#living in dorms was the safest i’ve felt living anywhere. and i did not feel very safe — i just felt. safer somehow | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

accioxreparo · 4 years

Photo

light of my life

synopsis: All Fred wants to do is forget the war and everything that happened and he finds his perfect escape all the way in New York. In you.

pairing: Fred Weasley x american!reader

warnings: mentions of the war, angst with a happy ending cause I refuse to have it any other way, also a slightly racy scene, there isn’t too much detail, it’s more implied

a/n: basically I’ve been making my way through @ickle-ronniekins masterlist slowly but surely and I know we’re all in a mood tonight but this was stuck in my head and it’s now noon four in the afternoon and I haven’t slept all night cause I was so focused on this whoops

~~~~~~

Fred Weasley has always considered himself to be reckless.

As a kid he’d sneak into the shed behind the house and steal one of the brooms they kept in there. It took four falls, a sprained ankle, and broken arm until he taught himself how to fly.

When he and George started at Hogwarts he promised they’d make a name for themselves. One completely unlike their brothers. Only two days passed before they planted dungbombs all over the dungeons. The smell that lingered alone meant Potions was cancelled for the rest of the week. Sure they’d been given a month's worth of detention but they had people from every house congratulating and thanking them for just as long..

It was only their second year when they decided they were going to open their own joke shop after leaving Hogwarts. Despite all the setbacks they’d had over the years Fred had never been more sure of anything. Even his last year, as he and George sat in their dorm late the night before their escape, they were positive they were making the right choice.

Maybe running a joke shop in the middle of a war hadn’t been the safest thing. Especially not when they were using the basement level as a safehouse for members of the Order. Maybe it hadn’t been the best idea to provoke the Death Eaters wandering Diagon Alley. But it’d been five months since the attack at Bill’s wedding and Fred had been just so completely done with seeing their stupid faces parading around every day while he worried about whether or not his family was dead.

Finally he couldn’t help himself. A couple well placed tricks lured a fair bit of them to an ambush. Maybe if he’d thought it through a little, listened to the plan instead of going off on his own, their shop wouldn’t have been burned to the ground during the fight. He, George, Bill, and Charlie had taken out a dozen Death Eaters that day though so maybe, just maybe it had been worth it.

Except his only remaining safe haven was gone. The war he wanted no part in had taken too much from him. His shop he’d spent years building alongside George. His family home that he watched burn down. His youngest brother who he hadn’t heard from in months. So yeah, maybe it made him just a little more reckless. A little more desperate.

But he was Fred Weasley after all and things had a funny way of working out in his favor. He would go on raids and taunt the Death Eaters like there was no tomorrow, which he supposed in a way there wasn’t. He was on the run for months but never once had he even been close to getting caught.

There was a war raging and even though the life he’d always known had gotten ripped out from under him, there he was. And by Merlin did it make him feel unstoppable. When the Battle of Hogwarts came he stood tall and confident, a smirk gracing his face. He was Fred fucking Weasley. He was reckless and invincible.

But then he died.

Well, almost.

One moment he was laughing at whatever joke Percy of all people had made and the next...well he wasn’t too sure what happened the next. He remembered bricks, a lot of them, and the sound of people screaming his name. Flashes of black, emptiness mingled with...had those been fireworks going off above the school? They couldn’t have been. He remembered not being able to breathe, this crushing feeling surrounding him until suddenly...it wasn’t.

There was this strange gap in his memory before suddenly he was blinking his eyes open in the hospital wing. The tear stained face of his mother had been the first thing he saw. It was as each member of his family cried as they hugged him that he realized he may have been Fred Weasley but he was, in fact, not invincible.

It took two days until Madam Pomfrey even let him sit up in his hospital bed. Another week passed where all he could do was think. Think and watch the aftermath of a Battle he’d missed play out around him. It was during that time that he came to a conclusion.

“What do you mean you’re leaving?”

His mum wasn’t too happy about it. It had only been two days since he was discharged and she was smothering him senseless. Though he supposed he could understand where she was coming from, she’d almost lost a son after all. Nevertheless it was a reminder of just that. A well meaning, nagging reminder that he had almost died. And he would have absolutely none of that.

“I mean that as of tomorrow morning I will no longer be in this house,” Fred didn’t look away from where he was stuffing whatever useful items he could find laying around into a backpack. He wandered from the living room to the kitchen only to have his dad, Charlie, George, Ginny and Harry go uncharacteristically silent at his arrival.

“And just where do you think you’re going to go?” Molly followed him into the kitchen, hands on her hips as she watched Fred stick some bottled up potions ingredients into his bag.

“Anywhere,” Fred shot around, a grin on his face and a bottle of lavender sprigs in his hand. “Everywhere.”

“Sweetheart,” She didn’t notice the way he winced at the name. It was never a term he’d heard directed at him before. Dear, sure maybe every now and then. Troublemaker was usually the go to. But sweetheart? Never. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea. Especially after -”

“After what? After you thought I had died?” Fred purposely ignored the way each one of them grimaced at his words. “That’s exactly why I have to go!”

“Running off to who knows where? That’s your plan?”

“I don’t have a plan. I just know -”

“Oh, even better!” Molly threw the dish towel in her hand down on the floor and pointed an accusing finger between everyone for a few moments before finally focusing on Fred. “You’ve always been the most careless out of everyone, you know. I will not let you -”

“Will you just listen to me!” All it took was a shout and a stomp of his foot for Fred to feel like a child again. He needed to be heard, though, and nobody was listening. Everything came pouring out all at once without him meaning for it to.

“I’ve done nothing, mum! I can’t sit in this house, in this place, after being a breath away from dying and pretend like everything is okay! I’ve always thought I was daring and out there and sure, maybe a little careless but I’ve never even left this bloody town. I’ve gone from here, to the school, to the shop and back a thousand times over but never anywhere else. You know what that shop was? It was safe. It was what I knew. I loved it, of course I did. I still do and one day we’ll rebuild. But I can’t go back there after being at death’s door without leaving first because then there’s no point.”

The kitchen of the Weasley house had never been silent but it was now. Nobody dared to speak a word. The more silence that passed, the more Fred’s words sank in and the more everybody realized that maybe he had a point. Even if they didn’t agree with it all, who were they to tell him what to do? Who were they to tell him to stay put and do as he always had when he was clearly so desperate to go?

A few minutes of tense silence and awkward glances passed before Fred finally sighed to himself, stuffed the lavender sprigs in his bag, and muttered, “I’m leaving tomorrow morning from King’s Cross if any of you care to see me off.”

***

The war hadn’t been easy for you. It hadn’t been easy for anybody, especially for the people dealing with the brunt of Voldemort’s attacks in England, realistically you knew that. Still, it didn’t stop you from firmly believing that the world was conspiring against you for a time. Now that all was said and done you prided yourself on having bounced back quickly.

You’d been at the helm of several restoration projects at MACUSA and now just a short while later you walked through the streets of Mac Square with ease, a smile on your face. It felt normal. Traces of the battle that had happened there were nowhere to be found. There were no more piles of ashes. No more scorch marks and stains littering the sidewalks. No more ruins to clean up. It was as it had always been.

Well, almost.

Standing right in the middle of the Square was a giant display of dark granite blocks, names carved on every inch of the space. Wooden benches sat every couple of feet but hardly anyone sat on them. Everyone had been much too eager to get on with their lives, pretend the past had never happened. There you sat though, staring at the words etched at the head of the display. In memoriam.

“What do you do here everyday?” The voice startled you. A laugh rang in your ears as you held a hand to your chest, a hopeless attempt to slow your heart rate down again. “Sorry if I startled you.”

The person didn’t hesitate to sit beside you on the bench. He, like most people, paid no mind to the display. Instead he turned, placing one of his legs on the bench so he was facing you. It took a few moments for your breathing to return to normal and finally you looked at him. Quite frankly, he wasn't what you were expecting.

He was around your age, quite tall and well built. His bright red hair was an odd length between short and long and rather messy. He was donning jeans, worn white sneakers, a Weird Sisters t-shirt, and a windbreaker jacket whose sleeves were currently pushed up.

