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mrkcore · 4 years ago

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𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 - 𝐡.𝐫𝐣

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: huang renjun x reader

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: fairy(faerie)!renjun, human!reader, academia aesthetic, royalcore, medieval setting

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: you meet renjun one night. from that time on, you wait patiently for him every night.

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fluff, angst

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): none

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2k

𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨: talking to the moon - bruno mars

𝐚/𝐧: renjun fic because it’s his bday :3 (i researched a lot about faeries and fairies, but none of them fit the concept i planned, so i kinda just merged some stuff i saw, so this probably isn’t the most accurate, and it is fiction so yeah) i tried to be a lot more descriptive in this one (cuz i’m really bad at that), so pls gimme feedback that would really be appreciated tyvm <3

a part of @nakamotocore‘s cliffhanger collab!

(comment here to be added to the taglist!)

another day has come to the end. you’re finally back in your room, sitting at your desk, trying to finish the work you didn’t finish from your classes.

you sigh. even after lighting all of the candles in your room, you’re still feeling unmotivated to continue your language work.

so you pull up your mythology textbook, and take a sneak peek at tomorrow’s topic: fairies.

“fairy, also spelled faerie or faery, a mythical being of folklore and romance usually having magic powers and dwelling on earth in close relationship with humans. it can appear as a dwarf creature typically having green clothes and hair, living underground or in stone heaps, and characteristically exercising magic powers to benevolent ends; as a diminutive sprite commonly in the shape of a delicate, beautiful, ageless winged creature dressed in diaphanous white clothing, inhabiting fairyland, but making usually well-intentioned intervention in personal human affairs; or as a tiny, mischievous, and protective creature generally associated with a household hearth.”

reading on, you’re slowly feeling your eyes droop, tiredness flooding your system. before you know it, your eyes close and bring you to a quiet slumber.

something is tickling your nose, and more is tickling your arm as well.

did you forget to close your window? or is it the dust from your shelves coming to haunt you for not dusting them for over a month?

you get up drowsily, trying to find the source of the disruption.

your candles are still lit, but it’s still dark outside, so it’s probably not morning yet. you turn around to grab the shawl you discarded on your bed, and put it on.

you reach out to close your window, but to your surprise, there’s a boy. sitting on the ledge of your window.

and he has wings, sparkling transparent wings.

you’re in awe. from this angle, the moonlight shines just right for his beautiful wings to glisten as they flutter.

you don’t realize, but you’re slowly walking towards him. your body gravitating towards the strange but stunning creature.

he hears the floorboard creaking underneath your feet, and turns around to look at you.

you’re shocked by his appearance.

he’s heavenly. his round, gentle doe eyes are iridescent, sparking while he’s staring at you. dainty, plump, parted lips, and a button nose. you’ve never seen anyone’s features as pretty as his.

“oh, you are awake now.” his mouth turns upwards into a smile. you’re baffled. “i hope i was not the cause that woke you, how did you rest?”

the creature turns around and flies right next to you. you instinctively sit down on your bed, and he follows suit.

“i-, i slept well?” you answered hesitantly. you check your watch discreetly, displaying the time, 1:35 am. the boy–or being, sitting besides you catches the action, and leans in to view the interesting gadget.

he scares you a little bit, and you quickly scramble to put it back into your pocket. he looks at you with great curiosity.

you wonder if he’s ever been in contact with humans before.

“so uh, what is your name?” you try to strike up a conversation now that you know he is able to speak.

“i do not really have one, but you can call me renjun.” he beams. “and you? what should i call a beautiful lady like yourself?”

you’re blushing with how polite, charming, and poised he is.

“my name is y/n.”

and that’s where it all began.

renjun came to your window every night when the moon comes at its brightest. it became part of your routine, and thankfully you didn’t have a roommate, so you stay up every night just talking to him.

for some reason, your lack of sleep did not affect you as much as you thought it would. the headmaster, teachers, maids, they always told students to get a full night’s rest so you’d be at your fullest learning capacity. but you’ve never felt better. you never asked what renjun was, it never came up during your late night discussions. you knew from his appearance that he was somewhat like a fairy, but you never asked him about anything, even though you were always curious.

renjun’s sudden arrival into your life made you feel so bubbly and warm every single day. all of the girls in your class have noticed, so has your homeroom professor.

“y/n! y/n!” they called to you during lunch break the day after your first encounter with renjun. “you seem so happy today even though we had an exam, what are you smiling so brightly about?”

you wanted to keep him as your little secret. so you just smugly smirked at them.

“none of your business.” you bite back before turning around to walk away.

they all squealed.

“it’s a boy!”

“definitely a boy.”

“nothing else would be as exciting!”

whispers went around the classroom, and the girls were happily gossiping amongst themselves. your teacher even giggled a bit when she thought the class wasn’t looking. your classmates ask every single day, but you don’t cave. still pleased with the spectacle you’ve stirred up.

but it’s true, you’ve been much happier. strolling the school grounds with a skip in your step, a cheerful mood during class every day, and finishing your homework (renjun insists you do it before he visits so you are free to talk).

you’re so excited for your late night chats with him that you rush to your room to finish your work for the day. surprising all of your teachers of your newfound burst of productiveness.

you feel over the moon.

until he disappeared.

renjun stopped showing up at your window one day, out of the blue. no explanation, no nothing. it’s not like you had any other form of communication with him. so he completely went off the grid. leaving you by yourself.

for the first week, you didn’t accept that he just left. so like usual, you patiently waited for his arrival with the moon shining brightly.

but he never came. for weeks and weeks, you’d wait to no avail of his presence.

you know he’s somewhere out there. somewhere far away. you want him back.

your neighbours think you’re crazy.

sitting at your open window, staring at the moon, and barely getting any sleep.

but they don’t understand.

no one had ever listened to you as attentively as he did. no one cared to listen to you talk about your hopes and dreams, how your day went, what colour you found the prettiest (if you were wondering, it is green, renjun’s wings are a pretty light green), what pastries you enjoyed stuffing yourself with, your comfort book, no one.

he’s all you have.

so like a hopeless, smitten, lovestruck girl, you sat quietly with the cold breeze blowing into your room at night from your window.

weeks go by, and you’re still waiting for his visits. at night, when the stars light up your room, you sit by yourself, talking to the moon. trying to get to him, in hopes he’s on the other side, talking to you too.

you’re feeling like you’re famous, the talk of the town.

your bright spirit you had before was gone, and you kept your head down at day.

everyone was talking about how you got dumped, or got your heart broken by the boy you were head-over-heels for. they say you’ve gone mad; yeah, you’ve gone mad.

but they don’t know what you know.

‘cause when the sun goes down, someone’s talking back.

around 3 months later, you’re sitting at your desk, finishing work. you look up, and suddenly, the moon starts lighting up brighter, flashing.

you’re in disbelief, did the moon just, blink at you?

then, a shadow of a figure with wings appears, and waves at you.

that familiar figure, renjun.

was this renjun reassuring you that he hasn’t abandoned you?

this ignites that spark inside of you. not thinking rationally anymore, no longer somber, you instantly get up to scramble to the window to sit down.

while you’re speaking, the moon blinks, as if he’s talking back.

so again, at night, when the stars light up your room, you sit by yourself, talking to the moon. trying to get to him.

until that stops too.

the moon stops responding to you. no signs of anyone, and the moon looks more dull than before.

you wonder to yourself, “am i a fool, who sits alone, talking to the moon?”

you still stay up to mindlessly talk to the moon, in hopes he’s on the other side, talking to you too. does he ever hear you calling? ‘cause every night, you’re talking to the moon, still trying to get to him.

then, one night, you fall asleep again.

trying to study for your project, your mythology textbook is still open. you don’t mean to, but school has been tiring, and you couldn’t help it.

but you wake up to the familiar tingling sensation on your arm. you open your eyes, and see renjun’s gaze on you. head rested on his hands, with his arms on your desk.

is this a dream? you feel faint. is this really happening? was he really in front of you?

your eyes roam renjun’s face desperately. his eyes, his hair, his moles, his nose, those kissable lips. all the same like you remember.

“you’re awake.” he says. “i’m sorry i was gone for so long, i had some complications and was unable to travel.”

renjun smiles, apologetically.

“i’ve missed you, sweetheart. how have you been?”

your eyes zoom in on his lips.

“kiss me.” you blurt out before you can stop yourself. renjun seems surprised as well.

“sweetheart, are you sure you want th–”

before he even finishes, you crash your lips onto his.

they’re as soft as you imagined. his lips taste sweet, like the nectar of the beautiful flowers in your school gardens.

he deepens the kiss, and you let him. feeling over the moon.

when the both of you pull away, things go back to normal. renjun is diligently listening to your rambles, and you’ve never felt better.

when the moon starts to disappear, you realize it’s time for him to go.

“you should probably go home.” you said, sadly. “you said you had some important things to do, so i must not distract you from your work.”

“oh sweetheart,” renjun chuckles. “but i’m already home.” he says with a eerie smile that makes you stop.

“pardon me?” you reply, slightly terrified by his change in tone.

“you heard me little human,” he licks his lips menacingly. you flinch when his hand travels up to your face to caress your cheek. “i’m already home.”

tears are flooding your eyes as renjun’s fingers grow longer into claws and he wraps them around your airway.

“you humans think you can just come into our homes and destroy our land, families, our lives.” he growls. “YOU TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM US.”

renjun screams, his hand forcing you to look at him. his eyes are no longer the soft doe ones you knew, filled with rage and hurt as he poured his emotions onto you.

“now we’re taking it back.” he snickers. “this stupid building you built upon our old home, it will be gone.”

his hand squeezes tighter on your neck and you’re quickly losing consciousness.

“and we’re starting with you.” renjun taunts, his normal hand coming up to your face to caress it again.

“it’s a shame thought,” he shrugs, seemingly defeated. “i kinda liked you.”

he drops you on the floor, and you’re gone.

tears still flowing out of your eyes as renjun walks out of your room.

“unlike the fairies, faeries are considered to be evil, horrid, and mischievous creatures. the faeries are evil, unfriendly, and cruel spirits. the faeries are a bit dangerous also. humanity destroying most of their lives, they seek revenge to take back what once was theirs.”

©mrkcore, 2021.

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alexs-ummers · 5 years ago

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goodnight

Draco Malfoy x Reader

Summary: Draco struggles with his feelings: for you and the world around him.

Words: 2142

notes: requests are open! let me know what you think of this and what you want to see next.

There was something almost enticing about loving someone when they had no idea. Draco thought this anyway, but he also likes to toture himself, believing he was not worthy of a gentle love. The enticing part was the glances at you. He could take as many as he wanted because nobody but Draco knew just how hard his heart was beating. He could watch every hair tuck, every smile, every move that you made and you wouldn’t suspect a thing. Maybe that was the excruciating part: that you never returned those glances. There was just no place in this world for a love so soft that only you could provide. There was no world in which the two of you would live happily ever after. Not with the mark on his arm, not with the Dark Lord making house calls.

He watched you from across the Great Hall as you ate dinner with your friends. You had asked to hang out later to work on potions homework. “Oh, but you’re so good at it Draco, won’t you please help me?” He could never say no, even with the transfiguration homework he had piling up. He never wanted to see a frown on your face, certainly not one of his own doing.

He was too deep in thought to realize the trickling of students going out the door. It wasn’t long before you stood in front of him, waving a hand to get his attention.

“Draco?”

“Oh.” He looks almost surprised to see you.

“Did you forget?”

He shakes his head, standing up from the Slytherin table. “No. Actually, I was just thinking about it.” He was also thinking about how perfect you seemed to look, though there wasn’t much different about your appearance. This just seemed like another side effect from being in love. God, this was starting to become a sickness for him, something he needed to be rid of to go back to his normal life. He’s never felt like this. He sometimes even feels physically sick. You are only a casualty in a world like this, a weakness.

You had no idea of the storm going on within his thoughts. “Great, let’s go.” You beamed, unaware still of the pull Draco had towards you. He’d follow you anywhere if destiny allowed it, but alas.

Draco and you took a seat in the common room of Slytherin. Most people cleared out if they saw Draco here, especially when he was with you. It seemed as if they were somehow intruding on something.

“Tell me what you need help with.” Draco says, pulling out his parchment and quill. Homework would usually be done side by side, working together to solve problems, but Draco could do it all on his own if he needed to. He didn’t want to, though. He liked the alone time with you where all your attention was turned to him. He could sit close to you, so close that the words he shared could only be heard by you.

He’s already fixated on you, all his attention in one place. It was something you really loved about studying with Draco, he took it very seriously. “Well, Slughorn is having us research Amortentia before we brew it. I just need help answering the questions.”

“Do you know what Amortentia is?” Draco tests you.

“Well, yeah. It’s a love potion.” You roll your eyes, starting to answer the question on the parchment.

“It’s the most powerful love potion to ever exist.” Draco feels like he’s already under its effects. “It causes infatuation, so I guess I wouldn’t call that love.” Draco smiles a little to himself, answering the question on his paper. “Now, tell me what it looks like, what it’s characteristics are.”

You continue studying and answering questions with Draco’s help. It never seems like you have enough time with each other, the fire already beginning to die out. He offers to walk you back to your room as the light dies and the glow fades from your face. You accept, as always.

“Goodnight, Draco.” You always stand at your door, always hoping for something spectacular to happen. It never does. Draco has self control, more than anyone else you know. He has a wall built between everyone, it hurts to think about how he even has one with you. It’s something you’ve grown to accept.

“Goodnight, Y/N.” Saying goodbye is always the hardest. It always was, during breaks, after dinner, after class. It felt like leaving a piece of lightness within him. You were so good. He wants to kiss you goodnight, on the cheek, on the forehead, on the lips, but he doesn’t. He can’t. He has a long list of reasons he shouldn’t.

“Goodnight, Draco.” You tease, as he stands there. He always did this, lingered for longer than he should. There was something between you. Something unspoken, you knew it. You would die for each other. Feelings like these were dangerous to act on, they were too strong. Surely, you’d end up with a broken heart.

“Will you meet me in the morning, at our spot?” Draco doesn’t ask this of you often, usually only when he needs a close friend. You know something is on his mind when he asks.

You nod, raising a hand to touch his cheek gingerly before you decide to retreat into the darkness of your bedroom. “Of course. Now, get some sleep.” He’s overthinking, he still is even when you touch him. It barely elicits a reaction, at least a noticeable one. He’ll dream of the touch for nights to come.

It’s a chilly fall morning, but the sun still decided it was the perfect time to wake you up. You had to meet Draco after breakfast, anyway. The wind whispers outside, reminding you to grab a jacket. It’d be a bone-chilling day. You seem to rush through breakfast, hurriedly telling your friends goodbye.

Draco is sitting against the tree when you arrive, still deep in thought like he hasn’t left his mind since yesterday. He was usually much more talkative during studying, cracking jokes, teasing you. You suppose he has been different since he came back from home. He doesn’t talk about his home life much, but you hear the rumors. You opt to listen to what Draco will tell you personally, which isn’t much.

You sit next to him without a word.

“I was thinking,” Draco starts.

“I can tell.” You take notice of the dark circles underneath his eyes and the disheveled hair. The classic Draco didn’t get any sleep.

He lets out a small chuckle despite the ache in his chest.

Draco spent all of last night, tossing and turning. He had a list of all the reasons it was a stupid idea to start a relationship with you. There was another growing list of reasons why he should, but he couldn’t be naive, he couldn’t give in to childish behavior. He couldn’t be fucking weak.

“I think…” Draco swallows, his thoughts doing a 360. He had the intention of telling you he loved you. “I think we should stop being friends.”

You’re taken aback. “Excuse me?” A 6 year friendship down the fucking drain, just like that? Your face grows warm, your stomach turns.

“I think we’ve grown apart.”

The tears pool in your eyes and you can’t begin to process his words. “Draco-”

“I’m serious, Y/N. I can’t do this.” Draco storms off from your spot by the lake, leaving you alone in the fall weather with a broken and cold heart.

You’re not sure how long you sit there in the bitter weather crying out all your pain.

Days pass, weeks pass, and nothing is the same for Draco. His mood worsens. He doesn’t sleep. He has no light in his life, but he knows now that’s all life has in store: darkness.

The two of you pass each other in the hallways, make eye-contact during potions, and dream of each other at night. It’s the only place Draco allows you to be.

A month passes before Draco can’t handle the loneliness anymore. It’s selfish of him, but he wants to see you. Things are stirring up within the darkside of the wizarding world. There’s talk of killing Dumbledore and Draco has yet to prove his allegiance to the Dark Lord. He already suspects that he’ll be tasked to do the job. He hates himself for risking your safety, but regrets not being there to keep you safe. Perhaps, you’d be safer with him. Surely, they would understand. He’s being naive again and he knows it.

He passes a note back to you during potions, he’s surprised you don’t rip it up instantly and throw the pieces in his face. It’s what he did to your heart, but he knows you too well. You would never hurt him like that, not like he did to you.

The note reads, “Our spot, 9 PM.” You roll your eyes, how dare he? He thinks he’s entitled to everything. Despite these thoughts, you put the note inside your robes. You’d return to the thought after you weren’t stressing over the potions homework.

It’s after dinner when you begin to think of him. You decided to go and meet with him. The rumors were dreadful around the school. Draco, a death eater, working for Voldemort. It terrified you, but you wanted to hear the truth from him. You couldn’t imagine the weight upon his shoulders, the family name… You sighed, checking the clock.

Draco stands at the tree. It’s dark, but the lights of the castle illuminate your silhouette.

“Hi, Draco.” You greet him, your demeanor cold, arms crossed. You didn’t expect to welcome him with open arms, not without an explanation, an apology, maybe not even then.

“Y/N.” He struggles with the urge to reach out to you. “I…” He looks away from you. He feels the itching of the mark underneath his robes. The secrets wanting to claw themselves out of him.

“You’re sorry?” You roll your eyes, sitting down at the tree.

You’ll be patient with him, you’ll at least give him that.

He wants to laugh a pathetic laugh. “Yeah.” He takes the spot beside you, arms touching, just like you used to.

“I know.” You respond.

“It’s not enough.”

“No, it’s not.” You gaze at the castle, wondering what had happened over the years. Draco never used to act like this, he was never an overthinker, a worrier. “It’s true, isn’t it?” Never would you bring up the rumors before, Draco hated them. He hated what others would say about his family, about him, about his relationships and his friends. But the world around you was changing. Voldemort was back.

“Yes.” He waits for you to scream at him, to run into the castle and tell everyone it’s true.

You don’t say a word. A hand grips his own. He feels the dark subside momentarily, he feels the light you bring him. You squeeze his hand. You don’t look at each other, there’s tears in both of your eyes. It’s too much to acknowledge that right now.

It’s silent for a while, just savoring the feeling of your hands gripping each other like it’s the only thing grounding you to this world and it is.

“I’m terrified.” This applied to everything in your life. Terrified for him, scared for your relationship, scared for the wizarding world.

“Me too.” He finally looks at you, moving his hand to touch your cheek. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Y/N.” He’s silent for a moment, “To us.”

You melt into his touch, nodding your head. Draco could tell you a complete and utter lie and you would believe him.

Draco knows now that there’s nothing better than knowing you’re loved back. The torment seems to subside when he’s holding you. You sit like this until the lights within the castle begin to fade. Draco offers to walk you back to the dorm. You accept, as always.

You don’t let go of his hand until the very last moment. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

He nods, feeling exhausted from the intense emotions. He still doesn’t want to leave your side, but he won’t rush this. He must nurture it, keep it safe and protected, like he promised.

“Goodnight, Draco.” You give him a small smile, still waiting for something spectacular.

He was always waiting for it too and the feeling finally bubbles over and he’s pressing his lips against yours. It’s short and it’s just what you needed. It makes you never want to be away from him. You want to be feeling a part of him always like a way to stay grounded. He presses one last kiss to your forehead, for safe measure.

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

#Draco Malfoy x reader #Draco Malfoy imagines #draco Malfoy oneshots #Harry Potter x reader #Harry Potter imagines #Draco Malfoy x y/n #my writing #Draco Malfoy #harry potter #angst

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indigobackfire · 4 years ago

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HPHM OC Profile ✧

Aspen Samwise

" You got the same fire as your parents, Aspen, the fire of a fighter. Yet even brighter. I'm sure you'll make Slytherin proud. "

Full Name: Aspen Silverwood Samwise.

Nicknames: Penn, Penny, Sammy, Pipi (by her grandparents).

Gender: Female.

Birthday: 25th of June, 1975

Born: Glasgow, Scotland.

Parents: Ariel Samwise, Heather Silverwood S. - both Purebloods, Slytherins, and Scottish.

Siblings: None, she's a precious only child.

Ethnicity: Scottish (with Spanish and Slavic roots).

Sexuality: Heterosexual.

Blood status: Pureblood.

MBTI: ESTJ-A

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Appearance

Eyes: Her eyes are light blue with tiny brown specks.

Hair: Her hair is a dark brown very close to black, with white streaks scattered throughout, two falling right at the front, some back on her nape. It's straight with some wave to it. She has had it in various lengths throughout her Hogwarts years.

Height: She's a short baby - I'm bad with heights but I'd say 1,66m (5'4"ft).

• Her most prominent characteristic is her Piebaldism - that she got while her mother was pregnant and was hit by a miscast curse. It's all over her body, taking over big patches of skin, her hair and face. Her parents taught her to appreciate it and she grows to like it as it makes her look unique and stand out in the crowd.

• She likes her nails done and dark, but only starts having them long when she's older.

• She has both ears pierced and doesn't like wearing any makeup in daily life - but on special occasions, man, nobody can hold her back.

Magical Aspects

Wand: Ebony wood with Unicorn hair core, 11½", brittle flexibility.

Ebony is happiest in the hand of those with the courage to be themselves. Frequently non-conformist, highly individual, or comfortable with the status of outsider, ebony wand owners have been found both among the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix and among the Death Eaters. The ebony wand’s perfect match is one who will hold fast to his or her beliefs, no matter what the external pressure, and will not be swayed lightly from their purpose.

Patronus: Gemsbok. The largest and best known of the four species of oryx, or straight-horned antelope. It is one of the best desert-adapted large mammals, capable of surviving in waterless wastelands where many animals would perish. A horned creature like her father's Marco Polo Sheep and her mother's Addax.

Animagus: Eurasian Hobby. From the moment she found out Indigo was an animagus, she pestered her for months to help her become one as well, so in the middle of her fourth year, Indigo and Talbott help her through it, except she has to fetch the ingredients herself.

• She picks the Eurasian Hobby (type of falcon) after some research for its speed [speeds up to 99 mph (159 km/h)] and size - which is way smaller than Talbott's Golden Eagle - making a perfect animal for blending in and making a quick escape.

Abilities: Being really effing annoying and a good dancer. Oh, magical ones? Yeah, none.

Boggart: She has two major boggarts in her life:

Failing to protect those she loves by being incompetent, and it takes the form of someone she loves (alternating between family members) and an unknown person yelling at her for being unable to protect them.

Then, hurting someone she loves because she has become too obstinate and revenge thirsty, someone dark. It's combined with other fear that is seeing Diego hurt, so it's him she sees as the person suffering because of her.

Amortentia: Bonfires - she associates the smell and sound with bonfire parties her parents used to throw -, Crisp cold air - she's a Scot who loves the cold -, Peppermint toads and spicy salsa - she might have or haven't tasted it in a certain someone's kiss.

Miscellaneous

Pets: A white Bearded Dragon, Sugar Cube.

Things she always carries with her: Her wand, a dagger, a beanie, peppermint frogs, and snacks for her pet.

Lucky Amulets: A wasp-shaped brooch of gold and precious stones that's a family heirloom.

Best Friends

Barnaby: Her first and best Slytherin friend, because at first they were spying on each other - Barney for Merula and Aspen for Indigo - but it goes as one might expect from these two idiots. He helps her in the Forbidden Forest and she helps him with homework. She's the only person he's truly emotional with because he knows she won't judge him. She knows he had a crush on her cousin and pushed him to ask her out.

Linda Hoàng (OC): Her best girlfriend, tiny and chubby, the cutest and quirkiest Slytherin anyone could meet. The first Slytherin female seeker in many years. A hands-on creatures lover - the one getting her hands dirty, literally. Half Vietnamese and muggle-born - yeah, nobody knows what she's doing in Slytherin.

Andre: Just as sassy as Aspen and the one to give her fashion advice. He basically takes the young Slytherin as his "apprentice" - partially afraid she would become like a mini Merula/Ismelda. He teaches her dangerous spells the teachers don't.

Ismelda: For many years they don't get along, Ismelda's humor is too dark and cruel for her taste, and she's overall very shady. That until water starts to get shaky on her and her cousins' side and they need her help. She's forced to get to know her better when she finds out Phoenix has a crush on her, and through that, she discovers they're not that different after all.

Murphy: She has a crush on him for a while, but even when that dies down, she sticks around because she loves hearing him talk about strategy and thinks he's one of the smartest people she has met in Hogwarts. They play intense chess matches.

Jae: They share the same chaotic energy so it's just natural. He's her loyal detention companion and they enjoy having walks around Hogwarts talking about nothing in particular.

Academics

Favorite Classes:

Charms

History of Magic

DADA

Muggle Studies

Least Favorite:

Divination

Care of Magical Creatures

Arithmancy

Favorite Professor: Snape. She's a sassy, non-conformist, annoying Slytherin, what you want me to say?

Least Favorite: Quirinus Quirrell. He was her DADA professor for a while and she couldn't stand his stuttering, she also hated his classes.

Quidditch: She considered joining the team for the longest time but decided to pursue other passions, besides she would have to play against Indigo and other of her friends which she preferred not. She would've made a great seeker though.

Favorite Team: Montrose Magpies. Just like her family. She really excited when Indigo decided to start supporting them as well.

The last of my Silverwood family trio. Slytherin might be the house I'm least compatible with, still, I love coming up with her story and personality.

#hphm oc #hogwarts mystery #aspen samwise #oc profile #slytherin

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kkulmoon · 5 years ago

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SUNSET HEARTBEAT | KTH

pairing: Taehyung x Reader (f)

genre: fantasy au, hybrid au, sci-fi (?), fluff, angst

word count: 5.1k

rating: pg

a/n: ngl i feel like the beginning portion is a bit rusty, by rusty I mean it may feel a bit slow but pls give it a chance 🥺, I struggled to write that ��. I am also tagging two very lovely people who were excited about this, hopefully you like it uwu @blossomkoo @inkedxclouds. This fic is part of Bangtan Scenery’s collab ‘April Showers Bring May Flowers’, make sure to check out everyone else’s entries!

warnings: implied sex, other than that none, except for heartbreak and slight purple patches here and there cause I was in the mood hehe

beta read by: lovely angie @scvkjin and amazing emi @bangtiddies 💕

synopsis: The time had come for the seventh sun to rise. For the seventh and last color in line to have its cycle. As one indigo supernova signified the coming of a purple nebula, you and Taehyung spent the remaining of your last day together creating something of your own. If it comes into fruition can only be known years in the future. A decade after you found someone unlike anyone. Truly one of a kind. Someone with a destiny they couldn’t outrun. It has been 10 years since the birth of a purple sun.

☁︎ masterlist ☁︎

It was in your final year of university, twelve years ago, that you met Taehyung. That same year you decided it was time to give up on the idea of becoming an astronomer. Quite frankly, you were just too dumb. However, it did not mean that you couldn't enjoy it all while living a life where pretending that you truly understood everything was your best bet, your only bet. They all say that interest and dedication trumps natural talent, right? For that same reason you decided to still attend as many astronomy lectures as possible even though you were studying to become an English teacher. You were always quiet and attentive so either the professors didn't notice you or let you be. Either way, what mattered was that you got to be there.

The first time the two of you interacted was a random weekday in April, near finals’ season. You were sitting at the back of the room as usual. The professor had handed out some papers to be passed back. A gold tinted hand with slender fingers, on which well groomed and shiny fingernails were present, reached out to you. You could all but wave away at the paper, trying your best to dismiss it. A pouty and confused expression was what you got as he continued to jab the paper onto your palm. You kept trying to mouth 'it's okay' but he was persistent. Not much of a purple characteristic but surely a sun one, now that you think about it. Finally you settled for a verbal response.

“I don't actually take this class, so really, i'm fine.”

He retreated his hand for a second, “Huh, don't we all wish that was true,” he said as he placed the paper on the small desk in front of you instead. “You've got this! We're almost done, hold in there.” You got a thumbs up before he turned back to focus on the class.

And every week from there on, whenever he got a short moment in class while the professor was writing on the board Taehyung would pester you with motivational notes filled with sayings. One particular somber April morning where you looked more tired than usual he even went as far as offering to help you with the class and your homework. You did your best to decline and yet that same night you got an email in your inbox that told you he obviously hadn't understood.

| Kim Taehyung Chapter 15: Helpful Resources, (hang on there, you got this!) |

While you didn't take the class and had no official obligations to learn anything, you were still interested in astronomy so you decided to have a look. The links did clear up some questions you had during the lecture. However, you didn't want him to be wasting time helping a lost cause. As much as you loved reading about astronomy and learning about it, you were slow and having him help you was more than unnecessary. The definition of futile work. You decided to send him a screenshot of the official classes you were attending from the university's student portal. You made sure to censor your grades. He truly didn't need to think that you were any dumber, all he needed was proof that you weren't taking the class.

But once again, Taehyung's sun qualities shone through. Where it would have been expected for the person to drop the subject and for the two of you to go back to your habitual behaviour, he thought otherwise. He responded, but this time instead of answers he had questions, none of which you felt like answering so you left him on read. Well, the email version of read. You opened the email, read it, thought about answering it but ultimately left the email thread to die on the read pile.

A week went by. No Taehyung and you felt relieved. At least that's how you think you felt, the sleep deprivation might have been playing tricks on you. As yet another day came, where the indigo sun let its rays shine, Taehyung thought it better for him to act as the sun. You hadn't seen him in class, but it just turned out he changed his usual spot. He tried to catch you before you left the room but your daydreaming self was quick on her feet. He had a quick talk with the professor before he hurried to you.

“Hey!” The sound of sandals echoed against the cement floor. “Hey! You there!"

You kept on walking, as far as you knew your name wasn’t you there'. Someone grumbled behind you only to exclaim after a short while.

“Y/N! Y/N! Hold up, I need to talk to you.” So in that case you were 'you there' and someone was Taehyung.

You stopped walking and turned around. You couldn’t help but cock your head at him. You had only seen Taehyung from the torso up while in class. His attire surprised you for some reason. Maybe because he was a STEM student and you had expected him to look more uptight. He looked like one of the people from the pot dorm down your hallway. Everything he wore was oversized except for the big knitted headband he had on now that he was outside. He looked devoid of colour with his muted clothes, but his cross body bag stood out with its patterned rainbow material.

"Yeah, what is it?" The quicker you could get it over with the better. However, Taehyung didn’t seem to agree with you on that aspect. He took his sweet time to fix the misplaced headband as you were left to witness the action. As much as you would have liked to categorise the scene as boring, it would have been a lie. His grey hair strands somehow managed to sparkle in the sun. They didn’t shine the normal way hair shines when light reflects on it. His hair literally sparkled as if it had recognised something familiar within the sun rays. But at the time you just thought you were being delusional or being tricked by the elements of his beauty.

"You didn't answer my email," he asked with curious eyes and an innocent tone. Right, that happened.

"Oh, that... uhm... I just haven't gotten the time to go through my email, things have been a bit hectic," you shot him a sympathetic smile.

Taehyung seemed like a pretty understanding person but he sure wasn’t dumb. You saw the way his tongue shifted to lick his lips as his teeth found their way onto his bottom lip. He trailed his hands on the strap of his bags as a pensive lip bite made adorned his features. Taehyung could have either been nervous or so irked by the bullshit you just spat at him that his body was reacting. Either way you felt bad for your white lie, but maybe not bad enough.

"It has been two weeks though," Taehyung stretches his back to stand straighter, "Also I take a chem class with Hoseok and you're always chatting in the gmail chat so..."

What do you say to that? You lied and the worst part of it all was that you were caught right in the same moment. Your mouth opened and closed continuously as a hot flush made itself present on your ears and neck. You made note of the fact that Taehyung seems sweet but he actually packed a punch and was definitely ready to confront you on your bullshit. Classic STEM student approach, just face things head on. Thinking back at it, that was yet another instance in which his sun characteristics took the wheel. The sun's rays don't budge for anything or anyone and they certainly don't cave in to make others feel comfortable.

"Uhmm... right. But I am here now, so ask away!" Maybe your fake enthusiasm could make up for your little lie. Taehyung gave you a wondering look as he calculated the pros and cons of continuing this conversation, You hoped the cons would win.

“Uhmm, alright, fair enough,” He shrugged and the pros must have won because he kept talking. “Why do you go to astronomy lessons if you don’t take the class?”

