#anyway! I am excited to talk on wednesday and happy to see how i can help improve their stories /eyes emoji

[lordsardine]

.

[apomaro-mellow]

Wrong Number 4

Steve was eternally grateful that he'd finally told Robin about Eddie. Because now, he could torture her with his outfit choices. Robin groaned and covered her eyes as Steve held out more shirts.

"What do you think? Stripes or no stripes?"

"Steeeeeeve", Robin whined.

"You're the one that told me stripes really shows off my chest."

"Is Eddie a tits guy? Or an ass man?"

Steve put the shirts back in the closet. "I don't know. I don't know Robin and the fact that this is a video call date makes it worse."

"Actually....actually it makes it better." Robin uncovered her face and grabbed Steve's shoulders. "You'll be on the phone the whole time!"

"Yes...We've established this", Steve said, not sure where she was going with this.

"I mean, if you're doing a video call, YOU control what Eddie sees."

Steve stared at her face for a long while as she simply emoted using her eyebrows. "Robin, no."

"Robin, yes. Come on. We're going shopping. You're waaay overdue for this. And I need a couple of things myself."

"Things going that well with Chrissy?", Steve asked right before Robin threw his shoes at him.

"What do you think I'm doing while you're on your date?", Robin grinned.

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

Eddie's excitement just got more and more intense with each day. By Wednesday he was vibrating any time his hands weren't occupied with something. He only hoped it didn't translate to his texts. Cool as a cucumber, that was his motto when it came to Steve. He couldn't come on too strong.

(9:45 am) Thinking about those beefy thighs (9:46 am) god i wanna wrap them around my head

Perfect. Smooth. And not too much.

At least he didn't think so at the time. About an hour later Eddie remembered that Steve was at work and possibly reading that text in a room full of prepubescents. And he knew he was going to reap what he sowed when Steve texted him later.

[12:01 pm] You are the ultimate distraction.

(12:02 pm) sry. i forgot you were at work

[12:03 pm] I don't think you are sorry. In fact, I think you need to be punished.

Eddie needed to get a job in coding because there was no emoji that properly conveyed the intensity of the 'boi-yoi-yoi-yoing' going on in his pants. How grateful he was that he didn't need to talk. Texting would cover any stuttering he was sure to do.

(12:04 pm) punishment? 😏 (12:04 pm) what kind of punishment?

[12:05 pm] See me after class, Mr. Munson.

God, four o'clock couldn't come fast enough. Eddie knew that'd be around the time Steve got home from work. He spent about an hour rolling around in bed before getting up, needing to distract himself. He wasn't due for work today, but he went in anyway to loiter.

"I can tell you're horny and I can tell you're just idling until you get your dick wet. Get lost, some of us have actual work to do", Jeff said.

Eddie let out a dramatic gasp. "Jeffery! Jeffords! Jeffaniel! Jeffanie!"

"Are you just going to sit there, making up full names for me or are you gonna get off your ass?"

"I'll replace all the boards and sweep out the alleys for the next two hours", Eddie said, holding his hands together like he was praying to his friend.

Jeff rubbed his chin as he considered it. "Only if you take this next party I have coming in."

Eddie looked at the group arriving. There had to be at least a dozen. And he just knew they only reserved one lane. They always only reserved one lane.

"You drive a hard bargain Jimothy."

"Not even close", Jeff crossed his arms. "And it's this or whatever ants in your pants you'll do if you're unoccupied."

Curse his friends for knowing him so well. Eddie held up his end of the deal, taking care of the party. Turned out it was a birthday party (happy 14th Ashton). But two hours later, the time had passed and Eddie went back home. He still had an hour to spare (he didn't want to leave Steve waiting), so he spent the rest of the time coming up with some ideas for their date in a few days.

[4:04 pm] Are you home?

(4:05 pm) At home and awaiting orders gorgeous (4:05 pm) Have I been a bad boy Mr. Harrington?

Eddie's phone rang and he picked it up as he crashed onto his bed. He knew Steve could hear it when he laughed on the other end.

"You need to keep a tighter lid on those urges. It was a lucky break that all the kids were focused on their dishes that they didn't see the face I made."

"Truly, my bad Stevie. But I can't help what you do to me."

Steve chuckled. "Not even a little?"

"Not one bit. Okay, maybe a little bit. The truth is, I could've said a lot more, but I was holding back."

"Really now? And what would you have said if you weren't holding back?"

Eddie could hear something that sounded like movement in a bed. Steve was getting comfortable too. He thought about the picture he had saved, of Steve's lower body in those shorts. He had been laying in bed then too. Eddie let his mind wander for a bit. What he'd do if Steve were really in bed beside him...

"Baby if you were here right now, I'd have my hands all over you. You'd think I was an octopus."

"Tell me where you'd touch me first", Steve said.

"Well I'm still thinkin' of those legs of yours. You like massages, Stevie? I could rub you down all day."

Steve imagined Eddie digging his fingers into his muscles. That would really hit the spot, especially after a workout. "Mmm, and then?"

"And then I'd wrap them around my head, like I said. I saw what you were packin' in those shorts, baby. I would love to get my mouth on you."

Eddie heard Steve let out a soft moan and he definitely heard a zipper and some shifting. God, the image of Steve stroking himself... Eddie unzipped his pants too, palming at himself while the other hand kept an ever tightening hold on the phone.

"Eddieee..."

"I wanna hear everything, baby. I'm working so hard sucking you off, I deserve to know how good I'm making you feel."

"So good, uh", Steve let out a small breath at the end.

"Yeah? I haven't even told you how I'd rock your world yet", Eddie grinned.

"I just know...You're so good with your mouth."

"You like the way I lick you up and down? How I kiss that beautiful tip?" Eddie knew he had a dick just as handsome as the rest of him, never mind that he had yet to see Steve's whole face yet. His hand pumped up and down as he envisioned the weight of Steve in his mouth. He thought about getting drunk on that taste.

Eddie groaned and his eyes fluttered close, his mouth moving faster than his brain. "Do you shave Steve?"

"....No...is that a problem?"

"Ohh it's the opposite of a problem babe. I bet you got a thick bush. I'd sink all the way down, bury my nose in it while you're fucking my throat."

Steve let out the most delicious sound as he came and Eddie wasn't too far behind. It was like he was there, hairs coarse and curly rough against his skin while Steve moaned right into his ear.

"Mmm", Steve hummed. "I know you look good now. My cum dripping off your lips."

"I'd swallow it all, sweetness. I wouldn't waste a single drop." He would take all that Steve gave him and then some. He was a greedy man.

"I know you wouldn't. I don't allow anything to go to waste in my classroom. Have you learned your lesson, Mr. Munson?"

"Maaaybeee. I might need another lesson, Mr. Harrington. Say, this Friday, at eight?", Eddie teased.

"I suppose you'll need more help studying. Don't be late, mister."

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

For once, Steve didn't linger after work. He made sure the kids cleaned up every last dish before the last period even ended. He even let them go a minute and a half before the bell. When Steve left, he went the back way to avoid most of the other teachers and that pre-weekend conversation. He got home right away and started getting ready. Robin had her own date tonight which meant he had limited time to get her help and last minute input.

When she got home from work, the apartment was a flurry of activity between them.

"Steve, I need the blow dryer!"

"Wait! I'm almost done!"

They both crashed into each other's spaces as they tried using the one bathroom mirror.

"Why can't you use your stupid vanity mirror?", Robin asked.

"That mirror is just for my hair and it's too small."

Robin gave him a side eye. "Is that my eyeliner?"

"Is that my face cream?"

For some reason, Robin insisted on getting dressed in his room, which meant at some points their outfits got switched around and they had to re-dress. The pandemonium finally quieted when Robin left for her date and Steve was at last alone for his. It was at 8:00 sharp that Eddie sent a text.

(8:00 pm) Knock knock 😙

Steve smiled as he started a video call. His heart fluttered at the thought of finally seeing Eddie's full face. So imagine his surprise when he was instead met with a hand that had a face drawn on it. And what could only be Eddie doing a deeper, character voice.

"Hello my love. Are you ready for the romancing tonight? I hope I get lucky, ehehehehe."

To which Steve couldn't help but burst out in laughter. Any nerves he might've had flew away.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm a proper young man. I don't think I could court with someone who was so...handsy."

"I wouldn't lay a finger on you without your permission, lovely. But maybe a few smooches. Muahmuahmuah!" Eddie's hand attacked his phone's camera with kisses and Steve giggled like it was actually touching him.

As his laughing fit subsided, only then did Eddie reveal his face. He took Steve's breath away. He was literally speechless and just stood there staring, which made Eddie start to squirm a little.

"You tryina turn me to stone, Medusa?", Eddie joked.

"Sorry!", Steve apologized when he realized he had been staring. "You just...you look really nice Eddie."

"You don't look too bad yourself, handsome", Eddie smiled.

That was putting it lightly. For the both of them really. Steve felt like he was talking to the perfect man. Eddie felt like Steve had walked right out of his wet dreams.

"So, what did you order?", Steve asked as he sat down at his table. He made sure his phone was angled that it only showed him from the waist up. Robin had the bright idea that since he could control what Eddie saw, he could wear whatever he wanted under the line of sight.

He was currently wearing a blue and white striped polo shirt. And beneath that, some lacy, navy blue panties. Maybe Eddie would find out, maybe he wouldn't. Steve had his phone on the table, propped up against some books.

"I ordered the Munson special. A grilled cheese with potato soup."

"Oh, that's a Munson special, hm?"

"Damn straight. Tomato soup is still a classic, but I'd die for a potato. What'd you get?"

"I have some leftover pasta that I just added some mushrooms too. Nothing too fancy."

"Unless it's one of those truffles", Eddie pointed out.

Steve rolled his eyes as he twirled his fork. "Truffles? On a teacher's salary?"

"Hey, you could be secretly rich."

"Oh if I win the lottery, there will be signs."

"Like 5th graders using authentic truffles", Eddie nodded to himself.

They kept talking throughout their dinner and then took each other to their sinks to wash the dishes together. Eddie talked more about his friends. Some of which he worked with and the band he was in. Steve wasn't super into metal, but he liked it enough to be interested in whatever Eddie did.

When they had talked about their date night and discussed their options, they decided on dinner and a movie. Once the dishes were cleaned, Steve took Eddie over to the living room and he sat down between the coffee table and propped him against another set of books as they both queued up the movie on their ends.

"You know it's been a really long time since I've seen this movie", Steve said. "I think I was literally a kid."

"There was a time when this was literally my religion", Eddie said as Quest for Camelot started to play.

Steve knew Eddie was into Dungeons & Dragons, so him being in love with a fantasy movie made total sense.

"Did you have a crush on Garrett when you were a kid?", Steve asked, later during the movie.

"'Did'? I'd still let him use that staff on me six ways to Sunday!"

Steve laughed and he was coming to realize he laughed with Eddie much more than any of his dates in a long while.

"I'm gonna go grab a drink", Steve said as he got up. He nearly asked Eddie if he wanted something. It really was like he was right there with him. Steve grabbed a soda and then came back, sitting down in his spot again when he saw Eddie's expression.

He was silent, which was rare.

His eyes were bulging out of his head and his hand was over his mouth.

Steve was about to ask what was wrong when Eddie's eyes flicked down and then Steve got it. He had stood up. In full view of his phone. And then turned to go into the kitchen.

Eddie had gotten a first rate view of his panties.

Part 6

Tag Team (CLOSED)

@anne-bennett-cosplayer @estrellami-1 @newtstabber @omletlove @ifyoudonlysurrender @rehfan @morganski-19 @corvidcantina @dragonmama76 @just-ladyme @tinyplanet95 @goodolefashionedloverboi @idoquitelikebread @kittydeadbones @manda-panda-monium @rhapsodyinalto @paintsplatteredandimperfect @keylime-green @ihavekidneys @samsoble @honorarybrit81 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @aizawa-emma @deleataecount @thesuninyaface @fromapayphone @justmeinadaze @hbyrde36 @queenie-ofthe-void @resident-gay-bitch @bestwifehaver @dangdirtydemons @ellietheasexylibrarian @perseus-notjackson @pyrohonk @holysteddie @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @mrsjellymunson @geekymagicalpotato @notaqueenakhaleesi

[uniquesoulwinner]

My Queen

Leah Williamson x reader 

Idea that came to me after seeing Leah get her OBE today of a little surprise celebration with her girl who she didn’t think was even in the country! 

Hope you enjoy its not very good and the format isn’t working right so it might read funny but well it’s something 

Let me know what you think 

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

Y/n pov

Getting off the plane in London brings nothing but butterflies to your stomach at the thought of the day ahead. You see given that I’ve been in New York for work for the past 9 long weeks I was not meant to be here today well at least that’s what Leah thinks, I however always knew I would be here! 

As soon as we got the date for Leah to get her long awaited OBE medal I was on the phone to Amanda to plan exactly what was going to happen today, this has lead to a lot of sneaky phone calls between me and my girlfriends mother, who I’m nearly sure is more excited about me being there to surprise Leah than I am.

Finding out that I was going to have to be in New York for 16 weeks for work was never part of the plan, being away from Leah for that long was a thought that made my whole body hurt before I even went, which is why I I have worked my ass off over the last 9 weeks so complete everything I needed to do to get home to my girlfriend of 4 years early which brings me back to walking though Heathrow Airport at 7:45am on a Wednesday morning counting down the minutes until I have her in my arms again. 

Just as I was getting into the taxi to take me to the hotel I had booked for myself and Leah for that night my phone rang and my smile got even bigger seeing it was Amanda!

Y/n: Hey perfect timing I’m just in the taxi

Amanda: ahh perfect I’m so excited, she’s getting ready already! I swear she takes forever.

Y/n: Worth every minute though; you find yourself say thing that out loud without ever realising until you hear Amanda aww on the other end of the phone which made you blush no end! Anyway how are we looking for timeline I’m just heading to the hotel now to get showered and ready! 

Amanda: so we should be wrapped up in Windsor by around 13:30pm at the latest and then she thinks we are just going for dinner and meeting holly and all that couldn’t come to the ceremony there. You can hear the excited little giggle coming from Amanda like she is on a secret spy mission which makes you laugh  

Y/n: ok good and she definitely doesn’t suspect a thing right you ask already knowing that she doesn’t considering you spent 2 hours in the phone to her last night with her upset and missing you as well as telling you how much she wished you where going to be there today which yes broke your heart in two , the only thing that you hoped was seeing her face today would make up for everything!

Amanda: nope not a thing, she is completely oblivious you hear that cheeky giggle again she is going to be so happy y/n, she has missed you so much you you 

Y/n: yeh I know I’ve missed her too more than words but not long now, god I’m nervous you laugh at the Ridiculousness of getting nervous over seeing the woman that has been the centre of your world for 4 years now 

Amanda: oh sweetie you no need to be nervous, the second that girl sees you everything will be worth it, you know … Amanda suddenly stops talking only thing you can hear is some rustling and foot steps which your hoping isn’t Leah catching you both out 

Ok I gotta go she is wandering around now looking for her socks so I better help I’ll see you later ok text me when your there , ok bye bye bye and the phones goes dead leaving you laughing at the thought of your girl running around looking for socks which you know she will be treating like a Military mission in that room ! 

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

Later on that day after checking in to the hotel and getting yourself ready , wearing a tight green dress that you knew drive Leah crazy with your hair down and curled and black heals, you where standing that the bar of the restaurant that had been booked out for today with holly catching up on every bit of gossip you had missed being away which was lot it seemed! 

Although after the 7th time checking the door you did catch holly giving you a very knowing smirk which made you laugh purely because you didn’t care how obvious you where being, ever since Amanda text to say they where 20 minutes away you could help but look out for them ! You wanted your girl and weren’t even sorry about it ! 

The restaurant was full of Leah’s close family and friends most of which were now laughing at the twitter comments over Leah being the queen of England now ! Lol 

You only snapped out of staring at the door when you heard Jen Leah’s teammate call you 

Jen: y/n how does it feel to have bagged England’s new queen  all you heard was laughter which then turned to cooing and awe’s when you replied saying y/n: she has always been my queen 

And right as you said that you seen her your queen walk past the window towards the door looking out of this world and every bit worthily of the title queen in your opinion but it was to time and time for you to hide in the crowd who had all turned to face the door waiting for her to come in, to which when she did come in she was meant by just noise of chatting and clapping but all you could hear was her laugh that beautiful laugh while she made her way around people still not spotting you ! 

Amanda however snuck around to hug you whispering how she couldn’t wait to see Leah’s face ! 

After around 5 minutes of her still not spotting you , you had enough of waiting so grabbed a glass of champagne and made your way up behind her as she spoke to Alex Scott and Kim little both of who started smiling the second they seen you approach! 

Y/n: would the new queen like a drink you said standing behind her and while you couldn’t see her face you could see her body freeze as she heard your voice which made your heart burst. Y/n you heard her whisper still not turning around which made you giggle given that all you wanted right now was to kiss her still though you stepped forward so you where right behind her meaning you could whisper in her ear hello baby, any chance I could get a hug now?  You didn’t even have a split second to react when her arms where around your neck with such force that if ever the sensible kimmy hadn’t if grabbed the champagne out if your hands it would have been all down the back of Leah’s very expensive looking suit ! 

Suddenly all the people in the room weren’t there anymore the only thing that you noticed was your girl finally in your arms after way to long and while pulling her impossibly closer to you , you just breathed her in every part of you and missed every part of her and now here you could never imagine being away from her again which made what you were about to do even more clear in your head, so while holding her as close as possible with one arm your eyes met Leah’s grandmas giving her a nod and hold out your hand , you watched as the whole room tried to contain themselves as she placed the black velvet box in your hand giving your hand a small squeeze as she did !

Focusing back on Leah who’s head was still buried in your neck, pulling back slightly so you could see her with a massive smile on your face that was thankfully matched by her, finally gave you the chance to look into those eyes that have had you weak for years. It’s only when you see her eyes flick down to your lips that you pull her in making sure she can’t feel the box behind her back, although all sense leaves your body the second her lips meet yours for the first time in over 2 months. Finally it feels like I’m home you think, kissing her is home , she is home and with that thought you remember what you have hidden behind her back so with one final kiss you pull back to be met with a pout from her. 

Leah: your here, your actually here 

Y/n: I’m here baby I would never miss this looking at the smile on her face makes all the sneaking around worth it 

Leah: please tell me I have you for more than one night baby before you go back the pout comes back to her face again as she speaks Giggling at her you step back completely! Here goes nothing you think as you look into her eyes again how about forever you whisper never breaking eye contact, seeing the confusion on her have made you smile as you looked down at the box in your hands which was now between you and Leah, flicking your eyes back up seeing that hers where now fixed on the box in your hands as well it was go time so slowly you lower down onto one knee and open the box , hearing the gasp come from her  gave you the confirmation that the band you had chosen was the right choice! 

Y/n : le there is nothing I could say right now that would be any different to anything I have told you every day for the past 4 years but what I will say is how proud I am to be yours baby, every day with you is the best day of my life letting out a shaky breath as you see the tears in her eyes before you carry on and I want that for the rest of our lives, so Leah Williamson OBE you give her a cheeky smirk as the room fills with laughter , will you do me the honour of marrying me? Holding your breath for the whole 0.2 of a second it takes before you hear her say yes yes a million times yes , smiling with the tears running down both your faces you pull the ring from the box and finally put it on her finger as she pulls you up into a bruising kiss. 

You hear the cheers in the room, the clapping and banging on tables but all you feel is her , your finance , your Leah , your home! It’s just you two in the bubble of whispered words between the two of you consisting of i love yous, don’t ever leave again and I can’t wait to make you my wife , everything in that moment is just perfect! 

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

Hours later after food , champagne, a lot of laughter and more love than you could imagine, you are standing back beside your finance at the side of the room arms wrapped around each other just watching your friends and family around you. Turning to Leah you decide to take the teasing that’s been going on between the two of you for over an hour now to the next level,

Y/n: I booked us into a hotel for the next 2 nights so I hope you have no plans for tomorrow you say while looking her up and down because I have no plans on leaving that hotel room tomorrow. Watching as her eyes darken on front of you you step a little closer to her so you can whisper in her ear and just so you know earlier wasn’t the only time I plan on dropping to my knees for you my queen 

And with that Leah walked away and started saying goodbye to everyone you giggling behind her especially with the knowing looks you got from some people in the room but to hell with it you hadn’t had your girl in 9 weeks so you where going to make the most of every minute if that night and every night for the rest of your life with your queen ! 

[wintervalewritersecond]

siren song - xavier thorpe

requested: yes! requests: open! Hii! I was wondering if you could please a do an Xavier x f!Reader where maybe they are like best friends but she likes him and he doesn’t realize and he starts hanging around Wednesday more. the reader starts to feel neglected so she basically asks bianca to use her siren powers to make her forget Xavier, bianca is hesitant but she does it and Xavier finds out and it’s really angsty cause like his best friend doesn’t remember him? up to you if the spell can be reversed and if they have a happy ending or not! Thank you sm in advanced :)

A/N: you will not BELIEVE!! how excited i am for this request! im planning on turning it into multiple parts, so we will see how it works out <;33

wordcount: 5,359 warnings: me not knowing anything abt school systems, she/her reader, a small bit of angst, xavier abandoning reader, reader has telekinesis, lots of smaller scenes that are similar to the ones in the show, asking bianca to manipulate you, few curse words part 2

You have been best friends with Xavier for the longest time and you were convinced he shared romantic feelings for you as well. But, when he starts to become head over heels for the new girl and ignores you at the Rave'n, you can only think of one solution. Bianca's Siren Song.

The first half of the semester had passed already, as you were now finally on your break. One week to do anything you wanted which meant you could go back home, but this time, you decided to stay at Nevermore. Xavier mentioned that he wouldn't be going anywhere anyway; his father didn't care if he came by, and to spare himself the trouble, he would just stay at Nevermore and close to his art studio.

So, considering you are his best friend, you decide to also stay. Surely not because you have feelings for him. Though, that might also have weighed in as you made your decision to stay.

"Finally!"

Xavier lets himself fall down on your bed. Yoko had left for the week, leaving you all alone in the big room. You hated being alone for too long, so you invited Xavier over. He was one of the only people that would stay at Nevermore anyway.

"If I had to listen to any more talking about plants, I would have set the classroom on fire," he mumbles as his face is planted in your pillow, making it hard for you to hear what he is talking about.

You let out a laugh before dropping your bag next to the bed. After three hours of Botany, you could also take a break from the subject.

"Hm," you nod, sitting down next to his legs. "Are you down for a trip to Jericho? We can get some drinks and snacks, movie night?"

Xavier immediately looks up, nodding his head before rolling off the bed. It was a 25-minute walk, but the sun was shining and it wasn't too cold, so it wouldn't be that bad.

After two hours you are finally back in your dorm. The shopping had taken a bit longer as both you and Xavier had forgotten to change out of your Nevermore uniforms, resulting in some nasty glares and bad comments from the townspeople.

"Weren't those freaks supposed to be going home?" You look back at the voice, seeing a small group of guys around your age huddled together, snickering and laughing at you and Xavier. The tall boy pulls your arm, trying to get you away from the group. "Come on, they're just assholes. No need to make a fuss," he whispers in your ear. With a deep breath you turn around, but not before making the can in one of the guys' hands fly to the ground as it explodes on impact, soaking the group in the sticky soda. You let out a chuckle before following Xavier back to Nevermore.

After getting some dinner in the Quad, you race upstairs again. Normally, there are no guys allowed in Ophelia Hall, so you had to sneak Xavier in. Luckily you had done that many times before already, and if you were extra lucky, Thornhill would let you go without any hassle.

Your desk gets filled with all the snacks that the two of you had gotten in Jericho. There is so much, that you wouldn't be surprised if it lasted more than only a week.

"All right, so do you vote for an animated movie, action, romance, horror?"

Xavier was busy picking out a movie as you transformed your bed into some type of 'movie watching paradise'. It is filled with enough blankets and pillows to be a bird's nest, but at least it is comfortable and warm. Once the movie is chosen, Xavier scoots in next to you. The bed is meant for only one person, so it was a tight fit, but neither of you acknowledged it. If anything, it made your heart race faster as your cheeks felt warmer. You have had feelings for Xavier for a while now, never knowing if he returned them, though he has never proven that he didn't.