“Do you always sneak up on people like that?” You said after a few moments, not missing the smirk on the person's face.

“I’ve been told I’m usually rather loud,” He shrugged easily and settled further into the bench. “You were just very concentrated on your staring.”

“And it didn’t occur to you that maybe that was for a reason?” The faint smile on your face gave away how amused you really were.

“Well you’ve been sitting on this bench for the last ninety minutes and I simply figured you were either dead, asleep, or in desperate need of a distraction. Lucky for me, it was the last one.” The person reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch. He plucked one of whatever was in there out and tossed it into his mouth, grimacing as he bit into it.

“What you’re really getting at is that you've been watching me for the last hour and a half.” You gave in and turned so you were facing the person you had yet to learn the name of.

“No,” He shook his head and ate another one of whatever item was in the bag. Jellybeans, upon closer inspection. “I’ve been watching you for the past week.” Just as you were about to mention how bad that sounded he motioned towards the building behind you. “My flat is just over there and every day I can look out the window and see you sit on this very bench around lunchtime and stare at that wall. Why?”

His forwardness surprised you. For a brief moment you debated telling him. But he was a stranger, after all, so you decided against it. “Are you always this brash?”

The stranger didn’t hesitate. “Unfortunately for you, yes.”

“I don’t even know your name.”

“Then I’ll tell you,” He popped another jellybean in his mouth and nodded. “As long as you promise to tell me why you sit in front of this wall every day after.”

“I’m not promising you anything. Not without knowing your name.”

Your statement seemed to please the stranger and he smirked, offering you the pouch. You took a couple jellybeans but didn’t eat any just yet. Silence filled the air and for a moment this strange look flashed in the strangers eyes. It was gone as quick as it had appeared and soon he nodded. “I’ll make an exception but just this once.”

“Oh how kind of you.” You offered him a smile because you recognized the look all too well.

“Do I get to know your name at least?” He returned your smile, seemingly relieved to still have you as a distraction.

“Maybe,” You shrugged and ate one of the jellybeans. Blueberry. “If you’re lucky.”

“Fair enough,” The person grinned and ate another candy. He spit that one out quickly and made a disgusted face. “Liver.”

“That’s your name? Liver?” Your smirk quickly softened when he laughed again. It was a sound you would be happy to get used to.

“No,” He put away the pouch of jellybeans, having been put off by the last one he’d had the misfortune of biting into. “Though it’d be a fine name wouldn’t it?”

“If that’s your thing, sure.”

He studied you for a few moments, staring in a way that had you wishing you could peer into that mind of his. “Fred Weasley.”

The sudden beeping of your watch had you quickly standing up, pulling the bag at your feet onto your shoulder. “Well, Fred Weasley, it was nice talking to you but I have to get back to work. The members of the MACUSA Cabinet are sticklers for punctuality.”

“Wait,” He, Fred as you’d found out, sat up on the bench and you paused your movements easier than you normally would have. “What about your name?”

Something about him and the way he looked at you in that moment made you want to sit back down beside him, meetings be damned. You weren’t above toying with him a little though so you gave him another soft smile. “I said I’d tell you if you were lucky. Are you lucky, Fred Weasley?”

Fred thought about what you were asking him. He thought of the countless things he’d gotten away with at school. Of all the fights he walked out of without a scratch. Of the fact that he was sitting on that bench at that moment talking to you. He grinned and finally nodded once, “I’d say so, sure.”

“Well then,” You lifted your bag higher on your shoulder and slowly took a few steps backward. “If you’re so lucky then I’m sure you’ll find me soon and I’ll tell you then.”

You walked away in the direction of where the MACUSA offices were, a newfound ease to your every step. Meanwhile Fred watched you walk away, already wondering when he’d see you again, until you were just a blurry figure in the distance.

***

After five hours of running up and down to different meetings the only thing you wanted to do was go home and sit. The last thing you were expecting to find was Fred Weasley standing in the middle of the lobby. Though you had to admit, he as a welcome distraction. He looked out of place, the jacket he’d been wearing earlier a stark contrast to all the suits and dress robes.

“Told you I was lucky,” Fred pushed himself off of the pillar he’d been leaning on the moment he saw you step off one of the elevators.

“I wouldn’t call it luck,” You sighed as you approached him, the two of you already making your way out of the building side by side. “Maybe good listening and decent investigative skills is more accurate.”

“I’ll take it,” Fred laughed and held the door open for you as the two of you left the offices. He had no clue where he was going but he trusted that you did. “Now I believe the grand prize for my successfully locating the MACUSA offices was the pleasure of knowing your name.”

You didn’t say anything though, not right away. The two of you walked at least three blocks before you looked around to make sure no one was looking and took out your wand. Fred watched as you touched a series of bricks and a portion of the wall faded away to reveal a new alleyway. He followed you without hesitation.

The apartment buildings looked like every other complex he’d seen. Upon closer inspection though, they were each different. One had flowers painted all up and down the sides, enchanted so they were blooming. Another looked like a dozen single homes stacked on top of each other. Yet another had a phoenix watching over a playground, flying between a couple different buildings.

You watched Fred spin around a few times, taking in everything that now surrounded him. There was a light in his eyes that you’d seen only a glimpse of that morning, one that held wonder beyond belief. It was going at full force now and you felt a strange desire to keep it there. “You hungry, Fred Weasley?”

***

“Ever heard of twenty questions?”

“Can’t say I have, Y/N,” Fred answered through a mouthful of waffles. You’d told him your name on the way to the diner and he’d wasted no time in repeating it over and over to himself. He threw his head back against the vinyl booth the two of you were sitting in and made a satisfied noise. “Would you believe I’ve also never had breakfast for dinner. What do you think it is about nighttime that makes waffles so good?”

“Forbidden fruit I guess.”

“So how’s this game of yours work?”

“Pretty simple,” You drank the rest of your coffee and moments later a pitcher came floating from the counter to refill your cup. As the cream and sugar mixed themselves into the coffee you reached into your bag and pulled out a pen, placing it on top of a napkin. “I ask you a question, you answer. Then you ask me a question and I answer. We keep going until all twenty questions have been asked.”

“Where’d you learn this game?” Fred asked without thinking as he picked up his milkshake. The pen scribbled a single tally mark on the napkin and he quickly put down the large cup, shaking his head. “That doesn’t count!”

“Afraid it does,” You laughed when he glared at the pen before turning back to face you. “We played it at the beginning of every year at Ilvermorny to make the incoming first years feel more welcome.

“Ilvermorny.” Fred repeated what you’d told him, as if testing it to see if the word was real.

“You have heard of it, haven’t you?” It was your turn to frown when the pen scribbled down another tally mark.

“I have,” Fred nodded but avoided your gaze, instead focusing on digging the cherry out from under all the extra whipped cream he’d insisted on ordering with his milkshake. “I just don’t think I’ve ever really realized what was out there in the real world.”

“Well you’re here now,” The words left you without warning. They brought the smile back to Fred’s face though so you couldn’t bring yourself to mind. “Ask away.”

And he did. He asked you about Ilvermorny and you told him basic things like your house and what it was like. You, in return, asked him about Hogwarts and all he’d told you about was his own house and the dozens of situations that occurred while he was there. An hour passed and the two of you had made your way through almost the entire game. Fred had ordered another milkshake and you had had two more cups of coffee.

“Eighteen, what were you doing at the MACUSA offices earlier?” Fred leaned forward on the table, lowering his voice to a whisper as if you were swapping trade secrets back and forth. “You don’t seem like the government type. No offence.”

“None taken,” You smiled before following his movements, leaning forward and accidentally spilling a bit of your coffee. “And if you must know I was meeting with the officials who are in charge of the classes taught at Ilvermorny. Now that restoration is complete I’m supposed to start teaching there again.”

“So you’re a professor,” Fred’s response had come out as an observation instead of a question. He’d quickly mastered how to get around the pen marking every single thing he said as another tally.

