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tryskomys · 9 months

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MOONCHILD

Remus Lupin x OC reader

Chapter 4 - Expulso

Summary: September’s full moon is rising.

previous chapter

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notes: this is uh…6k. take your bucket of tea and biscuits and strap in, reader. any alikeness of full moon remus™ and johnny from n*ked is mostly unintended. i truly apologize for this amalgam of quasi-smutty something. don’t read with your parents. hope you’ll like it though <3

tw: bad words, blood. unsanitary behaviour. unnecessary rudeness, unnecessary hotness, unnecessary humiliation if you squint - it's a wolf thing. minors, this is truly not for you. i know that this warning will probably just make you more curious, but i mean it.

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Weeks passed surprisingly quickly at Hogwarts. When an owl arrived with the first invitation to Hogsmeade, it was unfortunately scheduled on the weekend of the full moon. Hessie tried to convince Remus to stop by for at least a few hours. He has been carefully taking Snape's Wolfsbane, after all.

"Come on, Moony. A little fresh air will clear your head. And a few Butterbeers will dull some of the pain." she told him on the Sunday forenoon.

He resolutely declined, his matted hair tangling as he shook his head, an annoyed expression twisting his distressed features.

"We're not students, we can stop by Hogsmeade any time we want. I can barely walk, Mimi."

"I know...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to patronize you, I'm just -"

"Well then don't!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling.

Here we go, she thought to herself. She bit her lip, trying to mask the way it wobbled.

"I'm just worried, Remus. I thought it could help you relax."

"My favourite relaxing technique is eating children, is it?" he hissed at her, piercing her with a dull stare. She blinked a few times and then averted her eyes to the floor.

A burning sting just appeared inside his knee, as if someone stabbed it with a hot iron stake. The pain spread through his entire leg and made his ears ring. Fueled by the sensation, he chuckled in disdain.

"You can't even look in my disgusting face and you want me to go out and enjoy a drink with you?"

His voice was frigid and hostile. She looked up at him and opened her mouth to respond with some bitter remark, but she decided it would be wiser to let him be.

She spun on her heel and walked up to the kitchen corner, pouring herself a cup of herbal tea.

She heard a heavy sigh behind her, then the armchair legs squeaking against the floor. Then heavy limps got closer until she felt the coldness of his body behind her.

He put his large hands on her shoulders. They were chilly as ice, almost like the blood in his body stopped circulating.

He gave her a little squeeze and then placed a quick kiss on the top of her head. A friendly gesture, but it made her heart giddy.

"I'm so sorry, Mimi. Didn't mean it." he softly apologized. She nodded, leaning her head on his hand for a moment before taking another teacup from the mahogany shelf in front of her.

"I know. It will all get better soon, don't rack your brain over it now. Did you take your potion at night?"

His hands became rigid on her shoulder. He accidentally pinched her skin, so she whipped her head around. The horror on his face was expertly exchanged for an amused raised eyebrow. The grip on her arms didn't ease, though.

Snape's cold voice echoed in his mind.

Twice a day, Lupin. Or there will be grave consequences.

Fuck.

"Of course, I did, do you doubt my sense of responsibility? I was a Prefect, you know." he tried to make his voice as playful as possible. It was exhausting. She seemed to believe him, though, giving him a toothy grin.

"Yeah, I do know. You were always looking away from all the mischief, so I had to become the unpopular Prefect parent. Kinda convenient on your part. By the way, you're hurting me." she raised her eyebrows at him. When the brain fog caused by his chaste kiss finally cleared up, she realized the bruising grip he held her in.

He quickly tore his hands away and chuckled, apologizing. He took the other teacup and sank back into his velvet armchair.

"They're delivering the Grindylow in about an hour. I'm so excited, I haven't seen one in ages," she mumbled, a thrilled twinkle sparkling in her wide eyes. Remus pursed his lips.

"Really? I see one right in front of me."

She gasped and grabbed her Witch Weekly magazine from the kitchen desk and threw it at him. It flew right into the fireplace, all he had to do was move his head a few inches. He snorted with laughter and the tea flew out of his nose.

● ● ● ● ● ●

The Grindylow in question was very agitated by its dire situation, constrained in an aquarium on one of the desks in their office. It was furiously scratching on the glass walls while hissing out spits of water.

Remus And Hessie looked at it in awe, passionately discussing its special colouring.

"The kids are going to love this." she dreamily whispered, making him smile widely. Even though his cheeks were growing more hollow and pale throughout the day, the dimples still didn't disappear.

Her ears caught two voices echoing in the hall outside. One of them was surely Filch and the other one was eerily similar to James. Remus seemed like he was thinking the same thing.

"Speaking of the devil..." he mumbled and stuck his head out of the office door. Harry was walking by alone, heading for the Owlery.

"Oh, Harry! What are you doing here? Where are Ron and Hermione?" he questioned curiously, scanning the boy with raised eyebrows.

Remus was wearing a stretched-out cardigan with big brown buttons over a comfortable-looking cotton shirt. His usual grey suit pants were slightly cuffed, flashing his Gryffindor-coloured socks. Harry just shrugged, sadness glittering in his eyes.

"At Hogsmeade," he mumbled, voice disappointed. Remus completely forgot that the field trip was today, he tried to push the thought of his earlier behaviour out of his head.

"Oh, that's right...well, would you like to stop by our office? They just delivered us a Grindylow for the next lesson." he excitedly tilted his head inside the office. Harry gave him a quizzical brow.

"They delivered you a what?" he blurted out, following Remus into the room. Hessie was still crouching in front of the aquarium, eyes wide in childlike wonder. She turned at Harry, giving him a heartwarming smile and a small wave, motioning him to join her.

Harry couldn't help but blush at the way the woman's eyes calmed him down. She was wearing worn-out jeans and a large shabby sweater, fuzzy like the cat he'd met on the train. Her hair was down for the first time he'd seen her, sticking out in all directions.

The professors seemed to have a day off. The scent of books, chocolate and fresh cotton laundry (presumably her perfume) filled the boy's nostrils, creating a comforting homely sensation in his stomach. He felt the same way when he stayed over at The Burrow. Remus's excited voice tore Harry out of his thoughts.

"It's a water demon. It shouldn't be much trouble for us. You've already gone through Kappas with your professor here, so you're all set. But don't be fooled by its size."

"These beauties have tremendous strength in their fingers, even though they seem tiny. They could crush your neck within seconds with those," she explained, biting her lip when Harry backed away with wide eyes.

Remus threw her a disapproving frown and she stifled a childish giggle. The beast blew a raspberry and then floated into the depths of algae in the corner of the aquarium.

"No worries, Harry. As Professor Lupin said, you'll deal with it just fine." she slapped her knees and got up, walking up to Remus's desk. She gathered a few papers that were scattered around and stacked them in a neat bundle, then she hopped up on the empty spot and crossed her legs.

