Red Wine
Red Wine
Master List <3 Request List <3 Marauders Master List <3
Remus Lupin x Reader
A/n: I lowkey hate this but it was inspired by the image of Sirius Black loving tequila and me thinking that all the muggle born students watching the others get drunk without it touching them was hilarious. This is based in their 7th year.
Summary: Muggle drinks and muggle drinking games.
Warnings: Drinking, mentions of underaged drinking, swearing, kissing, jealousy, fake ID
Word Count: 2232
(NOT MY GIF)
"Psst! Y/n! Over here!"
I spun my head around to see Christopher Adam's waving me over from the corner of the room, pointing enthusiastically at the plastic bag in his hands.
I smiled back at him and nodded enthusiastically.
"I'll be back now." I said to Sirius, who was spinning me around to the ABBA song playing before Chris had interrupted us.
"What does he want?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow "You got a new boyfriend or something?" He laughed slightly as I rolled my eyes and just walked away from him.
Me and some of the other muggle born students were starting to find these Gryffindor parties boring after the summer.
After partying at home with muggle drinks the classic fire whisky and witches brew just wasn't doing anything for us anymore, as funny as it was watching the pure and half bloods get extremely drunk so fast there's only so many parties you can do sober.
Hence Christopher.
A small group of us had gathered our money together and convinced Chris to use one of his approved trips to visit home to stop by a muggle store and complete a shopping list.
It took us a week to make him a fake ID good enough for him to pass as eighteen.
"So? How'd it go?" I asked, smiling brightly at him as I took the bag out of his hands.
"No hassle with the ID, although I did have to go to four stores so I didn't look suspicious buying this much alcohol for everyone." He rolled his eyes with a laugh.
"You're a lifesaver, we all owe you big time. Thank you!"
He just waved me off and I happily ran back over to the boys with the bag in my arms.
They were all giving the an identical look of speculation as I approached.
"What have you done?" James asked, trying to grab the bag off me before I pulled back.
"Why do you assume such little from me! I've gotten you all presents. Muggle presents actually."
Sirius perked up at that, excitedly shaking Remus's shoulders. Causing him to lean the other way with a smile.
"I'm about to show you all how muggles drink, because fire whisky is nothing in comparison. I've got fuck loads of things to share but I tried to get each of you something I thought you'd like."
"So it's alcohol?" Peter asked, now it was him having to push an excited Sirius away.
"Yep! For you Peter, gin. We don't have any tonic so drink it with lemonade, I think you'll like it though." He smiled widely as I handed him the rounded bottle, quickly opening it to smell it.
"It smells nice?"
"Yeah not all alcohol needs to smell like straight ass." I laughed nodding to the fire whisky in his other hand.
"James I've got you some muggle beers. I genuinely think this will change your life." I said with a laugh, handing him over the six pack as he looked at it bewildered.
"Like butter beer?"
"Kinda? Just a lot less sweet."
He nodded with a smile and popped the top of the bottle off, his smile growing as he tasted it.
"This is alcoholic?"
I laughed at him and turned to Sirius who looked like he was about to explode if I didn't show him what else was in the bag.
"Sirius I got you some tequila. There's some lime and salt on the table over there, you'll want them to take a shot. Lily will show you, she's been looking forward to it all night."
He took the bottle off me with a smirk before quickly hugging me from behind, placing an exaggerated kiss on the side of my face before running off.
"Thank you!"
I laughed at him, and watched James follow after him after a mention of Lily, Peter as always followed behind James.
"I hope you got yourself something, you're way too generous."
Remus said, sitting up on the table next to me with a soft smile.
"Oh don't worry I did." I reached to pull the large bottle from the bag "Some good old fashioned vodka for me."
He laughed at me and sniffed the bottle I held out in front of him, recoiling back.
"It smells horrible." He said with a laugh.
"That's how you know it's strong." I replied, coughing hard as I took a sip from the bottle. "I should probably mix it with some coke."
He laughed at me for a minute, nodding "Yeah, probably a good idea. I'll go get you some."
I placed an arm in front of him as he went to move to stop him.
"Not so quick Lupin, didn't think I'd forget you did I?"
