#AND packing but. that's a tomorrow problem

[the-trailblaze]

Asking them if you can go to the gym with them

Mydei, Jing Yuan x fem reader

Author notes: this came to me while I was working out this morning. anyways modern au, Jing Yuan owns a gym, sexual innuendos in both, Mydei is literally a gift from the gods

Mydei:

While you’re sitting and watching whatever cooking show Mydei turned on, he is packing his gym bag for tomorrow. You turn your gaze to watch him folding extra clothes, towels, then pack his gear and some snacks. His organization of his bag is something he takes seriously. You tried to pack it for him one time before because he had a long day at work that day and you just wanted to help. He gave you a kiss on your forehead and thanked you but asked never to pack his stuff again because he was so lost at the gym trying to find what he needed.

You didn’t take any offense to it because you know if you were in a similar situation you wouldn’t want anyone touching your purse or bag right before you went to work.

“Who is winning?”

You blink a couple of times before you realized he asked you a question. “Sorry what did you ask?”

“I asked who is winning the cooking competition.”

You sheepishly smile, “I haven’t been paying attention… I’ve been watching you.”

“So you admit to your staring problem?” Mydei says with a smirk.

You drop your jaw then turn your head pointing your nose up in the air. “Is it so bad I want to stare at my incredibly handsome boyfriend that’s built like a Greek god?”

Mydei walks over to where you are sitting and cages you in between his arms. He gently kisses your forehead then slowly pushes himself up a bit to look you in the eyes. “No it’s not so bad.”

You stare deeply into his golden eyes. They are like mini suns, they have always been on of your favorite feature of his. Lost in his eyes you’re hit with an idea.

“Baby.”

“Hm?”

“Can I go to the gym with you tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

“REALLY!?” You asked surprised. The gym is one of Mydei’s favorite places he can blow off steam. It’s basically a sacred place to him.

“Yeah. Why are you shocked?”

“Well the gym is like your thing and a sacred place to you. I didn’t want to impose at all.” You explain.

Mydei rolls his eyes and gently leans his forehead against yours, “You’re stupid.”

“Hey-“

He cuts you off, “Any place with you is my favorite place so you’re not imposing.” Little did you know Mydei is internally jumping up and down. He’s always wanted to invite you to go to the gym with him but he was nervous. He knows how he is built doesn’t happen over night and can even be intimidating. Mydei didn’t want to push you or force you into trying to get a physique you didn’t want or even think he was trying to change how you look. But now that you asked him his heart can’t stop racing.

“Wherever you are is my favorite place too Mydei. But now the gym better be prepared! The hottest couple is going to get big gains together!” You proudly state with a smile and a giggle at the end.

Mydei laughs and quickly pecks your lips. “Yeah they better be prepared.”

•

You turn in bed the next morning and reach for the body that should be there. You feel the warmth of where Mydei was lying. You crack open your eyes to see him getting dressed. Once he throws on his shirt he turns to you because he hears you rustling in the sheets.

He walks over and kisses your forehead once again, “Take your time getting ready. I’ll pack everything up, don’t worry.”

You just nod and stretch your arms after he walks out of the room. You get up and grab a matching set of athletic shorts and a sports bra. You grab one of Mydei’s old t shirts and throw that on. Then you slide on a pair of longer white athletic socks.

You head to the bathroom and brush your teeth quickly then brush your hair. Once it’s smooth, you put it up so it’s out of your way during the workout.

When you walk downstairs you see Mydei tying his shoes on the last step. You sit down behind him and press your forehead between his shoulders. He looks over his shoulder and smiles, “Tired baby?” You don’t respond besides just nodding your head a bit. “You know you don’t have to go if you are tired.”

That sentence alone wakes you up. You shoot up and look down at him. “No! I’m going.”

Mydei just laughs and pushes himself off the stairs with a little grunt. “Okay, I hear you. I have everything packed. Just slip on your shoes and we’ll leave.” You listen to him and slip on some gym shoes and meet him in his car.

Once you’re in the car he hands you a granola bar so you’ll have energy and something in your stomach to get through the workout. You quietly eat it while watching the view of the city skyline blow by. The drive to the gym is only fifteen minutes, which is one of the reasons you two moved into your house.

Mydei pulls into the parking lot and swiftly parks into a spot close to the front. You two get out of the car and he goes to the backseat to grab his gym bag. You two meet up behind the car and he quickly grabs your hand and tightly holds onto it. He leads you into the gym and scans in.

To be honest you had no idea what the workout what was going to be like. With how Mydei was treating you during your warm up stretches you know you’re getting nothing but the princess treatment.

He explained to you that it was leg day and the horror on your face was evident when he said that. He laughed and told you that you don’t have to do all the weight he does. Mydei walked you through the workouts before having you actually do them. He showed you the machines, equipment and the forms before you even started. It did help you calm down which helped you a lot.

You started with squats with the barbell. He didn’t put any weights on there because he wants you to be able to feel your legs tomorrow. He spots you and watches you carefully to make sure you’re okay and won’t get hurt. He lets you go at your own pace and doesn’t criticize you at all.

