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imnotoverlyobsessive · 3 years

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Lost in Translation: Part Two

PART ONE PART TWO PART THREE AUTHOR’S NOTE TRANSLATIONS ON AO3

What had she done?

Every one of her nerves was still tingling and pulsating, but she still bent down and snatched up her nightgown and dressing gown, sliding each one on with quick, aborted movements.

Laurie snapped out of his own shock at her motions. “Amy?” he asked hesitantly.

She didn’t say anything. She had begun hurrying towards the door, snatching up a pair of slippers and tying her dressing gown as tightly as she was able.

He blinked at her in confusion. “Where are you-“ his words were cut off by the soft shut of their bedroom door and the sound of bare feet running on the floor.

————

It was late and Amy wasn’t sure where she should go, but she knew she couldn’t stay at the house.

He’d find her at the house, and she needed some time to process what she’d confessed to him, and to prepare herself for his rejection.

And prepare herself for her rejection of all… future advances.

Eventually, she decided on Jo’s new house. It was slightly farther away than her mother’s and therefore, she was very much hoping Laurie wouldn’t think to look for her there.

And, if she were truthful, she just wasn’t up to interacting with children, even Meg’s, although her house was closer, too. She’d be alright with it one day, but, well. Not yet. She wasn’t sure when she’d be able to see a child and not think of Laurie.

Jo answered the door. Still up writing, Amy assumed.

“Amy?” her sister asked, clearly shocked at Amy’s presence. And also possibly the fact that her face was streaked with tears. “What are you doing here? What’s wrong?”

Jo ushered her sister inside. She’d be marrying the professor soon, and as such, he’d yet to move in.

As soon as Jo got Amy into the light of the fireplace and saw the true extent of her state of dress, her eyes widened. “You must be freezing!” she exclaimed. “Come sit by the fire and warm yourself.”

Amy nodded, obeying her sister’s command and wiping away a few tears.

She was soon wrapped in a warm blanket with a hot cup of tea in her hand, and Jo was demanding answers.

“Did Laurie do something? By God, I will slaughter that boy-“

Amy laughed through her tears. “He’s three years older than you!”

Jo waved a dismissive hand. “Once a boy, always a boy.”

Amy laughed again.

“Now then,” Jo continued, ready for an assault. “What did he do? I could get away with his murder, you know.”

Amy sighed and shook her head, taking a sip of her tea and setting it aside. “He didn’t do anything. It was me who made a mistake.”

“Alright,” the elder of the two said slowly. “Then what did you do?”

Fresh tears began to fall, and Amy watched them plop down onto her shaking hands. “I told him I love him.”

Jo raised her eyebrows. “And that’s… bad?”

“Yes it’s bad!” Amy exclaimed. “Of course it’s bad! It’s disastrous!”

“Why? I mean… you’re married. Isn’t it a good thing to be in love with your husband?” After a brief pause, Jo added, “you do mean you’re in love with him, I assume, and that you made that quite clear?”

Amy nodded tearfully. “It was incredibly obvious how it was meant.”

“So, again,” Jo said, “how exactly is you confessing being in love with your husband a bad thing?”

“Because he doesn’t love me back,” Amy whispered miserably. “Or if he does, he’s not in love with me, at least.”

“Whyever would you think that?” Jo asked, surprised.

Amy watched the flames in the fireplace, listened to the crackle of the logs burning.

“I’m just a replacement for you,” she said softly.

Jo blinked at her. “Amy,” she said patiently, “please know that this is meant in the most loving way possible, but you would be a terrible replacement for me.”

Amy looked at her in mild surprise. Partially at her words, and partially that they clearly weren’t meant to be offensive.

“We’re very different people,” her sister went on, “and I’m quite sure it’s impossible for anyone to be with you if it’s me they’re yearning for, or vice versa.”

The younger of the two sighed. “He doesn’t want me. He just wants a wife he thinks is pretty.”

Jo let out an incredibly unladylike snort that almost certainly made Aunt March roll over in her grave.

“No,” she said. “Clearly you weren’t paying attention to how he looked at you during your wedding. Through the entire thing, I might add.”

Amy leaned back against the couch, pulling the blanket tighter around her. “Again, he just thinks I’m pretty. That’s all.”

“No,” Jo said again, shaking her head this time. “Men don’t look at a woman like that just because they think she’s pretty. You really ought to pay attention to how he looks at you.”

Amy didn’t quite believe her. She must’ve been misremembering. Still, she asked, “how does he look at me?”

“He looks at you like…” Jo thought for a moment, sipping her tea as she did so. “Like you’re the moon as well as every star in the sky.”

Amy opened her mouth to rebuke this, but a sudden banging on the front door interrupted her before she could speak.

She looked at the door, and then at Jo, her eyes wide and terrified.

There was a slight neigh of a horse outside. How had she not noticed it before?

“Josephine March!” came Laurie’s voice through the door. “I’m fairly certain my wife is in there, and I swear to God, if you don’t bring her out right this minute-“

“Oh, dear,” Jo whispered conspiratorially, taking another sip of her tea. “He’s using my full name. Whatever shall I do?”

Amy would’ve laughed if she hadn’t been so scared.

“Jo,” she hissed desperately. “I know- I know what he’s going to say to me, and I need a day, or a week, or preferably a year, to prepare myself for it. I can’t see him now!” Amy pleaded.

“You don’t know what he’s going to say,” her sister pointed out.

He was still banging on the door.

“And you know he won’t leave until somebody answers,” she went on. “He knows very well that I'm home.”

Amy thought for a moment, trying her damnedest to ignore her husband at the door.

“You’re right,” she said with a nod, standing. “Give me a minute or so. I’m going to go hide. You tell him I came by, but I left, and I don’t want to see him anyway.”

Jo gave her that look older siblings often do that says, “this is a terrible idea, but I’m not going to fight you on it.”

And so Amy rushed off to the smallest guest bedroom. Laurie would expect her to hide in Jo’s room, not a tiny guest room.

The bed was high up off the ground but had a bed skirt, so Amy wedged herself beneath the bed, being sure to keep the blanket around her. It was cold without the fireplace lit, after all, and the slippers she wore weren’t exactly insulating.

The sound of a door opening reached her ears.

“What do you want, Teddy?” she heard Jo snap.

She had to strain her ears to hear his reply.

“Is Amy here?” he demanded.

“She was, but she left,” Jo lied expertly, having been covering her sisters’ tracks since childhood. “She doesn’t want to see you, anyway, though, so really, you should just- hey!”

There was a scuffling, and then the sound of shoes on hardwood floors.

“Oh, sure,” her sister snarked sarcastically. “Come right in and make yourself at home!”

“Did she tell you?”

Jo sighed in annoyance. “Tell me what?”

“That she told me she loved me, and then she just- just left!” he nearly spat the words.

Oh, dear. Oh no. He wasn’t just mad. He was furious. She’d only seen him this way a handful of times in all the years she’d known him, and she really, really hoped he didn’t find her.

She could practically hear Jo cross her arms. “That,” she said firmly, “is between my sister and I.”

“She’s my wife now, Jo!” Laurie insisted, sounding tremendously frustrated. “You were just at the wedding!”

“Hm,” Jo hummed. “I do seem to recall something like that, now that you mention it, but even so, she doesn’t want to see you, and would very much like for you to leave her alone.”

She heard her husband snort. “Yeah, well, tough.” There was silence, and then more shuffling. Amy heard her sister sigh again, and then Laurie raised his voice. “Amy!” he called out.

She tried to ignore it, ignore the way he said her name, the way it echoed around the house.

“Amy,” he called again, “if you don’t come out and I find you, I’m going to be very upset indeed,” he warned.

Jo groaned, and Amy could picture her tilting her head back in frustration. “Honestly, Teddy, just go home-“

“Not without my wife,” he insisted firmly.

She heard him step into the room to the left of her; Jo’s room. There was another bedroom to her right, as well. He was rifling around, she could tell. Jo was objecting quite vocally, but he was clearly ignoring her.

He left the room and she heard him shut the door behind him.

Footsteps.

Closer.

And then-

The door opened.

Amy stopped breathing. Her heart stopped. She ceased all movement. She didn’t even blink.

Don’t look under the bed, don't look under the bed, don't look under the bed, she chanted over and over again in her mind, and then she resorted to prayer. Dear Lord, please don’t allow my husband to look under the bed and see me. Don’t allow him to find me. Just give me some more time.

For a few heartbeats, Amy couldn’t hear a thing. She didn’t even hear Jo’s groan of, “fine, have it out, but do not spend your wedding night here!” over the roaring in her ears. Then the padding of bare feet across hardwood floors.

She kept praying he wouldn’t look, wouldn’t find her.

No such luck.

Because Laurie’s stupid, attractive, beautiful, stupid face appeared in her line of vision.

“Amy,” he breathed in relief.

The woman in question squirmed, trying to scoot herself away from him, further underneath the bed.

“Nuh uh,” he said firmly. Oof. There was his angry face. “Either you come out or I’m getting under there with you.”

She blanched at that. She did not want to be in such close proximity to him, so she extradited herself from beneath the bed and promptly squeezed herself in the space between the wardrobe and the wall before he could process what she was doing.

He could neither reach her nor join her, and he hadn’t even said she couldn’t hide there, only that she couldn’t hide underneath the bed, so she’d found a loophole.

Problem solved.

Except, no, not so much, because he was in front of the crevice in just a few seconds, looking very cross indeed.

Even more so, if that were possible, than he had been before.

“Amy,” he said, sounding more dangerous than she could ever recall hearing him, “come out of there.”

There wasn’t enough space for her to shake her head, so she said, “no, I… I don’t think I will. I’m perfectly fine right here, if you don’t mind.”

His eyes blazed.

“If I don’t mind?” He sounded disbelieving. “Of course I mind that my wife ran from me, is hiding from me!”

She flinched when he called her his wife.

He noticed, letting out an agonized groan and raking a hand through his hair.

“Amy, come out,” he begged. “Please. Let me…” he trailed off, looking at her terrified expression, the way she squeezed herself further against the wall behind her. “Let me take you home.”

“No thank you,” she squeaked. “I’m quite well right here, but I appreciate the offer.”

He sighed and looked at the beams in the ceiling.

her husband briefly, only to find him smiling softly at her in a way she found most unsettling. She looked away from his gaze, doing her very best to ignore it, and allowed him to wrap an arm around her waist.

“We’re going to talk about this as soon as we’re home, you realize,” he told her as they walked through the quiet house.

Jo must’ve gone to sleep.

Upon being told this, Amy immediately decided that that wouldn’t do. She knew Laurie cared for her, of course he did. She didn’t doubt that. Perhaps he even loved her. But was he in love with her? No, of course not. She was fully cognizant of that face, and would vastly prefer not to hear it, as it would simultaneously be both incredibly painful and tremendously unnecessary.

————

The ride back was silent, Amy refusing to let him anywhere near her, scooting away whenever he tried to touch her.

Upon their arrival, she attempted to head in a different direction as soon as they stepped through the elaborate doorway.

Laurie grabbed the sleeve of the coat he’d given her. “Where are you going?”

She looked at the floor silently with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Amy,” he said slowly, “were you going to run and hide from me again?”

“…no?” was her hesitant squeak.

“Good God, woman,” he groaned in frustration. “Just- just come back to our room with me, alright? I’m not going to hurt you, you know.”

Well, no, she thought bitterly. Not physically, at least.

She said nothing, so he stepped around her to face her, cupping her cheeks and looking into her eyes.

“Amy,” he said softly, his gaze flicking briefly down to her lips. “Come upstairs with me,” he begged. “Don’t run from me. Don’t hide from me.”

God, but when he looked at her like that, spoke to her like that…

Amy nodded, earning a sweet, gentle smile.

Leading her back to their bedroom, he shut the door quietly behind them and lifted the coat from her shoulders.

Shucking off his shoes and socks once more, he sat on the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to him with a small smile.

Not wanting to argue, she sat as far from him on the bed as she was able. He rolled his eyes slightly but seemed to accept it regardless.

“Amy, why would you run from me?” he asked her gently. “Why would you hide from me?” When she said nothing, he spoke again. “Did you not mean what you said?”

Well. Not much point in lying to him about it, was there?

“I meant it,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Then why?” He scooted closer to her, and she looked away from him until he cupped her cheek, turning her face towards his. He was far too close for comfort. When had he moved towards her? “Did you think I’d be upset?”

“No,” she said hoarsely, shaking her head. “That’s not it, I…” She couldn’t tell him. She didn’t want to be rejected. Why bother if she already knew the answer?

“Tell me,” he murmured, stroking her cheek with a calloused thumb. “Tell me, mia amata.”

Tears filled her eyes again, and she looked away from him again. “…I don’t want to hear your response,” she told him miserably.

He blinked in confusion. “Why not?”

“I already know what you’ll say,” she explained, “and I don’t want to hear it out loud.”

He was silent for several seconds, looking at her with wide eyes. “Amy,” he said slowly. “Do you think I’ll… reject you? Me, your husband?” He sounded almost like he couldn’t believe his own words.

“Of course you will!” she snapped through her tears. “I know you don’t love me- at least, not like that- but I- I don’t want to hear it!”

Then both of his hands cupped her cheeks, and he was leaning forward. “I love you,” he whispered. “I’m very, very much in love with you.”

Amy squinted at him, finding herself very skeptical indeed.

He chuckled at her expression. “I love you, Amy,” he told her again, his voice still soft. “I’ve never wanted to be with anyone the way I want to be with you.”

She examined his face, the lines of his features, the look in his eyes.

“I don’t believe you.”

“No?” he laughed softly. “Well…” he trailed off, sliding a hand down her neck and into the neckline of her dressing gown. “I suppose I’ll just have to spend the rest of my life convincing you, won’t I?”

And then he kissed her, and fireworks exploded in her veins. Too overcome to stop herself, she kissed him back, pouring all the love she felt for him into it.

He pulled her against him, and she whimpered when his tongue brushed against hers. Sliding her fingers into his hair, Amy allowed herself to have this, to have him.

“Laurie,” she moaned when he pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses to her neck.

“Esatto,” he murmured against the skin of her neck, kissing her there again. “Gemi per me, amore mio.” He began to suck her neck then, and she wrapped her arms around him.

“What- what does that mean?” she panted. “Translate, remember?”

He hummed against her, untying the ribbons that held her dressing gown closed. “It means, ‘that’s right, moan for me, my love’.”

“M- my love?” she squeaked. She had not been expecting that.

Sliding her dressing gown off of her, he kissed her shoulder. “Mhm,” he agreed. “Amore mio.” He slid the sleeve of her nightgown down her shoulder and kissed it again. “Mia amata.” Another kiss. “Il mio tutto.”

“What about- ah!” her words were momentarily cut off when he closed his teeth around a tendon in her neck. “What about those?”

“Mia amata means ‘my beloved’,” he breathed against the newly tender skin of her neck. “Il mio tutto means ‘my everything’.”

Amy pulled back from him. “Do you mean it?” she asked sharply. “Are you certain you’re not mistaking what you’re feeling for something other than being in love?”

He grinned. “I’m certain,” he assured her. “Let me show you how much I love you.” With that, Laurie was pulling off her nightgown and guiding her to lay down on their bed, kissing her collarbones and cupping her breasts. “God, Amy,” he groaned. “You’re so beautiful.”

Then he was trailing kisses down the length of her torso until he reached her hipbones. “Do you remember how I touched you here?” he asked with a gentle kiss against her flushed skin. Amy nodded, biting her lip nervously. “I’d like to kiss you there, as well.”

“Why?” she asked breathily, feeling terribly nervous.

“Well,” he began with a grin. “A multitude of reasons, really. First, I love you, and I want you to feel good. Second, I want to be the one making you feel good. Third, watching you fall apart was the most incredible thing I’ve ever witnessed, and I’m quite eager to see it again.”

Amy gulped.

She was starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, he truly did love her.

“So,” he went on, “may I?”

She nodded, still hesitant but choosing to trust him (he loved her, he loved her, he loved her, God but she hoped he loved her) and he slipped between her thighs, spreading her open for him. She could’ve sworn she heard him growl, but her observation was lost when he flicked his tongue over that same part of her he’d focused on before, sliding his fingers in a teasing circle around her entrance.

Recalling how divine it had felt when he’d put them inside of her, she canted her pelvis towards him with a whimper. He hummed against her, licking at her again, slowly with barely-there touches, and oh, but she wanted.

Fearing she’d sound lewd, sound vulgar, she clamped her mouth shut against her moans as he laved at her.

“Let me hear you, amata.” Yes, that was most definitely a growl, no mistaking it. “Hold in your cries, quiet them at all, and I’ll stop,” he warned, his breath fanning over her sensitive skin.

No, no, not that! Amy thought desperately. Anything but that, don’t stop-

Clenching her eyes shut nervously, she nodded her understanding.

“Look at me,” he murmured, his lips brushing against where she needed him. “I want you to see who’s pleasuring you.”

She obeyed, and he smirked in satisfaction, resuming his delicious ministrations.

The pressure of his tongue was firmer now, and when he thrust his fingers inside her, she couldn’t have stopped herself if she’d tried.

She screamed.

It felt incredible. Laurie didn’t so much as flinch; in fact, he seemed encouraged by her reaction, reaching up to grip her breast and lifting his eyes to meet hers as he lapped at her.

Amy didn’t know whether to be ashamed or delighted by the way he was looking at her. He looked like he wanted to consume her.

“Laurie please Laurie Lauriepleasepleaseplease-“ she moaned loudly, lifting her hips towards him.

Trailing his hand down from where he’d been squeezing her breast, he pressed down on her hipbone, holding her in place. His other hand continued to pleasure her, his fingers thrusting in and out repeatedly as he licked her until she thought she might explode.

Her moans were essentially nonstop by that point. “Laurie, God, please- I need you, please, I need- don’t stop, don’t stop, Laurie-“

She was barely enunciating, her words blending together like paint on a canvas, and he still wasn’t stopping. He didn’t even slow down; just kept going, and she knew it was nearing, what he’d given her before. Her fingers fisted in the blankets of their bed, her toes curling, her hips trying to lift up of their own accord only to be stopped by the hand that held her down.

She closed her eyes. She couldn’t help it. And then he closed his lips around that part of her and sucked, and she burst.

Amy let out a long, high-pitched scream that more than one of the household staff heard. Her body convulsed. Her legs shook.

When it was over, her entire body continued to tingle, as if there were bubbles in every nerve, every vein.

Barely processing that he’d pulled his fingers out of her and was crawling up her body, she kept her eyes closed until she felt a hand on her cheek.

“Amy?” came her husband’s soft, gentle voice.

Blinking her eyes open blearily, she found him gazing at her with obvious adoration.

“Are you alright?” he asked as he stroked her cheek. When she nodded, he smiled. “Did you like it?” Unable to speak, she nodded again. “Good,” he said with a grin and a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Because I would very much like to lick you as frequently as you’ll allow.”

After several seconds, she was granted the ability to speak again. “Can I… can I do that for you?” He froze, his eyes widening. She quickly rushed to explain. “I’m…

I’m fairly certain we won’t be able to…” Amy gulped, finding herself unable to finish her statement. “So if possible, I would like to give you what you gave me.”

Laurie smiled at her then, as sweetly as ever. “It’s possible,” he assured her. “But making love is most certainly possible, as well.”

“Is, um.” She gulped. Again. “Is that what it’s called?”

“It’s called a number of different things,” he told her with a tilt of his head. “Making love is one, yes. Sex is another. Copulation or intercourse are also used.” He thought for a moment. “Shakespeare called it the beast with two backs.”

Amy stared at him. There were so many different terms for this thing she’d never heard of a mere twenty-four hours ago. “And what do you call it?”

“Making love, as I said,” he told her with another smile. “But that’s primarily with you,” he murmured that part, brushing the backs of his fingers over her cheek.

Her lips parted.

He stared at them and continued. “I’ve been known to refer to it as sex. Or even fucking, on occasion.”

She blinked. He’d mentioned that one before. “Fucking?”

He groaned and leaned his forehead against her shoulder, as if he hadn’t expected her to repeat it.

“It’s, well. It’s the same as the others, essentially,” he explained patiently, his voice muffled by her shoulder. “Although, if it’s called that specifically, it’s usually a bit more… animalistic.”

She squeaked, not knowing what to say to that. Animalistic sounded painful.

“That isn’t to say it hurts,” he rushed on, raising his face to hers again when he heard the sound she’d made. “It’s not something I’d…” he coughed. “Do with you, not right off, and only if you wanted me to.”

Amy could barely breathe. “Why would I want you to?”

He was blushing rather terribly. “I’d make it feel very, very good,” he assured her.

Finding herself very skeptical indeed, she raised an eyebrow at him. “And you… want it that way?”

“I want you any way you’ll have me,” he responded softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Plus,” he said, “I’d like to… claim you, I think.” His hand slid from her cheek down to her waist, brushing the side of her breast as he went.

She thought for several moments. “What makes you so sure it would work?”

“Well,” he began with another grin, trailing his hand from her waist to between her legs again, where she was still wet and quivering. “I’ve prepared you for me already,” he explained. “And I think I’d like to prepare you further.”

He then proceeded to do just that. Twice. She’d screamed so much her throat was raw with it.

She was positively drenched. She could feel it.

He kissed her neck, then sat up on his haunches and gazed at her in such a way she briefly thought of a blazing fire. “Touch yourself,” he rasped as he yanked his shirt over his head. “Put your fingers between your legs and touch yourself as I touched you.”

She shook her head emphatically. “I can’t do that!” she insisted, scandalized.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he assured her with a sweet smile. “It’s just me.”

“You say that like I haven’t…” loved you since I was a child, she finished mentally.

Leaning over to shower her face with kisses, he spoke softly. “There is nothing you could do that I wouldn’t cherish,” he assured her. “Please touch yourself for me, bellissima.”

“W- why?” she managed to force out.

“Because I want to watch you.” He was unlacing his pants one moment and kicking them off the next, and he nodded encouragingly at her.

Feeling horrifically embarrassed, Amy obeyed, pressing her fingers in the same place he had.

Untying the cord that held his undergarments up, he yanked those over his hipbones, too, and she noticed that they protruded from his body, and then…

Dear Lord, Amy thought. It had only been a few hours prior, but she’d forgotten, somehow, how very terrifying that part of him was.

And then he did the strangest thing: he wrapped his hand around it and began to stroke himself, watching her all the while.

“Cup your breast and pinch your nipple,” he commanded softly. She did so, continuing to rub between her legs.

This only lasted for a couple of minutes before he launched himself at her, attacking her with kisses and grasping hands.

“Amy,” he groaned into her mouth. “I need you.”

She felt empty. Terribly, terribly empty. Thinking of his… what had he called it? His cock? Yes, his cock. Thinking of his cock, she found herself rather liking the idea of him putting it inside of her.

“I love you, Laurie,” she told him quietly. “I’m yours to do with as you will.”

He slipped a hand into her hair, kissing her like a man starving, then trailed more kisses down to her jaw and along the length of her neck.

“And I’m yours,” he swore against her skin. “Always, dolce moglie.” She gave him a look and he chuckled before adding, “sweet wife.” Pressing a kiss between her breasts, he went on, “never feel as if you have to say yes to me, Amy.”

She blinked in confusion. She’d sworn to obey him, after all.

“I want you to enjoy this as much as I do,” Laurie explained. “I want to make you happy, make you feel loved, because you are.” He trailed more kisses up her neck and continued. “I want to make you scream again,” he murmured. “I want to make you just as desperate for me as I am for you. I want you to be begging for me, to be shaking from needing me so badly.”

Amy gnawed on her lower lip pensively. “If… if you’re sure it’ll work…” She was being uncharacteristically timid, she knew.

“It will,” he promised, kissing her deeply. “Let me show you how I can make you feel, amata.”

“Okay,” she whispered, and he kissed her again, his tongue brushing against hers. He cupped both of her breasts, pinching her nipples lightly, and she whimpered into his mouth, feeling a muscle deep within her clench when his cock brushed against her skin.

Then he pulled up from her, spreading her legs so he could kneel between them. Fighting down her embarrassment at the exposure yet again, she watched as he took his cock in hand and pressed it against her center, his eyes never leaving hers.

Then he rubbed the tip against that spot, and she jolted with a gasp that ended in a whimper.

“So wet for me, aren’t you, darling?” Laurie groaned, rubbing himself against her entrance now without actually going inside. “So ready for me.”

That muscle clenched again.

Empty.

“Laurie,” she pleaded. “I- I need-“

“I know, love,” her husband assured her. “I know.”

Then, slowly, very slowly, he began to push himself inside of her. Barely anything at first, and then-

Ouch.

That hurt.

It was a strange sort of pain; reminiscent of if she’d held her arm up whilst painting for too long.

He’d stopped, however.

“I was afraid of this happening,” she grit out.

He shook his head. “No, it’s temporary, I promise. It’ll go away.”

Amy looked at him skeptically.

#my writing #fanfiction #amylaurie #amy x laurie #amy march #theodore laurence #little women #little women fanfiction #amy x laurie fanfiction #fanfic

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joonkorre · 4 years

Text

its crazy late but

@drarrymicrofic prompt: blanket fort

(there’s no plot. none. just dudes being guys, guys being pals)

(caution: not very micro, more like a one shot. a whole lot of anecdotes. i’m writing this under a blanket with snow beating at my window, so of course this has to be very soft and warm. you have been warned)

“Hello?” Harry says into the dark. He’s just gotten home and instead of seeing the familiar orange hue of their beetle-shaped lamp (a gift from Luna, of course), there’s a single sliver of moonlight slipping through the curtains. Nothing else seems to exist in the living room but the echo of Harry’s greeting. Tangerine and sage drift into his nose, followed by the bitter tang of smoke. The scent of Draco’s favorite candle, newly extinguished.

Draco just left. Discovered a breakthrough in his research and fled to the Ministry lab, maybe.

Harry sighs. Unlaces his boots and hangs up his coat absentmindedly only for it to crumple onto the floor. Another sigh. He bends and retrieves it, deciding instead to throw it in the laundry bin. Might as well; he’s been trudging around in Dayhound mucus for hours and neither his dragonhide boots nor coat were spared.

Walking into the kitchen, Harry grabs a glass from the drying rack and pours himself water from the pitcher in the fridge. It’s ridiculous how a simple act like this can drain his energy so, but it does. Curse breaking isn’t a walk in the park; even walking hurts, considering the amount of magic he expends on shite like a 500-year-old wailing locket on a day to day basis. Exposure to different kinds of magic - dark, Old Magick, elemental, countlessly and endlessly more- for 8 hours straight more often than not result in a fierce ringing in his temples and pinpricks on his skin.

After years of doing it, he can scarcely tolerate one Portkey trip from wherever he’s assigned to back to the main headquarter before getting uncontrollable shivers. Another 30 minutes on the metro, then a 10-minute walk home. In addition, Harry has to sleep for at least 8 hours every night to replenish his energy. Morning comes, he wakes up, Apparates to the headquarter, and the cycle continues.

Why does he even stick with curse breaking at this point? Right, a wry grin graces Harry’s lips, Draco thinks the uniform is hot. Oh, and can’t forget the job benefits, insurance, whole nine yards.

With the glass now rinsed and settled once more on the drying rack, Harry drags his feet to the bedroom. The clock - an antique Draco stole from his cheating ex - hits 7:18 PM, but getting ready to go to sleep sure sounds like a decent idea. Harry palms the back of his aching neck and winces. He’d go shower, scrub the dirt and tension off his limbs, and maybe heat up the leftovers from two days-

“There you are. I was wondering how much longer drinking water could take.”

Harry looks up from his slippered feet to see Draco. Or, more specifically, Draco’s silhouette. Behind some kind of white cloth. A white cloth that’s conveniently placed where the focus of the bedroom should’ve been.

The relief at seeing his husband evaporates.

“What,” Harry says, “where’s our bed.”

Draco’s silhouette crawls to the opening of the cloth… tent-shaped thing. Pewter grey eyes peer at him behind strands of near-platinum blonde, its icy color soothed by the orange tint of… ah, so he’s brought the bug lamp in here. Neat.

“I,” Draco answers. Pauses. “Might have brought it somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else.”

“Yes.”

Harry shakes his head. An exasperated chuckle escapes his lips.

“Is ‘somewhere else’ the recycling center?”

“Why,” Draco flops down on the floor, appearing tired of holding himself up on his elbows for more than 10 seconds. It’s peculiar to see, the gesture a bit ungraceful for someone like him. Harry is helplessly in love amused. “Do my ears deceive me? Am I being confronted, cornered, accosted for being a good husband? Were the 5 minutes it took to Shrink and Levitate the wretched old thing away from our safe haven worth your condescension, dear lover?”

“I guess I did say I hate-”

“Correct!”

“-the headboard. Nothing but the headboard. Yesterday. While I’m half asleep. Baby.”

“Oh, pish posh, I hate it too! In fact, I’m doing us both a favor disposing of the entire thing altogether.”

