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primofate · 1 year ago

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Confessions Series - Part 2: Description [Genshin Impact Male Characters]

In a nutshell: He asks if you have your eyes set on someone. You start describing HIS features and watch for his reaction. (Hint: He likes you too)

Other works in this series: (Part 1 - Overheard)

Warnings: The usual, haven't written in a while, please forgive mistakes, bit of angst in Diluc (couldn't help it), I am a sleep deprived mother, some profanity, for some reason did not feel like writing Zhongli though he's one of my faves.

Characters: Aether, Albedo, Alhaitham, Ayato, Baizhu, Bennett, Chongyun, Cyno, Dainsleif, Diluc, Gaming, Heizou, Itto, Kaeya, Lyney, Neuvillette, Scaramouche, Tartaglia, Wriothesley, Xiao, gn!reader

Personal Favourites: Diluc, Wriothesley

Aether

"Yeah, I do," you start. "He's very selfless...He's always running around helping other people,"

Aether nods, intense gaze in his eyes while listening.

"Hmm...He has...a partner. Like a companion he always travels with..."

Aether's brows start to furrow and his head tilts the slightest bit. Paimon flying next to him has no clue who it is whatsoever.

"He's not originally from Teyvat...He's on a journey, you see..." this is where you start getting nervous

You see it click in Aether's head slowly, and his eyes start to widen the slightest bit

"Hey, that sounds an awful lot like you, traveller! Why have we never met this person before, Y/N?" Paimon asks and you only smile.

"P-Paimon," Aether glances at her and then back to you. It's silent for a moment. Paimon is super confused.

But Aether being Aether didn't want to get the wrong idea and racks up the courage to ask you one last question. "He's on a journey...to look for his twin sister?"

You smile the brightest smile you've ever given him. "Correct!"

"Ah...Well..." Aether starts to feel the heat on his cheeks. "That's..." he doesn't say anything else for a few seconds. "Don't get me wrong, I'm just...I'm happy!"

Is basically flustered when he realizes you've technically just confessed to him.

Albedo

"Simply put, I think he's dedicated to his craft," You shrug and smile

"...An admirable trait," he responds.

"He's frequently in Dragonspine. He spends a bit of time in his lab there," you decide to just go straight for the obvious.

Albedo pauses. "I...see..." Turns to you with a small smile "I wasn't aware that you were that fond of me,"

"Now you know," you simply say and try to play it off with a wave of your hand.

He chuckles under his breath and strides over to you while saying. "Well then, I suppose it's my turn to talk about the person I've set my eyes on,"

Proceeds to describe you accurately, down to your likes and dislikes. In his eyes, you seem like something so precious and you can't help but feel a bit embarrassed.

Alhaitham

"Hmm... Sort of," you explain. "He's a little...hard to reach,"

Alhaitham "...and you still pursue him?"

You laugh a bit "I'm hardly pursuing him, I'm just...observing. I like watching him, even though he has the most unreadable face I've seen,"

Alhaitham goes quiet for a moment. He catches on fast, he already has an idea but is cautious about what he says. "...I see," he doesn't ask anything else, but you continue to offer information.

"He likes reading. Really smart guy...but kind of no nonsense type. Very straight to the point," You begin to feel a little nervous so you pretend to read your own book with a small shrug.

The silence is deafening.

"I suspect that type of person will be hard to put up with," he suddenly says aloud and you chuckle in response.

"Possibly, but he seems to be putting up with me too...I guess?"

He suddenly closes his book and leans forward to pry the one in your hands away. He locks his gaze with you. "...'Putting up' is hardly the word I would use." his lips twitch the slightest bit before continuing. "He has little to no patience for other people...so if he keeps you around...perhaps it signals something else,"

"Something else...As in, I'm special?"

Again he quiets for a moment, before he stands up, chair scraping the floor. "...Precisely," he turns to start walking out of the library, waving a hand behind him. "I'll pick you up in the morning tomorrow,"

Ayato

"I do, but he's a very busy sort of man,"

Ayato "Is that so?" he pours tea for you.

"Quite. He's also a very important person,"

He hums and watches the billowing steam from the tea. "It sounds as if I might know this person," but he genuinely doesn't know it's him, he just thinks its another noble.

"...You most definitely know him. He has a sister. Lovely girl." This is where you avert your gaze from him in fear of him instantly connecting the dots.

He talks in pauses "A...sister..." His mind is starting to make connections but he can't be quite sure yet. So he prods further. "...Does she happen to have a vision?"

"A cryo vision holder, yes," you're biting the inside of your lip at this point. There's a moment of silence before you hear Ayato laughing rather gleefully, like he was amused by a story.

"I see." he ends with a chuckle. "I apologize for being so busy, Y/N," he smiles at you "I promise I'll do my best to arrange my priorities in order to spend more time with you,"

Baizhu

"He takes his job too seriously and can be quite reckless...Sometimes he even puts himself in danger,"

Changsheng catches on immediately. The snake had already known for a while. Baizhu was just being dense. "Oh here we go," the snake half whines.

Baizhu gives it a weird look before turning his attention back to you. "That does sound reckless,"

"I've told him a couple of times to think about himself too...but I guess he's just really passionate about his job,"

Baizhu sort of shrugs, "What IS his job?"

"...Well for starters he owns a pharmacy around town,"

To Baizhu the realization hits all too slowly. It's not that he was slow or dense, but he was having a hard time believing that it was him you were talking about, specially when you hadn't said it outfront.

"...You do realize I'm the only one who owns a pharmacy around town?" he asks, eyes piercing through you and awaiting your answer.

Changsheng is the one who answers for you. "Yes you ridiculous doctor, Y/N's pertaining to you!"

It's the first time you've seen him blush and he turns his head away when he does so. "I-I see, well...that's rather, unexpected...but not unwelcome,"

Clears his throat "Just give me a moment"

Changsheng would roll its eyes if it could.

Bennett

"Has a lot of energy...Sometimes I wonder where he gets all of it. I really like him for that though."

Deflates as soon as you start talking about your "crush". What kind of answer was he expecting anyway? That you had eyes for him?

"He has a bit of a...problem when it comes to luck," you continue

Bennett stops, you look at him and you can practically see the gears in his head starting to turn a little faster.

"Y-Y/N? Are you talking about..." then the gears suddenly stop. "Oh what am I saying, it can't be. Ahahaha! Let's go!" starts walking again as if nothing happened

Your jaw drops and you're forced to just DIRECTLY tell him you're talking about him.

"...Oh...Oh! F-For real?! Oh...Sorry... I just thought... there's no way! B-But, I'm really glad! Really!"

Chongyun

"Hmm...He's a little shy...but he's very responsible,"

Chongyun stares at you intently and nods as if taking notes.

"He doesn't like spicy stuff,"

Chongyun nods twice, eagerly.

"He's very dedicated in learning about thaumaturgy,"

Chongyun blanks out, brows furrow but still nods. Slowly.

"He's really good with a claymore too!"

Chongyun stops and stares at you, you see a hint of red gracing his cheeks "Y/N...You can't possibly be...talking about... m-m-m-"

Can't seem to say it, so you outright say that it is, in fact, him.

Combusts into a tomato red

Cyno

"How do I say this...He's a pretty strict guy." The two of you are playing Invokation TCG during this convo.

"Mmhmm..." Cyno is focused on his cards, frankly he doesn't give a craps ass who you're into. He didn't even know why he asked, he just dug himself a hole.

"...but he really only takes his work seriously. It's his job to be serious, I guess. I think that's what Matras need to do," he finished his turn and its yours now, though he's still studying his cards intently. Until you get to the Matra part.

"He's a Matra?" You rarely see a surprised face on Cyno so you focus your gaze on him. "Which one?" He further asks. Honestly he looks about to murder someone.

You blank out a bit at how intense his stare was, "Well...You know. That one, the one who's really into Invokation TCG,"

He immediately follows up without missing a beat "I don't know anyone else who's into--" then it clicks.

It was so damn silent for a good 10 seconds. You clear your throat, tear your eyes off him "Um, it's your turn,"

STILL doesn't budge until he finally goes back to his cards with a whisper, you can't really tell but he looks slightly bashful and you can barely, BARELY hear him "...If I win then we go on a date,"

"Okay, and if you lose?"

Cyno "...I'm not gunna lose,"

"See, I told you he's a really serious guy,"

Dainsleif

"I think he's a very dedicated person," you get lost in thought a little, thinking about him. "Whenever I look at him...Sometimes I feel as if there's a certain sadness in him... Perhaps he blames himself for not being able to protect his nation,"

He IMMEDIATELY knows. And he knows that you hurt for him too. How could he not?