When you’re done he quickly does his sets. You watch him squat a lot of weight like it’s nothing. He’s barely out of breath by the time he finishes his sets. That is when you realized you are dating a beast. In a good way of course. Just thinking about how good his body is makes you squeezes your thighs.

You didn’t know he finished while you were day dreaming until he lightly taps your thighs, “Don’t do that.” You look at him to see his cheeks covered in a light blush. Awe, he’s flustered by your staring and your thoughts. You know he knows exactly what you’re thinking.

“Okay then what’s the next exercise?”

“Split squats.” He goes off to grab two different sets of dumbbells and brings them back to you. He hands you the lighter set and has you get in position.

You do the workout following his instructions. You feel his eyes pinning you. You feel the heat rise to your cheeks, “Don’t look at me so hard. It’s hard to focus.”

“I’m just trying to make sure you’re okay.”

“I know but your golden gaze is intense. Like two suns are beating down on me.”

He shakes his head at your comment. While you finish that workout, his gaze is less intense but still sharp. You sit down on the bench and watch him. Just watching him makes you hotter than you already are. You don’t get how he’s not dying from all that weight.

He finishes his sets then puts the weights away. Mydei guides you to the next machine you two will be using. He says this one is easy because it’s a leg press machine. He sets the weight to something he thinks you can handle. He does tell you to tell him if it’s too much though.

You do one set and think the weight is perfect. You sit there catching your breath but think about how hot you are. You lean your head against the seat and look at Mydei, “I’m really hot.”

“Yeah you’re so hot.”

You smack his arm, “I didn’t mean like that Mydei. I meant temperature.”

“I know,” he says with a smirk. “You can take off my shirt if you want.” He then says with sincerity.

You look around then back to him and whisper, “But what if someone stares at me?”

“I’ll beat them up.” Mydei doesn’t hesitate to state.

“Mydei!”

“What?”

“You can’t just beat someone up.”

“I will if they make you uncomfortable.”

You sigh and relent because you know this argument is going to go nowhere. You peel off his shirt and hand it to him. He quickly throws it in his gym bag. You look around again then get a little self conscious. Before you can ask for his shirt back Mydei is taking off his.

“Now you don’t have to worry.” He smiles downs at you. You swear your heart races by his gesture. This man is truly a blessing.

You two finish the workout here and he leads you through the rest of the workouts. You’re so sweaty and tired from this but you only have one workout left! Of course it had to be an awful one though… wall sits.

You squat down against the wall and already feel your legs shaking. Mydei said you have to do this for a minute. This is going to be the longest minute of your life. Your legs hurt so bad you could cry. He can sense your feelings once again. Mydei squats down in front of you and stares at you.

“You got this baby. I know you can do it.”

“My legs hurt.”

“I know but you only have thirty seconds left then you’re done I promise.”

“Mydeiiii,” you cry out.

He grabs your hand and brings it up to his lips. He gently kisses each knuckle slowly then places a chaste kiss to the center to the back of your hand. He looks back to you, “You’re all done baby.”

You push yourself off the wall and into his embrace. Not expecting you to do that Mydei is quick to wrap his arm around your waist and brace your fall on the ground. You bury your face into his neck and hug him tightly. He pulls you even tighter to him.

“Great job today baby. You did amazing. You’re so amazing. I love you so much.” He gently whispers in your ear.

“I love you too Mydei.” You mumble into his neck and press a couple kisses to his throat.

You two sit like that for a couple minutes before you pull yourself off of him so he can do his wall sit. This crazy man does it for five minutes!?! And he talks to you completely normal during it!?! He is actually insane, in a good way of course.

After he finishes he grabs his bag then reaches for your hand. You quickly grab it and he starts to walk to the exit. You walk by the mirrors then stop in your spot looking at them. You then have an idea pop up. You pull Mydei’s hand to get his attention and he turns to you.

“Can you hand me my phone?”

“Uh sure.” He grabs your phone from his bag and hands it to you.

“Follow me.” You drag him closer to the mirror then turn to him, “Can we get a couple pictures?” You ask him nervously.

“Of course.”

You get one photo of you two flexing then another one with him wrapping his arms around you and kissing you on the cheek. You look at the photos and think they look great.

You excitedly jump up and down in his arms, “They look so good!”

“Anything looks good with you in it.” He then unlocks his arms around your waist then gently taps your butt, “Let’s head home.”

Your drive back home is quiet again until Mydei call your name after squeezing your thigh. You give him your undivided attention.

“I’m so proud of you for today. I could tell you really pushed yourself and you did awesome. Thank you for coming with me today. I really enjoyed it.” He turns to look at you, his bangs hang a little bit in his eyes but he has the biggest smile adorning his face. “I love you so much.”

You beam at him, “Thank you! Your words mean so much. I had a lot of fun today even though it was hard at some points. But I want to do this again.” You reach to brush his bangs out of his eyes, “I love you so much too Mydei.” His smile doesn’t leave his face but he turns his gaze to the road.