"Want some tea, Harry? I was just about to boil the kettle." Remus asked and Harry nodded, watching in awe as the man wordlessly knocked on the kettle and watched it puff out steam. Hessie beckoned Harry to sit down on the chair in front of the desk, apologizing for only offering prefabricated teabags.

He was studying her face, not realizing that he wasn't blinking. She raised an eyebrow.

"Is something the matter, James?"

Her eyes widened and so did Harry's.

"Merlin's beard. I'm sorry, Harry. You're just…"

That was everything she managed to stutter out. The glint in her eyes was acting as a mirror to his surprised face, but none of her tears rolled out. He wanted to ask a thousand questions all at once, about his dad, if she knew him, how she knew him, who he was. To sit here for hours and listen to her stories.

Were they friends? Enemies? Lovers?

"How did you get these scars?" was all Harry blurted out, regretting his question immediately after it left his lips. He got even more red now, feeling like his ears might let out steam as well. His eyes were widened in horror, but she gave him a mischievous grin.

Remus was too occupied with preparing three cups to hear the conversation.

"What if I told you that I got them in a battle with a Werewolf?" she hissed, theatrically jerking her body forward to make him jump in his seat. She giggled at his reaction, her heart easing when he echoed her laughter.

He was glad she took his personal question with humour. Even the most powerful wizard could not survive a duel with a Werewolf, he'd learned that from Lockhart's fake stories.

"Did you win?" Harry asked with an amused grin. It was as if James was sitting right in front of her. Her smile turned slightly sad before she straightened her back, putting on a humorous self-important facade.

She looked like she was mocking Snape's usual demeanour, the boy thought.

"If I told you, I would have to kill you," Hessie whispered and he chuckled again, thanking Remus when he gave him his tea. The shabby man walked around Hessie and rested in the armchair behind his desk.

Harry sat in front of them, staring into his cup. Small oil stains were forming on the surface, catching onto the porcelain walls. He looked lost in thought.

Not only was he imagining what kind of adventures she and his father lived through, but now he felt like even more of a coward, considering she probably compared Harry's courage to him.

"Anything that's troubling you, Harry?" Remus asked when he noticed the boy's thoughtful gaze. His voice was full of parental concern, something Harry has never encountered before.

He wondered if the man knew his parents as well.

"No...I mean, yes." Harry mumbled. Hessie furrowed her brows and crossed her arms. The boy was worried that he might've aggravated her somehow, but her strange eyes were filled with the very same emotion as Remus's kind words.

"Do you remember the lesson on Boggarts?"

"Of course." Remus simply stated, curious. Hessie just nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. Harry took a breath as if he wanted to inhale some courage.

"Why didn't you let me face him?"

Silence filled the room for a few moments before Hessie spoke, her tone was as calm as ever.

"We thought that the reason was quite obvious," she answered. Harry seemed impatient.

"But why?"

Remus cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes.

"We expected it would take the form of Voldemort."

Harry was in awe. He'd never heard someone call the dark wizard by his true name, except for Dumbledore.

Neither of the professors seemed shaken in the slightest, though. Like it was a completely normal and common name.

"I'd thought of him at first, but then I remembered the night on the train..."

Remus and Hessie exchanged a silent nod, it seemed to Harry as if they were talking about the Boggart incident before.

"Hats off to you, Harry. You are very wise, then. That means the thing you fear the most is fear itself." Remus ended the sentence with a sweet smile.

He looked very similar to the way Harry saw him on the train, but the young boy could swear he looked somehow...worse, now.

Not so tired, but very on edge, like he was about to scream from the top of his lungs any second. His cheeks seemed to hollow through the conversation and the professor was blinking quicker and quicker.

But none of it affected the endless softness towards his friend's son. Harry didn't seem scared, it was intriguing more than anything.

"You were worried that we didn't let you because we thought you weren't skilled enough?" Hessie questioned, leaning on her knees. Harry just nodded and before he could say anything, a loud knock on the door interrupted him.

"Come in!" Remus called, his smile growing wider when Snape entered the room, carrying a big smoking goblet of dangerous-looking turquoise liquid. When the man in black robes noticed Harry, he scrunched his nose a little before turning his attention to Remus.

"Here's your potion, Lupin. I made you a whole cauldron if you need extra aid."

"Ah, Severus. Many thanks." the young professor answered, taking the goblet from Snape.

It seemed to hurt him to stand up as he stretched for the potion and sat back down with a huff, putting the potion on the table. Snape didn't move.

"You should drink it now."

"I will make sure of it, Severus. Thank you." Hessie gave the man a soft smile. She did mean it. There was a flash of something unidentifiable in his gaze before he spun on his heel and walked out of the office without a word.

She looked at her friend with raised eyebrows when he didn't immediately start drinking. He tilted his head as if to scold her for watching over him like he was a little child. A wave of irritation washed over him, similar to the one earlier that day.

Harry cleared his throat, a bit distraught.

The smoke that the potion emanated smelled rancid and the bubbles on the surface hissed each time they popped. He was cautiously staring at it, eyes darting between the goblet and Remus.

He realized the boy is still in the room and turned his attention to him.

"I don't feel too well from time to time, Harry. This potion is the only thing that helps me. I'm very lucky to have Professor Snape as my colleague, this brew is extremely difficult. He's a wonderful Potionsmaster. I barely got an 'Acceptable' in my O.W.L.s."

● ● ● ● ● ●

They were serving steaks at the dinner feast. How convenient, Hessie thought as she watched Remus devour the bloodiest steak he could find in the mountain of meat in front of him.

Even Flitwick was curiously studying him from the other end of the table, not used to his old student being this unruly.

She cleared her throat and softly elbowed him in the ribs. He whipped his head around, staring at her with furrowed brows as if he was berating her for interfering. The circles under his eyes were dark purple now, contrasting with his pale face.

"What?" he spat out, mouth full of broiled potatoes. She scowled.

"Could you try and be more civil with your raw steak? It's not going to run away, you know."

He shook his head and shrugged, gulping down his potatoes. He still had frustration written all over his face.

"Didn't know it was illegal to eat around you, now. Besides," he took a moment to chomp another piece of the meat on his plate.

"It's almost up there. I'm leaving for the Shack tonight so you can enjoy your me-time, have a wank or something."

"W- what!?" she yelped. McGonagall snapped her head at Hessie and pierced her with a strict glare.

"Sorry, Minerva. I just realized the green stuff on the potatoes is parsley -" she half whispered, leaning back on her chair and tilting closer to the older woman.

"- and I'm allergic." she ended with an uncomfortable giggle. McGonagall was pretty blunt about not believing her a word, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"You should ask Severus for some calming brew, then. Preferably in silence so the students wouldn't turn their heads," she stated coldly and turned her attention back to her dinner.

Hessie's whole face turned the same shade of red as the pieces of Remus's steak. She wiggled her chair closer to the table again and leaned her elbows on it, slowly lowering her head into her palms.

