#//PARDON ME AS I CACKLE MADLY

[novelmonger]

Moments That Bring Me Joy: Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

On a whim, I've decided to go through some of my favorite childhood movies and just list all the moments in them that bring me joy. I'm fully aware that many of the stories I loved as a kid are deeply flawed, but I just want to take some time to appreciate what they did well. Just because I'm focusing on the positive doesn't mean I'm unaware of the negative.

Note: I chose the word "joy" deliberately. Not all of the moments that bring me joy bring me (or the characters) happiness. Scenes involving death or pain might not be very fun or cheerful, but I find joy in a good story well told.

And here's the end of Star Wars! This one has always held a special place in my heart, because I do so love a good ending ^_^

Han and Chewie's reunion is the best :') I especially love the way Chewie scoops him into an enormous hug and Han sort of gingerly pats him back.

I love watching Luke's problem-solving during his fight with the rancor.

"I used to live here, you know." "You're gonna die here, you know. Convenient."

"Boba Fett? Boba Fett? Where?" *turns around and smacks Boba Fett's jetpack, making him careen into the sail barge and fall into the sarlacc pit*

Lando's scream as the sarlacc's tentacle grabs him.

"No, wait, I thought you were blind!" "Don't worry, I can see a lot better!"

"When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not, hmm?"

"Many Bothans died to bring us this information." Inside joke: "My emotional state really isn't the greatest."

"Keep your distance, Chewie. But don't look like you're keeping your distance. I don't know. Fly casual."

"I see them. Wait, Leia!"

I love the Ewoks. Everything about them ^_^

"Han, can you reach my lightsaber?" "*extreme frustration* Yeah! Sure!"

"Well, why don't you use your divine influence and get us out of this?" "I beg your pardon, General Solo, but that just wouldn't be proper." "Proper?!" "It's against my programming to impersonate a deity."

That one Ewok who just keeps clinging to Han's leg <3

The note of almost-regret in Darth Vader's voice when he says, "It is...too late for me, son."

The Ewok that jumps on the speeder bike and lures all the stormtroopers away, cackling madly! XD

"Your overconfidence is your weakness." "Your faith in your friends is yours."

"It's a trap!"

The Ewoks to the rescue! I love all their different ideas and tactics for fighting the Imperial soldiers--the ones that work as well as the ones that...really don't. And I especially love that, even though the Ewoks are mostly there for comic relief, we still see the toll the battle takes on them, and how some even give their lives in the struggle.

Chewie swinging across to the AT-ST with a Tarzan yell! XD

The Ewok in the AT-ST with Chewie stroking his hair appreciatively as they decimate the stormtroopers.

"I love you." "I know."

The way Luke goes completely ballistic when Darth Vader mentions the possibility of turning Leia to the dark side. Like the protective brotherly instinct that's been there all along just rearing its head with the feral rage of a lion....

Luke clenching his fist--his mechanical fist--and looking over at Darth Vader's mechanical hand he just cut off. The way he makes his choice, straightens up, and tosses his lightsaber aside, standing tall against the Emperor. "I'll never turn to the dark side. You've failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

Possibly my favorite moment in the entire original trilogy is when the Emperor tortures Luke with Force lightning. Maybe that's a weird favorite, but...I just love everything about it. The Emperor's sadistic pleasure in Luke's screams, the way that Luke is completely helpless but calls out to his father--and calls him Father! The way Anakin looks back and forth between the man who has held him captive for so long, and the son that he suddenly realizes he loves, he loves! The way he hauls the Emperor up and throws him down the shaft, to fall and die an ignominious death, crying out pathetically the whole way down. The way Luke looks up with confusion as the lightning dies down around him, showing that even though he was begging Anakin to help him, he didn't really believe he would, he'd given up all hope of surviving, he was ready to die...but his father saved him at the cost of his own life. No matter how many times I watch this movie, this scene never ceases to be so powerful it takes my breath away.

"I'll not leave you here. I've got to save you." "You already have...Luke. You were right.... You were right about me. Tell your sister...you were right...."

That dumb little bit of irony where Han thinks Leia's in love with Luke (somehow, after everything!), but then she tells him that they're siblings....

Everything from Darth Vader's funeral pyre through to the end is just *chef's kiss* Perfect. Utterly perfect way to end the series. The quiet moment for Luke to grieve his father. People all around the galaxy cheering the fall of the Empire. The joyous abandon of the Ewok's celebration, using stormtrooper helmets for drums. The music that plays, oh, that music! Definitely in my top five tracks of the whole series. I want to bottle it up and bathe in the feeling that music gives me for a whole year. And all the Rebels being reunited, hugs all around, and then Luke looks over, and there are the ghosts of the three Jedi he knows and loves, watching over him....

I love Star Wars so much. It's given me so much joy over the years <3

[bokettochild]

For the requests if you're game?

Four and Warriors dynamic since we don't see it much?

Also you're awesome and absolutely don't have to do this if you don't want haha

So, words aren't nice to me today, and your prompt really helped with that. I'm sorry I didn't get to it sooner! But I'm glad I did it today. The verb tenses are a bit off and all over, but I really like the pretense.

For context, this is something that used to happen with me and my dad when he was in pain. I have no clue why it works, but it does somehow? For him anyway. Anyway, as I am the shorty of my family, I figured Four could take my place here :)

“Four, how tall are you?”

Don’t kill him. Green whispered, whether to himself or to his brothers none of them knew.

Why would he even need to know that? The grouchier voice in his head huffed out as hazel eyes shot up to meet the captain’s blue.

Was that particularly necessary? Vio groaned, and if he’d had a physical form the color in question would likely have just flopped over tiredly.

“Four foot four.” They answered curtly, turning their gaze back down to the sword in their hand as they continued to work over its length.

Warriors chuffed out a strangled sort of noise across from them, whether it be from pain, surprise or laughter they didn’t know, and as long as the captain didn’t push, they’d give him a little grace. The poor man was in enough pain as it was, and it really would be a shame to have him writhing on the ground if they kicked him in some... painful places.

“Really?” The man wheezed. “Please tell me you’re joking?”

They rolled their eyes.

Permission to kick him in the nuts?

One minute, let me think about it.

Pities sakes you two, we are not kicking the captain! Vio scolded. We’ll dye his hair while he sleeps or sew a patch on his tunic while he walks or something, not...oy vey.

“I’m four-foot-five.” They corrected aloud. “Happy?”

Sharp eyes met the captain’s again, four voices fighting over whether to cause harm or not. “Huh.”

Guys, look at him! Red huffed. He’s not even able to sit up straight! Give him a break, this one time?

Agreement rang in their mind. Wars was in pretty awful shape. The man had pulled his back while trying to heft a wounded Twilight through the forest the other day, and while he’d insisted the entire time that he had it handled, he’d come to regret it the next day when he woke up nearly too sore to move. They all teased Time about being an Old Man, and it was well known that Legend’s arthritis gave him trouble on some days, but neither the vet not their leader had ever moved as slowly as the captain this morning when they’d been on the road, and Time had had to call an early halt simply because Wars was clearly in so much pain.

The man currently lay on his stomach on the ground at the edge of camp, trying to stretch out his strained back and staring as Four with an odd look in his eyes. “Could you do me a favor?”

Could you not mock our height?

I thought we liked our height?

We do, but we don’t need to be teased for it!!!

“What do you need?” They eventually settled on, setting their sword aside and giving the captain their full attention.

“Stand on my back.” Warriors answered.

They blinked, startled. Once, twice, thrice, four times at the man. “Pardon?”

“Stand on my back.” Warriors repeated himself, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“But-”

Is he bonkers? Captain, we are not cracking your spine to put you out of your misery? Blue frowned, confused.

We’d hurt him doing that, why would he even ask?

This is Warriors, he’s not known for having all the lights on a good day.

“Aren’t you in pain?” Red managed to take the forefront, worry spilling into his voice as he stared down at where the captain lay on the ground.

The man smiled, shaking his head slightly only to wince and instead offer one of his charming smiles. “It helps. Just trust me, ‘kay?”

And what were they supposed to do? Even Legend had stepped up to offer help with the pain this afternoon, not that it would do much good for Warriors’ specific problem, but it had earned the vet a warm chuckle and a head ruffle, resulting in much squawking and insults as the vet protested the action. Wild had searched his slate for supplies to make a cure, and Time had called a halt for the day’s travels entirely. Sky had even offered what little help he could provide, but while offers of aid had come from everywhere, there hadn’t been anything that had worked.

But Wars was claiming that actively stepping on the injury would help it, and as absurd as it sounded, the captain seemed utterly confident in it, eyes almost pleading as they shifted where they sat.

“It won’t, I don’t know, mess up your back at all? Are you sure-”

“Goddesses, Four! It’ll be fine.” The captain huffed desperately, just do it, please?”

Now they understood why Warriors could charm discounts and special deals out of merchants and inn-keepers, his royal blue eyes looked utterly pitiful and almost tearful as they stared up at them, pleading and wide. The effect was ruined though when Wars added a tiny little pout that sent Vio reeling with laughter as Blue and Green stifled their own, Red cooing softly in their head.

“Alright.” The laughter of three of the four colors spilled over in a light chuckle as the smithy pulled themselves to their feet, stepping over hesitantly and setting one foot on Warriors’ stretched out back.

“Go on.” Wars prompted, chuckling fondly. “It won’t hurt me, I’ll tell you if it does, okay?”

That didn’t help at all. They weren’t big, they knew that, but they weren’t as slight as they looked, they were smithies after all, and they were a solid little brick of muscle mass. Warriors may be certain it would be okay, but they sure weren’t.

“Four, I’m literally begging you. Step on me.”