And that is how the week flew by.

Hanging out in either your or his dorm and sometimes even in the art studio. You weren't the best artist, but you would just sit and watch him paint, handing over some drinks and snacks during the day as you worked on your own thing. Then, at night, you would watch a movie or listen to music before dozing off.

Slowly, all the Nevermore students start coming back, and the dorms fill up again. Yoko had also come back, so you stopped sneaking Xavier in for a bit. Not that Yoko really cared, but you thought that she would maybe want to enjoy the room by herself for a bit before you invited him in.

"Oh my God, Y/N! I haven't seen you in so long," Enid squeals, wrapping her arms around you as you finally joined your group in the Quad. "You will never guess what news I have!"

"What is it?"

"I'm getting a roommate!" She cheers. "I have been alone this entire semester, but Thornhill told me that on Monday, I will finally get a roomie!"

Ajax winces, a distraught look on his face.

"You're forgetting the part where she ate her classmate."

Enid rolls her eyes, shaking her head.

"It wouldn't be the weirdest thing at Nevermore. though it is kinda weird... Anyway, it's only a rumor."

You look at Xavier and he only shrugs, a smirk on his face as the two of you look at the bickering between Ajax and Enid. It is only a matter of waiting to see if there will be an actual cannibal in your school or not.

That evening, Xavier invited you to the Nightshade Library to chill there. 'A quiet moment before the shit show starts again,' he had said, and you couldn't agree more. Not to mention that there was only a small group of people who knew how to get into the library.

"Do you think the new girl is actually a cannibal?"

Xavier bursts out laughing before spinning the pencil in his hand.

"I would surely hope not. You know Enid, when she hears a rumor, she writes about it."

That was true. You don't know how she did it, but Enid always knew what was going on in Jericho and at Nevermore. How? No idea. You look up at the pencil that levitates in the air. You had stolen it out of Xavier's bag, mindlessly controlling it as you talked to him about all sorts of things.

"That's true. I'm sure Enid's blog will be full of new gossip in a few days."

-

"Her mother used to do fencing," Enid mumbles, her mouth full of food. "She killed two kids, not one! She said she didn't keep count, but I don't know if that is true. I feel like she will fit in though."

Ajax looks at her with a horrified look on his face. How does she say that and be so calm about it? He had been face-to-face with the new girl when Enid did a whole tour around the school.

A laugh escapes your lips when you see his expression as you almost spit out your drink. You love how exaggerated the Gorgon is sometimes.

"She also insulted my side of the room! She apparently is allergic to color or something, it's insane. Y/N, does my room look like rainbow vomit?"

You look from Xavier to her, hesitating for a moment before shaking your head. Her room is extremely colorful, but you wouldn't bring it as rude as the new girl.

"No, not at all. I find your room very comforting, actually."

Enid lets out a relieved sigh. She knew it!

-

You stand opposite of Xavier, your blade in your hand as you are dressed in the white fencing suit. Xavier and you always trained together. You both knew each other so well that the moves were quite predictable, but that is also what made it more difficult.

When you hear another pair of footsteps nearing, you look up. A girl, around your height, enters the room. Also dressed in fencing attire, though hers are dyed as dark as a shadow. You take off your cap, looking at her in confusion before averting your gaze to Xavier. He had also taken off his mask as he looks at the new person.

"Coach! She tripped me!"

"It was a clean strike, Rowan," Coach almost sighs. This has been the fourth time he tried to go up against Bianca, but he never made it.

"Maybe practice some more. I'm sure you will get it," she smirks. "Try again next time, Laslow. Seriously, Coach. When am I going to get some real competition?"

Bianca might be the queen of Nevermore, but she is also the queen in fencing. No one can beat her and it is something she is quite proud of. You never hung out with her a lot, but she is always sweet to you.

"Anyone else want to challenge me?"

You were almost up to it as you had never gone against her before, but the newbie beats you to it.

"I do."

Bianca turns around to face the new girl, a surprised yet amused look on her face.

"Oh!" She exclaims. "You must be the psychopath they let in."

"And you must be the self-appointed Queen Bee," the other girl says, her face clear of any emotion.

"No need to start throwing around names," Bianca raises an eyebrow. "Rowan doesn't need anyone to come to his defense. He's not helpless, just lazy."

"Are we doing this or not?"

Two rounds pass between the girls fencing as they both have one point. You elbow Xavier to try and tell him something, but see that his gaze is fixated on the girl in the black suit. You breathe in deeply before just looking back at the fight.

No masks or tips? Is she insane?

Even though Wednesday is the one to propose the idea, Bianca still scratches her first, a bloody mark apparent on the forehead of her opponent. Another day where Bianca is left as the top in the class.

-

"I'm sorry I'm late," Xavier huffs, his hair still damp. "I uh- I was stuck in the infirmary."

You were annoyed, but now also worried.

"What? Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

"Oh, no! No, you know those gargoyle statues on the roofs? One fell down, almost hitting Wednesday. I pushed her out of the way and then had to bring her to the infirmary. She wasn't even happy with it, she was almost upset about the fact she didn't die."

"What a hero," you joke, a smile on your face as you also feel a pang in your chest.

You don't want to be that person, Xavier is free to spend time with anyone you wish. Maybe it is just your insecurity. But, he is here now. With you.

While Xavier was working on the mural, you just sat with him, handing him a new paintbrush or filling up his paint palette whenever he needed it. When hanging out with him, you never really needed to do something crazy each and every time. You could sit next to him in silence and it would still be considered a good time for you.

"Do you hear that?"

You hum, looking up from your phone. In the distance, you can hear a cello. The source seems to be from Enid's dorm. Or, shared dorm now. Enid couldn't play the cello, so it must be Wednesday.

"Beautiful."

-

It was time for the Harvest Festival, something you looked forward to for a while. There would be games, food, and music, and you would be spending it with some of your friends.

The field was already filled with groups of people excited for a night of fun. Jericho wasn't necessarily the place to be when it comes to entertainment, so the Harvest Festival was one of the biggest things every year. You walked in with Enid, Wednesday, Xavier, and Ajax as Weems walked right behind you. The lady was intimidating, but you knew that she wasn't there for you.

The principal had sat down on a bench, keeping a close eye on Wednesday as you walked a bit further with your own group.

"Where did Wednesday go?"

Xavier looks around, but the pig-tailed girl is nowhere to be seen. You shrug, the girl seems to be very quiet, so you didn't hear her sneak off either.

"I'll be right back, I will look for her real quick."

Before anyone can reply, Xavier walks off, trying to find the new girl. You look at Enid for a moment before shrugging yet again, continuing on with your adventure at the festival. You could try out some new food maybe, though the hotdogs were always good as well. After spending tons of money on food and drinks, you sat down at a picnic table, Kent and Yoko joining the group as well. After a few minutes, Xavier comes back, sitting down next to you with a huff. You push your popcorn a bit closer to you as he mutters a 'thank you' before stuffing some in his mouth.

"What got you so upset?" Ajax looks at his best friend, sauce stuck on the corners of his mouth.

"Just some normie," Xavier responds shortly, sipping your milkshake before placing it back in front of you.

"If anyone needs to be thrown against a wall, you know who to call," you just grin.

Telekinesis is, in your opinion, one of the most useful powers that you can have. Be it something big like moving a car, to something small like turning off a light when you are just getting comfortable in your bed.

Xavier just stays quiet which makes you stop talking about the subject. Whatever it was, it must have really annoyed or hurt him.

-

"Xav?" You knock on the wooden door. "Xavier, are you okay?"

You had just heard about Rowan being expelled from Nevermore, though the reason was unknown. Not even Enid knew why the boy got kicked out.

After some shuffling, the door opens. Dressed in a red shirt and grey sweats he awkwardly looks at you.

"You uh- You can come in. There is no one else here anyway," he mumbles, a slight smile on his face.

When he turns around to walk to his bed, you notice some bruises on his arms.

"You okay?"

He only nods before laying down on his bed, patting the place next to him. With a smile you sit down as well, running your fingers over the blue-ish patches on his skin.

"Rowan went a bit crazy," he only whispers. "No need to worry. Movie?"

-

When you get into your Botany class, you see that your usual seat is already taken. Wednesday sits next to your best friend, sitting on the chair that almost had your name written on it. You breathe in deeply before walking to the back of the class, taking your place next to Bianca.

"What is going on between you two?"

"Nothing," you whisper back. "Xavier is just friendly."

"I doubt Wednesday is impressed by your tricks, mister Thorpe."

You look over at his desk as you see a big spider crawling out of his page, stopping in front of the girl.

"Admit it," he smirks. "You're a little impressed."

One smack was all it took to change the spider into dust, making it disappear into thin air.

-

"Xavier, sit still!"

The two of you are laughing as you almost sit on his lap, a brush in your right hand and face paint in your left. He insisted that he wouldn't be able to do the makeup for the Poe Cup himself and that you had to help him. You were almost finished, but Xavier got impatient as he moved around.

"Ta-da!"

You push him in front of the mirror before throwing his hat at him. When he puts it on he does some silly faces. The dark makeup around his eyes does really make the blue-green pop. Xavier catches you staring at him as you seem almost mesmerized by his look. He turns around with a smirk, looking down at you before charging at you, making you let out a scream before trying to escape his hands.

"Xavier! Come on, we have to get to our boats!"

You follow Ajax and Xavier outside, meeting up with the rest of the people that were excited about the Poe Cup. Four teams that will compete against each other, though you wouldn't be surprised if Bianca's team won again. Putting Sirens on water? There is simply no other way.

Every boat is painted inspired by an Edgar Allen Poe story, and they all looked amazing.

"Good luck," you whisper to Xavier before he gets into the boat.

"Oh, we will win," he winks before jumping onto his seat and pulling his jester hat down.

The boats take off after the gunshot, some faster than others. You wonder what type of sabotage this year would bring. After only a minute, the first boat crashes already.

All the boats are out of sight as you patiently wait. What is strange to you is that Wednesday participates. Enid even made Wednesday wear cat ears- though you are sure she absolutely despises them. Something about Yoko accidentally eating garlic and the pig-tailed girl taking her place.

From afar you can see a red, black, and yellow boat getting closer and closer to the shore, though the Jokers seem to be slowing down and even- sinking? Oh god, Xavier is not going to like this.

It almost seemed like Bianca would win again, but that is until the spikes go through the side of their boat, ripping holes into it as it slowly fills up with water.

The Black Cats had won, making Enid scream with happiness as she jumps up and down with the Cup in her hands. Oh, you will never hear the end of this. Ajax and Xavier are sitting at a table, both sulking while staring down at the piece of cake that they had gotten. They were so upset with their loss, that they couldn't even take a bite of it.

"You guys did amazing, I am sure that you will win the next cup!"

Xavier only huffs, pushing the cake around with the fork.

Both Xavier and Ajax are extremely competitive, so they took the loss extremely personally. But, you believe in them. You always do.

-

When Xavier had told you that Wednesday found his private art studio and asked him to the Rave'n, your heart broke a little. Somewhere in your mind, you had hope. Hope that he would ask you to the dance. But he seemed so happy. So happy that the girl that he admired asked him to the dance.

Since then, he barely talked to you. No more movie nights, the seat next to him was always taken by the deadpanned girl, and even during lunch, he would barely say anything. Texts would be left on seen and calls would be ignored.

The news of Xavier basically being dumped for the Rave'n should upset you. And in a way, it does. You knew that he admired Addams, but if she hadn't blown Xavier off, you wouldn't be here right now.

"She just totally messed it up. Sneaked into my studio just to accuse me of the most outrageous shit," Xavier scoffs, his hands running through his hair, almost pulling it out of his scalp.

"Hey," you lean closer to him, taking hold of his hands. "We can go to the Rave'n if you want? At least neither of us will be alone."

Your fingers slowly comb through his hair, taking out some small knots on the way. He only nods, staring down at the floor.

"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds like a plan."

-

Your outfit matches Xaviers perfectly. His suit was nice and crisp, decorated with a small black ribbon around his neck. You added a ribbon around your wrists and neck, almost acting as a necklace with matching bracelets. You hold onto his arm with a bright smile as the two of you walk through the Quad and towards the Rave'n.

"I'm so happy you got that stain out," Xavier laughs. "Remind me to never eat anything with ketchup when I wear something white."

"I tried to! But you insisted on it," you giggle, greeting Thornhill before entering the prom.

The room is decorated with bunches of white flowers, sparkles, lights, and what seems to be ice sculptures. It is truly a sight.

"Punch?"

"Have anything to spike it with?"

You let out a gasp before elbowing Xavier, shaking your head with a laugh.

"No, but we might be able to get something from Ajax later tonight."

Both of you take a cup of punch, smoke coming out of the cups. It looks kind of intimidating, but at least it tastes good.

You had sat down with Devina, Kent and Xavier, though Xavier is more quiet than usual.

"Are you okay?" You mumble, looking up at him. "Is it Wednesday?"

He turns his empty glass in his fingers, letting out a soft sigh. He doesn't want to be upset, but the feeling of being dumped like that still hurts him in a way.

"Yeah," a smile makes its way on his face. "I'm sorry. I do really like being here with you."

Your cheeks feel warm and your heart feels like it will explode, so you take his hand, softly squeezing it before nodding.

"If you want to leave, you can always tell me."

"Yo!" Ajax hurries over before he taps Xavier on his shoulder. "Check that out!"

Everyone looks over to where he is pointing at. Wednesday Addams. Her gown is black instead of the usual white and she is accompanied by some Normie. Huh, you would never have guessed that that was what she was into.

"Wednesday totally busted out of her cocoon."

It's true. The girl does really pull off the look, even though you never expected her to enjoy the Rave'n. But, to be totally fair, her face looks almost disgusted as she takes in the decorations. Your eyes fall on Xavier, who is back to having barely any emotion on his face as his eyes are just fixated on the Addams girl.

Without any warning, Xavier stands up, walking towards Wednesday as she pours some punch into two glasses. You try and ask him what he is doing, but decide to hold your tongue.

You were so excited that he finally talked to you again after ignoring you for Wednesday. He finally returned to his old self, but the second the darkly dressed girl stepped into the room, it is like you didn't exist anymore. Wednesday herself never did you any wrong, and that is why it makes you mad at yourself. How can you be so annoyed with a girl that has nothing done wrong?

You just wish you were her. You wish you could pull off her hairstyle, be deadpanned, and be intimidating while also being beautiful. But most of all, you wanted the attention that she got from Xavier.

"You okay?" Kent whispers, looking at you with his eyebrows creased.

He spent a lot of time with you while you were being ignored by your best friend, so he kind of knew what was going on. You only nod, averting your gaze down to your empty cup. Did you not mean anything to him? Come on, Y/N. Stop exaggerating, he can have other friends.

When you look back up you see that he is still talking to an uninterested Wednesday.

"I'll be right back," you mumble, picking up the hem of your dress before going through the exit.

The music here is quieter and the lights are dimmed. Even though you can hear the talking and dancing in the room right next to you, you still feel alone. Are you a bad friend for wanting Xavier's attention? Are you being too jealous? Or maybe you are just being too insecure.

You plop down on the couch, letting out a sigh as you stare at your shoes. Your heart wishes that this evening would have gone differently. You could go out and have fun with the rest, yet you sit here, sulking.

It doesn't take long to hear another pair of footsteps.

"Whoever invented high heels clearly had a side hustle as a torturer."

You look to the side, seeing Wednesday pull on her heels. You let out a chuckle, shrugging.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. You know what they say; suffering tests a woman."

"Speaking of suffering," the girl turns around, looking at you. "Where is your date? I didn't see you and Xavier on the dance floor. But I don't blame you, the music at this dance is appalling."

"We uh- I don't know. He walked off. Haven't seen him since he went up to you."

Wednesday hums, leaning back against the couch as well. If she had to dance one more time, she might start breaking her own legs.

"Wednesday? Can I ask you something?"

"You already are," she states.

You laugh awkwardly before you breathe in. Your hands are shaking, making you feel stupid for asking.

"How... How did you manage to get Xavier's attention?"

She raises an eyebrow, looking at your face. You don't dare to look at her, though. It was already embarrassing for you to ask this question, you don't want to see her judgemental stare.

"If I knew, then I would immediately stop it. He is annoying and only stands in my way," she mutters, rolling her eyes. "Why? You are his best friend, does he not pay attention to you?"

"I wish he did a little more."

A sad smile on your face before you push yourself up, stretching your legs. Wednesday can't help it.

"Well," you nod, looking back at the Rave'n. "You look beautiful today, Wednesday."

As you walk off, you hear her respond.

"Xavier is an incredible idiot for not seeing how disgustingly in love you are."

This evokes a real laugh out of you. It is hard to absolutely hate the girl. But she is right. Then again, maybe you should have said something.

"Yo, yo, yo! Almost eleven o'clockity, so haul it out on the dance floor one last time before the Rave'n says Nevermore!"

Just as you enter, Kent pulls your arm, pulling you onto the floor for the last dance of the evening. You know what? Fuck it. Together with Enid and Kent, you do some weird moves, jumping and swinging your arms to the music.

You don't care anymore. You want to have fun with your friends, and though it would have been more fun with Xavier, you have to accept that he just... Doesn't feel the same.

You look up confused when you feel splatters on your face. Did the sprinklers go off? When you look at Kent, you see that red liquid is dripping down on his face.

"Kent? Are you hurt?"

Before he can answer, the sprinklers turn on fully, coating everything in a layer of red liquid. Is this blood? You look down at your dress and hands which are now stained. What kind of prank is this? People start screaming, trying to hurry out of the room, making you pick up your pace as well. The floor is extremely slippery as you almost fall over multiple times. Where is everyone? Where is Xavier?

As you reach the exit, you see Xavier and Tyler bumping into each other.

"What the hell are you doing, man?!"

"I'm just texting my dad," Tyler looks the guy up and down. "He's on his way. Have- Have you seen Wednesday? I lost her."

"How should I know," Xavier sneers, turning back around to leave already. "She's your date."

"Xavier?"

He looks back at you once before walking off. You pause for a second, frozen in your place before you faintly hear Tyler asking if you're alright.

"I uh- Yeah. Sorry for Xavier."

-

After you finally washed all the paint out of your hair and off of your skin, you decide that you want to visit Xavier. He was definitely still not doing fine, and though he blew you off, you just had to make sure he was okay. After all, you were still his date today.

Dressed in your pajamas you sneak out of your room and towards the hall that Xavier stays in. He must have showered now as well. You hate to admit it, but even covered in the paint, he was still amazingly pretty.

"Xavier?" You whisper-yell, knocking on the door of his room. "Xav- Can you let me in, please? If Coach sees me here he will kill me."

The door swings open, revealing an annoyed boy hiding behind it. You sneak in quickly as the door closes behind you.

"What?" He asks, biting on his cheeks. He wanted to be alone, yet you are here now.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," you shrug. "Seeing Tyler after he beat you up can't be too nice."

"I'm doing perfectly fine, thanks."

"Xavier, you and I both know-"

"Stop," he glares down at you. "There is no such thing as you and i."

His tone breaks your heart. What is he talking about?

"How would you feel if the person you like would show up to the Rave'n with some shit normie? Knowing you are stuck there with someone who isn't her?"

"Xavier! She left you for nothing," you scoff. "I have always been there for you. Always! When you broke up with Bianca, when you had to stay here because your father didn't come to pick you up, I invited you to sit with me during the Visiting Weekend-"

"Oh yeah!" He throws up his arms. "You are such a good person, Y/N."

So... sarcastic. Were you really that bad of a friend?

"And why do you even care that much? You are literally just exaggerating! You have been blowing up my phone for no reason knowing that I was busy!"

"Because I wanted my best friend back! You have been so obsessed with Wednesday-"

"So this is about Wednesday?" He scoffs, crossing his arms. "She has done nothing wrong to you! Never! You are just bitching and being mad because she is better than you. Is all of this literally because I like her? Is that why you're mad? Jealous?"

"What if I am?! What if I just want even an ounce of your attention? Wednesday doesn't even like you!"

"Don't," he leans closer to you, gritting his teeth. "Talk shit about her. Leave."

He points to the door.

"Leave!"

The tears that had piled up in your eyes started rolling down your cheeks. Never did the boy talk to you like this, not once in the few years that you have been befriended.

You walk out the door, not one more word said to him as the door gets thrown shut behind you. If only you could find a way to forget about him. Maybe it would have been better if you never met him at all. You knew that you would never be like Wednesday, but were you not good enough?

What if you tried some type of spell or brainwashing? Surely someone in Nevermore has some type of way to make you forget. Even only a small amount of weed from Ajax would help. What if you make Wednesday torture you until you forget? God, you wish you could just say the word and forget-

A word to forget.

Bianca.

You hurry towards the room belonging to the Siren. She knows how you feel. She must help you. You will do anything for her to help you.

"Bianca!" You knock on her door, breathing in shakily as stray tears fall down your cheeks. "Bianca, please."

The door opens slowly, revealing a confused Bianca. A towel is resting on her shoulders and she is also already dressed in her sleepwear.

"Please," you sniff. "Use your Siren Song. Make me forget Xavier. Please."

[ghostofbambifanfiction]

CYOA C57 Sneak Peak

Since I took a not-so-brief break from writing and it still might be another few days before I can post the next chapter, have a sneak peak of the beginning of the chapter below the cut.

Private WhatsApp Chat Resumed: Wednesday 16th March, 2022, 01:37 Members: Lily Evans, James Potter

================================

Lily Evans: <image attachment> You're hopefully asleep but look at what I've got!

...

Private WhatsApp Chat Resumed: Wednesday 16th March, 2022, 07:11 Members: Lily Evans, James Potter

================================

James Potter: omg it's my face mug

Lily Evans: Yep! Plus my tea, which really got me through the morning since I came in an hour early to get a site report finished. I employed cunning stealth tactics to manoeuvre it out of Pip's desk drawer yesterday.

James Potter: what did you do?

Lily Evans: I said, "Pip, can I have James's face mug?" and that worked.

James Potter: truly you are machiavellian in your endeavours also are you wearing bright pink in that photo?

Lily Evans: I am. Felt slightly daunted about it this morning because of the stupid old adage about redheads, but I mean, I BOUGHT the outfit on Monday because I loved how it looked on, so chickening out would have been a waste of my money.

James Potter: what's the old adage about redheads?

Lily Evans: There are MANY and they're all equally ridiculous because being redheaded is great actually, but this one in particular dictates that we "shouldn't wear pink," presumably because it looks terrible on us.

James Potter: that IS stupid you look so pretty

Lily Evans: Thank you! <image attachment> This is the full fit. I love Sirius's selfie mirror. What d'you think?

James Potter: christ you really do have phenomenal legs warn me next time, would you? i'm trying to drink my morning coffee in peace here, and you spring this on me

Lily Evans: Lollll you saw my legs on my Instagram yesterday.

James Potter: yesterday you had big tall boots on today you do not

Lily Evans: Forget about my legs for a second.

James Potter: i physically CAN'T

Lily Evans: The jacket is a CAPE, James. I own a CAPE. I am MAKING MY OWN DREAM (of owning a cape) COME TRUE. Do you have any idea how many crop tops I bought on Monday? LOADS. And I've been scared of crop tops my whole life. I still kind of am scared, but I'm going to be brave and wear them anyway, Bea says that if I carry myself with confidence on purpose I'll eventually start to carry myself with confidence because that's genuinely how I feel, and you know what she's right because I've had more compliments from other women in the office over the last day and a half than I've had in the year since I started working here. If you can't tell, I'm very excited about my new clothes.

James Potter: i can tell

Lily Evans: It's probably a very boring topic so I'll stop.

James Potter: no you don't have to stop i think it's brilliant and not just because i get to see more of your legs, which is a huge win for me

Lily Evans: Lolllllllll

James Potter: a week ago you were calling yourself a frump, so it makes me happy to see you talking like this instead if new clothes make you feel good about yourself then i want to hear about them

Lily Evans: I do feel more like ME in them, if that makes any sense at all. And there's no going back now because I've bagged up a load of my old clothes and Bea and Remus are going to help me lug them to the charity shop before we all head off to the train station on Saturday. I bought A LOT of new things. Like, so much I felt a bit obscene every time it came to pay. But I couldn't have done that if you hadn't spared me from paying rent for the next few months, so thank you so much for being a bottomless well of kindness, even though I should be saving that money for a deposit on a new flat and have had no common sense in my approach to this.

