#Callenge Run

[wombocombo4x3]

How I Would Fix Onix in Pokémon Black & White 2

[justaz]

#Imagine if the challenge was to take the sword out and kill Merlin with it#so people are like “not only is impossible to take the sword but we have to kill the inmortal? fuck off”#and Arthur (because he has the power of the plot by his side) does take the sword out of the stone#so Merlin tells him to complete the callenge#but Arthur can't do it bc it's Merlin and he can't hurt him#Merlin's like “wow you really are Arthur” and steps down from the throne and there's a golden age and everyone us happy <3#merlin (via maeryuu)

i was on mobile so i only saw the first tag and my brain started RUNNING with it lmao

my own personal hcs kinda contradict with a few details so i switched it up a bit hope you don't mind (edit: i didn't change it change it but i did tweak it to insert my hc lol)

i'm using the third point/idea because it's my favorite as it involves arthur pining and trying desperately to prove to merlin that he is who he says he is and merlin trying desperately not to get his hopes up as he slowly falls in love with arthur again

anyways, arthur calls merlin a dollophead out of habit and merlin just freezes, his mind screeching to a halt at the familiar word that he's been saying to himself for thousands of years that he can't remember where it's from. he looks over at arthur and is like "dollop...head? what...is that?" and arthur smiles because to him this interaction from a few years ago is backwards so he starts quoting merlin and is like 'it's idiomatic." and merlin tilts his head all confused like even as the back of his mind tingles, his subconscious recognizing this but he has to search through thousands of years of memories to find what this means and he can't quite do it. arthur continues like "it means you need to be more in touch with the people."

and merlin is just trying so hard to not believe but at the same time his heart is slowly growing lighter as his mind fights with itself to find the damn memory that is escaping him. maybe he eventually finds the memory, maybe he doesn't, but he heads out to the sword in the stone and announcing that he will be overseeing todays attempts and he watches as man after man after woman after woman try their hand at pulling the sword free but none succeed obviously. merlin catches arthur's eye and despite his wounded pride from failing before, he decides to step up to the sword and try again. he stares up at merlin as he grabs the sword and watches as merlin's eyes flood gold.

the sword dislodges and arthur pulls it out without looking away from merlin and merlin steps down, holding his breath as he dares to hope for the first time in centuries and (listening to would you fall in love with me again and this is more in tune with the challenge penelope issues odysseus to move their wedding bed) tells arthur to battle merlin while wielding excalibur. if arthur can defeat merlin, than he takes the throne. arthur, like ody, is just like...flabbergasted. he's like "you told me this sword was forged in the breath of a dragon, that it can kill anything magic or non. if i were to wound you in battle, i would kill you. i won't. i won't do it." and merlin just...Knows at that point and practically falls to his knees before arthur murmuring "it's you, it's you, it's really you..."

(shameless plug of my fic "heavy is the blade that ends a life" on ao3 bc that's where i toyed with the idea of excalibur being the only thing that can kill merlin and his giving it to arthur as a symbol of his complete and utter trust in him. i would link it but i have all my fics private so it won't work lol (ps: ody's lines "a symbol of our love everlasting..." and arthur hearing merlin's second challenge and holding up excalibur going "a symbol of your undying trust" to nudge the fact that merlin is immortal or "a symbol of your trust never ending/that is endless" to match the beat of the song whatever whatever)

every time I listen to the challenge from epic the musical, I have a merthur fic idea but only a vague idea, I can’t quite flesh it out fully

[fang-and-feather]

Love's Blessing

Star-Crossed Myth - Zyglavis/MC

Zyglavis plans a birthday surprise for his wife but not everything go as planned and he gets a surprise instead.

Written for Year of the OTP January Prompt: “Whenever I look at you…” from @yearoftheotpevent, FluffMonthly January's Prompt: January from @flufftober (where I live it was still January when I finished this, posting is what ran late) and Voltage Content Creation Callenge Prompt: Throwing them a surprise birthday party from @voltagefandomproject that served as a little extra inspiration to make this fic what it is, but mainly written for Feather's birthday.

So, Happy Birthday, Feather! (a little later because my computer and internet wouldn't let me post it on time) Here's a little gift for you! Thank you for running this blog with me and for being my inspiration to be here!

AO3 Version / SCM Masterlist / General Masterlist

Zyglavis had never paid any particular attention to dates before he started dating and later married a human woman. He was aware of human holidays that made the gods’ work more difficult, but it wasn’t like he kept track of them before.

With her, though, these had become important events to remember. He was usually still busy, but Zyglavis made sure he could spend at least a few hours by the side of his beloved and picked out gifts when appropriate.

Not only holidays, but other personal dates. One of them the turn of the year that she insisted they spent together, and that also signaled the beginning of her vacation.

She made a point to take her vacation at the same time every year and spend the entire January with him so they could start the year together.

And that wasn’t the only reason the month was special, but also because her birthday was at the end of it.

Gods didn’t have the habit of celebrating birthdays, or of keeping track of them, but Zyglavis knew how important it was for his human partner. So he had already made plans for their date. Plans that were ruined from the morning by a message on her phone.

“Is it work?” Zyglavis asked, seeing his wife frown at her phone’s screen, then sigh.

“Three people called in sick today and they are understaffed. I was really looking forward to today but… sorry. At least it seems I won’t be leaving too late.”

She really looked down and Zyglavis was tempted to snap his fingers and solve the situation, but he knew what she would say about that. So he only hugged her.

“Work is work. You don’t have to apologize.” She snuggled in his chest and Zyglavis combed his fingers through her hair. “It is now what we were expecting, but I’ll pick you up after work and we’ll spend the rest of the day together.”

They stayed in each other’s arms until they realized she would be late.

As he watched her hurrying to get ready, Zyglavis thought of how ironic it was. Back when they were dating, and even sometimes after, it was always him who had to change plans or put them on hold because of work. She had never complained and was always careful of not asking too much from him. She never held it against him either, even if they spent months without seeing each other.

It wasn’t the first time the situation was reversed but, usually they didn’t have big plans when it happened.

Zyglavis used his powers to take his wife to work, then tried to decide on a new plan for her birthday.

Humans usually threw parties to celebrate these dates, but he didn’t want to share the little time they had with anyone, and she was outgrowing big gatherings herself.

But what about a small, private party? He didn’t know much about cooking by hand, but enough to bake her a cake. As long as he had a recipe, Zyglavis was good at following instructions and they had done that together a few times, enough for him to learn something.

Decorations he would have to do with his powers, but that didn’t seem like a problem. And he had already gotten a gift for her. He just had to choose a nice, romantic place. They couldn’t go far the human way, but Zyglavis believed she wouldn’t mind if he transported them there, considering the time they had.

So the major work was actually baking. He choose a recipe a little fancier than the one they used to bake together - which might have been a little ambitious of him, but Zyglavis was confident in what he had learned, living with her for two years, not counting the time they spent dating - which meant he had to use his powers to get some ingredients there weren’t in the kitchen.

The hard part was using kitchen appliances like a mixer. There weren’t proper instructions on how to assemble and use it, and working together meant his attention was usually somewhere else while his wife handled the contraption.