The smithy’s nose wrinkled and they pulled back. “That is incredibly weird sounding.”

“Step.” Warriors ordered.

“This is so weird!” A nervous laugh fell from their lips. “How does this even help?”

“Just do it!” The captain groaned. “It helps, I promise. I can’t explain it, but it does.”

One tentative foot pressed against the captain’s back again, only for the smithy to back off, earning a huff in annoyance from the captain. “Four-”

“Let me take my boots off first.” They murmured, shivering off the awkward feeling that came from stepping on of their brothers. But they could only avoid Wars’ pleading gaze for so long and once their shoes are properly put to the side, they had no valid excuse to not ‘help’ the man.

How does this even help him?

Do we care? We have an excuse to step on him!

Vio, I think you spent too much time around Shadow. Stepping on people isn’t funny.

It’s funny if it’s Warriors. Vio sounded particularly satisfied with himself at the moment, and the others could only sigh at that, finally giving in to the captain's request as Vio pushed the body forwards until they are standing, fully, on Warriors’ back.

“Oh, yes, thank you.” The captain’s voice comes out in a relieved sigh. “A bit lower if you could- that's the- yes, right there. Oh gosh.” Blonde hair met the dirt as their resident “pretty boy” let his face fall to rest on the ground. A satisfied sigh escaping him, albeit muffled by the earth. “That is so much better. Thank you, Four.”

“How does this help?” They frowned, staring down at where the man spread out on the ground, utterly limp and incredibly boney under their feet.

“No clue.” Comes the muffled reply, no attempt made to explain as the captain continued to let himself melt into the earth. “But it always works like a charm, so I don’t question it.”

Always?

“Who do you usually have step on you?” They ask, standing awkwardly on a boney spine any trying their hardest to keep their balance so they don’t slip and tumble onto Warriors’ head and give him a concussion on top of everything.

“My kids.” Comes the easy reply, as if the words don’t send them reeling enough that they almost do fall. “Mask jumped on top of e once to try and wake me up. I wasn’t asleep, but it was a tough battle the day before. Come to find out having a smallish person stand on you does wonders! My younger siblings used to do it too, but then they all hit growth-spurts.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” They chuckled easily, finding a comfortable placement for their feet as Warriors’ back rises and falls with soft laughter.

“Believe it or not,” The captain rumbles, the vibrations trailing up their legs and making them stifle a giggle. “I’m the short one in the family. The eldest, but the Hylia forsaken shortest.” There’s very nearly a pout in the man's voice and they failed to hold back their laughter as they look down at him.

”You’re the shortest?”

“To my eternal torment.” Comes the groaned reply, and all the colors can do in reaction is laugh.

Later, when the others finally look over and see what’s happening, there are shouts and concerned looks from the heroes when they see their shortest standing on the previously sore and aching back of their tallest, but for now, Four gets to tease the captain for being short; something they never thought would ever happen.

Vio cackled madly in the background the whole time, leaving his brothers concerned after the first ten minutes when the color’s mirth failed to fade.

[slashingdisneypasta]

Horror Villains x Reader || Reactions

Reacting to: Reader getting slipped a love potion so whoever they see first, they fall madly in absolute and total love and adoration of. They first see Slasher. Notes: Yep, I've been watching scenes of Strange Magic. This is because of that. I definitely recommend listening to a version of 'I Cant Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)' while reading XD I'm listening to the Jessica Mauboy cover! ^^

Warnings: Definitely non con elements (Not sexual though) Characters Included: Billy Loomis, Bubba Sawyer, (Mayor) Buckman, Carrie White, Chucky / Charles Lee Ray, Chop Top Sawyer, Drayton Sawyer, Freddy Krueger, Jennifer Check, (Sheriff), Hoyt, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Patrick Bateman, Pennywise (OG), Stu Macher and Thomas Hewitt.

Billy Loomis:

🎶'I can't help myself'🎶

What.

What kinda - bullshit- leave me the fuck alone-

Honestly he's trying to get the hell away from you (As you tail him) while Stu's at the side texting you where they're gonna be and laughing his bloody ass off when you turn up and Billy suddenly sprints to the bathroom.

Bubba Sawyer:

🎶'Sugar pie, honey bunch You know that I love you'🎶

Oh my gosh, the moment you expression changes from one of fear and disgust, to wide eyed adoration and you start fawning over him?? He has no idea what to d o. Oh, the poor baby XDD

Like, he's just hugging his chainsaw to him as you get up close and touch his shoulders and fix his tie and follow him around and he doesn't r e a l l y mind, cuz its not like you're hurting him, but he is just confused. He's searching for Drayton. Like he'll have any answers, pft.

(Mayor) Buckman:

🎶'I can't help myself I love you and nobody else'🎶

-I'm sorry, what now? Beg your pardon, there?

As soon as he recognises that sparkly, attentive look on your eyes he's slightly baffled. I mean, he's used to being loved - his town a d o r e their mayor, - so he isn't quite as lost as Bubba is or even Billy, but- he just had your friends killed? Sweetheart are you in your right mind?

I can see him sorta, awkwardly starting to treat your a little better then your friends. What?? He'd feel just awful being terrible to someone who 'loves', him! I mean you'll still die probably, but you can stand by him until its time. Self absorbed prick

Carrie White:

🎶'In and out my life You come and you go Leaving just your picture behind And I kissed it a thousand times'🎶

(*^^*) I'm sorry (*^^*) What? (*^^*)

Oh my gosh she's a mess. What do you mean by calling her Sugar Pie? Honey bunch? Sweetheart? Cutie!?!?

She's going to run away my guy, she's going to flee. She is not used to this kind of attention (Or any at all, for that matter) and you've flustered her. She doesn't believe you're just making fun of her though (Since you're just so... adoring. She intense. So in love- this cant possibly be an act) though at least, so there's that.

Just calm. down. bitch. You're going to scare her.

Chucky / Charles Lee Ray:

🎶'When you snap your finger or wink your eye I come a-running to you I'm tied to your apron strings And there's nothing that I can do'🎶

Depends- as a human or a Good Guy?

As a human he might be a bit more reserved about the whole thing and a whole lot more confused like... is this a joke? That's a gun in my pocket, not somethin' else if that's what you're thinkin'. You gettin' off on this? What? What's the deal, here?

As a doll though it TOTALLY goes to his head. You just took this bastards ego man and shot it up with some steroids. Like yes- they even want me when I'm plastic. That's fuckin' right.

I would say, 'No way hosay, he's fleeing- he's got a hot ass wife already!! But that has never really stopped our asshole gremlin man so...

Chop Top Sawyer:

🎶'I can't help myself No, I can't help myself'🎶

'DRAYYYTONNNN, C'MERE AND MEET MAH HONEY PIE. I'M GETTIN ME HITCHED!'

*Drayton from somewhere else in the part* 'YOU'RE WHAT?!'

Yep. No getting outta this now. You're getting married to him. Enjoy.

Drayton Sawyer:

🎶''Cause sugar pie, honey bunch I'm weaker than a man should be I can't help myself'🎶

*Cough* me *cough*

I mean... *awkward cough cough's*... what?

Oh boy, Drayton is awkward. And PINK. Why're you looking at him like that? Why are you running your fingers through his hair? Why're

Like Bog in Strange Magic I think Drayton would set you aside from the rest of the victims for a while, until whatever's gotten into you has worn off at least. And begrudgingly take care of you- and try to tell you that your feelings are just whatever poison's jacked you up- and to please calm down- you wont want this old boy when your senses are back-

Gosh, he's too cute. I love him a lot.

Freddy Krueger:

🎶'I'm a fool in love, you see Wanna tell you I don't love you Tell you that we're through And I've tried Every time I see your face I get all choked up inside'🎶

Hmmmmm~ What'd you just call him?~

You're playing fire here babes-

And by that I mean he's going to push you until he finds the limit to this potion- for fun. Will you still 'love' him if he leads you off a cliff?~ If he carves his name into your back? If he forces this disgusting sludge down your throat? Will you do aaaanything for him?~ How about killing your friend over there?

Goodluck.

Jennifer Check:

🎶'When I call your name Girl, it starts a flame'🎶

Yeah, I mean of course, who doesn't, bye-

This is not shocking to her XD She's hot and amazing, she knows, alright? Shoo.

Depends- are you a dude? Cis or trans- a dudes a dude. And if you are a dude, she is going to take this admiration and use it to her advantage.

If you are not a guy, though, you'll probably get off easy, with an eyeroll as she stalks off. Maybe even a smirk.

(Sheriff) Hoyt:

🎶'Burning in my heart, tearing it all apart No matter how I try, my love I cannot hide'🎶

... Is this a trick? You fucker-

Paranoid military man kills you immediately because he thinks this is a ploy to survive and hurt his family.

Jason Voorhees:

🎶'Sugar pie, honey bunch You know that I'm waiting for you (waiting for you)'🎶

Mmmmmm... ��� this is new territory... he really doesn't know what to do, here...

Uhh... he may lower his weapon, and tilt his head; Silently asking his mother what to do in this situation as he assesses you- you and your own tilted head, corner of your mouth tilted up as you look up (UP UP UP- ) at the 'love of your life'.

Tea? Do you want some (cold lake water and floor leaf) tea?

Michael Myers:

🎶'I can't help myself I love you and nobody else'🎶

Wh... what?

Not gonna lie- you threw him off, for sure when you got down on your knees and just gazed up at him. Even with blood all over him, even holding a shar knife, even with the corpse of your friend a few feet away.

But mostly his feelings are please go away you're freaking me the fuck out.

*The sound of your neck snapping*

Patrick Bateman:

🎶'Sugar pie, honey bunch I'd do anything you ask me to'🎶

How sad for you.