“Of sorts,” You gave a shrug and pushed your coffee aside. “Despite what they’ll have everyone believe the curriculum is dated at best and incompetent at worst. I taught myself more than any of my professors did and since then I’ve been working on rewriting the teachings of a school hundreds of years old so you can only imagine how that’s going for me.”

For a very brief moment Fred thought of his last year at Hogwarts and all the times he’d snuck around for Dumbledore’s Army meetings. He thought of the fact that it was only the start of his career during the war. The lessons they’d worked on had come in more handy than anyone knew. He thought of...no. He refused to think about it any longer so instead he quickly shook his head and forced another smile onto his face. “I believe it’s your turn.”

“Nineteen,” You didn’t notice Fred’s break in his own composure and thought to yourself for a moment as you dug a pile of dragots out of your bag and set them on the table. “Why are you here, Fred Weasley?” You quickly continued when you saw the smirk cross his face. “Here meaning America, not the diner with me.”

He laughed at your clarification. The two of you had only known each other for a few hours at best and it already felt like you knew him inside and out. He liked the idea more than he cared to admit.

“I needed a change after everything,” Fred shrugged, watching your face carefully for any sign of disappointment in his answer. He never found one though. Instead you looked at him, a soft grin on your face and maybe it was the homey feel of the diner or the colored lighting that softened your every feature or maybe even just the ease he felt while talking to you but he knew exactly what his last question would be. “Twenty, would you consider doing this with me again tomorrow?”

Your answer came almost immediately. “Absolutely.”

***

Two months after that dinner at Red’s Diner, Fred was moving into your apartment in the Art District. Upon seeing the building that was yours, one with painted birds fluttering across the bricks, he’d told you it suited you with a smile. That night as the two of you were eating dinner at Red’s he kissed you for the first time, admitting to you in a quiet whisper that for the first time since he left home he felt okay.

As much as you wanted to, you didn’t press the topic any further. You were comfortable around Fred and yet everything he did was wildly unpredictable in the best ways. Life with him was never boring and it was exactly what you needed. It had been a long time since you yourself had felt fine with your own life but with Fred it was so much more than that. He was home and you didn’t hesitate to tell him that.

A month after he moved in you told him about the wall he’d first found you sitting in front of, the one meant to commemorate those who had died in the war. You told him about your own part in it, the fights that raged on for days in the biggest wizarding hubs in America. Despite what was believed, England wasn’t the only place invaded by Death Eaters. You told him about the names you stared at on the wall. Your best friend. Your little sister. Your father. Countless people you’d met at school.

Fred held you close as you told him everything. You spoke so easily about what you’d gone through while he didn’t even dare think about what he had lived through himself. He came to the realization then that maybe you were stronger than him in ways he couldn’t even begin to fathom. It was after realizing that when he came to the conclusion that he loved you, completely and wholeheartedly. And he told you so.

Three months after that was the first night you woke up to screaming. The moon was shining high in the sky and you’d been startled awake when Fred shot up in bed gasping for air, eyes wide and bloodshot. You were quick to reach for him but when the sound of your voice couldn’t bring him out of whatever trance he was stuck in you crawled into his lap. Your hands reached for his face, bringing his eyes to meet yours. The sight of tear stains on his flushed cheeks surprised you. So did the sudden realization that he was gripping his wand tightly in one of his hands.

“Hey,” You spoke gently, still cradling his face in your hands. “You’re okay, I’m right here.” It took a few minutes of your soft reassurances before he finally looked at you. He was brought back to reality and relief flooded his entire body. His wand fell out of his hand to the floor and he collapsed into you, wrapping his arms tightly around your frame as he buried his head in your chest. He shut his eyes and tried to keep his cries silent. “I’m right here.”

Two hours later Fred had managed to fall back asleep but he hadn’t let you go once. You were sitting against the headboard of the bed with his head in your lap, gently running a hand through his hair that had grown considerably longer. His breathing had evened out but you didn’t dare move him. A pain shot through you at the memory of him crying into your shoulder and you wanted more than anything to know how you could help him. Instead you were left wondering what it was that had woken him up and left him so scared.

You were brought out of your own sleep the next morning by the feeling of Fred aimlessly drawing random shapes on the bare skin of your thighs with his fingers. He was considerably calmer now but when he looked up at you you knew he was still thinking about the previous night.

“Did I wake you?” His voice was hoarse and the usual smile he wore every morning was nowhere to be seen.

“No,” You lied. Fred needed your reassurance and you were more than willing to give it to him. “Been awake for a while.”

Fred watched you for a moment as he tried to gauge how you were feeling. He hated being pitied more than anything else but there was no trace of the feeling on your face. A little bit of concern, sure, but that was to be expected after what he vaguely remembered putting you through. Mostly though you met his gaze with the same look of adoration you gave him every morning, one he usually returned. But at the moment his mind was hurtling out of control and never before had he had anybody at his side to deal with it alongside.

He shuffled a little on the bed until he was more comfortably curled up into you. You felt like peace and that was something he was currently craving. “Can I -” He bit his lip and went silent, suddenly not sure if it was okay. “Can I tell you about it?”

“Of course,” Your answer was automatic despite not knowing what ‘it’ was. You didn’t have to know, though. Nothing he could say, nothing that had happened, would ever change how you felt about Fred Weasley. You hugged him tighter to reassure him of that.

Several minutes of silence passed. The faint chatter coming from outside the window was the only noise that filled the room. It was almost cruel, Fred thought, the way everybody else went on with their Saturday morning while he sat there helplessly reliving that stupid war for the thousandth time. Finally with a shaky sigh he began telling you his story.

“I saw it all happen.” You knew what he meant the moment the words left his mouth.

“I can remember the night Harry yelled about you-know-who being back clear as day. I can remember him crying over Cedric Diggory’s body and the screams of his father when he saw that his son was dead. God, at the time I wanted nothing more than to be in that stupid tournament and I hate the fact that now I’m glad I wasn’t. I hated him, you know. Cedric. All because of a bloody game of Quidditch he beat us in. I’d give anything to take that back.”

You pretended not to notice the damp feeling soaking through your sleep shirt. Tears.

“Nobody believed him. A boy died and nobody believed Harry. Instead we were all tortured for a year. The ministry likes to pretend they didn’t make it happen but there’s no other word for it. She made us write lines in our own blood, what else do you call it? And my dad -” He stopped, a particularly loud and shaky exhale leaving his body as he gripped you tightly. “He almost died that year all because nobody wanted to believe it. And George and I we’d just had enough of it, you know? So we left. For just a day everyone in that school was a child again and we made it happen. I don’t regret it, not at all. But maybe if we had stayed, maybe if we had made just a little more of an effort...maybe then my brother and my sister and our friends wouldn’t have had to fight off Death Eaters alone. They shouldn’t have had to, they were children. We all were. But nobody believed them and they were children and they watched somebody we cared about die that night. Why didn’t anybody believe them!”

Everything you were hearing was new to you. Fred had told you about his family countless times, true, but never like this. He’d mentioned them by name a few times and told you stories about the summers they were all home but this? He had literally been in the middle of the war right alongside the Golden Trio you had heard so many rumors about. He was shaking, sobbing into your shoulder again and you had no idea what to say. So you settled for holding him, a silent promise that none of that would ever happen to him again, not if you had anything to say about it.

It wasn’t until his breathing had evened once more that he worked up the courage to speak again. He swallowed thickly and his voice cracked but he powered through. Oddly enough a small weight had lifted off of his shoulders but there was still something holding him down.

“I was never scared. I knew exactly what was coming. That’s why me and George opened the shop in the first place. Because people have to find hope somewhere after all. So we laughed and we made jokes and we made other people happy and that was enough. Death eaters burned down our house but we rebuilt it. Ron was poisoned by one of them but Harry saved him like always. Dumbledore was murdered by a professor at the school who we trusted but even then we were okay because we, the Order, knew exactly what to do. Not even at Bill’s wedding was I scared. They attacked and people were killed and others went missing but I wasn’t scared. I was furious. I was angry and I did everything I could to make sure those Death Eaters knew it. I was -”

Fred stops again. He’s not hesitant because of a bad memory this time, no. He remembers the day he and his brothers fought the Death Eaters in Diagon Alley and what happened as a result. Shame burns through him at that moment. At the reminder of what he did.