"He searches for answers... I don't know for how long, I suppose a long, long time," you close your eyes, imagining how long he must have been wandering Teyvat.

You only open your eyes when you feel a hand brush against yours. He's looking straight at you, neither happy nor sad. "...You don't have to feel that way, for my circumstances,"

The brush against your hand disappears and reappears next to your cheek, his fingers gently resting on it "...Knowing that you feel that way, has taken away some of the burden that I shoulder,"

His gaze suddenly hardens and his voice drops to a whisper, "But please, just don't end up in the same way as everyone else,"

Diluc (I don't know why I end up writing a whole novel for this guy. I guess he's my OG favourite)

You pause for a moment, wondering how to describe Diluc. "...Sometimes... I feel as if I know a lot about him and yet... he's still far off in the distance,"

Diluc, rifling through paperwork, doesn't even look at you. "...That tells me nothing about him," there's a bit of bite in his statement.

You sigh a little, "I mean, simply said he's a hardworking man. He always has Mondstadt's best interests in mind...but he prefers to work alone,"

He's silent, but you can still hear the paper shuffling.

"....but people love him. They care for him. I suppose I understand why he keeps a distance but..." at this point you don't even realize that you're just rambling and staring into space. Sort of in a daze of thinking out loud. "...isn't it lonely? ...I suppose I shouldn't assume how he feels. Maybe he's fine with it...I just wonder how long till he sees us..." there's silence, no ruffle of papers, you're still just staring at the bookshelf and you continue in a monotone voice. "...or sees me,"

You blink, and all of a sudden its as if a magic spell is cast on you and you wake up to the reality that you've been rambling about him. You sit up straight "Oh," then turn to him with a careful smile. You don't think he knows what or who you're talking about anyway. "I better get going," you stand, "Jean must be waiting for me."

You leave, and he doesn't stop you.

You don't really think anything of it, feeling as if your whole monologue was very vague...but to your surprise he knocks at your door in the evening, there's a bit of rain falling.

"Diluc? You're drenche--"

"I see you,"

The determination in his voice lulls you to keep quiet and only stare up at him, wondering if he had more to say, but instead of saying something, he leans in, wrapping his arms around you and resting his forehead on your shoulder, as if he had been defeated.

You only welcome his embrace, and, for the first time in a long time. Diluc finally feels like he's home.

Gaming

"Passion!" You nod your head as you say it. "He knows what he wants to do and is incredibly dedicated to it!"

Gaming looks surprised, has no idea you're talking about him. "Huh! That's really cool!" He thinks he's the total opposite. "Wish I could be as dedicated as him."

You kind of laugh out loud and he raises his eyebrows and tilts his head. "What?"

"Gosh you really sell yourself short," you shake your head "Anyway, this guy, right, he kinda works two jobs," you put out your hand to count one and two "One, for the Secure Transport Agency and two, he's in a Wushou Troupe,"

Gaming instantly straightens his back and looks at you wide-eyed. You figure you had to be direct when it came to him otherwise he'd never get it with how modest he was.

"...You're...talking about...me?" You smile at him sympathetically.

"You know, Gaming, I wish you saw yourself the way others saw you. You're a great person,"

Big smile, but legit looks like he's about to cry. "Between the two of us? I think you're greater Y/N,"

Heizou

"...Honestly he's kind of a flirt," you raise your eyebrows at the fact and kind of question yourself why you like this kind of person. "Makes me wonder if he does that to everyone, you know?"

Heizou hums and puts his hand under his chin in a "thinking position"

"That's not enough evidence to go by. Perhaps we can investigate this guy together to see if he's worthy,"

You look at him, pursing your lips while musing and giving him a suspicious look. You're not sure if he's figured it out.

He's got no idea. I mean, it was a pretty general description. "Any distinguishing features?" he asks.

You look at him in a deadpan manner. "Red hair, I guess. And moles under his eyes,"

He looks back at you with a matching blank face.

Then breaks into a wide, close eyed grin. "I see! From experience, that person is truly trustworthy,"

You sigh a little, "Is he though?"

He chuckles heartily. "I promise you he is," offers you his hand with a genuine smile. "Let me show you,"

Itto

"Ummm... big, tall, strong looking guy. Intimidating at first look but he's actually a dork," you explain.

Itto crosses his arms above his chest with an unamused face. "Tch! No way! Ain't no one taller than me in Inazuma!" Then he looks smug again. "Anyway, keep goin'. What else?" Only asked you because he wants to see what your "type" is.

"...Popular? Nah... Infamous is the word, I think. He kinda gets into a lot of trouble,"

Itto raises a brow "You serious? Whaddyou want with someone like that?" as if he wasn't a troublemaker himself.

"I mean... He also loves life and somehow always sees the good side of things."

Itto "Eh... guess that's a good thing..." folds his arms behind his head and huffs.

This guy is never gunna get it so you drop more obvious hints. "He's an oni who has his own gang."

For a split second he looked like he was going to get it, and then... "WHAT?! There's another oni who wants to challenge the Arataki Gang?"

"That's not what I--"

punches his fist onto his palm "Lead the way Y/N, let me at 'em!"

"I'm talking about you!"

"Huh?"

"Itto, there's no other oni around town!" leave it to him to make you exasperated.

He quiets for a few seconds. "...But Y/N..."

You expectantly stare at him, curious what he was going to say about your confession.

"...Did you just call me a dork?"

Of course that's what he picks up on.

When he finally processes it though, he's stoked and on an all time high.

Kaeya

"...good at talking to people, and he knows it... Exudes charisma like he breathes air," You're saying this with a glare.

He chuckles and rests his head on his fist. "Why, pray tell, do you look angry when saying that?"

"Not angry..." you mumble under your breath, eyes trailing away from him. "Just... probably a lot of people like him,"

"And you don't like that?" He smirks. He totally knows.

"...No...Well...I'm okay with it... It's just... I think he's so much more than what he shows to others,"

That, he wasn't expecting. He actually feels genuinely touched.

"Sure he jokes around a lot...Is good at making people feel comfortable...but he's also kind...and you can always count on him," there's a faraway gaze in your eyes now, a small smile on your face. "To me, he's...a safe space."

Kaeya's smile drops. It looks like he's unhappy and you think that maybe you've made a mistake. Still...there's no way he knows that it's him, right? It was kinda vague...

You're about to stand and excuse yourself but he catches your wrist easily. "...You know..." he starts, meeting you eye to eye. He looks at you as if he's looking into your soul, his eyes the gentlest you've seen them.

"You make it so hard, not to fall deeper in love with you,"

Lyney (I have no idea how this ended up so dramatic)

"He isn't exactly a trickster...but he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve,"

Lyney "Oh?" Raises an eyebrow. Something kind of clicks in him, but he shakes it off. "The good kind or the bad kind?"

You stall a little, thinking of the answer, knowing that he's Fatui. "The...good...kind,"

"You don't sound very sure," he gives you a lopsided smile.

"It's complicated," you admit. "Regardless of the circumstances though, I think he's a great magician,"

You watch his face turn into surprise quite quickly, but he still looks and feels unsure of himself. "Oh, perhaps...I can learn a thing or two from him?"

Your smile turns forced and hard. He can't be serious? He STILL doesn't know, or...what?

"I...Well..." You don't know what to say next, but he seems to get the idea.

"Sorry, have I put you in a hard place? Ahaha..." Scratches the back of his head. "My apologies, I was just curious,"

This, for some reason, really puts you off and you feel as if you've been rejected, even though you technically had not outright told him that you're talking about him.

It seems silly for you to get upset, but you are. So you stand, and make a request of him. "Can we... just pretend this conversation didn't happen?" and you give him some sort of excuse that you need to run an errand or something, and you're off, leaving him feeling...guilty. But he doesn't know why. Or does he?

Lyney would look like the type of person who would be confident about himself. But, really, as a magician, he had to be 1000% sure about something before he went ahead with it, and so...that's where his doubt stemmed from.

Lynnette is really the one who knocks some sense into him. "...and you...let Y/N leave?" after hearing the story from him.

"Oh, Lyney... Regardless of what Y/N feels... For you, next to Freminet and I, is there someone else that you love dearly?"

That's how he ends up at your doorstep. Though you've seen his disappearing rose trick hundreds of times, he was the most sincere at that moment, when he says sorry that he didn't get the hint and to give him a chance.

Neuvillette

"Serious person. He seems to put his work first, above all else," you say. "I respect him a lot for that,"

Neuvillette is interested in what you say, but doesn't know at all that it's him. "He does sound quite respectable," he says while looking through some files.