Why did he want to get into your personal business? You could have very well told him that it was none of his business, turned around and left. But that seemed a tad bit too rude for you and for some weird reason you didn't want him to think of you as any more rude that you had been.

Would you paint yourself as an overly ambitious student that just had a general love of learning or would you tell him the truth? If you were to lie again you were sure he wouldn't manage to uncover this lie.

"I just like astronomy and find the class interesting, on top of that I've got time so like why not?" You felt good about your response, so good you were happy that you had made the choice not to lie to him, again.

"Oh okay, then how come you didn't apply for the program?" Wow, this dude was really trying to uncover all of your flaws during the first real conversation you've had. He should have become a detective instead, his focused and analysing eyes made it very hard for you to lie and not feel any residual guilt. He would, without a doubt, catch you if you were to slip up again.

"Uhm... I just felt like education was the right place for me you know." You shook your head with squinted eyes in hopes that he would just get you. Which he obviously didn’t if you had to go off of the way his jaw jutted out to the side.

"Well, to put it simply, I am not the brightest of students and while actually taking the class would have been a nightmare, just being there and listening and learning at my own slow pace just makes me feel better about my shortcomings."

Taehyung's lips parted slightly. Okay, maybe you didn't have to give such a confession but he had been pushing and you wanted it to just end.

"Ohh, I see." Not the response you expected but how else do you respond to someone who said that they were too dumb to follow their dream. "But still my offer stands, if you need help trying to understand anything, feel free to tap my shoulder in class."

"But you changed seats to sit in the front."

"Nah not really, I was just bitter that you hadn't answered and didn't want to hurt you. From now on you'll see me at my usual spot in front of you."

The squeamish movement that accompanied the words ‘hurt you’ gave rise to a wondering look on your face. Hurt you? Why would he hurt you? Taehyung looked pretty harmless so you decided to not take his weird comment at face value. He most likely meant hurting you in a verbal sense.

The rest of the semester progressed in that same weird manner that characterised your relationship with Taehyung. A constant push and pull that kept being encouraged by your closest friends– Hoseok being the top player in the game. Inevitably, the more time you spent with him the more you warmed up to him. A month down the road the two of you decided to put a label on it. Or it was more so you who needed a verbal confirmation that you had somehow managed to catch someone's interest.

It took you awhile to reset the way you thought. Your wandering mind wasn’t only filled with personal affairs anymore, another individual had found their place in your day to day thoughts. All of a sudden being affectionate wasn't something you had to actively be, it was simply default mode whenever Taehyung crossed your field of vision.

For that reason alone, finals season was filled with movie nights, whispered love confessions, enough takeaways from different cuisines that you felt you were now ready to become a food critic. But the most precious instances of that time was the afternoons where Taehyung did his best to teach you astronomy and you being too lazy to listen despite your interest. You can't help but ask yourself if you would have been more attentive had you known what astronomy actually meant to him.

You had now been with Taehyung for one entire year. One year filled with diametrically opposite feelings. The good, the bad and the ugly. But ultimately all of it was left at the door the moment the two of you decided to reconcile despite the drawbacks. You were happy. The kind of happy that you don't recognise until it's gone. That can only be acknowledged in the midst of incoming fury. You had never in your life wished for the ability to predict the future. To see what happens after sunrise before it is manifested.

One particular day eleven years ago, you wished that astronomy was fake, that the sun wasn't real and that it never needed to rise or set, to be born or die. You wished the sun didn't exist, knowing very well that that would mean the most important person in your life wouldn't exist. But you could have dealt with that.

Longing for something you know you could have hurts far more than craving for the unknown. In the latter situation there's at least hope, that if you search hard and long enough you could find that thing you so deeply want. In the former, you know where that thing is, it's in fact right under your nose, or more accurately right over your head, where you can feel it at least a little bit every single day. Except this time you can't have it, no matter how hard you wish for it or how long you choose to wait. The whole scenario was like a twisted marshmallow test. Made to incite cravings with no intention of ever quenching them.

This all started a year following the start of your relationship with Taehyung. At that time you took notice to how hot he would get at the most unexpected of times. A behaviour that was usually reserved for when he was irritated or angry. It wasn’t only him that was hot but he radiated the kind of heat reserved for an extremely sunny summer’s day.

You overlooked those instances and decided not to pay them too much mind. It could just be you having the extreme hots from him. However on a particular night, you just couldn’t bring yourself to stay in bed with Taehyung. The sheets were drenched and the windows had fogged up. You had to leave and find refuge in your living room sleeping right by a fan.

The coming morning you woke up to breakfast on the table and right beside it there was a thick pocket sized book. The Book Of Suns. That was the white title that was engraved onto the black cover. Taehyung was nowhere to be found but his belongings were still in your room so you assumed he had gone for his morning walk.

You had to make a choice between the two. Would you read the book first or you would eat breakfast first? You knew that whatever you were about to find out would most likely curb your appetite. Your hand glided against the rough cover of the book.

Wouldn't it be better to read it now, just in case something made you extremely sad? That way you could cry before he got back home. Whatever it was that you were about to find out was very important to him, important enough that he wanted you to form your own opinion of it in peace. He wanted in no way for his presence to taint your reaction towards the truth that he had been hiding. Or as he thought protecting you from.

You sat down by the table, knees to your chest as you brought the book onto your hands. 'The Book Of Suns' was, as you realised after reading it, just that, a book about suns, in particular Taehyung’s sun lineage. It was a story about your world’s suns, the rainbow sun family. A fact unknown to you before that very moment. You were surprised by your behaviour, you weren’t exactly known for having calm reactions. It must have been Taehyung’s scent on the sweater you wore. It tickled your nose and calmed your senses. The book served as a track record for the next person in line to become the sun. It had seven chapters. Beside each chapter title in the contents page there were small vertical lines. The first six suns had five lines while the last had four. Taehyung must be purple sun. You read silently or more so you attempted to read silently, the deep breaths you were taking in effort to digest everything couldn't be contained.

After a continuous hour of reading you got to what was perhaps the most interesting chapter. Where do the dead suns go? And most importantly what do the suns that have yet to be born stay? You were cautious about continuing your reading. What if you found out that Taehyung was in fact just the ghost of someone that didn't actually exist? Or worse what if Taehyung would cease to exist?

Fear curbed your initiative to let your eyes continue their dance on the page. But fear also did its job in fixating your attention on the slightly faded black letters present on the off-white pages. Fear of the unknown is always worse than that of the known.

Deep in the forest, there was the garden of suns. Every time a sun died and resurrected as a human, their statue appeared in the garden, where their sun soul was kept, only to vanish on the day of their sun birth. In the middle of the pages there was a picture, at the back of it you could read Taehyung’s harsh handwriting ‘The garden of suns -15/07/39’. He had been there four days ago.

The statues of the first five suns were covered with vibrant collared moss equivalent of their sun pigment. The sixth and seventh sun’s statues were only slightly visible in the photograph. They seemed to be in an intermediary phase. Not quite gone, yet not quite there. It was hard to figure out whether they were emerging or vanishing. That’s until you remembered the previous week’s news report. A supernova was on its way and scientists believed it would most likely occur near the end of next year.

The indigo sun is near its death, and a purple sun is nearing its ascent.

Taehyung’s statue was the one vanishing. His sun soul was ready to find its owner and ascend to its rightful place amongst the other stars. Just as you were about to continue reading, ready to delve into how this whole sun birth situation went about, the sound of metal clashing against metal resounded in the dead silence. Clinging keys and heavy steps entered the apartment.

No 'hello' or 'glad to see you're finally awake'. But could you blame him? It would have been weird to act as if it was like any other of your usual mornings. You wished you had mustered up the strength to get off the chair and go greet him at the entrance. In your mind you did that but in reality you stayed rooted right where you were, back squeezed into the corner between the table and chair.

Taehyung walked in to lean against the door frame that lead into the kitchen. He looked exhausted. Dark under eye bags decorated weary eyes. You thought you could hear a tentative squeak come out of his mouth. Maybe you should've said something, because he looked like he was hurting and trying to find the appropriate words to start a conversation he knew would only end with heartache and tears. You thought that talking about the small steps he made outside was a good way to segue into talking about the biggest step he would take in his life. One that he could unfortunately not walk back on.

"How was your walk?" You managed to ask before Taehyung walked past the kitchen and into the bedroom. He stopped midway, standing in the living room, where sun rays illuminated his surroundings. You couldn't help but think that it was very fitting for him to become a sun. The rays may have been bright and hot but he was the only one able to make you feel as hot as the sun and make your smile shine brighter than the biggest star. He was already a sun. Your sun. Why did he need to leave and become everyone's sun as well?

"Pretty good, helped me wake up," he said and sat down on the bean bag present beside him. You put the book down on the dining table just to look back at him from your seat. You were just there, in the moment, sitting down and doing your best to have an internal conversation. Both of you knew that words would hurt too much. And they surely couldn't bear the complete weight of what your current predicament meant neither could they have illustrated the joint pain that was shared between two beating hearts.

Your conversation might have been dead but the emotion was very much alive. You stood up from your seat, Taehyung's knitted sweater fell back down to caress your thighs. The walk to the beanbag felt like an eternity, not because it was but because you made it so. You had felt his sour and vigilant mood and you knew that being playful at that moment was your best bet. You tiptoed back and forth all the way to the beanbag as the sweater shifted here and there to reveal skin that was highlighted blue by the sun.

He was upset but he couldn't manage to keep his mouth set. His lips would stretch and unstretch as small playful wiggles played at the tip of his mouth. Finally you had found your way to the bean bag. You stood tall as your body cast a shadow over his. You placed a foot on the bean bag as the material sunk under your weight and you found your place on his lap.

Right there, that's the kind of pat in the back that Taehyung gave you as his arms enveloped your slouching form. You snuggled your head deep into the crook of his neck and inhaled all the way in. If he was really gonna be leaving you, you needed to make sure you could imprint the scent and feel of his flesh right onto yours.

You sat there, quiet, with synchronised breaths yet fighting thoughts. How in the heck were you supposed to manage this? Him just being gone? Sure, you had a year left before it was officially time, but a year is far from a lifetime, what he had promised you.

"You are sure you don't want to talk about it?" Long hand strokes continue to comfort your back. You move your buried head side to side, groaning in response. Alright is all he said. Things were far from alright.

While on that morning you decided not to talk further on the topic, the coming months were filled with explorative trips to the Garden of Suns, where you would spend hours listening to Taehyung tell you about the stories of him and his sun brothers. He talked about being particularly close to the blue sun.

"It's just because he literally has no filter," he said gazing longingly at the statue covered with flashy blue moss.

"Is that like, dangerous?"

"Well yeah for you, but I am a sun remember." He turned around on the grass to face your way.

"And that's probably why I orbit around you." The huge grin that found its ways to your face was uncontrollable and contagious as Taehyung couldn’t help but snicker at your corny joke.

Just like that, your months together flew by until it was finally d-day. You hoped that waking up wouldn't be a necessity but Taehyung refused to let you sleep through it. He refused to let you think that it was all a dream. Getting yourself off the bed and into the shower felt like an endless task. One that he was patient enough to help you with. In hindsight you feel bad about having put him through that on such a significant day. He was, most likely, having a harder time dealing with his destiny than you were. That day was one to remember, the most vivid of them all, the most cherished of them all yet the most sad of them all.

All of that happened in the past and you were currently in an unsure present. The indigo sun had faced its fate, to be extinguished in an equally coloured supernova that would give rise to the last one in line, a purple sun. One day they would all be back to the complete cycle. A day where you wouldn't be present.

It has been ten years since Taehyung became a sun. You could talk to him, well, not really but you could see him and most importantly feel him. It had been a decade since you asked him to leave you something to remember him by, a part of him, a living one. On the night of Taehyung’s sun birth he decided to take you up on the offer. Cuddled up, in each other’s arms that’s how the day progressed. While usually persistent yet gentle, that night Taehyung felt it was appropriate and maybe in fact vital for him let his sun like ferocity be expressed. How else could you have understood the intensity of his feelings, a muddy mix of grief and love. The remains of that one last heated night were left for you to admire and cherish.

You thought you would manage to stay up the entire night to witness the purple sun birth but Taehyung’s warmth, forehead kisses and soft singing lulled you to sleep before you could realise it.

Nothing was felt. No heat, no cold. Nothing was seen. No light, no spark. Taehyung was gone into the void in the same effortless way he entered your life. You’ve now been waiting over a decade to know if the fruits of that night would come into fruition. Conception can only happen when eclipses take place. Eclipses happen every 126 months. It has been 10 years. Half a year is left.

That half year could not have passed at a slower pace. It was a Thursday, yet another tiring day at school. You loved kids but you were drained of energy. You couldn't wait for time to pass by so that you could leave. It was Thursday, which meant you could watch the sunset to its complete end without being bothered. It was also Thursday, the day after you got your first ultrasound. Taehyung may have not been there but that didn't mean you couldn't share the remaining of your waking hours with him, whenever you thought it was possible. You looked out of the window from your classroom to see purple hues in the sky as the sun said goodbye to leave place to another night.

The clouds thought otherwise, for some reason they always felt the need to be there to cloud his presence. What right did they have to cover up his tint? If it weren’t for them you would have been able to bask in his purple light, let it colour you bare as your feelings went from blank to purple butterflies that made you lose sight as tears formed in your eyes.

So you did what any sensible person still in love would have done. As soon as the clock struck 4 pm you ran to catch the train that would take you from skyscraper views to wide flower fields. It took the train two hours. You did your best to enjoy the way he set along the ride. Once you arrived you were left with two entire hours to enjoy the last of him and say goodbye to Taehyung and hello to the darkness.

During that time you reached into Taehyung's patterned cross body bag. You truly hated it but it was his so you kept it. You pulled out the ultrasound picture and raised it to the little part of sun that was still left. You didn't actually think that he would, through some weird magical way, actually be able to see it. It was more so something to calm your conscience. But most importantly, it presented you with the opportunity to capture an unusual family picture. It was you, the ultrasound, your baby bump and the purple sunset all in one picture. One that had found its rightful place on your bedside table.

Years unmasked themselves to reveal the growth of your child. One that grew to inherit the intensity of her father. Every now and then you made sure to let her know about him. As young as she was she couldn't truly understand it all, but as a child your love story was something that was within imaginable grounds. So you took advantage of that and taught her all you could about him. Maybe if you started early she could manage to develop past your less refined genes with regards to learning.

You took your time to tell her all that she wished to know and all that you wished to share. Sugarcoating to the maximum, cause that’s what Taehyung would do, but still making sure to keep a coherent timeline. One specific day you are unable to answer her question.

"Wh–why did dad break the promish?"

You had to fight long and hard with your tear ducts. Never had you cried in front her and you didn't intend to do it anytime soon.

In fact in one way or the other, Taehyung hadn't lied about keeping his promise. He had omitted some important specifics but he hadn't completely been untruthful. He said a lifetime and he would give you a lifetime. It just happened to be one where he wasn't always there, present by your side.

However he would always get up to see you rise, and always say goodbye as he sets down to give place for lonely nights. And on all of those goodbyes unlike the one where he left you for the first and last time, you could swear that in bed with your child pressed to your chest, you could feel and hear his sunset heartbeat as clear and strong as the rays of a certain purple sun, your only one. Sun rays filled with his most cherished truth:

‘I will turn purple when i miss you and to say i love you’.

Posted: May 28, 2020

124 notes · View notes

mischiefandi · 5 years ago

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the marauders in class at Hogwarts - headcanons (2)

A/N: here’s another headcanon because i just love these characters so much and im feeling very inspired recently. obviously this is just me describing what i picture when i think of the Marauders, but i honestly kind of love these headcanons and i feel like they fit quite well :)

if u would like to be added to my new Harry Potter taglists (either Harry Potter or the Marauders taglist, or both), please fill in this form !

headcanons below the cut <3

James

James’ favourite subject is Flying

nothing compares to the feeling he gets when he’s racing against the wind

flying above the grounds of his school

he tends to show off his skills

performing tricks for his fellow classmates

flying out of his teacher’s reach when she scolds him

he doesn’t really pay attention to her remarks, though he does work very hard

he trains a lot because he wants Gryffindor to win the Quidditch cup every year

he’s highly competitive and confident in his abilities

he’s not a bad student in other branches, but he often gets distracted by his mates

he’s always playing pranks on teachers and showing up late to class, tie not made correctly

he absolutely hates anything too mathematical, which automatically ruins Transfiguration, Ancient Ruins, and Astronomy for him

though he still gets rather good grades in those subjects

however he loves Charms and gets excellent grades in that class

he is very clever and he doesn’t mind shoving it in certain people’s *Snape’s- cough cough* faces

when he chooses to work hard, it usually turns out great for him

though he doesn’t often choose to

Sirius

he’s probably the worst student out of all 4 marauders

too busy making his classmates laugh or teachers fume with anger

he’s been to dumbledore’s office so many times, he couldn’t even count them if he tried

he often finds himself in detention with Mrs. McGonagall, who keeps a very sharp eye on him

they always end up chatting towards the end of detention though

he would never admit it, but she’s his favourite teacher

he finds her brilliant and he adores pushing her buttons

Sirius is smart, but he gets bored easily, and his love for adventure gets in the way of long hours of work

he only really enjoys one class which is Defence Against the Dark Arts, because it’s the only one in which he can actually do something

it’s also because it’s the only class he actually finds useful aside from Charms

he is however a gifted wizard and even though he isn’t a very devoted student, his magical prowess never ceases to amaze the staff members of Hogwarts

his favourite spell is Wingardium Leviosa, with the occasional Alohomora

they always come in quite handy

Remus

while Sirius is the worst student in the group, Remus is definitely the best

he loves learning about magic

he also loves reading, which explains why he enjoys History of Magic so much

he’s always sitting somewhere beside a fire or against a cool window, reading a book about mythical creatures or about unfamiliar hexes

he’s passionate about Defence Against the Dark Arts, and he’s oftentimes caught waving his wand at objects in the dormitory, practicing his spells

it’s no surprise he’s the one who’s always helping his friends out with their homework

he never complains about their lack of work or motivation

he’s always willing to help them, unless he’s in a very bad mood

when he has his off days, he pretends he’s got a lot of work to do

when really he just stares into the void, unable to concentrate on his books

aside from those days, Remus pays a lot of attention to his classes

he enjoys each and every one of them for different reasons, though some more than others

if he had to pick one class he really didn’t like, it’d have to be Divination

he doesn’t like its illogical and inconsistent characteristics

Peter

Peter’s not good in school, but he isn’t bad either

he’s just average

in everything

he’s not particularly passionate about anything, though he really enjoys Potions

unlike most things in life, if you follow the instructions properly, you always get the result you were hoping for, and that’s why he likes it so much

Peter works a lot but his grades unfortunately don’t always match up to his efforts

he gets very annoyed when James or Sirius get better points than him, especially when they boast about barely studying for the test

he thought he’d enjoy Flying, but his first experience on a broom traumatised him so badly he got a special permission slip not to have to keep attending the class

James used to tease him about it but eventually offered to help him deal with his fear of heights, a proposition he gratefully declined

while he isn’t particularly talented or skilled, he’s a very good listener, and he enjoys listening to his teachers talk, especially when they’re passionate about their subject

he often asks Remus for extra help or explanations and Remus gladly helps him out

he might not be an exceptional wizard, but Peter always tries his best

tagging a few pals who might be interested and my forever tag <3

@duskholland @siriusly-harry @apatheticanvas67482 @teen–marvel@thegirlwhoimagined (u dont have to interact of course!)

forever tag:

@stixnstripesworld @masterofbluff @drakewalker04 @superapplepie @apatheticanvas67482

if u would like to be added to my new Harry Potter taglists (either Harry Potter or the Marauders taglist, or both), please fill in this form :)

#the marauders #the marauders fanfiction #james potter #sirius black #peter pettigrew #remus lupin #hogwarts #harry potter #harry potter universe #the marauders headcanons #headcanon #v writes #<3

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fullmetaldevil-blog · 5 years ago

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Batim Stitched Au short: Holiday Hiccup

Merry Christmas everyone as I give you all a little holiday short (yes a legit short this time)

I hope you all enjoy and have a Merry Christmas and Happy holidays with your families and friends.

On with the show~!

The holiday season was upon the Connor residence faster then the couple had time to prepare for. Linda was heaven sent as she kept Benny busy for them, the Elementary school teacher asked if Benny could assist her in preparing her students for their winter production alongside Bendy. Both toons were nervous about helping her out at the school and being around so many students but the woman reassured them that they would be fine. The two toons were instrumental in helping the students learn how to sing and dance for their holiday show. The two toons were shy at first but once they became more acquainted with the students and were in charge of their respective talents, they became more confident and took center stage giving Linda a much needed break.

The school day had come to a close as Linda drove the little plushtoon home. Benny was eagerly going over the music that was chosen by the class as he had already begun to teach the children how to sing the different scales before they would begin to sing the actual songs. He hoped that when he got home and if Allison wasn’t busy, that she could help him with his musical homework so he could better teach the students being left in his care.

The vehicle came to a stop and LInda prepared to exit to walk Benny to the door when the toon lightly laid his hand on her arm. “I’m fine. You’re tired and still have to drive home.” he smiled at her. “I can let myself in.”

A tired appreciative smile crossed Linda’s face. “Thank you. Tell Allison I said ‘hi’. '' She brought Benny into a one arm hug.

“I will!” the toon happily chirped before waving goodbye to Bendy and closed the door behind himself.

Benny trotted to the doorway which was already decorated with red and white garland making the pillars look like giant candy canes while a large red leafed wreath laid upon the door. He couldn’t quite remember the name of the red leaved plant as Allison had gotten a good number of them and planted them along the driveway leading to the house. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the bright red item as pinecones that smelt of cinnamon were laced with them giving the entryway a very pleasant aroma. Benny lifted his shirt and opened up his hammerspace pulling out his house keys quietly letting himself inside.

The toon was immediately greeted with a warm home full of smells of spices mixed in with sweets as they clashed with each other, yet they worked in harmony. He couldn’t wait to taste whatever Allison was preparing, the thought encouraged him to put his little backpack away in his room before heading into the kitchen.

Allison happily hummed while she folded the dough she had rolled onto the table before slicing it into ribbons. She lifted each ribbon and carefully weaved them over her apple pie she had prepared before hearing little tapping of shoes entering the kitchen. “Welcome home Benny. How was school with the kids today?”

Benny grabbed onto a chair pulling it out before hopping up on top giving his mom his undivided attention. “It went well! I had them all learning how to sing the scales before we would begin to sing the actual songs. Linda gave me their sheet music so I can better learn the songs to help them.” he beamed at her.

“That’s good. I bet it’s fun singing with the kids. I’m sure LInda is loving the helping hand as I know her students can be a bit energetic, but then again they are children.” Allison smiled warmly at her energetic demon. It was nice to hear that Benny was getting along with the woman’s students as she feared that Benny would be too shy to handle them. She soon found Benny’s floating head hovering over her arms as he was clearly eyeballing her pie to be.

“What are you making?” The inquisitive toon asked before finding himself being lightly nudged away from the pie.

“It’s an apple pie as I have gingerbread cookies already in the oven.” The actress finished pinching off the dough on the edges before setting the pie aside and began to clean up the table all under the watchful eyes of her little demon.

Once the table was cleaned up Allison pulled out a chair and patiently waited for her timer to go off while Benny opened up his hammerspace and pulled out the folder of sheet music. His mother enjoyed the peaceful silence of the kitchen before she felt a slight tug on her arm. Benny held out the folder with a pleading look.

“Can you help me with these?” Benny gave her a hopeful look while Allison took the folder from him and fingered through its contents.

A smile crossed her face as she closed the folder. “Sure, but lets wait till the cookies are done and the pie is in the oven. Ok?”

Benny happily nodded and hopped off the chair reclaiming his folder and headed to the living room where the piano sat. He pulled the bench out and sat upon it patiently while he waited for Allison to finish with the cookies and to put the pie in the oven. He was happy he didn’t have to wait too long as he heard the characteristic ding of the timer and Allison moving the food to and from the stove before setting the timer again. He smile grew wider as he watched his mother set her oven mitt aside before entering the living room.

“All right , lets see what we got.” Allison smiled as she scooted the Benny over sitting down on the bench. Once she was seated Benny promptly placed the folder on the music stand and pulled out a few of the sheets setting them up for her.

Allison looked at the music and after studying them for a moment her fingers began to glide along the ivory keys playing out the music. Benny all the while listening to the music content with their soft yet energetic sounds. He had heard Christmas music on the radio as he rode with Linda to and from the school along with hints of the seasonal music in the stores with Allison, but at the end of the day he preferred the versions that were being played on the piano as they were far softer and more soothing. Allison played each and every song that the toon was going to be teaching the class how to sing before she pointed out the lyrics of the song.

“Now I’m gonna replay all the songs and this time I’m going to sing them. I’d like for you to follow along as best you can.” she gently lifted the toon setting him on her lap so he could see the sheet music better, but also to where she could still use the pedals.

The songs drifted through the home as Allison played the piano and both her and Benny sang the tunes. She was always amazed at how quickly Benny was able to repeat what he heard as he had the songs down very quickly to a point that she had him play the piano himself. He had to take his Ragdoll form in order to hit the pedals properly as well as to reach both sides of the piano. Even the change in size didn’t diminish the toons singing talent, Ragdolls voice was naturally deeper and more masculine than his normal boyish tones, but his sultry voice drifted through the air as he sang. All the months of working with Sammy helped the Ragdoll demon better utilize his voice in his larger form taking his normally garbled and sometimes missmatched tones smoothing them out.

Allison had to chuckle as she could tell Benny was getting into the music as he was singing louder and the stitching on his stomach came undone allowing his stomach mouth to sing with his normal voice in unison. It always warmed her heart to see Benny settle into his comfort zone. He is normally shy and reserved to a point that he needs encouragement on somethings, but to see him take center stage and be confident about it was always rewarding. She couldn’t wait to see the fruits of his labor with the children as he’ll be singing alongside them putting on his first Christmas performance.

The pair practiced together until Tom came home from work which made Benny immediately latch onto the man begging him to watch their performance. While Benny was begging for Tom’s audience Allison slipped away to handle the pie which had finished baking setting it atop the stove and turning off the oven before returning to the living room. All the while Tom had a demonic barnacle, the man wasn’t about to tell the toon ‘no’ so he kicked back on the couch and listened to the little toon’s performance while Allison played the piano. Benny was all grins as he performed for his father figure who was smiling at him, he couldn’t have been happier.

Allison watched Benny’s joy on his face as she and Tom already had planned on attending Benny’s little concert at the school. The toon was under the impression that Tom wouldn’t be able to make it so he was happy to let the man hear his songs at the moment, little did he know that his father had requested the day off solely to see the toon’s first performance as he wasn’t about to let anything in the world deter him. Once Benny finished his last song he took a bow earning a round of applause from his parents and joyous squeaks from him as Allison scooped him up into her arms.

“That was such a good show Benny.” Allison cooed at the toon in her arms with Tom getting up from the couch to lightly pat the demon between his horns.

“Yeah, I can tell you’ve been practicing very hard and you sound great.” the mechanic smiled warmly at his toon.

Benny beamed up as his folks as he couldn’t have been happier. Allison set him down allowing his to retrieve his music sheets before he stared at the lyrics pondering over who they were singing about.

“Allison?” his voice piped up from the piano bench. “Who’s Santa Claus?”

Benny had no clue as to who this man was as they were singing about a red nosed reindeer named Rudolf and a man named Santa who was happy about the deer’s glowing nose, as well as that Santa coming to town. The rest of the songs were about riding in a one horse open sleigh, silver bells as well as walking along in a winter wonderland. Those songs sang about things to do or places to enjoy during the holidays but not about this ‘Santa’ character.

Allison’s eyes grew wide at the toon’s inquiry. It surprised her that Benny hadn’t heard of Jolly old Saint Nick considering all the Christmas songs that the children would be singing but she soon realized that only 2 of Benny’s songs actually sang about the man and even then they didn’t say much about him. She bent down to his eye level grinning at him.

“Santa Claus is a heavy set older gentleman who makes toys in his workshop and then goes all around the world on Christmas eve delivering presents to children on his list. Children that are naughty don’t get any presents from him so it’s an incentive to be on his nice list.”

A gruff voice sounded out from behind her. “Which means you have to behave between now and Christmas or else no presents.” Tom chuckled only to regret his statement as a frown formed on Benny’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m a toon, not a human child. Does that mean I won’t get any presents from Santa cause I’m not human.” The toon looked up at his parents.

“Of course you’ll get presents sweetie.” Allison pulled the toon into a hug. “You’ve been a good boy all year, of course Santa would visit you bringing you gifts. You deserve them.” She smiled with Tom confirming her statement.

A flood of relief washed over Benny as he was happy to hear that Santa would visit him bringing him presents. The image of a heavy set man riding a red sleigh pulling up in front of the house with the man coming through his front door bringing gifts made the toon all the more excited about the holiday. He already enjoyed the quiet family time with his folks during the holiday as well as the gifts that his additional family and friends gave him, but the idea that he’ll get a special visit from the red and white dressed man was the icing on the cake.

Allison and Tom noted the toon’s increased excitement and a plan soon formed between the two of them. The time that Linda had Benny in her care gave Allison and Tom enough time to decorate the home while the toon was away. Seeing Benny come home to a fully decorated house and the Christmas tree brought inside and decorated pot and all made him firmly attach himself to his parents thanking them. He was entranced by the lights on the tree and the sparkle of the bulbs that decorated it. No matter how many times he passed by the tree in his backyard smelling it’s wonderful fragrance, it was something about it being in his home that made it even more special.

Allison and Tom could only share their smiles at seeing Benny acting like an eager child. It warmed their hearts that the toon was so childlike and that the simplest of gestures meant the world to him as he treasured the little things. Seeing him completely smitten with the wonder of the holiday season spurred them to put their plan into action. While Allison helped Benny prepare for his soon to be performance, Tom placed a few phone calls to some of their former staff to come out and to see both Benny and Bendy perform with the children for the first time. The man was eager to share the toon’s moment in the spotlight with their former coworkers who, since their escape, has done their best to help oversee the toons upbringing.

Sammy grumbled about attending, but when he heard that Benny was the one that taught the children how to sing the man was instantly on board, albeit almost too quickly. When asked why he agreed so suddenly, his excuse was that he needed to see how his teachings with Benny translated to the toon’s little pupils and will judge their performance. It was his way of saying that he’ll gladly attend. Norman was all for coming to see the toons perform alongside their little students with Bendy’s Nutcracker and Benny’s concert. The man couldn’t wait to see the boys dressed up doing the very thing that they were designed to do. He warned Tom that he was gonna be carrying tons of film to photograph the boys for the couple with Tom telling him that Allison already raided the market grabbing film.

Wally was more than happy to attend, greatly looking forward to the holiday show. Tom asked him if the man can procure a Santa costume telling him about his plan to surprise the toon. He wanted to have Wally dress as Santa and come down the chimney followed by a bag of some of the toons toys to surprise him. When asked if it was safe to go down the chimney Tom reassured the man that not only was the chimney and fireplace exceptionally large, but he’ll set up a harness to make the trip as safe as possible, that the man would have nothing to worry about. Once Wally’s concerns were laid to rest the man happily agreed and began to look for a santa costume that would fit him.

Susie was a little hesitant to attend, but Allison pleaded with her to come for the boy’s sake. They would be putting on their first show and that sure they would be nervous but seeing people they recognized in the crowd will help quell their fears. She reminded Susie of a time when she too had put on her first show and her nervousness, that the boys would be going through the same emotions. Susie finally sighed agreeing to come show her support for the little devils performances.

Once everyone was contacted and their tickets were mailed to them. Tom and Allison counted down the days until the toon’s performances while making sure Benny was well dressed for his concert. The plushtoon sported a little dark red suit and cap to hide his horns while Allison got him a little makeup to help hide his sepia yellow coloring and stitches. Benny wasn’t keen on the idea of wearing the makeup but was urged to since Yellow isn’t a natural skin color for humans and that he wasn’t alone in the makeup as Bendy had to wear some as well.

The morning of the concert was a bit chaotic as Tom had to pretend to go to work and hid from Benny all the while Allison was trying to get the toon to eat. It turned out that while Benny was initially excited to be performing, he soon became exceedingly nervous as stage fright was beginning to set in. Allison had to repeatedly try and ease the toons growing nerves as the hour drew near for when they needed to head to the school. No matter how much Allison insisted that the toon eat something before getting dressed, he simply had too many butterflies in his stomach to do so.

Allison had no choice but to make sure to pack snacks for him for the aftermath of the concert. She knew that once the concert was over that Benny’s hunger would come roaring back and she needed to be prepared for when that happened. While she packed, Benny was busy getting himself dressed in his little suit they bought him which he got a little help from Allison for the makeup. He lightly moaned about the power being put on his face but knew it was to help him better blend in as there would be many cameras facing him from parents taking photos of their children that would be standing next to him.

