#Especially since i took on a VERY time-consuming and brain-eating course

[questionablealibi]

School started and now i dont have as much time as before to mingle around social media ^^; that doesnt mean i wont check in time to time!

Anyways this is all i could manage, eat up

O'Neil can extend himself now ooo

Took inspiration from a creature called "manananggal" from filipino folklore! The mechanical spine is a placeholder for now while i finalize his and elias' concepts, but km definitely putting this in!

Here's a VERY rough draft of what i want him to look like when he "extends"!

So,,, woe, long oneil be upon ye

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

(hi uh sorry i sent that ask very prematurely on accident could you delete the previous one? sorry i just had to rephrase it-)

i was wondering if you were interested in doing a Sozo x reader fic (GN preferably) where the reader tries to help Sozo kick his mushroom habit (as you have done before but i would really like some more in-depth mental support for ant boy) or at least help him not to lose himself even more. This next part includes spoilers for the Sins of the Flesh update so if you haven't played that feel free to wait or skip this part. I would especially like to see his Dr. Sozonius personality starting to shine through again as he gains more clarity, kinda nerding out on mushroom stuff but also extremely sorry for everything he did while under the influence of the Mushrooms

YEAH SOZO REDEMPTION ARC <3

.....

"I promise...no more shrooms...please.."

"I'm sorry, my dear. I just can't take your word for it." Sighing, you gazed hopelessly at your spouse: the belligerent ant locked up in the pillory for the third straight day now, wondering if this was the right thing to do.

This all started after you returned to Spore Grotto one evening, finding the Mushroomos there in a panic, one of them eventually leading you to the inside of Sozo's "home".

He had succumbed to the infection, as his body was laying there in such a grotesque display, covered in fungi and rotting away. Of course, the followers didn't know what to do and begged you to bring Lamb back here, as they haven't visited this place in a while.

At first you didn't want to, thinking they were the reason he was dead. You assumed he was still giving him mushrooms behind your back when you specifically told them not to do that, explaining how you're trying to get him to stop. You made him promise not to consume anymore.

It had to be Lamb's fault.

But the Mushroomos revealed something quite shocking: since he wasn't getting mushrooms, he turned to eating them all alive to satisfy his needs instead, unable to stop. The parasite that held him hostage demanded it so.

And it ended up killing him.

You grieved for a little while, before seeking out Lamb and asking if they could accompany you to Spore Grotto, explaining what happened. Yet by the time you both returned, there was hardly anything left of Sozo's body.

Nothing except his skeleton, backpack, and the smiling mushroom.

You decided to take the large fungi back to their cult, carrying it as a sort of "ironic" memento of your lover.

During the walk back, Lamb asked you if Sozo had a life before this addiction of his...and you tell them something rather surprising.

He was actually once a brilliant man: Dr. Sozonius. His research on mushrooms was known all throughout the Old Faith. He's written books, lived with family members in an ant colony, and was very wise. You two fell in love through your research and explored Anura together.

Then he brought you to his camp at Spore Grotto, the very heart and soul of Anura's fungal outbreak. He was studying the Mushroomos and their behavior patterns. They were actually very passive and social creatures, offering you two stews of menticide mushrooms.

You declined, having already ate before your journey. But Sozonius--thrilled to discover a new mushroom specimen--decided to indulge in their generosity for the sake of science.

And things haven't been the same since.

Something in that soup took root in his brain and turned him into a shadow of his former self.

He never came back to the colony, or the home you two shared, devoting himself entirely to all things mushroom-related...while that stupid smiling fungi puppeteered him around. Some days you'd visit him, and he does remember you, but as of late he's been forgetting more and more of your lives together, giggling and not taking any of your words seriously.

He tried getting you to bring him mushrooms, eat them, etc. and if you refused, his eyes turned red and he'd start yelling nonsense.

Despite all of this, you never once blamed the Mushroomos. They were only trying to be kind hosts; they didn't expect such an advanced fungi to take control of him and turn him into their "leader".

After he died, most of them dispersed throughout Anura, but some stayed behind in the hope of seeing you again.

Once you finished sharing your story, Lamb was surprised that you wanted to take the fungi back at all. They figured you'd burn it to ashes for what it did to your husband.

Yet....you didn't blame it either.

Mushrooms aren't inherently evil. It's how nature made them, and you're a strong believer in karma, deciding to instead nurture this one in hopes that it may grow into something better.

Who would've known that mentality would bring Sozo back to you a week later?

Unfortunately, as you anticipated, he was still up to his old habits and never fully understood that they killed him. He tore up the mushroom farm plots and ate any Mushroomos Lamb rescued during their crusades.

Least to say..he was being an utter nuisance in the cult. He never did any work, and none of the followers liked him.

But that's not how he really was.

You knew him better than anybody else.

Ultimately you and Lamb realized that you had to break this addiction of his for good, otherwise the cycle will just repeat..and you might lose him all over again.

Talking to him wasn't enough.

He had to go cold turkey.

Sozo got angry when you shielded a Mushroomo from his bloodlust and told them to hide in the temple, accusing you of denying him happiness and saying he'd rather be put back in the ground than look at you--and that's when Lamb locked him up in the pillory while distracted.

As much as his words hurt..you knew it was only the fungi talking, trying to trick you into thinking that's what he was feeling. But you weren't so easily fooled.

You had to starve it out.

Might it kill him, too? There's a good chance. But you had to try.

Ever since getting imprisoned, he's been shouting and begging passing followers to free him all day and all night, the fungi looking more withered as time went on. Even its smile turned upside down.

Lamb tried using the same reeducation techniques they used on dissenters. Yet they weren't quite sure how to help Sozo, as he babbled over their speeches and wanted them to go away.

You offered to take over instead, and while they hesitated..they eventually handed you a copy of one of their gospel books and said they'd pray for his healing.

If anyone could get through to him, it was you.

For a while you've kept a close eye on him, making sure he had food--all of which you cooked yourself in case anyone tried sneaking in mushrooms. He no longer screamed his head off, but he still tried bargaining with you to free him, each plea growing weaker than the last.

By the time the sun went down, most of the followers were heading to their sleeping quarters for the night--although a couple were having some concoctions at the drinkhouse. But they could usually hold their liquor and not get too befuddled, so you weren't worried about them.

Instead you just focused on Sozo..who was already looking tired. Your energy was very much spent, too, although you didn't wanna abandon him.

Alas Lamb had no moon necklaces to spare, and even if they did...they would hesitate to give it to you.

Speaking of whom, you heard their footsteps and glanced over, smiling. "Hello, Lamb."

"You can go rest, [y/n]." They nodded. "I'll watch over him for you."

"...alright." Sighing, you closed the book and looked back at your spouse, placing a hand on his cheek as you kissed the opposite one. "Sweet dreams, Sozo. For what it's worth..I'm blessed you are back on this earth with me. I promise to keep helping you."

"[Y/n]...loves Sozo that much..huh?" He huffed, sleepily opening his eyes, and you were astonished to see that they were no longer red like the eyes of dissenters.

Even so, you weren't letting your hopes get up too high. He still had a long path ahead of him.

"Of course. There's no one I love more than you. I just hope and pray...that you haven't forgotten the love you felt for me."

As you parted from his side and began walking back to the Lamb, you were confused by their dumbfounded expression. "What? Was I supposed to say-?"

"Look." They pointed behind you, and you turned back around, gawking at what you were seeing.

The fungi had completely decayed, falling off Sozo's head into a withering husk in the grass; the smaller fungi buried in his collar died off, too. It didn't cause him any pain, surprisingly enough.

Then you looked directly at his face, noticing signs of him aging rapidly judging by the wrinkles and graying furs of his collar.

But he was still alive.

And he was back to his old self.

"Wh..Where am I? Where is...my family?" His voice was quiet and raspy as he looked around, confused by the wooden contraption he was locked in.

However once he saw your face, he recognized you and smiled, feeling at total ease.

"Oh, my love. You're back."

"I-I never left.." Tears immediately blurred your vision as you rushed to unlock the pillory. "I was here the whole time. I thought you were gone forever..."

"I hope I didn't go too far." He hummed, although he felt an ache in his back from being hunched over for so long and winced. Lamb was quick to fetch him a cane so he could better support himself, but you looped your arm around one of his own to help.

"Thank you, you're very kind.." He gazed at the sheep. "My name is Dr. Sozonius. We were...studying the Mushroomos. Fascinating creatures, they are. Neither plant nor animal. They gave my partner [y/n] and I some menticide mushrooms...and.....that's the last thing I remember.." He frowned slightly.

'Ah..so he doesn't know...' You realized, but you kept your worries pushed down, too happy to care about any of that right now.

"I can't help but feel that I have you to thank for...something." He continued, smiling at Lamb. "You have my loyalty. I will remain here and serve you."

They smiled back and bowed their head respectfully. "Thank you, doctor. Welcome back."

..........

While it was such a relief to see Sozonius' sanity restored, it wasn't too long before he ended up becoming bedridden, his bones too weak to support him anymore.

You realized that the fungi somehow managed to disguise his true age, as Lamb discovered he was actually 100 years old via mindreading--making him the eldest follower in the natural sense.

Now you feared losing him again..just when you finally got him back, and wondered if Lamb could do something to help.

Sure, resurrecting him may be the easiest option, but it would be the most painful for you. They couldn't put you through that, as it would take a few days for them to be ready for the ritual.

Luckily they managed to find a quick solution:

A fountain of youth in the form of a simple egg dish.

After Sozonius ate it, the magical properties somehow reversed the clock, giving him back the energy he needed to help out with cult duties. And you didn't have to worry about losing each other again, as Lamb gifted you two golden skull necklaces as a "belated" wedding gift.

Of course, the ant was ever jubilant about his mushroom studies and continued to pursue them alongside you--in a far more controlled environment, obviously. He was allowed to tend to the plots and observe how their effects impact followers during brainwashing rituals, although he was forbidden from tasting one himself or participating in those..

At least for right now.

Even though it's been about a week since he was "cured", the few Mushroomos that lived on the cult grounds were still fretful upon seeing him, thinking he was going to eat them alive.

The one you defended couldn't believe that he was genuinely sorry and not under the fungi's influence anymore.

They were so terribly scared that Lamb mentioned that they gained a "cowardly" trait, always flinching upon you, them, or Sozonius approaching, begging to be spared from....some nonexistent threat they made up in their head. They tried to please you two how ever they could, yet were easily frightened by him simply breathing around them.

Your husband was confused until you clarified that he ruled over the Mushroomos for a long time, cannibalizing them and making threats should they fail to bring him more mushrooms--but he found it hard to fathom that he'd ever do such a thing and abandon you and his family..

Even so, he felt guilty and hoped to make things right.

.........

It was late at night when you and Sozonius were having some light brews at the drinkhouse, feeling relaxed but not entirely befuddled.

He was rambling about some of his latest discoveries in mycology, and you listened with such a loving gaze in your eyes, smiling so big your face was starting to hurt.

You were so, so grateful he came back to you..and that Lamb could save him.

But one particular Mushroomo, however, arrived in hopes of drinking their worries away...and instead found you two at the counter, disappointed.

They tried to sneak away, although Sozonius spotted them and whistled. "You, Mushroomo! Come sit with us." He offered. "We don't bite."

"Eek! I-I mean, of course Mast---I mean Sozo..I-I mean....urrgh!!" Already they were fumbling over their words, scratching at their mushroom cap and sweating. "S-Sorry, sorry! AH!" They nearly tripped over a rock on their way to the drinkhouse.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, dear?" You glanced at your husband, who just nodded reassuringly.

"It will be fine."

Even as the Mushroomo sat down and took one of the drinks left on the counter, they seemed too anxious to take a sip. Instead their gaze going to you--and Sozonius, especially. "I-I feel like I'm interrupting something.."

"No, you are not. But listen-"

"D-Do you need more 'shrooms for your studies, Sozo?? More menticide-?"

"No, no. Listen. I wanted to...apologize for what I have done to you and your fellow Mushroomos."

"Wha.....y-you do..?"

With a soft sigh, Sozonius grasped both of their hands, and although they squeaked in surprise, they didn't try running off. "I scarcely recall what I did while under the influence of the mushrooms. But...it's no excuse. I treated all of you poorly, ate your friends...and I'm sorry. I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive this old fool."

They meekly nodded. "W-We understand..mast-"

"From this day forward," he cut in gently, "I am no longer your master. You serve the Lamb now. Not me. And that goes for all of you Mushroomos, okay?"

"....yes, doctor." The mushroom creature exhaled a shaky breath, looking utterly relieved to have official freedom from his servitude.

"Good, thank you." Sozonius let go, smiling. "I'm glad you understand. Why don't you go get some rest?"

"I think..I will." They stood up and stared down at their untouched drink, before sliding it back over to you. "You can have this. I...don't feel like I need it anymore."

You nodded, bidding them goodnight as they headed back to their shelter, before gazing at the ant. "Seems you broke their habit, too."

"Well, I am a doctor, after all." He chuckled. "I wanna help whoever I can."

All you did was smile, the two of you sitting in a comfortable silence, finishing your drinks and admiring the golden shrine at the center of the cult grounds.

Finally, everything was as it should be.

[sylvctica]

🌙 s𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬.

1. what does your muse smell like?

Not all that much, honestly! Sylvie doesn’t have any true distinct smell to them, so no fancy ‘smells of forest’ descriptors ... not naturally, anyway. Of course, their scent really is just context based; if they washed their clothes recently or took a bath, they might smell of the soap they used, or if they were recently cooking they’ll smell of food. To those sensitive to elemental energies / auras, one might say they can smell of Dendro, but that might also be person specific to what they attribute it to.

2. what do your muse’s hands feel like?

Decently soft, because they control their own form ( and keep up with hygiene and self-maintenance ) their hands don’t bear any roughness to them despite being a bare-handed claymore wielder and traveller / adventurer. Well maintained, trimmed nails, clean hands.

3. what does your muse usually eat in a day?

Honestly? There is no set food type for Sylvie. Obviously, it is human food, but they’re the most unpicky eater ever so they’ll eat pretty much anything. Because food is not a true necessity for them, they have no set time or habits really tied to eating. If need be, they will consume greenery / natural food, but it is rare, and honestly they’ve fallen out of relying on it.

4. does your muse have a good singing voice?

God no. Sylvie cannot sing to save their life; although they have a rich voice that varies in tone, they are tone-deaf as all hell and usually sing quite off-key. They do put their all into it if they have to sing, but it’s just ... not good.

5. does your muse have any bad habits or nervous ticks?

Hm ... habits is hard to say ... I dunno if unfiltered speech counts as a bad habit, since it is context dependent. Otherwise, they’re mostly ticks which show up in the form of:

Nape rubbing

Foot tapping / leg movements when sitting

Fiddling with things they can reach with their hands ( hair, clothes )

Pacing ( though only when stressed )

The need to chew sometimes for oral stimulation ( which does mean sometimes there is noise tied to it pending on what they’re using )

6. what does your muse usually look like / wear?

Fashionista ... well, they want to often look very fashionable, but because they’re out and about, especially on adventures, they need to dress simple and easy to move around in; their loosely tucked blouse, knee-high hiking boots, and waist-high pants are their usual go-to because it’s the most comfortable outfit that still caters to their dressing style.

7. is your muse affectionate? how much? how so?

Oh god, super super affectionate, they are touchy and huggy and squeezy; very physically affectionate to all people they care and love, and they feel no awkwardness in doing so ... problem is oft that they forget that other people aren’t quite the same.

8. what position does your muse sleep in?

On their left side, curled up usually, or on their stomach super splayed out. Their left side is where the scar isn’t prevalent; although they cannot feel through it, it was a habit made from their reawakening to avoid it. Both positions also allow them to keep their horns out if they need to, or fall asleep with them out.

9. could you hear your muse in the hallway from another room?

Yes; they are loud in both their steps and voice, so usually you hear them well before you see them in any form. Sylvie doesn’t really see much of a need to mask their approach or presence, unless they need to, otherwise they don’t control their own natural volume.

tagged by: @heincus​ tagging: you!!!! get ur brain noggins working

[ameliora-j]

twin flame iii // gw x reader

words: 2.2k

warnings: angst, breakup, mention of bruising, crying, angelina slander kinda (it’s just for the story i love her sm!), yn is sorta a pick me if you squint sry, cringey mediocre writing at very best

an: i used song lyrics for some of the argument and the ending :) i hope you like it besties!

part one | part two | part four

you george! i want you!

the words had been running through his mind since the night you left. he had been going over the days leading up to your explosion in his mind for weeks. your words were in his mind day and night. your pained expression, your anger, your hurt. you consumed him. more than you usually did.

george weasley knew he fucked up. he knew without anyone telling him. but they did anyway. every waking second they did. first it was fred, calling him a jerk. then ron, who called him a “bloody idiot.” then ginny, who told him it was his own fault. and then his mum. of course his mum, who said in exact words: “george fabian weasley, this is nobody’s fault but your own. quit moping around and do something to fix it! i didn’t raise you to treat women this way!”

his last straw, however, was his older brother percy. percy of all people. who looked at him with a disappointed shake of his head. receiving a disappointed head shake from percy was nothing out of the ordinary, especially for george. it was his words that stung. percy spoke ten simple words to him that truly set george off. percy spoke “you lost the best thing that’s ever happened to you.” at his sentence, george lost it.

“i know that percy! you don’t think i fucking know that i lost the best thing that ever happened to me! and fred i know i’m a jerk and ron i know i’m an idiot and ginny i know it’s my fault and mum i’m sorry okay! i know you didn’t raise me like this i don’t know what’s wrong with me but i don’t think she’s coming back!” he fell back onto the couch as he tugged frustratedly at his roots.

“george… do you love her?” molly asked him.

“yes mum,” a whimper escaped the fiery-haired boy’s throat. “i love her more than i’ve ever loved anyone before. she’s my world,” he revealed.

“then go, george. go get her,” his dad said. “for your sake and her’s,” he told him.

“and our’s!” fred called distantly from the kitchen.

“shove off fred!” george called back before apparating to your front door. he knocked three times and waited for someone to answer it. when you opened the door, he was shocked at your state.

makeup streaked down your cheeks with your shoulder bruised and your arm in a splint. your eyes were red and puffy, but they were furthermore accompanied by dark bags as if you hadn’t slept in weeks. the truth is; you hadn’t. “hi george,” you mumbled half heartedly.

“hi butterfl-“ you cut him off.

“yn. my name is yn,” you spoke sternly.

“i’ve called you butterfly since you were three…” he murmured.

“not anymore. hurts too bad to hear it. did you need something?” you quickly changed the subject.

“i want to talk to you,” he said. you nodded and walked in, telling him to follow you. george said hello to your brother and then followed you into the lounge where you two sat on the loveseat and you turned to face him.

you sat in a long silence as your eyes traced each other’s features. you memorized him. every line, every freckle, every bump, bruise, and blemish. the silence was deafening. untill he finally broke it. “what happened to your arm?” he murmured softly.

“it splinched when i apparated home. then i apparated again and made it worse,” you bit your lip softly.

“always so reckless,” he tutted softly, causing you to shrug.

“what’d you wanna talk about? know you didn’t come to talk about my arm…” you attempted to get to the point of his visit.

“right,” he murmured softly. “yn i…” he took a deep breath. “the day that i let you walk out of my life is the day that i made the worst mistake in the history of mistakes. i’ve done some stupid things in my life, but letting you walk away has by far been the stupidest. i’m so so sorry that i hurt you the way i did, i cannot express to you how sorry i am, i truly cannot. i love you, yn. with all of me i do, you have to believe me when i say that.”

“i do believe you george. i just don’t believe that you love me the way that i love you. and carrying around that pain is killing me. i mean absolutely destroying me. you live in my mind rent free. you’ve infested it,” you told him. “you with your stupid pretty smile and your god awful jokes and your ridiculous pranks that you somehow always rope me into and your perfect hair and your pretty eyes and just. you. george. stupid you. oblivious you. godric george,” you roughly shoved his chest. “i’ve loved you for years and you’ve always looked past me!” tears rimmed your bottom lash line and your voice cracked as you lashed out on him.

“for years george, i mean years! i’ve watched you fall in love with countless girls just to have your heart broken by them. i stuck by you through everything. even when you stopped being being my friend because it made angelina uncomfortable i waited for you george! and you just pushed me to the side. i did everything for you. i executed pranks for you. i planned pranks for you. i took the fall for you. i got detention for you! i did it all for you. i mean the countless amount of things i did just to be able to call you mine and i just… you didn’t care! you’ve never cared! you’ll never love me the way that i love you and that hurts. so. fucking. bad.” you wiped your eyes.

“it kills me george. it eats at me, every single day it does. i stood by your side and i took the blame with you even when i had nothing to do with the stupid shit you pulled at hogwarts because yeah i was going down, but hey, at least i was doing it with you, right? we made so much trouble and-and we used to laugh. and be happy. we were genuinely happy and i don’t know where we went wrong but we did, but i still say that i hate you with a smile on my face! i don’t get it george why don’t you love me!” a whimper tore itself from the depths of your chest as you let out a silent sob.

“now look what we’ve became…” he murmured, tears falling from your eyes.

“all the things i did just to call you mine… and… and all the things you said but… somehow, i still hope i was your favorite crime. cause merlin knows you were mine.” you sniffled as you wiped your eyes.

“you were mine. you’ll always be my favorite crime.” he leaned over and kissed your head as another silent sob racked your body. “now it’s bittersweet to think about the damage that we did,” he smiled over at you sadly. “i love you butterfly. just as much as you love me, if not more,” he whispered as he stood from his place.

you rolled your eyes water-logged eyes, but still managed to smile. “i wish you thought about that before,” you whispered.

“i do too… i guess i’ll have to just call you the one that got away then?” he asked.

“in another life georgie… i’d be your girl. and we’d keep every promise that we made,” you told him.

“and i wouldn’t have to say you were the one that got away,” you nodded as he kissed your head again. “i love you, butterfly. i always have.”

“i love you too, georgie. i always will,” you sniffled as you watched him walk out the door. you didn’t want this. you wanted to stop him. everything in your body screamed at you to stop him. but your brain wouldn’t work. your heart said no. you were scared of being hurt again.

you wanted to do something. yell at him. tell him to come back. to hug you. to never leave you. to never let you go. but your heart wouldn’t let you. you were frozen in time.

~~

it’ll all get better in time.

you’d heard the saying time and time again. especially after your parents passed away. it was people’s favorite line to use when they saw you. the truth is… you didn’t stop hurting. the pain didn’t go away. you just got used to it. but the pain you were feeling now… you didn’t know if it would ever go away. at least it didn’t feel like it.

two months. it had been two months since george walked out of your house that night. it was nobody’s fault but your own, and somehow you couldn’t help wishing he would’ve stayed.

you saw him everywhere. in the stars in the night sky. in the sunrise and the sunset. in coffee shops and store windows. even in your dreams when you slept. so logically, you decided to stop. if you didn’t sleep you couldn’t dream. and if you didn’t dream, you couldn’t see him.

you dutifully ignored the pain in your chest like an annoying bug on a picnic. you pretended that you were fine, but the reality was; you weren’t. but you played it off. and you were able to keep up your facade. untill one day… that one fateful day tucked in the corner at ninety three diagon alley. your brother asked you to pick up ten second pimple vanisher because he had a date tonight and just received a pimple the size of jupiter on his nose, causing him to look like “the muggle myth rudolph the red-nosed reindeer” as he put it.

you walked into the shop and kept your head down as you searched the aisles. it wasn’t where it usually was. you knew this shop like the back of your hand, of course you had… you’d worked there for nearly three years. you furrowed your brows as you looked around. the shop had completely transformed. nothing was in the place it usually was. that’s when your eyes landed there. on her. right at the front, behind the till at the register you worked, in the uniform you wore was angelina johnson.

you sighed deeply as you extended your neck around the corner to where the office was. you smiled triumphantly as you saw fred sitting at his desk and began your trek. you gently knocked twice on the opened door and fred called, “come in,” distractedly.

you walked in and sat on the desk, right in front of him, forcing him to look up at you. “yn!” fred exclaimed.

“hi freddie!” you smiled as a giggle escaped your lips and you returned the death-grip hug he had enveloped you in.

“what brings you by? not that i don’t love seeing your pretty face, of course,” he shot you a playfully flirtatious wink.

“ybn needs ten second pimple vanisher because he has a date tonight and he woke up with a pimple the size of jupiter on his nose,” fred laughed loudly at your remark. “i tried to look for it, but the stores completely turned around,” you pouted slightly.

“oh yeah, we changed some things up because we needed room for our new products. they’re still in the making, but george disappeared,” he hummed.

“george what?” you asked.

“you didn’t know…?” he asked you.

“no. i… i had no idea,” you stuttered.

“yeah. after the night he went to talk to you, he left a note on our kitchen counter and all his things were packed and he just… left. we haven’t seen or heard from him since. ‘s just been angie and i running the shop now. couldn’t do it alone,” fred explained as he picked up the box. “here you are l-“ before he could finish, you were halfway out the door. “YN WAIT!” he called. “YOU FORGOT YOUR PRODUCT!”

“SORRY FRED! YBN WILL BE OKAY I HAVE TO GO!” you called as you ran out the door as fast as your feet would carry you. if you knew george weasley… and you did… there was only one place he could be. and you prayed to any and every god that would listen that he was there. you prayed like your life depended on it that he was okay. you needed to fix this. to fix him. to make it alright.

in this moment you knew that he needed you. he needed you like peanut butter needs jelly. the way left needs right. like the sun needs the moon. he needed you like you needed him. you ran and ran and ran for miles untill you got to a secluded area. then you took a breath. and you apparated.

it was exactly the way you left it. a dingy old wooden box house sitting at the highest branch of a sycamore tree. you groaned softly as you began to climb the many branches. “george i swear to godric you better be in here,” you grumbled to yourself as you climbed.

it felt like hours—truly it was ten grueling minutes at most—untill you got to the door of the house. you whispered the password and it creaked open. “georgie,” you breathed when you saw him.

there he was. laying on the floor of the treehouse wrapped in blankets and a sleeping bag with a small pillow under his head. the apple to your pie. the straw to your berry. the smoke to your high. the one you knew you’d marry.

the one that got away. your twin flame.

