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maximoffcarter · 1 month

Text

Your type.

Pairings: Casey Novak x Alex Cabot.

Summary: Alexandra Cabot was known as the top of her class and the good girl of Law School. Casey Novak was known as the famous softball player and the tomboy of Law School. Both meeting each other at a coffee shop, both in different stages of their lives. Would it work?

A/n: I needed to do some kind of college au for our babies. I thought it was cute, so here is my creation of it hahaha. I dunnp if it's any good or not, but I enjoyed writing this, it's been a while since I've done a college au, they used to be my favorites before haha. Hope you guys enjoy this, leave comments, hearts, whatever you like and reblog so this gets some love🫶🏻

*not my gif*

Alexandra Cabot was top of her class. Many selfish and jealous people thought that she was the best just because she was a known person because of her last name. But the truth was that Alex was dedicated to school, she had always been, since she can remember; she spent her free days with books, she loved them. It wasn’t entirely a lie that her family had influenced her in getting into law school, but she was happy with her decision, and she was going to do anything to get to her goals, meaning, she wouldn’t let anything distract her from getting what she wanted. She was probably the only person in her class that didn’t go to parties or gatherings with her classmates, she didn’t go to the games the school held, she just focused on her studies. Did she regret it? Maybe. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to have a social life, she had her friend, but she knew that university was not about parties.

For two whole years it stayed that way, nothing had changed her mind, and she was still very much focused on her studies; that was until her eyes landed on a redhead. One of her classes had gotten canceled, meaning she had 2 hrs free to do whatever she wanted; so she decided to finish homework she had. She had thought about going to the library, but she decided she’d go for a coffee near her building, and she’d spend the two hours there. This was a coffee shop that she normally visited every now and then when she wanted to be at the library, the coffee, and the food in there was really good, and the environment was actually calm, and it helped her concentrate on the things she had to do. But as she sat down in her usual spot and looked around, she noticed a redhead taking an order. She had never seen her here, clearly, because she’d remember that beautiful smile. For a moment she was too stunned by how beautiful she was, she had stared way too longer that she didn’t notice her friend sitting right in front of her.

“Alex?”

Alex snapped out of her thoughts and stared at her friend. “H-Hi! Sorry. I uh…when did you get here?”

Erin chuckled. “I’ve been here for like 3 minutes. How long have you been staring at the redhead?” She grinned as she got her notebook and book out of her bag.

“I- what do you mean?” Alex chuckled nervously. “I was not staring at anyone, just…a bit lost. Thinking what I’m ordering.”

“Uhuh…as if you never order the same, Cabot.” Erin chuckled. “But okay, I’ll believe you. What are you ordering?” She raised her brow.

Alex sighed as she grinned. “Black coffee and a chocolate croissant.”

Erin laughed. “See? Why is it wrong that I caught you staring at the redhead? She’s really pretty.”

Alex shrugged. “I have never seen her here before.”

“She hasn’t been here for long. I saw her the day I came to buy us coffee. I think I heard she’s a law student too.”

Alex raised her brow. “Law student?” She nodded. “I can actually see that.” She said almost in a whisper as she got her things out.

“Alexandra Cabot is getting interested in someone after two years.” Erin smirked.

Alex looked up and shook her head rapidly. “I- Erin no! I just- I was-“

“Hi ladies! My name is Casey, can I offer you anything to drink or eat?” Casey smiled at both of them and then her eyes landed on Alex’s.

Alex cleared her throat as she looked up at Casey, trying to talk but all of a sudden, she forgot how to do that. Erin wanted to laugh but cleared her throat too, getting Casey’s attention. “I’ll get an iced latte with sugar please. And to eat, I’ll just get a muffin.” She then looked at Alex. “Alex? What are you ordering?”

“I- uh…black coffee and a croissant, please.” Alex offered a shy smile.

Casey grinned as she nodded. “Comin’ right up.” She then walked away, but not before she turned to look at Alex again, offering a smile.

Erin laughed and threw her head back. “Oh my, I never thought I’d live to see the day of seeing Alexandra Cabot getting nervous for someone! So.” She looked back at Alex. “Is your type redheads?”

“Jesus, Erin, drop it.” Alex sighed as she covered her face, blushing. “Let’s just-“ she sighed as she looked back at Erin. “Let’s get this done, we have class, and we need to hurry.”

“Avoiding. It is true that you always learn something new from people.” Erin chuckled teasingly as she opened her book.

Alex bit her lip as she looked at Erin for a moment, and then she turned her head to look at Casey. She had come out to Erin just a year ago, admitting that she had always been attracted to girls, but she never said a thing because she didn’t think it was relevant, but when Erin asked if she wanted to go on a double date with some guys, Alex thought it would be good to let Erin know that she was not into guys. She was relieved when Erin accepted her and never judged her, it was the other way around, actually, she was pretty much trying to get a date for Alex in every possible chance, but Alex refused reminding her that she only cared about school and not some dumb romance in university. But now…she had to admit that maybe a little crush on someone wouldn’t hurt. She didn’t actually have a type, she didn’t know if she did. But until now, all she knew, is that Casey could be her type.

********************

Alex sighed as she tried to keep her mind concentrated in the book she had in front of her, she was studying for finals and Erin was supposed to meet her at the coffee shop so they could study together, but at the end plans had changed and now Alex sat at her same spot, trying to focus on her book and hoping to not get distracted with the redhead. She didn’t even know if she worked that day, but the last time she had been going to the coffee shop, Casey was right there, and even if there was someone else taking orders, Casey was always the one that took their order. What Alex had been trying to avoid had happened; she had accepted to herself that she had a crush on Casey. She had been trying to avoid it, she had been trying to not think about her, but it was impossible after learning that she was also a law student, she was in her first year, so it’s not like they’d ever have same classes, but she had caught her in the hallways every now and then.

How did she know about this? Because of course Erin was encouraging her crush. She teased her every possible chance she had. She had also found out that Casey was in the softball team of the university, and it honestly made sense with how beautiful her body was. Alex tried hard to not think about Casey and about the new information that Erin had provided her, but in the last 4 months, it was kind of impossible not to think about Casey. That smile, those eyes, that voice. Alex was now lost, and she knew it. There was no turning back from this, unless of course, she tried to get over it or she found out that Casey had a boyfriend or something, which could break her heart…break her heart was probably too much. But she would feel sad? She was confused to say the least. It was just a stupid crush. That was it. A crush.

“Alex!”

Alex looked up from her book and her heart stopped for a moment as she stared at Casey, who was smiling at her. “Casey…hi.”

“You remember my name!” Casey chuckled softly.

How could I not remember it? “Yes, I do.” Alex chuckled. “You’re not working today?”

“Oh, I worked earlier. But I have finals, so they let me leave early. I actually just finished my shift and was going to stay around to study.” Casey smiled as she looked at Alex’s book. “I take it that you’re also studying.”

Alex looked down at her book and smiled. “Yes…I uh…I am.” She looked back at Casey. “I’m just reading again, I already studied.” She chuckled nervously.

“Well, I’ve heard that you’re top of your class, so I believe you’re more than ready for any exam.” Casey grinned.

“You’ve…heard about me.” Alex frowned as she smiled.

“A little, yes.” Casey smiled. “I’m sorry I don’t wanna take your time. I- oh! I brought you this.” Casey placed a coffee and a small bag beside it. “Some encouragement to study.” She grinned.

Alex looked at the coffee and the small bag and smiled. “Is that…”

“Black coffee and a chocolate croissant. You always order the same.” Casey smiled. “I’ll see you around?”

Alex nodded. “Hey…do you…maybe want some help with studying? You can sit with me if you want to.”

Casey smiled. “Really?”

Alex nodded again. “Sure.”

“I’d actually appreciate that.” Casey smiled as she placed her backpack on the floor and sat down in front of Alex.

Alex knew that this wouldn’t really help her crush, but at this point, who really cared about it? She was going down, bad, and she knew it. Casey had heard about her, she knew her name, she had even learned her order. And the funny thing was that the very first time she met Casey, she had brought her a plain croissant because Alex had not mentioned she wanted a chocolate one, but suddenly Casey started bringing her the right order, and now she learned it, and even if it seemed nothing, it was everything to Alex. But then her mind started playing tricks on her. Why would someone like Casey want to be with Alex? Even hang out with her? It was surprising enough that Erin was her friend, they were totally different but similar at the same time, but they were able to build a close friendship. But Casey, she was younger by two years, but why would she find any interest in Alex? She was probably just being friendly, maybe she just wanted to know people who were older to have some sort of help in school, but the reality was that Alex didn’t care. The thought of helping Casey and being able to spend time with her made her feel good. This was so wrong, but she didn’t care.

********************

“Where are we going?” Alex asked as she sighed, crossing her arms as she waited for Erin.

Erin smiled as she walked to Alex, closing her closet. “We’re going to a softball game.”

Alex frowned. “We never go to those, Erin.”

“Now we are.” Erin grinned as she handed Alex a shirt with the softball team logo.

Alex stared at it and then realized what Erin was doing. “Erin.” She looked up at her. “No.

“Alex. Yes.” Erin smirked as she threw Alex the shirt. “C’mon, we’re gonna be late.”

“You made me come all the way here so you can embarrass me and take me to a game. Casey’s game.” Alex grabbed the shirt from her shoulder, looking down at it.

“It’s just a game! You get to see Casey play. You’re gonna tell me you don’t wanna see her.” Erin smirked as she turned to grab the rest of her stuff.

Alex sighed as she took off her hoodie and put the shirt on. “You’re gonna pay for this.”

Erin laughed. “You’re gonna tell me you haven’t been spending more time at the coffee shop.” She turned to look at Alex. “Oh, wait. With Casey, actually.”

Alex frowned. “I…haven’t.”

“Oh, yes you have. I saw you two days in a row, sitting with her.”

“I was helping her study!”

“So you introduced yourself?” Erin raised her brows.

Alex cleared her throat as she looked down at her hoodie. “She heard about me and knew my name…” she whispered softly as she looked up at Erin.

Erin smirked. “Oh, someone’s got a crush on you.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Can’t we just go? Please.”

Erin chuckled. “Fine, let’s go.”

As they got to the field, Erin tried to get them to good stands so they could get a perfect look of the game. Erin went crazy buying food and snacks, but Alex was truly nervous that she’d be seeing Casey playing. In one of their meetings, Casey had talked about her playing softball and the training she had, which meant that she barely had any time to do anything at all, between school, work and practice, her days were pretty busy. So the fact that she had stayed hours with Alex meant everything to her, even if they had been mostly studying the whole time. Alex looked around as she sat down, her eyes suddenly landing on the redhead who was stretching. Her breath hitched as she noticed the tight uniform and how it hugged her body perfectly; she wanted to give herself a slap as she was focusing on her body, which was definitely not right. Her eyes went back to Casey’s face, and to her luck, Casey was already staring at her, a smile on her face as she waved. Alex blushed slightly as she waved back, smiling back at her.

Eventually, the game finally started, everyone around them screaming and clapping for the team. She didn’t even know what was supposed to happen in the game, but she was willing to stay focused for Casey. Erin tried to instruct her what was happening, but even if she tried to listen to Erin, she really didn’t understand a thing. Finally, Casey put on her helmet and grabbed her bat, earning loud screams as she walked to her base. Alex’s eyes lit up as she looked at Casey, smiling as she positioned herself; she had seen some baseball games with her father before, and so far, she knew that Casey’s team was winning, and if she hit a…homerun? Something. They’d win the whole game. Or that’s what her mind made up. She couldn’t help but scream and stand up when Casey started running fast around all the bases, the whole crowd going insane screaming Casey’s name. Erin and Alex jumped and screamed together as Casey’s team surrounded to celebrate the win, everyone cheering for them and throwing food and water. Alex’s eyes focused on Casey for a moment, and her smile slowly faded as she noticed a girl hugging Casey and placing her hand on Casey’s cheek, leaning in to kiss her cheek. Alex cleared her throat and looked at Erin, offering a small smile as her heart sank.

Alex had asked Erin if they could already leave, not wanting to stay there anymore, even if it meant that they’d lose the celebration and the team. Erin had drunk a lot of soda and water, so Alex was waiting for her outside the restrooms, wrapping her hoodie around her waist and crossing her arms as she looked around. A bunch of people kept celebrating and screaming, running around, and jumping. Alex never understood sports, and she couldn’t believe that Erin had convinced her to come just to have her heart hurt at the sight of another girl kissing Casey. She sighed softly, rubbing her face, and groaning softly.

“Alex!”

Alex uncovered her face and her heart stopped for a second as she saw Casey running to her. “Hey.”

Casey smiled widely as she stood in front of Alex. “Hi. I’m so glad I caught you. I wanted to say hi since I saw you at the start of the game.”

Alex cleared her throat. “Oh. Uh. Well hi.” She smiled. “Congratulations, by the way. Good game.”

Casey chuckled as she looked at the ground for a moment. “Thanks.” She looked back at Alex. “I didn’t think Alex Cabot was a sports girl.”

Alex huffed a laugh. “I am not.” She shook her head. “But uh, my friend Erin, she dragged me here. I’m waiting for her so we can go.”

Casey nodded. “Oh, got it.” She smiled. “Hey, uh. So…later we’re throwing a small celebration party, since this was the last game of the season. I was wondering…if you wanted to come.”

Alex stared at Casey for a moment, thinking that maybe she had heard wrong. “Uh…a party?”

“Yes.” Casey smiled. “I mean I don’t normally go to these parties, but you know, we won, thought it could be fun for once. I don’t really have to work tomorrow so. And I was actually going to call you, you saved me a phone call.”

Alex smiled softly. “So…even if I didn’t come…you were going to invite me?”

Casey shrugged. “Why not?” She grinned.

Alex nodded. “I uh…well, I don’t normally go to any parties. I don’t…really get invited but uh-“

“We’re definitely going!” Erin said as she walked out of the restrooms, smiling at Alex and then at Casey. “That’s if I’m invited too? If not, I’ll drop of Alex.” She grinned.

“Of course! I mean, the team is inviting a lot of people so.” Casey chuckled. “So, yes?”

Alex looked back at Erin and then at Casey, smiling as she nodded. “Sure. Where?”

Casey’s smile widened. “Uh…Tina’s house. Back Bay area, there’s going to be a big sign outside the building, so you won’t miss it. I can call you later and tell you the right address.”

“Sounds good.” Alex smiled.

Casey nodded. “Alright, I’ll see you then. Bye Erin.” She smiled before she walked away.

Erin’s mouth opened in surprise as she turned to look at Alex. “Alexandra Cabot going to her very first university party! Oh my! We gotta find you a perfect dress!”

Alex rolled her eyes as she sighed, turning to look at Erin. “Don’t get too excited, Er. I think I saw a girl kissing Casey’s cheek.” She started to walk, trying to hide the excitement she felt.

Erin frowned. “Oh, c’mon, Alex.” She followed her. “That doesn’t mean anything! I kiss you on the cheek too, doesn’t mean we’re dating.”

“I know but…” Alex scoffed. “Why would Casey Novak be interested in someone like me? Like seriously. I’m older than her, I’m…literally a nerd.”

Erin raised her brow. “You do realize that it’s obvious that younger people are fascinated by people of our ages. Plus, it’s two years. And!” She jumped in front of Alex to stop her. “You’re not the only nerd. Casey is top of her class.” She grinned.

Alex frowned. “What?”

“Uhuh. Laura was telling me the other day. We go to the same hair salon, and she was talking about how Casey was the smartass in their class. So her asking you to help her study? Yeah, that was definitely just to spend time with you, Cabot.” Erin smirked.

Alex shook her head as she tried to hide her smile. “Okay…even if she wanted that. I still don’t think she’d be interested in me.” She shrugged. “So…this. The party? It’s just a party and that’s it.”

Erin rolled her eyes. “If you say so. But. We’re still gonna dress you nicely. Comfortable. But nicely. If Novak doesn’t lay eyes on you tonight, we’re getting you someone else. Maybe we can get another redhead.” She smirked.

“Fine.” Alex grinned as she rolled her eyes.

********************

“You’re not gonna leave me alone, are you?” Alex asked as they walked to the house, looking at Erin.

Erin looked back at Alex and smiled. “I believe you’ll leave me at some point. But no, and if you want to go, we can go. Promise I won’t drink much.” She chuckled.

Alex sighed as she nodded. They walked inside the house and Alex was pretty surprised to find a big crowd, the music was a bit loud and there was barely any lights. Erin took her hand so they wouldn’t get lost in the crowd, trying to get to the middle of the house or somewhere where they could actually move and hear each other. They finally got to what seemed to be the living room, people were dancing and drinking, some were playing with the cups, some were making out. So this is what a university party was like, Alex was really not missing anything, this was just a mess and they seemed horny teenagers. In every single part, there were about 2 or 3 couples just making out. She thought that she only saw this in movies but no, it was pretty much real, and she was sure more people were upstairs, and she did not want to figure out what they were doing up there.

As she looked around the room, she saw Casey’s team gathered around in a corner, laughing and with drinks in their hands, and then there was Casey right in the middle. She smiled softly but then her smile fainted again as she saw the girl from earlier right beside Casey, her arm wrapped around her shoulder. Alex knew she had no point in getting jealous, but she was. But then Casey’s eyes landed on her, and Alex swore her smile widened as she saw Alex; she didn’t know if she had imagined it or not, but Casey’s eyes traveled down her body, and she nibbled on her lip as she started walking to Alex; she was thankful that she had let Erin dress her, Alex normally liked wearing nice clothes, but the skirt and the blouse along with the long boots that Erin had picked for her, were showing a little too much, but if that was getting Casey’s attention, then she didn’t mind one bit.

Her breath hitched as Casey got closer to her, her eyes also traveling down Casey’s body; Erin had joked before about Alex being into girls that didn’t exactly dressed girly, she had now seen Casey wearing her softball uniform, she had seen her wearing a skirt with a blazer for a presentation, her work uniform, and casual Casey. Party Casey looked like those girls from movies who were the ones that ruled over people, with a leather jacket, jeans and boots, and Alex couldn’t skip the shirt she was wearing, that showed Casey’s cleavage.

“I thought I’d have to call you to make sure you were coming.” Casey grinned as she stood in front of Alex. “You look nice.” She whispered softly but enough for Alex to hear her.

Alex chuckled nervously as she blushed. “You look nice too.”

Erin cleared her throat as she smiled at both women. “I’ll see myself out for a bit.” She grinned as she walked away, going to Casey’s friends.

Casey chuckled. “Can I offer you a drink?”

“I uh…I actually don’t drink that much.” Alex bit her lip as she looked at Casey.

“Oh, such a good girl, Cabot.” She grinned. “They have nonalcoholic drinks too. We can go to the kitchen to check.” Before Alex could answer, she grabbed her hand and pulled her to the kitchen, walking through the crowd.

Alex tried to stay as calm as possible, and then thought that a drink wouldn’t hurt, it could actually help her calm her nerves. Once they got to the kitchen, she stood close to Casey and smiled. “Actually, a drink wouldn’t hurt.”

Casey turned to look at Alex and smiled. “I can mix some vodka with soda or juice so it’s not too strong.”

“Whatever you drinking.” Alex grinned.

Casey couldn’t help but stare into her eyes, grinning softly. “You look beautiful with or without glasses, you know?”

Alex’s breath hitched again as she stared into green eyes. “Your eyes are beautiful.” She smiled.

Casey bit her lip as she smiled. “Thanks.” She then cleared her throat as she grabbed the drinks she was going to mix and two cups.

Alex looked around trying not to stare too much at Casey, and noticed Erin staring at her, a smirk on her face. She shook her head, a quiet laugh leaving her lips. She returned her stare to Casey once she saw her raising the cup and handing it to her. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Casey smiled as she grabbed her own drink and took a sip of it. “So, is this really your first party?” She leaned over the counter.

“You said it, I’m a good girl.” Alex smirked as she huffed a chuckle. “I uh…I focus a lot on school. I rather keep myself busy with studying or with books.” She shrugged. “I don’t know…I was just never an extrovert.”

Casey nodded. “I get that. I mean…these parties can get pretty crazy.” She chuckled. “I normally don’t come to these, and if I do, I literally leave early.”

Alex tilted her head. “I thought you were one of those athletic girls that liked to party and be a heartbreaker.” She grinned. “But I heard you’re also sort of a nerd.”

