#anyways if you did read all of this i love you. bye [leafs

[stuffeddeer]

hii hru? i have a fic request umm i have this idea thats been sitting in my head for TOO LONG... i need to get it out how would bsd men (your choice) react to a reader who is too nice of a person, basically an ANGEL but seeks love from people who treats them like shit.,,.,. n theyre always like "nono theyre a great friend" (i need to stop doing this though it happens too many times)

ok bye!! have a lovely day!!!!!!

if someone treats me wrongly i will treat them wrongER. i do not start shit but i will End It. i included Dazai, Ranpo, Nikolai, Atsushi and Chuuya :) ive never written for Chuuya and Atsushi but i just kept typing so umm mb!! don’t read the last two unless ur crazy

Dazai would be so frustrated internally. He had been one of those people you give such patience to, and he knows everyone else is only preying that kind nature. He’d subtly try and point out that what they’re doing is bad, but he has always preferred a less direct approach. Threatening. Okay, yes yes, Dazai has turned over a new leaf, but as long as he doesn’t hurt or kill it’s fine, right? Are mild and “empty” threats really that bad? He’d chase away those people easily, helping you to meet others like his coworkers at the Agency or reminding you of the good friends you have and how you should spend more time with them. If you’re the type to tolerate rudeness from others but Not tolerate it when people are rude to your friends, Dazai would lie and claim that these assholes wronged him in some devastating way so you never forgive them.

Ranpo would (metaphorically) hit you upside the head. What do you think you’re doing, letting anyone treat you as less than you are? Not because he cares for you (so he claims), but because you’re associated with him! By allowing these, for lack of a better word, losers to treat you so awfully, you’re taking down his image with you! How would people react if they knew that the greatest detective allowed his friend (..?) to be treated so horribly? That he of all people couldn’t knock some sense into you? He’d huff, reminding you that you’d only need him and the Agency anyway, so why waste your time with such imbeciles 🙄

Nikolai is the one who treats you like shit. He hadn’t originally meant to — not any more than usual, that is — but watching you defend horrible actions from people that didn’t matter made him wonder if you’d do the same for those that do (being him, of course). He’d change at the drop of a hat, doting on you and cherishing you to kicking you out and ghosting you for weeks. But when he messaged you once again, you’d find yourself back on a bus approaching his apartment. Because of course you are, how could you leave Nikolai when he’s been so kind to you? He said he was busy, and what reason did you have not to believe him?

Atsushi would see himself in you but it’d just be a cycle. You’d see others treating him poorly and get angry, and he’d see people doing that with you, but you both would defend your “friends” up and down until exhaustion kept you from continuing. Atsushi is used to being used, so it’s fine, and seemingly so are you, so you’re fine, and it just repeats forever. But, if Atsushi’s options are to hang out with you or those jerks, then you’ll just have to spend more time with him. And if your options are to hang out with him or those jerks, he’ll just have to spend more time with you. The cycle ends, but without any real confrontation, which is how the both of you would prefer it.

Chuuya: your loyal guard dog. If he can’t convince you not to see “those piece of shit, dumbass jerks” ever again he’d tag along. Everything except barking would be on the table - he’d growl when they talked over you or break a finger if he had to. This is the man you want by your side, because he’d fight for your honor when he needs to or take you back to his place for a soothing spa-adjacent bath with amazing scented candles and over the top bubbles, maybe a glass of expensive wine, to unwind and forget it all. Also he’d block their numbers from your phone and threaten them to never contact you again 💀

[wind-becomes-lightning]

Tea time~

dear @lemony-snickers this is for you! (did you think you'd get nothing, huh?)! You once told me that you think you could not put Saya into AU's as long as the main story is not finished (if ever), but I put things in Au's all the time so that don't stop me! (This sign cant stop me because I cant read) So here is my impression Modern AU. I tried to keep the spirit of the first few chapters, but didn't follow it beat by beat. I hope that is ok. Love you ok bye

Modern AU (we are in Tokyo)

Kakashi & OC

2263 words.

Running in heels was never the best idea, but Saya especially despised it when she was forced to wear a closed up pencil skirt like she had to when a client was over. Yes, working with clients was part of her job and she had never regretted her late career change from drama to banking, not only because it brought a higher paycheck, but also because sometimes the work could be rewarding, but when she had to wear heels, tight skirts and was late for her lunch time, then she got grumpy.

Her usual lunch place was just a block down from the high office business tower she worked in. ANBU corps international was one of the many faceless corporations dwelling Tokyo's centre, only that they mostly focused on finances. This meant almost everything, from opening bank accounts for kids living alone to making sure the next billionaire could ship off his fortune into a tax haven. Anbu didn’t ask questions and Saya, as well as the other 4000 workers in the ten store building did as their superior told them.  

The cafe was small and quiet, you could almost miss it if you didn’t know where it was. Saya almost fell over her feet when she arrived. She pressed her hands to both her sides and breathed in and out and in again. Going inside and showing that she was completely out of breath from hurrying for just about 10 minutes just seemed too embarrassing. She looked over the plants that were visible in the window, the little symbol of a leaf above the cafe’s entrance and then she finally entered.

It was busy inside, well, as busy as it could be for a cafe that wasn’t as big anyway. She snagged the last corner table next to the window and got a little can of green tea and a little sweet bread put out by the nice waiter, who already knew her. “Late today, Tsunematsu-san”, he smiled as he put the things down and Saya swiped the sweat off her forehead. “Meeting ran late”, she replied and he nodded knowingly.

She always spent the entire free hour here, just eating a little sweet treat and drinking one cup of tea after the other. As many other worker drones in the big city she had to do overtime quite frequently and then the cafe was often closed already when she got out. If she was lucky enough to get out at five as she should then she sometimes returned for another green tea. It really was exceptionally good here. They said it was an old family recipe.

Her eyes were looking over the people running around outside when they fell on a weirdly familiar outline of hair. Saya had only ever met one guy who was wearing his hair this wild without getting reprimanded by HR. Hatake Kakashi was quite the character, at least in Saya’s experience. They worked the same company, though they had barely ever even interacted and the one time they had it had ended in a disaster. Hatake was in the international part of the company, while Saya worked with domestic clients, usually local issues with small banking.

Hatake had stopped in front of the window to the cafe, hands stuck in the pockets of his grey suit as if he was thinking. Maybe he was considering who’s day to ruin next, Saya thought a little spitefully. When they had worked together she had been still new and just recently had finished her education switch from teatre. 

Somehow she had been assigned a case that connected a local japanese woman to an old French bank account and so Saya had been called to work with Hatake. Her English wasn’t perfect and her French was nonexistent, so Hatake had gotten frustrated with her easily. They had screamed at each other, it was not a nice sight for anyone around.

For some reason his eyes looked up and through the window right into hers. Saya frowned and looked away. “Don’t see me,” she thought, but was also half convinced he did not remember her anyway. After the screaming incident they had been separated, both had lost their clients, disaster for the company and Saya had been close to losing the job almost immediately after getting it. Fortunately they had given her a second chance and it was equally fortunate that they kept Hatake and her apart from then on. 

She hadn’t seen him in three years until this day and was glad to go another three without seeing him again. But when she lifted her eyes she could see him close the cafe door behind him and make a b-line for her table.

“Tsunematsu-san”, he said as he sat down. She moved back in her chair: “Hatake-san.” Quiet fell over them immediately. Well what else was there to say? Hatake seemed dumbfounded as to why he had even sat down with her, almost as dumbfounded as she was. When she allowed herself to look closer at him though she thought she found something in his face that resembles loneliness, maybe a need for human interaction.

Right, alright, this time, kindness, one time, she thought and tapped with her finger to the table: “Would you like some of my green tea to drink for your break, Hatake-san?”

“Oh, yes, that would be quite nice”, he replied. Saya waved to the waiter and he soon came over with another cup. She filled it for Hatake and pushed it over to him. They both drank in silence again. 

Why was he here? Of course he was free to spend his lunch break however he wanted to, but why did he come to her table specifically? Was it because every other table was crowded? At least that seemed somewhat plausible. Hatake was a known person in the company not only because he had been deemed a genius during his education, but also because he notoriously shied away from spending time with his colleagues. 

As far as Saya had heard he rarely went drinking after work hours and while Saya herself also wasn’t a big fan of that particular convention, she did join each time she was being asked. She was, after all, raised to be polite, especially to fit in. But Hatake never went out with anybody unless his boss specifically requested it and even then he went home early. 

Hatake finally cleared his throat, clearly also affected by the awkward silence between them. “So are you still..? You know… working for… Anbu?” Saya’s eyebrow twitched a little, but she replied as calmly as she could muster: “Yes.” She quickly added on a: “Doing very well there too.”

“No doubt about that”, Hatake nodded, which was confusing to her, but she decided to let it slide.

“And you?” she asked. Her fingers were sticky from the sweet bread she had been eating and now that she thought about it too much she was also dirty in her face. 

He took another sip of his tea. “Also,” he said and then with a little grin, “still doing well too, as far as I am aware at least.” Seeing that the conversation had run dry once more he said: “Do you always go here for your lunch break?” Saya could see his grey eye wander around the room. There was something with his left eye, the one that was painted with a large scar, that Saya did not exactly know about. The only thing she had learned was that seeing things out of that eye seemed hard for him, at least when he sat in front of a computer.

“Yes, it is not far from the office,” Saya said. “It is cosy and not too expensive and usually I don’t meet anyone from work here.” Hatake laughed a little as if against his will and murmured a “Sorry” under his breath. “That is an advantage indeed” he nodded.

Not that Saya hated her coworkers. Apart from the one that now sat on her opposite she never really had an issue with any others. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that behind her back people were still talking about her. It was, after all, just not usual for people to do a late career change like she had. But she did her job reliably and fast and so they could not complain loudly about her.

“What led you here today, Hatake-san?” Saya finally let out the question that had been on her mind from the moment he had walked in. Hatake refilled his cup with a look to her and she nodded to give him permission. It was okay, after all, she always ordered a full can that she barely needed every day. 

Hatake took a moment to reply and it seemed like he too didn’t really know how to answer the question. “I usually don’t go out during lunch, I just get some bread from the store downstairs in the building”, he said, still seeming a little absent minded. “But today I felt like going somewhere. I can’t really tell you why. Maybe I just needed the fresh air. Before I knew where I was I saw you through the window of this shop.”

And then you decided to walk in to sit with me, Saya thought, but didn’t say anything. “I then thought- I somehow thought it would be …” He hesitated for a second, “..nice to sit with you and so I did?” He made it sound more like a question than a decision.

None of this made sense to her, at least not right now, but this feeling she had had from the beginning creeped up to her again. He was obviously craving some human interaction for some reason and had latched onto the first person he had known that he could talk to. While their only interaction had been a negative one, this was also years ago when both of them had been younger still, so Saya didn’t see a reason to be resentful at this point.

“I’m here every lunch unless I have to work through it,” she said, “I try to get this table as often as I can because of the nice view out of the window. If you want to come again, please feel free to join me for a cup of tea and something sweet…”

Hatake moved his head back, his long hair was hanging in streaks into his face and a light crossed his eyes. He smiled just lightly when he replied: “I don’t like sweet things, but I would love to take you up on that tea invitation.” 

 Saya tapped with her finger onto the table again: “Invitation? I will surely not pay for your everytime!”

“Right, right”, he put a hand up defensively. “I will invite you next time, Tsunematsu-san.” 

“That sounds more like it,” she laughed in reply. Maybe it wasn’t going to be too bad to share the break time with someone, especially when it was someone pleasant to talk to, Saya thought. And all in all she didn’t know much about Kakashi Hatake. Maybe he would turn out to be a good companion - as long as they didn’t have to work together again.

– –

Kakashi returned to the office separately from Saya Tsunematsu, mostly because they hadn’t discussed going together. He ran into Yamato Tenzo in the elevator. The younger man worked very closely by his side most of the time and was maybe one of the only people he considered a friend. 

“Where have you been?” Yamato asked, one hand stemmed into his hip like he was a mother scolding her son who was late for dinner. 

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders: “Was out.” Yamato didn’t have to point out that Kakashi usually didn’t go out, because Kakashi could read it in his eyes. So instead Yamato asked: “Was that nice?” Which was a very nice question to ask.

He thought of the hour he had just spent with Tsunematsu, a woman, that by all means he knew nothing about. He had crashed her time alone, drunk her tea, and gotten himself invited for more lunch hang outs. It had happened like in a blurr, so he had not really had the time to think about if it was nice or not.

“Yes,” Kakashi settled on. “The cafe was very nice.” 

Yamato clearly wanted to ask a follow up question, but the elevator made a ding sound and they could step back into their office space. Kakashi quickly walked away from his friends' interested eyes and sat down at his computer.

Normally he was fine with the little friendships he had. Kakashi was good at being by himself first and foremost. But somehow this morning he had woken up tired, more tired than usual. He had escaped the high rise building as if it was a prison at lunch and hurried down the street with no place to go as if he was looking for something. Seeing Tsunematsu sitting inside the Konoha cafe gave him the feeling like that was what he had been looking for.

This was idiotic of course, they barely knew each other. He had bothered her and she had been too nice to send him away and the only thing he could do now was pay it back to her at least a little. Tomorrow he’d try to get there quicker than she would so there was already hot tea ready once she made it there, he decided. Maybe that would make it up to her then.

[translytherins]

Unaccepted Permission Slip {Part 1}

Peter's P.O.V

[A/n: You can use the picture at the bottom as refrence also the picture isn't mine]

"Mr. Parker i will not accept this permission slip"

"Why not?!?!"

"Because your permission slip is signed by Tony Stark-Rogers and we both know that your internship is fake so just give it up and go home"

I was fuming "Fine!!!" I shouted and stormed out of the classroom. If your wondering what happened. Let me explain.

-Flashback-

I accidentally fell asleep in science class because well... I'm not dumb. I already know this stuff. Having Tony Stark-Rogers as a dad and as a mentor before that while also having Bruce Banner teach you has it's perks. I was woken up from sleep by Ned who was trying to shake me awake which definitely worked. Obviously. I lifted my head from my table only to see the teacher glaring at me. I don't know why but the teacher hates me with every bone in her body.

"Now that Mr. Parker is awake" she said glaring at me before she continued.

"We will be going on a field trip next week on Friday. The location will be a surprise but until then everyone must take one permission slip for your parents to sign.

Class dismissed"

Everyone packed their stuff and got up from the seat while mumbling excitedly about the trip. I couldn't care less about the trip but..whatever. I took one permission slip while receiving a (not so) deathly glare from the teacher and walked out of the classroom.

-End Of Flashback-

When i was a few blocks away from my school, i saw Happy waiting for me next to a limo. I went up to him and gave him an apology for the slight delay. He accepted and we both got in the limo with me at the back while Happy sat at the drivers seat and started heading home with me not talking much because i was still mad. Happy kept looking at me frome the rear view mirror but i payed no attention to that and kept looking out the window.

-Timeskip-

I got home and saw that none of my family members were at home probably on a mission. I walked into the living room and saw my (h/c) boyfriend reading on the couch. I smiled, walked over to him (sneakily) and backed hugged him making him drop his book while mumbling something under his breath in surprise. I started giggling at his cute face that he made.

(M/N) 's P.O.V

I was reading a book while waiting for the others to get back because even though I'm the newest member, they said it was "too dangerous" for someone as young as me (although I kicked all of their butts in one go)I was so deep invested with my book that i didn't even realise that someone was sneaking up behind me. When i did realise it, is when i felt someone back hugged me.

"Holy f*cking sh*t" i mumbled under my breath and dropped my book by accident. I heard someone giggling from behind me. I turned around and saw Peter giggling at me. I let out a playful sigh and glared at the giggling boy while picking up my book.

I continued reading my book which is a sign that I'm (slightly) pissed by his actions. He stopped giggling and walked around the couch so he was standing in front of me but i didn't look at him. He took my book, marked the page i was reading and placed it on the table. I was about to protest but he straddled me and kissed me. I melted instantly and kissed back. It got heated after a few minutes and we started making out with Peter on my lap. We we're so distracted that we didn't even realise that the others were back already just staring at us like the creeps they are. We pulled away when we heard someone coughing, trying to get our attention. We turned around and saw the Avengers standing there, some with there arms crossed (Steve, Tony, Loki, Vision, Bruce) while the others we're snickering in the background (Nat, Barton, Pietro, Wanda, Bucky, Sam). Peter was a blushing mess. When he turned to look at me and he saw the mischievous smirk on my face. I gently squeezed his butt and he gave a little squeak in return. He glared at me but my smirk didn't falter one bit. Revenge tastes sweet. He turned back to the others and smiled akwardly.

"Uhm... Hey dad..." Peter said akwardly.

"We'll talk about this later" Tony said with a glare and they left the room.

He turned towards me and smacked my chest while burying his face into my neck.

"I hate you"

"Love you too" i replied with a sly grin on my face.

-Timeskip to dinner-

Peter's P.O.V

Just another dinner night at Stark Tower. My dad was playfully arguing with Uncle Clint (yes i have to call them uncle and aunt except for Pietro and Wanda). Uncle Thor was eating pop tarts for dinner. Uncle Loki was struggling to use his utensils. Pietro was laughing hysterically at him for not being able to use them properly, pushing on Uncle Loki's buttons making him aggravated. Uncle Bucky and Aunt Nat were talking in Russia. The only normal one's were me, (m/n), Uncle Bruce, Vision, my pops aka Steve Stark-Rogers and Wanda. We we're just watching the scene play out infront of us. (m/n) and i was snickering at how childish they we're acting even though we're younger than them (except for Aunt Nat and Uncle Bucky. They looked like they we're talking about something important) until i remembered something.

"Hey Pops???"

"Yes Peter???" he awnsered looking at me.

"Is it okay if i stay home next Friday???"

When those words came out of my mouth everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me suddenly intrigued by what i had to say.

"And why do you want to stay home???" Aunt Nat asked me and i knew i couldn't lie because this is Black Widow I'm talking to and she knows when someone's lie. I sigh in defeat.

"Well...you see..." and i told them about what happend with the teacher not accepting my permission slip and talking trash about me. After i explained all hell broke lose. Aunt Nat was sharpening her knives, Wanda and Loki had magic surrounding them, (m/n) had a little string of (f/c) fire twirling around his fingers, Thor was looking at his hammer probably contemplating how hard he can throw it, Uncle Clint was sharpening his arrows, Pietro feets were looking impatient, Uncle Bruce was turning a little green, Dad was typing something on his phone probably calling his suit, Uncle Bucky was clenching his metal arm and Pops was trying to calm himself down. Well...this is going to be a fun night. (note the sarcasm)

-The Next Morning-

Ned's P.O.V

I was on the bus sitting next to MJ who had her nose stuck in a book and i was looking out the window ignoring Flash yelling insults about Peter being a coward for not coming on this trip with us and about how he was right about his "fake internship" because the teacher told us we we're going to Stark Tower. I have been there on lots of different occasions, most of the time it's because i have an intern ship with Stark industries as well and it was all thanks to Peter. He is most definitely going to be there because he didn't show up to school. This isn't going to end well is it. Oh well... More entertainment and drama for me.

(M/N) 's P.O.V

I was in my room scrolling through my phonewith Peter snuggling into my side. He dies have his own room which is next to mine but he decided to sleep in my room because his dad doesn't really let us sleep in the same room but he does it anyways but i don't mind because i get to cuddle my little spider. I was looking at a cute cat photo which was playing with a leaf when i heard FRIDAY, Starks AI, greeting me.

" Good Morning Mr. (L/n). Tony Stark-Rogers has requested Peter to lead the tour for today at 10 later"

"Thanks Fri. I'll tell him when he wakes up"

FRIDAY hummed in acknowledgement and left. I put down my phone on the bed side table and i turned my body towards Peter which resulted with him cuddled into me and nuzzled his head deeper into my chest (if it was even possible at this point considering about how close we were already)

"Peter, Babe. Time to get up. Your dad said that you need to give a tour to some visitors later at 10"

Peter's eyes fluttered open but he just closed them again and nuzzled his head further into my chest.

"Do i have too? Can't i just cuddle with you?" he said while giving me his puppy dog eyes. I sighed.

"Even if I want to, I need to go on a mission with Clint, Pietro and Tasha in about... *glances at the alarm clock* 5 minutes so I have to go. But don't sweat it, the missions gonna take two hours at least. When I get back I'll come help you with the tour when i get back

Okay??? "

" Fine" he whined and gave me a soft kiss which i gladly returned.

I got up from the bed and went to the bathroom to get changed into my outfit which is a hoddie that is as strong as Steve's shield but still flexible, fluffy and comfortable to wear. I put on my fingerless gloves and headed back in my room. When I entered the room again and saw Peter scrolling through his phone. I smiled and walked towards him.

"Bye Pete, I'll see you later" i gave him a kiss on his forehead.

He smiled at me while i grabbed my shape shifting elemental sword and my wireless headphones. I know what your thinking. Why am i bringing a wireless headphones with me to a mission. Well...that's because i fight while listening to music. It enhances my ability to fight and makes it easier for me to use my elements. left the room while waving at him. I put on my (f/c) mask and headed towards where Pietro, Nat and Clint were at so we can get this mission over and done with.

-Timeskip-

Peter's P.O.V

I was sitting at the lounging room, waiting for the visitors to arrive while messing around on my phone. I heard the sliding door open and close but i didn't bother to look up because if they were the visitors, Alicia is going to explain how everything works and how to use the badges before giving them it. Only when she was done i would take over and show them the places that they have access to. While I was scrolling through Instagram, i heard Alicia call my name. I got up from my seat and walked towards them while still looking at my phone. When i reached them i looked up from my phone my eyes were wide as saucers because the visitors were my classmates!!! I have a lot of explaining to do aren't i...

"Uhh... Hey guys..." i said while waving at them awkwardly.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE PUNY PARKER!!!" Flash yelled at me with a hint of rage in his voice.

I rolled my eyes at him and responded to him in a sassy tone.

"I'm actually doing something useful in my life other than waste my time insulting someone. What are you doing???"

Flash was fuming with anger but didn't say anything else while the class, Alicia, Mj and Ned were chuckling because Flash just got told off.

"Okay Peter I'll leave it to you. See you later Mini G" she said while walking and waving.

"Later Alicia" i said while waving back at her before turning back to the rest of the class with stunned faces except Mj and Ned who were chuckling at Flash's stunned face.

"Anyways... I'm going to be your tour guide for today. So, unless you want to spend the rest of the visit outside the tour while the others have a good time, i suggest you keep your mouth if you have nothing nice to say because people at Stark Tower does not tolerate bullies especially Mr. Stark and Mr. Steve Rogers"

I didn't say there actual name which is Mr. Stark-Rogers because it isn't public yet that their married and no one definitely knows that tgey adopted a child aka me. But later on we're going to have a press conference revealing their marriage and me to the public. Flash looked slightly pale but didn't say any insults (or anything in that matter) and Mrs Warren was glarring daggers at me but i couldn't care less about what she thought about me at this point because all i want to do is get back to bed, wait until my boyfriend gets back from his mission and cuddle with him.

"Ok everyone. You need to scan the badges you got from Alicia and walk through the metal detector. You are also not aloud to take pictures during the tour. Any questions???"

Nobody raised their hands and i ushered them towards the scanner and the metal detector. One by one, everyone scanned their badges and walking through the metal detector (their phone don't count). F.R.I.D.A.Y announced their names, badge level and wether or not they have weapons or anything else dangerous. I let Flash walk through for demonstration (don't know why i did), F.R.I.D.A.Y announced his name in the same bored tone she always uses when it wasn't any of the avengers, me, Ned or Mj.

"Eugene Thompson, Omega badge level 2, no weapons"

He looked at me like he finally achieved something in his life. I rolled my eyes at his shit eating grin, scanned my badge (even though I didn't need to because I can scan my face and enter the building without having to waste my time with these badges) and walked through the metal detector.

"Peter, Delta level 10,no weapons detected. Hello Peter nice seeing you use the door once in a while" F.R.I.D.A.Y said with slight sarcasm in her voice but i just sigh in relief because F.R.I.D.A.Y didn't use my full name. But Flash just had to open his goddamn mouth and say something stupid like he always does.

"WHAT DID YOU MEAN USE THE DOOR ONCE IN A WHILE!!!HAVE YOU BEEN BREAKING INTO THE TOWER!!! HUH PUNY PARKER!!! AWNSER ME!!!"

I just ignored him which I do like 90% of the time and waited for the others to get through. While checking my watch to see how long i have left until (m/n) joins us.

-

Almost everyone has gone through except for Ned and Mj. Mj scanned her badge and walked through the metal detector without looking up from the book because she comes here to help Pepper with some business stuff. Oh!!! Did i forget to mention you that Mj is Pepper's assistant. I didn't??? Oh well moving on.

"Michelle Jones, alpha level 8, no weapons detected. Glad to see you Mj" F.R.I.D.A.Y greeted her happily.

"You too Fri"

Everyone's mouth was gaping because the Ai system recognised Mj. The last person was Ned and he got the same exact reaction from the class.

"Ned Leeds, alpha level 7, no weapons detected. Good evening Ned, i hope you enjoy your visit"

"I will Fri"

Flash was slightly annoyed that he didn't get the same treatment but beggars can't be choosers. I coughed slightly to get everyones attention and lead them towards the elevator so we can get started with the tour.

-

We reached the fifth floor so that they can look at the Avengers exhibition for the oldest and newest avengers. Everyone was looking awed and starstruck including Ned (who has been here loads of times) and excluding Mj (because she was still reading her book).

"Ok everyone you have an hour to look around and if you have any questions, you can come and ask me"

And just like that everyone was scattered all over the place looking at all the suits and weapons displayed. Of course they were just replicas of it. I walked around to make sure that they were no inconvenience. Everyone was mostly gawking at my iron spider suit that i got from dad and Elemental's mask, hoodie, headphones and his shape shifting sword especially Flash. He can only dream of wearing our suits. Let alone hold (m/n) 's shape shifting sword because have you seen that thing??? It's pretty epic if i do say so myself.

"Hey loser. Maybe you should explain more about the suits everyones gawking at" Mj said with a knowing smirk and looking up from her book for the first time since she entered the tower.

It's not really a surprise that she knows my relationship with (m/n) because the whole tower knows and thinks were a cute power couple. I returned her smirk and started to explain about the origins of the suits and (m/n) 's weapon.

"Well the Iron Spider was designed by Mr Stark for Spiderman when he was first offered a spot as an Avengers. He turned down the offer at first deciding just to stick on being a friendly neighbourhood Spiderman but he joined in the end after some complications"

I finished my explanation for the Iron Spider and looked at everyone. They were all listening to me very intently on the origins of the Iron Spider (with the exception of Mj who was still reading her book). I countinued onto Elemental's origin.

"Elemental is the newest member of the Avengers who joined almost a month ago. His sword can shape shift to any kind of weapon you can think of such as an axe, a bow and arrow, a bow staff and much more but i think that it be too long of an explanation if i kept going on. He can control natural elements which are fire, water, wind, ice, light, dark, and nature. Whichever power he choses has it's own abilities. He can also transport the elements into his weapon. For example if he was using an axe as a weapon and he transported his fire element into the axe it would turn into a fire axe. Any questions??? " I saw somebody raise their hand at the back.

"Yes you at the back" i said while pointing at the person at the back.

"How did the Avengers meet Elemental because he was annouced as one but nobody got an explanation"

"Good question. Well nine months before he was announced as an Avenger, the Avengers were in a battle with Red skull. They almost died when he was suddenly frozen and he was shattered tp a million pieces. They saw a silhouette of a person but his face was covered with a black face mask. After months of searching and researching for this person. At first he refused to join but he caved in the end after some persuasion by Spiderman. Anything else???? "

Someone was about to ask another question but Friday said that our time was up and that we had to mive on to the next part of the tour which was the mechanical workshop. I have a feeling that my Parker luck is gonna struck again but when has it not.

-

When we entered the workshop it was pure chaos. Dad was yelling at Clint something about almost ruining the mission Nat was sharpening her knife. Pietro was next to Clint holding his hand and (m/n) was fixing his motorbike whole wearing his wireless headphones, listening to music. So he was pretty clueless on what's going on around him. They all stopped what they were doing (with the exception of (m/n) who was to focused on fixing his motorbike) and smiled at us.

"Hey Pete boy what are you doing in these parts of the tower" Pietro asked while he suddenly appeared next to me. He put my head in a headlock and messed up my hair a bit before letting me go.

"I could ask you the same thing. Your not exactly trusted here" i said while fixing up my hair a bit. He put his hand on his heart while giving me a mocking gasp.

"I'm offended. Just because i zoom around the place that doesn't mean i broke anything"

Dad looked at him with a 'are you serious' look. Pietro did a damsel in distress look while sighing a dramatic sigh.

"I'm hurt by your words"

I just chuckled at his childish attitude while Aunt Tasha just exited the room. I swear Pietro is more dramatic than dad.

"While it was fun watching you joke around the class has a tour that (m/n) needs to take over. So i think it's time to take our leave. (m/n) time for you to take over!!!

(m/n) didn't move away from his motorbike so I'm guessing he didn't hear dad.

"(m/n)!!! Are you listening to me!!!"

"Don't worry Tony i got this" Pietro said with a mischievous grin on his face.

At the sidelines, everyone was mumbling to each other. Some of them were about being in the same room as their favourite superhero. While the others were mumbling about my internship being true. Flash was flushed red because i got noticed by them and not him.

(m/n) 's P.O.V

I was fixing my motorbike because someone *cough* Clint *cough* thought it was a good idea to "accidentally" knock over an expensive vase (which i think he did it on purpose) and he almost got shot if it wasn't for me jumping in with my motorbike and the latter decided it was a good idea to use an explosive arrows while I'm near the proximity. So, now i have a lot of things i need to repair on my motorbike. While i was fixing my motorbike, i was startled when someone yelled in my ear.

"(m/n)!!! Peter's in trouble!!!" Pietro yelled into my ear.

"What!!! Where!!!" i shouted with slight panic but i accidentally hit my head on my motorbike's turbo booster really REALLY hard because of how fast i lifted my head.

"Ow..." i said while closing my eyes and rubbing my head.

Whwn i reopened my eyes, again and saw a bunch of teenagers (is that the right way to describe them???) staring at me with wide eyes with a laughing Tony and Pietro and a blushing Peter (probably because i was worried about him getting hurt) . I was glaring at Pietro and Tony so hard that (f/c) flames started to surrounding me. They raised their hands in surrender, terrified that i might burn them if they continued. I smirked a victory smirk and the (f/c) flames disappeared. I took off my wireless headphones and walked towards Pietro and smacked his head really hard.

"Ow... What was that for???" Pietro whined while rubbing his sore head.

"That was for scaring me" i said and i started walking towards Peter. He blushed a darker shade of red while the teenagers behind him started giggling and whispering about how "hot and attractive" i was, but i just tuned them out and continued walking until i reached Peter. I wrapped my right hand around his waist and layed my head at the crook of his neck.

"Hey Pete sorry for not joining the tour earlier because someone decided to be stupid" i said emphasising the word someone someone while glaring at Clint who was now, sulking in a conner and was being comforted by Pietro. I just rolled my eyes and gave Peter a peck on his lips.

"Wait... PARKER IS DATING ELEMENTAL"

I looked over and saw a guy wearing a jacket, trying to look cool which he did horrible at.

