#I wonder if he always tried to grab the moonstone

[birb-tangleblog]

I might be late to the party in noticing this, but I just realized Edmund has two arms in the pitch bible? Intriguing- it really makes me wonder about the timeline of how the series was written and when certain decisions were made.

[imonawholedifferentlevel]

𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸

⇛𝗪𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀!⇚

𝟯𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗢𝗩 ‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

Welcome back to Seabrook, where belonging is everything.

We're a strong, united and tight-knit community. And that's a good thing 'cause it wasn't always this way. There was a time when we had to protect ourselves. Legend has it that when the first settlers came to Seabrook, they found wild beasts with sharp claws lurking in the forest.

Which sparked an epic battle. Seabrook settlers bravely fought off the monstrous attack. And discovered a powerful energy source. Realizing they discovered a precious resource, they safeguarded it from the beasts.

They weren't going to let anyone steal their treasure. So they hid it. And the town prospered and grew rich by harnessing the precious energy source. Seabrook benefited greatly as it grew strong, happy, and unified.

The beasts were a distant memory.

Seabrook forgot monsters could be real.

Until clearly, they were. A little lime soda mixed with a dash of industrial strength Seabrook energy... And boom! Zombies were created. In a lot of ways, Seabrook's moved on since then. But it's hard to bury your past...

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

"Moon! Moon! Are you ready for school?!" I heard my dad ask from downstairs. My hazel eyes shot open, and I quickly jumped from the bed.

"Uhhh, yeah, I'm coming!" I yelled back.

"Shit, shit, shit," I muttered, looking around the room, and quickly settled for a black tank top and some light blue jeans. I ran into my bathroom and quickly put my white hair into a man bun before grabbing my bag.

I turned to walk out of my room, but I felt myself weaken, and I started coughing profusely. I managed to contain myself after a little bit and looked down at my moonstone necklace.

It's losing its charge.

"I gotta find them," I mumbled sadly, thinking about my pack and if they were okay.

"And mostly, I need to find her." I continued looking down at my friend's bracelet, which was gray. Over the years, I desperately tried to find my pack as well as my mate.

I howl on a full moon every night, just praying that they can hear me, but to no avail. Luckily, Zed and Zoey were there to comfort me during the hard times, and I feel so lucky to have them, even if they aren't my real family.

I've been thinking about Willa every day, wondering what she looked like when she was all grown up and if she was even more beautiful than before.

"Moon! Let's go!" Zed yelled, and I quickly snapped out of my trance and went down the stairs.

"Sorry, I took so long. Hey there, little rascal," I said, giving Zoey a big kiss on her forehead and making her giggle.

"Hey dad," I said, giving him a hug before taking some toast and going out the door with Zed.

"Have a good day at school, kids!" He called out as we left the front door, just in time to see Eliza.

"Hey Liz!" I said, giving her a hug, which she returned with a smile.

"Hey, hey! Ho, ho! This demolition has got to go!" Eliza chanted out loud.

"They can't tear it down, Zed. Seabrook Power hasn't worked for years. It's an important part of zombie heritage," Eliza protested, and I nodded.

"Yeah, I agree, and I also feel a strange connection to it; I just can't pinpoint what." I said.

"This is progress, Eliza. And now we can even go to Prawn." Zed has been boasting about Prawn for weeks since monsters were never allowed to go, and he's been obsessed with taking Addison with him.

"I'm loud and proud to be a zombie!" Zed yelled, and I clenched my ears, shooting him a glare.

"Sometimes too loud," I growled, elbowing him in the ribs, making him groan with a pout.

"Soon, Z-band tech will get so good that zombies will blend right in. I dream of the day we ditch our Z-bands and let our inner monsters roar," he said after he recovered.

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

(Addison)

We're back here on the scene And everyone's together With zombies on the team It's better than ever, better than ever

(Bucky)

Those moves won't get the gold Green hair is so whatever Well, you'll never break the mould 'Cause we're better than ever, better than ever

(Zed)

Tearing down the power plant You're welcome Seabrook, I'm your man To build a place where everyone can cheer I'm making zombiekind cool, not feared

(Eliza)

Making progress, that sounds great

(Moon)

But what's the price we have to pay?

(Zed, Moon, Eliza)

Ready for a new day, ready for a change People, zombies, everybody say

(Everyone)

Hey! We got this! Teaming up to make progress Change the rules, you can't stop this Together we rise, you know we got this Hey! We got this! Teaming up to make progress Change the rules, you can't stop this Together we rise, you know we got this

(Addison)

I wish that I could call I hope you get my letters Hope I get asked to Prawn It'd be better than ever, better than ever

(Stacey)

Oh, Addison my love Gargargaza are forever

(Aceys)

We pull the strings We run the show 'Cause we're better than ever, better than ever

(Zed)

We're finally allowed to go to Prawn Gonna get our ziga ziga zombie on Counting down the days, I've been keeping track Kinda wishing Addison would write me back Imagine me taking her to the dance

(Zoey)

A human and a zombie hand in hand

(Zed,Zoey)

Ready for a new day, ready for a change People, zombies, everybody say

(Everyone)

Hey! We got this! Teaming up to make progress Change the rules, you can't stop this Together we rise, you know we got this Hey! We got this! Teaming up to make progress Change the rules, you can't stop this Together we rise, you know we got this

(Zed)

Here in this hall Up on these walls Picturing Addison beside me Then they will say We're all the same And they can see the life inside me Oh, what's it gonna take? What's it gonna take? What's it gonna take? What's it gonna take? What's it gonna take?

(Everyone)

We got this! We got this! Ready for a new day Ready for a change People, zombies, everybody say

Hey! We got this Teaming up to make progress Change the rules, you can't stop this Together we rise, you know we got this Hey! We got this (come on!) Teaming up to make progress (picturing Addison beside me) Change the rules, you can't stop this Together we rise, you know we got this

Hey! We got this Teaming up to make progress (picturing Addison beside me) Change the rules, you can't stop this Together we rise, you know we got this

Hey! We got this Teaming up to make progress (picturing Addison) Change the rules, you can't stop this Together we rise, you know we got this

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

"Bye, Zed," we waved to him as he waved back and disappeared from our sight.

"So how's the search been going?" Eliza asked me.

"Not good God, I miss them so much, Liz," I sighed, and she gave me a side hug.

"Don't worry, Mo, you'll find them soon. I can feel it in my undead heart," she said, and I chuckled as we walked off.

[keepswingin]

willa and aspen stargazing for your zombies prompts? 👀

She asks them if they want to go somewhere far away from the den one evening, no more than a glance their way.

She knows the pack can be a little much for anyone not used to it, and gets the feeling that A-Spen could use some true quiet, after everything that's happened.

They don't say anything at first, seconds slowly ticking into moments.

Willa watches as one of her packmates tugs her brother up and into the fray of dancing and celebration, pushing him to the middle of the room, laughing all the while. Wyatt snags Wynter's hand and brings her with him, smiling wide as she falls in step next to him, one foot in front of the other. She likes seeing her family this happy, compared to how life was before they were able to find the moonstone, where they wouldn't dare to draw on the power inside of them unless they absolutely had to, unsure when exactly their time would be up.

It's better now.

It's definitely better.

A-Spen touches their hand to her shoulder, fleeting and hesitant. Willa nearly smiles. No words are needed as she stands and begins to lead the way, hearing telling her A-Spen sticks close behind as she guides them through the crowd. She catches her brother's eye as she reaches the front of the den, and tries to ignore the smirk he gives. She hates how easily he can read her.

The trek through the forest isn't long.

The place she has in mind isn't too far, contrary to her previous words, and offers all the escape someone could need, hidden just out of sight between two large trees whose branches curl together. A jagged cliffside Willa always thought looked too manmade to be true sits on the left, blocking off any prying eyes as she stops in front of it, one hand outstretched to help A-Spen through.

They glance curiously between her and the entrance, covered by stretching moss and dying grass, and Willa can't help the way her lips quirk.

"Don't trust me?"

A-Spen's eyes meet with hers. She can hear the beat of their heart, one beat too fast. She doesn't know if it's out of fear, or certainty.

"I trust you," they tell her after another beat. Quiet. Trusting.

They come closer, and Willa grabs their hand, careful. She shows them where to step, helps push them along with a clawed hand to their back, but her touch is gentle, and her eyes aren't as piercing as they usually are when she meets A-Spen's eyes once the both of them are on the other side.

She lingers, and then she turns away. "Come on," she says, voice the loudest thing amongst the sudden silence that stretches on and on around them. "It's just ahead."

They walk together a moment more, and then Willa stops and hears the sharp intake of A-Spen's breath.

There's a cliff a few feet in front of them, curved on either side, before it cuts off abruptly. Willa knows there is nothing below. The sky is alight with so many stars that it would be impossible to try and count them all, and the moon stands bright in between, staring down at them like a beacon.

A-Spen takes a few shocked steps forward.

Willa follows, and ignores the hum of her moonstone as she comes to a stop beside them, nearly on the edge of the cliff. Their eyes are turned to the beautiful night sky, flickering between each and every star. Willa wonders if maybe it's just monsters like herself that can't count every single one.

The silence between them drags on, and on, and on. Willa shifts. A-Spen stays still, and then is a sudden flurry of movement as they turn to her and squeeze tightly at her arm.

"Three thousand five hundred and thirty-two!" they say, so excited that it takes Willa aback. "There are three thousand five hundred and thirty-two stars in the sky at this exact moment! How amazing!" A-Spen's hand slides down to her own, and they laugh, tugging at the werewolf. "So amazing," they continue, "to see such a thing with someone like you."

Willa is frozen for a long moment.

A-Spen's excitement is almost contagious. And then a smile curves her lips, and she wonders how someone can find so much in things so little. Hopes maybe that she'll learn how to do the same, one day soon. Thinks that maybe she wouldn't mind having someone else with her when she does.

"It's just stars, A-Spen," she says with a small huff, though the tone of her words is lighthearted, and she doesn't want to let go of a moment like this one just yet, not when the night is so young, not when the air is so cool and the sky is so open and her heart is beating faster than it should.

Maybe this night will last a little longer than the rest.

[sailorplanet1997]

i ship Tinkerence for tons of reasons because:

1: when they first met it wasn’t on good terms because Tinkerbell was about to leave pixie hollow for good and when he told Tinkerbell about his talent it made her realize the importance as a Tinker and decided to stay to fix things 2: he gave her the pixie dust baq at near the end of the 1st movie which i find that cute!!! 3: when Tinkerbell was mentioned he clashed into something, which means he has feelings for her (he tries to hide the fact he was about to see Tink by saying “just doing some errands and stuff” but the dust-keepers already knew he’s off to see Tinkerbell, i keep laughing at that scene i see the hint he has an close eye on Tinkerbell i can see it) 4: he always supports her no matter the outcome of it and i’m sure Tinkerbell supports his works too (he EVEN brought her the stretchy thing to help her for her motor with the boat) 5: they both helps each others, the rats, the scepter (it’s mainly Terence, he helped her get up after the boat crash and got stuck with that card thingy “forgot the name of it” he gave her advices with the scepter, and took care of her house) 6: when he wanted to talk to Tink at her house there was no answer, the door got open and noticed the scepter kept the same and noticed the moonstone broke, he checked her list and brought everything with him, isn’t that cute? 7: he flew all day and night over the sea to get to Tinkerbell and fix things and borrowed extra pixie dust, he didn’t seemed to care he ran out of Pixie Dust as long as he was able to find Tinkerbell he’s fine with it, he broke the rules just for her (while like 1 day earlier when Tink begged him for the pixie dust he told her he won’t break the rules just for her especially NOT when Tink keeps the reasons to herself, keeping it as a secret from him, no one else will do that and has the courage to do that, the heart does what it wants, i mean it’s not what normal friends do for her so i can see the hint with it he likes her more then just friends and is eager to help her) 8: they forgave each other and stayed friends, he knew she needed him, funny how Tink wished he was here with her and Terence has heard it and literally told her “we are friends Tink” and made up after the fights 2 times (i’m sure he has overheard like almost everything and secretly followed behind, Tink just got in the pirate ship like 5 minutes or so earlier but that’s my theory and it’s thanks to Silvermist who first comforted Terence and later with Tinkerbell otherwise they wouldn’t be friends, YAY THANKS SIL FOR HELPING THESE 2 OUT LOL) 9: when Tink get super irritated he stays by her side no matter what (till maybe when Tink get super angry she turns red) 10: they has their regrets from their actions and blamed themselves (explains why Terence knew he couldn’t stay mad at her forever and it makes sense with the mr owl why he needed that talk with him, the owl wanted him to do the right thing taking his responsibility and apologize to Tink) 11: he looked for lost things to help Tink out, he wanted to help her out NO one else will look for lost things (that’s my other reasons why normal friends won’t do that for her) 12: they protected each other especially Terence who grabbed Tink’s hands with the whole rats troubles and even held her back when she was about to go to Blaze (again with the “the heart does what it wants” thing) 13: they were able to escape the pirate ship together after Tink distracted the rats with a little help from Blaze 14: they got a private adventure with each other when everyone else was busy 15: he showed Tink around the fairy camp and explained to her the reason behind it 16: he has faith in her by doing the right thing and trust that she can fix something (he said that in the 3rd movie) 17: they both got super famous at near the end of the 2nd movie Terence even holding the scepter (they arrived at pixie hollow TOGETHER, no one knew where Tink was obviously expect Terence but i keep wondering myself, did everyone knew or noticed Terence was gone TOO? i mean outside Fairy Gary) 18: they both didn’t gave up hope with the moonstone while everyone else was in shock (fairy mary even passed out a little, i mean DUH they were working on the scepter together and he was the only one that knew about the moonstone) 19: when Tinkerbell was choosen to work on the scepter he was one of the first who she shared it with and he offered to help her at her house (i keep wondering why she didn’t told Terence in the middle of the night she found out she has a sister, i mean he was one of the first she shared she’s gonna work on the scepter and the moonstone and even now i don’t understand these days why Clank didn’t woke Terence up to meet up at the Tinkers-nook to go to Tinkerbell) 20: they likes spending times with each other (Tink likes spending time with her friends and Terence likes spending time with her) 21: when Tink fails with the stuff she was working at it, he cheers her up (Terence mention the name of the Tinker fairies who can fix the boat and Tinkerbell laughed weakly) 22: he sat next to her at the end of the 3rd movie (Fawn, iridessa, Rosetta, Silvermist, Clank and Bobble sitting at the humans dad legs while Vidia sat on the book, for the first time she wanted to joined in and of course Tinkerbell and Terence sat at Lizzy’s hand) 23: these 2 holding the scepter is really cute and i can see with their eye contact they has feelings for each other at the end of the 2nd movie when everyone goes to the pixie dust tree 24: Terence only has 2 non-speaking cameos in the 4th movie but looking at each other and laughing at each other when he brought her pixie dust explains a lot at the very start of the 4th movie 25: when Periwinkle told her if he was her boyfriend she avoided that question and said “uhm” she could’ve said yes or no! 26: Tinkerbell was too distracted by talking to him to notice he eventually stood behind her, even tapping her, he stood behind her and got her back (i mean the hugging and happily to see each other after a few days explains a lot and he even comforted her when she said “i wish Terence was here...i wish we were still friends” and the tears touched the mirror and he overheard that, i thought her last wish didn’t counted since her wish came out but it did counted lol) 27: when Tinkerbell was hopeless and didn’t knew what to do anymore once they arrived at pixie hollow he showed her the scepter and moonstones with him she didn’t thought of when she left the house on her own (they got it fixed right before they arrived in pixie hollow just on time) 28: fun fact everyone expect Tink herself knows he has feelings for her (even Tink’s formerly rival knows this, besides Terence she knows Tink the best and grew incredibly close with Tink, she probably didn’t just only saw their last conversations but also watched over her at the fairy camp, i’m sure she also saw Terence sitting next to Tink, she surprisingly showed up at the end of the 2nd movie, and of course the opening in the 4th movie with the way Tink and Terence laughed at each other so i don’t think Vidia is stupid to not know anything, just like i said Vidia knows her the best) 29: THEY ARE JUST SO CUTE ALRIGHT!!!! 30: he probably makes excuses to spend the time with Tink 31: Terence explained about the moonstone at Tink’s house 32: he kept the broken moonstone and the scepter as a secret and goes after Tink (i mean if he has mentioned it to everyone especially Tink’s friends then everyone will be looking for her aswell it’s not just true friends but MORE then just that and they need to have faith with each other and truthful to each other, and when a person has feeling for someone not only do they have to share everything (not literally everything but most things yes) they will do what others won’t do, even lying to everyone if necessary just to safe themselves on their own) 33: they both survived the danger in the 2nd movie 34: they were both on the main role in the 2nd movie 35: at the start after the boat clashed, we all know how Tink want to keep herself busy and when things fails she get all frustrated but it’s so obviously when she’s around Terence she doesn’t want to upset him by failing her test she’s working on it and Terence DID said she often overreact but this time she reacted fine (i mean Tink literally said “i made this to help you Terence, it sort of worked” and was a little sad her boat test failed so it’s easy for the dust-keeper fairies like him to deliver pixie dust easier and faster but Terence wasn’t upset at all her test failed and sat next to her and kind of spirited her up, it was more for him she failed then the actual dust-keeper fairies so that explains a lot) MULTIPLE REASONS WHY THESE 2 SHOULD BE TOGETHER AS MORE THEN JUST FRIENDS, and i’m dying for that movie when Disney continues with that movie in the future!!!! i hope i’m not the only one here shipping Tinkerence since it’s all about Tinkerbell and Vidia these days, let me know in the comment about shipping Tinkerence but i shared my reason for it!!!

[absurdthirst]

Pedros characters having to treat you after getting stung by a jellyfish. 🤣🤣

Treating You For a Jellyfish Sting: 

**Please do not pee on a jellyfish sting. That is a myth. This is purely for fun

Javier: First off, why did you get in the fucking water? Second, he has to do what? He shakes his head a bit and looks at you like you've lost your mind. Which is a fair assessment considering you just asked him to piss on you leg. But your not the type to be into water sports and you have tears in your eyes. “Fuck.” He grumbles as he reaches for his zipper. He never knew pulling his dick out in front of a woman would make him blush, but here he is, face flushed as he aims fo for the welts on your legs. Thank God Steve isn’t here, he would never let him live this shit down. 

Ezra: He’s trying not to laugh. He did warn you that although your suits were not needed on this particular moon, that the water was not safe to get into. But you had insisted that you wanted a proper bath instead of wiping down with sani-wipes, and the water had looked refreshing. He had known what could possibly be lurking in the deceivingly innocent blue pool. The large welts ran across the back of your ass. There is only one way to relieve your pain this far away from the pod and a field kit. “My dear moonstone, I’m afraid that we will need to venture into unchartered waters for me to render aid.” He smirks at his own pun. He shoves the soft grey sweats that he had been wearing down his hips as you look at him in horror. “While I always claimed that my affections and desires for you are primal, I never thought I would literally mark my territory in such a fashion.” 

