#Either way...I feel like Crane would be sitting with one of her brothers helping her paint her face TwT

[iliketangerines]

Kuai Liang and Tomas with a reader who was sent by bi-han to assassinate them but reader is not intimidating AT ALL- like she’s small but has the perfect body for carrying a child. So both of them instantly are like “well time to put her to good use” basically both of them knock reader up and now reader is apart of the shirai ryu walking around carrying twins- like I imagine small reader in some Hanfu that’s white and yellow and is struggling to do stuff because of her stomach size. ((My breeding kink is going through the roof and all I can imagine is Tomas and kuai with a small reader sandwiched between them))

good use

a/n: god, i want to be sandwiched between them too

pairing: tomas vrbada x afab!reader x kuai liang

warnings: nsfw (MDNI), breeding kink, fingering, thigh riding

Kuai Liang and Tomas look at you with a quirked eyebrow

you’re small, about half a head shorter than the both of them, and you hold your weapon in one hand as you hold yourself in your stance

but they notice the hesitation in your steps, almost as if you didn’t want to hurt them, and Kuai Liang wonders where he’s seen you before

for a second, nothing happens between you two, but then you leap forward and the two are forced to defend themselves

you put up a much harder fight than either of them had anticipated, and it’s only when Kuai Liang finally recognizes you and calls your name do you flinch and let your guard down

which allows Tomas to come in with the attack that disarms you

you sit on your knees, hands tied behind your back and mask pulled down and eyes downcast as you await death while Kuai Liang and Tomas hold a quiet conversation

they come back toward you, and you bow your head forward, asking them to make it quick and clean so that you wouldn’t have to suffer

Kuai Liang instead offers an olive branch to you and asks if you would like to join the Shirai Ryu, and you look up at him in surprise

you take a few breaths as if contemplating your decision before you give a small nod, and Tomas unties you and helps you stand up

the next few weeks Kuai Liang stares at you from across the training grounds and has a foot soldier trail you to make sure you weren’t double crossing them

but you don’t do anything, you follow his orders, work hard in training, go to bed, and work your way up to sparring with Tomas and Kuai Liang

he remembers you from when he was a child, training alongside him despite your parent’s disapproval and had made a name for yourself in the Lin Kuei before disappearing for a few years

Kuai Liang remembers feeling sad, and Tomas had felt the same way as well

in the present, you spar with Tomas, and he pins you down, face smashed into the dirt and hands held behind your back

you concede, and Tomas lets go

you roll over onto your back and let your chest heave up and down in the air as you try to calm down from the rush of adrenaline from fighting

a sudden thought enters Kuai Liang’s head, the thought of you pinned down underneath him, hands gripping onto your wrists as he fucks into you

how sweet you would sound and how obedient you would be

Kuai Liang turns away and shakes the thoughts from his head, he cannot afford to be distracted by his own soldiers

and yet, he finds himself drawn to you ever since that day, and he notices Tomas shying away from you and growing flushed whenever you two spar

Kuai Liang talks with him, and Tomas rubs the back of his head and admits that he does like you and wants more with you

for a moment, Kuai Liang isn’t sure how to proceed, but he figures brothers should share

and so the two of them watch you carefully, and they notice how you lean in closer to their touch, how you flock to them easily, how much smaller you are to them

you’re not too short, just about half a head short

and yet, you still have to crane your head to look up at them, and Kuai Liang always has to turn his head away to not crack underneath the pressure and fuck you right then and there

and then one day, you finally pin down Kuai Liang in training, and you have the biggest smile and Kuai Liang can’t help himself and calls you beautiful

you freeze in place, and Kuai Liang watches you blush and get off him

you hold out a hand, head turned to the side to try and hide your blush, but he can still see the way your face flushes

Kuai Liang smiles and takes your hand to stand up, kissing the back of it softly when he gets up off the floor, and you let out a small squeak before bowing respectfully and scurrying off

the next few days, Tomas and Kuai Liang make moves on you, kissing the back of your hand, bringing you in closer, piling food onto your plate during mealtimes

and finally, at the end of the week, Tomas and Kuai Liang sit in the head office, going through papers and sorting all the information when they hear a knock on the door

they call for them to enter, and in you come in your sleepwear, a thing night robe that does nothing to hide your figure

Tomas and Kuai Liang immediately stop what they’re doing and ask you to come and sit down next to them, patting the space between them

you sit between the two of them and fiddle with the hem of your robe before asking if they’re actually making advancements on you, if you’re not imagining it?

because you like them too, but you don’t want to ruin their relationship or anything

and you start to ramble, and Tomas grabs your chin and brings you into his lap for a kiss

you let out a small yelp of surprise before melting into his arms and letting him support your weight as you deepen the kiss

Kuai Liang comes up behind you and kisses your neck, and you whine into Tomas’s mouth as Kuai Liang gropes you from behind

you start to grind into Tomas’s thigh, looking for some friction, and whimper into his mouth as he gropes your ass

Kuai Liang slips off the shoulder of your night robe and salivates at the realization that you’re not wearing a bra, and he wonders…

he slips a hand down the inside of your robe, and confirms his suspicions that you’re not wearing any underwear either

he grins at you and asks if you were looking for this in the first place, and you whine in Tomas’s mouth, turning warm as Kuai Liang slips off the rest of your robe from your body

he squeezes your chest, taking your sensitive nipples and rolling them between his heated fingers, and your bare cunt jerks against Tomas’s rough pants

Tomas groans into your mouth and grips onto your hips and slides them back and forth, making your head tilt back as you whine into the air

your clit drags against the rough material, and Tomas ducks his head down to suck hickeys into your neck as he drags you against his pants

Kuai Liang coos at your strained moans and continues to tease your nipples as your hands trail up and Tomas’s arms, not sure whether to let go of you or continue to tease you

you squirm in Tomas’s leg and let out a pant, asking them for more please in a desperate voice, and Kuai Liang coos at you

Tomas lets go of your hips and holds onto your shoulders, detaching his mouth from your neck to kiss you

Kuai Liang grabs onto your hips and drags them back towards him, so that you’re on your hands and knees between them

he can see the wet patch you’ve left on Tomas’s pants, and Kuai Liang chuckles at you and squeezes your plush ass between his calloused fingers

he runs his fingers through your folds and finds them soaking wet already

he chuckles at you, asking if you really got that wet just from Tomas letting you hump his thigh, and you place your face into Tomas’s neck and mumble something

Kuai Liang asks you to speak up, pinching your clit as he does so, and you whine loudly before telling them you had played with yourself earlier, needed them so bad that you fucked yourself open on a toy

Kuai Liang digs his nails into your ass, making you whimper and your hips buck backward, and he has to stop himself from imagining the thought of you fucking yourself desperately on some toy and moaning his and Tomas’s name

Tomas seems to find pleasure in the thought and bites into your neck, running his tongue over the mark, and he grips onto your shoulders tightly as if to control himself

you pant into Tomas’s shoulder, hips jerking as Kuai Liang slips his fingers into your wet pussy and slowly pumps them in and out of you

somehow, you’re still so tight around his fingers, and he decides you need to be stretched a little more if you want to take the both of them

Kuai Liang curls his fingers to try and find that little sweet spot that he knows that you have, and when your hips rock backward, and the top of your body collapses onto Tomas’s, Kuai Liang knows he’s found it

he massages his fingers into the spot, and he can feel your pussy growing wetter around him and dripping onto the floor as he continues to fuck you open on his fingers

you moan into Tomas’s shoulder, and the gray assassin coos at you and palms at his cock as he lavishes your neck with hickeys and bite marks

he groans into your skin as your hand wanders downward to take his cock out of his pants, and you pump Tomas, spreading the pre-cum all over his shaft

he grunts at the feeling and holds onto your wrist, simply holding on as he lets you stroke him

Kuai Liang continues to fuck you on his fingers, and he adds in a third finger, relishing in the sound of your high-pitched whine at the stretch

you pant and wiggle your hips around, and Kuai Liang has to grip onto your hips to hold you still for him

he fucks you on three of his fingers,and he feels your needy cunt clamp down on his fingers as you let out a loud keen and cum on his fingers

you thumb presses into Tomas’s slit, and the gray assassin bites your neck again to try and control himself from cumming

although that becomes increasingly harder with the way you quicken the pace of your hand, desperate to have him cum with you

Tomas takes your hand off of his cock, shushing you when you let out a small noise of complaint

Kuai Liang removes his fingers from your cunt and sticks them into his mouth, running his tongue over your taste and moaning at it

next time, he would have to taste you properly, but for now, he needed to fuck you and stretch you open on his cock

he slides your hips forward, and you straighten your back so that your chest presses flush against Tomas’s and Kuai’s chest presses into your back

Kuai Liang takes out his cock and slides it in between your folds, and you squirm as the head of his dick catches on your puffy clit

you moan for him to fuck you, please you need it, and Kuai Liang chuckles at you but concedes and slides into you

you grip onto Tomas’s shoulders, moaning at the stretch, and Kuai Liang isn’t much better, holding onto your hips tight enough to leave bruises as he tries not to cum

he thrusts into you shallowly, waiting for Tomas to slide his cock into you as well

the gray assassin takes his cock and notches it next to Kuai’s, and slowly slides in, kissing your face as a few tears slide down at the pain

you pant into the air but neither of them stop moving, fucking into you shallowly as you adjust to their size

Tomas groans at the sight of your stomach; he can see how their cocks bulge from your stomach, and his hips jerk harshly into you

you moan loudly, and the both of them take it as a cue to start fucking into you roughly

Kuai Liang brings his hand around to press a hand down on your stomach, and it makes you whine and throw your head back as you become jello in their arms

Tomas watches as the bulge disappears in and out of you, and he wants to see more, to see you big and round with their children, his children

he tells you so, telling you that you’d look so pretty with his children, all big and round and beautiful when you’re pregnant

it fills Kuai Liang’s head with thoughts of his children, and he can feel himself get harder at the thought of you pregnant and full of him

he holds onto your hips roughly as his hips grow erratic, thoughts of you leaking with his cum, stuffed with his heirs and so sensitive and pliable underneath his fingertips

Tomas isn’t much better, groaning as he holds onto your shoulder and tells you how pretty you look, how pretty you’ll look with their heirs

you whine and sob as your hands wander over Tomas’s arms and Kuai Liang’s hands, unsure of who to hold as you keen and cum on their cocks

they fuck into you harshly, chasing their own highs and cumming deep inside of you

they don’t slide out for a moment, taking a second to calm down before finally slipping out and letting you fall down and cuddle on Kuai Liang’s chest

Tomas watches as their cum drips out of you and onto the floor, and he takes his fingers and pushes it back into it, insistent on not wasting a single drop

Kuai Liang pets your hair as you whine, and he picks you up into his arms to take you to the hot springs and help you relax and clean up

he helps you clean up, and when he carries you back to your bed, Tomas has the bed made and helps moisturize you and dress you in some light clothes

they tuck you into bed and cuddle up next to you, a protective hand over you as you all fall asleep together

months later, Kuai Liang tuts at you and picks up something off the floor and hands it back to you, and you smile at him gratefully

you rub a hand over your round belly, baby kicking hard, Tomas comes over with a few fruit slices and kisses your forehead

you smile at the both of them, basking in the sun, happy that you had met the both of them again

[dragonrider9905]

Sorry I'm Late

Summery: You go out with your friends for a drink and run into some…..not so nice coworkers. Not having a date on Valentine’s Day was prime targeting fuel. Hunter finally has enough and steps in.

Warnings: Bullying, people making mean remarks, reader has sore feelings.

Hey guys! Wrote this on a whim of an idea. Hope you like it! Snow days are nice because boy do they really encourage me to get some writing in without feeling guilty! I always love hearing from you folks, if you like it, I'd love to hear from you.

You quickly slammed the door to your apartment, sliding down the back of it, to sit on the floor where your energy waned and abandoned you. It was safe and quiet inside. Where there was no one. In your home. You’d just gotten back from the worst Valentine’s Day of your life. It didn’t start out so bad but by the end, you had a headache and close to tears. Your friends who were medics with you at the general station on Coruscant saw your condition and found a secret and non embarrassing way of getting you out of the situation. You purposefully took the afternoon/evening shift as you had no one to spend it with. Foolishly you thought you’d be left alone. Some of your least pleasant patients and coworkers wouldn’t stop bugging you about why you were working, why you were alone and on and on. Luckily your friends came in early, cutting their own special dinner’s short. They took over the rest of your shift discreetly; it was only by thirty minutes but every second spared helped you.

You panted hard and felt your pulse. It pounded in a quick rhythmic sequence. Your legs hurt from running and now felt like stiff noodles, softening in a pot of water. 

Ugh, this is stupid.

You shook your head and got up. Another day, another gift.

You shook yourself and ripped your jacket off, shaking the dirt away aggressively as if that would solve your problems. It didn’t, but it made you feel a little better. You kept your head level during the day and didn’t like showing your emotions to people you didn’t trust, but you had to let it out sometimes, somehow. 

Normally you were the shoulder to lean on, the smile to lift another up. But every once and a while, that flame flickers and falters, needing more oxygen to keep itself from burning out. Needing life to continue to give you reasons to shine. 

You’ve been single for a while. It never bothered you. You never needed a relationship, as you were a person full of exuberance and effervescence—creative and helpful—but sometimes certain days of the year made you lonely, and long for someone special to share your love for life with. 

Life Day, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day.

Whatever, I’ll get up and restart tomorrow, just like always.

You wiped your sweaty palms on your pants and straightened your back. You’d take a shower, get some sleep, then your resolve would revive. After all, tomorrow was another day.

— — — — 

Two weeks later found you hard at work at your desk, scribbling on flimsy and making notes in datapads. Your friend, Rita, approached you.

“Hey love!” She hugged you from the back, “want to grab a good dinner tonight?” 

You squeezed her arm and craned your neck to look at her. You smiled, touched but confused. “I’d love to…but isn’t Echo here? Is he busy? I heard the 501st were here on leave.” 

“Yeah…”she blushed and started looking sheepish, “but I thought you’ve been working so hard and haven’t been doing great lately…we should have a girls’ night….without the guys….you know.”

Fives was like a brother to you, and Echo….once you had a tiny crush on him but you, well, *crushed* it when you found out just how far Rita had fallen for him. They were a better fit anyway. Seeing her so happy was enough to make your heart glow with warmth and pride. She was so shy at first and it took a lot of encouragement and nudging on your part to get either of them to make a move to act on their obvious feelings for each other. When the zing finally clicked, Echo and Rita were one of the most adorable couples you’ve ever seen. And they had you to thank for it. Echo now was nothing more than a brother and that was ok. He was with who he was supposed to be with.

You forced a smile. Rita was so sweet and considerate but you couldn’t steal her for the night, not for the short while Echo was stationed there. It would be petty of you. 

“Nah, hun, I’ll be alright. We’ll go to 79’s. You should spend as much time with Echo as you can.”

“But—“

“Rita, if you don’t comm him, I will do it myself and he’ll wonder just why you didn’t do it yourself and give him a mini heart attack thinking something bad happened to you. You don’t want to do that to Echo now do you? I’ll see if Fives and Lil want to come too. I think our bros Rex and Cody are busy—they came through here not long ago with the kind of look on their face that could curdle milk—probably reports from the latest mission. I’ve been hearing it was a doozy. But Nova and Stella might come. Where the 501st is, the 212th usually isn’t that far away.”

“Great! I still think you should wear the red dress though! You look lovely in it.”

“I’ll think about it.” 

— — — —

Needless to say, you wore the red dress. It was between a vibrant and deep red. It not only made Rita happy—she initially talked you into getting it—but it made you happy as well. Red was always your color. You looked good in it. It made you feel like it supplied the confidence you lacked. The skirt of the dress went down to your shins, allowing the black glittering heels that wrapped around your ankles to show themselves off. The neckline rose high into a halter top, with which you wore a black scarf to complete the look. It was so flowy that when you walked, it swayed mesmerizing like you were wading through water.

Though you weren’t meeting anyone didn’t mean you couldn’t dress up a little. 

You drove your own speeder. You only intended on having one drink anyway. Your self imposed rule in case you’d be unexpectedly called to medical. You arrived at 79’s and waited on the platform near the door. 

“Hey, there’s one of my favorite medics!” 

You turned around to see Fives bound toward you and wrapped you in a hug. 

“Hey! Glad you’re back in one piece!”

“Hey there, Doc.” 

“Echo!” You gave him a hug as well. You could see a little nervousness in his smile.

“Your first time seeing Rita since you got back?” 

“Yeah, do I look alright?”

You didn’t get to answer. Nova from the 212th called out to you next. 

“Hey this was a great idea. Just wait until you hear the crazy stories we have from this mission.”

“They never disappoint.” You grinned.

“Yeah, but sometimes I wonder if he’s making some of it up.” Echo raised an eyebrow.

“Think what you want, gents. It all happened. It’s real as I’m standing there.”

The small group of you continued to converse until Rita, Lil and Stella showed up. The boys let you girls gush over each other’s fashion choices in silence before entering the bar. The place was crowded and noisy like usual but you were feeling happy and hopeful tonight. The air was clear, your friends were home and together and a night of fun was ahead of you! 

The bar was busy, per usual, and you made your way back to a circular unoccupied table, trying to block out the noise and the music that buzzed all around you. You were surprised you were able to find a table to seat your large group so easily, as you had to push past groups of people just to get there.

“Guess I forgot the 104th was here too. I should have made a reservation or something.” 

“It all worked out!” Rita kissed your cheek. “We always find a way anyway. A little crowd couldn’t stop us.”

Each person claimed their seats. Rita sat next to you and Echo sat next to her. Then Fives took his place and Lil next to him. Stella sat next to Lil and Nova was between the two of you. The music was loud and the crowd seemed energized and alive. 

“Sure is good to be home!” Fives sighed and relaxed into his seat.

“Say, Rita, would you care for a dance?” Echo asked, a bold grin on his face despite sounding a little shy.

“I’d love to!”

Echo stood up and held his hand out for Rita to take, seeing only each other.

“Sure, just abandon us like that.” Fives rolled his eyes. “We’ll order then dance. Sound good, Lil?”

Lil winked “I don’t think he heard you. I’m famished anyway. Double shifts leave me hungry!” 

The group laughed and chatted a little while longer until another group made its way into the bar, and when they spotted you, they made their way toward your table. Why did they have to show up? Your annoying coworkers just couldn’t get enough of their mean games. You automatically tensed, and subconsciously knew the others were doing the same.

You swirled the contents of your drink, frowning at it in a concentrated stare, thinking that if you focused hard enough, maybe it would combust and your ‘companions’ would get the idea to back off. 

— — — —

Hunter was sitting in “the Batch’s booth” with his squad when you walked in. Conveniently, you and your group of jovial friends sat at a round table a little distance away. He’d cast glances your way throughout the night, with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his lips. Seeing you happy made him happy. 

He didn’t know you personally but he knew your face. You were the nurse that patched Wrecker up after he’d gotten injured. Wrecker afterwards would comment how kind you were to him, and that you were probably the nicest person in the GAR; Hunter kicked himself for not talking to you. He wanted to but Crosshair was injured too, and he was giving his nurse a very difficult time. Hunter had to intervene for his own sanity as well as hers (she was increasingly getting annoyed and that wasn’t making his job any easier either). As a result, he never got to talk to you. He wanted to at least to thank you for taking such good care of his brother, but circumstances never played in his favor. Before he knew it, he and his squad had to leave Coruscant on another mission.

And he hadn’t said one word to you. 

“You’re staring.”

“What?”

Hunter turned to look at Crosshair. He had the most absurd smile on his lips. 

“It’s impolite.”

Hunter rolled his eyes.

“You should talk to her. You got the chance.”

“She’s sitting at a table of couples. There is no way she’s not with someone. He’s probably just not here yet. It would be wrong of me to…”

That’s when the other group walked in and the shift in mood at the table changed. He didn’t have to look over to feel the tense waves falling off all the individuals. He tightened his grip on his glass and stared down at its contents, focusing on the conversation happening a few tables down. He went from relaxed to stiff in milliseconds. 

He heard every single hurtful thing fall out of their mouths in a public humiliation. 

“You know, I still can’t believe she didn’t have a date on Valentine’s Day.”

“Really? I thought it made perfect sense. She’s nothing incredible you know. That fake act you play with the patients is repugnant. You think she does it to see if she can lure one of them?”

“Why are you so dressed up tonight? Not like you’re meeting anyone.”

“Well, maybe she’s hoping someone will buy her a drink as nothing else seems to last.”

Hunter cast a glance at you; you were trying to remain calm and unreactive, but tears gathered in your eyes anyway. Your shoulders slouched, tired like, lips in a firm line and you were staring so hard at your glass he was surprised it didn’t shatter. He looked at the faces of the others, clearly having too much fun at your expense. 

You were always vocal on other’s defense. He’d heard stories from the 212th troopers you took care of in the same explosion that hurt Wrecker. They’d been injured multiple times and seemed to know you more personally, always ending up in your ward. You demanded that they were treated like people, stopped other patients from name calling the clones and got them little comforts. So it surprised him to see you sitting there, wishing you’d disappear instead of saying something. 

Perhaps this was too often of an occurrence that you didn’t even want to fight back? Another shocker was that no one else at the table intervened. He couldn’t get it. Maybe there was more he didn’t know though. Perhaps their silence was a way of defending you. Hunter had noticed Nova from the 212th there with his girl—he was a good man. He wouldn’t let this shit slide if he thought talking would help. He peaked at him too and saw Nova throwing daggers with his eyes. The same look was reflected in the other trooper sitting at the table. Though Hunter didn’t know him, he seemed like a solid dude. 

Hunter turned and scowled down at his drink. Blood boiling with anger. He looked at his batchmates. Wrecker was poking fun at Tech and Tech retaliated with a shove, trying to focus on whatever displayed on his pad. Crosshair was the only one seeming to be aware of the shift that took over him. 

“What do you hear?’

“Is this a little pity party for her because she missed out?” 

Hunter had had enough. He downed his drink and stood quickly.

“I’ll be back.”

He walked around your table the long way so he wouldn’t be seen.

— — — —

The mean medics laughed menacely, holding onto their chests and shedding tears at the jokes they threw at you. The lump in your throat threatening to force a choked sob out. The group then was broken up by a new man that entered the crowd. 

“Hey Cyare, sorry I’m late.” a deep, brusque voice gently called close to you. You turned around to see a clone in dark gray armor make his way towards your table with a gentle, tired smile. He looked a little familiar to you but you couldn’t place when or where. What you did know was that you had no idea who he was, yet he was calling you his sweetheart. Maybe this was part of the joke, or it could be an honest mistake.

He pulled up a chair close to yours and put his hand on yours for a moment before taking them away and resting his arm behind you on the seat. “I know I missed our date on Valentine’s day but General Kenobi’s plan ended up backfiring and it was a mess. We had to re-route and pull them out of the jam. I’m so sorry. Thanks for meeting with me tonight. So happy you had the night off.”

“Well, uh, um….” Your eyes widened and you felt confused. Was this man mixing you up for someone else? You started to look around to see if you could find who he initially meant the compliment for when you caught Nova’s expression out of the corner of your eye. He seemed delighted to see the trooper. The strange man spoke first.

“How’s it going, Nova. Good to see you here!”

“Heeeyyy Hunter man! What you boys did was totally amazing. Thanks for the save again.” Nova smiled his impish smile, the one he had when planning something mischievous. He gave you a pointed look which somehow comforted you. You were still confused but now you were curious. If Nova knew the man and trusted him…you decided to play along. You gave the dark haired man a big, gracious smile not needing to fake the blush that came with it. You took in his features. He was quite handsome, a little tired and dirty—must have just gotten back from his mission—and well poised. Your eyes glanced up at the red bandanna he was wearing—it was the same color as your dress. For some reason, it made you want to laugh. It was too perfect. You matched your faux date. You shook your head.

“I’m glad you’re safe.” Your voice sounded small, nothing else coming to mind.

“Wait….you’re dating THE sergeant of Clone Force 99?! Really? You?” 

Clone Force 99. Yeah, you knew who he was. You helped a batchmate of his not too long ago. Poor guy was stressed dealing with his other injured batchmate and his nurse. You heard all about the cranky sniper and often saw the leader mediating between the marksman and your fellow medic. You’d wanted to offer some sort of encouragement or comfort to him. He seemed tired. But you were overrun with patients…

“Why? Don’t think we’re a good fit?” Hunter raised an eyebrow with a frown, crossing his arms. The deadpan could have convinced anyone you two were together. The looks your girlfriends were sending you….seemed like even they half believed him. Which was ridiculous. They knew you were single. 

The others looked horrified at offending him. They shifted uncomfortably and exchanged worried looks with each other. 

It was so comical in your mind that this complete stranger’s protective concern was being bought by everyone at the table, you had to try to school your face from laughing. The way he said it sounded so personal, he could have been your boyfriend.

A smirk still found its way there, and Hunter winked at you. The delight at everyone’s astonishment and the humor of the situation was too much. A chuckle bubbled up anyway and your shoulders started shaking. 

“Forget about them. Let’s dance, Cyare. I’ve missed you.” Hunter quickly spirited you away from the table and toward the dance floor, pretending not to be aware of the stares that followed you. 

Luckily the dance floor was crowded enough to afford you some privacy of the searching eyes and Hunter let his guard down.

A shadow of hesitation crossed his face. “Is this alright?” You smiled and nodded. The slight concern of confusion still present. You could tell he wanted to be respectful of you and not put you in a position you didn’t want to be, so you took his hands, placing one on your waist and gripped the other with firm reassurance. 

Confidence restored, he smiled. And that melted your heart to butter.

The music was a sweet, slower one, allowing the two of you to talk.

Hunter took a deep breath. He seemed nervous all of a sudden. “So, I should apologize first. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable at all…my name is Hunter by the way.”

“No, you didn’t…you have nothing to apologize for; but can I ask you why? Was there some sort of a joke about this?” You started to look over his shoulder to see if you could spot anyone laughing, but he stopped abruptly at your question which forced you to look at him. Shock was written all over his face. He shook his head and resumed dancing. You started to feel guilty at assuming something bad about his kind act. 

“I’m sorry if it seemed like a prank…truthfully, I overheard your colleagues and I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

“Ah, so you felt sorry for me.”

“Yes and no. I’ve seen you around for a bit but never got the chance or the nerve to approach you. I’ve wanted to talk to you for a while. To be honest, I thought you were waiting for someone, otherwise I would have, maybe,” he chuckled shyly, “asked you to dance earlier. Hearing that,” his face scrunched in anger and he went to continue but you broke in.

“I wanted to talk to you too.” you grinned.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I remember you boys from the hospital. I’m sorry everything was such a headache for you…the nurse you got was really inexperienced and I heard about all the problems you had…that battle was just so…I had so many patients.” You trailed off. 

“Wait…didn’t you just come in…how on earth did you know…” confusion crossed your brow and he laughed. 

“No, I’ve been sitting in the corner booth over there,” he indicated with a nod to the shadowed table. You saw a strange set of three clones gathered around, leaning over the barrier and watching you both intently, smiles and giggles on their faces. The goggled one held up a datapad almost as if filming the two of you, the big one who you remembered helping a little bit ago held up two large thumbs up, while the gray haired one raised his glass with a nod and a smirk.

“Idiots.” Hunter shook his head. You tried to follow Hunter’s gaze and saw him looking at reflective glass. You presumed he saw their reactions. That was impressive. Seeing the embarrassment on his face made you laugh. He lightened up a bit seeing as you took no offense to his brothers’ tomfoolery. 

“They seem encouraging.”

“You have no idea.”

“How on earth could you hear what we were talking about all the way from over there! This bar is so noisy…”

“Well, my brothers and I are enhanced…I have enhanced senses…like right now I can tell your heart is beating abnormally fast.” You looked down with a breathless blush creeping onto your cheeks and down your neck, biting your lip, “do you need to stop?”

His voice was kind and when you had the courage to return his gaze, you saw nothing but gentle concern. 

“Um, sure.”

“I’ll get you some water. Want to meet the Batchers?...well officially, that is?”

“I’d love to know the personalities behind the men on the stretchers.” You shrugged but smiled mirthfully. “Why not!” 

The color returned to your face in a healthy way which made Hunter relax. He dropped the dancing position but took your hand in his and guided you with ease through the crowd. He made a pit stop at the bar and got the promised refreshment then led you to the final destination.

His hand in yours felt so natural, you didn’t want him to let go.

— — — —

“Good job, Sarge! You finally talked to her! Proud of ya!” Wrecker exclaimed when you were within earshot. 

“Tech, what are you doing?” Hunter asked with a tired sigh, seeing his brother still holding the datapad at a suspicious angle.

“I am trying to see what color dress Miss Medic looks good in. The red is too perfect and Cody will think that we set this up. In order for us to win the bet, it needs to look as inconspicuous as it really was. Her red matching yours is a little too much to be coincidental.”

“But it was coincidental! And woah woah woah, what do you mean bet? With Cody?” 

To Hunter’s surprise, your laugh came from the gut, ringing out loud and clear. 

“Cody, as in, THE Commander Cody?”

“Why yes, who else would I mean?”

“I think you’d better keep the red. He knows how much I adore the color. Me wearing yellow isn’t going to convince him.” 

Tech cocked his head to the left.

“You know the Commander?”

“Very, very well.” You crossed your arms with a smirk on your face. “I used to be his head medic before I trained Patches.”

“You trained that menace of a man?” Crosshair asked indignantly. 

“Everything he knows. If you’re referring to his attitude, medics aren’t known for being nice, especially with fussy patients.”

“Ha, but you are!” Wrecker punched your shoulder. 

“But…you guys bet on this?” Hunter broke in incredulous, not letting go of the previous topic.

“Well, yes. Cody bet that you wouldn’t get the nerve to talk to her while on leave so naturally we countered him.” Tech shrugged. “We couldn’t tell you as that would make it unfair and biased depending on what you decided. You could have decided to spite one of us and react accordingly, skewing the results.”

Hunter was rubbing circles on his forehead in despair, mumbling something in Mando’a.

“Hey,” Crosshair snapped, “I heard that.”

You realized Hunter had never let go of your hand all the while. You moved your fingers into a flex to get him to relax his hand. Hunter looked down, equally surprised he’d never let go, and started to let go of your hand with a small ‘sorry’ when you surprised him again by interlocking your fingers and giving him an encouraging squeeze. 

Tech’s datapad beeped. 

“Technically, neither of us still won, as Cody just pointed out to me. Hunter did talk to her but didn’t officially ask her out. I do believe that was part of the double or nothing bet. Seeing as how this is a fake date…I don’t know if that counts.”

Hunter’s face was burning a deeper red than his bandanna. He shut his eyes to center himself. You leaned against his arm, which caused him to look down at you. 

“What do you say…” your throat squeezed with soreness. Your eyes flitted shyly between him and the ground. You’ve never done what you were going to do now… “What do you say about rectifying that? A real date, I mean…”

Hunter’s features went from vexed to relieved, a chuckle forming on his lips. He brought your hands together and ran his thumbs over the backs of them. He said your name softly.

“I’d be honored if you’d accompany me tomorrow on a date…a real date.”

“I really accept.”

You ignored the whoop of the troopers in front of you and vaguely thought you could hear quiet clapping from the round table a few feet away. 

Tag requests: : @ttzamara @smolbendyhorn

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 2 - The Devil, In Reverse

Everyone was staring up at the large ship in front of them with different degrees of reticence - Except for Polnareff, who seemed the least bit afraid of any possible danger that might arise out of boarding such a phantasm... Not that they had much of a choice to begin with. The ramp was laid down for them, yet no human seemed to be there to greet them. Was that not how rescue parties were supposed to operate? To see whether there was anyone who needed any kind of medical assistance? How peculiar. Not only that, but the rest of the Stand Users had bubbling nervousness in their chest as the fog thickened around the ship, making it look even more ominous than before.

One by one, Polnareff led the sailors out of their lifeboat, while the party could only stare back in defeat. What could they do, anyway? Noriaki helped his sister up on the ramp and lingered behind, just long enough to see the cheeky Anne refuse Jotaro's helping hand, just to jump into Joseph's arms. Children truly were annoying.

The Stardust Crusaders went to do a quick rain check of the situation - Not only was there no captain in the room, but there were no engineers either. The stirring wheel was navigating by itself, as if manipulated by some divine power; Likewise, the same was true with all the gauges and machinery, all of them working normally. 

The only living being they found on the ship was an ape, sitting idly in a cage... Or was it an orangutan? Regardless, Kisara was absolutely terrified by it and the vibe it gave off. Unconsciously, she took a step back behind her brother. "That thing is giving me the creeps." she muttered into his ear. "It's just a stupid monkey. We ain't gonna get it out of its cage anyway." Polnareff shrugged his shoulders passively. "That doesn't take away from how uncomfortable it's making me feel." the girl grumbled in annoyance. "Let's just go out and see how Avdol has been doing with the crew." Joseph rolled his eyes, calling out for them to follow him outside, just in time to witness a swinging hook catch one of the sailor the same way a master fisherman would catch fish.

"Yare Yare... This isn't any way to greet a lady, now, is it?" before either of the two girls could see too much of the gore, Jotaro covered their eyes with his hands; He was glaring with analysing eyes at the hook - No one was touching the controls of the mechanism, nobody touched the lever - It couldn't be a man-made accident, could it? Everyone saw it, the crane moved on its own. Something was definitely happening here.

Joseph warned everyone not to touch anything that uses electricity to work, and to get into the cabin whilst they finish investigating. Anne took small steps to get inside, yet still looked at the party with fearful eyes. "Kisara, will you go with Anne? I need the attentive eye of a woman there to look for any trace of an enemy Stand user." "Sure. Just be careful out here."  Kisara nodded her head, watching Joseph kneel in front of the little girl, smiling like a protective grandpa. "Anne, I can tell you one thing - We are going to protect you - So make sure you stay with Kisara and the others, okay?" he patted her head warmly. "Okay!" Anne took Kisara's hand and pulled her inside the ship, yet not before the older girl noticed Hierophant Green going out to investigate through the tightest crevasses of the ship.

The two strolled around the cabin, investigating most of the rooms, and though they knew close to nothing about their origins or what they served as, the fact that there was no living being in sight, attempting to control the ship, was peculiar to no end. After exiting the captain's front chamber, they had the misfortune of seeing that damn monkey again; Kisara couldn't help but shudder, looking away uncomfortably.  But Anne wasn't afraid - In fact, she seemed to be rather intrigued, and the ape picked up on it, for it pointed towards the keyhole, urging her to help it escape. It was a rather smart thing, even going out of its way to offer the girl half of his neatly cut apple. In fact, even she realised that it seemed to have been cut with a knife, and it hadn't gone brown yet; It must have been cut rather recently. 

The most rational thought was that its caretaker must have brought it the apple - But no, that wasn't it. Kisara realised the monkey cut the apple by itself, no doubt - If it could light up a match to smoke a pipe and even lecherously look at a Playboy magazine... Not only was Kisara frozen with terror, but she had to hide the girl behind her and avoid looking at the perverted creature that was, somehow, for some unknown and nature-defying reason, actually blushing and with heart eyes sparkling, but also, disgustingly enough, its nether regions began growing, and its hand had clear malintentions. 

With a disgusted squeak, Kisara covered Anne's eyes and dragged her away from there, and towards the small cabin where the rest of the crew were residing, attempting to get some connection to the light-tower, or any port, but they received only radio-silence. 

"Argh, gross, I'm all sticky and stinky from the salt water!" Anne whined, tugging on Kisara's sleeve. "Sis, can we take a shower, pretty please?" Silent, the red head walked towards the showers with the little duckling following right behind, and turning on the water, they were deeply surprised to find it was soothingly warm - What a relief. "Alright, Anne, let's shower. Here, take this towel, I'll take the other one."

Being taller, Kisara put all their clothes hanging from the stall, and closing the curtains, she helped the little one wash her hair properly. Though she was rather worried for her brother and the others after the incident outside, she knew they could handle it, if they remain together. Her brother was inventive and witty, and Jotaro was strategic and strong; Together, they can win over any challenge coming their way.

That couldn't be said for the two young girls bathing in content, completely unaware of the massacre that occurred in the radio room - The curtain was loudly pulled to the side, revealing the ugly ape gazing at them with lust.  The girl squealed in shock and horror - One of the sailor did say that an orangutan like it has at least ten times the strength of a human - And though Kisara's Stand was defensively strong, it held no offensive power at all. How gross, how disgusting this fucking ape was, as if it had the perverted brain of a human predator. Anne was frightened out of her mind, while Kisara felt her skin crawling, feeling violated.

"Anne, stay behind me and cover up!" the older one ordered, reaching up to snatch the towel from the stall - Only to realise that not only the towels, but the clothes and their lingerie were also missing. "... This little libidinous fuck stole our clothes." she muttered in a low, petrified tone. For someone who was usually a covered up prude, Kisara was now fully exposed to the depravity of a fucking monkey. That's what she gets for showering on a ghost ship. "Wh-What do we do?!" Anne chirped out, her voice vibrating uncomfortably as she hid behind the taller one; It was clear both girls tried to cover themselves with their hands, inching towards the corner of the shower cubicle, struggling to stay out of its large, hairy hand's reach.  "I-... I don't know..." in theory, there were many things she could do, but none of them could possibly defeat a being ten times stronger than her, when she had no weapons for herself. One cannot kill a monster with only a shield.

With that damn thing so close to her that she could feel its hot, picked up breathing from excitement on her skin, Kisara thought all hope was lost for them - Yet a miracle did happen when they least expected it, in the form of a guardian angel appearing out of nowhere to rescue them by punching down the ape on its head with the lock of its broken cage. "Seems this ape isn't your ordinary kind of monkey." Jotaro had rescued them, standing tall and protectively in front of them while the enemy had its full attention on him. With Star Platinum punching away the ape, sending it flying into a wall, one of the ceiling fans broke and, as if remote-controlled, stuck into the young man's shoulder, cutting deeply. "This monkey is the Stand user - But where is the Stand?" Jotaro abruptly turned toward the girl, only to realise the compromising position she was in. A beautiful young woman with the long hair of a mermaid princess flowing gracefully around her body, covering her feminine curves, framing the demure, bashful visage, making her look so innocent and inoffensive.