James Potter: don't worry about it, you deserve bottomless wells of kindness and of every good thing in life are you going to leicester with remus and beatrice this weekend?

Lily Evans: No, although I'm going the Saturday after for a pre-Mother's Day lunch with my mum and Petunia. I'm heading to Stockport to spend the night at Emily's, it just so happens that Bea and I both need to leave from Euston. Actually, first I'm getting my hair done, then I'm donating my clothes, THEN I'm going to Stockport to see Em. Then I'm going wall climbing with her and her mum and sister.

James Potter: oh cool! i love climbing, have you ever done it before?

Lily Evans: I went to a climbing centre once for a friend's birthday party years ago, I was twelve and I got my first period while I was actively on the wall, so I spent quite a lot of the day running into the toilet to check that nobody could see it even though I was wearing black shorts and Carina's mum had given me a pad. So the short answer is: not really, but I'm not worried, none of them are expecting me to be any good at it even though they're all basically professionals. Em and her sister also go cycling every Sunday morning so I have been informed that a loaner bike and safety gear is available if I want to join them.

James Potter: do you think you will go?

Lily Evans: Yeah! I haven't cycled in a few years but I do cardio every day so I reckon I can manage the exercise even if I wind up extremely saddle-sore afterwards. Plus this all means I get to bring and wear some of my new workout clothes, and honestly I'll take any excuse.

James Potter: if you put some chamois cream on before you cycle you'll save yourself a lot of discomfort little tip from my mum that i flagrantly ignored in my youth

Lily Evans: Why did you ignore it?

James Potter: because i was A MAN who didn't NEED to smear cream on my groin to train for a triathlon except it turns out i did also i was only about sixteen, who the fuck did i think i was, cat noir?

Lily Evans: I'm going to skim past the fact that you know who Cat Noir is because then I'll need to explain why I know who he is and it's probably the same reason.

James Potter: it's definitely the same reason

Lily Evans: God, we're both such dweebs. I mean, you're much cooler than I am, but still.

James Potter: not true at all, i'm a massive dork, i just happen to play a lot of sports, so people who don't know me well don't spot it straight away

Lily Evans: And you're stupidly attractive, which isn't often expected of massive dorks because we live in a society that unfairly pigeonholes people into boxes based upon their perceived attractiveness. This I say as I shop for makeup online. I know I'm part of the problem.

James Potter: what does "stupidly" attractive mean? i'd love a definition

Lily Evans: You already defined it yourself. Weeks ago, actually.

James Potter: what??? when?

Lily Evans: "And now," gasped Theo, in a ruggedly handsome but also charmingly boyish but also sexy but also dorky way that seems really impossible for a real human man to accomplish, "I will kiss you at last!" See? Defined. As per you. Also important to note: this kind of attractiveness makes people who fancy you act and feel like blushing, giggling idiots. Hence, "stupidly" attractive.

James Potter: well

Lily Evans: Your brother, on the other hand, is NOT stupidly attractive. He's inaccessibly attractive. Which is very different. Science.

James Potter: noooo don't talk about sirius! talk about me again!

Lily Evans: I just did. At length.

James Potter: talk about me more who am i making blush and giggle?

Lily Evans: How quickly you forget that I still field emails from Jessalyn et al.

James Potter: oh it's JESSALYN, is it?

Lily Evans: Et al.

James Potter: i think you should elaborate on et al

Lily Evans: I'd love to but I have to jump into a meeting.

James Potter: no you don't!

Lily Evans: Yes I do!

James Potter: a meeting with who?

Lily Evans: With Agnes from Julia Murphy.

James Potter: who is agnes from julia murphy

Lily Evans: Julia Murphy is a skincare company, one of our brand partners, and it's in my calendar, see?? <image attachment> I'm not trying to get out of telling you I think you're cute.

James Potter: two minutes ago i was ruggedly handsome and charmingly boyish and sexy now i'm merely cute?

Lily Evans: And dorky. Don't forget dorky.

James Potter: i haven't forgotten anything, thank you very much

Lily Evans: James, you are ruggedly handsome and charmingly boyish and sexy. Are you happy now?

James Potter: that reply will do, but only because you're busy you're off the hook for now but i expect you to revisit this subject later

Lily Evans: God, who even are you, my owner?

James Potter: that's an interesting choice of words, lil

Lily Evans: DON'T YOU DARE ANSWER THAT QUESTION

[walkingintheheartbreaksatellite]

Sky High(1)

(Harry Styles x Fem!Reader)

Summary: You take Harry to do something he never would have thought he’d do.

A/N: In honor of Balloon Fiesta season(aka my fav time of year) ITS TIME FOR BALLOONRRY! This has literally been spinning around in my brain since last December so yeah… enjoy.

Warnings: Judgmental family member, mentions of body shaming(only once), fear of heights, mentions of traumatic childhood and abusive parent (not in detail), Mentioned aged gap but not specified.

>>>————————————->

London, Wednesday

Harry smiles as he shuffles around the house, throwing things in his suitcase.

“Hey Harry, don’t pack your puffer-.”

“Y/N, you said it was gonna be cold and that I should expect snow!”

“Yes but- your puffer is cotton. Which can catch on fire. And we’ll be operating a propane burner. And don’t pack your wool gloves either-. You know what, finish packing your clothes and then we’ll go get you everything else. I need new gloves anyways.”

He rolls his eyes and kisses my forehead before turning back to our dresser.

This year, Harry is joining me for a hot air balloon rally that I crew for with some of my family every year. I have never seen him more excited for something so boring.

After he finishes, he drags me out the door immediately and we head down to the shops.

“We need to go to Workwear. They should have everything.”

He nods and grips my hand as we walk down the chilly streets. Harry grabs the door and we head inside. Harry bites his lip, a bit reluctant at his unfamiliar atmosphere.

“Come on, dork. Let’s go find you a jacket.”

I manage to find a nylon and polyester jacket that he’s satisfied with, though he complains that he’d rather his puffer.

“I know- you can pack it but you can’t wear it when we’re crewing or Bob will never let us hear the end of it.”

I grab a few pairs of nylon gloves before dragging him over to the shoes.

“Boots, love? Really?”

I snort and nod my head.

“We’re carrying heavy equipment. Your Vans won’t work. You could drop something and seriously hurt your foot. Hence the steel-toed boots. And they’ll keep you warm. Trust me.”

He nods and we head to the checkout, excitement rushing through us at our week ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday

As soon as we land in Albuquerque, we quickly pick up our bags and our rental car before getting on the road. We get settled on the highway and Harry turns on cruise control, taking my hand in his while driving with the other. My hands start to shake more and I sigh.

“You’re shaking Y/N. Why are you shaking?”

I let out another sigh and I look at him.

“My father might be there… And my brother and sister. You haven’t met them… And honestly I don’t really talk to them. So I guess I’m just nervous. And you’ve never met my granny or her husband- And since you’re helping crew for Andrew… I don’t know… Just a lot going on.”

He lifts my hand up and kisses the back of it before he squeezes it. His eyes remain on the road but his words make me tear up.

“I know you’re not particularly looking forward to all of that- But I’m here. I’m always here. And your mum. You know she won’t let him do anything to you. I will be the perfect Angel that I always am-.”

I snort and he gives me a playful side eye.

“As I was saying- everything will be just fine. Okay? So let’s have fun. I’m definitely excited. And happy to see your mum again.”

He smiles and squeezes my hand again before turning his attention back to the road. After about 2 hours, Harry gets off at the exit and it only takes us a minute to get to our hotel. He parks next to my mom’s car and we get out. She gets out of her car and rushes over to Harry, pulling him into a hug as he laughs and smiles.

“Oh my god, Harry! I’ve missed you! Look at you! You look great!”

He laughs and hugs my mom back for a minute before they pull away.

“I’m great, Kelly. How are you?”

She nods and gives him a smile before she pulls me into a hug as well.

“Hi my babies.”

I smile and hug her, rolling my eyes at Harry as he laughs.

“Hi mama.”

She pulls away and shoves her hands in her pockets.

“You both doing okay? Taking care of each other? You look good but you know I worry.”

I smile and nod.

“We’re fine. Harry is very excited.”

Harry nods and wraps an arm around my waist, his smile clear as day. We stand by the car, talking to my mom for a few minutes when my grandmother pulls up. Her husband gets out of the truck and gets her walker out, setting it up as she gets out. Not ready to face her, I drag Harry inside to check in and get our room keys.

We collect our keys and walk up the stairs to our room.

“Love, I really don’t think you need to avoid her-.”

“You know how frustrating she is! The woman flat out told me when I was 16 that it was my fault that my mother was depressed! Because somehow I could control who she slept with to create me!”

He wraps his arms around me and kisses my head.

“I know love, I know. But you know your mum won’t let her do anything. Did you pack your meds?”

I huff and just shrug. He holds me for a minute, rubbing my back before he decides we need to go downstairs and get our bags. He drags me down the stairs and out to the car where, surprise surprise, my grandmother is. I elect to ignore her, opening the back to start grabbing bags. My mom pulls us over to them as I huff in frustration.

“Mom, this is Harry, Y/N’s boyfriend. Harry, this is my mom, May and her husband Andrew. You’ll meet Bob later. He’ll be crewing with us.”

Harry shakes my granny’s hand as well as Andrew’s when my grandmother adverts her gaze to me.

“Sweetie, what did I say about all that eating you do? It’s not good for your figure. I mean look at you-. And did you get that job I sent you the link to?”

I sigh and shake my head, squeezing Harry’s hand to calm me down before answering her.

“Granny, that job was in Arizona. I live in London, remember? And I have a job. I work at a publishing firm, remember? And I like it.”

Before she can say respond, Andrew interrupts her.

“How about we all get settled in our rooms? We’ll meet back here in the parking lot at 6:30 to go check in?”

We all nod and head inside. Before we enter our room, my mom puts her hand on my shoulder, and I turn to face her.

“You two go ahead and have to time with each other for the night. We don’t all need to go to check in and I know you’re not exactly ready to see him. I’ll text you what time we need to meet in the morning.”

Harry smiles and hugs my mom and I let out a heavy sigh.

“Thank you, Kelly. I’ll take care of our girl. She’ll be fine.”

My mom kisses my forehead and squeezes my shoulder before she heads into her room and disappears behind the door. Harry pulls me into our room and pulls me into a tight hug as soon as the door closes. He rubs my back and I let out a sigh.

“How about we go on a walk after we get settled in love? Think that would help? Or are you in the stuff your face with sweets until you pass out kind of mood?”

I shake my head as I hang up my jacket.

“I’m actually in the take a hot shower and then cuddle with my hot boyfriend until I fall asleep kind of mood.”

Harry flashes me a bright smile and hugs me as he hangs up his jacket.

“You take your shower. I’ll run to the vending machines and get some sweets. When you’re done, we can head to bed.”

He kisses my forehead and leaves the room. I grab some sweats and a soft top before heading into the shower.

By the time I’m done, my hair in a wet braid and teeth brushed as I walk out in my soft clothes, Harry is already in bed, scrolling on his phone. He looks up and smiles, pecking my lips softly when I get into bed.

“Your sweets are in the fridge, let me brush my teeth and I’ll turn the light out.”

I nod and curl up into bed as I wait for him. Not 5 minutes, he’s back in bed, pulling me close before he turns out the light.

“Are you gonna be okay, love? You’ve been tense since we got here.”

I sigh and bury my head in his chest.

“I’m nervous… And honestly I haven’t been feeling that well lately so maybe that’s just not helping. And with the stress of seeing him, and of course my granny, I guess I’ve just been a little off. But I’m really glad you’re here… I’m excited for you to meet my sister. She’s a-.”

“A pain in the ass, you’ve mentioned.”

“But you’ll like her! We fought a lot when we were kids of course but we got closer in high school. You’ll love her!”

He laughs and squeezes me tight.

“I could never love anyone as much as I love you. But I’m sure she’s great. Just keep thinking of all the positives, remember? You love this town, you love this time of year, don’t let them take that excitement from you. And I am very excited to experience this with you. Now let’s get some sleep, okay?”

I smile and curl up into his arms before slowly falling asleep.

Friday 05:30

So put your best face on everybody

Pretend you know this song everybody

Come hang (Come hang)

Let's go out with a bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!-

I wake up to my alarm going off as I feel butterfly kisses on my cheeks. I wake up to see Harry, planting soft kisses all over my face before he smiles when he sees I’m awake.

“Time to get up, love. We have to be downstairs in 30 minutes.”

I groan and wrap my arms around his neck as I sigh.

“Can you just tell them I died or something? Or better yet we both did? I don’t want to go into the cold… I wanna stay here and cuddle.”

He laughs and shakes his head, pecking my lips before he pulls me up.

“Well, your mum is bringing coffee in like 10 minutes so you have to be alive if you want some of that. Because I do.”

I laugh and shake my head as I get up from the bed, pulling clothes out of my bag before I start to change. Harry and I are quickly dressed by the time my mom knocks on the door and Harry happily accepts the coffee.

The second I smell it, I get nauseous and I run to the toilet, throwing up. I hear Harry sigh and he comes into the bathroom, throwing my hair up in a clip before he starts to rub my back. I throw up a few minutes before I flush, slowly standing up so I can rinse and brush my teeth.

From the corner of my eye, I see my mom with a worried expression on her face.

“How long has that been going on, Y/N/N?”

I shrug and wipe my mouth, turning out the bathroom light before fixing my hair quickly.

“A couple weeks I guess. I’m never running a temp so I figured they were just random waves of nausea.”

She sighs and shakes her head.

“I think you should take a test.”

My eyes widen and I look at her.

“You think I could be-.”

Harry and I share a look, one filled with anxiety.

My mom only nods and rubs my back in comfort.

“When we come back after breakfast, I’ll go get you a few tests and you can take them and we’ll go from there, okay? Just try not to stress about it.”

We only nod and she leaves only a minute after. Harry lays back down and holds his arms open to me and I immediately lay in his arms, holding back tears.

“What are we-.”

“Shhh. Everything will be just fine, love. No matter what. If you’re pregnant, we’ll handle it. And if not… maybe it’s just not the right time. Either way, I’m not going anywhere. We will figure this out. Together.”

He kisses my head and rubs my back as we lay there for a few more minutes before we finally head out to the parking lot. We all hop into the van, the vehicle filled with silence as we make the small journey to the lift off field. After about 10 minutes, Andrew parks the van and gets out, meeting Bob outside so the can attend the pilot’s meeting. Harry squeezes my hand and gives me an anxious look.

“So… we just wait? I thought we would all be getting out and that’s when the hard work starts.”

My mom and I laugh and I shake my head before I peck his cheek.

“No, there’s always. Just a little waiting. They have about a 30 minute pilot meeting to determine whether or not we can fly. Based on the wind, I don’t think that’s gonna happen. Right now, if we flew, we’d flop around and lose control.”

He laughs and nods. As expected, when they come back from the meeting, we aren’t able to fly. Andrew makes the decision to head to breakfast rather than still inflating like most were doing, even though we couldn’t fly. We pull into the parking lot of an almost empty diner and finally get out of the van. We eat breakfast, Harry and I sharing a plate since I really wasn’t in the mood to eat much.

The minute we get back to the hotel, my mom runs to her car and takes off, no doubt to go buy me tests. After about 20 minutes, she comes back with a knock on our door. She hands me the bag and I let out a shaky sigh.

“I’m sure you know how to use these… I’ll give you two some space. Call me if you need me sweet girl.”

She kisses my forehead and squeezes Harry’s shoulder before leaving the room. We’re quiet for a few minutes before Harry sits next to me on the bed, taking my hand in his, squeezing it before he raises our joint hands to his lips, softly kissing the back of my hand.

“I meant what I said, Y/N. No matter what the results are… we’re gonna be okay.”

I sigh and start to tear up.

“Are we even ready for this-.”

He sighs and puts a finger on my lips, silencing me.

“We’ll figure it out love. Just like we have with everything else. Alright? Now go take those tests. We can cuddle when you finish and we’ll wait for the results.”

I sigh and stand up, taking the tests into the bathroom. I take all 4 and place them on the counter, letting out a shaky sigh. I wash my hands and take a quiet minute to myself before opening the door and flinging myself on the bed and into Harry’s arms, causing him to laugh. Harry sets a timer on his phone before he puts it back on the nightstand and cuddles close to me, kissing my head.

“Are you hoping for certain results…?”

Harry is quiet for a minute before he turns to me with a small smile.

“Well… If you are pregnant… I would be extremely happy. I mean we’ve been together for 3 years and we live together. And besides… I want a little you… I’ve thought about it on and off… And maybe that can happen now. If you’re not… I don’t know… Maybe it’s something we could talk about? I mean… obviously I’m not getting younger despite how hot and young the girl next to me is…”

I laugh and nudge him playfully as he laughs and hugs me. He pecks little kisses all over my face before he starts to tickle me. He towers over me, determined to tickle more, but is interrupted by the timer on his phone going off. My face pales and we both sit up. He turns off the timer and we sit quietly for a minute before Harry speaks up.

“We’ll do it together…”

He takes my hand and pulls me up before he walks to the bathroom. We share a look and nod in agreement before looking at the tests. Positive. All positive. I turn to him, tears in my eyes, as are his as he quickly pulls me into his arms and hold me tight. After a minute, he pulls away and kisses me passionately as he holds me close. When we pull away for air, we share a small laugh and he hugs me once again.

“God I just- We’re having a baby! I love you! We need to call mum! And Gem! We need-!”

I laugh and shake my head.

“Let’s try to find some onesies here… Maybe we can surprise them. But we should go tell my mom since- of course she knows and she’s probably dying to know.”

He laughs and nods. We leave our hotel room and head over to my mom’s room, softly knocking on the door. She opens it and immediately lets us in.

“We’ll…?!”

We laugh and she glares at me.

“Okay okay… I’m pregnant. We’re having a baby.”

She tears up and hugs the both of us tightly.

“I’m gonna be a grandma again!!!”

I shush her and put my finger on her lips to shut her up.

“Hush! There’s people here we don’t want knowing!”

She nods and I remove my finger. Her phone pings and she picks it up, reading it before she looks up at us.

“Your grandmother wants to go shopping and Andrew wants to know if you guys are going to dinner tonight.”

Harry and I share a look and I sigh, falling back into his arms with a groan.

“Tell them we’re still jet lagged. I don’t want to deal with her tonight.”

She laughs and nods, hugging the both of us before she leaves our room. For the rest of the night, we cuddle and talk a little about the baby until I finally fall asleep, drifting into my dreams of hoping for a bright beginning.

And in the back of my head, I knew that this weekend was going to be a whirlwind.

>>>—————————————->

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[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Wednesday lovely Fandom :) Phew lord we’ve reached the eps I’ve only watched once. Because I was far too destroyed to watch them again. Knew my second time around would be my rewatch. I’m not ready emotionally. Will I ever be though? lol If we don't laugh we cry right? Ha Anyways I’m on a strict timetable before I move. So press forward I must. Sad at the lack of gifs in this one. But also understandable since we were all anxious af after this one. I am excited to do Tim analysis though. I always enjoy that.

Also pre-shout out to Eric and Melissa in this one. They never cease to amaze me with their acting chops and chemistry. Eric really kills me in this one in particular. Let us begin the slow breaking of our shipper hearts shall we? Also thank you to my readers for going through this with me. Once was hard enough. But revisiting isn’t any easier so thank you for coming with me on this journey. Off we go.

6x05 The Vow

We get our couple immediately after the cold open. I knew going into this ep it was going to be angsty. I just had no idea why or how bad it would be…It’s date night for our beautiful pair. I just love them constantly dating each other. Makes my soul so damn happy. I can’t put it into words well enough. We get ship crack in this opening sequence for sure though. The way they light up when they see one another. That never gets old. Lucy is lighting candles when her man enters in.

Tim couldn’t be any cuter just as happy for date night as she is. Looks like he’s carrying quite a bit into her apt. Lucy instantly notices his present for her. Tim continues with the cuteness and says yes and the beer is for him. This is so domestic I wanna die. This moment started off so precious I knew he we were in for a world hurt tbh. This scene was the calm before the storm.

Tim is not wasting any time getting a thank you kiss in. Lucy is lit up like a Christmas tree as she leans in for said kiss. I adore the smiles going into it. Making my shipper heart giddy af. Also his grip on her arm. Drawing her in nice and close. It’s doing things to me as they melt into each other. Lucy’s questioning face cracks me up as she pulls back. Tim picking up on it right away. Asking her 'What?' With so much sass I’m cackling. How he has grown in his sass heh

Lucy can’t help but note gift giving isn’t his normal love language. Fact that they’re talking about love languages has me reeling so much. It’s just so cute. I'm squeeing at how friggin precious and domestic this is. Tim challenges her back. Asking what is his love language then? Their banter right here is one of their love languages let's be honest LOL Always top tier with some flirtation mixed in for good measure.

Lucy being cute as all hell replies ‘Terse nods mainly.’ I mean she isn’t wrong haha There have been some wonderful sets about this line. Man sure does love his terse nods. For her especially. Mainly her really. Tim continues his trajectory towards adorable with his reply. Letting her know he’s trying to change things up.

The smile on that man’s face. Oh my word. I said this a lot in S5 and I’ll say it again. Have we ever seen this man so damn happy before her? The answer is a sharp no. Not ever. She is the absolute joy in his life. It just radiates out of him when they’re together. Especially when they’re bantering. Ugh my heart. These two kill me in the best way.

Lucy then turns into an adorable little bean herself. Asking Tim if she can open it now? She is so excited about this impromptu gift. No way she can wait through their dinner to open it. Tim say of course she can. I’m sure he was hoping she would open it right away. Especially with the thought he put into it. Also well done on the wrapping good sir.

Lucy’s reaction is delightful. It reminds me of the way she reacted in 6x03 with her trophy. Blown away by this man’s thoughtfulness. Not only that but making her laugh in the process as well. We get a second in love 'Lucy smile' in the second gif. He is so gone for her. Man they were really setting us up for a fall with the goodies they packed into this scene.

I love how Tim locks eyes with her and is beaming ear to ear. No one makes him smile like that except Lucy. Legit the sunshine in this man’s life. I can’t get over how damn happy he looks. My heart might implode at how happy he is. Happiness looks so good on him. Also how proud he looks as well at his choice in gift. Patting himself on the back for it hehe

We see it’s her KIA radio in a display case. Lucy looking at him like he’s hung the moon and stars. Bringing out her own in love 'Tim smile.' She too is beaming right back. Heart eyes paired with that joyful smile. Tim for this moment (not the rest of this ep) is once again 10/10 for her. Commemorating her takedown of Jeff Budny. Saw an excellent parallel between this and 2x12. About Tim giving back things that saved her life for him. My damn heart. I’m fine….

Tim continues on to say it was to memorialize the radio that saved her life. So grateful to that radio for taking the hit it did. I remember thinking how that radio represented her communication problems. Little did I know it would soon represent Tim’s as well. The irony of this gift will hit us painfully hard later in this episode. Having watched rest of the season as well it represents their’s as a couple too. *sigh*

Anyways we get a SECOND kiss in this moment. That’s how I knew it was coming like a freight train at us. We got cuteness, flirtation, banter and two kisses in one scene. They were setting us up for a very hurtful fall. They just look like two happy idiots in love. *dreamy sigh* I wanna die it’s so precious. They fall back into each other for this second kiss.

The look in Lucy’s eyes ready to thank him for this radio. Not with dinner but some sexy times. That kiss before it’s interrupted looked like it was headed for the bedroom. Dinner be damned at that point. The way Tim is leaning heavily into that kiss too. Ready to go in for more. His patented first kiss need an immediate second one well underway. Phew lord. He was more than ready to receive that thanks LOL

Sadly Tamara steps through the door. Doing what she does best. Be a wet blanket for their bedroom endeavors. I love her anyways though haha She instantly apologizes saying she forgot it was date night. Tim sighs as they pull apart and Lucy goes into mom mode after she hits Tim. haha It’s so cute. Little damn family up in here.