At least, since they started living together, Zyglavis had a kitchen in his room, so no one else needed to know how the first attempt went and the mess was cleaned with a snap. And Zyglavis learned fast from his mistakes, so the cake was ready with time to spare.

Zyglavis did some research on birthday party decorations and spots he could set their little party on and ended up settling for a place in the heavens rather than on Earth.

They usually lived in the gods’ mansion on Earth most of the year because it was easier for his wife to go to and from work on her own, so it was a good idea to spend the last moments of her vacation month in the heavens too.

When it came the time to pick his wife at work, Zyglavis was waiting for her but she wasn’t coming out, until he was informed she had passed out and was taken to the hospital.

Worried, Zyglavis snapped his fingers as soon as he was out of anyone’s sight, transporting himself to the indicated hospital to find her leaving and looking perfectly fine.

“Are you hurt? Why didn’t you call to me?” He immediately went to check her for injuries, but she hugged him instead.

“I’m fine, Zyglavis. I just got careless and ended up eating too many sweets in the last few days, and my blood pressure went down.” She laughed. “I didn’t want to worry you since it wasn’t serious.”

Well, she had complained about eating too much sweets a couple of days before, but she was complaining because she wasn’t exercising as much as she used to either and was afraid of gaining weight, not because it might make her ill, although he had advised her to cut a little on them, because he knew too many sweets wasn’t good for humans.

Although he could tell she wasn’t lying, there was a discreet tension in her eyes and voice.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. You don’t have to worry. Are we going home?”

“No. Since our plans had to be changed, I have a surprise for you. If you feel fine enough for it.”

She nodded and hugged him, which he took as an opportunity to transport them to a beautiful flower field in the heavens, where he had already decorated like he’d seen humans do.

“Wow! This is so beautiful.” She hugged him tighter. “Thank you, love.”

“It is our own private party. I used my powers to decorate, but I made the cake myself.”

“Cake?” She pulled away. “What cake?”

Chuckling, Zyglavis snapped his fingers before she could turn around, transporting the cake from his room and materializing a lit candle.

He’d made a small, three tiered chocolate ganache cake, not too sweet because she had been complaining about her recent eating habits.

“I know this isn’t half of what I promised you, but…”

“This is more than enough. Since I had to work, I was thinking we would just spend time together at home, but you threw me a party in a beautiful place. And you really made this cake without your powers! What else could I want?”

“But you are not entirely happy, my goddess. What is it?”

She didn’t think he hadn’t noticed the way her body tensed and her eyes only settled on him for a short time before darting around, did she?

“I just didn’t know how to bring it up…” She turned away, then back to him, but looking down, her voice low and cautious. “It is true that I had pressure problems because of the sweets, but that’s not everything…” She ran a hand through her hair and Zyglavis pulled her into his arms.

“Take a deep breath. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

“I lost track of time for being in the heavens for a while and… I completely forgot to take my medicine on time…” Zyglavis knew where this was going before she finished and understood her nervousness all too well, so he hugged her even tighter. “Zyglavis?” She asked, surprised and worried.

“Are you happy?” was all he could ask, good and bad situations crossing his mind.

“I should be… no. I am happy. I’m going to have a child with the man I love. Why wouldn’t I be?” She pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes, nervousness being replaced by determination and delight, that reflected exactly his last thoughts. “I know demigods are taboo in the heavens and that having this child won’t be easy, but this is the ideal life I always dreamed of but tried to ignore because I told myself we couldn’t… but we have overcome so much together already. Our love was forbidden from the start, but here we are, married and happy. And, you know, whenever I look at you, I feel like everything will be alright. It will be difficult, but our love can overcome any challenge in the end.”

Her words reflected his exact thoughts, and Zyglavis couldn’t help but kiss her.

“Yes. We’ll get through this together as a family. It won’t be easy, but I’ll do everything in my power to take care of you and this child and make you happy.”

“I know you will, and I will be the one to protect you. Like a family should.”

A family! Zyglavis had never entertained the thought, even after they got married. Every little step of their relationship had been marked by dangerous challenges, and this one might, too. But, now that it was happening, he would fight to keep that new fragment of happiness in their lives.

To think he would go so far to break so many of the heavens’ laws for the love of that woman. A human he shouldn’t have even met, but now he couldn’t live without. It was truly a miracle they had gone so far, and they would continue doing so for as long as they lived.

“Oh, the candle is melting!” She suddenly exclaimed. “Can’t have this cake going to waste when you have gone to so much trouble to make it.” She laughed and kissed him.

“And now we have one more reason to celebrate.” He interlaced his fingers with hers and the two walked to the blanket he’d set down like it was a picnic.

“Yeah. Thank you for supporting me, my love.” She turned her attention back to the cake and blew the candle. “My only wish is for our future happiness. And I can tell you that, because I know you’re the only one who can make it come true.”

Zyglavis kissed her again, each kiss deeper than the other.

“Happy birthday, my goddess.”

“Thank you for making it a happy day, because it wouldn’t be that happy without you.”

“We are the same, then.”

Because he would never be so happy if he hadn’t met her. He was a better god and a better man with her and their growing family could only make him keep growing as both, so no matter how many challenges they faced, Zyglavis knew nothing bad could come of their love.

SCM Masterlist / General Masterlist

[sparklygoblin]

okay so I've been gone for a minute because I was writing my first fic on ao3 but I'm back with more trash than ever! I really love crack fics and my friend and I thought up this absolutely GREASY premise and I just couldn't help myself. I only included a few of my ideas in this post but let me know if yall like it and maybe I'll do a part 2

Haikyuu!! Frat House AU

Bokubro is obviously a member of the frat, he's also a minor drug dealer with Kuroo, and his room is L I T E R A L L Y DISGUSTANG, like Kuroo actually has a fear of Bokuto's side of their room. People are baffled, BAFFLED when they find out that his boyfriend is non other than Akaashi, president of the most prestigious fraternity on campus. But what can akaashi say? he believes any guy who can drink his weight in vodka, take at least three different unnameable drugs, and still smile at him the morning after, deserves his attention.

Kuroo took one for the team when he rushed, and roomed with Bokuto. Needless to say, his quiet gamer boyfriend, Kenma, refuses to stay over. When they first met at one of the frat's infamous ragers, they'd stumbled into Kuroo's shared room, heading toward a drunk hook up. Then Kenma put his hand in something wet. And very much alive. That was the first and last time. Bokuto and him irritate everyone by constantly referring to themselves as "businessmen", only to be immediately informed by Iwaizumi and Daichi that "selling drugs to high schoolers doesn't make you business men"

Daichi didn't want to be in charge, but duty calls and when you and Iwaizumi are the only sane ones in the house, well a man has to step up. Plus, it totally gains him brownie points with all of the trashy college girls that show up to their notorious parties. because he was totally interested in that, and definetly not in the chaotic silver haired boy from the competing fraternity. no he wanted nothing to do with Sugawara. It's not like he catches himself openly fantasizing about him, and the whole house made it into a running joke.

