Both Andy and Lori were only children. Jacob didn’t grow up with cousins or really any kids his own age outside of school. He seemed pretty comfortable with the idea of you and Andy together.

Andy tested the waters a little by holding your hand. Jacob didn’t seem to notice. By the time you got to the next part of the museum he had his arms around your waist. He even kissed you a couple of times. Nothing but a tender peck here and there. Jacob didn’t seem to mind when he showed you affection.

After lunch Andy dropped you off and then ran Jacob back home.

“So, what are you thinking?” Andy asked with nervous trepidation.

“The museum was cool. I really liked the rockets. It’s cool that Y/N’s dad made those.”

“Did you like Y/N?”

“Yeah. Sucks she’s moving. Do you think you’ll move to Chicago too?”

“Kind of depends on you, bud. I know you’re getting older and you don’t need Dad around very much anymore. I don’t want to miss anything. You’re my only baby.”

“I could spend summers with you. You look really happy. I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time. Even before the trial. I’d miss you but you should be happy.”

The whole way inside Jacob talked about you. He clammed up when Lori walked in.

“Hey, guys. Did you have a good time?” She kissed Jacob on the forehead.

“We had a great time. Ok, Jake. You have the number where I’ll be. I’ll be back on Wednesday. If you’re not busy next weekend you can spend the night. I have your room all set up. Love you.”

“Ok. Love you. Have a safe flight. Tell Y/N I said bye.” He escaped to his room before the arguing started.

“If it’s ok I’ll pick him up from school Thursday. Did you sign the papers?”

“She went with you?” Her voice was deadly quiet.

“She did.”

“Didn’t want to tell me that before hand I guess.”

He sighed and wiped his face with his hands, “I’ll have him back Sunday night. See you later.”

“Fuck you, Andy. You can’t even give me the courtesy of telling me my son would be meeting his father’s whore!”

He slammed his fist on the counter, “Did you sign the papers or not?” She threw the manilla envelope at him.

“They’re signed.” He took the papers and walked out slamming the door. He contemplated moving again. He has a month to month lease on his place. It wouldn’t be hard for him to find a job. He knew Jacob would be fine. Chicago was looking better and better. After all the baby talk this morning he wouldn’t burden you with anything else domestic for today.

——————————————————————

You were zipping your last suitcase when you heard Andy come in. You packed all of your sleep clothes so you were wearing Andy’s t-shirt and panties. Dinner was ordered and he had a drink waiting on the counter. He called out for you. When you rounded the corner into the living room he caught you in his arms.

“Hey, handsome.” you cooed in his ear. He nuzzled your neck and stroked your back. “You ok? Was Jacob….he hates me. I knew it.”

He tightened his hold on you, “Honey, he loved you. He talked about you the whole way back.”

“Then why is your face all worried?”

“Because I’m keenly aware that this is our last night together in my place. That when I come home Wednesday you won’t be here. I’ll go to work on Thursday and Jeremy will be in your office. I have really good memories in that office and now they’re ruined. I don’t want to wake up without you.”

His hands traveled up your bare back then back down to cup your ass. “The delivery app says they’re going to be here in twenty minutes. Think you can finish in time?”

He lowered his head between your breasts and nodded yes. Before you knew it your panties were off, his pants were down and he was fucking you against the wall. His pace was relentless. You hooked your ankles at the small of his back and leaned back so you could rub your clit. Your fingertips brushed against his dick every time he pumped in and out of your cunt. You both came in fifteen minutes.

You ate dinner on the veranda loving the cool breeze on your bare skin. As much as he wanted his t-shirt to smell like you, he like naked picnics way more. Admittedly, a big chicken Caesar salad wasn’t the sexiest food in the world. Still didn’t stop him from licking dressing off of your chest when it dropped off your fork. He was determined to fuck you in almost every room in this place.

You slept tangled and sticking together all night. You had finally gotten over your need for bed space. You’d miss it when he wasn’t there. All night the two of you wanted to bring up moving in together. Neither of you had the guts to say it. You didn’t want to beat a dead horse. He didn’t want to freak you out. Good thing you’d be long distance for a while to work on your communication skills.

——————————————————————

Your new place was beautiful. You rented a big new condo close to Millennial Park. Your office was on Michigan Ave so you weren’t far from there thought walking was highly discouraged. It wouldn’t be possible in heels anyway.

You and Andy worked diligently unpacking and cleaning. When the last box was unpacked and broken down you both collapsed on the couch. “I feel disgusting.”

“You have that nice big bathtub. Bet we can both fit.” He raised an eyebrow at you and nudged your side.

“You are insatiable, Mr. Barber. Whatever will I do without you?”

“You’ll bust from horniness. Come on.” He hoisted you up from your comfy spot and pulled you into the bathroom. While he undressed you filled the water with soft musky oils and some bubble bath. You lit candles and eased in to relax. He washed your hair massaging your scalp with his fingertips. He held you in the warmth until your fingers and toes were pruned.

For the rest of the week, if you were sitting it was on Andy’s lap. If you were sleeping it was in his arms. By Tuesday morning, you had both finished up conference calls and responding to emails. You had cleared the rest of your day to spend together.

As the sunlight dwindled it had become harder and harder to part. You couldn’t take it anymore. You had to have the conversation you had been dreading since you stepped off the plane.

“Andy, I don’t want to sound like a nagging girlfriend but, I really want you to move in with me. I know it would be so hard leaving Jacob but I have plenty of room. He can spend every summer here if he wants. I’d love to have him. I feel really strongly that this is leading somewhere. I’ll even talk about babies if you want.”

His heart was bursting. You kept rambling on trying to convince him. Little did you know he was already convinced. “Stan is going to kill you.” He laughed and pulled you onto his lap. “Give me a few weeks to wrap up everything.”

When you dropped him at the airport there were tears but you knew you’d see him soon. “I love you, baby. I’ll call you as soon as I land.” He kissed you like he would never get to do it again.

“I love you too. See you soon.” He smiled through his tears.

“See you soon.”

——————————————————————

That weekend he spent all of his time with Jacob. He planned on spending every moment he could with his son. Jacob even had his first few weeks planned starting with meeting your family in Louisiana.

When he brought Jacob home on Sunday he worked up the courage to tell Lori the news. “Do you have all of your stuff for your English assignment? If not I can bring it by before school tomorrow.”

“I got it, dad. I had fun this weekend.” They hugged. He smelled Jacob’s hair and kissed him.

“Love you. Be good for mom.”

“Love you too!”

Lori stood in the doorway with her arms folded protectively over her chest. “So she’s gone?”

“Yep.”

“So what now? What does this mean for you?”

He pulled out the kitchen chair and rested his head in this hands. “This wasn’t a fling, Lori. I’m moving to Chicago. Jacob is real excited about spending summers with us.”

“Do you love her?” Tears shimmered in her eyes and her voice wavered. It would be cruel to lie to her.

“Very much.” It stung to hear. With nothing left to say Andy stood to leave.

“Andy!” she called after him. When he turned she wrapped him in a hug. The two of them embraced for several minutes.

When he stepped onto the sidewalk outside of the building his phone buzzed in his pocket. He saw your face smiling back at him.

“Hey, baby. How was your day?” He looked up at your old window and thought of how the two of you started, the past he left behind and smiled at the sound of his future on the other end of the line.

#andy barber angst #andy barber smut #andy barber x y/n #andy barber fluff #andy barber #defending jacob

[tropicalchiaa]

Him Pt 5

Maurizio Gucci X Reader

The Consequences

You are dealing with the aftermath of Milan and your healing process is interrupted

Enjoy ❤️

Pt 1   Pt 2   Pt 3  Pt 4

It’s been about five months since Milan. Business is even better than ever, and you were happy. Have you called Maurizio? No. Have you responded to any of his letters? No. Have you opened any of his gifts? No again. None of that matter, both of you were better off without him.

Yes, you did just say both. Currently, you are 5 months pregnant with a healthy baby boy. I mean who were you kidding, there was not one condom wrapper in sight that day. The memory is still alive and well in your head. And when you are lonely at night you can still feel how his cock twitched inside your warm cunt. Leaving his cum in there for safekeeping.

This secret had to stay under wraps for a multitude of reasons. But the biggest is that you are potentially carrying his only son and way of keeping the Gucci legacy alive. No one knows the identity of the baby daddy but your close friend. Although she was livid when you broke the news to her, she quickly began to gush about being a Godmother and how both of you guys would raise this baby together.  There was no reason for you not to keep the baby. You were rich, successful, and had a team that would surround him with all the love he could ask for.

Your annual summer party was coming up and you could not cancel it for anything. This party was the highlight of the season for the last 5 years and you would be damned if you let a baby get in the way. Also, you sent out the invitations months ago to the top brands, luckily already excluding House of Gucci. 

So that leaves you here at your family’s Hampton estate putting the final touches on your party that is happening in a few hours. Praying that people can’t tell you are pregnant under your flowy white sundress. And hoping your new hairstyle will be enough to distract them, it usually is.

The party is in full swing and your secret was well kept so far. Sneaking back from another bathroom break you are halted by a deep voice saying, “Hi Princess.” No no no you thought. Not even wanting to engage you keep walking towards the party. Hoping for a slight chance you were imagining the voice or that you could get someone to buffer you from this man.

“Where do you think you are going?” The voice says grabbing your arm and pulling you towards them. “You weren’t invited,” you say plainly, trying to remove yourself from their grip. “Oh, that? I just assumed my invitation got lost in the mail, like all the other things I have sent you. Why do I get the feeling you do not want to see me? Because when I envisioned our reuniting, I always assumed you would pounce on me like a tiger eating his prey. But here you are acting as if we are strangers, why is that Princess?” They ask with emotion dripping from every word.

“I do not want to see you,” you say firmly, still avoiding looking them in the eyes.  “Stop this nonsense and look at me Y/N!” They say pulling your chin up looks them in the eye. And when your eyes hit those blue ones’ reality hits you like a flood. And in some fight or flight attempt, you try to reason your way out of this situation.

“Please unhand me Maurizio,” more reality sitting in as you say his name for the first time. “I need to go host my party.”  “Princess we need to ta--” and like a miracle your second assistant comes towards you mentioning a too drunk design executive. Looking over at him, you silently convey for him to let you go. But before he says, “We will talk later,” while letting go reluctantly. And boy was he waiting on the later, you could feel his intense stare everywhere you floated that afternoon.

 Learning from your mistake you made sure to take your close friend with you on bathroom breaks to make sure you weren’t surprised by him again. Oh, how you wished he was some crasher that you could throw out. Fuck, why couldn't you get impregnated by a nobody?

Finally, as people are filtering out after the sunset dinner you feel some relief. You had seen Maurizio and his wife leave about 30 minutes ago, so you walked around without feeling eyes watching your every move. As you closed the door for the last time hopefully you hear him say, “Finally, I was beginning to think we wouldn’t be able to talk. Especially now that I know why you have been avoiding me.” 

Whipping around you are again facing Maurizio with no escape. “You left, how are you even here?” You whimper out shocked. “Oh, that? I told my wife that we have a meeting for a collaboration of some sort. And because I have been feeding her alcohol all afternoon she left with little thought to my statement.” He says closing the distance between the two of you. 

Your brain is moving a thousand miles per second, he knows you're pregnant! Your friends and assistants won’t be back for a few hours because they are driving people back to the city! “Please I made it very clear we had nothing to talk about, especially when you corner me like this.” You say, trying to keep as much confidence in your stance and voice. 

“Princess, I wouldn’t need to corner you if you just stop ignoring me. Especially over something so small as gaining weight.” He says with a frown on his face. Gaining weight? “You think I am ignoring you because I gained weight?” You say confused. “Yes, I mean that is why you are wearing such a matronly outfit and your face is rounder. Plus, you didn’t take off your dress once and we both know how much you like to show off your body. But don’t worry your secret's safe with me, I am sure a nice diet can get you back in shape in no time.” He says putting a hand on your shoulder. “Plus, I love what the weight has done to your ass and breast, cannot wait to see them in their full glory in a second.” He says as he tries to pull your dress above your head.

 “NOOO,” you say but it is too late, he has already seen your round belly and is frozen with shock. Scared of the reaction you close your eyes and hold your belly as you cower bracing yourself for impact. “You’re pregnant?” he says softly, staring at you with wide eyes. “Yes,” you say quietly, trying to distance yourself from him to gain some composure. “What? Wait did you think I was going to hit you?” He stutters out hurt.

“Umm no, it's just become an instinct to protect my belly no matter the threat.” You ramble out nervously. “But you think I am a threat? Why?” He says with a small pause and without missing a beat, “IS THE BABY MINE???” He screams as the realization hits him. “NO!” You say too quickly. Trying to rectify your response you say, “It’s my ex’s...” That lie wouldn't even convince a toddler. 

“Y/N I am not going to ask you another time is this child mine and cut the bullshit when you answer next.” He says grabbing both your shoulders with a little shake. A small yes falls from your lips, feeling overwhelmed with no options. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He says stumbling backward-looking dazed. 

Feeling anger flair in you, “WHY DIDN’T I TELL YOU?” You screamed “UMMM maybe it's because you have a family? Or maybe it was because I was used as a hooker. Oh no maybe it's because you are an arrogant asshole.” You spit out, each statement hopefully hitting like slaps. “You know what, just leave, I can’t do this right now. If you want to talk like civilized people you can come back tomorrow at 11:00 with some sense.” You say opening the door for him to walk out.

And for the first time ever Maurizio listened to you, walking out the door stunted. But before you could close the door he pulled you into a kiss then said, “I want to be in this baby's life and nothing is going to stop me. Not even you.” And with that, he took off walking towards his car after he subtly threatened you. 

From closing the door to saying goodnight to the housing staff, his words hung over you like a dark cloud. Even as you were falling asleep, the threat replayed in your head. Tomorrow was going to be taxing, you could already feel it.

Ummmm, very cliche but I love ittttt!!!

Hope you enjoyed and as always leave feedback!

Taglist: @maybe-your-left @desiraypark​ @mysticalfairytales​

#adam driver #black reader #poc reader #adcu fic #maurizio gucci #maurizio gucci x reader #maurizio gucci x you #tw alochol #tw based on real people #tw pregnancy

[krreader]

ensorcell | chapter 8.

pairing: prince!taehyung x reader  fandom: bts warnings: non idol!au ; prince!taehyung ;  arranged marriage ; language ; sex  genre: fluff ; angst ; smut word count: 2.7k+ previous: 1 ; 2 ; 3 ; 4 ; 5 ; 6 ; 7

summary: it was funny, how meeting one single person could change your life forever. you were ordinary, he was not. he was rich, you were not. he fell in love with you and so did you. even though he was never supposed to.

a/n: i’m so sad I never get to update my originals as much as I want to, but I’m really happy when I do. especially with this one BECAUSE IT’S FINALLY SEXY TIME

It was on days like these that you were harshly reminded of not really belonging here.

It was on days like these that you realized that the girl struggling in college to get her degree and having frequent anxiety attacks due to the uncertainty of the future was the real you that you had left behind to play pretend. Because unlike some others, you were not cut out to play this game of royal intrigues that some seemed to excel in.

“You're mad.. aren't you?” the familiar voice would have made you turn around and smile a few hours ago, but now you kept your eyes firmly on the horizon and watched the sun set in the royal gardens while royal guards and maids were all around you, making sure that you were well taken care of.

Why, you might ask? Well, because they all thought you were carrying a royal heir, thanks to the man that now sat down next to you. When in reality, the only thing you were carrying was the weight of the lies that kept piling up.

“I'm not mad. I know why you did it,” when Taehyung let out a relieved sigh, you quickly added, “Doesn't mean I like what you did, though.”

“I had to say something. I've gotten so many inquiries about whether the rumors about Dae and me were true today, I knew the only way to make it stop was to say you were pregnant. A royal heir is the most precious thing a kingdom could have. You being pregnant will put an indefinite end to any possible other 'proposals' that my father could make.”

“But I'm not, Taehyung. I'm not pregnant. And I don't intend to get pregnant. Because in case you forgot, we've only been dating for a few weeks. Marrying is a big step after such a short amount of time, but having a baby?”

“I know,” he put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, brushing them over his tired eyes in desperation, “I thought it was the best solution at the time. I should have discussed it with you first, I'm sorry.”

It was a mess. A mess that would be hard to get out of, but at the same time, you really couldn't bring yourself to be angry with him. His father would have married him off to someone that he hated. He did it to ensure that the two of you could stay with each other. In some way, it showed you that he did it because, like his sister said, you meant a lot to him. And from the way he was acting now, a child hadn't been something that he had considered so early on either.

So at least you were on the same page in that sense.

Now, you'd have to figure out how to fix this and get out of this without birthing a baby in nine months. It’s not like you already had enough shit on your plate already.

“Give me a second,” you said when you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket, letting out a heavy sigh when you saw the name on the display. You already knew you were in deep shit when you answered, “Let me explain..-”

“No, you let me talk now and you just listen,” your mother started angrily, “You run off with some foreign prince that I've never met in my life without so much as a word to get married to him, because there is no other way to stay together, despite you and him only knowing each other for a few hours. Then you get knocked up by said prince before even getting married to him and are now pregnant without even having finished college yet and having absolutely zero fucking stability in your life while being in a country that is not home. Did I get all the details right?”

You clenched your jaw as you looked at the terrified 'foreign prince' that your mother seemed to like so much. Taehyung maybe should have asked more about your family, now that he was hearing her scream like this.

“I'm not pregnant, mom,” you lowered your voice, “It's.. extremely complicated and I promise I will explain it all eventually, but I am not pregnant, okay?”

“You know what? I've had enough. I'm taking the next flight out and I am taking you home with me.”

That alarmed Taehyung so much that he sat up straight, but you just put your hand on his leg to stop him from worrying, “I'm not five anymore, mom, you can't just come and get me. I'm an adult who can make her own decisions and I've made this one. I am getting married, with or without your approval.”

You knew that she was worried. That her saying that wasn't said out of any ill-will, but she was worried sick for you being here, so far away from home where she couldn't be with you.

And she instantly showed that side of herself when her voice broke a little, “Just come home, sweetheart. We can figure all of this out when you're back here. And maybe your boyfriend could come here too? Why can't he just..-”

If only it were so easy.

“Mom,” you got up and started walking, wanting a moment alone with your mother, “I miss you as much as you miss me, so I'm going to suggest that maybe, if you can, come here and spend a few days here. I actually would really like you to be here for the wedding. I want you to meet Taehyung and see what a great guy he is and his mother and sister, who take such good care of me. I want you to meet them.”

“It's not them I'm worried about. It's everything else. You don't understand how big of a thing this is, the media coverage on all of this is insane. Everyone is suddenly talking so much about you and I'm so afraid of what it's turning you into. I just don't want anything to happen to you, so leaving now..-”

“..- is not an option, I'm sorry, mom,” you said firmly, but at the same time, with a soft undertone, “Call (Y/B/F). She'll be here soon, maybe you can take the same flight as her. I'll prove to you that I'm doing okay and that you won't have to worry about me. I've got this.”

Fake it till you make it, right?

“How could you be so stupid?!” the king was pacing up and down the room, the queen and Taehyung's brother and sister all sitting across from you and him on a couch opposite, “I told you, the worst thing that you could do is get her pregnant and you do exactly that. This is an outrage!”

“Have you even listened to the news? Read an article? Because everything I've seen so far is well-wishes and happiness,” Taehyung leaned back and crossed one leg over the other, “We live in the 21st Century, father. Having a child before marriage isn't as big of a deal anymore as when you were younger.”

He was challenging him, so much that his mother had to gently shake her head to tell him to stop.

The king was already furious enough. Taehyung shouldn't add more fuel to the fire.

You had thought that Taehyung might have told his father the truth about the situation, but that would make little sense. What he did was to stop him from trying to ruin yours and his relationship. If he caught wind of this pregnancy being fake, it would be back to him trying to marry Taehyung off to princess Dae. His mother seemed to be unaware of the situation as well. Only his sister knew, why she did, though, you didn't know. Maybe Taehyung had confided in her beforehand.

“I thought I had raised you well, you know?” gone was the mad king, now all that you could see on his face was disappointment, “But ever since you met her..-” and as soon as your eyes met his, it was back to anger, “..you ruined everything.”

Taehyung let out a snort and got up, “If that's everything you have to say, then we shall take our leave. My fiancé has to rest,” he emphasized the word fiancé, which only seemed to make his father angrier.

But before this could escalate any further, he pulled you up by your hand and out of the room, walking with you to your bedroom.

And as soon as the doors behind you two were closed, his shoulders slumped and you could see just how tired he actually was.

You weren't the only one that was drained by all of this, he just hid it better than you.

Taehyung moved to the bed, then sat down on the foot of it and closed his eyes for a moment.

You watched him, but couldn't do so for long. Your need to reach out and support him was too great. And so you followed him and knelt down before him, gently cupping his face in your hands so that he looked at you.

“This is all my fault,” he whispered, “I made it worse.”

“Why did you do it? I mean.. really, why did you take such a drastic step?”

He looked into your eyes for a long while, then he put his hands over yours to hold them, his eyes becoming sadder by the second, “I was scared to lose you. The only one that I ever had feelings for and that I wanted to spend my future with. That was selfish, wasn't it?”

The corner of your mouth curled into a smile, “I wouldn't be here anymore if I didn't feel the same way about you.”

And the longer this eye contact lasted, the harder your heart beat against your chest. So much, that it felt like it was about to jump out. The urge to kiss him, to hold him and just... be with him, was so overwhelming that you couldn't hold back anymore.

And for the first time since you came here, it felt like you shut off your brain and just listened to your heart. You leaned up and kissed him, carefully at first because you were afraid of taking it too far, but Taehyung was as desperate for this as you were.

This wasn't even about sexual needs, this was about feeling the other person so close to you, to feel a union that would bring you closer together and would help you feel a little better in a shitty situation like this.

He wanted that too... so he deepened the kiss.

You sighed against his lips and slowly got up, only so you could straddle him a moment later.

His hands traveled from yours to your waist, holding you so tightly that you felt like his hands were leaving marks on your skin.

Keep in mind that you haven't had a proper moment like this since that first kiss that you shared back home. All those emotions, those feelings... you both just bottled them up because you had no other choice. But now, the bottle was overflowing. And there was no going back anymore.

Taehyung fell back into the mattress, you with him, without ever breaking the kiss once.

The only moment you both did, was for you and him to take off your shirts, then it was back to exploring the others mouth.

Fingertips running over your back, a trail of goosebumps forming where they touched and once he unclasped your bra, your entire upper body was covered in them.

One of his hands came up to your neck to hold it firmly, his thumb brushing against your jaw, stopping to kiss you for a moment, but leaning his forehead against yours and breathing heavily.

You thought he might say something, but he couldn't. It was all too much in that moment. Too many feelings and emotions. All he could do was quickly turn you around so that you were lying on your back and he on top of you.

His lips found their way to your neck, beginning to kiss every single spot on it.

Your hands were running through his beautiful and soft hair, letting out quiet moans every time he found a spot that made you shiver.

It was clear that he wanted to make you feel good. As if he wanted to make up for something, which he really didn't have to. But as his lips wrapped around your nipples, you couldn't bring yourself to say no. Not when his tongue felt so good and felt even better when it was finally between your exposed legs.

You had only been able to imagine what kind of lover he was before, but you were glad to see that – despite not knowing his sexual history – he seemed to know what he was doing. His tongue was caressing your clit, kissing it and biting down on it every now and again. Every time your moans became louder, he slowed down, just so you could fully enjoy this and he could draw this out for as long as possible.

He didn't say a word, just enjoyed making you feel beautiful, loved and outright good. 

Soft kisses, hard kisses, sucking on it.. he drove you mad relatively quickly.

“I think..- I think I'm..-” you couldn't finish this sentence, Taehyung had already felt your grip tighten in his hair. He licked on your clit like he had before and to top it all of, sucked on it a little harder than he had earlier. And that was all it took to bring you over the edge and to have you moan out his name. Loud.

Your body became limp afterwards, breathing heavily as he kissed his way back up.

A grin had spread on his face, kissing your cheek when he whispered, “I should thank whoever built this castle for making the walls thick.”

You let out a chuckle and spread your legs a little wider, grinning when he looked down, “You're not done, though, right?”

“Right..-” he dipped his head to kiss you once, twice, then he leaned down to your ear, his hardened length now resting against your throbbing clit, “Are you sure?”

Butterflies erupted in your belly when he said that. This caring and wonderful man, still worried if you maybe didn't want to continue after all this... it might have been stupid to think that way, but in that moment, you thought to yourself: ‘It's all worth it...’

“Yes,” you wrapped your arms around his neck, “I want you. All of you.”

“You have me,” he whispered back, slipping inside you so easily because of how wet you were, “All of me.”

You had seen his dick earlier and had seen that it was long, but now that he was actually inside you, rock-hard at that, you could really feel just how long.

The moment he was completely buried in you, you let out a breath that you had unconsciously been holding and waited for him to continue.

But it took him a while.

He just waited, held you in his arms and kissed your cheek every now and again. 

“Hey.. are you okay?” you asked eventually, putting your hand on his cheek to make him look at you.

And when he did, you were surprised to see tears in his eyes. Worry filled your face, but he quickly laughed, “Shit, I'm sorry. I'm just... I just really needed this.”

“My vagina?” you said, mainly to lighten the mood. And it did.

Taehyung let out a laugh and kissed your forehead, “No.. happiness. A moment of peace. With the woman that I'll marry.”

Your smile softened, your thumb brushing over his cheek, “Well then.. why don't you show your wife-to-be what she can expect from her future husband?”

“Many,” he pulled out a little, “many,” then pushed back in, a little harder than the first time to make you moan, “Orgasms.”

Now, that was music to your ears.

And the moans that escaped his throat afterwards as he continued pushing himself inside you again and again were an even sweeter melody. Every time he moaned your name and told you how good you felt, your heart felt like it was exploding.

This is what you had both needed.

Because now, there was no uncertainty anymore.

This was right. This felt right. You and him together.

And whatever obstacle would come your way, you would face it.

Together.

#bts imagine #bts x reader #kim taehyung x reader #taehyung x reader #v x reader #kim taehyung imagine #taehyung imagine #v imagine #bts #bangtan boys #bangtan sonyeondan #bangtan #kim taehyung #taehyung #v #reader #mine

[strawberryaziraphale]

reddie + kids

“Have you ever thought about having kids?”

Richie glanced at Eddie, watching him fiddle absently with the cigarette they were sharing. It was a glorious summer night in ‘93 and the two of them were sitting on the roof of Richie’s newly acquired car, enjoying their last few days before college. Richie took the cigarette back, taking a long drag as he considered the question.

“What, like, babies, screaming, dirty diapers, runny noses, attitude and temper tantrums? No way.”

Eddie chuckled, titling his head back to look at the stars, “yeah. And the germs,” he shuddered dramatically, shaking his head dismissively, “I wouldn’t make a very good dad.”

“Are you kidding?” Richie’s tone of voice caused Eddie to look at him. He looked shocked, the cigarette hanging neglected from his fingers, “you’d be a great dad,” when Eddie scoffed and rolled his eyes, Richie flicked away the cigarette and added, “I mean it, Eds. I can picture you wearing one of those baby backpack things, singing them a little song, waiting for your husband to finish work?”

“Whoa, why am I the stay-at-home mom? What is this, the 1950s?”

He wasn’t actually pissed, more playfully teasing, but Richie still shrugged, smirking himself, “being a big time comedian pays more than whatever you’re gonna do, dude.”

“A doctor?” Eddie said pointedly, folding his arms as Richie scratched his chin thoughtfully. Finally, he sighed.

“Okay, I’ll stay at home with the kid,” he stared off into the distance, imagining the fake scenario they’d created. A slight smile spread across Richie’s face, “we can learn to bake together. You know, cakes and stuff. And maybe we’ll have matching dad/kid aprons.”

Eddie groaned theatrically, running a hand over his face, “God, I’m gonna come home to a filthy kitchen every night.”

“Nah, we’ll clean up, Spaghetti, don’t you worry,” Richie winked playfully, even if he wasn’t sure if this was still pretend or not, “I’ll even rock baby to sleep early so we can spend the rest of the night together.”

Eddie looked at Richie properly, unable to stop the soft smile from settling on his face. Their fake life was so wonderfully domestic, he couldn’t help but long for it. It was perfect. He shuffled closer to Richie, instinctively resting his head on his shoulder. Richie wound an arm around him, holding him in place protectively.

“That sounds nice,” Eddie murmured into the night. In a few days, they’d be in separate states, furthering their education. He didn’t want to think about that right now. He looked up at Richie, “I’m gonna miss you, Rich.”

“Eds, I’m not gonna give you a chance to miss me,” he declared dramatically, kissing the top of Eddie’s head briefly, “seriously, you’re gonna be fucking sick of me.”

He wished he could record the sound of Eddie’s laughter and take it with him everywhere, just to keep him sane. It wasn’t going to be easy, but they were going to get through this.

