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peace-coast-island · 10 months

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Diary of a Junebug

Festivities and fireworks at the Plumeria Carnival

There’s just something magical about summer festivals. I don’t know why, but something about summer hits differently than any other time of the year. Maybe it’s because the days are longer, which to me, is a perfectly good excuse to stay out later than usual (not that I do that already).

The Plumeria Carnival is one of the biggest events in Moondrop, so I’m glad that I can finally make it! Manda says this is actually the first time she’s celebrating with Eden, Zee, Celinda, and Vincent all together, which makes this year’s festival extra special. I haven’t hung out with the gang in a long while and what better way to do it than a carnival?

Along with the gang, Mira and Amanda from Falling Star are here too. They, along with Vincent, are running a stand and the proceeds will be going to various charities. You can buy handmade stuff like jewelry, keychains, and scarves as well as play the ring toss game to win prizes.

Like with Pippa, Vincent was also featured as a guest writer on Falling Star’s blog. He wrote about his experience as a cancer survivor and amputee as well as his thoughts on the lawsuit against Creek Hospital, where he initially received treatment. In light of recent events, that apparently has become a hot topic as the hospital, from what I’ve heard, is not good.

Basically, it’s no exaggeration to say that if Vincent stayed in Echo, he probably would’ve died there. He only stayed for a short time and it was not a good experience. Along with the rude and indifferent staff, Vincent said he didn’t feel confident in the doctors there. Communication was almost non-existent and he felt like they just did whatever, which is not good.

According to the hospital he later transferred to, Echo mishandled everything. Vincent kinda suspected that when he ended up in much worse shape than when he started treatment. His cancer was at an early stage and amputation shouldn’t have been an option at the time, especially when he was in a weakened state because of chemo.

While he’s long accepted being an amputee as there’s no way of knowing whether or not it would’ve happened anyway, he can’t help but wonder how different things would’ve been if Echo was more competent. After all, it was complications from the surgery, not the cancer itself, that nearly killed him.

The whole ordeal was traumatizing, as one can expect, so Vincent turned to Haybale Medical. The experience, he said, was like day and night. Apparently, his former oncologist at Echo took things personally and has a track record of harassing people who left his care. How pathetic. I hope the lawsuit thing results in him losing his license if that’s how he treats his patients.

Around the same time Vincent was battling cancer, he had reunited with Celinda, who he hadn’t seen in years. Celinda was going through a lot with her family, as well as recovering from a freak accident that almost killed her. The accident left her in a coma and practically destroyed her wings, which is scary. So while Vincent was getting used to having one leg, she was adjusting to not being able to fly anymore.

Vincent and Celinda have a special bond. I guess they’re like an odd couple, an alien fairy princess and an ordinary human who, under most circumstances, wouldn’t have crossed paths if it wasn’t for fate. Celinda dragged Vincent into her world by accident and before they knew it, they were involved in various magical shenanigans. Both of them had been sheltered before that, and once their worlds collided, nothing was ever the same.

A lot has happened since then, including the downfall of Celinda’s family, which she said was inevitable once she learned the truth. If she hadn’t met Vincent and lived on Earth, she would’ve remained blissfully ignorant of her mother and royal court. So it’s no exaggeration to say Celinda and Vincent meeting turned Celestiare upside down.

There’s a reason why Celinda rarely returns to Celestiare, a place she stopped calling home years ago. In fact, she just came back from a visit a couple weeks ago, her first in almost three years. The only reason she drops by is because of her parents, but she’s not close to them anymore.

Although life in Celestiare is a lot better for the civilians in general now that the oppression’s over, Celinda, Vincent, and many of their friends are still regarded by enemies by some. Celinda mentioned that a small group was planning to assassinate her and Vincent, something that her mother was aware of, but never said or did anything. They found out through secondhand information, and given the people involved, it was pretty serious. That’s one of many reasons why Celinda can’t trust her mother.

The reason why she went to Celestiare had to do with family matters. Her mother had died unexpectedly so she had to be there to sort out affairs. Because of their complicated relationship, the last time Celinda spoke to her was over a year ago. She doesn’t know too much about what happened regarding her mother’s death other than foul play suspected, which doesn’t surprise her. In fact, a couple months ago, a former family friend warned Celinda that her mother was in trouble and not to bail her out if she asked. Knowing her mother, Celinda heeded the warnings. However, she never heard anything from her mother, nor did her father say anything about it.

As for her father, he’s not surprised either. Celinda used to be close to him as he spoiled her. But as an adult, they rarely talk. Or, at least, they avoid certain topics, making their relationship superficial at best. In terms of morality, she says he’s nothing like her mother, but that doesn’t make him less complicit. She also said he’s very much the kind of person who only cares about something when it affects him directly, which makes him not the most trustworthy either.

Although her parents never officially divorced, they have been living separately for years. Celinda said that she was surprised that her mother remembered that her husband existed. Or maybe she hasn’t changed her will. Either way, it’s not like she had much anyway, so she left whatever she had to her husband and daughter.

She doesn’t have too much to say about Celestiare other than it’s changed a lot. It’s not the same place she grew up in, and she’s glad for that. There’s still a lot of bad blood, so she feels like she can’t fully relax yet while certain people still walk freely. Maybe in about five or ten years or so she’ll make a proper visit to Celestiare and really take a good look at it.

Of course, she won’t be traveling alone as Vincent will be there too. He hasn’t been there in over a decade, though he did spend a year living there. And like Celinda, he also doesn’t really feel safe there. Also, with him being an outsider - a term that’s not really used in those parts anymore - that makes him an even bigger target.

With her mother gone, Celinda says it’s weird that it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders. Eden tells her that she shouldn’t feel bad for being relieved about the whole thing. She also has a complicated relationship with her mother, who abandoned her when she was little, so she understands what Celinda’s going through.

Eden never really talks about her past, so it was interesting to learn a bit more about it. Her mother was a powerful mage who was part of a coven that did shady things. She, along with a handful of other mages, managed to escape arrest and live in the shadows. The coven has scattered since then, so their current whereabouts are unknown.

Sometime later, she had Eden, who doesn’t have too many memories of her. When Eden was around three or four, her mother left her in a cabin, probably with the intention to leave her there to die. Then she attempted to kidnap Manda for her powers, resulting in Manda’s mother killing her. Not too long after, one of the knights found Eden and adopted her.

For years, Eden wondered about her origins, and that bothered her a lot. Her adoptive father and Manda’s parents figured out who Eden’s mother was and they kept that from her. When she found out, she initially felt betrayed and turned against them.

She later ran into an old friend of her mother’s who convinced her that Moondrop was the enemy. That mage took advantage of her, used her and turned her into a weapon. For a time, Eden regarded Manda and Zee as enemies even though she knew deep down that she wasn’t being rational.

It wasn’t until when she learned more about her mother when she realized how complicated the whole thing was. In short, her mother was not a good person. Maybe it’s a good thing that Eden doesn’t remember too much about her, especially when the few things she remembered about her past left her distressed.

She said she had to learn the hard way that the truth isn’t always what it seems. No matter how many pieces you try to put together, you’re never gonna get the full picture. In other words, don’t fixate too much on what you lack, especially if all it does is make you dissatisfied with everything.

I guess my takeaway is that life goes on and it’s up to you to deal with what comes your way. You can’t change the past and you can’t fixate on things that you can’t control. A lot of things are messy and complicated and you shouldn’t beat yourself up over that. Not everything has a clear answer, but that shouldn’t stop you from living your life.

Like I said, late night summer festivities have a way of making you feel different, I wonder if it was any other night, Celinda and Eden wouldn’t be as open about what’s on their minds. Well, Celinda’s always the kind of person who says what’s on her mind, so maybe there’s not much of a difference with her. But Eden has always been more reserved - not like she’s reluctant to talk about her past, more like she believes there’s a proper time and space for certain topics.

Manda is cheerful as always, showing us around the carnival and introducing us to her many friends. She’s also performing on stage with a band and they’re great. In fact, she’s recording some songs with them that they’ll hope to release as an EP. Manda’s a talented singer and songwriter so I’m looking forward to when it comes out. She also hinted at some other musical projects coming up, including one with Celinda.

Zee’s doing fine too, though he said he’s experiencing what’s probably his tenth identity crisis so far. Like Eden, his origins were a mystery for most of his life. And of course, the truth turned out to be super complicated and left him with a lot more questions than answers. Basically, he reunited with his biological father, and they agreed to live separate lives while keeping in touch occasionally.

He says there’s not much to them other than they’re strangers. Though, every few years or so, his old man would drop what he calls a lore bomb and just doesn’t elaborate. So he’s like, “What do I do with that information?!” Sounds like an interesting character.

While Zee has a tendency to be dramatic, I think for someone who’s experienced as many existential crises as him, he has every right to be like that. Like, I think having one existential crisis is bad enough. At this point, I think he’s chill about it, as in he’s surprised but also kinda numb, so those two feelings cancel each other out.

The latest lore bomb has to do with Zee’s ancestors on his mother’s side. Apparently they were the descendants of a rebel group that accidentally obliterated a volcano or island - he’s not too sure. The descendants of the villagers who had to evacuate found something that allows them to track down the descendants of who was responsible, so Zee’s father told him not to freak out if they contact him for compensation.

That’s just the gist of it. Knowing his old man, Zee’s sure that he left out a lot of crucial information, which doesn’t make it easier. Now he’s keeping a close eye on his phone for what may be an ominous call, or it could just be nothing. But also, it just came out of nowhere, so he’s not sure how to feel about that either. And why should he be responsible for something that happened over a century ago that he had absolutely nothing to do with?

Of course, this could be nothing and his old man’s talking out of his ass. From how Zee and Manda describe him, he sounds a bit cuckoo. But, apparently, despite saying a bunch of seemingly nonsensical things, they’re all true. Well, they say truth can be stranger than fiction, I guess. There’s a reason why Zee keeps his distance from him.

With everything going on, I think the carnival’s a good distraction. Plumerias are in full bloom and they bring the courtyard to life. I never knew that you can do so many things with plumerias! Along with decor, there’s a lot of different handmade plumeria products sold at the carnival. And, of course, the games and rides are plumeria themed.

The highlights of the carnival are the nightly concerts and fireworks show. Manda occasionally performs with various bands over the years when she has time. This year, she’s with Harmonia, a well known local band that’s a fusion of jazz and bedroom pop. They really rocked the stage and got a well deserved standing ovation. The other acts were also fun to watch too and I still have a lot of the songs stuck in my head. Time to do a deep dive and find some new favorite artists.

After the concert was the fireworks show to close off the night. As expected, the fireworks were spectacular! Manda took us to a spot where we had the perfect view without it being too crowded or noisy. As I’ve grown older and became less scared of the noice, I’ve grown to appreciate fireworks. The noise can be a little much, but at least I know where to watch from so I won’t have to sacrifice the view for the sake of my ears.

It’s a good thing that the carnival lasts for a few more days so we can have more time to enjoy the fireworks. For summer festivities, fireworks are a must!

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#animal crossing #animal crossing pocket camp #headcanon ramble #diary of a junebug

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95jezzica · 2 years

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Hi! I really like your relationship head cannons you’ve done and I was wondering if you had any brotherly Norway and Iceland ones??

Yeah, I absolutely have a few. 😄

A slight historical note: As Hetalia has already briefly mentioned in the past, Norwegian Vikings were the first to discover Iceland. However, what they haven’t mentioned (yet?) is that Swedish Vikings are the ones credited to have been the first permanent residents.

A few years later emigrants from all over Scandinavia arrived to Iceland though, and thus it stand to reason hws!Iceland is most likely blood related to the whole Scandinavian trio (Norway, Denmark, Sweden) even if hws!Iceland only took a “DNA test” between him and hws!Norway.

Now with that said, Headcanon Time!

- Brothers in every sense of the word.

- Norway is autistic, Iceland is not.

- Norway was the first to find Iceland and was so excited to find a new younger brother; a brother who even looked a lot like himself! (Because let's face it: Norway loves Denmark and Sweden, but they don't look much like him.)

- It was also exciting and a new experience since the age difference between Iceland and Norway was so much bigger the one Norway had with Denmark and Sweden. Norway grew up with Denmark and Sweden, but Norway actually had a hand in raising Iceland.

- After a few weeks after finding Iceland, an excited Norway went back to get Sweden and Denmark to come and meet their new brother.

- When Norway got back to Scandinavia he only found Denmark, who told Norway that Sweden had gone out for a swim and not come back yet. They trusted Sweden would be fine though, and thus simply left a note for Sweden to come join them as soon as he got back from his swim. In the meantime Norway and Denmark started the journey (back) to Iceland.

- Once they arrived Norway was worried to find someone had built a house on the island, which was quickly changed into surprise and annoyance after Nor found Iceland glaring daggers at a sheepish Sweden.

- It turns out Sweden got lost during his swim and accidentally swam across the ocean. By some pure, dumb luck Sweden ended up on Iceland. Upon learning Norway was on his way, Sweden built himself (and Iceland) a house and simply decided to wait.

Nor: "How long were you out on that swim!??" Swe: "Dunno, lost count after the first few days when I almost got swallowed by a whale." Ice: "He just showed up and built a house! Tell the meanie to go away, Nor!"

- Denmark found this hilarious, Iceland and Norway less so. 😂 xD

- Norway is a bit overprotective of Iceland, who he sees as his baby brother.

- Especially in the beginning Iceland looked up a lot to Norway, and loved to hear all the stories about magic and the adventures Norway went/had gone to. Norway in turned thrived on the attention Iceland gave both him and his stories.

- However, as Iceland grew older and met more nations, Iceland realized magic wasn't common even among their own kind, and Iceland began to enjoy the stories a lot less when they just became a reminder that other nations considered this weird. Iceland was already beginning to become insecure about his differences from the rest of Europe and the world, and finding out he also had The Sight and magic like Norway didn't help much. He didn't want to add more "weird stuff" to himself.

- At the same time Iceland didn't consider Norway weird for having and using magic, so this was something which kept colliding in Iceland's head. It was just part of what made Norway into Norway.

Norway also didn't seem to care too badly about what the rest of the nations thought about him, so why should he (Iceland) care so much about what non-Nordics would think about him (Iceland)?

- As a consequence the relationship between Iceland and Norway took a hit as well while Iceland tried to sort out his confusion, and a rift started to grow between them. The rift only continued to grow after the fights between Denmark and Sweden grew worse, which in turn resulted in Sweden & Finland eventually leaving the Kalmar union. Sweden and Finland leaving was also what truly made Iceland realize there was no guarantee he would never have to fight against his own family since nations can't fully decide their fates on their own.

[. A historical note before we continue; Iceland started out as "belonging" to Norway, and they first entered the union with Sweden and Finland. Denmark only joined later, which made it become the Kalmar union. In Hetalia this likely means that out of the other nations (except for Norway), Iceland probably used to know Sweden and Finland the best. Though this likely changed after Swe & Finland left. ]

- Norway misinterpreted the rift starting to build between him and Iceland as Ice solely being insecure about his magic compared to Norway's own, and thus started to try and push Iceland towards using it. Understandably this didn't work out very well, so then Norway switched tactic by trying to remind Iceland of the time when Iceland LOVED hearing about magic and looked up to Norway. - "Call me big brother." - This... Made things worse. ^_^;

- Because of this Iceland and Norway's relationship had a rough patch for MANY years, where both of them were closer to other Nordics even if they still loved each other.

- Norway didn't give up trying to get closer to Iceland again, but went about it the wrong way since he didn't know what else to do. He loves Iceland so much, and was terrified Iceland no longer loved him as an older brother. Iceland is his baby-brother. The old stories of magic and Ice calling him big-brother always used to work, so why didn't they now?

- Norway eventually figured out how to navigate his relationship with Iceland better (with some help from Finland), and his relationship with Iceland has only steadily grown stronger after it. Norway still sometimes light-heartedly tease Iceland with/about magic, but Norway has also found a much better balance for how far he can actually go.

- They both greatly enjoy to play board games, which is something they also play together.

- Since (west) Norse and Icelandic are related languages, Norway and Iceland had a tendency to slip back and forth between them while they talked to each other (or the other Scandinavians). As a result, however, Norway began to struggle with remembering which word(s) belonged to which language.

- The first time Norway couldn't remember a word in one of the old Norse languages, he cried.

- After that Iceland took it upon himself to only speak in old (west) Norse with Norway whenever they were on their own. Speaking in old Norse gives Iceland a few weird looks from his own people whenever they overhear something, but... For once Iceland can't bring himself to care. Iceland just knows that seeing Norway cry over potentially losing a part of himself hurt so much more than his own discomfort over weird looks will ever do.

- Norway noticed what Iceland did, and while Iceland's old Norse isn't perfect (having been so young at the time it was spoken more commonly), Norway greatly appreciates the effort.

- When Iceland eventually (finally, light-heartedly according to Norway x) , ) decided to learn a bit more magic Norway asked if he was going to learn ice or fire/lava magic first. So, naturally, Iceland had to choose water. x)

- Whenever Iceland had nightmares as young Norway would sing him an old lullaby he made himself. It was such a long time ago Iceland no longer remember the words to it, or even that Norway used to sing it for him, but even now in modern day Iceland still unconsciously hums the lullaby for himself whenever he wakes up from a nightmare.

#Hetalia #hws Iceland #hws Norway #hws #aph iceland #aph Norway #hws Nordics #Nordics #hws Denmark #hws Sweden #hws Finland #hws Headcanons #hws Headcanon #Headcanon #Headcanons #ask #asks

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amjustagirl · 3 years

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CHAPTER 1 - TAKING FLIGHT

Fic Summary:

The sky Oikawa Tooru’s heart seeks is a world away from the earth yours is buried in. You are a fool to trust him with your heart anyway.

Where Oikawa Tooru does not make it to Argentina straightaway.

Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3

Icarus, Icarus, I must be blind not to see you long to touch the sun.

Updates every Monday

Pairing: Oikawa Tooru x you, Oikawa Tooru x fem! reader

Genre / Wordcount : Angst (5.6k words)

Warnings: One non-explicit bedroom scene

Masterlist link here!

Join my tag list here!

“Home sweet home ”, Tooru declares grandly, throwing his hands out with the air of a conqueror bursting with pride at the sight of his domain.

Never mind the fact that the apartment looks like it’s been hit by a tsunami of cardboard boxes and scattered bits of furniture. Or the fact that you’re covered in sweat and grime from lifting boxes and shifting furniture and you’d very much like to lie down and not get up for the next week or two, but you can’t because of the never ending list of things to be done - unpacking your belongings, filling in your enrolment paperwork, attending medical school orientation to attend.

But his words wash away the tide of anxiety lapping at the edges of your mind.

Tooru wept and gnashed his teeth when his parents refused to let him chase his dreams to Argentina, and not a single professional team in Japan even looked his way. Don’t be ridiculous, his parents told him with wagging fingers, especially when Chuo University sent a full scholarship his way.

“It is the top school for volleyball” you pointed out, as he spent yet another hour lying flat on his back, eyes swollen from spent tears. “You could go there and grab everyone’s attention by being their starting setter for the next four years.”

He does not respond. You wonder if he’s waiting for the paint on the ceiling to crack.

“Plus” you add slyly. “I’ll be at Chuo with you.”

This catches his attention. “What d’you mean”, he mumbles, throat still sandy with salt.

“I got into medical school there”, you tell him , the smile on your face growing when he finally hurls himself bodily at you, both of you toppling off the bed and onto the floor.

“You’ll be there with me?” he whispers in disbelief.

You laugh wetly into the crook of his neck. “Every step of the way”, you declare, slipping your hand into his.

You’ve both transplanted yourselves from your childhood home in Sendai to a tiny apartment in Tokyo, a veritable hole in paper thin walls. Your hearth is a pair of rusty iron hobs, and your bed is a cheap mattress on the floor, but sunshine spills in from the windows like liquid gold and Oikawa Tooru’s hand is warm in yours.

You wonder what you’ve done in your past life for the gods to smile down on you, to bless you with a boy you love in a place you can both call home .

You’re not usually this sentimental, but just this once, you tug him down towards you, stealing a kiss from him. “I like the sound of that”, you murmur against his lips. “Our home, Tooru”.

He chuckles, wrapping his arms around you. “Do you love me?” he asks, with a smile that cages your beating heart in his calloused hands.

You are young. You are eighteen. You know nothing of the world. You know nothing of life.

So you reply - “More than life itself”.

He kisses you with languid ease, stealing the very breath from your chest. You tell yourself you have four years to work up the courage to ask if he loves you as much in return.

“Medical supplies are expensive, so stop coming here to ask for cold presses that you don’t need”, you tell Oikawa Tooru, Captain of the Volleyball Club and currently a veritable pain in your ass for constantly hounding you during your shifts at the school’s sickbay.

You resist the urge to sigh when he throws himself onto the cot, groaning dramatically - “How mean! You and Iwa-chan are the same - brutes, all of you! What’s a guy gotta do to get some tender love and care, especially when he’s injured?”

You cast a doubtful eye at the bandage over his right knee. “Iwaizumi said you recovered, but I guess if you’re really still injured…”

Oikawa grins, sensing victory in sight. “So you’ll give me a cold press and let me rest here during class?”

You drop said cold press onto his knee none too gently. “Sure - though..” your voice trails off, you tap your chin thoughtfully. “That would mean you’re not cleared for practice. I’ll send a note to your coach.”

Gotcha.

It’s your turn to grin when alarm dawns on Oikawa’s face, his eyebrows pinching together as he waves his hands at you, pleading you not to mention a word to his coach - pretty please with a cherry on top, he forgot to do his homework cos he was staying up late to watch volleyball videos last night and needs a place to hide, and you’re the kindest, bestest, person on earth if you let it slide this time, his knee is fine, just fine -

You glare at him, unimpressed.

He pouts, with the largest puppy dog eyes he can muster. Even you are not immune to his charms.

“Fine”, you say flatly. “Just once.”

He thanks you, promising never to darken the doors of the sickbay again without cause.

Of course, he breaks his promise the very next day when he sidles in just before practice, dropping a milk carton and a bun on your table.

“An offering to the maiden of this shrine” he answers teasingly in response to the question in your furrowed brow, trying his best to exude arrogance and saunter off, though his efforts are defeated by the pink tint to the apples of his cheek.

Oikawa Tooru, huh. You wonder.

You and Tooru are drawn into the ebb and flow of university life. You wake up with him by your side each morning, kiss him on the cheek before you both head your separate ways. In a fit of fancy, you imagine that your front door is the portal to different worlds - a little like the enchanted door in Howl’s Moving Castle, a movie Tooru used to make you watch with him on repeat. When you step through it, you find yourself in the humdrum world of medical school - anatomy classes, stuffy professors, scalpels and knives. Whereas when Tooru steps through it - like the titular wizard, he bursts like a fiery comet into a wholly separate, magical world of whistles and drills and volleyball practices.

Your worlds never collide in the day, even though from time to time, you sneak into the gym to watch him practice, unbeknownst to him. Typically, you only see him at night. Dinners are prepared together, shoulders jostling over the kitchen counter to cook rice and produce sourced from the supermarket’s discount bin, before you both huddle over homework. More often than not though, Tooru prefers to spend all his time crouched over his laptop, earbuds on, watching endless streams of volleyball matches.

“Aren’t you ever tired of volleyball?” you ask when you see him analyse yet another video - Argentina versus Japan this time.

You already know the answer before your question leaves your tongue but you ask it anyway, amused when he squawks in indignation and knocks over your cup of tea in his hurry to exclaim - Sick of volleyball? Him, Oikawa Tooru? Never!

Of course, you knew that. Chuo University is the top collegiate team for volleyball, so the coaches demand nothing but the best from their players. You watch by the sidelines as Tooru grinds his body into dust at volleyball practice, coming home every night with sore tendons and aching bones. Balancing a full business course load on top of that would stretch anyone to their breaking point.

Anyone normal that is, because Tooru revels in his hectic schedule.

You attend his first match and you’re blown away by how much he’s grown from being transplanted from barren soil into rich earth. The unerring confidence he’s already shown in his high school days blossoms into an elegant ease. His athleticism grows by leaps and bounds, his game sense sharpens, his sets learn true grace.

He claws his way to a starting position with bloodied fingernails, in blatant disregard of anything that might stand in his way. He builds his own wings, starts to take flight, the light in his eyes shining brighter and brighter the closer he flies towards the sun.

He is no longer the simple school boy you fell in love with from Sendai.

“Will you go out with me if I win our next match?” he asks suddenly, lifting his gaze from the video he’s watching from his usual corner in the sickbay.

“Do I look like a prize for some school boy’s grudge match?” You snipe back, head bent over your homework.

“It was worth a try”, he hrumphs.

You hide a smile.

“I would go out with you even if you lose”, you tell him, though you do not lift your eyes from paper and pen.

A laugh bubbles from his chest - surprised, delighted, triumphant.

“I better make sure I win then. So you don’t change your mind.”

He did not win that game, losing spectacularly in the finals in his second year against his fated rival - Ushijima from Shiratorizawa, a specter that still looms unti over every match he plays in up to today.

