#or maybe ill spend the next two years waiting for them

[pierregazly]

1+ 2 = ...4? ꨄ pierre gasly smau

pierre gasly x wife!russell!reader

warnings: pregnancy, mentions of twins, george having a meltdown

in which pierre put his tripod to use and caused two major outcomes, george has a meltdown, and all the fans just want to know what's going on?

ynrussell

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tagged pierregasly

ynrussell joyeux anniversaire mon amour. three years ago today i married the love of my life and became the official mrs. gasly, so excited to give you your present tonight 🫶🏻

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username omg babes post the present!!! let us all be jealous

username happy anniversary mom and dad

charles_leclerc 🥳💗

username feel like it was just yesterday that i was jealous out of my mind about their wedding... still jealous tho

pierregasly joyeux anniversaire ma chère, i am the luckiest man in the world

pierregasly can't wait to give your your own present tonight

pierregasly it rhymes with tierod

username TRIPOD PIERRE

username im SCREAMING send this man right to PRISON

georgerussell63 god every time i see anything to do with you two i have to bleach my bloody eyes. happy anniversary you two, im disgusted.

username poor george, him and carmen are so tame compared to these two... i love the polar opposite sibling trope

ynrussell has posted a story

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replies

pierregasly i hope the pizza was good ma chérie, and hope it satisfied the little bean's cravings

ynrussell it was delicious... but we kind of want chocolate now too :(

pierregasly ill check ubereats and see what i can do

ynrussell mine and the bean's saviour 🫶🏻

pierregasly

liked by ynrussell, charles_leclerc, alpinef1team, and 209,444 others

tagged alpinef1team

pierregasly unfortunately not the finish we would have liked, the 15 second penalty cost us significantly and i apologize to my team and all our fans for it. will come back bigger and better next time 💪 now time to go and spend some well deserved time off with my family

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username thank you for pushing through and giving us an awesome race to watch pierre!

username loved your helmet this weekend pierre!

username sad that mother ynrussell wasn't here this weekend, but happy to see her in the likes

username 'well deserved time off with my family' do we think that's alluding to something else????

username girl he's obviously talking about his wife and his family??? like what

username ummm sorry he almost always says 'my loved ones' gotta push the pregnancy rumour agenda some more

ynrussell we're all so proud of you pear 🫶🏻 the track limits and penalties are bullshit and i'll be sending a strongly worded letter to whoever costs you anything good

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pierregasly 😂😭🤍

username who is 'we're all' who is the plural that she's referring to omg

username i'm telling y'all... mother is becoming a real mother idc what any of y'all say

pierregasly has posted a story

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ynrussell omf make sure you get extra cheesecake... and extra elcairs, and a few brownies... maybe get a few of everything??? the bean's want them!!!!

pierregasly well if the bean's want them....

username this SCREAMS my wife is pregnant and sent me on a late night snack run omf

username tell us your secret!!!!

ynrussell

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tagged pierregasly

ynrussell sorry just have to appreciate how incredibly sexy it is seeing my super sexy amazing husband with kids!!! like how lucky am i!!! can't wait til' you're holding our future babies (my ovaries are exploding, i am crying, it's going to be a long day)

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username girl this seems a little feral idk

georgerussell63 this is certifiably disgusting. please grow up.

username you know who would post something like this??? a wife expecting a baby who is getting more excited about that baby seeing her husband with kids

username seems legit idk

pierregasly is this your nice way of asking me to pickup more eclairs on the way home?

ynrussell cinnamon buns too?? please?? je t'aime

pierregasly can't wait to hold our future bean's too ma chérie

username pierre as a dad is going to be so sexy, ynrussell is so right??? those babies are going to be beautiful omf

ynrussell and pierregasly

liked by charles_leclerc, carmenmmundt, georgerussell63, and 566,493 others

pierregasly october 2024 / gasly thing 1 and gasly thing 2 🐣🚼

view all 4,533 comments

ynrussell omg i'm pregnant???? SURPRISE

ynrussell maman is begging for them to come sooner, her poor back.

username AH I KNEW IT. I CALLED IT. MY HEART.

username THING 1 AND THING 2 AHHHHH

username pierre is gonna be a girl dad AND a boy dad?????? we're so blessed

georgerussell63 excuse me????

georgerussell63 you knocked my sister up????

georgerussell63 i told you to stay away from her??? this is outrageous i am disgusted

pierregasly sorry, tripod's work well.

ynrussell pierre delete this comment rn, i swear to god.

georgerussell63 (i am so excited to meet my baby niece and baby nephew. uncle georgie loves you both so much)

lewishamilton congratulations! roscoe is so excited 🤍

charles_leclerc uncle cha reporting for duty 🫡 congratulations, you two.

georgerussell63 i'd like to emphasize i'm still having a meltdown from when you casually gave me a bottle of gin to announce this. gasly genes should not be casually mixed like this.

username i dont think anyone understands the joy im feeling??? im honoured to be alive to see this

username they're gonna be such amazing parents im literally ????? so excited??????

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ynrussell thank you for the beautiful baby shower, auntie carmen already has spot number 1 🫶🏻

username omg omg omg omg

username this is SO CUTE

ynrussell has posted a story

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username girl u look like ur about to pop (lovingly)

pierregasly my beautiful wife

ynrussell i don't feel very beautiful right now. i feel huge and tired and exhausted.

pierregasly still the most beautiful woman in the world

ynrussell

liked by pierregasly, alexandrasaintmleux, georgerussell63, and 56,439 others

ynrussell things are getting very, very real (not real enough for my back to not hurt, thing 1 and 2 you both are killing me)

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username this aesthetic is so CUTE (that room is fucking beautiful i want a house tour????)

username they're literally due in like less than 2 months???? pierre is gonna be a dad that soon???? praying for u ynrussell

charles_leclerc im personally demanding compensation for the bruises i have from putting the nursery together

ynrussell shut up cha, you literally offered and begged to be involved

pierregasly yeah shut up cha

alexandrasaintmleux can't wait to see my art piece up in the bébé's room 🫶🏻

ynrussell knew i could always count on you angel

username im so invested in this pregnancy none of you even understand

username starting a poll asap on the babies names omf

ynrussell and pierregasly

liked by charles_leclerc, georgerussell63, roscoelovescoco, and 675,487 others

ynrussell 2024.10.16 / welcome to the world my precious théodore and éloïse. maman and papa love you so much.

view all 5,640 comments

username omg congratulations!!! such beautiful names.

username they share a birthday with charles im crying

lewishamilton congratulations! so beautiful, you are a rockstar ynrussell

charles_leclerc truly the best birthday present i could've asked for. ellie and théo should be so proud of their maman.

pierregasly the happiest day of my life, given to me by the most important woman in my life. thank you for blessing me.

username again i am so invested in this. i am so happy for these two, they're going to be incredible parents.

alpinef1team welcome to the family baby éloïse and baby théodore!

mercedesamg welcome to the family x2

username oh girl the racing teams are gonna FIGHT over these two just you wait

and there she is! after weeks of gasly!twin asks, i finally decided it was time to bring them to life in the realest way i could. i hope you all loved this as much as i loved writing it. thank you to everyone for all the incredible inspiration, and for continuing my obsession.

taglist

@leclercdream @myescapefromthislife @princessria127 @iloveyou3000morgan @love4lando @asfaraslifegets @decseptapril @somanyfandomsbruh @fangirl125reader @imagandom @motorsp0rt @jspitwall @glitterf1 @christianpulisic10 @carlandonorri-s @smoothopz @eugene-emt-roe @epitios @myloverjk-blog @glow-ish @goldenmclaren @mercunty @success78 @nicolereinara

if you're missing from the taglist, pls dont hesitate to send me a message!!

#pierre gasly #pierre gasly x reader #f1 x reader #pierre gasly smau #f1 smau #f1 #f1 x you #pierre gasly x you #formula 1 x reader #formula 1 smau #smau #my writing #f1 imagine #pierre gasly imagine

[lola-bunn1]

can u do one where neteyam is expected to find a mate and you get distant and all bc yk its not gonna be you and another guy makes a move on u and he gets mad n confession n stuff? i love ur writing

oblivious

❥ genre: angsty ish to fluff

10 years, you've been best friends with neteyam for 10 years. you both saw each other grow up, and now it's over. you know it is

neteyam has finally matured, he was ready to get an ikran, ready to go hunting with the others, and most of all, he was now expected to mate.

you know whoever he's gonna mate with is not gonna like you being friends with him, you admit it yourself, you wouldn't like your partner spending time with another girl. so you understood why it would happen

so you began distancing yourself, as a preparation. but also to ease the pain for when you finally see him with someone that isn't you. it was bound to happen. you were stupid enough to fall for him, and now it was going to be harder than it should be

you cried, you cried at night just thinking about the way life would be, you were sure he didn't feel the same, besides, he was going to be the next olo'eyktan, he needed to have someone proper, someone actually important

who were you to be mating with someone like him? he would probably pick elmirìey, she was a proper girl, a gorgeous one. or maybe he'd pick awia, she was a great warrior, from a great family

not only did you distance yourself from him, but his family too. you were so close to them, hell even neytiri liked you. but now, you acted like you didn't even know them

you sat at a special spot you found in the forest, you and neteyam used to come here but he's too busy now. so its just you

"hey!" you heard a voice behind you

"oh, neteyam" you said

"what a way to greet me, do you not want me around that much?"

"what?" you furrowed your eyebrows

"don't be like that. you know exactly what I'm talking about." he said

"I heard you're looking for a mate now that you've had your ceremony"

he sighed, knowing you're trying to change the subject, "yeah. but to be honest, I've already found one. Just gotta figure out a way to tell her"

your heart shattered.

"oh, that's nice. I um, I have to go" you said

"y/n wait-"

and with that, you ran off somewhere, your tears sliding down your cheeks, how could he find one so fast? does he love her that much? has he been loving her, just waiting for his ceremony so he can finally pick her?

"oh" you heard a voice and sighed

"I'm sorry I ran--" you said, turning around to see that it was not neteyam speaking

"are-are you okay? you look like you've been crying" the man said

"i'm fine, thanks tenio" you said, wiping your tears

tenio was a fine young man, he was actually really nice, but you've never really talked to him

"i was just looking for some fruits to pick for my mother, but ill leave you alone-"

"no no, you can stay uh, i know where you can get the ripe ones, follow me" you said, walking along the forest with him next to you, you two talked for a bit as he was picking the fruit

"i heard you had your ceremony the other day" you said

"yeah, it sucks though." he said

"wait what? why so?" you asked

"well everyone is waiting for me to mate with someone, but there isn't anyone in my life, ill have to mate with some random stranger" he sighed

"oh...im so sorry"

"it's fine-"

"there you are!" neteyam's voice filled your ears, he turned to see tenio there, and his face faltered

"let's go" he said, grabbing your hand and walking away, an angry look on his face, you definitely did not want to do anything to upset him more

"uh, tell your mother i said hi! enjoy the fruits!" you said and he just nodded

once he was out of sight you pulled away

"why were you with him?!" he said

"i was just helping him pick fruits!"

"everybody knows that trick! you help him and he subtly mentions that he has nobody to mate with so you can feel bad"

"you're being insane right now. nobody has ever done that" you rolled your eyes

"they have, you just never realize it" he yelled

"what if i do realize it, hm? what if i want them to do it? why don't you go tell your stupid girl how much you want her to be your mate and leave me alone!"

"i can't go"

"why not!" you yelled

"because she's standing right in front of me"

"what?"

"it's you, y/n. i don't want anyone else why don't you understand that? you think I don't notice how you've been avoiding me and my family too?"

"i-i avoided you because i couldn't stand seeing you with another girl."

"wait-you thought i was gonna mate with someone else?" he asked

you looked down and avoided looking at him, he lifted your chin up with his finger

"i've been waiting for years to finally make you mine, y/n. it hurts me to see you with anyone else too."

"really?" you asked

"i see you, y/n."

"i see you, ma nete" you smiled, and the two of you shared a kiss

how were you so oblivious?

#neteyam x reader #neteyam x y/n #neteyam #neteyam sully #avatar the way of water #neteyam x you #neteyam fanfiction #avatar x reader #neteyam fluff #avatar 2 #avatar fanficiton

[morwap]

𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍, 𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐘 𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐍.

regulus black x fem!reader x evan rosier

smut

nav • r.a.b m.list • e.r m.list • poly!revan

sub!regulus, dom!evan, switch!reader, threesome, evan and reg are in the same year as the marauders, praise and degrading, oral m! & f!receiving, p in v, unprotected sex,

───────✧ 𓆩♡𓆪 ✧───────

evan rosier and regulus black.

the two names that have seemed to never leave your brain since the beginning of 8th year. two people you were never supposed to get involved with nor did you think youd ever even talk to without it being harsh words or hex’s but here you were having feelings for and relations with them.

evans dirty blonde curls and regulus’ grey eyes never seemed to leave your mind just like your frame and scent never left theirs, but at least they could express their feelings and needs with each other and you were stuck with inner monologues and your hand to satisfy yourself til the right time came.

one thing you all had in common was your friends hating the other person. evan had gotten more irritable and his patience was wearing thin when Mulciber or barty talked about you and regulus had to stop evan from lashing out at them and starting something that would be hell to finish, it was almost the same with your friends, james’ passive aggressive comments about regulus made you want to put him in his place but you refrained and remus and peter’s comments on evan made your blood boil as they talked shit about something they actually had no idea about.

sirius was a big factor, you knew hed be hurt if he found out you were fucking his brother and his brothers best friend behind his back but you never meant to get tangled up in regulus’ and evans web. the more you thought about it a lot of your friends would be disappointed so maybe that should’ve told you to cut it off after the first time but it was like a drug, the more you tried to stay away the more your want and need for it grew and eventually you gave in.

your bracelet vibrated once more, it was a gift from both of them to help make communicating better.

the three of you finally met up in the prefect bathroom durning dinner one night, regulus happily told you that him and evan were staying an extra day before going home for the break and that you should try so you all could spend time together before leaving.

and now here you were, almost everyone was gone for winter break and you were one of the few gryffindors left but there was just one problem, remus, remus fucking lupin had also decided to stay an extra day because he had been helping ms pince in the library. knowing remus he had the map, and would defiantly check it he if thought you were acting weird.

watching remus from your seat next to the fire, waiting for him to say he was gonna nap or walk around or go to the library, hoping and praying that he would say something like that so you could leave and get to evan and regulus’ dorm as fast as you could. your bracelet buzzed against your skin once more, you already knew which one was trying to give you the green light as to come to them.

normally it was evan, who only buzzed it once and then a second time if you were really really late; but today it was regulus, the constant buzzing at random times indicated that. you’d tease him about it since it seemed as if he couldn’t wait, you could imagine him mumbling the spell on the bracelet they had and waiting for you to show up at the speed of light and then doing it over and over when you were taking your time to get there.

jumping a little when remus coughed and got up and stretched. “i gotta go to the library, wanna meet up and walk to dinner together later?” remus asked, grabbing his wand and book then fixing his shirt while waiting for you to answer.

you nodded, “yeah ill come up to the library so you dont have to walk all the way over to get me” you said and smiled at him. remus nodded and left the common room.

muttering the spell towards the bracelet to let them know you were on your way. waiting a bit so you knew remus was far away before leaving the common room.

the bracelet buzzing again, making you smile and think about how to tease regulus about it in a bit. turning the corner as you kept looking around for any other people but luckily there was no one around.

evan was waiting for you beside slytherin common room, you watched him play with his sleeve before he looked up and saw you.

crossing his arms with a smile on his face as you got closer then reaching out and pulling you to him.

lips already going at each other and hands roaming and gripping at clothing and skin, hungry and needy for each other from being away for so long. the amount of glances and fantasizing while looking at the other person was gone and replaced with what you both desired, the real fucking thing.

pulling away to catch your breath, hands rubbing against his chest as your back was now up against the cold stone.

“you have no idea how much we missed you” evan whispered, his lips coming back to yours for a quick kiss before pulling away and resting his forehead against yours.

“i think i know by how many times hes buzzed me” you quipped, and evan instantly laughed and shook his head.

“i told him to quit, that you’d be here when you’d get here but hes basically cumming in his pants at anything that has to do with you” evan said, the happy tone in his voice made your heart flutter. you giggled and mumbled the spell to the bracelet, sending two buzzes to let him know you were and it buzzed back almost instantly which made you and evan bust out laughing.

“well, lets not leave him waiting” you laughed and took evans hand, pulling him towards the common room door. evan said the password and looked around to see if the common room had anyone in it, luckily no one was in there.

evan guided you to their dorm, all their dorm mates were gone leaving it the perfect spot.

regulus’ leg bounced up and down, he was excited to see you and get off since evan had been denying him since the night they found out they were staying too, no matter how hard regulus begged for evan to touch him or if he wanted to touch himself the answer was “no, you’ll thank me later” and regulus knew he probably would.

evan snuck you into the room, making sure no one would see you in case they just showed up out of nowhere. regulus jumped up when he heard the door click open. a smile coming onto his face almost instantly.

seeing them used to be awkward but now it was just like hanging out with your friends but so much more intimate, you wished you could be around them all the time which is crazy now since almost a year ago you didn’t like them and they did not like you.

the transition from seeing you again to already getting intimate was smooth and quick, it didn't feel forced like you were just there to have sex with them and then leave, it was loving and like you all had come home from a date together.

you sat on the side of evans bed, regulus was on his knees taking your pajama bottoms off, you could see his hard on in his pants.

“reggie you’re already hard, we’ve barely even started” you teased, regulus whined a bit at you pointing it out, he was aching, had been since he knew today was the day you were coming.

“told you he was practically cumming in his pants” evan quipped as he unbuttoned his shirt.

“I wouldn't be if you had let me cum” regulus snapped back, making evan laugh. you smiled then pouted at regulus.

“he’s so mean isn’t he, i’ll make sure you cum tonight baby” you said to him as you took the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up and off him. regulus had scars, not at many as sirius and definitely not as many as remus. he told you about them once, one day on the astronomy tower late into the night.

“thank you” regulus mumbled and side eyed evan. you took off your shirt and looked at evan, he was undoing his pants.

“how about you show her how thankful you really are” evan said with a smirk, regulus looked up at you.

“can i?” he asked, you nodded your head and regulus’ hands went to your panties and pulled them down quickly.

“good boy” evan praises him, your hand went to evans cock which was covered by his boxers. regulus kissed your thighs a few times before licking your slit.

regulus moved your leg over his shoulder, his tongue getting faster as you were getting more turned on. evan leaned down to kiss you, his hand going to your jaw.

you moaned as evan kissed you, regulus’ tongue was lapping at your clit quickly. evans grip on your jaw held you where he wanted you, you continued to touch evans cock.

you pulled down his boxers, he was as hard as regulus now, you broke the kiss and brought your hand to your mouth and spit before stroking his cock.

evan groaned and rolled his head back, you focused on his tip then started stroking him from his base to his tip over and over.

regulus pressed kisses on your clit before sucking then moving down to your entrance. he spread you apart with his fingers, his cock straining in his boxers made him think about touching himself but he wanted to be good for both of you.

“you’re doing so good reggie” you moaned, evan grinned and watched regulus.

a few minutes later you were struggling to keep your hand going, you were so close to cumming, evan knew it and so did regulus, reggie was going faster.

“i think that's enough reg, i think its her turn to make you feel good” evan said, regulus whined and pulled away from you.

regulus leaned up and locked your lips with his, evan started moving his hips while you kept stroking him. regulus pushed himself against his boxers, he was trying so hard to be good.

evan watched you two, his hand moving down to yours, he guided you— making your touches on him more firm. your other hand snaked down into regulus’ boxers and once he felt your soft hand grasping his cock his body shivered and pushed into you.

you could hear evan laugh softly. you smiled as you teased regulus, making him shudder and break the kiss multiple times.

regulus broke the kiss and rested his forehead on your shoulder.

