#and about robins and Magic and deciding to live forever and ever and ever

[quadrantadvisor]

Batfam Secret Garden au?

Tim as Mary, the neglected orphaned child of rich socialite parents who moves into a large and forboding manor owned by a man they've never met

Damian as Colin, the lord of the house's hidden sickly son with an imperious manner

Dick as Martha, the kind natured house servant who first starts to break though our protagonist's walls

Jason as Dickon, Martha's younger sibling, who has such a way with the world around him that he seems to be magic

And of course Bruce as Mr. Craven, a man so preoccupied by his grief that he can't see what's right in front of him

Book quote examples under the cut:

[...] her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people. She had not wanted a little girl at all, and when Mary was born she handed her over to the care of an Ayah, who was made to understand that if she wished to please the Mem Sahib she must keep the child out of sight as much as possible.

"Oh!" cried Mary, "is he [Mr. Craven] going away to-morrow? I am so glad!"

"He's goin' for a long time. He mayn't come back till autumn or winter. He's goin' to travel in foreign places. He's always doin' it."

"Oh! I'm so glad—so glad!" said Mary thankfully.

Mistress Mary went a step nearer to the robin and looked at him very hard.

"I'm lonely," she said.

She had not known before that this was one of the things which made her feel sour and cross. She seemed to find it out when the robin looked at her and she looked at the robin.

"I like Dickon," added Mary. "And I've never seen him."

"Well," said Martha stoutly, "I've told thee that th' very birds likes him an' th' rabbits an' wild sheep an' ponies, an' th' foxes themselves. I wonder," staring at her reflectively, "what Dickon would think of thee?"

"He wouldn't like me," said Mary in her stiff, cold little way. "No one does."

Martha looked reflective again.

"How does tha' like thysel'?" she inquired, really quite as if she were curious to know.

Mary hesitated a moment and thought it over. "Not at all—really," she answered. "But I never thought of that before."

Secretly [Mary] quite believed that Dickon worked Magic, of course good Magic, on everything near him and that was why people liked him so much and wild creatures knew he was their friend.

At first the robin watched Mary and Colin with sharp anxiety. For some mysterious reason he knew he need not watch Dickon. The first moment he set his dew-bright black eye on Dickon he knew he was not a stranger but a sort of robin without beak or feathers.

Even Mary had found out that one of Colin's chief peculiarities was that he did not know in the least what a rude little brute he was with his way of ordering people about. He had lived on a sort of desert island all his life and as he had been the king of it he had made his own manners and had had no one to compare himself with.

[Mr. Craven] had not meant to be a bad father, but he had not felt like a father at all. He had supplied doctors and nurses and luxuries, but he had shrunk from the mere thought of the boy and had buried himself in his own misery.

Colin put out his hand and laid it on his father's arm.

"Aren't you glad, Father?" he ended.

"Aren't you glad? I'm going to live forever and ever and ever!"

Mr. Craven put his hands on both the boy's shoulders and held him still. He knew he dared not even try to speak for a moment.

"Take me into the garden, my boy," he said at last. "And tell me all about it."

[ladykailitha]

The Magic of Christmas Part 4/8

Hello! How are you guys enjoying so far?

In this Steve realizes his feelings, Dustin and Robin decide Steve needs to live forever, and Steve gets roped into something he swore he'd never do.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

***

August was fucking miserable. Like the worst month of the year. After February. And January. And September...

That’s besides the point. The point was that AC had kicked the bucket in the middle of the biggest heatwave.

He was going to cry. The wizard piece turned out really well. Steve had loved all the little details that he had put in it.

But the rogue was giving him trouble. It was horrific. Because rogues were silent and mysterious, but the way Steve talked about Will, he was quiet kid, a bitchy teen, and a wild adult. Trying to figure his place in the world he kinda went punk. Dyed his hair bright green. Piercings and tattoos. Ripped clothes and combat boots.

Eddie slowly sat up. Well that’s a thought. He blinked for a moment. That could actually work.

Suddenly his phone rang. He frowned at the device. No one called anymore. It was all texts and DMs and Face Time. The name that came up because there was one, another surprising thing, was Steve.

He dived for the phone and managed to answer it before it went to voicemail.

“‘Ello?” he breathed.

“Hi, Eds,” Steve greeted cheerfully.

Eds.

Fuck.

The things that little nickname did to the butterflies in his stomach.

“Hey, Stevie!” he said back. “What can I do you for?”

“That article Nancy did is making some serious headway,” Steve explained. “I was wondering if you wanted to meet me for lunch to go over the details.”

Eddie laughed. “I was about to text you, darlin’. I have an idea for the rogue I wanted to float by you. So where to, my liege?”

“Monte Cruz, the Mexican place on 7th?” Steve asked.

It was a bit pricey, but it had the best fajitas Eddie had ever had. “Sure thing. 1pm okay?”

“Let me check,” Steve replied.

Eddie could hear him call Robin and while he couldn’t hear her response, Steve’s warm ‘thank you’ meant he was free.

“That’s perfect,” Steve said. “I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah.”

They hung up and Eddie laid on the floor staring up at the ceiling, holding his phone over his chest.

Fuck!

He got up and dashed to the bathroom to shower. He felt like he was covered in slime.

*

Steve was waiting for him on the terrace, a nice cool breeze rustling his hair. And Eddie couldn’t help but fall a little bit more.

Eddie waved and was far too pleased to get Steve’s little finger wave in return.

He sat down and grinned at Steve. “How is it cooler outside then in my loft?”

“Heat rises?” Steve suggested. cocking his head to the side.

Eddie laughed. “Well it’s the only thing that rising at this point. It’s so fucking hot.”

“I thought you’re loft had air conditioning,” Steve said with a frown.

“Apparently we worked it to extinction,” Eddie said mournfully.

Steve pulled out his phone. “Are you renting or paying a mortgage? I don’t remember what all we’re paying for.”

“Sadly, we own it,” Eddie said with a heavy sigh. “Otherwise I would have harassed a landlord to get it fixed.”

Steve hummed. “All right, I’ve messaged Robin. She’ll call around and get a technician come over tomorrow. It’ll go on my card if can be fixed or if it needs to be replaced.”

Eddie leaned back in his chair. “You don’t have to do that, man.”

Steve smiled at him. “Will the excess heat hurt your paintings?”

Eddie opened and closed his mouth a couple times before he threw his arms in the air. “Yes! Of course it will.”

“Then it’s a business expense and I’ll cover it.”

“I hate you,” Eddie said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You really, really don’t,” Steve murmured. “Now show me your idea for Will’s rogue.”

Eddie pulled out his drawing pad and flipped to the right page. He slid it over to Steve for him to see.

“Oh Eds,” Steve breathed. “It’s beautiful. He’ll love it.”

Eddie tried not to preen, but he couldn’t help it. “So I can go ahead and start painting?”

“Absolutely,” he replied. “Though maybe wait until after your cooler is fixed.”

Eddie threw his head back laughed. “I think you’re probably right.” He gently took the pad from Steve’s grip. “So what’s going on with the charity?”

Steve lit up. He started explaining about all the people interested opening would basically be franchises but that Eddie would still have full control of each branch.

“This is amazing, Stevie,” Eddie breathed. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“I’m happy to help,” Steve said with a grin. “It means that I get drive Dustin absolutely nuts with this whole charity thing. He’s been begging me forever to meet you.”

“I mean, you can invite him to one of our reeducation of Steve Harrington movie nights,” Eddie said, shoving his hair in his face bashfully. “If you wanted to.”

Steve smiled fondly. “That’s sweet of you. But I was thinking something that would absolutely flip their collective shit even more than a movie night. A Halloween one-shot.”

Eddie’s lips formed an O. His eyes sparkled and he grinned. “I know just the thing. It’s something my friends and I used to do in high school. You have these little half–not even half character sheets that have just the most basic of stats. The point is to die in the most epic way possible. There are rewards for stupidest death, most epic death, TPK. It’s lots of fun.”

“That sounds amazing!” Steve said. “Would you be willing to do it?”

Eddie leaned forward on the table. “On one condition.”

“Oh?”

“You join us,” he said with a grin. “You read the stats, you roll the dice, you die like a bitch, just like everyone else. You’d be on equal footing with the rest of the Party.”

“Can I think about it?” Steve asked shyly, ducking his head.

“Sure thing, big boy,” Eddie replied. “But let’s order lunch. I’m starving!”

Steve laughed. “Of course.”

*

Robin poked her head into his office and held up a leather folio. “Do you want to tell me what the hell this is?”

“Sorry,” Steve said, “I’m not Spider-man. I don’t have x-ray vision.”

“That’s Superman,” Robin replied with a huff, “and you’re dodging the question. You know full well what I’m talking about.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I really, really don’t. I haven’t done any even remotely outrageous in months.”

She walked up to his desk and slammed the folio on the desk. “Steven Kevin Harrington...”

“Not my middle name,” he sneered. “You know what it is. You have seen my birth certificate way more times than I have.”

Robin laughed. “But it’s so lame, so I make up ones that sound better.”

“Whatever, Robs,” he said with a huff of his own. “What has got you so twisted this time?”

She opened the folio and turned it around to face him. “You booked the Newfield for New Year’s eve.”

Steve smiled widely at her. “I told you I was going to. It’s hardly my fault you were making goo-goo eyes at Eddie’s agent at the time.”

Robin gasped. “I was not!” He raised a single eyebrow and she folded. “Yeah, all right, maybe.”

Steve sat up in his chair and scooted closer to her. “Look, before you start throwing accusations around about feelings and thinking with my dick, it’s for the charity. You know, the one we’re working on right now.”

Robin glared at him. “So it has nothing to do with him making goo-goo eyes at you?”

“He’s not!” he protested. “There’s no way. He can have anyone he wants, he’s not going to go for a stuffed shirt like me.”

Robin raised both her eyebrows. “You can’t actually believe that.”

“You saw his most recent video right?” Steve snapped. “The one where he ranted about how greedy businessmen destroying the environment?”

“Uh...” she said, “you mean the one where he especially called out billionaire businessmen and how smaller companies can change the face of the industry and then went on to list ten things that CEOs can do to change the world and all of them were things you did with Starcourt Ltd. That one?”

Steve blushed. “I guess I didn’t realize.”

“Look,” Robin said sitting down in one of the chairs, “I was wrong about a lot of things when you first hired Eddie for this job. About him, about you and your motives. So I get why you can’t take my advice on this, but he likes you. And more than just a friend.”

He ducked his head as the blush spread from his cheeks to the tips of his ears down the column of the throat. “Don’t go there, please.”

Robin held her hands up in surrender. “I won’t if you don’t want me to. All I’m saying is that if you think you’re falling for him, too…just know he probably feels the same.”

Steve licked his lips. “Yeah, okay.” Then he suddenly buried his head in his hands. “Fuck, I have to make a phone call.”

She raised an eyebrow.

He lifted his head and sighed heavily. “Looks like I’m going to be playing D&D after all.”

She laughed and laughed as Steve buried his head again.

The kids were never going to let him live this down.

*

“You’re sending my off for my last year as undergrad,” Dustin whined, “and you’re making me come back for fall break? Why?”

Steve was getting tired of this question. The only people who knew about Eddie DMing for them was Steve, Robin, and Eddie. And probably Chrissy. Oh and Claudia Henderson, Dustin’s mom. Which meant that all the other moms knew too.

All right, the conspiracy was bigger than Steve thought.

“Because it is your last year,” he said with a sigh. “You’ll be heading off to MIT next year and it’ll be harder for you to come home for the holidays.”

Dustin deflated. “Yeah, okay. So everyone will be home for Halloween?”

Steve brightened up. “Yep! I’m throwing a costume party with pizza and if you guys aren’t shitheads about it, I might even front for a wet bar.”

Dustin frowned. “What the fuck is a wet bar?”

Robin who had just come home, smacked him on the back of his head, knocking off his hat. “It means there will be booze, doofus.”

Dustin who had been about to yell at her for knocking off his hat, turned to Steve instead. “Seriously?”

“Yup! I’ve okay’ed it with all the parental units,” he said, “and I keep an eye on your intake to make sure you don’t get sick, they’re fine with it.”

Dustin launched himself at him and hugged him tight. “You’re the best, Steve!”

“There won’t be beer,” Steve warned. “It’s not the best drink to get started drinking on and bottles tend to hide how much you’ve been drinking.”

“Are they going to be spooky themed drinks?” Dustin asked.

Steve laughed. “Hell yeah, they are.” He ruffled Dustin’s hair. “Now go finish packing. I’m not going to let your mom do it for you this year. You’re an adult. Act like it.”

Dustin rolled his eyes. “God, you’re more mom like then my actual mom.”

Steve laughed. “If I got insulted every time one of you called me mom, I would’ve died of a heart attack years ago.”

Dustin hit him on the arm. “No talks of dying. You aren’t allowed. You have to live forever.”

Robin laughed. “Sure, just got to find that elixir of life somewhere.”

“Or the fountain of youth,” Dustin helpfully supplied.

“You could always invent something,” Steve suggested.

Dustin’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea!” He dashed off excitedly.

“Pack first!”

Robin laughed.

***

Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

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[littlemoriflower]

Mori Book Recommendations, by littlemoriflower

Hello, dear-friends!

It's been a while since I have done one of these "longer" posts. I have been very absent, not only from this blog, but from the internet at large. School has been killing me lately, and I let the tiredness get the best of me more often than not.

However, I'd like to state that I continue to love AND wear mori everyday. not that anyone was accusing me of not doing it lmao I've simply been lacking the motivation to make more posts, but I hope that that's about to change! I won't be posting every day, but I'll try to come by and be more active in the community where I found so much happiness and lovely people in!

On another note, I have noticed more people joining the community! ^^ That is so exciting!!! I welcome all of you to our humble corner of the internet, and I hope you find peace and happiness in mori kei, as much as we mori folk do! (✿◡‿◡)

Now, to the post!

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Synopsis:

Mary Lennox, a spoiled, ill-tempered, and unhealthy child, comes to live with her reclusive uncle in Misselthwaite Manor on England’s Yorkshire moors after the death of her parents. There she meets a hearty housekeeper and her spirited brother, a dour gardener, a cheerful robin, and her wilful, hysterical, and sickly cousin, Master Colin, whose wails she hears echoing through the house at night.

With the help of the robin, Mary finds the door to a secret garden, neglected and hidden for years. When she decides to restore the garden in secret, the story becomes a charming journey into the places of the heart, where faith restores health, flowers refresh the spirit, and the magic of the garden, coming to life anew, brings health to Colin and happiness to Mary.

Goodreads

Anne Of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery

Synopsis:

This heartwarming story has beckoned generations of readers into the special world of Green Gables, an old-fashioned farm outside a town called Avonlea. Anne Shirley, an eleven-year-old orphan, has arrived in this verdant corner of Prince Edward Island only to discover that the Cuthberts—elderly Matthew and his stern sister, Marilla—want to adopt a boy, not a feisty redheaded girl. But before they can send her back, Anne—who simply must have more scope for her imagination and a real home—wins them over completely. A much-loved classic that explores all the vulnerability, expectations, and dreams of a child growing up, Anne of Green Gables is also a wonderful portrait of a time, a place, a family… and, most of all, love.

Goodreads

Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones

Synopsis:

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

Goodreads

Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke

Synopsis:

One cruel night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called INKHEART-- and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books. Meggie must learn to harness the magic that has conjured this nightmare. For only she can change the course of the story that has changed her life forever.

Goodreads

By Ash, Oak And Thorn, by Melissa Harrison

Synopsis:

Three tiny, ancient beings - Moss, Burnet and Cumulus, once revered as Guardians of the Wild World - wake from winter hibernation in their beloved ash tree home. When it is destroyed, they set off on an adventure to find more of their kind, a journey that takes them first into the deep countryside and then the heart of a city. Helped along the way by birds and animals, the trio search for a way to survive and thrive in a precious yet disappearing world...

Goodreads

Alice In Wonderland, by Lewis Carrol

Synopsis:

When Alice sees a white rabbit take a watch out of its waistcoat pocket she decides to follow it, and a sequence of most unusual events is set in motion.

Goodreads

[ash5monster01]

Perfect To Love, The End

Pairing: Steve Harrington x FemReader!PlusSize

Warnings: 18+, hot make out session, inappropriate touching, fluff, mentions of bullying, body image issues, fat shaming, trust issues, language.

Summary: Beth Walker was used to living in the shadows. She had only one friend and anyone else who paid her mind usually bullied her for her size. So she learned to keep her mouth shut, her head down, and her heart closed because she had to accept the fact that she would be nothing more than the fat girl to people. That is until Robin decides Beth needs more in life and that might just include a boy who she never would’ve thought could see her for who she truly was.

word count: 3.3k

Part 17 ←

Masterlist

Beth was embarrassed to admit she didn’t leave Steve’s house until much later than midnight. She had actually called her parents and told them she was staying at Robins. The first time she had ever really lied to them. She figured it wasn’t a big deal though because she didn’t do anything with Steve her parents wouldn’t want her to do. She just sat snuggled under his arm, watching Christmas movies as they shared a mug of hot cocoa. Every time he kissed her it tasted like chocolate and she wished he would never stop. It wasn’t long until she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer and soon enough she was sleeping peacefully against Steve who held her like if he let go she would be gone when he woke up.

The only bad thing about reconciling so close to Christmas meant that the next couple of days they’d be too busy to hangout but that didn’t stop Steve from sneaking into her room each night. She admired that he was willing to risk the rage of her father just to sleep next to her. It was comforting to sleep next to someone you loved when you didn’t get to see them during the day. It was like their presence was enough even if you weren’t actively conversing and spending time together. She currently lived for those goodbye kisses in the morning and waking up beside him on Christmas morning had to of been the most magical Christmas in the world.

They didn’t get to see each other during the day until Friday where they had all planned to have a friend Christmas at Steve’s house. What broke Beth’s heart was that it was Steve’s only Christmas because his parents hadn’t bothered to come home for the Holidays this year. That thought alone had her over at his house at 8am sharp, unable to sleep without him there. Beth had gotten right to work in the kitchen, hauling enough groceries and baked goods for a huge Christmas feast. Steve was confused by the smell of sugar cookies and roast until he stumbled upon Beth in the kitchen, swaying her hips to White Christmas on the radio, and wearing her Moms apron she had smuggled with her.

“It’s been a long time since I woke up to someone cooking for me” Steve hummed in delight, hands snaking around Beth’s waist as he pulled her to him.

“You’re up, I missed you” Beth said cheerfully as she turned to face him and press a soft kiss to his lips. She loved his mussed sleep hair, plaid pajama pants, and black T-shirt that had been so worn in it was soft to the touch.

“I absolutely missed you more” he told her back, mouth finding its way down her neck and she giggled as he tickled her lightly.

“I couldn’t sleep so I figured I could cook us all a Christmas dinner instead of ordering pizza” and Steve felt his heart soar with love for this girl. She had come so far from the first time they hung out in this kitchen. He planned on keeping her forever.

“Can I help?” he asked genuinely, pushing some of her hair behind her ears as her arms stayed locked around his waist.

“Normally I’d say yes but I’m taking care of you today, so sit and I’ll get you some breakfast quick” Beth told him and Steve found himself smirking as he leaned down close enough to hitch her breath.

“Taking care of me too huh” he started to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively and Beth just scoffed before shoving him lightly.

“Keep joking and I won’t even kiss you goodnight” she said and he instantly pouted before moving and sitting on the stool at the counter. Obeying because he wouldn’t make it a night without her kisses. He can’t believe he even survived three weeks.

“You didn’t have to do all this you know” he told her and Beth smiled as she slid over scrambled eggs and toast that she was lucky to of not burned while he distracted her.

“I want to, it’ll be my Christmas present to you” Beth said with a grin and Steve laughed.

“I already got you as my Christmas present” and Beth gave him a serious look because she knew he was covering up. Covering up how sad he was to spend the holidays alone. He hadn’t even bothered to put up a Christmas tree until Beth had helped him last night, he came home on Christmas morning to an empty house, and no one should ever feel that left behind during the Holidays.

“Well I wanted to give you more” Beth said in her end of discussion tone and Steve knew to shut up and finish the food she had prepared for him. He easily could get used to sitting at this counter every morning, watching her work around the kitchen, while he ate some breakfast.

Sadly he ate his food to quickly and then she was ushering him back upstairs to shower and get dressed. When Steve turned on the blow dryer knowing she was downstairs and could hear it, he wasn’t embarrassed like he normally would be. Then when he returned now clad in fresh jeans, a Christmas sweater, and perfectly styled hair, he had found her reading on the couch, waiting for everything to finish cooking. She was too absorbed into the book to notice him so he lept above her, chest bumping into her book as he lowered his face to her own.

“You scared me?” she breathily whispered, eyes searching his own.

“Sorry baby” he said in a teasing tone and she moved her book from out of between them, she’d rather find her page later than Steve wrinkle any pages.

“My heart is pounding” she told him, grabbing one of his hands that held himself up above her. Then she was placing it directly on her heart, right above her chest, and Steves heart rate doubled over. Just as she said her heart thumped lightly beneath his fingers.

“You sure it’s not beating like that because of how handsome I am?” Steve teased in order to hide the fact that he desperately wanted to grab at her chest.