-

Going on tour was getting harder and harder every year. He missed his small family terribly but he knew it wouldn’t be long before he saw them again. Richie carried their photo around in his pocket on stage; they were never far from him. He wrapped a day earlier than expected and was on a flight home before Steve could even congratulate him. He refrained from texting Eddie, wanting to surprise him. Only a few more hours and he’d be home.

The lights were on despite it being very late. He stepped onto the porch and quietly opened the front door; the lounge was empty and Richie could hear voices coming from upstairs. He tiptoed inside and dropped his bag by the door, gently creeping upstairs. He could hear Eddie gently speaking to their two children.

“You can’t stay up until daddy gets home, April,” he was saying to their six-year-old, trying to tuck her into bed, “you’ve marked the calendar, haven’t you? That means only one more sleep and he’ll be home.”

“I miss Daddy,” she pouted, snuggling her fluffy toy rabbit. She was rubbing her tired eyes with her fists, determined to stay awake. Richie peered down the hall, knowing it was likely her little brother, Harry, was already asleep. Eddie smiled.

“I miss him, too. One more sleep,” he kissed her forehead, “love you, sweetie.”

“Love you, dada,” she said through a yawn, already closing her eyes against her will. Eddie switched off her light and closed her door. He almost jumped a mile when he heard a voice behind him.

"Do I get one, too, Mr. T?”

To his credit, Eddie managed not to squeal but he did throw himself at Richie, circling his arms around him in happiness. How they didn’t tumble down the stairs, he didn’t know but Richie wasn’t about to let his husband go. When Eddie finally did pull back, he was wiping away tears of happiness.

"When you call me that, I feel like I’m in the fucking A-Team.”

"What about the D-Team?” He replied with a flirtatious smirk. Eddie just rolled his eyes, leading him along to their bedroom to avoid waking the kids.

“I still can’t believe you get paid to make jokes,” he hugged Richie properly, pressing a soft kiss to his mouth, melting into the touch, “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too. And the kids.”

"They’re gonna be so happy to see you.”

Richie kissed Eddie properly, resting his forehead against his, “I can’t wait. But right now, I just want to hold you.”

Before long, they were cuddled up in bed, fingers entwined and whispering nothings to each other. In the morning, Richie would be rudely awaken by a happy little girl who’d spotted his tour bag in the doorway, leaping on the bed and refusing to let go of him. But for now, he just held the love of his life in the peaceful silence, knowing he was the luckiest man in the world.

#I wanted fluff so here be fluff #richie x eddie #reddie #eddie x richie #reddie fanfic #my writing

[bellatrixobsessed1]

The Killing Cure (Part 8)

He doesn’t want to admit it, especially not to himself but he finds it quite heartwarming to listen to her read stories to those girls. He imagines a scene where she is still large and imposing; Daniela, Cassandra, and Bela are curled up in her lap, propped up against her, and sitting upon her left leg respectively as she flips the page of a book. Her free arm, holding Cassandra close.

In reality, Lady Dimitrescu sits in Cassandra’s lap while Bela leans upon her right side and Daniela on the left. She doesn’t hold a book at all, but rather relays her story from memory; either she has spun the tale herself or she has read it so many times that she doesn’t need the book itself anymore. Ethan isn’t sure which of the two is the most precious.

She pauses her story and inhales sharply. “Do you need a bedtime story too, Winters?”

“I...uh...well, I…” He rubs the back of his head.

“If you’re going to listen in, you might as well pull up a chair.” She grumbles.

“But don’t think for a moment that you can join the family huddle!” Bela declares.

He lifts his hands. “I wasn’t planning on it. I was actually planning on finishing up with that deer. The meat has almost been prepared…”

“Are you finished?” Lady Dimitrescu asks. “Because I would like to finish.”

“Sorry.” He mumbles as he pulls up a chair.

“Where were we, darlings?”

“The bat just took flight on his fluffy, gossamer wings.” Cassandra smiles.

“Right yes. On  wings both fluffy and gossamer, the bat leaves his roost for the night…”

Now that it has lost its startling boom, her voice is quite relaxing, hauntingly so. Deep and rich, the auditory equivalent sinking into a plush chair. He can’t make sense of the story itself but he finds that his eyes are growing heavy.

He remembers when Mia would read Rose to sleep, even if Rose couldn’t comprehend a thing. Sometimes he thinks that she was reading more to him than the baby...he hadn’t realized just how much he missed storytime…

He swears that Lady Dimitrescu’s eyes are growing heavy too. And then her voice trails off and Daniela shouts, “Hey! Wait! Mother, you didn’t finish!” But the woman is out. Out and snoring softly. Daniela folds her arms across her chest. “You finish the story, Bela.”

“Me!?” Bela replies, “I don’t do good at story telling. Cass?”

“I always forget the dialogue.” Cassandra frowns.

Three pairs of eyes fall on him. He doesn’t know why he had expected any different. “I’ve never heard this story before in my life!”

“Then make one up.” Daniela quirks a brow as though that was the obvious conclusion and he is a complete dolt.

“Maybe I should take your mom back to her room…”

“Mother…” Bela lets the word sink in. “Is comfortable right here.” As if to elaborate, Cassandra rubs the slumbering woman’s shoulders. He wishes that she wouldn’t have drawn any attention back to the woman. To the way she curls up and leans into Cassandra. To the lax expression on her face--the sort he never seems to see on her in wakefulness. It is no wonder she has fallen asleep so readily; due to pain and stress he can’t imagine that she has slept particularly well in quite some time. Maybe he shouldn’t disturb her.

“Story, Winters.” Daniela demands again.

He thinks to tell the story of the Village of Shadows. He can’t imagine that they’d like to hear that one, all things considered. Instead he spins a tale of a man who went on a hunting trip with his teenage daughter. By the end of it, his stomach flutters with longing.

By the end of it, the three are asleep alongside their mother. Somehow, she looks smaller still, in sleep. Perhaps it is the way the nightgown hangs off of her body. He supposes that he will have to let the Duke know that she needs a size or two smaller.

He gives a slight jerk when each of the siblings tumble into three separate piles of snoozing flies. He wonders if they do this every night? They must do it often enough if Lady Dimitrescu doesn’t even twitch at the insects on her body.

He hates to admit it, but the woman is gorgeous. Somewhat frail, but skin pale and patchy in places. But she is lovely. Her generous figure, alluring...he finds his face flushing again. She isn’t even awake to take her jabs at him and he is flushing. God, he should have left this unholy castle while he had the chance.

.oOo.

Alcina winces upon waking, the cramping is back. It is more bearable, at least she can walk. But it is still a horrid ache. Leaning heavily against the bedpost, she heaves herself up. Her vision tilts ever so slightly, she feels around her nightstand until her hand comes to grasp the supplements and the bottle of pills. She massages her temples, she can’t remember which she is supposed to take or if she is supposed to take them both.

She moves them about in her hands and frowns to herself. She should know this, she should know how to take care of herself. She leans herself against the nightstand, a slip of paper drifts to the floor. Alcina stoops down to pick it up, ignoring the protest of her muscles.

‘Immunosuppressants - take once a day Dietary Supplements - as needed’ His penmanship is so atrocious that she can barely read it and his lack of punctuation is vexing. She wonders if modern schools fail to teach children how to write. Though she supposes that she has to appreciate his forethought to leave her instructions.

She swallows the pill and holds the supplement, she isn’t sure if she needs it. She isn’t sure how to tell. Her body is sending her so many cues lately and she isn’t sure what goes to what and which are important to pay attention to.

She could use a drink or perhaps a drag from her kiseru. She only has maid’s blood wine and that no longer suffices so she reaches for her kiseru. A hand clasps around her wrist and she scoffs. “Winters,” she growls, “remove your filthy man hand from my wrist.”

And he has the audacity to laugh at her. “You shouldn’t be smoking. That can trigger your condition. And besides, smoking is horrible for humans anyhow.”

“And who has told you this?”

“Oh right, you haven’t been human since, what, the thirties?”  He chuckles. “Modern science, that’s who. New research.” Something about the way he says new makes her feel as though it is old news. Very old news.

“But right now we need to worry about your porphyria. Smoking triggers that.” He repeats.

“So can stress, Winters. You’ve taken everything else from me, you can let me have this.”

And the foolish man thing rolls his eyes. His hideous blue eyes… “you still live in a castle with all of this,” he gestures around the room. “And you still have three, very needy, kind of annoying daughters.”

“Do not speak ill of them!”

“I haven’t taken everything from you, I’ve given something back to you.”

“Yes. Thank you for that, Winters.” She hisses.

His eyes fall on the pill bottle. “I gave you your humanity.”

“Whoever said that I wanted it?”

He doesn’t seem to have an answer for that. But she does; deep down, she did. She said that she wanted it, many times to herself especially during the first few months of her transformation. And then once again, just as fervently--if not, more so--when the mutation blossomed in full. When she, for a moment, thought that she would permanently take the form of a rotting, fleshy dragon with a liberal amount of teeth. Deep down she has craved the acclimation of her humanity.

And in those doubting moments, she forgot to fear the repercussions of getting her wish.

#Lady Dimitrescu #Alcina Dimitrescu #Ethan Winters #Alcina/Ethan #Resident Evil #Fanfiction

[grey-water-colors]

Missing You Damian Wayne X Reader Part 2

I really wanted to get into the writing scene here on Tumblr, so I thought I’d start with my latest fixation, the Batfam, specifically Damian Wayne. This is my first time writing him, so please be kind. Just so you know, The reader is a singer and an artist and is popular for both. I hope you enjoy it. If enough people like it I hope to open up requests, but that's only a maybe right now.

Warnings: Drugging. Attempted kidnapping I guess, it doesn’t happen but I’ll throw this in there.  It happens twice.

Pairing: Damian Wayne x Fem!Reader 

Word count: 1,311

Part 1 ~ Part 3

Big thanks to @oreosmama for the title

~~~~~~~~~

He was bored. His homework finished hours ago, Titus was napping on his bed, and he would never ask his brothers to do anything with him. He decided to put on a movie hoping it would pass the time until patrol, and then sleep.

~~~

Your next event was a Hotel in Florence, Italy that was inviting popular singers from around the world to perform. You were excited to go there seeing as people made it sound so beautiful, and you were sure it was, but first you had to get there and the person who booked your flights seemed to hate you. You had 3 stops between your destination and a huge layover at the first stop.

As you found your seat on the plane you closed your eyes and thought about the Charity Event last night. It had gone pretty well. All of your art had sold, and the money was going to giving homes and food to children. People seemed to enjoy the set of music that you had performed. You were exhausted by the time you got back to your hotel room and you barely got out of your magnificent dress before you had collapsed on your bed and promptly fell asleep.

After about 40 hours of flying, you were overjoyed at being out of the airport. You were escorted to the hotel hosting the event and you had about 30 minutes before rehearsals, so you decided to call Damian, needing to hear his voice. He picked up almost immediately.

“Hey, Dami.”

“Beloved. How are you?”

You smiled. “I’m doing ok. I just got to the hotel, it’s beautiful here. You?”

“I’m doing well enough. I miss you. How did the Event go?”

“It was a success; they raised a couple hundred thousand over their goal.”

“That’s good beloved.”

“How are classes going? Anything exciting happen?”

“No. I find myself bored without you here.”

“You should paint something. That always keeps you from being bored.”

You loved when he painted. While your artwork sold for a lot, and people all over the world enjoyed it, you loved his art more. It was always from the heart and his pieces always dragged you in. You could feel the emotion in his works. He hadn’t been painting a lot recently though, claiming he was too busy. Between spending time with you, school, and being Robin, he didn’t really have time anymore, especially with crime rates going up.

“I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe I will.”

You could tell from his voice that he was thinking of what he was going to do, and it warmed your heart to think that you had helped him.

~~~

He was tempted to get a flight to Florence just to see you, but that wasn’t reasonable. He thought back to when he had scoffed at the movies Grayson watched, where the love interest would fly out to only spend a couple hours with their love, but part of him understands it now. His brothers had thought you had bewitched him when he had brought you to the manor the first time. They didn’t believe that someone could like him or even want to stick around of their own free will. They meant it with that kind of brotherly love, but they teased him relentlessly while you were around.

You two had first met at Gotham Academy. You had been in his class when he had first enrolled there. You hadn’t talked to him, and you wouldn’t until many years later in Junior year. Along with being partners in chemistry, you were also in his art class. You were as smart as he was and just as talented, you made a killer team.

It was at the beginning of the summer before senior year when you both got together, and even a year later you were still going strong as a power couple. Of course there had been rough patches, like when you had found out he was Robin, and when you were given the opportunity to travel around the world to show your art, and even when the paparazzi had gotten wind of your relationship and all the tabloids had their own story. You hadn’t gone out in public for weeks, but it had died down and you were able to continue life together, a little stronger than before.

He adored you and everything you did. You were his anchor to who he was when being Robin threatened to take over his life. His lifeline when he had his first interaction with Fear Gas and couldn’t sleep. You were the perfect balance that he needed in his life, a perfect give and take, and he wouldn’t give that up for anything.

~~~

The Hotel Event was going smoothly. You had sung at 10am and again at 1:30pm, and now you were mingling with the other singers that were there.

Soon, you were being escorted to the dining room for a fancy dinner, then a ball where rich Italians could meet the singers.

After dinner, you mingled with people, and even danced with a few gentlemen who knew you for your art more than your singing.

The event was going smoothly, until it wasn’t. You started to feel sick and tired.

You knew what it was, as much as you wish you didn’t. You had experienced this at your first Wayne Gala.

Damian had left your side for a moment to talk to an important person, and you were alone, or as alone as you could be surrounded by so many people. A young man only a couple years older than you had come up and complimented your dress. While making small talk he gave you a drink, plucked right off a server’s tray. With a fancy gesture, he offered you the cup, and not wanting to be impolite, you drank it.

The man asked if you wanted to dance, and while you didn’t, you accepted anyways. You had always been too willing to please people after all. You had started to feel faint and asked to go sit down but he hadn’t let you. You felt worse and worse as the dance continued, so nauseous that you were sure you’d see dinner again and so tired that black was creeping into your vision.

You had spotted Damian a short distance away and you tried to catch his eye. With all your willpower you tried to get his attention, and by some miracle, you succeeded. You gave him what you hoped was an alarmed look, as the young man practically dragged you across the dance floor.

Just as you were about to pass out, you felt yourself falling, but then being caught. You were carried bridal style out of the venue, away until darkness consumed you.

The man was taken away by police for drugging a minor. You had been on bed-rest for a couple days and Damian had stayed by your side the entire time. He swore to you that he wouldn’t leave you alone ever again at a Gala, and he’s kept that promise, but he wasn’t here now.

You knew you had about 15 minutes max to get to your room before you lost consciousness. You looked around carefully to find an older gentleman staring at you, and you identified him as someone you had talked to earlier and probably the person who had drugged you.

You walked up to a group of female singers about your age. “I’m not feeling too well, can one of you help me up to my room please?”

A girl slightly older than you agreed, and she helped you out and up to your room. You debated calling Damian but decided against it. He’d only tell you to stay where you were and hop on a jet over here. He didn’t need to worry about it since you were safe in your room. Just to be safe, you locked your door using the deadbolt and pulled the chair under the handle so no one could get in. With no energy to spare you collapsed on your bed.

#Damian Wayne #damian wayne x reader #robin #robin x reader #dick grayson #dick grayson x reader #nightwing #nightwing x reader #Jason Todd #jason todd x reader #red hood #red hood x reader #Tim Drake #tim drake x reader #Red Robin #red robin x reader #Alfred Pennyworth #alfred the cat #batcow #bruce wayne #bruce wayne x fem!reader #batman #batman x reader #x reader #fanfic #BatFam #batfamily #wayne family #titus the dog #love

[fandom-sheep]

Fundy Dream SMP Chaos 01 APR 21

Delayed Liveblogging Part 1/1

I’m late cause I was on Wills stream.

He was laughing and complaining about not being able to burn things.

He’s happy he made a thing.

Oh no. Why is he tnting the castle and arsoning?

Why is Fundy causing problems on purpose?

Fundy honey please don’t break the holy land.

Oh it’s supposedly a fake server.

I need to read chat more to learn what is happening.

I guess I trust chat with fake smp?

OH WAIT! It’s April first!

I expected Fundy to prank us but I’m honestly too stupid for my own good sometimes.

Alright install hacks. Let’s go.

Chat has been burned before today.

Just casually looking at the reach mods.

The reason I don’t trust this is be a fake server is because he was on the real server earlier.

Fundy honestly might just be trying problems on purpose and it wouldn’t surprise me.

Sneaking under the half door! Oh wait never mind.

Oh no. Not memory dream stuff. Please your chat will cry.

Arson the Tommy house.

Arson the trees.

Oh an awesome old house.

Ah yes more tnt.

Fox boy has had quite the explosion obsession lately.

Upwards MLG. So talented.

I still don’t trust this not to be real. Because Fundy very well might explode things.

My dog is laying on my foot.

Lots of explosions.

Making more tnt nice.

Fundy gets banned arc! Let’s goooo.

Ok I want to see Fundy make this shot.

Explosion hour!

You can do it!

Chat is so divided between encouraging chaos and desperately hoping this is an April fools prank.

It’s still April first over there isn’t it?

1000% cannon

I love how Fundy understands that people do what they are told not to. So he tells them not to prime.

So close.

Come on! Explosion!

FOR THE PRIMES!

Yesssss!!!

MLG Fire. All the talent of this man.

I was so excited for Pokémon cards. But no face cam.

Wait don’t do Pokémon cards. We can’t see. 😢

Ah yes, Pokémon card asmr...

I wish I could see the cards. I love Pokémon cards.

I don’t know what some of these Pokémon he is vaguely describing are.

Oh wait! What was the last one???

Oooo what is it? What is it?

Rainbow glitter doesn’t limit it.

I could not understand that name. I can’t tell if it’s good.

Also Fundy. Time to look at this card.

Quit retaking the picture and just post it.

I swear he is enjoying toying with us.

We’re being shot while he’s trying to take a picture.

Ok time to check the bird site.

I have replied to the tweet with the requested phrase.

I don’t believe it’s worth a lot but it’s pretty.

Finally we’re done being stabbed by the skeleton.

Skeleton coming into close shot range.

Please don’t drown sir.

He’s comin’

Anyway back to causing problems.

Or you know back on memory lane...

Oh wait nevermind. Problems on purpose.

Really cool idea?

Another lovely ranged shot.

Aww. Didn’t quite make it.

Again didn’t quite make it.

Lazy way now.

“Eek” -Fundy

That’s one way to get revenge.

Chat keeping on calling for the death of Michael.

Casually sneaking into creative cause he’s out of tnt.

Tnt balloon launcher!

Oh Fundy planning on causing trouble at the other prison.

Tnt launcher let’s go.

Oh a being donated 100 lovely.

They deserve to have a tnt launcher named after them.

The chests being full has me suspicious but I still doubt the boy is truly causing problems on purpose.

Tnt launcher did not work.

L the streamer.

Oh Niki is going live on the smp. I suppose that’s one way we can find out if it’s the true smp.

Off they went. But it’s not accurate.

We’re just working with Fundy to cause trouble.

Nope. He just can’t do it.

Wow he’s flying like magic! (And covering that with tnt)

Making homemaker a bigger target isn’t going to work.

He’s gathering so many arrows.

Not a single one hit. Awesome looking but a lovely failure.

I tried to check on Nikis stream but the only thing that happened is I had to watch an ad to get back to Fundy.

Also Niki was hosting Minx. I missed her.

Awesome explosion Fundy.

Ah. Auto build.

Oh we auto built a bunch of signs. And none of them have the message.

Fungi grave. With diamonds. Lovely.

I am enjoying this even if I know better.

Ah. A lovely pile of tnt.

Poof!

Someone should have let Fundy have tnt sooner.

Casual flight.

I always love the music on Fundy’s streams. Just That lovely nostalgia.

Just piles of tnt by the hotel.

Chat is so panicked.

I don’t think most of them know it’s April first.

Oooo are we gambling?

Nope not gambling. But it did work gorgeously.

I’m not a griefing kind of person, but this does my heart good.

Enjoying problems.

“Oh what’s this place” adds tnt “gone” -Fundy

Come on chat people. Just encourage him. Quit saying check the date and that it’s a fake server. Just role with it.

Oh that was a very pretty explosion.

Exploded early but it worked (stupid egg bits)

A gorgeous sideways explosion.

We still aren’t destroying... oh wait. We are exploding. No sign.

No escape. But he survived. And the prime bell is still safe.

Castle explosion time.

I’m kinda sad about the castle I’ll admit. But I’ll still up for a good explosion.

Made the lil house and now he explodes things.

Chat blowing up the rainbow castle isn’t homophobic. Hush.

Oooo shaders. That’ll look pretty.

Cant wait to see the pretty screenshots the artists use.

Probably a back up. We’ll see.

Oh I’m also a bit sad about the museum. But you know. If we gotta explode things we gotta explode things.

I can’t wait to see the shaders with this.

Struggling to explosions.

Oh pretty. And the hotdog survives!!!

Cinematic. Beautiful.

Donos playing along saying he’ll be banned. Or donos just confused.

This boy truly pretending he hacked his way into creative on the smp.

Ok that was a pretty cinematic shot.

Holo mellons

Sniff raid! Lovely!

Also the person telling them to check out foolish’s stream. Hush. Let us worry people.

Oh did Fundy build the funky cube thing? I doubt but still.

Prison time.

Oh got to get the skeppy and bad house

And whatever that pit building is.

Everyone still talking about how it ain’t real. Quit it y’all. Come on. Join the joke.

Our dearest mods trying to keep everyone from spoiling it.

The prison is a really pretty build. And it does look explodable.

Explode the prison. Yes and 5up is hot is what are winning.

The no’s can’t catch up. It’s fire time.

You can tell the prank has failed, but it’s still good for the heart to see it explode. It is still a game after all as emotionally attached as we have gotten to it.

A small thing. A small explosive thing.

Everyone changing lag already.

Everyone already ready to fight Fundy if he were to blow up Michael.

Button time.

Oh we even have the cool undertake music.

And the cannon didn’t reach.

Auto build plus lots of tnt.

This is the grand finale of the prank I believe.

I might to go foolish after this. Get some chaotic building man.

Prime bell!!!

Poof and pop.

Oh that was pretty.

Wait... inner wall...

Well. Lore people take your notes on prison construction.

This knowledge will help you on your quest later.

Prison couldn’t even be broken by a fox with a tnt canon.

Phil Raid! Hooray!

Please be a real raid. I want the extra half hour of chaos.

Even though the fox should be yelled at to go to sleep.

Oh. Was it a real Phil raid? I half expected it not to be.

The chat is both confused and chilling.

You get that hype train rich people.

Walking around trying to pretend we haven’t been blowing everything up.

Casually walking around showing off his destruction.

It’s not even April first over theee anymore is it?

Ah. Yeah it is April fools joke.

Ah. Is Fundy actually coming clean about his stuff.

Ah no. He’s continuing to pretend nothing is happening.

Lots of tnt.

Gorgeous. Magnificent. Fantastic.

I love tnt particles for whatever reason. They always look so good.

That actually did a lot.

Yes join the fox discord! Yes follow the fox Twitter! I’ve already done both. I don’t really check either but still.

Showing off his explosions.

Oh we’re doing a reenactment.

Let’s gooo.

L’manhole v. 3 (4?)

Lots of tnt. Always good.

Oh. Oh no. It’s lagging bad.

The tnt. Isn’t going.

Ah now the true lag.

“Cool guys don’t have the frames to look at explosions” -Fundy

That was a good explosion. How deep did it go? No very probably.

TNT parkour! We love it!

That didn’t work but that was a nice explosion. Plenty of bedrock.

Good job with the hype train rich people.

We enjoy our streamer causing problems.

And the sign has changed again. You know the one. “You heart...”

Trying to fill the orb thing with tnt.

That was a very contained explosion.

Good explosion time.

Ok. We’re talking concrete replacement.

Blood vines exploding this early again.

Casually exploding the tiny Eret.

Everyone convincing him not to blow up the tiny Eret.

I love how those who watch one watch the other.

L’manburg yeah explode it. Eret? No.

Oh wait don’t look at the spoilers.

Secret Base Here.

Ahh. Blowing up his tower as well.

Nevermind. We like the tower.

Reasons. Mhm. Didn’t plan on that when he set this up. (In relation to snowchester)

Boy’s tnt penmanship is like that of a toddler.

Great explosions.

Oh we’re poofing the Targay next.

I love the two types of people. People like me, playing along, and the people who are panicking and praying it’s a copy.

Love the mods telling everyone it’s real.

Aww he died.

It’s ok. We respawned.

Defiantly cannon.

We don’t want it to be? That’s worrying for future lore.

But we’re not talking future lore. We’re doing therapy explosions.

Oh an ad. I didn’t get it. I won’t complain.

All the levels gone so sad. Not like they can spontaneously appear.

No. We aren’t going to snowchester. Too far away.

Where is the next level?

Random fire arrows???

Yes we are question marking.

Coder boy? Minecraft commands?

Run command?

Execute command?

He’s typing. I understand none of it.

Oh it’s peaceful.

There it goes.

Withers our favorite thing

Withers and chickens.

Oh. We stuck. We lagging bad.

Let me join the L group really fast.

The game crashed and now he’s trying again.

Wait all the damage reset?

Oh wait no we’re on the real smp now aren’t we!

Maybe not... we’ll see.

It never saved?

And here is the April Fools reveal.

Oh hooray sub goal and piano tunes!

Oh American roadtrip by Fundy!

That’ll be fun! It’ll be fun to see the vlogs and the like!

Raise that sub goal! Get that fun adventure!

It’ll be a month but it’ll be fun!

Ah he is telling them it was a real April fools steam.

But this is a cool idea! I hope the boy gets to come here on an adventure.

Why do many New York and New Jersey people? Also hooray 5up!

I hit the text block limit. Good song time! Banger tune time! Oh that’s neat! FundyJam! Another? I could make a part 2 to this instead of cramming, but that’s too much work. GOOD SONG GOOD STREAM! I love Fundy streams so much. Very therapeutic explosions. And the raid went through. 15TH FOR MAIN CHANNEL VIDEO!!!!

#fundy #april first #dream smp #kinda ish #it’s close enough #delayed liveblogging #spoilers #Fundy spoilers

[halothenthehorns]

THE YULE BALL

Sirius was practically brimming over with excitement as he went to read about Harry's first real date. Even if it wasn't with a girl of his choosing, this was still a really big moment for his pup, that they were going to get to hear about first hand!

Harry was paying no mind to his loads of holiday homework,

"I doubt anyone is," James agreed.

nor was seemingly anyone as the Gryffindor tower was packed to the brim with holiday stayers. One recurring commotion were students randomly sprouting feathers, as Fred and George's Canary Creams seemed to have taken off.

Causing all five of them more pleasant chuckles, they really hoped they'd get to keep hearing more about that.

It didn't take the students long to be leery of any food handed to them by a stranger, as well they should be for some time as George admitted to Harry they were already working on their next thing.

"Yes!" Sirius cheered, nearly bouncing in his seat in hopes for this.

Harry made a mental note never to accept so much as a crisp from Fred and George in future.

"Can't believe you haven't learned that lesson already, honestly," Remus shook his head at Harry.

He still hadn't forgotten the Ton-Tongue Toffee.

"Neither have I," Lily agreed mercilessly.

    Winter had fallen on the castle with the usual amounts of thick snow and icy windows. The Durmstrang ships riggings were freezing over, and the Beauxbatons carriage looked like an iced pumpkin out on the grounds. The house-elves were keeping spirits up with meals full of rich foods and savory stews,

"Don't even Sirius," Lily scolded before he could look pleadingly towards the kitchen. "We've only just had breakfast."

Sirius pouted and grumbled something as a few choice dishes came to mind, but kept going nonetheless.

with Fleur being the only one to complain of such things.

Lily scoffed deep in her throat, and here she'd actually given the girl some credit after her handling of the dragon. Clearly her personality still wasn't looking any better.

Speaking loudly in her french tones about how this food was to hearty,

"Who complains about the food!" Sirius demanded like someone had just insulted his baby. "I've said a few bad things about my school, but never that!"

"Clearly she doesn't appreciate the house-elves attempts," James sniffed in agreement.

which Harry heard her saying loudly as he passed, Ron trying to keep ducked down behind him,

"Poor thing probably doesn't want to be seen by anyone for a while," Remus winced.

as Fleur said to anyone who'd listen about how this would affect her fitting into her dress.

Hermione grumbling about how full of herself that one was, but Ron blatantly ignored that by launching the question at her of who she was going with.

"Didn't he already ask her that?" James chuckled.

"I hope she gives an original response every time," Sirius smirked.

He kept springing this question on her, hoping to startle her into a response by asking it when she least expected.

Causing all five of them some more snickers, half hoping that worked as they were curious, but mostly knowing it wouldn't and just enjoying the show.

Hermione just frowned at him, stating she wasn't telling as they'd just make fun of her.

"Is it a Slytherin?" Remus yelped in surprise.

"Can't think of anyone else who would make her think that," Lily raised a sharp brow.