"You didn't have to get me anything." A small blush covered his cheeks, reassuring me that I made the right call with getting him something.
"That's why you're my favourite."
"Wow I always thought Sirius was your favourite." He replied with a chuckle.
"Yeah well don't tell him, it would crush him."
He continued to laugh as I pulled the bottle of red wine out of my bag, passing it over to him.
"I think you'll like it, not as strong as the others but you'll enjoy it."
He looked over the bottle inquisitively.
"Thank you, I'll go pour myself a glass and grab you that coke." He smiled warmly at me, squeezing my knee as he got up.
My eyes followed him across the room, I smiled as I watched him interact with an already drunk Sirius who was shouting about the impressive feat of muggle alcohol.
"You're drooling." Mary said from behind me, causing me to jump and hit her in the arm.
"Shut up."
~~~~~
"So you've all been enjoying the muggle drinks, how about a muggle game to go with it!" Marls shouted from the middle of the room, clearly drunk.
A large group slowly made their way into a circle on the floor as Marls enthusiastically went around the room trying to gather a large enough group.
Remus groaned as I pulled him off the wall he was leaning on and led him towards the floor, an obvious smile on his face.
"Ok so you spin the bottle." She giggled while placing one of James's now empty beer bottles into the middle of the group. "You and whoever it lands on go into the broom cupboard for seven minutes. What happens is there is up to you." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively whilst laughing as the game began.
As the circle slowly made its way around I found myself hunched over onto Remus in a fit of laughter at Sirius and Peters faces as they came out of the cupboard looking very unamused.
As the group calmed down Sirius took his seat back next to me in the circle and most eyes moved towards me.
I giggled awkwardly before leaning forward and spinning the bottle as hard as I could.
As I lent back and watched it spin I silently prayed that it would land on the boy sat next to me who seemed to be avoiding my eye contact as everyone made a drum roll sound around us.
Much to my dismay instead of landing on Remus the bottle instead pointed towards the one and only James Potter whose face went bright red.
I laughed softly and stood up, watching him as he followed. The room whistling as we made our way into the small space.
If it wasn't gonna land on Remus James would've probably been my second choice, he was to in love with Lily to ever make a move on someone else. And I felt the same way about our best friend.
"So this isn't awkward." I joked with a smile.
He just half way laughed in response.
"Everything okay?" I asked, my eyes adjusting in the dark to make out his figure.
"Yeah it's stupid, Lily's just been avoiding me all night. I know I make a fool of myself for her but sometimes I just wish that she would just look at me." He sighed, leaning against the wall.
"Maybe she is and you're just not seeing?"
"Trust me, I'd see." He sadly laughed and I patted his shoulder comfortingly before getting an idea.
"I've got a way that would get her to look at you."
He turned to look at me with what I guessed was a confused expression.
I reached up to unbutton the first two buttons of his shirt.
"Whoa Y/n what are you doing?"
I laughed slighting at him, shaking my head.
"No I'm not doing that, trust me."
I reached up to ruffle my hand through his hair to make it messier, then moving to untuck one side of his shirt.
"Yeah she'll look at me if I look like shit. Is that the plan?" He laughed slightly and I softly hit him with the back of my hand.
I messed my own hair up as well, also shifting my clothes so they were slightly askew.
"Jealousy is the plan James."
It seemed to click with him then and despite the dark I could see the red blush on his face.
"You really think that'll work?"
"I hate to say it but if one thing will make her notice you, it's thinking that you might've noticed someone else. I'm also really drunk so this might be a bad plan."
He laughed at me, covering his mouth to try and stay quieter.
"I'm drunk enough to give it a go." He responded with a smile.
"Last touch." I reached up to move his glasses to sit crooked on his face with a laugh.
"There, perfect. Let's get you your lady."
As I spoke there was a knock at the door, and a second later Sirius Black swung them open.
"Merlin! Didn't see that happening." He said with a laugh, looking between us in disbelief "I always thought you were into Moony Y/n."
James punched him softly in the arm, shaking his head and I just walked past silently, trying to shake the blush off of my face and hoping everyone was just ignoring the obviously drunk pure blood.
I made my way back over to the circle but before I could sit back down Remus had already stood from his spot next to me and walked out of the common room with his bottle of wine.