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[beyondspaceandstars]

hello writer!! i was wondering if you could do a fluff arranged marriage loki oneshot with the prompt “can we makeout now?”

thanks for considering!

Dating and Marriage

Relationship: Loki x Reader

Warnings: N/A, just fluff!

Word Count: 1.9k

A/N: alright i hope this is okay and ended up well i love the arrange marriage AU and i thought i was gonna be better at putting this together but maybe its clunky or something idk i still like it so i hope you do as well!

Masterlist

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

It had taken you a while to get somewhere in your relationship with Loki.

When the two of you were informed you had already been promised to one another before either of your births, you weren’t too shocked. As both of you came from royal standings, arranged marriages were far too common for a variety of reasons. In your case, it was to cement a peace treaty.

Sure, at first, you and Loki were very annoyed with the decision, especially since neither of you was ever even given the chance to be in on the conversation but that annoyance wasn’t allowed for very long. You two were adults now and had to take on your royal responsibilities as such. That responsibility included following through on the outlined marriage.

Loki didn’t seem to harbor any malice towards you and you never held anything against him. But, still, it wasn’t like you two were in love. You were tolerating one another.

And for a while, that toleration was enough. As a couple, you were quite poised in public. Sometimes you thought maybe it was hard for others to believe it was an arranged marriage based on how much you seemed to accept each other’s company. It was okay at times, you felt like you had a friend. Being a royal in a whole new palace could be lonely. Loki at least would spare you some time to sit and chat.

But this unusual friendship you two had started after the wedding was growing into something else for you day by day. And as much as he probably wanted to deny it, you could see something shift within Loki. He’d look at you differently. Reach for your hand when out of the public eye. Even began inviting you to spend his leisure time with him.

There was no avoiding the fact you two were headed on a different course than originally planned in this arrangement and despite its prevalence, you two didn’t speak about it. But you were growing greatly tired of ignoring it.

"We should go on a date," you suddenly said one afternoon. You and Loki were sitting in the library. He was in his favorite chair, consumed with some fairytale while you were seated on the couch across from him, in the process of knitting…something. You didn’t know what — you had only taken up knitting because you had heard other princesses did it. Making scarves had become all the rage.

You could feel Loki eyeing you suspiciously as you tried working on another stitch.

Eventually, he placed his book to the side and spoke. "A date?" Loki echoed.

You shrugged, not taking your eyes off the yarn. "Yeah, a date. You know, just the two of us. We could go out or — or maybe make some dinner here. I’ve been having the kitchen servants teach me about cooking."

"I know what a date is," he sighed. "What I meant is, why should we go on a date? We’re already married."

You felt a bit defeated with that response. You set your yarn on your lap and looked at your husband. He was watching you quite intensely, waiting for your answer. You shivered under the icy stare.

"Y-You don’t want to—"

Loki cut you off abruptly. "I didn’t say that." He glanced down then back at you. "It’s just that… Dates are for wooing, yes? Why would I need that when I can already tell you’re taken with me."

Your heart dropped. You blinked at him, stunned. You hadn’t expected him to just…admit he knew what was working up in your mind. There was some pride in his eyes at your reaction but behind it, you could make out a hint of fascination.

You tried shaking off your pounding heart. You promptly picked back up the yarn, continuing your hopeless scarf, as you responded, "Have you never considered that maybe your wife still wants to be wooed despite the status of her interest."

"So you admit," he chuckled, "you have fallen for me."

You scoffed, "Don’t act all high and mighty. I’m well aware of how you look at me."

You heard Loki lean back in the chair as the leather of it creaked. You could feel his eyes roaming over you but you didn’t know in what capacity. Whatever was in his eyes now you were ignoring as you frantically tried to focus on knitting and not your love confession.

"Okay," he eventually said. "We’ll have a date."

It was impossible for you to hold back the smile forming on your lips.

***

After minimal deliberation, Loki agreed to let you cook for him. You had heard that the Midgardians used food as signs of love and were fascinated with trying to learn some dishes. You studied with the servants for days trying to perfect a meal. They were always a little uncertain about letting a princess in where servant frequented but once you explained this time you were cooking to please your husband, they giggled like schoolgirls, excited to help.

Once you felt prepared enough, you informed your husband of when you wanted the date. You may have had to do some rework of both your royal schedules but it was fine. Meetings are forever, love can be fleeting.

You were preparing the food when Loki hesitantly entered the kitchen. You had explained that you two would be eating at the kitchen table. It was just a little table where servants usually sat to eat meals or relax in between shifts.

Loki had originally protested this saying he was not of such low status. You assured him that there was no intimacy to be found at the grand dining hall. It was far too big and annoying for two people. He didn’t argue further, just mumbling that he’d be there at the time requested.

And, luckily, he followed through.

"Hi, honey," you smiled, watching the stew simmer above the flame.

Loki took his seat gently as if he was going to catch something from the table. "This is really what you wanted to do for our date?"

You nodded. "I’ve had so much fun learning this meal and doesn’t it smell great? I think it’s going to be nice. I ever have bread baking." You motioned towards the stone oven. Loki followed your gaze but didn’t look impressed yet.

"We could’ve very easily had someone make this for us," Loki pointed out. "We have that luxury, darling."

You rolled your eyes, turning back to your bubbling stew. You could feel your anger bubbling in the same fashion.

"That’s not the point, Loki," you said, the tone in the kitchen shifting as you spoke his name. You rarely ever did. He perked up as you continued, "The point is that I, your wife, like you and would like to express my adornment through a freshly cooked meal."

Loki fell silent with that, something that was so rare for him. You didn’t push any further, though, and instead killed the fire under the stew and presented your bread from the oven. You divided it out into individual portions then placed each on the table. Still with an annoyed, sour look, you sat across from your husband. He was watching the stew, you were watching him.

"It—It looks delicious," he said

"Thank you," you mumbled. You two dug in then, this date now turning out a bit more awkward than you had planned. Neither of you spoke for a while, instead filling the kitchen with the slurping of soup and chewing of bread.

Loki soon began looking between you and the food like he was working up the courage to say something which was absolutely ridiculous to you. Your husband was one of the most outspoken people in the realm.

Eventually, you just decided to look up at him, your eyes begging for him to say whatever he wanted to say.

"This meal is lovely," Loki eventually said. "Th-Thank you for…doing all this."

You smiled, a faint blush creeping up on your cheeks. "You’re welcome."

Loki finished his stew then asked, "What else should we do on this date?"

Now you were really blushing. While taking your little cooking classes, you asked the servants what else goes on on dates. They seemed like lovely girls and you were curious. You had heard stories before of dancing and parties but you wanted something more intimate and you had never actually been on much of a date before. You spent time with boys in your youth and the night before your wedding you and Loki had talked for a little bit but nothing was ever of such fashion.

One servant had informed you, quite shyly, that she and her boyfriend always finished their dates by making out. You had gasped, amazed at her bluntness but then remembered these were servant girls. They lived far less controlled lives than you.

You were partially envious but then you realized, technically, you had a husband. A husband who was capable of making out with you even if such actions and beyond were typically reserved for very a calculated time — heir bearing, such intimacy only happened during the time when potential conception was at its peak.

"Well," you said, running your spoon through your bowl of stew, "one of the servants that helped me said her and her boyfriend end their dates with make-outs."

"Making out?" Loki repeated, brows raised in surprise. "But it’s not—"

"I know."

He looked away. You could practically see the gears turning in his brain. "You want to make out with me for fun."

You giggled at his shock. "Is that so unbelievable? I thought we already established I am into my husband."

"Yes, but you, well, neither of us, have never been so bold before."

"But it’s not such a bad thing," you shrugged, "to be so bold."

Loki hummed in agreement as he eyed you. There was something in his expression you couldn’t quite put your finger on but you definitely knew something between you two had shifted. It had already been shifting, sure, but your newly expressed desires opened the dam walls.

"Alright, dear, I think I can indulge you."

You smiled at his excitement which he was certainly trying to hide. But you maybe wanted to take a moment to maybe mess with him a bit. "Hmm," you glanced around at the dirty pots and pans, "after we clean up."

Loki’s jaw dropped. "What?"

"We can get on with our date once we clean up."

"You’re kidding me, right?" He pointedly asked. You shook your head. Loki huffed, "When did my wife become such a tease?"

You stood up, collecting your bowls and plates, bringing them to the counter. "I’ve always been like this, honey," you said. "Maybe you just have to get to know me a little bit more."

Loki began stalking towards you as you pretended to be fooling with the dirty dishes. "Well, darling," he said as his hands came upon your hips, "there’s something you must know about me and it’s that I don’t like to be kept waiting."

"I can maybe leave all this for later if you ask nicely."

He scoffed. "Are you asking me to beg?"

You shook your head. "I’m just asking you to ask nicely."

"Fine," he sighed. "Please, can we make out now?"

You sighed, leaning into his hard body. His arms moved to wrap around your waist now. "Yes, your majesty."

Loki chuckled lowly, dangerously, in your ear. "Thank you, princess."

He leaned his head around and within seconds, your lips were captured with his, getting more and more lost in one another as you two become a miss of kisses and touches.

[boobz-fye]

Comforting them after losing a game

Includes: Oikawa Tooru, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kageyama Tobio, and Keiji Akaashi x G/N reader.

Warnings: the boys doubting themselves and cursing(I think I only said one bad word in kageyamas but whatever)

Rant: Ok, I feel like this post is actual shit. Like I say that about almost all of my posts- but this one is very bad. The only good one is Ushijimas I think, so I hope I do all of the characters a little justice tho. Also sorry that I haven't been posting much (for like two weeks) I have been very busy, and been dealing with writer's block. I will try and post something else some time next week. Think it's gonna be fluff for MHA tho. Anyways, HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS!!!!!

Oikawa Tooru~

It all happened too fast. He could have sworn that they were just in the lead, ahead of Shiratorizawa by two points. He was so close to beating them. And now what is he going to say to you, or the team? He promised all of you that they will win this only to not fulfill it. Slowly dragging his feet out of the gym, Oikawa starts to feel tears building up in his vision. ‘No you can't cry right now.’ Oikawa thinks as he starts to pick up a pace. Maybe this is all just a bad dream and he will wake up soon.. Yeah that sounds right. He can wake up and have a fresh start of the day, win against Shiratorizawa, then celebrate with his team mates, and to top it all off go over your house and cuddle the whole night.  Oh how lovely that sounds, only if that wasn't another fantasy planted in his head.

Overwhelmed with emotions Oikawa finally comes out of the locker rooms, only to see you sitting on the floor. “What are you still doing here baby?” You look up to see Oikawa putting on a fake smile that makes your heart break. “Come here..” You say rising to a standing position, with your arms open and welcoming. Oikawa doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around you, and be consumed by your warmth. “You did amazing out there handsome.” Those few words made Oikawa feel butterflies in his stomach. The only thing that could make him feel better were your praises. But he still couldn't help the small ache in his chest, remembering that he promised everyone that they would win this game and make it to nationals. “If I did good then why didn't we win?” He says with a slight crack in his voice, making an ache of your own spread through your chest. “Maybe it was just luck. You were only off by one point, plus if it makes you feel better you'll be able to beat their ass in spring!” A breathy chuckle escaped from Oikawa's mouth, causing a grin to form on your face. “You're right baby, we will beat them in spring.”

Ushijima Wakatoshi~

Ushijima wasn't used to losing. The reality didn't hit him until he heard the opposing teams audience cheer. Looking over to the scoreboard when he hears the whistle being blown, only to see that his team has lost. A bitter taste settles on Ushijima’s tongue. But he is once again pulled out of his thoughts by a hand resting on his shoulder. He turns around to see his team standing behind him with a look of true defeat. “C’mon Ushijima, we have to line up” Tendou says with a tone a little different from his usual cheery one. Not knowing what to say Ushijima just grunts with a small nod.

Walking outside of the gym Ushijima starts to replay the game in his head to try and see where they went wrong, but soon was interrupted by some arms wrapping around him from behind. “Hi bubs.” you say nuzzling your head into his back. “Hello Y/N.”  “Soooo…” you try to think of what to say that will make Ushijima feel better, but it's hard to do so when he can be very blunt at some points and not understand what you are trying to get at. “Yes?” Ushijima says tugging at the sleeve of your jacket to gain your attention back to him. “How are you feeling after the game?” There is a little moment of silence that comes over the two of you causing a slight panic cloud in your mind, because what if he took your question the wrong way- “I don’t know how to feel about losing, I'm upset because we put a lot of effort in that game just to lose. But they won fairly, so I guess that just shows that we weren't good enough.” Ushijima states bluntly. You're kind of taken back by his answer, but notice how his eyes show more emotion than his words. You could tell that he was more than just upset. “Don't say that Ushijima, you guys did amazing out there. You guys were only off by a couple points!” You say as you take Ushijima’s hand into your own. “But still we tried our best and it wasn't enough.” You felt his hands tremble a little in your touch, looking at him with a soft gaze you say “I'm sorry bub, you will get them next time though, I know you will because you are good enough.” Ushijima nods and mumbles a thank you, while gently squeezing your hand. It's times like this, when Ushijima shows you his vulnerable side, that you hold dear to your heart.

Kageyama Tobio~

Kageyama dreaded feeling the pain in his chest after losing a game. He would never get used to it, and doesn't really care enough too anyways. Maybe if he didn't send the ball to Hinata, knowing that the idiot will just close his eyes, then they could have won. But even then Oikawa’s tricky serves would still be a pain to work around. Not to mention how fast the whole team learns their opponents weaknesses. Kageyama had gotten so lost in his thoughts that he forgot he had to meet up with you at a cafe in 6 mins. Today seems to just get worse and worse by the second and he doesn't know if he will be able to keep himself together for much longer.

You hear the bell on the cafe door ring, causing you to turn around and see that all too familiar face. Kageyama walks over to you and takes his seat. Only when he finally looks up you notice that he is panting. “Did you run all the way here kags?” “Yeah, would have been late if I didn't.” Kageyama never liked being late to anything that has to do with you, it makes him feel guilty, and he doesn't want to add upsetting you to the list of shitty things that have happened today. “I'm ok with you being a little late baby, especially when you just got back from your game…” Kageyeama drops his gaze back down to the table remembering that was the first game you got to see him play in just for them to lose, how embarrassing- “Sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up.” you say rubbing the back of your neck. “It's ok….”  “Look at the menu and pick what you want, it's on me!” Kageyama shoots his head up and stares at you with wide eyes “Idiot im not letting you pay.” He mumbles while a blush spreads across his face. “Aww c'mon babe I can pay, let me get you some comfort food!” “Comfort food?” “Yeah food always helps me with stress” Before Kageyama could think over his next words, his mouth and brain betrayed him. “I think cuddles would make me feel better.” Both of you are taken back by his words, Kageyama was always so stubborn, forcing you to pick up hints from his behavior and piece them together to know what he wants. But you don't mind the forwardness; it helps you get straight to the point. Kageyama on the other hand is freaking out, he doesn't know if he was being too blunt or not, and your silence is not helping. “Never mind… forget what I said” “Whattttt, that sucks cause I was going to say yes but since you insist.” “Shut up, we can head over to mine after eating, the meal that I will be paying for, and cuddle. Now pick what you want already I don't have all day.” “Sir yes sir!” You say with a salute. “Dont do that you look dumb” Kageyama says, while trying to supress a grin. “You're so meannnnn” You whine with a pout. Even though Kageyama is teasing you the only thing you seem to be able to focus on is the way he starts to let loose and laugh around you. And when you look into his eyes all you see is love, not a trace of sorrow.

Akaashi Keiji~

It's only been a few minutes since the tragic game has ended and akaashi is already past the limit of stress he can handle. From the fact that they actually lost a game, while also trying to encourage the team and tell them that they will do better next time, and also trying to help bokuto get out of emo mode akaashi was starting to get a headache and wanted to just go home to sulk and attempt to relax. So once when he gets out of the shower akaashi throws on some clothes and runs out the locker room to the front gate. Not expecting you to be there waiting for him.

As Akaashi approaches the front gate he sees you standing there alone. “Y/N, what are you doing here? It's getting late.” “I know, I just wanted to check up on you” Akaashi looks into your worried eyes, causing him to feel a little guilt. Is he the cause of the expression on your face? “Oh well then can I walk you home?” You nod in approval, letting him take your hand and lead the way. A comfortable silence takes over the two of you, but you still can't help but feel like something is still off about Akaashi today, and none of his fake smiles and replies will put this thought at ease. “Hey Akaashi?” “Yes?” you stay silent for a little trying to think of the right words to say. “You know you guys did amazing at the game today right?” Akaashi hums in response, as the hold on your hand becomes a little shaky. “Good, because it's the truth. Just don't beat yourself up about it, you're great at what you do. Even though you guys didn't win I know you are still deserving of it. The only reason your opponents had a chance, was because of the chance balls. Plus you and your team have way more chemistry with each other then they did, it's almost like all of you can read each other's minds… Sorry I was rambling again.” Akaashi turns around and stares at you this time with a real smile on his face. “It's ok love, I think it's cute when you run your mouth. Now why don't we head over to your house instead? I want you to help me get rid of my stress, ok?” “And how can I help you with that?” Akkashi brings your hand towards his lips and gives it a quick kiss. “Cuddles of course, and let me eat whatever food you got in your house.” Akaashi says with a wink. On your way home you can't help but admire your caring boyfriend, always making time for you even when he's too emotionally and physically tired.

[thefanficmonster]

Oblivious

Valkyrae (Rae) x Reader (Gender Neutral) ft. Corpse Husband

Warnings: None

Genre: FLUFF, Humor, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: In the most desperate of times, we may or may not be used to hearing the phrase ‘Beggers can’t be choosers’ which is exactly why Y/N’s found themself asking the most hopeless of cases when it comes to love and romance - Corpse, for help.

Requested by Xara. Hi darling! Thank you so much for this wonderful request you’ve sent me - I love writing for Rae (excuse my bi excitement, I’m just a HUGE simp) and I can’t thank you enough for giving me the opportunity to do so. Sorry it’s been two months since you requested this but here it finally is and I hope it makes up for the wait. Love, Vy ❤

“Corpse, I’m in desperate need for help.“ I don’t even bother with a friendly or even polite greeting. Being best friends for as long as we have, Corpse and I excluded the politeness that comes with phone calls a long time ago, especially when calling with an emergency. Though, let’s be honest, if I’m calling him on the phone and not on video chat like I usually do, it is an emergency.

“Given that you’re asking me, I can imagine how desperate you are.“ He has the audacity to laugh in response, causing me to roll my eyes. 

Now, don’t get the wrong idea - I love Corpse with all my heart. Him and I have been through A LOT together considering we know each other since we were teenagers. However, there are some instances in life when he simply doesn’t get me. Not that he doesn’t try to, he does and does so very hard, but he rarely succeeds. Trying is what matters, of course. Given that he is my only close friend, I can only ever turn to him with my problems though I try my best not to bother him too much, but when things get REALLY tough, I can’t help but go and vent to him. Luckily, he’s always been very understanding, but it may be because he feels like he owes me for all the times he has turned to me with his problems. I’ve tried to explain that he shouldn’t feel such a way, but that’s rather hypocritical of me cause I feel the same way.

Alright, enough digressing, back on track!

“Desperate doesn’t even begin to summarize how I feel.“ I sigh, plopping down on the couch in my living room, kicking my feet up on the coffee table as I cover my eyes with my hand. “Brutally miserable is, I think, the correct term to use here.“

I hear Corpse let out a quiet ‘oof’, one I think he hoped I wouldn’t hear. “And what led you to finally give in and ask for help, not that I can offer you much?”

I can’t help but snort at that, a snort that serves as a replacement to slapping myself across the face. “Rae texted me yesterday asking if I’d like to play Minecraft with her and I took THREE HOURS to respond! Not on purpose, I just couldn’t think of something good to say!” I know I sound like a whiney kid, but I think I’ve passed that threshold LONG ago. Of course, this whiney kid version of me only surfaces around Corpse and Corpse only. No one else is allowed to see me like this or that would legit be the end of any sort of pride I may have left in me.

“You mean you couldn’t choose between ‘Sure, I’d like that!’ and ‘Of course, I’d love to!’? Please say yes.“ Corpse already sounds disappointed and he hasn’t even heard the worst of it yet.

“No and sit tight, it gets worse. I...“

He cuts me off, “Wait, no, don’t say it. Let me guess - you turned her down? Keep in mind if you say yes I’m hanging up on you.”

I remain silent, pinching the bridge of me nose and cringing as hard as my facial muscles are willing to allow. I can’t say yes, not cause he’ll hang up but because admitting it makes it more real, and the more real it is the more depressed it’ll make me and I will go back to being a self-deprecating mess that refuses to be productive or properly functioning - aka ‘Whiney Kid Maximum’.

“I’m hanging up.“ Corpse says after waiting five seconds for my response that only comes in the form of dead silence which is more than enough of an answer in and of itself.

“No, please don’t!“ I squeak out despite my agony, “I’ll never break the cycle if you don’t help me, Corpse! I’m a hopeless case!“

“You’re a hopeless case with or without me, Y/N.“ He states, angering me ever so slightly. “Not only cause you really are, but because I have nothing useful to offer you. Not even a single advice. Even if I did, giving it to you would by hypocritical when considered how bad I am on this field myself. Hell, the very person you’re head over heels for is my personal matchmaker. If anything, you should be asking her how to swoon her...“ He pauses.

So does my brain.

For a second we’re both quiet, the silence on the line suggesting big plans are being developed - well, not on my end but still.

“Now there’s an idea...“ He mutters more to himself than to me.

“No!“ I shriek fearfully, “Please, if you love me even the tiniest bit, Corpse, don’t put me in a situation where I have to be alone with Rae! Not IRL not in a Discord call - not in ANYTHING. I close up and end up seeming unfriendly and rude because of my inability to talk to her like a normal human being! I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I just can’t do it! So please don’t make me.“

I maybe can’t read minds, but hell if I can’t at least have a rough guess of what’s on my best friend’s mind - I know he’s already scheming and coming up with odd solutions to my problem - some of which will cause me more problems but let’s not even mention those. That being said, I need to prevent him from actually carrying out any of his absurd schemes, otherwise it’s game over for me.

“Hmm, ok fine, but only cause I wanna spare you your own awkwardness. Consider it charity.“ He sighs, the disappointment even more evident now.

I sigh too, but I do so in defeated relief. It’s bittersweet, to be honest. “Thank you.”

“Don’t.“ He says sharply, “Don’t thank me. It’ll make me feel like I’m encouraging your behavior.“

Well, screw my feelings, I guess. I’m left on this battlefield alone, aren’t I?

Corpse hanging up the call confirms that I am, indeed, alone.

                                                             *  *  *

“Hello?“

“Are you still in bed, for the love of God? It’s noon!“ Not only did he have the audacity to wake me up with his phone call, but now he has the audacity to judge me on my sleeping habits as well. Some darn nerve he has.

“What do you want, Corpse?“ I grumble out, groggy and now grumpy too. The last thing I need is the only person I can turn to turning on me. Especially not now. I don’t need his or anybody else’s judgement of me or my life, it’ll hurt too much.

“I want to know how long you haven’t showered, Y/N.“ He barks back, causing me to roll my eyes. “And when’s the last time you actually ate something healthy and nutritious and not just greasy takeout?”

“I showered last night!“ I straighten up and frown, feeling offended despite his questions being justifiable. I think that’s exactly why I’m pissed off, to be honest - he knows me and my habits too well. “And you’re just being hypocritical on the eating part!“

“Whatever.“ He mutters, allowing me to feel at least a tiny sense of victory for having proven him wrong, “Get your ass up and come play Minecraft with me, you need to be cheered up asap.“ He continues, much to my dismay. “And don’t even think about saying ‘no’. If you do, just remember, I have your address and a strong will to kick your ass into shape.“

“Into shape? We’re going to the gym or something?“ I’m honestly confused and intrigued now. Maybe the gym isn’t such a bad idea, I’m sure I could become really good friends with the punching bag.

Corpse sighs exasperatedly in a way I can basically hear him roll his eyes as well, “Not that kind of shape, Y/N. Just get on Discord, seriously, I’m worried about you.“ 

That sentence strikes a nerve. Something about that genuine concern in his voice reminds me that I still need to move on from focusing so strongly on just my failures, no matter how big or small, and keep pushing forward, if not for myself then for the people who care about me. For Corpse especially, seeing as how he’s sort of been my babysitter ever since my feelings towards Rae started to consume me whole and suffocate me. I don’t know how or when it happened, in fact I can best describe it as the Titanic: I was doing ok and then instead of hitting an iceberg the iceberg of feelings hit me and I started sinking. Corpse was there to offer me a hand to help me keep at least my head above the surface. He can’t pull me out of the water but he’s not willing to let go either. I’m afraid holding on like that will tire him out to the point of letting go of me completely, but I’m afraid of sinking too. You see my dilemma here, no?

“Ok, give me twenty minutes.“

I would have probably continued sleeping or just chilled on social media, refusing to get out of bed for at least another hour, but the debt I feel towards Corpse is stronger than the desire to be a slob so I motivate myself with every power my fragile mind can fish out of the void and push the covers off me, shivering at the drastic change in temperature around my body now that I’m exposed to the rather cool air in my room, my pajamas hopeless at providing me with any warmth.

Twenty minutes later sharp, I’m seated at my desk, in front of my computer with my headphones on, taking one last encouraging breath before entering the call where Corpse is waiting for me.

“Yo.“ I greet him half-heartedly, drawing invisible abstract patterns on my desk with my finger as if I’m avoiding eye contact with him IRL.

“Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of punctuality at least.“ He chuckles, sounding a lot more pleasant and a lot more like my friend Corpse and less like sergeant Corpse Husband who was speaking with me on the phone earlier.

“Very funny.“ I murmur in my now common brooding manner, “Anyway, enough about me, how are you doing? Anything interesting happen since we last spoke?“

“You mean in the past ten hours? No, nothing interesting apart from that I managed to catch a few z’s.“ He replies as I join the Minecraft server, managing to get a smile out of me.

“Hey, that’s nice to hear! Good for you, Corpsie.“ I say, honestly proud and happy for him.

