#as per usual: tons of fluff and some references here and there

[italoniponic]

𝓑𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓒𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓻𝔂 - mini-project

You Seriously Need to Calm Down

Notes: based on this first Cherry's Harvesting request where Anon asked for Trey, Jack, Jamil and Sebek taking care of a stubborn sick s/o who insists they're fine (but they aren't). I only did Jack, Jamil and Sebek for that one since Trey was already requested in other things at that time. I left a little hc in the notes there that I managed to use here too~

Trey Clover x sick g!n reader / very implied crush / fluff / use of "you" pronouns / Bit's of Cherry concept / Masterlist

Sometimes we get too used to certain things. That’s what Trey thought when he found it odd that only Ace and Deuce had returned to Heartslabyul in the afternoon, without the company of the little troublemaker Grim and, especially, without you by their side. When he questioned the boys, they commented that they were also worried and didn’t saw you in class;

Before Deuce could even express that maybe they should go to the Ramshackle to check on you, Trey had already taken this mission for himself and got out of the kitchen as quickly as possible — Ace didn’t notice that the senior also had left the apron in his own hands. Trey didn’t quite know what awaited him in your dorm but, as he opened the door, he heard the ghost talking with you worriedly;

Grim held your leg and the ghosts insisted that you should stay in bed. Trey’s gaze fastly fell on your slow, exhausted figure, carefully gripping the stair railing with each lethargic step. He instantly understood what was happening. “Honestly...,” Trey laughed as he approached you. “...you think you can play that card on me?”;

You only understood what Trey meant after you felt your pressure drop. Your consciousness only awoke again in bed, with you being warmly wrapped up and with a cold towel on your head. Trey was muttering softly as he covered some cracks in your room’s window and wall so as not to get the ambient so cold;

Trey knew exactly what it was like to not want to look sick because he often did the same thing. Denying that you were in need of help or that you needed rest — and in that, putting all your obligations on hold — was a feeling you both shared more than you could have hoped for yourself. Trey led you into relaxation that way, “boring” you with his past stories and his honey-like, calm voice;

Every time you woke up, however, there was a feeling of extreme frustration mixed with body fatigue and high temperature. Trey was managing to put you to rest against your will — successfully! Worse: he left prepared in advance several things that you would need and he managed balanced Heartslabyul and Ramshackle in his chores in an impressive way;

Near your bed, several bottles of water and a medicine box with a note of instructions were arranged. The kitchen’s refrigerator was well reinforced with several ingredients for Trey to prepare several warm and delicious soups for you to consume;

Once you were forced to wonder — a bit sulkily, by the way — whether Trey was treating you like another of the troublemaker boys from his dorm or one of his little siblings. He ended up laughing at your words but just straightened your pillow in response;

One thing was certain: Trey always found a way to show up when you woke up and tried to get up to tidy up the room. You insisted that you didn’t want to be a bother at all, yet any action against him was in vain. Trey would take you on his arms — partly to stop you with the surprise of his action — and you would be promptly returned to bed;

“I know you don't want to look weak, especially at times like this. But, really, sometimes we need to be taken care of and not worry about things,” Trey said while straightening your bed hair. His gaze was deep, staring directly at your soul as if he saw his own reflection in a cup of tea. In this, he had an idea;

A few minutes later, Trey came back with some tea for you. He served it on the small platter with support that he used to put on your soup plates, but you noticed that it had two cups this time. “To your health!,” Trey toasted, smiling. You sipped your tea in silence, contemplating the fact that he was being more than supportive and compassionate to you. Trey understood you. Maybe more than that, actually. There was something special about Trey’s sweetness in taking care of you that he sure didn’t have with anyone else.

[libraryofloveletters]

truth or dare.

A game of truth or dare turns into something more.

 Spencer Reid x Reader, Derek Morgan x Reader 

Warnings: fem!reader, alcohol consumption,.

Category: Fluff

Word Count: 1.6 k

----

You promised Penelope that you'd come out with her for “team bonding night” as she calls it. You had cancelled on the last one because you weren't feeling well, which was partially the truth but you just needed the night to yourself. As you stepped through the doors of the BAU, the overwhelming smell of coffee and papers hit you like a ton of bricks. Walking to your desk, you were stopped by a hand on your shoulder, “good morning darling” the one and only Derek Morgan smiled at you and you couldn't help but smile back. “Good morning to you too Derek” you sat at your desk, sinking back into your chair. “Tell me y/n, how do you do it ?” “do what?” you looked at the man who was now leaning against your desk “how do you ignore baby girl’s pleas to come out with us?” “I don't ignore them per say, but it’s not any different than Hotch getting if the team bonding time” you chuckled. “Hotch has a kid, that’s why” you looked at him with a slightly amused face. 

The sound of Penelope's heels come clicking across the floor before you could say anything back to him “Y/n! oh you’re just the person I was looking for” “what can I do for you pen?” She smiled at the nickname “just double checking that you’re not bailing on us again tonight, I mean even pretty boy is coming” you glance at the doctor who was flying through his paperwork, smiling at him. “I suppose, since even Spencer is going, I'll be there” “oh goody!” Penelope attacked you with a hug causing you to laugh. “Tonight at Rossi’s, 7:30. He's cooking for us, please don't be late” she smiled as she walked back to her bat cave.  