Mando: That sigh. That loud, long, put out sigh comes from underneath his helmet. Distorted by the modulator. The one that is asking himself why he puts up with you. Why he doesn’t just drop your troublesome ass off on the nearest planet and save himself the hassle. You were worse that the kid sometimes. This was why he was glad he was covered from head to toe most days. Yeah, he could get the kid to heal you, but maybe a little humiliation would teach you not to stick your hands in unfamiliar waters. “I was just trying to get a frog for the baby!” You protested as he grabbed you by the elbow and hauled you onto the Crest. While he was going to piss on your hand, he wasn’t whipping his cock out in the middle of a clearing. He was going to trap you in the ‘fresher, that way you couldn’t escape. He grinned as the two of you got closer. He wondered how loud you would start screeching when you realized what he was going to do. 

Catfish: It doesn’t help that Benny and Pope are behind you, laughing their asses off. He is beet red. The four of you had been out on the boat and and had managed to not notice the pod of jellyfish that had come up around the boat. You had jumped from the top directly into them. Red welts were zigzagged across your stomach and the tops of your breasts. Benny caught his breath long enough to wheeze out. “We should film it, make some money on YouPorn” before he collapsed into another hysterical fit of giggles. Fuckers. Frankie tried to think of everything else, but you were starting to cry it was stinging so bad. And of course those fuckers had volunteered him to piss on you, considering both of them knew how in love with you Frankie was. This wasn’t quite the way that Frankie ever imagined you being on your knees in front of him, but given the location it was better to let gravity do the work. “Oh she needs to take off her top!” Pope called out helpfully from where they had retreated to give you privacy under the threat of castration from Frankie. Son of a bitch, you were never going to look at him, let alone go on a date with him. 

Tovar: He scowls when the idea is brought up. Nope....you can suffer. Serves you right. 

Whiskey: There’s a devilish gleam in his amber eyes, his mustache hitched up in a half smirk. He’s standing in front of you, hands on his hips, as he assess the damage. The red welts covered your thighs where the jellyfish had gotten ahold of you. “Well darlin’ I never thought I’d get to do this.” He quips. He’s still wearing that cowboy hat of his, even as he stands there in a pair of American flag swimming trunks and his cowboy boots. The epitome of redneck that should look absolutely ridiculous, but somehow just screams Whiskey. “I always imagined I’d paint your thighs with something a little thicker than piss.” You were going to kill that cocky cowboy, just as soon as your legs stopped burning. 

Max Phillips: The SPF 5000 he had to put on for today had been worth it. By the time he had hauled you to the beach he was already shucking his shorts down. “Max no!” You protest, even as the pain radiates across your tits. “Max yes.” He mocks as he pins your arms down with his knees as he straddles you. He had never thought about this particular kink before, but now it had his full attention. He smirks down at you. “This probably won't even work. But fuck it. I get to piss on you.” He grins as you start to scream at him. Someone would think you were being eaten alive rather than him helping you. 

Marcus: Oh dear God. You don’t know who is more embarrassed, you or him. this is the one man that has a sliver of common sense and doesn’t just piss on you like a caveman. Instead, your favorite tumbler was sacrificed for the good of your jellyfish sting. He pees in that and hands it to you with profuse apologies. Except for the fact that you can't exactly pour it on your own back. No, he has you lay in the sand while he carefully pours his urine on the welts, muttering sorry the entire time that he is spreading it around. As soon as the stinging stops, he will be helping you to the outdoor showers and taking you home, so he can quietly go die of embarrassment. 

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[fanficflaneuse]

Hardly A Date

Index 

A/N: Hello lovelies! I’m sorry this took me so long. This has been a very awkward week. I was sad and I tried to dump my feelings into writing, but sometimes it’s not that easy...ugh I’m sorry. I hope you like this one. It was requested a while ago. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes. Also, I gave reader the physical characteristics of Lily Potters for (insert some good reasons). So, I am sorry if it’s not as immersive as it could have been. 

Dearest anon requester, I’m sorry this took me so long. Let me know if you read it and like it (I really wish you do). 

Draco x Potter! Reader (she/her) Word count: 2735 Summary: Draco has a crush on Harry’s twin sister, who resembles Lily Potter.

Enjoy! 

Harry sulked all the way to potions class. It was the first day of fifth year and his twin sister, (Y/N), was getting too much attention for his liking. He had always thought his sister was beautiful, but now every boy in school seemed to have realized it as well. Over the summer, she had grown taller and curvier. Her red hair had darkened a bit more. She wore it long, which framed her face delightfully. The resemblances to their mother was such that not even aunt Petunia could deny it. It made her harsher towards (Y/N), but not even that dampened the girl’s spirits.

(Y/N) felt confident as she walked by her brother. Since they set foot on Hogwarts, she had been the more popular twin thanks to her kindness and vivaciousness. She paid no mind to the looks and laughed at her brother’s overprotectiveness. As the Fab Four sat at the very front, as per Hermione’s request, (Y/N) felt something hit her in the head. Her hands searched the back of her hair and grabbed the paper crane that landed on her head. She turned around to find the one and only Draco Malfoy staring at her wide-eyed. He had sent the bird as a taunt to her twin brother and in no way had intended for it to hit her. The thought of her seeing the cruel drawing inside the bird made his stomach churn.

Draco was transfixed. It was the first time he saw her since last year and her striking green eyes were doing wicked tricks to his heart. Since year one, he had a crush on her. He thought those who didn’t acknowledge her beauty should be burned at the stake. A year before, the blond had simmered in jealousy when he saw her at the Yule Ball with her brother, but that image paled in comparison to seeing her now. He cringed as she turned around, opening the paper crane.

Just as she did, Snape came in to the classroom. He was not in a good mood and it only got worse when he saw (Y/N) Potter sitting on the front row. She was scribbling something on a piece of parchment. She was the spitting image of Lily Evans during her schooldays, back when they were still friends and he clang to the sliver of hope that she’d love him like he did. It was almost painful to see his student. Her presence soured his mood even more, so he decided he was not putting up with it.

“Eva– I mean, Potter,” he said, motioning to (Y/N), “change places with Goyle.”

(Y/N)’s gaze went back, once again, to the back of the room, where the Slytherins sat. Gregory Goyle was sitting just besides Draco. She stood up silently and put her things in her bag. Harry groaned lowly.

“I’m definitely failing now,” he murmured.

(Y/N) gave him an encouraging smile. “It’s going to be alright, Harry. You’re good at this.”

“Never as good as you, sis,” he countered, “And if that prick does something to you I am going to kill him.”

She rolled her eyes in response and dramatically bid her brother goodbye. She walked all the way to the back of the room, where a very embarrassed Draco Malfoy waited for her. She greeted him cordially as she took her place. Draco and (Y/N) hadn’t crossed more than ten words at a time. She was not a hothead like Harry, so she hardly gave in to the taunting. At times, when he said something particularly nasty, she’d snap. Her comebacks were intelligent and sharp and often than not he’d be to flustered to answer. So, they were not on good terms, but not on a “I want to burn you alive and dance over your ashes” basis.

“I believe this is yours, Malfoy,” she said coolly after handing him the paper crane.

The Slytherin swallowed hard and took the bird from her hands without saying a word. He listened intently as Snape gave the instructions. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her flipping through the pages in her book until she settled on the one with the recipe for the draught of peace.

They brewed the potion in silence. Draco was enamoured by (Y/N)’s gentleness and the way she’d handle everything with the utmost care. She was also unnaturally kind, as she didn’t seem bitter at him for the paper crane or anything, really. It was a relief.

“Are you sure we have to powder the unicorn horn?” He didn’t intend for it to come out as mean, but it sure sounded like that.

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow, as if challenging him, and theatrically put more pressure on her mortar. Her lips turned into a mischievous smirk and Draco had to stop what himself from putting too much powdered moonstone into the cauldron.

“I recall you saw me read the instructions,” she answered matter-of-factly.

Draco scratched the back of his neck. He took a deep breath and nodded at her sheepishly. “Just checking,” he murmured.

“You should check your hands before adding the ingredients,” she teased as she pointed at the moonstone.

He smiled and raised his hands in mock surrender. “Are you suggesting that I don’t know what I’m doing?”

“I suggest nothing, Malfoy. I affirm.”

Draco was about to answer, finding the playful banter amusing, when Snape scolded them from his desk. Assuming they had been bickering, Harry turned around, shooting daggers at the blond and giving her sister encouragement she didn’t need. (Y/N) shrugged and, after her twin turned around, smiled kindly at Draco. After that, they worked mechanically. As their potion turned into the desired turquoise blue colour, (Y/N) even concluded that they were a good team.

As Snape approached to their desk, (Y/N) noticed how he didn’t even spare her a glance. He talked to Draco and asked him questions about the process. And when he gave them their well-deserved O, it was Draco he congratulated. (Y/N) said nothing of it, but found it frustrating. When he walked away, she released the breath she always held when he graded her and started packing.

Before she left, she flashed her classmate yet another impish grin. “I exhort you to open that paper crane.”

Once she was gone, the Slytherin opened the folded bird to find her intervention to his work. He had drawn Harry being hit by a thunder and falling off his broom. She had altered it for it to be him, falling and hitting the ground wrapped in a cloud of dust. It was so well done, Draco couldn’t be offended.

…

For the next two months, (Y/N) and Draco worked together in potions. Every time, they’d engage in small talk and friendly banter. He marvelled at her wittiness and her sense of humour. He loved it when she got dramatic and made theatrical gestures or used aristocratic language just because. Draco was falling hard and fast for the redhaired Potter.

It actually made him wonder over the nature of his hatred for her twin brother. He found her funny and charming. He felt so at peace when they spent time together. And then there was Harry Potter, who he found utterly irritating, brash and self-righteous. He didn’t understand how they could possibly be related. She was amazing in absolutely every way he was faulty.

Maybe he didn’t particularly hate Harry? And why didn’t he ‘hate’ (Y/N) anyways? She was just as self-righteous as her brother. They were practically joined at the hip and she was always involved in the same shenanigans as Harry was. They had the same eyes. Why hate them in one and love them in the other? What was the real reason for him to go out of his way to torment (Y/N)’s twin and friends? 

Deep down he knew.

These thoughts consumed him as he did his rounds for the inquisitorial squad. At first, he had joined Umbridge’s team because he wanted the authority and for a while he enjoyed it. Then, (Y/N) and Harry got punished by their sadistic teacher and he no longer wore his badge with pride. He knew they were up to something, but seeing (Y/N)’s swollen hand during their next potion class was enough to feel ashamed of his position.

Draco was just about to go to his common room, when somebody collided with him. He was too deep in his thoughts to feel the rush of getting someone in trouble. And then noticed the deep red hair and the scared green eyes. His heart started beating hard on his chest.

(Y/N) was absolutely terrified. She hadn’t realized it was Draco at first; she was running as fast as she could from the room of requirement. Usually, she left D.A. meetings with Harry, but today he was playing Don Juan with Cho Chang and everyone else was gone. She was good at sneaking around. She was halfway there when she saw Peeves and decided to make a run for it before he saw her and woke the whole castle.

That’s how she had ended practically in Draco’s arms. She was sweaty and out of breath and now she had to deal with the Slytherin prince. He was nice to her in potions, but she wasn’t sure that was enough to get her off the hook. (Y/N) imagined herself getting another detention with Umbridge and it made her want to cry.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said as he grabbed her face tenderly.

For a second there, she thought she was hallucinating. She looked at him, eyes still teary, but also full of confusion. He smiled awkwardly, suddenly self-conscious of their position.  

“A-Are you alright?”

“Just a bit agitated.” She tried to be as casual as possible.

“Let me walk you to your common room. That way nobody else will get you in trouble,” he said, offering her arm to her.

Draco knew that she was up to something. If he wanted to, he could’ve gotten all the dirt on their little secret society. She would’ve been in a lot of trouble and he’d be the hero of the school. He said nothing, though, especially because she was holding onto his arm for dear life. They walked peacefully towards the Gryffindor common room and with every step he could only think about the idea that had been brewing in his mind for a while.  

(Y/N) thought she was in the most ridiculous situation. She was a member of Dumbledore’s Army and he was Umbridge’s minion. He could’ve gotten her, her brother and friends in trouble, which was what he had wanted to do since their first day in Hogwarts. And here they were, arms linked as he escorted her to safety.

Suddenly, they stood in front of the Fat Lady’s portrait. (Y/N) looked at Draco with gratitude. He nodded and offered her a smile. With trembling fingers, he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Draco noticed (Y/N) blushing a little.

“(Y/N)…there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he said, the sudden rush of confidence making him lightheaded.

“Yes?”

“Would you go to the next Hogsmeade trip with me? On a date?”

(Y/N) was speechless. She didn’t know Draco thought of her that way, but suddenly the fact that he didn’t rat her out made sense. Of course, he wouldn’t be as lenient had he found Harry or Hermione. She thought about it for a second and smiled when she noticed him getting uncomfortable.

“Let’s make a deal, Draco. The next Hogsmeade trip is a week from tomorrow. If you don’t bully anybody during the week, I’ll go out with you,” she proposed.

She noticed his eyebrows knitting in confusion. “What does that have to do with anything?” he groaned.

(Y/N) crossed her arms, amusedly. “Why would I want to go out with somebody that messes with my brother and my friends?”

He considered her for a while and then sighed in defeat.

…

“Is it true that you agreed to go out on a date with Malfoy?” Ron asked in alarm the next morning.

“I didn’t agree,” (Y/N) shot back as she put food on her plate.

Harry was looking at her disapprovingly and she was doing her best to avoid his gaze.

“You agreed to go out with him if he went a week without bullying us,” Hermione interjected with a reproving tone.

“That I did.”

“(Y/N)!” Harry roared.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to not be bullied for a change?” she asked him innocently.

“If the cost is that git snogging my sister then no, it wouldn’t be nice.”

(Y/N) gave him a stern look.

“What? That is what happens on dates, (Y/N).”

“Then you should hurry up and ask Cho Chang to one as well.”

She tried to be humorous, but it clearly didn’t work, so she tried to reason with him instead.

“Come on, Harry. It would hardly be a date,” she said while holding her twin’s hands, “besides, I know Draco can be a nice person if he tries. He has been to me in potions. Why not give him a second chance?”

Harry scoffed. “Why would I ever give that tosser a second chance? He has been messing with us since our first day here!”  

They looked at each other and for a moment they had one of their silent conversations. Hermione and Ron stared as Harry failed to be stern and (Y/N) conveyed compassion in her eyes. As always, Harry gave in.

“You’re too kind for your own good, you know that?” he sighed, “and I mean it this time, if that prick does something to you I am going to kill him.”

…

“Which one’s better, ‘Mione?” (Y/N) asked as she held one dress in each hand.

Hermione helped her best friend get ready for her date. As much as she disliked Draco, the week events had made her realize he truly wanted to go out with (Y/N). Throughout the week, Harry and Ron taunted the Slytherin in hopes that he snapped at them, thus ruining the date before it even took place. Hermione had frowned upon their Machiavellian plan, but had not intervened nor rat them out. As the days went by, though, she noticed how hard he was trying to be good. He looked the other way as the Gryffindor boys laughed and teased. He avoided making snarky remarks in class. Once, he even helped Hermione when she tripped and fell.

It had been a very hard week, but he had succeeded. Now he waited awkwardly by the portrait for (Y/N), who arrived a few minutes later. She looked as beautiful as ever with a pretty floral dress. They smiled at each other and walked out of the castle, this time with the regulatory distance according to Umbridge’s decree.

As they made their way to Hogsmeade, (Y/N) thought this could possibly be the most awkward date of her life. It didn’t help that it would probably her first real date ever. What could they have in common apart from their shared space in potions? What would they talk about? Then, she noticed how Draco was fidgeting with his fingers. She found that cute and it made her instantly relax.

As they sat at the Three Broomsticks, all of their collective fears of a bad date were soon proved wrong. They had a great time together. They talked about their favourite candies, their favourite pastimes, quidditch. Draco asked about her life as a muggle with genuine curiosity. She was actually very blunt about her situation at home, something that both marvelled and unsettled him. They laughed and made jokes and got theatrical together.

They walked back to the castle hand in hand. Once they reached the school, Draco dragged (Y/N) through some less frequented corridors. Engrossed in their conversation as they were, they failed to notice the Gryffindor trio following them. Harry and Ron were absolutely enraged as they saw the couple stop behind a column. Hermione had to restrain them when Draco put his hand on (Y/N)’s cheek. She squeezed their arms as the blond boy leaned in and gave (Y/N) a kiss she happily corresponded.

Harry was livid. His baby sister had her arms around that slimy git’s neck. He wanted to rip his head off.

“Hardly a date my arse,” he muttered under his breath.  

tags: @cleopatera @okaydraco @naomi02hook @the--queen-of-hell @honeymarvel @the-hufflefluffwriter 

[ml-commonswift]

All Tangled the Series ships are problematic

New Dream

Eugene is a groomer Think about it, Rapunzel was stuck in tower all her life to the point she doesn’t even know what the word “boo” means. I doubt she even had sex ed or anything like that. So a 17 year old girl gets out for the first time accompaniated by 26 year old man and gets stuck in a relationship in a matter of days.

You read that right 26, the animators themselves of Tangled 2010 have said so, Disney retconned Eugene’s age in the animated series cause people were concerned about the 8 year age gap, not that this is any better with a 5 year age gap. Rapunzel, a naive girl that’s just about to become 18, pratically falls in love with an awesome guy she just meet and what does Eugene do? he declares to love her as well and tries to secure the deal with marriage not even six months in the relationship.

No wonder King Frederic was giving Eugene the evil eye, he had to watch his 18 year old daughter being over the heels with a grown up man.

Rapunzel herself never questiones the relationship, when refusing Eugene’s proposal her first thought is about Eugene, she not thinking for herself. She’s completely stuck on the notion that Eugene is her boyfriend.

All while Eugene is happily slouching at the castle. I have nothing against those who ship them but you are all horrible horrible people for enabling groomers! Cassunzel

Both had Gothel as their mother at some point. So it’s incest, plain and simple.

Also their friendship is totaly toxic, Cassandra should just serve Rapunzel hand and foot and never think for herself even when such things leads to maiming her ability to fight Let the princess blame her servant for hurting herself when said princess decided in her great winsom “I will use this deadly incantation I just found and can’t control, what that spear over here I could easily grab and try firs? nah my way is always better! Cass it’s your own fault you burned youself, why should you be mad at me? hey don’t ignore me I will pester you till you talk to me”

Yup Cassandra is totaly in the wrong.

“What do you mean I shouldn’t trust Adira? I just meet her and she’s totaly trustworthy and she saves us so many times!”

Adira proceeds to let the group walk into dangers when it’s too late to turn back so they have to rely on her to get out of them and doesn’t tell them crucial information till it’s useless and they have to go with what she wants them to do.