“You can always come with me. Oh by the way send me those photos.”

“Will do! Also wanna join me in the shower when we get home for some cardio?”

He squeezes your thigh again, “Don’t have to ask me twice.”

Later that night you saw that the photo of him hugging you from behind is now his phone background. You really struck gold with getting Mydei as your boyfriend.

Jing Yuan:

Jing Yuan ended up getting home later than normal. One of his regulars’ parents asked if he could meet a little later due to a last minute school event the kid had to go to. He quickly accepted and agreed.

After being a renowned athlete in martial arts many kids come to him for training. Jing Yuan leads the kids both in martial arts training and weight training. He may be lazy at some points but he puts his everything into training these kids.

You’re lying in bed reading a book about martial arts. You didn’t know much about it until you started dating Jing Yuan. You even gotten more into it after watching one of his students compete in the world championships and winning. His student, Yanqing even has another tournament coming up and invited Jing Yuan and you again. You knew you had to learn more about it this time around.

You’re so focused in your reading you didn’t see Jing Yuan come out of the bathroom after his shower. You only realized once he flopped on the bed and opened his arms. You shut the book and put it on your nightstand. Then turn to him and snuggle into him.

“What were you reading?” His sleep filled voice asked.

“Just a book about martial arts. I want to be able to understand everything about Yanqing’s matches coming up.”

Jing Yuan chuckles, “You could just ask me during the match.”

“No! We need to focus on the match and not about you explaining something to me. I don’t want to be that person in the audience.”

You can feel him roll his eyes. “You’re fine, stop worrying so much.” He runs his hand through your hair, “Speaking of Yanqing, he’s coming tomorrow morning to the gym.”

You think about that. It’s been awhile since you’ve actually gone to the gym. Jing Yuan always works out before he meets with his students. So you could workout but then also see Yanqing tomorrow too. Wait! Yeah why don’t you go with?

“Can I workout with you tomorrow?”

“You wanna workout with me?” He asked shocked.

“Yes. Why is that so shocking?” You question.

“Didn’t think you’d wanna wake up early and workout. Thought you’d just come to see Yanqing since he’s been away recently for tournaments.”

“Well yeah I wanna see him but I also wanna workout with you. I want to get back into the groove of working out.”

“Sure. Just know we leave early and it’s not going to be easy.” He says with a small smirk.

You already regret this. You swallow harshly, “Okay. Then I’m going to sleep now.”

“Goodnight love. I’ll wake you in the morning.”

“Goodnight Jing Yuan.”

•

Keeping to his word, Jing Yuan woke you up early the next morning. At least he laid out some clothes for you so you didn’t have to drag yourself around deciding what to wear. You slip on the clothes he had picked out for you. You then grab a hair tie on your nightstand and throw your hair up.

You sluggishly walk down the stairs and Jing Yuan just laughs. “You don’t have to go. I can come back and pick you up before Yanqing comes.”

You rub your eyes, “No, I’m fine. It’s fine. Let’s go.”

The drive is quick especially since the gym is basically just down the road. Jing Yuan owns the gym and wanted it close for many reasons. The big one being so he didn’t have to travel more than five minutes. Like you said, he really is lazy sometimes.

He unlocks the doors and drags you inside. The AC is blasting which makes you instantly wrap your arms around yourself. Jing Yuan only gave you shorts, a sports bra and socks this morning. He didn’t add anything to really cover you.

“It would have been nice to tell me it was cold in here. I would have brought a hoodie or something.”

“You’re fine. Once we get moving you’ll warm up.” You don’t like how he said that. It’s like he’s hiding something from you. That something is nothing you can put your finger on.

You should have known that he would do something like this. All he said was “Repeat after me.” He didn’t take in that you haven’t worked out in a while and aren’t one of his talented students. So quick into the workout you’re out of breath and could lay on the floor.

He pushes you to your absolute max. You get he’s trying to help but it’s not really helping all that much.

“Jing Yuan,” you huff out bent over with your hands on your knees.

He walks over and whistles, “Wow you haven’t been that out of breath since I fucked you in the sauna a couple weeks ago.”

You smack his arm. “Shut up. I was going to ask if we can slow down a bit or make it easier. I can’t keep up with you.”

“We’re almost done! You got this.”

“Sometimes I really hate you.” You grumble while going to take a big sip of water.

“Not what you said when I fucked you in the sauna.” You can just feel the sly grin he has.

“Can you stop bringing up the sauna!”

He just laughs and leads you through the rest of the workout. When you’re done you’re lying on the floor breathing heavily with your eyes closed. You feel the sweat pouring off your body.

“Hey, I got a shower ready for you. I brought your stuff and an extra pair of clothes.” Jing Yuan says while standing over you with his hands on his hips.

“Carry me? I can’t feel my body. You killed me.”

“Come on I don’t think it’s that bad.”