"Yeah. What Peter never told you he was dating me. Pete, baby how could you not tell other people that you were dating this handsome dude"

I heard Tony snort at the word handsome while Peter just chuckled at my childness.

"As much as i want to mess around more. We need to get on with the tour. I'm assuming your going to be showing us around"

"Mhmm,nothing ever gets by you does it" i said while smiling fondly at him and kissed his cheek before unwrapping my hand around. I walked towards Tony, Clint and Pietro and shooed them out of the workshop. Once they were out , i turned towards the class with a soft smile which made everyone blush and drool (even the hoe of a teacher). I mentally rolled my eyes and pulled my (f/c) mask back on. I clapped my hands together and said,

"Let's get the show on the road now, shall we?"

-59 minutes later-

I looked at my watch and realised that i had one more minute until they had to get to the next part of Stark Towers. I decided to awnser one more question that they might have. For the entire time they've been in here i showed them some of the things that i made. For example, my motorbikes, electric cars, jets, mechanical wings for falcon, guns, Clint's arrows and pretty much anything you need i can make it. They all were impressed that i could make all of this and on top of that i gratuated school pretty early. Oh!!! Did i mention that I'm 17? No? Oh well,now you know.

"Alright everyone i only have time for one question before we move on onto the next destination of Stark Tower. So if anyone of you have a question don't be afraid to ask because you miggt never get this chance again" and instantly five hands were raised up but I pointed at the guy near me.

"How does Parker get not one but two look a like Avengers, fake badges and how much did he pay you to kiss him"

I felt my blood beginning to boil. My bangs covered my eyes but they were red with anger (A/n: Your eyes changes colour depending on the emotions) because how dare he thinks that my Petey will do something like that. The tempature in the room dropped making the class shiver. I started approaching him very VERY slowly with lightning trailing behind me, so i can scare him a little which worked. Everyone made sure to keep a good ten feet away from us. Peter looked terrified about what's going to happen but didn't move because he knew the consequences. ( A little hint. He didn't get kisses and cuddles from me for a week. He can go without those for two days)

When i was right in front of him, i tilted my head to the side revealing my glowing blood red eyes. I pushed him into a the nearest wall, trapping while shape shifting my sword into a darkness knife.

"One more bad word about my Petey. Your head won't be attached to your body after this. Got it!?!??!" i said while pressing my knife dangerously close to his neck. He nodded so fast that i would've mistaken him for Pietro except he got a much more bitchy attitude than Tony when he wants attention from Steve or when Clint was ignored by Pietro because he did a 'breaking up' prank (it was kinda funny seeing Clint begging to Pietro for two hours straight) and that's basically giving them a compliment.

I let go of him and told the others to wait outside to wait for the next part of the tour because I wanted to have a word with Peter. Everyone basically bolted out the room trying to stay on my good side. I turn towards a nervous looking and kinda sweating Peter. He visibly gulped because he knows he is in deep, deep trouble.

Peter's P.O.V

I feel like I'm screwed because not only did i not tell them about my salty teacher much earlier but i didn't tell them that i also have a bully on my track. He crossed his arms while tap his left foot impatiently waiting for an awnser. Well, here goes nothing let just hope he doesn't go on a killing spree.

-Timeskip after the explanation-

When i was done explaining, he was mad but surprisingly calm about the whole situation. He placed his hand on my shoulder and started talking.

"Look I'm not mad that you didn't tell me but if something like this happens again i want you to tell either me or the others because we care about you and don't want you to get hurt. Alright???"

I nodded my head while crying slightly and hugged him really tight like if i let him go i would lose him. I'm really thankful i have someone like him in my life. He chuckled and ran his fingers through my head and kissed my forehead before pulling away. He wiped my tears away and kissed me before pulling away. He pulled away from the hug and extended his hand to me.

"Come on Pete. We have a tour to get back to"

I smiled and took his hand letting him lead my hand outside towards the class to continue the tour.

-

I looked at my watch and realised that the tour was almost over. We only had two more destination which is the training room on level 20 and after that the class will meeting the rest of the Avengers. I mentally jumped for joy because my suffering is almost over. Not that I didn't enjoy it because (m/n)'s hand is always either on my hip or around my waist. He will give me a random pecks here and there. Mrs. Warren and Flash aren't picking on me because (m/n) kept giving them death glares but they still glared at me (i swear those two are oblivious) . So overall, I'm enjoying myself.

TBC (because I've passed my block limit 😅 but stick around for part 2!!)

[satuguro]

selfless

IN WHICH: you go out on a date and sugawara koushi can only be a supportive best friend, even though he wants to be so much more.

PAIRINGS: sugawara koushi x reader, akaashi keiji x reader

INSPIRED BY: coffee breath — sofia mills, bubble gum — clairo

WARNING: cussing, some angst if you squint

“i got a date with him! could you believe it?”

you let out a loud laugh, your nerves and excitement radiating off of you in waves.

he could only force a bittersweet smile.

“no, i can’t.”

“c’mon, koushi, show a lil’ more encouragement, yeah?” you squealed, falling back in the couch as you let your hands raise above your head. you were blissed out, so high on adrenaline and giddiness and that you didn’t see the regret that filled sugawara’s golden eyes.

he needed to just stop feeling. just for one moment.

“what’s his name again?” koushi asked, making you sit up straight immediately to regain your composure.

“gimme a sec.” you typed away on your phone, well aware of sugawara’s gaze over your shoulder. his breath was right next to your ear, sending shivers up and down your spine. you pushed away the feeling almost immediately; you had a date. you had a date with someone who liked you back.

“aha!” you handed him your phone shamelessly, smile never leaving your face as you awaited his response.

you could tell that he was reading him. it was a simple picture, one of him with an endearing smile towards whoever was in front of him. he wore a simple black turtleneck and a beige coat— he had good style. his black hair was ruffled and messy, nothing like the perfection around him. he looked like he fell right out of a drama series.

of course, he fell for you. you looked like you fell from heaven itself; you were both made for each other.

“akaashi keiji,” you announced, his name falling from your lips like a wish. “so? what do you think?” you were asking him for his opinion as if akaashi was a wonderful and spontaneous idea that you wanted your dear old friend to hear about. you were looking at him expectingly, eyes glimmering with hope— hope for what? for koushi to like him? for him to say, ‘that’s wonderful y/n, you’ll be happy with him, and he’ll treat you well.’

“i,” sugawara’s words died in his throat, and he was suddenly aware of how dry his throat felt. he struggled for words, the confidence he once held when speaking to others now replaced by utter panic and embarrassment. his mind was racing, rummaging and searching in the depths of his brain in a scramble to find some words that would save the poor boy from his pain. “i don’t like him.” and just like that, the words were spat out before koushi could grab them again.

like a dying flower, the light and excitement in your eyes faded into nothing as you blinked.

once. twice. three times.

“you... you don’t?” you stuttered, disbelief within your tone as you stared at him. your face was unreadable, the happiness and giddiness from before now murky within the black of your eyes.

“i didn’t mean it like that!” panic. pure and utter panic raced through his body like an electrical shock. “i just—“

“why’re you freaking out?” similarly to how a falling leaf would gently touch the water’s surface, the faintest of smiles graced your face. your hand reached out to koushi and found its solace on his shoulder. there it perched and stayed, sending waves of warmth and comfort to his rigid body.

“what do you mean?” koushi forced past the bile he suddenly felt like vomiting, his golden eyes suddenly set on his lap as if it was the most interesting item known to man.

“kou,” you began, thumbing at the pale beige of his sweater, eyes deep in thought, “your opinion matters to me. no matter the answer, i wouldn’t mind. because it’s you.”

god, koushi wished you had said those last words under different circumstances. his heart ached as he looked at you, the warmth of your eyes so inviting that he would fall in over and over again if he could.

maybe he had fallen. maybe he had done it more than once and ran back for more. he would run back to you a thousand times if he could.

maybe that was the dangerous part of you. no matter how welcoming, how caring, or how patient you have been to everyone, you were always able to get them wrapped around your finger and hanging off your every words. but you never knew that yourself. if you did, you’d stop speaking all together; you’d never accept it.

“so stop worrying!” you chuckled, allowing your hand to fall from its place at his shoulder. your head replaced it, gentle and affectionate as you stared at the movie that was playing out on the t.v in from tof both of you.

sugawara nodded numbly. “i’ll stop,” he said, and he could only hope that he’d keep his promise.

“y/n, you might fall!”

sugawara felt like he was going to lose his head. seeing you standing on a thick branch of a tree that felt like it stretched up to the sky for miles. this was it— he’d die from worry at the ripe age of nine. right before his double digit birthday!

he could see it now: sugawara koushi, wonderful and caring son, dead at the age of nine alongside his best friend, l/n y/n, who also caused his death.

“c’mon, koushi!” you jumped on the tree branch, and as it bent, another spark of wordy coursed through him. “be brave! be strong!” you encouraged, putting on a mighty voice as you placed a hand on your hip and looked out into the horizon.

“you don’t know what’s up there! like snakes and spiders and — oh my god, ew, spiders!” sugawara babbled, propping his colorful backpack against the tree. helplessly, he looked up at you; wind blowing through your hair, expression much too serious for an 8 year old, with your hand on your hip as if you were posing.

“suga, listen!” the heroic pose you were once in broke as you stared down at your worrisome friend. all form of intimidation and determination died when you saw the amount of worry sugawara actually had; his hands were twiddling together, his eyes were aide, and his bottom lip was quivering ever so slightly. you swallowed. “the world is full of the unknown. everything is unknown until you make it known.” you paused before tilting your head as you gazed down at him. “does that make sense?”

sugawara could only nod. your words echoed in his head like a mantra, and he pulled the sleeves of his hoodie up as he readied himself.

“i’m ready— pull me up!”

you twirled once for him, allowing your white skirt to lift up along with the wind.

the pleated skirt you wore showcased your legs perfectly, and the oversized blue college sweatshirt you wore was perfectly oversized on your body. under the sweatshirt was a white button up that peaked through the crew neck of the sweater. your makeup was different — did you add a tad more blush than usual? — but you looked as beautiful as ever.

“do you think this is good? we’re just meeting somewhere but still—“

“you’re beautiful.” his words slipped out, his tone nothing but serious and sincere as he looked at you.

you smiled at him, the flash of your pearly whites like a ray of sunshine. sugawara found himself smiling back, much too focused in forcing a facade to notice the sudden waver in your grin. his smile was like a rainbow on a sunny day; beautiful enough to catch everyone’s eye and mystical enough to bring a sense of excitement into your veins for a moment.

how odd.

“shit! i need to hurry!” you checked the time before swinging your white tote bag over your shoulder and hastily packing your items inside. you pulled out a drawer from your living room table, taking out an obnoxiously long roll of condoms that you struggled to control.

“how many rounds are you planning for tonight?” sugawara couldn’t help but tease (though it made his heart wrench), making you roll your eyes and stick your tongue out. you stuffed a few of them into your purse, blind to the way he looked at you longingly.

you pulled your shoes on, trying to calm yourself. you looked at yourself once more in your nearby mirror, offering yourself a nervous smile before turning to sugawara.

his mind seemed elsewhere, his eyes still set on you and your body practically sparkling with nervousness. yet he still gave you a beaming smile and a (half hearted) thumbs up that calmed your anxiousness almost instantaneously.

“make sure to lock up when you leave!” you sent him one last grin as you opened the door. the door slammed behind you, leaving only a shadow of where you once stood.

koushi continued to stare at the white of the door.

his last days in karasuno. sugawara could barely keep himself together; he was sure that he was crying and slobbering all over his friends when he was saying his goodbyes in the gym.

well, it wasn’t his fault. he was leaving— he had all the right in the world to slobber on them.

he needed to catch his train. he gave his team one last smile as they listened to daichi scold them all for being so, so, so stupid during their last year and how he still loved them all the same (asahi, tanaka, and noya were having a hard time keeping themselves together because of their retiring captain). sugawara stood next to him, taking in the comforting sight of his team.

“koushi!”

your scream, loud and out of breath, made sugawara freeze.

you were standing behind him, pure rage and sadness brewing in your eyes like a hurricane. yachi stood next to you, practically cowering under your presence, and sugawara knew you asked the blond for his whereabouts.

he had planned on saying goodbye at your house.

sugawara wanted to say something. he wanted to tell you that he’d say good bye in privacy, without the wandering eyes of his team and the knowing eyes of daichi, who knew completely of his feelings towards you. but he said nothing, for you had taken his breath away when you swiftly ran up to him and hugged him from behind.

your arms wrapped around his torso, your face pressed to his back as you held onto him like a koala. “i’d hit you if you weren’t leaving,” you said, words muffled against his shirt.

“just do it anyway!” tsukishima commented in the background withh a snort.

the snickers of the first and second years were drowned out by sugawara’s rapidly beating heart, the feeling of you being so close bringing butterflies — hell, not even butterflies, a whole tornado — to his stomach. he carefully turned to face you, and you took a step back, your eyes glassy with wet tears.

the simple sight of it made his own vision blurry, and the both of you said nothing as you finally met in the middle. your arms wrapped around each other, years upon years of friendship now teetering and being threatened with distance. the rest of the world faded to black, and in that moment, it was only the two of you.

“visit. call. text. send me letters— do whatever the hell you need to do just please, please keep contact.” you were both teary faced messes, that much was obvious, but the idea that your life long best friend was leaving was too much to bear. you didn’t want him to go; what would you do without koushi?

koushi asked himself the same thing about you. what would he do without you?

two weeks and three days.

that was how long it had been since you had gone out on a date with akashi keiji. you hadn’t gone out with him since— not for any bad reason, though.

“you and koushi?”

“what about us?” you laughed, finger playing along the rim of your glass. but when you saw that he didn’t laugh along with you, you frowned.

you were friends before akaashi had asked you out. you knew that he was deep in his thoughts; his brows were knit together, and a frown twitched at the side of his lips. “akaashi. what about us?”

“you like him, don’t you?”

you wanted to forget about his words. you didn’t want to hear anything about your ‘feelings’ for koushi— they didn’t exist. your feelings for him were never there.

you were reminding yourself of that fact even as you got shit faced drunk with him right by your side.

shitty boxed wine was laid out everywhere while you sipped a bottle of champagne, pretending not to see koushi’s pout as you finished half the bottle. lazily, you smiled at him.

“it’s good.”

“yeah, no shit,” suga snorted, reaching his out and making his fingers make grabby hands. you pulled it away from him with a musical laugh, one that made his already flushed cheeks bloom a deeper red. again, he pouted, his bottom lip jutting out. “y/n,” he drawled, reaching out again only to have you move it out of his way.

“koushi,” you mocked, sticking your tongue out as if you were a child. he was adorable like this.

“no. i don’t want to talk about this.” you laughed in disbelief as you looked down. how could he make such an accusation? how could akaashi just blurt it out out of nowhere as if you hadn’t agreed to go out with him when he asked? he had no right.

he had no right asking when he knew the answer.

akaashi looked at you, a ghost of a pained smile on his lips. of course, he was hurt. how could he not? he had pined for you since he first saw you, and sugawara...

sugawara had you and he didn’t even know.

he wasn’t selfish. akaashi keiji was not selfish in the slightest, and maybe that was why he was doing this for your happiness. he was doing it because he knew it was right.

even if he was going to be hurt in the process.

“you look at him like he’s your morning cup of coffee,” akaashi said softly. “your eyes light up and this beautiful smile dawns over your face,” he swallowed thickly. “the sight of him makes you happy. he makes you happy.”

you peered up at him, a sorrowful smile blessing your features. yet again, akaashi cursed his heart for beating so quickly upon the sight.

akaashi keiji was not selfish in the slightest.

“i’m sorry, akaashi.”

he was a selfless person who could care less for himself.

“i am too, y/n.”

that was why he was letting you go.

“i will commit a crime to end up on national news,” sugawara threatened with the most serious face he could muster, his hand still outstretched towards you expectingly.

“sangwoo much?” you retorted with a laugh, one that made sugawara join you. in that second of vulnerability, koushi surged forward and practically tackled you, his hand ready to meet the bottle.

instead, he ended up pinning you down onto the couch with himself on top of you. the champagne was long gone and rolling and spilling all over your hardwood floor, but you couldn’t care less.

“suga, the champagne!” you whined out drunkenly, completely unaware of the lack of space between you both.

sugawara’s hand was on one side of your head, which was keeping his body from smushing you. his grey hair, which he had chosen to grow out just a bit, tickled the top of your nose as he hovered over you. his other hand, the one that was supposed to grab the champagne, found its place on the other side of your head.

your laughter soon died out when you felt his breath fanning over your face. your heart was beating hard enough to make a mark on your chest.

your hand came up to touch one side of his face, your thumb stroking his cheek softly. koushi leaned into your touch, his eyes full of adoration as he looked down at you.

you leaned up just as he leaned down, and your lips found themselves in the middle.

he tasted like shitty boxed alcohol and smelled like vanilla. you could feel his hair brush over your forehead as you leaned up to meet his lips better. koushi was intoxicating, and his scent and taste filled your senses as you kissed him.

the champagne still lingered on your tongue, and koushi could taste it as your tongues swiped over each other with each kiss. he felt himself pour all his years of unspoken love in the kiss. more than a decade of yearning for someone who was so close but so far finally paid off.

koushi pulled away from you as he took a deep breath of air. he couldn’t help the contagious smile he had on his face, one that you returned instantly.

“i love you,” you murmured, your thumb brushing over his beauty mark.

dramatically, sugawara gasped. “say sike right now, no way.”

“kou,” you groaned, using your hand to playfully flick at his nose.

loudly, sugawara laughed. he felt his cheeks ache and his heart flutter as he did, the relief finally hitting him as well as the realization that holy shit, you loved him back.

“i’m sorry, i’m sorry.” he leaned back in, making your noses poke each other as he pecked your lips one last time.

“i love you too. more than you’ll ever know.”

[spine-buster]

The President Wears Prada (William Nylander) | Chapter 17

A/N:  Soooo just a quick note that in celebration of my birthday on August 23rd, I’m going to be doing a DOUBLE UPLOAD WEEK NEXT WEEK.  That means you will be getting Chapter 18 on Monday August 24th and Chapter 19 on Thursday August 27th, both at 7:30pm EST as my gift to you.  YAY!  If you are able, please consider donating to my Ko-Fi at   ko-fi.com/spine_buster   if you appreciate it and like what you’re reading!  Otherwise, ENJOY! 

January 14th, 2020

Aberdeen Bloom was looking forward to the All-Star Break.  

With Kasha going to Aruba with her dad and the Leafs on the bye-week, she was looking forward to spending eight days completely alone and devoid of any work before she had to fly out with the team to Nashville.  Though she’d just had a mini-break at Christmas, this was much more substantial.  She knew she would be able to recharge and re-energize herself for the second half of the season – the second half she knew the team would have to push hard through to make the playoffs.  Because not making the playoffs was not an option.  

After what had happened four days ago after the Night With the Blue and White, Aberdeen had been in a weird place mentally.  Though she didn’t regret a thing that happened that night, and she didn’t regret anything she’d said to William, what happened between them was still wrong.  In every way, it was wrong.  And because it was so wrong, and it went against everything she believed in, every boundary she put up for herself and put so much time and effort into upholding, she knew nothing could come of it.  It couldn’t go any further.  They couldn’t become boyfriend and girlfriend.  They couldn’t date.  They couldn’t do anything.

They shouldn’t kiss again.

They shouldn’t have sex again.

But was that actually going to happen?  Or would their feelings get the best of them again and lure them further into a passionate affair they knew should not, could not happen?

Five days ago, she had been pretending to be aloof about William Nylander.  Four days ago, she’d had sex with him and told him she loved him.  Three days ago, they’d started texting regularly, after months of one-sided text messages on his part.  Two days ago, the team had suffered a bad loss to Florida 8-4, and they talked on the phone for what felt like the entire night about it when he got back into Toronto.  One day ago, he’d FaceTimed her after dinner and she answered the call.  Today, he promised her he’d score a goal for her and followed through with that promise.

Aberdeen was spiralling.  She was getting lost in William, and William was getting lost in her.  But she didn’t put a stop to absolutely any of it.  

After the game, she had to go back to her desk to pick up a few things she’d left there.  Brendan had come back with her, going into his office secretively and shuffling some things around.  Half of her wondered what he was looking for, while the other half didn’t care since she should be on her way home right now anyway.  

“Aberdeen?” he called from his office just as she had finished packing up her things.  “Can you bring me the proofs so I can take them home?”

Aberdeen grabbed them from the drawer in her desk and walked into his office.  He was looking over the score sheet when she held them in front of him, smiling, and he looked at her briefly before taking it.  “The All-Star Weekend is one of the most important weekends of my entire year.  We have three of the guys going.  I need the best possible team with me,” he said, barely looking at her, though his voice was steady.  “That no longer includes Peter.”

Aberdeen’s smile disappeared instantly.  She realized almost immediately what he was implying.  “Wait.  You want me to…no, Brendan.  I…” she exhaled sharply.  “Peter—Peter would die.  He’s been talking about the All-Star Weekend since Christmas.  I—I can’t do that, Brendan, I can’t,” she shook her head.  She knew how much it meant to him.  Meanwhile, she was looking forward to sleeping in.  They weren’t the same, and only one of them refused to go.

“If you don’t go, I’ll assume you’re not serious about your future…with the Toronto Maple Leafs or any other publication,” he said.  He finally looked at her, giving her an up-down she wasn’t familiar with at all.  Usually she got them for her looks or outfits – many girls did – but this was something completely different.  An up-down from a boss that said he was sure of his decision and nobody could convince him otherwise; like he was saying “Are you sure you want to say no to this” when they both knew she didn’t have the option.  “The decision is yours.”

She couldn’t believe him.  She couldn’t fucking believe that he had already made the decision for her.  She didn’t want to go. ��She didn’t need to go.  Peter wanted to go.  Peter needed to go.  “But—”

“That’s all,” he said dismissively, like he usually did.  He gave her one last knowing look.  “Goodnight, Aberdeen.”

She stared at him for a brief moment before angrily turning on her heels and walking out of his office.  She couldn’t believe she was just put in that position.  There was no way she could say no after that, even if she’d wanted to.  She knew that it must have meant that she had done something right, after all the things she’d done wrong, but it was still taking an opportunity that wasn’t hers to take.  Peter went to the All-Star Game.  Peter mingled with all the players and GMs and Presidents that attended.  Not her.  She grabbed her jacket from her chair, threw it on herself, and threw her purse over her shoulder before walking out of the office.

She took the long way back to her apartment, despite the cold, to think things over.  What had made Brendan and Kyle come to that decision?  Who the hell brought it up?  Who agreed on it?  She needed answers that she’d never get.  Back in November, when Mike Babcock was fired and Brendan and Kyle thanked her for not leaking anything to the press, she’d told Kyle how she would never burn the bridge she had with the Leafs and how she wouldn’t take advantage of the team or someone for personal gain.  He’d said that she was young, but he appreciated someone with conviction.  Did she still have that conviction?  Did she still have that conviction now that she’d slept with William and put her job in jeopardy?  Did she still have that conviction now that she was following through with what was basically an affair with William, which was against personal beliefs and company policy?  Did she still have that conviction now that she was taking an opportunity from a co-worker, a friend, who had been nothing but nice to her and helped her along her rocky path instead of calling her Girl Friday and feeling her up in the staff kitchen?  

She didn’t know what to think anymore.  In many ways, she didn’t know who she was anymore.  She’d completely lost any sense of old Aberdeen.  But the problem was, this – what she was feeling right now – wasn’t new Aberdeen.  It wasn’t.  She was still Aberdeen Bloom, just another version of her.  She’d always had this in her.  She’d always had the drive, and the work ethic, and the want and need to impress the people around her.  The outcome had just been different.  Before, it was good grades on essays or being published in Acta Victoriana and the Hart House Review.  Now, the outcome was taking opportunities from others – others she could put a face, name, and personality to.  Others she called co-workers.  Others she called friends.  Before, they were nameless and faceless.  

Now they were named Peter.  

She didn’t know how the news would be broken to Peter, or when, but she knew he wouldn’t be happy about it.  Maybe it had already happened, for all she knew.  She just hoped she didn’t have to be the one to do it.

***

January 16th, 2020

It was maybe an hour before the game when Aberdeen felt the energy in the office shift.  Kyle had just left Brendan’s office and had spoken with Aberdeen briefly about the happenings of the day, making sure she’d be in the box during the game against Calgary that night.  Brendan had followed him out, for the most part, and when Aberdeen noticed him walking back, he looked serious.  

“Aberdeen, don’t forget to tell Peter,” he said before he popped into his office.  He gave her one last look.  “Do it now,” he encouraged, closing the door behind him.

She exhaled sharply.  She was going to kill him.  So they hadn’t told him, and they’d left it to her to do their dirty laundry.  She was going to kill them both – she liked Kyle, but she’d kill him too.  Now she had to find Peter, get him alone somewhere, and break the news to him.  She got up from her desk and began to look for him – it didn’t take long, thankfully, because she found him scurrying through the hallways, like he always was.  

When he noticed her, he gave her a quick nod.  “Hi, sorry, I know I’m late with the report Brendan wants—”

“No, Peter—” she tried to begin as she got closer to him.

“It’s just Kyle wanted a new scarf from Hermes, and he did tell me yesterday, but I forgot like an idiot and so I freaked out, of course—”

“Peter—Peter, I need to talk to you.  There’s something I have to talk to you about,” Aberdeen stressed.  

Peter calmed down slightly.  “Well, I hope it’s not another Brendan or Kyle problem, because I’ve got so much to deal with before I go.  I swear to God, I—”

“Peter,” she said sternly.  “Can we…can we go inside your office?  Please?”

Seeing how skittery she was, Peter agreed and led her into his office and closed the door behind him.  He set his things down on his desk before turning to face her.  “What’s going on, Aberdeen?”

She hadn’t prepared anything to say, so she knew she was going to just word vomit once the moment actually came.  She’d tried to think of ways to say what she needed to say, but nothing came out right, and nothing softened the blow.  She knew that no matter what she said or how she said it, Peter would be angry.  “You’re not going to the All-Star Game,” she said plainly.

Peter looked taken aback by the statement, like he didn’t understand.  “I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re not—listen, after the game against New Jersery, Brendan called me into his office and told me that he and Kyle decided I was going, not you,” she said.  She didn’t want to say Brendan’s exact words, how he needed ‘the best possible team’ and that it ‘no longer included Peter’.  That would be too harsh.  

“What do you…I…” he couldn’t formulate any words.  The realization hit him like a ton of bricks.  “Did you say no?” he asked, his tone suddenly changing from one of confusion to one of anger.

“He was on the verge of practically firing me if I said no!” she exclaimed.  It was somewhat true, but mostly a lie.  He was basically dangling every opportunity she could take advantage of in the future in terms of writing over her head.  In Aberdeen’s mind, that was worse than firing.

“I don’t care if he was going to fire you or beat you with a red-hot poker!  You should have said no!” Peter exclaimed.

“Peter, I didn’t have a choice!”

“Oh, please!”

“You know how Brendan is!” she tried to reason.

“That is a pathetic excuse!” he turned away from her, so angry he felt ready to burst.  Aberdeen didn’t know what to do.  She knew he would react angrily, but she didn’t know just how angrily.  She also didn’t expect the blame game to be put on her rather than Brendan and Kyle – the two men who actually made the decision.  He was beside his desk at this point, having paced for a while to cool down.  “Do you know what really just…gets me about this whole thing?  It’s that, you know, you’re the one who said you don’t really care about this stuff, and you don’t really care about hockey.  You want to be a writer.  What a pile of bullshit!”

Aberdeen winced.  “Peter, I know you’re mad.  I don’t blame you—”

“Face it, Aberdeen.  You sold your soul the day those boys took you out to dinner in St. John’s.  I saw it,” he accused, his voice so scathing that a lump formed in Aberdeen’s throat.  “And you know what really just kills me about this whole thing, is the people you are going to meet…I mean, you don’t deserve to!  You don’t even like hockey, for Christ’s sake!  God it’s so unfair!”

Being chosen over him was one thing.  But being told by Peter she didn’t deserve it was another thing.  She tried to remember that he was really angry, that his dream had essentially been snatched away from him, and that’s why he was saying all these mean things, but it got to her.  She’d been working hard since the day she stepped into the office, and he’d been helping her, and even though she had her fair share of gaffes and slipups along the way, it didn’t cover up the fact that she worked hard.  In his anger, Peter didn’t see that.  “Peter—”

“Just go,” he said, his voice softer as he crossed his arms across his chest.  

“Peter, I—”

“I said go!”

Aberdeen sighed.  At that moment, she knew there was nothing she could say, and nothing she could do to calm him down or soften the blow.  He was angry at her, and he’d stay angry at her for the foreseeable future, until he got over her going to the All-Star game – if he ever got over it.  

***

The boys had lost 2-1 in a shootout.  William had scored the only true goal of the game, but she was so despondent she almost didn’t even care.  The conversation she’d had with Peter kept playing over and over in her head.  Brendan could tell, apparently, because he let her leave right after the game.  

It was barely less than five minutes from when she got home that her phone buzzed on her kitchen countertop.  She’d placed it there so she could take a swig from the bottle of wine she and Kasha had opened last night.  

can u buzz me in? don’t want to wake kasha

She pressed the button and kept the condo door open with her boot.  When William walked through the door, still in his game day suit, she was taking another long swig.  His eyebrows immediately furrowed.  “Are you alright?” he closed the door and locked it behind him.  

She didn’t know how to answer that question.  She gulped her wine.  “I’m going to St. Louis.”

“You’re going to St. Louis for the All-Star Game?”

“Mhm.  It just happened,” she nodded her head.

“That’s one of the biggest weekends of the year.”

“Mhm.”

“I mean, are you going with Brendan, Kyle, and the guys?”

“Mhm.”

She could tell he was trying to piece together why this was affecting her so much – why it was making her swig a bottle of red wine and not bother getting a glass.  “I thought the All-Star Game was a big deal for Peter, or…” he tried to clarify.

God.  If even Willy knew about how much it meant to Peter, then it was an even bigger deal than she thought.  “Great.  Now you’re gonna give me a hard time too?” she demanded, setting the wine down on the counter before stomping her way towards her bedroom.  

“Hey hey hey, Aberdeen.  Aberdeen—”

“I didn’t have a choice, okay?  Brendan asked me and I couldn’t say no.  He was dangling every future opportunity for writing over my head,” she whipped around to talk to him.  

William had dropped his bag by the door before he approached her, wrapping his arms around her.  “I’m not trying to give you a hard time,” he said softly.  “I just…that’s news, that’s all.  The guys know that it’s usually Peter that goes.  But if you’re going now you must have done something right.”

“But I don’t know what I did,” she melted into him.  She could feel herself get emotional.  “And I don’t want to take that opportunity away from Peter.  He lives for All-Star Weekend.”

“Minskatt, you didn’t take an opportunity away from Peter, you earned an opportunity to go,” he encouraged her to think of it differently.  

She sighed.  She didn’t really want to talk about it anymore – talking about it more just made it worse for her.  She wondered if Peter was throwing plates against the wall in his apartment.  “I think I’m more upset about not getting a full eight days off,” she mumbled, causing William to giggle.  She looked up at him as he still had his arms wrapped around her comfortingly.  “Can we cuddle?”