Casey blushed slightly as she looked at Alex. “I uh…I mean…yes, I just.” She huffed a chuckle. “Who told you?”

“Oh, a little bird.” Alex smirked. “So, you asking me for help…?” She raised her brow.

Casey shrugged. “Maybe I just…wanted to have an excuse to talk to you.” She grinned as she tilted her head, green eyes never leaving blue ones.

Alex knew she was probably blushing, but she couldn’t look away from Casey, she could stare at her for as long as she possibly could. “Nice excuse.” She simply said.

They stayed in the kitchen for a little longer than they expected, finding that it was the most quiet place in the whole house, and they just wanted to talk. They were talking about everything but nothing specific at the same time, just making each other smile and laugh. Even if Alex hated the fact that there were a lot of people surrounding them, she loved that she was with Casey, and that she was actually willing to stay with her. But then there was a moment where they literally dragged Casey away from Alex, and Casey made sure to tell her that she’d be back with her as soon as possible. Alex just watched her being dragged away and back into the living room, leaving her a bit sad but also understood that this was a party for them after all. Her eyes finally landed on Erin who was already walking to her, a smirk plastered on her face.

“I see you’re having a good conversation with Novak. Guess we won’t have to find you anyone else.” Erin smirked.

Alex rolled her eyes playfully. “We’re just talking, Er. Nothing more.”

“You’re seriously still in denial that she’s interested in you.” Erin chuckled. “You’re literally perfect, Alex. You’re top of your class, you’re beautiful, you’re nice. Damn, you’re a good girl, anyone would want to have you.”

Alex chuckled as she took a sip of her drink, trying to hide her smile behind her cup. “She did mention that.”

Erin raised her brow. “That you’re a good girl?” Alex nodded. “She does not lose time.” She chuckled softly.

“Well, I think I lost her for tonight. So, whatever was happening between us, is over.”

“Don’t lose hope, Cabot. She could come back any time soon. They’re just doing the typical winning ritual.”

Alex frowned as she looked back at Erin. “Ritual?”

“They take shots, depending on the score they made.”

Alex raised her brows. “Is that even safe?”

Erin shrugged. “Not sure, but don’t be too surprised if your little redhead comes back all drunk.” She chuckled as she took a sip of her drink.

Alex sighed. “I guess.”

“Everybody!” Tina got up on the table in the living room, getting everyone’s attention as they turned the music down. “Those who want to play the bottle, gather around! We got drinks and dares!”

Erin turned to look at Alex. “Let’s go play.”

Alex frowned. “No way. I don’t want to have the bad luck of having to kiss some drunk person.”

“And what if that drunk person turns out to be Casey?” Erin smirked as she grabbed Alex’s hand and pulled her to the living room. “Count us in!”

Alex sat beside Erin and sighed as she looked at the people that gathered around. She was sure that these people were either the ones that were way too drunk, or were somewhere in the middle, and the rest just decided to ignore it or were too into their own things. Her eyes landed on Casey for a moment who was in front of her and laughing with Tina as the people started to play. The first few rounds were stupid things like ‘take off your shirt’ ‘drink two shots’ ‘kiss this person on the cheek’, making Alex realize that these people were a bunch of teenagers and couldn’t believe that most of them -if not all- were law students. She couldn’t help but laugh the moment the bottle landed in Erin, and it so happened that the other side landed on one of Casey’s friends, who dared her to go to a room with her. Alex’s eyes widened as Erin agreed, telling her that they had to loosen up, and then followed the girl. She was too distracted as she saw in surprised how they disappeared, but her attention was brough back when she heard yelling and clapping, her eyes landing in the bottle who was pointing at her, and the other end happened to be on Casey.

“Cabot and Novak!” Alex’s lips parted as she tried to say something, but right away Tina spoke up again. “Since Alex doesn’t know what to say, I dare you two to seven minutes in heaven!” Everyone started cheering on.

“What?” Alex simply said, her eyes landing on Casey who was already standing up, chuckling, and telling Tina something. She shook her head and walked to Alex, extending her hand to help her get up.

“C’mon.” Casey offered a sweet smile.

Alex gulped but grabbed Casey’s hand, standing up and following her upstairs. She could hear everyone yelling and clapping, some of them screaming both Alex and Casey’s names as they went up the stairs. Before she knew it, she was being pulled into a room, and as she looked around, she was sure that this was Tina’s room. She cleared her throat as she turned to look at Casey who was closing and locking the door, leaning her back on it as she looked at Alex, smiling softly.

“Casey…”

“We don’t have to do anything.” Casey smiled.

“Are you- seriously?”

Casey chuckled. “Seriously. I sat down there for Tina, it’s just a stupid game.” She shook her head. “And…I hate having to force people into doing something they don’t want to.”

Alex cleared her throat. “What can you get done in seven min, anyway?” She chuckled.

Casey shrugged as she laughed. “I’ve never been in this situation. But I do know you can do something. Make out maybe.”

Alex stared at her for a moment, biting her lip softly. “And would you?”

Casey frowned. “Would I what?”

“Want to make out with me.” Alex snapped.

Casey wetted her lips, her lip lingering between her teeth as she stared at Alex. “I might be a little drunk but…definitely.” She walked to Alex slowly, stopping just in front of her. “Would you?” She whispered softly.

Alex’s breath hitched as she stared up at Casey. She knew she was tall, and probably the boots that Casey was wearing made her a little taller, and she herself was tall, but she loved the fact that she had to look up at Casey. She bit her lip for a moment as she thought about her answer; she knew she had to think fast, the seven minutes could end any time soon. She nodded softly as grinned, and suddenly Casey’s hands were on her waist, and she leaned down to close the gap between them. Alex’s hand went to Casey’s neck to pull her impossibly closer to her, their lips moving against each other’s just perfectly.

Before her mind could register what was happening, Casey was pulling her to her and turned her around to press Alex against the door, Alex moaning against Casey’s mouth which gave Casey’s tongue access to dive in. Alex’s hand got lost in Casey’s short her, pulling her impossibly closer. Casey’s hands rubbed Alex’s sides, accidentally making Alex’s blouse rise up and she took the chance to make contact with Alex’s skin. They finally broke from the kiss, both panted heavily, but as Alex opened her eyes to look at Casey, Casey’s lips landed on her jawline, throwing her head back against the door as a quiet moan left her lips. Casey trailed kisses down Alex’s jawline to her neck, kissing and nibbling softly, she then looked up again to kiss Alex again, and just as her hand traveled down Alex’s hip, a loud knock on the door made them part away from each other.

“Seven minutes are over guys! Get your clothes on!”

Alex panted heavily as she looked at the door for a moment and then her eyes returned to Casey. She couldn’t help but chuckle at herself as she figured she was now part of those horny teenagers she was judging when she got to the party. Casey ran her hand through her hair as she grinned, looking down at the floor as she tried to hide the redness on her cheeks.

“We should uh-“ Alex cleared her throat as she fixed her blouse. “We should probably…”

Casey nodded. “Yes.” She chuckled as she looked up at Alex. “We should go back.”

Alex nodded, offering a shy smile. As she turned to open the door, she felt Casey’s hand on her wrist, bringing her attention back to Casey. Casey’s hand went to Alex’s neck and pulled her close to her, kissing her lips slowly and tenderly, as if they had all the time in the world. Their lips once again met in a perfect rhythm, making Alex’s stomach turn in a good way. Casey then smiled against her lips, pecking them once more before she pulled away.

“Now we can leave.” Casey grinned.

Alex nodded. “Sure.” She breathed out as she smiled, accepting Casey’s hand in hers.

Alex felt everyone’s eyes on her as they walked down the stairs, but her eyes were only focused on Casey. Casey never let go of her hand, walking back to the kitchen, both quietly deciding that they didn’t want to be involved in the game anymore. Alex tried to find Erin for a moment before she brought her attention back to Casey, smiling softly.

“I’ll get you something to drink.” Casey smiled.

“Can I just get some water, please?” Alex smiled.

Casey nodded. “Sure. I need to sober up a little.” She chuckled as she kissed Alex’s hand before she went to find more cups.

Alex sighed happily as she watched Casey moving around the kitchen. The smile never leaving her smile as she leaned against the countertop, but her moment was interrupted as she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her turn thinking that it was maybe Erin. And then she frowned as she found the girl she had been previously jealous of right in front of her.

“Hi?” Alex offered a small smile.

“You really think you got Casey just because you got seven minutes in a room with her? You’re not Casey’s type. We know who you are, Cabot.”

Alex frowned as she shook her head. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re daddy’s girl. I’m sure you’re in school just because of your last name, and if you think you’re gonna get Casey, you’re very wrong. I might’ve let Casey have her fun tonight, but she’s normally always with me. Casey belongs to me.”

“I can definitely tell. Because she’s been with you the whole party, huh?” Alex raised her brow, giving her a defying stare as she crossed her arms.

The girl laughed as she shook her head. “Just because your friend dressed you up for tonight and you got read of your glasses, doesn’t mean you can take Casey. Didn’t you hear? She was supposed to get your attention, a bet was made.”

Alex frowned. “What?”

“Oh, you really think Casey was interested in you? Please. Look at you and look at her. Gotta say that you left it pretty easy for her to win the bet. So congrats to you too. Maybe if Casey chooses, she’ll give you half of the money, but you don’t need it, do you?” The girl smirked as she walked away.

Alex suddenly felt lightheaded as the words played in her mind over and over; she had to be lying. Casey wouldn’t do that. All this time, all those meetings they had, Casey inviting her here, being so sweet and kind even if she’s not fully sober. Did she really do this for a bet? Was she just being nice to win some money? She had to be joking, this was definitely a lie. But…it also made sense at the same time. The sudden interest in Alex, wanting her help to study even if she didn’t need it, her inviting her to the party, and coincidentally the bottle landing in them while she was distracted. They had planned this. She had fallen in Casey’s game. The thought made her feel sick to her stomach.

“Alex?” Casey placed her hand on Alex’s shoulder to get her attention. “You okay?”

Alex took a deep breath as she looked back at Casey, her eyes getting teary. “How much?”

Casey frowned. “What?”

“How much…was the bet?” Alex snapped, trying to hold back her tears as she stared at Casey.

Casey shook her head as she looked at Alex, confused. “I don’t…what bet?”

Alex scoffed. “I knew it was too good to be truth.” She grinned. “You, suddenly taking interest in someone like me. You also believe I’m nothing more than my name, right? Was it fun, Casey? To drag me into your stupid high school game so you could get some money?”

Casey placed the cups on the counter and looked back at Alex. “Alex, what are you talking about? I don’t think that. I-“

“Save it, Casey. I knew this was way too good to be truth. But don’t worry, the bet ended the moment you took me to the room, right? So whatever this was, ends here. I don’t wanna see you again.” Alex gave her a cold look before she walked away from Casey.

Casey frowned as she tried to follow Alex. “Alex! Wait!”

Just as Alex was walking to the door, she ran into Erin who was just coming down from the stairs, her laugh died the moment she saw the look on Alex’s face. “Alex?”

“Let’s go. P-Please.” Alex cried out.

Erin’s heart sank as she turned and saw Casey trying to get to them. “Let’s go.” She placed her hand on Alex’s back and they both walked out of the house as fast as they could. Leaving behind a confused Casey.

The whole ride back to Alex’s apartment was quiet, Alex staring at the window as she quietly cried, her arms wrapped around herself. Erin kept checking on her but decided to save her words, she knew Alex needed a moment to process whatever had happened back there. There had only been one time that she had seen Alex this way, and she thought she would never see her like this again, so it broke her heart. As they made their way to Alex’s apartment, Alex let out a heavy sigh and opened the door, letting Erin walk in first, followed by Alex. She closed the door behind her and leaned her head against it, her whole body shaking as she cried once again. Erin dropped her bag and walked to Alex, wrapping her in a tight hug as Alex sobbed, turning to vanish in her arms.

“Lex, what happened?” Erin whispered softly.

“I-“ Alex sobbed as she shook her head. “I was an idiot.”

Erin pulled away enough to look at Alex. “Did Casey did something to you?”

Alex looked at Erin at the mention of Casey, feeling her heart breaking even more. “I was a bet.”

Erin frowned. “What?”

“That bitch…the one I saw Casey with…she told me that there was a bet, and that’s why the sudden interest in me. I knew it was too good to be truth, Erin. I just knew it.” Alex cried out, covering her face.

Erin sighed loudly. “Lex, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I let myself fall.” Alex sobbed as she shook her head. “Why did this happen?” She whispered softly.

“I don’t know.” Erin kissed her head softly as she wrapped her in another hug.

********************

Alex walked through the hallway to get to her classroom, feeling like everyone was staring at her and were laughing at her. She was sure that half of the school already knew what had happened back there, and it now made sense why all of them were cheering for them to go upstairs. They were cheering for Casey to win the fucking bet and she was so proud of it. She played it so well that she was so ashamed of herself for not seeing it, focusing on how sweet, kind, and beautiful she was, it never crossed her mind that she could do this to Alex. After all, her assumption of Casey wasn’t entirely wrong. She was indeed a heartbreaker. Her trance was interrupted as she ran into someone, almost losing her balance and making her books fall to the floor.

“I’m sorry!”

Alex knelt to pick them up but the person in front of her got them before her, making her look up to find Casey in front of her. “It’s fine.” She snapped as she stood up, followed by Casey.

Casey handed her the books and nibbled on her lip for a moment. “Alex…”

“Save it.” Alex snapped as she looked at Casey for a moment before she walked away.

Casey sighed loudly as she kept walking. This was truly a nightmare for her. The fact that Alex really had believed everything that Rachel had dared to say hurt her and made her a bit upset, but she understood where Alex was coming from. The moment she laid eyes on Alex, she knew she was completely fucked, not being able to take her eyes away until she realized she was being a creep. For months she just stared at Alex and tried her best to always be the one taking their order. She cursed herself once she realized that she had gotten Alex’s order wrong the first time, so she learned it for her, and was happy whenever Alex showed up at the coffee shop. Taking a chance to talk to her had been a real challenge, thinking that Alex would completely push her away and ignore her, but was happy once she realized Alex might be interested in her too. But now, that was all gone.

Erin walked into the coffee shop and looked around, trying to find Casey who was behind the counter. She walked to her and leaned over the counter. “Can I talk to you?”

Casey looked up from her notebook and nodded. “I’m taking five!” She walked to the back door and walked to Erin, sitting with her at a table in the corner. “Erin-“

“What the fuck were you thinking? Are you seriously in middle school to make a fucking bet with my best friend?” Erin snapped, not giving Casey a chance to speak.

“Let me explain.” Casey sighed. “There was no bet. There never was.”

Erin frowned. “What?”

Casey bit her lip as she tried to hold back tears. “I never had the intention of hurting Alex. Everything I did, I did it because I wanted to. Because I had been looking at Alex for so long and I took my chance.” She shook her head as she looked at Erin. “I was never involved in any bet. Rachel was jealous when she found out I was into Alex. She’s-“ She scoffed. “She was fucking childish. I’m too old to do those fucking bets. I like Alex. I never meant to hurt her, or even take advantage of her.”

Erin sighed as she leaned back in the chair. “Well, shit.” She shook her head. “I knew Rachel was no good.”

Casey scoffed. “She thinks she can get whatever she wants.” She shook her head as she looked down at her hands. “And now Alex hates me.”

“She’s hurt, Casey.” Erin shrugged. “She really believed every word Rachel told her. Alex…she overthinks. She has anxiety. She couldn’t get in her head why you would be interested in her.”

Casey sighed. “But you believe me, right?” She looked back at Erin.

Erin offered a small smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone being so consistent with Alex. The way you two look at each other…nothing I had ever seen.” She shrugged. “I love Alex. But I believe you. And you gotta make this right, Casey.”

Casey nodded. “I know. But…she hasn’t been here in two weeks.”

“I can give you her address.” Erin shrugged. “She’ll probably kill me but…I hate seeing Alex so sad.”

Casey smiled. “I’d be forever thankful.”

Erin grinned. “And I thought this shit only happened in movies.” She got a piece of paper out of her bag along with a pen. “Our classes end at 4 pm. She should be home by 5 pm.” She handed it to Casey. “And you know better than to fuck this up, Casey.”

Casey nodded. “I know.”

********************

Alex groaned as she walked to the door. “Erin, I told you I wanted stay in today. I’m tired of you coming at this hour and trying-“ her voice died down as she opened the door and saw that it was not Erin.

“I’m…sorry. I just ended my shift, and I…couldn’t come earlier.” Casey offered a shy smile.

Alex shook her head. “What are you doing here?”

Casey sighed. “You’ve been avoiding me. And I want to talk to you.”

Alex scoffed. “Casey…seriously. We’re old enough to do this and-“

“And then you know I’m old enough to be doing some stupid things as getting involved in a high school bet.” Casey snapped.

Alex stared at her for a moment and sighed softly, stepping aside as she let Casey walk in. “Come on in.” She whispered softly.

“Thanks.” Casey said softly as she walked into the apartment. She turned to look at Alex and smiled a bit as she noticed she had never seen Alex dressing so comfortably.

Alex closed the door and turned to look at Casey, frowning. “What?”

Casey looked down at her hands as she smiled. “You uh…you look really cute.”

Alex tried to hide her smile as she crossed her arms. “Can I offer you a drink?”

“Are we switching roles now?” Casey grinned.

Alex couldn’t help but grin slightly. “Case…”

“I never meant to hurt you, Alex.” Casey said almost in a whisper. “There was never a bet.”

Alex sighed as she looked down at the floor. “Why should I believe you?” She then looked back up at Casey.

“Because I don’t lie.” Casey shook her head. “I know better than to lie. And I never once lied to you. I…” she scoffed. “Everything that Rachel said, it was all a lie. She was jealous. She hated the fact that I was falling for you, and that I was trying to get your attention, and I-“

“You’re falling for me?” Alex frowned.

Casey stared at Alex with wide eyes. “I- Alex. I uh-“ she cleared her throat. “I just-“

“Who’s nervous now?” Alex grinned.

Casey huffed a laugh. She looked at her hands for a moment and nibbled on her lip. “I really didn’t want to hurt you. I didn’t take you to the room because they were going to pay me.” She smiled shyly as she looked back at Alex. “Tina noticed you were distracted, everyone was drunk. I moved the bottle.”

Alex raised her brows, a smirk appeared on her face. “Makes sense.”

Casey laughed softly. “I was scared that you’d reject me. I didn’t want to take advantage of you. I just…really wanted to kiss you.” She smiled.

Alex tilted her head. “So no bet?”

Casey shook her head. “No bet. And yes…I am falling for you, since the first time I saw you, I knew I wanted to do anything in my power to get your attention.”

Alex smiled sadly, looking down again at the floor. “I really believed her.”

Casey walked slowly to Alex, her fingers going under her chin to make Alex look up at her, smiling softly as she fixed Alex’s glasses. “You look beautiful without glasses but…I really like to see you with them.”

Alex blushed slightly as she smiled. “You should be upset that I snapped at you, and that I didn’t believe you.”

“That’s childish. We’re both old enough for those games.” Casey grinned. “I’m sorry, Alex. I really am. But if you give me the chance…I want to make things right. I want to take you on a date.”

“You’re cheesy.” Alex smirked.

“And you like that, don’t you? It’s the type of thing you only see in movies.” Casey chuckled softly as she placed her hands on Alex’s neck.

“Yes. I want you to go on a date with you.” Alex smiled, placing her hands on Casey’s waist, and leaning in to kiss her lips softly.

Casey smiled for a moment against her lips, but brought their lips back together, the same butterflies as the first time showing up in her stomach.

…

“Cabot being the good girl and Novak being the tomboy.” Munch laughed along with Fin.

Alex rolled her eyes. “We stuck with our roles.” She smirked as she looked at Casey.

Casey shrugged. “And we made it work perfectly, even now after all these years.” She smiled as she leaned in and kissed Alex’s cheek, fixing her glasses. “Only took a date to have her wrapped around my finger.”

“Oh, says the one that was the cheesiest of the both of us. Bringing me chocolate croissants with my coffee, flowers almost every week, prepared unexpected dates.” Alex smirked.

“And you loved those. And still do.” Casey leaned in to peck her lips.

“Just get married already.” Elliot teased as he took a sip of his drink.

“This is really out of a movie, you two are too cliché.” Olivia chuckled as she looked at them.

“We wouldn’t want it any other way.” Alex grinned as she chuckled, rolling her eyes at the teasing.