“I wanted them to go away, that’s all. It - It was war and you do desperate things and I didn’t mean to do it. But dark magic is hard to control, most of all a curse like fiendfyre. I’m the one who cast it and I put it out eventually but not before it reached the shop. I stood there and I watched it burn and I told George, Bill, and Charlie that it was the death eaters who cast the curse. They believed me. After that I fought and I ran and I laughed and fought some more and I was never scared, not once. Maybe that’s why.”

You couldn’t help yourself. Fred had stopped talking but he wasn’t done feeling. That you knew for a fact. It’s what prompted you to ask, “Why what?”

You didn’t even notice that you’d been crying yourself until Fred turned his head to look at you, frowned, and reached up to wipe away your tears. There was no hesitation in your movements as you leaned into his touch and gently placed your hand over his own. He looked only at you as he continued.

“Why I died.” He paused once more to reach for your other hand, intertwine it with his own, and press a soft kiss to it, reassuring you that despite his statement he was still there in your shared room right next to you.

“Madam Pomfrey told me after I was being particularly difficult one night. Percy had brought me to the hospital wing after the blast that knocked down that wall in the courtyard crushed me. She said she was the one who checked me herself. I was dead. She told my mum with tears in her eyes that I was gone and suddenly two minutes later I was opening my eyes again. I didn’t know why they were all crying. I didn’t know why they hugged me and kept repeating that I was alive. I didn’t process any of it until I woke up a couple nights later because I couldn’t breath. I was being crushed under the weight of a thousand bricks but I opened my eyes and there was nothing there. Only me and the dark room and flashes of every single thing that I had done during the war who’s ending I missed. That’s why I really left. Because that night was the first time I was scared. The worst part is that I wasn’t scared of the war that wasn’t even happening anymore. I was scared because I really thought I had accomplished a lot and it took dying to know that I really didn’t.”

“Look at me,” You said after only a few seconds, once it was clear that Fred had finished telling you his story. He listened to you, sitting up fully and watching as you turned to face him completely. “You are here and well and I could not love you more. What was that thing you said. You made other people happy and that was enough. I’ve heard your stories, each one you tell with the widest grin. I’ve seen you play with those kids from two floors down and the smile you put on their faces. I absolutely know that even when things were dark you did everything you could to bring a little light into the world. And listen to me, Fred Weasley, that is way more than enough and I never want to hear you say or even think otherwise. Okay?”

For a minute all he did was stare at you. He wasn’t quite sure what it was he was looking for but very slowly a soft smile grew on his face and he found himself nodding. Then without warning he launched himself forward, held your face in his hands, and kissed you. It was hard and passionate and filled with a thousand emotions. He was positive then, as the two of you moved together, wrapped in a blanket of love and reassurance, that he never wanted to leave your side. You were the one who made his world good. You were the one who made him feel better and loved beyond belief and that was really all he could ask for.

***

The door of your apartment slammed shut behind you and almost immediately you were pushed against the wall. Frantic, wandering hands quickly removed Fred’s jacket and unzipped the front of your dress. Even in between heated kisses you could still taste the chocolate malted milkshake he had drank at Red’s earlier. A laugh escaped you at the fact as you gripped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head.

“Why are you laughing, this is a very serious moment,” Fred asked, a smile playing on his lips as he slipped the dress off your shoulders.

“No reason,” You shook your head, kissing him once more as you unbuckled his jeans. Another laugh soon escaped you when he nearly fell over trying to get them off.

“You’re so mean,” He teased, pulling the long sleeve shirt you’d been wearing underneath the dress off. Then he glanced at the thigh high boots you were wearing and sighed. “Darling, I really do love the sight of you in those boots of yours but they are such a hassle to get off at times like this, you know.”

“Which is why last time I wore these,” You quickly moved to unzip them, taking them off one at a time with a smirk on your face. “You had me keep them on.”

Fred wasted no time in reaching for you again once the boots were off, lifting you off the floor and wrapping your legs around his waist, carrying you in the direction of the room. “You know,” He said once reaching the bed. “The lease on the apartment is ending soon.”

“What a -” You were cut off by your own moan as he sucked a mark on the skin of your neck. “An odd thing to bring up now of all times.”

“I just thought,” Satisfied with the mark left on your skin, he started peppering wet kisses down your body, stopping every now and then to bite softly and speak words in between. “Maybe we’d try living somewhere else. Like London.”

“Are you serious?” You couldn’t keep the smile off your face. There had only been a few times when the two of you discussed meeting Fred’s family and each time had ended in a firm ‘one day’. The statement surprised you but didn’t distract you from the feeling of your legs being pushed apart the farther down Fred went.

“Of course,” Even as he kissed the soft skin of your thighs you could feel the smirk playing on his lips as he heard your breathing quicken. “I’ve been dying to show my fiancée off to everyone, you know.”

“Maybe we should -” A sudden gasp escaped you at the feeling of the fabric of your underwear snapping against your skin. You glared a bit when Fred chuckled softly at your reaction. “We should discuss me meeting your family later. Maybe when we aren’t half naked?”

A real laugh escaped Fred at your words but he quickly smirked again and resumed his previous actions. “As you wish.”

***

Nervous was something you hadn’t felt in a long time. But it was all you felt now as you stared at the home you knew was the Burrow. The Weasley family home. An endless stream of butterflies fluttered in the pit of your stomach and you had to resist the urge to fiddle with the glittering ring on your finger to calm yourself. That was how you’d lost it only a few days ago in the middle of moving all the boxes around your new apartment in one of the wizarding boroughs in London, only a couple blocks from Diagon Alley.

The decision to move came easy for both you and Fred. He was confident that he could face everything and everyone again. The morning he’d told you everything was the morning he realized talking it through with you was more than helpful. And you had happily handed over the revised curriculums to the Headmistress of Ilvermorny only a day before leaving New York. From what you heard, there was another school who could do with the same treatment and you were eager to assist.

It’d been exactly eleven days since the two of you had moved to London. While Fred had seen his family a couple times now, he was insistent on wanting to give you a big reveal. The only person he’d let into the apartment was George, who upon meeting you loved you instantly. The three of you had spent all day talking, swapping stories usually at Fred’s expense.

Finally that morning he’d woken you up with a grin, had you get ready, and told you it was time for your first Weasley family dinner. Or lunch, technically.

“Hey,” Fred stepped in front of you and immediately saw the nervous look in your eyes. He held your face in his hands and kissed you softly, resting his forehead on yours right after. With that one small movement your nerves faded away and you visibly relaxed. “Everyone is going to love you. Promise.”

“I’m trusting you on that,” You spoke after a few seconds, a smile making its way onto your face. With a satisfied grin, Fred took your hand and pulled you in the direction of the house.

You were fully expecting to be ambushed the moment you walked through the door, you were prepared for it. Instead you were met with a silent house. Fred wasn’t phased though, he simply led you through the rooms. You walked through a living room whose walls were covered in moving pictures, the kitchen where a pile of pots and pans were washing themselves in the sin, and finally into the backyard. That’s where everyone was waiting.

“She’s real!”

“Shove off,” Fred rolled his eyes at the sudden exclamation as he finally stopped, still holding onto your hand to keep you comfortable. He looked at you, the look on his face softening when he did so. “This is everyone.”

“You aren’t going to introduce me?” You asked, a slight smirk making its way onto your face.

Fred laughed and glanced around at everyone else before matching the look on your face. “They’re going to ambush you one by one anyway. Figured I’d save at least one of us the trouble.”

That was all the confirmation anyone needed to hear. Before you knew it you were being pulled into a tight hug by the first person to reach you.

“We’ve heard so much about you, dear!” Molly was beaming as she held you at arms length. “Even prettier than he said. Told us about you in every letter he sent, you know.”

“Did not,” Fred, who’d taken a step back and was now standing beside George, met your eyes, saw your smirk widen, and immediately knew he was never going to hear the end of it.