The princess could die if she reunites with the Moonstone, no biggie, it’s not like they could have thought of some alternative on their long journey, let’s just tell them this little thing at the end of their journey when they will just have to deal with it.

Oh Short hair knows something is up, let’s set her up to humiliate infront everyone so no one would listen to her.

A couple which such power imbalance, Rapunzel never listenes to Cassandra and demands for Cassandra to always do as she says, why would anyone think they are a good match?

That’s a recipe for disaster!

I have nothing against those who ship them but you are all horrible horrible people for enabling incest!

All ships involving Varian, Catalina, Kiera or any minor in the series Shipping children is just wrong. Think about it, adults read those so they enjoy them, which means they are enjoying romantic content with minors.

Can’t you see the problem? it’s p*******

So why would anyone sane in their mind ever support such thing? Also it doesn’t count if you age them up, cause then you are just acknowledging the problem by doing that and that means you know you are wrong so you are an horrible and disgusting human being.

They never showed them as adults in the series so they can’t grow up.

I have nothing against those who ship them but you are all horrible horrible people for enabling such awful thing!

Side notes

Rapunzel and Eugene also can’t have children cause they were never shown in the series. Cassandra can never go back to Corona cause we saw her leave in the series and we didn’t see her coming back. Everything must be still like the last episode cause we didn’t see anything of what happened after, except for Rapunzel’s wedding.

Thinking about it give up writing fanfictions that aren’t an exact copy of the show script or drawing fanarts that aren’t traced right after screenshots of the show. I have nothing against those who don’t follow those rules, but you are all awful awful and horrible people if you do as you want and please.

Happy April 1st

[roseworth]

Alone at the Edge of a Universe

word count: 3.2k

description: The Dark Kingdom is about to fall. The Moonstone is acting strange and hurting citizens, and Edmund doesn't know how he can stop it. At least he knows he will have his wife and his son at his side as he tries to save the kingdom.

But one night, everything changes.

warning: major character death

AO3

happy destinies collide day :)

Edmund looked at the small boy in his arms, the future heir to the throne. He felt his heart bursting as his son’s eyes lit up when he smiled. He had the same eyes as the Queen. Same smile, too. This boy was just as perfect as his mother.

Speaking of his mother, Celeste walked into the nursery and put her hand on her husband’s arm. “How’s he doing?”

“Wonderful as always, my Starlight,” Edmund answered, unable to hide his grin. “Are you doing alright?”

She leaned her head against his shoulder, looking at the boy with a soft smile. “I just want him to have a good life,” she said. She took the child into her arms and held him close, rocking him carefully. “We still haven’t settled on a name, you know.”

Edmund sighed. “I still think it should be Horace. It’s a distinguished name.”

“And I still think that naming him Horace would be like saying we hate our child,” she teased. He smiled, his heart fluttering at the way his wife laughed. All these years and he still could never get over how in love with her he was. She looked so beautiful standing in front of him, holding their child with a smile on her face. Nothing could get more perfect than this. “What do you think of Eugene?” she asked.

He frowned. “I think that’s not much better than Horace.”

She laughed and let her head fall forward. “We’re not good at this, are we?”

“I guess not,” he chuckled. “We can push this conversation off until later. We’ve waited this long, what’s one more day?”

She nodded, running her hand over their son’s head. He let out a small hiccup, making his mother smile, and Edmund felt his heart flip once again. Her smile could make him forget about everything wrong in the world. He kissed her cheek and walked out of the nursery, giving her a moment alone with her son.

He had barely made it 4 steps away before Quirin seemed to materialize beside him. “Your Majesty, we need to talk about the Moonstone,” he said, falling into step beside the King.

“What’s there to talk about?”

“It’s been… acting up recently. I don’t know what could have caused it, but these rocks are appearing more frequently than usual.”

Edmund pursed his lips. “Any casualties?”

“Just one person, but 6 homes have been destroyed.”

He sighed. “Help them relocate, I will handle the Moonstone.”

“But Your Majesty-”

“I’ll handle it, Quirin. Thank you.”

The knight clearly had more he wanted to say but seemed to decide it wasn’t worth it. He walked off grumbling quietly under his breath, leaving Edmund alone with his thoughts as he continued down the hallways of the castle.

He knew he had to do something. There had always been lives destroyed by the Moonstone, but usually there was no more than one death a year. This was the third death in the past month.

He didn’t want it to come to this, but he might have to evacuate everyone besides the castle staff from the kingdom, at least until they could get the Moonstone situation handled. As much as he didn’t want to force his people to leave their homes, he couldn’t handle the thought of their lives being constantly in danger.

Not to mention, he was raising a son now. Would he raise his son in a dead kingdom, with no one but the King and Queen and the Brotherhood? That didn’t seem like a very pleasant childhood, but he wasn’t sure if there would be another option.

He groaned aloud despite being alone. He never liked being alone with his thoughts.

He arrived in the throne room and slumped down into his throne. Unfortunately, there was no “correct” option. The only way to save the kingdom would be to get rid of the Moonstone, but generations of his ancestors had wanted to do the same thing. He had studied all the ways they had tried and he learned everything they knew about the Stone. He wished he could succeed where they failed, but he had no idea what he could do.

“You could find the Sundrop,” a voice interrupted his thoughts. Adira was standing in the doorway, watching him sulk.

“...Were you reading my thoughts?” he asked.

She smirked and shook her head. “You mumble out loud when you’re deep in thought.”

“Oh,” Edmund said, slightly embarrassed. “What do you mean ‘the Sundrop’?”

“There is ancient research that believes there could be a counterpart to the Moonstone somewhere in the Sun Kingdom. If we could find it-”

“Adira, I appreciate it, I really do,” he interrupted calmly. “But lives are in danger, we can’t send people out searching for something that may or may not exist. We need to keep our people safe here and now.”

She frowned, walking closer. “Edmund, we can’t keep our people safe. Not with the Moonstone acting the way it is.”

He closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face. “I know,” he mumbled. “I know, I just need to figure out a way to subdue it.”

Adira raised an eyebrow but didn’t try to argue with him. “Just let me know if you need anything, Your Majesty,” she said, turning to leave. As she walked out the door, Celeste made her way in.

“Our son just fell asleep, one of the maids is by his room if he wakes up,” she said, answering his question before he even had the chance to ask it. She walked over and sat down next to him. “Is the Moonstone really getting worse?”

He nodded solemnly. “No one seems to have an explanation.”

Celeste frowned. “What are we going to do? If people are getting hurt, we need to help them somehow,” she said.

“I think we might need to get the citizens to evacuate the kingdom, but how could we displace everyone from their homes?”

His wife grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together. “We can make it through this, alright? We’re going to be okay.”

“I’m worried about our son. He’s going to be raised in a kingdom destroyed by this Stone, what kind of a life is that?”

She paused for a moment, then smiled. “A life of love, no matter what. Even if the kingdom is broken, our love for him and each other will stay strong. Nothing is going to change that.”

He smiled gently and squeezed her hand. He had to keep that in mind. She was right, he would love his family despite anything the Moonstone did. And he would make sure his son would be protected from any harm the Moonstone may bring.

After a beat of silence, his wife nudged him playfully. “He’s not going to feel that love if we name him Horace, though.”

Edmund snorted. “I’m telling you, it makes him sound like a real King.”

“He’ll be a real King no matter what his name is,” she said with a content smile. Edmund was inclined to agree. Even though he wasn’t even two weeks old, everyone could tell their son would grow up to do great things. It was a comforting thought; seeing his son full of so much potential gave him hope for the future of their family and the kingdom.

If the boy could keep a bright smile on his little face, then he could too.

-

That night, Edmund was lying awake, his thoughts swirling with worries about his kingdom and his son.

What would he do if he had to send everyone away? He was sure that once the Moonstone found whatever it wanted, it would subside. But there was no telling how long that would take, especially since there was no way of telling what it wanted. That Stone had been watching over him for his entire life, and orchestrating his every move. He had seen the way it affected everyone in the kingdom and the way it changed the lives of all his ancestors. He didn’t want it to torment his son in the same way it did the rest of his family.

He turned to his wife to see if she was awake, but her space on the bed was empty. He sat up, his eyebrows knit together. “Celeste?” he called out. He received no answer.

Edmund stood up and rushed out of the room, trying to see where she went. It wasn’t like her to get up and leave in the middle of the night with no warning. He walked briskly down the hallways of the castle, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

His stomach churned when he realized the door to the Moonstone Chamber was cracked open.

He poked his head in to see his wife standing there, staring at the Moonstone, his axe in her hand.

“Celeste? What are you doing?”

She turned to him, her face plagued with worry and sadness. “I don’t want to live our lives based around this rock anymore.”

“I know, but we have no choice. We have to keep everyone safe.”

Her mouth tightened and she turned back towards the Moonstone. “We do have a choice, though. I’m going to destroy it.”

He froze. A million thoughts started rushing through his head, all of them screaming at him to not let her do it. “Darling, you can’t. You’ll get hurt, I can’t let you do this!”

“And I can’t let my son’s life be burdened by this rock! I have to do this for him. For everyone.”

“But what if it destroys you? Our son will have to grow up with a Mother!”

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “But if he can grow up without the pressure of the Moonstone, my sacrifice will be worth it.”

Edmund shook his head, his eyes filling with tears as well. “Darling, this isn’t the way to do this. We can handle raising him regardless of the Moonstone. But we’re in this together, and we can’t do that if you…” he trailed off, not wanting to even think about what he would do if anything happened to her.

Celeste’s body tensed up. She shut her eyes and turned away. “It’s in the best interest of the whole kingdom,” she said softly, taking a step forward.

As soon as she moved closer, the Moonstone was glowing more intensely. Edmund’s legs felt numb as he watched her drawing closer to the Stone. His thoughts were begging her to stop, but his voice refused to make a sound. By the time she was right next to it, the Moonstone was glowing blindingly bright. She slowly lifted the axe, then brought it down with a yell.

“No!” Edmund finally found his voice, trying to run towards her, but a burst of energy emitted from the Moonstone sent him flying back. He landed hard on the ground, but he wasted no time in scrambling to his feet and whipping his head around trying to find where it had thrown her.

His gaze finally settled on where she was. She was lying right next to the Moonstone, her dress stained a dark red and getting redder by the second. “No, no no no,” he whispered, dashing to her side.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled weakly as she looked into his eyes. Her gaze was gentle as she examined his face. She winced as she tried to sit up, and he put her hand on her back to keep her steady. She took a deep breath, her eyes already starting to gloss over.

“Ed…” she said softly, raising her hand to his cheek. He felt his throat close up as he watched how she struggled to breathe.

“Stay right here, Sweetheart, I’ll go get the doctor as fast as I can-”

“No!” she interrupted, gripping his shirt as tightly as she could (which wasn’t very tight). “I need you to stay here with me. I don’t know how much longer…” she trailed off, touching her forehead to her husband’s.

“No, please, you’re going to be alright, I need you to stay,” Edmund sobbed quietly, holding her close.

The queen’s face was streamed with tears as she used all her energy to wrap her arms around him. “Ed, darling,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Keep Horace safe, please. Let him live the wonderful life he deserves to live.”

He let out another sob as he ran his hands through his wife’s hair. “I will, I promise I will.”

“I love you so much, dear,” she said, her eyes falling shut. Her body shook one last time, then went entirely limp.

“I love you too, my Starlight,” he responded, but his words were heard by no one. He let out a pained scream as tears rushed down his cheeks. His throat was closing up and every breath was a struggle as he held his wife tightly, wishing she wasn’t growing colder by the second.

It was the Moonstone. He knew it was dangerous, he knew it was a threat to the lives of his family. Why didn’t he do more to stop her? He had stood there and watched her walk to her doom. He could have stopped her. He should have stopped her. And now he was holding her unmoving body, and she had died because of him.

He stayed there for the rest of the night, sitting on the cold floor and holding her in his arms, anguished cries ripping from his throat. He would quietly whisper apologies to her lifeless figure, thinking of everything he had done wrong. “I should have been better for you,” he murmured through tears. “I’m so sorry.”

-

Edmund stood in the Moonstone Chamber the next day, staring down at the glowing rock. He and the Brotherhood had just finished burying the queen, and he couldn’t do anything but reflect on how he had failed her. His eyes were burning as he stared at the thing that had killed the love of his life, but he had run out of tears to cry.

“This stone has destroyed too many lives,” he yelled. “It stops today!”

He had to finish what she started. He had to get revenge for her. He had to succeed, he couldn’t let her death be for nothing.

His sword shattered against the cage surrounding the stone. He reached his hand into the cage, but before he could grab it, Adira and Quirin ran over to pull him away. Their protests and pleads for him to stop fell on deaf ears. His mind was roaring, and all he could focus on was destroying that pebble. He threw them off and strained his arm to try to reach the rock.

The Moonstone sent out another burst of energy, the same kind that killed his love. It didn’t kill him. He didn’t join her. Instead, he let out a bloodcurdling yell, feeling his arm tear away from his body. He fell to his knees and let out a sob.

He failed her again.

-

Later that day, he released his decree that everyone must evacuate the kingdom.

Everyone. His citizens. His castle staff. His knights. His son.

The people were still packing to leave, but they would be gone by nightfall. He would be alone, but everyone else would be safe. That was what mattered.

Edmund walked into the nursery, looking down at his child sleeping peacefully. He hadn’t bared to even look at him since Celeste died, but this was his last chance. Later that day, his son would leave, never to return. He wanted to keep tabs on the child the best he could, but he didn’t think he would be able to. The child would hopefully be as far away from the Dark Kingdom as possible. Edmund wouldn’t even risk the boy knowing his real heritage.

This was the last time he would see his son. He had to make it worth it.

He walked over and picked the boy up, cradling him softly. The child’s eyes cracked open and smiled brightly at the sight of his father. Edmund felt his breath catch in his throat.

He had the same eyes and the same smile as his mother. The resemblance hurt more than anything. The boy raised his arm, trying to grab his father’s face. Edmund smiled tearfully, lifting his son up to kiss his forehead.

“You’re going to do great things, my boy,” he whispered. “And you’ll have mine and your mother’s love with you all your life, even if you don’t know it.”

The child sneezed and looked up with wide eyes. The King let silent tears fall down his face as he looked at the child. He gently squeezed him one last time, then set him back down into the crib. He stole a final look at the (former) heir to the throne, then turned away. He took a shaky breath and pressed his hand to his face, trying to stop the tears from falling.

He was doing the right thing, he knew that. But the right thing hurt him more with every second.

He stepped out of the nursery, watching all the citizens leaving. A maid had promised to take the child and bring him somewhere that he would be cared for. He could only hope that his son ended up with the kind of family and home that Edmund could no longer provide him.

He didn’t bid anyone goodbye. He had chased them away, making sure no one would even want to return. His knights had tried to speak to him, but he had told them to leave. The longer they stayed, the longer they were in danger. He was saving the world from the forces of the Moonstone, even if it meant damning himself to a life trapped in the walls of his own kingdom.

By the end of the day, everyone had left. Edmund was alone in the kingdom. The castle was quiet, and he could hear every one of his footsteps echo. He had never liked being alone with his thoughts.

He passed a painting of him and Celeste and forced a small smile as he looked at her. “He’s going to be okay, he’s going to get the life he deserves, just like I promised,” Edmund said to the painting. “Not a life alone in a destroyed kingdom.” He imagined what it would be like to hear her voice responding one last time, but he was only met with silence.

He strolled slowly down an empty corridor. This was his life now. Alone in the lifelong prison sentence he had brought upon himself. How disgustingly poetic.

He couldn’t help but peek into the Moonstone Chamber, looking at the rock in the center of the room. It seemed to have calmed down. It was no longer flashing brightly, instead it was hovering innocently within the walls of its self-made cage.

The Moonstone had gotten what it wanted: everyone had left. It almost seemed smug. Edmund felt his blood boil as he closed the door to the Chamber. He wouldn’t open it again, he would let the Moonstone stay alone as it wanted.

He looked at the painting of Celeste on the wall again. “Keep an eye on your son, Darling,” he said, looking into her soft eyes. “There won’t be much going on here.”

[willowaudreykeyes]

Prompt: myths and chaos with Logan with the line “so apparently microwaving this ancient manuscript isn’t a good way to find out its secrets.”

Remus’ Puzzle Temple Of Friendship And Chaos

Warnings: Baby eldritch thing, tentacles, one eye, vague sexual reference that’s from a song

Platonic Logince, brotherly-and-on-good-terms Creativitwins and Intrulogical of whatever relationship interpretation that you want.

------------------------------------------------------

Roman

“Remind me to thank your brother at dinner tonight.”

“That’s if we make it to dinner. And you all call me extra; he made an entire temple for us to explore within a week!” He spent a lot of energy on it too. I still remember the shaky finger he pointed at me after the second day of working on this Incan-like temple; slurring tiredly about not going into the space between our Kingdoms and ruining the surprise. He also forced me to carry him to his room as he dangerously swayed on his feet. I’ll have to thank him by working just as hard for his and Logan’s adventure after the two of us finish this one.

“I know; yet I’ve yet to thank him for doing so. And I must ask how long it took to make this language.” Taking my first glance at said language, I recognise it immediately as the first language that Remus and I had known. We had known it better than English at one point, until Patton insisted that we make English our main language so that we wouldn’t confuse Thomas. 

“Oh, we’ve always known it. We used to speak it in front of Patton as kids to confuse him and we still use it occasionally whenever we send a letter, or in his case a slab of mysterious leather, between our Kingdoms.”

“So you can translate this?”

“Of course!” I hold the slightly chipped black and red tablet out at arms length, quickly noticing that everything on the tablet makes no sense. No wonder he was so tired after every day in the Imagination; he even made us a puzzle. “It’s encrypted though, so we have to figure out what the cypher is first. And knowing Remus, it could be anything.”

He takes it from my hands and adjusts his glasses for the fiftieth time today before tapping his chin. I doubt Logan realises that he has so many visual tells when he becomes passionate and interested. “He would leave a clue somewhere where we could find it. He’s chaotic, not unfair.”

“Aha!” In a spark of inspiration, I rough up my hair and gain a huff of defeat from the neighbourhood nerd as I do the same to his own. It had dust from the temple in it anyway. “We just have to think like Remus! Now what’s the most logical place to put a cypher for this thing?”

“Where we found it.”

“Okay. Now what’s the opposite of that?”

His eyebrows do that cute thing where they pinch down a bit when he’s confused. I don’t bother hiding my smile as his eyes shift around, taking in invisible words as he tries to find my line of thinking. “I’m… not following. The opposite of where we found it is every room that we didn’t find it in, and we went through forty-three rooms and eight hallways; perhaps half or less of the entire temple judging by the size and spacing between each room.”

“And only twelve not-too-tough traps, which is less then his usual quota…” Probably because of the exhaustion, but I should have figured that out earlier. I’ll up the level of hazards in his next one as a double thank you for his hard work. “Anyway, we must think chaotically if we are to beat the chaotic one!”