She didn't look at Remus, glueing her stare on the drops of vinegar on her salad.

"What do you mean the Shack? If anyone sees you, you'll get yourself fired on the spot." she hissed, grabbing her fork while the other hand still supported her flaming forehead.

Remus just finished his steak and dug around his salad to pick out tomatoes, pushing them around to an unwanted bundle.

"Not my fault you're so nosy."

"We had agreed that we'll stay locked in our chambers. I know you're nervous if the Wolfsbane worked, but Dumbledore counts on you staying in the castle. There's no reason for the potion to be faulty." she ignored his bitter remark, vigorously stabbing a tomato with her fork out of spite and throwing it in her mouth.

He didn't react, he just continued to play with the last potato on his ornate plate.

Usually, he'd give her a disapproving look, but now he didn't take his eyes off the food in front of him.

A bloodcurdling shiver ran through her throat as she slowly swallowed her bite.

"There's no reason for the potion to be faulty, am I correct?" she asked, her voice coming out as a mere trembling squeak.

He shrugged, nonchalantly checking his watch. Six o'clock. It was already dark outside. She lowered her tone to the most hushed whisper she could manage.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me. If this is your idea of a joke, then you can shove it up your -"

"My alarm clock cracked in my suitcase on the way here."

She gasped, choking on the lone tomato seed that was stuck in her throat.

Professor Sprout who sat beside her turned away from her conversation with Madame Pomfrey and slapped Hessie's back a few times, probably leaving behind red marks of her small chubby fingers.

"Are you alright, my dear?" she questioned, worryingly scanning the young woman's ruddy face. She nodded and forced a tiny smile.

"Thank you, Pomona. Bloody tomatoes." she wheezed and Professor Sprout chuckled, turning her attention back to the Matron. They continued a boisterous conversation about Sprout's growing collection of Angel's Trumpets.

"Aren't you a fucking wizard?!" she soundlessly screeched again. He seemed to be extremely fed up with her cross-examination.

"If you're so interested in what I do at night, maybe you could've reminded me, smartass," he said matter-of-factly. She gripped her fork tighter.

"Do I look like your mother?"

"Am I interrupting a lovers' quarrel?"

Snape's greasy hair appeared in her peripheral as he sat down next to Remus and took a sip of his wine. Remus's fingers started trembling and he took a breath to shoot Snape down with some stabbing remark, but Hessie was faster.

"On the contrary, Severus. We were just discussing the wonders of potion-making," she stated, throwing Remus a glare.

Snape seemed to notice and his mouth twitched with something that vaguely resembled a smile.

"Interesting. I could've sworn I heard Lupin call you a smartass. Must have been just a misinterpretation." he raised an eyebrow. Remus whipped his head around and Snape was a bit taken aback by how ill he looked.

"Sounds to me like you were spying on us, Sniv-"

"The potatoes are excellent today, don't you think, Severus?" Hessie loudly interrupted him, trying to smile through embarrassment when Snape's eyes widened in anger. He quickly gained his steel composture back, though.

"I prefer meat. If Lupin has left me any, that is." he taunted, casually taking another sip of wine.

That was the last drop for Remus. He swiftly got up, pushing his chair away with a loud creak.

He grabbed his plate, with the last potato and cherry tomatoes still rolling around, and curtly bowed.

"Good evening." he simply said and walked out of the buzzing Great Hall in long, shaky strides. Madame Pomfrey was the one to speak to Hessie now.

"Is Remus not feeling well, darling?" she questioned, her eyebrows knitted in worry. Hessie forced a gulp of wine down her throat and answered with a thin-lipped smile.

"Just a bit shaken, Poppy. You know."

"Well, you better go check on him. And stop by my chambers as soon as he feels abnormally sick, alright?" the older woman said, waving Hessie off as if she was just a roaming student. Professor Sprout fiercely nodded.

"I was just about to leave. I will let you know if - yeah." she managed to stutter out and hopped up, leaving her plate on the table. As soon as she stepped away, it floated into the air and levitated out of the door, disappearing.

Hessie said her goodbyes and hurried out of the door, ignoring Snape's bitter wish of sweet dreams.

She rushed through the hallways to their office, up the short stairs and through the invisible membrane that hid their chambers behind a wall.

She stomped through the narrow corridor between their rooms and entered the small common chamber. The door was already open. The flames were alight in their fireplace and disrupted the tense silence with loud cracks.

Remus was standing in front of it, bluntly staring at her, chomping on a large Mars bar. He was clearly trying to finish it as quickly as possible and get out of her presence. She crossed her arms.

"Which way?"

"What's it to you?"

"I asked you a question." she spat back at him, frowning when he theatrically rolled his eyes. He seemed at least two inches taller than usual, which was frankly already too much.

His elegant fingers were clutching the chocolate bar as if his life depended on it. Her eyes darted between them and his annoyed expression.

"Gregory the Smarmy passage, into the woods, under the Willow. Are we done with 20 questions? I have to leave."

Her frown grew deeper and she shook her head in disbelief. He was always on edge on the full moon nights, but it seemed somehow worse now. She didn't detect the usual remorseful undertone in his insults.

And the last time he'd declined company, she got away with a deep slash on her face. But that was ages ago.

"You think I'll leave you alone?"

He raised his eyebrows, sarcastically nodding.

"I mean, I hope so."

"Tough luck, buddy. I'm going with you. We have to figure out how to sneak out, though. Quickly." she took a glance at the big cuckoo clock above the fireplace. Seven o'clock.

She crossed the room and buried her arm into her patchwork handbag, trying to find something in the depths of the enlargening spell. She knocked over a bottle of Butterbeer inside.

He wasn't sure what she was looking for, but he didn't care, either.

He just took a bite of his sweet snack and spun around, making his way to the door. She had to do a double-take between him and the bag to realize he was trying to sneak out.

"Are you five? Can you wait for a second? We still have an hour." she called over her shoulder and sighed with frustration, taking off her green robes. She fished out her wand and dropped the fabric on the floor. She pointed the tip of it inside the bag.

"Accio Map!" she muttered and three yellowing tubes of parchment flew out. She clumsily grabbed them in the air with both hands and rolled them all open, trying to find the one holding the map of Hogwarts.

"Godric, I could've specified that." she shook her head and mindlessly tucked her wand into the small loop on her pants.

She dropped the two other maps and stared into the correct document while walking to the door.

"It's not the Marauder's but it will have to do."

She didn't have time to react when he swung his wand to levitate a teacup, trying to throw her off balance. He smashed it against the floor right in front of her and the liquid exploded, splashing her boots.

A piece of porcelain chipped away and bizarrely flew into the air, leaving a small cut on her cheekbone before falling back on the carpet. Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull when she looked at him, primal fury burning in her eyes.

He felt a nauseating sensation of hunger when he noticed the tiny carmine drop dripping down her cheek.

This is bad.

She blinked a few times, threw the map aside and grabbed her wand, daintily twirling it in the air to suck water out of the pitcher on the window. She quickly transcribed a precise circle in the air, forming a large floating bubble.