Once Benny was all prepared and ready to go Allison loaded him up in the car and took off down the road. The toon frowned as he wished Tom could have joined him, but at least he had Allison there cheering him on. As soon as he saw the school come into sight he would have looked as pale as a sheet if he wasn’t wearing makeup. Allison noted the very rigid movements of the toon as well as his piecut eyes that seemed to have shrunk and encouraged him that everything will be fine and that she’ll be cheering for him all the way.

Linda was having a hard time with Bendy as while the toon was showing more bravado about performing since it was in his nature, he was nervous about actually doing it since it was one thing on the big screen, it was another in reality. Bendy repeatedly had little bits of ink dripping on the side of his face with Linda constantly having to wipe the area and apply more makeup while trying to calm the toon down. She was thankful her classrooms performance was last since it gave the toons a chance to get used to the busy atmosphere of the auditorium.

Benny and Bendy watched some of the other classes performances before them in awe as all the parents greedily snapping photos of their respective child. The toons couldn’t believe how many adults showed up for the schools holiday performance which made the both of them wonder where their own families would be amongst the crowd. Bendy knew LInda would be in front of the class as she was conducting Benny’s concert after they put on their dance to the Nutcracker suite. Bendy’s eyes grew wide when he saw a group of people filing into the auditorium who were quickly fanning out to take up different positions in the hall. The little demon quickly nudged his stitched counterpart earning a soft grumble from Benny before Bendy pointed out who entered the room.

Norman had joined some of the parents who had taken up residence on the floor with various cameras as the projectionist was sporting a rather large camera of his own. It was clear that he was playing the role of ‘cameraman’. Wally soon joined the man with a smaller camera of his own not realizing that Norman had the same idea. Sammy and Susie were in the back of the hall both taking a seat in the middle. Both were looking upon the schedule pamphlets clearly wondering how many performances they would have to endure before their purpose for being there were on stage. Bendy lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw Henry taking a seat down in the front rows. He was under the impression his creator and dad wouldn’t be able to make it since the man was very vague about if he could come. Benny shared an equal look of astonishment to see Allison and Tom taking their seats next to his uncle. He knew Allison was coming but was shocked that Tom was there sitting next to her as he very bluntly told him he couldn’t make it because of his job. Normally the toon would have contemplated at getting the mechanic back for his little stunt, but his sheer excitement at seeing the entirety of his family made him forget his nervousness.

Bendy was up first for his performance with his portion of the students as they all danced to the Nutcracker suite. They all wore little costumes as they danced about the stage performing in time to music earning silent cheers from the audience. Henry and Linda both watched their little toon on stage with equal excitement and joy at Bendy being in his element, dancing. The little toon was performing to the best of his ability along with the students as they put on a very cute show. Norman and Wally’s camera were eagerly following the toons every movement snapping up pictures left and right, hoping to catch that perfect moment. One little girl tripped and was about to cry from her mishap, but Bendy slipped away from his dance routine to quickly pull her up and dance with her to cheer her up and to keep the show going. By the end of the play production the little girl was giggling and Bendy was grinning at the audience that burst into cheers at the end of their show. The students all lined up alongside Bendy with each holding onto the others hands and all took a collective bow before clearing off the stage to allow the next set of performers.

Benny had silently cheered for his counterpart all through his performance and now it was finally his turn. His group was the last set of performers as some portions of the auditorium had thinned out from parents going to retrieve their students from much earlier shows, but he wasn’t about to let that deter him. What mattered was that his family was there to see him and everything else was irrelevant. The toon adjusted his bowtie and motioned to his set of students to follow him as they entered the stage and each stood in their respective places. Linda took up position in front of the students as their conductor while another teacher took up the position on the piano. The teachers looked at each other before glancing over the students with little determined eyes and one set of piecut eyes confirming they were ready to begin.

A chorus of voices drifted through the air singing all the christmas songs that the children had selected. Benny had been selected by the class to be the lead singer as he lead the students throughout their respective pieces. All the while Allison and Tom watched lovingly from their seats at their little demons performance. The couple was truly happy that Benny was able to come out of his shell for the show as his voice was dominating the choir with the students primarily as backup vocals except for a view numbers where they all sang equally. The toon had settled into his comfort zone and he was making sure everyone could hear him. Even some of the families that had come to pick up their children and were about to head home reentered the auditorium to give the choirs music a listen. Sammy was trying his best not to smile but Susie told him she wouldn’t sell him out and the man was all grins. He was happy to see his little student performing so well in front of his first audience and was hoping for more shows in the future.

The last of the voices quieted down so a soft humm as the last song performed was ‘Silent Night’. The children sang softly allowing Benny to be the primary singer for the last song. His voice was soft as it lulled the audience into a sense of peace and calm, the crowds faces were relaxed as they leaned into the music. Once they finished the choir all stepped off their stage lining up alongside Benny holding hands to all take a bow. Linda lined them up and had them file out of the auditorium allowing the school principal to take over the podium thanking all the parents for coming and that they may retrieve their students from the school grounds for them to enjoy their winter break and to have a happy holiday.

Henry, Allison, Tom, Norman, Wally, Susie and Sammy didn’t need to be told twice that it was time to pick up the ‘children’. Henry, Allison and Tom lead the pack as they followed the students outside to gather up their toons. Bendy already had a cluster of children and parents around him as the little girl he helped as giving him a big thank you hug for helping her during the performance. Her parents were eagerly taking pictures of the two together and thanking the toon for his efforts. Benny had a small crowd of girls around him all complementing his singing talent and some were even boasting about how they couldn’t wait till he got older because they’d marry him. Benny would have been completely red faced if the makeup hadn’t hidden his actual coloring. It was a small blessing in disguise.

Tom laughed about Benny’s little collection of fan girls commenting about how the toon was popular with the ladies. Allison was having none of that and promptly relieved the toon of his little crowd with some of the girls moaning that it was time for the little demon to head home. They failed to notice little claws on the tips of Benny’s gloves clinging to his mother. Allison felt the little hints of his claws, but she could tell he was being careful and it was his way of letting her know he didn’t want to go anywhere near his little adoring fans. Tom could only laugh at the toons koala response to Allison until Benny was handed over to the man for which the toon didn’t mind digging his claws in him a little. Tom grumbled about having to hold onto a little plush cactus.

Henry gently retrieved Bendy from his little fan club telling the kids that Bendy had to go home and for them to enjoy the holidays. The animator chuckled at the students wishing his wife a Merry Christmas before their parents shuffled them on to the vehicles to make their journeys home.

Wally, Norman, Sammy and Susie all huddled around the toons happily congratulating them on their stellar performance earning bashful expressions from the both of them. Wally and Norman happily showed off their collection of film rolls with both families thanking them for their efforts. Allison and Linda both looked forward to seeing the results of their photo shoots. Susie joined the ladies as they retrieved the toons from Tom and Henry and they all gushed over the performance of the toons leaving the men to socialize amongst each other.

“Oh! Tom.” Wally gingerly walked up to the man. “I got what you asked for.”

A big grin split the mans face. “Really? That’s great.” He patted Wally on the back.

“What are you up to?” Norman crossed his arms raising a brow at Tom and Wally eagerly scheming between each other.

Tom motioned for the group of guys to come closer to better hear him for which Sammy rolled his eyes, but Henry dragged him over. Tom laid out his plans for his little surprise he wanted to pull off for Benny. He planned on setting up a harness for Wally, who would dress as Santa Claus, and go down the chimney to surprise Benny with some of his presents. The toon was looking forward to the holiday so he figured that he might as well add in a little fun along the way.

Sammy instantly bowed out saying he wanted no part of the mechanics scheme claiming that he already had plans for the holidays for which Norman commented about how the former music director and a certain little former angel actress were gonna spend the holiday together. The man turned beet red in a mix of embarrassment and anger but didn’t dare yell for fear of drawing the women to them, he uttered a few curses and left it at that. Henry too had to tell Tom that he wasn’t gonna be available for the holidays this year as his daughter had invited them to spend Christmas with her and the new grandbaby. Concerns were raised about how she may react to Bendy for which Henry laughed and told them that when they were comfortable and told her about him, she moved heaven and earth to get to their home to meet him. She was raving about wanting to meet her ‘older brother’ as she viewed the toons as a sort of sibling after she grew up seeing Henry’s short of Bendy playing with a little baby.

Norman didn’t mind helping out as he’d do anything to see a smile on the toon’s faces, however, he wondered if going down a chimney was a smart idea. Questions had been raised about how safe it was to pull off such as stunt with Thomas telling him that the fireplace and Chimney were larger then the ones he’d normally seen and that a person can easily go down it with no issues as he’s had to go in a few times to clean it. He especially questioned it when he recalled how Benny handled the would-be burglars that attempted to rob Janice’s home. Tom instantly waved away the mans concerns telling him that Benny would be excited about Santa coming and had nothing to worry about. Norman shrugged and closeted his concerns when Wally eagerly hug off the man boasting about how they were gonna have so much fun for which the group promptly had to shut him up once the women were drawn to the groups lively chatter.

Benny wished Bendy farewell and good luck on his trip to see his sibling and to give the grandbaby a hug for him. Bendy was excited about the baby but then realized how fragile a human is let alone a baby and froze up. He feared that he would hurt the baby by merely touching her and Benny had to reassure his counterpart that he had nothing to worry about. He isn’t the monster he likes to think he is as he already is about to play with human children no problem, one little baby wouldn’t be any different. Bendy relaxed at Benny’s words and wished his counterpart a farewell and that he’ll see him after they get back from their trip.

The toons were rounded up and everyone bid each other farewell and Merry Christmas with hugs all around and a red Sammy. The man yowled about the hugs, but soon found himself tackled by two demons earning more irate screeches from him as the parents had to pull the toons off him. Allison cooed with Benny happily squeaking in her arms when she told him about all the cookies and treats she was gonna make at home as she pried him off Sammy. The actress headed on home ahead of Tom leaving him to finalize the plans he had in store for his little demon with his co conspirators while Sammy beat a hasty retreat and headed home with Susie. Henry wished him luck for he and Linda headed on home with Bendy in tow.

--------- Early Christmas Morning ----------

Allison had yet to stir as the early morning had arrived. Tom was thankful his wife had spent a good chunk of her day and night making cookies and food for the day. It would make his plans to surprise Benny all the easier if she wasn’t in the way. He had already taken the liberty of setting up the ladder on the side of the house so they would have an easy access to the roof and now all he had to do was wait for Norman and Wally to show up. Though he had to admit he was getting nervous as the sun hadn't risen yet and Allison was an early riser. He hoped that she wouldn’t get up and ruin their fun.

He peered over the edge of the couch to see Benny curled up sound asleep. The little demon had tried to stay up for Santa so he could see him, but passed out shortly after laying down on the bed. A wide grin spread across his face as he couldn’t wait to see the little demons reaction to Santa coming out the chimney with toys. Of course part of him knew that Wally wouldn’t be able to keep him mouth shut and blow his cover revealing who he is, and he was fine with that. The element of surprise to him was worth more than having to explain the realities behind Santa and parents waking at unholy hours to place gifts.

The curtains by their front door briefly flashed catching Tom’s attention. The lights flickered a few times letting him know Norman and Wally had arrived. They didn’t dare use their car horn for fear of waking Benny and opted to use their high and low beams of their headlights to send the message that they were there.

Tom quietly paced to the front door letting himself out leaving it unlocked before greeting his friends. “Good morning.” he beamed at the van with the two men stepping out.

“Likewise.” Norman eased himself out of the driver's seat stretching briefly before giving Tom a welcoming hug.

“Got ya Santa costume!” Wally happily shouted waving a large bag with both Tom and Norman quickly shushing the man.

“Jesus Christ boy, th’ ‘hole point is t’ surprise th’ boy in th’ costume, not t’ wake ‘em up beforehand.” Norman scowled at the now sheepish janitor.

Tom then looked at the bag and then back at Wally. “How come you aren’t wearing the costume? I figured you’d come already in it.”

Wally then gazed at Norman “Well Norman suggested that we try to see if I can even fit down the chimney first before attempting to put the costume on.”

“Better t’ be safe than sorry.” Norman added in. “Cause if Wally don’ fit, then you or I gotta ‘ear th’ costume since we’re smaller than ‘im.”

Tom crossed his arms in contemplation. “You have a point there. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that as I will have a lot of explaining to do. Grant you I gotta explain things anyways, but it’s easier to do it if I don’t have a big fake beard on.”

The group of men chuckled at the image of the gruff and rough around the edges Tom attempting to be all jolly which was a horrific sight in their eyes as jolly and Tom are two words that don’t belong next to each other. Tom waved away their laughter at the thought and motioned for them to get a move on as they didn’t know when Allison or Benny may stir. Tom showed them the ladder he had already set up before ascending with Wally and Norman in tow. Wally was surprised to see a harness and safely ropes already established with Tom commenting about how he had already set everything up to keep their noise making to a minimum, even the gifts that were to accompany them had been brought up. He wanted the sounds of them going down the chimney to be what wakes Benny rather then them scurrying around on the roof attempting to set everything up.

Tom and Norman helped Wally into the safety gear and then had the man ease himself over the edge of the chimney with Norman already deadpanning at the sight. “Ya don’ fit.”

Wally chuckled looking at his girth with Tom also scowling at this revelation. “How much did you say you weighed?” Tom looked at the former janitor.

“Well I did put on some weight.” the man chuckled with his small laughs causing his stomach to jiggle like jello. “I guess it will be either you or Norman going down then.”

Norman instantly pointed at Tom. “I ain’t goin’ cause I can already see where this is goin’.” Tom was about to raise a voice in protest when Norman put his foot down. “Yer kid, yer show.”

Tom opened and closed his mouth a few times before a groan escaped him as he ran his hands down the sides of his face. There was no arguing with Norman whatsoever. He glanced at the bag that Wally had set aside and grumbled. “Fine. Gimmie the stupid bag.”

Wally handed over the bag so Tom can put the costume on while Norman helped the former janitor out of his harness. Wally tripped and fell on the rooftop with both Tom and Norman scolding the man to be a little more careful. All the while the sound of Wally’s stumbling and his fall had woken a little occupant within the home.

Benny blearily blinked the sleep out of his eyes as he was awoken by strange noises from above. The toon looked up towards the ceiling in confusion as to the noises he was hearing and carefully listened, hoping it was just a tree branch and not something else. However he heard a set of muffled voices coming from the direction of the fireplace as little bits of dust seemed to rain down from above. Anger swiftly swept over the toon. Someone was trying to break into his house! He growled softly as he got up from the couch taking on his Ragdoll form and paced over to the fireplace. He cautiously peeked his head in the chimney only to better hear a voice telling whoever was on the other end to slowly lower him down.

Tom looked back at Norman and Wally fully clothed and sporting the harness. “All right gents, carefully lower me down and then follow up with the bag.” earning nods from both men a they grasped onto the ropes preparing to help lower their friend.

Tom slowly eased himself into the mouth of the chimney with a small flashlight for emergencies as well as to help him see down the throat of the chimney. He felt the ropes become taught as Norman and Wally shouldered his weight and he slowly made his descent.

A grin graced Tom’s face as he couldn’t wait to see the look on Benny’s face, the little toon would be so excited. His cheer and enthusiasm diminished as he heard strange shuffling sounds below him prompting him to cautiously grab a hold of his light and directed the beam below him. His eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when he saw a gaping maw waiting for him as the chimney was lined with massive yet familiar white teeth with bits of dripping ink on their edges. Ragdoll! Fear washed over Tom like a wave as he realized that Benny was not taking their coming down the chimney like a happy child and was on the defensive. He looked like he wanted to eat him!

“Pull me up, pull me up!” Tom all but screamed at Norman and Wally with his slow decent instantly coming to a halt.

Norman and Wally both turned pale at Tom’s screams to be pulled up and frantically began to tug on the ropes to pull up their friend. Something had gone wrong and Tom needed help. However the pair above failed to realize that the demon below had other plans.

Ragdoll loudy growled at the intruder in his families chimney, and now this guy was trying to escape! Not on his watch. Ragdoll moved himself out of his position in the fireplace and motioned for his threads to extend and sent his hands up the chimney. After some light fishing around he finally found the now panicking worm on the hook as his hands secured both legs of his intruder and began to pull.

If Tom was panicking before then he was on overdrive. He had hoped that once he was pulled out that Benny would back off, but upon feeling the demons large hands grab both his legs, that hope was dashed in an instant. Benny wasn’t backing off, and if anything, was pulling his prey towards him. He was now a worm on a hook dangling before a very angry fish. Norman and Wally struggled to pull Tom upwards before realizing that Benny was awake and was on the attack.

Memories of Janice’s words about Benny taking on his Ragdoll form to defend the elderly home flashed in his mind as he quickly glanced at Wally struggling alongside him to pull Tom up. “I gotta go.”

“W-What?” Wally gaped at the man before Norman dropped the ropes and ran for the ladder with Wally calling out to him.

Tom felt the tugs to pull him up were dying as Benny was clearly overpowering Norman and Wally. The demon was far stronger than a man as he was feeling the demon pulling him downwards. He briefly heard Wally shouting something before he felt the final tug as Benny pulled him completely down and out the fireplace.

Ragdoll dragged a figure out of his fireplace and threw the man onto the floor roaring at him with both mouths at point blank. He wanted to instill fear into this man before knocking him out as he was getting ready to deliver a solid knockout blow to the stomach.

“B-Benny! Wait It’s me!!!” the red and white clothed man was frantically waved his arms as he was pulling off a large white material that resembled a beard off his very familiar face.

“T-ToM?!” Ragdolls singular eye was as wide as a dinner plate as he looked down at his father figure who was frantically waving his hands.

Before Benny had the time to process what was going on Norman burst through the front door. “Wait Benny! Don’t hurt him, it’s Thomas!” The man's voice died as he saw Tom laying on the floor beneath Benny with the ragdoll demon standing above him with a clear look of shock and confusion.

“What on earth is going on here?!” another voice bellowed across the room as all eyes turned to see a very angry Allison stomping her foot in the doorway.

Everyone looked around at each other at a clear loss as to what to say to the irate actress who’s looks demanded an answer. Before any of them were able to get in so much as a word, Wally burst through the front door.

“Tom are you ok?!” he shouted before his eyes met Allison’s and his bravado and concern for his friend died in to a mere squeak.

Not wanting to be under Allison’s scornful gaze, Benny instantly pointed a finger at Tom. “He WaS cOmInG dOwN tHe ChImNeY aNd I tHoUgHt SoMeOnE wAs BrEaKiNg In.”

Cold angry eyes fell upon Tom as Allison glared at him. “Well?”

“Thomas was tryin’ t’ serpris’ yer boy there Mrs. Allison.” Norman spoke up. “He wanted t’ have Wally ‘ere dress as Santa and come down th’ chimney to give yer boy his Christmas gifts. Wally couldn’ fit, so Tom had t’ go down. We didn’ think that Benny would get defensiv’. We thought he’d be a happy boy.”

Allison sighed while rubbing her temples to school in her temper. “Well I can see he thought you were breaking and entering.” She looked at her husband who had picked himself off the floor. “What on earth made you think this was a good idea?”

Tom looked sheepish at his wife as her words sunk in. “I just wanted to surprise Benny for Christmas. Since he liked Santa I thought having jolly old saint nick come down the chimney would be a delightful surprise for him. I never thought he’d react this way.”

Ragdoll looked down at his father figure with surprise. Tom just wanted to make the day special for him, even if it spiraled out of control the way it did. The demon dumped the excess ink reverting back to his normal form with Benny now looking up at his father.

“I already had a feeling Santa wasn’t real.” the toons words drawing his father's attention. “I liked the idea of a jolly man delivering presents, but there is no way one guy can visit everyone in a single night unless it’s the parents delivering the presents. I stayed up to try and confirm my suspicions, but I was too tired and fell asleep.” the demon gave a small warm smile. “I’m thankful you tried anyways to make the holiday even more special.”

Tom found Benny giving him a hug while a look of shock was on his own face before it morphed to content returning the hug. Benny already knew and if anything was even more elated that he had at least tried. A glance at his wife seeking forgiveness from her was met with soft eyes and a tired hint of a smile.

“Well even though you did something stupid. What mattered was you were trying to make Benny happy. I guess I can forgive you.” She lightly laughed before approaching and giving her husband a hug. “And besides, Santa baby.” she laughed before pulling his fake beard back over his face. “I’ve been an angel all year, so what did you bring us?”

Benny instantly giggled at his mother’s affections towards a now stunned Tom with the man sputtering at his wife's actions. Norman laughed while Wally cheered before they retreated out the home to grab the gifts that had been left behind. While the pair was gone Allison and Tom shared a tender kiss before it was interrupted with Ragdoll bringing them both in for a hug.

Tom initially scowled at the toon’s interference before it gave away to a content grin. He had to admit while things didn’t exactly work as planned, seeing Benny’s happy face as Wally and Norman came in with their presents as well as the toons gratitude towards his family and friends made his holiday worth while.

Merry Christmas everyone~

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matlabhwexperts-blog · 7 years ago

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meltypes-blog · 6 years ago

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peadpod mchanzo week day 3

[mr. krabs voice] day 3, give it up for day 3! Also, this is a college au because I’m weak for those and young mchanzo is cute

3. Secret Admirer | ao3 link |

Jesse normally wasn’t the type to get flustered. His mama had told him that since he was 4, his three defining characteristics were cute, charming, and shameless. Growing up in a loving and accepting family had given him the right ingredients to bake into that particular mix, but when his mama passed ten years after, and the collectors came after his Pa’s farm, those particular traits rotted and left a bad taste in his mouth. Cute and charming didn’t get him out of the orphanages quick enough, so he ran. At 17, before his new dads swooped in and grabbed his ass out of the fire, his gang buddies described him as quick, deadly, and reckless. It showed in his steady trigger finger, the unnerving accuracy of his aim, the lopsided smiles and toothy smirks. But all the swagger and confidence from his misguided teenage years were particularly missing from his mug shots; a single heist inevitably gone wrong, most of his ‘family’ dead yet again, and half a missing arm later were enough to sober him entirely.

His new dads….they tried not to define him. When they got to him, he was hollow. Quiet. Sad. As hardened war vets, they’d seen some shit, so they knew a little bit in dealing with what Jesse had gone through. They brought Jesse home with them after a grueling two years in court, though Jesse never did get a clear reason why. Gabe told him that he’d seen something in Jesse. Jack joked that he was blind, so he just went along with whatever Gabe saw. They helped heal him by letting him be, doing the opposite when his mistakes hit him hard and left him gasping at night, and encouraging him to believe in himself just as fervently as they did.

Now, at 24, GED under his belt and close to graduating with a bachelors in investigative journalism, Jesse had proudly improved upon his mama’s words. Cute turned into roguishly handsome, his shamelessness transformed into easy-going confidence, and his charming demeanor- well, that was a welcome fixed trait. But despite the fact that no one had ever called Jesse smart aloud, he wasn’t dumb. Any smart person could see that there was more to the man than a cowboy hat and smiles, and that you didn’t get a prosthetic arm and criminal record by riding a horse (unless, of course, you were a bandit from the 18th century). Even dumber people didn’t know what to make of Jesse, most of the time caught off guard when it turned out he wasn’t a complete idiot. In conclusion, no, Jesse didn’t think he was desirable in the long-term, romantic sense of things, despite his many trysts and conquests, so he put it out of his mind.

At least, that was the case, until the fourth flower delivery.

“Again, Reeha?” Jesse asked, face hot as she dropped a sunflower in his hands. “You’re not doing this as a joke right?”

His RA leant against the open doorway of his dorm with crossed arms and snorted. “I’m a college student, Jes. Flowers are expensive. If I wanted to prank you, I could just put a bucket on your door.”

“Zero points for creativity.” He responded, thumbing the back of the card attached to it. He flipped it over, getting significantly redder at the note.

Fareeha snickered. “What’s it say, loverboy?”

Jesse knew she wasn’t going to leave until he told her (she hadn’t for the last two deliveries) so he cleared his throat and read. “‘You are as brilliant as when the sun rises, you bring me warmth as its beams do. Your smile is just as bright. Thank you for existing.’”

“Aw, Jesse.” Fareeha gave him a genuine, wide smile. “Whoever that is has really lost it over you.”

His chest fluttered. “Nah, this is- it’s a joke. Someone here has just got a sick sense of humor.” He looked back to her. “Do you have any idea who it might be?”

“Jes, half the people on this floor are pretty much into you,” she responded, rolling her eyes. “It’s the cowboy hat, probably.”

Jesse chuckled. “Yeah, sure. Wait ‘til I bust out the chaps, that’ll get everyone hot and bothered.”

“It sounds genuine, though,” she said, frowning at his tone. “You’ve just gotta put your degree to use. Do some investigating.” She clapped his shoulder and stood up. “You’re good at that.”

The wheels in Jesse’s head started turning. “Do you know who puts ‘em on your desk?”

Fareeha shrugged. “Satya brings them in from the mailroom, and I’ve asked her who delivers them there, but she says she doesn’t know. Just that there’s a sticky note to have them brought to you.”

“Huh.”

After a bit more brainstorming, Fareeha waved her goodbye and left Jesse in his door, flower clutched in his good hand. He went inside, thumbing the soft petals gently, a plan developing in his head.

He was going to find whoever this was.

“Maybe they do not want to be found.”

Jesse snorted into his coffee. He and Hanzo were seated in the campus coffee shop, taking a break from an especially grueling math homework session. Jesse had first met him in his second semester Research Writing class, which, much to Jesse’s surprise and Hanzo’s embarrassment, the other man was failing. Their professor had insisted Hanzo visit Jesse for tutoring (which, up until his junior year, he did as a work-study student), and the two hit it off. The pair (sometimes with the addition of Hanzo’s younger brother) met up regularly for study sessions, finding that they worked well together despite their differing majors.

Jesse raised his brows. “Then why do they send them in the first place?”

“Perhaps they get off on buying flowers for cowboys,” Hanzo smirked.

“Gross Han,” Jesse laughed, wrinkling his nose. Hanzo smiled and Jesse felt his insides warm, a pleasant syrupy feeling in his gut.

This….thing he started feeling for Hanzo wasn’t a new development. He only needed to spend four months in Hanzo’s presence to become infatuated, though he ignored it for the most part, reasoning that shallow appreciation for an attractive man was nothing worth exploring. Then the man got a haircut, pierced himself up, changed his major to what he was actually passionate about, and Jesse’s heart was a goner. What he felt was honestly too childish to be called a crush and the other option scared the hell out of him, because even after knowing Hanzo for 2 years, he still had trouble figuring out if the man was seriously flirting or not.

“But really,” Jesse continued, “it seems a bit….I don’t know. Weird.”

Hanzo raised a brow. “You do not enjoy the attention?”

Maybe if it was from you, Jesse thought unhelpfully. “‘S not that, it’s just….I never thought I’d get romanced like this. Flowers.” He chuckled. “What’s next, chocolates? A full bouquet?”

Hanzo’s eyes got that strange glint in them Jesse had been noticing lately. “Is that something you would like?”

“Oh, hell no, that’s a bit much to be coming from a stranger,” Jesse said. He leant forward. “You got any idea who it could be?”

Hanzo’s face fell flat. “You have many admirers, Jesse. Many find you attractive, you know this.”

“You sayin’ I’m good looking?” He teased, smiling at Hanzo’s eye roll.

“I am saying,” Hanzo smirked, “Many people lack taste.”

Jesse barked a laugh. “Right where it hurts, Han. Your aim is unerring.”

“You just make it too easy,” he replied. “Speaking of,” he tapped his notebook, “we should finish these equations.”

Jesse groaned. “Easy for you, Mr. Math Major. Some of us are better with words than numbers.”

“Oh, I am well aware of that,” he chuckled. “But why you would choose a math course for your last elective if you hate it so much is beyond me.”

Jesse just smiled. “I like a challenge.”

The fifth flower arrived during Jesse’s investigation. He made his way down to the dorm mailroom, deciding to ask Satya herself if she knew anything essential.

She scoffed at Jesse’s question, putting her cell phone down. “Why would I keep the sticky notes? They are trash once their duty is fulfilled.”

Jesse sighed. There went his first lead.

“Okay,” he said. “But did you get a look at the handwriting? Was it neat? Messy?”

Satya considered the question. “Well….all of them were written in capital letters.”

“Hm.” Jessed hummed. “And….no one else gets flower deliveries?”

“Not that I have seen, no.” She smirked slightly, picking her phone back up. “It seems you have a secret admirer, McCree.”

He sighed again, pink in the face. “Seems that way.”

It didn’t help much, but he thanked her anyways, heading out into the hall. He closed the mailroom door behind him and exhaled, exasperated. He didn’t really think that asking about the sticky notes would help, but it was the first thing that came to his mind to check. He stepped forward- and almost tripped when he realized there was something on the ground in front of him. His heart pounded when he bent down to look closer.

“No way,” he breathed, picking up the single pink rose. He straightened quickly, looking to his left and right, trying to catch a glimpse of someone, anything, but the hall was empty save for himself and the dorm event bulletin board. He looked to the card and laughed softly.

“They did not have red ones, so I hope you are fine with pink. It reminds me of the times you are silly, blushing and happy. I wish you many more moments like that.”

Jesse would’ve written the secret gifts off as insincere if they’d called him sexy or complimented his ass, but the notes were always heartfelt and profound. The first, paired with a camellia, had regaled his beauty, declaring that “the depths of which are rivaled only by that of the oceans.” The second, attached to a sweet smelling gardenia, paid homage to his intelligence; “an incomparable mind” and “a smart mouth to match a smart man.” The third came with a red carnation, calling him kind-hearted and wonderful; “you inspire me to be my best.” The strangest part was that each delivery had happened in the span of a single month, each floral arrival erratic and unpredictable. The timing made little sense too: February was three months ago, and his birthday was in December. Jesse brainstormed the motivations himself but decided that they were 100% genuine, the other option being that it was an elaborate prank before grad. Most of his friends were too busy with finals or too short on cash. Jesse trudged back to his room, placing the flower in the same vase near the window as the previous ones and the note in the small ornate box on his desk that held the others, deciding to enact the next part of his investigation the following weekend.

Now, Jesse usually liked Genji, considered him a brother even- but right now, he felt like throwing him to the wolves. The green-haired bastard was cackling loud enough to draw the attention of almost everyone in the coffee shop to their small corner; he found Jesse’s floral predicament particularly funny. Jesse looked to Hanzo for help, but the man just gave him a toothy smile and shrugged.

“So, you have no idea who it could be?” Genji asked, after having calmed. “Not a single inkling?”

Jesse’s eyes flitted briefly to Hanzo (he immediately squashed that hope down, Hanzo didn’t seem like the flower giving type) before he turned to Genji. “I wouldn’t be askin’ for your help if I did, ninja.”

“Some investigator you are,” Genji snorted.

He pointed to him. “Hey now, I just haven’t finished looking around yet. I’ve got a plan.”

“Oh? Do tell.” Hanzo spoke, sounding amused.

“Well,” Jesse started confidently, settling back into his seat,” it’s gotta be someone on campus right? And the flowers gotta come from somewhere. So I sussed out the location of every flower shop in the area- which there are three of, by the way- and I plan on bringing the notes and asking around. They’re bound to know something.”

Genji hummed appreciatively and Hanzo balked.

“How do you know they didn’t order them in advance? Or that they would remember their patrons?” Genji gave his brother a weird look at the question while Jesse chuckled.

“No one has the time for advanced orders during finals. Plus, it seems like these gifts were a last minute kinda thing, because there’s no pattern to the delivery times. And if my hunch is right,” Jesse leaned forward conspiratorially,” it’s probably someone I know.”

Hanzo’s face seemed to go through a myriad of emotions before smoothing over into a blank expression. “You truly are intelligent, then.”

“I know,” Jesse grinned cheekily, feeling proud.

Genji let out a choked noise at something and stared incredulously at Hanzo. Then at Jesse. Then back to Hanzo.

“Jesse. You really can’t guess? Really?” Genji’s eyes were pleading.

Jesse furrowed his brow. “If you know something I don’t, the help is appreciated.”

Genji muttered something in Japanese and stood up suddenly, grabbing his bag. “No. I don’t know anything, apparently. If you will excuse me, I’m going to go somewhere else before I throw up.” He turned a devious smile to Hanzo, who sat uncharacteristically frozen. “I will talk to you later, brother.” Then he was gone.

“Well, that sounded foreboding,” Jesse commented to a strangely flushing Hanzo. “Did you catch what he said under his breath?”

“No,” Hanzo answered quickly. He stood up too. “I- I have to go. Satya needs my help with a project.”

“Oh.” Jesse sat back disappointed. “Okay. See ya later, then.”

Hanzo gave him a tense smile before he hurriedly departed. Finals week, Jesse decided, was a bitch.