“Yeah, and just so you’re not calling me hypocritical on the topic of eating, I’m currently cooking myself lunch.“ He points out, now just straight up peacocking, “On that note, I got a pot on the stove so you’ll have to excuse me for a sec.“

“Please go. Don’t set your apartment on fire the first time you cook” I snicker, leaning back in my chair and fetch my phone to kill the time while he’s gone to tend to whatever attempt at a meal he has prepping in his kitchen. I feel bad for his stomach, and his kitchen, already.

“Corpse? Hi!“

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no - tell me that was an auditory hallucination and I didn’t actually hear that just now! TELL ME!

“Rae?“ I blurt out, almost falling backwards out of my chair, eyes wide, jaw hanging slightly.

Just then I get a text from Corpse:

Consider me dead and carry the convo. I know you’ve got this, Y/N

Oh that prick is gonna get it!

“Y/N? Hi! Sorry, Corpse didn’t mention you’d be playing with us, but it’s so nice to be hearing from you! It feels like it’s been forever.“ Rae replies, cheery and enthusiastic as ever, just like the absolute sweetheart she is.

With Corpse absent from his position, without his metaphorical hand holding mine, I’m metaphorically sinking and drowning. Maybe the drowning part isn’t so metaphorical after all, considering I actually am drowning in all the thoughts produced by my mind at the moment. A mind that’s going completely haywire, might I add.

“Hehe, well, funny thing, he didn’t tell me you’d be playing with us either.“ I chuckle anxiously, already breaking out in a nervous sweat. I solemnly promise to kill Corpse first chance I get, that way he’ll at least be dead for real.

“He set us up, huh? What’s his game, where even is he?“ Rae asks, properly confused as she should be.

All on-point questions, hun. And I can’t answer any of them logically.

“Um, you know, he’s off doing...something.“ And there go my conversational skills out the window, I hope they send me a postcard one day.

“Whatever, enough about Mr. Ominous. Tell me, what’s been keeping you busy?“ Oh crap, this is the question I’ve been fearing. Mostly cause I’m not prepared for it. “Actually no, let me rephrase: Why have you been avoiding me recently?“

‘Oh crap’ squared. Tripled.

“Whaaat? Avoiding you? Where’d you get that idea?“ I’m aware of my high pitched voice, but it’s not like I can do much to tone it down. Every part of me is in critical panic mode and rationality has accompanied my aforementioned conversational skills out the window.

“I don’t know, Y/N. Ignoring my texts, leaving me on ‘Seen’ and then declining my offer just to accept the same one coming from Corpse - can’t really blame me for finding it shady.“ She replies, her words making me wince and hide my face in the palms of my hands as though it’ll shield me from Rae’s brutal honesty and forthrightness. 

“I’ve been...bad at replying to everyone lately, nothing personal, I swear.“ Yeah, that sounded convincing, good gosh-darn job, Y/N!

“Why’s that?“ Something about her tone suggest she knows I’m lying and is just humoring me and my agony. I don’t know if to thank her for it or wish she’d just rip off the band-aid and confront me head-on. In that case I’d have only one of two options: freeze up or spill my guts. Honestly, I don’t know which is worse. “I thought you’d reach out to me, given you’ve found yourself in a pickle.”

I frown, confused and wary like I’m walking on thin ice over a pool of sharks, “Pickle? What pickle?“

“Corpse mentioned you needed dating advice.“ She replies simply as though it should’ve been obvious and as if it’s the most casual, regular and normal thing. Little does she know...

“Um, yeah, I guess you can call it that.“ I murmur sheepishly, my cheeks reddening.

“Who’s the lucky girl?“ She asks, the excitement now replacing the previous suspicion she was fronting, making me nervous as hell.

My heart skips a beat, “How’d you know I’m crushing on a girl?“

“Uh...“ She stumbles over her words, pausing to collect her thoughts and formulate a response, “Corpse told me!“ When the reply finally arrives it’s as high pitched as mine was earlier, suggesting something ain’t right.

I stay quiet, my mind and heart racing which is quicker. My leg is bouncing, my fingers are tapping the keyboard rhythmically as I rack my brain, pushing it to put the pieces of this enigmatic puzzle together, connect the dots.

When it finally does, I’m left with a horrific end-result, a realization that makes me go pale as a ghost, “He told you who said girl is too, didn’t he?” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. I keep the tone low so she doesn’t notice how shaky it is.

It takes her a few seconds to reply, but when she does I kinda wish she hadn’t, “Maybe...”

My first instinct is to excuse myself from the call, pack all my kitchen knives and drive to Corpse’s house but with my limbs having lost any and all feeling in them that is practically impossible. So, I settle for my second instinct which is hiding my face in the palms of my hands as though they can shield me from the immense embarrassment Corpse has set me up for.

“Listen...“ I start, not sure where I wanna go with this, “You don’t have to say anything, I get the hint. No need to bother with a gentle reje-“

“I like you too, Y/N!“ Rae cuts off my rambling with a melodic laugh, “I’m sorry, but you can be very oblivious sometimes, and I just wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine for a bit. Sorry if I freaked you out.“ Judging by her tone, she’s not sorry at all. In fact, she’s one step away from bursting out into laughter.

“Trust me, ‘freaked out’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.“ I sigh, exasperatedly, sinking into my chair alike a deflated balloon. “You and Corpse are gonna pay for that heart attack you led me to the brink of!”

This time, she doesn’t hold back, letting out the laughter she’s been holding back this whole time, “I don’t know how Corpse will do that, but could I pay my dues with a brunch on Friday?”

My eyebrows shoot up, “Miss Valkyrae, is this you asking me out on a date?“ I ask teasingly - aka with more confidence than I feel.

Please say ‘yes’. Please say ‘yes’. Please say ‘yes’.

“I don’t know, what do you think, Y/N?“ She asks, tone just as teasing as mine.

“Hey, I’m not as oblivious as you claim I am!“ I argue light-heartedly, “Does 2PM work for you?“

“Any time works for me.“ Rae replies, a smile blatantly evident in her voice. A smile that unleashes a flock of butterflies in my stomach.

And just like that, I have a date with the girl I’ve had a crush on for the longest time. It happened so fast it’s practically a blurred part in my mind, but one thing I’m sure will be crystal-clearly imbedded in my mind forever is that brunch on Friday. Just then, I get yet another text from Mr. Schemer himself.

That wasn’t so hard now, was it?

Some nerve he has, I swear to God.

[whentherewerebicycles]

ugh we had a rough start to the morning… one of our new neighbors has a huge dog that really freaks ruthie out. it seems to be a really nice, placid dog but ruthie is super leash reactive, especially at close distances, and the woman who owns the big dog seems to be really interested in pushing all of my dog’s buttons at every possible opportunity lol. I know I’m projecting onto her but it is driving me nuts. she knows my (very small toy breed) dog is reactive yet whenever she sees us, instead of giving me a minute to get ruthie out of the way she’ll walk her dog very briskly directly at us in a way that unfailingly triggers all of ruthie’s panic meltdown instincts, and when I’ve finally managed to wrestle ruthie out of sight, she’ll IMMEDIATELY follow us at a close distance as if to make a point that she’s not going to alter HER walk plans at all to accommodate my feral demon child. and I’m meanwhile saying things like “oh my god I’m so sorry, she’s leash reactive, just give me a minute” as I try to haul ruthie to a safe enough distance that she can calm down, and the neighbor doesn’t say anything just gives me this judgy as hell look like she thinks I’m the worst dog parent she’s ever seen (and then of course she doesn’t give us a minute she just follows directly on our heels, further confirming ruthie’s panicked sense that THIS DOG IS HUNTING ME IT COULD EAT ME IN ONE BITE HELP HELP). anyway I usually try to actively take a diff route or scan the horizon for this woman so I can ~manage the environment~ and keep ruthie far enough from the stimulus to avoid triggering the meltdown reaction, but today the woman (who MUST have seen us passing based on the way our units are laid out, like there’s NO WAY this encounter was a surprise to her) came abruptly around a corner so ruthie was literally face to face with her big dog with zero warning. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa okay it’s fine it’s stressful for me but I know most people just don’t get it… like before I got ruthie I thought pip’s easygoing nature with other dogs was like, the Default Dog Setting, and now I understand that no it’s just because I took him a ton of public places when he was a puppy and he met lots of dogs of all sizes. whereas ruthie was clearly a pandemic puppy who spent most of her time at home and had few Public Experiences.

anyway sigh we continue to work on it. but man okay the last 15 or so hours have been kinda rough lol… my favorite player (who has a history of Very Very Bad Life-Altering Concussions) got deliberately elbowed in the head to take him out of the game last night & prob has a concussion… many sports fans are garbage humans who are outright gleeful about seeing a person already at high risk of CTE receive another brain injury… the league almost certainly won’t do anything about it to the player who elbowed him in the head which fucking sucks… and THEN unrelatedly I keep having this series of extraordinarily realistic nightmares about aliens who take over or invade the bodies of human women and then destroy the woman by shucking her consciousness from her body and consuming it, leaving her an empty husk body (clearly my subconscious is hard at work processing The World)… also I read this poem about war crimes against women in the atlantic yesterday and it has fucking haunted me since I can’t stop thinking about it/about war crimes in general/about the vulnerability of women’s bodies… also I think that getting upset about sports last night unlocked the inner compartment where I have been aggressively repressing all of my roe v wade + Ukraine mass rape grief and rage and now I’m just swimming in that toxic sludge… also I’m just tired from bad sleep and not in a great headspace today friends.

sigh. okay. I’m going to drink coffee and lounge in bed till 9:30, then I’ll get up and shower and get ready for these student meetings. here’s the day:

9:30-10:30 shower, breakfast, emails

10:30-11 SO mtg

11-1:30 write scenes (my goal is three today but also I’m going to be gentle with myself today I’m feeling destabilized by the world)

1:30-2 AZ mtg

2-2:30 see if ML will switch to this time

2:30-3 ML mtg

3-5 write some more

evening: walk the dogs for an hour, do a bit more writing, or just do whatever. try not to doomscroll it won’t make you feel better

[malfoyheartsgranger]

Love You Through It

Summary: In which George Weasley tries to spare his lover.

A/N: I thought this fic was going to go in a very different direction, but as I wrote, I just . . . well, kept writing. And as I did, the story changed in my mind, and this is the product. Don’t even know what else to say.

Warnings: mentions of death, argument, food

Word Count: 3.7k

. . .

George Weasley had not been the same since the war.

This was to be expected, of course. His best friend, his twin brother, had been killed, and how could he possibly be the same with his other half missing?

The short answer was that he could not.

The long answer, however—the real answer,—was that he really did try. For weeks after the Battle of Hogwarts, George Weasley thought for sure he would never be happy again. His joke shop was mere metres below his own feet at every moment, and yet he could never bring himself to down the flight of stairs leading to the shop. Instead, someone else took care of the logistics and cancelled the coming inventory when she realized Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes would not be back in business for quite a while. This was the same person who made sure George always had a glass of water on his bedside table and who checked in on him every hour or so just to see if he had found the energy to wake. Each morning, she slipped into George’s room from her temporary sleeping spot on the living room couch, and spread open the curtains that she had drawn the night before, just in case George awoke and reached for the sunlight. In the early days, she did not realize just how long it would be until he would do so.

. . .

It was May 29 of 1998, twenty-seven days after George had lost Fred, when he realized this wonderful woman, his beautiful Y/N, had lost people too. George fancied himself a relatively empathetic person, but in the pain of losing his brother, he had forgotten that his girlfriend deserved the same care she had gifted to him. She never had a chance to mourn: since day one, it was her providing for George, and he was too consumed with his own grief to see it. However, when George awoke on that morning near the end of such a terrible month, he saw the clothes laid out and the window cracked open for what they truly were: Y/N’s love.

She had known not to push him in the beginning. Perhaps just the suggestion of a shower here and there, or an offer of dinner. But recently things had been different. She knew what George needed—she knew better than anyone—and he could not have been more grateful in that moment for the sunlight streaming through the open blinds and the sounds of Diagon Alley slipping through the cracked open window. When he sat up in bed, he could have sworn his head spun around one thousand times.

Maybe it was during this momentary loss of consciousness that George Weasley’s brain opened wide enough to realize he would never deserve Y/N Y/L/N.

He had told her countless times before, of course, but always out of adoration and genuine confusion on how he landed such a perfect woman. She had been there through everything, and George knew that if he did not take action, she would continue to suffer for him. He had been a horrid partner up to this point, and he could not allow himself comfort at her expense. After all, he would never be the same, so what was the point of keeping her waiting around for her George to come back?

. . .

At the sound of creaking floorboards, Y/N instantly shot up from her spot at the kitchen table. She had just finished making breakfast and was enjoying her share of the eggs she made. Her share, George figured, because there was another plate of food sitting at the other end of the table. A brief moment of selfish panic crossed his mind at the thought of her lovingly preparing something for anyone other than himself.

He lifted his gaze from the plate of eggs and toast when Y/N cleared her throat.

“George,” she whispered. Her body seemed to unconsciously back up, sending her chair skidding across the wooden floor. She nearly moved to approach him but thought better of it, deciding to merely gesture toward the empty spot across from her. She knew him well. “There’s food,” she said.

“For me?” George asked with a hitch in his throat at the effort of speaking after so many weeks of silence.

“Of course. Who else?” Y/N replied, shaking her head. “Although I usually bring it into your room and just leave it there, and sometimes when I come back it’s gone, and other times you’ve hardly touched it, but obviously you know that. After all you’re the one that eats-”

George cut off her nervous rambling with a silent nod and took a seat, thinking even further about how he could never make up for what he had put her through. Y/N’s mouth snapped shut, and she stared as he lifted his fork. Apparently deciding he was not going to flee, she sat back down as well. As he took small, slow bites, George noticed that Y/N had not moved from her straight-backed, hands-on-her-lap position. He looked up to meet her eyes and was greeted with a hesitant smile.

George spoke suddenly. “You don’t have to be so tense, Y/N. I’m not going to go feral.”

Without knowing what her reaction should be, Y/N let out a timid laugh that made her lips quiver and moved her hands to the top of the table. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

“Yes, well, I figured there were some things I needed to talk to you about,” George explained. This was a shock to both of them, George jumping into things right away. Well, he had never been the kind to wait around for things to happen: he always made them happen. While Y/N was surely taken aback, only George knew the true gravity of his words. “After breakfast.”

“Certainly,” Y/N conceded, allowing George whatever time he wanted or needed to take to discuss what was on his mind, even if it was something as simple as wishing for an additional piece of toast or salt for his eggs. Y/N was not the best cook, but she definitely tried, especially for George. She made him the same breakfast she herself ate every morning, along with any other meal she prepared, and when he did not eat it worried her. She had been so incredibly relieved when she entered his room five days after the battle and noticed that he had taken a bite of his toast. It was a step up from eating nothing. And every day, she made him food that she hoped and prayed he would eat. She would do anything for him, just as she knew he would do the same for her.

She could not have known that in his own mind, George was doubting if he ever could have acted out of care for her in the same manner that she had for him. There was a small seed of doubt, and although George Weasley seemed the farthest thing from a worrier, when it came to Y/N, he was constantly and painfully aware of his inadequacies. And he would convince her of them, if it was the last thing he said to her.

. . .

Y/N had stared at him while he ate the rest of his meal, a feat she was both shocked and unsurprised that he could accomplish. He and his brothers had always been big eaters, but the past few weeks had proven just how little George could survive on. Y/N thought that his stomach had surely shrunk in the time since the war.

What had not diminished in even the slightest was Y/N’s complete and utter admiration for her lover. While he scolded himself for being so weak, she marveled at how strong he had remained through it all. Sure, he had taken some much needed time to recuperate, but not even one half of the infamous Weasley Twins could heal from such a heartbreak in a matter of days. And his healing would not be finished, but Y/N couldn’t help but hope that his actions today were a telling sign of what was to come.

Just as she began to smile to herself, George cleared his throat and pushed his now empty plate away, eliciting an ear-shattering screech as it ran along the wooden dining table. His sudden movement shocked Y/N back into reality, and she recalled George’s concerned tone when he had said they needed to discuss some things. Certainly nothing could be worse than what had already happened to them, so why should she worry?

And yet, as sure as she was that nothing could ever hurt her more than seeing her Georgie with a broken heart, his next words came near.

“You know I’m not one to dance around anything,” he began in a timid murmur. When Y/N moved her attention to George rather than his empty plate, she could not see his hands, and knowing him, she assumed they were under the table twiddling with each others’ thumbs, just as he did every time he seemed particularly anxious. What he could be anxious about, she could not know, but she had spent more than enough time around George Weasley to recognize his tells, and the fact that they were apparent led her to jump to the worst conclusions. “I especially don’t when it comes to you, because, well, I just think you always deserve honesty. And this is something I’ve been thinking about- well, not for a long time, I suppose, but for long enough in my mind-”

“George,” she cut him off, causing him to shift his attention from the top of the table to her eyes, which at this point were nervously flitting around the room. Before she spoke her next words, she focused again on the man seated across from her. “What is it?”

George inhaled a deep breath, which, if even possible, made Y/N more nervous, recognizing that he was steeling himself for something. “This past month, you have been so good to me, Y/N,” he said, looking down once more. “So good. And I will never be able to completely express how grateful I am for you. I never would have thought I could be sitting here at a dining table having a conversation only weeks after . . .” George drifted off and threw his arms onto the table, crossing them to create a pillow for his head which quickly followed suit. Y/N had known this situation was too good to be true: of course George would not magically wake up one day and be able to discuss the war. But no matter how long she had cared for him at his worst, she would never feel any less heartbroken at seeing him in a state of devastation. With his hands now in sight, Y/N reached across the table and gently laid one of hers on top of his, and at this, he peeked up at her through his lashes and sighed. George parted his lips and shut them again, and Y/N could see his mind working through his own thoughts. With another exhale, George continued, this time maintaining eye contact.

She deserves at least that, he figured.

With a somewhat stinging smile, George shook his head. “See now this is exactly what I mean. Here I am working up to tell you to leave me, and your priority is-”

“What?”

George ceased his speech immediately, realizing his mistake. He shut his eyes for a moment. “Y/N,” he began.

“No,” she interrupted again. “What the hell are you on about, George?”

“That’s not what I meant, Y/N. If you would just-”

Y/N rose from her chair, sending it sliding across the floor, just as she had earlier, although this time her shock came from a drastically different place than when she had seen George for what seemed like the first time in months. The harsh sound silenced them both, and Y/N stood with a seething stare. How dare George come back to her just to try and get rid of her moments later? He was absolutely unbelievable, and she would stand for no such thing.

During an eternal minute of silence in which both parties considered their next move, Y/N’s brain ventured across a horrible thought. The most horrible one she had ever encountered, to be quite honest. And in a moment of vulnerability, she voiced it.

“Do you . . .” she whispered. Cleared her voice. Tried again. “Do you not love me anymore?”

“No!” George replied, shouting out his answer before Y/N could even finish her question. “No, no, of course it’s not that, darling. It’s anything but that.”

Her anger returned. “Then what could possibly be the issue? What more could we ever need?”

George at least granted her a sympathetic look, tilting his head to the side, perhaps attempting to shake around his thoughts in the hopes that they would come together to form a sentence. But when it came to Y/N, George Weasley’s brain was always mush.

“I just can’t be the man you need me to be anymore,” he decided to respond.

“George, you must know I don’t expect you to go back to normal right away,” Y/N reasoned, with much more compassion in her voice and demeanor than before.

George stood abruptly. “No, Y/N, I mean ever. I’ll never be the same, and that’s not fair to you in the slightest. If I can spare you any more pain than I’ve already caused . . . Well, I have to. I owe that to you.”

Without responding, Y/N collected her and George’s dishes from the table and brought them around to the sink. George stood still, simply watching her movements, completely mesmerized as he was by everything she did. Even in this moment, when he knew that although he was trying to do the right thing and was failing miserably, Y/N still responded with just the right amount of grace and fire.

After dropping the plates and silverware into the sink and allowing them to clatter for a moment, Y/N gripped the edge of the porcelain, and even from across the room, George could see how the bumps of her knuckles turned white. She sniffed once and tilted her head back to look at the ceiling of their flat.

“You once told me you’ve loved me since third year,” she whispered. But George could still hear her. He always heard her.

The redheaded man nodded, not disagreeing at all with her statement. “And I have.”

“And do you think I haven’t changed since then?” With a deep breath, Y/N twirled around and crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you think I’m the same as I was when we met?”

George gave a slight shake of his head, yet still replied, “It’s not the same.”

Y/N raised her eyebrows and let out a mirthless bark. “It’s not the same?” she asked. “Of course it’s not the same, George, but what could be? Do you forget that Cedric Diggory and I were friends? That I told him to ask Cho to the Yule Ball because I knew them both so well? That I cheered him on during every Triwizard event? Do you not remember that yourself and Fr-” she paused, trying not to let her passion outweigh her empathy for George’s condition. “When yourself and your brother had to distract me with pranks because his death took such a toll on me, and not even gifting the nastiest batch of Puking Pastilles to Draco Malfoy could cheer me up?” Y/N looked down at the floor, recalling just how difficult that time had been for her, when Harry Potter had returned with the corpse of one of her best friends, and the world seemed to move on while everything around her came to a standstill. When she introduced herself to young Harry, simply because they shared such a horrible similarity. When she convinced her friends that Voldemort was back, for how could anyone else have defeated someone as powerful and just as the brave Cedric Diggory? When her broken heart was healed by the mischievous George Weasley, and she realized that perhaps her love for him went a bit past that of a friend. “Nothing could compare to what you’ve gone through, George, to the loss that you’ve suffered, but how dare you pretend I know nothing of the heartbreak that comes with losing someone you love.”

George felt horrible. Of course he remembered that. As awful as what happened to Diggory was, it brought him and Y/N together, and a part of him would always hold some twisted sort of gratitude for it. “Of course that’s-”

“That’s not what you meant, I know.” She waved him away. “But my point is, George, I have changed. Not just because of Cedric, but because of so many other things. And you have loved me through all of them.” Y/N brushed her hair behind her shoulder and stepped away from the kitchen sink to approach George. Taking both of his hands in hers, she begged him, “Let me love you through this.”

As George’s eyes brimmed with tears, he could not help but think of how his brother—how Fred—would smirk at him in the moment, but later, in private, admit that he was glad he found Y/N.

“Even if she was best friends with both of us and chose the worse twin,” he would say with a cheeky wink from across the counter of their joke shop, probably while he restocked love potions or some other form of hijinx, “I still think she’s good for you. Amazing, really.”

And then he would spike George’s drink with a crushed up hiccough sweet for him to drink right before his date with Y/N, and George would curse him and love him for it all the same. It would be irritating, but he and Y/N would laugh about it, and that was always Fred’s way.

And in that moment, perhaps only that one, George realized that as hesitant as she was to say it, Y/N missed Fred, too. After all, they had once been a trio, and she had lost him just as much as George had. George had grasped earlier that morning that she lost people in the war but had been too focused on his own pain to understand that they had lost the same people.

When George looked up at Y/N from his previous gaze on their linked hands, he noticed that she was looking at him with tears in her own eyes. She had been thinking the same thing, that while her world had been revolving around George’s wellbeing, she had not been as kind to herself as she deserved. Fred and George would always have a relationship unique to themselves, but that didn’t mean Y/N wasn’t a part of their friendship. In fact, she was a big part, and therefore she was missing a big part of herself. So at the same time George exited his nightmarish reverie, Y/N too reentered reality. And their hands were still linked. As they had been through this all, even if they had not known it.

“I couldn’t leave you, Georgie,” Y/N murmured. “Even if you pushed me right out the door and down the staircase.”

George laughed for what seemed like the first time in years, and he was surprised at how genuine it sounded to his own ears. Standing in the kitchen of the flat he used to share with his best friend in the whole world, George was reminded of Fred in the best way possible: laughter.

Y/N seemed to think the same thing, for despite the wetness pooling in her eyes, she smiled up at her lover and gave him a small nod. “You’re going to be okay, George,” she assured him, only because she knew so herself.

“We’re going to be okay,” George corrected her. He squeezed her hands and spun them around so that Y/N could sit on the kitchen chair while George kneeled on the ground. He lowered her down with his hands and then placed them on the top of her legs. As he traced small shapes on the knobs of her knees, George muttered, “I’m never trying to do the noble thing again.”

Y/N laughed, this time with real humor. “Promise?”

“Pinky swear,” George said, hooking his pinky finger around hers.

She cupped his face in her hands. “And even if it’s the evil thing to do, never try to get rid of me again, okay? Nothing could ever make me leave you. Nothing could ever make me stop loving you.”

“And if something dreadful happens in the future?” George asked with a serious tone.

“I’ll stay. I’ll never leave.”

With a much lighter voice, George wondered, “What if fifty years from now, when we’re old and grey, our favorite cat runs away and we find out some nasty little boy found it and kept it for himself? Or maybe a dog, I haven’t thought that far ahead, to be completely honest with you. I’d even be fine with a hamster if that’s what you wanted-”

“George,” Y/N said. “Even if something as foul as that were to happen to us, we could figure it out. Together this time. No more making decisions by yourself.”

Pushing his joke aside, George leant forward as hastily as he could to place a lingering kiss on Y/N’s lips. He poured every ounce of love he possibly could into that kiss, and as Y/N sighed into him with the relief of his mouth on hers once again, George Weasley knew he was the luckiest man alive. Because he knew that in the coming years, they would each face more heartbreak. It was inevitable. But neither of them would be alone. And they would always have someone to love them through it.

. . .

my stories

[procrastinatingsapphictrash]

Creative planning

Word count: 2144     

Genre: I think a bit of angst mixed with fluff???

Pairing: Natasha x gn!reader 

Warnings: Swearing but not much and in a friendly way (let me know if I need to add more)

Request: Can u do natasha x reader where natasha fall in love with the reader because they always have stupid atypical plans that always work. And at first none of the avengers believer that the plan will work but it actually work. That’s it!

Summary: Reader always has creative plans for missions that always work and Nat seems like she doesn’t like them except she actually does and is just bad at feelings.

A/n: So this was requested by @fayhar so I hope you like it but if I’m honest I didn’t follow the request exactly so I’m sorry about that, but I hope you like it anyways. Also sorry this is a few days later than I said but I procrastinated but I’m writing a lot now so hopefully all other requests will be out soon.