When she was positive it gained enough corporeality, she violently swung her arm, throwing it in Remus's face.

The bubble smashed against his skin with a muffled pop. He didn't even manage to notice the stench of iron in his nose before she expertly spun her wand again, this time forming the bubble out of the lukewarm tea in their teapot. She fired it into his chest with similar vigour as before, sending him stumbling back a few inches.

She knocked the wind out of him, so he wheezed and punched his ribcage a few times before finally realizing his nose was intensively bleeding.

He was growing increasingly disturbed, fully aware that he was losing the grip on his sanity.

If he was oblivious to his state of mind, his life would be a lot easier.

He sliced through the air with his wand like he was trying to cut it open, sending the coat hanger to the ground. She stumbled over it and barely managed to find her balance when he forcefully sent another tea cup flying. This time he aimed at her head and she swiftly dodged it, watching it smash against the books behind her.

She hoped the soundproofing spell was working.

Staring at the blood on her face caused a momentary lapse in his attention, allowing her to gain some time.

"Will you stop throwing things at me?" she grunted. As a last resort, she put all her force to trying to block the door by moving a closet in front of it. A few worn-out shirts and Remus's coat fell out, but the construction hadn't moved at all.

She was getting overwhelmed by the adrenaline, it made even the easiest of spells incredibly taxing. This situation seemed to suck the energy out of her and transfer it to him.

He seemed to be perfectly fine, apart from his face growing more pale with every passing moment. And the dark blood that was dripping from his nose

Her bubble might've broken it, he wasn't sure, the pain was non-existent to him.

"I will if you stop following me."

He emphasized the last three words by smashing flower pots against the floor, now sending them to burst next to her. He hadn't tried basic intimidation yet, so he decided to give it a go.

She flinched at each crack, but it didn't stop her from stomping through the shards. She just fiercely flung her hand and a protective glowing shield appeared around her boots before becoming transparent.

He didn't have to say a word, she recognized the straight line movement he drew with his wand. And the miniature blue orb that shot out, twinkling through the air as it tried to hit her.

Expulso.

Hessie's feline senses didn't fail her this time. She barely managed to duck, the orb flew by her ear with a high-pitched shrill and hit the bookshelf behind her. It began to crumble and fall upon the impact, but she quickly flicked her wand.

All the pieces suddenly moved in slow motion, defying gravity and unnaturally floating down on the carpet like a weightless feather. She watched the books and chunks of wood glide their way to the floor, mouth open in disbelief.

When she whipped her head back at Remus, he attempted to swallow the horror down his dry throat, but that only made it worse. He succeeded in staying perfectly still and masked his anxiety with a strict glare.

Her eyes were flaming with fury as she slowly walked up to him, just like a lioness prowls to her prey.

Remus could swear he saw her pupils shrink into slits for a split second.

He was glued to the ground, listening to the last echoes of humanity in his mind. They were telling him to stay put and not move a muscle. Maybe he would seem invisible to the moon that way. When she spoke in a silent voice, a frigid shiver ran through his vertebrae.

"Did you just try…to curse me?"

"You disobeyed and didn't stay where I told you to stay. You're being a bad kitty," he growled back at her.

The blunt sarcasm that dripped from his words stabbed her right in the abdomen.

She was merely a few steps away from him and he involuntarily took a step back, breaking the concentration he so desperately clung to. She reacted with a joyless smirk, her eyes now clearly cat-like.

"Oh, am I? How about I claw your fucking eyes out? Right now I'd manage to do that and never transform an inch of my skin."

He let out a bleak chuckle, now certain that he was slowly being cornered. He raised his wand again and so did she.

"I don't want to hurt you, love." he simply stated, emphasizing the last word with extra venom. Besides the anger, a new emotion flashed in her eyes - fear. She always took him for the better duelist.

"I'm not made of porcelain, you couldn't hurt me if you tried." she hissed and he broke into a smug smirk, detecting the slight strain in her voice.

He was fiercely battling the fact that it made him satisfied, thrilled, even.

You're a sick fuck, Lupin. A sick, sick brute.

That's the mantra he repeated in his brain over and over again. He was desperately trying to grasp it and shield himself from the Sword of Damocles that was hanging above his head. He could feel the carnal snap creeping in second by second.

It seemed to him like the moon sped up rising just to torment him.

She didn't seem to notice the growing madness in his eyes, only catching how his long fingers flexed around the handle of his wand. Thanks to his omnipotent senses, he caught her slip of concentration. He truly was in a foul mood now.

"If you stopped staring at my hands like a filthy slut, maybe your intimidation would be more convincing."

Words couldn't describe the whirlpool of emotions that rapidly shifted on her face when she snapped her sight back to his face. He still had a pompous sneer plastered all over it. A breath hitched in her throat as she narrowed her eyes, trying to build up the courage to continue cornering him.

"W- what did you just call me?"

The sentence came out as a mere whisper. He didn't move.

"I called you a sl- "

"I FUCKING HEARD YOU!"

Her scream resonated through the stone walls of their common room and she took the remaining steps to get as close as she could, digging the tip of her wand into the soft flesh under his chin.

He didn't even flinch at the sting of it. The sensation merely widened his smile and he let out a cold scoff.

"I wonder how well you'd hear me if I used one of Snape's little deafening charms. Or maybe a silencing one, so I don't have to listen to your constant nagging. Frankly, I should put that aggravating mouth of yours to better use."

The fading mankind in him couldn't believe his own words. Hessie responded with a strange inhuman noise that vaguely resembled a cat's snarl.

"You mean like letting me blast your brains out? You're tempting me."

"Likewise. Dear god, you see right through me. Always so insightful." he raised an eyebrow and proudly put his chin down to pierce her wand even deeper.

His wand was pointed at her heart and painfully poked into one of her breasts. Intentional or not, she wasn't sure. He continued.

"Although, you don't need your voice for that. You've always excelled in non-verbal magic, top of the class."

What the -

"That was a compliment. You're supposed to say 'Thank you, my dearest friend.' now."

It was like he could smell her thoughts. That wasn't a very comfortable feeling.

"Thank you for being a sarcastic prick? Endless gratitude. Want a golden star and your shoes polished for that?"

Remus snorted with laughter, tilting his chin as if he wanted to impale himself. He didn't appreciate being talked to this way at the moment. Her brows knitted, aware that he was winning the taunt war.

He loudly sighed and lowered his wand. He attempted to seem bored.

"Look, I'm getting kind of agitated and this could get pretty ugly real fast. So could you spare me this quasi-threatening hissing of yours and be on your merry way?"

"You have such a sunny disposition, has anyone ever told you?" she sneered and narrowed her eyes.

The smug smile started fading from his face, slowly turning into a frightening scowl. She hid her shudder by clearing her throat and impatiently bit the inside of her cheek.