~~~~~
I'd been wandering the castle grounds looking for Remus for the last thirty minutes.
The party had died down and everyone was so drunk most of them had passed out by now.
I was buzzed enough that the cold wasn't bothering me but I couldn't for the life of me figure out where Remus would've gone.
I sat on the floor against the railing as I finally got to the top of the astronomy tower, the vodka and the amount of stairs I just climbed had knocked the wind out of me.
"Y/n?"
A familiar voice said from next to me, making me jump.
"Jesus, I've been looking for you." I smiled at him but he only held my eye contact for a second before looking back out to the night sky.
"You disappeared, it got boring without you."
He laughed slightly and shook his head, his cheeks turning a shade of pink.
"I'm sure it was fine without me. You and James sure didn't look bored." He chuckled awkwardly making me quirk an eyebrow at him.
"What? Me and James?"
He just nodded, avoiding my eyes.
"James definitely isn't bored, Lily's been all over him all night." I laughed softly and he just looked at me inquisitively.
"Aren't you upset by that?"
"Upset? Why would I be upset? Honestly I think it's a miracle."
He laughed slightly at that and finally looked back over to me.
"But you and James were snogging each other? Was that just a joke or something?"
I just looked at him confused for a second before breaking out into giggles.
"Oh you didn't actually think we did that? Gross no! I just thought that it would make Lily jealous. It worked by the way."
He seemed to think for a second before a small smile finally made its way onto his face.
"Oh, so you didn't actually kiss him?"
I snorted, covering my face quickly in embarrassment.
"No no, I just messed up his hair and unbuttoned his shirt a little. He's not my type."
Remus laughed quietly at that, relaxing a little.
"Good."
I nudged him lightly with my elbow, sliding over to sit next to him, bumping our knees together.
"Careful Lupin it almost feels like you're jealous."
He just looked at me for a second, a little smile on his face as he moved to stand up, offering me his hand.
"Maybe I was." He chuckled softly and pulled me to my feet as I just looked at him dazed.
"C'mon I'll walk you back to your dorm." He threaded our fingers together and went to walk but I didn't move.
"I wanted the bottle to land on you, for the record."
We both stood there for a second, just looking at each other before he grabbed my chin softly and lent down.
I never really liked the taste of red wine until that night.
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Hello Pinky I hope you missed me and my Lynel Farm!
I got an idea which would be hilarious! Reader is a Link! But not any Link no they are Wild and the Link from TotK! And they are a MENACE! Why?
Well, Reader can use glitches like Bullet-Time Bounce or clipping or Wacko-Boingo. They also wear the Tunic of Wild. But they came after TotK to the game and they can duplicate everything! And everything is maxed out of capacity they can't carry a single drop more. Their Purah Pad is about to explode! But then just imagine their meeting.
Legend: „Seriously does anyone know where the fuck we are?!“
Wind: „It looks like a forest.“
Reader used BTB and yeeted themself above the group with their shield on their feet just to shield surf the hill down with speed.
Sky: „What was that?“
„I want that too!!“ with that Wild shield surfed the hill down too.
Twilight: „I will go and get him...“
But the whole group follows as Reader is obviously someone who knows where to go. But as they see Wild and Reader standing there face to face. They are just stunned. They look the same! But Reader is missing an arm and has a mechanical arm instead. But these two seem to get along. This is how they learned that Reader is Wild practically but instead of doing all the Beast, gathering memories and the shrines to pull the sword. They instantly went after Ganon. They fought in their underwear and some Weapons they found on their way and sticks against the Calamity. They don't even know what a Master Sword is! They did the shrines after the Calamity.
But even if they are so bubbly and well wild. They don't talk about their journey and to Twilight. They felt betrayed by him. They needed him as they woke up in a shrine without any orientation or knowledge where they are and what happened. They just needed Wolfie by their side and to help them with their upcoming panic attack. They also don't trust the Chain immediately. They could be Yiga or puppets, sorry for Spoilers, like the Zelda which they chased after in the present. And if someone asks about their journey they only tell the stories of The Hero of Wild not the Hero of Ruins, who they are now. They turn cold and say with an icy tone „It's not your business!“
But Four should never see their weapons or he gets a heart attack. They got so many cursed weapons. But Reader is also freaking strong! Lifting a claymore is hard enough but a claymore fused with another claymore, that's heavy! They fused two Biggoron Swords together or two Dusk Claymores. They also hear the poes in the Depths and that's how they got the weapons. Thanks to the talking statues.