“God, however can I thank you? I mean, you did rid us of our bed where we sleep on.”

“You can thank me by taking off those horrid gears faster and come here,” with that, Draco crawls back to where he was sitting before.

“You love these gears,” Harry says, hanging his harnesses and tool belt in the closet and walking into the bathroom for a quick shower, “you love them against your ba-”

“Put a lock on that filthy mouth, Potter, what will the Daily Prophet think?” Draco’s yell almost drowns out the shower spray. Harry laughs, his stomach hurting for the right reason at last.

When he re-enters the bedroom, Draco is leaning out from the tent thing.

“Come, get in, get in,” he beckons with a hasty wave.

Harry points to his wet hair with the hand holding his towel. Draco clicks his tongue and waves his hand more aggressively.

His husband’s level of theatrics is directly proportional to how slow Harry is at doing what he says, so he nods, fondness overflowing, and obeys.

“What’s all this?” He crouches and crawls in, eyeing the collection of pillows and quilts surrounding Draco and what would be Harry’s seat. It seems that he had also lugged in the chairs from their dining room to provide some structural support for the tent.

“A blanket fort, lover,” Draco says, his gaze tender. Harry’s finger tips tingle with every touch of cotton, linen, silk, as he gets situated. It’s been years and years and years and years, and Harry can never get used to, can never take for granted, the weight of his husband’s undivided attention.

“Huh,” he says, sitting down with an ‘oof’, “isn’t this for kids?”

“A blanket fort is a blanket fort,” Draco takes the towel from Harry’s arm and puts the throw pillow Ron knitted in his lap. He hits a button on the laptop in front of them, and Harry’s favorite jazz collection plays. He blinks. He thought Draco would play his questionable atmospheric-white-noise-POV-you’re-having-tea-in-a-gothic-vampire-library playlist, the weirdo.

Velvety smooth sax flows through the air. Harry exhales, easy and content, and lets Draco tilt his head. He towels Harry’s hair, massaging unhurried circles on his scalp and varying the degree of pressure. In no time, his head lolls forward, eyes closed, chin a breath away from his well-worn shirt. A slender, pale hand cups his cheek and holds his head up and steady. Meanwhile, the hand’s owner leans out of the blanket fort to get something.

“Ow.” A grunt. Harry smiles; most likely a cramp from all the leaning.

Then, his husband reseats himself, this time with a smell. A mouth-watering, delicious smell, tickling the back of Harry’s nose. He opens his eyes to see Draco lifting off the lid of a ceramic bowl perched on a tray, steam floating out and fogging Harry’s glasses. It’s purple yam soup, topped with chopped up shrimp and ground beef.

“Your usual order from the Viet place nearby whenever Pepper-up isn’t sufficient,” Draco murmurs, placing a spoon in Harry’s hand, his words warm against Harry’s temple. Huh, he didn’t think Draco would notice. “You said today you’d deal with those disgusting booby traps you showed me, thus I reckoned I should put the yams on our counter into good use.”

Harry stares at the soup, stunned. Draco must have taken his expression as something else.

“Oh, right,” he says, “I heated it up on the stove, but you were taking atrociously long so I casted a Heating charm. Let me take it off, okay?”

Draco flicks his hawthorn wand, a hand squeezing Harry’s shoulder as if he could see the prickling running up Harry’s nape.

He turns to look at his husband. When Harry’s career was starting to take its toll on his magical core, Draco didn’t hesitate to dive headfirst into Muggle living. Easier said than done, and it took months for him to stop frowning at the “absolutely bizarre, Potter, bizarre” appliances, but he got there in the end. Despite his constant bitching about everything, Draco not once raised a word about the drastic switch, effortlessly guiding Narcissa to gossip about the Albescu clan’s abhorrent matriarch when she asks about how he’s faring.

“Gosh, I,” Harry says. Mumbles, really, into Draco’s collarbone, filling his brain with the woodsy aroma of potion making that no amount of expensive body products can mask, “that’s lovely, baby, thank you.”

“Eat,” Draco says, rubbing his chin on the top of Harry still-damp hair and messaging his tense neck. Harry knows he’s breathing him in too. “Or I’ll have to heat it up in the kitchen again, and forgive me but I’d rather stay here for the next 12 hours, at least.”

“Lazy arse.”

Draco laughs, a momentary rumble of his chest, then moves forward to click something on the laptop. Harry’s on his fifth spoonful of pure comfort when the jazz music stops, and on the blank wall opposite from their blanket fort is the title card of a movie. Strange, Harry didn’t even notice the mini projector. He squints.

“Why is there Korean subtitles?”

“Lover,” Draco tosses a napkin at Harry’s crossed legs, “what is watching movies online without the occasional bout of piracy?”

“Pira- piracy,” Harry chokes, the hot soup stinging his palate, “we have a Netflix subscription.”

“You can’t find shite like this on Netflix.”

“Of course we can. Baby, we don’t know anyone who’s good at computer stuff and can deal with the viruses.”

“There’s no virus here, I checked.”

“How,” Harry stresses, “and again, piracy.”

“Sometimes,” Draco says, lowering the speaker volume, “not doing crimes… is worse.”

“What the fuck,” the main character, a square-faced woman with a python around her neck, has a monologue in a completely different language. “What the fuck? Is that Italian?”

“Yes, but I’m French.”

“And?”

“And they’re both Romance languages. I can understand certain words and translate it for you.”

No, he can’t.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Keep eating,” Draco settles amid the pillows, long hair settled on his satin-clad chest, white against emerald. Harry sneers at him - an unfortunate habit he’s gotten from Draco - and turns to watch the movie.

True to his words, Draco translates every dialogue and mimics the characters’ voices with zeal, contradicting his stoic expression and somber, interlaced hands, looking like a cranky judge having to deal with reckless teenagers on their anti-authority phase. Harry can tell that he doesn’t understand a thing, and soon enough he’s woven a story about how the thriller-mystery they’re watching is actually a vicious custody battle over a duck. For each of Harry’s occasional snicker at the absurdity Draco has thought up is a playful kick at his ribs.

Minutes pass. With Harry’s bowl now emptied, he puts it on a chair and goes to wash up.

The moment he sits back down, Draco’s big toe pokes at his spine. Getting the memo, Harry grins and reclines on the pillows. His left side is flushed against Draco’s right, the kinks in his neck eased off from the angle. They, as per usual, gradually get closer to one another, and at some point, Draco lays his head on Harry’s chest and ear on his beating heart. It’s calming to him, Draco had said when Harry asked, on the third night of their honeymoon. With the war long behind them, there was nothing to fear. Only the constellations existed as their witnesses.

“You died, Harry,” he had whispered, full and tipsy. “It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen, despite all the shite I made you go through.

“You were so far away in Hagrid’s arms, I couldn’t see your face,” the night had been blinding, but his eyes had found Draco’s anyway. “It felt like my heart died with you.”

Harry had kissed his forehead and hugged him close. His heart had always been there for Draco to take.

“What’s up with the blanket fort?”

He has a lapful of Draco, a lungful of peach and cedar scented shampoo, and the sleepy timbre of his husband’s voice against his chest. The Italian movie is the last thing on Harry’s mind.

“I wasn’t aware of its existence growing up,” Draco says. “Having anything other than an immaculate bed when one wasn’t sleeping was uncouth, see, so you could imagine my surprise when Teddy demanded to play in something as messy as a fort so often.”

Harry doesn’t need to imagine it; he had witnessed it himself. Draco, freshly released from a two-year sentence in Azkaban, mellowed and tentative, yet determined to reconnect with his mother’s sister and his nephew. Harry had been wary too, standing in the corner of Teddy’s bedroom, staring at the fuzz of blonde on Draco’s shorn head and his weak gait. Teddy, the darling boy with his clumsy hold on Draco’s thigh, afraid that the haggard man would trip without help, had led him to his play area.

“Fort, fort,” the boy had screamed in Draco’s ear, but he hadn’t flinched. He had nodded and gone along with Teddy’s babbled directions, then sat back on his heels and fixed a wide-eyed stare at the monstrosity Teddy had called a fort (his designing skills were, unsurprisingly, underdeveloped at the mere age of two).

Swiveling his head, he had gawked at Harry, who had still been standing in the corner with his arms crossed, confusion and hysteria in the arch of his aristocratic brows.

It had been the first time he had looked at Harry in the eye for years. In seconds, it was 6th Year all over again, with him watching Draco pushing his food around with a fork from across the room, unable to look away. Obsession, a voice unlike Hermione’s helpfully defined, had slithered up and under his skin. It had remained there for years, stubborn and ardent, an emotion he had tried to leave behind time and time again. He’d never succeeded.

It’s Draco, after all.

“He never let anyone but him enter the fort, remember? Back when he’s still making us build it for him?” Draco’s fingers tap a random rhythm on Harry’s stomach. Harry tightens his arm around him, shifts a bit. “So many forts and I still didn’t know what it’s like to be in one.”

Somebody downs a shot in the movie. Harry doesn’t quite register it. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a proper one either until now. Didn’t have enough space in the cupboard. Plus, the hanging around the beds at Hogwarts felt pretty cozy by themselves.”

Draco hums. “Mhmm, I say. Another ‘first’ for us.”

Harry glances at the crown of his head. The man doesn’t sound surprised; Harry wagers that he already knows and decided to make one for the both of them today.

They continue to watch the movie in silence, whites and blues and purples flooding his sight, until Draco yawns and Harry blinks his eyes shut for far too long.

“Baby.”

“Hmm?”

“Sleep?”

“Yes.”

“Where, then? We have no bed.”

“I still maintain that I made the right choice”

“Jesus Christ, you’re so rash for an academic.”

“Well, in my professional opinion, sleeping in a blanket fort every blue moon does wonders for one’s quality of sleep,” Draco gets up on his elbow to smirk at Harry, “we can look at other beds tomorrow, can’t we? Now hush. Rest.”

“Ha,” Harry says, at least 5 more words to follow up on that just on the tip of his tongue. But then Draco runs a gentle hand through Harry’s hair, taking his time with it, the remaining hints of Harry’s migraine from work fading with every curl of hair carefully unknotted. He mumbles this and that, silly, insignificant things, engrossed in his task, and Harry listens carefully as his eyelids lower.

Draco takes off his gold-rimmed glasses (so sweet and soft Harry can barely feel it), cleans them and puts them on a chair. Through half-lidded eyes, Harry watches him cover them both with a quilt and return to Harry’s chest, curling up like a cat. Draco’s arm is around his midriff, peach and cedar pervading his senses anew, and Harry forgets whatever he was going to say.

Cold ankles pressed against bare calves, Harry is already deep asleep when the credits roll.

#drarry #drarrymicrofic #drarry fic #fanfic #harry potter #draco malfoy #blanket fort #oneshot #3k words #draco would be the type to get mushy mushy in private and call harry shit like lover darling my love #harry would say draco baby and babe everywhere #thats it hes uncreative like that #and draco wouldnt even care #both of their love languages are acts of service so draco doesnt need reassuring when he knows harry would burn cities for him #they love each other very ardently that simple gestures communicate entire sonnets #and theyre cool with that #good for them #joonkorre writes

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genderbinaryisforlosers · 4 years

Note

everyone on the carte blanche for the ask meme

everyone? oh boy this is gonna get long ajfhdsf

JUNO

First impression: i, like a lot of people who get into the podcast without knowing a great deal about it, was expecting at most an ambiguously bisexual angst machine with a closely-guarded heart of gold. juno being an explicitly bisexual genderqueer angst machine is perhaps the most pleasant surprise of my life. the angst machine heart of gold characters were kind of my type at the time, so i loved him right away

Impression now: every time i think about juno’s arc from depressed mess held together by bad coping mechanisms, safety pins, and a few good strong puns into someone who can talk about his feelings, feel comfortable about being happy, and recognise when he needs to change, i want to cry about it a little bit. the depth of my love for juno steel has only grown along with him

Favourite moment: juno has a lot of great one-liners and i’m still a big fan of the “on the other hand i wasn’t wearing a watch” bit and who can forget such classics as juno finally deciding to stop moping over nureyev and move on only for him to open the door to his apartment and find nureyev sitting in the dark dramatically, but honestly nothing will ever hit me harder than his sudden, pissed-off declaration of “i can’t die yet, i still have shit to do!” in promised land. god.

Idea for a story: oh i have so many and i want to write most of them so no spoilers, but juno accidentally kidnaps a baby during a carte blanche heist and shenanigans ensue

Unpopular opinion: obviously we all know he’s dummy thicc but i feel like a lot of people forget he’s an actual genius, like the stuff he notices and how he strings it together is sometimes so obscure and he’s almost always right. oh, also juno is not skinny and i will not be taking criticism on that

Favourite relationship: this is so tough because every dynamic is so good, but i think it has to be juno and rita. those two are so good! the best best friends in the world!! i’m really a sucker for any dynamic that’s ridiculously in-sync so i loved these two as soon as juno saw rita’s notes in prince of mars and went “makes perfect sense to me” (which it probably didn’t, because rita, but he trusted that she knew what she was doing which is the important part)

Favourite headcanon: this isn’t really a headcanon but i still think about how juno is (was?) deathly afraid of heights but when he heard rex glass coming he still attempted to climb out of the window. either his aversion to working with dark matters/other people in general was so strong is overrided his fear, or his office was actually on the ground floor. not sure which of these is funnier.

NUREYEV

First impression: we’ve all seen the memes about nureyev knowing juno steel for one (1) day and deciding to Risk It All by leaving him with his name, look at this Hopeless Romantic, this utter DISASTER of a homosexual. the fact the very next time we hear from nureyev (at least directly) he’s patiently waiting in juno’s dark apartment to surprise him with a heist definitely supports this image.

Impression now: even after literally being inside peter’s head, i feel like we didn’t get a real sense of who he is until man in glass, where we find out he aggressively compartmentalises everything that causes him stress. he’s also distinctly someone who’s had his heart broken before, i think, which makes those first appearances of his very strange. but it does remind me of what juno says about diamond, and how he decided to provide the trust first and wait for the trustworthiness to grow in (only to get severely hurt), and i think that’s exactly what nureyev did. i am also... very uneasy with how suspicious he’s behaving this season because obviously i want to believe he’ll sort it all out and not betray the crew but... oof

Favourite moment: the beginning of what lies beyond pt1 where he’s affectionately bullying juno into taking care of himself? cleared my crops watered my skin etc etc etc

Idea for a story: i’d love to hear more about his past as a young thief idolising buddy and vespa (i can’t actually remember if that’s canon or fanon but anyway i wanna read it!)

Unpopular opinion: i think people often cling to an image of him that more resembles his first impressions in season 1 instead of seeing the depth that we’ve been given about his character in season 3

Favourite relationship: him and juno but honestly it’s a close call between them and his budding friendship with rita. even though she learned it by accident, his name is still a point of intimacy and it’s one less secret to keep around her which has to be a weight off his shoulders, at least a little? they seem like they could be really good friends once ultrabots is out of the way. juno steel love (and also bullying) zone activates whenever they’re together

Favourite headcanon: i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again - nureyev has never done a household chore in his goddamn life. he doesn’t know the water needs to be hot when you wash dishes.

RITA

First impression: honestly i’m not sure? i don’t remember having a big awareness of her in murderous mask but i remember loving her “note-taking” in prince of mars, i thought she sounded really fun and cute

Impression now: rita is really fun and cute, she’s also an extremely hardworking and dedicated woman who had the guts to throw in with a detective fired from the force and then invest all of her time and money into helping him help people.

Favourite moment: Rita Gets A Knife. enough said

Idea for a story: i don’t know honestly! i really struggle to write rita because her thought processes are so wild and i don’t think any story i could come up with would match mega ultrabots of cyberjustice.

Unpopular opinion: this shouldn’t be unpopular because juno steel himself shares this opinion but all future-jupeter headcanons are incomplete without rita also being a huge part of their lives

Favourite relationship: rita + franny 4ever obviously.. jk it’s juno & rita have you heard rita minute 3 they’re too adorable for this world. im still Soft over their conversation at the end of soul of the people when he said he couldn’t stay in hyperion anymore but he wouldn’t leave with the carte blanche if rita wasn’t coming because he was done leaving her behind, and she threw out all her hesitations on the spot and said call the big guy. speaking of, rita & jet are a close second. instant best friends i love them.

Favourite headcanon: i think this is basically canon now but rita being literally half the height of jet is so good

JET

First impression: “haha lorge funny man puts juno in the trash”

Impression now: jet sikuliaq is one of the dearest characters to me out of anything ever. he is a huge, menacing, polite, kind, sincere man who i would very much like to give me a hug. he’s the best aro ace in outer space and while being generally very levelheaded and straightforward, also takes every opportunity to fuck with juno because it’s very easy and very hilarious to him personally. he is everything my autistic acearo ass needed and i’m so glad to have him

Favourite moment: all of them every single one. him putting juno in the trash is of course a classic and every moment jet chooses to be funny makes my heart happy, but also every piece of genuine advice he gives. i’m a particular fan though of buddy recounting her years in the lighthouse and him saying he became concerned when she didn’t come downstairs at the usual time. “you took the door off its hinges.” “i was deeply concerned.” king of understatement

Idea for a story: again no spoilers for you but..... tools of rust time loop au

Unpopular opinion: this isn’t “unpopular” as much as it is unknown but jet is buddy’s queerplatonic partner and i will keep saying it until everyone believes it

Favourite relationship: jet and buddy,,, just everything about them. the way he suspects when she’s lying, the way she makes tea for him when she expects him to drop by. the fact he comes to check on her when she is 41 seconds late to the family meeting because it’s unlike her to be late and the last time she was late for something her brain was turning to radiation soup. but most especially the way she snaps at him to stay out of her business and he said he could not because he made her promise eight years ago to never stay out of the business of her health, no matter how many times she asked. they r literally in a qpr

Favourite headcanon: i don’t think this is true but i still think it would be funny if the ruby-7 used to be painted red but when jet got it he had it painted green because he Just Really Likes Green (as evidenced by his hovercycle). it’s very funny to me.

BUDDY

First impression: it’s been a minute since i relistened to time gone by but i’m pretty sure the first thing she ever says in the podcast is sliding up to depressed accidental whiskey thief juno and say “that’ll be ten million creds,” scaring the shit out of him, so needless to say i was in love instantly.

Impression now: my love for buddy aurinko has only grown and if it sounds like i already said that in this post it’s because i did about juno and it’s appropriate because the parallels are astounding. the heart of it all gave us such depth to buddy’s internal monologue and why she always sounds like she knows exactly what to say and what that’s like and honestly will i ever be over the heart of it all as an episode? unlikely. i think i’m gonna have a little piece of it in MY heart forever.

Favourite moment: everything she’s ever said is iconic as hell i especially like “in an impressive fit of hubris i’ve decided not to prepare my words for this vow” which made me laugh out loud but once again i must give it up for her iconic “I WANT TO LIVE” moment. honourable mentions to her taking rita out for ice cream and giving juno shooting lessons while she’s in her actual wedding gown. i love her

Idea for a story: buddy and vespa as sun/moon dieties.... that’s all

Unpopular opinion: stop drawing her with a fancy high-tech eye like the theia!! it canonically looks like garbage and it’s described in detail, please, i’m dying, also don’t minimise her scars you bastards

Favourite relationship: buddy and vespa invented romantic love and the entire carte blanche crew’s relationship to her is great but you know by now i’m a slut for buddy & jet out-of-this-world queerplatonic partners. the way she checks in on him during tools of rust to make sure he’s not relapsing and he comes to find her when she is 41 seconds late in the heart of it all to make sure she’s not having a heart problem!! it’s the trust,, the devotion,, the mortifying ordeal of being known

Favourite headcanon: she can sing. absolutely tears it up at karaoke. i’m right

VESPA

First impression: knife lesbian goes STAB. she will heal your wounds but she will be threatening to give you more the whole time

Impression now: she is extremely strong, heart-rendingly tender, and despite being in the older half of the carte blanche crew somehow has unmistakable little sister energy which makes her downright hilarious. i’m so glad she got to marry buddy and they’re official space wives now they’re so good for each other

Favourite moment: both from shadows in the ship, either “GUN!!” “KNIFE?!” (iconic) or when she clocks the dark matters drone pretending to be juno because it called her crazy and juno wouldn’t call her crazy. i’m always a sucker for “shapeshifter fails to fool mark because they Know Each Other Too Well” and it was just *chefs kiss* so good

Idea for a story: i really want to write something about when she was first staying at the lighthouse with buddy post-reunion, and getting to know jet and stuff. i think it would be cute

Unpopular opinion: i know vespa doesn’t canonically have lots of scarring but people who don’t draw her with scarring? cowards.

Favourite relationship: once again, although buddy and vespa invented romantic love, i just love the dynamic between vespa and juno so much. they’ve come so far with each other and their weird sibling dynamic gives me life. at the end of what lies beyond when juno says “we’re not gonna kill her, vespa” and instead of sounding full of Rage and Suspicion she’s like “whyyy notttt?” and he’s like “because i said so!” and that’s just good enough for her even if she’s a bit grumpy about it. i love it.

this took.. a hot minute to do! jshkfjsdgsa thank you dyl ily <3

#michaelburnnham #riley replies #be gay do crimes in space #the penumbra #juniverse

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nyaheum · 4 years

Text

My yearly list of Eurovision songs after the first impression (I mean, for like, half of them. I heard snippets of some songs.). Judged on music videos, because...if I only listen to the songs on Spotify, my eyes get bored. :’)

(oh, and don’t talk to me about iceland’s placement, I know this might be unpopular)

X. Belarus

Fuck Belarus, all my homies hate Belarus. Not even going to grace them with a rating.

Norway (TIX – Fallen Angel)

...no. :( And it’s not even because Keiino didn’t win, I just wholeheartetly hate this song. And I’m kinda sorry to TIX, because he seems like a cool dude and his stage outfit is absolutely hilarious, but oh my god do I hate this song with an absolute burning passion.

Poland (RAFAL – The Ride)

eye emoji mouth emoji eye emoji – well, this is a non-qualifier if I’ve ever seen one. Can we just...skip this?

Belgium (Hooverphonic – The Wrong Place)

Nap time! This song annoys me. I cannot explain it, but it gives me a headache and my whole body is revolting against this song. I am not kidding. Objectively, I don’t even hate it, but there’s just something about it...that makes me go...hnghgng…

North Macedonia (Vasil – Here I Stand)

eye emoji mouth emoji eye emoji ver. 2 – I am not trying to sound mean, but does North Macedonia do any music that is not dramatic power ballads? I’m serious. (And I don’t like it, sorry. :((...except for the high notes, I like them. When he can hit them live.)

Estonia (Uku Suviste – The Lucky One)

This (the music video)...is soft porn. I am slightly scared of Uku. I don’t know why. But, uh...this is better than last year’s song? Still, it wouldn’t qualify under my watch, whoops.

Georgia (Tornike Kipiani – You)

He stopped yelling angrily at the microphone. :((( Nah, but this isn’t my thing. It’s great that they are doing their own thing, it’s just not really my thing...it also reminds me of a song I know, damn.

Austria (Vincent Bueno - Amen)

He looks like a german youtuber. I don’t know hich one, but he looks like one. I also canot tell if he’s 18 or 38, lol. (For some reason he also reminds me of Alex Albon, which is even weirder.)...oh, uh, the song? Idk, I don’t care for I. It’s fine.

Spain (Blas Cantó – Voy A Querdarme)

Confession: I’m probably the only person who actually doesn’t like the sound of Spanish all that much. Whoops. Apart from that though, I’m not the biggest fan of this song. Can’t really say more about that. Meh.

The Netherlands (Jeangu Macrooy – Birth Of A New Age)

Listen: I really like the tone of this voice. It’s great. I am not a fan of the song. There’s something just very off about the loud percussions (?) in the background that make me go absolutely crazy when listening to this. My sensory-overload-prone ears hate it, and I’m sorry...the part before the last chorus on the other hand I love. The whole song could have sounded like that and I would have loved it. (...and I can’t unhear “You are my broccoli – You know my broccoli!” ;-;)

Azerbaijan (Efendi – Mata Hari) Whenever I see Efendi, my brain still goes “Cleopatrrrrra!”, oof. This song sounds like a song I know. Which...is super unprecice, but I genuinely don’t know which one. I do like that they kept the weird pre-chorus thing from Cleopatra (and reference the song later on), but I must say that I liked Cleopatra more...but it’s a party song, so I think it will be fun on stage!

Romania (ROXEN - Amnesia)

I didn’t like her song last year, I don’t enjoy this all too much and I’m kinda sorry but also...I don’t want to apologize for my taste in music, lmao. I want her hair though. Give me her hair.

Denkmark (Fyr & Flamme – Ove Os Pa Hinanden)

Ring ding ding, native language bonus. This is also way more fun than I thought it would be, hah. VERY retro, but I don’t hate that? :D (this and sweden really aren’t any different in terms of how much I like them)

Portugal (The Black Mama – Love Is On My Side)

I can appreciate this. I just wish it was in Portuguese, honestly. I don’t really know if I like the English for this song. That being said, I don’t know if you can make these very specific tones (you know what I mean) in portuguese without it sounding super off, so…

Ireland (Lesley Roy – Maps)

Okay, you do you Ireland. :D

Israel (Eden Alene – Set Me Free)

This exists. :D

Cyprus (Elena Tsagrinou – El Diablo)

Cyprus came to party, and I can’t be mad at that. I just don’t know why everybody in the YouTube comments loves this SO MUCH that they are sure that it will win if it gets the jury votes. I don’t think it’s as good as Fuego or She Got Me were, but maybe I just have no taste in party music. I don’t party. (Only if you got a 2000s playlist and some iced tea.)

France (Barbara Pravi – Voilà)

FRANCE sending a BALLAD? In MY Eurovision? It’s more likely than you think. It’s good, objectively. Personally, I don’t really care for it all that much and feel like I already know it.

United Kingdom (Embers – James Newman)

A good, modern song? In my british eurovision song? What happened on the Isles over quarantine? Are you guys okay? Did you find yourself? Have you taken your last breath (breath!) and looked at your past results? I’m impressed enough to put this relatively high, wow.

Serbia (Hurricane – LOCO LOCO)

*adore delano voice* party! Oh, and native language bonus...for a party song! I’m...impressed, actually. I cannot decide wheter I prefer this or Hasta La Vista, but I think it’s this one? The flows smoother, if that means literally anything.

Bulgaria (VICTORIA – Growing Up Is Getting Old)

*shrugs* I think a lot of people will like this. And I get that. I think I even understand it...yeah. I didn’t like her song last year either. It’s just personal preference, I think. I just want to have fun during Eurovision, hah.

Finland (Blind Channel – Dark Side)

Finland: FUCK YOU!!! Germany: Fuck you. <3

That’s all I’ll say, we know how the Finnish are, this is not surprising, lmao. (And I’m one of those children that grew up on Rammstein, so I legally cannot dislike this.)

Croatia (Albina - Tick-Tock)

Tick-tock, can you hear me go tick-tock? My heart is like a clock, I'm steady like a rock-...oh wait, wrong tick-tock! Still, really enjoy this song’s chorus – I actually enjoy it so much that it makes up for the utter loss of interest I experience once it’s over, chrm.

Sweden (Tusse – Voices)

I mean...let’s be honest, it’s a generic swedish pop song. It sounds like every other Swedish entry, and I think that bothers me. I know, that sounds kind of...weird, looking at my choices higher up in the list, but...meh. I think this will easily qualify for the Final and place high, and I am totally okay with that. It’s just not...what I wanted, I guess? :D (and i’m sorry but as a german-speaker I cannot get over the name “tusse”) (oh, and tusse seems to be super cool)

Albania (Anxhela Peristeri - Karma)

Oh, we’re going to war in 130 A.D.? Fine, let me just pack my spear and- oh, Albania has already sent a singer? Ah, well, might as well give up and just vibe.

Czech Republic (Benny Cristo - omaga)

This sounds fun. Not a winner or anything, but fun. I’ll probably still be on Twitter when he’s performing, whoops.

Slovenia (Ana Sklic - Amen)

Wait, there’s TWO songs called Amen? And why do I actually kinda like this? Oh well, might as well just accept it. (Her voice though...mhmmhmhm…yes please)

Iceland (Dadi og Gagnamagnid – 10 Years)

We just vibin’. I liked Think About Things more, but I’m very much biased here...because I’ve known that song for a year now. But this is still very good, and very on brand. (And I understand like...half of the lyrics, but I am okay with that.)

Australia (Montaigne - Technicolour)

not australia flexing at all of europe that they can hold big gatherings! D: oh, but I like this way more than last years song. I feel like Montaigne can show her GREAT voice way better in this song. (Even though her outfit and the sound of the song reminds me of the UK song that had...a dude run on the stage. I can’t think of the word for it right now.)