You roll your eyes and push yourself to stand up. You take one step before your legs give out but before you can fall for long Jing Yuan is quick to catch you.

His eyes widen and he sheepishly smiles, “Okay I might have pushed you a bit too hard.”

“You might have!?! You did!”

“I’m sorry,” Jing Yuan sighs. “I was just so excited you wanted to work out with me and I didn’t think about your limits. Just please don’t stop…” his voice catches in his throat and he quietly says the next part, “I want to keep working out with you.”

Your heart breaks at his soft and quiet voice. He’s gone through a lot in his career as an athlete and as a coach. He’s lost a lot of people he cared about and loved working with during his career. He doesn’t want you to be added to that list.

You tilt your head up to look at him but you see him looking at you. His eyes are soft but you can see the worry behind his gaze. You lightly kiss his lips and pull back, “I promise I won’t stop. Just go easier on me, okay?”

“I promise.” He quickly states confidently.

After that Jing Yuan brings you to the shower and showers with you. He doesn’t want you to fall and get hurt when he doesn’t know. He keeps his touches appropriate because he knows you’re tired. Plus Yanqing is suppose to be here soon and he has a key… he doesn’t need to see or hear anything he shouldn’t.

The shower was cold so when you wear a comfy t-shirt and shorts you’re still cold. “Hey handsome do you have a hoodie around here? I’m cold.”

Jing Yuan finishes putting up his hair and digs through his gym bag, “I should have one in here.” He digs around and finds it at the very bottom. He pulls it out and tosses it to you.

You put it on and look at yourself in the mirror. It’s a plain black hoodie but it engulfs you. It’s warm though and smells like him so you can complain.

Jing Yuan goes to comment about the hoodie until he hears a “Hello?”

You two walk out of the back room and see Yanqing with his gym bag standing in the middle of the dojo area. You see him light up when he sees you.

He calls your name, “It’s so great to see you again!”

You run over to him and hug him tightly, “Ah it’s so great to see you again!! I’ve missed you but I heard you’ve been killing it at your tournaments. I’m so proud of you!” You pull back from the hug to look at him.

You see him blush and look away, “Thank you but it’s still not good enough. I have to beat Coach Jing Yuan when he was my age.”

Jing Yuan comes up and puts a hand on his shoulder, “You’re already better than I was at your age.”

“I need to keep pushing myself!”

“Don’t push yourself too hard kiddo. You still have a bright future you don’t want to ruin it by getting an injury.”

Your heart warms at the interaction but you then realized what he said. “Wait you tell him that but pushed me to do your full workout routine??”

Yanqing looks at his coach confused, “Isn’t that dangerous Coach? She could have gotten hurt.”

“Ugh this is why he’s my favorite!” You comment.

Jing Yuan snaps his head, “Wait even over me!?”

“Yes because he cares about my wellbeing!”

“Hey wait, I care about yours! I just got carried away. It was an honest mistake.”

“Well you better not let it happen again, Coach, or your beloved girlfriend could be hurt because of you.” Yanqing pitches in.

You see the fear paint Jing Yuan’s face. He puts it even more into perspective after what Yanqing just said. He shakes his head of all the bad thoughts that come into his head.

“Trust me she will not be getting hurt on my watch. I’ll take care of her like no one else. I couldn’t live with myself if she got hurt.”

You and Yanqing are satisfied with his answer and nod. You go to sit on a bench and watch the lesson. Halfway through the lesson Jing Yuan comes and sits by you and watches Yanqing run through stances.

You lean your head on his shoulder and don’t even realize how tired you are. You two sit there in silence and that pushes you over the edge and makes you fall asleep. Jing Yuan didn’t realize either until he goes to stand up. He only stops when Yanqing jumps towards him and shakes his head.

Jing Yuan is confused and asks what is wrong. Yanqing points to you sleeping on him. Jing Yuan gets back into position to make sure you don’t wake up. But before he tells Yanqing to continue to the next drill, he digs his phone out of his pocket and throws it to him. He asks him to take a picture of you two.

Jing Yuan lightly kisses your head that is resting on his shoulder. Yanqing snaps the picture then throws the phone back to him. Jing Yuan catches it and looks at the photo. You two look so happy and comfortable. He truly loves you.

“I love you.” He says and kisses your head again.

You sleepily mumble out, “I love you too.” He knows you’re asleep but knowing your mind just automatically responds back sends his heart racing. He may have lost people he has cared about in the past but at least he has you.

[writingsoftarnishedsilver]

Weaponized | Sebastian Sallow x Reader

Part Four

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Words: ~3,700

Series Tags/Warnings: Violence, Trauma, No Hogwarts House, Post Hogwarts, Auror!Sebastian, Auror!MC, Modern AU, Female Reader Insert, Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Forced Proximity, Ancient Magic, Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Betrayal, Reconciliation, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Divergent

Auror Division Headquarters, Private Quarters – London

Everyone else went home.

That was how it went. Aurors had two weeks on base, one week off. On Friday evening, the barracks emptied, voices thinned, boots vanished from the halls. By midnight, the only sounds left in the building were the low hum of the air conditioning and the buzz of the overhead lights.