You glance around at the rest of the team, biting your lip when all you can see is frustrated faces. It’s your first time making a big suggestion and it is not going over nearly as well as you had hoped. You thought your plan was pretty solid, albeit weird, but the team doesn’t seem to agree. 

“We need a real plan, not the plot of some animated action movie meant for kids.” Tony says, his annoyance coming through with his voice. 

Clint shoots Tony a look and softly says, “Y/n, I know you’re trying to help but Tony is right, this doesn’t seem realistic.”

“I agree,” Natasha interjects, “anyone have any more viable plans?” The room is silent after that and you can tell everyone is thinking hard. You’re trying to help as well but your mind is consumed with doubt. Although it wasn’t the most conventional plan, you really thought it could work but they thought it childish. Clint was the nicest to you about it but that’s only because he saw you as a kid he had to protect. You loved being a part of the team but sometimes it was hard to prove yourself when you were both the youngest and newest avenger. You rack your brains trying to come up with a new plan but your mind keeps getting stuck on what you already came up with. It was different from what the team normally did for sure, but you just knew it could work. 

“I know you shot it down already but please consider what I’ve suggested,” you speak up, “it’s different but I think it will work. Besides it’s not like anyone else has any great ideas.” 

While they don’t seem to accept your plan right away this time they seem to give a little more thought. Wanda whispers something to Steve and you can see Natasha and Clint exchange looks. 

Finally Steve speaks up. “Y/n is right, maybe not about the plan but we don’t have any other ideas. I think this is our best change against Hydra for now.” 

“Hydra is a formidable enemy whose goal is to control the world and you expect us to follow a plan that is completely ridiculous.” Natasha argues harshly. You struggle not to let any emotion show because you knew you had to appear strong but what Natasha thinks means a lot to you, so it hurt she had absolutely no confidence in your plan. You have always admired her a lot and if you were to be truthful you’ve always had a little bit of a crush on her.

“This plan does seem a little out there,” Wanda interjects, “but maybe that’s what we need for this mission, Hydra won’t be able to predict it.” 

“Ok,” Tony agrees, “what the hell, let's do it.” 

Fifteen exhausting hours later and you were all on a jet heading back to the compound. Even though it had been one of the hardest and most tiring missions you had been on to date you couldn’t help but smile at the fact that you were the one that helped the team out. 

“Good job Y/n!” Steve praises seeing your grin so you smile back even harder and go to respond when you hear a scoff from the other side of the jet. Natasha is sitting there and although her face betrays nothing, everyone who heard knows it’s her. You don’t know why she hates your plan even though it worked but although it bothers you, you try to brush it off, as Steve squeezes your shoulder in silent support. Even when Natasha exits the jet and heads straight to her room without a word to anybody you manage to keep a smile while talking with a few of the other avengers before you get too exhausted and decide to call it a night. 

As you lie in your bed after you showered and were drifting off you think about the day. You understood the lack of confidence in your crazy plan at first but you finally feel like you proved yourself and showed why you were asked to join the avengers. You also question Natasha’s dismissal of your success but you can never tell what she’s thinking so you brush that aside and fall into a peaceful sleep, optimistic about what is to come. 

---

“Hey Y/n can you look over the plans for the next raid?” Tony asks, shoving some papers in your hands as you walk past him in the hall. 

“Of course!” You respond cheerfully, taking the papers and continuing to make your way into the common room. It had been around ten months since you had first helped create a plan and ever since then the other had been turning to you for help with stuff like this and you became known for coming up with the craziest ideas that always ended up working. 

When you got to the common room you plopped yourself on the couch and started brainstorming beside the only other occupant of the room, Natasha. Out of all the avengers you were still slightly wary of her. You admired her a lot (not to mention kinda wanted to kiss her) but although she didn’t seem to hate your plans as much as she first did she didn’t seem to like them either. You did your best to impress her especially when she would help train you but sometimes it got discouraging because she never seemed to care that much. She was also the only avenger you didn’t consider yourself friends with, which is why you were fairly surprised when she spoke up. 

“What are you working on?”

“I’m just reviewing the mission plans for our raid of the Hydra base in a few days, Tony did a pretty good job though, so I won’t change much.” You respond honestly. 

“None of your weird ideas?” She asks. 

“Probably not, don’t worry,” you say laughing slightly although you don’t feel like it, “I’m just going to see if Steve has any ideas, see you later.” You leave the room in a bit of a rush, making sure you have all the plans. Natasha watches you go with a frown. She can tell she offended you when she asked that but she was just meaning to tease because although she was skeptical at first, she now really loves your plans. 

While she unhappily stares into the hallway you left through, she feels a tap on her shoulder and turns around to see Clint hanging upside down from the vent. 

“What’s wrong Nat?” He asks. 

“Y/n thinks I hate her. Or at least that I think she’s stupid.”

Clint laughs. “Once she gets to know you I’m sure that will change. Remember how long it took for the others to warm up to you?”

“But I like her and I want her to like me now!” Natasha replies in a tone that has a small whine to it. 

“So you like her, no biggie,” Clint says, “eventually you’ll become friends. WAIT-do you mean you like her, like you want to date her?” Natasha doesn’t respond and instead just nods, looking away from Clint. 

“You know it may seem complicated but just be nice to her and give her compliments out loud instead of in your head.” Clint advises.

“You know I think that’s the only helpful thing you’ve ever told me,” Natasha jokes, wanting to change the topic, “when did you get so good at this?”

“Well I do have a wife after all,” Clint answers, “maybe you should trust me on this.”

The past month has been confusing to say the least. You brush your hair in the mirror, wanting to look presentable for when you were having dinner with Natasha later because she randomly asked you to. It isn’t a date or anything, in fact you don’t know why you’re doing this because all she said is that she wanted to talk to you, but the idea of eating dinner along with her makes you nervous. This was the first time the two of you were going to do something without any of the others. At first she didn’t seem to like you at all but recently you noticed a huge change in the way Natasha was acting towards you. She seemed to actively seek you out to spend time together and started complimenting you more, especially on your ideas relating to avengers missions. You take a glance at your watch and decide to head down to the kitchen to meet up with Nat. The whole way down you can feel your entire body almost shaking with nerves but you push it aside. 

“Hey Y/n,” Natasha says softly upon your entry, “I made us some pasta, I hope you don’t mind.” 

“I’ll never turn down pasta.” You respond while smiling and grabbing a plate. 

“Great,” she says, looking a little relieved, “Are you good to just eat at the counter?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I, I’m not the queen.” You answer her, laughing slightly. She mumbles something under her breath but you can’t hear it properly. 

“What was that Tasha?” You ask her. 

“Nothing.” You look down at your food and both of you lapse into silence. Neither of you speak for what feels like an hour but was probably closer to ten minutes before you start to get a little annoyed. 

“Are you going to speak?” She stares at you and doesn’t answer. “Well are you? Because you said you wanted to talk to me but now that I’m here you don’t say anything. Not to mention I can’t even tell if you like me or not.” She seems surprised by your outburst but you can’t find it within yourself to care. It was all true you had no clue what she thought about you with her acting cold towards, then suddenly switching to being nice and as much as you liked her you would much rather just know what she thought than be constantly confused. 

“I do like you.” She says after a few moments of very awkward silence. “I just don’t know how to talk to you properly.”

“You didn’t know how to talk to me???” You ask, completely shocked. 

“Yes,” she replies honestly, “at first I just didn’t talk to you because I didn’t like you-”

“Ouch.” You interrupt and she rolls her eyes at you. 

“Anyways as I was saying,” she takes a pause to playfully glare at you, “the reason why I didn’t like you was because unlike everybody else you were unpredictable and I don’t like not being in control. You are just so different from people I’m used to-I mean this in a good way, like how you always have super creative plans.”

“Oh wow that’s not what I was expecting at all,” you tell her, “I just thought you hated me.” She nods looking remorseful. 

“Sorry, at the very start I may have but honestly that’s the last impression I wanted you to have of me. If you can’t tell recently I’ve been trying harder to be more open.”

“I have noticed actually and although I was a bit confused by the sudden change it was nice.” Natasha smiles at that and sits up a little taller before shrinking back down and biting her lip.

“For the sake of honesty, there was another reason I didn’t like you much,” she pauses to take a deep breath, “you made me feel things, things I can usually control.” You can’t believe what you are hearing right now and think you must be dreaming because unless you are interpreting things very wrongly it sounds like Natasha is confessing feelings for you. 

“Tasha,” you say slowly, “you have feelings for me?” She nods and you can’t even begin to process it. You must have been silent for too long because she stands up and starts to move away. 

“I’m sorry Y/n, we can drop it if you want just please say something.” 

“No, we are not dropping this,” you say seriously, watching Natasha’s face drop as you inwardly smirk, “at least not until you take me on a date first.” 

“You’re an asshole.” Natasha deadpans before coming over to hug you. “I will definitely take you on many dates.” 

She’s true to her word and two days later you find yourselves cuddled in your bed after having dinner at a restaurant. She’s spooning you, pressed up against your back and you can tell by her breathing that she’s almost asleep. 

“So you like my plans?” You ask cheekily, remembering your conversation from last night. 

“I love your plans,” She responds before planting a kiss to the top of your head that nearly makes your heart melt of happiness, “even if you are an asshole sometimes.”

[slyttherins]

Potions study session | Ron Weasley x Reader

Summary: You and Ron study Potions together

Pairing: Ron Weasley x Reader

Word count: 895

Square filled: Studying/tutoring

-

Although Ron was your boyfriend, you knew studying with him wouldn't be easy so you decided to set rules - which Ron wasn't too happy about.

First rule: no kissing.

Being his first girlfriend, Ron wanted to kiss you every chance he got - especially when his dorm mates weren't there. You weren't usually complaining about that, loving all the attention and kisses he'd give you, but not much studying would be getting done if you'd let him kiss you.

Second rule: no more than two snack breaks.

Third rule: he needed to take studying seriously...or else you'd leave.

After supper, you went to his dorm and sat on his bed with your flash cards and Potion textbooks and began quizzing each other.

One hour into it, Ron was already complaining.

''Are we done soon? My brain is going to explode with all the information you're trying to drill into it.''

You rolled your eyes at his dramatic complaint. ''We have an exam on Monday, so no. We have at least fifteen more cards to go through and I want to get all the answers perfectly.''

He groaned, falling onto his back, almost regretting asking you to help him. ''Bloody hell...''

You tapped his thigh, silently telling him to sit up. ''Let's get back to studying. The chapter on Polyjuice is very long and Slughorn won't fail to quiz us on it.''

You too would rather do other things than studying - especially since you had the whole dorm to yourself -, but the N.E.W.T.s were next year and you needed good marks to go in the career path you wanted. And, so did Ron. If he wanted to follow Harry and become an Auror, he had to attained at least five N.E.W.T.s of no less than 'Exceeds Expectations' - Potions included.

With a sigh, Ron sat back in his criss-crossed position, ready for a few more flash cards. ''How come are we only now learning about Polyjuice? Hermione brew a batch in Second Year.''

Of course she did. Hermione was a bright witch.

''Polyjuice is a complicated and time-consuming concoction,'' you explained. ''And, although we're only kids, the idea that a witch or wizard might make evil use of the potion isn't impossible. I guess they trust students to have better judgement at sixteen than twelve.''

Ron scoffed, shaking his head. ''It doesn't make sense though. You're more likely to be evil minded at sixteen than at twelve.''

While he wasn't wrong, it wasn't you who made the rules. ''I agree, but Polyjuice is considered an advanced level potion - with reasons. I also doubt Snape would've had the patience and will to teach younger kids how to brew Polyjuice,'' you said, remembering the old Potion Master' short temper with his students. Sometimes, you wondered why Snape even was a teacher. He hated everyone - except Slytherins - and disliked teaching.

Ron laughed. ''I bet one student would try getting one of his hair and impersonate him.''

''He'd be so mad! I bet he'd give them detention for weeks.''

''A whole month at least.''

Your laughters died down and picked a card from the stack, asking the next question. ''How long must lacewing flies be stewed prior to making the potion?''

''Twenty-two days?''

''Close! It's twenty-one.''

He groaned frustratedly, getting the answer wrong - again -, and picked a flash card. ''My turn. When does the fluxweed needs to be picked to make the potion?''

''During a full moon,'' you answered confidently. ''That was an easy one.''

Ron put down the flash cards and stretched his arms over his head, causing his sweater to ride up at the bottom. ''Can we take a break? I'm hungry.''

Of course he was.

''Let's do one more and then we can eat chocolate frogs.''

''You got chocolate frogs?''

You reached into your bag and pulled out two small golden boxes and placed them between you on the bed, careful to not crush them with a textbook. ''I did.''

A smile curled on Ron's lips. ''I love you.''

You laughed - food was one of the ways to Ron's heart -, and picked one last flash card. ''What's the main ingredients needed for the first part of the Polyjuice potion?''

You watch him in deep thoughts, knowing ingredients were Ron's Achille heel. He'd often mix them together or, in the case of the Polyjuice potion, switch the ingredients for the first part and the second part.

''Lacewing flies. Erm, knotgrass? Leeches and...fluxweed?''

''Yes! That's it. You got it right,'' you congratulated with a big grin, proud of him.

Ron frowned, in doubt. ''Did I?'' he asked.

You nodded and reached over the mess between you two to kiss him, taking the redhead by surprise. Ron's hands pulled you over to his side of the bed, deepening the kiss while you wrapped your arms around his neck.

The bed squeaked underneath you and you pulled away, making your boyfriend pout.

''Get back here. It was enjoying that.''

''I thought you were hungry?'' You took one of the chocolate frogs and tossed it at him - he caught it.

''Yeah... But can I have some of that too?''

You bit your lip, hesitating. No-kissing had been one of your studying rules, but now that you had gotten a taste, you wanted more. ''Five minutes.''

''Ten,'' he bargained. ''I got the answer right.''

''Okay. Ten minutes.''

[artificialqueens]

I Wanna Ruin Our "Friendship" (Taywhora) - Vena

"You know, ‘galpal’ things can be nerve-wracking when you’re a gay, nervous wreck." Or it could simply be that Tayce used that as a shitty excuse to kiss Aurora without making things awkward.

a/n. An excuse to write vanilla Taywhora smut lmao. That's about it!

-----------

“You know, ‘galpal’ things can be nerve-wracking when you’re a gay, nervous wreck,” Bimini calls out. Aurora, thus far, has been in a - slightly, mind you! - shocked state for quite a few seconds, her eyes wandering around like crazy as she tried to recall everything that had just happened. 

Typhoon Tayce, that’s what happened.

Before she got to Black Cherry, it was all going as it usually went: the three girls piled up at Bimini’s, insulted each other then hyped each other up, put on pretty clothes (“Except for Tia,” Aurora would say), and took one first shot to get the night started.

Aurora looked through Bimini’s wardrobe to see if she could find something nice enough to “borrow” then never give back, going past the huge faux fur jacket with the leopard print and the collection of lime green slash neon pink shirts with a cleavage cut that barely covered their nipples.

“A button-up shirt, Bims?”

“Do you love it? Bought it for like, two dollars at a thrift store.”

“I mean,” Aurora said, “it’s pretty, but I wouldn’t wear it.”

Bimini’s scandalous laugh echoed through the room. “Try it on, babes!”

“Absolute clownery. I would  never  wear a button-up shirt. Especially not when going to a club,” Aurora said and grabbed her phone to scroll through Instagram, all too oblivious to the fact Tia had just finished buttoning up her yellow pineapple print shirt. Not that Tia would mind her words; after all, every day was Insulting Tia’s Fashion Choices Day for Aurora. Usual teasing. And she was okay with it.

“Much rather squash yourself into a tube dress that barely reaches the bottom of your knickers, right, Rory?” Tia counter-attacks.  The Kofi Strikes Back.

Aurora rolled her eyes, laughing a bit. She grabbed the brush sitting by Bims’ nightstand and started combing the taller girl’s hair. “At least  someone in this group has the chance to end the night up being pounded right. Bimini’s turned into a nun after meeting that guy Joey, and you have always dressed like you're 50-something. Therefore, I’m the hottest hoe out of yous.”

“ ’That guy Joey’, huh?” Bimini’s head peaked out of the bathroom door. “When will you stop calling him that? It’s been, what, nine months?”

“Yeah, and where is Bims a nun now? Those shorts are really living up to the  short  part. It’s leather, for fuck’s sake…” Tia groaned as a sharp pain went through her, coming straight from her scalp. “Ouch, you hound! Also, not everybody wants to end the night up being pounded, you know?  Not shagging with a different stranger every week  is also fun, maybe you should try it out sometime.”

“Yeah, you hound, not everybody likes syphilis!” Bimini yells from the bathroom. They all laugh.

Aurora yells back, “surely that doesn’t include you!”, and Bimini mumbles a small “not a joke, just a fact”.

The blondie put the brush away and landed a tiny kiss in Tia’s hair. She got off the bed, smacked Aurora in the arse, slightly touched by all that affection. “You know, when we first met, I first thought you were merely a bitchy prat. But now I realize I was absolutely correct all along. Although, I still love you.”

“I love  being insulted for free!” the blondie blurted out. “Anyways. We should get going. It’s almost nine. Bims is taking the longest time to put on such little fabric on their tiny body and it’s pissing me off.”

“Oi!” Bimini yelled, still in the bathroom. “Can’t rush perfection!”

Tia stopped by the bathroom door and blew them a kiss. “Have fun staying home then, hound.” After that, they were quick to grab their respective belongings and order a cab.

London was not a quiet town, moreso on Friday nights. Everybody wanted to go out for drinks, chats, maybe even getting lucky, who knows? As a consequence, there were lots of clubs down that area, although, to the girls, none of them matched Black Cherry - their favorite.

Could be because Joey, the owner, had the hots for Bimini ever since they first met - they matched up quite well, ended up shagging then dating - so it was free drinks for the three of them. There was more to it, though: the atmosphere, the people, the location. Felt like magic whenever they stepped inside, letting the music consume them (not the usual upbeat pop they had around the other clubs, the songs were picked very carefully by Ellie, their quote-unquote, “DJ”).

Aurora would deny it always and forever, but there was a bigger reason for her to always try to look her best every Friday night. And it had a name, time, and a beautiful pair of hands: Tayce, who always arrived a bit past ten (after making her friends wait for a solid half-hour), who was the embodiment of a moon child, who was the life of the dance floor.

Tayce was ridiculous. That was the only proper word Aurora could think of to describe her. Ridiculously beautiful, ridiculously smart, ridiculously nice.

First of all, great fashion. Tayce stood out with that astounding b&w jacket dress and those thigh-high boots (Aurora loved thigh-high boots more than watching Project Runway whilst eating Percy Pigs, ad that means  something ). Not to mention her hair seemed as if it that been tailored by the most royal of silkworms. Black, straight (unlike her, as Aurora would soon find out), and downy. Tayce’s skin tone reminded her of milk chocolate or Nutella, or maybe she was just hungry. Her eyes were two beautiful almonds (she was  definitely  hungry) and her plump, glossy lips were so full. and. kissable. Um…

Pretty. Ridiculously pretty.

And social. Tayce chatted with anyone who approached her, even the drunken blokes far too hammered to realize she was way out of their league who tried to get some. Friendly, but not like she would just let anyone get a hold of her. Aurora searched for the word in the confines of her brain, though it was hard… Assertive? Chatty? Someone who seemed to belong to the world? The word was right there…

“Confident.”

“What?” Aurora asked.

“The word is confident, babes.” Bimini hugged her waist. “You keep saying those things aloud, she might notice it in a while! That is if she hasn’t already…”

Aurora rolled her eyes and left them to it. They always went to the club together but parted ways after a few moments: Aurora could be found nearly shagging with some girl on the dance floor, Bimini went upstairs to do who-knows-what with Joe and Tia just danced her brains out - she truly did not need anyone to make her night better, apart from Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue. By midnight, the blondie was far too gone, could barely remember her own name, but boy was she having the time of her life.

Somehow, whilst dancing (trying to - she was not the best dancer ever, truth be told), she bumped into Ms. Tall, Dark & Handsome

“Oh, nightie, Tayes! You look stunning tonight, by the way.”

“Rory, hi.” Tayce gave her an awkward hug. “You sound absolutely plastered.”

“No that, just… my voice is horse- I mean, hoarse - tonight.” Aurora cackled at herself. Words really were not her favorite thing (the perks of being dyslexic), and those few too many shots only aggravated her situation. “What I’m trying to say is…”

Tayce nodded and giggled. God, even her goddamn  giggle  was beautiful. Aurora wanted to drown in her. “You’re  absolutely  plastered.”

“Not that!”

“You are,” Tayce laughed, which caused the other girl to laugh as well. She was so damn cute. “Wanna know a secret?” Aurora nodded. “I am too.”

They both exploded in laughs, finding everything so damn funny besides all the nonsense they were saying. Just like every other Friday night, Tayce and Aurora chit-chat for a while. They were not friends, more like known strangers, but being regulars of the same club for so long meant their faces, voices, and presence were not that foreign to one another. And, since drunken A’whora was oh-so-sociable, of course, they would talk sometime.

(Because sober Aurora was too much of a chicken to reach out to Tayce.  Imagine  actually talking to a girl that beautiful without some alcohol in one’s system… She was friendly, yeah, but also intimidating as hell. Maybe because she was insanely attractive. Or it could be her eyebrows. Why was she even thinking about that right now, when they were discussing clothes and college stuff? Where did that come from?)

Whatever.

At a given moment,  Where Have You Been Came  on the speakers. And the way Aurora’s eyes sparkled as she started hopping in her place, yelling out the lyrics, looking like the happiest bitch in the world made Tayce’s heart kind of… race?

She had felt that a few times for Aurora, but it is hard not to when she’s just that pretty. And Tayce liked pretty girls. A lot. A  whole  lot.

As the end of the song approached and Aurora calmed down from all the “that’s my song!” and “Rihanna, I love you!”, Tayce didn’t even notice her body acting up against her will (or was it?), leaning forwards and forwards and grabbing the blondie by the neck. “You just look so pretty right now. I love your smile.”

The tension could’ve been cut with a damn knife, given how they were staring at each other. Confused, but into it.  What the actual fuck , Aurora thought.  Maybe she’s just way too drunk. Maybe she’s about to pass out and-

Tayce kissed her. And kissed her, and kissed her, and touched her. It was hurried, filled with luxury, as though they needed each other’s lips to keep them alive. Full of a desperation neither knew existed. Aurora could have never seen it coming, for she saw the tall girl as an untouchable being - because of some stupid reason. Tayce could have never seen it coming, for she didn’t believe she would have the guts (even intoxicated Tayce!) to do it anyways.

Turns out she did. Who knew?

As they parted, Tayce noticed the surprise that still took over Aurora’s face. Fuck? So she did what she did best: create a distraction. With a bright smile, all teeth and gums, Tayce said “galpal things.”

And they both laughed it off, as Aurora walked away trying to process everything out, almost instantly sobered out from the shock.

“Tayce just kissed me. No like, The Tayce just kissed me.”

“We’ve seen it,” Bimini replied.

“No, but she  kissed  me!”

“We’ve seen it,” Tia replied.

“Then she said it was ‘galpal’ things, Bims, Tee, I’m…?”

Finally,  finally , we reach the start once again. Properly contextualized, this time. Bimini’s hand rested against her bare shoulder. “You know, ‘galpal’ things can be nerve-wracking when you’re a gay, nervous wreck.”

Tia shrugged. “The perks of being a lesbian. Y’all never know shite! She could take your bitch ass to Paris and ask you to marry her during  the most romantic  date in the world and you would still be all oh-she-wants-to-be-friends-that’s-all, no wonder she dismissed it as being galpal things.”

“So you think she meant it?”

“Babes. Please. She grabbed your titties. That’s not a girl-friends thing, it’s a  girlfriends  thing.”

Aurora blushed hard, her ears so red it could be seen even under the club’s dim purple lights. “Suddenly you’re not that fitting for the nickname A’whora. Who’s the nun now?” Bimini teased.

Aurora laughed, back to her normal, usual state. Not that shy, lost mess, totally not confused as to why Tayce (The Tayce!) would ever want anything to do with her. “How can I be a prude if Tayce was grabbing my tits about three minutes ago?”

“Can’t be arsed.”

“But,” Tia said, “you should go to her, yanno? She could be your special one for the night.”

Tia was (as usual) correct.

[...]

There was no way of explaining how on Earth they both got to Aurora's apartment in such a short time. Her excitement was showing, as well as her nervousness. She had not been this close to her like, ever (!). As soon as the front door was closed, Aurora threw the girl to the sofa and climbed on top of her, the tension stronger than ever before. And, as Tayce’s fingers sneaked under the hem of her dress, right at the middle of her thigh, Aurora could have sworn there was nothing, nothing else in the world she wanted more than having the girl’s lips on hers once more.

“Please…,” she managed to let out. “Can we kiss… again?”

Tayce smiled wide (which made Aurora’s guts do flips and jumps that would put Olympic champs to shame) before leaning in agonizingly slow and trapping Aurora on her once again. With her piercing gaze, soft lips, and firm hands that wandered around everywhere she could reach; Aurora was a goner for her.

"Take me to your room," Tayce asked.

There was truly no sight like it, having such an astoundingly pretty woman in her bedsheets. Aurora let her hand fall to Tayce’s thighs, pulling her closer and already tugging at the band of her underwear. Tayce’s lips twisted in a seductive smirk, the same smug look she carried with her all night. Aurora sometimes thought that was her resting face. Not that she was complaining, for it was so. damn. charming. “Thought you’d be the one receiving tonight…”

And, impulsive slag she was, couldn’t revise the words before they came to exist. “I’m ambidextrous.”  Oh no. She’s laughing. That wasn’t sexy. Did I just ruin the mood or…?

“Good to know. I’m right-handed most of the time, you know,” Tayce said, grabbing Aurora’s hand and placing her right one underneath. And, damn, Aurora tried hard not to follow her every movement, but Tayce’s hands were simply mesmerizing and she couldn’t help herself. Long fingers. Black nail polish, so perfect it seemed she either got it done that day or never did dishes in her lifetime. Soft skin.

Fuck.