7:30 arrives and there you are standing outside of Rossi’s door. You knock once, Dave opens the door for you and pulls you into a hug “Bella! come in! you’re right on time and might I say, you look beautiful” you blushed at his comment, which was a normal occurrence but you couldn't help it. Dave was like another father to you, always checking up on you, making sure you take care of yourself. You stepped in and it smelt like home, you smiled to yourself as you walk into the kitchen. Per usual, you greeted by a hug from Penelope but this time, she hands you a glass of wine as well. Smiling at her, the two of you walk over to the rest of the team, hugging them one by one. The team has never seemed so relaxed to you, even Hotch was smiling, and out of a suit. Emily and JJ sat at the table, each sipping on their own glass of wine. Derek and Spencer were at the other end of the table, Derek was laughing while Spencer on the other hand, was pouting. You walked over to them “Derek what did you do to Spence to cause to pout?” you rested your hand on Spencer’s shoulder. Spencer smiled at you “hi y/n, you look nice” “hi Spence, you don't look so bad yourself” you smiled at your resident pretty boy and turned your attention to Derek when he started speaking. “I didn’t do anything to him! we were -” before he could continue, Rossi’s cut him off by clinking his wine glass “dinner is ready!” 

Dinner was lovely, you all chatted and caught up on your personal lives, it was mostly Reid’s rambles of whatever book he was reading or Hotch and JJ exchanging stories of Jack and Henry. You sat back in your chair and smiled at your little family. “game time!” Garica shouted as she walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, we all followed her except for Rossi and Hotch who retired to his study for a drink. Once everyone had found a seat, we decided to play a few rounds of truth or dare.

 “Oh ew never!” Emily shook her head when JJ dared her to kiss Morgan “come on Em, you don't want none of this?” he used his hands to refer to himself, you and Spencer laughed at his cockiness. “Alright..” Emily looked around and landed straight on me “y/n, truth or dare?”, you take a deep breath in and mumbled out truth. Prentiss gigged to herself before asking “alright truth, if you had to sleep with anyone in this room, who would it be?” you were shocked that she’d ask you that but it didn't take you long to answer her. “Reid” Derek smirked at you as you shook your head, giggling. Spencer choked on his wine at the sound of his name leaving your mouth. Emily smirked, while JJ and Penelope laughed at Spencer’s reaction.

 After a few more rounds, the night come to an end. JJ was taking Emily and Penelope home, you had planned to go home with her but because of her kids’ carseats, there was no space for you. Hotch had already left and you didn’t want to disturb Rossi, so you were suck with Morgan and Reid. “Great” you thought as you hopped into the backseat of Derek’s car. He pulled out of Rossi’s and started talking to Spencer, you could hear them but you weren't focused enough to hear what they were saying. Before you knew it, they had pulled into your driveway. Waking up to Spencer shaking you slightly, you smiled at him “are we home?” you stepped out of the car and walked to the front door. Opening the door, you noticed both boys had followed you inside. Turning around and looking up at them “am I missing something here?” Derek yawned. “it’s late, do you mind if we crash here? it's easier than driving pretty boy home and then having to get home myself” You were too tired to question him and you trusted them both with your life, what's the worst that could happen ? “sure, make yourselves comfortable anywhere. I'm going to change and then I'll come back with some blankets and pillows for you guys” you headed to your room to change and striped down to your underwear when you heard a crash. without realizing you barely had anything on, you ran out into the living room to see that Derek and Spencer were having a pillow fight with your couch cushions. “What happened to being tired?” they turned around at the sound of your voice and looked like two deer in headlights, you weren't sure why until you felt your air conditioning hit your bare skin. You looked down to see you were in only your underwear “oh..” you walked back to the room and got dressed. You sat on the bed in shock and laughed when you thought of their reactions.  

Grabbing a few blankets and pillows, you returned to the living room to see Derek passed out on your couch. Smiling at the sight, you slipped a pillow under his head and put a blanket over him. Spencer was sitting at your kitchen table flipping through the current novel you had been reading “I didn't know you liked Jane Austin” he smiled at you. You smiled back, walking over to the kettle to put some water in it “would you like some tea?” “yes please” the two of you sat at the table in silence, but a comfortable silence. Spencer was one of your closest friends, you enjoyed your time together, even if it was just him rambling about something he read or saw. You never understood why the team always cut him off when he did that, you thought it was adorable how happy he got. “No one ever picks me for things like that” he tapped your leg with his foot under the table, you had zoned out and didn't notice he was talking to you “hm? sorry babe, what did you say?” he blushed at the nickname “I was saying no one ever picks me for things like that, it’s always Morgan or Hotch, even Rossi, but never me” looking up at him, you knew what he was talking about. “oh Spence, it’s not like that. you know I've always thought you were handsome. Morgan, he’s just muscles and likes to flirt, a “blood in the nose” thing as Garcia puts it” the two of you laughed “you think I'm handsome ?” “of course, why wouldn't I ?” Spencer blushed at your comment, again. “y/n, can we watch a movie or something ? I'm not really tired” “sure Spence” 

Both of you walked towards your bedroom, leaving Derek snoring on your couch and made yourselves comfortable on your bed. Turning on the tv, Spencer picked out a foreign film and began translating it to you. Leaning back against his chest, he wrapped his arm around you and before you knew it, you had drifted to sleep, the sound of his voice being the last thing you heard. 