He really doesn't care, man. Just tries to go on with his life, even with you following him around everywhere and trying to get his attention, and being there at his every beck and call- he does enjoy having coffee whenever he wants it, though.

Pennywise (OG):

🎶'I can't help myself I want you and nobody else'🎶

Oh this is HILARIOUS.

Penny figures it out immediately and has a good laugh, as you giggle softly, awkwardly along with him (Which makes him laugh harder-). Ohhhh, you made his century.

You're gonna taste delicious, when he's done with you.

Stu Macher:

🎶'Sugar pie, honey bunch You know that I love you'🎶

Ahhhhh... say what now?

Billy cackles like an evil ferret behind him as you wrap your arms around Stu (The boy himself a slave to his hornier impulses but struggling as Billy's right there and also this is kinda rapey-). Good. he gets a taste of his own medicine now. He looks mortified. GOOD.

Thomas Hewitt:

🎶'I can't help myself No, I can't help myself'🎶

Thomas is a mix of Michael and Bubba- he's thinking but why, but also what do i do what do i do what do i do-

Like one one side, he's annoyed. Because you're geting in his way and he needs to help out his mamma and do what Hoyt tells him to, in order to keep his family safe.

But on the other- he's kind of enjoying this kind of attention.

God, someone just take the decision out of his hands.

[soft--dragon]

Boredom

Inspired by this ask here

Word Count: 1,408

Warnings: None

This is a SFW tickle fic, if you don't like that then don't read :)

Hope you enjoy guys 💞💞💙💙

Wilbur turned a page of his book, doing everything in his power to keep his focus on the words in front of him. Techno tossed the book to him before leaving with Phil, saying they were going to get food or something. Wilbur honestly hadn't been paying much attention, still trying to process why Techno had given him a book called The Art of War.

Now, a few hours later, he sat on the couch, reading with interest, but painfully aware of a teenager that had been staring at him from across the room for the past minute or two. The silence dragged out until Wilbur finally cracked and looked round.

"What?" He asked.

Tommy shuffled his feet against the floor, half slumped against the wall.

"I'm bored" he grumbled, "can we do something?"

Wilbur turned the page. "I'm quite fine where I am thank you" he replied, "why don't you go find Tubbo?"

Tommy plodded over and dramatically fell onto the couch. He landed in Wilbur's lap making the older start and lift the book to look at him.

"He's busy" Tommy whined, "you're my last hope of surviving boredom, Wilbur."

Wilbur rolled his eyes, letting his hand rest in Tommy's hair. "Drama queen" he said making Tommy screw up his face in annoyance.

"Bitch" he retorted.

Wilbur had to fight not to smile. Tommy seemed to notice and smirked.

"Bitch" he repeated then started poking at Wilbur's chest. "Bitchy, bitch, bitch."

Wilbur smacked his hands away, lips twitching. "Shut up, I'm trying to read."

"Isn't that one of Techno's book?"

"Yes."

"Ugh boring, come on Wilbur," Tommy begun poking again. "Stop being lame."

"Tommy will you stOP-" Wilbur squeaked, grabbing Tommy's hand that had gotten too close to his upper ribs.

Tommy's eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates, staring at Wilbur who was staring back, face tinged pink.

"No way..."

"Tommy-"

Tommy wasted no time. He squeezed the sides of Wilbur's ribcage quickly making the older yelp and break into startled laughter.

"Dahahamn ihihit Tohohommy!" He squealed, trying to deflect Tommy's quick fingers that slipped through his weak defenses.

"Oh my god! This is too good!" Tommy laughed sitting up to get better access to Wilbur's ticklish torso. "How am I only finding this out now?"

Wilbur squirmed against the couch, the book slipping to his floor and dropping to the floor with a thud. "T-Tommy stohohop ihiHIHIT-!"

He suddenly squealed, his back arching off the couch then crashing back down, his laughter jumping up an octave.

Tommy had started softly scuttling his fingers on Wilbur's lower ribs, his touch feather light and absolutely maddening.

Wilbur snatched Tommy's wrists, holding them away from his ribs, trying to control his giggles that kept tumbling from his lips.

"Toms" he gasped, trying to glare at the teen but his red face and wide smile really wasn't intimidating at all. "Jehehesus... Jesus Christ-"

Tommy wheezed, leaning back on Wilbur's legs. "That was amazing" he cackled, "you've never made noises like that before! You fucken squealed like a pig!"

Wilbur flushed darker, "S-Shut up" he mumbled.

"Awww are you embarrassed? Is Wilby embarrassed?" Tommy grinned.

Wilbur growled to himself, his blush burning his face and ears. "You know what you little gremlin?" He glared.

Tommy's laughter died down when he heard the dark tone and looked up at his older brother a little nervously.

"You've got five seconds."

Tommy blinked. "What?"

"Four..." Wilbur growled.

"Wilbur-"

"Three..."

Tommy quickly stood, backing away from the man. "H-Hang on Wilbur-"

"Two" Wilbur slowly stood, his face remaining neutral and eyes locked to Tommy.

Tommy had enough sense to take a few steps away, a wobbly smile starting to lift his lips. "Wil, we can talk about this-"

A smile curled at Wilbur's lips. "One" he stated darkly.

He lunged for Tommy who screamed and bolted down the hall. The chase lasted almost a full two minutes. Tommy yelling profanities the entire time with Wilbur right on his tail.

Tommy fatal mistake was trying to run into Techno's room. The door was locked.

Wilbur grabbed him around the waist and hauled him over his shoulder, Tommy shrieked and scrabbled at Wilbur's sweater, trying to pull free.

"Wilbur! P-Put me down! Wilbur!"

Wilbur carried him right back to the couch and unceremoniously dumped him onto the cushions. Tommy tried to scramble off the couch but Wilbur scooped him right back up and sat down, keeping his little brother trapped in his arms. They sat in silence for a moment, Tommy lying in Wilbur's arms who was glaring down at him.

"Heeeyyyy Wilbur" Tommy dragged out the greeting, starting to curl in on himself on instinct. "Sooooooo..."

"So" Wilbur repeated, "you know what's about to happen?"

Tommy giggled quietly, "um... no?"

Wilbur raised a brow. "It's called karma, bitch!"

He dropped his head to Tommy's stomach, (his shirt haven ridden up from his previous squirming) and blew a massive raspberry on his skin.

Tommy yelped loudly, breaking into hysteric giggles, his hands flailing to shove Wilbur's head away. "Fuhuhuhuck!" He yelled through his laughter, squirming in his older brother's hold. "Wilbur! Nohohohoho!"

Wilbur smirked. Tommy had always been weak to raspberries. He blew a series of mini raspberries across Tommy's abdomen, his fingers starting to wiggle under the boy's ribs and knees.

Tommy was squirming like a worm on a hook, legs kicking and coming dangerously close to slamming his knee into the side of Wilbur's head.

"Wihihiilbuhuhuhur fohohor fuhuhucks sahahake!" He cackled, trying to shove the older boys fingers away, while attempting to protect his stomach from Wilbur's evil raspberries.

Wilbur had to lower Tommy onto his lap to avoid dropping him. He grabbed the boy's wrists and pinned them on the arm of the couch. Tommy realised how vulnerable he was and giggled hysterically, trying to bring his knees up to cover his stomach.

"Nohohohoho" he whined, "you're beheheing mehahean."

"Am I?" Wilbur asked smoothly, "this is coming from the guy who tortured my weak spot mercilessly? Isn't it fair I repay the favor?"

Tommy shook his head. "I'm sorry!"

"Too late brother of mine" Wilbur smirked and squeezed Tommy's knees repetitively making the boy squeal and pull his knees down to avoid Wilbur's attack. In doing so however, exposed the spot Tommy had been trying to protect.

Wilbur kept up the squeezing and scuttled his fingers underneath Tommy's knees then blew a massive raspberry directly over his belly button.

Tommy shrieked at the top of his lungs, and kicked the couch cushions frantically. "FUHUHUHUHUCK!"

Wilbur laughed with Tommy as the boy tried to shove his head away.

"WIHIHIHILBUHUHUR IHIHIT TIHIHICKLES!"

"Well yeah, that's the point Toms" Wilbur chuckled but patted the teen's stomach gently as he pulled away. He watched as Tommy breathed heavily. "You gonna live?"

Tommy was still giggling madly and glared at Wilbur. "Yohohou're suhuhuch ahahan ass" he whined through his lingering giggles, smacking Wilbur's shoulder with barely any strength.

"Well, you wanted to do something right? You no longer gonna die of boredom?"

Tommy blinked, then flushed. "You fucking tortured me!"

"But you're not bored anymore are you?"

Tommy grumbled under his breath.

"Pardon?"

"I said you're the worst."

"Tommy I'd like to remind you you're still at my mercy" Wilbur wiggled his fingers on Tommy's stomach making the boy giggle weakly and curl up again.

"Nohohoho" Tommy pushed his fingers away.

"Don't challenge me again" Wilbur smirked. "I'll always win tickle fights."

"Oh really?"

The two boys on the couch swung round to see Phil and Techno watching them from the doorway. A fond smile on the older's face and a smirk on the other's.

Tommy went bright red. "How long have you two been standing there?"

"Long enough" Techno answered, gaze still locked on Wilbur. "You always win tickle fights, eh Wilbur?"

Wilbur swallowed. "Well- that's...I..."

Techno cracked his knuckles. "Shall we test that?"

Tommy smirked up at his brother. "You've got five seconds" he grinned, repeating the same words Wilbur had used on him.

Wilbur practically threw Tommy off of his lap, bolting down the hall, Techno and Tommy giving chase straight away.