(She knows it’s weird, okay. Being caught way too many times staring endlessly at people’s hands and dealing with the embarrassment that washed over her face once someone else noticed was more than enough reminder. But, like aforementioned: she couldn’t help herself.)

“You like them?” Tayce arched her brow, eyes pointing to her hands. The blondie gulped. She  really  was not subtle, was she? “Talk to me, princess.”

“I- I do. I love your hands.”

From there, Tayce’s hand made way to Aurora’s chin. Held her in place then guided her neck upwards till she was exposed enough for Tayce to abuse the area however she wanted. Started out with small pecks here and there, whilst her thumbs traced tiny circles in Aurora’s collarbone. The blondie was slowly melting under her kisses, although she stiffened up once Tayce’s tongue met her skin. The touch was warm, wet, and welcome. It made Aurora squirm, whine at a low volume. Her legs pressed together and kept moving to find a position that would at least help her a bit. Yes, she was extremely easy to rile up and the other girl could definitely tell that just from that brief moment. And Tayce enjoyed it. A lot.

Still licking and sucking her neck, Tayce tried her best to get rid of the tight black dress Aurora was wearing. She felt her zipper being slowly pulled down, the night breeze a lovely contrast to the warmth that emanated from Tayce’s body. And from between her thighs.

“Take this off for me, would ‘ya?” Tayce asked, already fumbling with the lock of the blondie’s bra. Aurora was more than happy to oblige if that meant Tayce would call her princess once again, and in no time she was wearing nothing but her underwear and the black stockings. Tayce grabbed her breast once again, making her shudder from the intensity of her touches. It felt different for she was almost naked, no more fabrics keeping them apart. Better. Tayce flicked one of her nipples with her fingers before lowering her mouth and sucking it hard enough to earn her the loudest moan yet.

“Please, Tayes… Um…”

“What, princess? Tell me.”

Aurora grabbed her face and planted a kiss in her mouth.“Bite me,” she ordered.

Tayce smiled. That girl truly was something else. Switching between shy and demanding, begging then ordering. Made Tayce want to get to know all her sides. She had always thought Aurora was a figure, with her huge blonde curls, short dresses, and her way of flirting with everything that moved - be it seducing random men in the bars for the free drinks or trying to get on with a girl. It was fun, really, observing her from far away and periodically making small talk. Her interest in Aurora started to be more because of how her eyes crinkled when she smiled, her laid-back attitude, and her presence rather than for her spectacular pair of legs.

Plus, there was no denying it. Aurora was  gorgeous.

Tayce obeyed her. Bit the tip of her nipple, at first lightly just to test Aurora out. By the way she was writhing and moaning underneath her, Tayce knew it was working. So she sucked it again, letting her tongue wander around the soft, fair skin, leaving red marks wherever she touched. Then went back to biting, closing her teeth around the hard bud a bit harsher than before, just to find Aurora really, really enjoyed it.

Aurora left a trail of sweet kisses on the girl’s hair, drunk not only on alcohol but also on her smell. Tayce was driving her insane, and they had not even been doing much. W ith one shift move, the blondie straddled Tayce’s body, trapping her between her legs. “Thought you liked being under?”

“You got it wrong, pretty baby.” Tayce’s breath hitched once Aurora grabbed her thighs, spreading them further apart. The blondie’s hand sneaked through her skirt, quickly finding her already damp underwear and playing with her clit through the thin lace. “I like… fuck, um,  being fucked , not necessarily… under. Fuck, Rory.”

She had never heard Tayce’s voice sound so small and desperate as when she was grinding against the back of her hand. Fuck, Tayce was  wet.  “Feels good, baby?” Aurora managed to ask.

“Hm, yes… Need… need more.”

Aurora pulled Tayce’s panties off, and it slid through her legs till they reached the floor. Tayce spread her legs out even more whilst holding her skirt up, wanting nothing,  nothing  more than Aurora to just fuck her as she wanted.

“You’re so fucking hot, Tayes… God, you’re wet.”

Tayce smiled smugly once again. “Like it? All for you- ah! Fuck.” She couldn’t keep her volume down once Aurora dropped to her knees and stuck her tongue out, licking right above her folds and fumbling her clit up and down. She smiled at the reactions Tayce was having, already having her hands entangled in Aurora’s curls, trying to guide her head. But oh, she would not let Tayce have her way so easily. Aurora sucked her thighs, her stomach. Lifted her leg and gave her a slap in the ass. Tayce had to hold her position with both hands, but the moans got louder the closer Aurora got to her center.

“Rory, be a darling and do what you gotta do!”

Aurora kissed her thigh once more. She was up for some teasing, definitely. “Weren’t you the one who made me ask for everything just now? Tell me what you want, Tayes.”

“Eat me out. Right now.” Aurora arched a brow. “… Please.”

“Good girl.” Tayce didn’t even have time to register the pet name properly before Aurora went down on her. Straight to her swollen, wanting clit. She kissed it, sucked the very tip before pulling it back and exposing her even more; that was when she started to rapidly flick her tongue against it.

“Fuck, Rory, just like that… Ah, fuck.”

Aurora’s middle finger pressed against Tayce’s entrance. The other hand helped keep her in place.

“Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me…” Tayce was far too gone to care about her cool image. She just wanted Aurora inside her as soon as possible. And Aurora gave it to her, how could she deny such a thing? She forced two of her fingers against the girl’s entrance. She did not need much though, for Tayce was dripping wet Aurora thrust her fingers in and out, curving her knuckles frantically inside of Tayce to reach her spot. By the sounds she was making, absolutely wrecked and stupid, it was working damn well. “More. More, Rory, fuck…”

Aurora was rapturous having  that  woman moaning her name like crazy. She had fucked a lot of people during her lifetime, but this was something else. The haunting thought she was simply a one-night stand for Tayce made her frown, but her brain was so full of all-things-Tayce she simply dismissed it quickly. She was there, Tayce was there and making her feel like the only woman in the world. She wanted nothing but to please her girl.

My girl? She’s not my girl. Stop thinking!

“Rory, more, please, use your tongue again, ah- fuck… Yes, fuck, you’re so good...” Aurora hummed in satisfaction against her, which caused a bolt to run through Tayce’s body. “Oh, fuck. I’m … getting… close, princess…”

Princess. Aurora did not know a simple word could have such an effect on her. Her hands started working faster, fucking Tayce harder, harder, harder until she could not take it anymore. Tayce was squirming, shaking, her legs could not stay still. She had to let it out. She had to. Had to. “Fuck, I’m so close, fuck…” Aurora increased the speed of her tongue as well. Her clit was so damn sensitive it hurt. She needed release, so bad, so bad, so bad and...

“Fuck!” Tayce cried out as an orgasm washed over her body, pulling Aurora’s head even closer to her, rocking her hips back and forth against her fingers whilst Aurora pumped them in and out the fastest she could, helping the girl ride her high. “Ah, Rory, fuck… Fuck.” Tayce’s previously shaking body had lost all its tension. She felt like jello. A cute smile lit up her face. “Fuuuck. That was good.”

Aurora climbed back up to her bed. She seemed just as content. “Was it?”

Tayce rolled her eyes. “Yeah, ask as if you didn’t just watch me cum my brains out for you. Of course, it was good! Whoa.” Aurora’s right hand peeked inside her own damp panties. “Do you want some help over there, princess?”

“No, just stay there looking pretty. I’ll cum in no time, I swear to you.”

And Tayce did as told, losing herself in Aurora’s lips as the blondie rubbed herself with tiny circles, moaning against the kisses every now and then. She was so worked up from getting Tayce off, relishing in the memories of her whimpers and her taste and just… everything. It really took no time for Aurora to get closer and closer and closer and cum all over her own hands. Fucking hell, she was satisfied. Very satisfied.

“I like you.” Tayce intertwined her fingers around Aurora’s slick, wet hand before guiding it to her mouth and licking it clean. It was kinda hot, but her eyes were so wide and doe if seemed almost… innocent. As if they had not spent the past few minutes fucking like horny teens. It was cute somehow. “I know we barely converse, but you’re pretty, fun, and sexy as hell. And girl, talk about that tongue! So… if you’re interested in like, going on a date, I’m so down.”

Aurora chuckled. “Hah. Thought I’d be a one-night stand.”

“Same. You always have a different girl with you… But thought I should shoot my shot since we came all the way here. Literally, came…” they both smiled. “So… what do you say?”

“I’d absolutely love to go on a date with you, Tayes. ”  Anyone would. Can’t believe she chose me, amongst them all…

“Guess it’s a deal then, Rory. When are you free?”

“Pick me up tomorrow at eight.” Aurora thought better. “Or just stay here, we’ll see what we can do.”

“Perfect.”

They cuddled (“I knew you were a little spoon, Rory!”). Aurora couldn’t ignore her friends’ perfect timing, as her phone shone indicating a new message had been received in their group chat:

  Tee:

whora ru alive  🥺  or did she fuck u so hard u dead now?

  Bims:  

Hope you didn’t give her syphilis x

  Tee:

thatd be u and joey only,, the syphilis couple. my girl whora is TESTED x

  Bims:

Heard from Joey you got laid too, he saw you walking out the club with a piece!!

  Tee:

and awhora had the nerve tell me i wouldnt fuck anyone with my button up shirt huh

  Bims:

Y’all nasty  🥰 now excuse me I gotta go get pounded as well lmao goodnight babes x

  Tee:

no bims we cant go. theyre lesbians. what if they get married in the meantime and we dont even hear about it!

  Whora:

Goodnight hoes and nooo not yet! But she’s taking me out tomorrow yikes

  Tee:

aaand shes sleeping there

  Whora:

Yeah <3

Tee:

👀👀👀

  Bims:

Give them 3 months, Tia. x

  Whora:

Luv u hounds! nightie

Tee:

nightie !!

  Bims:

Nightie!

[hiraemy]

Lumine and The Goblet of Fire

Word count: roughly 2.7k for this part

disclaimer: first of all, this au was heavily inspired by @majunju 's incredible art! she made chilumi as beauxbatons and durmstrang students and my brain went brrr so i had to write something for them??

both Genshin Impact and Harry Potter are not created by me. However, i took the liberty to mix a lot of concepts in this AU, so have that in mind when reading. 

for sake of plot, lets pretend that Durmstrang is located in Russia. Lumine, Paimon and Aether are the only ones from Beauxbatons, while the rest are from Hogwarts unless mentioned otherwise. All the characters that have adult models, like Jean, Lisa, Kaeya and Diluc are presumed to be adults, with Childe being the only exception. Also, all the characters that use children or teens’ models are students, with a few exceptions like Venti and Scaramouche [mihoyo pls stop giving us confusing ages and body models i never asked you anything]

(please, have in mind that english is like, my third language, if you notice a spelling or grammar error, feel free to message me!)

Act One: Lumine and her stupid impulse control

“I’m going to put my name on it.” Aether broke the silence suddenly

“What...? No! Oh god, I expected that from Paimon, but you’re just as bad as her!”

There were a lot of things that Lumine hated. 

Open shoes. A very specific type of silk-flower based perfume(Aether once tried it because he wanted to impress a girl, but it ended stinking for two weeks straight). History of Magic. Condensed slime— those that Paimon loved, but she couldn’t even see it without being sick—, potions that took more than one single day to brew. But the worst, certainly was—

“C’mon, Lumine! You’re just afraid that you’re going to get your ass kicked in the tournament!”

...when Aether was being dumb. 

“No, I’m not!” She countered quickly, ignoring the way Aether smirked like he knew exactly what buttons to push. Actually, it wasn't that far from reality, if she was being honest. She eyed the paper carelessly torn from his notebook that had his name as if she could burn it only with the power her heavy gaze. “You’re being dumb! Are you deaf or something? DIdn’t you hear them saying that the Triwizard Tournament has a high death count?”

“Paimon is sure it isn’t that bad!” The half-fairy smiled at her, eyes twinkling in greed and mischief. Lumine narrowed her eyes at the way she happily jumped in her steps, staying afloat in air for more time than it was normal to common humans “After all, they're opening it again, right? I’m certain that the ministry has done something to make it safer!”

“You’re the one to talk! You don’t care about anything other than the mora!” Lumine was quick to shut her down, sending a glare that didn’t affect any of the two. In that moment, the three of them entered the hall which had the Goblet of Fire in its full glory, a bunch of Hogwarts students surrounding it like curious birds, eager to know which students were applying for the tournament. 

“Have a bit of faith, wont’ya?” Aether smiled boyishly, flicking his wand from his sleeve and hitting it slightly at the top of his head, also giving a wave to a bunch of ravenclaw girls that awed at his presence. He continued in his confident stride, each step leaving him closer to the Goblet “Arent I the best of our school when it comes to Charms? Besides, I have my beautiful, great and awesome sister which of course, will give her full support and use her full knowledge to—”

“Shut up, you know it's not that what I’m concerned with!” Lumine hissed, grabbing her brother’s wrist and tugging, lowering her voice. In the corner of her eye, she saw the Dumstrang guys eyeing her, Aether and Paimon like wolves, ready to pounce on them. “You heard the rumors, right? Please, don’t tell my you’re that reckless-”

“What rumors?” Paimon squeaked, her eyes going wide for a fraction.

“The Fatui. You know them, right? The Tsaritsa’s pawns.” She whispered, narrowing her golden eyes and not daring to let her guard down when she was in the same room as the Durmstrang and Hogwarts students. “There are rumours that they are at the move. Some say that her personal minions, The Harbingers, are also involved in some dark scheme around Hogwarts.”

“Nah. You’re just being paranoid, there’s no way someone of that caliber would be here" Aether raised his eyebrow and Lumine wanted to tug her hair out in pure frustration. “Besides, it’s not like I'm some helpless dead weight. I know I already said it before, but I’m really confident it’s going to be fine.”

“Aether is right, Paimon thinks you should relax!” The white-haired girl smiled brightly, nodding her head to herself. “Or even better, you could enter the tournament too! It would make our chances of representing Beauxbatons even higher!”

“Don’t you ever listen to me? Why would I—” Before she could complete her nagging, Aether quickly threw his paper into the Goblet, the flames flickering aggressively before consuming his entry. Her mouth fell open in disbelief, but the crowd around them didn’t seem to notice her reaction as they gave a round of applause for her twin.

“What, Lumi? Are you afraid of losing?” He made a point of taunting her with the most infuriating shit-eating grin he had “Or… Maybe you’re not up to the challenge…? Y’know, it’s really okay if you feel too scared to face some bad guys—”

Ah. Right.

Aether knew how much she loathed being underestimated.

“Shut up!”

"Aww, there is no need to be this angry! I'm your big brother, of course I'll know when you feel too scared to put your name on the Goblet! It's okay to feel insecure, and I think it is better for you to not enter as you might not be able to—"

The crowd cheered again as the Goblet of Fire consumed another entry from Beauxbatons Academy.

“Lumi—”

“Shut up, im still mad at you.” 

Aether smiled sheepishly under his sister’s heavy glare and Paimon giggled. Lumine also sent her a heated look, making the half-fairy squeal childishly. 

“Luuuuumi!” Aether whined, making her sigh. “Don’t be mad at me! You were the one who put your name on the Goblet, right?”

“Don’t act like you’re innocent! You know damn well what you did—” She hissed like a annoyed cat. Aether pouted and tried to trap his sister into a hug, but she slapped him away on pure instinct. 

“Chill, chill! At least we’re getting a feast tonight, right? Not like we don’t eat well in any of the other nights, but a guy told me that Hogwarts’s food is really amazing on these special days!” Aether pleaded, the bright grin revealing how amused he was with his sister’s grumpiness. 

“Free food is great, but free great food is even better! There is absolutely no way you can be mad after you eat, right?” Paimon tried, and Lumine let out an even more tired sigh. “Besides, a lot of students applied for Beauxbatons! What are the chances of you being chosen, especially since you don’t actually want to do it?”

“Shut up Paimon, you just jinxed it,” Lumine scolded half heartedly, tucking her notebook under her arm. 

The bunch of Hogwarts students were a handful. Even with the merged classes to accomodate the Beauxbatons and Durmstrand delegations, it seemed like the hosting school’s own students were never going to be used to see them in the classrooms and corridors of the castle. Everywhere they went, their blue uniforms made the crowds stare them down with admiration, suspicion, curiosity or even anger in some cases. 

Aether and her were somehow getting even more stares than the other Beauxbatons students. Her twin shined under the spotlight, offering a gentle smile to the brave girls who tried to talk to him sometimes —how strange it was to see her brother gathering a bunch of fangirls—, but she felt uncomfortable under the attention.

“You’re too tense, Lumi” Her brother chimed, as if he could read her thoughts. His arms were carelessly fold behind his head and he shot her a gentle smile. “No one is going to bite your head off if you smile a bit, right? Just relax!”

“Now, the moment you all have been waiting for...! The Champion Selection!” The Headmaster, Barbatos announced, his voice carrying in the big hall and being able to shush all chatter. With a swoosh of his hands, the lights on the walls dimmed down, leaving the Goblet of Fire as the main attraction.

Lumine felt a shudder in her spine, knowing that despite seeming like a simple gesture, the skill level required to perform a wandless and also wordless spell was higher than everything could even imagine herself doing. Deep inside her gut, the respect she had for the Hogwarts Headmaster was raised to the roof, especially since his appearance was nothing but of a kind and carefree young boy. 

Below the table, her hands were connected in a silent prayer. Her luck couldn’t be that bad, could it?

If everything went well, neither her or Aether would be chosen.

“Mr. Alberich, would you like to do the honors?” Barbatos asked a blue-haired man, who Lumine vaguely recalled being a member of the Ministry of Magic named Kaeya. As he nodded and approached the Goblet, she felt her shoulders getting even more tenser.

The flames flickered aggressively, but Kaeya didn’t seem to be intimidated by it. He slowly extended his hand, the fire spiking suddenly and changeling from blue to a menacing pink as it spat a piece of paper.

“From Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albedo!”

The crowd— majority being from Hogwarts itself, the hosting school— cheered loudly, the most excited ones being from Ravenclaw. A boy dressed in blue rose from his seat, his ash-blonde hair styled in a braid at the back of his head and teal eyes immediately catching Lumine’s attention. He quickly went to the front and was guided by one of the teachers to a backroom, disappearing from everyone’s view. Mr. Alberich waited until the cheers died down to announce the next Champion, the flames shaking as if the own Goblet was impatient. Finally, with a burst of green, another paper flew into his hands

“From Durmstrang Institute, Childe!”

This time was the turn of the students seated at the end of Slytherin’s table to scream, a lot of figures rising at once and making it almost impossible to pinpoint who exactly was Childe. However, Lumine could see how a tall guy with a slim build was receiving some strong pats on his back, his messy ginger hair being attacked by another short guy who was too enthusiastic. His eyes still glinted with pride and excitement, even if the neatness of his red uniform was entirely ruined by his peers.

She clapped politely, lowkey still distressed about the next Champion. She was suddenly startled when the guy, who was definitely Childe as he finally went to the front, made unexpected eye contact with her. His eyes lingered a few seconds more than she would be comfortable to admit, making her even more anxious.

Mr. Alberich approached the Goblet again for the third name. For some reason, Lumine thought that the man was being slow on purpose, or that the Goblet was being too indecisive, as the flames flickered between blue, yellow and orange aggressively for a few seconds. Everyone else seemed to notice this too, a few curious whispers breaking out between the students. Kaeya narrowed his eyes and then, not a second too late, the Goblet spat the last entry.

“From Beauxbatons Academy…”

Her stomach dropped and she thought she would throw up on the spot.

 “...Lumine!”

Aether screamed the loudest, right beside her ears. Paimon came to a close second though, shaking her by her shoulders like a ragdoll as if there wasn't a tomorrow. 

"Lumi! Lumi! What are you waitin' for? Go to the front!" She got up, feeling her stomach do all the kinds of flips and lowkey dizzy. Her head couldn't even register properly the cheers, her mind too busy shouting all the bad words she knew at her mental images of Paimon and her brother. 

She took in a deep inhale, keeping her breath until she was in the front of the whole hall, right in front of the teachers. Lumine saw the Beauxbatons Headmaster’s eyes take her in with slight tension in his slender fingers and she couldn’t help but to feel out of place.

"Mr. Zhongli…" She greeted quietly at the man, his tiny nod being the only thing to indicate his acknowledgment. He quickly led her into the backroom she saw both Champions go before, his brown cape flying elegantly behind him with every step.

"Miss Lumine, what a pleasant surprise… I must admit I didn't expect you to put your name in the Goblet." Zhongli started as a matter of fact, even if his eyebrow had a curious arch, as if expecting her to explain this turn of events.

“Yeah, neither did I, if I’m being honest.” She sighed, her hand wrapping around her stomach to hopefully help with the nausea and anxiousness

“Be assured, I’m sure the Goblet of Fire made an excellent choice for our school.” Zhongli said, his voice acquiring a softer tone, probably noticing how the blonde fidgeted a lot. Lumine clenched her fists, taking a deep breath. The man didn’t say anything else, and both of them reached a room decorated with Hogwarts’ trophies from the many tournaments held before.

She immediately saw Childe in a corner, poking a shiny statue that seemed to react at his mean touches, his eyes shining with some kind of rush and impatience she really didn’t want to explore any further. A tall woman, with elegant white hair that reached at her waist and ice blue eyes, slapped his hand harshly, freeing the poor statue from the Dumstrang’s clutches. Lumine didn’t know who exactly this woman was— It was common knowledge that Durmstrang Institute’s headmaster couldn’t be bored to attend the tournament personally—, but she could assume safely that she was at least a teacher.

With his distraction taken forcefully from him, Childe finally seemed to notice Lumine, turning on his heels with hands on his pockets. The witch felt another chill, incredibly uncomfortable with his heavy gaze analysing every feature, but she prayed to every god that she could at least maintain the stoic features she was quite infamous for. His blue eyes stopped carefully to analyze her face— a fact that she pretended to not notice by looking away—, with a satisfied(?) smirk appearing on his face that screamed bad intentions.

It took more than she would like to admit to pretend she wasn't the least affected by his heavy gaze on the side of her face. Her arms crossed around her face, her hand resting discreetly above the hidden pocket in her blazer that had her wand. Golden eyes searched the room again for another distraction, until they landed on the figure of the ash blonde boy chosen for Hogwarts.

He was pretty, no one could deny that, but even if he had those stupid charming eyes of his, there still was something about him that really threw her off. She couldn't exactly pinpoint it, but Lumine was sure that Albedo had some kind of deep dark secret kept hidden in himself. Was the whole Harbinger thing making her paranoid? 

Before she could answer her own question, Barbatos entered the room with other Hogwarts teached in tow. The three of them— her, Childe and Albedo— came closer to the fireplace where everyone gathered, eyeing the teachers and the Headmaster who stood in front of them in a neutral position, except for mr. Zhongli, who was behind her, and the mysterious woman she supposed was Childe's teacher behind him. Occupying the vacant space, a pretty woman immediately went to stand at Albedo's back. She had light-brown hair and alluring green eyes, but the most iconic feature was her curvy body accentuated by her purple dress.

If she had to guess, she would assume that she was Ravenclaw's house head. Technically, Barbatos had to be a neutral party, as the hosting Headmaster, even if everyone knew his favouritism towards his own school.

"Well, now that we're back here, far from prying eyes, guess I can finally drop the formalities!" The small man suddenly said with a big smile, catching her off guard. In the corner of eye, she saw that Childe had a similar reaction, but Albedo seemed exasperated. "I must say, this year's competition is going to be tough. But I'm sure you three will be able to handle it just fine, hehe!"

Oh god. Was Barbatos like this in real life…? Suddenly, the previous mighty and ruthless image she had of the Headmaster was shattered. All the books talked about him as one of the seven great wizards of the last war, so she expected something more… Aggressive?

"Venti, please." For a greater surprise, Mr. Zhongli seemed used to his attitude, poorly hiding his smile behind a fist.

"Yeah, right. The Triwizard Tournament" He forced a cough, hardening his expression and straightening his posture. "From now on, Mister Childe, Mister Albedo and Miss Lumine will face difficult trials to determine which one of you is the greater wizard. I should also mention that the prize will be eternal glory and ten million mora, of course." 

"We already warned you before, but let me repeat it. If you don't take these challenges seriously, you'll probably be squashed to the ground." Mr. Alberich stated bluntly. 

"Is there a chance of dying?" Childe asked, the way his head tilted indicating that he wasn't asking just because he was scared. 

"There were a few casualties some years before, but this time, the Ministry is making sure to bring some precautionary methods." He answered cooly, his expression not changing the slightest. "That being said, we still stand on the recommendation that you take extreme caution."

He didn't deny it. The fact didn't pass above any of the students' minds, Lumine tensing her shoulders, Childe grinning madly and Albedo pressing his lips.

"Anyway, about the first task," Barbatos took the lead again, a satisfied smirk on his lips. "The three of you will face an ability challenge. In other words, you'll be facing magic combat right from the start."

"Against each other?" Lumine asked, not wanting to fight Childe even in her dreams. He exhaled some mad, maybe sociopath vibes if she looked at it from a certain angle, and she certainly didn't want to test her theory. 

"Nope," Barbatos said easily, tilting his head in fake innocence "Where's the fun in that? I can't say anything else, since it's supposed to be a secret until the trial— Ah, by the way, about the test, it will be on November 24th. You have two weeks to prepare, so have fun!"

Forget every good thing she had thought of him before. He was a Madman. She was surrounded by a bunch of madmans.

Oh dear lord.

[t-lostinworlds]

Hidden Agenda (Tom Holland)

A/N: ITS ABOUT FUCKING DAMN TIME LOL. Christmas was almost a month ago now but ha, better late than never right? no? okay, sorry heh. At least it’s long-er right? still no? yup. Anyhow! I hope you guys enjoy this one! x

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: You were planning on spending Christmas alone but Tom presses that you spend it with him and his family instead. He just so happen to “forget” to mention it to them that you were just his best friend, and not his girlfriend.

Warnings: Nada but my usual typos

Word Count: 8.1k+

Masterlist in Bio

-:-:-:-:-

"Bye guys. I'll see you all soon." Tom bid his last goodbyes as you waited just by the door of a mutual friend's house, the party still in full swing but the two of you have already decided to call it a night.

"Let's just walk yeah?" He turned to you with a smile, offering his arm for you to hold, which you did, gladly.