Malta (Destiny – Je Me Casse)

Destiny’s voice is just….wow. This is very different than All My Love, but it’s fun. The topic of the lyrics kinda remind me of Toy, and I like that…..I don’t really like the music video (especially the dancers in the colorful dresses? idk), but I’ll just ignore that.

Germany (I Don’t Feel Hate - Germany)

Confession time: I actually actively enjoy this song. Everybod is shitting on it, but it’s FUN and it has a good message, and Jendrik seems like the nicest dude ever and...it doesn’t deserve all the hate it’s getting? It’s completely self-produced and just fun. Stop being mean. :(

(...also someone on youtube said “pewdiepie” and I can’t unsee that now so fuck you >:((...no, no I don’t feel hate, just rethink your life choices)

Moldova (Natalia Gordienko - SUGAR)

What in the “Eis.de ist in der Kiste” is this music video? And I thought I would absolutely hate this song, but I actually don’t mind it all that much. It’s actually fun. Oh no, I’m splipping, someone catch me, aaaaaahhhhh….(and that poor cake dude. Is this song about cannibalism? Does she want to eat him?)

San Marino (Senhit – Adrenalina)

Catch me hum the chorus of this song at least once a day...but honestly, without any malicious intent: what the actual FUCK san marino? This is so much better than Freaky, and even though I do not believe for one second that this will win, the simple outragiousness of bringing Flo Rida to Eurovision deserves attention. (Bringing someone like Flo Rida to ESC sounds more like Scandinavia/Bulgaria, doesn’t it?)

Russia (Manizha – Russian Woman)

Not gonna lie, I miss Little Big, but at least they are sending something that’s at least as weird. I love that. Russian Rap is cool as fuck anyway, so I’m fully here for this...but I’m glas this song doesn’t have a music video, this just has to be a live performance. (Oh, and another strong woman!)

Ukraine (Go_A – SHUM)

I’m SO glad Go_A are back. But, let me be completely honest: I know why they had to change the lyrics, but I still liked the first version better. BUT I feel like the new one will grow and me and it will climb one or two places, because the Instrumental just slaps SO HARD. (Makes me feel like putting on a Cybergoth outfit and start dancing at a German industrial park, lmao.)

Latvia (Samanta Tina – The Moon Is Rising)

Does this count as my guilty pleasure this year? I loved her song last year, and this sounds similar, so...I like this too. It sounds modern as fuck (well, for Europe, you know) and I can definitely...”vibe” with that. I genuinely really enjoy this, and I don’t know why. (Even though I prefer last years drop.) A lot of “strong, independent women”-songs this year, and I’m not complaining.

Switzerland (Gjon’s Tears – Tout l’Univers)

Just so we’re clear, this and Italy share the exact same spot. I just cannot compare them at all. Gjon’s voice just takes me hostage throughout this whole song and won’t let me go. And everything that isn’t english/is in the countries offical language immediately gets plus points from me. As if this song needed them anyway.

Lithuania (The Roop – Discoteque)

Aaaaaand...dance break! Good, I just love them so much, it’s not even funny anymore. And I’ve been singing this song randomly since it came out. I can’t stop. It has burned itself into my brain. Let’s dis-co-teque right at my home! *waves arms around with no sign of coordination*

(and does anyone else feel like he’s serhat, just with a different alignment? Like, they are both chaotic, but serhat is chaotic neutral and he’s either chaotic good or chaotic bad, it really depends on the way he looks at the camera)

Italy (Maneskin – Zitti E Buoni)

Italy delivers, as they do every year. Not only do I really like this song (it is very much my genre), THIS is an aesthetic I can get behind! Knowing Eurovision, I doubt it will win, but damn if it won’t be super fun! (I am so glad this won Sanremo, hah.)

#eurovision #esc #eurovision song contest #esc 2021 #eurovision 2021 #rotterdam 2021

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shortyisweird9 · 4 years

Text

'Lonely ghost serie'

Proposition and Accord-part VII

"Ghoooost! Good noon!"

"Hello!"

You opened your eyes slowly, barely awake from the deep sleep you had. The grogginess in your voice shadowed by the abnormal deepness of the voice changer.

"Hey, ghost."

"Corpse! Always pleased to hear you."

"Always ,ey?" Toast picked what you said in a more suggestive tone, teasing you with it.

"Cut it ,man."

You didn't bite on the trap however.

" Anyway, mind if I bring a friend?"

"Of course!"

"Sure why not."

"Okay,brb."

"So ,Corpse..."

"To early for that ,Toast."

Near the white astronaut Ghost had, a new little one came. It was black with a pair of headphones and a Wall-e companion. On top the name Charon was displayed.

The others started circling the new mate as Corpse's pink character stood unmoved by your side.

"Good evening!" A low and mature voice came from a woman. It didn't had a mechanical effect to it so it was coming in naturally.

"Hiiiii!"

"Hello!"

"Guys this is Andreea, Andreea this is the Peanut gallery."

"Ha,nice. Good to meet you all."

"Likewise."

"You too."

"Your robot is cute." Corpse remarked.

You smirked when your phone immediately lighted up. A message from Andreea written in big bold letters: 'HIS VOICE IS HOT!'

'I know :)))'

"Andreea , you know how to play this game?"

"Y-Yeah ummm..."

"Sykkuno."

"Sykkuno! Yeah, I know me and Y- I mean ghost sometimes play it. "

"You play together?"

"Well yeah, we play Fallout together, sometimes Minecraft even Eyes the horror game. Speaking of which ghost?"

"Yeah?"

"My place tonight?"

You smirked knowing what's to come.

"Time to corrupt another soul?"

You laughed was intentionally made to be interpreted by the others as evil and dark. In the inside you cringed, you sounded so stupid.

"Umm,guys?" Sykkuno asked for clarification, to which he will not receive.

"YOU GUYS LIVE IN THE SAME CITY?" Pooki asked all excited for some reason.

"Yeah?"

"Same city? We leave in the same apartment building." Andreea told ,a pleasant hiss rang as her long nailed hands opened a Pepsi can.

'Cola is better'

'Fuck off, Y/n'

':))🖕'

"That's so cute!"

"I guess,but she's a pain."

"A pain? Moi? Please, I am only in pain not one."

The others chuckled at your shenanigans, the humour between you and Andreea being based in play fighting, cursing each other and bumping as hard as you can into each. Considering how much of a height difference is between you two, everything just gets more interesting.

"Maan,I want to stay in the same building with you guys also." Corpse pouted.

You two sounded really nice to be with, especially you. You were fun to talk witg and your natural voice was a godsend to his anxiety and insomnia. It made him sometimes slip into a blissful sleep,especially when you began reading to him Doom lore in the late hours of the night.

' "The Maykrs' need for the Essence is prime. Without it they must suffer the monstrous fate of Transfiguration, and see their wisdom and faculties slither from their twisted forms. By bidding of the Khan Maykr herself, the Order of the Deag has devised a method to improve and accelerate the production of the Hell aura. What once took eons for the savage beasts to attai...oof. Wait."

Corpse heard you move in the bed, your body getting its pressure off it before settling back in.

He wanted to start to ask you to read again when he was interrupted by the sound of smooching ? You were kissing somebody?

You puffed and smiled as Sergiu bombarded you with another waves of kisses, a tradition in your group. You all were touched starved creatures so you showed your platonic affections through hand holding, sudden hugging, cuddling- sometimes propping your cold feet on the other person's back just to be dickish- and rains of kisses.

Sergiu was the most affectionate out of all of you, the rain of kisses being something that his mother used to do before she left to work. 'A kiss on the forehead to brighten your thinking, two on the cheeks so no one is lonely and one wherever you want.'

"Alright! Alright! I get it, you are leaving!"

You laughed as you pushed the cuddly golden retriver of a man away.

His chains attached to his black leather belt with grey 3d rombes running all over it clicked as it bounced. His hair smudged on the worn out black leather jacket and his face all but a smile. He was happy and you love to see it.

-Vrei ceva? ("You want something?")

-Umm...PIZZA PĂTRATĂ DE LA DEDEMAN ȘI MOUNTAIN DEW.("Um...SQUARE SHAPED PIZZA FROM DEDEMAN AND MOUNTAIN DEW.")

The man laughed at your antics, roughing up your freshly washed hair and closing the door as he left.

"Corpse? You still there buddy?"

Corpse felt a pang in his chest, you sounded like you have much more fun with the other person. He knew it was stupid but he couldn't help feel jealous and worried at the same time. He wanted to be the reason to make you sound so happy and he didn't want to be worried of being replaced anytime soon.

"Corpse? My petit orchid? Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah,I am fine."

It came out shaky and too abrupt for your liking. Something's wrong and you didn't want to overstep your boundaries but you couldn't let him go about his day while having something munching on his good mood.

"Hey,hey Corpse."

"Yes?"

"Wanna see my cat?"

"YOU HAVE A CAT?"

"Yes,so do you..."

"Hell yeah. I mean...sure I am cool with that."

You shook your head and became giggling, it's good to know you weren't the only one who didn't know how to cover their slip ups.'

"Trust me Corpse. You don't want to live with this anxiety filled owl."

"HEY! My anxiety adds spice."

"Oh my god!"

"Guys, guys. Can we start the game please?"

"Oh for sure."

————————————————————

"Watch out for the wall, ghost. Watch out for--GHOST! Oh shit ,I lost her guys! Ghost, where are you?"

His character ran in desperate search to find you. When it left the snowy environment from outside , it stopped abruptly. You were there in the office with Sykkuno ripped apart body in front of you.

"Oh shit! Sykkuno!"

His thoughts ran wilde as they hurried to reach a consensus. He knew that you will probably kill him also as you waited for those 10 seconds to pass.

His premonition was proven true went you shut the doors of the office , your character moving slowly towards him.

"Ahhh! Guys ,what the hell do I do?"

His eyes clenched shut as his finger hovered the report button.

The sound of a meeting went off,forcing him to let out the breath he's been withholding. His hands shook as he relaxed himself when his friends started discussing aka screaming at each other.

Someone else called in another body.

You held your fingernails between your lips, leg bouncing from the nerves. You knew Corpse will snitch you out,after all you did killed Sykkuno.

I am so fucked...

Your body covered in a white and black hoodie contorted itself into a smaller position.You ignored the pain that your dead thighs were trying to emit while being in a cross position. Head to busy with anxious thoughts of what Corpse may do.

"Phew, Jesus. I am too nervous for this game."

Andreea's words caught you off guard. She nervous? It's more likely than you think.

Your feelings long forgotten as your protective nature sprung out of the shell.

"You? Nervous? Andreea you are a freaking talented tattoo artist."

"It doesn't matter, my hands are sweating like they are the Danube river."

"Wait ,are you a tattoo artist?"

"Yeah ,I am. I started tatto--"

Mission accomplished! Your goal wasn't to comfort, you knew you sucked at that but to distract. To take her mind away from whatever cause her pain ,then to secretly totally not obviously attack the shit of whatever upset her even bad vibes. Fuck them bad vibes! You and your friends are bad bitches not second hand embarrassments.

"It will be nice if I could do henna also but this hoarding gremlin was only calm enough when she did them. So basically it became her summer job."

Ah. Your mind realised she was telling them how you two met.

You wanted to get some henna tattoos, see if you liked the way the look at you. Andrea was just a beginner when you entered the tattoo shop and her life.

You weren't always an anxious person,the situation changed when your math teacher decided to be a bitch and humiliate you for not knowing geometry. Since then you were always out of breath when you spoke in public, always bouncing your leg when stressed , biting off your nails and having a constant dread when it came socialising with others. And when you are a big girl that amplifies considerably.

People are just shallow like that and you learned a long time ago that their intolerance towards you was a THEY problem rather than a YOU problem.

It's hard thought, sometimes their words and disgusted glares burn you from inside out. Make you feel inhuman ,that your anger,sadness and your passion don't mean anything ,that they are not valid, that you cannot be yourself and liked at the same time nevermind seen as a romantic interest.

But I digress, when it came with Andreea ,everything when abnormally smooth, you joked and laughed, bitch about people and so on. You hit off immediately.

So when you wanted to make a bit of cash ,Andreea didn't hesitate to teach you how to do temporary tattooing.

"That's so nice guys,the body was in specimen room by the way." Dave said.

The others for some reason started blaming Rae , you didn't said nothing as you were still waiting with your breath tight for Corpse to rat you out.

"Corpse? Where were you by the way?"

Here comes the expose.

"I ..uh...wait. I was in the storage then I met Sykkuno in the office but left with ghost."

What?

"Ghost? Can you collaborate his story?"

"Yeah , me and him left Sykkuno. I think orange was with him last time we saw. I am done with my tasks by the way."

"What?"

"LUDWIG! HOW DARE YOU KILL SYKKUNO?!" Corpse growled.

You muted yourself as you squealed. You couldn't believe him. He really took your side!

You took a sip of your green tea, patting yourself on the back for being calm and getting back in the game.

————————————————————

"How could you ,Corpse? I trusted you and you stab me behind my back." Sykkuno exclaimed, pout evident in his voice.

"I am sorry Sykkuno..i-it's just...I...uhh.."

Your microphone was not muted this time so when you burst in laughter you dominated the whole discussion. You laughed ugly but happy as you always did, holding your lower abdomen as it clenched muscle you didn't know you have.

"It's NOT funny, ghost!"

"It'S nOt FuNnY, GhOsT! Bwahaha..."

Despite laughing ,deep down you worried you may have offended your new friends? Nah, too early to call them that.

"I think I know why Corpse did what he did." Grease started in a dramatic sober voice.

"You mean cheated on Sykkuno."

Ludwig ignited couple of laughter from the group.

"Yeah. He did it....drumb rolls please. "

Sean provided the suspenseful roll.

"Because he is a SIMP."

"WHAT?"

"No way..."

"You heard me."

The group went wilde. You didn't know what you could say, your mind crazy yet also numb. Poor Corpse.

"Hey, hey. Guys, please calm down. If you want to come for someone, come for my neck."

Your hands flared up into a peaceful backing sign, you knew of Corpse's bad anxiety and you didn't want to cause him distress by bringing the limelight into his face.

"It's alright, ghost. I am a big boy, I can take it."

You tried to keep it short, you really did but your mind wanted to say one more thing.

"Just like you can open foil?"

You heard a breath intake. You lowered your volume, thinking of what he may do.

"I FUCKING HATE FOIL!"

————————————————————

"Tonight was fun." Corpse said after taking a sip of water.

"Yeah, it was."

You watched your dark hair moving in the air as you played with your toes.

"Sorry again for bringing all the...uh...attention on you."

"It's fine,ghost. I know you didn't mean it."

"Y/n."

"What?"

"My name is Y/n."

Ah!

His heart jumped a bit ,you told him your name that means you trust him right. Lily doesn't know your name so he is the first to know. The first to guard this special information.

"Ghost was kinda wearing down,you know?"

"Y-yeah,...uhh..I mean no! Yes? No? Fuck...It's a pretty name,um...Y/n."

You haulted, getting used to him saying your name will take a while.

"Heh,thanks Corpsie."

"Mhmmm, did you have time to think about what I told you?"

Couple of nights ago,Corpse proposed the idea of starting your own Youtube channel. You were hesitant.

"Corpse, I told I don't think people really like me. I think they just like the voice."

"Non sense. You watched our stream?"

"Noo...? Sorry,I didn't really have time to..."

"Hey, it's okay goofball. Anyway,they were asking more videos with you. Maybe some of them like you because of your voice but most of them like you because they like your personality, gh- Y/n."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Look you don't have to do it if you don't want to. I just feel bad for all the fans that want to talk with you or sometimes I found something funny and I want to send you or tag you. It's stupid I know."

You didn't like the sad tone of his, your heart tightened and your worries worsened.

"I think I am going to sleep. Goodnight, ghost."

"'Night,Corpse."

You were left in the darkness of your room, at the end of the bed with your long fingers reaching towards your knife, your personal fidget spinner. You chew your nail as you moved the blade unconsciously.

Corpse's account:

.ghost added you. Add them back?

————————————————————

Hey,guys!💖💖

Hope you like the seventh part of the serie. I almost went into a writing block with this one.

Anyway, have a nice day!💗💗

Tagged💖💖: @moolujk @magenta-skyline @yikesyikesyikes95 @mythicalamphitrite @yoyoanaria @simonsbluee @cherry-piee @gaysludge @softboiicorpse @heavenly3308

#corpse husband x reader #fanfic #hopefully not cringy #lonely ghost serie

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halothenthehorns · 3 years

Text

TLTNL- THE BEETLE AT BAY

"Oof!" Harry gasped in surprise, as Sirius had at once tackled him out of sight of the front window. At the same time, a spell blasted him from a side he couldn't even see so it must have been done silently, and then the baby was crying in surprise as Remus all but Apparated to the kitchen, wand clutched as tightly as the infant.

There was not a second more to react as the front door opened obnoxiously and an unfamiliar voice called out, "hey, Potter, you home? Mr. or Mrs. I don't really care right now-"

"Dammit man, you nearly gave me heart failure," James gasped, lowering his wand as a Weasley poked his head into the living room for the source of the voice.

At least Harry was quite sure of the last name, even not recognizing the man. He had the same vivid red hair of his best friend and a splash of freckles across his face. There was even something familiar about the stocky build and crooked grin that reminded him of, Fred?

"Gideon, what are you-"

"Black!" The man interrupted in exasperation.

Sirius straitened uneasily from crouching over Harry, but his grin flipped at once into place, even as Harry lay completely still he couldn't spot a trace of concern in his godfather. "Do you knock much? This is my best mate's house, not yours."

"Your own fault for leaving the door open," Gideon shrugged without remorse, a clear mocking expression he'd shocked the man so bad he'd rolled off his seat. Then he cocked his head to the side and looked to the kitchen where the infant's crying was just now subsiding. "Lupin here too? You couple a wankers, you four realize you missed an Order meeting last night? I got sent over here to find out why, and inform your best mate you missed your check in."

Sirius managed to scowl while looking properly chagrined. "Right, about that, err, Remus had a bit of a rough night so we came straight here, and he's only just woken up so I was staying behind to check on him."

"And all three of you had to do that eh?"

There wasn't real skepticism in his voice, but it was clear he found something off. Lily must have noticed, as she stepped forward and started ushering him to the kitchen. "Well he's in there making some tea now, you and Sirius join him to get this mess out of the way."

Sirius gave an exaggerated yawn, and an even more exaggerated shake as he walked over Harry, following them out. James cast one more uneasy look where he'd last seen Harry before following, considering he didn't have a suspicious reason not to.

Harry stayed where he was, not moving an inch, yet his heart still thudding so loudly he was grateful it hadn't given him away. He finally shifted his eyes down and saw that he'd been disillusioned, likely missing the cold sensation from his rush of shock.

He could very faintly hear voices from the kitchen, certainly surmise the easy tone they were all using which was probably what had stopped Remus bolting out the back door in the first place if that's what he'd heard from here. He started to worry when he grew stiff from his position, wondering how long disillusionment charms lasted, and very much wishing he'd asked Moody to teach him the spell when he'd had the chance. Dare he make a move for the Invisibility Cloak while he had the chance? He wasn't even sure his wand would work on the false wall, but it was better than lying here waiting to be discovered, he didn't know what would happen to his family if he was, let alone him.

He'd just convinced himself to at least go hide in the bathroom rather than the middle of the floor when he heard scraping chairs and voices back in the hallway. He checked one last time to make sure he still blended with his surroundings as Gideon's voice said, "-let this happen again, you'll have Dumbledore start questioning you lot. I warned him about something like this happening, you lot ain't even thirty yet-"

"I resent that!" Sirius snapped.

"And resemble it," he heard Remus mutter even more quietly.

"I promise Gideon, it was a one time thing," Lily spoke over both of them.

"We've far too much invested in, affairs," James agreed, an edge to his voice that made Harry's skin crawl as he remembered who all his family wanted to have a word with involving the Order.

Something of this must have meant something to Gideon as well, his tone just a touch more understanding now, "alright then, happens to the best of us."

Harry heard the door open again, before Gideon said his last piece, "well you lot look after yourselves." Then in a much more affectionate tone, "and have the little guy come over some time," he made a little coo noise and the baby responded back with a giggle. "Molly'd love the company."

"It's on my to do list," Lily promised, before there was a snap, and quiet came.

"I should at least get to have the privilege of shoving his wand up his arse," Sirius muttered as he stomped back into the living room. "Scaring the bleeding piss out of us."

"Maybe if Remus would stop losing his keys, I'd actually lock the door once in awhile," James rebutted good naturedly.

"It's hard keeping track of the one key." He protested, "we don't use one to lock our flat, you know that, it was an Apparition only. Why do you think it was so cheap?"

"I keep offering to give him one to my bike, but for some reason, he makes that face," Sirius snickered.

They hesitated for one more moment, Lily hovering next to the window just to be sure, before she hissed, "Harry?"

"Yeah," he called back just as softly, "still down here."

She took a moment to aim carefully, and then Harry sighed in relief as he got to his feet, shaking his limbs to get some feeling back.

"So that's Gideon Prewett eh?"

"Far as we know," Sirius rolled his eyes, "or it could have been Fabian, they're as bad as Fred and George with that gag of theirs, but they're a tad less fun about it when you swap them, so I think Prongs guessed right."

Harry hesitated uneasily before whispering, "did I get you guys in trouble?"

James said no at once, but Lily sighed and admitted, "it did look suspicious, Remus' full moon was four nights ago after all, but as long as we've been with the Order now I think we worked it out alright."

Harry still fidgeted guilty, but James seemed determined to wave the whole thing off now as he collected the book that had fallen to the floor. "Honestly Harry, don't worry about it. Besides, the faster we're done with these things, the faster that you can meet the Order yourself and this whole mess can be sorted out."

Harry was still worried though. Gideon may go back and tell everything was okay, but what if someone else came to check on their absence, a particular rat who would be very confused why his three best friends had skipped without mentioning it to him? But he'd said the last time, hadn't he, he wouldn't be back around for quite some time, and hadn't disclosed why. Would this change things, make him come back around sooner? Harry wasn't even sure if he wanted that to happen or not...

James was already flipping back through chapters looking for his place, Lily sinking down in relief beside him. Remus and Sirius exchanged one last look before glaring at the door, as if daring it to do that to them again before they took their seats back as well. Clearly outvoted, Harry returned his attention back to this, for now.

Harry's question was answered the very next morning.

James grunted in agitation, he hadn't really wanted an answer to this, but he supposed it was some kind of good thing he was getting one so soon instead of having to wait forever like every other question he had.

It was found in Hermione's Daily Prophet, the moment she'd flipped it open she'd yelped in shock startling everyone in hearing range.

"That was not encouraging," Sirius muttered, his face already twisted with dislike before he got an explanation.

Hardly waiting to be asked, she laid it down flat for the boys to see, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

Gazing up at them were ten black and white pictures, each with a caption underneath of the crime for why they'd been sentenced to Azkaban.

James's voice hitched in his throat, gazing with unfiltered fear at that last word before glancing wordlessly at his best mate, whose features had turned icy at the reminder of the place. He had not a clue what this could be about, but he already felt who this was going to be hardest on. If Sirius' name came back up in conjunction with that prison again, he was probably going to have to resuscitate him what with all the terrible fears he'd been feeling of being cooped up back in Grimmauld place.

A man with a twisted face named Antonin Dolohov was convicted for the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett.

Even having been one of the first people they'd found out we're going to die, somehow having just had some morning tea with the man still made this news feel sharper. It was made all the worse they could put a name to the man who would do it. For Harry it felt even worse, he could feel that thorn in his mind promising the violence wouldn't end. Names and fears crowded together inside him that he had no hope of understanding, and he was almost grateful for it.

Also Algernon Rookwood, a pockmarked man whose picture looked rather bored, his crime; being convicted for leaking Ministry of Magic secrets to You-Know-Who.

Harry shivered hard at the reminder of that name, red fumed memories tainted and waiting to throw him into a deep abyss if he dared peak.

The one who stuck out to Harry the most was the woman, with long dark hair and a disdainful smile. Like Sirius, Azkaban had not fully taken away her once beauty, but the features were now more of a veil.

Sirius continued to grow more sallow in here until he resembled a bleached copy of himself at the idea of retaining any features from the woman who would do that to someone he considered a friend. He wanted to be mad, to rage at Harry he was nothing like that excuse for a human being, but as of now he was afraid of feeling anything in fear of drawing dementors here.

Harry wanted to catch Sirius' eye, in that moment he was desperate for his godfather to look at him for a promise that everything would be okay again no matter how much he got angry when they tried to do it, but he needed one now. Sirius wouldn't look at him though, he wasn't looking at anyone, but instead he was watching the fire, eyes unfocused as if he weren't even here.

Bellatrix Lestrange, convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom.

Lily spluttered for a moment before starting to twist some hair around her fingers in agitation. She didn't like that was just posted on the front of a paper where you could also find the morning weather. It felt callous, all of those had! Neville had clearly not told many people, and now it wouldn't be hard for them to put the pieces together.

Finally Harry tore his eyes away from the front cover to notice the headline above the images: Mass Breakout from Azkaban, Black 'Rallying Point' for Old Death Eaters.

"Why would they use Bellatrix's maiden name," Remus forced out quietly, his face already simmering below shouting levels if he used anything else.

James had no response. No wisecrack came to mind, no utter of denial was enough to cover this.

Lily felt a mess of things well up in her, not least of which was she wanted to weep for him and what this could mean. What if they finally acknowledged Voldemort was back, but they tried to blame it all on Sirius! He'd escaped and a year later Voldemort had returned, she could easily envision the Ministry making that leap after this new slander, and she'd want to return the favor by tearing their throats out!

Sirius looked slowly around at them, Lily opening and closing her mouth but nothing getting through, James and Remus threatening murder again, Harry's visible outrage, and he smiled. He could feel what a lopsided, twisted thing it was considering this wasn't funny, but he could also imagine reading this news at Grimmauld place and sitting there all alone feeling everything they were, in his own shadowed corner. So he started giggling.

"Padfoot, I swear-"

"No, no," he ducked as Remus actually moved to start smothering him. "I'm not for the reason you think I am, I swear! Just, just keep going Prongs," he managed to insist past his hysterics of gratitude he wasn't alone now.

The best thing in the world was his best mate scowling at him, but then there was just the smallest spark of understanding in his eyes and he kept going.

Harry made to start shouting in outrage about this, but Hermione quickly shushed him and urged him to read the whole thing.

Harry grudgingly did, finding it to say the Ministry of Magic had announced last night the mass breakout from Azkaban.

"How?" Lily's voice broke over the word, in fear or anger they still weren't sure. "I honestly, I just can't believe this, what is happening!"

"The world's joining the toilet," Sirius offered, still with that insufferable look in place Lily wanted to curse off. Of all the times for Sirius to force his sense of humor on them! Never mind that she almost found it a comfort he could laugh in the face of this again, even if it was going to drive her crazy instead.

Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic,

"Oh trust me, we're all well aware," Remus said in disgust, still eying Sirius with concern at his forced bravado through all this. He couldn't play off forever this wasn't getting to him, and Remus was getting worried what he'd really do when that happened, most likely much worse than just leaving this place and being knocked out again. James was clearly going out of obligation for his son at this point to get through these, otherwise he probably would have quit at the start of three out of sheer anger for what was being done to his friends. It somehow managed to keep getting worse. Remus just wished he had something more to offer than to be angry for them. He was already a useless waste in this future, he should be able to do something for them in here!

had confirmed this fact and already informed the Muggle Prime Minister, being quoted as saying we they found themselves in much the same position as two and a half years ago when Sirius Black performed the same thing, and they did not believe the two instances were unrelated.

"I mean, under other circumstances, I can't even blame them for that one," Sirius had his head cocked to the side, ignoring his double vision from forcing himself to pay attention to this rather than the screaming rant he really did want to give.

An escape of this magnitude suggested outside help, and they must remember that Black, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban,

"You mean they never even reported Jr.!" Harry spluttered in outrage as he realized this. "How- they actually managed to cover that whole thing up!"

He didn't get an answer, and he wasn't expecting one. He knew with the Ministry trying to discredit Dumbledore at every turn now that anything he'd had to say would be tarnished, but it was maddening they wouldn't admit to one single thing they'd done wrong in the past two years of his life, what else were they covering up?

would be ideally placed to help others follow in his footsteps. They thought it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have rallied around Black as their leader.

"I never even captained the Quidditch team, what makes them think I can pull this off?" Sirius asked with an insufferable attempt at politeness, every one of them now fighting the impulse to hit him themselves already.

They were doing all they could to round up the criminals,

"Because that worked out so well the last time," Remus sneered.

and begged the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached.

"Paper was finally done," James told them in clipped tones, realizing that was all the information they were going to get on this for now.

Lily had finally collected the energy to finish her outrage. "How did this happen? They can't get away with this one, they just can't! No one will buy the dementors just stood by and let this happen, inside job my arse! The dementors defected, there is no other explanation! In piling up their own lies, they're only forcing people to see the truth that much sooner!"