"YOU SAID FIVE SECONDS!" Wilbur screamed over his shoulder.

"I LIED!" Tommy yelled back.

Phil chuckled to himself softly when he heard a very audible thump followed by hysteric cackling and pleas for mercy.

They really were an odd bunch, but they were family.

[ampleappleamble]

The Elf and the Orlan's Wedding

—

"Hey. You'll marry me, won't you?"

Aloth had spent the last five years of his life honing his skills and reflexes in his mission to hunt down and destroy one of the most dangerous cults on the face of Eora, but somehow he still couldn't help but be utterly bested by just a few little words. Axa had a way of doing that– cutting past all his pretense and politesse, punching through all his meticulously constructed defenses with just a few simple words, striking at the very heart of him. It was part of why he loved her, and no small part, either.

He pulled her closer as he attempted to sit up in her spacious sleeping berth, struggling to scrape enough of his brain back together from the one-two punch of vigorous, passionate lovemaking followed up by that question to formulate an answer for her. But despite his best efforts, he found that the best he could manage was a feeble, "I beg your pardon?"

She laughed and nuzzled her face into his chest, his bare skin warm against her brow. She'd known the question would shock him, but she also knew that no matter how carefully she phrased it, there really was no way to ask a man like Aloth a question like that without shocking him. "Sorry to surprise you. But it's something I've been thinking about for a while now," she continued. "After we've arrived back in the Dyrwood and settled a few matters, gotten Caed Nua's reconstruction properly underway, taken some time to recover from all this– there'd really be nothing stopping us." She snuggled closer. "And I know the challenges we'll be facing in this new, uncertain world would feel a lot less daunting with you by my side. So... why not get married?"

Axa paused, then, tensed up in Aloth's arms. "That is, if you'd like to." She lifted her head to look at him, her violet eyes soft and glittering in the lamplight. "Would you like to?"

He studied her face, rosy and gorgeous and full of hope. Her proposal wasn't entirely unexpected– after all, it was only natural that she should want to take their relationship further, especially after all they'd been through together in the Deadfire– but it was still a bit overwhelming, actually experiencing such a thing himself instead of merely reading about it in a novel or watching strangers act it out in a stageplay. His head was swimming, his heart was hammering in his chest, his stomach was fluttering madly– but all the same, he couldn't help but smile at her.

"Of course. Of course I would," he murmured at last, brushing a lock of hair from her brow. "I can think of no greater pleasure."

The tears finally came, welled in her eyes as she beamed up at him. "Oh, Aloth," she whispered, pressing her face into his shoulder and squeezing him tight. "You have no idea how happy you've just made me."

"How happy I've made you?" He laughed, surprised to find himself blinking away tears as well. "I'm to be the consort of the Lady of Caed Nua! The brave, kind, beautiful heroine who uncovered the cause of the Hollowborn Crisis and saved the Dyrwood, the indomitable spirit who defies death and deities alike– and of all people, you want to be mine, to be my– my–"

My bride. Axa. My bride, my love, my wife. The reality of it suddenly struck him with its full gravitas, and an indescribable emotion washed over him. "I love you, Axa. Truly."

Giggles mingled with her sobs, and she scrubbed at her wet eyes with a fuzzy fist. "And I love you," she replied softly. She looked up at him again, grinning. "You'll plan everything, right? I was never very good at that sort of thing."

Aloth sighed, slumping back down against the pillows as Axa cackled. "I should have known," he groaned, shaking his head good- naturedly at his newly-betrothed.

"Yes, you should have," she agreed, spreading out on top of him, making herself comfortable. "Planning a fancy formal event– such as, say, the wedding of a landed thaynu who is returning triumphantly from a world-shaking, death-defying mission in the Deadfire– plays much more to your strengths than to mine. Of course, I'll help as much as I'm able. How about I find us an officiant?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Xoti, then? Or were you thinking of asking Vatnir?"

She paused for a moment, her brow furrowed in consternation. "Gods, are those two the only priests I know?" she muttered, resting her chin again Aloth's sternum, and she sighed. "Typical of me, I suppose, to shun all clergy but the most death-obsessed misfits. Even my resident cleric at Caed Nua was a morose Berathian."

Was. Axa's smile faltered, and she abruptly went quiet, unfixing her gaze, lowering her eyelids.

"Well, given what we know of the gods, is it any surprise our priestly acquaintances gravitate toward the morbid?" Aloth tucked a lock of her burgundy hair behind her ear, let his hand linger on her cheek. He'd noticed the sudden chill in her demeanor– reminded of Caed Nua, no doubt, of her myriad responsibilities back at home, the dead waiting to be buried– and had hoped he could warm her back up a bit, but it appeared that even his wry musings weren't enough to soothe her melancholia.

"We're going to be alright, aren't we?" Axa's voice was soft and serious, and she reflexively curled in on herself, clinging to her lover as she contemplated the future ahead of them. "Kith, I mean."

He wrapped her in his arms, warm and steady, and let out a shaky sigh. "I don't know. With the Wheel destroyed and the cycle of reincarnation stalled indefinitely, we'll certainly have our work cut out for us. But if there's one thing in common between all peoples and cultures on Eora, I would posit that it is our stubbornness." Aloth smiled, ran a hand through her thick, soft hair. "With people like you working to guide and support us, kith may yet learn to band together and channel that indefatigable will of ours into finding an equitable solution for all this mess. In any case, I can't really see us all just... giving up. Especially not after all we've seen, all we've been through."

The two lay together in silence for a while, his hand in her hair, her ear pressed to his heart. It had always fascinated her, how elf hearts beat so much more slowly than orlans'.

"The Elf and the Orlan's Wedding," she murmured.

"I... do hope you're not intending to have me write that on the invitations." He allowed himself a small smile. When she hadn't responded, he was sure he'd failed to cheer her, but maybe he'd conceded too soon?

"It's a children's song," she laughed, propping herself up a bit, "that I was just now reminded of. It's about an elf and an orlan at their wedding, and everyone in attendance is bemoaning the foolishness of such a union. 'She'll outlive you by two centuries, it's a waste of time for you both'... That sort of sentiment."

"Charming," Aloth deadpanned.

"Oh, yes," she chuckled, "very much so. Of course, by the end, the lyrics reveal that the titular elf and orlan are well aware of the vast disparity in their lifespans, but they've decided they love each other too much to let something like that get in the way of enjoying their time together."

He smiled knowingly. "Sounds familiar."

She smiled back. "The moral of the story, of course, is that one cannot waste one's life worrying about what others think, about the 'proper' ways of going about this or that, and that it's better to live in the moment and enjoy what you have while you have it."

"Sounds very familiar," Aloth sighed. "But if kith spend too much energy on enjoying the present, we won't be able to prepare for the troubles of the future until they're upon us."

"Ah, but that's just another reason the title characters chose to marry," Axa grinned. "It's easy to miss the significance when you're a child, but there are a few lines in the song regarding the orlan's horrible estranged family complaining about how the orlan's assets will now be bequeathed to his elf wife upon his death, thus keeping it out of their greedy paws for at least 200 more years, if not forever."

He cocked an eyebrow. "That's not your reason for proposing, is it?"

"No!" She laughed, lightly swatting at his chest with the back of one hand. "Although it'll be damned funny, I have to admit, sticking it to all the little Dyrwoodan lordlings with their eyes on my land who were just planning on waiting for me to die in a few decades." A wicked grin spread across her little face, and Aloth couldn't help but laugh.

"Pray tell, then," he smiled, running a hand up and down her back, ruffling her fur and smoothing it back down, "what exactly is the point you're trying to make by bringing up this song, my dear?"

Axa toyed with a lock of his hair, biting her lip and staring at nothing in particular, before finally admitting: "You know, I'm not sure. I definitely lost the plot somewhere along the line, there. I suppose I was trying to draw some sort of parallel between The Elf and the Orlan's Wedding, and our wedding, and... and the challenges ahead of us all in regards to repairing the cycle of reincarnation... something about planning for the future while still making sure to enjoy the present..." She scoffed at herself, resting her chin on Aloth's breast again. "Maybe I was simply randomly reminded of a silly song from my youth and I'm trying too hard to stretch it to link it to current events. Or I'm just tired and rambling and not making any sense at all."

"No," Aloth assured her, "you definitely had a reason for bringing it up, even if you can't quite articulate why." He stroked the back of her ear, staring pensively at the ceiling. "I think, perhaps, you wanted to reassure yourself that even if some new version of the Wheel ends up never getting built, even if it turns out that the days of kith are truly numbered and our end is inevitable... that doesn't mean you need to mourn every day yet to come as if it's already been lived in vain. As a Chanter, and given the subject we'd been discussing, it's only natural the realization would come to you in the form of a song about marriage."

She snuggled close to him, sighing contentedly. "You see why I want you to plan the wedding?" she murmured. "You make everything make sense."

"I learned it from you, you know," he replied, nuzzling the top of her head. "Funny how that works, isn't it? Like a two-piece puzzle. We complete each other."

"Thought that advice sounded familiar," Axa giggled. "Should listen to myself– and you– more often."

"That's a given." Aloth went to kiss her forehead, and she surprised him yet again by scooting forward and craning her neck to press her lips to his instead.

"What about Engrim?" she whispered sweetly, her smile still brushing his. "He's a priest of Magran. If we kept the booze away from him until after the ceremony–"

"Absolutely not, my love." His breath tickled her nose. "No wedding of mine will utilize a Magranite ceremony, and certainly not one conducted by a lush."

The little woman laughed, pressing her face to his neck. "Come on, I'm running out of priests!"

"You truly can't think of any others?" He kissed her temple, sighing with a mix of contendedness and exasperation at his little bride.