True to your word, you sat on his doorstep, waiting for him to return home red eyed, throat raw. You let him drop his aching head into your lap, and like a maiden comforting a weary warrior, you pressed a kiss to his forehead as a balm to his wounds. Then you dragged him by the hand to your favourite ramen stall, ordering two bowls of tonkatsu ramen, with char siu, bamboo shoots, spring onions and gyoza on the side. An inauspicious first date, but you consider yourself lucky nonetheless for having him beside you.

Things are different now. You are blind not to see him long to touch the sun.

No one is surprised when Chuo University wins nationals. The only surprise to the media (but certainly not to you or anyone from Miyagi for that matter), is that Chuo University brings home the trophy with Oikawa Tooru as it’s starting setter.

The boy king finally reaches the national stage.

Even then, he is always, always grasping for more .

“You were amazing!” you gush, as he finally breaks through the triumphant huddle of his teammates to swing you into his arms and greet you with his customary kiss. “I’m so proud of you!”

His eyes glitter as he laughs, giddy with delight, face flushed with pride. “It’s just college, princess. Wait til I go pro”.

Like Ushijima, you think, though that name remains unsaid.

Wax feathers had already started to sprout from the knobs of his spine back in high school, budding beneath your fingertips like a cancerous tumour. Back then it was easy to be wilfully blind to them, but now it's become too obvious to be ignored. Oikawa Tooru’s ambition lies spread eagled, naked beneath the blinding lights of the sports hall. He has only just tasted his first real victory, crossed the first hurdle separating him from his dreams of greatness.

“I’m waiting for that day then”, you respond teasingly.

You only realise later that you lied. He's left the confines of your arms in his quest for the skies.

You laughed when Tooru first broached the idea of sneaking out at night to gaze at stars in the sky. ‘What nonsense’, you’d said. What are the chances of seeing stars amidst the light pollution from a city, even a relatively minor one like Sendai?

“You’re being a meanie, just like Iwa-chan”, he pouted. He kept whining until you gave in.

Tooru picks you up from your home past midnight, chuckling when you label his rusty bicycle ‘a contraption from hell’ and ask him archly whether he truly expects you to entrust your wellbeing to the tiny rack meant to function as the pillion’s seat.

“Stop being a princess, it isn’t as if I can magick a seatbelt from thin air” he teases.

“Howl could”, you point out.

“Well, I could strap you on with my bicycle chain if you prefer”, he answers blithely. “Get on, stop complaining”.

He pedals all the way uphill to the deserted park near school, whining all the way about the strain the extra weight (you) puts on his knees (lies, all of them). You’re torn between pointing out that he chose to drag you out in the middle of the night and kicking him off the bike and commandeering yourself home instead. You choose instead to slap the back of his head.

“Ow!” he squeals. “Brute!”

“Hmph”. You fold your arms in satisfaction.

When he finally finds a spot perfect enough to commence his stargazing adventure, he stops the back, spreads a picnic mat and hands you a flask of hot tea.

“I don’t see any stars”, you say, after fifteen minutes of sitting, stiff and cold in the dark.

“Don’t be impatient! The clouds will clear up soon”, he says, squinting hopefully.

The sky remains overcast.

You sigh, the breath expelled from your nose forming your own personal cloud. You are accustomed to Tooru’s quirks, his all consuming passion for volleyball, his love for all things outer space. You decide to indulge him a little, just once.

“Why don’t you pretend we can see the stars and tell me your favourite thing about each one?”

He brightens up visibly.

“You won’t be bored if I did that?”

You prod his nose, but your eyes are fond. “Have you ever bored me?”

His chest swells. “I suppose not”, he crows, and proceeds to trace the constellations with elegant fingers, spinning stories and conjuring random facts about celestial beings you cannot see. You find yourself enthralled, not by his words, but by the lilt in his voice and depth in his eyes.

“Why d’you love the stars so much?” you ask.

“Did you not just hear anything I’ve just said?” his voice teeters dangerously close to a whine.

You click your tongue against your teeth. “I mean – trivia and myths aside. Why are you so fascinated by what are essentially flaming balls of gas and light.”

“The shallow answer is cos they’re pretty.” He says, laughing airily, before turning his gaze to you, the stark intensity in his eyes causing goosebumps to prickle the back of your neck. “But if my lady here is searching for a deeper answer, well. Aren’t stars the ultimate embodiment of the dreams of all humankind? Even as we strive and fail towards our petty goals, the stars are always there to remind us to look up and reach for the sky”

You flick his forehead. “Pretty words, for a pretty boy”.

“Hey!” He scowls indignantly before he perks up. “Wait - did you see that? There’s a star!”

The sky clears just enough for a pale light to peer through a gauzy cloud. You do see it, and it is indeed beautiful, but your attention has already been captured by the boy beside you. And Tooru being Tooru, naturally notices.

“Why’re you staring at me instead of the sky?”

Perhaps you’re drunk on the magic of midnight skies, perhaps you want to uncover the mystery of his smile yourself. Perhaps that explains why your eyes soften and why your words fall short of a whisper.

“Because you are my sun, my moon and all my stars”, you say. “I like you better than anything in the sky.”

His mouth slackens and for a moment, his eyes are tender before his laugh breaks your flight of whimsy, and you bury your face in your hands, hot with embarrassment.

“Forget I ever said that”, you plead.

“Never!” he cries. “I’m going to remind you how cheesy you can be for the rest of your life!”

You end up having to kiss him to shut him up.

In his second year, Sakusa Kiyoomi joins his team. Tooru finally meets someone who meets his impossibly high standards to fill Iwaizumi’s place as his ace.

He’s literally bouncing on balls of his feet when he comes home after the first practice.

“He’s so prickly and unfriendly but his receiving his top notch, and his game sense is fantastic, and best of all the spin he gives to each spike makes me drool - especially when I see the look on the other side’s faces when they try receiving his ball for the first time - ha ha! ”, he talks at you at breakneck speed as you both prepare dinner, side by side at the cramped kitchen counter.

“Mmhm”, you reply, head thinking of the multiple lectures you attended today, the homework and readings you must do tonight to stay abreast.

“-it’s his wrists, they’re so flexible it nearly made me puke when I first saw him stretch them”, he continues for the rest of the night, heedless of your wavering attention.

You meet Sakusa at one of the few team parties you actually attend. You nearly stumble over him when you try to hide in your usual corner with a plate of food in your hand, watching as Tooru flutters around like the social butterfly he is. His nose and mouth are hidden behind a face mask, but even you can tell he’s uncomfortable to be around so many people, so you tug at his jacket sleeve gently to lead him away from the crowd to a seat at the top of the stairs.

You don’t expect him to speak much to you, if at all, but to your surprise, he initiates the conversation.

“He doesn’t take good care of himself”, Sakusa mutters. You nearly miss his words over the pulsing beat of the music.

“Who doesn’t?” you ask - though you already know who he’s referring to.

“It’s unhealthy, the way you push yourself”, you tell Tooru, hands on hips, standing at the door to Aoba Johsai’s sports hall. You hardly intrude here onto Tooru’s sacred space, choosing instead to stay in the library to study until he’s done with practice and you can both walk home together. But practice has long ended, and your patience has run short - not to mention Iwaizumi popped his head into the library to shoot you a worried expression, dark eyebrows pinched into a pained frown.

You are aware of Tooru’s predilection for working himself to the bone. Or to the shredded remnants of the tendon of his knee, to be more accurate. So you tap your feet, looking pointedly at said injury.

“I’m fine”, he tries to dismiss you without even looking your way.

You refuse to let him.

“You’re not fine”, you tell him coolly, taking another step towards the inner sanctum, the volleyball courts. White lines, painted into brown wood. A single ball, six per side, each jostling for their pride and god.

“Tooru -”

“I need to practice so I can win”, he snarls, handsome face mangled by an angry scowl. “Don’t be like one of those whiny girlfriends, you know I can’t stand that.”

You are not so easily hurt by the barbs in his words. “You can’t win if you’re injured”, you attempt to appeal to his reason. “You know and I know and your coach knows that that knee of yours is going to cause you problems if you don’t rest it properly. So you better listen to me, because so help me - I can tell you that you’re not going to be able to come for practice if you keep pushing yourself tonight”.

His anger simmers into a sulk. “You’re not a doctor”, he replies, a petulant whine at the tail end of his words.

“Not yet”, you respond, and at that, he laughs, surprised that your arrogance matches his own.

Your attention snaps back to the present when Sakusa calls your name. “Sorry”, you breathe. “Couldn’t quite hear you - who were you referring to again?”

“Oikawa”, Sakusa says, confirming your suspicions. “Practises even though I know his knee hurts sometimes”.

You thank him for telling you before carefully diverting the conversation to something a little more innocuous, buying yourself time to turn this new information over in your mind.

You hear him hiss as you open the front door- “Iwa-chan, don’t be stupid, I can’t tell her yet!”

It’s not an uncommon sight to come home at night to find Tooru cradling his phone to his ear whilst juggling a book in his other hand. It is the only time slot that he and Iwaizumi have to catch up.

Still, it is uncommon for him to bolt into the toilet the minute he catches sight of you.

“Is everything alright?” you ask him over dinner.

“Peachy”, he replies between spoonfuls of rice. “Never been better”.

He promptly changes the topic after that.

“Not staying home for dinner?” you ask, arms wrapped around yourself as he lets the chilly air into your apartment, sitting by the open door lacing his training shoes up.

“Wanna work in some more practice tonight”, he murmurs, gaze still locked on his shoes. “Serves and all that. Don’t wait for me, yeah?”

“Right. Just...promise me you’ll take care of yourself, Tooru”, you answer, unable to keep the disappointment from leaking into your voice.

He stands up, turns to face you with a cheery smile. “Of course I will. Anyway, don’t pout, princess”, he sing songs gaily. “We’ll spend some time together after the season is over, I promise.”

“Alright”, you say, unconvinced, reluctantly tipping your chin up to let him kiss your cheek goodbye.

“Tooru?”

You feel the mattress dip. “Go back to sleep, princess”, he whispers, pulling the sheets back up to your chin.

“Where are you going?” You mumble, squinting your eyes at the clock by the side of the bed. “It’s four in the morning. The earliest you wake up for practice is five.”

“I just wanted to practice my serves a little more.” You hear him rustle in the bathroom. Sakusa’s words echo in your ears, and you sit up, bleary eyed.

“Tooru?”

“Mm?”

“Are you taking care of your knee? And getting enough sleep?”

He stiffens. “Of course”, he replies with the tight, plastic smile he only ever gives you when he’s trying to lie. “Why’re you asking me this? Who put ideas in your pretty little head?”

For the first time in your relationship with Tooru, you take care not to accidentally tread on the faultlines of his heart.

“I worry about you”, you say, gripping your sheets as he frowns. “I don’t think you’re sleeping enough - judging from the bags under your eyes, and you shouldn’t be over practising because your knee could very act up - “

“Look - I don’t have time to deal with this” he interjects with a snap. “Just leave me alone and go back to sleep.”

“I’m only saying this because I love you, Tooru.” You automatically tack on - “More than life itself.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, breathing out a sigh. “I love you too ok? Stop worrying your pretty head about my health and my knee - we agreed you only get to nag me when you’re a full fledged doctor, remember?”, he adds, with a cheeky smile that does not reach his hooded eyes.

You let him walk out of the house without another word, cotton sheets crumpling in your clenched fists.

You don’t get to talk about it that night because he chatters at you about Sakusa’s tantrum during practice because someone hid his towel, and you can barely get a word in before he slips off to shower and sleep.

He starts to disappear for days at a time, even after the season ends with him not only taking home his second trophy at Nationals, but crowned the best setter in the collegiate volleyball league.

He tells you that there are overnight practice matches and camps. That he’s staying over at his teammates’ flats. You believe him at first. There is, after all, no reason for him to lie.

Still, it is a little funny he refuses to allow you to do his laundry from those trips. You brush away your friends’ concerns that he’s cheating on you - Tooru wouldn’t do that, you assure them with a wide smile that hurts your cheeks.

Tooru would never lie to you.

Then you bump into Sakusa Kiyoomi on campus when Tooru is away again.

It’s night time. Shadows bleed into concrete roads. You’re on your way back home from hiding up in the library all day, reluctant to return to a home without Tooru when you bump into the reticent spiker.

“Aren’t you supposed to be away at practice camp?” you ask innocently, worried that an injury might keep him from playing, though from a quick scan he seems to be fine.

“Practice camp?” He echoes blankly, his face an open book of confusion.

“Tooru mentioned that he’d be away from some practice camp for a few days...”

Your words trail off. Your heart flutters, refuses to accept the truth staring you in the face.

Sakusa frowns. His answer is brutal, direct. “There’s no training camp - hasn’t been in a while”.

“Oh”, you murmur.

Realization needles its way into the space beside your beating heart, drills its way into the marrows of your bones.

“Are you ok?” You faintly hear Sakusa say. It’s your turn to lie.

Tooru comes home the next day, a quarter past two. You’re sitting on the threadbare couch cross legged, a textbook balanced on your lap.

“Where have you been?”

“Practice camp. Didn’t I tell you that?”

You scoff. The page held between your fingers starts to crumple. Your composure frays.

“Really?” Your voice starts to veer into hysterics, straight across the highway into your emotional stratosphere. “Sakusa Kiyoomi told me that there’s no such practice camp, Oikawa. How about you try again with the truth this time.”

He reels back. You can see him trying to formulate yet another lie.

“Princess”, he begins pleadingly, but your temper runs hot and you short circuit at the sound of your nickname from his lips.

You stalk towards him, grabbing the bag in his hand. Like a woman possessed, you wrench the zip open, holding the bag open above your head, emptying its contents out. Dirty clothes, a deflated volleyball, toiletries spill onto the floor. You comb through each and every item in search of a telltale sign - a lipstick mark, a woman’s floral scent, something, anything for you to confirm his infidelity.

What you find, however, is not what you expect.

A red jersey, lying limp in your hands. A contrast to the university’s colours of navy and white.

You flip it around.

The words EJP Raijin are emblazoned across the jersey in stark white.

You look up at him. He stares back.

“Why didn’t you tell me?’

He has the decency to look away.

“Tooru”, you repeat, voice trembling. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“I was afraid of what it meant. For us”, he answers, dropping to his knees in front of you. “You know I’ve always wanted to go pro - and when the Div 1 teams started holding try-outs, I had to go. I tried out for them all except the Adlers, and EJP decided to give me a shot, which was like a dream come true… But I didn’t know if you would be happy if I did take it up.”

“Take what up?” you echo. Your mind is not keeping up with this turn of events.

“Move to Hiroshima to join the team.” He answers warily, ready to flee at the first sign of danger. “You know I’d have to, right?”

You look at him with fresh eyes, this boy you profess to love more than life itself. Wings spread from his shoulder blades, moulded by madness and greed from fire and wax. The reflection of the sun gleams in his eyes. He has left you permanently for the skies.

“What about me?” Your breath stuck in your throat even as you refuse to relinquish the last hold you have on him.

“If you love me”, he begins, reaching out to cup your cheeks and it’s your turn to reel back because you know he’s about to throw back your own words in your face.

If you love me more than life itself - won’t you do this for me?

But you are no longer eighteen. You are twenty one, on the cusp of adulthood. You know a little more about life than you did at eighteen.

You know that your life is here - in Tokyo, among dusty books and lectures and tutorials on anatomy and diseases and germs, and you cannot upend your life and uproot yourself to Hiroshima just to follow someone else’s dreams. You love Tooru, but you do not share his dreams of glory and gold medals, of fleeting victory, of Olympian greatness.

“I can’t”, you say, with a firmness that surprises even yourself.

Again, he does not meet your eyes.

“Then what shall we do?” He asks, lips pressed into a straight line.

For a brief and terrible moment, you are tempted to throw your dignity to the wind, to fall on your knees and ask him to stay in Tokyo with you. But you can no longer turn a blind eye to what’s been staring you in the face for the entire length of your relationship, so you bite the insides of your cheek and grit your teeth.

“We will do what we must”, you tell him, your head held high.

You do not know what hurts more. The lack of pause in his acceptance to your suggestion that you break up, or the painfully obvious relief in his eyes.

He goes to sleep in your shared bed, oblivious to your pain. You do not join him, choosing instead to spend hours seeking privacy in your toilet, knees aching from the cold floor.

You are clinical, even in your anguish.

Wring the liquid grief from your lungs, lay it on the floor to dry. Filter the water from your windpipe, the salt from your eyes. Your organs are scattered on the floor, battered, broken, torn. Save for your heart - you will need to retrieve it, whatever’s left of it at least. You last recall seeing it beneath Tooru’s feet, dashed to pieces as he spreads his wings and takes flight.

You will put yourself back together with steady hands tomorrow, fill the cavity in your chest with the remnants of your organs, secure them in place with stitches and staples. Given time, you think your prognosis is good.

You are young. You will heal.

But now, you are allowed an hour or two to grieve at the very least. To mourn the loss of a relationship you still hold dear, a relationship that you only realise has an expiry date in the short span of a night.

You are a fool for not realising it sooner.

Perhaps he cares for you, but you must now confront the fact that you’ve been wilfully blind to. He could never give you his heart when he’s already given his heart up to someone else - to volleyball, a far more demanding mistress.

You cannot compete with her. You should not have tried.

Tooru files the paperwork to drop out of university. You find another flat, this time for one.

In the weeks before he leaves, you watch him flit about the flat, buzzing with excitement like an overgrown child. His wings nearly suffocate you with its ever increasing breadth and length, but you do not begrudge his happiness. You still love him desperately. You still want what’s best for him.

You write him meal plans, scribble reminders on the proper care for his knee. You help him label his boxes, arrange for them to be sent to Hiroshima via post. You do not tell him how tempted you are to slip yourself whole into one of them. But you start to build a cage for the remnants of your heart, turning a deaf ear even as it pounds against the bars of your ribs.

The time finally comes for him to get on a train bound for Hiroshima. The time finally comes for you to leave the flat.

“Princess”, he says softly, catching your elbow as you stand on the threshold, pulling you flush against his broad chest. You do not trust yourself to speak as he gently tilts your face up to his.

“Thank you”, he breathes against your lips. There is a lingering taste of regret in his kiss.

“For what?” you manage to ask.

His eyes pool with affection, swirl with sadness.

“For everything.” He takes your hands in his, presses a final kiss to your forehead. Your traitorous heart screeches at you to beg him to say. You smother it beneath reinforced walls of steel and bone.

Icarus, Icarus. This is goodbye.

You make him leave before you, watching as he turns his back on you. Then you steal a minute to potter through each room in the little flat that was your home. The bedroom, barely large enough for two. The bathroom, with a propensity for leaking, the shower where Tooru insists on serenading the neighbours, much to their discontent. The kitchen, full of memories of shared dinners, and quiet conversations.

You bid farewell to two full years of happiness, press your forehead against the front door to whisper goodbye to your home.

The lock clicks. You close the door.

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atruththatyoudeny · 3 years

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Happy 28th! Here are all the 14 fics I read and enjoyed this month. As always, all the love for all the amazing authors in this fandom! ♥

In The Still Of The Night | jacaranda_bloom | Dirty Dancing AU - a/b/o - prejudice - gender stereotyping - class divide - angst - pining - smut - 69k In a society where omegas are expected to follow a predetermined path, Louis strives for more; for his voice to be heard, for recognition, for true love. In a world where your past defines your future, Harry fights against the system; for equality, for a different life, for acceptance. When their two worlds collide, will they be beaten down by conformity or will they rise up and forge a new path together? OR the Dirty Dancing AU where Louis is a feisty omega who wants to change the world, Harry is an alpha from the wrong side of the tracks, and nobody puts Louis in a corner.

Plant New Seeds in the Melody | 28sunflowers | enemies to friends to lovers - miscommunication - misunderstandings - emotional hurt/comfort - Original Character Death - grief/mourning - slow build - smut - 58k After losing his husband in a tragic car accident, the last thing Louis needs is to keep running into popstar Harry Styles, who David was quite fond of. Obviously, that’s exactly what keeps happening. But as their unlikely friendship blossoms, Louis realizes that, maybe, having Harry in his life was the only good thing that came out of his adverse circumstances. Harry could be just the right person to help Louis find trust and intimacy in someone new.

take my hand, wreck my plans | amomentoflove | Cinderella AU - a/b/o - royalty - Minor Character Death - emotional abuse - magic - 38k Louis meets the man in the center of the room, feeling every eye on him. “Mr. H,” he whispers. The man smiles brightly and laughs as if he can’t believe his eyes. “It’s you,” he says breathlessly. “I didn’t think I would see you again.” “Nor I you, especially under these circumstances.” “Even so,” Mr H says, his eyes bouncing from Louis’ eyes to his lips. “Will you do me a great honor and join me in leading the first … um…” “Dance?” Mr. H laughs and nods. “Yes, that’s the one.” Louis bites his lips and doesn’t hesitate before whispering, “Yes.” Mr. H beams and reaches for Louis’ hand. Sparks fly at the touch and a zing of excitement shoots through Louis’ body. His face heats up as he’s afraid his scent would give away his feelings towards the other man.

One More Taste of Your Lips | Canadianlarrie & MsHydeStylinson | canon compliant - reunion tour - angst - internalized homophobia/biphobia - cheating - smut - Coming Out - 80k It had been eight years since the hiatus began, and Louis had spent that time writing and recording music, touring and making it safely through the pandemic. When the opportunity arose to go back on tour with One Direction, Louis knew he'd be a fool not to take it. Sure, life on the road would be different after all this time apart, but he was looking forward to experiencing that comradery again. What he hadn't realised was that living the better part of nine months in each other's pockets was bound to dredge up issues from his past. And when one of the pockets belonged to Harry, who he'd had a rather unconventional friendship with that drifted apart during their last tour, life on the road again would upend both their lives in irrevocable ways. * Harry wasn’t that sixteen year old boy anymore. Nor was he the young man in his late teens who was on the cusp of conquering the entire world. But some traits seemed to remain the same; his vibrant green eyes, the dimples set deeply in his cheeks whenever he laughed earnestly, or his curls that were the same shade of cocoa that Louis remembered fondly. And yet, Louis had absolutely no idea who this man that stood a mere twenty paces away was today.

Old Photographs & Times I'll Remember | jaerie | time travel - Eroda - period-typical homophobia - anxiety - depression - discussion about suicide - self-discovery - post-break up - 54k Carefully he set that negative down and lifted the paper to see there was another beneath. This one again was a young man, this time posed against an antique car. He lifted a few more negatives out one by one, each a portrait of the same man with various backdrops. The man in a meadow, in an office, leaning against a doorframe — even one in his underwear grinning at the camera. On the edge of each negative printed in slanted, handwritten characters were the initials and date. H.S. 1924. He quickly but carefully packed them back into the box and buzzed with excitement. He couldn’t wait to develop them to see exactly what had been captured in the images. It was a find that felt like a puzzle to piece together. H.S. was likely the man in the photographs as well as the owner of the suitcase. Who was he? Why had his suitcase found its way into Niall’s attic? Was he still alive and well somewhere in the world? A camera, a suitcase, and a relationship forged through time.

Know a Trick or Two | SadaVeniren | Harry Potter setting - mpreg - magic - kid fic - - genderfluid character - smut - intersex - 44k The night before Louis is scheduled for a Portkey to begin training with the Vratsa Vultures in Bulgaria he heads into Muggle London for one last night of fun. A few months later he finds out he’s having a child. Eleven years ago Harry had a one night stand and now there’s a strange man on his doorstep telling him his daughter is something called a wizard and she’s got a place at the British wizarding school Hogwarts. Aka the one where Muggle Harry and Wizard Louis have a one night stand and get more than they bargained out of it.

come away with me | suspendrs | Minor Character Death - friends to lovers - sexuality crisis - emotional hurt/comfort - anxiety - smut - 80k Louis had such big plans. He wanted so much out of life, and so did Amy. Now Bridget is going to grow up without a mother, and she’s always going to wonder what it would be like if this hadn’t happened. He wonders if she’ll blame him for her mother’s death as she gets older, or if she’ll understand that this is just as painful for Louis as it is for her. Louis doesn’t know how he’s going to raise her on his own, because he’s a fantastic father, yes, but he’s always been the fun parent, and Amy was in charge of the rules. He doesn’t know how to make sure Bridget has everything she needs all the time, doesn’t know how to make her favorite meal or how to do that one braid she loves to have in her hair or how to teach her to be the best person she can be. He doesn’t know how to live without Amy, he doesn’t know what he’s going to do. Or, Louis has to pick up the pieces of his and his daughter's life after his wife dies, and Harry is a beautiful stranger that just wants to help.

we made our promises (we said our vows) | millsx | Military AU - established relationship - kid fic - angst - hurt/comfort - mentions of PTSD - mentions of depressions - mentions of anxiety - injury - long-distance relationship - 21k Fairy tales always end with the Happily Ever After; the princess escapes her evil stepmother and gets married to the knight in shining armor. It turns out real life doesn’t care about Happily Ever Afters and sometimes problems appear when you don’t expect them to. Harry sure didn’t, not after years of being married.