"A long time ago he said that he feels like he's an outsider...but really I feel like there isn't anyone who knows Fontaine the way that he does,"

Neuvillette, moves the file he was reading downwards, just to look at you questioningly. "He's from Fontaine?" this was surprising to him.

"Well...he currently resides in Fontaine, yes," you nod.

"Ah," he answered curtly. "And I have never met him?" he asks.

"...He's very busy." you bite your lip, about to say something and you know that the next sentence is the point of no return. "He's the Iudex...so it's hard to catch him,"

You swear you can hear your heart hammering in your chest.

You see him put his files down and just stare at you with a sort of...unsure look.

His shoulders relax, he wasn't even aware he had been tense that whole time. "That... must have taken a lot of consideration and courage to say," he clears his throat.

You only nod your head slowly, moving your gaze away from him with an awkward smile. Hand absentmindedly grabbing a book and flipping through the pages...you had no idea what you were doing out of nervousness.

"I apologize...I'm unfamiliar with what to do in these kinds of situations... However," he pauses and seems to think carefully about what he was going to say next. "Please don't take it as a rejection. I'd be honored to navigate this with you, if you would so graciously have me,"

Scaramouche

"He's an asshole," you bite back a laugh.

He instantly knows.

"Actually he acts all tough only to give in to his inner-kind-of-agreeable-personality,"

He snorts

"What? Am I wrong?" you challenge him. You KNOW that he knows. The two of you have been hovering around each other for a while, and there's a certain closeness between the two of you. Though that line was never crossed.

He doesn't answer you back but prods you more. "Is that all? You like that he's an asshole? Are you some type of masochist?"

You almost laugh. "No, you moron. I'm saying he has a weird way of showing he cares. He's always biting my head about not being careful enough. But if he really didn't care he wouldn't be screaming at me, you know what I mean?"

Scaramouche grumbles something under his breath and crosses his arms, turning away from you.

"Say that again?" You ask, not hearing what he said.

"...I said, you're not as stupid as I thought you were," shrugs his concealed embarrassment off and turns back to you all nonchalant again. "Anyway, stop yapping and get going, we got things to do,"

Snatches your hand and starts pulling you to walk with him.

Tartaglia (I feel like this is ridiculously short but I also feel like Tartaglia would have known a LONG time ago if the two of you had the feels for each other)

"Oh man...Probably the most reckless man I know,"

Also knows. Instantly. But shuts his mouth just so he can listen to you talk about him, but it gets deep real quick.

"In my opinion he's a handsome guy. Real charming," you smirk the tiniest bit. "but I don't know if I can keep up with him, honestly. It's a little hard not knowing when he's going to come back...or if he's even gunna come back at all,"

You weren't going to hide the fact that you were scared shitless he didn't return from Fontaine for ages. You legitimately thought he had died.

Tartaglia stops you there, by suddenly cradling your cheek. "Y/N," he's wearing a pained expression. "I'm sorry,"

"Don't be, it's your job, right?" You reassure him, and shrug.

He sighs "Yes, but I'll promise this to you as I've promised my family," he smiles, the most confident smile you've seen on him. Even more confident than when he wields his blades. "I'll come back to you, I always will,"

Wriothesley

"Er... How do I say this... He kind of has some... big boss energy?"

"Oh?" he sips at his tea, glancing at you while he looks at today's paper. "So he's a bigshot?" he asks curiously.

"Somewhat, yes. Intimidating at first look, but...he just has a great sense of responsibility," you pick at the selection of cakes and cookies he has.

"Huh," he lets out in a quick huff. In the deepest, DEEPEST parts of his mind there is a NANOSECOND that he thinks its him but it gets erased so quickly he's not even sure that he had thought about it.

"Sounds like a good person... Any interesting, weird quirks?" he grins as he says this, yet again glancing at your expression.

Your lips tremble a bit at what you're about to say, because you're SURE he was going to get it once you say it. You gulp and feel the hairs at the back of your neck stand before you say out loud "He likes tea. I kind of wonder if it's an addiction," you can't meet his eyes.

He's looking at the paper he's reading but nothing.registers.in.his.brain.its.like.it.stopped.working.

You shift in the uncomfortable silence but he calmly folds up the newspaper and places it on his table. "...I'm inclined to ask, because it would be embarrassing if I got the wrong idea,"

"Mmhmm," you pop a cookie in your mouth to distract yourself.

"By any chance, are you...talking about me?"

"Mm," you nod your head, still not looking at him and glue your eyes on the cookies instead, out of embarrassment.

Suddenly chuckles. You brave a peek at him, now covering his eyes with a single hand, head tipped back to rest on his chair.

You're not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

"Sorry, no, it's just... I didn't think it would happen this way." Visibly takes in a big breath and sighs it out slowly. Seems to have regained his composure and is back to his confident self, smiling at you. "Thanks Y/N, I... don't think it's much of a secret that I enjoy your company too. I'm just a little embarrassed that you beat me to it...some big boss energy huh?"

Xiao

"...He takes on everything by himself. I worry about him," You look at the stars as you say this. Xiao doesn't say anything.

"But I'm glad that he's opening up a lot more now. It's great to see him among friends,"

Xiao has a feeling at this point, that its him you're talking about, but he still doesn't say anything and keeps his gaze in front of him rather than on you.

"Yes, the road in front of him is long but...he's also already come a long way," you sigh a little "The time of Rex Lapis has long gone, but he still sticks to his principles. I think his dedication is part of what I like about him,"

This is when he turns to you, blank look on his face, contemplating on what to do. When you turn to meet his gaze, its then that he decides to bridge the gap between the two of you, shoulder to shoulder, leaning in sideways to catch your lips in a chaste and rather shy kiss.

"You should give a bit of credit to yourself, for putting up with me all these years, Y/N,"

End!

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#genshin impact #genshin fluff #neuvillette x reader #wriothesley x reader #diluc x reader #alhaitham x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #gaming x reader #scaramouche x reader #itto x reader #aether x reader #cyno x reader #albedo x reader #ayato x reader

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mahowaga · 4 months ago

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THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT FOR THE BEAU IDÉAL OF IDIOCY | N.K. — PROLOGUE

SUMMARY: you're supposed to be in the stands, eating snacks and talking strategy with your friends, enjoying watching the three champions battle for the triwizard cup. you're not supposed to be entangled in what seems to be your own personal (hell) triwizard tournament.

PAIRING: ravenclaw!nanami kento x hufflepuff!fem!reader | mc’s best friend yu haibara, insufferable asshole fushiguro toji, no-nonsense house-elf ryomen sukuna CONTAINS: hp x jjk au, (friends who are) idiots to lovers, romance, fluff, crack, profanity PLAYLIST: the course of true love never did run smooth WC: 8.2k WARNINGS: a slur thrown, an almost fistfight, a fainting spell, just mc being a clown

series masterlist | next

— PROLOGUE: A TRIFECTA OF TRAGEDIES TO PUT ALL OTHER DISASTERS TO SHAME

(First and foremost, a person’s purity of blood should have absolutely nothing to do with how they are treated. Isn’t it their heart that should be pure, after all?

That’s the mentality you try to live by.)

In retrospect, you should have known better than to ask Fushiguro Toji, the insufferable dark haired (and pure-blooded) boy from Slytherin who only interacted with people of, and you’re quoting him directly here, the same stature as I, to be your date to the Yule Ball. What had quite possessed you to even go up to that intimidatingly long bench in the Great Hall on which he had lounged on with such repose alongside his friends is knowledge that’s probably hidden behind some kind of paywall. For the time being, you’re okay with letting it elude you. What you aren’t okay with is how he had completely shut you down without so much as giving you a chance to state your business.

You aren’t surprised. No, you’d pretty much expected this. Why on Earth would Toji go with the likes of you? Well, there’s no need to wonder because here are some, if not all, of the reasons why:

You are a Hufflepuff. (In Toji’s eyes: “The house where all of the leftovers go.”)

You are a Muggleborn. (Again, from Toji’s point of view: “What the hell is that?”)

You had come up to him with a piece of fabric that you’d sewn yourself - a simple necktie - a golden yellow with a dotted pattern that resembled spots of dark ink that someone had spilled (this hadn’t been the intention but you’d decided to roll with it) - and had offered it to him, telling him that you two could coordinate your outfits by matching the tie with a hairband you’d sewn for yourself (same pattern and everything; because you are nothing if not dedicated to the cause). (Toji: “That’s the ugliest fucking thing I have ever seen.”)

It sounds worse than it is.

Actually, scratch that. It’s a nightmare given sentience. You’ve just gotten yourself embarrassed in front of basically the entirety of Hogwarts. And if that isn’t enough, the students and staff of the two visiting wizarding schools are here, probably enjoying your public humiliation. Lovely.