Iwaizumi is also in charge, to no one's surprise. he and daichi have the cleanest room in the house, not only that but he's the only one who will do dishes. he's exhausted. he's also sleeping with Oikawa Tooru the single most irritating member of the prestigious fraternity suga and akaashi are in. but don't mention it, don't talk about the way he blushes when oikawa throws it back, and DEFINETLY don't bring up the time Oikawa broke his knee sneaking out of Iwaizumi's room, and spent an entire semester harassing iwaizumi on a bright pink motorized scooter.

Ushijima doesn't really care enough to be in charge. Mans is a FARMER if you catch my drift, and he makes fat stacks off of his "business" with Kuroo and Bokuto. once spent the entirety of his rush week in a maid's costume. but hey he's not complaining, it did get him the attention of that really weird dude from his leisure cooking class. he and Tendou are possibly the only couple that have it all figured out so kudos to them, three years strong

the miya twins are living frat legends, and they have been since their first party, at which Osamu got wasted and punched an equally wasted atsumu in the face for "breathing too loud". Atsumu seems like he sleeps around a lot, and maybe he did, but the guy won't stop simping for a very reserved chem major named Sakusa. sakusa gave into atsumu's begging once and woke up on a stained mattress in Vegas for his trouble.

Terushima is also there, making each party a little bit more chaotic and sleeping his way through ever girl on campus, except for kiyoko and yachi, the other guys were oddly protective of them. make no mistake though, terushima was a loveable himbo, who made extra sure that safe, sane , and consensual relations were his top priority. during hell week, he had to poop in a target dumpster, but daichi and iwaizumi didn't keep a good look out for him, he narrowly avoided getting arrested. NARROWLY.

Nishinoya and Tanaka rushed together. it went exactly how you think it did. Daichi and iwaizumi swore up and down that if they weren't desperate for new pledges, they would've never let those two in after they set the toilet on fire. Tanaka got really smacked one night and took a vow to abstain from any hook ups until he and Kiyoko (the hot girl from that one sorority) were engaged. Noya holds him to it and it's actually really wholesome. Noya on the other hand is battling a low grade obsession with the anxious design major from Akaashi's fraternity. everytime Asahi gets inebriated he's instantly the life of the party, and if Noya wasn't already in love, that time drunk Asahi took his clothes off and swam in the city fountain with him really cemented it.

kyoutani hates that little snot from the other fraternity....what was his name? mini oikawa, super prissy and whiny....YaHAbA. Kyoutani won Iwazumi's admiration when he took his rush like a champ, obliterating keg stands and hair removal alike. everyone thinks it's really funny because they're basically the same person down to the snotty, prissy, irritating boyfriends they won't admit they have.

Ennoshita is the mini daichi, and he's a simp for Tanaka. constantly pulling him back from fights, and rubbing his back when he throws up. maybe someday Tanaka might notice....

Lev is possibly the dumbest rush they have ever received and also the most fun. his natural talent for shotgunning and dangerous drunken adventures, makes him a favorite. he ripped his pants in front of the entire student body during his rush, on purpose. like he wanted it to happen. still to this day, no one understands why. he's been simping for yaku as long as he's been in college, so two whole months. to the outside world, it looks like the angry little man wouldn't think twice about the lowly freshman, but lev's been in enough closets with him to know that that's just not true.

kindaichi just adds to the madness, he's an anxious peacemaker with an epic talent as a lightweight, and a massive crush on his apathetic roommate, kunimi. Kunimi regretted joining the frat the first time he watched Bokuto peel string cheese with his toes.

Hinata and Kageyama are rushing at the same time. Tobio Swageyama is made for Greek life, but Hinata can barely do a keg stand. So naturally they are paired together through the rush callenges. This results in the loss of no less than six pairs of pants, a completely bald (no eyebrows) Kageyama, and an upside down lower back tattoo reading "boke", sometimes they get a little too spicy at parties and take the whole "kiss the homies goodnight" thing to a whole other level

[willow-salix]

Weird thing that came out in response to the prompt of ‘Touch’

I don’t know where this came from other than my thoughts still being with my pondering post yesterday, that and the thought that people are too quick to judge, too quick to put their own thoughts and feelings onto another person, too quick to jump to their own conclusions rather than simply ask. Thanks to the awesome @gumnut-logic for the prompt and the callenge.

Touch is such a simple word, as can be the gestures themselves. It’s something that most people don’t even think about, it’s something that is so often freely given and received, almost automatically added into gestures of affection and friendship that are now a part of everyday life. No one questions it, no one pays any attention when they see people hugging or kissing, it’s just how it is, even if that touch is so often uninvited, unrequested and sometimes unwanted.

If someone tries to hug you and you flinch, you’re the bad guy, you’re the one in the wrong because you don’t automatically allow someone to invade your personal space. Then you are thought of as cold, unfeeling, unemotional and unsociable. Does anyone bother asking you what you want or if you are OK with it? Not in his experience.

If you don't freely accept every touch that people choose to bestow upon you, because they deem it necessary even if you don’t, it’s you that is seen as being in the wrong. Never them. Touch can be positive, but it can so easily be negative.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like to be touched, he just had to feel comfortable enough with the people around him that were doing the touching. He hadn’t always been that way, in high school he was quiet but comfortable with his small circle of friends and his family, more than happy to receive pats on the back, a brotherly shoulder bump, a hug or to have someone snuggle up to him during family time. 

He was sandwiched in the middle of four brothers, two older, two younger, all with very loud, boisterous personalities, his older brothers always there with a comforting hug or a consolatory arm slung around his shoulder on a bad day, or his younger brothers who’d happily throw themselves on him with little to no warning.

He’d grown up surrounded by people that were free with their affection and never thought twice about touching, and neither had he. 

Losing their mother had changed everything for all of them, the youngest two got the most attention, something he'd never begrudged, they had needed it. Their father had withdrawn into himself, leaving Virgil and Scott to pick up the slack with the house and Alan, leaving him to pretty much fend for himself. He'd been extremely close to their mother and without her there to mediate, knowing when he’d had too much and needed some space or when he needed to be drawn back into the family circle, he'd been left to his own devices and that had meant that he'd locked himself away to grieve in peace. 

Eventually, as a family they had grown stronger and they had attempted to integrate him back into the family unit but it had been too little too late. He'd withdrawn further and it had been noticed at school where he had grown used to either the pitying looks or the nasty sneered comments that were thrown his way. He was a loser, he was a loner, he was weird. His shy nature and now natural inclination to pull away from any physical contact was a beacon to those with a cruel streak as he'd found out to his cost. 

University was supposed to be a game changer, the place where he could find himself and grow comfortable in his own skin but it had had the opposite effect. Long hours spent in solitary study, staying awake into the early hours of the morning to watch his stars, snatching a few hours sleep before attending lectures all day had played havoc with his social skills, poor as they had been before, and had given him an excuse to retire further into himself than he had before.

He’d gotten used to being alone, not having to worry about saying the wrong thing or having to act a certain way. He’d grown used to having his own space, to not having that social interaction, not having people constantly in his face and demanding attention. It was peaceful, quiet and freeing in a way he couldn’t put his finger on but above all it was a relief to be able to think without constant demands on his time. 