Tamara says she can hide in her room. Lucy replies that’s not necessary. That she can make a plate for her room if she’d like though. Then the scene takes a giant shift in tone. Tim receives the phone call that ruins our entire shipper lives. It sounds dramatic but it’s really not…Tim’s whole demeanor changes. Lucy is crazy intuitive to it. Her internal Tim radar going haywire. The tight way he replies and says he has to go.

Lucy wanting follow up questions. It’s the way she says. ‘Just wait.’ Not wanting him to go. *heart clutch* The sheer panic and worry developing in her soul and in ours. That gnawing unsettling feeling we feel through out the rest of the episode. Breaks my heart. She clearly spent the whole day waiting to be with him for their date night. Only to have him taken away with no answers. Lucy looks SHOOK as her entire heart walks out the door. It's written all over her face. His abrupt departure filling her with questions and worry. So it begins…

We see Tim pull up in his truck to the pre-arranged spot. A man comes out of his own car and enters in. I was on pins and needles waiting to see wtf this was about. Who the man was. Why he had the power to make Tim, basically run from date night with his girl. I knew in the back of my mind had to be his military past. Only thing I could think of to make him spook like this.

They shake hands when he gets into the truck. He thanks Tim for coming. Our boy replies he didn’t have a choice. If Ray is alive they have a big problem. The intrigue meter continued to grow. Who was this Ray? What problem did he present to them both? Tim looks like he’s seen a ghost when he’s shown Ray’s photo. He was supposed to have died in an air strike….He's been working as a gun for hire and came into LAX the day before.

Tim asks why he would come to L.A? Apparently his mom is dying of cancer. That’s who they’re staking out. It’s here we find out what the vow is. And it’s not a good one….Tim is not onboard for honoring this pact they made. To kill Ray if he ever resurfaced. To pay him back for the friends he killed. We see the conflict on Tim's face. How he doesn’t know how he’s gonna tackle this. Eric killing me softly early on in this one. His eyes alone scream so much emotion.

We see Lucy unable to sleep. In what I can only assume is Tim’s shirt. I think Melissa confirmed it was and thanked the fans for their keen eye. It’s the little things we love so much. Lucy is clearly missing him. So naturally she sleeps in a shirt of his. Also her DOD ring and her necklace are in plain view as well. Killing me softly. She can’t sleep because he’s supposed to be next to her. His consistent calming presence is missing and she can’t relax enough to rest.

Their date night was supposed to end with him asleep by her side. Not this. We can see the anxiety just seeping out of her. Don’t blame her one bit. No one knows that man better than her. From the second he took that phone call she knew. Deep in her gut that not only was something off but very very wrong. Her whole being emanating unease and concern. I feel you Lucy. The rapport and connection they’ve built over last 5 seasons coming in hot here.

Lucy looks sick to her stomach and it makes me wanna cry. The hurts so good is ever present in this scene. She is missing him and crazy worried. Her rampant anxiety is not letting her rest. My guess is other than 6x01 they’ve scarcely spent a night apart. The way he took off is scaring the shit out of her with good reason. So she tries to quell it with a phone call. Sadly she gets his VM. Her message to him makes my stomach sink more. Lucy is used to being his go to. She was left in the cold and her stress level is rising due to it.

Tim watches her call and VM come in. He looks pained at not being able to answer it. It’s the way he sighs and closes his eyes. It’s killing him to keep her at a distance. Eric out here trying to murder my feels with his superb acting. This truly begins the immense breakdown that is their communication. Lucy showed her hand at it before this ep in 6x04. Now it’s Tim’s turn at it. We had indications of it but s6 showed us how glaring it is. The cracks in their foundation were there. We just didn't want to see it. These are the issues Eric wanted to tackle.

Honestly when we're on the other side of this I'll be real grateful for it. Till then this just hurts. Now Tim’s communication probs are particularly glaring in these in this ep and the next. Pains me to write it but our boy has serious issues with stuff like this. You know he knows she is at home worried sick. That’s why he looks so pained. Tim knows her just as well as she does him. Very aware she is panicked and worried about where he is. If he’s ok. Absolutely killing him to keep her in the dark. To Tim right now he think's despite that it's the right call.

This is Tim Bradford so he thinks he’s doing it to protect her. To keep her from his dark past affecting her. If he distances himself and handles it solo it’ll be ok. Because he doesn’t need help. Wants shoulder this alone. Oh Timothy, my love you are so wrong. It pains me how wrong you are. His childhood issues screaming out in this decision. Which we will get into. That gif of Captain Holt's ‘Paaaaiiiin’ gif is fitting right here. *sad sigh*

Greer rejoins Tim in the truck with his recon. Tim is clearly uncomfortable with this whole thing. Weighing so many things at the moment. What he has to lose with any action they do. His soul is already so heavy with the past. It pains me to watch this. Tim is trying so hard to talk Mark out of this. Asking what they’re really going to do? What the point of all this really is? Noting them even talking about this is criminal conspiracy. Greer gas lights Tim this entire episode and I do not appreciate it.

Saying he can’t believe the ‘Reaper.’ is going soft on him. He is softer because of a wonderful woman named Lucy Chen. He’s in love with a person who is beautiful inside and out. One who has changed him so much. So yeah he’s softer now Greer. Also the first time I heard that nickname it made me fan myself. Is that wrong? lmao Idk if it is but I found it insanely attractive. I probably shouldn’t haha But here we are. With me still finding that service nickname sexy. I am who I am. Tim says he isn’t soft. He’s only thinking of what’s at risk here.

They can’t be committing murder, because of a pact that was made years and years ago. I love Tim’s line about they made it in the anger and fog of war. No doubt, with his nickname alone, we can see how angry Tim was going into the service. How could he not be? He came from a household where his emotions were suppressed heavily. So there is zero doubt in my mind he went into the service full of anger. Not only angry but loyal af as we know. That combination alone would result in this pact/vow being made.

Tim is almost reflecting on how much he has grown since that moment in time. There was a lot of talk about the ways Tim hasn’t changed following this episode. Hell even inside this ep with him keeping Lucy at bay. But he has. He changed so very much since Lucy came into his life. It’s why he brings up the lives they’ve built. The life he is currently building with his soulmate. The jobs they hold.

That angry young man doesn’t exist anymore. The one who would murder for his squad in retaliation. Now Tim still has that instinct in him. Don’t get me wrong; scorched earth for those who mess with his loved ones. But this? This situation puts the life he’s built at risk. Puts the love of his life at risk within the department. Unfortunately Tim is still loyal af and Greer uses that against him.

Gas lights him some more. Saying how they’ll never get to build lives because of Ray. Pulling on that thread of guilt that lives deep inside Tim's soul. Trying to reawaken a man that is long gone at this point. But is still loyal to a fault. Weighed down with enough tortured guilt to keep this going. I resent Mark for using it against him I really do. Friggin stunard...My Italian rage coming out for Greer.

It’s here we find out more about what went down between them all. Not only that but WHY him being around is such a damn problem for Tim/Mark. I would be remiss if I didn't note this. How much I am enjoying Tim in street clothes. Mmm nice and scruffy too. He is scruffy most of this season and I am here for it. He looks so good in that jacket it’s sinful. How can he make such a simple jacket so attractive? Yum. Ray asks what they’re doing here? Greer pipes in to bring him to justice. He asks for what?

Tim starts to list off the numerous reasons why. Going AWOL, faking his death, felony grand theft, stealing half million from the government. Just to name a few sweet lord… Then to top it off, he called in an air strike on his own guys when they came for him. Ugh. Real peach this one. That there wasn’t enough of Henderson and Coyle to fit in a shoe box….ooof. It’s here we find out what Ray has on them. That he read the after action report. That it didn’t read that way. Tim justifies it by saying it only reads that way so his wife and daughter got his death benefits.

Of course that’s the most Tim Bradford thing ever. ‘Some things matter more.’ Only breaking the rules if it’s for the greater good. We talk a lot about Lucy’s empathy but don’t sleep on Tim’s. It runs very very deep. This is proof it was a huge part of him before the Isabel trauma buried it and Lucy resurrected it. That being said this doesn’t look good at all for Tim. By bringing Ray in it endangers their service record and their current jobs. Because as kind as what they did was. It has consequences because they lied on an official government document. My stomach turned even farther with this scene.

Eric KILLS me in this portion. This man has no right making me this emotional. How has he not won any awards? His beautiful shimmering blue eyes cutting me deep. Eric is so expressive in just his eyes alone. But he gives this scene everything he’s got in his arsenal my god. They get away from Ray’s to talk. Tim immediately says they’re not killing him. It’s not happening. (Someone needs to capture this scene in gif form BTW) It's a crime there isn't one. Mark tries to appeal he’s dead anyways.

Tim won’t hear of it. Says it won’t matter when the nightmares come knocking. And we know he’s had those nightmares. Not just about the service but about 5x19. About the life he was forced to take. Tim says they need to just come clean about everything. They don’t have a choice. Greer fights him some more. Saying it’s just going to blow up their lives as a result. Tim tells him he won’t let that happen. He’ll take the fall for him. Ugh Tim no. You have a life that’ll get blown up too my love. A woman who would be devastated to watch this take you down.

There's a Lyric from a band I love. "A thousand scars betray me Oh, what's another one?" That is Tim in this moment. What's one more emotional scar? Better than Greer losing his life because of what he chose. Tim's integrity is one of my fav traits about him. It’s the one I relate to the most. Because I am the same way. It drives a lot of my decisions. He's so willing to fall on his sword because he bears the weight of that decision still. Mark pleads some more but Tim won’t have it. Says he can’t with tears in his eyes. (I'm fine....) He is not that hot headed young man anymore. Life has kicked him around and he’s seen things. This isn’t the path and he won’t let Greer take it.

Tim follows up with he won’t let him do it. Even if it’s without him. It’s here where Eric just rips my heart out with his performance. When Mark asks him if he would arrest him if he killed Ray? It’s the way his voice breaks. Tears threatening to fall when he chokes out ‘Yes.’ Rip my heart right out writers sweet lord. Greer says he’s out then. But I wanna deck him for his reply after that. He hangs all future crimes Ray does on Tim. I don’t curse very often in these. But how fucking dare you sir. How dare you put that on this man.

He is already riddled with so much guilt and shame. His soul is ten times heavier than it should be. Because Tim shoulders things deeply. Not only that he does it solo. A chunk of what weighs his soul down isn’t even his fault. Tim is a much deeper empath than he’s given credit for as I stated earlier. He absorbs the feelings and pain of those around him. Takes them in and never lets it go. It’s why he was and honestly still is so rigid as a cop. That iconic line ‘Rules matter boot.’ Was his PTSD in a line and we had no idea back in S2.

Because anytime this man has let his guard down to break the rules it’s hurt him. Mitch, Isabel and we now find out about this. Tim did the right thing and yet he’s paying the price not Ray. It’s the hitch in his breath as Mark takes off that’s the final emotional blow for me. I just want to hug him so much. The way he tries to catch his breath after he’s gone. Finally releasing all the emotions he was bottling up. You can see why he was wants to retreat to one person who will make him feel whole again. It’s why his next scene is with Lucy….

This scene we get to see Melissa shine along side Eric. Killing us softly with their angsty goodness. We watch the sheer amount of relief run across Lucy’s face. It's evident when she hears his keys in the door. The happy relief is fleeting though. Her opening line is salty af as it should be. ‘Oh good, you’re not dead.’ She is ready to rip into him and rightfully so. Hurts to watch but she has every damn right to. She kept it together for work. But now that he’s in front of her she doesn’t have to. Her sass turns into the anxiety and worry she’s gone through. Telling him that his sorry isn't good enough. (it’s not…)

Saying she spent the last THIRTY-SIX hours. (That's a day and a half Timothy...) Worried he was bleeding out in various landmarks all over the city. Ugh poor Lucy. That’s very taxing on your nervous system to be in that state of mind for that long. That’s way too long to go without communication. But this is pre-therapy Tim so...Communication isn’t his strong suit when he isn’t in fight or flight mode. One of my fav lines of the scene. ‘Telling me you’re alive is NOT optional.’ Hell no it's not. The hitch in her voice and tears in her eyes. Gah killing it Mel.

Trying to communicate clearly to him this behavior isn’t going to fly. Not ever. Rewatching this season, it pains me how many hints the writers gave us about their communication problems. Now Lucy is trying here. With telling him what he did was not ok in the least. She then asks what the hell is making him so crazy? Expecting him to tell her. Tim’s reply is vague and only serves to make her angrier. Especially when he says he’s doing it to protect her status at the station. She asks if he committed a crime?

The irony of this scene is that radio being prominently shown. How it was a happy thing 36 hours ago. Now it’s a symbol of their dysfunctional communication as a couple. Tim tells her no…Not technically. The fire continues to build in Lucy. Angrily retorting how it’s serious enough she could be disciplined for not reporting it then. Tim tries to do his protection line for her but it doesn’t land at all. The fire in her is raging at this point. She stands up and angrily asks what he’s doing here then? Tim is so taken aback by this. His reply breaks my heart. Stumbling over himself ‘I...I came to see you…’

To Tim it’s his default to go to her. When he’s upset or lost he goes to Lucy. Seeking her out like the sanctuary she’s always been for him. Has been for years. Even more so since they got together. Tim came to be near his comforter and happy place. Wanting her to envelop him in her arms and take his hurt away. Unfortunately my love, she can’t help or take away what she doesn’t know about. It’s why her hellfire continues on. Lucy absolutely obliterates him with her reply. 'To what? Order take in? Watch TV? Pretend like nothing is going on?' Tim so desperately wants to sink into solace he’s used to. But he won’t let himself tell her what's going on.

Thus denying himself the one thing he came here for. Her. Lucy (who is wearing the same blouse from 5x12 btw. Way to push the knife deeper writers) tells him if he’s not here to tell her to truth.... We pan back to Tim’s face. She can read him like a book and knows he’s not going to. She then tells him he’s needs to leave. My heart is on the floor at this point. I totally understand her drawing this boundary. I truly do. Lucy is trying to show him there are consequences to his actions. Holding him accountable. That he needs to communicate and trust her. Lucy wants him to see despite the ramifications she is there for him. Sadly Tim doesn’t see this hence her asking him to leave. My poor shipper heart.

To make matters worse Eric is personally attacking me with his teary eyes and hurt puppy dog expression. Had to get this gif in. Why? Because it beautifully captures the devastation of her sending him away. We haven’t seen him this visibly upset since 4x09. Except this time his person isn’t there to make his tears go away. She is the one causing them and sending him away. The range of emotions flitting across his face has me bawling my eyes out. The man deserves all the awards once again. The way his eyes convey so much. How utterly wrecked he is. It's written all over his expression.

Eric brought it so hard in this episode holy hell. Tim came to her seeking out the comfort of normalcy from her. As we all know our boy needs his routine and structure to stay sane. Lucy has become an intricate part of that. He sought out his girlfriend to stabilize himself. Sadly there was no comfort to be found for him. Gotta give to get my poor broken boy. As much as it’s frustrating to watch him do this I get it. As I said earlier he has the tendency to shoulder burdens alone. It’s how he has survived most of his life. Doesn't excuse it just explains it.

His childhood is a massive proponent of why he operates this way. He came from an abusive household as we all know. Where he had to turn off his emotions and learn not to ask for help. If he did it only served to further the abuse. Also it was looked upon as weak. Was seen as useless if you did. When that is ingrained in you at an early age it is so friggin hard to get rid of it. It's an instant default for him. It’s not something being loved properly just gets rid of. If anything it only makes it worse on some level. Because it means you something to lose as Tim does in Lucy.

To explain Tim’s side of it I need to give a little piece of me. I can relate because of what my mother did to me growing up. It’s something I fight to this very day. I hope one day it’ll be easier and less of a deep grove in my brain I go to. Most of my childhood as I’ve shared was full of emotional abuse. My mom didn’t like it if you spoke your mind or messed up in any way. If you did you got the silent treatment for weeks on end. I wish I was kidding. She once went three weeks without speaking to me as a kid. Pretending like I didn’t exist. Felt like I didn’t have a mother. As I got older her default punishment only got worse. When I went to college my baby sister got engaged couple years in.

To a wonderful man. They're still married and happy btw. But my mother could see herself losing her control over my sister. Told me to pick between her and my baby sister. The choice was easy. I picked my sister. She then abandoned me and didn’t speak to me for 18 months after that. Her doing that made me feel like, whenever I stand up for myself or make a mistake with someone I love, I’m going to be abandoned. I just recently got into a fight with said sister. I had that exact same panic after I stood up for myself thinking she was going to discard me. She has proven time and again that’s not true. It’ll never be true. My sister and her husband have always made room for me in their lives here in CO. Made me feel loved unconditionally.

The same will be true when I join them in TN when I move. And yet that deep ingrained thought that she would abandon me still appeared. Worried that because I had stood up for myself she would do what my mom did. She didn’t cause loves me. But I’m still not used to the idea of unconditional love. It’s hard to grasp when you’ve never really had it before. So this is where I related to Tim so hard and defaulting to doing this alone. I’m in my 30s and this still affects me deeply even with therapy. Tim is pre-therapy and not seeing the unconditional love Lucy has for him. Which is a precursor for 6x06 honestly. You could have the best human in the world loving you and still not accept it or understand that you even have it.

Tim doesn’t know how to ask for help and to see Lucy would love him through his mistakes. He’s protecting her but also himself in this moment. Because he’s ashamed of what he’s involved in. That she won’t love him anymore due to his past sins. So he’s keeping her at a distance from him. Thinking it’s protecting her from his toxic past. But also protecting him from losing her as well. This scene, sadly, is the result of many miscommunications since they started boiling up and over. A gradual escalation toward breaking apart. This was a incredibly hard scene to stomach and watch. Lucy is vibrating with how upset she is when he says ‘Understood’ and leaves. Un-break my heart you guys.

Another banger of a song running through this final scene. The songs always hit and work so well with the tempo of a scene. It’s ’Teeth.’ By mallrat. Have a whole playlist of songs from this show I love it. We see Lucy looking at her phone fighting the urge to call Tim. Despite their epic fight she misses him. It clearly shows. Tamara brings her out of her thoughts by plopping on the couch. Asking her what she's doing?I adore her saying she is going to be a good girlfriend. Trust her man. *heart damn clutch* HER MAN. It’s the little morsel we all needed after that heated argument of insane pain.

I am most grateful for Tamara in this moment. Wanted to shove her out the door in the opening scene though. LOL Nolan is such a failure to be there for Lucy earlier in the ep. Where as Tamara is clutch af in this moment. She is emotional support while Lucy goes through this. Talks it out with her. Tamara asks if she’s heard anything? Lucy tells her about their heated fight last night. That it’s been their only contact….That Tim just stood there. Lucy seems so at a loss and it hurts my heart.

Tamara makes her laugh and says they should put a tracker in his truck lmao Lucy calling her out for being a bad influence. Tamara follows up that No, she’s just a really good teacher. Lucy is floored replying what? Wasn't able to fit this in but her lessons learned are hilarious. No coffee in gun hand and head on a swivel. The swivel part had me laughing so hard. What a goober. I love them. Just the levity Lucy needed. I need more of them in S7.

We pan back to Tim in his truck. Longingly looking at his phone. Specifically at Lucy’s contact page. He is breaking on the inside without her and yet can’t force himself to let her in. Also would’ve killed me if it had a pic of Lucy or of them. I would’ve legit died of happiness. What a missed opportunity writers. He is missing her so much and is dying to reach out. Wants her by his side but can’t overcome his wiring to do so.

His default is to go to her. To talk to her. Once again just another look into their broken communication. When one stops so does the other and it goes to shit. They are partners in every sense of the word except for their communication. They were stellar at that with work. It blows my mind how quickly that broke down when they got together. They had something extra special to lose when they did though. *sigh* s7 you have work to do.

We see Tim refocus his sights on Ray. Tasked with the mantle Mark Greer thrust upon him. He’s now on a crusade to catch him before Tim has anything else to add to his soul…. Phew this was an emotionally draining one to get though and it’s not even the harder of two. Phew lord. Thank you to every single one of you reading these, liking them, reblogging or commenting (love me some comments don’t be shy) they mean the world to me. I shall see you all in 6x06 where can sob together. ❤️

Side notes-non chenford

All the Aaron and Blair scenes are so icky knowing her endstory. Bleh.

Beauty of rewatching I can skip all the Nolan content. Snoozeville again.

Smitty only hanging out in therapy office for snacks lmao Needed in a tense episode

Lucy’s crack about asking Celina To Aaron. Lmao. Commend our girl for cracking jokes and keeping her shit together on shift.

Nolan is absolutely useless when Lucy comes to him for help. Their friendship truly fell apart when Jackson died. Any rapport or connection shot to hell. He can’t read the utter panic she is in and I hate him for it. As useful as a paper hat in a rainstorm to keep you dry.

Also the lyrics used earlier from my fav bad RED. The lyrics ARE TIM. In this episode to a tee Here's the link https://genius.com/Red-cauterize-lyrics

[backtothe99]

(18Trip Translation) Tao Kinouchi Novel: Back to the 99 - Track 4

all novels have spoilers for information about the characters revealed in the main story, proceed with caution!

CW: Tao's parents' religious fanaticism reaches a Snake-goes-missing-esque (999) climax

Wednesday, June 30, 1999

— Wednesday, June 30, 1999

I involuntarily let out another sigh.

I didn’t go to school today.

Taiki’s fever had gone down, but he still seemed under the weather.

“Tao-nii, enough… Go to school…”

Taiki told me in the afternoon, after his condition had calmed down.

“I already skipped the morning classes, there’s no point in me going now.” I said and stayed home.

And in case you’re wondering, our parents hadn’t come home at all since the night before.

After Taiki fell asleep due to the side effects of the medicine I had given him just in case, I sat alone in the living room, just staring at my phone.

Should I call Goz, or no? Even if it’s by mail, should I apologize? 

“... What am I even gonna do tonight?” I muttered.

I actually had plans with Goz tonight.

About two months ago, while the two of us were having lunch at school, we started talking about King Anglomois’s prophecy, and I told Goz:

“I don’t know what my parents will do the moment July arrives. They seriously believe in that prophecy.”

There are people out there who believe in this prophecy so much that they become desperate, and there are people who vow they’ll spend all their money by the time June ends. There’s even TV specials.

Our generation has been hearing about this prophecy all our life, and even if we don’t believe it, we still feel a vague sense of fear when we hear the words “July 1999”.

I may be a skeptic myself, but I honestly don’t know what will happen to my parents, who believe in it blindly.

“I don’t wanna be home on that day.”

I had complained to Goz, and as if he just had a great idea, he said, “You don’t gotta be!”

“Let’s sneak out in the middle of the night and jump together the moment July hits!”

“Jump…? This ain't New Year’s Eve.”

“It’s cool, maybe the King of Terror will let us off the hook if our feet aren’t touching the ground?”

It was a silly, ridiculous suggestion.

But the way Goz talked about it with so much excitement somehow comforted me. I knew jumping the moment the clock struck midnight wouldn’t help me figure out what to do with my parents, and it wouldn’t alleviate Taiki’s pain.

But seeing Goz smile as he talked about it… I felt as though my problems were so simple that just jumping could solve them.

“Then, let’s do it. If I remember.”

“Huh? What’s that, Tao? You want me to write our plans on your forehead? Make sure you remember.”

It was just a light-hearted promise, so Goz might have already forgotten about it.

Just as I was at a loss about what to do, my phone’s notification rang, and a mail came through.

“Minami-cho Park. 11:55PM. If you don’t come, I’ll beat the crap out of you.”

The mail was from Goz.

A smile spread across my face.

I was happy that Goz remembered our promise, and was trying to suggest we make up.

I was determined to apologize properly for what happened yesterday when we met.

— I haven’t been able to talk about this with you until now, but truth is, Taiki hasn’t been going to school.

I can’t rely on my parents.

What can I do for Taiki?

This time, I’d be honest and ask for advice.

Goz is a good guy, if I explain the situation with Taiki and our parents, I’m sure he’ll understand.

And just like when he laughed and said we should jump, I’m sure he’ll make me feel better this time, too.

I looked at the time, it was already 11:30PM.

There wasn’t much time left until the arranged time, so I just got changed and ready to leave the house.