Jotaro tipped down his hat, covering his eyes and looking back at the ape. "Cover yourself and help me out." he ripped away at the drapes, throwing them her way.   "JoJo, that thing has an above-average intellect, for a monkey." Kisara quickly ripped the curtain in two, wrapping Anne quickly in one piece, before she did the same for herself. "Come over, you are hurt." though she tried to rip away at the fan, the steel propeller bent on its own, slapping the boy into the face with such brute force that it sent him flying backwards, breaking the metal door.

The ape was jumping up and down in triumph as if it was having its one-man army, making the window shatter; Star Platinum picked all the shard between his fingers, punching at the ape, yet somehow, it magically disappeared into the wall. How could it be? First, it can control not only the metal, but the windows and the machinery of the ship, and now, it can disperse at a molecular level through the walls? "JoJo - I think I know the ape's Stand." Kisara gasped, looking with worry into the boy's eyes, stepping in front of him and reaching out her hand underneath his coat, placing it over the gaping, bleeding wound on his shoulder. "It wasn't that we couldn't see the Stand - It is that it was so obvious, that we couldn't see the forest from the trees." Though Jotaro could feel a refreshing yet slightly tingling sensation overwhelming his wound - But he couldn't relish on the soothing feeling of her hand and the glowing white magic it was doing, nor linger on the beauty before him - Her words lit up the lightbulb of his mind. "The Stand... Was the freighter all along!"

From behind the Japanese boy, long tendrils erupted, menacingly undulating and threatening him. "Look out!" she pushed him out of the way, only to get herself all caught up and tangled in the mess; The only advantage she had over Jotaro was that she couldn't get injured when embraced by her Stand's Power.  Up on the deck, the other Crusaders were being sunk in the quicksand of the ship, all of them only now realising the truth about the enemy stand - The freighter itself.

Star Platinum tried to rip away at the plumbing holding her glued against the wall while the orangutan returned, now wearing a captain jacket and hat, smoking its pipe again, and holding a dictionary - It was pointing towards the word 'Strength'. "JoJo, the ape's Stand... It has the Strength tarot card, from the Major arcana." he seemed to realise the girl was under no physical discomfort or pain, despite the tight grip on her body.  The damn ape thought he had already long since won, doing a rubiks cube and laughing in their faces - The more Star tore away at the pipes, the more appeared, like a hydra's severed head, spawning twice as more, engulfing even Jotaro and his Stand cruelly. There was an odd feeling in his hand though, and he couldn't pin-point it. It felt like the foreign tingling of a small, soft hand holding his own - But his own hands were touching nothing.

With eyebrows furrowed in drowning confusion, he stole a look at his Stand, and made a huge discover - There was a translucent imagery of a delicate, feminine hand, much like Kisara's own, shining white and holding Star Platinum's own hand. Was this Kisara's Stand? If so, why was she letting only the Stand's hand to be revealed, from the elbow down? And, more importantly, was it her Stand's power engulfing him and Star, that protected him from the unbearable pain from the wrapped metal tendrils which had him rendered stunned to the wall?

Once the Ape finished the cube in record time, it looked up, its wide black eyes sparkling with lewdness as it gazed in deep lust; It was so completely entraced by the gift revealed before him with a lovely ribbon for him to unwrap - Jotaro took the opportunity to pick a button from his jacket and hit the stupid monkey, taunting it with his words. Not only did he hate anyone who dared oppose him in his way to killing Dio and saving his mother from certain death, but he hated perverts, and this ape was the worst out of both sides of the dark spectrum. "That button is not part of your Stand. Huh? You angry? I bet that hurt your pride since you thought you won. No, it's not hurt... Because apes don't have any pride!" that comment made the monkey so full of rage, trembling with the purest kind of anger, that it leapt in full attack mode, ready to tear the young man apart limb from limb. "That's exactly what makes you a fucking ape. Now allow me to show you what being hurt really is like!" his mocking was accompanied by the activation of Star Finger, flicking at the button he previously threw at the monkey and shoot into its skull, which resulted in the deactivation of the tendrils. They were now safe and unharmed. "Yare Yare..." the orangutan was now shaking with fear, backed up into a corner and ripping its shirt off, revealing its belly as a surrendering plea. "I've heard that, when frightened, animals show their stomach to signal their submission. You want my forgiveness?" the monkey nodded, having its hands in a prayer-like way. "Problem is, your actions have long since overstepped the laws of the jungle. You're done for." and with that, the vicious Ora Ora barrage completely defeated the ape.

With the Stand User defeated, the whole ship began twisting up and deforming in ways no ship should ever experience. "Kisara, get Anne and dress up fast. We have to go." he didn't wait for an answer, instead, he pushed the girls in the direction of the showers and helped them gather their clothes to hurry up. "Damn - Jotaro, did you see my bralette anywhere? It's black and lacey, like a crop top." Kisara asked, already half-dressed. "I haven't. Forget it, just hurry up. You'll get another in the city." the boy rushed them again, and thankfully, in no time, both girls were fully dressed and springing to him. "Never mind, I found it." he grumbled, finding the discarded bralette of evident high quality and price, over a pile of rubble in a corner, close to the ape's cage. "I'll return it when we find a hotel." "Thanks a lot, JoJo. You really saved us today. I don't think I can ever thank you enough." Kisara sighed in relief, slumping down on the life boat and leaning her head on her brother's shoulder. "I don't quite know what transpired there, but if it weren't for you guys, we would have been done for." Noriaki smiled gratefully at his friend as he carefully combed through his sister's hair. "Actually, I did nothing. It was all JoJo. Were it not for him... I don't want to imagine what that stupid ape would have done to us." the girl shivered in disgust. "Huh? What do you mean? Did it attack you first?" Polnareff asked in surprised. "Yeah, when we were showering, it was awful!" Anne blurted out, making Kisara snatch her hat away from Nori's hands to hide away her embarrassment. "It was all creepy and trying to touch us! It didn't act like an animal at all!" she continued, deepening Kisara's agony. "When we first went to see it, it took out this magazine with naked girls on it, and it started touching itself and doing weird noises when looking at Big Sis!" "AHHHHHHHHHH SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!" Kisara whined unexpectedly loud, her face fully covered by the hat, and hung in shame. "Give me a break, damn it! I don't want to think about that - That damn monkey! I already feel molested, I don't need to remember any further!" she groaned, completely exasperated and done for. "Hold up." Jotaro spoke through the graveyard silence caused by the girl's frustrated outburst. "Did you just say - The monkey was jerking off?" as if on cue, Kisara and Jotaro shared a horrified look, and he grabbed the pretty bralette from inside his coat pocket. "Ohhh, Jotaro, you naughty boy~! Quite the casanova, ain't ya?" Polnareff grinned widely, slinging his arm around the younger one's shoulder.

Jotaro shrugged the Frenchie off of him, and unfolded the roughly crumpled up bra; Somewhere on the inside part of it, a white, creamy substance stained the black lace. "GAH!" both Jotaro and Kisara yelped in complete agony, their skin crawling with disgust and repulsiveness at the mere thought of what had happened to sacrilege the poor piece of clothing. "THROW IT AWAY! BURN IT! GET RID OF IT!" the boy did exactly that, using his Stand to throw the tainted bralette as far away as possible. "I wanna die." Jotaro grumbled in agreement, tipping his hat down and looking away. That was an experience he never wanted to encounter ever again. "Ergh... Anyone want some gum?" the Frenchie grinned awkwardly, hoping to lighten up the gloomy atmosphere. "I want to commit seppuku." Kisara whined softly, feeling her brother comforting her with a hug. "I can braid your hair, if it will make you feel better." the boy offered, trying to keep her mind away from the rather traumatic experience; It didn't take a genius to realise that was her own bralette, which only made the situation worse for her. "Yare Yare..." Jotaro spit his cigarette in the water. "This cig is soaked." "We'll have plenty of time for them to dry, JoJo." Kakyoin reassured him. "And we're lost as sea." Joseph ruffled his hair in disdain. "Again." Avdol hummed, closing his eyes. "Just have to pray we get rescued and taken to Singapore."

Thankfully, that did happen, and a true rescue patrol came for him in record time, taking them to the safety of Singapore... Where Polnareff was almost fined for littering. Joseph proposed to stay at this luxurious grand hotel and relax until they figure out a sure travel path towards Egypt. Truth be told, they deserved a good shelter, proper hygiene and a warm meal after all the trouble at sea they had.  Having found out that Anne kepting following them around under the pretext of meeting her dad in about five days, the grandpa offered to pay for her stay there also, and thus, Joseph roomed with Avdol, Noriaki with Jotaro, Kisara was stuck playing the big sis role for Anne - And lucky Frenchie was all by himself.

After they all took their much needed baths, they agreed to go down and have lunch at the overly luxurious restaurant of the hotel, so they could have a light chat - A little mindful of the naive little girl, but also... Not quite. They talked of MMA and sumo, of cuisine around the world and music, and at some point, Avdol offered to play around a bit with his fortune telling gift - Which is when he realised that no one knew a iota about the lady's Stand, from its power, to its appearance or even its name.

"Kisara, have you drawn a card for your Stand yet?"  the magician asked. "Yes, a long while ago, in fact. I and Nori developed this ability at a very tender age. My card, like all of you here, is also part of the Major Arcana." just like a magician on the stage, a Tarot card with a rather grotesque imagery appeared between her fingers, and she mysteriously covered one of her eyes, a wicked, dry smirk on her face forming, watching Avdol gasp in shock. He seemed rather uncomfortable, eyeing the card in her grasp. "Th-The Devil? Your Stand is The Devil?" the fortune teller seemed rather disturbed by the notion of having one of the worst cards in the deck as an ally. "Addiction. Powerlessness. Misfortune. Malevolence. Confusion. Obsession. Hedonism. Sabotage. Oppression." Kisara hummed, speaking in a playfully soft voice. "The worst card you can get, don't you think? Surely, all the traits that you might describe a villain with." she chuckled. "Also, the card associated to my zodiac sign - Capricorn." "It's just a card you pick at random. Doubt it matters much, does it?" Polnareff shrugged his shoulders, unknowingly irking Avdol with his words. "In all my career as a fortune teller, I have never encountered a reading where the cards lied. It is not the cards at fault, but the reader's lack of experience and understanding of the situation." the fortune teller explained. "You are very much correct, Avdol, you see - That is because... The Devil is not my Stand's card." her amusement only grew with Avdol's confusion and stark attention. "It is my own." In a fluid and elegant move, Kisara placed the card down on the table, in front of Avdol. "What do you see now, Avdol?" "It's the same card. It's still the Devil." Joseph gruffed, leaning forward. "Was that supposed to be a magic trick?" "It's in reverse." Jotaro pointed out the obvious. "That's right. The Devil, in Reverse." she nodded her head. "If I am The Devil, Upright; then my Stand is The Devil, in Reverse." she smiled playfully. "And what is the opposite of the Devil?" "An Angel." Noriaki looked at his sister. "Marilyn truly is an angel, if I've ever seen one." "Ohhh, really? Then why don't you show us your Stand, huh?" Polnareff huffed with interest. "The Queen of England doesn't take audience from just anyone, does she?" Kisara snarked him with a cheeky chuckle. "She only comes around during special events." "Awe, c'mon..." the Frenchie pouted like a bratty little boy. "Marilyn - As in, Marilyn Monroe?!" Joseph seemed excited to hear the name of the iconic actress. "The one and only, yes. I was debating between Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich - But I suppose their names are pretty similar anyway." she shrugged passively. "Yes, both wonderful women. Incredibly talented and beautiful." he nodded vigorously. "Hey, sis, wanna go out to see the city?" Anne asked impatiently, tugging on her sleeve. "We can take JoJo with us too." Kisara and Jotaro shared a dubious look - Since when did Anne start liking him so much, when previously, she snarked him with every occasion. "Yeah, sure. I needed to buy some things too." the red head nodded, putting her hat on her head. "You're coming too, aren't you?" she looked at her brother. "If I'm welcomed." he hummed playfully. "Go and do some exploring." Joseph encouraged them. "We'll be figuring out the best route to Egypt. Maybe check out the car cables too, if you're at it." "Sure." Jotaro gruffed, getting up from the table.  "Are we all good to go?" Kisara asked, walking towards the exit. "I'll go to the bathroom real quick. Wait me outside." with Kakyoin going towards the stairs, the other three went out to sit on a bench by a palm tree.

They waited in silence, with Jotaro smoking a cig and Anne dangling her legs idly until the red head arrived, and they could begin their stroll through the gorgeous streets of Singapore. It truly was the perfect day for some exploring of a new city, so warm and bright, and the locals were incredibly friendly and welcoming to them. Even the guy from the ice cream stall where Anne went to was nice enough to offer her a free chilled coconut juice, which she's never tried before. Having no money herself, she looked back at the older ones. Jotaro nodded at her, ordering the drink for all four of them. It was the perfect refreshment for such a lovely day. 

Kakyoin took out his wallet and paid for all four of them, only for a petty thief to steal it and run away. Jotaro and Kisara watched as he took out his Stand to catch the mugger, cursing him with such vulgar language and beating him to hell. His sister was much too petrified to call out to him, covering the little girl's face, so it fell on Jotaro to stop him. "Kakyoin! I told you to cut it out! What are you, deaf?!" Jotaro was pretty pissed, knocking him away and liberating the poor victim. The red head girl immediately ran by his side and checked for the victim's vital signs, using her Stand power to stabilize his condition. "You're not right in the head. What the hell's gotten into you?" "Honestly... No need to push." Kakyoin patted his jacket from the dust. "The man tried to steal my wallet. He committed a crime." he grabbed the coconut juice from the little girl's hands. "Criminals should be punished - Tell me, am I wrong, Jotaro?" the boy glared deeply at the hostile-acting one, the gears of his mind working rapidly. The man before him was acting in no way like the Kakyoin he knew. "The look is your eyes is awfully hostile, Jotaro-kun. You couldn't possibly be thinking about ending our friendship over a little tussle with a thief, now, would you?"

Kakyoin's monologue was interrupted by a group of little children making a fuss and aweing over a bunch of beatles up on a tree, which made him chuckle. "You're making way too much out of this, JoJo. I'm just having a bad day. I'm so exhausted from the trip, it's just put me in such a bad mood." "Will you shut up already?" Kisara snapped at him. "We've already lost enough time with your fooling around. We've got work to do." she reprimanded him, walking ahead to catch up to Jotaro. She hooked her hand to his arms, inconspicuously getting closer to him privately.  "Has he ever acted this way before?" the boy asked. "That's not my brother." her reply was confident. "My brother hates coconut. He always throws away the Bounty coconut chocolate in my room, and blows off the coconut flakes from brownies." "But he did show Hierophant Green." Jotaro pointed out, deep in thought. "Yes, that is true. That's what's confusing me also." she muttered. "My brother would never curse or use such language around me - Or any girl, for the matter." she sighed softly, looking up at the brunet. "And you know what's worse? That my brother is the type to let the bad things done to him just slide; He's not one to hurt others or get revenge. That's me. I was always the one getting revenge on his behalf. He would never do something like that." "Do you think a Stand user is possessing him, then?" Jotaro threw a wild guess. "I... I really don't know." her weak whisper made the boy look at her - She looked so defeated and afraid for her brother, just as much as when she embraced him, upon finding him again. Those two really were close to each other. If anyone could tell something was wrong with the other, it was them.

Anne got in between them two, clinging onto both their arms. She seemed disturbed, looking back at Kakyoin. Yes, no doubt, there was something awfully wrong. To calm her down a little, they went to get some ice-cream on their way towards the cable car, to go to the Singapore Station and book their train tickets to India the next day. Jotaro leaned back on the railing, waiting for the cable car to get by and embark, but Kakyoin - Or whoever it was that impersonated him - Was up to some shenanigans once again; He stole the cherry from the top of Jotaro's ice-cream, and with incredibly strength, pushed him off the railing, falling to his death. 

"JoJo!" both Anne and Kisara threw their arms out to grab Jotaro's hand and help him get back up. What the hell was wrong with him? What was going on? What was using Noriaki like a puppet - Or, another theory - What was impersonating Noriaki? "Good one, aye, Jotaro?" Kakyoin's laugh was deranged. "I'm only playin' with you, good ol' Jotaro." he thus disgustingly started tonguing that poor cherry, violating it with saliva, only for it to fall to the ground. "What did you do to my brother?" Kisara hissed, stepping up in front of the imposter. "If there weren't so many people around, I would have long since cut you to pieces, you damn bastard." "Hmm~? Whatever could you mean, lil' sis?" Kakyoin picked her soft cheeks, pulling on them roughly as if they were sweet sakura mochi. "I am your older brother, aren't I? I even have Hierophant Green to prove it, a'ight?" Jotaro slapped his hand away, pulling Kisara protectively behind his back. "You are wrong." she snapped at the culprit. "I am the older sibling, dumbass." "Take care of Anne." Jotaro instructed the girl, clenching his fist. "I'm gonna knock his crooked, possessed ass right into the cable car." the red head wasn't able to even defend from the powerful punch that landed him into cable car with an awfully fractured mandible. "You're off. 'Possessed' isn't quite the word." he got up from the floor. "You still haven't realised my body's been growing this whole time." the cable car's door slid shut, and it took off. "Anne, call Joseph and tell him that someone impersonated Kakyoin. Tell him to look for my brother." Kisara frowned, pondering over the slime that attacked Jotaro. "Stay calm and don't move from here. I'll come back after I find a way to rescue JoJo."

The little girl gulped, terrified, but nodded her head and rushed to call JoJo's grandpa, keeping big sis Kisara in her sight. She watched as she did something so remarkably bizarre that not even Jesus could accomplish - She was running on the air as if she was walking on the ground. With Jotaro jumping through the window of the cable car and climbing up a building, and Kisara running on to him... Nobody really made sense with these guys, did it? Only the weirdest things happen with them. This whole gang was trouble... But that was the fun part, wasn't it? Almost dying so many times was exciting for her - That's why she stuck around for so long.

"What's going on?" Kisara asked, her hands trying to pick the boy's slimed hand, only for him to immediately step back from her.  "Did you just walk on the air?" he looked at her weirdly, taking his lighter out. "Sort of. I'll explain later." she waved her hand dismissively. "What's going on?" "You should be here. The slime is devouring away at my finger." he showed the yellow slime on his pinky finger. "Stay away from me, it might transfer to you." "I can't just leave you all alone to fight that thing." she vehemently countered. "Any idea?"

Jotaro lit up his lighter. "This'll hurt like a son of a bitch, but it's time to torch it off." he said, but as soon as the fire touched the slime, it exploded messily all over his hand and spread over towards Kisara, who fended it off by guarding her face with her forearms - But the slime stuck to her bare skin, burning her so bad that it made her yelp, more in confusion than anything. "Wh-What the hell?! Th-This hurts - This actually hurts!" she looked down at the slime on her forearm with terror. "You act like you've never been hurt before." he rose a questioning eyebrow. "That's because I haven't!" she exclaimed. "I have a protective Stand, not a combat-oriented one. I'm shielded away by all kinds of physical factors that could inflict damage on me." she explained briefly her power. "In theory, I've never been hurt by a strike from a Stand to my own Stand or shield. I don't understand how this slime works, but it's corrosive affliction isn't one to take lightly. We have to figure out how to counter it." "How annoying." Jotaro grumbled, looking at the passing cable cars, and upon seeing a kid with an ice-cream. "Can you do the air-walking thing for others too? I'll try to freeze it away." "Of course." she smiled up at him. "Run with no fear. I've got your back, wherever you are." Her wink was enough to reassure him that she would be there to protect him with her Stand, if need be. Jotaro tipped his hat and ran blindly through thin air; It was such a weird feeling, but also, pretty fun - He kinda wants to do that more often, what a drag.  Ripping away the door to the cable car, he took the ice cream from the kid after promising to buy him a new one, only for the slime to turn into spikes and dig into his hand even worse, blood splurting out. The trashy fat woman on the seat opposite of him turned into the Enemy Stand User, who covered him with even more of that corrosive slime - Hopefully, Kisara won't be feeling the burning of it it. To think that someone could live so sheltered from pain for eighteen years, that's quite the Stand she had. 

Seeing that he was connected to the Temperance user, Jotaro punched away the floor of the car and jumped down into the water underneath them, dragging the idiot down with him - Of course, he can't breath underwater, so he had his guard down for such enough seconds for Star to lock his arms properly, giving him the opportunity to punch the enemy's face, following with a cruel elbow strike in the nose.

Realising that Jotaro already won by default, Kisara made small steps out of her Stand's shielding power so she could jump down progressively, like Mario in the game, until she reached down to them. She heard all the infime information that Temperance had to offer, about The Death, The Empress, The Hanged Man and The Emperor enemies, which are after them. Apparently, The Hanged Man, J. Geil, was the man with two right hands that killed Polnareff's sister, and his power had something to do with mirrors. He's supposedly so strong that Frenchie has no chance against him - But that was as much as this pathetic guy could offer, before attempting to attack Jotaro again.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kisara's dark, low voice, grumbling into his ear from behind, made Temperance screech like a scared little girl. She was crouched down on the sheen of the water, her blade pressed against his throat, drawing just a few trickles of blood. "Jotaro is a merciful gentleman, you see. He'd have let you go with just a few punches." her voice was threatening as he never expected. "But I'm not like that." with one swift move, Kisara's katana was impaling the man's belly from one end to the other. "Not only did you try to sabotage my brother's reputation, but you endangered everyone in the party - And for that, I cannot forgive you." she slit open his belly. "You are undeserving of a honorable death." the enemy's body fell down into the water, a large pool of blood surfacing instead. Kisara wiped the blood off her blade mechanically in the inside of her elbow, before sheathing it away. "Forgive me. That was unsightly." "He was going to attack again anyway." Jotaro shrugged, taking her hand to get up on the water. "You seem to know your way around weapons." "I told you - My Stand is useless in combat." she chuckled dryly. "So I just do what my Stand can't - Fight." Jotaro scoffed, a little intrigued by that notion. "I'd like to see that one." "I wouldn't." Kisara chuckled, falling in pace with him. "I'm a girl. I hate fighting." she said. "I only do it because I have to." "And why would a woman need to fight, anyway?" JoJo asked. He knew how to fight, how to brawl, because he always got in arguments with people who annoyed him, so naturally, he needed to have the upper hand. Kisara was a quiet woman, and seemed to keep to herself for the most part. She wasn't the type to go out of her way to disturb people, wasn't loud and annoying, nor was she disrespect or nosy. Jotaro couldn't imagine any scenario where the average highschool girl would need to fight. "I wouldn't imagine anyone picking on you, based on how intimidating you look, and on your physique." Kisara's voice was soft and warm like honeyed mead, with a certain bitterness to her smile. "But my brother has always been a small and frail cutiepie who likes artsy stuff and would go out of his way to play with me and my girly stuff, instead of doing boy things like the others." Jotaro grunted in understanding - Of course, the person with the protective Stand would develop such a power out of sheer love for her brother, all because she wanted to protect him with all she had. "Boys would make fun of him, and would bully him all the time. He was such a crybaby... And it really hurt, seeing him so afraid and upset all the time." she sighed, looking up at the cloudy sky. "So I gave up my dancing classes to learn Aiki. I gave up watching Disney Princess movies, to watch combat sports and MMA. I gave up playing dress-up, to work-out. All, to beat up all the jerks who picked on Nori." "A reliable older sister." Jotaro found himself speaking. "You're a strong woman, but women shouldn't have to fight." "Weak, in order to love. Strong, in order to protect. Both, in order to stay by his side." Kisara's smile was serene. "I only ever wanted to be cute and pretty, so that Nori would be proud with a sister like me. But if I have to be strong for him, that is what I'll be."

Jotaro hummed a little, also looking up at the sky. "Women are pretty incredible, huh." his mother wasn't much different. She may not be physically fighting, but she is doing all she can to fight for her family, while his father is touring as a sax player. All alone, to raise a model child turned delinquent. A child who insults her and pushes her affections away, yet she still keeps the routine to kiss him goodbye whenever he goes to school, and kiss him again to welcome him home. She keeps a bright and loving smile on her face all the time, and never expects anything in return. She does everything selflessly, all out of love. 

Leaving home, changing continents, moving after a man, learning new habits, a new language, a new culture, and having a child with a man who barely spends time at home, to provide for the family. Even when he got himself in jail, she called gramps and came to rescue him. She always encouraged him to do anything he liked in life, she supported him, and never got angry despite his bratty behaviour. Holly wasn't protecting her son physically, but she was protecting his heart, his happiness, his emotions - And for that, Jotaro truly was grateful. For his mother, he will destroy everything in his path. 

"I never asked - Why do you want to kill Dio?" Kisara found herself asking. "My mother is in mortal danger because of him." he scoffed angrily. "Because of him, our Stands manifested. Mum's Stand is too powerful for her, and it's eating away at her life essence. We have to kill him, to save her." he explained the reason for his journey.

"I see." she muttered. "I'm sure your mum is going to be very happy, knowing how much you and Joseph love her." she smiled at him. "That's a woman's greatest happiness. Knowing that the people we love, love us back just as much." Jotaro tipped his hat, smiling. "And you're here to protect Kakyoin." she nodded. "Sorry. I guess I beat him up pretty good when he attacked me; But mum patched him up well enough after getting that flesh bud out." "You could have have easily left him defeated, or killed him for attacking you - Yet you saved him. Thank you. Really, thank you. I don't want to imagine a life without my brother." she truly had the prettiest smile he's ever seen. "Let's keep them safe together, yeah?" surprisingly enough, Jotaro smiled confidently, sticking out his pinky finger for her.  "Yeah. Let's do this. Together." hooking her pinky to his own, the two teenagers smiled at each other, sealing a non-verbal vow, and a surprising friendship like none other, blossomed into a most beautiful flower.

With yet another enemy defeat, the night went by at a fast pace, sleeping peacefully and resting properly before going to the Singapore Station to depart for India. It was at the Station that they went separate ways from Anne, not wanting to endanger her for the manieth time thus far. This journey was full of perils and definitely a place for a young girl with no Stand, as she was.

With each day, they were getting closer to their end goal, whichever that was; Each day, they were getting closer to Egypt.

Closer to Dio.

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[timextoxhajima]

PART TWO

[ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE]

members: the boyz eric and sunwoo

synopsis: after sunwoo finds out about lee eun jung’s one-year-long crush on eric, he challenges himself to win her over. [3rd person pov]

additional characters: lee eunjung [oc/reader] | lee sangyeon [brother] | lee gyu young [niece] | lee dong hyuck (haechan) | choi lia | hwang yeji

genres: situationship! with sunwoo, crush! eric, fluff, crack, angst, mature content, smut in some chapters

warnings: cursing. 

w/c: 4.9k

taglist: @changminurheart​ @allorysayshi​ @en-boyz​ @vantxx95​ @from-xero​ @sunlightwoo​ @junjungsunwoo​ @wooyoung-a​ @sunwoowuvbot​ @sunwoahkim​ @bbangsoonie​ @changmin-wrlds​ @just-here-to-read-01​​ 

yeji and lia quite literally freeze in their movements, food barely touched as eunjung finishes the story. 

“excuse me?” lia cranes her neck forward, raising a brow and blinking unbelievably. “first of all, isn’t that unlawful entry? harassment? second of all, what did you say?”

eunjung bites on the straw of her drink, eyes wide and recalling. 

“i can daydream about eric if i want to. it’s not my fault you caught yourself slipping.”

sunwoo blinks rapidly, stepping back with his lips parted. he’s in shock - definitely not expecting the response she just gave him. then, he scoffs and sucks in a deep breath, thoughts thrown off its train as he looks away and holds his hands on his hips. 

“you have some nerve responding to me like that.”

eunjung rolls her eyes. “you have some nerve barging into my room and kissing me thinking that it’s gonna work.”

sunwoo turns back to her, squinting. “you’re testing me.”

it’s her turn to scoff. “and you’re being a fool. get out of my room.”

they’re playing a ping-pong game of scoffs now, especially when sunwoo has to rub his palm over his mouth and chin as he curves around her and forwards to the door. 

“you... are being difficult,” he says, hand on the door knob. “but i wanna see how long you can play at this.”

“this isn’t a game.”

sunwoo pulls the door wide open and takes a step out, then turns around with a small smile on his lips. “unfortunately for you, i’m great at playing games.”

“what?” eunjung frowns and puckers her lips in confusion. sunwoo doesn’t give a second hoot before he closes the door behind him.

“what?” lia quite almost mirrors eunjung’s exact reaction.

“that was exactly what i said.”

“that does not sound like a cool exit,” yeji shrugs and slurps at her starbucks drink. 

“it’s not.”

yeji gulps and sits back. “it does sound like you’re in for a long ride.” 

“yeah, well… he can ride this ride on his own.” 

sunwoo may not have been as aggressive and forward as he painted himself to be (or maybe eunjung was just imagining that he would be that way) but he was surely around almost every corner she turned. him having a head of pink hair didn’t help her case either - it only made spotting him in a crowd easier, and catching his gaze made it seem like she was already staring.

she was not. 

eric was by his side quite literally all the time. if it’s anybody she’s looking at, it’s eric. not the walking, melting cone of strawberry sorbet ice cream that’s so sour he isn’t the centre of attention. it’s frustrating on eunjung’s heart, to have eyes that are for one person, but her body has been looked at and caressed by another. 

she’s not one to care about whom she’s slept with or think too much about the concept of virginity and chastity - it has always been a societal ploy to control women. 

but she can’t deny that it feels a whole lot worse when it’s eric’s best friend. 

“had it been anybody-fucking-else, it wouldn’t have been so bad,” eunjung mumbles under her breath and jabs at the little plush toy sitting in the corner of her bed. it was a jellycat elephant that sangyeon had gifted her, and gyu young had a matching one. 

knock knock.

“yeah?”

“hey, can i come in? i cut some fruit,” eunjung’s sister-in-law calls through the door. 

“yeah, sure,” eunjung sits up and clears her throat, pulling her hair to cover the almost-faded mark on her neck. 

the door clicks open and she walks in with a plate of orange, apple and mango cubes with little green dinosaur toothpicks sticking out from them. eunjung isn’t a person who offers compliments too often, and she hasn’t to her sister-in-law, but there had always been a glow about choi chae yeol since the day her brother took her home to meet their parents. 

she was a phD student and way out of her brother’s league - eunjung had no clue how he had managed to snag this piece of treasure for himself. chae yeol was bright and funny and though she seemed a little serious at times, she was ruled by the perfect balance between logic and emotional thinking. 

that was a trait eunjung wished was inheritable, because that would make the world so much easier for gyu young to deal with. 

“you alright? sangyeon told me you’ve been kept to yourself a little more these couple of weeks,” there’s a clink when she sets the plate on eunjung’s desk by her laptop and notes. 

“yeah, it’s just that work’s been catching up and i’m dealing with some stuff at school, so.”

“‘some stuff’?” chae yeol wipes her damp hands on her joggers and pulls the claw clip out of her hair to redo it. “are we talking about stuff your brother wouldn’t like or stuff you’re overthinking about?”

eunjung looks straight at the plate and hugs her feet to herself, digging her fingers under the edge of her blanket. “both.”

chae yeol sniffles and raises her brow as she clips her hair. “you know, the day you came back the other day... last saturday? i saw the concealer on your neck. your brother didn’t but i did.”

eunjung looks up and bites on her bottom lip. “i... it was a mistake. i’m not pregnant nor did i get an std... i just... it’s a little messier than i wished it would be.”

“getting pregnant or an std is the least of my worries of you,” she reaches for the plate and holds it as she sits at the edge of eunjung’s bed. “you’re a smart person, so i don’t think you’d leave room for that kind of mistake. what’s plaguing you? what’s the complication?” 

she jabs an apple cube and offers it to eunjung. she opens her mouth and chaeyeol feeds her, her eyes wandering mindlessly as she debates with herself whether to share. 

“i may or may not have slept with someone whose best friend is my crush.”

chaeyeol’s eyes widen as she hears eunjung crunch into the apple cube. then, this cheeky grin surfaces on her lips. “ooh! sleeping with the crush’s best friend.”

eunjung takes a deep breath and shrugs. 

“are there any feelings involved? how did he treat you thereafter?” 

“i... no? i don’t... know? i know i still like my crush and god forbid i ever fall for his best friend... but his best friend keeps saying these things to me... trying to win me over, taking it as a challenge.”

“let me tell you something. your brother may have been a saint when he’s with your family, but the reason we’re together is because we slept together by accident and he decided that me liking his best friend was not gonna cut it for him.”

silence. 

“what?”

chaeyeol chuckles and takes a mango cube for herself, then feeds eunjung an orange slice. “mhm. i liked his best friend at first. jaehyun, was it? i had made friends with sangyeon for the sole purpose of getting close to jaehyun... but things took a turn i hadn’t planned and i ended up in bed with him and that was quite literally the beginning of your brother pestering me. look where i am now.”

“oh, my god,” eunjung laughs through the orange in her mouth. but then she abruptly stops, and shakes her head. “fuck, no, i’m not having his children. oh, no!”

“i’m not saying you will,” she reassures. “i’m just telling you that what you plan and what you want might not go the way you expect it to. and we know how all men are - fickle and picky, and they always think they know what they want until they find themselves at the mercy of a woman. they kiss their hands and fingers and buy them flowers as if it were a currency for love, and then they get on their knees to beg to be taken care of for the rest of their lives.”

“all i’m hearing is he will never let me go.”

“and all i’m telling you is that you... can have fun with it. if you don’t want him after all that effort to show that he loves you, then be my guest and break his heart. he knew you liked his best friend first, didn’t he? then it’s his problem for slipping up and falling for you. all the money and time and effort he puts into showing you his pretty feathers is his choice, not yours. the complication is his, and it will only be yours if you catch yourself reciprocating.”

chaeyeol feeds eunjung a piece of mango. “anyway, i have to fetch gyu young from her swimming class. do you wanna come with? since we’re having dinner together after anyway. i didn’t ask before because i thought you were busy studying, but turns out you were wasting your precious braincells on a man!”

with that, chaeyeol stands and returns the plate to eunjung’s desk. “also, don’t ever tell your brother i told you that. and don’t ever give gyu young the same speech i just gave you.”

“what?” eunjung chuckles and slides off the side of the bed. “why not?”

“because there isn’t going to be a single man out there good enough for her, even if it’s his heart for her to break- and frankly, there isn’t a good enough man for you either. but you’ve already gotten yourself in that mess of yours, so.”

eunjung laughs and shakes her head.

“finish up and come meet me at the car in 20?”

“sure,” eunjung nods, taking another apple cube. “thanks for the pep talk.”

“anytime.”

eunjung has her hoodie pulled over her wet hair, the little clamps of damp fringe coming down over her eyes as she picks out the instant food in the fridge. her eyes gloss over the coffee, then recalls that eric posted on instagram that he was going to spend the night studying for a midterm. her fingers hover over the cool, metallic mocha can, then with a resounding breath, she grabs it. 

her phone vibrates in her hoodie’s pocket, and she pulls it out to see a little notification from the devil himself.

🦝: how long are you going to ignore me for?

eunjung locks the screen and shoves it back into her hoodie pocket. she was walking through the shop and picking out some energy bars and a pack of chips for herself when she hears the bell of the door go off after someone walks in.

“coffee? same thing?” she hears someone say. the voice is familiar - so she turns around the end of the isle to look at the fridge where she was just at. sunwoo was huddled in his cream hoodie with his pink fringe sticking out under the hood, fingers running over the rims of the cans while searching for a particular flavour. 

“there aren’t any mochas left. next choice?” sunwoo pushes the other cans aside, searching for any more. it dawns on eunjung that she took the last one. 

“cappucino...” sunwoo mumbles under his breath, then scores the orange can. “found it. anything else?” he turns, and this time, notices eunjung standing between two isles and looking at him. 

“hey, would you text me what you need? i think my phone’s about to crash. kbye.”

he shoves his phone in his pocket and immediately strides towards her, whose eyes widen upon the realisation he’s approaching her.

“you-”

“give me the cappucino,” eunjung reaches out and grabs the can from sunwoo before he can respond. he looks at her with widened eyes and a little frown of confusion. then, he notices she’s holding the last can of mocha coffee, so he squints at her. 

“what else does eric want?” she asks nonchalantly.

“i don’t know.”

“check your phone,” she nods to the device in his pocket. “you told him to text you.”

“why are you eavesdropping?”

“you were speaking in a public space, and not very quietly, i might add.”

“wow,” sunwoo scoffs and shoves his hand into his pocket. he unlocks his phone with a sly grin on his lips. eunjung reaches over and snatches the phone out of his palm when she notices the notification pop up on the top of his screen.

eric: potato chips and snickers bars x2 please

she eagerly shoves it back into his hand, then turns to search for the ordered items. 

“you know, i didn’t take you for a simp when i first saw you,” sunwoo trails after her, watching as she picks out the most expensive pack of potato chips off the shelf. 

“so what if i am? at least i’m doing it right!” 

“what the hell is that supposed to mean?” eunjung can hear the spite in his voice as he turns after she does to face the opposite shelf. eunjung ignores him, scooping two bars of snickers from the shelf and a pack of gummy bears for herself. 

“you’re really something, you know that?” sunwoo trails her, grabbing a protein bar next to her gummy bears. she reaches the cashier’s counter first, then he does, and when the cashier asks, “payment by?”

“paywave.”

“paywave.”

eunjung turns and glares at him, before abruptly lifting her phone to the scanner. her phone clunks with his as he does the same, and the scanner beeps. both of them turn to look at the cashier, who turns the scanner around and uses his annoyed, why-are-these-young-adults-acting-like-children eyes to study the scanner. 

“payment went through. not sure which one though.”

eunjung looks down at her phone, and sunwoo mirrors her. 

no notification and no payment history on his. 