Reader also talks more to their horse and this one isn't small! Even Ganondorf's stallion is smaller than that. It's a giant white stallion and it stomps on everything that comes across their way! With the beautiful name "Thunder" because this thing has loud stomps! But since it's so tall it also takes great maintenance and that's Reader's therapy. When they take care of their giant, they don't feel the phantom pain of losing their arm or hear the whispers of the dead. Just the snorts of their horse and the brush. They also sleep with their horse but mostly on fields or caves as forests can have Evermeans and they want to sleep one time without an ambush from everything that wants their death!
Wild and Wild obviously are all around their giant horse. Four is all about their Lynel Sword collection, swords fused with lynel horns. Twilight tries to mend the bridge while they both are carrying about their horses. Legend and Hyrule ask about the sages and their abilities. Warriors and Time tries to get them comfortable enough so they share their journey. Sky teaches them about the Master Sword but they turn off as soon as he begins with Hylia. They are an atheist they don't believe in her.
The rings from Rauru as they lost their arm are built into the artificial arm as the sages gave them an oath of loyalty.
I feel like I understood about 50% of this because I know so little about Totk.
I know about the arm of course and the the cursed weapons! XD
Four would absolutely lose his mind about them. He freaked out when Wild broke his sword on a rock- just wait until that Reader attached a rock to their sword.
I don't know if they would even know who Wolfie is. If he was never there for them since BotW, then would they even know that Wolfie was someone who would have had to there anyway?
So it would be more like-
Wild: Wolfie was a great help to me when I needed him most the first time around.
Reader: ...Who?
Wild: The wolf... the wolf that followed me- us- you (?) around?
Reader:.... Nope. I don't have a clue who you're talking about.
And another note, I do think that they wouldn't trust the chain off the bat though. You're right. They could be yiga in disguise. A new threat to the the land or to Zelda. There's just something off about them that Reader wouldn't have been able to tell what it was.
Especially since they might not even have all their memories anyway. If they did the shrines after Ganon, then who's to say they would have bothered with doing them all anyway? They coudl have just checked out a few, got bored and left it at that.
They might not have any of their memories and are perfectly fine that way.
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seasons- part 1
pairing: enzo vogrincic x f!reader
warnings: none
genre: angst-ish
notes: (1) this is my first story ever, so it might not be that good, comments and opinions are welcomed (2) the story will have three parts, this works more as a intro (3) it was inspired by my favorite wave to earth song seasons
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I can’t be your love… Look it’s too trivial for you now
She sits in the restaurant’s terrace eating her meal in silence, her eyes focused on her phone’s screen. She reads the article carefully time and time again and takes a couple of screenshots of the parts she finds interesting. She smiles and takes a sip of her beer, the response to the movie is great, she had suspected it would be good, the director and production behind it had made great films before, how could this one fail?
She opens X and searches his name again. She always feels slightly guilty while doing this, as if she’s stalking someone, but she still goes ahead and does it. People love him, and how could they not? For the eight years that she knows Enzo she knows that he’s one of a kind, someone special. He’s kind, intelligent, talented, and obviously, attractive, of course people would love him. Her friend had worked hard all these years, and while it makes sense that he gets the recognition he deserves, the way that the film-and his popularity-have exploded almost globally shocks her a little bit.
Her heart beats a little faster in an uneasy way. She takes another sip of her drink, trying to wash those feelings away. She’s happy for her friend, she’s proud. But this weird feeling keeps popping out of her heart and flooding her veins. Uneasiness, fear, confusion. She doesn’t know how things will work out. How their friendship will work out. How her feelings will work out.
She focuses on her food, it’s useless to overthink about things that haven’t happened yet, and after all, everything will turn out well for him; and she’s his friend, she will be happy for him, she’ll be by his side cheering him on his next big steps. How could she feel upset even for a bit? When everything is going so well?