It was the 23rd of December and the city of London was still as alive as ever, given the fact that it was nearing midnight. The wind was cold with a sprinkle of snow here and there, coating the streets lightly with white. People were all bundled up in layers as they walked under numerous twinkling lights, small chatter and laughs echoing about with the hum of the carols that each open store plays, and nothing could ever scream Christmas more than this.

"You're going back home tomorrow right?" Tom asked, your bodies close together, side by side in an attempt to stay warm. "Nope." You simply answered, not even bothering to give any further details. You didn't have to.

"You're still not in good terms with them?" You shook your head no, sparing Tom a glance to see a frown written on those lips. He didn't need to tell you who he meant since you already know 'them' means your family. You two are close, so naturally, you tell him everything. Well, most of everything.

"What're your plans for Christmas then?"

You shrugged, sighing as you shot him a small smile. "I don't know. I'll probably just stay back at the flat and watch a movie, order take out and eat ice cream. Maybe wear a Christmas hat and jumper for it to be special and not just my typical night." You joked, but Tom lips didn't even twitch as he only stared at you with furrowed brows, frown still intact.

"What, alone?" You looked at him curiously, the concern written on his face only growing to which you only responded with a small nod. "Well, yeah—"

"Yeah, that's not happening." Tom scoffed with a shake of his head. You turned your head fully to look at him confused. "What'd you mean?"

"You're spending Christmas with me."’

He stated casually, almost bluntly as if he didn't have any plans for the holidays whatsoever, his voice firm in a way to tell you that he's already made up his mind.

"You're going to be with your family Tom." You stated, as a matter of fact, since he has already told you what he was doing tomorrow, so him spending Christmas with you doesn't exactly add up. Tom only squared his shoulders, eyes looking straight to avoid your confused gaze.

"Exactly."

It took you a minute to understand what he was trying to say, his proposition slowly registering in your brain before you halted your movements, stopping right in front of him to try and get your point across. "No no no, I'm not going to crash your holiday plans with your family Tom. I'm going to be fine at the flat."

Tom only raised his one messy brow, hands in the pockets of his coat and when he gets in this stance, you know very well that he was ready to argue. "Well, I sure as hell won't let you spend Christmas alone Y/N."

You crossed your arms over your chest to counter him, a frown on your lips as you are not exactly keen on being an intruder to a family celebration, especially if it was this last minute. "I'm not just showing up uninvited, I really don't want to invade."

Tom only chuckled, walking closer to you with a reassuring smile, the corner of his eyes crinkling as his hands landed on your shoulder comfortingly. "You won't. I'll text mum a heads up and we'll go down there together. Trust me, they'd be glad to have you. They've been dying to meet you."

Granted, you haven't met the Hollands.

You've known Tom for so long but you still have yet to meet his family. It was a case of your busy schedule combined with his that you haven't had the chance to go whenever an opportunity pops up. You have met Harry since he's with Tom mostly, but that's about it. So going with him at their house during Christmas, with it a very last minute plan, it was making you a bit nervous, and by a bit, you mean a lot.

You pouted at him, still a bit wary of this idea of his. "Are you a hundred percent sure they won't mind?" Tom flashed you that charming grin, all confident and bright, the one that never fails to make your heart flutter even if you so badly don't want it to. "Completely sure."

"But Tom—"

"Y/N, I really don't want you to spend Christmas alone and we can stay out here in the cold and argue for as long as you want, or you could just say yes right now and spare us the time because you very well know I don't easily back down." He cuts you off with a knowing smile, arms all crossed over his chest to let you know that he was up for the challenge, just like he always is.

You groaned with a roll of your eyes because you just know, deep in your bones, that you weren't getting your way with this, especially when it was crystal clear that he's already made up his mind. He would just keep pushing until you say yes, or either way, he'll drag you down there no questions asked.

Thomas Holland is just stubborn that way.

"Glad to see that you care about how I spend my holidays." You grumbled, your heart fluttering at his concern of not wanting you to spend Christmas all by yourself, a glimmer of hope shining through, your mind playing its daydream as to why that could be.

"I'm your best friend, of course I care." And just like that, the small hope was snuffed out seconds later, a light sting in your heart that you tried your hardest to ignore, but you also can't say you aren't used to it by now.

You shook your head with a timid smile to mask what you truly felt about his statement, letting out a sigh as you looked at the boy in front of you who sported an all-too proud grin on his face. Of course he knows he's winning this. "Fine, fine, I'll go. But you'll come with me early tomorrow for a last minute Christmas shopping. I don't want to show up empty handed."

Tom's face lit up like a Christmas tree at that, his smile only getting wider as he offered you his arm again. Even if you wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug smirk of his, you took his arm nonetheless, a small chuckle escaping out of the boy as he wholeheartedly agreed.

"Deal."

*     *     *

To say you were nervous would be an understatement.

Your hands were clammy, your heartbeat rapid, and if the look on your face wasn't an enough dead giveaway, your not-so-steady breathing would surely do the trick.

Tom was right beside you as you two walk up to their front door, and he can practically see you physically shake with nerves. You can feel his eyes bore a whole on the side of your head, a look of concern but mostly amusement written on his face.

"Hey, you're going to be fine. I'm sure they'll like you. There's no need to be nervous Y/N." He chuckled, swinging his arm over your shoulder as he pulled you in for a side hug. You only nodded with a sigh, Tom squeezing your arm in comfort as he placed a soft kiss on top of your head.

It was so funny, borderline hilarious how anxious you were feeling on meeting his family. The excitement is there of course but this nagging voice inside your head just seems to overpower everything. It was somewhat of a want for them to approve of you and like you in a way, which doesn't even make any sense or prove any point as to why you want their approval. The thought was just ridiculous given the fact that you aren't even his girlfrien—

"Y/N! Hello darling, nice to finally meet you."

Too caught up in your thoughts that you didn't even notice that you've already reached the door, a lovely woman was standing right in front of you as she opened it wider and pulled you in for a warm and welcoming hug. "Nice to finally meet you too Mrs. Holland." You greeted with a bright smile once you pulled away, her hands grabbing yours as she gave it a squeeze.

"Oh please, call me Nikki. I've heard so much about you already since Tom just won't shut up. He's quite fond of you this boy, I mean it is the first time he's ever brought a girlfriend home."

Your eyes widened in shock once your brain processed the word, your head slowly, almost dramatically turning to look at a red-faced Tom as you try and find some kind of explanation. He met your eyes briefly before he shook his head, your brows furrowing even more when he turned back to his mother, cleared his throat and only said, "Mum it's cold out here."

"Oh! My bad, come in, make yourself at home sweets." You weren't given the time to ask Tom questions as you were ushered inside seconds later. The confusion only consumed you more the longer you wonder as to why Tom didn't bother and correct his mother.

What on earth is this boy doing?

"Look who's here." Nikki announced the moment you reached the living room where most of his family was situated. The loud chime of her voice made three sets of eyes turn to you, all faces sporting wide grins that did nothing but made you feel at ease and comfortable in so little time. Tessa was quick to run and jump at Tom, his voice raising an octave as he greeted his precious girl. You, on the other hand, turned towards the sound of your name.

"Y/N! Glad to see you again." Harry was the first one to stand up and greet you with a warm hug. "Hi Harry, how are you?" You grinned, ruffling his mesh of curls that only made him chuckle. "Never better."

His twin brother, Sam, was the next to introduce himself followed by their youngest, cute little Paddy, freckles and all.

"Ah, so this is the girl Tom won't stop talking about." You felt your cheeks heat up at the sentence, turning around to see Tom's father walk in just seconds later.

"Dad—"

"Hello Mr. Holland." You ignored Tom and turned to the father of the family with a sweet smile, in which he returned graciously.

"That's too formal love, just call me Dom." He greeted with a warm hug. Once you pulled away, you caught a glimpse of Tom just watching with a sheepish grin on his lips, making the confusion in your brain grow even more.

You felt really flattered by the fact that Tom has told his family about you. It makes you feel, somewhat special in a way but of course, being as guarded as yourself, you tried your best not to think much about it. You are pretty sure he's talk about all his friends to his family in the same way he talks about you.

Though you are still very curious as to why Tom's mother thought you're his girlfriend, because that's just far from the truth. But it seems like you can't get him alone to ask. That or he's purposefully avoiding you and your questions, you don't know which is which as of yet.

"Oh Tom, I'll help you with your stuff. I believe you two are sleeping in the guest bedroom." Dom butted in and gave Tom's shoulder a pat. He was about to walk out of the room but your voice stopped him.

"We will be sharing a bedroom?" The words slipped out your mouth before you could even stop it, your brows knitted together, your eyes searching Tom's to which he avoided so evidently. "Well, you two are together and I do trust Tom not to do any funny business." Dom simply said, playfulness laced in his tone.

Well, guess that makes it that most, if not all of his family think you're his girlfriend.

"Seriously Dad?" Tom groaned, palm rubbing on his red face, you found it quite adorable if being honest, maybe even more if you weren't raking your brain for answers as to what the hell is going on.

Dom only chuckled as he gave Tom's shoulder a squeeze. "I'm just messing with you. Come on son, your bags won't carry themselves upstairs." Tom nodded with a sigh. He only spare you a quick glance, shooting you a shy smile with his cheeks all flushed and pink.

You were waiting, just waiting for him to say something, to tell his dad that you weren't together, to correct him too but it never came. It was like he wants them to think that you are in fact together, which isn't the case at all, and you could only think as to why.

Well you're not correcting them either.

Huh, touché.

Of course a part of you was enjoying the moment, you've had feeling for Tom for a while now. With him being so sweet, kind and caring with a side of charm, talent and sexiness, how can you not? So his family thinking that you're his girlfriend? It was pure bliss.

You do hate the way it makes you feel hopeful though. Hopeful that there was something more about this, feelings wise. But you just know he doesn't. If the countless of girls he's been pining for wasn't enough proof, then him saying that he doesn't feel anything for you to Harrison, was.

You didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation that night, you just happened to walk in his living room to hear your name, and you got hooked.

"Don't believe anything they tell you." Tom warned playfully, his voice taking you out of your train of thoughts. You furrowed your brows at him confused to which he only gestured behind you, his finger pointed accusingly at his brothers. You turned around to see all three boys smiling innocently at you, though the mischievous glints in their eyes says otherwise.

Oh you were getting some good gossip tonight.

"Come on Tom, how bad can it be?"

*     *     *

Your laugh was the first thing Tom heard when he walked back inside the living room, a smile making its way onto his lips to see you glowing with joy. Even more so when he saw Tessa situated comfortably on your lap, the precious dog looking up at you sweetly as she listens to whatever you were saying, the way your hand stroked the back of her ear was enough to make her stay right where she is.

The sight alone melted Tom's heart ten times over.

"What are the four of you talking about?" He asked with a brow raise, his brothers looking at you and then back at him before stifling out little chuckles. "What are you telling her boys?" Tom presses even more, dread slowly consuming him on the thought of what his brothers could've spilt this time.

"Don't worry Tom, they're just confirming what I already know." You responded with a wide grin, leaning back on the couch, all calm and smug.

"And that is?"

"That you're really stupid, especially with girls. God the things that you've done." You answered nonchalantly, shaking your head at him teasingly. Tom's cheeks turned a deep shade of red as a number of horrible and embarrassing stories crossed his mind and he was sure the boys told you one, if not all of those said stories.

"Whoops time to check the turkey." Sam was quick to stand and exit the room, chuckles coming out of him to which Tom could only do nothing but watch him disappear.

"I'll help and set the table. Paddy come on." And just like that all three boys were out of sight, leaving you with a curious yet adorably embarrassed Tom. "Seriously, what did they tell you?" You stifled out a laugh at his distressed state, Tom only jutting out his bottom lip in response as he slowly made his way to stand in front of you.

"It's nothing. Just things you did when you were younger. They quite exposed you if I'm being honest but nothing too bad." You answered to try and reassure him, but still, Tom wasn't having it, but he also knows you weren't going to tell him anytime soon either so he decided to just let it go, even if it was bugging him a lot.

"Wow, we just got here and you've already taken over my family." Tom sighed as he plopped beside you on the couch, his eyes glancing down at the dog who rested soundly on your lap, not even bothered by Tom's presence. "You too Tess? This is just outrageous." He protested, arm resting just behind you as he shot you a playful glare, bottom lip all jutted out and you couldn't help but laugh. You shrugged with a wide and proud grin of your own. "What can I say, I am quite the charm."

"Yup, you definitely are." Tom whispered under his breath but he doesn't really realize most of the time when he's speaking out loud, so of course, you heard.

There was a slight change in his tone, a difference in the way he said it that made the butterflies in your stomach go haywire, a certain look on his face that made your brain grow curios but your heart grow hopeful.

Silence rang in the air as none of you decided to speak after that. Tom knows you heard what he just said, the faint blush in his cheeks just screams it, and it was only a matter of seconds for it to grow awkward until you realized that you've got your own questions for him.

"Tom, why does your whole family think that I'm your girl—"

"I got the yearbook!" Paddy came out of nowhere with a toothy grin, book in hand to which you assumed was Tom's, judging by the way he groaned in utter dismay. "You guys really love to embarrass me."

Paddy only giggled as he made his way beside you, handing you the yearbook to which you thanked him for. You turned to Tom to see another mortified look on his face, and you could do nothing but laugh at his reaction. A smirk was plastered on your lips, all teasing and smug as you patted his leg in feign support.

"Hey, that's what brothers are for."

*     *     *

Dinner was well underway.

The beautiful sound of laughter accompanied by the glorious and delicious smell of the full plates made you feel all warm as you look around the dining table surrounded by a happy family. Tom was sat right beside you, eyes all crinkled as he tried to contain his amusement at bay due to something his Dad had said.

You were holding your end of the conversation as well as his family asks you whatever question they had in mind. It was the typical ones, what you do with work and school, favorite marvel movie – not choosing Spider-Man just to get on Tom's nerves – the usual jazz. Nothing was out of the ordinary until Tom did something cute from the outside looking in, but questionable to you.

"Hey, look at me." He mumbled as he patted your arm softly, making you stop your conversation with Sam to turn and look at your best friend. "Hmm?" You hummed, Tom only smiling at you as his hand took hold of your chin to keep your head in place. The middle of your brows creased, your heartbeat picking up its pace as you stared right at Tom's brown orbs all confused, but you didn't have to ask no more as he brought his napkin up to gently, almost lovingly wipe the gravy that was on the corner of your lips.

"There." Tom flashed you one last smile before turning back to his Dad as if it was nothing, him missing the way you let out the breath you were holding as you tried your best to keep the butterflies from causing any more havoc.

"You two are such an adorable couple." Your head snap back at Nikki who had such a proud grin on her face, looking at you and Tom so adoringly and you didn't want to be the one to ruin it for her, so you just smiled at her shyly, your cheeks all hot as you looked at Tom with the corner of your eyes, the boy still oblivious of the consequences of his actions.

It was such a mundane thing, what Tom just did, and he's done it before too, but somehow, in front of his family, it felt like there was some hidden agenda to it, and you suddenly felt uneasy.

*     *     *

The festivity was now moved back to the living room, the main lights now dimmed replaced by the glow of the Christmas tree as the TV played Elf. Everyone was scattered everywhere with the young boys on the floor wrapped in big and soft comforters, both parents cuddled on the edge of the couch, while you and Tom sat next to each other on the other end.

You tried your best to focus on the movie, but it was becoming a hard task as your mind processed other things instead. Along with Tom's arm resting over your shoulder, pulling you closer and closer to his side as his fingers played with the ends of your hair? It wasn't easy to stay focused.

Even more so when he—out of nowhere—turned his head to place a soft kiss on your forehead, his lips gentle against your skin as it lingers for more seconds than normal. Your eyes snapped up to meet his to which he was quick to avoid as his brown orbs were back on the television. You were staring at him intently, only breaking your gaze once you caught Dom and Nikki whispering in each other's ear, not so discreetly pointing at the two of you.

You placed your eyes back on Tom, your brows furrowing in concentration and curiosity as if you'll find answers on the dips and valleys of his face.

What is this boy trying to prove? Does he actually have a hidden agenda?

Tom tore his eyes from the TV screen to look down at you seconds later once he felt your burning glare on him. "What're you staring at?" He mumbled, the smirk on his lips slowly growing as you only rolled your eyes at him and stayed quiet, looking down at your hands once you felt your cheeks heat up.

And here you were, back on your never ending train of thoughts, more fuel added to the fire when Nikki and Dom bid their goodnights, the phrase "love birds" thrown about to which you and Tom only responded with timid smiles, the boy beside you still not bothering to correct them at all.

That's when the theory as to why finally hits you.

Everything could be just a big misunderstanding but a part of you can't help but think that maybe the reason why Tom has been acting the way he is the moment you arrived at their doorstep, is to actually make his family think that you are in fact his girlfriend.

Maybe his family has been pestering him to get a girlfriend to the point where it was getting on his nerves. Maybe this has been his plan all along the moment he invited you to spend Christmas with him, to show off to his family so that they'll stop asking questions, so that they can finally stop pressing about his love life. If so, then that would absolutely suck.

A heads up would have been slightly better because if that really was the case, then you just feel utterly used and downright played.

And just like that your mood was quick to switch.

"I think I'll go and get some sleep too." You grumbled as you pulled away from his grasp. You were fast to stand to your full height that it made the middle of Tom's brows crease with worry. "You alright?"

You flashed him a tight-lipped smile, avoiding his eyes as much as possible as you nodded. "Yeah, just tired."

Tom had his thinking face for a second, the one he wears whenever he suspects that you weren't exactly telling him the truth. You were glad though that, that said face only lasted a few seconds. "Okay, I'll be right up in a few."

Once you've said goodnight to the boys, you were quick to turn on your heel as you rushed upstairs, shutting the bedroom door behind you with a long sigh.

You were going to make the most of your time alone, to think and to breathe at least, to have a much needed space given the fact that Tom would most likely show up in a couple minutes and there would be nowhere to escape him.

Perks of sharing a bedroom. Sarcasm greatly intended.

*     *     *

Lying down alone in bed has always been one of your places to think, or in this case, overthink.

You were torn, still not clear as to what you'd conclude this situation to be. If you've just made a big deal out of the whole situation when it wasn't at all; or that there's definitely something going on and you just know nothing about it. But either way, you can't help but be hurt.

You could try and pretend to actually be his girlfriend and just live in the moment, this has been your dream for so long after all. But you also can't stop thinking about how you're playing yourself if you do exactly that.

If you let him use you for his own gain, then you're just setting yourself for heartbreak in the future.

Your feelings for Tom shouldn't in anyway make him have a pass on lying. What you feel for him should never make him able to get away with everything, especially with the risk of him taking advantage of it. Maybe he knows what you feel, maybe he doesn't, but that still doesn't give him any right to drag you into whatever he's planning without confronting you about it first.

It could've made a difference if he talked to you about it, asked this whole thing as a favor instead of just playing you right into his trap.

Could this actually be the reason why he suddenly thought about bringing you home with him? If so, then he probably doesn't care if you were to spend Christmas all alone.

You were hurt for sure, but you were also very angry, hence why you aren't fully rational with the situation at hand.

You and Tom have never slept in the same room ever before. Same house sure, all the sleepovers can vouch for that, but you've always had your own space whenever that happens. You two have shared a few clothes, and a few stuff but none of you has crossed too much into the other's personal space. Being best friends, it has its perks but it also has boundaries for it to stay that way, which is why you also have never shared a bed.

You weren't exactly sure if you're ready to make tonight the first, especially with the whole 'his family thinks you're his girlfriend' thing going on. You also weren't sure if your heart could really take it, being so near to him in an almost, too intimate setting with your emotions and all.

Having feelings for your best friend is stressful as fuck.

As much as you want him to sleep on the floor, you couldn't find it in you to let it happen. You were definitely mad at him, but just because, you still couldn't let him sleep on the cold, hard floor. So, you opted on placing a pillow in the middle of the bed, a make-shift wall to separate your side and his. It wasn't much, but it was something at least, a needed distance for you not to cross dangerous territory.

The things you do to spare your heart.

You were staring straight at the cream-colored walls, gears in your mind still turning when you heard the door open and then shut, the lock clicking just seconds later, but you stayed still, no movement, no noise.

It was a few minutes of him doing whatever it was he was doing as he walked around the room, into the bathroom and back. You couldn't see him as you tried and pretended to be asleep, your eyes faintly closed; only hearing his footsteps coming closer until you felt the other side of the bed dip. You can definitely feel his eyes on you, just staring, observing, and he was silent for a moment, until he lets out a deep sigh.

Tom knows you, of course he wasn't falling for your little act. "I know you're still awake."

"Oh yay, do you want a cookie for noticing?" You grumbled, still not bothering to turn around. Your back was facing him, but you can just picture him running a hand over his head, a little frustrated maybe, but nothing you can't handle.

"Are you mad at me?" You couldn't help but roll your eyes, your snark getting the best of you because he knows what's been happening the moment you two arrived, so it's only fair that he comes clean with it. "I don't know Tom, should I be mad at you?"

"I don't know too Y/N but judging by this barrier? You definitely are."

You couldn't stop your eyes from rolling again, just out of habit, even though he can't see it. You didn't even try to hide your annoyance as you exclaimed enthusiastically. "Great job! You want another cookie?"

"Y/N, stop with the damn cookies and just tell me what's up." You can hear it in his voice that he was getting riled up, and you want nothing more than to annoy the living daylights out of him, but when he gets heated, you tend to feed off of it too.

"Fine. I'll tell you alright." You tore the blankets off of you in haste, standing back on your bare feet as you glared at Tom who was sat across you, frown written on his lips with a little hint of annoyance still present all over his face.

You crossed your arms over your chest in mere attempt to look intimidating, trying your hardest to not get too distracted since the fucker didn't even have the decency to put a shirt on. "Maybe you should've given me a heads up when you're going to use me as a decoy girlfriend to appease your family."

Tom's face visibly softened at your words, a sigh was heard from him as he lowered his head to avoid your eyes. You stayed quiet and just waited for him to say something, it was after the count of ten—in your head of course—when he looked back up at you with an expression you can't quite read.

"Look, mum just assumed that you are. I definitely am not using you as decoy and I didn't tell them that you're my girlfriend." He reasoned, nervous hand coming up to rub on his shoulder, unconsciously flexing his bicep along the way and you hate how one little thing could affect you so much. You took a breath, replaying that you're mad at him over and over inside your head.

It was rare for Tom to ever lie, and when he does—in most cases—you would be the first to notice. He wasn't lying sure, but you still weren't convinced that he was telling you the full truth.

"But you didn't correct them and say that I'm just your best friend either." You pointed out as you narrowed your eyes at the boy. It was clear in the way he looked away that he was cornered, no more cards to show except for one that Tom wasn't ready to play just yet. Lying wasn't an option either so he tried to shift the conversation instead. "Well, neither did you."

You blinked, completely taken aback by his choice of tone, an accusing one that is. "Oh don't you dare try and pin this on me now Thomas."

Tom knew that his whole name coming out of your lips was warning enough, but being the idiot that he is, of course he decided to poke his head inside his ass some more instead of just being straight up and honest with you. "I'm just saying, you could've told them we weren't together but you didn't so this isn't all on me."

The glint in your eyes made Tom swallow the lump in his throat. But when you spoke with gritted teeth, that's when he knew he might actually have screwed things up. "Unbelievable. You knew how nervous I was to meet your family! How could I ever possibly tell them off? Fuck it, you know what? Don't bother me until you're ready to tell me the truth."

"Y/N—"

"If you do as much as cross the tip of your finger over this pillow I'm going to end you." The threat in your voice was clear and Tom could do nothing more but watch as you climb back in bed, pulling the covers over you rather harshly as you kept your back turned on him.

He laid himself down with a deep sigh, both hands finding its way on the back of his head as he stared up at the ceiling, stealing glances at your form every now and then. His frown only got deeper as the clock ticked by with you still paying him no mind. The silence in the air grew longer, even deafening to the point that it was driving him nuts.

Tom was well aware that you were still up because your breathing wasn't as steady as it should be when you're actually asleep. He knows you like the back of his hand, just as you do about him. Your every quirk, every habit, he notices every single one of them. It was easy for him to know what's been bothering you—well, in most days—and it's definitely easy for him to notice if you're pretending to be asleep, especially if he was just so close.

You had every right to be upset because he was so obviously beating around the bush. He knew fully well how much you hated it when someone isn't being completely truthful right up to your face or otherwise. To add to that, he just had to get in your nerves some more by pushing some of the blame on you too.

Tom wanted nothing more than to smack himself upside the head. He does deserve it.

But one thing for sure was that he shouldn't let this argument reach the morning. He just has to suck it up, gather all the courage he could muster and tell you the whole and honest truth, no matter the consequences. Even if he was putting your friendship at risk.

Slowly, Tom sat up as he leaned back on his arms, eyes casted at the girl who lay just beside him. "Y/N?" Silence. "I know you're still up." More silence.

Come on Tom, you can do better than that.

Swinging his legs off the bed, he stood fully up, quietly rounding the corner and walking towards your side. Tom was right when he suspected that you weren't asleep when you moved quiet abruptly. It was like your motion sensors were on high alert as you were quick to turn around before he could even reach you, keeping your back on him to purposely avoid him.

Crouching down so that he was almost the same level as the bed, Tom lifted a hand up to poke your arm gently, and when you didn't swat him away, he took that as a good sign.

"Y/N, just hear me out please." Tom softly cooed, finger running up and down your arm with a feather-like touch, soothing away your anger in mere seconds. He couldn't stop his smile from growing when he felt you slowly relax, and Tom knew it was only a matter of time before you finally give in. He always took so much pride on how you can't resist him for far too long.

"What do you want?" You grumbled, still not going through the hassle of turning to face him, but only because you know how close he just is. If you did as much as roll on your other side, your face would only be an inch or two from his own, and you aren't sure if your heart can handle that proximity.

"Just want to talk." You spared him a glance over your shoulder, seeing nothing but puppy-dog eyes staring right back at you with his full pout in play. "Please?" Tom added, and all you could do was groan in utter defeat, just knowing that he won't stop unless you talk to him. His stubbornness is one of the reasons why you're here, right at their house during Christmas, in the very first place.