“It’s always beating like that around you” Beth told him and Steve couldn’t keep himself from capturing her lips in a kiss. Beth eagerly met his mouth just the same, kissing him like this could be the last time. Daringly Steve tangled his tongue with her own and her instant reaction was to run her hands through his hair.

“Careful baby, I just got it perfect” he pulled away and Beth just giggled as she continued to kiss his neck. She wasn’t entirely sure what had come over her, she had never had the urge to do this before, but now here she was unable to keep her mouth off of him. As her hands slipped out of his hair he went to thank her but the words got strangled in his throat because she sucked hard on the sensitive spot of his neck and Steve realized Beth Walker of all people probably just gave him a hickey. “Fuck Beth”

“You taste good, can’t help it” she told him after her tongue had soothed that part of his neck and Steve kissed her hotly. Needing all of her to send his senses into overdrive. He was doing his best not to grind his hips into her own but when Beth’s hand met the one on her chest and pulled it down to cup around her breast he involuntarily ground into her. Beth was about to lock her legs around his waist, too absorbed into the feeling of him massaging her breast gently. The whole thing was euphoric on another level and for the first time she wasn’t entirely scared of the thought of him seeing her without clothes.

“Ahh what the fuck!” and Steve was leaping off of Beth as fast as he could, hair in a disarray even though he did his best attempt at not ruining it.

“Dustin! Why didn’t you knock?” Steve yelled as Beth turned fire truck red from embarrassment. Robin beside Dustin toppled over with laughter, unable to stop it due to Dustin catching Steve groping his girlfriend.

“I never knock! You knew we were coming over, you aren’t supposed to be making babies out in the open!” Dustin yelled back and Beth somehow turned even more red. Robin continued to laugh as she moved to sit beside her friend.

“This is the best Christmas yet” Robin giggled and Beth just shook her head at her, a dopey smile on her face because Steve Harringtons kissed were mind numbing. She wasn’t entirely back on earth yet.

“I have a girlfriend now Dustin, it’s common courtesy to knock!” Steve bickered back and Dustin gave him a dumbfounded look to which Robin translated for Steve.

“Steve, you’re forgetting that we didn’t know you two were back together” and realization dawned on his face as he sheepishly looked at everyone in the room.

“Uh, surprise” Steve said with a shrug and then everyone was laughing about the event that had just occurred.

“What’s the joke?” a voice entered the room and the group turned to see Nancy, Mike, Johnathon, Will, and Eleven.

“Will!” Dustin was yelling before hugging his friend and Steve smiled at Johnathon.

“Glad to have you back man” Steve told the older boy and the both hugged like it was the most natural thing in the world. Beth admired that Steve could have a relationship like that with his ex girlfriends boyfriend.

“If you guys would’ve showed up ten minutes sooner you could’ve caught Steve groping Beth with us” Robin announced and Nancys eyes widened to which the boys just laughed, while the young girl Beth could only assume was El gave a confused look.

“Robin!” Beth hissed as she hit her friend with a pillow and Robin just deflected it before laughing more.

“Johnathon, you remember Beth right?” Steve ignored Robin as he reached for his girlfriend. Beth accepted his hand as she stood to face Johnathon and Nancy.

“Yeah, we had Freshman photo together, it’s nice to see you again” and Beth felt her heart lurch as she realized the boy had remembered her. “She took better photos than me and she didn’t even practice”

“Sounds like her” Steve grinned as he hugged her to his side while pressing a kiss to her hair.

“So, we reconciled?” Nancy asked, a finger moving between them both and Beth just smiled as Steve nodded.

“Beth this is my girlfriend El and my best friend Will” Mike interrupted as he rushed the two over and Steve admired the way a kind smile instantly covered her face.

“It’s so nice to meet you both! Mike never shuts up about you!” Beth told them and both dropped their heads, embarrassment filling them. “You’re even more beautiful than he said El”

“Thank you” she told her and before Beth could say anything more a squeal filled the room. Their heads all snapping to Max and El matched her excitement as the two girls rushed together in a bone crushing hug.

“Thank God you are back” Max told her and Lucas left the two hugging girls side to hug Will as well. Beth felt their heart hurt for them that they all had to be separated like this. She admired the way they all worked together until the buzzing sound of the oven came down the hall from the kitchen.

“That’s dinner, I’ll be back” and Beth was kissing Steves cheek before skipping down the hall where she could tend to the meal she had cooked them all in the kitchen.

“I’ll tell you Steve, when Nancy first told me she was hanging out with Beth Walker and helping her go on dates with you I didn’t really believe it” Johnathon said and Steve realized Nancy had been around more than he had thought, to which she just gave him a sheepish look.

“It’s not my fault your clueless Steve, the purse she brought on your first date was the one I hit you with during our first fight” Nancy said and the group laughed as she said this.

“I didn’t memorize what that purse looked like, it was swinging at me too fast to even know what color it was!” Steve bargained back and Nancy just shook her head as they all moved to get more comfortable in the room.

“So, Beth is making dinner?” Lucas asked and Steve nodded.

“Yeah, she showed up here before I was even awake and started. Better than the pizza I always order I guess” Steve said and Robin chuckled from beside him.

“I don’t understand how you get so lucky Steve, finding a girl that will cook a whole Christmas meal for your friends” and Steve shot Robin a look.

“You’re literally the reason we met and dated Robin” Steve said and she just smirked, entirely too proud of the entire thing.

“Either way, we’re really happy for you Steve. It’s about time you found yourself a good girl” Johnathon told him and Steve smiled in a thanks.

“She was a good girl, until Steve tainted her. I’ve seen things” Dustin groaned out, hands covering his eyes and Steve just rolled his eyes while the others laughed.

“That is why you knock!”

Soon Beth had returned to the living room to inform everyone dinner was ready. Nancy had offered to help her serve but she denied it, she had wanted to do this for everyone. She was not only grateful to Steve but to the rest of them for becoming the found family she had always wanted. She wished she could go back in time, to Freshman year Beth, crying in that bathroom stall, and tell her not to worry. Tell her that she’ll find people she loves and they’ll love her just as much back. To not let that one moment define the rest of her life and to enjoy it exactly the way she was because there truly is no such thing as perfect. In a way everyone is perfect to love and she had found the people who had believed that whole heartedly and truly.

As the group conversed over dinner the doorbell rang and just as Steve went to stand Beth had stopped him, hand on his arm. “I got it”

“Thank you” he grinned at her and she left her place at the table. As she swung open the door she found herself startled at who was behind it. Once it registered she stepped out, shutting the big red door behind her.

“Colin, what’re you doing here?” she asked and he sighed, shivering a bit from the cold and worried that Beth had stepped outside to join him without a jacket.

“I was out for a walk, I saw your car” he said as if that explained himself entirely and Beth gently crossed her arms, unsure what to do about his presence.

“And you expected me to answer the door?” she questioned him and he shook his head, trying to remember how he ended up here in the first place.

“No, I mostly expected Steve. I owe you both an apology” and shock ran through her, straightening her spine, and keeping her from the cold.

“An apology?” she asked and Colin took a moment to admire her beauty. Truly admire it and not beat himself up for thinking it. For once let himself feel sad that he had missed out on a girl like Beth Walker.

“Yes, an apology for the way I have treated you all these years and continued to treat you even after you found out how I feel. I figured if you could forgive Steve for how he used to think, you could forgive me too. I’m an asshole for thinking that I had to be mean to you to stay popular and I know being popular isn’t everything now” Colin wasn’t sure how he had came to this conclusion. He figured he was just tired from spending so much time fighting to be something when it wouldn’t mean anything after high school. Especially when he had actively seen how Steve could be happy and love Beth and not be judged for it by the world.

“That’s very mature of you Colin” Beth had said and he sighed, taking a step back from her.

“You don’t have to forgive me, you just have to know I’m sorry. If it isn’t crazy I’d like to be friends. I don’t want to graduate and be known as an asshole the rest of my life” Colin said and Beth could tell he was being sincere. For the first time she was letting her guard down in his presence.

“I’m not entirely sure what to say” she told him and he dropped his head, an almost sad chuckle escaping.

“Yeah, that’s okay. I sucked, I know that. I also know now that even though we’re different it doesn’t make you any less. I’ve always been attracted to you Beth and I’m not ashamed of it anymore, you’re a great girl, and Harrington is very lucky” and Beth was nervously laughing, a small blush on her cheeks.

“I suppose so” she agreed which was new for her as well. Not thinking down on herself for one of the first times in years.

“B, everything okay out here?” and then Steve was stopping in his tracks as he spotted Colin Matterson standing with his girl. “Colin we don’t want any trouble”

“No, Steve. It’s okay, he’s okay” Beth was saying, pushing her hands against his chest to keep him from approaching the boy. “He came to apologize to me, and you. He’s harmless”

“Apologize?” Steve said, glancing between the two and Beth nodded.

“Yeah, it was a good one too” she smiled at Colin and he blushed as well. Steve realized the boy was genuine, looking scarily like he did the night he showed up at Johnathons house to apologize all those years ago. The look of a foolish boy becoming a man.

“Well, okay then” Steve accepted and then he felt how freezing Beth’s arms were. “We better get you inside before you freeze”

“Yes, sorry to have kept you” Colin started to back away from the door and Beth turned.

“Oh no, don’t go. Stay, we have plenty of food to go around” Beth was smiling at him and Colin felt something soften inside him.

“Yeah man, we’d love to have you” Steve said, a protective and territorial arm wrapping around a Beth’s waist. Beth used Steve for warmth and Colin felt himself longing for a love like that.

“I don’t want to intrude” Colin shook his head and Beth just chuckled and grabbed his wrist.

“You’re not intruding, you might have to defend yourself against some angry teenagers but no intrusions here” she told him earnestly and Colin finally smiled, warmth flowing through him due to their kindness and acceptance.

“I’ll risk it I guess” and Beth broke out in a smile, her and Steve allowing the boy to step inside. Beth took a moment to realize for the first time in a long time her life was exactly the way she wanted it.

“Everyone is in the dining room” Steve pointed and Colin nodded before heading that way. Beth went to follow but Steve quickly pulled her back, kissing her before she could register how fast he had stopped her.

“What was that for?” she asked once she pulled away and he just smiled at her, content to have his girl in his arms.

“For just being you, for being you and loving me” and Beth was smiling before capturing his lips in a kiss again.

“Well that’s easy, because you are perfect to love”

Taglist: @kindablackenedsuperhero @rinarecommends @starryeyedpoet17 @crustless-toast @loverofmarsss @dilflover-3 @bethanysnow @middle-of-the-earth @princessadriana4-blog @mochminnie @legendaryhumandiplomatgoop @a-lil-bit-nuts @i-came-as-bostonian @krazyk99 @thunderstomp-and-tequila @cumslutforaemond @futuristicbirdtraveler @unholyhuntress @crushculture03 @jenniferpendragon

a/n: I can’t believe this is it. Thank you everyone so much for reading and I hope in some way Beth has been a lesson for you all. She was for me, and writing her accomplishing things I hope to accomplish someday is extremely therapeutic. I am always open to Steve x Beth requests at any time if you need some more of them but as for this story, this is their end and I hope you all enjoyed it! Till the next Steve fic that’s takes over my life! <3

[husbandohunter]

Stardew Impact [Stardew Valley+Genshin Impact x Reader]

Part 2/3 Zhongli, Xiao

Synopsis: “A mysterious phenomenon brought you and your s/o to an unfamiliar world: Pelican Town! Without the power of Visions, the two of you begin to learn the life of what it takes to be...a farmer?”

(DOMESTIC FARM LIFE ROUND TWO)

Genre: Fluff

Others

Diluc and Kaeya

Albedo and Childe

(A/n): This was meant to be part 3 but I couldn't wait to write xiao. Plus Ive been writing Albedo for almost the whole month already Word count_2.6k

-------

Xiao

• Thrown in an unfamiliar environment puts Xiao on high alert. Instincts kick in and his hand subconciously grabs for his spear. Nothing. Not even his vision activated. Xiao's gaze darts all over before landing on your figure. He sighs in relief, you're safe, that much he can decipher as of now.

• Stripped of his power, left with only claws and teeth (if must) to protect you from any dangers, he was ansty with every little thing. 

• The villagers are so nice??? For what reason must they have to act so friendly to strangers (Xiao wonders). The Mayor even granted you two a vast farmland free of charge. 

• Shortly he realized he no longer had his karmaic debt. Xiao wasn't sure how to live his life in this state. He dedicated his entire existence to years of slaughter and suffering that it became the only thing he knew. He won't admit it of course, he'll just throw in scoffs and remarks about how mundane activities are a waste of time when in reality, he just has no clue on how to handle them.

• Thats why the first day was difficult as you both try to figure out how to plant parnsips. Deciding it was better to go with an experiment, you split the share of seeds in half and used what basic knowledge you had on farming to finish the job. Xiao on the other hand tried copying what you did….though the outcome wasn't so desirable it was a mess. (His trained hands have taught him to be on the rough side).

• He doesn't bother socializing with the townspeople even though he has no karmaic debt to worry about. Xiao thinks you're more than enough anyways so what's the point? 

• Robin is the only person who can tolerate him for obvious reasons (cough Sebastian cough) she knows exactly how to deal with his personality type. His glares don't faze her, she simply thinks its just a teenage phase of some sort. 

• Eventually they become mutuals, Xiao thinks Robin is similar to Verr Goldet in a way. Since he's the one who does the heavy labour of chopping down trees and mining stones for building upgrades, he gets a chance to visit her house quite often. He comes back with lots of recipes too.

• You find out that his adepti blood never left him. Xiao doesn't need sleep so you better believe it when he tells you the next morning that he spent the whole night watering all 300 of your crops (watering is the only process he's good at for farming). 

• Sometimes you catch him staring out of the window, wondering what he may be thinking. Life was so much more different, almost hard to recognize. Was this real? Is it okay for it to be real, just this once? Ever since he committed his duty to Morax, Xiao didn't dream of a time when everything would be peaceful. Yet here he is, no longer a weapon but on a journey to find out what it's like to live as a normal person. 

• Spring: Every morning you find him kneeling behind the cabin with the pet cat (yes, cats seem to suit Xiao very much). He just stares at them, hesitant if he wanted to pet their fur or rub their chin. So he continues to glare intensely, scaring your cat away :(

• Whenever you wanted to attend any of the town's festivities, Xiao wouldn't even hide his distastefulness but goes with you regardless. Why do mortals consider hiding eggs and finding them a fun activity? And what kind of a name is Flower Dance? Can't they just call it a dance?

• Though…he does like the sight of you wearing a flower crown. Xiao likes putting stuff in your hair.

Since setting foot upon this new world, time seemed to have slowed down to the point that almost everything felt like an eternity. And you didn't mind, with him by your side, you wouldn't mind if it did last forever.

The lull of the grass was the only sound Xiao could hear as he closed his eyes and rested his head on your lap. You maneuvered across his scalp in small, subtle motions, surprised with how warm he felt against the heat your palm. He stirs a little and lets out a soft breath before turning his face to lay on the side.

You were slightly intrigued by the yaksha's new demeanor. From far away, Xiao was an intimidating man, even during the first time you laid eyes him, his presence felt similar to a knife pointing at anyone who dares to come too close. But now, the face that usually held his signature annoyance melted into something you never thought you'd see as the sun rays brushed against the surface of his fair skin. You observed the way his dark eyebrows stayed in a relaxed arch. The red crescents lining right above his beautiful long lashes and the sound of soft snores through parted lips. It was hard to believe that this man was the same person who claimed to have ended a thousand lives through thousands of years.

Did he fall asleep already?

Gently moving away the strands away from his cheekbone, hovered your gaze above him and whispered, "I thought adepti don't need rest."

"Hmph," Xiao responds, though there was no harshness in his tone, "Quit trying to be difficult, I didn't tell you to stop."

The smug grin on your face only widens. You lean downward and said to his ear, "And what's the magic word~?"

Xiao sighs at your antics. You were truly pushing your luck today and he simply didn't have the patience to entertain you. Without a warning, he grabs your wrist and pulls you down, foreheads pressing until you were but a breath away. The adepti conquers, he does not plead.

• Summer: As expected, your parnsnips weren't able to grow as much. Thus, this season was going to be the one to make up for the lost profit. Xiao is very good at hunting, perhaps the best in the entire town. Though the way he catches fish is rather peculiar, said by the folks. He prefers to carve a spear made of wood and repeatedly stabs the lake until results show. Xiao dislikes the old fashioned way, he says its unproductive and it unecissarily takes too much time. 

• But as much as he scared the whole town, they were extremely grateful when he cleaned up the slime issues happening in the mines. You could say that he grew very popular since then and eventually mustered up the courage to greet him a hello whenever he passes by. 

• You nudge him to reply back. Xiao usually shoots you a glare but slowly, he learns the courtesy of acknowledging someone's prescence.

• Fall: You woke up to a burnt smell coming from the kitchen. Xiao just thought he would return the favour since you always worked so hard. (He was actually trying to figure out what a 'whisk' was. It was no wonder why there were eggshells in the dish!)

• You realized that Xiao was taking more initation compared to before. At night, when you thought the animals were actively jumping in the barns, the noise was actually from Xiao trying to adjust himself to the ways of tending the field. After learning what TV was, he would always switch to the channel "Livin off the land" to gain some insight. Truly, Xiao was greatful even though he knew he eventually had to return to his duties, he wanted to utilize the current days the best way he could. And what better way was it to just make you happy in return?

• Winter: This was the season to test the accumulation of Xiao's abilities: you caught a cold and he had to manage everything in his own. Xiao scolded you for not wearing enough and being too careless but at the same he considered that you must've been working too hard.

• Goes to Robin for help. She basically became his mom now. Prepares the food and leaves them in the fridge, she teaches Xiao how to use the phone in case he needed any help and also lets him know where all the essentials are. 

• Xiao stayed by your side the whole time even though you told him you'd be fine. But he refuses, he may no longer be a gaurdian but he was your gaurdian. That role never changed.

~~x~~

Zhongli

• You wake up on a soft bed with Zhongli sitting at a chair nearby. He hands you a cup of brewed water but you're still blatlantly confused. Seems like everything was taken care of by Zhongli, it ends up with him explaining everything to you. 

• The folks instantly assumes you both as a married couple. Who could blame them? He did carry your unconcious body all the way to town while asking for a local doctor. You can bet that the ladies wish they were you at that moment. Zhongli took care of everything, including with the contract with the new farm.

• It didn't take long for you both to adjust to the new lifestyle. Zhongli's accumulated knowledge was enough to last all four seasons. Days past by peacefully as you shared the tasks. He'd place down the stone paths towards the gate and you busied yourself with decorating the house. After that was done, Zhongli would rest upon the rocking chair outside your door (like the grandpa he is) and sometimes you'd join him in one reading session. His voice was soothing, you eventually dipped into a slumber as the evening grew colder. Just like always, your beloved brings his arm to encapsulate you from the wind, brushing his thumb against your skin subconciously while you snore softly into his shoulder.

• In a way, the townsfolk were right. You both do act like a married couple. It's basically domestic life with Zhongli in a nutshell.

• He gets connected with Gunther and lands a role in the Museum. Since he's there so often, Zhongli also manages to be acquainted with Elliot as well. Two men who have a common interest with books while speaking in poetic prose. Their conversation would last for hours to the point Gunther had to kick them out of the library!

• Veeeery good with the children, not in an entertaining way but its just the aura he reeks. Penny usually had trouble dealing with Vincent since he never seems to be able to focus but the minute Zhongli speaks, he's all ears. Not only that he was also very good with the elderly. He even recommended some herbs George could take to soothe his back issues.

• Problem is that he still forgets to bring his wallet and Childe isn't here to save him. So once you stepped foot into the Stardrop Saloon and Gus calls you over, he tells you about the cost he owed to his tab….

• But this tranquil life full of genuinity and deprived of sovereignty, he was overjoyed to be able to spend it with you. Because he knew you were unlike him, that all humans were born with an expiry date. He knew so well that after every new greeting, he would have to face the goodbyes over and over until the world eventually came to an end. He knew you were also going to be part of those many goodbyes while he would still be here.

• But as Zhongli walks amongst the fallen leaves, he remembered the beauty that carries within every new beginning. They brought him to you and he would never hesitate to trade his gnosis for it.

Spring: You shot up your bed when Zhongli blast the TV at full volume. He apologizes, saying that he was simply trying to change the channel. You figured it was best for him to go outside before he somehow glitches the screen until it couldn't repair itself (Robin charges for repairs).

• Every thursday you both go to Pierre's store to complete your grocery shopping. He offers to push the cart as you fill the basket with all the necessities (plus it saves you the trouble of having him tossing whatever he sees without looking at the price tag).

• Every afternoon you order a take out from the Saloon, sharing the meal while sitting at the fountain's edge near the community center. Every evening Zhongli would take you to explore the rest of the vast farmland, discovering places you weren't even aware of. It was no wonder why everyone thought you were a married couple. 

• Summer: Since the cabin was too small for a bathroom, you guys would have to travel up the mountains in order to get to the Spa house (cue sweatiness x10). 

• The concept of hotsprings was derived from Inazuma so it was no surprise that Liyue eventually took it after him. Zhongli had collected some incense from foraging items over the past few months, he knows whats up. But overall he gives the best bath sessions (hands down) and you were the one who insisted in joining him.  He was a gentle and sweet lover, always putting your needs before his. Ancient artifacts and old history books have always been precious to him, he treated you no differently.