With a silent nod, he attempts to fix his hair as I take in our camp and the temple before us. It’s very reminiscent of an Incan temple in design yet is mainly made out of pitch black obsidian; with intricate wall carvings engraved with pure ruby, emerald, moonstone and diamond; and a whole lot of animal and human skulls that are packed tightly into every ceiling. And I must say, adding the creatures from both of our Kingdoms as the wall carvings is a nice touch. 

Except I won’t say it out loud because the majority of them are of naked people, naked cannibals and of naked murders. 

At least our camp has some more class to it! Logan wished for something realistic, but was soon swayed by my enchanted Harry Potter tent that’s magically large enough to have a working bathroom and still look like a ‘regular’ camping tent from the outside. I do like regular camping, but I prefer to have a shower after a tub of Thomas-knows-what is dropped over us and getting into every uncomfortable crevasse. Just thinking about that disgusting concoction makes me shudder.

“... Perhaps our microwave?”

I snap my gaze back to him, beaming at his rather shy sounding remark. He always sounds shy when he says something that deviates from his path of logic. At least he’s opening up a little more. “Perfect! I knew you’d think of something!”

“It was the first usable thing that I saw. Were you daydreaming again?”

“Nope- Using the microwave to solve a cypher sounds like something Remus’ mind would think up. He did mix sardines, lettuce and one of your ties in the blender before drinking it once.” I mumble the last half -I probably shouldn’t out Remus just yet for drinking Logan’s tie a few months ago- and put the tablet in the microwave and set it to three minutes. Three is the magic number after all.

“Did you say something?” 

“Mumbling ideas to myself is all!”

The microwave suddenly glows a bright purple and I manage to drag Logan in close before blocking something from hitting the both of us with my summoned shield. With a pop, crackle, fizz and several loud noises that sound like tearing metal; I risk peeking over it in perfect sync with Logan. The sight of three large tentacles wiggling out of the new holes in the camp's microwave brings out a sigh from me. A very loud sigh. Remus could probably hear it and currently giggling to himself from the comfort of his bedroom.

“It may be best not to touch those. Or the microwave.”

“But the tablet!” Logan pushes by my shield and barely escapes my reach before I am able to pull him away. With a straight posture and a quick slick back of his hair, he opens it and nearly jumps into my arms Scooby-Doo style from the loud pop that occurs. I’m in front of him again within a moment, but the usual feeling of hostility that Remus puts on his dangerous creatures as a warning is lacking. At least this thing won’t try and face-hug me like that faceless chicken that guarded the temple did.

Inside was a brown-black-blue ball of tentacles, with three longer than the others that retract out of the newly-made holes in the microwave. My heart stutters as a singular, goat-like, boysenberry coloured eye opens from one of the many seams in the creature; just to quickly dart it’s vision between the two of us before landing it’s creepy gaze on Logan. “Huh. So apparently, microwaving the ancient manuscript isn’t a good way to find it’s secrets- but a great way to hatch an eldritch abomination.”

“If you’d hand me a blanket, perhaps bringing it with us would be advantageous in future explorations.” Of course he wants to bring the nightmare creature; he always does. I hand him the nearby dish towel instead as I don’t feel like leaving this thing alone with Logan would end nicely.

“As long as you're carrying it.”

“Of course; you’re the one with the sword and shield.” I’m rather sure that that means that he would make me carry the disgusting creature if I wasn’t the one with our only ways of defending ourselves; and I don’t know if I should dramatically put my hand to my chest in horror or just pout.

I go for the pout.

Only for it to be rather rudely ignored as he cradles the little beast in its new home, wrapping it’s longer tentacles around Logan’s hands and attempting to remove his watch for a moment before I manage to grab it before they do. Logan’s too busy holding it in one hand and going through his cue cards to notice though. “And I shall name it as randomly as I can; since Remus seems to name all of his creations.” 

“Why?”

“It’s only polite to follow custom; and the custom for Remus is to name his creatures.” I hate everything about this -plus the tablet is just full on missing or destroyed now too- but Logan seems enraptured by the little thing. I roll my eyes and put on my backpack as Logan already begins walking up the temple steps. We just had lunch, so we have a chance of leaving before dinner, but I highly doubt it.

Despite not being able to see, the creature manages to grab out one of the cue cards from Logan’s hand before letting him snatch it back. With a quick smile after reading it, he pockets them all again before getting a better hold of the thing before it runs away and eats a whole deer or something. “It’s name shall be Anaconda-Do-Not.”

God-fucking-dammit Remus. I frown at the thing as we enter the fire-lit entrance, glad that its eye is hidden under the dish towel. Sheep eyes have always kind of creeped me out; especially on things that aren’t sheep. “You’re not allowed to hang out with Remus, Virgil or Janus anymore if they keep giving you those weirder cue cards.”

“This one’s from Remus. It’s a metaphor about-”

“I KNOW WHAT IT IS!” A light pain follows my facepalm, but I ignore it and march onwards. Hoping to get rid of this thing as quickly as possible. “Let’s just… go shove it into a keyhole or something already.”

------------------------------------------------------ 

By the way, I really hate that stupid Anaconda song and so I know that it’d be perfect for Remus. Hopefully the ending is alright because it was the only bit I really had issues with ^^’

Oh and Remus definitely fell in love with the new Eldritch creatures name.

@ladyedwina @5am-the-foxing-hour @sparrowofsong

[minghaocouture]

Pairing: Kwon Soonyoung X Gender Neutral Reader Genre: Modern Magic AU, Fluff Warning: Language WC: 4K+

A/N: @svtxsoju​ HAPPY HOLIDAYS BINU!!! I know it’s a bit late but here you got <333 I wub you sooooo much and I hope you have a happy new year!! Also this is the last of my simper council holiday gifts so once the new year starts i’ll go back to working on my actual requests!

“That’ll be $24.78” The rather small vile in your hand held no more than 8mm of the shiny silver liquid. It was strange, and almost looked like glittery dish soap if you had no clue what you were looking at. It wasn’t a surprise to you when your customer gasped, shocked at how much such a small amount cost. His open palm slammed down harshly on the counter that separated the two of you.

“That’s ridiculous! Vetra’s shop was selling this for $10!” At his words, you wrapped your fingers around the small vial and pulled it away from him. 

“Then go buy it at Vetra’s place, half the price for half the quality.” You retorted, rolling your eyes at the man’s attempt to have you lower your price. “Some of us actually put in the labor to make these potions, and I’ll be damned if I slaved over these vials just for some ass wipe to try and get me to dock my prices. So either buy this for $24, or get out of my shop.”

It might have seemed harsh, but you weren’t one to put up with bullshit. There were quite a few potion shops around town but very few actually made their own stock, many just buying it online and reselling it in a different container. Not you though, you put energy and so much magic into your work and you weren’t going to be haggled. At least not by some low rank vampire trash who thought he was better than everyone. 

The male bared his fangs towards you, causing you to roll your eyes. Your free hand subtly reaching down below your register and grabbing a small pure silver dagger, just to prepare for a fight just in case. Vampires were usually the ones who tried to start something, so it was left there as a precaution for yourself and your employees. 

The vampire growled, his eyes flickering over to a display of yours and you felt your heart sink. With a speed you could barely see the male had thrust his arm out, knocking the carefully put together display from the counter before he stormed out of the store.

“Get out of my way!”  You heard him shout, shoving past a customer who was trying to enter the building. 

You called out a small welcome as the door shut but didn’t bother to identify the new customer as you got to cleaning up. It wouldn’t be terrible but it was very annoying and exhausting. Placing your dagger back into its usual position before pulling your wand out of your back pocket. 

“Novis Tempus” You muttered, flicking your wand into the direction of the mess now covering the linoleum floor of your shop. You felt the magic slip from your core, travel through your fingertips, down the mahogany of your wand and seeping out from the purples and blue of the fluorite perched at the end of your wand.

Your spell slipped through the air, a small light pink aura circling the mess that had spilled. Slowly it began to change. The liquid from the spilled vials slithered back into the glass, the shattered vials stitching themselves back together, and the wood from the broken standee returning to its rightful positions. It took a few seconds but you always loved watching as it happened, and soon your display was once again perched on the countertop where it had previously been standing. 

Despite being a rather seasoned witch, the spell was advanced and took quite a bit of energy which left you rather exhausted. You were pretty grateful that your cover, a younger and much less experienced witch, named Christopher, would be arriving within the hour to take over so you could recoup the spent energy.

“Looks like I missed a party!” 

The familiar voice instantly brought a grin to your face, your eyes flickering over to be greeted by the bright shining face of your favorite customer.

“Soonyoung! I thought you weren’t gonna make it in today, you’re later than usual.” You replied, making your way over to where you kept your...commissioned items. It was rare for you to get werewolves in here, most of their species didn’t really try to tone down their transformations, they enjoyed letting out their beast once a month. Not to mention how dangerous, time consuming, and expensive making a wolfsbane potion was, which definitely made them...one of your more pricey items that you would only make if requested, so most werewolves couldn’t afford it even if they wanted to. (though if someone was really desperate and you had the time you’d probably give them the first one for free. You’re not completely heartless.)

The male jutted out his lower lip at his words being ignored, it was kind of ridiculous how adorable he was when he pouted like that. Maybe that was why you poked his buttons like that, or at least the buttons you were aware of. Despite his monthly visits, you hadn’t tried to meet him outside of work before. A shame really.

As you crouched down to the bottom shelf where you kept requests, you heard the male start up. His voice always brought a smile to your face, his mood must just be contagious. 

“I uhh missed my train?” Obviously a lie, but you weren’t going to point it out. After all, it wasn’t any of your business; he was just a customer. A very funny and endearing customer but a customer nonetheless. 

Pulling out the large circular bottle, complete with a wooden cork shoved into the neck. The light blue liquid swirled in the glass with an almost eerie glow. You doubted that you would ever get used to the aura that the wolfsbane potion gave off. Bottle in hand, you returned to your register where Soonyoung stood with a small almost nervous grin on his face. Placing the bottle down on the marble countertop, you slid it forward with a single finger.

“Well, you better head out then, before you miss your train home.” You joked, watching as the tension seemed to drift away from him. At least he seemed more comfortable now. “Same thing for next month? Doing another early payment?”

You watched Soonyoung grab the fragile bottle and slide it snuggly into the backpack he was carrying (you were honestly surprised it survived the trip home considering how you’d seen the young man run.) As he did so, he pulled out the familiar pale blue wallet that he kept inside. 

“As always! You already know my schedule so well!” He said happily, pulling out a bundle of cash and handing it over to you. “It’s on the 25th next month and I can come grab it on the 21st. Is that enough time?” 

His question caused you a brief pause, filing through a mental category of your stock. You were almost out of moonstone after the last potion so you’d need to restock and then powder that, but nothing extreme so you confirmed this with a nod and a finalization of his payment. 

“Well, I’ll see you next month then!” Considering this had been your routine for the past few months, you expected a small farewell before the bleach blond bounded from the store. So you pulled out your inventory book and began writing notes about his potion. Today was different though, as he lingered. You could feel his piercing eyes on you for a moment, just watching before he spoke up once more.

“I was...actually wondering if you were free anytime today?” You froze, your pen hovering over the parchment as your brain processed what had just been asked of you. Weighing the pros and cons of being honest with him, on one hand he was kind and you had just been thinking about what it would be like to actually befriend the male but on the other hand, this could have been a long game plan if he was some crazy killer. It was unfortunately, but you had to think of things like that, especially with the recent surge of missing persons cases. 

“No pressure! I know it’s super weird and suspicious that I’m asking buuut, you’re pretty cool and I’d actually like to get to know you! Not to be a creep, but like as a friend.” 

It was sweet, and the smile on his face was definitely inviting enough. So against your better judgement, you let out a small sigh.

“I get off at 5, think you can wait til then?” 

If his neutral face was bright, then his cheerful one was blinding. His grin stretched from ear to ear and you watched as he pumped a fist into the air out of excitement. It was honestly really sweet and made your heart flutter that he was that excited to spend time with you outside of work. 

“Yeah! I’ll hang around the district and come back when you’re off!” With that the male literally bounded out of your shop. As the door slammed shut behind him, silence surrounded you and couldn’t stop the joyful laughter from spilling from your lips.  

You helped out a few more customers before Chris arrived, but once he did you quickly got to work on preparing to leave. Doing things like going over inventory, and rearranging some things that customers had decided to touch, with just a bit more pep in your step than usual. Which Chris definitely noticed.

“Someone’s in a hurry. Usually I have to push you out the door, just so you’ll go home and rest.” You had known Chris for a few years and he of course had seen right through you. Because of this you saw no reason to defend yourself.

“Yeah, you know that Werewolf regular?”

“Soonyoung?”

“Yeah, him. Well, he asked if I wanted to hang out after work,” You explained, trying to keep casual about the whole ordeal despite how excited you were. Finalizing your inventory check, you slid your work book back under the counter and when you stood up once more, Chris was smirking in your direction, rather smugly in fact. “What?”

“I was wondering when this was going to happen. He’s always making eyes at you whenever he comes in. It’s right cute.” He teased, and you were grateful that no one else was in the store to hear this. Feeling a heat rush to your face, you rolled your eyes at the male.

“Come off it Chris, He does not.”

“He does! He’s always like this!” He exclaimed, before quickly adjusting his position to show an example. Leaning one elbow on the counter he placed his cheek in his palm and just began staring at you with a sweetly intent look. You hated to admit it, but you had caught Soonyoung staring like that...once or twice, but you weren’t going to tell Chris that.

“Maybe you need to go get those eyes checked out, cause you’re seeing things.” You declared, slipping past him into the break room that was hidden past the door behind the counter. You almost cheered in relief as you heard the familiar bell ring through the store, signaling a new customer entering. Which meant that Chris wouldn’t be able to follow after you and the embarrassment would be over.

That was...not the case when you heard Chris’ cheerful voice greet the customer.

“Soonyoung! Nice to see ya! It’s been a while, you usually come in when I’m off.” 

You mind blanked and you quickly got all of your belongings together, shoving your phone in your pocket before rushing out of the break room. Only to find Soonyoung and Chris laughing cheerfully as they spoke to one another. You almost let out a physical sigh of relief when you realized it was just a regular conversation and Chris hadn’t strayed the topic over to you. 

When Soonyoung saw you though, his eyes lit up like it was some sort of holiday even though he had just seen you about an hour ago. Honestly, nothing had probably even changed about your appearance since then and yet he still looked at you like you...radiant. 

“See ya later Chris, you have my number if anything happens. Don’t burn down the store!” The male in question quickly formed a mock salute that was almost as serious as a real one, if it weren’t for the intent purpose of making fun of you. 

“Aye aye, Parental unit!”

Rolling your eyes, you gestured for Soonyoung to follow you and soon the two of you were gone. Off on an adventure that would be the first spark in a well lit fire.

***

When you left with Soonyoung, you were expecting the typical things that a guy does when he takes people out. What you got was...much different. 

He started off by taking you to get a bite to eat, you were pretty hungry after your shift and so you were pretty grateful for that. The place was pretty small, a little mom and pop shop run by some friends of his named Seungkwan and Seokmin. If you thought Soonyoung was funny, then him with his two friends was absolutely hysterical, especially when he would tell stories of their adventures and imitate his two friends. (Seungkwan was not happy about that later part). 

That’s when things took a turn.

Instead of a typical, let’s go see a movie, Soonyoung suggested a nearby gym area. Now it wasn’t really a ‘gym’, it was more of an entertainment location. It had things like rock climbings, a large number of trampolines, and even some feats of courage where you would try to jump from a singular platform to a large punching bag looking object while you were at least 20 feet off the ground (or at least that’s what it felt like once you were up there). 

Which is currently where you were, harness strapped snuggly around you and a helmet placed firmly on your head. Eyes staring out at the large gap between you and your target, your hands pressing firmly against the cold metal of the pillar that you had just climbed up.

“Going to be completely honest, Soonie! I don’t think I got this!” You called out to the male who stood below with the service tech. He was suited up quite similarly as he was preparing to go right after you, but had dared you to try it first since you’d never been here before.

“I thought you were a witch, don’t witches fly?” He called back, confusion lacing his voice. It did provide a small laugh from you. 

“Flying on a broomstick, and jumping crazy distances are two completely different things! I really don’t think I can do this!”

“Yes you can! Just scream Horanghae, it can take away all your fears!” He shouted back, earring him a rather confused look from you.

“Horanghae??”

“Horanghaaaaaae!” His voice almost tripled in volume as he confirmed the rather strange phrase, you probably wouldn’t have thought anything of it if he were like...a were-tiger, but he wasn’t. He was just full of surprises.

Taking a deep breath you heard him chant the phrase as you steeled yourself. With one last intake, you leaped forward with a loud scream of, what seemed to be, his favorite word. To your surprise, the distance was quite small once you were in the air and you latched onto the tube like a koala. Your was heavy and your heart was throbbing, but hearing Soonyoung go absolutely crazy below in excitement made it all worth it.

The two of you didn’t stay too much longer after that, going out into the now dark city. You hadn’t even realized how late it had gotten until you exited the building and were on your way to what Soonyoung was referring to as the ‘last bit’.

Now here you were, laying on your back in the middle of a park and staring up at the stars. Soonyoung was going on and on about the stars and these different constellations that his friend Wonwoo had shown him. It was...sweet, but you were only partially listening. You were conflicted, you really really liked him but...he was a customer. Wouldn’t it be weird to be crushing on a customer? Wouldn’t it? 

“And that one is my favorite because it looks like a tiger! Isn’t it cool?”

Your eyes drifted over to him as he stared up at the night sky with those bright cheerful eyes that seemed to envelop your whole being with joy. His pale blonde hair gently brushed against his forehead with every small gust of wind. The light in his brown eyes was enchanting to see, and his smile...well it was radiant. 

“Yeah...it’s beautiful.”

But you weren’t talking about the stars.

***

“And every time he’s around my heart is racing and It’s like all I can think about is him! Do you know how hard it is to help other customers when he comes into the store? It’s impossible.” It hadn’t been your intent to rant to Chris about Soonyoung, yet here you were. He had just asked if you were hanging out with the wolfman today and that sparked a 20 minute long tangent about the last 6 months that you had been spending with Soonyoung outside of work.

“You’re in love with him?”

“Chris you can’t just say the L word out loud!” You exclaimed, slapping a hand over Christopher’s mouth as if his words would call the male into the store. Chris rolled his eyes and peeled your hand off of his face before taking a grip on your shoulders. 

“Just confess to him, it’s not like he doesn’t feel the same way. I swear you could dump boiling hot soup on his lap and he would thank you just because it’s you.” Chris declared, which was absolutely ridiculous. No one would thank someone for pouring soup on them, that was a dumb analogy.

You shrugged off his hands, and propped yourself up on the countertop since there were no customers in the store. Crossing your arms over your chest and letting out a frustrated groan as your gaze lifted to the ceiling. 