But with that had come the absence of people who actively sought him out, who would check in with him even if he felt like he didn’t need them to. He made no effort to join any of the fraternities or clubs that the university had boasted, feeling he didn’t have time for them, and so his friendship circles had grown even smaller. Strangers weren’t as inclined to randomly grab him or touch him as his family had been and so it hadn’t been unheard of for him to go days, sometimes weeks without having any form of physical contact with anyone for the first year of his studies.

His second and third years had been a little different, he’d promised Virgil that he’d try to broaden his horizons and spend more time with people that shared his interests and had actively put himself out there a little more. Going to parties, all of which he had hated and made excuses to slip out early, forming friendships, dating, some casual relationships when they had the time, but at heart he'd still been more comfortable alone. 

After leaving university and devoting his life to International Rescue full time it hadn't been unheard of for him to spend more than a month alone in his craft with nothing but the odd call from home. He'd been so busy that he hadn't even realised that he'd barely spent any time with other humans in over a year. 

Coming down to the Island for the first time in more than two months had been a challenge in itself. After the peaceful quiet of space, entering the lounge had been like walking into a wall of sound. A bubbling cauldron of light, noise, energetic siblings and fussing Grandma and it had been overwhelming to his senses. Alan had rushed at him, almost bowling him over in his exuberance and it had caught him off guard. He'd flinched at the sudden impact of a hard, round head connecting with his sternum and Alan had noticed, they had all noticed. 

Alan had apologised and John had assured him that it was fine, he just needed a little warning next time, but next time had never come. He didn't know why, but after that no one had touched him unless he reached out first and he had to admit that he didn't do it often enough. He just didn't think about it, he wasn't used to including others in his daily life. He never reached out because usually he had no one to reach out to. 

Sometimes they would forget this unspoken rule that they had implemented without his knowledge and would sling an arm around his shoulders or nudge him with an elbow but they always caught themselves, jerking away as if contact with him burnt and backed off without his say so. It made things awkward for him, like they didn't know how to act around him and in turn it made it so he didn't know how to be with them. 

Everyone tiptoed around him, like he was a stray dog that had to be left alone in case they scared him off. Like if they came near him he'd run away. 

His social anxiety would nag at him, telling him that he was making them uncomfortable, that he was in the way, even though he knew in his heart that it wasn't true. They loved him, he loved them, but it had become easier to stay away, for all of them to make excuses for his absence. 

That was until she came into his life. She was his complete opposite, where he would wait to be invited into someone's personal space, she shoved her way in and set up camp. Where he was tentative and shy she was bold and confident. 

She hadn’t seen him as someone to be pitied or coddled, she hadn’t seen him as someone who wanted to be left alone, she had just seen him as someone she wanted to be close to, so she would be no matter how long that took. 

Initially he'd been on edge, his very rusty social skills, his extended periods of alone time, combined with his family's reluctance to get too close to him had left him with what amounted to a mental barrier between himself and reaching out to people. What if they rejected him like they thought he did with them? What if she was just being friendly and didn’t actually want him that way at all? The thoughts running through his head had been loud and obnoxious, drowning out all rational thought, urging him to stay away and forget about her. And he’d listened to it, done as it bid. Until she had stepped in.

She'd been different, she'd respected his boundaries, been aware of his reactions but instead of backing away and waiting for him to ask, she'd offered herself first. 

That had been the difference, she'd offered affection, she'd given him permission to reach out without words and had done it all without making it into a big deal. Because she'd never known him any other way. And that in itself had been refreshing. 

He'd had to shift his perspective, had to learn to relax, to open up and accept someone into his heart. After years of being left alone here was someone that very much wanted him close and wanted to be close in return. 

There had been a steep learning curve to letting someone as chaotic as her into his carefully controlled life but if anything her ability to never take things personally and to not give a single fuck had been a blessing. He'd quickly learnt that he could say absolutely anything and she would never think the worst of him, she had endless patience and for all her high maintenance ways, a calming energy he was drawn to. 

She’d treated him like he was normal, not like he was made of glass that would break any second and he'd responded to it without thinking. She’d touched him unconsciously, a brush of her hand, an arm draped over his as she cuddled against his side watching a movie, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder and he'd done the same. He'd look down and find that his fingers were caressing the soft skin of her wrist, his fingers playing with hers, his hand landing on her knee as naturally as if he'd been doing it forever. And his brothers had watched, watched and smiled. 

The shift had been subtle, so subtle he hadn't been sure at first, but she'd somehow managed to bridge the gap between him and his family that he hadn't even realised had widened that much.

When she sat next to him the others took it as permission to do the same. When she slid her arm around his waist it gave the others a chance to see that he was fine with it, meaning they followed her lead and draped a casual arm around his shoulders without worrying he'd flinch away. 

His brothers had been shocked the first time they had seen her throw herself into his arms after a tough night but that had opened the door for Alan to do the same and John had hugged his baby brother tightly for the first time in years. He was taller, stronger and slightly smellier than he had been the last time it had happened, but he was still the same boy he'd introduced to the wonders of the night sky and rocked as he cried. It had been so incredibly welcome. 

It's strange what you could grow accustomed to given enough time but he hadn't realised how much he had missed that simple closeness until he had it again. How much he’d missed a casual hand on his arm in the place of words, inquiring as to his well being, how much he’d missed the warm weight of a brother squashed beside him on the couch and was grateful to have it again.

His brothers had seemed more relaxed too, like they weren't worrying about him as much and that in turn allowed him to relax with them. They were still respectful of his personal space, giving him time to acclimatise to being home before they started mauling him, but that was fine by him. No one was on edge, no one was worrying that they would do the wrong thing, they had found a happy medium that had been lacking. It was nice and above all it was normal. 

She was free with her affections and treated his brothers the same way, hugging them, cuddling them, comforting them, loving them and they in turn loved her back. She'd unknowingly become the glue that had cemented him back into the family that he'd broken away from, fitting him back in as if he'd never been gone. 

They say that you shouldn't have to change yourself for love, but sometimes it happens for the better. A good relationship should allow you to grow in ways that benefit you not your partner. He’d never given it much thought before, other than believing it to be a load of sentimental, romantic rubbish, but he was happy to find that it was true.

The first time he'd reached out to touch for comfort had shocked him, for so long he'd not needed anyone, but it had been a long, hard day and she was there, all soft, warm and welcoming. Her hair had smelt like home, her head had fitted perfectly into the curve of his shoulder and she'd melted effortlessly in his arms. 

He'd held her, solid and dependable and the world had made sense again. He'd understood what he'd been missing, understood how touch didn't have to be something you endured but something to be enjoyed. 

Touch is a simple word, a simple gesture but it can convey so much.