#casey novak x alex cabot #casey novak #alex cabot #alexandra cabot #svu fic #law and order svu #svu #calex #casey novak fic #alex cabot fic

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yrluvjane · 2 years

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| ʜᴇʀ ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ɢʟᴏᴡ |

[Harry Potter x fem!reader] [Warning: most annoying ending ever.]

"I never promised Hermione anything, I mean, all right, I was going to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with her, but she never said . . . just as friends . . . I'm a free agent. . . ." Harry mocked Ron voice as he sat with Y/n in the back of the library, filling her on the Ron's latest speech about his freedom. "That book please." Said Y/n mindlessly pointing towards a heavy-paged blue book titled Transfiguration of sentient beings.

"We're taking this in two weeks! Why in Merlin's name are you doing it now?" He asked flipping through the book but shut when he saw an entire 13-paged chapter on transfiguration of garden animals. "I like to be ready, and Hermione isn't being any better really."

"He's at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes, I really couldn't care less." Said Y/n making a face which Harry believed had to be Hermione's. She raised her quill and dotted an i so ferociously that she punctured a hole in her parchment.

"You should really start studying." Said Y/n without looking up. He bent a little lower over Advanced Potion-Making and continued to make notes on Everlasting Elixirs, occasionally pausing to decipher the Prince's useful additions to Libatius Borage's text.

"And incidentally," said Y/n, after a quite a while, "you need to be careful."

"For the last time," said Harry, speaking in a slightly hoarse whisper after three-quarters of an hour of silence, "I am not giving back this book, I've learned more from the Half-Blood Prince than Snape or Slughorn have taught me in - and I thought you were on my side -"

"I'm not talking about your stupid so-called Prince," said Y/n, giving his book a nasty look as though it had been rude to her. "I'm talking about earlier. I went into the girls' bathroom just before I came in here and there were about a dozen girls in there, including that Romilda Vane, trying to decide how to slip you a love potion. They're all hoping they're going to get you to take them to Slughorn's party, and they all seem to have bought Fred and George's love potions, which I'm afraid to say probably work -"

"Why didn't you tell on them then?" demanded Harry. "They didn't have the potions with them in the bathroom," said Y/n scornfully. "They were just discussing tactics. As I doubt whether even the Half-Blood Prince" - she gave the book a suspicious look - "could dream up an antidote for a dozen different love potions at once, I'd just invite someone to go with you, that'll stop all the others thinking they've still got a chance. It's tomorrow night, they're getting desperate."

"There isn't anyone I want to invite," mumbled Harry, who was still trying not to think about how Y/n would certainly go with Hinderson, a Ravenclaw prefect, any more than he could help, despite the fact that she kept cropping up in his dreams in ways that made him devoutly thankful that she could not perform Legilimency.

"Well, just be careful what you drink, because Romilda Vane looked like she meant business," said Y/n grimly. She hitched up the long roll of parchment on which she was writing her Transfiguration essay and continued to scratch away with her quill. Harry watched her with his mind a long way away. "Hang on a moment," he said slowly. "I thought Filch had banned anything bought at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"

"And when has anyone ever paid attention to what Filch has banned?" asked Y/n, still concentrating on her essay. "But I thought all the owls were being searched. So how come these girls are able to bring love potions into school?"

"Fred and George send them disguised as perfumes and cough potions," said Y/n. "It's part of their Owl Order Service. A Hufflepuff kept showing it off in the common room."

"Yeah, well, never mind that," said Harry quickly. "The point is, Filch is being fooled, isn't he? These girls are getting stuff into the school disguised as something else! So why couldn't Malfoy have brought the necklace into the school - ?"

"Oh, Harry . . . not that again . . ."

"Come on, why not?" demanded Harry.

"Look," sighed Y/n, "Secrecy Sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms, don't they? They're used to find Dark Magic and Dark objects. They'd have picked up a powerful curse, like the one on that necklace, within seconds. But something that's just been put in the wrong bottle wouldn't register - and anyway, love potions aren't Dark or dangerous -"

"You broke into a gate that was bewitched by Dumbledore!" Whisper-shouted Harry as Y/n hit him with a parchment roll on the head before shushing him. "And if I didn't, you would've been dead due to frostbite." Said Y/n with a glare and slamming her book shut signaling this discussion is over.

True to her words, Romilda Vane had cornered him the moment he had climbed through the portrait hole. "Hi, Harry!" said Romilda, "Fancy a gillywater?" He could imagine Y/n giving him a "what-did-I-tell-you?" look over her shoulder. "No thanks," said Harry quickly supressing a snort. "I don't like it much."

"Well, take these anyway," said Romilda, thrusting a box into his hands. "Chocolate Cauldrons, they've got firewhisky in them. My gran sent them to me, but I don't like them."

"Oh - right - thanks a lot," said Harry, who could not think what else to say. "Er - I'm just going over here with . . ." He hurried off, his voice tailing away feebly.

When he arrived in the entrance hall at eight o'clock that night, he found an unusually large number of girls lurking there, all of whom seemed to be staring at him resentfully as he approached Luna. She was wearing a set of spangled silver robes that were attracting a certain amount of giggles from the onlookers, but otherwise she looked quite nice.

Harry was glad, in any case, that she had left off her radish earrings, her butterbeer cork necklace, and her Spectrespecs. "Hi," he said. "Shall we get going then?" "Oh yes," she said happily. "Where is the party?" "Slughorn's office," said Harry, leading her up the marble staircase away from all the staring and muttering. "Did you hear, there's supposed to be a vampire coming?" "Rufus Scrimgeour?" asked Luna.

"I - what?" said Harry, disconcerted. "You mean the Minister of Magic?" "Yes, he's a vampire," said Luna matter-of-factly. "Father wrote a very long article about it when Scrimgeour first took over from Cornelius Fudge, but he was forced not to publish by somebody from the Ministry. Obviously, they didn't want the truth to get out!" Harry, who thought it most unlikely that Rufus Scrimgeour was a vampire, but who was used to Luna repeating her father's bizarre views as though they were fact, did not reply.

Whether it had been built that way, or because he had used magical trickery to make it so, Slughorn's office was much larger than the usual teacher's study. The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, so that it looked as though they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light.

"Harry, I'd like you to meet Eldred Worple, an old student of mine, author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires - and, of course, his friend Sanguini." Worple, who was a small, stout, bespectacled man, grabbed Harry's hand and shook it enthusiastically; the vampire Sanguini, who was tall and emaciated with dark shadows under his eyes, merely nodded. He looked rather bored.

A gaggle of girls was standing close to him, looking curious and excited. "Harry Potter, I am simply delighted!" said Worple, peering shortsightedly up into Harry's face. "I was saying to Professor Slughorn only the other day, 'Where is the biography of Harry Potter for which we have all been waiting?' " "Er," said Harry, "were you?" "Just as modest as Horace described!" said Worple.

"Here, have a pasty," said Worple, seizing one from a passing elf and stuffing it into Sanguini's hand before turning his attention back to Harry. "My dear boy, the gold you could make, you have no idea -"

"I'm definitely not interested," said Harry firmly, "and I've just seen a friend of mine, sorry."

He pulled Luna after him into the crowd; he had indeed just seen a long mane of brown hair disappear between what looked like two members of the Weird Sisters. "Hermione! Hermione!"

"Harry! There you are, thank goodness! Hi, Luna!"

"What's happened to you?" asked Harry, for Hermione looked distinctly disheveled, rather as though she had just fought her way out of a thicket of Devil's Snare. "Oh, I've just escaped - I mean, I've just left Cormac," she said.

"Under the mistletoe," she added in explanation, as Harry continued to look questioningly at her. "Serves you right for coming with him," he told her severely. "I thought he'd annoy Ron most," said Hermione dispassionately.

"I debated for a while about Zacharias Smith, but I thought, on the whole -"

"You considered Smith?" said Harry, revolted. "Yes, I did, and I'm starting to wish I'd chosen him, McLaggen makes Grawp look a gentleman. Let's go this way, we'll be able to see him coming, he's so tall. . ."

The three of them made their way over to the other side of the room, scooping up goblets of mead on the way, "Who are we hiding from?" whispered a voice from behind them as Hermione shreiked.

"Y/n! Oh thank merlin!" Said Hermione placing her hand on her chest as if she just had a heart attack. Y/n chuckled, "Sorry?"

She looked beautiful.

Harry's breath hitched and caught in his throat as he raked her up and down with his eyes. She was dressed in a stunning, glittering gold dress that pushed off her shoulders and slitted up her thighs leaving others imaginations go wild, especially Harry's.

She had her hair tied up in a low bun, decorated with pearls. Her gold heels reflected the light. Her middle finger had a gorgeous wildly sparkling gem on but what caught Harry's eyes wasn't the expensive rock.

It was the large bruise forming on her knuckles, staining her skin with blueish purple marks.

Harry's hand immediately grabbed hers in worry, his mind racing with what could have caused it.

"Y/n! What happened?!" He asked, the monster crawling inside him was both in rage and worry. It was as if it wanted to climb out and tear everyone apart and push Y/n behind it, protecting her.

"Oh, it's nothing." She said as she pulled back her hand a dismissively waved it.

"Y/n punched one of Williams friend's in the face after he said something bad about you, Ron and Hermione." Luna said in her dream-like voice as if she was retelling a story.

"What?!"

"Why?"

Both Harry and Hermione asked at the same time though Harry felt the monster calm down and he had to hide the grin that was about to litter his face.

She defended him. She had punched someone for him.

Well technically she punched someone for you, Ron and 'Mione ... A voice in his said but he pushed it away. Harry felt special.

"He just said something unacceptable." She replied just as Luna interupted

"He said Harry is bias and an attention seeking freak, Hermione was disgusting for dating Weasley, Krum and Cormac and that Ron was a patheticly poor excuse of a wizard." Luna said expressionless as Y/n tried to send her 'Cut it' signals with her hand but the Ravenclaw ignored her.

"Y/n then punched his face in front of the Ravenclaw common room, breaking his nose. Then she told William she couldn't date someone who had friends that shamelessly talked in such vulgar ways and she'd rather date a Slytherin. And made sure to remind us that Hermione here is the smartest in our year, Ron saved every single throw at the match and Harry was more braver and selfless than all of us combined. That's why he isn't here, he was escorted to the infirmary."

Hermione seemed both shocked and grateful as she lunged herself at the Hufflepuff and started muttering nonsense of how she shouldn't have done that and how she'd get in trouble and how she's grateful for her words.

Harry on the other hand was a grinning freak inside. She thought he was brave. He felt the urge to giggle and held it in. Sure he was pissed off with what Hinderson's friend had to say but she stood up for him ( them ) but who cares.

She said he was braver and selfless then all of them combined. But before he could let the butterflies in his stomach get the best of him, he needed to make sure.

"So you and Hinderson are over?" He asked as Y/n nodded. "Did I go to far?" She guilty asked her friend but Harry answered and answered too fast.

"No!" He had shouted gathering some of the surrounding people's attention causing the three girls to look at him either in shock or curiosity. Hermione squinted her eyes at him and raised her brow.

He felt his face flush as he stumbled for words. "Sometimes they're just not meant to be." Grimcing as he remembered his epic failure of a date with Cho last year.

"Yea, so? I don't have a date and Hermione is hiding from her date. . . May I have this dance, Miss Granger?" Y/n asked in a deep posh accent that made Hermione giggle and blush.

"No, yo-" Hermione began but squealed when Y/n pushed her onto the dance floor. Y/n placed a hand on Hermione's waist and grabbed her other hand in hers as Hermione placed her hand on Y/n's shoulder, laughing as the latter lead them across the dance floor in quick, funny strides.

"You like her." Luna's voice came.

"Yea, I do." He said. He's face morphed into a soft lazy smile as he watched the Hufflepuff twirl them in circles making Hermione laugh as she tried to slow the badger down.

"I'm sorry Luna, I didn't mean to ruin your night." He said but the blonde waved her hand and smiled at him warmly.

"Your my friend Harry, I'm happy if your happy." She said, Harry stared at her with a friendly smile before bowing down slightly and placing his hand out.

"Miss Lovegood, may have your hand for this dance?" He asked as the Ravenclaw smiled before pulling a chuckling Harry onto the dance floor.

An hour later, Harry sat with his drink on a couch alone while Luna spoke with a friend on the other side of the room. He looked around staring at the dancing figures as they twirled and swayed under the light.

His eyes caught Y/n' figure. It wasn't that hard, she was glittering like a disco ball, her sweet laugh filling the room, making Harry smile.

He watched her dress flow every time she twirled.

How the strand, that fell from her elegant hairdo, swayed every time she laughed, throwing her head back.

He watched how she tapped her, done white nails, on the glass of her drink, into a rhythmical sound.

He watched how she twirled Hermione and complemented her in a deep voice mimicking a man, making the bushy-haired girl swat her arm playfully and covered her mouth as she laughed.

He sat mesmerised by the ethereal beauty that filled his mind, painting his every nerve and cell in a glowing haze.

His thought we're cut off when he felt the couch dip next to him. Hermione had just flopped down next to him, out of breath sporting a happy smile.

"Oh, I don't think I've ever danced so much. Should've gone to the Yule ball with her, boy can she keep going." Hermione said as she turned and faced her friend, who was staring at the said girl.

"Go, go ask her to dance!" Hermione encouraged as Harry shook his head bringing his glass to his lips.

"C'mon Harry, you can go dance with her and grow this relationship into something more or you can spend the rest of your life regretting it for being a coward." Hermione said as Harry kept quiet for a moment, downing the rest of his drink.

Hermione was about say something else when Harry jumped up and placed his empty glass on a passing tray. "You're right, 'Mione." He said.

He walked over to where Y/n was speaking to Zabini, his chest tightened at the sight wanting nothing more than to hex the Slytherin into the next century.

As Harry aproached them, he caught Zabini's eye, who looked at him in disgust before saying a few words to the Hufflepuff and leaving.

"Hey." Harry said softly as Y/n made a surprised sound before chuckling and facing him with a tired smile.

"Hey, well don't you look ravishing?" She teased as Harry felt a shiver run down his spine, the words making more problems then it should.

He swallowed before putting on a similar tone. "Isn't that my line?"

"You wish, Potter. We both know I'm much more of a gentleman." She said. Harry's eyes locked on her lips as she raised her glass and drank it.

"Dance with me." He said abruptly. She raised her brow and put down the now empty glass at a nearby table.

"Are you asking or demanding, Mr. Potter?"

"Will you give me the honour and pleasure of having this dance with you?" He asked putting his hand out, every fiber in his body begging for her to say yes.

"The pleasure is all mine." She said as she slipped her hand into his.

He slid them to the middle of the room as he placed a hand on her waist and held her other hand in his.

"You look gorgeous." He said filled with seriousness. He watched as she blushed, chuckled, looked down then up again at him.

"I'm not the one who's got the eye of everyone in the room." She said.

"You're mistaken, you're the most beautiful one here. They're blind if they think otherwise." He said, he felt her grip on his shoulder tighten.

"Didn't know your the charmer type, Harry."

Harry.

The sound of his name on her lips made his heart beat like never before. He let go of her waist and twirled her around, bringing her closer to him.

Her hand rested on his chest as his slipped slightly lower than it was before. "Maybe there are things about me you've yet to see." He whispered.

"Maybe there is." She mumbled as she drummed her pointer finger against his chest. Harry pulled her out before twirling her out and pulling her in, wrapping his arms around her waist as her back flushed with his chest.

"Harry." She whispered as he twirled her out. There it was again, his name. His clothes felt to tight. The air felt too hot.

When she came back this time her hand was on the side of his neck wrapping around it as she brushed his jaw with her thumb. He's hand dropped to her hips, brushing his thumb up and down.

"Y/n." He whispered so softly he barely heard it. It came out as a warning, as he shut his eyes.

She was close, too close.

"Yes?" She asked as she ran her hand down his shoulder and to his chest, the hand that held hers tightened it's grip.

"Yo-" He was about to say something when the perfect moment was cut off by Hermione's shouting.

"Get off me!" She shouted, both and almost everyone in the room faced the commotion.

Both Harry and Y/n rushed over, apart of both their minds annoyed and slightly pissed off.

"You don't have to make a scene. Let's just dance." Cormac said.

"I said I don't want to." Hermione said as she stepped back from him. Y/n stepped in front of her pushing her back, behind her.

"This is none of your business, L/n. C'mon Hermione, if it was anyone else they'd beg for me to dance with them let alone date them."

"Shove off, Cormac. Hermione values those with brains and character." Y/n said as Cormac scoffed, pushed Y/n and reached to grab Hermione's wrist.

Harry was already on his way to punch the bastard when, Hermione raised her fist and punched right in the jaw.

Before anything else could happened, Y/n kneed him where the sun doesn't shine.

"Nice form, 'Mione." Y/n praised as people turned their heads to see Cormac rolling on the floor. Hermione on the other hand stared at her fist as if it punched Cormac with it's own mind.

"Next time she says 'No' you get the hint and piss off," Y/n commented as she kicked him with her heel. People began to rush over and crowd the boy.

"Y/n!" Hermione yelled horrified.

"I've got detention anyway, may as well stretch it to it's limits." She joked just as she got pulled by Professor Slughorn. Harry stared at Cormac with undisguised disgust before grabbing Hermione and rushing her out after saying goodbye to Luna and Y/n.

That night, Harry stayed wondering at all the possibilities that could've happened if Cormac wasn't being a pain, which made the Potter hate the boy even more.

#harry potter x reader #harry james potter #harry james potter x reader #harry potter #harry potter x fem!reader #harry james potter x y/n #golden trio era

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bella-rose29 · 8 months

Text

Hopeless Romantics

Lockwood x f!reader

Their relationship through various hopelessly romantic dates.

With the tickets discount thing I have no idea if that's an actual thing but I figured it would work in the same way as a student discount or something.

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: literally none other than maybe wondering why you can't actually have an anthony lockwood for yourself

Tag list: @anathemaloren, @augustisintheair, @avdiobliss, @dangelnleif, @el-de-phi, @ell0ra-br3kk3r, @karensirkobabes, @mitskiswift99, @mrsklockwood, @mrsyixingunicorn10, @ran23sblog, @superpositvecloudshipper, @t2sh0, @taygrls, @tournesol77, @wandamaximoffbae, @whenselenefallsinlove, @wordsarelife

Let me know here if you'd like to be added or removed from the tag list! <3

Stargazing

It had been an incredibly long night, all members of Lockwood and Co wanting nothing more than to collapse in their beds and fall right to sleep. George and Lucy had done just that, bidding goodnight to their fellow agents and heading up the stairs. Y/n had been about to do the same when Lockwood dragged her by the hand through the house, out into the back garden.

"Anthony, what are you doing?!"

He turned his head to look back at her, smile bright and blinding despite the darkness. "Taking you on a date," he said, just as he pulled her to the floor, lying down next to her.

"A date? Ant, it's the middle of the night!"

"Yeah, and for once it's not a cloudy British night. Look." He pointed up at the night sky, and Y/n realised he was right. If she concentrated she could see the Milky Way. The sheer number of stars was overwhelming, and she didn't think she'd ever seen so many.