"Well, I do know a certain Glamfellen who's a priest of Wael, but we're not exactly on speaking terms." She tried a wry grin, but it morphed into a grimace halfway through. "Ugh. Not as funny as I thought it'd be. Sorry."

Aloth chuckled. "It's decided, then. We'll have a secular wedding."

"Sounds good to me, actually," Axa replied. "Never had much need of the gods anyway."

—

[nah-she-didnt]

A Home Cooked Meal

Now on AO3!! 

--------

Lily was in trouble.

She’d tried everything. She’d used muggle pregnancy tests, downed a magical pregnancy detector potion, and even read books about how a normal, healthy, not-pregnant nineteen year old could miss her period for two months in a row. But it was no good. Lily was nineteen, a full-time soldier in the Order of the Phoenix, and pregnant.

She had so far avoided telling her sweet, sensitive, nineteen year old boyfriend about her pregnancy. After all, life was hard enough these days without having a baby dropped in your lap. Lily reckoned it would be kinder to refrain from telling James about the baby for the next seven months, then one day give him the surprise of a lifetime. Yes, Lily thought, seven precious months of sanity before ruining his life was a foolproof plan.

Lily tried desperately to shove all thoughts of her pregnancy aside as she tried to focus on the present moment. She, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter sat in the living room of another Order member, sipping tea and snacking on biscuits. However, at that precise moment, Lily felt so nauseated that she wondered if it was possible to die from pregnancy hormones. 

Lily was quite sure that Arthur Weasley had been bulled into inviting the five of them over by his wife, Molly, after the last Order meeting when Sirius mentioned that the they had all been too busy with missions to cook for themselves for the last few months. As soon as Molly heard that the teenagers had been subsisting on nothing more than takeaway and cheese on toast she insisted that they all join her and Arthur for a home cooked meal.

Mrs. Weasley bustled around them now, offering them more tea and insisting that they call her “Molly.” She was an outgoing woman with a kind, round face and more energy than Lily had ever had in her life. How else could she take care of five little boys and another on the way?

“Now, I’m going to pop back into the kitchen and finish dinner. Arthur should be home from guard duty any moment now, so you all just relax and enjoy yourselves!” Mrs. Weasley beamed at them all, then slipped from the room.

Lily sat back in her seat on the couch and looked around, trying not to think about how sick she felt. The house was warm and inviting, but chaotic. Children’s toys littered the ground, and Lily was certain that the Weasleys had at least twelve small red-haired children running about the house. She had not remembered any of their names, but they all seemed to be full of reckless energy and looked exactly the same. This is my future, Lily thought to herself dejectedly as she watched one of the older boys, Will or Hermes or whatever his name was, sprint around the living room on a toy racing broom, cackling wildly.

Sirius seemed completely at ease with the children. He lay flat on his back with his arms sticking straight up in the air, holding one of the smaller boys under the armpits. The boy shrieked with delight as Sirius swung him from left to right and narrated a fictitious quidditch match in an affected announcer’s voice.

“And that’s Langley with the quaffle, Langley flies left, dodges Ghulam, rolls to miss a bludger from Bagman, feints right, shoots, LANGLEY SCOOOOOORES!”    

When Langley scored, Sirius swooped the child in a full circle above his own head, finally pausing when the boy was completely upside down and giggling madly. James watched Sirius with polite interest, though he clearly felt awkward around the small Weasley children.

“Blimey, Sirius, it’s too bad you played beater instead of commentating at school. I might have been able to find a beater who could actually fly.”

“You’re just jealous that you can’t chase as well as Langley does in my reenactment,” said Sirius with an easy smile, setting the child back on the ground. The boy clapped his hands together and screamed “Again! Again!”

Sirius obliged, grabbing the child this time by his ankles and swinging him through the air.

“Are you alright Lily?” Peter asked nervously, “you’re looking a little green.” 

“What? Oh, yes, fine,” said Lily distractedly. She purposefully avoided James’ gaze. 

Finally, the child called Fred seemed to tire of the quidditch match, and toddled off to play with his brother “Geowge.” Sirius lounged against the parlor table and popped a piece of Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum into his mouth. 

“Blimey, I didn’t realize we were in the presence of Mary-bloody-Poppins over her.” 

“Don’t be grumpy because I’m good with kids and you aren’t!” Sirius exclaimed before blowing a large bubble that burst with a soft pop!

“Who says I’m bad with kids? Kids love me!” cried James, whipping around to look at Lily, Remus, and Peter for support. They all pointedly averted their eyes. 

Pop!

“Remus! What about that time I visited your house in Wales and there was that little muggle boy who lost his mum in the market? I was good with him! He got back to her safe and sound.” James pleaded.

“Yes... but you did ask him he’d kidnapped stolen by hinkypunks.”

James threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. “Oh come on! In Benny And The Hinkypunk the little boy gets kidnapped by hinkypunks, but he’s alright in the end! My mum told me that story all the time when I was a kid and I loved it. I was trying to cheer him up!”

“Yes, James, but he was a muggle,” said Remus patiently, “so all he knew was that a strange man was asking him if he’d been kidnapped!”

“Alright. Fair enough. But kids love me. Kids love me, don’t they Lily?”

Lily nearly spat her tea into her lap. “Pardon?”

“You think kids love me, right? I’m fun! I play quidditch! I own nearly every Zonko’s product!”

“Oh, right, yes James, I’m sure kids would...would love you.” Lily looked away quickly, trying to hide the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. Yes, she thought, James’ children would probably love him dearly. He’d be an incredible father, the perfect combination of jokester and role model. On the other hand, she couldn’t picture herself as a mother no matter how hard she tried. 

Pop!

“Sirius, if you don’t stop blowing bubbles, I’m going to murder you,” Peter moaned. 

“Can’t, shan’t.” Pop!   

Lily stood up suddenly. “I’m going to see if Mrs. Weasley needs any help in the kitchen.” 

“Oi, Pete, you go too,” said Sirius lazily from his spot on the floor, “make us look good.” 

“Stop blowing that stupid gum and go yourself!” Peter replied, chucking a small pillow from the couch at Sirius’ head.

Pop!

Lily walked away from the sounds of Sirius and Peter bickering and towards the kitchen. She knew she had never been in a house like this before. Every square inch was accounted for. Even the slats in the ceiling and the ledge over the doorways were built for extra storage. With five children, Lily thought, they  must need all the storage they could manage. 

Lily often thought that as a muggle born she could tell when a place felt overwhelmingly magical in a way that her friends who grew up around magic could not. The house seemed to positively radiate with warmth, comfort and magic. It must be a wonderful place to have a childhood.

Lily paused awkwardly in the doorway to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had her back to Lily as she stirred a pot of something that smelled delightful on the stove. Lily, not wanting to scare Mrs. Weasley, coughed quietly to make her presence known. 

Molly looked around and smiled warmly at Lily.“Oh, hello dear, do you all need anything before dinner?”

“Uh, no thank you, Mrs. Weasley,” Lily said as cheerfully as she could muster. She tried hard not to regard Mrs. Weasley’s significant bump underneath her apron. Lily didn’t know much about pregnancy, but she knew that Mrs. Weasley must be far along indeed. 

“Are you sure? I could make you a cup of ginger tea if you like.” Mrs. Weasley’s tone was casual, but Lily could just barely make out a knowing look in her eyes. 

“Yes, that sounds lovely, thank you,” Lily said nervously. Mrs. Weasley couldn’t possibly know, could she? Perhaps women who’d been pregnant before, especially women on their sixth pregnancy at least, had some sort of special pregnancy powers. No, that was silly, she was just being paranoid. 

“Here you are, dear,” Mrs. Weasley said as she placed a piping hot cup of tea in front of Lily, “I added in a slice of lemon. I always say, a lemon is just the trick for when you’re...not feeling your best.” 

Lily’s heart sunk. “How did you know?” she asked desperately, feeling close to tears.

“Know what?” Mrs. Weasley asked innocently, “I’m sure I don’t know--”

“You do. You know, and soon everyone will know because I won’t be able to hide it.” Lily sunk into one of the kitchen chairs and put her face in her hands. 

Mrs. Weasley was silent for a moment, then said “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I simply guessed, that’s all, and I never meant to let you know that I had. You’re glowing, my dear, but you still look miserable. I’ve only felt that way a few times in my life, and they all resulted in the boys that fill this house.”

Lily nodded, sniffing loudly. “I’m trying to hard to keep it together, but I just can’t hide. I feel awful all the time, and I know most of it is morning sickness but there’s also this huge weight in my heart and I can’t do anything to--to fix it.”

Mrs. Weasley nodded sympathetically. “I know just how you feel. I just saw you looking so miserable in there, and I remember how awful I felt every time I was in my first few weeks. A cup of ginger tea with lemon always soothed my stomach, so I thought it would help, but I see I’ve only made things worse.” 

Lily sighed into her hands, then dropped them to look at Mrs. Weasley. “You haven’t. Actually,” she said, realizing for the first time that it was true, “I’m relieved someone else knows. I haven’t been able to bring myself to tell anyone else.” 

Mrs. Weasley covered Lily’s hand with her own and stroked it with her thumb. “It’s going to be alright. Whatever happens, you’ll see, it’s going to be alright.” 

“It’s not,” whispered Lily, her eyes filling with tears. “I’m a muggleborn. James and I swore we’d fight this war until it was finished. I can’t bring a baby into this mess? The baby of a mudblood and a blood traitor! How could I do that to an innocent child?” She was really sobbing now, and gratefully accepted the handkerchief that Mrs. Weasley produced from her apron pocket. 