William smiled down at her.  “I even brought a proper change of clothes this time.”

They made their way into her bedroom, William bringing his bag with him.  They changed into their pyjamas.  Minerva was already rolled up in her cat bed, but when she saw them, she meowed and jumped on the bed.  As Aberdeen looked at William move about the room, she realized that she felt so comfortable already, so at home in her bedroom that he moved around without any hesitation.  He even pulled back the covers himself, knowing she wouldn’t mind, and got in first, holding the covers up for her to get in.  Minerva ended up curling up at his feet.  Even her damn cat couldn’t get enough of him.  

She stood hesitantly.  She stared at him.  “Just cuddling.”

William stared back at her.  He nodded his head like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  “Just cuddling.”

She got in.  William draped the comforter over her and they got comfortable.  Almost immediately, she melted into his touch as he wrapped his arms around her, his big body engulfing hers just the way she liked it.  She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of it.  They closed their eyes and settled into a comfortable silence briefly.  “I’ve never even seen your place before…” Aberdeen thought out loud.  They’d only ever met up at her place.

“It’s your typical place,” he said.  “Kitchen, bedroom, whatever.  I haven’t bought a place here yet so nothing is really my own.  I’ve got a bigger bed,” he joked.

“Everybody has a bigger bed than I do.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he dismissed it.  She felt his lips on her neck as he kissed her tenderly.  “I like cuddling.”

***

January 21st, 2020

Aberdeen had spent the last three days alone writing.  

Kasha had gone on a last-minute trip to Aruba with her dad, so Aberdeen took the time in solitude with Minerva to write anything and everything that came to her mind.  A lot of it was about the last six months.  Not about her illicit love affair with William, but more important things: growing up, facing the truth about yourself, getting your first ‘big girl’ job and having to survive in a male-dominated environment.  More than anything, Aberdeen liked to think it was about the overarching and universal truths people in their early 20s had once they left university and entered the real world, where things were tricky and few people were nice and there was almost always an overwhelming sense of ‘What the fuck am I doing?’.  

William had gone to Augusta, Georgia, to golf with some of the boys.  He’d texted her when he got there, plus some photos of the golf course and some selfies he snuck while the other guys teed off.  She mostly sent him back pictures of her laptop with a Word document open, or pictures of Minerva sprawled out on her bed or couch.  At night they’d keep up a conversation, when he wasn’t on the course.  She wondered if any of the guys wondered who he kept texting all time, or if he was able to keep in discreet.

She missed him.

She hated to admit it, but she did.  She missed his stupid blonde hair and his stupid scruffy beard and his stupid thick body and his stupid tender touch and his stupid laugh that was like Beethoven’s 5th Symphony to her stupid ears.  She missed cuddling with him.  She missed seeing him at the rink.  She missed everything about him even though she shouldn’t.  

When she finished editing one of her personal essays, she decided to call it a night.  As she cleaned up the kitchen, putting the last of her dishes in the dishwasher, there was a knock at her door.  She paused briefly because she wasn’t expecting anyone.  

She looked through the peephole, only to see William in one of his absolutely stellar (read: awful) casual traveling outfits.  She opened the door.  She saw he even still had his suitcase, telling her he came straight from the airport.  

“What are you doing here?” she asked, finding herself moving out of the way for him.  When she shut the door behind him, she ended up with her back against it.

He walked in to her apartment with ease, wheeling in his bag and leaving it by the closet that held the washer and dryer.  “You said Kasha is in Aruba with her dad.”

“Yeah…”

“And it’s the bye-week.  I just got back from Augusta.”

“Yeah…”

“So…that means we can be alone,” he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“You’re really going there, aren’t you?” she asked as she watched him approach her.

“Did you expect anything less?” he asked, so close that now she was trapped between his body and the door.  

She shook her head.  “No.  No I didn’t.”

And then he kissed her.  And he couldn’t stop.  And she kissed him.  And she couldn’t stop.  And he pinned her against the door, his knee going between her legs as he raised her hands above her head briefly before bringing his own hands down so he could pick her up.  She stuck her tongue down his throat.  He squeezed her ass.  She wrapped his legs around him.  

He sighed contently, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.  “God I miss you so much,” he mumbled against her lips.  

“Me too,” she admitted out loud as he bit down on the skin of her neck.  

“Bedroom?” he asked quickly.

Aberdeen should have said no.  Should have.  But instead, she nodded her head.  

***

January 22nd, 2020

The notebook was wide open on the coffee table in the living room, a blue Muji pen in the spine, the bookmark ribbons sprawled out.  It was the only thing on the table besides a giant three-wick candle.  William knew he shouldn’t look at it.  It was the middle of the night, for heaven’s sake.  But as he drank his glass of water, he became more and more curious as to the contents.  The pages seemed full of beautiful cursive.

So he sat down on the couch.  He picked up the notebook.

Maple Leaf Forever

The job interview went horribly.  I was sure I’d offended Brendan Shanahan, president of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  To make matters worse, the outgoing executive assistant told me, before I entered his office, that I was deeply unqualified for the job.  I didn’t watch hockey; I had no clue who Mats Sundin was.  

It came as a shock, then, when Brendan called me back into his office and told me I was his new assistant.  

William read on, completely enamoured with the words he was reading on the page.  He flipped through the notebook and read the entire personal essay.  Then he flipped backwards to the previous piece she wrote, and read that too.  He saw the scribbles and the crossing out of entire lines and paragraphs.  He saw planned out notes.  He saw poetry.

Sometimes William looks at me like he’s the spoon and I’m the dish of ice cream.  I wonder if he sees that, in my weak moments, I look at him the same way……….

I’ve gotten used to the sounds of the blades scratching the ice.  Quickly, it has become one of my favourite sounds……….

I am a daughter of immigrants. I am a granddaughter of the Iranian Revolution. I am a daughter of The Troubles. Revolution and change course through my veins……….

He saw and read so much of her writing that he felt like he knew her so much more now.  There were so many things about her, so many things in her mind, that she hadn’t told him yet; so many things he longed to learn so he could know her fully and completely.  He didn’t want to know surface-level Aberdeen – he knew that Aberdeen already.  He wanted to know what was inside Aberdeen.  The deeper parts of her.  The parts that he could love more.  The parts that would make him even more hopelessly in love with her.

No wonder she was already published in those two literary journals.  And no wonder she wanted to be a writer.  She was a great writer.  She had a way with words.  He couldn’t believe that after sending out her work everywhere, nobody chose to publish it.  They were stupid.  She was fantastic.  

And he wasn’t just saying that because he was in love with her.

***

January 23rd, 2020

“Have you ever thought about sending your stuff to Toronto Life magazine?”

William asked the question as he sat opposite of Aberdeen in her bathtub.  Their bodies were submerged, a bath bomb thrown in, and everything was quiet.  Everything.  The only sounds made were the slight splashes of water if they moved a hand or if William grabbed at her leg.  They had been staring at each other for a while, the heat of the water still soothing them and their bodies. 

Aberdeen stared at him.  “Of course I have.”

“Have…have you already?” he asked timidly, not wanting to bring it up in case she did and they rejected her.

“No,” she said.  He was relieved.  “Their writing is, like, top tier.  I don’t think I’m there yet.  Even the personal essay submissions they have in the back of the magazine are phenomenal.  The stories are amazing.  I don’t think anybody wants to hear from a 21 year old single white female.”

“But your voice is so amazing,” he said without thinking.

“How would you know?  You’ve never read my writing.”

There was a silence between them.  He knew he couldn’t tell her that he’d read her writing when she was asleep after they’d had sex.  He also knew he couldn’t lie to her, not while they were in the tub together during such an intimate moment, and not ever.  “Come here,” he said.  She hesitated.  “Come on.  Come here.”

Aberdeen shifted in her bathtub slowly, so no water would spill out, and moved so that she was cuddled against William now, her back against his chest.  She felt his strong arms wrap around her, one right beneath her breasts, the other dangerously close to her core.  If the hot water hadn’t relaxed her enough, his hands on her breast and near her core definitely did.  She sighed happily as she felt him massage her breast and pinch her nipple.  She felt his cheek against the crown of her head before her tucked his face into the crook of her neck, giving her a light kiss on her shoulder.  “I never want you thinking that your writing isn’t good enough to be submitted somewhere.  You should be submitting it everywhere.  Everything you write,” he whispered softly.

“But Willy, you’ve never—”

“Listen,” he cut her off gently.  “I saw one of your notebooks on the coffee table the other night, and I couldn’t help myself.  I’m sorry.  But you’re good, Aberdeen.  You’re really good.  You write and it just flows, and I…I don’t know how to explain it in any other way, because I’m not as good as you, I’m not good with words and speaking and stuff, but it was amazing.”

Aberdeen stayed silent.  William was nervous, having admitted to snooping and reading her writing – at least some of it – but the fact that her body didn’t stiffen when he did admit it gave him a glimmer of hope.  Then again, she could just have been processing it and getting ready to throw him out of her apartment naked with his clothes thrown out the window.  When she finally spoke, she said something William wasn’t expecting.  “I just don’t think anybody would want to hear what I have to say.”

He shook his head, giving her another kiss on her shoulder.  “I think everybody should hear what you have to say.”

“You’re just saying that cause you’re feeling me up right now,” she said, a hint of laughter in her voice.

William smiled.  “Am not.  You’re so good, Aberdeen.  Fuck anybody who has ever told you otherwise.”

Aberdeen knew what he meant by that.  She knew he didn’t mean fuck the editors or the copywriters – they were just doing their job.  What he was saying instead was fuck any person in her life that told her she couldn’t make a career out of writing.  Fuck Zane.  Fuck Corey.  Fuck any other guy who made her feel horrible about herself, who belittled her ambitions, who thought she should pursue something different.  Fuck them all.  She craned her neck to look back at him, and brought her hand up to caress his face as she kissed him.  “I can read you some more when we get out of here,” she whispered, her lips still close to his.  “If you want.”

“I’d love that.”

***

“More.”

William stared directly into Aberdeen’s eyes as they cuddled on her couch.  “More?” she questioned.

“More,” he affirmed.  She began reading her writing again.

***

“More.”

Aberdeen hooked her leg around his waist as they lay in her bed together.  “More?” she questioned.

“More,” he affirmed.  She began to read her writing again.

***

“More.”

William looked up at Aberdeen as she straddled him.  Pants firmly on.  He just wanted to sit this way.  He was intensely comfortable with her on top of him.  She didn’t seem to mind either, especially since his hands found her thighs.  

“If I read you any more, I’m going to have to start taking out my high school diaries,” she joked.

“Then do it,” he squeezed her thighs and dragged his hands up to her hips.  “I want more.”

“Willyyyyy…” she dragged his name out, the smile still on her face as she bent down to give him a kiss.  Her old notebook from university was between their bodies.

“More,” he mumbled against her lips.  He genuine wanted to hear more, but he couldn’t stop kissing her.  He could feel the old notebook press against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, and could hear it fall to the floor as he moved to pin her underneath him.

***

January 24th, 2020

“It’s going to be fun.  I promise,” William said as he peppered Aberdeen’s face with kisses, unable to let her go just yet even though their shoes were on and their bags were packed, the early morning sun peeking through the windows of her apartment.  “You’re going to meet so many cool people.”

Aberdeen sighed.  She knew this was an amazing opportunity, and she was going to take full advantage of it, but she wanted just a bit more time with William.  All they had done over the past three days was eat good takeout and have great sex.  Oh, and read her writing, of course.  It quickly became her favourite three days of the break – so much so that she didn’t want it to end.  Whenever she was with William, she didn’t want to be brought back down to reality, back down to face the fact that what they were doing was wrong.

“You just gotta promise some other guy doesn’t whisk you away to another team,” William added.

Aberdeen giggled.  “Please.  Like that would ever happen.”

“I don’t know, minskatt.  You’re really cute.  I might have to ask Auston or Fred to keep an eye on the other guys.”

She chuckled, burying her head into his chest.  She couldn’t let go of him either.  She didn’t want to – at least not yet.  “Are you gonna miss me?”

William didn’t even answer.  Instead, he leaned down and gave her a long, drawn out kiss, one that made her sigh into his mouth and left her begging for more.  It answered the question for her.  He watched as she licked her lips.  “You’ll be in Nashville?” he asked.  She nodded.  “Dallas?” he asked.  She nodded again.  “Can I come see you after the game?” he asked one more time.

She knew that meant he wanted to come to her hotel room.  He’d snuck in quite easily before, obviously, and nobody had suspected anything, but they still had to be extremely careful.  “We’ll see,” she said, not wanting to confirm or deny.  For all she knew she’d have a room next to Brendan.  

William accepted what she was prepared to give him.  “We’ll see.”

She looked down at her watch.  Brendan and Lou were supposed to be there any minute.  In less than six hours she’d be in St. Louis, and in just less than twelve she’d be watching the Skills Competition.  “I should start heading down,” she said, even though she was reluctant to do so.  “Remember to wait until I text to come down and leave.”

“Do you have to go?” he asked sheepishly.  

She smiled.  She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him one last time, giving him the same long, drawn out kiss he’d just given her.  “Bye Willy.”

William bit his lip.  “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He smiled.  It wasn’t just a one-off.  “Bye minskatt.”

“Don’t miss me too much,” she said as she opened the door to her condo.  

He was holding on to her hand until it was too far away for him to grasp.  “Impossible.”

[uh-drarry]

Day 7 - Silver and Gold

Day seven has arrived! This is from the wonderful list posted by @remus-john-lupin ! Thank you so much to @bisexualronaldweasley for beta-ing so fast for me! I hope your day is wonderful!

These are within the universe of my other content, but you do not have to read those to understand these. I won’t be making them all within the same time period but they’ll take place in different years of the same au. This one takes place a few years after Wolfstar starts dating. Happy December and Happy Holidays!

if you already saw this I’m sorry I posted the wrong one

Lily answered her phone on the second ring. “Hey, Sirius, what’s up?”

“Lils! I need your help!” 

She pulled the phone away from her ear at his yell, then tapped the speaker button. “I’ve put you on speaker, Pads. What do you need help with?”

“As long as Remus can’t hear me, which he can’t because he’s in Wales. Anyway, I’m at a jewelry store looking at rings.”

There was a loud noise from the kitchen and a second later James ran into the room yelling, “Hold on! Hold on!”

“Her sister was a witch, bro!” Sirius yelled back.

“No! We are not quoting videos right now! Even if that was a good one. You’re going to buy a ring? When did you decide this and why did you call Lily over me?” They were both yelling at each other, completely ignoring Lily. She just watched her fiancé freak out and pace around the living room.

“I called Lily because she knows what kind of ring Re would like! I want an opinion. Silver or gold?”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Sirius, you know he prefers gold to silver.”

“I thought so, but I wanted to make sure. I need everything to be perfect.”

“Okay, well he prefers gold. I’m pretty sure that he’d want something a little bit more than just a plain band. Maybe a design around it or a couple stones?”

“Yeah, that sounds like him. There are so many here though...” He trailed off. “Oh! Okay, this one is gold, and around the middle there’s a leaf pattern. I think he’d like that.”

“I think so too, Sirius. James, what do you think?”

“Yes, it sounds perfect!”

“Guys, I’m so nervous already, how am I going to do this?” Sirius asked quietly. 

Lily smiled. “Sirius, you love him right?”

“Of course I do,” he answered quickly. 

“And you want to spend the rest of your life with him?” James chimed in.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else.”

“Then I think you can do this, Padfoot,” James replied softly. “You know him better than anyone. Take him on a date that he’d love, or make him his favorite food and ask then.” Smirking, James continued before Lily could stop him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. “Or you could follow my lead. Wake up and look over to see him bathed in sunshine. Your heart explodes with love and you jump on him to wake him up and pop the question right there, completely forgetting you have a ring hidden away in another room and having to run to get it after he says yes. And then-”

“Stop! I don’t need to hear the gory details after Lily said yes, Prongs. Please spare me! Lily, please control your man!”

They laughed at the scandalized tone.

“Have you got the ring yet, or have you just been standing there like a lunatic?”

Sirius took a deep breath. “Yeah, I bought it. Oh my god, I’m really doing this.”

“Hell yeah you are!” James yelled.

“Okay Sirius, I’m going to let you go and you can start planning how you’re going to pop that question.”

“Okay, thanks guys, I love you both and I owe you big time!”

“You can repay us by calling as soon as he says yes!” James yelled back, before walking to the kitchen where his phone was ringing.

“Okay, bye Sirius, we love you too.”

“Bye, Lils!”

After she hung up, she could hear James in the kitchen talking to whoever had been calling him. Then she heard him running back to the living room. He bumped into the doorframe and nearly fell, then scrambled back upright to make it over to Lily. “Wait, let me put you on speaker, Lily’s here too!”

When he gestured to her, Lily said, “Hello? James didn’t tell me who this was. What’s going on?”

“Hi, Lily. It’s Remus.”

“Re! How’s Wales treating you, babe?” Lily asked with a smile, James looked at her with a mischievous smile.

“It’s been good seeing my parents. But, erm, I need your opinion, both of you. I’m looking at rings for Sirius. I want to propose when I get home.”

“Oh my god.” Lily looked at James, shocked. James was trying to stifle a laugh, tears in his eyes.

Remus laughed. “I know. I wasn’t exactly planning this before I left for Wales, but my mum and I were talking about it and, well, here I am.” 

“Oh my god.” Lily repeated. “Okay, what do you need from us, or well, James really since you called him.”

“I called him because he’s Sirius’s best friend but I’d love help from both of you. Okay, I’m thinking silver and modern.” Remus said.

“Why’s that?” James asked. He was still trying to hold back laughter at the situation they’d found themselves in.

“Well, you know his family was obsessed with, like, heirlooms and such. He probably would’ve been given some old relative’s ring and I want to give him something different, something that only reminds him of me. Silver because I know he prefers it to gold.”

“That makes a lot of sense. Do you think you’ll go for a band without any design?” Lily asked.

Remus hummed, thinking for a moment. “Yeah I think so. But I’m looking at one now that I like, actually. It’s plain silver but it’s brushed? Like not polished shiny metal. I think Sirius would like that, yeah?”

“Oh, yes! I think that would be a great look,” Lily responded. 

“Okay, I think I’ve decided then. I might engrave something too. But I’ll think about that. Thanks for the help!” 

“Of course, Re! You’ll have to call us right after he says yes. We want to hear all about it!” James yelled to their friend. 

“Okay, I’m gonna go purchase this ring and start thinking about how I’m going to pop the question. I’m so excited. Love you guys, bye!”

“Bye, babe!” Lily replied.

“Bye, Re! Good luck!” James said, then hung up and immediately started laughing.

Lily joined him, clutching her stomach and wiping tears from her eyes.

“They are perfect for each other.” James finally got out.

Lily smiled. “I can’t believe that just happened. I can’t wait for that call. I bet they’ll propose at the same time.”

James smirked. “I’ll bet you that one of them gets it done first and the other gets moody about it.” 

“Deal.” 

Part 2

Masterlist

[teawithshruti]

How did I keep myself sane amidst a pandemic - My thoughts on books, anime, and restaurants.

Yet another review of The Shining

A plot so well written you would want to go in room 217

Hi there! This blog comes to you from a bored 19 year old who has a knack for reading crime thrillers, watching murder documentaries, and loves watching MasterChef just to see Gordon Ramsay. LOL. And did I mention that she also happens to be a Stephen King fan, because who isn’t? So here is where I try and convince you that The Shining  is the best book ever written and how Stanley Kubrick completely butchered the screenplay, as well as why pasta is life.

Welcome to the Rockies!

The story takes place in the town of Boulder, Colorado, where our main protagonist Jack Torrance gets a job as a caretaker of the famous Overlook Hotel. Winters in Boulder are harsh, and the hotel remains closed as travel is not permitted with all the heavy snowfall. Now Jack is a recovering alcoholic with anger issues which led to him breaking his son’s arm prior to where the story begins. This made Wendy, his wife, question her marriage and the safety of their five year old son,  Danny. Danny on the other hand isn’t your average five year old who just watches cartoons and plays with toys. He is aglow with a psychic voltage, and has frequent blackouts. In the words of old Mr Hallorann, the hotel’s head chef, Danny’s a shiner. When the Torrances meet Mr Hallorann, he feels an instant connection with Danny. He warns Jack about the hotel and its sinister secrets and how the previous caretaker, Delbert Grady, killed himself and his family. But Jack is sure that this huge and lonely hotel with its splendid views is just what he needs in order to earn back his family’s trust. But going to a haunted hotel with a troubled marriage and a psychic son? Maybe not the best idea. But in his defense, Jack doesn't believe in ghosts. Little does he know that’s about to change.

Snowbound at The Overlook

The Torrance's begin settling in the Overlook. But as winter closes in and the blizzards cut them off from the outer world, the hotel seems to develop a life of its own. Meanwhile, Jack starts growing restless, craving for a friendly drink with each passing day. He also starts experiencing hallucinations, and wonders if they are withdrawal symptoms. Danny on the other hand is experiencing his own share of ghostly sightings, like the terrifying lady in the bathtub of room 217 who seems to have never checked out of the hotel. In one instance, he witnesses her climbing out of the clawfoot tub and advancing towards him with her bloated belly and dry hair as he stands frozen in fear in a blood covered presidential suite. This narrative by King with all its details is the truly the most spine tingling I’ve ever read.  Later when Danny’s parents find him in the room, a thumb in his mouth, that is when Wendy truly realizes that they are not alone in that strange big hotel. Jack goes and sees the tub for himself, but the lady from before doesn't want to greet him. Wendy, in tears, sees that both her husband and her son are being tormented by this place and begs Jack to quit the job. Danny later calms his mom down, who is weeping uncontrollably, by telling her not to worry as his daddy doesn't have the shining, so there is nothing to worry about.

Have you never heard of REDRUM?

Sure you have. Read it backwards.  Yes, you got it right. And so did Danny after seeing this word in his visions countless times. It so turns out that Danny is much stronger than he looks and after failing to possess him, The Overlook has turned to an easier target - Jack. As Jack slowly starts to lose his mind, he gives in and starts drinking again from the bar in the ballroom. His hallucinations keep getting worse to the point he actually sees Mr Grady, the previous caretaker / murderer,  and even has a talk with him. Danny sees his changing behavior and so does his wife, who just doesn't see the man she fell in love with in his cold, distant eyes anymore. With everything going on, Wendy takes Danny to their apartment in the employee wing of the hotel and locks them inside in fear of Jack, who is slowly slipping away from reality. But turns out this move from her proves to be disastrous, as Wendy keeping Jack away from his own son is the last straw for him. In one of his many hallucinations, Jack  meets his predecessor,  his buddy Mr. Grady and the two have a disturbing conversation about how fun it is to kill your wife. Yes , no one trumps King when it comes to the unique combination of horror and psychological thrillers packed into one nail-biting plot!

In other words...

The only thing I liked about the movie was Jack Nicholson’s excellent acting. Apart from that Stanley Kubrick let go of many crucial parts which were essential to the story. He eliminated the hedge sequence in the book, which was terrifying to just read. The ending was just a complete mess.  I get that you can’t exactly get all the details right of a 500 page book, but at least do justice to the ones you have chosen. Anyways I’m gonna go sulk in my room over this. Bye

.  

Is it too late to start Anime?

Hi there! Good to have you back! Ever since pandemic began, everyone’s been locked in their own house. So this led to me taking up a few hobbies like sketching and painting and binging on a whole lot of sitcoms.. My personal favorite is the alluring world of Anime. Several of my friends began watching it and I cannot exactly term it as peer pressure, but I did give in and start watching Anime too. And now my watchlist includes just a bunch of 2D characters with powers that even Superman himself can't fight. So this is my take on how a kryptonian can be defeated with Jutsu, as Mr Naruto would say. Lol. This one is for all the weebs out there. 

Manga and Anime are not the same!

To put it simply, manga is a Japanese term for comics and graphic novels, whereas Anime is the term for Japanese animations.. There are many similarities  between them, as they both have been created by Osama Tezuka, who is considered as the Japanese version of Walt Disney. Now have you ever seen a simple comic book? The one with black and white newspaper illustrations - like Garfield. Manga is just like that -  A book of illustrations. Now we arrive at the perennial question - Manga or Anime, which is better. Both of them are equally interesting, but I personally have a soft spot for anime. The intro theme songs, intense background music, and the beat dropping right before a big fight move, all these factors pack a punch. You don’t get that adrenaline rush from just a book.

My first anime - Demon Slayer

The story begins with the main character Tanjiro, who returns home after selling charcoal in town to find his entire family murdered by demons. Pretty intense right? His sister, Nezuko, survives but there’s a twist - she turns into a demon herself.  This makes him vow to take revenge and he sets off to train with Sakonji, who has trained many of the elite members of the Demon Slayer Corps. After many years of training and a painful exam called the final selection, Tanjiro finally becomes a demon slayer and is off on missions along with his sister, who unlike most demons doesn’t consume human flesh. On his missions he meets Zenitsu and Inosuke, who both have excellent powers of their own. My favorite story arc was when the highest ranking slayers, known as the pillars, were introduced. But my words won’t do justice to their powers they possess. So simply get your geek on by watching this short yet amazing series.

The Tale of Naruto Uzumaki

The hidden leaf village is not so hidden anymore! The series I am currently watching is one of the most popular anime from 2020 - Naruto.   The story is set around the shinobi villages and their ninjas and how Naruto Uzumaki plans on being the next Hokage [the most powerful shinobi] of the leaf village. He is trained by some of the best ninjas the village has ever seen. Before graduating from the academy, he was a hyperactive boy with lots of energy who just wanted to be the best. After graduation, he was placed in team seven, along with Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. This team was trained by Kakashi Sensei who is known for wielding his Chidori and even the Sharingan. The sharingan, to put it simply, is a trait passed down in families. The Uchihas are known for their sharingans and hence it naturally comes to Sasuke as well. The mystery still remains unsolved as to how Kakashi got his sharingan, as he is not an Uchiha. But Naruto does have a super power as well. Not technically his powers per se,  but we can cut him some slack. After all it's not everyday you get to see a beast like the nine tailed fox sealed away in an 11 year old boy. In my opinion the story picks up Orochimaru’s entry, and it paves the way for Sasuke’s powers in the future. My favorite character has to be Sasuke Uchiha. With his effortless fighting skills and sarcastic yet cool personality, he definitely is an excellent shinobi. You have to start this show right away because once you have seen him use his fire style fireball jutsu.....the world just doesn't look the same anymore.

In other words...

My current watchlist includes Naruto Shippuden, Black Clover, One Piece, and a few other naruto spin offs. Anime was something I never thought I would like, but now as it turns out I can't get enough of it. So bye for now, if you need me I'll be at Ichiraku’s eating ramen with barbeque pork. And if you get this reference, have a bowl of ramen on me. K bye.

Home in a faraway land

Good to see you again ! Do you ever get that feeling of an intense craving for your favourite dish? Like say pasta or pizza? My favorite is pasta, but being raised in India, I can’t say no to a classic plate of butter naan and chicken tikka with a glass of buttermilk or chaas if you please. Of Course you can’t beat the taste of a home cooked meal, but let me tell you about the time I went to this amazing little Indian restaurant in Dubai with my family, and how the food there was absolutely heavenly. 

Out and About in Dubai

Skyscrapers, Sleepless nights, Gold Souks and gigantic malls - these are the visions  you'd usually get when someone mentions Dubai. Well, they're mostly right! I went there with my family about 5 years ago. We stayed at the Ramada, which was right next to the Dubai Mall.  The mall happens to be strategically placed next to the Burj Khalifa and we got lucky enough to see mesmerizing musical fountain shows night after night. The streets are spick and span, and everyone follows the traffic regulations dutifully. We also went for the desert safari, which was no less than an actual roller coaster ride. We also visited the Gold Souk, and oh boy. The name definitely fulfills its purpose, as the entire street is occupied entirely by gold stores. Huge gold ornaments are on display like clothes on hangers. I personally don’t have a thing for gold jewellery, but my mom had the time of her life there fawning and gasping over every store we came across. Shortly after our visit here, we came across this beautiful little Indian restaurant, and you can call me old school but at the end of the day, this girl needs a desi meal, because trust me room service gets boring after a while.

Peshwa - Not your typical 5 star restaurant 

Situated away from the hustle of the main city, this place still remains quite underrated. We stumbled across this hidden gem which saved us the efforts of getting back to the hotel for an overpriced lunch. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we could smell the aroma of a classic dal makhani  [ a simple gravy consisting of lentils infused with aromatic spices and hints of burnt chillies ] in the air. So we got a table and had a look at the menu and it was almost like being back home. The endless variety of gravies with paneer in almost every single one of them, to at least 6 different types of rotis, a little piece of heaven in this concrete jungle! We went ahead and ordered a simple meal of rotis and some paneer delicacy, along with dal and rice. Apart from the taste of the food, which was just heavenly, the overall ambience of the place in one word, was exquisite. The restaurant lived up to its very ethnic maharashtrian name. The food was served in those traditional style cutlery, reminding us of a simpler time.

A dish you just can’t miss 

If you have a sweet tooth like me, you definitely have to try the coconut barfi from this place. Made from desiccated coconuts, sweetened condensed milk, a finely ground cardamom, and a hint of saffron, this dish is a match made in heaven. It was freshly made and we could tell it by the intoxicating aroma of pure ghee [clarified butter]. So just for a day, give yourself a break from watching calories and try this mouth watering dish because here’s something to live for.

In other words…

The next time I’m in Dubai, the first thing I will do is find out if the restaurant is still there. And probably avoid the Gold Souk this time. I will most certainly go for the desert safari, because it’s not everyday you get defy gravity and drive through the sand dunes like in a Fast and Furious movie. Lol.  Also thanks for bearing with me throughout this blog. See ya!

[consultingskeletondetective]

@disasterboysandtheirgruffloves did someone order some birthday Geraskier fluff??

Jaskier had been working at The Horse’s Head for nearly two months now.

It had all come about when he’d told his parents that he wanted to be a musician.

They had disagreed whole-heartedly with the idea. They wanted him to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or anything equally ‘reputable’. He wasn’t surprised, not really, a member of the esteemed Lettenhove family pursuing their dreams or doing anything for the sake of love and not money was unheard of.

When Jaskier had dug his heels in and proclaimed he wanted to share his music with the world, that it was what he was born to do, they had mutually decided to cut him off. Which had left the student with rent to pay and nothing but a guitar to pay it with.

That was how he’d ended up busing tables in the high-end gastro-pub, and that was how he’d met Geralt.

Geralt Rivia was the head chef. He was tall and broad with long, blond, almost white, hair that was almost always pulled off of his face. He wore chef’s whites over black jeans and dark converse and buttoned them up to his neck. He gave the food his fullest attention and he always bent down to inspect what he was doing, or knelt so he was eye-level with his dish, so he could see each individual leaf of parsley he sprinkled on top of the smoked haddock with a look of intense, monomaniacal concentration in his light eyes.

Jaskier had fallen in love with him on his first day.

Jaskier always did this, his love life was very predictable. He always fell for people that were either no good for him, or not remotely interested.

He’d tried to avoid Geralt and subdue his attraction before it had risen, but then he’d had to go into the kitchen to request an order change and he’d seen Geralt halfway into the dinner shift and all notion of that went out of the window.