[jellykyunnie]

*Ominously runs towards Mondstadt's and Liyue's general goods shop to buy out all the milk* Milk is good for the bones right??? well shiz, Sukoshi-kun might not be that sukoshi anymore😔. Oh welp, time to see if he can outgrow me. (I'm 5,6 feet and still growing😏) YES ILL BE YOUR PERMANENT ANON DARLING , let me have the honor of being called 🦢 anon please- Lemme brain rot over the hot villains with you (i mean, the others are also hot so if you also wanna also talk about them 👀)

YES ANON ILY PLS AAAAA- AND OMG BE CAREFUL RUNNING AROUND PLSS U MIGHT TRIP! AND YES, U CAN BRAINROT WITH ME ABOUT VILLAINS ALL U WANT OR WOoEVER U WANT PLS AAAAAAA (I’m Crying I have my first Anon fam pls EEEEE)

Also Xenon accepts ur callenge, bb will now commence his goal to outgrow u now be scared

[ao3feed-ladynoir]

Between the Lines

Between the Lines by ArtGirlLullaby

(ML Author Callenge - Prompt: Acidental Reveal) This is not how supposed to go. This was COMPLETELY opposite of how supposed to go, he was supposed to woo her, they would fall in love, reveal, get married, run away to a desert island and have three children and a hamster... Now he found out who Ladybug is because of a drawing, how is he supposed to move from that!

Words: 1696, Chapters: 1, Status: Complete, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

Rated: K

Genre: Romance/Humor

Characters: Adrien A./Cat Noir, Marinette D-C./Ladybug

Pairings: [Adrien A./Cat Noir, Marinette D-C./Ladybug]

Read Here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13656876

[dreamingsushi]

Dance of the Phoenix - Episode 8

I haven’t typed episode 7 yet, but I was busy subtitling episodes so yeah. After a super nice bath, I figured I could treat myself a little more with a sheet mask and a few episodes before going to bed. Costume drams are just so addicting to me and this one is just soooooo beautiful. I just can’t. And I have candle that smells super good soooo yeah! So nice! So happy!

Okay let’s get down to business. Last episode Zuo Qingluan gave suspicious pills to Feng wu and I want to know if she was dumb enough to eat them or not. Hopefully not.

So Zuo Qingluan is teaching Feng Wu swordsmanship but there is no improvement at all. Well Zuo Qingluan probably just wanted to check if she had any spiritual powers left. She leaves after receiving a not. Communication was very convenient back then, notes would always find their way. She tries to summon the colourful phoenix but he won’t come out of the ring. She’s feeling a little down and lies on the beach. Then Jun Linyuan comes and teaches her. He’s so elegant, seriously! Where can I get one me too?

So Zuo Qingluan was called back to the capital by their master to attend some special guest.

Feng Yiran goes to pay a visit to his aunt and brought her gifts as a token of his apology for what happened. She’s rather upset about it and wants him to leave but that annoying guy has something which he wants to discuss with her which is finding a good match for Feng Wu. Qiu Ling happens to hear that and she’s so shook that she drops the medicine she was bringing and runs away. That Feng Yiran is really an annoying dude and ennemies of Feng Wu will definitely take advantage of the fact that he’s so dumb.

Qiu Ling finds Feng Wu after they are done flying on Jun Linyuan’s sword. He’s kind of unwell but the news that Feng Yiran is looking for a husband to marry her makes the two girls leave without poor Jun Linyuan, probably having trouble because of his loveless venom.

Zuo Qingluan asks Feng Liu to assist Jun Linyuan in her stead while she’ll be gone. I hate that girl. She’s so... ugh. Well. At least Zuo Qingluan knows how to use people to her advantage. She tells her to focus on Jun Linyuan, but Feng Liu is still determined to take Feng Wu down. While Feng Wu is arguing with Feng Yiran and making it clear that she won’t get married as he decides, Feng Liu comes out with her whip. She’s definitely ready for a fight. Ugh. I so hate her, she’s a pain... Okay so she callenges her to a fight. If she wins Feng Wu has to give away the Phoenix Chant sword. If she loses, she’ll go back to the capital. Well that’s unfair. FEng Wu has no spiritual powers. Not to doubt her wit, but how could she win?

At the same time, Yu Mingye comes at Jun Linyuan. He shows him the pendant and say he will give it back if he tells him what’s his relationship with Feng Wu. But he won’t. That’s kind of dumb. They don’t have a relationship, what’s the point of hiding it?

So it’s a double fight. Feng Xun wants to help Feng Wu but neither he nor Xuan Yi can interfere with the business of the FEng family. They’ll save her last minute if needed. Yu Mingye asks Jun Linyuan to give him back his pendent and to hand Feng Xiaowu to him. Jun Linyuan figures out Feng Wu told Yu Mingye that he has captured Feng Xiaowu. So he hands back the pendent and leaves. Yu Mingye asks him why is he not fighting anymore and Jun Linyuan tells him he has been tricked again. Both of them now knows that Feng Xiaowu is Feng Wu. When Feng Liu is about to beat FEng Wu, the sword comes to her and her phoenix blood, well her master’s, mark appears on her forehead and she beats the crap out of Feng Liu. Right when Jun Linyuan arrives. Then she faints and everyone rushes to her side.

When Feng Wu wakes up, she hears the trio talking about interrogating her, so she runs away through the window and goes to see Old Ba who finished making the nine transformations spiritual restauration pill so she eats it and the taste is disgusting, as all good medicine are. Just when she’s done eating it, Jun Linyuan is on his way up to Old Ba’s place. While she’s trying to hide, Yu Mingye comes in through the window - he doesn’t like doors as we now know so well. He tries to hit on her but then Jun Linyuan is coming so she hides him behind the furnace. When she says she has no ties to the darknight court, Yu Mingye isn’t happy about it and comes out saying he wish they were working hand in hand but Feng Wu wouldn’t give him the chance of doing that. All of this activates yet once again the loveless venom and Jun Lin yuan summons his sword, drawing lightning from the sky. I feel poor Old Ba’s house will burn into ashes. Beut then Yu Mingye kidnaps Feng Wu. And Jun linyuan has pains again when he takes back control of himself.

Well Feng Wu won’t follow Yu Mingye to the darknight court and on her way home she saves a little boy that was bullied. And that triggers a memory to Yu Mingye and ugh. This character is going to break my heart, I can already feel it. It seems he was raised the harsh way. Poor baby. The ring is starting to act up so she leaves him behind. As soon as she’S alone, she goes into the ring. She tries to wake up her master but he’s still in deep sleep.

Jun Linyuan finds Yu Mingy and asks him where is Feng Wu. Oh wow. Fist fight. None of them wins over the other. Yu Mingye finally tells Jun Linyuan she went back home. Aww. Those two. The so would have been BFF if there were born in the same clan. This is such a shame. They so break my heart. I just know it so bad.

Yu Mingye gets called back by his father.

Feng Wu’s mom promises that Feng Wu will help Jun Linyuan to repay her debt for causing him that much trouble.  They organize some event that I don’t really get and during that time she apologize and young master Bi seem to take a liking to her and Feng Yiran notices that. Jun Linyuan seems to see also the looks of young master Bi on Feng Wu and he gives him the killer stare: he’s a possessive lad. Oh so basically they sent notes to the dad of Jun Linyuan to make him happy. Someone even compared him to Liu Bei and he doesn’t who it is. OMG. That’s... OMG. And he’s the big ruler. Wow... So lacking culture. I really like how they plug so many stories characters so far. It makes it more enjoyable to me.