You sat up and moved back until you were near the headboard, crossing your legs as you watch him sit on the space in front of you, right in arms-length.

Tom stared at you for a moment, head tilted to the side with a look you can't quite comprehend, but it did bring that certain flutter you feel in your heart whenever he looks at you, but this time, more intense. Even more so when he suddenly whispered, almost like a breath, his voice soft and gentle, tone laced in pure endearment when he said:

"God you're beautiful."

The warmth in your heart was quick to rise and spread to your cheeks. You willed yourself to think nothing more of his comment than just a poor attempt to distract you. "Tom, spill."

Tom shook his head with a shy chuckle, eyes casted down for a quick second before it was back on yours. "Right uhm, first off, I promise you, I didn't plan this at all. I was just as shocked as you were when mum called you my girlfriend. This was never my reason as to why I invited you here in the first place. And second..."

Trailing off his sentence, Tom slowly moved closer towards you. The sudden change in the atmosphere only made your heartbeat quicken, and when he reached out to take both of your hands in his, all your nerves were on an all-time high. "I didn't correct them and say that you're my best friend and that we're not together or that you're not my girlfriend because... I was uhm, because I really want, no, I don't want you to be." Tom's voice faded as he spoke the last part of his sentence that you didn't quite catch what he said nor did you understand. His eyes were now casted down at his fingers that were gently fiddling with yours, nervousness very clear in his touch.

You furrowed your brows at him, frown on your lips as you softly said. "You're not making any sense." This made Tom throw his head back with a groan, hands letting go of yours as he rubbed them on his face frustratedly. His eyes were shut tight as he mumbled to himself, but the fact that he was so close, you still heard it nonetheless. "Dammit why am I so bad at this?"

"Tom, why didn't you tell them I'm not your girlfriend?" You asked to try and pry the answer out of him, asking him the question that's been hanging over your heads the moment you arrived. Both his arms fell limp on his sides, and when his eyes met yours with a different glimmer coating them, you were nowhere near prepared by his confession.

"Because I enjoyed it okay? I liked the way it sounded when mum called you my girlfriend. I felt so happy just seeing you get along with my brothers instantly, even when the only thing they did was embarrass me. And when you didn't say anything? I was taking every chance that I could to soak it in while it's still there, to pretend to be your boyfriend because maybe it's the only chance that I'll ever get, even if it's not real." You stared at him in shock, words stuck in your throat as your brain still tried to process what you're actually hearing.

Tom's heart was hammering against his chest, loud and fast as he leaned closer, his shaking hand reaching out to hold your face, palm soft against your cheek, thumb stroking your skin ever so gently.

Your eyes blinked as if his touch brought you out of your thoughts. Confusion was written all across your features, a nervous chuckle escaping Tom as he continued, heart and soul poured into his words. "I was enjoying the moment because I don't want you to be just my best friend anymore Y/N, I want you to be more than that. I've had feelings for you for so long now and seeing you tonight with my family only just confirmed that I am hopelessly and deeply in love with you."

You shook your head at him, eyes closing as you tried to get a hold of your sanity, still unable to believe the actual words that came out of his mouth. Because Tom telling you that he loves you? Your best friend? The person who you've been in love with after all this time? It just seems too good to be true. "Don't even try and lie to me Tom."

"Why would I lie to you about this?"

"I heard you telling Harrison you didn't have feelings for me." The slight shake in your voice made Tom's heart ache a little. You were doubtful and Tom knows it's because you were scared of that he was just telling you this just because. He understands why, he knows about your past relationship, of course he understands. But he could never, in a million years lie to you. He never would.

"I was in denial because you don't feel the same way and knowing Harrison, he was for sure going to say something to you if I admitted to him my feelings then. I was scared that it'll ruin our friendship and fuck, maybe I just did right now and I'm just—"

"What makes you think I don't feel the same way?" You cut him off, so many mixed emotions rushing through you in a span of a minute. You were still suspicious, that’s what so much heartbreak can do to you, but that only starts to fade away once you think about who's in front of you. You trust Tom with everything that you are, and that always outweighs every doubt in your mind.

"Because when you—wait, does that mean what I think it means?" The realization that grew on Tom's face made him look ten times more adorable, hopeful eyes looking at you with that bright, charming smile slowly making an appearance.

You bit the insides of your cheeks to stop yourself from grinning, wearing the best poker face that you could to try and seem unfazed. You weren't giving him the satisfaction just yet. "Tom, answer my question."

He shook his head no with a sheepish grin. "But your question is suggestive. Why would you ask me that question if—"

"Yes, I'm in love with you too, you idiot."

Tom was quick to shush your giggles as he pressed his lips against yours, his hand finding its way on the back of your neck to keep your head in place. The kiss was everything you could have ever imagined it to be, so much longing and passion poured into it that it could only make your head spin and your heart grow.

You were consumed in nothing but bliss as his mouth molded yours, his hand finding your waist as he gently pushed you down until you laid flat on your back. Tom situated himself between your legs as soon as you wrapped them around his waist, your arms snaking around his neck to pull him even closer, a soft groan leaving him at the feeling of so little space between you two.

"You have no idea how long I've been daydreaming about this..." Tom whispered, his lips leaving yours as he slowly trailed down, placing a peck on your chin before his lips found its way down your neck. "...about kissing you..." You gasped as he gently nibbled on the skin, trailing even further down to your collarbone as he softly growled. "...all of you."

"I think I do." You breathe out, hand running up and down the back of his neck as he continued to litter you with kisses, some gentle, some... not so much. "Yeah?" The grin in his voice was clear as day as he looked at you through his lashes with a dark glint in his eyes, his hands sneaking under your shirt, fingertips touching you in a way that made goosebumps erupt on your skin.

"Hmm, I've been doing the same." You hummed. Tom's lips hurriedly made its way back on yours as he kissed you hungrily this time, teeth nibbling at your bottom lip before his tongue slipped its way in your mouth. You ran your hands down his bare torso, feeling every bit of muscle, from pecks to abs. It was ridiculous how your simple touch could turn Tom on so much, the blood rushing down that made his sweatpants grow tighter. "I wanna love on you."

You let out a soft moan when he suddenly rutted his hips once, only once to tease you and to tell you just how much he wants you. But as much as you want him too, you couldn't seem to forget about where exactly you two are. "Not tonight Holland. Your parents are right downstairs and your brothers are right across the hall."

Tom only chuckled lowly at that, burying his face back on the crook of your neck as he nipped at your soft spot, earning a gasp from you. "Guess we have to stay quiet then."

"Tempting, but I don't think I can, especially when it's you." You admitted coyly, Tom pulling away at your words as he supported himself on his forearms, eyebrow raised at you with the cockiest grin you've seen him wear. "Oh? Is that so?"

"So next time?" You smiled at him shyly, heat coating your cheeks as you brought a hand up to cup his face. Tom chuckled with a nod, leaning towards your touch like a puppy as he hummed. "Whatever you want love."

He pulled away from your grasp as he sat up, the sudden absence of his touch making your frown. Tom only flashed you a reassuring smile, grabbing the pillow-barrier just beside you and throwing it across the room, the space on the bed now bigger than before. "Won't be needing that anymore." His comment earned a hearty laugh from you, the sound melting Tom's heart as he looked down at you with pure adoration.

"You, my love, are the Best Christmas gift ever." Tom sighed as he leaned down to place a sweet kiss on your lips, snuggling himself back in your arms, face buried in the crook of your neck with an awfully wide smile that he can't seem to wipe off, not that he was complaining.

"Great, because I actually forgot to buy you anything." You teased, hand running up and down his bare back to which Tom could only sigh in pure content. "That's alright, you are more than enough."

"God you're such a cheese ball."

"I've finally got you after so fucking long, my cheesiness isn't going to run out anytime soon darling."

And after a few more giggles, teasing comments, lots of kisses with a sprinkle of 'I love you's here and there, the two you slowly drifted off with smiles on your faces, happy and grateful to be finally in each other's arms.

Christmas at the Holland's went way better than you thought it would.

-:-:-:-:-

Like & Reblog if you enjoyed and let me know what you think! <3

[pips-fics]

ask: Hi, may I request a Lucy fic where Yechan gets a stomach bug but Sangyeop and Wonsang are out so there's just Gwangil to look after him? Literally I don't mind what other details you add 😊

as he slumped heavily onto the couch, yechan assumed the tiredness that had overcome him so suddenly was just a consequence of how much energy he’d spent during the day.  he’d surprised himself by waking up early, around 7, and had been going non-stop since, full of even more energy than normal - so by the time 7 at night rolled around, he figured it made sense for him to be feeling a bit worn down.

that’s the thing, though - it wasn’t just a bit.  it was complete, overwhelming exhaustion, so much so that he felt vaguely nauseous.  

after just a few minutes of watching some mindless show on tv, he forced himself back to his feet in search of headache medicine.  normally, yechan wasn’t a forgetful person, but somewhere along the way to his destination, he found himself confused and wondering what he’d been doing.  the exhaustion weighed more heavily on him than ever, but his head felt too light.  for a moment, he couldn’t tell if he was going to pass out or throw up.  his legs gave out and he sunk to the ground with black spots intruding on his vision.

he blinked quickly, straightening his back against the wall behind him, and took three slow, cautious, deep breaths.  moderately alarmed, he pulled out his phone to text the other members, just to check if any of them were home.  before he got the chance, a sharp pain shot through his head and he gasped, curling in on himself and squeezing his eyes shut.  the pain left him winded and feeling quite sick again.  yechan figured he’d give his eyes a short rest, and then try texting again in a few minutes.

probably he should’ve known better, all things considered, but who could blame him when the only thing his brain cared about was getting some sleep?

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when gwangil returned home at around 8:30, he initially thought that the apartment was empty.  he knew sangyeop and wonsang were out, as they’d stayed at the studio to continue recording after gwangil had left, and he assumed that it was too quiet for yechan to be around.  the oldest member of lucy had an unmatched aptitude for making noise, even - and sometimes especially - when left alone.  he was constantly whistling his favorite songs, humming melodies he’d made up on the spot, or fidgeting in some or another loud way.  even while sleeping, yechan was loud - and that’s what ended up giving him away.

gwangil didn’t hear the snoring until he’d walked through the kitchen and further into the apartment, and even then he doubted his ears.  he checked the couch and upon finding it empty, hurriedly made his way toward the bedroom.

“what the–“  gwangil just barely managed to avoid tripping over the violinist.  he was sitting in the hallway, chin to his chest like a child, very much asleep.  gwangil clicked his tongue upon seeing yechan’s phone in his hand.  he shook the older man’s shoulder gently.

“hyung, you shouldn’t fall asleep playing phone games.”

as yechan blearily blinked his eyes open, gwangil wanted to take his words back.  it was immediately clear that yechan was sick.  his eyes were glassy, and as he slowly lifted his head, his cheeks were bright red.  gwangil quickly confirmed his suspicions by placing the back of his head on yechan’s sweaty forehead.

“gwangil?”  yechan grabbed onto gwangil’s arm, but his grip was weak.

“you can’t sleep here, hyung, especially not when you’ve got a fever like that.”

yechan seemed to take that as a challenge, responding with an adamant tone and a pout.  “i can sleep here - i was sleeping here, but you woke me up!”

gwangil couldn’t quite resist the urge to roll his eyes.  “you shouldn’t sleep here - you’re going to be all achy when you get up.”

yechan glared.  “i already am achy!”

“great, hyung, good for you,” gwangil said dryly as he helped the older man to his feet.  “how about you eat something and we can get some fever reducers in you?”

complaints aside, yechan was fairly compliant as he allowed gwangil guide him to one of the kitchen stools.  “i was going to get headache meds before,” yechan said, his mouth barely forming the words clearly enough to make them out.

“oh yeah?  why didn’t you?”

“forgot.”

just another indication of how bad the older man must’ve been feeling.  from the way he held his head so gingerly in his hands, it was safe to assume the headache hadn’t magically gone away during yechan’s nap.  ultimately, gwangil didn’t need to assume.

“it huuuuuurts,” yechan whined, slumping further in his seat as gwangil offered him some soup.  yechan’s frown deepened.  “it smells bland.”

“what, did you expect me to give you some sort of spicy soup when you’re sick?”

“i- it’s just so boring,” yechan went on.

gwangil pointedly released an audible and long-suffering sigh.  “well, if you’ll just eat half of it or so, you can have something to help your headache.”

at that, yechan brought the spoon to his lips, still sulking.  “everything hurts and my nose is so stuffed up i can’t breathe,” he grumbled in between spoonfuls of soup.  as he brought some more to his lips, gwangil could see that he was shaking.  “i just wanna sleep.”

“so you don’t want your head to stop hurting?”

yechan shoved more soup in his mouth angrily, quickly consuming the rest of the bowl before dropping the spoon back in with a clink and a goofy fake gag.  “of course i do.  otherwise i wouldn’t have bothered eating that.  blech.  give me the meds.”

“you’re welcome,” gwangil said dryly, handing the medication over and taking yechan’s dishes to the sink.  “go to bed already.”

“you mean ‘go to couch?’”  the bitterness in yechan’s voice was so lacking in subtlety that gwangil almost laughed.

“oh, stop being such a baby.  of course you can sleep in the bedroom, you’re sick!  no one else is trying to sleep there right now, anyway, and it doesn’t bother me, so your snoring won’t be an issue.”

yechan’s mouth dropped open.  “really?”  the total awe in his voice made gwangil do a double take, and he couldn’t help the surprised snort that slipped out of him as he realized yechan had really assumed he wouldn’t be allowed to sleep in the bedroom.

“yes!”  yechan still looked like he thought he might be getting pranked, so gwangil joked, “the other two might be that cruel, but they’re not here right now, so let’s break the rules while they’re out!”

that seemed to do the trick.  yechan looked about as excited as gwangil had ever seen him as they headed to the bedroom.

by the time yechan was all settled in, it was late enough for gwangil to get in his own bed, but not quite late enough for him to sleep.  he texted sangyeop and wonsang to update them on yechan’s fever, and to warn them to perhaps stay at the studio and finish recording if they didn’t want to risk catching the bug.  gwangil continued messing around on his phone until he drifted off.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

it was all very cliche.  yechan’s nightmare.  this was typical.

his nightmares tended to take the shape of people leaving him, walking away, one by one.  it would start out as an attack on his need for attention, just random strangers walking past him without sparing a second glance - and he could handle that.  for a while he couldn’t, and he would wake up in a cold sweat, but after countless repetitions, he got past it.

unfortunately, getting past it meant entering phase two of the dream, which targeted his more vulnerable fears. 1. fear of being left alone, 2. fear of being helpless to stop it.  this, too, he had overcome - or so he’d thought.  for a while, he’d been able to remind himself it wasn’t real, and to just give up.  but, as he stopped chasing his loved ones as they walked away from him, a new fear began to grow - a fear that he wouldn’t even put in the effort to stop them, that the helplessness he learned through nightmares might someday carry through to reality.  that fear was something he didn’t think he’d ever be able to combat.

still, this was all typical.  it was decidedly less typical for him to wake up sobbing, let alone to wake up one of his members with said sobbing even before yechan himself was fully awake.  but then, there was a first time for everything.

so when gwangil’s voice broke through the watery haze of yechan’s crying, he couldn’t help himself from grabbing at the drummer’s hands, couldn’t stop sniffling right away.  it was the first time.  he’d do better next time.  he’d learn to handle it on his own, like he always did.  but for now, gwangil’s hands were kind of helping him breathe.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“hyung!”  gwangil thought he was probably too emotionally clumsy to be dealing with this, actually.  it was pretty unusual to see yechan upset, but when he was, it was always sangyeop who worked his magic and got their oldest member back to his typical cheerful self.  but sangyeop wasn’t here, and yechan wasn’t just upset, he was sobbing.  so gwangil would do his best, and he figured waking yechan was the first step of that.

apparently letting yechan grab him with sweaty hands was the second.  he let the almost instinctual teasing comment die in the back of his throat and tried to ignore the urge to shudder.

“are you…”  okay?  that didn’t seem like a question that needed to be asked.  should he ask what was wrong, or was that prying?  did yechan have nightmares a lot, or was this because of the fever?  gwangil definitely wasn’t going to ask that.  not now.  he shook his head and stroked yechan’s hand until his grip eased up, then moved to support the older man’s back as he gasped for air.  “here, hyung, sit up.  you’ll be able to breathe better.  i’ll get you some water.”

for an instant, yechan looked like he was going to protest, his grip on gwangil’s left hand tightening.  then he ducked his head away, towards the shoulder that was further from gwangil, and nodded.  his grip loosened, too, but not completely, his hand dropping back to the bed only when gwangil pulled away.

by the time gwangil got back, the tears had stopped.  something about that felt very wrong.  maybe it was the contrast between the shy smile on his face and the puffy redness of his eyes.  

yeah, that was probably it.

handing over the water, gwangil put his hand to yechan’s head - he definitely still had a fever, and it had gotten worse.  a second too late, gwangil realized he shouldn’t have let go of the cup of water, remembering how shaky yechan was.  sure enough, yechan’s whole pajama shirt got drenched.

yechan laughed.  “well, i needed a shower, anyway, with how much i’ve been sweating.”  gwangil frowned at him and yechan’s eyes darted down, away.  “hah, sorry, that’s gross.”

gwangil’s frown deepened.  “it’s fine.”  he quickly grabbed another shirt and pulled it over yechan’s head as soon as he’d dried himself off.  “how are you feeling?”

yechan shrugged, still avoiding eye contact.

“hyung, please talk to me.  i’m trying to help.”

“i’m fine.”  gwangil didn’t think he’d ever heard anyone sound less fine.  but it wasn’t just that yechan sounded miserable - he did, he sounded small and ill - more than that, he sounded far away, and closed off, and maybe… scared.  his posture backed it all up, curled away from gwangil, hunched over.

“nuh uh,” gwangil said, before he’d really had a chance to figure out the words he was going to say.  he was definitely not equipped to handle this.  yechan’s eyes snapped to gwangil and he sighed.  “i’m just worried about you, hyung.  if you can go back to sleep, you should.  i’ll get you more water and anything else you need before you do.”

much to gwangil’s surprise, yechan’s mouth opened, and then closed just as quickly.  yechan’s adam’s apple bobbed up and down rapidly, and gwangil wondered if he would cry again.

“hyung?”

yechan’s lips curved downwards, as if the words themselves were bitter, but he finally spoke up, a whisper.  “my stomach feels sick.”

for a second, gwangil was frozen - then he snapped into motion, helping yechan out of bed and to the bathroom.  he wasn’t surprised when yechan shooed him out of the bathroom and didn’t mind obeying.  that didn’t mean he was going far.

he sat outside the bathroom door and checked his messages.  wonsang still hadn’t read what he’d sent earlier, so he suspected that recording wasn’t going particularly well even before he read sangyeop’s message:

oh no!  is he really sick?  are you okay?  wonsang is holding me prisoner until i can hit the high notes but if you need me i can pull the hyung card on him

gwangil was grinning at this when he heard a retch.  he flinched and resisted the urge to pull out his earbuds, trying to refocus on his phone rather than the painful noises coming from behind him.

no need, hyung!  we’ll be okay.  wonsang-hyung’s right, you should finish recording before you risk catching a bug, anyway.  good luck!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

yechan’s head was spinning as he leaned over the toilet bowl.  he didn’t know why gwangil had insisted on getting him a new shirt when it’d taken him all of about 10 minutes to sweat through it.  he yanked it off, quick to return to his safe position above the toilet.

this was the part he hated.  the waiting.

Five minutes later and his legs were shaking from supporting his odd posture, but yechan refused to move.  the nausea was almost overwhelming.  this was taking too long.  he squeezed his eyes shut, and forced himself to gag.  he hadn’t fully committed, initially, but suddenly he didn’t have a choice as a harsh retch tore at his throat.  he blinked, surprised by the force of it, and then heaved again.

his stomach ached horribly.  he massaged it, but the clamminess of his hands just reminded yechan how disgusting he felt and probably looked.  he’d have to apologize to gwangil after all of this.  

a shudder ran through him and yechan leaned forward into another long retch, managing to expel a small stream of liquid this time.  he coughed and found his airways suddenly blocked by what was previously his stomach contents.

ah, he hated this part, too.  the pain and weakness and lack of control.  yechan couldn’t stop himself from breathing loudly as he draped himself over the toilet, desperate for air.  the taste and the smell made him gag again almost immediately.  he kept his mouth shut and swallowed back sick, only for it to come right back up.

yechan was worn out.  it hit him suddenly, that he’d really fucked up.  as a rule, he didn’t cry.  more realistically, more accurately, he didn’t cry in front of people.  not when he was sad, and definitely not when he was scared.  sangyeop had been a room while he cried exactly once but even then, yechan had done an alright job of hiding it and moving on.

thinking about it was not helping his stomach situation.  he barely made it over the toilet in time for a thin stream of vomit to splash into the water below.  he flushed it down, and didn’t bother wiping his mouth, instead choosing to lay flat on his back on the cold floor, arms and lets splayed like a starfish.  his stomach felt empty, but his bones still felt sick, and his head was frankly spinning a bit.

maybe if he stayed quiet, he wouldn’t have to deal with gwangil.

it wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate gwangil’s help - in fact, he was extremely grateful for his help earlier to avoid making a mess.  it was just that yechan wasn’t up for explaining anything right now, or ever, and sooner or later, gwangil would want answers.  if yechan stayed locked in a bathroom alone for the rest of his life, he wouldn’t have to answer them.

he yechan felt like a coward.  but then, more than that, he felt exhaustion, so he let it overtake him and hoped he’d be a bit braver once he woke up.

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gwangil picked the lock to the bathroom after he’d heard nothing from yechan in 30 minutes, and was not surprised to find the older man solidly asleep on the hard floor.  “yechan-hyung,” he said, softly jostling yechan’s shoulder.  “let’s get you back in bed.”

“don’ wanna,” yechan whined, eyes still shut.

“not up for debate, come on.  i can carry you?”

yechan immediately held out his arms, and gwangil smiled slightly.  he was just glad yechan was letting him help.

——

feel free to send more asks!

[hs-devote]

20. E N D G A M E

Moodboard // Content // Masterlist

Disclaimer:

All characters and situation in this story are fictitious. Resemblance to any person living or dead is only God knows. Previous chapter;

"And it will be better for us, to help us to move on with each other's lives."

Move on with each other's lives.

Was that what she wanted?

20. ENDGAME

“How's him, Niall?”

“He's .. he's getting worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don't even feel him anymore.” . . . .

It had been months since Y/N decided to take proper rest to help her syndrome. At the first few months, she was overwhelmed by her poor brain performance. She had almost burnt her kitchen because she forgot how to turn off the stove all of a sudden. One day, she even forgot where her apartment was after going out for grocery shopping. The poor woman was anxious, making her cry in the middle of the street. Luckily for her, her neighbour found her and drove her home.

Her parents were worried, of course. They both were agreed to Y/N to came back home in Swansea,  for them were easier to look after her. After all, she had no one in London anymore.

During that time too, she underwent routine treatments to restore her condition. From drugs to a few therapies. To this day, her condition was better, although sometimes she still got light headaches.

If her health had improved, her heart wasn't completely healed.

No matter how hard she tried to forget her broken relationship, especially him, she couldn't. Harry was too beautiful to be forgotten. Despite what happened last time, she couldn't lie even if her tongue said another.

She remembered the last time, really last time, when she met him in his penthouse to pick up her things. Y/N indeed hadn't lived with Harry yet, but since she often stayed at his place, he suggested her to bring some her things to his penthouse.

He looked skinnier, and his face looked tired. From what she heard from Suzanne, Harry's loss of appetite made him lost weight. Plus, time-consuming work also made him forget to rest. Y/N had scolded at him for refusing to eat his lunch at that time, and made her had to force her ex-boyfriend to eat even a little.

But Harry was Harry.

He would eat if she also had lunch with him. She refused at first, yet because she felt bad with Suzanne who had made the food, then she finally agreed. On the other hand, she was a bit sad that their lunch at that time was so different. If usually they would have a conversation, for the first time, only the sound of plates and cutlery between them.

Harry.

Harry.

She missed him very much.

The two of them no longer in touch after that. She still had his number, but did he?

She didn't know.

Nevertheless, he sent her a flower bouquet for her twenty-fourth birthday. She remembered very well what Harry wrote on the card. A simple birthday wishing. Yet, he didn't call her nor text her.

Well, what did she expect?

They broke up.

She was the one who broke their relationship first.

She was the one who told him to move on.

Why was she still yearning for him?

Because Y/N broke them when she was falling in love for the first time.

Did she regret it?

Y/N couldn't answer that. . . . .

Y/N just returned home after buying food for her fish. Yes, she had two goldfish to keep her company if she got bored. Her eyes caught an unfamiliar car parked in front of her house, a quite expensive car for the neighbourhood where she lived.

Shrugged it off, she ignored her thoughts and immediately went in. In the living room, she saw her brother was talking to a woman. Was this his girlfriend? But, he didn't say anything.

When she was about to say hello to them, her smile faded as she recognised the lady who had been sitting back facing her.

“Clementia?”

“Hi..” Clementia shyly waved her hand, smiling softly. Y/N averted her gaze to Connor, raising an eyebrow – asking for some explanation. How did he know Harry's sister?

“She comes looking for you,” he shrugged, “Well, I'll leave you two.” then leaving both the girls alone.

“How are you, Y/N?” Clementia asked her once she took a vacant seat available, “It's been too long.”

“I'm fine, Ce. You?”

“Good.”

She nodded, “What are you doing here?”

“Err..” Clementia bit her lip, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. Looking confused to answer Y/N question.

“We need your help.”

Y/N arched an eyebrow, “What kind of help?”

Something must gone wrong. There was no way Clementia had come all the way here asking for something unimportant. She wouldn't ditch her school in Italy and come to Swansea for only meeting her and having a casual conversation. Or, maybe she was on her semester break?

“It's Harry.”

“Harry?”

“Yes,” Clementia sighed, “You're our only hope, Y/N. Just like Niall told me.”

What did Niall say to Clementia? What actually happened?

"I... I don't understand," Y/N laughed nervously, "We're not a relationship anymore if you don't know."

“I know. But– ”

“Harry's condition is worrying, Y/N.”