The sixth flower was thankfully delivered in person.

He woke up that morning feeling motivated, ready to find the mystery person behind the roses. His trip to the first floral shop wasn’t what he expected, considering it closed down 5 years ago and sat on the side of the road as a sad, dilapidated building (thanks, Google)- but he wasn’t deterred. The second shop, however, didn’t yield satisfactory results either. He showed the owner the notes, and much to his embarrassment, she said that they didn’t even use the same cards or ribbon as the ones the stranger gave him.

“Whoever it was probably made them themselves,” she said, eyes twinkling. “That’s so sweet!” Jesse mechanically nodded his agreement, said his thanks, and left feeling flustered at the situation all over again. Handmade note cards. Maybe they really didn’t want to be known.

So found Jesse on his way to the last floral shop- Bastion’s Bouquets- and losing all semblance of hope. He pushed the door open, bell ringing overhead, and was instantly assaulted by the sweet aroma of flora.

Flowers ranging from roses to calla lilies to desert flowers crowded on shelves that stretched to the ceiling. Long vines and leaves from medium sized palms and ferns leaned over Jesse’s head as he traversed deeper into the store, reaching the counter. It was colorful, and wonderful, and Jesse began to wonder if he was in the wrong line of work at the sight of a bright pink bougainvillea trailing along the wall behind the cashier’s desk.

“Howdy,” he called to the empty space in front of him, resting his hands on the wood. “Anybody in?”

A clatter of noise and a curse responded. Then, in a strange accent:

“Be right out!”

Jesse took to looking around as he waited, exclaiming in pleased surprise as he found a small bird hiding among a gorgeous display of hyacinths. It chirped quietly as it settled in Jesse’s outreached hand and fluffed its wings. Jesse cooed and it tilted its head, chirping louder as he rubbed a finger down its back.

“Ganymede, stop begging for attention. The name is Torb, what can I do for you, son?”

Jesse turned to find a short- very, very short- man behind him. He had a mechanical arm, a fake eye, and was wearing a pink apron with the store name and a cartoon robot on the front. Jesse immediately liked him.

“Ah, well, ya see,” he muttered, struggling to get the notecards out of his back pocket with his prosthetic, not wanting to jostle the bird. “I got- aha! I got these cards along with a bunch of different flowers over the past month and was wondering if they were ordered from you, or if you remembered who ordered them.”

Torb took the cards from Jesse’s hand, sifting through them. His ears grew hot as the short man chuckled and raised a brow at him.

“Sounds like someone really likes you, eh?”

Jesse cleared his throat, cheeks flaming. “I mean, it could be a prank. Haven’t gotten rid of that possibility.”

Torb laughed harder and handed the cards back to Jesse. “I, for one, think you should throw that thought out the window. What were the flowers?”

Jesse told him and Torb rubbed his chin.

“Well,” he started. “We do carry all of those.”

Jesse felt a surge of hope.

“But carnations, camellias and roses are popular ones, and we haven't sold any sunflowers recently. I would remember that.” He gave Jesse a sympathetic look. “‘M sorry lass, I can’t help you there.”

Jesse’s stomach plummeted and he sighed. Ganymede chirped softly and flew away to the back room, probably to eat or sleep. He looked at Torb imploringly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Are there any other flower shops around here that have the same selection you do?”

Torb shook his head. “Afraid not. Otherwise, we would be out of business.”

Jesse nodded and said his thanks, ready to give up when Ganymede came flying back out, a small slip in her talons. She landed on Torb’s shoulder and dropped the paper into his open hand.

“Ah! That’s right, it almost slipped my mind!” He said, reading through it. He looked back up to Jesse with a toothy grin, waving around what looked like a receipt. “Seems I was wrong. There is one other place that carries the same selection we do, though it only orders a small amount from our stock.”

The supermarket. Why hadn’t he thought of that?

Jesse had walked by the flower freezer in there every time he shopped, but he never paid it enough attention for its presence to register in his head. He ran hurriedly from Torb’s shop to the market a few blocks over, hope swelling. It was getting late, the sun almost finished setting, and he knew the store was going to be closed in a couple of hours. He would get in there, and he would- well, he would look and- huh.

Jesse slowed to a jog, coming to a stop in front of the store. He frowned, realizing he had no plan. What would he do? Rather, what could he do? Too many people went in and out, and it’s not like a chain market would take note of each customer that bought sunflowers. He swallowed, feeling his hope shatter yet again.

He could….stake the place, he guessed. But his admirer obviously knew what he looked like, and loitering was still considered a crime. He was about to walk inside, maybe buy some booze and drown in it, when a voice ripped him from his thoughts.

“Jesse?”

He turned to his right to find Hanzo, looking as attractive as ever in his dark jacket and jeans, with a comically stricken expression on his face.

Jesse wondered what was wrong, until his eyes zeroed in on the package in his hands, and he sucked in a breath.

A bouquet of roses.

Hanzo held the flowers in a tight grip, an entire bouquet of expensive red roses, and Jesse, tired and emotionally charged at the sight, blurted the first thing that came to mind.

“You get off on buying flowers for cowboys?”

Hanzo turned red and made an audible noise in the back of his throat, taking a step backward, away from him.

He’s gonna run, Jesse suddenly realized, and he raised his hands in apology, a hysterical laugh bubbling in his throat at the relief he felt that it was him, at what this situation had come to.

“Hanzo,” he laughed, slightly breathless, and the man took another step backward. Jesse took a large step towards him and fought down another laugh. “Hanzo, wait.”

“I did not think you would find my affections funny,” he said, looking and sounding hurt.

Jesse sobered instantly, realizing what was at stake, and took those last few steps to reach him. “Hanzo, wait no, I’m not laughing at you. It’s just- this whole time?” He reached for Hanzo’s free hand. “You could’ve just talked to me, hon.”

“I am not good with words,” he responded, looking anywhere but at Jesse. “I know it is childish, but Genji told me that you had never had a serious relationship before, and with you leaving in two months for that job in Gibraltar, I just….”

He sighed, searching Jesse’s eyes. “I wanted to make sure you at least knew that someone cared for you, in that way….still cares.”

Jesse’s heart pounded and he gripped Hanzo’s hand tighter, not knowing what to say. He had Hanzo right where he had wanted him since he first saw him, and he was speechless.

“Okay, here’s the thing.” Jesse decided to lay it all out. “I’ve been in love with you for almost a year now, and if you’re willing, I’d like to try. Gibraltar or not, I’ve been absolutely hopeless for you. If you’ll have me.”

Hanzo lowered his burning face and heaved a deep, shaky breath. Then, he looked up and pressed the bouquet to Jesse’s chest, a small smile making its way onto his face. Jesse held the flowers there with his prosthetic, face burning.

“You said that you wouldn’t take a bouquet from a stranger and I was actually going to give these to you in person, when I found the right thing to say.” He pressed himself closer to Jesse. “I do not have a card this time, so I apologize.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Jesse breathed, moving his hand to the small of Hanzo’s back, the roses crinkling between them. “What were you going to say?”

“I love you, too.” Hanzo leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to Jesse’s lips, and Jesse brought him even closer, closing his eyes, Hanzo and the scent of roses overtaking him.

After he and Hanzo made their way back to the dorms, the roses (a bit crumpled, but still whole) found their way into the vase near the window, the other flowers pressed safely into a textbook. And when Jesse finally left to Gibraltar, Hanzo sent him off with his seventh- a snapdragon that Jesse snuck in his carry-on. The message on the notecard was pretty much the same as the last one, but it didn’t make him feel any less flustered and happy.

I love you. Come back soon.

#mchanzo #peapodmchanzoweek #jesse mccree #hanzo shimada #fluff #writes #this is LATE but i was so tired and couldn't write i am sorrryyr

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ariannjs · 6 years ago

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COFFEE SHOP | A SasuSaku FanFic (2/2)

For Day 12 (Gravitation) of SasuSaku Month 2019☕

Rating: K+

Summary: Sakura chuckled and enveloped Sasuke in an embrace. "In the end, it's still you and me." "Hn. And it all started in this place."

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(Coffee Shop - Part 1/2)

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"So that's how you met mama?" There was an adorable twinkle in the eyes of the raven-haired girl in front of Sasuke.

Moments earlier, little Sarada complained about the tons of assignments she took home from the academy. It's not that she couldn't manage to finish them, it's just that she found the repetitive equations too boring to spend much time with. So, she ended up pestering her dad to tell her any story that he or Sakura liked so much.

Sasuke's lips twitched upwards as he gave his daughter a nod to answer her question.

Sarada leaned towards him on the table that used to be his haven while waiting for his mom to finish her café managing job when he was younger. "That's so cool! Did you marry mom the next day?"

Sasuke released a chuckle. "I wish. But it doesn't work that way, Sarada. There were lots of highs and lows, and we needed to grow up before that."

His daughter blinked twice while she parsed the information she received, her interest not dying down a bit. "Oh. Then..." She pouted, with a hand on her chin as she stared at a distance – a pose that reminded Sasuke of Sakura whenever she's thinking deeply, causing him to smile. "Then, Papa! Would I be able to marry my crush too?"

All the muscles on Sasuke's face tensed. Sure, he and Sakura met and felt a connection with each other at the same age as Sarada's now, but if he would be completely honest, he wasn’t ready to let his baby girl go any time soon. And it might be unavoidable for him to develop a slight fury to any guy who might steal his heiress's heart from him and Sakura one day.

"You have a crush." Sasuke's voice came out in a tone that's mixed with both question and accusation.

With widened eyes and burning cheeks, Sarada waved her hands in front of her in quick dismissal. "No, no! It's not that! All the boys in school are annoying! I only mean that if I would have one." She scratched the back of her head. "Also, you and mama would surely know when the time comes!" She grinned until she saw her dad's face relax.

"Good."

"You're overprotective, Papa!" She giggled, earning an eye roll from Sasuke.

"Tch. Of course, I don't want my little girl to be taken away by any undeserving guy." He reached out and tapped Sarada's forehead with his two fingers.

Although Sarada was quite accustomed to the affectionate gesture already, she still couldn't help but jerk a little.

"Meanwhile, to answer your question, it doesn't always happen that way. But who knows, you might be able to marry your future crush too, when you don't find the need to rush." There was a slight emphasis to the word "future" that made Sarada flinch. "But for now, just wait for the Author of love Himself to write your own love story, okay?" Sasuke smiled.

Sarada beamed back and nodded at this.

"Now back to your homework." He stood up and patted his daughter's head before leaving her to check up on his wife who was busying herself with the coffee shop's inventory for the day.

He found Sakura seated on one of the bar stools on the other side of the renovated café, scribbling with eyebrows furrowed on the directory and notebooks sprawled in front of her on the high table.

He snickered at the sight. Despite having medical duties on her own clinic by day, she still takes time in doing what she can for the coffee shop business that was passed on to them by Sasuke's parents – Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha. Sakura told him once that for her, it was the least she could do to support his career as a thriving businessman despite her being inclined to a different field, knowing that Sasuke already has several businesses that he was overseeing.

Plus, it was the coffee shop where they first met, so when she decided to personally oversee at least one of their many businesses, the cafè was her first and immediate choice.

It was heartwarming for Sasuke to see how dedicated his wife was in keeping up with the reputation of his family, not that she didn’t have a topflight repute of her own in terms of medical studies, but her character and dedication were some of the many confirmations to Sasuke that Sakura was definitely meant to be an Uchiha. Having her as his wife was probably the best dream that he has ever achieved for himself.

Sasuke paced across the room and decided to approach her from behind. Slipping his arms around her waist, he peered over her shoulder to check on what she was doing. "Are you almost done?"

Slightly startled with her husband's touch, she responded, "Yeah. Just a few more items and we could go home." She smiled as she met Sasuke's gaze. "How's Sarada?"

"Well, she was easily bored again today, pretty much a lot like me." He snorted. "But she said it was only because her math homeworks were too plain for her, so much like you in that manner. Tch."

Sakura smirked. "We've made a pretty smart child, haven't we?"

Sasuke nodded with a smile. They've always been proud of how advanced Sarada's cognitive skills were for her age. And as she grows older, the distinguished characteristics she has acquired from either of her parents are slowly manifesting in her deeds and speech. It's a little funny for them sometimes that they got to see an image of their younger selves in Sarada.

Sasuke then planted a kiss on Sakura's shoulder blade. "Meanwhile, to kill her boredom, I told her about how we met."

"Oh, yeah?" Sakura suddenly cackled. "So you finally got to tell her about how you used to have a short-lived crush on nee-chan?"

Groaning, Sasuke tightened his embrace on her waist and buried his face in her hair. "Well, if I didn't notice Sasuna-nee back then, and if Hisuke-nii didn't fetch you from school and bring you here, I most likely wouldn't even get the chance of being introduced to you." He smirked as Sakura continued to laugh. "I'll always be grateful to them, that's for sure."

Sakura slightly pulled away to turn on her seat and now face Sasuke. "It's funny how our lives changed since then, don't you think? It's how we got to know that Someone was really orchestrating every single thing in the world to fall into place." She said, beaming from ear to ear while gently placing her arms around Sasuke's neck. "That day, I felt so sure, that you were made for me, and I for you."

"Hn." Sasuke had felt the exact same way, and he couldn't help but capture her lips with his as an agreement to her words. It was quick but sweet, making Sakura giggle in delight.

"But, do you remember how difficult our college years had been?"

Her husband's face went blank. "I don't even want to remember."

"Right." Sakura frowned as she relived the pain of those years without Sasuke.

It was a mutual decision. Growing up together, it was as if they were practically glued to each other that when you try to pull one of them away, the other would be inevitably wrecked, too.

It became almost too unhealthy how they depended on each other to the point of being too consumed in their own world. That's why when it was time for them to take different paths towards the courses they wanted to pursue, they knew they had to end their two-year relationship that bloomed during their Senior High School years (when Sasuke finally had the guts to tell Sakura that what he had for her was more than a mere childhood crush).

It wasn't just about the long distance caused by their different universities, nor the hectic schedules of their business and medical classes alongside various extracurricular activities, but it was about learning to let go that they may individually grow.

When their parents learned about it, they were surprised, but they agreed that it was indeed a wise idea.

Itachi thought it was so courageous of them that he viewed them with so much admiration ever since, because he saw how his brother stood firm with his decision although it was apparently not easy for him.

Sasuna felt heartbroken, thinking about how she wouldn't be able to take it if it was her who had to break up with Hisuke just so they could focus on their individual pursuits.

Nonetheless, both their families trusted them that they were already mature enough to deal with matters of the heart, even though it involved pain.

It was Sasuna who first witnessed the positive effects of the harrowing decision to her younger sister. Entering college made Sakura leave the clingy and hopeless romantic teenager behind. She grew up to be more confident in her own skin, even though she was alone and she didn’t have the arm of a raven-haired guy constantly linked with hers. Her track record was a testament that she has made a name for herself in her chosen field, healing patients from various pains as her own heart slowly got healed.

Itachi had shared great reports about his younger brother too. During a batch reunion alongside their spouses and other batch mates in the academy, Itachi and Sasuna made sure to have a catch up about their siblings who had decided to cut off their communication with each other. Itachi proudly mentioned that despite being away from home, Sasuke grew up to be a very responsible man, worthy enough to take ownership of their companies even at such a young age. He also became more focused than ever, compared to that sulky and lovesick teen that was damned crazy about "keeping pests away" from his pink-haired childhood sweetheart.

Years later, their college graduations marked not only their professional milestones, but also their personal growth. And their families couldn't be any prouder.

For Sasuke, hearing about Sakura being hailed as one of the best rising doctors of their generation made him glad that they stuck with their decision. It was so apparent how Sakura had grown on her own, without him getting in the way as a distraction in pursuing the difficult career she chose. Though he was miles away, he had always hoped all the best for Sakura, even if it might not include him.

There was a part of Sakura that wished she was with Sasuke while he was slowly achieving his goals, but she knew that in one way or another, it would be difficult for him to focus with her around, just like when they were kids. And even though it was still a struggle for Sakura to stop longing for Sasuke, she found peace in believing that her Creator would not withold the best from her heart; hence, she continued to focus on her career and wait for love to come at its proper time. After all, she has always desired for Sasuke to be happy, even if his happiness wouldn't involve her.

But just when they thought they already had everything, they knew, somewhere at the back of their minds, that something was still missing.

"Doctor Haruno!" A nurse suddenly approached Sakura's office with a panic-stricken face. "You are needed at the emergency room. Someone came in complaining about an intense chest pain."

"Oh? Okay then." She proceeded out of her office after the announcement, though she wondered why she had to attend to the ER when she wasn’t even assigned there. Brushing the thoughts aside, she rushed to the emergency room because she knew how chest pains could lead to a more complicated situation for the patient.

She gasped at the sight after pulling the green curtain sideways. Because there, seated on the hospital bed, was no other than the man she has painfully yet bravely decided to let go of years ago. "Sasuke...kun."

Sasuke, on the other hand, simply gave her a blank yet meaningful stare, as if scrutinizing every single thing about her and taking in all the changes in her after how many years of not seeing each other.

But Sakura didn't let the previous astonishment get in the way of what she was really there for. When she came back to her professional senses, she immediately prepared to wear a stethoscope and paced towards her patient. She then asked, "What happened?"

There was, however, a long pause. And Sakura felt as if her galloping heart would explode the longer she heard the constant ticking of the clock behind her. "I need to know what happened so I could give y–"

"I realized I'm still in love with you, that's what happened."

She was frozen right then and there, with her stethoscope just a few inches away from Sasuke's supposed painful chest. Hesitating, she put her hand down and met his intent gaze. "W-what..."

Sasuke's eyes softened at the sight of the emerald orbs that he missed. He knew what he was there for, and he wasn’t gonna beat around the bush before anyone decides to call him again for a business meeting or what.

He cleared his throat, reaching out to gently grasp his doctor's hand. "This time, I hope the time is right. Sakura, would you allow me to court you again but with the intention of marrying you?"

With that, Sakura's pent-up tears for the past few years suddenly came rushing down her cheeks. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. But she knew those onyx eyes very well, and with the way they were staring back at her right now, she knew that there was no hint of lie in there.

Slowly, her lips formed a smile as she gave him a nod that made him smile back. "This time, I'm not letting you go."

And that was the beginning of their journey towards the now.

"It had to happen though. Or else we wouldn't be the man and woman that we are right now," Sakura acknowledged, still facing her husband in their dimly lit coffee shop. "There was no single day that I didn't miss you, Sasuke-kun. You remained my inspiration. I thought that as long as you're doing your best somewhere else, I ought to do my best wherever I was too."

The corner of Sasuke's lips twitched upwards. "And I never stopped loving you." He then lifted two fingers to lightly tap the pale forehead of his wife, a gesture Sakura knows all too well. "Even though I was successfully able to repress the emotion for so long, at the end of that long season, it still resurfaced above all the other things I preoccupied my mind with."

Sakura chuckled and enveloped Sasuke in an embrace. "In the end, it's still you and me."

"Hn. And it all started in this place."

"Papa! Mama!"

The couple's attention was suddenly caught by their little girl as she ran towards them with her hands seemingly clutching something behind her.

"Hey, Sarada!" Sakura stepped off the bar stool and leaned down to Sarada's level with Sasuke following suit. "Are your homeworks done?"

Sarada nodded as she smiled sheepishly at her parents. "I've just finished my gift."

Her father arched an eyebrow in wonder. "Gift?"

"Here! Happy Anniversary, Mama and Papa!" Sarada exclaimed happily as she held out her hand, revealing a paper with a drawing that was far better than her old sketches of stick people.

Her mother beamed as she received the said gift. "Aww! Thank you, dear! This is so nice!" She affirmed while scanning Sarada's drawing of their family.

Sasuke did the same beside Sakura and slowly smiled at their daughter. "Thank you, Sarada. It's beautiful."

The youngest Uchiha grinned in delight. She was glad that her parents liked her surprise gift. She almost thought she wouldn't be able to finish it within the day since her Papa was with her a while ago. "You're welcome!"

"Hmm. Why is there a fourth figure here though?" Sakura asked her daughter as her eyes trailed over the figure of a little boy with black hair and green eyes beside Sarada in the drawing.

Sarada bit her lip as her parents stared at her. Scratching the back of her head, she answered, "I...I was thinking that...maybe...Papa can give you a...younger brother as a gift?"

With that, Sasuke suddenly looked away while seemingly choking on his own spit.

Then, Sakura went home alongside her husband and daughter with a drawing in hand and a very red face after that.

————

Thanks for reading! As always, I’d love to know your feedback! Check out my other SasuSaku fics here! :)

Like what I do? Please consider supporting me on ko-fi as I continue to write fictions and make song covers! A cup of coffee would be a big encouragement! :)

- A

#ssm19 #ssm19d12 #sasusaku #sasusaku au #sasusaku coffee shop au #ariannjfics #sasusaku fanfics #ss fics #uchiha sasuke #uchiha sarada #haruno sakura #uchiha sakura

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coffeedrivenfiction · 6 years ago

Text

I’ve Always Wanted To Do That (The Incredibles fanfic)

He wasn't actually sleeping, more like lounging. Lounging on the living room couch on a lazy Saturday with a magazine resting on his face and virtually nothing to do. His homework was finished, the chores were done, and the house was vacant. Since turning eighteen, Violet had taken to enjoying the slight slack in the leash that pertained to dating that kid Tony, who she was miraculously on her third year with; Jack-Jack was at Aunt Edna's, being treated like the surrogate son he so obviously was to her and no doubt being forced into a bevy of different costumes suited for his powers; and Mr. Incredible, free to be himself to a certain degree, was out with Frozone.

Being a teenager was really no different than being a kid. So he was fourteen now. Big whoop. Literally nothing had changed besides the length of his flyaway hair, his school, and the suffocating amount of homework he was given every day. He and the rest of his family were still under witness protection while the government dragged feet in weighing the exact worth of Supers against a cost analysis following the destruction they were sure to cause 'saving the day'. The fall of Supers in no way meant the fall of villains—an occurrence that should have been painfully obvious from the onset—and so certain ones were being allowed back into the line of duty to combat the increasing wave of unrest.

Slowly but surely, Supers were being accepted again.

Winston Deavor was still a prominent figure in the integration of Supers, from back when his sister went rogue to this very day, and the betrayal at the hands of his own flesh and blood had only spurred him on further. The process was plodding as hell to be sure but not without its benefits. His mom, Elastigirl, was still the face of the program, and she was making extraordinary strides toward proving that 'saving the day' could be done with as little collateral damage as possible thanks to her elegance and natural battle tact, and it didn't hurt that she had a massive fanbase backing her.

Back in the day, Elastigirl was already considered a household name, but now? Four years later? She was virtually infamous. Everyone knew her, people all over the world loved her, countries wanted her to make guest appearances, there were parades and parties, endorsement deals and sponsorships, she had apparel everywhere knickknacks were sold—there was even an Elastigirl videogame called Elastigirl: A Stretch In Time. To this day, Dash still found that to be the most stupidest name attached to the most stupidest gaming premise ever. Why they chose to make his mom this time-hopping superhero, he would never know.

Still, beyond all of that, beyond the numerous press releases and public events and award ceremonies, not a single soul outside of her family, Mr. Dicker, and Winston knew Elastigirl's true identity, which was a testament to the statute of secrecy concerning not only her but some of the other high profile Supers in the field. Mostly because trying to figure out Elastigirl's true identity had reached astronomical levels of interest, to the point where people adamantly theorized on who it might be based on hair length, eye color and other characteristics. Not that his mom cared—she found the whole fascination over her ridiculous—she only cared about creating a better, villain-free world for her family. She didn't care to relieve the 'glory' days that she consistently tried to talk his dad into letting go. Her only priorities pertained to being a devoted wife and raising her children; Super'ing around the world was just an unwanted side-effect to accomplish that.

On the other glove, Mr. Incredible was over the moon with the steady integration of Supers and gladly took on whatever jobs his wife didn't want to, even the ones that led him to other continents. Occasionally, after some extreme begging and pleading, Helen would relent to letting either Dash or his sister join in, depending on the severity of what needed to be done; sometimes they even went as a family. Those journeys turned out to be the perfect bonding adhesive, the stories told between them, the laughs shared, the dangers crossed….

It was fun, being able to just be themselves every once in awhile. Being bottled up as an ordinary citizen was no longer such an arduous task thanks to frequent outings that let everyone stretch their wings.

And that meant the most annoying aspect of Dash—always whining about not being able to be free, to be himself—melted away, leaving behind a far more levelheaded speedster.

"Ohhhh, Daaaaash…."

The sweet songbird-like tones of his mother calling tickled Dash's ears and he felt his cheeks begin to burn.

Damn it….

It was no secret that Dash loved his mom. Leaving the shoes of a kid behind and stepping into those of a globetrotting teenage Super had given him a new appreciation for this auburn-haired woman who had taken care of and loved him even during his most unbearable moments. Whenever his dad stepped out to handle Super business tailored to him (that Winston figured wouldn't yield too much cost damage-wise), Dash would self-proclaim himself as man of the house, and he took that role to heart.

His mom, Violet, Jack-Jack—even if they were all accomplished Supers in their own right, save for his little prodigy of a brother who everyone already expected to herald the end of villainy when he grew up, Dash placed their well-being over whatever trouble the world at large happened to be suffering through. Not that any of them took him seriously: Violet nearly pissed herself from laughing, his dad gave him the most patronizing pep talk about responsibility and knowing ones role, and his mom… well… she'd called it the cutest thing he had ever done, bar none.

"Awww, look at you, momma's little hero," she had said back then, eskimo kissing him into a void of embarrassment. "Well then, I'll be counting on you to keep me safe, okay?"

That much went without saying. It was a pledge Dash carried with him as he grew, year by year, remaining ever vigilant. So there was no denying that puberty was a bitch—all the growing, the danglings, the new bells and whistles—especially when surrounded by others going through the same awkward motions and having to deal with the unending comments his schoolmates made concerning his mom whenever she came to pick him up and actually got out of the car. Not only did his mom have the entire male populous unknowingly under her finger, there were quite a few girls who were quite keen to get to know her as well, even going so far as to try and invite themselves to his house under the pretense of dating or needing a study-buddy.

Contrary to popular belief, Dash was well aware of just how unrelentingly sexy his mother was; he had to deal with it every blessed day he saw her walk around in pajamas, in shorts, even in a bathrobe. He knew that for a woman in her very early forties, her coke-bottle figure was nothing short of perfection. He knew that if he looked up the term 'slim thick' he would see a picture of his mom due to the way her pinched waist opened into a pair of succulent hips that she loved to playfully bump him with. He knew all of that and more, and eventually, he grew sick of others using his mom in their weird fetishes.

It only took about three major fights for the message to get across that Helen Parr was off limits for anyone to so much as speak about in his presence. Since his super speed basically guaranteed that he could doge every hit, in order to keep his identity a secret, Dash allowed himself to be struck a couple times just for the sake of appearance.

"Dash, are you in the living room?"

When she called out a second time, Dash lazily replied, "I sure am, mom," but didn't bother removing the magazine from over his face. He still wasn't ready to 'do things' yet; it was too nice, the warm, natural lighting streaming in through the glass roof. He was more than content to spend the rest of his weekend right here glued to this spot. If the other family members didn't mistake him for just an oblong shaped couch cushion he would be highly surprised.

Though not nearly as surprised as he was when something incredibly soft and plush nudged the arm he had hanging over the side.

Did she just…?

"Wakie, wakie, my little super hero, I need your opinion on something," she chorused, and if her previous hip bump wasn't enough to bring about a barrage of suspicion, her suspiciously energetic tone certainly was. When he made no immediate effort to give her attention, she hip-bumped him again. "Come on, Dash, I need your help here."

Wondering when and how he had fallen under his mother's thumb as well, Dash very hesitantly began to lower his Super's Monthly magazine just far enough for his pupils to peek over the edge.

Oh dear Lord….

Another thing about his lavish mother that Dash was having some trouble dealing with was the fact Mrs. Parr didn't put much stock in her figure—none—she mostly considered herself to be quite average despite the numerous compliments and fansites devoted to her, despite the vocal minority that downright worshipped the very ground she walked on. It was the most innocent display of immodesty that Dash had ever seen; she cared so little that she frequently, obliviously, showed it off in the most provocative ways.

Like now, as she nervously shifted weight from one foot to the other in this lavish white blouse with a plunging neckline and the tightest pair of yoga pants Dash had ever the pleasure to see wrapped around her body. That apprehensive stance clearly showed the effort she was putting forth to be eye-catching was new to her, but her naturally lustful figure seemed right at home being on display; it was this perfectly tantalizing mixture of timid and precocious. His eyes were tracing her curves before he could even begin to stop himself, rolling over those criminally wide hips, those thick, creamy thighs, and that ass….It was only thanks to her that Dash even paid attention to that part of a female nowadays.

Not even trying to being subtle, Dash sank deeper into the couch, making sure to keep the magazine firmly just below his eyes. There was no way he could let her see his face; he was blushing far too hard, it practically invited teasing.

She cleared her throat. "Well, since you're the man of the house while your father's away, I wanted to get a man's opinion on these," and she gave the most beguiling smile, that kind that effortlessly coerced Dash into doing whatever she wanted.

"I—me?" he blustered. "Really? D-don't you think Violet would be a better choice—"

The ease at which she cut him off was as simple as lifting a single finger, her smile growing coy. "That's why I said I needed a man's opinion, buster. C'mon, your honest take—does your momma look good in these?"

A hearty "yes!" was the obvious answer but Dash was summarily left with his jaw hanging when Helen twirled on her heel to give him a full, uninterrupted view of the back. Never had he seen her rear so perfectly rounded, so magnificently framed—it jiggled ever so softly as she continued to shift from foot to foot, almost as if she could physically feel his eyes probing here, prodding there, taking it all in. Every wobble of those perfectly rounded twin cheeks caused Dash's breath to hitch, his grip over the magazine subconsciously increasing to the ripping point. The outlines of whatever dark pink panties she had chosen to wear underneath were excruciatingly visible, hugging her ass tight and admirably keeping both cheeks contained.

"Well?" she questioned, twirling back around. "Thoughts? I'm really feeling the blouse—my chest can breathe, but personally, I'm not a huge fan of lycra. Good fabric and all it's just kind of tight around the, uh… around the back region, don't you think?"

Thinking wasn't really a function that Dash was capable of at the moment so he remained silent, and his lack of an answer caused Helen to glance down at herself, curious to see what had so thoroughly captured his attention.

Then her eyes widened, followed by a very short chuckle. "Annnnnd, dang… did not realize they were see-through…."

Of course she hadn't, and Dash could wholeheartedly believe it, given how her cheeks lit up like a Christmas tree and she brought her hands to her face, probably wishing she had Violet's power to vanish at a snap. Honestly, it was the cutest thing, watching her shrink in on herself, the way she tried squeezing her thighs together like that was in any way going to hide the fact that her very visible panties had a bear face print on the front.

"Mom…pft, what in the—"

"Shut up, just… shut up," she ground out, peeking at him from between her fingers and, wow, was the blush riding high. "Dash, I swear, if you even so much as breathe a word about this…."

It came out as threatening, albeit the embarrassed quivering marred the effect somewhat, and Dash was quite keen to hear her finish that sentence, to hear what she would do to him, but when she fell silent, he couldn't help but grin, fully lowering his magazine and running a hand through his hair.

God above, if the world loved Elastigirl then knowing the woman behind the mask would likely cause heart-attacks all around. Whatever arousal her figure had shamefully brought out of Dash, much like it always did, was bowled over with an all-consuming urge to protect. He needed to protect this 40-something-year-old woman who apparently still wore printed panties.

"I really hope you don't wear those when you're out as Elastigirl," he chuckled, patting the spot next to him invitingly. "Imagine bending over and splitting a seam—bam, secret's out."

The glare Helen leveled him with as she approached didn't sting as much as it could have thanks to her smirk. "Excuse me, Mr. Man, but you aren't insinuating I have a big butt, are you?"

Dash's reply was as quick as his running speed. "I was insinuating that accidents like ripped clothing and Supers go together like white on rice. How many times has Auntie E had to repair dad's suit? A dozen? Couple dozen? Pictures of his underwear are still circulating the internet, God knows why."

She sat down next to him with a scoff, crossing her legs. "I'm impressed, Dash, you said that so smoothly I'd almost believe you thought it up on the spot."

"Well, when you're a pro at sticking your foot in your mouth like I am you learn to have certain replies loaded up," Dash admitted with a shrug, and the sound of her giggling was still just the sweetest thing.

"And he's funny, folks," Helen quipped, idly kicking her aloft foot and brushing back her bangs. She regarded her son like a newly found specimen, staring him up and down appraisingly, moving his hair about, then finally gave his cheek a teasing pinch. "Ah, you make me sick."

The insult was said so lovingly that all Dash could do was chuckle.