You stayed, of course, because you had nowhere else to go.

No flat to return to. No family waiting with tea or firewhiskey. No key to turn in some apartment across the city where the bed was yours and the walls didn’t echo like Ministry concrete.

Your quarters were standard issue. Ten by ten. No windows. The cot was narrow, the mattress thin. Your few belongings were neatly tucked away, folded into drawers or stored in a single footlocker at the end of your bed. Everything you owned could be packed up in minutes. That was how it had always been. No roots, no permanence. Another night alone.

You sat on the edge of your bed, elbows braced against your knees, staring down at your hands. Tomorrow the new rotation of Aurors would arrive, and like clockwork, the same words would pass between them about you: weapon, liability, freak. But this time, you wouldn’t even get the scraps of interaction that came with your assigned squad. No drills. No missions. No orders to obey or disobey. Just silence. Silence and the things you couldn’t stop thinking about.

Whitechapel.

You swallowed hard.

The first man you’d taken down in the alley had been younger than you. Barely out of his teens. A boy, really. And yet you had killed him just the same.

Another had been older, maybe in his forties, his hair already peppered with gray. Had he had a family? A wife? A kid who would never know what happened to him?

They had been criminals, all of them. Dangerous men. If you hadn’t killed them, they would have killed you. They would have killed Sebastian, Mercer, Higgins, Evans… You knew that. You were supposed to make peace with that.

But peace had never come. 

Instead, you’d learned how to push your feelings down. How to keep your face neutral, your posture straight, your voice steady. No emotions. No weakness. Because soldiers didn’t get the luxury of regret. Soldiers didn’t get to mourn the lives they took. Soldiers didn’t get to be human.

But no matter what they thought, no matter what he thought, you weren’t a machine.

On the way back to base, Sebastian had watched you like he was trying to see inside your skull, waiting for a reaction that never came. You knew what he thought of you, what they all thought: that you felt nothing and that you didn’t care.

But you cared. God, you cared. You cared so much it ached.

The problem was, caring didn’t change anything. It wouldn’t bring them back and it wouldn’t make the next mission any different. You would kill again. You would return to base, file your reports, then sit here in this room, reminding yourself that this was all you had. That this was all you were. All the Ministry– Canadian, British, or otherwise–would ever let you be.

In ten hours you'd be on the clock again, following the same routine. Wake up. Run. Eat. Train. Eat. Kill, if asked. Shower. File reports. Repeat.

You ran a hand down your face, trying to shake off the thoughts, but the weight in your chest wouldn’t budge. The barracks were too quiet, the air too heavy.

You stood abruptly, crossing the small room in a few short strides. The movement was aimless, but you needed to do something. Anything. You opened your footlocker out of habit, rummaging through its sparse contents. 

A spare wand holster. A whetstone. A worn-out copy of Defensive Charms & Shielding Theory you’d annotated to death. A tiny tin of salve that still smelled faintly of sage and pine, the last thing your mother gave you before she was gone.

You stared down at it for a long moment. The tin hadn’t been opened in years. It was a relic of another life, another self. 

Some part of you wondered if keeping it was weakness. If it would be better to throw it out, along with everything else that didn’t serve a function. But you didn’t. Just like you didn’t touch the faded photograph tucked behind your copy of Defensive Charms, the one you never looked at but refused to throw away.

You shut the footlocker and rose to your feet again, tension coiled tight in your spine.

You needed out. A walk, maybe. Patrol. Something.

You slipped into the night. The base was still, the distant city lights barely visible beyond the walls of the training grounds. You moved without thinking, boots carrying you toward the far side of the compound, where the perimeter met the tree line.

You exhaled, slow and controlled, tilting your head back to stare up at the sky. The stars were clearer than usual tonight, less obstructed by city haze. A small comfort. It almost felt like home. 

Not the sleek, sterile halls of the Canadian Ministry with their observation rooms or reinforced training arenas. But real home. Vast stretches of wilderness. The crisp scent of evergreens in winter. The howl of wind through trees so tall they blotted out the sky.

You leaned back against the rough bark of a tree, arms resting loosely on your knees as you stared out across the dimly lit training grounds. The cold crept in slowly, wrapping around your ankles and fingers, but you didn’t move.

There were moments, in places like this—between missions, between orders—where you wondered if real life even had room for someone like you anymore. The kind with a house or a partner or a dog. The kind with soft mornings and quiet kitchens and a hallway filled with photographs.

You couldn’t picture it. Whatever that version of you might’ve been, the moment your ancient magic came to life, that version of you died, replaced with something sharper. Something useful. A version they carved out of you one mission at a time.

You sighed.

You should have gone back inside. You should have tried to sleep. Curfew was in less than an hour, and agonizing over these thoughts wouldn’t help anything. Still, you stayed.

And then there was movement. A flicker of motion near the dumpsters by the far fence.

You froze, muscles coiling out of habit, until you realized it wasn’t human. Too small, too low to the grass.