The heartbeat of the oceans continues to rock back and forth until they brush up on the sandy shore, washing away the two pairs of footprints left behind by a man and a woman.

Gold against gold, his amber eyes reflected against the scenery. Millions of lights flashed among the sea when the sun began to climb down from the sky, it's rays hugged across the valley like an ethereal glow bestowed by the heavens as summer's wind brought even more warmth than what he had currently felt. You trance ahead of with the same light shaping around your form. 

"Oh hey there's another rainbow shell," you waved at him before running off, "I'll be back!"

How is it that you still continue to shine like gold in his memories?

Zhongli suddenly ponders at the chapters laying ahead of him. He spent so many years turning each page without ever reaching a conclusion, forever searching the fabled happy endings written in fairytale books, but he knew his immortality wouldn't grant him that wish.

Thus, the formal archon raised his pen and reweaves his own story. He envisions his future with you by his side, engraving every detail until it was immortalized in his memories.

Perhaps I shouldn't keep her waiting.

With a renewed resolve, Zhongli clutches the gemstone tightly in his palm, he seals the page with the final contract between your future and his.

• Fall: After getting your first house upgrade, it was time for the next event: the ceremony. Yes, Zhongli would only have a wedding if Liyue traditions were involved. Everyone was invited of course, they were quite intrigued with the flashy setup such as lanterns and fireworks (you were a little worried with where he got the budget for such items) and Zhongli even educated Gus about some recipes he can use for the Saloon.

• You found out that Zhongli was saving all his money for this day (it was no wonder that he couldn't pay for his tab!). Old habits die hard, it was a shame that he didn't have his powers to craft the right items, but at least he got to sea you in a traditional eastern dress (it's the part he was looming forward to the most).

• Fall is the best season. One you wouldn't forget.

• Winter: Ah he finally learns how to use  technology after three seasons. He only knows two channels from the TV which was 'Livin off the Land' and the weather channel. Zhongli oftens talks to himself as he tries to figure out more mechanics, he seems to be extremely absorbed in the most basic things.

• The miner of the house. But instead of using them to upgrade tools and donating them to the museum, Zhongli likes to keep some of them for collection. You could say your house also had a little museum in the other room.

• Romcom movies and soap operas. You can't change my mind that this is what you both spend your time watching as the snowstorm rages outside. 

[jinmukangwrites]

@damianwayneweek 6 (6-18): Baby Damian | Family bonding | First crush

Warnings: none

Notes: Short, sweet, barely edited cuz it's 1am. Please enjoy some de-aged Damian and frazzled Dick. Yes I'm back on my Damian and Dick bullshit. I just love them so much.

-o-o-o-o-

Three days, according to Zatanna. The magic that hit Damian isn't permanent, and should wear off on its own within three days.

Dick already doesn't know what to do with himself. He was hardly prepared to take over and raise a ten year old, let alone a toddler.

But here he is, sitting in the manor living room watching as a small version of his already little brother toddles around on chubby baby legs. He can't be more than two. He can walk around on his own well enough—though Alfred did block off all of the stairs in the manor anyways—and every so often he'll point at something and say... Something that sounds like a demand.

Dick wasn't really ever good with understanding baby gibberish. It doesn't help that Damian seems to have reverted in memories as well... so the things he's demanding probably aren't in English as it's not his first language.

Damian wobbles up to Dick, holding out a toy train that Alfred dug out from the attic that used to belong to Bruce. Dick takes it and thanks him, but Damian pays him no mind and returns to his toys, babbling about something only he understands.

It's so weird seeing him like this. All small, chubby, soft, and bright eyed. Dick doesn't know everything Damian has gone through... growing up in the League... and as much as Dick dislikes Talia, he knows she was the best mom she could be to him. She's raised him to be a smart, strong young man, and taught him to be able to protect himself in his dangerous surroundings... and of course Dick has known Damian long enough to have gotten through his walls and see the wonderful boy underneath, but as he watches this toddler squeal as another toy train turns on and runs on its own...

He cannot help but mourn the child Damian could have been. Should have been if every child in the world had the privilege of growing up in a safe home and no worries besides homework.

He shakes his head. He cannot think like that. Whatever child Damian could have grown into if he hadn't been raised by the League is still in there. Just a bit harder to bring out. Dick can feel himself getting closer every day.

Damian notices him shaking his head and makes a curious ah sound. He walks over to Dick, lifting his arms, and Dick assumes he wants to be lifted. He smiles at the kid and grabs him under the armpits and lifts him into the air perhaps a bit quicker than what he was expecting. The kid screeches as Dick lifts him over head and let's go for just a moment to catch him and bring him back down to his face.

Damian scowls a familiar scowl and hits Dick on the nose with his stubby little fingers.

"Bah," he scolds, and a laugh bursts from Dick's throat.

Yup, Damian is still in there.

-o-o-o-o-

"I'm beginning to understand why B adopted all of us when we were already in elementary," Dick complains as baby Damian screams in his wooden high chair—yet another thing dug up from the attic that probably belonged to Bruce.

Alfred hands Dick a rag with a smirk. The thrown bowl of mac-and-cheese is all over Dick's shirt.

"Master Bruce always had a tenderness for infants," Alfred replies as he uses another rag to wipe off the still screaming and complaining Damian. "He always found joy in finding whatever excuse he could to hold and play with a baby. We used to go to a church when he was still a child himself, and there was a woman there without a husband who would always bring her infant. He would always offer to hold the child for her during the sessions to give her a break."

There's a twinkle in his eye when he looks over at Dick. "I imagine that if this had happened to you, or your other siblings, when he was still around, he would have loved every second of it. Food throwing, tantrums, and all."

Dick can't help but smile. He looks over at Damian who's now kicking his legs and waving his now clean hands in a fit. "Still, I wonder what's making him so mad."

"He might not like the taste," Alfred says, "or the texture. Perhaps some experimentation is due."

After some expiration and a lot of screaming through baby lungs that couldn't possibly hold that much air, they find that Damian really likes tomato soup, apple sauce, and broccoli.

-o-o-o-o-

"Master Dick," Alfred speaks up on the first evening while they were showing Damian Pooh's Heffalump Movie. Dick was relaxing and watching the movie, trying to remember if he's seen this one or not, while Damian was on the floor playing with an old kitten stuffed animal.

"Yeah?" Dick asks. He looks over at Alfred, only to see Alfred raise an eyebrow down at Damian. Dick follows his look, then his stomach drops when he finds that under the recently shopped for infant clothes, is a full looking diaper.

Dick looks back up at Alfred.

"Please, god, no."

Alfred drops a diaper, a bag of wipes, and a cloth into Dick's hands. "Good luck, sir."

-o-o-o-o-

Dick's about to lose his mind. He did everything Alfred told him to. He read a bedtime story—Where the Wild Things Are, as it was Dick's personal favorite as a child. He made sure his diaper was clean. He turned on some white noise. He even gave him Zitka. Yet, everything he did, Damian would scream and sob in his borrowed crib until Dick picked him up and started to sing the lullabies sung to him as a child. He sings the ones from his own native language, and even though there's no way Damian understands Romani, the kid calms down and reduces to exhausted little hiccups and almost seems to fall asleep with his little fingers curled in Dick's shirt.

And the second Dick puts him down, the crying rekindles.

Dick doesn't know what to do. Damian cries and cries until he's held and sung to, but Dick can't hold and sing to him all night. He paces Damian's room, bouncing the aforementioned kid-turned-infant in his arms, mumbling tunes to whatever lullaby decides to leave his lips.

Alfred told him he has permission to wake him up if he needed anything with Damian through the night, but Dick can't bring himself to. Alfred already works so hard during the day and night, keeping the manor in shape and making sure Dick doesn't get himself killed during patrol... He shouldn't have to be relied on to take care of a grumpy baby that won't go to sleep.

No, no Dick can handle this. Damian is calm when he's held and sung to, so that's what Dick will do. He walks to the cradle and pulls out Zitka, then goes to his own bedroom to sit on his bed and holds Damian close to his chest, singing and bouncing him gently.

Eventually, Damian goes completely still against his chest, snoring slightly, but Dick's too fearful to risk anything now. He stops singing though, resorting to simply holding Damian and trying to keep his own eyes open.

He fails, but he wakes up in the morning with Damian laying on his chest, still fast asleep and drooling all over his shirt.

Dick doesn't look a gift-horse in the mouth. He shifts into a better position, then allows them both to sleep in a little longer.

-o-o-o-o-

Alfred discovers the problem quickly when Dick tells him how hard it was to get Damian to sleep. Turns out, Damian's teething. By noon, Alfred had returned from the closest grocery store with a few tools to help with that. He puts a few water filled plastics into the fridge, then gives Damian one to chew on in the meantime. And chew on it, Damian does. He gets slobber everywhere, but at least he's no longer so upset, especially once a cold one is exchanged into his grubby little hands.

-o-o-o-o-

"That's absolutely adorable," Barbara says over the phone. Dick's just finished sending her a massive amount of pictures he's taken of Damian after taking him outside to play in the backyard with the dogs. He's sent her the pictures mostly because he needs people to see how cute Damian is while trying to tackle a dog twice the size of him... but also partly because he gets the feeling once Damian's back to his normal age, he will make sure all evidence of this is destroyed.

Barbara is someone Dick's sure can keep pictures hidden in a safe place... just in case Dick wants to see them again after lying to Damian he deleted them.

-o-o-o-o-

Dick's beginning to understand why people like babies. Like, they're cute, yes. The sounds they make are cute sometimes too. The things they find funny are usually very goofy and enjoyable to watch. Their laughs are contagious, and their babbles are enjoyable to try and decipher...

But nothing beats watching them sleep, curled up against your chest. Full trust in you that you'll keep them safe. It's nap time, and instead of trying to peel Damian off from him and put him in the crib, he's decided to just let the kid pass out in his arms and use the opportunity to take a nap himself.

Apparently it's bad to always let babies sleep with you, but Damian's not going to be this small forever. Might as well enjoy holding him like this in pure peace while he can.

-o-o-o-o-

It seems Zatanna was generous with her prediction, as he wakes up with his breath being knocked out of him. Damian, his rightful age and dressed in his full Robin uniform, scrambles off of Dick's chest. It's all knees and elbows, and Dick's left rubbing his ribs as Damian pats his body, as if making sure he's really a 10 year old boy and not an infant.

"Good to have you back," Dick grunts, rubbing his eyes and holding back a grin.

Damian whirls on him and points an accusing finger. "I don't remember what all happened," he hisses, "but you will delete any photos immediately."

Dick bursts into laughter, grabbing Damians pointed hand and tugging him into a proper hug. Damian squawks just a little, but relents when Dick squeezes him tighter than what he would to an infant. Yes. This feels right. Baby Damian was cute and cuddly, but he really missed the prickly attitude of this rascal.

"Okay," he says, releasing his charge. "I'll delete the photos, after we tell Alfred you're back and you've changed out of the suit."

Damian huffs and nods. "That was horrible."

"I don't know, I thought it was fun," Dick teases. Damian glares at him and Dick grins back.

Yeah, he missed his kid.

[smackthedevilwrites]

2021 J2 Fic Masterlist

Two Americans in Paris

Jensen Ackles is an accomplished jazz musician with a residency at the exclusive 'Le Trompettiste' nightclub in Paris, France. The musician is openly gay, enjoying all the delights that the romantic city has to offer, namely beautiful men on tap.

Although Jensen never struggles with loneliness, his heart is forever wanting so when a pretty preppy student walks into the nightclub like a lost babe in the woods, Jensen is instantly beguiled by the young man but with a colorful and promiscuous past which often comes back to haunt him, can Jensen persuade Jared Padalecki to give him a chance?

Personal Jesus

Jared had always known that life in a religious home and the extremely oppressive family life he was a part of was not quite right. For years he wondered what life beyond the church and his deeply religious upbringing was like. Jared got tasters here and there, little nuggets of information about the outside world. He wanted to know why his church Pastor was so obsessed with sin when there was so much good in the world to preach about and why there seemed to be so much hate amongst the parishioners, his own parents being the worst offenders.

Jared didn't know much about life but he knew how to work with his hands, so when Pastor Lee recruits him to work alongside the carpenter he hired to repair the church, Jared sees Jensen as a way out of his miserable life.

Personal Jesus is a story of self-discovery, friendship, love and learning to redirect ones faith.

The Happiest Place on Earth (Is With You)

Jensen Ackles' parents have been happily married for forty years. They met and fell in love at Disney World and ever since then, the family have enjoyed an annual vacation to the happiest place on earth. And for Jensen up until his early teens it had been precisely that, then he made the mistake of daring to grow up and found that the Disney magic he had once enjoyed, vanished in a puff of villainous smoke disguised as adulthood.

To celebrate such a joyous milestone of marriage, Jensen and his family went all out on a luxurious Disney vacation; two weeks at The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. For Jensen himself it was the rare chance to spend time with his family, take a break from his intrusive career and, unexpectedly star in his very own romantic Disney movie.

Lavender Is Not The Only Color

It's 1928, Jensen Ackles and Veronica Decker are the married silent movie stars of the day; glamorous, talented and in demand. The couple appear to have everything but behind closed doors their marriage is one of convenience and a distinct shade of lavender.

Jensen wants to move away from playing romantic leads but in his private life he wants nothing more than to fall in love. When he meets title artist, Jared Padalecki, Jensen falls for him instantly, risking everything he has by pursuing him.

The Book

Jensen Ackles has been living on the streets since he was 13 years old; ten years of fending for himself in a world whereby he became just another forgotten homeless young man in need. From the moment he left his broken family home, Jensen was on a personal mission to find the one thing he felt he deserved; happiness.

Reconstructing Jared

Jared Padalecki has renounced men, he's a hot mess, riddled with anxiety, conflicting feelings about what he wants from life and doesn't know whether he's coming or going.

Jared's town is a bit weird too but property developers just can't seem to stop building there and with the building comes construction workers and one of them is absolutely delicious.

Volte Face

Jensen Ackles is a seasoned criminal, a Robin Hood figure if you will, but don't call him that, he's heard it all before. After his latest stint in prison, Jensen decides to do one last job, a job that would secure him a retirement fund. At almost forty-three it was time to stop stealing and settle down.

Shady casino boss Christian Marconi was to be Jensen's last target; a greedy man with dubious friends who needed to be taught a lesson. When Jensen gets a job in Marconi's Atlantic City casino as part of his long-con to rob the man, Jensen gets involved with a lucky charm belonging to Jack Torres, the man who supplies security to Marconi's three casino's. Torres is a piece of shit who makes his money selling boys and doesn't like anyone touching his property.

After a lifetime of petty crime, stealing from the rich to give to the poor, Jensen Ackles finds himself at the center a very dangerous criminal underworld.

Red White & Screwed

Jared Padalecki lives behind a facade of suburban domesticity with his pretty wife. They're both out of their depth because everyone else has more money, more cars and botox than them but they try to fit in as much as they can.

When Jared's wife Kirsten befriends their neighbor, Lola she finds herself slowly fitting into the shallow world around them and Jared gets involved with Jensen, Lola's devil of a husband.

Thank you so much for your continued support, kudos, comments and interest in my writing throughout 2021. After yet another tumultuous year, it's safe to say that we all find solace in fantasy and fiction whether you're the writer or the reader, escapism through fiction goes a little way in brightening dark days, rainy days, lazy days and stressful days.

🎊 I wish you all a very Happy New Year and leave you with the news that my first brand new J2 fic of 2022 is well under way! See you on the flip side! 🎊

[harringrovetrashrat]

The Gobbler II: The Witching Hour

Harringrove Big Bang 2021 is here!!! A huge thanks to @harringrovebigbang for organizing this!  Also a huge thanks to my team, @monsdasarah and @catharrington, who did the art and moodboard, respectively.

But without further ado, here we go.  The Gobbler II.  Time to get cracky.

Steve wasn’t counting the days until the full moon. He wasn’t.

Fine, he was. He was thinking about Billy at pretty much every chance he got. Because, while the blow job had been fucking mind blowing, Billy was… Billy had insisted on them hanging out some, going over rules and such, as well as sharing emergency information should anything happen while Billy wasn’t in control. And Billy was funny. He was smart. He was an asshole.

Check, check, check. Each box for Steve’s Horny/Falling Deeply in Love list had been checked and Steve was struggling. He could deal with Billy being hot, a lot of people were hot, and Steve could get over that. Hell, he’d thought Robin was hot until she very kindly turned him down. But the problem was that Billy wasn’t just hot. Steve liked him. Liked him, liked him. Third grade schoolyard liked him. Because while Billy was snarky and rude and a total dick when he wanted to be, Steve could tell he had a good heart. He saw it in the care Billy took with him regarding everything with The Gobbler. Saw it when Billy mentioned his sister and his eyes softened, even if he called her a shitbird. Hell, Steve watched Billy step over an ant hill instead of on it and his knees went weak.

He was fucked and he knew it.

“I still don’t know,” Robin said, brow furrowed with worry. Steve was finishing up the garlands she needed, weaving together the hay and wheat so flowers could be intertwined safely without fear of them falling out. He sighed and set down the garland before stretching out his fingers.

“Robin--”

“I know, I know,” she said, cutting him off with a sigh as she paced back and forth in the living room while he worked. “But I don’t fucking trust him! And while I’m glad you won’t be traversing the woods--” She cut herself off, eyes narrowing. “You’re both staying inside, yeah? You’re not planning on going looking for it are you?” Steve rolled his eyes.

“We aren’t going to look for The Gobbler in the woods. We won’t even look at the woods.” Steve felt bad, just a bit, when Robin visibly calmed from the reaffirmation, though she did continue to pace. He knew she was just worried about him, but still. He did know what he was doing. Mostly. Enough. Steve stood and wiped off his hands before halting her movements by pulling her into a hug. “I know you’re worried,” he mumbled into her hair. He pulled back, giving her a smile. “But seriously. It’s gonna be okay. I know you don’t trust him, but do you trust me?” Robin scoffed, rolling her eyes a little with a small, fond smile. “Actually, don’t answer that.”

“I was gonna say,” she replied with a smirk. “You don’t exactly have the best track record.” She let out a sigh, enough nervous energy finally leaving her body for her to plop onto the couch. “But I get it. I know you won’t let him do anything you don’t like, but I just… Something is… off.” She shook her head as Steve looked away, choosing to go back to finishing the garland instead of responding. Robin was right, and while Steve wasn’t a bad liar by any means, she knew him too well. Robin looked. She listened. She saw his nervous tics and heard the words he didn’t say. So instead, he said nothing and finished the garland as she checked through her notebook and made sure everything was accounted for.

By the time Steve finished, Robin was done packing up the rest of her things.

“Hope tonight goes well,” Steve said, giving her another quick, firm hug as they stood in the doorway. He pulled back, grinning wide. “Say hi to Heather for me,” he said sweetly, getting a shove from Robin as her face turned red.

“Oh my god,” she groaned. “Shut up!” Still, she smiled, and gave Steve a softer, more playful shove. “Have a good night. Don’t stink up the house with your boy fumes.” Steve snorted and shook his head.

“Billy and I both smell great, thank you.” Robin rolled her eyes and headed out, hopping onto her bike and waving one last time as she rode off. Steve waved until he could no longer see her, sighing happily as he went back in the house. It was only a moment however before he kicked it into overdrive. Steve ran to the living room, shoving everything away. He wanted things to be clean and ready, anything breakable moved out of the way. He had no idea how the night was going to pan out, no idea if Billy would even go for him again. How did the curse even work? Would he need a different dick every month? Would their plan even work?

Steve decided that he didn’t care. That they would figure it out. That he would figure this out, no matter what. Billy acted cool and unbothered, but it was obvious that this curse made him… Unhappy wasn’t the right word, but neither was disgusted. Uncomfortable, maybe? Steve could work it out later; right now, he needed to focus on getting the house Gobbler proofed.

Steve was up and out of his seat in record time when he heard the doorbell ring. He had to stop himself in the entryway and take a few deep breaths. It was probably weird how excited he was. How much he wanted this. But, Steve had a crush, a big one, and he was known to have poor judgement when he was into someone. Steve ran his hand through his hair before finally opening the door.

“I was wondering if you were gonna stand there forever or let me in,” Billy joked as he stepped into the house and brushed Steve’s shoulder with his. Steve flushed as he remembered the stained glass window in the front door, where Billy probably saw him run up and stop. He swallowed his embarrassment and followed Billy to the living room. While he had been over a few times, they usually had met up at Billy’s place. Robin’s distrust of Billy made him nervous, put him on edge, so he didn’t like coming to Steve’s often. Which sucked. But today Billy was here. He was here and he was standing in Steve’s living room, looking around with a small smile. “You and Buckley decorate like fucking grandmas,” he said, turning to give Steve a teasing smile, tongue caught between his teeth. It made Steve’s heart stutter.

Yeah, he was royally fucked. This was probably the worst idea he’d ever had.

He was still gonna do it.

“You should do an open mic, really, with all those zingers,” Steve replied. Billy cackled and Steve smirked back. “C’mon. We can come back down here to order pizza and put on something, but I, uh,” he faltered, turning a little red. “I figure you can put your bag in my room?” His nerves made it sound like a question, but he wasn’t the only one feeling a little funny about it, since Billy also went red. He blushed down his neck and Steve wondered how far down it went. To his collarbone? His nips? Steve cleared his throat and gestured to the stairs, leading Billy up silently.