“please—please, keep touching me— i'm almost there” regulus begged, his eyes were closed tightly and he pressed more into you.

you glanced at evan, silently asking for permission.

evan grabbed regulus by his hair gently, pulling his head back to look at him.

“why would you want to cum in her hand when i was gonna let you cum in her” evan asked, cocking his head slightly and furrowing his brows. you stopped touching regulus, pulling your hand out of his boxers.

“what do you wanna do reggie?” you asked him, placing a kiss on his neck.

regulus lets out a sigh, “i wanna cum in you” he says with a nod.

evan let go of regulus’ hair, your hand dropped from evan as he took a step back and walked to the other side of the bed.

“lay down regulus” he commanded, regulus moved from you and got onto the bed, you turned to watch them.

evan guided regulus onto his back, moving his head to hang off the edge of the bed a bit. your hand moved to regulus’ thigh, rubbing up and down and inching closer to his boxers.

you moved closer to regulus, now hooking your fingers on his waist band.

“you remember don’t you? tap my thigh three times for me to stop” evan reminded him, regulus nodded and hummed in agreement, you and regulus made eye contact as you pulled his boxers down to his mid thigh.

“i love you” you mouthed to him, his face went a bit red before he mouthed it back.

evan smiled as you moved to straddle regulus. he leaned towards you, locking your lips with his for a few moments.

he pulled back, “are you ready?” he whispered softly.

“more than ready” you said, pressing one last kiss on his lips before sinking down onto regulus’ cock.

a sigh came from both of you, you hadn’t had him in so long and it just feels so right. regulus was covered in goosebumps, the feeling of you around him felt so good.

evan tapped regulus’ mouth with his cock. “open your mouth baby” he instructed. evan’s cock glided into regulus’ mouth smoothly, regulus was basically trained to take evan, you three just started and regulus was practically deep throating him.

regulus’ eyes closed and he moved one hand to evan’s thigh and the other to yours. you could see the outline of evan’s cock in regulus’ throat which made you wetter. you started moving your body up and down, trying to find the right spot where your clit would make contact with his pubic area.

“you’re doing so good reggie, being so good for us” you praised, your hand rested on his ribs and the other on the bed. evan could feel regulus whimper, the vibrations took some air from him.

“he really liked that” evan groaned out as he fucked regulus’ mouth faster. you could hear noises coming from regulus as he took evans cock, his nails digging into the skin of your thigh.

you threw your head back as you found the right spot, your clit dragging on his skin and his cock hitting your sweet spot. evan watched you, he missed you so much and was so relieved there was time for you three to be together, he didn’t care if you three just sat in silence, he just wanted to be with you and regulus.

“you’re so pretty darling” evan moaned, his hand grasping your neck gently, you smiled at him and leaned closer to him. your head was still a little tilted back and evan bent to meet you halfway. a sloppy kiss broke out between you two, you tried to keep up but with the friction on your clit it was getting harder to keep a clear head.

evan kept his thrusts at a good pace with a few stops in between so regulus could get a breath, he could feel every moan and whimper regulus produced.

you pulled at evans lip with your teeth teasingly.

“i love you” you whispered into the kiss and evan moaned it back.

you gasped when you felt regulus cum inside you, painting your insides with his cum. your cunt basically milked him, it started to run down out of you and onto the part of his shaft that was exposed and down his balls.

reggie was trembling, you could feel it. Now the knot in your stomach was getting tighter, regulus’ hand was gripping your thigh harsher.

you muttered cuss words as you tried to chase your climax, you were close, so close you could feel the beginning of it. you twisted the bed sheets in your fist as you tried to keep the friction on your sensitive clit up.

evan pressed his lips to your forehead, you watched evan’s dick move in regulus’ throat. you knew you were probably overstimulating reggie.

you clenched around his cock which made regulus whine.

you moaned as you clenched harder, you tried to keep moving as you came, trying to get as much stimulation as possible, your muscles tensed up and your abdomen trembled.

evan was soon to follow, his breathing getting quicker as he could barely stand any more stimulation from regulus. his cum shooting down regulus’ throat, he could feel regulus swallowing everything he gave him and once he was empty evan pulled out of regulus’ mouth.

Regulus took in a few deep breaths and coughed a few times. you gently laid on regulus, your head resting on his chest, his cock still in your cunt. regulus’ hand came to your back, tracing shapes on your skin.

“you took me so good reggie, i’m so proud of you baby” evan praised, leaning down to kiss regulus’ forehead.

you hummed in agreement with evan, “we’re both so proud of you” you added. regulus smiled and mumbled a ‘thank you,’ you felt evan place a hand on your head, ruffling your hair.

“you alright darling?” he asked, you smiled and nodded.

“just perfect” you responded.

#regulus black #evan rosier #marauder era #regulus black smut #regulus black x reader smut #evan rosier x reader #regulus black x reader x evan rosier #evan rosier smut #marauders era x reader #regulus black x reader #evan rosier x reader smut #marauders era smut #poly!evan and regulus #poly!revan #poly! evan rosier x regulus #smut #hogwarts smut

[ateezlovely]

smiling because of you

pairing: choi san x reader (gender-neutral)

genre: fluff, friends to lovers

description: soccer is a great sport, it helped you meet the boy who you want to always be with and two years later he’s finally yours

a/n: sorry i dont know anything about soccer :c was rewatching ateez logbooks and the soccer one inspired me to write this

—

There was only one boy who could make your cheeks red and smile so hard that it hurt, Choi San. Ever since you met him two years ago in the most embarrassing way, you have had the hugest crush growing on him. It was unfortunate timing as you and Kazuha were walking past the soccer field that a ball was accidentally kicked right in your direction. After ending up on the ground with a bleeding nose, Choi San had come running your way apologizing and asking if you were okay.

Even though you had forgiven San and understood it was an accident he still felt guilty and kept trying to make it up to you. This is what led to your friendship and two years later you are both still stuck together.

Once a week or sometimes more after soccer practice you will meet San to study or hangout. Right now you are waiting for him to text you that he is finished with practice and is all cleaned up. It has only been a day since you last saw him but you still miss him and cannot wait to see him again. Before he texts, you decide to head over to your meeting spot and wait for him there.

you: im waiting at our spot

sannie: eager are we?

sannie: ill be out in ten :)

you: shush

The meeting spot is the same place where you got hit in the face and where you and San first met. When San first suggested this be the meeting spot you did not find it amusing but agreed because it was a meaningful spot to you both.

Distracted by your phone you are startled by a loud yell a few feet from you. Mingi and Yunho are giggling as they get closer to you.

“Hey that wasn’t funny! I could’ve had a heart attack from that” you scold them, feeling glad it was just them and San wasn’t with them.

“The most that would’ve happened is you peeing your pants” Mingi teases you and Yunho giggles agreeing with him.

“Yeah whatever, wheres San?”

“Pretty boy is still getting dolled up for you” Yunho winks and you flush but before you could make a comment back, a familiar voice yells out to the three of you.

San comes jogging over with dripping wet hair and wearing grey sweatpants and a black tank that makes your heart flutter. He drapes his arm over your shoulder saying a small hey before accusing Mingi and Yunho of harassing you.

Yunho instantly defends themselves, “they were waiting all by themselves and asked us where you were thats it!”

“Maybe you should spend less time on looking good to impress them!” Mingi snickers and starts walking away with Yunho, leaving San annoyed and you flustered.

“Well how was practice tonight?” you ask to break the tension and slight awkwardness from the comments made by the two boys.

“It was alright, coach is training us hard because we made finals”, a big sigh escapes him and you put your hand on his back to softly rub, “but its okay cause now i get to hangout with you”

You light up and smile at him, “can we please go to the night market, i am so craving that one stands food!”

San playfully disagrees and you plead him all the way to his car when he eventually says that you guys can go only if you buy.

“Yes, of course i’ll buy you anything you want” you agree with no hesitation. This makes San laugh at how determined you are to go to the night market.

An hour later the both of you are sitting by the river with full tummies. You were laying down on the grass staring up at the pink and orange sky while San was sitting next to you. The satisfaction of good food and peaceful atmosphere was almost enough to make you fall asleep.

The silence was broken by San softly speaking your name.

“mhm?”

“I was wondering…if you would want to or if you would like to…” he nervously breathed out, making you prop yourself up on your elbows to look at him, “come to my finals game this weekend?”

You were confused by his nervous demeanor, “of course i will–”

He cut you off, “I mean coming to the game as my date”

This made you stop and look at him wide eyed as you comprehend fully what he jus asked you. For two years you have been waiting for this moment and now that it is here you don’t know what to do. In the romance books the girl always knows what to say so why are the words stuck in your throat right now?

“Obviously you don’t have to it’s up to you and like if you said no, our friendship wouldn’t change at all i promise” San starts to ramble as you continue to sit there staring at him.

“San” you whisper so lightly that he doesn’t even hear you, you speak louder saying “San i’ll go to your game”

This makes him stop rambling and look at you, “really? are you sure?”

Sitting all the way up now you say, “I would really like to go… as your date” feeling shy and not able to look at him your fingers nervously play with the grass by your legs.

“Okay great! That’s really great…” there’s a bashful smile on his face that makes you smile and feel very excited for this weekend.

On Saturday the entire day is spent getting ready and making sure you look perfect for the game later. Since all of San’s friends that you know are also on the team and playing, Kazuha is going with you so you aren’t alone. You are happy to have her by your side to calm you down because you have been a nervous mess since San asked you.

The bleachers are almost full when you arrive but still manage to find seats in the front row. When the game starts and the teams come out you make eye contact with San and he smiles big at you. Feeling embarrassed you wave shyly at him and are thankful that his coach calls for the teams attention. It was Kazuhas idea to write San’s name on one cheek and his number on the other. It was embarrassing but did it because you know he would like it and a part of you likes it too.

The entire game you were on the edge of your seat in anticipation, with the other team leading by only a couple points. It was within the last 15 minutes that they were able to score and get ahead of the other team. On the field you could see San and his friends sweaty and breathing hard from how hard they are working. It made you feel worried knowing how exhausted San was going to be after this.

Both you and Kazuha were bouncing from nervous as the game was coming to an end and the team was still in the lead. The entire team and everyone watching cheered as the game ended and San’s team had won. Including you and Kazuha as you were standing up cheering and giggling at eachother excitedly.

The moment had you distracted that you did not notice a sweaty boy running towards you. It was not until he was right in front of you with the brightest smile and his chest moving fast from his breathing that you saw him.

“San?!”

“I like you, a lot, and I am so happy that you are here and I want to kiss you so bad” he blurted coming so close to you there was barely a breath of air between you, “please can i kiss you?”

This time you knew exactly what to say and there was no pause to stare at him, “kiss me San”

His hands grabbed your face and his lips were instantly on yours, bringing you into the softest but passionate kiss. There were tingles and shivers all over your body and you never wanted the kiss to end. It seems San never wanted it to end either because he didn’t pull away until both of you were almost going to pass out from not breathing.

He rested his forehead on yours and you started giggling at how happy you were.

“What are you giggling about hm?”

You pulled away to give another kiss before telling him, “I just like you so much”

#choi san #san #ateez x reader #ateez fluff #ateez choi san #ateez san #ateez #ateez fic #choi san x reader #san fluff #san x reader #ateez fanfic #ateez scenarios #ateez san x reader #ateez imagines #choi san fluff

[soothinglee]

even if my heart stops beating⏤✰

seungmin x reader | 1.6k✔︎

my notes⎯ hello everyone ! I know it's been a while since I've actually wrote something ! I actually got hit by a bus! yeah I had to sue this company called "writers block" and I finally got a settlement! (also happy new year!) I recently (like a week ago) got into Kpop, specifically Stray Kids ! I've read some fan fictions (shameless) about some of my favorites and got inspo to write one! thank you @soobnny . also I haven't wrote anything in a while so i'm a little rusty, i'll be as good as new soon!

warning⎯ mentions of vomit (used as word vomit) and crying.

genre⎯ angst to comfort.✔︎

songs⎯ six feet under; billie eilish | pretty boy; the neighborhood

the old rusted clock that came with the condo you and seungmin bought sits perched on the top of the fridge. Its old, wooden frame slowly caves in on itself as time goes on.

not even an hour or two ago you had happily entered your home to start cooking dinner, not even worrying about showering first because you were so excited to have dinner with your boyfriend.

even going out of your way to spend a hundred dollars over the amount you usually spend to give seungmin the greatest 'welcome home' feast. he and the rest of stray kids had been on tour for the last couple months, traveling all over the world to perform at concerts and do collaborations with other idols to promote their new albums.

sure, it had been lonely, being by yourself all of the time, the only glimpse of your boyfriend you could get is when he could facetime you for 2 minutes or when he responded back to a text 4 hours later. but you understood, you knew what you were getting yourself into even when you started becoming friends with him.

if anything, you were strong, understanding, and flexible to when he couldn't make it to something like a movie night or date when his plane arrives later or practice runs over.

the only thing now, is that he had promised you that he could make it on time to dinner. sending countless 'I swear ill be there' texts and swift calls ensuring his presences at the dinner table during his dance rehearsals.

but now you were sitting at the table alone. a cold jajangmyeon sits in the platter in front of you, a similar on across the table from you. looking up at that old clock the hour turns to 10 and he's officially 2 hours late. it wasn't unknown for him to run a little over his time but this was unbelievable. you curse yourself for being naive and truly thinking he would keep to his word.

as you get up and clean the meal that you created you feel a little piece inside of you break, watching your hard work spill into the leftover containers like your tears. this was embarrassing, waiting around like a puppy in hopes your owner comes home. you were loyal and hopeful to a fault but wasting time and money like this was just unacceptable.

by the time seungmin walked through the front door it was half pass midnight and you had situated yourself infront of the t.v watching a new drama a colleague from work recommended.

"(name)." he calls out, you hear his shoes hit the wall as he takes them off, and then theres a shuffle as he organizes them on the shoe rack. you hear him leave his keys in the bowl on the desk that was by the front door, his footsteps growing louder as he nears the living room.

"(name)." he calls out again, seeing you lay in a cocoon of blankets in the dark, he think maybe you're sleeping so he quietly discards his winter coat on the back of the couch. he flicks on the lamp on the other side of the couch to bring in some light. though when he comes around to sit down he finds your eyes wide open, "why didn't you answer me when I called?"

"why didn't you come on time like you promised?" you quipped back quietly, suddenly too exhausted to have any conversation with him. you try and sink further into the thick blanket as you watch the Netflix symbol load and the next episodes intro plays.

you can't see his face but when he sighs and shifts in his spot you can hear the hesitance, "you already know why, practice ran late, like always."

"whatever."

"'whatever?' what's going on with you?"

"nothing." your tone is snipped but honestly you couldn't care less. somewhere in your soul you feel as though this might be a little extreme of an reaction but there is only so much patience you can give one person. you constantly make time for him and this relationship, so why couldn't he move things around and do the same for you? your eyes remain on the television.

seungmins eyes dart quickly to the t.v and then back to you, noticing that your full attention isn't on him, so he leans over you and goes to grab the remote from your hands. at the sudden loss of contact you make a move to try and get the remote back from him but he effectively powers down the t.v and discards in on the coffee table.

"I'll only repeat myself so many times, what's going on?"

it was like a newfound energy fizzled at your toes and pushed itself up and towards your head, your body springs up from its sideways position and you angle yourself to face seungmin.

though the light was somewhat dim due to only the lamp being on, he could see the red-rim of your eyes and the dried streaks of tears sticking to your cheeks. obviously, it had been evident that you had been crying.

seungmins eyes soften for a moment, he reaches out to try and smooth out the puffiness of your cheeks but as soon as you see his hand coming you push it away, "you were crying?" it comes out more of a statement than a concerned question, but the worry was still evident in his tone.

"duh," you start, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in the tense space, you find comfort in the carpet on the ground. you were feeling...nervous. you didn't want to cause anymore problems but things won't get solved unless they are discussed, which in all honesty, the thought of confrontation in the first place is feared.

you need to get it out, you can't stop living like this. deep down you know he cares but you have to stop going off of assumptions. either he's going to show up or not, it was clear already that you showed up no matter how busy you were.

"do you even still love me?"

the question tumbles from your lips before you could even process what you were saying. maybe it wasn't what you wanted to convey exactly but it was definitely a start.

"what?" his airy voice sounds dumbfounded which makes sense. the intense look you're giving him plus the profound, out-of-the-blue question throws him off guard.

of course he loves you, why would you ever think anything different? "where is this coming from?"

"well it's just that every time we have something planned your work gets in the way. I spend hours and hours getting ready, trying to look my best, just to waste the day sitting on the couch waiting for you to come home. sometimes I'm waiting so long I fall asleep! I put so much effort into being a good girlfriend! hell, I even spent over 100 dollars on dinner tonight because I knew you had a hectic day, it took me two hours to make it just for it to go cold and put into a container,"

your voice chokes up, full of exhaustion and disappointment. you feel the tears pooling in your eyes but have no energy to stop them. you really want to quit the word vomit but there's no point, theres more to be said.

"I try so hard to not get disheartened but it gets so hard when you don't even try. sometimes I feel like you don't even care about this relationship anymore, like you don't care about m-"

just as you were about to finish your words were muffled by hands on your face, and lips on yours. seungmin had kissed you to stop your rambling. you couldn't help but to feel relieved and somewhat offended.

"stop." he whispers as he takes a breath, his hands still on your face, foreheads connecting, "please stop." his voice crack under pressure, its subtle but at the lack of distance between you two you can hear it so well. your eyes are closed, trying to get your own tears at bay but hearing how emotional he's becoming breaks you. a sob teeters at your bottom lip but you force it still.

"don't you ever think that I don't care. I always have." he pauses and wipes the stray tears on your face with his thumbs, "I'm so sorry I've made you feel like this. god I'm such a bad boyfriend, this is my fault."

you try to move away to comfort him but he holds you in place gently, you sniffle and reach up to brush the bangs from his face.

"I promise you I'll be more attentive, ill take you out everyday, spend as much time with you, cook for you, miss practices all the time just to make sure you know I care about you."

"you promised earlier but you didn't come!" you cry, recounting how long you waited.

"I know!" his voice quivers as his hands tremble, lightly shaking your head, "I know...and i'll never forgive myself. you don't know how much you've shaped me into the person I am now and I- I have no clue what I would do without you. I just have a poor way of showing it."

you grip on his wrists, mimicking him with your eyes squeezed shut, you stopped trying to keep the tears in awhile ago, letting them fall freely into your covered lap. "how do I know I can trust you? I'm so sick of feeling like this."

"I promise you I will prioritize you more than anything, Idol life, dancing, singing- whatever, does not come before you. I won't leave you hanging like this anymore, i'm sorry I didn't pay more close attention to your feelings," his bottom lips shakes as he takes another deep breath, he opens his eyes and you can see pass the tears and sorrow a new found determination.

"even if my heart stops beating, you're the only one I need."

past your wary judgement...you believe him...

#seungmin x reader #x reader #seungmin fluff #seungmin x y/n #seungmin x you #skz x reader #skz imagines #skz fluff #soothinglee #seungmin angst #kim seungmin #skz x you #skz x y/n #idol au #established relationship

[mastermindmiko]

Secrets

Pairing: Remus Lupin + fem!reader

Word count: 1411

Summary: You and Remus have been together for a while. He's been keeping secrets and you've had enough.

Warnings: negative emotions? breaking up. angst with a happy ending

an: two marauders posts? is this beginning of an era?

hey! if you think this didn't completely suck, feel free to check out my masterlist.

Remus this has been keeping secrets. The reason why I know this is because I know him, or at least I thought I did.

Even before we became official, I always knew that he was hiding something. His disappearances, his mother's illnesses, and his father's random need to need him back home. And even, dare I say it, his scars. I love them in every way. I don't believe that they are flaws like he does, instead, I believe that they only enhance his appearance. However, I do understand that it is unusual for a teenage boy to have them littered across all his body and his face starting from even his first year.