You tilted your head, narrowing your eyes until you could make out the shape.

A cat.

Small and thin, sniffing around near one of the dumpsters. A stray, obviously. No collar, no sign of belonging to anyone. Just another thing that didn’t quite fit.

You watched as it picked its way across the dirt, pausing to sniff at a discarded food container that didn’t make it into the bin. It nudged it with its nose, searching for anything edible, before moving on, tail low, shoulders tense.

Something in your chest ached. You wondered, briefly, if you could bring it inside.

Of course, that would be against the rules. You weren’t permitted pets. 

Section 14.7 – Non-sanctioned Magical or Mundane Companions: “Wardens are strictly prohibited from keeping personal familiars, companion animals, or domesticated pets on Ministry grounds or within Ministry-assigned quarters. This includes but is not limited to cats, owls, rats, kneazles, crups, or any creature that could pose a distraction, safety risk, or interfere with mission readiness.”

You could recite the footnote, too.

“Attachment to non-regulated creatures is considered a breach of emotional neutrality and counterproductive to field detachment protocols.”

Counterproductive. Like wanting softness in your life was a liability. 

When you shifted to get a better look, as the cat looked up toward you. Its eyes caught the moonlight—one pale green, the other clouded blue with a film of blindness—and all at once, you forgot about the handbook.

Slipping back into the barracks, you moved quickly, making your way toward the mess hall. It would be closed at this hour, but that wasn't going to stop you.

A simple alohomora would get you in.

Inside the kitchen, the faint hum of cooling units filling the air as you made your way toward the pantry. The shelves were stocked with all the usual rations—loaves of bread, dried meats, vegetables. But that wasn’t what you were looking for.

There.

You spotted a stack of canned goods near the back, tucked beside a row of neatly labeled jars. You scanned the labels quickly before plucking one from the pile.

Tuna.

You turned, slipping the can into your pocket before making your way back toward the door, carefully re-locking it behind you as you stepped out, retracing your steps back outside.

The stray had curled up against a crate, ears flicking at the faint nighttime sounds, but it didn’t move when you approached, just cracked open one wary eye.

You slowed your steps, crouching a few meters away so you wouldn’t startle it.

“Alright,” you murmured, prying the lid off the can of tuna with a quiet pop. The scent hit the air immediately, sharp and salty, and the cat lifted its head, whiskers twitching.

You placed the open can down on the ground and then sat back, careful not to make any sudden movements. 

The cat twitched its tail, then uncurled from its spot, creeping forward. It was hesitant, stopping every few seconds as if expecting a trap, but hunger was stronger than fear. When it finally reached the can, it hesitated just a second longer before lowering its head and digging in.

You exhaled, shoulders slumping slightly. Good.

She was a girl, you realized. Calico fur, patchy and uneven, the colors mottled together like a weathered map. Her ribs were visible beneath her thin coat, and one of her ears bore a jagged notch.

For a while, you just sat there, watching. She ate quickly but warily, eyes flicking up every so often to check if you had moved. You didn’t.

You could relate to her, in some strange, quiet way. Both of you had found yourselves here, not belonging, making do with what you had. Living without anyone to care for you. Surviving alone.

But maybe… you could be alone together.

The cat finished eating, then blinked at you, slow and deliberate.

You exhaled. “You’re not scared of me, huh?”

She flicked her ear in response, as if unimpressed with the observation.

A smile tugged at the corner of your mouth as you got to your feet slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements. You didn’t want to reach for her. Didn’t want to coax her closer. That wasn’t how trust worked. If she wanted to follow you inside, she would. And if she didn’t… well, that was her choice.

You turned, stepping away, boots quiet against the damp earth. You didn’t look back.

Even when you reached the barracks door, you didn’t turn around. You simply allowed for another beat to pass. Then soft footsteps. Light, barely there, but distinct against the stillness of the night.

She had followed.

Slowly, you pushed open the door, stepping inside, holding it open to let the little creature follow you.

You led her down the corridor in silence, and the closer you got to your quarters, the more absurd this should have felt. A regulation breach. A direct violation of conduct. A stray cat. And yet you still opened your door, stepped inside, and sat on the edge of the bed, watching as she crept into the room, tail flicking. When she reached the foot of your bed, she circled twice before settling down, curling into a small, compact shape against the floor.

"Hmmm," you watched the little calico for a moment. "What should I call you?"

Something simple. Something fitting..

"Moon," you murmured finally. "We did meet at night, after all."

The name settled between you, weightless but significant. She didn’t react much—just stretched one paw out lazily before tucking it back under her chest, closing her eyes halfway, as if she had already decided this arrangement was acceptable.

A quiet warmth curled in your chest, something unfamiliar. Something you weren’t sure you had the right to feel.

For the first time in longer than you could remember, you had a friend.

Auror Division Headquarters, Training Grounds – London

The sky was overcast. Your breath came in clouds as your boots hit the damp gravel path, each stride measured. You were on your morning run, five miles through the perimeter and back.