“you’re welcome for your protein bar,” she lets the cashier scoop all the items into the bag. 

“didn’t thank you for it,” he pokes his inner cheek with his tongue as he watches her take the bag from the cashier with a ‘thanks’, and she walks out the store. 

“tough one,” the cashier doesn’t look at sunwoo when he says it. the door swings shut, and sunwoo looks at him with curious eyes. 

“excuse me?”

the cashier looks up at him and through his lashes, lips pouted while the gears in his brain churn. “good luck, buddy.”

“what?” sunwoo frowns and tuts in slight frustration. he’s about to ask, but eunjung knocks on the glass door and gestures a ‘whatthefuckareyoudoinginthere?’

sunwoo looks at her, then at the cashier, who is still devoid of emotion on his face. he sniffles and gives up, turning to leave the store. 

the plastic turns clear to his ears as he exits. eunjung fishes the pack of gummy bears out from the plastic bag and hands it over to sunwoo. 

he looks down at the handles dangling the bag from her fingers, then up at her. “why don’t you give them to him yourself instead of making me your stupid baby stock deliverer?”

“that’s an insult to stocks,” she shoves it into his chest, which forces him to take it. “and no. what would i say? how do i explain that i willingly paid for everything he wanted?”

“be honest. besides, eric is too oblivious to figure anything out for himself. you could tell him you overheard me and you just decided to be a saint today and he’d buy it.”

“you think he’s stupid.”

“you think he’s smart.”

eunjung rolls her eyes. “whatever. bye.”

but sunwoo reaches out and grabs her arm before she can leave his radius, and he catches up to her in a huge, single step. “no, come deliver them yourself.”

“no!” eunjung tries to writhe out of his grip, but fails. sunwoo starts to walk, and quite literally drags her along the corridor. it was late, so eunjung is slightly thankful they passed by just a handful of other students, who spared no thought before glaring and staring at them like the inappropriate couple they are. 

“you could come in for a drink or two,” sunwoo finally gets her in the lift up to his room and he stands between her and the door to prevent her from leaving. she tries to duck, and slaps his arms away from the button panel, but he gets the doors closed anyway, and manages to jab the floor of his choice. 

eunjung huffs and smacks his hands as he tries to keep her still, only giving up momentarily when the lift starts to move. but her eyes glance over the button panel, and sunwoo catches the mischief glimmer in her eyes. 

“don’t you dare,” he whispers, reaching over to the button panel and starting to walk before it. “don’t you-”

and eunjung rams her knee into his groin without hesitation. sunwoo lets out the loudest groan, and it almost echoes throughout the lift as she reaches over his crouched body and presses all the buttons on the panel. 

sunwoo groans and yells, on his knees and bent over like eunjung would be on his period. she turns and looks at his red ears camouflaging under his pink hair, and she almost feels bad for kneeing him so hard. 

level 4.

“quick! get up! if- if you didn’t make me do this, that wouldn’t have happened.”

“this isn’t as bad as ruining father’s day for me-” he groans again, looking up into the light. there are tears in his eyes. 

the doors open. there’s no one. the doors close. 

“get up!” eunjung tries to pull him up. 

“i’m very much handicapped right now, in case you couldn’t fucking tell!”

level 5, the lift chimes. 

“oh, shit-” eunjung hisses and annoys sunwoo with the plastic bag. “get up! get up!”

“you just deflated my balls!” sunwoo almost shrieks as eunjung struggles to pick him up. the lift slows to a stop.

“oh, please! they could be actually deflated with a needle and you’d still have that much cum.”

“what?!” he finally stands, with his arm around her shoulder and hers around his waist. the lift doors ding open, and there’s taehyun and beomgyu trailing off from their conversation when they notice who it is in the lift. 

“eunjung!” taehyun’s eyes light up.

“sunwoo?” beomgyu’s half into suspicious squints. 

“are you injured?” they walk into the lift and taehyun asks for good measure, but notices the the entire activated panel. he turns, side-eyeing beomgyu. he finally looks behind himself with his peripheral vision, and watches as eunjung and sunwoo seem to mutter (read: hiss) something under their breath to each other. 

they miss taehyun’s subtle glare - they are too caught up in trying to make each other remain quiet about each other’s problems.

eunjung only notices when taehyun reaches for the button panel, and un-selects the button by holding it for a couple of seconds. the red rings disappear, but eunjung can’t find a hole to bury her head in.

taehyun leaves the level he wants

“he did it,” eunjung has no idea why she said it.

“excuse me?” sunwoo snaps his head towards her and frowns. “i did not!”

“it’s fine,” taehyun shakes his head. he wants to ask what the hell’s going on, but he won’t. he knows he won’t get the truth anyway.

taehyun clears his throat. “sprained ankle?”

“sprained bhhhhh-” sunwoo’s words compress into a sharp hum as eunjung pinches the side of his waist. 

“sprained... ankle ball.”

“ooh, bummer,” taehyun glances at eunjung. “i didn’t know you two were close.”

“we’re not.”

“we are!”

the two stare daggers at each other again, earning some look of confusion from taehyun, but a hardened stare of suspicion from beomgyu. 

“oh...’kay,” taehyun clears his throat again.  

the lift ride is awkwardly quiet - taehyun and beomgyu really can’t guess why she’s supporting him the way she is and spitting insults under her breath. but they reach the gym level anyway, and they alight with a little wave as the doors close. 

once they do, eunjung shoves him off her, knowing that the pain in his groin has probably already faded. 

“my god! what would people think! us being ‘close’!”

“don’t see what’s wrong with that,” sunwoo rolls his eyes and readjusts his shirt. 

“ugh, you’re just! so! UGHHHHHH!!!!!!” the doors finally ding over on the floor eric and sunwoo stay on. she snatches the plastic bag from his hands, and he tries to catch her, but he misses. 

“eunjung,” he calls after her, hurriedly tailing after her down the corridor. she ignores him, this close to opening their door and hurtling the bag of sweets and snacks in but she can’t afford to let eric get confused with their relationship.

what will he think when he sees them fight like an old couple?

“eunjung,” sunwoo says again when he loses her around the corner to his room. she hangs the plastic bag on the door knob and steps back, as he reaches out to her. 

she smacks his hand.

“ow!”

“can’t you just... leave me alone?”

“i can’t deal with you ignoring me.”

eunjung squints, in disbelief. “my god, you’re such... you’re such an attention seeker! you can’t deal with people not giving you the attention and then you spend all your available time bugging the fuck out of them!”

“you’re not listening to me. i said i can’t deal with you ignoring me.”

eunjung grits her teeth. her jaws clench so hard, her temples tighten. 

“i’m not listening to you explain yourself-”

click.

the door swings open. 

“oh?” eric’s eyes widen. “what’s going on out here?”

eunjung’s words get trapped in her throat. she gulps. 

sunwoo nods to the bag on the handle on the outside of the door. “caught her leaving us some snacks.”

“oh, that’s a coincidence! sunwoo was just downstairs getting it,” eric pulls the bag off the handle. “where’s the stuff you bought?”

sunwoo blinks. “didn’t get any. my paywave had problems.”

“hey, you got a mocha and cappucino!” eric grins like a kid as he takes them out of the bag. “i literally told sunwoo to get these.”

“yeah, lucky you,” sunwoo looks at eunjung. her gaze meets his, and in that moment, she can tell she hurt his feelings. “to have a girl pamper you like that.”

“what did you say?” eric calls back. they look into the room to find him already laying out the items on his desk. 

“nothing,” sunwoo shakes his head, entering the room first. 

“aw, you didn’t have to get me this brand of chips. they’re so expensive!” eric looks past sunwoo and at her. 

“it’s fine,” she shakes her head. “the cheaper ones were sold out anyway.”

“do you want to come in and have a drink? we can share the chips too!”

“oh, i’m good-”

“no, why don’t you come in? you were worried he was too busy to hang out but now he’s inviting you in so why not just come in?” sunwoo flops into his chair and plugs his charger into an outlet. 

“come in,” eric walks to the door, beckons her in, and closes the door behind her. “here, what do you wanna drink? we have beer, some canned lemon and vodka. coke.”

before she can say anything, sunwoo heads for the mini-fridge in the room first and takes out a can of coke. “last one. guess that leaves you with beer and vodka.”

the crack seemingly echoes through the room, through the gassy hiss. and like the first time they drank together, sunwoo keeps the eye contact while taking a good few gulps of the drink. eric is oblivious as he mumbles something about sunwoo being an asshole and that the vodka didn’t have a high concentration of alcohol.

but there’s a grave mixture of guilt and frustration in her now. she knows she shouldn’t have said what she said - how can she assume that’s what he’s doing and that it wasn’t a stupid confession?

so what if it is? 

what if it is?

“i... i think i should get back. it’s late and i have a test in a few days. i haven’t been studying for it, so i’ll just... go.”

“aw, you sure? you can have some of the chips? the coffee?”

“no, i’m good,” eunjung shakes her head and turns around to the door. 

“eunjung-”

“bye!” 

eunjung catches herself zoning out for the umpteenth time. she pulls back and away from the table, her fingers still on the keyboard with barely a few sentences typed out. she rubs her fingers over her lids and yawns, then combs through her hair with her hands. 

her mind repeatedly defaulting back to sunwoo’s words made her feel worse every time she heard it in her head. she know’s for a fact she didn’t have to say it, so why did she?

it had been a few days. she hasn’t seen him since. nor eric. nor received any texts from sunwoo. she picks up her phone. 

no, but if you text him, you’ll be letting him win at his own game. 

what game? 

he’s playing hard to get now. 

no, i’m playing hard to get. 

then why are you texting him first?

“fucks’ sake,” she huffs and rests her forehead onto the tabletop, and rams it gently into the wood. abruptly pushing herself back and away from the table, she slaps it with determination as she goes for the door. 

she swings it wide open, and to her shock, eric is right outside the door, his fist hanging in the air like he was going to knock. 

“hey!” eric’s eyes light up, smile beaming. “i hope you don’t mind me... y’know, being here. i actually came with breakfast, as a ‘thank you’ for tuesday.”

eunjung’s lips part in slight hesitance. “oh, sure. it was no problem. it’s exam period so everybody’s... dying the same.”

eric hands her the plastic bag of bread and biscuits. “do you want to catch lunch, actually? sunwoo and i were planning to go out of school for lunch.”

“does sunwoo know?”

“nope, but i’d assume he wouldn’t mind. why?”

“nothing, it just- you know. i’m not that close to the two of you, i’m worried it’ll be awkward.”

“no, no! don’t sweat it. but hey, um, could i ask you something? you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

eunjung is stumped. “depends on what the question is.”

“you say you’re not close to sunwoo, but correct me if i’m wrong, you two look like you have something going on.”

stumped isn’t a good enough word now. 

“um, what do you mean?” eunjung leans against her door and blinks innocently at eric. 

“i mean like i catch him looking in your direction sometimes, like he’s waiting for you to look at him. or like last night. he seemed upset... for some strange reason... though he said he only ran into you outside our door. he was fine when he left so i can’t put my finger on why he seemed upset afterwards.”

she swallows and licks her lips while running through an imaginary list of excuses. “maybe he recalled something that pissed him off or he recalled something someone said to him that upset him.”

“sunwoo? just randomly getting upset over something that already happened?” eric pauses. he shrugs. “i guess that sounds like him... but it doesn’t explain him looking over to you. i don’t know. he acts strangely when you’re around. i mean he’s already strange but he’s stranger when you’re present.”

“uh,” she rubs the back of her head, pulling her hair over her shoulder. “i’m... i unfortunately have no clue. what you’re talking about. maybe he finds me attractive.”

what?

eric laughs. “probably. sunwoo has a thing for peculiar women. and by ‘peculiar’ i mean women out of his league.”

“aw, you think i’m out of his league?”

“you’re out of most men’s leagues,” eric steps backwards. “you’re smart and you’re... gorgeous. you’re funny and you’re just so... chill.”

eunjung struggles to read the situation. this feels worse than she thinks it is. why do his compliments feel like he’s rejecting himself? why is he building a wall when all she wants to do is get over it?

“men don’t deserve women like you,” eric smiles sweetly, slightly shaking his head. “god forbid if you ever date a man like sunwoo. or me.”

but i want to date you.

“anyway, let me know if you’re up for lunch. i’ll check with sunwoo if he’s alright with you tagging along, hm?”

“uh- okay. sure.”

“cool. i’ll catch you later.”

the door closes after she releases it, and there’s a deadly silence that forces her into her own head. sometimes, she struggles with ignoring the thoughts in her head: they are merciless, brutal, honest. 

most of the time, she’s able to reason with herself. it’s like her thoughts are a separate entity, telling her to do things she shouldn’t do though she knows they’ll land her in an undesirable situation. 

but this time, something irks her. she can’t tell if it’s the hurt and sudden change in sunwoo’s demeanor. he had the perfect opportunity to ruin her before eric, say that they slept together, say that she was being a bitch, say that she had a crush on eric.

but none of the above. 

eunjung sighs and rubs her nose. she picks up her phone. 

[melusinealarice]

This has been on my mind for a while so ima start a series

The Lucky One

Chapter 1: Mer

Warnings, hunger games mentions of killing blah blah blah 🩷❤️‍🔥

Backstory: your name is Meredith Yang, you are from district 2 and you’re 16, you’re skilled with the knife and you are small and agile, you have a twin brother, Chris Yang, and a little half sister who is 12, Alexa Grey. It is the morning of the reaping of the 69th games, Clove won the 68th.

You wake up to the sounds of the morning birds chirping. You feel the hard wood floor underneath you, you had slept by your sister’s bed that night because she was having nightmares. You now regretted it, as you craned your neck from side to side you feel stiff. It was the morning of the reaping, and in a house with 3 kids, an alcoholic setp father and a mother who is emotionally unavailable, things get hectic. You spend most of your time out of the house, you didnt really have friends but most people knew you. You used to be sorta friends with Clove, but last year she won and you haven’t really talked to her since, you still see each-other around though. You heard rumors that her family was killed and after that she just kinda turned off.

As you slip on your boots and try to walk as quietly as you can towards the door, your brother jumps out from behind a door making you jump back and yelp. “Damn you Chris” you say smacking his arm. He is laughing hysterically, “thats not funny, what if you woke mom or dad.” He takes a few deep breaths before speaking, “dad is passed out, nothing could wake him, and mom has been up for hours, just laying there.” You roll your eyes, your brother was always observant, “well what about Alexa?” You retort, “im up..” she says still groggy and rubbing her eyes. Just great, so much for sneaking out. “Oh Alex I’m so sorry did we wake you?” I say walking over to sit with her, i shoot Chris a glare before turning my attention back to my sister. “Yea but it’s fine, i need to get ready for the reaping anyways,” she says, you can tell she’s nervous even though she tries to pretend she isn’t. “Ok, ill leave you to that then,” you say kissing her forehead and walking out of the room she shares with pur parents and into the kitchen/living room. You lived comfortably, with one bathroom, 2 sleeping rooms and a kitchen combined in a living room, but it was still cramped, and it was in the poorer part of district 2. As you walk out Chris follows, “where were you sneaking off to?” She says as if he were a parent catching you in the act of doing something wrong. “I wasnt sneaking anywhere, i was on my way to…” you trail off, truth be told you had no idea where you were going, you just wanted out of the house that reeked of alcohol and sweat. “Whatever its none of your business anyways” you say, he scoffs, “okay but remember, the reaping is at 3:00, mom will want us to all go together at 2:00, which means you need to be home by 1 to get ready.” You roll your eyes, as if mom would ever care, and the only reason your stepdad is going is because he has to. “Oh and can you help Alexa get ready?” He says, starting what i assume to be a bath. God, he always cares so much about presentation, since last year he’s even been talking about volunteering one year. “Yea sure,” you say already halfway out the door.

You’re not sure where you’re going so you end up just walking around until its time to go home. “Where were you? I said be home at 1, its 1:15!” Chris snaps the second you walk in. “Its 15 minutes, i think ill be fine.” You reply. Your mom is up and getting ready, almost like a robot, if either you or Chris ever weren’t here, they would all starve to death. Your stepdad has gotten up and run his hand through his hair. Despite Chris’s best attempt to make him presentable he still looks half dead. You walk over to Alex’s room, she is in her dress fiddling with her hair. “Here, let me.” You say taking the brush from her hands. The two of you were opposites, she had golden locks of hair, and wide blue eyes and looked like clear water, her skin was rosy and she looked as if she had been born of a spring breeze. You on the other hand, had hair so dark it was almost black, your eyes were narrow and slanted, your eyes were pitch black and your skin was so white you could see the veins of blue. You were pretty yes, but in a winter snow way. As you brushed her hair out you began braiding one long braid down her back. You would leave your’s down. Alexa wore a pretty white dress with flowers on it, she had even found some wildflowers you wove into her hair. Once she was ready you began working on yourself. It was 1:45, you left your hair down and stripped. You quickly threw on your black dress that stopped just above the knees, it hugged you uncomfortably tight but in contrast to your pale skin it looks magical. You wore your black boots as you had no other shoes and were rushed out the door by Chris.

When you got there the line was incredibly long, it was now 2:30, you stood with your sister until she was led away by peace keepers. You found your spot and looked around for her and Chris. Normally in 2 you dont need to worry about being reaped as usually there is a volunteer, but the year after a win for 2 no one steps up, and last year Clove won.

Before you knew it your district escort, Sadie, a strange woman with Silver hair and skin whiter than yours, who resembled a doll with her silly makeup and outfit, had walked on stage. The victors, Brutus, Enobaria, and Clove were sitting in chairs behind her. On the other side of the stage was the mayor, the head peacekeeper, and another man you didn’t recognize. The short video they play every year seemed to go on for hours. Finally it was over, Sadie wasted no time getting to the choosing of names. “This year lets switch it up.” She chirped in her stupid accent. “Let us start off with the gentlemen.” She walked over to the boys’ bowl and drew out a name. Everyone held their breath. She cleared her throat.

“John Quartz, Joh- ”

Before she could finish someone in the crowd shouted.

“I VOLUNTEER, I volunteer as tribute, for the honor of representing district 2.”

You look over and your mouth fell open, it was Chris, your twin Chris, who barely weighs 120lbs, and yes he is good with a spear, but he’s loud, and slow at times. He is signing up for his own death. You stare at him bewildered, he doesn’t look back once before rushing up to the stage and taking a stand next the Sadie. “Okay then, our male tribute..” “Chris, Chris Yang” he fills in. “Chris Yang!” She repeats.

You’re shocked to say the least, sure he had talked about volunteering but you never thought he was serious.

Before you could process what happened your thoughts were interrupted by Sadie, “and now for the ladies.” She walks over to the bowl, you could cut the tension with a knife, you hold your breath. She draws a name.

“Our female tribute from district 2, Alexa Grey.”

Silence..

Before you can think about it your hand shoots up,

“I VOLUNTEER!”

[ragingbookdragon]

My Brother's Best Friend Is The One For Me

Wally West x Batsis!Reader One-Shot

Word Count: 3.6K Warnings: Explicit Language

Author's Note: Got to rereading my Batsis fics and came across the "What A Flashy Romance" and wanted to do another one with Wally because I love him. Enjoy! -Thorne

Being the middle child and also the only girl in the Batfamily meant two things:

1. She had four brothers that treated her like a porcelain doll, despite the fact that she could throw a punch at 336 PSI.

And

2. She followed an unspoken rule that Dick and Jason’s friends were off limits when it came to dating.

In all, neither of those things were major problems. She’d learned at a young age how to avoid Dick and Jason’s overbearing-protective-brother-modes, and Tim and Damian were younger, so she didn’t have to worry about them. The second one was also avoidable—most of her older brothers’ friends were the same, and she wasn’t around most of them to develop any feelings.

Well, there was Wally, but it was just a crush. A stupid, little school-girl crush—that she’d never really grown out of—that didn’t matter in the slightest. Except whenever Dick brought him over to the house and she had to pretend that sitting next to him didn’t make her heart race like she’d run a mile.

And the most annoying thing about the whole crush is that she couldn’t tell if Wally was ever interested in her or not. Most of Dick’s friends, Garth, Kyle, Roy, they treated her like a little sister—hell, they even said “Love you lil sis!” to her regularly. And yet, Wally didn’t. Now, there was the occasional head pat, but even that was an affectionate gesture that siblings and SO’s did all the time. It was infuriating, and so was Wally—but she was going to sort it all out the next time he came over because the worst thing he could say was “No”, and either she needed to hear that…or “Yes”.

***

Normal Sundays for the Wayne household usually meant Ultimate Waffle Breakfast and sitting on your ass all day until patrol—it was the one day of the week where they could do anything and nothing and didn’t have to stick to schedules. Everyone loved Sundays, especially (Y/N), because it meant that all of her family was home, even Jason (who tried to deny that he enjoyed coming home to hang out, but if that mile long grin was any help, he was lying). And while everyone was home, that usually meant that everybody’s friends were coming over too.

***

She swiped the syrup out of Jason’s hand when he swung it back around, grinning at him when he glared at her.

“I was gonna use that, (Y/N),” he griped, and she shrugged, uncapping the bottle.

She tipped it over and watched the syrup lazily pour out of the container onto her waffles.

“You were taking too long.” Her eyes twinkled with humor. “I guess you were as…slow as molasses.”

While most of the table groaned at her terrible joke, Dick snorted into his milk, causing it to splatter on his plate and across the table.

“Nice one,” he coughed, wiping his face and the dark oak surface.

(Y/N) bowed dramatically. “Well, I did learn from the best.” When Dick’s face lit up, she turned to Alfred and smiled. “Alfie, thank you for teaching me your ways.”

The old butler merely tipped his head, a hidden smile crossing his lips at the way the eldest son’s jaw went slack. She turned her attention to Bruce who was quietly chewing, eyes following along the research paper she’d asked him to check out.

“Dad, what’s on your agenda for today?”

He swallowed and flicked a line out with a red pen, etching his own comment in the margin. “Lucius has a few ideas about some new gadgets he wanted to run by me.” Another line went out. “I’ll call him after breakfast.” Bruce looked at her. “You?”

(Y/N) nodded at the paper in his hands, then slapped Jason’s who was reaching over to take a piece of bacon from her plate. “Waiting for you to finish tearing me a new one so I can redo the paper.” She cut into the waffle with the side of her fork. “Once I salvage what little scientific dignity you’ve left me with, I’ll probably laze around.”

“You mean what you do normally?” Bruce quipped, grinning when she glowered at him; his eyes went back to her paper. “You’re doing well so far.”

She huffed. “Tell that to every red line you’ve marked out in that paragraph.”

He flashed the paper. “I’m writing in the margins how to change it. This isn’t a dissertation, sweetheart. You’re allowed to make mistakes. We all do.”

(Y/N) grumbled as her cheeks warmed and she went back to her plate as the conversation flowed around her.

Most of it was the discussion of what everyone was planning on doing, Damian was going to play video games, Tim was going to join him (which she knew was going to be fun while the moment lasted until the petty sibling rivalry got in the way and their gaming dwindled into a physical fight that she and probably Dick were going to have to break up), Jason was going to use the workbench in the cave to upgrade some gear, and Dick apparently,

“Wally and Garth are gonna come over later and hang out.”

She paused, mid-stab of her fork and looked at up. “Wally’s coming over?”

He nodded. “And Garth. We were gonna go to the mall and get some new clothes.”

Jason snorted, laying an arm over the backs of Tim and (Y/N)’s chairs. “Spending money with daddy’s credit card, Dickie?”

Dick smirked. “Just like you.” Jason merely matched his grin, and while the entire table was cracking up at Bruce’s frown, (Y/N) was silent, heart beating faster at the thought of seeing Wally.

“(Y/N)?” She startled and looked up at Dick.

“Huh?”

“I asked if you were okay. You got quiet all of the sudden.”

She smiled and shook her head. “Yeah, just thought about all of the corrections I’m gonna have to do because somebody CAN’T STOP MARKING OUT MY PARAGRAPHS.” Bruce merely smiled and knocked out another line.

It was a lie. It was the biggest lie she’d told right next to the one she told when Bruce had asked her where she was on prom night her senior year a few years ago—she was totally not saving a different sector of the universe with Kyle Rayner, she was dancing with Sam Reilly all night—she strongly believed her dad knew the truth—Batman knew everything.

Bruce handed the paper back to her and she groaned as she scanned the red lines on every page. It was going to take her hours to go over this.

Jason leaned over and read the title, “Cellular Division and Mutation Under Extreme Elemental Circumstances…a composition by (Y/N) Wayne.” He cocked a dark brow. “Go big or go home, huh, baby girl?”

(Y/N) hummed. “Doctor Halberd wanted us to pick challenging topics for the research paper this term.” A crooked smile crossed her lips. “I’m nothing if not ambitious about proving I’m smarter than everyone else.”

“You need another source,” Bruce murmured, sipping the steaming black coffee. “One-fourteen is good, but I’d go for one-fifteen.”

She groaned and dropped her head. “Are you kidding me? I had enough trouble gathering that many.”

“Why don’t you use Barry?” Tim piped up, mouth full of whip cream and strawberries.

“Master Timothy, we do not talk with our mouth full,” Alfred admonished, and Tim blushed.

(Y/N)’s head shot up and she stared at her brother. “That’s actually a good idea. Speedsters would make for perfect references about cellular division.” An idea popped into her head and she glanced at Dick. “And since Wally is com—”

“Nope,” Dick interrupted, pointing at her. “Wally is coming over to hang out, not to be poked and prodded to finish a paper.”

She let out a whine and turned to Bruce. “Dad, tell Dick to let me at least talk to Wally about it.”

Bruce turned his attention onto Dick. “Let your sister talk to Wally about her paper.”

“Oh, come on,” he complained and (Y/N) stood from her seat, hurrying around the table to stand behind Dick’s seat.

She draped herself over his shoulders, tucking her chin in the crook of his neck. “I promise I won’t be annoying if you let me come with you. I’ll ask two questions every thirty minutes and I’ll go do shopping on my own, so I won’t be in the way.” (Y/N) craned her neck and pulled the most pitiful puppy eyes she could. “Please?”

Dick’s eyes darted to her face and then he looked away. Just one more push.

“Please frate?” she begged and when his eyes went wide from the usage of his native tongue, she knew she’d won him over.

He deflated and let out a sigh. “Fine,” he grumbled. “You can come with us.”

(Y/N) squealed and pressed a kiss to his cheekbone, as she grabbed the paper and hurried towards the door. She halted and spun around, looking at her father.

“What do I need to be most specific about?”

“Division under elemental circumstances.”

She glowered at him. “No shit Sherlock. Specifics.”

“Molecular division under terrestrial gamma-ray flashes.”

“That’ll work,” (Y/N) nodded and exited to room.

Jason looked out the door then back to his brothers. “She’s way to excited about science sometimes.” They merely laughed.

***

She raised the red lace, cold shoulder V-neck shirt to her chest before frowning, and switching it with the full lace blue shirt with mini golden lightning bolt charms hanging off the trim. After a moment, she pulled the blue one down and sighed.

“You know, if you want to impress him, I’d wear the red shirt.”

She jumped and barely managed to suppress the scream that was coming up in her throat as she swiveled around to face her door. Jason stood in the doorway, a knowing look on his face. She could play this one of two ways: she could be truthful, or she could lie—she chose the latter.

“What do you mean?” He snorted and walked into her room, taking a seat at her desk.

“I mean if you’re trying to impress Wally, wear the shirt that’s the color of his suit, (Y/N).” She looked away and into the mirror, but she couldn’t escape the eyes boring into her back.

“Is it that obvious?” she asked quietly, and he laughed.

“That you’re head over heels for Dick’s best friend? Oh yeah. Totally.”

She sighed and sat on her bed, pulling the red top over her torso. “It’s just a crush.”

“Seems like more than a crush to me, baby girl.”

(Y/N) pulled the fabric down and looked at him. “Are you gonna tell Dick?”

Jason scoffed. “Do I look like a narc to you?”

She cocked a brow and deadpanned, “Just the other night you told dad that Damian lifted Two-Face’s wallet when he was being put in a cruiser.”

“Well, that wasn’t something important,” he countered and nodded at her. “This is.” He paused and shrugged. “Nah, I’m not gonna tell Dickhead. Play this out however you see fit, baby girl.”

(Y/N) stared at him for a moment then averted her gaze and let out a sigh; Jason huffed.

“That sounds like a heavy sigh, (Y/N). What’s wrong?”

She shrugged. “I don’t even know if Wally would be interested in me. He’s him and I’m me.”

Jason stood and walked over, kneeling in front of her. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

(Y/N) met his eyes. “Anytime he’s had a girlfriend she’s always been super strong or really outspoken.”

“And you’re not?” he quipped, causing her to huff.

“You know what I mean, Jay.”

He nodded. “Okay, so you’re not an Amazon or shoving your head up someone’s ass for a story. But you’re you.”

“And that means?”

“You’re the only daughter of the World’s Greatest Detective who’s a wicked smart science major by day and a badass vigilante by night.” He cupped her cheeks. “You are intelligent, warmhearted, talented, and absolutely beautiful.” Jason smushed her cheeks together and grinned as she giggled. “And if Wally doesn’t see any of what I just said, then he’s a damn fool and not worth your time. You hear me, baby girl?”

She nodded. “I hear you.”

Jason gave her a firm nod and let go, standing to his feet. “Now come on let’s go do your makeup.”

(Y/N) blinked. “You can do makeup?”

“Baby girl, I can do a lot of things. Now hurry up. That razor sharp eye liner and golden eyeshadow isn’t going to do itself.”

***

She waited beside Dick with a pleasant smile on her face, and despite the fluttering heartbeat in her chest, Jason’s pep talk kept running through her head and with every passing moment, she felt her confidence rising. He was right, if she told Wally and he didn’t feel the same, then it was his loss and her gain to move on and find someone else.

A black sedan pulled up at the manor and the passenger window rolled down, revealing Wally at the wheel and Garth in the passenger’s seat. Dick waved at them.

“Hey guys,” he greeted. “How was the drive over?”

“Oh, you know, we saw three carjacking’s and one armed robbery,” Garth quipped. “I assume that’s normal for Gotham though.”

“It’s a bit below average actually,” (Y/N) piped up. “Hi Garth. Hi Wally.”

Wally smiled and Garth waved in return as the two siblings started getting in the car.

“You’re coming with us, (Y/N)?” Wally questioned and she nodded.

“Do you want me to lie to you or give you the truth?”

He chuckled. “I’m always open for a good story.”

“I wanted to buy out Victoria’s Secret and piss off any boyfriends who are in hot water with their girlfriends.” The guys laughed and she admitted, “Truth though, I need one last source for a research paper.”

“Gonna find that source shopping?” Garth asked and (Y/N) caught Wally’s eyes in the rear-view mirror.

“Actually, my last source is Wally.”

They fell silent and looked at her, though the speedster’s focus was on the road.

“What are you gonna source Wally on?” The Atlantean inquired.

“My paper is over cellular mutation under distress from elemental conditions.” She smiled at Wally. “Our speedster here, is a walking subject perfect for the paper. I can only hope that he agrees to be a willing participant.”

Wally chuckled. “I’d be willing to part with a few secrets for you. Of course, I’d have to—”

“Remain anonymous.” (Y/N) winked. “I’m sure my professor would be okay with me citing ‘The Flash’ so long as I had a picture with him to back it up.”

“I like pictures,” he murmured, pulling into the parking lot.

“That’s good to know,” she replied and when he put the car in park, she took her purse and added, “So I’ll leave you boys to do your shopping and Wally, I’ll text you any questions I have.”

“You’re not gonna hang around?” Garth asked and she shook her head.

“Nah, I don’t wanna be the annoying little sister who follows her older brother and his friends around.” She smiled at them. “Besides, Dick was kind enough to let me come along. Least I can do is stay out of your way.”

(Y/N) opened the door and waved at them. “Text me when you’re ready to leave and I’ll meet you back here.”

***

Despite the initial joke that she was going to buy out the lingerie store, there was actually some truth in the statement, and she drew her fingers over one of the lace baby dolls as she looked at her phone, grinning like a dope at Wally’s response.

Well, I wouldn’t say I’d grow a second skin from how fast my cells regenerate, but I can make my body heal instantaneously. -W

Can you regenerate limbs or major organs? –(Y/I)

Major organs or useful ones? -W

(Y/N) paused at his response and thought for a moment. It was risky. Sending the text, she was thinking about was risky, but it’d sure get her point across that she was into him. With her heart hammering in her chest, she pushed send and stuck her phone in her pocket.

Whichever ones are useful to you, Wally? ;) –(Y/N)

Her phone didn’t buzz for a good minute, and Wally took less than a second to reply, so he was doing one of two things: A.) Telling Dick that his younger sister sent a flirty text, or B.) Trying to figure out how to let her down easy. (Y/N) didn’t know which one was worse. Her hip buzzed and she inhaled shakily, pulling her phone out of her pocket with one eye cracked open to see how screwed she was.

Do you have a useful one in mind, beautiful? -W

She had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from letting out the biggest gasp any human had ever made, and she nervously looked around her to make sure no one else was staring at her. She grinned as she replied to him.

Oh, I could think of one…or two or three…Why? Is there gonna be a pop quiz over this later? I’ll have you know I’m an excellent test taker. –(Y/N)

Is that so? Well, what happens if you were to fail this particular pop quiz, (Y/N)? -W

I guess you’d have to stay the night for a study session and help me make a better grade ;) –(Y/I)

As she waited for another response, someone’s hand touched the small of her back and she reacted, immediately stepping away from the offending touch to spin on them. Her eyes went wide when she saw Wally standing before her, a grin on his face, phone in his hand.

“I think an overnight study session is possible, (Y/N).”

Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, like a fish until she finally got her brain to work and asked, “I thought you were shopping with Dick and Garth?”

He shrugged. “Told Dick you asked me an advanced question that’d be easier to answer in person than over text.” He wiggled his brows. “You know, advanced equations and scientific gibberish.”

(Y/N) huffed a laugh and turned back around, trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks as she picked up one of the teddies. And when she realized what it looked like, she only felt more flustered. Crimson with baby blue trimming and was practically a shoelace.

“Well, that’sa hint if there ever was one,” Wally quipped, and she pulled the lingerie out of his line of sight.

“It was just the first one I grabbed!” she exclaimed, snapping her mouth shut when people looked over at them. Her cheeks felt like they were wildfires, and she pressed her head against the cool metal of the rack, sighing with what little relief it provided.

“You know, (Y/N),” he started softly. “If you’re not comfortable, this doesn’t have to go anywhere. I can forget this ever happened if you want me to.” (Y/N) opened her eyes and peered at him, at the concern but also the kindness in his gaze.

“I just—” she murmured and trailed off before letting out a sigh. “It’s kinda complicated.”

“Okay,” Wally nodded. “My mouth might work faster than my brain sometimes but lay it on me.”

She cracked a smile and thought back on Jason’s words. If Wally doesn’t see any of what I just said, then he’s a damn fool and not worth your time.

(Y/N) took a deep breath and looked at him, admitting, “Wally, I have…feelings for you.” His eyes widened and though she felt the sting of embarrassment, she pushed out her words. “It’s stupid, like one of those dumb childhood crushes that just sticks with you, you know?”

She averted her gaze and looked at her peep toe heels. “I just don’t wanna screw anything up because even if you don’t feel anything like I do, I don’t wanna lose you as a friend. Because I do value your friendship.” She sighed. “And Dick. I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable about coming over to see him if there’s a chance you’ll have to see me too. I just—”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Wally interrupted gently, a smile growing on his face. “You’re thinking way big here, (Y/N). Bigger than you need to right now.”

She met his eyes. “Right now?” she repeated, and he reached out, taking her hand in his. His fingers felt tingly against her palm and he smiled.

“I like you, (Y/N).”

She blinked at him, practically dumbfounded. “You…you do?”

Wally nodded and confessed, “Have for a couple years, but I didn’t wanna make a move not knowing if you were interested.” His cheeks tinged pink, and he said, “But I’m glad you are. Like super glad.” (Y/N) giggled, suddenly feeling really foolish for all her worry and Wally let out a chuckle too.

She stared at him for a moment, relishing the coolness of his skin before pulling away, toying with the teddy in her other hand.

“So, about tonight…you staying over?”

Wally let out a groan and looked between her and the lingerie. “Probably, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to get away long enough to spend some time alone with you.”

(Y/N) let out a ‘pfft’ and winked. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Flash. You are the fastest man alive.”

“You’re into quickies? Good to know,” he grinned.

“Shut up,” she giggled.

[spacexcowgirl]

Hate To Think About You With Somebody Else - F.W.

Fred Weasley x Reader

Summary: Fred and Y/N used to be friends with benefits, but that arrangement ended in heartbreak. Can Fred handle seeing her out with somebody else?

Word Count: 4.7k

Warnings: 18+ NSFW. MINORS DNI. Mentions of alcohol, mentions of blood, small bit of violence/fight scene (the reader and Fred are not injured), possessive talk, fingering, degradation, bondage, orgasm denial, unprotected sex, a bit angsty with a happy ending. Please let me know if I’ve forgotten anything!

A/N: For @theweasleytwinsgirl​ who asked for the reader teasing Fred, leading to her being tied up! I added a bit of plot to it, because I cannot help it. Obviously, this fic is lightly inspired by “Somebody Else” by The 1975. I am not very confident in my smut writing abilities, so any feedback would be appreciated! I also feel I should thank @lumosandnoxwriting for giving me advice and reassurance throughout writing this. Pictures are from Pinterest.

I have not included all of my general taglist, because I do not know who is 18+ or who wants to be tagged in smut.

Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia sat leisurely around the twins’ shared living room, laughing and giggling over drinks. The past few weeks had been hell at the shop, so the boys felt they needed a much deserved night to just relax. Previously, Fred would have liked nothing more than to relieve his tension with Y/N, but unfortunately, that was no longer an option. 

“Have you heard about Y/N and Pucey?” Angelina prodded with a giggle, her eyes alit with mischief. 