"Sorry?"

"You should be. I still can't believe you don't have a girlfriend yet, I figured I'd be beating off girls left and right by now, honestly. It's one of the few things I was actually looking forward to as you grew up."

"Er, well… you know how it is," he said, clearing his throat.

There was a very good reason why Dash didn't have a girlfriend, but it wasn't a reason he was mentally prepared to share with his mother just yet. Diligence required sacrifice, and the rise of villains as of late was beginning to eclipse the speed at which Supers were being allowed to do their job. Elastigirl might be a verifiable symbol of peace for now, but she was still only one Super and the world was rife with nefarious individuals who were beginning to see that she couldn't be everywhere at once.

"You get your looks from your father, you know—the both of you are just riddled with handsomeness. That's how you trick us girls, get us to lower our defenses; you just flash a smile and we go all weak in the knees. It's not fair," she joked, winking. "I swear, to this day I'm almost certain that's the only way your father got me to marry him. The big idiot… the big handsome idiot…."

Chewing on his thumbnail, Dash barely heard a word his mother said; he was beyond lost in thought, his brow furrowed intently. The growing villain contingency had long since filled him with unease and it seemed to worsen every time he turned on the set, which was primarily why he had chosen to read his magazine today. Just once he wanted to go a day without the same question running laps around his mind: how long until her identity was blown? He had seen more than his fair share of movies and shows, mostly as research material, to know how that particular scenario played out and he would be damned if he let some random girl, who was almost guaranteed to be more interested in his mom anyway, distract him from protecting his family.

"It's… I guess it's just not my time yet," he said after a few seconds' silence, rubbing behind his head. "Truthfully, I'm not in any hurry to see you hospitalize whichever girl I bring home."

"Oh come on, sweetheart, look at me—would I do that?" she asked with a faux look of hurt.

Dash stared at her and she stared back.

And then they both started laughing.

"You'd slingshot her across the city!" he said, clutching his sides.

"Without a moment's hesitation," Helen agreed, patting her lap with an inviting glance at her son. When he merely stared at her, confused, she rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth, grabbing his head and bringing it down onto her legs. "There we go."

Even before the cushiony soft sensation of her thighs could fully hit home, Dash was bombarded with the sweet, almost ambrosial scent wafting from his mother's skin. He didn't know if it was some sort of perfume or if that's just how she smelled naturally but it was having an immediate effect where he didn't want it to.

"Um, m-mom? What're you—" he started, trying to push himself back up, but she shushed him, running a hand through his hair.

"Sweetie, I know you don't feel like talking about what you're going through, but… I wouldn't be much of a mother if I didn't say something," she started softly and Dash froze, eyes widening, growing numb to the soothing dance of her fingers.

There was no way she could be hinting at… could she? No, of course not, how could she know? Outside of the usual mood swings, Dash had made sure to be as discreet as possible with his mission in life. He left no stone unturned, erased any tracks he made—there was nothing for anyone to catch, much less his mom.

"If you're talking about that pair of panties, I can explain," he started hastily.

"I really don't think any son can explain how a pair of their mother's underwear wound up under their mattress," Helen began inertly, and it was the evenness of her tone that caused Dash's jaw to tighten. She didn't sound at all like how he'd figured—hoped—she would have, she didn't sound upset or confused or disgusted; she sounded like someone who had seen through his plan, and easily at that. "I've been in the game a long time, Dash, so I know a decoy when I see it. If your plan was to throw me off, you should have grabbed a dirty pair—that's what the true perverts do. After all, what good are panties with no scent?"

Okay, wow.

So many questions slammed into Dash's mind following that statement that it almost hurt trying to decipher them all and so he remained silent, barely breathing, taking in only the faintest whiffs of her natural aroma.

"I know you've probably got a dozen other distractions lined up to keep suspicion low but I'm your mother, Dash," she said matter-of-factly and he could feel those maternal, all-seeing eyes boring into him. "The least I can do is tell when one of my kids is pushing themselves too far, and you, kiddo… you've been pushing yourself too hard for too long."

It flew out of Dash's mouth before he could stop it: "We're safe, though, aren't we? You, dad, Violet, Jack-Jack… we're all safe."

"Yes, honey, we're safe, but it's not like we've got danger lurking around every corner either," Helen argued gently. "You're only fourteen, you should be out there enjoying yourself, living life, making mistakes and crying back to me for help—look at your sister," she said with a snort. "The moment she was old enough to drive you'd think the car was her natural home."

"Vi's not all there in the head, we all know that," Dash said, making a swirling motion with his finger. "I'm different from her—I have goals, I have people I need to protect—"

Helen nodded understandingly. "And don't think we don't appreciate it, honey. All I'm asking you to do is to just… let us adults shoulder most of the burden, okay? It's why I took up this whole Super deal in the first place, to give you and Violet and Jack-Jack a better life than what your dad and I had, a more carefree life."

When she took him by the chin, Dash allowed her to steer his gaze upwards so that he was staring directly at her, so that he could fully see the concern in her eyes.

"Let me be the parent, okay? I don't care about the love of all those people out there, or the Superhero initiative, I don't care if this whole operation goes or blows, I really don't," she said genially and Dash found it astonishing how true her words came across to him. "Like I told Winston, like I told your dad… and like I'm about to tell you now: I only care about keeping my kids safe. So let me do that, okay? Let your mother do her job. Your only job is to be a kid for as long as possible."

The firm pout Dash had fixed across his face broke away into a groan when she kissed him over the nose.

"Don't pout, I find it adorable," she said.

"Awww, mom—c'mon," he fussed, rubbing at his face. "I'm fourteen, what teenager still gets kissed on the nose?"

"You do," she said easily, and gave him another, smiling at the way he turned deeper into her thighs to hide his face. "And so does your sister. She gets at least two a day. And Jack-Jack? Until he shifts into another dimension. Resistance is futile, you know, you all might as well just give in to the momma kisses—they always win."

"Maybe I've been protecting us from the wrong side since you're clearly the most villainous thing around here," was what Dash tried to say but it came out a muffled mess against his mother's thighs, and he caught the way she shuddered against him, no doubt feeling the rumbling vibrations his stifled words caused.

When his mother's hand came down over his head, he tensed, half-expecting her to give him a good thumping. What he didn't expect was for her fingers to wind their way back through his blonde locks again. "Any time you want to get your face outta there would be fine with me, buster," and her tone was full of a teasing mirth even as she playfully squeezed her legs together, "before I start thinking you stole my underwear for another purpose."

Dash sat up so quickly he nearly went tumbling off the couch and Helen laughed, watching him scramble to catch himself. "Calm down, calm down, Dash, sheesh—I was just kidding," she chuckled, waving a dismissive hand his way, "but now that your secret's out, feel free to put them back, those are one of my favorite pairs."

Pushing that little tidbit to the farthest reaches of his mind, Dash's perked up like a dog sensing danger when the doorbell rang. When he made to move, the palm that met him squarely on the forehead kept him seated. "Relax, it's just the door," said Helen, standing in his place. "I got it. Here, you take care of this." She picked up the remote, picked up his hand, and joined the two. "Find something fun for us to watch on TV when I get back. I'm gonna start making sure you enjoy yourself, buster."

The idea of enjoying himself did sound like something pleasant, if wholly foreign, Dash figured as she strolled from the room, unknowingly taking his gaze with her, but he also knew it was something he would never allow. Despite what his mother said and the way her calming words offered a much-needed sense of tranquility to his frayed nerves, this was the path he had long since chosen. There was no alternative so long as the villain contingency continued to thrive on the lack of Supers.

Still… watching something together….

"That… that'd be okay, right? Yeah, course—but just for a little while," Dash told himself firmly, and he nearly leapt out of his clothes when the phone rang. "Not cool, Dash, c'mon…." Grumbling, he dove to the other end of the couch and snatched up the cordless. "Parr residence, Dash spea—"

"DASH—Dash, listen, it's Dicker—" Instantly, Dash's breathing faltered, his stomach clenching with dread. Mr. Dicker hadn't contacted them for quite some time, and whenever he did it was never anything good. "Listen to me, son, you have to leave your house—right now!"

"What? Why?" There was a panic in Mr. Dicker's voice and it transferred to Dash, setting his heartbeat into overdrive. "What's going on—did something happen?"

"There's no time!" the older man yelled and for the first time in a long time, Dash was afraid. "Evelyn Deavor escaped prison during a riot and we think she's making a beeline straight to your position—we don't know exactly when she escaped but it's highly possible she's not alone—she could be bringing accomplices, Dash—you have to get out of there!"

The phone clattered to the ground, everything was suddenly very dreamlike.

No….

It was the slowest Dash could remember ever going even as he pushed his legs past the normal limits of his ability. He didn't know how… he didn't know what could have possibly pierced him with this overwhelming feeling of loss, but he could feel his eyes beginning to blur with tears, he felt his mouth opening in a scream that didn't reach his ears he was running so fast.

No, no, no, no—

The force of his halting skid left blazing scorch marks in the carpet and he rounded the corner just as Helen pulled the door open.

"Mom—WAIT!"

Two hooded figures stood in the frame, silent and still—and Dash was in motion before his brain could give a command. It seemed the larger of the two figures was waiting for precisely that and flung out a hand comprised oddly of stone. The floor underneath Dash liquefied itself and he gave a surprised yelp when he began to sink, first his feet, past his ankles, up to his knees; it wasn't until the one with the hand of stone snapped their fingers that the floor solidified again, causing Dash to pitch forward and bash his forehead against the tiles, cracking several.

No, no, no, no, not now—

Everything was happening so wretchedly slow it was like a switch had been flipped. Breathing was problematic, Dash's head was throbbing unmercifully, each pulse sending a trickle of warm blood splurging down his face, but the pain was lost on him as he struggled, desperately reaching out for his mother.

"MOOOOM!"

The second figure pulled off their hood and it was over before the yell could fully leave Dash's throat.

Looking every bit as unhinged as she had four years ago, Evelyn Deavor struck out a hand, gripped Helen by the back of her head and snatched her forward, roughly mashing their lips together. It was a terrible kiss and the shock that contorted Helen's face only intensified when Evelyn rammed something sharp into her stomach.

It was a new type of terror, one that Dash never thought he would experience, one that robbed him of everything as he watched Evelyn drive that blade deeper and deeper still into his mom, holding their kiss until it was buried to the hilt. And when Evelyn broke their embrace, her mouth was smeared with blood; it was dribbling without end over Helen's lip, the sounds of her strangled gurgling causing the bile to churn hot in Dash's stomach.

"I've always wanted to do that," Evelyn cooed with a sickening tenderness, continuing to grip the wobbling Super tight by the hair. She inched closer, placing those filthy bloodstained lips next to Helen's ear. "Tell me, Elastigirl… what do you do when you want to destroy the very fabric of the people's nerve?" she whispered gently.

His legs were broken, Dash knew that much, he could feel that much, but that didn't stop him from struggling; he clawed at the ground like a trapped animal, gaining purchase over nothing, fingers slipping, tearing his throat to shreds with the strength of his yells.

Yet Evelyn's deadening voice conquered all. "The answer's simple: you take away their symbol of hope."

And Dash was rendered mute when she forcibly snatched the knife from his mother's stomach, spilling a copious amount of blood down her front, over the floor, splattering droplets in an arch that flew from Evelyn's blade.

It was relatively easy to pinpoint the exact moment Dash felt his heart die. He had stopped breathing, stopped thinking, stopped feeling—eyes unblinking, he could only see, could only watch as the woman he had sworn to protect fell… and fell… the shock never quite leaving her face….

When she collided with the ground, it was the most painful scene of Dash's life, watching as his mom brought hands to her wound, hands that shook, hands that were instantly saturated in blood, hands that were, even now, determined to shield Dash from what he knew was there. She didn't want him to see it, she didn't want him to see the wound causing the unbridled agony distorting her face.

"Don't worry, Dash," said Evelyn softly, bending down to wipe her knife over the front of Helene's blouse, further staining what was once such a beautiful and pristine white, turning it into a scarlet mess, "when your mom dies, and when they find her… she'll be regarded as a true hero. You should be proud."

His mom was gasping horribly, struggling to hold on even as blood continued to spill through her fingers; she paid no mind to Evelyn, that wasn't important… her eyes found his, they found her son's, and she didn't look away. "D-Dash…."

Like a baseball through a window, Dash felt all of his willpower, all of the strength and resilience he had built up over the years, shatter into nothing. Hearing his name gurgled out with so much pain from the one person he thought would never fall had instilled something terrible in his heart—and he started crying, he started crying like he had regressed back to his toddler years, the days when his mom would drop whatever she was doing and come running to him.

Except now she couldn't, and the hollow realization of that caused her face to scrunch up, caused tears to well in her eyes….

Sighing, Evelyn made the climb back to her feet, the look lining the sunken groves of her face displaying just a flicker of regret. "I… don't think I thought this through well enough," she admitted with a tired shrug. "This sort of thing might just galvanize the people instead of break them apart." The revelation of her actions didn't seem to be cause for worry, on the contrary, it was like watching withered parchment paper crinkle when her lips curled into a sinister smirk. "If anything, I probably just accomplished in three minutes what every Super has been trying to do for the past four years. I should be thanked, right?" She snapped her fingers at her larger companion. "Let's go. We've sparked the flame… now it's time to watch it all burn down."

Wiping his eyes on the back on the back of his hand, Dash watched them go, he watched them stroll uncaringly through the puddle of blood pooling out from his mom….

"Dash…." His eyes shot to her the moment she inhaled, the very act of talking causing her mouth to form a painful rictus. "Sw-sweetheart, I… I'm s-sorry…."

No matter how hard he swiped at his eyes, the tears wouldn't leave him be, they constantly blurred his vision, blurred his mother. "Mom, don't talk—please, just… h-hang on, I just gotta get my legs free and then—then I can get help, I swear, if I can just…."

His voice shook so bad he could hardly understand the words tumbling out of his mouth as he tried to move his legs, but he already knew he was hopelessly stuck; the floor had reformed around his knees, it'd take a construction crew to get him out and he'd be lucky if his legs survived.

Not that cold reality prevented him from struggling his absolute hardest.

"C'MON! Stupid—please, please, why won't… I can't get… m-mom," he fumbled, turning to her for guidance, and it scared him at how quickly the light was fading from her eyes. "Mom! No, no, no—damn it, c'mon! Don't leave me! I'm coming, if I can just—it's my legs—I can't get them… I can't get them free, I'm trying!"

Her smile was so soft, and so weak. She understood, she knew he was trying his very best, and that was enough. "I'm s-sorry, Dash, I…" She winced, inhaling sharply. Every word lanced her body with pain; every syllable only caused more blood to pulse over her bottom lip. "I…I tried… I wanted you t-to… to be happy…."

"Don't talk, please!" Dash begged, and he reached out for her, stretching his arm as far it could go.

The last time Helen had cried, in front of him at least, was a couple years ago after Jack-Jack had bumped his head on the coffee table and cut himself. That one moment had been the deciding factor to Dash committing himself to the protection of his family. The look on his mother's face, those heart-wrenching sobs as she cradled Jack-Jack and apologized over and over… he swore to never see her like that again.

"I… I couldn't do my job as… as your mother," she whispered to him, and the tears glittering down her cheeks, the regret that poisoned her smile… "I'm sorry, sweetie…."

The ground around Dash's legs gave an ominous crack, almost as loud as the one that he felt reverberate somewhere in his shins. He was pulling with all the might he possessed, grasping out for all he was worth, but it still wasn't enough to reach her. "HELP!" he screamed shrilly, blistering his throat. "SOMEBODY—ANYBODY HELP! PLEASE!"

When something soft grazed his cheek, he jerked, momentarily stunned into silence; his mother had stretched out one of her hands, past his own, and was busy brushing away a tear. He instantly nuzzled into her, ignoring the crimson fluids that caked her fingers, unable to keep his sobs at bay long enough to shout again. "D-don't leave me, momma… p-please…."

"It's okay… it's okay, sweetheart," she told him, her voice growing weaker, fainter, "I'm f-fine… I'm not… I'm not going anywhere, I'm st-staying right…."

He heard her exhale, then nothing.

"…Momma?"

The sudden silence pried Dash's eyes open and he saw his mother staring back at him. Except… she wasn't blinking; her fingers had fallen still, she wasn't moving, she wasn't… she wasn't breathing. She stared back at him with eyes that had lost their light, with a smile that was barren.

"N-no…"

The world seemed to drop away into nothingness leaving only Dash and the woman who had shielded him since birth. He didn't want to believe, he didn't want to accept the fact that his mother was gone, but it was her expression… that loving smile… she was telling him that it was okay, that everything was going to be okay, even if she wasn't around for it.

And that made him cry. He buried his face in the warmth of her palm and cried, grabbing her fingers with both hands. The grief hurt, it burned from the bottom of his soul, it gave fire to his sobs until he had no more tears to give, until his throat was too hoarse to make a sound, until all he could do was collapse, worn with pain and broken with sorrow.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard it… voices… a multitude of voices on the peripheral of his hearing. They were coupled with the sounds of rushing footsteps—Dash didn't know what was happening and he didn't put forth the slightest bit of effort in figuring it out; so long as he kept hold over his mother's hand then nothing else mattered. Perhaps Evelyn has seen the folly in letting him live and had returned with more flunkies to finish him off?

Please. I'd be grateful for it….

The voices were coming in clearer as Dash's hearing gradually returned.

"KEEP THOSE PEOPLE BACK! I need a perimeter shut down—RIGHT NOW!"

"Dash! Dash, wake up! Is he okay? DASH!"

"Please, stay back—he's alive, he's breathing—"

"HELEN—is she… she can't be…."

"WE NEED A FUCKING AMBULANCE!"

"Clear a path, clear a path, what's happened? What's the… oh my God…."

Who was talking? Better question, why were they talking? Nothing said could undo what had happened, nothing could—

Every nerve in Dash's body sparked to life when someone tried to pry his hand away from his mother's and a piercing yell burst from his throat. He swung without thought and felt his knuckles collide solidly with someone's jaw, knocking whoever it was to the side. Tears blurred his vision, he couldn't make out a single person from the swarm surrounding him; they were moving too fast, nothing but hazy, faceless mannequins; all he could do was growl, increasing the hold he had on her, daring a soul brave enough to step forward. They would have his life before they took—

"Dash…."

He froze. That last voice sent a familiar shudder down his back and he turned in its direction, frantically reaching out with his other hand. A wave of sobs erupted around him but Dash paid it no mind, continuing to reach, gasping when a larger, rougher hand took his own and held on tight. "Dash, it's okay. We're here… you can let go, son, we're… we're here…."

Dash sniffled, fervently shaking his head. "I… but if I do, she'll… th-then she'll really be gone," he choked out and there was a massive shift as several people moved to hug him at once. He felt it, he felt their warmth, their pain, he felt it all and hung his head, shoulders trembling with the urge to cry again. "I can't… I c-can't lose her again, I—"

Another cheek, slick with tears, mashed itself against his and the hug tightened. "You won't, Dash," he heard Violet gasp and she sounded stricken. Her entire body shook but she clutched him like a life raft. "Sh-she's still here—I s-swear she is." She nodded as strongly against him as she could, her jaw firming. "It's okay, it's g-gonna be okay…."

Many voices, many recognizable voices, were echoing in agreement, several that Dash could immediately place a face to and several more that existed only on the fringe of his tired mind. They were all telling him that he was safe, that it was okay, that he could let go….

And when he finally did, when he reluctantly relaxed his grip and felt her fingers slide away, there was no force on earth that could have kept Dash from passing out. Her touch had been the last pillar keeping him conscious and he quickly went limp without it, succumbing to the darkness that had been steadily, incessantly, tugging at him; and as he mercifully began to sink into that nothingness, he heard a hurricane of furious yells from his dad, from Mr. Dicker and even Winston, all three of them shouting to get his legs freed immediately.

My legs…? If Dash weren't so dangerously depleted, he would have laughed. He didn't care about his stupid legs. Whether they managed to pry him free or not, whether he woke up whole or to a pair of bloody, bandaged stumps—it was the farthest thing from his mind. Everything was growing startlingly dark, the ache that gripped his body was slipping… and then he felt it.

A hand so soft yet so warm rustled his hair, soothing him in a way he knew he was never going to experience again. Her touch hurt… it hurt so bad, the most excruciating pain of his short life, but he couldn't help the way her loving motions caused the corners of his mouth to quirk up in a silent smile. It was for her, only for her… and it was probably the last genuine one he would ever give.

I hope… wherever you are, I hope you're safe, mom. He couldn't speak it, he lacked the energy, the motor skills; this was nothing more than the last few synapses of his mind firing off into the gloom. You were the light of my world and I… I…

He struggled against himself; it was all fading so fast but he desperately fought to hold on. The warmth of Helen's hand moved from the top of his head to cradle his cheek, giving him the strength to finish.

I'll always love you, mom….

XXXX

Sixteen months later, the world was a very different place. The news of Elastigirl's death spread like wildfire throughout very major news network across the globe, and the reaction was deafening. Elastigirl monuments were erected, marches were held, it was nearly a collapse of order as the public found blame against those who had previously dragged their feet on allowing Supers to do their job. Due to their rampant negligence, the world had lost its brightest symbol of hope to evil—and it was a day that would forever be a blight against justice.

Not long after, there was a major seat-shuffling in the government—several people resigned, many quit, and some vanished without a trace. It paved the way for a new era, one spearheaded by Winston Deavor, who, after severing all ties to anything related to his sibling and her existence, was quick to give Supers back the power that they should have had years ago.

The name of the operation was 'revenge', pure and simple. There was no point in hiding it, no one even tried to suggest otherwise—contrary to being crushed spiritually, the populous was ablaze with rallies against villains that numbered in the thousands and persisted faithfully to this day. The entire world knew what had to be done, any other plan of action was unthinkable. One of the most loved souls to ever protect had been taken from them… and a heavy price had to be paid.

The nations came together to organize a strike team comprised of some of their most prominent Supers to hunt down Evelyn Deavor and bring her to justice. It was unanimously decided that Mr. Incredible take the helm and he accepted the role with a blazing resolve, leading them from one lead to the next in a flurry. The public was on their side, the government was giving them aide, the resources were near limitless—it was only a matter of time before Evelyn Deavor was found, before the world could rest.

Before he could rest.

Hands in his pockets, Dash trudged up a hill he had traversed more times than he cared to remember. He could have made the journey blindfolded, letting his legs lead the way. They were what brought him here after all, that familiar throbbing in his knees. When he was excavated from the ground all those months ago, they told him a normal person's legs would have been reduced to mush, but due to his power and his unnaturally granite-like leg muscles, he would make a full recovery pending a few months of physical rehabilitation.

And that… was certainly good news, good enough at least to bring Violet to tears since she had been worried sick over him, but even as his dad cheered and snatched him up in a rib-cracking hug, what was there to really be happy about? So his legs weren't a lost cause, did that bring her back? Did that somehow retroactively make him able to save her life? Or did it just remind him that he was alive while the one he failed to protect wasn't?

The frustrated tears he shed that day, smothered under his dad, went by unnoticed.

The further he walked, the more he allowed himself to enjoy the day. Clouds dotted an otherwise marble blue sky while the sun laid down an enjoyable haze of warmth. Gentle drafts of wind rustled his hair and he almost smiled as he carefully stepped between the graves of fallen Supers. Some of them he knew, others he didn't, but all he respected.

So many of them had died within the past half a year—so many had gladly thrown themselves in the line of fire if it meant getting them one step closer to finding Evelyn Deavor, and Dash would forever keep their names with him until it was inevitably his turn to join them on this hallowed hill.

Before his mother was taken from him, Dash always figured he would follow the typical motions of life: get a wife, have some kids, adopt a dog, live a full life spoiling his grandkids, the whole nine yards. With her gone, he got the feeling that path had been lost to him—not that he cared much, it was just obvious that her death had thrown him onto an entirely new track. He didn't expect to live very long, not with how he planned to eradicate villainy, so if he somehow saw the age of twenty then he would take that as a nudge from his mother to keep living. And if he didn't… well, that would be less time wasted wondering this world aimlessly, wouldn't it?

By medical standards, so long as his heart continued to beat, then Dash was deemed alive, but he had never felt so taciturn, so disconnected from the everything; and oddly enough, it was a feeling that comforted him as much as it tortured him. He welcomed the trauma that woke him up so violently he had to clutch his mouth with both hands to keep from screaming, and he reveled in hearing Evelyn Deavor's snake-like voice erupt from whatever shadow he passed, whispering the very line that was forever seared into his brain: I've always wanted to do that.

Even now, it brought his blood to a boil without fail and his walk turned into a forceful march.

Metroville Super Graveyard was where Dash spent a majority of his time whenever he wasn't at school or being forced to endure therapy for his night terrors. It was a specially crafted graveyard that existed in secret, away from the public, where only Supers both alive and deceased were allowed. It helped conceal the identity of the heroes who perished in the line of duty—to protect their friends and family, mostly—while also ensuring they received a burial befitting their service.

It was the weirdest thing... the first time he was called to publicly speak about his mom, only he couldn't be seen as Dash Parr, no, that would have been the equivalent of painting a big red target over himself, his family, and anyone who knew them. He—all of them—had to appear in their Super suits, the anonymity of which made the entire thing feel disgustingly impersonal, so much so that halfway into his prepared speech, Dash just walked off stage, leaving his father to quickly blame his abrupt leave on the grief. It was a necessary precaution to keep their family safe, Dash knew that, but from where he stood, it was also a stupid one, at least where his family was concerned. Evelyn Deavor already knew them pretty well beyond the costumes—hell, he was genuinely surprised she hadn't ousted them to the public yet or sent some of her flunkies to knock down their door.

Maybe she was enjoying the chaos that followed killing his mom… or maybe she knew that breaching the statue of secrecy surrounding Supers would immediately get her the death penalty. Oh, how he wished she would be so brave… but so far, aside from a few personally written letters threatening more deaths and a couple glimpses through pictures, Evelyn herself might as well have become a shadow in the world of villainy, a shadow that stretched far and consumed whatever it touched.

The grass crunched under Dash's shoes as he came to a stop in front of a massive statue depicting Elastigirl in one of her trademark hero poses. Commissioned by Winston and crafted by some of the most talented sculptures money could buy, it was a marvelous feat, filled with all the love everyone held for the fallen hero. Even now, as Dash noted the little distinguishing features he had noted a million times before—like the separate strands of hair or how lithe her fingers were—his chest tightened to the point where breathing was a chore, but he forced a toothy smile.

It was a quivering one to be sure, lined with the tears that trickled down his cheeks, but still, he smiled.

"Hey, mom."

A watery chuckled left him and he sniffled. Already, he could hear her scolding tone, wondering why he wasn't in school since it was technically a weekday. Not that it mattered. Despite a surprising uptick in his grades, Dash regularly skipped classes, or, like right now, the entire school day. It got to be such a problem that Mr. Dicker, while wholly sympathetic, couldn't take anymore and decided to get one of his subordinates hired at Dash's school so they could deliver a mind-altering flash whenever it happened. The only stipulation was that Dash's grade had to maintain themselves, and they did. Originally, Dash had planned on going to school, if only to get his sister to quit nagging him, but when he woke up with his old leg wounds throbbing, any plans on receiving a higher education went out the window—he knew where he was truly needed.

When he took a knee next to the headstone, his eyes traced the gold lettering that spelled her name and he had to swallow hard to keep himself composed. He bowed his head for a moment of silence, then looked up with a smile. "Um, hey, look what I got…took a lotta effort but I still did it," and he pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his jacket pocket. After some smoothing, he lifted it up high. "See? Remember that English test I had? Well, bam! Took Vi' forever to drill the basics into my thick head but I passed!"

It was always painful, the silence that followed, the lack of reaction, but he was well used to it and, after stowing the test sheet back in his pocket, plowed on ahead with what his morning consisted of. He told her how Violet had burned his eggs (again) and how when Jack-Jack stubbed his toe he let loose a screech that wound up summoning a plethora of eagles.

"—so we're not sure but that's probably 'beast tamer' added to the list now," Dash continued, shaking his head with a simple shrug. "I dunno how many powers that kids gonna have but whatever, as long as he doesn't get super speed then we'll still be best bros'. Can't have my little brother edging me out on my own territory, ya know?"

When he laughed, he imagined her laughing with him. It helped keep the encroaching loneliness at bay.

"Oh—OH—and I almost forgot! Today marks a full month since my leg—"

His lips continued to move but a series of sharp beeps had drowned him out and Dash immediately froze. All at once his stomach dropped into a void and he started to tremble where he stood. His throat was suddenly very dry, too dry to swallow, and he slowly glanced down the front of his shirt. Around his neck was a necklace made of some of the toughest alloy the world had to offer, and on it dangled a silver pendant in the shape of a heart.

Frantically, Dash pulled it free, hardly daring to believe. The beeping had subsided into a flashing red light like that of a fire truck, a beacon easily spotted regardless of distance.

Really…?

Paralysis wiped the feeling out of Dash's legs and he hit the ground on his knees, pursing his lips together to keep silent. He clutched the pendant in both hands until his knuckles turned white and lurched forward, slamming his forehead to the dirt. He knew he was crying, the painful sound of his uneven sobs carried far in the surrounding silence.

Two weeks after burying Elastigirl, Winston Deavor had approached the Parr family with a set of specially crafted pendants, each one tailor made for them and only them. He felt that before anyone else, they should be the ones to receive closure concerning their loss and told them that on the day their pendants were activated, it would be the day that Evelyn Deavor had been captured.

Relief and elation flooded Dash so quickly that he grew lightheaded. Somewhere, he knew the pendants of the rest of his family were going off as well. What were they doing? How did they feel? Were they like him, numb with joy? He fought to breathe properly; every breath came in with a rattle and left as a wheeze. All over again, he felt as drained as he did on the day his mom died, except this time he punched the earth with a fist, refusing to stay grounded.

"C'mon, Dash, get up….It's not over yet," he muttered shakily to himself, making the arduous climb back to his feet and wiping under his runny nose. Standing as straight as his trembling form would allow, Dash narrowed his eyes in the direction of his home. Right now, he knew everyone was racing there, from his family to Winston to Mr. Dicker—it was the rendezvous point for this exact moment, the moment they had all been waiting for….

Tensing his leg muscles to a dangerous degree, he glanced back up at the statue of his mom, still standing over him, still protecting him, and smiled as wide as he could.

"I love you, mom, but I gotta go, alright? There's some, uh… unfinished business we have to take care of, but don't worry. I'll be back soon," Dash promised, and he blurred out of sight.

A/N: Great way to begin the new year, yeah? Hahahaha....

#the incredibles #elastigirl #dash parr #evelyn deavor #incredibles #helen parr #mr incredible #The Incredibles 2 #winston deavor

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even-strangerthings · 8 years ago

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Safe Haven. Billy Hargrove. Chapter 1.

(this gif is not mine. Credit to the owner.)

Warning: Cursing, sexual assault/harassment, that’s it I think?? This is my first time doing this so please bear with me.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x OFC character Dominique Villegas.

Word Count: 3,977

A/N: Okay so I know that the Stranger Things writers wrote Billy as a shitty person who is flawed, but I, as well as a lot of others, would like to see a redemption arc for mullet boy, and since I don’t think that it’s going to happen on the show 😒 I’m taking into my own hands and making my own redemption arc for him. Please don’t come for me in my inbox pointing out his shitty characteristics, I’m well aware, but I’m in too deep now and there’s no turning back. If you’re reading this, I hope you enjoy the first chapter, reblogging and commenting is welcome 😘

“I don’t know why I have to go. These are your friends Skylar, not mine.”

Dominique says, jumping up and pulling her skin tight, high waisted jeans up her thighs, having to lay on the bed and button them. She gets off the bed and looks at herself in the mirror, impressed with how good her figure looked in the jeans. The jeans might have been a pain to get on, but they didn’t look half bad.

“Dude, shut up. You’re not the new girl anymore, you have friends.”

“Like I said, they’re your friends, not mine. I’m only ‘cool’ by association, me being the popular cheerleader’s cousin. I know your friends only see me as the smart girl they can cheat off of in class. I’m a living, breathing cliché.”

She shrugs her shoulders, doing last minute touches to her make up. Skylar sighs and shakes her head.

“That’s not true. You know that Abby likes you, so does Rochelle. And you’re beautiful too. Smart and pretty, you have it all.”

“It’s whatever. I’m only staying for an hour or two, I have to study, and after the last party we went to together I don’t trust you to keep an eye on me and bring me home.”

Skylar laughs and smacks her shoulder. Since Hawkins was a small town everyone in town had grown up with one another. So when Dominique moved to the town not knowing anybody other than her cousin it was hard to make new friends. Even knowing one person who had a ton of friends didn’t help the situation because they didn’t share any memories together. Skylar’s friends didn’t like her, even though Skylar swore up and down that they did, Dominique knew the extent of their tolerance was cheating off her in class and copying her homework.