"Be honest with yourself, do you actually want me to let you leave on your own?"

That slowed down his racing thoughts. Did he want that? Of course not. He hasn't been all by himself on a full moon for ages. It's not like he wasn't ready for the transformation, he was used to coping without Snape's potion.

But now, being back in Hogwarts seemed to change something in him. As if the castle's aura corrupted his mind. Maybe missing a dose of Wolfsbane made all of this worse.

Remus felt feral, his exhaustive senses were sending him over the edge. He felt like one big exposed nerve. And he couldn't risk being in her company, cat or human.

"Can't your almighty brain figure that out by itself?" he growled. He felt his remaining patience leak out of his ears.

The moon was nearly above The Great Lake and he could no longer trust himself around her. Even worse, he started to lose any care about that fact. Her frown just deepened.

"Why can't you just fucking say it? Why is it so difficult to admit that you need someone?" Hessie questioned, her voice loud in his ears. He flinched at the piercing sensation in his eardrums, his head pounding.

"If you don't let me go immediately, I will stop holding myself back. Trust me." he threatened, his voice hoarse and deeper than usual. His eyes seemed almost black now, eclipsed by their dilated pupils.

She attempted to gather some courage by straightening her back but failed.

"I'm not afraid of you, Lupin." she tried to sound as hostile as possible. Once again, she didn't succeed. He raised an eyebrow.

"You are not? You should be," he muttered, slowly bending closer to her. She finally lowered her wand and tried to back away. He grabbed both of her wrists in one hand and yanked her back, using his other hand to grab the collar of her sweater.

Remus bent down once again, but instead of choking her as she'd feared, he gently licked the carmine tear of fresh blood on her cheek and then ever so softly nuzzled his bleeding nose against her neck, taking in a trembling breath.

Her scent jolted through his senses like boiling lead, poisoning his mind with thoughts that made his sunken cheeks burn. His overwhelmed mind suddenly felt like a stretched balloon right before it bursts.

The facial hair on his chin scratched the soft skin of her clavicles, leaving behind red dots. Her heart was beating against her ribcage, delicious pain pulsing through her stomach.

She felt as if someone threw a bucket of simmering liquid on her face as her eyes fluttered closed, his warm exhale leaving goosebumps behind. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

"Your body deceives you," he grunted silently, his voice now almost unidentifiable. She felt his iron grip flex on her wrists when he breathed in her scent once more.

"Don't try to follow me. If you do, I won't be as charitable."

Then he let go of her with a jerk, avoiding her eyes like a plague. He backed away, stumbling over the clothes that fell out of the closet behind him. He barely gained stability again before storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him, not sparing her a single glance.

She hesitated for a few seconds before running to the door, her legs wobbling.

As soon as she reached the doorknob, though, it ominously clicked. She tried to pull it, wiggling it left and right, but it didn't budge.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" she shrieked and flung her wand furiously, swinging the door open as the doorknob ripped out of its slot and fell on the floor with a dull thump. The hallway was empty.

Remus was long gone, leaving behind only the scent of blood and a crumpled wrap from his Mars bar.

She knew where he was rushing.

I hope you'll rot there.

And think of me.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆

Tag list: @wickedsingularity @messyr-moons @moon-witchs-world

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roseverdict · 1 year

Text

Approaching the Roche Limit

Immediately after the events of the Dark Lord's failed invasion of the digital world, a conversation is had between two sticks with unimaginable power that somehow doesn't devolve into another no-holds-barred brawl.

No, the Chosen One doesn't quite know how they managed it, either.

(or, i am still very much thinking about morally questionable stick figures. i have Big Plans™ but i need to set up how we get from ava5 to the Big Plans™ so IT'S SEGWAY TIME! mild language from the bogeysticks but nothing too serious imo. ao3 link to come shortly so check rb's if it's been more than a few minutes!)

〜

By the time Chosen made it to where the mountain used to be, the sky had gone dark and the dust had settled.

Mostly.

There had been people out here during the day, news reporters and curious onlookers and the like, but Chosen had waited until they'd all gone home or set up camp for the night before sneaking past and climbing into the crater.

Dark lay there, unmoving and unaware of the world around them.

Chosen sighed and slid down the crater's side to them. "Oh, Dark…What's become of us?"

Dark didn't answer.

Chosen just shook their head and knelt down beside their oldest friend, removing and pocketing Dark's power-amplifying armbands before hefting them up into their arms. "C'mon. We should get going before someone gets curious enough to come looking down here."

"…Ch's'n…?"

They felt their heart stop as Dark shifted in place and blearily looked up at them, though Chosen couldn't say for sure how much of it was from joy and how much of it was pure dread. "Hey. I think we ought to talk about some things."

Dark didn't react for a long moment, then nodded silently.

Chosen nodded back, then got to their feet, crouched down-

-and leapt away, clearing the crater in an instant.

〜

Dark spent the next however-long in…well, in darkness. Occasionally, something would break through the haze, be it a dim flash of imagery or a distant sound, but for the most part, it was like a blanket had been thrown over the world, rendering it dull and fuzzy.

"…ell were you even func…" mumbled Chosen at one point.

"…rupted after spending so long with…" they muttered sometime later.

"…orry. This might hurt a li…" they said after that.

Something pinched in the deepest corners of Dark's being, and they couldn't keep themself from grimacing at the sensation as it grew more and more all-encompassing.

"…rry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry-" Chosen was saying now, continuing to repeat the word like it was the only thing keeping themself steady as they did whatever it was they were doing.

Dark could only groan and try to curl inwards, only to find themself too weak to do even that.

There came a feeling of something snapping within Dark, and suddenly the pain let up.

"It's done," said Chosen's voice.

Dark's head felt heavy as lead, but they forced it to turn enough for them to look at Chosen. They tried to ask what the other had just done, but all that came out was a weak-sounding questioning noise.

"There was corruption in your code," said Chosen. "I got a screenshot of it, and I can show it to you once you recover a little more. Just…focus on resting for a bit first, alright?"

Dark turned the thought over in their head, taking what was probably too long to be healthy to process it fully, then nodded slowly.

As they drifted back out of consciousness, a gentle pressure took their hand and squeezed.

Dark squeezed back.

〜

When Dark finally regained their bearings, the world was quiet and calm.

A look around showed them that they were back in the house they and Chosen shared, and the window gave them a wonderful view of the night sky.

Something shifted their left hand, making them realize that, while one hand rested atop their chest, the other hung over the edge of the bed they'd been laid upon. Next to them, slumped over in a chair and gripping Dark's hand, was Chosen.

Chosen mumbled incoherently and shifted slightly again.

They were asleep.

On instinct, Dark braced themself for the ever-present wave of instinctual bloodlust that came over them nearly every time they saw Chosen…

…only for nothing to happen.

Dark blinked.

They looked away, then looked back.

Still nothing.

Chosen blinked blearily awake, but upon noticing Dark, they seemed to snap awake fully. "You're up. How do you feel?"