Sirius on the other hand snorted and stated, "please, Ron would make fun of anyone who Hermione went with if it wasn't him, even Harry."

"He's just having some fun," James agreed with a shrug.

Malfoy overheard this, and laughed cruelly about why anyone would ask her to the ball.

"And I'll bet anyone you asked turned you down laughing," James snapped back at once.

Not a chipmunk like Mudblood.

Sirius felt his nose wrinkle with distaste as he forced himself to say that, really wishing Harry would pull that kids tongue out of his mouth at some point.

Harry and Ron went for their wands, but Hermione superseded all of them by calling out a greeting to Moody.

"That timing," Lily grinned victoriously.

Malfoy went paler than usual and turned on the spot looking for the danger, but Moody was still at the staff table finishing dinner.

"Even better!" Remus laughed outright.

Hermione gave Malfoy a scathing smile as she called him a twitchy little ferret, all three friends laughing as they left for the stairs.

"Oh I hope Moody never leaves now," Remus praised, shoulders still shaking.

While the others agreed that was the second best option, they all knew they'd want one other person in there more.

Ron though, was still staring at Hermione as their laughter settled down, telling her her teeth did look different.

She tried to play it off, asking different how, and Ron repeated they just were.

"Different how?" Lily repeated in surprise, Harry hadn't said anything about it.

Harry just shrugged for an answer, he hadn't spotted anything unusual.

Hermione pointed out she wasn't exactly going to keep those sabers Malfoy had given her,

"It would have been a point of conversation though," Sirius couldn't help but smirk.

but Ron insisted they were much more straight and normal sized than before that hex.

"Oh," Remus said with the hints of a smile starting to appear.

"I don't get it," James cocked his head to the side. Maybe it was because he'd only ever heard descriptions of her and never seen her, but he wasn't sure what was going on here.

Sirius didn't either, but he was hoping the book would explain better.

Hermione full blown grinned, and Harry saw it to, it was a different smile.

"Always love it when that side of her comes out," Lily agreed absently as she listened intently for what Hermione had gotten up to.

She finally admitted that when Pomfrey had held up a mirror and told her to stop when they were back to normal, Hermione had just let her go a bit longer. Her parents weren't going to be happy, as dentists they felt magic shouldn't mix with teeth and they'd been happier with her braces, but- she cut herself off when she spotted Pigwidgeon.

"Aw, I kind of wanted her to keep going," Sirius pouted even though he was laughing his butt off towards the end anyways.

"Can you blame the poor thing," James demanded while still chuckling. "Who hasn't tried to use magic to fix some physical problem. At least this sounds doable, I've always wondered how many times Madam Pomfrey's had to fix some idiots attempts to use an Engorgio Charm on his-"

"Okay James," Lily quickly cut him off, "if she never told you the number, then making one up isn't a solution."

James stuck his tongue out at her while Harry tried to remember how to breathe past his laughter and Sirius moved on.

Ron's owl was twittering loud as ever sitting on top of an ice encrusted banister, a note tied to his leg.

"Sirius replied," Remus pointed out.

"Thank you captain obvious," Sirius snorted, "what I was going to ask was, why is Pig in the middle of a corridor? He should be waiting for Ron in his common room if he missed breakfast."

"Guess he found him earlier than that," Harry shrugged.

People passing him were pointing and laughing,

Lily couldn't help a twitch of unease, feeling that wasn't really safe as anything Sirius sent was dangerous in itself and shouldn't be on display, but they were all in such chipper moods lately she didn't want her paranoia to drag anyone else down.

and a group of third year girls even stopped to coo at how pretty the little thing was.

Ron stormed forward and snatched up his owl in one fist, scolding his pet for not bringing the letter straight to its recipient! Pig was still hooting shrilly at all the attention while the group of girls looked scandalized at Ron.

"Oh he ain't hurting him," Sirius rolled his eyes.

Ron snapped at them to scram, still holding his minute owl in his fist while doing so, who seemed to be enjoying his wingless flight through the air.

Sirius had to read just a little bit louder over more laughter that caused.

Once they had left he handed the note over to Harry, then the three left to head up to Gryffindor tower for some privacy. Everyone still at dinner, Harry read the note aloud that started with Sirius' congratulations on getting past that dragon, whoever had put his name in the Goblet wouldn't be feeling so sure of themselves now.

"Thank you Sirius," Remus rolled his eyes with sarcasm, not disagreeing, but still wishing his friend wasn't trying to rub that in. Harry was still in danger, and Padfoot encouraging that was as bad as Ron.

"Well I'm not wrong," Sirius shot back.

Sirius had been going to suggest Harry send a curse at the dragon's eye, its most vulnerable spot,

"After, you know, he got his screaming fit out of the way, that's still pretty good advice," James chuckled, still feeling a small spot in him vibrating with worry as he remembered Sirius' reaction, or lack there of in this case, regarding those dragons. That feeling wasn't fading until he knew exactly what Azkaban had done to his brother.

Hermione interrupted to remind that's what Krum had done.

"Thank you for the insert Hermione," Lily snorted.

Going back to Sirius' note that said how impressed he was.

Harry beamed with pride, unbelievably feeling that washing through him like never before. He couldn't really remember a time from his past where someone who meant something to him like Sirius had said that to him, and it felt remarkably good. Sure the four around him had tried to do so sporadically, but he'd never let himself take it to heart, always thinking they were just saying things to be nice. Maybe it was because of the way Sirius had put it, maybe it was just that memory being reestablished, but Harry was certain that was the first time he'd ever felt like this before.

Then he followed that up with the warning for Harry not to get complacent.

"There's the paranoia I was waiting for," Remus chuckled, and was pleased to see James join in as quick as Sirius this time. He'd long since noticed the father attempting to smother his agitation towards Sirius the past few times he'd come up, and Harry's obvious glee at receiving such praise from his godfather was likely to get under James' skin as much as anything, but James really did seem to be trying to shake it off today.

Reminding this was only the first task, and to keep his eyes open especially around the person they'd previously discussed, and to keep out of trouble.

"Well you've just turned into a right old killjoy," Remus shot at Sirius, a gleam of revenge shining in his eyes as he held his hand out expectantly. "I've never heard such a thing from a Marauder, I think I'm going to need your card back."

Sirius happily stuck his tongue out at his mate for that, stating back, "never happening, you'll have to remove my hand to get it."

James was laughing without remorse at the pair, so Lily had to be the voice of reason as she cut in, "can you two kiss and make up for that later? I actually want to get to the ball already."

Harry groaned in true disagreement, but Sirius was certainly excited enough to get back.

He signed off, and Harry tucked the letter away with a spot of annoyance as he compared his Godfather to their DADA teacher.

"I'll take that as a compliment!" Sirius agreed pompously.

"Still proves my point," Remus' smirk widened.

Sirius had to fight with himself for a moment to convince himself not to have a poke at Remus turning on him about this, as he knew he deserved.

Both kept telling Harry like he walked around with his eyes shut all the time.

"You mean you don't!" James demanded, now eyeing Harry like he'd gone mad. "It makes for some great fun!"

"You'd know," Lily agreed, "weren't you the one who claimed you'd gone temporarily blind as an excuse that time you 'accidentally' hit Keramik with that babbling curse."

"A true tragedy that day," James agreed solemnly much to the not very suppressed amusement to those around him. "Thank Merlin it wore off, who knows who else I might have hit without meaning to."

Hermione soothed he was just looking out for Harry, and suggested he'd stay out of plenty of trouble if he'd get to work on that egg.

Ron brushed her off, saying it was the holidays and they needed to have some fun, then he invited Harry to a game of chess. She agreed for now and watched several recklessly brave pawns and a violent bishop own Harry.

"Wizard's chess really is the best," Remus agreed, though with some lingering hatred at the reminder as it was usually a rat who played with him the most often, James and Sirius didn't always have the patience to play the game through.

Harry woke on Christmas day with someone having large eyes staring at him nose to nose.

Harry startled like that had happened all over again, and the others looked pretty unsure as well. Was Ron trying to be funny, or?

Harry screeched Dobby's name in shock as he scrambled back, making the elf fall off the bed.

The small amount of fear that had appeared evaporated with plenty of laughter now that they understood. Even Harry looked mildly more relaxed though still too wide eyed as he shook himself from that shock.

He snapped at him not to do that!

"Why was he?" James demanded after a healthy chuckle.

"Second time he's done that actually," Lily reminded with smile, "so I think that's just how he thinks you're supposed to be awoken."

"Well someone needs to show him otherwise," Harry grumbled as he rubbed at his chest.

Dobby quickly apologized, saying he'd only wanted to give Harry a Merry greeting.

"What a festive morning," Remus chuckled.

Reminding Harry had said Dobby could come visit.

"Apparently next time you should clarify, when you're awake," Sirius offered helpfully.

Harry agreed it was fine he was here, still feeling his heart rate return to normal as he cautioned in the future just to poke him or something to wake him up.

All four of them were still laughing mercilessly into their hands, Sirius having the worst problems as he tried to read around his laughter. Harry was rolling his eyes at all of them, glad they found it funny, since it hadn't happened to them.

Harry's dorm mates were peaking through their bed curtains sleepily at Harry,

"It's so good to hear Harry's scream of terror just roused them all to his side," Remus smirked.

"Considering the last time Ron did and it wasn't a big deal, you can't blame them for not reacting this time," Sirius tried to mock, though that memory still didn't sit right with him considering the end results, so he quickly kept going to avoid the nasty looks he was getting for bringing that up.

Seamus asking with a still sleep heavy voice if someone was attacking Harry.

"Absolutely," Harry forced out a laugh to try and get past Sirius' awkward comment, "and your quick asking will scare them away."

Harry told them it was just Dobby,

"Actually I tend to find that a cause for concern more often than not," James snorted without really meaning it.

and told them to go back to sleep, but then the boys spotted their presents.

"The most important part of the day," Remus snickered.

All of them quickly got down to unwrapping their gifts, and Harry's attention went back to Dobby who asked if he could give Harry his present now?

"Aww, he got you a present," Lily cooed. "Here I thought he was just up there to collect that sweater from Ron."

"I'm stunned he even thought to do that," Sirius raised a sharp brow. "That's not common of house-elves at all."

"As we've well established," James reminded, "Dobby is not the usual house-elf."

Harry agreed uncertainly, lying on the spot about how he'd gotten Dobby something as well.

"Did we miss a bit where this came up?" Remus asked lightly, watching Harry's suddenly scrambling face as he was clearly struggling how he was going to get out of this.

This was a lie, as it hadn't occurred to him to get the house-elf anything,

Sirius mock gasped with an affronted look at Harry, scolding, "really now, after all he's done for you."

"You're mouth's going to leave you without any presents this year," James tried to threaten.

Even if Sirius couldn't take the joke seriously, it didn't stop him responding, "shove it Prongs, don't you have Santa's sleigh to be pulling."

but he quickly went to his trunk and cobbled together a pair of nasty old socks that had once belonged to his Uncle.

"Talk about a regift," Remus snorted.

"Yeah, I think that was more insulting than anything," Sirius agreed.

Harry still felt pretty bad he hadn't gotten Dobby a proper present, but he had sort of just had it sprung on him, he hadn't even been expecting him to be there this year so he hadn't a chance to do otherwise.

They were even more worn than a normal pair, as Harry usually kept his Sneakoscope tucked away in them for over a year now.

Then all five of them flinched at such a sharp reminder of Harry's last year being brought up so unexpectedly. They'd honestly forgotten about the thing, as the last time it had been mentioned was this time last year when Ron and Hermione had been having a fight over the cat...now they came back and realized that every instance of it being mentioned had been in the presence of one foul little, certainly untrustworthy rat. They were all berating themselves, wishing they'd paid more attention to Ron's gift and what it could have meant, but they all knew they still never would have guessed the end until it was far too late all over again.

Sirius had to take several slow, very deep breaths to remind himself why he wasn't pounding down the streets right now trying to give a long and slow death to that good for nothing ruin on their life, and instead kept reading very loudly past the moment.

He pulled his Sneakoscope out of them and quickly handed them to Dobby, apologizing for them not being wrapped.

Lily forced out a too high pitched giggle she didn't feel, that nasty pit of a feeling coming back to her after so long feeling harder to shake now that she'd had to think about it again.

Dobby was more than delighted with the gift, exclaiming how socks were his favorite clothing!

"Can't imagine why," Remus muttered under his breath. He'd meant to say it louder, but had unintentionally reverted like he always did when he felt tension around him.

Lily heard him anyways, and managed a laugh again that this time was almost normal sounding.

James, looking for any excuse not to burst into tears or fire up like a volcano, quickly latched out and demanded, "and just what is so funny over there?"

"Nothing," Lily quickly tried to appease so they could move past the awkwardness of this for good, "Remus has been over here muttering under his breath like a little nit."

"Ha, Moony did that to me all the time," James grinned, eyes actually managing to lit up on such a good topic. "He'd sit there and make sarcastic comments under his breath about whatever a teacher said, and I'd laugh my arse off. Then when the teacher demanded to know what was so funny, I'd repeat what Remus said, then I'd get in trouble while the student's laughed."

Lily appraised the pair of them, before smiling and not saying a word. Honestly, she had never noticed that.

Sirius forced the biting tension out of himself no matter how much he wanted to do otherwise, at least recognizing his family trying to act like nothing had happened and forcing himself to do the same.

Happily telling that he had seven pairs now, but then telling Harry whoever he'd gotten his socks from had made a mistake, they gave him two of the same.

"Oh no," Sirius deadpanned, "how could you stand for such a travesty Harry!"

Harry did honestly laugh at the dry wit, the genuine noise finally cracking away the poison for now.

Ron mock scolded Harry for not noticing that,

"Oh lookie there," James smirked, "Sirius is mimicking Ron again, I missed that."

"I didn't," Lily rolled her eyes, "he enjoys it far too much."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Sirius pouted at her.

then offered Dobby his maroon socks along with his sweater so that Dobby could mismatch them properly.

Lily still had to repress a sigh of agitation his mother's hard work was just being tossed around like that, she really wished Ron would appreciate this more, but again it was going to such a sweet cause she couldn't hold it against him either.

Dobby was getting overwhelmed as he praised Ron for being such a kind a great wizard like his greatest friend Harry Potter.

"Least Hermione hadn't come in to hear that one," Remus snorted.

Ron tried to brush off the praise, even if he did look rather pleased.

"We all know he loves his attention," Sirius rolled his eyes with just a touch more ire than was called for, Ron's little attitude before still not totally forgotten, but certainly being eased the longer he kept behaving like normal.

Then Ron opened his gift from Harry, and shouted his thanks for the Chudley Cannon hat, jamming the orange color over his red hair.

"Now where's my picture of that?" James snickered at the lovely mental image.

Then Dobby handed Harry his gift, which were socks.

"You give what you get," Lily chirped in a sing song voice.

Dobby explained that he'd made them himself, he'd bought the wool from his own wages!

"Naww," Lily beamed, Dobby really was just the sweetest little thing.

Harry saw that they were Quidditch themed, one being red with broomsticks, the other green with Snitches.

"Actually, you could consider that a matching pair," James smirked.

"Anything Quidditch related will always be taken with gratitude," Sirius agreed sagely.

Harry managed to get out a thanks to Dobby as he pulled them on, and the little elf looked likely to cry with happiness at the sight.

"Aww," Lily couldn't, and wasn't trying to stop, a coo again. Even the boys couldn't stop a pleased look about themselves at Harry responding like this, he really was just such a good kid.

Harry was flushed and muttering under his breath it really wasn't that big a deal, it had just been the right thing to do.

Dobby couldn't stay long after that, telling how they were already working on Christmas dinner as he waved them good-bye and sprinted out. Harry went after his other presents then, finding the Dursleys had sent him a tissue,

"Think they're still bitter about that grate?" James crinkled up his nose, the tendons on his arm standing out showing he wanted to do much more than make a crude comment.

"I know I haven't forgotten," Sirius' smile held no pleasantries even if that was a good memory to him.

"Least it wasn't a used one," Harry shrugged, the others unsure if he was trying to be sarcastic or not.

Hermione a book called Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland,

"I want to hear about you reading that the next time she complains about you not doing work," Remus chuckled.

Ron, a bulging bag of Dungbombs;

"Ron handing out the real presents there," Sirius smirked.

Sirius, a handy penknife with attachments to unlock any lock and undo any knot;

"I guess you could have sent him something worse," Lily shook her head fondly at him.

"I'm honestly disappointed he didn't send another Firebolt," James chuckled.

Hagrid a large assortment of candy, and Mrs. Weasley a green sweater with a dragon stitched into it.

"That's not funny," Sirius grumbled with a pout.

"I love it," Harry shrugged, thinking back fondly on all the sweaters he kept getting from her, warmth spreading through him every time he got a new one.

Lily forced the smile to remain on her face even at the small little prick of annoyance she got that she couldn't be the one to do this for her baby.

Harry and Ron went downstairs after that to find Hermione in the common room where they all ate breakfast.

Remus felt another stunning blow to the gut as he realized that was all the presents he'd received, with one stand out. It never ceased to bother him how much he'd just melted back out of Harry's life, not even sending so much as a pence to Harry for Christmas when even the Dursley's had sent him some crap thing just to show they hated the boy. Merlin Sirius was on the run and he'd still been doing better than him! Thankfully he didn't think the others noticed, for now, but he more than hated himself enough for all of them anyways.

They spent the morning having a great time celebrating and playing with Wizard Crackers, which exploded and left gifts behind. After lunch the boys all went out onto the grounds for a snowball fight, but at five Hermione declined watching anymore, saying she had to get ready.

"Think that's the first time I've heard Hermione acting like a girl," Sirius groaned with a suffering sigh. "Who needs three hours to get ready?"

"You will when I give you a black eye and you try to hide it," Lily snapped pleasantly.

Sirius elected to ignore that.

Ron asked what she needed three hours for, and payed for his lapse by George nailing him in the head. After Ron shook the snow off, he still called after her who she was going with, but she ignored him as she went inside.

"He's going to find out in just a few hours now," James chuckled, "can he really not wait tell then and nail his brother back?"

Once seven came around, the boys headed back inside as well, having to get past a drunk Fat Lady to get inside their tower.

"Paintings can get drunk?" Harry asked mildly.

"Sure," Sirius shrugged, "they're constructs of real people after all."

Harry really wanted to ask at some point for details about these portraits and just how human they supposedly could get, how they were made and everything, but knew that would take so long now wasn't the time.

The boys all got ready, clearly feeling self conscious, though none more so than Ron. There was just no other way to describe his dress robes, other than as a dress.

"That poor kid," James said in honest sympathy.

"I get that his mum didn't have the money to go all out," Sirius agreed with a wince, "but did she have to make it as bad as possible?"

Lily couldn't find it in herself to snap at them for that, she couldn't help but agree she did feel bad for Ron about this one.

In a desperate attempt to make them look more manly,

"There's a lost cause before it started," Harry chuckled.

he'd cut off the lacy cuffs and frill, but that only left little strings behind.

Dean was muttering to the pair of them how they'd gotten the best looking girls in their year?

"If they were so good looking, how come they weren't asked out first thing," Sirius snorted.

"Maybe they kept turning people down," James shrugged.

Both boys suddenly realized Remus had gone a bit quite, but they weren't really sure what that agitated look was for, and thinking it may still be some lingering agitation at the rat they weren't going to pester him about it.

Ron tried to say with gusto it was animal magnetism, while picking at a thread.

"Right," Lily drew the word out with pure derision, still honestly having wished Ron had just bailed out on this night he was annoying her so much.

The common room looked odd to Harry without the usual amount of black uniforms, instead everyone was done up in all bright colors. He caught sight of Parvati, wearing a pink dress with gold bangles. Thankfully, she wasn't giggling when Harry greeted her.

"Yet," James smirked.

Harry just gave him a look for that, wondering how long she would last and it started up in this room again as well.

He politely told her how nice she looked, who thanked him then told Ron her sister would meet them down in the Entrance Hall. Ron hardly acknowledged this before demanding where Hermione was.

"He so clearly cares," Lily snorted.

Parvati just shrugged,

"You know, I honestly forget sometimes they're roommates," Lily admitted, as she thought Parvati should have known if she'd left already.

as she asked Harry if he was ready to go. He agreed, while mentally wishing he could just stay in the common room.

"Nah, that's too obvious," Sirius smirked, "you should go down to the Chamber or something, no one can drag you out of there."

"Giant basilisk for a date, that's lovely," James rolled his eyes.

The Entrance Hall looked like a new place with so many people that should have been familiar, but looked so different milling around. Parvati led the way to her sister, wearing a matching dress of design and accessories, but was instead turquoise. She greeted them politely, but Ron didn't even give her a glance as he said hi back,

"Ron's clearly just as enthused about this," Lily rolled her eyes, though honestly she was hoping to look past this and hear about the dance already. She was honestly jealous Hogwarts had never done anything like this while she attended, it sounded like it could be fun if Harry got past the awkward part.

but quickly went down behind Harry in an attempt to hide from Fleur,

"Just imagine if Ron had showed up with her on his arm," James cackled, "they'd make quite the pair."

who was looking even more splendid than usual in a long silvery dress, the captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, Roger Davies, as her partner. Ron waited until they were out of sight before craning around again, demanding of no one where Hermione was.

Lily couldn't help a small little smile to herself, still wondering if Ron even realized why he was asking so much. No friend should be this worked up over who their date was.

Harry caught sight of a group of Slytherins instead, one of which was Malfoy wearing some highly polished black robes that made him look like a pastor.

"Really?" Sirius snorted, "I'd imagine him looking more like a vampire."

"Remember Trocar," James pointed out with an old laugh, "I still swear he's one."

"The best teachers are the monsters," Sirius chipped in with an obvious look at Remus.

He glared balefully back, but did indeed give himself a mental slap and forced himself to stop wallowing for now. Just because he was a terrible person in this skewed future didn't mean that of him now, he hoped. Sirius was never going to Azkaban on his life, so that in turn should mean his useless self would never turn into that, and he'd just have to get over it in the meantime. For now he focused on something much more pleasant and snapped back at his friend, "you referring to me or Snivellus?"

Harry tried, and failed, to turn his snort of laughter into a cough. Sirius, looking remarkably pleased with himself for keeping Remus back on focus, kept going now with a smug look.

Pansy as his date was hanging onto his arms in frilly pink cloth. Crabbe and Goyle seemed more similar and troll like than ever, wearing moss green robes, both without partners.

"Probably too simple minded to even form the question," James scoffed.

The front doors spilled open then, releasing more people into the stream, Krum in front with a pretty girl Harry didn't recognize in blue.

Harry felt something trying to smack him between the eyes when his eyes had passed over that girl, like he really should go back and take another look.

Behind them, the grounds of the school had been magicked into a sort of low maze wall, bushes having been constructed into a path, filled with hundreds of real fairies lighting the way to a stone Father Christmas with a reindeer fountain.

"Oooh," Lily's eyes lit up like their own Christmas. "Now why don't they have that up year 'round, that sounds lovely!"

"Sounds like a great place for some fun," Sirius remarked with quite a different grin.

Lily's smile slipped into a scowl at him, did he have to ruin everything she said.

Harry hadn't noticed the exchange one bit, something very horrid indeed wanting to pop into his mind at any mention of a hedge maze, even one as small and tame as this.

Professor McGonagall made her appearance, announcing the champions come to her side. Harry and Parvati went over to her, Harry noticing McGonagall was wearing a tartan red dress with an ugly thistle on her hat.

"Well don't tell her that," Remus smiled kindly, "I'm sure she tried very hard."

"Really though, I hope someone invited Colin so he could be taking pictures of all this," James groaned with longing. Descriptions weren't cutting it for him, he wanted to see all of this in action!

She had them wait by the doors to the Great Hall before slipping inside. Fleur and Roger had themselves closest to the door, the guy not even seeming to notice he was so dazed by his good fortune he hadn't taken his eyes off Fleur yet.

"Well that's, sweet," Lily grumbled, thinking those two pinheads were still nicer to think about than who she knew Harry was undoubtedly going to spot in a few moments.

Cedric and Cho were close at hand, and Harry quickly looked away so he wouldn't have to watch.

"Hey, you didn't describe how Cho was dressed," Sirius pouted, "I was rather enjoying all the colorful wardrobes." He was looking at Harry in a very obvious way that stated he was not going to keep going until Harry told.

Harry groaned, knowing Sirius was just doing this to further tease him that he noticed such a thing, but finally admitted, "it was royal blue, with some kind of rhinestone pattern."

Sirius gave Harry a winning smile which Harry did not return, so he turned back to the book still laughing far too much in Harry's opinion.

His eyes next fell on the girl next to Krum. His jaw dropped.

"Wow, she must be prettier than Fleur," Remus smirked.

It was Hermione.

"What!?"

It had been a while since all of them had yelped in shock at once, but Sirius had hardly gotten her name out before his face fell in shock so he didn't get much of a chance to laugh at the display.

"Are you telling me that seeing Hermione in a dress really made her unrecognizable," Lily demanded as she eyed Harry who still looked like his face wasn't moving from that open mouth any time soon.

"That's what you caught on," James scoffed, suddenly looking scandalized. "I can't believe she's there with Krum! The Bulgarian champion! Harry warned her he could have a hand in this Goblet mess to begin with, and she's possibly letting him get closer to my son by going on a date with him?!"

"Oh stop being so dramatic James," Lily scolded, a small frown showing she couldn't shake that thought off herself. "Krum's done nothing suspicious so far to warrant anything than a close eye."

"Which is exactly what Hermione's doing, in a different kind of way," Remus muttered.

Lily scowled at him next, thinking all of these boys were picking on her far too much.

She didn't look one bit like her normal self though. Her usual thick bushy hair had somehow been slicked into one elegant bun. She was even holding herself differently, though that could have been the absence of her usual stack of books not weighing her down. Her smile seemed lighter, the recent reduction of her teeth more standout than ever.

"I can't even picture it," Remus stated, blinking slowly with his head cocked to the side.

"The first description we got of her was this bushy haired kid babbling on about books," Sirius agreed, "I'm having processing issues seeing anything else."

"Why do you think it took me so long to recognize her," Harry shook his head, "I'd been staring at that for over three years."

She greeted them happily, but Parvati just gazed with unflattering disbelief.

Lily had an unrestrained, very fond smile on her face for the bookish girl so clearly trying to make something of herself tonight, she wanted to smack Parvati and anyone else who tried to treat her otherwise.

Harry's date wasn't the only one. As the Great Hall was finally opened and Krum steered her inside, his own fanclub were giving Hermione looks of deepest loathing.

"Well them I'll believe," James snorted.

Pansy and Malfoy couldn't even seem to find a single insult to throw at her as she passed.

"First time for everything," Remus chirped.

Ron didn't even seem to notice as he was caught still wandering through the crowd.

"Probably still looking for her without recognizing her," Sirius laughed, now really not wanting to wait until he could hear about Ron's face when he did! That could get priceless!

The champions were led up to a high table where the judges were already seated.

Harry released another groan as once again, he was being put up for all to see.

Decorations like never before hung against the walls, giving the place a gossamer glow. The Hall had been removed of it's usual house tables, and instead there were hundreds of smaller tables seated for people, each placed with lanterns.

"As much as I hate this thing involving you," Lily smiled, "I can't deny this place sounds lovely, I really wish I'd got a chance to see this at school."

"I'm honestly glad it didn't," James shot back, "as you know you wouldn't have gone with me unless it was in our seventh year, so most likely I would have ruined the night."

"At least he admits it," Sirius chuckled when Lily gave him the stank eye.

Harry didn't take it in much as he was more concentrating on his feet and not tripping around, Parvati was steering him so forcefully he felt like a show dog as he kept up.

"At least someone's enjoying themselves," Remus snorted.

He once again saw Ron and Padma, the first of whom was now watching Hermione with narrowed eyes.

"Well, I think he recognizes her now," Sirius said in surprise, that hadn't been the expression he'd been expecting.

Padma was looking sulky.

"Can't blame her if she ditches him at this point," Lily grumbled, jealousy or not, Ron was being rude.

Dumbledore greeted them warmly, but Karkaroff was wearing an expression close to Ron's as he eyed his champion.

"Well that's actually interesting," James cocked his head to the side. "Either he's still being a really good actor and didn't put his champion into getting in close with one of Harry's friends, or he's being a pompus arse who doesn't think Hermione's good enough for his Quidditch champion."

"I can't decide which is more depressing," Remus told him, "so let's let it go for now."

Bagman was wearing bright purple attire smattered with stars and clapping right along with the students, Maxime had donned a flowing lavender silk attire and applauding as everyone as well.

"I didn't hear Hagrid in there," Lily said in surprise.

"Yet," Sirius smirked as he had no doubts.

Crouch however, was not in attendance.

"Well I can't say I'm disappointed," James' frown deepened.

"But that is really odd," Lily blinked spastically.

"Unless he's on his deathbed, it's not like him to not make an appearance," Remus explained for Harry, "he's all about appearances."