“It’s a nice house,” Billy said quietly, breaking through the tension. “Grandma accents aside.” Steve snorted and opened the door to his room, suddenly anxious for Billy to like it. He had plants on plants, pots on every shelf, every nook, every cranny. Herbs lined his window sill, along with a few succulents. Steve loved plants. Loved the energy they brought. His parents had hated how he had loved to be in the dirt, to feel the magic of earth and nurse it, keep it thriving and strong. They were white magic users, full of spectacle and grace. Steve, well, wasn’t.

The rest of his room was somewhat bland, lots of greens and blues, the wood of his bed frame and desk a nice light brown. Billy looked around, eyes a little wide, setting his bag on Steve’s made bed. His room was cluttered, but organized, and Billy seemed amused at all the little knick knacks Steve had.

“Wow,” Billy breathed. “I don’t know why but I expected more plaid.”

“I don’t know whether to take offense to that or not,” Steve replied with a grin. Billy shrugged, his smile easy going.

“Your choice.” Billy went to the window, looking out at the garden in the backyard. “I’m gonna assume you’re the one who did the garden too?” Steve joined him by the window, looking down.

“Kind of. I do a lot of the gardening, but Robin helps a lot. We like to have native species of plants, and I hate nettles, so she’s the one who deals with them.” It was nice, talking to Billy. He seemed genuinely curious to know Steve and he hadn’t had anyone this interested in him since school, when he still reaped the benefits that came from his last name.

“Native species?” Billy asked, turning to Steve.

“Oh, I could go on for hours, you don’t want--” Steve began, face flushing.

“Dude,” Billy said, huffing slightly as he turned to face Steve more. “I like hearing what you have to say, okay? You don’t gotta censor yourself for me.” And there it was. The soft nougaty bit of Billy Hargrove that made Steve feel soft and squishy and seen.

“Well, why don’t we order the pizza and then we can talk?” Steve asked. He wanted to get out of his room before he shoved Billy onto the bed here and now. Steve had an inkling that Billy felt the same, but he was incredibly nervous that he was just reading too much into the situation. So instead of facing his feelings like an adult, Steve turned and headed downstairs, hearing Billy’s heavier footsteps behind him. He grabbed the phone out of the cradle, punching in the phone number for the best pizza place in town. “What do you like on your pizza?”

“Pineapple and onion. I can do ham or no ham.” Billy said it casually, like he hadn’t just spouted out the most disgusting combo Steve had ever heard.

“Oh, dude, I dunno. That’s crossing a damn line--” Steve began, aghast at the idea of pineapple on pizza, much less paired with onion.

“It’s good!” Billy protested with a pout. “Listen, order a medium one and then whatever your dainty tastebuds want. You’re gonna try it and I know you’re gonna like it.” Steve gave him a blank look, unimpressed and unconvinced. Billy just crossed his arms and raised a brow, tilting his head. Steve sighed and when Benny picked up the phone, he ordered.

When the pizzas arrived (pineapple and onion for Billy, while Steve got the olives and green peppers), Billy sat Steve down on the couch, handed him a slice, and sat on the coffee table, staring intently. Steve eyed the pizza, then Billy, then the pizza again.

“Trust me,” Billy said. “It’s good.” Steve sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically before daintily going in for a bite. “That’s a fucking nibble, get some of all of it, asshole.” Steve shot Billy an exasperated look, but he did take a real bite. And… Fuck. That smug asshole was right. The acidity and tart sweetness of the pineapple paired well with the sweet onion and the acidity of the tomato sauce. It was savory and sweet, with some good crunch, and Steve couldn’t help his surprised groan, staring at the pizza in shock. Billy made a choked noise and Steve looked at him, eyes wide.

“It is good,” Steve replied, taking another bite. Billy’s face was flushed, but Steve didn’t pay much attention, snarfing up his slice quickly.

“Told you,” Billy said, grin wide and proud. “It’s good shit. I know my food, dude.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Steve said through his mouthful of pizza. “You win this one, Blue.” At that, Billy paused, giving Steve a confused but curious look.

“Blue?” Steve blushed and realized he’d never actually said that nickname out loud before. Not in real life, at least.

“Yeah, uh, like your uh, your eyes,” Steve stammered out. Billy looked at him, silent, looking torn about something. Finally, his face settled and he snorted, shaking his head.

“Should I call you Brown?” Billy asked, snatching up a slice for himself. Steve fake gagged.

“Oh god no, please don’t.”

“Sure thing, Brown Eyes.”

“Billy, I literally said--”

“You said not to call you Brown. This is different.” Steve groaned while Billy smirked around the string of cheese connecting his lips to the pizza. They continued to joke around while they ate, Billy flinging the olives off his slices, like they had personally offended him. Eventually though, it was starting to get dark. Steve could see the tension and stress building inside Billy as the night went forward, inching closer and closer to the peak of the moon.

“Do you know when it’ll happen?” Steve asked. The pizza boxes had been broken down and put into the compost bin, all the leftovers wrapped in foil and put away. The sun had set and the only light in the house was from the multiple lamps Steve had. Billy had been subdued for the last hour, getting lost in his head. Steve knew because he did the same thing. “Just, like, is it a set time or does it depend on the season?”

“9 PM,” Billy replied softly, his earlier mirth replaced with concern and anxiety. “You don’t have to do this. You really don’t.” They’d had this talk multiple times, but Steve could see the weight on Billy’s shoulders. He knew how it felt to feel like a burden, so he reached out and took Billy’s hand.

“Maybe we met in some weird ways, but you’re my friend.” Billy looked at him, eyes shining a bit. “I wanna help you with this, and if we have a way to keep you inside and distracted all night? Why wouldn’t we?”

“But--”

“You aren’t forcing me into anything, Billy. This is a choice I am making. Clear headed and sure.” Billy visibly relaxed, sagging a little. Steve kept hold of Billy’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “You wanna go up to my room?” Billy went red at that, flushing down his neck again.

“Yeah.” They walked up in relative silence, tension creeping again, but this time it was different. Steve felt electricity on his skin, felt heat curl in his belly. Billy sat on the edge of Steve’s bed, already looking out of it. “You can strip and leave your clothes on the dresser if you want,” Steve suggested. Billy just nodded, standing up. He stripped slowly, turning his back to Steve like they weren’t about to have sex. Still, Steve let Billy have his privacy. He did catch a glimpse of Billy’s ass, toned and tight, and he licked his lips, mouth suddenly dry and sticky.

“Thank you,” Billy whispered, and if it hadn’t been so quiet in the room, Steve wasn’t sure he would have heard him. Steve nodded, reaching behind him to find Billy’s hand and squeeze. There was a sharp intake of breath and a squeeze back. Looking back at the clock on his nightstand it said 8:59. Steve very suddenly was hit with the vivid memory of his torn jeans last time, and he scrambled to get out of his clothes.

“Shit!” Steve hissed. “God damn it!” He was nearly tripping out of his pants when he heard a low growl start from behind him. He paused, hairs standing on end in anticipation. He knew it was Billy but there was something so different about the timber of the noise. Steve turned to look behind him and Billy was standing there, head hung, hair gone limp, staring at Steve from under his brow. It sent a shiver through Steve, right to his dick. “Hey there,” he said, voice shaky. The Gobbler staggered forward, looking out of depth in these surroundings.

“Schm...eat…?” Steve let out a puff of breath, nervous laughter bubbling in his throat.

“Schmeat,” Steve replied with a nod. It was like flipping a switch. One moment, he was Billy, nervous and and ansty, the next, he was The Gobbler. It showed in the way he seemed to have a singular drive, a singular purpose. The way he heard Steve’s confirmation and everything else seemed to leave The Gobbler’s mind except getting Steve laid out. Strong arms hoisted him up and Steve let out a small squeak of air. “The bed! Put me on the bed!” He said, since The Gobbler was eyeing the window. He landed on the mattress with an oof, looking up as The Gobbler crawled on top of him. It was quick, a blink and he was above Steve.

“Schmeat. Hole.” Steve’s brows shot up.

“Hole? I thought you just sucked?” Did Billy-- The Gobbler wanna fuck him? Like, he definitely wasn’t against that, but he thought Billy had mentioned it was more an oral craving that anything else. The Gobbler growled again, moving down to nose at Steve’s balls. “Oh, shit,” Steve gasped. That was fast. He could feel drool dripping onto his groin and, while he was already getting hard, the process went a little quicker at the feeling.

“Hole,” The Gobbler repeated, more insistent this time.

“Okay?” Steve replied, because he really didn’t--

And then he was suddenly flipped over, face down, ass up, with his cheeks spread, saliva dripping down his crack.

“Oh,” Steve gasped. That’s what he meant. The warm spit cooled in the air of the room, sending a shudder up Steve’s spine. He grunted, arching his back a little. “Fuck yeah,” he breathed out. It ended in a choked off stutter when he felt a wet, hot tongue drag itself over his hole. He could feel the rumble as The Gobbler growled once again, this one less aggressive and more lustful. “That all big guy?” Steve teased, honestly a little desperate to feel more. “C’mon, go at--” Steve cried out when he felt lips against his hole, sucking the skin. “Ohmygodohmygod,” Steve chanted, suddenly painfully erect. He hadn’t been expecting that at all and holy shit did it feel good.

Steve’s reactions were paid no mind as The Gobbler pressed his face into Steve’s ass, a low moan rumbling from his chest. He was salivating, spit already dribbling down Steve’s taint to his balls. He sucked at Steve’s hole, leaving a hickey just to the right of it. Steve keened, dick already starting to leak. Apparently, they weren’t wasting any time today. The Gobbler slurped up his drool, lapping at Steve’s hole, which was already starting to look red and puffy. Steve gripped the sheets, holding on for the ride as The Gobbler’s tongue started making long broad strokes up his crack. Each lick was hot and wet and left Steve shaking. He could feel sweat beading at his temples and on his back. There was a grunt and Steve’s hips were shifted, ass tilted up more. The sting of the burn from the mustache grazing across his skin paired so perfectly with the soft velvet of the tongue soothing over it. Steve’s mind was already fogging over, eyes going a little hazy.

“Shit,” he murmured into his pillow, each stroke of the tongue pulling tiny gasps and moans from him. The sounds alone drove him wild and Steve wished he could grab his dick and stroke, but honestly he had no idea if he would be allowed. Wondered too if he could cum just from this. It was looking quite likely. Especially as The Gobbler started wiggling his tongue inside him, licking into his hole desperately. Steve was loosening up, but apparently it wasn’t enough, seeing as there was a whine from behind him and a nose pushing even harder into his crack. The wiggling was teasing and light, a steady pressure that was driving Steve a little mad. He pushed back, a whimper escaping his lips and fuck, there. He could feel the tongue wiggle in just a little farther as he pushed back, getting another moan from behind him. “Yeah, yeah, fuck,” Steve moaned, starting to steadily roll his hips back against The Gobbler’s face. The hands on his cheeks gripped a little tighter, maybe even enough to bruise. Steve selfishly hoped so.

The Gobbler began to fuck Steve with his tongue, each thrust opening Steve up more and more. He could feel spit dribbling down his crack, down his balls, dripping onto the sheets. His dick was hard, so fucking hard, and Steve tilted his head to look down. There were tiny globs and strings of pre coming from his cock, leaving a small growing stain on the sheets as well. Steve was definitely gonna have to do some laundry after this.

With harsh, heavy breaths, The Gobbler finally pulled back. Already Steve had a poor sense of time, and with his brain steadily melting into a pile of warm, blissed out goo, he had no idea how long The Gobbler had been eating his ass. Like it was his last meal and he was a starving man. Steve couldn’t help the desperate whine that escaped his throat, or the way his ass pushed back, seeking that hot tongue. He jerked when there was cool air blown onto his hole. The Gobbler switched between blowing on the cooling spit dripping down Steve’s taint and his now red and loose asshole. It made Steve shake, made his thighs tremble as sounds were pulled out from deep inside his chest ah, ah, ah. It had him gritting his teeth and clutching the sheets so tightly his knuckles were white. Teeth grazed along the meat of his ass, gently nipping at the skin and making Steve jerk forward with each light sting of teeth. The Gobbler started to suck, marking up Steve’s ass with his mouth like he didn’t know any other way to do it.

Not that Steve was complaining. Like, at all. His ass was probably gonna give him plenty of trouble tomorrow, but he couldn’t find the energy to care. Not when this felt so good. He gasped, sweat dripping down his face and onto the pillow below him as The Gobbler dove in again. Steve’s hands twisted in the sheets, moans practically leaking from his throat at the tongue wiggling it’s way into his asshole again. He was so loose, and just from his tongue. Even the thought made him shudder as more precome leaked from his dick, adding to the stain already spreading on the sheets. When The Gobbler pulled away for air, Steve could feel his asshole flutter, desperate for something to fill it again. He actually yelled when suddenly there was a finger pushing into him. It paused, hesitant, and Steve pushed back against it, hips moving as he fucked himself. A glob of spit slid down his crack and the finger pushed it inside him.

“Oh god,” Steve cried out, feeling his balls start to tighten. “Oh god, oh god, oh god--” And suddenly a hand clamped around the base of his dick, keeping him from cumming. Steve whined, loud and long, starting to turn over and push himself up.

“Mine!” The Gobbler snarled and pressed against his back, pushing him down into the mattress. Steve inhaled sharply as his finger shoved in farther, curling it up as he pulled it out.

“Fuck!” Steve screamed, unable to cum but feeling so fucking desperate. “B-Billy! Please!” He didn’t even really register that he’d called him Billy. Didn’t feel the desperation in the way the second finger pushed in, a little early. But Steve just made a low sound of pleasure, relishing in the burn of the stretch. It was the perfect amount to accentuate the pleasure without overpowering it.

The Gobbler panted into Steve’s ear and he could feel the drool dripping down onto the junction of his neck and shoulder. It shouldn’t have been so hot. Steve shuddered, feeling The Gobbler’s erection grazing against his ass cheek. He wanted it at least between his cheeks if it wasn’t gonna go inside. But The Gobbler didn’t even seem concerned with his own erection, just with touching Steve. He mouthed at Steve’s neck and between his shoulder blades, fingering Steve slowly. The tenderness of the kisses and the changed pace altered the feeling completely, and suddenly it was intimate. The pads of The Gobbler’s fingers massaged his prostate and Steve’s back arched. His hair was nearly wet with sweat, the whole room reeking of musk and sex. Goosebumps pebbled his skin as a shock went through him, the world focused to the sheets below him and Billy, The Gobbler, pressed up close behind him. The Gobbler took his fingers out slowly, pulling back. Steve whined, arm reaching out behind him. But instead, hands grabbed his hips and helped turn him over.

Hair splayed out around him, sheets mussed and wrinkled from being twisted and wrenched tight in his fists, Steve lay there, gazing up at The Gobbler. He hovered above him, hair draping down and shadowing his face. Still, his eyes shone bright, staring into Steve’s so intensely it made his dick leak. It was angry and red, throbbing as it bobbed, nothing giving him enough satisfaction to come. The Gobbler grinned, ducking down to suck one of Steve’s nipples into his mouth. Steve arched into it, hand gripping the back of his head. The Gobbler groaned, low and rumbling, hips rolling and his hard cock smeared pre along the vee of Steve’s hips. Steve was mush. Utter mush. His face was flushed and his eyes were glazed as The Gobbler went down, down, down and finally took Steve’s aching dick into his mouth. With one hard, wet suck, The Gobbler’s head bobbing only one time, Steve came with a shout that stuttered into silence. He came so hard his vision went white for a second. The Gobbler swallowed around him, drool mixed with jizz leaking from the corners of his mouth as he humped the sheets, fast and ruthless. Steve’s toes curled and his legs spasmed, knees tightening around The Gobbler’s ribs.

There was a loud slurp and a smack as The Gobbler pulled off Steve’s dick, letting it flop onto his groin, wet, shiny and softening. He swallowed audibly, letting out a moan as he came into the sheets, damp with sweat and drool. Steve watched him through half lidded eyes, watching as Billy blinked away the remains of The Gobbler. Steve smiled as his favorite pair of blue eyes turned to him, staring at him in awe. He wasn’t sure what other emotions he was seeing; he was too tired to discern much.

“You have got one hell of a tongue,” Steve slurred out. Billy continued to stare at him, eyes wide.

“You… You said my name,” he stammered out. Steve blinked at him, honestly drained and finding it hard to figure out just what Billy meant. And then, as sleep overtook him, it clicked. Fuck.

Steve woke up with a jolt and a sharp inhale. He blinked, looking out his window where the sky was still dark. He sat up, already starting to feel how sore his ass was. Billy must have gone ham on the biting and stubble rubbing, because he felt kinda raw. A good raw though, something that made him smile a bit at each tiny twing.

Then Steve remembered that he had actually shown his whole ass by moaning Billy’s name and a chill went down his spine. Billy wasn’t in the room, wasn’t on the bed, but Steve saw that his jeans were still on the floor, and it made him relax a bit. He got up, tossing on an old shirt and some sweats, before making his way downstairs quietly. The clock read 4:45, so Steve had definitely conked out deeply after he came. Billy wasn’t in the kitchen, but when Steve went into the living room, he saw Billy sitting by the window in the large armchair. He was resting his chin on his fist, just staring at the forest behind the house, lost in his thoughts. He had a glass of water on the table next to him, and didn’t look upset, so Steve took that as a good sign to start. He was quiet as he walked closer, pausing when Billy sighed heavily.

“I can hear you thinking from there, Steve,” Billy said quietly, without any heat.

“Sorry,” Steve replied on reflex. He sat down on the couch, watching as Billy continued to gaze out the window. “I--”

“Why did you say my name,” Billy asked, voice quiet and unsure. Steve looked down at his hands, pulling and tugging at each other as he wrung them together. He didn’t know quite what to say. It would have been weird to call out Gobbler, but he knew what Billy meant. In fact, was kinda shocked he even remembered.

“I… I mean, it won’t change my answer either way, and I don’t mean it as like-- Fuck,” Steve grumbled, rubbing his forehead with his hand. “How do you remember that? I thought--”

“I get… Bits. Not everything. I’m able to remember small things and feelings and small clips, but mostly it’s hazy. I can’t piece it all together. But,” Billy took a breath, deep and bracing. “I didn’t imagine that part, did I?” His voice was calm and unannoyed, but Steve still felt his stomach wriggling around inside him.

“No. You didn’t. I… Billy, I’m selfish,” Steve began, words coming out on a shaky breath. But this needed to be said. And he needed to apologize. “The first time this happened I mean… I hadn’t gotten laid in ages and you were hot and so it worked out. But this… time I--”

“Steve--” Billy said, voice laced with hurt and curiosity.

“Please,” Steve got out, cutting Billy off. “Let me. Let me say it all and then we can. We can talk.” Steve sniffed, rubbing his sweaty palms on his thighs. “This past month getting to know you has been so incredible. You’re a smart guy, just enough of an asshole, and you… You listen to me. And you care. The first thing you were concerned about last month was me, even though you’re under a spell forced to do a bunch of weird shit! Me! You were concerned about me!” Steve could feel Billy watching him, but eye contact would make his throat close up and maybe make him vomit, so he kept them at the table. “I know we don’t know each other super well -- I mean, it’s only been a month -- but I… You’re an interesting person and I fucking like you. I like you so much, Billy. All of you. Seriously.” Steve let out a long breath, closing his eyes to focus on getting the lump in his throat small enough that he could talk. “You need someone to help you and I… I’m too selfish to say no, even though I should because you--”

“Fucking christ, Steve,” Billy said, voice closer than it should be. Steve’s head snapped up and Billy was across the coffee table, leaning forward and bracing himself as he gazed at Steve. He didn’t look mad, didn’t look annoyed. Looked more fond than anything else and Steve felt his stomach do flips that were more along the neutral vein than flips that felt like he was about to start weeping. “You gotta let me get a word in.” Steve looked away again, apology ready to tumble from his lips, but Billy’s hand came and tilted his chin up, making him lose all ability to form thoughts, much less words. “Just to, yanno, condense all that, you said my name because you… you wanted it to be me?” Steve nodded, feeling his cheeks heat up. But when Billy smiled, relieved and excited and hopeful… It was so bright and overwhelming, Steve’s heart started fluttering, all of his insides squirming in joy and delight. “I’ve been so fucking worried. Because I really thought you were just… Humoring me. That this was you feeling like you maybe had to, or just to get some dick while you could--”

“I would never--” Steve began, horrified at the idea of using this against Billy.

“I know,” Billy replied gently, brushing his thumb over Steve’s cheekbone. “I know. It’s happened enough before I was worried I was being swayed into some false sense of security, but,” Billy let out a huffy laugh, smile going soft, “But this is just you. You’re just like this.”

“Like what?” Steve asked, unable to raise his voice above a whisper as he looked at Billy. Took in everything about him in the soft light of the moon. There was a shift in the air, something beautiful and new coming into fruition. Magic fluttered around them, Steve could feel it, bright and eager. It made the house feel warmer, feel fuller, and Steve’s breaths started coming in a little heavier. It took more energy to pull it in, but it was filling and exciting, making his skin tingle and thrum. His fingers itched to run over Billy’s skin. Which, come to think of it, he could do.