Love, Ever After | jacaranda_bloom | a/b/o - farmers markets - soulmates - pining - miscommunication - fluff - banter - smut - 21k One would assume that the charismatic omega in charge of the local matchmaking service would have found a mate and settled down ages ago. His clients, in fact, are always a bit surprised when they come to learn that Louis is still single. But Louis doesn’t mind, not really. His standards are just high; he is happy holding out for his alpha, his soulmate, and chooses to not waste his time with anyone else, despite what his friends might think. That is, until his best mate from uni drags him out of bed far too early on a Saturday morning after a night of drinking to go to a farmers market, of all places. It’s there that he proceeds to make an utter fool of himself in front of the hottest alpha he has ever laid eyes on. There’s truly no coming back from that, is there? OR The one where omega Louis makes love matches, alpha Harry makes cheese, and meddling friends might finally make their dreams of finding their soulmate come true.

Hometown | allwaswell16 | High School - College/university - driving - heartbreak - memories - friendship - happy ending - angst - 2k On the day Harry gets his driver’s licence, he drives through the suburbs, heartbroken that he can’t drive home to Louis.

fever dream high | wildestdreams | friends to lovers - childhood friends - a/b/o - fluff - angst - smut - mutual pining - High School - 30k "Excuse me, what?" Harry licked his lips, carefully looking him in the eyes. "I will spend your heat with you so you're ready by Monday to play your game." "Harry," Louis began, suddenly at a loss for words. "I couldn't ask you to do that." "Why not? You just said you trust me." "You're my best friend. There's no one I trust more than you." "Then what's the problem?" "Well, friends don't usually help you through your heats or ruts, so excuse me for being a little skeptical." or A High School ABO AU where Harry and Louis are best friends and nothing more until things start getting a little complicated and they're faced with feelings they never wanted to confront.

We are the same, you run in my veins | 28sunflowers | a/b/o - non-traditional a/b/o- soulmates - wolves -pack dynamics - 4k When the time for Louis to become the Alpha leader of his pack comes, he can’t rise to the occasion for not being yet bonded. A series of trips to neighbouring packs in search of his soulmate is fruitless until he meets one of the other packs’ Alpha heir. Harry. The world seems to stop turning for a second and then it shifts, clicking into its axis. All the distress and wrongness he felt until that very moment suddenly disappears. Louis is finally whole. But two Alpha leaders from different tribes soulbonding is something unheard of before.

Divinely Blessed | thinlines | a/b/o - non-traditional a/b/o - established relationship - PWP - 17k “I heard you, Ni. But what do you mean?” “What do you mean what I mean?” Harry rolled his eyes as he shoved his alpha friend down onto a seat. “Did you mean you lick someone out or…?” “Nah, mate! It was me! I got licked out!” Harry could only stare at Niall in horror. Alpha Harry prides himself on having the bravest and most caring omega who might or might not just fulfill his sudden curiosity.

This chemistry like candy to me | CuckooTrooke | a/b/o - kink discovery - mpreg - male lactation - smut - 8k "It's just... Are you aware, that, uh... You're- You're kind of leaking." Harry feels his blood run cold. The heart that was thudding so loud and fast drops to his stomach, and his shoulders hunch in embarrassment. "Excuse me?" Harry asks once he manages to gather himself and recover from the shock. He automatically steps back but since he's already squeezed in the corner, it doesn't do much to put any distance between them, "Who the fuck do you think you are?" "Wha- No. Oh my god, I wouldn't- No," The man says as he realizes the misunderstanding, and wildly gestures to his chest, "I mean your- Your chest. Is leaking." OR Harry is 8 months pregnant with a poor balance and traitorous nipples. Unfortunately for him, that is precisely when he meets a beautiful alpha in a packed London Tube. Fortunately for him, the said alpha might just be the best thing he has ever come across.

#28th appreciation #fic rec #my fic rec #my reads #monthly fic rec #monthly reads #completed fics #larry fics

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noladyme · 3 years

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La Cuervo - Chapter 1

She is used to the biker-life, having grown into a woman in the familiar embrace of SAMCRO. A bad decision and a gun-shot later, she gets whisked off to Santo Padre, and put under the protection of another club. What is supposed to be a short stint in the Mayan headquarters just north of the border to Mexico, turns into something more; when la quervo begins to develop feelings for el angel - and he seems to return them in kind...

TW: violence, blood, drug use, alcohol, assault, smut, fluff, angst

In the spirit of "The Crown Princess of Charming" - though in a different universe (I couldn't screw with Jax and Cat's happy ever after) - this is a story about O.C. Nina and Angel Reyes. It is obviously non-canon, as characters who have passed on on Mayans M.C. are present in it, and others have been excluded completely. Nina is written as a cis-female, but I have tried to keep her race and looks as ambigous as possible. Should you find any of this story offensive.

It was an especially hot day for a bike-ride. The man in front of her on the bike might have been used to these trips, doing them often and in leather no less; but Nina was beginning to feel like a rotisserie chicken under the scorching sun. She was wearing jeans and a jacket over a tank top, knowing from experience that road-rash was especially shitty, when you went down without anything covering your skin. She sighed heavily, and tried to shift in her seat. “We’re almost there, luv’”, Filip called out over his shoulder, his voice barely audible over the roars of the engines behind them. “Uh huh…”, Nina replied, and couldn’t help but dream of air-condition and shade. Her backpack was heavy on her shoulders, in spite of the fact that she hadn’t brought much with her; just clothes, and a book or three. Filip patted her thigh comfortingly and sped up, probably as eager as she was to get this ride over with; though she knew that neither of them were looking forward to reaching their end destination.

She hadn’t gone on this trip willingly, but there had been no other option. Her chosen family had made it clear; she needed to disappear, and keep her head down. Going south was the best option for now, as she’d be out of Charming, but not so far away that they wouldn’t be able to reach her if needed. They were trying to keep her safe, even if safety currently meant being roasted alive on the back of a motorcycle, by the southern California sun. Looking back at their companions, both Happy, Tig and T.O. smiled at her. She forced herself to smile back, and was happy she was wearing sunglasses, as she knew the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She was feeling quite a bit overwhelmed by the situation.

Nina used to love riding on the back of Jackson's bike when she was younger, would squeal in excitement when he made sharp turns, and went over bumps. He’d given her the first helmet she’d ever owned. Now, she wore his own helmet. The one he’d not put on, on his last ride. After what had happened – the choices Jax made that had led him to colliding with that truck, and killing himself, on the same highway his father had died on years earlier – bikes were merely a means of transport, and the thrill of rushing down a road on one, was gone. She wasn’t afraid of them by any means, she just didn’t get any joy from them anymore.

Just as she had convinced herself she was literally about to melt together with the seat, Filip finally turned down a gravelly road, and slowed down to a halt. In the distance she saw a group of men on bikes, driving towards the murder of crows she’d travelling with up until now. “You remember what we talked about?”, Filip said. “Yeah, but I don’t get it. Don’t you trust these people?”, Nina asked, and pulled down the scarf she’d used to cover her mouth and nose from road-dust. “We do, and you can as well; but this thing you’ve got yourself caught up in, is complicated”, he replied. “Alvarez, the president and his VP knows everything, but they don’t want to get tangled up in it more than necessary. If you find yourself talking to anyone else, all you say is…”. “I’m in need of a fresh start after a bad break-up”, Nina sneered. “I know. Fucking damsel in distress…”. Filip squeezed her knee. “We’ll be in touch, luv’. Promise… You’ll be back home in Charming before you know it”. “Yeah… home”, Nina muttered, and used his shoulders as support, as she got off the Harley.

Stretching her back, she felt a tap on her butt from a familiar hand. “How are you feeling, princess?”, Happy asked. ”I feel like I did, after that time I won the mechanical bull-riding competition, at Tig’s birthday party”, Nina chuckled, and pulled at her jeans, to get them in place between her thighs. The curly-haired biker in question joined them, with a grin on his face. “Yeah, that was a beautiful!”, he exclaimed. “Well worth the 500 bucks I spent on renting that thing”. “You didn’t pay for that shit”, Filip said. “Screw you, Chibs”, Tig said, with jest in his voice.

Nina took off her sunglasses and helmet; and looked towards the arriving bikers. Two men on road kings – handlebars as high as the sky – led the incoming group. Nina recognized Alvarez right away, having seen him a few times at club parties. The other man she figured was the president of the South California Mayans. Behind them, came a group of bikers, in a caravan formed much like the one she’d ridden in with; arranged by status. She made short eye-contact with a bearded biker somewhere in the middle of the group. He had dark and intense eyes, and his lips twitched into a smile, just before she looked down at the ground. “Stay by the bikes”, Filip said, and squeezed her hand. The gravity of the situation and the dust from the road was beginning to get to her, so she grabbed her inhaler, and took a discrete hit from it; before putting it back in her pocket.

Alvarez and Bishop got off their own bikes, and the bikers behind them halted as well. Filip spread out his arms congenially. “Hola, señors!”, he hollered, and walked up to the other group. Nina cringed at his exclamation. T.O. came up behind her, and patted her shoulder. “Some things never change in this world, kid”, he muttered. “You’d think people would learn… evolve”, she replied. “You think letting brothers in to the club was just gonna magically make Scottie and the rest of them stop being idiot white-boys?”, T.O. chuckled. “Nah. This is as good as it gets. Let’s just hope the next generation does better”. He raised an eyebrow meaningfully at Nina. “You’ll let me know if Wendy is in touch, right?”, she asked. “You know we will”. “Thank you…”, she whispered. T.O. nodded solemnly.

“Englishman…”, Alvarez smirked, and reached out his hand to the SAMCRO-president. “Like a bullet to my Scottish heart”, Filip said, and took his hand; pulling him in for a friendly hug. He greeted Bishop in the same manner, and Happy, Tig and T.O. followed suit. “You have our merchandise?”, Bishop said. He was a short and serious looking man, but he didn’t seem as menacing as she’d expect a Mayan president to be. “Straight to the point, then…”, Filip said. “Yes, we brought your merchandise; as much as we could carry. The rest will be here in a van in two days. You get your discount as promised, as payment; and in return…” Bishop glanced towards Nina. “We got you”, he muttered, and patted Filip’s shoulder.

Nina swallowed thickly as the Mayan president approached her. “Obispo Losa. Bishop”, he said, and reached out his hand. “You must be Nina…”. “Just Nina”, she replied quickly, and shook his hand. Bishop nodded. “You’re going with us to Santo Padre. We have a trailer set up at our compound. My prospect uses it normally, but we’ll kick him out for the time being… Just until we figure something else out for you”. Nina felt her cheeks burning. “You don’t need to do that. I don’t want anyone on the street on my account”. “He’ll be fine”, Bishop said quietly. Nina shuddered suddenly, feeling the weight of the situation wash over her. Seeing her expression, Bishop put a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll be safe with us”. “Ok”, Nina muttered. “Thank you”. A smile ghosted the man’s face, and he nodded towards Filip.

The two groups of bikers finally merged, and greetings were shared, before some bedrolls were spread out on the ground. Guns of different types were hidden in pockets of the fabric, and Nina sighed deeply; looking away, as if doing so would protect her from the truth of what was going on. The bearded biker walked up to Bishop. No longer on his bike, he was strikingly tall, and admittedly handsome as hell. A shorter Mayan, slim and looking a little jumpy; and a friendly looking prospect joined them. “Should the girl be seeing this?”, the tall one muttered to Bishop. “The lady is as trustworthy as they come, amigo”, Filip said. The biker raised a brow at him. “Well, okey dokey, Robert the Bruce”, he said. “You know who Robert the Bruce is?”, the prospect asked. “I got my GED, bro”, the tall one replied. The prospect chuckled quietly. “Cool it, Angel”, Bishop said. “She’s coming with”. “What, she’s like part of the merchandise? Since when do we deal in trafficking?”, the slim one asked, and gave her a confused once over. Nina drew her lips back in a sneer. “Fuck you, asshole!”, she hissed. The biker frowned at her. “That’s Coco to you, ma’”, he grunted. “Who are you?”.

Bishop went to stand next to her, and nodded at Filip once again; as if saying it’s ok, I got this. “This is Nina. Just Nina. She’s the package we’re taking care of for a while”. “La cuervo is the package?”, the biker he’d called Angel said, letting his eyes trace her form with a pleased expression. “Not the kind of package I’d expected”. “Crow or not, we’re setting her up in the trailer at the yard”, Bishop said. “Prospect, you gotta take a hike for a bit”. The prospect sighed, and nodded; making Nina feel guilty beyond belief. “Really, I can…”. “You’re safer at the compound”, Filip muttered quietly.

“Time to say goodbye, man”, Alvarez said. “We saw cops a few miles out. Need to move”. Nina instantly felt her heart fall to her stomach, as the bikers rolled up the bedrolls, and began reloading the bikes, with the Mayans taking over the guns; and from now on, her. She turned to face the men she’d arrived with. “Fuck…”, she sighed. Filip pulled her in for a tight hug. “You’ll be fine, luv’. It’s just until this thing blows over, to keep you out of sight. Treat it like a holiday; enjoy the desert sun, relax…”. He looked towards the Mayans observing them. “And try not to end up losing your panties at another biker-party”. Nina pulled back, and punched his shoulder. “That happened one time!”, she muttered. She noticed Angel and the shorter biker, Coco, smirking at each other, from the corner of her eye. “And we had to kick that prospect’s ass for it. He was never the same”, Tig said, pulling at her arm, to take over from Filip, and give her a hug. “Don’t offer to cook. They might think we sent you to poison them”. “Kiss my ass, Trager”, Nina scowled, and kissed his cheek. “I love you too, kid”. Squeezing Tig tightly, Nina then let herself get enveloped in Happy’s arms. “You got your .38?”, he asked. “In my jacket pocket”, she sighed. “And your inhaler?”, Happy added. “The other pocket. With my cigarettes”, Nina muttered. “Good girl”, Tig said from behind Happy. “Maybe take the time to quit smoking as well; huh, sweetheart?”. She gave him a crooked smile, as he lit up a cigarette himself. “Anyone messes with you, call us. I’ll carve their eyes out”, Happy said, and kissed the top of her head. She noticed a stray tear in his left eye. “Allergies…”, he grunted, and wiped it away quickly. T.O. gave her a quick squeeze as well.

She turned towards Filip again. “I love you, little sister. Say hi to Chucky from us, ok?”, he said. She nodded, and her mood brightened slightly when she was reminded of the fact that there would be at least one person that she knew, where she was going. Even if he was a weird, chronic masturbator, without fingers. Filip kissed the corner of her lips. “Now go… We’ll be in touch if anything comes up, yeah?”. Nina nodded. Filip looked towards Bishop again. “I’m trusting you with someone very special, here”, he said. “You have my word. She’ll be treated like family”, Bishop assured him.

SAMCRO got back on their bikes, after Bishop had handed them an envelope with a wad of cash inside. “Do not let this woman near any tequila, fellas”, Filip said as a parting comment. “Not unless she’s got her underwear superglued on”. “Fuck you, Filip”, Nina smiled embarrassedly. With a final wave at her, they started their engines, and rode off, leaving her behind with a group of strangers she was supposed to trust with her life and secret from now on. She forced her mind to go blank, to avoid tears, and to be able to focus on the ride ahead.

“You ride with the prospect”, Bishop said. “I’d offer you the ride myself, but Marcus and I have another meeting, so we’ll be splitting up about 20 miles from here. Taza will lead the group taking you back to the compound”. He gestured towards a long haired, serious looking biker, with a Vice President patch on his cut. The prospect walked over to her, and reached out his hand. “EZ…”, he said, and smiled congenially. Nina took his hand, and shook it. Angel eyed her with an undefinable expression; when he called out to Bishop. “Yo, jefe. The prospect is a shit driver with a passenger. Maybe she should ride with someone else”. EZ scoffed at him. Bishop narrowed his eyes at Angel, before replying. “Yeah, ok. Nina, go with Coco”. Angel looked disgruntled, but didn’t say anything. Nina put her backpack on, and was about to walk over to Coco, when Bishop grabbed her arm to halt her; giving Angel a look out the corner of his eye. “I’d rethink that superglue, sweetheart”, he said, a slight smile ghosting his face. “I’ll be fine. Word around Charming is I got mace spraying out of my nipples, when my bra comes off”, Nina replied. A murmur of laughter went through the group, and she put on her helmet again, before walking over to her new chauffeur.

Scooting forwards a bit, Coco let her use his shoulders for support, as she got on his bike behind him. “Hold on tight, niña”, he said. “It’s Nina. And I’ll be fine”, she replied, and put her hands on his waist. He grabbed her hands, and pulled her arms all the way around him. “These ain’t no sports bikes”, Angel said, and Coco started up the bike. The roar of the engine made Nina jump slightly, and she noticed Angel had a gleeful smirk on his face. “Told you”, Coco laughed triumphantly.

The bike didn’t have an actual pillion-seat, so to sit comfortably, Nina had to sit closer to Coco than what she was used to with other riders. Angel drove along-side them. The exhaust of the bikes in front of them and the dust from the road hit her nose, and she was about to let go of Coco with one hand, to lift the scarf over her mouth and nose again. He slowed down, and grabbed her wrist. “Told you to hold on!”, he exclaimed. “I know how to ride bitch”, she replied. “Is that what SOA calls it?”, Angel asked, his voice barely audible over the sound of the engines. “I prefer the term riding queen”. “Bullshit”, Coco cried out with a grin on his face. Angel shook his head, and laughed. “Yo, who’s crow you got, ma?”. “I don’t know what you’re talking about”, Nina said. “Which SAMCRO-member is your old man?”, Angel reiterated, making clear his Coco’s meaning. She shook her head, and didn’t reply. “Just trying to figure out how precious the cargo is", Angel said, and sped up the bike again, letting Coco and her pull in behind him.

Bishop, Alvarez, and a few of the Mayans Nina hadn’t been introduced to yet, pulled off the highway after a few more miles; and Taza took the lead of their caravan. They were silent for the rest of the ride.

---

Santo Padre seemed like worlds away from home. The smells and sounds were so different from what she was used to. Charming was full of middle-class, small-town people who all looked reverently at the patches usually going through town; and everyone knew everyone. Nina noticed some of the residents of Santo Padre nodding at them as they passed; but theirs weren’t the same respectful gazes. The Mayans didn’t have the same history with the area, as SOA had in Charming; and were still building their reputation here. She felt like an alien in a strange world.

They pulled down a smaller road, just outside town, and were met by a large gate; which – after a holler from Taza – was opened by a pretty teenage girl. Coco slowed down to almost a halt, and looked at her. “You’re supposed to be at school, mija”, he said. “Gym-class… But I got cramps”, she replied. “That’s a bad excuse”, Angel said, having pulled up next to them. “What do you know about that? You got a uterus?”, Nina said. Angel frowned at her, but the girl smiled slyly, and waved at her, as Coco continued onto the lot. “That’s my kid”, he said over his shoulder. His voice had a hint of pride to it, and she noticed his back straightened.

They went through a scrapyard, and pulled up at a wooden building – the Mayan clubhouse. Nina got off the bike, and took a second to stretch her legs. She took off her helmet, and looked around; feeling very out of place. Suddenly, a familiar voice caught her attention. “There was a beer-delivery while you were away; but the man was very rude. He says he wants payment up front from now on, and he didn’t even say goodbye”. Nina turned towards the voice, and a smile spread on her face. “Chucky!”, she called out. The balding man lit up, and walked towards her. “Miss…”, he began. “Nina… just Nina. You know that, Chucky!”, she said, and patted his shoulder. “Chibs says hi”. “He’s not here?”, Chucky asked. Nina shook her head. “Then why are you…?”. “It’s a long story. I’m going to hang out here for a while”. EZ gestured for her to follow, and with a final smile at Chucky, she followed the prospect towards a trailer outside the clubhouse. Angel was about to trail behind them, when Taza patted his shoulder; to talk to him.

The trailer was small, and clothes cluttered the table and cot inside. EZ scrambled to pick up his stuff. There was a pile of old novels strewn on the counter. “Sorry…”, he muttered. “If I’d known…”. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you out”, Nina said apologetically. “I’m just a prospect. I do what my president tells me”, EZ smiled crookedly. “It’s fine, really. I’ll stay at our pap’s place while you’re here”. “Your?”, she asked, questioning the plurality in his words. “Yeah. Me and Angel’s. He’s my brother”, EZ replied. Nina dropped her backpack and helmet on the cot. “Is it ok if I leave some of my books here, though?”, he asked, and gestured towards the stack of books on the counter. “Absolutely, as long as you don’t mind me reading some of them”, Nina replied. EZ raised his brows, and seemed pleased at her response.

He found Nina some clean sheets from somewhere, as well as a blanket. “It can get cold out here during the nights”, he said, as she took it with it a thankful smile, and placed it on the cot in the trailer. “This far south?”, she asked. “Yeah, it varies. Some nights I have to wear two sweaters and socks; other nights, it’s like sleeping in an aluminum can over a lit stove”. He knocked the roof slightly, letting the sound of metal fill the tiny space.

There was a roar of laughter from outside, as Angel and Coco shared some inside joke. “So, is your brother your sponsor?”. “He was. Took care of me, and got me in to the club, after I got out of jail. I was having kind of a hard time, and he helped me out… But Bishop took over, after some statute changes…”, he said, before halting himself. “… Which is stuff you shouldn’t even know about. Does SOA let their old ladies in on club business in Charming?”. She chuckled and shook her head. “I wouldn’t know".

“You just a croweater then?”. Angel had appeared in the door, and Nina jolted at the sudden interruption. “Sorry… Bishop is back. He wants to talk to you in his office”. “What does he need me for?”, EZ asked. “Not you. Her”, Angel said. He stepped inside the trailer, his head almost hitting the ceiling of it; and picked up the helmet on the cot. “Your helmet looks worn… Doesn’t fit your head either. It’s not safe”. Nina felt bile rise in her throat, and yanked it out of his hands. “Don’t touch it”, she hissed. She held the helmet protectively in her arms. Angel furrowed his brows at her, and licked his lips, as if he was about to say something. “Sorry… It’s an heirloom”. “Ok…”, Angel said. “Didn’t mean to overstep”. EZ cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable at the tension of the situation. “Don’t want to keep the prez waiting”, he said.

All three of them stepped out of the trailer, and EZ went ahead of Angel and her, as they walked towards the clubhouse. “How do you know about the way a club runs? Your old man lets you in on stuff like that?”, Angel asked. “Why do you keep asking about my old man?”, Nina said. Angel smirked. “So, you do have an old man”. Nina took a second to think. She wasn’t in Santo Padre for a long time; but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a good time. Besides, Angel didn’t seem like a long-time kind of guy. “No”, she said, and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. His smile widened. “Good to know”.

---

The Mayan clubhouse had similar decorations to the ones in SAMCRO’s clubhouse; though clearly inspired by their proud Mexican and latinx roots. Nina instantly felt at home there, surrounded by leather-clad men, and inhaling the scent of motor-oil and beer.

Bishop was seated by a table, and spread out his arms to greet her, as she entered with Angel. “Step into my office”, he said, and gestured towards a chair opposite him. Nina sat down, and Chucky appeared from somewhere, planting a mug of coffee in front of her. “Black as sin…”, he smiled. “Just the way I like it. Thanks, Chuck”, she said. Chucky scuttered off, leaving them to it. Alvarez hadn’t come back with Bishop, but Nina knew not to comment on it.

Bishop took a sip of his beer, while Angel settled on a bar-stool, taking the cold one EZ handed him from behind the counter. Most of the charter seemed to be scattered throughout the room. “I’m sure you understand why we’re not having this conversation in templo. We don’t allow women at the table, and even if you weren’t one, you’re not wearing a patch”. Nina nodded solemnly. “I understand”, she said. Bishop gave her a short smile. “Here’s the deal. SAMCRO is paying us to look after you, while you stay in Santo Padre for a while”. “She’s the package we’re guarding?”, a bald Mayan asked. “Not what I expected”. He leered at her. Bishop sent him a hard look. “Nina left Charming to… start new”, he said, and looked meaningfully at her. “Right?”. “Yeah… I won’t be staying long”, she said. Angel chewed his lip, and looked quizzically at her. “Why does she need us, though?”. “She is used to an MC having her back. It’s just for comfort and peace of mind for SOA”, Bishop said.

Taza sat down next to Bishop. “You’re not familiar with the area, so you should stay on the lot. Only leave if you have someone with you”, he said. Nina knew what he was really saying; that she was more or less on lockdown, and if she did leave the compound, it needed to be with a patch. It wasn’t anything new. She’d gone into lockdown with SAMCRO before; though on a club-wide basis. “It’s your house… Your rules”, she said. “Good”, Bishop said. “You’re welcome to the facilities here, and if there’s anything you need, you let us know”. “The prospect is used to going on tampon-runs”, Coco grinned from his own stool by the bar. His daughter, who was standing behind him, hit him over the shoulder. “Let me know if you need anything you can’t trust these idiots with. I’m Letty… Leticia”, she said. “Control your kid, Coco”, Bishop said, but smiled at the teenager none the less. “We expect you to pull your weight around here. Chibs tells me you have experience behind a bar, and that you would sometimes help Chucky out in the office, back when their auto-shop was still running. You can do the same with the scrapyard. I trust I don’t need to tell you about keeping your nose out of our other business”. Nina eyed the pack of smokes on the table, and Bishop pushed it towards her. “Anything you need”, she replied, and took a cigarette. “Anything?”, the bald biker neck smirked. Angel got on his feet, and smacked him over the head. “Stop being a creep, Creeper”, he said, and walked over to light her cigarette. He kept eye-contact with her, while she took in her first lungful of smoke, and let a smile ghost his face, before stepping back again. Nina stifled a smile, and felt a rush of blood to her head; as well as other parts of her, that were even more intriguing.