Harry had noticed they'd made a few comments like this before, and wanted to ask for more details, anything to keep talk off this stupid dance, but Sirius was honestly bored with the topic of him and wanted to keep going so didn't notice Harry.

Instead, in his seat was Percy.

"What!" Was yelped in shock.

"Yeah, not joking," Sirius promised as he eyed the page like he wished it was.

"Why on earth is Percy there?" James demanded in disgust, he'd been enjoying not having to hear about that Weasley.

"In Crouch's spot," Remus added suspiciously, that couldn't mean what he was thinking, Percy was still too young.

Sirius remained stumped for a moment longer before a nudge from Harry convinced him to keep going in hopes Percy would explain.

As the champions took their seat, he was giving Harry a pointed look which Harry took as taking a seat next to him.

"No," James groaned at once. "Stop being polite already, I don't want to listen to his mouth!"

"You were just wondering why he was there," Lily pointed out, "how easier could it get then sitting down and asking him."

"I wasn't that curious," Sirius groaned, right in line with James.

Percy was wearing brand-new navy robes,

"Must be nice to have his own money now," Remus muttered to himself, his pity for Ron's situation still smarting on the boys behalf.

and an expression of such smugness that Harry thought it ought to be fined.

"I'll get right on that," Lily chuckled.

Before Harry could even ask, Percy was already explaining that he had been promoted, in tones as if he was announcing his ruling as supreme ruler of the universe.

James couldn't deny a bit of a laugh for that though, pompous as he was, he did believe he'd worked hard to get there.

Sirius didn't look nearly as indulgent at the expression as he kept going, Percy agitated him enough that he couldn't pretend to be excited for him if he tried.

He was now Crouch's personal assistant, and was here tonight to represent him.

Harry asked why it wasn't Crouch himself, not looking forward to spending a whole night listening to cauldron bottom reports.

"Like Crouch would be any better," Remus rolled his eyes, "he'd have spent the time going over who those cauldron bottom reports were for."

Percy told how Crouch had not been feeling well as of late. Since the World Cup in fact, he'd been handing a lot of responsibility over to Percy. Crouch had suffered quite a bit at the hands of Blinky or whatever that house-elves name was.

Percy was not endearing Lily to feel too happy for him either, he was starting to act as bad as Crouch in that he found anyone less important than him unworthy of his time, or even learning their name. He really should know how that felt.

It had cost him some drops in his home comfort though, and a man his age couldn't afford that without taking some health problems. That revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around wasn't doing them any favors,

Harry couldn't help but nod in agreement with that at least, finding it an interesting choice of words.

well all in all, the poor man deserved his quiet Christmas. Percy was very glad indeed Crouch knew he could entrust this task to him.

No one in here liked Crouch enough to really spike up concern for this, but it was admittedly depressing to hear about a man coming to the end of his life like this.

Harry had to fight down the urge to ask whether Crouch still called him Weatherby,

"I don't think he could get away with promoting him if he was," James snickered.

"But thank you for the reminder," Sirius chuckled.

but resisted the temptation.

"You've far more restraint than anyone here," Remus shook his head.

Lily didn't even have it in her to deny it.

Instead Harry turned his attention back to the room at large, and saw that there was no food in sight, but instead menus in front of everyone. There were no waiters though, and it took Dumbledore glancing over his own and stating 'pork chops' to his plate to make the food appear.

"Oh," James blinked in surprise, "Now that's rather clever."

"Can you imagine how that works," Lily said with honest curiosity. "The magic must resonate it down to the kitchen, where the elves have the meal prepared."

"Actually it sounds like an even better idea than our usual buffet style," Sirius agreed, "I imagine less goes to waste, or has to be stored and such."

"It must be giving the house-elves a real workout though," Remus offered, "they'll be running around to make sure all the meals get to proper places rather than just sending it all up at once."

The thought hadn't even crossed James and Sirius' minds, but Sirius had already grown bored with this and wanted to move on before he could bother to come up with an argument for Remus.

Now caught on, the rest of the room began ordering their meals as well. Harry glanced at Hermione to see how she'd feel about this new method, as surely it meant more work for the house-elves, but for once his friends attention didn't seem to be on S. P. E. W.

"Bless my soul," James smiled even wider. "Has the girl finally found something human to distract her?"

"Leave her be," Lily giggled as she knew exactly what he and the others were thinking right with her. "She's allowed to have a night off from trying to change the world."

She was deep in talk with Viktor Krum and hardly seemed to notice what she was eating.

"Naww," Sirius cooed at once before all the boys broke out into smatterings of giggles. Lily rolled her eyes indulgently at them, but at least they'd moved on from thinking of Krum as some suspicious ploy. Really, was it so surprising to them Hermione could have a pleasant date?

It now occurred to Harry that he had never actually heard Krum speak,

"Ah, nope, hadn't occurred to me either," Remus admitted in surprise.

but he was certainly talking now, and very enthusiastically at that.

"Harry I think your dates being ignored," Sirius informed Harry, fighting back a laugh as he realized how long Harry had been focused on everything but her, now he was even listening in on his friend instead of engaging the girl.

Harry ignored him.

His thick accent didn't curb his enthusiasm as he described their castle back home, much smaller than this one apparently, but the grounds were even more vast. All of the mountains and lakes, you could fly around them for days!

Karkaroff interrupted before he could go into further details, scolding that if he kept at it, Hermione could figure out where they were hiding.

"So," Lily shrugged, "she still couldn't get in without attending the school."

"Don't go giving her ideas," James smirked.

Dumbledore chuckled, asking Igor if this secrecy was really necessary? Why wouldn't he want visitors?

"Most magical schools don't," Sirius shrugged, "we're too secretive by nature."

Karkaroff was not amused as he told back that he was not the only one who prided himself on thinking that he jealously guarded the secrets of his halls, that they alone knew all the hidden notes of their schools, and had every right to protect that.

"I might agree with him if he wasn't some Death Eater scum," James muttered bitterly, unable to hear this man's name without that image coming back of his slimy arse getting out of Azkaban, leaving Sirius in there when one deserved it infinitely more than the other.

Dumbledore did not agree, peacefully explaining that he in no way thought he knew all of Hogwarts secrets.

"Hum," Sirius tisked, "guess Dumbledore doesn't have our confidence."

"I wish you didn't have your confidence," Lily snipped, "don't make me get a pin cushion to deflate that head of yours again."

Just last night he'd been out in the castle seeking relief, and had come across a marvelous bathroom he'd never seen before.

Remus made a deep throated noise as he tried to suppress his laughter that Dumbledore had somehow turned this conversation into finding a loo!

When he'd gone back to find it later, he couldn't find a trace of it. Perhaps it was only available at a certain time, or at a specific phase of the moon, or was only available when one had an exceptionally full bladder.

By the end no one had a straight face, and in fact Sirius was cut off by his own laughing fit from this. It was James who tried to gasp for air first and state, "okay, Dumbledore wins, I don't think we know about that."

"You think maybe he's right?" Lily asked with honest curiosity, "and there's a place in the school that only appears when you've really got to take a piss?"

"Or any other option he provided," Remus nodded agreeably, "that school has magic built into the walls, it really wouldn't surprise me to learn if some things only exist when you need it most."*

Harry felt a tingling in the base of his skull, somehow Remus phrasing it like that and Dumbledore's experience really should have been clicking together somehow, but Sirius was getting over his laughing fit as well to keep going.

Harry snorted into his plate of goulash.

"I'm sure that made it taste better," Sirius nodded in absolute agreement.

Percy frowned,

"Can he do anything else," James rolled his eyes.

but Harry caught Dumbledore's eye and they shared a smile.

Fleur on his other side was having a one sided conversation, criticizing Hogwarts to Roger.

Lily wasn't the only one with a scowl in place at that declaration. Hogwarts was their home, and they were more than sick of this pretty girl constantly complaining about it. Sirius in particular was really feeling the shine wear off from this princess, she could keep that long blond hair if she'd use it sow her mouth shut.

Mostly going over the decorations of this place, and how they didn't even compare to Beauxbatons, who had large magical ice sculptures that never melted of course, and diamond statues, and nymphs that serenaded them at their meals.

"Sounds like you're all spoiled rotten to me," James grumbled.

"I'd think that would get annoying," Remus huffed, "who needs to be sung to to eat? Does it help with digestion?"

"With luck it would make the sound of her complaining dim slightly," Sirius sniffed.

They didn't have any of that ugly old armor around,

"Hey," Sirius yelped in pure indignation, "that armor has personality!"

"Plus, some of our best ideas came from those seemingly innocent bits of metal everywhere," James beamed. "I can't count how many times we jinxed one to chase down and hug passing students."

"I'm sure Fleur would have plenty to say about that as well," Harry smirked. For some reason he wasn't as put off about Fleur like he saw the others were. Something about her resonated in him as friendly, though she wasn't showing a drop of that now.

and if a poltergeist had even dared entered, he would have been kicked out like that!

"Hey," all three Marauders yelped at that injustice.

"Peeves is awesome," Sirius insisted like he was trying to throw it in some french girls face now.

Lily on the other hand would give her that point at least, even the boys when pressed would admit that Peeves wasn't all good for fun, he could be quite a nuisance.

She'd smacked her table for emphasis there at the end, and Roger, who clearly hadn't taken in a word but instead kept gazing at her open mouthed

"Wow, such intrigue," Remus rolled his eyes.

"Does that really work," James demanded, raising a curious brow. "Just sit there gawking at them, is that how Davis got her to go with him? How come that never worked on you love?"

"I'm starting to wonder if Fleur wasn't the one who asked him out," Lily shrugged, ignoring the second part as he knew full well why she hadn't been endeared by that.

quickly snapped to attention and agreed at once, mimicking her table slap.

"Such riveting conversation, how does he do it," Sirius grumbled.

At the other end of the hall Harry spotted Hagrid

"There's something fun to think about," James smiled again. "Bet he's counting down the minutes until Maxime doesn't have to be up there anymore."

wearing an old ugly suit while gazing at the top. Maxime caught his staring and gave a wave back to him.

"Aw, now there's a romance which'll surely bloom tonight," Lily giggled.

"About the only one it seems," Remus snickered.

Hermione was now trying to teach Krum to say her name properly, he kept mispronouncing it as Hermy-own.

"Those accents can cause some interesting variations," James agreed with chipper. "Once met a Spaniard fellow who called me J'ames all day no matter how many times I corrected him."

She pronounced each syllable of her name clearly, Her-my-oh-nee.**

He tried mimicking it back, but it came out as Herm-own-ninny.

She passed that as close enough, while meeting Harry's eyes with a grin.

"It's not like Hermione to settle," Sirius grinned, "I'll bet she'd never have let Ron get away with that."

"Trust me, she didn't" Harry smirked, "Ron once tried to shorten her name and she ignored him for three hours. I'm sure it would have been longer, but he actually apologized for it."

After all of the food had been consumed and taken away, Dumbledore took to his feet and used his wand to make a stage appear, along with a full set of instruments, including a bagpipe. Moments later, the band the Weird Sisters came in, all wearing hairy suites and ripped clothing.

"Well this sounds like fun," Sirius grinned, "I particularly want to hear which one plays the bagpipes."

They picked up their instruments, and Harry had been so busy watching he'd almost forgotten his part to play

"Least you weren't dwelling on it," Remus chuckled.

until Parvati caught his attention by hauling him to his feet and dragging him to the dance floor while Harry tripped over his robes.

Harry groaned, knowing that was probably just the start to his night.

"Relax Harry," James tried to sooth, "at least it won't get so bad as your Valentine."

Harry did not look soothed.

The band began a nice slow song as Harry tried avoiding all eyes from those such as Dean and Seamus,

"Why don't you hang out with them more," Sirius snickered as he watched Harry's miserable face. "They sound like they know how to have a laugh."

Harry was too busy ignoring him to answer the rhetorical question.

while being steered around by Parvati, who had his hand like a vice.

"Guess I don't need to ask who's steering," Lily grinned.

It wasn't as bad as it could have been while revolving slowly on the spot, his eyes kept going in every direction to avoid any one person watching him, and soon they were joined on the dance floor by other couples so the champions weren't alone.

Harry could already feel himself relaxing again, at least that hadn't been as excruciating or long as he'd been dreading.

The others were honestly happy for him. Despite their teasing, it was good to see something just mildly normal like Harry having to dance for a few moments without anything memorable at all happening.

Ginny and Neville were close by, Ginny wincing frequently as Neville troded on her feet,

That spiked Harry's interest, not anything bad against Neville really, but just thinking to himself that if he'd cut in he knew he'd have tried his hardest not to be stepping on her feet as well. Then his mind fritzed, and he wasn't even sure what he'd been thinking anymore.

and Dumbledore was waltzing with Madame Maxime.

"I'll bet Hagrid was taking notes," Remus muttered.

Dumbledore was much shorter than her, not even reaching her chin, but the two moved with grace as they moved through the crowd. Mad-Eye and Sinistera were doing an odd two step, the latter doing her best to avoid that wooden leg.

Lily couldn't stop several spurts of giggles at all of these lovely mental images Harry kept catching, her wish still holding that she was going to go up to school and beg them to have more events like this.

Moody complemented Harry's socks as they passed, his magical eye at the hem of Harry's robes.

Sirius looked rather disturbed as he read that part, grumbling, "why is he looking?"

"I'm just impressed you kept those on all day," James snorted.

Harry gave an honest grin back as he agreed they were a present from his house-elf friend Dobby.

Harry rolled his eyes at all of their chuckling, ignoring that pestering feeling telling him he should have kept that to himself.

Parvati whispered to Harry as they twirled farther away how creepy Moody was, that eye shouldn't be allowed.

"And I agree," Lily murmured with a slight shake. It didn't matter he was a teacher, that thing felt like too much of an invasion of privacy.

Harry didn't respond as the finale note of the song played, and he let go of Parvati at once.

"Well don't enjoy the moment or anything," Remus snorted.

He offered to go sit back down even as she protested she really liked this next song, but Harry quickly fibbed and said he didn't as he dragged her away. The next number was far more upbeat, and they had to skirt around Fred and Angelina who were using such wild moves, many people had to steer clear in fear of injury.

"There's the best way to do it," James declared with only a fond roll of the eyes from his wife.

Harry quickly found Ron who was openly glaring at Hermione and Krum still on the floor. Padma was still beside him, but none too pleased about it as she kept giving him disgusted looks for still ignoring her.

"You know, sometimes I don't think we give Trelawny enough credit," Sirius mused as he grinned down at the page.

He received nothing but blank stares from his friends, so Sirius shrugged and properly explained, "remember back in her first class, when she made the comment Ron would do something to Parvati. I think she got the wrong twin is all."

"Why do you remember that?" Remus demanded as he usually phased anything that fortune teller said right out of his mind.

Sirius' smile wasn't as easy going as before as he stated, "what can I say, she's had an impact on me," before going on loudly.

Parvati sat down on Harry's other side, but moments later a Beauxbatons boy came up and asked her for a dance. She asked Harry if he'd mind, but he hardly noticed the question, his eyes had found Cho and Cedric.

Lily gave a sad little chuckle at that, stating, "oh yes, he's simply going green with worry."

Harry wasn't paying her much more mind than he'd given his date, he was still trying to count down the pages until this stupid night was over.

Parvati snapped at him to just forget it, stalking off with the other boy.

Hermione came over moments later, collapsing into her seat and fanning her face as she exclaimed how hot it was,

"Only for those not sulking," James pointed out.

"I wasn't sulking," Harry huffed back, "I was just-" he cut himself off and winced as he realized he didn't exactly have a word for what he was doing.

and that Viktor had gone to get them drinks.

Ron was not any more pleased to have her nearby, demanding of her if her date had asked her to call him Vicky yet?

"If he's already asking for nicknames on the first date, I think she'd have a clinger," Sirius stated.

"You know Ron's just being a prat," Remus scolded him, "now would you stop trying to give us dating advice and move on."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at him first before doing so.

Hermione looked shocked at his tone, asking what his problem was?

Ron snapped back if she didn't know, he wasn't going to say.

Lily had to press her hand firmly to her mouth to stop a storm of titters, she couldn't believe Ron had just said that with a straight face, a straight up girl line.

Hermione stared at him, then at Harry, who shrugged.

"Either you're being oblivious, or staying out of it," James patted Harry's shoulder, "either way, I commend you."

Harry was shaking his head slowly, neither confirming or denying either option.

She tried to ask Ron again, but he exploded at her how she was here with a Durmstrang! He was the competition, he- he cut himself off as he tried to find words for Hermione's crime, before concluding that she was fraternizing with the enemy!

"Melodramatic much," Lily sighed.

"Well he's not wrong," James shrugged, though winced when his wife gave him a nasty look for that.

"Well he's not," Sirius defended his mate, and Ron. "I did warn them that something could be going on with the Bulgarian people, and that's who she goes with."

"Don't be stupid," Lily spat, "Ron would be acting like this towards anyone who wasn't him spending time with her right now."

Sirius gave her a calculating look, but wasn't going to argue that back.

She told him he was being an idiot, they weren't enemies. Where was this attitude when he'd arrived,

"There's a difference between enjoying a celebrity around, and mingling with them," James scoffed.

when Ron had wanted his autograph?

"Um, having an autograph is far different than having a date," Sirius frowned like he thought Hermione was being daft.

Ron had a model of him up in his dormitory!

"And?" Remus demanded curiously, "he was a Quidditch nut before this mess started."

"Are you lot really on his side?" Lily scowled at the lot of them. "Hermione hasn't done anything wrong, and Ron's acting like a ponce saying otherwise."

James quickly threw his hands up in surrender, saying "hey, we're just saying Hermione hasn't made a valid point yet, but Ron has."

Lily narrowed her eyes shrewdly at him as she stated, "you know full well Ron's only mad because Hermione's out with anyone but him, when he only realized at the last minute she was an option. He's being a child."

"Well he is a child," Sirius reminded, though quickly went back to reading when Lily looked likely to smack him any second.

Ron ignored all of that by asking when all this had started, up in the library?

Hermione agreed, demanding what of it?

Ron asked if she'd tried to get him on her spew campaign, and she snapped that no, Krum had actually been coming up there for weeks to try and pick up the courage to ask her out.

"Aww," Remus couldn't help but grin, then rolled his eyes at his friends scandalized looks like he seemed to be switching sides. "What," he shrugged, "think back, and every time he was there, he'd see her and Harry working together. It's no wonder he couldn't bring himself to ask with him around. Plus Skeeter's article, and Krum wouldn't know better it wasn't true, I pity the guy."

"Then why did he ask her if he thought she was with Harry?" Lily asked of no one.

"Maybe Hermione will say," Harry quickly tried to pacify before anyone else could strike up another argument, he really didn't want to sit around analyzing his friends love life.

Hermione was getting angrier the longer this kept going while Ron kept at it, pointing out that as Karkaroff's student, he could be doing this just to get at Harry.

Hermione looked like Ron had slapped her.

"It sounds even worse when he says it," Lily groaned for the poor girl. "As if she wasn't pretty enough just to be asked out on a date without having Harry for a friend."

"He didn't mean that at all," James rolled his eyes, "and I know you were thinking the same thing earlier."

"Well can you blame her for thinking Ron meant that," Lily snapped, "after the way he joked about her and Neville days before?"

Sirius was getting rather bored hearing her bicker at them about this, it's not like they'd ever insult Hermione's looks for any reason, and this was just some teenage drama she was working herself up over, so he ignored whatever spluttering comment James tried to make to keep going.

Next time she spoke, her voice was quivering as she stated that for his information, Krum hadn't said a word about Harry!

Ron switched tactics at the speed of light.

"At this point, I'll agree with Lily though," Remus sighed, "Ron's just looking for a fight, doesn't matter the bloke."

That was only one of Lily's points, they seemed to be missing the bigger picture that Ron was being as rude as possible in showing that he was just jealous of the whole instance, but at least they weren't trying to defend Ron from that part.

Pointing out that Krum was instead hoping to get Hermione's help with that egg.

Hermione turned to Harry, insisting he should know that was never the case, she wouldn't help another champion.

Harry hadn't a moment to answer as Ron snapped she had a terrible way of showing it.

"Funny how Harry wasn't the one who got to answer," Sirius snorted.

"I don't really have a problem with who she went with," Harry shrugged, "I found it odd sure, but ah, not like Ron did."

Hermione nearly shouted at him that the whole point of this tournament was foreign wizards making friends!

"Actually no, Hermione's full of it on that one." James shook his head at her.

"If they wanted to set up foreign friends, there are far better ways than tournaments where you're supposed to beat the other school," Remus agreed.

Ron snapped that it was the opposite, winning!

People were really beginning to stare, so Harry tried to sooth Ron that he didn't care who Hermione's date was,

"You'll do anything to avoid attention tonight, won't you?" Sirius raised a brow, thinking that was quite brave of Harry to step in then.

"Hermione was really getting angry at him," Harry winced, "and I'd seen what happens when that got bad, so yeah, I did try."

but Ron ignored Harry too.

"Clearly his goal of defending Harry is the sole topic of this," Remus smiled.

Instead telling Hermione to go back and find Vicky already.

Hermione stormed to her feet and made a quick get away, Ron watching with a rather satisfied face.

"Well at least he enjoyed himself," Sirius sighed with his head cocked to the side, they hadn't exactly resolved anything.

"Honestly, at some point I think Ron enjoys arguing with people," Lily groaned.

Padma inserted herself by asking Ron if he was going to dance with her at all.

"Did she really just ask him that, after all that?" Lily did a double take.

"I honestly have no idea why she bothered," James agreed.

Ron snapped no at her without even looking at her, and Padma snapped right back that was fine, getting up and leaving towards her sister and her new date. They hadn't spoken for a moment when the Beauxbatons boy summoned another friend to him so fast, Harry swore he used a spell.

Causing four collective chuckles at Harry, who always seemed to find a spot of humor after a tense moment.

A new voice asked where Hermione was, the butchering of her name giving it away.

"If he'd just showed up five seconds earlier," Sirius smirked.

"We'd have had an even larger scene," Remus finished for him, though at least he seemed pleased that wasn't what happened.

Krum was holding two butterbeers and looking at them in confusion, but Ron said back waspishly that they had no idea, Krum had simply lost his her.

"Making him think he was ditched," James nodded, "that's kinder than I would have been to him."

"Don't get me started on you," Lily told him with a straight face, "don't think I wasn't well aware of how many times in school you did something much subtler, but with much more force to anyone who asked me out."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," James declared saintly, not even bothering to hide a flashing grin when she kept staring.

Krum was definitely picking his surly attitude back again as he told that if they did see her, to tell that he had drinks before wandering off.

Percy arrived then, congratulating them on making friends with Krum.

"Not the word I'd use," Remus shook his head.

"Sad if Krum had come with anyone else, Ron probably would have used that time to try and properly talk to him," Sirius agreed.

He was rubbing his hands together and looking extremely pompous,

"I swear that's in every description he's ever had," James scoffed.

happily chatting about how that was the point of all this, to make international cooperation.

"Could he have said a worse thing right then," Lily raised a brow at his poor timing.

Harry was not remotely pleased when Percy sat down beside them, and instead went back to looking at the dance floor. Dumbledore and Sprout were having a dance, as were Bagman and McGonagall

"Now there's some potential for fun," Sirius'' brows crept up in surprise and glee.

"Eww," Lily crinkled her nose at him, "glory Sirius, can't two adults ever just enjoy each other's company?"

"Tell me Quidditch fan McGonagall wouldn't at least have been the one to ask star player Bagman for that dance?" James challenged with the same look as Sirius.

She didn't argue the point.

Maxime and Hagrid were cutting a wide path around the dance floor as they waltzed through the students,

"Was waiting for that one," Sirius chuckled.

and Karkaroff was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh that's encouraging," James frowned.

"Lighten up, I'm sure he's not the only one to vacate the moment he wasn't supposed to be there," Remus tried to brush off his own worry.

"I kind of wanted you to keep talking about dancing partners," Sirius pouted, as he loved laughing at the mental images of all his old teachers cutting loose like that.

After that song ended, Bagman gave McGonagall a pleasant kiss on the hand, before making his way out of the crowd. He didn't get far before the twins caught him.

"Probably looking for that sponsorship," Remus chuckled, "they've only got a year left."

"Well they've already made a good impression, so they're off to a great start." Sirius agreed with cheers.

Harry already had his head cocked to the side, something nagging at him about the twins and Bagman again he just knew he should be putting a finger on.

Percy was watching this as well, hissing his displeasure about his brothers accosting a senior Ministry member.

"This little brat never ceases to annoy me," James grumped. "He goes from disliking him to calling him high ranking at the flip of a switch."

"Disliking him doesn't negate his status," Lily defended with a shrug.

They had no respect for anyone.

"It's not like they're mauling him," Remus rolled his eyes, "they're trying to have a chat with him. Percy needs to get a grip."

Bagman shook off Fred and George fairly quickly, however,

"Aw," all five of them pouted, wondering what had Bagman so distracted he wouldn't take time to talk to the twins like he had over the summer. Harry was so distracted by his disappointment for the twins, he completely forgot what he was supposed to be remembering about this.

and came over to Harry's table. Percy quickly apologized for his brothers, but Bagman laughed that off, saying they'd just been asking about some contacts Bagman had promised them regarding Zonkos.

"Oh, well alright then," Sirius agreed festively.

"That was rather short for all that," Remus still had a curious look on his face, "you think they've been corresponding outside of just talking?"

Harry jolted when he heard that, now positive that was exactly what he'd been trying to think up earlier, though for some reason he was sure it was more one sided...

James had noticed Harry, but rather than trying to force him to say something instead said, "I'm sure that's it, the twins aren't the shy type and it's smart of them to be setting this up as early as possible."

Percy did not look pleased at the news, and Harry had the feeling he'd be reporting that to their mother.

"Oh that bleeding killjoy," Lily groaned. "What good would it do? The twins are allowed to have their own life."

"See, we can agree on some things," James told her lovingly.

Bagman was looking at Harry and clearly trying to change the subject before Percy could keep going, but Percy got their first by saying how pleased he was with how this tournament had been going. His department had been more than satisfied with the results, excluding that little hitch of course, his eyes flickering to Harry,

"Hitch?" Lily said sharply.

"I called it far more than that," James muttered with mutiny.

had been a tad unfortunate,

"Unfortunate," Remus agreed with an ugly taste in his mouth.

but ever since things had been smooth sailing.

Bagman agreed it was all in good fun,

"Fun?" Sirius snapped, "Merlin, can't these two pull their heads out of their arses already, Harry's right there and he'd never say anything so mild about this mess."

Harry certainly agreed with Sirius, but he wasn't going to go correcting someone like Bagman either, and he'd long since grown used to just ignoring whatever Percy said.

then asked about Crouch? Percy at once kept up his happy little spiel about all the work Crouch was leaving for him to do, including a conference he had with some Transylvanians-

Ron whispered into Harry's ear for them to get out of there while they could.

Lily was the only one who looked remotely upset at this, in fact the boys looked relieved. Lily enjoyed hearing about these types of international affairs though, it would have been a nice change of topic from the constant problems revolving Harry, but recognized she wasn't going to get a say in the matter.

Harry quickly agreed as the two slipped away and went out to the entrance hall.

"I'd almost feel bad for Bagman getting stuck with that," Sirius snorted.

"If he hadn't been such a prat to Harry so far," James finished in agreement.

Lily actually felt bad for Percy, as she had no doubts that Bagman would slip away sooner rather than later, and apparently Percy hadn't brought his own date like his girlfriend to chat with. He was clearly looking for someone to talk to.

They instead began traipsing the grounds, the low hedges taking on height the farther in they went. They hadn't gone too far when they heard an unpleasantly familiar voice,

"Well this can't be good," Remus sighed, as that had yet to start them on a pleasant conversation.

saying how there was nothing for Igor to be fussing about.

Karkaroff's voice returned very hushed and anxious as he told Severus there was nothing to be pretending about,

"Well you're doing a terrible job of it, talking out in the open grounds," Harry muttered to himself, then looked around in surprise at all of the suddenly pale faces. Clearly he was missing something, but before he could ask his mother hissed, "no. He swore he'd never go through with that! I, those were rumors, he-" she spluttered herself off with pure indignation.

The Marauders had equally ugly looks on their faces, and it didn't take much for Harry to piece it all together. Karkaroff was a confirmed Death Eater as far as Sirius was concerned, and that was proof enough for them. Now he was going around talking to Snape about something, clearly something bad. Karkaroff was talking to someone he trusted, a fellow Death Eater. Was that presumptuous though? Harry didn't think so, something deep inside him was far to settled on the notion already. Harry hated Snape of course, but even he was mildly surprised to hear that he really had gone and joined Voldemort's crew. That is of course, if he was understanding this right, because would Dumbledore really higher a Death Eater?

This small bit had been more than proof enough for everyone else without any other type of confirmation.

"I can not believe how disgusted I am by this," Sirius snarled, his eyes going darker by the second as he stared at the pages. "After everything, I really am insulted at myself for how surprised I am we were right all along, he is a Death Eater."

"Was," Remus corrected half heartedly, he had a look on his own face that spoke volumes of how tired he already was on hearing about this.