“He did too,” Ginny walked up to you next and glanced between you and her brother. You recognized the familiar mischievous glint in her eyes and already knew you were going to love her. “Mum read them out loud and everything.”

“Mum!”

“Sorry, dear,” You could tell by the tone in her voice that Molly wasn’t sorry at all. She simply smiled, squeezed you once more, then walked over to Fred placing a hand on his cheek. “They were adorable.”

“I think she even has one framed,” You recognized Charlie by the dragon tattoo peeking out from under the sleeve of his shirt. He didn’t hesitate to throw his arm over your shoulders in greeting. “What was it you wrote? ‘Her smile shines brighter than the city lights, mum, I swear.’”

“Who knew you were so poetic?” Ron mimicked Charlie’s movements, leaning on your other shoulder. He looked at you with an amused smile. “You really bring out the best in our dear, Freddie, Y/N.”

For once Fred didn’t mind the teasing. It was worth seeing the way your eyes lit up, head tossed back in laughter alongside his family. He wondered as he watched Ginny pull you towards the table why he hadn’t introduced you sooner. You fit right in with everyone and he loved it. He loved you.

It was Hermione who finally mentioned the ring you were wearing as you piled food onto your plate. She grinned, taking your left hand to examine it. “When’s the wedding, then?”

“The what?” Came chorused from no less than eight people.

“Don’t tell me none of you noticed,” Fleur said, suddenly appearing on the other side of Hermione to look at the ring.

“It was obvious,” Percy, who was already eating, shrugged. He’d been the only one to quietly give you his congratulations, smiling excitedly as he did so.

“Why didn’t you tell us!” Molly scolded, flinging one of the dish towels at Fred who quickly ducked out of the way.

“Why’d you think I wanted everyone here? Just for fun?” Fred defended, not moving fast enough to dodge the balled up napkin Bill threw at him.

“You could have at least said you had news or something,” Bill appeared behind you and Fred quickly, hugging you both at once. “This is huge.”

“It really is,” Harry agreed, placing a hand on Fred’s shoulder. “None of us thought you’d be next.”

“Well,” Fred only smiled, wrapping his free arm around your waist to pull you close and kissed your cheek softly. You looked up at him, practically beaming. “Only the best for my love.”

“You should’ve told us sooner,” Arthur happily smiled at the scene from where he was standing right beside Molly. “Your mother’s been waiting to plan another wedding since Bill and Fleur’s.”

It wasn’t a lie, as evidenced by the flurry of questions that were shot your way. How’s and when’s and everything in between. Needless to say as all of you sat around the table that summer afternoon several decisions were made. Upon being asked by Molly when you two wanted the wedding to be Fred had immediately told her as soon as possible. She smiled at the sight of him looking at you with pure adoration and pushed back the happy tears in her eyes.

The conversation finally changed topic as the afternoon went on. Night had fallen and everyone had drifted from the table to around a fire that had been enchanted to act more as decoration and less like a heat source. You sat on a blanket that had been laid on the grass, happily leaning against Fred who held you to him.

“We’re going to reopen the shop,” George announced with a smile when everyone started talking about what they were going to do now that the ministry was finished being rebuilt. Fred had been quick to tell him the truth about the fiendfyre incident after returning to which he only received a nod and an ‘it’s fine, I knew’. “We’ve already started building up our inventory again.”

“Really?” Everyone had been waiting for the day the two of them would decide to reopen the shop. The structure had been put up quickly after the end of the war. All that was left was the cosmetics on the outside and the matter of stocking everything.

“Besides,” Fred grinned as he glanced around at his family. “Everyone needs a little light in their life right?”

It was late at night, after Fred dragged you up to his childhood bedroom insisting that you needed to see it and sleep there at least one night to get the full experience, that he pressed his lips to yours in a way that left your head spinning wonderfully.

“You’re mine, you know,” He whispered the statement into the night, afraid that if he spoke too loud he would ruin the moment. “The light of my life.”

The words he said to you were soft and beautifully intimate and unlike anything you’d heard before. After everything, wars and trauma and so much else, you were there together in that moment in time. And you were ecstatic. You kissed him again, softly, and smiled as you spoke against his lips, “And you’re mine.”

#oof i have no idea how to tag things #here we go #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley #harry potter one shot #harry potter imagine #hp #fred weasley imagine #hp fanfic #fix it fic #cause that's the only kind we know #c: fred weasley #my fics

332 notes · View notes

luobingmeis · 7 years

Text

chapter five, hawk in the raven nest

chapter summary: predators of the raven: great horned owls, northern goshawks, bald eagles, golden eagles, and hawks

A/N: thanks for reading, feedback is appreciated!!! honestly, i looked forward to posting this chapter so much omg

read on ao3

previous chapter

chapter list

Nathaniel’s phone buzzing next to his pillow was what woke him up. He smacked his hand around trying to find it, wondering how the morning came so fast. However, it was not his alarm waking him up, it was an unknown number calling him at four in the morning.

With only a slight hesitation, he answered it and placed his phone to his ear. “Hello?” he whispered, keeping wary eyes on his sleeping roommate.

“Nathaniel, it’s me.”

He didn’t need confirmation to know who was on the other line. He would have recognized it anywhere. It was the voice that had screamed at him in practice, begged him to leave him unharmed; it was the voice he grew up hearing.

“Holy shit-” Hearing Kevin Day’s voice on the other line a week after he disappeared made Nathaniel’s concept of volume control go out the window.

Kevin shushed him so loudly and so forcefully that Nathaniel was compelled to press a hand to his mouth. He stared at Jean as his roommate shifted at the noise and mumbled something incomprehensible. Nathaniel was finally able to breathe again when Jean stopped moving.

“Don’t say anything until I tell you to,” Kevin was whispering even though he wasn’t in the same room. It gave Nathaniel the frightful idea that Kevin was, yet again, not in the safest place.

“Where did you-”

“What did I just fucking say?” Nathaniel covered his mouth again and let Kevin go on. He heard him sigh on the other end. “Let me explain everything, and then I’ll answer any questions you have,” Kevin’s voice was so low that Nathaniel had to strain his ears to hear him, “I couldn’t stay there. With the Ravens. Living with Riko was never easy, and it just got worse after… what he did to my hand. When you left, we went to the Master and I watched as they made that bullshit story about a hit and run. They threatened to kill me if I said anything else, so that’s the story I have to tell anyone who asks. But, it was torture seeing him after that night. I wouldn’t be able to fight back if he came after me, I was terrified, and… and he knew that. He would use that to his advantage, telling me that if I stepped out of line again, if I continued to let Andrew be or even thought about stepping onto the court of Castle Evermore again, he would break my other hand. Or my legs. Or just get my left hand removed entirely, since he knew people that would do it for free.

“But that wasn’t all of it. Him threatening me, or lashing out like that, wasn’t a first time thing.” Kevin paused and Nathaniel’s blood ran cold at realizing that his guess as to what happened between their leading strikers was about to be proven true. “You and Jean weren’t the only ones who Riko went after. He went after you two when he needed to release his anger, or make a statement to the team. But… I’m sure you two already know that.” Nathaniel wanted to tell him that Riko had just beaten the shit out of both of them, but he didn’t know how to say that without telling Kevin it was because of him. “But he went after me when he felt threatened. That’s how it always was, ever since we were kids. People were always comparing us, and one was bound to be better than the other. Riko was always jealous, and that jealousy turned into blind rage and violence. When he found out that I was really the better striker, breaking my hand was only a warning. That’s why I left. I couldn’t handle it anymore, I couldn’t take any more abuse if it was to only get worse.” Neither of them said anything for a moment. “Now, any questions?”

“Where did you go?” Nathaniel whispered. He wanted to know how Kevin even knew a place to go to after being holed up with the Ravens for over ten years.

“Palmetto State. I’m in David Wymack’s apartment.”