This thing that he had to hide, it never bothered me before. Maybe because I was spending less time with him or maybe because I didn't love him back then. Since we've become official about a year ago, I started to notice it a bit more since he will randomly be very opposed to going out at certain times. Or he would snap at me when we are simply studying together.

I always understood because I get it. His world isn’t supposed to revolve around me? He doesn't have to tell me everything but it's hard to be understanding when you don't really know what you're supposed to understand.

I never pressure him even though I know that it's eating me inside. Maybe they need to help him too, because every time he randomly disappears or goes to help his father, or check up on his mother. I feel like the shine in his eyes dims every time.

I want to help, I want to know what makes the boy I love hurt. I want to make it go away and maybe even fight it to do so.

What hurts me the most is that his friends know. James, Sirius and Peter, all all know, but he never once told his own girlfriend. I would try to find out myself, but I wouldn't want to invade his privacy. Instead, I wait for him to come to me, if he comes...

"Maybe we can go out next weekend instead." Remus suggests, and I frown, it's supposed to be this weekend, not any other one. I ask, "Why not this one?"

"I have-"

"Things to do, your father needs you, there's a prank you need to pull. What excuse are you going to give me this time?" I snap, I shouldn't have, but this weekend is important. If I'm being honest, I could've listed off all the excuses he's given me for hours. I had them all memorized.

"You don't need to act like this. I don't have to go out with you every weekend, we spend enough time together as it is. I don't have to explain myself, I said next weekend." He snaps, and a part of me feels like I deserve it for getting angry first, but I still feel the ache in my chest.

I gulp as I watch him gather his books in a huff and leave the library. When I can no longer see him, I cover my face with my hands and a few tears fall. I feel pathetic, but can you blame me for not wanting to spend our anniversary alone?

~~~

I'm going to talk to him, I'm going to find out what he's been hiding and we're going to talk about it because this is a relationship, he doesn't get to keep secrets as long as they effect me.

It's been a few days since I had that fight? with Remus. I've barely seen him around, but in a way, it helped me.

I first went insane trying to think of what he's been hiding. The possibilities of him cheating have come to mind several times, thinking about why, with who, and when, but ultimately I decided that Remus wouldn't cheat, at least I hope not.

Then came the idea that he might not love me anymore, but he's only told me that he did two months ago, so could he have loved me and then stopped so quickly? I didn't know, what I knew is that I did still love him, and if he didn't love me anymore, I'd rather not waste my time and postpone the heartbreak.

It was after breakfast, and I heard a few first years talking about how the famous Gryffindor boys (Remus, James, Sirius and Peter) were in the hospital wing. I assumed of course that it was because of a failed prank, wouldn't be the first time one of those happen.

I knew Remus was too smart to get involved in anything that could fail, so I assumed that he would be fine. I reached the hospital wing, and Peter's the first one that saw me. He tapped Sirius who looked at me, eyes went wide, then tapped James who had done a similar reaction.

Peter quickly closed the curtains around one bed, and they all came rushing to me, all of them, except Remus. I panic, I rush over to them, but they meet me half way and start turning me around the opposite way. I say, "Is Remus okay? why's he here? what happened?"

I sputter a lot more questions but they already have me out of the wing. They all look panicked possibly more than me. James speaks out first, he rubs a sheepish hand to the back of his neck and says, "Remus is fine, he just had a bit of a headache this morning."

"Well, if he's fine, then I can go see him." I say, and try to push past them, but they hold both my arms to steady me in place. Sirius says, "Yes, but uh- he doesn't want a lot of noise, so we can't let you go in there."

"And of course, when someone wants some peace and quiet they go to you guys." I say, pointedly and give them all unconvinced look because I was unconvinced. Why were they hiding my boyfriend from me? Unless...my boyfriend is the one that wanted to be hid from me. I frown, "Does Remus not want to see me?"

The boys stutter around and look at each other panicked, wondering what to say. They all begin sentences unsure, and it only makes my frown deepen, he doesn't want to see me. James says, "Of course, he wants to see you, just not right now."

Sirius elbows him when he notices my expression turn sadder after James' words. I nod my head and I feel my eyes begin to burn. No, I wasn't going to cry and especially not in front of them, they'd tell Remus in a flash. I take in a deep breath, and say, as steadily as I can, "Well, I wouldn't want to force myself on him, so, uh, tell him I hope he gets well soon, and that we need to talk."

I can see their faces change after I say those last few words. It wasn't a secret that 'we need to talk' was the beginning of every break up talk in the world, but I didn't want that to happen. I loved Remus, we just needed to improve our communication.

I head back to the common room, and on my way there, I can't think of anything else, but the fact that Remus didn't want to see me. My thoughts trace back to the idea that he doesn't love me anymore. They go downhill from there, and I ask myself, what if he really is cheating? Maybe he's too busy with another girl to notice the one he already has.

I bump into someone, and I notice who it is by the flaming red hair. Lily grabs my forearms to steady me and herself, making sure neither of us falls. She chuckles, "Sorry about that, I wasn't looking at where I was going- are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say and I give her an unconvincing half assed smile. she frowns and I bitterly chuckle, "Things just haven't been going well with Remus lately."

She turns white and starts to fumble. She avoids my gaze and shifts on her feet. She stutters, "He's got a lot going on lately, he's been busy with...um stuff. I'm sure it'll be over in a few days."

"He told you." I say and it's a revelation that shocks me. He told Lily. He told James, Sirius, Peter and Lily, but not his girlfriend. She starts to fumble for excuses, but it doesn't matter because I already make my away past her and get to common room as fast as I can. I need to be alone.

Luckily, my dorm is empty. People have already gone to classes, but I don't think I can. My heart sinks and I can't believe that my boyfriend doesn't trust me with whatever secret he's got. I try to stop the tears that start flowing, but I cant.

He forgot our anniversary, and he's keeping secrets, secrets that he's told everyone close in his life, but me. A secret that he's been hiding for who knows how long. He doesn't want to see me either. I sob harder and I keep on asking myself what's going on in this relationship that is beneficial for me, and isn't' hurting me.

Maybe it's time that Remus and I break up.

~~~

"Hi, James told me that you wanted to talk." Remus says, two days later. He catches me right as I'm about to leave for another lesson. I check my watch, I have ten minutes before I need to get to class, maybe now's the time to do this.

"I do want to talk."

"James told me that it's going to be something bad, but I know you, I know us. I told him it was nothing." Remus chuckles and I feel myself getting guilty. I push that feeling away, I wasn't the one keeping secrets. I don't say anything in reply and Remus' grin fades.

"It's nothing, right?" Remus asks, with a frown. He takes a few more steps towards me, and I feel my heart race like it always does when he's near. I realize I won't be able to do this if he's any closer. I place a hand between us and he stops.

I hop on the desk, and I avoid his gaze. This should be simple I'm the one who decided, it isn't like he's the one ending this, I am. I look at him, take in a break then exhale. I say, "I think we should break up."

I didn't think anything could've hurt me more that what Remus has done to me, but the look on his face after I said those six words...nothing can describe it. I takes a step closer to me and I shuffle away. The pain becomes etched deeper into his face.

He still reaches out a hand and grabs mine. He looks up at me and his eyes water. He stutters, "B-but why? I love you. Don't you love me too?"

"Of course I do."

"Then why are you doing this? I don't want to break up. I don't ever want to break up. I actually think this happened in a nightmare before." Remus says, and his tears escape his eyes one by one. I say, "Because you're keeping things from me, Remus."

"I don't want to break up, but there's something going on with you, and you don't want to tell me about it-"

"I can't-"

"Yes you can, you very well could when you told James and Sirius. Peter and Lily, you told them all but not me. This isn't about you keeping something to yourself, this is about you trusting me." I explain, I sniffle, I didn't notice when I started crying. I say, "You even forgot our anniversary."

His face comforts with realization. He smacks a hand to his head, and he grips my hand with both of his and he squeezes. He pleads, "I'll make it up to you, please."

"That's not enough-"

"I'll spend every free moment I have with you."

I shake my head and lower my gaze to the floor. He says, "I'll buy you gifts, so many you won't be able to count them. Please, I don't want to lose you. I love you."

"I want you to tell me."

"I can't...you'll hate me." Remus says, and he looks down to the ground. I say, "You're losing me by not telling me."

He doesn't say anything, and I believe he's contemplating walking out right now. It would hurt, but it would make the getting over him process much easier. He takes in a deep breath, and he holds my hand tighter. I realize that he's going to tell me. He opens his mouth then closes it. I say, "Take your time."

"I-I'm a werewolf." Remus says, and I have to say, it makes sense. The scars, the attitude, everything. Even his disappearances happen on a monthly basis, it adds up in every way. I'm surprised, but it doesn't change anything. I say, "Okay."

"I tell you my biggest and possibly only secret and you're answer is okay." Remus says, and I nod my head. I shrug my shoulders and say, "What do you want me to say? It makes sense."

"I doesn't change the way you think of me." Remus asks, and I furrow my eyebrows. I hesitate before saying, "I think it makes you sexier."

"what?"

"You know, I just-" I stutter and flush pink, "It's just so brave that you go through that every month and you know these are kind of like your battle scars."

I smile sheepishly and trace on of the scars on his arms. He looks at me incredulously and he chuckles a bit. He repeats, "You think it makes me sexier? but werewolf are classified as monsters."

"You're a cute, sexy, book-loving, sock folding monster then." I chuckle and he does the same thing. He presses a kiss to my forehead and he wraps his arms around me in a big hug. I mutter, "I really wish you could've told me sooner."

"I didn't want you to hate me."

"I don't think I could ever hate you." I say, and he looks at me as if he doesn't believe me, I'll make him believe eventually. He lowers his head and places a smooth, loving kiss on my lips. He asks, "Am I forgiven?"

"Give me more of those kisses and then we'll talk."

#harrypotterimagine #hogwarts #harry potter #harrypotter #fanfiction #fluff #gryffindor #harryjamespotter #harrypotterfluff #marauders era #the marauders #harry potter marauders #hp marauders #marauders #marauders fanfiction #marauders fic #marauders fluff #marauders headcanon #marauders imagine #marauders oneshot #remus lupin fanfiction #remus lupin imagine #remus lupin #remus lupin angst #remus lupin blurb #remus lupin fanfic #remus lupin fic #remus lupin fluff #remus lupin headcanon #remus lupin imagines

[jaauroo]

Recovery Period

Sebastian Sallow X Reader Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

Summary: My own take following the end of Sebastian’s Quest-line. You spend the day in fear of what’s to come next after the events of Sebastian’s choices.

Word Count: 4.0k Warnings: Spoilers for Sebastian and Poppy's Quests Additional Info: Reader is GN, basically no description of them, Hogwarts House is unspecified.

Notes: so i really wanted to do a fic where we explore after the events of sebastian's quest bc I FEEL LIKE WE GET ROBBED NOT BEING ABLE TO INTERACT WITH THEM ANYMORE anyways this is gonna be a five parter, hope you guys enjoy! :) also i havent written fanfiction and forever pls forgive if its not up to standards

Something had felt... off.

The common room seemed unusually quiet. Indeed, it was the very early morning, but there would usually be a couple housemates up and ready to go about their day; relaxing in the morning before they head to the Great Hall to feast on the delicious breakfast selections. In general the atmosphere seemed to have shifted. It just didn't feel the same. The buzz of excitement you had to see your favorite pair of Slytherin boys in the morning faded out to what felt to be nervousness. Maybe it was the events in the past forty-eight hours is what is causing this affect on you. You were simply just imagining things. But you knew deep down, it was not your imagination and it was the unfortunate truth. Harshly sighing, thinking about it was causing a figment of a headache in the back of your head.

But at the current moment you had one goal in mind: Find Ominis Gaunt. If your current situation didn't feel so grim, you would've laughed at how close the two of you are now. Upon first arriving at Hogwarts, Ominis had his guard up around you which caused him to come off as rude in a way. You didn't mind because you knew he didn't genuinely mean it. What caused the two of you to even become friends however, was none other than Sebastian Sallow himself.

Speaking of Ominis- you had to find him. Your last conversation with him left an ill feeling bubbling in your gut. All you had to do after that was wait. But after everything you were tired of waiting, your patience wore thin. It had left your mind racing and the gut-wrenching feeling all remained after hours of waiting. So in a hurry you had left the common room with two destinations in mind. One: The Undercroft. As likely it would be that he'd be there, given how early it was, it was quite a bit of a stretch. Two: The Great Hall. And this is exactly where you will be heading.

Rushing to the Great Hall, you had passed a few familiar faces. All of which said a passing greeting to you and you passed by with a smile and wave. Despite the running pit of emotions occurring in your mind.

"Oh there you are!" A voice shouted off in a distance. Regardless of your name not being called you were inclined to look, the voice all to familiar to you. "Hello Poppy, how are things?" You turned your attention towards the sweet Hufflepuff as she rushed over. Though your mind was elsewhere. "Brilliant! Now that the poachers are backing off. Really I can't thank you enough for everything you've done." Poppy took your folded hands into hers and gave an appreciative squeeze. You lightly chucked and reciprocated the light squeeze to your companions hands. "Really, no thanks is needed. I would do whatever for the helpless creatures a thousand times over." A genuine smile took over your features. Over time at your first year at Hogwarts you've really grown to love the magical creatures.

"A thanks is needed, you're really amazing you know?" Her simple words of praising left you standing taller than you had before. "Please Poppy, no need for flattery. I'd say the same for you." Your tone held a joking manner but it was genuine all the same. A smile graced Poppy's face as she let go of your hands, realizing she held onto them for longer than she should've. Having really only been friends with beasts she isn't certain about what is right and wrong between doing stuff with her fellow humans. "Oh! Sorry I've actually wanted to ask when you'd like to get some butter beers?" Poppy had questioned remembering the main reason she called out to you in the first place. It clicked in your head that your last conversation was mentioned that you both should get butter beer sometime. Especially since Poppy had never gone to get some before. Which you had found ridiculous! You had gotten some when you first arrived at Hogwarts and she'd been here for four years longer than you had. So of course, being her first real friend you had promised an outing for her try it for the first time. Though the sparked memory of getting butter beers on your first day had reminded you of Sebastian. Which had also reminded you that were in the middle of finding Ominis to discuss about that exact person.

"I haven't had thought of an exact day yet. But I need to tend to some things at the moment. I'll send you an owl?" You hurriedly said, hoping you didn't sound rude or that you were just trying to avoid hanging out with her any longer. But she seemed to pick up that whatever it was looked urgent. Plus when she had called out to you she did see how you were trying to rush through the castle without knowing why. Which is why you can not blame her for accidentally derailing your little mission. "Yes! That would be lovely, well off to it then I suppose." Poppy had left with a wave leaving you to your own. Now that you are back onto track: to the Great Hall.

The rest of the way there was less distracting allowing you to rush to the Great Hall without any interruptions. The two large doors leading into the exquisite hall was left open so the sleep deprived students didn't have to struggle pushing open the doors to try and retrieve a breakfast meal. You gaze went over to the Slytherin table, scanning up and down in hopes to find your friend. And it seems luck was on your side today when you spotted Ominis' nicely combed hair. He looked to be eating but in actuality he picked at his food with the utensil in his hand. Relief washed over you when you made your way over to the table, sliding into a seat across from him.

"Ominis." You announced your presence to him with a hushed whisper. No doubt he knew someone sat in front him but he wouldn't have known who unless you've spoken. His head rose in the direction of your voice, before he got to say anything, you spoke with urgency, "Have you spoken to Anne yet?" First his reaction to the question was widen eyes then he furrowed his brows. Ominis, unknowingly, was a very expressive person and you would have laughed at how shocked he had looked if the situation didn't feel so dire. "Merlin not here!" He listened in on his surroundings to make sure no one was within close proximity, "We can talk about it after classes in the Undercroft." Brows still furrowed, he stated the last bit in a low voice so only you could hear. The Great Hall was dreadfully quiet this early in the morning.

You nodded, "You're right, I've just been-" You didn't even have to finish your sentence as Ominis had spoken out of turn saying, "I know." The two of you fell silent after. Ominis knew how you felt, maybe not entirely to your extent, but he knew. No words needed to be spoken about it any further considering the two of you seemed to be on the same page.

Since you were already sat at a table, you decided to help yourself to the breakfast that was steaming fresh in front of you. Not that you exactly felt up to eating, feels as though you can barely stomach food at the very moment. Regardless you gave yourself small portions to slowly consume, whereas Ominis was poking his food not even making an attempt to eat. You had taken notice of it, debating back and forth with yourself whether you should tell him to at least try to eat. In the end you did, but the blind Gaunt could be stubborn, not wanting to do something unless he, himself, has decided to. What had shocked you was he only responded with a nod and attempted to stuff down his food. What remained of breakfast was filled of mutual silence between you two.

The clock ticked in seconds. As each second went by it seemed to go so dreadfully slow. It was like Merlin himself was making you suffer in your anxiety by slowing down the time. But of course it was all in your head.

If you weren't looking at the time, you had looked over at the desk that sat in front of your own. A space was empty. Ominis was in the seat directly in front of yourself, but the seat to his right remained unoccupied. It's usually where Sebastian sits. Right next to his best friend. The empty seat had made you think about how you haven't even seen him all day. The worst case scenario thoughts kept plaguing your mind, rather than thinking of the positive outcomes.

But beside all that drowning thoughts nonsense, you were now in your last class of day: Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Hecat, thankfully, decided on not doing any practice spells this day and go by textbook. Not that you don't mind a good duel every now and then, today just did not feel like a day you would want to duel against a fellow student. Guess you could say your mind only wonders about a very important conversation you're about to have. You'd probably end up severely distracted as you duel and get your ass handed to you. Something you definitely do not want.

After what felt like an eternity, the bells had chimed signaling the end of class. Gathering your parchment (that wasn't even written in) and quill, you had shoved them into a small enchanted bag you carry around. Doesn't even matter if the papers were scrunched at the aggressive action. You could finally go to the Undercroft.

Rushing out of the DADA classroom, you had made your way down the staircases to the entrance to the Undercroft. It was quite essential to get there before any other students left their classes and started roaming around the castle since they had just finished up the last class of the day. Ominis trailed behind you, maintaining a bit of a distance, not quite moving as fast as you are. With how quickly you left the class you practically flung yourself out of there into almost a sprint.

The entrance to the Undercroft opened with practiced wand movement. Stepping through led you down a short corridor to a large room that was blocked off by a steel gate. Of course until you step up near it, it would open itself up to you and any visitors.

Sebastian's head raised itself from looking at the floor at the sound of screeching metal from the entrance-slash-exit. Your gaze caught onto Sebastian, he sat hunched over a couch you had conjured. Which- thanks to Professor Weasley for teaching you that, lounging in the Undercroft was considerably more comfortable. Wide eyed, he stared at you then at Ominis who had entered behind you. Ominis had almost walked right into you, if not for his peculiar working wand he would have. You were stopped dead in your tracks staring at the brunette. So, this is where he had been all day. There was so much you wanted to say to him but you felt as if your words caught in your throat.

"What is it?" Ominis had asked as he walked around your figure to further let himself into the room. You broke your gaze on Sebastian to face your friend, "Uhm, Sebastian's been in here..." His reaction to the news was releasing out a sigh. "Let's speak, quickly." Ominis turned to the closest corner near the entrance, away from the prying ears of his life long best friend. One look over at Sebastian just to see his eyes had averted back to looking at the ground. He didn't even want to know what was going on with you two.

Joining up at the corner that Ominis had deemed good enough for you to speak at, silence fell over the entirety of the Undercroft. You stood in front of the blonde, picking at your fingers as you anxiously awaited for him to tell you the news. "Anne has decided to not send him to Azkaban." A feeling of relief washed over you. Good, that's all you wanted to hear. All this anxious waiting just to hear a simple sentence gave you a sense of calmness. "But," He continued, causing you to hold your breath, as if he was going to downpour the actual news to you, "You need to tell this to Sebastian."