The sleeves of his whites were rolled up to his elbows, showing his muscular forearms, his face was coated in a light sheen of sweat, his hair was mussed and his eyes on fire as he barked food orders at his sous-chef. Jaskier shrunk back against the wall and left before he even had time to talk to him.

He’d had to run into the bathroom and err, relieve his inconvenience, before he was able to return to his tables.

He was on the close that night and by the time the front of house was suitably clean it was close to 2.30am and Jaskier was exhausted.

He decided to sneak out through the kitchen back door. He knew that was for kitchen staff and deliveries only but it led right out into the car park and he was too tired to walk all the way there from the front entrance. Besides, who was going to know?

His hand was a on the door handle when he heard the unmistakable metallic crack of a can opening. He frowned. He ducked back and peaked in through the gantry into the kitchen. Geralt was sat on the floor with his back against one of the ovens with his sous-chef, Yennefer, collapsed next to him.

She was sitting cross-legged and rubbing her eyes while he was balancing his elbows on his knees as he chugged a can of lager with his head tipped back. Jaskier could see the liquid pouring down his throat and he swallowed. But he also felt a twinge of sadness. He’d had a feeling Geralt and Yennefer were together, they just gave off that vibe, and he felt like this confirmed it somehow. He didn’t know why it bothered him, it wasn’t like he stood a chance with Geralt, anyway.

He turned away from the gantry opening, back to the door, and then –

“Did you see the new kid today?” Geralt’s rough voice carried across the kitchen.

“No?” Yennefer prompted.

There was the sound of more gulping, presumably as Geralt finished the remainder of his drink, before he sighed and said: “Came in, took one look me and ran off like I terrified him.”

Jaskier’s eyes widened. Geralt had seen that? Oh god. Mortification rocked through him. Now Geralt definitely knew who he was, and he thought he was a total freak. Great. Perfect. Fan-fucking-tastic.

“You were in the middle of service.” Came Yennefer’s voice again. “You get a little…scary. He should be lucky it’s not him you’re shouting at.”

Geralt snorted and then sighed again. He sounded tired and a little…disappointed?

“Geralt.”  Jaskier could hear Yennefer rolling her eyes even if he couldn’t see her. “You’ve had a crush on him since he started. Why don’t you just tell him?”

Jaskier stopped breathing.

“How can I?” Geralt replied exasperatedly. “ ‘Hey Jaskier, you look really hot in that bowtie. Wanna grab a drink?’ “

“Well, yeah.” Yennefer said. “What’s he going to do? Bite you?”

“Hmm.”

The kitchen door opened before Jaskier’s eyes and he squeaked and jumped back about ten feet. The night manager stood there and stared at him.

“Jaskier!” He announced loudly in surprise. “I thought you’d gone home. I was about to lock up.”

Jaskier’s eyes widened and his heart sped up. He heard movement behind him and turned to see both Geralt and Yennefer peering out at him from the gantry opening. Well, Yennefer was looking at him. Geralt was looking at the floor.

“I-“ Jaskier tried, feeling his face heating up. “-was just leaving. I, ah, cut through the kitchen, sorry.”

“It’s fine.” The night manager smiled. “Come on, the lot of you, out. I want to go home.”

The night manager disappeared into the building, leaving the three of them to amble awkwardly outside together. The sky was dark and the air was cool. It was peaceful, but then it often was at 3am in the morning.

Jaskier was exhausted, but his heart still thumped in his chest.

Geralt and Yennefer hovered a few paces away in the car park and Jaskier wanted to just stride off and end this nightmare, but he didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye either in case they thought the worst of him.

Before he could struggle any longer with his moral dilemma, Yennefer loudly announced: “Well, I’m off. See you next week. Bye Jaskier!” She called out, waving at him.

“Bye.” He replied weakly as she jogged off to her car, and then suddenly he and Geralt were alone.

“Um.” Jaskier tried. He laughed nervously as he looked at the floor.

“I don’t know how much of that you heard.” Geralt scratched his neck.

“It’s fine.” Jaskier said. “I mean, I shouldn’t have been, well, I wasn’t. I was just walking past and –“

Geralt loosened his hair as Jaskier babbled and it fell in front of his eyes in scruffy waves and suddenly Jaskier lost his train of thought.

Then Geralt looked at him and Jaskier almost lost the use of his legs.

“Look, I like you.” Geralt said, somewhat meekly for someone of his stature. “Do you want to, maybe, grab a drink sometime?”

Jaskier’s nerve endings danced under his skin and he honestly didn’t know if he was happy or nauseous.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” He agreed, a huge, embarrassingly huge smile breaking out across his face.

Geralt chuckled and smiled back, in relief, and it was the first smile Jaskier had seen from him and it made him even more beautiful, if such a thing were possible.

“Okay, great. Um, not here, obviously, why don’t I-“

“I’ll give you my number.” Jaskier said, before he could talk himself out of it.

“Okay.” Geralt fished his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Jaskier. As he did so, their fingers brushed accidentally, and it set off an electric shock under Jaskier’s skin.

Jaskier punched his number in and passed the phone back, allowing his fingertips to linger on the back of Geralt’s hand for longer than necessary as he did so. The way Geralt smiled at his phone suggested he knew that was no accident.

“I’ll call you.” Geralt said, pocketing his phone. “Do you, um, want a lift anywhere?”

Jaskier grinned despite himself. “No, it’s fine. I’ve got my car. Thanks, though.”

Geralt nodded and turned to go. “I’ll see you next week then?”

“Yeah. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

They grinned stupidly at each other for a moment before turning and walking in the opposite directions.

Jaskier’s heart was beating at twice the normal speed and he almost skipped back to his car.

When he got to the door, his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from an unsaved number.

Jaskier grinned as he read it.

Wear the bowtie, G x

[onceuponastory]

Coming Back Home Chapter Two: I Am A Heart

“I am a heart that’s hard to pin, You are an arrow sticking in” - hey ocean!: i am a heart 

Read Chapter One: Hometown here!

Plot: Six years ago, Y/N left her hometown and all its bad memories behind, and never looked back. But now, she’s come back to be the maid of honour in her sister’s wedding. Returning ‘home’ means she has to confront her past, the last thing she wants to do. When she meets the handsome best man Nick, she feels more comfortable…until her sister asks her to show Nick around town…a town that Y/N fell out of love with a long time ago.

Can Y/N fall back in love with the town she left behind, and maybe find love of her own along the way? Important: This story is based on a prompt by @orphicodysseywrites​. It’s a mix of prompts one and two from this post, so full credit for this idea goes to them! Warnings: There’s a few mentions of death in this chapter. If you’re sensitive to it and don’t want to read this chapter because of it, I totally understand <3 A/N: This is a very long chapter, almost 2,500 words long, so I hope you all enjoy it, lmao. As always, this chapter has been checked for errors, but if you see any pls do let me know. I’m going to be inactive this coming week, because I’m taking a little staycation to a place with very limited wifi, so if you send me a message/request, it might take me a while to respond. But I will respond ASAP! I will also be trying to work on chapter three/other stuff whilst I’m away, but I REALLY need this break, so pls don’t get mad if I don’t write anything.

Again, special thanks goes to my best friend Jo, aka @thesundrop​, who made this banner, and helped so much with planning this fic. Some of you may know her as @staticscreenwriting​, where she writes Billy fics. Check them out, they’re amazing!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Nick or his character! I just used Nick bc he’s the only character of Dacre’s that fits this prompt. Again, aside from Nick being in this, this fic has NOTHING to do with The Broken Hearts Gallery. But you should all go see the movie if you can, because it’s adorable!

Adjusting my hair and outfit in the mirror for what felt like the hundredth time, I sigh. “You look fine, stop adjusting your outfit...” I tell myself. “Nick’s not going to care how you look....right?” God, I’m a mess. Putting on yet more lipgloss, Jane’s voice echoes in my mind. 

“Both of you look so much like your mother. Especially you Y/N.” She was right, I did. Not that I had many memories of how my mother looked when she was still alive, but hours spent leafing through stacks of photo albums with my Nana and Katie when we were younger had made me more familiar with her and how she looked. She was gorgeous. I wish we had more time with her. If we had, our lives would be very different...and I would never have come to this town in the first place. Suddenly, I feel stinging sensation at my eyes. Aaaaand I’m crying. Great. Just what I fucking needed. A knock sounds at my door. 

“Y/N? Are you alright? You’ve been up here a while.” Nick’s voice sounds through the door. No, THIS is just what I fucking needed. Shit. Now he’s going to think I’m a total emotional weirdo who doesn’t want to spend time with him. Not that that was a TOTAL lie, I did want to spend time with him....just anywhere but here. Oh, he’s going to hate me. “If you’re not feeling well or something’s come up, we could do this another time?” Nick continues, and I sigh again. He’s so sweet. I can’t let him down. Quickly trying to stop the tears from falling, I open the door, and Nick smiles. “Hi. You look great.” I immediately blush.

“Thanks...Oh! So do you!” I gasp, trying not to seem awkward.

“Thank you.” Nick chuckles. He looks at me closer, and his eyebrows furrow together. “Are you okay? Have you been crying?” He asks. 

“Uh, no! It’s just...allergies.” I lie. “The dust in this house is terrible. So...shall we head out?” I ask, and Nick nods. The two of us walk downstairs.

“Byeeee you two! Have fun!” Katie’s voice calls from the living room. Oh, I’m sure I will. 

“So, what do you wanna do?” Nick asks as the two of us leave the house. 

“I don’t mind. I mean, we could go to the park, or for a coffee....or just, a walk in the woods?” I suggest. “Actually, maybe not the woods. There may be an axe murderer, or the big bad wolf or something.” I immediately cringe as soon as the words leave my mouth, and Nick laughs. Oh god, he’s laughing at me and how cringy I am.

“I mean, I didn’t personally think of that, but that’s a valid concern. I think we should take the park then.” He says, and I nod. “This way?” He points towards the town, and I nod. He sets off, leaving me standing there. 

Well, that went better than expected. Oh right, I better go catch up with him. 

“So, how long did you two live here?” Nick asks as we both walk closer into town. 

“Um, about...sixteen years.” I work out the maths in my head. “We moved here when I was four, and Katie was two. We both left to go to college.”

“Oh! I thought this was where you guys were born.”

“Nooo, we just call it our hometown cause we’ve lived here from such a young age. At this point, it feels like our hometown. We’re actually from New York City, and we both moved back there for college. I live there full time now. Katie’s in New Jersey.” I explain.

“Oh, what a coincidence! I live in New York too.” Nick smiles. “Small world, right?” I nod. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, why did your parents pick here to move? This place is nice and all, but it’s a lot different than New York.” He asks. A memory flashes through my mind. 

“What the hell do you expect me to do? I can’t look after them! This shithole is the best option, and you know it.” I shudder, hoping Nick doesn’t notice. 

“Um....just personal circumstances really. Our Dad wanted a change of pace and scenery for us. He thought the city was too busy for us to grow up in.” Nick nods, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Another crisis averted. I look up at the sky and see the leaves on the trees. Some were bright orange, whilst others were red. I sigh happily. “You gotta hand it to my sister, she picked one of the most beautiful times of year to get married.” 

“Yeah, beautiful.” Nick mumbles, and I look back over at him to see him looking at me. 

“What?” His eyes go wide.

“Nothing! Just agreeing with you!” He gasps, before continuing to walk. Okay, that was weird. I shrug it off and follow him down the street. After a while, we reach the park and begin to walk around together. The two of us are silent as we take in the scenery around us. The leaves crunch under our feet. I was right, this time of year really was beautiful. The cold wind blows, and I shiver. “Want my jacket?” Nick asks. 

“No thanks, I’m okay.” I smile. But come on, giving a girl his jacket? That’s so cliché...and so damn cute.

“Want to go on the swings? That might warm you up a bit.” He suggests. Another memory enters my mind.

“When’s he coming back?” I ask, tugging on her skirt. “I miss him.

“...Soon, sweetheart. He’ll be back soon. Why don’t you go and play on the swings and I’ll come over and give you a push in a minute?” She suggests, and I nod vigorously.

“Okay! See you in a minute!” I call, running towards the swings.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s go on the swings.”

~~~

A few hours later, Nick and I were in the local coffee shop, chatting about everything from our interests to our time at college. “So when do you want to practise our big dance number?” Nick asks, taking a sip of his coffee. I sigh.

“Oh right, I forgot we’re meant to plan that at some point.” Nick chuckles. “So, what song do you want to pick?” Nick shrugs.

“It’s up to you, I’m okay with whatever.” I raise an eyebrow.

“Really? I don’t think Katie would be happy if we picked something like Baby Got Back to dance to.” Nick bursts out laughing. 

“You’re right. But it would be funny. Any suggestions?” I shake my head.

“I mean there’s so many...maybe something slow? Or something more upbeat?”

“Well we have some time, so why don’t we each make a list and pick one?” He offers. I nod. “You know, I had a really nice time today...” Nick begins. I smile.

“Me too.” And I actually meant it. Despite how much I was dreading this, it went better than I expected. My phone rings, and I take it out of my bag. “Hey, Katie...Yes, I know...Okay, I’ll be back soon. Bye.” I hang up. 

“Everything alright?” Nick asks.

“Sorry, turns out I’m urgently needed for some maid of honour duties, so I gotta go. Are you okay here, or do you wanna walk back to the house with me?” Nick waves me off.

“No, don’t worry, you go on. I need to take care of something in town anyways. See you later.”

“Bye, Nick.” I leave the coffee shop, and start the walk back to the house, almost feeling a spring was in my step. For the first time since being back here, I was happy. I was comfortable. And it was all thanks to Nick. I soon reach Nana’s house and walk inside. “Helloooo!” I call.

“Well, someone sounds happy.” Katie’s voice sounds from the living room. She comes out to greet me. “Oh. My. God. Look at the smile on your face!” She gasps. 

“I had a great time with Nick today.” I explain.

“I can see that. Guess my big sister has the hots for the best man, huh?” She teases. My eyes widen.

“No, I don’t!” My cheeks flush. 

“Mhm sure. Deny it all you want, I can tell. Anyway, come on you, we need to make the centrepieces.” I wasn’t in love with Nick. I may love spending time with him, but I absolutely was NOT in love with him.

~~~

That Night

"We are here today to honour the life of Rose L/N.” The priest begins. “She was a light in the lives of many, especially her two granddaughters, Y/N and Katie, who she is survived by. For most of their lives, she was also their guardian.” 

“He’s not here.” Katie whispers in my ear. I discretely roll my eyes.

“Of course he isn’t. He stopped caring a long time ago.” I reply. I find her hand beside mine and give it a squeeze. “We have to be strong together now, like she said. It’s just us now.”

My eyes open, and I look around the room for a moment to get my bearings. I’m still in my childhood bedroom. It was just a dream. A dream featuring our past. A past I had tried to run from. Of course, it found a way to find me again. It has a funny way of doing that. My eyes drift over to the bedside table, displaying a picture of Katie and I with our Nana from many years ago. I smile softly and run my fingers over the image. “I miss you, Nana. I wish you were still here. To guide me...to guide us.” Laying back on my pillows, I sigh and hold the picture close. “Maybe if you were still here, I wouldn’t be such a mess.”

~~~

One Week Later - Fifteen Days Until the Wedding

“I’m just saying, Cinderella continues to be the best live-action Disney adaptation. It’s faithful to the story, the costumes are great, and it’s just so cute!” I exclaim, trying to stifle a yawn in the process. I was still having nightmares and barely sleeping. Thankfully, I was managing to hide it well, and nobody suspected anything. If they did, I could just lie and say I was up late working on bachelorette party plans and lost track of time. Nick laughs. “What?”

“I love that this is what you’re passionate about.” He grins.

“Well, I’m absolutely right.” I tell him, and he nods.

“Oh, absolutely.” I had a feeling that he had no idea what I was talking about, which was usually the case. But he agreed with me anyway, which I appreciated. Despite all my nightmares and bad memories, spending almost every day with Nick was helping me feel happier, and far more comfortable. It also took my mind off of my nightmares from the previous night. Nick was lovely, and I actually felt upset whenever we had to go back to the house. The fact he was gorgeous helped too, of course. Before I can say anything else, I suddenly spot the town’s bakery and walk over to the window. 

“Look at all these cakes.” I smile. “Oh my god, those cupcakes still look delicious.” I state, staring through the window at them. “My Nana used to bring Katie and me here every Friday after school, and we’d each get a cupcake. I always chose the birthday cake ones, cause it felt like we had a birthday celebration every week.” I smile fondly. “It’s one of my favourite memories of her.”

“Do you want one?” Nick asks, causing me to look over at him. “Seriously, do you want one?” He repeats, taking out his wallet. “They do look amazing. And after all, today is Friday. Can’t waste traditions.” He smiles, and his smile almost makes my heart do backflips.

“Seriously?” I ask.

“Seriously.” Nick opens the door of the bakery. I hear the wind-chimes over the door sound as we both walk in, just like they did all those years ago. The smell of baking is everywhere, filling me with a sense of comfort.

“Oh god, I remember this smell. It’s so...familiar.” I whisper to myself, closing my eyes. In that moment, I feel like I’m a little kid spending time with my Nana again. But when I open my eyes, I’m back to my real life, and the nostalgia is gone.

“I’m coming, just give me a few minutes!” Someone calls from through the back of the bakery.

“Opal?” I ask. Opal was the owner of the bakery...at least when I still lived in Saint Chase. Like Jane, she was friendly and welcoming, and every customer was her friend. She always used to sneak Katie and I samples of her new loaves of bread and cakes before we went to school in the mornings. If we liked them, they stayed. She always called us her honorary business partners. Of course, now I know she probably said that to every kid who wandered in, but it made kid me feel great.

“That’s my name, don’t wear- oh!” She gasps, immediately retreating back through the door she came from. Nick and I give each other a confused look. Rose returns a few moments later, carrying a small cake.“Katie! You look so different from the last time I saw you. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!” She grasps my hand and shakes it vigorously, then does the same to Nick’s hand. “Want to see a preview of the cake? This is in no way finished, but it’s just a small sample of the real thing.”

“Oh no, I-”

 “We’re not-” Nick and I begin, but Opal ignores us. 

"You two are going to just love it.”

“Opal! I’m not Katie!” I insist. She gasps, and her eyes go wide. “Katie is my sister. This is Nick. He’s the best man.”

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry.” Her face goes red. Nick and I reassure her that it’s okay. “Anyway, what can I get you?” Nick and I order our cupcakes, and she rings them up for us. Nick opens his wallet to pay for them, but Opal shakes her head. “No, please, these are on me. Count it as an apology...Seriously. I’m so sorry about the mixup.”

“Well, thank you!″ Nick smiles, taking the cakes and walking towards the door. 

“Y/N...” Opal beckons me in closer, and I lean in. “I just have to say, you two are adorable together. I’m still sorry for my mistake, but honestly, you two look like a great couple.”

“We’re not-”

“Everything okay?” Nick asks.

“Oh! Yeah. Opal just wanted to ask me when we’re picking up the wedding cake.” I lie, giving Opal a pointed look. She nods vigorously. “Come on, let’s go. Bye Opal.” I say quickly, walking towards the door. She waves goodbye to us as we leave the store. Once we’re outside, Nick passes over my cake, taking a bite of his. 

“Oh. My. God.” He moans happily. “That’s incredible.” 

“Right?” I agree, taking a bite of mine. “It’s just as good as I remember.” Nick starts laughing at me again, and my eyes widen. “What? Did I say something weird?”

“You have icing on your face.” He responds. Of course I do. I’m a walking cliché, honestly. “Actually, you know what? I don’t care. This cake is that good.” I take another bite. “And besides, so do you.”

~~~

Later That Day

“That one looks like a dog.”

“A dog? No way. It looks like a hamster.”

“How the fuck does it look like a hamster?” Nick frowns.

“How the fuck does it look like a dog?” I respond, raising my eyebrow. Nick laughs. The two of us had finished eating our cupcakes (and wiped our faces), and were back in the park, drinking coffee and trying to see if we could tell what shape the clouds were.

“Guess we gotta agree to disagree.” I smile. “Even though I’m totally right.”

“Of course you are.” He says sarcastically, and I gasp in mock annoyance. But I don’t detect any malice from his comment...well, I hoped he wasn’t actually annoyed with me or anything, but he didn’t seem to be. Like I said before, I felt comfortable with Nick. Even though we had met a week ago, it felt like the two of us could joke with each other to our hearts content, neither meaning anything bad by it. It was weird how close we were, despite not knowing each other for that long.  “Uh, Nick?” I ask, looking up again.

“Mhm?”

“Do those ones look like rain clouds, or is that just me?”

“I think you’re right, it’s-” The heavens open before he can even finish his sentence. “Oh god, okay, come on, I saw a bike shed or something over there, we can hide out there until it stops.” Nick tells me, quickly taking his jacket off and throwing it at me.

“What’s this for?!” I ask.

“What do you think it’s for?! It’s to hold over our heads!” Nick shouts. “Now come on, let’s go.” He holds out his hand, and I take it. He pulls me up. “Ready to run?” He asks. I nod. The two of us begin running through the park, holding Nick’s jacket over our heads with one hand each. We laugh as we run, trying to avoid slipping on the damp leaves or falling over. We soon reach the shelter, and Nick and I jump under it. The shelter is small, so our bodies are pressed up close against each other. I’m aware of the scent of his cologne again. Nick’s body is warm against mine as he wraps the jacket around my shoulders. 

“You don’t have to give me your jacket.” I protest, but he insists.

“Don’t be silly. What would your sister say if I made her maid of honour catch a cold?” He asks.

“The same thing she’d say if the best man caught a cold.” I reply, trying to take the jacket off. Nick reaches out, gently placing his hands on my arms, stopping me. It feels like electricity runs up my arms as he touches them.

“Y/N, don’t worry about it. Honestly.” The two of us stand there, Nick still holding onto my arms. But it feels good. It feels...right. Nick keeps looking at me. 

“Do I still have some icing on my lips?” I ask. Nick shakes his head. 

“God, you’re so beautiful.” He mumbles loud enough for me to hear. Whether I was supposed to hear it or not, I wasn’t sure. Nick leans closer to me, and my brain immediately goes:

“He’s going to kiss me. Oh my god, he’s going to kiss me. Do I even want him to kiss me?” And I realise that...I think I do want him to kiss me. Nick’s head moves closer to mine, and my head rises up to meet his. But just as our lips are about to touch, my phone rings, causing us to break apart. Dammit. I take my phone out, seeing Katie’s name flash on the screen. She always has the best timing. “Hey Katie. What’s up? ...Yeah it’s raining really badly. Yeah, a lift back would be great. We’re at the park. Okay, see you soon. Love you too. Bye.” Hanging up, I sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Nick responds. However, despite him saying that, it still felt like the air around us had changed. It wasn’t like we could go back to where we left off either, because everything felt awkward now.

Shit.

~~~

That Night

“Be good for your Daddy, okay Y/N?” She bends down and presses a kiss to my forehead. I nod. “I know I can trust you to help him look after your sister, right?”

“Of course, Mommy!” She grins, and pulls me in for a tight squeeze.

“There’s my smart girl.  I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” I nod again.

“Have fun, Mommy!” I call, as she walks out of the door. And then, she was gone. The image changes into something else. “Daddy? Where’s Mommy? Why are you crying?” He blinks rapidly and bends down to my eye level.

“Mommy’s had to go, sweetie.” He explains.

“But...but where? She was meant to take me to kindergarten!” He looks away from me.

“I’m sorry. Your mommy’s an angel...she’s not coming back.”

Gasping, I sit up in bed again, looking around the room. My heart is racing. “It’s just a bad dream...Just a bad dream...” I tell myself, trying desperately to calm myself down. Getting out of bed, I cross over to the window, trying to ignore my shaking hands, and peek out at the night sky. Rows and rows of trees disappear into the darkness. “It’s not real. She died almost twenty years ago. It’s just a bad dream.” Clenching my fists, I furiously wipe at my eyes. "Dammit!” I curse.

I hadn’t had nightmares about the death of our mother in at least fifteen years. I thought I was finally getting better. Of course, life had other ideas. “I knew I should never have fucking come back here.” I hiss. That’s why still had bad dreams, because I was back here. I should’ve said no and ran when I had the choice. No, no, that’s stupid. Of course I couldn’t have said no. I could never let Katie down. God knows life let us down enough times already. No, I need to stop blaming the town for my problems. It’s my fault. I thought I was ready and healed, but obviously, I’m not. God, I need a drink. 

Trying to be as quiet as possible, I leave my room and tiptoe downstairs to the kitchen, using my phone torch as a light source. Once I reach the kitchen and flash my light into the room, I almost jump out of my skin when I see a figure sitting at the kitchen table.

“Hey, I- Y/N?” Nick blinks his eyes, clearly startled by the bright light of my phone.

“Jesus Christ Nick! I thought you were a fucking murderer!” I gasp. He frowns.

“A murderer...who sits at the kitchen table? Anyway, why are you up so late? It’s like 2am!” I switch the light on. 

“I could ask you the same thing. Why are you here scaring the life out of me at 2am?” He holds up some paper. 

“Best man’s speech. I had a stroke of genius and decided to write some of it.”

“In the middle of the night? In the darkness? And people say I’m weird.” Nick chuckles. I cross over to the cupboards and get out some mugs to make tea. “Want some tea?” I ask, and he nods.

“Anyway, you didn’t answer my question. What brings you here at this hour?”

“Oh I just love hanging out with men in kitchens at 2am, didn’t Katie tell you?” I tease, filling the kettle and putting it on to boil. Nick laughs. I can’t tell him the truth. Then he would think I was weird. “But seriously. Couldn’t sleep.” I mean, that wasn’t a total lie. Nick didn’t have to know the truth. “How’s the speech going?”

“Ehhh?” Nick responds. I turn back to him and raise an eyebrow. “Not well.”

“I can tell.” The kettle finishes boiling, and I pour the water into the mugs. “But I’m here now, so you have an extra person to help you.”

~~~

One Hour Later

“Y/N...Y/N?” I hear someone whispering. Is someone....nudging me? I look up. Why was my head on the table? I notice that Nick has scooted closer to me. Is he the one nudging me?

“Mmm, Nick...whashappenin?” I mumble. 

“You fell asleep.” He explains. I shoot up in my seat and rub my eyes. 

“What?!” I gasp. “Why didn’t you wake me up?! I was meant to be helping you with your speech!” 

“It’s alright, don’t worry.” Nick reassures me. “You looked really tired, so I thought I’d let you sleep. You sure you’re okay?” He asks. Before I can say anything in response, I yawn. “Guess that answers my question. I think you should go to bed.” I shake my head.

“Nope. I’m not....” I cut myself off with another yawn. Nick gives me a look. “...Okay, maybe I’m a little bit tired.” I admit.

“Mhm. Come on, let’s get you to bed.” He helps me up. I protest, but he continues to do so. “Y/N, trust me. You need some sleep. You’ll thank me later.” I realise he’s probably right. So, I let him lead me upstairs and into my bedroom, his hand resting on the small of my back. “So uh....can you take care of yourself from here?” He asks. I chuckle softly and nod.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thanks Nick.” I smile. “Goodnight.”