But no, you’re not surprised. This is Toji in a nutshell. You’d expected as much. If anything, you’d hoped he would have a change of heart (similar to how he’d helped you during Potions the other evening, but that appears to have been a trick of the mist now that you look back at it and really think) and say Yes, I thought you’d never ask!

Hope is such a dangerous thing.

You just stand there in shock more than anything else, looking into his eyes, as dark as the soul swirling inside of him, the color of tar, trying to force yourself to say something. Right now, you’re hyper aware of everyone and everything, including the way the din of the Hall had died down the moment Toji had opened his mouth.

Focus. You need to move, or speak, or both.

Finally, you’re able to coerce your brain to communicate with your vocal chords. “I can change the color of the tie,” you say meekly.

Inwardly, you want to facepalm yourself. Are you serious? You think the tie is the problem here?

The Slytherins perched around Toji snicker, because they (and you) know what’s coming. He’s going to rip you an entirely new one and send you back to the Hufflepuff common room with your tail between your legs and a newfound resolution to never cross paths with him ever again.

He cocks his head at you, as if he’s simultaneously amused and irked that you were still talking to him. His eyes narrow ever so slightly, his brow raised in disapproval.

You have to get out of there. This feels like a natural disaster waiting to happen. (It is.) And yet, you find yourself rooted to the spot.

(This isn’t quite the way you’d imagined you’d realize that, deep down in the recesses of your body and mind, you are somewhat of a masochist. This is the only explanation you can offer as to why you’re still standing above Toji, the tie in your hand, awaiting a very rude awakening.)

“Listen,” Toji says, his voice deep and gravelly and it almost makes you want to swoon (but you can’t and you don’t because this boy is evil incarnate), “I don’t know what made you think you could just, I don’t know, walk up to me and start talking, but I think you should walk away while I’m still being nice.” He shrugs, flashing a charming smirk at his friends. “Or not,” he says, standing up and towering over you. You feel yourself shrink into yourself. “Your choice, Mudblood.”

Son of a bitch.

The necktie will be covered in blood and creases by the time you’re done with Fushiguro Toji.

You grip the tie so tightly you can feel your nails digging into your palm, the fabric doing absolutely nothing as a buffer.

Walk away? You want to scoff. Not a chance. You might’ve considered walking away, running away, even, just minutes ago, but he’d just insulted you. Now it was a whole different ball game.

He notices your clenched fists and smiles. He reaches into his robe lazily for his wand.

You huff. If Toji is going to fight you, he is going to fight you hand-to-hand. You know, the way Mudbloods like you do.

What good is a wand when you’ve already gotten your face punched in twice before you can even cast a spell?

The entire Hall is engulfed in pin-drop silence. It’s almost calming, in a cathartic way. Like a battlefield before the battle, just both sides with their eyes closed and their palms pressed together in prayer.

You raise your fist, the spotted tie wrapped messily around it, ready to throw hands. Toji, in turn, raises his wand with a sense of detachment. He doesn’t care.

“Enough,” comes a voice, calm and certain and authoritative.

You curse under your breath, but don’t bring your hands down. You’d be damned if you let your guard down in front of Toji.

“Head Boy Nanami,” Toji drawls, pointing his dark wand at the boy in question.

At the mention of his name - well, his title and his surname - your heart begins to hammer in your chest. This is bad. Very bad. You don’t want Kento to see you like this. (It’s already horrifying enough to have the entire school and more watch you get rejected and then almost get into a fistfight, but the fact that he’s seen it makes everything infinitely worse. It’s bad for business.)

And so you do the only logical thing you can think of after turning your head to meet Kento’s gaze, those hazel eyes of his burning into yours, asking you if you are out of your mind: you pass out.

(Passing out on command is a gift. Or a curse, depending on how you look at it. You don’t even remember how you figured out you could do it, but hey, it seems to have worked in your favour.)

The first thing you see when you open your eyes are your best friend’s own staring down at you. They are filled to the brim with sheer delight and pure entertainment. His smile pulls the whole look together. You wonder how long he’s been sitting on the wobbly wooden chair next to the bed with that smile on his face. Knowing him, probably the moment you’d been brought into the hospital wing.

“Don’t start,” you groan, turning your head away from him and resting your forearm across your eyes. So dramatic.

Haibara grabs your arm and pulls it off of your face. He looks way too ecstatic for someone whose best friend had just embarrassed themself in front of everyone and Head Boy Nanami.

Your arm flops back down onto the crisp white linen sheets of the bed. You sigh and avoid his eyes, though it’s proving to be a daunting task seeing as how he’s now inches away from your face. (Hey, that spot on the ceiling looks real interesting right now!)

“You know,” Haibara starts, already trying to suppress a giggle, “when you said you were going to find yourself a date to the Yule Ball, I didn’t think you were talking about Fushiguro.” He pokes your side and you flinch, smacking his hand.

You roll your eyes. You really don’t want to have this conversation right now. You’re still reeling from humiliating yourself in front of Head Boy Nanami.

Why are you fixated on one person? You literally gave all three wizarding schools gossip for days.

That thought isn’t comforting either, but it’s the former that’s going to keep you up at night.

You feign nonchalance. “Right,” you say, “and who, pray tell, did you have in mind?”

Previously, you’d thought Haibara’s grin couldn’t get any wider, but you’ve been proven wrong. That boy is like a drop of sunshine that evolved into a human. This is great, except for the fact that you are currently allergic to sunbeams.

His glee sickens you.

It’s like he’s trying to suppress his laughter. “You already know my answer, genius.”

There it is. Of course he knows. And he knows because you’d told him. On more than one occasion. Haibara, he’s so handsome. How can he walk around looking like that all day? It’s crazy. And when your best friend had asked you, point blank, by the way, if you had a crush, this had been your response: Absolutely not. How dare you insinuate such a baseless accusation?

You had lied.

And you’re about to do it again.

“I barely know him. Why would I ask him to be my date?”

He purses his lips in disappointment, though it does little to mask his amusement. While he helps you sit up, he cocks his head and looks at you. “Come on,” he huffs. “I introduced you two to each other for a reason. Make my efforts worthwhile, please. This is the perfect opportunity.”

If you hadn’t just had the most horrific experience of your life, you might’ve considered it. Unfortunately, that’s not how life works, at least for you. So you shake your head.

“He’s clearly not interested in me.” You pull the blanket off of your legs and swing them off the side of the bed. Haibara scoots his chair back to give you space, his gaze still fixed on you. “Besides, we barely even talk. The only conversations we have are in the hallways on our way to class. ‘Good morning’ and ‘Good evening’. That’s it.” You take a breath. “I don’t know him like that.”

“And you know Toji like that?”

Well. He has a point (as much as it gagged you to hear it). You’re obviously not going to make this known.

“Look,” you start, steepling your fingers together as you rest your elbows on your knees, “I asked Toji out because, well, he was nice to me.”

It’s Haibara’s turn to be gagged. “He was what?” he asks, his mouth open. “We’re talking about the same person, right?”

You nod, and suddenly the information that had been hidden behind a paywall is accessible to you. (The payment was probably your public abashment earlier.) Your palm flies to your forehead.

“Oh my God,” you say, standing up quickly. Haibara mirrors you, his arms held out in case you topple over. (He thinks you’d actually fainted from the stress, and not just from the sheer willpower of wanting to remove yourself from the situation.)

“Haibara.” You put your hands on his shoulders, your eyes wide. “I know why I asked Toji to be my date.”

You pause for dramatic effect, and he urges you on. “I’ll bite, but you literally just said it was because he was nice to you.”

It’s all fitting together like the pieces of a very flawed jigsaw puzzle. The kind where there are corner pieces in the middle and middle pieces in the corners. Utter chaos.

Shaking your head at Haibara, you start to pace in front of the small bed, your hands clasped behind your back.

“It was during our Potions class two weeks ago,” you start, nodding to yourself as you recall the memory. “We were making that thing-” you snap your fingers, trying to pull the name of the elixir from the edge of your mind -”felix felicis. Next thing you know, he was high on his own supply. But I didn’t know that, because I didn’t think he was dumb enough to try something he’d made without verifying it with the professor first, so when he came over to talk to me he was the sweetest he’d ever been and then I thought I could sort of help him change his ways and grow.” You spread your hands triumphantly. Remembering things was hard. You were proud of yourself.

Your best friend, on the other hand, was anything but impressed.

He frowns, his brows knitted together tightly. “Toji has hated Hufflepuffs and Muggleborns since forever,” he says, waving an arm out. “What is wrong with you? Why would you think he’d just, I don’t know, suddenly develop a conscience just by being around you?”