When I opened my room’s door, Taiki stood on the other side.

“Taiki, you’re awake? How’s your fever?”

“... It’s gone down. Are you going somewhere, Tao-nii?”

I lied and said I’m going to the convenience store.

I figured I’d be home in about 20 minutes, anyway.

I didn’t think I had any reason to tell him about my promise with Goz.

“Do you want me to buy you something? Like an ice cream?”

Just as I was thinking of really stopping by the convenience store, a loud noise rang from the entrance.

“Tao! Tao, where are you!?”

The next sound I heard was our parents’ screaming.

Taiki’s face suddenly stiffened.

They came into the house with heavy footsteps, looking for me. They’ve always been aggressive people, but they’re especially bad today. 

I hurried downstairs, not wanting to get Taiki involved.

“What are you doing here? Don’t yell, you’ll disturb our neighbors.”

When I got downstairs, my parents, who I hadn’t seen for some time, were running out of the living room.

Honestly, their behavior was strange–

Their hair was messy, their clothes were rumpled, and their eyes were bloodshot.

“There you are! Come on! Hurry!”

My mother screamed as she grabbed my arm. She put so much strength that I felt my bones were going to crack.

She pulled me and I stumbled a step forward, my phone slipping out of my pocket.

“Hold on, what are you doing…”

“Hurry! There’s no time!”

It’s okay. I’ll be back in no time.

I didn’t say that out loud, but I tried to convey it with my expression.

I figured that if I resisted, they’d make a commotion and scare Taiki, so I obediently followed them.

I barely had time to put on my shoes, and I was taken to a park near our house. It was a dark place filled with trees.

A huge coffin was placed there.

“By God’s will! As God’s child! You have the right to board this “Ark”!”

“You don’t have to worry, this is a machine created by God that can transcend time by channelling the energy in space. The church inherited this “Ark” from space!”

“No matter how much we paid, they wouldn’t lend it to us, so we brought it here in secret! Mom and Dad don’t mind becoming sacrifices, Tao is the only one who has to go to where God is!”

I couldn’t understand a thing they were saying.

Their eyes weren’t entirely here, but I couldn’t match up their strength–

Before I knew it, I was shoved into the coffin.

“Hey, hold on, I…”

— I made a promise.

And I have to stay by Taiki’s side.

I wanted to say that, but I couldn’t.

My parents closed the coffin’s lid.

Once I heard a loud noise and realized the lid was locked, I blanked out and everything went dark.

What? Are my screw-loosed parents finally going to kill me?

My parents were still making some kind of noise on the other side of the coffin, so I banged on the lid and yelled, “Let me out! Let me out!”

I’m late for my meeting with Goz. 

I don’t have my phone on me because I dropped it when my parents dragged me. I haven’t even replied to the mail.

— I want to meet him, I want to apologize and make up.

… And there’s also Taiki to think about.

If he starts crying…

Just as I thought that, a sharp pain struck my head.

My vision started to falter, and I felt my consciousness fade.

I can’t remember anything after that.

When I woke up –

I was thrown into an unfamiliar city in the future.

Novel directory: Tuesday, June 29, 1999 / 1 | Tuesday, June 29, 1999 / 2 | Tuesday, June 29, 1999 / 3 | Wednesday, June 30, 1999 | Souta Gozu

[my-castles-crumbling]

Greece anon here

Thank you for what you said about the eras tour rant I went on, it's really helped to calm some of my nerves.

Also good news! We didn't sell the tickets to strangers but to someone my mum works with and they will probably be able to grab the merch we want when they go to their show if we give them money for them so I probably won't have to worry about merch lines at all which is good. But if the lines are short when we go we might go anyway just to see what's left yk.

I have got the loop experience 2 earplugs because I saw a bunch of people recommending them but I'm really scared I'll be able to hear my voice really loudly in my head. I'll see when I get there whether the noise is bad enough to have to wear them.

It is almost only 10 days away and i am freaking out!!!! There is no way I am seeing Taylor swift in 10 days that's not real. She's literally my favourite person in the world and I'm going to see her in real life I am so EXCITED!!!!!!!!!

How did you organise your bracelets? I want to put the ones I get from other people on my wrists and keep the ones I've made separate but I just found out that wembley don't allow metal carabiners inside so I am trying to come up with a new way to hold them. My bag has a bunch of compartments (because I like to organise) so I might just have them loose in one of the big compartments lol

I'm going out with my friends on Wednesday (including the one I'm going to the eras tour with) and I'm going to be yapping about it so much they're going to be sick of me but I don't care because I'M GOING TO THE ERAS TOUR!!!!

I'm trying to get everything that I need to get done over summer break done before my show so after I can just lay and think "oh my god that was amazing I'm so sad it's over" but I tried to open the book I have to read yesterday and I just kind of stared at it for a while, not a lot of reading happened... But I opened it!!! And that counts as progress 😌

I'm so happy I'm actually going to the eras tour!

I got my tickets over a year ago (11th July 2023) and I have been waiting so patiently I can hardly control myself anymore. Like on the 16th August I am going to be AT THE ERAS TOUR!!!!! it's crazy I can't believe it. I watch a livestream of every single show (yes, every. Single. One. I know it's excessive but I just love it so much) and soon it will be MY show. I have seen it through over 100 grainy livestreams at like 2am and during classes and MY SHOW is so close I am so excited I could throw up, my stomach hurts if I think about it for too long.

This was long and it was mostly me rambling but once I get talking about it it's hard for me to stop so sorry but hey it could have been worse! How are you? I hope you're doing well, summer sucks sometimes cause of the heat but sometimes it's great, and I hope it's going great for you!

Hi!!! Ahhh, I'm so excited for you! You have to update me on how it goes, okay?

I organized my bracelets where I had my inappropriate ones on one arm and my g-rated ones on the other lol. Because I knew kids would be there. TBH my biggest regret of the show was that I didn't trade a lot though! I'm super socially awkward irl so I was scared to go up to people, so I only got a few trades done, so don't do what I did! Luckily when I went to the movie later on I was braver, but I still have like ten of my own bracelets left :(

I'm doing pretty good, my summer is going well! I can't wait to hear about how amazing your show is! <3

[twiceland]

oh my gosh okay first of all happyyyy wednesday (it is wednesday in my timezone hehe) to everyone !!! today i hit 1k followers after having this blog since october 2022, and i feel ever so grateful for all of you, mutuals or not, for supporting me throughout this wild ride <//3 i'm currently in exam season (i'm crying inside) so i haven't been very active this year but i am still so happy and excited and ahhhh!!!!!! this means so much to me and honestly i can't even believe that we're here in this moment but wahshjdfhgjshd thank you all soooooo much <3 to celebrate, i decided to write mini email looking notes for some of my mutuals! please don’t be offended if i didn’t write an email for you; if you would like an email and we are mutuals please send me an ask and i will 100% write you one!!!!

to: miru ( @rosiesared ) subject: my fav yunjin stan

MIRUUUUU <3 i still cannot believe we’ve been friends for almost two years. you are genuinely one of the kindest people i know and one of the most genuine ones i know. you’re always there when i just wanna talk and ramble and we ramble together and i adore you for that 🥹 i remember us meeting and me being intimidated as fuck by you but u are the sweetest and have the most amazing personality 💖💖💖💖 i’m so proud of you always I LOVE U TO BITSSSSS

to: isai ( @solojihyo : @yosang ) subject: jihyo’s wife ( real !!! )

MY CLUMSY BLOB <3 hi my love!!! you are someone i love and hold so dearly to my heart <3 you’re someone i can talk to at my happiest and my worst, and you help me become a better version of myself. you’re so sweet and lovely and such a genuinely wonderful person and i appreciate you being in my life these past couple of years. i adore you!! love you sooooooo much my fav horanghae lover (btw i walked into a pole again yesterday. i didnt hurt myself dw) (also thank u for convincing me to download the cracked ps from the link you sent in the server) (i lov u)

to: michaela ( @mandu : @thefeelz ) subject: jennie’s loml

when you followed me i was so sure i was in a fever dream. i’m pretty sure i blinked at my screen like 200 times. ANYWAYS you are literally ,,,,, i think the only way to say this is so fucking cool . although we don’t talk a lot, seeing u on the dash is always a sure way to make me smile <3 i love youuuuu

to: zay ( @jeonwonwoo : @kimsdahyun ) subject: jeonghan’s bff

HI MY MOST BELOVED ZAY !!! over the last couple of months we’ve gotten sm closer and i just love hearing ab u talk about our fav sebongs and ps stuff && everything you’re passionate about. you’re genuinely one of the most fun and funny people i know and i adore you so much <3 love u love u love u jeonghans wife 💖💖💖💖 MY MOST AESTHETIC PRETTIEST QUEEN !!!!!

to: dana ( @lesseraive ) subject: chaewon = loml = the only girl ever

dana!!!! i still cannot believe its only been … a little more than a year? since we became mutuals 😭 you’re the best. i love shittalking w you, talking about our girls (jangchae) and how izone deserved and deserves better (we miss u izone) (u are forever) (never izgone) . you’re like an older sister to me and i feel like i can talk to you about anything. thank you for being here and being my friend, i love youuuu <3 jeonghyeon p01

to: elv ( @seokmins ) subject: seokmin’s pizza girl !

elvvvvv <3 tbh we’ve talked to about this before but i think the most funny part of our friendship is me not remembering how we met HSKFBSJSK i know that we were both mutuals in laws through isai but honestly it feels like we’ve been mutuals for like ….. ever. you are so sweet and lively it feels like we are just two sunshines together in a field of sunflowers whenever we talk 😭 you make me smile whenever you come up on the dash and you deserve all of the love in the entire world <3 sending my squishiest hugs your way! 💗

to: mini ( @venompinks ) subject: #1 blackpink lover

MINI MINI MINI !!!! hi beloved <3 tbh ive always seen u as like an older sibling to me. you have rhsi comforting vibe that just emulates love & support and i adore that. i love seeing ur creations && support towards ur favs (esp the pinks hehe) and ur so so so lovely!!!! sending u all the squishiest hugs in the whole wide WORLD !!!!!

to: theo ( @lovebitxx ) subject: chaer’s #1 <3

THEO THEO THEO THEO !!!!! i remember you following me during your lixblr era and feeling so :OOO bc that was pre gg blog and i was like wowowow bc all of your creations are so pretty 😭😭😭 im so happy we’ve gotten closer and u always make me smile and just seeing u on my dash and talking to u makes me so happyyyyy!! you’re so passionate about your favs and its always so nice to see you get excited about them ): i love youuuu so much 💗

to: daisy ( @svmit ) subject: juhyeon’s bf ( REAL ! )

MY DAISYYYYY i love you!!!! getting to know you have been soso fun and im so glad to know you 🥹🥹🥹 you’re genuinely so sweet and adorable and i want to squeeze u into the tightest hug 🫂 my fav lightsum && ptg stan 4ever!!!!! 💞💞💞

to: shreya ( @fawad-khan : @kiimtaehyung ) subject: tae’s wife & hyunjin’s gf 🎀🎀🎀

my most beloved shreya!!!!! hi akka i love u to the moon and back and beyond 💞💞💞💞 its kinda crazy to think a year ago we barely knew each other and now we’ve both celebrated our birthdays and waaaaaa it feels insane. i feel like. you’re genuinely someone i see as my older sister and i want to hug you so bad and. YEAAAA the momo to my sana i love youu <3 also thanks for teaching me that andrew garfield is a real person 😁 mwah

to: theo ( @toplines ) subject: best jeongyeon stan!!!!

HI MY LOVELIEST THEO!!!!! I ADORE U HEHE thank u for being one of the silliest most funny most genuine people in my life u are quite literally the kuromi to my melody, the jeongyeon to my sana and i lov u lots!!!!! u are the best ever and u deserve all the love and moreeee 💞💞💞💞 hehe ALSO U ARE THEEEE GFX ICON OF ALL TIME

to: lau ( @saerom : @127s ) subject: saerom’s biggest fan (real)

HI LAUUUUU hehe i know we havent been close for that long (i think we met in userps i dont even remember if im being honest) but you’ve always been someone i look up to. you have this ability to like. stay calm and handle difficult situations with ease and are so funny and fun to talk to!!!! ilu a lot and u are genuinely the sweetest ever <3333 also u are THEEEE URL QUEEN !!!!! never forget !!!!! hugs !!!! 💞💞💞💞💞

to: hales ( @3rachaas ) subject: changbins wife confirmed!!!

HALES HALES HALES HI !!! u are the funniest person ever actually genuinely seriously 100%ly (how many more adverbs can shri use,, more at ten) u are my east coast bestie and i love playimg games with u even if u win every single time 😓😓😓 ILY SOOO MUCH i wish i could hug u sososoososososo bad <////3 mwah!!!! also u are my fav 3racha stan 4ever (edit i hate tumblr ANYWAYS i miss our uno game nights can we have one again) (also hales edit era we miss u) (ilyilyilyilyily)

to: lee ( @komca ) subject: komcanation ‼️ mark’s wife

hi mother 😁😁 u are my favorite mark stan 😁😁 i lov u 😁😁 no in actuality i love u sm lee u are one of the most understanding kindest most funniest most amazing person ever u just. deserve all the love in the world!!!!! i love ur markisms and ur love for rnb and just how passionate u are about ur hobbies and interests!!!! adore u to the moon and back I LOVE U SMMMM HEHE MY ILICHIL LOVER IN CRIMEEEE 💜💜💜

to: naina ( @tutontawan ) subject: sakura’s wife 💞

sunshine wifey! HI MY FAVORITE PERSON EVER the hello kitty to my melo, kkura to my eunchae, gaeul to my wonyo, i adore u sooooo much u are quite literally my twin in every aspect and i love uuuuuu!!!!!! u are just the most sunshiney person to ever sunshine and never fail to make me smile and happyyyy I LOVE UUUUU MY FAV i cant wait to meet u one day <3

to: ace ( @ajusnice ) subject: my maknaez in crime <3

ACE ACE ACE ACE ACE ACE HELLO HI my fav gose watching partner hehe <3 no but actually its kinda bizarre how we havent been friends for a year but it feels so much. longer idk 😓😓 thank u for being sososoaoao supportive u always make me laugh and whether its u berating me over using light mode or screaming over junshua its never a boring day when we talk 🥹 im glad to have u as my friend and ILYSM!!!!!! 💞💞💞💞💞

i hope all of you had the happiest new years and hope that 2024 is our best years yet!!! love all of you sooooo much and thank you once again ♡♡♡♡♡

[way-to-go-lad]

Yo! Today was wild, I went to this weird church festival thingy(too long to explain tbh) but there was a lot of free vegan food and I had a dog to pet and I got my hair braided by a nice lady and at the end they gave out leftover bread and I GOT. SO. MUCH. FREE. BREAD!! Like my freezer is fucking full of bread right now! Awesome. I went voting ofc(unfortunately the put me in a different area so I didn't see my name on the ballot :( SAD! Anyway. And then I went to the LGBT+ film festival where I volunteer at and I watched a pretty mid movie and talked to a lot of people which was awesome so I'm making friends with everyone there even if I never see them again after the end of the week(this festival is making me so hyper like idk it's so fun!) and then there was a burlesque show and that was epic. So yeah, lots happened today and I'm so happy~ How about you?

Ok, but you can never go wrong with some delicious bread 🤌🏻. So happy they found a way to not throw it out! That's cool!!

LGBT+ film festival, you say?? Tell me more 👀 I think it's good you're making some friends! It's always great to talk to people with similar interests. The most important part is that you're having fun, my love! So glad you had a great day,sounds like it was very exciting 💞

~My day went okay.I stayed home all day, because I'm antisocial and I enjoy the quiet too much 🤣 (boring I know, but i needed to recharge my social battery after the whole week). Spend the day with my dogs, worked in the garden a little since the weather was just perfect 👌🏻 (dude, the spring makes me feel alive again). I have a very busy week ahead of me, I have a workshop/training/whatever that will be at work on Wednesday and i'm excited about that. What I'm not excited about is the work dinner that is planned for us and the rest of crew + my boss, because people (I am SO bad at talking to people and I might make a fool out of myself) and I have zero idea what i am supposed to wear 🥲

Oh oh oh! I forgot to tell you that I sketched a little which I'm very happy about 🤩 i drew some foxes (i LOVE them) and also some borzoi, cause these not so little creatures are too adorable not to draw.

[thenerdykneazle]

Sallow Soul - Fusion

Summary: Sebastian freaks out when MC disappears. Once she's back, she agrees to talk to him, but then she overhears something that sends her running again. Things culminate in a rather explosive argument - and more. Even so, all is not as it seems to Sebastian.

Sebastian Sallow x F!MC

Warnings: 18+, sexually explicit content, aged-up characters, angst, toxic relationship, bit of a breeding kink

Word count: 11,247

Read on AO3. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 5. MC's perspective (Kindred Spirits).

Part 4: Fusion

In lieu of his normal run, Sebastian paced around his flat on Wednesday morning as he tried to come up with what to say to MC. He considered everything from demanding another chance to laying his soul bare to “I am but a worm desperate to return to your soil.” It all sounded terrible. He had all but lost hope at the prospect of reconciliation. He was starting to wonder if he could ever even be happy. His whole life had been blown up – Anne was gone, Ominis was estranged, and MC hated him – and he had no one to blame but himself. There were no words to fix what he had done – even before the mess of things he’d made more recently. He resigned to be honest with MC about how much he had missed her, how sorry he was, and how ardently he wished to have her back. The rest would be up to her.

All throughout the morning training, Sebastian tried to steal a moment with MC. He struggled, though. Sofia seemed intent on partnering with her. Sebastian tried catching MC between drills, but Mikko kept coming up to praise his performance or ask for advice. Normally, Sebastian would preen at the compliments. Given the current circumstances, they just annoyed him.

He was stuck behind her on the walk to the cafeteria – too far away to talk to her, although it did give him a rather prime view of her arse. It was hardly his fault. The sway of her hips was damn near hypnotising, and she’d changed into leggings after her shower, which wasn’t helping. He could see the cleft of each cheek, and it made images of her arse in nothing but a green G-string flash into his mind. Gods, it’d have been so easy to pull that string to the side and fuck her from behind. Sebastian shook the thought from his head before Sofia could overhear it or his body could get too excited by it. Besides, he needed to focus on the task at hand, as tempting as it was to take full advantage of the fleeting chances he had to memorise every detail of her. The memories would fade, anyway. They always did.

At lunch, Sofia and Mikko separated him from MC at the table, so he couldn’t easily lean over and ask for a private chat. He was desperate enough to just shout across the table, but Sofia would not stop rambling long enough for him to break into their conversation.

“I really like his style, because it lends itself to rereads. He has these great twists that you don’t see coming, but then you go back and see all the hints he had dropped leading up to it. It’s just enough to make you feel like you could have guessed it but never enough to actually predict it ahead of time and spoil it for yourself. I can’t give examples, as that’d ruin it, of course, but I will say–”

Sebastian could’ve bashed his head into the table in frustration. Honestly, did that woman breathe? It hardly mattered, though, because Mikko was playing 20 questions with Sebastian about his workout routine, which made it difficult to focus.

“What sort of running shoes do you prefer?”

“Do you always run outside or do you use a treadmill sometimes?”

“Aren’t you worried about slipping on the ice?”

“Do you have to change your shoes for the winter?”

“What sorts of warm-ups do you do?”

He was relentless. Sebastian went for a wee just to remember what his own thoughts sounded like. It turned out to be a rather brilliant decision, because he took the opportunity to walk by MC on his way back.

“Hey, can we talk for a second?” he asked, having resisted the urge to lay a hand on her shoulder.

MC had a look of fear in her eyes as she turned to Sebastian. It was crushing. He hated that his proximity made her so uncomfortable, especially when he wanted nothing more than to just be near her.

Before she could respond, a voice came from over Sebastian’s shoulder. “I wanted to ask you something else about your intervals,” Mikko said.

The large blond was genuinely one of the nicest people Sebastian had ever met, but in that moment, he could’ve garrotted the great git.

“Can it wait?” Sebastian asked through gritted teeth.

Mikko gave him a friendly smile. “I just didn’t want to forget. How often are you doing time intervals vs distance, because I feel like it’s hard to push myself for the timed ones. But when it’s distance, the faster I run, the faster it’s over, you know?”

The man, by all accounts, took working out entirely too seriously. Surely, he had nothing else going on in his life to be this dedicated. Sebastian, on the other hand, had much more pressing matters to attend to.

“Then just do them by distance!” he snapped. He really could not give less of a fuck about Mikko’s intervals.

The whole table stared at Sebastian, who let out an exasperated sigh.

 “Look, mate, we can discuss it later,” he said, clapping a hand on Mikko’s shoulder and willing him to understand the importance of the conversation he was trying to have with MC. “All right?”

Mikko’s eyes narrowed at him in a way that quite unnerved Sebastian. He didn’t know his face could look so unamused, so…unfriendly. “I’d really rather talk now,” Mikko replied. It wasn’t up for discussion, evidently.

Sebastian glanced down to MC, who avoided his gaze, and then Sofia, who had a similar look to Mikko. His jaw tensed as he realised what was happening. It was all intentional. They were keeping him from MC on purpose. He glanced at MC once more in hopes of catching her eye, but he didn’t. “Actually, I’m gonna go get settled in the conference room,” he said as he met Mikko’s hard stare.

Sebastian felt numb as he skulked out of the cafeteria. He didn’t know how to process the fact that people felt the need to protect MC from him. The thought made his breath shutter. Was he still so dangerous – so dark – that the Hero of Hogwarts needed saving from him? He loved her. He wanted to be the one protecting her. He would never hurt her. But, then, he had, hadn’t he? Constantly since they were 15. He might never have used an unforgiveable on her since they were trapped in the Scriptorium, but he had caused her plenty of pain – and when he should’ve been the one easing it.

Sebastian didn’t try to talk to MC again. She clearly wanted space. He would give it to her. He would wait until they got home to try to talk to her. If she refused, he would leave her be for the night and try again in the morning. He just hoped she’d hear him out before she left for England.

As such, he didn’t rush after her when she darted out of the conference room at the end of the training. Unfortunately, when he apparated into his flat after completing his cleaning duties, it was empty. Sebastian wasn’t totally surprised by this. MC had gone out frequently enough. He hoped it was to pick up dinner and not dick this time, though. He didn’t think he could take knowing she was with someone else again, even if they did end up using her bed instead of his.

As the time dragged on, the probability that she had gone out just for food dwindled. An hour after Sebastian had gotten home, he started to feel sick. He was certain she’d run off to some stranger’s arms. Not that he had room to judge her on that front, but that didn’t stop him from hating it. In a rather rash decision, Sebastian snatched up his cloak and headed out. He might’ve stumbled upon a receipt in the pocket of MC’s discarded cloak after her last tryst, so he knew where he was checking first.

But MC wasn’t at that pub. Or the next three he tried. After he had spent two more hours searching, frequently stopping back at his flat to check if she’d returned, Sebastian began to panic. What if something horrible had happened to her? He couldn’t search a whole city on his own.

He sent a patronus to Niko before showing up at his flat. Sebastian implored him for help finding MC. The younger lad folded his arms and arched a brow as he considered the terrified Brit. “Why exactly do you think something bad happened? You said she’s gone out before, yeah?”

“She wasn’t out this late before. Something’s not right. She…She would’ve told me if she wasn’t coming back,” Sebastian argued.

“Weren’t you convinced she was missing last time, though?” Niko argued.

Sebastian huffed. “Yes, but something feels wrong. I’m supposed to keep an eye on her. She knows that. She wouldn’t’ve just disappeared without a word.”

“You think she’d have left a note? ‘Gone out to find a bloke to bang. Might stay at his. Don’t wait up.’”

Sebastian narrowed his gaze at his friend. “That’s not funny.”

Niko shrugged. “I wasn’t really joking. I think you’re crazy–”

Sebastian opened his mouth to argue.

“But,” Niko continued before he could speak. “I’ll help all the same, Sepe.”

Sebastian gave him a small smile. “Thanks, mate.”

“Don’t mention it. I don’t want you getting fired on the off chance she actually is in trouble. I like having you around.”