Well there’s not much to say about my expectations for next episodes. Also I’m just moving on with episode 9 right now. A lot happened in this episode. I feel the story is starting to move on. See you in episode 9!

[ladysunamireads]

Between the Lines

Between the Lines by ArtGirlLullaby

(ML Author Callenge - Prompt: Acidental Reveal) This is not how supposed to go. This was COMPLETELY opposite of how supposed to go, he was supposed to woo her, they would fall in love, reveal, get married, run away to a desert island and have three children and a hamster... Now he found out who Ladybug is because of a drawing, how is he supposed to move from that!

Words: 1696, Chapters: 1, Status: Complete, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

Rated: K

Genre: Romance/Humor

Characters: Adrien A./Cat Noir, Marinette D-C./Ladybug

Pairings: [Adrien A./Cat Noir, Marinette D-C./Ladybug]

Read Here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/13656876

[pkmntraineremily]

Endorsements Pt 2

Hop looked over from where he was talking with Leon when Emily stepped outside,”Hurry it up, Em! You’ve gotta battle me so I can get myself an endorsement!”

“Don’t forget that I want an endorsement, too!”Emily called back, running after him towards the battle field.

Leon stayed back, and as Emily passed him,”Emily, a moment? You remember what I asked you, don’t you? I think you’ve got potential, and that’s why I want you to be a rival to Hop. And that’s direct from your Champion Leon!”

Emily frowned for a moment, before looking over at Leon with a clearly fake smile,”I remember, don’t worry.”

She finished making her way to the other side of the field from Hop. Her friend called out,”I’m going to become the greatest pokemon trainer there is! And to do that, I need that endorsement to take part in the Gym Challenge! Come at me with everything you have so we can prove to Lee that we’ve got what it takes!”

Emily grinned and called back,”Of course! I won’t hold back! And we’ll be on our way to take on the Gym Callenge afterwards!”

Professor walked out of the house, and went to stand next to Leon,“I’m rather interested in seeing how you two young trainers battle, too.”

Leon called out when everyone seemed ready,“Listen, you two, the reason I’m unbeatable is because I learn from every battle I see or take part in. That’s how I’ve gotten to where I am today. So show me something good in this battle!”

”It’s time for my legend to begin!”Hop called as he sent out his Wooloo.

“Mine’s already started!”Emily shot back, calling out her newly evolved Dottler.

”Have you gotten any stronger?”Hop asked,”Me and my team will put you to the test and see!”

“And I’ll pass that test! Confusion!” Emily ordered. Indigo eyes glowed a second before the Wooloo’s entire body did. The sheep was lifted off the ground by an invisible force, before being thrown back down to the ground.

“Wooloo, don’t give up! Tackle!” When the Wooloo regained his bearings, it launched itself at the bug type. Emily’s pokemon fell on its back and wriggled.

“Indigo!” Emily called out.

“You named your Dottler, Indigo?”Hop laughed,”But it’s yellow!”

“It wasn’t when I caught it! Confusion again!” The Dottler was able to lift itself right up, before throwing the sheep back. The sheep rolled to a stop, but didn’t get back up.

“Wooloo! Are you alright?”Hop called out.

“Wooloo is unable to battle,”Leon called out after a moment, raising his arm to Emily’s side of the field.

Emily and Hop both called their pokemon back. Emily called out her Sobble, and Hop called out his Scorbunny.

“Hey look! It’s like a reunion!”Emily giggled.

Hop joined in laughing, and added,”But this time Scorbunny and I’ll come out on top!”

“We’ll see!”

“Scorbunny, Tackle!”

The Scorbunny rushed at the Sobble, knocking him back to tumble at Emily’s feet.

“You alright, Okeley?” Emily asked. The Sobble pushed himself up and nodded. “Alright! Use Water Gun!”

Sobble opened his mouth, but instead of the normal stream of water that Emily was now used to seeing, he shot out large pulses of water to beat on the bunny. Hop’s Scorbunny fell to his hands and knees before falling down completely.

“Scorbunny is unable to battle!” Leon called out, raising his arm towards Emily again.

”Look at you!”Hop said,”You’re getting really good with type match ups!”

“Thanks!”Emily said,”That wasn’t Water Gun though, was it?”

“I don’t think so,”Hop responded,”Lee! What move was that?”

“That was Water Pulse,”Leon explained with a laugh. “A decent water type move. Is that all your pokemon, Little Brother?”

Rookidee v okeley

Hop shook his head,“Nah, I have one more. It’ll be a close one, Em! But that’s my sort of match!”

“Close one?”Emily echoed,”You’re down two to one! Do you think you’ll be able to beat all three of my pokemon?”

“We never know until I try, right, Em?” Hop retorted, calling out his Rookidee. The small bird took to the sky.

“You got me there!” Emily said,”Okeley, Water Pulse!” Okeley shot out pulses of water in the air, at the bird. Rookidee dodged most of them, but one lucky shot hit him and he dropped out of the sky. Another pulse was all it took for Rookidee to faint.

“Rookidee is unable to battle. Emily is the winner!”Leon called out.

Hop huffed,”Oof! Gutted that I lost… But I expect nothing less from my rival! And I even got my pokeball throw perfect, too!”

“Hey, that was a good battle!”Emily called, recalling her Sobble. “You’re going to be a great trainer, I think. Not that I know much about being a trainer!”

Hop chuckled,”The sting of defeat and the joy of victory...I guess going through both is the key to the two of us getting stronger, right?” Emily nodded.

Leon came over to them,”Emily! Hop! Well, after seeing a match like that one...I suppose I’ve little choice but to give you both an endorsement as champion!” He handed them both letters sealed in envelopes.

Hop bounced, and spun around with the envelope in his hands,”Yes! Thanks, Lee! I swear I’m going to win my way through the Gym Challenge to reach you!”

“Thanks! I’ll do my best too!”Emily added.

Leon smiled at them both,”You may both be young still, and plenty rough around the edges, but it was a proper battle. Charizard and I were both feeling the excitement in every last cell in our bodies! Hop, you’ve always tended to get caught up in things like how you throw your pokeball out...things that have nothing to do with real strength. Honestly, I’d be worried about you still obsessing over that sort of nonsense, but it seems you really have grown a bit, little brother! And I’d like to see some more thrilling pokemon battles out of you, too, Emily. As for advice...I would say to be careful not to focus too much on your banter. Some trainers will take that chance to get the advantage in battle.”

Both of them nodded.

Hop turned to Emily,”All right, Em! You and me are going to train up against one another to aim for that champion’s title!”

Emily smiled,”Absolutely. I can’t wait to see how strong we get!”

[nettielovesbts]

pic of the day #90. i am a run bts watching back they are cooking with mr Paik. They need to do a cooking callenge. They have so much fun together. How proud Tae is because his rice came out of a rice cooker. I honestly wonder how can you love 7 unknown men while you are in a happy marriage? 😂😂

[thetimesbehind]

Survivor Heroes v. Villains

This season was obviously a favoirte because it was filled with many of the most memorable survivors going back as far as season two. There were also a lot of great moments, but they seemed somewhat over the top and possibly manipulated by production staff. This was the first season that production double dipped on a setting reusing the same structures and locations for challenges. They played it off that they were recreating favorite challenges from the past, but how did so many favorites from the past also happen last season?  Regardless, it was fun to see great players from different seasons interact and go after each other.