Because you’re an idiot, that’s what. An idiot who had hoped. Really, you should’ve known better. Haibara is right. But, yet again, you refuse to give him the satisfaction. So instead of acknowledging his words, you shrug.

“I was just willing to give him a chance. See if he really did want to turn over a new leaf.” And it’s the truth. There is no other reason that you can think of for having pulled quite the risky stunt, not unless there’s something your subconscious isn’t telling you.

That’s something you’ll unpack later. (Years later, you hope.)

Haibara opens his mouth to say something, maybe to tell you that you are the bane of his existence and have zero brain cells (true), but you cut him off.

“I’m going back to the common room.” You shrug your robes on and straighten your tie in the tiny mirror at the bedside table. “I’m hoping that you and I can put this whole Toji situation behind us, and by that I mean please don’t bring it up ever again because it’s a lack of awareness on my part and no, I will not repeat what I just said because you’ll use it against me as leverage.”

And then you wave, and you’re off towards the staircase, leaving behind a baffled and thoroughly entertained Yu Haibara to fix the sheets.

You’re not paying attention to where you’re going. In fact, you’re not sure you’re even on the right staircase that leads to the kitchens. (You’re royally screwed!) You’d just wanted to escape Haibara’s inquisitive gaze, and dashing right out of the hospital wing seemed to be a better option than passing out again (although that was always Plan C. Don’t ask about Plan B.)

The necktie is still in the pocket of your robe. You brush your hand against it, wanting to grab it and throw it right down the labyrinth of stairs, gone forever.

It’s not the tie’s fault.

It isn’t. It doesn’t deserve to be treated like a piece of garbage. Especially not after you’d poured your blood, sweat and tears into sewing it two nights ago after waking up in a cold sweat having dreamt about showing up to the Yule Ball with a date who’d forgotten who his date was because he couldn’t tell her apart from the rest of the attendees.

What a nightmare.

You pull the necktie from your pocket and look at it. It’s crinkled from where you’d grabbed it earlier, ready to make Toji see stars.

A sigh escapes you, more of relief than irritation. It’s salvageable, at least. There’s nothing a little ironing can’t fix. Well, that or a spell. Unfortunately for you, you don’t know what the magic words are.

All of your attention is focused on the tie as you descend the stairs to the kitchens. There’s a sickening squelching sound that cuts through your train of thought, and you realize too late (an understatement) that you’ve just stepped on the Forbidden Step.

Shit.

You look around hurriedly for someone, anyone, to come and help pull you out. Curses possess your tongue, aimed at either yourself, the stupid staircase or that damn tie, still clutched in your hand, now squished into your palm with the stress. (You’ve created a multi-purpose tie: it’s a formal accessory, a hand wrap, and, of course, the newest addition! A stress ball. Your ingenuity is outstanding.)

Quite how long you’re standing there with one foot sunk deep into the innards of the staircase and the other braced on the step directly above you aren’t sure. Physically, it feels like it’s been a day. Mentally you’ve relived the horror of a few hours ago at the Great Hall with Toji about a million times.

No good ever comes from a stationary body paired with an idle mind.

You keep thinking about what Haibara had said about Toji. Should you have even bothered to ask him out? Should you have asked out someone else instead? You know, the one guy you’ve wanted to talk to since the moment you’d met him. The guy who’s always been there when you made a fool of yourself and who’s never said anything to make you feel bad about it. (He can’t say anything anyways - you barely know each other.) The guy you find extremely handsome and charming and smart and everything a Ravenclaw embodies - yep, no guy other than the one and only-

“Need help?”

You’d scream if you didn’t want to protect your last sliver of dignity.

You look up to meet his eyes, those eyes that always seem to be scrutinizing your every move, questioning, wondering, thinking. A pained smile inhabits your face (you need to look good no matter what, especially in front of him).

“I’m good, thanks,” you say, waving him off, that stupid smile still making the muscles in your cheeks work overtime.

Kento tilts his head as if he is not convinced. He crosses his arms. “Are you sure?”

“Yep,” you say, even though your legs are aching and you really, really want him to pull you out. (But you can’t ask him, you’ve already embarrassed yourself in front of him once today and you’re not sure you can handle a double whammy.) “I’m just,” you pause, looking for a word that would remove all suspicion, ”chillin’.”

His eyebrows shoot up the moment it comes out of your mouth. You honestly didn’t expect anything less - Kento is very observant and does well at reading people, so he knows you’re lying.

“Just chillin’?” he asks. The corner of his mouth twitches as if he’s trying to suppress a smile.

“Just chillin’.”

Please go away, Kento.

The shake of his head tells you that he doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon. At least, not before he wins the game of tug-of-war between you and the truth. You need to do something to make him let his guard down and leave you alone, as much as it pains you to think. Here he is, your raging crush, in all his glory, offering to help you, of all things, and you want nothing more than to turn him away.

Haibara would love this. He’d love seeing you suffer. He’d probably say something like, This is the perfect opportunity to get to know him.

Actually. Hold that thought. This is the perfect opportunity to get to know him. Ask Kento about himself and make small talk and he should be totally and completely charmed by you that he’ll forget that you’re halfway sunk into a staircase.

(Thank you, Version-of-Haibara-who-lives-in-your-head.)

“So,” you start, resting your cheek in the palm of your hand, your elbow on your knee (this just pushes your leg further into the stair, but you’ll do anything to appear nonchalant), “how goes the second task for the tournament?”

Kento doesn’t miss a beat.

“Let me help you.”

You shake your head adamantly. (Operation Ask-him-about-himself is a bust. At this point, you are beginning to realize that you are digging yourself a hole and once you are deep enough, the dirt that covers you will be your chagrin.) “I’m fine.”

He runs a hand through his parted blonde hair, the color of straw. Very pretty straw. (Who said that?) A sigh escapes his lips. “This isn’t as embarrassing as you think it is. You know that, right?”

You almost choke. See, you’d known he was a master at reading body language, but you hadn’t known just how good he was. Now you know, and it makes you feel oddly exposed. And also slightly humiliated because you thought you were doing a pretty bang up job of hiding your emotions.

“It’s not that!” you protest, trying to stand up as straight as you can. “Look at me, I really am fine here. Trust me.”

“You look like your calves are starting to burn,” he says.

You scoff. He’s too good. Your calves seem to light themselves on fire the moment he mentions it, and you bite back a grunt as you fix your stance.

He steps closer to you. His hand twinges at his side. You’re about ten inches away from him, and he’s down on his knee to be at eye level with you. If your family didn’t have a history of cardiac disease, you’re about to be at the start. Your heart begins to hammer in your chest, thumping erratically, like there’s something in there begging to be let out. The proximity is suffocating.

He holds your eye contact as if it’s a gun pointed to your head.

(You’ve had a crush on Nanami Kento ever since Year Four. You’d known that your best friend, Yu Haibara, was really close with Kento, having been together since they were kids, but you’d never asked Haibara to introduce you. You preferred to appreciate Kento from a distance, because, let’s be real, he would never notice you, let alone be interested in you the way you were into him. But then Haibara, unprovoked, mind you, had dragged you to the owlery one evening after classes during Year Six, and you’d come face-to-face with the boy you’d been dreaming about for years.

It had been an awkward conversation, more so for him than you. You had been quite a mess, stuttering and stumbling over your words, while he’d been the poster boy of tranquility and composition, and after a few minutes you’d excused yourself, feathers dusting your head, and rushed back to the common room, your face beet red because of a thousand emotions.

As uncomfortable as you’d felt that evening, you didn’t blame him for it (no, you’d done all that yourself) and continued to admire him from afar. Having him inches away from your face now is doing things to you.)

Your brain is running at a million miles per hour. You process everything the only way you know how: by making a list.

Nanami Kento, your crush of three years, is squatting in front of you, approximately ten inches away from your face. His hair is neatly parted, his sunburst eyes are trained on yours and his mouth is twisted slightly into what you can only assume is a smile.

You have had the misfortune of stepping onto the Forbidden Step, AKA one of many trick steps in the Grand Staircase that causes its victim’s leg to sink right through it. You wish you had been paying more attention.

The step has such a hold on your leg that you don’t see any other way out other than to accept help from someone else - in this case, Kento.

You have embarrassed yourself more times than you can count today, but the only person you’re really worried about is Kento. He’s your crush. You’ve always tried to act your best around him. Now he’s had the pleasure of seeing the following: a) Toji breaking you down to your blood status, b) you getting ready to scrap with Toji, c) you passing out (on command, you might add) for the sake of your self-respect the moment you saw Kento in the Great Halll, and now d) you stuck knee-deep in one of the steps, claiming you are just ‘chillin’’.