“Night Y/N.” 

~~~

The Next Morning - Thirteen Days Until the Wedding

“You invited Great Aunt Hilda? Seriously? All she’s going to do is talk about her cats.” 

“That’s why she’s sitting with you. At least you’ll have something in common.” Katie jokes. I jokingly punch her in the arm. “Hey!” She laughs. The two of us were spending the day arranging seating charts and finalising the seating plan. So far, it was all going well, and we managed to make it fun. “Oh, god.” Katie wrinkles her nose. “I forgot both Uncle Chris and Aunt Pamela said yes, AND they’re bringing plus ones. That’s gonna be rough.”

“I’m sure it’ll be okay. Didn’t they get divorced like three years ago?” I ask.

“Yeah, but I don’t think Aunt Pam’s gonna be a fan of his plus one....” She raises her eyebrows suggestively.

“Oh right, he dumped her for his secretary, the one with the big boobs, didn’t he? Are they still together?”

“Yuuuup. She’s the plus one.”

“Better sit those two as far away from each other as possible then...” I mumble, trying to arrange the tables on my side of the chart as best as I can. Studying the rest of the little figures representing people, I frown, seeing one I haven’t seen before. One I definitely did not expect to see. I pick it up, and my eyes go wide. “Uh, Katie?”

“Mhm?”

“...Why does our Dad have a seating place?”

[sesamestreep]

stack the deck with wild cards (chapter 5)

(read on AO3)

(start from the beginning)

SUMMARY: Valentine’s Day arrives, and so does Jyn’s appointment. 

A/N: Second to last chapter, same warnings as before (TW: pregnancy, abortion, unsafe sex), check the AO3 links above for more details. We’re almost done, folks! Last chapter is just a little epilogue because I’m corny like that, and I should have it up by tomorrow or the day after at the latest. I’m sending you all imaginary bouquets of flowers for sticking with me this far!!

On the day of her appointment, Jyn wakes up to the third alarm she set for herself, which has got to be some sort of record, since she sets around twelve on a normal day and she set about twenty for today so she could be sure she wouldn’t miss her appointment. It gives her way more time than she actually needs to get ready, and she’s too nervous to eat anything, so she can’t even kill the extra time by making herself breakfast. She takes a long shower, because her roommate is away for the weekend and can’t give her a hard time about it, and puts on an outfit that’s comfortable enough to come home in after the procedure, and contemplates actually styling her hair, just for the hell of it, but then discards the idea as silly.

The buzzer for the door goes off while she is trying to think of a better way to waste time and distract herself, and she’s impressed with how early Bodhi is. She presses the button to let him in, just as her phone starts ringing. Bodhi’s name and photo (a selfie he took with a flower crown filter when she wasn’t guarding her phone carefully enough after one of their gigs) pop up on the display. She swipes at the screen to answer it, feeling confused.

“Hey, I just let you in,” she says, warily. “That was you, right?”

“Not exactly,” Bodhi says. “Listen, you’re going to hate me for this, but—”

She panics immediately at his tone and interrupts. “Bodhi, please, you have to come with me, okay? You promised and I—I need you!”

“Jyn, I would never abandon you. I just did something slightly annoying because I thought it might help.”

“What did you do?”

“I sent an emissary in my place,” he replies, managing to sound guilty and proud of himself at the same time. “He really wouldn’t stop asking about you, and he seemed so worried, that I thought it would be—”

“Please tell me you didn’t send Cassian to accompany me to my abortion,” she says, pressing her forehead against the wall. This cannot be happening.

“Listen, I will understand if you never forgive me, but you’re both being complete idiots about this whole thing. Just tell him you like him, and let him take care of you like he so desperately wants to.”

“Bodhi, this is not some sort of romantic comedy, okay? I’m going to get an abortion. This is not any person’s idea of a dream date!”

“Of course it’s not. I know that,” Bodhi says. “But it’s not a dealbreaker for him either.”

Jyn rolls her eyes, even though he can’t see it. “And how would you even know that?”

“Because I asked him.”

“You…?” She looks at her phone in horror, as if that will change what she’s just heard. “You asked him if it was a dealbreaker?”

“No, I asked if he was still interested in you,” he replies, casually. Like this is no big deal.

“And what did he say?”

“Jyn, he’s at your doorstep,” Bodhi says, patiently. “If that’s not answer enough, ask him yourself.”

She closes her eyes, hoping that will somehow put an end to the whirlwind of emotions she’s feeling. She’s obviously annoyed with Bodhi for putting her in this position when she’s already stressed, but she also can’t deny that she does want to know Cassian’s answer to that question. Mostly, though, she just wishes none of this was happening, that she could just go back in time and make better choices two months ago.

“If you’re really uncomfortable, I will meet you at Planned Parenthood for your appointment,” Bodhi continues, when she doesn’t say anything for a few moments. “I would never actually leave you hanging.”

“No, of course not! You would just shamelessly meddle in my love life on the day I’m having an outpatient medical procedure,” she says, even though she does feel better. There’s a reason Bodhi’s her best friend, after all.

“Well, you’ve always done very well under pressure,” he jokes, and she laughs before she can stop herself.

“If this blows up in my face,” she says, just as she hears the knock on the door, “you’ll owe me forever.”

“I’m good with that,” Bodhi says, breezily. “Give Cassian a kiss for me.”

“Go to hell.”

“Text me if you need me. Love you. Bye!”

Jyn hangs up without responding, because she’s still in a mood with him, regardless of how good his intentions might have been. She starts to fidget with her hair before she realizes that’s stupid—Cassian already knows what he’s getting into—and goes for the door just as another knock echoes through the apartment. She undoes the lock and the deadbolt and the chain with clumsy fingers and opens the door to find Cassian there in what must be his casual weekend clothes and a heavy winter parka. He’s also, inexplicably, holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Are those flowers?” She asks, like an idiot, before she can stop herself. She clears her throat, trying to soften her tone and hide her surprise. “I mean—Did you bring me flowers?”

He gestures upwards with them, as if he’s just remembered they exist. “These?” He asks, glancing at them. “No, actually, these are for the other woman I’m accompanying to an abortion today.”

Jyn feels a smile start to form. “God, I hope that’s not true,” she says, before realizing it sounds kind of possessive. “I mean, for your sake. I wouldn’t want you to have to deal with this situation twice. That’s all.”

“It was a joke, Jyn.” He smiles, embarrassed, and then adds, “You’re the only person I’ve impregnated recently.”

“That you know of,” she replies, trying to keep things light, but he doesn’t take the hint.

“The only one,” he says, devastatingly sincere, instead of joking with her. Then, he hands her the bouquet.

She looks down at it, at a loss for words momentarily. “Did I even say ‘hello’ to you yet?” She asks the flowers.

He laughs. “You didn’t, but I figure you’ll get around to it eventually.”

“Hi, Cassian,” she says. “Would you like to come in?”

“Sure.”

She steps aside to let him into the apartment and looks again at the flowers, a bouquet of ranunculus in different shades of orange, from peach to a dark cayenne color. She doesn’t know much of anything about flowers—how much they cost or what the nice ones are—but she feels like she might have picked these out herself if she’d seen them at the store and that’s all it takes to make her nervous again. She leaves Cassian to hang up his coat on his own and heads into the kitchen. She’s standing in front of the sink, lost for what to do next, when he joins her.

“Do you have a vase?” He asks, after a moment.

Jyn shakes her head. “I don’t think so,” she admits, before she laughs at herself. “Sorry. It’s just—No one’s ever bought me flowers before.”

“No one?”

“No. I’m going to kill them.”

Cassian blinks at her. “The….flowers?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that seems rude. You barely know them.”

“Not on purpose,” she says, closing her eyes to concentrate on not laughing again. “By neglect. I can’t take care of plants.”

“They’re basically dead already, Jyn. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m just saying, if this is some kind of test—”

“How would this be a test?”

“To see if I’m nurturing, or maternal, or—”

Cassian puts his hand on her back, gently, like he’s expecting her to shove him away at any second. “It’s not a test,” he says, carefully. “I thought we talked about this the other night…”

“We did, but—” she says, still staring at the flowers in her hands and unable to articulate what she’s thinking. “Why would you buy me flowers?”

He shrugs, looking lost himself. “I just thought it would be nice. It is Valentine’s Day, after all, and I know you’re probably fine, but you seemed a little stressed about the appointment the other night. So, I thought I should do something to cheer you up, if I could, and then there was a florist on the way here, so it felt like a sign. I don’t know why, really, I just thought that it would be a nice thing to do. But if you don’t like them—”

“I didn’t say that,” she says, cutting him off.

“Oh,” he says, surprised. “Okay.”

“You didn’t have to bring me anything, though. I told you I don’t care about Valentine’s Day.”

“Well, I do.”

“Really?”

“Apparently,” he says, looking away. He clears his throat, obviously looking for a change of subject. “If you cut the ends off of those stems, I’ll find something you can use as a vase.”

“You’re just inviting yourself to rummage through my entire kitchen now?” Jyn asks, feigning offense even as she’s grabbing the scissors to follow his directions.

“That’s exactly what’s happening, yes.”

By the time she’s finished with the stems, Cassian is back by her side, filling up a clear plastic sports bottle he found in one of the cabinets. He takes the flowers from her and begins arranging them in the bottle, cutting a few of them shorter so they sit better. He sets the whole thing on the counter to admire his handiwork and looks at her for approval.

“You can’t be serious,” she says.

“Why not?”

“It’s a water bottle!”

“So?”

“It looks silly.”

“It’s the best I could do on short notice,” he says, with a shrug. “Next time I buy you flowers, I’ll make sure to get you a proper vase too.”

“Next time?” Jyn asks, faintly.

“Yeah. Next time.” He pulls a dead leaf off of one of the stems and refuses to meet her eye.

“Cassian,” she says, interrupting him. “What are you doing?”

“Me? I’m clearly making an idiot out of myself.”

She puts a hand on his arm to get him to look at her. “You’re not, I promise. I just don’t know what’s happening right now.”

“I think you do, actually,” he says, carefully, like he’s afraid to keep going. He does anyway, though, after a moment. “I think you know what it means when someone shows up at your place with flowers and threatens to do it again in the near future. And I hope you know what it means that I want to go to this doctor’s appointment with you today. I mean, maybe I’m wrong, but I think I’m being very clear with my intentions.”

Jyn shakes her head, trying to get her thoughts in order. “You’re right. You are being clear. I’m just confused because—why would you want to date me?”

“Because I like you.”

“Right, but—and I know that I’m not actually supposed to do this, because it’s not sexy or confident or whatever, but—I don’t understand why,” she says. “I mean, I’ve made every step of this as difficult as possible for you and I wasn’t even trying to put you off. That’s just what I’m like in a relationship. So, why would you want to put yourself through that?”

Cassian finally stops fiddling with the flowers and really looks at her. “Right,” he says, his tone caught somewhere between offended and disbelieving. “Who would ever want to date someone like you? You’re just smart and creative and sarcastic, not to mention beautiful. It doesn’t make any sense why I’d want to be with you.”

“Cassian…”

He doesn’t let her interrupt, though. “No, actually, you know what? I don’t think you’re asking the right question here.”

“I’m not?” Jyn asks, baffled. She’s never really seen him upset like this before, aside from the glimpse of it she got the other night when he came over and she inadvertently hurt his feelings.

“No, you’re not,” he replies. “I don’t think I need to provide an itemized list of everything I like about you. I think you should take my word for it that I’m not trying to date you because I’m confused, or because I feel obligated to you in any way, or because I just don’t know you well enough. I’m not desperate and I don’t have low standards, either, in case that’s what you’re trying to tell yourself. I want to date you because I think we could be good together and because I want to get to know you better.

“So, clearly, I know what I want. The important question, then, is: what do you want, Jyn?”

“I don’t know!” She responds immediately, without thinking, startled by how certain he is and how earnest. She knows, though, that answer won’t actually satisfy him. More importantly, he also just deserves a real answer at this point, even if the idea of trying to put how she feels into words makes her queasy. Either that or it’s just her pregnancy rearing its ugly head again.

She takes a moment, once she’s had her little outburst, to really think about it and she sighs before she dives in. “I’m sorry, it’s just—All of this has been so confusing, from the very beginning. I just wanted to hook up with you one time, so I could put myself out there again and feel like somebody might actually want me. And it worked, but not in the way I thought it would. I thought it could just be a rebound, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you, afterwards. I still can’t.

“You put this idea into my head that I could have someone like you, someone who gives a fuck about me and what I want, who respects me and likes me, even though I’m always late and my apartment is always a mess and I don’t have a 401K or whatever, and that scared the hell out of me, because it was just supposed to be a casual, one-time thing. But I knew, after the first time, that it couldn’t really be like that between us. I knew you’d give me anything I asked for, but I just wasn’t ready to ask for more. Which is why I never called, afterwards.”

“What about now?” He asks. He doesn’t sound hurt, or like he’s judging her; he just wants to know. “Are you ready now?”

“I don’t know,” she admits, carefully. “I’m not sure I’m in a place where I can be someone’s girlfriend again just yet. I’m still dealing with a lot of things that came up during the breakup. And it wouldn’t be fair to ask you to wait, or put up with that, when none of it is your fault.”

“I don’t have to ‘put up with’ you, Jyn. I like you, remember?”

“Even now? When I’m being confusing?”

He smiles. “Even now.”

“What if we made a compromise?”

“We don’t have to do this. Really,” he says, shaking his head. “I understand your reservations and I respect them, even if I hate the idea that your idiot of an ex-boyfriend gets to ruin anything else for you after he’s already put you through so much.”

Jyn just blinks at him, confused, though she’s not sure why. Nobody likes her ex, but hearing Cassian talk about it is somehow different. They barely knew each other when she was dating Reece. She didn’t think he would have left much of an impression. “You think he’s an idiot?” She asks.

“I think he’s the stupidest person to ever live,” he says, with more conviction than Jyn’s ever heard from him, which is saying something. Cassian tends to have strong opinions about most things. “Not only because he treated you so terribly, but also because he let you go in the end.”

“Why didn’t you ever mention this before?”

Cassian shrugs, helplessly, like she’s backed him into a corner. “Well, I was trying very hard to seem like a normal guy who didn’t have a crush on you, and bashing your ex-boyfriend seemed like an easy way to show my hand, so I avoided talking about it with you.”

She can’t help it, at that point. She just needs to get this out of her system, she rationalizes, as she puts her arms around his neck to drag him down for a kiss. It’s just that not kissing him was getting so annoying, when he was just standing there being so handsome and patient and perfect. He leans forward, chasing her a bit, but she pulls away after only a moment.

“I mentioned a compromise…” she says, watching him cautiously.

“I’m listening,” he replies, with his eyes still closed.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to be in a relationship again—not yet, I mean. But I do know that sleeping with you didn’t get rid of the feelings I have for you, and ignoring them and you for two months didn’t help either.” She bites her lip. “I’m sorry for that, by the way.”

“I know,” he says, quietly, pressing his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry too. I should have—”

Jyn puts her fingertips to his lips to stop him. “Wait,” she says. “Let me finish.”

He nods, but says nothing.

“Clearly, I can’t ignore my feelings for you, or pretend I’m just interested in having casual sex with you. So, what if we did just date ? We could hang out and get to know each other better without worrying about what we’re calling it or what kind of future we might have.” She moves her hand to grasp at his shirt, as if that will somehow convey her sincerity. “I know that probably sounds like I’m letting you down easy, but you have to believe me when I say that’s not it.”

“Okay.”

“I just really need to take things slow right now because I—Wait, did you just say, ‘okay’?” she asks.

“Yes,” Cassian says with a small smile, the one she’s starting to recognize he always has when she’s acting like an idiot, as if he’s charmed by it instead of annoyed.

“What, just like that?”

“Yes, just like that. Listen, I have my fair share of trust issues, too. I’m not going to pretend I don’t. So, I can’t say that I really believe you’re going to wake up one day and want to be in a relationship with me, because that’s just not how my brain works. But I really want to believe that and, if you do change your mind or decide this doesn’t work for you, I’ll still have gotten more time with you than if I walked away right now. So, yes, I agree to your terms.”

“Well, good,” Jyn says, anti-climatically. She really thought that he was going to require much more convincing. She’s not sure what to do with herself now. “Uh, actually, that’s great. Because I got us reservations at this really cool place this morning. I think you’re really going to like it.”

He lifts an eyebrow at her, thinking it over for a second before it clicks. “Are you talking about Planned Parenthood?”

“Yep.”

He shakes his head. “You’re ridiculous,” he says, even as he leans in to kiss her again. She doesn’t bother thinking of something clever to say in response, she just pulls him in closer. It’s every bit as good as she remembers, for all they’re just standing in her kitchen and she’s wearing a ratty old sweater and about to get an abortion. She lets herself get swept away in it, despite the very practical conversation they’ve just had and all of her concerns, and allows the possibility that she might get this, Cassian kissing her and holding her face in his perfect hands and making her feel warm and melt-y, for a long time yet.

After a few moments like that, Jyn pulls back suddenly as she remembers something. “When I said I wanted to ‘take things slow,’ I hope you know I didn’t mean it sexually,” she says, adamant. “I think we should have sex again as soon as possible. With protection this time, obviously.”

Cassian laughs, and she can feel it as he kisses her neck. “Thank you for the clarification.”

“So you agree?”

“That we should have sex soon? Or about using protection?” He asks, and then shakes his head. “What am I saying? The answer is ‘yes, absolutely’ to both of those things.”

“Oh, thank god.”

“We do have to get to your appointment, though.”

“Well, clearly I didn’t mean right now .”

He laughs again. “I know,” he says, looking so enamored of her just then that it renders her momentarily speechless. She’s not sure anyone’s ever looked at her like that before. “But my point stands.”

“Yes, okay, you’re right,” she says, trying her best to sound annoyed with the reminder, for all that she’s actually stupidly happy. She kisses him again, just because she can, and it successfully distracts them for another few moments until Cassian pulls back with a groan.

“Jyn, seriously…”

“I did mention that I’m always late, right? This is just something you’re going to have to get used to.”

“I’m calling us a cab,” he says, stepping back as he gets his phone out of his pocket. He waves a finger at her, trying so hard to look stern that she can only laugh in response. “No more distractions.”

“A cab? What are we, Rockefellers?”

“No, but we’ll be late otherwise,” he replies, already dialing. “And besides, I’m not going to be cheap on our first date.”

“I was kidding about that,” Jyn says, stepping close enough that she can toy with the string from the hood of his sweatshirt rather than look into his eyes. “We do not have to consider this our first date.”

He reaches out with his free hand to run a thumb over her cheekbone. “It’s too late for that,” he says, while he waits for someone at the other end of the line to pick up. “I’m already considering it. Go get your jacket.”

She gives him a small salute, which she’s immediately embarrassed of, but that same fond look passes over his features again before she turns away. Her nerves about the appointment come back when she’s alone in her room, putting on her coat and getting ready to leave. She knows it’s perfectly routine, just an outpatient procedure, but she can’t help but worry that something totally unexpected will go wrong. And now she has to worry about Cassian being around afterwards, and what she’ll say or do and how it might scare him off completely.

That fear lasts only until the moment she comes out of her room to find him waiting for her by the front door. His eyes light up when they see her, there’s just no other way to describe it, and the nerves suddenly feel more like anticipation than dread. This is their first date, she reminds herself, unorthodox though it may be. She smiles back, still a little uncertain but trying to hold onto the idea that this could be good, that this thing between them could work.

“Shall we?” He asks, like they’ve got reservations at the Plaza and not an appointment at Planned Parenthood, and holds out his hand to her. She takes it and, for that moment, she doesn’t even have to try to feel certain about this. She just does.

[sassyduckqueen]

30 Days of Lukanette- Faded Ink

Damn this was fun to write. Anyway, that's my version of Time Tagger. Hope you like it :D Oh also as a head cannon, I decided Bunnyx has tattoos

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Viperion hummed to himself as he played his lyre. He was sat on the rooftops of Paris, playing the soft music because he was unable to sleep again. The nightmare he had about Cat Noir and his team had turned into a reoccurring one. Every sleeping moment, his mind was plagued with Ladybug's dead expression and those steel blue eyes. He knew she was out on patrol tonight so he had sent her a message, saying they needed to talk and then settled himself here, playing his lyre to help calm himself down. He didn't understand the nightmare. He knew dreams are the mind's way of processing things but other then the slight Lila incident, things had been good. He had gone to the Halloween Party with Marinette. He had dressed as a vampire and she had dressed a witch. Adrien and Kagami were there and had happily greeted them, even commenting how cute they looked together. Alya had gone as a sly fox, which had made him laugh and Nino had dressed up as Viperion. It was a cheap outfit from a halloween store but Luka felt honored. Not that he told Nino that. Rose had dressed up as a bee and had convinced Juleka to dress up as a dark rose. The two of them stuck together for the whole night. Viperion felt a smile come onto his lips as he remembered slow dancing with Marinette but a flash of light and the corpse of Ladybug scrolled across his memory, forcing him to close his eyes and shake his head. The sound of someone landing on the roof caught his attention and he opened his eyes, seeing Ladybug standing there, alive and well. He got up and hugged her, causing her to hug back.

 "Viper, what's wrong? You're shaking like a leaf," She gasped, cupping his face. She frowned as she had never seen him look so bad before. He looked drained, tired and pale. She gently pushed his hair from his eyes. "Have you had a relapse?"

 "N-no..." He muttered before sitting down. She sat next to him but he remained quiet.

 "Then what is it? Your message seemed very urgent," She mumbled, placing her hand on his back. He looked at her and suddenly felt silly. Like he was making a big deal of nothing. "Viper, you can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

 He nodded and moved so he could link hands with her.

 "I've been having trouble sleeping recently," He muttered, making her frown. He looked down as he played with her hand. "To be exact, I have been waking up every night in a cold sweat and that's on a good night. On the bad nights, I literally wake up screaming or crying,"

 "You've been having night terrors?" She asked, confused. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

 "I didn't want to worry you and it's only started in the last week," He replied. "I thought it would go away but it's getting more and more. I close my eyes and I see..."

 "See what?" She asked.

 "It's the same dream, Bug," He muttered, making her frown. "It always starts the same. I'm holding you and sobbing because... because you're dead, bug... you're dead in my arms and I failed to save you,"

 "Viper..."

 "But you're not the only one. Ryuko and Bunnyx are dead as well and I'm the only one who's alive at that moment then I transform back and he comes over. God, his eyes terrify me. He's so much colder then the ice that surrounds us...."

 "Who is?" She asked as tears slid down his face. "Viper, who is it?"

 "I-It's C-Cat but he looks w-wrong..." He muttered, tears rolling down his cheeks. "H-he isn't himself. His eyes aren't green and his outfit isn't black. He's not our black cat anymore. He's a cursed white cat. His eyes are blue and colder then ice... and he killed everyone.... I think he kills me at the end because he points at me and there's this bright white light then I wake up..."

 He was curled up on himself as he cried. Ladybug wrapped her arms around him and stroked his hair.

 "Sshh, it's ok. It's just a bad dream...." She whispered, hugging him. He gently pulled away.

 "I'm n-not sure it is," He muttered. "For one, there was a hero there, whom I've never met but I knew her name. I knew her and I told Sass about it when it first occurred. He told me that on rare occasions, the holders of the snake miraculous could develop a second power that's a sort of side effect to the Second Chance power and that is actually happened once before. He said it was centuries ago but one of his holders developed Premonitions. He could see a rough outline of what was going to happen before it happened..."

 She frowned softly as she looked at him. 

 "It felt so real, Bug and it terrifies me to think... dream or not... that you-"

 "Ssh, I'm not going to die," She smiled softly, cupping his face. "If it is real, we will find a way to save Cat,"

 He didn't say anything, just moved so he was resting his head against her collarbone. She linked her fingers with his as they just sat there, enjoying the moment. 

 "I hope it's just a bad dream," He whispered.

 "Me too,"

 (***)

 "The name's Marinette... I bake Shucets... um... I love drawing and sewing blankets?" Marinette asked as she attempted to rap. Luka smiled at her encouragingly.

 "Come on, come on," Alya grinned as the game ended, making them all laugh. 

 "I'm so bad at this game," She laughed. "You want a go, Luka?"

 "Nah, I'm good," He smiled as Chris, Nino's little brother, walked over and sat down, looking sad. "You ok?"

 "What's up? You don't want to play with my sisters anymore?" Alya asked, as Luka poked Marinette softly in the cheek, causing her to swat his hand away as he grinned cheekily.

 "I'm not a baby anymore," Chris whined before looking at the three of them. "Can I play freestyle crash 2 with you?"

 "Come on, Chris. It's a game for big kids. You know that," Marinette replied, making Chris frown and fold his arms in annoyance. 

 "That's what you always say," He huffed but before Marinette could reply, both her and Luka noticed a plane shaped flock of pigeons flying towards the musem.

 "Great," Luka muttered.

 "Ur... again!" She gasped as they both got up. "Alya, can you handle these three on your own? I just remembered I promised my dad I'd try out his new Macron reciept!"

 "Sorry, I have to go too," Luka gasped. "I said I'd help Rose with a new song and I have a shift later on that I need to get ready for,"

 "Hmm sounds yummy. Maybe we could all come over with you and try it out if that's ok?" Alya suggested. 

 "Um my dad gets all weird and shy and-" She gasped but Alya looked from Luka to Marinette and grinned. 

 "Sure," She grinned. "Have fun, you two and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

 "Alya!" Marinette gasped before they both speed walked out of the park and hid behind a pillar before looking at Luka. "Maybe it would be easier just to tell her?"

 "Well, she said she didn't want to know," He replied as Sass and Tikki flew up.

 "That reciept excuse wasn't your best one yet,"

 "A song and a shift really?"

 "Hey, we're both running out of excuses," Luka pointed out. "Sass, scales slither!"

 "We've needed so many this week," Marinette sighed as he transformed. "Tikki, Spots on!"

 As soon as she transformed, the two heroes made their way across the rooftops. They landed in front of the musem where Cat Noir and Ryuko already were, looking serious unamused as Mr Pigeon made a threat, demanding Ladybug and Cat Noir hand over their miraculouses. 

 "No need to brief you two on this one, right?" Cat sighed. 

 "How much times has he been akumatized this week?" Viperion asked.

 "23," Ryuko sighed. "Shall we get this over and done with?"

 "Yep. Lucky charm," Ladybug replied, summoning her charm. "Think we'll need second chance?"

 "Unlikely," Viperion replied.

 "Ok," Cat Noir replied, holding out his hand. "Cataclysm,"

 The four of them ran into battle, easily defeating Mr Pigeon. He tried his best to put up a struggle but in the end, they defeated him. Ladybug caught the akuma and purified it.

 "Bye, bye, Little Butterfly," She muttered, freeing it as Mr Pigeon turned back into Mr Ramier, who looked around confused.

 "Please don't tell me it happened again," He sighed as they helped him up.

 "It's ok, Mr Ramier," Ladybug muttered. "We're always here to bring you back to the good side,"

 "Hmm," He frowned before seeing the ice cream stand. "Can I buy you four ice cream to make up for it?"

 Cat Noir looked at his ring and shrugged.

 "Since we keep getting better at this, we have a few minutes before we transform," He stated.

 "And me and Snake boy haven't used our powers yet," Ryuko pointed out, getting a nod of Viperion.

 "Dragon girl's right,"

 "Hm... why not?" Ladybug smiled. They followed Mr Ramier to the stand.

 "Five ice creams, please," He smiled. Andre picked out perfect favors for all them as Mr Ramier paid before they all sat down and began to eat the ice cream. "I'm really sorry. I just can't help it. Whenever something happens to my beloved pigeons, it breaks my heart and then-"

 "Hawkmoth akumatizes you again,"

 "Yeah, we know,"

 "There must be so way to stop this from happening again," Ladybug sighed as Viperion finished his ice cream. The sound of beeping made both her and Cat frown before the four heroes got up.

 "We need to get going," Cat smiled. 

 "Thanks for the ice cream, Mr Ramier," Ladybug nodded.

 "You're welcome," Mr Ramier smiled as the four heroes walked away. The four of them did their fist bump and went to head off but suddenly a green portal appeared and a young man who resembled a rapper jumped out of it. 

 "Yo! I'm Time Tagger from the future, man. I criss-cross time with a spray paint can," He rapped, moving his hand to his beat. Viperion rose an eyebrow. "Looks like your time's up at last cause I'm send you way back to the past!"

 He pointed his spray paint gun and fired it on the ground, creating a stamp before firing at Mr Ramier, who disappeared into a portal. A few seconds later, a huge statue appeared in the middle of the square. 

 "Viperion," Ladybug stated, causing him to nod as Cat read what the statue said. 

 "Second Chance," He stated as he pushed the head of the snake back. The akumatized rapper began to shoot his time stamp all over the place.

 "Only one minute left," Ladybug stated.

 "No time to lose," Cat agreed, charging at him and slamming his baton towards the villain, only for him to disappear. Viperion frowned to himself.

 "Ladybug and Cat Noir, now you're stuck. If you wanna catch me then ha... good luck," He rapped before shooting at Ryuko, who disappeared. Viperion pushed the head back off the snake, resetting the moment. 

 "Only one minute left," Ladybug stated.

 "No time to lose," Cat agreed, charging at him and slamming his baton towards the villain, only for him to disappear. Viperion frowned to himself.

 "Ladybug and Cat Noir, now you're stuck. If you wanna catch me then ha... good luck," He rapped but before he could shoot at Ryuko, Viperion threw his lyre at him, knocking him back at little. "Not cool, man!"

 He suddenly disappeared and then suddenly, Viperion found himself in a completely different Paris with people staring at him. Judging by the way they were dressed, it was Paris but in the 1800s.

 "Damn it," He replied before pushing the head back.

 "Only one minute left," Ladybug stated.

 "No time to lose," Cat agreed, charging at him and slamming his baton towards the villain, only for him to disappear. Viperion frowned to himself.

 "Ladybug and Cat Noir, now you're stuck. If you wanna catch me then ha... good luck," He rapped but this time, Viperion threw his lyre but as it hit him, he turned to Ryuko.

 "Ryuko! Now!"

 "Lightening dragon!" She shouted, turning into the element as Cat Noir and Ladybug jumped at him. Viperion grabbed his lyre as the boy disappeared before dodge rolling out of the way when he fired at him. The fire hit a woman and send her back in time, changing the billboard next to her.

 "Less then one minute left," Cat gasped as Time Tagger disappeared again.

 "All I have to do is go back in time to escape with a laugh and rapid rhyme," He rapped as he reappeared.

 "He's going back in time," Viperion stated as Ladybug and Cat Noir tried to capture him but fell as he disappeared. He helped her up while Ryuko helped up Cat. "We can't land a hit on him and unlike him, you two are almost out of time,"

 "Then we need to get some back," Ladybug stated, running towards Time Tagger with the others. He disappeared but they kept running and headed into the museum. Ladybug rushed off into the girl's bathroom with Ryuko and Cat headed into the boys' with Viperion. He locked himself in a stall as a green light appeared. 

 "You should recharge Sass too," He stated from the stall.

 "Good thinking," Viperion agreed. "Sass, Scales rest,"

 He caught the little snake and fed him some food.

 "So he's from the future," Luka stated.

 "Seems to be," Adrien replied. "Looks like me and Ladybug are still a team but he didn't mention you,"

 "True but the goal is never about getting mine or Ryuko's miraculous," He replied before looking at Sass. "You ready?"

 "Yesss," 

 "Alright. Sass! Scales Slither!"

 "Plagg! Claws Out!" Cat came out of the stall and the two heroes exited as Ryuko and Ladybug joined them before the four of them ran towards the exit again, only to be knocked down by Alix. Viperion landed on top of Ladybug but held himself up so he wouldn't crush her.

 "You ok?" He asked as they got up before looking at Alex. She looked at them in surprise and glee as Cat dusted himself down.

 "Crazy!" She declared. "So the message was for real,"

 "What message?" Ladybug asked as she pulled out her silver pocket watch and helped it up to the heroes.

 "This watch has been in my family forever and it's never chimed until today!" She gasped, excitedly, holding out the watch. "And there was a message for you, Ladybug!"

 "Huh?" Ladybug gasped as she took the watch and opened it. 

 "Nice work, Mini bug. You're right on time," A voice from the watch said, causing everyone to stare at it. "Now dig as deep as you can into the past and you will find the rabbit burrow,"