Her head snapped to the where the voice came. There, Niall was standing at her door, with his arrival that she didn't know. Since when he was there?

“I'm sorry I just come,” Niall spoke, “Traffic was quite shit today.”

While Clementia just rolled her eyes, Y/N stared at Niall anxiously. What did he mean by that? Did Harry have an accident?

“What do you mean, Niall?” she asked quietly.

“Harry.. has been so stressed lately. Making him lost control of his emotions. He seemed not to care about his life anymore, and that makes Marcel take the opportunity.”

Y/N's eyes widened the time Niall said Marcel. He was sitting next to Clementia, how could he slip like that?

“I already know Harry's condition and who is Marcel.” Clementia spoke to answer her thought.

“And your mother?”

"She knows too. That's why she didn't come here, have to set an eye to him." Clementia nodded, "It broke my heart that Harry has such a hard life. It's not his fault that he.. he grew another personality that eats him alive."

“What exactly happened to him?” Y/N questioned after a minuted passed in silence. Hearing Marcel's name, made her shudder a little. It had been so long since she had heard Marcel and Harry's name pronounced in one sentence.

Marcel.

How was he?

"Marcel is the one who lives in Harry's body as we speak now. Harry is getting weaker, and hasn't been able to come back with us for more than a month." Niall rubbed his face, "We're afraid that... Harry will gone.”

Her heart felt like being electrocuted when she heard that. Marcel took over Harry's body, and her ex-boyfriend had no strength to fight him. And it had been going for a month. A month.

A month, Harry never came back to his place.

And he didn't care anymore.

Why?

“No way,” she chuckled incredulously, “The last time I met him, he said that Marcel refused to show up.”

“It's because he took his time,” Niall answered, “He saved his energy and knocked Harry out when he was weak.”

“And why couldn't Harry fight him? Why didn't he care?” Y/N bombarded him questions, “Harry should be strong enough. He has no more burden because Erskine was back to normal.”

“It's you, Y/N.” Clementia squeaked.

Y/N pointed her finger dumbfounded to her chest, “Me?”

"My brother is very sad and depressed with your break up," Clementia murmured, "He thought too much of your separation to make him forget about his health, and he feels guilty for failing to protect you from the incident with your head."

It was because of her..

Y/N speechless.

She didn't think this would all be bad for his condition. She didn't know Harry would take it too seriously.

“Has Marcel done anything... bad?" she asked carefully. She wasn't sure if Clementia also knew what crimes Marcel had committed. Her feelings worsened when Niall looked confused to answer while Clementia just lowered her head and leaned back.

“He killed Dale.” . . . .

Returning to London was quite nice. For a long time she left this city, made her miss some places.  Y/N would stay for two days in London, and since she was agreed to help the Styles family, she would try to talk to Harry, or Marcel.

She couldn't refuse their request, especially Anne also called her and begged her to meet her son – hoping that Harry would listen to him, even though he was deep in his subconscious.

One more fact she wanted to know, why Marcel killed Dale?

That disgusting human had already rotten in jail, why did he have to get his hands dirty – again?

Despite her worries, she was a bit happy to meet him despite this difficult situation.

Back to set foot on his building, pulling her to play back the memories of her and Harry. She remembered when they were pretty drunk, and luckily only his penthouse was on that floor, they were making out all the way to his home. Moaning out loud in the hallway, stumbling in the dim light as Harry tried to unlock his door. It was midnight, and there was only two of them there. And the rest, their scattered clothes on the floor being the silent witnesses.

Her cheeks became hot just to think about it.

Harry.. Oh, fuck..

She was startled when the door in front of her being opened, showing Anne who smiled kindly at her.

Since when had she gotten to Harry's floor and rang the bell?

Anne brought her body to her warm embrace, “Hi, darling. How are you?”

“I'm good, Anne.” Y/N smiled fondly.

“You must be tired of the long journey. Where's Niall? You should have come with him right?"

Niall?

“Yeah, yeah. I'm here.” An Irish voice came from behind her.

How could she forget that she came here with Niall?

Y/N laughed at her stupidity inwardly.

Harry's penthouse was quite quiet. She didn't see Suzanne, only Clementia who was busy on the stove. Anne kindly poured them a drink before sitting down with them. Her happy face now turned sadder than before.

"Thank you for coming, Y/N. It means a lot for us." Anne smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry if it bothers you. I don't know anyone else to ask for help."

"It's okay, Anne. I understand." Y/N gave her a small smile, "How's him?”

“He's still.. Marcel.” Anne carefully answered, “I don't see Harry in him. He isn't annoying as before, but it still different.”

“Has he done anything all this time?”

“Besides.. killed Dale?” Anne whispered, “Not really. He was just been awful, a bit rude, but he wasn't physically abusive.”

Anne knew Marcel killed Dale.. “But, still. We don't know next.” Niall murmured, “We have to be careful and not make him angry.”

“He wouldn't lay off  his hand at a female." then, Y/N stared at Niall, "But, I agree with Niall."

Suddenly, they flinched when they heard a scattering loud from Harry's bedroom. When Y/N looked at Anne, the old lady just closed her eyes and rubbed her face while Niall swiftly getting up from the couch.

“I'll prepare his medicine, and shot– just in case.”

“Can I see him, Anne?" she spoke quietly. Anne just nodded and warned her to be careful. Giving Harry's mother reassuring smile, she brought her leg to his bedroom.

She wasn't too surprised to find broken glass scattered near the door. She entered slowly and found Marcel staring at his laptop screen. The man didn't seem to have noticed her presence yet. After gathering courage, Y/N stepped closer to him.

“Marcel.”

Hearing her voice, Marcel averted his gaze towards her. His forehead creased in surprise, looking at the woman who hadn't he saw for months. He shrugged, shaking his head unbothered.

“What are you doing here?”

His voice was surprisingly calm. Yet, Y/N still had to be careful. He was Marcel after all, not her Harry.

“Didn't you miss me, huh?” she tested the water, she even didn't know if Marcel wanted her presence let alone miss her. She couldn't straight to the point asking why he threw Harry's favourite mug, why Harry didn't bother to back in his body, and why he killed Marcel.

“Wrong person, Y/N. Harry was the one who suffered because he missed you, a lot.” Marcel snickered, “Poor Harry was so fragile about love, pathetic.”

“Marcel, I didn't come here to fight with you.” Y/N sighed, “I just want to.. talk with you. Like a friend?”

Her last sentence was more a question to herself, because she wasn't even sure.. they were friends. She sighed heavily when Marcel still unbothered, and with careful steps, she walked closer to him.

“Why are you so selfish like this, Marcel? You took the opportunity when Harry was weak and control his body at will. You must remember, Harry is a part of you. You're nothing if it's not because of him."

“You know nothing, my darling.” Marcel shook his head, lifting his head up to stare at the girl who was looking at his dark irises. “When Harry had given up on his life, I couldn't let him leave it all. If Harry didn't want to stay and I didn't act fast, this body would be lifeless. He would be sleeping, so would I. And then, what?”

She didn't mishear that, did she? Why Harry gave up on his life? He still had so much more in his life, why did he think like that?

“Why?” she murmured, “What caused him to think that way?”

“You.”

Y/N widened her eyes, “Me?”

“Like what I just said. He was so desperate. He feels like everything is wasted if you're not with him anymore.” he rolled his eyes, “He was very hurt because he loves you very much.”

He was drowning on his own love..

"And you didn't try to persuade him?" she changed the topic. Y/N couldn't keep hearing Harry who was sounded unable to move on and be the most hurt. She was hurt too, but she realised the reality that had slapped her sweet dream.

“Believe me, Y/N. Despite I'm satisfied with this opportunity, I also miss my dark corner.” Marcel  worked his jaw, “Being him is not easy.”

“Fine,” Y/N whispered, “Then, why did you kill Dale Jespersen?”

“One of the reasons he was tired of everything was also because I killed Dale," Marcel put the laptop away, going to the chair facing the window. His fingers rubbed his chin while staring at Y/N who was still standing next to the bed.

“Dale Jespersen appeared all of sudden and blocked Harry's car one night. Your ex-boyfriend just came back from the office and was so shocked. How could someone who was supposed to be in a prison roam freely at night? Long story short, that prick bribed the officers there to release him that night, only to meet Harry. And of course, for revenge."

Y/N shook her head in disbelief, “How could that be?”

“He said something offensive and... he was gone.” he gave her innocence look, “Don't think about how I got rid of him. Be glad Harry didn't end up in prison.”

“But your family know!” she cried, “How fucked up was that?”

“Yes, they do. But the world doesn't. Good thing Harry has money and connections so I can use that. After all, Dale was alone on his own self in this earth. Why was he still in this world."

“I can't.. with you, Marcel.” she pinched her forehead, “I just.. I just don't know the way you're thinking.”

“Then, why are you here?” he scoffed, “If you're trying to call him, good luck then. Because if you don't hurry, you'll lose him.”

Grunted irritably, Y/N got up from her spot and left Marcel who still seemed not care about her. However, she was sure Harry still could her and felt her presence despite he didn't want to reveal himself.

“I know you're there, H. Please come back. Don't be scared. I'm here, and we'll be alright.”

And that was all she said before leaving him alone. Letting the words crawling inside his mind and soul. . . . . Y/N had no luck talking to Marcel. Not her fault, but it looked like Harry indeed had given up. Yet, she was also wondering if he could feel her presence that day. Didn't he want to meet her?

She also stayed longer in London than she planned. Her parents didn't mind, but Connor was the one who scolded her on the phone. Her brother knew why she went to London, and he didn't like that. He didn't like the idea of her sister help the man who made her cry for days after their broke up despite he didn't know why exactly they broke up. He just knew that things couldn't work between them so she decided to back off. He didn't know which one was wrong. But, one thing he knew, he would do anything to protect Y/N, no matter what.

Anne insisted her to stay at Harry's penthouse at first, but she remembered the circumstance, so she understood when Y/N refused gently.

The girl stayed at a hotel that Anne booked for her for another week, and she was very grateful and making a mental note to pay Anne's kindness someday.

That night, Y/N was trying to find a new job because she thought her condition had improved. She was also thinking about trying to apply for a postgraduate scholarship if she couldn't find any job. There were several vacancies on the internet that made her interested.

It was one in the midnight and she had to get her things ready as she would get back to Swansea tomorrow. After closing her laptop, she quickly packed her things and got to bed early because her train would leave in the morning. But, when she was about to brush her teeth, her mobile phone rang a few times. She frowned when seeing Niall's name on the screen.

“Hello, Niall?” she said softly, her palm closed her yawning mouth. Her eyes, which were heavy with sleepiness, suddenly opened up widely after hearing Niall's panicked voice at the end of the call.

“You're joking, aren't you?” Y/N didn't know if she was screaming or not. It was clear that her tone was quite high and she realised that. Her hands suddenly sweating, making her almost drop her mobile phone.

The last thing she knew, she sprinted to grab her jacket and hurried out of her hotel room.

. . . . Here, everything was so quiet. Y/N heard almost nothing but the beeping machine. Her heavy eyes grew heavier because of the tears that flowed when Anne hugged her while sobbing violently earlier. She had never seen Anne so frail and sad before, and that made her heart ache even more.

Her sleepiness disappeared at the second Niall called her and giving her the news that sucked her life out.

Harry was involved in a car crash and in critical condition.

Niall didn't give the full chronology. As far as she knew from him, Harry drove off the track and his car was hit from behind before hitting the divider. Also, he was drunk while driving.

Now, the man was lying unconscious with wires connected between his body and the machine beside his bed. A few scratches on his face didn't make any better. The bandage wrapped around his head reminded her when she had the same one back then.

The doctor said, if Harry would get through his critical condition tonight, he would probably survive. If he wouldn't, Y/N couldn't imagine what would happen.

If Y/N now was sitting beside Harry's bed and watching every inch of this man in front of her. His family was outside giving her time to see her ex-boyfriend.

She slowly took Harry's free hand and hold it tight. Her wistful eyes stared straight at him who still sleeping soundlessly. Smiling sadly, she could still sense the confused and panicked feeling ran through her body when she was leaving her hotel room and rushed to meet Niall who was waiting for her in the lobby.

The poor man got a slap from her when she thought he was lying and joking around. But, when he said it with a serious face, almost screaming at her, Y/N knew Niall wasn't joking. She felt that was real when he grabbed her hand quickly and pushed her into his car. They didn't have much time. Niall was driving fast, with her still dumbfounded. She felt even more dumbfounded when she realised she just wore shorts and a baggy shirt. But her jacket was likely saved her from such an inappropriate clothing choice.

“You can do it, H.” whispered her, taking his hand to rub her cheek, “Get better, please.”

Y/N knew everyone wouldn't sleep tonight waiting for him to go through his critical moment. It was almost four in the morning, only a few hours until the doctor could say that he was successful and she couldn't wait for it.

“I feel bad that I'm the one who sitting here and not your mother. But, that's okay. Anne should take a rest, as well as your family." she hummed, her eyes constantly glancing at the machine displaying the rhythm of his heartbeat.

Normal..

“I haven't told you that I like the flowers. The one that you sent me on my birthday. They were beautiful, H.”

“I also sent you a sunglasses for your birthday. Did you like it? Because I heard no words from you.” she sighed, “I know it's not Gucci but I think it suits you.”

Y/N chuckled slightly, looking at his bare fingers. “They removed your rings? Or, you didn't wear any?

“Why were you driving drunkenly, H? You told me once that you avoid that it as much as possible." she frowned, "Was it Marcel? I–"

Weird.

She heard a strange sound.

Her eyes stared at Harry who was still unconscious. Then, who made that sound? It was just both of them there.

Suddenly, the colour on her face was drained out like she just realised something. No, she didn't want to say that. She didn't want to lift her head or averted her gaze. Her vision still fixated on Harry who looked so calm in his deep sleep.

No...

No way.

Y/N flicked her head to where the machine was, only finding that his heartbeat was flat line.

Flat.

No rising or falling charts.

Like before.

No.

“No!”

The chair she was sitting on, fell backwards when she stood up and immediately grabbed Harry's shoulders, shaking him as hard as possible.

“Harry? Harry! Harry, please!”

Her finger quickly pressed the emergency button and again tried to wake him who she knew was impossible. Her mind was chaotic, it felt like her brain was paralyzed to digest everything, her hands were shaking and sweaty and so cold. She hed never panicked and feared this much.

“Harry..”

Her voice was shaking, head began to feel dizzy. Her eyes began to blur because of the tears that were ready to flood, and repeatedly stared at the machine and Harry's face back and forth.

The line was still flat.

And Harry still had no movement.

She couldn't help it. Finally, she let the tears fell down her face. Sobbing violently, her inner goddess was cursing the doctor who hadn't come yet.

“Harry, please. Wake up! Don't do this!" she whispered, stroking his face which still felt warm under her fingertips.

Why were they taking so long!?

She choked in a sob, "Harry, please. Please. We're not doing this!"

“Don't die on me, please!" screamed her in agony. She couldn't bear the thought she lost him. She didn't want to lose him. Not now, not later, not ever.

“H,” she cried, holding Harry's head and stroking his hair softly. “No, please. Don't – don't.. leave me. I – I can't.. lose – lose you. Please.”

“I'm so – sorry that .. that I haven't – haven't said that. I forgive you, H.”

“I'm sorry – sorry for.. everything. You're – you're not... the only one was – was wrong." she cried harder, "I shouldn't – shouldn't … given up on you."

She shook her head, didn't want to accept the reality that had happened. Harry couldn't die. He wouldn't.

“Harry, please.” she once again shook his limp body. The sound of the machine that had been her nightmare now was filling her head, it got louder and louder and made her nauseous. They were still flat, and Y/N didn't know how long it had been.

“Don't leave me, Harry. Don't leave your mother, your sister. And everyone who loves you.” she stammered, eyes squeezed tightly.

With shaking shoulder, Y/N stroked his jaw and brought her mouth closer to his ear, "I love you, don't do this to me, please. We still have so much together. I love you, H.."

She flinched when the door opened suddenly and a nurse tugged her gently so the doctor could check on him. She couldn't hear what they were telling her. All she knew, the next second she got out from the room with tears flowing profusely and body shaking. From her blurry vision, she could see Clementia and Niall approaching her. She shook her head, was speechless and head was spinning and ears ringing badly. The last thing she felt, her body fell to the floor. . . . .

Two years later.

Y/N's tasks that day almost made her head explode, plus her co-worker being uncooperative doubled her irritation. She knew, working in an international financial institution had its perks. Her previous job was nothing compared to now. Not that she underestimated them all, yet this was the first time she felt her energy and mind really drained out. Moreover, she would likely to travel to Washington D.C to attend conferences, a lot.

“Yes, yes. Send them all to me by tomorrow afternoon. Thanks, Bobby!” Y/N gave her co-worker thumb out before waltzed out from the meeting room, heading to her office.

“Tough day, Y/N?” Sienna wiggled her eyes, teasing Y/N who just entered the break room to grab a drink first. Y/N just nodded, filling up her tumbler with mineral water.

“Everyone almost gets my nerves today," she murmured, "Plus, I just landed from New York last night and the jetlag was a nightmare. I couldn't sleep during the flight and my eyes wouldn't let me rest."

“Lucky for you, it's Friday! And, I think your fiance won't mind to help you to get relax for the rest of weekend." Sienna winked her eyes, "Don't be so tense, Y/N!" and leaving Y/N alone with a bursting laugh.

Y/N shook her head, leaving the break room unoccupied since she had a lot to do and must be finished today. When she got her office, she found a bouquet of her favourite flowers with her favourite chocolate bar. Chuckled giddily, she closed the door behind her and walked closer to her desk. Her manicured fingers picked up the card laid on top his desk, her eyes immediately recognised the familiar handwriting.

Hard day? I hope you love the flowers and enjoy the chocolate bar. I know you're on a dairy diet but nothing is better than seeing you happy.

Ps: I made a reservation at the Royal Lancaster tonight, 8 p.m sharp. Your darling fiance

Fiance.

He always knew how to made her smile even at any time. Smiling softly, Y/N grabbed the flowers and smelt them before putting at the vase. Her hand then took the chocolate while turning on her computer,  but when she saw the ring on her fourth finger on her left hand, her memory pulled her back when he popped the question.

They were in Switzerland for Christmas holiday. It was when the Christmas morning, and was snowing heavily. She had just made them hot chocolate since they stayed at the Bernese Alps and the cold was crazy, and he told her it was the time to open their presents. At that time, she didn't have the clue if the proposal being her present.

When he pulled the red box out and slid it open, her eyes fixated to the ring sat on the cushion. It was the Cartier platinum ring paved with diamonds cut. That shiny and beautiful thing caught her attention, ignored him who knelt in front of her. When Y/N just realised it, she quickly jolted and gasped – closing her gaping mouth. Even though he proposed her with simple words, she knew that her man was nervous as hell because his hands were shaking while holding the ring.

With an ugly sob, Y/N nodded meekly and said yes to his proposal.

What a beautiful moment.

She chuckled lightly and then returning to her work, excited to get them done as she couldn't wait to meet him. Five days in New York made her missed her fiance so much.

Later that evening, Y/N succeed to have her task done by 6. She hurriedly shut down her computer and took her things to immediately meet her fiance who was waiting in the parking lot, even made Sienna teased her in such a haste. Her smile grew bigger after spotting a silver Porsche in the VIP section. Wasting no time, she jogged to the car and opened the door.

“Hello, there.”

“Hi,” she waved at him and get in, “I'm sorry for taking to long.”

“Looks like you did have a hard day."

Y/N hummed, closing the door and putting the safety belt. Then, she turned her head to him and grabbed his neck to land a kiss on his plump lips. The fiance himself happily savouring her lips like it was the only antidote in the universe. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds before she pulled back, grinning at him. "Thank you for the flowers and chocolate. I love it."

He chuckled, wiping her wet lips affectionately, “Glad to hear that. Shall we go now?”

“Sure.”

She leaned back to the seat as the car moving down to the street, sighed happily because she finally could relax after a full day of stress plus the lacking of sleep.

“Is there anything special that you take me out for fancy dinner tonight?” asked her while looking at her fiance. A little smile formed on her lips while caught her fiance was so focused behind the steering wheel.

“Eh, no. Why?” he asked back, throwing her a quick glance.

She shrugged, “I'm wondering. I mean.. it's not saturday night.”

He chuckled, “Is it a crime that I take my fiancee to have a dinner not on saturday night?”

“Heyy..”

“Little birdie told me that you pissed all day long. So, I think a nice dinner will cheer you up.”

“How thoughtful of you.” she grinned, “Thank you, though.”

“I'm doing my best.”

If her fiance hadn't realised yet, Y/N kept her eyes on him all the journey. She found that the way he drove was so endearing. Especially when he was biting his lips or licked them while waiting for the red light. While his right hand remained on the wheel, his left hand never left her grasp unless he had to shift the gear.

“Why did you keep staring at me?” he questioned, even though they had been together for a long time, but such a small gesture still made him nervous.

“Why do I find a man is so attractive when he's driving,” she whispered, “Especially you.”

“Don't start, darling. We're in the middle of street right now.”

“I'm not.” she widened her eyes, “Do you think I was.. teasing you?”

“Obviously,” he snickered, “If not, you wouldn't squeeze your thighs together, darling.”

How obvious he did know that?

“We don't want to be late because I fucked you at the gas station over there, do we?” he smirked, “We just have forty-five minutes to get there.”

“Challenge accepted. We both know you can finish me in twenty minutes anyway, H.” . . . .

Harry felt numb.

The second he opened his eyes, the lights blinded his eyes and made him wonder if he was in heaven. Yet, he breathed in relieved when his gaze sharpened and he heard the beeping machine beside him. His suspicion strengthened when he lifted his hand and finding an IV stuck in his hand.

He was in a hospital.

And he was survived.

Then, the door bursting open quietly made him turned his head, looking at Anne who just entered with a shocked face. A relief radiated from the eyes of the woman who gave birth to him.

“Mum?”

His throat was sore along with hoarse voice, but he made it clear that he was fine by flashing his mother a small smile.

“Oh, Harry.” Anne mewled, stepping closer to her son, “You're awake.” and peppering kiss on his cheek.

“I am.”

“How do you feel? You're pretty banged up.” Anne stroked his unruly hair while sitting on the chair beside his bed.

“My body hurts, but it's okay. I'm fine.”

Anne gave him apologetically smile, “Okay, then. I'll call the doctors so they can check your condition.”

Harry was checked up not long after that. The doctor said he had improved and could go home within a week. He was being told that he was lucky because the car crash was quite fatal yet he had no serious injuries, jut a few stitches on the temples. But, he was quite surprised when Anne said that he had lost his heartbeat for a while.

He didn't know how long he had been asleep. The last time he was awake when Clementia was out for lunch and left him alone in the room. He loved to sleep, but he hated the pain hammering his head when he just woke up.

“Fuck.” he mumbled while touching his bandaged head.

“Is it hurt? Do I need to call the doctor?”

He never snapped his head that fast, was surprised to hear the voice he missed so much. He felt he was hallucinating when he saw Y/N looking at him worriedly.

“Y/N?”

“Hi, Harry.” she said timidly, “How are you feeling?”

“Hi.”

Harry didn't know how to feel. He was happy, but on the other hand, he also confused. During Y/N talked to him, he couldn't focus. Not only his head still feel dizzy, he felt like he was high on drugs. Everything felt like floating.

“I'm sorry it took me almost lost you to realise how wrong I was.” Y/N fumbled her fingers, “I'm too late to say I've forgiven you.”

“It's okay, Y/N. I understand.” Harry exhaled, “It's not your fault alone.”

“Why were you driving drunk?” seeing the hesitant on his eyes, Y/N felt bad and changed the topic, “It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I just.. worried.”

“Marcel was drunk, and took the opportunity to have one night stand with a striptease dancer there. I couldn't let it happen. So, I tried to take over and quickly left." he sighed, "Even it was him who was drunk, I would also get drunk when I got over the body."

“And why would you choose to take over?”

“Because I don't want to disappoint you, Y/N.” he admitted while looking through at her eyes, “I knew if.. if that happened, you would hate me even more.”

“Harry.." Y/N whispered, "If.. if that really happened, it wasn't your fault. It was Marcel. Even though you and him are one, you both are still different and I have to understand that. Not all his fault should I blame on you. If I can understand you, I should be able to understand him too."

“It's impossible, Y/N. No one would accept a disorder like me.”

“You're not a disorder, Harry. You're just different and special... "

“... If I can love you, I have to love him too.”

It caught him off guard.

Did he hear correctly?

He didn't mishear, did he?

Y/N smiled softly seeing Harry who looked dumbfounded, staring at her like she just grew an antler. Then, she grabbed his free hand and rubbed his knuckle, "I'm sorry for the long waiting. I'm sorry it took me almost losing you to realise that I love you."

“When did you first know?” his voice was barely audible, he couldn't believe his voice to speak. It was more like his soul spoke for him.

“I always knew.”

Harry laughed, and laughed. Until a single tear rolled down his lids. He was never this happy, he could never be this relieved. His love wasn't unrequited. He loved her, and she loved him.

His free hand brought her face closer to him, landing a short kiss on his love lips. She grinned widely and kissed him back.

“I love you," he spoke quietly and rubbing their nose together, "Very much."

“I love you, too much.” and she kissed his jaw.

“Harry?" she pulled back, "Why did you give up? Why didn't you care about your life at that time? Your family was worried sick.”

Harry's shoulder slumped back, “I was.. I was so depressed because.. I thought you didn't want me around anymore. I felt helpless, I thought my life has no meaning anymore. That's why I don't want to face the truth.”

“And thinking it was the best if Marcel was present?” she shook her head, “You have more right to this life, H.”

“Honestly, I wanted to wait. I didn't care if the wait would cost a million years. But, the wait was worth it because I'm in love.”

Y/N never saw this vulnerable side on him, and it was surprised her. She never thought someone like him, was so fragile yet tough at the same time. She smiled at him while rubbing his cheek.

“How's Marcel?" asked her carefully. She was quite curious about Marcel because he was the master of Harry's body lately. What did he feel, for now?

“I don't know.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don't feel his presence anymore. He's not weakened, though.”

“He's just.. not there?”

“He's gone.”

. . THE END What did you think?