The next morning

Derek woke up to an empty living room, wondering where pretty boy was considering he was supposed to be right there with him. He got up to look for him, the door to your bedroom was slightly opened, he stuck his head in to find you and Spencer cuddled into each other on the bed. Spencer’s head was rested on your chest, his brown curls all over the place. your arms wrapped around his shoulders and his arm across your belly. Derek snapped a picture and sent it to the BAU group chat. 

Derek: looks like these two had fun without me 

Penelope: OMG!!! MY BABIES!!! don't you dare disturb them! 

JJ: such cuties 

Emily: get it Reid ;) 

Hotch: Dave you own me twenty. 

Dave: damn it. 

Turns out Hotch and Rossi heard enough last night. 

taglist: @avenging-fandoms (I thought you’d like this :) )

[washymylifeaway]

hi! do you have any favourite fantasy/mythology esque sakuatsu fics?

Haikyuu SakuAtsu fanfic recs: Fantasy Edition!!!!

To the anon who requested this, you are an ABSOLUTE GOD. I don’t know if you know, but fantasy AND mythology are some of my FAVORITE genres of ALL TIME. STILL, I saw the esque and I ran with it (cause there isn’t a lot of like pure fantasy or mythological journey fics ie. my poor excuse OOPS LOL and I wasn’t too sure what would be okay on this list AHAHA), so if it’s not the right kind of fics you were looking for, I’M SO SORRY :((((((( May this rec list be up to your expectations!!!!!! (And if it isn’t, feel free to re-request :’))))),,,, ALSO, ignore me switching between Sakusa and Omi LOL.)

As per usual, pls check WARNINGS, TAGS, and SUMMARIES for each fic before reading and make sure you’re taking care of yourselves (since mental health is key!) Stay healthy loves <3

if you make me feel in love / if you make me open up by volchitsae (E) 6.4k // this is a reincarnation AU, and it has a major folklore/japanese-ish mythology (gods) element to it. This honestly MIGHT be my favorite from this list cause it’s just done SO well and I LOVE the reunion after the TRAGEDY :’)))) I’m trying to be vague cause I REALLY don’t want to spoil this fic at ALL, so PLEASE read it heh.

my love, take your time by bastigod (T) 9k // this is another reincarnation AU, but this time it’s with greek-ish mythology :’D However, the fantasy part of it is kinda on the back burner (ahaha oops LOL). It becomes more apparent near the end of the fic, but the build up to it is worth reading, which is why it’s here LOL. I love how they added Sakusa’s own memories concerning certain things, and how he collected pieces of them in the museum! The writing is so good, but also, I’m a sucker for Omi making lists relating to Atsumu hehe.

your flame will not survive in this cold tundra by awkwardedgeworth (T) 26.5k // this is an AtLA AU, but even if you don’t know the show, you’ll still enjoy it! I absolutely love this fic and the plot is really AMAZING and asihfkjahsdkfjak their DEVELOPMENT. Especially with the separation of POV’s in both chapters (and what we get to see which we didn’t previously) UGH,,,, it was so GOOD. (Their other AtLA AU fics are really good too, so don’t be shy, go read them as well LOL.)

one life, one encounter by bastigod (G) 5.7k // this is a japanese-ish mythology AU, with our first appearance of foxsumu. We do stan Kita-san and Sakusa being friends with one another in this house :D This fic was really cute and Sakusa is so baby in this (but in a GOOD WAY), and when he talks to Atsumu at first,,, HE SOUNDED SO LONELY LIKE I’LL BE YOUR FRIEND :((((((

give me a moment so devoted by volchitsae (T) 4.5k // immortals! YES! I really really like this one and I think that their relationship in it was SO cute. I am really into the idea of Atsumu being insufferable throughout Omi’s lifetime and them having INSIDE JOKES AHHHHH. It’s really light and fluffy so if you just want some love in your life, this is the read :)

show you my best disguise by volchitsae (T) 5.1k // this one has NICE Sakusa in it (which I think should be more common fight me) and their relationship with one another is actually good from the beginning :D I love how naturally it progressed and how we get to see the habits slowly build as they spend time with one another. Very good fic, but not lots of magic until the end LOL. (There’s also a lot of poetry LOL.)

both our hands speak for us and complicate it by volchitsae (M) 8.6k // MAGIC/superpowers :D FIRST, the puns are such a nice touch to this fic and SECOND we do love the yachi/yama agenda being pushed here. I really like the conditions Sakusa’s powers have, and how that added to the plot (and the ending for that matter, may there be a universe where they can touch LOL). Honestly, the magic is also kinda back burner for this one and it focuses more on relationship dev. but it’s still a fun read so I added it LOL.