 "Dig deep into the past?" Ladybug questioned, thinking. "Any ideas?"

 "Not right now," Viperion admitted.

 "Did you also inherit a shovel to go with your watch by any chance?" Cat joked but everyone just glared at him, especially Alix. "Um... shovel... you know for all that deep digging,"

 "Of course!" Ladybug gasped. "What's the oldest exhibit in the museum?"

 "The Egyptian Collection," Alix replied, proudly. "My old man says some of it dates back more then 5000 years,"

 "Then that's where we need to go!" Ladybug declared. "Alix, lead the way,"

 "Alright!" She grinned, skating off. The heroes followed her and came to the collection. Ladybug started to knock around the stuff before she found an obelisk that sounded hallowed. Cat Noir rushed over and used his power, destroying it and revealing a woman dressed in a bunny themed outfit. Viperion stumbled back in fear and shock, knocking into a vase and causing it to break, making Ladybug to look over at him as the bunny girl yawned.

 "Mini bug! Kitty! Dragon girl! Mini snake! I knew you'd solve my riddle!" She gasped, jumping down. "A basic security measure in case the watch got stolen. Oh, mini snake, you look pale. The dreams have started, haven't they?"

 "Dreams?" Cat asked, looking at him as she studied at him. 

 "Hmm... you've only been having them for a week," She muttered.

 "I... yes..." He frowned, causing the others to frown. "I've been having night terrors-"

 "They're not night terrors. They're premonitions of something that's going to happen and I'm sorry, mini snake but you'll have to live through it to solve it," She frowned, patting his back.

 "Can you not help us?"

 "I can't. I'm sorry but my time line is a bit messed up. I'm from the future you see. I've already lived through that event and I know how it goes down but if I help you here and now with it, then that timeline won't happen," She explained, placing her hand on his shoulder. "So let's focus on this mission. I need to do something very important!"

 With that, she rushed off and they followed her before coming to the bathroom.

 "Excuse me," She disappeared inside as Viperion leaned against the wall. Ryuko leaned next to him as Cat Noir frowned and Ladybug paced.

 "So nightmares hm?" She asked.

 "I don't want to talk about it, Drake," He muttered, making her frown as Alix comes over.

 "Sometimes I get nightmares and so I talk to my dad about them. He thinks I'm nuts but the point is it helps to talk about them," She smiled, making him smile a little. "So what are they about?"

 "Everyone dying," He sighed, making them both frown. "I see Cat but he isn't himself-"

 "Is... Is he white with blue eyes?" Alix asked suddenly, causing him and Cat to frown.

 "Yeah. How did you know that?"

 "And everyone is dead and it's Paris but it's all cold and icy," She continues, making him frown. "I've had that dream every night for about a week. In the dream, I see her,"

 She points to the toilet, causing Ladybug to stop pacing and listen.

 "And you guys are fighting Cat Noir but he's not the Cat everyone know and then Ladybug gets hit and you're holding her, sobbing then Bunnyx gets hit by this bright light and I wake up, screaming in bed... I just thought they were dreams but-"

 "They're not," He replied, frowning. "But why are you getting them too?"

 "Well, rest assured guys," Cat grinned. "I'm not gonna go evil,"

 "That will because of me and Cat, you won't be able to help it," Bunnyx replied, coming out of the bathroom. "Allow me to explain how I got in that obelisk. This will also help you understand why you're getting those dreams. My name is Bunnyx. In the future, I'm a member of Ladybug and Cat Noir's team of superheroes. Well, the Ladybug and Cat Noir that you're gonna become cause you're more like mini bug and kitty noir right now.  Don't worry, mini snake and dragon girl. You're still a major part of the team. Anyway, within the team, I am the hero of the last chance, not to be confused with mini snake's power of second chance. I'm called upon when everyone else has failed, that includes you four,"

 "Hey, we just got you out of the stone, didn't we?" Cat pointed out. "Which means you must of failed too,"

 "Yes... well, no... it was actually your fault or more precisely, it will be," She replied, causing Cat to shrug. "In the future, one of your cataclysms will accidentally damage my miraculous. That's how Time Tagger will send me to ancient Egypt and get me stuck in stone,"

 She handed her broken miraculous to Ladybug, who frowned. 

 "Wait... then how are we gonna do that without the rabbit miraculous?" Ladybug asked, looking up at Bunnyx. She turned to Alix.

 "Do you have the watch?" She asked.

 "My watch?"

 "Yes. My watch, our watch," Bunnyx replied, causing Alix to take it out. She looked at it before slowly giving to Bunnyx. She hestiated, looking at her before getting a nod off the superhero. She placed it in her hand and instantly the watch transformed into the rabbit miraculous.

 "So this was a miraculous?" 

 "In camouflage mode," Ladybug gasped.

 "Fluff, counter clockwise," Bunnyx declared, turning into an adult version of Alix as everyone looked on in shock. 

 "But you are-" Alix gasped as the rabbit kwami bounced around them.

 "So mini me. You get it now," She grinned. "You're me and I'm you. Well, more precisely, I'm you when you grow up but that's why you've been getting those dreams. They're premonitions of an event that's to come and a side effect from miraculous that deal with time. That's why you've been getting them too, Mini snake. Of course, yours are lot stronger then ours. Our power is only to create portals through time. Yours is resetting time and as you know, you're the only person who remembers what happened. That's why mini me dreams that vision as if she is watching the event where as your dreams... I would guess they're in first person,"

 "Wow! I can't believe how cool I'm gonna be when I'm older!" Alix grinned, clearly excited. Ladybug frowned as she tried to wrap her head around this.

 "But wait... none of this makes sense... I never gave you... I mean her... I mean I never gave either of you the miraculous,"

 "You haven't given it to us yet, mini bug cause you haven't yet realized how awesome I really am," She grinned as Fluff appeared on her shoulder. "But don't worry. You will one day,"

 "I'm gonna get a miraculous! So cool!" Alix declared, making Ladybug smile as Bunnyx looked over at Fluff.

 "Fluff, snack time," She smiled, holding out a carrot. "You have to recharge your batteries,"

 The little rabbit ate it in a second.

 "Was that breakfast or dinner? What time will it be yesterday?" She asked, spinning upside down. "Is it tomorrow already? When it'll be the day after tomorrow, it will be yesterday again,"

 "That miraculous seems so powerful," Cat pointed out. "How comes we don't use it more often?"

 "Because travelling through time is very dangerous," She replied. "Interfering with events can have serious consequences,"

 A small beeping noise got Cat's attention.

 "Oops. Time for me to feed my kwami too," He grinned, rushing off.

 "I don't understand," Ladybug pointed out. "If you're from the future then you've gotta know how this all ends. You're younger self has seen it with her own eyes, which means you obviously know how to defeat Time Tagger,"

 "Actually, I've been in stone for so long I barely remember but I think the logical thing to do would be to take Time Tagger back to the future where he can be defeated by heroes his own size. I'll take care of this!"

 "Awesome!"

 "One thing I remember for sure is," She muttered, pulling a thinking face. "Mini me has to be there when I defeat time tagger. If she's still in my memory then she must play an vital role,"

 "Good, I wasn't planning on sitting on the bench this time!" Alix declared as future Alix took held out the watch.

 "Fluff! Clockwise!" She shouted out, causing Fluff to get sucked into the miraculous. She swiped her hand over her eyes, creating her mask then spun round and held her left hand. A blue glow slid across it, revealing her costume. She span round, creating the costume as she did. She put the watch in a pocket then pulled ears from her hair before holding out her left hand. A spinning ray of blue light appeared and transformed into the umbrella before she grabbed it and swiped it around. She opened it and striked a pose, finishing the transformation as Cat returned. The six of them ran as fast as they could towards the exit but not before Cat Noir stopped.

 "Ur guys you should take a look at this now!" He gasped, pointing to the artifacts. They all ran over and gasped.

 "Jagged?!" Viperion gasped as he saw him on a banner.

 "Time Tagger must have sent him back in time,"

 "Not just him. That's Nadja Chamack! Andre Glacier! Mayor Bourgeois!" Alix gasped as artifacts around them changed. Ladybug frowned deeply.

 "He's destroying our present by rewriting the past," Viperion stated.

 "Bunnyx, since the future me hasn't been able to stop Time Tagger coming here, I must not be that powerful," Ladybug frowned, causing Bunnyx to gasp in shock.

 "Are you kidding? You're... I mean you will be an awesome team leader, the great superhero ever!" She gasped, holding onto her shoulders. 

 "Then how do you explain Time Tagger?" Ladybug frowned.

 "I told you earlier. If Cat Noir hadn't cataclysm-ed my miraculous, Time Tagger wouldn't be here," She explained, looking at her. "In the future, you've defeated Doctor Sadness, the Ecliptic invaders, Pain and Tears the Twin Queens of the Inter-dimension and Nobestia, the evil sister of Megestia so believe me, you're not gonna be intidated by time tagger," She grinned. "Oh and I even forgot Monsieur Rat,"

 "Monsieur Rat?" Ladybug questioned.

 "You can always count on Ladybug!" Bunnyx grinned. "With her around, there's always a solution,"

 "How will I ever get to be like that?" She mumbled, looking down.

 "By growing up, Mini Bug," Bunnyx reassured as Cat Noir walked over.

 "Tell me, Bunnyx... are me and Ruyko still romantically attatched?" He asked, grinning.

 "Cat!" Ladybug scorned as Viperion shook his head and Ruyko shook her head. Bunnyx laughed.

 "Spoilers but I can tell you that you're both happy with your choices," She winked. "Let's get going!"

 The heroes all headed out and came to a stop, as Bunnyx frowned.

 "Looks like Time Tagger's been busy," Ryuko pointed out.

 "He's had enough time to spin a giant time web around us," Bunnyx frowned.

 "Meaning he can attack us from anywhere?" Cat asked.

 "More like from any time," Bunnyx replied as Time Tagger appeared.

 "Give me your miraclous, don't make me ask. It's pretty clear you're not up to the task," He rapped, causing them to roll their eyes. "When I bring them to Hawkmoth's door, Ladybug and Cat girl will be no more,"

 Cat took out his baton and spun it as Viperion went to push the head of the snake but Bunnyx stopped both of them.

 "Stay where you are. I'll deal with him and take him back to the future you," She stated. "It means nothing must happen to you in the mean time,"

 "Don't you want a reset?" Viperion asked but she shook her head.

 "I can return back from any point in time," She grinned before grabbing her younger self. "But first,"

 She jumped over to the ice cream stand and placed Alix down there before summoning her power. She jumped through a white orb and came on of another before she and Time Tagger continuously fought as the heroes watched on.

 "She doesn't need to transform back before she uses her power again," Cat gasped in shock.

 "No, because she's an adult," Ladybug confirmed.

 "I can't wait to grow up!" Cat declared as she whacked Time Tagger good. Viperion could see Cat Noir getting impatient and gave him a warning look as the two of them battled it out. She got some in but so did he. She almost threw him into a burrow but he disappeared and teased her with a rhythm before kicking her hard. She dived back into a burrow and landed a kick to his head. He bounced back and disappeared before tripping her up. He teased her again, calling her fluffy tail as they teleported across the web.

 "I can't stand watching them play Cat and Mouse like this," Cat sighed. "Cataclysm!"

 "Cat! Wait!" Viperion gasped.

 "Cat Noir! No!" Ladybug gasped as he ran at Time Tagger, who disappeared. Cat lost his foot and almost touched Bunnyx's umbrella but she moved out the way and he fell, keeping his hand away from anything before he got up.

 "See?! In the future, that's exactly how you damage my miraculous," She gasped before hitting Time Tagger through a burrow as he appeared out of no where. "I knew it! I knew you were going to do that! Who's the best now huh?"

 She grinned before turning to Cat Noir and the others.

 "Thanks for your involuntary help, my young friends!" She bowed before straightening up. "Now Bunnyx is going home!"

 A burrow appeared but she suddenly stopped and frowned as she looked around. 

 "Wait! This isn't the exact right moment," She muttered as the burrow disappeared. Time Tagger suddenly appeared and shot at her, causing her to disappear. 

 "Enjoy your trip to the ice age, fluffy tail," He grinned before pointing the gun at them. "We've wasted enough time. Give me your miraclous now!"

 At that point, a burrow appeared and Bunnyx stepped through shivering. The two of them started to fight again with Time Tagger sending her back to Cretaceous era and then forward to the future.

 "Maybe we should help her after all,"

 "You heard her! She's the only one who can solve this time problem. She can do it," Alix declared, pumping her fist in the air. "Go Bunnyx,"

 Time Tagger sent her back again and she reappeared, smoking before she aimed at him, only for him to trip her up. 

 "Sorry, Mini Bug. I just can't," She frowned, looking down. "Looks like I don't have a soluation after all,"

 "Urg... what if today is the day we grow?" Ladybug declared. "Viper, a save point please,"

 "You got it, Bug," He grinned, flicking the head of his bracelet. "Second Chance!"

 "Alright!" Alix grinned as Ladybug summoned her lucky charm. A note pad appeared out of thin air and she caught it.

 "What am I suppose to do with this?" She mumbled.

 "You work it out. We'll keep him busy!" Ryuko declared, charging at him. 

 "Ryuko, that way! Bug, try and work it out!" He ordered, pulling Bunnyx aside before throwing his Lyre at Time Tagger. Time Tagger aimed a hit at him and sent him back in time. He pushed the head back on his bracelet and opened his eyes.

 "Alright!" Alix grinned as Ladybug summoned her lucky charm. A note pad appeared out of thin air and she caught it.

 "What am I suppose to do with this?" She mumbled.

 "You work it out. We'll keep him busy!" Ryuko declared, charging at him. 

 "Ryuko, that way! Bug, try and work it out!" He ordered, pulling Bunnyx aside before throwing his Lyre at Time Tagger. Time Tagger aimed a hit at him but he dodged it this time.

 "Wind Dragon!" Ryuko shouted, sweeping Time Tagger off his feet before he suddenly disappeared and shot her. Viperion frowned and pushed the head back again.

 "Alright!" Alix grinned as Ladybug summoned her lucky charm. A note pad appeared out of thin air and she caught it.

 "What am I suppose to do with this?" She mumbled.

 "You work it out. We'll keep him busy!" Ryuko declared, charging at him. 

 "Ryuko, that way! Bug, try and work it out!" He ordered, pulling Bunnyx aside before throwing his Lyre at Time Tagger. Time Tagger aimed a hit at him but he dodged it this time.

 "Wind Dragon!" Ryuko shouted, sweeping Time Tagger off his feet before he suddenly disappeared. Before he could send her back in time, Viperion threw his lyre at him and landed a punch but Time Tagger disappeared and he got hit again. He pushed the head back again before opening his eyes.

 "Alright!" Alix grinned as Ladybug summoned her lucky charm. A note pad appeared out of thin air and she caught it.

 "What am I suppose to do with this?" She mumbled.

 "You work it out. We'll keep him busy!" Ryuko declared, charging at him but this time, he stopped her, making her look confused. "What are you doing?"

 "Letting it play out," He replied. 

 "What are you gonna do with that? Sign a defeat treaty!" Time Tagger laughed before pointing his gun at Bunnyx. "Now give me your miraclous or I get rid of your friend by sending her back to the big bang,"

 "Alright, you win. We'll give you our miraclous," Ladybug frowned, looking defeated.

 "I want the dragon and the snake too," Time Tagger declared.

 "Fine but all I ask is you give me a little bit of time to write an letter to apologize to my future self," She sighed, defeated.

 "Bug..." Viperion gasped, looking at her but somehow, this felt right.

 "Mi'lady, you can't!" Cat gasped. "Think of something! You always think of something!"

 "Fair enough, Ladybug," Time Tagger declared. "Wish granted,"

 "I don't have a pen. Can anyone lend me on please?" She asked, looking down. Alix produced one from her bag and handed it to Ladybug. She looked around and started to draw something.

 "Time's up," Time Tagger grinned. "My moment of victory has arrived,"

 "Oh. I can't find the words," Ladybug sighed. "It's pointless anyway. I won't even be ladybug in the future once we give up our miraculous," 

 "Please don't do this, Mini Bug!" Bunnyx gasped as Ladybug walked over to her.

 "Some problems simply don't have a solution," She stopped in front of her. "Go back to your time stream, Bunnyx. Make the most of your remaining time,"

 "No! I refused! I-" Ladybug placed her hand on her shoulder and knelt down next to her. She said something to her and then Bunnyx stood up and hugged her. Viperion frowned deeply as she dived into a burrow. Ladybug turned around and faced her friends.

 "Come on. We better give him our miraculous," She stated as the other three walked over. She took Viperion's hand and making sure all three of them could see her, she winked. They all walked over to him and stopped as he laughed before he walked over.

 "Your earrings are mine, baby bug. Oh, snake boy, keep your hands up. Don't want you resting the timeline now and Kitty Noir, cataclysm this so I can safely take your miraculous after I've got hers," He ordered, handing the pencil to Cat. "And Dragon girl, don't go changing into an element now,"

 He smirked as he reached for her earrings but a yoyo wrapped around his hands and dragged him over to a new burrow. Cat Noir's baton knocked his gun from it's holder and then Ladybug charged at it, grabbing it and throwing it to Cat Noir, who caught it with his cataclysm. With the akuma freed, she purified the butterfly and Time Tagger returned to his normal form as she helped him up.

 "Ladybug? Cat Noir? You guys are so young," He gasped, confused. "Where am I?"

 "The question should be more when are you?" Cat grinned as Bunnyx exited from the burrow. 

 "Come on, Chris. Let's go home," She smiled, walking away with him. He went through the burrow.

 "See, girl. We did it," The voice of the future ladybug declared. "We always will,"

 "Hey future Ladybug! When do I get my miraclous?!" Alix asked.

 "When you're as cool as I am, Mini me," Bunnyx grinned before everyone went to wave at her but Viperion's wave wasn't great. In fact, he still looked pale and fearful. She smiled though as she knew he would do something about it.

 "Hey, Mini Noodle," A male voice suddenly got Viperion's attention. A guitar pick suddenly appeared from the burrow and he caught it, looking at it with surprise. "Don't forget that there's always a solution to every problem. You just gotta be a wise old snake and learn from your mistakes"

 He looked up and saw sparkling green eyes next to sparkling blue eyes.

 "Come on, cotton tail! Me and Bug ha-"

 "Spoilers, you damned noodle!" With that, Bunnyx jumped into the burrow and Ladybug fixed everything. Cat Noir walked over and smiled.

 "Hey, about me going evil and all," He smiled, looking at the snake boy. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. The future isn't set in stone. Besides, Ladybug will always save the day. Right, Mi'lady?"

 "Right," Ladybug grinned as Viperion looked at the guitar pick. On one side, there was the ladybug symbol and on the other side the snake symbol. He smiled to himself before he tucked it away.

 "Whatever happens. I just gotta remember there's a solution for everything,"

[imagine-loki]

The Slutty Webs one Weaves

Title : The Slutty Webs one Weaves

Chapter NO. 5 of 10?

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki’s Asgardian wife learns women write fanfiction about him on a trip to Midgard. She’s edgy for the duration and lets him have it when they get back.

Author: lokilover9

Rating: M

Thor agreed Brianna going to Asgard a good idea as Loki presumed and shielded her from Heimdall's sight as a precautionary measure. Before leaving, the brother's sat observing Little Warrior lead Tony and Pepper to the couch and hand him a usb stick.

"What's this?" He asked.

"A computer virus. My revenge plan was to disembowel Jarvis if you hadn't kept your promise."

Stark eyed Loki who shrugged a shoulder. "Don't look at me. I only learned of it this morning."

"It's my creation, pretty nasty and should be destroyed." Said Brianna.

"How nasty?"

"It bears the potential to wipe out most of New York's power grids."

Tony was momentarily speechless. "I'll do that and am overjoyed you two became friends."

"Me too and sorry for being so rude when you touched my stuff."

"It's alright." Said Pepper.

"No it wasn't. You deserve to know why. Loki mentioned the homeless people right?"

"Yes."

"Dory was the first one I met. Taught me handy street smarts and helped shop for my boy clothes. Ran away from home because her moms boyfriend was a jerk. I encouraged her to call one day and when she learned they split up, convinced her to go home. Really smart person. Dreams of becoming an Astronaut. Anyway, she had a big crush on Captain America and gave me her favorite hat as a gift. Then I met Muriel. A mean looking older lady who was actually super sweet and protected me something fierce. Beat this guy up one night for trying to steal my blanket while cursing him sideways. She loved Chinese food and taught me self defence techniques, like how to poke a hole in someone's brain by shoving a chopstick up their nose."

Everyone's ears and attention piqued as Tony wondered if Muriel was a distant cousin of Sasquatch's. "Hopefully not on live subjects."

"No, silly. On a plastic skull she molded a face onto with clay. I paid for the supplies. Helping police identify people used to be her job in Arizona. Great way to kill zombies though. Best to behead them like with vampires and guarantee they've bit the bullet." Brianna then pulled a gold bracelet with a four leaf clover charm from her pocket. "Muriel was Irish and gave me this for good luck. It's too big so I carry it in my pocket. Before meeting you guys, they were the first people who were super nice to me. I fretted their gifts ruined in the wash."

"I'm sorry." Said Pepper.

"It's okay. I was just a little freaked."

'And nearly built a cave for the abominable snowman.' Thought Stark. "We were more worried about you after the fact."

"I could tell by your happy dance when I woke."

"Hey, badass did one too. In the hall. You didn't see."

Brianna giggled. "Thanks to you both for everything and I'm sorry for lying."

"Meh, we understand."

"I meant about not having a favorite Avenger. It's you uncle Cootyoodles. That's why I sought your help first. The Black Widow was my next stop."

Tony pictured Nat teaching her how to yank teeth out with pliers and felt twice as relieved for keeping that promise. "Nat's eccentric and hates zombies. I'm way more fun." Brianna suddenly hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. "Awe, Little Warrior. Friends forever?"

"Damn straight!" Then she did the same to Pepper. "I forgot to explain why you're a badass role model. Working so hard to become CEO of a massive company like Stark Industries and executing all that embodies? You rock! I hope to grow up as astute, diligent and athoritative. Maybe I'll run a company one day."

"You already possess those traits and will exceed my achievements."

No one knew that better than Loki who cleared his throat. "Grandmother and Grandfather go to bed early, Min Lille."

"One more minute, please?"

"Alright."

She studied Stark, pondering the best way to implement her request. "You don't have to do this, but… Not all homeless people are bad or crazy like others seem to believe. Many hit hard times and the world is so expensive, they couldn't keep up. No one I met lived on the streets because they wanted to. There just aren't enough shelters or resources available. You're rich Tony and could help them. Will you try?"

As Loki had succeeded with Frigga, those beautiful pleading eyes won her case. "You really know how to pull a guys heart strings, kid. I promise."

Loki wasn't aware she'd intended to ask this, yet was so proud of her. "Min Lille?"

"I know." She politely replied.

"You have to go." Tony suddenly stood and darted for the hall. "Be back in a jiffy."

"Meet him by the elevator, or you'll never leave." Suggested Pepper.

He returned and handed Loki a loaded Iron Man backpack. "More things? Shall I conjure a crate for the bifrost?"

They'd already given her an overstuffed suitcase of clothes and toys and Stark held a gift bag in hand. "Be quiet, you. It's a peanut butter stash. Does Asgard have bananas?"

"Yes." 'Thank the Norn's.'

Tony knelt before Brianna. "I would've packed some tater tots, but you ate them all again."

She smirked. "My goof."

"Rascal. Try to ignore a wee, bitty smidgen, you aren't into girly stuff? We couldn't help ourselves with you off to Asgard."

Brianna pulled from the bag a pink baseball cap that said Warrior Princess in tiny diamond gems and proudly adorned it. "You sure know how to pull a girls heart strings."

"I put some Motown CD's in there too. Teach Dad to moonwalk." Loki sighed, pushed the elevator button and Tony playfully whispered. "From a distance. In case he trips over his own big feet." He hugged her again and summoned Jarvis.

"Yes, sir?"

"Our friend is leaving."

"Goodbye, Little Warrior." Said the AI.

"Bye. Sending you a virtual hug."

She joined Thor inside while Loki shook hands with Tony, his expression saying everything. "Any time. Now get the 'bleep' out of my Tower before I thieve your Daughter."

Brianna shouted as it closed. "There's presents on your bed! I'll miss you!"

Peppers was a black t shirt with gold letters that read Badass Role Model and Tony's was a monsterous box filled with tater tots.

"Don't do it, Butch. If you cry, I'm gonna cry." ***** Loki had purposely slowed the elevator allowing her time to give Thor a drawing.

"Mjolnir in a field of flowers? Thank you fair maiden."

"It's a scratch n' sniff."

"A what?"

Loki picked up Brianna. "You scratch the flowers, then sniff them. The effect is most appealing the stronger you inhale."

Thor took a whiff and wriggled his nose. "Quite the nostril tickler. What should they smell like?"

"Try harder." 'Doofus.'

He took another, looked cross eyed at Loki and began swaying. "...Brother..you…" Then down he went striking the floor with a thud the tip of his nose covered in sparkly dust.

"Sorry, uncle Thor."

Loki chuckled at her wince. "The spell is mild and shall soon wear off."

"Is he hurt?"

Loki let her down to hurle the hefty Thor over his shoulder. "Us God's are resilient. Your uncle once endured a skirmish with the Hulk." After escorting them through a portal and delivering Brother oaf to his bed, he lead Brianna through a second into some woods.

"That was awesome! Will you teach me how to do it?"

"Not in the near future. It's very complicated, darling and I'd hate to think you lost in another dimension." 'Or vanishing one day as an angry teen with a troublesome suitor I dream of throttling.'

"Okay." Brianna nervously scanned the area. "Now what? Carnivores hunt these woods."

"Northern Alberta is home to many. Never go outside without me and none will harm you."

"But wolves hunt in packs and grizzlies are bigger than you."

He booped her little nose. "I'll smell them before they smell us and neither possess deadly weapons in interdimensional pockets."

"Where our luggage is? I tried hiding bigger items in them and the darn things wouldn't come back. Hannah was furious, but I didn't care."

"What did you hide?"

"The back wheels of her Lamborghini, Gallardo. I overheard my Mother tell Claudia she got it from her rich boyfriend."

Loki recalled from spending time with Stark this wasn't a billionaire's vehicle, yet financially unattainable to the average Midgardian. "I see. Did she mention his occupation?"

"Plastic surgeon."

Brianna deserved that minor victory and although he wouldn't encourage it, one cannot preach vengeance a negative path when mapping their own. 'Perhaps he'll be useful to the sluts after I'm done.' "Ah. Care to see what I did while you slept last night?"

"You left me?" She confusedly asked.

He picked her up again. "It was necessary and I returned, yes? I won't abandon you, Og Min Lille."

"Never?"

"Never, darling. "Loki headed for a shack nearby nestled amidst some bushes. With its crooked roof, faded wood and door minus a hinge the structure looked ready to collapse.

"We're staying there?"

"Why not? I'll conjure an outdoor toilet." He teased. "Sheltered of course."

"Ewww."

"Come now. At night we'll have heated beds and during the day, roast squirrels on an open fire."

She scrunched her face in disgust. "Blech! I'd rather eat tree bark."

"You'll get an awful tummy ache."

They entered the dingy space and Brianna instantly focused on the filthy floor covered in forest debris. So intently, she didn't notice the sturdier frames of the structure only visible from within. "How will we keep the door closed and is that poop?"

Loki rolled his eyes at some turds in a corner. "The cabin is made of Brazilian Ebony."

"One of the strongest woods on earth." She commented.

He arched an intrugued brow. "Stained to appear aged, it's also bulletproof in light of human hunters. Consider the other materials deceiving movie props. The 'raccoon' poop is genuine." It vanished with a wave of his hand. "Now, did you mean that door?" It closed and he conjured a deadbolt onto the surface with a panel directly above. "Place your hand in the center?" Brianna did and it glowed green, spreading magic from the center throughout every surface like glowing, emerald fireflies. As they dimmed, Loki turned around. "Or this one?" The floor, suddenly cleared of debris had a sliding glass door in the center.

Brianna gasped in wonder, glancing between him and the mystery beneath. "Where does it go?"

"Did you think a sorcerer Prince would allow his Princess daughter to dwell in a shabby old shack?"

"Ancestry aside, I sincerely hoped not. Even an RV would've been better."

He chuckled at her frankness. "And you worried of uncle Thor bumping his head? The shacks purpose was added safety should a need arise and to keep our secret entrance hidden. "Once the outer door locks, only the interior alters. To outsiders, nothing changes." It opened and he carried her down a mutedly lit spiral staircase, each step progressively illuminating the space below.

At the bottom, she slid from his arm in awe. "Shut the front door! You 'definitely' have to teach me how to do this."

Min Lille was referencing conjuring. Another ability Loki thanked the Norns she didn't yet possess, having confessed so before requesting Tony and Pepper's gifts. "In time. Beyond that archway, another surprise awaits." Loki followed and suddenly pondered Brianna conjuring a future dwelling for herself and that troublesome suitor. 'Lessons commence when your forty.' ***** Thor woke to find two notes in his shirt pocket. One for himself the other, Astrid; 'Sleep well, Brother? We won't be returning to Asgard just yet. Please give this to my wife? I recommend waiting several days, discreet delivery and a hasty exit. A visit will follow and when interrogated, lie. Tell her Brianna came to you and don't mention her ice concoction. Unless you enjoy Father's company when several fries short of a happy meal. As I planned our escape without Tony's knowledge, do avoid his unnecessary panic and Pepper seeking our demise, by not telling our dear friend? Min Lille is safe.'

"That shyster." He grumbled. Jane returned in six days as would Astrid to a missing Loki. Waiting risked a molotov cocktail interrogation. His beloved and coronary inducing sister-in-law, banging down their locked bathroom door while the mighty Thor coward behind a shower curtain. Plus Maxi Waxis training schedule ended in two days. Bribery assured those lips zippered, but Heimdall would think his hastiness suspicious. He called to the trainee in the middle of the night, snuck into the palace and raced back to the observatory like the looney tunes road runner. "Spend it well nincompoo..eh he, Max. Asgard is lucky to have you."

Guilt ridden over her outburst and already missing Loki, Astrid returned in the morning to find the note.

Frigga was preparing to join her belly dancing instructor when she barged into the foyer and flung herself at the Allmother.

"Bwaaahahaa! I want a divorce!"

"Hells bells and bilgesnipe testicles. What has my shameless son done this time?"

"Frigga, your language." Scolded Odin.

She patted Astrid's back. "Oh shush. As if your cursing hasn't scarred the servants ears."

[breaniebree]

A Second Chance Chapter 219

I received an amazing number of reviews on this chapter and I wanted to share them/address some of them here to show my immense appreciation for those who take the time to drop me a line or two for what I write.

Some of you have decided after this chapter you can no longer follow my story and while it saddens me, I expected it.  I write first for myself and I know where I want this story to go and while I hope you all keep reading it -- I know that not everyone will continue it. 

Devereaux13: I can’t. You really just did that to us? Started this story with a oh! Sirius is gonna live! But NOO u had to frick us all over. Oh my god. I love you for this story but hate you for this story. I cried more this time than the cannon one. Goddamn

Lightningscar: Huh, well, judging from the reviews, this chapter is getting you a lot of heat... personally, I though it was great in many ways, both in action, description of thoughts/feelings and great descriptions of what was going on. My biggest beef, though, gotta be this: *Ginny grabbed Luna's hand and the two of them climbed onto the wolverine's back* Ehm, it is likely it was explained in previous chapters, and if memory serves, Animagi are generally slightly larger than their natural counterparts, but... a wolverine is generally about the same size as a medium dog, shoulder height being around 30-45 cm (12-18 inches), 65–107 cm (26–42 in) long (not counting the tail). Basically, Ginny and Luna are crawling on top of a Spaniel or a Golden Retriever (on the small size) Yes, wolverines are ridiculously strong compared to their size, capable of carrying prey many times its own size... carrying dragging it. One big difference between carrying something in its powerful jaws, compared to carrying something heavy on its back. A few other minor beefs Ehm, why did Voldemort pull a Jafar on the cat (Lady G, was it?) and not outright kill it? So they got giants wandering down mid London without anyone being the wiser? I'm sure you have thought of the logistics about it :) Well, all in all, great chapter. Things have advanced rapidly compared to canon, for better (less Horcruxes) and worse (Ministry bye-bye)... though, in the latter case, it can be interpreted somewhat ambigious. Fallen as in the place (which was a given, seemed to be completely overrun suddenly... makes one wonder where all of the defence forces went, guess we will find out sooner) or if it has fallen as an orginazation like they did in canon. Curious to see what happens next. Yours sincerely, Lightningscar

Menna Taha: Ok let me just say.. Sirius was going into battle with the intent to save his son, knowing that his Fiancée who he was very much in love with was pregnant with TWINS. I mean you’d think he would be more careful than in the books where he was reckless, lonely, rusty and under house arrest in a place he hated. Also the ministry fell! Just like that! After all the preparation and the relations with the french, Bulgarian and Russian ministries AND the fae and the army they made AND the warning they recieved! What were they fucking sleeping! I love you please don’t hate me.

They were not sleeping, but they weren’t prepared like they should have been.  It’s a problem that will be addressed.

HGRHfan35: Well...shit... This was a really bad idea: to read this in bed. How the blazes do you expect me to sleep, now?!

Daddy: WTF! Why end it here. WHY!

Wade Bradford: Noooooooooooooooo!

AZfangirl: i cant believe you killed sirius. this one really hurts

Ofglitterandgiggles: I’m broken

axelvaz: Started this about a week ago and I’m finally all caught up! But oh my gosh! What a cliffhanger! Sirius!