Having a crush is exhausting. You have to be orderly every moment of every day because you can’t do anything compromising for fear of losing whatever respect he has for you (it’s down to zero percent now, you’re sure).

You give up. You’re hungry, you’re tired, and you need help. The fact that it’s him there to assist by chance is not your business. You’ll take what you can get. Your reputation is already tarnished in his eyes anyways. If he’s offering out of the goodness of his heart or solely because he is the Head Boy and that’s what Head Boys do (you have no idea), who are you to argue? He’s your only chance, because the staircase seems otherwise deserted. How fortunate for you.

You exhale slowly. “My calves are burning,” you mutter, looking away.

“I thought you were just chillin’,” he says. Your eyes snap to his, and he’s smiling, enjoying your discomfort, but you’ll be damned if you don’t admit that he looks drop-dead handsome when he smiles. It feels like when the sun peeks out from behind the clouds after a period of rainfall.

Focus, please.

Before you say anything else, however, he reaches his hands out for you. You realize you’re still holding the tie in your hand and press it into his palm. The faint breeze dances across your sweaty palm, now free of the fabric. This is humiliating. You can’t hold his hands with the slick sweat. You wipe your palms on your robes hurriedly.

When you look back at him, ready to grab onto his arms, he’s looking at the spotted tie in his hand.

It’s silent for a few seconds, the sound of the cogs of his mind turning.

Kento looks up at you, his face strangely devoid of any emotion whatsoever. You can’t gauge what he’s thinking (then again, you are no connoisseur at reading people).

“Sure, I’ll go with you.”

Confusion floods into you like a dam had just broken. “Huh?”

He holds the tie up, the scrunched up fabric trailing limply. You cringe at the visual. “The Yule Ball,” he says simply. “I’ll be your date.”

You want to die. He cannot be serious. You never even asked him. It’s not like you don’t want to go with him - he is literally at the top of the list of potential dates, but he’s also at the top of the list of dates who would reject you (Toji is right beneath him) - so his words turn you inside out.

(If he’s serious, you’re 0 for 1 on your list of dates who’d reject you. That’s right, there are only two names on that list. Send help.)

You’re beginning to short-circuit. There’s only so much that can happen in a day before even you start to wear yourself out. This is just overkill.

Get it together, you hiss at yourself. You need to say something to clear up the misunderstanding. (Where did he even get this idea that you were asking him to the Ball? Was he asking you? No, that couldn’t be.)

“Oh. Oh, no, that’s not-”

“Aren’t you asking me?” he asks, arching a brow. He looks so innocent when he lifts the necktie again, as if that’s supposed to explain anything.

You make an attempt to grab the tie from him. That damn thing was the bane of your existence. “Give me that back. It’s hideous.”

He holds it just out of your reach. “No, it isn’t.”

You roll your eyes in exasperation. You’re sure you’d have it in your hands already if you weren’t buried in the innards of a staircase right now. Skill issue. “It is,” you insist, desperation creeping into your voice. “Don’t argue with me, Kento. And I don’t need you to come with me just because you feel bad for me. I know you saw everything earlier.”

“I did see everything with Fushiguro,” he admits. He lifts a shoulder. “I do feel bad-” When he sees your expression, your narrowed eyes, observing his every move, he holds his free hand out in a placating gesture. “I do,” he says slowly, “but that’s not why I want to go with you.”

That’s not why I want to go with you.

Want. Is he insane?

Keeping your cool is detrimental to the situation right now. “You’re a bad liar, Kento,” you say, shaking your head. His brows raise. “Now give me the tie back and we can forget this happened at all.”

It dawns on you just how stubborn and straightforward Nanami Kento is when he says he’s keeping the tie and drapes it over the back of his neck so it hangs like a scarf. It’s a gaudy contrast to the blue and silver of his tie, the crisp white t-shirt, the dark robes lined with that striking sapphire blue. He’s definitely out of his mind.

This is where you start to lose your calm (if that was even something you had) and your insecurities leak into your words.

“You cannot be serious, Kento,” you huff, spreading your arms. “You’re popular and handsome and smart and the Head Boy. You’ve probably got a ton of dates lined up for you. Go with one of them, okay?”

“Right. Because you’re going to ask Toji again?”

Wow. Just wow. He went there (he’s right to). He’s just like Haibara, if not even worse, though you don’t mind because it’s Nanami Kento. (That is a crappy excuse.)

Leave it to Kento to hit you with the cold, hard truth.

You take a minute, and avoid his gaze while you’re at it. There are a million things running through your mind. A billion, even.

First, Kento wants to go to the Ball with you. He thinks you were asking him. And he said yes. He also seems to be oddly attached to that ugly necktie. Even now, when you sneak a glance at him, he’s still squatting, but now he’s looking down at the ends of the tie, running his fingers along the silky fabric. He seems thoroughly entertained.

And let’s not forget how he completely violated you by bringing up your failure with Toji. You want to bury your head in the sand and become one with the hermit crabs.

If he wants to attend the Ball with you, let’s indulge. This is what you’ve wanted, after all. Maybe this time won’t be so awkward.

A knot forms in your stomach at the thought of being his date to the most anticipated event of the year. All eyes will be on him. And then all eyes will slide to the person next to him, and everyone will be thoroughly disappointed. You know everyone wants him to go with someone more popular, like Utahime, the Head Girl.

You decide to roll with it, swallowing all of your doubts and fears. There was no point in letting your thoughts fester over things other people wanted. You have Kento and you have a date to the Ball. (And, it seems that Kento isn’t going to make the Toji incident a big deal. That’s an automatic plus.)

You take a deep breath. Kento looks up at you, waiting.

“Okay,” you nod. “But I’m scrapping the whole matching accessories thing."

“No.”

You let out a scoff again. The audacity he has is immeasurable. It’s also slightly attractive (don’t tell Haibara).

“What?” you ask, hoping your ears were just malfunctioning.

“No.”

You narrow your eyes. “Is that all you say?”

His eyes widen for a millisecond before they slip back to normal. “No.” A flush crosses his face. “I mean, yes. I mean-” He pinches the bridge of his nose with a defeated sigh. “We’re keeping the tie and headband and we’re wearing them and we’re going to the Ball together, okay?”

He’s bold, you’ll give him that. Butterflies flutter about your stomach at his words. You feel like you’re in a dream (one of many that you’ve had before) and the only thing grounding you is the fact that you are literally grounded. In a step.

Still, you don’t like the necktie. A few hours ago you’d thought the tie was your magnum opus, but now, looking at it contrast against his house’s colors, all crinkled from you transferring all your stress (and sweat) into it, you decide that if he wants a tie, you’ll at least make it look better.

“Let me change the color,” you suggest. “It looks like Hufflepuff’s colors. I can do blue for you.”

“No.”

Here we go again.

“Give me a break,” you whine.

He shakes his head, looking at you as if he can’t believe you would even suggest such a blasphemous thing. “I like it as it is. It doesn’t need improvements.”

You try to protest, but his opinion is set in stone and he won’t be swayed. It’s infuriating, but you can’t bring yourself to argue with him about it anymore. You just want to be pulled out of the step and run along to the common room. Well, you’ll hit the kitchens first - Sukuna will be thrilled to hear about your trainwreck of a day.

You finally, despite how painful it is, agree to keep the necktie in its original form. (At this point it’s just to appease Kento.)

Still, you can’t help but make a playful jab at him (your stomach roils with fluttering). “I can’t believe you’re forcing me to go with you.”

He laughs, and it’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever heard. It’s a soft chuckle but you’ll take it. It feels like flowers blooming in the morning sun.

“I really am,” he says, smiling. His eyes are sparkling as he looks at you. You look away, your cheeks warming.

He holds his hands out for you. “Come on.”

You try to avert your eyes, blindly reaching for his arms - his strong, solid arms that you were gripping with all your might - and he holds onto yours as he pulls you out.

You groan as your foot is dislodged, the freedom almost akin to ecstasy, and subsequently stumble right into him with a grunt.

He catches himself with one hand on the banister and the other around your waist.

Your blood is rushing in your ears, your heart beating way too fast to be deemed normal, your face as red as a rose. You’re looking anywhere but at him. You can’t. You’re pressed against him, hands grabbing at his robes, and you can hear his heartbeat (which, for the record, was almost beating as fast as yours).

“Are you okay?” he asks softly, almost tenderly.

You step back, slightly woozy from the effort - you could have stayed in that position forever, you fear - and place a hand on the banister while you rub your leg. There’s definitely going to be a bruise tomorrow morning.

His hand lingers on your side for a moment before he lets go.

He’s looking at you. Those eyes that appeared to hold entire galaxies inside of them, swirling angrily, waiting to be released into the universe. Those same eyes that were also currently holding your gaze with a compassion that you didn’t know what to do with.