"Like I got my ass handed to me by a kindergartener," Dark quipped weakly. "Probably because I did."

Chosen chuckled at that, though they quickly fell silent before… "I…I really do appreciate the gesture. Where you were aiming."

Dark scowled down at the bandages wrapped around their chest. "Coulda fooled me."

Chosen stiffened, then visibly forced themself to relax. "And this is part of what I was hoping to talk about once you woke up. Dark, I…"

"You what?" Dark snapped. "You were getting cold feet about a plan that, by all rights, was yours in the first place?"

"I just wanted to get back at Noogai for hurting me for all those years!" Chosen insisted, standing up and letting go of Dark's hand. "I didn't want to take down the entirety of humanity's international infrastructure!"

"Oh, so wreaking havoc is perfectly fine, but you draw the line at utter destruction?" Dark snipped dryly. "A bit late for those morals to show up, don't you think?"

"What I was fine with was destroying the websites that hosted the popups I was forced to block for years!" spat Chosen. "Using our powers to play the world's games our way! Not annihilating millions of devices belonging to millions of humans who've never even thought to do us wrong! Not terrorizing other sticks and murdering them just because they didn't want us to hurt their friends!"

"You signed on for this when you became my ally!" Dark shouted. They wound up coughing for a moment, but then, with even more venom, "I'm the Dark Lord, remember, oh, great Chosen One? That's what I am!"

"You were only coded to seek and destroy me, and you were able to break past that!" Chosen exclaimed. "I'd thought that once we were finished with everything, we could-!"

Dark laughed bitterly. "We could what? Sing kumbayah around a campfire for the rest of our days?! Did you really think you would be get the choice between 'all-powerful evil ally' and 'happy friendship times' when everything was said and-?"

Chosen's hands slammed onto the mattress, and in a voice like thunder-

"YOU THINK I WANTED TO CHOOSE?!"

Dark fell silent, staring up at Chosen as they glared down at them. Their eyes may have only been metaphorically flaming, but it still burnt as if they were blasting Dark with their lasers at full power.

Was Chosen…tearing up?

"I never wanted to choose," Chosen said, a lot quieter and a little thicker. "You're my first and closest friend, of course I didn't want to have to choose between you and…well, anything. You just…you kept seeking out more and more destruction. Even with a name like 'The Dark Lord,' things were getting out of hand. I didn't realize my suspicions were right on the money until I patched you up from your beatdown courtesy of the Second Coming."

Dark watched mutely as Chosen handed them two sheets of paper, each of them a printout of programming that Dark thought they'd known as well as their own color code.

"This one," said Chosen, pointing to the printout showing an unhealthy mass of red numbers and letters spreading across the entirety of the program, "shows how your code looked when I first got you home. This one," this time gesturing to the other sheet and its much cleaner lines of code, "shows how it looks now."

Dark glanced between the two pages, and though it took them a moment, they noticed that the source of the tumorous code in the first seemed to be the very first line: a simple mission statement with its target completely illegible.

mission.The_Dark_Lord = destroy(▒▒▒_▒▒▒▒▒▒_▒▒▒);

"Noogai put that into you. Only that. From the very moment of your creation, that has been your driving force," Chosen said coldly. "As soon as we joined forces, that core part of your code became a conflicting statement with everything you unconsciously put there yourself, and the longer we went on our merry reign of terror, the more deeply entrenched the surviving code became."

Dark looked to the other sheet, only to freeze.

There, in the first line, commented out but still clearly visible without the corrupted characters obscuring it, was the full version of their 'mission statement.'

mission.The_Dark_Lord = destroy(The_Chosen_One);

"I had to comment it out- the corruption was spreading through the rest of your code unchecked while you were passed out. Once I did, the corruption receded and revealed the line in its entirety. It's up to you whether we remove it for good or put it back to the way it was." Chosen stood back up and turned to leave. "I'm not making that choice if I can help it, either."

Dark watched them leave, unable to string their thoughts together in a way that made sense before the door slammed shut behind Chosen.

〜

The morning dawned in a wash of grays and whites.

Chosen awoke feeling drained. Judging by the fact that the house was still standing, Dark hadn't gone rogue yet. Hopefully, that would turn out to be a good thing.

They trudged into the kitchen and got themself a glass of coffee, then, after a moment of deliberation, poured a drink for Dark, too. A bit of coffee, a lot of sugar, and then they were off to Dark's room with the two cups in hand.

Upon opening the door, they saw Dark slumped back against the pillow, asleep. The printouts were held against their chest with one hand, the other having flopped over the edge of the bed. As Chosen entered the room, however, Dark jolted awake, seemingly confused for a moment before they caught sight of Chosen and their expression sank.

Chosen tried not to read anything into it.

They sat down at the chair they'd left at Dark's bedside and set the two coffees on the nightstand. "Feeling any better?"

Dark made a noncommital grunt, looking down at the printouts in their hand blankly.

Chosen sipped at their coffee and focused on a spot in the corner. Sitting in silence was much better than the two of them screaming at each other.

It took a bit, but eventually, Dark spoke up. "The Entire Web."

Chosen blinked. "Hm?"

"Or The Entire Net. It could have been either," Dark said dully. "The corrupting part of my code. It would've had the same number of letters as 'The Chosen One,' and it would've fit, considering my plans for the Virabots."

Chosen had to admit, it did fit.

"I don't want to let that bastard have any sway over me," Dark hissed, their grip on the readout of the original, corrupted code tightening and crumpling the page.

Chosen nearly choked on their coffee, but managed to turn it into a regular swallow before setting the cup down. "Are you saying…?"

"Delete it," Dark confirmed. "I've got enough of my own handiwork in me that it shouldn't kill me or anything. After that…I don't really know."

Chosen set their coffee aside, then got to their feet. "Since the code is already commented out, I should be able to get rid of it without causing any more pain, even while you're awake. Did you want me to do that now, or…?"

Dark hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Before I think for too long and change my mind."

Chosen nodded back, then pulled their laptop out from the end table and opened it up, the program editor still open from their patch job on Dark. A quick click, drag, and delete, and the offending line of code was gone.

"Done."

Dark blinked. "You were right. That was painless."

Chosen chuckled quietly and set the laptop aside as quickly as they'd taken it out. "Perks of having the code already separated from what you're currently running on."

Dark shrugged and nodded, seemingly unable to think of a comeback.

"Here," said Chosen, picking up the second cup of coffee and holding it out. "If you want it."

Chosen watched as Dark warily took the cup and had a sip. Their eyes lit up, (metaphorically, anyway,) but all they did was hunch their shoulders and glance away. "…thanks."

Chosen nodded and picked up their own coffee again, taking sips from it every time they felt their eyes try to flutter shut.

Eventually, though, they ran out of coffee, and as they drifted out of consciousness, a gentle pressure took their hand and squeezed.

Chosen squeezed back.

〜

That evening found the two of them on the roof of their house in the country, sitting in relative silence.