"Excuse you," James snapped, "once one always one!" His face had flushed an ugly color in shock as he glared down Remus; who quickly cast his mind around and realized another Death Eater James' mind would have landed on, and so quickly explained himself;

"Oh come now, you really think Dumbledore would higher him if he hadn't reformed in some way? I doubt he ever got far past initiation, he and Karkaroff were probably brought in at the same time, but Karkaroff was caught and probably has no idea what Snape did to convince Dumbledore he wasn't a Death Eater anymore. Merlin, we don't even know what possessed Dumbledore to hire this guy, though I still bitterly hate whatever that is." He had in no way implied that he'd ever forgive and forget Snape of anything he'd been doing to Harry so far, let alone any person who'd ever helped Voldemort, and that meant anyone.

Lily's lips were still trembling to much to add in, though in hate or regret none of them were really sure. She may have long since renounced him as her friend, but had only recently truly begun hating him for the way he'd been treating her son, Sirius, and Remus. They had no real clue how this news was affecting her, and though James ached desperately to ask her, he wasn't entirely sure if he would like the response he'd get. What if she tried to defend him? Remus was only trying to vouch for Dumbledore, and that was nothing new even if it did irk him a lot more than ever before, but at least Dumbledore was still worth it on some level. He'd still be given a chance to defend himself. If Lily really tried to justify Snape to him though...

Sirius was watching her like a bomb fixing to go off, and finally the silence had rung for so long it seemed to register in her. She spoke very slowly and clearly, enunciating each word, "I am going to murder him the next time I have the pleasure, but please don't stop on my account. I want to hear what has Karkaroff in such a tizzy, it could only make my day better."

James unbelievably relaxed, but really, some things never died, he was just thankful Lily and Severus' friendship had been one of them that had.

this had been growing clearer for months, it was a serious problem!

Sirius couldn't help a violent snort of laughter at Karkaroff's choice of words, happily opening his mouth to make a crack before Lily interjected in honeyed tones, "If you actually start mocking this situation right now, I swear I will make your innards your outers. Are you really going to sit there and laugh about two Death Eaters prowling around school?"

Thoroughly chastised, Sirius still couldn't help a petulant little scowl at her for ruining his fun, but wasn't going to deny either he had something more pressing to be reading.

Snape's curt reply was to tell Igor to flee, Snape would explain his absence, but he was staying right here.

They rounded the corner then, both with ill- tempered faces. As they passed one bush, a pair of students came tumbling out, and Snape took off ten points from both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students who'd been caught.

James muttered something under his breath about Snape being the opposite of cupid or something, but Harry didn't want to ask for details.

Then they caught sight of him and Ron, and Snape demanded what they were doing?

Ron snapped back they were walking, asking if that was a crime now?

"Never let Ron change that snappy tone," Remus stated mildly.

Snape snapped at them to keep walking then, before he did so himself with Karkaroff hot on his heels.

Ron asked what had them so worried?

"Nothing good," Sirius ground out.

Lily couldn't help but suddenly get the jitters, her mind unhelpfully flickering through all that had happened to Harry this year, and how they were suspecting Karkaroff had something to do with it. It was the last thing she ever wanted to hear that now Karkaroff had back up with Snape. And yet, her mind kept nagging at something, how Snape had tried to protect Harry in his first year, stopped Quirrell getting the Stone. There was no longer any real if in her mind, Snape had really turned in with all his real friends at school, but then why hadn't Quirrell come to Snape for help back then? Why, in fact, had Snape tried to stop Voldemort through Quirrell? It wasn't adding up, but it didn't really change anything inside her either. Even if she ever did get an explanation for him, she knew it would never be good enough, not after he'd gone and smashed every last promise to her for the last time. Sev was gone.

Harry asked his own question, since when were he and Karkaroff on first name terms?

Remus gave Harry a kind smile, at least he seemed to understand what was happening now, and he hadn't even asked, he'd pieced it all together himself. There was no trace of outward confusion in him to show he needed an answer. It only let Remus' mind to keep wandering though, to try and figure out what exactly did Karkaroff have to be so upset about? What was becoming clearer? All he could really think up was the Voldemort mentionings, and how they were all growing more and more terrified that he was trying to make a comeback with the help of the rat. Was it possible Karkaroff was hearing that news, and that's what he was referring to? Why would he be afraid of that though?

They had reached a large stone reindeer now,

Sirius muttered something under his breath regretfully, wanting to make a crack at Prongs, but worried Lily would snap at him again. The bleeding Death Eaters were gone, that part was over, could they please get back to talking about something more pleasant.

with only one path leading off. In the shadows was a stone bench, where Hagrid's husky voice could be heard telling that he'd known from the moment he saw her.

"Oh please go back to listening in on Death Eaters," James groaned, though honestly he was more than happy to give a slight laugh. "I do not want to sit in on Hagrid's love fest."

"Turn around Harry, please tell me you run off from this," Remus agreed.

Harry gave them an absent smile, now worried that he really had walked in on something unpleasant he wasn't going to like.

The boys froze, knowing right away this wasn't something they should be hearing.

"Now what gave you that idea?" Sirius rolled his eyes, pleasantly amused when Lily did nothing more than usual to his commentary again.

Harry looked around for another way to go, and spotted Fleur and Roger half off the path. He pointed this out to Ron as a way to go, Fleur and Roger were certainly busy enough not to notice them,

It was unbelievable that they could actually start laughing again, but Harry's mostly disgusted half intrigued look as he recalled looking at that certainly did it for the lot of them. Most students in the higher grades at least tried to hide these acts, so this was most likely Harry's first time ever watching someone make out, and it was certainly a more priceless and treasured moment than finding out something about Snape, so they were most definitely in at least a good mood again.

but Ron's eyes flipped wide in horror at the sight of Fleur, and he instead pulled Harry deeper into the shadows of the statue.

"Can't even blame him," Sirius said animatedly, "as he was probably hoping that was him a week ago."

"Moving on," Lily told him, "before you put more images into my head I never want."

Maxime's voice responded to Hagrid with a purr, asking what he'd known?

"No, really though Harry, you can still find another way to leave," Remus pleaded without a trace of hope.

Harry sighed with a miserable look at the ceiling, really wishing the more that was spoken he'd done just that.

Harry knew he didn't want to be hearing this, and wished he could stuff his fingers in his ears and start humming loudly, but that wasn't an option.

"I think it's better than the alternative," James shook his head sadly.

"And be found," Sirius corrected James, "no, best wait until they get ah, too distracted as well, and slip away, never mentioning this again."

"There you go again," Lily groaned, "could you not have edited that a bit so I didn't have to picture that!"

Sirius did not look remorseful in the slightest, he enjoyed the agitation it caused Lily too much.

Instead Harry tried to concentrate on a beetle he found crawling on the reindeer,

Harry frowned all of a sudden, some new feeling wanting to rear up and remind him of something other than embarrassment for listening in on this...

but the insect wasn't interesting enough to drown out Hagrid saying how he'd known Maxime was like him, asking if she'd gotten it from her mother or father?

"Oh," James' embarrassment quickly flickered to surprise as he stated, "well this isn't nearly as bad as declaring his undying love."

"Guess they would have been talking long enough by now Hagrid would be curious," Lily agreed.

Maxime tried to play him off, saying she had no idea what Hagrid meant.

"Excusez-moi?" Remus tried, and failed, at a french accent. "If she isn't a half giant like Hagrid than I'm a fish."

"And as you most certainly do not turn into a mermaid once a month," Sirius agreed with a straight face, "I'm inclined to agree."

Hagrid ignored that and happily kept babbling about how he'd gotten it from his Mum's side, she'd been one of the last left in Britain.

"Ooh," Lily couldn't help but sigh softly. This may not be the romance that Harry shouldn't have been listening in on, but it certainly was private enough she still wished more than anything Harry had scarpered. If Hagrid had wanted him to know this, he'd have told him already.

Admitting he didn't remember her that well, she'd left when he was three, but of course she wasn't the maternal sort. It just wasn't in their natures really, and he had no idea where she was now, could be dead for all he knew.

The boys were frowning with some genuine pity as well now. They'd never really thought about it to be honest, but Hagrid was quite right, giants were not maternal of any kind, they had their brood and then left them to fend for themselves. The strongest survived, and Hagrid was the farthest thing from a fully grown giant. That's why he was such an oddity at all, what giantess had fallen for a human to have Hagrid? None of them had ever questioned it to deeply, and they were truly sad to be thinking on it now.

Maxime didn't say anything, and Harry, in spite of himself, took his eyes off the beetle

Harry was certainly distracted enough by Hagrid as well to not even give that thing a second thought anymore, why would he?

and looked over the antlers with interest, he'd never heard Hagrid talk about his childhood before.

He certainly was now as he kept going by explaining his dad had raised him, and he'd been such a tiny thing. By the time Hagrid was six, he could place his dad on a dresser, making them both laugh at the time. Maxime had gone stiff and didn't seem to be responding anymore.

"Don't exactly know how you're supposed to respond to that," James shook his head, the urge to laugh was there at such a thing, but it was certainly sad enough to be kept at bay.

Hagrid didn't seem to notice as he told how his dad had taken care of him until Hagrid started school, but he'd passed very soon afterwards and Hagrid was left to himself.

Remus gave a genuine wince of empathy for that, wondering if it was the curse of all beasts that the parents suffered first. His own hadn't lived long enough to see him through school either.

Dumbledore had been a help to him after that, always kind to him.

"More than makes you understand his loyalty to him," Sirius sighed.

Hagrid blew his nose on his handkerchief then, trying to turn the conversation back on Maxime by asking about her?

Maxime's tone had changed as she stated how chilly it was,

Lily cocked her head to the side in confusion, but that still didn't hide the tense set of her shoulders. She wasn't really...

but the weather was nothing to her now icy tones.

"Oh she's not," James began scowling at once.

She stated she was leaving,

"She's bloody well trying," Sirius growled. She was actually trying to run out on Hagrid, after he'd just told her something like that. She really couldn't give him a moment of sympathy? What was wrong with her?

but Hagrid tried to call her back, saying he'd never met another one before.

Maxime demanded outright, another what?

"Does he need to spell it out for you," Lily's tone was as brittle as it could go. "Why is she being so stupid about it."

"Maybe she's never had to say it out loud before," Remus muttered to himself, he certainly remembered the first time he'd had to admit it to another person, but then again, it wasn't particularly the same. Maxime was being horrid to Hagrid, when he was trying to help. Maxime wasn't a real monster, she just happened to have a different kind of parentage.

Lily gave him a look for that comment, but the others hadn't heard, and Sirius was too outraged on Hagrid's behalf to notice and had kept reading loudly.

Harry wished he could have told Hagrid against saying what he did next, but Hagrid did indeed state another half giant of course.

Maxime shrieked in outrage.

"How dare he?" Lily snapped right back, her every visage saying she'd go toe to toe with Maxime right now no matter the height difference. "What is she playing at treating him like that when he's talking to her. How does she not understand that if anyone could sympathize with her, it's Hagrid!"

Her voice was such that it even drew the attention of Fleur and Roger, making them fall out of their bush.

James sighed, wishing for a moment where he could laugh at that proper, now he was all in a knot about Hagrid. This Yule Ball was turning out as big a mess as the stupid tasks it was so emotionally all over.

Maxime was still speaking in outrage how she'd never been more insulted, she was nothing of the sort! She just had big bones!

"She did not, just manage to say that," Sirius snapped in disgust. "Dumbledore has big bones, Runcorn had big bones! She has giant bones!"

"It's like Petunia had a bad influence on her as well," James agreed with a sneer.

She stormed away, stamping through bushes in her anger. Hagrid watched her go.

Lily made a deep throated noise, whether of hurt for Hagrid like she wanted to go to him and comfort him at once, or go after Maxime and hunt her down for treating her friend like that, nobody was certain, but both were likely.

It was too dark to see his face, but moments later, he got up as well and trudged back to his cabin.

"Poor Hagrid," James groaned for him. "Does it feel like he's had to deal with crap every year, the poor guy needs a break."

"He definitely didn't deserve this one," Sirius nodded.

Harry was at least happy they could finally get out of there and tried to get Ron to come along, but Ron didn't move.

Lily's temper looked about ready to pop on Ron, she'd had more than enough of him lately, but Remus quickly soothed before she could get started, "he had a bad reaction to me when he first found out as well. Don't go yelling at him for something he's processing."

"It's not like it's hard to work out," Sirius grumbled with an ugly look in place, he didn't much appreciate Ron having any reaction other than anger towards Maxime like the rest of them.

"To us it wasn't," Remus agreed, trying, and failing, to keep shame from his face as he stuttered out, "because we, well we ah, had more of an um, practice of-"

"We went out and hung around with someone most people wouldn't put together had a secret," James finished bluntly. "So we had a knack for guessing when others did. It is true most would first think it was some sort of magical accident that would make Hagrid like that unless they spotted the clues we did."

Sirius rolled his eyes at them, but then remembered Lily hadn't even guessed as much until they'd told her as well, so decided against arguing further.

Harry asked what his problem was, and Ron looked astounded at Harry with a very serious expression.

"Why do you keep describing everyone as looking like me?" Sirius asked of Harry quickly, just looking for anything to laugh at again. "You miss me that much pup, you're seeing me everywhere?"

Harry did indeed laugh at that joke and still didn't seem ready to be growing tired of it anytime soon much to Sirius' pleasure.

Ron asked if Harry had known about Hagrid being half giant, and Harry said he hadn't, but then asked so what?

Ron's face at once showed Harry's ignorance of the wizarding world.

"An ignorance that I'm quite happy you have," Lily sighed.

"Had," James corrected with a frown.

Harry gave them quizzical looks, but didn't bother asking as he knew he'd be asking Ron what the big deal was. Clearly he'd had it wrong before, if ever he did think about giants he thought they were all like Hagrid, nobody had ever said anything otherwise.

Brought up by Muggles, there were many times where something should have struck Harry differently in the wizarding world, and apparently finding out your friend was a half giant and the reaction being so what, was one of them; this was not a common reaction of most wizards.

"I want to emphasize that most though," James shook his head sadly. "You know Hagrid for more than five minutes, and nobody should care a lick."

Remus was sitting very far back in his seat, keeping the baby very close to him and avoiding all eyes so that he could be left out of this as long as possible, but he had no doubts his friends would circle back to him on this very soon if this lead where he was thinking it would. They were going to turn on him and remind him that Hagrid being at Hogwarts was as natural as Remus being there, something he still vividly disagreed with.

Ron told Harry he'd explain inside,

"Can't blame him for that though," Lily agreed, "those gardens have already proved the ease of eavesdropping."

leading the way back inside. Fleur and Roger had disappeared again, most likely to a more private clump of bushes,

"Thank you for acknowledging that Harry," James tried for a smirk again, at least that had brought back some fun memories from his seventh year, not that he had plans on sharing that.

and Harry and Ron went back inside the castle.

He caught sight of Parvati and Padma having a grand time with their new Beauxbatons dates, and Hermione dancing with Krum again.

"Ron's clearly just having the night of his life with all these girls," Remus chuckled to himself.

Harry and Ron chose seats as far away from everyone as possible as Harry asked what the deal with giants was?

Ron struggled to explain that they were, well not nice.

"Yeah," Remus rolled his eyes at such articulation, "and werewolves are just kind of unpleasant sometimes."

"You certainly are when you get snappy," Sirius scowled at him, his look more calculating than anything as he tried to guess if Remus was genuinely trying at a joke, or making a crack at himself, a very big difference in Sirius' opinion.

Remus met his eyes but wasn't giving anything away, saving himself from a lecture as he should have known better when he did the latter.

Harry asked why anyone would care, there was nothing wrong with Hagrid.

Ron quickly agreed, but it did explain why he never spoke about it. Ron had always thought he'd just had a bad encounter with an Engorgement Charm.

"I've heard worse ideas," James smiled without humor. Those ideas were usually helped along by the Marauders though, who even having guessed Hagrid's secret, had said no more about it than Remus'. It was his business after all.

Harry still asked what the deal with Hagrid was?

Ron tried to explain how dangerous giants were, they were vicious things that just liked to kill. Thankfully there weren't any left in Britain though.

Harry asked what happened to them, and Ron first said it was the Aurors who had killed most of them off,

Harry's mind boggled at the idea, still unable to grasp how big a 'real' giant even was, and how you could go about killing that. The dragon had seemed nearly invincible, and a true giant seemed to be at least the size of them.

but honestly, they enjoyed killing each other just as much.

Harry switched to talking about Maxime, saying she was kidding herself.

"Least you're grasping the important parts of this," Lily sighed.

Said woman was now at the judges table again, alone, looking miserable.

"Deserves it," three of them muttered, no sympathy at all for the way she'd given Hagrid hell.

Only Remus felt a wince for her, knowing full well how it could feel to have that kind of thing shoved in your face by someone. When his friends had done it to him, he'd tried running for his life, but they'd come after him. Hagrid and Maxime were slightly different, but at least Remus could understand both parts.

Harry pointed out that if Hagrid was a half-giant, she certainly was. Big bones, please, the only thing with bigger bones was a dinosaur.

At least James and Sirius full blown laughed at that, James praising, "thank you Harry for that lovely comparison."

Harry and Ron spent the rest of the ball discussing giants in their corner,

"I can just tell how riveted you are by this whole ordeal," Lily shook her head at him fondly.

"I never wanted to go in the first place," Harry reminded with a frown. "The part about the giants from Ron was the most interesting bit of the night."

"Wonder how different you'd feel if you had gone with Cho?" Sirius demanded with a knowing smile, genuinely wondering if it wouldn't have turned into his pup and her hiding in bushes, but Harry stoutly ignored him again.

while Harry tried his best not to watch Cho and Cedric,

Then Harry groaned and had to fight the urge to chuck that book in the fireplace already, it just had to keep mentioning that!

"Don't get too down Harry," James comforted, "I'm positive you'll get another shot at her."

"Or find someone better," Sirius offered.

Harry finally caved and flicked his godfather in the ear mildly. It wasn't the full blown smack they'd all been expecting when Sirius' picking had finally worn Harry's last nerve, but it was certainly enough to have them all laughing.

it gave him a strong desire to kick something.

"Least he didn't act on that urge," Remus chuckled with an obvious look at Sirius.

Sirius absently scooted just a bit more away from a Harry with a not so subtle smirk.

When the Weird Sisters had played their final song, the whole hall rang with applause while they filed back to the entrance hall.

"I'm guessing you didn't find a new favorite band tonight as well?" Lily asked.

"Nah, nothing more special than I've heard on Muggle radios," Harry shrugged, he'd never found any real interest in music and this night certainly hadn't fixed that.

Most of the passing people were expressing wishes how it had gone on longer, but Harry was not in the same boat.

"Yeah, can't blame you for that," Sirius shook his head in agreement.

Harry and Ron saw Hermione and Krum saying their goodnights. She gave Ron a blistering look as they passed.

"Because I really missed hearing about those two arguing," Lily groaned in anticipation for when this silence broke, neither of them were very good at holding back.

Harry and Ron were headed for the stairs when Cedric called Harry back.

"What, did he come to rub it in or something?" James scowled.

"I don't think so," Lily was frowning as well, though more lightly. "I honestly don't really think he'd even know about Harry's crush, he's hardly flamboyant about it as you love."

James looked nullified, but Sirius' interest was still piqued as he kept going.

Harry could see Cho waiting for him in the entrance hall below.

"That kicking urge coming back yet?" Remus asked pleasantly, "I'm sure you can still find someone in here who deserves it."

"Thank you Moony," Sirius told him with a straight face, "you're ever lasting defense for me always leaves me feeling safe and loved."

"Shove it and keep going," James snorted at the pair of them.

Harry responded back coldly, but Cedric didn't seem to want to speak with Ron there.

"Don't know why?" Lily said in surprise, "Harry'll just tell him later anyways."

"Guess Cedric wants to leave that up to me," Harry shrugged with a still rather foul temper.

Ron left, and Cedric lowered his voice so as not to be overheard as he told Harry for repayment about the dragon, he asked Harry if his egg wailed when he opened it?

"I'd be more surprised if all the eggs did something different," Remus stated.

"It would have been a little more interesting though," Lily shrugged, "after all, if it's all the same puzzle, the champions could feasibly work it out together."

"Clearly that's not the case though," James pointed out before the two could keep going.

When Harry agreed, Cedric told him to take a bath.

"Err, was that supposed to be an insult?" James cocked his head to the side as he tried to decide if he should be getting mad.

"I, don't think so," Lily frowned slowly, "and as he did say he was trying to return a favor, a clue then."

"To take a bath?" Sirius raised a brow, "does soap and water magically fix his egg?"

"Maybe," James agreed thoughtfully, "Like, it's broken or something, and cleaning it will, I don't know, fix it to make the proper noise."

"That's a pretty cheap return," Remus sniffed, "Harry didn't say go poke around the forest and figure it out."

"So he didn't come right out and say it. He's making him work for it," Lily shrugged, "at least he's making an attempt, not everyone would have even done that."

The boys were all still too mad at Cedric for one upping Harry on this particular night to feel real gratitude yet.

Harry did not get it. Cedric repeated for him to take a bath, and take the egg, and ah, mull things over. It'll help.

"This is getting weirder and weirder," Sirius' frown deepened. "He's not even saying to clean the egg, Merlin I don't even know what he's trying to say."

"Have I mentioned how much I dislike him lately," James grumbled, "enough with the riddles man, Harry gets more than enough of that."

Harry may full heartedly agree with his dad, and thanked him for the defense, but was internally telling his gut to shut up and stop wringing itself anytime someone said a bad word about Cedric.

Harry could not think of a reply to that as Cedric tacked on that Harry could even use the prefects bathroom. Telling him exactly where it was on the fifth floor,

Remus let out a surprised little chuckle though, stating, "okay, that right there was his repayment for the dragon. You're going to love that place, best bathroom in the castle."

It took Harry a moment to get past how odd Cedric's comment was to look back at Remus and ask, "you've been in there?"

"I certainly preferred it to sharing with these loons," Remus agreed, "whoever's the worst in your year about hogging the shower, Sirius beats them."

Sirius happily stuck his tongue out at him, running his hand through his hair with great importance as he stated, "I have a higher standard to hold than your grungy arse, had to keep all the attention off of you and my looks were the easiest way by far."

"You suffer so much for me," Remus told him deadpan.

Harry was going to ask how Remus even knew how to get in, but then decided that was a stupid question, as clearly the Marauders had yet to come across any room in the castle they didn't know about.

and even the password to get in. Then he bid Harry goodnight as he went back to Cho.

Lily shook her head as she realized these boys picking at each other had actually managed to distract her, but now the curiosity was right back on what on earth Cedric was up to with that odd insert of his. She did certainly agree with Remus though, if Harry never made prefect, he should get in there when he had the chance, it was more than worth it.

Harry walked back to Gryffindor Tower alone. That had been extremely strange advice.

"That about covered it, yeah," James muttered.

Why would taking a bath help anything? Was Cedric having a go at him?

"Well I would hope not," Sirius snapped at once. "Some payback for what you did for him."

"Doesn't seem his type," Lily shook her head, "no, he was trying to help Harry in his own way, I'm sure of it."

Was he trying to make Harry look like a fool, so Cho would like him even more by comparison?

Remus opened, then closed his mouth, quickly stalling his comment about how Cedric didn't need to do that, he clearly already had Cho's affection. He cared about Harry of course, but he wasn't quite sure how Harry would take Remus making joking comments like that like he would towards Sirius or James.

Sirius had no such qualms and blurted out, "nah, you clearly cover that all on your own Harry, I'm positive Cho's heard all about your lovely Valentine or-"

"What was it you were telling me about some ceiling incident Mum?" Harry spoke over Sirius with a challenging look, "I don't think I quite got that story."

"Read, quick keep going," James hissed and Sirius made quick work of doing so over a smirking Harry.

Remus was watching with self annoyance, he always hated how whenever his werewolf status was brought up he fell back on being a self conscious idiot. Of course Harry wouldn't have cared, he'd already been making and receiving plenty of jokes.

Harry had to wake up an extremely hungover Fat Lady to get inside past her irritation at being woken up.

"Well that's her fault," Lily chuckled much to Sirius' red faced horror, though he relaxed slightly when he realized Lily wasn't saying what he'd been afraid of. "As a house portrait, she really should know better."

She still had a knowing look in her eye that told both boys quite clearly she was fully prepared to give that story to Harry the next time he asked, so neither of them wanted to linger.

He climbed into the common room and found Ron and Hermione having a blazing row.

"Well that's always nice to walk in on," Remus said in only mild surprise, this had only come a little faster than expected after all.

"Here's hoping it doesn't turn into another no speaking one," Lily groaned. She was in fact hoping for the opposite, maybe Ron would finally admit what was bothering him all night, if not to Hermione, than at least to himself so that this could go a bit smoother.

Standing as far apart as they could, Hermione was shouting at him that if he didn't like her choice of dates, she had a solution for him!

Ron demanded what that could be just as loudly, and she screamed back that next time there was a ball, to ask her first, and not as a last resort!

James sucked in air through his teeth, before nodding and saying, "okay, Hermione wins that one."

"No arguments here," Sirius agreed.

Ron mouthed wordlessly as she turned to leave. Ron looked back at Harry, still struggling for speech as he tried to say she'd completely missed his point.

"Ah, no dear," Lily corrected, "I do believe that's you."

"How long do you think it'll take him to catch on?" Remus asked with honest curiosity.

"Hopefully sooner rather than later," James chuckled.

Harry was simply frowning at the lot of them, perfectly clear what they were talking about, but still somehow knowing that nothing really came of this for a few more years to come, something he was honestly quite grateful for.

Harry did not respond, he liked talking to Ron again to much to speak his mind,

"Which is?" Sirius prompted when Harry still hesitated, but did indeed admit

"That Ron shouldn't have gone with Padma, but it was sort of too late by then."

"There are worse ways you could have put that," Lily shrugged.

"Though blunt usually works the best," Remus smirked, "so I'm not sure if even that would have gotten through to him."

but he somehow thought that Hermione had gotten the point much better than Ron had.

"I know that's true," Sirius agreed as he gave the book to Harry.

HPHPHPHPHP

*In all honesty, no, I really don't think the Marauders understand the Room of Requirements in the same aptitude that Harry does next year. I think they would have found it more along the line like the twins had, a convenient place to hide at one time or something that they never found again, much like Remus had just joked about. Honestly, I doubt any students really do before the DA through Harry, it seemed more like a house-elf secret before Dobby shared.

**Fun fact, JK only added this moment because a lot of people were apparently mispronouncing her name. I saw the second movie before I got invested in the books, so I have a tendency to pronounce them the way the movies do, Cedric's last name becomes one of the most recurring corrections between me and friends for that.

#Harry Potter #fanfiction #reading the books #GoF #Marauders #Remus Lupin #sirius black #James Potter #Lily Potter

[mysterioh]

Saajan Ji Ghar Aaye - Chapter Two

Bucky Barnes x Desi!Reader

Synopsis: After a brisk romance in London, Bucky follows you back to your home in Upstate New York where the preparations for your marriage to the son of a family friend are well underway. As the inevitable countdown to your wedding begins, Bucky remains optimistic in his pursuit of your love and your family’s acceptance.

Arranged Marriage/Forbidden Lovers AU

“Saajan Ji ghar aaye” means “your beloved has come to your home”.

Masterlist

𝑻𝒖𝒎𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒌𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒍 𝒌𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒊 𝒋𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒂𝒍 𝒌𝒚𝒂 𝒌𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒏. 

 𝑯𝒐 𝒈𝒂𝒚𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒊 𝒌𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒂 𝒚𝒆 𝒌𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝒌𝒚𝒂 𝒌𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒏.

“Hit me up?” 

Your nose scrunched in disgust when you read the note. Who the hell did he think he was? 

You. 

Eik shareef kandan ki larki fraternizing with strange characters? 

Over your dead body. 

In a rush of anger you ripped up the paper and threw it in the trash. You flipped the lights off and cozied yourself underneath the cover. 

“Kuttay da bacha.” 

“I’m losing my damn mind,” Sam groans. 

“What happened?” Steve questioned, looking up from his paper. 

“This place is too fucking fancy for me,” he waved his arms around. “They gave me three different forks to eat my pancakes with and I don’t know which one is the right one.” 

Steve chuckles. “Just pick any, no one’s gonna judge you here.” 

“You just had to marry rich, didn’t you?” Sam nagged playfully. “Couldn’t just pick a simple girl from Brooklyn.” 

“I’m marrying Peggy because I love her, not for her money,” Steve retorts. 

“The money’s just a bonus,” Bucky cuts in as he approaches the two. Steve frowns as Sam turns his head to watch Bucky walk into the hotel’s dining hall. 

“Look who finally decided to show up,” Sam teased. “Rest well, Sleeping Beauty?” 

“Like a baby,” Bucky replies, as he slides into a chair next to the two. He takes his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and places it on the table so he can sit more comfortably. 

“Holy shit these pancakes are so good,” Sam fawns as he stuffs his mouth. 