A week had passed since Moon had made herself at home in your quarters. In that time, she had filled out a bit, her patchy fur growing thicker, her ribs no longer so visible beneath the mottled calico pattern. She had settled in like she’d always belonged, claiming her spot at the foot of your bed each night and greeting you with slow blinks whenever you returned from missions.

No one had caught her yet, and you had every intention of keeping it that way.

You rounded the edge of the training field, the main complex coming into view again. Today marked another rotation and your squad would be returning from their off-week. You didn’t expect the atmosphere to change much. The past rotation had treated you about the same as your own, where some ignored you entirely and others had gone out of their way to inconvenience you with the usual petty bullshit.

Your training gear went missing more than once. Spells had been charmed onto your shower stall to turn the water cold. Someone had even sabotaged your boots, charming the soles just enough that your run left your knees aching for two days.

But you’d endured it, same as always.

You rounded the final stretch of your run, approaching the front of the base when something caught your eye. No, someone.

You nearly stopped mid-step.

Sebastian. But not Lieutenant Sallow. Not the sharply-dressed, tightly-controlled Auror you were used to seeing. This was Sebastian Sallow in civilian clothes.

Your mind blanked for a second.

He was walking toward the base, clearly just arriving, his posture relaxed in a way you’d never seen before. His usual dark uniform was gone, replaced by a charcoal henley and jeans. His hair was still a little damp, like he’d just showered before Flooing in.

You had always known he was handsome. Objectively. The sharp cut of his jaw, the intense, piercing gaze, the way his presence filled a room even when he wasn’t speaking. But now, without the uniform, without the weight of command hanging over him, he was…

His deep brown gaze met yours and unconsciously, your steps faltered. 

Sebastian noticed.

His brows furrowed, just a little, head tilting as if he wasn’t sure why you were looking at him like that. You weren’t sure why either.

Fuck.

You forced your legs to keep moving, gaze snapping forward, focusing on the pavement, the rhythm of your breathing, anything other than the way the top button of his shirt was undone, revealing that his freckles did, in fact, continue past his neck.

You returned to the barracks, heading inside to shower, hoping the scalding water would wash away the ridiculous thoughts lingering in your head. It was nothing. Just a stupid, fleeting moment. You had been running, your brain had been foggy, and you’d simply seen him in a different light for the first time. That was all.

You scrubbed your face, inhaling deeply. The warmth helped, at least, untangling the knots in your muscles, grounding you back in reality.

When you finally shut off the water, shaking droplets from your hair, you already knew what was coming.

Sure enough, as you stepped out, towel wrapped around you, your uniform was gone. Again.

Wordlessly, you crossed the room to a small, concealed gap between your locker and the wall. You reached into the narrow space, pulling out a second uniform—one they hadn’t found yet. You had started keeping spares tucked away in hidden places, just for moments like this.

Minutes later, fully dressed, boots laced, you made your way to breakfast.

The mess hall was already busy, Aurors filtering in and out, their voices a low, indistinct hum as you grabbed your tray. You scanned the room out of habit. And that’s when your brain decided to trip you up again.

Sebastian was still in civilian clothes.

You swallowed hard, forcing yourself forward, keeping your expression neutral as you took a seat at the farthest available table.

You were busied yourself with your meal, focusing intently on your flavorless egg whites while very pointedly not looking at your lieutenant. Because if you did, your brain would do stupid things again, like acknowledge how good he looked or how different he seemed when he wasn’t standing in front of a briefing room, barking orders.

Then a shadow fell over your tray.

"You really eat this every morning?"

Sebastian’s voice was dry, edged with something judgmental.

You sighed through your nose. You’d gone through this conversation a hundred times. It didn’t matter what base you were stationed at, there was always someone who had a problem with your Ministry-mandated diet, as if it were some kind of privilege or like you had any say in the matter.

You didn’t look up. 

"It’s food."

"Debatable." Sebastian pulled out the chair across from you without asking, setting his coffee down with a quiet clink.

"...Can I help you, sir?"

Sebastian leaned back, tilting his head slightly. "Does that even taste like anything?"

You looked at him. Then at your food. Then back at him.

"Lieutenant, was there something you needed? Or did you just come over here to critique my breakfast?"

After a long, excruciating pause he said, "Briefing room. Twenty minutes. Don’t be late."

And then he was gone, coffee in hand, leaving you sitting there, staring after him with a frown.

You quickly finished breakfast, ignoring the quiet comments and sideways glances from the others in the mess hall. The shift in attention didn’t surprise you.  Any deviation from the usual routine was enough to get people talking, and Sebastian crossing the room just to speak to you certainly qualified.

When you stepped into the briefing room, Sebastian was still in his henley and jeans. Across from him, leaning against the table with arms crossed, was Hale.

You closed the door behind you and looked between them. "Alright," you started slowly. "What is this?"

Hale gestured for you to take a seat. "Undercover work."

Your frown deepened. "Undercover as what, exactly?"