“Now, you listen to me,” said Mrs. Weasley soothingly, but with authority, “you are the only one in the world who knows what’s best for you. You’ll be able to make the right decision, and if you raise a baby in this mess that baby will be the luckiest child in the world because it will have you for a mother.” 

Lily gave a forced chuckle. “It doesn’t feel like it. It feels like I’ve just doomed this baby, James, and myself all in one go.” She looked up into Mrs. Weasley’s concerned face. “But thank you for saying that. It’s nice to know that someone with so much mothering experience doesn’t think I’ll muck it all up.” 

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her. “Never, dear. You’ll be wonderful. Plus, I’ll be here to help,” she laid a hand across her round stomach, “you won’t be the only one dealing with the hormones and mood swings, will you?” 

Lily smiled. She was starting to feel a bit better. After all, Mrs. Weasley didn’t think she was a terrible person. She didn’t think that Lily had doomed James to a life of misery. Her heart sank again. James.

“I can’t tell him,” Lily said, shaking her head, “I can’t tell him. We’re so young. We haven’t even talked about marriage. How am I going to tell him that he’s going to be a dad?” 

“Surely you could tell him, couldn’t you?” Asked Mrs. Weasley kindly, “That boy is simply mad about you, everyone can see it. He’d follow you to the ends of the earth.” 

Lily laughed at this. It was true, James had told her as much himself. And she would do the same for him. 

“He’d be a wonderful dad. He’s just so young still, so...”

“Immature?” Mrs. Weasley said cheekily.

“Well, he’s more mature than most, but he’s nineteen years old! This should be the time that he has fun, not gets saddled with a baby.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, dear, but no one is able to have much fun these days,” Mrs. Weasley smiled sadly, “it’s times like these that people realize the most important things in life. Love. Family. A purpose beyond yourself.” 

That was true. It’s not as if a baby would interrupt James’ wild youth. This war had forced them all to grow up too quickly. James and Lily spent nearly all their time these days on the order, fighting for something bigger than themselves. James had already willingly taken on that responsibility, perhaps he would be ready to take on another. 

“I really think you should tell him, Lily. Give him the chance to react, then decide what you’re going to do together. Who knows, he might surprise you by being more mature than you think--”

At that moment, there was a loud howl from the next room like a wounded animal. Remus came bolting into the kitchen, then, upon seeing the two women sitting and talking, stopped suddenly. He tried to arrange his face into a calm expression then asked, “um, pardon me, Mrs.--uh--Molly, would you by chance know how to get--uh--chewing gum out of someone’s hair?”

Suddenly James came hurdling into the kitchen too, supporting a limp and partially-blind Sirius with him. Sirius had been rendered partially-blind by the infamous piece of chewing gum that was currently stretched across his face, held in front of his eyes by the bits of wavy hair that framed his face.

“MOLLY!” he screamed, clutching at the air in front of him in panic, “HELP ME! MY HAIR! MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR!” 

“There was, um, an incident in the living room,” James snickered. He was clearly trying, and failing miserably, to keep his shoulders from shaking with laughter at his best friend’s misfortune. “Peter here--”

“I told him to stop blowing those stupid bubbles!” Peter cried indignantly. “I told him! I don’t regret it in the slightest.” 

“Because of you engorging my bubble my hair is ruined!” Sirius tried to swipe for Peter with his outstretched arm, but caught Remus by mistake. “Ouch!” “Ooh, sorry Remus, love! I was trying to catch a rat.” 

“Boys, boys!” Mrs. Weasley shouted, getting to her feet. “I have five children, I am perfectly capable of removing chewing gum from hair without any lasting damage.

“You promise?” sniffed Sirius, who was gently caressing his affected locks. 

“I promise. Now, everyone, stand back and go into the other room. I need room to work...” 

Lily, James, Remus, and Peter all trudged into the next room. 

“Nice one, Pete,” said James, still laughing. 

“Oh he can bugger off, the dramatic git,” said Peter, though he was smiling too, “his hair will be fine.”

“It better be. How will he react when he finds out I’m only with him for his thick, luscious locks?” laughed Remus. 

“Hey,” James said to Lily, bumping her shoulder with his, “you’re quiet. Was the great gum-hair incident of 1979 not entertaining enough for you?” 

“No, of course it was,” Lily forced herself to smile, “I’m just taking it in. It’ll be quite a shock at first, but I suppose I can get used to a bald Sirius Black. Let’s just hope his skull is a normal shape.”

“Precisely!” cried James, “ We’ll just have to let him know that we love him no matter what, right?”

“Right,” said Lily weakly. God, he would be a fantastic dad. 

A few minutes later, Sirius and Mrs. Weasley re-entered the living room, Sirius’ hair gum-free and unaffected. He shot a dirty look at Peter. 

“I’m going to get you back for that.” 

Peter shrugged. “I’m sure you will. Now, Molly, can we help at all with dinner?” 

“No, no, you all just stay here and try not to cause any more trouble. I have enough to worry about with my children running about, I don’t need four more!” 

“Four? What about Lily!” cried Sirius indignantly. 

“Oh, I think Lily has wisdom beyond all your years,” Molly said, winking at Lily. “Arthur will be back soon, then we can sit down to eat.” And with that, Mrs. Weasley disappeared again into the kitchen. 

“Wow, you two really must have bonded in there,” James said with an impressed tone. “What did you talk about?”

“Oh, you know, girly stuff, you wouldn’t be interested.”

“I beg to differ! I love girly stuff I’ll have you know.” James said with mock indignance.

“Girly magazines don’t count, dolt.” 

“Ha ha ha,” James laughed sarcastically, “just you wait, Evans. One day you’ll realize there’s much more to me than meets the eye.” 

Lily looked at James out of the corner of her eye. James, who had protected Remus and kept his secret for years. James, who had taken Sirius in when he ran away from home. James, who watched out for Peter and stopped Sirius from picking on him too much, because that’s just who he was. He would always look out for those who needed him. And she needed him now more than ever. 

“Maybe you’re right.” Lily smiled. 

Somehow, she thought that maybe this would work. 

[annnoel]

Previous part: Wraiths CONTENT WARNING: This story contains murder, decapitation, alcohol and heavy language. Read at your own risk.