Sebastian had Niko stay near the flat to keep an eye out for MC returning. Sebastian checked further and further locations. He talked to dozens of people, but no one recalled seeing her. He even sent a patronus to try to find her. It was a long shot, as most magical businesses had wards against spectres. He didn’t get a reply.

He sent Niko home at 2 in the morning. Sebastian himself wandered for another few hours, checking both muggle and magical hospitals, before going to the headquarters. His eyes were heavy, but he was too anxious to sleep as he waited in the hopes that MC would show up. If she didn’t make it to the training, he would file an official report that she was missing. He sent another pantronus, but he still received no reply.

As he waited, a thousand horrific scenarios played through his head on what might’ve become of her: slipping on a patch of ice and cracking her head open, running into some thugs that caught her off guard, going home with the wrong guy who attacked her. She could be unconscious in hospital, being tortured, or already dead. There was nothing he could do about any of it. Sebastian had never felt so powerless since his parents’ deaths back before he had magic.

Sebastian alternated between sitting on one of the weightlifting benches and pacing around the room. He was doing the former when the door to the training room opened a little after 5 in the morning. His head snapped up at the sound, but he sat frozen as he looked at the figure walking toward him. Relief flooded through him as MC walked across the dark room, heading straight for him. He worried that she might be a hallucination until she was in clear view.

 “Hello,” MC said in mild surprise once she spotted Sebastian gaping at her.

It was as if her voice reanimated him, and Sebastian instantly shot to his feet as a fury filled him. “That’s all you have to say? Bleeding ‘hello’?” Sebastian yelled as he marched over to her. He was filled with the inferno of his favourite spells. “Where were you? I was up all night trying to find you!”

MC was clearly caught off guard by his outburst, and she skittered back as he advanced on her. “Sofia let me stay at hers,” she replied as if it were no big deal.

Sebastian breathed out a bitter laugh. He was going to need to have a long chat with Sofia about her meddling into others’ lives. “And you didn’t think to tell me?” he demanded.

MC crossed her arms defiantly over her chest as she glared at him. “I told you I don’t need a babysitter.”

Sebastian gripped handfuls of his hair rather than MC’s shoulders to shake some sense into her. “You are literally the biggest pain in the arse I’ve ever met!”

“Then it’s a good thing you don’t have to deal with me anymore,” MC replied, turning to walk away.

Sebastian’s arms went slack at his sides. What was she implying? She was done with him? Gone? It didn’t make sense. Her things were still at his flat. Or, at least, they had been a few hours ago. That might’ve changed. He felt a new wave of panic rising in his throat. “W-what? You’re not coming home tonight?”

She gave him a disdainful look over her shoulder as she headed for the conference room. “I don’t get to go home until tomorrow. But, no, I’m not staying at your flat tonight if that’s what you meant.”

Sebastian jogged after her as adrenaline flooded his veins. No, no, no. She couldn’t leave. He already had so little time left with her. He was supposed to say things. Memorise her features. Maybe give her a message for Ominis if he could find the words.

“Look, I know I crossed some boundaries the other night…” he started.

MC just scoffed, not bothering to look at him.

“I shouldn’t’ve…propositioned you like that,” he continued. “I just…Look, I know I’m never going to get to see you again after tomorrow. I just want one honest conversation before that.”

MC laughed. It was cruel and humourless. “You make it sound like you’re so torn up over this,” she said acridly. “Doesn’t really fit with how you’ve been acting, though. So, what is your real goal here, Sebastian?”

He sighed, defeated. He didn’t know how to convince her he was telling the truth. “I know I’ve been a git for…forever, essentially. I really do just want closure. I’ll answer all your questions, too. I haven’t been the most rational the last two weeks, but…I’ll try to explain. Tonight, yeah? After I finish cleaning this place.”

MC chewed her lip. “Fine,” she gritted out. “But leave me alone until then.”

Sebastian’s face broke into a smile. She’d agreed! She’d actually agreed to talk with him! “Okay. Yeah,” he said eagerly despite trying to temper his excitement. He didn’t want her to change her mind. “I’m not even here.”

He was so elated that he almost hugged her, but he quickly retracted his hands and clenched them into firsts, which he shoved in his pockets for good measure. He gave her a nod of his head, instead, before jogging out to the conference room. He headed to the holding cells and took a nap in an empty one before training began. It was the best he had slept in days.

At 8, he returned to the training room. Jari made them redo the tests he’d given them on their first day of training. The duelling would be postponed until the following day, so they spent the extra time practising defensive spells.

Having promised to leave MC alone, Sebastian spent lunch talking to Niko. “Looks like your school friend wasn’t dead in a ditch, after all,” Niko whispered, looking rather smug.

“She stayed over at Sofia’s,” Sebastian replied in an equally quiet tone.

“Ah, she’s a unicorn,” Niko said knowingly.

Sebastian gave him a confused look.

“Is that just an American one, then?” Niko asked.

Sebastian shrugged, still befuddled.

“A unicorn,” Niko repeated as if saying the word again made its meaning any clearer. “You know…prefers witches.”

Sebastian snorted out a laugh before covering it with a cough. “Yeah, no. Definitely not,” he said decidedly.

Niko raised an eyebrow at him. “Pretty sure about that, aren’t you?” he said teasingly.

Sebastian’s cheeks heated, but he quickly replied, “Well, it was pretty clear after the whole…wrong bedroom debacle.”

Niko sniggered. “Shit, I’d forgotten that part.”

“Lucky you,” Sebastian intoned as he stabbed his fork into his chicken like it still needed killing. “It’s seared in my brain for life, I think.”

“Yeah, I bet! I mean, you two were close at that boarding school, right? You grew up together? I imagine it’d be like walking in on my sister,” Niko said with a shudder.

“Something like that,” Sebastian replied in a stilted tone. “I’m gonna clear my tray. Want me to take yours?”

“Yeah, sure,” Niko said casually, though he gave Sebastian an odd look. Like he could tell something was off.

“You’re being weird,” Niko stated as they walked to the conference room, lagging a bit behind the rest of the group. Sebastian was actively not staring at MC’s arse even though she’d ended up directly in front of him again and her hips had no less sway to them than they had the day before.

“I’m not being weird,” Sebastian asserted, painfully aware that he’d just been looking at ceiling tiles as they walked.

“You are. You have been all training,” Niko argued. He leaned in toward Sebastian and continued even quieter, “I should say since MC showed up.”

Sebastian shot him a look. “You’re imagining things.”

“I’m not,” Niko said firmly. “I haven’t heard you talk about anyone so much since you first joined our squad and wouldn’t shut up about your ex.”

Sebastian’s eyes darted to Niko before he could stop them. Niko had already been studying his face and looked like something had just clicked into place for him.

“Wait, she’s the chick you banged back in school?” Niko hissed.

 Sebastian shot him a deadly glare.

Niko continued unperturbed, “Bro, you didn’t tell me she had special magic! You focused on the wrong talents – I mean, not that her tongue didn’t sound magical, too, but…damn.”

MC whipped around looking irate, and Sebastian’s heart died in his chest. He was fucked. She glared at him like she hoped it could set him ablaze. His throat dried up, suddenly unable to produce saliva let alone words as MC slipped into the conference room with Sofia.

Jari started talking before Sebastian even made it inside. He sat at the empty seat at the back of the table. MC was up at the front by Jari. He had no hope of explaining himself for hours. He. Was. Fucked. He’d been so close to finally talking to MC. He could’ve killed Niko. Bumbling prat. Why couldn’t he have kept his bloody mouth shut?

Sebastian wanted to scream. Or vomit. Or do both simultaneously to disastrous effect. Hopefully, he would aspirate and be put out of his misery.

The training was torture. Sebastian couldn’t pay attention. He hadn’t the foggiest idea what Jari had taught them about. He just sat and sweated and panicked for hours as he tried to telepathically communicate to MC that Niko was a bellend and he had never said anything like that to him. He really should’ve studied legilimency.

The second Jari began dismissing them, Sebastian jumped to his feet and rushed to MC.

“Can we please talk about this tonight?” he begged as she glared daggers at him. “Or now, even! Niko twisted what I–”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now,” MC said, cutting him off as she got to her feet.

“I’m really sorry. I swear it’s not as bad as it sounds,” he said, needing her to know she was not a conquest to be bragged about. She was the love of his life.

MC scoffed as she tried to push past him. He followed after her. He needed her to hear him out.

“Can we still talk tonight?” Sebastian asked urgently as she rushed down the corridor, weaving through the crowded hallway.

“Sure,” she replied sharply before he’d even finished the question. “But don’t send a bloody search party if I decide it’s not worth my time.”

“I’ll be back at my flat within the hour,” he promised, praying to every entity he could think of that she’d be there when he got home.

She pushed the exit open and left without so much as a backward glance.

When Sebastian returned 45 minutes later, it was to an empty flat. Not just “MC was gone” empty. There were no clothes in her dresser, no toiletries in the loo, and her trunk was nowhere to be found. Sebastian started hyperventilating. What if she’d gone back to England? Was he never going to see her again? He’d missed his chance. He’d fucked up his last chance with the woman he loved because he was too proud to just beg for her forgiveness as he should’ve the moment he saw her.

Sebastian lay catatonic in his bed, utterly miserable. He didn’t know how he would finish training if she didn’t show the next day. He didn’t know how he’d live with himself having blown things with her again. He just wished he could see her. Even watching that prick fuck her in his bed would be preferable to never seeing her again.

Every pop of a car outside or click of the radiator had Sebastian half-convinced she’d come back, so when he heard a crack that seemed to come from his living room, he didn’t react, at first. It was only when Sebastian heard a deep, masculine voice that he realised he wasn’t imagining it this time.

“Gods, I’ve wanted to grab this arse all night,” the man had groaned.

The universe, it seemed, had a rather twisted sense of humour. Sebastian crept out of his room and toward the voice to find exactly what he was expecting – MC mauling some bloke. She was rutting against his lap on the sofa like some feral beast, while he groped her arse and mashed his ugly mug into her breasts like a starved infant. He looked at MC’s face reflected in the window, her expression twisted with desire and something else. Something dark.

The sight made Sebastian’s muscles burn. He wanted to storm over and rip MC off the bastard who dared touch her. But he had no right. Besides, she was clearly making a statement fucking some random bloke on his sofa. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing she could get to him so easily.

MC’s hooded eyes raised, and she locked eyes with Sebastian through the glass. He arched a brow at her as if to say, This again? Really?

She seemed startled at first, and then embarrassed as she looked down only a moment later. Her lover was too absorbed in mouthing her tits in all the wrong places to notice anything was off, let alone spot Sebastian.

The young aurori made himself comfortable against his living room wall, leaning a shoulder back on it and crossing one ankle over the other. He folded his arms over his chest, as well. Despite himself, his gaze fell down to MC’s increasingly exposed arse. He wondered what the couple would do if he just went up and grabbed her plump cheeks or pulled her hips up and took her from behind.

MC glanced over her shoulder at him, and it reminded him vividly of when she’d done so bent over his counter in nothing but the lacey green underwear he’d transfigured.

Sebastian winked at her. Thanks for the show, love.

MC manhandled her lover into a heated kiss as she grew even more fervent in her movements on his lap. The man was not to be separated from her tits for long, though, and his mouth was soon back on them. MC’s eyes closed as her head fell back. She groaned out a husky, “Oh, fuck.”

Sebastian’s cock jumped in a truly Pavlovian response to her keening. He automatically started stroking himself over his trousers to relieve the tension.

Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks as her eyes opened, and she immediately looked to Sebastian’s reflection instead of the man beneath her. He had to bite back a moan. That git might have her body, but Sebastian had her attention. Fuck, was he about to get himself off watching MC with another bloke? Surely not. He felt at least as angry as he did aroused.

Probably more as the git’s hands wandered up MC’s dress, pulling the hem up toward her waist. Sebastian’s gaze dropped to her bare arse. Only it wasn’t bare. Not totally. She was wearing a G-string. The G-string.

Sebastian saw red at the sight of the green lace caressing the top of MC’s arse. He cleared his throat loudly and relished the frightened jolts MC and her fuckboy gave.

“Could you not?” Sebastian asked drily. “That’s my favourite place to masturbate, and you’re defiling it.”

The top half of the man’s face poked out over MC’s shoulder. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked.

“Name’s Sebastian. This is my flat,” Sebastian growled back with a false smile. It was taking all of his self-control not to draw his wand. “Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m Anton,” the man replied, an undertone of fear in his voice.

“Gods, I was so close!” MC whinged rather belatedly.

No point in whining about being interrupted now.

Anton seemed equally shocked by her outburst. Before the prick could get too smug about it, Sebastian said in a firm voice, “I think you should go, Anton.”

He scampered away like the rat he was, wasting no time apparating out of the flat. MC tugged her dress back into order before sitting on the sofa, calm as you like. It made Sebastian even angrier.

“Nice lingerie,” he bit out.

“Isn’t it?” MC replied with a saccharine smile. “I mean, Anton certainly seemed to think so.”

Sebastian glared at her. His jaw tensed as he held back the venom that demanded to be unleashed on her. She was trying to rile him up. He knew she was. And he finally realised it was for show. She was just trying to push him away. But he wouldn’t let her make him lose focus. This could be his last chance to really talk to her.

“Seeing as you’re free now, how about we have that chat?” he asked, unable to mask all of the irritation in his voice.

MC scrunched her nose. “Ooh, it’s a bit late,” she said, standing up and looking down to a watch she wasn’t wearing. “I’d best turn in. We’ve got the duels in the morning. Wouldn’t want someone getting hurt.”

She’s just doing it to piss you off.

Even with the reminder, Sebastian still felt his anger swell. “Sit. Down,” he demanded.

For once, MC just listened. She immediately planted her arse back down on the cushion, looking up at him like a chastened child.

Sebastian took a calming breath as he raked a hand through his hair. “We’re going to ignore that–” Sebastian waved a hand over the scene of the crime against decency “–whole situation that just happened and have a civilised chat.”

MC crossed her arms, pouting like a schoolyard bully when the object of their teasing refuses to react. “Fine.”

She snuck her nose in the air, avoiding looking at Sebastian with a truly boggling air of defiance. As if he were the one being immature. He supposed she likely thought he was quite a juvenile twat given what she’d overheard during training. He’d be upset too if he thought MC only ever cared about his skills in bed – though, they were admittedly excellent if he said so himself.

“About what Niko said earlier,” Sebastian started, and MC rolled her eyes. “I told him about our relationship a long time ago. Way before I thought I’d ever see you again. He was ribbing me about how ‘whipped’ I seemed, and I made an offhand comment about it being your mouth that I missed. I wasn’t bragging about details. I was deflecting from emotions that I didn’t want to deal with. But I know it was stupid, I just…I’m sorry it hurt you.”

MC shifted on the couch. “You said you’d explain your behaviour over the last two weeks,” she pointed out.

“I…” Sebastian started, but the words wouldn’t come out.

He didn’t know where to begin, anyway. He’d done a lot of stupid things since she’d arrived. Saying out loud how crazy she made him was terrifying, especially when their feelings for each other were so different. And her estimation of him was rather hard to pin down – sometimes she seemed quite taken with him still, others she seemed to think he was the foulest creature she’d had the misfortune to meet.

He sighed. “It’s…complicated.”

MC scoffed, getting back to her feet and starting for the hallway, where she would no doubt disappear into her room until the following day’s training. Sebastian moved to block her path, refusing to let her slip away yet again.

“I’ll do my best,” he promised, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. He bit his lip before continuing, “But it…it would be easier if I knew why you paraded around in that lingerie on Sunday.”

That by far was the most confusing for him. By all accounts, she seemed to be trying to seduce him – quite actively. Then she just ran off the instant he responded.

MC gave him a quizzical look. “I figured if I could get you worked up enough without you being able to do anything about it, you would either change my clothes back or beg me to fix the temperature so you could get hard and have a wank. Either way, I’d get you to give me back my wardrobe.”

Sebastian’s heart sank into his stomach. It had all just been a game for her.

“Oh,” he said, and his voice was distant like it belonged to someone else. But he clung to his second-best hope, risking further devastation rather than give up on the idea that she might still be able to love him back. “What was with the reaction to my hair?”

MC looked peevishly at some spot over his shoulder. “I thought you were supposed to be explaining your actions.”

Sebastian pulled his mind from its despondent haze.

“Right. Well…” Sebastian took another deep breath, this time gathering his courage. “After what you said about me not being worth anything, I guess I just went looking for something that would make me feel like I was. With you calling me the worst mistake of your life, it…” He rolled his jaw to relieve the tension it had gained at the memory of the regrettable way he’d tried to numb his own pain. “It was similar.”

MC finally looked at him, her eyebrow raised with scepticism. “Did it work?”

Sebastian let out a bitter laugh. A dalliance with two witches he was happier to see leave than naked. Crying alone in bed after, plagued with memories of MC. A drunken encounter with a nameless woman that somehow managed to end in him being rejected by MC. Did it work, indeed.

“No,” he said definitively.

Sebastian was the one avoiding looking at her now.

MC gave him a pitying sort of look, as if she knew by some impossible means the sad truths of the events that had occurred behind his bedroom door. “For what it’s worth, I shouldn’t’ve said either of those things.”

Sebastian’s breath halted.

Worthless.

Mistake.

Those two words had weighed heavily on his soul. And she…she regretted saying them. Probably never meant them to begin with if she was taking them back now. It didn’t fully remedy the sting of them, but it eased their burden significantly. Hearing her say that might’ve been better than if she had been trying to seduce him on Sunday.

“I shouldn’t have called you a bitch,” Sebastian admitted in kind.

“Or interrupted my tryst tonight,” she replied cheekily.

Sebastian scoffed. She seemed to be joking, but he couldn’t let it stand. “You expect me to believe you were enjoying that?”

MC rolled her eyes. She puffed out her chest with indignation. “Just because you've never been with a woman who wasn't faking it doesn't mean they can't be pleased.”

That does it!

He would not let her twist their history. He had failed her in many ways, but he had always done his best to take care of her – by fighting her enemies in the forest, comforting her when she had nightmares about Fig’s death, taking over when she let her “extracurriculars” get in the way of basic functions like eating and sleeping, and especially ensuring she was satisfied in bed.

Sebastian stepped into her, forcing her back against the wall. “Don't lie to me, MC,” he growled, crowding into her space further and pinning her in place. “I know you better than you think.”

She laughed arrogantly. “You certainly seem to think so.”

It was a front, and he saw right through it this time.

“You want to know why we worked so well together? Because, at the end of the day, after you've been running around saving everyone - solving all their problems, making constant life or death decisions - you want someone else to carry the burden for you. You want them to make the decisions. And, for me, being with you was the only time I was ever truly in control. We're a perfect match, you and I.”

“Then it’s a shame you ruined it,” MC bit back, pushing his chest and forcing him off of her.

Sebastian staggered back, but MC didn’t escape to her room right away.

You ruined it, echoed in his mind.

It was true, but it wasn’t the whole story. Not at all, and definitely not where it ended. Sebastian let out a frustrated noise as he pulled his hair. “I’m trying to fix it!” he said, his voice raising significantly.

“You picked dark magic over me!” MC said, matching his tone. “And then you left us all behind like we were nothing!” Her voice cracked on the word, and a part of Sebastian’s heart cracked with it. “You don’t get to just pretend none of that happened! You can’t undo that! You can’t fix it!”

“I was trying to save Anne!” he argued. He’d never meant to hurt MC. He hadn’t wanted to leave her – or Ominis or Anne. But he couldn’t stay and just watch his sister die. “I left to find something, anything that might help her!”

“Well, that worked out splendidly, didn’t it?” MC said cruelly, throwing Anne’s death in his face like wine on a handsy cad at a bar. She was callous, letting the words flow out without remorse.

Sebastian shook with rage. He couldn’t believe she would go there. How dare she?

The air around them crackled with his magic as it fought to explode out from him. It was all he could do to contain it, lest it burst free and raze his flat or worse. His emotions were left unrestrained. “YOU DON’T THINK I REALISE IT WAS A MISTAKE?” he screamed, the words clawing his throat raw as they spewed out.

MC fell silent.

Sebastian couldn’t see her reaction as his eyes had welled with tears. They quickly began spilling down his face as he dissolved into a fit of sobs. His legs failed him, and he slid down the wall into a heap on the floor.

“I lost my last months with my sister,” he said, his voice rough and unsteady as his body continued to shake. He had never admitted the guilt he felt over it before. He had always worried that if he did, it would become too real and consume him. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

“Sebastian,” MC said softly, taking a step toward him.

“I’m–” Another sob tore from his throat. “…s-so sorry.” He had his face buried in his knees as he hugged them to himself. “I know I should’ve come back, I just–” He took a gasping breath as he fought to get the words out. “It was easier to start over. Pretend that version of me had never existed.”

MC’s fingers ran through his hair. Like they had thousands of times. Like they always used to when he was upset. In that moment, it was like having her back. Like he wasn’t alone.

Sebastian looked up at the blurry image of her, blinking to try to clear his vision so he could memorise how she looked at him. With compassion. Or even if it were pity. Either way, caring about him – and not with the hatred her eyes had so frequently held since she’d arrived.

“I missed you,” MC said quietly as she continued to rake through his hair. “That you. This you. A new one. It doesn’t matter to me. I just…miss you.”

At her admission, Sebastian started crying again. He got to his knees and buried his face in her hip, his tears soaking into her dress. He clung to the backs of her thighs like she might disapparate at any moment. “I’ve missed you somuch!”

He had. And he needed her so badly.

Still stroking his hair, she said in a gentle, cautious voice, “I’m sorry you didn’t get to say goodbye to Anne.”

“It was my own fault,” Sebastian admitted, and the truth of it almost crushed him.

“I’m still sorry,” she said.

She combed his hair out of his face with her fingers, and he clung to her even more tightly. She was a buoy keeping him from drowning in his sins.

Sebastian swallowed a lump in his throat. “She died thinking I’d abandoned her.”

MC didn’t look at him with disappointment or disgust. Or even pity. As she pursed her lips, he saw a look of stern resolution in her face. “If you read the letter she left you, you know that isn’t true.”

Sebastian had read it. Anne assured him that she held no ill will against him for leaving. It helped, but it didn’t change the facts. “I still should’ve been there for her,” he argued. “I would’ve. I swear, I would’ve come back. I just…” His voice grew small. “I thought I had more time.”

“I know, Seb,” she said, hugging him to her legs. “We all did.”

He grabbed her waist and pulled himself slowly to his feet.

MC placed a gentle hand on his cheek, and Sebastian covered it with his own as he leaned into the warmth of it. “I don’t want to lose you again,” he croaked.

MC stared up at him with wide eyes, though whether it was from surprise or disbelief or fear, he didn’t know. But what he did know was he needed her to know he meant it.

When he cupped her face in both hands, she tilted her chin up towards his. When he leaned in to kiss her, she leaned in, too. When he kissed her, she kissed him back. He devoured her lips, drinking in all that she would give him. Her hands were already tangled in his hair. Her reactions to him – her acceptance of him – was rapidly stoking his desire.

He backed her against the wall until her shoulders smacked against it, and then he brought a hand to her throat – just resting there, not squeezing. He could feel her pulse bounding under his thumb. He pressed his body flush against hers, eliminating any space between them. She tasted faintly of firewhiskey, and he wondered fleetingly if she’d be the one to drink it or Anton had. The thought drove him feral. He kissed and nipped and licked at her bottom lip until it was red and swollen to show proof that he’d been there. That MC was his.

He nudged his thigh between her legs. She let out a deep moan without bothering to stop snogging him to let it escape. Sebastian swallowed her noise greedily. It was only a taste of what he had in store for her.

They broke for air but stayed close, panting in each other’s breaths because they couldn’t bear to be distant.

“I love you, MC,” Sebastian said with abandon before diving in again, tongue and teeth everywhere on her lips as he continued to grind his thigh against her. “I never stopped loving you.”

MC gripped his shoulders for support as she rutted against him. She didn’t say it back, but that was okay. She was there. She was with him. He would take it, even if she only wanted to use him for the night. He would gladly be hers. He already was anyway.

Sebastian lifted her onto his hips, and she linked her ankles behind him and laced her hands in his hair. He groaned as she tugged the strands, and he attacked her neck as he carried her to his room. He kicked the door shut behind them even though there was really no reason since she was his only flatmate. Maybe it was to dissuade her from darting away if she started to feel flighty.