Confusion wrote itself onto your face. Not that Ominis could see it, "Wait, why aren't you going to tell him? Wouldn't it be better if it came from yourself?" He had tilted his head down at your questions. The blind Slytherin was struggling to form his thoughts into words. Mouth slightly gaping as he figure a way to word what plagues his mind. "As for now, I don't intend on speaking to Sebastian. I had told him on multiple occasions to not get involved in the dark arts." A frown overtook his features, he spoke softly as he continued on, "He betrayed my trust. I hope you understand."

Upon hearing the mention of the dark arts, you can't help but feel guilty. You felt as if you kind of encouraged Sebastian to dig deeper into it. Even though you didn't. But you also didn't tell him to stop or somehow prevent him from going further. And of course Ominis would be hurt by it. Ridiculous is what you felt when it had hit you why Ominis feels as if he can't be around Sebastian. You did understand, which is why you won't question him further. "I do, and I will tell him the news. And thank you for helping convince Anne to not send him away." Ominis sighed, "Only because you convinced me." A short pause of silence came from him, "Though you may be right about not turning him in. But in one way or another he should know the consequences of his actions."

You nodded along his words, "I couldn't agree more Ominis." It was the truth, yes, he shouldn't have done what he did, and yes, he rightfully should be sent to Azkaban for not only performing a killing curse but also for the two other curses as well. But at the end of the day, he was just a kid (admittedly you all were) desperate to find a cure for his sister. Willing to do anything that in anyway could help. This is why you wanted to overlook his actions. Though, it didn't make him any less at fault.

"Well, if that is all, I'll be off. Good luck." Ominis nodded his head and sent a closed tight lipped smile your way that vanished as quickly as it came. Without giving you a chance to say anymore he briskly walked off to the exit. The steel gates shut closed behind him. This left you and Sebastian alone in the Undercroft. You looked back over to him, taking note how he still refused to glance over in your direction. He was caught in an action of twiddling his thumbs. With a deep breath in, then out, you made your way over to him.

You sat on the three person couch next to him. He in the middle with you to his right, next to the arm. It left a considerable amount of distance between you two. The silence was deafening, Sebastian still caught circling his thumbs around one another. No one had said anything, time ticked away and it just made the Slytherin more anxious.

He stopped his anxious maneuvers and willed himself to look up at his oncoming fate. Quickly then, he realized Ominis was no where to be found. When did he leave? He questioned to himself. Sebastian had been so wrapped up in his thoughts after seeing both of his best friends enter together. At that moment he knew that you two were figuring out a way to drag him to his impending fate of getting sent to Azkaban. But here you were, sitting next to him in silence, just the two of you. No Ominis in sight. Maybe, he thought, you were here trying to ease him into going without a fight, and if he had tried to run Ominis was waiting at the exit.

You had turned your head to Sebastian, his brown hair glowing red under the lit fire, something you've always admired. Disregarding that thought of admiring him, you saw his face contorted into confusion as his eyes traced where Ominis once stood in the Undercroft. "What's going through that mind of yours?" Sebastian turned to look at you, you being the one to finally break the silence. For the first time today, your expression was calm. No longer carrying the anxious look you once bore. Him looking at you seemed to ease his nerves a bit, just only a bit. "I'm being sent to Azkaban, aren't I?" His interlocked hands tightened against themselves as he asked the question. You sighed knowing the feeling of waiting for an impending fate to come. Though it wasn't your fate, it was his, you still worried nonetheless. "No... You're not being sent away Sebastian."

His tensed up eyebrows had relax at the information. Relief washed over him as he leaned back into the couch from once being hunched over, his head resting on top of the cushion, looking at the plain ceiling of the Undercroft. "Good... That's good." He whispered, mostly to himself. The room fell quiet again, you were unsure what else to say more. You probably should mention how Ominis won't be speaking to Sebastian again until he deemed Sebastian trustworthy enough to not go off the deep end again. Rather than letting the boy next to you find out on his own when he tries conversing with Ominis to only be given the cold shoulder in return. "You should know, Sebastian," Your tongue swiped over your lips, unaware of how dry your mouth had became in these past few moments, "it'd probably be best if you give Ominis some space. At least for the time being."

The boy said nothing in return. His head, most definitely, so full of thoughts and swirling emotions. Truthfully it was a lot to take in for him. Everything had felt as if it was all crashing at once in such a short span of time. Sebastian had sent a letter via owl to Anne. The chance of her ever answering was unknown to him. Regardless he wasn't even entirely sure if she did answer back, considering he'd been holed up in the Undercroft since he returned back to Hogwarts from the catacomb. Anne being the person he did all this for, was understandably angry at him, and for who knows how long. He lost her, and now Ominis too.

Nothing could make you leave at this moment. You saw the exhaustion of Sebastian as he sat back motionless, eyes clenched closed. It almost felt as if your heart stabbed in pain at the sight before you. The Sallow boy felt your gaze on him. A thought occurred to him how you were still here. Even in the pained silence. At any moment you could've gotten up and left but you didn't. He was thankful, even though he lost the two very dear to him, you were still by his side.

"I'm glad we met." Sebastian turned his head on the back of the couch to meet your eyes. A sad smile adorning his face. You couldn't help but copy his expression. "I am too, Seb." His eyes scanned your face, taking in your reciprocating features. So much compassion was shining through your eyes, the intensity of it had his gaze break away from yours. He didn't deserve it. Trailing down, he caught your non-dominate hand absentmindedly rubbing soothing circles into your wrist.

The soft smile broke, eyes transfixed onto your arm, "How's your arm?" Sebastian had asked so quietly that you almost didn't catch it. "Oh." Now acutely aware of your actions you had stilled entirely. Slight stinging remained on your wrist, though it was tolerable, something you could barely feel unless you were paying mind to it. And the worry that stormed your mind all through out today had made you completely forget of your injury.

Memories of the day before flashed before you. The Inferi, all surrounding you, their face lifeless with only a goal in mind to attack you and anything other living. They had started grouping up and surrounding you, making you focus your attention on them instead of the angry Solomon who had started casting spells both to you and Sebastian. It was when you had just casted a  ring Incendio to make the Inferi back off when you felt a hot stinging flame hit your wrist. The sudden ache of pain caused you to drop your wand and clutch your wrist as if it in some way would ease the pain. Whether if the older Sallow had meant to hit the Inferi or directly aimed for you, it was unknown. You kneeled over in pain, wrist within your clutch and had watch anger consume Sebastian. Everything had unfolded from there.

Blinking away the memory before it had refreshed on that part, you pulled up your sleeve of your injured arm. The fabric had scratched it, soothing the remaining stinging only for it to return not a second later. Site of the injury was a slightly deeper color than your normal skin tone, but still looking much better than it had before. It should be completely healed by the end of the day. "Nothing a little Wiggenweld couldn't fix." You twisted your wrist slightly to show Sebastian the healing wound. He sat up, body twisted to face you to examine your arm. A sudden and quick twitch of his hand was something that didn't go unnoticed from you. Sebastian had an urge to grab onto you, hold your arm and run his fingers along the burn in hopes that it would somehow, in someway, completely heal it at that very moment. As quick as that thought came though, he pushed the urge back. Right now didn't seem like to be good time to do so.

Guilt washed over his face as the thoughts continue running through his mind. None of this should've happened, especially not you getting hurt the way you did. It was wrong of Solomon to have directly attacked you when you were distracted, unfair even. "Hey..." You softly said, placing a hand onto Sebastian's shoulder. "I'm okay." A smile appeared on your face. What exactly was going on in that brain of his, you had no idea but your sentiment seemed to work when he snapped out of his blank gaze. When his eyes caught yours, you almost had half a mind to ask if he was okay. You already knew the answer to that. Instead, your hand traveled down his shoulder and grasped his hand that lay palm down in his lap. His cold skin in your grasp was oddly comforting to your warm hands. Both of you had turned down and looked at your hand overtop his. All of Sebastian's thoughts faded within an instant, your warm hand made his lips quirk upward ever so slightly. He turned his hand around and interlocked your fingers with his. Whatever had been troubling him can just disappear for a moment. For now he just wanted to relish in this moment with you.

Nothing has been spoken following after. Just the two of you sitting in silence basking in each other's presence. The anxiety of today completely washed away, your heart calm and steady, knowing that Sebastian will still be here at Hogwarts, or rather with you. As for Sebastian, his mind was at ease now confirming that at least you were still by his side. Even with all that he has done.

#hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow x you #sebastian sallow imagine #poppy sweeting #anne sallow #hogwarts legacy x reader

[dearmantis]

A deal with a god

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova/The Darkling x fem!Reader

Summary: You arrive back in your rooms and try to figure out what to do before the General forces you to make a decision.

Warnings: manipulation, period-typical sexism, mentions of domestic abuse

Word Count: 3k

Authors' Note: Like two people asked for It all goes in vain to get a part 2 and that was months ago... and now it's a series because I have no self control. I was also asked to make Reader and Aleksander a power duo. I don't know if I'm good at writing power couples, but I will try. I also didn't edit this and English is not my native language.

Previous Part | Series Masterlist

The walk back to the Grand Palace clears your head a bit, your mind delightfully empty as you focus on not being caught sneaking around with a ruined dress and disheveled hair. Years of living in the palace have prepared you for this, but you still feel how the weight of the world drops from your shoulders as soon as the door to your room closes behind you.

Eyes moving to the clock on your desk, you realise with relief that your servants will come in around ten minutes, giving you some time to make sure your room looks like you spend the night here.

You beginn by moving your bed sheets around, before quickly skipping to the bowl you use to wash your face at night, dunking your hands into the cold water and scrubbing the bits of makeup the general missed off your face to make the water look more used. Grabbing a towel, you dry your skin and pull off your shoes, dropping them next to the bed.

At last you rip off your dress quickly, removing the many layers and leaving them on the floor before slipping into a simple robe and crawling into your bed, rolling yourself up in your blankets like a babe.

If you look pathetic enough, the servants will hopefully tell your parents that you're too exhausted from last nights celebration to eat with them. You will be allowed to spend the whole day up here in your room, waiting and preparing for the Darklings appearance.

You need this. You need the time to plan for the future, and you fear that you will loose this fire in you, this new awoken hope that you will find freedom, if you are forced to face your mother before you officially agree to work with the Shadow Summoner. That the guilt will swallow you whole and rip your strength away from you if you see her trusting, hopeful face before you officially agree to conspire with the grisha general against your own parents.

The reality of it all, of the fact that you are going to commit treason together with a descendant of the Black Heretic, hits you in the same moment the doors to your room swing open and your servants step in.

You do your absolute best to look as miserable and sick as humanly possible despite the realisation you just had, whining and complaining about the room being too bright, and everyone being too loud, until your servants finally give up.

"A princess should never be seen in such a state." One of the servants murmurs almost disappointed while she pulls the curtains in your room close. "Especially not by her betrothed. We will cover for you, your royal highness, and tell your mother that you got sick. I believe your brother is in the same state as you. Maybe that will distract her. Do you think you will be able to attend lunch?"

Shaking your head slowly, you watch as the other servants clean up the chaos you created, one of the girls leaving to get you a cup of tea. The mention of your brother makes you a bit sick. Nothing good ever happens when he's drunk, and you can only hope that your mother doesn't interpret your sudden illness as a sign that you're about to go down the same path that he has.

You're not the crown prince. She will not ignore your misbehaviour. No, she will try to get you back into shape to make sure you won't embarrass her.

A son can make as many mistakes as he wants. A daughter needs to be perfect.

"I think I won't even be able to come to dinner." You rasp, moving to bury your face in one of your many silk pillows. "I just want to be left alone today. No lessons, no visitors, no snacks or other meals. I want to see no one."

"Of course, your royal highness. We will make sure that no one disturbs you today." Another servant responds quietly.

You're in the middle of acting like you're falling asleep again when you suddenly remember something else. "I really can't stand all this noise... Lower the amount of guards around my quarters to a minimum for today, and don't bother coming back up to prepare me for bed tonight either. I will do it myself today."

A choir of "Of course, your royal highness." is the only answer you get before you sink back into your pillows and force yourself to slowly relax your muscles, refusing to move until the servant who got you tea returns with the steaming cup and all five women leave your quarters.

You stay on your bed like this for another few minutes until you finally feel safe enough to get up, taking a quick sip from your tea before quickly moving over to your desk.

It's too risky to write down notes, to put the information and ideas swirling around in your head on paper where other people can find them and figure out what you're doing, but you can at least sit at your desk and look at a few documents while you try to come up with a plan.

A safety net. That's what you need. And maybe the power of clairvoyance, just to make sure you don't end up making foolish mistakes like your bumbling idiot of a brother does, his mind too clouded by his own arrogance to see the effect his horrifying behavior has on others.

The most important question is why exactly the General wants to help you.

"It would give me a chance to make sure Ravka, my home, will be safe."

A sweet reason, sure. Honourable as well, and you don't doubt that that's probably part of his motivation, but the General doesn't seem stupid enough to commit treason for something like this. And how would stopping your marriage make Ravka a safer place?

You're the second born child of the king, sure, but you're also a woman. You wield no power. Why would a smart, ambitious man like the Darkling help you? Why not try to make your brother see that Grisha are people instead? That seems to be more effective. You don't understand how keeping you in the Grand Palace benefits him or the Second Army in any way.

There is no reason for him to help you, at least none that you can see.

"And what do you need to help me?"

"I will need you to fulfil your duty, moya tsarevna. You will have to pay a price in exchange for your freedom. You can not hesitate."

Biting down on your lower lip you shake your head weakly, forcing yourself to accept that you probably won't be able to uncover his real motive for helping you tonight. To many bits and pieces of information are missing for you to actually figure out his motive. You need to make plans for the possible failures ahead instead of wasting your time on a puzzle with missing parts.

Difficult, considering you don't know what the plan is yet, but sitting around and doing nothing would be stupid. And what if the Shadow Summoner decides that the risk of being executed for treason is too big for him? If he comes to the conclusion that helping you is not worth the effort? You need to prepare for that, too.

You have to come up with an idea of how to save yourself in Fjerda. How to be safe in the north or flee.

But flee to where? The wave of hopelessness that pushed you down before the whole thing with the General happened hits you once more, threatening to drown you if you don't come up with an idea quickly.

Ravka is not an option. Maybe the west, if you stay away from government officials and instead live life as a commoner, but even that would require a crossing of the fold and more luck than the saints are probably willing to give you.

Shu Han is not an option either. There is no way you could run from your future husbands home and then cross Ravka without being detected. Same problem with Kerch and the risk of being recognized there is even higher.

And successfully fleeing to Novyi Zem without being caught would require a miracle.

No, you can't make it to Fjerda. As soon as you're in the north, you're stuck in a place where you will never feel safe or happy.

A better option would be to fake your death before, during, or shortly after the wedding. Perhaps you could ally yourself with some Materialki and Corporalki as well, get them on board with faking your murder and getting you out of the castle. No one would look for you if all of Ravka thought their Princess was dead, after all.

Another problem you will have to keep in mind is the constant risk of being discovered if you choose to work with the Darkling. Sure, you will probably just get send off to Fjerda and cut off from your family forever, doomed to die in the north, away from your people and the ghosts and sins of your ancestors, but they will kill the General. They'll probably make you watch too, in hopes of teaching you a lesson.

You can't let that happen. Not to someone who has offered to safe you, even if he is only doing it to save his own skin in some way, or give himself more power, money, or whatever else he's after.

No. You have to plan to make sure you will both get out of the palace in case you get caught. But would he abandon the Grisha? Or would he prefer to go down kicking and screaming like a warrior instead of running like a child?

You know you prefer running, even if it means losing some of your pride and honour, because running means living and living means you can try again. You can fight another battle, attempt to make people see reason once more, and ensure that your ideas don't die with you.

The General doesn't seem like the type of person to share that mindset, though. He's a man through and through, and men like to do horrible and stupid things to force their opinions down other peoples throats. Like die the death of a martyr in hopes of someone else picking up the responsibility and finishing the fight for them.

If you want to save his life, you will probably have to kidnap him.

Groaning quietly you lean back in your chair and stare at the ceiling, trying to clear your mind a bit. There are so many variables in your future, so many what if's you have to prepare for, and you're still so exhausted from crying all night. Things have never been like this before. Most of your life you've played a side character to your brothers story, just like everyone has told you to do, as a woman, and second in the line of succession.

The most people ever say about you is that you're harmless, a delight to have around, and harmless delights simply don't go around scheming with the man everyone in Ravka, Fjerda and Shu Han is terrified of. They don't take fate into their own hands and fight back when people try to force a life they don't want onto them. All of this is new territory, and a part of you is mortified by the consequences of the possible failures ahead of you.

At least you managed to remove some of the guards from your wing of the palace without raising suspicion. Less trouble for the General to get to you. You've done something. A small first step taken before the real fight begins. It's an alright start for someone inexperienced.

You spend the rest of the day trying to do the impossible: Plan and prepare for the future. Predicting what will happen and how to react without losing track and getting confused with the dozens of what if's swirling around in your head like a vicious storm.

What will you do if your brother or mother find out?

What will you do if a servant notices what's going on?

What will you do if your betrothed realises what's happening? How could you protect the General from the wrath of a fjerdan royal? How could you protect yourself?

It's pitch black in your room when a knock finally frees you from your spiralling thoughts. For a few seconds you have trouble orienting yourself, confused about why it's so dark now, but before you get a chance to actually panic, another, louder knock on the door pulls you back to reality.

Quickly moving to light a small candle on your desk, you tighten the robe around your body and open the door to your quarters, motioning for the man waiting in front to step into your room. It's improper for anyone to see you in

The General is still fully dressed in his Kefta, his steps surprisingly light considering how heavy his boots look. He walks into your quarters slowly, gaze moving over your furniture and the small lonely candle on the table. your current state, especially a man, but it hardly matters considering what's ahead of you.

"Did I wake you, moya tsarevna?" He asks after you lock the door behind him, his voice calm and quiet as if he's trying to make sure that people passing your rooms won't hear his voice through the walls.

"Hmm? Oh, no. I was just thinking and lost track of the time."

"Thinking?"

He slowly turns back to you, one half of his face illuminated with the warm light of the candle while the other is hidden in the shadows. "I hope you didn't change your mind. It would be a shame for another strong woman like you to get lost in the north."

You can feel a muscle in your jaw tighten as you take his words in. He should wish for you to change your mind and leave him alone. This whole plan, whatever it may be, will probably be more dangerous to him than to you. Why isn't he hoping you changed your mind and accepted your fate?

"No, no. I didn't change my mind. I'm willing to do whatever you need me to."

Taking a deep breath, you step closer to the middle of the room, closer to him, your eyes moving to the calm, glowing candle flame. You can still feel his gaze burning on your skin.

"I was born in this palace. I learned how to speak and walk here. This is my home. Nobody, not even my horrible, despicable betrothed, should be able to drag me out of here." You declare calmly.

Your gaze finds his once more, his eyes somehow darker than the night sky outside, and you can feel your nails dig into the soft flesh of your palms.

"My whole life I was taught that it's my duty to serve my country and my people. I can not do that when I'm in Fjerda. I can not protect or help anyone there. I have no power there. I need your help, General."

The storm of thoughts, of what-if's and why's, gets louder as you look at him, almost consuming you, but the visible pride in the Shadow Summoners eyes grounds you just enough, reassures you that things will be alright. He will keep his promise and make sure that you stay in the Grand Palace safe and sound until you die.

"Tell me what to do, Aleksander. I am willing to pay the price."

He smiles. There is nothing friendly or soft in the expression, only glee and satisfaction, but for some reason you're not as scared of him as you probably should be.

You're not a stupid girl that's falling for the lies of an older man. You know what you're getting into. You will be prepared for anything he might throw at you. This is your home after all, and while the General has experience with your father and the general politics of Ravka, with the complicated rules of war, he is definitely not familiar with the game you've been stuck playing.