They laid there for a good hour or so, only going inside when Y/n started complaining about the chill (Anthony immediately moved the two of them inside and up to his room, saying he'd be a terrible boyfriend if he let his girlfriend freeze). They'd been talking about whatever came in to their heads, occasionally wondering about the constellations and trying (and failing) to name them. Once changed into pyjamas and snuggled in his bed (really Y/n needed to just move in with him, she was in his room so much), they continued looking at the few stars that they could see from the window, and when Y/n finally fell asleep, Anthony carefully crept to close the curtains, slipping back under the covers and drawing his girlfriend closer, falling asleep himself moments later.

~~~

Dancing in the Rain

It had been raining all day.

George had complained, since he'd been planning on going to the Archives, but at the sight of the torrential downpour he'd decided to forgo the walk and holed up in his room instead. Lucy hadn't minded so much; she was in the attic reading, enjoying some peace and quiet.

Anthony was in the library, trying to get paperwork done, but with his girlfriend sat in the same room as him he was struggling. He huffed for the millionth time, making Y/n look up.

"What? You keep huffing and puffing. Is something wrong with the papers?"

"No, nothing's wrong with the papers. Just... How am I meant to concentrate when the most beautiful girl in the world is sat so close to me?" He turned on his chair, smiling dopily at her.

Y/n snorted, looking at him over her book. "Charmer."

"Is it working?"

"It doesn't need to work, Ant, we're already dating."

"I've got to make sure you know how much I love you though," he pouted, and Y/n giggled.

"You've also got to make sure your company is running properly?" His pout didn't leave his face, and he huffed (again) as he turned back to his work, running a hand through his hair in mild frustration. "Ant?"

"Yeah?" He looked over at her, immediately perking up at the sound of her voice.

"Wanna dance in the rain?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah. It's not as bad anymore, I think we'll be fine."

"Okay, yeah. Sure."

Y/n pulled him up from his seat, and he all but ran out the front door into the street, barely pausing to pull his shoes on. They were immediately soaked, Anthony's white shirt sticking to his body and Y/n's thin top doing the same within seconds. She was right, it wasn't as bad as it had been earlier, and they were laughing as Anthony held his hand out for her to take.

"May I have this dance, m'lady?" he said, his smile wide.

"You may," Y/n replied, placing her hand in his. He yanked her in, pulling her close to his chest, and she reached up to move some of his soaked hair out of his face. It wasn't much good, since she couldn't see that well from the raindrops that fell into her face, but she'd practically memorised the shape of him. He held her close, gently swaying as the rain fell all around them, the couple only moving when a car came around the corner and honked at them for being in the middle of the road.

When they came back inside a while later, George was just coming out of the kitchen, piece of cake in hand.

"No, nope, stay there, don't move! You two are dripping and I'm not letting you get that everywhere!" he rushed up the stairs, coming back a few minutes later with towels and changes of clothes for the two of them. "You can get changed there, then put your wet clothes in here. Let me know when you're done, so I can dry them and mop the floor." He handed over a plastic bag, one for each, then left, heading into the library.

"Oi, turn around, Ant. You might have seen most of it before but I'd like some privacy, please," Y/n lightly slapped his arm, nothing menacing in her tone as she turned her back on him. She'd barely finished pulling on the jumper (Anthony's jumper, really, but she wore it more than him at this point) than he'd wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest to hug her from behind.

"I love you, Y/n, you know that right?"

"I do. I love you too, Anthony."

~~~

The Picnic

"Anthony, where are we going? And why do you have a huge ass basket?"

"You'll see!" Y/n had been chatting with Lucy in their shared room (not that Y/n used it much now, she was in Lockwood's so much), when Anthony had burst through the door demanding that his girlfriend come with him. Y/n had laughed at his antics, taking the hand he offered and yelping when he all but ran down the stairs, girlfriend in tow. He'd been practically bouncing while he waited for her to put her shoes and coat on, and his excitement had only grown the closer they got to their destination. All of a sudden he stopped, making Y/n crash in to the back of him.

"Ant?"

"Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Just... just close your eyes, trust me. Don't open them until I say, okay?"

"Okay..." Y/n shut her eyes, squeezing them so tightly closed she could see patterns. She heard the rustling of something plastic, followed by the sound of him moving around and getting other items out of the basket, and after what felt like forever he finally said "Open!"

She did so, gasping slightly at the sight of the picnic blanket and various food items laid out. "Wait, you did all this?"

"Yep! Well, not all, George did the cooking, and Lucy helped me carry all the stuff back from Arif's without you noticing, but the rest was all me." He looked nervous, something Y/n hadn't seen her boyfriend be for a while, and she realised that he was waiting for her approval. He was scratching the back of his neck, slight blush covering his cheeks.