Muddy footprints were left in Rhippos wake as he stumbled into a small village, rain bathing the place in a thick mist. Despite the rain some were still wandering about the square, some getting supplies to help them weather the storm until it let up. Rhippo had no care for supplies or a place to stay, he just wanted to drown his sorrows and forget his friend. He stumbled onto a building and placed his hand against the wall, somewhat losing his grip from his rain soaked hands. Regaining his grip he leaned his back against the wall and fell to the floor, taking a swig from a wine bottled he had been carrying with him. Footsteps could be heard coming near him, eventually stopping beside him. "My, you're soaked head to toe! What happened to you?" Rhippo glanced to the side and saw a xweetok holding a lace umbrella leaning down to get a better look at him. Her body fur was a lilac purple while her hair and mane shimmered a dark violet, her eyes a vibrant pink that almost seemed to glow in the shadows. She wore a black dress with purple floral patters coming up from the bottom as if it was winding across her dress. Rhippo paid no mind to her and let out a heavy huff before turning away from her. "Are you doing alright? Do you need any sort of help with shelter or such?" She asked as she leaned down closer to Rhippo. "Go fuck yourself, I don't need any help." Rhippo let out before taking another swig from his wine bottle. "By Gods, such language! You shouldn't talk to someone who offered you help in such a way!" She stood herself back up and placed her hand on her breast, letting out a scoff. "I can talk to you however the fuck I want, like I give two shits about what people think about me." Rhippo peered into the bottle before tilting it, a single drop falling from the brim into his lap. Rhippo flung the bottle to the side, the sound of glass clanging as it ran over rocks and dirt. The xweetok furrowed her brow and pursed her lips, contemplating on how she could get him to talk about his situation. "Sounds like someone you knew betrayed your trust in a way."  She said softly as she scratched at her face, implying how Rhippo had gotten the scar across his face. "Nobody betrayed my trust, I betrayed someone elses trust thanks to my desperation. I tried to help her, and now she wants nothing to do with me." Rhippo let our a heavy sigh before dropping his head into his legs. "How did you betray her trust?" Rhippo clenched his fists onto his knees and slowly raised his head up, glaring back at the xweetok. "You of all people should know why." Rhippo hissed. "I beg your pardon?" She asked as she backed up, clenching her umbrellas handle. "I know it's you wraith, your act is as unpolished as your looks." In a flash all her clothes fell to the floor, the umbrella splashing onto some wet rocks. The black mass manifested next to Rhippo, turning into the xweetok he met before. She held her face in her hands, the lower half of her legs raised in the air crossed. "Guess I'm a bit of an open book now aren't I?" Rhippo snarled at her. "What the fuck do you want with me?" "Oh, I always check back up on my clients to see how they're doing! I see in your case it didn't end too well." "Like HELL it did-" Rhippo slammed his hand down where her head was, but she wisped away before he could grab her. She manifested behind him and wrapped her arm around his neck. "You really thought you could get me like that? Oh that's so very cute." She rested her other arm on top of his head, pressing her cheek onto his. Rhippo clawed at her arm, but his claws just phased through her arm. "Also, I can tell you got yourself a wraith as well, I can feel them. Gave you a bit of a struggle now, didn't they?" She ran a finger on top of the scar covering his face. Rhippo yelled and stood up, getting the wraith to finally manifest off of him. "You need to just- get the hell away from me. You ruined my life enough, and I don't want you near me ever again!" Rhippos words slurred as they came out, barely just forming a coherent sentence in his anger. "Alright, I'll leave! I was just checking up on you," She winked as she backed herself up, "Maybe you can take this opportunity to restart your life, create a fresh start, make a new you! I feel it would do you some good." He lunged at her but she disappeared into the air before he could grab her, the last of the black wisps faded into the air as Rhippo looked down at his hands. He clenched his fists and yelled into the air before falling to his knees, wrapping his arms onto his head and letting out another desperate scream. He pushed his hair back as he stood himself back up, leaning against the wall as he regained his footing. He staggered back to the entrance of the forest, kicking the wine bottle away as he entered. Rhippo wandered through the woods, barely able to keep himself upright as he would catch himself on nearby trees. He stopped and leaned himself against a tree, his breath forming small clouds of mist in the rain while he panted. As he was about to get back up, he heard a voice in the distance. Listening in he could tell it was elderly, the tone shaky and struggling to get louder as it called for help. A krawk green in tone like Rhippo walked through the frame, holding a makeshift cane as he propped himself on the nearby trees, struggling to keep himself up. Maybe you can take this opportunity to restart your life, create a fresh start, make a new you! I feel it would do you some good. Make a new me Rhippo thought. Create a fresh start, start new. Restart your life, restart your life, restart your life... The voices of reason were drowned out as he wandered towards the elderly krawk, the thought of restarting his life repeating over and over in his mind. His chest and face started to burn intensely, his hands trembling as he wandered closer to the krawk. Rhippo placed his hand against a tree trunk and leaned against it, the krawk hearing him and turning back to Rhippo. "Oh, thank the Gods! C-can you show me where the nearest village is? I got a bit lost in these woods." The krawk trembled, clutching his cane to keep his balance. Rhippo just stared down the krawk, the way he looked reminding him so much of himself. Maybe this was another trick from the wraith? Maybe he's finally gone insane from his sadness? Or possibly drunken hallucinations manifesting in the foggy rain? It didn't matter to him, he wanted him gone. "Make a new me." Black snake like tendrils manifested from Rhippos back, pointed straight down onto the elderly krawk. The krawk gasped as he backed up, dropping his cane and leaning against a tree. "Make a new me!" Rhippo repeated, cackling madly as the snaky tendrils inched closer to the krawk. He tried to run, but all four tendrils shot down at him in a split second. A pained scream rang into the evening rain, birds flying off as it echoed through the forest. *~* Tendrils reached down and grabbed the top of the deceased krawks head, twisting it off as the sound of bones snapping and flesh tearing rang through his head. He removed anything inside the head he didn't want before sitting himself down, dropping the skull into his lap. He used his claws to rip off any skin and hair until nothing but the bone was left. As he brushed off any leftover blood, he placed the skull on top of his head. It was a bit big on him, but that didn't bother him. He sat as he felt the weight of the skull rest on his head, glancing back at the body as the tendrils came into frame. Black and pink wisps ran up the wraithy tendrils as pink spots scattered the top, forming where the rain came down onto them. Rhippo stared back down and played with his fingers, letting out a low cackle and slowly raising his voice until it rang out through the forest. "Make a new me!" Rhippo trembled out. He leaned forward and slammed his hands into the mud, cackling as streams of tears trickled down his face. "Make a new me!" He yelled out as his cackles rang through the misty rain. His cackling shifted to pained sobs as he folded into himself, wailing as he continually repeated the phrase over and over again. Make a new me. ---------------- DID Y'ALL WANNA KNOW HOW RHIPPO GOT HIS SKULL?? No??? WELL NOW YOU DO! I had been wanting to make a sequel to his last piece for a while now, but never knew how to approach it. I always knew it'd be him having some major depressimos and drunk but thats kinda all i knew i got some inspiration recently though from the most recent episode of primal (Plague of Madness) + In This Moments newest album. The two combined just gave me major creepy vibes and made me wanna write something creepy and unsettling, which resulted in this! Hopefully I get the idea i wanted across. Characters losing touch with reality for one reason or another can be hard to write because it can be hard making sense of their actions if not written properly. I MEAAANN TECHNICALLY if the character is losing touch with reality and going insane it doesn't need to make sense, but in this case where he isn't really going insane and is just very drunk and cant really form reasonable thoughts it was a bit harder. But again, hopefully i get what i wanted across!! I had to rewrite this a bunch and might still rewrite it again since some parts I felt weren't that well structured and feel very jarring. Either way, I still had SO much fun with this and i love the whole idea of the story. I already have some sequel stories i wanna make up for this. I never thought i'd hyperfixate on rhippo of all characters fjkghdkjfg

[dr-gothtastic]

Dear  @i-wanttofeel-weightless -- Happy Valentines Day! I apologize for the prolonged posting of your gift. I just wanted to have both ready at relatively the same time. So, I again, pardon my tardiness. Also, pardon the crappyness of this Yatori fic. I don’t usually write Yatori or fluff and was a bit on the rushed side. But i do hope you like! I will have my second gift posted shortly, thank you for your patience and I hope you have a wonderful Valentines.

“A Potion to Solve All Our Problems”

Pairing: Yatori, (minor) Kazubisha, 

Word Count: 2,978 words (way longer than I first intended sorry)

Summary: 

- Yato buys a Love Potion to prank Kazuma with. But as Hiyori tries to be the hero and reclaim the potion, things backfire and chaos ensues.

“Yato, why did you drag us all the way here if you don’t even have a job today?” Hiyori questioned breathlessly as her sides heaved at the exertion of running in pace with the excited boy in front of her. “You could at least…” She took in another quick breath. “Slow down a bit.”

“No, way! I had to get here as fast as I can. This is a limited time offer. A one time kinda deal! I’m not passing this up for anything.” He said balling his fist and looking to the sky in a very dramatic stance to show his undeterred determination. Then he swept his hand over the small tent in a row of small stands selling various trinkets. “Wait out here while I go get the goods.”

Yukine huffed impatiently before shoving his hands in his pockets and glancing around at the other merchants. “What even is this place?”

Hiyori was about to ask the same question to Yato but he disappeared between the tent flaps before she got the chance. She let out a nervous laugh before giving Yukine a reassuring smile that seemed as fake as the antiques the merchant was selling across from them. “Looks like some sort of flea market or a festival? Maybe, Yato is picking up something for a client?”

Yukine narrowed his eyes into a scowl. “Doubt it.”

“Alrighty! Here we are.” Came a joyful call as the blue-eyed god emerged from the tent and held up a tube with a pink liquid being held in the glass vial. On the test tube just below the cork that kept the contacts from spilling, was a paper taped to it that had the depiction of a heart. “Tadaa! I’m a genius, right?”

Yukine immediately shook his head and began to walk away but Hiyori only leaned in closer trying to read the scribbled writing on the container. She poked the glass vial before looking up at Yato. “What is that?”

Yato laughed, his expression smug as he gazed fondly at his acquired item. “Oh, this is just a little love potion I bought. Totally awesome right?”

Hiyori jumped back as if he just declared that he had a nuclear bomb strapped to his chest. “A whaaa—?!”

Yato smiled and shook the contents before going on not seeming to notice Hiyori’s dismay. “A love potion. Whoever drinks it will fall hopelessly in love with the first person they lay their eyes on.”

“Why would you buy something like that?!” Hiyori asked incredulously.

Yato’s eyes lit aflame with mischief as his plan ran through his head. “Well, you know it being Valentines Day and romance being in the air I thought I’d use it for someone special.”

Hiyori raised her fist in warning, her tone a sharp dagger as she glared at him. “There is no way I’m going to drink that.”

“No, not you.” Yato paused and thought about it. “Then again….No. I was thinking of someone else.”

“Who?”

“Kazuma!” Yato let out a cackle but it ended with him coughing and trying not to choke.

“Kazuma?” Hiyori blinked and then thought of the horrible circumstances that came with Yato basically poisoning the most fearsome God of War’s second in command and blessed shinki. “Yato I don’t think—”

“I can just imagine the look on his face.” Yato mumbled before snickering under his breath as he held the love potion close to him.

“I doubt that’s even real.” Hiyori said trying to sound indifferent. “I doubt that love potions even exist. And why would you able to get one in a place like this?”

Yato looked almost horrified. “What? This is real. The magician said so.”

“Did you just say Magician?” Hiyori glanced back at the tent and sighed, shaking her head as she regarded the god inspecting the potion with desperation. “You can never trust a Magician, Yato. It’s probably not real so…y-you should just hand it over!”

Yato hissed and jumped away from her out stretched hand. “No. It is real and I can prove it.”

“No, Yato, wait—” Hiyori said as she watched as he opened the cork top and swallowed down half the vial.

He look down at the glass tube in his hands and licked his lips. “Hmmm, fruity.”

Hiyori regarded him warily taking a step forward, her hands in front of her as if to defend herself from what could be an unstable god. “Yato?”

“Yeah?” Yato looked up and stiffened as he saw her. “Oh, wow.”

“You okay there?” She asked gently, glancing down at the bottle still linked in his grasp.

“Actually, I’ve never been better.” He breathed and then grabbed Hiyori’s hand before getting down on one knee. His eyes beaming up at her with wonder and adoration. “Oh, Hiyori! Have I ever told you how dazzling your eyes are? Or how your voice is like a thousand angels singing in joyful harmony? Oh and you’re laugh, please grace me with your laugh so that I may sing my affirmations of my affections to the world!”

“W-w-what? Yato!” She cried out trying to pull her hand away as he planted a kiss on her knuckles.

“Sweet, fair, Hiyori, you are the most glorious being I have ever met.” He said in a very passionate tone as he pulled her hand closer to place it over his heart. “I was so blind before.”

He looked away in utter shame at his previous behavior. “How could I not see, your utter beauty and perfection that is before me.”

“Yato, stop.” She said wrenching her arm away from him and snatching the potion from his hand before taking off down the small street passing by the small stands and merchants selling their wares.