“Kind. Good. Silly.” Billy listed, pupils dilating as he moved around the coffee table, hand never leaving Steve’s face. Steve was grateful, unsure he could handle the feeling of loss if Billy had stopped touching him. As Billy sat, Steve’s hand came to settle at the small of Billy’s back, fire sparking in his gut and heart as their skin touched. Billy’s breath came in shaky, stuttering, and Steve leaned closer, their foreheads touching. “When you’re as hot as I am,” and some of the tensions eased at that, a snort escaping Steve before he could stop it, the magic shifting from something waiting for a spark to something more grounded. The feeling of hearth and home. “Yeah yeah,” Billy replied with a grin, “I know, I know. But really. People… Don’t see the person behind the abs.” It was silly, but Steve understood what he meant. Understood the struggle of people not just being blind to the person inside the body, but refusing to look beyond what they saw. “So thank you. For not being like everyone else.” Billy kissed him then and--

Steve was a witch, had been born into magic and felt it thrumming inside him. He’d been open to magic all his life, had felt the shift in magic during the change of the seasons, had done spells that had filled the room with power. Steve had seen amazing feats and more, but this kiss sent something through him. Something strong and vibrant and like nothing he’d ever felt. A crashing wave of signals and comments from the Earth and the magic within. He was overwhelmed with everything that coursed through him from the chaste kiss, hand pressing Billy closer as he tilted his head, mouth opening slowly. The kiss wasn’t hurried. It wasn’t hot and heavy. But it made Steve’s skin prickle with goosebumps, made his heart race and his lungs squeeze. He pressed closer, feeling Billy’s hand drop from his cheek to his shoulder, thumb brushing over his collar bone. It was a languid kiss, drawn out between a drag of the tongue, a light bite, the shared breaths between them.

When Billy finally pulled back, Steve knew his cheeks were flushed and he was panting just a little. It would have been embarrassing if Billy wasn’t also blushing, all the way down to his chest.

“I think,” Steve said, trying to catch his breath. “I think that we should go on a real date.” Billy’s laugh was bright in response, his head falling to rest at the junction of Steve’s neck and shoulder.

“Of course,” he breathed out. “Of course that’s what you’d say first.” Before Steve could even pretend to be offended, Billy kissed his neck, soft and sweet, his mustache dragging along Steve’s skin just a bit. “I’d love that. I’d love that a lot. But maybe we should get some sleep first, Brown Eyes.” Steve could feel the energy draining out of Billy now that the air had been cleared, and sleep started to tug at him as well. Even as he rolled his eyes at Billy’s simple nickname. However, he would have been lying had he said it didn’t thrill him and make his insides flutter.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Steve said in agreement. They moved together, hands still grabbing gently at each other, both of them unable to separate for long, if at all. It was like the truth had magnetized them and they just couldn’t fight the need to connect. They fell into the bed, smiling and warm and excited, ready for what this change would do for them.

As much as Steve wanted a languid morning filled with slow kisses and gentle touches in the lazy morning sun, Billy had places to be. Specifically, helping his sister Max.

“She’s moving in with her boyfriend, finally,” Billy replied when Steve asked, mouth full of egg and toast. It should have been gross, but Steve only found it endearing. “I won’t say I think it’s their best idea, but they’re at least keeping separate rooms. I know Max needs her own space.” Steve nodded, using the corner of his toast to burst the yolk of his fried egg.

“It’s good of you to help out,” Steve said, dipping his toast into the yolk as he cut through the egg with the edge of his fork.

“More like it’s required because I missed helping her move into her last place. Not like I was fucking sick or anything.” He set down his fork, plate already clean, before downing the coffee in the mug before him. “Sorry to eat and go, I would really rather stay here and--”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Steve said with a chuckle. He was also eager to talk more about them, but promises made were promises kept. “We have plenty of time, yeah? I mean, you can always come back here later,” Steve purred, thrilling a bit when Billy’s cheeks flushed.

“Don’t tempt me or I won’t leave,” Billy said, standing and leaning down to cup Steve’s cheek, kissing him lightly.

“That a promise?” They were distracted by the door opening, separating slowly. Robin came in as Billy was leaving the kitchen, both of them awkwardly giving the other space while pretending they weren’t doing just that. “How’d it go?”

“We’ll see this winter,” Robin replied, snatching the last bit of his egg between her fingers and quickly shoving it into her mouth.

“Hey!”

“Snooze you lose, dingus,” she said with a grin. “Last night go...okay? Anything happen?” She searched his eyes for any hint of deception and, for once, Steve wasn’t really worried about what she’d find.

“Kind of?” Steve said, mouth tugging into a smile. Robin furrowed her brow. “Nothing bad, seriously, all good things.”

“Steve?” Billy asked, knocking on the door frame. Steve stood and went over, leaning in close. “I gotta head out, but I’ll text you later, okay?”

“Sounds good, Blue,” Steve replied. Billy just smiled, eyes darting to Robin for a moment before he ducked in for a kiss.

“Catch ya later, Brown Eyes,” Billy replied as he headed out the door. Steve rolle dhis eyes, but really couldn’t help the smile on his face. Billy left with a wave and wink, disappearing into his car, and leaving Steve feeling smitten on the doorstep. He watched Billy’s car go, jumping when Robin’s voice came from right behind him.

“So that’s what happened, huh?” She asked, voice lightly amused. Steve blushed and shut the door, turning to give her a sheepish look.

“I did say it wasn’t bad.” When Robin didn’t reply with a quip, Steve paused, smile freezing on his face. “Rob?”

“I’m happy for you, Steve, really, I am,” she said, and Steve could hear the ‘but…’ coming from a mile away. “But I still think you need to be careful.”

“Robin, please--”

“It’s not about me trusting him this time.” Steve looked up at that, curious. “It’s because… Steve. I’ve only seen you this smitten with one other person in my life, and that was Nancy.” That. That made Steve freeze. He’d loved Nancy fiercely, too fiercely, and had been utterly smashed when she’d broken it off. Had been depressed for months. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Oh.” Steve wasn’t sure how to respond. Because he didn’t think he was that attached yet. Even if the idea of never talking to Billy again made it hard to breathe and made his lungs tighten and made his eyes water--

Oh fuck, Steve thought.

[starshine583]

can we see damianette with v?

(Let me just say that I absolutely LOVE this concept!! I could write a whole ficlet on this one too! anyway, I hope you like the snippet as much as I did.)

Darkness. That was all Marinette had ever known. In fact, it was all a good portion of the world had ever known, and it was thanks to this little thing called Soulmates.

A long time ago, the gods decided that humans had become blind to the true purpose of love and romance. So, to remind them of this, they cursed the world with literal blindness, and the only way to nullify this curse was to touch your soulmate directly. Then, the gift of sight would be restored to both parties, and they would finally be able to see for the first time.

At first, Marinette was extremely excited to find her soulmate. After all, who wouldn’t be? The life of the seeing sounded wonderful, especially when her Maman and Papa would tell her stories of the sea and the stars. And having the love of your life, the person you’re going to be with forever, be the first thing you truly see? That sounded incredibly romantic, and she couldn’t wait to experience it. 

As the years passed, though, and more people around her found their soulmate, the excitement that had been bubbling inside her began to fade, and a quiet resignation took its place. If she hadn’t found her soulmate yet, that meant she probably wasn’t going to be one of the lucky ones who found their soulmate early. Therefore, she needed to learn to be patient, instead of tearing herself apart with anticipation. 

This revelation led to Marinette exploring her capabilities and becoming affiliated with her blindness as best she could. She could already get around fine, but she wanted to get around better than fine. She wanted to get around so well on her own that people forgot she was blind altogether. Then, perhaps, she would be able to forget too. Or at least forget that everyone but her could see. 

She had just started being able to walk without using her cane when she received a pair of strange, magical earrings. The discovery was definitely a shock, but the thought of being able to push herself to the absolute limit as a superhero intrigued her. So, she accepted the earrings and became Ladybug, savior of Paris. 

Imagine her surprise when she found out that her partner was also blind. He didn’t move around as easily as she did, but their gadgets helped them find their way well enough to fight. For example, her yo-yos would use beeping sequences to tell her when she was near something, while Chat Noir used his staff as a makeshift cane, and the akumas were normally loud enough that they didn’t have to guess their locations. 

Alya joined their school around the same time that Marinette became Ladybug, and Marinette was absolutely delighted to meet her. Not only because the new student gave Nino his sight, but also because she was able to describe the colors to Marinette in a way that she could understand. Her parents had tried to tell her about the colors before and how beautiful they were, but in the end, the descriptions always depended on sight. 

Alya, however, described them with feelings.

“Blue,” she would say, “is like dipping your hand into the pool. It’s cool and calm and sometimes sad, but it’s beautiful. It’s the color of the sky and the sea and your eyes.”

“Red is the color of heat, of anger, of blood.”

“Yellow is the color of sunshine on your skin and happiness and things that make you smile.”

“Green is the color of envy or disgust, but it’s also the color of summer’s grass.”

“Black is the color of darkness, the same thing you see now.”

Now that Marinette had at least somewhat of a shaky grasp on what colors were like, she wasn’t nearly as annoyed when Mlle Bustier decided to take the class to an art gallery during their field trip to Gotham. It was still an inconsiderate thing to do, but she had Alya to guide her if necessary and had heard about a section of the gallery that was made specifically for blind people. So she had hope that the visit wouldn’t be as awful as it sounded.

“Remember class,” her teacher called as she led everyone inside the gallery, “everyone needs to have a safety buddy at all times. Gotham is well known for its villain attacks, so stay together!”

Alya sighed next to her. “It’s not like it’s any different from our akuma attacks. Why all the fuss?”

“Well, the villains here don’t transform back once they’re caught.” Nino pointed out. “It’s kind of like a ton of Hawkmoths running around instead of akumas.”

Marinette nodded in agreement, though none of them were probably looking at her anyway.

“True, but they also have more super heroes here.” Alya argued. “Batman, Red hood, Nightwing, Robin- if a villain attacked us, they’d be surrounded in ten minutes!”

Marinette held back from commenting on that remark, but she knew from personal experience that superheroes had their own lives too. Just because a single villain showed up somewhere didn’t mean that all of the heroes in Gotham would show up at the same time to fight it, or that the villain would be any easier to take down once outnumbered.

She lightly touched Alya’s arm to get her attention. “I’m going to go find that blind section that Mlle Bustier was talking about .”

Alya paused her conversation with Nino to reply, “Do you want me to come with you?”

“Would you mind?”

“Of course not! I’ll go tell Mlle Bustier where we’re going, but you can start walking now if you don’t need any help?”

“No, I can manage.” Marinette smiled. Mlle Bustier had passed out a special map of the gallery the night before that had bumps for the walls and statues and braille to tell them which rooms were what. Besides, if she could fight akumas across the Parisian rooftops on a regular basis, she could certainly find her way around an art museum.

The two separated, Alya going right to speak with Bustier, and Marinette going left to find the blind room. She idly tapped her cane on her shoulder as she walked across the hardwood floors, the echoing footsteps and hushed talk of other visitors giving her directions on which way to step and which way to avoid. Some of the voices spoke in different languages, and it caused Marinette to wonder whether the people around her were tourists like herself or locals. Probably a decent mix of both.

When she was sure that she’d found the correct room- there was a sign with braille on it that said “blind section” - she let her cane tap against the floor and began wandering around the room. The pictures inside had bumpy textures for her to run her hands across, and the statues that were open to anyone above the age of eleven were a mix of grainy and smooth, most likely made from different types of rock. It was admittedly strange tracing her hands over things that were supposed to be human bodies, but if it was the only way to observe the master pieces..

A few minutes passed of her dragging her hands over the displays when something strange happened, something that made her pause.

Footsteps and voices had been a consistent background noise from the moment she walked into the gallery, but for some reason, both of those sounds abruptly stopped in the last minute of her being there, as though everyone that had been in the room with her suddenly left. That wasn’t possible, though, because she didn’t hear anyone leave, and she couldn’t fathom why a whole group of strangers would tip-toe out of a room to avoid being detected by her. 

Before she could call out to the people who had to be around her, somebody gasped, proving that other people were, in fact, still in the room with her. Then, another person gasped, then three, and someone shrieked. 

Now Marinette was panicking. What was going on? Why were they screaming? What did they see that she couldn’t?

Where footsteps had been scarce before, there were now footsteps everywhere, along with more screams. People were running, but from what? She didn’t hear anyone else enter the gallery, nor did she hear a villainous outburst. 

Marinette strained her ears to listen for something more, something out of the ordinary that would cause people alarm, but it was hard to hear anything else over the screams. The only other thing she could catch was a strange, hissing sound. They couldn’t be running from that, though, could they? What would be making a hissing sound that had everyone bolting out of the gallery?

“Marinette!” 

Alya’s voice nearly made Marinette jump five feet in the air out of fright, but she caught herself and turned towards the direction she assumed her friend was coming from.

“Alya, what’s going on?”

Somebody grabbed her arm, and Alya’s voice spoke up again right next to her. “We need to go. There’s this weird, green gas that’s filling the gallery, and it’s causing people to.. to..”

Alya’s explanation faltered as she let out a snort, which confused Marinette. Didn’t she sound panicked a second ago? Why was she laughing now? This wasn’t a prank, was it? No, Alya would do that..

Another laugh burst from her friend’s lips. Then another. It almost sounded like she was trying to contain it, like she was laughing against her will. 

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. What did she say about the gas again? It was causing people to do something? What if it was causing them to laugh?

“A-Alya?” Marinette said, trying to remain calm as she grabbed Alya’s shoulders. If the gas was causing people to laugh, does that mean she’s inhaled it already? Was the effect going to be permanent? Was it going to be fatal? Why would someone release that type of gas into an art gallery?

“Mari-Marine-” Alya wiggled out of Marinette’s grasp and began laughing harder. Marinette tried to grab her again, but her friend fell to the floor. 

“Alya!” Marinette cried, kneeling down next to her. The girl was writhing on the floor now, cackling like she’d gone mad.

“G-Get- you need- you need to- need to go-” She said through laughs, but that was all she said. After that, Alya fell into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, and Marinette was left panicking and wondering what she should do. She could try to go get help, but she didn’t know where the gas was coming from. Even if she did, she had no way of knowing who might be waiting for her outside. The gas might be a way to push herself and the other civilians out onto the street. 

Marinette stumbled to her feet and took a moment to listen to her surroundings again. She could still hear screams, but they were more towards the back of the gallery, while laughter could be heard towards the front. That meant the gas must have come through the front entrance. Was that the hissing sound she’d heard earlier?

Just as she was about to call out Tikki to give her a visual on the gallery, another sound reached her ears. This time it was a clicking, similar to that of metal being hooked onto something, and it came from above her. Was someone on the ceiling? What would they be doing up there? How would they get up there in the first place?

A whizzing sound followed the click, and Marinette tensed as she listened to it grow closer. Something or someone was coming towards her. Was it the villain who spread the gas? Why didn’t she hear it move on the ceiling beforehand? Was she going to have to defend herself and Alya as a civilian? 

A pair of boots hit the hardwood floor, and Marinette shifted into a fighting stance, holding her cane up like a sword. If she had to go, she didn’t plan on going easily. “Who are you?”

“My name is Robin.” The response was quick, almost automatic. “We’re evacuating the premises. I need you to come with me.”

Marinette hesitated. Wasn’t Robin one of the heroes Alya had mentioned? The person in front of her sounded like another teenager. (Then again, being a teenager didn’t stop her from saving Paris on a weekly basis)

A leather glove wrapped around her fore-arm- his hand, she realized -and he pulled her against him. 

“Hold on tight.”

Hold on tight? “What do you me-”

Robin clicked a button, and with a sharp tug, they were flying through the air. Marinette let out a yelp, and then she did something that changed her life forever.

She wrapped her hands around his neck.

As soon as she did, a bright flash of light invaded her vision, and suddenly, colors were everywhere. There were light colored walls and dark colored floors- perhaps that was the brown she’d heard about? -and the statues were a mix of light and dark colors, similar to the marble rock that she’d been taught about. And the paintings- oh, the paintings were just bursting with color and life! It all looked positively extraordinary and amazing and-

Robin gasped above her, no doubt from the shock of seeing as well. His hand must have slipped from whatever was pulling them upwards, because in the next moment they were falling back to the ground. (And she could see it! She didn’t have to hear the rush of wind or feel the pit of her stomach rising to know!)

The two hit the ground with a grunt, and Robin swiftly shifted their position to use his body as a shield to protect Marinette from further injuries as they rolled across the floor. This resulted in Marinette landing on top of Robin and Robin rubbing the back of his head with another groan. 

“A-Are you okay?” She asked as she pushed herself up to hover over him. That fall didn’t feel too steep, but having extra weight on top of him most certainly would have made the landing worse.

Now that she could actually see the person in front of her with her own eyes, she could tell that he was definitely a superhero. He had an entire costume on, equipped with a cape and everything. She even spotted a utility belt on his waist that appeared to have a hefty amount of gadgets on it.

Robin looked up at her, and though his mask hindered her view of his eyes, the surprise was clear on his face as his eyebrows shot up.

“Who..” He trailed off, his head tilting slightly as he glanced around the room. He was still absorbing the fact that he could finally see, just as she was.

His gaze snapped back to her. “Who are you?”

I could ask you the same question. She thought. After fifteen years of searching, she’d finally found her soulmate, and not only did he live halfway across the world from her, but was also a superhero just like her. What were the odds?

Reality slapped both of them in the face when another scream pierced the air, and the two scrambled to get back to their feet. Soulmates or not, they were still in the middle of a villain attack. They couldn’t get distracted.

People were still laughing hysterically on the floor, but now a strange gas was trailing into the blind section. Marinette knew she should be panicked seeing it, considering what it did to Alya, but another part of her felt giddy, because Alya had also told her that the gas was green. She finally knew what green looked like!

“We have to get out of here.” Robin said. He pulled something off of his utility belt- was that a gun? -and shot it upwards. Marinette’s gaze immediately followed it curiously, and she managed to catch sight of a shiny object latching onto an open hole in the rooftop. It made a clicking sound, reminding her of the sound she’d heard when Robin first swooped into the gallery.

So, that’s how he got in here. She thought to herself. 

Robin pulled her against his chest again, clicking the same button he had earlier to start rising to the roof. “No surprises this time, all right?”

Marinette couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her lips, but it wasn’t because of the gas. The ludicrousness of the situation was simply too much. Who asks their soulmate not to give them another surprise such as the gift of sight? Who finds their soulmate in the hero who’s saving them during a villain attack?

Apparently, Marinette does, and this field trip, she decided, was turning out to be much more interesting than originally expected.

(Send me a letter and I’ll do a thing!)

(The next one I’ll be doing is O with Felinette!)

[callmehannahagain]

Fine, I’ll recommend 10 movies

First, I absolutely love movies, and simply cannot rank my favorites. Thus, this will be in order of release. Second, I have way too many movies to recommend, so I will absolutely have to split these into categories. This list contains 10 animated (and one Claymation) movies I love and HIGHLY recommend.

 1963- The Sword in The Stone - 1hr19min

This movie was produced by Disney, and is one of the many adaptations of King Arthur’s famous tale. I would truly like to believe this is the best retelling of King Arthur’s story, but it simply isn’t. (I am quite partial to the show Merlin) However, this is my absolute favorite movie version of King Arthur’s life, and it is one of my favorite movies to fall asleep to. The film is beautifully animated, whimsical, magical, and quite funny. I feel as though this movie has truly passed the test of time, and continues to be beloved among all ages. You can enjoy this with a Disney+ subscription.

1992- FernGully: The Last Rainforest - 1hr16min

I could talk about this movie forever. It was distributed by 20th Century Studios. This movie showcases how poorly we treat the environment and the people around us. With a hefty dose of humor, you follow a fairy and her friends around the Rainforest after they accidentally shrunk a human logger. You watch as the logger sees the harm in tearing down rainforests. “Will everyone become an environmentalist after watching this?” is probably what they were thinking when creating this movie, but with only a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, I don’t think so. I do think its an early reason of my passion for Mother Earth though. You can find this film on Amazon Prime. 

1995- Whisper of The Heart - 1hr46mins

Okay, so this movie and the next kind of go together, and I really recommend watching them together. This movie really struck with me when I watched it for the first time this year. It is a Studio Ghibli and Toho Co. movie. You follow a girl who is passionate about creative writing, and not very passionate about school. I have never seen such supportive parents portrayed in any movie, ever. The main character starts slacking in school once she decides that she wants to be an author, and her parents do their absolute best to support her in her decision. While finding inspiration, she wanders in to an old shop, and finds a small cat statue in a suit and she decides to write her story about him. There is a love interest in this movie as well, and he plays the violin and it is very very adorable. I love this movie so much for its soft romance, mild fantasy elements that keep you pondering about the world, and the absolutely amazing and supportive adults in the film. If you want to watch it, and you should, it is in HBOMax. 

2002- The Cat Returns - 1hr15mins

The Cat Returns features the cat statue in Whisper of The Heart. It is also a Studio Ghibli and Toho Co. movie. It is best described as a wild adventure film. A girl saves a cat from being hit by a bus, and out of immense gratitude the cat stands up and gives his thanks. The father of this cat, who is the Cat King, is so grateful the young girl saved his son (the Cat Prince) that he invites her to The Cat Kingdom and wants her to marry the prince.. his son.. who she saved... who is a cat. I do not know what to say to convince you to watch this movie other than talking cats and a portal to a cat world, but it was one of the weirdest hours of my life, and I have since rewatched the movie quite a few times. You can find this movie on HBOMax as well, and PLEASE watch it RIGHT AFTER Whisper of The Heart. 