"I love it, Anthony. Really, I think this is amazing," she smiled at him, and immediately he relaxed, his own grin forming on his face. Y/n moved over to where he stood, planting a soft kiss on his lips. "And I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered, kissing her again.

~~~

The Aquarium

"Two day tickets please, we should get a discount too?"

"You agents?"

"Yes, Lockwood and Co." Anthony handed over his licence card to the woman behind the desk, and she handed it back with a nod of approval.

"Here you go, that'll be ten pounds altogether then please."

Anthony handed over the notes, then accepted the two tickets with a smile. "Thank you!"

Y/n grabbed his free hand, taking her own ticket and pocketing it. They made their way into the aquarium, stopping to read every sign and press their faces to every glass, and Anthony was sure that he was the luckiest guy in the world to have Y/n as his girlfriend. He told her as much when they stopped for something to eat in the aquarium cafe, and she'd laughed and gone pink.

"Well then I'm the luckiest girl to have you, Ant."

They'd left the table not long after, disposing of napkins and empty sandwich packets, and when Y/n squealed in delight and grabbed Anthony by the arm, he knew that the tunnel was just around the corner. Y/n was always going on about the tunnel where the fish swam right overhead, surrounding you with water that was held back by thick glass smeared with little children's fingerprints. She spent the next few minutes pointing out various creatures, and Anthony nodded along, listening intently to her descriptions of each one, from the largest shark right down to the smallest fish, a huge smile on his face at her awe.

"Ant, look!" She smushed her face against the glass, jabbing a finger at the ray that had started coming their way. When, a few minutes later, a second ray did the same, Y/n looked on in as much wonder as she had the first time, and Anthony found himself smiling softly at his girlfriend's apparently limitless fascination with the animals.

They sat in the tunnel for ages (they did have a day ticket, after all), chatting quietly about anything that came to mind, Y/n interrupting every now and then to excitedly list off facts about the fish.

When they finally left a while later, going around the rest of the aquarium, hand in hand, Anthony knew then that he never wanted to be with anyone else. She was still smiling at everything she saw, laughing at the pufferfish and marvelling at the lion fish, and her joy was infectious. A few times she stopped to talk to some small kids, exaggerating her movements and discussing the animals so seriously with them that anyone would think she was talking about the threats of the Problem, not seahorses. She was so good with the kids, and not for the first time Anthony caught himself thinking about their future together.

It was nearly dark when they left, having been kicked out because it would soon be curfew, and Y/n was pulling him along the pavement on their way home, still talking excitedly about her favourite parts of the day.

Yes, Anthony thought as he unlocked the front door and ushered Y/n inside. Yes, this is my future.

#I want an anthony lockwood so bad #anthony lockwood #lockwood and co #lockwood netflix #anthony lockwood x you #anthony lockwood x reader #lockwood x reader #lockwood & co #idiots in love #lockwood x you

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red-riot-unbreakable-heart · 5 months

Text

BakuDeku Secret Relationship Head Cannon

Ok...but imagine:

Izuku and Katsuki get together their senior year at UA, but they have a lot of trouble finding time to be alone between their busy class schedules and their crowded dorm (filled with gossipy-but-well-meaning classmates!). Their relationship is still new and they are trying to keep it private for a bit as they figure out what they mean to each other. They plan to tell the rest of their Class 1A friends eventually. But for now, they have developed a series of increasingly complex code words and phrases and hand signals in order to keep their relationship a secret and not be overheard.

BakuDeku Code Translations:

The Action: A Shoulder Squeeze

The Meaning: You're alright, I've got you

The Scenario: It's been a long day of training for the whole class. Izuku worked himself a little too hard sparring with Shoto Torodoki. The poor hero in training was blasted by a wall of ice, causing him to skid haphazardly across the training room's large cement floor.

He's covered in scrapes - his stomach and half of his left leg are covered in a thick band of road rash. He winces with each step as Katsuki walks him down to Recovery Girl's office.

When they reach the medical bay door, Katsuki reaches out to squeeze Izuku's shoulder gently. Unconsciously, Izuku leans into the soft, comforting touch.

Their eyes meet and Izuku understands what Kacchan is trying to say with the simple touch: I'm sorry you're hurt, but I'm here, and I've got you.

The hallways are crowded, so Katsuki's hand is gone within seconds, but the message was clear. Izuku half smiles as he shuffles alone into the office for medical treatment. To be loved so quietly is a gift.

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

The Action: Loosening School Tie

The Meaning: I'm stressed out and I need support

The Scenario: It's late the night before midterms, and the entirety of Class 1A is busy cramming ahead of the exams. Katsuki is usually cool and collected under exam pressure - he has never had issues with academics. However, the latest math course is giving him a little trouble, and just thinking about tomorrow's test has him sweating.

Currently, he is lounging across one of the common room couches, bent over his math textbook and scribbling furiously. He's not sure he's going to be able to pull off an "A" this time. He's worried...how can he prove he's undisputedly the best hero in the course if he can't manage to ace a simple math test? He knows that logic is flawed, but he's exhausted and nervous.

Across the room, Izuku is studying for English class. His brow is furrowed and there's a pencil wedged between his teeth as he concentrates. Izuku's sharp senses seem to realize that he is being watched, and his eyes snap up to meet Katsuki's. His face breaks into a slight grin at the sight of his boyfriend.

Katsuki immediately feels better as he gazes at Izuku. His chest expands with a wave of warmth. Sometimes he forgets that he's not in this alone anymore.

The explosion hero's hands tentatively move to loosen the uniform tie that he hasn't had a chance to change out of yet. He works his hands around the red fabric, slowly undoing the sharp knot that's keeping it in place.

Izuku's eyes widen at the gesture, and 5 minutes later the two of them are huddled on Katsuki's perfectly made bed. Textbooks are scattered across their laps, and Izuku is slowly rubbing soothing circles between his boyfriend's shoulder blades.

"What's wrong, babe?" The green haired hero asks tentatively.

"I'm just not used to being so worried about school work, dammit!"

"It's totally fine - we're in our 3rd year here at UA, so things are bound to be more challenging as we continue through the Hero Course!"

"I know that...I'm just so used to academics coming easily to me. This is so frustrating."

"Here, let me quiz you. Let's practice together, Kacchan." Izuku reaches out to grab his own copy of the math book.

Katsuki's face instantly relaxes as Izuku babbles on about nemonic devices and the value of flashcards and other study strategies.

"Thanks babe." He leans over to plant a kiss on the green haired hero's nose. A blush spreads across Izuku's freckled face.

"Of course - you know I've always got your back."

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

The Phrase: You damn nerd

The Meaning: You're ridiculously cute

The Scenario: Lunch Rush feels unusually crowded one Wednesday morning as Izuku and Katsuki find themselves squished next to each other at a table filled with their classmates. Class 1A has managed to cram 10 people at a 4 person table, and as a result no one can really move their arms or use their cutlery.

A few minutes into the meal, Izuku accidentally knocks over Katsuki's cup of juice. The orange liquid spills onto the table, forming a huge puddle around everyone's dishes. Izuku's face goes beat red with embarrassment and Katsuki makes an unnecessary show of being annoyed. It's almost difficult to bring out his old anger these days - he's really not that bothered by Izuku's clumsy mistake. Hell, he can just get up and order another glass of juice. He dabs at the spilled drink with a napkin, glaring at Izuku as he does so. Izuku's face burns even brighter when Katsuki's elbow knocks into his own.

To be perfectly honest, Katsuki is feeling rather comfortable being squished next to his secret boyfriend within the protective crowd of their Class 1A friends. He feels fuzzy and warm - happy to be so near to the people dear to him. Happy to be romantically entangled with the nerdiest, most heroic of them all.

It's hard for him to pretend to be mad - the deep blush across Izuku's face is reminding him of their illicit encounter the night before: Just a handful of hours earlier, Izuku had snuck into Katsuki's room after curfew. The two had made out lazily for hours, slowly stripping each other down until they were both in nothing but boxers.

"Is this...alright?" Katsuki remembers himself whispering, leaning down to run his fingers across Izuku's well muscled stomach as the green haired hero blushed a deep shade of scarlet.

"Y-yeah, it is. I like being with you like this." Izuku had reached up to cup Katsuki's face in his hands. "It's...special." They sat there for a long time, kissing and grinning at each other like idiots until the sun began to rise.

Katsuki shakes his head, trying to clear the lusty haze out of his brain. He reaches for his fork, forgetting how closely he and Izuku are pressed together. Their hands bump.

Izuku continues to blush furiously and mutters a quick apology, then knocks over Hanta's juice too. It's honestly adorable.

"You damn nerd!" Katsuki scowls, but he knows that Izuku can hear the affection in his voice.

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

The Phrase: Any sentence containing the phrase "All Might's Golden Age Hero Costume"

The Meaning: I need you, right now.

The Scenario: It's getting late on a Saturday night. The common room is mostly filled, with Class 1A's guys are lounging around on the couches.

Todoroki has a thick novel in his hands and Kirishima is immersed in a new manga. Sero and Tokoyami are playing Mario Kart on the small TV as Mina, Minetta, Bakugo and Midoriya look on and add colorful commentary. Sero cracks a lewd joke about Princess Peach and the group laughs.

As the game continues, Izuku catches Katsuki's eye. He holds eye contact for a moment before pointedly dropping his gaze to the explosion hero's lips. He subtly bites his own mouth, making a show of it to Katsuki.

"You know, Kacchan..." Izuku says casually as the rest of the group continues to cheer on a race down Rainbow Road. "I've been thinking about buying a new All Might poster on eBay... you know - the exclusive one of his Golden Age Hero Costume." Katsuki's eyes snap up and meet Izuku's own - they are hungry and insatiable and it sends a shiver down Izuku's spine.

"His golden age costume isn't nearly as cool as the one he wore in his silver age. Everybody knows that Deku." Katsuki says harshly. "It would be a waste of money to buy that."

"False. Lies. Blasphamy. Here - come to my room for a sec and I'll show you the eBay listing. Once you see it, you'll realize how wrong you are."

"Ok, bet." Katsuki stands up slowly and arranges his face into it's usual annoyed expression. He tries to look pissed off as he stalks off to "prove" the damn nerd wrong.

Minutes later, they're sprawled out on Izuku's bed in a passionate embrace. The door is locked tight and, well, technically Izuku does have an eBay listing for an All Might poster open on the laptop that sits abandoned on his desk. A true hero never lies!

Izuku is kissing his way down Kacchan's neck when he hears Sero pounding on the door. "Are you dummies done with your online shopping yet? It's your turn for Mario Cart!" Izuku and Kacchan freeze on the bed, limbs intertwined.

Katsuki inhales a shaky breath before calling out: "This dumbass doesn't know the difference between All Might's Golden Age and his Silver Age! Skip our turn - I need to make sure he doesn't get scammed on eBay!"

Sero grumbles as he stalks back to the common room. Bakugo grins and pulls Izuku up to crash their lips backtogether. They're going to need to come up with a more believable excuse next time.

Izuku pulls away from his boyfriend, looking up to meet Katsuki's heavy gaze. "This is getting a little ridiculous, Kacchan. All the code words and signals and sneaking around...maybe we should just tell all of our friends about us."

Katsuki rests back on his elbows thoughtfully. "You know...you're right. I want everyone to know about us." He reaches out to smooth Izuku's wild hair down. Stubborn as ever, the green locks bounce right back into place as soon as Katsuki removes his hand. He smirks. He loves everything about this damn nerd - including his untamable broccoli hair.

"But here's the thing...sneaking around with you is just...So. Incredibly. Hot." He leans forward to capture Izuku's mouth again in a searing kiss. "Maybe we tell everyone next month? I just wanna keep this going a little longer."

Izuku smiles into Katsuki's mouth. "Well...it is a little fun to be bad."

Katsuki rolls on top of his partner, threading his fingers back into the hero's thick green hair. "Careful now, or I'll start thinking your a villain." They kiss for so long, Izuku's computer switches to it's screensaver. The Golden Age Hero Costume All Might poster is long forgotten.

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sadtonight · 1 year

Text

"Away, away my thoughts go"

Summary: getting lost in thoughts is nothing out of the ordinary for you: your mind slipping away from reality that is surrounding you while doing mundane things. It's best if he keeps you grounded, else you might fly away into the skies;

Characters: Riddle, Vil, Epel, Idia, Lilia;

Warnings: implications of unspecified mental illness, reader is gender neutral, established romantic relationships;

Side notes: another self indulgent one, I underestimated my capabilities a bit so the work came two days late ha ha. I've edited the notes for the third time and I don't know what to put here! Enjoy? Get better? It's not as bad as it might seem, try to fixate on the positive moments that are happening now instead the ones that occur in your head, my own advice.

Riddle

— honestly, Riddle did give you benefit of the doubt when you seemed a bit lost by assuming that you are just busy or still yet to get accustomed to Night Raven College. However he undeniably finds it mildly infuriating. Why are you not listening to him anymore? Just so you know, it's mannerless to lose focus in the middle of conversation! Your boyfriend can always come back to what he was talking about, but not all people are willing to do so. Riddle worries about your absentminded attitude, so he directly confronts you;

— at first he didn't sound all that receptive: Riddle, in his usual way, started from matter-of-fact speech only to drop it upon seeing your visibly getting distant, as if you were told off. The red haired boy signed and broke an eye contact he was maintaining so you wouldn't feel so tense and asked if anything was distracting you or if you needed his help. Despite not looking at your boyfriend's face anymore, you could tell that the last phrases sounded a bit stained. Riddle did care about your mental well-being, so instead off brushing it off you shared what you were comfortable with;

— Riddle could relate to your dissociation, but it gave him more anxiety than reassurance: he remembers his times back at home, locked in a room with complicated books pilling up from the floor to the ceiling, dreaming of eating sweets and playing outside with Chenya and Trey again, only to come back to reality and try to get rid of the pesky thoughts that got in the way of his studies. His heart aches when he thinks about negative experience that you could've gone through;

— the very next day, red haired has went straight to the library to get his hands on as much as textbooks as he could handle. Articles that described how to keep grounded were real life savers. Riddle used to do homework with you now and then, but this time it's a permanent activity, especially everything related to memorization and math. Your boyfriend knows he can be scary when he gets carried away with studies, meaning that you get special treatment from Riddle, him being more lax and also showing how proudly smiling and praising you when you succeed;

— something Riddle also took a great liking to is trying new different tea blands and sweets in the secluded area of the Heartslabyul maze garden. Red haired boy tells you to describe the taste, smell, texture and colours of the food. Riddle became generally more attentive of you, thinking about new positive memories he wanted to make with you so that you would spend more time with him instead of somewhere far away, in the back of your mind.

Vil

— the celebrity always had to keep himself together despite whatever challenges and whims life throws at him. And naturally, the beautiful male had not-so-beautiful things to share like any other human being and you were amongst the few people he could feel relaxed enough to tell you his worries. Although, recently your boyfriend had started to suspect that his dear lacks a healthy amount of concentration, and not only in regards him but the world around;

— so being a proper partner he has made up his mind to see what was the case: Vil summoned you to his room under the guise of trying out new beauty product that appeared on the market. The tall male sat you on the chair before the vanity while standing behind you, pretending to be busy, and begun talking about the product, gradually shifting to saying outright nonsense to see how would you react. And unfortunately you didn't show confusion or surprise: you only slightly nodded and hummed, signing that you were in fact hearing Vil, however not listening to what he was saying;

— all of the sudden you were snapped back to reality by your face being turned to the side to meet magnificent, amethyst eyes that had disappointment reflected from their owner. Vil expectantly made a remark that sounded more like a plea: did something bother you or did he need to work on your focusing;

— after being cornered like that, you had no choice but to confirm your boyfriend's suspicions. Now healthy amount of self introspection is always welcome but your introspection are borderline hurtful, that's what Vil believed anyways. Beautiful male would attempt to find the root of the problem as to why do you slip away, but if you wish to withhold that information he won't pry, although he hopes you can tell him one day;

— Vil decides to help you with concentration the very same day. One of the ways that helps him to keep himself grounded is by doing exercises or practising dance movements, meaning that you will start participate alongside. Not only will it better your blood circulation but also will help you train your muscle memory and attention to details. Additionally, it's a great way to organically include you into his busy lifestyle and equally great excuse to get to touch you a bit more than Vil usually is able to.

Epel

— the boy notices how forgetful you tend to be before getting into the relationship with him. But as time passed, Epel realised you also space out a lot whenever you two are hanging out. His first reaction was to find fault in himself: Epel didn't consider himself to be a capable man for you, but he was selfish enough to crave your love and affection. Could it be that, just maybe, you grew bored of petite boy or found someone better...?

— lavender haired sulks throughout the week, until one day during the lunch break worried Jack tells him to spill the beans. Following brief explanation, beastman suggested that instead of Epel being the problem you could have a lot on the plate, but not wanting to burden your boyfriend and deal on your own. This revelation sprung Epel into action, with him hastily excusing himself and getting from his seat rushing out of dinning hall, typing you to meet him;

— your boyfriend awkwardly stood before you, hands tangling behind his back, head hanging low: he was clearly debating on how to approach the issue, finally meeting your eyes with newfound confidence. Not without stumbling through the words, Epel questioned all sorts of things that could be the case for your dissociation. Since your boyfriend had caught on, you decided to let him on about your "habits";

—it's... hard for Epel to relate, however he tries his very best to do so. Even if his initial guesses turned out to be false, lavender haired boy still set his mind on working to better himself in the relationship department. It's okay, because you can rely on him: Epel will always remind you of everything you need to be reminded of! To eat drink or have a small snack (if you don't mind apples you are never out of apple based foods), to change clothes that correspond to current weather outside, to do your college assignments which he could hypothetically help you with or at least do them together, to take care of your appearance by supplying you with different beauty products from Vil etc;

— to keep you grounded, Epel often tells you about types and sorts of apples and gives you them to see, smell, touch and taste. After that, he asks you if you remember the names, the colours and tastes of each separate type. Your boyfriend lights up when you get the correct answers, not getting frustrated if you don't remember everything — the boy is very proud of you for making progress all the same.

Idia

— you both are not the chaty-est couple out there, which made it harder to spot if something was amiss with you. Idia actually became aware of the fact when you were playing video games together by observing how sometimes you would just stand in one place or stall in the inventory menu for a while;

— your boyfriend began wondering if you didn't like the games or found them unengaging, but soon he saw the same thing happening when you were watching movies or anime. Blue flamed male debated whether to do something or just leave you be, maybe that's just how you were. It didn't let Idia focus on his projects or hobbies and Ortho made it worse by listing problems you could potentially suffer from, trying to encourage his older brother to take action;

— ugh, it's really humiliating for Idia to confront you like that, what questions he should ask anyway? By pure miracle you somehow put together what Idia was trying to convey, so you let your boyfriend on what was the situation. After listening to you, he closed his eyes for a moment. Look, Idia gets you very well, maybe too well for his own liking. However, you have so much stuff awaiting you out there, unlike him who is stuck being the Shroud. To drag you down with him to the bottom of the underworld was never an option: you mustn't suffer like him nor you mustn't lock into your own mind;

— your boyfriend wants to support you as much as he can, though only as far as his comfort zone goes. Idia didn't need to go further than his own dorm thankfully, because one of the activities that helped ground himself were engineering. Cold metal tools, weird texture of materials, the smell of plastic etc. You don't necessarily need to be a pro or something —genius male won't make you do complicated stuff, it's not like there is some existing challenge. Due to aforementioned quality, your boyfriend can bite with words painfully at times so Ortho is there to defuse the situation;

— lanky male tries to be a bit more physical with you, like touching your shoulder when he sees you staring into nothingness or awkwardly sets his slander hand on your thigh when the two of you play video games. Idia is not all too pleased but if it helps you keep your mind here somehow....

Lilia

— hellooo, Twisted Wonderland to his distracted mortal beloved. Lilia can be extremely perspective when he wishes to be, and so prior to you getting together, while the bat had been courting you, he noticed how your mind could wander somewhere else. He understands: you also must have a long history just like Lilia. Sometimes he snapped you back to reality, sometimes he started to reminisce about his own past, saying sotto voce, vague remarks that you usually didn't catch on;

— but what worried your boyfriend was the fact that you were so young yet dwelled on whatever occupied your mind. You would occasionally skip meals and forget to bring textbooks, notes and stationary supplies to classes. Lilia had experienced the same, many times, but he has lived for decades and his memory gets blurry over time. You have to be pulled out of your daydreams or else the fae will lose you — like a candle, you will melt before his very eyes. Experiencing real life sensations what makes one feel alive, Lilia knows that personally, though he doubts you would appreciate real battles for life that he has been forced to go through frequently during his war general days;

— no matter the reason for your condition, Lilia won't pry into your personal life unless you tell him. That's why he never really had a talk with you, opting for leading you straight to the point. Playful old bat flicked his fingers before your face or scared you when slipped from the conversation, popped out of nowhere and dropped his oversized jacket onto your shoulders when it got colder and you forgot to bring something warm, pulled out your college utensils from thin air when you swore you lost them somewhere in your room-

— at any rate, Lilia became very clingy all of the sudden: now short male holds your hand or hangs on your arm all the time. You don't have a chance to get used to the weight pulling your arm because he specifically drags your limb differently every day. Another weird habit that Lilia took up was to constantly make stupid jokes. He doesn't stop at the unfunny ones, no, he continues until you smile or better yet — laugh. Your boyfriend wants you to come back to him, to where he could reach you and where he could bring you as much joy as he possibly could so you wouldn't escape to dreamlands again.

#twisted wonderland headcanons #twst headcanons #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #vil shoenheit x reader #epel felmier x reader #idia shroud x reader #lilia vanrouge x reader

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imwall-e · 3 months

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W&TWS || Doubts

Summary : He is a super-soldier of more than 100 year old, struggling to find a place in this new world. She is a young student of 23, struggling with life. But they know they can find comfort and help in each other.

Pairing : Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings : a bit of angst and anxiety, also fluff and always Bucky being the best

A/N : I am back to writing this fanfiction. It is more a journal to me, but it feels good to write like that and to share the story of Bucky and Willow. I hope you love it !

Series Masterlist

May 10th 2021

The exams had started the week of her birthday. Willow had barely revised, but was still doing her best to answer the questions and write good essays. She had a feeling, however, that it wouldn't be enough, but she was at peace with that. After all, this degree no longer suited her. All she had to do was make a decision: try her luck at the catch-up exams (because yes, she would definitely have to go), or give up altogether.

Strangely enough, her reflections led her to William. They had only been dating a few months, and she had taken just as long to get over what he had done to her. The wound still hadn't completely healed. A new question came to mind: was it a good idea to start a relationship with Bucky?

True, they had only exchanged a kiss, but perhaps everything was still moving too fast? Perhaps she needed to take her time? She wrote down all her anxieties on the paper she'd used for drafts, and promised herself she'd tell Bucky about them the next time they called.

He had gone back to New York a few weeks earlier, and it was difficult for them to communicate. She knew that a long-distance relationship wouldn't work in the long term. Especially in two different time zones.

She didn't want to get too attached like in her previous relationships. But Bucky seemed so kind. So thoughtful. However, bad times in the past forced her to be wary of many things, and many people. Even Bucky.

The teacher supervising the exam indicated that there was still an hour to go before the end of the exam. She glanced at her paper: barely four pages... She sighed, gathered her things, handed in her paper and went home.

The journey seemed long. Longer than usual. When she arrived, she was greeted only by her dog Dino. Her mother must still be at work. She took the opportunity to relax a little: take Dino for a walk, have something to eat, continue reading a book. Around 6pm, she took a shower and fell asleep a few minutes after getting into bed.