“Hey, I looked for you for like, 10 minutes before I left with Matt Booker.”

“I was passed out on the couch because you made me drink whatever the hell kind of poison Vinny had in that punch bowl, and Matt isn’t even cute. If you leave me alone at this party to go get laid I’m going to kick your ass.”

They both laugh, finishing up getting ready for the Halloween party.

As much as Dominique didn’t want to go to the party she was having a pretty good time. Skylar’s friends were actually including her in their conversations, a few guys were even coming up and talking to her. Maybe it was just because of her Halloween costume, Sandy Olsen from one of her favorite movies Grease, but to be honest she didn’t mind the attention. She hadn’t had a boyfriend since she moved to Hawkins, not even a date. Dominique got bored with the conversation Skylar’s friends were having, so she makes her way outside to see what was happening, she spots Nancy Wheeler, she has a few classes with her and she was one of the first people to actually be genuinely nice.

“Hey Nancy.”

She smiles. Nancy turns and looks at Dominique, smiling back at her. Nancy’s boyfriend Steve waves at her, taking a sip from his red solo cup, his arm draped over Nancy’s shoulder. Steve and Dominique got along pretty well, he sat in the seat in front of her in her college writing class at school and they’ve gotten to know each other pretty well.

“Hey Dom. Wow, you look great.”

“Thanks. So do you and Steve.”

The three of them go back and forth talking about maybe wanting to hang out this coming weekend, but as their talking the people at the party start gathering in the corner cheering and yelling. They turn their attention to just across from where they’re standing.

“19… 20… 21… 22!”

The crowd starts to count out loud. Billy Hargrove, one of the new guys in town, comes up from drinking the keg. He spews some left over beer out of his mouth, the crowd erupting in more cheers.

“THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT HAWKINS! THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT!”

He chants, the crowd chanting him on, clapping. Billy makes eye contact with Steve, a smirk painted across his face. He walks over, a leather jacket covering his naked torso and a pair of blue tight jeans, as he gets closer he looks Dominique up and down, licking his lips and grinning at her. She glares at him and shoots him a dirty look.

“Guess Hawkins has a new keg king, huh Harrington?”

He says, patting Steve on the back, the crowd following him inside.

“He’s a dick.”

Steve says, glaring at Billy walk away.

“Keg king?”

Dominique questions, directing her question to Steve. He rolls his eyes and half smiles.

“I used to be the life of the party, I guess. He full of shit, don’t listen to him.”

“God damn it.”

Dominique sighs, turning the corner into the living room for the fifth time in the past ten minutes. She had only gone to the bathroom for less than five minutes and she had lost Skylar and the rest of the group, Skylar knew she would be right back but now that she thought about it, Skylar might have been too drunk to hear and pay attention to what she was saying. Dominique makes her way outside and looks for Jason, the guy that drove the rest of the group to the party, but it’s not parked where it was at the beginning of the night.

“Shit. They left me again.”

She groans, running her fingers through her bangs in frustration.

“Hey, Dom.”

She turns around and sees Jonathan Byers standing behind her, his hands in his jacket pockets. They didn’t know each other that well, they’ve only been around one another a handful of times because he was friend’s with Nancy.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were here. I haven’t seen you all night.”

“Oh, I just got here. Is Nancy still here?”

He asks, his head gesturing toward the house.

“Uh, I think so. But I think I saw Steve take off. I don’t know why he would leave Nancy here. Quick question, did you happen to see my cousin Skylar or Jason Michaels anywhere?”

“Yeah I saw them leave as I was pulling up.”

Dominique rolls her eyes, thoughts were rushing through her head trying to figure out how the hell she was going to get home now.

“Do you need a ride home? I can drive you.”

“Oh, no. It’s okay… uh, my dad works just down the street. I can just walk down there and hang out there until he gets off.”

She lies. It was nothing against Jonathan, he was always a nice guy to her the few times they’ve interacted, but she always felt awkward when people offer to do things for her, especially if it inconveniences them.

“Are you sure? It’s no problem.”

“I’m fine, I promise. Thank you though. Have a good night.”

She says, starting to walk down the street.

It had to be close to an hour and a half since Dominique started walking, there were no more trick or treaters on the streets, far less car traffic now, and Dominique’s anxiety was through the roof. She had no idea where the hell she was, nothing looked familiar, and she hadn’t seen any place of business since she left the party. It was way too late to knock on someone’s door and ask to use a phone to call her dad, or anybody for that matter. She was screwed.

An old beat up pick up truck makes its way down the street toward her. The driver turns the headlights off and slows as it gets closer to her. Fuck. She keeps walking, trying to avoid looking at the car. Maybe if she didn’t look at them, they wouldn’t look at her. The car parks a few feet behind Dominique but she continues to walk, picking up the pace.

“Hey, where you going?”

A male voice shouts. She continues walking, her heart pounding out of her chest.

“Please be talking to someone else on the street. Anybody but her.”

Was all that was running through her mind, but in the back of her mind she knew they were talking to her, especially since she was the only idiot on the street. The footsteps come up behind her quickly, a hand grabbing her jacket and pulling her back toward them. The man grabs Dominique by her hands, restraining her.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!”

“What do you want?”

She whimpers, trying to yank her hands away from the man, the more she tries to fight back the harder the creep squeezes her wrists.

“Trying to figure out what a pretty young thing like you is doing out here roaming the streets this late at night, dressed like this.”

He says slowly, yanking her toward him and forcing Dominique’s body to press against his. She can smell alcohol and cigarette smoke on his body. He was much taller than her, even in the heels she was wearing, his body towered over hers. He frees one of her hands to run down his own hand down her torso and curve over her hips, reaching around to her butt and giving it a firm squeeze. Dominique can’t bring herself to look at the man, she was terrified of what he might be capable of. Tears were forming in her eyes and her breath was frantic, not too far off from a full blown panic attack.

“You are a fine piece baby.”

He whispers in her ear, giving her butt a quick but forceful slap. Dominique gasps and tenses her body in fear. His hands continue to grope her butt, his breath heavy.

“God damn. I thought Halloween was over, but you are definitely a treat. Come on, why don’t you touch me.”

He says, taking the arm he still had restrained and bringing it down to his crotch.

“Stop. I swear to god I will scream and wake everyone in this entire neighborhood up. Let me go and I won’t say anything. Please leave me alone.”

Dominique pleads, finally opening her eyes and looking up at the man. He was at least 6 feet tall, and a very bulky frame. He was wearing a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, but she couldn’t make out any of his features from the lack of lighting on the street. His hands grip tighter around her wrists.

“You scream, and the knife I have in my pocket goes right in in between your tits. So either you do as I say, or I can kill you. Your choice sweetheart.”

“What’s going on out here? Is there a problem?”

Another deep voice shouts out from a distance away. The man looks behind Dominique and scoffs. She stood there still in fear, she had the chance to run because he was distracted but she couldn’t bring her feet to actually move.

“No problem man. Just trying to get this lovely lady home. You know how women are when they’re drunk. Stubborn as ever.”

She tries to look behind her to see who the creep was talking to but he yanks her whole body forward, his hands now gripping her shoulders.

“That hurts. Please let me go. Please.”

Her voice cracks, tears definitely streaming down her face.

“She clearly doesn’t want to go home with you, so why don’t you let her go?”

She can feel the other man step beside her and try to step in between her and the creep. She looks over at him and she notices the dirty blonde mullet right away. There was no way that out of all the people in Hawkins, that Billy fucking Hargrove was the one coming to her rescue.

“Why don’t you get your own piece of ass?”

The man says to Billy.

“Because this piece of ass is mine. So if you touch her anywhere else I will beat the shit out of you. Let. Her. Go. Dickwad.”

He says between his teeth. The two men stare each other down for a few seconds before the man lets Dominique go with a forceful push, almost pushing her down if Billy hadn’t grabbed her by her arm.

“Go get in the car.”

Billy says to her, still staring at the man. Dominique looks at Billy, confused and still scared shitless. He glances over at her and shakes his head, rolling his blue eyes.

“Did I stutter? Go get in the fucking car.”

Billy raises his voice, pointing to his Camaro parked in the street. Dominique walks away from them and opens the passenger side door of the Camaro, sitting down and watching the two men exchange words. Billy throws a right hook the the man’s face before walking back toward the car, shaking his hand out. He opens the driver side door and gets in, turning the headlights on and laying into his horn for at least ten seconds. Dominique gasps seeing two house’s porch lights turn on. The creep scrambles to get off the sidewalk, dashing to his car and speed off down the street.

Without a word, Billy turns his radio on full blast before driving off in the opposite direction, opening the pack of his cigarettes and lighting it, taking a drag and blowing the smoke out toward the open window. Dominique stares at him, not knowing what to do, or if she should say something to him. He finally looks over at her and raises his eyebrow.

“Oh, did you want one? Didn’t take you for the smoking type.”

He says with the cigarette still between his lips. He tosses the carton at her and hands his lighter to her and flicking it open.

“No, I don’t smoke.”

She says quietly. He nods his head and puts the lighter back in his jacket pocket. Tapping the steering wheel to the beat of the song.

“What were you doing walking around this late by the way? I thought you were at the lame ass party?”

“I was trying to find a way home. My ride ditched me.”

Billy laughs to himself and takes another drag of his cigarette.

“I saw you leave. You’ve been walking for a long ass time. I would have given you a ride home.”

Dominique lets out a small laugh, knowing that he is completely full of shit.

“What were you doing there? You live down there?”

“No. I was driving home and saw him grab you. I didn't know it was you until I saw your outfit. You’re welcome by the way.”

She rolls her eyes at him.

“Thank you.”

“I’m starving and if you want me to get you home I need food. You want something to eat?”

Billy asks, flicking his cigarette out of the window, blowing the smoke out after a few seconds.

“Sure.”

Billy stopped at some 24 hour diner in town and they haven’t said anything to each other since they sat down. There were only a few people in the diner, the waitress letting them sit themselves. They never spoke to each other at school, they had 2 classes together but Billy was never really in class, and when he was he was obnoxious so Dominique did her best to ignore him. They sat there in the booth silent, Billy playing with the sugar packets on the table.

“So what’s your story?”

Billy asks, taking a drink of his soda. Dominique shrugs, playing with the straw in her drink.

“Not much to tell. I moved here over the summer.”

“From where?”

He asks, trying to get her to elaborate on her answers.

“Nevada... You don’t have to do this you know.”

“Do what?”

He responds confused.

“Act like you care. I appreciate you saving me from that creep but you don’t have to act like you care about who I am.”

“How do you know I don’t care? I wouldn’t have pulled off and helped you if I didn’t care.”

Dominique rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Now knowing that he is just playing games with her. The waitress brings over their food, two burgers and two orders of fries. Dominique waits until she’s gone to respond to Billy.

“Did you know my name before tonight? Actually, do you know my name right now? Do you know what classes we have together at school?”

“Okay, so maybe I don’t know your name. But maybe I want to get to know you.”

Billy says with a smirk on his face. For some reason Dominique goes against her better judgement and gives into his little game.

“First off, my name is Dominique, you can call me Dom if you want. Second, what do you want to know?”

She asks, sitting up in the booth. Billy takes a bite from his burger and thinks for a few seconds.

“Why did you move here to this shit town?”

He asks with his mouth full of food.

“My dad has family out here. We’ve uh… been through a lot the last year a half and my dad didn’t want to be in Nevada anymore so he found a job out here close to his family.”

“It’s just you and your dad? Parents get divorced or something?”

Dominique looks away from Billy’s gaze, putting her french fry down and leaning back in the booth. She can still feel him looking at her, waiting for her to say something.

“My mom took off on us. She and my dad were having problems I guess, I never really paid attention, and they never argued in front of me so I never picked up on it. She was cheating on him and she ended up getting pregnant by the guy she was cheating on my dad with. Not just pregnant, pregnant with twin boys. My dad wanted to make it work, said he would raise them as his own, he didn’t care. My mom agreed for the first like 3 months of their lives and I guess the other guy had more to offer my mom so one day I got home from school, and their nursery was wiped out, all of my mom’s stuff was gone. My dad was devastated when he got home. Like, shut down emotionally for months.”

“Shit. I didn’t think it was going to be that fucking sad. Sorry.”

He says, clearing his throat.

“It’s been like 8 months since they left, I’ve gotten less bitter about it I guess.”

“Do you know where she took off to?”

Billy asks.

“No. My dad has called her family asking all of them if they know and they all say they have no idea, but I feel like they do.”

He nods his head, raising his eyebrows and going quiet. Probably feeling like an ass for asking so many questions.

“I have a question for you, you told that creep on the street that I was ‘your piece of ass’, why?”

“I don’t know, I thought maybe he would let you go knowing that you had a boyfriend. It worked.”

He responds laughing.

“You must get a lot of girls by being such a knight in shining armor.”

Dominique says sarcastically. Billy rolls his eyes and continues to eat his food.

“This is my street. 3rd house on the right.”

Dominique says, pointing to her house. Billy pulls up to the driveway and shuts the car off.

“Nobody home?”

“No. My dad works at night. Thank you for driving me home, uh, well everything you did tonight. I’ll see you at school whenever you show up.”

She says simply, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door to get out.

“Wait.”

Billy says, Dominique looks back at him with her eyebrow raised at him.

“You’re not going to invite me in or anything?”

“That’s not going to work on me, Hargrove.”

She says, knowing that all he wants to do is get in her pants like he does with every other girl at school.

“Hey, I gotta be a gentleman and walk you to the door.”

He smirks, opening his door and getting out, following her to the door. She unlocks the front door, both of them stepping in.

“Let me get the light.”

Dominique says, slipping her heels off finally and turning a lamp on. Billy looks around at the few pictures her dad had on the wall, walking around the living room.

“I’m going to go change really quick. Uh, you can sit if you want. Help yourself to something to drink in the fridge.”

“Why change?”

Billy asks in a low tone, striding over to her.

“What?”

Billy steps up to Dominique, his arm wrapping around her waist. His other hand playing with the end of her hair. His lips softly touch her neck, sucking the skin softly. A smile creeps up on Dominique’s face, forgetting about all the shitty things that had happened earlier in the night. Billy shrugs his leather jacket off his body, the upper half of his sun kissed body bare. Dominique snaps back to reality, realizing that this isn’t something that she wanted.

“Um, Billy. That’s not happening.”

She says, stepping back from him, the aura in the room super awkward. He looks down at the ground and groans, his foot tapping the floor quickly.

“I knew that’s why you wanted me to invite you in. Because you wanted to bang me. But no, I was just at stupid as all the other girls you con into fucking you by letting you in my house.”

“What, you think you’re better than those other girls because you won’t let me bang you? News flash sweetheart, you’re not. I could get any piece of ass I wanted to, and they would gladly get on their knees for me”

He responds, the tone of his voice angry. Dominique laughs sarcastically, her arms folding across her chest.

“Okay, good for you. Why don’t you go to one of your booty call’s houses and go fuck them. Because you’re not getting any from me, jack off. Just because you did something nice for me doesn’t mean I have to bend over for you. I don’t owe you shit.”

“I didn’t say you owe me anything!”

Billy shouts, grabbing his jacket from the floor and holding it in his hand.

“You didn’t say it, but you just showed me that you think I owe you something by sucking on my neck.”

Dominique shouts back. Who the hell did he think he was? Just because every other girl at school wanted to be another notch in his belt didn’t mean that she wanted to.

“Jesus! Are you always this bitchy when you’re drunk? Or are you an even bigger bitch when you’re sober?”

“Are you always this much of a dick when you’re drunk? Or are you an even bigger dick when you’re sober?”

She says, mocking his tone.

“Get the fuck out of my house. Where the fuck do you get off yelling at me in my own house? Fuck off.”

Dominique yells, bending down and throwing one of her shoes in his direction, completely missing him. Billy opens his mouth to respond to her but chuckles instead, licking his lips and turning toward the door. He mutters “bitch” as he walks out the door, slamming it closed. Dominique clenches her jaw in anger, wanting to follow him outside and go off on him more, but by the time she reaches the door she can hear the roar of his engine and the tires screeching out of her driveway. Dominique turns around and picks her shoes up off the floor, walking into her room and tossing them in the corner. Immediately she strips herself of her all black outfit, feeling comfortable for the first time all night.

#billy hargrove #billy hargrove fanfiction #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove headcanons #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things imagines #stranger things headcanons #dacre montgomery #dacre montgomery fanfic #dacre montgomery imagine #safe haven fan fic

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xxbyimm · 8 years ago

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Trick or Treat - Richard Armitage x Reader

So. @deepestfirefun came up with this idea, and I was like, well I can write this for ya!!

When our minds collaborate…. weird things are about to happen! In a good way, I hope! ;D

Trick or Treat

Summary: It’s Halloween’s eve and Richard is staying over at your place. He’s about to learn you are extremely frightened of clowns. :)

Forever tagged: @fizzy-custard @nelswp @bellastellaluna, @imagines-for-multiple-fandoms, @leah-halliwell92, @sassytyphoondetective, @hannibatchsmuse, @patanghill17

If you wish to be on this list, let me know.

Warnings: Fluffy & seducing Richard. Some angst. Oh, Nin, I’LL SAY THIS IN ADVANCE, I’M SORRY DON’T HATE ME FOR THAT GIF I’LL USE BELOW…

Ding dong.

‘TRICK OR TREAAAAT!!!’

The sound of a number of little high-pitched voices make you stop in your track. You put your water kettle down, make your way through the hall and open the door. A little witch, two ghosts and a vampire are standing on your porch, staring hopefully up at your face.

Ah, the kids from the Miles family.

‘Trick or treat!’ they yell simultaneously again. ‘We’re here to collect ALL your candy!’ the vampire (or rather your nine year old neighbor kid called Adam) exclaims. ‘Or what?’ you tease him. ‘I’ll have to bite you, because I’m Dracula!’ Adam says and he shows you his fangs.

You suppress a smile. Adam’s mom did a good job. But even with his white painted face and voluminous black cape, Adam looks way too cute to be really scary. You doubt that’s what this little Dracula impersonator likes to hear, though.

‘Well, I certainly don’t want to be turned into vampire.’ you say. ‘Who did you bring with you, Dracula?’ ‘My helpers.’ Little Dracula tells you as he points at his younger sister and brothers. ‘And where’s your big brother?’ you say. ‘He didn’t want to come.’ Dracula sighs. ‘He thinks he’s a grown-up, but I think he’s a big baby.’ You bite on your lip and quickly change the subject. ‘You all look terrifying. Who are you?’ ‘Rosie is a witch.’ Dracula chatters. ‘Dean and Paul wanted to be werewolves, and they got mad when I told them they couldn’t. It’s obvious they can’t.’ ‘Why can’t they be werewolves?’ you ask, trying to catch up with his logic. ‘Because werewolves and vampires are natural enemies, miss S.’ The tallest ghost says matter-of-factly. ‘We would have to fight each other, and then there’s no time to collect treats.’

You recognize that smart-ass attitude as the third child of the family. Seven year old Paul is a bookworm and he really enjoys to lecture you about all sorts of facts he has learned whilst reading. You don’t mind, because you always learn a great deal too. You suppress a giggle. ‘Of course, Paul. I should have known that, I’m sorry.’ You confess. ‘No, my name isn’t Paul!’ Paul says irritated. ‘I’m Chase, the bloody helper of Dracula!’ ‘Oh.’ You nod and turn your attention to their younger brother, the little spook. ‘And who is this?’ ‘I’m Curse! And I love candy!’ Dean chitters. ‘Do you have snickers, miss S?’

Before you can answer that in fact, you have bought snickers for him, you are interrupted by the youngest member of the family, a girl called Rosie. ‘I’m a witch!’ the little girl beams, unable to contain her excitement any longer. She twirls around before you so you can admire her black dress. ‘Oh Rose, YOU are SCARY!’ you praise and you gently pull on her fake nose. ‘And you brought Felix with you!’

You eye your neighbors’ red tabby cat. He doesn’t seem to be bothered by the harness he’s wearing. He lays down on the porch and watches you intently with his big golden eyes. Rosie laughs. ‘Yeah, mommy says all witches must have a cat!’ ‘Now, back to business!’ Little Dracula says impatiently. ‘Give us our treats, or you’ll have to pay with your life!’

You take a step back and pretend to be scared. ‘Rich!!’ you shout. ‘I’m being threatened by a vampire, a witch and TWO ghosts! I need some help over here!’ ‘AND A CAT!’ Dean adds enthusiastically. ‘Felix wants candy too!’

‘What do we’ve got here?’ A deep baritone sound comes from behind you and the man that belongs to the voice, puts his arm around your waist. Your boyfriend. You look up and his enchanting deep blue eyes are staring right at you. Richard smiles and it makes your heart melt down. You almost forget the children are there. His eyes, his strong jawline, characteristic nose, that perfectly trimmed beard… Oh, did you mention his trained body? The man is divine. The two of you have been dating for a few months now, and sometimes you still cannot believe he chose to be with you.

‘We’re surrounded by these scary creatures.’ You tell him. ‘What should we do now?’ Richard sighs. ‘There’s only one option, Nin. It’s best if we give up our most treasured possessions…’ ‘Yes, or pay with your lives!’ Paul proclaims. ‘Not the snickers!’ you howl and you have to press your lips together to keep in character when you see Paul’s face lighten up. ‘Yes, my darling.’ Richard nods slowly. ‘Especially the snickers. I heard monsters absolutely love snickers.’ ‘Alright.’ You give in. ‘Get the stuff.’ Richard chuckles and shows the little kids the bowl full of candy he has been hiding behind his back. ‘Please accept this as payment and spare our lives, sir Dracula.’ He says. ‘This will do.’ Dracula responds solemnly, but he quickly drops his character when he gets his hands on the candy. ‘Oh! You’re the best, miss S!’ Paul chirps as he grabs a handful of snickers and pushes it in his bag. Dean and Rosie follow his example.

Richard puts his arm around you as the both of you watch the little kids quickly run away from the porch and disappear into the dark street. Rosie wants to follow her brothers and tries to persuade Felix to move, but the cat isn’t having any of it. ‘Felix, please!’ Rosie tries and she pulls on the leash that is secured on the cat’s harness. Felix is unmoved and curls up in a little furry ball. He looks comfortable and you suspect the poor cat just wants to be left alone and take a long nap. ‘I don’t think this kitty wants to play trick or treat anymore, Rose.’ You say. ‘But as a witch, I need a cat!’ Rosie frets, tears welling up in her eyes. You lower yourself on your knees so you can look her in the eye. ‘No darling, a scary witch like you doesn’t need a kitty. He’ll only make you share your candy with him, and we don’t want that, do we?’ The girl smiles a little. ‘Felix can’t eat candy, miss S. He’ll get sick if he does. Don’t you know that?’ You heave a sigh. Rosie is clearly learning from her bigger brothers. She’ll be a smarty-pants in no time, just like them. You pick up Felix and take Rose by the hand. ‘Let’s find your brothers, Rose. Then I’ll take Felix home, ok?’ You gesture at Richard you’ll be back in a minute. Richard waves at you and closes the door behind you. You peer into the street. Now, where did Rose’s mischievous brothers go?

‘So, the cat is safely home again?’ Richard asks with a smile as you finally return to your bedroom with two cups of tea. ‘Yeah… luckily he is.’ You sigh and plunge down next to him on the bed. ‘I can’t believe their parents agreed to let them take him on this candy raid…’ Richard chuckles and looks up from his script, his deep blue eyes enchanting you. ‘They’re good kids. I doubt they would’ve hurt him.’ You shrug. ‘I don’t think they would… on purpose anyway. I’m just glad they didn’t dress him up as a… pumpkin.’ You glance over at one of your own cats, who is eyeing you suspiciously from its favorite place on the radiator. You smile. There’s no way one of them would voluntarily wear a harness, let alone a costume… If you would try to make them, your home would be a battlefield. No survivors. Except for the cat itself of course.

You lay your head on Richard’s shoulder and look down at the script he’s reading. It’s one of his new projects, a film called ‘Sleepwalker’. The concept is really intriguing and normally you would leave him in peace, but tonight you’re craving for some attention. You had to miss him for the past few days, and you want to make up for that lost time. You shift a little and kiss a sensitive spot in his neck, earning a soft groan. Then you ghost your lips over his bearded jaw, traveling upwards until you can kiss his right temple. ‘Are you bothering me on purpose?’ Richard rumbles. Your mouth curves into a devious smile. ‘Maybe I am… Do you mind if I do?’ ‘I don’t…’ Richard breathes. ‘But I’m sure the director does, Nin. I really got to study. My character…’ ‘That can wait until tomorrow…’ You say casually and before Richard can react, you grab the script from his hands. Your initial idea is to toss it off the bed, but Richard is faster than you. His hands wrap around your waist and he pulls you closer. You quickly roll on your stomach and make sure to keep the script under your body. You’re not going to give in. He’s not going to get it. Yet.

Richard chuckles and you glance at his face. His blue eyes are sparkling with mischief. ‘What?’ you say and you try not to smile. ‘I was wondering if you could hand my homework over.’ Richard says with a grin. You slowly shake your head. ‘No. You can tell the director that your girlfriend’s cat ate it. ’ ‘Hmm.’ Richard chuckles. ‘I doubt he believes that.’ ‘Then you have to use your acting skills to persuade him.’ You giggle. Richard sighs dramatically and he rolls on top of you, placing his legs on each side of you. His body is weighing heavily down on yours and you can feel his growing arousal against your bum. His breath is tickling your face, his beard rasping over the sensitive skin of your neck. Oh, there’s no way to go. He has you pinned down on the bed, and you have absolutely no problem with that.

‘I’d rather persuade you, Nin.’ he whispers teasingly in your ear. ‘Now, hand that over and I’ll overlook your naughty behavior this time.’ ‘I don’t think so.’ You breathe. ‘I think I’ve got a strong position over here.’ ‘You do?’ Richard muses. ‘You’re being held down, my love. Do you call that a strong position?’ ‘Yes.’ You grin. ‘You’ll never get that script from me.’ ‘We’ll see about that.’ Richard purrs. ‘Bring it on.’ You whisper.

Richard shifts a little and he gently brushes the hair from your neck. His breath tickles your ear and you suppress a pleasant shiver. His fingers ghost over your body and you have to force yourself to breathe normally. He has just begun and you already feel light-headed. ‘Nin..’ Richard groans in your ear and he passionately starts to kiss your neck. The low sound makes the heat within your body firing up. Fingers dig into the soft curves of your hips and you just can’t help yourself. You push your body against his and a soft whimper escapes our lips.

Oh god.

You know that if he continues kissing you like that, you will be unable to resist him. Your body is already begging for his touch and it won’t take long before you really lose your mind. You don’t want to give in, so you have to distract him from winding you up further.

‘And what is your point exactly, mister Armitage?’ you murmur as you try your best not to let another moan escape your mouth. ‘Persuading you.’ Richard growls. ‘To doing what?’ you enquire. ‘Give me my script of course.’ He teases. ‘I’ll never surrender.’ You stutter. ‘Oh, you will.’ Richard purrs. ‘This problem just needs a different approach.’

You make sure you don’t move and watch him apprehensively from the corner of your eye as his fingers travel from your hips to your waist. Richard isn’t one who gives up that easily. He knows you were moments away from giving in. So why did he stop? In other words…. What is that bastard up to?

You burst into laughter as Richard’s hands dart to your sides and he starts to tickle you. ‘This is unfair! Stop it!’ you squeal as you desperately try to escape from his grip. ‘Unfair?’ Richard chuckles. ‘There are a lot of things that I consider unfair, but this isn’t one of them…’ You wriggle under him, unable to catch your breath because you simply cannot stop laughing. ‘I surr- I… I…’ you manage to stutter. ‘What did you say?’ Richard asks and he temporarily loosens his grip on you.

You quickly make use of his swift inattentiveness and throw the script off the bed. Before Richard can make a move, you push him over and continue to straddle him. ‘Now what?’ Richard inquires. You tilt your head and wink at him. ‘Now I give you what you deserve.’ Your hands slide under his shirt and wander over his abdomen. Richard groans and you smile. You lean forward, your lips inches away from his and you let your fingers ghost his sides in a teasing manner. Richard bites on his lip. You are ready to attack him and give him the same treatment, when…

Ding dong!

God damnit. The doorbell rings again. More kids? You glance at the alarm clock on your nightstand. Hmm, 8.30 P.M. You really would like to ignore the bell, but on this Halloween’s eve there are undoubtingly more little trick or treaters out on the streets. You didn’t buy all that candy to eat yourself, did you?

‘You stay right there.’ You threaten as you roll from the bed and jump on your feet. Richard is eyeing his script and you quickly pick it up from the floor before he can reach it. You dodge his strong hands as he tries to grasp you and almost trip over the plinth in the doorway. ‘Nin, give that back!’ Richard laughs. ‘Not in a million years!’ You shout at him as you haste your way to the door, holding the script tightly to your chest again.

You’re still giggling when you put the script down on the cabinet next to the door and reach for the bowl of candy. ‘And who is this-’ You begin as you open the door, but your joy quickly turns into fear when you register that the person on your porch isn’t a kid. You don’t even know if it’s a human being. A creature with a pale face, huge red nose and crazy ass reddish hair is standing just inches away from you. It’s clothing must have seen better times. The once white material now looks worn and has a faded greyish color. The mouth of the creature is curved in an wide, evil grin, showing you dangerous pointy teeth. It’s dark eyes are eyeing you hungrily.

Oh god.

A clown. A freaking clown!

Shivers go up and down your spine and you start to sweat. Your heart is pounding in your chest and you suddenly don’t remember how to use your muscles anymore. Your fingers clench around the edges of the bowl. You just stand frozen in the doorway, unable to move. Great, so much for all the self-defense classes you went to. Your body just shut itself down and has gone into panic mode. You whimper as you watch the clown coming closer.

‘Aye, Ninnie.’ The creature grins as he takes a step forward. ‘Aren’t you gonna say hello?’ You slowly shake your head. ‘Ohhh, come on!’ The clown coos and he takes another step. ‘Don’t you want a balloon?’ ‘Stay back.’ You stutter. ‘Don’t you want to play with Pennywise?’ It queries. ‘I don’t !’ you hiss. ‘Oh, but I do want to play with YOU.’ It promises. ‘You all taste so much better when you’re afraid.’

You start to scream and the agonized sound fills the air. The clown lunges forward in an effort to make you shut up, but you throw the bowl in its face. The creature hisses in pain and takes a step back. You smash the door shut and lock it. Your body is shaking violently and you lean against the wall to prevent yourself from falling down. You vaguely hear Richard running towards you.

‘Nin!’ he exclaims, taking you into his arms. ‘What’s going on?’ ‘There’s a clown.’ You stutter while tears are running down your face. ‘What?’ Richard says. ‘A fucking clown.’ You repeat. ‘On my porch.’ ‘Let me see.’ Richard mutters. ‘NO!’ You shout. ‘THERE’S NO WAY I’M OPENING THAT DOOR AGAIN!’ Richard chuckles. ‘Calm down, love. Everything is fine. I’ll check it out. It’s probably some kid who’s trying to scare the hell out of you.’ ‘Please.’ You beg him. ‘Don’t leave me alone. I hate clowns.’ ‘I’m sure it’s nothing.’ Richard says. ‘I’ll-’ ‘It was Pennywise.’ You whisper, staring at the wall behind Richard. ‘The dancing clown…’ You mutter. ‘From my nightmares.’

Richard bites on his lip, trying to keep himself together. He would never have guessed that you, a badass female who doesn’t seem scared of a damn thing, is actually terrified of… clowns. He doesn’t think they’re funny either, but scary? Nah. More fucking annoying. Richard watches your pale face and agonized expression. You look genuinely shaken. He strokes your cheek and brushes away a tear that’s rolling down your face. Richard sighs and suddenly the whole situation isn’t as comical anymore. No one is entitled to scare you like that without suffering the consequences. He’s going to find out who’s responsible for this tasteless prank.

Richard gently lets go of you and cups your face with his hands. ‘I’ll be back in a moment.’ He promises. You whimper. ‘Don’t go!’ Richard smiles and stands up. ‘Just a moment. I’m going to find out who did this.’

You curl up into a tiny ball and watch him open the door. There’s nothing on the porch. Richard steps outside and looks around. The clown is nowhere to be seen. All that’s left of the scene that happened moments ago, is the empty candy bowl. It lies on the ground, the candy still scattered around it. Richard bends down and starts to pick it up. You force your body to get it together again and you stand up slowly, using the wall as support. You take little steps and make it to the doorway. You almost fall down again as you see the clown nearing your ignorant boyfriend.

‘Good evening sir Armitage.’ Pennywise cackles as he almost jump on him. ‘Do YOU like to play?’ Richard rises on his feet again and towers over the clown. ‘Do you think this is funny?’ he asks, clearly annoyed by the whole matter. The clown tilts its head. ‘Shall we play, Richard?’ When Richard doesn’t reacts and just eyes the clown in an irritated manner, it quickly turns and watches you again with that awful grin. ‘Or do you want to play, miss S?’