He doesn't know your betrothed, barely cares for your mother, and has always been dismissive of your brother despite the fact that he will be on the throne in a few years. The only player he has ever paid attention to is you, and that's a recent development. He only cares now because he seems to believe you can give him something.

You know the rules better than he does, and if you don't pay attention to his plans and schemes, to his end goal, he will mess up and drag you both down. It's his job to manipulate and trick others and yours to clean and cover up. A perfect team.

"I'm glad to hear that you trust me, moya tsarevna. I promise I won't fail you."

He holds his hand out slowly, and for a few seconds you simply look at it. His hand is large, with long fingers and small scars covering the pale skin that shimmer in the weak light of the candle.

Taking his hand means treason. It means betraying your parents and, in the same breath, your country. It means making Fjerda your enemy. It means covering your hands with the blood that sticks to the Darklings hands. It means paying a price he refuses to name. It means trusting darkness itself.

This would be the riskiest, dumbest thing you've ever done. It would be like begging to be caught and punished by your parents. And what would your betrothed do if he found out his future wife conspired with the Darkling to escape him? He would kill you for that. Beat you until you're nothing but a bleeding lump of flesh on the floor with no one to grieve you left in the world after you betrayed everyone who loved you.

You grab Aleksanders hand.

#aleksander morozova x reader #darkling x reader

[karimwillia]

I don’t know why I wanted to do a close to Bridgeton fic on our girls but here is my attempt. This is part one.

Warnings:Fluffy

“But your Majesty, I beg thee you must listen. It is time for our Lady to stop playing dress up in the observatory and court. She is now twenty and one years of age far past the age any good bachelor would want her. And she must be wed to take the throne…” Queen Ramonda turned to face her Kingsman and royal advisor Okoye giving a death glare. “Enough Okoye I understand concern but you will no longer speak of your Lady in that manner. Shuri has always been off beat but she will not be disrespected. You know better.” Okoye bows with great shame she was not intending on being disrespectful. She just gets ahead of herself. Okoye has been the royal Kingsman for years now starting when she was the tender age of ten and seven. Her service to the crown is unmatched.

“My Queen forgive me. May I speak freely?” With a tap of the foot the Queen allows her to speak while she is bowing. “I only want what is best for our Lady Shuri. She is more brilliant than any one man and I want the day of her rule to be long. Yet the rumblings that she is not fit are in the air. Please forgive my words, they were not meant to be ill of will.” Ramonda felt better but she demanded Okoye leave to fetch Lady Shuri at once.

“Ahh! Aneka do you know what this means!?” Shuri exclaims as she sits back in awe of her nearly completed diagram of a new motorized carriage system that could be used in place of using horses. It was a fascinating design. “My Lady I believe as you have stated we can move about the land without horse power needed is what it means.” With a chuckle Shuri crosses the room and hugs Aneka tightly. “Yes! It will be called a motor cart. I must get to work building! I will need this list ordered right away. I-“ Before the first item could be said Okoye enters “My Lady your Mother requests you at once.” Shuri spins around and faces Okoye who is summoning her to her Mother. “Mother, is everything ok? Is she ill again?” With a change in demeanor Okoye softens her face. “My Lady please do not worry that spell is over, thanks to you no less. She just wishes to speak with you about a social matter.” Shuri relaxes but is very confused about social matter.

Aneka quickly interjects. “Please allow a moment Okoye the Lady will be right out.” With a nod Okoye exists and waits for them with the door shut. “Aneka I cannot be told what to wear anymore! My trousers do not bother anyone. I spend my time alone I have no need to impress anyone a corset is very uncomfortable. Oh dear!” “Breathe my Lady please if anything it maybe the conversation we have been waiting on about your bid to rule. Which could be worst.” Shuri anxiously looks up at Aneka. “They have already said I must wed in order to have a bid. Aneka you understand why that is of no interest to me to wed a man. This is disastrous, Mother assured me I could still have a bid to rule without a prospect.” Aneka was well aware of Shuri’s interest because they shared the same preference. Shuri became aware long ago of her attraction to women. She has had a short fling or two on holiday but nothing more. Shuri is a lone individual who rarely enjoys someone’s company for an extended period of time. It is just her way.

“My Lady, you are confident and intelligent beyond measure. Please do not fret, we will go and meet with your Mother and hear her out.” Aneka has been Shuri’s handmaiden since she was of 5. It has been an amazing journey considering they are only 5 years separated. Aneka is like a sibling that Shuri never had. The King and Queen both adore and support Shuri no matter her interests and they never allowed her to be questioned. But after her Father’s death society has made it difficult for her to navigate. First it was the issue of her affinity for science; they wanted her to have “proper studies” for a lady. Next was her desire to wear trousers and not formal clothing for a Lady. Lastly it has been her status as heir to the throne. All of it has been fought by her Mother but tradition is a hard wall to take down. With a deep breath Shuri regains composure. “I am confident that just like Mother I can rule with no husband. I am highly intelligent, clever and charming. I can influence good changes.”

“You are ready.” Okoye popped back into the room and they went to meet with the Queen. In the time of solitude the Queen happened upon a decree from the late King. “Mother!” Shuri holds time with her Mother daily but it is still the highlight of her day. They have a fairly close relationship. “My child you are stunning today. These trousers suit you. Now please come and chat with me in the garden.” Leaving Aneka and Okoye behind they step into the garden for a stroll. “Mother I will hear you but please allow me to speak. You know as well as I that I am capable of ruling. Having some nobleman as a husband will not enhance my ability.”

Shhh with a small hushing and a smile Queen Ramonda laughs before she responds. “My child please be calm and listen to me. I have found the answer to your issues. The need to wed a nobleman is a simple old time formality. One your Father despised and wanted to reverse. He just met his death before it could be written so I plan to do so.” Romanda shows Shuri the half drafted degree from her Father. “So by this I must just seek a mate and if one is not found by age twenty and two my bid to rule will be valid no matter marital status.”

Shuri’s face was lit up with the news but the degree being half written could prove to be a problem. “Do not fret my child. I know that look of worry. I will complete the degree by way of stating that one Spring Courting is satisfactory for seeking a mate. I know you will fail to find someone so it is a win.”

Spring was around the corner and Shuri had to prepare for the fake courting season. Her Mother and Father would have loved to see Shuri find someone but it could cause some tensions in society at best if she is with another women. The hope is still there and within the palace she would have full support. The Princess on the other hand has never seen love in her future. Her taste in women is impeccable but something never seems to fully click for her. She thinks it’s because while most women are clever she yearns to have someone interested in science as she is. A rare find at best and impossible at worst.

As she is being fitted for clothing she rejects all dresses in favor of tunics and trouser sets. The tunics are long and robe-like but are simple, the trouser sets have a bit more embellishment, they all look very regal and worthy to be on a Princess. Once all wardrobe is approved Shuri is bathed in soaps and oils for her first social in the Morning. “Aneka, how am I to act? I do not know how to flirt, especially with men.” “Princess you are charming and can hold a wonderful conversation so that is where you should start. Don’t force yourself to speak to the uninteresting is all the advice I can provide.” Shuri lays at rest thinking of the advice and rest easy.

In the morning Shuri is loaded into her carriage when in another part of the city a young Lady by the name of Rihanna Williams is being loaded in on the docks. She is of a noble family from the Caribbean and this is her first courting season also despite being ten and nine. Her family is headed by a Matriarch much like Shuri’s so she has been able to forgo courting for sometime because her Mother would never force her to do something. But it is time, her eldest sister married for love another Caribbean family so she is settled and it is time to be settled says her Mother Ronel Williams the Duchess of Martinique. Rihanna has always been more clever than anyone on the island has seen. She has studied and mastered all 4 languages, she is an amazing writer and very strong in Mathematics, but building and working with her hands is her strong suit. She can tool an entire carriage herself with not much help but to reach the high parts. She is not your average.

This season is very crucial because her Mother will allow her to stay single if she cannot find someone to accept her for herself. And that means anyone, Rihanna has always been vocal with her Mother about preferring women to men but she is attracted to both. It made life an interesting time on the Island. Now on the main land is headed to the home of Lord and Lady Martian to start the formal courting season. She is invited to stay at another black family estate in the area, a one Udaku family. She will meet the young Princess Shuri today, she is told. She hopes to become friends with Shuri right away so they can suffer through this process together. “My Lady, has your illness of motion subsided?” “Yes Xavier I feel fine now I am more nervous than anything considering this is the first social of the season.” “Deep breaths my Lady you are more than beautiful and clever. Any Man or Woman in your case will find you interesting. This season will be a success.” Rihanna huffs. She is unsure if she wants it to be a success. The single life is good to her; she is free to be who she is with no ruler. Once married that changes in all ways.

Shuri arrives to the Lord and Lady Martian’s estate and inhales with relief. Her Mother informed her she will be looking for a house guest by the name of Lady Rihanna Williams of Martinique. This task will help her not need to focus on the uninteresting and find who is supposed to be in her home. She has been told some of her background and it is impressive. “Aneka, why did Mother hold this information until today? To arrange a house guest for the courting season takes time. When did she decide I was going to participate? And why this particular young Lady of Martinique?” Aneka smiles almost snickering. The Queen is being strategic; several young Lady’s requested to board at their estate due to them traveling a far distance. But Queen Mother only approved Rihanna due to her letter being forthcoming about her love of mathematics and science. The Princess at the least will have a kindred spirit around for sometime but the hope is for love to blossom with the girls. Aneka knows of this plan and believes it to be brilliant. “So many questions my Lady please just have patience for once in your years. Just focus on finding and welcoming her to your home. I am sure you all will be kindred spirits.”

Lady Rihanna and her footmen Xavier arrived just a hair before Shuri and upon entering she tripped on her longer gown. Rihanna is unaccustomed to them being on the island allows her to dress in a more casual manner with shorter and less fabric heavy dresses. But she is stunning in a powder blue with her hair in a style not normal to their land but it is resembling almost rows along her head. Shuri exits her carriage when she sees the young Lady stumble she instantly catches her and cannot believe her eyes. Shuri is sure she has never seen anyone more beautiful in life even her Mother’s radiance could not compare.

The young Lady had soft velvet like deep mocha skin that smells of lavender and vanilla, her hair frames her face so magnificently and lastly her smile seemed to light Shuri a blaze when she saw it. Dazed Shuri gains her composure once they are approached by both Aneka and Xavier. “My Lady are you ok I am sorry I was readying the carriage and the next I see you stumble. Forgive me” Xavier pleads for forgiveness for his oversight. Rihanna looks at who was holding her upright and she has close to the same reaction of Shuri but she must speak. “Xavier it’s ok I was assisted.”

Flustered Rihanna could not get past how strong yet gentle Shuri’s hold is. She can’t believe her eyes either at how handsomely gorgeous Shuri is. Her light ebony skin is glowing and she smells of sandalwood. Her hair is cut short as a man wears but it does not look the same. She is in a tunic and petticoat which is a cream color. It's so intriguing.

Aneka finally arrives and states. “Princess that was very heroic of you but let us see if the Lady is alright?” With that Shuri moves to help the woman she is now enamored with to her feet, Shuri’s hands linger on her frame a bit too long at no protest by Rihanna but soon embarrassment sets in under the eyes of Xavier and Aneka. “Yes! Apologies are in order my Lady, you seem to be steady on your feet now. Do you require anything more?” Rihanna smiles warmly at the swagger of Shuri as she speaks. “No Princess, I do not require anything at this time. I just want to thank thee.” With a look of fluster Shuri stammers. “I-it is the least I could do. It was a pleasure.”

As Shuri bows, the host of the event walks to the end of the stairs. “Oh dear Your Majesty! I apologize deeply. I came as soon as I heard that there was an accident.” Lady Martian rushes to see to the commotion. Because Shuri is the highest ranking Noble in attendance nothing can go wrong. Shuri chuckles with a cynical chuckle. “Lady Martian I am wonderful but the Lady…” Shuri pauses not knowing the name of her interest in that moment. “Williams” Rihanna’s warm tone interjects. “Yes Lady Williams has taken a nasty stumble on your stairs. I suggest a stair escort for your next function. Safety must be your utmost priority.” Rihanna giggles and moves to enter the mansion. “Yes Lady Martian it would not be the best for your reputation to have an incident reported on property.” With a wink she moves on. Shuri watches as she enters with her mind unfocused on anything around her. This young Lady is far from uninteresting; she's clever as well as beautiful. Who is she?

@somethingcleaverandwhitty @mal-urameshi @pantherheart @shurixriri @shuriris-stuff @neptoons1998 @dominiquesheart

#shuri x riri #shuriri #fanfic #fanfiction #riri x shuri #riri williams #shuri udaku #black panther #Spotify

[tails89]

(So many sentences) Sunday

It's Sunday here, so I'm getting the ball rolling with some big brother Buck.

...

Turns out, asking your best friend to marry you is easier said than done.

The last time he’d asked someone to marry him, his dad had put a hand on his shoulder and told him to do the right thing. Shannon was pregnant and Eddie was at least half responsible, so they were married a month later.

They’d been young and terrified, but Eddie doesn’t regret his time with Shannon, not when it gave him Chris.

He wants to do it right this time, and it’s not just Buck he needs to consider. There are four of them in this family. Because that’s what they are. That’s how Eddie’s been thinking of them, even before Buck and Zac moved in two years ago.

In that time they’ve been raising two kids together. They’ve been to parent-teacher interviews, school field trips, and supervised birthday parties. They’ve nursed both kids (and each other) through injury and illness together, sitting for hours in the ER when Chris broke his arm and when Zac had appendicitis.

(keep reading under the cut)

Eddie spends the whole weekend stewing over it, trying to get Chris and Zac alone without Buck around to overhear. It’s not easy when they’re both either at work together or at home together.

A whole week passes before he gets the opportunity.

It’s Tuesday afternoon. Buck’s at work, having swapped a shift with Jackson so he could have the next day off to chaperone a field trip at Zac’s school. 

The sound of screeching children drowns out the low rumble of the engine as Eddie waits, windows rolled down, for the pick-up line to crawl forward.

It’s hot, and the AC is broken again, pushing through stagnant air that’s only marginally better than the warm breeze blowing in through the window.

Eddie wipes sweaty palms against his jeans and lets the truck roll forward to the front of the pick-up bay.

“Eddie!” Zac is as enthusiastic as ever as he throws the back door open and clambers into the back seat. He freezes halfway across the seats, leaning over into the front. “Where’s Buck?” he asks, peering around like his six-foot brother might magically materialise in the front seat.

“He’s at work, remember,” Eddie tells him, biting back a smile at the confused look on the ten-year-old’s face.

“Oh, yeah.” The confusion clears and Zac grins, scrambling into his seat. “Did you know you can tell the age of a mammoth by counting the rings on its tusks?”

“Uh, no?” Eddie blinks at the sudden conversation shift and turns to shoot Zac a fold smile. “Seatbelt.”

“Yeah, it’s like how you can count the rings on a tree,” Zac continues, reaching for his seat belt. “And there’s a mummified baby mammoth that we might get to see.”

“On the field trip?” Eddie asks, piecing the puzzle together. 

He’s not sure who’s more excited for the trip– Buck or Zac. Their kitchen table is currently buried under the pages and pages of notes and education resources Buck had printed off the museum’s website.

“Hey Dad?” The front passenger door swings open and Chris shoves his crutches into the footwell. “Can I go to Matt’s house after school tomorrow?”

“Not on a school night,” Eddie tells him, waiting for his son to put on his seatbelt. “Maybe on the weekend.”

“But Dad,” Chris starts, “he just got Tears of the Kingdom and he said I could play it.” 

“Aren’t you still grounded?” Zac asks from the back seat.

“No, Dad said I’m not anymore.”

“It’s still a school night,” Eddie says, flicking on the indication to pull away from the school. “And you have homework. Why don’t you wait until the weekend?” he suggests. “You could have a sleepover.”

“Yeah, okay.” Chris pulls his cellphone out of this bag and Eddie turns his attention back to the road, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel.

“Hey, so I was thinking we could stop at the beach before going home,” he says, his hands suddenly feeling sweaty again.

“Really?” Zac asks, his reflection in the mirror leans forward in his seat and Eddie can feel his feet swinging against the back of his chair. “Can we get ice cream?”

“I thought I had homework,” Chris says slowly, lowering his phone.

“I know, we won’t stay long. I just— there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” Eddie says, glancing back up to the mirror. “Before we get home.”

Chris’ expression twists into something thoughtful. “Is it about Buck?” he asks. “Is that why you picked us up from school?”

“I pick you up from school all the time.”

“Yeah, with Buck,” Chris responds, his tone edging into suspicion. “Because you hate driving.”

“I don’t hate driving,” Eddie argues.

“But Buck drives all the time,” Zac pipes up, joining Chris in this gang up on Eddie hour. “You never drive.”

“Buck’s at work,” Eddie reminds them. “And yeah, fine. It is about Buck, but it’s also about you guys and me and—” he stops and forces himself to take a breath. “Let’s just get to the beach and then we can talk.”

“Wait, are we getting ice cream because it’s bad?” Chris asks, his voice wavering. “Did something bad happen?”

Eddie resists the urge to bang his head against the steering wheel. God, he’s already screwing this up. 

“It’s nothing bad,” he says instead and pulls into a parking spot, cutting the engine. “It’s good. I promise.” 

They all bundle out of the car and head over to the little van that sells soft serve and slushies, and Eddie buys both kids an ice cream, stuffing his pockets with napkins for the inevitable mess that will follow.

They walk down to the beach, Eddie carrying Chris’ ice cream as they pick their way across the sand to find a spot near the water.

“So,” Eddie starts, handing over the ice cream. He wipes his hands on his jeans again, the stickiness more to do with nerves than the dripping mess Chris is eagerly digging into. “I wanted to talk to both of you about me and Buck and—” he hesitates, bracing himself. “How would you guys feel if me and Buck got married?”

“You’re getting married?” Zac sits up on his knees, his eyes lighting up. 

Eddie laughs, handing over a napkin. “Well, I haven’t asked him yet,” he admits. “But I want to.” He glances across at Chris. “Only if both of you are okay with it.”

“Yes!” Zac cheers, the ice cream dripping down his hand forgotten in his excitement. 

“Chris?”

His son’s lips press together deep in thought. “If you and Buck get married, does that mean he’ll be my dad too?”

“If that’s something you want,” Eddie tells him, watching carefully for Chris’s reaction. 

A bright smile spreads across Chris’ face and he nods fervently. 

“Yeah, that would be cool.”

The last of Eddie’s anxiety fades.  “So, you’re happy if I ask him?”

“Yes!” Both kids nod and Zac says, “Me and Chris will be brothers.” Then he notices the ice cream running down his arm, soaking into his sleeve and hurries to lick it up.

“No we wouldn’t,” Chris tells him. “Not really, Buck isn’t your dad.” He finishes his ice cream. “I think you’d be my uncle.”

Zac’s smile falters. “But you’re older, and I don’t want to be your uncle.”

“You can be brothers,” Eddie tells him, handing over more napkins so they can start cleaning themselves up. “But you can’t say anything to Buck. It’s got to be a secret, just for a little while.”

“Okay.”

Nodding, Eddie lets out a long breath. The conversation had been easier than expected, though in hindsight it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Both boys love Buck as much as Eddie does.

Still, that’s step one done. Now all Eddie needs is a ring and the perfect moment. 

Easy.

Tagging (no pressure): @fairytales-and-folklore @rosieposiepuddingnpie @spruceoutoffive @bigfootsmom

#wip game #911 fanfic #buddie #big brother buck #eddie diaz #getting ready for whumptober

[adenei]

Maroon

Second and Final Submission for the Debut/Midnights Era of @cruelsummer-ficfest !!