Her phone’s screen lights up, it’s a message from him, he’s asking her what are her plans for next Monday, maybe she would like to go for coffee in the afternoon? After checking her calendar she quickly answers him, of course she can go for coffee, she doesn’t tell him that she’ll have to work late into Sunday evening to be able to meet a work deadline. He doesn’t need to know, it’s a trivial thing really, besides she really needs to take a break from work, and hanging out with one of best friends will help her relax.
She schedules their meeting in her calendar after she finishes her meal, and quickly writes a text to him asking him how everything’s going, he replies saying he’s super busy, but that everything’s well, he’s surprised that new appointments are being made, events are being programmed for the next couple of months at least. ‘It’s Netflix, what did you expect?’. He just laughs at her response.
While she walks back to her apartment she reminds herself that she’ll take a break from her phone, she hasn’t done much reading these days. She also reminds herself that she can’t keep going on like this, checking stuff related to him so frequently. It’s not good, she tells herself, ‘I’ve been here before, it’s no use to get hung up on him again’. She looks at her reflection on a shop’s window, ‘You made a choice all those years back-she tells herself-no one forced you, and now, for your own well being, you have to look after yourself and don’t get your feelings tangled’.
As cliche as it sounds she fell in love with her friend and of course she didn’t tell him. She won’t be telling him any time soon anyways. She finds it ridiculous, how could she end up in a situation like this? She often feels guilty, how could she call herself his friend when she has all these feelings inside of her? And that’s why she made a choice, she would be just his friend, never tell him her feelings, don’t take things too far, and don't play silly games around him.
She arrives at her place, takes off her boots and quickly takes a shower. While shampooing her hair she tells herself that it wasn’t a hard choice, it wasn’t hard at all. Years ago, when she told Silvia, her best friend, that she had, sort of, fallen in love with Enzo, and that she wouldn’t not tell him, her friend asked her if she was afraid that “it would ruin their friendship”. Her best friend wanted to argue that it was worth a shot, she had feelings for him, and if he rejected her, she could move on. She laughed, Silvia looked confused at her, she said ‘look, I did this for me, not him’.
Contrary to the cliche “I’m afraid that it would ruin our friendship, that’s why I kept my feelings for myself”, Y/N had decided to not act on her feelings because she felt that there were many things in her life that she needed to work on. At the time she felt like she was an incomplete person, and she honestly couldn’t say that her lover would be ‘her other half’. She had to have her other parts together, she had to be able to assemble all her pieces, by herself. What good would come out if she confessed her feelings to him? She felt that her insecurities would be a burden, her short temper could be hurtful, her clinginess could be a bother. She had more problems than she could count. She could end up dragging him with her instead of finding a solution.
She doesn’t pity herself, and even though it can be hard sometimes she chose to be just his friend. But, she had learned to move on with her life. She had gone on dates, she had had brief relationships with other guys. She couldn’t deny her feelings existed, nestled in her heart, sometimes they were more present, like a wind chime on an open window, tingling softly whenever the breeze hit them. Sometimes it felt like they were hidden, and the only way she could reach them was on sleepless nights when she focused on their memories together.
She had been going through the pages of her book slowly, she was actually enjoying it. Her wet hair making a damp patch on her back, the soft hum of the air con creating a soft relaxing sound, when another notification came on her phone. He had sent her a picture he took that day when he managed to go out for a bit. She jokingly told him that she was shocked that he could be a good photographer, ‘if by any chance you can’t find work as an actor, you could do this for real’ she wrote. He sent her a laughing emoji and asked her if she was busy, if she could talk for a bit.
She laid on her couch and dialed his number before he could beat her to it. It only took him a couple of seconds to answer ‘hi Y/N, how was today?’ She laughed, he sounded tired, he had never done promotions for such a big project, he was exhausted by all the things that were happening. ‘Hope you don’t forget to drink water and eat properly these days’, she told him, she didn’t think it was necessary to answer his question. She preferred to focus the conversation on him, whether she would tell herself that if she ignored her problems she wouldn’t need to deal with them, and that her friend had more important things going on.