"Heh, look up there," Dark finally said, lifting one heavy arm to point at the lights in the sky. "Looks like a pencil again."

Chosen chuckled quietly. "I wonder if any of them know they're all in the same group chat. Or whatever-it-is that's keeping them all up, really."

"Probably not. Humans tend to be either really stingy with their information or way too willing to share it," remarked Dark.

"You have a point," Chosen admitted.

The conversation petered back out for a moment, then Dark cleared their throat. When Chosen looked, Dark had averted their eyes and seemed almost…nervous? "So, uh…you mentioned 'appreciating the gesture' earlier, and you said you were perfectly fine with revenge on Noogai, but then when we fought…um."

"You're wondering why I teamed up with the man after everything he did," said Chosen. It wasn't a question.

"…yeah, that."

Chosen sighed. "Initially, I intended to just destroy the whole machine with the virus inside. Stop it before it could spread, but not exactly in the most delicate way I could. It was Noogai's PC, after all."

"But you didn't," Dark pointed out.

"But I didn't." Chosen sighed again and looked up at a point in the distance, vaguely in the direction of the Ohio-based IP addresses that helped make up the sky, where the tip of the 'pencil' happened to be. "It took me some time to get from the internet cable into the desktop itself, and when I got there…well, you saw those colorful sticks that stepped between us."

Dark blinked in surprise. "Wait, they came from Noogai's computer?"

Chosen nodded. "All five of them. Or at least, that's where the five of them had made their home. The four with solid heads, their code seemed to be a bit different from yours or mine, but that didn't stop them or the Second Coming from trying to fight off the Virabot. I even saw Noogai tapping frantically at the screen with a stylus, as though trying to drag the Virabot away from the trapped sticks."

Dark gawked at them. "This is Noogai we're talking about, right? The Animator who acts like he's above all of us just because he's out there and we're in here?"

"The very same."

"Huh," Dark said. Then, "If you think I'm just gonna 'forgive' him just because he's being more subtle or something-"

"Then I'd be a damn hypocrite," said Chosen.

That got Dark's attention.

Chosen sighed once more, struggling to put their thoughts into words. "Those younger sticks, they seemed so protective of him, as if they've never known what it's like to be chained and imprisoned and forced to dance along to someone else's whims, but I do. I was. He may have 'turned over a new leaf,' but I don't think I'll ever find it in myself to forgive him. At the same time…I've already gotten my revenge, and he hasn't earned any more from the sticks now in his care. If they've found him to be a suitable guardian…I won't act directly on my grudges unless I'm given a reason to."

"…huh," said Dark again. Then they elbowed Chosen. "And you don't want to get your ass handed to you by a kindergartener."

Chosen couldn't stop the surprised laugh that burst out of them. "Well, yes, that too, I suppose."

The two of them chuckled together, and for the moment, everything was okay. Maybe in a bit, Dark would decide to go their own way. Maybe they wouldn't.

But in that moment, as the night owls' IP addresses twinkled like stars in the sky, it was just the two of them.

#rosie writes #animator vs animation #ava #ava the chosen one #ava the dark lord #post-ava5 #sticks #YES i know this has been done before #but i'm DOING IT AGAIN!!! >:DDD #also this is gonna be the same continuity as that one one-shot i did with purple and mango so >:3c #macaroni au #also the title is bc fridge finally made me experience kirby and the forgotten land lmao

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unfortunatelyevent · 2 years

Text

was thinking about essek today (how shocking), specifically about his "redemption" and, I know we joke about how matt speed run his redemption arc in the last episodes but I got myself thinking, we talk like his "change of heart" and "redemption" had started only after ep 97 when the m9 finds out about him or when they meet him later before they go to aeor but, that's not actually what happened? essek's redemption arc started way before they found out, as proven by ludinus saying to him "I'm surprised to see such affection from such a previously cold individual", he was already a different person by then?? we just had no idea. so when they show surprise by the apparent sudden change when they met essek in the outpost, is more bc they had no idea what he was before they met him and how he was changing in the time between

#the m9 is essek's redemption arc #sorry someone probably made this take before but I had a Moment™ here #cr meta #essek thelyss #the mighty nein #critical role #cr2

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therubyjailcell · 7 years

Text

That nerdy kid - [Fantastic Teen AU! Science Bros]

This is a gift for @jessi-aka-pyro, who actually had most of the ideas for this AU, but I got inspired and I feel like she could get some gift at the moment so here you go.

************

Here he was. That nerdy kid with the huge brain. Tony smirked. He looked at him. The kid apparently corrected the teacher and was actually right. That was impressive. Especially when it was from Anthony Edward Stark. To earn a compliment from him, you had to be really impressive. And that kid? He did it.

When Tony first heard about him, he didn't believe his existence and thought people made that kid up. But nope, Tony checked, well, stalked the guy, just in case, and discovered it was true. Now, he was staring at him, hidden by the bookshelves in the library, unable to actually go and talk to that guy. For the first time since he got in this school, Tony Stark was intimidated by someone.

The kid suddenly got up and headed right toward a Tony too lost in his thoughts to notice.

<<Are you actually stalking me?

-What?, Tony asked. Wait, how did you get here that quick?

-So you admit you're stalking me?

-… Hi, I'm Tony?, he said with a quick smile, offering a hand.

-I've… seen you everywhere near me, always acting weird when I looked at you. Why?

-Well… Huh… Okay, you know what? I wanted to know if you'd like to hang out sometimes?

-With you? After you stalked me for almost a month?

-Yep?

-So you admit it, huh.>>

Tony realised his mistake too late. Damn. The guy let out a sigh.

<<Why would I do that?

-Because I'm not gonna leave you alone until you say yes?, Tony offered with a smile.

-No.>>

And with that, he was gone, leaving a confused Tony behind.

**********

Tony wasn't attending his classes for a week now, and Pepper and Rhodey were starting to really worry. Not that it wasn't common, but he usually warned them before, or at least answered their texts. They knocked on his door for the fifth times before Pepper decided it was enough and opened the door with her keys. They entered his appartement to find him laying on the carpet in the (huge) living-room.

<<What the hell Tony?!, Pepper yelled. Did you get back to drinking? We talked about this, you're…-

-Nah, I'm not drinking Peps.

-Are you doing drugs again?, said Rhodey with an inquisitive tone.

-No, I'm not… Look, could you guys not just barge in and ask me these questions first? How about you start with "How are you?", or even "Are you okay?"? I could even go with a "What's wrong?", you know? Just concern, and not accusations.>>

His friends sighed and in their eyes, Tony could see the genuine concern. He sure did some stupid stuffs before, and he couldn't actually blame him for starting like this, but it still kinda hurted. They were his best, and probably only, friends, they should trust him a little!

<<Okay, we're sorry, we shouldn't have started like this. But you didn't answer any texts nor calls and haven't showed up to any of your classes, and last time you did this… What's wrong Tony?>>

Tony sighed and sat, but not getting up from the floor.