"I find it a bleeding miracle this was put in at all instead of what type of crumpet Fudge had for breakfast," Remus agreed.

"There's no way they wouldn't get caught if they didn't report something like this," James disagreed critically. "Even with the very low amount of check ups that go into that place, they clearly decided it was better to stay ahead of this in case one of them was spotted."

Harry didn't have the air to add in, he was still too focused on his own deep seated worry. How things kept getting worse rather than better as he sat in school and did nothing. The DA was the only way he could fight back, and it didn't feel as if it would help for much longer before something irreversible happened because of all this.

Ron said for Harry this must have been what Voldemort was so happy about last night.

Harry rubbed furiously at his temple for the reminder he hadn't needed from Ron.

Harry was still the most outraged Fudge was blaming this on Sirius!

"So much for being in Kolkata," James murmured, heart tightening painfully as he envisioned them grabbing back one of those convicts, the entirely wrong one! If Fudge got wind something was up in the Auror department and Sirius was much closer to home...but no! Sirius was fine, the Order would look after him and he'd keep his nose safe because he had to!

Hermione bitterly pointed out he had no other options, he could hardly go back now and apologize Dumbledore had warned this would happen.

"That didn't make any of this any better," Lily said through gritted teeth, even when this one wasn't Hermione's fault.

Hermione ripped the paper open to continue reading further on the subject through other pages, the faces still blinking at them from the front page. Harry glanced around him, but saw no other students seemed remotely concerned at this topic, but then he supposed, hardly any of them took the paper. Conversation around him still swelled about homework and Quidditch, not that Voldemort's ranks had swollen.

Sirius felt a bitter sigh escape him. What he would give for Harry to be the same way, to just be reading about his pup complaining about a normal detention and wondering who next to pull mischief on. The poor kid ran a terrible life that only seemed to be getting worse.

The staff table was a much different story. McGonagall and Dumbledore were leaning in closely and whispering urgently, and Sprout was so engrossed in the same cover as Hermione she didn't even realize her breakfast was dripping into her lap. Umbridge, instead of her pouchy eyes sweeping the hall for trouble as usual, was throwing the rest of the staff nasty looks.

"Well that can't be good," Remus muttered, wondering what new form of evil she could pass in the farce of a decree in her efforts to stop them talking next.

Hermione whispered another shock, and Harry demanded what just as loudly as last time, starting to feel jumpy.

"At this point I can't even blame you," James agreed, his eyes trying to skip ahead lines now to see this new misfortune as well.

Hermione stated it was horrible, lying it down flat for them again, the two boys leaning in to read the new headline: Tragic Demise of Ministry Worker.

"Who would have thought I'd ever be grateful it's not another headline about me," Sirius sighed.

The article read; St. Mungo's Hospital promised a full inquiry last night after Ministry of Magic worker Broderick Bode, 49,

Sirius grumbled in agitation he still couldn't place where he'd heard that name before. Wait, had it something to do with those Ministry- "Chicken!" Sirius suddenly burst out for no discernable reason other than to interrupt.

"Sirius, we just had breakfast-" Lily said in exasperation, but he ignored her as well, babbling at top speed with a look of relief on his face. "I remember where I heard Bode's name, that bloke from St. Mungo's who couldn't talk, or was just starting to talk, whatever! Fire breathing chicken, he was in the elevator on the way to Harry's trial!"

There was an echoing silence for a moment before Remus told him, "you're mind works in the strangest way."

Sirius shrugged in relief, finally satisfied that odd tickle was gone from his brain.

Oddly though, this made Harry start to frown again with unease. Just what was it about the name Bode he was supposed to be remembering? Sirius was lucky he'd had his moment, because Harry struggled with every one of his.

was discovered dead in his bed, strangled by a pot plant.

James couldn't help his brows creep with interest at this, understanding now why it had distracted Hermione from the larger matter he was still plenty outraged about. This was certainly...new.

Healer Strout, overseer of Bodes Ward, was suspended with full pay while the investigation took place, her statement being that the plant had been anonymously delivered over Christmas break. Bode, who had been hospitalized as incapable of caring for himself, had been steadily improving so had been encouraged to handle the plant himself, neither realizing the Flitterbloom it was supposed to be was in fact a cut of Devil's Snare. The moment Bode had attempted care, he had been throttled to death.

Remus scrutinized this for a moment before finally blurting out, "you must be kidding. Why did someone kill a mental person?"

"You got me," James agreed before shushing him for the rest.

St. Mungos is as yet unable to account for the presence of the plant on the ward and asks any witch or wizard with information to come forward.

"Now I'm done," James finished.

"Yes, thank you for that wonderful conclusion," Remus snipped before pressing his point. "I mean it, the bloke couldn't say his own name, what on earth was the real story there?"

"I really wish we knew," Sirius grumbled as he ran his hand through his hair in agitation, always feeling like he was missing part of the story, even the ones he was involved in.

Harry was horrified they hadn't recognized the plant while they'd been there, they'd experienced it first hand.

"Oh Harry no," Lily said at once. "You can't be blamed for this, it would have happened whether you'd been there or not-"

"But we were there," Harry stated. "What's the use of being around if not to help when we could have."

"For the same reason you can't stop every man jumping in front of a bus," Lily said, her tone itching towards real concern. "Things happen around you Harry, but it's not your fault if you couldn't stop them."

He only nodded to appease her, but not for the first time wondered just what good he'd ever done anyone.

Ron said back at once it was no one's fault but the person who sent it, then asked of no one who didn't check the plant they were buying.

"Oh Ron can't mean that one," James rolled his eyes. "He must know as well as anyone this was no accident."

"Maybe it could have been though," Lily strained to keep some peace in any life. "Deliveries get mispackaged, what if this was supposed to be sent somewhere else, and that Healer truly wouldn't know the difference if she'd never touched it herself."

James took a moment to appraise her, see her desperate plea for something not to be hate and murder, and nodded slowly. "You're right Lils, accidents do happen out there."

Lily leaned into him with one knot of unease finally releasing her, more grateful than ever to the man she'd married.

Hermione told him now he was being thick, this was no accident, but a clever murder. Being sent anonymous meant no one would even know who, but the real question was why?

"Congratulations! Someone helped beef up security at St. Mungo's, they probably won't be accepting anonymous gifts now!" Sirius jumped in and tried to praise this situation, Lily scowling at him for what she thought of as sarcasm. Sirius just huffed he wasn't appreciated enough.

Harry's mind went back, to when he'd first met Bode, at the Ministry of Magic when he'd been with Arthur.

"How do you still manage to remember things before me," Harry huffed.

"It's alright Harry," Sirius said bracingly, "as my wondrous friends so frequently point out, my mind is a steel trap that forgets nothing."

"I said you're an idiot who who can't remember anything except when the next meal is," Remus corrected.

"Actually you told him his mind works in strange ways, I think both count here," James grinned, actually grinned at his two friends, every second of his life now set on the idea he'd never have to go without seeing this.

"It was implied," Remus rolled his eyes while James swallowed a laugh and kept going.

Ron's mouth opened with surprise as he finally recalled where he'd heard that name, his dad had mentioned it! Bode worked as an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries!

"Oh," they all muttered, rather forcefully dropped back into the story at the mention of that.

"Well, that just made a lot more sense," Lily shivered.

"He was working with the Death Eater's to try and get this mystery thing out of there as well, but something went wrong," James concluded.

"So someone silenced him," Remus agreed.

James gave an apologetic look to Lily who was frowning deeply at all of this, and he could honestly understand why. He could feel more every day what would happen to his friends and how it was getting to him, the same thing was happening to her on the wider scale of the world, all the injustice that never ended. He tried to hurry on, wanting to hear about a lesson already, anything but Hermione finding another article in the paper.

Hermione continued glaring down at the paper, before suddenly jumping to her feet.

Ron asked where she was running off to, but she hardly took notice as she grabbed her bag and walked away, muttering she was the only one who could.

"I love it when she does that," Sirius said, only half being sarcastic now. "It usually means something's fixing to happen that I like."

"I just wish she'd explain before she goes off," James agreed, still scrutinizing that one, but pleased one of his wishes had come true, at least in the short term.

As she vanished the two got up as well, though headed out into the Entrance Hall. Ron told he hated when she did that, it would only take her a few seconds longer to explain, but was cut off as they ran into Hagrid.

He was pausing in line as well, and still looked as heavily bruised as when he'd first returned, a new cut even across his nose.

All five of them felt their faces fold in concern at the same time. If they could have an answer to something going on, they wished it was whatever had really happened to Hagrid, as clearly it was still affecting him.

He greeted them casually enough, too casually as he tried to say he was busy with some salamanders, lessons to prepare, but finished on a mumble he was on probation.

"I wish I was more surprised," Remus snapped.

"Still plenty disgusted by it," Sirius sneered.

Ron shouted in protest of this, before several students looked around in surprise, and he repeated himself in a whisper.

"I sincerely doubt it's a secret," James scowled. "Surprised Umbridge hasn't posted that news as the headline herself."

Hagrid said he'd expected it, they may not have noticed, but his inspections hadn't been going that well.

"What I saw was a prejudice loogie who needs to have a run in with a spit already," Lily said flatly.

He dismissed himself quickly, clearly still not at all in the conversation. Harry watched him go, wondering how much more bad news he could stand.

"Oh please stop tempting fate Harry, it usually dumps twice as much back," James sighed.

The fact that Hagrid was now on probation became common knowledge within the school over the next few days, but to Harry's indignation, hardly anybody appeared to be upset about it,

Harry looked nearly as affronted as the news Sirius was being blamed for Voldemort's doing. What was wrong with people they couldn't see who was in the wrong with these things!

Draco Malfoy seemed positively gleeful.

"I hope he keeps that expression when I create The Amazing Bouncing Ferret, the Squeakquel," Sirius vowed.

As for the Death of Bode, only the trio seemed to know or care about that.

"Well that I actually believe," Lily sighed. Not many people read the paper for any of the important stories, which is probably why the Ministry still published them, to claim they were keeping people informed in as little detail as possible.

What did become the hot topic of the school, was the news finally being passed around of the ten escaped Death Eaters. Rumors and fear quickly went wild, many fearing and claiming to have already seen them in Hogsmeade, and hiding out in the Shrieking Shack as Sirius Black had once done.

James had to pause there to reread that one, mostly for the Shrieking Shack line.

"Did the whole school find out about me being in there?" Sirius demanded in confusion.

"Peeves spread it around," Harry confirmed. "Of course the whole thing got jumbled, I even heard one girl telling you were actually the ghost haunting that place, but now most people are aware it's somehow connected to the grounds and you can get in and out of there some way. Never heard anything more clear than that."

"Well thankfully we'll never get a repeat of any kind of Sirius' incident," Remus said with absolute confidence. "The Death Eaters aren't stupid enough to come after the school with Dumbledore here."

James tried to nod in agreement, but instead managed to let his glasses fall of his face he was jerking so much. He quickly put them back and kept going loudly before Sirius could suggest, again, he permanently stick them in place, no one noticing a similar reaction passing over Harry.

Those who came from wizarding parents had grown up hearing the names from the paper with as much fear as Voldemort's, and relatives of the victims were among the students, and were now receiving some gruesome form of celebrity status.

"Maybe this'll make them all realize how Harry feels," James said grimly, he still couldn't think about his son's fame without a whirl of emotions, none of them good.

Susan Bones, whose uncle, aunt, and cousins had also been in the paper with their captors crime posting, told Harry how horrible it was, she didn't know how Harry stood it.

"I guess the empathy's kind of nice," Lily said grudgingly.

"Still wouldn't have asked for it like this," Harry said softly, he'd never want anyone else to know what it felt like to be him.

Harry also had a new upsurge of mutterings around his name, but to his surprise, they held a new tone. Now he caught a hint of curiosity in the whispers. Like Hermione, the rest of the school had come to the conclusion the Prophet's line of the news had left some holes, and they were starting to fear the real answer was the only other one, what Harry had been saying.

"Would you look at that, they've grown brains," Remus politely applauded.

"Only took them half a year, guess they can't all be as rational as us," Sirius smirked.

"I think you meant orotund," Lily pleasantly corrected.

Sirius frowned, not recognizing the word, but sure by her tone he knew the meaning so scowled at her for good measure.

She continued by ignoring him, "I'm just happy it's happening at all, I've sympathy for them not wanting to believe it even when it was in their face."

"How was that nicer than what they said?" James politely asked.

"I didn't try to insult the students while praising myself, you lot do that enough yourself," she smirked.

Harry was laughing too hard for the argument to keep going with any amount, so James rolled his eyes before continuing.

It wasn't just the students with a new mood, the teachers were now commonly seen clustered close together in corridors talking in low whispers, though quickly breaking apart when they saw anyone approaching.

"Must be as hard for the teachers as it was for Harry to find a moment of not being watched by the toad," Remus said in sympathy.

Hermione explained they could hardly talk in the staff room with Umbridge around.

Ron asked if they knew anything extra, and Harry said if they did, they couldn't tell even if they wanted to. Not after, what Decree where they on now?

"Oh no," Lily mouthed in horror as James read out a new level of idiotic.

That very morning, new Order of the High Inquisitor Notices had been posted around Hogwarts; stating teachers were hereby banned from discussing anything with students that was not strictly relevant to their assigned subjects.

"I was joking!" Remus spluttered, hardly pausing for breath as he explained his earlier thought. "Merlin, I think I'm more insulted I'm still surprised she's doing this!"

"I'm more insulted she keeps getting away with it," Lily corrected with pure disgust.

This had at first caused a wave of amusement for some students, Lee Jordan happily pointing out to the woman herself when she'd caught him and the twins playing Exploding Snap Umbridge couldn't say anything about it because it wasn't to do with Defence.

"Thank you!" James burst out with pride. "Finally, someone really showing Umbridge just how ludicrous all of this was, I was beginning to fear everyone in this school was just playing along with them!"

When Harry next saw Lee, the back of his hand was bleeding rather badly.

Harry watched them all hiss at the reminder of that, he rubbing at the back of his hand again in sympathy.

Harry recommended essence of Murtlap.

Harry had thought the breakout from Azkaban might have humbled Umbridge a little,

Sirius gave a hollow laugh for such a dream, when he more envisioned chucking her into Azkaban instead. He didn't need dementors there, she could just rot in a cell and left to die and he'd be happy.

Instead her fury had intensified, and she seemed determined to bring every aspect of life in school under her control. Her goal of now was clearly a sacking, and the only question was who first, Hagrid or Trelawney.

James groaned loudly in pity for the two of them. Neither were, ahem, perfect teachers really, but neither had ever done anything so bad as to deserve this! Okay, so maybe Trelawney had irked them one too many times, especially last year when Harry'd had that dream in her class. Okay, Hagrid and those Skrewts had crossed the limit of what he should be bringing to class, but the real trauma was that Snape wasn't on that list! He'd done far worse than the two of them put together, where was his sacking slip!

Every single class of theirs was now overseen by Umbridge and her clipboard. This caused Trelawney to act near hysterics at all hours, being interrogated about ornithomancy and Umbridge insisting she predict the students answers before she gave them while also wanting first hand experience of crystal gazing and rune stone readings.

Lily groaned in sympathy though. Not even liking Trelawney she would have long since stepped in and told Umbridge to march herself back out and go do her own work, though in her opinion it only showed how much effort Umbridge had to put into her own classes to be seen in so many others.

Harry thought Professor Trelawney might soon crack under the strain. Several times he passed her in the corridors -

Remus frowned in confusion, easily remembering her rarity of doing this from all of Harry's previous years.

which in itself was a sight as before she rarely left her tower, but could now be seen walking through corridors, wringing her hands and muttering to herself, while smelling like sherry.

"The poor broads as crazy as I always said she was," Sirius said, but there was nothing but sorrow in his voice. Even after the prophecy she'd declared that had nearly ended his life, this wasn't exactly what he would have wanted to happen to her in return. He wouldn't wish that toad on anyone.

Harry would have felt sorrier for her, but if it was between her and Hagrid, he knew who he'd pick.

"Yet the probability of both being gone is far more likely, as he said, it was only a matter of who first," Remus muttered for himself.

Unfortunately, Hagrid wasn't doing much better. He'd finally taken Hermione's advice and had shown nothing more dangerous than a crup for their class, but was still very distracted during lessons, answered easy questions wrong, and often trailed off in the middle of sentences while glancing anxiously at Umbridge. This was all made worse by the fact he'd forbidden them from visiting.

"It felt like he'd never even come back," Harry whispered.

Lily bit hard at her lip, wanting more every moment to go to him and wrap him tight in her arms, promise this would somehow get better, but they were all running out of that assurance the more Umbridge did.

Insisting if she caught him, his job would be in even worse jeopardy, and they'd all be in even more trouble.

Harry felt as if Umbridge were steadily depriving him of everything he loved of Hogwarts; first letters from Sirius, then his Firebolt and Quidditch, now she was even trying to keep Hagrid away permanently.

James had tensed more with every line, unable to imagine his old school falling into such a grim form of itself for his son, the one reprieve he'd ever had in his life.

He took his revenge the only way he could - by redoubling his efforts for the DA.

The news of the ten Death Eaters had spurred his group into working harder than ever, but nobody more so than Neville.

While unsurprised by this, they all wanted to praise Neville in that moment for taking this the right direction, rather than curling up in a corner and crying as he was entitled to do at that woman escaping back into any section of his life. He had something to fight for now.

He had not spoken of seeing them that day at St. Mungo's, and taking the lead from them, neither had they. Yet the change was obvious to all in the DA, as with every new spell he hardly spoke a word to anyone, his face screwed up with concentration regardless of injuries or mishaps, it was almost unnerving. The only person mastering them faster now was Hermione.

Lily almost threatened to tear up at this news. She'd always known Neville had more potential in him than Harry had ever seen, but now she thought of how proud Alice would be of her son just like she was for her own. The idea Alice may never get to say it to her child just like she hadn't in this future felt unbearable.

Harry wished he were progressing as much with his Occlumency, on the contrary, he felt he was getting worse each week.

James shivered in unease, he hadn't found that possible!

Before he'd started, his scar had prickled occasionally. Now it was a constant feeling of being nettled, and he often felt great mood shifts that had nothing to do with his own surroundings.

Remus could feel his mouth opening in horror at the idea, and quickly scrambled to cover the expression, but Harry had seen. "Okay, so I won't lie," he confessed to his pale nephew. "The fact that I have no clue what that means is..." he faltered, but no word seemed right. "Doesn't make you any less to me," he finished meeting his eyes.

Harry relaxed back with a chagrined nod he'd thought otherwise for even a second, while Remus was still stunned what he thought clearly meant as much to him as James or Sirius.

His recurring dream had turned into a nightly occurrence of traveling down the dark corridor. Upon complaint of this to his friends, Hermione had suggested it was like a fever, it would be worse before it got better.

"I'm getting the feeling this Occlumency is another symptom rather than a cure then," Harry huffed, he still couldn't feel any good came of this.

Harry said flatly Snape's lessons were only making it worse! He was sick of walking down that corridor, he wished it would open already!

Hermione scolded that wasn't funny,

"He wasn't trying to be," James rolled his eyes, honestly sympathetic to Harry's problem and wishing this would come to ahead already, this building tension of what this thing could do was going to drive them all mad faster than Umbridge.

Dumbledore didn't want him dreaming about that at all or he wouldn't have asked Snape to do this, he just wasn't trying hard enough.

"Lets see her try it!" Sirius spluttered in protest for her jab. "It's no walk in the park having your brain cracked open, let alone by such a detested insect!"

Harry snapped back he was trying, lets see her do the same, having Snape in her head, it was not a laugh!

The two exchanged an amused grin, while Remus grumbled no one needed Harry furthering Sirius' never ending idiotics.

Ron voiced the suggestion that maybe Snape wasn't trying to help at all.

The worst part was, the Marauders had been wondering much the same thing. They hadn't said it aloud, never let the idea come to fruition, but it made too much sense to them. They didn't trust Snape, and they never would, certainly not with something as important as this. Now, with Ron saying it for them, James forced out the words slowly and clearly to help put together his own train of thought past curses.

Maybe he was doing the opposite, opening Harry's mind for You-Know-Who.

Hermione told him to shut up. How many times had they suspected Snape? Dumbledore trusted him, as did the Order, that should be enough!

James turned pasty in shock of remembering who was in the Order and Dumbledore trusted, and his own fate because of it. James wasn't even sure if he could trust anyone outside this room again, let alone anyone Dumbledore said should be good enough.

"Not for me it's not," Sirius barked, entirely wanting Hermione to shut up instead. "I've never seen evidence against him either! Dumbledore's word isn't good enough for this, not with what Harry needs right now."

Lily kept herself calm, and quiet. She only agreed with Sirius on half, she did want that proof of his loyalty, he had done to many questionable, terrible things that she now needed something she never thought she would. She almost wished Ron hadn't said this, because now she couldn't get the idea out of her head, this certainly hadn't occurred to her. She'd thought her old friend was finally doing some irrefutable good helping her son with this, but the boys were right, they had nothing to show for whose good.

Ron insisted he used to be a Death Eater, they never had proof he'd changed.

Hermione said they had to trust Dumbledore, if not him, then they couldn't trust anyone.

"I hope that's not true," James whispered for himself. That small ember for the life of one of his friends had died out never to be seen again, but he still trusted his real friends, his wife. He used to trust Dumbledore irrefutably, but that no longer felt as real either, and he knew he'd never fully get that back after all this. If that's really where Hermione stood, he pitied her.

With so much going on, the month of January flew by, and before Harry knew it, he was looking at February fourteenth, a whole warm spring day spent in the company of Hogsmeade, and Cho Chang.

Sirius made such an enthusiastic noise Harry startled away from him, his eyes already narrowed at all of them and fighting back the urge to wrestle the book away from his father.

"Dad, I will-"

"No." James said at once without looking up.

"But I-"

"No." Sirius cut in, a smile already lighting his features as he looked at the object like it was gold.

"What if I-" Harry tried desperately.

"No." Remus crossed his arms and watched him as if he'd gone insane trying to ruin their fun.

"Can't I-"

"No," all three Marauders said at once.

He looked desperately to his mother, but she could only shrug helplessly for her poor boy, only wishing for a moment she could be more sympathetic, but that vanished in moments as she was honestly just as eager to hear this.

"Well I don't need to-" he started getting to his feet and contemplating drowning himself in the bathtub until this was over, but was again intervened.

"Don't you even," Sirius cried in protest, wrenching his elbow back into his seat before he'd even managed to stand. "Your reactions are half the fun!"

"Only half," he muttered, pulling restlessly, but Sirius wasn't letting go, now waving James on eagerly so they could all hear about Harry's first date.

He hadn't much time to talk to Cho up till this point, and now he'd have to find some way to talk to her for a whole day.

He dressed very carefully the morning of.

Sirius was already opening his mouth with a now familiar look that promised Harry would soon wish to be deaf and invisible. "I am begging you-"

"Harry, we haven't managed to stop him in the amount of years in our life, you hold no chance," Remus pleasantly informed him.

Sirius hadn't acknowledged either one of them as he blurted, "hope you got one of those mirrors offering advice, you're going to need it!"

James already burst out laughing while Harry finally got his elbow free, and spotted the cat snoozing under the table. He scooped Hickory up and placed him on his lap, scratching at his ears and making him purr loud enough Harry hoped to drown them all out instead.

They arrived at breakfast to see Hermione impatiently watching the owls arrive, and she seemed to get what she was wanting, an unfamiliar bird perching in front of her. She eagerly ripped the envelope open saying it was about time, she'd needed it today.

"I'm guessing this has to do with what she walked off about earlier," Remus cocked his head to the side, more easily distracted than the others about what Hermione was doing.

"Brilliant deduction," Lily rolled her eyes at him while the other two shushed them, trying to get to far more important matters.

Whatever it was, she declared it as important, and asked if Harry'd meet her at the Three Broomsticks at midday.

Harry was uncertain, saying Cho might be expecting him to spend the whole day with her, they'd never discussed what they were doing.

Harry squirmed with discomfort, this wasn't working and the cat glared at him and kneaded his claws into his shin. He roughly pushed the animal back off of him, thinking now everyone in here was enjoying themselves more than him.

Lily frowned at her son being so rough with her cat, but as the boys were still lightly snickering over something so minor, she couldn't find it in her to scold him for that.

Hermione said she didn't care if Cho came, but she really needed him to come.

Harry agreed, then asked why, but she said she'd explain that later and ran off to send a reply.

Harry asked if Ron was coming, but he looked glum.

"Here I was wondering if he and Hermione were going to spend the day alone," Sirius muttered to Remus suggestively, who nodded in agreement as he'd thought the same thing.

He however couldn't come at all, Angelina was having them spend the whole day training, though he didn't see how it would help, they were the worst team.

James felt his mood take a downpour at once, somehow finding a new way to be depressed about this every time he realized why no more Quidditch practices had been mentioned!

He couldn't understand why Angelina wouldn't just let him resign.

"I wouldn't either," James said sharply. "He's clearly good when he sets his mind to it, he just needs to work on that far more, clearly Angelina isn't much help if he's still thinking the exact same way as the last time we heard about this."

Harry couldn't hold much sympathy for him, as at least he was flying at all. They departed with a touch of frost, and after attempting to flatten his hair and checking his reflection in a teaspoon,

James was so agitated by the conversation, he poured every last drop of his enthusiasm into reading that, and though Remus and Sirius didn't laugh as hard because they were just as annoyed at the reminder, Harry suddenly wasn't so put out at them taking the mickey out of him for this. It was certainly better than anything else they'd been hearing about lately, so he finally fixed a smile into place and prepared himself for all the ribbing they'd give.

and proceeded alone to the Entrance Hall to meet Cho, feeling very apprehensive and wondering what on earth they were going to talk about.

"Well we know you already have something in common," James said, still a bit briskly for the Quidditch reminder, but clearly forcing himself to remain in his good mood.

"Yeah, yeah you're right," Harry eagerly agreed at once, still trying to force himself to join in on their fun.

He greeted her uneasily, and she gave just as awkward a reply back as they joined the que to go outside past Filch without speaking more.

"This is going to be a very short outing if that continues," Sirius' grin managed to keep stretching, it looked almost painful.

"Young love," Remus giggled at the awkward look Harry was clearly trying hard to keep repressed now.

It was a relief to reach the soft grass, but there was a sharp pang as Harry still couldn't help glancing to the pitch where he could see Ginny skimming the edge of the stands on her broom, looking for the Snitch.

Harry felt the same sharp pang in here, temporarily distracted in confusion that he'd much rather be playing a game than on a date with a girl he'd had a crush on for so long.

Cho asked if he missed it, noticing where he was looking.

Harry agreed at once, and she asked him if he still remembered the game they'd played against each other in third year.

"Vividly," James beamed.

Harry agreed she'd kept blocking him, Cho giggling in remembrance how Wood had yelled at him for being a gentleman and Harry should knock her off her broom.

"And look at you pup, still a gentleman considering you never did it," Sirius grinned.

"Not everyone can say the same," James smirked.

Lily opened and closed her mouth, not sure if she wanted to know what that comment meant, but James didn't pause long enough for her to ask.

Cho asked if it was true he'd been taken on by Pride of Portree.

"No, it was Puddlemere United," James recalled.

Harry corrected no, it was Puddlemere United, he'd seen him at the World Cup last year.

"Why do you remember that?" Lily muttered.

Cho remembered she'd seen Harry there too, and they quickly began chatting about that game, which carried them all the way through the school gates.

Sirius offered Harry a triumphant grin for catching such a light hearted conversation that could last them for hours, and could easily branch into other things. Harry really had picked a good girl, he still wasn't sure what Lily and James ever found to talk about considering she had no fondness for the sport.

Harry could hardly believe how easy it was to talk to her - no more difficult, in fact, than talking to Ron and Hermione -

"That's really good," Lily encouraged. "After the first few awkward moments, talking really should be the most natural part."

yet it only lasted until they ran across Pansy Parkinson, who began shrieking with giggles at the sight of them, telling Chang at least Diggory had been good-looking.

Both parents looked honestly offended at that, Remus having to bite hard on his tongue to stop from laughing at their faces when Harry at once shifted guiltily at the reminder.

She walked away still laughing loudly, leaving the two in another awkward silence, both forgetting what they'd been talking about.

James groaned in sympathy for Harry before telling him, "then you either compliment her, can start another conversation easily enough, or you curse them as they walk away-"

He ducked just in time as Lily tried to smack him, shaking her head affectionately at her husband.

Harry chuckled, just a bit, at the friendly advice.

He tried to ask where she'd like to go, and when she offered up nothing, they began wandering around aimlessly.

In the window of every shop were posters of the escaped ten Death Eaters.

They all shivered in disgust of that reminder, still on some level picturing this happening to Sirius even if his heat had cooled down. This resurgence could still cause a mess of problems for the man who didn't deserve it.