Song: Maroon

Album: Midnights

Ship: Romione

Summary: DH Missing Moment/Slight Canon Divergence. In the darkest days of the mission, Hermione must find a way to move forward, to keep fighting. Ron is gone, but she finds solace in his memories and the smell of his sweater to help her get through the sleepless nights.

And I wake with your memory over me

That's a real fucking legacy to leave

—-

Of all the colors Ron Weasley brought to her life, it’s the reds that stand out the most.

His hair, of course, and the Gryffindor scarlet that dominated so much of their wardrobes over the past six years. The dark pink that starts at his ears and spreads from there when he’s even the least bit embarrassed. The awful burgundy dress robes he wore to the Yule Ball. 

Then there’s the metaphorical reds of anger and affection that she feels for him, sometimes simultaneously. Pretty much always simultaneously since the night he left.

But it’s one particularly technicolor night that haunts her now that he’s gone, leaving nothing behind but a warm woolen jumper and a hole in her heart.

Harry had already gone to bed, so it was just the two of them, alone in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place playing an ill-advised drinking game with a cheap bottle of Muggle wine that Seamus had gotten from Merlin-knew-where, that had somehow made it home in Ron’s trunk and then somehow into the beaded bag Hermione had packed for the mission. 

There were any number of more productive things they could have been doing instead, but planning for the Ministry break-in had stalled, and Hermione wanted to think about something else for a night. Anything else. And Ron had suggested a game.

They were sitting on the floor—neither of them could quite articulate how that had happened either, though Hermione suspected the rosé—and she had plopped her feet into his lap about three drinks ago, when she was already about three drinks beyond caring how the gesture would be perceived.

Ron’s thumb had managed to find the one sliver of skin that was exposed on Hermione’s ankle between the top of her socks and the bottom of her leggings, and the rhythmic caress as he pondered his next challenge had lit every nerve ending in her body on fire.

“Okay, would you rather…have detention with Snape every day for a month, or spend every Christmas with Filch for the next five years?” Hermione shook her head and emptied her glass, an obnoxious crystal goblet with the Black family crest that they’d pulled out of a cupboard for the occasion, and Ron laughed at her response. “You can’t just drink on every question.”

“Sure I can,” Hermione argued. “It’s right there in the rules.”

“You and your damn rules.”

Ron took a swig straight from the bottle before reaching over to give Hermione a refill. He poured until the frosty pink liquid sloshed over the rim of Hermione’s cup and splashed onto her t-shirt. “Shit, I’m sorry.” Ron made a quick grab for his wand and aimed it at the wet spot, but paused as he took her in. “Is that my shirt?”

Hermione smirked. “I stole it from you in fifth year, and you’ve just now noticed?” The golden yellow Gryffindor Quidditch shirt couldn’t have fit him for more than a week after he got it, as fast as he was growing that year, and she’d had no qualms about taking it from his trunk.

“Is this a habit you have, then?” Ron asked with a laugh as he siphoned up the wine with his wand. “Stealing my clothes?”

“Maybe. Is that a problem?”

Their eyes locked and the teasing mood faded as Hermione realized just how close they were. She caught the flicker of Ron’s gaze to her lips just an instant before he leaned in and kissed her.

There had been no extravagant declarations of love, no other outward displays of affection before or since. Only an understanding that had developed over the months since Ron’s poisoning that their feelings were reciprocated, and that said feelings would have to wait until after the mission. But what good was constant mortal peril if it didn’t challenge them to be young and dumb and reckless just once?

Their lips met in a frenzy and their hands roamed as if they wanted to devour each other while they had the chance. Instinct told her this would be their only opportunity to be like this, at least for a while.

If only she had known how true that would turn out to be.

Hermione tosses over in her bunk, unable to sleep despite her constant state of exhaustion. She lights her wand and looks down at the burgundy splotch on her shirt, the only physical reminder she has of that night. She would almost think she had dreamed it, if not for a stubborn wine stain that they had been too preoccupied to treat in the moment.

There are spells she could use to get rid of it, even now, but at this point, she cherishes the color, and what it reminds her of. A shiver travels down her spine, and she plucks Ron’s jumper from the end of the bed where she tossed it earlier, pulling it on for the meager comfort it provides in his absence. The whole world’s been black and white without him.

Well, black and white and maroon.

#romione #ron weasley #hermione granger #cruel summer fic fest #ron x hermione #ron weasley x hermione granger #hp fic inspired by taylor swift

[magmahearts]

TIMING: march, 2022 PARTIES: @honeysmokedham & @magmahearts LOCATION: new york city SUMMARY: two strangers meet on the street of new york city. they have a meal together. CONTENT: none

The big city. Where dreams happened. Something about an apple. The apple was big. Nora couldn’t remember. Coming up with coherent English sentences was hard. Last year she’d been a bear almost exclusively. Language was slipping from her comprehension with each day of unuse. It was as if she was trying to return to the wilderness. Now in her human form, her throat tightened around her vocal chords with each attempt at language. She was just out of practice, Nora told herself, she would fall back into it. Like riding a bike. Except Nora had never been good at riding bikes. 

Coming into a city of humans was Nora’s attempt at remembering her humanity. The clothes she had stolen were ill fitting. Her hair was overgrown and wild. People kept side eyeing her as she walked along the street. What did they want her to do about it? It wasn’t like she had money to do anything. Nora’s eyes lingered on someone's large gucci bag. They probably had money. Money Nora could use on a shower and a hot meal. Maybe a hair brush if there was more left over. Nora moved through the stream of people, slipping through the cracks as she got closer and closer to the expensive bag.

Nora’s hand slipped into the bag. Quick fingers brushing in to find a wallet. Just as her hand latched around what had to be a waller, another feeling appeared. Another fleshy feeling. A hand. Breath caught in Nora’s through. This was going to suck. She was about to get caught. As the hands both pulled out the wallet, nothing happened. As the lady with the gucci bag walked on and Nora was still holding the wallet with someone else’s hand, nothing happened. Nora looked to see who the hand belonged to. A girl made out of fire stood before her. Well. That was interesting.

 “Hi.” Nora said, unsure what else to say in this situation. Was this what happens when you spend a year in solitude? You start hallucinating flaming women? “You’re hot” It was a lack of knowing what to say in this situation. If it wasn’t for the warm hand touching the same wallet she was touching Nora would have been willing to believe this was a hallucination. 

—

The last group she’d run with had finished with her about a month ago. There’d been no explanation — there never was. One day, Cass was there, overeager and trying with everything she had to impress the mismatched gang of shifters she’d found just outside of Philadelphia and the next, she woke up to an empty warehouse and no indication of where they might have gone. She’d known she was the odd man out among them, the lone fae in a group of lamia and sirens, incapable of helping them lie their way out of situations and unwilling to lay low when they wanted her to, but it stung all the same. Abandonment was hardly new, but it never seemed to get any easier. She kept waiting to get better at it, somehow, but she never did. Maybe that was why it kept happening. No one wanted to spend time with someone who never seemed to learn. 

But it was fine. It was. They hadn’t been the best group, anyway. James was always drunk and threw things at her when he was angry, and Sarah always tried to trick her into hurting herself with her words or the iron plates they’d found in the warehouse, and Cass would miss them anyway but maybe she’d find someone new. She just… needed a change of scenery. That was all. 

New York seemed like a good place to start.

There’d been a kid back in California who’d been obsessed with the city, always talking it up. He hadn’t been from there, but he’d pretended he was, sometimes, and Cass had liked that. The idea that you could pretend to be something you weren’t, pretend you’d come from a place you’d never been and that there were people there who wanted you to go back to it… It was a nice thought, even if it hurt when she tried to do it out loud. Fae couldn’t lie without consequences, but there was nothing stopping her from telling tall tales to herself, from pretending when there was no one else around to fool. And New York was good for that, too. There were so many people on the streets that no one was paying much mind to her. She was just another dirty teenager with ratty hair and too-big eyes. That kind of thing was hard to look at; most people preferred to look away rather than to acknowledge her.

And while that would normally bury an ache deep in her chest, it worked okay for what she needed today. She was hungry, and if she could scramble up enough cash to buy something instead of digging through the dumpster again, she wanted to. The woman with the stupid, expensive bag wouldn’t miss her wallet, anyway. Cass would get a lot more use out of that money than she would. She was probably just planning on spending it on another awful purse. It was helpful, really, to take that opportunity away from her. The purse was ugly.

So, Cass slipped her hand inside and tightened her fingers around the wallet just as the woman shifted, lifting it with ease. A little too much ease, maybe, because the wallet was… lighter than it should have been. And there was another sensation there, too, something warm and fleshy and — oh. 

There was a girl standing beside her, also holding the wallet. A girl who looked about her age, with dirty hair and a messy face not entirely unlike the one Cass was sporting. She stared at the girl for a moment, and the girl stared back. And then —

You’re hot. 

Cass blinked, looking down at herself. Ratty, too-big t-shirt she’d stolen from Sarah, torn jeans she’d swiped from a thrift store three states back. Definitely not her hottest outfit. “Okay,” she replied carefully. “Do you want to get lunch?”

—

The world around them was a sea of blurry faces all passing by in a haze of blank unremarkable features. How could plain human flesh matter when standing in front of Nora was the actual Flame Princess from Adventure Time? Glittering sparkling flame radiating light off of her, magma skin crossing across her. Mesmerizing. Nora knew she needed to draw her. The world kept moving around them, but in their little bubble, only occasionally being jostled by the crowd, time was at a standstill. The two of them were about the same height, give or take an inch which made the prolonged eye contact bearable. Nora hated when she had to crane her neck skywards to make eye contact with tall people. She hated it even more when they got on their knees to make that eye contact easier. Tall people were simply the worst, that was the only take away from that. Nora drew her thoughts back to the moment before her. This was monumental. Either one, she had finally gone insane. She was having her Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends moment. She was using her illusions to create a friend because the loneliness had finally gotten to her. Or two, she wasn’t the only monster in this world. 

Staring at the twisting patterns of flame shifting, feeling the manageable heat against her hand, Nora wasn’t sure what to think. Surely someone made out of flame couldn’t be called a monster. Look at her, she was fuckin sick. Plus a monster would burn her flesh off, instead her hand felt like any other human. How did all of the passing faces on the street not notice? The only looks they were receiving were the looks of annoyance as two kids blocked the walkway, which already was limited in space. “Do you want to get lunch?” The words finally broke through Nora’s thick skull. The bubble burst. The sound of life happening filled Nora’s ears, flooding in all the spaces that had just been silent wonder before. Nora found herself being jostled by a stranger pushing by, forcing Nora to step closer to Flame Princess. “Yeah sure.” Nora mumbled in her monotone. Nora let her fingers drop from the wallet, her eyes drifting down to the ground to see if it would fall. It didn’t. It remained clutched in the other girl’s hand. Well. If this was her own illusion, she’d managed something she couldn’t before. Tangibility.

“Stupid kids, blocking the sidewalk.” A man’s voice drifted in between the loud noises of the city, barely audible. Kids. He’d said kids. This wasn’t an illusion. This was another person in the world that was different. 

Nora reached forward, grabbing Flame Princess by her free hand. “Come on,” Nora tugged her through the crowd, pushing and shoving her way. Nora wasn’t afraid to use her elbows to keep people out of her way. This wasn’t the time to pretend to be polite. This was the time to embrace the moment and keep going. A bright yellow and familiar sign loomed over Nora as she got them to the side of the crowd. Waffle House. “This okay?” Nora asked, jutting her chin up to the sign. It would be cheap and probably loud. If they were lucky they would get to see a fight. 

—

The girl was staring at her, but not in a bad way. It wasn’t the kind of staring people did when they were angry with her, wasn’t the look she got when she’d messed up somehow without knowing how. But it wasn’t the hungry look that people got sometimes when they wanted something from her, either. It was a funny kind of expression, one Cass couldn’t quite place. She thought she might like it, though. If it wasn’t like any of the bad looks that she was so painfully familiar with, it must be a good thing instead. Right? 

There was a beat after she spoke, a moment where the world seemed to stand still. Her heart was beating faster than it ought to, her mind so sure that she was going to be denied again. The girl said she was hot, but hot didn’t mean worth hanging out with. Cass had learned that in West Virginia, when one of the girls in one of the groups she’d fallen in with told her that she was pretty, but not worth the trouble. She’d already steeled herself to face that rejection again, already started trying to convince herself that she’d be okay with it when it came. Being alone wasn’t so bad. She’d been alone for a long time now, and it was fine. She was fine. 

But then the girl said yes, and it was the best thing Cass had ever heard.

A grin split her face as the other girl took her hand, and nothing else really mattered. Not the rude New Yorkers who seemed utterly horrified at the concept of having to take one step to the left to avoid walking into a couple of kids, not the holes in her shoes, not the crisp wind blowing through her too-thin jacket. There was another hand in hers, and that was all that mattered. Cass was careful to make sure her excitement didn’t lead to any unwanted magma bursts, because melting the girl was probably the fastest way to kill any friendship that might arise from this. 

She let the girl lead her down the street, following her to a bright sign attached to a brick building. Waf le Ho se. Could you eat hoses? Cass couldn’t wait to find out. “This is good,” she agreed, practically vibrating with excitement. “What do they have?”

—

Nora was captivated. It was hard to look away from Cass. Nora had been known to light a few fires for the joy of it. Now there was a fire, a real living fire in front of her, and navigating the two of them to the waffle house was a struggle. Flame Princess was asking Nora what waffle house served. Surely if this was her own illusion, her imagination would know the answer to that. "Waffles," Nora answered. Nora led them in. A waiter smiled at both of them from behind the counter "Hi girls. Take a seat wherever." Girls. Plural. Why was no one else staring? Were people literally on fire so commonplace in New York that they could gloss over this sight and be okay? Nora shuffled into a booth, gesturing for Cass to join her. She probably should stand up and wash her hands. Hygiene was the last thing on Nora's mind. 

Nora had been to a waffle house once in her life. It was for a photoshoot. She hadn't gotten to eat any of the food, but she had overheard people on the shoot talking about their funny waffle house stories. From what Nora could remember, this was a place where fights were supposed to take place. If you started any shit, the people behind the counter would come out and suplex you. They had laughed while they told these stories, leading Nora to believe that the Waffle House was a house of entertainment. Nora didn't care about that entertainment. Nora didn't care about anything. Her eyes were fixed on Cass. "Who are you?" She asked. It was a rude opener. Nora knew that. Her dads would be so disappointed. But wasn't this whole year full of choices that would disappoint her dads? The first one being her disappearance in the first place. 

Someone walked up to their booth, a woman with bags under her eyes and a notepad flipped out in front of her. "Ham." Nora answered before she could ask what they were having. Her eyes never wavered from Cass. She didn't see the disgruntled look, the eye-rolling, or answer the questions about the type of ham. Nora had eyes for one person. One person who was other, just like her. 

—

Waffles! Did Cass like waffles? She wasn’t sure she’d ever had them before. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d sat in an actual restaurant, with waitresses and silverware that wasn’t made out of plastic and food that was hot when it was put in front of you. The groups she’d run with after she ‘left’ Hawaii had often left her to ‘keep watch’ wherever they were staying when they went to participate in such things. She’d overheard a few of them in California saying it was because of how strange she was, because of the way she watched people like they were movies and twisted words into weapons. Maybe that was fair. Maybe she wasn’t the type of person you went to a Waf le Ho se with. 

But this girl seemed more than willing to go with her. And there was something undeniably exhilarating about that.

She tilted her head a little at the question, dissecting it in her head. “I’m Cass,” she replied, because she wasn’t sure how else to answer. Cassidy hadn’t fit right on her tongue in years now, and she didn’t have any stolen names to offer. “Who are you?” She had to bite back the old fae urge to word it differently, to ask the girl for her name in a way that would eliminate any hope of her sticking around to eat waffles with Cass. It was hard, sometimes, to shake the old habits she’d learned back home. She was trying… most days. Sometimes. And sometimes, she wasn’t trying at all.

Looking up to the woman who approached their table, Cass smiled. “Waffles,” she said decisively. She’d find out what they were and if she liked them when they got to the table. That was how restaurants worked, wasn’t it? They brought food to your table. Cass had seen it on TV. The waitress seemed to accept that this was the only order she’d be getting from the strange teenagers and departed, and Cass looked back to the girl across from her, still smiling. “I like your hair,” she said. That was a thing you said to people. They did it in Riverdale. 

—

Everything about this restaurant was dirty. The table, the floors, the looks the employees were throwing at these two equally as dirty teenagers. They fit right into the environment. Both of them looked like they needed showers (could Flame Princess shower?), new clothes, and a good night's sleep. Nora was aware that she'd been dressed in her current outfit for over two months, it was stiff from sweat and never drying right from the few times she'd washed it in creeks. Their scent together was overwhelming, and not in a pleasant way that drew happy looks. She, Cass, as she'd just spoken her name, smelled of sulfur, smoke, and moss. The underlying Earthly scent was surprising to Nora. Her eyes raked over because what those dirty looks didn't understand about the two teenagers sitting across from each other in that dirty little booth, was one of them was having her world blown wide open. 

There wasn't one monster in this world. There were two. 

The only thing Nora couldn't understand was how the employees could look at them - could look at Cass -  with such disdain. Didn't they see the world of possibilities blooming in front of them? Didn't they see a person of literal fire sitting in their mass-produced, average, dirty booth? And all they could do was look at her -  them - with disgust? Were the minds of humans so small that they could never appreciate true beauty? Cass asked for Nora's name in return. Nora was too awed to come up with an excuse not to use her real name. "Nora." The name slipped off her tongue, an anvil hitting the table. It had been a year since she'd said the name. Longer since she'd dared to say the other one, but in this moment hiding her identity didn't seem to matter. Not from one monster to another. 

 Cass ordered waffles. No judgment. Cass called her hair pretty. No judgment. Wait. A little judgment. It took a minute for Nora to understand what Cass had said. The words had been spoken and Nora kept sitting there staring until they registered on a delay. The enchantment was finally broken. Nora's eyes flitted away, a hand reaching up to touch her tangled hair. Nora was sure her hair didn't look pretty. In fact, she was positive that the last haircut she'd given herself had been a month ago and her harsh mistakes were starting to grow in, but the uneven lines were there. 

"Thanks." Nora tried to keep her eyes glued to the table, unsure if it was a comment of spite. The backhanded compliments she'd received at school from her "peers" had been numerous enough she'd finally caught on to their game. Nora tried to stop staring. God, she knew it was rude, but she couldn't. Her eyes kept moving up. "Yours is better." Nora finally replied. Dumb. That was literally the dumbest thing that had ever come out of her mouth. Nora coughed, clearing away whatever this awkward sensation was. "How l-" A break in her voice. She glanced away, coughing again. "How long have you been in New York?" She finally got out, her eyes once again back on Cass

—

She could feel a multitude of eyes on her. The waitress, the people behind the counter, the other patrons in the restaurant, they were all looking at the teenagers in the booth like they were something unseemly, the same way they might look at the rats in the dumpster or the trash piled up in the subway stations. Normally, this would make Cass feel self conscious, because she wanted people to like her instead of seeing her as an inconvenience. But right now, in this moment, she could hardly bring herself to care. Because the other girl was looking at her, too. Not like a dumpster rat or a pile of garbage, but like something else. Like something good, something worth looking at. 

And Cass was realizing that no one else had ever done that before. 

So she was grinning, wide and stupid and not quite oblivious to the other looks she was getting, but as close to it as she really knew how to be. The girl’s name was Nora, and Cass rolled it over in her mind for a moment, repeated it silently. Later, when she made her way back to the warehouse she’d been sleeping in, she’d fit it between her teeth and let it rest on her tongue by repeating it aloud, too. Nora. No-rah. It was a nice name, she decided. Short and easy to say. Like hers. 

“It’s good to meet you, Nora,” she said, feeling a tiny rush of excitement as she spoke the name for the first time. Nora was still looking at her, still wide-eyed, still shellshocked and oddly impressed. Cass had no idea why, but she didn’t dare question it. If she questioned it, Nora might stop, and she didn’t want that. In fact, that was the last thing she wanted. 