BEST MOMENT: The Heroes struggled in the challenges, but after several losses, they were hungry for a win. During a sumo challenge, players had to shove one another off a platform into the mud. The heroes were aggressive and unrelenting winning every round. It was entertaining to see the villains pummeled one after another.

WORST MOMENT: Rupert Boneham was the penultimate Hero voted out, but he was the final person who acted like a hero. Colby Donaldson was technically a hero, but he presented more like a 6 foot tall fly on the wall. When Rupert was gone, it became clear that no hero would win the game.

BEST CHALLENGE: The first challenge was intense. Pairs from each team dug in the sand for bags and fought to get them to their mat. There were two major injuries in this callenge alone. Rupert Boneham broke a toe which was brought up throughout the season. Stephenie LaGrossa’s arm popped out of its socket and was snapped back in.

THE MOMENT THE GAME CHANGED: JT Thomas obviously hadn’t seen Survivor Samoa because he unwisely gave Russell Hantz an immunity idol. JT mistakenly thought Russell was the underdog in an all girl alliance on the other tribe. In all actuality, Russell was running the other tribe. The funniest part was how JT wrote a note (similar to those written by a middle schooler and exchanged during passing period), and was soon voted out by his own idol.

BEST SURVIVALIST: Rob Mariano set the Villains tribe off on the right foot by making fire even though they lost the first challenge where the heroes won the flint.

WORST SURVIVALIST: All the players in the season had survived 20 plus days prior to this season, so survival was nothing new. Cirie Fields was competing on her third season, but she still seemed like a fish out of water while trying to survive the elements.

FAVORITE PLAYER: Rupert Boneham is a big guy with a bigger personality. He was a new player to me, so I enjoyed seeing his unique charm. He was the only player to stand up to Russell prior to joining the jury. He also lived past his expiration date by keeping a rock in his pocket.

LEAST FAVORITE PLAYER: Randy Bailey brought back his signature nastiness. He hated everyone and they reciprocated the sentiment. He was voted off early, but was almost invisible.

BEST STRATEGIST: Parvati Shallow was a returning winner, so everyone had it out for her. She teamed up with Russell Hantz and let him take all the bullets for her into the final three. She wasn’t a coattail rider because she pulled off a double idol tribal council and sent home JT Thomas, another returning winner.

WORST STRATEGIST: Tyson Apostol fell for Russell’s scheme and sent himself home. Russell knew his tribe would be splitting votes amongst him and Parvati, so he persuaded Tyson to flip his vote to Parvati. At tribal council, Russell played an idol to protect Parvati and sent Tyson packing.

BIGGEST TAGALONG: Sandra Diaz-Twine rode coattails all the way to her second million dollar prize. Sandra flew under the radar to day 39 where the bitter jury awarded her the title of sole survivor to spite their collective nemesis Russell.

PLAYER WHO DESERVED TO GO FURTHER: Cirie Fields fell short of the final vote in her previous two seasons, but she was always a lovable teammate and audience favorite. JT Thomas flipped on her and voted her out on the basis of her past strategic play.

PLAYER WHO THOUGHT THEY CONTROLLED THE GAME (BUT DIDN’T): Danielle DiLorenzo was tight with Russell and Parvati from the beginning, giving Russell an opening in the game, but when he realized Danielle was closer to Parvati than him, he swiftly gave her the boot.

BIGGEST GAMER: Parvati Shallow won three immunity challenges. Everyone saw her as the biggest threat and she had to win to stay safe.

PLAYER WHO SHOULD HAVE WON BUT DIDN’T: Parvati Shallow survived attacks from day one. She made big moves. She won challenges. She stayed faithful to her alliances. Unfortunately, the jury hated Russell so much that they punished Parvati by association.

ACTUAL WINNER: Sandra Diaz-Twine knows how to talk. She didn’t do anything during the game, niether good, nor bad. Fortunately for her, the other finalists did a lot of bad, and she got the jury’s protest votes. Her best play was when she told the jury that she had tried to work with the heroes, but they wouldn’t listen. They listened this time.

WHAT THIS SEASON DID WRONG: Russell played Survivor: Samoa just a few months prior to the filming of this season, so the other players weren’t wise to his game. He was familiar with all of his opponents’ game plan, but they were clueless about his. This gave him the advantage and allowed him to play them like fools. Also, how was Candice Woodcock a hero? She was an ineffective flopper in the Cook Islands and even more this season. A passionate kiss after being voted out doesn’t earn someone hero status.

WHAT THIS SEASON DID RIGHT: You can’t beat a season with 20 favorites of the past.

[catcze]

KOKOMI WHO LOVES TO RUN HER FINGERS THRU YOUR HAIR 😭😭 BECAUSE i rmb you had shaved a design into your hair right? (or i might be completely misremembering HELP) i just think kokomi likes to put her hands on the sides of your head and trace the designs <3 (if they are there omg LMAO) also i can see koko just loving to lay her head on your lap to take naps ??? like if you’re sitting on a couch or floor she will sit down beside you and flop over onto your lap and she’ll mumble something like “lemme take a ‘cat’ nap” and i think she’s proud of her pun 😭😭💞

kjsndsak WAIT OMG 😭 Thats literally so cute wtffff 😭🫶 Kokomi run ur hands thru my hair n trace the designs on my undercut callenge 😭💞 Also yeah I do have a pattern in my undercute usually kajsdnas I cant believe u still remember that omggg🥺

Also oh my god the 'cat' nap part was so CUTE jkasnda😭 Jake im giving u sm smooches rn omg akjsdnas

[thesweetlyluckycollector]

Uus päev, uued väljakutsed ☺ Seekord lisaks medali 🏅 välja teenimiseks kõndimisele, kõnnime 🚶 me ka ookeanide koristamiseks ja seda tänud adidas running äpile. #walking #sport #callenge #challengeaccepted #adidasrunning https://www.instagram.com/p/CPbE3yVrj6W/?utm_medium=tumblr

[fittertomorrow]

1 Month challenge

So i've been eating like shit for like, 2 weeks now, and honestly, i feel quite bad, emotionally and phisicaly. So I took the start of the month as a way to refresh, and get back on track. Im going to try to complete a month of clean eating, something i have tried before, buy never acomplished.

The challenge entailes:

No processed/added sugar

No highly processed foods (nuggets, ham, cereal, etc)

No dairy/lactose (Im lactose sensitive, but most of the time that doesnt stop me 😅)

3/4 litres of water a day+ tea (optional)

1 workout a day (30+)

"Cheat day" on April first.

On April 15 Im running a half marathon (oh my god its not even april yet and im so nervous) so i thought it would be a good idea to get into my training with my eating first.

Feel free to try this callenge if u are interested, and message me ur results!

I'll be posting how it goes here, to stay accountable!