On the bottom was a note, promising a thousand-galleon reward for anyone who had information leading to their capture. Cho gazed at the picture for a long moment, before saying it was funny.

"Not the word I'd use," Remus said bitterly, with a touch of confusion, what was Cho getting at?

She remembered when it had been Sirius Black on the loose, and this place had been swarming with Dementors. Now there were ten out, and no Azkaban guards in sight.

"Oooh, I like her," Sirius began snickering harder than ever, his eyes gleaming at her logic, plus a darker something at the reminder he was still refusing to acknowledge. "We really could use her around, mind like that."

Harry gave an absent smile, happy to see they clearly still had a liking for Cho, but even as he gave his ring a little twist he tried to understand if this feeling of loss really was for this first date, or for someone he still couldn't place yet.

Remus wasn't as convinced, as at the time the Ministry had believed they knew where Sirius was going and why. They were half wrong, but it still would have had merit to post some guards for something so extreme happening, preferably something more reliable than dementors. This, he supposed, was just another level of showing how much the head of the Ministry cared, which felt non existent at this point.

Harry agreed that was weird, but he wasn't sorry. He did feel the significance of their absence, first in letting the Death Eaters escape, now not around to look for them, it seemed they really were outside Ministry control.

"Because that's right comforting," James grumbled, still feeling disgust for the dementor attack of Harry's over the summer. While still odd, it seemed the explanation really was they'd been acting on their own in that Muggle place.

A chilling rain started coming down on them, and Cho changed the subject by asking if Harry wanted to go get some coffee, he agreed, but asked where to find that?

She gestured to a place called Madam Puddifoot's, just past Scrivenshaft's.

"What's this now?" Sirius ruffled his brow in confusion.

"Never heard of it," James almost snapped, insulted at once this girl would know something about their place.

"Relax you two," Remus wished he could protest more the put out look in place, but he was feeling as off as his friends. "Don't be naïve in thinking they wouldn't have added a few more shops over the years."

They exchanged one more annoyed look before James kept going with some interest now, placing the shop in his mind easily enough as just an empty bit of space and curious to add to it.

The entrance was not inviting, as Harry found every surface covered with frills and bows, the place unpleasantly reminding him of Umbridge's office.

Sirius wretched at the very idea, even Lily found this undignified, though perhaps more because of the comparison than anything.

Cho told him she found it cute.

"There is no correct answer to that," Remus groaned.

Harry agreed unenthusiastically.

"Suppose that's the best he could do though," James sighed.

Cho said it had even been decorated for Valentine's day, gesturing at the cherub's along the ceiling that were dropping heart shaped confetti everywhere.

"I honestly would have called that as original decorations," Harry said, his face squished up in remembrance.

They sat down at once of the few seats available near the window, Harry choosing to look around more than keep awkwardly smiling at Cho, and found the place to be made up of couples. He spotted Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, holding hands with a pretty blond girl.

"At least he's not still strung up over Fleur," James chuckled.

"Ooh, I think Cho knew exactly what she was doing," Sirius sighed.

Harry wasn't paying him too much mind, even if he would have agreed, as he tried to subtly watch his parents and how they'd effortlessly been holding hands most of the time they were in here. Even the idea of wishing Cho were here so he could as well was starting to make his palms sweat.

Perhaps Cho would expect him to hold her hand.

"That's a rather common first date practice," Remus agreed.

The wild look on Harry's face made it clear this was news to him.

"Err, Harry dear," Lily began cautiously, "has anyone ever, I mean to say, who-"

The growing look of horror was a pretty clear answer.

"No one ever talked to you about what happens after the date," James stated bluntly.

"Clearly even during the date," Remus muttered.

Harry kept watching them in exasperation like it would click together for them without his having to say so, but it was clear at least his mother wanted an explanation for this while the other three were just curious. "Okay fine," he groaned, "no, it's not as if I ever chatted about this! Heard some things from older students, some of the guys from the dorm say a few things that stick. Most everything I've really heard was from Ron," he couldn't help stammering even if he wasn't too embarrassed at least explaining the highlights. "Whatever his brothers told him, some things I heard Mr. Weasley say, I thought it pretty clear I was making it up along the way. You really want details?"*

"Nope," James said, more than satisfied, even if still a little resentful this was yet another thing he'd been deprived of, as he kept going loudly before Lily could argue the point.

The matron came over, Madam Puddifoot herself, and Cho ordered them two coffees, while behind her Roger had moved on to kissing his girlfriend over the sugar bowl.

Harry was cringing into his seat, never in his life wishing more that his dad would skip some parts already!

James didn't seem particularly phased by what other random people were doing, he was more curious if Harry was going to progress that far, if remembering kissing Cho would finally set off some spark in him that would declare who that ring connected to. It hadn't the first time though, so he wasn't holding his breath, and instead was just going with curiosity now what Harry would learn from all this.

Harry wished they wouldn't; he felt that Davies was setting a standard with which Cho would soon expect him to compete.

"Oh I doubt that," Sirius shook his head, "most girls are far more involved with their own affairs."

"Really?" Remus said in surprise. "I thought they were more observational, in fact I'd be thinking the same as Harry."

"Oh no, they're watching your every move to see if you're watching their every move," Sirius said wisely.

James was watching curiously. Considering the many dates Sirius had been on, and just as many failed attempts, he was never sure how much Sirius wasn't just making all this up on the spot.

He looked to the ceiling instead, and received a face full of confetti.

"That timing," Lily began giggling anew as Harry's face puckered with indignation.

He tried to start a conversation about abusing Umbridge, but this was passed around the DA so often that ended quickly, so his mind scrambling desperately for something more to say, he brought up that Hermione wanted them to meet up later at the Three Broomsticks for lunch.

Cho raised her brows as she asked he was meeting Hermione Granger today?

"That's what he just said," James rolled his eyes, while Sirius hummed in concern, easily recognizing the dangerous tone without even being there. It was never a good sign when the question was repeated back.

Harry said yes, but he hadn't been given a reason, but Cho had explicitly been invited.

Cho said that was nice, but her tone didn't at all convey this, she now looked forbidding.

"Oh dear," Lily said, quickly catching up to why Sirius was shaking his head at this display.

"What did I do?" Harry demanded of them.

"Cho's jealous of Hermione," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"A bit founded, honestly," Lily winced. "All those stories last year, well it's not as if she knew them not to be true," she said quickly at Harry's affronted look for Skeeter's articles being brought up again. "Plus you've been friends with her for ages, now bringing this up, I can see how she'd take that the wrong way."

"I wouldn't bring a date to a girl I fancied, I'm not that oblivious!" Harry protested. "I was trying to enjoy spending time with Cho, just, trying to find something to say."

Considering James had lived through several similar conversations of Sirius trying to partake advice, James saved Harry from having to hear any further and hoped his son wormed out of this fast enough on his own.

They passed into an awkward silence then, Harry still watching her hand that was resting on the table. It was amazing he'd never had difficulty reaching for the Snitch, but it felt immensely different to reach his hand across the table.

James gave a breathy laugh as he eyed that before nodding at his son. "I find it a fair comparison."

"Can't have been that hard for you," Harry rolled his eyes, "considering all I've heard about you trying to ask her out, this bit must have been a breeze for you."

"Hardly," Remus snorted as James turned chagrined. "Poor bloke was so stunned Lily finally gave him a chance, he somehow turned into more of a blithering idiot when she acknowledged his attention."

James didn't bother to deny this, shrugging without remorse. "It did help she'd already seen me making a fool of myself to get this far, so I couldn't screw up so badly at the firsts."

Lily was just happy Harry was finally relaxing and actually chatting with the boys about this, clearly forcing himself past his embarrassment had finally led them to stop snickering away like total idiots and now she could really gage how he felt about all this. She was surprised at how, lax he was. She was genuinely starting to wonder if this thing with Cho was going to go anywhere, he'd been more happy about having his memories of learning all the Weasley's names restored rather than a first date with a girl who could possibly be his wife.

The moment he'd finally seized his opportunity, Cho took her hand from the table, and was now watching Roger kiss his girl as well with mild interest.

"There you have it, all of Padfoot's advice is officially null and void," Remus said in triumph.

"You certainly weren't singing the same tune in school," Sirius huffed, hardly looking abashed Cho was doing the opposite of what he'd been thinking.

"You're an idiot," was the only response he seemed to have for that.

She told that Roger had asked her out a couple of weeks ago, but she'd turned him down.

"Now who's bringing up other people on our date," Harry threw his hands up in exasperation.

"She's trying to make you jealous," Lily assumed. "After you brought up Hermione, that's her idea of a comparison."

"I've never asked Hermione out," Harry spluttered.

"That's what she thought you meant," Lily explained.

"Well why couldn't she have just said that, I would have told her. I had no idea why she brought that up!"

Lily just shook her head at her poor son. If she could have, she would have been whispering all this in his ear, to help him understand, but she also recognized he would have to figure all this out in his own time regardless. He clearly already had, considering.

Harry, who had grabbed the sugar bowl to excuse his sudden lunging movement across the table,

Okay, maybe all of their humor wasn't gone, all three cracking up at the description, Harry even offering a smile for his poor attempt.

couldn't think of anything to say to this, did she wish she was that pretty blond girl with Roger now? Why had she said yes to him then?

"Pity?" Sirius clearly thought he was being helpful. "She knew you had a crush on her and she's trying to make someone else jealous."

Harry's eyes popped, he looked half affronted and half confused now, while Remus smacked him upside the head.

"What?" Sirius protested, "I was just being honest. Better than saying she only did cause he's so famous."

"You are not helping," James enunciated clearly for his idiotic friend while Harry huffed and rubbed at his temples, clearly trying to remember if he recalled any of those things. James glanced at Harry, but he was now so distracted he wasn't sure if Harry was even still listening, so he kept going to try and find the point of this while Harry was still distracted.

Harry had nothing to say to this, while Cho continued she'd come here with Cedric last year.

"Oh this is even better," Lily groaned, "now she's reminiscing about their elephant."

"Really starting to feel better about my dating life," Remus muttered.

Harry missed what he'd said as his mother's words caused another level of distraction, now looking dispirited about the whole thing for a whole new reason other than his family's mockery.

Harry felt his insides ice over as Cho kept talking with a higher pitch now, asking if he'd mentioned her before he died.

James had hardly gotten that out before shuddering at the idea of what Cedric's last thought must have been. What his own would have been...He shook himself to clear that away and turned solemn eyes on his son, never having wanted to say more to him but having no place to start.

Harry clearly didn't want to talk about this though, his jaw tightly set and all but glaring at the book for never ceasing to remind him of this when all he really wanted to do was forget it all again. That wasn't going to happen though, the moment he'd realized the thought had crossed his mind he'd even felt ashamed for it, Cedric's death was to be remembered for the same reason his trip to the Mirror of Erised was. Bitter, unattainable pain that pushed him to be better at his own life.

James took a careful breath before continuing quietly, looking forward to this as much as he was hearing more about those escaped prisoners. He had no desire to hear about Harry explaining Cedric's last moments to Cho...

This was the last thing in the world Harry wanted to talk to her about, and he tried to say so, there wasn't much time for him to say anything. Then he asked about what had happened at the latest Tornados game.

"Oh it is far too late for changing the subject," Sirius told him with sympathy while Harry's horror had switched to dread. A huge jumble of emotions leaving him more unclear than ever what he was supposed to be feeling about this moment and Cho in general.

To his horror, he saw that her eyes were swimming with tears again.

"I don't suppose this'll just pass into a relapse of the two of you kissing, and finally a skip scene," Remus pleaded just a bit desperately.

"Fingers crossed," James winced for his poor son.

He desperately leaned in and whispered to her he didn't want to talk about this right now, but this was apparently the exact wrong thing to say.

"Really, why?" Sirius yelped, starting to look jittery as he glanced from Harry to the book, no advice in the world would help him out of this mess.

"Couldn't tell you, thought you were supposed to be telling me that," Harry said miserably, he wanted this to be over already, even more than when it had started somehow.

She got out between stuttering's and the beginnings of tears trickling out she needed to talk about it, didn't he understand? Surely he needed to talk about it too.

Lily started to look affronted for her son. She knew what Cho meant of course, but there was an entirely huge difference in dating Cedric and watching him die. Of course they both needed to talk about it, but not while they were trying to move past it during this moment of the two romantically trying to start up!

Everything was going nightmarishly wrong; Roger Davies's girlfriend had even unglued herself to look round at Cho crying.

"Now's the time you try to take this outside," James winced. "She really is something, dragging this out in public."

"I'm sure by this point what Sirius said is actually some form of true, she's not paying attention to a thing but herself by this point," Remus groaned.

Harry tried to agree in a low whisper sure he did, to Ron and Hermione, but-

Cho turned into shrieks of outrage as she spluttered of course he talked to Hermione Granger!

Harry's mouth gaped open as he vividly remembered this nightmare returning. Now thanks to his mum, he supposed in some skewed way he knew why that would bother her, but it wasn't like that at all! He wouldn't have started screeching if she'd gone and said she'd talked to one of her friends about this, what was the difference? "Why was she bringing this up at all?" Harry hadn't realized he'd demanded that out loud until they all winced for his tone and the baby in Remus' lap fussed uneasily at the sharp voice.

"I'm sorry Harry," Lily sighed, wishing she had a better answer. "My best guess is she was trying to make you sympathize with her to keep your attention, but it's not as if we have insights into her mind, we really are guessing."

Harry nodded morosely, muttering an apology for half yelling at something that was entirely not their fault.

James waited patiently for his son to settle back down in Remus' lap before pressing on with a look clearly saying he'd like to change the subject last page.

Cho gasped he wouldn't talk to her about it? Well then they should just leave and he could go talk to Hermione Granger like he obviously wanted to!

"This is just getting better and better," Sirius sighed.

Harry just looked at her with bewilderment, and wished Roger would seize his girlfriend and starting kissing her again rather than ogling them.

"There's a sentence I've never been privy to," James paused to gaze at that line even if he did sympathize with his son for it.

She told Harry to just leave already, if he was going to make arrangements meeting up with other girls, then even asked how many there were after Hermione?

"That is the most ludicrous thing!" Remus spluttered. "Now I'm wondering if she took something before this outing!"

"She's upset," Lily scolded him, even if she was still more wishing Harry would do more to comfort the girl, it wasn't really his fault both were mutually making this worse.

"She's just shouting nonsense at him now," Remus insisted, "even Sirius was never so loony to pull something like that."

Sirius couldn't decide if he was supposed to be insulted for a moment, but James was going loudly over them, knowing no answer to this would help Harry.

Harry at once said it wasn't like that, and feeling so relieved at finally understanding where her anger had come from, he laughed. A split second to late, he realized this was the worst mistake yet.

"Credit for trying?" Sirius offered, for now ignoring Remus. "I always try to make others laugh in these kinds of situations."

"Merlin help you if you start acting like Sirius in any situation," James rolled his eyes.

Cho sprang to her feet. The whole room was quiet and everybody was watching them now.

"So happy to be of their entertainment for the day," Harry groaned.

"If it's any consolation, you've now set for them how their dates shouldn't go," Sirius clearly thought he was being helpful again, while Harry eyed him with concern since he wasn't sure if Sirius meant this. If he did, maybe his godfather had head trauma.

She dramatically told him she'd see Harry around,

"That about covered this whole instance since you stepped in there," James agreed.

and still crying, stormed outside into the rain.

Harry threw a Galleon on the table before trying to go after her,

"More than I would have done," Sirius rolled his eyes. "That little tabloid needs a chance to cool down."

"Did you just call her a tabloid?" Lily asked in confusion, already feeling insulted on Cho's behalf for whatever he could mean by that.

"Yeah, dramatic and showing off," Sirius grinned like he was being clever.

Remus was too busy watching him in disbelief, and missed Lily's expression saying she wished he'd take another swing.

but she had vanished. Harry didn't understand what had just happened, half an hour ago they'd been getting along just fine.

"Oh how things can change," James agreed, though he said this more with an air of cheer as he glanced adoringly at his wife.

He muttered about women all the way back up the street,

Lily went from grinning at her husband to scoffing at her son, who looked properly sheepish, though in his silent defence there hadn't been a chance his mother would be around to hear that when he'd said it.

muttering about what she'd brought all that up for, who wanted to talk about things that made them a human hosepipe?

"Oh Merlin, he really is acting like Sirius now," Remus groaned, that was too reminiscent of how Sirius came back from failed dates.

"I'm still on Harry's side for this," James frowned at that. "She did seem to bring this on herself."

"Stop, the lot of you," Lily frowned at all of them. "Cho was trying just like Harry was, things got away from them. I still hope they'll patch it up."

Harry grimaced at the idea of this. His liking for Cho, which had always been the smallest part of his memories returning, felt more insignificant than ever, and he really didn't have much feeling for his mother's words other than more dread.

He made it to the Three Broomsticks early, but decided to go in anyways and find someone to chat with until Hermione arrived. He first spotted Hagrid. He looked as miserable as Harry felt though, gazing into his tankard and not even realizing Harry's approach.

While the others had brightened just a bit, Hagrid was always fun to talk to and his departure and even return had only been depressing so far. They were hoping for just a small moment of fun, but this wasn't an encouraging start.

Only Sirius had an idea of why James was looking forward to this least of all. If Hagrid started imparting girl wisdom in his steed, he wasn't sure how long he could fake not being annoyed at it.

When Harry did get his attention, he asked how he was doing, and Hagrid was clearly lying when he said he was fine; next to his still battered appearance, Harry didn't feel he had much to complain about.

"True, his relationship with Maxime seems to be going well," Sirius said brightly. Harry rubbed his face into his hands in exasperation while Remus told him he had a one track mind, Sirius ignoring both of them.

They sat in silence for a few moments, though at least this didn't feel awkward to Harry, until Hagrid spoke up they were both in the same boat.

"Err," Lily muttered in confusion, wondering where Hagrid was going with that, and still somehow wishing for that pleasant chat.

Both outsiders, both orphans.

James's slight scowl turned into a grimace instead. He would have taken being annoyed at being replaced rather than the abrupt reminder of why he would be replaced!

If their parents had lived, things would have been different.

"Yeah," Harry whispered, ducking his head. It was too hard to look at them all for a moment, to realize yet again his living in this moment never should have happened, but by some miracle it had. Hagrid had never been granted such a gift to see his parents again.

Family was important, blood was. He wiped a trickle of it from his eye.

"Oh the poor dear," Lily crooned, feeling her own eyes start to sting. Hagrid did seem a bit off since he'd come back, and she suddenly wondered if this was why! Being surrounded by giants, hearing the fate of his mother, his only relation was dead! She knew Harry often felt like an outsider in the magical world, she often did as well being a muggle-born, Hagrid must have it even worse not truly being apart of any world!

The boys could only awkwardly agree. They felt bad for Hagrid, but anything to say about it felt heartless or lost on them. Only Remus could have possibly sympathized, and he hadn't spoken to anyone about this except his friends, so he wouldn't have dared tried now when Hagrid was clearly in such an off time.

Harry asked where he'd gotten all those injuries?

"I can't even blame you for that one," Sirius said with a hard catch to his voice.

Harry almost wished for his advice back, that was easier to handle than a Sirius who was yet again forced to relive what would happen to his best friend, to his own future, all because of Harry.

Hagrid looked confused at the abrupt change, asking what injuries?

"Those jabs to the heart you keep dishing out," Remus muttered sourly, glad Hagrid wasn't around to hear that, he didn't mean it.

Harry needlessly gestured to his face, and Hagrid brushed off those were just bumps from his job.

"Hagrid's as good as ever managing his secrets," James tried to force more sarcasm to his voice than the edge that was still present.

Then he abruptly left, Harry watching him feeling more miserable than ever. Hagrid was hiding something, and wouldn't accept help, what was going on?

Harry had to concentrate for a moment on remembering to swallow past everything that had happened. He wished he could be of some help to Hagrid, but he also had a really bad feeling for whatever was this notion in him he was sure to understand this eventually.

He couldn't think on it long, as he turned to hear his name called, by Hermione.

She was sitting a few tables away from where Hagrid had just been, with two of the most unlikely drinking buddies, Luna Lovegood and Rita Skeeter.

James spluttered like he'd been clocked in the head by a Bludger! Even Lockhart hadn't thrown him off as badly as this woman making a reappearance!

The other three made much the same noise, this day really couldn't get any stranger could it?

"I have never been happier for Hermione's existence!" Sirius declared. "I need an explanation for this Prongs, now!"

It still took him a few moments to find his tongue and continue. He hadn't expected to ever hear from this woman again, or if she had crossed his mind he'd have liked to think her in a cart load of trouble, not having a drink back at Hogwarts!

Hermione greeted him that he was early, and wasn't expecting him for another half hour.

"Drama explanations for later, answer for why there's a cockroach at the table now," Sirius insisted, fighting back the urge to snatch the book away from him already.

"I'm going, I'm going," James muttered, only going slower in responding, so Remus elbowed Sirius hard before he could retort.

Rita's attention was caught at once, staring avidly at Harry while confirming this was a girl?

"What if it is a bloke named Cho?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"That would be an even bigger news line, if possible," Harry said deadpan, James shushing them both without looking up.

Hermione snapped it was none of her business. Skeeter at once put back her Quick-Quotes Quill she'd been reaching for, looking like she'd been force fed Stinksap.

"Now there's an idea," Remus couldn't stop himself snickering at the idea, though quickly stopped at Sirius' glare.

Harry asked what his friend was up to.

"Finally," Sirius yelped, James taking a moment to look at him in exasperation for still managing to delay this further.

Skeeter told Little Miss Perfect had been fixing to explain that upon his arrival, before waspishly asking if she was allowed to even talk to him?

Hermione coolly responded she supposed.

Unemployment had not been suiting Rita. Her once elaborate curls hung lank, her nails were chipped, and there were some jewels missing from her glasses.

Lily didn't care how mean spirited her giggle was, the woman deserved it with all she'd done.

While Hermione was distracted, Skeeter leaned in close and whispered to Harry if she'd been pretty?

Hermione snapped one more word about his love life and the deal was off.

"What deal?" All four of them said in exasperation.

James looked up slowly from the book, saying clearly, "well if you'd stop interrupting me, maybe we'd know by now!"

Remus ignored him and instead started speculating with that little bit, "Hermione's not really going to let Rita out from under her thumb, I can't imagine what would be worth it!"

"There's not going to be a time that's possible," Lily scoffed. "Hermione will always have the first word of Rita's secret."

"I can't believe Skeeter hasn't fixed this herself by now," Sirius said with puzzlement. "It's been plenty of time, surely she's at least started the process of registering herself as an animagus."

"I thought she was still in a jar in her dorm and never got the chance," James pouted even if he knew it not to be true, Hermione had said she was going to release her, but he could enjoy the idea in the meantime. Then he cursed at himself for playing along when he'd wanted to keep going.

"Maybe Prongs has a point," Remus agreed, "Hermione could have dumped Skeeter in the middle of nowhere, made it a real hassle for her to be doing anything to do with the Ministry in the meantime."

"Eh," Sirius said, unsatisfied with this answer, but it was the only one they were going to get as James kept going.

Rita demanded what deal? Oh one of these days, she trailed off with a threatening huff.

"She says that like it's supposed to be so intimidating," Harry rolled his eyes. Even at her worst, Harry had only ever been outraged at her for further inconveniencing his life and making Hagrid's life more miserable, but never to the level Skeeter clearly found herself of menacing.

Hermione said with indifference yes, one of these days Skeeter would go back to writing horrible stories, but to find someone who cared about that.

All five of them got a laugh out of that, finally, this whole chapter had felt like a walking disaster, so this was a brilliant relief to them all.

Skeeter slickly responded the Prophet was running plenty of stories without her help, then turned to Harry and whispered how that made him feel? Betrayed, misunderstood?

Angry, Hermione answered for him.

"Usually Hermione answering for people drives me nuts," Lily grinned, "but somehow she's made this time funny."

"Circumstances," Harry shrugged, he'd had no problem Hermione deflecting this for him.

He'd told the truth and they'd called him a nut instead.

Skeeter said of course they had, he'd screamed You-Know-Who was back and was the sole witness with no other standing other than Dumbledore.

Harry snapped back he wasn't the sole witness, there had been a dozen Death Eaters their as well, then asked if she'd like their names?

Rita said she'd love them, again reaching eagerly for her bag and looking at Harry as if the most beautiful thing ever.

James rolled his eyes in disgust even if Skeeter finally was doing something they approved of. She certainly wasn't going to be able to spin it in the way it should be, leaving them still baffled as to why she was there.

She even began writing the paper as she took out ink and parchment, muttering the headline Potter Accuses, subheading of Harry Potter naming respectable and prominent members...

"Yep, there it is," Lily said in clipped tones. Even Skeeter managed to make the actual truth into a spectacle. It was a gift, if a waste of one.

Then she froze and turned acidic eyes back on Hermione, stating but of course Little Miss Perfect wouldn't want that.

Hermione responded sweetly that's exactly what Little Miss Perfect wanted.

"Don't indulge her Hermione!" Remus scolded.

"The name, which I can't even deny is a little funny, or the idea?" James arched a brow at the book.

"Both," Sirius had his head cocked to the side as he tried to wrap his head around where Hermione was going with this.

Rita and Harry gaped at her, while Luna was sitting back in her seat, humming Weasley is our King, and apparently paying no attention.

"Hey!" James yelped in outrage. "I thought Luna liked Ron!"

"Maybe she really does wish he were her King," Sirius inserted, though still confused.

Harry had a torn look in place, a bit miffed at Luna as well even having the knowledge she'd never mean it the way Malfoy did. What was it about this song he was so sure shouldn't really be a bad thing? He was sure if Luna was humming it, maybe she'd even added her own lines so they weren't insulting his friend-wait-

The idea was turned off as James kept going, to Harry's relief, as he was starting to feel that all too familiar pounding back in his temple.

Skeeter confirmed Hermione wanted her to write about Harry's report of You-Know- Who's return?

Hermione corrected she wanted Skeeter to tell the truth, all of the facts, exactly as Harry says them.

"But, where's the proof she will?" Lily demanded, clearly thinking she'd found a hole in Hermione's plan even if there was a warm feeling for the idea. "I give her merit, trying to post Harry's story out there, but-"

"Luna's dad!" Sirius yelped with a huge smile, ignoring Lily's scowl he'd cut her off, she should be thanking him. "Remember, he believes Harry, he'd never post anything like Skeeter was trying for, but he'd put up the truth! And this woman, being the horrid but reputable source she is, puts the credibility as opposed to his other stories," he trailed off with a brilliant smile.

Lily found the plan so ingenious she even stopped scowling at Sirius.

"That's brilliant," Remus breathed, watching the grin unfurl on Harry's face. "That's, wow! Wait, what even made her think of this so much later?"

"Who cares," James said in a sing song voice, grinning boyishly. Finally something was going right for Harry!

Remus was still blasted as he remembered it was Hermione seeing those ten Death Eaters that somehow prompted this, though he wasn't clear how she'd connected all those dots to this, but he wasn't going to knock the idea either so let it go. He was still just a teensy bit worried, vividly remembering the cock and bull about Sirius for one that had so gotten their hopes up for the briefest moment. He wasn't entirely sure how this was going to help Harry, how far could Skeeter's word really stretch?

Harry would tell her everything that happened the night Voldemort had returned, Rita jumping so badly at the name she spilled Firewhiskey down herself.

"My new favorite reaction," Remus nodded, his eyes still wide from shock.

Skeeter told Hermione the Prophet would never run it.

Sirius' grin took a hard edge, nearly predator like from this woman clearly not having learned her lesson, still trying to talk like this about his godson. They weren't even there and they'd realized where Hermione was going with this before that woman had, shows how smart she really was compared to that 'silly little girl.'

Now if she could write the story from her angle, considering how delusional the public found him-

Hermione snapped they didn't need another story about how Harry'd lost his marbles! He needed the truth.

Rita scolded there was no market in the truth.

Hermione said irritably the Prophet only printed what Fudge wanted them to?

"Finally someone says it out loud," Lily scoffed.

Rita gave Hermione a long, hard look. Then, leaning forward across the table towards her, she said in a businesslike tone,

"Well that's a new one," James scrunched up his nose at this woman trying to act like a professional instead of what she really was.

that yes, Fudge was a heavy hand in what was printed, but the fact remained the same, no one wanted to hear You-Know-Who was back.

"And pandering to that idea makes it all better," Remus said acidly.

Hermione said scathingly the Daily Prophet only existed to tell people what they wanted to hear?

"It used to not," James said in disgust, still having the urge to discontinue his own even when they hadn't started doing this yet. Just knowing they one day would because of whatever means Fudge was using was revolting enough to him.

Skeeter said back the Prophet existed to sell itself, calling Hermione a silly girl.

"Oh so we're back to calling her that now," Lily said through gritted teeth.

"I note the change happened after Hermione made her point," James sniffed.

Luna finally piped up then her dad found that an awful paper, he published what he thought people should know about important things, he didn't care about making money.