Richard clenches his jaw. ‘No, we will not. The only game I WILL play, Scott Miles, is if I should tell your parents about this or not.’ ‘Please don’t, mister Armitage.’ The clown howls and he forgets to stay in character. ‘I’m already grounded.’ ‘Scott?’ you exclaim, not believing you didn’t recognize the eldest spawn of your neighbors earlier. You descend from the porch and inspect the clown’s face. It’s indeed Scott, your fifteen year old neighbor kid. You suddenly feel stupid for being so afraid. Of your fucking fifteen year old neighbor. ‘God damnit Scott!’ you hiss as you try to reign in your anger. ‘I can’t even…’ ‘Nin.’ Richard says calmly. ‘No.’ you reply. ‘I’m going to tell him EXACTLY what he needs to hear!’ ‘Nin, love.’ Two strong arms touch your shoulders. ‘Look at me.’ Richard pleads. You look up, and his face makes calms you down a bit. ‘I got this.’ Richard smiles as he strokes your cheek. ‘Go inside.’

You shake your head and grit your teeth, knowing that Richard is right. You should remove yourself from this situation. Right now, you just want to smack that stupid teen in the face. Of course he couldn’t know that he would confront you with your worst fears, but walking around the streets dressed up like Pennywise the clown when children are around… Some people got stupid ideas, but this one is the dumbest you’ve ever encountered. You turn around and walk into your house again. It’s probably for the best that you leave the talking up to Richard. You’re too hotheaded now to react in a normal way. You slam the door of your bedroom shut and lie down on the bed. You close your eyes and try to consciously slow your breathing, but the image of that horrible smiling face won’t go away.

You’re still in bed when Richard lies down next to you. ‘Are you okay, darling?’ He asks as he pulls you into his arms. ‘Hmmm.’ You groan. ‘Scott told me he just wanted to prank his younger siblings.’ Richard rumbles. ‘I don’t even…’ You sigh. Richard chuckles. ‘I know, it was a stupid idea, but he told me it wasn’t his intention to scare you like that. He was following his brothers and little sister around the whole evening, trying to find a right moment to give them a good scare. He hid in our front yard when his brothers suddenly ran away. He didn’t want to frighten Rosie, but when he saw you walking away with her he thought it might be funny to pull a prank on you instead.’ You mutter something under your breath and Richard starts laughing. ‘He’s just a kid, Nin.’ He says. ‘Besides, will you tell me why you’re so terrified?’ You shrug. ‘I don’t know. I just am. I don’t like them. They’re creepy.’

Richard kisses your neck and you can feel your muscles slowly relaxing again. ‘From now on I��ll be here to protect you from any scary looking clown.’ He teases. ‘Until you have to leave to do a new project.’ You say. Richard chuckles. ‘Talking about projects… Where is my script?’ You giggle. ‘I have no idea, mister Armitage. I truly believe my cats ate it.’ You inhale sharply as Richard’s hands start to roam over your body again. ‘What were we doing before the doorbell rang?’ Richard breathes, his lips brushing over yours. ‘I don’t know.’ You murmur. ‘I think I was trying to seduce you.’ Richard purrs. ‘Is it working?’ ‘It’s always working.’ You reply. ‘Even when you don’t mean to.’ ‘Good to know.’ Richard pulls you closer and lands his lips on yours. It’s a sweet kiss, but you want more. You know exactly what renders under that soft, dorky surface of his, and you need that. Right now. You push your hips against his and ruck up his shirt. Richard growls into your mouth and his strong hands dig into your hips. You smile as he rolls on top of you, his mouth exploring your body greedily. You can feel the anger and stress being melted away by each kiss. Heat flares up in your body and your mind becomes hazy again.

You bite your lip. This man is a magician, and there’s no doubt he’s able to make you forget what happened tonight. You’ll probably forget your own name too. Your head falls back on the bed as Richard’s hands slip under your shirt.

Oh god.

This is going to be a long, very long night…

#richard armitage #richard armitage x reader #fluff and mild smut #angst #clowns #I'm sorry haha #clown gif is not mine #i didn't use a more scary clown because that would freak me out hehe #richard gif isn't mine either

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justtextmeoppa · 8 years ago

Text

Seven big and annoying brothers - Chapter 1

Sooooo, a lot of people (God blesses you guys, really) asked for a second part or making a mini serie after this scenario , so I started to write and I think it’ll be a mini serie! I hope you guys will enjoy it because I really love writing this kind of stuff. Kisses, M. ♥ P.S. “Jongin” is Kim Jongin from Exo but only for what concerns his physical features.

Words count: 2,9k+

Pairing: Bts x Reader

Genre: Humor / Fluff / Romance in the future (not with BTS)

Gif isn’t mine, credits to the owner! ♥

Seokjin had told the truth.

High school was literally your new personal hell. The fact that you were a year younger than your classmates didn't help, some looked at you as if you were a freak, others instead respected the limits; smiling you with kindness.

The truth was, you missed your old life. Your old school, your classmates. You were even missing the moments spent with Heechul, your best friend while stealing your lunch that your mother prepared with love every single morning. Yet it was for your parents that you were bearing that torture. You liked to study, but you wanted to do everything at the right times.

So to avoid getting sucked by the weight that was formed in your chest every single morning in front of the school gates, you were enrolled in any type of school club. Chess, theatre, swimming, photography; All while keeping your mind and your body busy to the point that you don't wander with thoughts.

The first three had been a total disaster.

Chess was boring; as much as you were a clever little girl you were bored to death every time your gaze was resting on the black and white pieces placed diligently on the chess board.

You and theatre couldn't get along; this bad habit of laughing at cheesy lines had bought one of your sunbae to chase you out of the classroom.

Swimming; In short, you forgot that you were struggling to stay afloat for five seconds so it was practically impossible to think of being in the water hours and hours to practice.

The only thing; In spite of your initial expectations, that had aroused a mad love had been photography. Yoongi's blame; you had to admit the day you marked your name to ask to be admitted to the club. You still remember how during a day of peace and quiet you and one of the older members of the group had spent the afternoon to visit the city (he's perfectly incognito) to find special places to photograph.

Perhaps it had been the light in his gaze when he squeezed the camera and focused on his lens. It was the same one you saw every time when he was composing music or was on stage. The light that born when you love what you're doing.

And oddly enough, you were also as good as a photographer. The club president, a Sunbae of your last year, had complimented you after the first project saying that there was talent in you. Crude, to work on, but it was there.

It was in the classroom reserved for the club that the episode changed everything you thought you knew.

You were almost 15 years old, you were in the middle of adolescence but fortunately, you were never preyed by the hormonal changes characteristic of those years.

Not until that day.

It was called Park Jongin and had the sweetest smile you had ever seen; Even sweeter and more perfect than that of Jimin.

He was a year older than you and grasp your hand by presenting himself; assuring you that he would take care of you because you were a freshman. The way he caressed your name when he pronounced it was something that provoked a strange sensation in your stomach; strange as much as unknown.

The thought of the moment was in his eyes; surrounded by long eyelashes, wider than normal and with a light hazelnut to color the irises.

A little plop on the chair next to yours made it present that the owner of those eyes was next to you and automatically your body will stiffen, the air will be blocked in your lungs and your hands began to tremble so much that the film between them mess up a little.

"Y/N, do you want to go get an ice cream? We were only the two of us; I'm bored! "

' What? WHY ME? OH, MY GOD... What should I do? Why are you asking me? I have to lie, I can't be alone with him. ' Your brain thought frantically, raising your gaze and smiling him embarrassed.

"Hey, are you okay?" Why are you red in your face? Do you have a fever?? "

You wide open your eyes when he stroked your forehead with the back of his hand, mumbling something subheading and provoking violent electric discharges along your arms. Your hands would have wanted so much to touch his forearm; right in front of your eyes. It was tense, the muscles were tense because of the position and the veins in relief throbbed rhythmically. It was a perfect forearm for a perfect guy.

"N-No.. Just that.. I'm hot, that's all. "

"Then let's go get the ice cream, so you'll refresh!"

"N-No.. I can't, I'm sorry sunbae, " You whispered, biting the tip of your tongue, and with frenzy, you picked up your things and ran out of the classroom under the upset look of Jongin.

Your breath came out in small puffs of steam, the temperature low despite the fall had started a few days. Your footsteps were fast; quickly you walked out of the school area and in an automatic, you headed to the only place where you could have found some answers.

You were even willing to undergo to Seokjin's reproaches, Hoseok's panic and a terrifying gaze of Yoongi in learning that you, for the first time in 15 years, were finally experiencing what marked the adolescence of anyone.

Your first crush.

The dorm appeared quiet from the outside but you remembered that they didn't have schedules scheduled for that day, so you rang the doorbell in three sequences so let them understand that it was you.

Immediately the door opened revealing Jimin's slightly irregular smile, who pulling you for the wrist let you in. The warmth of the apartment spread to your limbs, caressing the muscles slightly tense because of the cold that had struck you up to that moment.

Jimin took off your scarf; he took your bag and walked away heading to the living room while you were pulling out your shoes and slipping your slippers. Yes, they kept a pair of extra slippers for the moments you decided to hide in the dorm instead of your home.

"Guys, there's Y/N," announced the now blonde-haired boy as you appeared in the salon and everyone greeted you enthusiastically. You immediately took place next to Taehyung, resting your head against his shoulder and letting yourself escape a grunt of disappointment that all seven seemed to grasp to perfection.

"What's going on?" Seokjin asked, just squinting his eyes to better observe your face.

You knew you were tired; physically your dark circles and the pulled skin were proof of it, but you would have preferred that he wouldn't notice it because you knew he would be the most concerned of all.

"Nothing, school.. That's all, " you reassure him, in spite of your voice trembled. Taehyung's arm lifted and quickly shrugged your shoulders, letting your face glide more towards his chest. With his fingertips, he began to caress the soft fabric of your shirt against your shoulder and that little gesture began to erase the edginess that you had accumulated in the last hours; mainly because of Jongin.

"Namjoon Hyung, why do you not help her? In short, you're the smartest among us! "

Jimin proposed while Namjoon nodded, smiling you with more sweetness than usual. They were all too strange; No joke, no gaps, nothing. Like they're hiding something.

"Yoongi, what are you guys hiding?"

All seven froze instantly and you knew you asked the right person. Yoongi hated lying and had never seen the reason to do so; So he just sighed and began to explain to you that soon they would be leaving for the final stages of their "Wings Tour" and didn't know how long they could spend with you in those days.

It was no surprise; you knew about their schedules, you even remarked it with Taehyung the night he called you. But being put before the concrete fact caused you to be sad, but you hid behind a smile that didn't reach your eyes.

"And then you make all the sweets and gorgeous because you're leaving? C'mon! No one dies, then there are phone calls. You can make the protective brothers even from afar. "

Taehyung squeezed the grip on your shoulders with more force, while the others murmured something and started-finally-to behave as usual. Some beat flew into the air, Seokjin scolded you because he knew that starting high school before the time was wrong, Namjoon offered to help you with your homework for those few days that remained before their departure.

The thought of Jongin was put in a corner of your mind, ignorable even if that feeling of warmth that emerged every time his name or face resonated in your mind kept pinching in your chest.

The rest of the afternoon passed too fast and by now it was ten o'clock in the evening when, reluctantly, you got up from your little and warm space on the couch announcing it was late.

Hoseok stood up with you and nothing earned your attempts to persuade him. He wanted to walk you at home because he didn't like the thought of you on the streets, alone when it was dark.

You greeted everyone with a smile and a wave of your hand, putting your shoes on and the jacket and then go out together with the rapper who was covered with a hat and a face mask to camouflage his identity. That's why you tried to stop him because you didn't want someone to recognize him and start running to escape the catastrophic event.

For the first few minutes you walked quietly next to each other; you reassured by his presence more than you wanted to admit.

"Hoseok oppa?"

He directed his gaze to you, continuing to walk but you could notice from behind the mask that his lips were stretched in one of his smiles; the ones that every time warmth your heart when it was too heavy.

"How.. How did you figure out when someone liked you? I mean, you got some crush when you were my age, right..? And, of course, everyone had a crush on you, I mean look at you. "

Hoseok, despite the soft light that only the street lamps threw on you, noticed an escalation of rose and then red on your cheeks. He had a sister but he had never dealt with that kind of speech with her because he was too embarrassed to do so.

He was now 23 years old; he was discreetly more mature than his adolescence self and he could -at least hoped - to face that speech with you. Despite in his eyes you were still too young for that.

"Let's say that their attitudes were quite eloquent."

"Like??" You inquired anxiously, slipping your hands into the pockets of your jacket and you unwittingly moved closer to his body looking for warmth. He chuckled in seeing how your cheeks became increasingly red with the beating of the seconds and he knew not by the pungent air of the night, so he drew you to himself and towered upon you because, in fact, he was higher than you, surrounding your shoulders in the same way as Taehyung a few hours earlier.

"Well; They always wanted my company.. There was one person, in particular, it was really very sweet, we danced often together because that person also had a passion for dancing. I remember that when I once fell, cause to myself a sprained ankle, she ran to me and was really scared.. Scared that I had really hurt myself. And fear is normal when you are friends; of course, but.. In her eyes, I don't know, there was something more. "

You nodded by listening to his words, trying to think if Jongin was always looking for your company or not. You noticed that he was kind to everyone; he helped those who asked and sometimes even those who were too stubborn to ask for help. Yet that request to eat an ice cream together, now examined with more calm, it seemed strange to you. He had never surpassed the boundaries of "sunbae-hoobae", he had never spoken you out of the context of photography.

"And then she confessed to me and we had dated for a while until I became a trainee."

The rest of his speech hadn't been transposed by your ears, but the sense of nostalgia you perceived in his voice forced you to lift your gaze towards him.

Who knows how many things all seven had made slip through their fingers while pursuing their dreams.

"Why do you ask me?"

"ERHM?? NO, NOTHING.. JUST CURIOSITY! "

From underneath his mask, he bit his lower lip to not laugh because of your expression and by the way your eyes express pure horror. Hoseok had intuited that there must be a boy behind your strange interest, but this awareness also brought something else. Jealousy. Not that kind that people feel in a romantic relationship, but that kind that usually a big brother feels in seeing his own little and helpless little sister take the first steps in the dark world of the crush and perhaps -later- of love in its most intense form.

"We're here, Little panda. Try to sleep, mh? "

"Hoseok oppa, why are you so quiet tonight??"

You had noticed it before, but Hoseok had been more taciturn than usual. Together with Taehyung were the mood makers of the dorm, but that night there was something turned off in him. And you also perceived it from the way he had quietly told that episode of the past.

"You must remember that not because I always act as if I were happy; I really am. I'm a human being too, " he whispered, lowering the mask and resting his lips against your forehead; "Now go inside, it's cold and you must make a good night's sleep."

You nodded, quickly hugging his waist for a few moments and then moving away and approaching the door of your house.

He waved his hand and you felt the need to express your thoughts aloud.

"Oppa?"

"Mh?"

"I know I'm young but.. When you're sad, I can be your little bubble of joy if you want, " the sincerity of your words seemed to strike him because you noticed that his smile under the mask seemed to widen to sizes that you had never seen. He covered those few steps and hugged you, making you shield from the cold temperature that the night was carrying.

"If that boy makes you suffer, just tell me, okay?"

Your eyes were wide open and you started to gasping looking for air, forcefully pushing your hands against his chest and hearing him giggling as his usual do.

"OPPA!"

"Sh, you may be my little bubble of joy, but I still remain your Oppa. And your Oppa has to protect you from everything, " he said by winking and loosening the hug, leaving you completely astonished as he began to run in the direction of which you had just arrived.

How did he understand that your strange attempts to understand how to recognize signs in people who have a crush was a mystery; so signing you entered the house to be greeted by the scream of your mother who said that a classmate of yours had passed in the afternoon to leave you a few things that you had left in school.

You thank her, after explaining where you were all the time, going to your room.

The fatigue began to guide your movements, which became slower until you noticed on the desk one of your books with a small green it post stuck on.

Your curiosity had the best of you, despite the desire for a shower and your hot blankets were huge, so you approached the desk and took the little sticker in your hands.

' I had to ask for your address to the administrative office, I hope you don't mind. I hope someday you will accept to eat an ice cream together. -J. '

Your heart began to run so that you felt him press convulsively against your rib cage. The idea that Jongin came into your house, in your room just to be able to give you a book, make you melt slowly. Your cheeks reignited, the heat spread with speed and you cupped both hands on them trying to contain the excess of giggles that began to grow in your chest.

You immediately took your phone from the bag and made a photo to the sticker, forwarding then to the one person who -you hoped was still the only one - was aware of your little secret.

After not even ten seconds came to his answer, while with shaking hands you pressed the screen to open the message.

' I can say, despite my little experience, that this guy most likely or is kind to the point of getting on the road to bring you the book Or.. Your crush is reciprocated. Kekeke'

Hoseok and his final laugh had the best on your nerves and throwing yourself on the bed you started rolling into the mattress, struck by a strange madness that you had never experienced.

"Okay.. Maybe I should ask Seokjin Oppa tomorrow, I'm sure he'll definitely have more advice than Hoseok. I get it. "

And with that conviction, you ignored the shower and fell asleep, fully clothed and with the Jongin's sticker still secure in your left hand.

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imwastingmylifeinhere · 8 years ago

Text

Magnus Chase and the Obligatory Hogwarts Au Ch21

(My parents were asleep and the keys were in their room, I had to climb out of the door's window to go post this on the stairs. The things I do for you) The second task is here! Just so you know, when I told my sister what this task was going to be she looked me dead in the eye and told “Wow, Dumbledore must be jealous he didn’t think of that” and “Oh, shit. Please tell me they have cursed at you for what you write”. So, yeah. Also, if you think the chapter with the first task was big you haven’t seen anything. This thing is almost 10.7k words. Yes, it’s big, but I assume you don’t mind that. Anyway, time for the pain. Enjoy!

Dating Alex Fierro was great. Actually, great was an understatement. It was bloody fucking amazing. And no, he wasn’t overreacting. (Okay, maybe a little bit, but cut him some slack.)

Since they got together right before Christmas and everybody left for the holidays, they had all the time in the world to go on as many dates as they wanted and boy, did they take advantage of that. They were out of the house pretty much every day, sometimes doing little more than just walking around holding hands, but Magnus loved it nonetheless.

They’d walk around London hand in hand, bundled up in warm clothes and just enjoy the city and the festive atmosphere. They’d visit some park – whichever they stumbled upon – and play in the snow. They’d make a competition out of building things from snow and Alex always won but then Magnus would through snow at her and they’d start a snowball fight. One time, a little kid asked if he could play too and soon enough every child in the park was divided between the two of them and they were having the most epic snowball war in history.

They’d eat lunch outside and they wouldn’t go back at Perthro until it was time for diner, after which they’d cuddle up on Magnus’s bed and watch a movie (or multiple movies). Making Alex leave his room when it was time to go to sleep was probably the most difficult thing because Alex would just cling on him more, make puppy eyes at him and kiss him to distract him (she was a cuddler and Magnus was like her own personal heater, don’t judge her). It worked and she would win one extra hour before Magnus made her leave. They didn’t need another awkward talk from Blitzen and Hearthstone.

Their teachers and guardians picked up on the fact that they were together fast, probably because Alex would tease Magnus all the time to make him blush and once she succeeded she’d call him cute and kiss him on the cheek.

…Yeah, they weren’t subtle.

And that lack of subtlety lead to them being sat down by Blitzen and Hearthstone so they could be given the Talk. The whole thing ended with Magnus and Alex blushing like mad and knowing where the, um, “safe products” were kept. Needless to say they weren’t eager for a repeat of that conversation.

The same routine went on for the entirety of the holidays and Magnus couldn’t be happier. The message on the parchment and the Task he would have to compete in next were completely forgotten until he stepped foot on the Hogwarts Express.

They were walking to their compartment at the train, hands clasped between them as Magnus talked about that to Alex, letting his boyfriend today know about his worries concerning the Second Task.

“Hey,” Alex said as he squeezed Magnus’s hand to make him look at him. The familiar feeling of Alex’s hand in his helped to calm him down, but he could still feel the worry creeping up his spine like a snake.

“It’s going to be alright,” Alex said. “You’re gonna go out there and mop the floor with Helga’s face and you’re going to be awesome while doing it, I’m sure of it.” Alex leaned forward to kiss Magnus on the lips and Magnus smiled into the kiss.

It was then that the door of the compartment opened and T.J walked out. “I’m going to go find-“ he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Magnus and Alex kissing in front of the compartment and he turned back to their friends. “Found them!”

Magnus was flushing brighter than a light bulb as they walked into their compartment, their friends all looking at them and their joint hands with big smiles on their faces.

“Well, we were gonna have to tell them somehow,” Alex amended, not sounding guilty at all. Magnus would have glared at him if he wasn’t too busy glaring at Mallory who was wiggling her eyebrows at them. “Guys, Magnus and I are dating. This dork is mine!”

“It’s about time!” Mallory yelled.

“If you took any longer we would have tried to set you up,” T.J, who was plopped down next to Mallory, said. “Honestly, we were expecting you to get together by the Yule Ball at the latest.”

“That’s when we got together, actually,” Alex said as he and Magnus sat down next to Sam, who smiled at them and gave them thumbs up. “I call dibs on best woman at the wedding,” she whispered into Magnus’s ear, making the blonde go red and glare at her before he got an idea and whispered to her, “Only if I’m best man at your wedding with Amir.” Sam blushed redder than a tomato and Magnus felt satisfied.

“I knew it!” T.J yelled as he jumped to his feet, fists up in the air in victory. “In knew that’s when you’d get together! Mallory, Sam, pay up!”

“You betted on us?” Magnus asked incredulous.

As Mallory and Sam were digging in their pockets for their money, T.J looked at Magnus over his shoulder with the most confused expression in the world, like Magnus had just asked him if fish can swim. “Well, duh.”

Magnus couldn’t help himself; he burst out laughing. It was there, laughing with his friends in a compartment in the Hogwarts Express like they always did, that Magnus was able to put his worries about the second task aside for now. It was going to be fine, like Alex said. How much worse than the First Task could it be?

///

Magnus could only wish that he was feeling that confident a few weeks later, at the morning of the Second Task. He was already wearing his uniform for the Task, and so was Raphael, who was having breakfast at the Beauxbatons table. Strangely enough, Louis wasn’t by his side today and it surprised Magnus to say the least – those two were practically joined at the hip. He didn’t ponder on it for long, though; Louis could simply have slept in late, or maybe he was in the kitchens stress-baking. Besides, he had his own troubles to worry about – like the fact he kept postponing figuring out the riddle in favor of spending time with Alex.

He just – he forgot about it. He told himself he would work on it during the holidays, but then he and Alex got together and it flew out of his mind. He’d then tell himself it didn’t matter and that he still had time to solve it when school started again but then they got back at Hogwarts and Magnus would put it aside in favor of dates and cuddling and even studying together. So yeah – he forgot. Damn Alex and her nice kisses!

Speaking of Alex, the green-haired troublemaker was nowhere to be seen. Magnus hadn’t seen her since yesterday, when they had spent the afternoon together at the Room of Requirement, just hanging out and working on homework (and kissing) to get Magnus to relax before the Second Task.

“Are you sure you haven’t seen Alex around?” Magnus asked as he played around with the food on his plate.

“I had gone to sleep before she came back to our dorm, but her bed was made this morning so she must have left before we woke up,” Mallory said casually. It wasn’t weird for Alex to come back to their dorm late – she did that a lot when she was working on a drawing and needed to get a change of scenery.

Still, that didn’t reassure Magnus a lot. He heard Sam and Mallory complain about Alex never making her bed hundreds of times – something in him doubted that if she suddenly wanted to draw in the morning she’d take the time make her bed. He wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t even put clothes on because she was too busy drawing!

He didn’t get to ask his friends any more questions because the bell soon sounded and the students run out of the Hall of the Slain excitedly, eager to see what the Second Task had to offer.

“Good luck, Magnus!” Sam called out to him as he was making his way to the back door of the dining hall, like Headmaster Odin had instructed him.

“Kick their asses, Magnus!” Mallory yelled, her cupped hands making a cone in front of her mouth to make sure everyone in a ten kilometers radius will hear her.

“Go show them who’s boss!” T.J cheered, fist pumping in the air. Magnus smiled at them and gave them a thumbs up before walking through the door.

The three Headmasters were waiting for them in the back room. Raphael and Helga were already there and Raphael waved at him with a smile. Magnus returned the silent greeting as they all sat down on a bench so the Headmasters could explain to them what the task would be about.

Or, that’s what Magnus thought they’d do, but instead their explanation was just as cryptic as the riddle from bottle. Apparently the task relied heavily on them not knowing much about what they were going to face. The pre-task speech was more about the importance of fair play than anything else and Magnus soon found himself tuning it out – and from what he could see, Raphael and Helga were doing the same thing.

He started repeating the riddle in his head, trying to see what he could come up with.

In dusty corridors you will find us. That’s the location of the Task, but it told him little more than the fact they would compete in a closed space.

And know our guards will not let us go without a fuss. That, along with the line after the next, what they guard you need to save that for which you care unconditionally, made it clear to Magnus that they would have to take something that someone was guarding, but he wasn’t sure what that something was or what they would need to save with it.

As for the guards themselves, they only had three characteristics to go off of and Magnus really regretted not taking his time to research that part to see what they might be referring to.

The last two lines were the time limit, but what send chills down Magnus’s spine was the last line. Too late – we’re sorry, your treasure is gone. It brought back memories of the night four years ago, the scorching heat of the flames as the home he had spent his whole life in burned down around him, his mother trapped under the remains of their ceiling.

“Alright, let’s get going,” Headmaster Sonia said as she gestured at the door leading back to the dining hall. The three Champions got up from their bench and stood behind the Headmasters, their expressions deadly serious. They all knew what they were about to take part in wasn’t going to be a walk through the park.

The moment the door opened and Magnus stepped back into the Hall of the Slain he was greeted by the cacophony of voices from the stands. The hall had been cleared from tables, looking like it did when Magnus and the other Hufflepuffs decorated it for the Halloween party. The stands were the audience was sitting were mounted on the walls, like balconies in a theater. Magnus noticed his friends on one of the balconies, their eyes locked on him. His stomach dropped when he saw that Alex wasn’t there and he realized why when he looked at the middle of the hall.

There, in the middle of the room were three long tables arranged in a triangle, each with its own cauldron and items needed to brew a potion. In front of the tables was what made Magnus’s blood run cold in his veins – Alex’s body was lying motionless like a corpse on a table, her eyes closed and her cheeks devoid of color. She looked like a dead body waiting to be dressed before a funeral and Magnus hated thinking of her like that.

“A-Alex!” Magnus found himself crying out as he ran forward to where Alex was lying. He grabbed her hand immediately and he gasped at how cold her skin was. His fingers fumbled as her tried to take her pulse and he almost dropped her hand once in his hurry. His eyes burned with unshed tears and he felt his heart stop beating when he wasn’t able to feel a pulse.

“No no no no no…” He kept chanting his mantra without realizing as he moved his hands, hoping with everything he had that he had made a mistake, that Alex wasn’t – that she wasn’t-

She’s not dead. She’s not dead. She can’t be dead. Merlin almighty, please let her not be dead.

But he felt nothing, nothing but cold waxy skin –

Thump thump thump.

Magnus let out the breath his was holding when he felt Alex’s pulse underneath his fingertips. He smiled relieved, but the smile soon fell from his face when he realized how slow and faint it was.

“Louis! Louis! Mon cher, s’il te plait, reveille toi!” Raphael was by Louis’s side, holding the blonde’s face in his hands and whispering French at him. Yet as much as he talked and cried out, Louis remained unmoving.

“Agatha!” Helga was standing by Agatha’s body, her knees trembling visibly, her palms covering her mouth as if they would stop her crying from coming out. Her knees seemed to give out and she rushed forward, taking Agatha into her arms. She held her friend in her arms as she mumbled rapidly in Swedish – “Fan, snälla vakna, jag ber dig, vakna”. She cupped Agatha’s face gently before moving her hand downwards to her slender neck and feeling for her pulse.

“Champions!” Headmaster Gilbert called out. “Please step aside from your friends!”

“What’s going on?” Raphael was looking at the Headmasters but he didn’t stop cradling Louis’s head in his hands. Agatha was still in Helga’s arms and Magnus was holding Alex’s hand in both of his own.

“We will explain shortly, but please step aside for now.” As much as they didn’t want to, the three Champions stepped away from their significant others and friend like they were told to, if only just barely.

“Students of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, my dear guests, it’s time for the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament!” Headmaster Odin’s cheery tone felt very out of place as Magnus held onto Alex’s cold hand. “As you know, each Champion got a bottle with a piece of parchment inside at the end of the last task. On that parchment was a clue about today’s task.”

Headmaster Sonia went on to recite the poem from the parchment as Magnus let his eyes wander back down to Alex’s body. She looked so calm. One could have assumed she was just sleeping if it wasn’t for her being a bit to still, her breathing a bit too slow, her skin a bit too cold. It was so easy for his mind to replace their surroundings with crumbling walls and scorching flames.

“On each table is parchment,” Headmaster Gilbert went on. “On the parchment is a lead to the first of three special ingredients necessary to heal their friends. Each one of them has been given a slow-acting poison. It will take two more hours for it to take full effect. In that time they must get all three ingredients and brew the antidote according to the instructions they will find on their table. The-“

“You what?” A loud, furious voice interrupted the Beauxbatons’s Headmaster. Helga had put Agatha back down on the table carefully and was now walking to the Headmasters like a soldier on a mission. Her shoulders were held back, her brows were furrowed and her eyes seemed to have fire burning inside them – she looked like she was willing to bring down a building to get what she wanted.

“You mean to tell me you poisoned three students, you poisoned Agatha, all for your stupid Tournament?” Venom dripped from her every word and she was glaring at the Headmasters so hard it was a wonder they hadn’t dropped dead on the spot. For the first time since he met her, Magnus found himself agreeing with Helga.

“Miss Leifsson, please calm down,” Headmaster Odin said as he put a hand on Helga’s shoulder. She whipped around to him and threw his hand off her like she wanted to break it.

“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down! I knew this Tournament was dangerous and I was prepared for that when I put my name in the Goblet, but you have no right to put Agatha in danger like this!”

“Miss Leifsson.” The stern voice of Headmaster Sonia made Helga turn around. “I suggest you leave your complains about the Tournament for later.” Helga opened her mouth to talk but her Headmaster cut her off. “If we have this discussion now it will cause your friend valuable time.”

That seemed to finally calm Helga down, or at least enough so that she looked like she was only thinking about murdering the teachers in front of her instead of being on the brink of doing it. “Alright,” she said with a tight voice and moved back to her table.

“I believe we are now ready to start,” Headmaster Odin said. “Like last time, the floating cameras will be showing the Champions’ progress to the audience. Champions, please take the parchment in your hands.”

Magnus didn’t want to let go of Alex’s hand. He knew what happened to his mother when he let her go that night in the fire; he didn’t want the same to happen again.

It won’t, he told himself with all the confidence he could master. You’ll save her. You’ll get those goddamn ingredients and make the antidote. You can do something this time.

He took the parchment in his hands.

“Get ready.”

He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. He could swear the air around him was getting warmer, like he was standing inside an over. He could hear the crackling of flame in his ears.

“Set.”

Focus. You have this. You can do it. Alex won’t burn.

“Go!”

Magnus untied the thin string that was holding the parchment together and opened it. One of the floating cameras was flying over his shoulder, showing the message of the parchment on the screen.

“My guardian’s bite is worse than its growl you’ll find me in the room of souls. They have tales to tell but they have no voice; they have scenes to show but they have no sight.”

Magnus’s first thought was that the ‘room of souls’ referred to ghosts, but then the last two lines made no sense – Magnus knew plenty of ghosts in Hogwarts and not one of them was close to having no voice. He couldn’t think of any ghosts that were blind either, so that ruled ghosts out.

Paintings were ruled out in much the same way. He raked his brain to figure out what it was the riddle was referring to. The ‘room of souls’ wasn’t much help, so he focused on the last lines. Stories told with no voice, scenes shown with no sight… No sound, no pictures…

Magnus’s eyes widened as he realized were he needed to go. He scrunched the parchment in his hand, not bothering to fold it, and run out of the Hall of the Slain as fast as he could with the bag he found on the table hanging from his shoulder.

“Magnus Chase is leaving the dining hall, ladies and gentlemen! It seems like he has figured out the riddle!” Professor Thor was the announcer once more and hearing his cheery voice made Magnus’s pulse pick up with rage. You’re commenting on a competition with people’s lives in the line! You shouldn’t sound happy!