Emeralds and Rubies: I thought we might get off easy when Pettigrew fell through the veil, butI’m heartbroken for Harry and Zee, but you definitely did this whole plot point justice.

maximusrexmundi: Eeeeeehhhhh so I was with you until the very end. I just can't imagine a Voldy who is objectively in a weaker position (than in the books) being able to muster a force that could attack and defeat a FULLY prepared ministry who both knew he was coming AND had international allies

Runningtwiceasfast: I have to say I am incredibly impressed with this chapter. I am obviously sad as I was in canon when Sirius died but due to the more uplifting tone of your work overall that you would shy away from a turn like this. Sirius' death is so important in canon a it really is a turning point in the story. Obviously when Cedric died it was sad but Sirius' death made everything all the more real. Your Harry has gotten so much more of a life and childhood than canon Harry but he too is now faced with the reality of life without Sirius. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Joanne: Wow! I’m so sad. I’ve been listening to Led Zeppelin in honour of Siri. I had hoped that this part of canon would be ignored but alas. War is war. Amazing storytelling: you made us feel this loss and that takes talent. I both dread and look forward the next chapter. Will Harry take Ginny with him? Will the breakup occur? Did Remus and Tonks make it out? Will there be a funeral? So many questions! Enjoy your birthday and rest while we all grieve.

Ahugefun: I need you to undo sirius death. Im not joking He shouldnt Not with zee pregnant and harry so attached to him Its not fair to us the readers who enjoyed your story so much andddd already mourned sirius a little bit when he was kissed before you changed that.. Im hoping that you wont kill remus and tonks in the end of the war. U are your own story and if somthing happen in jkr world doesnt mean it should here!

Everything that happens in JKR’s world is what inspired me to write my story so of course it affects it.  Some will be the same, some will not -- includes character death.  Not everyone will die who did in canon, but some will, and some who survived in canon, will die here.  

jakegarrett94: nooooooo not sirius

Leaf Ranger: ...I'm sorry...but this...this is exactly why I called fucking bullshit in the last chapter. Because of all this. This. My problem isn't the pacing of your story. My problem is all this death and carnage and bullshit happened...not because of something realistic...but because the Grey lady, for no reason, was a cryptic dumbass. That is my problem. While it'd be hard to swallow, I'd have accepted most of what happened in this chapter if there was an ACTUAL reason, in the story, as to why they weren't able to be told where the diadem was. but there wasn't. The only reason was solely because YOU wanted it that way. And it's your story, fine, but at the very least, there should be a damn good reason WHY, in the story itself, things happen the way they do. It should never...EVER be just because you, the author, want it to happen that way. because then it breaks the immersion of the reader, if something happens solely for the sake of you, the author, having it happen that way. *sighs* To be honest? I'm sorry, but this, this just is too much. You killed off Sirius and had the Ministry fall DESPITE the preparations they had already made, despite the warnings they had. That just...no. I'm sorry, but no. I'm done. Thanks for what was a pretty entertaining story up to this point, but after this? Just nope. It's not worth it. It really isn't.

Sorry to hear that, but again, it is obvious to us the readers where the diadem is, but not to them.  The Grey Lady can be cryptic if she wants as she’s dead and has nothing to lose, it’s up to our heroes to find the answer.  Sorry you feel it’s not worth it, thanks for reading as long as you did.

Redplayer1998: Please tell me it's a trick sirius can't be dead not after 200 chapters of building his character please no

Dutchie: Oh man Sirius died, bummer! Still a great story.

Whiton: Hey I’m a bit late but I wanted to say happy belated birthday. I love this story it’s fun it’s sad it’s thought provoking and is just a wonderful thing to read. Hope this finds you well and hope you keep writing.

AkashiyaHyrule: What the... this can't be it. What's the point of creating all that military platoons, and gathering allies-if the Ministry are just going to fall so fast? This feels waaay to early for this story plot to occur. But that's just my opinion. Hopefully you got a plan that works, and it's believable. It's also in my opinion that if Sirius Black's "death" is true (hope it's not), Zacharias should not be with anyone else or find someone else to replace him. I suspect you might do something of that nature. You haven't shy away from all the random romances that occurs, even in minor characters. Don't think I haven't notice your tendencies to ship characters! Anyways, it would be annoying, weird, not the same, awkward, and off-putting. I hope that will never happen. But then again, this your AU, so you have the final say on what you want to implement. I invested a lot of my time in this piece of fanfic, so I don't wish for it be ruined by very disagreeable choices (it's all subjective, of course). I mean no disrespect, as I know writing is a tough pastime, and you deserve to be commended for the amount of time you put into your AU. So, good luck. You deserve your break, and hopefully things will be explained Chapter 220! P.S: He's really dead, isn't he? I guess I would have to expect the death of Remus, Tonks, Fred Weasley, Colin Creevey, Lavender Brown (at least in the movies), Dumbledore, Snape, Moody, Dobby, etc, etc. P.S. Why the hell am I just naming character deaths?

Guest: There . Are . No . Words. Saz J

Guest: I, like so many other readers here, have absolutely loved the changes you have made to the story of Harry & Sirius - it has been a wonderful story that we have looked forward to reading every week. However, as much as I love your story, I am upset and disappointed that you had this last chapter play out the way it did. You have, for 218 chapters, written about great changes and strengths for Harry, all the others, and especially Sirius. To have this last chapter happen almost like the original version (book & movie) is a bit of a let-down to your earlier chapters. I will still look forward to reading your story, but maybe without the enthusiasm I have had this past year.

KittenWithAnAx: damn it! I'm crying! Why do I always hope that Sirius survive? even when I watch the movie I hope he don't die! I hate and I love you! yes A break is need! let us mourn in peace! my baby died! and I know that in two weeks I will be back! because I'm too curious and I love how you write! I will still mourning Sirius but I will be back... anyway I will go cry in the shower! have a nice two week break! (and Happy Birthday!)

Blitz90: Hello Breannie ! First of all, I wanna say that your story is awesome ! I really like many of the change that you bring to the HP world! Congrats on that ! Now, about chapter 219, nice chapter all around but I felt that the training they got change nothing but maybe because of the stress to fitgh Death Eater explain it to... maybe you can show me the light on this ? Second, the death of Sirius... I must say that I am disapointed about that. I know that you said in the beginning that it will be ultimately a Hinny story but for me, Sirius was the heart and soul of you fiction. Lets hope that he is just in shock or king of a coma !

Qarz: You put a lot of effort into this, writing so many words is nothing to sneeze at and it shows dedication. However, you don't seem to understand that actions have reactions. If you make changes in Canon then the whole story has to change to make any modicum of sense. You didn't do that and the more than 1.5m words are a waste since it led to the same place and somehow things are even worse than in said Canon. I truly pity those who read this huge story just to be disappointed.

nesciamema: Kinda disappointed by Harry's shoddy fighting since they've all been training for a while, the only one who seemed to be thinking strategically was Ginny before she was taken out. Hoping Zee doesn't miscarry and fights for the babies rights as heir to the Blacks. No way in hell should any Malfoy hold the title with what just happened.

goldenone: thank you for posting this on my birthday it was a great gift but also HOW COULD YOU IMA CRY

aj613: ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod I was hoping Sirius would be spared holy shit oh my god whyyy? Amazingly written as always, BUT WHY?! THEY WERE GONNA GET MARRIED AND HAVE BABIES AND HARRY CALLED HIM DAD I—

Rufus777: I understand why you had to kill Sirius. But it still makes me sad. Well written as always. I've been a fan since chapter one. I had forgotten about the Dursley stuff. Good on you to remind everyone of those memories. Keep up the awesome -rufus

kyle.grimm90: I am so sad that Sirius died again... I was really hoping he would survive this time. I love you story is so addictive but I wish that would have gone different. I was so excited he didn’t go through the veil I was jumping for joy and then wammm he died. I won’t stop reading but it killed me when he died.

Haillie: WHAT! OH COME ON!

yunkol76: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Thanks for the present! Now time to enjoy another GREAT chapter

coloredwords: First things first. A very happy birthday to you. I hope you have (had) a wonderful day. Second I wish you no riot reviews for your birthday. As much as I want to know what happens next, I respect you too much to shout and riot. But what a chapter! Damn. When Peter fell through the curtain I thought for a second Sirius would be safe. But alas. My last hope lies within some time turner or time room miracle. And all of a sudden we skipped right to the beginning of DH. I'm so curious to see what happens next. Have fun writing and enjoy your two weeks off. I will be here, waiting patiently.

Fruitcake49: I would rather this entire chapter be a nightmare. Why do Sirius and Harry always get the short dirty end of the stick? Such terrible childhoods and Sirius has to die leaving Harry alone. I gotta tell you if anyone other than a character in a story were put under this much pain and unhappiness they would crack and cease to function. As much as I like this story, Harry needs Sirius. I'm tired of people killing him off.

Steelcode: NO NO NO NO NO! HE WAS GOING TO GET MARRIED...HE HAS KIDS! WHAT ABOUT HARRY'S KIDS! WHAT ABOUT SIRIUS' FUTURE! PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS ANOTHER JOKE PLEASE!

X.pix.X: Happy birthday, and great chapter

Undead Gothic Princess: you are mean and a god all at once! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading this, then took a sigh of relief when pettigrew died cuz I thought "hey, Sirius will be fine now, he survived!" then wham! I dont think he's really dead dead though. they'll either be a way so that it was polyjuice or maybe they use a time turner. something better happen so that he just appears through the front door/hospital wing and is like "whys everyone so down when my hansome face is here?!" please let it be true, otherwise I dont think I can go on in this cruel world xxx

HarryPotterLover2422: Such an amazing chapter! I have enjoyed reading this story for quite some time now and look forward to each new chapter. I am so sad with what happened to Sirius, but I am looking forward to what’s to come! I loved the Lucius called Theo his son that was amazing! I think one of my favorite things about this story, other than how amazing it is, is how you humanize especially the Malfoy family in terms of Draco and Theo. Amazing as always! Happy belated birthday! Can’t wait for more! ️

Leo: Happy Birthday! I was so excited to see that you have written this chapter, until I read it, I can't believe you've hit us with the double whammy. This chapter both made me cry and amazed at your incredible writing skills. I hope you carry on and finish this story. However, most importantly, please, please please, please, puppy eyes please can you post the chapter. I know you said you won't but imagine puppy eyes, you know you can't say no to that. Keep us the brilliant work.

I am imagining puppy eyes, but no, I’m sorry.

GoldenPotterFan: Chapter 219 and the first time I am commenting. Started reading this story between Christmas and New Year 2018 and read all chapters up to then by the time I went back to work. Since then I have waited for updates every week. Somehow, I don't believe that Sirius is dead. Just a feeling I have. I also think Lucius might be working against Voldemort while still not quite working for the Order. I would not be surprised if he saves Sirius somehow. I cannot wait for another update. PS Happy Birthday, I hope you had a great day :)

devonleney27: HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! Thank you for the gift of this chapter, sorry I didnt get you anything!

DoodleBug78: OMFG cannot believe that! Really?!

witchyromy: mmmm i would have thought that with the time living in the magical world, and all the extra training harry has done, with sirius and remus and mischa and the rest of the group as well in the extra defense lessons that this would have gone better, they almost only used stupify and some 1st year spells. The whole thing is 80% the same as the original... i have to say i am a bit disappointed.

Sorry to hear that, but I kept what I needed to keep in there for a reason and I hope you will stick around to see that, but if not, well thanks for reading.

Guest: Welp, I’m crying. I’ve been following this story for a while, and honestly didn’t expect to be so upset about Sirius’ death, again. You’ve done wonderful work at recreating this moment. There are so many tiny complexities in this rendition and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Hoping zee’s fall didn’t hurt those babies. Thank you for your work. ️

snowball0709: Happy birthday! Hope you have a great day:) Now to the story.. HOW COULD YOU KILL SIRIUS? This story is all about his second chance! And the wedding, the twins... come on, siriusly! I really hope you have something up your sleeve and that he miraculously lives somehow. Can't wait to read the next chapter!

Lolikiano: I'm so excited you posted early! I can live with the cliffhanger as an exchange! Your stories have inspired me to write my own fanfiction and I can't thank you enough for that! I'm looking forward to your next update in two weeks! P.S. I love the "Surprise" pregnancy (which i TOTALLY called when Zee got ill!) I can't wait to read Harry's reaction!

Maggie1874: I'm so sad and disappointed that Sirius died. I was really hoping he'd live in your story.

Krazyasibe: Happy birthday! But why would you do that! I love Sirius!

alix33: No need for anyone to shoot Nott senior in his undersized wanker, Ginny will just have bat bogeys coming out of it rather painfully (and satisfactorily for us readers) in a jiffy. Dumbles had sweet fanny adams to do with the six being able to turn into animaguses. I like Lady Godiva's way of dealing with Death Eaters far better than I do any of the light side's humans' only effective for a couple of seconds stupefying. That vile bitch Bellatrix killed Sirius! I wonder which charm was used on the statue which made it keep Harry away from Dumbles and Tom Riddle junior.

wheezing-reader: Happy Birthday! Your story is probably one of my all-time favorite fics! Saying that WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK! No. This is not okay. I'm not okay with this.

Josh: Can't believe you killed Sirius! Hope something miraculous is going to happen. This is supposed to be about "A Second Chance" for him, so he needs to be alive!

Menna Taha: Happy birthday! But still how fucking dare you

jmdaz44: I know Sirius canon-ly dies in the fifth book but I was hoping you’d spare us somehow, especially after the proposal and pregnancy. Instead you were just fattening us up to be slaughtered. You’re cruel. I love the story and your writing but it hurts. It hurts. I truly hate your Bella. I should have waited to read this until this evening because now I feel like my whole day is ruined and it is just starting. I hope you’ve got something feel-good planned because I’m pretty down on this right now. I guess that parallels where we are in the story; things are getting real and nothing is for certain anymore. Hope is a dangerous thing.

alyson3il: First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you have a wonderful day, and short hiatus to get everything straight! Second of all, WHHHHYYYYYY?! WHY? Why? Y? y? WHHYYYY! I thought Sirius would be SAFE, you lured us into security with Peter, but then it just HAD to happen. I got my hopes up that it wouldn't be him, he had Zee, he had the twins on the way, HE WAS GONNA GET MARRIED! I get that things happen, BUT THIS THING DIDNT NEED TO HAPPEN, or maybe it did. You're the author, you have a plan in place, and you know what you're doing. I'll just be hurt for the next two weeks.

Miss Elyon: 1) Happy birthday dear ! All good for you! 2) Thad Nott - It was too late! (I loved that Lucy killed this son of a troll) And Wormtail ... I'm sure you will be very well received in hell! 3) Bella ... fucking crazy bitch ... something will come to you and it won't be pretty! 4) More importantly - You made me cry so fucking hard with Sirius. I went into depression until you post again. I truly love your story (although it makes me cry like a baby!). The pain at his death was more brutal than the book. I know you have something planned (I hope) and I will be reading (with a sniffling nose) the next chapter! To cure this chapter I'll read the whole story again and cry all over again ... I think I like to suffer ... kkkk See you in the next chapter ;)

chefke: o.m.f.g. omfg. I'm freaking out

xcherry91x: OMG NOOOOOO! I was hoping that Sirius wouldn’t die. I cried when I read that. The babies! They gots no daddy

SuperBossy: Not happy at all.

rolly21: I can’t believe you killed Sirius. I was really hoping that you wouldn’t.

LilyBlack18: I was so not expecting that. I was sure Sirius wouldn't die . My god, reading his death again was pure torture. At least Harry still have Zee, Remus, etc. I'm so sad, though... I really thought you wouldn't keep that part of the story, and you gave me false hope when Peter died x)

greg.is.wilson: You are evil.

Mutt N. Feathers: Yes my dear, I do trust authors. Needless pain is never inflicted by them. I made readers think I killed Sirius too, but instead had other plans. You love him too much. I live in hope. Mutt

supersandman86: Oh man! Not Sirius! He just got his life to perfection. Loving son, a fiance and a child on the way. Nice to see Wormtail redeem himself by shoving zee out of the way and Thaddeus got what he deserved. Now we just need to give Crouch and Bellend Lestrange pain that even they can't endure. This was always the dark point in the whole franchise in my opinion, where Harry felt the most hopeless. Let's see how it goes.

Sirius black411: You are so cruel...so so soooo cruel. They were going to get married...have twins and raise them.. How could you?! I can't imagine what Zee must be going through but she is still there for Harry. She will be a great mother.

Wodril: This Sirius didn't really seem like the guy to be done in while taunting. Not being hit by the killing spell, and the whole "he'll writhe in pain as he dies" spiel makes it a bit more uncertain. I never really appreciated him coming back to life after the dementors, and kinda hope, for the sake of the story, he'll stay dead this time. He will probably show up as an inferi anyway?

Jewels46: Omg... I’m crying! You’ve reduced me to tears. I know it was a very real possibility, but I hoped it wouldn’t actually come to fruition even though I understand the significance. I do really like how you wrote his death though, a much more fitting end. The bit you added with Peter had led me into a false sense of security that the lovable mutt would be safe. I just can’t even right now. Wonderful chapter. I’m going to cry some more and eagerly await the next one

Dianne: Yes I need atleast 2 weeks to emotionally reconstruct myself after this bombshell of a chapter. Deep breaths in and out. Curious about how you've brought a 7th year canon event now itself. I'm not sure I even took in everything coz I was crying so hard and couldn't read clearly, was reading this at clg and I surprised everyone by suddenly crying out loud and sobbing :'( and everyone was baffled when I said one of my most favourite characters just died painfully and I was crying for that, but they don't understand the power of reading or the power of HP thankyou for an early update and kudos you're an amazing writer!

purplevictory: That wasn't nice. I mean, happy birthday and everything, but did your present to yourself really have to be the torture of your fans? I know Sirius will be fine, I just don't know how you're planning to get there. Thank you for the early chapter. But, when your birthday celebrations are over you really ought to write "I will stop being mean to my readers" 50 times. You don't have to use a blood quill.

Write lines as punishment?  I don’t have time for that, I need to write the next chapters.

xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Noooooo I can’t believe that after all this you still killed Sirius! When his life was finally all good with babies on the way!

eternal king of fire: wow this chapter was a tear jerkier poor sirus and zee

speedsONEandONLY: No. Nope. No. I refuse to see this as a real chapter. None of this happened. I mean what was the point of letting them be happy, of getting rid of the Horcrux early. Only to fucking destroy them. To make him want to sacrafice, kill himself anyway. This chapter didn't happen. This is a "what couldve been" I doesn't make any fucking sense. Nor does it for the narrative. So, No. I refuse to think, Believe, You could be so heartless to characters/people you love. That you made us love. I don't see anyway how the story Could really go on, if this chapter actually happened. It reads more like the last Twilight movie from when Aro rips off Carlisles head. Sorry, but no.

Sorry, I guess I’m heartless.  Comparing me to Twilight though, that’s heartless. 

Ari Black-18: I know that this is a war, but please let Sirius escape death again, don't do this please, please make this better, tell me that Remus and Tonks somehow save him, tell me that even tho he is in bad condition he's still alive, don't leave his twins and Harry without a father, don't live Zee without her love, don't rip away Remus's brother from him, give him a second chance from the original story, let him be there with Harry at the end, the world it's already too shitty for it even to suck in a fanfic. Call me naive or delusional, but I actually believe that this is not over, I trust you enough to know that you wouldn't do this, your story it's to damn good to lose such a character just like that, so I know you are going to fix it, you're going to pull a surprise under your sleeve and make us love it so much. I believe in you, I mean you wouldn't just kill Sirius like that, not this Sirius, your Sirius. I trust you, I know you wouldn't do this. Please enjoy your break, chill, eat a lot of snacks, maybe even party a little, and then, please, bring our uncle Siri back.

Seriuslypadfoot: Hey Breanie, very well written as per usual. I hope Sirius isn’t actually dead, as this story is one of the few Sirius and Harry fics that I have thoroughly enjoyed and don’t want his character to end this way. Powerful moment with Malfoy in this chapter, but I wish he showed more backbone and fully went against the death eaters like his family wants. Again, hope Sirius doesn’t end here, the death will really hurt the story in my opinion. But this is your story so write it how you will. Thanks for your hard work!

Thank you!  Malfoy doesn’t have much of a backbone, but I do have a plan for him.  I’m sorry you feel that Sirius’ death hurt the story, I think it’s important for what’s next.

DetroitNate: A review? I hated this chapter. Oh the writing is great as usual, but what happened in it? I hated, loathed, detested it. I hope justice comes and comes quicker than Hinny did in this story cause it is getting too difficult to read of how these vicious bastards seem to get away with anything they want. JKR did two things I can't stand in canon kill off Sirius and Fred and now I'm wondering if this story will follow her on that pattern... I hope not, I really do.

Thank you and I promise, justice will come quicker than Hinny -- as in it won't take another 197 chapters, maybe 196, just kidding! 

Paola1991: So is this death for real or is he coming back? I mean you tricked us once. I guess i kind of assumed you’d never kill him off because it was kind of a sirius fix it story? Where he gets a better life? This took me by surprise. Its primarily why i hate book 5. I thought someone else was gonna die instead. Hes the one character i would never kill i guess. Especially with zee having his kids! Not sure how i feel.

Guest: can i honestly beg something? can you please bring back sirius alive? please? i know u wont do it.. u have a plan with ur story... but as a big big fan of ur story im really really begging will u please?

Queen Raja: Wow. And I thought the book’s death was heartbreaking! Seriously, bravo. I don’t cry easily, and this chapter made me UGLY cry! Waiting until two weeks will be very hard, but I’m glad you’re able to take some much deserved time for yourself and Dusk. Happy Birthday, Breanie!

Maisie: how and why could you do this to mee im cryinggg please say its looking better in the next chapter

midnitewanderer: Dumbass went and reread it. Not gonna lie, it was a brilliant chapter but I am still this close to hunting your ass down and forcing to rewrite Sirius back in. Where’s my angry emoji when I need it. I can’t help but feel that you wrote Zee the way you have specifically for this chapter. Not only does she come into their lives and becomes the best pseudo mom ever written in any HP fanfic, she basically adopts Harry into her entire family. Sure there’s stories out there with the Weasley’s treating him as one of their own but not like this. ZEE’S ENTIRE FAMILY ADOPTS HARRY. Your sneaky ass has been prepping us from the beginning of her intro! He calls them all Grandad/Grandpa, Grandmama/Grandma, etc. so that eventually he sees that he’s never truly alone. Then enter the Weasleys, McGonagall, Rem&Tonks, Andi&Ted, Dumbles, Nev, Lu, Mione, he’s surrounded by so much love. I just know the next chapter is going to be hard for me seeing as I’m a crybaby but damn it to hell, I can’t wait. 2 whole weeks. What am I gonna do?

Thank you.  I guess I was kind of sneaky like that, wasn’t I? 

Zacnelson0628: Breanie... I kinda had a feeling that was going to happen. Still really sad though. I hope you kill of bellatrix in a spectacular manner.

I will do my best -- I do know exactly how it will happen and who will do it.

notthatchhavi: Oh, wow!  I don't know what to say!  This was a extremely well-written chapter When Lucius said that Theo was his son...it was such a moment I went ooooooohhh Well other then that..I cried I literally cried when Sirius died and yes I am still in denial I hope atleast Remus and Tonks will be okay.. Harry needs some support from one father When Sirius died.. it broke my heart.. Harry calling Sirius Dad.. and Sirius saying that Harry was the best thing ever happened to him I feel that he was not saying that just to Harry.. it was to James too because the Potters were the best thing which happened to Sirius I feel really bad for Zee...being pregnant with your fiancée's children and then him dying is not an easy thing to go through But the most importantly...this chapter made me cry I have read many fanfictions.. but i have never cried.. they might have been super good.. but has never made me cry I think the ability for a writer to make the reader both and laugh and cry is extremely important and difficult...I think by this story you have proven yourself as a damn good writer

Having Harry call him dad was vital and every time I tried to change it, I came back to it.

josht1987: Just know, that I am very mad at you you right now. We'll see what happens after the next one. An extremely well written chapter, but... You know what you did.

Daerwin45: not Sirus oh please he is so important it was going so good im sorry i am just a fan and it has been such a great story i did not mean to question your reason. i just was enjoying harrys and Sirus' relationship.

PotterBlondie: Oh my god, I wasn’t expecting Sirius to die! Or for anything to go this badly in one chapter! I hope he gets to escape death again? Pretty please? I hope you had a wonderful Birthday!

midnitewanderer: Nope. I’m done. I’m done. I AM FUCKING DONE! I will have no more toilet tissue by the end of the night. My chicken is currently burning on the stovetop. My emotions are freaking fried right now. Not only was he... UGH! I can’t. I literally can’t right now. I know this is fiction and whatnot, but my heart is hurting. How in the hell did I get so emotionally invested in this damned story?! Now, I’m going to remove my burning chicken and cry in a corner.

scrappy8: OMG what a chapter Poor Sirius is gone

Covley Hatake: Please let Sirius some how had lived. I like cheered when Pettigrew went in the veil instead and then that. You like ripped my heart out with Sirius. Like come on. Still good story but wanted Sirius to be there for the happy ending. I picture Harry though being the best big brother to those babies and protecting the hell out of Zee and the babies. Betting she tells Harry soon as well. Also question if he is dead what does that mean for them claim the Black title? With out him to claim them they would be seen as illegitimate and as the deal with Malfoy was made he could take it? curious on that one.

akshutalankar: well this is a really bad chapter to be posted on birthday... plz give us next soon... make Sirius alive pretty please

shooter124: O my god, I am crying. Please don’t take Sirius from us, Zee needs him and so does Harry! However that death scene was crazy good. I’m hoping that you have this elaborate plan as to why Sirius had to fake his death or something. Please please please say he is still alive, Sirius and Zee have not finished their story yet and Remus needs his best friend. This is my favourite story I have read on FF, you are a fantastic writer and I get excited every time you post!

Wolf's scream: Nice set of Bat-Bogeys, Miss Weasley! Yeah, a ticked-off wolverine is NOT something I'd prefer to cross. Greengrass is there? That's ... something I was not expecting. Yeah, Theo's advice to smash the Prophecy seems pretty sound to me. (With the possible caveat that certain DEs might lose whatever semblance of control that they have...) Seriously, Hermione? That's not a "baby." And in any case, Petrification is not intrinsically harmful: it merely decreases the probability that the Petrified one will pose a danger to himself or others. Sheesh. Somebody needs to get her priorities sorted. :-) I'm a little surprised that the DEs that trapped the teenagers in the Brain Room were using less-than-lethal spells. Granted, I'm rather glad that they did, but I don't understand whys. Well..! Lucy IS good for something, I guess... It's rather a pity that Harry hadn't smashed the Prophecy and grabbed another as a decoy. :-} Oh! What would happen if Harry were to chuck the Prophecy through the arch...? Ah - excellent move, Lady G! :-) Remus was dueling Dolohov? But Harry had Petrified Dolohov just a bit ago... maybe another DE released him, or the spell wore off? So - the Rat did something useful before departing... BTW, a fairly effective dueling technique might be to blast the floor/ground out from under one's opponent. Or merely make it incapable of supporting the opponent's weight. Especially if one is in a structure and not on the bottom floor. Well, at least there's no ambiguity at all regarding Sirius's fate. :-/ Well, laughing at Bella is a pretty good way to ensure that she's even more off-balance, yeah. It's good that Dumbledore addresses Tom by his given name (vs. the nom de guerre that he made up)

Guest: You cant do this Sirius can't be dead! Please let him live! P.S. happy Birthday Seriously though bring Sirius back.

dhnysports88: for the love of god tell me they planned to fake his death, DON'T DO THIS TO US

minerdude: Wow this is a great story, even if you killed Sirius, although with the next chapter I hope we discover thinking he was dead was part of the fog of war. If Sirius is dead it was truly well written to get our guard down by sending Peter though the veil

Old-fashionedAnglophile: What. The. ACTUAL. HELL?! Are you trying to destroy us? And you're making us wait for it? Damn your excellent and captivating writing. I'll be waiting for the next chapter with bated breath.

Thank you (I think).

littlehughesy: WHY? Why must you keep killing off characters that I love!? It's like Game of Thrones all over again! I get that it is canon for Sirius to die at the Ministry, but for fuck's sake can't Harry just have a little less suffering for once? For the love of God, if you kill Remus and Tonks in this story, I am done. Just done. I cannot handle my emotions right now. Okay, venting over. As much as I don't like it, your story is still fantastic. And hey, cheers for the early update and happy birthday!

Atea1793: You... are... absolutely... evil... YOU KILLED SIRIUS, KILLED DEADALUS DIGGLE, LEFT ZAHIRA A PREGNANT WIDOW BEFORE SHE EVEN GOT MARRIED, MAY HAVE LEFT HARRY AN ORPHAN AGAIN, AND HAD THE MINISTRY FALL A WHOLE YEAR EARLIER THAN IN CANON?! I'M STARTING TO THINK YOU'RE AS SICK IN THE HEAD AS VOLDEMORT IS! Excuse me while I spend these next two weeks gathering a mob to go after your twisted ass. The Death Eaters will seem like playground bullies when we come for you...

Guest: Omg. Omg. You actually killed Sirius. I cried. I honestly would have rather see Remus die, but maybe that’s what makes this story stronger and more intense. I definitely need 2 weeks to process this. Poor Zee and poor Harry.

lcwintersoldier: Goddamit how could you kill Sirius :'(

LifeonEarth: Oh come on you hand to bring Marauder into this. This hurts.

I’m sorry, but I thought Marauder deserved to be in Harry’s thoughts.

White Squirrel: Why does everyone feel the need to kill off Sirius even when there's good reason for events to play out differently? Honestly, this whole section felt like it wasn't up to your usual standards. You copied so much from the book, even when they had different people there and a different plan. It would have made more sense and wouldn't have been that hard to choreograph a different battle sequence.

I felt that it was important to keep it similar which I will explain later on, but of course you’re entitled to your opinion.

love reading20613: Oh god no please no

alistark94: What an ending! I gotta say I'm suprised you still killed off Sirius. Great story by the way!

Anixara: Wow, I find this story just in time for the latest chapter to be THAT. God damn it. Now I have to figure out if waiting for the next chapter is even worth it with how much that fucked with my emotions.

Breaniefan: This was so unrepresentative of your characters to just shove them back into JK's exact plot. This Harry would never have been so impulsive, Ginny and Theo would have escaped, the well trained Order would have been quicker on the mark and more effective. This was just lazy writing, taking so much of the original story and just shoehorning it in - I'm so disappointed! Also why the fuck would you kill Sirius? The whole point of fanfic is to FIX those stupid character deaths from the original, not go and do it again. I've followed this story from the start and loved it, but if Sirius is still dead next chapter... You've lost a reader.

I’m sorry that I’ve lost a reader over this, but as I said, I knew he would die from the first chapter.  Harry would be that impulsive because Ginny was kidnapped and there's no way he wouldn't try to save her.  She and Theo may have been able to escape but not unscathed.  I don’t believe that fan fiction is made to “fix” stupid character deaths because the original story is amazing and I’m getting the chance to play with the characters we all love so much and Sirius had a second chance on life and he lived it.

Adelite: AAAAH. aaAAAH. I came here for a BETTER WORLD and you killed SIRIUS BLACK of ALL PEOPLE and just when HE LEARNED HE IS HAVING TWINS?!?? I swear to god AaaaaahahahAH the original didn’t hurt this bad I read 219 chapters in 2 weeks just to be welcomed with this I am absolutely gonna riot and also what happened to Tonks? P.S if you kill Rem, Tonks and Fred in the battle of Hogwarts I will personally pee your pants

Pegg7: I can not believe it!!It has been chapter that i'm saying something bad was about to happen, but not this bad!!!!!The only think i can do now is wait and speculate: you had wormtail die through the veil and not Padfoot, so, maybe, there is a chance, i have hope! By the way, the chapter itselff is good, nothing less to say... I'm going to have a lot of speculation as how the thing are going to be next, so i'll dread this 2 next weeks Love you (a little less) as always