Bishop got on his feet. “Templo. We got some shit to talk about”, he said. “How did things go with Palo? He know who did in his cousin yet?”, Creeper asked. Taza stared daggers at him. “At the table, fuckhead”. The Mayans all went towards a beautifully ornate door, leaving Nina with EZ, Letty, and Chucky. Angel sent her a final look, and shot her a sly smile before closing the door behind him.

---

While EZ helped out Letty with what looked like some homework, Chucky was running in and out of the clubhouse, lugging cases of beer and soda. Nina slipped behind the bar to help him fill the fridges. “You don’t have to do that”, Chucky said. “I need to do something to pass the time”, she replied.

As they worked in silence, she noticed Chucky looking at her occasionally, as if wanting to say something, but not quite having the courage. “Ask…”, she said. “It’s not my place”, he said. “Why not? We’re friends, right?”, Nina smiled. “I’m happy you’re here, Chucky. It would have sucked not having even one familiar face around”. Chucky lit up. “We’re friends?”. “Of course we are. In spite of the fact that you used to tell Jax on me, whenever I was doing anything he might not like”. Chuck blushed. “He asked me to keep an eye on you when he wasn’t around”. “Yeah… Just keeping you safe, darlin’”, Nina imitated the former president of SAMCRO. Chucky smiled. “He was a good man”, he said. “I wish he’d believed that about himself”, she sighed. “So… ask”. Closing the fridge, Chucky looked at her hesitantly. “Why did they bring you here? Did they lose you in a bet, like me?”. “No… nothing like that”. “Then why?”. Struggling with opening a bottle of soda for Letty, who’d stepped over to the bar with EZ. Nina took it from him, and opened it, before giving it to the girl. “I know Chibs took over from Jax, both as president, but also as your…”. “Yeah…”, Nina sighed. “Why would he let you out of his sight?”.

EZ accepted a bottle himself, and was unsuccessful in pretending like he wasn’t listening in on the conversation. “I needed a fresh start. Wanted to get out of Charming for a while”, Nina said. Her cheeks were beginning to burn. “Why? Did something happen?”. Nina’s eyes travelled the room, finding it hard to reply. “Bad breakup…”, she said, almost like a line from a manuscript. “Chibs lets you date?”, Chucky said. “Happy lets you date?”. She wasn’t surprised he hadn’t mentioned Tig. The man had gifted her a 6-pack and a case of condoms for every birthday, since the day she turned 18. “I’m a grown ass woman, Chuck”, she almost giggled. “Yeah, but Jax…”, Chucky began. “Isn’t around anymore”, she replied shortly, feeling immediately guilty. “I’m sorry… It’s still a sore subject”. “I accept that”, Chuck said, his eyes letting her know she was forgiven for her tone.

Nina smiled softly, and went to open another box of beer.

---

#angel reyes #angel reyes x oc #ez reyes #coco cruz #bishop losa #mayans mc #angel reyes fic #mayans mc fic

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borisbubbles · 3 years

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Character analysis: Vivienne de Fer (Dragon Age Inquisition)

So, if you’ve wondered where I popped off to the past two months or so, I’m going to give you an answer - I finally bought Dragon Age Inquisition (legit on my gaming wishlist since its 2014 release) and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since.

The main draw to this game however, isn’t so much the gameplay (if you want a game that feels similar but has better gameplay - Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is what you’d want instead), but the storytelling and particularly the character development are top notch. All nine companions are fascinating and fleshed out in such a realistic manner I’m still gasping in awe on my fifth playthrough. Thus, a post on it is in order. It’s a bit different from my usual content, but don’t let that discourage you - clearing my head from Dragon Age will allow me to let Eurovision back in and continue my unfinished 2020 ranking. In this post, I will be analyzing one of DAI’s most interesting characters - none other than Madame de Fer herself, Vivienne. Now, I’m under the impression that this is a rather unpopular opinion but I absolutely love Vivienne. And no, I won’t apologize for it. As a Templar-thumping elitist with a icy, sardonic demeanor the sheer ‘Idea Of A Vivienne’ is meant to make your head spin. Dragon Age has always been a franchise in which mages are a socially surpressed group and to be confronted with a socially confident enchantress who likes Templars and seemingly supports the social shunning out of her own ambition is the walking embodiment of flippancy.

and yet, I feel a lot of sympathy for Vivienne.

Yes, she’s a bitch. She knows she’s one and she’s a-ok with it. I won’t argue with that. Sadly, the “Vivienne is a bitch” rhetoric also drastically sells her short. Vivienne is highly complex and her real personality is as tragic as it is twisted.

Madame de Fer

So let’s start with what we are shown on the surface. Vivienne is a high-ranking courtier from an empire notable for its deadly, acid-laced political game. She seemingly joins the Inquisition for personal gain, to acrue reputation and power, and eventually be elected Divine (= female pope) at the end of the game. She presents herself as a despicable blend of Real Housewife, Disney Villain, and Tory Politician, all rolled into one ball of sickening, unctuous smarm. Worse, the Inquisitor has no way to rebuke Vivienne’s absurd policies and ideas. You can’t argue with her, convince her to listen to your differing viewpoints or even kick her out the Inquisition. She has a way with words where she can twist arguments around in such a fashion that she lands on top and makes the other person look like the irrational party.

“Thus speaks the Inquisitor who has made so many mature and level-headed choices so far. Such as releasion malcontents upon the population without safeguards to protect them should they turn into abominations. Very wise. I rearranged some furniture. Lives aren’t thrown into jeopardy by my actions. Perhaps a little perspective is needed.”

She’s Cersei Lannister on creatine, Dolores Umbridge on motherfucking roids. If you look at merely the surface, then yes, Vivienne looks like the worst person ever created. I love a good anti-villainess however, and she’s definitely one.

Yet, she never actually does anything ‘evil’? Yes, she is ‘a tyrant’ as a Divine, but 1) the person saying this is Cassandra, whose dislike for mage freedom is only matched by her dislike of being sidelined 2) Divine Vivienne isn’t bad to mages either? (hold that thought, I’ll get to it). She never actually sabotages the Inquisition, no matter how low her approval with the Inquisitor gets. She never attempts to stop them, no matter how annoyed she is. She’s one of the most brutally honest companions in the cast, in fact. (It always surprises me people call her a ‘hypocrite’ - you keep using that word and it doesn’t mean what you think it means.) The ‘worst’ display of character is when she attempts to break up Sera and the Inquisitor and even then - are we going to pretend Sera isn’t a toxic, controlling girlfriend with a huge chip on her shoulder? I love Sera, but come on.

Vivienne is a character where the storytelling rule of Show, Don’t Tell is of vital importance. The Orlesian empire is an empire built around posturing and reputation. Nobody really shows their true motivations or character, and instead builds a public façade. It’s like how the Hanar (the Jellyfish people) in Mass Effect have a Public name they use in day-to-day life, and a Personal Name for their loved-ones and inner circle. Vivienne’s ‘Public Visage’ is that of Madame de Fer - this is the Vivienne who openly relishes in power, publicly humiliates grasping anklebiters with passive-aggressive retorts, the woman who is feared and loathed by all of Orlais, and this is the Face you see for most of the game.

The real beauty of Vivienne’s character and the reason why I love her as much as I do (which is to say - a LOT) are the few moments when - what’s the phrase DigitalSpy love so much - Her Mask Slips, and you get a glimpse of the real woman underneath the hennin.

This is the Vivienne who stands by you during the Siege of Haven and approves of you when you save the villagers from Corypheus’s horde.

This is the Vivienne who comforts you when you lament the losses you suffered.

This is the Vivienne who admires you for setting an example as a mage for the rest of Thedas.

This is the Vivienne who worries about Cole’s well-being during his personal quest, momentarily forgetting who or what he is.

This is the Vivienne who, when her approval for the Inquisitor reaches rock bottom, desperately reminds him of the suffering mages go through on a day-to-day basis because of the fear and hatred non-mages are bred to feel towards them and how this can spiral into more bloodshed without safeguards.

This is the Vivienne who shows how deep her affection for Bastien de Ghislain truly is, by bringing you along during his dying moments. I love this scene btw. This is the only moment in the entire game where Vivienne is actually herself in the presence of the Inquisitor - needless to say, I consider anyone who deliberately spikes her potion a motherfucking psychopath ^_^)

“There is nothing here now” fuck I *almost* cried at Vivienne, get out of my head BioWare, this is WRONG -- people who delude themselves this is an irredeemable character.

So, who is Vivienne really?

Understanding Vivienne requires recognizing that the mask and the real woman aren’t the same person. I think her relationship with Dorian is the prime example of this. I love the Vivienne/Dorian banter train, obviously - an unstoppable force of sass colliding with an unmovable wall of smarm is nothing short of a spectacle. However, there’s more to it than their highly entertaining snipes. As the incredibly gifted son of a magister, Dorian represents everything Vivienne should despise, and should be a natural enemy to her. And yet, she doesn’t and he isn’t.. Their gilded japes at each other are nothing more than verbal sparring, not dissimilar to how Krem and Iron Bull call each other names when they beat each other with sticks. In what I think is one of the most brilliantly written interactions between characters in DAI, I present Vivienne’s reaction when the Inquisitor enters a romance with Dorian:

Vivienne: I received a letter the other day, Dorian. Dorian: Truly? It's nice to know you have friends. 🙄 Vivienne: It was from an acquaintance in Tevinter expressing his shock at the disturbing rumors about your... relationship with the Inquisitor. Dorian: Rumors you were only too happy to verify, I assume. 🙃 Vivienne: I informed him the only disturbing thing in evidence was his penmanship. 🙂 Dorian: ...Oh. Thank you. 😳 Vivienne: I am not so quick to judge, darling. See that you give me no reason to feel otherwise.

Madame de Fer can never be seen directly expressing approval to a relationship between the Herald of Andraste and an ‘Evil’ Tevinter ’Magister’. By this subtle, subtle conversation, Vivienne indirectly tells Dorian that she considers him a good match for the Inquisitor and approves of the romance. It’s one of those reasons why I could never truly dislike Vivienne - between the layers of elegant poison lies a somewhat decent woman who never loses sight of the bigger picture. Not a good person maybe, but not one without some redeeming qualities.

The crux of Vivienne’s personality is that she, like all DAI companions, is a social outcast. She’s a mage in a fantasy setting where mages are psionically linked to demons, and grew up in a country where the majority religion has openly advocated the shunning and leashing of mages (’Magic exists to serve man’ - the Chantry is so, so vile in this game.). Vivienne’s “gift” was discovered so early in her life that she can barely remember her parents. Vivienne grew up in a squalid boarding school, learning from a young age that she’s dangerous and her talents need to be tamed and curbed. She is also terrified of demons, as her banters with Cole point out:

Cole: You're afraid. You don't have to be. Vivienne: My dear Inquisitor, please restrain your pet demon. I do not want it addressing me. Inquisitor: He's not doing any harm, Vivienne. Vivienne: It's a demon, darling. All it can do is harm. Cole: Everything bright, roar of anger as the demon rears. No, I will not fall. No one will control me ever again. Cole: Flash of white as the world comes back. Shaking, hollow, Harrowed, but smiling at templars to show them I'm me. Cole: I am not like that. I can protect you. If Templars come for you, I will kill them. Vivienne: Delightful. 😑

Vivienne’s Harrowing is implied to have been such a traumatizing event to her that she’s developed a pavlovian fear of demons ever since. (Hence her hostility towards Cole.). Vivienne is fully aware of the inherent dangers of magic, and projects this onto all other mages.

Besides, given how Dragon Age has a history with mages doing all sorts of fucked up shit, ranging from blood magic, murder, demonic possession and actual terrorism (yes, *ElthinaBITCH* had it coming, but let’s not pretend like Anders/Justice was anything other than a terrorist), Vivienne’s policies of controlled monitoring and vigilance are actually significantly more sensible than the options of ‘unconditionally freeing every mage all over Thedas’ and ‘reverting back to the status quo before the rebellion’. They’re flawed policies, obviously. When Vivienne says “mages” she pictures faceless silhouettes foremost and not herself. Regardless, unlike Cassandra and Leliana, Vivienne is aware of the fear others harbour for her kind, and how hard it is to overcome such perceptions.

Additionally, Vivienne’s a foreigner. She is an ethnic Rivaini, a culture associated with smugglers and pirates (Isabela from DAO and DA2 is half-Rivaini). This adds an additional social stigma, again pointed out by Cole:

Cole: Stepping into the parlor, hem of my gown snagged, no, adjust before I go in, must look perfect. Vivienne: My dear, your pet is speaking again. Do silence it. Cole: Voices inside. Marquis Alphonse. Cole: "I do hope Duke Bastien puts out the lights before he touches her. But then, she must disappear in the dark." Cole: Gown tight between my fingers, cold all over. Unacceptable. Wheels turn, strings pull. Cole: He hurt you. You left a letter, let out a lie so he would do something foolish against the Inquisition. A trap. Vivienne: Inquisitor, as your demon lacks manners, perhaps you could get Solas to train it.

This is the only palpable example of the casual racism Vivienne has to endure on a daily basis - Marquis Alphonse is a stupid, bigoted pillowhead who sucks at The Game, but remember - Vivienne only kills him if the Inquisitor decides to be a butthurt thug. She is aware that for every Alphonse, there are dozens of greasy sycophants who think exactly like he does, and will keep it under wraps just to remain in her good graces.

Finally, there’s the social position Vivienne manufactured for herself, which is the weak point towards her character imo. Remember, this woman is a commoner by birth. She doesn’t even have a surname. Through apparently sheer dumb luck (or satanic intervention) she basically fell into the position of Personal Mage to the Duke of Ghislain. Regardless, ‘Personal mages’ were the rage in Orlesian nobility, and the prestigious families owned by them like one may own a pet or personal property. By somehow becoming Bastien de Ghislain’s mistress and using his influence, "Madame de Fer” liberated herself from all the social stigmata which should have pinned her down into a lowly courtier rank and turned the largely ceremonial office of “Court Enchanter” into a position of respect and power. This is huge move towards mage emancipation by the way, in a society where, again, Mages are feared and shunned and are constantly bullied, emasculated and taught to hate their talents. Vivienne is a shining example of what mages can become at the height of their power. Power she has, mind you, never actually abused before her Divine election. Vivienne’s actions will forever be under scrutiny not because of who she is, but because of what she is. The Grand Game can spit her out at any moment, which will likely result in her death.

Inquisitor: “You seem to be enjoying yourself, Vivienne?” Vivienne: “It’s The Game, darling. If I didn’t enjoy it, I’d be dead by now.”

Whether Vivienne was using Bastien for her own gain or whether she truly loved him isn’t a case of or/or. It’s a case of and/and. The perception that she was using Bastien makes Vivienne more fearsome and improves her position in the Grand Game, but deep down, I have no doubts truly loved him. Remember, Vivienne’s position at the Orlesian court was secure. She had nothing to gain by saving Bastien’s life, but she attempted to anyway. That Bastien’s sister is a High Cleric doesn’t matter - Vivienne can be elected Divine regardless of her personal quest’s resolution. She loved him, period.

No, I don’t think Vivienne is a good person. She treats those she deems beneath her poorly, like Sera, Solas, Cole and Blackwall (characters I like less than Vivienne), which I think is the #1 indicator for a Bad Personality. But I don’t think she qualifies as ‘Evil’ either and I refuse to dismiss the beautiful layering of her character. I genuinely believe Vivienne joined the Inquisition not just for her personal gain, but also out of idealism, similar to Dorian (again, Cole is 100% correct in pointing out the similarities between Dorian’s and Vivienne’s motivations for joining, as discomforting it is to her).

In her mind, Vivienne sees herself as the only person who can emancipate the mages without bloodshed - her personal accomplishments at the Orlesian court speak for themselves. Vivienne isn’t opposed to mage freedom - she worries for the consequences of radical change, as she believes Orlesian society unprepared for the consequences. Hence why she’s perfectly fine with a Divine Cassandra. Hence why her fellow mages immediately elect her Grand Enchanter of the new Circle.

Hence why Vivienne is so terrified by the Inquisitor’s actions if her disapproval gets too low. The Inquisitor has the power to completely destroy everything she has built and fought for during her lifetime. Remember: Vivienne’s biggest fear is irrelevance - there’s no greater irrelevance than having your life achievements reverse-engineered by the accidental stumbling of some upstart nobody. This is the real reason why she joins, risks her life and gets her hands dirty - the only person whose competence Vivienne trusts, is Vivienne’s own.

Even as Divine Victoria, I’d say she’s not bad, at all actually. Vivienne has the trappings of an an Enlightened Despot, maintaining full control, while simultaneously granting mages more responsibility and freedom, slowly laying the foundations to make mages more accepted and less persecuted in southern Thedas. Given that Ferelden is a feudal fiefdom and Orlais is an absolute monarchy, this is a fucking improvement are you kidding me. (Wait did he just imply Vivienne is secretly the best Divine - hmm, probably not because Cass/Leliana have better epilogues - but realistically speaking, yes, Viv should be the best Divine and it’s bullshit that the story disagrees.)

Underneath the countless layers of smarm, frost and seeming callousness, lies a fiercely intelligent and brave woman, whose ideals have been twisted into perversion by the cruel, ungrateful world around her. Envy her for her ability to control her destiny, but know that envy is what it is.

The flaw in Vivienne’s character isn’t so much the ‘tyranny’ or the ‘bitchiness’ or the 'smarm’. Her flaw is her false belief that she is what the mages need the most. Her belief that her competence gives her the prerogative to serve the unwashed mage masses... by ruling over them. For all intents and purposes, Vivienne is an Orlesian Magister and this will forever be the brilliant tragedy of her character. She was created by a corrupt institution that should, by all accounts fear and loathe her but instead embraced her. It’s that delirious irony that makes Vivienne de Fer one of the best fictional characters in RPG history. the next post will be Eurovision-related. :-)

#RPG #Dragon Age #Dragon Age Inquisition #Vivienne #Vivienne de Fer #Madame de Fer #DAI #Dragon Age 3 #BioWare

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princessozera · 4 years

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Yo like I was imagining how would the from brother and undatebale reaction to to an mc who has a pact with diavolo dad before coming to devildom and they like bestie and when he comes, mc and him be like "long no see bro how you doin and they fist pumping each other" I really want to see they're reaction 😂 plz

OOH! I love this concept!!! There are so many ways to write friendship dynamics and I also like the "Diavolo's doesn't know about the exchange", "Diavolo's dad already has a pact with MC but hates it mostly because HOW THE HELL DID THIS DITZ OUTSMART THE DEMON KING HIMSELF!?" All the plot lines with Diavolo's dad, who I am un-creatively naming Devil.

(every single person in Obey Me finding out^)

GN! MC (they/them, 2nd ppov)

Word Count: 1.5 k

Friends With The Devil

Lucifer

Everything is as clear as mud

This answered so many questions, but raised S O O O O MANY MORE -Is this why you never backed down? Why you weren't scared of him and always challenged his authority??

He would be the calmest of his brothers, but it's mostly because he started dissociating out of shock.

He tries to roll with it, but comes to the irritating revelation that he's now kind of scared of you. Once he realizes this, he checks himself and even gets a little bitchy with you to remind you that he is the powerful one in the House Of Lamentation.

It's a good thing his personality is always this formal, so things don't really change with him long term, but he is dying to know how you met the Devil.

Will get a little peeved off that he isn't your strongest pact, and that he never truly was.

Mammon

He's the definition of "shitting bricks"

He was the only brother to jump in front of you when the Devil charged at you, only to get tossed like a wet rag, as the Devil shoves him aside to pick you up in a bear hug.

He wants to pull you out of the Devil's arms but of course he can't because its THE DEMON KING, but it's YOU and HE'S HOLDING YOU, and UGH!!!

He's so conflicted, someone help this man. He doesn't even pull you towards him once the Devil let's go of you, frozen in place wherever he landed after he was thrown.

He's one of the only brothers who will actually be himself around the Devil. It takes A LONG TIME, but since you were now allowed to stay in the Devildom for as long as you want, he had the time to open up. It actually doesn't take him long to relax, because he trusted your judgement of character, but he was a bit miffed that he now had to compete against the Devil for your attention.

It's about a month later, everyone in Diavolo's castle to watch a movie when Mammon screams out, "WAIT, SO I WASN'T YOUR FIRST!?"

Levi

Levi is the least composed of everyone

First off, he passes out right on the spot. He does at least have enough presence of mind to go behind a curtain before passing out, not wanting to be seen as weak in front of the demon king.

Once he's awake, the screaming starts. Well, it's bouts of screaming between incoherent babbling. He's trying to ask question, but his panic is making it more than a little difficult.

It takes him a couple hours to calm down, and even longer to be able to talk to MC normally again (the first time he tried, he panicked again and bit his tongue).

Once the shock and panic fully subsides, he demands to hear the story because HOW THE HELL DID YOU SUMMON AND BEFRIEND THE DEMON KING??

Levi is very reluctant to invite the Demon King to your gaming sessions, but he is your friend, and Levi can't say no to you.

He never really loses his formality around the Devil, never swearing or geeking out like he's used to. He does slip on occasion during heated pvp matches or a new game dropping, but it's always more subdued if the Devil is nearby.

As the Grand Admiral of Hell's navy, his 2 worlds colliding conflicts with his compartmentalization.

Otherwise, around you, he's the same as he's always been.

Satan *Spoilers*

He honestly finds it kind of funny.

The ONE non magical human they chose manages to have untapped powers, makes pacts with 7 of the 9 strongest demons, solves millennium old family drama, all while attending school and having a secret pact with THE DEVIL this entire time?

It's all a bit surreal, but he is the one to most easily go with the flow on this. This last year has been so wild because of you that he just knows better than to fight against it now.

He does love bringing up the pact to spite Lucifer.

Asmo *Light spoilers!*

*Surprised pikachu face*

Above all, he's blown away by you. You were a human and managed to get THE DEVIL'S PACT? Something even Solomon hasn't been able to do?

He's a tiny bit scared of the Devil, but your friendliness would ease him back into comfort. It would be a solid 6 months to a year before he tries flirting with the Devil though, if ever. (mostly as a joke )

He's in awe with you for months to come; this is infinitely cooler than when you pulled his demon form out of him.

Once you two get some alone time during one of your sleepovers, you get bombarded by questions.

How did you meet the Devil? Who summoned him? Was he always this friendly? Did he have a type UwU?

He is super smug that he knows such a cool person.

Beel

He's also in shock and has no idea how to deal with this.

He wanted to draw you away, put himself in between you and the demon king so the friendly interactions threw him for a loop. He's frozen in place as he watches your friendly get together go on, looking to Lucifer and Diavolo for a clue on how to react, but they weren't handling it well either.

He is the quickest to accept your friendship, but he doesn't really trust the demon king. He's always quiet and formal whenever the Devil is around, kind of detaching himself from you and the situation in general.

Will eventually cave when he see's you're in no danger and the Devil is actually a really great workout partner, even becoming close friends with him too.

Beel and Demon King lifting team 😤

Belphie

He hates it.

If not for the fact that he already resents Diavolo, it's because he's put out that you seem so untouchable

Honestly, might slip up and mention that he killed you. (And then Barbatos and you would have to step in and deescalate THAT situation)

Honestly the most territorial of the brothers, would do his best to make it clear to the Devil that he's your friend to, by always pulling you into hugs so he can rest his head on yours or taking naps where the Devil would see you two.

Diavolo

The second least composed, right after Levi. He doesn't outright scream *in front of you all*, but he does start exhibiting nervous ticks that none of you had ever seen before.

Pacing, flexing his hands, holding the back of his student council chair tightly, pitched voice, the whole nine yards, before he can finally regain his composure.

He's honestly VERY conflicted about all of this.

He's thrilled that his father is now opening up to the idea of the human exchange program, this could have gone horribly wrong if you'd been killed in the final days of the year. He's glad that you were chosen, seemingly the most perfect candidate ever.

He is upset though. He never knew his father had a pact. Why didn't YOU ever bring it up? His father went into hibernation seemingly eons ago, when the hell did you two make this pact? How was his yee-haw, old as the stars themselves, father able to make friends and he still struggled with that because of his status as prince and head of RAD's student council.

While he will be happy overall, he has some deep seated issues he's going to have to talk through with Barbatos and Lucifer.

Solomon *Light Spoilers*

JEALOUSYYYYYYYYY

How had you kept something this big from him!? How'd you do it? YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR MAGIC!!!!!!!! HOWWWWWW!!!

This boy is livid for about a week, refusing to talk to you, even if you did convince the Devil to allow him to stay in the Devildom too.