Fred’s jaw immediately clenched at the sound of her name, his grip on his glass tightening. He most certainly hadn’t heard about her in a few weeks, and he hadn’t expected to have such a visceral reaction at the mere mention of her name. Regaining his composure, he forced himself to relax a bit and quirk a brow, feigning both confusion and interest.

“No? They shagging?” George questioned, sitting forward in his seat.

“Apparently, but I guess it’s becoming a bit more serious than just that.” Angelina shrugged, turning her gaze to Alicia beside her for confirmation. When the second girl nodded, Fred downed another gulp of his drink.

That can’t be right, he thought. It hadn’t even been a month since the last time they had been together, Y/N pinned beneath him as breathy moans escaped her lips. In the dim light of his bedroom, she had whispered to him that her pussy was his, that she was his, and now, apparently, she was with someone else. Some part of him knew that he had no right to be upset, because truthfully, it was his choice to end their little arrangement. But she had left him no choice after breaking their number one rule.

Y/N and Fred had ventured past friendly acquaintanceship about a year before, after a few too many firewhiskys at an infamous Weasley twins’ party. The morning after, they had tiptoed around each other, clearly uncomfortable by the change in dynamic. But it didn’t take long for it to happen again, and again, and again. Before either of them had really realized it, they had become much more than friends but much less than really together, and Fred wanted to keep it that way. He wanted them to remain in that middle ground.

As far as he knew, Y/N was more than fine with where they stood with each other. Until one day, she wasn’t. He remembered clearly how she had bit her lip and gazed at him, only moments after finishing him off with her mouth. He had looked at her curiously, wondering where her usual, joking, post-coital self had gone. 

“Have you ever thought of me as more than, you know, just an easy fuck?”

Her words had shocked him, because they certainly weren’t the turn of phrase he would have used. He didn’t think of her as ‘an easy fuck,’ he thought of her as a friend. Someone he cared deeply for. But as he gazed into her desperate eyes, he was struck with the realization that he didn’t care for her the way she hoped. He had swallowed deeply, preparing his words in his mind, before shattering her heart.

Now, he wasn’t sure why he cared. Sure, he had thought about her a lot in the weeks they’d been apart, but he was always so sure that he had made the right choice. Relationships were messy, and he was young, so he had no intention to be tied down so soon. Still, the thought of her with Adrian Pucey made his blood boil, and he wished desperately that he could put an explanation to the feeling.

“Fred?” 

The sound of his name tore him from his thoughts of Y/N, and he quickly plastered on his signature goofy grin before sitting forward and re-immersing himself in the conversation. Still, in the back of his mind, images of Y/N and Adrian played on repeat, fueling a fire that he hadn’t realized was a lit within him.

-

A week later, Fred found himself at a party at Oliver Wood’s flat, celebrating a win for Puddlemere United. There was an array of different people there, ranging from his old Hogwarts team, to groupies, to people who had just showed up at the mention of a party. Fred had planned on getting drunk that night, but after seeing George and Lee sloppily grinding on a few witches in an intoxicated bliss, he decided maybe—for once—he would be the responsible one.

Fred had gone nearly an hour, just barely nursing a glass of firewhisky and chatting with old friends jovially, before his eyes landed on a familiar face entering the party. 

Fred was frozen at the eye contact they held, his first time seeing her in weeks. Y/N held the gaze for a moment, before turning to grip Adrian’s wrist behind her and drag him further into the party. If Fred thought he had a strong reaction to hearing about their relationship, it was nothing compared to actually seeing it. Fred slammed his drink down and walked away from the poor girl he had been chatting with without so much as an explanation.

“Let’s get out of here.” Fred clapped a hand down on George’s shoulder the moment he reached him, pulling his attention away from the girl dancing against him.

“Now?” George questioned incredulously, his brows raising. He gestured to the girl in his arms before returning a pleading look to his brother. “Come on, mate. This isn’t a great time.”

Fred knew he could convince his brother to leave if he explained, but his mouth felt entirely too dry. He couldn’t seem to formulate the words as to why he needed to get out of there. So, instead, he sighed and offered his brother a nod before retreating back to the outskirts of the people dancing.

Normally, Fred was the life of the party. By this point in the night, he’d usually be plastered and singing or dancing with no remorse. But seeing Y/N with a bloke like Pucey caused him to have an entire demeanor change, leaving him scowling leaned against the wall.

It didn’t take long for his eyes to find Y/N amongst those dancing, pressed closely to Pucey behind her. She was dancing provocatively, even turning in the man’s grasp every little bit to kiss him sloppily. At first, Fred had been almost certain that she was doing it on purpose. The way she was right in his line of vision, acting completely out of character in her open demeanor, it all felt like too much for him to handle. 

Then, she made eye contact with him, and held it, and he just knew. She was doing it on purpose. All of her actions had been a way to get him worked up, to see if he would get jealous, and dammit it was working. Fred chewed on the inside of his cheek, holding her gaze as she grinded her bum against Pucey. She held his gaze as she slowly craned her neck and pulled Adrian into a searing kiss, her eyes back on Fred the moment the two pulled apart.

That was the final straw for Fred. He wasn’t going to stand idly by while she taunted him so openly, showing him everything he was missing. So, he pushed through the crowd of people and found his way to the two of them, ignoring the small smirk that had risen on her face. 

“Y/N,” He breathed out, just loud enough for her to hear over the music. Suddenly, he was entirely unsure of his next move, but he desperately wanted to regain control over the situation. So, he said the first thing that came to mind. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“Oi, what the hell, Weasley?” Adrian paused his dancing, although his hands remained gripped on Y/N’s waist. “Can’t you see we’re a little busy here?”

Fred completely ignored the man at first, his eyes never leaving Y/N. He could see by the look on her face that he had played exactly into what she wanted, but with the jealousy coursing through him, he couldn’t find it in himself to care. She smirked slightly at Fred before craning her neck to look back at Adrian, almost as if she were challenging him to fight for her further. 

“I can see,” Fred seethed, finally looking up at Adrian. “I can see a poor girl not having a very good time. So, I’m offering her a better option. Why don’t you let her decide?”

Adrian scoffed, taking a small step back from Y/N but keeping one hand on her hip. He looked down at her, waiting expectantly for her to deny any desire to go off with Fred. When she simply glanced between the two of them, Adrian’s brows furrowed and a look of offense overtook his features.

“Come on, Y/N.” He pleaded. “Tell him.”

Y/N bit down on her lip, the action only infuriating Adrian further. He looked at her incredulously before scoffing and turning his head away.

“Should’ve known a desperate little slut like you couldn’t be loyal.”

In an instant, Fred pushed Y/N out of the way and landed a hard blow to Adrian’s jaw. Y/N was dazed, everything seeming to move in slow motion as all eyes turned on them. Adrian had faltered only for a moment, cupping his jaw in his hand before straightening up and lunging towards Fred.

Luckily, George and Lee were there after a moment, tearing Adrian away and threatening to pummel him as they marched him towards the door. Y/N knew Fred wouldn’t need their help in a fight, but she was still grateful that a full out brawl hadn’t occurred because of her. Y/N rushed to Fred, cradling his fist in her hand and glancing up at his eyes.

“Are you okay?” Her voice was soft, but the music had stopped, so he could hear her.

“‘m fine.” He answered curtly, glancing between the way she held his hand and her eyes. “So, can we get out of here?”

Y/N’s lips formed into a tight line, so as to conceal the smirk that desperately wanted to break through. She offered him a quick nod, and in an instant he was dragging her out the door and apparating her back to his flat.

The moment that they were in Fred’s room and the door shut, his lips were on hers. Her back was pressed up against his door, desperate little moans leaving her mouth as she reveled in the feeling of having him against her once more. Fred took the opportunity to push his tongue into her mouth when her lips parted, taking full control of the situation.

Y/N was more than content to let him take over, having missed him in their time apart more than she would ever like to admit. Of course, the feelings she still held for him lingered strongly, but she tried not to think about that as Fred pressed himself further against her. Adrian had been nothing more than a distraction, a feeble hope that she had held onto as a way to get over the tall red head, but it clearly hadn’t worked. She felt a bit bad, because she knew Adrian cared about her far more deeply than she did him, but she also knew she had made it clear she didn’t want a relationship. The irony was sickening.

“That was quite a show you were putting on tonight.” Fred pulled away from her breathlessly, his eyes tracking up and down her body.

“Yeah?” Y/N cocked her head to the side, feigning innocence. “I don’t know what you mean, I was just having a bit of fun.”

A low growl crawled out of his throat as he pressed his lips to hers once more, using more force than previously. Y/N squeaked at the intensity, but quickly melted into him. His hands trailed up and down her sides as she rested her own around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer.

Fred’s hands finally made their way to the hem of her shirt, his fingers ghosting over the skin of her stomach and sending a shockwave throughout her. Slowly, he trailed his fingers up, raising her shirt up in his wake. Y/N was quick to oblige, breaking away from him to allow him to tear the garment off completely. 

For a moment, Fred’s eyes trailed over her slightly revealed form, drinking in the way she looked half-naked. He hadn’t realized how much he missed seeing her like this, and he found that his breath hitched at even the littlest bit of exposure.

As his eyes met her pleading ones, he quickly recovered. Their passion resumed in an instant as he pressed his lips to hers once more, spinning her away from the door and walking her backwards towards his bed. Y/N allowed him to lightly push her back onto it, her heart fluttering at the sudden gentleness of his actions. She’d always loved the dominance he held over her, but something about what was happening between them now felt different. But, as he draped his body over her own, all of her hopes of actual romance melted away and her mind was entirely clouded with just the appeal of him.

Y/N arched herself against Fred, giving him the space to unclasp her bra. He slid the straps down her arms slowly, trailing open-mouthed kisses down her jaw and neck, until he finally met the tops of her breasts. He cast her bra aside, shooting her one last look before taking a pebbled nipple into his mouth. Y/N moaned at the contact, her fingers immediately threading themselves through his flaming hair. As his teeth gently grazed her nipple she gave his hair a tug, causing him to moan against her.

Fred continued his trail downward, planting kisses down her torso until he made it to the band of her leggings. Y/N lifted her hips and Fred held eye contact with her as he slowly pulled them down her legs. Y/N realized that he seemed to be drawing all of this out, pushing her to the point of pure desperation to make her pay for teasing him all night. Still, she bit her tongue and held back any thoughts of pleading with him, she couldn’t give in that easy.

When she was left in nothing but her panties, Fred sat back on his knees and leisurely unbuttoned his shirt. Y/N watched him intently, her frustration increasing significantly, until she could no longer contain it. She let out a desperate whine, pleading with the man with her eyes alone.

“Something wrong, love?” Fred cocked his head to the side and smirked.

“Freddie,” Y/N whined, the nickname feeling foreign yet fitting on her tongue.

Fred discarded his shirt before circling his hand around on of her ankles and hitching it up on his shoulder. He placed a soft kiss to the inside of her ankle before slowly trailing kisses back up her leg towards her thigh. Y/N shuttered as his lips ghosted over her clothed pussy, her eyes squeezing shut.

“Please.”

Fred looped one finger under the hem of her lace panties, but made no effort to pull them down. When a low chuckle escaped his lips, Y/N knew she was in trouble. Her eyes flew open once more, immediately meeting his darkened, lust-filled ones.

“Did you really think I’d give in that easy?” Fred mocked, punctuating his question by snapping the band of her underwear. “You tease me all night, putting on a show for me, acting like a desperate little slut.” He paused to wet his lips, drinking in the soft moan that escaped from her lips. “That is what you are, isn’t it?”

“Only for you, Freddie.” 

“Really?” Fred scoffed, sitting back up to begin fiddling with his belt. Y/N raised herself up on her forearms, desperation and arousal pooling in her core. “Because it didn’t seem that way tonight.” Fred’s tongue darted out of his mouth, swiping over his bottom lip as he gazed at her hungrily. “Think maybe I might need to remind you whose slut you are. What do you think?”

She whimpered, but managed a feeble nod. In their previous times together, her and Fred were nothing if not adventurous in the bedroom. Still, as he waved his wand and bound her wrists to his headboard, she couldn’t help but gasp and lightly fight against the restraints. Fred held a devilish smirk at her plight as he stood from the bed and sat his wand back down.

Fred crawled back over her, his intense dominance faltering for just a moment as he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“Still remember the safe word, yeah?”

“Yes, Freddie.” She managed to speak, although it was difficult. Fred leaned back and searched her eyes for a moment before leaning in and placing a soft kiss to her lips. After that, any sense of gentleness faded.

Fred’s lips sucked and bit at her neck hungrily, one of his large hands trailing down to rub her through her panties while the other massaged her breast. Y/N’s thighs clamped around his hand, which quickly earned her a light swat to her hip.

“Stay still, or I’ll have no problem tying your legs up too.” Fred growled against her neck.

Y/N quickly obliged, spreading her legs further open. While previously she may have been more inclined to push Fred a bit, her mind was too clouded with lust to do anything but obey him. After weeks of mediocre sex with Adrian, she was ready to completely give herself over to Fred, and let him have her in anyway he wanted.

Fred’s hand pushed the fabric of her panties aside, allowing one finger to drag through her wet folds. She was already soaking wet for him, despite the fact he’d hardly touched her. Without a warning, he plunged one finger into her, lightly moaning at the way she constricted around him. Y/N’s back arched ever so slightly against him, tugging futilely against her bound wrists. He set a steady pace, thrusting his finger in and out of her before adding another and scissoring the two. He changed pace after a moment, beginning to curl his fingers up into her as his thumb rubbed circles against her waiting clit. The pressure in her core grew quickly from that, and she couldn’t help the way she loudly moaned out.

“Right there, yes, oh god…”

Fred was now smirking as he pulled away from her neck, significantly satisfied with the many markings he’d left as well as how quickly he could bring her to this point. He knew her body like the back of his hand, he knew her signs for when she was close, and it made it so much easier to enact his plan.

Just as Y/N was teetering on the edge, desperate whines and random babbles leaving her lips, Fred pulled his hand away. She let out a frustrated and confused groan, her eyes flying open as she felt the build up slowly slip away. Fred just grinned at her, before getting off the bed and ridding himself of his trousers and boxers. He lazily stroked himself as he took her in, chest heaving and covered in a light sheen of sweat, completely at his mercy. She had stopped her attempts at fighting her restraints, looking at him like she were almost defeated. In her mind, she’d begun to fear the very real possibility that Fred wouldn’t let her cum at all.

“You seem frustrated.” Fred cooed mockingly, coming to lean back over her and gently brush her cheek. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Fred.” Y/N spoke firmly, though her eyes portrayed her fears. “You’ve got to let me finish.”

“Hm.” Fred seemed to ponder that, leaning back to slowly pull her panties down her legs. “I don’t think I have to do anything. In fact, I could just leave you here all tied up and needy.”

“Please,” Y/N whined, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. “I’m sorry, okay? Is that what you want to hear?”

“It’s a start.” Fred tutted, finally discarding her panties aside. He leaned down near her ear once more, his warm breath sending a chill down her spine. “What I’d really like, though, is to hear how much you need me. Wanna hear you say it.”

“Please, Freddie, I need your cock so bad. Need you to ruin me.” Y/N cried out, losing all sense of dignity as her sex-addled brain took over. Fred had intended to tease her much longer, but her desperate pleas were going straight to his cock, and he couldn’t hold out any longer.

“That’s all you had to say, love.”

Fred hitched her leg around his hip, gripping his cock in his free hand. He teased the head through her wet folds, shivering at the moan she let out from just the smallest contact. Then, he pushed his hips forward, not stopping until he was completely buried in her. Their low moans mixed together in the quiet of the room, Fred being careful not to move until he was sure she had adjusted to his size.

“Fuck, I forgot how fucking good you feel.” He groaned, burying his face in her neck.

“Move… Please.”

He needed no further encouragement. Fred pulled out about halfway before snapping his hips back forward, setting a brutal but steady pace. Y/N’s loud moans and Fred’s grunts mixed together, accompanied only by the sound of their skin on skin contact. Y/N could feel her orgasm building again as his dick hit her g-spot with every thrust, and she was almost embarrassed by how quickly he could bring her to this point. 

“‘m so close, Freddie.” Y/N breathed out, knowing it would only infuriate him further if she came without his permission.

“Already?” Fred scoffed, although he knew he wasn’t far behind. 

Still, he wasn’t ready for things to end so soon, so he pulled out completely, ignoring the desperate whine that left her throat. He pulled both of her legs together and pushed her knees up against her chest, holding her ankles together with one hand before thrusting back into her desperate cunt. The new position allowed him to hit deeper within her as he thrust downward, causing Y/N to scream out. The pain was delicious, it was everything she had longed for in their time apart.

“You really think you deserve to cum?” Fred grunted, landing a particularly hard thrust into her. “After everything you pulled tonight?”

“Please.” Y/N whined. She was so close, she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it if he stole another orgasm from her.

“Answer the question, slut.” Fred demanded, his pace quickening ever so slightly. “That’s what you are, isn’t it? A desperate little cum slut.”

“Yes.” Y/N cried out. “But only for you, Freddie. Just a slut for you.”

“That’s right.” Fred’s rhythm had begun to falter, approaching his own orgasm quickly. Still, he was unsure if he’d let her finish or not. “You’re my little slut. Only I get to call you that, right?”

“Yes, Freddie.” Y/N whined, beginning to tug again on her restraints. She wanted nothing more than to scrape her nails down his back, but being completely at his mercy turned her on endlessly.

“Good.” Fred was close, so fucking close, but he had made his decision. So he had to hold off. “Cum for me, then. You’ve earned it.”

That was all the encouragement she needed, and as Fred hit one more thrust into her g-spot she was tumbling over the edge. Electricity seemed to shoot all throughout her body as she loudly moaned out his name. Her legs were shaking and she was certain she’d be sore tomorrow, but she had little time to care about that as he continued to pound into her.

Y/N knew Fred well, just as well as he knew her, so she knew he was close. Her mind felt almost entirely blank and she wasn’t sure she had much energy for anything, but she wanted to bring him to his release badly. So, she clenched around him, a moan leaving her lips when he stuttered and groaned. His thrusts were faltering significantly, and after a few moments he was crying out her name as he finished in her. 

Fred pulled out and dropped her legs before crashing down next to her. He knew that he needed to untie her, but they also both just needed a moment to breathe. All that could be heard was the sounds of their mixed pants as they both came down from their highs. Once he was significantly more relaxed, he gripped his wand and swished it lazily, effectively removing the restraints she was held in.

Y/N hands dropped down and she quickly went to rub at her wrists, but Fred was quick to bat her hands away and do it himself. He examined both wrist closely, seeming to want to ensure that they were okay.

“They weren’t too tight, were they?” Fred implored after a moment. His genuine concern made her heart flutter, and she couldn’t help herself as she leaned in and placed a soft kiss to his lips.

“No, they were perfect—all of it was perfect.” She sighed as she pulled away from him. Her general cognition was beginning to return, and with it her fears of all of the pain she had gone through in the past etched their way through.

Sure, Fred had clearly gotten jealous at the party. Then, he had gotten possessive and claimed her in the bedroom. But that didn’t necessarily mean that he harbored the same feelings for her that she had for him. The fear nearly paralyzed her, and she wasn’t sure if she should quickly redress and flee the room or implore what this all meant. Luckily, he answered her internal questioning before she even had to ask.

“I don’t want to see you out with Pucey.” Fred sighed, his eyes not meeting hers. “Which is a total prat thing to say, but it’s true. I don’t want to see you out with any bloke, really.”

“Fred…” Y/N spoke tentatively, her eyes begging him to speak further.

“I want you, Y/N. Like, really.” Fred finally met her gaze. “Not just in my bed.”

“What, do you want me on the couch too?” Y/N tried to joke, hoping it would cover up her nervous tone. But it didn’t. So, her voice became soft. “Don’t get my hopes up, Freddie.”

“I’m being serious.” He shook his head. “I want to take you out on fancy dates, or watch movies with you on my couch. Bloody hell, I want to bring you to my parent’s house for Sunday dinners. I don’t know, I’m not good at this. Whatever it is that couples do.”

“Fred Weasley,” A small smile had begun to grow on Y/N’s face. “Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”

“Yes.” Fred answered earnestly. “That is, only if you’re going to say yes. Otherwise, this was all just a joke—”

Y/N shut him up by pressing her lips to his, her mouth still curled upwards in a smile. It was impossible to hide the genuine happiness that his words brought her.

“Yes.” She answered softly as she pulled away.

A similar smile began to grow on Fred’s face as he completely registered her words, and he couldn’t help but dive back in for another kiss. Y/N was his, completely. Something he’d probably wanted for so long, but had simply been too daft to realize it. Now, as he held her in his arms, he promised himself he’d never make such a mistake again.

Tagging a few 18+ mutuals from my usual taglist: @wand3ringr0s3 @gcdric @theweasleysredhair 

[tommyspeakycap]

Can we get baby little Shelby find a bunny and ask Tommy and John to take it home. And get scolded by Polly when they at home? 💕💕

more pre war Tommy fluff ;) 

Bunny

“Tommy!”

The dark haired man’s heart flies into his throat, his mind immediately kicking into gear as he drops the coin he was about to flip. He was deciding whether or not to buy a horse with a new inflow of cash they had recently gotten. That horse is lost the second he hears the shriek that came from somewhere behind him. The heavy boots on his feet make easy work of crushing through powdery snow, but give a very little to prevent him from tripping and slipping; although the fear coursing through him and his extreme haste may well have contributed to his somewhat uncoordinated limbs.

In the maybe a minute that it takes form Tommy to get from where he was to where he had traced his little sister to, a million and one thoughts race through his mind. He fears every worst case scenario his mind can conjure up and immediately blames himself for bringing you out to the country to play in some fresh snow with John and Finn. The air was much clearer out here and so too was Tommy’s mind. He could think, be free of the city smoke and the harsh environment that appears to be tacked to his work in the family business. There was so much pressure on the raven haired bookmaker to uphold his own personal morals while also living a notoriously immoral life. He tried to keep his hands clean, prevent himself from muddying the line between pointless violence and the necessary survival and protection of his family.

So going with his 5 year old little sister out to the county was something not uncommon for him. And the snow had only given him more reason to. He regretted that now.

“What-” Tommy wheezed out, unable to speak for lack of his breath after attempting to run through the deep, deep snow. “What’s happened,” he coughs, “Are you alri-“

“Tommy!” The little girl whispers harshly, waving her hands at him disapprovingly, “Shhhhh, you’ll scare it away!” Tommy snaps his mouth shut, instead opting to take the five year olds outstretched hand and crouch down as she instructs him. On her other side is John; crouched down with one arm around Finn to keep him still. “What are we looking at?” Tommy asks quietly, his neck craned to try and spot whatever his other siblings had noticed. 

“It’s a bunny, Tom. Look.” (y/n) points with her little hand and Tommy follows the general direction in which her hand is showing him. In doing so, he squints and finds his gaze falling upon a small white rabbit sitting picking a blade of grass that it had pulled through the snow. “They want to take it home.” John states, grinning at Tommy something like a Cheshire Cat because he knows for a fact that man isn't able to say no to the puppy dogs eyes of (y/n) and Finn Shelby when they truly wanted something.

“Hm, I don't think so.” He mumbles, trying to keep his eyes off of the disappointed face of his younger siblings. “You know Aunt Polly’ll go mad.” The second he does turn his head to see his youngest siblings gazing up at him in the desperate way he knows always works, he regrets it. “Please Tommy, pleeeease?” (y/n) begs, clasping her cold little hands together and pulling her most convincing puppy eyes Tommy might've ever seen. “Yeah Tommy, please? Pretty pretty please?” Finn joins in, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement and anticipation at the idea of having the little bunny as a pet. 

“Yeah Tom,” John sniggers, stubbing out his cigarette on the snowy ground. The elder brother puts on a pout to mimic (y/n) and Finn, not serving to make things any easier for Tommy as the youngest two weren't able to pick up on John’s teasing nature and sarcastic reiteration of their words. They took it as encouragement while Tommy knew John would be going home to Martha and his own kids, thus wouldn't have to be on the reviewing end of Polly’s temper. Tommy rolls his eyes and inhales deeply, thinking briefly about how angry Polly would be compared to how much it would make you and Finn giggle to have a pet even if only for a while before Tommy would free it back into the wild and tell some lie about a magic bunny farm. The kids chanting brought his mind back. “Please, please, please!” 

“Alright,” Tommy cuts them off, “Alright. But we’re not chasing it around all afternoon.”

--

How on earth Tommy ended up holding his little sister as he stood in the doorway of the Shelby family home kicking the snow off his boots while said little sister had his big trench coat wrapped around her and her smaller jacket used as a blanket for their new bunny rabbit friend, he will never know. He genuinely felt like if he had been outside for one more minute he would have actually frozen stiff, however it was always his top priority that his littlest sibling was as safe as she could be; so it was suffice to say the idea of her getting frostbite and slash or hypothermia after she insisted on wrapping the little rabbit in her own coat was less than appealing to Tommy, so she could keep his warm winter jacket as long as she desired.

“Right Finn, straight into the living room and not a peep to Pol alright?” Finn nods vigorously in a show of his determination to follow his brothers order as he places the wrapped up bunny into the young boys arms. Finn tries to run as unsuspiciously as he can past Polly in the kitchen to go through to the living room where only Ada sat, reading a book by the fire underneath a blanket. 

“Tommy?” The little girls voice draws an “Mhm?” from him as he battles to get her stiff winter boots off of her tiny cold feet. “What're we going to name him?” She enquires, her voice as inquisitive as any other curious 5 year old is. Tommy hums in thought, tapping (y/n)’s other foot in the way that he does that tells her to put her foot down and lift the other one for Tommy to pull that boot off too. There was a distinct routine between the two that had been established in the last five years of her life with Tommy acting as her primary caregiver.

“I don't know, love. Whatever you want to call him. Just remember to stay quiet about it yeah?” He looks up to see his little sister nodding firmly, placing her finger over her lips just as Tommy had done so many times when secrecy or silence was needed. 

“Alrighty then.” Tommy says, lifting both the pairs of boots easily in one hand and putting them by the other shoes. He moves his hands to under the small girls armpits and hoists her gently back up onto his hip as to avoid her stepping small puddles of water that had collected from the snow on her boots and his by the door. “Shall we go see what your brothers gotten up to with that-” 

“Jesus fucking Christ Tommy.” 

Both siblings turn their heads quickly to face Polly when they hear her speaking with her stern scolding tone turned on. Polly immediately notes how Tommy looks slightly secretive, like he was ready to start either lying or making some form excuse for something for which her niece looked rather guilty. Deer in the headlights kind of expression. “Look, Pol...” Tommy begins, but is interrupted by his aunt firmly shaking her head and marching towards him. 

“I’ve told you a million times Thomas. She’s five. That means you do still need to put her bloody hat on when you take her out in the cold but you don’t need to fucking carry her everywhere.” She huffs, pressing both her palms against (y/n)’s cold rosy cheeks, “Shes bloody freezing.” Her scolding tone never fails to make Tommy feels as though he’s still a young boy who’s been caught misbehaving by his aunt. However now he’s an adult with responsibility for his little sister and somehow, he ends up on the receiving end of that tone far more than the littlest member of the family ever will. Polly peels Tommy’s coat away off the little girl in his arms so she could hang it up to hopefully dry some before he next needs it and (y/n) doesn't mind not wearing her brothers jacket anymore, however the words that Polly speaks about putting her back down only serves to make her cling a little tighter subconsciously. 

“She's only little, Pol.” Tommy defends, “And we had long day, haven’t we sweetheart?” Polly wants to scoff when (y/n) nods her head and offers up that angel smile that wins the hearts of her entire family, but the woman can’t help but smile back and shake her head. “Well,” she huffs slightly, her hand reaching back up to the little girl to to brush the snow off (y/n)’s hair, “I think the very least your brother could do if he was going to have you out in the freezing cold all day would be to put a bloody hat on you.” 

The little girl giggles, flicking her eyes to Tommy to inspect his reaction to their aunts words. 

“Remembered.” He notes flippantly with a grin and Polly knows fully well that it was not remembered because putting a hat on top of that little girls soft locks of hair was something he had never once remembered to do without a reminder since she was merely a little bald baby. 

“Course.” She responds teasingly, “Dinner’s out soon.”

Tommy nods his head before Polly walks away in the direction of the kitchen again, where Tommy had no doubt Arthur is now lingering to pick off the scraps of dinner before its put out on the table for everyone else. 

“That was a close one, Tom.” The little girl on his hip whispers quietly, her wide eyes causing Tommy to chuckle heartily as he takes them both through to the living room to see what Finn and now likely Ada were doing with this rabbit. “Yes,” Tommy agrees, walking into the living room “It very much was. Hello Ada.” Ada immediately rolls her eyes at the sound of Tommy’s voice. 

“Pol’s going to kill you, you know.” She states, standing and crossing her arms firmly over her chest as Tommy sets his youngest sister down on the floor to run over to where Finn sat with the bunny close to the heat the fire was giving off. “Probably.” Tommy nods.

Ada turns away to wrap her blanket around her only sister, the one she had wished and prayed for since she had been merely a little girl herself. Tommy vividly remembers the many occasions when Ada was not only his youngest sibling, but also his only sister and recalls how unhappy she had been about those facts. Finn being born eased only one of those issues, but Ada rested a while for the time that Finn was a baby before again pestering their mother about wanting a little sister again. 

She had been ecstatic when (y/n) was born, and she had been besotted with that sweet little girl ever since. 

“You always forget to put her hat on, Thomas.” Ada chastises, the reprimand drawing a chuckle from her brother who takes a seat down on the couch and crosses one leg on top of the other. “So I’ve heard.” Tommy mumbles under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear and stretch out her leg to kick his when she too sat back down on the couch.

“Twat.” She hisses. 

It was Tommy’s turn to role his eyes at his sisters flippant comment, paying no mind to her words thrown in a light tease that he knew she only ever half meant.

“That’s not very nice, Ada.” 

(y/n) doesn't do so much as turn around when she chides those words in dismay to Ada’s insult aimed at her Tom. There was no hiding how the little girl adored Tommy. “Exactly Ada,” Tommy grins widely, giving Ada the biggest shit eating look he can muster as he tried not to laugh, “And that’s why you're my favourite, aren't you my love?” The 5 year old simply nods her head in response to her brothers words before turning straight back to play with her new pet. 

“Well, she might be your favourite but you certainly won’t be Polly’s once she sees you’ve brought that home. She’ll go mad.” Ada nods her head in the direction of the fluffy white animal in their living room. Tommy shrugs his shoulders indifferently, “They're happy though, aren't they? and quiet. Worth it really.” 

Ada knew very well that Tommy was right, although it was likely that she wouldn't even think to much on that in his vicinity, just incase he even got the sensation that she was thinking he was in the right. They’ve got a big family and a lot of hard work had to go into making business run smoothly to provide for everyone. The younger kids can sometimes go amiss to the elder siblings on particularly busy days. Sometimes playing and talking to them gets overlooked or their clothes go on back to front because everyone forgot they sometimes still needed help with things like that. 

So giving them the simple pleasure of almost a normal childhood - not one living with the Shelby name and subsequently the future of the Peaky Blinders tacked to them - by letting them a pet that they can look after and love on for a few days at least was something Tommy was willing to grin and bare the wrath of Polly Gray for. 

He was a sucker for that little girl, so when she’s happy there are few things in the world Thomas Shelby wouldn't endure to keep it that way. 

[hillnerd]

WAKING UP- CHAPTER 5

Rating M      A03   ff.net   [ Previous Chapter]  [start at the beginning] 

For thanks yous, chapter warnings and ‘what happened last chapter’ scroll to the end of this chapter :)

=======================================================

CHAPTER 5 - QUEEN OF CLUBS

Ginny didn’t have a very large room, and it felt even smaller as Hermione tried to ready herself to go to a club, of all places. She wasn’t the club ‘type.’ She couldn’t say for sure, as she’d never been to one, but what little familiarity she had made it sound awful. Loud noises, skimpily dressed, dancing as if she hadn’t a care in the world seemed… exhausting. And pointless. And dangerous! Fleur, Angelina and Ginny were trying on a myriad of dresses and asking for the group's approval. While the wireless played raucous tunes and the other girls giggled, Hermione spent her time packing and repacking her beaded bag. 

The extension charm was still firmly in place. She hadn’t figured out a way to keep things more organized within it, though, so the canned goods she’d placed there kept falling over. She wasn’t going to forget food again, that she knew. She hadn’t located a new tent yet, but she needed to prioritize that soon. She had just finished repacking some of her clothes when she heard Ginny ask, “What are you doing?”

Hermione snapped the bag shut, not knowing how to explain her preparations in any way that made her seem of sound mind. 

“Just wasn’t sure what to wear…”  It wasn’t a complete lie. She wasn’t sure what fit her anymore. 

“Well, you can never go wrong with a little black dress,” said Ginny pointing to a thin-strapped sundress Hermione hadn’t had reason to wear in well over a year. 

She nodded and went to a corner, turning her front away from them as she changed into the dress. As she wiggled her jeans out from under the dress she noticed the other girls showed no similar discretion, happily throwing dresses off in the middle of the room. 

Hermione gave a speculative look in the mirror, tugging a bit at the neckline of her sundress. It fit differently than before, bagging around her waist and chest in an unflattering way, and the straps would not stay in place. 

“I can do alterations to dresses if anyone needs them,” said Fleur, grabbing a book from within her bag, discreetly catching Hermione’s eye. Arachne Salavarrieta’s Little Book of Sewing had a few good spells for altering clothing on the fly. All four of them looked over the text for just the right spells to take in, let out, and shorten dresses. 

Ginny, still underage and unable to do magic, begged them “you’ve got to shorten my skirt once we’re there!”

“Why not have us do it now?” Angelina asked, propping up a magically enlarged hand mirror on the roll top desk.

“I have four older brothers downstairs,” Ginny said with a sour look.

“Why should that matter?”

“One of those gits will take the piss in front of Mum if I look remotely sexy. That is, if Mum doesn’t already notice all on her own. I don’t know! Either way, just help me with the hem at the club, please? I don’t want to be the only one there looking frumpy!”

“From-py?” Fleur asked.

“Unfashionable, old-fashioned, overly modest and drab,” Hermione provided, fairly certain the term had been liberally applied to herself over the years.

“You look far from from-py, but we will help with the skirt,” Fleur assured Ginny. 

“And if any brother gives you shit at the club, we’ll hex them for good measure too,” Angelina added, bringing out a pair of curling tongs and prompting Ginny to sit in front of her.

Hermione pulled at her dress some more, not sure how much to alter it, and not sure if she wanted to bother. A pernicious guilt gnawed at her as she pulled the dress taut to her body. She should be doing something that mattered, not fretting over a dress. She should be in Australia. She hadn’t earned a rest, let alone a ‘fun time out.’ She’d taken no steps forward. She’d not found her parents’  location, she’d not earned money, she’d not even checked to see if her old childhood home was still standing.

“Hermione, is everything alright?” Fleur quietly asked, coming to stand beside her at the long mirror.

Hermione forced a smile onto her face.

“Oh you know me… I’m never sure what to do with fashion and all that. I’m more at ease in a library.”

Fleur gave her a searching look she’d seen before at Shell Cottage. It was a look that sought truth behind idle chit chat. It brought a sisterly sort of comfort that Hermione had not thought Fleur capable of a year ago. She had found the French woman to be condescending and too effortlessly beautiful to warrant any attempt at friendship. The war had given her an appreciation for Fleur, though. They were something akin to friends now.

“I just…” Hermione said in a low voice only Fleur could hear as the wireless yowled another rock anthem. “This feels so silly when there’s so much to do.”

“We’ve earned a bit of silly, do you not think so?”

“You all might have…”

“Hermione,” she said, putting a tentative hand around her shoulder. “You ‘ave done more than most anyone.”

“Since The Battle I’ve done nothing! Everyone is helping rebuild and all I’ve done is sleep! And my parents are still in Australia, and I’ve…I’ve done nothing to get them back.”

“Ron told us of your parents and the memories… Will you be needing any help?”

“No,” Hermione quickly insisted. “No. I just need to make a plan and get them back here. Once I have a plan then it will all be alright.”

“You are meaning to bring them back here in England… To the home you lived in before?” 

Hermione nodded, and saw a look of concern wrinkle Fleur’s otherwise flawless brow. 

“Hermione… Have you been to your home since the war ended?”

Hermione shook her head. “I’m planning on checking on it soon.”

“This is why I asked. You can not do that alone. Many Muggleborn homes were cursed after the war. Some are no longer standing,” said Fleur, her voice ringing with intensity despite the lyric tone.

Hermione was aware that many a Muggleborn home had been razed to the ground, but refused to believe the same could have happened to her childhood home. 

“Even the Burrow needed much curse breaking,” she continued. “We do not know each other well, but I am happy to help you with this.”

“Oh you don’t have to!” Hermione said with a shake of her head.

“Oh poppyrot!” Fleur said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Hermione let out a long breath, her gratitude forcing her to not correct Fleur to the word ‘poppycock.’ “It is my pleasure!” 

“You two alright?” asked Ginny giving the two a sidelong look as Angelina continued to curl her hair.

“We are,” Fleur said, looking to Hermione who confirmed this with a head nod. “Just helping out with fashion. It is a ritual we women do. The girls gather and dress and help one another to look more beautiful, while the men do nothing.”

“Maybe they shower,” Angelina added with a laugh, “but probably not. They never put in half the effort we do!”

“You see? It is the way of it,” Fleur said, giving Hermione a small squeeze and a meaningful look. “I can help whenever you like.”

“Thank you, Fleur…” she said with equal import. When the other girls looked at her with curiosity she continued, “I don’t have any of my usual things like makeup or hair products.”

“I have a ton of stuff in my bag,” Angelina offered. 

“As do I. We girls help one another,” Fleur said, grabbing a comb and some bottles of French products Hermione didn’t recognize. She continued with the faintest whisper, “You can send a message or Patronus to me when you are ready to enter your old home.”