Rita was not impressed, asking if her father worked for some stupid towns letter then? Twenty-Five ways to Mingle with Muggles?

"I want to subscribe to that now," Sirius said flatly. Harry couldn't help a grin at him doing such a thing out of spite, even if he admired the idea of why.

Luna corrected The Quibbler.

Rita started laughing so loud, people looked around in alarm.

All five of them almost cracked a smile for such a reaction, though perhaps not a kind one, to be in on such a joke. They didn't like agreeing with Skeeter, it left a nasty taste to acknowledge for even a second she had a point, but it was still miles better than anything she'd ever conceived.

She calmed down enough to state she could manure a garden with the contents of that rag.

"That's assuming you have a heart long enough to keep anything alive," Lily sneered.

Hermione inserted this was her chance to give it a boost then.

Skeeter let out another whoop of laughter as she realized Hermione wanted Potter's story taken seriously in The Quibbler!

"They did take my name at The Quibbler," Sirius batted his eyes innocently, Harry starting to laugh as hard as Rita just had much to the others exasperation at wondering why Harry still did.

Hermione insisted people would give it a chance. The Prophet's account had left too many holes, people would still be looking for a real source of information, even from a, she paused and looked sideways at Luna, finishing even from an unusual magazine.

The others couldn't help joining in on Harry's suddenly giggly mood. Too long they'd been hearing nothing but disaster and pain on him, yet finally Hermione had wrangled together something of far more use than they'd yet seen anyone else trying to do!

Skeeter remained quiet for a long moment before grudgingly stating what if she did it? What would she be paid?

Luna answered nothing, people offered stories to her dad's paper for honor.

Rita again seemed to find that Stinksap smell in her mouth.

"Please continue giving them ideas," Lily giggled, noting how all the Marauders got a particular look on their face for this description.

Demanding that she was to do this for free?!

Hermione agreed easily she would do just that, or she'd find herself with an insider's knowledge of Azkaban with a nice big Prophet article of her own covering her unregistered Animagus status.

That jab was harder to laugh at for the reminder of James and Sirius' own current problem, making them all the more glad they'd never incurred Hermione's wrath at any time.

Rita looked as though she would have liked nothing more than to seize the umbrella sticking out of Hermione's drink and thrust it up her nose.

"I'm sure many people would stand in line to see," Lily rolled her eyes. "Isn't it nice to underestimate people."

Through gritted teeth, she finally stated she had no choice, and finally did take her writing things out.

Luna said her dad would be pleased cheerfully.

Hermione turned to Harry and asked if he was ready to tell the public the truth?

"I would like to take a moment to recognize Hermione just, volunteering you for this," James frowned at this. He'd just had a big problem with Cho because she'd just assumed Harry would want to talk to someone about this, now here was Hermione foisting the same thing on him.

Lily couldn't help but agree rather sourly, "you've hardly spoken a word of this to them at all after the first night, she really is putting you on the spot even with the best of intentions."

Harry considered for a moment, really thinking why he wasn't angry. "I suppose, Hermione wasn't, you know, pushing me to do this, you know. If I'd said I wasn't ready, well she wouldn't have been happy and would have badgered me to do this because it's the right thing," he acknowledged after seeing their skeptical faces, "and I trust her, so even though it was hard to talk about it again to someone I didn't even like, well finally being able to push back like this felt, right." He finished triumphantly, before his brow creased and he really thought out, "Cho just sprung it on me, and so did Hermione, but at least my friend knows where I'm coming from, and she won't start crying over it," he finished with a bit of a shudder, causing Sirius to suppress a snort that was what Harry was so on one particular side with.

James hummed in agreement before finishing, simply thinking Hermione will be Hermione.

Harry agreed without much enthusiasm as the Quick-Quotes Quill was set in front of Rita again.

"Well that was done," James announced, happily tossing the book along to Sirius.

HPHPHPHP

*I'm really not going into further details about this guy's, not even in the next book. The idea of who gave Harry 'the talk' had been on my mind since the third book when Cho showed up, but to be perfectly honest I was never given 'the talk' either, I didn't exactly grow up in a conventional household and was never sat down about this. I figured it out as I went along and grew up, though I had access to the internet which wasn't something Harry was privy to, I figured this is as good an explanation as anyone's going to get so let's leave this one be.

#Harry Potter #fanfiction #reading the books #The life that Never LIved #Marauders #Jilly #James Potter #remus Lupin #Siruis Black #Lily Potter

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marias-in-pyjamas · 4 years

Text

Eclipse: Chapter 1.3

See more from the masterlist.

Pairings:

Commanding Agent Adam du Mortain x Detective Eliana Langford x Specialist Agent Mason ; Agent Nate Sewell x Detective Ellara Kingston

Content Rating - Warnings: T - language, mentions of guns, dead body

Disclaimer: The Wayhaven Chronicles belongs to Seraphinite Games. This is based on TWC, and the fic will almost follow the game's original timeline. This is purely an AU where there are two detectives in town instead of one.

Inside the Police Station

14 Jan ’19 – 09:20

More than an hour had passed after Eliana’s talk with Officer Friedman earlier and Detective Kingston still hasn’t showed up. Whatever case she’s overseeing must’ve been serious if it took her that long in returning to the station. But still, Eliana waited patiently in her seat in front of the officer’s desk, only standing up for a few minutes every now and then to have a smoke.

The body from the crime scene arrived half an hour earlier, enclosed in a cadaver bag. The crime techs brought it straight to the lab downstairs without so much of a glance at her. Eliana resisted the urge to ask for details, knowing they’re not going to give her any.

Officer Friedman, thankfully, remained focus on his work even when she goes outside. He kept his phone in his pocket, and was alert to answer the few civilians who ask for help in the station. She’s itching to help herself, but she knows she can’t do anything yet until she talks with Detective Kingston first. As far as anyone is concerned, she’s still an outsider in this police station and this town.

As Eliana was finishing the cup of coffee the officer made and offered her, a man stepped outside of the laboratory. He is wearing a crisp pair of slacks and pressed button-down shirt underneath his lab coat, and was distractedly making coffee for himself. While he was waiting for the machine to finish brewing, he turned his attention and looked around the station. Apparently only noticing her then, the man’s head slightly tilted to the side, as if in thought.

Turning to the police officer in front of her, Eliana asked, “Officer Friedman, who’s that?” She motioned with her head towards the man in the pantry subtly.

Looking at who she’s talking about, the boy turned his body around and answered, “Oh, that’s Doctor Verda. He’s our pathologist.” Seeing that Dr. Verda is already looking at the pair, Officer Friedman called out to him to introduce the two of them. “Hey, Doctor Verda,” he motioned with his hands, making the doctor raise his eyebrows in question. “This is Detective Langford. She said she was transferred here from the big city. Do you have an idea what time Detective Kingston will arrive?”

His curiosity piqued a little, Dr. Verda approached them. “I’m sorry, I don’t,” he answered the officer. “Is that true? There’s gonna be a new detective around?” He addressed his question to the detective.

“Seems like it, doctor,” Eliana said. She stood up and extended her hand towards the pathologist. “Detective Eliana Langford. I’m from the Metropolis Police Department. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Dr. Verda shook her extended hand firmly. “No need to be so formal, detective. It seems like we’ll be workmates from now on. I’m Doctor Solomon Verda.” The doctor smiled warmly at her and added, “I came from the city myself, you know, before finally settling down here with my family.”

Instantly feeling a little affinity for the man in front of her, Eliana cracked a little smile at that. After withdrawing her hand, she asked, “Oh? And how was the adjustment from the big city to the small town?”

“Well, having my family with me helps a lot. And I’m really more of a quiet and calm environment kind-of guy than the hustle and bustle of the city.”

Oof. Family. The concept’s a little far-fetched for Eliana. “Surely you must miss some of the things that the city can provide?”

Dr. Verda thought for a few seconds before answering. “Convenience stores,” he snapped his fingers. “Can’t find more of that except in the city. In this town, most of the shop is already closed before 8 in the evening.”

“That’s a bummer,” Eliana responded. As someone who’s used to patrolling in the night and having convenience stores easily accessible all the time, it’s kind of a letdown to find out this information.

The doctor chuckled a little at that. “Aside from that, I’m good. Wayhaven’s home now.” His eyes falling at the cup of coffee in Officer Friedman’s desk and her stuff in the chair, Dr. Verda inquired, “How long have you been waiting for Detective Kingston now?”

Eliana checked her wristwatch before answering, “Almost 2 hours now, doctor.”

“That must’ve been a surprise for you. Your first day at work was spent waiting for the detective.”

Oh, you have no idea, she thought, but bit back from saying it out loud.

“Although that’s not really unusual in this town. For as long as I’ve worked here, this is the only time we’ve had a murder case. It’s not an exaggeration to say that nothing really that exciting happens in this town,” Dr. Verda continued. “Anyway, let me shoot Detective Kingston a message and inform her of this. It was nice meeting you, Detective Langford.”

“Thanks, Dr. Verda. Nice to meet you too.”

Dr. Verda waved a little before going back to the pantry to get his coffee. The man gave a final nod before returning to his laboratory.

At least he seems nice, Eliana thought as she sat back down on the stool, resuming her wait for the town’s detective.

At the Station

10:10

Ellara checks her time, suddenly realizing just how long it took her to arrive at the station. The traffic was heavier than usual and she's probably making a bad impression at the new detective for being so late. Her eyes go to the drink and bread in her hand before she pushes the doors open. At least I have my lunch with me already.

Turning around, she first saw Douglas tensely sitting on his station.

"Glad you aren't using your phone today, Officer Friedman," she says genuinely happy at the younger's sudden change today.

"Detective! I'm glad you're already here." Douglas greeted, his voice laced with something aside from his usual enthusiasm. Elle can't quite figure it out but she dismissed it just as her eyes landed on the woman sitting on the chair facing the younger's desk.

Eliana's ears instantly perked up, hearing Officer Friedman addressing the woman who had just entered the precinct as "Detective". Finally, she thought. I was beginning to wonder if she'll ever show up.

"I see you have a complainant, huh?" She asks, pretending not to know who the woman is. The stranger suddenly stands, eyes darting at her way with an eyebrow raised. "Hello Detective Kingston, Wayhaven PD. How can we help you, ma'am?" Ellara says with a smile. She holds herself back from laughing just to see how the other would react.

"Detective Kingston, this is Detective Langford. Wayhaven's additional detective," The young officer intercepts gesturing to the woman in front.

Is she messing with me? Eliana's right eyebrow remained cocked, but she decided to drop the matter for now. Introductions must come first, so she can finally start working.

Standing up to her full height, Eliana cleared up the snark that was bubbling in the back of her throat, strode forward and extended her hand. "You must be Detective Ellara Kingston. Detective Eliana Langford of Metropolis Police Department. My superiors said I was to be transferred here for the time being." She inspected the other detective with a scrutinizing gaze, surprised that she's a lot smaller than she imagined. Her eyes, the same color as her’s - hazel - is filled with amusement and curiosity. Her light brown hair is done up on a ponytail. Detective Langford made a quick scan at other detective's clothes, wondering how she'll be able to run and pursue a perp in those shoes. She noted that Detective Kingston is wearing platform boots with matching tweed coordinates. I thought I was the one who came from the city here. Why does she look like she's up for a picnic or something? Her eyes stopped for a moment at the tea and croissant in Detective Kingston's hand. Well, it looks like there's the reason she took so goddamn long to return here.

Ellara watched as the other woman's eyes scanned her from her feet up to the top of her head, smiling despite the nervous rattling in her heart right now. The latter is towering over her, and Elle would easily cower upon the sight of her if she didn't know the woman yet. And there's also a weird feeling inside her, a feeling she can't describe with words.

How can someone look so intimidating and not feel like it?

Ellara shrugs her thoughts, focusing her mind back into the present. Her smile never left her face even when Detective Langford had been looking at her with so much disdain and confusion in her face. It makes her want to play with the latter more.

"Yes, that's me. I'm Ellara Kingston, but you can call me Elle, everyone does! However, detective...? There must be a mix up," Ellara says, tone light but with confusion laced with it as well. She extends her arms to shake the latter's but her smile turns into a frown.. "Captain Sung would've told me about you being transferred here otherwise.

Eliana is confused about the look Detective Kingston is giving her. Sure, there's the familiar sense of someone being intimidated with her. But there's something else too, something she can't quite put a finger into yet.

Focusing instead on the situation at hand, her right eyebrow returned back to its cocked state, her lips thinning into a straight line. "I'd prefer to stick with Detective Kingston, if that's alright with you. We're professional co-workers and that's more fitting, I think." She paused for a moment and continued, "Can you help point me to where your captain's office is? Or his current whereabouts right now? I'd like to speak to him personally." She had already slung her bag back to her shoulders, and is now in the process of hooking her helmet in her arm.

Ellara's eyes widen at the sudden mention of the captain and the detective's actions, making her raise her hand in the air a little, "No, you can't. He's playing golf with the mayor," she says. "Also, I was just kidding. I received the memo a few minutes ago." Ellara once again smiles and shrugs.

"I see," Eliana said simply. Truth be told, her patience has already worn thin. But she knows she can't repeat what she did with Officer Friedman earlier. For one, Eliana's afraid that if she suddenly pulls with that much force at the smaller woman, she might break apart. And second, she doesn't want to have a misdemeanor case in this town, especially if it's against her co-workers. No, it's not worth staining her spotless record over Detective Kingston's joke.

I'm going to drop this for now, but mark my words, I'm gonna be the one laughing next time.

"Welcome to Wayhaven PD, Detective Langford!" Ellara says loudly, getting the attention of everyone in the precinct– basically just Douglas, and a few other officers.

The people greet their new member just like how they do every time. Enthusiastic, and with joy. Everyone here treats each other as family, and she hopes that the detective will feel the same. Though it would probably take the latter some time to adjust as she just nods at all the greetings.

A person of a few words, huh?

Ellara decided that she probably had extended the welcome greeting too much so she gets Eliana's attention back.

"Come, I'll show you the office."

The taller detective followed Detective Kingston to the office wordlessly after accepting the greetings and welcomes of the other police officers with a simple nod of her head.

She watched as the smaller detective opened the door to a locked room, revealing a small office. Oh great, the bathroom in my apartment in the city is bigger than this office. The room has just enough space to fit a file cabinet, a desk, and a simple two-person sofa. Eliana's eyes did one full sweep across the room and landed on the woman in front of her, her face devoid of any reaction.

"So, this is it! I'm sorry I know it must be smaller than what you're used to, having worked in the big city," Detective Kingston said apologetically.

"No worries. It's alright. It could be a lot worse."

"Well, good! Because we're supposed to share this office. We just need to find you a desk and another file cabinet and then voilà!" Ellara exclaimed with that bright smile of hers.

Well, fuck me. I spoke too soon.

It doesn't matter. There's a case. We should focus on that.

"I see," Eliana said again. She feels like this will not be the last time that she'll say that phrase in this town. In many ways, this small, quiet town is a lot weirder than the city. She knows that there will be more things to come that she'll just be forced to accept and agree, whether she wants to or not.

Placing down her things on the sofa, Eliana crossed her arms to her chest and turned to the smaller detective, who was also placing down her things at her desk. "Detective Kingston, I heard that there's been a murder. Can I ask you what details we currently have on that?" Eliana straightforwardly asked. She had always hated people who beat around the bush.

"Oh right! I was meaning to talk to you about that," Ellara replies just as she sits on her chair. Smile ceasing at the obvious straightforwardness of the woman. I haven't even eaten my lunch yet, poor foodies. "The victim is an unidentified tall, blonde woman who has unusual scratch wounds. Her cause of death is still unknown but I'm pretty sure that she's not from around here. Other than that, i'm afraid we don't have much information yet..."

Yes, useless information. I myself don't know where to lead with this. Kicking the thoughts away after a sip from her tea, she continued speaking.

"The statement from the witnesses will be reported later, and I'm actually about to head to the lab to know more about her." She stops, searching for a reaction on Eliana's face but the latter remains expressionless. "You should come with me so we can hear about it together. Oh, maybe I should give you a tour, too?" Ellara smiles, her eyes twinkling at her own suggestion.

Fuck, we haven't got even a small lead yet.

"Of course, Detective," Eliana answered, internally wondering what else she hadn't seen from the precinct aside from the inside of Dr. Verda's lab. Her eyes have already looked at every side of the station when she was waiting for Detective Kingston earlier, but she decided not to say anything for now. She needs to establish rapport if she's to work with the smaller detective. "Why don't you take the lead?"

Smiling at Eliana's suggestion, Detective Kingston stood up from her chair, her tea and croissant still in her hand. "Follow me, Detective Langford."

It took them less than 5 minutes to have the full tour around the precinct. Ellara introduced the new detective to some of the officers around. There's really not much to see, but I already knew that. God, this is gonna be a long reassignment, Eliana sighed to herself.

"Well, this is our last stop. The precinct's lab," Detective Kingston said with a flourish. "You've met Dr. Verda earlier, right?"

Yes. Officer Friedman introduced us."

"Douglas?!" Detective Kingston exclaimed. "Oh, well, that's good. At least he's taking his job seriously."

Eliana had to bite back a snicker from escaping her lips from that comment.

"Let's go see what Verda has to say," Detective Kingston declared. She shoved the remaining croissant in her mouth and swiped some of the crumbs away from her clothes before bumping the heavy door of the doctor's lab with one hip. She didn't even bother to stop and take a look at the No Food or Drink Inside sign beside the door, her cup of tea still clutched in her hand.

Sighing at the other detective's blatant disregard for rules, Eliana shook her head and followed Detective Kingston inside the chilly lab.

Inside the Laboratory

10:30

The white-tiled walls greeted the two of them just as they stepped into the lab. It was a clean room with only the silver machines at the edges completing the ensemble. They saw Verda sitting on his metal desk at the corner of the room.

"Hey, Verda." Ellara greets brightly, and with a smile. The doctor turns to greet her back with a nod before a voice cuts through their little interaction.

"I don't know how you work down here." Eliana says seeing how the doctor didn't even have his gloves on, a cup of drink is noticeable sitting on the table beside him.

"It's the first time I actually got to work, Detective Langford." The doctor turns to look at her and grin.

"I thought you're not supposed to bring drinks in here?" Eliana says, the careless disregard to the rules getting into her like a whiplash.

"It's a habit I picked up working from the city," He answers, tone bright and all. "You are one of the good-natured detectives from the city then?"

"Not really, no," Eliana snickers and shrugs, making the doctor grin.

Ellara watched the interaction, feeling glad that the detective is at least making conversation with their pathologist. Must be because they are both from the city?

A few seconds of quiet descended upon them before Ellara decided to break it, just as her eyes landed on the body covered by a white sheet on a table.

"You haven't started the autopsy yet?" She asks, walking towards the body.

The doctor shakes his head, "No, but..." he pauses and purses his lips, "I found something you might need." He spins around and lifts an evidence bag from a nearby counter.

"You found her phone! They couldn't see it at the scene," she says, getting the bag from his hand.

"It was in her boot."

The three of them looked down at the woman, her skin now a grey-white, her lips so pale that they aren't even noticeable right now.

"We really need to find her identity-" the detectives said in unison. Their heads turned, eyes meeting each other. Both surprised at having said the same thing at the same time.

"...so we can inform her family."

"...so we can find her killer."

Ellara and Eliana continued respectively, earning confused looks from the pathologist that stands in front of them.

"Well, I'm glad you care more about your people, Detective Kingston. At least more than some detectives from the city." Verda says, throwing a quick glance at Eli. "But you're both right. Finding her identity must be the first step."

Ellara half smiles at the compliment, appreciating it despite not knowing if she deserves to be given the praise while Eliana just let the comment fly by her.

"There's not much I can tell you as of the moment." Verda continues. "Though the bruises in her wrists and ankles are noticeable."

"She was tied down?" Eliana joins the conversation.

"So it would seem..." he answered, voice trailing off at the obvious sympathy for the woman.

Ellara tightens her hold on the phone as she opens it through the evidence bag. The screen opened and she felt relief when she saw that it wasn't locked by any password. Flicking through it and opening her contacts, she didn't see much aside from the victim's family, workmates, and a few friends. Checking the logs and messages, she noticed that there weren't much in there too.

"She obviously didn't go out much." Verda says as he is glancing through the phone, too.

"Poor girl," Ellara says as she continues to explore the victim's phone, ending up in her gallery. "She must've been less of a target if she weren't so isolated."

"Maybe," Verda says with a shrug, "But that might have not been why she was targeted."

"I agree." Eliana chirps.

The quiet once again fills the room as Ellara swipes through the photos. Until one particular picture catches her attention. The photo was blurred, but thanks to the stained walls and the crack metal beams, she was able to recognize the place, "This was the last photo she took. It's from the Farris Warehouse at the edge of the town."

"You think she managed to capture where she was murdered?"

"Possibly."

"Will you go to the warehouse then?" Verda asked.

"I will. After I finished up the paper works of course," Ellara says and with a smile once again.

"Instead of going alone, how about you bring Detective Langford along then? Must be good for her to be familiarized as early as now." Verda suggested.

"I was just about to ask her," Ellara grins and turns to the new detective, "Are you up for an adventure?"

Eliana's right eyebrow quirked up again at Detective Kingston's choice of words. "Sure, sounds good," she shrugged nonchalantly.

"Are you two gonna be alright?" Verda asks suddenly.

"We've got our radio if we need backup, and Tina also patrolled there the other day. It's impossible that there's still a deranged murderer hanging in there."

The doctor frowns in concern. "Be careful. Both of you please."

"You worried about us, Verda?" Ellara asks with a teasing tone, throwing in a smirk at the pathologist's way.

"You are about the best person I've worked for, and besides, Detective Langford here has been much a delight," he replies with a smile. "I don't fancy getting used to someone else."

Eliana gave a nod at the doctor's way and mumbled a small "Thanks," that didn't go unnoticed.

Ellara's laughter echoes in the room as she makes her way out of the lab, making sure that Eliana is following closely behind. For the first time that day, Ellara actually felt alright.

Inside the Station

10:45

Being out of the lab felt like a reward somehow as the cold Ellara was feeling dissipated into thin air. She looks back making sure that Eliana was able to follow along as she made her way back into the office again.

Eliana looks back up just as Ellara brings her eyes back to the front. Why is this precinct so quiet and boring? She thinks to herself, her mind unconsciously wandering back into her workplace before. Back home, she never had a down time during work hours. There's always a criminal to arrest, and a crime to solve. The fact that everything around here is moving so slow is making her feel cooped up and restless. Surely, her past captain had good intentions moving her here. Otherwise, why would he do that? It would be dumb to send off the youngest most skillful detective away.

Whatever the reason is, fuck it. I deserve to be somewhere more developed than this town. Won't exactly get any recognition, working here. Well, maybe if they can solve the case first.

"I hope you've been settling well so far, Detective Langford," Ellara says with a smile, once again taking the seat behind her desk as the latter sits herself on the couch.

"I am," Eliana replies nonchalantly, fishing her phone out of her pocket and typing in the little information they have so far.

"So…" she heard Ellara speak from the far end of the room. “What's-" the woman was about to ask something when the door opened.

"Good afternoon, detectives." Captain Sung stands in front of the door, giving Elle a glance for greeting before he turns into the new detective and approaches her. "Detective Langford, I assume?"

Eliana stood from her seat and strode forwards, extending her arm in greeting. "Yes, that's right. Pleasure to meet you." After a quick scan at the man's posture and clothing, Eliana continued. "And you must be Captain Sung?"

The captain just nodded in affirmation, already busy fetching something from his pocket. "I'm just here to give you your badge and gun while you're working here in our town and ask how you're settling here?"

Eliana checked the handgun and was surprised to see it in good condition. Afterwards, she clipped her badge in her belt and the gun to her holster and answered with a simple, "Fine, so far," before crossing her arms across her chest again.

"Well, that's good. According to the Mayor, another desk set, and a cabinet will arrive later this evening to accommodate Detective Langford for the time being." Captain Sung then turns to Ellara. "I can see that you've been letting her catch up immediately. Nice work, Detective Kingston."

"Thanks, Captain. Detective Langford has been cooperative." Ellara throws a smile at Eliana's way, making the other's eyebrow raise.

After a short conversation between the people in the office, Captain Sung bid the two detectives farewell before walking out of the police station, telling them to work with and help each other to solve the murder case.

"Now that's out of the way, what say you we decrease some of this paperwork that needs filing, Detective Langford?" Ellara said with a charming smile, hoping that the taller detective is at least a little more patient than her in paper works.

#the wayhaven chronicles #twc fic #twc au #eclipse: twc au #twc adam #twc nate #twc felix #twc mason #adam du mortain #nate sewell #felix hauville #agent mason #detective eliana langford #detective ellara kingston #douglas friedman #soloman verda #tina poname #bobby marks

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lovelyirony · 4 years

Text

this is just a re-do of a post with a prompt from anonymous, so don’t worry if it looks a bit familiar!

As Bucky is running away from government agents trying to snipe him for killing a politician, he supposes Natasha’s argument for him being suicidal might have the tiniest bit evidence behind it, which he previously argued it didn’t.

As he slides underneath a car, he debates whether or not she’ll find out about this one. He feels a buzz from his phone in his pocket.

Yeah, she knows.

He shoots one of the agents, nicking him in the knee. Oof, that’s gonna be a fun story to tell his grandkids about why they can’t climb on his lap. But he needs to get away, and that involves potentially shooting through a car.

Potentially turns into definitely and there’s enough of a distraction that he can commandeer a car, drive at least ten blocks away, and ditch it to run on foot, calling Natasha.

“You got my location, right?”

“Of course, you fucking idiot,” Natasha curses. “You…god I hate you sometimes. The job’s at least done, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll have to lay low, though. Which sucks because my apartment is right in the city.”

“I already have a punishment and idea for you in one.”

“I…what is it?”

“Sam’s picking you up. Tell you when you get to base. Bye.”

Bucky groans.

She must be really pissed at him.

Sam picks him up in the shittiest economy car in the world.

“I hate you for picking this one,” Bucky groans.

“A stupid decision grants a stupid car, that’s why you’re getting picked up in the 1995 Ford Fiesta of shame,” Sam says. “Nat’s real mad. And I also think you’re going to hate your next assignment.”

Bucky’s not sure what’s gonna happen. He’s hoping he’s not on latrine duty.

Oh, it’s so much worse.

“Protection detail?” Bucky asks. “And undercover? All at once? Nat, come on. I bet we don’t even need undercover.”

“You both are doing undercover because you both fucked up,” Natasha says. “And since apparently you don’t know how to act, maybe this will get you better lessons.”

“Cold,” Sam hisses.

“I will legally ask you to shut the fuck up,” Bucky growls out.

He packs his things. Realizes that Sam got to choose the name so his name is Roger Stevens. Fucking shit. (Steve, of course, approved this. Because Steve is an asshole.)

“Why does she even need a protector?” Bucky growls out, driving to the house. It’s in suburbia.

“Because she fucked up and whoever she pissed off might send more than she can handle,” Natasha says.

“We’re hinging my being here on a ‘maybe’?”

“And because you got caught by government agents, which would be a rookie move,” Natasha says. “There’s a reason that I can still go my same nail salon for five years and now you have to get your hair cut somewhere else. And why you got a wedding china set and you have a backstory of being married.”

“I hate you.”

“A lot of people do, take a number.”

If it helps (and it mostly doesn’t), Sharon Carter is also not happy. She is in the house with the most dangerous look Bucky has seen.

“So I’m stuck in this fucking hell house with him?” Sharon asks.

Maria Hill is her boss. Woman is a scary, competent human. Bucky wouldn’t cross her.

(Then again, you also shouldn’t cross a certain redhead who could make you disappear within twenty minutes, maybe thirty if it’s a surprise. But he did.)

“Keys are by the front door, hope you know your address! Bye!” Natasha says. “Don’t kill each other or we lose the deposit!”

Maria Hill smiles. Of course the only time Bucky’s ever seen her smile is at the suffering of others. How typical.

So then they are left alone.

“Let’s read the cover story,” Sharon says. “And I don’t need protection, Maria’s just paranoid.”

Bucky snorts.

“Yeah, okay, let’s go with that.”

Sharon sends him a sharp look.

They meet while on a cruise.

Bucky fucking hates his life.

“A fucking cruise,” he mutters. “As if I would ever step foot onto any of those fucking–”

“We had a beach wedding?!” Sharon cries out. “Oh my god, I can’t believe it!”

They are both in a bad mood.

It’s also awkward because this is a house. They have decorations. They have tea towels.

And a neighbor comes to visit.

“Welcome to the neighborhood!” she says brightly. “My name is Karen Tent, so lovely to meet you both!”

She then invades the house with her Tupperware. Literally speeds past them and it’s not like Sharon judo-chop her throat or anything.