“This is a five-star hotel, have some manners,” Steve hisses. 

“My deepest apologies, mother, I won’t do it again,” Sam chides him. 

Steve takes a sip of his coffee, shooting a glare in Sam’s direction, who’s hardly paying any attention to him. His eyes flit towards Bucky, who’s too busy frowning at his phone to entertain their daily squabble. 

“You’re not hungry, Buck?” 

“Hmm?” he looks at Steve. “Oh no, not really,” he shakes his head. 

“Still tired?” 

“Nah,” Bucky denies. 

“Did that girl ever text you?” Sam asked. Bucky kicked Sam’s leg. Sam winces. “What?” 

Steve’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What girl?” 

“The girl he met on the plane,” Sam informed their other friend. “He slipped his number in her book.” 

Bucky hides his face in his hands. 

“You slipped your number in a random girl’s book?” Steve repeated. “How’d you even do that?”

“She fell asleep on his shoulder and he decided to go through her stuff,” Sam deadpanned, taking another mouthful of pancake in his mouth. 

“Seriously?” 

“No!” Bucky defended. “It was nothing like that. The book was right there so I decided to just slip it in.” 

“It’s fucking creepy, man,” Sam stated. 

Bucky sulks in his chair and plays with his fingers. “She was pretty alright?” he murmured. 

Steve straightens his paper like an old father. “That doesn’t change the fact that it’s creepy.” 

Bucky groans. “What if she was on a connecting flight? I might never see her again.” 

Sam rolls his eyes. “You’re so dramatic. No girl in their right mind would contact a complete stranger that they’ve only exchanged two words with. Especially one that looks like you.” 

Bucky sits straight. “What’s wrong with the way I look?” 

“You look like something I’d draw with my left hand.” 

Steve snorts behind his paper, earning him a glare from Bucky. “I mean he’s not wrong.” 

“Imagine having two best friends that roast your ass instead of console you,” Bucky shades them. 

“Don’t worry, Buck,” Steve assures him with an easy smile. “There’s plenty of girls out there. You’ll find another one.” 

“But I liked that one,” he grumbles. 

“You don’t know anything about her. Move on already,” Sam retorts. Bucky pouts in his seat like a child. 

“Peggy’s cousin is holding a party tonight and you’re obviously invited,” Steve informed, before returning to his paper. “I know without a doubt that you’ll find someone there.”

Inconsequent polite chatter, canapes, and wine. The three main ingredients for a fancy party held by a social elite. 

The ballroom on the top floor at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower was already brimming with people when you arrived. 

Then again, any party hosted by the one and only Tony Stark would be. 

“Farhan!” Tony greets as he approaches the two of you. His arms were spread out in a welcoming manner with a glass of champagne in one hand. 

“Tony! It’s been too long,” your brother gives him a side hug. 

“And this is…” Tony looks at you completely clueless as to what your name is. 

Typical. 

“Uh, my sister,” Farhan introduces, motioning a hand towards you. “Y/N.” 

“And Farhan’s sister!” he exclaims.

“Nice to finally meet you,” you extend a hand. Tony takes it and gives it an over-excited shake. Must be the champagne. “Farhan’s told me a lot about you.” 

“Hopefully not everything,” Tony laughs. He places his hand on Farhan’s shoulder and shakes it a bit. “Y’know me and him,” he points between the both of them. “We both got into so much trouble at St. Joseph’s, but somehow this motherfucker always got out of it.”

Farhan shakes his head in embarrassment. You look at him with a raised brow paired with an amused smile. Oh how you wished, Abbu was right there with you. 

“You’re lying,” Farhan tries to cover up. “It was all you. I would tell you not to do it.” 

“I’m lying?” Tony retorted, ready to spill all the dirty details from their highschool days. “Remember that time you—” 

“Y/N!” 

You turn to see Peggy running towards you, her perfect auburn curls bouncing as she does. She slams into you, almost toppling you over. “You’re finally here!” she exclaims. She lets go, but keeps you in arm’s length. “And you look gorgeous. Oh, I’ve missed you so much!” she pulls you back in for another hug. 

“I’ve missed you too.” 

“I was so worried you wouldn’t make it,” Peggy said. 

“Me? Not make it to your wedding?” you replied, “Not in a million years.” Your chuckles mingled with hers. It’s been so long since you felt this happy.

“Oh, Farhan,” Peggy notices him behind you. “You’re here too!”

“Of course I’m here,” he teased. “You thought I wouldn’t be?” 

“No,” she shakes her head in amusement. “You’re just so busy these days being a hotshot in The City.” 

“I’m never too busy for a friend.” 

“Aww, aren’t you the sweetest?” Tony teases. “You use that kinda talk when you're buttering those geezers up?” 

“Well, if it means the best for L/N Enterprises then I see no harm in it,” he shrugs with a pompous grin . “Maybe Stark Industries should take a tip or two from me.”

“Farhan,” you gasped, a habit you picked up from Ummi. 

“Let’s leave these two here,” Peggy told you, taking you by the hand. “Let me introduce you to the wedding party.”

“Alright,” you nodded as she pulled you through the crowd leaving Farhan and Tony behind. 

“Steve!” she calls for the blonde at the bar. He turns around, a smile spreading on his face when he sees his fiance. She scurries up to him with you right behind her. “Look who finally made it.” 

“Y/N!” he greets. “Thank God, you’re here. Peggy was about to raise hell. She’s been driving me nuts all evening.”  

“If she’s driving you nuts now then you sure you want to get married to her?” Sam jabbed walking towards them with a blue-eyed stranger that looked far too familiar beside him. 

Bucky’s eyes light up when they meet yours. He grins at you from ear to ear which you return with a tight-lipped scowl. 

“I am sure,” Steve affirms. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.” He grins, pulling Peggy into his side and planting a sweet peck on her temple.  

“Y/N, these are Steve’s friends,” Peggy introduces. “Sam and Bucky. Guys, this is Y/N, we were roommates in university.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Sam nods. 

“You too,” you whisper, feeling uncomfortable with the energy that your reunion with the freak had created in the room.

Bucky chuckles to himself, unable to contain the giddy excitement within him.  

“What’s so funny, Buck?” 

“Nothing,” he shakes his head. You bit your lip, eyes everywhere but on him. His eyes sink you in, etching every detail that he missed into his memory. “It’s a small world after all.” 

You lock eyes with him, and there’s just something about his gaze that you’ve never encountered before. 

A cool London breeze brushes against your arms. You managed to slip out of the party and right under Peggy’s nose for some well-needed fresh air out on the balcony of the high-rise ballroom. 

Farhan was God knows where. Most likely surrounded by colleagues and business partners who had a long list of topics to discuss with him. Topics that you had no interest in and quite literally bored you. That’s why you decided not to go into business and instead went into the medical field. 

Not like you needed to anyway. Farhan was fully capable of taking care of the entirety of L/N Enterprises by himself, and if you had to be honest, you were glad he was. You could call yourself selfish and lazy, but having the weight of Abbu’s legacy resting on your shoulders was something you weren’t capable enough to handle. 

You let out a deep exhale, while leaning against the balcony and looking out at the city skyline that glimmered in the dark night. 

You hear footsteps behind you and turn to see who it was. 

“What are you doing here?” you snapped, standing straight with a tight fist, ready to swing if it came to it. 

Bucky grins. “Just getting some fresh air. You?” 

“I was just leaving,” you stated, walking past him in large strides. 

He catches your hand by the wrist. “Wait up.” 

“Don’t touch me,” you pull your hand out of his. 

“Sorry,” he apologizes with a nervous smile. “Did you get my note?” 

You look away, embarrassed. “I did,” you mumbled. 

“Then why didn’t you reply?” 

You look at him incredulously. “Me? Reply to you?” you asked. “I don’t even know you.” 

“Oh of course where are my manners,” he lunges towards you. “I’m Bucky. I’m twenty-six years old from Brooklyn and a mechanical engineer. How about you?” 

“Leave me alone.” You turn on your heel and head towards the door. 

“Don’t you think you should give me a chance?” Bucky asks from behind. “The fact that we’re meeting again can’t just be a coincidence. I think it’s fate.” 

“Fate?” you repeated with a raised brow. 

“Yeah,” he nods. “I mean just think about it. We met on the plane. There’s like a one in a million chance that we would’ve landed on the same plane. And the fact that our friends are getting married and we’re meeting each other again to celebrate?” he brings a finger to his cheek as if he’s thinking. “Uh, I think the universe is plotting something here.” 

You feel a migraine unleashing. “Stop you’re making my head hurt.” 

“All I’m saying is that a guy like me and a girl like you have some sort of connection.” 

“Wrong.” you state flatly. “A girl like me and a guy like you have nothing to do with each other. So if you’ll please excuse me, I have to go. And if you ever try speaking to me again, it will not end well for you.” 

Bucky hands hugs his hips as he watches you leave. He lets out a deep exhale, wondering what your deal was. 

Was he really that ugly?

Translations: 

Eik shareef kandan ki larki - Daughter of a honorable family. 

Kuttay da bacha - Son of a bitch. 

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[tsarisfanfiction]

Grounded pt1

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family Characters: Scott, Virgil, Gordon, John

Re-watched Buried Treasure and Venom and this little muse dug its claws in - Scott took a bit of a beating in the former, and then doesn’t pilot TB1 or even the pod even though speed is of the essence in the latter.  This isn’t finished - don’t know if the eventual thing will be a oneshot or multichap on AO3/FFN - or even proof read because it’s midnight and I’ll get yelled at if I don’t go to bed now, but muse wouldn’t shut up, so here’s 4k words of whatever this is gonna end up being.  Title is also still a wip.

It was an exhausted Scott Tracy that dragged himself into his shower at the end of what had been a day he honestly wished had never happened.  A trip into a trash mine had never been on his bucket list – and even if he’d known about the things before today, it still wouldn’t have featured on his bucket list – and after the chaos that had ensued, he would be delighted if he never had to enter one again.  Somewhere in the big brother part of his mind labelled Gordon was a mental note to make sure his second youngest brother never went in one again, either. While Scott was all for his brothers making friends, he had concerns about his budding acquaintance with the woman known only as Scraps.

He wasn’t entirely sure Gordon had told the truth when he said he’d never gone scavenging himself, and he certainly wasn’t sure Gordon wouldn’t if the opportunity presented itself. After the hydrofoil, the blond had gained a ‘if today was my last day’ attitude and refused to let new experiences pass him by; it was understandable, but more than a little stressful for Scott at times.

The mission had been a success, but it hadn’t felt like it when both his accompanying brothers were stewing in angry silence over the comms on the way back, Scraps (encouraged by Gordon) had insisted he fork out the quite frankly ludicrous price of the stretchy toy, and the owners of the site were breathing down his neck about destruction of their property.  Apparently they didn’t care that it was Scraps who had damaged their WRM when IR had wrecked their park and were well known to be the Tracy family – that is, known to be filthy rich.  It had been a very expensive day for both him personally and the family at large, and just to compound it all he’d come home to the news that while the Mechanic was now willingly working on the engine, the price of that had been the Hood finding out about their plans.

Brains’ furious lecture about the mole pod had just been the icing on the cake.  Scott had tried to save it and nearly got himself munched by the mechanical monster in the process, but apparently trying wasn’t good enough.  He understood – he did.  Every time Brains had to build them a new pod so they could keep functioning at full capacity was another delay on the T-Drive engine.  It was just one more thing he didn’t need in a day where the only highlight was the fact that at least their rescue hadn’t failed where it counted – Scraps was alive, and being treated for shock and a fractured rib at her local hospital.

Speaking of ribs…

Four long, gruelling hours after the rescue finished, Scott finally had the chance to peel his dirty, mud-splattered uniform away from his aching body and assess the physical damage he’d sustained.  His suit was reinforced and designed to protect him, but it had its limits, and Scraps’ shrill scream to stop forcing Gordon to make an emergency stop – just for the sake of a damned toy – had slammed his torso into the rigid exoskeleton of the dragonfly pod.

Just because their pods couldn’t stand up to a WRM didn’t mean they weren’t solidly built.  Very solidly built.  Scott had felt a sadly all-too familiar sensation of at least one rib breaking at the contact, but with their lives still decidedly in peril hadn’t had the chance to do anything about it.  Their frantic flight for the surface, where he had nothing but his uniform and what shelter he could glean from the front of the pod to protect him from their forceful resurfacing, hadn’t done him any favours either.

It spoke volumes that both his brothers were so annoyed with him – one of them for reasons outside of his control, which was very unlike Virgil – that neither of them had noticed how stiffly he’d been standing.  They hadn’t even glanced at him twice despite knowing that he’d been on the outside of a pod travelling at high speeds through a tunnel, and while there was always a part of Scott who hated to worry his brothers and hid injuries he found himself wrong-footed at the fact he’d got away with it.

The painkillers he’d popped the moment he was back in One, out of sight, had done their job to get him home, but after four hours they were wearing off, pain stabbing its way through his chest.  He should go to the infirmary, get a scan to see how bad it was and maybe even reluctantly tell someone, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that.  Virgil might be in a bad mood with him, but he’d instantly feel guilty for not noticing, and Grandma would not go easy on her favourite grandson for neglecting something as basic as a health check after a dangerous manoeuvre, no matter how annoyed he’d been with the person in question.

He had a stock of painkillers in his ensuite, like they all did, for minor things like bumps and bruises. They weren’t supposed to be used in relation to any unreported injuries, but Scott had already decided he couldn’t report it, and besides, he was the commander.  He could bend a few rules – it wasn’t his first rodeo with broken ribs, anyway.  He knew how to treat them.  Painkillers, ice if he could get some without causing suspicion, and rest when he could snatch it.

This was a case of snatching some rest – it was dinner soon, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d skipped Grandma’s cooking and it wouldn’t be the last.  It wouldn’t raise any eyebrows if he wasn’t there; he doubted his brothers would be if they could escape.

Looking in the bathroom mirror, it was clear straight away that he’d taken quite a hit.  Mottled bruising decorated his torso and shoulders – the first from the collision with the pod, the second from breaking through the surface.  Tentative probing with his fingers told him what he already knew as his chest flinched away from the touch with a spike of pain.  At least one broken rib.

He’d sneak some ice from the freezer once everyone else was in bed, but for the time being he had a long overdue date with his shower and popped a fresh dose of painkillers before easing himself under the water.  Ideally, Scott wanted a hot one, but the broken rib meant he kept it cool in an attempt to soothe the swelling.  Brown water swirled around his feet, finally washing away the dirt he’d acquired in the trash mine, and he let himself relax as the painkillers kicked in.

The mission finally felt like it was over.  He couldn’t say the day was over, because he still had the never-ending pile of reports for both the GDF and Tracy Industries to write up and there was never any telling when the next emergency call would come in, but no more trash mine, no more furious gardeners or landowners.

Just Scott and-

“Scott, sorry to interrupt your shower but there’s another situation.”  John appeared suddenly and Scott jumped, muffling a curse as his ribs informed him that painkillers or not, that was not appreciated.  He sighed instead.

“F.A.B.”  He rubbed his face tiredly, beyond glad their bathroom cameras didn’t transmit anything below the neck so his decorative torso was hidden from his ever-attentive brother… who had apparently also missed that he’d been slammed hard into the pod.  “I’ll be in the lounge in two.”  He wanted to say five, but it normally only took two minutes and longer would make John suspicious.

“See you there.”  John vanished and he let out another breath, turning off the water.  Strictly speaking, he shouldn’t fly with a broken rib, or go on a rescue at all, but as long as he took it easy it would be fine.

Two minutes later found him in the lounge, apparently the last one there.  Virgil and Gordon didn’t acknowledge his arrival and he tried not to let it sting.  They’d work with him on the rescue – it wasn’t the first time they’d gone on a rescue mid-row, and no doubt wouldn’t be the last.  The perils of living and working full time with siblings.  Alan, at least, gave him a big grin and he returned it as best he could before turning to John, who was hovering impatiently in the middle of the room.  He was always impatient when they weren’t all immediately available; Scott didn’t take it personally.

“Good, you’re here,” John acknowledged.  “We’ve got a collapsed mineshaft with a worker trapped inside in Cornwall, England.  His colleagues all got out okay but they don’t have the gear to get him out without risking a bigger collapse.”

“F.A.B., John,” Scott replied.  “I’ll go on ahead in Thunderbird One.  Virgil, Gordon, follow me in Thunderbird Two.”  Another underground rescue, and another mole pod needed.  Typical.  Still, if it was really only simple, he wouldn’t be needed for more than co-ordination. He could handle that.  “Virgil, have you had the chance to replace the lost gear from the trash mine?”

“All replaced,” Virgil confirmed, heading for his launch chute.  “We’re out of spares now, though, so we’d better not lose this one.”  Scott winced – that wasn’t good.

“I’ll bear that in mind,” he said, reaching up towards his lamps and pulling them down towards his chest as always, glad that the painkillers had more or less kicked in so the movement didn’t make his ribs flare up in pain.  The last thing he saw before being whisked around into his chute was Alan, looking somewhat dejected at being left behind, again.

They’d barely needed Gordon for the mission – if Scott was at full health he would have entertained leaving him behind – so there was no reason to bring Alan.  Still, there was a scolding voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Grandma telling him he should have let Alan take Thunderbird One and take a rest himself.

If Thunderbird Three was needed while they were gone, Alan would be fit to pilot, he argued back.  Thunderbird One would be tough, but he conceded that there was no way he could launch into space with at least one broken rib.  The voice quietened but he knew it wasn’t pacified.

The painkillers diluted but didn’t entirely quash the pain of suiting up, but with no-one around to see he could gasp without fear of being caught, and soon he was scrambling into his pilot seat – still muddy; cleaning his ‘bird had been next on the priority list after the shower, because apparently his brothers had decided not to help him out on that front.

If suiting up was bad, launching was worse.  He’d anticipated that, throwing his comms onto mute – John knew better than to interrupt during the launch sequence unless it was truly urgent so there shouldn’t be anyone to see him – as he gasped for breath against the stinging of his chest. Full speed was out of the question, but as it was a rescue they already knew what they’d need, he didn’t have to get there much before Thunderbird Two, so he settled for an almost bearable Mach 10 and flicked his comms back on, hoping John wouldn’t ask questions.

Presumably John had reached the same conclusion as him, as his decision of half max speed wasn’t commented on when his brother made contact a few minutes later to continue the debrief with additional information coming in from the danger zone.

It was a textbook rescue, a fact Scott was incredibly glad for as he let Virgil take the mole pod down, followed by Gordon with stabilising foam to stop the mine collapsing any further.  In and out, no complications, no injuries.  The trapped worker emerged from the pod shaken but otherwise fine and Scott watched Virgil check him over thoroughly to be safe as he and Gordon secured both intact pods back inside the module, where they belonged.

“I’ll see you back at base,” he told his brothers as he headed back to his ‘bird.  Gordon gave him a crisp nod while Virgil gave no indication that he’d heard – as he was still checking the rescuee over, Scott hadn’t expected one. Gordon’s reaction told him everything he needed to know – the attitude was still professional-only.  He wasn’t yet forgiven for whatever transgression it was Gordon was mad at him about.  It was nearing midnight at home, though; they were all tired and Scott fully expected it to all blow over by morning, once they’d had some sleep.

The site supervisor was waiting for him as he approached.

“Just wanted to say thank you again,” the woman said, sticking out her hand.  He took it and hid a wince at her particularly vigorous shake.  It was too soon for more painkillers, but this particular dose was wearing off already; the flight home was not going to be fun.

“Just doing our job,” he returned, polite smile on his face, and carefully retracted his hand.  She let him.

“Your job’s an impressive one,” she winked at him, before her gaze wandered slightly.  Scott wanted to groan – he knew that look, and normally he’d play along, maybe even see if he could score if he was feeling particularly lucky, but he was physically tired, emotionally drained, and in pain. No flirting for him today.

He just nodded at her, smile slightly more genuine because regardless of the situation it always gave him a bit of a boost when he got attention of that sort – not that he’d dare admit that to his brothers, or they’d never let him forget it – and she laughed.

“I’d say another time, but I’d hope we don’t need your assistance again,” she grinned, and before Scott realised it was coming, there was a playful elbow in his ribs.  Nothing hard, not even something he’d normally react to, but his ribs screamed and he gasped, instinctively doubling over before forcing himself straight again.

He fervently hoped his brothers hadn’t noticed, but didn’t dare glance around to check.

“Oh, I’m so-”

“You’re right, hopefully you won’t need us again.”  He overrode her apology, sent her another small grin, and got himself back inside the safety of his ‘bird as quickly as he could without seeming like he was running away. His ribs burned and he eyed the first aid cabinet, sorely tempted, but squashed the impulse.  Piloting in pain wasn’t advisable, but piloting overdosed on medication was potentially fatal.  Taking a moment to settle, he opened up a link to Thunderbird Five.

“I’m returning to base now,” he informed his brother.  “Rescue complete; Virgil and Gordon are finishing up with the worker, but they’ve got it all in hand and I’ve got a shower to finish.”

“F.A.B.,” John acknowledged, a small grin on his face at Scott’s mention of a shower.  “I’ll see if I can get the world to wait on getting itself into any more trouble until you’re done, big brother.”

“That would be nice,” Scott grinned, settling back in his chair more comfortably and ignoring his ribs. They both knew John couldn’t control that, especially not with the Hood and his Chaos Crew running around, but sometimes it was nice to pretend.  “Thunderbird One out.”

He muted his comms again – against protocol, but he doubted Virgil or Gordon would be calling him up for a chat given the way they were cold-shouldering him and he’d already addressed John – before taking off.  VTOL launches were far gentler with the G-forces, but unlike earlier, he wasn’t riding high on the full effect of the painkillers, so it hurt worse as he accelerated.

Mach 8 would be plenty to get him home, he decided, unwilling to risk anything faster than necessary, and once he was cruising he unmuted his comms, confident he wouldn’t have missed anything.

“-ott.  Scott.  Thunderbird One are you listening to me?”

Virgil sounded furious. That didn’t bode well.

“Reading you loud and clear, Thunderbird Two,” he replied.  “What’s happened?”  He reached out in preparation of turning his ‘bird’s nose back the way he’d come.

“What’s happened, he asks,” Virgil steamed, hologram materialising.  He was standing firmly upright, arms crossed and one hand tapping on his arm.  “The site supervisor wanted to know why you’re working with a rib injury.”

Dammit.

“Virgil-” he started, not quite sure how he was going to deflect the accusation.  His brother didn’t give him a chance.

“Don’t Virgil me,” he snapped.  “Get back here so I can see why she thinks you’re injured.”

“It’s fine,” Scott lied. “Nothing serious.  I’ll see you back at base.”  He cut the call, which in immediate hindsight was stupid decision, but to his surprise, Virgil didn’t immediately call back.  Still, he switched his comms back to mute and eyed his speed.  If he wanted to get back before Thunderbird Two, Mach 8 would be enough, but if Virgil pushed his ‘bird, it wouldn’t leave him with much time to grab a shower and smuggle some ice.  Gritting his teeth, he pushed her up to Mach 10, swallowing the grunt of pain from the additional pressure.

Almost immediately, Thunderbird One started to slow.

“Hey!” he yelped.  The absolute last thing he needed was his ‘bird crashing.  It might give him enough injuries to hide the fact his ribs were already broken, but wrecking his ‘bird was not worth avoiding a lecture.  He tried to correct it, but her controls jammed under his hands. “Oh you’re kidding me,” he groaned, preparing himself to stand up and get to the reset.  What had even happened?  She hadn’t been damaged since the Icarus, and Brains and Virgil had both sworn through and through that she was fully functional again.  There was no reason for-

His holographic display lit up with the icon for Thunderbird Five.

Ah.  Dammit.  Virgil had got John on his case.

Reluctantly, he unmuted his comm and immediately got blasted with three brothers all yelling at him. The temptation was there to simply mute them again, but instead he sighed and leaned back in his chair, waiting for them to stop.

“-t mute your comms ever-”

“-swer us you-”

“-re you an idiot-”

They didn’t, but their voices were getting more and more frantic, and he realised they were starting to panic at his lack of a response.  He groaned.

“You don’t need to shout, I can hear you just fine,” he told them.  “John, what are you doing with Thunderbird One?”

“Landing,” his brother said abruptly.  “You’re just coming up over the Sahara so I’m putting you down there.  Thunderbird Two is en route.”

“This really isn’t necessary,” Scott complained. “Can’t we deal with this at home?”

“You mean in another two hours, providing we don’t get another callout or distraction so you can slip away again?” Virgil asked dryly.  “No, we’re doing this now, and if I find anything worse than a minor bruise you’re finishing the trip home in Thunderbird Two’s medbay.”

Scott groaned, having absolutely no desire to be subjected to that.  “Seriously, guys, I’m fine.”  Thunderbird One’s VTOLs fired as her speed dropped, and he felt her land.  Looking out of the viewing window, he saw sand and more sand.  The Sahara, as John had promised.

“We’ll be the judge of that,” Gordon scowled.

“Thunderbird Two is five minutes out from your location,” Virgil informed him coolly.  “Stay where you are.”

Thunderbird Five’s insignia was still firmly ensconced in the holographic display, informing him that John had not retracted his override.  As much as he wanted to, there was no way he was going anywhere until his brothers had satisfied themselves.  He groaned again and eyed the medical cabinet once more.  It was still too soon to take another dose, but he knew there was no way any of them would be letting him pilot the rest of the way home anyway.

The relief from pain would not be worth the lecture from Virgil and then Grandma.  Reluctantly he turned away from it and closed his eyes, listening out for the engines of Thunderbird Two.  His brothers kept the channel open, talking to each other and occasionally shooting a question his way – presumably to make sure he hadn’t passed out on them – which he answered reluctantly.

True to Virgil’s words, five minutes after John had landed his ‘bird there came the sound of Thunderbird Two’s VTOL overhead, and he jabbed at his seat controls to leave his ‘bird, seeing no point in sitting and waiting for them to descend on him when he’d be dragged into Thunderbird Two anyway.  Some battles weren’t worth fighting.

“Scott!”  Virgil strode across the short distance between the two ‘birds, grabbing his arm as soon as he was in reach as though he thought he’d flee if given the chance.  With John still controlling his ‘bird, Scott thought the gesture unnecessary.  “You absolute idiot.  Thunderbird Two, now.”  The hand gripping his bicep didn’t give him much of a choice, forcibly guiding him towards the lowered hatch.

Gordon was waiting in the cockpit, arms crossed and eyes like fire.  Beside him, the cockpit’s stretcher had been lowered.

“Sit,” Virgil snapped, dragging him over to it.  Scott obeyed reluctantly, and scowled at the medical scanner immediately deployed.  It didn’t take long to flag up amber along his various bruises, and red at his ribs.  He didn’t hear what Virgil ground out under his breath, but he was fairly certain it wasn’t language he’d use in front of their grandmother.  “John, take One home.  Scott’s piloting nowhere.”

“F.A.B.”  Scott knew his brother well enough to hear the anger in those three letters.  His ‘bird’s VTOL roared to life and he watched her take to the sky through the cockpit windows.

“When did this happen, Scott?” Virgil demanded, setting the scanner to one side and tugging at his zip. Scott batted his hand away, taking over. He still had enough pride to not be undressed by his brother.  Two sets of brown eyes narrowed dangerously as the bruising became visible.

Caught, there was nothing to be gained by lying.  “Last mission, when the pod stopped suddenly.”  A flash of guilt swept across Gordon’s face.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” the aquanaut demanded.  He shrugged, then winced when his body reminded him that the painkillers were all but worn off.

“Didn’t exactly get the chance,” he said.  “Couldn’t do anything about it at the time because we were trying not to become WRM food, then there was the thing with the Mechanic and the Hood, and the landowner wanted compensation for the damaged WRM and park, and-”

“And most of that could have waited for you to get checked over,” Virgil interrupted, a gentle hand lightly touching his bruised torso.  Scott’s body flinched away from the contact unbidden.  “Why the hell did you come out to Cornwall?  Gordon and I could have handled it by ourselves.”

“It was a rescue,” Scott protested.

“Which you’re now grounded from for six weeks, minimum,” Virgil growled.  “Lie down.  What have you taken for the pain?”

He didn’t get a chance to protest before both brothers were carefully but firmly pushing him down onto the stretcher.

“Two Tylenol when I left the trash mine seven hours ago,” he admitted.  “Two more just before this mission, three hours ago.”  Virgil frowned.

“You’ll have to bear with it until we get home,” he said.  “Once the Tylenol’s out of your system, I’ll give you something stronger.”  Scott scowled.  “Gordon, get some ice on his ribs.  Scott, stay still.”  Virgil had the gall to strap him down, avoiding putting pressure on his ribs.  “We’ll be talking about this when we get home.”

It was a promise, but just before he turned away to head to his seat, Scott saw the one thing he’d hoped he’d be able to avoid: guilt.  Virgil was well aware he’d missed the signs because of his flare-up about the topiary, and wouldn’t be forgiving himself for it any time soon.

“Virg-” he started, only to interrupt himself with a hiss as a cool sensation spread across his chest. He closed his eyes briefly, before opening them to find Gordon stood next to him, ice pack in hand.