Words failing her, Hermione put a hand on Fleur’s and gave it a small squeeze. Fleur said nothing, but the warm smile she sent in the mirror reassured her that the French woman completely understood.

After an hour of sewing alterations, primping, squealing, and many changes of clothes by each of the ladies, they decided they were almost ready enough to leave. 

“Oh! Jewelry! I forgot about that,” Ginny moaned, looking through her small box of earrings. 

Angelina and Fleur were eager to help her, but Hermione wasn’t sure she could take another debate about fashion. She was grateful for the silly hour she’d gotten to spend with them, though. Despite her hair still being a bit wild and curly, Hermione had to admit she liked how she looked in the mirror. The black sundress fit her perfectly now. She almost looked like she had a figure again. Between the dress and the makeup, and a bit of product from Angelina to keep her hair from frizzing, she looked almost pretty. She felt a touch of excitement flurry in her stomach at the thought of looking nice in front of Ron. It almost made her forget how nervous she was to be out of the safety of the Burrow. She gripped her beaded bag close to her side.

“I’m going to wait with the boys, if that’s alright.”

The girls waved her off as they held different earrings beside Ginny’s face. 

As Hermione stepped into the hallways she immediately ran into a thin, though sturdy, body and let out a small exclamation of alarm. She quickly muffled her sound when she saw it was only Harry.

“Are you all ready to go then?” he asked, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Ginny behind the closing door.

“We’re almost all ready,” she said with a fond smile. “You know girls, it takes them forever.”

“You’re a girl too, according to Ron at least,” said Harry, giving her a wry grin. Harry was looking rather sharp in Muggle clothes that actually fit, and his hair was looking mysteriously untidy. 

“Did you do something to your hair?”

“What?” he asked, putting a hand to the back of his hair and patting at it. “It doesn’t look bad, does it?”

“No,” she laughed, seeing the panic in his eyes. “Just not as wild as usual.”

“Yeah, well it took like four spells and I think they’re already wearing off.”

She studied his hair and could see one by one little hairs slowly moving into disarray, almost like someone had rubbed an invisible balloon against it. 

“You’re trying to look extra nice for Ginny,” she teased.   He frowned, but a blush began to form around his jaw. “Yeah, well, we’ve never gotten to properly go someplace together, have we? You did the same for Ron, right?”

He had her there. 

“Speaking of, where is he?”

“Downstairs, I think,” he said, hand going to his hair again. “Is it looking bad again?”

“It’s looking more like it usually does, if that’s what you mean.” His face scrunched in disapproval. “Really, it looks fine. Your hair fits you best when you do nothing to it. You look perfectly nice.”

“You too,” he said with a glance at her, before heading towards the bathroom. “Ok, I’m going to try to spell this one more time.”

She knew it was a lost cause, but didn’t have the heart to tell him as he eagerly tried to preen. 

As she reached the bottom steps of the stairs, she could hear the low rumble of men’s voices.

“They’re taking ages,” Charlie sighed. “I don’t see why it takes them so long.”

“Women wear more?” said George. 

“Harry’s hair has taken almost as long,” Lee said with a snort.

Hermione looked around the corner and saw the men all sprawled around the room, shoes up on tables and couch arms in a way they’d never dare if Mrs Weasley were in the room.

While everyone lightheartedly bantered with one another, in the corner sat Ron. His brow was creased as he silently played chess with Lee. He looked haggard, and for the eleventh time that evening, Hermione wished they weren’t going out. She’d much rather spend the evening wrapped in Ron’s arms, as she had that afternoon. 

Her nerves had frayed at the thought of sleeping beside him, worried he would catch her in a nightmare. Silencing spell in place, she had feigned grumpy tiredness when he asked her questions. There had been no need to worry, though. Cuddled up to him she fell asleep as surely as one did on sleeping draughts, and somehow her nightmares were kept entirely at bay. It was the best sleep she’d had in months. The only thing that could have improved it was waking up beside Ron. He’d been gone when she’d woken, with no one knowing where he was. He’d come back from the village looking worn out giving excuses of ‘getting supplies’ which didn’t hold up to real scrutiny, when she thought of the timeline he gave. Ron Weasley was up to something, she just didn’t know what.

As if her thoughts drew him to her, Ron’s eyes rose and met hers.

The furrow in his brow smoothed, his scowling expression softened, and a boyish smile of his tugged at the corner of his mouth. 

“Who’s winning?” she asked, approaching the chess board.

“Ron was, but I think my luck’s about to change,” said Lee, a few of the men joining him in laughter and elbowing Ron, seeing his rather besotted look. Usually he’d turn beet red and curse at them, but his face remained mostly impassive as he met her eyes and smiled. The only sign of his discomfort was his ears going a tiny bit flush.

“Check mate,” said Ron, moving his bishop across the board, and rising from his seat.

“No it’s not, is it?” Lee asked, looking at the board. “Damn!”

Ron gave the lot a two fingered salute and led her from the living room to the kitchen, where his mother was doing some tidying and listening to the radio.

“I wasn’t sure about the dress,” she mumbled. Ron’s eyes traveled down her and she suppressed the urge to readjust her neckline, though she wasn’t sure in what direction.

“Well you look amazing in it,” he said, looking her in the eye and making her stomach do a tsukahara flip. 

“Thank you,” she managed. A pleasurable rush of nerves ran up her spine. Despite looking very tired, he looked handsome. He was wearing an untucked dress shirt she’d not seen before, with the sleeves rolled up his arms in a way that made the nerves in her spine turn to jolts. Given the darker color scheme of it, she assumed it was a hand-me-down from Bill. She quickly realized all of him was looking rather polished, with the exception of his beat up boots. She wasn’t sure what to say to him. He was so sensitive about clothes, and the last thing she wanted was to cause additional stress on him, but she also knew he was a bit insecure and it might be nice to compliment his appearance.

“So how long until the rest of the girls are ready?” he asked. 

Well there went that opportunity.

“Soon, I think. They just had to pick out earrings for Ginny,” she said looking up into face. His eyes looked so weary. “Are you doing well?”

“Course,” he grunted, immediately turning from her. “Mum, do you need help with that?”

Mrs Weasley turned from the dishes and assured him she didn’t. Despite the assurance, he started putting dishes in the cabinets. He didn’t spare her another look, not when the rest of the girls came down the stairs some ten minutes later, and not when they gathered on the edge of the property.

“Before we go,” George announced, beginning to hand each of them a playing card, “here is a Muggle I.D. for each of you.”

“Why do we need an I.D?” Ginny asked, inspecting the playing card in the waning light of the sunset.

“Because they check to see if you’re old enough to drink at clubs and such and can’t just put up an age line,” answered Bill.

“Why didn’t you transfigure these already?” asked Hermione, looking at her playing card, the Queen of Clubs.

“I’d have to know what Muggle I.D.s look like to do that. This just has a spell to register as an I.D. to Muggles. Pretty clever, if I do say so,” George said, smiling to them all as he finished handing out the cards. “Getting the dates right was tricky. Just make sure you say your birthday was in 79 or earlier. The card will match up with whatever date you say.”

“Where are we apparating to, George?” asked Angelina.

“My hotel room’ll do,” he answered.

Hermione felt Ron unexpectedly stiffen beside her. 

“Everyone but Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Fleur knows where to go. So you all can pair up and side-along there. Here, Gin, come with me,” said George, waving Ginny over.

Ron made as if to grab Ginny back, but George had quickly disappeared with her. One by one they all disapparated, leaving her and a distracted Ron staring at the space George had just occupied.

Ron licked his dry lips and scrunched his brow in determination. “Right… Okay then, I guess we better go.”

“We don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” she said, gently putting her hand in his. “We could just stay in, you and me.”

His shoulders slumped. “Merlin, I wish I could take you up on that.”

“Why don’t you?” she said, giving his hand a squeeze. “I’ve been dreading going out.”

“You too?”  “I packed and repacked my bag, just in case,” she said, giving the beaded bag a small shake that made its contents give a crash. “Damn. That’s probably the books again. I really need to find a way to make things stay in place!” 

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” he said with a fond look on his face. “But we should go. It’ll be good to get out, plus with G— nevermind.”

“Plus what?”

“Look, I really want to tell you, but I’m just not up for it all right now.” Her face must have given away how frustrating she found that. “I will, I swear I will! Just not tonight. Let’s just— let’s just pretend we’re okay and go out and try to enjoy ourselves.”

It went against every instinct in her body to agree to wait to know something, but she nodded her acquiescence.   His large hand moved to her back and the tight feeling of being compressed overtook her as he Apparated them to George’s hotel room.

In moments they reached their destination and the feeling of her breath being stolen didn’t stop, for Ron’s fingers grazed her side as he took a pace back from her. 

When they arrived they received a good amount of teasing for taking their time to arrive, heavily implying the two had been snogging. Neither teen corrected them. As everyone made small talk, Ron was completely silent and looked about the room with seeming purpose. He had shown immense concern about George right before they left, had that intense conversation with him earlier, and she had to admit George smelt like a bar when he arrived and looked like he might have been sleeping on the floor of one. She had no idea what Ron was looking for, except perhaps empty bottles. The room was sparse, and only a tray of food, and a small bag in the corner showing any signs someone had been living there. 

No one seemed to notice his actions except George who fixed him with a glare when no one was looking. Ron looked far from sheepish, and instead stood tall and locked eyes with his brother.

“Let’s get going. It’s just a few streets over,” George announced to the room, looking away from Ron.

Nerves shook Hermione as they travelled down the grimy London street. It did not look much different from Tottenham Court Road. The last time she had been near this part of London they’d ducked into a grotty cafe and been cornered by a pair of Death Eaters.

At least then it had been a less obtrusive group, with only her, Ron and Harry. Now they were a large boisterous group with so many redheads they stood out like a flock of goldfinches. Most of them were loudly talking or laughing, and many a passerby smirked at the boisterous group. If someone wanted to target them, they’d be all too easy to spot. She gripped her beaded bag so harshly one of her nails chipped. 

Thankfully George was quite correct about the distance being short. In minutes they arrived at a large dark building with music dimly pulsing through its walls and a line to get in. 

A large barrel-chested man with the thickest neck Hermione had ever seen stood at the door. The eldest Weasleys along with Lee and Angelina were let through with barely a glance at their playing cards, but as soon as he spotted the younger members of the group the bouncer began to look like an agitated bulldog. 

He eyed Ron and Hermione’s cards closely, but gave a much more scrutinizing look towards Ginny and Harry as they handed their playing cards to him. He held a small flashlight to the Jack of Spades and Queen of Spades, and even ran a fingernail along the edge. 

“What’s your birthday?”

“1979!” Harry offered, before wincing at his volume. Ron let out a chuckle, while Ginny rolled her eyes. The man’s glare intensified. “Er… July 31st 1979, that is.”

“Hmm… And you?” growled the Bouncer, sourly looking to Ginny.

“Tonight’s my birthday, actually!” she said with a winning smile. Hermione nearly protested, but Ron gave a small shake of his head. 

“Ah, happy birthday!” said the man nodding at the card before handing it back to her, looking much less ornery. “Let Teresa know about it, and they’ll do ya something special.”

“Your birthday, huh?” Harry asked Ginny as soon as they were through the door.

“Much easier to have a good time and get some free drinks that way, isn’t it?” she said, giving a conspiratorial grin he shared.

“But it’s not your birthday!” Hermione protested, irritation prickling down her neck.

“I’m not eighteen either,” Ginny breezily pointed out. 

“Well you’re lucky the card was able to adapt to that when you hadn’t said an actual date,” Hermione persisted. She clutched her beaded bag closer to her chest. “We don’t want to stand out.”

“Why not? It’s a Muggle club. It should be fun.”

“Well, it might be a Muggle club, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely safe.”

“You worry too much,” she said in an infuriatingly calm and understanding voice.

“No! We have to make sure we stay low profile and don’t say anything wrong, because all it takes is one wrong word and then everything falls apart!”

Harry looked to the ground, his eyebrows knitting together. He had to be thinking of the Taboo and the Snatchers as well.

“It’s just a bit of fun, Hermione. We’ll be okay,” said Ginny with a smile, looking around to spot the rest of their group, taking Harry by the hand towards a corner table. “Ah there they are!”

Hermione had never felt more like shaking her friend. Didn’t she understand how dire things were? They’d met Death Eaters at a Muggle cafe in London last August, and Fenrir and those Snatchers in the woods. All it took was one small mistake and then hell would rain down on them; they could end up beaten or cursed or stabbed in the chest.   “Hermione…” she heard Ron’s voice quiet and low in her ear. “There isn’t a Taboo anymore…”

“You don’t know that!” she almost shouted at him, painfully gripping her beaded bag. 

One of his large hands gently started unwinding her fingers from the bag, before taking it from her and putting it in his jacket pocket. He started massaging her fingers. Under the pink and orange lights she could just make out the imprint the bag had left on her hands.

“I can feel the Taboo’s broken, and I bet you can too if you concentrate on it,” he said, continuing to work her hands until they became limp in his. “But if you want to leave and go back to the Burrow, we can right now.”

His quiet earnest words brought her eyes up to his. He saw right through her. He didn’t give her empty platitudes. He gave her a common sense answer to why things would be different, and an out if she was uncomfortable. She felt the overwhelming need to kiss him, and despite the crowd she decided to indulge herself. She stood on her tiptoes, and he took her lead leaning down to brush his lips against hers, hands still holding hers. How had they had so many years together without kissing? 

For years she’d had to sit near him, with careful scrutinization over every action and inch between them. Was sitting too close to her friend? Would her leg pressing to his be too much? Would he notice how her eyes were fixated on his mouth a good three minutes as he grinned and told her about the mad thing he’d seen earlier that day? Did his hand around her shoulder linger longer than a friend’s hand would? When he’d tiredly leaned his head into her, had it meant something to him?

Now she could kiss him whenever she liked, and melt into his strong form, and let her hands be caressed, and get the anticipation of more ring through her body, and know it might be fulfilled later. The only thing she struggled to hold back was blurting out how very much she loved everything about him.

“Alright?” he asked as their lips parted. 

She nodded, biting her bottom lip to keep herself from saying ‘I love you and actually yes I’d like to go home, but only because I want to snog you until both of us can barely breathe.’

“Ready to have ‘a bit of fun?’”

“I think I can manage,” she said with a smile. As long as he was by her side something akin to enjoyment of the evening could happen.

They went to a back table that didn’t nearly have enough seating for them all. This didn’t seem to matter as half of them strategically placed their jackets and purses so strangers would know it was occupied, while the others went to the bar to get drinks for everyone. Their table butted nearly up to the bar, and Ron perched on one of its stools. 

“Do you want something to drink?” Hermione asked, looking at a menu. 

He shook his head. “Someone needs to stay sober. Might as well be me.” He took the menu from her and eagerly pointed to it. “But I could do with these fried cheese things!”

She got in line, ready to order and pay when George stepped in. “Put your cash away. You’re not buying a thing, tonight! We’re here to celebrate you three, after all!”

Grateful not to have to spend the meager amount of cash she had, she put in her order for Ron’s food, and her wine. She’d never drunk much in her life, but she experienced the occasional wine with her parents.

She had worried the evening would be tedious, but seeing everyone looking giddy, toasting one another, and even dancing made her rethink the evening. 

Ron had kept a close eye on George, but his brother was looking at ease and jubilant surrounded by family and friends. Hermione enjoyed the warming tang of red wine as they chatted away and seemed more relaxed than they’d been in years. The wine soothed her nerves as well.

“Was your skirt that short when we left?” George asked Ginny after she did a twirl to the music that accidentally flashed a cheek of her knickers.

“Yes it was,” she coolly answered. “And even if it wasn’t, there’s nothing you’re going to do about it, is there?” 

Harry, already looking sloshed, looked down at Ginny’s legs, his mouth slightly open.

Ron gave a chuckle before flicking his friend’s ear. 

“Righ’, sorry,” Harry said with a nod. Despite all the spells he’d done on his hair, it had reverted to its normal disheveled state.

“Let’s dance!” Ginny said, grabbing Harry’s hand. If it weren’t for the few rounds of shots, Hermione didn’t think they’d be able to get him on to the dance floor, but in his current state he happily followed his girlfriend to the bright lights and thumping music. This seemed an adorable prospect until they actually saw him dance.

“Oh shit… Someone needs to hit him with a stunner or something,” Ron laughed, as Hermione leaned back into him. 

Harry had no sense of rhythm at all, and his stiff-armed movements made many people wince. Ginny didn’t seem to care, and was happily dancing beside him. Her effervescence seemed to drown out Harry’s sad attempts at movement.

Ron guffawed, and shook his head in amusement. Seated on a bar stool, he was only a half a foot taller than Hermione, which made for much more convenient kisses with no tiptoes needed. She had finished her second glass of wine and had a hot pleasant sensation buzzing through her. She put her head back and closed her eyes, feeling the vibration of his deep laugh and the music thrumming. 

“Hmm… Y’should dance with me,” she murmured, though she made no move towards the dance floor. Instead she rubbed her hands down his legs that were on either side of her. The lights on the dancefloor shifted to green for a moment, and the cozy peace felt strangled. She glanced up to Ron, and thought of the one thing that really made her feel nothing but warmth. “You should snog me.”

He chuckled a bit, and she felt the back of his fingers graze her cheek. 

“Dance or snog— Whichever you want,” he replied in her ear. “Though it seems you’re going a bit legless for dancing.”

“I am not!” she protested, pushing herself off of him and nearly stumbling. She stood very tall and made firm eye contact. “I am far from inebriated and do not like the implication that I am inebredated!”

“You mean inebriated?”

“That’s what I just said!” she said, grabbing his hand. “C’mon, let’s dance!”

He gave a shake of his head, but followed her onto the dance floor, where most of their group were dancing. Despite the yellow and orange lights, they were a vibrant group that stood out. Hermione couldn’t think why she’d been worried about it, though! And Ron was actually a very good dancer. She’d discovered this at Bill and Fleur’s wedding, and was happy nothing had changed. He had a grand sense of rhythm and the way he held her close and moved about with her made her feel like one of those ladies from an old musical. Roger Gingers? No, that wasn’t it… 

“You make me feel like a lady!” she shouted over the music. “I mean, a lady from a musical that dances and such! Y’know? Like with Astaire and all those old ones in the movies?” 

Ron gave a nod, and she nodded along happy he knew the reference. Yes! He and she were meant for one another. He knew what she meant when she said things. Oh no, that couldn’t be right. Fred Astaire was a Muggle! There was no way he knew that reference!

“Wait! You don’t know who Astaire is!”

“Nope,” he replied, an amused grin making his dimple appear. 

“Then why did you nod along?”

“You’re supposed to smile and nod at drunk people and irate girlfriends— and you’re the best of both!”

She laughed as he spun her around. She could do this forever! Just spin and spin, his hands on her, the bright lights bringing out odd colors in his hair, his warm smile, the invigorating feeling of just being alive...

“You dance as well as you snog!” she yelled, right as the song stopped, making many on the dance floor snigger, but she didn’t care. It was true. And he was hers, not anyone else's, and she got to snog him whenever she wanted. “Let’s get another drink!”

She bounded to the bar, and added another wine to the tab George had started. 

“I think you might’ve had enough,” said Ron, sidling up beside her.

“Then you drink it!” she said, holding up the wine before taking a sip. He gently took the wine glass from her, and put it on the bar.

“Ever since I drank that poisoned mead, I’m not much for drinks from people I don’t know.”

“I just drank from it, though, so you know it’s safe,” she said, holding her hair up and away from her too hot neck. 

“And I need to be sober so someone can get us all home at the end of the evening.”

That was a very good point. “You should snog me in the club’s bathroom,” she countered. 

“That is very very tempting,” he said leaning in and giving her a peck on the nose. “When you aren’t sloshing about I might take you up on that.”

“M’not!” she said, grabbing her wine glass. 

“Another round?” George asked, holding out a tray of shots. “For the trio! And the birthday girl!”

“Oh yes, let’s drink to my birthday!” Ginny crowed, grabbing what was at least her shot glass. There was a quick clearing of a throat from behind her from Bill. “Oh come oooon! Can’t I have some fun?”

“You can have plenty of fun. Just might want to be able to remember it tomorrow.”

“Don’t be mummish!” she replied, downing her drink.

Harry tittered at this, and she put a hand over his shot glass before he could get it to his lips. “You might want to hold back.”

“Mummish,” Harry laughed, with a shake of his shaggy head. 

“How much has he had?” Charlie asked.

“A couple of shots and a beer,” said Lee with a shake of his head. “Complete and utter lightweight.”

“I want another shot,” Harry protested.

“Sorry, sloppy, leave this to the professionals,” George said, downing it before Harry could stop him. Hermione caught a grim look pass between Ron and Bill, but dismissed it as a good song came on and the other girls dragged them all onto the dance floor.

The party continued until Ron insisted they take a water break. Hermione slide into the booth next to him, wobbling only slightly, yet she gladly snuggled into him.

There was a gauzy blur to everything, with only the center of her vision having much clarity. It was nice. Her blurred cameo-vision settled on Ron. He was very handsome. And tall! 

She told him so.

“Thanks,” he said, not seeming to take her seriously.

“I mean it, though! You’re almost pretty,” she said with a firm nod. “I’ve always thought so. You have the bluest eyes… They’re so… Blue! And I love your hands. They feel nice too.”

“Uh huh…” he said with a smile. “I think we best get you home soon… Here, have some water.”

“I don’t want water, I want more wine,” she said, taking the water and drinking it. “But I do mean it. You’re very good looking. And you have a cute bum! I haven’t told you that, but I should. I should tell you these things! I mean to, but I wait too long, and then I can’t tell you. Like with your clothes tonight! You look extra dishy and I can’t tell you because I don’t want you to think I’m not nice about clothes to you, ya know?”

“Well in that case, thank you?” he said, pouring her some more water that she angrily sipped at. 

He’d taken off his jacket and rolled his sleeves up again at one point. She trailed a finger along a brain-scar on his forearm.  She liked that. There was something about it that made her squirm in a good way.

“I like your arms…  But to my point!!” she said, sitting up straight and poking him in the chest. “There’so much I can’t tell you! I’m the best secret keeper in the world. It’s like… It’s like my words are Fidelius charmed! And I don’t know how to tell you the secret! I want to, of course, but if I did and you didn’t say you love me back then I’d be so upset, and so I don’t say anything!”

She closed her eyes and leaned into his chest.

“You make it hard to not say things when you’re so pretty and good. You’re so good, Ron Weasley. I want to… I want to bottle you up and marry you and be the only one to touch your bum.”

His chuckle pleasantly hummed through her. He braced her against him a bit then kissed her forehead. 

“I want that too,” he said, almost so quietly it couldn’t be heard over the music. She felt him stir beneath her head and let out a huff. “What?”

She cracked open an eye to see Harry gormlessly staring at them.

“I’m so glad you didn’t die. You’re like… the most important people in my life and I love you both so much,” said Harry, pointing to somewhere a foot or so to the left of them.

“No more alcohol for you, Harry,” said Ron, making Hermione sit up. 

“I mean it!” Harry belligerently stated. 

“We love you too, Harry,” said Hermione, putting a hand on him. “You’re like a brother to me! If I had brothers. I don’t. But if I did, you’d be my little brother.”

“You’re like an older sister that I love like a sister. And we’re both not dead,” Harry said with a nod. 

“Merlin’s balls. We’ve got to get out of here,” Ron muttered, grabbing a glass of water and thrusting it into Harry’s hand. “Chug that and try not to be such a melancholy arsewipe, yeah?”

“I can’t help it. I had a bad childhood until I met you and Hagrid…” Harry said, looking so sad Hermione wanted to cry. 

“You did! Ron, he DID have a bad childhood!”

“Yep, I’m aware,” said Ron with a sigh getting up. “Harry, where’d you put your glasses and jacket?”

He gave a sad shrug. “I don’t have a family. I don’t even have glasses now.”

Hermione nodded. “He can’t SEE, Ron.”

“I’m legally blind.”

“He’s blind, Ron!”

“Oh my GOD! I’m going to find the glasses!” Ron exploded, a hand going to his hair. “I’m getting bloody tired of dealing with drunks, you know that?”

“But he’s blind, Ron.”

With a wild gesture of frustration he started looking around the various points in the bar Harry had been to. Harry murmured about a lot of sad things, and Hermione told him about Ron’s bum which made him snigger. She leaned her head against the back of the booth, closing her eyes for just a moment. 

She heard Charlie, Bill and Fleur bowed out for the evening, citing business they had to do the next day. Bill pulled Ron aside for a moment. She could just make out the low voiced words of ‘George,’ ‘rest’ and ‘bail’ beside her. She cracked open an eye and saw them both glancing at George, who was still bouncing on the dance floor with Lee and Angelina. Hermione listened to hear more, but the thrum of music drowned them out. 

Hermione woke up an indeterminate amount of time later lying in their booth, head curled up on a conjured pillow and Ron’s large jacket draped over her.

She blearily rose and blinked to see Harry finish a shot beside her.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to be drinking anymore,” she managed to rasp even though her tongue stuck to the top of her mouth. She smacked her lips and looked for some water. The nearest pitcher seemed miles away even though it was a mere few feet.

“Y’were sleeping in the booth and there’s was noone to stop me,” said Harry with a triumphant smile that morphed into an unpleasant low belch.

“How long have I been asleep?” Her head was aching. She should have drunk more water.

“Mmm… An hour or so?”

“Where’s Ron?”

“He tucked you in,” Harry answered. She warmed at the thought of giant Ron hunching over to tenderly make her comfortable.

 Harry put his chin on his hand and stared at her. “He fancies you.”

“Well I quite fancy him as well.”

“You fancy him,” he said with a sloppy dismissive hand, “but not like he does you. He’s all…” A series of soft pats rained down on her head. “And you’re all…” He pointed a finger at her face, nearly poking her in the eye. “Ya know?”

“Oh well that makes sense,” she humored him. “Where are your glasses? Didn’t Ron go to fetch them ages ago?”

“Search me…” he said, putting his head on the table before slurring. “I need a nap…”

Ginny, Lee and Angelina came panting off the dancefloor.

“Where’s George?” asked Angelina, gulping down some water and making a loud noise of satisfaction when she’d finished.

“Wasn’t he with you?”

No one knew where George or Ron were. They were about to start searching when there was the sound of a mic turning on, and the DJ announced, “and now one of our guests wants to make an announcement.” 

There was a horrid feedback noise and a scuffle, but then a familiar voice began to ring through the crowd.

“Hello everyone!” said George into the mic. 

“Oh God, who let him have a microphone?” said Angelina, shaking her head.

“I’m George and I’m here to celebrate my little sister’s birthday! So everyone, say cheers to her!”

Many of the crowd raised their glasses and Ginny was happy to wave to them and give a small bow. Hermione spotted that she was wearing Harry’s glasses on top of her head. She turned to point this out to Harry but he was letting out a series of small snores.

“Also we’re here to celebrate my brother Ronnie, and his two best friends. I can’t tell you what they did, but they are being honored for their services and it’s pretty impressive shit, so cheers to them!” The crowd cheered again. “That’s right. He’s very impressive. Didn’t think he would be, but here we are! Didn’t think he’d make it out of a war alive, but he did. Not a fucking scratch on him, ‘cept some missing fingernails.”

Hermione looked for Ron, and found him standing to the side of the DJ booth. He looked like he was saying something, and George’s face went dark and surly. “No, I don’t feel like going home.”

“Get off the mic!” someone from the crowd hollered, and few people let out a resounding ‘woo’ in agreement.

“Yes, thank you for your support!” George said with a wave. “What was I talking about? Oh yes! The war! My other brothers all made it ok, but I lost an ear, and then my twin brother got fucking killed by a bloody wall. How stupid a way is that to go?”

The DJ tried to get George to hand over the mic, but he was belligerently holding it low and crowding the DJ out. Ron looked like he was saying something. He put a hand on George’s shoulder that was violently shrugged off, prompting Angelina and Lee to run over to intervene.

Hermione didn’t want to crowd them and was fairly certain she couldn’t get there fast enough to help anyways. Ginny had a hand to her mouth. 

“None of you know how much we sacrificed to keep you all safe, you know that? On the run all the time, nearly dying every day, and you lot just went about your lives having no fucking clue. People died. My brother is DEAD! And you’re all having a bloody good time, but he’s dead and everything is fucking ruined and—”

The thick-necked bouncer moved in and started pointing a beefy hand in George’s face.

“George, don’t!” came Ron’s holler, just barely picked up by the mic.

Hermione heard a chorus of yells beside her as, in front of the entire Muggle club, George whipped out his wand and brandished it at the bouncer.

“Take another step and I’ll drop you,” he snarled.

Hermione gave a yell of her own as Ron put up his hands and stood in front of George’s sparking wand.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5 Author’s Note- 

Chapter 6 is already written and in the editing process.

I actually split Chapter 5 into two parts as it was epically long. So next chapter will be from Hermione's POV

oh, and it will have some smut

and angst

====================================================

Giant thank you to:

@abradystrix​ and @divagonzo​ for betaing and being so supportive and wonderful.

CHAPTER WARNINGS:

cursing, depresssed/anxious thinking, talk about eating & weight gain/loss, evidence of PTSD, drinking and drunkeness, threats

Previously, in 'Waking Up'

Hermione is on edge about her parents and is having trouble with anxiety in general- also worried about Ron not saying 'I love you' yet

Ron was exhausted from tending to George the night before- he's running on fumes- and is devastated that Hermione doesn't seem to care for Harry joining the Aurors- He fills out paperwork and gets sick with anxiety

Needs a quill and sees Hermione needs money for Australia

Goes to the village to get a job- gets lost in dark memories

Comes home to everyone giving cheers to him and the trio for Order of Merlins and Auror offers

They're all gonna go out to celebrate

[robininthelabyrinth]

Same River Twice (aka Time Travel Nie Bros) - part 4 - see ao3 or tumblr part 1, part 2, part 3

-

“You know what,” Nie Mingjue said, several shichen into the most awkward conversation he’d ever been forced to overhear in his life, “I think Wei Wuxian needs more friends.”

His father stopped contemplating the window with an expression that suggested he was considering throwing himself out of it and looked at him. “So you’ve mentioned before.”

“Yes, I know,” Nie Mingjue said, because he had in fact brought it up after Nie Huaisang’s no doubt unintentionally apt suggestion. “But on second thought, he needs them urgently. As does Huaisang. You don’t want them growing up barbaric and unsocialized, do you?”

His father mouthed the words ‘barbaric and unsocialized’ to himself, looking delighted. “By which you mean that you’d like to take them to visit the Lan sect, I assume?” he asked, not bothering to hide his amusement. “To learn good habits from them there?”

“To avoid learning bad habits here,” Nie Mingjue said. “Alternatively, you could always kick all of them out so that all of us can stop getting the loud and dramatic rendition of all the different types of bad decisions adults can make, courtesy of our friends in the Jiang sect and our new guest disciples.”

“…take Zonghui with you,” his father said. “Have a nice trip. Enjoy the quiet.”

There was a better than decent chance that he was being sarcastic, but Nie Mingjue wasn’t going to wait around long enough to find out – he saluted and turned to run away at once.

“Don’t get into too much trouble!” his father shouted after him.

That was ridiculous. What sort of trouble could Nie Mingjue get into in Gusu, of all places?

-

“Nie-gongzi, has anyone ever told you that you have really weird taste in rewards?” Nie Zonghui said, looking long-suffering as always.

Wei Wuxian, who was riding on his shoulders, craned his head down to look at him. “Rewards? What is Nie-da-ge getting rewarded for?”

“He performed especially well on his first ever night hunt,” Nie Zonghui told him, while Nie Mingjue flushed red and Nie Huaisang, who was riding on his shoulders, giggled. “His father wanted to reward him, and determined to do so by granting the first request he made.”

“He didn’t tell me he was planning on doing that,” Nie Mingjue hissed. If he had, he might���ve asked to visit Yunping City to collect Meng Yao – finding a reason to go there was much harder to achieve than arranging a simple visit to the Lan sect, which would’ve happened sooner or later anyway.

His thoughts hadn’t been focused on reward at all. He’d only really, truly desperately wanted to get away from any further discussion of Sect Leader Jiang’s sex life.

(Cangse Sanren was blunt and straightforward in her speech, something Nie Mingjue greatly appreciated right up until she was shouting things about size and shape and performance and also her husband…it was absolutely mortifying, even just as a spectator, except possibly Jiang Fengmian was into things like that because he just kept on arguing. In his past-future life, Nie Mingjue had had to sit across the table from Jiang Fengmian for years, and might yet have to do so again if he was not successful in adverting his father’s death, which was something he wouldn’t be able to if he kept hearing things like this! He didn’t want to know things like this!)

No, Nie Mingjue hadn’t thought about rewards at all – had already put away all thoughts of that particular night-hunt in favor of showing of his improvement with Baxia, who practically purred in his hands when he wielded her, so that he could win his independence sooner rather than later.

Even picking Gusu as their destination had been primarily motivated by seizing on the last place anyone had mentioned to him as a plausible destination that could be sold to his father.

Nie Huaisang had asked him, all big and wide-eyed and adorable, why they were going to somewhere as far away from the Unclean Realm as the Cloud Recesses, and Nie Mingjue had blamed Nie Huaisang’s suggestion of introducing Wei Wuxian to the Lan sect.

Nie Huaisang had also asked why they were going now and Nie Mingjue had explained in a rush of tangled words that sometimes grown-ups liked to talk about private things very loudly and maybe it would be better to leave them to it.

Nie Huaisang had found that dreadfully funny for some reason, giggling until both he and Wei Wuxian were rolling around on the ground laughing their heads off at the idea of going to Gusu –

Nie Mingjue didn’t care. As long as they went, and with them his excuse to go as well!

(Besides, it would be nice to see Lan Xichen.)

“Of course he didn’t tell you about it, Nie-gongzi,” Nie Zonghui said patiently. “It was meant to be a surprise. Wouldn’t have been much of a surprise if you knew about it, would it?”

Nie Mingjue sighed. Nie Zonghui was a half-generation above him – older than him by over a decade, entitling him (if only technically) to be called uncle rather than cousin, but young enough that he sometimes felt more like a peer. Certainly once Nie Mingjue himself had become sect leader, having someone like him to help figure out how to communicate with the elders had been priceless.

That didn’t mean he didn’t want to punch the man in the face on a regular basis.

Stupid sense of humor.

“Wouldn’t da-ge be happier if he could pick what he got?” Nie Huaisang asked. “What if he’d asked for something stupid, like a map?”

Nie Mingjue reached up to one of the legs currently dangling next to his ear and pinched him lightly, making his little brother squeak and then giggle again. He wasn’t sure why Nie Huaisang was still so worried about his offer to buy him a map – he hadn’t even known that the under-five age group could have a sense of financial economy, much less guilt over it, but then again he didn’t know much about kids that age anyway – but no matter what he wasn’t having any of it.

In this life, his brother would be happy for as long as Nie Mingjue could give him.

-

Of course, making Nie Huaisang happy would be easier if he wasn’t so picky.

“Didi, didi, it’s all right,” he said, trying to be soothing and not really remembering how. “You don’t need to be afraid - Lan Xichen is a friend…I’m sorry, Xichen, I really don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

“It’s no problem,” Lan Xichen said, looking exactly as one would expect a nine-year-old being addressed as a peer by a twelve-year-old that his guardian routinely praised as a role model would be – which was to say, a little pleased, a little uncertain, and mostly confused. The shrieking four-year-old wasn’t helping matters, either. “I don’t think I’ve done anything to offend him...?”

“You’re blind,” Nie Huaisang hissed at him, tears still streaming down his face. “Blind, blind, blind!”

“No, Huaisang,” Nie Mingjue said helplessly. He had no idea where Nie Huaisang got these ideas into his head, was it a feature of early childhood or something? “He’s not – look, the bandage is around his forehead, right? Not his eyes. And since when do you have something against blind people anyway?”

Nie Huaisang buried his face into his side. “Stupid da-ge.”

Nie Mingjue patted him on the back. “Sorry,” he said to Lan Xichen again. “This isn’t exactly the first impression I was hoping for.”

Lan Xichen abruptly grinned, looking for a moment like a regular child rather than the polite and reserved young man Nie Mingjue had known for so many years – it reminded him a little of the boy from the future timeline that he’d only seen brief glimpses of through the pieces of his soul that were attached to the pieces of his body, the loud and irreverent one called Lan Jingyi.

Back then he'd wondered abstractly how exactly such a boy could be related to the Lan clan, stately and elegant even when they acted radically, and now all of a sudden he saw that boy staring out of him from Lan Xichen’s immature face.

“Bet you thought you’d look a lot more dashing, didn’t you?” Lan Xichen asked merrily. “Flying in on your swords, jumping down for a perfect landing, and then – waaaaaaah!”

Nie Mingjue laughed, because it really had happened a bit like that.

“Don’t forget the domino effect,” he said wryly, glancing over at where Wei Wuxian was being plied with treats from a bag pulled from Nie Zonghui’s sleeve – he’d started sympathy crying when Nie Huaisang had inexplicably started wailing, and was having trouble stopping even though he admitted that nothing was actually wrong with him other than having feelings. “They’re probably just over-tired from the trip.”

“Did you really fly all the way from Qinghe?” Lan Xichen asked eagerly. “All by yourself?”

“We made a lot of stops –”

“But you were on your own sword, right? Just you?”

“It’s a saber and I was carrying Huaisang, but yes, in terms of who was in charge of propulsion, it was just me.”

Lan Xichen heaved a sigh full of obvious envy, and Nie Mingjue smiled. “If you want, I can petition your uncle that you act as my guide to the surrounding environs as well as the Cloud Recesses itself? He’d have to let you fly by yourself if that was the case.”

“Oh, would you?” Lan Xichen enthused. “That would be great! I’m not that good yet, but I’m not going to get good if I don’t have a chance to practice, except Uncle is always saying that – oh, wait, I’m not supposed to say –”

“Speaking of others behind their back is prohibited,” Nie Mingjue said solemnly, then cracked up at the dumbfounded expression on Lan Xichen’s face. “No, I’m sorry, I won’t quote your sect rules at you, I promise, it was just a joke…”

“You’d better!”