He would fight himself for a week, trying to figure out how he can convince you to tell him your secrets. You got all 7 brothers pacts, and now the Devil's too!? You might as well get Diavolo's as a birthday gift! And Barbatos as a bonus! He's had to work for years for all of his pacts and you had them before you turned 50? Fuck you bro.

Will absolutely try to get the Devil's pact too.

Barbatos

Hot take, BARBATOS WOULD ALREADY KNOW.

I don't remember how Barbatos came to work for Diavolo, but I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that he worked for Diavolo's dad before he worked for Diavolo.

He ends up working as a mini therapist to all of the brothers and Diavolo in particular after this massive reveal.

(I'm sorry for the formatting, I have to post it before I can fix it. Does Tumblr look weird for anyone else right now?)

((Masterlist))

#Ozera Request #Obey Me #obey me imagines #obey me shall we date #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me diavolo #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me barbatos #obey me satan #obey me solomon #obey me asmodeus

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aecs-multy · 3 years

Text

I'd make the devil prostrate before you

Summary:

When Merlin wakes up and Arthur is not by his side, he know that he's going to have to get him back. The bandits aren't the ones that should be scared of him, it's the king who should be for being such a reckless idiot and going to fight them alone instead of bringing Merlin with him.

---

Merlin was going to murder him. Screw destiny, screw Albion, screw everything. If the bandits didn’t kill Arthur, he would. More than once. He was going to bring him back to life time and time again and he would kill him in every possible painful way he could come up with.

When he had been informed that the king had gone missing and no one knew where he was, Merlin had already come up with a thousand ways of making him regret the day he chose to ignore the sorcerer’s words.

“That idiot never listens to me. Become the court sorcerer. People will listen to you. You will have influence,” Merlin muttered under his breath while he packed some essentials for the trip. “Well, all that is worthless if the freaking king goes and doesn’t listen to me, that clotpole!”

Merlin was aware he was receiving weird looks from the stable’s boy, but he couldn’t care less. He was bristling with energy, his whole body vibrating with the magic that cursed through his veins, alert, ready for anything he commanded it to do.

He mounted his horse and went in the search of Arthur, begging to The Triple Goddess that his love was alive. He wanted the privilege of murdering him for himself.

Merlin would be lying, though, if he said that he wasn’t afraid. His heart seemed to beat too fast and too hard for it to be normal. He was feeling cold all over even under the heat of the summer sun. His hands trembled in the reins of his mount.

Despite the paralyzing fear that he felt, the sorcerer put on a brave face and hung on to the almost-blinding rage that had been fueling him since the news of the king’s disappearance. No one would touch Arthur and live to tell the tale as long as he walked the earth, even if he had to burn the world to ashes to find those who had brought harm to his other half.

oOoOo

“The mighty Arthur Pendragon,” The man said, circling around him and hitting him in the stomach, making him groan and loose his breath for some seconds before being able to look back up at the man with all the hatred he could muster. “Defenseless against me. The king of Camelot rendered powerless without his knights and his precious sorcerer.” The man’s laugh echoed around the room. “You’re nothing without them, poor little boy.”

As if to prove his point, his last word was accompanied with a blow to Arthur’s face, and soon the coppery taste of blood blossomed in his mouth. His shoulders and arms ached with the strain that came with being chained to the ceiling by his wrists. That was nothing, though, compared to the pain that he felt on his side, where he was certain that he had several broken bones from the maze used to torture him.

“At least I’m above the lot of you, so scared of one man that you have to chain me. Afraid that I’ll humiliate you in a fair fight?” Arthur mocked with ragged breath, earning himself another hit. He should have learned that talking back was of no use, but he couldn’t, wouldn’t, let them break him. His body might be mauled, but his spirit was intact.

He just had to wait for Merlin, and that scared him more than this bandits ever could. Just the thought of it made him shiver. He was in big trouble, and that had nothing to do with being kept captive by some bandits. He feared the moment Merlin came to save him, certain that whatever the sorcerer had planned for him was a million times worse than this.

Arthur should have listened to him. He knew better than to come here alone, but he just couldn’t let the bandits trade for the life of his sister as if she were an object. As soon as he had received notice that the bandits had captured Morgana and asked for him to come unescorted to pay for her ramson he had had to do something.

Obviously, Merlin was against the idea, but he slipped away in the darkness of the night and went to the location the captors of his sister had told him they would be waiting. To his surprise, they didn’t have Morgana, but now they had him.

Merlin was going to skin him. He almost wanted to ask the bandits for protection against his court sorcerer. Maybe he would even have, but soon something seemed to shake the whole room. Hell, the whole building seemed to tremble. Several guards fell to the ground when they lost his footing and even the leader hat to grab Arthur’s chained arm to avoid falling.

Shit, Arthur thought. Merlin was here. He sighed and closed his eyes, accepting the fate that awaited him.

oOoOo

His magic was flowing out of him, surrounding the small castle and searching for Arthur. Bandits tried to stop him, but they barely took one step before they were thrown away with enough force to make cracks in the walls they collided with. He could sense the vibration of the ground beneath him, reacting to all the energy emanating from him.

An arrow flew towards him, but stopped a mere meter away from his head. He reached for the core of his power and with just a thought, the rest of his magic inside of him exploded, sending everything and everyone flying.

When his magic recognized Arthur, he walked that way, leaving a trail of unconscious bodies behind him. Soon, only a door stood between them and his magic burst them open without a problem. Dust was floating in the air and falling from the cracks in the ceiling with every tremor of the castle. Right now, Merlin was the one that kept it from crushing to the ground.

The expressions of the bandits were full of fear, terror dripping from them in waves. Good. His power lashed out and made them all fall to their knees, pressing them down and down until they were lying motionless, unable to move even an inch.

When his gaze focused on Arthur, stronger tremors shook the castle as his magic flowed from him like the waves of the ocean crashing against the shoreline. At least the prat had the decency of looking apologetic. Well, apologetic and about to empty his bladder in his torn pants if the panic in his face was anything to go by.

Merlin’s heart softened and ached when he finally noticed the state his lover was in. Several bruises and cutes adorned his body, the sight making his magic reach out to soothe him. He could see how the tension in Arthur's shoulders ebbed slightly and how his eyes became glassy as a small smile appeared on his face.

He went to stand in front of him and softly cradled Arthur’s face, his thumb brushing carefully over a bruise that was starting to form in his cheek. The king bowed his head and said, “I’m sorry.”

Merlin used his magic to make the chains disappear and held Arthur against his body when his legs gave out after hours of being held on his toes. He pulled him into a hug, with Merlin’s arms around his waist, and Arthur hid his face in the crook of his neck.

The sorcerer felt how Arthur’s arms moved to circle his neck as he returned the embrace.

After restoring the building enough to be sure it wouldn’t collapse, his magic slowly retreated to circle around both of them, making sure that Arthur was safe, alive. With a content sigh, Merlin started focusing on healing the body in his arms, noticing how Arthur sagged against him more and more with every injury that he healed.

“You’re in so much trouble that you’ll need your whole life to make it up to me, but right now, you’re safe. I’m here, love, you’re safe with me,” Merlin said, kissing Arthur on the top of his head.

oOoOo

Arthur’s heart swelled with emotion at his words and found himself speechless. He knew he was safe with Merlin. His arms around him were like a fortress, keeping the threats of the world away from him. He had never felt safer that with Merlin, and not only because of his magic but because Arthur had given him his heart, and the sorcerer protected it with everything he had, making him know how loved he was.

Even when the castle seemed to be about to crumble down, Arthur had known that nothing would happen to him. Merlin’s magic was like a hurricane, able to destroy everything that would dare approach him, but it worked as a shield too, because he kept those he cared about in the eye of the storm, where they were safe from the winds that would crush anyone that wanted to cause them harm.

For a moment, he forgot where they were when lips pressed against his hair and just enjoyed his rapidly recovering body and the man that held him, but that didn’t last long.

“Look how cute, the princess needed to be saved,” The leader of the bandits said.

Arthur stiffened when he remembered where they were and took a step back sharply, as if he had been jerked awake from a good dream.

He looked at the man and the bandit’s eyes were full of a hatred that he returned tenfold. Before he could say anything, Merlin stepped in front of him.

“It seems like you are the one that needs saving,” Merlin said, and Arthur smirked when he heard the venom that laced with his words. “You know, after the ban against magic was lifted, I finally was able to learn a lot of things about my power. There are many spells, but I can think of one that I’m sure you’ll love.”

Arthur loved the way the man’s face paled even more. He knew what it was like to face Merlin’s anger, having been there before, and it would make even the bravest of men run away in fright.

“I will bind you to this castle so that you can never leave its walls, condemned to stay here for the rest of your life.”

“What? No! Please, have mercy, please!” The bandit pleaded, but with a movement of Merlin’s wrist, no more sound came out of his mouth.

“Adiuro vos in loco isto ut non numquam etiam,” Merlin said, and with a flash of golden in his eyes, the spell was cast.

oOoOo

They camped half way to their home because Arthur was too tired to make the trip in one go. Merlin had healed his body, but he could see how the captivity had affected his king, so he decided that resting would be the best.

Now that the worry had faded away after rescuing Arthur, he had started to feel relief, but also the anger that he had felt before. Merlin knew why he had done it, but it also hurt that he had been left behind, especially when he could have helped and all this problem would have been avoided.

Arthur was silent, sitting beside him, his focus on the flame before them. Merlin could actually feel the guilt that emanated from him, but it did nothing to dissipate his anger. Several minutes passed where the only sound that they could listen was the sound of the fire, but then Merlin heard Arthur sigh.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

He kept quiet for a long time, pondering everything he wanted to say, all the arguments he had come up with during Arthur’s search, but when he spoke, it was only to say, “Why?”

Arthur looked at him with his head tilted to his side, his emotions clear on his eyes, and Merlin saw the flicker of confusion at the question.

“Why did you leave without me?” Merlin clarified, and then Arthur looked away, a blush of embarrassment clear in his cheeks even in the night.

“I… I just- I don’t know, I-” Arthur stuttered, but then he closed his mouth and run a hand to his hair, clearly distressed. Merlin waited, but Arthur didn’t attempt to say anything again, so he decided to do it instead.

“I told you to wait until the morning,” he said, barely over a whisper, but in the silence it almost seemed too loud. “I told you that we would both go there to help Morgana. I know how worried you were because she is like a sister to me too, but I knew that going to get her in the middle of the night wouldn’t solve anything because we needed to rest. You sneaked out ignoring everything I told you.” His voice had started to get louder, more irritated as his emotions took hold on him. In the distance, lightning struck. “You got captured because if you had waited until morning like I had told you, you would have discovered that she escaped and was back in the castle before the sun rose. All you did was useless because there was no one to save! You got yourself tortured for nothing!”

Merlin stood up and started pacing, not trying to control himself as he ended almost yelling, the fear and worry he had felt when he had woken up alone in their chambers coming back to him. “I could have lost you! Do you know how worried I was? I knew where you were, but not if you were safe, not if I would be able to arrive in time. If you were going to go anyways then you wake me up and we go, together-”

“I’m fine now, I’m alive, so stop shouting at me! I know I made a mistake, but everything is alright now, so stop worrying, I’m not a kid you need to take care of!” Arthur yelled, standing up too and standing in front of him.

“Then stop acting like one!” Merlin yelled back, his voice cracking. The tears he hadn’t known he had been holding back since he had woken up finally spilled and run down his cheeks. “I know you’re alright now, but I didn’t know that before, when I was riding in your search. I didn’t know what they would do to you, and I was scared, Arthur. You’re the king and you have a responsibility to your kingdom, but you’re also so much more to me, my partner, my best friend, my everything, and I couldn’t bear to lose you.” He said softly, his anger deflating until there was nothing left in him but such a deep ache that came with the knowledge of how wrong things could have gone. “I love you, so much that it hurts to even think of being apart from you. And it also hurts that you would leave me behind, because I thought we were past keeping things from each other and going behind each other’s backs since you discovered my magic. Guess I was wrong,” he finished, and now that he said it out loud, he noticed that most of his feelings revolved around that, about Arthur not trusting Merlin enough to tell him that he was going to go anyways.

He felt drained of all his energy and he sat down back again, cross-legged, with his elbows resting on his legs and his face hiding behind his hands. Merlin didn’t hold back, letting the tears flow freely as his body shook. He guessed he deserved it, after all, he had hidden his magic from Arthur, so it’s only normal that Arthur would hide things from him too.

He had been so foolish thinking that things between them would be alright, but how could they when Arthur didn’t trust him? It was all his fault. He should have told Arthur, but fear had stopped him, like something had stopped the king from asking Merlin to come with him.

“You’re an idiot if you think I don’t trust you,” he heard Arthur say, and he lifted his head to look at him.

oOoOo

Arthur felt something squeezing his heart when he saw the miserable look in Merlin’s face, and soon he was blinking back tears of his own, but he continued talking, regardless of how difficult it was to get the words out when his throat had seemed to close up.

“I trust you with my life, with the life of everyone in my kingdom, with the future of Camelot, with my heart. What I did wasn’t out of a lack of trust, it was out of fear. I thought Morgana was in danger, and I couldn’t let any harm come to her,” he said, but when he tried to open his mouth to speak again, Merlin cut him, his voice so weak that it hurt to hear it.

“But why didn’t you bring me with you?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t like it and that you would argue. You had told me to wait, but I couldn’t and I didn’t want to waste any more time,” he said, desperately trying to make Merlin see why he had done it.

“You could have taken me, you know that if you asked me I would move the mountains, conquer the sky and tame the sea for you. If you had told me how you felt I would have helped you without a word,” he said.

“I…” Arthur knew that, but in that moment all that he could think about was rescuing Morgana, he didn’t think about anything else, and that was the problem, “I didn’t think, I just acted.”

Tense seconds of silence passed where Merlin looked at him with so much pain in his eyes that Arthur wanted to hit himself for being so stupid. He could almost feel Merlin’s pain as if it were his own, because he knew how he would have been if the roles were reversed, if it were Merlin that had disappeared in the middle of the night.

Arthur would have gone mad with worry, no matter how capable Merlin was of taking care of himself.

“I’m sorry, I really am,” he said, crouching down in front of the sorcerer and taking his hands in his. “Never think that I don’t trust you, because I do, more than I trust myself. And you’re right, we’re past the hiding and all that, and I should have told you, for that, I’m sorry. I never meant for it to end like this, I just wanted to help my sister and I forgot that I had you by my side.” Arthur kissed his knuckles and smiled sadly at him. “Come on, I’ll let you call me a dollophead without sending you to the stocks.”

That managed to get a chuckle out of Merlin and with the sound some of the tension in the air dissipated. “You really are a dollophead,” Merlin said, and Arthur could hear the fondness in his voice.

“I don’t know what I did in my other life, but it must have been legendary because I certainly haven’t done anything worthy in this one to deserve you,” Arthur said, moving to stand up and pull Merlin with him by the hands.

“You’re right, I’m too good for you,” Merlin laughed wetly, sniffing and brushing his tears with his forearm, not letting go of Arthur.

Arthur gaped at him through his smile and said, “You can’t address me like that,” remembering the words he had said the first time they met.

Merlin didn’t disappoint when he answered, “Sorry. You’re right, I’m too good for you… my lord.”

“You were such an idiot back then,” Arthur laughed, throwing his head back, feeling lighter than before and dizzy with relief, knowing that they would be alright.

“You were such a prat back then, although, now that I think about it, you haven’t changed much, have you?” Merlin mocked, both of them chuckling, and Arthur shook his head.

“I love you so much,” he said, his heart so full of affection towards the man in front of him that he felt like it would burst any moment now.

“I love you too,” Merlin replied, a smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes. “but if you pull something like that again I swear the torture methods they use will be nothing compared to what I’ll do to you.”

“Well, you can always bind me to your bed, can’t you?” he whispered next to Merlin’s ear and enjoying way too much the shiver that run through the sorcerer’s body.

“I- Wh- I-” Merlin stuttered, his eyes wide and dark, probably having imagined the situation. “Oh god, you’re in so much trouble.” He finally said, a grin so wide in his face that it might split it open.

They kept staring at each other and soon they were resting their foreheads together, slowly moving to embrace each other. Arthur drank in the feeling of being in Merlin’s arms again like a thirsty man seeing water for the first time in days.

“Never leave me again, please,” Merlin said, his breath tickling the skin of his neck, his tone full of vulnerability.

“Never again, I promise, love, never again,” he said in earnest, vowing to himself that no matter what could happen in the future, they would deal with it together.

#merlin #merlin bcc #merthur #merlin x arthur #MERLIN FANDOM #Arthur Pendragon #fanfic #merthur fic #one shot #fanfiction #fic

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eastofthemoon · 3 years

Text

Feathered Friends

A silly one shot that wouldn’t leave my head.

Archive of Our Own

Rating: G

Series: The Owl House/Ducktales 2017

Summary: Luz tries something to get her back to the human realm, unfortunately the human part wasn't present.

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

Luz rubbed her hands eagerly as she looked over the handheld mirror. “Alright, mysterious device of arcane mystery, let’s see if you can bring me back to the human realm!’

“Are you sure you want to do this, kiddo?” Eda asked as she crossed her arm. “We know even less about this thing than your last portal attempt.”

“But the inscription says it leads to another world when you twist the handle,” Luz said as she clasped her hands.

“Doesn’t mean it’s the human realm,” Eda added. “There are plenty of bizarre worlds out there. For all we know this thing's connected to a world of man eating toe bats or something.”

“Where did you two find this outrageous ornament anyway?” King said as he poked the mirror.

“<i>We</i> didn’t,” Eda said with a deep sigh, shoving King’s paw away. “Hooty coughed it up and apparently doesn’t even remember where he picked it up. Not that he remembers much to begin with.”

King grimaced. “Yuck, he really needs to be more aware of what he eats.”

“Anyway,” Luz continued as she put her hands on her hips, “it’s still worth trying. Worst case it should lead back here, right?”

Eda sighed as she ruffled her hair. “All right, but I’m coming with you. King, how about you? Up for a little interdimensional exploration?”

“Naw,” King said as he left the room. “My tummy is craving hot chocolate and I’ve decided to graciously fulfill its demand.”

“Save some for me,” Luz said as she picked up the mirror. “This shouldn’t take long.”

“Well, those are some ominous last words, but let’s give it a go,” Eda said as she placed a hand on Luz’s shoulder.

Luz bit her lower lip as she gave the mirror handle a hard twist.

The mirror sparked madly, before suddenly erupting with blue energy. The mirror seemed to shine, and the energy formed into a swirling portal.

“Alright,” Luz said with a deep breath. “Here goes.” Holding the mirror close to her chest, Luz stepped through the portal together with Eda.

They found themselves in a room. A very normal human looking room with a bunk bed and human style clothes scattered around it.

Hope flickered in Luz's eyes. Was it possible? Had she made it home?! Did she-

Someone, not Eda, cleared their throat and Luz turned.

Her joy evaporated.

Four pairs of eyes were staring at her. Eyes belonging to what seemed to be humanoid ducks. One was wearing a pink dress with a cute bow, another wore a blue shirt and a stunned expression. The third wore a red hat and shirt and seemed to be working out what question to ask first, while the fourth wore a green hoodie and held a soda can.

“Um...Hi,” Luz said slowly with a nervous smile. “Please don’t freak-”

The duck in green growled as he rubbed his eyes and set down the soda can. The actual soda can, Luz found her eyes drawn to it. “Dewey, I thought you promised not to invite extra-dimensional beings into our bedroom again!”

“It wasn't me!” the duck, likely named Dewey, objected. “I mean, it was me that other time, but in my defense the number of views for my show have never been higher.”

“While that may be numerically true, that is strictly relative,” the duck with the red hat replied dryly. "The number of views were even higher that time you left the camera on for twenty minutes of Mrs. Beakley cleaning the carpet."

“Uh….” Luz said as Eda looked around.

“Talking ducks? Hey, I think I’ve been to this world,” Eda muttered.

Before Luz could ask what she meant, the duck with the cute bow bounced up to her.

“Hi, I’m Webby!” she greeted and pointed behind her. “That’s Louie, Dewey and Huey! What’s your name?”

“I’m Luz, and this is Eda the Owl Lady,” Luz replied, slightly amazed by her chipper attitude. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to barge in-”

“Boys, what was that noise?!” shouted a female voice with a British accent.

“One second,” Huey said as he poked his head out of the room. “A portal opened and now we've got visitors from another world.”

There was a brief pause. “Are they dangerous?”

Huey pulled his head back. “Hostile or non-hostile?”

“Well, some call me a foxy mama and I've slain many a heart, kiddo,” Eda said with a wink.

Huey raised an eyebrow and glanced at Luz. “Non-hostile then?”

Luz nodded as Huey poked his head out again.

“They’re not dangerous, Mrs. Beakley!” he shouted.

“Alright, I’ll be up once these dishes have been dealt with,” the voice shouted back.

“You guys are oddly calm about this,” Luz said as she tilted her head.

Louie scoffed as he shoved his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie. “Please, on average we get at least one weird portal opening in our house a month.”

“It was twice last month,” Dewey replied and shivered. “I still can’t get that centaur’s song out of my head.”

"Averages, Dewford!"

“Okay, then,” Luz said, wondering to herself exactly what kind of life these ducks had.

Huey pointed to the mirror in Luz’s hand. “So, given the evidence, my hypothesis is that this is what created the portal. It wasn't red, so I'm assuming it doesn't use the same method as the Solego circuit - is it magic? Runic designs, or some sort of divine blessing?”

Luz blinked and blushed realizing she had almost forgotten she was holding it.

“Uh, yeah, again sorry, we kind of just found it and were experimenting,” Luz said as she held it up. “I’ll just turn so we can-”

“Now, hold up, kiddo,” Eda said with a smirk. “I’ve been to this world before and it’s actually pretty fun. A lot more accepting of avian people than the Boiling Isles, if you catch my drift. It might actually be worth having a short visit here.”

“I can’t help but note you’re not asking our opinion here,” Louie asked. "I should really start charging tolls on interdimensional travel..."

Dewey stepped forward and pointed. “More importantly will you or will you not come onto my show for an interview?”

“How much are you willing to pay?” Eda said.

“Nevermind that,” Webby said as she grinned at Luz. “Are you a magic user?”

“I’m, er, a witch in training,” Luz said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Oooh, I should introduce you to Lena and Violet,” Webby continued. “We can compare notes - do you have a scrapbook of arcane secrets too?!”

“Oh really,” Luz said as her eyes sparked. That did sound like fun.

“Kids,” a female voice called out and another duck - female-sounding, wearing a pilot uniform - entered the room. “Beakley mentioned something about a portal-”

Suddenly, she gasped and pointed. “Eda Clawthorne! Is that you?”

Eda frowned and tilted her head. “You look kind of familiar? Do I know you? You're not a debt collector, right?”

The duck laughed and pointed at herself. “It’s me, Della Duck! Remember? I took your staff for a joyride? We had a bonding experience over nachos?”

Eda blinked, and a smile appeared as she snorted. “Della?! Ha! Wow, it’s been ages! You got old girl!”

Della laughed. “You're one to talk! Didn’t you have red hair?”

Eda snorted as she ran a hand through her hair. “True, but I am still a foxy mama though. Silver is in.”

“I have several questions,” Huey asked.

“And I smell the start of a delicious backstory,” Luz added as she rubbed her hands.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Della said. “Scrooge, Donald and I ran into her once during one of our adventures.”

Eda chuckled. “Yeah, that was a fun ride. Hey, did Scrooge ever get over the ‘you know what’?”

Della paused, and suddenly sucked air in and looked anywhere <i>but</i> Eda. “Yeah, about that. Great catching up and all, but you should probably leave before he hears that you’re here?”

Eda froze. “Y-you've got to be kidding. Don’t tell me that old coot is still alive-”

“EDA CLAWTHORNE!”

All heads turned and Luz spotted an old duck wearing a red jacket, a top hat on his head and an angry scowl on his face as he pointed a cane at the visitors.

“YOU HAVE SOME NERVE SHOWING UP HERE!”

“Oh boy,” Eda said as she grabbed Luz’s arm. “Time to go, kiddo!”

“What?” Luz cried. “But what about-”

“Oh, no you don’t!” Scrooge yelled as he wrapped his cane handle around Eda’s wrist. “YOU AREN’T GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL YOU RETURN THE COPPER PIPES YOU STOLE YOU SHIFTY SHORTCHANGING CHARLATAN!”

“Copper pipes?” Louie asked in disbelief. “Really? In this economy?”

Eda rolled her eyes as she wrapped her hands around the cane. “Aw come on, Scroogey no need to be so hostile-”

Scrooge snarled. “I have every right to be horrendously hostile you-”

“Even when I specifically came here - across the dimensional void - just to bring back those pipes?” Eda gestured to the corner of the room. “All six of them, right over there!”

“What?” Scrooge looked. “I don’t see-”

Eda kicked Scrooge off his cane and watched the duck tumble flat on his face.

“And that definitely makes it time to go!” Eda said as she took the mirror, twisted the handle and sparks started to fly. “Say your goodbyes, kid, because we are out of here!”

“Uh, okay,” Luz said as Eda pulled her towards the emerging portal. “Sorry about this!”