Rain and Its Incendiary Properties by firtree (M) 24.5k // so we get some Sakusa turning into vampire backstory in this one, and the revelation of more mythical beings LOL. Bless Komori and tbh Suna for being some MVP’s in this fic, we do love the familial bonds :)))) But also, the knowledge at the end does give some second hand embarrassment so brace yourself LOL.

two slow dancers by orphan_account (T) 1.2k // AHHHHHH BLOND SAKUSA! Also, yes another vampire fic. What? Sue me. This is just a load of fluff and sap from Atsumu, and warning: there ARE twilight references in this one ahahahaha. (If you thought that with this many vampire fics on the list, you would be safe from twilight, you obviously thought wrong.)

crimson colored lotus by sieges (M) 16.5k // this was a demon slayer AU LOL. TBH I haven’t watched DS, but you honestly don’t really need to in order to read this LOL. It’s explained really well and the writing is AMAZING! It’s not a linear fic, but you can read it in order if you so choose. I know it’s a stretch for this list, but it’s just that good, okay? LOL.

how can I not be moved (by you) by Ann1215 (T) 26.4k // this has warlock Atsumu (with an actual REASON for his blond-ness that isn’t Osamu) and halfling Sakusa, who is eventually a sap LOL. I really love fics with familiars and animals so this fic was one that I really liked hehe. The ending? Embarrassing but we do love the love LOL. Also the second part with Atsumu’s POV, FLUFF like, yes please give me all the love :DDDDD

enchanted to meet ya by zantetsvkens (T) 4.8k // FAST BURN but it makes sense. I agree with the a/n at the end for the confession, so there’s that LOL. I liked this one because the tactful provoking was SO good and funny for that matter HAH. But Sakusa WOULD be more concerned with the window costs than Atsumu’s wellbeing (it had to have been said).

when morning comes we'll be safe by bestcarrot (T) 2.7k // another demon slayer AU even though I’ve never read or watched ds? Yes. Again, sue me. I know it’s teeeeeeechnically a stretch BUT fox demon Atsumu...... (Also it’s written so well I felt like I needed to add it okay? :’)))))) AND yes, I WAS holding onto the no character death (YOU SHOULD TOO), the close ending was scary.

a boy is a thing with fangs by unthank (T) 3.5k // foxsumu! ngl I’ll just be straight up honest with you all, I added this for the response Sakusa has to Atsumu when they’re watching SunaOsa play shogi in the next fic LOL. I thought it was so funny and perfect for that moment please. Just,,,, forgive me once AHAHAH.

Falling For You (Literally) by Anubis_2701 (T) 6.5k // clumsy Atsumu makes me feel some type of way LOL. This is another NICE, soft Sakusa fic (like i said we need more: me pretending like I don’t see the tag for it LOL) and it’s just really cute. There’s some medical tings that occur (cause Omi is literally a magical medic LOL), but it’s just very FLUFF hehe.

The curse of a blessing by basinnit (E) 7.8k // CHECKING WARNINGS AND TAGS!!!!!!! I felt like I knew what was going to happen, but DENIAL IS NICE OKAY. Honestly, it seems short with it’s 7.8k word count, but with the number of mental breaks you’re gonna need,,,, it’ll seem long. Also, yes Atsumu punching people (one person in particular) because I would’ve too and I love that person >:((((( It looks scary and confusing with the tags, but I’d read it anyway LOL. (If you’re wondering, the magic is that Suna and Sakusa are warlocks LOL.)

The Fox Prince by cinnamonlove (T) 13.1k // okay there are some INSULTS thrown (and lots of cursing LOL) and so TW: LOTTA CURSE WORDS. Aside from that, we see once again MVP Komori making an appearance, but also vulnerable SakuAtsu near the end :0 It’s definitely an interesting fic, so that’s why it’s here LOL. (Also it’s like fake foxsumu but not really,,,, you’ll understand.)

the echoing halls by ohwickedsoul (T) 11.7k // GAH THIS ONE WAS SO GOOD. To read it though, some background knowledge (or google LOL) is needed cause the mythology references are very strong in this one. But I love when Sakusa was so desperate (honor’d light AUAHFKJDHFKJS) and Atsumu was aboutta (basically) punch him LOL. V GOOD V CUTE IN LOVE? I AM.

Did I just take this ask as an excuse to read a crap ton of fantasy/mythology AUs instead of doing any of my other work? Yes, yes I did. Also, I know it’s kinda short (LOL NOT ME SAYING THIS but I did NOT (surprising IK) put some of the fics I liked D:), but I tried to REALLY narrow it down a bit hehe. I hope I didn’t miss too many good ones, and I’m sorry for not really staying on ‘topic’ LOL. I realized while re-reading these that a lot of them are just Atsumu like meeting Sakusa by chance and being like dang, he’s hot. Gotta bother him forever ig? Thank you for the ask, it was really fun and I hope you liked the fics hehe :)

[fencesandfrogs]

an abridged history/explanation of warrior cats if you didn’t read them as a kid and have questions (a primer)

welcome. i’m going to keep things to the point, this is not a plot summary, just, well, its a pandemic and people are seeking items of childhood comfort and its come to my attention that a lot of people didn’t read these books as kids and then they come up in conversation and they act shocked so! i felt compelled to write this.