May 11th 2021

When she woke up, it was past midnight. The house was quiet. Her bedroom door was closed, probably by her mother who had preferred to let her sleep in. She reached for her phone and was blinded for several seconds by the brightness.

A few notifications from her group of friends told her that she wasn't the only one who had failed the exam. Dysariel's plan was holding up, which surprised none of them, after all he always got the best marks.

However, it was two other notifications that caught his attention. They were from Bucky:

Bucky Bear At 10.30pm: Hello Sunflower, I hope your day went well and that you managed to pass your mid-term. Give me your availability for tomorrow, I want to call you for your birthday. At 00:00: If my clock in New York is telling the right time for you, it's time for me to wish you a very happy birthday, my Sunflower. I haven't heard from you, so I assume you've fallen asleep. Thinking of you. PS: I also have a surprise for you that should arrive later today. Sunflower At 00:15: Thank you, Bucky Bear! I'll be available from midday. I don't have any exams in the afternoon. Do I get a hint about my surprise? I'm thinking of you too. Bucky Bear At 12:16am: Sorry, but if I tell you, it won't be a surprise! I've got to go to one last meeting. Go back to sleep, you need your rest. I can't wait to see you again.

His messages made her smile. He hadn't forgotten her birthday. He was going to surprise her. She had to concentrate on the positives. She wished she could go back to sleep now, but she knew she wouldn't be able to. So she grabbed her computer, plugged in her headphones and started watching videos.

She was woken up by her seven o'clock alarm, just two hours after going back to sleep. She nearly fell asleep on the train journey to university.

This morning she had an English grammar exam from nine to noon. However, she already knew that she would get out early because it was the subject she had mastered the most. Two or three exercises were more complicated and she could guess that she wouldn't get all the points. The most important thing was that she would at least pass the subject.

Zephyr, Dysariel, Axel and Ophélia went out more or less at the same time as her. They stayed another hour to eat together at one of the local fast-food restaurants. They talked about everything and anything. And Bucky.

"So," asked Dysariel, "how are things going with your handsome soldier?"

"Fine," replied Willow, blushing. I'm just a bit scared..."

"Of what?"

"That it's going too fast. Besides, the age difference is great, I mean he's over a century old."

They laughed together and all advised her the same thing: they were sure that what was between her and Bucky was special, but she had to take her time and think about her well-being.

Then came the time to go home. Zephyr went first, his parents being stricter about his going-out times. Then it was Ophélia's turn, as she had almost two hours by train to get home. Dysariel had things to do and wanted to revise for the hardest exam on Thursday: US history. Axel and Willow were the last to leave.

They had barely taken a few steps out of the main building when Axel remarked to Willow, "Look who's here." Indeed, Bucky was coming towards them, in a superb black suit. "I've got a train to catch and I think you deserve some time with him. Happy birthday again and see you on Thursday!" Before Willow could reply, Axel had already crossed the pedestrian crossing. When she turned her head towards Bucky, he was standing next to her, a bouquet of sunflowers in his hands.

"Happy birthday, Willow. I hope you don't mind that I came unannounced, I definitely wanted to surprise you." He looked tired but happy to see her again. As for her, she couldn't say a word because she was so surprised. She could only throw herself into his arms.

He held her close. Her long blonde hair smelt of monoi, the scent they both associated with summer. Bucky could already see himself taking her on holiday to the beach, or to New York to meet the people he considered to be his family.

Together they got into the car. "I was thinking we could go for lunch somewhere?" Bucky suggested.

"We've already eaten with the others. Maybe tonight?"

"Yes, of course. Say, I've booked a hotel room for the week, at the park where we spent our first date. We can also spend the day there tomorrow. Are you interested?

"Why not."

Bucky noticed that Willow didn't seem as cheerful as usual. He gently stopped the car at the side of the road, and turned to her, "Is everything all right?" Worry showed on his face and Willow couldn't help crying. There was the stress of the exams, the happiness of seeing Bucky again, the fears that were interfering with her thoughts.

So she told him about all the doubts she had about their relationship. She apologised several times. Bucky took her face in his hands: "Willow, look at me. It's all right, I'm not angry with you. Unless you never want to see me again, we'll take our time. We'll go at your pace. I promise you that. Now, I just want to know if we spend the afternoon and tomorrow together, or if I drop you off at your place?"

"I think I'm scared because of what happened with my old boyfriends."

"Willow, you don't have to tell me about it. Only do it if you want to or if you're ready."

"I am."

"Then we'll talk about it, but let me take you out for dessert. I know when you get really anxious and it calms down, you get hungry right after."

The fact that he remembered little details like this warmed her heart, and a big smile lit up her face. Bucky started the car again, one hand resting on Willow's thigh. Willow put her hand on his. She was already feeling a little lighter.

I hope you love this chapter, I'm writing the next one ! Do not hesitate to like, comment and reblog if you feel comfortable to do so !

#bucky #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #marvel #bucky barnes fanfiction #james buchanan barnes #bucky x y/n #bucky fanfiction #bucky x oc #bucky and willow #the writer soldier's journal #bucky love story

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mythicalrobyn118 · 5 months

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I Can Fix That

This little fic is for my @mythicalsecretsanta @link-sans-specs ❤️ I so hope you enjoy it! Merry Christmas

Summary: Rhett is smitten with the new man who works in the town library and offers his help to fix a few things.

Author Notes: I've had this idea sitting in the back of my mind for a while now and I'm glad I finally got around to writing it. It's based off Sam and Kate's relationship in Holes... it literally lives rent free in my head.

“I can fix that.” Rhett hears himself say to the stranger that's currently on the floor of the town library.

The man looks up from where he's crouched down next to a book cart and Rhett is sure he's never seen eyes that shade of blue before. He's still staring in awe when he realizes that the man is speaking to him.

“Sorry,” Rhett shakes his head to clear it of any inappropriate thoughts. “What was that?”

“Could you really fix it?” the man stands up, smoothing down the front of his trousers.

“Y - yeah,” Rhett clears his throat to try and regain control of his voice. “I have some tools in my bag outside. Wouldn't take long at all.”

“That - that would be great. Thank you.”

Rhett drops the books he was carrying on the table and quickly walks outside to retrieve his things.

He's back quickly and sets to work on the broken wheel.

“I, uh, I'm Lincoln, by the way.” The man says as he keeps a close eye on Rhett working.

“Rhett,” he introduces himself, reaching a hand up to shake the other man's. He sees the dirt smeared all over it and quickly withdraws it as Lincoln is reaching out. “Sorry, my hands are always dirty these days.” He chuckles a little and goes back to fixing the wheel, changing the subject. “So, are you the one replacing Ms. Cartwright?”

“Yes - yeah. That's me.” Rhett swears he hears the smile in his voice even though he can't currently see his face.

“Well, welcome to town. We're glad to have you.” Rhett says, perhaps a little too eager.

“Thank you. Do you come to the library often?”

“I do. Usually try to hit it up when I come into town… ‘bout every other week to get supplies for the farm.”

“Good to know. Did you like Ms. Cartwright?”

“Of course, when she wasn't getting on to me ‘bout keeping the books for too long or bringing them back dirty.” That makes Lincoln laugh and Rhett's pretty sure he would do anything to hear that sound over and over again.

“So, you have your own farm?”

Rhett let's out a dry chuckle, “My father does - I just work it.”

Lincoln follows Rhett with a little laugh of his own, almost as if he understands - maybe even also has a strained relationship with his own father.

“I didn't used to come by at all,” Rhett starts, needing to fill the short bout of silence for his own comfort; because if he starts thinking about things the two of them may have in common, the chances it could grow into a friendship… Rhett has to concentrate to ease the blush he knows is creeping up his neck right about now. “My neighbor, Ms. Ruby, she can't make the journey to town anymore. I help her out when I can and she loves to read. So, I figured I may as well get myself something when I come.”

Rhett tightens the last bolt on the wheel and gives it a spin for good measure. After it makes the circle, Rhett nods his head at his handiwork and claps his hands together. “I think that should hold it together just fine.”

“Oh, goodness. Thank you so much!” Lincoln says, grabbing the handle and giving it a push himself. When it rolls fine he turns his attention back to Rhett. “That's very nice of you - to do that for your neighbor, I mean.”

“Well, after she lost Ed - I like to keep a close eye on her; just to make sure she's taken care o –”

They’re interrupted by the ring of the bell that sits over the door. Both of their attention drawn to the group of ladies entering the library.

“Well, I'll be! If it ain't Rhett McLaughlin. What on Earth are you doing at the library?” Their leader, Savannah, called out.

Rhett held back the eye roll, as this wasn't the first time she's tried to gain his attention. “I was just fixing the cart wheel for Mr. —” Rhett looked back to the other man, not knowing him beyond ‘Lincoln’.

“Neal. Lincoln Neal.”

Rhett nodded, giving Link a small smile and turning to pack away his tools. “Since that's done - I guess I'll be taking my books and bein’ on my way.”

Not that he didn't want to stay and talk to Mr. Lincoln Neal, he very much did. But, he knew Savannah would think he was staying for her and he's positive he couldn't handle any more of her undivided attention.

“Oh, okay. Can I get these checked out for you?” Lincoln grabbed the stack Rhett had discarded earlier to grab his tools.

“Yes, please.” Rhett followed him to the desk toward the front of the library, leaving the gaggle of girls to themselves. “Thank you, Mr. Neal.”

“You can call me Link.” He said, almost shyly and Rhett thinks he sees his cheeks tint a pretty rose color.

Rhett grabbed the books that Link held out to him. “Well, Link, you have a good afternoon.”

—

Link has kept an embarrassingly close eye out for the tall farmer during the last week. Rhett had said that he only made it to town every other week but he couldn't stop himself from watching outside for the handsome man that stood a head taller than everyone else.

Link knows better than to do this - latch on to some stranger that he doesn't even know and make it out to be something more than it is. But, Rhett just seems like such a genuine man and Link couldn't help but think that maybe they could be friends.

His short time in the new town has been anything but easy. Moving to some place where he didn't know a single person was supposed to be freeing. Turns out - it's also very stressful.

Link is walking across the street when he hears that laugh; he almost pulls a muscle in his neck trying to find the location of it. His eyes finally settle on the messy blonde hair and freckled skin coming out of the post office.

He knows he's probably being way too eager, maybe even a little creepy - but he makes a bee line for him but hoping, somehow, he can manage a greeting that's casual.

“Rhett!” He says, hardly able to hear the squeak in his own voice. “How are you today? I wasn't sure when I would be seeing you again.”

Rhett turns quickly at the sound of his name and Link is not disappointed when his face splits into a grin. “Well, hi there, Link! I can't complain - ‘specially since running into you.”

Link feels the blush instantly, knowing Rhett will be able to see it too but hoping he won't call attention to it. “W - will you be stopping by the library today?”

“I did plan on it.” Rhett says with a sly smile. “I hope that's okay.”

“Yes, yes, of course. I was actually going to see if I could bother you to fix a shelf that's come off the wall.” Before Link can offer to pay him for his services, Rhett is agreeing, maybe Rhett is a little eager too. That thought makes his stomach feel all fuzzy.

“Absolutley, you could!” Link isn't sure how it's possible but his smile gets bigger. “I have a couple of more stops to make and I'll head over that way.”

Link nods his head, unable to stop the huge smile gracing his own face. “That sounds perfect. Thank you.”

—

Rhett was practically giddy the rest of the morning, going through all his usual stops but with a bit more pep in his step. Now, he is finally walking up the old wooden steps and opening the familiar door.

He doesn't hear or see anyone so he speaks up in the silent space, “Link? Are you in here?”

He hears some fumbling coming from the back room and then a voice sounding out too. “I'm here. Be right out.” Rhett follows the noise and Link emerges from the small door. “Thank you so much again for helping me out with this. I'm just all thumbs when it comes to this kind of work.”

“It's really no trouble.” Rhett insists, waving his hand. “What exactly needs fixing?”

“Oh, it's right over here.” Link gestures with his hand and Rhett follows him around a shelf to the back wall. “The shelf just kind of buckled when I started putting books back on it.”

Rhett immediately starts to work, taking a closer look at the shelf. After a moment, Link asks, “Do you think you can fix it?”

“Oh, yeah. I can fix that.” Rhett says, maybe a little more sure of himself than he needs to be. “Looks like I can put a couple of nails in and it will be good as new, the wood's not rotten or anything.”

“That's great. I'd be more than happy to pay you for all the trouble –”

“Nonsense,” Rhett cuts him off before he can finish the sentence. “I’m glad I could be of help.”

Rhett sets to work, taking the old nails out, Link's attention is pulled away from Rhett when he hears the door open, he turns back to him with an apologetic look, “Sorry, let me go and tend to them. Will you be okay for a moment?”

“Absolutely. Go ahead.”

Rhett zones out for a bit, doing what he needs to do to get the shelf ready to be installed while Link is tending to the other patrons. He hits a stopping point, needing an extra set of hands to finish it up.

He dusts his hands off and makes his way down to the end of the aisle. Link is squatting down talking with a child, little William, Mrs. Doris’ grandson.

“Well, I’ll tell you what, you can keep that book for an extra week but when you bring it back, we can read it together, cause I want to know what happens, okay?”

The little boy giggles and gives Link a hug, which seems to take him by surprise but he soon leans into it and wraps his own arms around the boy. Rhett chuckles to himself at the scene and gets back to work.

He hears the bell above the door ring once again and Link's footsteps coming back toward him.

“Sorry about that.” Link starts, but Rhett is already waving him off.

“No problem at all.” Rhett says, holding up the shelf, “I could use your help for a moment.”

“Oh, okay.” Link says eagerly, stepping toward Rhett. “What can I do?”

“I just need another set of hands to hold the shelf up so I can hammer it in.”

“Oh, okay.” Link stands close to Rhett with his hands out. “Just tell me what to do.”

Rhett holds the board out, instructing Link on how to hold it properly and Rhett goes to nail it into the wall.

The both of them are pressed close together, Rhett hammering the nails while Link is trying to keep the shelf in the same spot that Rhett instructed. They are so close, breathing the same air, Rhett inhaling the scent of cloves and freshly baked bread. Rhett tries to concentrate on the task at hand but he’s getting very close to losing his cool.

He finally manages to get finished but can't seem to pull himself away from the other man.

“I, uh,” Rhett starts. “I think that should do it.”

Link isn’t backing away either, he just keeps his impossibly blue eyes locked on Rhett’s. “Y – yeah, I think so.”

They are both startled apart by the ring of the bell and Rhett springs away from Link quickly, not knowing what exactly he was thinking, letting himself get caught up in the moment.

He clears his throat, putting even more distance between them. “Uh, you better… see who that is.” Rhett moves out of the way, extending his arm to let Link pass. Link hesitates but eventually bows his head and goes toward the entrance.

Once he is out of sight and greeting the patrons that just came in, Rhett hurries and packs his things into his small toolbox.

He doesn’t think much after Link is no longer standing there, he only gets his things and heads out the door. He sure he hears Link call his name but he can't be bothered to stop.

—

A couple of hours later, Link is finally closing up shop on the library. He's trying to balance the large basket of food that Mrs. Sutton dropped off to welcome him to town. He's going to have to push his bike home since he can't carry everything and steer. He isn't looking forward to the drive; it will give him plenty of time to think about what happened today.

He can't get the way Rhett looked at him out of his mind. No wonder the man practically ran away from him. They were incredibly close and Link was having a hard time keeping his breathing under control. Rhett's eyes seemed to be staring right into his soul and his cheeks were the prettiest shade of pink.

He's usually really good at keeping that side of himself hidden, now he's afraid he's messed up and may have to move towns again just to be safe. He couldn't believe he was so stupid.

He hears horse hooves coming up behind him and is surprised when someone calls out his name.

“Link,” he hears again and turns around to be greeted with Rhett galloping up on a large horse.

Link flinches back, not knowing exactly what the other man has planned but he has a hard time believing Rhett would hurt him.

He's off the horse and walking up to Link slowly. A sad smile gracing his face. “Link, I'm glad I caught you.”

“Rhett,” Link stumbles over his words. “W-what are you doing here?”

“Listen,”Rhett gets closer, crowding into Link's space. “I'm sorry about earlier. I - I shouldn't have just ran out on you. I just –” he trails off, his eyes glued to the ground like the words he is searching for are written in the dirt below their feet.

Link understands without Rhett needing to say more. He says as much and Rhett nods, his smile still faltering but at least it's reaching his eyes.

“Are you headed home?” He asks, changing the subject.

“Umm, yeah. Just got the library locked up for the night.”

“Would you… like some company?” Rhett asks almost shyly, reaching up with a big hand and rubbing the back of his neck.

Link can't hide the shock on his face but agrees despite the swarm of butterflies he feels in his gut, or maybe it's because of them. “That would be nice.”

“Can I hold something for you?” Rhett asks as he takes the reins of his horse.

Link gives over the basket of food so he can free up his hands to push his bike. They are walking close, Link is afraid Rhett can hear the thump of his heart. “Who's this?” He asks when he can't stand the silence between them anymore.

“Oh, this is Barbara.” He says, reaching up and giving her a rub on the nose. “I've had her since I was young, we basically grew up together on the farm.”

“That's sweet.” He smiles, watching the fond smile spread across Rhett's face as he looks at the horse.

They talk the whole way to Link's small cottage just outside of town. The conversation flows easily and before Link knows it, they are at his porch and the sky has turned a beautiful pink color as the sun sets.

It seems they are both reluctant to end their time together, so Link conjures up all the courage he can muster and asks, “Um, Mrs. Sutton gave me this enormous basket of food and there's no way I could possibly eat all of it. Would you want to come inside? I don't have anyone to share it with.”

Rhett hasn't stopped smiling since Link started talking, which Link can only assume is a good thing. He tries not to jump for joy when Rhett says with a sly smile, “Yeah – I can fix that.”

#rhett and link #link neal #rhett mclaughlin #rhink fic #rhink #mythical secret santa 2023

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jesuisici33 · 1 month

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fave lines game

rules: share your favourite lines or paragraph you've written from one of your fics, posted or wip. tagged by @spotsandsocks @kitteneddiediaz @wikiangela @hippolotamus @aroeddiediaz @diazsdimples and using this as my seven sentences Sunday and was tagged by @theotherbuckley @liminalmemories21 @bidisasterevankinard @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad @tizniz

From Public Relations, Patrick and David having a literary fight

“I just figured, this might be a good time to get to know you, and also what you think of the story. Of how our characters work together. That sort of thing. I know we won’t get the scripts until the read-through, but we do have the book…” Patrick shrugged. “Um, sort of self explanatory, isn’t it?” David’s features melted into a “no duh” gesture as he slid his omelette from skillet to plate. “During the first book Adam tricks Godrick the entire time into getting Wyndom’s scepter, allowing him to change reality and having everyone think Adam is the crown prince. He’s a trickster.” David cocked his head to the side. “Although, admittedly, a very good redemption arc.” Patrick blinked, his smile growing in astonishment. “Wait, wait, wait. Did you just finish the first book recently? Cause that is not what happens at all.” He interrupted before David could get a word in edgewise. “Adam is being controlled by the ruby necklace he stole from Queen Luna and because Wyndom cursed the necklace to corrupt anyone who will ever steal it, that’s why he changes reality.” “Is it?” David almost wanted to add an “Oh, honey,” to the end of his sentence. “ If you remember, V. R. Lee introduced Adam constantly being envious of the royal family and their abundant wealth. The motivation was already there, he didn’t need some necklace to ‘corrupt’ him.” He took a bite out of his omelette. Ever since he learned how to fold in cheese, he’s been making omelettes like a champ. Perhaps he should ask Stevie if she can get him a food network show he can host on the side. “Adam is poor! He had to learn to be a thief! What are you not getting?” “I’m getting everything actually, it’s you who seems to be missing the point.” David put the last bite of his omelette in his mouth, staring at his plate mournfully. Instead he took the second coffee Patrick brought for him and took a sip from that cup.

two more under the cut

yes I know that he's my ex - tarlos - post breakup/pre getting back together

The only greeting he gets is a raised eyebrow and a scoff. TK brushes past him into the loft and looks around, pointedly ignoring all the decoration Carlos worked hard on during his time moving himself in. TK finds the hoodie behind an end table where Carlos must have thrown it when he took it off. “Got it, thanks.” And this - this isn’t how Carlos wants things to end. Things with TK can’t be just random occurrences at work where they pretend to ignore each other or clipped tones of trying to be civil. It can’t be one of them coming over to get a fucking hoodie for two seconds before leaving to go out and have fun somewhere else. As much as TK may put up a tough front of not caring about what happened between them, he knows that’s all bullshit. Carlos only has to get TK to admit it. Before he realizes what he’s doing, Carlos takes hold of TK’s bicep, stopping him from taking another step. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?” “What else is there to say?” TK’s body inflates. All the posturing he’s put up for Carlos suddenly leaves him without a fight.

and something from a wip that I've been rereading - my demon!buck/angel!Eddie one

Eddie confronts him about it at the gym station. Making sure no prying humans are within earshot. “What’s a demon like you doing here?”

If there is a way to punch him without also hurting Bobby, Buck would. “Helping.”

Eddie purses his lips. Half in concentration on keeping his rep count, half in displeasure at Buck’s answer. “Helping. How does a demon help people? You’re a temptor, right?” At Buck’s sharp nod, Eddie continues. “So am I supposed to expect a lot of arson around here or something?”

“That’s not how that works.”

“Then educate me. How does your power work?”

Technically, Buck can tempt the divine or damned. It takes a lot of effort and a lot of strength. But he’s done it before. And he’s feeling a little petty and vengeful at the thought of an angel being here in Buck’s territory. So he might as well do it. He’ll most likely be drained by the end of it – but it’ll be worth it.

He peers into Eddie’s mind, into his wants and desires. He sees…a lego set? Some new lego set that just came out. Someone in Eddie’s life really wants it and Eddie is debating on splurging to make this person happy. But money is tight right now so he has to decide between getting the lego set or paying bills… Logically he knows he should pay bills. But this person has been through so much shit already and this lego set would really make him happy. Eddie should just get the lego set. Another month without cable really wouldn’t hurt-

Eddie gasps. “How did you do that?”

Buck feels cold sweat trickle down his face and back. He doesn’t need to look at Eddie to know he’s been tempted. Whoever that person is, they’re getting their lego set. It’s a small temptation, but the fact he’s tempted an angel will feed him for weeks.

“You wanted to see how my power works. You got your answer.”

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twistedroseytoesy · 1 year

Text

Jamils darkside

A potion accident leads the Mc to see the inside of Jamil's head. Shortly after the events of book 4. There's still remnants of the blott.

At this point mc really needed to ask crewel to not do so many dream based potions or things that could show a more vulnerable side of their classmates. It was the second week back learning after the winter break. Todays class was a special first and second year work day. To create a “dream walker” potion. Then to do class discussion in a dream world to ensure they had all the time they needed to go over the different effected etc.

As always with the poor prefects luck, things didn’t go to well due to their troublesome cat companion. Grim grew bored and let his minion take care of their potion with the scarabia vice dorm leader. But grim hated being still and surrounded by strong smells. But one scent did catch his attention. So as Jamil was carefully adding a few drops of mind root concentrate, grim leaped and reached into jamils coat pocket. He pulled out a small bag of spicy homemade chips with a victorious “ah-ha!”. Unfortunetly his victory was short lived as Jamil was lurched forward by grims weight suddenly on his front. He spilled a large amount of the consent rate and glared down at grim. He looked over to the mc and back down to the potion. Nothing started to happen luckily. Jamil just growled and kicked grim as he scurried away from both of the students.

They continued as if nothing had happened. The potion ended a much deeper blue than the other potions around them but other than that it seemed fine. They both should have known better than to assume a bit of an extra ingredient in a potion wouldn’t do anything. The class all summoned some soft chairs or pillows or blankets and drank their potion together at crewels command. The class quickly fell into a deep sleep and arrived in a shared dream space for discussion. All except for 2 students.

They both found themselves in what seemed to be a dark void. Mc groaned as a spotlight was casted on Jamil. “Oh no not again… sorry Jamil. Looks like we’ve got a musical number here.” They said remembering the incident with riddle a while ago. “what do you mean musical number??” Jamil looked downright flabbergasted at the idea of singing at a time like this. “We should try to wake ourselves up. We failed to connect with the other group.” He said. Trying to focus on feeling his body to try and wake up. “we will wake up after it’s over.” Mc said now sitting on the “ground” Jamil started to walk over to them with a deep frown at how nonchalant they were being. Suddenly he felt his limbs freeze and his mind cloud a bit as he started to sway to some dark drums and a deep growling voice that started to play.