2005- Robots - 1hr31mins

From Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox, Robots is one of the best Kid’s Animated movies of all time. It is so funny, all about how horrible capitalism is and how capitalism ruins families, lives, and dreams, AND has one of the best casts of any animated film.... ever. Starring Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Mel Brooks, Jennifer Coolidge, Amanda Bynes, Stanley Tucci, and Halle Barry, you know you are fully set up for a good time. The attention to detail in this movie is fantastic, and I notice something new every time. I used to watch this movie over and over again, and I still watch it in my 20s and laugh. It features a perfect mic of adult humor and kid humor, and mixes real themes like poverty and capitalism with toilet humor and boy talk. Not to mention the great soundtrack. I watch this movie when I am in need of a good laugh, no-stress, and nostalgic time. You can watch this movie on Hulu, and you should probably do it right now.

2006- Over The Hedge - 1hr27mins

I watch this movie for many of the same reasons I watch Robots. Over The Hedge is a Dreamworks Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Columbia Pictures film, and you can tell. It has all the charm you expect from Dreamworks, and all the laughs and hidden themes you could want. This is probably another reason for my love of animals and the earth. The film pokes fun at humans and overconsumption, while following a raccoon who got caught stealing from a bear. A beautiful ‘found family’ trope is exactly what we all need right now. Unfortunately, this movie is not on any streaming platforms, but you can rent it on Amazon or Youtube for $3.99. It is totally worth it. 

2009- Coraline - 1hr40mins

Everyone knows Coraline. A Laika Studios, Universal Pictures, and Focus Features film that scared the sh*t out of kids across the world. I have personally always loved this movie, and my older sister hated me for it. She thought it was terrifying, oh well! Directed by Henry Selick, who is phenomenal, and starring Dakota Fanning, you get to enter a world where everything is wet, parents ignore you, and nothing is as it seems. When a neighborhood kid finds a doll in his house that looks exactly like Coraline, she makes fast friends with the doll and discovers an old bricked up door that turns into a portal to a new, but very familiar world. In this new world, she meets her Other Parents, who pay attention to her, cook great meals, and give her gifts and mango milkshakes. She travels to and from the worlds with ease, and even tells her original parents of the world, but they don’t believe her. When her Other Parents ask her to stay in their world, little Coraline has to make a quick decision to stay and give the Other Mother her eyes, or leave... if she can find her way back out again. I have written too much on this movie considering everyone has already seen it, but I urge you to rewatch it and pay attention the the small details the film crew worked so hard to make perfect. I promise you’ll notice something new. You can watch Coraline on Tubi.

2011- From Up On Poppy Hill - 1hr31mins

Yet another Studio Ghibli movie! Studio Ghibli truly has always had animation figured out. This movie has been stuck in my brain since I first watched it. I only watched it for the first time a few months ago, but I have rewatched this movie at least 4 times since. From Up On Poppy hill opens with a young girl explaining that she has a lot of responsibilities at home, because her father has been missing since she was very little, and her mom is in the US for school. We get to watch her take care of the boarders in her home, and see her relationship with her grandmother, and learn about why her father is missing. One day the club next to her school has sort of a protest, because the big capitalist jerks in the city want to tear down and repurpose the space that the kids love and cherish. Anywayyyys, she meets the leader of that club and starts spending more of her time there, and stops completing all of her responsibilities at home. Again, thank you Studio Ghibli for giving us such kind and supportive adults in your films, because her grandmother just wants the best for her. The romance aspect from this film is really what threw me for a loop, and it was a little more than a “will they, won’t they” situations. More like a “can they, can’t they” type things. I loved it, and it has quickly risen to the top standings of my favorite animated films. You can watch it on HBOMax, along with most other Studio Ghibli movies.

2011- Gnomeo & Juliet - 1hr24mins

I am not sure how they got an hour and a half into this movie, but it is animation gold. I love gnomes, and I love TouchStone and Disney, so this movie is everything I could ever want. I firmly believe that Gnomeo & Juliet is the BEST rendition of Shakespeare’s classic tale, even better than the original. It is fun, filled with humor and fake teenage drama. It very much gives “BUT DADDY I LOVE HIM” vibes, ya know?? Anyways I watch this movie when I am absolutely incapable of watching anything new or even slightly stress inducing. If you need to just chill out and be a kid again, this is the movie for you. You can watch it on Disney+.

2012- The Lorax - 1hr26mins

Okay, fine so I lied. I can sort of rank my favorites. The Lorax is my all time favorite animated movie. With a superb star-studded cast of Danny Devito, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Betty White and Ed Helms, you just CAN NOT miss. A lot of kid’s first real step into the harms of capitalistic greed and corporate harm to the environment, it’ll get you riled up for Mother Earth and ready to overthrow the capitalist pigs who keep tearing down our forests and dumping oil into our oceans. Made my Universal Pictures and Illumination, you follow a young boy pining after a girl, and all the girl wants is a real tree. But how are they going to get a real tree when they live in an overpopulated, over polluted, and completely plastic world? All the trees have seemingly gone extinct, and all that’s left is plastic, rubber, oil, grease, and grime, and the mayor of this town is hellbent on keeping it that way. Anyways, a twist on the classic story by Dr. Seuss has become my most rewatched movie ever. When they took it off Netflix, I truly threw a tantrum. Anyways, I now own this movie on different platforms and DVD and Blue Ray. Not to mention that freaking amazing sound track! I bump and jump and sing to ‘How Bad Can I Be?’ on the daily. You can watch it with Peacock Premium.

So, there you have it. My must watch list of animated movies and where to find them. Let me know if you also love these, and if you hate them... don’t tell me because I am sensitive lol. Ciao! 

[traeumenvonbuechern]

June Wrap-Up

1. Can't Take That Away (Steven Salvatore)

Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother's spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice. Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey's tormentor and others in the school. It's up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights--and they refuse to be silenced.

2. Sanditon (Jane Austen)

Written in the last months of Austen's life, Sanditon features a glorious cast of hypochondriacs and speculators in a newly established seaside resort, and shows the author contemplating a changing society with scepticism and amusement. It tells the story of Charlotte Heywood, who is transported by a chance accident from her rural hometown to Sanditon, where she is exposed to the intrigues and dalliances of a small town determined to reinvent itself - and encounters the intriguingly handsome Sidney Parker.

3. The Witch King (H.E. Edgmon)

Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came from—but a kingdom demands its king. In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft…don’t. Wyatt’s betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world. Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt’s newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what’s more important—his people or his freedom.

4. One Last Stop (Casey McQuiston)

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train. Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.

5. Between Perfect and Real (Ray Stoeve)

Dean Foster knows he’s a trans guy. He’s watched enough YouTube videos and done enough questioning to be sure. But everyone at his high school thinks he’s a lesbian—including his girlfriend Zoe, and his theater director, who just cast him as a “nontraditional” Romeo. He wonders if maybe it would be easier to wait until college to come out. But as he plays Romeo every day in rehearsals, Dean realizes he wants everyone to see him as he really is now––not just on the stage, but everywhere in his life. Dean knows what he needs to do. Can playing a role help Dean be his true self?

6. The Cruel Prince (Holly Black)

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

7. Boy Queen (George Lester)

Robin Cooper’s life is falling apart. While his friends prepare to head off to university, Robin is looking at a pile of rejection letters from drama schools up and down the country, and facing a future without the people he loves the most. Everything seems like it’s ending, and Robin is scrabbling to find his feet. Unsure about what to do next and whether he has the talent to follow his dreams, he and his best friends go and drown their sorrows at a local drag show, where Robin realises there might be a different, more sequinned path for him . . . With a mother who won't stop talking, a boyfriend who won't acknowledge him and a best friend who is dying to cover him in glitter make up, there's only one thing for Robin to do: bring it to the runway.

8. Felix Ever After (Kacen Callender)

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after. When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle.... But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

9. Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë)

Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before: of the intense passion between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and her betrayal of him. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.

10. Ace of Spades (Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé)

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light. Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...

11. The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (Cat Sebastian)

Kit Webb has left his stand-and-deliver days behind him. But dreary days at his coffee shop have begun to make him pine for the heady rush of thievery. When a handsome yet arrogant aristocrat storms into his shop, Kit quickly realizes he may be unable to deny whatever this highborn man desires. In order to save himself and a beloved friend, Percy, Lord Holland must go against every gentlemanly behavior he holds dear to gain what he needs most: a book that once belonged to his mother, a book his father never lets out of his sight and could be Percy’s savior. More comfortable in silk-filled ballrooms than coffee shops frequented by criminals, his attempts to hire the roughly hewn highwayman, formerly known as Gladhand Jack, proves equal parts frustrating and electrifying. Kit refuses to participate in the robbery but agrees to teach Percy how to do the deed. Percy knows he has little choice but to submit and as the lessons in thievery begin, he discovers thievery isn’t the only crime he’s desperate to commit with Kit. But when their careful plan goes dangerously wrong and shocking revelations threaten to tear them apart, can these stolen hearts withstand the impediments in their path?

12. Weekend Girl (Alex Powell)

Ashley Kingston is a genderfluid university student with a major crush on attractive and charming Nolan. He seems just too perfect to be true. What happens when Ash meets Nolan while dressed as both a man, and a woman? And even more confusing, what happens when Nolan seems enamoured of both versions of Ash? A twisty-turny romance filled with fun and shenanigans.

[larryfanfiction]

Disney AU

🌹 Elysian by wonderlou (81k) Beauty and the Beast AU

“What could be it, Niall?” Harry asks gently with a sigh. He slouches down further into his chair, crossing his arms lazily across his chest. He is bored. He has been bored for five years straight, but even more so now that his one interest has shut himself out entirely. Harry had not even heard from Louis, not since last night, not since he had gotten on his nerves so much that he was torn between knocking him out and smiling in surrender to the slight awe he felt. Louis is opinionated like no one he’s ever seen, but his voice is honeyed; high-pitched and indignant. Harry is nothing short of entranced.

Or, Harry is running out of time to fall in love, but with Louis, it seems as if there’s all the time in the world.

🧜🏻‍♂️ The Importance of Body Language by zimriya (11k) The Little Mermaid AU

Harry really has no idea how he’s going to get out of this one. After the little incident with the fishing wire, he’d been told that under no circumstances was he to visit the surface of the water, as he is the heir to the throne and his safety is essential to the continued existence of their underwater society. Or something. Harry loves his mum, but there’s really only so much talk of royal duty a prince can take before he does something drastic. Like purposefully disobey her strict instructions to stay under the sea for the rest of his natural life, and instead swim too close to a human ship and get himself spotted by none other than the unfairly attractive Prince Louis Tomlinson, for example.

Needless to say, Harry is fucked.

🧜🏻‍♂️ Hey baby won't you look my way by larrysbitchx (10k) The Little Mermaid AU

Louis want’s a prince charming. Harry might just be him. But what happens when a human and a merman fall in love?

🐶🐱 We Could Live This Life Forever by dearmrsawyer (31k) Lady and the Tramp AU

When Harry’s adoptive parents bring home a brand new baby of their own, he fears they won’t want him anymore.

A Lady and the Tramp AU where everyone’s human

⚓️ Drowning In Your Eyes by smittenwithlouis (45k) Pirates of the Caribbean AU

“Capt’n Styles, are you certain of this? They be attracted to man-made light.” “What is? Sharks?” The young blonde asks in terror. “Worse than sharks, lad. There’ll be flesh eating mermaids upon us in minutes, mark my words!” Paul huffs as he continues to wave the bright lantern in front of him, “And Captain Styles here, has us bait!” Or: The Pirates of the Caribbean inspired au where Harry is a fierce pirate who holds the heart of a beautiful merman.

👑 Because You Saw Me When I Was Invisible by supernope (32k) Princess Diaries AU

A (not so) loosely-based Princess Diaries AU, in which Harry finds out he’s the heir to the throne of a country he’s never even heard of.

🏹 Not in Nottingham by UserFromPluto (11k) Robin Hood AU

“Love him?” The prince repeated, “and does this prisoner return your love?” Harry did not answer but stood looking at Louis, trembling and heaving breaths. Louis met his gaze, hair falling over his eyes, arms gripped roughly by two guards. “Harry,” he said simply, “I love you more than life itself.”

(Robin Hood au in which Harry and Niall steal the show, Liam’s big heart gets him in trouble, and Zayn and Louis really should stop being arrow magnets)

👠 a dream is a wish your heart makes by theneverending (22k) Cinderella AU

Fairytale retelling of Cinderella, where Harry is a servant boy who’s too kind, Louis is a prince in an arranged marriage, Liam is Harry’s step brother, and Niall is Louis’ dutiful grand duke.

👠 your rainbow will come smiling through by hazkaban (17k) Cinderella Story AU

when harry isn’t working at his stepfather’s cafe, he’s trying to make swim captain and trying to finish all his coursework on time. when he’s not doing any of those things, he’s talking to the boy he met on the oxford hopefuls subreddit. when they decide to meet, he’s elated. he finally gets the chance to meet the boy he’s been crushing on! when the day comes to meet his prince, he learns that his online crush is none other than louis tomlinson, captain of the football team and friend of his terrible stepbrothers. now harry has to decide whether telling louis the truth is the right choice or if it’s better to just let sleeping dogs lie.

🦎 long hair don't care by ballsdeepinjesus (20k) Tangled AU

He catches his breath and stands, brushing dirt off of his breeches when he hears a scared peep behind him. Louis spins around, startled, and is greeted by the sight of an extremely pale boy with extremely luscious dark brown curls. His hand starts to reach out involuntarily to try and pet his hair, but he stops it quickly and tries to smooth it into a bow. He glances up, fluttering his lashes, and levels the trembling boy with a charming smile.

“Hi,” he drawls. He doesn’t see the frying pan until it’s too late. Everything goes black.

[harry is sheltered and louis is a thief. or, a tangled au.]

🦎  You Were My New Dream by larryshares (48k) Tangled AU

Prince Harry has spent the majority of his life trapped within the castle walls, forced to hide from the kingdom he never asked to be born into. He doesn’t want to be the next King of Eroda, because according to his father, kings don’t wear dresses, paint their nails, or braid flowers into their magical hair. And Harry happens to love those things about himself, almost as much as he thinks he could love the new combat instructor his father has summoned to mold him into a more acceptable man, just in time for his impending coronation.

🧚🏻‍♀️ no place to call home by suspendrs (21k) Peter Pan AU

“What are you smiling about, Harrison,” the boy spits, body language suddenly getting defensive. “I’ll have you know that I’m-”

“Harry,” Harry interrupts, giggling. “My name is Harry. And if you’re not called Peter, then what are you called?”

The boy tilts his chin up slightly, surveying Harry like he’s checking if he’s worthy of knowing something as important as his name. “Well, Herschel, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Louis.”

Or, Louis isn’t Peter Pan and Harry isn’t Wendy and Neverland is nothing like Harry thought it would be, but it’s perfect anyway.

🧚🏻‍♀️ Tell Every Lost Boy (that you're my man) by LittleLostPieces (17k) Peter Pan AU

A modern-day Peter Pan AU, wherein Harry struggles with his overwhelming jealousy when Louis brings a new mate into their makeshift family.

Starring Louis as Peter Pan (obviously), Harry as Tinker Bell, the others as the Lost Boys, and Greg as Wendy

🧚🏻‍♀️ faith, trust and pixie dust (and a little bit of something else too) Peter Pan AU

“Are you seriously apologizing for taking out a bullet that was lodged in my shoulder and saving my life?” he asks slowly. “Y—yes?” the boy looks unsure of himself now.

“Marry me—”

For once, the boy isn’t the only one blushing and Louis silently curses Earthen terminology for making its way into his vocabulary.

Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, he coughs out, “I mean thanks. That was very nice of you…?”

“Harry,” the boy fills in quietly, flashing Louis a tentative smile. Louis thinks it suits him well and he mouths the name to himself, liking the way it rolls off his tongue. He watches as Harry hesitates before asking his own question, albeit doubtfully.

“And you’re—you’re P—Peter Pan, right?”

Or, the one in which Louis is a punk Peter Pan and Harry is an insecure flower child.

❄️ The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway by timefornothing (17k) Frozen AU

“Lou! Give me my glove!” Louis held it back away from him, blue eyes glittering with desperation. “No, Zayn. Please, I can’t live like this anymore! We can’t keep the entire world shut out! I can’t live like this!” His words rung out shrilly, making the crowd go silent. Zayn stared at Louis, eyes wide with unimaginable pain. Finally, he swallowed hard, whispering quietly, “Then leave.” He took one more look at Louis before it was too much, then he turned away, stalking towards the back of the room. or the one where One Direction are the characters in Frozen. Starring Louis as Anna, Zayn as Elsa, Harry as Kristoff, Niall as Olaf, and Liam as that stone troll that always knows what to do.

♣️♟ like cabbages and kings by you_explode (60k) Alice in Wonderland AU

When Louis was a kid, he had a series of very vivid dreams about a place called Wonderland. There were rabbits wearing waistcoats and talking cats and ridiculous tea parties, and amidst all the absurdity, there was a boy. A boy with dimples, big green eyes and the sweetest soul Louis has ever known. Louis has always kept a place in his heart for that boy and for his funny dreamworld, and when he’s twenty-five and his life falls apart, it turns out Wonderland might not be so imaginary after all.

🌿 Let's Fall in Love in a Place You Want to Stay by embro (134k) Tarzan AU

A George of the Jungle / Tarzan AU where Louis is a model who meets Wild Man Harry in the Congo. He was raised by apes and barely speaks a word of English and turns Louis' life upside down.

🗡 Dirty secret by iilarryii (122k) Mulan AU

"Dad, you can't go!" Louis yells to his father as he watches him pull out his sword.

"Louis, you know that I have to. It's the pack leaders orders," Dan says calmly. "I need you to promise me that you'll take care of the family if I die."

"So what? You'll just give up?"

"Of course not. I am just willing to die for my family's safety."

"So am I."

The Zoely pack is attacked by rogue alphas and the pack leader orders all alphas over the age of eighteen to protect their pack. Dan Deakin is one of the strongest alphas in the pack, but there is one problem. He has a wife and six kids to feed and look after. Louis is the oldest child and the one who wants to protect their family.

Or a Mulan AU where Louis is an omega who takes his father's place in the war.

📕 You Bring Me Home by reminiscingintherain (22k) Saving Mr. Banks AU

"Are you willing to fly to LA to meet with Tomlinson?" "I suppose I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" Harry grumped. "I'm assuming he's paying?" "Business class all the way," Liam nodded. "And he's kindly arranged for me to accompany you. So at least you're not going to be on your own." "Please do tell how that's a good thing."

Or, the one where Louis wants to turn Harry's book into a film, and Harry's very picky about what happens.

[Saving Mr Banks AU]

☂ Harry Poppins by jacaranda_bloom (32k) Mary Poppins AU

When Louis’ best friends pass away he finds himself with an instant family. Maddie and Thomas are wonderful children but take an immediate dislike to every nanny that sets foot inside their house. After nanny number six is summarily dismissed Louis is at his wit’s end, that is until an unusual man arrives on their doorstep. Harry Styles is like nothing any of them have ever encountered before, and perhaps, exactly what they’ve been looking for all along.

🐎 It's the Climb by lululawrence (25k) Hannah Montana AU

Louis stretched out his back and turned around, startled to see the most beautiful man he’d ever encountered in his life riding towards him on a horse.

He had to still be asleep. This was one of those super weird dreams people had where the knight in shining armor (or in this case, red sleeveless flannel) literally rode up to them calling their name. - The Hannah Montana AU where Louis is a world famous punk rock singer with a stage name of William and Jay drags him back to Tennessee for the summer. In her attempt for Louis to get back to his roots, he just so happens to reconnect with Harry, and things never go quite as Louis expects them to.

🎬 Supposed to Be by kikikryslee (26k) Geek Charming AU

“I’m making a movie for a film competition, and I want you to be in it,” Harry told Louis. “I think you would be a great leading actor in it.” “Why?” “Because it’s you. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know all about the amazing Louis Tomlinson? It would be a great movie.” “You don’t have some weird crush or, like, secret obsession with me, do you?” Louis asked. Harry bit his tongue so he didn’t say “Ew, I have standards.” He didn’t think that would go over well. Of course, that was assuming Louis understood what that meant. — Or, the Geek Charming AU where Harry’s a film geek, Louis’ a popular jock, and they both need each other to get what they want.

🐮  Love and Other Antidotes by haztobegood (16k) Emperor's New Groove AU

Arrogant pop star Harry Styles is transformed into a cow by his bandmate Amy Z after a heated argument. Left in the back of a truck, Harry finds himself at a rural farm hours away from his band. Harry has three days to make it back to London and turn back into a human before his next show. His only chance to reclaim his glamorous life rests with a kind farmer named Louis. They must work together to find the antidote before Amy Z finishes him off and takes over the band.

⚽️ The Game Plan by Justalittlelouislove (5k) Game Plan AU

Louis's life is exactly how he likes it: all about him. When it suddenly gets turned on its head and one little lady makes a huge impact, will he learn to handle it or run for the hills?