[2.5k words, 10min read. section headers, no pictures. not a ton of helpful formatting. i don’t want to say don’t read this because obviously i wrote it and think it’s worth reading, but i’ll be honest, this is a lot.]

section one: about me

i was an avid reader as a child, most of which fits solidly into “stories for another time,” and some of which would necessitate me adding tags onto this post that are, well, not necessary. so i will skip over that backstory but for those aware of lexile scores, i had one that was too high for literally any book that was appropriate to give me. so reading in school was torture and reading for fun was excellent.

now because i was a first-ish grader and my mom was trying to keep the fifth harry potter out of my hands, she looked desperately for something else to pass to me. her friend, who had a daughter a year or two older than me, was into these cat books, and my mom was like “here honey you like cats” without thinking too much about it.

which is good, because as i’ll get into, it was a really good fit for me. but like a dozen books later she asked me about the plot and well. i think at that moment she realized that it might have been better to just let me read harry potter.

but yeah i continued to read them long past the recommended reading ages and still as a Young Adult will return to them for nostalgia, and also as i will get into, some really good books. (see a list of books for “morbidly curious but i don’t want to spend 56 to 168 hours reading this”)

i’m not fully caught up on the series but this is not a plot summary so that should not impact my ability to discuss this

section two: content warnings

these books (not this post) includes the following:

discussion of castration (1.1 series 1, book 1, i’m not including this on every item/discussion because this is a complicated series but i want to demo how up front some of this is)

teenage romance/sex/pregnancy (1.1ish-1.3 or 4, continues throughout the series quite a lot, comes up again in 3.4/5, 4.4-5, and a bit in 5)

death from childbirth (1.can’t remember which book, many others)

unwanted pregnancy (se super edition, or a longer one off novel, discussed in 4&5)

sex/implied, discussed, and very very very heavily hinted but never directly said/shown (1.1-3ish, se, other)

murder (constantly, 1.1, 1.4, literally every book, 3.5, i’m just listing the ones i remember off the top of my head that were particularly graphic)

disability/illness, esp. the debilitating and/or deadly nature of it (1.3-5ish, 3.1, but all of 3, 3.4ish)

dementia (1.3-5, i’ve heard in some of the later series?)

abuse (7/8 this is reported i haven’t read these books but based on what i know it’s def there)

child abandonment (1.4-5, 3.4/5, it’s also all over the place but i think those are the only major character incidents of it)

treason (1.3-5, all over the place)

the horror/tragedy of war (background, but pretty constant)

disagreeing with an integral religion/tradition (3, based on the series title, 8, and generally scattered)

the corrupting influence of power (1.4/5, possibly 7/8, others)

racism (1, 3-5, possibly others)

sexism (se, background)

patriarchal societies (se, seems to be somewhat softened based on what i’ve heard but i’m not entirely sure about this)

and more! but it starts to get stranger and this is enough to prove my point

basically everything that could go wrong does

oh yeah! child abuse also child abuse that’s a very major theme in the first series as well as during other points. and elder abuse in the first series.

okay i’ve made my point.

section three: the appeal

look. so. i think we’re kind of pastel-ify children’s literature based on movies. see, parents have to watch children’s movies with their kids, so they can’t be gritty and intense because a lot of parents will say “not for my nine year old! they can’t deal with treason!” and that seems to be bleeding into children’s literature.

but warriors is not that. it’s intense, it borders on “too gruesome for children,” and it’s from a time where kids books got to be serious and heavy and dark because they were about animals. which was great because i couldn’t find books at my reading level that weren’t too thematically difficult, so i got to read something below my reading level, but thematically too hard, so it kind of balanced out.

and then well. so. the series grows with the audience, but the books don’t grow in terms of like difficulty so new readers start deep into it and it’s a complicated thing, the fandom history is complex, but.

the appeal is that parents don’t usually read the books their kids read and so they see a book about cats and assume it’s fluff, and kids who are starved of complex content get to read hamlet-for-kids.

section four: worldbuilding/lore

oh yeah also there’s some really deep lore to explore. so there’s two bits of appeal.

i’m not doing a full world/plot summary, but i’ll explain some common elements here.

thunder/shadow/wind/riverclan: harry potter houses for cats (gryffindor, slytherin, hufflepuff, ravenclaw, except this doesn’t work for the last two but that’s fine because no one cares about them despite riverclan being pretty important in most of the books)

-kit/-paw/-star: naming conventions. everyone has a two part name. (we’ll use cinder as an example because i like the two cinders we know, even tho neither of them get to be cinderstar.) babies are -kit (cinderkit), then when they’re apprentices, which is like being a student, you know, elementary through high school, you’re paw, so cinderpaw. then you get an Official Name from ur clan leader (cinderheart). if you become clan leader, you get to be -star (cinderstar). i know i haven’t explained clan leaders bear with me. this is kind of important because i have the names burned into my memory so i cannot simply always call firestar firestar if he was firepaw at the time of the events i’m describing. it won’t be ambiguous, cinderheart/cinderpelt are a special case. if this is tricky for you it’s fine just only read the first part of the name.