He rather liked this enthusiastic version of Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue thought.

Even Nie Huaisang seemed to have gotten over his initial fright to start begrudgingly enjoying all of Lan Xichen’s chattering and bustling around – Nie Mingjue thought he might, given that Lan Xichen currently reminded him immensely of an extremely chatty blue-breasted quail and Nie Huaisang had always liked those. There was so much life in Lan Xichen, good humor and cheer filling him up until he was practically bursting with it; he hadn’t yet had to learn how to hold back his feelings and hide them, hadn’t yet learned that the only acceptable way to interact with others was through a carefully practiced smile.

Perhaps what was why Lan Xichen had been so drawn to Meng Yao, Nie Mingjue reflected – Meng Yao had hidden himself underneath a smile, too. Where he himself had admired Meng Yao for what he had thought was his strength of character, his ability to ignore the jibes and the slights he faced in favor of carrying on and doing what must be done, just as Nie Mingjue longed to be able to do, perhaps Lan Xichen had from the very first moment seen Meng Yao as someone in need of sympathy and affection. Perhaps it had been his own suffering projected onto Meng Yao’s open, facile face that had so tugged on his heartstrings.

It was a little odd, though.

It was a long time ago, but Nie Mingjue recalled meeting Lan Xichen when they were both quite young, and if he put his mind to thinking about it, he was pretty sure they would have met in about two years’ time – his fourteen to Lan Xichen’s eleven, with Nie Huaisang nearly six and Lan Wangji nearly seven. And yet the Lan Xichen he had met had been so very different from this, far more serious and reserved, quiet more often than not, that practiced smile already on his face and only with great reluctance melting into something real…

He wondered why there had been such a great change.

In the meantime, Nie Mingjue relieved Nie Zonghui of his duties on account of their safety – the older man had been to Gusu before for discussion conferences, and looked extremely bored – and took Nie Huaisang’s hand in one hand and Wei Wuxian’s in the other, and the three of them followed Lan Xichen around as he pointed out all the things he liked best.

Wei Wuxian broke away at one point and sped into the brush, shrieking something about a rabbit, and when they gave chase and found him again, he’d somehow bumped into Lan Wangji, who with his white clothing and solemn expression resembled nothing so much a bunny himself.

“Nie-da-ge, this is my friend!” Wei Wuxian hollered, even though they couldn’t have been talking for more than a few minutes before the rest of them caught up. “His name’s Lan Zhan! I’m keeping him forever!”

Nie Huaisang sniggered, and Nie Mingjue poked him – it was rude to laugh at other people’s earnestness.

“That’s nice, Wuxian,” he said, and formally saluted Lan Wangji, knowing how much the other boy liked rules and things being done right. “I’m pleased to meet you, Wangji. I hope we can be friends as well.”

Lan Wangji stared at him mutely for a long moment, and then his entire face slowly turned bright red as if he were boiling.

Nie Mingjue blinked, unsure about the reason for such an extreme reaction, but standing beside him Lan Xichen cackled. “Oh, oh, this is great,” he crowed. “Wait till I tell Mom!”

Lan Wangji attempted to bite him, which naturally made Wei Wuxian leap to his friend’s assistance, and somehow Nie Huaisang ended up wading into the fray with a stick that he waved around like a war-fan, seeking inexplicably to defend Lan Xichen despite having previously displayed no fondness for him at all.

Nie Mingjue waded in as well, of course, trying to separate them and somehow ending up as everyone’s target when they realized that he was strong enough to pick them all up and toss them (lightly) into the piles of soft grass that covered the meadow, even Lan Xichen, and at that point they all threw themselves at him eagerly in order to be throw back.

Nie Mingjue wasn’t really thinking about that, though. He was thinking about what Lan Xichen had said.

He was thinking about – Mom.

Not Nie Mingjue’s own, naturally. She’d been gone since he was younger than Nie Huaisang was now. Perhaps it was because Nie Mingjue had his father and his aunts and his uncles, but he had never really felt the lack of her all that much, except maybe when he needed to learn some etiquette he didn’t know or when his peers spoke fondly of their own mothers. Nor was he thinking of Nie Huaisang’s mother, who had been very nice and whose untimely death had upset him immensely; he honestly hadn’t thought of either of them in years and years by the time he’d died.

But rather, he thought about Lan Xichen’s mother – Lan Wangji’s mother –

Nie Mingjue hadn’t learned the story of her fate until much, much later in life, when he was very nearly an adult. The Lan sect had always kept their secrets very well, and he might never have learned the details if it hadn’t been for Lan Xichen willingly divulging them. He’d told him the whole awful story of how his mother had not loved his father even though he loved her, how she had killed someone dear to him, how he had married her to save her and gone into seclusion to punish himself, how the Lan sect, ever concerned with its face, had covered it all up by forcing her into permanent seclusion…

The story had never really sat right with him. A punishment was one thing, entirely justifiable; murder was murder, and life imprisonment was a valid sentence, a valid commutation of the death sentence that she probably ought to have received. It was not Nie Mingjue’s place to question how the Lan sect selected and imposed punishments…

And yet, something about it had always felt rotten.

Maybe it was only that the Nie sect didn’t believe in solitary imprisonment. Or, well, really solitary anything, with even seclusion being done in a relatively well-traveled area so that those inside could, if they wished, open a one-sided window to hear the noise and know that their family was around them. Even their tombs, their saber halls, were joined together into what was practically a necropolis – even in death, the Nie sect would rather be together than apart.

If he recalled correctly, Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji’s mother would soon be taken away from them for good. She’d died when Lan Xichen was – ten? Ten to Lan Wangji’s six, yes, that sounded right.

A year from now, then. Less, maybe.

“– xiongzhang is da-ge, not er-ge!”

“No, you don’t understand, my da-ge is older – and bigger – so he’s da-ge, and your xiongzhang is er-ge, and that means you’d be san-ge, and Wei-gege is – wait, which one of you is older?”

“Huaisang, it doesn’t work that way, we’re not the same family –”

“What are you even talking about?” Nie Mingjue asked, abruptly coming out of his thoughts. They’d continued playing while he daydreamed, and now Lan Xichen was perched on his back like a monkey, with Nie Huaisang on one of Nie Mingjue’s shoulder while Wei Wuxian hung off the other arm’s bicep and Lan Wangi clung to his neck in front like a sloth on a branch, as Nie Mingjue demonstrated that he could, in fact, keep walking with all of them attached. Every single one of them seemed to think this was the absolute height of entertainment. “Who’s related to what now? Huaisang, can’t you just call Xichen Xichen-ge or something?”

“Oh, fine. Xichen-gege! Xichen-gege!”

“Nie-didi! Nie-didi!”

“Too loud,” Lan Wangji sniffed.

“Didn’t you hear Lan Zhan?!” Wei Wuxian promptly hollered at the top of his lungs. “You’re all being too loud!”

“I’m going to throw each and every one of you into a pond,” Nie Mingjue said. “One by one, if I have to.”

“Do you promise?” Lan Xichen giggled in his ear. “That sounds like fun!”

“Actually,” Nie Mingjue said, “I had a different thought. How about we play hide-and-seek?”

-

The advantage of future knowledge, Nie Mingjue thought, was that he knew exactly where Madame Lan’s home was and how to get there within the time period he’d suggested for the initial hiding.

The disadvantage was that he was so focused on achieving his goal that he forgot that what implications might be taken from a twelve-year-old boy breaking into a woman’s home, especially at a time when she wasn’t expecting visitors.

“I’m so sorry!” he all but shrieked, covering his eyes even though he had already turned his back. “Please put on clothing!”

“Oh, your face –” Madame Lan was guffawing. “You’re so red – boy, you don’t have to throw yourself out the window in penance or anything. I’m still wearing my inner robe, you can’t even see anything.”

“It’s still inappropriate!”

“Could be worse. I could’ve been –”

“Please don’t finish that sentence,” he begged. “I swear I’m not actually doing this because I have a crush on you, so please, please, please don’t give me any details about what you do in the privacy of your own home, okay? And stop offering me your under-things! I don’t want them!”

“I was only doing laundry,” she said, almost crying with laughter. “I didn’t mean to throw my underwear at your face, it was really just the closest thing to hand…who are you, anyway? Shouldn’t you be introducing yourself to me?”

“I’ll introduce myself when you’re dressed and not a moment earlier.”

“Oh, all right, have it your way. Give me a moment.” There was some rustling. “All right, turn around.”

He peeked and sighed with relief: Madame Lan was, in fact, appropriately dressed in a lovely white silk dress, adorned with the typical Lan sect cloud embroidery and everything. The style was a little freer and less conservative than he might have expected to see the mistress of a Great Sect wearing, but then again he supposed she’d never actually had to do the work associated with it. It was hard to host a society party from seclusion…

“Qinghe Nie’s Nie Mingjue greets He Kexin, Madame Lan,” he said, saluting properly. “I’m a visitor to your sect.”

“I hadn’t realized that we were anticipating visitors from another Great Sect,” she remarked. “Normally there’s a great deal more hustle and bustle involved with preparing to receive a visit.”

“It’s an informal one,” Nie Mingjue explained. “Somewhat, uh, abrupt. We didn’t send word in advance. You see, we recently accepted Cangse Sanren and her husband as guest disciples, and shortly thereafter the Jiang sect paid us an unexpected visit…”

Madame Lan had clearly heard about that disaster, if the way she put her hand over her mouth in a futile attempt to stifle her chortling was any indication.

“I think I see the issue, being as I happen to remember Cangse Sanren very well,” she said, her eyes dancing. “What a troublemaker. She even shaved off Qiren-xiaoshuzi’s beard one time! I’m guessing based on the way you turned into a boiled crayfish that she scared you out of your own home?”

Nie Mingjue opened his mouth to protest, except, well, that wasn’t entirely inaccurate…

“What a charming little egg you are! You’re such a rotten liar that you can’t even do it to save face.”

“Being dishonest isn’t saving face,” Nie Mingjue said, even though his face felt like it was burning and he was probably just as red as she said he was. “The truth is what the truth is, that’s all. You’re not wrong, that’s more or less what happened – I brought Huaisang and Wuxian here so that we could get away from all the yelling.”

“You picked a good place for that,” Madame Lan said, and there was a dull look in her eye all of a sudden. Nothing like the liveliness from a few moments before. “There’s nowhere like the Cloud Recesses for quiet.”

Nie Mingjue bit his lip, not quite sure how to say what he wanted to say. Right up until that moment, she hadn’t seemed at all sick, the way he’d thought she’d be – less than a year before she died, from what he remembered of Lan Xichen’s stories. He’d assumed she’d already be ill with the early stages whatever it was that had eventually taken her from her sons.

But now, he didn’t think she was sick, not really, only…bored.

Dreadfully, horribly bored. The sort of bored that drained your life away bit by bit.

Formal training in swordsmanship and scholarship began at six at the Cloud Recesses, Nie Mingjue abruptly remembered. There were plenty of lessons prior to that, of course, but at age six they would become formalized, the children shifting over from the realm of babies to proper young-adults-to-be. Once Lan Wangji turned six, Madame Lan would have had nothing to look forward to in life.

Nothing, except for her children starting to drift further and further away from her: nothing to do, no purpose, no friends…

Just boredom.

“The Unclean Realm has a communal prison,” he blurted out, and then smacked his hands into his face to hide his shame for being such an inconsiderate ass. Why had he thought he could do this by himself?

He wasn’t even sure what he’d originally come here to accomplish, other than to let Madame Lan know that she ought to see a doctor sooner rather than later in the hopes that they would be able to catch and stymie whatever disease it had been that had killed her, except now of course Nie Mingjue understood that it was no disease at all.

“…what?” she said blankly.

It was too late to retreat, so Nie Mingjue gathered up every bit of courage he’d ever had and barreled onwards.

“I just mean,” he said, tripping over his words, “if you’d like to be – a bit less quiet. Even if your sentence is life imprisonment, surely you don’t have to necessarily serve it here, right?”

Madame Lan stared at him. His shoulders started creeping up to his ears.

“Actually,” she said abruptly, “I was never sentenced.”

He gaped at her. “You – what?”

“Qiren-xiaoshuzi pushed for it, said it was only fair that I knew the exact contours of my punishment, but the sect elders refused,” she explained. “They didn’t want to lose face by having a trial at all, not even privately.”

“But – but if you haven’t been sentenced, you can’t be imprisoned!”

“Is that so?” she asked, looking amused.

“You can’t,” Nie Mingjue insisted, horrified. “The laws of war say that someone can be executed on the spot for committing a crime, but in peacetime they have to be sentenced first even if you catch them red-handed. What if your accuser recants his accusation, whether because he was wrong or because he decided not to press charges? If they recant, you can’t be tried; if you can’t be tried, even if everyone knows you’ve done wrong, you still must be released. No trial, no sentence, no imprisonment!”

“Tell that to the Lan sect,” she said dryly. “Not even my husband could do more than he did to forestall my punishment, and he’s sect leader. Nominally, anyway.”

This did seem to be a problem of the Lan sect. Of all sects, really – he had his own share of old men causing issues and sticking their noses into things – but he’d never had anywhere near the problem with the sect elders as Lan Xichen had had with his Lan sect.

“Why should I?” Nie Mingjue asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t see why we have to tell them anything at all.”

-

“Why are we doing this?” Nie Huaisang asked, tugging on Nie Mingjue’s sleeve.

“I already explained,” Nie Mingjue said, which he had. He’d also explained that he’d run in there by accident while looking for a place to hide, and he’d tried to look as much like a stupid twelve-year-old as possible when he said it. “About the lack of a trial –”

Nie Huaisang tugged again. “Not that. Why are we rescuing her?”

“Because she might die if we don’t,” Nie Mingjue said. “She’s very bored in there all by herself.”

“So?”

“What do you mean, so? It’d make Xichen and Wangji sad if she died.”

“So?”

“So they shouldn’t be sad if they don’t have to be! I don’t want them to be sad because they lost a parent…don’t you remember being sad about your mom having died, Huaisang?”

“No,” Nie Huaisang said. “I had da-ge.”

Nie Mingjue sighed. He’d keep this conversation in mind for later when Nie Huaisang was old enough to actually understand the concept of death, and then he’d use it to torment him forever.

“Wouldn’t you be sad if da-ge died, then?” he asked, and felt Nie Huaisang’s hands abruptly clutch tight on his arms. “There you go. That’s why we’re doing this.”

Nie Huaisang nodded, but he was still scowling a little in his adorable childhood way, and Nie Mingjue thought for a second that he heard him murmuring something about inviting unnecessary trouble under his voice, but…whatever, it wasn’t important.

What was more important was that Lan Xichen had arrived with what Nie Mingjue had asked him to fetch for him, his cheeks bright pink with excitement. “Nie-da-ge,” he hissed even though there wasn’t anyone in the area, thrusting the package into Nie Mingjue’s arms. “I got it!”

“Good,” Nie Mingjue said, then paused. “Er, you don’t mind, do you?”

“Mind? Mind what?”

“That I’m kind of, uh, well – I mean, I’m kidnapping your mother. You won’t be able to see her as often as you do now if this works…”

“She’ll be free,” Lan Wangji, trailing behind Lan Xichen as always, said solemnly. Then he stuck his thumb in his mouth, which somewhat ruined the effect.

Wei Wuxian, who’d rushed over to stand next to him as soon as he’d seen him, hugged him tightly. “You’ll come over all the time,” he assured him. “My mom will like your mom, and we’ll all go outside and play all the time. We’ll be really happy!”

Lan Wangji sniffed and buried his face into Wei Wuxian’s shoulder.

“It’s like Wangji said,” Lan Xichen said. His eyes were intense. “She’s not happy here, she’s not free here, and we only see her once a month anyway – less, in the future, once we’re both busy with lessons all the time. If she can be free somewhere else…you will let us come visit, right?”

“As often as you’re allowed,” Nie Mingjue promised, as it was about all he could do. “I’ll talk to my father about it…”

His father would probably have a fit.

Still, this was an injustice. Even if his father disagreed, it was something he had to do. He’d justify it with reference to their sect principles, and take any punishment duty his father chose to impose.

“It doesn’t matter, he’ll agree,” he said firmly. “You’ll definitely be able to visit.”

“Can I raise an objection?” Nie Zonghui said mournfully from where he was hovering by the side of the clearing. “Possibly two – no, three objections.”

Nie Mingjue looked at him and tilted his head to the side in silent question.

“One, your father said not to get into trouble, if you’ll trouble yourself to remember back that far,” he said, raising a finger. “Two, how exactly do you plan to break the array keeping Madame Lan imprisoned? And three, even if you do break it, how do you plan to get her out?”

The first was irrelevant. The other two…

“We’re going to walk out the front gate,” Nie Mingjue said, and opened up the package Lan Xichen had gotten him – as he’d suspected, there had been spare robes for Qinghe Nie disciples left behind from the previous discussion conference, and sure enough the Lan sect had kept hold of them as a courtesy to the owners. “The Lan sect has never affirmatively stated that Madame Lan wasn’t allowed to leave; they just said she was too sickly to do so. Therefore, if we leave with a Nie sect disciple who is clearly capable of walking out, there’s nothing they can do to stop us without admitting that it’s her and that she’s a prisoner – which they won’t do, because then they’d lose face.”

“That barely counts as a plan,” Nie Zonghui said, and for some reason Nie Huaisang nodded in agreement. “But sadly I think it might actually work.”

Nie Huaisang looked betrayed.

“It will work,” Lan Xichen said. “Especially if you insist that she’s one of yours. They won’t be able to call you out without calling you a liar, and they wouldn’t want to do that. Not publicly, not about this.”

“Won’t there be a problem that she’s a girl wearing boy’s clothing?” Wei Wuxian asked, patting Lan Wangji’s head.

“No, that’s not a problem in Qinghe,” Nie Huaisang told him. “You’re new, so you’re not used to it, but it really isn’t. I mean, she could be misaligned or something, it’s not our business.”

“And we won’t be lying about her being one of ours,” Nie Mingjue said. “Since I’ve offered her sanctuary in our sect, it’s even technically true.”

Nie Zonghui sighed. “And if they ask Lan-gongzi and Lan-er-gongzi if she’s their mother?”

“Wangji won’t say anything,” Lan Xichen said at once. “And I’ll – I’ll lie if I have to.”

He was truly unbearably cute at this age.

Nie Zonghui appeared to be suffering from a similar problem, reaching over and patting him lightly on the head in helpless amusement. “Okay, okay. Let’s hope they don’t ask,” he said. “But – Nie-gongzi, we still have the second problem. How do you intend to get Madame Lan out of the imprisonment array?”

Nie Mingjue patted his cousin – who he knew from his future experience was one of the finest array breakers in their sect, a charming side-effect courtesy of his dual-wielded saber cultivation style – on the shoulder. “I intend to delegate.”

Nie Zonghui blinked, then glared. “I walked myself into that one, didn’t I?”

“You did,” Nie Mingjue said peaceably. “Can you break it? I can use Baxia, if it’ll help.”

“Hmph. Yes, it would help a great deal, but will she agree to consume an array for you? That’s fairly high-grade work, and talent or no talent, you’re still fairly new to mastering the saber.”

Nie Mingjue put his hand on Baxia’s blade, which felt warm and pleased. Practically purring. At some point he would need to investigate why she was so happy all the time – she’d never been this compliant in his first life, and he’d expected her to be more vicious, not less. “Yes, she’ll be happy to help.”

“Fine. Let’s go.” Nie Zonghui paused briefly. “Also, if your father asks, you held Baxia to my throat and made me do it. It was definitely not me being curious about whether or not I could break such a complicated array.”

“Of course it wasn’t,” Nie Mingjue said understandingly, and drew Baxia. “All right. Let’s go get ourselves banned from the Cloud Recesses.”

[harbouredsoulss]

Exit Wound - 2nd & Final Part

Author’s note: 

SUPRISE!

I was so close to turning this into three parts. Instead I decided I would make this one longer! I really loved writing this!

I am so excited to share more stories with you! I have so much planned. 

I really really hope you enjoy this! Please don’t forget to like, comment, & reblog. I would really appreciate it 💞

If you’d like to be added to my Tag List for any EZ, Angel, Mayan or all of my fics, just let me know 🥰

You can read Part One here and my Masterlist here. 

EZ Reyes X [OC] Amalia 

Warnings: Injured EZ! Mentions of blood. Swearing! Fluff. SEX. 

Word Count: 2.1K

Summary: EZ brought a knife to a gun fight. Now Amalia is stuck having to use her nursing skills to save her boyfriends life. Will she save him?

_________________________________

She sat there for a time, kneeling beside the couch, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he took in unsteady breaths. Angel had begged her to go to bed and get some rest but she couldn’t bring herself to leave EZ’s side. 

Angel tried everything he could think of to convince her to go to sleep but knew nothing he would say could change her mind.

It was moments like this where Angel hoped he would find something like this one day. The unwavering love and commitment Amalia had for his brother was unshakeable and made him slightly jealous, though he would never say that out loud. 

Later on in the night Coco and Gilly had come back to drop off the pain relief and antibiotics. They didn’t stay too long, they could tell just by looking at her she wasn’t in the mood to entertain anyone, nor should she be. They left with goodbyes and good luck, though they kept the latter for Angel’s ears only. Amalia was grateful they had gotten back so quick with the supplies and she desperately wanted to wake EZ and give him the medicine as soon as possible but she knew he needed to rest, and decided it could wait until he wakes. 

The minutes ticked down as did the hours as she sat there, eyes trained on the rise and fall of her lover’s chest. For a time, she sat there caressing his face, allowing silent tears to stream down her own.  His forehead was covered with sweat, his temperature rising. She wiped at the beads of sweat with a wet rag, allowing the cold cloth to mildly ease his fever down. 

When dawn was nearing, Amalia found herself drifting in and out of consciousness, head resting on her arm that lay on the edge of the couch, her fingers intertwined with EZ’s. Her mind continued to torture her with fleeting visions of EZ dying on their sofa, blood pouring from his wounds, voice screaming in pain, echoing all around her. There were moments where she would wake with a start, eyes wide, squeezing his hand, running hers up and down his arm just to feel his warmth. To see he was still there with her. 

She continued these bouts of suffering as her body fought for her to sleep and it was only after the third nightmarish vision, she had of losing EZ that her mind rewarded her with a faint memory instead of a twisted dream. It was of a time when their relationship was new and fresh. Yearning, and anticipation reaching the cusp, they had finally given in to their desires. It was the beginning of everything, and that’s where her memory took her.  

Amalia’s body was wrapped in his arms, legs tangled together she couldn’t tell where she began and EZ ended. Her breathing was laboured, hands running up and down tracing the ridges of his chest. It was the night they had first slept together, though this moment was long after they enjoyed each other.

EZ had fallen asleep with his arm around her waist. Sleep didn’t come easy to Amalia that night. She was too buzzed with what they had done. She’d had sex before, and like EZ, she would have drifted off by now but that night everything felt different and it was as she continued laying there listening to his intake of breath, as his dreams consumed him, she soon realised why. 

“How do you feel,” she heard him murmur against her skin. 

“Amazing,” she whispered, a coy smile on her face, “but I thought you were asleep?”

Craning her neck, she turned to look up at EZ and found him just as she thought, fast asleep. It took everything in her to not burst out laughing. She felt ridiculous beyond belief. EZ was talking in his sleep. 

“I love you,” she froze, hand stilling on EZ’s cheek as she heard him speak those words they had never shared before.

“Te quiero, Amalia.” 

The memories were so intense, and powerful Amalia ended up crying herself awake. Though this time when she woke, she found EZ’s head turned towards her, eyes opened wide watching her. 

“You’re awake,” she said, voice cracking. 

“Barely.” he whispered back, wincing as he tried to move his body to face her more clearly. 

“Baby,” she whined, standing up and gently placing both her hands on his shoulders to keep him from moving, “you need to stay put.”

Her face hovered above his as she stood like that, trying to make her point as gently as possible. His eyes stared into hers not before taking in the look on her face, which happened to be wrought with anguish and exhaustion, cheeks tear stained with lips cracked and bleeding. He could only imagine what she had gone through within the past twenty-four hours. 

She didn’t say anything for a moment and neither did he. They just stared at one another. Observing the contours of one another’s faces, making sure to mark this moment in their memory. Though EZ had no problem with that, he never forgets. 

“How long have you been sitting there?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

“All night,” she said as she pulled away to sit on the coffee table behind her, “I had to make sure you didn’t die. I wasn’t alone though.” She pointed to where Angel’s sleeping form laid on the recliner positioned to EZ’s right.  

“He refused to leave and kept nagging me to go to bed.”

“You should’ve listened to him.”

“And you wouldn’t have done the same thing? EZ we both know if the roles were reversed – if it were me on this couch right now, you wouldn’t have left my side either. Hell, you would’ve driven me to the hospital.” 

They were at a stalemate both knowing she was right. Both knowing nothing more could be said to contradict her statement. He was madly in love with this woman and wouldn’t live in a world where she didn’t. He would have also stayed.

“If I had lost you EZ, I-I I don’t think I could live with myself.”

She looked at him then and allowed all her despair and anger to seep its way out of her. To expose him to it. His body stilled and he tried to turn away not wanting to see what he put her through. But he looked and watched as she could finally breath in relief. It struck him suddenly – piercingly, as to how much he had put her through, and because of that he could have sworn he heart his heart begin to break. 

“I know,” he whispered, though he knew he would never truly know until he was in the same position. 

There wasn’t much that could be said for what happened. EZ knew he could apologise; profusely, however, it would do no good. What he brought to Amalia – what he put her through was something he knew would kill him had it been her bleeding, damaged body brought to his door step. If it were him who had to sew up her wounds. 

Throughout the day little to no words were shared between them. Though that didn’t mean anything sinister to their relationship. EZ knew once he was better, he could make it up to her and Amalia knew that nothing EZ did to hurt her was intentional. He didn’t ask to be shot. She knew what she was getting herself into when they started dating, hell, even before that. She knew who EZ was and she loved him anyway. 

__________________________

Four weeks later

“No fondling the help!” Amalia said, doing her best to swipe EZ’s wandering hands away which were trying to make their way up her skirt.  

He lay on their bed, wound still covered and healing. He was a lot stronger than that night. Since then, he had been out and about, though his nurse was strict and limited him when it came to wandering around. She was too afraid he would rip open his stitches.  

“It’s not my fault you’re so… sexy.”

Through his healing process Amalia found EZ’s sex drive, which had thus far been neglected, had grown, and at first, she was scared. Too afraid of hurting him, or injuring him further. Though as he began to heal, albeit, slowly, she allowed their nefarious activities to return – though they were limited. She could tell he wanted more than what she gave but she couldn’t quite get past that fear. 

The first time they had sex after the incident involved Amalia on top, hands on either shoulder, straddling EZ’s waist. His wound was still on her mind at all times, as was the fear. EZ couldn’t have cared less. He wanted inside and was willing to have his stitches tear if it meant getting what he wanted. 

She felt like a nervous teenager again who was about to lose her virginity, unsure of what to do with her hands. She was too afraid to put too much pressure on different parts of his body. Too afraid to hurt him. 

“You won’t kill me by touching me,” he said, hands gripping her waist as he ground the most sensitive part of her body onto his, “but not touching me, will.”

A small gasp left her mouth as he repeated the action again. It had been so long since they had touched each other like this, though she was still clothed. She wanted to give in and remove the fear from herself. She was close to doing so, especially when his fingers found her clit. He had moved her panties to the side and began rubbing the little nub slowly. 

EZ loved hearing the sounds that escaped as he teased her. He lay there looking up watching her as he continued to pleasure her, and allowed himself to ease a finger inside. 

“Fuck! EZ!”

He grinned, proud to hear his name on her lips and added another. He could feel the tension within her begin to build slowly as he picked up the pace, and knew she was close, but he was selfish. He wanted to be inside her when she came. 

Removing his fingers, he tried as best he could, withholding a wince, to push his cock inside her. By this point, Amalia had stilled already missing where his fingers had been, not expecting the intrusive entrance of his cock. 

“Ride me,” he rasped, “ride me hard.” 

She did as he begged, disregarding her previous fears.

She fucked him hard and fast, the sound of their skin slapping together echoing throughout the room. His pleasure was ecstasy and that made him numb to the pain. It made him lean forward gripping the back of her neck, pulling her head back so he could lavish her throat with his lips. With one hand on her waist, he allowed the other to find her breasts. He began to tease her nipples one at a time tweaking the little buds enjoying the sounds escaping her as he did so. Soon his mouth ventured down to her chest and gave it the same attention he did her throat. He left small purple bruises on her skin. Some that would have been easy to hide, others more difficult. 

The pressure was beginning to build inside them both, becoming more intense. It caused them to go harder and faster than they did before which Amalia did not think was physically possible. This meant that they had no rhythm. Not that they minded.  They just continued to thrust their bodies towards one another seeking the friction and pleasure they needed to get to the end. EZ’s fingers we back on her clit rubbing furiously, willing Amalia closer and closer to her orgasm. He wanted her to cum first, clenching herself on his cock as he had experienced in the past. He had missed this. Her. 

“Fuck EZ!” She was close, so close. 

“Come on baby,” he panted in her ear, urging her on. 

“I’ve got you,” he cooed, “just let go.”

And she did. 

She screamed his name, voice cracking as he continued to fuck her.

Her clit abandoned, he gripped her hips, fingers digging into her skin as he finally brought himself to climax. 

A loud moan escaped him, her name a whisper on his lips that he chose to repeat over and over again as his climax washed over him. His thrusts began to slow as they began to cool down. He brought his face closer to hers, forehead to forehead. Lips brushing each other’s.

“You’re bleeding.” She whispered. 

He looked down briefly and caught sight of his white bandage that now showed splotches of blood.

“It was worth it.” He grinned.

TAGLIST [OPEN]: @appropriate-writers-name​ 

[naralanis]

little bumps in the road (pt. 22)

Previously on LBitR...

Despite J’onn’s somewhat encouraging parting words, Lena felt anything but prepared once he left her and Alex to their brightly lit little cells in this god-forsaken bunker.

Yeah, she ‘knew.’ So what?

At the very least, it just means that she needs to anticipate Lex’s next move. Fantastic; it’s not like she’s been trying and failing to do precisely that for as long as she’s known him.

At best, it means J’onn is hinting at some kind of advantage he seems to think she possesses. That’s the part Lena hasn’t quite figured out yet, and the clock is ticking. For all she knows, Kara may as well be flying right over their heads, and they would be none the wiser… that is, until Lex decides it’s time to play with his toys.

Alex grumbles in her cell, the sheets of her cot rustling as she shifts to sit up. She blinks at Lena for a few moments, studying her, yet not surprised to see her there in the slightest.

She looks like shit.

“Please tell me you’ve got a watch,” Alex mumbles in lieu of a greeting, voice hoarse and slightly groggy.

Lena shakes her head in the negative. Her eyes are glued to the bandages at Alex’s temple—they are crisp and clean, except for a slight, dark red spot right at the center. The agent follows her line of sight with a wry chuckle.

“I tried to get at mine, too,” she explains with a droopy wave at her temple and a tight shrug. “Almost got it, too, before Brainy informed me I was about to melt my brain or something. Lovely little gizmo your brother got us.”

Lena sighs, ashamed despite herself. Alex keeps on speaking, sounding amused—Lena isn’t sure if it’s because she’s using humour to cope with this thoroughly unpleasant, hopeless situation, or if the painkillers they gave her were just that good.

“I have to admit, I am glad I didn’t try it with a fucking piece of glass,” Alex quips as she stands up and stretches. Lena can hear the pop of every vertebrae as the agent cranes her neck.

“So,” Alex continues in the face of Lena’s silence, approaching the crystal-clear barrier separating them and clapping her hands loudly. Her walk is still a little wobbly. “We can’t get these things off. What’s the plan then, Luthor?”

Lena—who so far has just been standing in the same spot, biting her lip and mulling over what J’onn had said—whips back to face the agent so fast she almost gives herself whiplash.

“Plan?” she says, feeling her voice squeak in the way it often does when she’s about to descend into hysterics. That has been happening a little too frequently as of late, so she takes a moment to close her eyes and breathe deeply through her nose, centering herself.

“There is no plan,” she says, crossing her arms—the cast makes the familiar action a tad awkward, and it takes her a few seconds to get it somewhat right.

Alex simply eyes her impassively for a few moments, and then loudly sucks air through her teeth and releases it. “OK, then,” she says, not sounding as resigned as the situation probably warrants, which throws Lena for a loop. “So, we make a new one.”

Lena wants to make a sarcastic comment about what kind of meds they must have given Alex for her to entertain such a ridiculous notion, but she reins it in at the last moment and opts for a skeptical quirk of her brow instead.

“By all means,” she drawls, unable to keep her sarcasm fully at bay. “If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears, because I frankly don’t have any. We’re locked in an underground bunker until Lex decides to have his way with the nifty little implants he gave us.”

Alex nods, smacking her lips. “I don’t accept that.”

Lena releases a humorless laugh. “I suggest you start,” she waves her broken hand around her cell. “Because it’s pretty hard to ignore.”

Alex takes a few more steps forward; she’s so close her breath fogs the glass. “Then work it out, Luthor.” She puts a finger on the glass; it thunks oddly loudly against the smooth surface as she taps away to punctuate her words. “The way I see it, Lex is going to activate these things in our heads any minute now. I would very much like either of us not hurting my baby sister, thank you very much. So out with it.”

Lena huffs, irked by the demand. “You think I want to hurt Kara? You think I wanted to do it the first time?!”

“You have hurt her before,” Alex retorts. Her tone is calm, but Lena feels it like a slap in the face. “I don’t think you wanted to kill her, but you did encase her in Kryptonite. Don’t act like you’re above hurting her.”

Lena wants to say something back, but her words are stuck in her throat. Alex doesn’t give her a chance to recover and speak, but the gentleness in her tone keeps throwing Lena off.

“And that’s exactly what Lex is going to use against you—what he has used against you already.” She smiles, a little sadly. “You wouldn’t be standing there thinking about what J’onn said if you didn’t think there’s something you can use to get us all out of this mess.”

Lena only realizes she’s crying when her tears cool her cheeks in the dry air of the cell. She steps forward, almost as close to the barrier as Alex is. “It might be nothing,” she says, biting at her lip.

Alex puts her whole palm onto the glass. “But it might be something.”

Lena lets out a wry laugh. “Maybe.” She looks back at Alex, focus narrowing at the bandages at her temple and her matching ones in the reflection of the glass. “When you tried to reach your suppressed memories, how did it feel?”

“Like shit.” Alex shrugs. “Well. That’s an understatement,” she adds on, running a hand through her cropped hair. “It was agony. Hot. Like… lightning in my head. White and bright.”

Lena nods. “When Lex captured me… He triggered something like that—he used specific words to trigger that reaction; though I felt it before… when you met me and Kara in Metropolis, when I tried to remember what really happened.”

Lena’s gaze meets with Alex, and the agent looks more than a little lost. Lena surmises her memories aren’t entirely back just yet. She sighs, waving it away. “That’s not important. But I did accidentally manage to… snap out of it—I stopped whatever he triggered, somehow. And then I tried to dig out the implant,” she adds, almost as an afterthought.

Alex’s forehead bumps against the glass. “How did you stop it?”

Lena chuckles wryly, and raises her casted hand. “I shocked my body out of it,” she explains. “I slammed my broken hand onto a table, and the pain gave me something else to focus on. Then I just…” she flounders, then, because how can Lena explain that she packed whatever Lex had triggered in her brain away into a mental box without sounding like a lunatic?

“You just what?”

Lena sighs, knocks her head against the barrier in frustration. “I put it away,” she mumbles.

Alex blinks. “Excuse me. You did what now?”

“I put it away, Alex. I—I don’t know, I compartmentalized it. I separated it from whatever else I was thinking and feeling, until I could get a handle on it.”

She turns her gaze back to Alex, ready to see the judgement in her eyes, ready to hear her tell Lena she thinks she’s crazy.

To her surprise, the agent looks… impressed.

“OK,” Alex says slowly. “Do you think you could do it again?”

Lena opens her mouth, closes it again. That’s the question, isn’t it? Is that what she’s prepared for? Is that what J’onn meant when he said she knows what to expect?

“Maybe,” she says, only half believing it. “I don’t know.”

“Do you remember what Lex said to trigger the implant?”

Lena nods a somber affirmative. “Do you?”

Alex shakes her head, but her gaze is hopeful. “If you do, maybe… maybe you can turn it around. It’s like a magic trick,” she says, trying to be helpful. “Once you know how it works, the illusion is gone.”

Lena wants to point out that Q-wave and memory manipulation is far from a simple magic trick, but Alex’s words resonate in her mind—how much has she replayed exactly what Lex had said when he left her?

She opens her mouth to speak, but a loud buzzing interrupts her. It seems to be coming from Alex’s pocket—the agent gives her a sheepish look as she pulls out something that looks like a pager.

“I do hope you figure it out soon,” Alex says, eyeing the device grimly. She turns to show Lena a miniscule screen—the contraption was obviously left by Nia or Brainy for one purpose and one purpose only, and Lena’s heart is in her throat when she sees the recognizable sigil blinking over a familiar map. “Because Kara’s back.”

 << Previous || Next >>

[rose7420]

Use Your Words

A request from @lokiismyhubby

Summary: Loki feels down and Y/N decides she wants to help him out

Warnings: Selectively Mute reader

Y/N sat with Peter Parker, listening to him as he rambled on about his homework and complained about how much he had to do of it, instead of just doing it. Even though Peter could be kind of annoying sometimes Y/N loved to be near him. He was the only human so far that had proved to be worthy of her trust. He was a gentle giant and showed her tenderness and care when he provided her company. He even went out of his way to gather her food and certain supplies to help her out, erasing the risk of her being caught by another human.