lovelyellie: that really hurt my feelings damn

phoenixmaiden13 (Lady Phoenix): I so hate this chapter, yet it was so good. Still can't believe you killed off Sirius, I thought he was safe for a minute but I guess not. At least they will have a body to bury. I'm going to go cry now.

They will have a body to bury and I hope that chapter makes you all feel the emotion as much as I did writing it.

MrToddWilkins: But he is still alive! The blood-Harry’s right!

Bosma18: Happy birthday but why did you have to kill Sirius he was one of my most favorite characters he and zee where supposed to marry and live happily ever after I wanted Sirius to die of old age while being surrounded by his grand children

Jmcglynn522: You killed him.... you killed him... he just found out that Zee was preggers, with twins(FYI: Taking antibiotic potions and birth control potions = Twins. Mine just turned 20.).And there’s no do over this time....no time turner.... just... you killed Sirius Black.I love your story, I’m bawling hysterically right now, but I don’t like you very much at the moment.... you killed him....why??? (Happy parts: Ginny preforming the “bat bogey hex” on Thaddeus’s dick for Theo! Lucius killing Thaddeus for hurting Theo, “his son!”. Ron touching “Uranus”. Lady G not dying. Zee not dying. And Pettigrew’s death was to kind.) And Happy Birthday!!!(Even though I may be traumatized for life.)

Pettigrew’s death may have been too kind but I think it was an important turning point for him in that he saved Zee for Sirius.

LordSmidgeon: I'm hoping so much all this was pushed in his head by Voldemort after the brain room to mess with his psyche. I'm hoping he comes to and they are just getting him away from the veil. Or it was all what he saw in the veil. Like honestly, if you have to have someone die please dont kill Sirius (at least not yet).

Siriuslover: Im in denial. He’s not dead.  How could you kill Sirius!! He was the main reason I’ve loved reading this!! Ugh please take it back I’m so sad

kellykat1889: Your evil.

RiverFord: I think I’m going to need two weeks just to recover from this. I’ve absolutely loved this story so far but you literally just killed off my favorite character and I can’t even...

archiveScrapper: Happy birthday! I'm a long time reader and first time reviewer, but I finally felt like I had something to say (plus wishing you a happy birthday is important). I'm actually weirdly... proud? of you for keeping Sirius's death at this point in the story. In the books it's kind of the point at which Harry has to officially grow up, and realize that even though he's a kid, he's the center of a really vicious war where his actions have very real consequences. And he has no one left to fully protect him either. Even in a fic where Sirius matters a whole lot more, and Harry is gonna be a thousand times more hurt by his death, that moment of change, and of Harry accepting his inevitable place in this fight is really important? So I just wanted to say that as much as I'm really sad about Sirius being gone, because I really did enjoy him getting to be happy for once, i think it's an important moment for the story and I'm really happy that it's one that you kept even in a version of this story that's a lot happier than the original story ever was. I've been wondering how you were gonna handle this moment for a long time now, and although I'm definitely gonna go cry about Sirius's death now, I'm really happy with what you decided to do.

xXQueenOfDragonsXx: NONONONONONONOSIRIUS! I WANT TO HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW BUT I CANT ‘T

TheOneWithWritersBlock: Please tell me this is a dream. Please tell me that Sirius didn't actually die. Please tell me that the ministry hasn't actually fallen. Please tell me it's all one big giant nightmare.

leflemmeenrose: Happy birthday!A break is definitely needed. I'm gonna spend it crying until you upload the next chapter haha. Take your time.

Zerius: Yay! Pettigrew's dead!I am struggling so hard not to say I hate you. I don't actually, but why did you feel the need to kill off Sirius?! He was Harry's family, he had Zee, he was in love, he had such an amazing life and now... Now he's never going to see Harry and Ginny get married, he won't see his children grow up... And Dedalus Diggle? What was the meaning of his death? Why did he have to die? And so cruelly... I love the new battle though. I've got a love/hate relationship with this chapter. Great job, can't wait to see what happens next. Please heal Sirius! Maybe he's not actually dead? Maybe there's a cure? Please say there's a cure! Again, amazing job! Update soon! I love it!

LaureWithAnE: I don’t really like you at the moment. But, happy birthday! How is it, after 17 years, the death of Sirius Black still makes me cry?

PurpleLotus (Person of Earth): Why did you have to kill Sirius? I just can't even process everything that happened. You made me cry and my heart is broken for Harry and Zee and the twins. I don't know what is going to happen and it's killing me. The ministry fallen already...I have no words for the desolation I feel. You have emotionally annihilated me, so congratulations. I understand the need for a break, I will be waiting impatiently for the next update. Happy Birthday and Happy Writing!

[haiky-u-lously]

Soul Searching Comments-- Part 1

W/ Iwazumi Hajime

--Soulmate AU where each day a random sentence that the person has/would say shows up on the mate’s body.

Because of tumblr's weird mobile text limit, had to break this into 2 parts. So, here is part 1. Then click for Part 2

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

[Your PV]

“Do you think you’re fighting by yourself?!” You read from your wrist out loud.

It had become your practiced ritual every day since you learned what the writing on your skin was. You would follow your wake-up routine and then check your body for the new statement of the day. Sometimes they were hilarious, sometimes sad, and sometimes worry-ing. But this time, you were more astonished. Lowkey wondering what could make your soulmate need to scream this out at someone.

“What was that (F/N)?” Your friend drowsily called from the other room.

You shook away the feelings currently flowing through your brain and went back to sit on the edge of their bed. “Oh nothing, just reading out the new comment. Have you found yours yet?”

You friend just sighed. She flew the comforter off her body and over your head and jumped up to run to the bathroom before you could retaliate. “Ah! Yes! It’s on my back today!” She exclaimed happily.

“And what does it say prey tell?” You asked, knowing she would tell you either way.

Opening the door, you saw she had started brushing her teeth and just held her shirt up for you to read yourself. You read out, “Could you teach me how to serve? Um…well…yea I don’t know what to say to that luv. Sorry.”

Your friend shrugged and closed the door behind herself, finishing her own wakeup routine.

[Months later]

“(Y/N)! (Y/N)! (Y/N)!” you heard being called from across the large gymnasium.

Turning towards the voice you saw your friend racing towards you and sent her a smile. “(B/F/N). What’s up?”

“I found him! My soulmate. He isn’t anything like we thought he would be, just a bit socially awkward since he is so much younger!” She yelped excitedly jumping up and down while latching her hands onto your own.

Her energy being contagious forced your own expression to grow into a wide grin that overtook your whole face, “Wow! I’m excited for you! Where is he?” You asked, looking over her shoulder to see if you could find a love-sick looking first or second year.

Kitagawa Daichi Junior high was a big school, so it made sense you would not have know everyone not in your grade, but to find out that your best friend’s soulmate was in your school was just to unreal, and you needed to see it for yourself.

“Oh yea, well… He actually doesn’t know yet.” She said sheepishly.

Raising your eyebrows at her questionably, she understood your unspoken questions and went on to explain.

“So, my comment today was something very very specific, right? And during the closing ceremony I overheard the volleyball team arguing and went to check it out. I mean how can I pass up getting the scoop on that juice, huh? Anyway! So, I’m watching pretty-boy yell at that first-year prodigy and then.” She smiles before continuing, “And then! The freaking prodigy said the line! And I’m freaking out so I run away to think if what I heard was actually what was written, but while I’m running away, by ankle starts burning which just solidifies that the one I heard that line from is in fact my soulmate.” She clasped her hands on your shoulders as her eyes bore into your own, “And then I rushed here to tell you.”

You put your hands over hers and slowly removed them from your shoulders, eyes searching her face for any indication that she was joking, or pretending, or you did not know, but something that indicated she didn’t actually run away after finding her soulmate. When you found none, you pinched her upper arm. “You idiot! Why didn’t you say anything to him? We are going on holiday now! And then you and I will go to a different school than him! What’s wrong with you!”

Her eyes bulged and you face-palmed at how she was just now realizing her mistake. “I gotta go find him! Bye, (Y/N)! Thanks for the advice!”

And she was gone.

[Years later]

“”Guys that girls squeal over piss me off even more.” You read out loud to your friend Kiyoko on the bus.

The statement being presented on your calf having caught her attention when you were both climbing aboard for the trip to the tournament.

She smiled sweetly at you, “It seems your soulmate has some very strong opinions. That should be good. Maybe he can actually handle you then.”

You laughed before lightly pushing at her shoulder, “Maybe, but if I don’t ever meet him, it won’t ever matter. Will it?”

Both of you sighed and looked out the window, individually thinking about how you hoped your soulmate meetings would go when they finally happened.

--------

Once at the tournament gym, your team quickly found its way to its court.

Soon enough it was time to face their old rivals from Seijo.

During the match you were standing with the coach yelling at the boys of Karasuno for their stupid plays as well as trying to yell encouraging tid-bits of information to help them succeed.

[After graduating university]

Kiyoko, (B/F/N), and you were waiting for your ordered car to arrive and take you to the next location for Kiyoko’s birthday scavenger hunt.

After she had met her soulmate, they had planned extravagant activities for her for every holiday. Always either leaving room for her friends to join, or making the time be set aside for her and her friends. It made you like them even more.

While thinking about this, you felt something slap you in the face. Having a mild panic attack and karate chopping the air around you, it took longer than should have been necessary to realize it had just been a falling leaf.

Your friends laughed at you and you decided to continue your antics, turning to look up at the tree above-head. Waggling a finger at it and shouting, “You wanna go bro? I will cut and burn you to ash.”

The wind blew through it again, and another leaf fell in your direction. You playfully jumped out of the way and stutteringly spoke out, “Okay okay okay, Mr. Tree. I’m sorry I will not burn you. But seriously I didn’t do anything to deserve being hit like that.”

Your friends laughed at your craziness, until (B/F/N) called that the car pulling up was your ride. Climbing in, they were still laughing, and you couldn’t help but beam that you were able to make Kiyoko’s day that much better.

“Oh!” She suddenly exclaimed, “(Y/N)! You never said what your random comment of the day was! Please tell us?”

You rolled your eyes, “Fine fine. Let’s see. You moved your hair off your neck so they could read it out for themselves.”

“It’s just every time you open your mouth, you seem to get even more annoying.” They both read aloud.

Seeing the struggle in their expressions in a positive thing to say about this seemingly rude statement, you laughed their worry away. “I know, I know. I can’t wait to ask them about it all though. One day.”

(B/F/N) laughed a bit before asking what you meant.

Then Kiyoko explained how you had started a journal writing down all the strange comments to ask them about when you would finally meet.

They both laughed harder at this, and you just smiled silently as you wondered when that would finally be.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

[Iwa’s PV]

He stood facing his back to the mirror in astonishment. Sorry, being clearly written on his lower back. “Sorry? Sorry is all this has to say?!” He screamed in disbelief.

Wondering how he was supposed to find his supposed other half when apparently his side of the bargin was only meant to get all these super unhelpful words and phrases.

“How many people say sorry in a day! This is the worst!” He yelled, unknowingly scaring the first years who had just entered the locker room.

They promptly exited and went to find the one who was known to back handedly control the strongest player on the Kitagawa team.

“Iwa-chan~~” Oikawa sang while entering the locker room. “Some little birdies came crying to me about how angry the big bad ace was. Screaming in the locker room, tsk tsk Iwa-chan. Tsk tsk.”

“Shut up Baka-awa. I’m not in the mood,” The olive-green-eyed male lamented, pulling his jersey over his broad shoulders.

Oikawa pouted, “So mean, Iwa-chan. Your soulmate will never want to meet you if you’re so mean to your friends~” Singing out the last taunt, Oikawa quickly ran back out of the locker space before the ace could catch and pummel him into a goop.

[Months later]

At the end of closing ceremonies, Oikawa had led Iwazumi towards the ole volleyball locker rooms, wanting to give the new captain some “helpful” advice.

Unfortunately, the pair of graduating males ran into the one and only Kageyama Tobio.

“Oikawa-sempai, Iwazumi-senpai. I wish you luck in your high school careers.” The boy bowed, and Iwazumi was grateful that’s all he said.

He thanked the blue haired boy and moved to go around him but was stopped by the glint in Oikawa’s eyes.

Whispering a warning, “Oikawa…don’t” The ace realized he was too late.

“Don’t sit here and tell us what to do. You are nothing. You will never be anything. You are just some prodigy who doesn’t know anything about what it takes to put in hard work for something you love as much as Iwa-chan and I do. So just keep your luck to yourself. You will need it.” He pulled his eye down and stuck out his tongue before continuing his verbal rampage.

Eventually he ended his onslaught of a speech, much to Iwazumi’s welcomed relief, but then continued by asking if Kageyama had anything more to say.

“I was just thinking it would be cool if you could finally beet Ushijima Wakatoshi in high school, since you couldn’t here.”

Iwa knew the boy was just stupid. He knew the kid didn’t mean it the way the Oikawa would take it.

But Iwazumi was also distracted by a loud gasp and quickly retreating steps before he could explain this to his best friend. Instead he just grabbed the light-brunette by the back collar of his shirt and dragged him away as quickly as he could.

[Years later]

“Geesh Baka-awa. Can’t you control your fans at all. You’d think since they live for your every word and action, they’d listen to you at least a little bit.”

The captain just smiled to the group of girls screaming for him from the bleachers, “Ah Iwa-chan. Its okay if you’re jealous. I’m sure they could cheer for you without my asking them to.”

He received a punch to the gut for that one, before Iwazumi went to finish warming up now that the team captain had been located…again.

-----

During the game he had let himself get distracted by the girl screaming at the Karasuno team. He couldn’t make her words when she gave hints on how they could adjust their playing to match Seijo, but he could hear her clear as day when she was tearing them down.

“Pick up your damn feet and move those asses or you are doing nothings but drills for practice until the next scrimmage!” She shouted before throwing her clipboard to the floor.

The quiet manager sitting besides the seat she had stood in front of, quickly picked it up before the shouting one could step on it as she started yelling at Kageyama specifically. About how he wasn’t the only player on the court and to trust his teammates if he wanted to stay on it.

This made Iwazumi smirk before refocusing on the game in front of him. She’d be an interesting manager to keep an eye on though.

[After graduating university]

Mattsun had sent his soulmate on a scavenger hunt for her birthday activity. Iwazumi was responsible for the last item on the list and had holed up in his apartment for the afternoon.

Waiting for the small group of females to come in for the item, so he could then take them to the surprise party the Mattsun had also planned for them. He had just reread the comment that had appeared on his ankle that morning, laughing about how ridiculous it seemed. An apology to a Mr. Tree. At least it was original, as opposed to his former ones.

Thinking about his own lack of knowing who his soulmate was, reminded him all over about Mattsun and Kiyoko. How they’d found each other. And how hard Mattsun had fallen.

Man that boy was head over heels in love with Kiyoko and he was not afraid to admit it, or share it with the world. And dammit, if Iwa and Oikawa couldn’t get him to say those three words to her tonight, how could they call themselves his best friends.

Knocking at his apartment door caused the male to stand up and shake his head out of his inner thoughts.

He opened it to see Kiyoko, the girl that he’d learned was Kageyama’s soulmate, (B/F/N), and the feisty manager from Karasuno high school. He smiled at the girls and welcomed them in.

“Hello, Iwazumi-kun.” Kiyoko greeted shyly.

(B/F/N) just shook his hand as she passed.

He watched as the third-party member entered, but didn’t say anything, and didn’t move too far from the entry way either. And, found himself wishing he had the fore thought to ask Mattsun who to expect so he could start a conversation with her.

But that thought to was cut short as Kiyoko asked if she had the last item, they needed to complete their scavenger hunt.

He laughed before leading her to his living room and giving her an envelope. “It’s just Mattsun wanted to surprise you, ya know?”

The girl opened the envelope and her eyes bulged before she answered, “He is so…I cannot accept this. No!” She said a bit more forcefully.

(B/F/N) came over to look at what she’d received and was soon in a fit of joyous hysterics. “Oh, this is golden. Boy sends us on a scavenger hut to get us out of the way, and then ends it with a card to go on a shopping spree with? Damn girl, your boy is so totally whipped. What did you do to him?!” Kiyoko’s face went red with embarrassment and the other two girls laughed at her expense.

“Now, (B/F/N). be nice. It is her birthday after all.” Iwazumi still didn’t know your name but he knew he’d remembered your voice. And it was still as hypnotizing as it had been years ago. “Kiyoko, what does the note say?”

The birthday girl, huffed around her emotions, trying to calm down so she could carefully read what was written in the letter provided with the card. “My dear…um yes anyway…I hope your day with your friends has been exciting in as many ways possible. While I’m sad I couldn’t spend the day with you, I…okay skipping this part since (B/F/N) will just tease me, um let us see…oh here we go…This card is for (B/F/N), (Y/N) and you to buy some ballroom styled dresses, along with a couple of fancy masks. Today and tonight might be about you…*cough cough*” While she was coughing, Iwa looked over her shoulder and saw he had written in some sugary-sweet nicknames. She continued after getting her heart back in order, “but other holidays must unfortunately be shared with all. So, I wanted to help you buy your costumes for the annual masquerade ball. I will see you at the party tonight, but please go get your outfits on my dime before getting ready and showing up tonight.”

When she finished reading, she looked at all three of the pair of eyes on her, before exploding into a blush again. “I cannot just take his money! No.”

Iwazumi smiled slightly to himself, happy he finally has your name for his inner thoughts to run wild with.

“Well, I say we can.”(B/F/N) started, before adding, “He literally told us to. DO you want to ignore his wishes?”

You laughed slightly before agreeing with (B/F/N).

Kiyoko just huffed, “Of course the crazy girl who argued with a tree would take sides with the idiot who ran away from her soulmate until she was told she shouldn’t have.”

Both girls yelled a “hey!” back in shock.

“Well ladies,” Iwazumi spoke with a smile, “as much as I would love to see how this all plays out first hand, I too must get ready for your party Kiyoko, so I must ask that you argue about the fact that you will end up follow instruction while on your way to do so.” He ushered the three out the front door, before calling a final goodbye, “And maybe, don’t argue with any more trees along the way.”

He rushed himself to his restroom as soon as he latched the door shut behind them, splashing cold water on his face to calm his racing heart. What was going on with him to be acting so strangely?? He couldn’t figure it out.

Okay, here is part 1. Since I am on mobile, it stopped me at the 250 text blocks. Part 2 will be up shortly. And then any questions/comments/concerns/ideas are welcome as always.

Right as he thought he could get ready in peace after calming down, Oikawa called whining about something or another. Iwa decided to tease him a bit to get out of his own head and the insult about his voice had the intended affect.

Hajime was able to get ready at the speed of light after that.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hope yall enjoy.

[aria-writes]

Grunkle Satan | d.j. x reader

Yes, you read that right. This came about from a beautiful typo:

You’re welcome.

Words: 970

I looked into the mirror in Davey's bedroom (ooh, scandalous) as I adjusted my half up, half down, sorry excuse of a hairstyle before giving up and just taking it back out entirely. I shoved the hairpins in my pocket. This stuff is more difficult than mom and Aunt Karen said it would be.

Davey grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him.

"Hey, I... I should probably warn you now, my family can get weird."

I smiled reassuringly and placed my free hand on his shoulder.

"So is mine. I can take it."

Davey started rubbing circles on my palm. He didn't look too convinced.

"It's just, they're not like mom, or dad, or Les, they're... it's complicated. Well, you'll see, I guess."

"I'm pretty sure they aren't the mafia, so how bad could it be, really?" I joked, trying to ease the tension. He didn't laugh. "...Are they? Are you? I mean, that's not totally a dealbreaker if—"

"No, no, nothing like that." Davey examined my expression. "It's not? Wouldn't be? A dealbreaker?"

I leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"I love you, Davey Jacobs, and nothing could ever change that." I paused, considering. "I mean, one of us dying would be severely hindering, but I'm sure destiny and all that could figure out something."

He finally relaxed, laughing and shaking his head. "Never change, love. Never change."

~•~•~•~

I severely overestimated my chill factor, but in my defense, how was I supposed to predict this?

Oh, it started out normally enough, relatives arriving, lots of hugs and pinching cheeks, telling Les he's gotten so big, his dad giving him a warning glare before he made any family unfriendly jokes, going "aNd wHo'S tHiS" at me and Davey, pretty much what you'd expect. Until it wasn't.

I had turned my back for a moment, as Davey's mom was telling me embarrassing stories about his childhood, because that's what good moms do, when I heard Davey saying enthusiastically,

"Grunkle Satan! It's been so long!"

...

HOL UP.

I dropped my cup.

Miraculously, Mrs. Jacobs caught it without spilling a single drop. Either she had really good reflexes, or she was expecting that. Or both? Probably both. Both is good.

I turned around, wondering if there was a slight chance I had just misheard the word "Stan". That happens all the time, yeah?

NOPE!

I was face to face with someone that was otherworldly beautiful and terrible, someone who looked like they could give you everything you've never dared to dream about and obliterate you with a single look, and to my credit, I didn't faint or scream my head off.

I was overwhelmed with this weird sense of dread and panic and then nothing. That could've just been my anxiety and depression deciding to drop in at the same time, though.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Satan... Is that Romanian...?" I quirked the corner of my lips up, but most of my energy was going toward not shaking like a leaf in an earthquake, or at least trying.

Davey wrapped an arm around my waist. "Uncle Satan, this is my girlfriend." He leaned in closer and whispered, "Are you okay?" into my ear.

Not quite, no, thanks for asking.

Uncle Satan smiled and nodded toward me. "You look lovely. Your hair is exquisite."

My eyebrows shot up into my hairline. "Thank you, sir?" I didn't mean for it to sound like a question, but it did.

"Please, call me Stan. We're practically family now, anyway." He shot a very unsubtle wink towards Davey, who flushed red.

"Right, well, I'm sure you want to talk to my parents and the rest of the adults, grown-up catching up stuff to do and all, I'm sure you don't want to be bugged by a bunch of kids all evening, I'll let you get to it bye!" Davey rambled, clearly flustered. He walked backwards, nearly running into the doorframe of the kitchen.

I smiled slightly one more time before turning and following Davey, and somehow I'm the one who ended up actually running into the doorframe. Yay me.

"That was..." I pointed my thumb toward the living room. "Something."

Davey sighed and rubbed his temples, leaning against the counter. "I understand if you want to just leave and never speak to us again."

I shook my head.

"Nah. I'm in this for the long haul, divine relatives and all. I just hope I didn't offend him. What, with my reaction and the awkwardness and..." I'm probably going to replay that in my head at least three hundred times tonight.

He looked up at me, surprised. "I'm sure it comes with the job territory. Besides, all things considered, I think you handed it pretty well."

"Well thank you." I gave a mock bow. "Seriously though, how... when... is someone eventually gonna take over for... which side of the..." I trailed off, unsure. I have so many questions, but I don't know if I can handle all the answers tonight.

"You know what? Maybe I don't wanna know."

Davey smiled and walked toward me slowly, deliberately. He brushed my hair back and wrapped his arms around me. "Merry Christmas, love."

"Merry Christmas, Davey." He leaned down and kissed me. I moved to run my fingers through his hair when I heard a camera shutter, or flash, or something, and Les cackling.

I pulled away, raising an eyebrow at him. "Les, what is your problem?"

"You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!" Les laughed like he had told the greatest joke in the world as he ran off.

"Well, we know who he takes after." Davey muttered under his breath.

I turned my head back to look at him, unable to fight a smile. "Davey, that's terrible."

He grinned. "I know."

[hiddendreamer67]

Amanda’s Discovery 5

Summary: The notes keep getting taken, but Amanda has yet to receive a response...until now.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

“Bye, thanks for the ride!” Amanda waved, stepping out of the car. She adjusted her backpack, heading into the elevator. Amanda was feeling wonderful. Her grades were up, her projects were going well, but best of all- the borrower note had been taken.

And the note after that. And the note after that. Several notes, in fact. One for each night the past two weeks. It was strange though, despite the fact her notes were accepted, there was never a response. Amanda had yet to see a borrower in person- well, for real- or even talk to one. Clearly the borrower knew to read; did they know how to write back?

That’s why tonight’s note had been constructed so carefully and requested a real response. Amanda didn’t want to seem desperate, but...well, she was getting desperate. She wanted something, some sign that the borrower was willing to meet her halfway. It was encouraging that the notes were still being taken because it showed that so far, she hadn’t scared the borrower off. Not only that, but they were clearly okay with her knowing of their existence because they kept taking the notes rather than leaving them untouched.

Amanda entered her room, tossing her bag on the ground. Usually the notes didn’t leave until the morning, but it was late at night. Perhaps it was late enough to have gained a response? It certainly couldn’t hurt to check.

Amanda went over to her desk, crouching down to look at the pile of office supplies.

“...oh my goodness.” Amanda breathed, her eyes widening. The note card was turned over. On the back, in large shaky letters the beginning of a note had been written.

STOP WRITING THES-

But the last letter was scribbly, as if written in a rush. The marker was still uncapped, rolling along the ground after having left a small ink stain on the ground.

The borrower was still here.

Amanda jumped up, bumping her head on the underside of the desk and causing the whole structure to shake. Amanda hissed, rubbing at her wound as she crawled out from under the desk properly. There was a scurrying sound to her right.

“No, wait!” Amanda turned quickly, facing the noise. Her eyes darted around, trying to find the source of the noise. “Please don’t go.”

The scurrying stopped, but Amanda couldn’t tell if the borrower stopped because they were listening to her or because they couldn’t reach the exit without revealing themself. Amanda hoped that it was the former.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Amanda spoke slowly, keeping her voice as calm as possible. She stayed seated, not wanting to come any closer and drive them away. “You don’t have to be afraid.”

There was a pause. Amanda leaned to the side, trying to discreetly peer around her dresser.

“Sorry, I know my word doesn’t mean much, being human and all that.” Amanda gave an awkward chuckle. “But I really do mean it. Um...not sure how to prove that though. I have left you alone though for like six weeks. Does that count for something? I think it does. I guess that’s setting the bar kind of low, though.”

Amanda glanced towards the one secret entrance she knew. It was slightly open, just waiting for someone to bolt inside and close it behind them. She bit her lip. Should she block it? That felt cruel, trapping them in here. But was it really trapping them? Amanda didn’t know for sure that was the only entrance, so maybe they wouldn’t be trapped at all… and Amanda could just accidentally block it, shifting her leg a bit to the left…

Stop it. Amanda scolded herself. You’re better than that.

“So, what’s your name?” Amanda tried. “I know I asked in note 5, but uh...you never actually...replied.”

Amanda shifted slowly onto her stomach, trying to appear shorter. “Not a talker, huh? That’s okay. I can talk for both of us, I guess. Although, ah...not really sure what to talk about. I don’t want to bore you either.” Amanda sighed, looking wistfully at the exit. “And you probably just want to get away from me, right?”

How could she do this? Sit here and try and have a conversation with a person who actively wanted to get away. The thought made her feel horrible all around. Was she being a terrible person? Sure, Amanda hadn’t blocked the entrance or come after the borrower directly, but even just sitting here and talking she had the borrower trapped.

“Okay, how about this?” Amanda turned back to the dresser where she guessed the borrower was hiding. “Just come out into the open for a second. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to force you to do anything I just… I want to know I’m not crazy. You don’t even have to talk to me, I’ll just leave the room and you can go and I won’t bother you again. I’ll stop writing notes, I’ll stop trying to see you, I’ll just...leave you alone.”

Amanda wasn’t sure if she would truly be able to leave the borrower alone, but it felt like the right thing to say. Besides, if they were willing to show themselves just so Amanda would leave them alone, the least she could do is respect their wishes. No matter what Amanda wanted, she couldn’t befriend someone by badgering them with friendship.

“So?” Amanda pressed, getting antsy. “Are you gonna come out?”

It was quiet for a long while. Amanda began to suspect that the secret door was actually still open from when the borrower left in a hurry, and by now the borrower was long gone down the halls. (Did that mean she should still keep her promise?)

But then, a man no larger than her hand stepped out from behind her dresser. He was dressed in an ensemble of ragtag neutral tones, and the strangest part of his ensemble was a pair of dollhouse-sized glasses perched on his tiny nose.

“Oh wow.” Amanda felt her heart rate increase, perking up as she took in the fact that this was real. She wanted to pinch herself, but didn’t dare move in case it would scare the borrower away. Already it seemed her presence alone had the poor guy shaking like a leaf. “To be honest I wasn’t sure if you would actually do it.”

“I did as you requested.” The borrower’s voice was much clearer than Amanda would have imagined. He audibly hid his fright well. “Now adhere to your end of the bargain.”

“...right.” Amanda deflated, saddened by the thought the borrower truly wanted to be left alone. She had hoped that he’d be at least open to talking a little, but...well, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Amanda looked him up and down again, from his messy locks of hair to his impossibly minuscule shoes. He really was such a fascinating person. He could easily fit inside Amanda’s hands. He was standing, what, three feet away? Amanda could grab him, right now. There was nothing stopping her.

“Can I at least have your name?” Amanda requested. She explained herself quickly, noticing the look of betrayal and distrust on his face. “I know, I said I’d leave, and I will, I promise. I’d just like to know your name, and it seems like this might be the last chance I have to ask.”

“What possible use could you have for my name if you intend to leave me alone?” He squinted at her suspiciously.

“I just like to know things.” Amanda shrugged sheepishly. “And even if I’m not going to be talking to you or looking for you, it’d be nice to have something to call you inside my head other than ‘the borrower’.”

The borrower flinched when Amanda mentioned his kind, and only then she remembered that was supposed to be some big secret. He seemed to take his own moment looking Amanda up and down, gauging whether or not he should reveal this information about himself. It seemed the borrower was set in his resolve to stay silent, keeping his posture firm.

“...fine.” Amanda’s sigh was more annoyed than intended as she pushed her palms down on the ground, bringing herself up.

“Logan!” The borrower’s eyes widened at her actions, quickly taking a step back and putting his hands up as if to shield himself. “My name is Logan.”

Amanda froze, trying to comprehend what had just happened. While she appreciated finally getting an answer, it was clear from his posture that Logan felt threatened.

“Oh, no no no!” Amanda corrected, pulling her own hands towards herself as she sat back on her knees, earning another flinch from the borrower. “No, I wasn’t going to hurt you or anything! I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a pleasure to meet you, but I was just going to stand up. And y’know, leave you alone.”

“...oh.” Logan slowly lowered his arms, looking up at Amanda with a confused expression. Amanda noticed his legs appeared to be shaking again.

“Sorry.” Amanda winced. “I should have given you more warning. I guess I forget how large and startling I must be to you.” Amanda rubbed at her arm, feeling uncomfortable. “Well, anyways, I should get going and leave you be. You’re welcome here anytime, I’d love to see you again, but I promise to leave you alone.” Amanda paused, remembering she should give a warning this time. “I’m going to get up now.”

Logan flinched again as Amanda slowly got to her feet, but she tactfully avoided it by focusing on looking down at her own shoes. She headed for the dorm room door, shuffling awkwardly.

“Bye Logan.” Amanda turned around to wave goodbye, but the borrower was already out of sight again. She sighed, leaving the room for good measure.

Amanda was torn between feeling ecstatic that that had actually just happened, and feeling forlorn that it would never happen again.