“He’s still a customer, wouldn’t that be weird.” Out of the corner of your eye you could see Chris fixing you with a rather confused look. So you continued. “I mean, like what if he doesn’t like me and then it’s super awkward and he feels uncomfortable coming back into the shop? Not only would I just get to deal with a broken heart, but he could also like report us? Right? For like, being inappropriate?”

Chris snorted in disbelief at your ridiculous statement, so you turned your gaze to him and shot a glare in his direction. 

“He wouldn’t report you, dumbo. I’m telling you, just go for it. You might be pleasantly surprised with his response.”

Before you could retort, claiming that Chris was being way too optimistic for his own good, the doorbell rang and the two of you turned to greet the new customer.

“Soonyoung! What a surprise, we were just talking about you!” Your heart sunk at Chris’ words, and you shot him a dirty look, jamming your elbow harshly into his side. Which caused him to let out a loud yelp as you greeted Soonyoung. 

The male in question didn’t seem to notice anything was odd, and just beamed at the two of you as he sauntered up to the counter. The weight in your back pocket felt heavy as you watched him. It was a few days before his birthday and the two of you decided to hang out together since you wouldn’t be able to take the whole day off for his party (yes you were the boss, but it was just you and Chris and you weren’t gonna leave the poor guy alone all damn day. You weren’t heartless). He greeted Chris with a grin before turning his attention solely to you.

“Ready to head out?”

“Almost I’ve still got to fin-”

“Yup, they’re totally ready!” Chris exclaimed, shoving you towards the gap in the counter as he cut you off. “I’ve got everything under control here! Have fun kids!” Honestly it felt like he was your parent sending you off on your first date which made this all the more embarrassing. 

Soonyoung seemed to notice the conflicting words and a bright laugh left his lips, his eyes slipping shut as his smile grew with his laughter. It only took a moment for him to recover and then extend his hand towards you, and without even thinking about it you took the offered hand. You could practically feel Chris’s eyes boring into your skull, the smug look on his face saying ‘i told you so’, as the two of you left the store. 

You lead Soonyoung by the hand over to your car and he quickly climbed into the passenger side of the car. You followed much slower, pulling his gift out of your pocket before sliding into the drivers seat.

Not bothering to turn the car on yet, you turned to face him. The small black box held tightly in your hands, as if it were the only thing keeping you cemented in the moment. You almost wished you had taken one of those courage potions you sold, maybe you’d be less anxious right now, but you wanted this moment to be true to your feelings and the potion would have just muddled that up. Giving you a false sense of strength when you needed to find it on your own this time. 

“Happy Birthday Soonie.” You flashed him a small smile, passing over the tiny box. He gasped and took it from you quickly, pulling open the lid to reveal a necklace. The cord was made of leather, which would be smoother to wear than a metal chain, and a gem at the center. A piece of Tiger’s eye with a shiny golden wire wrapped intricate around the stone which kept it in place.

“It’s not much but that’s a Tiger’s eye. It wards off negative energy, dispels fears, and helps bring good luck. I mean, it had more uses than that, those are just some of them. I figured it’d be good for you since you said you were worried about starting that new job, and it’s also a tiger’s eye and I know you really like tigers, and i like you so obviously i remembered that about you. “ You continued to ramble on as Soonyoung pulled the necklace out of the box and stared at it as if you had just gifted him the most priceless gem in the world. Your heart ached as you watched him slip the cord over his neck and turn to face you. Your heart sputtered as his eyes met yours and you felt yourself practically melt in your seat when he took your hand once more.

“Was that a confession I heard? You really like me? Like...like like me?” All at once you realized what you had done, Chris would never let you hear the end of this. It was probably the worst confession in the history of confessions.

You tore your gaze away, your eyes firmly planting on the sight of his hand gripping yours. 

“I mean, yeah what’s not to like. You’re hilarious, sweet, and honestly really hot too. It’s almost ridiculous how perfect you are, and I jus-” You felt your words trail off as his free hand reached out and cupped your cheek, forcing you to look up at him once again. You almost completely combusted at the sight of his watching you as if you had hung the stars just for him.

“Would it be cheesy to say that cast a love spell on me.”

“Love spells are highly illegal.”

“Just let me be cheesy!” He pouted, but his eyes never lost that loving spark. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to yours and you felt like time had completely come to a stand still. You knew what you wanted, and from what he said you were hopeful that he wanted the same thing.

“Soonyoung, will you...kiss me?” As soon as the question left your lips, he had taken them with his own. It was like something clicked into place as he kissed you, his lips pressing firmly against your own as his hand slid to gently grip the back of your neck. Everything was perfect, he was perfect. 

When the moment passed, he pulled away and let out a laugh.

“Best. Birthday. Gift. Ever.”

[akizumy]

Duty (DK AU)

I know I’m late to the party, but hey, this one is getting a bit old and I thought why not share it ! Based on @finnoky ‘s wonderful Dark Kingdom AU, and its angsty fanarts ! This is my first tumblr post (how does this website even work ahah) and I’m proud to say it is an angsty One shot. I hope you’ll enjoy it and that it’s okay !

-----

 Varian took a shaky breath, the air cold in his lungs, as cold as the black rocks, as cold as the electric blue eyes watching him.  What happened ?  Under his feet, Varian could feel the black rocks pulsing with energy, one that had always been there, and would always be; they were filled with a different energy now, but it was one nonetheless.  Why did he do that ?  Across from the bridge, where the Moonstone once rested, was Eugene; or someone resembling him instead.  Eugene didn't have blue hair.  Eugene didn't have blue eyes.  Above all, Eugene didn't look at Varian without joy or care. Before, there used to always be something warm in his smiles or words, something that was odd for the teen supposed to protect him.  When he was first given the duty to look after Eugene, Varian had tried to stay neutral, to remain by Eugene's side because it was just that- his duty as a member of the Brotherhood. He was expected to keep the Prince safe, and that was all : it was actually his first task given after joining the Brotherhood, so he was determined to do it right.  But day after day, year after year, him and Eugene had grown closer. There was just something about the older man's personality, his humor and adventurous side that Varian couldn't help but enjoy. Varian knew it was his fault : he was just a kid, and having to protect the Prince himself resulting in said Prince starting to give him attention, well... Of course he soon craved for his friendship and to get to know him better.  That's not what happened, though. More than friends, they quickly became brothers, despite not being from the same family. Eugene was caring for Varian and protected him -which the teen was always kind of ashamed of, because wasn't he supposed to be the one protecting the Prince ?-, taking the blame when one of their pranks went wrong- because yes, Eugene initiated the young teen to pranks. Varian wasn't sure when it started or why, but he was glad it happened nonetheless.  The truth was that when Eugene first saw this kid with his back straightened and serious expression, he felt a pang in his chest. He didn't want someone protecting him -especially a kid, like come on he was so small-, and he didn't want... that. As the Prince of the Dark Kingdom, he wasn't really allowed to see other people, and he was craving to get human interactions; but that kid ? He was lacking any personnality, any... humanity.  He knew he wasn't going to be able to get rid of him -"The Brotherhood is really important and have sworn loyalty blablabla"-, but he might be able to at least make him more... I don't know, alive ?  It was pretty difficult at first, because man the kid was "loyal" and "devoted to his duty"; but with enough time, Varian -because yes, he had a name- started to loosen up a little. It was then that Eugene made discoveries, like the kid was actually extremely clever, curious or pretty chatty; it was also then that Eugene came to see of him as a little brother. He finally had someone to spare him from his dull life, and something told him the feeling was mutual.  Maybe that's why it hurt that much for things to come to this.  Eugene had planned everything before taking the Moonstone. Everything, even what this would imply for Varian. I can't fail now, he thought as he reached out to the Mind Trap. In front of him, he saw Varian's eyes go wide, because of course he recognized the Talisman : to his eyes, it could be the end of him, after all. Varian didn't say a word, only staring at Eugene, and the latter ignored the sorrow and pain he could see there. He had to do this, and this was not the end of their friendship- their family. Once he used the Mind Trap, then-  An arrow hit the talisman, sending it flying away; luckily, it didn't fall off of the bridge. Varian took another one of his arrows and pointed his bow at Eugene this time. Now that there wasn't the threat of the Mind trap, he only needed one shot to pull his target down. He had to, it was his duty as member of the Brotherhood to keep the Moonstone safe, to keep others safe.  Eugene moved to reach the talisman, and Varian followed him with his bow, ready to shoot.  Memories flooded his mind. Eugene and him stealing in the royal kitchens. Eugene and him playing hide and seek. Eugene and him going out of the royal palace to see the town and its inhabitants.  He had to shoot now because once Eugene would get the Mind Trap back, then he was done for.  Eugene actually celebrating the alchemist’s birthday, offering him a special gift he went to buy in town just for the occasion. Them both reading the tales of Flynnigan Rider. Their games, their pranks, their silly nickname- "Team Awesome".  Eugene outstretched his hand.  The day he realized both that he cared too much about Eugene and that this would be his doom.  That day was today.  Eugene snatched the talisman, slightly damaged by the arrow, and felt anger rising in him. The Dark Prince had no choice but to do that, and he wanted Varian to be by his side, together like they always have been ! But Varian- he had nearly destroyed their last chance at happiness. Turning to the younger man, Eugene grabbed the Mind Trap with both of his hands, focusing his power in it to activate it. "That's enough, Varian." Why would Varian fight him ?  The symbol on it immediatly glowed a bright blue, the same blue as Eugene's hair and eyes. The Moonstone wielder heard the sound of Varian's bow hitting the ground and saw him fall to his knees.  The same blue as both of their eyes.  Eugene walked to Varian, his emotions a mix of concern and relief. He did it. He used the Mind Trap on him. Putting the talisman away, the dark prince gently helped Varian up and the boy limply went along. This was good. This was what had to be done. Patting the younger's head, Eugene smiled. "See kid ? I knew you'd come around eventually." Of course, Varian didn't answer, not even looking at him with his glowing, lifeless eyes. Eugene winced, as if finally realizing what all of this implied- what he had done to another human being- what he had done to Varian, his brother-  He shook his head and walked away, the alchemist following him. It was too late for regrets anyway.  Varian's mind was blank. There was nothing, no thoughts, no feelings; but that nothingness was sometimes troubled by flashes of memories that something deep down within was fighting to make resurface.  A warm smile.  Books.  A birthday celebration.  Gentle brown eyes.  But that was stupid. The only eyes he knew were not brown, they were electric blue, blue like the Moonstone. And since he swore loyalty to it, then these blue eyes were all that he had to care about; not the books, not the celebrations, and not the brown eyes as well. So he buried these flashes of memories as soon as they resurfaced, because they didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was protecting the man with blue eyes.  And he would protect him, for the sole reason that it was his duty.

[harrysweasleys]

a lesson in chemistry // r.l

summary: hey! i was wondering if you could do one where the reader does really bad in a test and remus comforts her? thank u!!

warnings: none

word count: 2.6k

a/n: i am close to 1k and was thinking of doing an event but i know i’m gonna forget and it’s just not going to go well so i just wanna say THANK YOU to all you sweet sweet beings for following my mess of a blog! :)

——

Moonstone. Powdered porcupine quills. Powdered unicorn horn.

The three ingredients repeated themselves over and over in your head as you sat by yourself in the common room nearing two o’clock in the morning, the messy notebook spread open in front of you as your eyes tried to droop shut.

It was nearly impossible for you to focus on the fuzzy words, but you forced yourself to stay as awake as you possibly could so that tomorrow’s quiz would be a breeze. That’s why you were studying, wasn’t it?

Remus and Sirius had promised to help you out, but the two had trudged off to bed nearly an hour ago, practically already asleep. For two people who seemed so adamant on ‘all nighters’ they had gone to bed rather early, in your opinion. You quite missed their company — Remus more than Sirius — and wished you could at least have someone here to help keep your mind sharp.

But, here you were, all by your lonesome and wrapped in a scarlet and gold knitted blanket that your parents had made you, the crackling fireplace heating you up, and the words in front of you making you sleepy.

You couldn’t comprehend why no one else seemed stressed or even worked up about this quiz — exam, actually — which made studying it just that much more frustrating. You figured people would care about their marks and scores, right?

“The potion should result in a cool blue colour,” you mumbled to no one in particular, the words trying their best to etch into your brain, “A cool blue colour. Not to be mistaken with Draught of Peace which is a warm blue colour.”

You let out a quiet groan and rested your head against the back of the couch cushion. Potions class was never your strong suit, but you had found it fascinating. And, of course, hou didn’t want to seem like you were lost, so studying hours on end seemed to be the only passing solution here.

The large ticking clock on the wall told you it was five minutes past two o’clock, and the exam was at ten o’clock the next day. Only eight hours left for you to memorize every last word.

Eight hours.

As you glanced back down at the book, your eyes felt heavier than they were not a minute ago, and your head felt as if it were on a cloud. The room around you seemed to vanish down a long, long tunnel...

——

“D’you think if we poke her she’ll jump?”

“Sirius, that’s just rude.”

“C’mon, it’d be funny though. What if we poured pumpkin juice on her?”

“No, let’s just calmly wake her up.”

“You’re boring, Remus.”

Your eyes fluttered open to two overly familiar faces crouched in front of you. Remus, his hair messy and his eyes watching you cautiously, and Sirius with his signature smirk.

“Get out of my face,” you sat up, throwing the blanket off of and trying to figure out where you were. The Gryffindor common room felt very different when you were waking up in it.

The fire embers were burning low and the morning sunlight blazed through the windows, the room brighter than it had ever seemed before. The blanket was still comfortable draped over your body, warm and comforting, and the heavy textbook was still open on your lap with the page slightly crumpled as your hand rested upon it.

Suddenly, as if hit by a train once you noticed the book, you remembered, “Bloody hell, it’s the Potions quiz today.”

Remus chuckled, “Relax. It’s in, like, an hour.”

You threw the blanket off of your body and grabbed the book, shaking your head, “You don’t get it, Remus. I don’t know anything.”

“That can’t be true,” Remus furrowed his eyebrows at you.

Sirius pat you on the shoulder, sitting next to you on the couch and closing the book with a loud thump, “You’ll be fine. You just need to eat.”

So you let the two boys lead you down to the Great Hall, where the loud hustle and bustle of the early morning made it nearly impossible to focus on the jumble of words on the worn out pages in front of you. The book, although informative, was clearly written for someone who actually understood what the hell everything meant. And it was harder to understand anything when the ruckus around you made it difficult to even read said things.

It bothered you greatly that Remus — the person you considered your best friend — didn’t seem to care about the exam. Were you overreacting?

It wasn’t your fault, really. You took schoolwork very seriously and sometimes that meant overreacting. Over-studying. Over-planning. All of the above.

But, better to be safe than sorry — isn’t that the saying?

When the Great Hall crowd became dispersed, you knew that meant classes were beginning and you felt your nerves kick in at the thought. You shut the book rather loudly and followed Remus to the Potions classroom, no words being exchanged between the two of you — which you were thankful for, to be honest.

“You got this,” Remus flashed you a grin as you slowly walked into the class together, taking your usual seats in the middle. You didn’t like being too close, nor too far from the teacher. These seats were perfect.

“I don’t need false hope,” you groaned, resting your head on the table, “I need answers.”

He chuckled, “Sorry, you know me. I can’t cheat. But if this test goes wrong, I can tutor you.”

You lifted your head quickly, a bright red spot on your forehead from where it was previously pressed up against the wooden desk, “Wait, really? You’d do that?”

“Of course,” he smirked, running his hand through his hair in a stupidly attractive manner, “What are friends for?”

You flashed him a bright grin, “Oh, you’re the best, Remus.”

His cheeks turned slightly pink as he smiled back, lowering his head slightly as he flushed at the compliment. You felt your heart leap at his flustered state, unsure why the strange feeling decided to make its home in your chest.

You brushed it aside as the professor entered the class and handed out the quiz papers, making sure every student was silent and that no cheating would occur.

Within the first glance at the page, your heart sunk, all previous fluttery feelings gone. You had been so focused on remembering ingredients and potion colours that you forgot to study their purposes. The entire first page was asking about what each potion did and who they helped best. And you hadn’t even brushed on that subject during your late night study session.

Long story short, you were screwed.

You closed your eyes, thinking long and hard about each answer, writing down whatever felt right. It was always good to trust your gut instinct right?

In this case, it didn’t feel so right, but you went with it anyways.

What felt like two hours was only really thirty minutes, and the quiz was officially out of your hands. You felt ashamed handing it back — you knew your Professor would think you were a fool, a student who found excuses not to study. And that feeling was nagging you throughout the remainder of class.

“You don’t look so good,” Remus nudged your shoulder once you packed up your books, your entire body slouched and your lips curved downwards into a frown.

“I botched that so bad,” you groaned, tossing your head back and closing your book bag, throwing it over your shoulder, “I was too tired last night and didn’t study everything I wanted to.”

Empathetically, Remus wrapped his arm around your shoulder, guiding you out of the crowded class. You were too busy sulking to pay attention to the fact that Sirius, James and Peter weren’t even with you guys.

“I’ll help you,” Remus said, voice laced with confidence, “I don’t want you doubting your intelligence so I, Remus Lupin, appoint myself as your own personal tutor.”

“Can people self-appoint themselves that?” your face broke into a grin, his humorous antics thankfully distracting you from your disappointment, “You’re too much.”

“But you love me,” he ruffled your hair, removing his arm from around you and slipping his hand into his pocket.

You chuckled, shaking your head as your heart leapt in your chest, “I really do.”

——

“I failed.”

Your voice was weak and quiet as you sat down on the Gryffindor table bench during lunch the week after, your mood rather sour. You had been incredibly worked up that morning, knowing you’d be getting your test results. But now that you’d gotten them, you wanted nothing more than to go back in time where you didn’t have to deal with the reality of the failure.

Remus’ face fell and he placed his hand on your knee, “Ah, I’m sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t do so well either. I think this test was marked more strictly than they usually are.”

Though you appreciated the effort, it didn’t lift your spirits.

“I didn’t think I’d do bad enough to actually fail,” you sighed, slouching your shoulders and resting your elbows lazily on the table, “I’m mad at myself.”

“Hey,” Remus lifted his hand off of your knee and poked you in the shoulder, “Stop that. Seriously. Don’t put yourself down so much.”

“Hard not to,” you leaned forwards and rested your head on your hand, eyeing the food with a frown. Your appetite wasn’t present at the moment.

Remus snapped his fingers in front of your face, “I’m serious, Y/N. I’m here to help you, yeah? We’ll get through this. We’ll improve together. The next quiz won’t even stand a chance against us.”

You wanted to keep sulking, but his words brought a smile to your face. Remus had a way of cheering you up — him and his ways. Something about him.. you just couldn’t stay upset around him.

“Thanks,” you grinned, lifting your arm and poking him in the shoulder as he had done to you previously, “I do feel a little better.”

“Good!” he flashed you a toothy grin, his eyes brightening, “That’s always the intention.”