Sebastian threw MC down sideways on the bed. She smiled as she bounced on the mattress. She’d always liked when he manhandled her a bit. Sebastian kissed her one more time before dragging her to the edge of the mattress as he got down on his knees. MC let out a surprised yelp, but her smile never faltered. Her eyes burned into his as her teeth sank into her lip, and her hips squirmed with anticipation as his hands trailed over her thighs.

He pushed her dress up over her hips, and then he was biting his lip, too, as he took in the sight of her in those damned knickers. They were damp from grinding on his thigh in the hall. He had a matching spot on his trouser leg to prove it.

Sebastian checked back in with MC before he was too far gone. She looked back at him through large pupils in her half-lidded eyes. She wanted him, and he was eager to give himself to her. He’d remind her what they’d had – what he could be with her. He would make her forget what it was like without him, ensuring she never wanted to return to that version of life.

He dragged the green lace off MC’s hips, down her legs, and tossed them away. His hands slid up from her ankles to just above her knees, ghosting over her smooth skin. He leaned forward and licked up her slit. He’d intended to keep his eyes locked on hers the whole time he ate her out – at least until her first orgasm. But when he tasted her, he couldn’t stop them rolling back as he moaned.

“Fuck, I missed you.” He said the words like a prayer of thanks.

MC was already whimpering as she gripped one hand into his hair again. Sebastian took his time warming her up, nevertheless. He alternated, tracing his tongue up one lip, then the other, and pausing to press delicate kisses against her clit in between. Nothing too aggressive, though he kept a firm grip on her thighs. She was a hazard once she got going.

Finally, Sebastian pressed his tongue into her heat, making her gasp and her cunt clench around it. He moaned in response, and it caused her hips to jolt. She’d probably have bashed his nose in if he hadn’t been holding her so tightly. A hazard. He loved it – loved how she lost control with him.

Sebastian chuckled at his needy girl. “Patience,” he said. “I’m not nearly done with you.”

He tried not to think about it, but he couldn’t totally banish the thought: If this was goodbye, he was going to make the most of it. He hoped it wasn’t, but he’d be foolish not to acknowledge the possibility. He’d already made that mistake once.

MC keened as he returned to his efforts, focusing on her clit for a bit now that she’d been sufficiently wound up. He smirked against her as he raised his eyes to see her reaction. Her brow was drawn tight and her teeth were biting hard into her bottom lip. She was aching for release.

“I’m going to make you come until you can’t see straight,” Sebastian vowed before placing an open-mouthed kiss to her clit. “Fuck you like you deserve. Like no one else can.”

He licked firmly up the centre of her cunt to coat his tongue in the taste of her. When he reached the top, he stayed, flicking up and down over her clit. When he sucked on it, she let out a keening cry.

“Fuck, Sebastian!” she moaned, and he had to press his hips into the side of the bed with how badly she had him aching. Her taste, her noises, his name on her lips. Gods. How had he survived years without her? He refused to think about having to do it again. All that existed was the two of them in that moment. No past. No future. Just the present. Just being together.

Reuniting.

MC’s hand grew painfully tight in its grip on his hair. He’d gladly let her rip it all out if he got to see her come undone. “Oh, gods! Please!” she cried. “Please, please, please!”

That’s it, love. I’ve got you.

He could tell she was close, and he was as desperate for her release as she sounded. Sweet Salazar, he wanted her to come for him.

Sebastian redoubled his efforts, holding her firmly in place lest he risk losing an eye – she’d always told him he had rather pretty ones, so he’d rather not.

She swore like a sailor as her body drew tight. The telltale spasm of her hips followed – jerky, irregular movements as pulses of pleasure wracked through her. It was an addicting sight. One Sebastian was eager to see again as he refused to let up. He worked her body to a second orgasm, gave her a brief reprieve, and then started building her toward a third. She already looked spent – poor thing was probably out of practice. Not to worry. He’d whip her back into shape.

With some teamwork between his tongue on her clit and fingers buried inside her, Sebastian brought her to a third climax, her whole body arching off the bed. When it was over, she released his hair and panted heavily as her head fell back on the mattress. He knew her muscles must be tired after he’d kept her tensed up for so long. Every inch of her skin glistened with sweat. Sebastian was tempted to lick it off her. Though, his tongue was admittedly a bit fatigued. He might have been out of practice, too. Though, he’d always been very dedicated to training – Crossed Wands, the aurori academy, running. He quite liked the idea of a new hobby – or, rather, picking an old one back up. He really, really hoped he got the chance.

She lifted her leaden head to look at him. A soft, contented smile on her face was illuminated by the dim lamplight. Sebastian swallowed thickly as emotion caught his throat at the idea of making MC content forever. Making her happy. Being the type of man she could build a life with. He stroked MC’s thighs lovingly as he pictured a thousand different futures with her.

Sebastian pulled himself up and let his weight press into her as he covered her body with his, careful to make sure he wasn’t crushing her. He brushed back the hair clinging to MC’s sweaty forehead. “You’re perfect. So perfect,” he whispered reverently against her lips before capturing them in his own.

MC clawed him closer as she kissed him back. The kiss was slow and deep, but she had an urgency in her movements all the same.

“I love you,” she said breathlessly.

Sebastian pulled back, looking down at her in shock. Had she really said it? Had he imagined it?

He searched her eyes and found sincerity, vulnerability, love. Those thousand futures suddenly seemed truly possible instead of mere fantasies.

He crashed his mouth back into hers.

“Please,” she begged when they broke apart for air. The tips of her fingers traced down the buttons on the front of his shirt. “I need you.”

Sebastian was glad he was lying down, because those three words would’ve made his knees give out. They definitely made his cock throb with his own need for her. “I’m here, darling. You have me,” he promised her.

He stood up to strip his clothes off. If he’d had his wand in hand, he’d have vanished them. When he turned back to his witch, he found her lying on her stomach over the edge of the bed, feet on the ground and bare arse in the air. He groaned at the sight.

He smoothed his palm over her backside as if to say, I’ve missed you. “Gods, I’ve been thinking about fucking you like this nonstop since Sunday,” he said as he trailed his fingers up her spine, sliding her dress up higher as he went.

“I know,” MC replied with a smirk.

She’d always had a good sense about when he was particularly randy, whether from absence, stress, or her teasing. She would just know exactly what he needed.

Sebastian bent down to nip the sensitive skin of her arse, earning a moan from her. He stood up and admired the red marks as they darkened into existence, swiping a delicate thumb over them. It was like his signature on her skin. He intended to brand her with more than just lovebites, though. He had a primal urge to fill her with his seed, even if she were probably on potions that would keep it from taking. It satisfied something deep in him to leave a part of him inside of her. Anything to mark her as his. He’d brand her soul if it were possible and let her carve her name on his in return.

Gripping himself, Sebastian nudged her folds with the head of his cock. He found her hot and slick, and it made his knees weak just having contact again. He rubbed against MC, coating himself in the mixture of her arousal and his own saliva. She was soaked, and he knew he would slide in easily. He knew her walls would welcome him before gripping him tight. Gods, she was so–

“Bloody perfect,” he muttered aloud.

Sebastian lined himself up with her entrance when she began to shift her hips back toward him to entreat him inside. She moaned as he pressed in slowly. So slowly. He wanted to feel everything as her body welcomed him back. Welcomed him home. It felt overly sentimental to even think it, but it was the truth. Being with MC felt like coming home after years of wandering in an unfamiliar wilderness.

Pressing his chest down against her back, Sebastian cupped MC’s cheek as she arched back to meet him in a kiss. The word was reductive, though. It wasn’t just a kiss. It was a unification as they gave themselves over to each other, fusing into one as they joined in every possible way. MC accepted him as she accepted his tongue into her mouth with a moan. She confessed her passion and longing as she kissed him back and chased his lips as he began to right himself.

Immediately, Sebastian’s hands massaged into her round backside – pressing into the flesh he’d claimed with his teeth. They slid up to anchor on her hips as his own began to rock against her. He dragged his cock out slowly until just the tip remained nestled in her, and then thrust back inside until the front of his hips bit against the backs of hers. Until he was buried in her heat once more.

MC’s hands knotted into the sheets. A shuttering moan tore from her throat as Sebastian thrust even deeper, causing her to clench around him as he hit a spot that lit her nerves on fire. He couldn’t help but groan back at her as he aimed to hit the same spot again. She moaned again as he found it once more.

That. That was why he loved taking her from behind. There was a unique pleasure she could find when he did. A pleasure he could give her.

MC panted and whimpered as he slammed against that spot over and over. She wound the sheets tighter around her fists as he wound her body up pounding into her relentlessly. She was enraptured. She let him know how much she loved it.

“Fuck.”

“Yes!”

“Don’t stop.”

When her words failed and she could no longer keep thrusting back on him, he knew she was close. The thought of her coming with him buried inside her gave him a dangerous spike of pleasure. When her legs shook and he reached down to rub circles on her clit, her orgasm nearly triggered his own. He practically growled out the groan that erupted from him as she trembled and clenched around him. He had to still his hips and grip the mattress with the hand that hand been strumming her to force his body back from the precipice.

Sebastian usually preferred to fuck her through her high, prolonging it as much as he could. Instead, he was gritting through it so they could continue. Because once this tryst came to an end, he couldn’t be sure there would still be a “they.” She loved him, yes, but he still couldn’t shake the fear that it wouldn’t be enough. That he’d done too much for this to be a new beginning and not goodbye. Ultimately, it was the pain of that thought that allowed him to hold off.

Sebastian pulled out of MC so he could flip her onto her back, tearing her dress over her head and her bra off her chest. He scooped her up to lay her in the middle of the bed. No sooner had he set her down than he was stalking over her.

“I’m gonna pump you so full that you taste me on your tongue,” he vowed as he settled over top of her.

She smirked as she pulled him into a kiss. Her knees bracketed his hips, and her bare chest was pressed against his. With a deft tilt of his pelvis, Sebastian slid his length back into her, no longer able to tolerate their sole remaining point of separation. MC’s head fell back as he filled her, breaking their kiss, and so his lips tailed down to her neck. He brought a hand between them to massage her breast and moved to lave the other. MC’s chest pushed into his face as her back arched in pleasure. He loved it. He wanted her everywhere – wanted to be overwhelmed with her presence.

“Fuck, I love you, MC,” he said, bringing his forehead to rest against hers. He had become so caught up in her, that he’d forgotten to move entirely.

“I love you,” she replied.

That primal urge to fill her sparked up his spine and sent his muscles into action. He set a languid cadence, at first. MC met a few of his thrusts before going limp with fatigue. Her pleased moans continued, though, and so did Sebastian. He sped up his thrusts until MC’s nails were clawing down his back as she held on. Her moans had turned to whimpers, though they were still cries of pleasure.

Sebastian could feel his climax building as he fucked MC frantically. But it wasn’t just fucking. It was more for him. And he needed to know it was for her, too.

“Tell me…tell me there’s no one else,” he demanded breathlessly. “No one who fucks you like this.”

“Gods, no! No one,” she swore followed by a loud moan as he pounded harder into her. “Fuck, Sebastian.”

Just him. No one else. Not the poncy blond who marked her neck or fucking Anton groping her ass. Only him. Just like it was only her.

“This…cunt…is mine!” he growled between panting breaths. “No one else gets to have you!”

“Just you,” MC vowed. “Gods, I missed you. Please, Sebastian. Please!”

He bit into the curve where her neck met her shoulder as his hips sped up even more. She was keening as he released inside her with a groan. From being so close earlier, there was a blinding pressure behind his eyes as he finally climaxed.

Sebastian couldn’t help but think if he came with enough force, or depth, or volume, maybe it would overcome that contraceptive potion. And then she would keep being his, while they took care of someone who was theirs. It was horrible, he knew, but the hope was there as his hips kept pumping his seed deeper into her.

He just couldn’t bear the thought of the end with her. Sebastian recaptured her lips, and he was desperate and sloppy as their mouths melded together. MC’s hands tangled in his hair, and she seemed as unwilling as he was to let the kiss end.

Maybe she dreaded them ending, too, he thought. Maybe she also wanted forever.

When they broke apart, they were both panting wildly. Sebastian smiled down at MC, drinking in the affection in her eyes as she looked up at him. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before rolling off of her to let her breathe. He lay on his side and pulled her so they were chest-to-chest again. He wrapped his arms protectively around her waist but was careful to keep them loose enough not to impede her still-heaving lungs.

Sebastian closed his eyes as he pressed a lingering kiss to the top of MC’s head.

“Fuck,” she breathed out, sounding spent. A small, satisfied smile played on her lips.

“Yeah,” Sebastian replied fondly as he looked down at her. He could stare at her for hours, even as knackered as he was.

“I forgot how horrendously persistent you are,” she teased.

Sebastian laughed. “I was going to make you ride my face before I took you, but then you displayed your arse so perfectly for me. I could hardly resist.”

MC rolled her eyes, but her smile grew. “Fucking course you were.”

Sebastian kissed her, not hesitating to slide his tongue into her mouth. “You love it,” he asserted.

But behind the banter was a question: Do you love me like you used to? Equally important: Will you let me love you?

She glared at him, but there was no malice in her eyes.

He laughed again, because even though it wasn’t an answer, it felt like old times. For the moment, that was enough. “You’re so bleeding stubborn,” he chided light-heartedly.

“And you’re a bloody menace,” she replied tartly.

“But I’m your menace,” he retorted.

MC smiled at that, and it made his heart sing. He felt some of the tension leave his body. She was there with him. She wanted to be with him. Wanted him to be hers.

“All right. Time for some sleep, love,” Sebastian said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “We’ve got a big rematch in the morning. I mean the duel, of course, although…”

He gave her a cheeky smile.

“No,” MC said firmly. “Knowing you, we’d end up missing the whole morning of training.”

“Yeah, fair enough,” he replied with a chuckle.

He summoned his wand and then conjured some blankets over them so they didn’t have to move. With another swish of his wand, he turned the lights out.

“Good night, MC,” he said as he gathered her back to his chest.

“Good night,” she replied, settling in against him.

Sebastian awoke to MC stirring. She’d turned over – or maybe she’d done that during the night – and her back was to him now. He snuggled against her, his arms tightening around her middle and his face burying in her neck. “Morning, love,” he mumbled happily.

“Morning,” MC replied stiltedly.

He chuckled at her pinched voice. “Don’t worry. I’m not trying to start anything,” he promised, shifting his hips back so his morning wood wasn’t pressing so aggressively into her backside. “I’m just happy to see you.”

MC laughed as she turned in his arms. “Good. I’m going to need weeks to recover from last night.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes and grinned at her. “I give it two days.”

“Unfortunately for you, I’ll be back in England by then,” MC teased back.

Sebastian’s teeth worried his lip as he mustered up his courage.

“About that,” he said nervously, looking down at her arm as he traced shapes onto it with the tips of his fingers. “I was going to ask if you’d stay for the weekend. I mean, I know you have to go back to work on Monday, but I thought maybe you could stay until Sunday.”

He looked up at her hopefully once he’d gotten the words out.

“Oh,” MC said, clearly surprised. “Well, my portkey is scheduled for this evening…”

“You could put in a request for a time change. I could fill out the form for you,” he offered, hoping he was being helpful and not demanding. He didn’t want her to feel forced into staying, but he wanted to make it as easy for her as possible. “But you don’t have to decide right now. The transport office is right next to Aurori Headquarters. I could pop by at lunch.”

“Yeah, I’ll let you know,” she said resolutely.

Sebastian smiled. “Good. And I could come visit you over the long weekend next week. We can figure it out from there.”

He hoped he didn’t sound presumptuous inviting himself over for Christmas, but he thought it would be worse not to suggest spending it with her. That, and he really, really wanted to be with her for the holidays. All of them, really. But especially Christmas. They’d spent it in Feldcroft together sixth and seventh years, and they were some of the happiest memories of his life.

“Yeah, that sounds great,” MC said to Sebastian’s relief.

They got up, Sebastian dressed, and he made breakfast while MC showered. They ate together, and he couldn’t stop staring at her. He was in disbelief that things had taken such a turn for the better. Really, he shouldn’t have believed it. He should’ve known it was too good to be true. But he wanted it so badly that he ignored the cracks in her smile and the distance in her stare. He didn’t even realise something was wrong when he beat her in their duel. He didn’t even notice the tension in her voice when she told him on the way to lunch that she’d delayed her portkey. So, he believed her. Like he shouldn’t have.

It wasn’t until too late that reality struck him. They went out for drinks with the group after training, and everything was fine – until it wasn’t. He kept his arm around the back of MC’s chair, and she leaned into him like she wanted to be there. She giggled when he whispered in her ear as if she liked it. It was an innocuous question that finally broke her.

“Do you want to go out to dinner tonight, or shall I order takeaway?” he asked.

He would offer to cook, but he wanted to be able to focus on her. He had lots of plans for after dinner. Not those sorts of plans – he always gave her time to recover after particularly…strenuous sessions. If they hadn’t needed to be up so early, he would’ve done more to help her recover yesterday. As it was, he was set on getting her in a hot bath that night. As she soaked, he’d heal any bruises he’d left the night before – or during the duel. He’d massage her hands, relaxing the muscles that’d been stressed as she grabbed onto his hair and his sheets for hours. He’d give her tender kisses and gentle touches and maybe still caress her breasts a bit, since – all in all – he hadn’t given them much attention the night before.

“I…Um…” MC stammered, suddenly looking nervous.

Sebastian’s brow furrowed in concern as she trailed off and her eyes darted away.

“I can’t do this,” she blurted out, a bereft look on her face.

“What?” Sebastia asked, taken aback. Panic seized his chest as she pushed out her chair.

MC shot to her feet. “I need to go.”

Sebastian rushed to stand up, as well. “Okay. I’ll take you back.”

Was she feeling ill? An asinine thought about morning sickness flitted through his mind before he regained sense. Things didn’t work that fast, and he refused to entertain the idea of anyone else siring her children. It was probably the cafeteria food or fatigue from training.

“No!” MC said quickly. Then, in a milder tone, she added, “I…I’m going home. I can’t do this–” She gestured between them. “–with you. Not again.”

Sebastian was left dumbfounded as MC grabbed her cloak and sprinted out of the pub. It took him several seconds to process her words. Then, without so much as a glance back at the audience currently gaping at them, he took off after her. He burst through the pub’s door to find MC rummaging in her cloak pockets.

She pulled out a stubby pencil with a sort of triumph, and Sebastian knew what it was without needing to ask. Her face fell as she looked at him.

Time almost felt suspended as she stood on the snowy pavement, just staring at him. But fresh snow was falling, collecting in her hair and on her shoulders. Her breath curled in the air in front of her rosy face. It’d be quite a pretty picture – a quintessential holiday scene – if it didn’t make Sebastian’s stomach drop as his veins filled with the chill of the snow around them.

He fixed his gaze on the pencil. The portkey.

“It doesn’t leave until Sunday,” he stated, as if saying the words could make them true.

She almost looked apologetic as she said, “I never changed it.”

But he had already known it. Too late, admittedly, but still before she’d gotten the words out. He couldn’t blame her for not wanting to give him another chance. He’d already had more than was fair. But why pretend she was going to? Why let him hope and dream and make plans? Why sleep with him in the first place? Why give him a taste of everything he wanted to rip it away again? Just–

“Why?” Sebastian asked, his voice cracking – unable to manage the single word.

Her bottom lip quivered as her face twisted with grief. “I’m sorry. I…I just–”

And then she was gone. Her breath faded from the air. The puff of snow that had kicked up as the portkey whisked her away settled back to the ground. Only footprints remained, and even those were slowly being filled in by the falling snow.

The pub door opened, and Sebastian didn’t even turn until he heard Sofia’s voice ask, “Where did she go?”

He blinked back tears and swallowed thickly before replying, “Home.”

Next chapter.

[viperpoisondark]

Dolled Up

Look, I don't know who’s going to read this, or even if anyone will, but I need to write what is happening, so it can help someone in the future. You may think that I’ve gone mad when I wrote this or that I’m making it up, and I would not blame you for it, but believe me, everything in here is completely real and I don’t even know how to explain or where to begin…

Ok, I’m going to start on the day that I’m sure it all started and when it all went to shit, but I’m warning you, nothing good will happen’ and if you value for your sanity and good sleep, don't read this, but if your already doing it, I imagine that something is already happening, good luck and may God help you. Well, here’s the first day: 

“It was a summer day in the city, a really hot day to be precise, and I was in the cafeteria of the school waiting for my friends, since this is the only day that our schedules match enough. While I was waiting, I decided to finish a resume in my notebook, until I got scared by the noise of someone hitting a book on the table that I’m sitting on. I looked up and saw a woman with dark skin and dark orange hair, my friend Noelly, smiling and holding a big book.

-Good morning ‘Elly - I said, a little irritated. 

-Good morning James! How are you on this wonderful day? - The woman asked while sitting in front of me. 

-I was good, until you gave me that scare…

-Haha! I’m sorry, but you were so concentrated and I couldn't help it! 

-Anyway, you are way over excited for a wednesday at 9 am. - I said while putting my books and materials in the backpack. 

-Well, one of us has to be, right? - Noelly shrugged - And also, we are finally meeting Arthur’s secret girlfriend! 

-Damn, I forgot about that… - I said a little surprised, now remembering that our friend sended us a message yesterday asking if he could bring his new girlfriend, who he hadn't stopped talking about for months, but never introduced to us. - Now I’m a little curious too.

After a while of just the two of us talking, we heard a car parking and when we turned around to see, it was Arthur’s, and speaking of him, on this day, he was normal, with a soccer team tank top and shorts jeans, with him was a woman, she was very different from the normal around here, she had dark purple hair, very curly, in two side ponytails and was dressed in those “lolitas” dresses, but all black, I was surprised of how much layers she's wearing in this heat, but what really got my attention was her clear skin, almost white, as if she has never seen the sun before, almost sickly. The two of then got closer and then they were right next to us: 

-Good morning guys! Sorry we’re late! - Arthur said smiling - Well, this is my girlfriend Delilah! - He pointed at her, with a silly smile, I even wanted to laugh. 

-It’s a pleasure to finally meet you all! - Delilah smiled and waved her hand.

-It’s a pleasure to meet you too Delilah! I’m Noelly and this is James! - The red hair said, then got up to hug the others. - Come, sit with us! - The two of them sat in front of each other, with Arthur by my side and Delilah with Noelly. 

Everything got a little quiet, since no one knew what to comment, so I decided to say something:

-So, Delilah, it took a while for us to see you in person…

-I’m so sorry about that! I was doing an exchange in London and only came back this week! - She answered smiling, while holding Arthur’s hand above the table. 

-How fancy! What do you study? Did you exchange at which institute? - Noelly started asking, which I was happy about, because I didn't know what else to say.

-I study fashion! The institute is a very small one, not well known haha! - Delilah said laughing, moving her hand, like she was trying to shoo a fly. 

-So cool! I study History and James does Criminology - The purple hair girl only agreed with her head, to say she was paying attention and looked at me for a while, before changing her attention to Arthur. 

-How did you both meet? I don't think I remember Arthur telling us… - I asked, because I really didn't remember anything like this, it's like a part of my memory was missing. 

-Well… We met… - Arthur started, but Delilah interrupted him. 

-We met on a dating app, not a real exciting story to tell haha! 

-That's right! I looked at her picture and was like: Wow! That's a girl I’ve never seen before! - Arthur laughed and pretended to hold a cellphone to make the scene, making me and Noelly laugh. 

  We stayed like that, talking, until it was almost noon and we said goodbye so we could each go home and eat, until we heard all our cell phones beeping and a strange notification written: “A body found on campus, in the middle of the trees.” This gave me a shiver, I looked at the others, Noelly and Arthur were also looking at their cell phones scared, I looked back at mine and opened the notification, the rest was text talking about the exact location where the body was found and other things, but one thing I remember like it was yesterday was the way the body was killed: “Authorities believe that the body was hanged, the victim has dark bruises around the neck and on by the side of the body, a porcelain doll identical to the victim was found nearby.” And just below, photos of the victim… Saying that the person was strangled doesn't do justice to what appeared, his neck was completely broken, it looked like he was crushed with great force. It made me dizzy. I've seen bodies because of my college, but this... It was horrible.