They fell into a conversation quickly, he was tired, he felt like he needed to prepare himself better for interviews, with the popularity of the film he got more and more requests for them and he kept doubting if he was doing well. At the same time he found it amusing how things had gone so far. He genuinely hadn’t predicted that people would be so hooked on the film, he felt like he was part of a boyband. Throughout the conversation she keeps making jokes about all of this, she knows he has lots of things in his mind and she’s trying to keep things light.
He sighs, she changes her phone from her left hand to her right one, and sees that they’ve been talking for more than forty minutes. At that moment he tells her ‘Everything is so easy with you, it’s not like I won’t stop thinking about these things, but whenever I talk with you, everything seems more simple, thanks, I know I’m lucky to have you as my friend’
‘Yeah, I know, we’re lucky to have each other’s back… to be friends’
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Bad Boy week Day 5
Theme: underground
Prompt: stray cats/dogs
wc: 0.7k
c/w: character study, angsty
Levi wants to be one of them.
Swift. They can cover a distance twice or even thrice the length of their bodies in a single lunge. Even if he was snuck up on, he wants to look like nothing but thin air the next thing his attacker knows. Get away, get ahead.
Agile. Balanced, perfected. They—and he's seen it—can cross clotheslines suspended between roofs, allowing them to traverse the most cramped and most dangerous halls of the Underground gracefully. He would never fall, but in the nightmarish scenario that he did, it wouldn't mean a thing because he'd always land properly on his feet. That's how they all are.
He wants to be a warrior. Lethal, sharp. It's impossible to be infallible, but he'd make everyone think that of him. A hunter, with terrifying efficiency who'd never hesitate. He'd fell would-be threats before they even got the inkling they were being followed. His strength would be unassuming, and he wouldn't play pretend about his friendliness (of which there'd be none). Like them, small, but mighty.
Not for the thrill, though. To eat, he thinks, for comparison's sake...
He once witnessed it, as he was deliberating whether to smash a jar of corn kernels open or find a way to open it, because his hand was too small to grip the tin lid. A cat, crouched low at the top of some wood stairs. The mouse had lingered below. He watched, willing the skinny thing's focus to break.
It didn't. The cat fell upon it from fifteen feet. The next thing he (or the mouse) knew, it was trapped in its jaws. The mouse squeaked, how a person would scream then its neck cracked, and it died instantly.
He didn't look into the cat's vacant, expressionless dark eyes as it ripped into the mouse with razor-like teeth, and ate heartily.
He once saw a cat poke its head throw a jagged gap in a fence no wider than Levi's little finger, and slip the rest of its lanky body through.
He can fit into little cramped spaces, at least. The spaces between walls, and the crawlspaces underneath porches, inside covered wheelbarrows (if he needed to get someplace he shouldn't be seen). He can hide, at least.
But that's nothing. That's like being dead. For as silent as he could be, as much that he had to strain to hear himself take sips of air, sometimes a scream appeared in his chest, the way things disappear into your peripheral vision until you remember they're there do. It was fine in the beginning, but sometimes all he wants to do is breathe in everything terrible—all the air the Underground has—and explode his lungs. He's nervous about the day that might arrive in which screaming would be all he can do.
Hiding in silence... That's what he's doing now. Among spiderwebs and crusty wood-dust in darkness as encompassing as his spot is small: a tiny crevice between the top of a wall and where the slant of the roof begins.
He curls up as small as he can, tucked into a ball, thinking of them again despite the primal need to sleep muddying said thoughts.
Death would be easier, he knows that's an objective fact. So surviving... Why should he? Why does he?
The same conclusion never fails to infuse in him infallible strength.
Because Mama brought him into this world. And what strength that took... To be kind in a place that would rape and take that from you because it sees it inside of you. She was a shimmery ember in a cave of darkness, which to him shown like the light of a thousand suns. He doesn't need to see the sun to know that she was brighter.
Because of her it once, later on occurred to him that fighting and dancing are almost the same thing. He'd never stopped to wonder stupid things like that, but Mama sometimes swayed.
Who is he to be ungrateful to her sacrifices, or to Kenny's vehement efforts for that matter?
He wants to survive.
In an unfair advantage, cats have nine lives (or that's what he's heard). Humans only get one.