clan (leader, deputy, medicine cat, elder): roles with in the clan. leaders literally have nine lives. deputies are next in line and chosen by the leader. leaders usually go through several deputies, because deputies don’t have nine lives. medicine cats are doctors. they also have an apprentice. those are all one per clan. elders are just retired cats. they’re not a special category per say, but i wanted to mention them.

warrior: adult.

warrior code: laws.

star clan: dead cats. this ties into the religion which is pretty important to the books but for the most part if you understand that dead cats get to give guidance and send their approval, you have the gist of it.

section five: so um, what the fuck

so we start with a cat named rusty who runs into the woods to join thunderclan and then his name is firepaw and we all forget that he’s named rusty except for like that one time it comes up again. bluestar is a great leader with some corrupt deputies but fireheart eventually takes care of it and becomes clan leader which is a big deal.

then a bunch of other shit happens and suddenly ashfur is possessing brackenstar and being (more) abusive to squirrelflight (who is on the outs with brackenstar anyway for lying about their kits jayfeather, hollyleaf, and lionheart because they’re actually the children of firestar’s other daughter leafpool who had them with crowfeather after she fell in love with him but he’s from windclan and she’s a medicine cat so that’s double illegal and apparently hollyleaf is alive even though she yeeted herself into a pit and died because she killed ashfur when he threatened to reveal this but couldn’t live with being the product of an illegal meeting and then it was all pointless because leafpool stopped being a medicine cat out of guilt anyway and jayfeather is just an ornery bitch about everything but especially all of this)

i’m not explaining any of that.

section six: i repeat: so um, what the fuck

so the thing about these books is they’re soap operas and dramas about cats and that means they get just as strange and chaotic as anything else in the genre. i think a lot of people like me, who read them as children, regard the series we knew as a child (usually either the first three or the first five, plus super editions) as something good and warm and comforting (despite being dark and gruesome) because they made us feel good.

they were also a breeding ground for young fandom because of all the the drama that exists and the nature of the books providing that.

section seven: super editions

the simple answer to what a super edition is has already been given (it’s a novel length one-off about a single character, and its usually either a side character - bluestar, crowfeather - or a event/perspective we don’t get to see - firestar, skyclan, greystripe - and they’re generally more mature)

my favorite super edition is bluestar’s prophecy. i read it at like 16, slinking into the children’s library with a stack of other ya fiction and a “children’s book” which dealt with unwanted pregnancy, grief, forbidden love, and more. still not sure why that’s in the children’s section.

section eight: about the drama

so there’s been a lot of fandom drama about these books. i can’t tell you about the nuances, because i am an old fan, so i watched but didn’t partake. the highlights reel that i can recall goes as follows (please note i will refer to characters by name without explanation. it’s fine. the point of this section is to convey the pettiness of this drama):

tigerstar: did he do anything wrong? (the answer is holy shit yes, this isn’t discourse, it’s okay to like a villain)

scourge: did he do anything wrong, also what color is his collar? (also yes, doesn’t matter)

was the new prophecy (2)/omen of the stars (3)/etc good? (yes, eh, no, yes, no comment, no comment)

should jaypaw or hollypaw be medicine cat apprentice (neither of them, but jaypaw’s employment opportunities are limited because he’s blind, so its gotta b him)

uhh a massive tangle around this parentage drama between squirrelflight, leafpool, brackenfur, and crowfeather, which i used as the crux of humor for how batshit the plots can get, so i’m not even going to pretend i can make it funny, but just know that it’s batshit and the correct opinion is as follows: no one is right, but squirrelflight has done the least wrong, brackenfur is an asshole to her where it’s unwarrented, and hollyleaf is an idiot

and the current drama centers around brackenstar and ashfur and is tied directly to the point above, which is why i’ve kind of given up trying to make jokes about this because this is the culmination of like 35 novels.

section nine: i feel like i need to have some conclusive point to justify writing all of this

but i don’t have one, because this was really an excuse to ramble about an old passion for like half an hour. i mean i guess i can say, like, i think younger fans are sort of embroiled in this drama they don’t really have context for, because i’m not kidding, the current drama centers around the grandchildren of our original cast.

it’s kind of hard to know why, say, mistystar matters if you don’t know that she’s the child of bluefur and oakheart and if you don’t remember the drama that surrounded that when bluestar was dying and tigerstar and leopardstar were ruling a combined shadow/riverclan.

(i really hope that’s intelligible i tried to lay the groundwork for it. basically, there’s a biracial kid in a very segregated society who becomes the leader of one of the clans. which is obviously drama, especially considering that that clan was part of a weird supremacy movement a while back.)