🎈 Up by Thingssicant (26k) Up! AU

Louis Tomlinson thought he had everything he wanted. He had a wife and daughter, a good job, a house with a white picket fence, and even a few pets along the way

It’s only when he turned 71 that a load of balloons and poorly timed knock on the door changed his life forever

🏰  Teacups by sincehewaseighteen (25k) Disneyland AU

"Looks like your attraction is not any body’s cup of tea today,” he puns cheekily. Harry rolls his eyes and lifts the box onto the counter easily, dusting his hands off without a blink of an eye to Louis. “I think it might be your costume.”

“Alright, babe, you listen here.” Harry comes forward and makes sure he’s close to Louis’ ear. Louis swallows carefully when Harry speaks. “Cut this shit out, you’re no Peter Pan in my eyes. You’re a fucking twit. I know what you’re like, and that’s all you need to worry about.”

or the au where louis works as peter pan at paris’ eurodisney while harry’s the mad-hatter who works at the teacup ride, and just so happens to be the annoyingly gorgeous man louis is in love with.

🏰  Unbelievable sights, indescribable feelings by serenityandtea (8k) Disneyland AU

Louis and Harry spend a pre-Christmas weekend at Disneyland Paris with their three kids. Lots of fluff, rides and a meeting with Santa.

Everyone says that Disneyland is utter magic.

Louis definitely thinks so when he catches the look on his husband’s face; Harry looks completely ecstatic. Never mind their three children; Louis would go through all this hassle again just to have his husband beam at everything around him once more.

🏰  Acorns and Thimbles by izetta (12k) Disneyland AU

There is a startling amount of Disney films where the couple falls in love after just one day. Louis isn't entirely too convinced of how realistic that is, but he thinks he is starting to understand how they all felt.

Or an AU where Louis is Peter Pan at Disney World and Harry is a park guest.

🏰  Magic by dolce_piccante (3k) Disneyland AU

AU. Girl!Direction. Harry and Louis go to Disney for a wonderful holiday filled with familiar characters, fireworks, and some Magic Kingdom magic.

🏰  Faith and Trust and Pixie Dust by kotabear24 (10k) Disneyland AU

Harry Styles and his son, Lucas, are spending four days at Disneyland for Lucas' sixth birthday. Louis Tomlinson is Peter Pan there, and takes a shine to both the boys. He gives them tickets to a Peter Pan show that night, and spends the evening with the two before spending the night with Harry. Lucas and Harry both find themselves getting attachd to Louis, and Louis finds the same himself.

🏰  Once Upon a Dream by objectlesson (26k) Disneyland AU

“M’not gonna half-ass our fake relationship,” Louis almost snaps, voice sharp with a defensive edge, like Harry wandered too close to a bruise with needy fingers. “Now kiss me again. We’re gonna make every shitty tourist here wish they had stayed in the Midwest. We’re gonna burn Disneyland down with our gay. ”

Harry shuts his eyes and opens his mouth, because he can’t fucking say noto Louis.

Or, a fake dating AU where everyone is lying and they happen to be at the Happiest Place on Earth.

🏰  The Way You Make Me Feel by MiniMangaFan (6k) Disneyland AU

“You couldn’t last a damn day without trying to sleep with me.”

“I can last a whole fucking week,” Harry says, rising to Louis’ challenge.

“Wanna make a bet on that, Styles?”

“You’re on,” Harry grins.

Or, Disney AU where Louis and Harry try not to fuck in public places.

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Deleted fics we have a copy of (just send us an ask):

⚪️ Bittersweet and Strange by Keep_Calm_And_Read_Fic Beauty and the Beast AU

He agreed to stay so his sister could go free, but he never signed up for this. Beauty and the Beast AU in which Harry is taken prisoner in King Louis 'The Beast' Tomlinson's castle, Master Liam Payne may or may not be a torture specialist, Master Zayn Malik may or may not be the Master of War, and no one will tell him what the hell Niall does around here. Basically, Harry hates his enemy with a passion. Then he kind of has a passion for hisenemy. Then he wonders if he and Louis are enemies at all.

⚪️ The Dreams That You Wish by Keep_Calm_And_Read_Fic Cinderella AU

Cinderella/Ever After AU in which Louis is the world’s sassiest servant, Harry is a closeted prince with a deadline, Zayn is Harry’s chaperone, Liam is given the unenviable task of trying to distract Zayn long enough that his sister, Druscilla, can seduce Prince Harry (hint: doomed to failure) and Niall is the worlds most inappropriate fairy godfather. Destiny, romance, mistaken identity, sexcapades and oblivious!everybody abound in this gross bastardization of one of my all time favourite fairy tales.

More Masterposts

[oneirataxxiaa]

SOULMATE AU HEADCANONS

 villains

KLARION THE WITCH BOY

hearing thoughts

it wasn't unusual for someone to become startled out of no where.

look around like someone was calling their name.

sure, hearing your soul mates thoughts was interesting, and helped many to find their soulmate. because when you saw them, you just. . . knew.

however, you had no control over it, and sometimes it was just a random sentence that connected your minds for a moment.

anything as mundane as 'shit, I forgot to get milk' to things that could lead you to your soulmate such as locations or names.

everyone held onto every last word that their soulmate said in their mind.

most kept journals of what their soul mates said to try and make connections between things. It worked a lot of the time.

you where curious when you were on your early teens, so you began to write down what your soul mates thoughts were.

when your parents found the journal, they became worried. the thoughts that crossed your soulmate mind were far from good.

mentions of attacks, magic and the justice league instilled fear in your parents that your soulmate was a hero.

heroic soulmate relationships always went bad they said.

oh boy were they wrong. so wrong.

it started when you were late for the bus to school. it was your last year and you couldn't afford to miss any classes.

when you did miss it, you scoulded yourself and complained.

'great, now I have to walk all the way to star city high' you grumbled and started the forty minute walk.

what you wouldn't give to have your city's hero's speed right now.

however, one second you were walking, and the next you were falling.

the concrete ground outside star city high was not comfortable, and as you pushed yourself to your feet a voice chuckled behind you.

'less then graceful, but not bad for your first teleportation I do have to say'

the red eyes put you off for a second as you tried to figure out what just happened.

but that thought process was broken because the second you looked at this boy with horns, you knew.

your soulmate was a villain.

it takes a little while to get used to the idea. you're not exactly ready to jump into a life of crime, you're just trying to graduate.

klarion doesn't understand at first, but after sitting him down (it took forever, that boy hates being in one place too long) and explaining everything. he gave you a little more space.

if you ever need anything, he's there, on the spot.

the light is alerted of your status as Klarions soulmate and you are marked. marked as someone that NO ONE within the light or their allied organizations can touch.

or so help you, Klarions coming for you.

ICICLE JR

shared temperature (I had too)

Jesus christ

you were always so god damn cold.

you couldn't help it, your soulmate must have lived in a freezer or something his whole life because now you were getting weird looks walking around in 30 Celsius heat in a thick cotton hoodie and long pants.

your teammates never understood how you could be so cold.

being on the team as an old sidekick of the flash, you usually stuck around Wally in the early days. the two of you having trained together with Barry, though Wally for longer.

he taught you how to heat yourself up by vibrating your body.

whenever you got too cold you'd just turn into a blur, freaking out your teammates when it was unexpected.

"my god y/n! warning next time" Artemis yelled when you two were walking to the kitchen with drinks and you just started moving quicker then she could see, startling the drink out of her hands.

"sorry arty, not my fault, blame my soulmate for being so cold!" you laughed it off.

Robin (dick) got curious and started looking into it. it wasn't long before he came to a conclusion.

he sat you down in the lounge of the cave and started pacing.

"robin I feel like I'm being put on trial, what ever you think I ate, it was wally"

"I think your soulmates with Icicle Jr"

"excUSE ME, no ROBIN GET-you can't just walk off after saying that- ROBIN"

it makes sense though, but you have no proof. so, they decide to test it in the next battle.

a few of robins heatbombs later and suddenly your ready to trade your coat for a tank top.

Icicle is on the ground, most of the ice incasing his skin melted, though his skin is still tinted blue.

"I KNEW IT" robin yelled.

you paused, before walking forwards and offering a hand for the boy to take.

he's confused, definatly, cause he has no idea what you and robin know. and why was it just the two of you facing him, where was the team?

"sorry about him, he gets excited"

"uh- what is he talking about?"

it's awkward beyond hell when you explain what robin figured out.

there's a lot of stuttering, and speedy foottapping on your part.

he just seems to be turning a darker shade of blue as the seconds tick on.

"and, I uh, he figured that out because you were cold all the time?"

"yeah, world's greatest detective I guess?"

"I thought that was Batman"

it's. . . . a slow relationship.

you're both new at the whole soulmate thing, and the whole relationship thing.

plus your on opposing sides, which helps no situation.

battles usually consist of you speeding past him, giving him a kiss on the cheek before pushing him away from the battle.

"sorry cam, gotta run!"

you inherited the bad puns from Barry.

bonus: he always buys you new jackets and coats when they are ripped or destroyed on missions. you're still cold all the time. Unfortunatly.

I could only really think of these two for this, so if you have any suggestions, send them my way!!

TAGS

young justice : @silverdecepticon93

want to be added to the tags? Just ask!

[lov3nerdstuff]

Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 4.6}

*Severus Snape x OC*

Summary: It is the year 1983 when the ordinary life of Robin Mitchell takes a drastic turn: she is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the struggles of being a muggle-born in Slytherin, she soon discovers her passion for Potions, and even manages the impossible: gaining the favor of Severus Snape. Throughout the years, Robin finds that the not quite so ordinary Potions Professor goes from being a brooding stranger to being more than she had ever deemed possible. An ally, a mentor, a friend... and eventually, the person she loves the most. Through adventure, prophecies and the little struggles of daily life in a castle full of mysteries, Robin chooses a path for herself, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, and two people abandoned by the world can finally find a home.

General warnings: professor x student, blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 4.6k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

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"What do you think how old she is?"

"She looks older than my cousin, but younger than my neighbour… and she's a fourth year, isn't she?"

"That's what he said, at least."

"Well, I was too terrified to actually listen properly!"

"C'mon, he wasn't all that terrifying today…"

"He's always terrifying!"

"Are you talking about Professor Snape?" Robin asked without even opening her eyes, as the sleep slowly cleared from her mind. The conversation, even if it had been respectfully quiet, had been what she'd woken up to, but seeing as she actually felt well rested, it likely wasn't what had actually woken her up. The two voices remained silent upon her question, and thus Robin sighed and opened her eyes at last. Gosh, what time was it even? She felt like she'd been sleeping forever.

With another sigh, a content one for once, she sat up in her bed and blinked a few times until her eyes would focus. Right, a new room… and new roommates. Two young girls were giving her highly doubtful glances from across the room, as they both sat cross-legged on the fourth and only unused bed. Well, now was the time to be nice for once. Robin had promised it after all, and she would try her best no matter what.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt or listen in on you two." She started with a small smile while she got up from her bed, in the hopes that it would make the situation a little less awkward. "I'm Robin Mitchell. And since the only thing I accidentally overheard from your conversation was the question about my age… I'm fifteen. And indeed in my fourth year here."

"Told you she's older than my cousin." The girl with long blonde curls said to her pal, quietly, and Robin smiled in return. Then the girl turned towards her. "Sorry, uh… hi. I'm Cassandra Miller."

"I'm Jorien Blakeley." The second girl added with a small wave. She was the exact opposite of her friend, with short brown hair and surprisingly bright blue eyes. The two of them really made an odd pair.

"It's lovely meeting you." Robin replied with a sigh and the very same smile. "I sincerely hope that you aren't all too mad at me for moving into your room."

"Professor Snape said he made you move in with us. He was very direct about his demand that we don't question you. So… What did you do to upset him? Why did he punish you? I mean… isn't it really degrading to live with lower years?" Cassandra asked and leaned her head to the side curiously. Robin could work with that curiosity, very well even.

"Professor Snape didn't punish me, he did me a favor. I am very grateful to be here." She replied and sat down on the ground in front of the bed the two girls were seated on.

"But… why?! Professor Snape, doing you a favor? Are we talking about the same person?!" Cassandra inquired further, with a deep frown, and Robin already got a good feeling for why Snape had sent her to live with these girls.

"Professor Snape isn't half as bad as people believe." Robin mused with a smile directed at the ground, before looking back up at the girls. "He sent me here because he believes that we would get along, and I hope that he's right."

"Nobody in Slytherin gets along with us." Jorien finally spoke up as well. "And we don't like them either."

"That sounds very familiar." Robin chuckled and shook her head to herself. Yup, she definitely knew why Snape wanted her to keep an eye on them. "I don't like the people in my grade either. They're dimwitted dunderheads who usually don't know what they're doing."

"Really? But they seem so… knowledgeable and important. Like they do know what they're doing." Cassandra shrugged. "Just like you do."

"I seem important?" Robin laughed and frowned at the girl in good humor. Maybe this was her chance to get on their good side. "Well, I'm not. I'm just another roommate, a girl like everyone else. No, actually… I'm more useful as a roommate than most people. I know a few things that make life around here easier, as well as some pretty neat magic."

"Really?! You… would show us some of the things you do in your year?" Now both girls actually looked positively delighted. "What's your favorite subject?"

"Potions." Robin was quick to reply. "But I do like herbology and charms and defense against the dark arts as well."

"I feel like we're gonna get along great." Cassandra smiled brightly. "I promise we're not gonna annoy you! Right, Jorien?"

"Yeah, sure…" The quiet girl shrugged, but with a smile. "I've always liked older people better anyway."

At that, Robin felt pleased. She'd always liked older people better too. Ironic, if one considered that she was here to protect two younger girls now. "I won't bother you either, no worries. But seeing as I remember how difficult my own first year here was, as a muggle born among people who've known magic all their lives, I… would like to offer my help, if you ever should need it. "

"YOU are muggle born?!" Cassandra's jaw literally dropped, and Jorien's surprise was a little more subtle.

"Yes. And I know how difficult that can be, so if you need an ally, I'm right here."

Both girls smiled at that, and Robin smiled too. There had been a fifty fifty chance that they'd just frown at her in distaste upon her offer, and she was honestly glad that her directness had paid off. Maybe they would actually come to see something like a prefect in her. Or a tutor, in a way.

"Oh god, we forgot to tell her the thing!" Cassandra suddenly blurted out with wide eyes directed at her friend. "Professor Snape will kill us!"

"Snape only looks like he will kill you, but I can assure you that he will not. Remind me to give you a few survival tips for potions class at some point." Robin smirked. "And are you supposed to tell ME the thing?"

"Yeah… I cannot believe I forgot that!" Cassandra rolled her eyes and dropped her head into her neck. "Professor Snape wants you to go to the headmaster's office."

"Oh?" Robin's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Did he give a specific time for me to be there? What… time is it even?"

"It's half past nine in the evening. Still Sunday. In case you weren't sure." Jorien immediately replied, and Robin found herself impressed with the thoughtfulness of that reply.

"He only said you should go to the headmaster's office as soon as you were awake." Cassandra shrugged. "So… I guess if you don't tell them that you've been awake for a while, we won't get into trouble."

"I won't tell on you, don't worry." Robin sighed and rose back onto her feet. "But I better get cleaned up now. I wouldn't want Dumbledore to see me in my pajamas as well." The suspicious silence that followed upon Robin's statement spoke for itself, and while she moved to collect everything she needed for a shower and getting dressed from her trunk which had been moved here some time while she had been asleep, she added, "Just ask when you have a question. I don't bite."

"When you say 'as well'... Do you mean someone other than us?" It was Jorien who asked, to Robin's surprise, but not at all to her dismay.

"I mean that too many people have seen me in my pajamas in the last twenty four hours." Robin replied with a laugh. "Hagrid, for example." Somehow, she didn't need them to know that she had spent most of the night in Snape's laboratory. That piece of information was better left between her and him alone. But she also wouldn't lie if they asked about it, she never lied.

"I think your pajamas are cool." Cassandra replied easily.

"Very smooth, Cas…" Jorien whispered to her friend next to her on the bed, while Robin finally walked towards the door with a change of clothes under her arm. With another quick smile at the two girls, she made for the showers at last.

… … …

"Do come in!" Dumbledore called from inside his office, in reply to Robin's knocking, and she did so without hesitation. "Miss Mitchell, it is good to see you."

"Good evening, headmaster." Robin greeted politely as she stepped up to his desk. She'd decided to wear black jeans with a white blouse and a grey jumper for the occasion, as a change to the pajamas. "I was told that Professor Snape wished for me to find you."

"Indeed, he and I both deemed it best that I speak with you first before any decisions are made."

"Speak with me about what exactly, sir?"

"About consequences. I was told in sufficient detail about the occurrences of last night when Professor Snape came to consult me in the matter of an appropriate punishment. In fact, he suggested that you should decide about the fate of your tormentors yourself." Dumbledore said easily, with a mild expression and an inquiring look.

Robin's eyes widened at that, and her heart skipped a beat. "He did what?! I mean… why?"

"Professor Snape believes that it would be best for everyone to leave the decision up to you."

"And you don't?" Robin inquired with a curious half smile. "Is that why I'm here?"

Dumbledore's own smile widened and he nodded once before he replied. "I do not doubt Severus' decision to trust you, Miss Mitchell. However I am curious to know how he was led to leave the choice of punishment up to you, and that is why I wished to speak with you first."

"So you really wish for me to decide over the fate of… how many people exactly?"

"Seventeen." He replied calmly, but the number felt like a punch to the stomach to Robin. Considering there were only 23 people in her year in Slytherin, 17 was a lot.

"I don't know, sir…" She frowned to herself first, then at Dumbledore. "Do I really have to do this?"

"Severus told me that you do not harbor any desire for revenge, which is quite astonishing in my eyes."

"Because a Slytherin is always supposed to seek revenge?" Robin asked almost a little bitterly, but not enough to make her sentiment clearer than it already was.

"Because going by the accounts of what was done to you, it only seems reasonable to feel a desire for revenge indeed."

"Well, I don't." Robin shrugged. "I feel a desire for this to be over, and for it to never repeat itself."

"And you wouldn't deem revenge an appropriate way to achieve that?" He inquired with a humored subtone to his voice, and folded his hands on his desk.

"Revenge isn't an appropriate way to achieve anything but momentary satisfaction. There's no gain in it, only suffering on either end." Robin replied without even thinking much about it. She's had that conversation too often already. "Professor Snape knows that, he taught me that even. I really don't know why he wants me to pick the punishment."

"And yet the choice is entirely yours." Dumbledore smiled that signature small smile of his. "He put their fate in your hands, and so do I."

Robin took a deep, conscious breath, and thought for a moment. Her heart jumped at the thought that Snape really wanted her to decide, that he deemed her choice better than his own. She didn't want to disappoint him… but she also didn't want to disappoint herself.

"There is nothing that would excuse or make up for what they did. Nothing at all." She finally spoke up again, and Dumbledore listened intently to what she had to say. "And quite frankly, I don't believe that any punishment will make them doubt their own actions. So I… have to think of myself."

"And what do you mean by that?" Now the headmaster looked sincerely curious, not in the superior 'I know what you're going to say anyway' kind of way, but like he truly didn't understand what Robin was going for. She liked that.

"If their fate is mine to choose, I will make a selfish choice." She went on, and Dumbledore frowned. "I want to forgive them."

The old man's eyebrows rose in surprise and he kept looking at Robin for a painfully long moment, before he turned towards one of the moving paintings and ordered the man in it to find Snape and tell him to come to the headmaster's office in an instant. Robin's heart squeezed painfully… had she done something wrong? Wasn't this an option she could choose? Somehow the silence in the office felt too thick for Robin to breathe.

"Now, what leads you to say that forgiveness is a selfish choice?" Dumbledore finally asked, and Robin's attention returned from the decorum of the office back to the man behind the desk.

"Because they won't take it seriously anyway… My forgiveness is nothing to them. Honestly, they'll probably laugh at me for being such a pansy. I thought about it in the shower, which, uh, you probably didn't need to know, but anyway, I came to the conclusion that I need to forgive them if I want to move on and leave all of this behind me. So really, I'm just-" Robin was cut off by a knock on the door, and the entrance of Professor Snape.

"Ah, Severus, you were quick." Dumbledore mused with a pleased smile.

"I happened to be nearby." Snape replied, but his eyes stayed on Robin as he came to stand next to her in front of the headmaster's desk.

"Miss Mitchell just wanted to explain why she would like to forgive her tormentors rather than punish them." The pleased smile on Dumbledore's face widened while Snape on the other hand looked mildly surprised and even less content with what he was hearing, but Dumbledore ignored him entirely. "Do go on with your reasons, by all means."

"Uh…" Robin suddenly felt insecure about her choice, seeing as Snape's reaction was rather mixed. But she was doing this for herself for once. "I have to forgive them if I want to move on with my life without dragging the weight of this on my shoulders. And I have to do it now, or I might never. Grudges grow, and they're harmful more than helpful. I want to be better than them."

"You are better than them by any means, you don't have to prove that!" Snape replied in a low hiss that really sounded all but pleased. "They don't deserve your forgiveness, not even half of it."

"But I do." The words came from somewhere beyond Robin even as she spoke them, but she felt they were true. "You are absolutely right, they don't deserve my forgiveness. But I deserve to forgive, I need to forgive. Because if I don't, I will become exactly that thing I'm so afraid of becoming. You know it's true… you saw it."