Noelly suddenly threw her cell phone away and put her hands over her eyes, Arthur just hung up the phone and sighed, Delilah seemed shaken, but was trying to comfort Arthur. After a while we calmed down and looked at each other and started talking about what happened. (I would like to write the full conversation here, but the truth is that I don't remember almost anything about it, just how scared we were and how strange it was). Later, Arthur gave us a ride to our homes, he left each one and said to message if anything happens. (I should have sent that message…) When I arrived at my apartment, I saw a box in front of my door and a note saying that it was from my great-aunt. That's weird, it's been a long time since i've heard about my great-aunt, I entered the apartment and put the box in the tiny kitchen table, I went looking for something to open it, I found a pair of scissors and when I looked at the box again, I noticed that there was no sticker or tape, I shrugged my shoulders, I mustn't noticed that, when opening the box there was just a small porcelain doll, with a soft body and brown hair. I got goosebumps when I looked at it and left it in the box, I had a feeling of déjà-vu, but I ignored it again. Why would my great-aunt send me this? (Now I know it wasn't my great-aunt)

Classes were suspended for a week due to what happend and after that everything went back to normal, our lives continued. Noelly and I didn't see Delilah anymore, Arthur said it was because her classes started again and she was very busy. 

In one of my classes, we had to do a family tree and check if we have any interesting family history. Luckily, my family lives in the same city as me, so I went to my parents' house to ask something.”

I had to pause the narration for a bit, I think I heard someone coming…

It's her! She was here! I’m sure of it! I think I’m really going crazy… I’ll have to write this more quickly and with less details…

Where was I? Oh right, in my parents house…

“When I got there, I saw my mother with some boxes and asked what she was doing, she said she was throwing some old things away. I helped her as we talked about our family and she said that my Great-Great Grandmother came here from London with her baby son after her husband died, and that was where she met my Great-Great Grandfather and stayed.

I found the story interesting and asked if there was anything else, but my mother said she didn't remember and that my grandmother would probably know more. After a while helping and talking about other things, I left and went to my grandmother.

She lives in a big house, it's not quite a mansion, but it looks like it, and this house has been in the family for generations and it's always the eldest child who keeps the house. The house has three floors and is made entirely of dark wood. As soon as I arrived I rang the doorbell and waited for a while, my grandmother opened the door for me and let me in. We talked for a while and she offered me coffee and cookies, after that, she took me to the third floor of the house (which looked more like an attic) and showed me a box with several old photos of the entire family, until she showed me a black and white, almost faded, photo of an elderly woman and my grandmother said that this was my great-great-grandmother, and that her story is very sad.

My great-grandmother, Angeline, had to flee London because of the murder of her husband at the time, in 1839, which ended up leaving her a widow and a single mother of a baby who hadn't even been born yet. Upon arriving here in Brazil, she met her new husband, Pedro, and with him she had a normal life.

I was moved by the story (I just didn't know that this wasn't the whole story) and asked to keep the photo of my great-great-grandmother, my grandmother gave it to me and said to take care of it with care, I promised I would. After a while, when I was leaving the house, I remembered my great-aunt's gift and asked my grandmother about it and she said that her sister came these days, but didn't take anything with her.

-What did she give you, my dear? 

-Just an old porcelain doll - When I said that, my grandmother turned white as snow and I was sure she was going to have a heart attack, she held my arms tightly with both hands and looked at me scared.

-That doll has brown hair? And a crack in her face? 

-Y-yes… How do you know? Grandma, you’re hurting me… - She was becoming increasingly distressed and her grip on my arms was getting worse and worse.

-Listen, listen clearly James, I need you to listen to me - She spoke with seriousness and horror, I nodded, to show that I was listening. - Bring the doll here and no matter what happens, do not talk to her or take her out of the box, you didn't do any of that? Did you? - I answer that I didn't and that I only opened the box to look, but I didn't touch it - Ok, good, good. Now go! Bring me the doll and I will call your aunt… - She let me go and I ran to my apartment.

As soon as I got to my floor, I saw Noelly standing in front of my door, scared and crying. I called for her and she came running to me, hugged me tight while she cried on my shoulder. I asked her what had happened, and she told me Arthur was dead.

I was profoundly shocked, after that, everything was on autopilot and I felt like my ears were ringing the whole time.

I entered the flat along Noelly, she told me she tried to call me, but I told I didn’t have my phone at the time. She explained what had happened and told me he was murdered the same way as we saw that day (From here on things only get worse, quit reading while you can and believe it was all a dream). He was strangled at his own house and had a porcelain doll by his side. I asked Noelly how she knew that and she told me Delillah called her on Arthur’s phone, the woman seemed desperate and like she was crying her eyes out. I asked Noelly where she was now and she was at the police station giving her witness statement. In my appalled state I didn’t mind asking anything else. I just sat there, crying while Noelly hugged me and cried as well.”

I should have asked more! I should have suspected it! But… Fuck… I’m sorry Arthur, I really am… 

“Suddenly, me and Noelly were scared by my phone ringing, it was my grandma… That’s right, I should go give her the doll back… I explained the situation to Noelly and she told me she’d go with me, she didn’t wanna be alone at that point and neither did I. I got the box, made sure the doll was inside it, and left.

At my grandma’s house, my great-aunt was there as well. They let us in and we sat in the living room, the box sitting at the coffee table. The two started to tell me that my great-aunt was sure she didn’t take the doll neither to her house nor mine and my grandma is sure she didn’t see the other leaving with anything. (They both did it all, but they don’t remember). And they explained to me one more thing: when I was still very young, I was messing with some old things in the attic when I saw the doll and decided to play with it. My great-grandmother, who was alive at the time, quickly took it from me and pushed me away, making me fall from the stairs, which made me lose that specific memory. I was finding it all very weird, what was up with this doll? Why were they so scared of it? Noelly held my hand, a bit scared, letting me know we should head to the funeral.

-What funeral, my darling? - My grandma asked.

-A friend of ours was murdered… earlier today… - I said quietly, feeling like there was something in my throat.

-That sounds awful, I’m so sorry - The old lady put her hand on my shoulder.

-What happened to him? - My great-aunt asked.

-Zélia! This is not the moment to ask these things!

-It’s okay… He… - I started to explain what Noelly told me and the two women exchanged terrified looks. They both got up on a whim and started walking and whispering among themselves: “This should not be happening… after so many years… why now???” I asked them what they were talking about and they gazed at me like they had just seen a ghost. When my grandmother was about to answer, the whole house went dark, all the doors and windows were slammed shut and the only source of light was now coming from the fireplace, which wasn’t lit before, since the weather’s been warm. 

They both screamed and pointed to something behind us. When we turned around, we saw Delillah, but she was different: her lolita dress was ripped and dirty, her hair wasn’t tied anymore and it was huge with big curls… But… the worst was her face… Her face was white, white like… like porcelain and with a crack in the middle of her face, her eyes were completely black with only a yellow light inside them.

I got up in a hurry to ask what was going on, but I got a shock when I saw Delilah's hair moving and coming at me, I immediately dodged it and…(My God… My grandma…) And I saw that what she really wanted was the two ladies, the woman... No, that thing grabbed them both by the neck and squeezed them tightly, they both died almost instantly, hanging…

Noelly screamed and that woke me up, I grabbed her arm and ran to the second floor. When I looked back, I saw her taking two porcelain dolls like the old ladies out of a pocket in her dress and placing them next to them.... This has to be a nightmare, I thought, (I didn't know how wrong I was) we both ran up stairs and hid in a room, locking the door and putting a cabinet in front of it, we didn't know if it would help or not, but that's what we had … Noelly asked me what was happening while crying and I couldn't answer, because I didn't even know… Then we heard a voice coming from outside:

-Come on guys, there's no need to be scared, I'm not going to hurt you... If you promise not to tell anyone what happened here... After all, it's the least I can do as a thank you to my nephew for freeing me... - The voice wasn't the same one of Delilah that we met a few weeks ago, this one was deeper and seemed almost mechanical.

-What are you talking about?!?!?!? What nephew?? Why did you do that?? What are you?? - I screamed while crying too, I was so confused and desperate.

-Come out and I'll explain everything... - We heard footsteps moving away from the room we were in and everything became quiet. I looked at Noelly and she knew what I was thinking and shook her head. - We need to... We have no other way... And I need to know what's going on - I approached the door and took the cabinet out of the way and put my hand on the doorknob, Noelly put her hand on my arm and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out, so she closed it again and walked away.

I opened the door slowly and looked outside, everything was dark and when I stepped in, I felt something soft under me, I looked closely and it was hair... Purple hair, everywhere, on the walls, on the floor, on the doors, I almost threw up, but I moved on with Noelly right behind, we went down the stairs and arrived in the living room, where Delilah was standing, her hair was now everywhere, like spider webs and when we arrived, she opened her eyes and they followed us.

-Okay, we're here, now talk... - I spoke loudly, trying to seem like I wasn't scared, but I was shaking. Noelly held my hand and arm tightly at my side.

-Of course… I said I would… Where to begin? - That thing spoke while it moved forward, getting closer to us and I saw a spider coming out of its eye and going into its hair.

-What are you…?

-I’m a ghost… Delilah’s ghost, that can never rest…

-Why did you do that to my grandma and aunt?

-They would tell my secret… They would break their promise…

-WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??? - I screamed at her, I was frustrated, scared, angry, disgusted, all the worst feelings I could have were here and I didn't know what else to do or say, I just wanted it all to end soon.

-The murders... It was me, all of them... I killed Angeline's, my niece, first husband... And after that I continued... I just didn't kill her, because she promised to keep me a secret... But she betrayed me... Just like her husband... So, I went after her son... But they plotted against me... And he killed me... One shot right here - She pointed to her own chest, where the heart would be - And I swore to return... And torment her descendants... And you freed me… - A strand of hair caressed my cheek and I moved away - You found my doll… And you freed me… But I was weak… So I waited… Until the right moment and I had enough strength…

-Ar-Arthur… Why him? - Noelly asked, almost like a whisper. 

-He wasn't in the plans... He was kind to me... But he saw me... He saw my body... - Only at that moment I looked closely and saw that her joints were like a doll's - And I asked... If after all, I'm not lovely? - For the first time her expression changed, she was extremely angry - And he said no... That I'm a monster... So... I killed him... After all, he didn't love me... - Her features relaxed again.

-You are a monster… - Noelly whispered and started crying again. 

-What are you going to do with us? - I asked, weakly, we have no choice, we have no way to escape.

-I'll let you two go... If you promise not to tell anyone... - She said, smiling and putting a finger in front of her mouth. 

-I promise! I promise! This secret will be buried with me! - I spoke quickly, just wanting to get out of there.

-Me too... I promise... - Noelly also spoke, almost without any strength. Delilah smiled and started pulling out all the hair that was around the entire house to her, making her hair curly again.

As soon as she told us to go, we heard the sound of several sirens on the street and police officers saying several things. Delilah seemed surprised and looked at us, I looked at Noelly and saw her with her cell phone in her hand... She had dialed the police number... (It was a good try my friend) The ghost (Doll?) screamed in fury and several strands of hair went towards Noelly, so fast that I couldn't stop it and they squeezed her neck, she... too... she too... (I can't don't even write this...)

I looked at her and screamed too, going at her, but she held my wrists with the strands of hair and approached me, getting very close, I smelled a sweet smell, like rotten fruit and I almost vomited, she held my face with great force and I felt that she had no skin, she was entirely made of porcelain.

-I don't have time to kill you anymore... - I heard the police officers trying to break down the door - But you won't get rid of me...

She threw me down hard, making me very dizzy and everything was dark. When I calmed down and my vision cleared, I saw the worst scene of my life…

…

I can't even write it… 

Noelly was beneath me, dead and my hands were around her neck, there was blood on my hands and her eyes were empty and cold... I looked to the side and there was a porcelain doll just like her... 

After that, everything was a blur… The police took me away and the court sentenced me… I don't even know how many years…

Now, here I am… They agreed to give me this sheet so I can write something to my parents… They won't believe me… Not even I know if I believe…

But… That's what happened to me… And now… Wait… There’s something here…

NO! NO! PLEASE NO! NOT THA-

[positivexcellence]

Walker's Jared Padalecki Talks Finale's Killer Threat, Why He's 'Excited and Nervous' About Cordell/Geri's Future

TVLINE | First of all, congrats on the renewal! Thank you so much! Certainly a relief. We’ve all been waiting on bated breath. So to get that vote of confidence was a huge, huge deal. And [Wednesday was] Odette Annable’s birthday. [Thursday] is Coby [Bell’s] birthday. [Kale Culley’s] birthday is this month. So they were all kind of mentioning on the cast text thread like, “Best birthday present ever!” It was very awesome to be able to share that awesome news with the gang.

TVLINE | You planted a lot of seeds for next season, so thank God you got that renewal. Which storyline are you most excited for in Season 4 coming off the finale? Well, I guess I’m a glutton for punishment. I kind of tend to have a lot of interesting storylines that deal with the character having to confront past traumas. Obviously, I did that for many, many years on Supernatural as Sam Winchester. And so, the storyline of the Jackal, of this case that went cold that really consumed Captain James and Cordell Walker many years ago, the fact that that might be reopened is very exciting. We’ve seen Captain James be a stalwart for the whole Ranger organization and for his friend Cordell. So I think it’s nice that, hopefully next season, I’ll get to return the favor and be there for him when he’s kind of having to revisit some of his past trauma. So that’s, I don’t want to say No. 1 on my list, but certainly high on my list.

I also love the bombshell of August wanting to go into the military, and Cordell not knowing how to really approach it and going, “Well, I did it. So who am I to say, ‘Don’t do it’? I’m just saying, ‘Don’t do it just yet.'”

And I’m very, very excited about the Cordell/Geri storyline and seeing where they go. They kind of gave it a preliminary shot, and that didn’t stick. But now that their lives are different and that they’ve had some time to really think about it and digest it, I think they could make a good tag-team for Stella and Auggie

TVLINE | But between the serial killer and the FBI task force, how worried should we be that work is going to get in the way of Cordell and Geri’s re-sparked romance? Or are they finally ready to give it a real try? [Laughs] I think we can rest assured that it will get in the way, and that’s going to be the exciting part to explore and play and find out alongside the writers and the audience, to see just how realistic it is for Cordell to find love again and for Geri to find love again. Obviously, we saw Hoyt come back in Episode 17 of the third season, so we know that she’s been happy with somebody. There were asterisks, obviously, with Hoyt, and I guess there are asterisks with Cordell, as well, because his job is serious and can be dangerous and can, as we’ve seen, kind of bleed into his home, his family and all that. So I’m excited and… I don’t want to say hesitant. I’m excited and nervous to explore that with the writers next season.

TVLINE | He did ask her to stay with him for the summer. So can we at least assume he’s definitely not going to accept the FBI gig? Well, it wouldn’t start until after the summer anyways. And so, he’s going to have time to think about it, and he’s going to have to kind of measure whether it’s important enough. He doesn’t want to do a Rodeo Kings thing again. He doesn’t want to get caught up in something again, and I think he’s starting to really put roots down with his family and with the people he loves. I’m, obviously, not having any conversations with the writers right now because they are on strike, and I support them very much. But as soon as we’re all back in the pool, I can’t wait to see what their thoughts are on what Walker’s decision will be.

TVLINE | We also need to talk about Walker’s other kid because that cliffhanger with Stella was quite dramatic. And it was interesting that she chose to go to Liam, not her father, for help. Do you think that will cause a rift within the family? That’s a good question. I don’t think so. It’s possible. I can understand why Walker would be upset. And maybe this is unimportant or uninteresting, but the reason it happened the way it happened is because of location issues we had. So initially, Liam was just going to be the first person she ran into, like she was just going to see him while she was figuring out who to tell. And so he was the first person [she saw], and she wasn’t able to call her dad, and so she told Liam. But also, Walker presumably didn’t really have his phone on him, he wasn’t checking it a whole lot. He was helping with bacon and eggs at the Side Step for the after party. [Laughs] I think Walker always finds himself in the position — and God, I guess, Jared has found himself in the same position as well — of August went to Bonham to talk about enlisting. Stella seemingly went to Liam to talk about the crazy situation that she and Sadie find themselves in at the end of the episode. So it might give him pause, but I think he’ll ultimately understand.

TVLINE | I wondered if maybe it had to do with the fact that he’s an authority figure, he’s part of the police so to speak, so it puts him in an ethically compromised position, as well, if she goes to him. Yeah, you know, to that end, maybe it does upset Walker. Thinking about it now, now that I know we’re going to explore it next season, Walker would certainly feel kind of bombarded. He son is coming at him, saying, “Hey, I talked to Gramps about this,” and his daughter is going to ultimately have to admit, “Hey, I talked to Liam about that.” He might find himself in a position of like, “Whoa, what am I chopped liver? This is what I deal with, keeping my family safe, keeping the people of Texas safe as best I can. So why would you not immediately call me? Why would you not come to me?” I’m sure Walker will find out very quickly what happened, and hopefully he can focus on the task at hand and not get too emotionally involved with feeling hurt.

tv line

[crestfallercanyon]

WEEKLY TAG WEDNESDAY

Thank you Evie!! These are always delightful to do (even if I am usually late/forget — oops) @energievie ❤️❤️

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name: crest

age: mid-to-late-20s

star sign: Pisces

your first language: English

second language: I used to be conversational in Spanish, now I get by.

favourite lip product: medicated chapstick and a mauve lipstick I’ve had for forever

the best food dish you can make without a recipe:Jambalaya, probably. Or chicken and green bean casserole.

If you drink tea, what kind? Tea both iced and hot are my drinks of choice, I drink black tea, and I mainly stick to earl greys, bergamots, kind of floral ish (I do not like fruit flavored for hot teas at all).

If you drink coffee, what roast do you usually get? Medium roast. I put half and half in my coffee and I like the richness — if I get light it tastes too much like milk.

favourite thing to watch on youtube right now: I’ve been watching Fantasy High Dimension 20 and I’m dying over it (you’ve probably been seeing me reblog fandom stuff from it if you follow me lmao) — and I’d be remiss not to talk about the video I watch probably once a week, which is a very specific games done quick of a nostalgic Nintendo game. It’s my cozy comfort video.

favourite thing to watch on youtube in 2012: oh god — I was a nerd-fighter for sure (vlogbrothers), I also watched Meekakitty (Tessa Violet) and Charlieissocoollike (that may have even pre-dated 2012, that might have been like 08 lmao) and likely many more.

favourite item of clothing right now: a brown and gray plaid short coat.

favourite item of clothing in 2012: i had a pair of corduroy rocket dog sneakers that I still own because I do love them, they’ve just been stitched back together so many times lol

fandom

three movies you recommend: Steel Magnolias, Life as a House, The Birdcage

your favourite concert: oh so many good ones, but watching Kevin Garrett respond to a fan who asked “do you have any happy songs?” with, “you walked into the wrong concert, brother, but I’ll try — this one’s kind of happy” and proceed to play a song about desperate heartache and heartbreak and fragility of youth was the funniest thing I’d ever seen and was also beautiful.

have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion? Not really — I’ve only really unfollowed people for a) being rude to other people’s fandom preferences and b) being endlessly and needlessly negative.

have you ever left a fandom because of the fans? No, but I do kind of stick to smaller fandoms.

the best tv show you watched last year: The Bear. It was phenomenal and I’m scared and excited for S3.

do you have a fancasting you just can’t let go of? Not really the same but I want Will Poulter to take over Armie Hammer’s role in The Man From UNCLE because that movie was great and I wish it had a sequel but it never will because AH is a fucking creep, but, unlike Armie Hammer, Will Poulter seems like a great guy and he’d do the role so fucking well, I just want it.

a ship you’ve abandoned: I’m sure I have one? But I can’t think of it.

on a scale of 1-10 how willing are you to share your ao3 history? Maybe a 5? I don’t actually read much these days, I’ve been kind of busy. If you ask me what I’ve liked though I’m not shy about telling you.

do you have a fandom tattoo? (do you want one?) no and the only one I would consider getting is from a book I know I will always love, like Piranesi or This is How You Lose the Time War, and I have no idea what I’d get from those.

what fandom do you wish was bigger? I actually kind of like my fandoms small, the video game Transistor by Supergiant Games is beautiful and I want to talk about it with people dammit.

has a finale ever ruined a show for you? Yes. Game of Thrones for sure. Dexter (though I don’t think I could rewatch it anyway). I agree with you Evie, That 70s Show’s ending was horrid! How I Met Your Mother, as well.

have you…

swam in an ocean? Yes, got absolutely wrecked once.

ever been vegan/vegetarian? no

gone skinny dipping? Nope.

gone skiing? Yes! Both water and snow.

been to a convention? Yes, in high school I was vice president of my library’s teen reading club (I was also in band and a theater kid so nice to meetcha I am a super nerd) and because of this our club got to go with my librarians to the fanciest hotel I’ve ever stayed in which hosted the most amazing convention ever of Indie Booksellers and I met Maggie Stiefvater and got Rainbow Rowell’s advanced reader’s copy of Eleanor and Park (think I’m dating myself here lol) and a couple of other amazing authors and talked poets and librarians and publishers and booksellers and I don’t think any convention will EVER surpass that experience.

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Tagging: @mybrainismelted , @callivich , @gallawitchxx , @michellemisfit , @whatthebodygraspsnot , @sam-loves-seb , and ANYONE else who’d like to play!!!

[raven-moon33]

Hi, I commented on the latest update of your fic but I just wanted to repeat myself that "A Kidnapping By Any Other Means" has been an amazing and very compelling read. I love how you wrote the family and incorporated previous incarnations. I love the mystery and the various twists and turns you throw in. But, more importantly, I LOVE how you wrote Enid and Wednesday. Their interaction at the end of chapter two is going to stick with me for a long time. But I'm mainly writing this to say that I really hope you're doing okay after all the unwarranted shit you received after chapter 13. For people to berate you like that just because a story decision, one that was meant to be upsetting, upset them? That's fucking awful. Writing is a long and lengthy process and no one should tell you how to do it after you've spent so much of your time on it. This is all to say to keep up the great work and fuck anyone who tries to keep you down

Omg, thank you so much for this amazingly kind and sweet comment! I don't think I can express how much it means to me after some of the tumultuous emotions I've been feeling recently.

I'ma be real, a big part of the reason I'm so invested in writing this story is because writing it is helping me get through a really rough patch in my life at the moment.

Enjoying the writing process, coming up with my own headcanon lore, and just building a hopefully fun and engaging story has been awesome enough, but having so many people enjoy it and give it so much more love then I ever expected any of my writing to receive has legitimately brought me to tears (happy ones!) on several occasions, and is helping me get through the stuff I'm struggling with.

Some of those less-than-kind comments have admittedly been getting me down and have even started dampening my enthusiasm for the story.

I might've even considered not continuing it altogether, since adding another stressful thing to my plate right now (especially when that stress is coming from something that's thus far been a humongous source of support for me during this difficult time) would be very bad for my mental health, but having so many wonderful people like you loving and supporting and engaging with my story is making me determined to stick with it.

And, just to make it clear, the comments I'm talking about are NOT any that are angry with some of the characters and their choices, upset because of things that are supposed to be upsetting in the story, or ones that are calling for my blood in a loving way that makes it clear how much they're engaged in my story.

Outside of the purely loving and supportive comments I get, those are the comments I love to read, since it means people are engaging with the story in the ways I hoped they would, getting involved in a discourse about whether certain characters were right or wrong, how certain events made them feel and why, and how people are excited to see what's coming.

The comments I'm talking about are the few people who are criticizing me directly in frankly rude and hurtful ways. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but if you don't like my story choices to the point where you no longer want to read my story, then just feel free to not read it. My feelings won't be bruised as long as you're not unnecessarily mean about it in an intentional comment that you never needed to make in the first place.

But anyways, I just want to thank you again, theenbynightingale; people like you are the ones helping me through a really hard time in my life, helping me grow more confident in my skills as a writer, and helping me keep my spirits up enough to continue writing this.

I appreciate you all so much and am sending all my love to you guys. I'm going to work hard to get chapters out as soon as I can so you have less time to wait before you get to see how this arc is resolved.