“What a lovely house you two have!” Karen cheers. “Of course the color palette is a little bit drab, but I’m sure you’ll change that soon enough. When Linda told me we had new neighbors, I could hardly believe it myself, but here you are! Now, how did you two meet? Have you married yet? If not, I hope that you are living apart, you know.”

“The rings are in boxes,” Sharon answers smoothly, noting that they’ll need to ask Maria where the fuck the rings are. “You know how move-ins are. I’m Melanie Stevens, this is Roger Stevens. How nice to see you so very unexpectedly.”

“Well, that’s what neighbors are for!” Karen answers, her voice shrill as ever. “I brought over my famous cookie bars. Everyone says they’re good, and I believe they always are. Tell me Melanie, what do you like baking most?”

“Yes dear, tell her,” Bucky answers, smiling. “I seem to remember…lemon bars?”

“That’s right,” Sharon says, sending Bucky a smile. “They are really good. Just delightful.”

“Oh you’ll have to bring some over!” Karen responds. “Now, let me tell you a little bit about the neighborhood…”

She talks for a fucking hour. Bucky wants to drink. So badly. He saw the wine on the counter.

Sharon, to her credit, keeps trying to use certain “end” phrases. Karen either knows it and knows she won’t be budging, or will not ever take a hint in her lifetime.

“And you simply must not ever play loud music in your backyard,” Karen says. “We’ve had a couple of problems with the Richardsons, but nothing a few calls won’t fix.”

“You called the police?” Sharon asks.

“Well yes!”

“Oh my god,” Bucky mutters.

“I am sure that’s not exactly the measure I would have done,” Sharon says. “But I am tired and don’t want to get into it now,” she says quickly, noticing Karen’s “confused” expression.

“I say we need some time to rest, today is gonna be a lot of moving,” he says. “So nice of you to stop by, Karen. I’ll return your dish as soon as possible.”

Karen is ushered out the door, placated with two waves, and they both groan.

“I’m gonna fucking hate everything after this,” Sharon mutters. “My name is fucking Melanie. Maria knows…” she trails off, facing the very real boxes that were obviously packed with dishes and miscellaneous items.

Bucky finds four spatulas. He doesn’t know why there are four.

“What the fuck,” he mutters, noting the incredibly cheesy salt-and-pepper set.

“Welcome to married life,” Sharon says sarcastically. “We’re gonna have a blast.”

Dinner is spent with Sharon trying to convince Bucky that she’s “fine” and in “no danger” at all.

“Who did you piss off?”

“Sitwell.”

“Oh my god. You’re screwed.”

“He’s a lapdog, I’m not screwed.”

“He’s the lapdog of Pierce. You’re screwed.”

Sharon thunks her head on the table.

“Can we at least repaint the bedrooms? They suck.”

“If you think I’m sleeping in a separate room you’re dead wrong,” Bucky says. “You have a target the size of New York on your back. Uh-uh.”

“You will sleep on the floor and get out when I shower or change,” Sharon threatens.

“Of course.”

“Good. Then it’s settled.”

Married life is not so bad. Except when Karen and the rest of the neighbors tend to visit or talk to them for about fifteen minutes on the lawn.

“It’s your turn to cut the grass,” Sharon groans, flopping on the couch. “If I have to hear Kevin tell me one more time that you should be treating me better, I’m going to explode. He’s trying to lecture me on how to cut grass.”

“On it,” Bucky says. “Your turn to go get groceries, I ran into Karen and her kid last time. I think she wants me to stop buying so much hummus.”

“Not our fault it’s good,” Sharon mutters.

And then, of course, avoiding the various assassins that are sent out at random intervals and at public locations (including their own house) while convincing the neighbors that there’s nothing going on.

This involves pretending an agent of Hydra is their cousin.

“This is Jen, she’s visiting for the day!” Sharon says, squeezing “Jen’s” wrist hard enough to make her stay quiet. “We have so much to catch up on, you probably won’t see me or–or Roger again for the day! Ha ha!”

“Well where’s her car?” Linda asks, looking around the neighborhood. “I don’t see anything…”

“She’s a hippie environmentalist, she walked,” Bucky answers. “Jen, let’s go catch up in the house, yeah?”

“Yeah,” the agent squeaks out sadly, knowing exactly what is going to happen.

She’s delivered tied up in rope on the steps of Maria’s office with a note of “please stop this from happening we’re planting azaleas.”

Maria snorts.

Bucky starts to think they’re getting too attached to this. It’s been four months.

He started a garden. They’re growing tomatoes.

He also notices Sharon a little bit differently.

Because she drags him out of bed.

“Legally? You have to go to brunch with me. Illegally? You like the breakfast burrito too much.”

She’s scarily competent with anything that could be classed as a weapon. Or their groceries.

“Are you kidding me?” Bucky yells at her as she throws the jar of tomato sauce. “I am not cleaning that up!”

“Tough shit!” Sharon answers, dodging a bullet. “It wasn’t even the good kind of tomato sauce!”

“It was fine, sweetheart!” Bucky growls out.

“Don’t ‘sweetheart’ me in the middle of a battle!” Sharon yells. “Strictly after!”

“You’re the weirdest fucking married couple,” one of the agents wheezes out as Bucky is holding him as a sort of shield.

“Thanks,” they say in unison, grinning.

The punishment for them both doesn’t exactly turn out as planned, both Natasha and Maria agree. In fact, it is almost worse.

They are both reckless, subvert orders, and get along like a house on fire by the end of it.

“You can still be together, we just need the house back,” Natasha says.

“Thank god,” Bucky groans. “I get to stop being Roger and I get rid of Karen in one fell swoop.”

Sharon untenses her shoulders while she’s sitting at the kitchen table.

“Can I keep the knife set?”

“No,” Maria says. “I’ll send you a link to where I got it.”

“Why can’t I keep it if you can get another set?”

“Steal it,” Bucky stage-whispers. Sharon grins back at him.

“You have the best ideas, babe.”

“You are not stealing anything,” Maria scowls.

“Sure we aren’t,” Bucky says easily.

“You stole my heart,” Sharon sing-songs, knowing damn well it’s going to make Maria barf.

“Aw babe…” Bucky says, holding her hand. Natasha fake-retches.

“I hate you both,” she declares. “And I won’t be there for your actual wedding.”

“You made us tell people we had a wedding on a beach, were you assuming that you were getting an invitation?” Bucky asks.

Sharon snickers, getting the last of her bags out into the car.

“Where to now?” she asks him.

“I think that there are some apartments we can look at…”

“We’ve made a collective monster,” Maria decides, blinking. “We Frankensteined this.”

“We did,” Natasha says, staring at the house. There are still little bits of glass. An unfortunately busted can of beans where someone had been knocked out and they had “conveniently” forgotten to clean it up from yesterday.

Well. Sharon and Bucky are going to cause havoc on the world. Maria and Natasha just hope they can cover the other while doing so.

#fake married au #fake marriage au #sharon carter #bucky barnes #winter13 #winter soldier #agent thirteen #lovelyirony writes #maria hill #natasha romanoff #yes i made the shitty neighbor a karen what else would i have done #AND YES THEY DID START A GARDEN AND PLANT AZALEAS #I SAID WHAT I SAID

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dudeandduchess · 5 years

Note

Ok, since you’re willing to write for him (YAY! May you be blessed!), can I have a smut scenario where the reader is Giyuu’s friend that has a big PHAT crush on Sakonji Urokodaki? 😂 Mr. Sakonji Urokodaki knows it since he can smell it 😂 one day, the reader goes with Giyuu to visit his former teacher, Giyuu leaves for a bit and things gets hot and steamy with the reader and Mr. Urokodaki. Maybe add a breeding kink??? Hehe thank you love!

Hi, bby! Hope you like this one. Oof. I think I need to bathe in holy water now. This is much more sinful than the Shinjurō x Reader x Kyōjurō piece. Omg.

I... I am just so sorry. I want to crawl into a hole now. Oof. Lmao.

***

Urokodaki Sakonji x F!Reader (NSFW Scenario):

Warnings: Language, Smut, Daddy Kink, Breeding Kink, Creampie, Impregnation, Dirty Talk (?), DVP, Object Insertion, Mating Press, Age Difference

“Oh no, I think I dropped my wallet somewhere along the way.” (Y/n) searched the pockets of her skirt frantically, even though she knew that she had left the particular item at home. It was safely tucked beneath her futon, where she was sure Giyuu wouldn’t notice when he came to pick her up.

And Giyuu, being the kind friend that he was, played perfectly into her plan.

“Go knock on Urokodaki-san’s door. Stay with him while I look for it around here. I’ll be back soon,” The Hashira answered softly, before making his leave.

Just as she had anticipated would happen, she sidled up to her long time love interest’s door and knocked softly. “Hello, Urokodaki-san. It’s (Y/n); Giyuu’s friend.”

Hesitantly, the older man opened his door to let her in. He knew what she had done, since not only did he hear what she had said earlier, but he could also smell the lingering stench of having told a lie coming from her.

Also, he could smell the sweet scent of arousal. It had been faint a few minutes ago, but had increased after he had opened the door.

So, he had no doubt that (Y/n) had come there specifically for him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to take advantage of the opportunity, but he was held back by his own lascivious thoughts of how he wanted to impregnate his former student’s friend.

Everytime she came over with Giyuu was a challenge within itself, and the opportunity presented in front of him at that time was almost too good to pass up.

Still, he kept his hands to himself and offered her some tea. She declined the polite offer, and even did something as daring as to sit beside him by the hearth.

Her skirt was purposely shorter that day, as opposed to the knee-length ones she usually wore, because she knew that she had to take matters into her own hands.

She wanted to get fucked by Urokodaki Sakonji, and she wanted to get fucked bad.

They spent a few minutes in thick silence, just watching the small flames lick up at the air, before (Y/n) spoke, “I’m not dumb. I know you want this as much as I do.”

Urokodaki turned his head towards her, his face a display of shock behind his mask. Yet, he remained quiet as he tried to get a tight reign over his lust.

“I want you to fuck me so badly. I want to feel that mask of yours deep inside me. Fuck, I want you to fill me up with your cum and get me pregnant,” (Y/n) uttered in an even tone, even though she was shaking like a leaf on the inside. And then, as a last-minute blind prayer, she threw out, “Daddy.”

And that did it for Urokodaki.

He pinned her down on the floor, with his hands on her shoulders and his torso parallel to hers.

“If you want this, Giyuu must never know.” He warned quietly, even has his own hands had begun to unbutton the young woman’s Slayer uniform.

“He’ll never know. I swear.” She agreed amicably, before proceeding to bend her legs up at the knees— which afforded the older man a view of her bare cunt beneath the skirt.

(Y/n) was already wet with desire, as she had been fantasizing about what would happen while on the way over. She was just thankful that Giyuu was too polite to say anything about it, if he even noticed how wet she was.

Then, in a bolder move, she propped herself up on her elbows— unmindful of Urokodaki’s grip on her shoulders— and took the nose of his tengu mask in her mouth.

She licked around the smooth wood, coating it with her saliva before sinking down on it until the hilt. She wanted to hum around it, as force of habit dictated, but she held herself back from doing so; as she was preparing it to enter her, not because she wanted to please its owner.

“Please, daddy. I want to feel this inside me,” The young woman pleaded once she deemed the lengthy object slick enough.

And Urokodaki couldn’t argue, because with every chance that she said ‘daddy’ his cock got harder and harder, as he fell deeper into her spell.

So, without any protest, the older man positioned himself between her legs; holding them apart by her thighs, as she rubbed the tip of his mask’s nose against her clit.

Then, he ran the blunt tip along her slit— teasing her tight opening until the lewd sounds of her wetness permeated the room. And when Urokodaki was satisfied with how wet she was, he pushed the tip of his mask inside her.

Which elicited such a sinfully relieved cry from (Y/n). The sound went straight to his cock; further making it hard within his pants.

He began with slow and shallow thrusts, listening to his lover’s pleasured mewls all the while. Until she placed a hand in his hair and urged him to go faster and deeper.

Urokodaki could feel his mask slowly slipping off with every harsh thrust, but he couldn’t care less about exposing his face. All that mattered to him was making (Y/n) scream even louder as he pushed her closer and closer to her orgasm.

And when she tumbled off the edge of pleasure, he easily slipped the mask off of his face and sat upright to admire her in that position.

Sometime while he was fucking her with his mask, she had unbuttoned the rest of her shirt and had begun to play with her right breast. She looked so sinfully spent with his tengu mask still inside her that he couldn’t resist looking for just a little longer; to have something to help him ease his loneliness after she left.

However, when he’d had his fill of her, he undid the waist of his pants and set his hard cock free. It bobbed in the air for a few seconds, before he took it in his hand and aligned it next to the mask still inside his lover.

(Y/n)’s eyes widened at that, right before her eyes rolled to the back of her head when she felt the head of Urokodaki’s cock enter her alongside the tengu mask.

She hadn’t expected such an outcome from her boldness, but she really couldn’t complain. Especially when Urokodaki started moving his hips.

His movements were slow and shallow, so as to avoid hurting her, but it was killing him not to have been able to fully claim her, so he pulled the mask out of her and tossed it to the side; uncaring of where it landed.

Then he was back on her; slinging her legs up onto his shoulders and tilting her hips in into a mating press. He began thrusting with earnest, taking pleasure in the lewd sounds of their skin slapping together, while (Y/n) cupped his cheeks and peppered kisses along his face.

It was the first time that she had ever seen him without his mask, so she took that moment to memorize his kind-looking features. She also took that time to wish that their child would look like him, if she got pregnant.

Which was a certainty, as she would keep coming back to him until it happened; maybe even after it happened, just because the way he was fucking her was too good to be true.

His cock kept hitting spots inside her that her previous lovers could only ever dream of reaching, which resulted in such lascivious cries from her mouth.

She kept begging Urokodaki to cum inside her, to fill her with his cum and wreck her, while the older man kept silent; with only quiet moans and groans cluing her in to his own pleasure.

When he smelled Giyuu beginning to head back to them, however, he increased his pace even more— until (Y/n) had no choice but to wrap her arms around his neck for something to hold on to.

His thrusts were so rough and powerful that it made her inch up along the floor. Yet, she couldn’t deny how pleasurable it felt as he pounded her core insistently.

She felt her walls beginning to pulse around his cock, and it didn’t take long after that for her to let out a loud cry as her orgasm washed over her.

Her entire body was shaking with the intensity of it, but Urokodaki still kept thrusting inside her; clearly desperate for his own release. He could taste it on the tip of his tongue...

And when he came, he slammed his lips against (Y/n)’s, as he buried his cock inside her— down to the hilt.

He didn’t want to leave her cunt after that, but he had to do so, since his former student was but a few minutes away from discovering what had happened between him and (Y/n).

#urokodaki sakonji #kny urokodaki #urokodaki sakonji x reader #sakonji urokodaki #sakonji urokodaki x reader #kny x reader #kny request #demon slayer #demon slayer fanfic #demon slayer requests #kimetsu no yaiba fanfic #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba requests #anon #ask #jen writes

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my-darling-has-forgotten-me · 4 years

Text

Oof... I'd feel for anyone in that situation. Thanks for the ask, and thank you for the compliment! I appreciate the support ❤️

⚠️Trigger Warning⚠️

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦'𝕣𝕖 𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕠𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕤 𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘, 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕟𝕠 𝕗𝕦𝕣𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 ~

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

𝑃𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 = 𝐾𝑜𝑢 𝑀𝑢𝑘𝑎𝑚𝑖 𝑥 𝐹𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 ~

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

I got inspiration for this off 'Say I Love You'

"Kou! I heard your new song! It's so good!"

"Aw really?! Thanks for the support!"

"Yeah! We heard it too! You're as awesome as always!", Gushed a group of his fangirls.

"Oh! Y/N, you can go on ahea-"

But as always, I going to class before him. Automatically walking ahead of him. It's like this everyday, he gets crowded and I'm told to go. It's so annoying....

I walk ahead and saw Ruki, he looked at me and approached me. "Where's Kou? You've been going to class on your own a lot lately", he asked as stern as ever. "He's... Busy", I said, looking behind me seeing Kou laughing and smiling at his little harem.

"So it's like that? I don't like his neglect to you much either but I suppose it's his duty as an idol to entertain his fans", deadpanned Ruki, looking at the scene also. "N-no... I find his actions reasonable, besides it's not like I'm jealous or anything..."

Ruki softened his normally stoic face. "Would you like me to talk to him later? He's your Adam, he shouldn't treat you like this", he said

"No need...", I muttered and walked away. I heard fangirls muttering and whispering about me.

"Ugh... Look at that stuck-up bitch..."

"I know, she's such a whore"

I'm not...

"She only talks to Kou whenever she wants something... She's a slutty gold digger"

Stop it...

"She completely neglects him at school, seriously I bet she forces him to sleep with her"

I don't...

"Kou could do way better than Y/N..."

I know...

I put my earphones and I keep walking to class, once I get there, I see more fangirls. Stupid bitches...

I pull out my phone and I feel a pull on my right ear.

"Hey Masokitty! Wassup?", He said cheerfully. I say nothing, I feel Kou's fangirls glaring daggers at me. "Ehhh? You changed your screensaver?! Whhhyyyy? We looked so cute together in that photo!" He whined.

"So? Am I not allowed to change my background photo? And must you be so... Over the top?", I deadpanned, I only get into trouble when Kou gives me attention in public.

"Take it easy, I was just asking... Anyway, what're you listening to?", Kou said placing the earphone into his ear.

"Hey!"

"Huh...? Everybody Wants To Rule The World again?", He asked.

"Loser...", One of the girls uttered.

"You seem off today? You doin alright?", He asked in a worried voice.

"Nothing, I just didn't get much sleep last night!"

"Maybe because I didn't let you sleep last night?~ I'm sorry! You know how I get when I'm needy~", he said putting his arm around my waist.

Jesus Christ! No need to bring it up infront if people you dumbass! I felt more glares of horror and burning hatred being stabbed into me.

"Y/N, you listen to a song on loop when you're upset, are you sure it's okay?"

"Geez, I'm on my period okay!", I hissed... God, why can't he just leave me alone in school?

"it actually ended last-"

"Can you shut the fuck up for five seconds?!"

Everyone looked at me... Kou just glared at me, well, I'm in for it tonight.

I walked into class and I just tried to forget... everything. Why did I have to say that?!

I quickly leave the class after the bell rang and I headed straight for the girls bathroom hastily. I lock myself in a stall and went on my phone, again.

"Kou would look sooo good with Megumi right?", A feminine voice sighed.

"Doesn't he already have a girlfriend? It's that Y/N girl right?"

"I hate that bitch, she told him to shut the fuck up today, the audacity"

"Seriously?- Oh hey Megumi!"

Who's Megumi? I heard she's some really famous model/idol. I listen in on their conversation.

"Hey guys! What's up?", She said enthusiastically.

"Did you hear what Y/N said to Kou today?"

"Hm? Yeah I heard about it... Poor Kou, he must feel so abused by her. Also I asked him if he wanted to do a photoshoot with me and he said yes!"

My heart sank at her words... He really said that he'd do it with her? I get an Instagram notification that Kou updated his story, I went on and it read: Doing a photoshoot with Megumi! I'm so excited! I'll put pictures on later!

I turned my phone off in defeat. I'll stay with him for the plan... Not because I'm in love with him. I'm sick of the shit he does at this point. I wait for the girls to leave, which didn't take long so I left the stall and went to wash my hands. "Hey you stupid bitch!", A voice screamed at me. I ignored it. "DONT FUCKING ANNOY ME BITCH!".

I looked at her and I felt a strong impact on my face and I felt something run down my face. I looked in the mirror and blood was spilling down. The girl and her friends took turns hitting me and they left after 5 painful minutes.

I hate this...

I walk out to the nurse's office and grabbed a large plaster for my face and walked out. Why can't this day just end? I wanna go back and go to bed.

"Masokitty...?"

"Yeah... What's up?"

"What happened to your face?"

"I..."

I saw the group of girls snickering at me.

"I fell..."

"Is that right?", He said getting serious. The way he was looking at me made me wanna crawl under a rock and die. School was over before I knew it and the car ride was silent, a very awkward silence.

"I wanna talk when we get back Masokitty... I'm not very happy on how you were acting today, it was sooo embarrassing"

Yuma pursed his lips and widened his eyes, knowing that some major tea is going to go down.

"I'm sorry for being such an embarrassment...", I said shyly, not looking him in the eyes.

Does he honestly think that he'd be the one suffering...?

"I don't think you're an embarrassment Livestock... Kou, you need to think about Eve, her happiness should be your top priority. The plan is almost finished"

"I-it's really fine, it's not like it matters to me whether I'm happy or not...", I deadpan looking out the window.

"Jesus Christ! What the hell is your problem today?! You're starting to piss me off!", Yelled Kou.

"It doesn't matter, I'll just...deal with it myself or whatever", I sighed listlessly.

"Eve... isn't...acting...like...her...normal...self...at school... you...tend...to...be....much...happier...at... home....are...you...sure...that... you're... fine....at....school?", Said Azusa, clearly worried.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Nothing that bad has happened", I said smiling.

"Oh, also I gotta go out later today", said Kou.

"Be back before dinner, what time are you going at?", Asked Ruki. He's such a mom sometimes.

"Uhhh... 12:00 to 15:00. Shouldn't you of all people be curious as to where I'm going Masokitty?", Hissed Kou.

"Not really no, just don't do anything dumb"

Kou ignored you for the rest of the car ride and avoided you for the rest of the night.

It was time for you to go to bed, you just went to your own room because you thought he didn't want you to sleep next to him.

It was 16:00... He should've been home by now... I checked his Instagram and...

He and Megumi made such a good couple... Comments on the post said that they should start dating, they'd make such a great couple.

What is this... Inferiority?

This crushing feeling like I'll never be good enough for Kou...

Do I only love Kou because... He's someone no one else can have? Do I see him as a trophy...?

Does he only see me as a blood bag? Something he can use for his amusement?

I turn off my phone and flop onto my bed, Jesus Christ, I wanted to cry until I eventually drown into my tears.

It feels like Kou's moving away from me... And I hate it.

Ruki POV-

"Explain this Kou", I ordered showing him an image on my phone of his going into some girls apartment. I was beyond annoyed with him for what he did.

Kou was looking at the photo in shock. "You slept with that girl didn't you?! Incase you haven't noticed, you have a girlfriend, who has seen this and questioning her worth to you"

"Ruki! I didn't sleep with her and most importantly, Y/N saw?!", He yelled. "She even said that you and Megumi made a good couple today at lunch"

Kou looked like he was about to cry.

"I knew it was weird, how she was always trying to avoid me at school. I ruined her..."

About time he came to his senses...

"She even told me that she'll stay to fulfill the plan, not for you. The stress of choosing an Adam was hard enough, but the stress of her Adam not loving her is worse"

Kou rushed off finally. Besides, I knew he'd never cheat on her. He loves her too much...

Y/N P.O.V.

I was looking outside my window and I heard running down the hall, Kou burst in with no context and rushed over to me.

I tensed up and closed my eyes, thinking that he'd yell at me but instead, he just stood infront of me helplessly crying like a child. He leant down and embraced me like I was going to disappear in seconds.

"I'm...I'm s-sorry! I was o-only thinking about m-myself!", He cried, I could barely decipher what he was saying yet I had an idea why he was being so apologetic.

Because I saw the picture of him going into Megumi's home and he wants me to keep being in his little harem.

I out one arm around him and keep a listless face, knowing him he's just trying to manipulate me into feeling sorry for him.

"Grow the fuck up, you're just sad because you got exposed and I'm just the most convenient to go and cry to"

He looked at me and started crying even more. "SHUT UP! I LOVE YOU AND I'D CHOOSE YOU OVER MEGUMI- NO ANY MAN OR WOMAN OUT THERE!", he yelled.

"R-Ruki told me that... You think that I no longer care about you or love you... I don't want to be around those girls, they only like me because I'm attractive and famous but you- you've seen me at my worst and most violent, yet you've still stayed with me... Thank you... Thank you so much Y/N, my precious Eve"

I hug him back and I felt like crying, however, there was still a little demon on my shoulder telling me that he was faking it.

"Kou...there's no way that I'd be good enough for someone like you"

His mood swing came and he aggressively grabbed my shoulders. "How the hell can you say that?! Jesus Christ, you're the most precious thing to me! I'd sacrifice my career for you in a heartbeat!"

I'm getting mixed feelings here, he says he loves me but he sounds like he's gonna strangle me any second. Why couldn't Yui be an option? She can be my Lilith but that's not the point.

"Stop lying to me...", I whisper, holding onto him tighter.

"I'm not... You know how much I hate lies"

"Stop lying..."

"I'm not", he said softly holding onto me.

I start crying quietly, feeling a lot better that Kou gave me the verification that I so desperately wanted to hear, yet there was still some lingering doubt.

We skipped school to hangout and to do other stuff.

Timeskip~ Monday

"Kou! You looked so handsome in that photoshoot!"

"Thanks! But I don't have time to talk today because I need to focus on my special lady", he said politely.

"It's been awhile since we both went to class together", I said. I was in much better spirits because he was with me.

I guess being around with Kou in public isn't that bad.

IDGAF if I made mistakes, just deal with it because I'm too lazy...

#diabolik lovers #yuis pantsu #kou #mukami #scenario #tw bullying #bruh

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dracula-in-purple-story · 5 years

Text

Romantic Idiots

How to confess to your crush(es)?

Option 1 : Do not let your brain and heart clashes together and give you mixed signals. Then confess.

Option 2 : Give him/her/them an Applin or any shiny Pokemons. Then confess.

Advice : Panic if fail.

“Panic if fail? What’s that supposed to mean, Grandpa?” Hop glanced up hesitantly as he finished noting down the old man’s advice. His ex-champion brother nervously clenched around his Charmander plushies.

The grandfather smiled coyly as he went to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of tea while the brothers tried to follow behind him. Their mother chuckled at this silly scene before the grandmother answered for her husband, also smiling coyly.

“Panic as in running away like an idiot. I swear to Arceus, when I was at your age, Leon, your grandpa over there tried to asked me out by throwing a Poke Ball at my window. Poor Appletun dearie got a fright that time and refused to acknowledge him for a decade.”

“Hush, sweetheart.” the blushing old man ruffled his wife’s hair before settling down. “Our daughter-in-law got it worse than you. Am I right, Helen?”

The said woman just sighed blissfully before snorting out loud, almost making the brothers laughed if they weren’t asking for some love advices. Standing up, she shuffled through the living room to picked up her wedding photos and was reminiscing the moment.

“Mom?” the older brother asked gently as to not interrupt the moment.

“Yes, Leon?”

“How did Dad confess? It can’t be worse than Gramps’ attempt.”

“Yeah!” the younger brother butted in while grinning at the offended-looking man, “What was it like? Could it be he try to serenade? Bet he sounds goofy and passed it down to Lee!”

“Hey! I sound amazing, Hopscotch! You are just jealous!”

“Boys,” the mother smiled at her sons’ playful banter. When they finally stopped, she smiled even wilder as she recounted the fateful evening.

“Well, he didn’t serenade, for starters. But he did tried to make an A Capella with Rotoms and Dittos. Never worked out since he first practised it at the Lake of Outrage. The Rotoms snitched on him with the Dittos were making ‘He love You’ letters while I saved his arse.”

“Oof, ouchies.” Hop scrunched up his face jokingly while Leon laughed as he imagined the scenario over and over. They pulled out their own RotomPhones when they were done though.

“You better not snitch on me, dude. I must do this myself.” The ex-champion pleaded with his little bro nodding beside him.

“You got it-Roto! Don’t stutter when you confess-Roto!”

“We make sure to taped you guys so we can see who’s got the worst end of the stick-Roto!”

“ROTOMS, NO!”

The purple-haired brothers panicked as they chased their cackling phones, leaving the amused adults behind.

“I bet two thousand PokeDollars that they would failed terribly and cutely at the same time.”

“No need to bet, Mother. It’s obvious that their ability to confess is still strong in their blood.”