“No worries,” Webby said as Dewey helped Scrooge up. “Send me a letter! I've always wanted an extradimensional pen-pal!”

Luz could see Scrooge rallying to give chase, but her view was abruptly eclipsed by the swirling blue of the portal as she was pulled through. Both Eda and Luz collided at the foot of the couch as the portal disappeared behind them.

King sipped his hot chocolate as he peered over them from the couch.

“So! How was the site of my future conquest?” he asked.

Luz pointed an arm up. “Not the human realm, but we met some friendly talking ducks and I got Eda backstory so I'm still calling it a win.”

“And I got a free cane,” Eda declared as she waved the cane up in the air.

Luz narrowed her eyes. “You should really give that back.”

Eda snarked. “Luz, trust me, that guy has a ton of these things.” She held up in the air and fiddled with the handle. “I wonder if-”

A laser blazed out of the cane's tip without warning. Hooty yelped, spiraling out of the way it shot through the wall behind him.

“...Oooh, Mama like,” Eda cooed, eyes sparkling as she raced outside. “Let’s see what this bad boy can do!”

“Mass destruction! Untold mayhem! Unfettered obliteration! It's my turn next!” King shouted as he gave chase.

Luz sighed as she put down the mirror. “Alright, so...I can check off the mirror at least. Not a way home, but not bad. Maybe leave the Owl Lady here next time.”

Luz heard more blasts being fired, and the growing sounds of rampaging fires. She briefly considered going outside to reduce the carnage, but decided it might be better to write that letter to Webby instead.

#ducktales 2017 #the owl house #toh #dt 2017 #my writing

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lifeistooshorttowasteyourtime · 4 years

Text

Different worlds, same heart - Chapter 6

Chapter summary: The charms course has come to an end and it’s time to say goodbye although (Y/N) is not ready yet, Tina and the Scamander brothers too close to her heart. In a most personal farewell, she finds herself wanting to delay her return to Hogwarts while Theseus holds her in his warm embrace, admitting he’s also going to miss her.

PART 1 – PART 2 – PART 3 – PART 4 – PART 5

***

“Don’t hold back” (Y/N) smiled at her opponent.

Theseus smiled back and the both of them started to throw spells at each other, some verbal, some not, putting in practice what (Y/N) had taught the Aurors in those last weeks. The rest of the group observed them fighting, not knowing which one could win.

After good ten minutes, Theseus threw a non-verbal spell which made her fly back and, before colliding with the floor, Newt caught her. She smiled up at him and then at his older sibling who was panting a bit tired. The rest of Aurors started to clap, which (Y/N) joined smiling brightly.

“Well, I think I can’t teach you anything else. If you need any more help with the spells, your leader is fit enough to help you out” they all laughed and Theseus bowed jokingly “it’s been a pleasure working with you all, really, and I can’t thank you enough how comfortable and welcome you’ve made me feel in the last weeks. I’m going back to Hogwarts, but if you need anything, I’m a jump away. Thank you so much to you all and good luck”.

The room erupted in claps, all of them approached (Y/N) to say goodbye in a more personal note, making her tear up a bit because of the warm farewell from the Aurors. The Scamander brothers and Tina waited till the end, not really knowing how to say goodbye.

“Oh no, I’m not ready to say goodbye to you three just yet” she said looking briefly a Theseus “I would like you to come to have dinner at my home, if you want of course. Don’t want to impose at all”.

Tina smiled brightly “it will be a pleasure!”.

(Y/N) smiled back and looked at the brothers who nodded “count on us” said Theseus.

The woman blushed with a small laugh and the four of them talked about the details for that night meeting.

“See you tonight” said the older Scamander once they were going to part ways at the door of her house.

“I’m looking forward to it” she smiled happily before turning to step into the building.

Theseus chuckled watching her disappear and kept a small smile while going back to his own house. There, he couldn’t help but think about the times she had been there, at the beginning because of her nightmares but then because they just enjoyed each other company. Those walls had known her tears, her laughs, her confidences and vulnerability. And he turned sad. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye either.

That night, Theseus picked up Newt and Tina before leading them to (Y/N)’s house who welcomed them warmly.

“It smells amazing, (Y/N)” Tina said when they stepped into the living room.

“Oh, thank you, dear. I’m not the best when it comes about cooking but I’ve learnt a thing or two back in Hogwarts, some elves are quite chatty. Please, get yourself comfortable!”.

“I have to go down the suitcase to feed some creatures” Newt mumbled shyly.

“May I go with you?” (Y/N) asked with big eyes.

The magizoologist was surprised but nodded with a smile.

They all ended up going down the staircase, Theseus wasn’t much a fan but enjoyed seeing his brother discussing with (Y/N) about some of the creatures and how Newt gravitated towards Tina who couldn’t stop smiling in Newt’s presence. Theseus chuckled watching how his little brother fell in love even more with the brave Auror. Meanwhile, he couldn’t help but admire how (Y/N) was fascinated with every creature, a special spark in her eyes and a permanent face of amazement.

Once they were all having dinner at (Y/N)’s dinning room, they all talked about their future plans, without mentioning the possibility of a futile future if Grindelwald won.

“I know I’m going to get old in Hogwarts” the professor said “I can’t imagine myself doing another thing”.

“As I do with creatures” Newt added with a small smile.

“You would be a good teacher of Care of Magic Creatures”.

“I-I don’t see myself being-being a teacher”.

“I said you would be, not you should be” she smiled at him “you are a free spirit after all. But I’m going to pester the director to make your book the basic one for that subject”.

Newt blushed but smiled at her with thankfulness.

Tina had to go back home before midnight so both women embraced each tightly, promising to write each other and visit as soon as they could. Newt, as the gentleman he was, offered himself to go with Tina. (Y/N) and the magizoologist shared a short hug as an expression of the affection they had harbour for each other in the last weeks, promising to keep in contact. Besides, Newt knew his brother wanted to have his own goodbye.

Theseus helped (Y/N) to clean up after the dinner in the muggle way, wanting to stretch the time they still had.

“If you… If I asked you again to join the Aurors, would you?” Theseus asked when they both were drinking a cup of tea while chatting in the living room, she titled her head smiling and he coughed “Miss (Y/S), would you kindly reconsider to occupy a position between our lines in the Auror department? It would be a pleasure to work along side such a brilliant mind”.

(Y/N) laughed letting her head fall backwards a bit, remembering all the times Theseus had asked the same in the past and making him smile brightly “you know my answer but… You’ve made me doubt for a moment. Made me see myself working with you”.

Theseus shook his head “if I have made that, I’m terribly proud of it”.

She smiled and nodded “you should, yeah. But you make it easy. I mean, I…” she blushed looking down, her shy side coming out again. He sighed and put his hand over hers calling her attention “I’m going to miss you”.

(Y/N) pressed her lips into a thin line and wrapped her arms around his torso, pressing her face against his shoulder. Theseus hugged her back immediately and kissed her hair, not an unknown act from him. She sighed and flexed her fingers against his back before pulling away slightly to look at his eyes “I’m going to miss you too”.

Both of them smiled but decided it was time to part ways and they went to the main door. She smiled sadly at him and crossed her arms over her chest, feeling lonely suddenly “promise to write. I think I’m going to go mad worrying about your role as leader of the Aurors”.

“Don’t worry too much, concentrate in teaching the future generations”.

“Don’t ask me not to worry about you, I hold you dear, you know?”.

Theseus smiled and she uncrossed her arms shaking her head while her cheeks turned red. He observed her and decided to take both her hands between his, making her look up at him shyly.

“I promise to inform you of my wellbeing, I hope to hear about how much the kids learn with you”.

(Y/N) laughed and squeezed his hands a bit. He smiled and kissed her forehead softly before pulling away completely, their hands losing their hold slowly.

“See you soon, (Y/N)” he smiled.

“See you soon, Theseus”.

He disappeared in the night while she sighed closing her door. She put her hand over her chest and closed her eyes hoping it would slow down.

The return to Hogwarts was marvellous, she had truly missed the school and the children so going back to the routine wasn’t that difficult. But to be totally truthful, she sometimes missed teaching the Aurors. Actually, she missed her time with her friends. And the one that was more even though her head told her not to admit what her heart desired.

Three weeks later, in which she exchanged letters with Tina, Newt and Theseus, she was in her class with Hufflepuffs and Slytherins when a silver figure flew by the window. One of the students opened it and the figure went to (Y/N) but, before it could say anything, it disappeared.

“Professor, what was that?” a boy asked with curiosity.

“That was a Patronus, McArdle. You will learn it in Defence against Dark Arts” she coughed before looking at the children of first year “I’m afraid the class has to end now. Go back to your common rooms, please. Not homework for tomorrow”.

(Y/N) alerted Dumbledore and the director with her own patronus before going outside of Hogwarts and apparated to the ministry, her heart telling her she would find Theseus there waiting for her.

#theseus scamander #theseus #theseus scamander x reader #theseus scamander fanfic #theseus scamander fanfiction #theseus scamander imagine #theseus scamander imagines #fantastic beasts and where to find them

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drumboydowoon · 4 years

Text

Woof Woof | Stray Kids Au

Chapter Four / Too Many Convenient and Awkward Run Ins

Werewolf!Chan au

Warning / language

Words / 5.3K+

Masterlist

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What did you get yourself into this time…?

The question repeats itself over and over again. There’s no point in trying to make sense of it. Maybe if you give yourself some time, the pieces will magically fall into place and everything will become clear somehow. All you want to do right now is wash the dirt and crunched up leaves out of your hair.

Unfortunately, this isn’t where you normally live, so you have none of your own products to use. Now you get to use the men’s shampoo and body wash, which is even more unfortunate. You can only hope the musky smell isn’t overpowering for people to notice.

Lost in your own world while washing out the soap, you don’t register the first knock on the door. It’s not until the second louder knock, that you jump and your foot slips on the wet tile. A yelp escapes you as you lose balance. Thankfully, you’re smart enough to grab onto the rail attached to the wall, or you might have had a painful accident. By the time you steady yourself, your heart is racing in your chest.

“Are you okay??” Chan’s unwelcomingly familiar voice calls from the other side of the bathroom door, which you instantly recognize as his. What’s worse than having a heart attack because someone caught you off guard while you’re just trying to get clean? Having Chan being the someone catching you off guard.

Shakily, you pull back the shower curtain so he can hear you from outside the streaming water, “Yes?” you answer, thinking you’re probably okay, but the hesitance in your tone tells you otherwise. This already feels like it’s going to be weird.

“You kinda left in a hurry, so I uhm… figured you might need a towel and some new clothes,” he guesses, not exactly knowing what to say. Not only is talking to someone through a door awkward enough, but it’s extremely awkward talking to the person, who just found out you’re a supernatural being.

Ever since he woke up, his mind has been foggy with flashes of hazy memories resurfacing slowly, but surely. Not everything is entirely clear, but he can piece how things may have gone down last night. The worst image he can remember is you in the middle of the woods, desperately scampering away from him. For some awful reason, he remembers seeing the fear on your face.

He’s felt guilty ever since he started to recall some of the previous night’s events, and now he has no clue how to act. Well, he’s never known how to act around you in the first place since you’ve never been close with each other. All hopes of getting to know each other though, are probably thrown out the window now that you might end up hating them all.

You furrow your brow. Honestly, you hadn’t even thought about asking for any of those things. That was the last thing on your mind at the time. An odd pause later, you finally respond to him, “A-alright, just leave them outside the door please....” There’s no way in hell that you’re going to open the door for him.

There’s some shuffling around on his end, then a second later he calls out to you again, “Okay!” You figure that he must have set the clothes down onto the ground by now. He’s still standing outside, mustering up the courage to keep talking, “Do you need anything else?” he asks, wondering if he’s forgetting anything, even though you never asked him to bring anything to you in the first place.

You shake your head before you realize that he can’t see you and that he actually needs to hear you. “Nope! All good,” you rush out a little too quickly and you cringe at it. Can you be anymore obvious?

“Alright, I’m just gonna go then...” he mumbles, but it’s loud enough that you can still hear it through the door that separates you. He stays in place for a second longer, waiting for he doesn’t even know what until he shakes it off and heads off. As he leaves, he murmurs curses to himself and repeats all the embarrassing things he said.

Mentally, you sigh in relief when you hear his footsteps fading down the hall. To be honest, you’re not sure how much longer you can keep calm (even though earlier interactions proved you weren’t calm at all). But you’ve managed to not make a run for it so far. It’s surprising, really. You know that the newfound discoveries are something to frighten, but there’s so much going on, you can’t feel scared at all. The fight or flight response has disappeared and you wish it would return from holiday. Because then at least you wouldn’t feel the searing hot fumes going through your mind.

The boys have been acting completely different from last night and are actually being quite normal. It’s good to see, but you still can’t shake off the fact that they still hurt and, most importantly, lied to you. Yes, you’re still worried, but that does not overweigh the feeling of betrayal and many other words to describe how utterly infuriated and upset you are.

Finally turning off the shower, you ring the water out of your hair and step out. Hastily, you walk over to the door while the cool air breezes against your body, making you shiver with each step. When you open the bathroom door, you glance down both ends of the hall to make sure no one’s in sight. When the coast is clear, you slip the clothes and fluffy towel inside the bathroom.

It doesn’t take very long to dry off and get dressed. The clothes feel baggy and much bigger than your normal clothes. The orange-red flannel stops midway down your thighs while the sleeves conceal any evidence of you having hands. And the sweats you’re wearing are barely being held up by the pull string you’ve had to really tighten around your waist.

Whoever’s clothes these may be, should really get some clothes that actually fit them. You know for a fact that none of these boys are wearing clothes this big. They’re all tiny. The only exception would be Hyunjin, but you know damn well that he doesn’t live here, so he’s out of the picture.

Once you finish getting dressed, you cautiously step out of the bathroom and check to see if anyone is around. Once you see that you are clear from any surprises, you make your way down the hallway. Just as you’re about to turn a corner that would lead you to the stairs, someone else rounds the corner as well, scaring you perfectly half to death. A yelp escapes you for probably the hundredth time this morning, but you quickly shut yourself up by covering your mouth.

The two of you don’t collide into each other, thankfully. He manages to hit the brakes before he could send one of you, or both of you, crashing down. You look up, and your eyes widened. Chan stands in front of you with a grimace as he stammers for an apology for multiple evident reasons. Both of you are standing in such close proximity that at some point, he accidentally swipes up his hand to push back his hair because that’s what boys do when they’re nervous wrecks, which ends up brushing against your stomach and over the scars hiding underneath the clothing.

The sudden touch makes you wince a gasp because of the stinging sensation that follows afterwards. Chan’s not even sure what he did, but he’s profusely letting another round of apologies fall from his mouth. Then it occurs to him that he might’ve touched some kind of injury or something sensitive, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to. I-I” it takes a moment and a deep breath to calm himself down. All while you’re just standing there, awkwardly avoiding eye contact with him.

He sighs to himself, “God, I’m probably scaring you right now… Good job…” he mumbles mostly to himself while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

That wasn’t entirely true. In fact, it was more funny than anything seeing him get so flustered. Yet you still can’t shake off that certain feeling and you can’t drop your guard quite yet. So instead of laughing like you would’ve had if this was a normal circumstance (which it is not) your gaze drops to the floor and your mouth keeps itself in a thin line.

Chan mutters a few more things to himself that are undecipherable before finally settling down. “Are you okay?” he calmly asks with a soft voice, much different than the one he used when asking if you were dead when he scared the shit out of you earlier. You only nod in response, watching your shoes kick at the air. His tone is sympathetic, “I saw the scratches earlier... Here, let me help you clean them. You don’t wanna get them infected,” he says, ready to grab your arm and drag you away.

Your mind immediately goes into overdrive and forces panic down your throat. Before he could pull you away, you take a step back and give him a deadly, shaking look. For a moment, the briefest expression of hurt crosses his face, but he brushes it off just as fast. “At least get Minho or Ji to clean them out…” he says, somewhat disappointed, “I mean it when I say that they’ll get infected,” he states. He stands there a second longer than he should’ve, but he needs to make sure you know that he’s serious. Then moments later, he walks past you, seemingly eager to get out of that weird situation.

You huff as soon as he leaves. A heavy weight lounges around your chest, feeling guilty that you brushed him off like that. Then again, this is the same guy who pinned you to a tree and was almost about to make you into a chew toy. You had every right to be wary of him touching you.

So with that in mind, you march downstairs and make your way to the kitchen, where two of your non-wolf friends would hopefully be. You decide that it’s best to take Chan’s advice and get one of the boys to help you disinfect your wounds, or who knows what will happen. Besides, it’s not like you can do it when you get back to campus, or you are sure your roommate will have a bucket load of questions to shoot at you.

When you arrive at the kitchen, Jisung’s the only one there. He sits alone at the table, staring off into space with his pink sleeve covered hand holding his chin. He snaps out of his thoughts when he hears your footsteps coming closer. Perking up, he stands from his chair and almost knocks it backwards. “F-feel better now?” he asks as a conversation starter, ignoring how he almost tipped over the furniture.

“Somewhat,” you answer half-heartedly. Jisung nods his head in thought, seemingly getting lost in his own world again. Before he dazes off again, you speak up, “You guys wouldn’t happen to have any peroxide or rubbing alcohol, would you?”

His face scrunches up, “Why do you need that?”

Rolling your eyes, you lazily lift the baggy shirt you’re wearing to reveal your waist and stomach littered with marks. Jisung’s eyes almost pop out of his head, “Oh my god! That looks fucking gross!” His eyes continue to wander over the terrain of your skin, scanning over the thin, yet long, narly tears in your skin like it's the latest attraction.

“Not like you look any better, scar face,” you let go of the bundle of cloth and let the shirt drop back down while giving Jisung the finger. Sighing, you run a hand through your wet hair, “I don’t even remember getting these.” A lot happened, so there’s probably a lot of other things that escaped your memory.

Jisung continues to look down at your, now covered torso, in thought, “Hold on, I think I remember where we put the band aids and stuff. One sec,” he mumbles, stalking off towards one of the many cabinets behind the kitchen counter. He digs through them until he finds just what he’s looking for. He bundles up a few items in his arms and carries them back to the table, letting them all fall from his hold at once.

He holds up a brown bottle of peroxide, shaking it towards you while he raises his other hand with some dressings, “You do me, I do you?” he puffs out his bottom lip, where there’s an obvious crack. For a second you stare, then shrug because there’s no harm in fixing his fucked up face that’s trashed with both gashes and a bit of blooming purple bruising.

The two of you both move the chairs so you’re facing each other. First you open up the brown bottle and dip in a q-tip that Jisung brought in his little bundle, and dip it in. After you wet it, Jisung follows suit, and wets a cloth instead. He reaches for the edge of your shirt, “Can I?” he asks. You simply nod, then he lifts part of the fabric just enough to reveal your wounds again.

He’s first to feel the sting of the alcohol against his cheek. Flinching, he pulls back momentarily, but proceeds to do the same to you once he becomes used to the feeling of you touching him. Without fail, both of you grumble curses through the pain. And every few seconds one of you swears at the other for using too much pressure.

During one particularly painful slap to the arm because Jisung couldn’t stop squirming, Minho steps into the room, watching the both of you with a weird mix of amusement and confusion. He announces his presence by clearing his throat. Eyes snap to him like they’re children who were just caught doing something they shouldn’t be.

“You’re looking awfully you again, Y/n,” he comments, noticing how you’ve significantly calmed down from your freak out earlier. He’s not sure if he should be thankful or concerned about the sudden shift. You agree with him. It’s strange. Maybe this is what “being in shock” means.

“What? Rather me scream and cuss at you for leaving me down in the basement with a bunch of werewolves?” the word still feels foreign on your tongue, and it nearly makes you want to laugh just saying it.

Both Minho and Jisung freeze in place, eyes bulging out of their sockets. You raise a brow at them, impatiently waiting for an explanation. That should’ve been the first thing you asked since crawling out of their basement, but it somehow slipped your mind when you panicked. Now that your mind is a little more aligned, you can properly question everything that has led to this moment, starting with an interrogation on why they thought it was a good idea to trap you with three very dangerous men without any precaution whatsoever.

While their mouths gaped open, searching for a possible explanation like a bunch of fish out of water, two other bodies come rounding the corner seconds later.

“You did WHAT?!” Chan’s voice squeaks as Hyunjin follows closely and just in as much shock as the elder. His mouth hangs open, lacking the ability to believe they actually did that.

Adding more fuel to the already growing fire, Hyunjin points out, “You know… None of us were chained up like we were supposed to be when we woke up.” Crossing his arms across his chest, Hyunjin, along with you and Chan, look towards the two expectantly for a good explanation.

The duo in question are stunned in place, one stumbling for an explanation, while the other goes bug-eyed with no clue how to respond. Luckily, the latter’s silence doesn’t sit for long, which is really good for Minho. Jisung knows how to open his big mouth at the wrong times and right times. “Not like we had a choice since you wouldn’t let go of your brand new Y/n sized plushy...” he blurts out, mumbling the last part as he slowly begins to realize what he said. Immediately, Jisung shuts his mouth and finds the corner of the room far more interesting than this conversation. He can already feel the tension in the ever suffocating atmosphere.

Hyunjin bursts into laughter, and in that moment, Chan’s entire face lights up with embarrassment. The only thing he can manage to do is stare in disbelief since all forms of communications seemed to have completely shut down in that big brain of his.

Figuring it would be best if he tries to fix this mess, if only a little bit, Minho speaks up, “It’s not like we just left you down there without any precautions,” he assures you, “We obviously used the Diazepam, so you guys would stay down for the night. We’re not that stupid,” he says, sounding like he’s not entirely stupid. Keyword: sounding. Not too convincing.

“So you were using drugs!” you exclaim at the fact that they told you many times that drugs weren’t the issue.

Hyunjin groans, ignoring you all together “No wonder I feel like I have a hangover. How much did you use?”

“How much do you think it takes to knock out a super powered werewolf for the rest of the night?” Minho hints, letting him take a wild guess that they had to use a lot of the calming drug.

Drugged or not, it doesn’t make it okay that two of your so called “friends” left you alone, in a basement, with werewolves (that you still can’t fully grasp the idea of). Something deep within the back of your mind stirs and it’s only getting hotter by the second. While the group of boys continue their heated debate about how they shouldn’t have let this happen in the first place, Hyunjin can’t help but think. This technically never would have happened if…

Glancing over to you, Hyunjin calls attention to you and him, “We wouldn’t even be having this conversation right now if a certain someone never came over in the first place,” he notes while having absolutely no idea who you are. The most he remembers being told is that you’re a friend of theirs, but that’s all really. He didn’t care much when you became the topic of conversation since you sounded like such an utterly boring prude.

Suddenly all eyes are once again making their way back to you. You scoff at the accusation. It’s true. Maybe none of the night’s events would have happened if you never showed up, but you know full and well that they can’t entirely place fault on you. “Really? It’s not like I just decided to come over out of the blue! I literally asked Felix if I could come over, so I could give him the notes he missed in class, and he said it was fine!” you argue heatedly, “And like hell I was going to bike all the way out here in the middle of nowhere just to be ignored after I was told I could come over. Do you know how exhausting that is, especially after working for a few hours?!”

By the time you finish your rant, you’re out of breath. But most importantly, you’re pissed off. Looks of surprise run across their faces, which only serves as something to make you even more heated. Did Felix not say anything on purpose? Is that why he’s not in sight whatsoever? He probably didn’t want to face the consequences for being so dumb in the moment. Somewhere deep down though, you wish he was here too. But then again, you most likely would yell at him too.

There’s complete silence and you’re getting tired of the quiet. Giving up, you turn away and walk, beginning to head for the front door again. “I’m leaving,” you declare, each step you take leaves a stomp of many frustrations.

That deep feeling at the back of your mind is on fire now, readying to explode at any moment. You thought that a shower would calm down your thoughts somewhat, and they did. But rather than being the awkwardly scared person you were before, you’re now seriously furious and lost.

“Y/n,” Minho tries to call out to you, but you ignore him this time. You couldn’t even be bothered enough to tell them to fuck off. You pick up your bag that was left by the front door, and sling it over our shoulder.

At last, you’re able to open the front door without trouble. The cool breeze hits your face like a refreshing breath of air. Behind you, you can hear a few hushed whispers, but you ignore it. Just as you’re about to take your first step outside, a hand places itself on your shoulder, spinning you around to face Hyunjin’s glowering face, inches away from your own.

He looks downright menacing with that resting bitch face. “You’re not going to tell anyone about this, are you?” he asks, sounding almost threatening. Something tells you that you better answer correctly, or you can expect not so good things in your near future.

Taking a step back, you scoff while shoving his hold off of you. “Don’t touch me,” you hiss, giving him the glaring of a lifetime.

“I don’t really know who you are, but if you’re really their friend, you’ll learn to keep your mouth shut,” he closes the distance between the two of you again. He stares down at you, not appreciating the sass you gave him at all.

“Hyunjin, that’s enough,” Chan raises his voice from behind him. Arms crossed with authority.