The thanks came so easily, and while Cass’s first instinct was to release the other girl from her unintentional bind… she held onto it. What if she needed it later? What if something happened? She justified it in her head, assured herself that she’d really only use it to help Nora if she used it at all, but the very act of keeping it locked away was a selfish one. On some level, Cass knew that. “You’re welcome,” she chirped brightly, leaning forward and propping her elbows against the table. She reached up to touch her own hair. Half of it was twisted into two buns atop her head while the rest flowed over her shoulders. It was an easy style to achieve, messy in a way that looked intentional. And it was fairly clean, too. Or, at least, as clean as anything could be under the conditions Cass lived in. “I could do yours like this, if you want. I think it would look really pretty on you.”

At the question, she hummed. How long had it been now? It was hard to keep track, sometimes, without a calendar of any kind. In the city, it was hard to see even the moon in the sky well enough to track its phases. “A week or two, I think. Not very long. What about you? Did you grow up here? I always thought it would be neat, growing up in a city. There’s so many people.” 

—

“I could do yours like this if you want. I think it would look really pretty on you.” The words drifted to Nora in Cass's light tone. Nora tilted her head. There had been years of her life when she was tired of people touching her. Touching her hair. Touching her face. Touching her clothes. Anything and everything on her seemed accessible to everyone around her as they did their job to make sure she was the most presentable as possible. Their moving fingers came with scolding tones as they told her to stop moving, smile, close her eyes, look up, and stop complaining about how heavy-handed the hair brushing was, it wouldn't be a problem if she'd stop getting twigs stuck in her hair. But this offer was different. There was a question, a choice. Nora's eyes lingered on Cass's hair. It was cute. Nora wished her hair was a bright flame. People would have been afraid to touch it. "I would like that." The words were out in their entirety before she could think about them. And to her surprise, she meant them. 

A week or two in the city. Cass was brand new to the city like Nora. Technically. Nora had been here plenty of times before, namely in September during the illustrious fashion week. "I got here today." Nora shifted her eyes away, back down to the table. Her hands had been placed in front of her. Nora noticed the dirt and grime under her nails. There was something about fashion week that brought back the memories of needing to be perfect. The importance of all the photographs that were going to be taken. How at all times she needed to exude a gracious and personable attitude or they would eat her alive. Nora shoved her hands in her pocket, a spring of shame washing over her. Cass, Flame Princess, was offering to do her hair. Her nasty unwashed hair in New York. Her dads would hate her for it. 

Nora's gaze shot back to Cass. She didn't like thinking about her in New York. She liked thinking about Flame Princess. Flame Princess and her flaming hair. Nora's eyes landed on Cass's own. Amber orbs glinted back at her, they looked like fire was dancing inside of them. Nora got lost again, once more staring at Cass, forgetting about her own existence. Nora wished Cass would talk forever, relieving Nora of the obligation to come up with conversation and allow her to get lost in the wonder of knowing that she wasn't alone in this world. "I grew up in Los Angeles though." The words drifted from a place of absence. A place where she wasn't constantly on guard around everyone she ever met. "I hate cities. They're loud. Full of people. I don't like people." Could Nora say that while she was looking at Cass like she was a life raft and Nora was a castaway lost at sea? 

A plate full of ham landed in front of Nora, a disgruntled ‘here’ occupied the delivery. Across from her, another plate was being delivered. With the direct line of sight being broken again, Nora was once more reminded that she was staring. Where could she look? Looking down she'd see her own hands, looking across she'd get caught in the flame again. Nora ended up focusing her gaze on the jam selection placed on the side of the table. "Where'd you come from? Why New York?" She hoped the questions would cover up how awkward she'd been. If Cass recognized her she'd probably post online about finding the lost Eleanor Pine, collect her millions, and then tell everyone how weird and nasty she was. Nora had to be normal. 

—

She’d never done anyone’s hair before. She’d wanted to, had offered a few times to various people she’d run with over the years, but none of them had ever been interested. You come on too strong, one of the kids in Nevada had told her once, sighing and shaking their head. It’s too much. You need to be a little less… Well… just a little less, in general. But how was she supposed to do that? What parts of herself did she need to smother in order to make herself into something more easily digestible, something better, something worthy of love? Cass didn’t know, and no one ever told her. That girl in Nevada was gone the morning after she offered the advice, leaving nothing in her wake save for the cold floor beside Cass where she’d been sleeping and the memory of those words in her mind. Be a little less. 

But Nora didn’t seem to think she was too much. Nora was looking at her with those wide, wondrous eyes. Nora said she could do her hair if she wanted, that she’d like it, and Cass’s heart was beating in her throat. How long did she have here? How much of this did she get? She was smart enough to know it wouldn’t last forever, because it never did. Nora was looking at her with wonder now, but that would fade eventually. It would turn to exhaustion, to irritation. To fear, maybe, if she saw Cass for what she truly was. Nora wasn’t fae; Cass would know. And while that meant she wouldn’t recognize just how bad Cass was at being the thing she was supposed to be, it also meant she wouldn’t understand Cass’s true form, if she saw it. It was a double edged sword, an awful contradiction. The fae who thought she was beautiful without her glamour knew that she was dangerous with it, and the people who didn’t immediately know what a problem she was thought she was terrifying when the mask slipped off. There was no version of herself that was easy to love. Cass knew that.

Los Angeles. Cass nodded. She’d been there once, but it hadn’t felt right and she hadn’t wanted to stay. She wondered if that was how Nora had felt, too, if the city had pushed her out the same way it pushed Cass out. Selfishly, she hoped so. It was a terrible thing, but she hoped Nora didn’t have anyone waiting for her to come home, hoped that she was just as alone as Cass was. Maybe, if there was no group to help Nora realize just how awful Cass was to be around, she would want to hang around her a little longer. She could have just a little more time, just a little. “I like people,” Cass admitted, “but I don’t like cities much. I like the woods. The trees, the dirt, the rocks. Especially the rocks.” There were no volcanoes in New York, so rocks were the next best thing.

There was food in front of them now, and Cass hoped the rumbling of her stomach in response to the smell of it wasn’t so loud that everyone in the restaurant would notice. In some places, people saw a hungry kid and got concerned. In the city, she’d found, they were far more likely to get angry. She’d had the police called on her once just for being hungry in the wrong place. Picking up one of the waffles (there were two on her plate!), Cass began shoving it into her mouth, looking at Nora as she spoke. “I was born on the island of Hawai’i,” she said around her mouthful of food, “but I left there a long time ago.” Was taken from there, more like, removed for the safety of a community who had never wanted much to do with her at all. “I saw New York in a TV show once. Or, on a magazine about a TV show.” The magazine had been talking about some cast reunion or another, but that wasn’t what had caught Cass’s attention. The title of the show, Friends, had made New York seem like a good place to go. It was silly, but she liked to imagine coming here would grant her just that — friends. Maybe, if Nora wasn’t opposed, it still could. “What about you?”

—

There were a plethora of questions Nora wanted to pepper Cass with. How did she gain acceptance among the humans? Why didn't she set everything on fire around her? Why weren't the humans running from the Waffle House at the mere sight of her? How had she convinced the humans that she was trustworthy, capable of being around them and being part of them? Nora had never tried to reveal the bear to anyone. There were many sleepless nights when she wanted to walk down the stairs and show her fathers, but the voice in her head told her they wouldn't be able to accept it. She would be kicked out on her own, forced to face her fathers, the only two people in this world who looked at her with any sort of love, to see nothing but fear when looking at the monster in her house. She couldn't dare. It was better, after all, to make her own choice to run away than to be forced out. 

The number one question she wanted to ask was how could she like them? How could she like how humans? What did they offer other than a steady source of fear and constant judgment? Nora didn't know anything about the fellow monster across from her, but she knew when she'd first looked into those beautiful amber eyes there had only been acceptance. A request to go to lunch. Nora tucked a strand of messy hair behind her ear, eyes once more looking anywhere at them. "Why do you like people?" Nora asked, she made eye contact with the waitress that brought their food. She registered the disgust in her eyes. Nora jutted out her chin. "I like trees, dirt, and rocks too. I  could be in the woods forever." 

Nora started picking at her plate, pushing the food around instead of eating it. Cass, on the other hand, was shoveling it like it was the first time she'd ever eaten before. "Do you miss Hawai'i?" Nora did her best to pronounce the name correctly.  Nora had been once, a rich resort by the name of White Lotus. It was full of people who had sticks stuck up their asses and complained at any minor inconvenience. Nora had fun there, scaring people. "Yeah. New York is famous. Everything happens here on TV." Food managed to make it into Nora's mouth. She did her best to ignore the dirty fingertips holding the fork that carried it. She did her best to swallow past the dryness of her throat. Water. They were at a restaurant, she didn't need to conserve her water. Nora grabbed the glass and downed it in a single gulp. 

"Just passing by." It wasn't a complete lie. But how did Nora tell a stranger that she'd accidentally walked her way into the area and decided to stop by to relive memories of her fathers, and to remember what it was like to be surrounded by humans. One year of walking around America left her with long stretches of time where she'd speak to no one for months. Sure, she'd stop in at camp sites or watch those houses in the middle of nowhere, but approaching strangers wasn't something she did lightly. In the solitude of nowhere, she was just a bear scaring human. In the mass of the city, she could blend in. A face to be unrecognized. "Thought I'd see what there was to see here before moving on." If there was a place Nora wanted to stay, she didn't know it yet. 

"Are you going to live here?" Nora asked, pushing her now empty glass of water to the side of the table. She hoped the waitress would get the hint that she wanted it filled. Nora was about to ask Cass what she did here, but it was obvious wasn't it? They'd met with their hands in a rich lady's purse. They were both stealing to survive. Nora wondered if Cass at least had a place to spend the night. Nora figured she'd fight for a spot under a bridge when the time came. She wasn't stressed enough to plan too far ahead.

—

Why do you like people? For a moment, Cass almost felt disappointed. It was a familiar question in the worst kind of way, one that had followed her around the aos si in Hawaii in judgemental whispers and harsh glares. She’d never entirely fit in among the nymphs, and she’d known it. But the truth was a devastating double-edged sword: she’d never fit in among the humans, either. Too strange to belong entirely to any group, and so desperate to belong to both. 

But this was different. Nora’s tone when she asked it wasn’t judgemental, it was curious. Like she was asking not as a harsh rhetorical, but because she genuinely cared about the answer. Cass might not belong with her aos si, and she might not have belonged to any of the groups she’d tried to place herself within outside of it, but she thought she could belong with Nora, if she let her. Maybe even without the painful process of reshaping herself into something more desirable, without having to cut off pieces of who she was in order to be someone that someone might love. Nora asked because she cared, and Cass considered her answer because she cared, too. She chewed her waffle a little slower, tilted her head to the side as she tried to think of the best way to explain it. “Because I want them to like me.” It was a painfully honest response, because that was all that Cass was really capable of. The truth, and the truth as she saw it. Anything else was always unpleasant to fit her tongue around.

When Nora continued, saying that she, too, liked trees and dirt and rocks, Cass had to bite her lip to keep herself from beaming. She didn’t want to be too much, didn’t want to overwhelm with her excitement, but the excitement was there all the same. To make friends, she’d read once, the first step was to find shared interests. And Nora had shared interests with Cass. They could talk about trees and dirt and rocks. They could talk about anything, really, so long as it meant they got to talk. Silence had always made Cass more than a little uncomfortable. She didn’t like the weight of it. “I could be in the woods forever, too, as long as somebody was there with me.” She wasn’t built to be alone, never really had been. But she did like the forest. 

Thinking of Hawai’i, she tried to determine the best answer to Nora’s question, the one that was the most true. She did miss parts of it. The way it felt to be so close to the volcanoes that made her skin buzz, the way she felt so much more powerful in their presence. But it had always been overshadowed, in a way, by the feeling of being so unwanted. At least here, out in the human world, she could pretend that people didn’t want her for simple reasons. It wasn’t entirely true, she knew, but maybe the fact that she didn’t quite understand the culture the way she was supposed to, or the way her words were sometimes wrong, or the smokey, volcanic scent that came from her when she went too long without showering contributed to all the people who’d left her behind here. Back on the island, though, among people who were just like her… Cass had had to grapple with the fact that she was the reason no one loved her. She was the thing that drove them all away. 

Realizing she’d been quiet a beat too long now, she shrugged. “Parts of it,” she replied, and it didn’t taste bitter on her tongue or make her stomach ache so it must have been the truth. “But I like it here, too. Where everything happens on TV.” It was disappointing, the reveal that Nora was only passing through, but… It wasn’t as if Cass had anything keeping her here. Maybe she could only be passing through, too. Maybe Nora would want Cass to come with her, maybe they could hang out even after the waffles were gone, maybe —

No. No, she was doing it again. She was too much. She was always too much.

Trying to school her features into something closer to Nora’s neutral mask, Cass shrugged. “Maybe. I haven’t really decided yet. I might live here, or I might not. I don’t think I can stay forever, though.” 

—

Heartbreak shredded through Nora with those seven words. “Because I want them to like me.” Even Cass, the Flame Princess, sitting on the streets of New York was hated by the humans. Cass who actually liked them. Cass who just said, “I like people.” In her voice that Nora thought must sound like a night next to the fire telling stories. That was the answer to all the questions she wanted to ask, wasn’t it? Cass wasn’t accepted. Contempt  bubbled inside her, hidden behind the emotionless mask her career had carefully cultivated. 

Nora couldn’t accept or forgive humans for this. It was understandable when it came to her. Nora was a terror. A nightmare in bear’s clothing. It had taken years for Nora to find out that the people in her life didn’t feed off fear. That they couldn’t smell human’s sweet thick terror or get the major headache that had caused her first shift when they’d gone without smelling it for too long. Nora could only assume she was their natural predator. The creature they saw in their sleep paralysis. 

But not Cass. Nora couldn’t imagine Cass as anything but the beautiful and happy girl in front of her. The easy smile that looked like a permanent resident, the way her voice chirped with excitement at simple things like offering to do another girl’s hair, her honest answers to Nora’s questions. Cass was a literal ray of light compared to the dark abyss of Nora’s presence. Nora thought she could bask in her rays forever. So why did she need to want people to like her? How could they not like her for the beacon she was. 

"If they don't like you, then they're dumb." The words sounded pitiful to Nora. They were nothing compared to the soliloquy of her internal monologue, but how did she get those private words out from the vault of her mouth and into the open to share between them? It was a secret that had always eluded her. 

“I could be in the woods forever, too, as long as somebody was there with me” There it was again. The day and night difference between them. Nora had been by herself for a year now. This was the longest conversation she’d had with someone else in all that time. She was okay with that. There was a comfort in her solitude. Nora glanced down at her plate, mostly untouched despite the constant hunger that gnawed inside her. At her fingers, under the nails caked with dirt, small scratches from pushing aside plants littering her flesh. Would Cass want to come with her? Was it too soon to ask someone she’d just met to walk with her? Nora wanted to. Nora was fine with her solitude, but she could be fine with companionship. It was all she’d wanted once too. Before she’d come to accept, she would never be like the other kids at her school. It would be easy to ask. ‘Just stay with me. I like you. We can walk the woods forever.’ But the truth had always been that Nora would rather not ask because rejection would hurt more than cared to admit. 

"I don't think it's as exciting as TV." Nora confided to Cass. "It's mostly just rats." Nora liked rats. Nora liked all creatures that humans looked down on. Especially the creatures that made them scream on sight. Nora had never understood why humans screamed at the sight of a rodent. They were little dudes trying to survive in a world that wanted to eradicate them. Humans and their fear. Humans and their judgment. What did they offer the world that made them better than the rats they scorned? 

"Yeah. I couldn't stay here forever either." Travel with me. It was all she had to say. We could leave New York together. A human would turn Nora in for the money. Would a fellow monster? Nora didn't think so. Nora wanted to trust Cass with everything, so why did the words stall on her tongue? "I think I'll know the right place when I find it, you know? I think it'll let me know when I find it. I just know it's not New York." Too many people. She didn't even want them to like her anymore. She wanted them all to fear her. "I hope you find your place, where people like you." 

—

Cass let Nora’s words wash over her, let herself revel in them. They’re dumb. If they don’t like you, they’re dumb. No one had ever said something like that before. No one had ever placed the blame for her lack of friends at the feet of the people that rejected her instead of her own, no one had ever tried to make it feel like it wasn’t her fault that she was alone. Even when she was a child, too young to understand what rejection was but facing it daily all the same, it had always been framed as a failing on her part. She was the one whose mother couldn’t stand the sight of her, the one whose father was such a problem that no one ever even told her his name, the one who wanted too much and didn’t know how to ask for it without reminding everyone just what an inconvenience she was.

As she got older, of course, it only got worse. She wanted to know more about humans, about the culture her absent mother had come from, and that was a problem, too. You’re going to bring them right to our door, one of her caretakers had screeched once. And Cass hadn’t known why that was such a bad thing. Wouldn’t it be nice to meet a few? Wouldn’t it be fun to know people who were different than you were, to understand their point of view on top of your own? No one else had ever agreed with her and, when she had been cast out into the world where she could meet as many humans as she pleased with no one to stop her, none of them had wanted much to do with her, either. 

Except for Nora. Nora, who agreed to go to lunch with her. Nora, who said she’d let her do her hair. Nora, who looked at her and said if they don’t like you, they’re dumb as if it was an easy thing to say, as if everyone else in her life up until this very moment had told her the exact opposite. If they don’t like you, they’re dumb. Cass thought it might be the best sentence she’d ever heard, her new favorite combination of words. She smiled into her waffle, shrugging a shoulder. “Maybe.” She didn’t know if she agreed with the sentiment, but it was still exhilarating to hear someone say it. It was still exciting to have someone suggest, just once, that Cass might not be the problem at all. 

Nothing was ever as exciting as it was on TV, Cass wanted to say, or as easy. On TV, people loved loudly. Loud enough for the audience to hear it through their screens, even if the characters sometimes missed it. People did wonderful things for each other, made huge, sweeping gestures. Children were taken care of, were made invincible by love. Maybe that was why she liked what she’d seen of it so much — because on TV, children were a precious thing. People lived and died for them instead of sending them away. Wouldn’t it be nice if life were the same?

“I like rats, anyway,” she said instead, because those words would be so much easier to swallow. Those words wouldn’t make Nora realize she was wrong before, wouldn’t make her rethink whether people were dumb not to like Cass or whether Cass was simply too intense to like. 

If Nora wasn’t staying forever and Cass wasn’t staying forever, couldn’t they leave together? Cass didn’t know where Nora was going after this, but did it matter? Traveling with someone would be so much better than traveling alone, even if it was only a matter of time before Nora grew tired of her, too. “I hope you find yours, too.” It tasted a little too close to goodbye, so she added, “Maybe we can hang out. While we’re both in the city. And after we find our places.” 

#honeysmokedham #nora: why can't we be friends #wickedswriting #flashback

[writersblockedx]

Protector of the Party: Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: A Sense of Normality 

PAIRING - Steve Harrington x Reader BASED OFF - 1x09 WARNINGS - Mentions of mental illness, suicide and death WORDS - 2.4K

Read on AO3 / Wattpad

Series Masterlist Masterlist

Y/n was nervous.

She didn't think she would get nervous anymore. It was as if defeating the Demogorgon and saving Will had sucked all the anxiety that fled through her body. But as she sat waiting outside an office of the lab, she was certain in the nerves she felt. Because, unlike most, this was how she was meant to be spending her Christmas Eve.

Her hands were gripping the files that were requested so hard that she thought she might break them if she weren't too careful. Alas, as the elevator door pinged and Chief Jim Hopper walked out, she relaxed. She stood from her chair and practically sprinted to the man. "You're late." Y/n stated rather sternly.