“Do you want to meet all my monsters? Think you're tough, I know they'll drive you bonkers Meet them once and they'll forever haunt ya" He started to sing different images of shadows and jealousy moving in and out of the darkness around the two. Mc watched on, realizing this was going to be going deep into jamils darker, hidden thoughts.

"There's no heroes or villains in this place" He motioned toward his overblotted self as he sat on a throne and how he was cast down. "Just shadows that dance in my headspace Leaving nothing but phantoms in their wake (their wake)" He disappears as the blot phantom takes his place. Mc looks around worriedly.

"There's parts of me I cannot hide (cannot hide)" Jamil in his overblot form appears next to them and grabs their chin as he makes them turn toward him. "I've tried and tried a million times (ooh)" he smirks down at them as they try to break away from his grasp. They look to his eyes for a moment and they find themselves dancing like a puppet and singing as he laughs in front of them.

La-da-da-di-da La-da-da-di-da La-da-da-di-da-da

"Cross my heart and hope to die Welcome to my darkside" He sang as he released his hold on them, Mc reached out to jamil trying to get him back to normal but without magic, there wasn't much they could do. He elegantly danced around them as he sang, like a snake wrapping around his prey. His voice echoes around the two.

"to my da-da-darkside Ooh, to my da-da-darkside Ooh, to my da-da-darkside Ooh, to my da-da-darkside"

"Take a step into the havoc" They find themselves in the scarabia dorm, with the dorm students yelling at Kalim and Jamil. "Look around, this ain't even the half of it!" the kitchens burnt and there's garbage and confetti everywhere. "Walking the line between panic and losing my mind" He pulls on his hair and grips the side of his face. "Embracing the madness" His eye ignites as his hair curls back into the snakes. "My devils they whisper in my ear" The phantom looms close to jamils head as its viscus ink drips onto Jamils shoulder. "Deafening me with all my fears" The phantom creates puppets of his parents berating him on his shoulders. "I'm living in a nightmare!" He screamed.

"There's parts of me I cannot hide" Jamil is normal again but looking down at a broken dish on the floor his hands trembling. "I've tried and tried a million times (million times)" Images of good grades are burned, and a few other things are swept under a rug.

La-da-da-di-da La-da-da-di-da La-da-da-di-da-da

Jamil is now further away from Mc, looking over the edge of a balcony. as a faint voice continues the music.

"Cross my heart and hope to die Welcome to my darkside" He starts to tip over the edge as the words come from his mouth. Mc reaches out and the world fractures around them like a broken mirror.

Ooh, to my da-da-darkside Ooh, to my da-da-darkside Ooh, to my da-da-darkside Ooh, to my da-da-darkside

Images of A knife being thrown, Jamil crying in a corner, many dark figures glaring down at them, and many more flashed around them as the voice along with jamils voice continued to sing.

Darkside

Cross my heart and hope to die Welcome to my darkside

Despite falling through horrible fears and doubts Mc didn't stop trying to reach Jamil. Knowing that getting to him was going to be the only way to help him out of this mess. They even noticed the dark presence of blott around them as they continued through the different mirror fragments.

Ooh, to my da-da-darkside Ooh, to my da-da-darkside (to my darkside) Ooh, to my da-da-darkside (to my darkside) Ooh, to my da-da-darkside

They Finaly were able to wrap their arms around Jamil as they both plummeted over the edge into the darkness of a sea of blott. (welcome to my darkside)

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aceofthegreenajah · 25 days

Text

13 books! tagged by @old-man-ghost

1)Last book I read I read Ocean at the end of the lane in two days recently. It was a very fun concept. It's the kind of book that would have left a lifelong impression on me if I had read it young. But now it was just one good book in a long line of others. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

2) A book I recommend Let's go with a Taste of Gold and Iron. It's a very fun mystery, and the main character made me go. Wait. I know that feeling! I have a brain exactly like that too! (Riddled with anxiety and self-doubt at the most mundane things, but when things get serious, it's suddenly all business.)

3) A book that I couldn’t put down: I don't know if it exactly fits, because I wasn't fully invested from the start. But I did read all 500+ chapters of Omniscient Readers Viewpoint in just three days. And it is the only book I've ever read that make me go "Wait. I didn't know you could do that with a book." There are so many levels of meta in this book. It's like three books in one.

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more): I reread a ton of books. Let's go for Kalevala just because I was reminded of it while taking the picture at the end of this post. I used to read it every 6 months or so as a teenager. When we were told to read it for school I just read it again instead of telling anyone I'd read it like six times already.

5) A book on my TBR: One that has been there for ages is the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. I hope to get around to it one day. I already bought it after all.

6) A book I’ve put down: Putting things down (as in meaning to continue then forgetting about it) happens often. Putting down and deciding not to continue very rarely. Last was The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. I have no idea why. In concept is sounds like just my thing and I have enjoyed her other books. My mind just couldn't get a grip on it, my attention always started to waver instantly.

7) A book on my wish list: I want an ORV official english translation SO BAD. Where is it??? It's announced and everything! Same for Nirvana In FIre, actually. Usually if I wish for a book I just buy it. It has to not exist to stay on my wish list long.

8) A favorite book from childhood: How young are we talking? Roald Dahl's witches book was my favourite at age 5. His dark materials at age 8. Good omens at age 12. Farseer trilogy at age 14. (all ages approximate)

9) A book you would give to a friend: 've gifted two people with All systems red. I would love to give it to everyone I know.

10) The most books you own by a single author: Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. As long as all 8 physical tgcf books and 4 svsss books count as separate. Though Brandon Sanderson comes very close. I think I have 7 of his books as physical copies and a few as audiobooks.

11) A nonfiction book you own: The Dawn of Everything is both excellent worldbuilding material, and really opened my eyes on how uncreative and stuck I was about how societies 'must' work. Applicable to real life as well.

12) What are you currently reading: I am still reading Exordia. It is an excellent book I'd recommend to everyone (as long as you are not particularly sensitive to body horror). But that is also why I'm going slowly because I only want to read it when I can concentrate properly. I am also reading Trash of the Count's Family when I need a less serious book, and an isekai manga, and What technology wants. The best way for me to read stuff is read whatever I feel like at the moment.

13) What are you planning on reading next? I got The Traitor Baru Cormorant at the same time I got Exordia so that's probably next.

My shelfie (one of several bookshelves. I should really weed them):

#my stuff

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braveclementine · 17 days

Text

Chapter 26

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

𝕳𝖔𝖌𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖘 𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 month of April and we were starting to near our O.W.L.s. Many of the fifth years were collapsing into states of nerves. Madam Pomfrey was used to this and already had calming draughts ready to give students. Hannah was one of the students after she burst out in Herbology that she was to stupid to take exams and wanted to leave school.

Hermione and I weren't dropping into nerves but we were starting to get very snippy at the younger kids in our common rooms as we were studying. I'd tried to be nicer about it but man, kids can just get on your nerves! I swear some of them do it on purpose too.

Of course, I wasn't going to miss a single D.A. meeting either. On our last lesson before Easter, we were working on Patronuses and I immediately produced mine on a first try and then taught Rose and Grace the details of how to create a Patronus even though it was high above them.

Harry was busy telling everyone that it was easier to produce Patronuses in such a bright room and that it would be harder to create them when faced with a real dementor.

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy." Cho was saying. "They're so pretty!"

"They're not supposed to be pretty, they're supposed to protect you." Harry said patiently. "What we really need is a boggart or something; that's how I learned, I had to conjure a Patronus while the boggart was pretending to be a dementor-"

"But that would be really scary!" Lavender exclaimed. "And I still- can't- do it!" She said frustrated as silver vapor came out of the end of her wand.

"You've got to think of something happy." Harry said to Neville who's face was screwed up in concentration.

"I'm trying." Neville said miserably.

Suddenly I froze and then I screamed, "Harry!"

Everyone looked at me. "What?" Harry asked quickly.

"Umbridge- Marietta told on us. Umbridge is coming to get us." I said. "Everyone needs to get out of here immediately!"

At that moment, the door opened and everyone jumped back, but it was just Dobby.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry bellowed at everyone, "RUN!" Everyone sprinted for the door and I pushed Rose and Grace that way, running over to where Hermione kept the D.A. list.

"Good." Harry said, at my side. "Dobby, go back to the kitchens." There was a crack and Dobby was gone. I rolled up the list with trembling hands and shoved it into my robe pocket.

"Lets go before she gets in." I said. Everyone was gone and Harry and I sprinted from the room. Harry and I sprinted up the corridor- there were bathrooms ahead. Suddenly, Harry fell and then I felt something wrap around my ankles and I fell too.

I heard someone laughing and I saw that Draco was hiding behind a dragon statue. I cursed. I should've foreseen that.

"Trip Jinx, Potter! Kane! Hey, Professor- PROFESSOR! I've got two!"

Umbitch came around the corner, breathless but wearing a delighted smile.

"It's them! Excellent, Draco, excellent, oh, very good- fifty points to Slytherin! I'll take them from here. . . Stand up, Potter! Stand up Kane!"

I got to my feet, glaring. I felt the parchment in my pocket and hoped that she didn't take it. "You hop along and see if you can round up anymore of them, Draco. Tell the others to look in the library- anybody out of breath- check the bathrooms, Miss Parkinson can do the girls' ones- off you go- and you two," she dropped her voice to a whisper, "You can come with me to the headmaster's office."

A few moments later, we were in front of the gargoyle statues. "Fizzing Whizbee." Umbridge said in a singing voice. She had both Harry's arm tight in one hand and my arm in the other.

The office was full of people. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, the tips of his fingers together. Professor McGonagall stood behind him, her face tense. Minister Fudge was standing by the fire, rocking back and forth on his tiptoes. Kingsley was there too and I immediately looked away from him to the tough- looking wizard that looked a bit like a guard. And then to my most immense disgust there was Percy Weasley.

The portraits, I noticed, weren't pretending to be asleep like they had been before. I wrenched my arm out of Umbridge's grasp.

Fudge was glaring at the pair of us, looking extremely victorious. "Well, well, well, well."

"He was heading back to Gryffindor Tower and she was heading back to the Hufflepuff hole. The Malfoy boy cornered them." Umbridge said.

"Did he, did he? I must remember to tell Lucius. Well, Potter, Kane. . . I expect you know why you are here?"

"No." I spat out.

"You don't know why you are here?" Fudge asked.

"No, I don't." I said.

Fudge looked incredulously from me to Harry to Professor Umbridge.

"So you have no idea, why Professor Umbridge has brought you to this office? You are not aware that you have broken any school rules?" Fudge asked, his voice filled with sarcasm.

"School rules? No." Harry said and I was glad he had answered because I had a horrible retort on the top of my tongue that I knew I would've gotten into trouble if I'd said.

"Or ministry decrees?" Fudge asked.

"Not that we're aware of." Harry said.

"So it's news to you, is it, that an illegal student organization has been discovered within this school?" Fudge asked angrily.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time that you discovered something that didn't end up being true, would it?" I asked innocently.

Fudge gritted his teeth but Umbridge said in a silky tone, "I think, Minister, we might make better progress if I fetch our informant."

"Yes, yes, do." Fudge said, glancing maliciously at Dumbledore, "There's nothing like a good witness, is there, Dumbledore?"

"Nothing at all, Cornelius." Dumbledore said calmly.

There was complete silence and nobody moved, nobody looked at each other. I had one hand in my pocket holding my wand. I noticed that the parchment was sticking a bit out of my robes and I wanted to push it in but thought it would catch the Minister's attention.

A few minutes later, the door opened up and I turned to see Marietta who was hiding her face in her hands.

"Don't be scared, dear, don't be frightened, it's quite all right, now. You have done the right thing. The minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been. Marietta's mother, Minister, is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation. Floo Network, office- she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires, you know."

Against my will I snarled. Kingsley shot me the most discrete of glares.

"Jolly good, jolly good! Like mother, like daughter, eh? Well, come on, now, dear, look up, don't be shy, let's hear what you've got to- galloping gargoyles!" Fudge said, jumping backward in shock, landing himself in the fire and he quickly stomped his robes out.

Marietta gave a wail, pulling her robes up to her eyes. I grinned. Brilliant Hermione. Across her nose and cheeks in close, small purple pustules was the word "SNEAK".

"Never mind the spots now, dear, just take your robes away from your mouth and tell the Minister-"

Marietta shook her head.

"Oh, very well, you silly girl, I'll tell him. Well, Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to my office shortly after dinner this evening and told me she had something she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, something to my advantage. I questioned her a little further and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting there. Unfortunately at that point this hex, came into operation and upon catching sight of her face in my mirror the girl became too distressed to tell me any more."

"Well, now. It is very brave of you, my dear, coming to tell Professor Umbridge, you did exactly the right thing. Now, will you tell me what happened at this meeting? What was its purpose? Who was there?"

My hand jerked, tucking the parchment into my pocket and Percy caught the movement. He opened his mouth but the Minister said. "Haven't we got a counterjinx for this? So she can speak freely?"

"I have not yet managed to find one though I'm sure Miss Kane would know the countercharm... But it doesn't matter if she won't speak, I can take up the story from here. You will remember, Minister, that I sent you a report back in October that Potter had met a number of fellow students in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade-"

"And what is your evidence for that?" Professor McGonagall said, finally speaking.

"I have testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva, who happened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavily bandaged, it is true, but his hearing was quite unimpaired. Though Kane told everyone to keep their voices down- I suppose she'd foreseen that he would be reporting back- his hearing was not impaired and he heard everything and hastened straight to the school to report to me-"

"Oh, so that's why he wasn't prosecuted for setting up all those regurgitating toilets! What an interesting insight into our justice system!" Professor McGonagall said, raising her eyebrows.

"Blatant corruption! The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in my day, no sir, they did not!" A wizard in a portrait said.

"Yeah well we downgraded with the Ministers." I said lightly and Harry grinned.

"Thank you, Fortescue, that will do." Dumbledore said, shooting me a warning glance that I pretended not to see. Kingsley just shifted slightly to the left, closer to me.

"The purpose of Potter's meeting with these students." Umbridge said through gritted teeth, "Was to persuade them to join an illegal society, whose aim was to learn spells and curses the Ministry has decided are inappropriate for school-age-"

"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores." Dumbledore said.

"Oho!" Fudge said. "Yes, do let's hear the latest cock-and-bull story designed to pull Potter out of trouble! Go on, then, Dumbledore, go on- Willy Widdershins was lying, was he? Or was it Potter's identical twin in the Hog's Head that day? Or is there the usual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead man coming back to life, and a couple of invisible dementors?"

I gritted my teeth, wanting to say that Peter Pettigrew was very much alive.

Percy Weasley let out a laugh, "Oh, very good, Minister, very good!" It seemed he had forgotten about the parchment in my pocket.

"Cornelius, I do not deny- and nor, I am sure, does Harry or Elizabeth- that they were in the Hog's Head that day, nor that they were trying to recruit students to a Defense Against the Dark Arts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group was, at the time, illegal. If you remember, the Ministry decree banning all student societies was not put into effect until two days after Harry's Hogsmeade meeting, so they were not breaking any rules in the Hog's Head at all."

"That's all very fine, Headmaster." Umbridge said after a few moments of silence, "But we are now nearly six months on from the introduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-four. If the first meeting was not illegal, all those that have happened since most certainly are."

"Well, they certainly would be, if they had continued after the decree came into effect. Do you have any evidence that these meetings continued?" Dumbledore asked and I grinned.

"Evidence? Have you not been listening, Dumbledore? Why do you think Miss Edgecombe is here?" Umbridge asked, still smiling that stupid smile.

"Oh, can she tell us about six months' worth of meetings? I was under the impression that she was merely reporting a meeting tonight." Dumbledore said.

"Miss Edgecombe tell us how long these meetings have been going on, dear. You can simply nod or shake your head, I'm sure that won't make the spots worse. Have they been happening regularly over the last six months?" Umbridge asked immediately. "Just nod your head, dear. Come on, now, that won't activate the jinx further..."

Marietta shook her head. I was unsurprised. I was sure Kingsley had altered her memory. Of course, the spell had knocked the parchment out of my pocket a bit- that brief blow of wind. I didn't want to touch it. . . if Percy noticed again. . .

"I don't think you understood the question, did you dear? I'm asking whether you've been going to these meetings for the past six months? You have, haven't you?"

Marietta shook her head.

"What do you mean by shaking your head, dear?" Umbridge asked, her voice getting tighter.

"I would have thought her meaning was quite clear. There have been no secret meetings for the past six months. Is that correct, Miss Edgecombe?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Marietta nodded.

"But there was a meeting tonight! There was a meeting, Miss Edgecombe, you told me about it, in the Room of Requirement! And Potter was the leader, was he not? Or was it Kane? They organized it,- why are you shaking your head, girl?"

"Well, usually when a person shakes their head they mean 'no'. So unless Miss Edgecombe is using a form of sign language as yet unknown to humans-" Professor McGonagall said coldly.

I giggled, pressing my hand to my mouth. My movement brought Percy's eyes to me and then he jumped up and said, "Minister! Kane has something in her pocket!"

Stupidly, I put my hand in the pocket with the parchment. Umbridge brushed past Marietta. I back up. "Give it to me Kane." She hissed.

"No." I said flatly. "It's not yours."

She grabbed my hand and yanked, pulling out the piece of parchment and looked at it. She brought it over to the Minister. They unrolled it, starting to look at it. Thinking about the promise I'd made to Ernie, I immediately pulled out my wand and shouted, "Evanesco!"

Fudge and Umbridge had been looking down at the piece of parchment eagerly disappeared from their hands.

SMACK!

I reeled backwards into a cabinet, shocked that she had actually slapped me across the face. Dumbledore had gotten to his feet, his wand raised. Kingsley started towards where I was standing. Harry had a look of shock on his face. Professor McGonagall's face was very white.

"You will not manhandle my students Dolores." Dumbledore said, his eyes flashing angrily.

"You want to calm yourself, Madam Umbridge. You don't want to get yourself into trouble now." Kingsley said in what sounded like a deep, slow voice. But I knew him well, he was extremely angry right now. He helped me to my feet. I had a hand pressed against my face, still in a bit of shock. "Stupid move." he whispered in my ear.

I dropped my hand and simply shrugged, not daring to say anything.

"It does not matter that the list is gone." Umbridge said without another word. "You saw what they named themselves Minister?"

"Yes." Fudge said. "Dumbledore's Army."

Kingsley's grip tightened on my shoulder.

"Well, the game is up. Would you like a written confession from me, Cornelius- or will a statement before these witnesses suffice?" Dumbledore asked.

I stiffened and looked up at Kingsley who, shocking me into fear, had fear on his face. So did Professor McGonagall.

"Statement? What- I don't-?" Fudge said slowly.

"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius. Not Potter's Army. Not Kane's Army. Dumbledore's Army." Dumbledore said in a slow voice.

"But- but-" Fudge said and then he took a horrified step back into the fire and he yelped, and started stamping on his smoldering cloak again, "You?"

"What kind of fool jumps into a fire twice?" I muttered. Kingsley put a hand over my mouth. Playing the bad guy and trying to protect me at the same time. I guess maybe I did need some sort of protection- from myself. I just couldn't seem to shut up.

"That's right." Dumbledore said pleasantly, ignoring me.

"You organized this?"

"I did."

"You recruited these students for- for your army?"

"Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting. Merely to see whether they would be interested in joining me. I see now that it was a mistake to invited Miss Edgecombe, of course."

Marietta nodded.

"Then you have been plotting against me!" Fudge burst out.

"That's right." Dumbledore said in a cheerful voice.

"No!" Harry and I shouted at the same time and I struggled against Kingsley's tight grip. "No!" I shouted again, ignoring Professor McGonagall's warning look. "Professor-"

"Be quiet, Elizabeth or I'm afraid you will have to leave my office." Dumbledore said.

"Yes, shut up, Kane!" Fudge barked. Kingsley tightened his arms around me. "Well, well, well- I came here tonight expecting to expel Potter and Kane and instead-"

"Instead you get to arrest me! It's like losing a Knut and finding a Galleon, isn't it?" Dumbledore asked, smiling.

"Not that Kane was going to amount to anything considering her father-" Umbridge said, goading me.

"Shut up." I snarled and Kingsley clasped a hand against my mouth again.

"Knock it off Elizabeth." He hissed in my ear.

"Weasley!" Fudge was shouting. "Weasley, have you written it all down, everything he's said, his confession, have you got it?"

"Yes sir, I think so, sir!" Percy said excitedly.

"The bit about how he's been trying to build up an army against the Ministry, how he's been working to destabilize me?"

"Yes, sir, I've got it, sir!" Percy yelled again.

"Very well, then, Duplicate your notes, Weasley, and send a copy to the Daily Prophet at once. If we send a fast owl we should make the morning edition!" Percy dashed from the room. "You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged and then sent to Azkaban to await trial!" Fudge finished off triumphantly.

"Ah, yes. Yes I though we might hit that little snag." Dumbledore said and I stopped struggling against Kingsley.

"Snag? I see no snag, Dumbledore!" Fudge was still sounding extremely triumphant.

"Well, I'm afraid I do." Dumbledore said apologetically.

"Oh really?"

"Well- it's just that you seem to be laboring under the delusion that I am going to- what is the phrase? 'Come quietly.' I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course- but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing."

Umbridge's face was red. Fudge looked stupid. Fudge looked at Kingsley whos' arms were still around me in a tight hold and then to the other man who hadn't said a word. He drifted away from the wall, his hand reaching into his pocket.

"Don't be silly, Dawlish, I'm sure you are an excellent Auror, I seem to remember that you achieved 'Outstanding' in all your N.E.W.T.s, but if you attempt to- er- 'bring me in' by force, I will have to hurt you." Dumbledore said kindly.

Dawlish blinked and then looked at Fudge for an answer.

"So, you intend to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores, and myself single-handed, do you, Dumbledore?" Fudge sneered.

Suddenly, I found that I was clutching Kingsley to myself. If there was going to be a fight, I didn't want him to get hurt. "Merlin's Beard, no. Not unless you are foolish enough to force me to." Dumbledore said, smiling.

"He will not be singled-handed!" Professor McGonagall said loudly, plunging her hand into her robes and I followed her lead, pulling my wand out. Kingsley grabbed my wand arm, wrapping his other arm even tighter around me. I could barely move.

"Oh yes, he will, Minerva! Hogwarts needs you!" Dumbledore said sharply.

"Enough of this rubbish! Dawlish! Shacklebolt! Take him!" Fudge said.

In answer, Kingsley knocked me to the ground as jets of light started streaking through the air. I struggled under him but he had me pinned down. "Stop struggling." He grunted as I kneed him in the stomach. "You're going to get hurt."

I stopped struggling, Kinsley's weight crushing me. "Can't breathe." I whispered. He glared at me, moving his body up just an inch and I took in a deep breath and didn't move.

"Are you all alright?" Dumbledore asked, coming towards us out of the dust.

"Yes!" Professor McGonagall said, standing up and pulling Harry and Marietta up with her. Kingsley stood up, pulling me up with him.

"Thank you for modifying Marietta's memory Kingsley." Dumbledore said quickly. "I would've hexed you but Fudge saw you take Elizabeth down so it was unnecessary. Try and behave, won't you Elizabeth?"

I scowled in response. Dumbledore's lips twitched into the slightest smile.

"They will awake very soon and it will be best if they do not know that we had time to communicate- you must act as though no time has passed, as though they were merely knocked to the ground, they will not remember-"

"Where will you go, Dumbledore? Grimmauld place?" Professor McGonagall whispered.

"Oh no. I am not leaving to go into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he'd never dislodged me from Hogwarts, I promise you. . ." Dumbledore said, smiling.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered, feeling extremely guilty.

"I'm glad you guys held the meetings Elizabeth. Now Harry, you must study Occlumency as hard as you can, do you understand me? Do everything Professor Snape tells you and practice it particularly every night before sleeping, so that you can close your mind to bad dreams- you will understand why soon enough, but you must promise me-"

Tears fell down my face and Kingsley hugged me to his side. Then he let me go and I quickly wiped my eyes as Dawlish started to stir. Dumbledore grabbed Fawkes golden tail and there was a flash of fire and they were gone.

"Where is he? Where is he?" Fudge asked, picking himself off the floor.

'I don't know!" Kingsley shouted stupidly, looking around. He winked at me as he faced me again and I tried not to smile.