Y/N knew Peter didn’t have to do all of these things but he still chose to and that made y/n feel good because she knew someone out there cared for her wellbeing. Out of impulse, she stepped up to Peter’s wrist that held a pencil and hugged it.

“Woah there… You good pipsqueak?” Peter said, raising an eyebrow in curiousness. Y/N nodded her head wordlessly. She didn’t like to speak much.

She had lost her parents at a young age and her kind called borrowers lived in small, distanced packs, making it hard to find people to share a life with. After she had lost everyone close to her there had been no reason to speak and communicate with others. Peter was the first person she had talked to in five years. When she first spoke to him her voice had been rough and she didn’t want to admit she had lost the confidence to actually speak. All of her memory of language had practically withered away in her head, making it hard to remember how to pronounce some words. Peter had only questioned once why she didn’t speak to him. He was worried she was frightened of him but she assured him that wasn’t the problem with an exaggeration of her hands and a written note. Peter hadn’t questioned her after that and only spoke to her with no expectations of her responding.

She released his wrist and smiled brightly up towards him.

“I’m glad you’re feeling good today. But I think something has made Loki feel bad these last weeks. Would you know why?” Peter asks, resting his head upon his hand to see her better. Y/n shakes her head.

“Well if you have any free time, you mind using those amazing spy skills for me? I’m worried about him, he won’t talk to me?” He patted her head with a finger.

Y/n nodded, anxious to see Loki for the first time. She had never come across the god since her arrival at the tower.

Y/n sat on a shelf in Loki’s room watching his daily life. He led a rather peaceful but boring routine. Reading late at night and early in the morning, practicing his impressive magical abilities, and occasionally eating a meal. Y/n was about to stand and leave, ready to tell Peter that he was probably sad because he did nothing during the day when the door opened. In Thor walked, one of the biggest people she’d ever seen, and that was saying something.

“Brother, why don’t you just leave this room? There are plenty of things to do.” Thor said to Loki.

“Leave so I can hear you all blabber on of how wretched of a person I am? My life may be spent in solitude but perhaps I like it like that.” Loki retorted snarkily.

“If you stay in here, your chances of being liked will increase no more. “Thor said stepping towards Loki.

“So you admit it? The mortals of this tower do not want me here.” Loki said, anger lashing his voice.

“I don’t blame them, brother. You’re wasting away in this existence you call a life. Mother would be disappointed.” Thor said, his voice going soft to lessen the blow at the end.

Despite Thor’s gentility, Loki still became furious.

“Get out,” Loki said with a scary calm. Thor respected his wishes and walked out. But Y/n stayed, thinking she had just found the reason for Loki’s sadness.

As the days went by Y/n hid well and listened to the others’ Avengers conversations. Most of them as she’d thought spoke terribly of Loki. Remorse became heavy in her heart and she vowed to make Loki feel better. Since Peter had been there for her she figured it was time for her to be there for someone else.

She crept onto Peter’s desk and broke the lead off the pencil quietly. She checked to make sure he was still asleep and began writing.

Dear Mr. Loki,

I am sorry you feel so bad. I know people can be mean but I think your feelings are valid. If it was me I wouldn’t want to hear about what people think of me either. But I think you are very kind and generous. I hope this helps.

-Your friend

Y/n set out the next night to give the letter to Loki. Her handwritten letter was strapped to her back, easily accessible to her reach. The floor was mute under her imperceptible footsteps. She climbed the towering, unstable wall of Loki’s silk, black bedsheets which was a hard task as the sheets slipped from her grip a couple of times sending her heart to beat out of her chest. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, she reached the top. Her breaths were heavy and she struggled to keep them quiet. Approaching Loki’s open, pale outstretched palm she retrieved the letter from behind her back. The paper was bigger than her upper half when folded together and heavy enough that she couldn’t place it upon his palm using only her arms to boost it to the surface. Which meant that she would have to climb into his hand.

Oh, how she wanted to turn around, climb down the bed and run to her safe, warm home inside the wall.

But she refused to give up when she had come so far.

And he needed someone to be there for him.

She delicately climbed into his palm, with the letter strapped to her back carefully placing her feet in non-ticklish places. One twitch of his hand would send her flying onto the covers, or worse off the bed itself. She shivered at the thought. Finding a good place to leave the letter she bends down.

Then a powerful, immense weight falls upon her sending darkness to coat her vision. She falls to her butt as vertigo hits.

“What are you doing?” A booming voice demands.

She trembles in fear, covering her head with her arms. I knew I should’ve just gone away. What will he do?

“I asked you a question?” The voice is angry. A light is turned on allowing her sight of her captor.

She dares to look up and is met with the rage of Loki Laufeyson. She shakes her head in reluctance to answer.

“What is this?” He roughly nudges her away from the note she holds in her arms causing her to fall onto her back with a squeak of fear. She holds onto the slip of paper for security but his strength overpowers hers greatly. His eyes squint in concentration as he reads the small handwriting.

“Did you write this?” He asks returning his focus upon her trembling form.

She nods hesitantly.

“Truly?”

Another nod.

“You don’t speak much do you Little Miss, do you?” He asks with a hint of a smile, his tone is much softer.

She shakes her head. Y/n clutches her arms across her chest, scooting back further from his face.

“Did I frighten you?” Loki suggests his eyes gentle voice guilty.

She nods, her eyes wide studying him for any ill intent.

“I apologize. I have a few trust issues. “

She says nothing and only stares at him with distrust.

“How did you know what the others were saying about me?” Loki asks raising her to meet his eyes. Even through her apprehension, she notices how beautiful they are. How his irises cannot seem to decide on a cool blue or a rainforest green.

She doesn’t try to answer his question, from the fear of speaking and the trepidation of angering him with her words.

“Okay, well I will wait until you’re ready to tell me. For now, I’ll let you go.” He stands up from his bed and releases her onto the hardwood floor. He stays crouched even as she slips off his long fingers. Taking a few cautious steps away from his looming form she is frankly surprised he is letting her go. She supposes that is a good sign. Maybe she will come back to him despite her previous scare.

“Don’t be a stranger.” His voice calls out almost wistfully.

Next week…

Y/n finds herself in a vent located in Loki’s room. This past week she’d felt guilty for leaving Loki in such a dreadful, sad state. So her final decision was to come back. She watched as Loki sat reading in an armchair on the other side of the room. He looked regal and imposing from far away, with his head bent down in concentration, long legs spread outward and she could only imagine how intimidating he must look up close. Her legs shook as she dropped to the floor below with no sound to alert Loki of her presence. Scurrying to his chair she stopped by his black boot. Even this simple apparel dwarfed her, able to serve as her sufficient sleeping quarters.

If you want to turn back now’s the time. She said to herself.

The enormous, unaware boot shifted closer to her and she let out a squeak, scampering back.

“It’s you again Little Miss.”

She craned her head all the way up and saw Loki staring down at her. His black hair hung down around his face. His hand reached for her and pinched her waist carefully, lifting her up to bring in front of his eyes. The pressure on her waist was gentle but still made her fearful.

She kicked her legs in search of a non-reachable floor. Loki noticed her apprehension and set her down in his other palm.

“Is that better?” He ducked his head down to meet her eye.

She nodded.

“Still not talking are we?” He asked.

She shook her head.

“Well, I suppose that’ll be fine. Would you care for me to read to you?” He asked kindly.

His offer was so kind and thoughtful. One that didn’t seem right for a simple nod in answer.

“Y-yes p-please.” She stumbled.

Loki grinned and set her upon his shoulder. She wasn’t sure what to do so high up and close to his person. Thankfully Loki caught onto this with his quick perception.

“Sit right here Little One.” He tapped right beside his neck and held still as she walked to the pointed area. Sitting down, she dared to lean a bit of her weight against his neck. She was instantly met with warmth and the gentle pounding of his pulse. When he started reading his smooth voice vibrated her minutely.

After a while, Y/n started becoming sleepy from the comfortableness of her position. Loki stopped reading.

“You know Little Miss, I think you have a lovely voice… perhaps you should use it more often.”

Y/n pondered these words in her sleepy mind.

Maybe she would heed his advice, but for now, she would sleep.

[midgardianweasley]

hello! welcome to fanfic writing for hp and mcu! I was wondering if I could make a request for Freddie! Maybe something fluffy where he’s becomes familiar with the muggle world bc of work and takes his pureblood gf to London for the first time and just gushes over how cute she is experiencing all the muggle stuff for the first time? Thank you!

hello my lovely! I had so much fun with this request. I hope you like it!<3

Seeing the sights

Fred Weasley x fem!reader

Summary: Fred takes a week holiday from work, he’s been doing some travel over the last few months to muggle London and decides to take Y/N, who’s never experienced the muggle world, to see some of the popular sights.

Warnings: none :)

Word count: 1864 words

Message/ask if you want to be on the taglist <33

“Hey sweetheart! I’m home!” Fred announced to the quiet home, hanging up his coat and putting his wand down on the unit beside the front door. He briefly thought that maybe his girlfriend was out somewhere, however, that thought was quickly discarded when he heard footsteps running towards him and before he knew it, a body collided with his chest. After recovering from his stumble from the collision, he looked down to see a mop of Y/H/C hair just below his chin. He went to speak, before hearing a slight mumble.

“Sorry Darling, what was that?” He chuckled, holding her arms as she gently pulled away, looking up at him, she smiles before responding

“I missed you”

“I missed you too sweetheart, but, I come with good news!”

“Ooooh, I like good news! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” She claps her hands, excited for what Fred was about to reveal.

“Georgie and I have closed the shop for the next few days, he and Angelina are gonna be heading off to Scotland on holiday, so, I was thinking that you and I could take a trip to muggle London!” He spoke, excitement in his voice clear as day. He’d been going to muggle London on business with his brother a few times over the last couple of months and he’d seen some places he wanted to share with his girlfriend, a pureblood like himself, as she’s never experienced anything muggle related before that wasn’t taught in a classroom. He wanted to show her firsthand to let her have an insight on some of the things he’d seen.

“The place you’ve been telling me about?”

“Yeah! The place that has the awesome cake I was telling you about!”

“There’s gonna be cake?”

“There will be cake”

And those were the last words spoken before she ran off in a hurry again, reaching the cupboard in the hall of their shared home, to pull a suitcase down and beginning packing. Fred smiled, happy to see that the excitement he was feeling, was mutual.  

~Timeskip~

The couple had just arrived and settled themselves into their hotel in the heart of London when Y/N bounced over to the windows in their bedroom and opened the door of their balcony, giving them a full view of the city.

“Wow, it’s beautiful!” Y/N spoke, wrapping her hands around the new pair of arms that had found themselves around her waist. Fred gently kissed below her ear, enjoying the slight breeze outside, glad they had worn their jumpers as it was starting to become fall season.

“So I was thinking” He began, still giving her quick pecks, moving between her neck and her jawline. “We could either chill out for today and see the sights tomorrow, or, we could spend the rest of today out and about and just choose what to do tomorrow depending on how you feel today goes.”

She thought it over for a few minutes, trying to decide whether she wanted to save the tourist stuff for later in the trip or start exploring today, when looking out at the busy city, it was suddenly really obvious what she wanted to do.

“I wanna go and see what that thing is!” She jumped, struggling to contain how eager she was.

“The big circle thing over there?” He spoke, following where she was pointing.

“Yeah!”

“Ahh, that’s called the London Eye” Leading her inside and helping her put her coat back on

“Wait, what? But there’s no eyes? Can that thing see?!” She exclaimed. He laughed before explaining that it wasn’t a literal eye, before leading her out of the door and smiling at how clueless she was, almost forgetting that it was exactly how he and George were when they first visited. Thankfully this time, Fred remembered the key card to their room, learning from an unfortunate mistake he and his twin brother made that resulted in the pair sitting outside in the hall for forty minutes, waiting for someone to let them back in. Y/N watched Fred put the key into their door, confused as to what he was doing as she pulled out her wand. Upon turning and seeing her eyes flutter between her wand and the rectangular thing in his hand, he started to explain again.

“This is a little card we put in this machine attached to the door handle, it locks and opens the door for us whenever we swipe it in this little slot here.” He explains while demonstrating, taking great joy in her face morphing as she tries to understand.

“We can’t just use ‘Alohamora’?”

“No Love, it’s all done the muggle way here, remember?”

Not entirely sure of herself, Y/N puts her wand back into her coat pocket and watches as Fred does the same with the muggle key card.

After a walk in Hyde park and hearing Big Ben ring out, scaring Y/N almost half to death ultimately causing Fred to practically fall over from laughing so much, the pair found themselves in Trafalgar Square, a soon to be favourite of Y/N’s.

“Can you guess why we’re here?”

“Uhm, to look at the fountain?”

“Well, yes, that, but, look up and to your left”

Y/N did as Fred had told her and gasped in excitement, for what felt like the thousandth time, when spotting the big cake logo above the doorway. Putting the pieces together, she knew that this was the place where Fred had kept bringing back Y/F/C from his trips. Fred took his hands from his back, to reveal two boxes of her favourite cake that she had been craving since it was first mentioned. Y/N wasted no time in taking the box from his hand, thanking him and opening it up, not stopping to wonder how the hell he’d managed to go and get it when she could’ve sworn she was with him the whole time. Her attention was brought back to Fred when he held a plastic, wrapped fork in front of her face, saving her from getting any crumbs or icing on her outfit. She took it from his hands gently and the two of them started to eat their cakes, occasionally taking some from the other person with large smiles painted across their face.

~Timeskip~

The sun had almost set now, the city now starting to light up with rows of street lights, headlights from the cars of people returning home from work to their loved ones, further accompanied by the lights from overlooking apartments. Y/N stood in the middle of the streets that had started to calm, but not by much, and spun slowly on the spot, taking in the beauty of the night atmosphere. What she had failed to notice, was that all throughout the day, Fred had been giving her the same look. He was completely in awe of her fascination and how she thought everything was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. He knew that the muggle world would be a new environment for her, causing him to feel slightly anxious when first raising the idea, but seeing her be so absorbed by everything, made him feel like his heart had grown double the size. Stopping on the spot, Y/N saw her boyfriend look like he was in a trance, making her shy under his gaze when realising he was staring at her.

“You okay Freddie?” She spoke, watching him blink a few times before stepping forward and hugging him, feeling slightly colder now that it was darkening. He noticed her shiver slightly, unwrapping his scarf from his neck and gently wrapping around hers, before holding her face in his hands, a soft smile on their faces.

“Never better, my love.” They pulled away from their hug, taking each other's hand, and walked towards the main event of the day, well, night time now. Waiting in line to hop on the ride, the two of them swung their arms back forth. ‘The eye looks so much bigger from down here’, Y/N thought, craning her neck to look at the top of the wheel, Fred not having to strain too much due to his height, but is still taken aback everytime he sees how tall it is, he chuckles to himself thinking that this must be how Y/N feels when looking up at him, not daring to voice his thought, knowing it would result in a slap to the chest, a light-hearted one, but it was better safe than sorry.

The line moved quickly until it was eventually the couple’s turn to walk into the pod-like thing, managing to have it all to themselves, the line not being as busy as it was during the day. When it started to move again, Y/N stumbled, holding onto Fred as she lost her balance slightly, not prepared for it to move so suddenly, causing the both of them to laugh at her clumsiness. Everytime they feel that they can’t possibly be happier than what they are or smile anymore than what they have, they’re proven wrong.

When they got to the top, an audible gasp fell from Y/N’s lips, if she thought that the views were pretty from the ground, seeing them from the top of this wheel was a whole other level. She walked closer to the glass, looking at all of the lights and tiny figures walking the streets. Sure, she’d gone flying on her Firebolt before and playing quidditch had given her a high view of a crowd before, but when flying, you can never really appreciate the views, especially not if you have a bludger flying towards you, something Fred had always made sure wouldn’t happen, knowing how painful it can be to be hit with one of those things. But with everything so still from where she was, there was no crowd screaming, no breeze whipping her hair in 50 directions, there was just serenity.

“Do you like it?” Fred broke the silence, eyes still focused on the girl beside him, watching her eyes go back and forth. He thought she hadn’t heard him she was so entranced, before she whispered a short “It’s incredible.” Another minute went by until she was pulling her eyes away and meeting with his, having to look up slightly. “I love it Fred. I love it all, today has been absolutely insane. Thank you so much.” She spoke softly, wrapping her arms around his torso and hugging him tight, but careful not to squeeze him. He returned the hug, arms wrapping around her shoulders and chin placed upon her head. A soft “you’re welcome darling” escaping him, careful to not break the peaceful silence they had.

And while Y/N was peacefully looking at the view, still wrapped up in Fred's scarf and his arms, her head felt empty with how peaceful the moment was, Fred felt the same, however, his head didn’t feel empty as he had one thought running through his head.

‘I’m going to marry this girl’

And thankfully, he had the ring in his back pocket ready to act on it.

Taglist: @horrorxweasley @dracofknmalfoy @gaycatlord-stuff

[calaofnoldor]

Dean, Don’t

Characters: Sam x F!Reader, Dean

Words: 1,906

Summary: You’re heavily pregnant and highly irritable. Luckily, Sam Winchester is the sweetest moose to ever moose.

Warnings: pregnancy (and all its related symptoms), ill-fated attempt at humor, disgustingly sweet fluff (seriously, you’re gonna need a tooth brush)

A/N: this might be my first ever attempt at this genre, so please don’t judge me too harshly :)

MASTERLIST

“Wow… geez, you look ready to-“

“Dean,” Sam shot his brother a warning glance as he guided you into the kitchen, a giant palm held gently against your aching lower back, “Don’t.”

Dean quickly raised his hands and the gesture, together with his wide eyes, seemed to say ‘I wasn’t gonna say anything!’, although you knew that was far from the truth. In fact, you knew exactly what he was thinking because you’d been thinking it too – every hour of every day. It was safe to say you really didn’t need any reminders of your current condition.

“Y/N’s already having a rough time with the twins keeping her up all night, and she’s been extra sore lately,” your moose came to your rescue as always. Sam had been doing that a lot recently, not only by shielding you from Dean’s crude comments (and consequently protecting Dean from your wrath as well), but also by comforting and distracting you from the woes of your third trimester.

“Well at least it’ll be over soon, right?” Dean tried again.

“Not soon enough,” you grumbled in reply, before attempting to stretch out your spine with an unfiltered groan of discomfort.

“Aaand, that’s my cue to leave!” Dean announced, grabbing his plate of bacon to go and sauntering off, though not before sending his little brother an exaggerated ‘good-luck-with-that’ expression.

Sam rolled his eyes despite feeling somewhat relieved by his brother’s departure, then turned back to you. “Come on, baby. Let’s get you off your feet.” He wore a sweet sympathetic smile; it was one he had been donning often as of late, but it only worsened your mood.

“Sam, I’m fine. I can’t be constantly sitting or lying down!” You barked irritably, but when you noticed the sad puppy dog look on your boyfriend’s face, your attitude instantly withered.

“Look, I’m sorry. I just hate this so much.” Your fingers began to massage your temples as your mouth continued to utter the words that took you beyond the point of no return, “I’m a hunter, you know? I’m supposed to be able to take down monsters with the swing of my machete! I used to be able to roundhouse kick those inhuman bastards when I wanted to, and now I can’t even put my own socks on!” That much was true. Sam had helped you with your socks earlier that morning.

“And sometimes you being so overprotective only makes me feel more useless,” you added with a defeated huff.

Sam waited patiently until he was certain your little tirade was over. “I know exactly what you’re capable of, Y/N; you never have to remind me. And I can guarantee that you will still be able to do all those things… after you’ve given birth to our beautiful babies, and your body recovers from this drastic change it’s endured.”

He moved closer to you and extended one hand to caress the side of your face, while the other splayed across your immensely swollen stomach. “But baby, right now, at 39 weeks pregnant with twins, you’re not supposed to be able to do all that. I wouldn’t want you to be doing all that,” he chuckled lightly with the afterthought as he pictured your heavily expectant form attempting one of your famous round house kicks.

You raised a brow at him, knowing how his mind worked, and he immediately sobered, “Y/N, my point is you don’t realize how incredibly strong you are already, even without all the pregnant kung fu fighting you seem to be so keen on.”

Although you were tempted to roll your eyes at his teasing, the boyish grin he cast you couldn’t be resisted, and the corners of your lips begrudgingly lifted. But a sudden lurch in your belly wiped the smile promptly from your features.

“Oh,” you breathed in a gasp, placing your hands upon the area of assault.

“What? What is it?” Sam questioned worriedly, as he too moved both his hands to your baby bump. His eyes flickered frantically between your face and stomach, trying to read the situation for himself.

“Nothing, just a really strong kick, I think,” was your reply after a pause. You looked up at him with what you hoped was a reassuring smile. He returned it with a certain tinge of apprehension, so you grabbed his hand and placed it where one of your wayward twins was moving erratically within you.

No matter how many times Sam felt it, he couldn’t help but beam with pride and elation at the thought of his children growing stronger each day, and the fact that you were the one fostering their development made him truly believe he was the luckiest man alive in that moment.

“Wow, I guess they’re really ready to come out, huh?”

“Maybe,” you mused, “Or maybe they’ll choose to torture me for another week. I’m not getting my hopes up.”

Still fondling your belly with one hand, Sam used his other to turn your face towards his. “I am really sorry that you’re hurting. I wish I could make it stop.” He said it with such sincerity, you were almost inclined to forgive him. Almost.

“I would say ‘it’s not your fault’, but it kinda is,” came your playful response, which happily earned you a loving kiss.

When his lips left yours, you continued, “Also, as if the fact that two of your swimmers managed to make it to my eggs wasn’t enough, did you really have to make both of them Winchester-sized too?” You motioned vaguely to the wide expanse of your front side.

Sam said nothing, but rewarded you with a hearty laugh and a second kiss.

Later that day, as you sat snuggled between Sam’s lengthy and outstretched limbs on the bed, the two of you absent-mindedly watched an old classic movie play out on the television. His lips grazed your hairline every few minutes and his hands rubbed incessant circles on your extended stomach.

“How do you know our babies will be beautiful?” You questioned Sam abruptly, your eyes never leaving the screen.

His chest rumbled with a deep chortle that resonated through your back and caused you to smile in turn. “Well, they’ve got you for a mother, don’t they?”

“Psh! You forgot to mention that they’ve also got a father who looks like he was sculpted by the Greek gods! But that’s not the point; genetics is based on chance.” You craned your neck to look him in the eyes.

“Fine. I just have a feeling then, OK?” Sam shut you up with a quick kiss to the lips and you of course assented.

“Do you still think they’re going to be girls?”

“I hope so,” he replied with a pensive smile.

You studied his elegant features for a minute before feeling a smirk form on your own face. “Well too bad, they’re both boys.”

“What? How do you know?” Sam’s brow furrowed in that way you always thought made him look unbelievably adorable, especially for a man of his stature.

“I just have a feeling, OK?” You quoted back at him. “They call it mother’s intuition.”

Sam’s grin returned and you couldn’t remember feeling better in the past month. Dean hadn’t disturbed you all day since the incident in the kitchen, and the support of Sam’s solid torso pressed against your back seemed to be alleviating some of the strain from your body.

But alas, nothing is ever what it seems when you’re living with the Winchesters. A sudden splash of fluid upon the sheets interrupted your scarce and apparently fleeting moment of peace.

It took you a moment to register the wetness between your legs, although Sam was already one step ahead of you. “DEAN!” he hollered towards the hall.

“Sam, I think my water just broke,” you told him in a slight trance.

“Yeah, I know, baby. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and changed.” Sam’s voice was soothing and you began to follow his lead, slowly rising to your feet as he supported you from behind.

Just then, Dean came barreling in, brandishing his gun as his eyes searched frantically for any potential sources of peril. His green gaze turned befuddled upon finding no clear cause for distress.

“Dean, go get the Impala ready. Y/N’s in labor.” Sam’s voice held that composed and assertive edge which it often did when he took the lead on hunts. You would have found it awfully attractive under different circumstances.

As it were, a fresh contraction tore through you when you reached the dresser, and you were forced to bend over to weather the impact, your breathing becoming a little uneven. Sam’s arms were instantly around you, while the sight of your hunched and gravid form awoke Dean from his stupor.

He cleared his throat and his voice seemed a little gruffer than usual, “Uh, OK. Right. So… the bags? What do I need?”

“I’ll get the bags. Just get the damn car ready, Dean.”

Still the older Winchester stood transfixed in his spot, his eyes were somewhat unfocused. “Wow. So this is really happening…”

“Dean!”

“Yeah! On it! Got it! Uh… fight the fairies, Y/N! We got this.” And with that, he finally took off for the garage.

You couldn’t help but giggle to yourself, “He’s right, you know? This is really happening.”

Sam turned around and held your gaze with such reverence and fondness, you nearly melted right then. “I know,” he stated simply, before he crashed his lips to yours in a rushed yet zealous smooch.

“Ow! Yeah, OK, I think the twins are sick of our antics already,” you gushed through gritted teeth as another tightening of your middle took over.

Sam cupped your stomach gingerly on either side, as if he could somehow abate the pain with his touch. “Right, let’s hurry it up then. I think all that soreness you felt before and the twins’ heightened movement might’ve been a sign of early labor.”

“You’re such a nerd, you know that?”

He only responded with knowing smirk, then continued to help you get changed so he could usher you out the door.

Dean met you outside, where he stood by the shiny black car, looking a little more prepared for action than earlier. “You guys good?”

“Yeah, are you?” Sam asked, a bit dubiously.

“Hey, I’m ready to get this show on the road!”

“Am I gonna fit?” You eyed the Impala with slight apprehension. You had always been a fan of the classic car before, but now that Sam had fertilized you so thoroughly, the backseat seemed a lot more daunting.

“Of course, my girl can handle anything. She’ll get you to the hospital in no time so that you can have my nieces.”

“Nephews,” you corrected, but nodded anyway and allowed Sam to help you inside the vehicle.

The boys stood outside for a moment longer. “You alright, Sammy?”

Sam was glowing and Dean couldn’t have repressed the surge of love and pride that rose within him if he tried, despite his ‘no chick flick moments’ rule.

“Yeah, I’ve never been better, Dean.”

“Speak for yourself, asshole!” You would later blame the contraction for your foul language, but it was your shouting through the window that ultimately got you on the road.

“Yeah alright, we’re going! Just don’t be having any babies in my Baby!”

“Dean,” Sam’s bitch face revealed itself once more, “Don’t.”

→ CARRY ON

A/N #2: thank you so much for reading! btw, if any of you sam girls wanna show off your love for the giant adorkable moose man, there’s a ‘sammy the moose’ print now available at lexicolor.redbubble.com!

also available in various styles, as well as on mugs, notebooks, phone cases, and a bunch of other stuff! and if you’re more of a dean girl, i got you covered too 😉❤️

[bellshells]

Do Me No Wrong Part One

Part one of Do Me No Wrong, this is just entirely too big and too self serving to be one post. I guess we could call this a slow-burn now? I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this, and cannot wait to share part two with you! Pairing: Severus Snape x Fem!Reader x Remus Lupin Warnings: Language, Alcohol, Smut (Masturbation, Penetrative sex), Angst(?), Suggested Polyamorous Themes Word Count: 10.7k+

  It appeared to be at first glance quite an innocent and innocuous start to the spring term. The castle had been abuzz from October to Christmas after Sirius Black had encroached the defences and found his way to Gryffindor Tower. Luckily, The Fat Lady had performed her duty and not allowed him entry; but that did nothing to quell the whispers of fear and excitement that reverberated off the ancient stone walls. You had found it difficult to look Remus in the eye. When he was present for meals that is. You had known him whilst you were a student- albeit Remus and his friends (Sirius included) had been four years older and far more important than to ever cast even a cursory glance in your direction. But still the fact remained that the four of them along with Potter and Pettigrew had been more like brothers than friends, everyone knew that. It must be immensely difficult to know that your best friend; your supposed brother in arms had escaped from the most secure facility this side of the wizarding world and had successfully broken in to the second most secure facility to murder one of your students. Not only that, the son of your other best friend who also died because of this man.

  You supposed that’s why, that first night that Remus appeared in the Great Hall, sandy hair limp around his face and dark circles under his eyes, you cleared your throat and offered him a smile. Remus returned it tightly, his eyes tired and glassy as he took his seat next to you. He smelled terrible, you turned your head to the side as inconspicuously as you could and muttered a spell under your breath, in an instant the smell was gone and although you assumed Remus would be none the wiser, you noticed as he gave a small glance in your direction. It was only when Severus appeared at the far end of the table that you noticed any change in Remus’ posture. He seemed to stiffen slightly, his chin raising in silent defiance as his hand reached greedily toward his goblet. The few interactions you had shared with Severus since you joined the Hogwarts teaching staff had done nothing to change your opinion of him. He was cold and distant when you were children and he remained unchanged these years later. It had been more than a surprise when he appeared as the new potion’s professor for your seventh year, it had only felt like five minutes since he had been a student himself, yet there he was; not so much fresh-faced as stony. He had remained as he always had; moody and unapproachable. Although, you had imagined that a man in his mid-thirties would have accumulated some conversational skills, it appeared that that had either passed Severus by, or he had deigned it unworthy of his time. In any case, you found it easier to keep out of his way, and in turn, Severus returned the favour. It almost seemed a shame. He had always come across as someone with a brilliant mind and therefore would have interesting and insightful opinions, but it had become clear very early on that if he did, he chose not to share them. Instead, you sought information or rather, gossip about him from the usual sources of Pomona and Minerva. Minerva, not readily able to forget your time as her student had refused to participate at first, but you learned swiftly that a bottle of mead and a muggle vinyl just might do the trick. Severus, a perpetual bachelor, still guarded even though the war had long since ended, nonetheless had piqued your interest almost immediately. It became apparent though, that you were indeed barking up the wrong tree.

  Remus seemed more comfortable after a while. He exchanged a few pleasantries with Hagrid as the bearded man made a clumsy attempt to request help in warding his hippogriff’s new lodging outside of his hut. Remus conceded to take a look, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes confirmation to Hagrid, and the games-keeper seemed content with that. You settled comfortably into the silence that fell over your side of the table. You often chose to sit on the very end, it made it easier to make a swift escape back to your chamber if needs be. You weren’t a head of house, neither did you teach a core subject, you had few Arithmancy students and so you found your evening often free. Not tonight though. You kept one eye on the headmaster and one eye on your muggle watch affixed to your left wrist. The ticking by of the seconds seemed arduously slow as your empty plate sat mockingly in front of you. Out of the corner of your eye, Pomona leaned forward in her chair and waved a hand in your direction. Glancing at the stout woman, she wore an excited grin. She was almost giddy as she tapped her wrist impatiently, an idiosyncrasy she had acquired from you. You bit your lip to stop the laugh that built in your chest and returned your gaze to your empty plate.   “Big plans?” A soft voice asked. Remus looked almost cheerful as he turned his attention to you from Pomona who was now practically tugging at Minerva’s sleeve like a child would do with their mother. You noticed how he seemed more like himself, the dark circles still prevalent under his green eyes, but his cheeks were flushed with pink.   “Oh yes. There’s a bottle of firewhisky with my name on it.” You replied, “I hear the Broomstick’s calling my name, if only this meal would just bloody end.” Remus sniggered and leaned toward you conspiratorially.   “I should have known alcohol would be involved. Nobody looks this happy on a Thursday…unless they have a date.” Remus whispered, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and you placed a hand on his shoulder.   “Ah, someone has clearly never been for a drink with the two biggest gossips this castle has ever seen.” You gesture to where Minerva is subtly swatting Pomona away with an affectionately stern look. “It’s amazing the things you find out.” Bringing your goblet to your lips, the tartness of the wine brought a tingling from your tongue to the tips of your toes as Remus watched you. You considered the man before you, handsome and rugged. It was impossible to ignore the dramatic scars that littered his face and hands, but with the evocation of sympathy they withdrew, was an air of mystery that was almost intoxicating. Was he dangerous, or just very unlucky? Remus seemed to take note of your appraisal of him, whether he was amused or intrigued, his face didn’t betray him. Only the slight narrowing of his eyes told of a deeper thought held within.   “And what might one learn from two inscrutable gossips?” He said, his voice low. You felt an all too familiar feeling in the base of your chest, the feeling of boisterousness as you began to gently flirt with Remus. The dishevelled man from earlier almost entirely forgotten.   “That would be telling, Professor.”

  Remus looked slowly from your eyes to your lips and back, you had danced this dance before and knew how it would end; sweaty and sated more than likely. You smirked at the thought and reclined slightly in your chair, allowing Remus’ gaze to travel with you. You had barely noticed the students rise along the stretched pews as Albus stepped down from the High Table and moved languidly towards the now open doors. You stood too, now conscious of the hundreds of pairs of eyes looking at their teachers for permission to leave. Minerva nodded curtly to the crowd and the students began to noisily disperse to their respective common rooms. You took advantage of the distraction to slip away from the hall, there is after all, the most fun in the chase. You pondered silently to yourself as you dressed and made your way to the courtyard; if the flirtatious nature of your conversation with Remus had been by design a distraction technique of his own. He had seemed in a sorry state when he had arrived that evening, having been absent for the best part of a week. Alongside that, he had never much taken an interest in you beyond the professional up until that point and whilst you enjoyed the interaction, you weren’t convinced.

  Minerva was the first to join you, her emerald cloak snatched tightly to her chest in the brisk evening. She rolled her eyes as she approached you, a grimace settling on her face as she boldly lifted your wrist to her face and checked the time under the moonlight.   “She’s hounded me all evening to get out of the castle, its typical that she would be late.” Minerva sniffed as she folded her arms across her chest. You laughed once in agreement and enquired of her day, this earned another eye roll from the older witch confirming your suspicions that a stiff drink would be in order. Pomona came bounding out of the darkness, her hat slightly skewwhiff in her hurry and her breathless apology as she approached was all that was said before the three of you began towards Hogsmeade. The Three Broomstick’s was busy, busier than you had anticipated it to be on a Thursday in the middle of January. You craned your neck to see an available table, Pomona doing the same.   “Well, this simply won’t do.” Minerva muttered as she strode towards the bar. Madame Rosmerta gave a wry smile as she saw the three of you approach, she gestured over into the far corner where a single man sat nursing a tumbler of a russet looking liquid. You quirked an eyebrow as the man cheerfully lifted his glass to the three witches in welcome, Pomona nearly squealed with excitement as she bounced over to him. Minerva, who remained in her spot groaned. “Is there to be no reprieve?”

  Remus gestured to the three empty seats at his table with a wide smile. You shook your head in disbelief as you slowly sank into the waiting chair opposite him. He looked far better than he had done earlier that evening, he seemed to have bathed and shaved and appeared rather pleasant looking as he waved to Rosmerta and mimed a bottle and four glasses.   “Ladies, what a most welcome surprise!” Remus grinned wolfishly, his face seemed perfectly amiable, but his eyes glistened with something else, a glee that betrayed a thought that maybe their flirtation wasn’t as innocent as you previously had thought.   “If I’d have known you were coming Remus, I would have worn my good hat!” Pomona said with a smile, her cheeks rosy from the chill outside.   “You look positively radiant, Pomona.” Remus crooned; the plump witch’s face alight with the warmth of the compliment. She pat Remus’ hand affectionately and readily accepted the glass that was placed in front of her. “Allow me.” Remus poured two fingers of firewhisky into the three empty glasses and raised his own in a toast. “To unexpected meetings.” The sound of the clinking of glass reverberated through your body, his fingers electric against yours as they touched in a fleeting moment. Your breath hitched in your throat, it shocked you how your cheeks began to warm, and your stomach began to do small flips. Remus’ eyes, now more golden than green never left your face as if in silent appraisal of his effect on you. He seemed satisfied with the reaction as he smirked into his glass and allowed his attention to be captured by Minerva as she asked about his leave of absence.

  It wasn’t until your return journey to the castle that Remus initiated any further physical contact with you. The evening had passed how they usually do, the three friends exchanging stories and conspiring, laughing lots and drinking more. Now, feeling like your body was filled more with whisky than blood did Remus offer his arm to you. You took it gratefully, the two older women huddled together further ahead on the road as the snow began to fall upon the already picturesque village. With your hand in the crook of his elbow, Remus guided you over the unsteady cobbles only laughing lightly when you nearly lost your footing. His fingers found yours and although this could be perceived as a perfectly practical way in ensuring your safety, his touch seemed to burn your skin; it sent heat right the way through you. You were sure your heartbeat was audible to him, as it pounded aggressively in your ears as you moved closer into him, his torso flush with yours. You snuck a glance under your eyelashes up into the face of Remus Lupin, famed friend of two dead men and a mass murderer. His scars were silver in the moonlight, his face calm he weathered the terrain. You wanted to say something, anything to him; but nothing came. Instead, you continued to allow him to guide you while you peered up at this enigma of a man.

  Minerva searched over her shoulder when you approached the school grounds, satisfied that she could see you safely behind her, she waved goodbye. The snow was falling heavily now, thick spirals of white stuck in your hair, landing on your lips and freezing you to the core. You removed your hand from Remus’ grasp and waved back, Pomona beckoning Minerva inside to the warmth, no doubt to have a nightcap in the Gryffindor mistress’ office. Alone for the first time, Remus ushered you along the path of the courtyard to the covered corridor overlooking the lake which had this week begun to thaw, although with the sudden frost this night, it seemed unlikely now.   “You were right,” Remus stated after a while, his hands wound their way to his pockets, and he lifted himself onto the balls of his feet in an attempt to gain warmth in movement. When you didn’t answer, he licked his lips. “About how informative those two are. I’ve got enough dirt on people to have my lessons covered for weeks.” He grinned again, this time you noticed, it reached his eyes. You wondered whether Remus needed this as much as you did. It’s easy to let yourself get caught up in teenage drama when you’re drowning in it, but you suspected for him it must be something more. It wasn’t your place to pry of course, and Remus didn’t offer to divulge but you felt content in having potentially done a good deed.   “I’m sure your formal invitation to join us next week will be on your desk in the morning, if Pomona has anything to do with it.” You laughed and turned your back to the lake, it seemed far easier to keep your head held up straight if you leaned against the stone wall. Remus seemed to notice this and immediately reached his arms out to steady you.   “Never mind that, looks like someone will be dropping in to see Poppy in the morning.” He retorted as he attempted to stop your swaying. You had thought that the cold might sober you up, but that mixed in with a sudden overwhelming tiredness has left you almost dead on your feet.   “That’s the beauty of teaching an elective course,” you managed to get out as Remus near pulled you along the corridors, “My timetable is pretty sparse on Fridays. No lessons until after lunch.” You said smugly. Your eyes were fully closed now, if you were able and alone, you probably could have just set up camp here on the floor and been perfectly comfortable. But alas, Remus pushed onwards.