Nathaniel didn’t respond for a moment. Palmetto State, home of the Foxes. The Foxes were a team of societal rejects; Coach David Wymack only took in athletes from troubled pasts. They were objectively the worst Class I team, and yet they somehow maintained their rank. And now Kevin Day, the Exy prodigy, had stepped into their territory.

Kevin definitely had a troubled past, but that wasn’t the reason he went to Palmetto. If Nathaniel didn’t know the truth, he would have immediately launched into how Kevin put himself in the worst possible place for an Exy career, but he knew what was actually important.

“Wymack is-”

“My father, yes,” Kevin said. “He doesn’t know that, though.”

“Then why did he let you in?” Nathaniel asked. He decided to turn his back to Jean, that that would be a better way of masking his voice from his roommate. “How long have you even been there for?”

“I’ve been here for five days now,” Kevin answered. “And… he knows what happened with my hand. The truth. It was hard not to explain what really happened when I, Kevin Day, showed up to his apartment, which is a ways away from Evermore, with a broken hand. He knew I wouldn’t just go there if the hit and run story was true.” On any other day, Nathaniel would have called him out on using his name to show privilege. But he was right; who would turn away Kevin Day?

Nathaniel was surprised when Kevin let out a short laugh, but there was no good-will behind it. “He said he always felt something was off with the Ravens. There’s something off with the Foxes, too, but that’s more in regards to their talent than anything else.”

“Andrew’s brother and cousin are on the Foxes,” Nathaniel said, suddenly reminded. “Do they know? Does Andrew?”

“No, and no,” Kevin said rather quickly. “It’s Aaron and Nicky, and no they do not know and will not know unless they absolutely need to. And no, Andrew doesn’t know about this. He thinks that the hit and run is what happened, and he thinks that I just disappeared. I’ll have to be the one to talk to him about all of this.”

Nathaniel found that part odd. Despite all being in the inner circle, and Andrew not being stupid enough to blindly reject the truth, why would Kevin have to be the one to tell him? He then thought back to what Kevin said about wanting Andrew on the team for his potential. Nathaniel took his word then, but now he had a feeling there was something more.

“What’s with you and Andrew?” he asked. “I want the truth this time.”

Kevin sighed when he realized that Nathaniel caught the hole in his story. “The potential part wasn’t a lie,” Kevin started. “We did want to recruit him for his talent. But, as everyone knows, he rejected us at first.” Nathaniel nodded even though no one could see him. “But I kept contacting him to recruit him because he really does have the talent that the Ravens need. Riko wasn’t too happy that I was doing that. When he found out that I got permission to fly out to speak to Andrew again, alone, as long as I came back once the deal was made, he reacted as well as you can imagine. When I got out to Andrew’s high school again, the bruising around my eye wasn’t hard for him to miss, but he took notice of… the bruises on my neck.

“Andrew’s actually a lot smarter than he lets on. It didn’t take him long to put the pieces together. He told me that he would come to the Ravens if I could make a good enough deal for it. He was on his drugs at that time, and I told him I would make something of his life if he came to the Ravens. I don’t think he believed me, but he came anyway.” A pause. “He never said it, but I always had a feeling that he came to keep Riko off my back. Riko’s abuse couldn’t stop inside the dorm room, no one but us was allowed in if they didn’t have permission. But Andrew was always nearby, especially when Riko was around, and Riko would never touch me in public if there was an audience. Especially if that audience was Andrew.”

“Don’t tell me Riko’s afraid of Andrew,” Nathaniel said in disbelief.

“Riko fears no one,” Kevin said. “But Andrew has nothing to lose. If Riko ever attacked him, Andrew would have probably killed him. So, Andrew and I stuck together as much as possible outside of the dorm, and since I was barely in the dorm then, Riko’s abuse was minimized.”

“Except for that time in the locker room.”

“You really have the tendency to be in the wrong place in the wrong time,” The fact that Kevin knew exactly when he was talking about made Nathaniel realize that Andrew barely ever left Kevin’s side, even in the locker room. “I think you’re smart enough to know not to inform Riko that you were there.

“But remember what I said about not telling Andrew about this. I have to be the one to tell him. We have to work some things out. I have to make sure that he doesn’t kill Riko. Our deal is off, I’m not with the Ravens anymore so he doesn’t need to protect me, but Andrew doesn’t like Riko touching anything of his.”

“Anything of his?” Nathaniel repeated. “What do you mean?”

“When our deal was formed, so was an alliance. It was unspoken, but agreed on. Andrew’s a surprisingly loyal person, and he never reacted well in the first place to not being able to defend me the entire time with the Ravens. When he finds out that this happened right upstairs in the locker room, and he wasn’t there to stop it, he might murder Riko. I have to stop that.”

Andrew Minyard, Andrew who claimed not to care about anything, who appeared to hate everyone and everything Raven, gave his loyalty to Kevin Day, who was basically the exact opposite of him. Of all the things Nathaniel thought Andrew was, he didn’t expect “loyal” to be one of them.

“I have another question,” Nathaniel said when another thing concerning their goalkeeper came into his mind.

“You’re asking a lot of questions, Nathaniel.”

“I want a lot of answers, Kevin.”

“Fine,” Kevin said, huffing out a breath. “What?”

“Andrew’s brother and cousin are there. Are they asking you about him?” If Andrew was so keen on keeping Kevin safe, how was he in regards to his actual family?

“Nicky, his cousin, asks about Andrew a lot. Turns out, after his and Aaron’s mother’s death, he had to come back from living in Germany to be their legal guardian until they were of age. He ended up staying because he was offered a scholarship with Aaron. Aaron barely acts like Andrew exists, but I’m not surprised. Andrew barely acknowledged Aaron, too.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Kevin said. “They’re not your picture-perfect family, but I doubt you expected that.”

“You’re with the Foxes now, but you can’t play. What are you going to do there?”

“I’m filling in as an assistant coach,” Kevin said. “I obviously can’t play, and the team needs it, they’re a trainwreck. I don’t know how many people on the Ravens know, but Tetsuji does.” Nathaniel wanted to interject but Kevin wouldn’t let him. “Wymack changed the circumstances, I don’t know if Tetsuji actually believed him or just didn’t care, but he let me go to the Foxes freely. As I said, I don’t know if anyone else knows. It’s useless to try to keep it a secret forever. It’s impossible to lay low here, reporters love this team for some reason. Maybe because they’re all fucked. I digress, but soon enough everyone is going to find out that I’m here. I don’t think I have to tell you to not go around saying shit, right?” When Nathaniel offered a noise of confirmation, Kevin finished with, “Now, do you have any final things you want to ask? Wymack gets up around this time.”

Nathaniel still had so many things he wanted to ask. He wanted to ask what he would do with the rest of his life if he couldn’t play Exy. He wanted to ask if Thea Muldani already knew, and if she did, if their relationship could finally be public. He wanted to know if David Wymack was the only reason he went to Palmetto, or if it was because the Foxes was the last team anyone would associate Kevin Day, Exy Prodigy, with. He could have talked to Kevin for hours, just trading questions and answers back and forth. However, the only thing that came out of his mouth was, “Will you keep in touch?”

“I’ll try.”

Him and Kevin exchanged goodbyes, and the line went out.

Nathaniel felt a tap on his shoulder as he walked through the lounge of the Nest. Andrew then passed him, not even sparing him a glance over his shoulder, but Nathaniel was smart enough to put two and two together. He watched as Andrew headed into his dorm room before stalling in the lounge. Ravens were scattered about on couches and floors, all hovering over books or the sports stations on TV and no one spoke. He pretended like he was interested in whatever the newscaster was saying about a team that he didn’t catch the number of. He waited until he finished counting to one-hundred before heading to Andrew’s room.

He didn’t knock but, when he entered, Andrew was standing in the middle of the room, facing the door. Andrew had a roommate, Bryan Engle, but the two barely stayed together. Perhaps it was because Engle was too busy with his on-and-off girlfriend Jenkins, or perhaps it was because Andrew was too unbearable to live with.

Either way, the two had as much privacy as they needed in Andrew’s room.

“You’re very surprising, Nathaniel,” Andrew said once the door was closed. His voice was monotone and he looked like he completely did not give a shit about him.