(You have wanted to be in this situation with Kento for years. Maybe not with the whole Toji thing or passing out or being stuck in the stairs, but definitely close to him, and most definitely to be going to the Ball as his date. But now that you have it in the palm of your hand, you have no idea what you’re supposed to be doing. You’ll just have to freeball it.)

“I’m fine,” you say quietly, your voice cracking (how embarrassing). “Thank you.” Your smile looks more like a grimace than anything else. He probably sees it too, that’s why his lips quirk up.

He nods. “Okay, then.” He flaps his hands at his sides, and it’s oddly endearing, because he looks like a kid who doesn’t know what to do with his hands. “I’ll see you in class, then?”

“Yeah.” You give him a thumbs up. (You don’t know why you did that.)

He chuckles again. (You’re elated at the fact that you’ve made Nanami Kento laugh twice, which is more than the amount of times you’ve actually seen him laugh outside of this interaction.) “Try not to pass out anytime soon,” he says, then starts to go up the stairs, his shoulder brushing against yours as he passes. Your body tenses at the contact.

You’re already blushing from his little jab, but when he stops and says, “And just so you know, I took points from Slytherin because of what Fushiguro called you,” you almost drop down from a heart attack.

There is no way Kento is real. He’s so- ugh. He’s a drug and you’re high on him. (You can only imagine what it’ll be like at the Ball if this is how you’re acting around him after only about half an hour.)

You clear your throat. You turn, but his back is facing you.

“You didn’t have to do that,” you call out.

He shrugs, and looks at you. “I wanted to.” He keeps walking up the steps, then pauses. “And I can. So I did.”

And then he’s gone, onto the next flight of steps, leaving you standing there in utter disbelief, clutching the banister with a bruising grip.

Nanami Kento is going to be your undoing.

You make your way down the stairs to the kitchens, your brain feeling like it's been mixed into a slushie. Your thoughts are all over the place and the only thing you can really recall is that you’re somehow going to the Yule Ball with Head Boy Nanami Kento as your date.

What you need right now is a nice warm meal and someone to talk to who isn’t Haibara (because you wouldn’t hear the end of it from him) and you know just who to go to.

The kitchens of Hogwarts have always been something of a safe haven to you. When everything is too much to handle - the studying, the extracurriculars, the infinite trials that come with dealing with people - the kitchens have got your back. Plus, the house-elves don’t judge, they love to make conversation (most of them), and hey, it’s free food. What’s better than free food? (And the fact that no one really cares about the kitchens, which is sad, but it works in your favor when you want to run away from people.)

You’ve always thought the way to get into the kitchens is bizarre, and that’s saying something since you’re literally in a school that teaches magic. The whole tickling pear thing is really pushing it. Why can’t it be something like waving your wand around in front of the portrait while saying something like Fruit basket, fruit basket on the wall, let me in so I can eat it all? (Honestly, the lack of imagination is insulting.)

Unfortunately for you, tickling the pear is the only way in, so you comply (but you are anything but happy about it).

You turn the handle and open the door.

The lights are brighter than the sun, and you squint, trying to adjust. You can’t see yet, but you can hear, and smell, and right then you can hear the sounds of trays being set down onto the countertops, of feet pattering across the tiled floor, of soups and broths bubbling in huge pots, the scents of freshly baked bread, ground spices, roasted meat and, oddly, the smell of buttercream frosting as it’s piped onto cupcakes.

When your eyes deem themselves ready to open, you see the elves running around the vast area of the kitchen, all in a rush, all busy. They’re all wearing aprons and tea towels with the Hogwarts insignia on them, some splattered with flour and sauces, others clean and bright.

You’re looking for one elf in particular, though you’re quite familiar with all of them by now (you’ve had seven years to get acquainted with them - it’d be pretty embarrassing if you couldn’t tell them all apart from each other in a lineup).

As you peer deeper into the kitchen, through the pots and pans and utensils, someone calls out to you. Your attention snaps to the voice.

“Here to get some sandwiches, young lady?” Eso asks as he cuts the bread in half. He smiles at you brightly, and you smile back. Eso is three feet tall, give or take, with a small tuft of dark hair that he spikes with cornstarch (his words, not yours) and grey eyes as large as tennis balls. (You have never told him, but since the other house-elves don’t grow hair like he does, you’ve always referred to his pride and joy as the Handful of Hair That Could. He’d probably snap his fingers and transfigure you if you ever told him, though.)

You shake your head. “Not hungry,” you say, walking over to him, still scanning the room for the one elf you’d come to speak with. “What kind of sandwiches are these?”

He cuts the bread and holds up one for you to see. You don’t really get a good look because of how fast he’s moving and so all you catch is a bit of lettuce, and you nod and say it seems tasty.

Eso gives you a quick huff, as if it could be anything but delicious.

Your eyes catch on an elf moving at what you can only assume are supersonic speeds near the ovens.

Bingo. You make your way over, greeting the other house-elves as you try not to mess their flow up. Some of them offer you something to eat, but you decline - your stomach is still disagreeing with you ever since the staircase and Kento.

“Hello, Sukuna,” you greet, sliding next to him.

He’s one of the older house-elves; he’s been around for a long time and has seen things you couldn’t even begin to imagine. He can come off as gruff and dismissive, but after you’d befriended him out of sheer persistence you’d realized that he was quite the sweetheart deep down. (Now that you think about it, he probably just gave up on trying to repel you and is now just entertaining you for the sake of it. Ah, what the hell, sure, you’ll take it.)

He looks up and sees you smiling down at him. You try to crouch, or, to take a page from Kento’s book, squat so that you’re not towering over him, but he waves you off. He hates it when you try to stoop to his level. Literally.

Sukuna’s skin is reminiscent of a manila folder, and it looks about as strong as the contents of such a folder - easily torn. That doesn’t mean he’s weak. Absolutely not. No, Sukuna is quite possibly one of the strongest people you’ve ever met. The guy can lift a whole oven with one hand. One hand. It gags you every time.

His eyes are a different story. He’s the first elf you’ve seen whose irises are the deep shade you only find in the purest of the purest garnets. You could get lost in them if you stared for too long, it’s almost hypnotizing.

“Young miss,” he says, setting down a tray of dough on top of the oven. He’s waiting for the batch inside to be done (yet another thing you wonder about - why can’t they just use magic to cook the food?). “What brings you here today?”

You shrug, trying not to vomit out all the reasons at once. “I always come here.”

He gives you a skeptical look, his brows raised, unimpressed. “Unlike Master Geto,” he mutters under his breath, getting back to work.

At the mention of Hogwarts’ champion Geto Suguru, your eyes widen. “What about him?”

Sukuna shrugs. “Master Geto always comes in here and steals food.”

You bite back a laugh. “You know, that would be right, actually.” As true as it sounds, you feel the need to defend Suguru’s honor. “He’s a nice person, you know,” you say (even though you barely know him). “He’s the champion of Hogwarts for the Triwizard-”

“We are all well aware,” Sukuna cuts in. He snaps his fingers and the oven door opens, blasting you with heat. You jump back with a yelp, shielding your face with your arm.

While he works to put in a new batch of pastries, he continues, “Master Geto brought a young lady with him the other night. They had some of the eclairs together and drank tea and then left.”

Your brows raise. “I didn’t know anyone else came to the kitchens,” you murmur.

The house-elf catches your gaze, which is focused on the tiled floor, and smiles. “You’re still a regular here, young miss.”

You realize how pathetic you must look to him. (Is it time to make another list, this time of things to tell, AKA rant about, to Sukuna? You should hold off on the lists for a moment.)

There’s a stool in the far corner; a small three-legged thing that wobbles on one end. You move over and drag it a bit closer to the ovens, not so close that you’ll get hit with the heat again and burn your face off, but close enough that Sukuna won’t have to strain to hear you and have to stop what he’s doing to listen (if he even cares).

You begin to tell him about your day, from asking Toji out to Haibara making you think about things you’d rather not to Kento finding you stuck in the steps. While you speak, he replies with a grunt or mutters something under his breath (still unsure if he’s talking to you or not).

It feels good to get it all off your chest. And Sukuna doesn’t hold back with his opinions and he’s not biased. He’s perfect for a fresh set of eyes and ears on your dilemma.

When you’re done, you’re practically out of breath, and your ears are burning, not from the heat, but from your embarrassment.

Sukuna takes a minute, tending to the pastries, before he turns to you, crossing his arms over his chest. His ears, resembling that of a bat’s, flutter for a moment while he thinks of how to reply back to you.