"A civilian couple," she answered smoothly.

You blinked. "I’m sorry?"

"You heard me," Hale said. "Using the identities of some of the men you took out last mission, we've located a smuggler operating in Knockturn Alley. We suspect he’s got ties to one of the larger syndicates, but he’s careful. Doesn’t talk to anyone he suspects might be working with the Ministry."

"So you want us to…?"

"Pose as buyers," Hale finished. "Establish a rapport, see what he’s willing to let slip."

You leaned back slightly, letting the words sink in. "I assume I misheard you when you said ‘couple’?"

Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Merlin, I knew this was going to be a pain in the ass."

Hale shot him a flat look before nodding at you. "No, you didn’t mishear. You’ll be going in as a pair. You need to appear close enough that he won’t question why you’re making a deal together."

You exhaled slowly. "And I’m going because...?"

Hale didn’t miss a beat. “Because of your accent.”

You stared at her. “My accent?”

“He’s got a working theory that British buyers are more likely to be Ministry plants.” She explained. “And you’re not British. It’ll just look like Lieutenant Sallow married a foreign girl, and our target won’t question a thing.”

Across the table, Sebastian muttered something under his breath, but you didn’t catch it. Probably for the best.

You glanced between them, lips pressing into a thin line. You were tempted to ask why they couldn’t just assign someone else who could fake an accent. Someone Sebastian Sallow actually got along with instead of forcing you to tolerate his disdain for you.

Instead you gave a curt nod. “Fine. When do we start?”

“This afternoon,” Hale said. “He works out of a safehouse disguised as an antique shop. We’ve set up identities for you both. You’ve got money and a forged contract.”

Sebastian crossed his arms. “And the whole ‘pretending to be into each other’ part? How far are we supposed to take that?”

“Convincing enough to get him talking,” Hale said evenly. “We don’t expect you to make out on the sales floor, but if you can’t act like you’ve shared a bed, it might raise alarm bells.”

You said nothing.

Sebastian muttered again, louder this time. “Bloody fantastic.”

“We’re on a tight schedule,” you said, changing the subject. “It’s already past ten. We’ll need time to study the covers, get our story straight, and—” you hesitated, glancing down at your uniform, “—I don’t own any civilian clothes.”

Sebastian looked at you like you’d just grown a second head. “You don’t own any?”

You leveled him with a flat look. “Where would I wear them, Lieutenant? The spell range?”

Hale, to her credit, didn’t flinch. She only nodded once and turned toward Sebastian. “You’ll take her. Get her something that looks like she didn’t just step out of the Ministry’s bootcamp.”

Sebastian groaned. “Oh fantastic. Shopping. Exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon.”

You folded your arms. “Unless you’d rather I wear this.”

“I’d rather not get killed on sight, thanks.”

Hale slid a folder across the table toward you. “Your aliases are in there. You’ll study it on the way. He’s already expecting you, so your window is short. And remember,” she added, glancing between the two of you, “you need to look like you trust each other.

You flicked open the folder and scanned the top page. Names. Locations. Jobs.

Sebastian muttered something that sounded like unbelievable, and then pushed off the wall. “Fine. Let’s go.”

You stood, tucking the folder under your arm as you followed him out of the room. As the door shut behind you both, you could feel Hale’s words echoing in your head.

Look like you trust each other.

Right. That would be easy. You and Sebastian Sallow.

A perfect match.

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[keymintt]

superbloom

[problematicsashawaybright]

Just got my first break at work an hour late after being on register with non stop lines for 3 solid hours, forgot to bring a lunch, $12 in my bank account, 4 hours left in my shift, an all nighter ahead of me when I get off at 10pm for tomorrow's exam, an exam tomorrow, phone about to die, period about to start, and I don't even have any fucking cigarettes

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It’s a beautiful night and i am manifesting that none of you are fucking up your knee right now😌

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Soooooo my best friend's dog died a few hours ago... Completely out of nowhere... Poor baby 😔😔💔

[warrior-of-storms]

see the problem with me is that I should be editing chapter 6 of investigation or finishing If It Would Only Get It Through To You but instead I'm 23k deep in the post-Red Robin fic I never intended to write

[ssruis]

Going through a straight up comical amount of irritating situations to get the stupid 4* guaranteed ticket from the welcome to sekai campaign. It Will Be Mine.

[fnvbennygecko]

head in hands i need to rewrite the clover breakdown fic even though im not goddamn done with it. benny wouldnt act like that............... but i also need to do like a whole diagram to figure out what the fuck he would do. i frankly gotta talk it out i wont lie.

[tenrose]

Finished Christmas shopping without buying one more book for me, success

[mochapanda]

way too much happened today and im exhausted but hehe keys

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I didn't get a lot done in Godot today but that's okay (lie)

[nicky-jr]

jjust spent like 4 hours packing orders (i am exhausted) (but very happy) (thank u all for the crazy support on the charms so far wahhh)

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[lesbianlenas]

moved into my apartment away from my insane family 😜✌️