Another moment of silence. Snape looked at Robin in the most enigmatic way possible, Robin held his gaze in determination that she was doing the right thing, and Dumbledore watched the scene in front of his desk with great interest.

"It is your choice. I do not have to approve of it, even if it is terribly righteous. Naive. Idealistic." Snape finally spoke up, back in perfect neutrality, and Robin let out a breath in relief. At least he wasn't completely upset with her.

"But isn't that exactly why you left the choice to her in the first place, Severus, because you knew that she would make a wiser choice than you and me?" Dumbledore asked in what almost sounded like humor, upon which Snape scowled and rolled his eyes in return. So that was a yes. The headmaster turned to Robin. "Forgiving is perhaps one of the greatest acts of courage, and no matter what your peers might say about it, you should keep in mind that it renders you stronger than any form of punishment could have."

"It's only self-preservation." Robin shrugged in return. "I'm not that noble, I just don't want to be angry and afraid for the rest of my time in Hogwarts. As I said, it's a selfish choice."

"And yet it's a wise choice not everyone is strong enough to make." Dumbledore replied with a cryptic expression, and Robin wondered for a brief moment what she was missing here. But he continued before she could ponder over it any more. "However I do agree with Severus in one aspect, namely that it would be naive to think that they wouldn't attempt a similar thing with a different person at a different time."

"Unfortunately there is little to no chance that those horrid creatures will learn from their mistake, seeing as they are not even aware of what exactly they did." Snape added, with a pointed expression at Dumbledore instead of Robin for once.

"Miss Mitchell came to that conclusion as well, before you arrived here, and both of you are absolutely right. This is not an issue solved with a few weeks worth of detention, nor with a letter to the parents. I hardly believe that any of the pureblood families would find the torture of a muggle born as condemnable as we do."

"May I make a suggestion?" Robin asked before she thought, but then again, she had thought about it quite extensively before arriving here.

"You have an idea, Miss Mitchell?" Dumbledore wondered, and Snape also turned back towards her.

"Just because I didn't choose to punish them doesn't mean I didn't think about an effective way to do so." She shrugged in return, feeling a little weird with both men's fullest attention on her. "I mean… I had a thought. It's probably inappropriate, and it's not what you would consider a traditional punishment."

"Do go on." Snape was the first to reply, as he looked down at Robin with curiosity and the faintest amusement, while Dumbledore for once looked mildly irritated. Honestly, had they expected Robin not to think about what she could do to those people?! She wasn't a saint, for hell's sake!

"Well, I was doing this experiment in my mind on my way here, and I asked myself what could possibly even have a chance to suffice to make them understand what they did. And it was fairly obvious from there." She shrugged.

"Elaborate."

"Yes, I would appreciate that as well."

"Well, just like you said, they don't know what they truly did. They think it was a funny prank that scared a classmate." Robin went on in her most factual voice. "And as we've discovered last night, it is nigh impossible to really understand what happened without experiencing it. So I thought the only thing that could make them understand what they have done, which in return is the only way for them to possibly realize that it was wrong, would be to let them have the same experience. Now, I do of course realise that I cannot and do not even want to curse those people as they have cursed me. But there is always the shortcut to having people feel and see what someone else has been through."

"Do you realize what you are suggesting there?" Dumbledore asked with a frown in return.

"Of course I do. But seeing as Professor Morgan was able to try demonstrating legilimency on me a few years ago, I reasoned that it would not be a forbidden procedure to do on students." Robin answered almost easily. "I thought about it. They don't have to see all of my memories of last night, but the basics should suffice. Really, feeling the terrors and the pain they caused themselves is hardly even punishment. Just like touching a hot stove… it doesn't hurt at first, but still the pain always comes with utmost certainty. Like casting a spell against a mirror."

"And you have had this idea all this time while we have been talking, and still chose to forgive them instead?" Dumbledore asked again, in as much astonishment as his ever-calm features would show.

"Yeah. As I said, I have no desire for revenge. This idea wasn't as much an idea as merely me being curious about what it would take to maybe make them understand." Robin shrugged again, and offered the headmaster a half smile. "I still stick with my choice to forgive. But I also have no intention to let them stab me in the back twice. You were looking for a possibility to prevent them from doing this again, and I merely made a suggestion. If you deem it inappropriate, that's perfectly fine."

"Actually I do deem it very appropriate, even if for the mere sake of your reasoning. We indeed cannot and will never torture a student in this school, but it is our responsibility to act as a mirror for their own choices and actions." Dumbledore said seriously and leaned forward onto his desk while keeping his eyes on Robin. "But are you certain you want them to know of your emotions and memories, Miss Mitchell? Surely the events must have been quite terrible, if not traumatic."

"Well, they only have power over me if they keep me from speaking up, right?" Robin replied with a quick glimpse at the potions professor next to her, barely catching sight of a very subtle not-smirk. He definitely liked her idea, she could tell by the mere fact that he didn't call it idiotic. That was as much approval as she would get with a third party present.

"Placing images and emotions in someone else's mind is a difficult task that takes a long time to master even for doing so with one person at a time. It doesn't suffice to take a mere look, there are higher skills involved." Dumbledore stated with a look at Robin, then at Snape. "With every due respect to Miss Mitchell's skills, I doubt that she would be able to accomplish such a task. By herself, that is."

"If it is your wish that this idea be executed, I will see to its completion." Snape replied dutifully, and Robin wondered for a brief moment if they really intended to listen to her stupid idea. Again.

"Uh, so… my choice to just forgive them is out of the window?" Robin asked before she could help it.

"If it was, I would personally curse every single one of them myself." Snape growled in return, and Robin couldn't help wondering if he was this protective of every student in his house or if it was only her. She hoped for both at once, with different parts of herself, and certainly with different motivations behind it.

"Maybe see this measure as an extension of your choice. They will be forgiven, and therefore given the chance to grow from their mistakes." Dumbledore smiled that small smile at Robin again, and she was starting to believe that it was his version of Snape's scowl and her own neutrality.

"I can do that…" She mused in return. "Thank you, sir."

"So be it." Dumbledore sighed, sat up straight and then leaned back in his chair. "I leave the rest up to you, Severus."

"Very well."

Then they said their goodnights to the headmaster, and Robin followed Snape out of the office and down the stairs in silence for a while, until she just couldn't keep the comment to herself anymore.

"Professor Dumbledore is way too good at twisting realities." She stated, unsure if Snape even heard her despite walking through the empty hallways directly next to her now. "That man could sell you anything and still convince you that it was your own idea."

"Very true." He replied though, and Robin smiled to herself.

"I hope I didn't disappoint you by choosing forgiveness over revenge." She said after a while.

"You only would have disappointed me if you had chosen like I would have. Now, as… reluctant as I am to admit it, I believe you are correct about sparing yourself pain by forgiving. You made the right choice, Miss Mitchell. Don't let me or anyone else tell you differently."

"Thank you for giving me the choice in the first place."

"It was the reasonable thing to do."

"So… do you think my idea will actually make them reconsider their actions?"

"If it doesn't, there is nothing else that could." He sighed, and suddenly stopped walking right in the crossing of hallways. "However I was surprised that you suggested it in the first place."

"Why?"

"Because, all things considered, it could very well have been my own idea."

Robin couldn't help smiling at his words. "It's a compliment that you deem the idea that good, but an insult that you're so surprised about it."

"I am not surprised that you had a good idea!" He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, and Robin had to smile even more. "I am surprised that you would share your memories and emotions so willingly."

"I won't. You will." She shrugged. "I don't know a thing about legilimency, unfortunately, and definitely not enough to cast a spell over seventeen people at once."

"Indeed. However it is all the more surprising that you seem to have no issue with me deciding what your classmates shall see."

"It's not surprising at all. I trust you, and I trust you to know what they need to see and what not. For all I care, they can know everything that happened up to the point where Hagrid dragged me away from the lake."

"Even-"

"Yes." Robin nodded before he could even say it out loud. "Even that. They must know, and they must feel it. But I'd rather not have anyone but you and me know that I attacked you with a saucepan."

"Likewise." He replied with a not-smirk he didn't even try to hide. "Though we should discuss the appropriateness of your choice of weaponry at some point."

"I literally didn't have any other choice!" Robin protested with a laugh. "I was terrified, and there was nothing else I could protect myself with."

"It is good to see that you chose to protect yourself at all. Doubting reality is a wise thing to do. The world is full of deceit."

"I know." Robin's lips tugged into a small smile, as she wondered whether Snape knew that she was aware in return that his scowls and indifference were mostly facades. He probably knew… their discussion in the beginning of the school year had been a good enough indicator.

"I will summon all seventeen individuals to the potions classroom after dinner tomorrow, then we shall see how well they take the consequences of their own actions."

"Would you like me to be there or stay absent?"

"That is your own choice. But I would prefer to have you there."

"Okay." Robin replied quietly, smiling, in the hope that her tone didn't betray her. She really needed to find a way to suppress the desperate leaping of her heart, the tingles all over her skin, the idiotic grin on her face. Or simply get better at hiding it, if this would become a normal occurrence now. Somehow, she had a strong idea that it would.

_____________________________

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[black-streak]

Waiting for the Worms

Prologue- part 1?

Read this first:

This story contains graphic depictions on drug use implying overdose, child neglect, starvation, outright violence and major character death.

Possible future chapters will include trauma, grave digging, claustrophobia, murder, emotional manipulation, and child abuse. Will add more if they occur.

Please take of yourself and avoid this if you have any of these triggers, this fic is going to be a Lot of angst before anything gets even remotely better.

~---~

The first time they switched, it only happened for a minute. Whatever magic in the universe that created the soulmate connection was benevolent enough to wait until the younger of any pair turned six before a first switch could occur. Just old enough to be able to speak and communicate with the world around them, but young enough to establish a fast bond. Of course, the first few swaps were always quick. Just enough to let you know your other half was out there and alive without adding unnecessary mental strain from such a new experience.

Marinette had only turned six just that morning when she came to in a boy's body, standing in a bathroom and looking down at a woman slumped in the bathtub, needle sticking out of her arm. She couldn't process what she was seeing, not really. Only doctors and nurses used needles, and they never left them in, so why did this lady have one? Did the nurse forget it there and she was too afraid to take it out herself? That's okay, Marinette was brave. She'd take it out for her. 

Leaning over to grab the end of it, she blacked out only to awaken sitting up in her bed. Blinking back the confusion, she ran downstairs to tell her parents what she experienced, leaving out the woman with the needle. Her mama and papa needn't worry. She's sure the lady would be just fine once whoever that boy she woke up as took it out.

…

It took three years for a swap to last more than a few minutes for her. Her parents assured her that this was normal and the switches with her soulmate would get longer once they were both a little older, usually around ten. This time, it lasted over an hour. She was only nine and quite proud to be considered strong enough to hold a connection earlier than average. 

Only, she woke up in an abandoned building.

This couldn't be right, he was in a home last time and that was only a few months ago. Maybe her soulmate just got lost and decided to take shelter for a while? The gnawing hunger said otherwise. Lifting her shirt, she could see the outline of her ribs and began to understand. This wasn't a mistake. He must've been starving for quite a while to be so thin. That much, she realized on her own. The pain of hunger struck up again and she felt tears well up in her eyes, not only for the tightness in her stomach, but for the misery of her poor soulmate. 

When the pull to switch started to tug at her mind, she resisted, hoping the boy would go and eat with her family. It was almost dinner time and he deserved a real meal, even if it wouldn't transfer with him when he reentered his body. She prayed with all her might that at least this would offer him some small comfort. Surely he felt the tug too and knew she was holding back for him. 

Marinette wished she could leave some sort of note, but upon scavenging the backpack she finally noticed beside her, she found it filled with only necessities. She couldn't fault him for that. His survival was more important.

Her strength wilting, she knew she'd let go soon, her last thought a hope that he enjoyed his time as her.

Coming back to her own body, she carefully hid any reaction and resolved not to tell her parents, not wanting them to know the horrible truth. For what could they do? They didn't know the boy's name, where he lived, or even how to find him. And if the sounds and words she had heard in the last few switches were anything to go off of, he wouldn't speak French either.

 Based on her parents' behavior, they hadn't noticed. Perhaps they just thought she was feeling a little down and didn't want to talk. That was fine by her.

… 

When she turned 12, something changed. Marinette had grown accustomed to waking in random places hungry, sore, and cold. Over time, the hunger was less, so surely he found some reliable source of food even if it wasn't enough to curb the ever present twist in his lower gut. He also seemed stronger over time, little bruises and scars starting to accumulate from what she could only assume were street fights. She considered herself lucky the swap never occurred during one of those.

This however? Was completely different. Enough to give you whiplash. 

She found herself in a soft bed with plush blankets and down pillows, the room surrounding equally as lavish. For a moment she wondered if perchance they had a third soulmate who was much younger than them, but looking down at herself, the frame and scars and structure were all the same.

Not sure how to behave in this new environment, she simply sat there, unmoving, until a nagging in the back of her mind told her to check the drawer of the side table next to her.

Reaching in, she found a crisp, folded up piece of paper with her name scrawled across the top. A note from her soulmate. Opening it up, she thanked everything she had that she realized he probably spoke english three years ago and began studying it extensively. Reading his letter was slow going and took multiple tries, but she eventually figured out the jist of it even if she was clearly missing some of the more obscure words and proper conjugations. 

He was thirteen and had been taken in by a man of wealth, Bruce Wayne. This was home now. She would wake up and not be homeless now. He was sorry. Something about her deserving better. His name was Jason. He was very sorry. A man named Alfred was a good person and trustworthy. She would like him. He hoped she liked him.

The letter, as convoluted and confusing as it was at times, broke her heart.

Shuffling through the drawer, she pulled out a notebook and opened it to a random page and grabbed a pen. She was embarrassed to say that her note was probably more confusing with its broken english, but there was no way he learned French while living on the streets, so she did her best to let him know that he shouldn't apologize. He had no control over his situation and that she hoped he found some reprieve in his time in her body. That she cared and was so very happy for him to have found a home. That it was wonderful to know he would sleep in such comfort with a full stomach and a warm blanket and people who cared for him keeping him safe. That he deserved to be happy and thrive without the fear of where he would sleep that night, when his next meal would be. That she was happy to be his soulmate, no matter what.

…

After that, they switched more sporadically. She learned that muscle memory was an amazing thing. Nothing quite like coming to while sparing with a full grown man. And not realizing that it was a spar and not some man trying to actually take down her soulmate. 

The next time they switched, she found a note with profuse apologies and a brief explanation as to what was happening. That was how she began her training with him. She asked her Maman about getting into martial arts so she could keep up with him and continue his training if he got stuck in her body for more than a few hours. 

Obviously her parents knew she had a soulmate and presumably his new parental figures knew he did too, but they made sure none of them could ever tell when a switch occurred. Letters were made detailing their usual reactions and attitudes and way of doing things. Letters were burnt to never be seen by another's eyes. Instinct is what helped them the most to hide their secrets. While Marinette had always been a generally open and honest kid, this was between the two of them and no one else needed to know their business. Especially with his new role as a vigilante in training.

…

When she turned thirteen, that training took a new meaning for them both. He had been Robin for half a year at this point, with only minimal switches during actual patrols, when she received Tikki. 

Directly after defeating Stonehenge, she wrote out a long winded letter in near perfect english- written grammar rules would forever confuse her- to him despite his immense progress with French and placed it in a secure lock box they used in her home for communicating and instructed Tikki that upon sensing their switch as the magic being assured she could, to stay hidden until he finished reading it in its entirety.

Of course things don't work out that simply and they switch in the middle of an akuma attack. Looking back on the footage, muscle memory once again saved their lives, but she still feels horribly about how he got tossed into it. Tikki assures her that he was okay and read her note and wasn't angry with her. That she had been forced into this position in both their lives now, yes, but not at her.

She could only count her blessings that they both already had a background in fighting at this point. If her mentor took note of her easy transition into superheroism, it was easily chalked up to her martial arts classes, even if she had only been in them for about a year. If his mentor noticed his increased agility and critical thinking due to his time in her body fighting akumas and using convoluted lucky charms, he likely assumed it was his own guidance finally taking hold.

…

The last time they switched, Marinette was fourteen and in class. It was first thing in the morning, attendance already taken and lessons underway. By all accounts, Jason should have been asleep, what with it being around two a.m. in Gotham. Switching at this time wasn't unheard of though considering their lifestyles, so upon feeling the small tug in her mind that let her know she was about to be somewhere else, Marinette placed her tablet down and leaned back in her seat so he wouldn't accidently draw attention by tossing the tablet or falling back upon waking as her. Then she waited.

The first thing her disoriented mind picked up was the feeling of a metal bar launching into her stomach which… admittedly wasn't an entirely new feeling, though it usually occurred in her own body and not through his.

Okay, so a fight, she could handle this.

Her arms wouldn't move though. 

They were strapped down, as were her legs and the metal was pulling itself away from her. So she wasn't launched into a steel bar or batted across the city. This was purposeful, she thought as the bar slammed into her stomach once more, erupting in pain without the protection of a magical suit. Despite the fear now coursing through her, she opened her eyes.

Or rather, attempted to.

One was swollen shut and as she became more aware, she could feel broken ribs, a broken leg and arm, the pulsing of half her face. As her one good eye opened, the room spun, but she could see a man in a swirl of purple and green standing over her body. Her soulmate's body. As soon as the world stopped, she came to focus just in time to see a crowbar swing down into her throat, cracking the windpipe. As she struggled for breath, the tugging came to the back of her mind once more, the strain on his body too much to hold her mind in place.

She pushed it back, focusing more on forcing him back into her mind than breathing at this point, ignoring the blows raining down on her.

She was numb by now anyways.

She could feel Jason trying to claw his way back, pushing against her will to switch back, but at this point, this body wasn't strong enough to allow a switch. She was stuck in him and he in her. Good. Jason had been through enough. She could endure this for him. 

Distantly, she noticed the beating had stopped. Hopefully that meant Batman was here now and would take her away from this place. To a hospital or even to their personal surgeon, whatever their name was, she could never remember. It'd be over soon and she could rest through the pain until Jason's body was healed. Then they could switch back. When the pain was but a distant memory.

Smiling to herself at the thought, she managed a tiny smile, not hearing the explosions in the background until the flames were upon her. 

And then she was gone.

[oingo233]

MasterList

I write for Daryl Dixon, Harry Potter and some Marvel characters.

Key- 

# = Angst        + = Fluff

The Marauders Era

ABBA With The Marauders (+) -Summary: Headcannons about the Marauders listening to ABBA.

Remus Lupin x Reader

Series:

Rapture is a Boy (# +) - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight

Summary:  Remus and you have always had a playful, loving relationship but his behavior around the full moon leads you to assume the worst. A huge fight ends with the two of you heartbroken. Will Remus reveal the truth behind his behavior?  And will you still love him afterwards or has he truly lost you forever?

Sirius Black x Reader

Blurbs:

Sirius Comforting S/O After a Rough Day(+ #)  -Summary: How Sirius would comfort and uplift his S/O after a bad day.

Series:

You Are Beautiful (+ #)- Part One

Summary: Sirius Black was entranced since the moment he saw you. He had to have you but you are convinced his feelings are fleeting, and will only hurt you. People inside and outside of your relationship meddle in the makings of something that could be beautiful... or disastrous. Will love and confidence win? Or will doubt and uncertainty tear you both down?

Regulus Black x Reader

Blurbs:

Anything At All (+) -Summary: Blurbs for your ever-growing friendship with Regulus and his unrequited feelings. 

The Beast Who Cried Man (Beauty and The Beast Au) (# +) - Part One - Part Two - Part Three

 Summary:  People are dying in the small village of Pivot; your home. Murders are becoming more common than not, and no one can find out why. The danger seems to only grow with each passing day. In a town controlled by fear, your people blame the mystery man who lives in the castle miles into the woods. You’ve all heard the low moans of agony coming from the house and flashes of green and bright lights...you’ve all seen the magic.  The villagers call him The Beast.  One day, when picking flowers and apples for your family you stumble upon two bodies.  The town gathers in a panic, deciding that the only solution would be human sacrifice to mollify the beast himself.  As you were the one to find the bodies, deemed bad luck, you are sent off into the woods to meet this beast...But will you come to discover about the beast and the man hidden underneath the tall tales? Will you grow fond of him and his Kreacher, or trapped but always searching to leave?  Will magic stay hidden from you or will it become a danger to your very life?  What will happen when the murders don’t stop, to what extent will the town go to end it all?

*Loosely inspired by the book “Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and The Beast” by Robin Mckinley*

Daryl Dixon x Reader

Series:

By The Lake ( # + ) -  Part one - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven

Summary:  A family friend offers you a place to stay to get away from an abusive past.  Her home is a place that you are familiar with, an old town with a large lake you spent many days in. You went there years ago for one full summer, where you became close friends with a very young Daryl Dixon.  You two were inseparable until you had to leave.  But now you’re back, escaping from a past much like his.  You will need to weave your way through the town's problematic people, your own problems, and above all the confusing Dixon.  Will you two find your way back to each other again?  Or will he push you further away?  And above all, will your past cease to haunt you? 

OneShots:

If It Hurts ( # ) - Summary: A run goes terribly wrong and Daryl, wounded, must depend on you to get the two of you out.  But will the threat be more than you and the group can handle?   

Bucky Barnes x Reader

True Luck ( # + * ) - Summary: You wake up one morning to see a letter written for you from Bucky.  (Might become a series)