After a minute, he sighs, tossing you a fresh pastry. You catch it, raising your brows in confusion.

“Master Nanami is a bright young man,” he says slowly, his eyes running over your face, probably trying to see if you’ll have any reaction to his words. You do, you get even redder. He smiles, almost triumphantly. “Sukuna thinks you’re being ridiculous about everything.”

You sit up straighter, feeling insulted. You’d just opened up your heart and soul to the house-elf who was practically one of your closest friends (only from your end) and this was the thanks you get? Being told you’re overreacting. How dare he. Why you ought to-

Sukuna knows what you’re about to say before you even say it. He always does. Perks of being old, you assume.

He holds a hand up. “Eat the pastry, young miss,” he says. “It’ll help you see things clearer.”

(Turns out you were just hangry. Sukuna really had you thinking he had psychic abilities and whatnot, what with being able to tell you just needed to eat something to feel better. And you’re fighting demons to even admit this, but the pastry tasted like heaven on earth.)

So Sukuna thinks you’re being an idiot about the whole thing. Whatever. He doesn’t know what it was like being in the Great Hall with Toji. He doesn’t know what it was like having Kento obsess over that stupid tie while you were stuck deep inside of a step. The next time you see Sukuna (in a few hours) you’re going to give him a piece of your mind (no, you aren’t). For the time being, you’re left to figure out how you’re going to survive the Yule Ball because, and it hits you like an eighteen-wheeler going one-twenty miles an hour, you don’t know how to dance.

(In retrospect, maybe Toji rejecting you is a good thing, because you can’t even begin to imagine how he’d react when you tell him you don’t know how to do a simple waltz. He’d drop you as his date, no doubt, leaving you scrambling for someone else who’s willing to teach you.)

A/N: thank you so much for reading, i really hoped you liked this chapter! i know it was quite long, i promise the others will be between 3-6k tops, save for one other chapter. i really have to thank @gojover for quite literally pulling me out of my cave and hyping me up to write. (sometimes with a gun to my head /j) and allow me to give @admiringlove a shout out for being yet another one of my cheerleaders. (art by elitamasan on X)

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gorgeouslypink · 2 years ago

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My Take on Manifesting + How to Use It to Wake Up in the Voidੈ✩‧₊˚

The Law of Assumption (LOA) in a nutshell is the concept that whatever you assume to be true is the truth. The most common and popular summary is: an assumption, though false, if persisted in, will harden into fact.

You've probably heard this a million times before, but I really want to explain this the way I interpret the law and I want to present it to you the way I wish it was presented to me.

The entire law operates on the principle that your 3d reflects your 4d. These terms are interchangeable with concious/subconcious, inner man/outer man, etc but basically that is the main principle that you should understand and accept: Your 3d reflects your 4d.

Now, here's where I deviate a bit into my personal opinions. If you know that your 3d reflects your 4d and you see something unfavorable happening in your 3d, why would you force yourself to pretend it doesn't exist? Deal with it in the 3d but KNOW that you can change things. Go and fufill what you want in your 4d.

Imagination Creates Reality.

You've probably heard this said a million times by LOA girls but it is such an important concept to understand.

Something that completely annoyed me back when I was trying to get into the void and had no grasp on LOA was people who would say that your imagination is your "true" reality or that you need to fufill yourself so much in your imagination to the point that you don't even care about it anymore in your reality. I do understand what they were trying to get at, but for me, I was just like if I want to manifest going to a concert, I don't want to just imagine it to the point where I'm fufilled, I want to actually watch it?

Let me explain my perspective now. Your imagination is not your reality. You can close your eyes right now and imagine yourself dating Harry Styles but once you open your eyes again, you're not going to be dating him. Imagining something doesn't make it magically appear in your reality, or else daydreamers would be living insane lives.

However, imagination CREATES your reality. To really understand this, we have to backtrack. Let's revisit LOA in a nutshell: An assumption, though false, if persisted in, will harden into fact.

I think most people understand the idea but acctually applying it is where everything comes crashing down. For me, there were so many times when I was super motivated, I listened to subliminals, I affirmed to myself, I was really assuming whatever I was trying to manifest. But then it didn't manifest and I was left disappointed.

I think this is a pretty common occurrence in the community and I know I've gotten hundreds of asks with people in this exact position. This ask that I answered covers this more in depth but I want to introduce a topic that isn't being pushed as much as it should: NATURALNESS.

"The time it takes your assumption to become fact, your desire to be fulfilled, is directly proportionate to the naturalness of your feeling of already being what you want to be – of already having what you desire."

-Neville Goddard

So basically, this is what I think the law should be represented as: An assumption, though false, if persisted in within your imagination until it feels natural, will harden into fact.

There are many ways that you attain this naturalness. Most people use imagination, just imaging themselves with their desire, really connecting to the feeling of having their desire so that it feels natural to them. This is when your desire turns into an assumption.

There are many methods within this; visualizing being the most popular one. Just visualizing normally or SATS allows people to experience their desire in imagination, making it more natural to them. Some people can't really visualize so they rely on scripting, pinterest boards, etc. The options are endless but the end goal is the same: making your desire feel natural so that it manifests into your reality.

Some people say you have to keep repeating your method for something to feel natural to you but I disagree. Just going to imagination once, truly feeling it and knowing its yours and knowing the law and that your manifestation has no choice but to appear is all you need to make something feel natural to you. I think the main reason that it takes some people repetitions is because they don't have a strong faith in the law backing them up so it doesn't feel natural to them but if you know the law is backing you up, your desire will natural to you instantly.

Now, if you noticed, I said most people use imagination. What about other people? Well, once you've experienced a few manifestations and really strengthened your belief in the law and acknowledged your power as the creator of your reality, you don't really need to imagine. You just know your desire will come. It's natural for you to manifest anything you want so anything you want will manifest. This kind of goes into what I was saying in the previous paragraph about knowing the law is backing you up. This is why states was and is so popular, it's knowing the law is backing you up and just occupying the state of whatever you desire and knowing it has no choice but to manifest. I love this post by @lotusmi explaining it and I highly recommend reading it.

Now, how to use all this to enter the void. There are 4 things you need to understand, embody, and assume.

1. You are limitless: Literally. You can manifest anything and everything. Seriously.

2. The void is real: One of the main things I've tried to do on my blog is getting everyone to a point where you might not fully believe in the void until you acctually use it yourself but you should know its real. In my Doubts post, I linked so much material across different platforms and groups of people and all of them are talking about the void. Recently, in my challenges, I introduced a book where the author talks about the void and how that's where your reality is created from. I even had a follower recently make a post about how they found their Reiki book talking about the void and how it creates your reality. There's endless examples and at one point, you have to sit down and wonder how all these different platforms and groups of people are all talking about the void if it's just a lie. It can't be a lie if so many people have come to the same conclusion.

3. You are going to wake up in the void state tonight: You understand manifestation now right? All you have to do is know you are going to wake up in the void, make it natural to you and that's it. I promise when you realize that the word operates on your beliefs and that your imagination is honestly what matters because your reality is just a platform for your imagination to project onto (your imagination creates your reality), your manifestations are going to be so quick.

4. Naturalness is all you need: All you're doing when you're manifesting anything, in this case; the void is making it natural to you. Once you do, it has no choice but to manifest in your reality. This really ties into the third point, but I want you to understand this because once you realize the third and fourth point, the law will be so easy to you. If you haven't entered the void yet, the only problem is that it was not natural to you. As a void blogger, I know this is a case because I've gotten so many asks about this and everytime I can tell that they struggle with seeing themselves actually enter the void. It's unnatural to them. But recognizing that naturalness is the problem is also the solution. Just make it natural to you. Know that you are going to wake up in the void tonight and really rest easy in this. You know you are limitless, you can manifest anything, waking up in the void is a peace of cake.

So here's what you're going to:

Starting this moment, know you are going to wake up in the void tonight. Just know it. Now, go straight to your imagination and do whatever method will help your desire natural to you. Know that your reality is just a projection of your imagination and that you are the creator of your reality. Deal with your 3d but know that your 4d is what triumphs.

If you don't wake up in the void, don't spiral. Your desire just doesn't feel natural yet, that's all. Just focus on making your desire natural to you. That is literally all you have to do and you know you're going to enter. If you're someone who might need some time to make your desire feel natural to you just because you struggle with staying firm in the law, do @littlemissprettyprincess 's void challenge: linked here.

The void is easy, you are going to wake up in the void tonight, and you are going to live your dream life. I know you are. Literally embody that and tell yourself that. Anytime a doubt or negative thought comes to mind, just stay firm in your desire and know the law is backing you up. Waking up in the void state is so natural to you and I can't wait for your success story.

#void state #loassumption

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