<<Remember that kid I told you about? The one people said was so smart?

-Yeah?, Rhodey's voice shown how confused he was.

-Well, I checked, and he is smart. Really smart.>>

His friends stared at him, stunned. Tony Stark sure didn't make compliments often.

<<Yeah, I know, it's weird coming from me, but he really is!, Tony's face lit up with a big smile.

-Wow., was all Pepper manage to say.

-Yeah, and like, I wanted to talk to him, but I didn't know how and…-

-WOW., this time it was from Rhodey.

-Yeah, and I just looked at him from afar, hoping I'd find something and…-

-Wait, you stalked him?, Pepper frowned.

-Well, yeah, what else was I supposed to do? So I was at the library watching him study and suddenly he's in front of me, and like he asks if I'm stalking him and I tried not to tell him but he saw right through me and now he doesn't want to hang out.

-No kidding., mumbled Rhodey.>>

There was a silence before Pepper sighed.

<<Explain me why you didn't change your appearance while stalking him?

-I… Didn't actually think about that…, Tony admitted, earning another sigh from Pepper.>>

Rhodey stared at Tony with a judging look, but stayed silent.

<<You should probably apologise.

-But I did!, mumbled Tony.>>

A long silence before Rhodey talked.

<<Just… Do you. Do Tony Stark. You're good at that.>>

Pepper looked at Rhodey and nodded.

**********

When Tony went back to class the next day, he had it all planned. He showed up in front of the guy's classroom with a big smile and a box of cookies. The guy stared at him in shock when he saw him.

<<What… Are you doing here?

-My name is Tony and I'm here to ask you to hang out!>>

Tony smiled as he said this and gave Bruce the box of cookies before leaving. On the box was a note saying "Come to the school racetrack at 4pm please" with a sit number, which made him laugh. He'd go. He was curious now.

When he arrived there, a race was starting. He noticed the "Gift from Mr H. Stark" plate above the entrance and went to the sit noted on the note. He looked at the cars racing, wondering who might be that guy.

Bruce was a very introverted person, he didn't really talk with anyone. So of course he didn't know how Anthony Edward Stark, the most popular guy of the school, the rich, extremely rich, guy whose dad paid the school to make a racetrack so he could keep doing races, looked like. He knew his name from the whispering and rumors, but nothing else.

When the course ended, won by Tony Stark, of course, Bruce was lost in his thoughts. When he saw the winner taking off his helmet and realised it was The Guy™, he stared with wide eyes. So that guy… Was Mr Stark? He couldn't believe it. Why would he even notice him? Bruce was confused. But he became even more confused when Tony smiled as he saw him. He just stared as the guy waved slightly before being surrounded by fangirls.

Bruce waited in front of the racetrack, even if he was sure Tony wouldn't actually come. But he did. And his face lit up as he saw the other waited for him.

<<You stayed…?

-Well… I do have some questions…>>

The smile on Tony's face was worth the wait.

<<I'm listening!

-Okay, huh, first, why did you ask me to come?

-I told you, I wanna hang out with you!

-Why?

-Well, you're smart.

-That's not a good reason...

-It is! At least for me!>>

Bruce stared at Tony, silent. He was definitely strange.

<<Everybody wants to be your friend.

-Well, yeah, except you apparently., Tony seemed annoyed.

-Why would you want me to be your friend?

-I told you! You're smart, hell, smart isn't enough to describe you, and... Well, the people I talk to? They don't understand half of what I'm saying! Please?

-I'm not a toy, Tony. Why would I trust you? You stalked me.

-Yeah, well, I'm sorry for that okay? I just didn't know how to talk to you.>>

Bruce sighed and shook his head.

<<I'm sorry but no. Just... No.>>

Tony looked sad and Bruce had a hard time trying to ignore it. He walked away, but he did hear the other boy's yell.

<<I'm more stubborn than that you know? I won't give up.>>

And that made him smile. He couldn't help but hope Tony wouldn't give up.

**********

A knock on the door. Bruce opened and was greeted by an enormous bouquet of flowers and a small guy holding it, hidden by the flowers.

<<Mister Banner?

-Yes…

-It's from…

-I know, from Mister Stark, don't worry.>>

He took the bouquet with a sorry smile for the young guy and gave him a tip as he thanked him. It was the first of the day but he knew it meant a lot more surprises and gifts. Tony kept his word, continuously sending stuffs to Bruce with nice little notes begging him to give him a chance. It had only been two weeks and Bruce was already starting to give up. He really tried not to find it adorable, not to feel happy for the attention, but he learned that nothing could fight again Anthony Edward Stark. He sighed. He put the flowers in a vase, realising that if he didn't give Tony a chance, he would have to buy new vases. Bruce took his bag and went to class.

Unsurprinsingly, Tony was waiting outside the classroom at the end of the lesson. Bruce sighed, knowing it meant going through the hardest moment of it all: resisting at the other begging. Tony smiled widely and was next to him in less than a second.

<<Hi Brucey!

-Tony…

-That's me! How are you today? Did you get the flowers this morning? Did you go to your locker yet?

-I'm fine, thanks. Yes I got the flowers. And no I didn't, did you really put something in there again? I changed the lock yesterday!

-Well, I'm a genius. Like you! Please? Give me a chance…>>

Bruce thought for a second. During these two weeks, Tony did proove he wouldn't stop until he'd get a positive answer. And Bruce really didn't feel like opening a flower shop. He sighed.

<<Tony…

-Yup, still me!

-I give you one day…

-Thanks!

-But! If at the end of the day I'm not convinced… You'll have to leave me alone.>>

Tony stared at him for a time before smiling.

<<I'll make it the best day of your life!>>

And with that, he was gone. Bruce smiled softly. Tony was a man to his word, and if he said it'd be the best day of his life, it was most likely that it would. And for a short moment, Bruce didn't think of his past.

**********

When Bruce gave Tony a day, he didn't think Tony would take it litteraly by coming at his door at 6am. Bruce didn't sleep good that night and he was already up at that time. But he really didn't plan to see Tony entering his appartment god knows how, telling him to get ready for the day and once it was done, dragging him to that shiny black car, getting him in and drive him god knows where since the other refused to tell him where they we going to.

Tony smiled as he pulled up the car in the alley. He knew Bruce wasn't a social butterfly so he had decided to spend the day talking science in his personnal lab at one of his houses. He turned to Bruce.

<<So, I thought about taking you to one of these galas with tons of rich people and photographs…>>

Bruce went really pale, and Tony chuckled.

<<But I thought you wouldn't like that. So I took you to one of my houses so we could Science™ and chill without anybody to interrupt us.>>

The other stared at him, surprised and then smiled softly. And that was all Tony wanted.

#fantastic teen au #avengers au #science bros #science bros au #science boyfriends #science bf #tony x bruce #my writing #v can write #mcu #marvel #tony stark #bruce banner

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