You stared at him for a good moment, the smile not leaving your face. His freckles seemed more visible than usual, his hair lighter and his eyelashes long against his cheeks each time he blinked. Though his hair was thin and brown, his eyelashes were thicker and darker — it was rather cute. His eyes had specks of green in them and, you had never really noticed before, they had some grey in them too.

You had to snap yourself out of the trance he left you in, unaware and unsure as to what caused it.

Had you just checked Remus out? No. Couldn’t be. He was your friend. Friend. Best friend.

You took a deep breath and began filling your plate, appetite suddenly back. You filled your stomach with chicken pot pie and potatoes, hoping that the faster you ate, the better you’d feel.

But nope.

Though your mind was off of your test, you somehow felt even worse. Remus was all you could focus on. His closeness, his kindness, his warmth, his smell.

“Ready for the afternoon?” Remus stuck his hand out to you as he stood up, shaking you from your weirdly romantic thoughts.

“What?” you blinked, “Oh — yeah, sorry.”

You shook your head and stood up, linking your hand with his as the two of you left the hall and took off towards your next class.

——

“No, no,” Remus shook his head, “You need to add this.”

You stared blankly down at the messy piece of parchment, nodding your head slowly, trying to remember which potion you guys had been talking about in the first place.

“Uh — which one again?” you asked sheepishly, your ears burning at the obvious fact that you weren’t paying attention, “Sorry.”

He let out a small laugh, placing his finger on the page in front of you, “This.”

You were glad that the library was quiet at this time of day, the cloudy weekend morning meaning most students would be choosing to start their day relaxing around in their pyjamas and drinking pumpkin juice.

You, however, while others students got to relax and spend the morning doing nothing, you had the great misfortune of being dragged out of the common room by an equally tired Remus.

“The library is empty in the morning,” he had said at your repeated groaning.

And he was right. The library was empty. The only sound you could hear was your quill scratching against your parchment and Remus’ whispered voice trying to teach you while respecting the library noise rules.

“What potion uses porcupine quills and peppermint sprigs?” he asked, resting his head on his hands and staring at you intently, his eyes focused on you and only you.

“Uh—,” you fought the urge to look down at your parchment notes, “Elixor to Induce Euphoria.”

He grinned, raising his hand to high five you, which you gladly accepted, “See! You got this!” You felt your face warm up at the contact and compliment.

“Next question,” he smirked, leaning even closer to you, “What would you say if I asked you to come to Hogsmeade for a drink?”

“I — what?”

As if the wind was knocked out of you, you couldn’t utter a single sound. Had you heard him right? There was no way.

“Do I need to repeat myself?” he chuckled.

But you still couldn’t find the words.

Yes, you had recently looked at Remus differently, but had it been a crush? It didn’t seem like it at first — but as you looked at him now, his face illuminated by the light outside and the way his hair stuck up in odd places, you realized you did like him.

You liked him. Him and his boisterous laugh, his nervous nail-biting habits, his love for poetry and snow. You loved how he’d always be there for you, ready to crack a corny joke when you were feeling down in the dumps. You loved how he’d always have a book recommendation and a long list of reasons why it would be worth the read. You loved how he always had the neatest handwriting, his notes providing you with bits of information you’d miss in class. How he’d always look forward to dessert because of how delicious he found the pumpkin pasties.

And all it took was him asking you out for you to realize you were falling for your best friend.

“I’d actually like that,” you nodded, aware that your cheeks were probably glowing but you were too giddy to care at the moment. Somehow, you felt as if this was right. There was no strangeness about him asking you — it somehow felt as if you had been waiting ages for him to do so.

“Thank Merlin,” he sighed, relaxing his entire body as his face lit up, “Next weekend?”

“Hm, can’t think of anything I’m doing,” you tapped your finger against your chin, eyebrows raised and your cheeks beginning to hurt from the bright smile you were sending his way. You couldn’t remember the last time you had been this giddy.

He leaned across the table and linked his hands in yours. You melted into the contact, using your elbow to push your parchment and quill out of the way so you could lean forwards without fear of ruining your notes or your sweater.

Safe to say, studying was now long forgotten.

—

taglist:

@grierpilots 

@hxfflxpxffs

@mikumana

@msmimimerton

@pit-and-the-pen

@diary-of-an-onliner

@theweirdsideofstuff

@thoseofgreatambition

@theweasleysredhair

@haphazardhufflepuff

(message me to be added!)

[cibeewastaken]

Ten Proposals and Nine Drinks

Summary:

Malfoy has been proposing to Harry all night. Harry wants a turn to propose as well. 

(On Ao3)

═══════════════════════

“Here’s an idea,” Malfoy said.

“Uh-oh,” Harry said. “We haven’t even got to the pub yet.”

“Piss off.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Shut up,” Malfoy said. “I’m trying to say something.”

“Aren’t you always?”

“For the love of — My plan involves a lot of free alcohol, what are you offering beside your mouth?”

“My mouth is always opened to you,” Harry said cheerfully.

Malfoy took a deep breath. “My idea is — ”

“That maybe you can’t finish a sentence?”

“Oh, for — ” Malfoy stopped to kick an innocent mailbox. “ —  fuck’s sake!”

Harry couldn’t help but marvel at how much of a brat he became in the five years he’d been together with Malfoy. Though, it was either become a quippy brat himself or get railed on day and night by Slytherins. Honestly, it was just Darwinism at its finest. Harry only did it to survive, no matter what Ron said (“You get the glow every time you snark with Malfoy, really, it’s actually more disturbing. You’re getting the after-sex glow without the sex. What the fuck?”)

Malfoy drew in a deep and slow breath. “You know how they give away free drinks to people on special occasions? Birthday, engagement, their bastard of an uncle died, you know, that sort of thing?”

“You want to pretend it’s one of us’ birthday,” Harry guessed.

“I would, but the whole magical world knows a certain twat’s birthday,” Malfoy pinched Harry’s side and Harry yelped, squirming away and bumping into a few girls.

“Sorry, sorry!” Harry flushed, glaring at Malfoy when he laughed. “So who are you killing off?”

“I was thinking Weasley, but I don’t want you to burst into tears.”

“I wouldn’t!” Harry said. “I can take a joke. You just have a shit sense of humor.”

“I do not!” Malfoy cried.

Harry ignore Malfoy’s protests and ducked into their first destination, which just meant whatever pub they see first. Malfoy was still talking indignantly when he sat down next to Harry. Harry cut him off.

“So, you want to propose,” Harry said. Of-fucking-course. “And I’m guessing you want to do the proposing.”

Malfoy latched onto Harry’s arm and batted his eyelashes. “You know me so well.”

Harry snorted. “Have at it, then.”

═══════════════════════

“Told you it would work,” Malfoy preened beside Harry as they head to the next pub.

Harry raised his eyebrows. “I never said it wouldn’t.”

“I could hear you think it!” Malfoy insisted. “Well, never mind that. Wasn’t I amazing at the end?”

“You certainly were . . . something,” Harry said.

“I admit I hadn’t thought of an exit strategy,” Malfoy skipped on the icy road, making the back of Harry’s neck prickled with anxiety and he untucked his hands from his pocket so it would be easier to grab Malfoy if the prick slipped and fell. “But they all seemed eager to send us off into our bright future together.”

Malfoy’s “exit strategy” mostly consisted of grabbing Harry’s face and snogging him until Harry was weak in the knees, before loudly declaring “I must have you now, my love! My sun! My petit four! (“Petit?” Harry had sputtered and Malfoy shut him up with a hard pinch to the face) I cannot wait to have you until after our joyous union, let’s go now, fiancé!”

They were ushered to the door by a harried bartender and laughing crowd. Malfoy blew a kiss at the pub at large before they stepped out, and his face made Harry wished this was always how every one of Malfoy’s plans went- dramatic and ridiculous with the backdrop of happy grins. Not anything else, never badly. Not for the first time, Harry wondered how his life could have been like if Malfoy had been kinder, and they had ended up friends when they were children.

Harry took Malfoy’s hand in his. It didn’t matter right now, or anymore. They still had a young night, and many pubs, and many more proposals to make and receive.

═══════════════════════

Well, Malfoy certainly had a knack for proposal, unfortunately, he also had a bigger knack at mortifying Harry.

Twice, Harry had to stop Malfoy from describing Harry’s dick with details even himself didn’t know about. Twice, Harry couldn’t even understand what the hell Malfoy was saying because he was so drunk from the previous congratulation-this-is-on-the-house drinks.

(Harry had been ready to call it a night by the fourth pub, but Malfoy, who was so determined to get free drinks, had brewed sobering potions to take with him.

“Drink up, Potter,” Malfoy had said. “I am not a rich man any more, and I insist on milking this dry since I’m sure this is going to blow up in the Prophets tomorrow.”

“You don’t care about ruining my reputation?” Harry had said.

“What reputation?” Malfoy had said, and downed the potion.)

Once, though, Malfoy went from loud and sappy tirade to fervent whispers against Harry’s lips. His hands, cold, clenched Harry’s jacket, and he spoke like he was kissing Harry, swaying them both, with Harry gasping for air.

They had gotten champagne for that one.

By the time they were drinking their third Sobering potion, they had successfully gotten nine drinks from both magical as well as non-magical establishments, and Harry was a little irritated.

“I want to have a go,” Harry said.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. “Please, Potter, you barely got through your speech at the Granger-Weasley cult séance, and you knew most of the people there.”

“Barely being the keyword,” Harry argued. “I want to try. And stop calling their wedding a séance.”

“All weddings look like a séance to me,” Malfoy said loftily. “And do not try to tell me that the abomination Granger and Weasley called a dance wasn’t a ritual to summon the devil or an attempt to murder me through sheer mortification?”

“I’m telling her you said that.”

“What makes you think I care?”

Harry squinted at his boyfriend. “You don’t have the guts.”

Malfoy flushed. “Please don’t tell her.”

“Let me propose next and I won’t.”

“Fine!” Malfoy said. “Good god, cease the histrionics, Potter, it doesn’t become you. But just this once, if I don’t get the attention at the next bar, I shall certainly perish from neglect, and who is going to tell you your hair look atrocious in the morning, hmm?”

“You talk way too much,” Harry said, pushing the door open, and let it slam in Malfoy’s face.

Malfoy caught it smoothly. Damn. “Come now, darling. Betrothed lovers shouldn’t be so testy with each other.”

Harry sighed. “If you’re this annoying before we’re engaged, I can’t imagine how much worse it’ll be after.”

“I have great plans for it,” Malfoy said as they sat down. “I’m waiting, lovely.”

═══════════════════════

Draco looked away, gleefully awaiting the abysmal attempt of Potter’s proposal. He was never good with words, was he? Let him see what happens when he tries to best Draco at his game. They would never get their free drinks with it depending on Potter, but that was quite alright, the privilege of knowing - and saying - he was better at this was worth the lost alcohol.

He waited and waited for the stuttering and ers to come, but instead someone nearby gasped.

Draco turned around to look for Potter sputtering, but instead he found Potter kneeling. Draco stared. Potter smiled.

Harry’s smile settled into his face - it became him - it looked as though he was meant to always be so — smiling.

And yes, somewhere, at the very back of his mind, Draco knew he would be so lucky to have Potter’s smile sunk into him for the rest of his life.

At the very front of his mind, however —

═══════════════════════

Harry smiled at Malfoy. He looked very startled.

“Hi,” Harry said.

Malfoy didn’t say anything. His eyes were wide and bright and lovely.

“Really lovely,” Harry mumbled.

“What?” Malfoy said.

Harry shook his head. “I just — ” he swallowed. Even though Malfoy’s dramatics unexpectedly set this whole night up for Harry, he was still shaky and scared. No matter how comfortably familiar the sight of Malfoy was for Harry, he was still trembling.

“I just love you,” Harry said, going for the one thing he knew he would never be scared of saying. Or would never waver no matter how scared Harry was. But then all of the valleys of words inside of Harry came tumbling out, too - “There’s nothing else, but it’s everything too. I love you, with you, holding you, spending time with you, living with you, being loved by you, everything. It all boils down to loving you, yeah?”

Malfoy looked as scared as Harry felt, so to not drag on, Harry fumbled for his pocket.

Finally, Malfoy started. “Oh,” he said.

“Yeah,” Harry laughed nervously, and it took him two tries to open the velvet box. The ring was pale, with a round moonstone in the middle. Harry remembered the day spend looking for rings, how it was filled with sparkling diamonds and gems, but the grey stones drew Harry in like Malfoy’s eyes always did, and the decision was easy.

Now, with both stone and eyes in the same vicinity, Harry couldn’t help but feel a little sappy at the uncanny resemblance between the two.

“Potter,” Malfoy’s voice was wobbly. “I swear to . . . I swear if this is your idea of getting free drinks, I will maim you.”

Harry laughed. “That was all you, prat. Of course you would mess up my plan, even on this. But then, I want to have you around so you would keep messing up all my carefully thought out plans.”

“Carefully thought out?” Malfoy swiped underneath his nose with his knuckles. The tip of his pointy nose was red. “You must still be drunk.”

“You’re admitting you aren’t as good at potions as you claim you are?”

“Piss off,” Malfoy said.

Sheepishly, Harry said, “I rather not.”

Malfoy’s hand pinched his thigh. His eyes never left Harry. He wasn’t blinking as well. For a moment, Malfoy looked like a statue, like his mind had forgotten it was still in the real world and left altogether.

“Will you, then?” Harry asked, belatedly. “Marry me.”

Malfoy’s laugh sounded manic. “Will I?” he said. “Who is going to tell you your hair looks atrocious in the morning if not me?”

“I don’t know. Hermione does a pretty good job,” Harry said. His knees were starting to hurt, but he didn’t want to get up.

“She does not!” Malfoy yelped. “I am marrying you, Potter, only I can insult your hair.”

“Yes,” Harry said. “Yes.” And he slid the ring onto Malfoy’s violently shaking finger with equally trembling hands.

Beside them, the bartender was frowning. “Excuse me,” he said, “are you still calling the person you proposed to by their last name?”

“Yes,” Harry said. The word felt incredibly gorgeous to say.

“Oh,” the bartender said. “Okay.” He turned around and poured two glasses of white wine. “It’s on the house.”

“That’s lovely of you,” Malfoy said. He had his left hand pressed to his chest. “But why don’t you give it to whoever sits here next?” Malfoy’s eyes sought out Harry’s. His smile made him looked all kinds of shine. “We have a séance to plan.”

[brindlestorm]

My Truth or Yours?

CH1 | CH2 | CH3 | CH4 | CH5 | CH6

“-and your mentor shall be Lionheart.” A fluffy gray kitten rushed forward to touch noses with the larger golden tom, garnering a few laughs from the crowd. “Graypaw! Graypaw!” The clan cheered. Tigerclaw’s paw’s itched as he called out the new apprentice’s name with the rest of the clan. He had been dropping hints to Redtail that they should try and retake Sunningrocks soon, he was counting on Redtail saying no so that when he went to ask Bluestar, he would be more convincing. Not that his reasons were unfounded, he had a bone to pick with Riverclan. Two prey with one swipe, deal with Riverclan for murdering Thistleclaw and dealing with Redtail for being a traitor. As the clearing emptied, cats going about their days, Tigerclaw hurried to follow Bluestar into her den, muttering an apology to Lionheart for ignoring his request to pair up their apprentices for the day. Graypaw and Ravenpaw could get to know each other later, Tigerclaw had more important things to do. “Did you have something to say, Tigerclaw? Or do you plan on just standing there?” Tigerclaw gave his pelt a shake and sat down, “My apologies, I was thinking.” “About what? You don’t usually show up unannounced to share your everyday thoughts with me” Bluestar purred in amusement. “We need to reclaim Sunning Rocks, and soon.” Tigerclaw replied seriously. Bluestar sighed, “I know Tigerclaw, but newleaf is late this year. The prey pile is barely stocked most days and I just don’t think our warriors are ready for that, and after so much death already... I don’t think it’s worth the risk.” Tigerclaw almost hissed, “Not worth the risk! Bluestar, you have to-” “When newleaf sets in and Thunderclan has had a quarter-moon of full bellies, then we can reconsider extending our territory.” “But Bluestar, this isn’t just about territory! A half moon ago, I found Thistleclaw dead in the jaws of the Riverclan leader, they will see us as spineless cowards if we don’t retaliate over that!”

Bluestar fell silent, her gaze darkening. Tigerclaw wondered what she was thinking about when she abruptly stood up. “Tigerclaw, you are dismissed. I need to speak with Redtail, if you see him-” “I’m right here, Bluestar.” “Were you listening to our conversation?” “No, I was going to let you know that our hunting patrols have had good hunting today, the kill-pile is almost fully stocked.” Redtail assured her. “Good, in that case, Tigerclaw you may go. I’m sure Ravenpaw would appreciate some training with his mentor.” Tigerclaw nodded and got to his paws, tuning out Redtail as he immediately began arguing against attacking Riverclan. Just as he was about to hop down the rocks, he heard Bluestar say something that gave him hope. “Tigerclaw has made some good points, but I haven’t decided yet. I’m going to consult Starclan tomorrow.” “Will you be taking any of the apprentices? They’re all at the right age and far enough along in their training.” “... No. Relations with the other clans are testy enough as it is, I’ll be going alone this time.” “It would be ill-advised to go without a guard, but I suppose you know best. May Starclan light your path.” Tigerclaw nimbly hopped down the slope before they realized he was still listening and went to see if Ravenpaw had decided to make himself useful and clear out the elder’s bedding. When he finished with that, if he started at all, it wouldn’t hurt to go over some more battle moves, and maybe he’d take Dustpaw along as well. It was just a little past sunrise, Whitestorm had offered to take Sandpaw and Dustpaw hunting, only to receive a swat to the ears from Spottedleaf over taking dusty brown apprentice. Never before had Tigerclaw seen Spottedleaf so adamant over something as trivial as hunting. Well, I suppose that’s exactly the problem, Tigerclaw mused to himself. During leafbare, hunting was anything but trivial. But he knew better than to disobey a medicine cat’s orders. Ravenpaw was not in the elder’s den as Tigerclaw had hoped, instead he found Dustpaw showing Graypaw how to properly roll up the dirty bedding to be tossed out of the den. And it wasn’t going well.

“Like this?” Graypaw squealed as he pummeled the moss into the ground, successfully flattening the moss back into the bracken.

“I- no, Graypaw. Graypaw stop please, you’re just... Graypaw stop!” Dustpaw yowled as the moss went from being stuck to the ground to flying through the air. 

Dappletail and Rosetail were snickering to themselves as Halftail and Smallear tried to get the old bedding out of their fur.Tigerclaw ducked as another scrap of bedding went flying straight towards his face. 

“Graypaw, perhaps you should listen to your denmate when he’s trying to show you how to do something. Clean up this mess and do what Dustpaw tells you to do, properly this time.”

“Yes Tigerclaw,” Graypaw mewed, bowing his head in shame.

Soon, the mess was cleaned up and rolled out of the den. Dustpaw sighed as the last of the dirty bedding was disposed of behind the dirt-place, “Lionheart’s going to have a tough time with him, I hope Redtail never pairs us up for training!”