“Am I?” Nathaniel replied, approaching Andrew. He kept about a foot in between them.

“I hate surprises.”

“Do you?” He feigned surprise.

“Do you only answer in stupid questions?” Andrew asked. Despite the words that had some bite to them, his tone didn’t shift.

“What do you want, Andrew?”

“Once again, a stupid question.” Andrew cocked his head slightly to the right. “You know exactly what this is about.”

It was two days since Nathaniel talked to Kevin on the phone. He knew it wasn’t going to take long for him to contact Andrew. “You talked to Kevin.”

Andrew’s reply was enough for confirmation. “You have thirty seconds to tell me why I shouldn’t bash Riko’s skull in with my racket at practice.”

“Because you’re not a fucking idiot?”

“Wrong answer, with my self-destructive tendencies and all,” Andrew said, “Twenty-five, twenty-four…”

“You would probably be killed, too.”

“Twenty-two, twenty-one…”

If Nathaniel wasn’t positive that Andrew would actually kill Riko, he wouldn’t have thought so hard about what to say. But this was Andrew they were talking about, and after finding out about his and Kevin’s deal, Nathaniel knew that Andrew was only moments away from murder.

“Sixteen, fifteen…”

“If you kill Riko, that only solves one major problem, not all of them,” Nathaniel said. “Tetsuji still dominates all of us. The Ravens are still fucked to the very core. Killing Riko won’t be enough, we have to stop the Ravens all together.”

Hearing those words leave his mouth shocked Nathaniel so much that he fell silent. He had spoken off the cuff, not giving thought to what he was saying. And yet, he managed to finally put into words what he knew he had to do. All this pent up fear and anger and hatred were all pointing to the same answer. And that answer wasn’t just Riko, or Tetsuji, or the Nest. It was all three combined. Everything Nathaniel had felt recently had led him to this point, to this conclusion that to truly be rid of this torture, they had to kill every single part of the Ravens. And he had to do it with Andrew, for Andrew, too, knew what the Ravens could do. He was one of the only ones smart enough to not blindly trust their leaders.

He assumed he caught Andrew’s attention with his words, too, since he stopped counting down.

“So that’s why you shouldn’t kill Riko,” Nathaniel said. His thoughts in his mind were tumbling one over another at how quickly everything was finally piecing together. He couldn’t stop the Ravens alone, and the person he needed was only a few inches from him. “Because that won’t do anything. Cutting off a limb won’t kill something, you have to go for the jugular, the heart, every artery and vein.”

“Interesting,” Andrew said, staring blankly up at him. “I thought we came to the conclusion that I was the self-destructive one.”

“I am a very surprising person.”

“I thought we also came to the conclusion that I hated surprises. Or do I need to say it slower?”

“You want to get revenge? You need to work with me,” Nathaniel said. “You and I are a part of the inner circle, so we have a way in. And you and I know what the Ravens really are, and what Riko is really capable of doing.”

Andrew didn’t say anything. Nathaniel watched him, hoping with everything that he had that Andrew would agree, and fearing that he would tell Nathaniel to fuck off.

What Nathaniel didn’t expect Andrew to say was, “Give me your back.”

“What?”

Andrew shook his head. “You can’t be that stupid,” he said. “You can’t go in to destroying this shit show and not have a plan. Give me your back, because I doubt you can fight Riko on your own. To say I would keep Riko from you would be a lie, and I’m not a liar, but I can fight him with you. But you can’t be stupid about it, how Kevin was. To give me your back, you give me your time. You can’t just disappear. If Riko decides to smash your hand, too, and I’m not there to stop it, then you’re fucked. From here on out, you stick with me.”

“So it’s an alliance?” Nathaniel asked, unable to keep the shock out of his voice at the loyalty being offered to him.

“An alliance implies that I need you as much as you need me,” Andrew shook his head. “I do not need you.”

“Fine,” Nathaniel said with an eye roll. “So it’s not an alliance, just you making sure Riko doesn’t kill me, and me making sure Riko doesn’t kill you, but not an alliance.”

“Don’t make me kill-”

“What about Jean?” Nathaniel cut him off.

“What about Jean?” Andrew asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“He’ll get involved in this, too,” Nathaniel said. “Whatever happens to me, happens to him.” It was inevitable that Jean would get dragged into this mess. Jean Moreau had the unfortunate habit of always being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Well he isn’t involved in it now, and when he does, he’s your responsibility,” Andrew answered. “You gave me your back, so you’re mine.”

Nathaniel considered that for a moment. It made sense. Jean was Nathaniel’s ally in all of this, his actual ally. It was never Andrew’s job to make sure that he survived; it was always Nathaniel’s responsibility to make sure Jean wasn’t killed, and it was Jean’s to do the same for him.

“Where does Kevin fall into place in all of this?” Nathaniel asked.

“He won’t be opposed to watching this team crash and burn,” Andrew said. “He’ll know what he’ll have to do.”

Nathaniel knew that that meant another conversation was going to happen between Kevin and Andrew. He almost questioned how Andrew just knew that Kevin would listen to him, but then he remembered the loyalty Kevin said Andrew had, and how Kevin seemed to reciprocate it. He was doubtful, though, that Kevin would take to their plan so easily. Kevin worked together with Riko for practically his entire life, but it was also very evident that Kevin feared Riko. Nathaniel didn’t know if Kevin would be so accepting of this plan of theirs when their target was Riko. Especially when anything involving Riko could lead to mass destruction.

But Nathaniel found himself trusting Andrew’s words.

Something then occurred to Nathaniel. Kevin was coerced into making a deal with Andrew to get him to come to the Ravens. He expected that this deal wasn’t going to be done for free, either.

“What do you want in return? You have my back, what do you from me?”

“I want nothing,” Andrew said, and Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing at all,” he repeated. “You don’t even want a life after all of this shit is over? You don’t want to be something after the Ravens?”

Nathaniel found no amusement on Andrew’s face after hearing Kevin’s own words thrown back at him. “Surprising and hilarious,” he said. “A fucking comedian.”

“You forgot interesting.” Nathaniel gave him a smirk.

He then saw something flash across Andrew’s eyes at hearing his petty statement. It looked like anger, like something dark was burning inside of Andrew. Nathaniel would be lying if he said he wasn’t taken back; in the time Nathaniel had known Andrew, he hadn’t seen any real expression of emotion. The flash of anger across his eyes was the closest he had seen to Andrew actually feeling anything.

“I never said you would keep my interest and I suddenly remember why I barely talked to you before this,” Andrew said, that look disappearing from his eyes. “It’s because I hate you and your attitude problem and your hard-on for Exy and everything else.”

Nathaniel ignored the insult. “So it’s a deal. I give you my back, I get you somewhere after this. If you change your mind, let me know.”

Andrew didn’t agree to it, but he didn’t deny it, either. “Get out of my room before I change my mind and let Riko kill you.”

Andrew Minyard, no matter how much he denied the label, had formed an alliance with him. Andrew Minyard, the outsider of the Top Five, had joined forces to destroy the very system they were meant to thrive in. No longer was it Riko and Kevin, Nathaniel and Jean, and then just Andrew (with Kevin tacked on loosely). No, it was now Nathaniel and Jean, Andrew and Nathaniel, and then just Riko. And if Kevin was back in, he didn’t even belong with Riko anymore. It was soon going to be Nathaniel, Andrew, and Kevin all against Riko. Nathaniel found satisfaction in knowing that Riko was never going to know what hit him when they all started their attack on the Ravens.

Nathaniel told Jean that he would survive with him. But surviving wasn’t enough anymore. Surviving meant settling for the way they lived. Surviving meant looking ahead and hoping for a future that might never come. Surviving was the way of the weak. Nathaniel couldn’t just survive with Jean anymore. He had to fight with Andrew, because Andrew and him were the ones who could destroy the Ravens from the inside. Nathaniel wouldn’t be able to stand himself if he just survived the Ravens and then let them be, allowing them to destroy all newcomers. No, Nathaniel Wesninski had to destroy the Ravens, and he had to do it with Andrew Minyard at his side. Andrew had Nathaniel’s back, had called him his, and he was going to be the one to fight side-by-side with.