"Well, he can't have disapparated! You can't inside this school-" Umbridge said.

"The stairs!" Dawlish said and darted down the stairs. Kingsley and Umbridge followed after him.

There was a painful silence as we were left with Fudge. "Well, Minerva, I'm afraid this is the end of your friend Dumbledore."

"You think so, do you?"

Fudge ignored, looking around the office. The portraits were hissing at him and giving him rude hand gestures.

"You'd better get those three off to bed." Fudge said, nodding towards us.

As the door swung closed behind us, I heard Phineas say, "You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts. . . but you cannot deny he's got style. . ."

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

𝕰𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖊, 𝕵𝖚𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖓, 𝕽𝖔𝖘𝖊, Hannah, Susan, Heidi, Zacharias, and Malcolm were all waiting for me in the Hufflepuff common room for me when I came in, sitting in the arm chairs.

"Elizabeth, what happened?" Ernie asked as I came in. I sat down in an arm chair nearby and then recounted the entire story.

"She slapped you?" Heidi asked, in complete disbelief.

"Dumbledore's gone?" Ernie asked sharply

"Dumbledore said that he was the one who created the club?" Malcolm asked in his deep voice, his brow furrowed. "I still don't understand why he did that."

"And you got rid of the D.A. list before they could read it!" Susan said smiling.

"Yes Heidi, she slapped me." I said, my voice exhausted. "Yes Ernie, Dumbledore's gone. Yes Susan, I got rid of the list. Now I think the reason Dumbledore said he created the club was to get. . . well to get Harry and I out of trouble. Dumbledore knows that if Harry or I got expelled. . . well Lucius Malfoy works' at the ministry. He could have a bunch of Death Eaters waiting for us and boom- we're gone. Dumbledore knew that."

"That's so scary!" Rose exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Don't worry." I said. "They dropped the expulsion charges when they found out Dumbledore 'created' it."

Justin shook his head.

"Dumbledore will be back though!" Ernie said confidently. "They couldn't keep him away in our second year and they won't keep him away now."

"No." I agreed. "They won't."

We sat there in silence for a moment and then I said, "We ought to go to bed. None of you got caught by anyone did you?"

They all shook their heads.

"Well." I said and I noticed my voice sounded a bit bitter. "You should all be forewarned that Umbridge is going to put together an Inquisitional Squad. Made up of only Slytherins of course. They'll be able to dock points for us so you guys should all watch your backs. Watch your mouths too. They'll take points for anything though I suspect we won't suffer as much as Gryffindor. Slytherin'll be trying to get our points down though considering we'll have to face them in Quidditch."

"Course." Ernie said bitterly. "Night everyone."

I went upstairs with the girls and climbed into bed, listening to Hannah and Susan drop off into snores. Then I slipped from my bed on cat feet and padded down the stairs, out of the common room, and down the stairs to the dungeon. The classroom door was open an inch and I pushed inside and headed over to the office door and scratched at it.

There was no answer. Well, it was late so maybe I shouldn't have expected him to be awake. But I could hear Draco's voice through the door.

". . .she'll be expelled and then of course, father will know, and then he'll have her." He was saying. I was frozen, pressed up against the dark wall.

"I have told you before not to go parading your ideas correct?" Professor Snape asked coolly. "Anyone could overhear you."

"Your becoming like my mother, Professor." Draco said, sounding a bit annoyed. Guess you couldn't blame that.

"If the wrong person overhears you. . . us. . . Draco. . ."

Draco strode to the door, opened it, looked around and then closed it. "No one there."

"Fine, so say that your plan works, which it may not- Dumbledore is known of getting favored students out of punishments- then what?"

"Come on, you know her Professor! He wants her visions of course! And then he'll use them to get to Potter!" Draco said, sounding exasperated as though Severus was the stupid one.

"Well it's a good plan, assuming it works. Though I'm never quite sure why you always come to me. It's almost as though you expect I'll participate in your little plan." Severus said in a lukewarm voice.

"Well I don't see why you shouldn't!" Draco said, sounding proud of his Professor.

"To act as a double spy means not to act as though you are on the other side in front of the other side, does that make sense Draco? I cannot act as though I'm really on Dumbledore's side if I help you kidnap Elizabeth Kane!"

"Oh." Draco said and paused. "Well, that does make sense, though I don't know why you have to keep up pretenses anymore."

"Information, Draco, information." Severus said silkily. "Now go on back to the Slytherin common room. Get some sleep. You don't want to be caught out of bed so late by any of the other teachers."

Draco exited the room, looking immensely pleased as though his stupid plan really was going to work. I slipped through the door as Severus closed it, but he wasn't looking down and didn't see me.

He was running a hand through his hair and looked extremely worried. He started pacing the room and then I decided to become human which made him jump back.

"Don't do that!" He gasped, a hand clenched around his wand.

"Sorry. Good news- I'm not expelled. Bad news- Dumbledore's gone." I said.

"Good." Severus said bluntly, putting his wand in his pocket and striding over to me, "It's better than any other alternative." He reached up and turned the lights off and then guided me over to the bed.

We simply laid down next to each other instead of doing anything else. I was still a bit upset, feeling as though Dumbledore's flight was my fault. Okay so Hermione, Harry, and mine fault but still. . .

Of course, it almost seemed as though Dumbledore had been looking for an excuse to get out of the school, hadn't it? Or was I just trying to make it seem that way because I felt so guilty? Of course, if you were describing it to someone who hadn't been there, or really perhaps wasn't part of the reason that Dumbledore was gone- it was funny to think back about how cheerful Dumbledore had been as he agreed that he had been conspiring against Fudge.

I scoffed out loud. Fudge was such a stupid man!

"What?" Severus asked quietly.

"Just thinking." I murmured.

I was suppressing my mind too and felt a bit of pressure and Severus groaned.

"You could just ask." I muttered, a bit annoyed.

"Let me see." he demanded.

I snorted but relaxed my mind so that he could come in. He settled a bit on a memory of the two of us in bed until I reached over and pinched him and the memory jumped to what had happened in Dumbledore's office.

"She hit you?" Severus asked, sounding surprised.

"Well yeah. . ." I mumbled against his chest. "What'd you expect?"

He was silent for a moment and then said, "Why didn't you just let them see the paper?"

"Because I promised Ernie that I would never let her see the paper and I always keep my promises, no matter the consequences." I said.

He was silent for a moment and then he said, "I want you to make me a promise."

"Okay?" I said, figuring it was going to be something silly.

"If the Dark Lord does catch you, I want you to tell him that we're romantically involved." Severus said.

I sat up so quickly that the blood rushed to my head much to quickly and it started to throb. "What!" I hissed. "You can't mean that!"

He sat up too, our faces faced each other, though in the darkness we couldn't read each others expressions. "Yes, I do. And I want you to promise me you'll tell him."

"Why?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest for some reason.

"Because I'm not going to live without you, Elizabeth." Severus said, putting his hands on either side of my face. "I should've died when. . . when Lily died and I didn't because I was a coward. But I love you so much more, Elizabeth, and I'm not going to live without you."

"But he doesn't want to kill me." I said panicking, "Not right away at least. He wants to kill Harry and he wants my power under him. If I tell him, you'll die for no reason and I'll have to live without you!"

Severus was silent for a moment and said, "I just want you to promise me you will."

"No." I said stubbornly. "You can live without me. You're strong enough. And besides, I don't plan on ever getting caught by him!"

"Then there's no harm in promising now, is there?" He asked, stroking my cheek.

I hesitated. It was such a strange request. Why would he make the request? What did he think he was going to gain by the request? "What do you know Severus?" I asked softly.

"What do you mean?" He asked, an edge to his voice.

"I mean, what do you know that made you want me to promise you that request?" I asked, my voice tight.

He was silent. My stomach dropped. So he did know something!

I flopped back down on the bed, my back to him. I was angry now. That was unfair! Asking me to make a promise that he wasn't going to give any background context to!

"He's planning a way to lure you and Harry somewhere." Severus said finally. "Though, I don't know how."

"Well." I snorted. "He can't lure me anywhere."

"He could if he found your dad." Severus said gently. "You'd go in a heartbeat and you know it."

I was silent now because I knew he was right. If Voldemort used Dad or Trang or Sirius or Tonks or Kingsley as bait. . . I'd go in a heartbeat.

"Fine." I said flatly. "I promise."

"Good." Severus said, laying down next to me, wrapping his arms around me and tucking his chin into the crevice of my neck so that our cheeks touched. As his hand reached down for mine, I quickly uncrossed my fingers.

⬅️➡️

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dream-meister-translations · 1 month

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DREAM MEISTER & THE RECOLLECTED BLACK FAIRY

FATA MUSICA GUILD STORY #1

━

The Unified Meister Examination... It's a test of academic knowledge taken by every Meister under the World Guild Organization, conducted once a year.

This examination serves as one of the many metrics and criteria taken into consideration when the federation commissions work, as such, the UEM is generally seen as mandatory for all Meisters.

Once again, it would seem that time of the year has come…

EMMA : Next question. What is the name of the beer that can only be found on Yoka Island, the luxurious resort island of the pirate country, Ancyra?

HEATH : Yokayoka Lager!

EMMA : Correct!

KENT : Ah! I'm late to the party!

VELVET : What are you all doing?

EMMA : We were just discussing how to be prepare for the upcoming Unified Meister Examination.

HEATH : We’re killing two birds with one stone.

SUZUKA : Two birds with one stone?

KENT : Yup! Yup! With pub quizzes, you can concentrate on polishing up on your trivia blind spots, while still having fun! It can also serve as a reference for landing roles like The Quiz King or Trivia King, so killing three birds with one stone! It's amazing!

SUZUKA : I highly doubt it can serve as a reference for acting... but well, I see your point… For once…

HEATH : My general knowledge is pretty weak, so I've been taking part in order to improve.

HEATH : Even when I try to hit the book, I still just end up itching to play music instead.

SUZUKA : So, you turned our study into a "lighting round" style quiz.

EMMA : Yeah, I had prepared a hundred questions, and was just about to start asking Heath and Kent.

VELVET : A hundred questions? How very enthusiastic of you.

EMMA : They’re all from exams the federation held in the past. I gathered several years' worth of papers and selected the best ones!

SUZUKA : That must have been quite a hassle, right?

KENT : ...We'll make sure to thank Emma properly later.

HEATH : Of course.

EMMA : We've just finished the first ten questions. Would you guys like to join us?

SUZUKA : Sounds fun, but I'll pass. I have a script to finish.

EMMA : Oh, right. Your schedule was completely booked through to the unified examination.

EMMA : Maybe I should have taken some time to help you out, too…

SUZUKA : No, it's fine. The outline of the script is already coming together, and I usually score above average in the exams. If I keep up the same pace this year, it should be fine. But thanks for your concern.

SUZUKA : Take care of Kent and the others, Emma.

EMMA : I will!

VELVET : Maybe I should join…

HEATH & KENT : Huh?

VELVET : I have some free time anyway. And I really should help Kent study… It would be bothersome if he didn’t score above average this year.

KENT : Oh...!

HEATH : Is that guild policy?

VELVET : No. It's just embarrassing for me and the guild.

KENT : That's a blunt but incredibly hurtful reason!

HEATH : Well then, I'll have to work even harder.

EMMA : Okay, Velvet, here's your buzzer.

VELVET : Thanks.

VELVET : As someone who's supposed to be a genius, I can't afford to show weakness.

VELVET : Come on, both of you. If you can score even one point, I'll praise you.

KENT : Whoa, it feels like you're emitting the aura of the undefeated Quiz King...!

HEATH : Velvet's in serious mode. I need to focus too.

EMMA : Okay, on to the eleventh question!

━

After the Unified Meister Examination…

VELVET : 80 points.

HEATH : 58 points.

KENT : 43 points!

SUZUKA : ...Alright.

SUZUKA : 43 points...

KENT : Huh? I have the same score as Suzuka!? I did it!!

VELVET : Suzuka…

SUZUKA : Don't look at me like that. I’m not happy about it either…

SUZUKA : Damn... I didn't expect to be up for three sleepless nights before the exam…

EMMA : (The tone of Velvet’s voice must have really got to him, by the looks of it…)

VELVET : I see. So you’re saying that it is my fault you couldn't get the result you wanted, huh?

SUZUKA : No, it's because of my own inadequacy. I failed.

KENT : Suzuka! Let's aim to get an average score next year! We can prepare for Emma's questions together!

HEATH : So much for becoming the Quiz King, huh?

SUZUKA : ...Damn it!!

EMMA : (He seems really upset about this…)

#Otome #Yumekuro #Yumekuro Translations #YMKR translations #YMKR Dream Meister Translations #Otome Translations #Dream Meister And The Recollected Black Fairy #Dream Meister And The Recollected Black Fairy translations #Fata Musica #Suzuka #Kent #Heath #Velvet #fataguild

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cicidarkarts · 1 year

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Blood Defied - 2: The Duel

< Previous Chapter | Chapter List | Next Chapter >

Despite hoping yesterday’s Potions class would be the most difficult one of the week, Credence felt the sting of failure over and over during Charms class that afternoon. She sat next to Everett, a fellow Ravenclaw who was just as befuddled as the rest of the class.

"Here I thought secondary school classes were hard," he said. "Oh, don’t I know," said Credence as they practiced their charms. "Looks like everyone else is struggling, too." “Not that Natty girl from Gryffindor. I heard she can do wandless magic no problem.” "Come now, come now!" said Professor Ronen. "I know wandless magic is hard, but with enough practice, any one of you can master it. It could save your life in a pinch!"

Credence concentrated on her pouch of feathers. The small cloth bag didn’t seem like much, but it vexed her. The best she got was for it to wiggle. She didn’t like to be beaten. She stared hard, giving a few practice hand movements. This was the one, she told herself. She just needed to focus.

Credence gave one last shove of her palm and a silent command, and her Depulso charm exploded her satchel across the room. The auburn-haired Slytherin had to lean away so fast that he nearly fell out of his chair and gripped the desk. The bag hit the wall and burst into a mess of feathers.

Next to the auburn-haired Slytherin, cracking up as he regaled the story, was Ominis. He smiled in her general direction and she almost waved, before she remembered that would be stupid and pointless and give his friend ammunition to make fun of her. She would prefer to get through the rest of her schooling without making a fool of herself.

After class, Ominis and his friend caught her before she left.

"Hey, Credence," said Ominis. "Great wandless work in there." "Thanks. You guys will get it, too. It's not that hard once you've done it the first time." "My friend here will get it way sooner than me, I'll bet."

His friend stood half a head taller than Ominis who was already taller than her.

"Hey," he said with a very charming smile. "Name's Sebastian. Ominis only says that because wandless magic will be useful in duels." "Yeah? You duel?” “I can’t get enough of it.” “I guess they can be fun, but I've always been a bit of a wimp. I prefer books." "Classic Ravenclaw.” She pursed her lips. If that wasn’t an indirect challenge, she didn’t know what could be. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Just that's how you lot are." "Oh, really? So you think you know me," she said. "Because I'm in the smart house, I should be in chess clubs and debate teams, is that it?" Sebastian looked her up and down. "Cheeky little thing, you are. You might be able to outwit me, but you'll never be able to outduel me, Ravenclaw." "Wanna bet?" "I'm glad we're all getting along," said Ominis.

Okay, so maybe she’d beaten the pistol a bit. She stood on one end of the field out in the courtyard, her heart already pounding as she observed Sebastian on the other. He seemed so confident with his bright brown eyes and knowing smirk. The hand on her wand was sweating and quivering, despite her trying to steady it.

The other students at Ilvermorny stuffing her into a box had always brought out her competitive side—to perhaps her own detriment, like chewing leaves, spouting mysterious incantations, drinking an experimental potion, or… Staring down the wand of a much more experienced fighter in Sebastian.

"On go!" Ominis shouted from the sidelines. "Three, two, one—go!"

"Flipendo!"

The blast from Sebastian's wand sped toward her with practiced force. She put up her Protego which absorbed his attack. The moment she released her shield, she cried,

"Stupefy!"

But her attacks were unpracticed and slow in comparison. Sebastian easily maneuvered out of its way with a few well-placed side steps, keeping his eyes on her. As he walked, he shouted,

"Levioso!"

But she cast Protego to absorb it. She did the same with a well-placed and swift basic cast, continuing to use her shield against Sebastian’s decisive attacks.

"That all you got, Ravenclaw? Just defensive spells? You'll never beat me like that!"

She wasn't particularly good at offensive spells, and she feared that in her haste to prove she wasn't like "all other Ravenclaws" she didn't have much of a plan.

"Accio!" Sebastian cast, and his spell grabbed hold.

The wind whipped her face and she had to shut her burning eyes. When she jerked forward as the force stopped, her slick palms dropped her wand. In her panic, she cast a wandless Depulso.

She heard the air knocked out of Sebastian's lungs just as her knees hit the ground. When her gaze shot up, through her curtain of mussed brown hair she spotted Sebastian getting back to his feet.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" he said, panting. "Finally gonna fight back?" She cast out her hand. "Arresto Momentum!" "Protego!"

Sebastian's Protego absorbed her spell, but more impressive was his ability to cast a speedy and talented Stupefy. She couldn't get her Protego up fast enough, and Stupefy hit her like a punch to the face. It disoriented her, made the courtyard spin, and prevented her from getting off her knees.

"Flipendo!"

The spell connected in an instant, flinging her. All she caught sight of was sky then grass then sky again, before her back hit the ground. Her dizzied mind tried to make sense of the swirling colors; even as she lay there with the world spinning, she knew Sebastian was far too strong for her.

"I give!" She shot her hand up. "I give!"

Her arm collapsed and she lay in the grass, breath heaving. A shadow engulfed her. She opened her weary eyes to see Sebastian reaching out to help her up.

"You all right there, Credence? You put up a pretty good fight in the end. Got my heart pumping." "Yeah, yeah.”

She grabbed onto his hand (which was far less sweaty than her own) and yanked him to the ground beside her. When he looked at her, his dark, thick brow was furrowed and he looked rather offended—until he saw her smirk, then he laughed and rolled onto his back.

"That was really mature," he said. Ominis' shadow soon rolled over them, too, as he gazed down, leaning over his knees and holding Credence’s wand. "Are you two done flirting?"

Sebastian and Credence exchanged one mischievous glance before they grabbed either of Ominis' shoulders and tugged him to the ground, too. He fell between them, with much the same shock as Sebastian. But once she and Sebastian began to laugh, he joined in. He plucked a handful of grass and tossed it at Sebastian, who gave a hearty, "Hey!" before returning fire. Some of the grass got caught in a breeze and hit Credence in the face.

"Woah, guys, I'm not involved in this grass fight!" she said jovially, her cheeks hurting. "Oh, yes you are," said Ominis before snatching a nearby flower and tossing it into her face. "Flowers, how romantic," teased Sebastian.

After another bout of laughter, the trio got to their feet.

"Seems like you're doing well for yourself, Credence," said Sebastian, wiping dirt and grass off his house cloak. "Maybe you'd like to join our Dueling Club?" "Dueling Club? Sounds illicit." "That it is," agreed Ominis, handing back her wand. "Crossed Wands. The teachers never approved of the idea so a group of us went behind their backs and did it anyway." "Ah, so it begins," she said. "My spiral into villainy. Starts out by getting involved with the wrong crowd—dumb and dumber, you guys can figure out who's who—and before you know it I've found myself a cell in Azkaban." "You could just say no," said Sebastian. "Instead of being so hurtful," added Ominis.

But Credence bit her lip at the idea of getting back to her roots. She thought about her old childhood friend, Anaba. How she and Anaba loved getting into trouble; two castaway Muggle-borns with nowhere else to go, no other friends. Despite their falling out, despite all the bitterness and blame, Credence looked back on their good times with rose-tinted glasses. Her rational mind reminded her that she was now a nobody—destined for nothing—but it was difficult to deny the part of her who cried out to return to simpler days. Finally, she said,

"I'm in."

Most people came to the Crossed Wands room underneath the clock tower every night to converse with dueling enthusiasts and practice—sometimes on each other and sometimes on the dummy. Sebastian was well-versed in all the goings-on, and introduced her to the coordinator, Lucan Brattleby. He was easily the youngest of the bunch, but Sebastian gave him great respect. Not her, though.

“She’s a little rough around the edges, a bit unpracticed,” said Sebastian, nudging her. “But I’ve had first-hand experience with her abilities. She’s incredible at defense, and is really getting the hang of non-verbal spells.” “Defense again, Sebastian?” said Lucan, sighing and casting a very subtle glance toward Ominis, who had gone off to chat with a few other members. “When I backed her into a corner, she came out swinging.” Lucan smiled at her, though it didn’t touch his incredulous eyes. His face went stony and serious for Sebastian. “Well, you’ve never steered me wrong before, Sebastian.” “We’ve known each other for less than a year, don’t give me too much credit.” “This decision has to be on someone’s head. If the quiet girl gets her arse kicked, I don’t want it to be my fault.” “Hey!” she piped up. “I am not that quiet.” She stuck a finger in Sebastian’s smirking face just as he opened his mouth. “Don’t you dare.”

Ultimately, Lucan agreed to let her join. She got acquainted with some of the fighters that were there—and far too many names for her to ever remember. A couple of the members were Ravenclaws but mostly it was full of Gryffindors and Slytherins, with a decent amount of Hufflepuffs. Rather than jumping into a group of people who already knew each other well, thus making her feel out of place, she chose to awkwardly approach Ominis. He’d finished speaking with Lucan and was headed toward the courtyard.

"Done chatting already?" he asked. "Didn't you just tell Lucan that you're not quiet?" "What can I say? You and Sebastian are the only ones I know, and I have no idea where he went." "So I’m your second choice?" "That question is a trap, I know it." “Perceptive, but I’ll get you one of these days. And don’t worry about Lucan. He gets on my arse, too. I don’t think he understands the importance of defense like you and me.” “Without it, that guy—Whatever-his-name-is Black—might’ve gotten the better of us.” “Exactly. I never did get to properly thank you for having my back.” “Don’t mention it.”

They came to rest upon a stone bench, which was cold given the chill of autumn creeping over the grounds. She thought about the utter malice on Black’s face, colder than the wind chill in the courtyard, as he’d stared her down. Black’s words were full of contempt—“Especially you. You’ll regret this.”

She frowned at Ominis. “Should we really be hanging out? I mean, Black is—” “A right arsehole, I know. I’m not worried about him. And you shouldn’t be, either. He’s not worth it.”

She clenched her hands together, thumbs fiddling. Maybe Ominis was right. But… Maybe she was right. She didn’t know what Black was capable of. Horrible things? Nothing? Ominis would know him better, yet she still squirmed at the idea of being confronted by Black again.

“Look, if you don’t like me,” Ominis said, “we don’t have to be friends.” “Wait, hold on, that’s not at all what I mean! I do like you, I just—” She stopped when she saw his growing smirk. “Oh, you dick.” “Told you I’d get you. God, I wish I could see the look on your face right now, probably all blushing and flustered.” She gently pushed his arm. “I am so not! Shut up!”

They cackled hard enough that others stared at them and talked behind their hands. She was sure another rumor would brew from this, but maybe this one would be a little more pleasant. Then again, anything was more pleasant than Black.

After their laughter subsided, she questioned,

“What’s up with Black anyway?” “He’s one of those pureblood wizards who really believe in that wizard supremacist ideology. A lot of pureblood families are like that. And, naturally, they all seem to wind up in Slytherin. Probably because Slytherin himself held those beliefs and had a tendency to take in purebloods. The entire House of Black has been in Slytherin. Well, except Regalian. Before we came to Hogwarts, we were… I struggle to say friends, but I suppose so. Families like ours stick together for all the wrong reasons. And tenuously, at best. Regalian was always ‘I can’t wait until we’re both in Slytherin, Ominis’, and ‘if I wound up in one of the other Houses, I’d just die’. Imagine his shock when he was sorted into Hufflepuff. No one knows how. I have my own theory—loyalty to his family lineage overriding his pureblood status—but whatever the case, Regalian is supremely envious of me. I don’t think Houses are all that important. It just seems silly. But Regalian hasn’t been able to let it go. Of course, you being Muggle-born put a bigger target on your back. I think that if you were a pureblood or even a halfblood, he probably wouldn’t have accosted us the other day. I also think he didn’t realize how well you’d be able to fight back. It’s why I’m not worried about him. He’s an utter coward.” “You’re very knowledgeable about Hogwarts. I don’t know pretty much anything about the Houses. Black would probably have shit a brick if I wound up in Slytherin.” “Oh, I would’ve loved that,” he said, chuckling. “Would’ve served the bastard right.” “But I’ve seen Muggle-born hatred firsthand. Americans just call us lowbreeds. Gotta admit, the consonance of mudblood sounds a lot better. Whimsical almost. Americans are so boring.” “You really just take everything in stride. I don’t think you’re boring at all.”

She grinned, letting the conversation fall to silence. If Ominis was this untroubled about Black, then why should she be bothered? Though there was still a part of her that feared for Ominis’ safety, the more she got to see of him, the more competent and fearless he became. Defensively inclined as he was, he also showed her how willingly he stood to fight. And if he was going to have her back, she’d have his, too.

A chilly autumn breeze blew. She hadn’t noticed until then how dark it was getting and how low the sun had sunk beyond the horizon. They headed for the castle. He teased her about the Floo networks, “Try not to wind up halfway across town,” before they said their goodnights.

All that dicking around at Crossed Wands and she’d forgotten the mounds of homework she needed to do. But she simply took it in stride. The memories she had of spending time with Ominis made the hustle worth it.

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