Hopper dragged the cig from his lips, "No I'm not." He looked to the office that was awaiting them, the name Sam Owens starring back at him. "It hasn't started yet." Y/n wanted to make the point that she had been waiting here alone for almost twenty minutes now, instead, Hopper was passing over an envelope. "You're welcome, by the way." He added.

The letter was addressed to her, with the Hawkins Police stamp in the bottom corner. Her brows became knitted as she glanced back up at the man. "What is it?"

"Open it and you'll see, won't you?" He answered.

Y/n did so, ripping the envelope open and scanning the letter.

Here at the Hawkins Police Station would like to offer you a internship....

Y/n felt her eyes light up as they jolted back up to Hopper. "You actually got me an internship?" She just had to check.

"Well, it's more of a contract. While you're working, you have to keep out of actually getting arrested. Alright, kid?" He explained. And while, yes, Y/n wasn't happy that maybe she wasn't able to get that extra cash anymore, this was what she asked for, what she had wanted to do.

She smiled, and held out her hand for him to take, shoving the letter in with the other files, "Alright." Hopper too grinned before shaking the hand of the girl.

That was when the office door, finally, opened and Owens dipped his head out into the hallway, hiding the dread behind his eyes. "You all ready?" And the nerves returned. Hopper noted the way the girl suddenly stiffened and the way her smile completely fell.

The man pressed a gentle palm to her back, "Yeah, let's get this over with." And so the two entered the office of doom.

Owens sat behind his desk, chest puffed out as his smug smile felt dripped in pride. Y/n was awkwardly seated next to Hopper, never seeming to meet the scientist's eyes. "I've constructed a sort of agreement, we can read over it. Then once it's signed, we'll hopefully never have to see each other again." He started with a forced grin that made Y/n feel like she might be sick.

"And what if we don't agree?" Questioned Hopper before taking another drag from his cig, stern in his eyes.

Owens shrugged, "Well, then we'll need to talk some more until we finally come to some sort of, deal, I guess." Y/n knew the lab had the power here. They always did. They had been sweeping things under the rug for years now; if they really wanted to, they could do the same to Y/n.

"I just want to know what happened to my mother. All of it." Y/n stated as her leg bounced in time with her anxious heart beat.

"And that is all here..." Owens patted a collection of files before meeting the girl's gaze. "And you can read these as much as you want, after this is signed."

The man pushed over two letters, two contracts. Hopper practically snatched it from the desk as he started reading, Y/n followed suit a little more calmly. She read over the words carefully, feeling as her gut sank letter by letter. From next to her, various scoffs and grunts were sounded from Hopper as he read on. He pushed the letter back down. "No."

Owens sighed, "These are our terms."

"I won't let you make this women out to be crazy." Hopper demanded as if that wasn't what most people already claimed her to be.

"Why don't we let the girl decide whether to sign or not, hm?" And then Y/n felt both pair of pupils turn to her. "Everything about your mother's abilities and all the tests outcomes are right here, and they're yours, if you want them to be." Y/n knew the way in which he was certainly twisting his words, but she'd be lying if she wasn't just slightly tempted.

Hopped scoffed once more from Y/n's side, "You want her, a teenager, to declare that her mother was un-fit in taking care of herself, and her child. And that you, the lab that killed her, was in fact the best thing for her." The man reiterated the letter as if it were a joke. "Oh, and to affirm that she committed suicide." He laughed.

Y/n felt water prick at her eyes as the air suddenly became thin. "Look, we just want to keep everything-"

Y/n cut Owens off as she led forward, grasped a pen and signed the contract. She let out an exhale that she didn't know she had been holding, leaning back in her chair. "Y/n-" Hopper was about to lecture her, but he barely even got another word out.

"She wouldn't want me wasting days or weeks or months trying to get you idiots to admit what you've done." Y/n started as she leant over the desk, taking the files that were hers before standing from her seat. "You are a selfish person who has no idea what your doing to people's lives."

Hopper didn't know what to do. But, at the end of the day, whether he agreed with it or not, this was her choice. So he too quickly signed his name and stood.

Y/n went to turn for the door, feeling the tears finally escape as she sought out the exit. Yet, still, she felt a pull to continue her piece. She debated leaving, but, for whatever reason, she glanced back at Owens. "You killed her!" The girl snapped. "And still you sit there with a smile and ask me to just, to sign the life she had away like she was just some nut case." Exactly like what they had done to Terry Ives. "I do hope now we never have to see each other again."

And with that, she made her escape.

Y/n felt like she was running as she made her way towards the elevator, hitting the button as Hopper joined her side. "You didn't have to sign, you know?" He told her.

The girl sniffled, attempting to hide the water that stained her cheeks. "I just want to forget about this, alright?" Maybe the idea of the Upside Down and the Demogorgon would always haunt her, but at least there was a certain comfort it that it was over now. In a few years, she hoped it would just become a passing thought. But, for now, she would do all in her power to push it as far away as she was able.

Hopper nodded as the elevator doors pinged and they entered, pressing for the ground floor. "Okay, kid." He glanced down at her, "You need a ride now?"

A small, yet certain, smile tugged at her lips as she met Hopper's eyes. "I do actually, yeah."

And that was how Hopper got roped into packing presents into the back seat of his truck, heading for the Wheeler's house.

He put on a front that he wasn't happy about such, but, in honesty, it was good to see a sense of normality surface once more. To celebrate Christmas without the fear of questioning where Will was, or what had happened to Y/n's mother. And, she supposed, things were some-what back to the way they had been before. I mean there were a few changes, she acquired an internship, an odd friendship with Nancy Wheeler and, well, shared trauma.

As Hopper pulled into the Wheeler's driveway, he was adamant that he dropped her off only. Of which, Y/n respected before scooping up all the presents and wondering to the front door.

The girl knocked, a sigh of relief following in that she hadn't dropped anything. And soon enough, the door opened and Nancy started back at her with an assumed expression. "Oh, God." She giggled as Y/n entered the home, dropping the bags of wrapping paper by her feet. "Really didn't expect you to be the holiday type."

Y/n shrugged as she glanced back at Nancy, "I thought we could probably boost morale after you know...almost dying." Holiday cheer just happened to be the way to do such. "I've actually got you something..." The girl trailed off as she rummaged through the bags before pulling out a small little square.

"You didn't have to." Nancy insisted as she took the gift, inspecting it a little.

"It's really more of a sentiment." Y/n said before watching as the girl unwrapped it, a velvet box starring back at her.

Nancy's brows her narrowed before flipping it open. Then she giggled. "Lovely sentiment, really." The girl picked at the bullet and held it up as it met the light.

"Just, maybe, don't show your parents." Y/n winked.

Just then, footsteps came rushing through the hallway from the basement: Johnathan Byers and his little brother Will. The young boy had a smile written into his expression which Y/n had yearned to seen again ever since they found his 'body' at Lover's Lake. "Hey, Y/n." Greeted Johnathan. "What are you doing here?"

Y/n gestured down to the serval gifts by her feet before glancing back up at him. "Spreading the Christmas cheer, obviously." The girl joked. "Which reminds me, Will." The young boy beamed as he knew what was to soon follow as Y/n shuffled through her bag. "As promise. Well, as Dustin promised you."

She pulled out a comic. Her X-men 134.

At that point, Will was practically glowing. "Really?" He gleamed with the brightest grin. Y/n nodded and passed it to the boy who was almost jumping on his feet.

Then Y/n looked to her best friend and handed him too a wrapped gift. "As always." She smiled as she passed him the familiar shaped rectangle.

The boy didn't even have to open it. Their Christmas gift was a tradition of great importance. Before Johnathan opened it, he rummaged from his jacket pocket, and pulled out a similar gift. "I got Will to pick some out as well." Said boy smiled next to his older brother, urging them as they unwrapped their gifts.

A mixtape. Both of them titled: Johnathan and Y/n's 1983 mix.

After saying thanks to one another, Y/n said her goodbyes to the brothers and Nancy as she went in search of her cousin - who was still bickering and playing with the rest of the party in Mike Wheeler's basement. Y/n didn't even dare venture downstairs. Instead, she lurked in the doorway and yelled, "Dustin!".

She didn't have to be down there to know his eyes had rolled, "Coming!" He shouted back, but it still took him at least 5 minutes before the boy wondered back upstairs.

"Took your time." Y/n commented as they made their way towards the front door.

"You would too if you had just beat Mike's campaign." He defended.

Y/n smiled just slightly, "So you won now, did you?" Dustin grinned a toothless grin that gave Y/n her answer.

"Henderson!" Called a voice as the two cousins lingered by the front door. Both of them, sharing a last name turned, but when they were faced with King Steve, Dustin knew it was certainly not for him.

Y/n felt her brow raise as she stepped towards him, meeting in the middle of the corridor. "Harrington." She greeted.

He started rushing around, searching his pockets for something and Y/n was quick to question where this was going. "I erm- I wanted to give you something." He returned with a photograph, glancing at it as if checking it was the right one and passed it over to Y/n. "It was in my room, tucked a way with a load of other childhood stuff. I was going to give it to you at the funeral, but I thought, I don't know..."

Y/n's mother started back at her. It was a photo around 8 years ago to the dot. A Christmas photo of herself, her mum and Steve after just sharing gifts which each other's family. She had completely forgotten about it.

As she glanced back up at Steve, she felt a pull like maybe the boy in front of her did, in fact, have a heart stuffed away somewhere. The pull was so strong that Y/n just so happened to throw her arms around the boy. Steve stood for a second. He certainly hadn't expected such reaction. But as the moment passed, he tucked his arms around her waist and let her hold on tightly. "Thanks, Stevie." She whispered against his neck.

"Of course." He replied before the two returned from one another.

Y/n took a step back and glanced to Steve, now a flicker of the boy she used to know from middle school. "I'll see you around." She said before coming back to Dustin's side.

"Yeah, have a good Christmas." Steve wished.

And with that, two cousins left the Wheeler house for their own. "What the hell was that about?" Asked a rather confused Dustin.

"None of your business."

But when Y/n came back home, entering her room, she instantly stuck Steve's photo by her mirror. She knew that every morning, everyday, she'd look to it and be reminded of the pull that she felt with Steve. Maybe it was a one off. Or maybe, it really was trying to tell her something.

The rest of that Christmas eve night was spent reading every paper in her mother's file. Every word, every test, ever observation. The girl read about all the abilities of her mother. From telepathy of entering and, what they called, constructing the mind, to the slight ability o foresight.

But what stood out to Y/n was one of the last statements of an observation:

Abilities may be passed through genetics, more testing to be done to confirm.

--

Taglist - @fanficfanatic204 @neverylee @myheartonthemove @satsuri3su @gobringmemyfood @yourpalheapass @andraimeide @notanordinaryprincess95 (Let me know whether you would like to be added or removed)

Chapter Eleven (Small Town News) to be published  Wednesday 8pm BST

#Steve Harrington #Steve harrington x reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington rewrite #stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things vol 2 #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things rewrite #fanfiction #rewrite #x reader

[indigo-a-creeping]

All that personal stuff!

Anxiety is gnawing away at me again, but generally I can recognize that it’s coming from me, and not outside sources, so... that’s something. I also feel like I’m not as sharp as I used to be. Is it aging? Is it mental illness? Some sneaky undiagnosed COVID brain fog? Who knows?

Sent an email and made a call (after extensive research), and I’m taking steps towards investigating the possibility of top surgery. I’ve been thinking about it for a couple years now, and it’s sounding more and more appealing (and then the other day I randomly thought, I’d actually make a really hot guy if I could grow the right kind of facial hair! Even on T family genetics would not be on my side, but something to think about anyway). I’m looking into mental health professionals because 1. I will need a letter to be approved by both insurance and the surgeon, and 2. anxiety. After my last experience, I will perhaps know better what to look for.

My main concern with surgery is recovery. I generally heal fast and am very independent, but I’m going to need help. I’m not going to ask my mom to come take care of me like she did after my hysterectomy (she couldn’t anyway because she’s taking care of my dad). It’s not her business at all. I have some friends in town who I can probably ask to come and help me out, especially with the animals, but it’s going to be a lot to ask. We’ll see, though. One step at a time.

Got a new bed! The frame is a leaf and vine design that’s really pretty, and I got a really nice mattress really cheap because it was used (just for a week). I love it.

Work is going well, but I feel like I peaked early and perhaps now I’m a disappointment. But that’s the anxiety too.

I came up with a last-minute plan (three weeks out, which is last-minute for me) that I should take Peri on a short trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to revisit some old places we loved there, and then a couple days to visit friends in Missouri while we’re up that way. I’m waiting to hear back from my best childhood friend to see about her plans, then I’ll request time off and find places to stay along the way. NOT ready to be spending time with my mom, but I figure if I’m just there for two days and I have most of that time filled with my own plans, it won’t be too bad. Peri will like it. Maybe we’ll stop at Rock City on the way back. It’s such a cool place, and they allow dogs! Planning trips is almost as fun as going on them.

I’ve been leading my DnD group every other week, with 5e rules but my own quests and design. So far it’s been mostly monster/challenge-of-the-week, but there are things building up in the background too. I have a fun mix of characters, including Aggressively Angry, Chaotic Chaos, Crying Child, and Stray Accountant. There’s a fifth who hasn’t felt up to joining yet, but as long as three of them are there it works out fine. I hope they’re enjoying themselves!!! I am! Haven’t really planned for our next session, but I have over a week to do so.

I’m trying to write a bit too, because the DBH fandom hasn’t quite released me yet. I’ve barely written anything since the summer, and that might be contributing to my problems (and it’s almost definitely a result of them).

[frizzle-tales]

As soon as Jiyeon spotted the website, she could finally understand why Taehyung had asked; he planned on having lunch at one of her favorite places. She didn’t quite understand why, but nonetheless a small but cautious smile appeared on her features as he opened the menu.

“Their beef tomato noodles are really good, and their spicy chicken ones… I usually got the set menu with side salad and drink.” She answered him, but before she could recommend him any of the dessert options, a knock sounded from the door.

The constant touching; the rubbing of their fabrics, the nonstop traveling of his hands across her body, soon made Jiyeon ‘s face fluster a light shade of red. She muttered a weak ‘Okay’ when Taehyung spoke to her, but before she could get away from him, she was stopped and given a clear warning. “I… understand, Taehyung.” Jiyeon replied, a shiver running down her spine, stopping herself from dashing away from him when he finally did let her go.

Jiyeon opened the door to Taehyung’s assistant, and she noticed that Jiho was different than the others she had met so far. He wasn’t loud and yapping nor did he seemed to harbor any ill feelings towards Jiyeon, atleast… not yet.

“Huh?” Jiyeon turned to look at him, wondering if he really was addressing her with that… nickname, a nickname she always heard married couples who were madly in love say, not something she thought either of the two would use in their situation. “Alright…” She moved away from Jiho and sat on the sofa nearest to Taehyung.

Did she do something wrong?

—

It wasn’t long until Taehyung’s assistant returned back with their lunches, along with the change, and after a quick chat where Jiho checked with Taehyung if anything else needed to be done, Jiho left the two to enjoy their meal.

“Taehyung…” Jiyeon picked up the chopsticks, waiting for Taehyung to start before she could. “I was just wondering…” Jiyeon started as she opened the can of soda, not yet taking a sip. “What are we? I mean uhm… you know, for if people ask, what should I tell them that we are?” Jiyeon clarified, finally starting to eat when she saw Taehyung starting on his meal.

It has been so long until she had this taste. Maybe spending time with Taehyung wasn’t so bad afterall.

— 🎙️

"Yes. Mhm." Taehyung still sat at his desk. The corded phone held against his ear with one hand, while the other scribbled down information coming in from the other side of the line. "I'll give them a call back in a bit. Leave a message if you have to."

At that moment, Jiho stumbled in carrying two bags of take out. Silently, without needing his boss's direction, he took each container and drink out of the bag, setting them across the table. And after a brief check in with Taehyung, once the phone audibly hung up, he left the office behind.

"Yes, Jiyeonnie?" The man answered her, taking a seat next to the young woman. Normally, he's sit across from her. It was the perfect way to admire her features, learn more about her, observe her habits. But today something compelled him otherwise. He needed to be closer.

"Well isn't that a fascinating question." He mused once she finished, a grin pulling on his lips. "I suppose it is time for us to come up with a proper story now, isn't it?" Using his chopsticks, Taehyung pulled her bowl closer to him before trying a bite of the lunch she chose. "What do you think, hm? Let's see, if anyone asks.." He nudged it back towards her. "You're my fiancé. We met orientation day at your university, and have been inseparable ever since. That will be our story, do you understand?"

Though, his words did ignite some thoughts in his mind. Jiyeon, his little bird trapped in a cage.. She'd make such a wonderful partner. She was still young enough for her mind, her every thought, to be molded by him. Not to mention how inexperienced the poor thing was.

Its exactly the advice his father gave him oh so many years ago.

—

"You have to pick your women carefully, Taehyung." The boy's father spoke, his voice slightly hushed as the two crouched behind some dead bushes. "I tell you this from father to son--" Bullets clicked into the rifle's chamber, the sound creating a soft echo. "--Never choose a woman who's willing to throw themselves at you. They have no decency. And never go for one who catches just anybody's eye."

The gun lifted, aiming at a target through the twigs and branches.

"Remember, the younger they are, the easier it is for them to be taught. You need to be able to keep her in line."

In the distance, leaves crunched under the weight of a deer that stumbled into their line of sight.

"If she's a wild one, a woman with her own thoughts ..."

A blow bounced off the trees. Birds squawked, flying off in a panic. While in the distance, the animal dropped to the ground.

"... She'll never respect you. You want her sweet. Obedient. A beautiful gem only to you."

—

Perhaps after all, they were meant to meet. Jiyeon was meant to be his. It was beginning to look like the only reasonable explanation.

After their special lunch together, Taehyung returned to his work, leaving the young woman to her own devices on the sofa, until the clock ticked closer and closer to 5 p.m.

"Come on, sweetheart. Get up." Taehyung whispered from behind her, leaning ever so slightly over the back of the couch. "Let's go home now, shall we?" As she listened, he held out her jacket for her to slip her arms into. Once it was on her, his hands rested on her hips. "Don't forget our little story from earlier. We wouldn't want any slip ups, now would we?"

A snicker vibrated from his chest before one hand slid to Jiyeon's, intertwining their fingers before leading her out of his office.

#🎙anon #serial killer!taehyung #yandere taehyung

[mauraclaire]

Summertime / North of LA

My Uncle Brian sadly passed away at the age of 43. He is the youngest, closest relative we have lost, and it hit our family hard. He suffered from severe mental illness (Schizophrenia), and ultimately his story fills me with sadness. Simply being alive for the second half of his life was a struggle for him, and I wonder when he saw us if there was the old him inside, trying desperately to communicate with us. The silver lining was so many people who loved him gathering to send his spirit off, and it reminded me of the importance of family, and how beautiful it is to be there supporting each other through good times, and ultimately, the bad. I hope, more than anything, that he knew how much his family and friends loved him. And I’m proud of my dad for getting through it, and always visiting him on his birthday, and during his stints in jail, even when it was hard to do so. My dad has the biggest, empathetic heart, and always showed Brian how much he loved him, which is important to show anyone, but maybe especially those that are struggling. I’m thankful for him showing us that.

Dinkey came just in time this year. I love Andrew’s film picture of everyone lounging in their element. Will be submitting to Dinkey’s tourism board asap. Also, there is nothing better than spending time where we grew up, watching my nephews grow up. The tree trunk photo we always recreate has two new members, and they’re so much fun and I love them dearly.

Next was the the fair and the Jenny Lewis show at Barrelhouse, which was a summer highlight no doubt. The venue is so beautiful and intimate - I can’t wait to see more shows there.

Last weekend at Arnold/Murphys, a four day weekend with two funny cuties (and penny) in the woods. It was a great end to summer, and I’m ready for fall because I’m melting everyday!!!!!!