Nathaniel mocked Andrew’s two-fingered salute back to the goalkeeper before turning on his heel and walking out the door.

#neil josten #nathaniel wesninski #andrew minyard #aftg #tfc #stuff i write #hawk in the raven nest

7 notes · View notes

silvershadow1398 · 5 years

Text

#80 100 QUESTIONS

Are you young at heart, or an old soul? Idk, both in different ways

What makes someone a best friend? To me, someone I can be around 24/7 and not get tired of bc I get tired of everyone normally

What Christmas (or Hanukkah) present do you remember the most? I got a GoPro this year

Tell me about a movie/song/tv show/play/book that has changed your life. Happy Feet is the reason why the emperor penguin is my favorite animal

Name one physical feature that you like about yourself, and one you dislike. I have nice hair, but I hate my face

Would you like to reconnect with any friends you’ve lost contact with? Sure, maybe a few from high school

What’s more important in a relationship: physical attraction or emotional connection? Emotional connection

Name a movie that you knew would be terrible just from reading the title. Emoji movie

What holiday do you most look forward to? Christmas

How is the relationship between you and your parents? Not perfect, but very good

You’ve got the TV on, but you’re not really watching. What channel is the TV on? Usually the news

Name a song that never fails to make you happy. Anything by Muse

You know at least one person named Michael. Tell me about him. The brother of the only guy I’ve ever kissed

Have you ever read the “missed connections” on Craigslist? Have you ever posted one, or wanted to? No

If you could pick anywhere to live the rest of your life, where would it be? Kennebunkport, Maine

Can money buy happiness? It helps, but no

Do you drink? Smoke? Do drugs? Why, or why not? Nope to both

Is there anyone close to you that you know you can’t trust? You don’t have to give names. There’s a lot of people I don’t trust

Where was your favorite place to go when you were a little kid? The bookstore

Have you ever spent a night in the hospital? No

Do you enjoy being with only one or two friends, or with a large group of people? I like being with 2-8 friends

Do you like the type of music your parents listen to? Do your parents like the type of music you listen to? Not really, and I don’t think they care for the most part but they’ve enjoyed songs I’ve showed them

Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever bullied anyone else? Yes and yes

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Spaghetti

If your partner wanted to wait until marriage before having sex, would you stay in that relationship? Of course and sometimes I feel that way

Do you believe in a god? Sure

Of all the social networks in the world, why use Tumblr? I can be fully honest here, no judgment

What’s your favorite Tumblr tag to track? Any of my fandoms

Would you call yourself/your family “middle class?” Yes

Name a TV series you didn’t enjoy until after it ended. Idk I don’t watch TV that much

Have you ever bought a product from an infomercial? Yes

If you could give up your car and never have to drive again, would you? If I could find another way to get around, yes

If you go back to one point in time to give advice to yourself, when would you go and what would you say? Don’t take 6 weeks of summer intensive, get a job instead

What’s your “quirkiest” habit? I click the right side of my jaw

What is “normal?” Are you normal? You live up to society’s expectations and no one judges you or laughs at you, I am NOWHERE NEAR normal

Someone close to you is dying. You have the choice to let this person live for 10 more years, but if you do, you cause the death of 10 strangers. You don’t have to see them die. Do you take the offer? Pretty grim, but yes…

What is one thing you could never forgive? People who have used me and/or were fake to me

Would you rather be in a relationship after the honeymoon period ends, or be single? It depends on how much I care for and love the person

Is it possible for guys and girls to be just friends? Of course

Where do you and your friends go to hang out? One of our dorm rooms

Write the first paragraph of your obituary. Jesus Christ I am choosing not to go there rn

What is the best TV theme song ever? Everywhere You Go, Full House

When you were young, what would you dream you would be when you grew up? Pilot or astronaut

When you’re alone in your own home, do you walk around naked? No

What gets you out of bed in the morning? Needing to pee

Do you want to have more friends than you have right now? Yes

What part of the past year sticks out in your mind? When I got accepted to my study abroad university

You win a scratch-off lottery game that gives you $2000 a week (after taxes) for the rest of your life. Do you keep your job? Nope!

Could you be in a long-distance relationship? If you’re in one, what makes yours work? If I really really care about this person and see a future with them, then we’d figure it out!

What’s the best route to your heart? You accept me for who I am and you’re not socially tiring to be around

Have you ever met someone through the internet, then met them in real life? No

What is your favorite sport? I dance, but I enjoy watching gymnastics and figure skating

What has been troubling you lately? Stress over upcoming travel

Did you enjoy your high school prom? If you haven’t gotten there yet, do you look forward to it? If you didn’t go, why not? Lol no I hated it

What do you use more often: your intuition or logical reasoning? Logical reasoning

Do you know what makes you happy? Anything in which I can be in the moment and truly enjoy life

Tell me about the last book you read. I don’t remember

What is the nicest compliment you’ve ever been given? Someone at school told me they liked my eyeliner

Who was your first crush? A boy when I was in 3rd grade… ugh

Do you believe that there is life on other planets? Yes

Predict what your life will look like a year from now. My final semester of college!

Often, people will ask how your last relationship ended. I want to know how it began. Never been in a relationship

Where is your favorite place to go out and eat? Any Italian restaurant

What is something you want to change about your current situation? Can I just go to Australia already

Early bird or night owl? Night owl af

Are there any childhood possessions you still hold on to? Yes

Give me an unpopular opinion you have. I am not a huge fan of Harry Potter! I have a house, I definitely know things about Harry Potter, and I support people who enjoy it, but I’m not a fan!

What was the last song that was stuck in your head? The Lollipop song lol

Where do you live? Be as general or specific as you want. New England USA

Do you believe in giving kids medals and trophies for participation? I believe in giving medals and trophies for achievements, but not to define first, second, third, etc. place

What was the longest car ride you’ve ever taken? 13 hours

Have you ever taken part in a protest? No

Would you ever use an online dating service? NO

What is your ethnic heritage? Chinese

Describe a person that inspires you. Dan Howell and Phil Lester

If you earn minimum wage doing what you love, would you? No

Do you believe in luck? Yes

Describe the last time you were very angry at someone. Chances are I’m probably very upset while dealing with people I dance with the majority of the time

Do you want to live until you’re 100? Nah

Do people change? If so, how do you keep a relationship together when both of you start to change? Yes, you have to support each other and be there to help the change occur in a good way

Have you ever risked a friendship by telling someone you liked them? No

Would you rather be alone doing something you enjoy, or doing something you don’t like with your best friends? Alone doing something I enjoy

Do you practice what you preach? I try

If you take precautions to stay safe, do you ultimately act more recklessly? Nope

What do you value more in a significant other: Attractiveness or intelligence? Intelligence

Are you hard-headed? Not 100%, but yes

Have you ever laughed uncontrollably when it was socially inappropriate? Not uncontrollably, but yes I’ve laughed

When have you felt most alive? When I do something I didn’t think I could do before, and when I achieve something

Would you prefer to live? A city? The suburbs? The countryside? The mountains? Somewhere between city and suburbs

Do you often skip breakfast? No

How do you know what true love is? Never experienced it so idk

Would you want to know the exact date and time you were going to die? Not really

Where is “home” for you? The place in my current residence which I feel safest

What song best describes your life right now? Idk

Do you want to be perfect? I used to want it and I still struggle occasionally with it, but ultimately no

What have you never tried, but would really like to someday? What’s holding you back? Having an amazing job and being able to travel a lot, I am still financially and emotionally dependent on my parents lol

How do you express your creativity? Dance, photography

Describe your neighborhood. I don’t talk to anyone

Name something you only liked because it was popular. Idk, music maybe

Give me the story of your life in six words. Chinese adoptee who doesn’t know herself

#about me

0 notes