& you know? i really hope one of the new series gets to be like, a soft reboot. just. end the current drama and pick up again with the latest generation. a) we’re starting to run out of names, and b) i think that it’s kind of tipped over the edge of sane.

the series also used to be very low fantasy. the cat societies are reasonably close to feral cat colonies (the biggest detail is that toms don’t all have their own territory, but there’s honestly in-universe discussion of this and it’s basically a culture thing), and while star clan/religion is a real and legitimate thing, there’s also a discussion of its abuse and most of the early books don’t really use star clan/related ideas as a physical force so much as a plot device, barring, like, when a new leader gets their nine lives.

honestly, i’ll always adore these books for serving the role they did, and a lot of the series is fantastically well written. but the fandom surrounding it can be, uh, not great because 9-14 year olds don’t really have good brains to understand this.

also, i’m very sad that i can’t find the flash game that was for the great prophecy. it was not very fun, but i enjoyed playing it, so if anyone knows the url so i can search the internet archive for it, please let me know.

section ten: i’m morbidly curious but there are 56 hours of books to read, assuming a very fast reading pace, so is there something i can start with to experience this without dedicating 4 days to it?

yes, there is.

it’s called bluestar’s prophecy. it’s standalone, and i should have given you enough of a background on the lore that you don’t need to know anything else. i’ve already given away the twist in series 1 that it would spoil, so you’re all good on that front.

if you want more, or want the original experience, the first series is self contained and quite good. i’ve given the broad outlines of the plot, but trust me, there’s a lot of surprises and all sorts of things i skipped over because while i like it, it’s not exactly fandom primer material

i also enjoy firestar’s quest and skyclan’s destiny for super editions, but you’ll need to read the first series to understand FQ and FQ to understand SD, so it’s not exactly a starting point. also, SD especially deals with a very different set of themes as the other books.

also, if you were to, say, search “readwarriorcats” (no spaces) on duckduckgo, and then click on one of the first links, you know, not the official site, the one hosted on one of those free website things, you know, not wix, not wordpress, the other one, you would only find lists of the books with hyperlinks.

;3

[monsterkinkmeme]

I have no problem coming up with monster characters, but figuring out ways to start relationships, character plots, and general settings are my kryptonite. Any suggestions on how to get better at that?

So, fair warning this is going to be a long post of each of the mods writing out their process. While we’re going to be similar in some aspects, other parts will be different.

You’ll find that writing prompts such as the ones provided on this blog will help you get started with the theme and the plot.

Mod Elizabeth: I have two processes, one is for short stories and one is for when I write books. I do the basic “Who, What, When, Where, and lastly, How?” strategy at first while I brainstorm then go from there.

For short stories I pick the relationship first and I often build around that relationship because it’s going to be the focus of the story, especially in romance or fluff pieces that I usually write. Most of the time in writing you’re watching the character respond to the plot. Short stories are no different.

After I’ve decided the relationship, I decide the characters personalities. Are they anxious, confident? Do they have ticks? Are they chill? These kinds of things and then I go for the plot based on that. What do the characters need to overcome? Then I think, in real life how would this type of person overcome this particular problem. How would they react? Most of the stuff in between after this is just me writing on the fly.

For books, I’m hella strategic. When I write books, I calculate out how many pages I needed per chapter while I brainstormed characters and ideas. Each character had a sheet of their personalities and their hang ups and backstory. What made them the person they were and why they are still a certain way. So, once I have personalities, I develop a plot line. My plot lines are done chapter by chapter where I’ve written out the exact main points per chapter and what needs to happen to get to the climax and then how I wrap it up at the end. Getting yourself a plot diagram that you can write on will be really helpful.

This works for me, but I’ve encountered plenty of writers who figure out the problem and the solution first and then build the world around that. Really, it ends up finding a process that works for you because my process might not work for you, but it really works for me :)

Mod Traveler: I’m not going to lie, half the time I’m flying by the seat of my pants. I usually have an outline, a basic plot, and a character, but everything else I mostly make up off the cuff as I’m writing it. I tend to find inspiration from many sources. I wrote a story based on a drawing I once saw, and on a stuffed animal I once owned.

I also know what my strengths and weaknesses are, and I play to my strengths. I’m bad at action sequences, so I just don’t write them. I’m really good at dialogue and character development, so I write a lot of that. As far as developing a plot, Elizabeth’s “Who, what, when, where, why, and how” is a very good way to go about it. Make a chart, kind of like you would in D&D. Give your character a name, a short background, a driving force, a strength, a weakness, a character flaw. Add as much detail as you need to to jumpstart the creative process.

Here’s a few links you might find helpful:

Character Chart Worksheet

The Ultimate Novel Writing Resource Masterlist

Writing Reference: Characters

Hopefully this helps!

Mod Aelia: I’ve dispensed some writing advice on my own blog that tends to revolve around the theme of “just go for it and do what’s fun” (Getting Started in the Community & Don’t Doubt Yourself) but I don’t think I have ever really talked about the “how to do the thing” with writing. Settings aren’t my strong point, but I tend to try to think about what sort of story I want to tell. Do I want to tell a high fantasy story, or something more modern, or a sci-fi story? That’s going to determine a lot of other things for me, so I tend to start with what sounds the most fun on a given day. D&D and other RPG handbooks are actually great resources for this kind of thing. There are a ton of worldbuilding resources out there, but don’t feel like you need a fully fleshed out world to write a great short story.