“Well it’s a good thing Redtail is busy right now. I was going to find Ravenpaw to do some battle training, would you like to join us?”

“I’d love to, but Ravenpaw ran off to the medicine den right after the meeting. Maybe he has a bellyache or something.”

“Or something,” Tigerclaw sighed. “Get yourself something to eat while I go find Ravenpaw.”

Dustpaw brightened at the thought of being allowed to eat early and scurried out of the den, Tigerclaw turned to follow as he heard Graypaw call out.“Hey, wait a heartbeat! Dustpaw you haven’t shown me how to make a nest, what am I supposed to do now?”

Tigerclaw chuckled, “I suppose you’ll have to ask your mentor. I’m sure Lionheart will show you the best places to gather moss if you ask him now.”

While the gray kitten rushed to join Lionheart at the gorse tunnel, Tigerclaw made his way to the medicine den.

“Borage, chervil, rosemary, anything else?”

“Umm... Maybe lavender? And mint? I know you’ve gone through a lot of those given... everything that’s happened lately.”

“You’re right though, it doesn’t hurt to stock up. I’d also like to see if we can find any burnet. Grab those leaf-wraps and we’ll find Tigerclaw, I’ll let him know I need you for herb-gathering this morning.”

“You can have him until  sunhigh,” Tigerclaw rumbled as he stepped into the den. “I’ll have Dustpaw brush up on his stalking techniques until then.”

Ravenpaw jumped, fur bristling in alarm while Spottedleaf just purred in gratitude as she brushed past him.

“Remember, sunhigh in the sandy clearing. Don’t be late Ravenpaw.” Tigerclaw said.

Ravenpaw nodded earnestly, “I’ll be there!”

“Ravenpaw, come on! We don’t have all day!” Spottedleaf called from the camp entrance.

Tigerclaw nosed his apprentice onwards, “You heard her, quicker you get this done the quicker you’ll be able to join Dustpaw and I for training.”

Ravenpaw sped off behind Spottedleaf just as Dustpaw finished licking his lips from his morning meal. “I’m ready to go Tigerclaw! Where’s Ravenpaw off to?”

“Spottedleaf asked for his help gathering herbs, he’ll be joining us at sunhigh.” Tigerclaw sighed.

Dustpaw scoffed, “Why is he always with Spottedleaf? Does he want to be a medicine cat or something?”

Tigerclaw gently batted at Dustpaw’s ears, “Spottedleaf could have asked any apprentice to help her today, would you rather it be you? There’s still time to catch up if you’d like.”

Dustpaw’s eyes went wide, “No way! I’d rather train, what are going to do today?”

Tigerclaw headed for the entrance, Dustpaw hurrying along at his heels. 

“Stalking techniques, you’ve grown enough that Spottedleaf can’t keep you from hunting anymore. Time to brush up on those skills of yours.”

___________________________________________________

Two days passed by in a breeze, Tigerclaw oversaw Sandpaw’s hunting assessment that she should have taken with her denmates a moon ago while Redtail and Lionheart showed Graypaw the borders with Dustpaw, much to the older apprentice’s dismay.

Spottedleaf decided to borrow Ravenpaw the next day as well for herb gathering, Tigerclaw begrudgingly allowed it, remembering his promise to Ravenpaw all those moons ago. If his apprentice was determined to follow the path of a medicine cat, Tigerclaw wouldn’t stand in his way.

Redtail had taken Ravenpaw night hunting, as he had also promised to meet Bluestar at Four Trees for her return journey from the Moonstone.

The leader and deputy stumbled into camp just before moonhigh, Redtail carrying a small squirrel, Tigerclaw nodded to them as they passed him on guard duty.

“Tigerclaw, good to see you still awake. Go ahead and wake up Willowpelt and have her replace you. Get some sleep, I want you ready for the sunhigh patrol.” Redtail said, briefly leaving his tail on Tigerclaw’s shoulder.

Tigerclaw nodded and stood up, stretching his muscles and shaking his fur out, “I’ll help Ravenpaw carry in his catches, then I’ll head to sleep.”

Redtail shook his head, voice barely concealing his nervousness when he replied to Tigerclaw. “That won’t be necessary, Ravenpaw is just behind us with his other catches. He did well for hunting at night during leafbare, Bluestar and I will share this squirrel while we discuss her visit to the Moonstone.”

As the duo left him at his post to talk about Bluestar’s trip, Ravenpaw made his way into camp carrying only a vole and a sparrow to show for his efforts.

Tigerclaw was too tired to comment on what little his apprentice managed to catch and let him pass without a word. But as Ravenpaw passed his mentor, Tigerclaw caught a whiff of the heavy scent of ferns, as if he had rolled in a patch recently.

Curious, Tigerclaw opened his jaws to try and taste the scent better, but to his dismay, the senior warrior found the unmistakable scent of marshes and pines on his apprentice’s pelt.

Exactly what he had noticed on Redtail as he passed by with Bluestar.

Redtail had been no surprise, given his recent activities. But why Ravenpaw? Had he gotten too close to the border again? Why had Redtail even taken such an interest in Ravenpaw recently?

Tigerclaw shook his head, he had no reason to doubt Ravenpaw’s loyalty to his clan. Maybe Redtail had been meeting with Shadowclan again and Ravenpaw decided to follow him, he’d ask about it in the morning.

As Tigerclaw made his way to the warrior’s den, he caught the tail-end of Redtail and Bluestar’s conversation.

“So, did Starclan share the wisdom that you sought?”

“Yes and no, I cannot tell you what exactly  we spoke of but I can say this. I found exactly what I thought I would and dealt with it accordingly. We’ll be taking back Sunningrocks tomorrow after sunhigh.”

“Very well Bluestar, I trust you and Starclan’s judgement. Goodnight.”

Gleefully, Tigerclaw hurried into his den, prodding Willowpelt awake so that she could take his place as guard.

Don’t worry Thistleclaw, Tigerclaw thought to himself. You will be avenged, may your spirit rest easy among the stars tonight.

___________________________________________________

“Thistleclaw, these aren’t Starclan’s hunting grounds. Why are you here?” Tigerclaw asked.

Tigerclaw’s dreams took him to a familiar place, though he didn’t expect to find Thistleclaw here. The Place of No Stars was where those who irrefutably broke the code were sentenced. Many of its inhabitants hoped to redeem themselves by training their more vulnerable living clanmates in their dreams, and told their stories to keep the living from following in their pawsteps.

Tigerclaw was one of those cats, he had been so angry for so long when his father chose to become a kittypet rather than continuing to lead his clan. Mapleshade came to him in a dream, sympathetic and kind, her story was a gruesome one, but Tigerclaw decided that she was truly strong for the decisions she had to make.

He had heard her story before, but from Thunderclan’s elders instead. The elder’s version of the story depicted her as some lying she-cat who cruelly mocked her dead mate’s memory by having kits with his murderer, who then proceeded to kill that tom’s sister and her medicine cat before dying to the claws of a Riverclan apprentice. She was also rumored to have purposefully drowned her own kits upon her exile, using that as an excuse for her killing-spree.

Mapleshade’s story was different, her side was that she had never loved that Thunderclan tom but saw him as a good friend, her mate (who he learned was called Appledusk) hadn’t meant to kill him or the apprentice and was incredibly remorseful for what he did.

Personally, he thought it was Ravenwing’s fault (the medicine cat at the time) for all that followed. If he hadn't told the clan of those kit’s half-clan heritage, Mapleshade wouldn’t have been so driven to get them across the river.

Her exile was a quick one, Mapleshade confessed that she feared that if she had been caught by a Thunderclan patrol still on their territory because she was trying to get to the Twoleg Bridge with three young kits, they would have killed them all.  To her, she had to cross the river as soon as possible to give her kits a chance at life. It was nothing short of bad luck that things happened the way they did.

If Ravenwing hadn’t told the clan, the kits may not have died and been raised as loyal Thunderclan warriors, never knowing they were any different from their clanmates.

If Frecklewish had acted and tried to save the kits instead of assuming the Riverclan patrol would intervene, the kits may have been accepted into Riverclan, with or without their mother. But at least they would have been safe.

Mapleshade did not try to defend herself for the murder of those two queens, or attempted in Reedshine’s case, the molly who Appledusk took as a mate to save his own pelt after meeting with Mapleshade. And even though killing a medicine cat was considered one of the worst offences to the warrior code, Mapleshade couldn’t bring herself to feel guilty for that. And Tigerclaw didn’t blame her.

Mapleshade would eventually fade away in the Dark Forest, no matter how long she repented if she could not feel the guilt for killing Ravenwing, Starclan would never let her into their hunting grounds. Though they were at least kind enough to allow her to see her kits at the border. A small mercy if there ever was one.

But it wasn’t Mapleshade who stood before him tonight, it was Thistleclaw.

“I used to be in Starclan,” Thistleclaw rasped. 

“I was at peace, sitting with my mother, father, and dear sister when she came along and ruined it.” Thistleclaw spat.

“She?” Tigerclaw echoed, confused.

“Bluestar,” The spiky-furred warrior growled. “Bluestar came and questioned Starclan about why I was there, then she had the nerve to chase me out!”

“I don’t understand, I know you two never got along but-”

“It was more than that, Tigerclaw. She was always jealous of me, for loving her sister when she couldn’t, for being more respected than her when she moped around the camp while I actually did something.”

“Grief can make-”

“Grief should never stand in the way of a warrior providing for their clan, I taught you that. The only reason Sunstar chose her over me was because she shared his soft-hearted ideals.”

“Why can’t you just go back? If Starclan granted you access the first time then surely you’d be able to cross the border now?”

“It would seem that Bluestar managed to convince Starclan otherwise, I can longer find the border, not even to see my mate.”

Tigerclaw winced, it was when he spoke of Snowfur that led to Thistleclaw’s death.

“I know that look, it’s not your fault.” Thistleclaw said gruffly, “I’ll give Bluestar this though, she was always crafty. She preferred peace to fighting and has never been afraid of using dirty tactics to get there, she must have learned that from Pinestar.”

Tigerclaw growled softly at the mention of his father, everyone always said he was wise and deserved respect, but all Tigerclaw saw was a coward who ran from his problems, and would sooner let another cat die than put himself in harm’s way.

“I don’t understand though,” he protested. “Bluestar went to Starclan after I demanded she avenge you. Why would she consult Starclan to drive you out, but avenge you tomorrow?”

“Like I said, she’s crafty.” Thistleclaw replied shortly. “She hates me, always has. She wanted to ensure I’d never find peace before attacking Riverclan to save face.”

“Otherwise she risks Riverclan taking more of our territory,” Tigerclaw finished. “I just...”

“Nevermind that, what’s done is done. I learned something while I was in Starclan though, I don’t know all the details but there’s something you need to know.”

“What is it? Is there danger coming?” Tigerclaw asked. His mind was spinning, it was bad enough that his leader was so... So petty that she would drive a loyal warrior from his resting place, but now there was more potential danger? Didn’t Thunderclan have enough problems thanks to Redtail?

“Fire is coming Tigerclaw, an all-consuming blaze that will destroy-”

___________________________________________________

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!” Came the piercing voice from beyond his dreams.

Tigerclaw’s head shot up, still blinking the sleep out of his eyes as the other warriors filed out of the den.

“What’s going on?” he asked Whitestorm as the white warrior brushed past him.

“Bluestar’s called a meeting, not sure why.” Whitestorm grumbled.

Tigerclaw sighed and stood up, squinting at the dawn light that hit his eyes as he left the den. Bluestar stood on the Highrock, patiently waiting for the clan to assemble in the clearing. Redtail sat beneath the rock, looking remarkably well-rested for someone who had been up half the night like Tigerclaw was.

The apprentices’ den shook as the four young cats rushed out for the meeting, Graypaw was the only one who looked energetic enough to be there. The others were stifling yawns and leaning against each other so they wouldn’t fall asleep on their paws.

“As some of you may know, I went to consult Starclan yesterday seeking their wisdom. I have received their blessing to carry out an attack on Riverclan to reclaim Sunningrocks!”

Murmurs rose up from the crowd, some were worried that they weren’t strong enough yet while others, mostly the younger warriors, were flexing their claws in anticipation to see some action.

“I understand your concerns, but remember! You aren’t just fighting for territory, you are fighting to avenge your clanmates who starved in their sicknesses when we couldn’t find enough food! You fight for the queens and their kits to ensure their futures and for the elders who we swore to take care of for the rest of their days!”

Tigerclaw levelled a challenging glare at Bluestar, he knew what she did at the moonstone but that didn’t mean he’d let her stop pretending that this was about Riverclan’s act of war. She met his gaze and nodded to him.

“And just as importantly, we fight to avenge Thistleclaw, who was found dead in the jaws of Crookedstar himself! We took our time recuperating from the harshness of leafbare, but now is the time to strike! For Thunderclan!”

“Thunderclan! Thunderclan!” Came the cheers in the clearing. The other warriors looked to be on board now, eyes shining with grief and determination as they thought of their lost clanmates.

Bluestar nodded to her deputy, “Redtail shall announce the battle patrol, anyone not going must be ready to be sent out as reinforcements. Dismissed!”

With a wave of her tail, Bluestar headed back to her den, content to allow Redtail to finish the preparations. 

“Darkstripe, Runningwind, Mousefur, and Tigerclaw! We’ll be heading out immediately. Whitestorm and Lionheart, you’ll be on standby with the apprentices- Not Graypaw though, he’s too young.”

Graypaw rolled his eyes and huffed, Sandpaw cuffed him around the ears and hissed something at him. The fluffy young apprentice pinned his ears back and went back to his nest, hopefully Lionheart would give him something to do.

Tigerclaw growled softly as he followed Redtail through the gorse tunnel, One thing at a time, he told himself. Riverclan first, then you can deal with the traitor.

___________________________________________________

Tigerclaw stifled a growl as Spottedleaf tended to his wounds, Mousefur was curled up in a nest near the back of the den, as she was the most injured Spottedleaf decided she’d have to stay until she recovered.

Redtail had called for a retreat as soon as the Riverclan reinforcements arrived, Tigerclaw knew that with Mousefur so injured they wouldn’t have been able to send for their own patrols on standby and hold off the oncoming warriors as well.

Be that as it may, even Riverclan had been surprised to win so easily, they were obviously prepared to defend the rocks.

Bluestar even managed to look disappointed, but she attributed it to Thunderclan’s unusually small numbers. Without enough warriors to defend their borders, it made sense that they lost this battle.

“Peace, Tigerclaw,” the old leader sighed. “Perhaps when our apprentices have their warrior ceremonies, we’ll be ready to reclaim our territory.”

Tigerclaw nodded stiffly and shouldered his way out of camp, maybe he could relieve some of this stress by doing some hunting. It would be awhile until sunset, but he needed something to keep his claws busy, which meant no training with Ravenpaw for the time being.

___________________________________________________

The stars were just lighting the sky as he made his way back, carrying a small load of prey for the queens to enjoy. He stopped in the gorse tunnel when he heard voices, Bluestar and Spottedleaf were speaking.

“-Thunderclan has not been beaten in its own territory since I became leader,” She murmured. 

“These are difficult times for our Clan. The season of newleaf is late, and there have been fewer kits. Thunderclan needs more warriors if it is to survive.”

“But the year is only just beginning,” Spottedleaf pointed out calmly. “There will be more kits when greenleaf comes.”

Tigerclaw carefully backed out of the camp entrance, straining to still hear what the two were talking about while remaining undetected.

“Perhaps. But training our young to become warriors takes time. If Thunderclan is to defend its territory, it must have new warriors as soon as possible.”

“Are you asking Starclan for answers?” Came Spottedleaf’s gentle mew.

Tigerclaw glanced up at the stars, for all Spottedleaf knew, Bluestar had already done that.

“It is at times like this we need the words of the ancient warriors to help us. Has Starclan spoken to you?”

“Not for some moons, Bluestar.”

Suddenly, a shooting star blazed through the sky, Tigerclaw’s fur bristled as Thistleclaw’s words rang in his ears.

Fire is coming, an all consuming blaze that will destroy-

“-from Starclan. Fire alone can save our clan.”

Save? Thistleclaw said it would destroy us! Why would his message be different from Spottedleaf’s? Tigerclaw was broken from his inner turmoil when he heard Bluestar stand up and shake out her fur.

“If Starclan has spoken then it must be so. Fire will save our clan.”

The senior warrior stayed still for a long time as he waited for the coast to become clear, Tigerclaw tried to reason out what the prophecy could possibly mean but he came up with nothing.

Groaning as he stretched his now stiff muscles, Tigerclaw decided that this new omen would just have to be another thing on his list to deal with. First he had to focus on taking back Sunningrocks for Thistleclaw, then he’d deal with Redtail.

Who knows? Maybe this fire could help him in his mission, Thunderclan seemed to be getting further and further from the noble clan he once knew it to be.

But as long as he knew the truth, nothing would stop him from bringing peace to his clan.

___________________________________________________

And scene! I wanted to include Redtail’s death scene but this was getting too long as it is, that whole kerfuffle deserves it’s own chapter anyway.

Yes, I know that the ‘Bluestar chasing Thistleclaw out of Starclan’ thing is as canon as Jake being hit by a meteorite, but I decided to include it because of my overall HC for Starclan being that Starclan is stupid and very often wrong.

Plus, as a plot point this helps Tigerclaw cement the idea that Bluestar is a bad leader into his mind for later ;)

[emerywrites]

Child of Moonlight and Alchemy

Fandom: Tangled the Series

Summary: The Moonstone was holding Quirin hostage even after leaving the Dark Kingdom and the Brotherhood behind. It destroyed his life in every sense of the word and refused to let him go. He never expected it to give him something in return.

Rating: PG

Content Warning: canon character death, child neglect

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Haunted Quirin felt haunted. As more black rocks cropped up, their spikes taking homes and lives, it left him and the brotherhood at a loss as to how to stop it. Then there was their king, falling prey to the opal’s madness. Quirin was haunted by the shadow of sanity their king had lost, haunted by ghosts of those who were impaled in their sleep, those who were sealed in by the rock surrounding them, those that were done in by the grief of losing everything they’d known to these rocks that could not be reasoned with.