[xbooksandtea]

Inktober Bunker Day 7

Topic: Harry Potter (Part 1/? // I really want to continue this and I've got a few ideas left)

Genre: fluff, a little bit angst, romance

Word Count: 1394

Characters: Dean, Castiel, Charlie, Sam, Gabriel

Pairings: Cas/Dean, maybe Gabriel/Sam

Rating: PG

Callenge: @thebunkerofletters

When they first met on the train, Dean found Castiel sitting alone inside a compartment, a soft gleaming autumn sun illuminating his face, tinting his skin with a golden glow. The boy glared at him with bright blue eyes, a shy and almost stoic expression glistening right there in the galaxies within the vibrant blue.

Dean, despite being only eleven years old, thought he was the most beautiful thing he ever had the fortune of laying his eyes upon - right next to the apple pie his grandma made - and he pulled Charlie with him as he stumbled into the compartment and sat down opposite of the boy.

It turned out that he didn't understand anything of Charlie's weird obsession with muggle technology, but shared Dean's interest in Quidditch. Dean told him that he wanted to become a hunter one day, and Castiel shyly admitted that he planned on trying to get a position as the seeker.

When they arrived in Hogwarts, Dean had to watch how Castiel got sorted into Hufflepuff. Charlie already sat at the Gryffindor table when he walked up to sit on the chair. Professor Amara gently placed the hat on his dirty blond hair, and he was relieved when the sorting hat yelled GRYFFINDOR and he got to join Charlie, but a strange sting in his heart when he saw Castiel's sad blue eyes from two tables afar.

The next day, he found Castiel surrounded by a bunch of Slytherins, mostly older than him. When Dean walked past him with Charlie, he made a step towards him, but a sixth year prefect laid a hand on Castiel's shoulder, and Castiel lowered his head.

Dean made it onto Gryffindor's quidditch team within weeks, and they praised him as the youngest team member since a whole century, and Charlie promised to join him next year.

It was the day after a match against Ravenclaw that Castiel walked up to him, a shy look on his face.

"Hi," Dean greeted him, the adrenaline of his team's victory still rushing through his blood.

"I don't have lots of time," Castiel explained, ignoring his welcome. "My brothers didn't want me to see the match. But I wanted to congratulate you."

Dean frowned. He ignored the compliment. "The dickhead Slytherin guys are your brothers?"

Biting his lip, Castiel lifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Yeah," he finally admitted. Then: "Please don't call them dickheads."

"Well, they look like dickheads to me. Why didn't they want you to come? As future seeker you have to watch the matches at least." Dean leaned on his broom and glared at Castiel.

"I have to focus on my studies," Castiel answered slowly. "Quidditch would be but a waste of my time."

Dean tried hard not to feel insulted by that. "Is talking to me a waste of time as well?" He asked, remembering all too well the gloomy looks the older Slytherins shot him whenever he happened to walked by.

"It isn't for me," Castiel answered softly, and stuck his hands into the pockets of his robes. "We can meet later at evening, I guess. They will be at their common room then."

Dean still frowned at him, but Castiel wanted to hang out with him, and he sure as hell wasn't gonna say no. "Want to sneak out to the forbidden forest? I heard there are werewolfs, if you go in deep enough," he grinned.

Castiel paused for a moment, but then he nodded. "I'll see you at the pumpkin field?"

Dean waved at him, still grinning. "Deal."

They didn't see werewolfs that night, nor the night after, and not when they sneaked out again the week after either. But Charlie joined them around a month later, and she managed to find a unicorn. She could barely manage to stop dancing around afterwards, and Castiel's eyes shone with the light of thousand stars.

They continued to meet at evening or at night, always trying to escape the stern gaze of Raphael, Castiel's eldest brother.

By the end of the year, Castiel had long become Cas to them.

When they met again after summer holidays, Cas came running over as soon as Dean entered King's Cross. He dragged a girl behind him and introduced her as his sister Anna, who would start with her first year now.

Dean was exited that Sammy got to meet Cas as well now, though he wouldn't be able to attend Hogwarts until next year. Bobby, who had adopted the brothers after their parents had died and Charlie a few years later, liked the two Novak siblings immediately, and invited them over for Christmas. Castiel politely declined, but Dean could sense that he was really, truly happy.

Anna got sorted into Ravenclaw, but that didn't stop her from hanging out with Dean and Charlie. Castiel was still kinda shy, always scared of what his brothers might say, but he joined them more often now, and they visited each other in their common rooms every then and now between classes.

One day as the for of them sat together near the Quidditch field, one of Castiel's brothers walked up to them.

Dean's blood froze for a moment, but the boy looked rather friendly, and though Cas tensed suddenly, Anna greeted him excitedly.

"Hi Gabriel! Did you bring the candy?"

Cas look at her with a frown. "You invited him here?"

Anna sticked her tongue out before she turned to Dean and Charlie. "Gabriel always has candy. He's even better than the trolley lady."

Gabriel chuckled. "Yeah, well, but I would make a radiant lady, too."

Dean's frown deepened, but to his surprise, Charlie laughed. "You can stay, then. Right, Dean?" she added then, and punched his shoulder.

Before Dean could even blink, Gabriel sat down between Cas and Dean, throwing his green and silver tie over his shoulder. "So, you are Dean-o, eh? Cassie has told me all about ya."

Castiel stared at the grass in front of him, his eyes turning pink. "Please don't call me that."

Dean, on the other hand, was suddenly interested. "Has he?"

"Ya. Dean-o with the freckles and the cool hair and the ever-so-green eyes. I can see why you've managed to steal him away." Gabriel grinned and dug a lolipop out of the depths of his pockets, removing the paper with his teeth before sticking the candy between his teeth.

Dean blinked. "I stole him away?" Gabriel's grin turned even wider, but he didn't answer - all he did was whisteling innocently, as if he didn't hear him.

He never got an answer how or why he stole him away exactly, but he couldn't help but feeling a little flattered that Cas had talked to his brothers about him even though they obviously didn't like Castiel being around him.

They started to spend a lot of time together like this.

At some point, Anna told them that Castiel had always wanted to be a seeker, but his older brothers, especially Raphael, had never allowed him to practice. However, Gabriel had sometimes snuck them out and went to a near forest with them - an old, stolen snitch and three brooms stuck inside a hexed backpack.

By the end of that year, he wasn't exactly friends with Gabriel, but he admitted that he was a fun guy to be around. Charlie loved his candy, so he kinda went along with it. Charlie had also made it into the Quidditch team and was a brilliant hunter at Dean's side.

When they said goodbye at Kings Cross, Castiel hugged him for the first time, and askwardly tried to shake Charlie's hand, who instantly hugged him on her own instead.

"Want to come over during summer?" Dean asked him with a huge smile, refusing to be sad until it was settled how long he had to endure until they'd meet again.

Castiel turned to look at Gabriel, who nodded with a cocked grin. "I think I could come," Cas answered, smiling back gently.

"Great." Dean clapped his hands. "What about in... say, in two weeks? I bet Sammy would love to spend time with you."

"I'd love that." Cas looked him straight into the eyes, his own blue ones sparkling, his smile mirroring Dean's.

"See you then," Dean said, waving shyly.

Castiel waved back. "Yeah. See you then."