“Rude, ladies. Very rude.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Now back at their shared apartment at Wyndon City, Leon was pacing around. His little bro had already went out to find his crushes. The new chairman wished he had this kind of courage. He wished, just not gonna happen. He and Raihan are just friends with a healthy rivalry of ten years! How is he going to react if he just confess out of the blue?! That’s why he got a perfect plan! Sonia had helped him devised a lot of plans. Plans related to shiny Pokemons were quickly rejected due to him being a natural shiny repellent. Flowers were also a big no, Raihan’s Pokemons tend to gobbled up flowers from his fans. Chocolate was supposed to be part of the plan, but Sonia rejected that idea because it was overrated. So this is the result. Just ask Raihan to go out with him and make sure he knows it’s a date and not a Valentine’s Day hangout. Solid A+ Plan! “Over a phone call? So outdated, Master Lee. Not gonna lie but that’s so last season,” the RotomPhone floats around in front of Leon while showcasing the contact details of his master’s dream man. “I don’t want Raihan to see my face if I ask him face to face! It’s too obvious!” “Ain’t that the plan?” “No!” “Okay, okay! Geez, you humans are so overly complicated. What happen to mating calls? It’s so much easier.” “Shut it, Rotom...” With a heavy sigh, he slouched over the single-seat coach. Maybe it’s a bad plan, but it’s the only foul-proof plan he could ever execute. “Okay,” Leon sat up and slapped both side of his cheeks to concentrate, “I’m ready! All I have to say is ‘Go out with me this evening’!” Snatching RotomPhone from the air, while apologizing, the purple-haired man pressed ‘Call’ with confidence. It rang for a few times before the Dragon Gym Leader picked up with his smooth, husky voice. The voice he should still get used to but still melt every time he heard it. “What’s up, ex-champ? Feeling lonely on Valentines?” Let’s be boyfriends. Leon’s mind went on short circuit for a bit. He didn’t respond for a minute, making the silence unbearable. “Uh, Leon? Are you there?” “LET’S DO BOYFRIENDS’ DATE!” Unfortunately, his mind ended up fusing what he initially going to said and his current thoughts. Freaking out, he ended up the call without hearing the reply. He just screwed up. He managed to screw up the only foul-proof plan. This is not what it should happen and yet, here he was. Leon stomped his way to his bedroom, slammed his door open and threw himself onto the bed in frustration. He really shouldn’t take Option 1. ~~~~~~~~~~ Arriving at the Hammerlocke Gym, Hop quickly strode towards the lift, and quickly slid his access card. He went in but not without getting bumped by Raihan, who never seems to noticed him as the top Gym Leader dashed outside with the biggest grin plastered on his face. Leon succeed, huh... The lab assistant shook his face to focus on his mission. He really put a lot of effort finding these Pokemon after all. Gramps�� advice always worked! Reaching his destination, he walked out slowly towards his so-called Rival Gang. They were grooming and playing with Zacian and Zamazenta. The Legendary Pokemon was really ease up on Victor and Gloria real quick. Hop let out his own Legendary Pokemon partner, Eternatus, scaring the occupant in the room, especially the albino-haired boy. “Hop! You idiot! Are you trying to scare me half to death?!” I wanna smooch you til I melt though. Grinning characteristically, he settled himself down between the girls, who now switched their focus on Eternatus. Victor, the new chairman’s secretary, smiled gently at him as greeting. Arceus, I would love to see your smile everyday, every time. “So, how’s the research coming up, Hop? Having such a rowdy Pokemon like this dragon must have damage the lab a few times.” Marnie smirked at Hop while throwing a Heavy Ball for it to catch. Such a graceful badass. With a super effective smirk. “Natus can shapeshift to a smaller size to roam freely so it’s not a problem,” the lab assistant answered before side-glancing his Legendary partner, “the problem would be giving Sonia a hard time to examine it.” “Typical. Seems like giving you Eternatus is the right choice. After all, I don’t think I can handle two huge responsibilities at the same time. Am I right, Zacian?” Gloria, the newly-crowned champion, winked at the Sword-wielding Warrior Pokemon. Zacian huffed out a pleased grunt, almost indicating it agreed with her. Are you trying to faint me with your adorable wink?! Finding the right time, Hop waited for the opportunity as they talked and played around. Occasionally battling or betting matches, making curry at this unusual location, talking about work. Hop had to thank Arceus when Victor popped the question. “So... today’s Valentines Day, ain’t it? You guys got some confession to make?” Silence taking over the room. Marnie and Bede tried to hide their blush but failed miserably while Gloria was looking embarrassed for once. Hop took a deep breath. “I do.” Shocking his gang again, he took out four Love Balls. Each of them had their unique designs that Hop took the time to do. “It makes me sound crazy but I think... I have a crushes on you guys. Super, duper big ones,” he slowly exclaimed as he handed them each of their own unique Love Balls, which they took it gladly. A good sign. Victor had Sobble with heart-shaped eyes drawing; Gloria had Scorbunny with its ear forming a heart-shaped drawing; Bede had a heart-shaped Solosis drawing; Marnie had Morpeko with heart-shaped cheek pouches drawing. “Hop, I hate you,” the Fairy Type Gym Leader started scowling. While Hop thought he was already damaging their friendship, the blushing albino head also threw him and the others a Love Ball. “You make me look so underprepared that it hurts.” “Me too.” The Dark Type Gym Leader joined in as she too had four Love Balls. “Me three.” The secretary chimed in, also with another four Love Balls. “I’m an idiot,” Gloria was flushed red as she took out four boxes of chocolates. The gang bursted out laughing at their rightfully-called lover. Lovers... that rings nicely to my heart. Our heart.

#One Shot #Valentines Prompts #Pokemon Sword and Shield #TrueRivalShipping #RivalGangShipping #Pokemon Trainer Victor #Pokemon Trainer Gloria #Rival Hop #Rival Marnie #Rival Bede #Champion Leon #Gym Leader Raihan #Zacian #Zamazenta #Eternatus #SWSH

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bensakindofmagic · 5 years

Text

Chapter Twelve

A/N: hey hey hey, have another chapter kiddos!

WARNING: swearing, SMUT (but it’s kinda fluffy???) so 18+ ONLY PLEASE, and also you fuckers ain’t ready

w/c: 5.2k (oof, grab a cuppa before you start)

Chapter Twelve

The next morning you arranged to see each other that evening, to go on your first proper date, but didn’t travel to work together. Despite the prolonged pining for each other it felt too soon to be flaunting it in front of everyone. You weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend, and you certainly weren’t ready for everyone to know about the two of you. But the guys noticed the change in mood instantly: that you weren’t awkward around each other anymore and the you kept smiling bashfully at each other across the room, that you bit your lip and blushed when Ben smirked at you. It was clear that something had happened between you the night before, but they weren’t exactly sure what.

“Do you want to come back to mine after work and play Mario Kart?” Joe asked Ben casually.

Ben’s cheeks went a dusky pink and he caught himself before he glanced at you, “Sorry mate, I can’t tonight.”

“Can’t? Why?”

“Uhh,” Ben stalled before deciding to just tell the truth, “I’ve got a date.”

Gwil perked up at that and quickly joined the conversation, “A date? With whom?”

Ben was really floundering now. He was reticent to tell the guys what had happened given the way you had reacted before, but he couldn’t lie to his mates either. He opened and closed his mouth, racking his brain for something to say.

You saved him, by walking over to ask, “Are you guys good to get into position? We’re nearly ready to shoot.”

“Did you know Ben has a date tonight?” Joe shot at you.

“Always so professional,” you chuckled to yourself, but a smile tugged gently at the corner of your mouth when you glanced at Ben. “Um, yeah I did.”

Gwil looked between you, reading between the lines, and his eyes went wide.

“He won’t tell us who it’s with,” Joe whined.

“Christ Joe, you can be a bit dim sometimes,” Gwil laughed, and gestured emphatically at you and Ben as a deep blush crept up your neck.

Finally clocking the connection, Joe’s mouth fell open before he grinned, “Thank god, you two took your sweet time.”

“Shh,” you scowled, “We don’t want everyone to know yet."

“Right, sorry,” he said, lowering his voice, “I’m just excited for you.”

“So what are you doing for your first date?” Gwil effused.

You turned to Ben as he asked, “Yeah what are we doing?”

“I thought it was your job to figure that out.”

“I thought you were a modern woman.”

“I can be a modern woman and want to be treated like a princess, can’t I?”

Joe chuckled, “Best take note bud, she’s expecting you to go all out by the sounds of it.”

“I didn’t say that,” you said, the tone of your voice rising a little to express your indignance, “I’m not asking you to spend a load of money on me, I just want you to…” Your voice trailed off as you noticed the expressions of the guys — grinning expectantly — and suddenly felt a swell of embarrassment. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter right now. Time you lot got to your places.”

With a grumble they headed off and you turned to get behind the camera, but Ben gently took hold of your arm and you edged round to face him, meeting his gaze to find concern in his eyes.

“Are you okay with all this? I know you said you didn’t want to tell everyone yet and you seemed kind of uncomfortable just then—”

You gave him a soft smile and resisted the urge stroke his cheek. “I’m fine. And of course you could tell the guys, it’s not like we could have kept it secret from them for long anyway.”

“What were you going to say?” he said as a smile glinted behind his eyes and he jerked his chin.

You shrugged, gazing at the wall over his shoulder, “I was going to say that I want you to show me what I mean to you. But I thought it was a bit much to say it in front of them.”

He grinned, biting his lip, “If I could kiss you I’d show you what you mean to me right now.”

“Later,” you whispered, and turned on your heel to walk away.

The day went all too slowly, punctuated by stolen glances and concealed winks. A seeming colony of butterflies fluttered in the pit of your stomach when he smiled at you, or when you caught him staring as you went about your work. When he sat down beside you at lunch and settled his hand on your thigh under the table you had to fight to ignore the thumping of your heart in your ears. He was what you had wanted for so long and now, finally, he was yours. You struggled to keep your breathing steady when his fingers tightened momentarily around your flesh.

But despite the connection, the tension between you, it felt a little weird. Trying to navigate this new relationship in front of the guys was awkward and clunky, and you hadn’t figured out how to be a couple around them yet. You were barely a couple at all, having never been on a date together and it was only the previous day that you weren’t speaking to each other. But both of you had been wanting this for so long that it seemed as if you had hit the ground running headlong into each other.

The guys’ scrutiny as you ate was ill-masked, and they were clearly expecting you and Ben to be all over each other. Their inquisitive stares, on top of your nervous energy and the way Ben made you feel when he touched you, had basically turned you into a frenetic mess by the afternoon. You brought the guys some hot drinks while the lights were being reset and sat down beside them, grateful for the rest. It had been a busy day, given the amount of catching up you had to do from the day before.

“Seems to be going much better today, Y/N,” Gwil said, thanking you as you handed him a cup of tea.

“Yeah, we’re making good progress.”

“What a difference it makes when you’re in a good mood,” Joe teased.

Your cheeks flushed as you looked at Ben through your lashes. He smiled, warmth radiating from the green of his eyes and his laughter lines etching themselves deeply in his skin, “She’s the beating heart of this place.”

“Oh god, it’s this what it’s going to be like from now on with you two? All mushy and sappy” Joe groaned.

“You jealous babe?” you winked, “We’re phasing you out.”

He frowned, pouting, but Gwil piped up, “Either way, this is infinitely preferable to before. The pining was getting unbearable.”

“Oh I’m sure Joe will take up that mantle,” you laughed.

Ben cornered you late in the afternoon and told you to be ready by 7pm, and to dress up a bit, because he was taking you to dinner.

The knock came at the door earlier than you were expecting, but luckily you had started getting ready as soon as you got home so only had to put on your jewellery. You wore a simple body con dress with a high neck — enough to show off your curves while still leaving something to the imagination — with knee high black boots and statement earrings. Your hair fell in gentle waves onto your shoulders and your makeup was neutral but elegant. You hurried to the door, shoes clopping loudly on the wooden floor, and opened it to see a nervous-looking Ben chewing on his finger.

“Hey, I’m almost ready,” you said a little breathlessly. Your eyes wondered down as you scanned him; you’d never seen him looking so dapper. He wore a rust brown plaid suit over a black shirt, the top few buttons hanging casually open. A thick camel trench coat was draped loosely over his arm where his hand was stuffed in his pocket. Freshly washed curls fell easily on his head.

“Sorry, I know I’m early. I was so paranoid about being late I guess I went the other way.”

You gestured for him to come in while you gathered your things.

“No, it’s okay, I did the same.” You grabbed your most stylish faux fur coat that made anything look fashionable, and your clutch, throwing the coat loosely over your shoulders.

“You look incredible, by the way,” he said sincerely.

You beamed, “Thanks, you know when you told me the dress code was ‘nice but not super nice’ you didn’t exactly make it easy.”

“Well you nailed it,” he laughed.

“You know, you scrub up pretty well yourself.”

You left your apartment and found the air outside was crisp but pleasant. Ben suggested you walk as you had some extra time and the restaurant wasn’t too far away. You walked mostly in silence, enjoying the bustle of the city in the evening and each other’s company. A couple of times you thought you ought to strike up conversation but when nothing sprang to mind to say you let it lie, figuring you had all evening to chat. When you got the restaurant Ben gave the waiter his reservation details as you took in your surroundings. It looked pretty opulent, with chandeliers hung from the ceiling, red velvet seat covers and gilded, baroque-style decor.

“God, this place is fancy. I feel underdressed,” you murmured under your breath.

“You look perfect,” Ben whispered, leaning so close to you that his breath tickled the skin on your neck. He slipped his hand in yours with a comforting smile, and led you over to the table.

You sat down gingerly, acutely aware of the fact that you could not afford to pay for it if you damaged anything. Ben ordered champagne and you found yourself reevaluating the man sat before you. Even having seen his home you never thought of him as wealthy, but it occurred to you that he must have a pretty decent income given his line of work and his recent success. The whole atmosphere had you slightly on edge, and when the sommelier poured your champagne you drank it just a little too fast.

“So, finally on a proper date,” Ben said, clearly somewhat uncomfortable too.

“Yeah, um, it’s been a little while coming,” you replied, shifting in your seat but heartened by the way he scanned your face, looking for the same anxiety.

“Sorry,” he faltered, “It’s been a little while since I’ve done this.” He pulled his face into a smile that came out more like a grimace. The one you returned was genuine.

“I guess we just have to not try too hard, you know? When we first met we were friends.”

“When we first met I was trying desperately to flirt with you,” he chuckled.

You grinned, “I was trying desperately not to. You had a girlfriend back then, remember?”

“Feels like a long time ago, doesn’t it?” he mused. It did. Both your lives had changed since then.

You chatted dispassionately about which starters looked good and worked thirstily through a second glass of champagne. Conversation was drying up and you had just started to panic about what to say next when you were saved by the waiter coming to take your order.

“You’re really knocking back that bubbly,” Ben joked as he filled up your glass again.

“Dutch courage,” you smiled, hiding your embarrassment.

“Nervous?”

You nodded, “I don’t know why, it’s not like we don’t know each other and I have to make a good impression.”

“Right, it’s okay though, I’m nervous too,” he admitted, pulling one side of his mouth into a closed-lip smile.

“Maybe it’s just this place — fancy food and waiters in tuxedos, you know?”

The food came blissfully quickly, leaving little time for awkward eye-contact and jilted conversation.

The tiniest starter you’d ever seen was laid in front of you, and you bit your tongue, only offering a polite ‘thank you’ to the waiter. It was beautiful and intricate, but far from filling.

“I hope the mains are a bit more substantial,” you quipped.

“If they’re not then my stomach will be be rumbling so much it’ll be third wheeling.”

Having avoided much of the food on set later in the day, on account of your nerves and knowing you were going out for dinner, you were starving and wolfed down your food far too quickly. Ben wasn’t far behind.

“That waiter is for sure judging us,” you said with serious eyes, hiding the laugh that wrinkled beneath them.

“I guess devouring the fancy food in approximately three seconds isn’t exactly how things are usually done round here,” he ventured. Looking swiftly around the room he leaned in towards you and whispered, “Shall we get out of here? We could just go back to my place and order pizza.”

Your face split into a grin and you hummed, “Not before we finish this champagne.”

He laughed and poured out the last of it into your glasses.

“To us,” he toasted, clinking his glass against yours and you both downed your drinks.

“Let’s go,” you declared, grabbing your coat.

Ben settled the bill at the door, despite your insistence on splitting it, and hailed a taxi. You were soon at his place.

“I’ll order the pizza,” he said, shrugging his coat and shoes off and grabbing his laptop. “Make yourself at home, there’s beer in fridge, or wine if you’re feeling fancy.”

“I’m always feeling fancy,” you said as you poured out two glasses of wine, well aware of the irony of it.

You put them down on the coffee table and sat on the sofa beside Ben, unzipping your boots to free your legs. Ben’s eyes were fixed on your clenched calves and pointed toes as you slipped your feet out of them. You smirked, “Distracted, Hardy?”

His gaze snapped up to your face and he grunted, “I’m totally focused,” turning his attention back to the computer screen.

You curled your feet up beside you and let your glass sit lazily in your hand as you surveyed the way Ben’s shirt strained over his shoulder blades.

“It’ll be here in 15 minutes,” he said, picking up his own glass and sitting back on the sofa to be level with you. “So, you’re feeling fancy but not that fancy?” he teased.

“I like to feel fancy in a causal situation. I want to be the most extravagant person in the room.” you winked.

“Not at all demanding then.”

That easy rapport was back and you fell into amicable conversation, laughter soon reaching your soul. You were only interrupted by a knock on the door and squealed with excitement when Ben returned with a steaming pizza.

“Now that’s my kind of man,” you cheered as he set it down on the table.

You went slice-for-slice, demolishing it far too quickly between you, while joking about stuffy waiters and tiny portions.

You worked your way through the wine after that, while discussing everything from your favourite films to childhood dreams to families and pet peeves and anything else you could think of.

“Hey,” Ben ventured in a moment of quiet, “Sorry this evening didn’t exactly go to plan. I thought the whole fancy restaurant thing would be nice, but I guess I misjudged it.”

You shuffled closer to him let your hand wander to the back of his neck. “Please don’t worry about it. I’ve had a wonderful evening. All I really wanted was to spend it with you.” You gently stroked the short hairs there, and your eyes drifted to his lips, as his did to yours. Slowly, without either of you noticing yourselves moving, your faces were inches from each other and your breath mingled in the space between you. Then his lips were on yours and it was sweeter than before. When his tongue brushed against your own you pulled away and smirked, “You taste like pizza.”

“So do you,” he purred and swallowed your giggle in kisses. His grip on your hips was firm and you were soon straddling his lap. You ground your hips indiscernibly, involuntarily, against his crotch, relishing the moan it elicited from him. He began to direct you into more pronounced movements while you grasped his jaw with both hands. He buried his face in your neck, leaving a trail of kisses and marks until he found your sweet spot and latched onto it. You threw your head back in bliss, letting him fill up your senses and the pressure between your thighs grow until you were panting. You needed him.

You pulled back hastily, taken aback by your own desperation. “Is this a good idea?”

“We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to,” Ben calmly assured you.

“Oh believe me, I want to.”

“Well, then, why wouldn’t it be a good idea? You know me, you trust me,” he murmured.

You gave a reassured nod, you did trust him, and placed a peck on his lips before dismounting. Ben looked at you, confused, but you took his hand and led him to the bedroom. You turned to him once you got inside, and your arms were around him, hands exploring his toned shoulders, lips on his and hungrily, frantically, tasting his mouth. You dragged his bottom lip through your teeth. Ben stumbled a little as he kicked off his shoes and attempted to take off his socks with his feet, eventually conceding to bending down to take them off. Then he began to bunch your dress up around your waist and made to pull it over your head.

“Wait, earrings,” you announced, hurriedly taking them out before they got caught on your dress.

“I thought they were pretty,” he lamented with a shrug.

“Believed me,” you huffed, placing them on the mantelpiece, “they’re more trouble than they’re worth.”

You approached him again, inches between you, and his hands skimmed your thighs, trailing up past your waist, and he pulled your dress up over your head — where it promptly got stuck on your arms. With your head inside a fabric cone you muffled, “Just tug it.” He did and it came awkwardly off. You shook your hair out and bit your lip to stop yourself from giggling, hoping you could pass it off as seductive. But Ben sniggered, “This isn’t going particularly smoothly, is it?”

You grinned as you threw your arms around his neck and reassured, “It’s okay.”

You fumbled with his buttons and all but ripped his shirt off his body. You moaned audibly at the sight of his chiselled chest, carefully sculpted and heaving with every shaky intake of breath. You attached your mouth to his collarbones, so deep and sharp, and left your mark there. You smiled against his skin in satisfaction at the groan it elicited, rumbling deep within him. He grabbed your thighs abruptly and lifted you off the ground, throwing you onto the bed. You landed hard and smiled as he crawled on top of you, like a lion stalking its prey. He looked ridiculously sexy. But far too clothed.

He trailed kisses up your chest, stopping to leave the tracks of his teeth in your flesh every once in a while. When he reached your breasts, still encased in black lace, he toyed with the edge of the fabric, pulling it a little lower and leaving a deep purple hickey just above your nipple. He moved up to your neck, licking and biting as he went. When he nuzzled his nose into your ear you squealed, writhing beneath him. “That tickles!” you gasped, giggling.

Ben pulled back and grunted, “Sorry,” the frown etched clearly into his features. Before he could reattach his lips to you, you caught his face in your hands and forced him to meet your eyes. “Stop worrying. I can see that you’re overthinking.”

When he pressed his lips to yours it was soft, a caress dripping with tenderness. He dropped his forehead against yours, allowing himself to be vulnerable, as he whispered, “I thought about this so many times. In my head it was always perfect.”

“Ben, this is perfect. It’s honest and real and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m ticklish, so what?”

Suddenly, his expression changed; in the blink of an eye a wide grin had spread over his face and his hands trailed down to your waist and he was tickling you relentlessly. You yelped, squirming away from his touch but he had you pinned beneath him. You gasped breathlessly and managed to pant out, “That wasn’t an invitation!”

When he finally relented you breathed, “Arsehole,” to which he only replied with a wide smirk.

He chuckled, “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist. Let me make it up to you,” putting on his best puppy dog eyes and you melted.

“You can start by taking those trousers off.”

His grin was the very definition of seduction, and he rolled off you to fumble with his belt. His trousers inevitably got caught around his ankles and you laughed as he struggled to throw them off. Finally dislodging them, he tossed them across the room with a huff and collapsed back on the bed heavily. You took the opportunity to throw your leg over his lap and straddle him again, grinding against the growing bulge there, while he ran his sizeable hands, calloused from drumming, up and down your thighs. You leant down to kiss his lips, then the hollow between his pecks, before shuffling down to face his groin. You fiddled with his boxers, slipping your fingers under the waistband, and licked your lips, ready to taste him.

You suddenly stopped, frozen.

“What is it?” he asked worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah I just… I just realised I’m going to see your dick.”

He gave you a blank stare. “Yeah,” he said slowly, stating the obvious, but you watched his face change as he actually considered the reality of it for the first time too.

“Is it weird that I’m kinda nervous about it?” you ventured.

“You’re nervous?!” he said with incredulity. “It’s my dick!”

Your face broke into a smile and you couldn’t help the giggle that simmered up through your chest and soon you were laughing heartily.

“Are you laughing at me, Miss Y/L/N?” Ben protested but he was laughing along with you. With your hands resting on his bare chest you felt its rapid rise and fall as he chuckled, and you watched the way relaxation bathed his features. His eyes lay softly closed, his lips parted in a smile.

“Com’ere,” he mumbled, and you crawled up his body and gently settled your weight onto his chest. He held your face and pressed his lips tenderly to yours, feathery light. You gave a satisfied hum, the pulsing of your bodies falling into rhythm.

After that moment of intimacy, he broke the silence by asking, “Can I eat you out?”

Your head shot up. “Are you serious?”

He nodded slowly and you instantly rolled off him, taking the opportunity to unhook your bra and fling it to the floor. You spread your legs and beckoned, “Yes please.”

He shimmied down the bed, settled between your thighs, and grasped your hips tightly. With agonising deliberateness he lowered his head towards your sex. You shuddered as you felt his breath even through the fabric of your underwear, and when he placed a kiss, with the lightest of touches, over your mound, you trembled. He kissed along the inside of your thigh, right up to the place where it met your pussy, and left a hickey on your hip just above the waistband.

“Ben,” you breathed, desperate, aching for his touch. He looked up at you and grinned, pulling his bottom lip devilishly between his teeth, and letting his fingers slip beneath the elastic. He swiftly pulled them down and you sucked in a breath at the sudden exposure. The wait was torturous: it seemed an age before you finally felt his mouth on you. But when you did it was warm and sweet, as he slowly explored your folds. Every swipe of his tongue was intentional, every pause, every flick. You could feel the way he was savouring this first time getting to taste you. He had felt you before, but this was so different, this was viscerally intimate and deeply personal. His tongue found your clit and rolled against it, caressing. You gasped.

Fuckfuckfuckfuck.

The pressure was mounting, your orgasm rumbling slowly towards you. Just when the empty ache between your thighs had you moaning with desire, Ben slid a finger inside you, then another quickly after. He worked you to breaking point, all the while letting his free hand wander over your stomach, to your breasts and hips, and his eyes frequently darted up to your face to watch the reaction he was eliciting. You buried your hands in his hair and thrust your head back, eyes pressed tightly shut, and let a string of profanities tumble from your mouth.

“Oh, fuck Ben… that feels — fuck — that feels so fucking good.”

You felt his smile against your pussy, proud of his handiwork, and just as his pace began to quicken, as your breathing became shallower and your moans more illicitly lustful, he pulled away from you. The emptiness was sudden, the cool air against your burning pussy almost unbearable.

“You’re such a fucking tease,” you whined as Ben rolled off you and reached for a condom from the drawer.

“Believe me, that was not teasing.” The glint in his eyes made you clench your thighs together.

He shimmied his boxers off, now painfully tight with his arousal, and his dick sprang free. It was thick and long and you internally thanked god for blessing you with such a man. Every part of him was beautiful. He rolled the rubber on with ease and shifted his weight onto his side to look down at you. He stroked the side of your face and let his eyes dart between your own. You took a moment to reassess, to fully comprehend what was happening. This guy that you had been crushing on for so long, this guy who was smart and quick and funny and so sexy, was looking at you with all this affection, like he wanted nothing more than to take care of you, like you were all that mattered in the world. You wondered what the hell you’d done to get so lucky.

He kissed you passionately, swallowing any words but for once leaving nothing unsaid, and positioned himself above you.

“You ready?”

You grinned, “Good god, yes,” and slowly he pushed himself inside you.

“Oh…” you gasped and your eyelids fluttered as he filled you to the hilt. He stopped, taking a moment to feel you, and you saw his pleasure plastered over his features; eyes closed, head hanging, jaw clenched, lips swollen.

“Fuck you’re so tight,” he groaned. You snaked your arms up his biceps, bulging under his weight, and interlaced your fingers around his neck. He leant down to press his lips to yours and you held him close for a moment: his eyes were bright, pupils blown with lust, and his skin glistened. Just the sight of him made the knot in your stomach tighten. You sighed as he rested his forehead against yours, and pecked his lips once, twice, three times. Slowly, agonisingly, he thrust into you again. He started slow, establishing a steady rhythm that soon had you panting. He traced his fingers along your jaw and down your neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake before kissing them away. He shifted his weight and started to deepen his thrusts, reaching that spot within you that had you crying out in pleasure.

Ben grinned, “There?”

“There. Right there — oh my god, Ben,” you gasped, squeezing your eyes shut.

“Baby, look at me,” he said, tucking a finger under your chin and lifting it to meet his gaze. You forced your lids open and there was such intensity in his eyes, such fiery desire. Your lips hung open in a silent cry, moaning and gasping and whispering curses under your breath. You struggled to keep your eyes open but fought to hold his gaze as he quickened his pace, thrusting deeper and faster and harder. Your hands roamed over his shoulders and back, nails digging into him for some kind of traction. You began repeating his name over and over like a prayer as the pressure built and you ached for release.

He groaned your name like a curse and panted, “I’m close.”

“Me too baby,” you whimpered, your voice quivering as much as your legs. You pressed your fingers to your clit and rubbed furiously until you couldn’t take the sheer intensity of pleasure anymore.

“Ben... Ben.”

“Cum for me,” he grunted, sweat gleaming, whole body clenched.

And you did. Your orgasm was so intense it was almost spiritual. Every nerve in your body was on fire in release, and all you could feel was pleasure pleasure pleasure. You shuddered, gasped, cried, and Ben was clenching inside you as his own release hit him. You clutched his shoulders as he grasped the sheets. As your pleasure subsided you watched the last vestiges of Ben’s wash over his face. You swiped your thumb across his cheek, then his lips, and he kissed your palm before collapsing on your chest with a mumbled, “Fuck.”

You smiled, running a hand through his hair and stroking his back. Beads of sweat trickled down his neck and he buried his face in your hair, moaning.

“As much as I’m enjoying this, you’re kind of crushing me,” you wheezed after a little while, giggling.

He mumbled his apology and rolled off you with a wince, still desperately sensitive. You shifted so that his head rested on your naked chest and you pushed off the hair that clung to his forehead. You traced your index finger along the ridges in his collarbones, his shoulder and arms, feeling the muscles humming softly beneath the skin.

“You did good babe,” you purred. He nuzzled his face between your breasts and briefly took your nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue and letting his teeth skim over it for just a moment. You let out a blissful laugh and pulled his mouth to yours. You hummed into him until he trailed kisses along your jaw and down to your shoulder. He nipped at the supple skin of your breast, just below your armpit, and muttered, “I can’t believe this is what I’ve been missing.”

“I guess we should start making up for lost time then.”

He smirked and you rolled him over so you straddled him again, and started warming him up for round two.

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