“Not right now, bro,” the blond said quietly, and the same guilty pain was in his eyes.  “Give him time.”

“Gord-”

“And me,” Gordon interrupted him.  “Just… not yet, okay?  Wait ‘til we’re home and you’re all smothered better in the infirmary.”

Scott didn’t like it, but he understood it – they’d find it easier to deal with once they knew he really was okay.  Broken ribs sucked, but in the grand scheme of injuries, they were relatively minor.  The real fear his brothers carried was what if it had been worse – a punctured lung, for example.

In answer, he pulled a face, showing exactly what he thought of being ‘smothered better’ as Thunderbird Two roared to life beneath him.  A small grin tugged at the corner of Gordon’s mouth and he considered that progress, settling back comfortably as his brother’s ‘bird carried him home.

next...

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds are go fanfiction #tsari writes fanfiction #season 3 spoilers #scott tracy #virgil tracy #gordon tracy #john tracy #grounded

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

Small Time Witch (18)

The compound was quiet except for the constant hum of fluorescent. The five of you walked in like children in trouble for missing curfew. You and Wanda held hands, passing each other secret messages. For once she was the bundle of nerves. You were calm. Chillingly calm. You ran your thumb over her knuckles and squeezed every now and then. She squeezed back holding on to you for dear life. She didn’t know why her stomach was in knots but it was.

Bucky and Sam stalked around the room on kittens feet. They checked around corners and opened doors. Sam thought about an episode of Scooby Doo that always creeped him out. The gang was in an old factory searching by flashlight when an idle machine kicked on. Like it was on cue the elevator dinged. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Off walked Tony who seemed to be just as startled. “Why are you guys creeping around? We have to get going.”

Bucky and Steve looked tense. All stiff with their brows furrowed and nostrils flared. Their fists were clenched ready to fight. You held Bucky’s right hand to calm him down. When you tried to grab Steve’s hand he pulled it away. On the long ride back you and Steve sat in the back seat while Sam drove. You rested your head on his chest. He held you lazily not really reciprocating the need to touch. He looked out of the window mostly. Deep in thought. Perhaps he had noticed your bracelet back on your wrist. Perhaps he noticed your kiss swollen lips. Maybe it was the tears shimmering in your eyes and the look of longing on your face that he knew were not for him. Perhaps he knew you had made your choice in the beautiful house built in the glen. Perhaps you didn’t even know that you had. For the first time it wasn’t him. No. He didn’t want to be calm now. He needed his adrenaline rushing and his senses heightened. Maybe after this you wouldn’t choose him but he knew in his heart you loved him. More than anything he knew in his heart how much he loved you.

“Looking for you, boss.” you said, sarcasm tinting your voice.

“Well you found me.” Something icy cold passed between you and Tony. He had one finger on the trigger and he was itching to squeeze. Your confidence was making him edgy. He wasn’t scaring you but he knew you knew something was happening. That’s ok. When you didn’t have your man protecting you he bet you would adjust your attitude.

“Ok. If you two strapping men can help load a few things on the jet I would appreciate it. I’m running point on this one.” Steve and Bucky reluctantly left to help Clint. Tony looked at you over his glasses, “You’re with me, Sunshine.”

Sam followed the two of you towards the door, “You flying separate?”

“Yeah. Two teams. Rhodes and Romanoff are already on board. We’ll see you in Juneau.” You followed behind Tony trying to match his long strides. He was clearly trying to get you out of there before Steve got back inside. Sam and Wanda took off running to the airstrip.

“Cap! Y/N went on a separate aircraft with Tony Rhodes and Romanoff. I couldn’t stall him without raising an eyebrow, man. I’m sorry.”

Steve dropped the box he was holding and ran to the runway where you were taking off. Your plane was already in the air. “Barton! Clint! We gotta go.”

“Sorry, Steve. I can’t fly that plane.”

“What?! Why not?”

“I have direct orders to keep you here for as long as possible.”

“I can fly the Quinjet, Steve.” Bucky could no longer hide his anger. He wanted to stomp Clint into the ground.

Clint puffed up his chest and took a few deep breaths. “Hit me. Make it look real.”

“What?” Steve was so scared for you that he couldn’t comprehend words.

“If that was Laura I would kill anyone who laid a hand on her. Flight plan is already loaded onto the gps. Hit me, Steve. I have to make it look like I put up a fight.” Without thinking Bucky cocked back his right hand and smashed it into Clint’s eye. He stumbled back and fell towards the ground. Wanda used her powers to get him down gently. They all got oh the Quinjet and prepared to take off.

☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️

Everyone on the plane looked relaxed but they were all on edge. Nat sat next to Rhodey. Neither of them made eye contact with you. You sat down in a row of seats by yourself. This looked like a luxury aircraft but you were certain Tony tricked it out. You looked out the window watching New York disappear. This may be the last time you’d see it. The whole place was a sea of glittering lights all glorious in their gaudiness. You ran your fingers over the emeralds on your bracelet hoping Loki followed your instructions.

Tony came over with a glass of water and your pill bottle. “Isn’t it time to take your meds?” He fished one out and handed it to you. “Take it here. Show daddy like a good girl.” You lifted the glass to your lips maintaining eye contact with him the whole time. You lifted your tongue and fish hooked your cheeks. “Thank you, dear.” Once he walked away you quickly reached in your bag to grab your tablets. You popped two and hoped for the best.

A few minutes later Fury was sitting across from you. “I love flying at night,” you said as if you were in the middle of a conversation with him already. “The sky looks navy blue at this hour. We’re chasing the sunset. What can I do for you, Director?” He regarded you with the same slightly annoyed look he always had on his face.

“Where did I mess up?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do. I’m curious. When did you know?”

You smiled with a glint in your eye he’s never seen before. Your whole demeanor changed. “I only suspected your involvement in my family’s deaths at first. You were very convincing. It was when you put me up in the condo that I was really sure. You must have wanted me desperately to shower me with such riches.”

“Mmmm. I see. And you accepted freely.”

“I did. I wish I could be ashamed but I’m not. I mean, I got free tactical training with SHIELD. The Avengers trained me in hand to hand and on weapons. Then you had me training with some of the best sorcerers on the planet. Where you really fucked up though was not doing your own research. You see, I have an eidetic memory. A simple search of my school records would have told you that. I have memorized all of Natasha’s fight patterns and every spell Strange taught me. Which, by the way, he was teaching me defensive strategies not control tactics. I know all of the weaknesses in Tony’s suits. I’m also not afraid of tearing the Arch Reactor out of his chest. Did you know I was a conduit before my involvement with the Avengers?”

He sighed, “No. It wasn’t until your final test at the compound. Romanoff told me what you were.”

“Fascinating you didn’t hear that from Loki. He was your biggest mistake. You also didn’t factor in Strange. That’s why you rushed to the compound. You wanted to get to me before he did.”

“Well you’ve seemed to figure it all out.”

“Not everything. Why am I really going to Alaska? Who do you want there? Since I’m about to die I have a right to know why”

“Franklin Richards. He’s being held there. At the moment he’s unconscious. You need to take him out.”

“Susan and Reed’s son? You want me to absorb his powers. So this isn’t a Hydra base.”

“Oh no. It is. Senator Stern arranged for you to have access to Franklin. He and Senator Kelly have joined forces to create this encampment. Their motives are similar.”

“Ah. No more mutants.”

“That was Kelly’s idea at first. He’s seen the light and agreed to use mutants to our advantage. Franklin is too powerful. We need you to remove his power.”

“And I’m sure you know how powerful Franklin is even at his young age. I’m also sure you know now that I can’t absorb a power from a living person.”

“Minor issue. Easily fixed.”

“I’m not going to kill that boy. I will stand back and watch when Reed and Susan get their hands on you.” You laughed and sipped your water.

“You will do as we ask. I’m not in the habit of making requests.” He got up from his seat and went back up to talk to Tony. You blew out a deep breath. Every cell in your body was reaching out to Wanda and Loki. If they were close enough to you Wanda could hear your cries.

Someone else entirely heard you this time. Scott ran to Jean when he heard her talking incoherently. “Jean! You ok?”

“It’s Y/N. She’s in trouble.”

“We are ahead of them. We’ll be there before they land. Susan and Reed are meeting us there as well. Don’t worry. We’ll get to them.”

Jean reached her mind to yours, “We’re on our way, Y/N. We’re coming to help.” You heard her voice and calmed down. Fury wouldn’t know what hit him.

#steve rogers fanfic #captain america x reader #marvel witches #mcu x reader #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #marvel #steve rogers x reader #captain america smut #x men x reader #xmen #wolverine #jean gray #cyclops #wade wilson #deadpool

[kpophours]

Always You (M)

➵ SF9: Zuho x fem. reader / one shot, vampire AU, historical AU / fluff, smut / REQUESTED

➵ warnings: slight mentions of violence, explicit mentions of sex (oral: receiving, unprotected sex)

➵ word count: 3.1k

Night is falling again, and you know what this means. 

He will come to you. 

As he does almost every night. 

You’re giddy with excitement, goosebumps rising all over your body in anticipation.

What will he have planned for tonight? Maybe you’ll finally see his castle, the home he always talks of so fondly. Or he’ll take you to see the pack of werewolves just a few miles away from the little château you grew up in. You also heard that sometimes, the elves are roaming the forests near by, their sweet songs enchanting every living creature around them. 

Ever since meeting your vampire, a whole new world has begun to reveal itself to you, full of wonders and adventure.

Thankfully, neither of your parents have noticed your nightly absences so far - you don’t even want to imagine what they’d say to you. They would probably just marry you off to an earl or baron or whatever title seems appropriate. You yourself have no title, but your family is rich - the new kind of rich, the one that has made their money through trade and with the help of a little bit of luck. 

You sigh, slowly beginning to brush through your unruly hair while looking at your reflection in the mirror. You’re dressed for bed, wearing a long silky nightgown of purest white, something your mother has bought for you just recently. It’s the first time you’re wearing it, and to be honest - you can’t wait for your vampire to see you in it. You suppress a giggle, eyes sparkling with mischief. There’s a sudden knock on your door and you jump, startled. “Yes?”, you ask, voice soft. Your mother enters, smiling at you and gently touching your cheek. She’s wearing a voluminous gown, shimmering in different shades of red which compliment her skin tone. Her hair is up in an elegant chignon, revealing her slender neck and without meaning to, you touch your own. It’s still free of marks, because your nightly visitor has been afraid of hurting you.

What if I can’t stop? What if I kill you?, he had murmured into your ear, his breath tickling you and sending delicious shivers down your spine, I will never risk it, I shall not dare.

You sigh at the memory of his arms around you, and your mother raises both eyebrows in a silent question. You just shake your head and smile, before getting up from your dressing table to wrap both arms around her. “Are you and Papa ready to leave?”, you ask and kiss her cheek, making her smile and gently pat your back. “Yes, my dear. I just wanted to check on you one last time before we leave you alone for the night.”, she answers and you playfully roll your eyes at her. “I’m not alone, Mama. There are enough servants in here to take care of a whole army.”, you reply and she chuckles, nodding in agreement. “I know, but still. You are my daughter and therefore, I worry about you. You will be alright, won’t you?”, she asks again, and cups your cheek, gently stroking it with her thumb. You nod again, playfully pointing at the door. “I will be perfectly fine. And now go, or else you and Papa will be late - and then, you’ll be the talk of society. We wouldn’t dare risk that, would we now?”

Now it’s your mother’s turn to roll her eyes, but she chuckles and murmurs a Got the cheek from her father under her breath, before kissing your cheek and leaving you alone. You stay close to the door, listening for your parents to leave. You breathe a sigh of relief when you finally hear the front gate close, soon followed by the noise of hooves and a carriage rolling over the uneven cobblestones.  

When you turn around to face your window again, you jump and almost squeal, quickly pressing both hands over your mouth to stifle the noise. “Zuho.”, you breathe, looking at the man standing in the middle of your room. As always, he’s clad in dark clothing, perfectly tailored and clinging to his broad shoulders and long legs. His dark hair is cut shorter, and unlike the current fashion not bound in a ponytail at the base of his neck. Instead, it curls around his sharp cheekbones, always hiding some parts of his beautiful face. When the vampire smiles at you, his whole face transforms, melting away the sharpness and edges, and you run towards him to wrap both hands around his neck. 

He chuckles, amused by your eagerness, but returns your hug nevertheless. “Missed me?”, he asks, humor coating his words and you nod, not even embarrassed by your feelings. He draws back a bit, hand sliding up your back and leaving goosebumps in its wake. He gently cups your cheek, leaving a soft kiss on your lips. You sigh, threading your fingers through his soft, black hair and tugging on it. He makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat and quickly pulls back, chest heaving. Zuho doesn’t really need to breathe, but it’s a natural reaction he has kept from his years as a human; before he was turned into the bloodsucking creature he is now. 

“Sorry.”, you whisper, shyly ducking your head. He shakes his head. “You’re going to kill me one day.”, he just murmurs, tracing your cheekbones with one of his long, white fingers. You grin wickedly. “Technically, you’re already dead, so that’s actually impossible.”, you retort cheekily and he laughs again, deep voice rumbling in his chest and igniting a fire in your lower belly. He sighs, stepping away from you. You immediately feel colder, even though his skin offers no warmth, and wrap both arms around yourself, shivering in your thin nightgown. Zuho’s eyes darken when he takes in your white dress, a strange sound - half moan, half groan - tearing from his lips. He runs one hand through his dark hair, eyes darting around the room. A smile tugs at your lips and you tilt your head to one side, letting your arms fall to your sides to give his mind more to imagine. You know exactly what kind of effect you have on him, because even though he can look quite menacing and scary, Zuho has a very soft heart and gentle soul.

He takes in a deep breath, fixing his eyes on you. “Come on, my love. Let’s leave for the night.”, he finally says, and extends one hand, waiting for you to take it. When you do, he pulls you into his arms and tucks your face against his chest. You do not like heights, so flying with him is always a bit scary; even though you know he would never let any harm come to you. Still, you always keep your eyes closed, concentrating on his soft, unique scent and waiting for your feet to finally touch the ground again. Zuho carefully navigates to your window and presses a soft kiss against your temple, before fyling out into the night, you safely held in his arms.

Your flight doesn’t take long tonight, and when your feet touch solid ground again, you finally dare to open your eyes. You look around, curious. You’re not outside - instead, you find yourself in a dimly lit chamber. The walls are made from black stone, probably marble, gently reflecting the light of the candles. There’s a washing basin in one corner, and some clothes are dangling from a chair besides it. There’s a big, comfortable looking canopy bed standing against the wall in front of you, facing the windows. You take a careful step towards it, before turning around to look at Zuho. He is watching you with dark eyes, expression guarded but soft. “You brought me to your castle.”, you say, more of a statement than a question. The vampire nods and tilts his head to one side, licking his lips. “You said you wanted to see it many times and… I thought it was finally time to fulfill your wish.”, he answers and you smile at him, reaching out one hand. He takes it, long fingers curling around your smaller ones, and pulls you towards him, embracing you again. He buries his nose in your soft hair, inhaling while his grip around you tightens. “How come you always smell so good, my love.”, he asks, gently lifting your chin with one finger and looking into your eyes. You grin teasingly. “I bathe regularly.” 

He chuckles at your reply and then, finally, his lips are on yours. You sigh against his lips, letting him slide his tongue into your mouth, and bury both hands in the waves of his soft, black hair. He walks you backwards until your legs hit the edge of the bed, and pushes you onto the soft mattress. Your kiss gets more heated until Zuho finally draws back, gazing down at you, lips slightly swollen and hair a mess. You see his fangs extending and he flinches when you try to touch them. “I’m sorry.”, he murmurs softly, lowing his eyes, and you lift one eyebrow, a questioning expression on your face. “I don’t… I just don’t want to lose control around you.”, he says, “I don’t want you to see the monster I truly am.” You draw your eyebrows together, shaking your head. “You’re not a monster.”, you reply softly, cupping his cheek and directing his gaze back at you, “And I want to see all of you. I love you.” His eyes widen at your confession and for a few seconds, he stays quiet. Until finally - “Y- you… love me?”, he whispers quietly, and you have to strain your ears to hear him. You smile and nod. “I do. I actually thought I made that quite obvious these past few months.”, you answer in a hushed voice and he gives you a bright smile, leaning closer to leave a soft, chaste kiss against your lips. “I love you, too.”, he whispers against them and you sigh, relieved, before wrapping both arms around his neck to draw him in for another kiss. 

Your confession seems to have loosened the grip Zuho usually keeps on himself, because he suddenly doesn’t hold himself back anymore. His hands are roaming your body now, gently dragging your nightgown a bit higher, and you gasp when you feel his bulge press into your core. He breaks the kiss just to look at you for confirmation, and when you nod, he grins, gaze turning dark and predatory. He leaves small kisses on your jawline and chin, slowly making his way down to your neck, fangs grazing the soft skin above your aorta. Your heartbeat quickens under his gentle ministrations and you buck your hips, seeking some form of fraction, making Zuho chuckle. “Someone is impatient.”, he murmurs against your skin and you whine. “Well, it took you long enough to take me to your castle.”, you reply and he sits back on his knees, giving you a stern look that almost makes you moan and press your legs together. “If you continue to be such a brat, my love,”, he says in a dark voice, hands ghosting over your calves and slowly slipping higher, “I can always fly you back to your château.” 

You press your lips together and shake your head, feeling frustrated. He smirks at your expression, hands slipping even higher and under your nightgown, feeling the wetness covering the insides of your thighs. He stills for a few seconds, and you cover your face with one hand to hide your embarrassment, but then, you hear the strangled sound he makes - half groan, half moan. You watch him close his eyes, apparently trying to calm himself. When he opens them again, his eyes are red and you see his fangs extending even more. You bite down hard on your lower lip, looking up at him from under your lashes, and whisper a soft Please under your breath. Zuho groans and seems to contemplate for a few seconds, before he finally slips his hand between your legs, touching you where you want him most. You close your eyes, and a breathy moan slips past your lips, when you feel one of his fingers gently circle your entrance, gathering some of your arousal, before he gently pushes one finger inside you. You’re so wet already that he enters you easily, and you moan at the sensation, hands gripping the soft sheets underneath you. Zuho groans when he feels your wetness and leans closer to you, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. “God, you’re so wet already and I barely even touched you, my love”, he murmurs and you simply utter a small whine. He smirks and eases a second finger inside you, making you mewl. Finally, his thumb lands on your clit and he begins to rub gentle circles against it, making you pant. It doesn’t take long for you to start trembling and clenching around him, and when you finally tumble over the edge, Zuho kisses you, swallowing your moans and gasps. 

When you stop shaking, heartbeat slowly calming down again, he sits back on his knees and extracts his fingers, gently sucking them clean while maintaining eye contact, making you whimper at the sight. He grins and cocks one eyebrow, which finally makes you sit up and place one hand over his bulge. His eyes widen and he instantly jumps from the bed, slowly taking a few steps backwards. You look at him in confusion, and tilt your head to one side. “Don’t you want me?”, you finally ask, voice small and Zuho groans, pushing one hand in his hair and tugging on it, clearly frustrated. “Believe me, my love. I do, so much. But-” You shake your head and interrupt him: “No but. You love me and I love you. That is enough for me. And now, come back, please.” You reach out one hand for him, and he only hesitates for a few seconds, before joining you back on the bed again. 

“God have mercy on my foul, wicked soul.”, he murmurs and you roll your eyes at his dramatics, quickly beginning to unbutton his shirt and ignoring the pained look he gives you. You push his shirt off his shoulders and marvel at the beauty of his soft skin, glowing like liquid moonlight in the shadowy room. You leave soft kisses all over his chest, hands wandering towards his trousers to discard of them as well. When Zuho is finally fully naked beside you, you sigh in awe, hands traveling over his flawless body. “You are beautiful.”, you state in a hushed voice and he gives you a soft smile, cupping your cheek and kissing you sweetly. He helps you out of your nightgown then, and moves on top of you, slipping between your legs and hooking one of them around his waist. 

“Are you sure, my love?”, he asks and when you nod, he utters a soft sigh and carefully pushes inside you. You gasp at the sensation of him filling you, eyes closing at the almost painful stretch, until Zuho finally bottoms out and gives you a few seconds to adjust. “Are you alright, love?”, he murmurs against your lips, pressing gentle kisses on your cheeks and nose, until you nod and he begins to move. Gently pulling out of you just to push his hips against yours again, he sets a steady pace, sitting back on his knees to hit you from a deeper angle. You moan underneath him, throwing one hand over your eyes and beginning to pant. “No, I want to see you.”, Zuho demands, gently dragging your arm away again and you lock eyes with him. His are red again, almost shining, and you clench around his length, making him hiss at the sensation, showing off both fangs. When his thumb lands on your clit again to rub circles against it, you quickly turn into a moaning, trembling mess underneath him, and it doesn’t take long for you to shatter around him again. He snaps his hips against yours, rhythm now almost punishing and painful, guiding you through your orgasm, until he finally groans and reaches his high as well, fangs grazing his lower lip in an attempt to stifle his groans. He stills inside you, and gently presses his forehead against yours. 

You’re breathing hard, still trembling and feeling tired but blissed out. Zuho finally pulls out of you and walks over to his little basin in the corner, dipping a white cloth into the water and returning with it to help clean you. You wrap the soft bed sheets around your naked body, feeling yourself get more drowsy with every passing minute. After discarding of the cloth, Zuho slips between the covers as well and wraps both arms around you, pulling you close to his chest. His eyes are back to their usual deep brown and his fangs have vanished as well. You take in a deep breath, gathering all your courage and trying to ready yourself, before you whisper: “I want you to turn me.” 

Zuho immediately stiffens, and when you draw back to look at his face, you see that his expression is dark and stormy. “You don’t know what you’re asking me to do.”, he says and you lift one eyebrow. “I don’t want to be married off to a stranger just for a title. I don’t want to be the wife of someone else. I want only you - always you. But I will never feel like your equal until I become like you.”, you explain, having thought about this often these past weeks, having made up your mind. But Zuho shakes his head. “You’ll have to drink the blood of innocents, Y/N. You might even kill someone during your blood rage. And what happens, if one day you will realize that I’ve turned you into a monster? Could you still love me?”, he murmurs, his hands beginning to rub small circles against the naked skin for your back. You cup his cheek with one hand, giving him a gentle smile. “I have thought about this for a long time, and I have made my decision. So now I’m asking you - do you love me? Do you want me to be yours, for eternity? Will you choose me, too?” 

Zuho takes in a deep breath, closing his eyes for a few seconds. Finally, he opens them again and gazes down at you, eyes glimmering red and fangs extending. 

“I will always choose you, my love.”, he finally answers, before burying his fangs into your neck.

[masterlist] | [requests] 

#kwritersworldnet #fantasylibrary #sf9 #zuho #sf9 fanfiction #sf9 fanfic #sf9 one shot #sf9 x reader #sf9 smut #sf9 fluff #sf9 au #sf9 vampire au #zuho fanfic #zuho fanfiction #zuho one shot #zuho x reader #zuho smut #zuho fluff #zuho au #zuho vampire au #zuho imagine #zuho scenario #sf9 scenario #sf9 imagine #sf9 zuho fanfic #sf9 zuho fanfiction #sf9 zuho one shot #sf9 zuho smut #sf9 zuho fluff #sf9 zuho x reader

[sharinluna]

Chapter 16 Analysis - The Greatest of These is Love

I try to stick to the canon English version text as much as possible. But in this analysis I had to take some liberties and merge my own translation, because sometimes Elex translation just doesn’t fit with the purpose of my analysis. So please excuse me.

1. Hades’s Reset Plan

A Black Swan member called Hades is trying to put his Reset Plan to action.

Hades: Complete slaughter is the highest respect one can pay to a civilization. Not everyone is fit to become an Evolver. This world belongs to us, and those low-level creatures that do nothing but breed had lived too long.

The rest of Black Swan is skeptical about this plan however, calling it “a powerless clown’s ridiculous trick.” However, Hades thinks the Reset Plan should be carried out because “the previous operations were too slow.”

We can speculate here that what Hades’s trying to do is considered unreasonably aggressive and nonsensically radical even to Black Swan. Hades wants Ares to work with him, but Ares maintains a “Let’s see how well you do on your own first” attitude.

2. Flu Investigation

The news on the TV was talking about a new, mysterious flu that was sweeping the city. The presenting symptoms were the same as regular flu: cold, fever, weakness. They’re calling it a flu, but none of the current antibiotics or cold medications are effective against it. There haven’t been any deaths, but the number of infected has been steadily increasing. The national laboratories have all been working to find a pathogen, but to no result. The virus is spreading faster than anything, and lack of information is making people more worried.

Perry from chapter 15 had this flu. It seems that this strange influenza is spreading. When Yōurán arrives at her office, she overhears the security guards talking and gets suspicious.

Guard A: Did you hear? Smitty got sick. His wife said he couldn’t remember her.

He didn’t even remember his own wife… How is that a symptom of a flu?

Gavin is away and Victor is in the future. Lucien turned Ares on her and Kiro is missing. Yōurán consults the only Evolver she knows: Dr. Song(the Evolver doctor from chapter 13). They figure out the truth of this flu.

Yōurán: Demographics typically vulnerable to diseases like the elderly and small children only make up a small percentage of the infected. Most are in their primes.

Usually, the elderly and small children who have weaker immune systems are the likely target for the flu. But this time, it’s the opposite. Healthy, young people are getting infected by this new flu instead.

Dr. Song: That’s right. Aside from that, I’ve found that out of all the infected, not one is an Evolver. My guess is that the virus is selecting based on genetics.

As the both women figure out, the virus is intentionally infecting healthy, strong, ordinary non-Evolvers.

Later, Yōurán goes to visit a flu patient.

His file said he’d been in a coma for about 10 days, during which he got up once as if sleep walking and tried to assault bystanders with a blunt object. His symptoms were the same as Perry.

She uses her powers to see the man’s future to get the next clue.

I saw him fallen on the ground, his face pale, his eyes about to bulge out of his head, his entire body shaking.

Pretty familiar with Perry at the end of chapter 15, right?

Let’s link their findings with Hades’s Reset Plan. I’m going to guess what Hade’s Reset Plan is in four steps.

Step 1: Hades spreads the virus.

Step 2: The virus infects healthy non-Evolvers who are likely to survive the symptoms.

Step 3: Some people manage to overcome the virus by “evolving”, aka attaining Evol genes and becoming Evolvers. Those who cannot form Evol genes or cannot handle the process die.

Step 4: All non-Evolvers are dead and only Evolvers are left on this earth.

3. Two Conflicting Feelings.

News: Lucien Bioscience Research Center announced a press conference for tomorrow regarding a new reagent targeting the recent flu outbreak.

It had been a long while since I’d heard that name. Ever since that day he disappeared from my life. I asked myself once, did I hate him? But the answer was no. This world is not black and white, and I won’t judge people using just one perspective of right and wrong.

Even though Lucien “betrayed” Yōurán in chapter 13, she can’t hate him. Still, it hurts so much that she doesn’t want to think about him ever again. But that alone tells us that she has lingering feelings for him yet.

I didn’t know what I was running away from. Was I scared to hear those doubts I’d already heard straight from his mouth? Did I want to avoid confirming that this virus was connected to him, so that my rational mind wouldn’t be able to connect the dots? Or was it… that I just didn’t want to face him?

She has two conflicting feelings. She wants to go to the conference and see Lucien again, but at the same time, she wants to stay far away from him to avoid dealing with all this.

In flight or fight, Yōurán has never chosen the former. She decides to go to the press conference regardless of what the consequences might be.

4. The Press Conference

The press conference is my favorite scene in chapter 16 nay, the entire End of Abyss arc. Sadly, I saw a lot of translation errors in this part and some word choices were just not adequate. So please excuse me if some of the quotes are not exactly word-for-word of the Elex version text.

Lucien: I wish that more people would be test subjects. The advance of science is a continuous sacrifice. And deaths and injury along the way due to mistakes are inevitable.

I couldn’t help but worry for him. What was Lucien trying to do speaking cruel truths so frankly? For him, this was all perfectly reasonable. An unpleasant feeling welled up inside me. I wanted to get out of here.

Notice here that Yōurán doesn’t exactly think that Lucien is wrong. She just thinks that he is being cruel. She said earlier that she doesn’t hate Lucien based on the fact that there’s no one correct principle of right and wrong. However, his nonchalant attitude of accepting inevitable deaths as “reasonable” is what upsets her.

Yōurán: I want to ask Professor Lucien a question. What is this “sacrifice” you speak of?

Lucien: Physiological death.

Yōurán: That is to say, it’s normal to sacrifice the minority for the whole of society?

Lucien: Yes. I personally wholeheartedly agree with this statement.

It’s easy to misunderstand her stance on this because Yōurán is against sacrifice in general. But she doesn’t say that sacrifice should be forbidden at all costs. However, a society that demands individual sacrifice to maintain itself is problematic.