From Chan’s right, Jisung sees a figure quickly approaching. His mouth drops open, trying to find the words, but Hyunjin’s voice cuts through as he looks down at you like you’re nothing but a stain on his shoe. “You know what happens when you tell friend’s secrets, right? They always-”

Before Hyunjin can even finish, he’s yanked away from you, leaving nothing but a gust of air in his absence. Suddenly, his body is slammed into the wall next to you with none other than Felix pinning him against it with his arm holding down his chest. “Chan said that’s enough,” he warns, his voice deep and vibrating. It’s surprising to see Felix. He’s the last person you expected to come to your rescue. You thought for sure that he would never show his face to you again.

All Hyunjin does is stare back defiantly, like he’s holding back a storm of anger. After a few seconds of heavy breathing and awkward silence, Hyunjin rolls his eyes, shoving the younger away, “Whatever. I’m getting my shit and going home. If she peeps a word, we’re done for. I hope you all realize that,” he advises, looking between the only other two werewolves in the room.

Felix takes a step back to allow the other to move past. The only cost for Hyunjin’s safe passage upstairs is the dark looks looming in the eyes of all watching him stomp away. Felix watches him walk until he’s completely out of sight. When he turns back to the group, he avoids everyone’s stares, opting to look anywhere but you or the others.

“I think I should get going,” you say, breaking the tension to focus it all back onto you again. You turn to leave again. Just as you take a step outside, Chan calls out to you one last time, “He’s right, you know? Please don’t mention this to anyone.”

Unlike Hyunjin, Chan’s words don’t feel like a threat, but rather a request. There’s really no need to sound so pleading. To be entirely truthful, you’re still sorting your thoughts. Besides, who would you even tell that would actually believe you? Werewolves? If you even brought it up, you’d for sure be labeled as the town’s crackcase. Even if you did have someone who believed you, what would be the point? Sure you were banged up a bit, but you’re not dead yet.

“Don’t worry. My mouth is sealed,” you sigh, surprised that any one of them were able to hear it. Felix, who is looking like a kicked puppy, perks up the slightest, yet he still refuses to look into your eyes. Not wanting to talk anymore, you finally take another step forward to begin your long journey back home.

As you walk toward the front gate, you happen to come across your now totally wrecked bike. The poor thing has dents in it that make it nearly unrideable. But if there’s a will, there’s a way. So with very poor judgement, and after walking it past the iron gate, you hop on the crooked seat and pedal, hoping that the frame doesn’t crush underneath you. It would be very unfortunate if your trusty steed gave up on you now.

It takes some time before you reach sweet civilization again. All werewolf and liar thoughts are far from your mind and where you abandoned them. The only thing on your brain is how you’ve never appreciated the warmth and softness of your shitty mattress until now. You miss it dearly, even if it does give you back problems.

As your bike wobbles down the road, and you earn a few stares from passerbyers, you pass by your work. Mentally, you thank the almighty force above that you don’t have to work tonight. You’re not sure you could handle the stress of having to deal with the fact that you’re friends with a dog, along with some petty teenagers trying to prove that they’re 21 with those baby faces of theirs. It’s a cute attempt, but it never works.

By the time you finally make it back to your dorm, your legs are exhausted and you feel like your entire body is weighing you down. Usually you would take the stairs to get to your room, so you can avoid the awkwardness of being in a full elevator with a bunch of girls who are trying to sneak out their boyfriends (very poorly done by the way).

When you open the door to your shared room, you are almost immediately bombarded with the smell of heavy perfume. It’s not a terrible smell. There’s just too much of it.

“Jesus, what are you trying to do? Smoke out the whole building?” you ask as you step into the room. You shrug off your bag and toss it onto your bed along with the rest of your body. A heavy sigh leaves you as you rejoice that you’re finally home.

Your roommate, and somewhat close friend, Yerim, rolls her eyes. She doesn’t even bother to look at you, instead she finishes painting the cherry lipstick on her lips, “Nice to see you’re back,” she comments, “Did you have fun at your boyfriend’s last night?” she asks, putting the cap back onto the tube and placing it down on her desk.

“First of all, Felix isn’t my boyfriend. That would be like dating my brother, and that’s a disgusting thought. Secondly, how did you know that’s where I was?”

Yerim snorts, “You somehow knew exactly who I was talking about,” she laughs a little more, “I just figured you would go where you always go. It’s not like you actually do much.” Ah, her deduction skills are on point as always.

You raise a brow at her through the mirror she’s looking at. Her vanity is covered with different products and a few stray pencils and pens. In front of her sits a laptop, playing some news channel as her white noise. Honestly, Yerim is probably one of the prettiest girls you know. Whether she’s bare faced or covered in makeup, she still manages to turn heads in her direction. Maybe you would envy her if she didn’t have every guy that comes into contact with her, hit on her and try to get a number. Sounds too annoying to deal with.

“What about the other ones? I’m sure that dude… what’s his name again? Minjun? Mingi??” she tuts out her lip, trying to remember the name, “The one who acts like a cat.”

It’s sad that she can’t remember your friend’s names, but it’s even sadder that you know exactly who she’s referring to. “Minho?” you finally throw her the bone.

“Yeah him! Anyways, I think he’s into you, isn’t he?” she asks, clearly unaware of your distaste of dating any one of your friends.

Groaning, “He’s not my boyfriend either, and he’s not into me either.” You’re quick to shut down any of that kind of conversation. Not only is it weird to think about your friends like that, but also because you rather avoid talking about them all together. “Can we talk about something else? Like why are you getting all dressed up all of a sudden?” Changing the subject to make it about her is the only way to escape the awkwardness of boys.

“Me? Well, would you be surprised if I said I had a date?”

“Nope. Not at all-”

“We’re now at the scene, where the body was found in Blackbear Park. It was found earlier this morning when a jogger ran past it and saw the mauled body hidden behind a tree. We are unsure of what the cause is, but the police are suspecting an animal wandered from the surrounding forest and attacked the unidentified person late last night,” the reporter’s voice broadcasts throughout the room, being much more than just simple white noise. It cuts through any talk and focuses all attention onto the information being spread.

Yerim finally looks down at her laptop to watch the report. There’s a small frown on her lips, “That sounds awful, dear god. Hey, didn’t you pass that park on your way back?” Looking away from the laptop, she faces you with a questioning gaze.

That does sound terrible. The thought is too gruesome for your liking. You sit up a little, bending your elbows behind you, “No, I went a different way so I wouldn’t get caught up with all the traffic. I guess it’s a good thing I went that way.” A really good thing. You could only imagine the amount of people and officers surrounding the scene. Being caught up is the last thing you need to top off the day.

Yerim nods thoughtfully, “That’s good. I’m glad that you got back safe. Who knows what I would do if you were to get eaten by a bear. Who would be my wing woman then?” she sighs, staring at you for a second. She can’t hold her expression of seriousness for long, and she ends up giggling. You take hold of one of the pillows on your bed and throw it in her direction, causing her to raise her arms and protect herself from the attack, “Hey! I don’t think you realize how much time I wasted trying to get these wings to look even!” she shrieks, pointing to her winged eyeliner.

Chuckling, you roll over to your side to cuddle into your sheets. “Thanks for caring about me so much,” the sarcasm couldn’t be more obvious. It almost feels nice having a normal conversation. Laughing right now is a little strange, but you’re glad Yerim was able to take your mind off all the madness, even if it is for a moment.

The older girl scoffs, “Just for that, I’m going to ask about the boy clothes you’re wearing. So which guy is it from, hm?” she teasingly hints.

“Oh my god shut up,” you groan into the mattress.

101 notes · View notes

moonlightjeno · 4 years

Text

the chemistry of water | l.j

𝕡𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 :: swimmer!jeno x reader

𝕨𝕔 :: 7k

𝕒/𝕟 :: this was inspired by @smoljh swimmer!jeno timestamp. which you can read here. this is literally just pure fluff. fluff, fluff, fluff with like a couple cups of angst because i’m whipped for jeno... so enjoy.

masterlist

water, like most chemical compounds, was made up of hydrogen bonds, these weak bonds that formed between the hydrogen atoms and the oxygen gave a sense of magic that even though weak when working together managed to create something beautiful, elegant, fluid and strong incapable of being crushed.

Chemicals, and bonds were much like relationships. Formed slowly by a weak attempt to make conversation, the awkward silence that filled the library hall as you, well you both attempted to start a conversation on how the tutoring of chemistry would go. The first reach and attempt of a forming bond between the two people that are alway initiated by someone else, a push of pull in the right direction all to lead you to the collision that would alter one’s life track.

It’s been halfway through freshman year when your professor had asked, well more like demanded you tutor the university top swimmer. The idea of tutoring had always been fascinating to you, well not fascinating more like something that seemed to be out of your comfort zone, one that you’d promised yourself you’d finally leave once college started. That had been 4 months ago, and you remained inside that bubble, talking to your roommate and her friends at most. So when the idea of tutoring someone had been brought up to you, the initial push that would cause the collision of two very different particles to bind together, you agreed with a small smile.

“y/n, you’d have to work with him at least three times a week if he wants to get his grades up. He’s a promising student, just has a lot on his plate” your professor told you, voice calm and direct at what you would have to do. You nod, happy to be able to help, that is until you ask who you’re supposed to tutor and your professors look at you with a smile, “lee jeno”.

You're almost sure, you can feel the bonds that kept you together on that long day of classes, the single cup of coffee in your system doing little to keep you up, as the name of the school's most popular boy leaves the old man’s lips.

Well not the most popular boy, if you’re being honest, more like the boy that your roommate wouldn’t shut up about. The boy that everyone in your class, more like your whole year and the year above, seemed to be infatuated by because of his eye smile and dark hair. The boy who, in your opinion, managed to break the hydrogen bonds that held the water molecules together, as he swam beating record after record after record.

Bonds. A new sort of bond would be formed between the infamous lee jeno and you as you texted him that afternoon, a simple “hey” that had taken you at least ten minutes to actually send.

A day. It took a day for a response to come to your phone, which meant a day of you being slightly stressed about the boy you had texted out of the blue with no actual context. Though you had debated if you should have messaged him something along the lines of “it’s y/n, i was asked to tutor you” but by the time you’d had thought of actually texting him that, it had been hours since you’d first texted and decided that it would just be awkward if another message was sent hours later the first one. It was stressful, waiting for a random boy who you knew of, who you’d see pass you in the hallway, smile always bright as he waved to those around him. Tending to be accompanied by a boy who’s hair changed color like the year’s seasons. It was almost winter, and Jeno's best friend now had blue hair, and you wondered more often that not good looking people would automatically be attracted to each other, and stick together.

The bell rings, a shrill in your ears, masking the silent vibrations of your phone as it buzzes. You don’t hear the noise of it’s vibration, paying attention to the shrieking noise of the bell while attempting to listen to your professors instructions on the lab work that would have to be completed by next week. The paper’s scattered around your desk, take a while to pick up and you’re almost sure you’re the last person to leave the room, the professor had rushed off to the next class once he’d finished with the instructions, and it’s not until you hear a buzzing noise again that you check your phone.

“Hey?” is the first thing you read, the caller i.d. ‘Unknown’ because you had totally forgotten to label it as jeno, with the nerves of actually getting an answer. Unlocking your phone, you send the small question marks before realizing that it indeed was jeno, and introducing yourself.

The messages were a mess, and though your professor had initiated the initial push towards the bonds that would be formed, the world couldn’t help it seemed to make you two struggle a little more. For bonds to form, they have to reach an activation energy, crashing with enough energy, in specific positions. Slowly were the particles of you and jeno beginning to move towards each other, if it hadn’t been for the stream of awkwards texts you sent a failed attempt to explain what was going on.

You hear a faint chuckle from somewhere in the room and look up. It was weird to have someone still in the class after hours, the only reason you were still in class was because you couldn’t find your notebook, that had today’s notes and didn’t really have anyone to get the notes from.

The phone in your hand vibrates again, the little “jeno has laughed at your message” icon appearing on your phone, and you looked around again as the small giggle was heard. The room was huge, fitting around 200 students a lecture so the soft giggles, which you found adorable to say the least, could have been coming from anywhere that is until you spotted a dark head, back towards you, the hoodie the boy wore had “lee jeno” written on it, while varsity swim team wrapped around the bottom of the hoodie and if it weren’t for the desk that you leaned against you could have sworn that you might have just hidden underneath your chair.

The sound that came from your phone, a small “ring ring ring” startled you making you hit yourself against the desk, a small curse leaving your lips which caused jeno to turn around a smile present as always on his face. And it feels too soon that he is right in front of you asking you something, but you can’t fully process it because ‘what does one do when they just awkwardly text another person only to have them right in front of you in the next five minutes?’ you really aren’t sure but think they should make a guide about it.

There’s a quiet silence that settles around the two of you, and you decide that you might as well tell him about the tutoring but jeno decides that he should say something too as he was the one that walked towards you, ending up in the two of you talking at the same time. Heat fills your cheeks, and if you weren’t so busy looking at the floor or anything except the boy's face you would have seen the light pink that adorned his cheeks.

“You first” jeno says, hsi voice is softer than you imagined it. Not that you had never heard him speak, you had on the rare occasion that you went to a swim meet in order to support your best friend and roommate who loved going, cheering on the team with all her might. But at the swim meets, the jeno you’d seen was loud, almost center of attention but not quiet, loud but not overwhelming, but with an energy that was contagious to everyone else. The boy that stood before you seemed to be shy, and awkward and you could feel yourself relax just a little.

“Oh… okay” the words come out small, and you force yourself to look up at the boy, who’s smile is more enchanting than before “well, I have to tutor you, for chem?”. Jeno nods, hair falling slightly in front of his eyes, but it doesn't seem to bother him as he waits for you to continue, “so we should meet up sometime this week, and what exactly are you struggling with, so I could look over that”

Jeno’s is left slightly in awe, by the way you offer him help, your voice is soothing he thinks, and the way you bite your lip from nerves he finds to be endearing. He was used to girls chasing him, one way or the other, not leaving him much space to say what he wanted. Though if he listened to Jaemin, he should just enjoy the supposed ‘fame’ he had, but it just wasn’t his thing. Jeno could see you checking the time on your phone, a little past 4, and his brain panicked.

“Shit” the boy muttered, and now you were really confused, “shit? No, oh i need help with this?” you asked him, baffled at the boy’s reaction, and the boy looked at his phone.

“Oh no, sorry I didn’t mean it towards you. It’s just that we have a swim team meeting, and it started 5 minutes ago, and if I’m late to another one I might get kicked out” jeno says in a rush, it seems he can’t get out of the room fast enough, as he turns around and you follow him, determined to at least get some date or time that the two of you could meet up.

“Wait! We still need to figure out a time schedule?” you questions makes the dark haired boy stop for a split second, his brows slightly furrowed, eyes closed as he takes a deep breath, “I’ll text you, I really am sorry y/n, but I have to go” and with that he’s rushing off to the athletics department, leaving you slightly baffled and for some reason with a fluttering feeling in your stomach. Texting, that’s what I’m gonna have to depend this whole thing on. You sigh, walking towards your dorm ready to sit down on your bed, and work on the chemistry project, while playing music in the background.

It is said that molecules are attracted to each other, polar opposites, where non-polar molecules will collide with polar molecules in order to form in perfect harmony a compound that will be of use and wonder to the world around us. Those bonds might be the key to relationships, or maybe it’s just the technological black box that people hold in their hands waiting for a sign.

much to your surprise jeno, did text you a couple hours after the two of you had bumped into each other. The message was brief, a string of “im sorry, again” which you couldn’t help but slightly smile at the boy’s shyness, and another of “can we meet up tomorrow, right after classes are over by the library?”. The last message is what had you now waiting, by the library doors, chemistry notebook in hand as you waited for the black haired boy to appear.

It’s been five minutes, and there is still no sight of the boy that promised you he’d be at the library and you can feel the fluttering excitement leave. Futters of wings no longer flapping rapidly, but they have seemed to fall asleep. Deciding that you might as well continue on your project, you sit down, pen in hand as you're about to look over the redox equation on balancing carbon dioxide with water in order to form acidic rain. Music is lightly playing through your headphones, the constant tunes a soothing background noise, as the project expands, you're about to flip the paper when you feel a drop of cold water on your shoulder. Checking the time, your phone reads 4:15, it’s been fifteen minutes, and he still hasn’t shown up, he could have texted, you think bitterly.

Drip, drip, drip. The water droplets land on you again, and this time you swivel around in your chair, almost causing whiplash, before being met with dark eyes, that could convey everything and nothing at all. It takes you a second to register before you breathe out “you’re late” to which he only smiles, the sides of his eyes disappearing appearing to be crescent moons.

“Yeah” he breathes, sitting down next you as he tries to regain his composure, for a second, a very brief one, you want to push back his slightly wet hair and not be annoyed but seconds only last seconds and in the next moment your scowling again, waiting for an explanation as you furrow your brows.

“Well? What happened? I mean, I don't mind you being late, as long as you tell me why that is.”

“Ummm… yeah about that, i really am sorry. Especially because i’m the one that needs help, and i should have told you but coach doesn’t let us use our phones in practice, which i mean makes sense right because water and technology don’t exactly mix well… and i’m rambling” his face is tainted with pink, as the boy looks down, playing with the ends of the papers to his notebook, and you can’t help but smile at him. It was kind of cute, not that you’d ever tell him that. “But either way, I’m here and if you need to leave early that’s totally cool too, i mean i don’t expect you to stay longer than we said, but if you can stay that’d be nice to because i really have no idea what the hell is going on in class, and i'm trying”

“Jeno” you say his name, and it’s almost a whisper, but he doesn’t look up, too busy folding and unfolding the papers that are beneath his hands, so you try again this time a little louder and stronger “jeno”. He looks up, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips, and you smile at him, “it’s okay, i’m not mad about it” a laugh escapes your lips as the boy’s mouth slightly falters, “now” you prepare the worksheets you’d prepared based off the material he had texted you he needed help with, “let’s get started with these redox equations”

The following hours are a constant of you talking about how redox reactions occur, when one of the compounds gives an electron only for the other compounds to gain electrons. A series of giving and taking, as bonds are formed to create a harmony between the compounds and elements to form a balanced equation.

For the most part jeno is quiet, trying to understand and digest the information you give him, and the more he asks you questions about how come water can be both amphoteric and amphiprotic the more the both of you relax and begin to enjoy each other's company. You aren’t quite sure when, but all too soon do you hear the librarian telling you two, the last living inhabitants in the library that library hours are closed. It wasn’t that the two of you were doing chemistry anymore, that had ended a couple of hours ago, when neither you nor jeno deemed to be in the mood to continue with school work. Jeno nodded as the librarian told you it was time to leave, while you told her to give the two of you a couple of more minutes in order to pack up. The lady that tended to scold everyone in the library, or at least she’d always scold you for bringing in your loud roommate and spending more time with your textbooks than actual beings, simply smiled at the two of you nodded, a “close when you’re done” was heard as she walked away.

“You really have never swam before?” jeno asks you again, for what seems to be the tenth million time, and you nod your head.

“It’s not that i’ve never been in water, i just have never you know swam laps around a pool,” you can feel heat rush to your face and look away, fiddling with your pen that, and jeno grabs your hand, which you are confused by that is until he pulls you up.

“It’s settled” he says, a dork-like smile plastered across his face, which varies differently from your confused one, “im teaching you how to swim”. The noise you make is a mix between a sigh and an ugh, but you let yourself be dragged out of the library.

“It’s not that I don't know how to swim” you protest, jeno’s hand still resting on your wrist.

“But have you swam at our pool?” the question is teasing and a smile begins to grow, at the banter the two of you are having, shaking your head.

“I’m taking you to the pool, and i’m going to teach you how to swim” the smile that spreads across jeno’s face is impossible to say no to. Eyes gleaming with joy, and hope, the hand on your wrist closing in a little, and as he’s about to drag you to the swimming pool, which you’re almost sure is closed at this hour you stop.

“As much as I would love to go swimming at 10 at night, we have classes tomorrow” the tone is your voice isn’t as strong as you wanted it to be, because spending more time with the dork in front of you would honestly help with the stress that was college but the stress would only amount if you didn’t complete the assignments you had due tomorrow.

Jeno turns to face you, the smile replaced by a pout, as he tries to convince you that it would be fun, but you wouldn’t budge. Well you were about to change your mind as say fuck it to the papers you had due tomorrow, until your phone almost at 0% buzzed, and you saw the lost calls and messages that flooded your phone. Though they mostly consisted of your roommate yelling at you asking where you are and then changing to her telling you she was going out for the night, to your parents asking how the exams had gone.

Buzz. buzz. Buzz. it was almost as if you couldn’t shake the feeling of the plastic box in your hand, reminders of everything you had to, wanted to achieve. Jeno waited patiently for your reply, eyes soft, the pout slowly turning into a smile.

Your phone buzzes again, and dies out. I guess that means something. You turn towards jeno, phone shoved in your back pocket, “fuck it” you smile, “let’s go swimming”

“Fuck yes” is what you hear before the two of you are rushing towards the athletic department.

Flickering. The bonds between two people, flicker as they try to work their way toward each other. In which one movement, one decision or thought might push them farther apart or closer together.

The sign in front of you reads CLOSED but Jeno doesn’t seem to mind it as he grabs keys from his pocket, and opens the door holding it open for you as you pass into the pool, a look of confusion flickers through your face, and jeno smiles.

“Captain privileges. I get the keys, because I close up most nights either way” he says, and though it’s almost pitch black he walks without hesitation knowing exactly where the light switch is. The lights inside the room flicker, the bright white that comes from the led lights blinds your eyes slightly before they adjust. And you are left in awe at the university's pool.

It’s not that you’d never been to the pool, but everytime you did go, it had always been filled with too many yelling bodies that would raise up and chant the school’s name over and over again. The room always felt too hot, too sticky as your clothes clung to your body from the humidity created by the pool water. What was supposed to be an olympic sized pool, would feel like a kiddy pool when meets would occur, from the packed beings that were there to watch the races, to the teams that would come to race, always felt like too much. So when the lights flickered on, creating a small halo on jeno’s black hair, you were in awe at the size and beauty of the pool’s structure.

The glass windows that aligned one of the pools walls, gace view to the twinkle stars that would dim in and out every second. Spots that were reflected on the pool, that you were almost sure stretched for miles, but was promised by jeno it was just a regular 50 meter pool. The two of you walked closer to the edge of the pool, shoes discarded by the entrance as you dipped your feet into the water, the cold feeling of water on skin shocked you for a second before the sensation became a more soothing feeling. It seemed impossible to wipe the smile that grew more as you looked around the swimming pool, the silver bleachers that tended to be stretched out onto the marble floor were put away, creating an illusion of a much larger floor than there really was.

In all the time that you looked around, awe and fascination written over your face as you looked around the swimming pool, Jeno wondered if you’d never seen the pool, but then realized he had. Not often but he would see your face, every once in a while, a sign with the school's name as you cheered for the swim team, your roommate next to you. It was a shame, he thought that you had never seen the pool how he saw it. At night when no one could nag him about how his arms should be more stretched out, and his hands shouldn’t be as tense but be shaped into a more cupped form so that he cut off some time of his 200 IM. It was moments like this, where he could just admire the water, and see other people fall in love with the water that he remembered why he loved to swim so much, and it helped that you looked cute with your feet only slightly in the water, mouth slightly agape as you took in everything around you.

Splash. And droplets of water are all over you, making pieces of your shirt stick to your skin. The water beneath you ripples and before you can take your feet off, you can feel a tug by your hand, breaking the trail of thoughts as you look down. The action happens too fast, but one moment you’re sitting by the edge of the pool, and the next you’re underwater. Cold water settles around you, the initial shock of water against your warm skin wearing off as you pull yourself up, breaking the surface of the pool. The curse is on the tip of your tongue, but your eyes can’t seem to find the boy who pulled you in. Turning from one side to the other, twisting a frail attempt you guess to find jeno, who has dived deep into the bottom of the pool.

It’s been a minute, and you're about to leave the pool slightly in panic until you feel arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you against a warm body. Laughter fills your ears, as jeno spins you around, pulling you both to the shallow area. You can feel your body heat up, cheeks overly warm by the feeling of jeno’s arms around you.

“What the fuck?” you whisper yell, as you turn around to find the black haired boy, whose hair is almost long enough to fall in front of his eyes, laugh. His eyes, turning into beautiful small moons, that make your heart slightly flip, the cold shock of water no longer there.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice is slightly puzzled but joyous, and he can’t seem to stop himself from looking at your smile, your eyes, the way that even though your tone suggests your mad at him he finds you adorable. No, she’s not adorable. She’s just a girl, a girl that is really smart and doesn’t throw herself at you. No, no, no.

“Earth to jeno !” you snap your fingers in front of him, and it seems to do the trick as his eyes seem to focus back on you, a small “huh” escapes his lips and you can’t help but laugh, as you splash water towards him. The smile on his face, springs back up, drops of water adorning his nose, and eyes as gravity pulls them back to their resting place, in the midst of other bonds between hydrogen and oxygen.

The way you tilt your head to the side, eyes gleaming with delight as jeno laughs, splashing water towards you, the start of a small water fight between a swimmer and chemistry lover.