He'll become so strong that he might as well, too.
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The screaming had lasted for hours.
Not screaming like someone was dying; Ingo would have intervened if that were the case.
In some ways, the argument he could almost hear was worse.
The twins had come round with Cori and Razz, picking up Akari and Rei and taking them out for ice cream when it had started. Ingo had asked Davis about it who had, reasonably, looked uncomfortable.
"Dizzy loves our brother, she really, really does. But she... takes his lifestyle personally. They're very similar like that." Davis had responded quietly. "It's an old argument with no end. This happens- not normally in front of the kids, so Khan had us take them out of the house when she started winding up, and Cor asked if we could grab Akari for ice cream and..."
Ingo had let them go, sitting at home and listening. He couldn't hear the words but he could hear the tone. How angry Dizzy was, how it would go quiet and then there would be another outburst. Only a handful of times did Khan raise his voice in return at his sister, but never for very long. Ingo couldn't remember having any arguments like that with Emmet. He didn't remember their childhood, but the memories he had recovered of their teenage years and before his accident... he didn't think he and his twin had ever been quite so volatile.
Then again, there had been no signs of this sort of conflict between the oldest siblings either. If he wasn't hearing it, he'd never have thought they'd fight like this. Given the lack of interference from the rest of the neighborhood he wagered Davis was right, and that the best way to deal with this storm was simply to ride it out.
When the argument finally ended he was standing by his window that looked into his neighbor's front yard, worried. Dizzy stormed out with Khan following quickly behind. Ingo had never seen him look so... small. It was hardly a word one would associate with the young man, given his height and stature, and yet it was the only word Ingo could think of to describe him.
He watched as Khan reached for his sister, only for her to turn and slap his hand away.
“Why can’t you even try, you self-sacrificing bastard? You never even try!”
She stomped down the sidewalk, slamming the door to her car shut before turning it on and pulling out at a decidedly unsafe speed. Ingo watched as Khan stared after her, shoulders still slumped, before he put a hand up to his face and turned to walk back into his home.
Maybe it would be better to leave well enough alone, to pretend he hadn’t overheard… _that,_ but Khan was… well. Khan was his friend. Things may have been shaky to start with between them, but they had smoothed out. Khan knew about Ingo’s amnesia and never once judged him for it. Now, Ingo knew about… this.
Still. He hesitated before walking out of his own home and down the sidewalk to his neighbor’s, glancing around at the rest of the homes on the street. Blinds were slowly opening, curious eyes peeking through to see what still stood in the wake of the hurricane argument. The door to Khan’s home was unlocked when he tried the handle and Ingo slowly opened the door.
“Khan?” He called out.
There was a sniffling sound, a familiar hitch of breath.
“Yeah?” Khan’s voice was thick and low when he replied. “What’s up, need something fixed?”
“No, I…” Ingo shut the door behind him. The house was in one piece. For all the screaming and noise it appeared that nothing had been broken. The argument may have sounded violent but nobody had gotten physical. “I heard what happened and I was wondering if you were… alright.”
“Oh, you… you heard that?” Khan hadn’t come out to find him and so Ingo continued towards his voice instead. “Well, yeah. They could probably hear that on the moon.”
“Possibly. I was unaware that Dizzy’s volume could rival my own.”
Khan was sat in the kitchen, slouched down in one of the chairs he’d built by hand. A byproduct of one of the many jobs he’d taken to keep his siblings fed, homed, and safe. He still looked, to Ingo’s dismay, small. Defeated. Deflated of all life.
“Yeah, she’s got some pipes on her. Always has. About burst my eardrums when she was a toddler, the way she’d howl when she threw a fit.”
One hand was rubbing at his face and his shoulders were still shaking intermittently. Ingo paused, uncertain, before he rested a hand on Khan’s shoulder.
“I don’t know what happened, but if you’d like to talk about it… or if you’d prefer, I can leave?”
Khan was silent long enough that Ingo prepared to straighten up, head out the door, and pretend this had never happened.
Khan leaned forward, rubbed his eyes again, and shook his head.
“You can stay,” he said quietly, and Ingo pretended he didn’t see the tears falling onto the floor, “it’s fine. You can stay.”
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