“NO, MY DEAREST HIYORI!” She heard him cry out in anguish behind her but she didn’t even dare look back as she made her escape. She didn’t get far when she barreled into someone almost face planting. Muttering a quick apologize she caught her balance only to run off again but was stopped by a familiar voice making her glance back.

“Hiyori, what’s wrong? Where’s Yato?” Yukine asked with an edge of concern.

“Oooooooh, Hiyori! My love, where are you? Shall I sing a ballad of my admiration for you?” Came Yato’s voice from somewhere in the crowd behind them.

“My love, what?” Yukine asked but Hiyori grabbed his hand and dragged him down a small ally way and off the busy streets where Yato the god of Romance now lurked.

“Hiyori?” Yukine whispered glancing between her and the crowd outside the alley way.

Hiyori sighed and glanced around warily hoping that Yato wasn’t around. “Yato drank this love potion he bought and now he thinks he’s in love with me.”

Yukine’s facial expression went from that of concern to one of indifference in a split second. “So, he ‘thinks’ that he is in love with you after drinking this potion?”

“Yeah, I was trying to have him give it to me so he wouldn’t use it on Kazuma but then he drank it himself.” She whispered quietly flinching as she heard her name being called by Yato in the distance.

“Well, I never heard of a love potion but maybe we can talk to the guy who sold him the potion?” Yukine suggested with a shrug of his shoulders.

Hiyori nodded. “Great idea, that would be a perfect place to start. He said the guy who sold it to him was a magician.”

“Uh-huh, okay.” Yukine stepped out the alley way only to stop and stare at the crowd to his right. Hiyori peeked her head out of the alley way and felt her cheeks flush hot as she saw a group of people standing in a circle as a man was trying to paint on a giant canvas a heart and a very familiar looking girl.

She grabbed Yukine’s hand again dragging him in the opposite direction. “Okay, can’t go that way.”

“Hey, wait, isn’t the Magician over there?” Yukine asked.

“And so is Yato. We gotta find someone else who knows a thing about love potions.” Hiyori said trying to go through a mental list of their friends.

“What about Kazuma?” Yukine suggested.

“I don’t know if he is familiar with potions but if anyone would know I suppose it would be him.” Hiyori said but then shook her head. “But he is most likely with Bishamon and we need to fix this now.”

“Well, he is with Lady Bishamon but,” Yukine pointed out two distinctive figures in the crowd of people. “I bet we could ask him.”

“Kazuma!” Hiyori called to him, weaving through the crowd to get to him. He turned and then looked surprised as his gaze focused on Hiyori and Yukine.

“I can’t say that I expected to see you here.” Kazuma said glancing at his master who sighed at their sudden appearance. “Just you two? Where’s Yato?”

“Long story.” Hiyori said hoping that Yato wouldn’t show up and embarrass her any further. She held up the glass vial still half-full of the potion. “Here, can you take a look at this?”

Kazuma carefully grabbed the bottle and adjusted his glasses before regarding it’s contents. “What is this?”

Hiyori hesitated. “A love potion? Yato bought from an apparent magician and he said that if you drink it that…the first person you see you fall madly in love with.” She said slowly now hearing how absurd it seemed.

Kazuma was obviously trying to stifle a smile whereas Bishamon looked perplexed at the notion. She looked from the potion to her exemplar. “Is that even possible, Kazuma?”

Kazuma smiled now and then opened the bottle. “Only one way to see.” He said holding the vial to his lips.

Hiyori and Bishamon spoke in unison. “Kazuma, wait!”

But he tilted the vial and drank the rest of the potion without hesitation. He swallowed before glancing at the glass tube curiously then he glanced at Bishamon with a large grin. Bishamon stared at him with wide eyes, her breath still only to whisper. “Well, Kazuma, how do you feel?”

He opened his mouth to say something and then just laughed almost a little bashfully before replying with a light hearted: “My feelings are as they always have been, Viina.”

Then he handed the empty container back to Hiyori. “Here you are.”

Hiyori stared at him before numbly taking the glass vial. “S-so it was a hoax?”

“Yes, I would recommend getting a refund from that magician you were speaking of.” Kazuma said moving his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his index finger. “That would be a vial of fruit punch and not a magical love serum. I’m sorry to be the barer of bad news but I’m fairly certain that love potions do not exist.”

Hiyori sighed relieved and then snapped her gaze to Yukine who was scowling. “Wait. That’s means….”

“Yato was faking it this whole time? Yeah.” Yukine finished her thought before turning and storming through the crowd.

“Thank you, Kazuma!” Hiyori called over her shoulder before racing after Yukine who was heading straight for the enamored artist in the plaza.

When they got through the boisterous crowds of people, Hiyori immediately broke the circle of bystanders and went straight for the singing god of romance. When he spotted her, he stopped singing and smiled wide. “Oh! You’ve come back, my love. I thought you would never return. How I’ve missed your beautiful and delightful company. My dearest Hiyori to whom I love and---“

He was cut off with a kick to the face which sent him reeling backwards. “Hey, what was that for?”

Fury lit a fire in her eyes as she grabbed him by the collar of his tracksuit. “You were faking this whole time?!”

“No, I wasn’t.” He shook his head. “What are you even talking about?”

“Game’s up, Kazuma said there is no such thing as love potions.” She shoved the vial in his face. “This was filled with fruit punch.”

He glanced at the vial as if he never seen it before in his life but when his cool blue optics met her infuriated gaze he gave in, holding up his hands in defense. “Okay, I was faking. I was faking. Alright? Now would you let me go?”

“How could you embarss me like that, Yato?” She hissed tears starting to well up in her eyes.

“Hiyori…?” He blinked. “Look, I’m sorry. I was just messing around. I honestly thought it was a love potion when I bought it and you know how I don’t want to be wrong about these things. I was just as disappointed as you, honestly.”

She loosened her grip on his collar bowing her head, her hair covering her face. “That’s not the point.”

Yato paused. “Okay? What’s the point than?”

She didn’t say anything for a long time and then shoved him. “The point is….” She shook her head. “The point is you are horrible shopper, what were you thinking? I can’t believe you actually believed some guy who called himself a magician and sells love potions. You dummy.”

Yato scratched the nape of his neck. “Yeah, yeah, I’m a dummy.” He shrugged and rolled the vial in his hand. “What a waste of money.”

She let out a short laugh. “Yeah, well, Kazuma said we should try to get a refund.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Yukine would be pissed if he found out I spent all his money on a couple ounces of fruit punch.” Yato laughed but that moment was shot lived as he got hit with a brick to the back of the head making him face plant on his canvas full of wet paint.

“You jerk! I knew you stole it from me.” Yukine shouted from a distance.

Hiyori looked down at Yato in concern before bursting out laughing as he raised his face to show the red and pink paint smeared along his features and dying his jet black hair. He scowled. “Dang regalia! Show your master some respect, will ya?”

 “Can I help you?” Said an eerie voice coming from the back of the tent. Hiyori blinked several times trying to adjust to the dark lighting within the small tent. At the back was the merchant who wore a cloak covering his face from sight along with his seemingly lean frame. On his chest was a sticker that said “Hi, my name is: Mac the Magician.” Hiyori cleared her throat awkwardly before stepping forward.

“Yes, uh, I would like to get a refund on this.” She handed him the empty vial. “You sold that to a friend of mine claiming it was a love potion? But it was only a container of fruit-punch.”

“Hmmm, that is fascinating indeed.” He said taking the glass vial from her. “It was in fact a love potion, the young man had asked for a rather potent one at that.”

“But it didn’t work.” Hiyori said firmly.

“How do you know? Was it you who drank the potion?” The man inquired, leaning forward to where only the bottom half of his face was peering from the shadows of his hood

“No but two of my friends took it and it hadn’t worked on either of them.” She insisted.

“Ah, but you see that this potion only works on those aren’t already devoted to the targeted person.” He informed placing the vial down on the table in front of him. “If the person who consumes the potion is already devoted to the person they first look upon then of course the potion won’t work because no potion is needed if the effect is already taking place.”

“So, it didn’t work because…” Her cheeks burned as realization dawned on her, now she was glad that she had come her alone, not knowing how she would face Yato with this piece of information.

“Magic is a funny thing, isn’t.” The magician said and then laughed. “So you see I shall be keeping your friends money but I won’t charge you any further.”

“Charge me?”

The Magician tilted his head. “Why, yes, for giving you the secrets of my potion. Let this be my valentine’s gift to you, Hiyori.”

Hiyori sighed and nodded once before turning to exit the tent, her mind elsewhere wondering if Yato knew anything about the truth to the love potion. She paused only briefly to turn back to the Magician. “Wait. How do you know my name?”

The magician laughed lightly. “You told me it when you first came in, Hiyori.”

She blinked and shook her head still do baffled about the previous revelation to remember whether she gave her name or not.

“Have a happy Valentine’s Day!” The Magician waited until she fully exited the tent before bringing his hands up and pulling off the cowl that had covered his features. “Well that was a bit of fun. I rather enjoyed myself there.” He said almost seeming as if he was speaking to himself.

“Is there really such thing as a love potion?” A small girl popped up by his side and sat down, tilting her head to look at him curiously.

“Well I suppose that is the question of the day, isn’t, Mizuchi?” He smiled as he patted her head fondly. “I guess it’s just a matter if you believe it’s true or not.”

“I still think that he should be punished, not dancing about with that brat.” She hissed angrily.

“Aww, now, now. This isn’t the time to cast around loathing. It is Valentine’s Day, let’s at least let them have today, shall we?” He got up taking her hand and smiling. “Then we shall see what tomorrow brings!”