  A distant miaow stopped you dead in your tracks, Remus fumbled with his footing and slammed into the wall. He cursed and rubbed his arm absently as he peered at your stricken face, he attempted to talk but you held up a finger to stop him.   “Mrs. Norris.” You whispered gravely. Remus looked bemused as he looked both ways along the corridor.   “I think the coast is clear,” he whispered equally as seriously, he took your hand and squeezed it tightly urging you onwards.   “Filch once made me clean every toilet in every girl’s bathroom in my sixth year.” You shuddered at the memory, no wand just a pair of pink rubber gloves and a mouldy toilet brush.   “Blimey, what did you do?” You pondered whether to tell him the truth, that Filch had caught you on the edge of the Forbidden Forest after curfew with Gilderoy Lockheart. You would never forget the look of abject horror on the boy’s face as Filch emerged from the trees waving a lantern wildly whilst Lockheart’s hand was quite firmly in your knickers.   “Got caught with a boy.” You mumbled instead not meeting his eyes, Lockheart had been a numpty in school and even bigger one when he left by all accounts, but it was nasty business that led to Remus filling the position at Hogwarts. You had tried hard to suppress the fleeting dalliance you had shared with Lockheart, teenagers and their bloody hormones you had chalked it up to.   “Happens to the best of us,” Remus said brightly, “Your chamber is down here, isn’t it?” You hadn’t noticed that Remus had managed to escort you nearly to your door, you smiled at him gratefully.   “Yes, thank you,” You broke away from him and held on to the wall for support, your legs nearly giving way. “Woah-”   “Let me just-” Remus mumbled, more to himself than to you, you imagined. He placed an arm on the small of your back and guided you down the dimly lit corridor. Your fingers felt the cold stone give way to the wood of your chamber door and you fumbled for the handle, suddenly anxious of the man stood very close to you. That; turned out to be a very sobering thought. Was Remus expecting to be invited inside? It wasn’t that you didn’t want him to come inside, you had spent the last however long quietly being affected by every small touch, every slightly lingering look- but surely you were far too drunk to be engaging in anything other than sleep, surely, he would understand that. That wasn’t to say there wasn’t a part of you that wanted nothing more than to invite Remus inside and take him into your bed. He was a large man, tall and well built. Your eyes raked down his body and returned to his face. You felt a familiar throbbing between your legs in want, as you squeezed your thighs together.   “I would…I would normally-” You began, it was Remus’ turn to hold a hand up to stop you. He brushed his fingers across your bottom lip, this small gesture elicited a soft moan from you. His green-golden eyes now dark as he brought his face impossibly close to yours.   “Just a kiss…may I?” He breathed, you nodded slowly, utterly entranced by this intriguing man. Remus dropped his head down and gently pressed his lips to yours. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, it wasn’t a kiss filled with longing, but it felt completely natural and comforting that in that moment this particular man would be kissing you.

  “I would say I’m surprised, but I would of course, be lying.” A snide voice in the distance shattered this perfect moment in an instant. You turned your head in the direction of the voice and saw Severus stood, wand raised in Lumos and a small bottle covered in hemp cloth in his free hand.   “Severus.” Remus breathed; it wasn’t a greeting. There was an edge to his voice that made you think that it was a warning. You looked between the two men slightly confused, but on the whole far too tired to distinguish what on earth was happening. “Can I help you with something?” Severus merely shrugged and then held out his hand allowing you to get a good look at the cloth covered bottle. It was fairly large but must have been quite delicate to be wrapped so securely.   “For you.” Severus said disinterestedly. He waited; his arm still outstretched for Remus to move away from you. The chill of the wind that wound its way throughout the castle walls hit you immediately in the absence of Remus’ body heat. You shrunk as far as you could into the door, suddenly embarrassed to have been caught. Severus continued to stare at Remus until you cleared your throat to break the silence. It felt like hours, although it can’t have been more than a few seconds. Remus pocketed the bottle carefully and turned his back to the potions master, he looked at you earnestly.   “I had a really good time tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asked, he looked hopeful and yet there was something else in his expression. Like he was annoyed to have been interrupted, or perhaps he was annoyed that he had kissed you in the first place.   “Yeah,” you replied, your voice slightly strained. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Remus nodded at you and began to walk back the way you had come, his short cloak flowing behind him until he entered the darkness, and you couldn’t see him anymore. You turned toward your chamber door and noticed Severus was still there, his wand raised to the same level of your face. His brow furrowed in an expression you would take as concern in anybody else, but with Severus you couldn’t be sure.   “Do you require any assistance?” He said curtly, his voice was low, but you could almost imagine it was soft.   “No thank you, Severus. I think I’ll manage from here.” Your fingers once again found the handle and you turned it with ease, the door opened to reveal your dark chamber. Severus waved his wand once into the blackness, and every candle within your rooms flickered into life. You turned to him with a wry smile and thanked him. Before you could close the door on this bizarre exchange with Severus Snape, he placed a hand on your arm. You looked down at where his body made contact with yours curiously, his long fingers seemed to wrap around your wrist perfectly and a small thrill fluttered down your back as he squeezed.   “Be careful around Lupin,” Severus whispered, “He’s never been one for controlling his…urges.” You arched an eyebrow and looked up into the onyx eyes that peered thoughtfully into your own.   “And you?” You had no idea what made you say that. Instant repulsion at yourself slithered over your skin as you mentally kicked yourself. Interestingly though, Severus licked his lips as he considered his answer. Your heartbeat quickened in anticipation of what he would say, his face drawn close enough to yours to feel his breath on your face. It was impossible to not stare at the man’s lips, they were so close to yours after all. Another jolt of need spread between your legs, you stifled the moan that threatened to escape as Severus backed you against the cold stone wall.   “I have no issues with control. I expect nothing less than…total control in every aspect of my life.” With that, Severus turned on his heel and with three quick strides, you were alone.

Fuck.

You undressed quickly climbed hastily into bed. Your heart pounded quickly in your chest, as the knot of arousal that you had felt as soon as you had arrived at your chamber door became too difficult to ignore. Usually, if you would pleasure yourself, it would be an entire affair. An act of self-love, a hot bath, envisioning the perfect scenario but now, as you plunged your hand into your sopping underwear, none of that mattered. It was impossible not to think about the taste of Remus still on your lips as you rubbed frantic circles on your clitoris, your back arched, your mouth fell open as you moaned. As quick as the image of Remus had entered your mind, it was replaced with the memory of Severus’ firm grasp of you, the way he had manhandled you into submission. You balled the sheets in your fingers as you inserted one, then two fingers into your aching centre. Reaching up to your breasts, you rolled a stiffened nipple around your nimble fingers, squeezing it as you filled your cunt to the knuckle. You moaned with abandon, which presumably was the effect from the alcohol, but nevertheless, you fucked yourself thoroughly with your fingers. When you came, you cried out incoherently, a sound you had never heard yourself make before. You couldn’t picture one mans face over the other, imagining spilling their seed over your breasts, or deep inside you- you imagined both of them at once. It was sublime.

  The next seven days passed without incident. Remus wasn’t so much distant as perhaps guarded; there was no mention of the kiss you had shared, nor the strange pseudo-altercation between he and Severus. You pondered long hours in your warm chamber, the fire roared contentedly casting shadows that danced across the high walls. The mug of tea in your hand a reminder of home, your muggle parents had sent you a box of teabags for Christmas as part as a larger ‘care package’. Your mother had laughed when she handed you a largeish box filled with things like tea and crisps, you had even found some alcoholic miniatures and sweets from your youth tucked away at the very bottom. She had given you a smirk and said, ‘Sometimes magic can be found in the ordinary,’. You eyed the box carefully; it was incredibly thoughtful, and you relished it fervently. There was nothing you enjoyed more than curling up on your hardbacked armchair in front of the fire and rummaging through to be delighted in the muggle comforts from home.

  You had taken a Curly Wurly into the staff room that afternoon and nibbled on it idly as you mulled over a few student essays. Severus had entered with his usual flurry of dark robes and general unpleasantness and settled quietly into a corner. You hadn’t so much as looked in his direction since that night outside of your chamber, and he hadn’t looked at you either. That was, until you lifted your eyes to check the sizable grandfather clock, its pendulum swinging ominously on the second and found he was openly staring at you. His jaw was firmly set, and his brow furrowed once more. After a second, he blinked, like he had surprised himself by something akin to mild vulnerability. You followed his gaze, it wasn’t on you specifically, but on the long chocolate bar in your hand. You looked from your grasp to Severus’ face, he too seemed to shift his expression to meet your eyes, a fleeting sheepishness danced across his face as he swallowed with difficultly.   “I haven’t seen one of those in years,” Severus stated, his hands were clasped tightly in his lap. You brought the chocolate to your lips and took a bite, the caramel of the intricately woven design pulled away in long strands. You licked at the excess that settled on your lips, you watched with amusement as veins protruded in Severus’ neck. It was quite easy to forget that Severus himself was a half-blood, dragged rather than brought up in the muggle world.   “You’ve been missing out.” You replied quietly as you crossed your legs. Severus shifted in his seat, his robes flowed fluidly around him, a vision in black and white. The back of your neck seemed to warm as Severus’ dark eyes scoured your frame, his angular face could be dismissed as unappealing, but he had the stoicism of an innate marble statue, a roman god or some other. The closer you looked, and really looked, it was impossible to see him as anything other than he was, captivating. Severus seemed to notice the shift in your stature, the way your fingers tightened around the papers you still clung on to, the way the parchment bent and swayed under your gentle trembling.   “Perhaps I have.” He said darkly.

  That night, before you made your way to meet with Minerva and Pomona for your weekly outing you made a diversion toward the dungeons. Tucked neatly under your arm, was a brown padded envelope, usually suited for sending packages on long journeys. Instead, it was full to the brim of chocolate from your care package, all the things you knew you loved as a child that you imagined Severus would have enjoyed too. Your hand shook slightly as you knocked on the door to his office, it wasn’t particularly late, but you noted that he hadn’t made an appearance at dinner. When no sound came from the office, you gently pushed the door open. The room was as to be expected, dark and filled almost to bursting of various tomes and artefacts. You crossed the room hurriedly, anxious to not get caught out of bounds. You tried explicitly hard not to pry as you crossed over to Severus’ desk, it was surprisingly neat and left everything to the imagination. You placed the envelope on the desk, ensuring that the little note was safe inside before quickly turning and leaving it behind you.

  Remus hadn’t joined you that Friday, it was just the usual suspects. You had found it increasingly difficult to focus on the conversation that flowed freely between the two women. Your mind wandered back to two main thoughts; where was Remus and what was actually going on? And why Severus had suddenly deigned you worthy of his attention? It all seemed so impossibly twee; the idea that you found yourself rattled by the slightest attention of two men that you were almost angry at yourself. Besides, how many times had you crawled out of a stranger’s bed at the first wisps of daybreak? One little kiss shouldn’t be any different. Severus on the other hand hadn’t offered you anything more than a few long looks since that afternoon in the staff room, yet you were plagued with thoughts of the two men. Neither like any man you had encountered before, and yet so remarkably different in every way. Minerva, having noticed your long silence offered you a quizzical look.   “What’s troubling you?” She said pointedly, Pomona ceased talking immediately, and turned to face you with a look one could only describe as hunger. You shrugged and took a sip of your wine; you were desperate to not be as hungover this Friday. Your seventh years had proven to be quite difficult last week, and if you could do anything to not have a repeat of Jenkinson’s smart mouth affecting you so; you would. “Don’t presume to think I was born yesterday,” Minerva continued, her shoulders squared which made her look that inch more terrifying, “I can smell a rat a mile off.”    “I wouldn’t dare jump to any such conclusions. I am simply lamenting over my love-life, or lack thereof.” You replied, your expression sickly sweet which earned a maternal huff from the older woman. Pomona seemed to miss the small tete-a-tete and instead clapped her hands together with glee.   “I demand you tell us everything at once!”

  There was something of a comfort to be found in relaying the past week’s events to the witches, Minerva’s usually stern expression shifted into something softer as you told them everything except for the strange bottle Severus had delivered to Remus.   “Well, that is definitely something different,” she said after small silence, “Especially coming from Severus. I was beginning to think he didn’t have any manly urges.”   “Nonsense, Severus is a strapping young lad, nobody knows what he gets up to outside of the castle. I imagine two old biddies like us would certainly be the last to find out, in any case!” Pomona countered, she rested her chin against her palm, her face dreamlike as if imagining the brooding man’s sex life.   “And quite rightly so!” Minerva said, her tone was laced with embarrassed threat as she stood from the table and marched toward the door. And so, nothing more was said on the matter that night.

  The Saturday morning after your thankfully not-so-disastrous Friday lessons with your seventh years passed idly. You kept much to yourself, the weather was again near freezing, although most of the students had travelled into Hogsmeade. The castle was quiet, undisturbed, and as the next thick sheet of snow settled onto the grounds, you huddled close to your window to watch as in quick flurries the snowflakes settled onto a blanket of pure white. It wasn’t until the third knock at your door did you decide to stop pretending you weren’t in, whoever was on the other side was obviously very insistent and you wouldn’t be able to forgive yourself if there was an emergency. On the other side of the door stood a cheerful Remus, his hair was damp from the snow and his cheeks painted with pink from the chill. He looked every inch the dashing English countryman as he brushed stray snowflakes from his shoulders. You couldn’t explain the quickness of your heart as you invited him inside, the same thunderous heartbeat you had experienced that night in Hogsmeade returned in full force, and you cursed yourself for feeling so foolish.   “To what do I owe the pleasure?” You asked as calmly as you could as you summoned a teapot and a pair of mugs. Remus accepted the tea readily and wasted no time in settling close to the fire.   “I was on my way for a walk to the lake, and I wondered whether you wanted to join me?” It was hard to imagine that he held any ulterior motives as he reclined in your armchair, all red nosed and grins. It was alarming how quickly you agreed, despite taking no real pleasure from walking in the cold. Yet, you soon found yourself wrapped up warmly and struggling to keep pace with the tall man as he dodged expertly over the terrain. He was largely silent as you continued along the path to the lake, he offered a few beige commentaries on the weather and you responded with as much enthusiasm as you could muster. It was difficult, you found, to keep pace with the tall man. Remus’ long legs set his pace at twice the speed of yours, and after a while of trying to conceal your breathlessness, did he slow and offer his arm to you. You huddled close to him, it seemed as though his body radiated a warmth like an oasis in the desert. Remus untangled his arm from yours, instead deciding to hold your gloved hand instead; his fingers squeezed tightly around yours as the lake came into view. A few students littered the area in small groups, the sound of their merriment was enough to bring a smile to your face. It seemed like yesterday that you yourself were a student at Hogwarts; thirty was an ever-approaching nightmare that plagued your dreams daily, had it really been nearly thirteen years since you left the hallowed halls of Hogwarts and joined Gringotts as an apprentice Curse-Breaker?   “Penny for your thoughts?” Remus said, you glanced up at him, he wore a bemused look as you pushed the settled snow from a bench and delicately sat. Foolish as it was, seeing as now you were piss-wet through, the realisation that you were getting old had knocked you for six. Remus patted the seat next to you tentatively before he ultimately decided to join you.   “Do you ever feel like your life just runs away from you? Like one minute, you’re positively frazzled over Transfiguration homework and the next you’re stressed about how you’re going to afford so many weddings this year because suddenly, you’ve reached an age where everyone’s settling down and shitting out kids!” You bit hard on the inside of your cheek, you hadn’t meant to be so forward, certainly not with Remus, but he let out a great big laugh before turning to you animatedly.   “Exactly! It feels like I was just handed my Prefect badge and now-” He faltered; his gaze lifted to the heavens. A flash of pain danced across Remus’ face as he shook his head and swallowed whatever he was going to say. “I don’t remember you much from school.” You were surprised by that; you didn’t expect him to remember you at all; but you expected him to want to save face as you were colleagues.   “I’m not surprised, you had long left before I did anything interesting.” You said as you playfully bumped into his shoulder with your own.   “Ah yes, you mentioned the other night that Filch had caught you with a boy?” Remus’ raised the pitch of his voice as he tormented you, it was his turn to bump you. You covered your eyes with your hands and let out a great groan.   “Merlin, I’d hoped you would have forgotten that.”   “Not on your life. Now, I’m going to need you to tell me all the sordid details.”   “There’s nothing sordid…well, not that sordid, really,” You protested, you couldn’t stop the grin that formed on your lips, it was matched well with the smile that Remus wore. He gazed at you intently as you considered the best way to explain. “Filch caught me in the Forbidden Forest after curfew-”   “With a boy.”   “Yes, Remus, with a boy.” You sighed with faux exasperation; Remus looked near giddy as he clapped his hands.   “Fantastic, who were they? Do I know them? What were you doing?” He asked, each question filled you with feeling of stupidity, it was the single most mortifying moment of your life and you were willingly discussing it.   “Yes, you know them, and we were having an…intimate moment.” You hoped that would be enough to quell his questioning, but it appeared to only spur Remus on he appeared to be bouncing in his seat now.   “Please don’t make me go through a list of people from your year at school, what were you- three years younger than us?”   “Four.” You corrected. Remus seemed to consider this for a moment before his green eyes seemed to darken, and he smirked devilishly.   “I’ll tell you what. If I can guess who the lucky bloke was, you have to come for a drink with me. Tonight.   “And if you can’t?”   “I’m sure you’ll think of an appropriate forfeit.” Remus had brought his face extremely close to yours, you could feel his breath tickle your face. It would be so easy to close the distance, to press your lips to his, but a chorus of whooping from behind where the pair of you sat, shattered any illusions of intimacy. Remus turned toward the students sheepishly, he produced his wand and cast a spell that shook the trees which surrounded the lake, causing a cascade of snow to fall on the students. He stood and offered you his hand.   “Let me escort you back to your rooms, while I think. What house was he in?” He said, and you thought back to the wavy-haired blonde boy who tried to desperately hard to impress.   “Ravenclaw.”   “Hm. That slims the pickings down a bit.”

    Remus still hadn’t been able to guess correctly and when he was confident that he would need more time, he proposed a 24-hour extension. You had pushed him along the corridor with a laugh and a wave, fairly certain that he would ultimately find out about Lockheart, but the look of mischief on his face as he waved in return was such a far cry from the man that shuffled into dinner a week ago, you couldn’t help but be content. With almost a wistful air, you watched as he disappeared behind the corner until you turned to your chamber door. If it hadn’t been for your wet boots squelching heavily onto the stone floor, you would have entirely missed the folded parchment that lay slightly soggy having been thrust under the door in an apparent hurry. You took time to remove your outer layers, kicking your boots off and discarding them where you stood before you retrieved the parchment. You felt a heat rise from the base of your neck all the way up to your ears as instantly, you recognised the fluid handwriting etched across the page.

    I humbly thank you for your thoughtful offering. In return, I request your presence of a nightcap in my quarters this evening after dinner. The password is ‘tradite’, I shall expect you before nine o’clock.

Severus

    Keeping your head down during dinner was proving to be more difficult than you had initially imagined. You didn’t know what had possessed you, but underneath a billowy cloak was a figure-hugging-in-all-the-right-places muggle dress, it showed off your best assets yet left enough to the imagination. It was something you wouldn’t think twice about wearing if you were to go out with your muggle friends from your hometown, but here, amongst these wizards whose fashion choices were questionable at best, you felt like you stuck out like a sore thumb. You wondered if anyone would notice how closely you tugged the fabric of your cloak around your torso, desperate to hide what lay beneath. Remus certainly noticed there was something off with you, he had made an obvious beeline to the empty seat next to you and had tried to engage you in conversation many times, but the truth was plain as day; you felt guilty.

  Not even twelve hours ago had you been sat by the lake with Remus, and now with one invitation from Severus you were jittering like a schoolgirl who’d been asked to meet behind the quidditch stands. It wasn’t clear what it was about Severus exactly that returned you to a puddle of hormones, but you felt it as soon as you had been reintroduced as colleagues all those years later. Yet, hadn’t you felt that with Remus too? After replying to the sandy-haired man for the fourth time that you were fine, just tired, you grimaced into your bread-and-butter pudding. There was something about Severus’ invitation that triggered an excited itch along your skin, and only he would know how to scratch it. There was of course, the obvious question of what on earth constituted at a nightcap? Was he going to give you another warning about Remus? What about Remus? You hadn’t even considered what Severus had meant by his warning, you certainly hadn’t heard any stories about him being a womanizer, or ever having a partner for that matter. You pondered his scars as you tried, as deftly as you could, to get a good look at him from the corner of your eye. Remus was littered with them, whilst the scars across his face were quite pronounced, there weren’t many. But- the scars on his hands and forearms were numerous, there didn’t seem to be an inch of skin without a purple-silver line looking back at you. Maybe he was a fighter? He had played his part in the war, like you all had, but maybe his was a part that was especially dangerous? Perhaps, that’s what Severus meant after all. War changes people, Severus of all people should remember that.

  That didn’t stop you feeling guilty though. It ravaged away at your insides as you continued to push your spoon around your bowl, you had thought that perhaps after this morning, there was an avenue worth exploring with Remus. Now, as you watched Severus rise from the High Table and move stealthily along the lines of teachers, your stomach flipped, and your pulse quickened.   “Lupin.” Severus nodded as he passed, he didn’t say anything in acknowledgement to you, but you noticed the glance in your direction, the slight quirk at the side of his mouth. Soon, Severus had disappeared, and Remus scoffed.   “Boils my piss, he does,” he said as he took a hearty sip of his mead, the veins in his temple protruding slightly. “Lording over us like that, dickhead.” You were quite taken aback by Remus’ outburst; you had never known animosity between them before or since that night outside of your rooms. Nothing had been said, and you had put it down to you having had one to many and misconstruing the situation.   “He literally said your name.” You countered, not completely comfortable with Remus’ tone.   “Aye, and I want my name kept from his mouth, the greasy git.” You opened your mouth to respond yet thought better of it. Whatever it was that had transpired between the pair of them had nothing to do with you, and you couldn’t think of anything worse than having to pick sides. Especially since Severus had now taken an interest in you, something you had tried to make happen when you first started teaching but failed miserably. It was happening now, and Remus could be damned if you weren’t at least going to get to the bottom of this invitation.

  You didn’t bother to wait for the headmaster to call an end to dinner, instead you mumbled an excuse and moved quickly toward the dungeons. Despite having been a teacher for a number of years, there was something about the dungeons that filled you with dread. Whether it was the memories of your sheer mediocrity at potions, or consistently failing to be noticed by Professor Slughorn, there was something that set your teeth on edge. You passed your old potions classroom without looking in, it was almost like you could forget that that class existed, and pretend that of course, you were excellent at everything whilst you were at school. Severus’ rooms were hidden to anyone who wasn’t looking for them, a dark wooden door appeared out of the near blackness of the unlight stone and remained closed. Did you really want to do this? You had wrestled with the fact that you were potentially pissing any chance of anything happening with Remus while you pursued Severus. There was just something very hard to ignore about the potions master, something electrifying.   “Tradite.” You said clearly into the darkness, the click of a lock being turned was the only sound other than the distant almost muffled sound of the groaning lake. The door opened steadily, Severus’ chamber was warm, although, you weren’t quite sure if you were expecting the opposite. He stood with his back to the door, his head bowed and seemingly unaware of your arrival. You wondered whether he would appreciate a polite greeting; if he would want you to wait until he noticed you. After all, he had mentioned that he liked to have control in everything. That was a statement you had never questioned, it just seemed so perfectly fitting that you just took it at face value. It was the thoughts that were conjured alongside that, that you had to suppress.

  You weren’t entirely sure how long you waited, realistically, it couldn’t have been that long. But the steady stream of student’s footsteps returning to their common room was an indicator that it had probably been around five minutes.   “Why haven’t you said anything?” Severus asked after a while. It shocked you, you had completely glazed over, it hadn’t occurred to you that you were still just stood in the doorway. You cleared your throat.   “Didn’t want to disturb you.”   “How thoughtful.” He sneered, but you didn’t detect any malice behind it. Severus Snape was the undisputed king of dry humour and you willed that to be the case here. “Come in. Take off your cloak.” You did as you were bid, slipping the dark cloak from your shoulders, you allowed Severus to take it from you. You were acutely aware of his eyes on your body as he moved with a deft quietness and gestured for you to sit. His rooms, not so dissimilar to yours in layout were far larger and by comparison, full wall to wall with things. It wasn’t untidy, but a sort of organised chaos that endeared Severus to you. His interests and objects of his taste scattered almost peacefully, as if inviting you to take a look. You settled into the armchair by the fire, the fabric a worn Slytherin green leather which matched the sofa which sat opposite. The fire, which was still quite small spat embers behind the wrought hearth and sizzled contentedly to itself.   “Would you like some wine?” He asked from somewhere behind, “I have a lovely Pinot Noir.”   “That would be lovely, thank you.” You couldn’t shake the feeling that you were being scrutinised, it wasn’t unlike the feeling of an interview; like he was somehow sizing you up. Although you couldn’t see him from where you were situated, the intense feel of eyes burning into the back of your head was unmistakable. Perhaps it was your intuition as a woman that allowed you to know that as you crossed one leg over the other and placed your hands elegantly on the armrests of the chair, that he noticed. But not only that, that he appreciated it.

  Severus made you wait for it. You heard him as he opened and closed cupboard doors, the clink of glass and the sound of a bottle being corked; it was all for the theatre of anticipation. You knew this, you had done this very thing time and time again in preparation but for what, with him- you couldn’t quite say. The same thrill that you had felt that night he had grasped your wrist returned fervently and your mouth salivated with need. Finally, he appeared within your line of sight. He too, had removed his outer layer, dressed smartly in his frock coat he lowered a glass half full of the ruby liquid, tapping his glass on the side of yours with cheers. Severus made his way painfully slowly to the sofa, he sat on the edge furthest from you and mirrored your position, one leg crossed neatly over the other. You hoped your proximity to the fire would account for the flush on your cheeks as you regarded this man, this studious and distant man as he considered your frame just as openly.   “Thank you for the invitation, Severus. I must admit, it was most unexpected.” Your voice was calm and unbroke, and you were thankful for it. Your heart thundered in your chest and you hoped upon hope that he couldn’t notice the slight tremble of your hand as you brought your wine glass to your lips. Upon reflection, talking with Remus was much easier than with Severus. There was just something so typically wholesome about him, which, when you remembered what he had been like as a young man in school seemed to make sense. But with Severus, there was something akin to danger, you didn’t necessarily feel like he would harm you, no- not at all; but there was always an edge to his words, a double meaning behind his looks. Like there was a joke that perhaps you didn’t understand, perhaps another meaning entirely.   “You’re very welcome. I wanted to thank you personally for your kindness.” He said, his dark baritone seemed most fitting within the confines of his personal space. Like suddenly all the pieces fit together and of course Severus would look and sound the way he did, wasn’t it obvious? “May I ask what you are thinking about? You wear a look of great consideration.” You smiled as demurely as you could muster at his questioning, why were you there if not to talk?   “I was thinking about you.” You said as plainly as you could, you were conscious not to give anything away in terms of exactly how you were thinking of the potions master. But in truth, it had been impossible not to think about him. Remus too. It appeared to be in the space of only a few days that any time you found your mind wandering, it wandered to these two men. Who they were exactly under the sturdy mask of professionalism, what they liked; did they like you?   “Me? Why?”   “I was thinking how nice it was to see you so relaxed, Severus.” You replied softly, you meant it too. A silence settled between the pair of you, and you wondered if you had overstepped the mark, whether that was too informal for his liking. Severus carefully wet his lips and pressed them together into a line. His usual measured look replaced with something else.   “If I may so bold-”   “I like bold.” He smirked as you interrupted him, you wished for him to say whatever it was that was on his mind. You longed to know whether you had consumed his thoughts as much as he had consumed yours.   “If I may be so bold,” Severus began again, his fingers tapping lightly on his thigh, drawing your attention briefly away from his angular face. You noticed for the first time how well structured his body was, his thighs were well proportioned to the width of his torso and seemed to fill his trousers pleasantly. “There’s nothing like a nice glass of wine and the view of a pretty girl to relax you.” He sipped his wine, his eyes never leaving your face. You hoped your expression didn’t betray how startled you felt. It was like your mind was blank, you had forgotten how to blink, how to breathe, just for a moment; you were malfunctioning.   “You think I’m pretty?” Severus smirked at you.   “I think you’re beautiful.”

  You sat in silence after that. Every fibre of your being was screaming at you to say something, to thank him for his compliment, to comment on the wine- anything. Instead, you stared uneasily into the fire, annoyed with yourself.   “Have I made you uncomfortable?” Severus asked breaking the silence, your head whipped in his direction. His expression seemed passive, but you noticed the slight downwards tilt of his mouth, as if he were to frown.   “Not in the slightest!” You said hastily, you set your wine onto the floor and clasped your hands in your lap. “I suppose I wasn’t expecting you to say something like that. It just caught me off-guard.” Severus barked a laugh in response and patted the sofa next to him, you rose quickly and moved across to him. You cursed yourself for appearing needy, eager to please, but the look of satisfaction on Severus’ face spoke volumes. He was pleased with you, and that made your insides flutter with warmth. He placed a hand tentatively on your knee as you sat down, you gasped at the contact, but his hand was warm and soft against your bare skin.   “You look radiant, this evening.” Severus hummed over the rim of his wine glass. There was something hypnotic about his movements, you watched with a desperate intensity as he did the most mundane things, like swill his glass or flick a piece of fluff from his jacket. This wizard had well and truly put a spell on you, and you were at his mercy.   “Thank you,” you answered after a while of staring at Severus. His bemused expression signalled that he knew exactly what was racing through your thoughts. “Did you enjoy your Curly Wurlys?” Severus really laughed at that, he placed the hand that had previously been held on your knee over his eyes and smiled. A rare and beautiful thing indeed, Severus’ Snape’s smile.   “I was most impressed by the assortment, things I had forgotten long about. It was very kind of you,” He stopped as if he needed to be careful with what he said next, “I wanted to repay you.”   “Your company is payment enough, Severus.”

It wasn’t until his hand reappeared this time on your thigh, that you noticed that you had turned your body toward him. Your leg slightly bent at the knee tucked under the other, your hips fully locked on the target.   “I had hoped you would say that.” Severus whispered, “I apologise if I’ve ever appeared standoffish toward you, I find it difficult to engage in small talk. I just don’t see the necessity.” You weren’t sure if he was allowing you to see some vulnerability, or whether he was just stating a fact, but you nodded your head all the same. “The truth is,” He continued, “I had always thought you were quite interesting. Even whilst we were students, you were fiercely kind and dare I say it, popular.”   “You remember me? I didn’t think that anybody would have ever taken any notice of me- back then at least. I was just a nobody.” You said softly as you offered Severus a smile. You were touched that he remembered you, or at least professed to. Its more than Remus could say for himself.   “So was I.” Severus statement stopped you in your tracks. It was no secret that he was mercilessly bullied in school, everybody knew of Snivellus. But, he was right, did anybody actually know him? You nodded in agreement, and he offered you a small smile, his hand giving your thigh a small squeeze.   “Does this mean we’re friends now?” You asked in a small voice, it was meant as a joke but the sentiment remained.   “I don’t have friends. Only allies and enemies.” Severus answered with another sip of wine. You swept your gaze over his face, finally settling on his onyx eyes, the way they bore into yours made you feel as if you were aflame.   “Which am I?”   “Neither. You are you. One couldn’t ask for anything better.”

  Severus slowly brought his lips to yours; his lips were soft and gentle as you shifted to gain a better purchase of his frame. Your hands travelled from his chest to his head, your fingers winding round the raven tresses of hair and he gasped into your mouth. He pulled you closer and as skilfully as you could, you straddled him- Severus hands firmly planted on your backside. He rubbed confident circles against the soft fabric, and you rolled your hips against his lap. It was delicious; the feeling of friction on your cunt was entirely welcome. It had been quite a while before it had seen any attention from anyone other than your own hand, the resigned feeling you had regarding the hold Severus had on you changed in to one of complete and utter want. He brought a hand up and cupped your breast through your dress, you hissed at the contact and Severus took advantage of the loss of your lips and began to kiss deeply along the side of your throat, taking sections of skin between his teeth and sucking hard. You were quite insistent in your actions, unabashedly grinding against Severus’ hardened cock. You could feel it, the way it strained against the fabric of his trousers. You couldn’t help the pathetic mewl that escaped your lips as Severus began to guide your hips, his lips turned into a snarl as with heavy lids he watched as you brought yourself to orgasm.   “Beautiful.” He whispered, lifting a lock of your hair and placing it behind your shoulder where he liberally placed kisses.

  Panting, you brought his lips to yours. Your hands fumbled down to where the clasp of his trousers was easily undone despite your trembling hands. He lifted his hips whilst you momentarily dismounted him to pull his trousers and underwear to his knees. His cock, thick and pink bobbed angrily against his pubic bone, almost as if it demanded your attention. You pressed forward again, your lips finding his with ease as he positioned you back over his lap, his cock pressed against your wetness. With a gruff murmur, your underwear was vanished and you groaned with anticipation. It was impossible to say where your moan began and his finished, but as Severus guided himself into you. You heard an unmistakable “Fuck,” against your shoulder, his grip was vice-like as with a great amount of effort you lifted your hips and began to ride him. It was probably naïve of you to assume that Severus would let you set the pace, after a few seconds of a disjointed rhythm, Severus held you in place; his hips pistoning up into your sopping sex like it was the last thing he’d ever do. You held tight to the back of the sofa, the pleasure was immeasurable, though your eyes were closed, a searing white light seemed to envelop you.   “So fucking tight. I knew you would be.”

  You had never been fucked like this before, this sort of desperate rutting was something you assumed only happened in films where the lovers would be separated by war or ruin. Not, as you found out, by the loner potions professor. It was exhilarating, the feeling of his member pounding into you, the way the slight curve of his cock seemed to grace every spot inside you, it didn’t seem possible to reach any deeper within you; but as he pushed you backwards away from his chest, he burrowed himself further in still.   “Oh god, you’re going to make me come.” You managed to say, his thrusts were short and sharp and quite unrelenting. His brow was furrowed and a sheen of sweat glistened on his skin in the candlelight. He snarled at you then and tossed you to the side, your back landing onto the sofa with a thud. Your cry of shock came out strangled as no sooner had he withdrawn from you, he delved right back into your aching cunt.   “If I’m going to make you come,” Severus grunted, his hand around your throat, “Then you’re going to look me in the eye while I do it. I want to see your face as you come all over my cock.” You shivered under the weight of the sheer eroticism of his words. The feeling of his hand on your pressure point was blissful, being so utterly at another’s mercy wasn’t like anything you had experienced before. It was freeing, purifying…you loved it.

   The tight coil in the pit of your stomach began to unfurl, as with raspy moans, you came hard. Your orgasm seemed to last an eternity, your body rocking with the motion of Severus’ thrusting but also with the throbbing and twitching your used cunt. Severus’ hand squeezed tightly around your throat as he came, his movements becoming shallower and slower. He collapsed onto you in a heap, his head on your chest and your arms around him unquestioningly. You stayed like that for a while, your eyes closed as you blissfully travelled from alert to sleep and back, tracing lazy circles on Severus’ back. It was Severus who moved first in the end, he grappled for his jacket and produced his wand, he pointed it at you and muttered a spell you didn’t understand. But the sudden feeling of dryness and warmth that flooded between your thighs, you safely assumed he had cleaned you. You pushed up from your spot warily, sheepishly almost. Severus was across the room from you now, rebuttoning his clothes and smoothing down his hair. You watched him for a while, your head cocked to the side. Severus seemed to move in such a graceful yet detached way, his movements were precise, but it was clear that he was thinking about anything but the action. You wondered what he was thinking about now.   “Can I help clear up?” Severus’ head shot in your direction, he offered you a strained smile as you waited for his reply. He gathered your cloak and held it out for you to slip on. Did that mean he wanted you to go? After everything that just happened? Wordlessly, you slid your arms into the waiting holes and stood. For what exactly, you couldn’t be sure.

   “I have a prior engagement,” he said flatly, you tried not to look shocked, but you suspected you failed. “I’m sorry, are you well?”   “Quite. Thank you, Severus.” Was all that you said, as with cheeks flaming with embarrassment you willed your legs to push onwards toward the door. If he called after you, you didn’t notice as with laborious steps you made your way back to your chamber. The castle was deathly quiet now, even the ghosts had disappeared to their various dark corners for the night. This was why, when you rounded the corridor to your rooms, the lone figure waiting outside gave you a fright. Your face was still hot from the exertion of the sex and the embarrassment as Severus all but threw you out on your ear. Hot tears threatened to brim over, Merlin, why had this affected you so?

  “Remus?” You whispered into the darkness; the figure moved toward the sound of your voice. One step, and then another into the candlelight and his face was visible. He looked sallow, much like he had that night in the Great Hall.   “I’ve been knocking for ages. I was worried about you during dinner. You were acting really weird.” It was then that Remus noticed your dishevelled appearance, the marks on your neck but not least, the look of pain on your face. “Are you alright?” You nodded solemnly and made toward the door to your chamber, the guilt that had dissipated whilst you were in Severus’ presence now resurfaced as you regarded Remus’ concerned face. With your hand on the doorknob, you turned to him, all green eyed and sandy-haired Remus and smiled sadly.   “Do you want a cup of tea? I need to tell you something.”