Adira took it upon herself to start looking into more mythic ways to combat them while Hector seemed to be falling into a madness all his own. Quirin preferred the more practical solution of moving their people toward the outskirts of their kingdom, away from the rocks. But what Quirin had not foreseen was being haunted by the ghost of his sister. She had tried to take the opal herself in an attempt at her own solution. It was an effort to save her husband and her son from its fate. He had tried to warn Edmund of the Queen’s plan but they were too late. Sometimes Quirin heard her voice in his dreams, calling to him. “Brother,” she said in a faraway voice as he tossed and turned one night. “Brother, go to the opal. Brother, it needs you.” Quirin awoke in a cold sweat. “Lorelei.” Quirin didn’t bother with his armor. The voice instilled in him a sense of urgency. It drove him to do nothing more than pull on a pair of trousers and grab his sword. He stumbled from his room and made his way to the Moonstone’s chamber. The guards at the doors were easily disarmed and knocked unconscious. “Brother,” he heard call from inside the chamber. Quirin burst through the doors. The opal had shed its protective shell of black rock and floated upwards. Then Lorelei was there. She stood behind the opal, looking down on it with adoration. “Isn’t it beautiful, brother?” “Yes.” He didn’t know why he’d agreed. It wasn’t beautiful to him. To him it was dangerous and horrid. He wished that the moon had never produced that opal. It brought nothing but destruction and decay. But then Lorelei looked at him with tears in her eyes. They spilled over and ran down her cheeks. On instinct, Quirin rushed forward. He crossed the bridge but stopped at the middle because Lorelei was suddenly there to meet him. He wiped away her tears with the side of his finger. They collected there and solidified into a smaller version of the moon opal. “What is this?” There was something sinister about its gleam. “You must keep it,” she told him. “There will come such a time that you will need it. Until then, hold it close to your heart.” Quirin blinked and she was gone. With trembling hands, he put the smaller opal in his pocket. The next day, Edmund ordered that the kingdom evacuate.

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Nature When Quirin came to Corona, he had decided he was done with the Brotherhood. He wanted no more part in something that had consumed his whole life and left with nothing but heartache. He wanted a new start. Helaine swept into his life like a whirlwind. It was effortless for her. All it took was a smile and he melted. She was a brilliant alchemist who helped her village in any way she could. Everyone came to her for help. Watching her work was like watching someone create art. She delved into her own world when she pulled on her goggles. She deftly measured, poured, examined, adjusted temperatures, all in fluid movements that were second nature to her. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. One day it was a salve for the Widow Cooper’s joint pain. Another day it was adjusting the components of the soil to make it more fertile. And the next day it was building a system to warn them if a pack of wolves was coming too close to the village. Helaine’s work was never done and she liked it that way. Then Queen Arianna became ill and the king sent out a search for the Sundrop to save her. Quirin pulled on his old Brotherhood armor and went to warn him not to use it. The black rocks would seek out the magic of the Sundrop and endanger Corona. But the stubborn king wouldn’t listen. Quirin went home and told Helaine everything about his past. Up until that point he had been as vague as he could be to keep the burden of what he knew from her. It finally boiled over and he told her whatever he knew of the Moonstone and Sundrop. Then he showed her the shard of Moonstone that the vision of his sister had given him. He had put it on a chain and wore it around his neck to keep it close to him at all times. Keep it close to your heart. “I fear what will come now that King Frederic is toying with forces he doesn’t understand,” he said as he undid the clasp and handed her the necklace to examine. Helaine held up the chain and took in the smaller Moonstone that was encased in its own miniature shell the same as the one in the Dark Kingdom. “This is fascinating,” she said, voice full of awe. “If I could just study the-” Quirin snatched it back, feeling that he had just made a terrible mistake. Of course, his wife, ever the curious scientist, would be enthralled by something so otherworldly. The hurt that flashed through her eyes, made him want to soften his reaction. “I’m sorry, Helaine. But its dangerous. It killed my sister and drove her husband to madness. It destroyed my home.” “If it’s caused so much harm, then why do you keep it?” She took his hand and held it securely in her own. The comfort Quirin got from the simple gesture was immeasurable. “I know that the vision I saw wasn’t really my sister, but whether it was good, evil, or something else, it gave this to me. She said that this would be important and I believe her. This stone is my responsibility now.” Quirin regretted ever telling Helaine about his piece of the stone. It was too late by the time he found out she too had visions from the Moonstone. It showed her how to use magic and alchemy to get something they’d both so desired. Helaine replaced his piece of the opal with a fake one she’d created and got to work. Using a sample of her hair, his hair, the Moonstone and a few other ingredients that took her a month and a couple of trips out of town to collect, she was able to do it. Quirin came home one day to find her holding a sleeping baby who looked so much like her but with a streak of blue hair standing out against the dark brown of the rest of it. “What have you done?” Quirin demanded. “We have the child we always wanted,” she insisted with a smile. He ripped off the fake Moonstone and held it up. “You lied to me.” He threw it to the ground and stepped on it. “How could you do this? How could you make that thing?” “This thing is our child!” she argued. “The opal showed me that I could use it to make something so wonderful. It was a gift.” “No! Helaine, don’t you see that it tricked you? Now we have an attachment to it. If there was ever a need to destroy it-” “Don’t, Quirin.” Her voice trembled with desperation that sent him internally reeling. “This is what it wanted.” Something broke between them that day. But as the baby grew, that broken piece was patched over. It was left weak but they managed to work around it. The child slowly worked his way into Quirin’s heart. He regretted the child’s origin but couldn’t help the fondness he began to feel. They lied to the village and told them that they found the child left nearby, on the outskirts of the forest. There were rumors and questions that slowly died out over the years. The boy fell just as deeply in love with science and alchemy as Helaine. Though Quirin was happy to see that he did have an appreciation for farming too. But as much joy as the boy brought them, Quirin felt like he was holding his breath, waiting for the payment that would come for such a crime against nature. He refused to even let his guard down enough to call the child his son. The Moonstone wasn’t a kind and benevolent creature. It wasn’t going to give them something so beautiful as a child without a sacrifice.

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Nurture Then Helaine fell ill. It was something no doctor could explain. She slowly deteriorated before their eyes, over the course of three months. Quirin and the boy sat by her side, comforting her as best as they could. After she was gone, Quirin couldn’t bear to look at the child. That was the cost. Helaine made them a child by using something as volatile as the Moonstone and it killed her. Watching her die only reminded Quirin that the moonstone had tricked Helaine into it to gain a form as sympathetic as a child. He wouldn’t fall for it. A week past that he ignored it. But the continuous, “Daddy, what’s wrong?” and “Daddy, did I do something bad?” and “Daddy, please talk to me!”, were close to breaking him. He couldn’t kill it, that much was clear to him. But if the Moonstone wanted him to keep it close, then maybe he needed to get it as far away from him as possible. He packed up a cart and the boy, then drove to the capital. Quirin walked him all over town, trying to figure out what to do. Everyone was kind enough, someone would care for him, wouldn’t they? Or maybe he needed to go further. The boy may be able to tell them how to get him back home. As Quirin pondered this, he didn’t even notice the boy wander off. Once he looked around for him, the boy was nowhere in sight. He should have felt relief but all that washed over him was dread and fear. Quirin got the attention of a man selling flowers from a cart. “Sir, my son wandered off. Have you seen him? He’s only five-years-old. He has brown hair with a blue streak in it.” He ran around asking everyone he saw if they’d seen his son. It wasn’t until he was asking the fifth person that he realized he’d been calling the boy his son. When someone was finally able to show him into a shop where an old lady had been keeping an eye on the boy, he was overwhelmed with relief. The boy was licking a lollipop seemingly unaffected by the ordeal. Tears stung Quirin’s eyes as he kneeled down to hug him. “I am so sorry, Varian.” Quirin pulled away when he realized Varian wasn’t hugging him back. Varian looked up at him with a confused expression that slowly shifted into a distraught one. “Why were you mad at me?” “I wasn’t mad.” Was that a lie? He didn’t know how to explain something like this to a child. “There is no excuse for how I treated you. I made a mistake.” Too many mistakes. “I hope that you can forgive me.” Varian nodded fervently and hugged him, dropping his lollipop in the process.

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Truth The black rocks encroached on Corona, leaving Quirin at a loss. Varian had been his child for a little over fourteen years and there was no way he was going to risk losing his son. The Moonstone perfectly entwined itself into his life and there was no going back. He had accepted the fact that he would do anything to protect Varian. So, he pretended that the rocks were not a problem. He avoided them and downplayed them until he couldn’t any longer. Then he went to lengths to move their whole village just to protect his son. But Varian didn’t understand. How could he? He didn’t know the horrible truth about what he was. He didn’t know that he was the same as the thing causing all of the destruction they were seeing. He could never know. Maybe it was in Varian’s nature to be drawn to the rocks. Maybe he couldn’t help but go against Quirin’s orders to stay away from them. Either way he experimented on them in defiance of Quirin’s words. As Varian ran to go get help Quirin knew he couldn’t let his son go on not knowing. With there being no solution in sight, Varian needed to know what he truly was. He silently begged Varian to return so he could tell him before being entombed in the amber growing up from the rock. When the table was pushed near him along with the paper and quill, he got to work. He quickly wrote down the explanation of only the necessary information. It was blunt and lacked any comfort or emotion. Quirin didn’t have the time to include reassurances and gentle words. Could he really leave Varian with nothing but the cold, harsh truth? At the very bottom, Quirin quickly jotted in. I’m proud of you, son. I always have been.

[ohhipstaplease]

Strawberry Sugar | NaruHina

Chapter 2

chapter 1 | Read all chapters: Ao3 / FFN

That next morning, as the sun rose and let its rays unfurl across picturesque Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki, woke with a start.

“Naruto Nii-chan!!”

He felt the wind knocked out of him as his incredibly annoying, but equally as endearing, protege jumped upon him full force.

“For the love of-”

“Good morning.”

Naruto glared at Konohamaru, trying to catch his breath, “What did I tell you about using the spare key?”

“Don’t.”

“So why are you here then?”

“You said we were going to train today.”

Naruto rubbed his eyes and turned his alarm clock around to look at it, “It’s eight in the morning, Konohamaru!”

“Early bird gets the worm, and all that stupid stuff everyone else says. I want to be like you big brother Naruto! Saving the village, fighting in wars!” Konohamaru said, animatedly jumping up onto Naruto’s bed and kicking the air.

Naruto shook his head as he watched Konohamaru pace from corner to corner, excitedly chattering away. He could barely process what the now long-haired boy was saying, much less reciprocate. But still, Konohamaru expected Naruto to be 100%, even after he just woke up, “Snap out of it!” He yelled, “You’re a war hero! You can’t be sleeping the day away!”

Naruto sighed, “Can you at least let me get dressed?”

Konohamaru turned around and shook his hand out twice, “Get to it.”

Naruto rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless. He walked over to the chair next to the small dresser that he had designated for his clothing from the previous day. He slipped on his pants, and had gotten better at it considering the circumstances.

“Are you done yet?” Konohamaru asked impatiently.

“Yeah, yeah,” Naruto said, slipping his shirt over his broad chest. He wondered how even on Saturday he found himself up at 8 AM.

As the tensions surrounding the village had finally dissipated, Naruto hoped to find himself completely free of any responsibilities for at least a while. But lo and behold, Konohamaru knew exactly when to show up. Although to be fair, he wasn’t without things to do this particular weekend. In fact, he was going to see Hinata later that afternoon about something she just had to talk about.

He hadn’t really thought about it either, you know, the fact that one of the most beautiful kunoichis in the village had called him up, nervously asked him if he was free, and emphasized the importance of their meeting. Didn’t realize that over a year ago she had professed her undying love for him. Was he oblivious? Yes. Stupid? Oh, without a doubt. But that was just the way that Naruto Uzumaki rolled.

He had always been free-spirited and tried to not think about the past. It was said and done anyway. What mattered was the here and now. And right here and now, well, his stomach was growling, so really he couldn’t manage to think about anything other than old man Teuchi’s ramen from Ichiraku.

“Alright, food first. We’re going to get some ramen, and then we’ll do a short lesson, okay? I have to meet up with someone later.”

“Who?”

“Hinata.”

“Oh,” Konohamaru said wiggling his eyebrows, “So it’s that kind of meeting.”

“What?” Naruto responded as he made his bed, “She said she just wanted to talk about something.”

“Like what she said during the war?”

Naruto blushed, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, pipsqueak.”

“Yes I do, everyone’s been talking about it.”

“About what?”

“How you both are totally in love with each other.”

“What!?”

“What? Like you two aren’t...” He brushed against Naruto’s shoulder as he whispered “boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Eh!?” Naruto exclaimed as he stepped back, “No! We’re friends.”

“What a waste, man.” Konohamaru said, shaking his head, “Now that’s a girl that has it bad for you. But then again, ever since you came back that’s been half the world.”

“Stop talking out of your ass.”

“Oh, please, like you haven’t noticed.” Konohamaru paused.

Naruto shrugged, “Not that kind of guy. And you shouldn’t be either,” he said as he ruffled Konohamaru’s hair.

Konohamaru feigned annoyance and quickly smoothed over his ruffled tresses, “Save the lecture nii-chan. I get it. But you should too.”

“And what is it that I should be getting?”

Konohamaru shrugged, “No wonder oneesan complains about you so much.”

“What!? What did Sakura say?”

“I mean, I just heard...”

“Heard?”

“-Overheard her and Hinata talking.”

“About?”

Konohamaru lifted his brow, “Really?”

“Me?”

“Yes! You!”

“Why?” Naruto said, scratching his head.

“For the love of-” Konohamaru reached over Naruto’s head and grabbed a picture that had been snapped at the dinner that was held a few weeks ago. In it Naruto, unsurprisingly, was front and center, eyes closed in a cat-like smile, his thumb up in the air. Sakura hung around his shoulders, her small tongue out and her fingers up in a peace sign. Shikamaru cooly smirked as he held court across from him, Choji smiled bashfully as he looked up from his plate. Kiba, Ino, Shino, and Sai looked at each other as if they were in a heated debate only moments before, they hadn’t even realized a picture was being taken.

Naruto studied each one and saw nothing more than what he had first seen when he tended to glance at the photo. But then his eyes landed on Hinata, and he saw it. There was a look upon her face, a sparkle in her eye, something. He didn’t know quite what to make of it. He thought it was just a weird angle, a mistake made by Iruka when he snapped the picture. Then he realized it wasn’t, she was looking at something.

“What’s she looking at?” Naruto asked, tilting his head.

“You!”

“Me?”

Konohamaru’s fingers landed upon Hinata’s face, and he glided it from her moonstone-like eyes to the object she had been tenderly admiring, “You,” He said, without missing a beat, “She’s looking at you.”

“Yeah,” Naruto said, gripping the nape of his neck, “I guess she is.”

“Do you know why?”

“Why?”

It took everything within Konohamaru not to slam the frame into Naruto’s face. For all his merits, he couldn’t believe the person he looked up to was really that dense.

“If you really don’t know, nii-chan, then you’re going to have to spend some time thinking about it, aren’t you?”

Naruto looked at him blankly, clearly not knowing what to respond to. He had never pondered it, really. And now that the thought was implanted into his mind by Konohamaru, he wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do to remedy it.

After training with Konohamaru, Naruto swung by the apartment of his teammate and friend, Sasuke Uchiha. Since the war, the pair had an unspoken agreement that their doors would always be open for each other, and Naruto had more than taken advantage of the fact. Although Sasuke acted as if Naruto’s constant presence bothered him, Naruto knew nothing could be further from the truth.

Except perhaps on this day. On this particular day Naruto threw open the door to Sasuke’s apartment and exclaimed “Sasuke, buddy, I need to talk to you—”

“Naruto!” Sasuke exclaimed angrily as he jumped up from his couch in the front room. Beside him was a flushed Sakura, sighing and covering her eyes with a small hand.

Naruto’s eyes darted from Sasuke’s reddened lips to Sakura’s who matched his. As soon as he saw the scene before him he yelped, “Oh shit! I’m so sorry I—I didn’t know. I—How long has this been going on?”

Sasuke fixed his shirt and cooly shrugged, “None of your business, Naruto.”

“Oh, come on. Sakura! How could you not tell me, you’ve only been in love with him forever. I would think you’d have told the entire world by now.”

“Shut up, Naruto!”

“You said you wanted to talk to me?” Sasuke said as he took his seat once more, wrapping an arm around Sakura’s shoulders. The kunoichi quickly simmered down and leaned into his embrace.

Naruto nodded, sitting down in the armchair that was placed before his two teammates. “Just like, give me one second. I need to process—” He signaled the lack of space between the pair and shook his head, “whatever this is.”

“You have 5 seconds to start talking or you’re out of here,” Sasuke said firmly.

“Okay, alright. Well, you know Konohamaru’s just a kid and sometimes he has some really crazy ideas, right? Yeah, so, I told him today that I was meeting Hinata later and he just made a face and implied that we were going to fool around.”

Sakura giggled and Sasuke smirked, making Naruto a little apprehensive.

“Yeah, that’s the look he gave me,” He said, pointing at Sasuke.

“I can’t imagine why.”

“We’re just friends! Konohamaru kept going on and on that she loved me and that she confessed to me...but she didn’t! I would know if she had confessed to me, right?

“Idiot.” Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.

“Hey! I came here for advice!”

“I’m giving it to you. You’re an idiot, now think about why that may be...other than the obvious reasons.”

“You’d think having a girlfriend would’ve made him a little nicer,” Naruto said under his breath.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, “You have something to say?”

“No.”

“Well, I do.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re an idiot, Naruto!!!”

“Oh come on!”

Sasuke laughed, but Sakura continued, “You’re really going to tell us that she didn’t confess to you? Rewind to the war, idiot! She was about to die for you!”

“Sakura, you know my memory of that day is a little hazy.” He muttered pathetically.

“We all heard it, Naruto! She confessed to you!”

Naruto put his head in his hands and breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. He kept trying to tell himself that he couldn’t possibly be that dense, but he figured if everyone is telling him the opposite maybe it was time to face facts.

“You think she still likes me?” Naruto asked quietly.

Sakura’s lips formed a soft smile, “You have no idea how much, Naruto.”

“Do you even like her?” Sasuke asked bluntly.

“I...”

“Don’t go getting her hopes up if you don’t even know what you’re feeling, Naruto,” Sakura warned.

“Yeah...I just....” He glanced at the clock on the wall in Sasuke’s kitchen and started getting up from the armchair, “I’m running late.”

“Alright, well, let us know how it goes,” Sakura said with a furrowed brow.

“And next time, knock!” Sasuke said as Naruto reached for the doorknob.

Naruto shook his head, “Yeah, yeah. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, love birds.”

Naruto closed the door behind him and began making his way towards the Hyuga compound. His stomach was buzzing, his head spinning. He had never thought of Hinata in that way.

Well, that was a lie. There was a time or two he had thought of her, particularly when he was taking a shower or lying in bed at night. He wasn’t proud to admit it, but when Hinata filled out in all the right places he was the first to notice. That didn’t mean he thought he stood a chance with her.

He recalled the photo Konohamaru showed him and realized that the glimmer he had seen etched in her eyes there, was the same adoration she had always had in regards to him. But was it fair to her to say something? He didn’t even know what he felt, he was a jumble of confusion.

Naruto sighed and continued walking down the stone path, Hinata had been vague on the phone when asking him if they could meet. It wasn’t unusual for them to hang out, but for her to call first? For her to do the asking?

He picked up the pace and started walking faster. He had to look into her eyes once more. He knew that if he saw that same look, the one that was upon her face in the picture, he still had a chance with Hinata.