Lucien: Like the classic Trolley Problem. Choosing left or right will both land you in a moral quandary. But in reality, whether it’s for societal advancement or not, many people will be eliminated for a variety of reasons, by death or other means. So whether we want to face it or not, survival of the fittest is an eternal principle of existence. It’s what keeps humanity going.

Yōurán: In your eyes, is life so capricious? All life forms should be respected. Every one of us is doing their best to survive. It’s what every person desires and deserves. Their will to keep on living is their right. And you can’t deprive people of this.

Lucien talks that the survival of the fittest is the principle, while Yōurán talks about the natural rights that all people are inherently born with. Every individual on earth have a right to live. She is asking Lucien: Are you so readily throwing that out the window for the continuation of the rest of society?

Yōurán: Maybe you didn’t notice, but there are hospitals full of critically ill people. They may be comatose, but their consciousness still cling to life. Kids in foster care, the broke and homeless, they’re all struggling to survive.

I was confused at first when she said this, but now I understand what she is saying. There may be some volunteers for Lucien’s research, but believing that all test subjects will be willing participants is naïve.

Realistically, homeless people, those who can’t afford continued medical care, or people who have little to no financial support will be the ones who’ll be so-called “volunteers” for this experiment. While the rich sit back and wait for the cure to come out that’s based on the lives of these unfortunate sacrifices. Sacrificing these people with low socioeconomic status to sustain the rest in the name of “survival of the fittest” is a form of discrimination.

Lucien: You have a point. But you speak from the point of view of the minority, and therein arises the paradox. People cannot think in purely logical terms. That is a property of the divine. From primitive society to today, humanity has been sacrificed in political struggle, and died on the battlefields of war. But for some of these people, that sacrifice has been pointless. Fairness is not the only principle. As a cornerstone of civilization, survival stands above all. If it can bring incredible progress, then that sacrifice shouldn’t even require their permission.

But to Lucien, all of that throughout the history of wars and political struggle can be justified in the name of survival. He goes further and says that for survival, people should be sacrificed even against their will.

Sidenote: My thoughts.

Figuring out what’s right and wrong is always difficult and there’s no one right answer. But I lean more on Yōurán’s side. Historically, researches like Lucien’s have always been unethical. We should outgrow the necessary evil of human subject research.

“Sacrifice the few for the whole” is a touchy subject. In reality, many people in position of power or the majority have used that logic to justify their oppression of the minority. And many times humanity chose to sacrifice a small part of their society instead of looking for an alternate solution because it’s more efficient or faster.

Even if sacrifices are unavoidable, the attitude of how you treat people to be sacrificed is important. Do you respect them and feel guilty? Are you careful not to treat them as mere tools for a goal? Did you try your very best to minimize the sacrifice? Did you keep looking for other options until there was absolutely no choice left? I’m afraid that Lucien’s answers for these questions would be all negatives. He is too practical. He doesn’t care about sentiment. If it’s a way to solve problems efficiently he just does it with no emotional attachments, because they are a hindrance to achieving what has to be done.

But when it comes to these matters, maybe we need some hindrances that come from our conscience. Maybe feeling regret is the courtesy we owe to the people we killed so that we could live. Being indifferent to sacrifices is worse than the sacrifice itself. Reluctance and hesitance should always be accompanied when deciding whether we should sacrifice or not. Because when sacrificing a part of us becomes too easy, we will keep chucking out bits and pieces until there is none of us left.

5. Trying to Sever Ties (and Failing)

The conversation between the two becomes more personal at this point.

Yōurán: If… the person to be sacrificed was you, would you be willing?

Lucien: I would. If it meant allowing humanity to take a great stride forward, I would happily do so.

Yōurán: And what if it was someone important to you?

But Lucien just looks at her, not answering the question. Thinking that the unspoken answer is “Yes”, Yōurán falls into despair. At this point, she gives up on him.

Yōurán: Thank you for your answer, and good luck with your research, but I could never support your beliefs. Because in my heart there’s something that will always be more important than survival.

In chapter 16, Yōurán tries to sever all ties with Lucien, but she still has lingering attachments. I already said this in my chapter 15 analysis. The importance of “bonds” is a key element in her nature. No matter how hard she tries, her connection to Lucien can never be cut. Even if it pains her, she cannot bring herself to discard it.

Yōurán: My relationship with Professor Lucien is purely for business, and in the future Miracle Finder will have a new program consultant. I ask that everyone focus on the press conference. Excuse me.

Later she founds out that she left behind the pen Lucien gave her. She can’t abandon it and goes back for it, but when she’s found it she gives it back to Lucien.

Lucien gave her the pen as a way of giving his heart and she is giving it back to him. But because of what happened in chapter 13 he understands and accepts it back.

However, he’s not so accepting that he’s losing yet another connection with her: an excuse to approach her again. Probably the last one left.

Lucien: I just learned I’ve been let go from Miracle Finder. Is it out of line to ask for an explanation?

Yōurán: You’ve strayed from the principles that Miracle Finder strives to uphold. In my mind, the Miracle Finder is about justice and tolerance.

Lucien: Very understandable. I accept your explanation.

Yōurán refuses him because their principles are complete opposite. Lucien accepts her decision but this time she’s the one who’s hesitant to let him go.

Yōurán: Wait! Are you connected with this recent flu?

Please, oh please let your answer be no.

She is just desperately clutching at straws here. She knows what the answer is.

Lucien: Yes.

Hearing those words, something came crashing down in my heart.

Confirmation that she and Lucien are walking different paths.

6. Even if I Had the Gift of Prophesy

Lucien: The justice and goodness you uphold, has it gotten you the results you want? Is that what you think is more important than survival? I’d also like to know, in the face of what you value, would you sacrifice someone important to you?

In the press conference, Yōurán asked Lucien if he would sacrifice someone important for his survival of the fittest belief. Here Lucien is asking her the same thing. Would she abandon someone important to her to uphold her belief of what’s right?

Before she can answer, she is attacked (by Hades) and Lucien instantly pulls her into his arms protecting her.

An instant worry and fear flashed in his eyes, as if… he was afraid of losing something precious. But that look vanished instantly.

Time seemed to have jumped back to a month ago, when he was still Lucien. At that time he was also holding me tight like this… protecting me.

Yōurán: Are you alright? Thanks for saving me.

Lucien: I was just ensuring your safety.

Yōurán: My safety…. is needed in your plan, right?

Lucien: Of course. I don’t engage in worthless endeavors.

The last time we faced off, the people dressed in black also said to make sure I was alive. It was always like that. So all those times he protected me before was also like that.

To Yōurán, it seems like Lucien is saving her just because he needs her alive to use in his scheme. That his feelings for her were not real.

Lucien: Now, answer my question.

Lucien was still blocking my path. I couldn’t see his face clearly through the haze. Maybe this haziness was for the better.

To Yōurán, Lucien’s true intentions has always been vague since chapter 13. Does he care for her? Or was all that a lie? Him giving mixed signals in chapter 16 certainly doesn’t help. 

In the end, she decides to go along with this vagueness. She cannot abandon her principles nor can she abandon her ties with Lucien. Without the haze, she would have to face the fact that Lucien is blocking her “path” her belief. In ambiguity, she doesn’t have to choose one for the other.

Yōurán: I wouldn’t. If I had the gift of prophesy and knew all kinds of secrets and knowledge… If I had faith to move mountains, but didn’t have love, then none of it would count for anything. The truth of this world unfolds itself for people only through disappointment and suffering. Even if the light’s source is put out, I’d still try to keep my own shining. No matter how difficult, or how dark it gets. Or how foolish or ridiculous. Someone very important to me once taught me that, and I’ll never forget it.

Lucien first quoted The Corinthians in chapter 13 “For now we see through a glass, darkly.”

Now, Yōurán is quoting lines from The Corinthians too. “If I had the gift of prophesy and knew all kinds of secrets and knowledge… If I had faith to move mountains, but didn’t have love, then none of it would count for anything.”

It’s delicious irony that Lucien is the one who taught her to keep following her own principle when he himself is against it.

In this scene, Yōurán’s greatest strength shines in her words. She may not have powers to move mountains, she may not have all secrets and knowledge. But she has faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. Against all odds, she will never stop pursuing the light.

7. Despite Everything, My Heart Still Goes out to You

In a flash, an unlikely person popped into my head. Why would I think of him? The next image in my mind was the anxious way he looked at me during that danger just now. I closed my eye and decided to take a chance. That he’d save me, that what I’d seen in his eyes was really there.

After their confrontation, Yōurán faces danger in a deserted alley. She remembers the fleeting moment when she thought she saw genuine fear in Lucien’s eyes and decides to gamble on that to ensure her safety. 

Also, even with her multiple tries to sever Lucien from her heart, in times of danger, her thoughts automatically go to him. At the least, Ares said that he needed her alive for his scheme.

And she won in this gamble. Because he did come for her.

Yōurán: Did you really come to save me?

Lucien: I am a man of my word.

Yōurán: Is that also for your goal too?

Lucien: Yes.

Although I had guessed it, hearing it from his own mouth made my heart sink.

Lucien is only telling the half-truth here. His heart truly yearns for her and wants her to be safe. But he doesn’t tell her that, letting Yōurán think that she is just a means to his end.

Meanwhile, Yōurán is still wavering between seeing him as Lucien and seeing him as Ares. Her head tells her that he is her enemy Ares, but her heart keeps pining after Lucien, the gentle scholar who asked her to teach him how to love in New Light Date.

But we already know what her answer will be. She subconsciously keeps reaching out for him.

Lucien: Why aren’t you asking me about what just happened?

Yōurán: But you’re bleeding…

She just saw Lucien kill a man in cold blood(well, it turns out later that this was just a dream and not real but still) but instead of being scared she is worried that he is injured.

Hades thinks that Yōurán is Ares’s weak spot and tries to use her to threaten Ares into working with him.

Lucien: You think the weak spots I let you see, are really weak spots?

But Lucien is one step of Hades. He already knew that Hades would try to get to Yōurán and devised a way to get back at him.

Lucien: Remember the exit I told you about. Cross over. Don’t hesitate.

My heart sunk like lead, and a sudden, intense feeling of dread welled up, almost to my throat.

Lucien: Now, leave my side.

Yōurán: No! You…

Lucien: Do as I say. I will find you.

He spoke in that familiar old tender tone, and then the next second, he shoved me away.

Yōurán: Lucien!

Lucien turned his head and gazed into my eyes. His eyes were as before, tender as the falling tide. There was even a hint of a warm, crisp smile, the likes of which I never saw before.

This smile is probably the most earnest expression he made to her. Pure and sincere with no hidden sides.

I’d never imagined I’d face a situation like this with Lucien. I ran on, and the sound of fighting in the distance grew more intense, along with my tears. I kept telling myself, Lucien would be fine. He was clearly my enemy, only saving me for his own purposes. I had resolved to be done with him… So why does it hurt so much?

I stopped, my trembling body simply unable to take the next step. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart. I couldn’t breathe as if someone was gripping my heart tightly.

As she is running towards the exit that Lucien told her, Yōurán keeps telling herself, Ares is my enemy. I shouldn’t be connected to him anymore. But her heart, her reasons for going on in life, are based on the bonds she’d formed with others, including Lucien. How can she cut that lose when he’s a part of herself?

8. Will You Sacrifice Someone Important to You?

Hades: Ares, I’ll give you one last chance, join me. I will create a world different from today’s, for Evolvers’ only. Advanced, free, beautiful. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted to see?

Ares: Fool. That world will never exist. An advanced civilization can never be created. It can only be reached by selection and evolution. Your so-called creation is just an excuse to hide your incompetence.

At the risk of oversimplifying things, Ares is telling Hades that he thinks the Reset Plan is stupid. Eliminating non-Evolvers won’t stop the struggle of survival of the fittest.

Yōurán: Lucien!

All in an instant, looks of shock, doubt and disbelief came over him, as well as a joy that he hadn’t shown before, mixed with the others.

Lucien is showing many emotions here. Shock that she still hadn’t left the dream. Doubt whether he is seeing her for real. Disbelief that she would abandon her safety again. And Joy. Pure, primitive delight that she still cares for him enough to throw her life out for him.

Lucien: Why didn’t you listen? Don’t you even care for your own life?!

This is the first time that Lucien ever yelled at Yōurán. (erase the True Love Date from your memory) This is one of the scarce times that Lucien loses his cool and reveals his true emotions raw and bare.

I yelled back at Lucien in a tone I never knew I had.

Yōurán: Liar! You had no intention of coming to find me, did you?! You deceived me every time! This time I’m not falling for it!

(By the way, I would put Yōurán’s words in capitals if I were the translator, to emphasize the yelling when she’s usually soft-spoken.)

I love that Yōurán didn’t put up with his I’m-only-saving-you-for-my-goal nonsense. I love that she saw through Lucien acting like Ares and forced out the truth that he truly loves her. I love that she was more upset that he lied about him being safe than the fact that he lied about him being part of Black Swan.

I’m sorry, but if I just go and let you take all the danger, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. Even if we are enemies. I still want to prove to you that even in the darkness, I’ll persist in my faith.

In the end, the question is he Lucien or is he Ares didn’t matter. That he was her enemy and have opposing beliefs from her didn’t matter. All that mattered in the end was that Lucien was the one who taught her to keep pursuing her light, and she was the one who taught him how to love. The unbreakable bond between them.

Lucien: Yōurán, Do you want to know my answer from the press conference?

Finally, finally, Lucien answers truthfully to her questions in the press conference. The first time he didn’t evade her questions regarding his feelings with silence.

Lucien: I won’t. I won’t sacrifice someone important to me. That is my answer.

I am infinitely glad that Lucien said this to her, and also infinitely mad that she forgot this in the end.

Lucien grabs her hand, and Yōurán sees a vision of Lucien’s past memories.

A white moonbeam appeared instantly before my eyes, solidifying into a blade, striking at me. A split second later there was a rupture, and a black liquid flowed from my pupil. For a moment, color was restored to my vision. I saw a pair of bloody eyes flicker past me. Then it was all black-and-white scenes of the TV tower, the park, the research center… As well as, a black-and-white me.

This makes me think that Lucien lost his ability to see Yōurán in color when he stabbed his eye in chapter 13. If he could still see her in color, he would have noticed her coming back for him earlier. He lost his only color in the world for her.

9. Hazy Like a Fog

Yōurán: Lucien, you’re hurt!

Lucien: You knew it was dangerous. Why did you come back?

Yōurán: Because you saved me. I couldn’t just abandon you.

She came back because Lucien is part of her. When he gets hurt, she gets hurt too. When he dies, the part of Yōurán that belongs to Lucien dies too. She cannot break the tie that pulls her towards him.

Lucien: I saved you because it’s better for me if you’re alive.

He seemed to always be stressing this point.

Yōurán: So why did you tell me the direction of the exit and make me leave by myself… Why didn’t you go with me? Didn’t you consider your own safety?

(Yōurán: Don’t play dumb with me, mister. I know you love me.)

Then she learns that all of this was part of Lucien’s plan. That her coming back for him had no influence in it.

Had he planned all of this?! And he didn’t tell me! All the while I cried like a fool, agonized over decisions, and left myself be vulnerable again and again! Liar!

KR translation is a bit different here.

I cried endlessly like a fool, I kept making choices endlessly, and I endlessly took out and looked at my feelings(heart) and agonized over them! Liar!

Notice the repetition of “endlessly” is used to describe the depth of what she felt before she made her decision to come back for Lucien. I would love to know what JP and CN translations are.

But still this liar hadn’t hurt me once the whole way though… My heart overflowed with loss, grief, doubt… a complex wave of emotions.

Again, her emotions regarding Lucien becomes a complicated mess.

A large hand suddenly covered my eyes, feeling slightly cold.

Yōurán: And I’ll forget everything that’s happened here too?

There was a long pause, and then I heard Lucien’s soft voice.

Lucien: yes.

Then I felt his finger tremble a bit, and my heart trembled with it.

Yōurán: Lucien… what kind of person are you really… Why even though we are enemies, do you always save me risking everything? Why do you always push me away again after saving me… Why can I see the futures of other people, but not yours…

Whenever she tries to discern Lucien, she is met with a vague fog. She got his answer to the question: Would he sacrifice someone important for his goal? But more questions came up that would never get answers. Even the one answer she got is about to be taken away from her.

10. Back to the Real Owner

Lucien carefully took out a pen from his pocket and placed it in the girl’s hand.

I said before that Lucien’s pen means Lucien’s heart. Yōurán tried to give it back to Lucien.

Then he leaned over and whispered into her ear:

Lucien: Next time, don’t rush into danger by yourself. Especially, on my account.

This scene reminds me of the end of chapter 15 when Gavin whispers to unconscious Yōurán to wait for him to come back. It hurts that she doesn’t receive the final messages they send to her before they leave her.

11. Again, Alone with Only a Memento

Just like in the end of chapter 15, Yōurán wakes up in her room alone. But this time, she forgot what has happened to her.

Large beads of sweat fell from my forehead. I opened my eyes to a pitch black ceiling. Black-and-white images were scrolling through my head. Too bad those images were like photo negatives and too blurred to make out.

I remembered I was being followed on a street. How was I waking up in my house all of a sudden? There seemed to be a chuck missing, but I couldn’t put a finger on it.

Although she doesn’t remember it, everything she felt still remains in her heart.

When I thought of Lucien’s name again, an intense feeling of grief and longing washed over me.

Because you can’t erase feelings even when you erase memories. PTSD patients sometimes forget what they went through that caused their trauma, but they can still feel the pain and suffering they felt. But they don’t know why they are hurting.

This was when I seriously began to worry about Yōurán. In real life, she needs professional help.

In chapter 16 she tries to put a distance between Lucien but fails utterly and admits to herself that she can never stop caring for Lucien. But after all they went through, her memories, her decisions, her revelations are gone. She feels empty, and sad.

She is only left with Lucien’s “Iridescent” pen. Just like with Gavin and his ginkgo bracelet.

12. Conclusion – This Love Hurts Like Hell, but It will be Worth It.

The press conference and chapter 16 in general depicted what I love the most about Lucien X Yōurán relationship. Their love goes very deep. Enough for Lucien to not hand her over to Black Swan and enough for Yōurán to trust him despite suspecting that he has hidden agenda.

Still, their ideas about humanity and morals are different and they clash. I like that none of them is abandoning their principles for the sake of love. I like that a female character has enough agency to have her own opinions that contradicts that of the male love interest. Instead of passively accepting the thoughts of her lover.

Their continued war of words. This is how the thoughts of great philosophies are made. They both stand firm in their ground. They’re on opposing sides and will battle each other ferociously. However, they still love each other and would go to great lengths to keep each other safe. Can you imagine the euphoria when despite all hurdles their love triumphs all in the end?

“No degree in love’s progress was left untried by our passion, and if love itself could imagine any wonder as yet unknown, we discovered it.” – Historia Calamitatum

#mlqc #mlqc analysis #mlqc lucien #mlqc chapter 16

[jayxscripta]

The Mahaigner - Chapter One

A part of her couldn’t believe she was doing this. Barely a month of running and she was already giving in. Not that she had been given much of a choice.

Madeline reflected as she walked, hands shoved into her jacket. It was chilly, low forties, and one of those times when the ground wasn’t dry—just like any other November day in London. The red bus still went around the city, the London Eye went into the sky, and people passed her on the street with a decided indifference. Because here she was normal.

London was just as she had left it, but somehow it didn’t quite feel like the safe haven it used to. England might have been her childhood, but New York was her home. And if she had had a choice, she wouldn’t have left New York. But after what happened, she knew she wasn’t safe there, and where better to go than the place she had been born? The problem was, she was still on edge, because she was running. And every day, it felt more and more like she was running from some part of herself.

Not anymore.

That day, while she was working her shift at a bookstore, her cell phone rang. Which normally wouldn’t have been a big deal, if it weren’t for the fact that she had since changed her number and had yet to give the new one out to anybody. She had recognized the voice on the other end, and while every fiber of her being was against what he was saying, she was tired of always looking over her shoulder.

Madeline glanced at the address on the side of the building and hesitated at the doorway. This was it. She had the distinct feeling that if she went through that door, she wouldn’t be able to walk out as the same person.

She glanced at her companion. “What do you think, Astrid?” she asked, stroking the dog’s soft head. “Huh?”

She let out a quiet boof, her tail wagging slightly. Madeline knew what that meant—Astrid’s version of “don’t worry, I’m here.”

“Then I have nothing to worry about,” Madeline continued confidently, rapping sharply on the imposing double doors. She waited for almost a minute, long enough for the echo of her knocks to fade away, but nobody opened the door. She was just turning away from the door when it slowly creaked open.

Madeline approached cautiously. There was nobody standing behind the door, no good reason for it to have swung open like that. She poked her head around the side of the doorframe as Astrid brushed past her leg and slipped into the house, nose in the air.

The house was tall, with a circular window positioned above the giant door. The floors were carpeted deep red and the walls were a dark wood, trimmed with something that might be gold. The ceilings were high, the halls accented with burning candles, and the ambience Oriental. The whole place looked worthy of a paranormal investigation, but what intrigued her most was how ancient it felt. As if somebody had ripped it straight out of a history book.

There was a whir of wind and a short bark from Astrid. That’s when the door slammed shut behind them with a thud.

“I figured teleporting you wouldn’t be a good idea. Too disconcerting.”

She stumbled back, whirling around to greet the man who had called her here, who was standing only a few feet away. How he got there without her noticing, she wasn’t sure. “Yeah, well, mission failed,” she gasped out, eyes searching for something to defend herself with, just in case. Astrid growled.

The man raised his hands. “Call off your dog,” he commented drily, nodding to Astrid and her glaring, fixed gaze. “Then we can talk.”

“Right,” Madeline scoffed, “what’s your name?” It would be nice to put a name to the face that had haunted her for almost a month.

Still eyeing her dog cautiously, he answered quickly. “My name is Dr. Stephen Strange. And I am trying to help you.”

“Hasn’t really seemed like it,” she shot back.

“I know you don’t know how to control it, because if you did you would use it against me now—” Dr. Strange continued on as if he hadn’t heard her.

“Damn right,” she muttered.

“—And I swear, all I want is to help you understand and control it,” he said earnestly, and as much as she didn’t want to, a part of Madeline believed him. He actually sounded sincere, even though he seemed more interested in Astrid’s bared teeth.

Lips pursed, she nodded slowly. “Astrid, heel.” She could see the relief in the doctor’s eyes when the dog backed away and rejoined her master at her side.

“Alright, let’s get down to business. Do you like tea?”

In the blink of an eye, Madeline was no longer standing in the entry hall of that great house. She wasn’t even standing anymore, rather sitting in a comfortable chair, teacup in hand, with a bewildered Astrid at her side. Madeline felt something similar to seasickness wash over her, and the tea in her cup was sloshing around, dangerously close to spilling over the edge.

“I told you it was disconcerting,” Dr. Strange said, looking a little too amused for her liking.

She attempted to sip her tea and scowled when it splashed over the edge and onto her jeans. Her host, who was sitting directly across from her, seemed indifferent. “Don’t you like tea?”

“Yes, I do like tea,” she responded wryly, “just not when it’s on my clothes.”

“As I was saying,” Doctor Strange continued, ignoring her jab, “I protect the world from mystical threats, and your little incident in New York qualified as one.”

Madeline paused mid sip, and promptly set her teacup onto a nearby table. “Are you calling me a ‘mystical threat’?”

“Not… exactly,” he hesitated, leaning forwards in his chair. “Miss Boudreaux, if my assumption is correct, then you haven’t used your powers since the incident, because you don’t know how. But there are other forces at play here. That’s why it was imperative you come here tonight.”

“Other forces?” she questioned, sinking down into her chair. Her hand slid over the edge of the armrest, and she felt the warm moisture of Astrid’s tongue as the dog licked her hand. Madeline quickly wiped it on the side of her jeans. “What kind of other forces?”

“The Sokovia Accords,” he said, as if it were obvious, “the United Nations keeps a record of every enhanced individual, so when a new one pops up, they’re very interested in finding out who that person is.”

“And you work for them?” Madeline questioned, feeling her stomach drop. The experience had been a frightening one, and she couldn’t blame herself for running, but hindsight was 20/20. Running was far more nerve-wracking now that she knew she had been running from the United Nations, of all things.

Dr. Strange huffed in an amused and somewhat offended way. “Definitely not,” he said, “they don’t know I exist. If they did, they’d probably arrest me too. I tracked you here, do you think I wouldn’t notice if someone else was following you?”

“Someone else was following me?”

“To put it bluntly, yes. You’re not very observant.”

“Lovely,” she muttered, “now that you’ve found me, what’s next?”

“Well, I’d suppose that we attempt to discover what doescause your powers, seeing as you can’t use them at will,” he paused, looking suddenly suspicious, “that is true, isn’t it? You can’t control them?”

“No, I can’t,” she responded, unsure whether she should be relieved or worried by that fact. “But what good will finding the cause of them be? I thought I wasn’t supposed to use them?”

“Your powers are something I’ve never seen before,” Dr. Strange answered bluntly, “and if we find out what’s the root of your abilities, then you can avoid using them. Now, has this—”

Before he could finish, a loud, demanding knock resonated throughout the house, startling all three of them. The doctor stood up abruptly, looking somewhat confused. “That’s odd. I don’t remember ordering pizza.”

Madeline remained frozen as the Doctor’s cape disappeared around the wall corner, and not long after she heard the beginnings of a loud argument. Whoever was at the door was definitely not a pizza delivery guy.

Coming to her sense, she hurried out the door, Astrid at her heels. If someone—say, from the United Nations—had come for her, she couldn’t just sit quietly while somebody else decided her future.

She walked briskly down the carpeted corridor, trying to not get lost in the large, unfamiliar house, following the voices as they grew louder. With every muffled footstep the feeling the knot in her stomach grew. Eventually, she stumbled across an impressive staircase and descended. Strange was nowhere in sight, but she could definitely hear him now.

Cautiously, she pressed her back to the wall and peered around the edge. From here she could make out the door, which was open, but Strange was blocking part of her view. What she was able to see, though, left her both speechless and more than a little confused. Because she had never imagined she would meet the Avengers, especially not like this.

Tony Stark stood closest to the doctor, in a what would be toe-to-toe position if they were the same height. He was dressed like a normal, albeit rich, human being, which was strangely disconcerting. Standing close by on either side of him was Vision and Spider-Man, who was a long way from home. Unlike Stark they were both wearing their respective superhero uniforms.

The small group was talking over each other, forming a jumbled mess that surely nobody could decipher. Stark’s voice finally managed to cut through the clamor. “Look, just hand her over and we’ll be on our way. Then you can get back to doing whatever it is full time wizards do.”

“I’m not a wizard. I’m a doctor, douchebag, and that’s not going to happen.”

“Don’t shoot the messenger.”

Vision’s voice entered the conversation again. “Mr. Strange—”

“Dr. Strange,” he interrupted.

“Dr. Strange,” Vision continued, undeterred, “we’re under direct orders from the United Nations to retrieve Miss Boudreaux. We’re not leaving without her in our custody.”

Strange huffed in frustration. “You’ll wish that you had listened to me when she knocks out your pilot on the flight home.”

“Do you really think you’re the only one who can handle her?”

“Handle me?” she muttered.

“Yes, I do,” the doctor shot back, evidently not hearing her. “You want to know what my job is, Stark? Protecting the world from mystical threats. I’m more than qualified to investigate her abilities. But I can’t very well do that when she’s locked in a maximum-security prison.”

Madeline’s stomach dropped about three feet further than it already had. Prison? Strange had made it seem as if the UN wanted to “catch and release” her—bring her in, catalogue her, and then let her return to her life. Had they been sent to arrest her?

Could she really trust any of them? One party wanted to possibly take her to prison, the other party lied to her and probably viewed her as some sort of mystical threat, or at the very least, a specimen.

Not seeing any way around it, Madeline stepped out from behind the wall, heart beating out of her chest. She pushed an eager Astrid behind her. “Do I get—" she began, but before she could finish, there was a sudden thwip sound. She looked down, startled, only to see her hand glued to the wall, wrapped in some sticky, white, frankly repulsive substance. Her eyes flew up to look at the others. “What the hell is this stuff?” she asked, disgusted.

“Miss Boudreaux,” Vision said immediately, ignoring her question, “you have to come with us.”

“We just established that—”

“Now wait a second,” she said indignantly, “I would like to have some choice here.”

“I’m afraid as the subject in question, you can’t,” Vision said.

“Well, that’s bullshit.”

“If you have to take her because the United Nations says so,” Strange interrupted, “then by all means take her. But don’t think for a second you’re leaving without me.”

Stark pulled off his sunglasses, which really were unnecessary anyways, given that he was indoors, and stared at the doctor incredulously. “And why exactly would you want to come?”

Strange leveled a steady look at the billionaire. “We still have no idea how her powers work. She could kill you, and you’ll have no idea how to stop her.”

“Vision can handle it, right?”

The doctor shook his head. “Not this.”

Stark drew back a few steps, whether voluntary or not. He hesitated, and then sighed in resignation, as if he couldn’t believe this was actually happening. “Fine. Deal.”

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