Chemical bonds work in mysterious ways. A collision between one particle and another has to be precise, exact and the particles must be able to fit each other, and shaping itself to make the other a suitable compound. Bonds that form between compounds can become radiant, strong and vibrant but dangerous to those around it. Hydrogen and oxygen when bonded together, though different slowly build each other up. The splash of water against one’s skin, the way a drop fall’s down slowly on the other’s eye. Successions of bonds that form with each other, creating a picture of carefree ness. Or at least that’s what it seems to be at the beginning.

Winter rolls around and the study sessions continue. They become a routine, a part of your day that much as you hate to admit, is the favorite part of your day. Meeting with Jeno in the midst of the library, books and notes of scribbled drawings and letters filling up at least one table, as jeno listens to you ramble about chemistry. In return, for tutoring Jeno always brings you hot chocolate, a drink that never fails to bring you comfort especially when the wind is picking up speed and the first flakes of snow drift towards the ground.

You can’t exactly recall how many times you tell the raven haired boy that payment isn’t necessary, that you truly are just tutoring in order to help him, but the boy refuses. He loves to see the way you wrap your hands around the mug, as you relax from the burdensome day you’ve had.

The swim meets that you used to, though not detest, not love either begin to be more frequent in your life. Louds cheers and shrieks fill the pool deck, as the school's swimmers race against the opposing team. Chlorine fills your nose, humidity makes your skin sticky and heavy but you are part of the screaming students that yell and cheer for the school's team. The poster you created in the spare time between homework and lectures, has “go jeno '' written on it, and even though you two don’t talk after the meets jeno smiles everytime he sees you in the crowd cheering for the team and him. His smile as his best friend describes it, is that of a lovestruck one, which Jeno refuses to acknowledge or believe, because there was no way he could be in love with you. The two of you were friends. Friends that laughed together, and talked about anything that was on your minds late into the night, and would have late night swims after hours when the pool was closed down.

Jaemin knows the power love has on people, and he’s sure that jeno is in love with the girl who’s been tutoring him since the beginning of the year. He knew, because jeno’s face would light up everytime he saw you in the bleachers. He knew like the rest of his friend group knew, that he would mention you in conversations when something they were talking about would remind him of you. Jaeming knew the bond that had formed between the two of you was something he thought jeno wouldn’t be able to have, but managed to get from you. The only thing Jaemin wished, was for his best friend to realize the luck he had gotten from meeting you.

It’s spring and you’re almost sure at this point that Jeno doesn’t need any more tutoring, as he comes into the cafe you decided to meet up, the smile that seems to brighten your day no matter how windy and rainy it is outside. Jeno almost runs to you, the paper in his hand flailing slightly behind him, as he tells you how he’s passed. Proudly does he show you the graded exam paper on organic chemistry, the perfectly drawn bonds to each other, earning him the highest grade in the class. You can’t help but jump up from your seat, the chocolate on your mug almost tipping over as you wrap your arms around jeno, congratulating him over and over again.

Jeno’s smile widens, as he wraps his arms around you, lightly you slightly off the ground until you are slightly dizzy and are asking him to bring you down. The joy from your face never leaves, as the words of congratulations and happiness left your mouth. It’s only when your smile falters slightly, that jeno’s does too, the giddiness and butterflies he continues to refuse to acknowledge leaving as you sit down again.

“So…”

“So…” jeno mocks, trying to lighten the mood just lightly, and he manages to make the ends of you lips curve up slightly.

“So, i guess you don’t need my help anymore” the words leave your mouth like lead, heavy on your tongue, as you look down at your hot chocolate willing the coming dread to go away.

“Well, no, I still need help” the look you give him makes him move slightly his back hitting the back of the chair, “okay… maybe i don’t need help on how bonds form and break, but…” Jeno fumbles over his words, nit really sure what he wants to say. That he wants to keep seeing you? That he honestly had stopped needing tutoring sessions a while ago, but he kept asking for them because he loves spending time with you. Loved to see you smile and his dumb jokes, as your eyes would light up with vague amusement, lips curling upwards as your laugh drifted through the library. Wanted to tell you that he had never felt this way for someone else, had never let them see the vulnerable side of him, his insecurities as the two of you held onto each other lightly through a link between your hands as you floated in the school's pool.

“But… i guess this is goodbye” you can feel the word, slip through your tongue, the world goodbye piercing through your heart, bricks dropping on you. You’re not quite sure why you say goodbye, why you want to hug the boy in front of you, and kiss him and hold him and tell him how much you love him. But oh shit that’s exactly why you’re pushing him away. Why as much as your heart aches, to hold onto the good memories scared of the ones that could leave the bonds to break between you two.

Jeno can almost swear he can feel his heart drop down to his stomach. The words that escape your lips, as you play with the sizzling hot beverage in front of you, not daring to look up at him. His throat feels clogged, and he wants to yell, scream, hold you for reasons he can’t quite understand, and finally tell you what jaemin has been telling him this whole time. How very much head over heels for you he is, the bonds clicking into place every time he’s held your hand, as he taught you how to swim lightly in the pool.

The black haired boy, whose eyes are usually warm and open, are now dark. The brown almost becomes dark enough to blend with the pupils, as he takes a breath.

“Um… yeah i guess it’s goodbye” the words drop heavy between the two of you. Gazes not met, and hearts left cold as Jeno gets up, the paper he’d been so happy and excited to tell you about forgotten as it drifts towards the floor. Falling quietly and softly, wrinkled between the hands of jeno as he hugged you what seems to be hours ago.

Hydrogen bonds break the easiest. The strength between the two oxygen and the single hydrogen can only take so much pressure between them before something tips it off scale, breaking the bond. A relationship that has been built, slowly, through awkwards laughs, and shared notes. A bond, built on chaotic swims at 12 o’clock at night when neither of you could sleep, and just wanted to spend more time with each other.

Relationships, you are almost sure at this point work much like chemical bonds. Yet unlike chemistry, the bond that you had built with jeno, doesn’t warn you of the heartache and void you feel when you don’t get the weird jokes the boy sends you everyday, it doesn’t tell you of the loss of heat that would come from the steaming cup of chocolate always there for you wherever you had a bad day. Chemistry doesn't warn you about the way your heart craves the missing piece that you pushed away, thinking it would hurt more when the day would come that he didn’t want you anymore. Lectures and notes on notes about covalent bonds, don’t want you how jeno made you feel, as his black hair tickled your neck when he rested his head on your shoulder when he didn’t want to study anymore, or the way he snuggled closer to you as you played with his hair.

Bonds. Weak and strong, beautiful and dangerous, destructive and hopeful.

The next month passes in a blur of lectures and night spent overworking yourself into the essays and labs given to you by professors. All-nighters became more frequent than normal sleep nights, to the point where your roommate would have to force you to go to sleep, even as she came in late at night smelling slightly of booze or cigarettes from the campus party.

It wasn’t a secret that you had tutored the top boy at your college to anyone. Most if not all students that desperately wanted to grab at any gossip that might be thrown their ways, would snatch up the news of the school's swimmer and top bachelor as fast as they could. Whispers of a relationship that never happened, and would only happen in your dreams, could be heard at almost every lecture. Murmurs that would make you walk straighter, chin held high at the comments of a story they didn’t truly know.

Buzz. buzz. Metal and plastic vibrates against your desks, shaking the scatter of papers that are clumped around your workspace. You flip it around, only to see crescent moons, and a mop of black hair on your phone, as jeno’s phone number flashes in and out of the screen. Instinctively, you reach for the phone, hand ready to push the “answer” button and it’s too late when you realize that you’ve answered the phone, and a silence of crackling noises is heard from the opposite end. Silence seems to fill the room, the air you breathe and you're about to hang up until you hear the bickering between two boys. A stream of curses flow from what you can almost swear is jeno’s mouth, as the other boy speaks into the microphone, “is this y/n”

“Uh… yeah, and you are?” the second part of your sentence, your almost sure goes unheard as the squeal that comes from the boy’s mouth. The next words that you hear seem to be all mushed up together, as the boy who you have come to assume is jaemin tells you something along the lines of “go. pool. tomorrow. Jeno” before something that sounds like it hurts, is heard from the line and it goes silent. If you were confused about jeno before, you can’t help but wonder now if this is a push towards the bonds to be repaired.

“y/n !!” disrupts your confused train of thought as your roommate barges into your room, the smirk that is plastered on her face would have made you slightly concerned if it were for her normal happy go personality, that never fails to give you energy.

“Let me tell you the story of you and a boy named jeno” as the words leave her lips, you start your protests, not wanting to hear about the boy who had become your best friend in the year that you tutored him.

“Girl, shut up and listen to me” she snaps, almost pinning you down on your chair, and so she does tell you. Tell’s you things that you already know, like the fact that you’re almost sure jeno’s smile could heal anything on this planet, or how he’s shy and sweet, always wanting to be enough for the team. She tells you about the month that has passed, where though you didn’t wallow, jeno had begun to slightly let his grades slip. A small attempt to get you as a tutor yet again. The plan hadn’t worked and he’d gotten renjun ashis tutor instead.

Stories she shares with you, stories about jeno that you knew, but had pushed away because everytime his name would be brought up your cheeks would flush slightly, and your smile would brighten even just a little bit, butterflies swarming in your stomach.

Best friends. The sharing between two people, that trust and count on each other. The bond formed between the two is different than that formed between lovers, or siblings. But like everything regarding the formation and breaking of something, these bonds can change into something more. Something that lights up your world if you let, and break down your walls.

The pool’s doors were open by the time you reached the athletic department. You had thought you’d seen everything, the pool had to offer after your late night swims with jeno. But you’d never seen the full moon at its peak, the light reflected upon the shimmering water.

Small ripples caused the moon's reflection to waver slightly, a cause of the dipping of your feet into the water, testing the temperature, before you felt a light tap on your shoulder. You could feel the shiver that runs down your back, as jeno’s hands make contact with your skin. The ghost of a smile begins to present itself on your face, as you turn around to find yourself with jeno, whose face is a reflection of yours. Cheeks dusted with a red tint, eyes almost becoming the moon phase that you’d first seen in the pool.

“hey”

“you first” jeno says, his eyes are warm and are slightly reflected by the moon. The small laugh that escapes your lips, makes his smile broaden, as you turn around and stretch your hand towards jeno. It takes only a second, before you can feel jeno’s hand wrapped around yours, the light calluses on his palms from playing guitar every so often, that warmth a comfort. The ghost of a smile has fully bloomed on your face, as you tug jeno towards you before jumping into the pool.

Time seems to slow down, the second you two break the surface of water. You know time and movements feel slower when you’re underwater, the smell of chlorine and burning sensation makes your eyes water only slightly. But the bubbles that rise to the surface as you look at jeno, laughing at the ridiculousness of everything that’s happened between you two.

The faltering bonds begin to form again, stronger than before. Bonds that can't be broken as easily and are ready to create compounds filled with a variation of emotions that work together. The way that you hold onto each other, hand in hand as you break the surface, time coming back at normal speed, as jeno pulls you towards him. Hands still intertwined, as the other holds your waist, a tender touch. The way you look at each other, is enough for the words that have yet to be said and have not been exchanged.

Smiles exchanged, hands held, foreheads almost touching under the moonlight. It seems to be magic, the way the light bounces off the water and reflects upon the two of you, lovesick smiles placed on both your faces. The warmth of each other, a comforting presence that surrounds the two of you as you take a break, and breathe the words you’ve been dying to say since the day, jeno walked into a late tutoring session, hair dripping wet from a late practice. His words a rush of sorrys and cute shy glances as he gives you a mug, with the words “chemistry of water” written around it. The way his smile made you heart flutter, and just one look would make your day.

“I love you”

The words hang in the air, said at the same time by jeno and you, and the both of you erupt into laughter, as jeno pulls you closer the, head buried in your shoulder as the strands tickle your neck, the words “i love you” being repeated over and over again.

The way you two fit into each other, in the midst of night, water lapping at your sides, as you laugh at a joke one or the other says, you realize that chemistry and relationships truly are the same. If all it takes is a small push, to help a boy with too much to do, and a student who can’t help but want to expand their knowledge. The bonds between two people change and strengthen, the more they interact with each other. It’s the things like laughing at each other's jokes, or holding onto each other late into the night, when no one else is judging no one can disrupt the bonds formed between them. In those moments, the bonds are strengthened, as you hold each other close, stars and moon aligned in the night sky lighting up the pool, leaving the world at peace.

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gameofdrarry · 3 years

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Wizards Hearts Recs: Kid!Fic

Wizards Hearts was a four-month-long Drarry reading fest. Players were given a playing deck of 52 tropes, and were asked to find 52 different fics to read and comment on to fill their decks. To prevent the same few fics from being read, fics were restricted to only being used for the game three times before being considered ineligible for further points. The tropes and submissions list can be found here.

Check out the masterlist of fics for this trope below the cut!

📜 On Your Shore by xanthippe74 Rated: Mature Words: 35113 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-Hogwarts, Mystery, Scotland, Dark Magic, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Pining, Sharing a Bed, First Time, Non-Explicit Sex, Demisexual Harry Potter, Bisexual Harry Potter, Gay Draco Malfoy, Closeted Draco Malfoy, Curse Breaker Harry Potter, Antiques Appraiser Draco Malfoy, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Good Parent Draco Malfoy, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Married Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy, H/D Sex Fair 2020 Summary: Clearing out a remote house full of cursed collectibles in the Outer Hebrides? Not a problem for an experienced curse breaker like Harry Potter. Spending a week with the straight, happily-married man that he’s starting to have feelings for? And sharing a bed with him at night? Surely Harry can handle that, too. But both the house and Draco Malfoy have secrets to uncover, and Harry might be in deeper water than he thought. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Every Breath You Take by hephaestiions Rated: Mature Words: 19252 Tags: Major Character Death, Death (Harry Potter), Suicide, Child Death, Miscommunication, Angst, Angst and Tragedy Summary: It starts and ends with Death. Scorpius was just caught in between. Like always. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Misunderstandings are as easy as A-B-C by VeelaWings Rated: Teen and Up Words: 3418 Tags: First Day of School, Kindergarten Teacher Harry Potter, Professor Harry Potter, Single Parent Draco Malfoy, Parenting Woes, mild anxiety, Miscommunication, HP Fluff Fest 2020 Summary: A slow blink and Potter seemed to catch himself, clearing his throat and nodding, his smile friendly and bright when directed at Scorpius and Draco. “Hey Mal—” “Mr Potter,” Draco spoke up rudely, but necessary. “This is my son, Scorpius Black. He’ll be one of your students this year.” Potter looked completely wrongfooted for a few seconds before his mind appeared to latch onto the most likely conclusion. His expression cleared up as Scorpius took a step forward and offered a tiny hand. “Hello, Mr Potter. It’s nice to meet you,” Scorpius said, enunciation steady and practiced. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Teddy's Favourite by iRavenish Rated: Teen and Up Words: 2032 Tags: Fluff, Secret Relationship, Relationship Reveal, Day At The Beach, Jealous Harry Potter Summary: It didn't come as a surprise when Teddy demanded to finally go to the beach. In fact, he was asking for a trip to the seaside for a while now and even though Harry wasn't really keen on going, he was powerless when it came to his godson, and just couldn't say no when confronted with the pleading eyes of a sad five-year-old. There was only one little problem with the whole trip. Teddy insisted on inviting his favourite cousin, the one he reconnected with in the last year and the same one that quickly earned Teddy's trust and love, becoming his favourite person. Said cousin was of course none other than Draco Malfoy. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 The Way Home by Boshfaker Rated: Teen and Up Words: 15729 Tags: EWE, Mpreg Summary: Draco wakes up one morning to realize he is a father of 4 and is expecting. After an accident/spell gone wrong from his Auror days, he developed retrograde amnesia. The very last thing Draco remembers is falling down after the hit. That was close to 8 years ago. Healers can't explain what suddenly sparked him to recall his past either. Harry needs to start trying to make Draco remember that the 8 years he can't remember were good times with him and their 4 sons and his expected daughter. This is not at all the sort of life plan Draco had for himself. ❤️ Read on Dreamwidth

📜 Stain of Silence by brummell Rated: Explicit Words: 28356 Tags: Minor Character Death, Crossdressing, Babies, HP: EWE Summary: After the war, Draco serves out his sentence in Harry Potter's house ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 DIY Messiah by scoradh Rated: Mature Words: 26687 Tags: N/A Summary: Harry stopped hating Draco Malfoy on Bring Your Kids to Work Day. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Catch Me If I Fall by keeli_marie Rated: Explicit Words: 38281 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Post-Hogwarts, POV Alternating, Kid Fic, Divorced Harry Potter & Ginny Weasley, Mutual Pining, so much pining, Slow Burnish, Light Angst, Open Marriage, Happy Ending, Explicit Sexual Content, Hugs, Cuddling & Snuggling, Boys Kissing, Cooking, Potions Master Draco Malfoy, First Dates, Astoria is a good bro, Fluff, Smut, Switching, Fluff and Smut, First Time, Masturbation, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Rimming, First Time Bottoming, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Romantic Gestures, Birthday Presents, Birthday Sex Summary: When Draco Malfoy collides with Harry Potter one morning while dropping the kids off at school, things don’t go quite the way either of them would have expected. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 The Strongest Affinity by eidheann Rated: Teen and Up Words: 17694 Tags: Family, Romance, preslash, wandmaker!Harry, Single Father!Draco Summary: Trouble finding a wand for Scorpius leads Harry and Draco to something they never imagined. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Out of the Woods by Janieohio Rated: Teen and Up Words: 34987 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-Hogwarts, POV Alternating, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Background Relationships, supportive friends, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Mind Healer Harry Potter, Shop Owner Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, Harry Potter Raises Teddy Lupin, Sassy Harry Potter, Sarcastic Draco Malfoy, Minor Violence, Minor Injuries, Mystery, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Cute Teddy Lupin, Misunderstandings, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Explicit Language, Yoga, Into the Woods References, Therapy, Custody Issues, Minor Character Death, Minor Character Engagement, Dismissive Attitudes about Mental Illness, Childhood Trauma, Fae & Fairies, Brothers Grimm, Fairy Tale Elements - see notes for more details, H/D Erised 2020, Harry Potter Has Long Hair, Kid Fic, Minor Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Minor Neville Longbottom/Hannah Abbott/Luna Lovegood, Background Polyamory, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Past Draco Malfoy/Original Male Characters Summary: Teddy closes his eyes, wishing beyond wishes that the two men in his life whom he loves more than anyone would just learn to get along. A light flares. Teddy cries out, and the room falls silent. Harry and Draco struggle to find a way to escape a world of dark fairy tales and get back to Teddy, but the challenges they face are not all hidden in the woods. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 For The Want Of Five Minutes (And a Locked Door) by postjentacular Rated: Mature Words: 4333 Tags: Kid Fic, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter Epilogue Compliant, Domestic Bliss, Parent Harry Potter, Parent Draco Malfoy, Coitus Interruptus, Humor, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, H/D Sex Fair 2020 Summary: It’s hard enough to get five minutes to yourself in a house of five kids, nevermind getting five minutes with your boyfriend for anything else. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 A Big Black Sky by AlexMeg Rated: Mature Words: 90343 Tags: Parent Draco Malfoy, Parent Harry Potter, Abusive Relationships, Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, Homelessness, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, dark themes, The Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter) is Terrible, Happy Ending, Harry Potter Needs a Hug, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, Harry Potter Raises Teddy Lupin, Everyone Needs A Hug, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Slow Burn, Pining Draco Malfoy, But it's very very subtle and repressed, Panic Attacks, Protective Harry Potter, Falling In Love, Smitten Harry Potter, Mutual Pining, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Down and Out Draco Malfoy, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Kid Fic, Post Mpreg, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con Summary: Draco shifts his head as he turns to look at Scorpius, his cheek touching the pillow. "Did you know that…" He pauses, his throat convulsing, and it sounds audible in the silence, besides Michael's steady, even breathing from the other bedroom. Scorpius is staring back at him, in wait of something new to learn, a beautiful and intelligent child. He has Draco's mind. He has Draco's eyes and nose and mouth and hair. He is his. All his. All he has of Michael are his wild curls and the green of his eyes, and sometimes he looks into them and imagines that they aren't Michael's, but someone else's. Draco leans his head closer, biting the quiver out of his lips before he breathes a laden and shuddering exhale, and he whispers, "You are my star in a big black sky." ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 The Guest by BummedOutWriter Rated: Mature Words: 59826 Tags: Kid Fic, Mpreg, Time Travel, Boggarts, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Auror Harry Potter, Quidditch Player Draco Malfoy, Seer Draco Malfoy, Grimmauld Place, Chudley Cannons, Slytherins Being Slytherins, Visions, Potions Accident, Prophecy, Truth Serum, Humor, Animagus, Family, Bottom Draco Malfoy Summary: In consequence of an accidental spell, Harry and Draco's five-year-old daughter is sent ten years into the past, where she meets her teenaged parents. Awkwardness ensues ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Rock-a-bye Sweet Baby James by Femme (femmequixotic), noeon (noe) Rated: Explicit Words: 28402 Tags: Post Mpreg, Kid Fic, Postpartum blues, Secret pregnancy, Pregnant Harry Potter, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-Hogwarts, Switching Summary: Harry Potter knew that having a baby by himself would be difficult, but when his son's other father arrives on his doorstep, furious and upset at not being told about Harry's pregnancy, Harry's already messy life becomes a thousand times more complicated. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 No Place Like Home by dracogotgame Rated: General Words: 4005 Tags: Teddy Lupin/Victoire Weasley (mentioned) - Freeform, Family, Fluff, Next Gen, Kid Fic, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff Summary: James Sirius has been at Hogwarts for exactly one day, and he knows he doesn't belong. All he wants is to go home. A late night Floo call fixes everything ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Mine by xxdrarryrebellexx Rated: Mature Words: 45877 Tags: Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, I LOVE DRARRY OKAY, Domestic, Single Parent Draco Malfoy, Andromeda is kind of a bitch, Little Scorpius is cute AF, Lil Scorp, Ravenclaw Scorpius Malfoy, Professor Harry Potter, Good Draco Malfoy, How Do I Tag, Self-Indulgent, Made For Each Other, Their Family - Freeform Summary: Harry Potter works as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, but while picking Teddy up from the Primary Wizard Academy he notices a young crying child and decides to help. Draco Malfoy has had a pretty hard time trying to raise his son since his wife's death. While signing his son up for classes at the Primary Wizard Academy the young boy happens to wander away, luckily the Golden Boy is always there to help. Can they let the past be in the past to forge a better future? "Whose kid is this?" "He's mine, Potter." "No, seriously..." ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 the trembling of the moment by porcelainsalt (bluedreaming) Rated: General Words: 5325 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-Second War with Voldemort, Non-United Kingdom Setting, Single Parent Draco Malfoy, Asexual Draco Malfoy, Asexual Character, Child Scorpius Malfoy, Inspired by Poetry, H/D Erised 2020, Present Tense, Luna Lovegood & Draco Malfoy Friendship, unusual careers, Quidditch Player Harry Potter Summary: “You’re the last person I’d have expected to stumble across on the other side of the world.” In which Draco's quiet single-parent life is not so much interrupted as unexpectedly harmonised. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 These Tender Moments by theartfulldodger Rated: General Words: 1380 Tags: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, SERIOUSLY ALL THE FLUFF, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Kid Fic, Sickly sweet medicine for all your despair, A warm hug, Domestic Fluff, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE Summary: A Christmas Eve filled with overindulgence, a sleeping toddler, creatively altered expressions and slow dancing in the kitchen. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Made with Love by MysticKitten42 Rated: Teen and Up Words: 1143 Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death - Narcissa, Grief/Mourning, Friends With Benefits, Getting Together, Single Parent Draco Malfoy, Tenderness, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Hopeful Ending, POV Second Person, POV Draco Malfoy, Early Bird 25 Days of Harry and Draco 2020 Summary: After tragedy strikes, Draco finds support where he least expects it. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Scary Snowman by dracogotgame Rated: General Words: 1030 Tags: Humour, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Family, Oneshot, Old Fic, reposted, Harry Potter Next Generation Summary: Draco steps up. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Cassiopeia Lily Malfoy by GallaPlacidia Rated: Not Rated Words: 37312 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst, Letters, Post Mpreg, Kid Fic, Hurt/Comfort, harry is a dick at the beginning Summary: In eighth year, Harry had a toxic fling with Draco Malfoy. Ten years later, a little girl shows up, begging for Harry's help. Could the two be connected? And did Harry misunderstand what Draco was trying to tell him, the last time they spoke? Feat. angry 8th year Harry being truly horrible to Draco, Draco writing a lot of letters he never sends Harry, and the most Gryffindor-Slytherin hybrid ten-year-old you've ever seen. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 To Love and To Cherish by jamesilver Rated: Mature Words: 1091 Tags: Married Couple, Married Life, Quidditch, Fatherhood, Parenthood, Domestic Fluff, Domestic, domestic married couple, Children, Cute Kids, Kid Fic, Flirting Summary: Or, Harry and Draco are married with children and a lot of heavy, married flirting ❤️ Read on AO3

#kid fic #drarry #drarry rec #game of drarry #wizards hearts #wh masterlist

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