Magnus was running down the corridor, his steps almost as loud as the beating of his heart. There was a bad, sour taste in his mouth at the thought of what would happen if he took one wrong step, if he was a minute late, but he pushed it down. Don’t think about it. Focus on the task.

He saw the floating cameras flying by his side but he paid it no mind, letting his legs follow the path he had taken so many times in his seven years at Hogwarts. Yet the familiar halls felt strange and cold now without the students milling about. The knowledge that Alex’s life was in the line made the once well known castle feel unwelcome.

He turned the corner and run into the Hogwarts library. The bookcases were pushed to the side, making a wide corridor was created down the middle to the windows. Magnus realized what the room of souls must have meant; this was a room full of books, works that their authors had poured blood, sweat and tears into. He had heard people saying that a book held a little bit of the author’s soul in it (the librarian in his old neighborhood would say that), but that was still a very dramatic way to describe a library.

Magnus recognized the window where his favorite table was, the place he had studied at so many times and exchanged gifts with his friends at Christmas.

Sitting in front of that very window was a large beast. Its body was that of a lion, its golden fur glistening in the light coming in from the windows. But instead of a lion’s head it had a human one, its long hair looking like a mane. It’s face looked human enough, but the closer Magnus got the more details he was able to make out. Its eyes were yellow and its pupils silted, its nose resembled a snout and sharp teeth picked out from its lips.

Magnus knew what it was very well. A Sphinx.

Behind it, inside a glass box, was a vial of purple liquid.

“Ah, so you are the first Champion that has come to try and solve my riddles.” The beast’s voice was low and it reminded Magnus of a lion’s growl. He recalled the line in the riddle and his stomach dropped when he remembered what a Sphinx does to anyone who can’t answer its riddles.

“I have to admit, you’re shorter than I expected,” the Sphinx went on. “But then again, a man’s intelligence is not measured by his physical might. I should know, I’ve eaten many a strongmen with not a drop of knowledge in their heads.” The Sphinx shrugged, Magnus never though he would have seen a lion (or someone with a lion’s body) shrug. “They were tasty snacks.”

“What’s your riddle?” Magnus asked as confidently as he could. Yet as much as he tried to make his voice sound even he knew it trembled a bit at the end, that his hands were sweating way too much where they were clenched by his sides.

The Sphinx frowned at Magnus before sighing deeply. “Now, don’t be so serious. Let’s have some fun, shall we?”

Magnus would have protested that he has no time to have fun with a beast that could easily kill him when his girlfriend’s life was in danger but the words stuck in his throat when the Sphinx started getting up. It stood up on its hind legs, easily two heads taller than the bookcases. Magnus pictured really clearly how easy it would be for the beast to pick him up by his head and eat him like a piece of falafel.

The Sphinx gave a sharp jab at the wall with its elbow. The curtains by the windows fell closed, plunging the room in shadow. Then, as Magnus was looking around alarmed, a spotlight fell on the Sphinx, making its hair glow under the light. It pulled a bowtie and a top hat from somewhere inside its mane and looked at Magnus with a smirk on its lips.

“It’s time for everyone’s favorite game, ‘Riddles and Disembowelment’!”

Magnus was left speechless as a two shining blue podiums rolled in, not unlike those in game-shows. The one that stopped in front of the Sphinx had a shining name plate on it that read “Alfred the Sphinx”. The one that must be for Magnus had a name plate reading “Fool #1”.

“Please, take your place!” The Sphinx – Alfred – said, gesturing to Magnus’s podium with a paw. Magnus went there quietly, still very confused about what he was seeing. Did someone slip something into his food this morning?

“The rules of the game are simple,” Alfred started, wearing that stupid game-show host smile on his lips. “I tell you three riddles and you have as much time as you want to answer them. If you answer at least two correctly, you can get your reward.” He gestured at the glass case. “If you don’t get at least two correct, well, that’s better for me, I suppose!” Magnus saw Alfred’s paw press down slightly and a recorded laugh track rang out in the library. Magnus wondered if the laugh track would play while Alfred ate him, but he decided not to think too much about that.

“So, should we start?” Alfred asked with a wide smile that showed all of his sharp teeth. Well, that just helps my confidence.

Despite the fear coursing through him at the sight of those teeth, Magnus nodded. “Yes.”

Alfred seemed delighted by his answer and he smiled even wider. “Alright! First riddle!” The Sphinx took of his top hat and made a big show of searching inside it, moving his paw inside it a lot and making faces, as if he was consecrating very hard on this. Finally, he pulled his paw out with a loud “Aha!” It was a bizarre enough sight as it was but what made it weirder was the dramatic music playing in the background.

“How do you build a house whose every wall faces the south?” Alfred said the question the same way every game-show host did; in a stern, deadly serious voice, with pauses between words for extra dramatic effect.

Magnus repeated the riddle in his head, trying to figure it out. It was weird how he felt confident he’ll be able to solve the riddles easily a moment ago yet the second it was asked his mind went blank.

He tried to see if it would be possible for a house like that to be build in any normal neighborhood, but that was quickly scrapped. Even if two walls faced the south at an angle, the other two would face the north. Then he thought of building it in the South Pole and he almost opened his mouth to answer. Alfred raised an eyebrow at him but Magnus shut his mouth as he realized that if the house was in the most southern point in the earth all its walls would face north.

So, then…

“You build it in the north pole,” he said. “This way, everything else will be south from it.”

Magnus couldn’t deny that his heart was beating louder in anticipation as Alfred’s remained serious, giving him no clue as to whether he was correct or not. The dramatic music rose steadily in tempo and after a good minute of looking straight into the contestant’s eyes, like any good game-show host should, Alfred spoke.

“And that was…” A wide grin spread across the Sphinx’s face. “Correct!”

A recorded applause started playing when Alfred slapped the podium in excitement over Magnus’s correct answer.

“Let’s move on to the next riddle then! You have a room with a single light-bulb inside and three switches outside the room. The door of the room is closed, you can only open it and go inside once and you can’t leave it open. How do you figure out which is the correct switch?”

Magnus scrunched his eyebrows and ducked down his head, drawing designs in the slick surface of the podium so he wouldn’t get confused. His first thought was that you just open and close the switches with the door open, but the Alfred said he couldn’t leave it open.

How do you know if the light is on in a room with a closed door?

Memories came back to Magnus suddenly, his young self clutching his goat plushy as he looked up and down the hall for his mother after a nightmare. He’d see the light spilling out from the crack under his mother’s bedroom and he’d run to her, tears almost falling from his eyes.

“You turn on and off each switch and look under the crack in the door to see if any light is coming through.”

Once more, Magnus didn’t know immediately if what he said was correct because of that goddamn dramatic music. Who made that music, anyway? Because it was getting annoying. There was even a part that sounded like someone had told a five year old to count to five and then press the same stupid piano note.

“That was….” More of that blasted drum roll. “Wrong! Oh, too bad!”

Booing sounded out in the library and Magnus was considering taking whatever sound box this Sphinx had and making him eat it. I don’t have time for this! I need to get to Alex!

“The correct answer is this,” the Sphinx started. “You turn on the first switch and leave it on for a few minutes. After you turn it off, you turn on the second one and open the door. If the light is one the correct switch is the second. If the light is off and the light-bulb is hot it’s the first switch and if it’s cold it’s the third one.”

Magnus felt like hitting his head on something for not thinking of that. (Or maybe he could hit Alfred’s head on something.)

“Aww, don’t be like that! You still have one last riddle!” Alfred’s over-exaggerated sympathy wasn’t really helping him much – Magnus was still annoyed at him. Why are all show hosts like this?

“Of course,” the Sphinx continued, “it’ll be the most difficult one, but people love an underdog, right?” More of that blasted applause track.

“If I don’t answer it correctly you’ll eat me, right?” Magnus wasn’t sure why he asked. Maybe he wanted to make sure that if he died today at least Alfred would make his corpse into a healthy meal.

“Eat you?” Alfred started laughing, his laughter just as exaggerated as everything else he did. “Oh, please, do you know how unhealthy humans are? If I ate you not only would I be in trouble with the Ministry and have to pay a heavy fine but I’d get indigestion for two weeks! Nah, I’ll just have a limb. Probably from the knee below too, to be honest. I prefer females. They have juicier meat.”

Magnus took that in quietly. There was something very bizarre about a giant cat with a human face speaking about you like meat at the butcher’s.

“Anyway, enough with my dietary habits, time for the last riddle!” The music’s tempo picked as did Magnus’s heartbeat. He had to get this one right. If he didn’t get this one right Alex would be a goner and he’d be a limb shorter.

“You have ten sacks of gold coins. Each sack was a hundred coins at the most. Each coin weights 10 grams but one sack has fake coins that weight 9 grams. You can weigh the coins, but only once and you’re not allowed to take or add anything to what you weigh. How do you know which sack has the fake coins?”

Magnus’s eyes widened as he heard the riddle and he gulped. Oh great, he’s back at math class. “Can I have a piece of paper and a pencil?” he asked.

“Oh, of course.” The Sphinx handed him what he asked for and he got to work.

First, he tried to calculate how much each sack would weigh. But the riddle never specified how many coins were in each sack; it just said it they had a hundred coins max. So then what about calculating how much ten coins from each bag would weight? That’s 100 coins that weigh 1000 grams. If one sack has face coins then ten of those coins would weigh 90 grams and the total weigh would be 990 grams instead of 1000. But then that doesn’t tell you which sack has the fakes. So then…

Magnus did a few quick calculations before allowing himself to grin. Yes, this must be it!

“Do you have the answer?” Alfred asked. The music was low and ominous.

“Yes.” Magnus’s heart was beating louder than the music and something in him told him to stop and reconsider, but he had two more ingredients to find and he couldn’t afford staying here any longer. “You weigh one coin from sack number one, two from the second, three from the third and so on. That should give you a total weight of 550 grams for 55 coins if all coins were real, but one sack has fakes, so it’ll be less than that. You know what sack has the fakes because of how many grams are missing. If the final weight is, for example, 547 grams you’re missing three grams, so the one with the fakes is the third sack.”

Magnus let out a breath when he finished his answer. The music had become white noise and he no longer paid attention to it. Alfred’s expression was truly surprised, his silted eyes wide and his mouth hanging wide.

“I… wow. That’s the one most people get wrong,” he said quietly and Magnus was so surprised by the fact his reaction wasn’t over-the-top that it almost didn’t register in him. “Well, guess I’m not having you as a snack today! You won!”

“Magnus Chase has done it! The Hogwarts Champion has managed to get the first ingredient!” Magnus could hear Professor Thor making announcements from somewhere as ‘We are the Champions’ started playing in the library.

Confetti burst out from somewhere behind the bookcases and Alfred handed Magnus the glass box and the key that opened it. Magnus snatched the key out of the Sphinx’s paw faster than he thought he could and opened the box, putting the vial inside his back. Under the vial was a slip of parchment.

He run out of the library with a hasty bye (he knew creatures like Sphinxes valued manners) and read the message on the parchment.

“Come find me quick ‘cause I’m afraid of heights. To my guardian, manners hold lots of weight. My guardian wants to take to the sky but he’s stuck underground. At least there’s a lot of space around.”

Magnus didn’t think much about and immediately started running for the dungeons. The guardian is stuck underground, so that’s obviously in the dungeons. Afraid of heights and a lot of space around… Magnus was finally glad for all the time he had spent wandering around the castle with Alex and Annabeth and Percy. He knew just were the second ingredient must be.

His steps sounded louder and louder the deeper he went into the dungeons, the sound echoing of the walls. The air was much more humid here, he could practically taste the moistness in the air. He run past the classrooms, past the corridor he knew lead to the Slytherin common room, past the locked storage rooms.

Finally, he found the room he was searching for. Magnus and Alex had found it back in fourth year, when he was showing Alex around the castle and she wanted to explore the dungeons. They found this room, circular and tall, taller than the dining hall, and they nicknamed it “Echo Room” because it their voices echoed really loudly there. They spent a little more than half an hour here, yelling stupid things at the top of their voices. Magnus really wished he was there again to hear Alex yell “I WANT A DIVORCE” and “MOTHERFUCKING GOLD SHITTING DUCKS” instead of trying to get ingredients for the antidote to the poison she was given.

The room was used for storage, like most unused rooms in the dungeons, and it was one of those rooms that was completely forgotten. Everything inside it – old broken desks, filling cabinets, chairs, bookcases of yellow-paged books – were covered by a thick blanket of dust. Alex had joked that sneezing inside here would create a dust-storm.

And in the middle of the room, inside an object-free clearing, stood a Hippogriff. The feathers on its head were snow-white and they changed to brown at its neck. Its horse hind legs matched the color of its brown feathers perfectly. Its black tail and its wings twitched irritably, its large talons scratched at the ground. Magnus knew it really didn’t want to be down here, trapped under the weight of the whole castle, and its annoyance meant trouble for Magnus.

One wrong step and I’ll get my eyes clawed out.

He took slow steps around the room, making sure to stick to the unused objects lining the walls. He knew the winged beast wouldn’t attack him if he kept his distance and that’s what he did as he looked around for where the next potion ingredient was. Yet as much as he looked, opening cabinets and searching the top of bookcases, he couldn’t find it. He had circled the whole room and found nothing.

Afraid of heights, afraid of heights…

An idea came to him like a flash and he looked upwards. There, stuck to the ceiling, was a glass box with a bunch of some sort of weeds inside that Magnus couldn’t recognize from the ground.

Magnus gulped as he realized what he had to do and he steadied himself before taking the first step. He waited until the Hippogriff had turned to him and he locked eyes with the large beast. He remembered what he had learned at Care of Magical Creatures and he didn’t break eye contact with the winged beast.

Fortunately, the Hippogriff didn’t lunge at him. It recognized Magnus etiquette, that the human in front of it respected it and showed back the appropriate politeness. Magnus walked forward excruciatingly slow, careful not to make any sudden movements. When he was bet a few steps away from the Hippogriff, he bowed.

He stayed there – bowed over, the dusty floor the only thing he could see – for what seemed like a century. Every second felt like an hour, every beat of his heart like a week. All he could think was Alex on that table, cold and motionless, getting closer and closer to what he hated to think about with every moment he spent here. He wanted to get this over with, he wanted the Hippogriff to just bow back already so he could get the ingredient and save Alex.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, the Hippogriff bowed down and Magnus saw its feathered head touch the ground. He waited until it stood up again and followed suit. He gently placed his hands at the side of the beast’s head and looked into its orange eyes. He knew attempting to ride a Hippogriff the first time he met it could be trouble but it was the only idea he had that didn’t result in him having one less eye.

��Please, may I ride on your back?” He asked slowly. He looked into the Hippogriffs eyes, trying to convey all the things he needed to tell it and couldn’t find the words for. “Please, it’s urgent. Alex… she…”

Thankfully, the Hippogriff seemed to understand the desperation in his eyes and made a crooning sound in the back of its throat. It bowed down its head again along with its legs, his body now low enough for Magnus to climb on.

Once on the beast’s back, Magnus wrapped his arms around the Hippogriff’s neck. “Up there,” he said, pointing to the ceiling. The Hippogriff seemed to understand because it made a high-pitched noise before jumping up in the air, its wings unfolding at each side of its body.

Magnus screamed despite himself; the sudden take off startling him and making him almost slipping off the Hippogriff. He managed to hold on, his hands clutching at the beast’s feathers. The Hippogriff flew in circles around the room, relishing in the feeling of finally using its wings. It didn’t indulge in it for too long though – it knew that the little human ridding on its back needed its help and it could cost such a polite human his mate.

Finally, the Hippogriff reached the highest point it could each inside the enclosed space. Magnus carefully stood up on the beast’s back, feeling the Hippogriff’s muscles move under his feet as it beat its wings. He reach up and screamed when he felt himself wobble, but he quickly spread his arms out to steady himself.

He tried again, his fingers brushing the cool glass. He found that this box didn’t have a lock and key like Alfred’s, but getting to the box was more challenge than finding a key. Opening the glass box, he reached his hand inside and took the small bunch off weeds along with the small parchment under it.

“Alright, I got it,” he said as he petted the back of the Hippogriff’s head. The Hippogriff responded with a happy cry and flew to the ground.

“And Magnus Chase has taken the second ingredient! He only needs one more before he can make the potion and save his treasure! The time that remains is an hour and five minutes!”

One more ingredient. One more and I can save Alex.

He turned back to the Hippogriff and bowed. “Thank you,” he said and then left the room. His feet carried him through the familiar halls without him thinking much about it. He unfolded the parchment as he turned a corner and he read the message written on it with dark ink.

“Come find me where the present, past and future are seen but know my guardian will show you things you won’t want to see. Be prepared, Champion, be brave; Fears cannot be easily tamed.”

Magnus cursed inwardly. The Divination classroom was at the other side of the castle – walking, it would take him twenty to twenty five minutes to get there from the dungeons. Taking that long was out of the question so he started running.

His feet hitting the stone floor sounded like the ticking of a clock, each step bringing him closer to the two-hour time limit. He run through the halls as fast as he could, his legs and lungs soon burning but he didn’t slow down. He would have enough time to collapse on the ground and pant after he saved Alex; right now he had not time to spare.

He pasted the empty classrooms, pasted the vacant corridors, the portraits on the walls looking at him with curiosity as he run by. His blood run through his veins so hard he could hear it in his ears and his heartbeat seemed to drown out all other sounds. He crossed paths with Raphael at one point, but they didn’t acknowledge each other past a quick glance – they both had something much more important to do now.

He reached the stairs that lead up the tower to the Divination classroom and climbed them two at a time. His legs were yelling at him to stop but he didn’t, not until he reached the top of the stairs. He let himself take a deep breath before sprinting to classroom. He had never taken this class, but Mallory and T.J had and he often came with them up here when he didn’t have a class and wanted to walk around. Even despite all the times he had come up here, he had never been inside the class.

The room was more like an attic than anything else; you had to open a trapdoor and pull down a folding ladder to get to it. Inside, the roof made a tall cone above his head. Tapestries decorated the walls and drapes were hung across the ceiling, making the room feel like the inside of a dark circus tent. The desks – meaning the low tables and cushions the students sat on – were pushed to the walls, leaving space in the middle of the room. Opposite Magnus, next to wooden chest, was a small table with the only source of light in the room on it, one lit candle on either side of the glass box. Inside it was a much smaller wooden box with a metal clasp at the front.

Magnus took a moment to look around, baffled by the absence of a guard. This was the last and final ingredient, he expected this to be the most difficult part and yet no one was around. Something in him didn’t like this, it seemed too easy, felt too much like a trap. Still, he found himself stepping forward, his hand reaching out for the box in front of him. Whatever this trap might be, he would face it and win. For Alex.

He had hardly taken two steps towards the glass box when a gust of wind blew out the candles. At the same there was a loud bang and the trapdoor behind him shut closed. What little light there was in the room disappeared and Magnus blinked to try and get used to the sudden darkness. He looked around him frantically, searching for the source of the wind and this ingredient’s guardian, but he could see nothing in the dark. He run to the trapdoor and pulled on the handle. Locked. Of course.

“Lumos,” he said, but nothing happened. What? “Lumos,” he tried again and again nothing. Fear spread through him and he felt his blood run cold as he realized what was happening.

Magic nullification. They’ve made it so no magic can be cast inside the room.

Cold sweat run down his skin as he darted to the walls. Being without his magic, something that was a part of him for so long, made him feel vulnerable, naked. He pulled the tapestry covering the stone wall away roughly, the thick fabric falling to the ground. Hidden behind it was a rune Magnus knew was used to bind magic. Similar runes were no doubt behind every tapestry in the room. Magnus wouldn’t be able to cast magic without exiting the room and there was no way to do that with the locked trapdoor behind him.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the darkness disappeared, replaced by a bright, scorching heat. Magnus shut his eyes tight to shield them from the sudden light and brought his arms up to his face. He blinked until his eyes got used to the new light and looked around him.

The Divination classroom had disappeared, replaced on all sides by flames. They licked the walls that seemed to crumble under their heat, stained black by soot. The ceiling was in the same state, the now flat plaster cracking from the high temperature and falling to the ground. The flames seemed to be drawn to him, the fire forming shapes like wolves that pounced at him and tried to bite at his legs.

But worse of all, there, in front of the chest and the little table, under a broken bean and a large part of the ceiling, was his mother. It was like not a single day had passed since that night and he was back at his living room as it burned down around him. His mother was trying to get out from under the broken ceiling, but the plaster wouldn’t budge no matter how much she struggled. There were tears in her eyes and down her cheeks, her face the definition of panic.

“Magnus!” She cried out. Magnus felt tears sting his eyes at the sound of his mother’s voice, the fright, the helplessness in it. “Magnus! Help!”

Magnus was frozen on the spot. He’d seen this scene play out again and again in his nightmares after the fire - he still did sometimes - but to be back here, back at his burning house, to see his childhood go down in flames around him, realer than any dream, was almost too much. Something in him screamed at him to rush forward, to save his mother now that he had a second chance, but he held himself back, as horrible as it was.

This wasn’t his mother. She wasn’t here, in this burning room in Hogwarts. She was buried in a London cemetery with wild geraniums on her grave.

Still, despite knowing this wasn’t real, it hurt. It hurt watching his mother die all over again in front of him. Tears welled up in his eyes and run down his face as the flames licked at her trapped body and she wailed in pain.

Then the fire flickered and suddenly his mother wasn’t there anymore. Alex was in her place, the tears in her two-colored eyes shining in the light of the flames. Her hair smoked at the ends and soot covered her face. “Magnus!” She cried out, her voice breaking at the end as she started coughing hard from the smoke. She reached out for him desperately, the tears rolling down her face in fat drops that were burned away by the heat. “Where are you?”

Magnus darted forward to get to her, his arm already outstretched to pull her out from under the rumble. “Alex!” He called out, his voice sounding like it was ripped out from his throat.

He had only taken a step when Alex disappeared, consumed by the flames. Sam was in her place now, coughing frantically as smoke filled her lungs. Her hijab was charred by the fire, flames burning away the fabric whose color couldn’t be made out anymore. She pushed her body up, trying to get the heavy bean and debris off of her. She was doing good but then she coughed again and slumped down on the floor, crying out from the weight that fell on her. “Help!”

Magnus’s step faltered for only a second and then he was running to the other side of the room. With every step the person under the rumble changed, but the fear in their eyes and their cries for help didn’t.

Sam was replaced by T.J, his dark skin glowing with sweat under the light of the flames, his face transformed by fear.

“Magnus!”

Then Halfborn, his hair singed, coughing hard and struggling to pull himself out from under the debris and failing.

“Please!”

Mallory took his place, her face burned red at the side, tears in her eyes as she fought to get out.

“Help!”

Annabeth, her strong arms covered with burns and blistering skin as she struggled to free herself but couldn’t seem to get her legs from under the debris.

“Magnus!”

Blitzen and Hearthstone, trapped together under the broken bean and ceiling, crying for help with tears in their eyes and soot on their faces.

“Magnus!”

All the other kids from Perthro, boys and girls and everything in between, all of Magnus’s new family, trapped and crying and begging for him to help them.

“Help!”

With each step the cries grew louder, the flames rose higher and hotter. Magnus’s eyes were blurry with tears and he seemed to be moving slower, as if time had froze and he’d have to stay here, watching his friends, his family, the person he loves burn to death because he couldn’t help them.

They switched again, Alex, Blitzen and Hearthstone, Annabeth, Mallory, Sam, the kids from Perthro, Halfborn, T.J, Alex, Annabeth… They screamed and cried, wailed as they fought to get out and called for help, their frightened broken voices clawing at his ears, making the tears come out harder.

“Magnus!”

“Help!”

“Please!”

He fell on his knees in front of now Mallory and tried to push the beam off her as she turned into Sam. Yet as much strength as he put into it he couldn’t make the burnt wood budge. Sam was grasping his shirt his soot-covered hands, crying with broken sobs.

“N-No! L-leave, Magnus!”

Alex took her sister’s place, taking his face into his hands and looking into his eyes with frightened, tear-filled eyes.

“Leave me behind! Go!”

Then his friends from Perthro were under the rumble, Sarah and Helen, little Cheyenne and Tommy.

“N-n-no! P-please don’t leave! Help!” Cheyenne cried, her body shaking like a leaf by her sobs.

The people changed, teary eyes and frightened screams, they clawed at his clothes begging for help. Magnus was crying so hard he almost couldn’t see them anymore because of the tears in his eyes. His heart was beating like a drum and his breathing was fast and shallow. He felt his hands shake and the air seemed to catch in his throat, stopping him from breathing properly.

You can’t, save them, they’ll die. They’ll die and it’s your fault. You couldn’t help them and they’ll die like you feared.

Magnus’s body was shaking now, the sobs reaped out from his throat. Mallory was reaching out to him with her burnt hands and Magnus wanted to lie down and let the flames eat him along with the whole room but something about that last thought shook him like cold water in the face.

Feared. “Fears cannot be easily tamed,” the parchment said. This guarding was supposed to show him “things you won’t want to see” and there was a chest on the wall next to the glass box.

A boggart, he realized with a start. The final guardian is a boggart. You need to get through your worse fears to get the last ingredient.

The realization helped ground him and his shaking stop. He knew how to take on a boggart and that knowledge helped, even if he wouldn’t be able to cast the spell with the magic-binding runes on the walls.

Slowly, with trembling legs, he stood up. T.J’s fingers were tugging at his leg desperately, but he moved on. He stepped towards the glass bow, tried to shut out the shrill voices of his friends under the debris.

“Magnus! No! P-Please!”

He wasn’t able to figure out who was screaming anymore. All the voices had blended together into an ear-splitting cacophony. His fingers touched the glass lid and opened it as the nightmarish chorus shrieked, “Your fault your fault you let us die your fault.”

Magnus took the small wooden box and the key that lay behind it and turned for the door. The boggart’s appearance was changing so rapidly now that he couldn’t make out each person, only characteristics – the grey eyes he shared with Annabeth, Mallory’s red mane, T.J’s dark skin, Sam’s shinning eyes and Alex’s green hair. The shrill screaming kept coming out of the creature’s mouth was yelling accusations at him – your fault your fault you left us your fault – and the tears didn’t stop pouring from his eyes.

Still, he kept going, reminding himself with each painful step that these weren’t his friends, his family, his Alex. They weren’t dying, they weren’t in danger. And even if they ever were, if they ever got in danger, he wouldn’t let them get hurt.

He pushed the key into the keyhole and unlocked the trapdoor, falling through onto a heap on the floor. The trapdoor closed behind him, keeping the boggart inside.

Magnus lay there on the floor for a second, panting heavily. Then he pushed himself up despite how much he wanted to stay on the floor, wiped the tears out of his eyes and run to the Hall of the Slain.

“And Magnus Chase has taken the last ingredient! He’s making his way back to the dining Hall!”

Magnus tripped as he was climbing down the stairs, half-paying attention to Professor Thor’s words. He picked himself up and kept running down the necks at breakneck speed. He jumped over the last three steps and sprinted down the halls to the Hall of the Slain, pushing his body as much as he could and then some.

“The Hogwarts Champion is almost there!” Magnus heard Professor Thor say as he run. “Raphael Beaumont is close behind him and Helga Leifsson…” Thor’s voice faltered there and when she spoke again his voice sounded more distant, like he had turned away from the mike and was talking to someone else. “Are you sure she’s fine? She doesn’t look too good.”

Magnus finally reached the doors of the dining hall, which were thankfully open because he would have probably run straight into them at his speed. He rushed to his table and emptied the contents of the bag on it, scrambling to find the parchment with the instructions for the potion.

“Magnus Chase has set to work! He has thirty minutes to make the antidote!”

The room around him was a mess of screams and cheers but they were white noise to him as he put his cauldron on the fire and started heating water. He was cutting up the weird glass he got from the Hippogriff when Raphael came running into the room and started making his own antidote.

Magnus was moving his spoon in circles inside the murky contents of the cauldrons, hating the five minutes he had to repeat the action according to the recipe. His eyes were trained on Alex’s body the whole time, the shallow rice and fall of her chest. Once he was done stirring he dumped inside the ingredients from the wooden box, a fine ashen dust.

Twenty minutes remained in the clock when Helga arrived looking like a complete mess. Tear tracks run down her cheeks, her whole face was red from crying and her hair looked like she had been pulling at it. Blood had seeped through her sleeve and she must have cast a spell to stop the bleeding. Thor made an announcement about her arrival but Magnus wasn’t paying attention to him, only to the liquid that bubbled inside his cauldron, changing from brown to a deep green. The recipe said it had a sky blue color when it was ready.

Ten minutes to go and Magnus was measuring the amount of the purple liquid he had to add to the mix. His hands were shaking as he tracked each drop falling from the bottle.

Just then, a loud clanging sound sounded, startling Magnus and making everything he held in his hands fall to the ground. If he had looked up from the spilled liquid on the floor he would have seen that the source of the noise was Raphael pulling all the measuring cups out of their place under the table.

Gasping was heard from the stands. “Oh no, Magnus Chase just spilt one of his ingredients!”

Magnus was understandably freaking out. He was almost done with the antidote too. What was he supposed to do now? What would happen to Alex?

“H-here,” he heard a voice saying. He looked up and was surprised to see Helga holding out her bottle of purple liquid to him. He hadn’t recognized her voice at first, not with how broken it was. “I-I only n-need half of it.”

Magnus couldn’t believe what he was seeing but he took the bottle from her hand. “Why?’ he asked.

Helga didn’t answer, just stared at a spot in the stands and when Magnus followed her gaze he found her parents looking at them with angry eyes.

Magnus measured the liquid he would need and gave the bottle back to Helga with enough inside to use for her own antidote. He stirred the antidote in his cauldron and raised the temperature in the fire. The liquid’s color was changing from green to blue and Magnus felt his pulse pick up and a smile break out on his face the closest he got to completing the potion.

Once the liquid had a light blue color her scooped it up and put it in a small bowl. His eyes were stuck to it as he walked as fast as he could to Alex. Every time it sloshed inside the bowl and got too close to the lid his heart dropped but he managed to reach his girlfriend’s unconscious body without dropping it.

He cradled Alex’s head in his hands and touched the bowl gently to her lips, opening her mouth to make her drink it. He was thankful for his Healing classes showing him how to do this. The blue liquid trickled past her lips and into her mouth, a drop trailing past her chin.

Once the contents of the bowl were drained, he waited. With every passing second he felt his fears grow – what if he had made a mistake, what if it didn’t work, what if it was too late and she never woke up?

Then Alex’s eyes opened and she shot upwards. She started coughing violently, like she was trying to force a rock out of her throat. Magnus let out the breath he had been holding and broke out into a wild smile, tears welling up in his eyes, happy tears. He couldn’t help the joyful little laugh that left his mouth as he surged forward and hugged Alex close to his chest.

Alex had stopped coughing and she wrapped her arms around Magnus, looking at confusion at the laughing and weeping boy in her arms. The world around her came into focus and she looked up to see the students of the three schools looking down at her and Magnus. To her right, Raphael was pressing a bowl to Louis’s lips, who was lying on a table. Helga, face red and tears in her eyes, was rushing to finish a potion of some sort while Agatha lay on a table in front of her. Magnus was still holding her like he thought he’d never see her again and his tears were seeping into her shirt.

“Um, not that I’m complaining for the hug, but what’s going on?”

Magnus looked up at her, a smile brighter than the sun on his face and tears in his eyes. Alex cupped his cheek, wanting to kiss the tears from his face. Magnus leaned into her touch and the love she saw in his eyes left her breathless.

“Remember the treasure I was supposed to save for the second task?” He asked softly. Alex nodded.

“Well, I saved it.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her gently and softly, like he wanted to take his time and do this for the rest of the day. Alex relished in the feeling of his lips and put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and drowning in him.

They pulled apart, but just barely, staying close enough that it was like the rest of the dining hall didn’t exist and they were the only ones there.

“You’re a sap,” she told him quietly, affectionately, making it clear that she loved that about him even if she teased him.

“But I’m your sap,” Magnus replied with a smile. Alex wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and pulled him in for another kiss as the crowd clapped around them.

Goodness, that was huge. In case you’re curious, I got the first two riddles from my dad and the last from my grandpa’s crossword magazine. You can thank my sister for the name Alfred for the Sphinx (I asked her what I should name the Sphinx and she told me to name him after Batman’s butler) (I hope I remembered the name correctly). The top hat and bowtie are also thanks to her because I wasn’t sure if I should include that but she said I should. If you’re wondering, Helga got injured when she insulted the Hippogriff. Mon cher, s’il te plait, reveille toi! – My dear, please, wake up! Fan, snälla vakna, jag ber dig, vakna - basically "Shit, please wake up, I beg you, wake up" Until next time, see ya!

#Magnus chase and the obligatory hogwarts au #magnus chase #alex fierro #fierrochase #fanfiction #fanfic #my fic

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