At that point you also want to decide what you want to write. If you’re writing romance, are you writing the meet cute & beginning of the relationship? Or do you think you’d prefer to jump into the middle of an established relationship? Once you decide that, you can start to figure out your plot, and what you’re building toward. 

If you want to write a slow burn romance, your key point to figure out is “why aren’t the characters together now?” which is going to be the question you need to keep coming back to. Remember that any plot that can be solved with a simple conversation is going to be frustrating to the reader. Make it more interesting than that. 

Ultimately though, write the story you want to read. Have fun with it.

Mod Ghosti: I’ve got the tough gig, coming in last after some top quality advice, and I would say that my approach is most similar to Elizabeth’s. Work out who they are and what they do, and then how they might meet. It doesn’t have to be super unusual: like ‘is it a friend’s birthday and one of them gets dragged along to a bar’ or ‘are they in the same class at uni’, or you can think about ways to put a little twist on it, so, sticking with the ‘same class’ idea, ‘are they both attending night classes for something, and if so, what’s their reason?’

It is hard to think up plots and motivations etc, and it’s ok to take your time and maybe feel a bit stuck, but sitting down with a pen and paper (or whatever your preferred form of verbal doodling is) and just thinking about what they do in their daily lives that could cause them to overlap, can be a good place to start. What do you want from these characters? Why are you wanting to write them anyway? Do you have an image of them doing something (it can be just a tiny flash, a one frame only kind of image)? If yes, then build a story around that…

Anyway, good luck, and I hope that was in some way helpful!

[nctwayvangels]

Lovable surprise (Baekhyun scenario)

Genre: Fluff, tiny tiny tiny smut as it’s only basic references

Pairing: Baekhyun X You/Reader

Word counting: 5618 

Warnings : Otp 12

Notes: I apologise since the beggining for any misspelling as I was too lazy to read it over again xD To be honest I don’t really think it is that good but I promise you that I’ll try my best to get better at writting! Still hope you guys like it!!

You took one more chip from the packet and stared at it for a whole minute wondering how something so unhealthy and salty could be at the same time so delicious. You guessed it was just like everything else in life. Everything that was awfully tempting also had its bad side.

“Please tell me you’ve not been staring at a chip during all this time.”-An overly happy voice echoed through the 4 walls and you smiled not even needing to guess who it was. Baekhyun walked towards you and without giving you time to say anything, he stole your chip with his own mouth, quickly chewing and swallowing it.

“My…My chip!!”-You yelled and he started laughing like crazy, watching you as your face expression turned into an annoyed one.

“You look so cute frowning like that.”-Baekhyun complimented,pressing the space between your eyebrows, where a frown was clearly visible.

“I don’t need you to tell me something that I already know.”-You shotted back receiving a smirk as a response.

“Is that so?”-He asked,carefully picking up the chips bag and putting it on top of the coffee table. When he turned again to you, you could swear that his pupils were definitely more dilated than before and his eyes had turned a shade darker, full of lust. He sat down on the sofa where you were layed, and he leaned down, meeting your neck. Without any kind of warning he started kissing it, sending chills all over your body. You nodded answering his question, not being able to pronounce clear words.- “From what I remember today, you still haven’t given me my birthday present.”-Baekhyun reminded you, whispering it at your ear, seconds before bitting it. You gasped,not expecting for something like that and he started chuckling. Talk about being overconfident of his effect on you.

 You sat, moving him away from you, as a smile crept on your face. You still weren’t going to give him his birthday present, but one thing you were sure. Baekhyun would definitly love it, you had no doubt.

“I know that okay? What do you take me for? You truly found an incredible girlfriend, I didn’t forget to give you something on your birthday.”-You pretended to be disappointed, sighing deeply just to add a little special touch.-” Jeez oppa, a little more faith in me please.”

“Sorry babygirl. I know that you’re an incredible girlfriend, but stop complimenting yourself. I’m not that bad either.”-He replied back to which you started laughing.

“Nae nae, you’re the best. Jjang!”-You gave him a thumbs up to which he snorted, not believing a word you were saying.

“I truly hope that was not full of sarcasm.”-Baekhyun threatned and you showed him your most serious face.

“It was not sir. Over.”-You responded, using a seriously melancholic ton of voice. Baek shrugged his shoulders, trying to think about something else that wouldn’t make him start laughing.

“I’ll give you your birthday present later tonight.”-You whispered and he quickly turned around, facing you.

“Really? You’re not lying?”-He asked almost screaming and you nodded your head, almost laughing at his childish way.-”Pinky promise!”-He grabbed your right hand, sticking up your pinky finger, entrelacing it with his.-”You promised, don’t you dare trying to escape our promise!”-Baekhyun warned, pointing at you and you nodded once again, but this time laughing.

“Besides that, we still have the dinner we all planned with the rest of the guys. Did you forget?”-By the way his eyes widened, you knew that he had totally forgotten about it. Baekhyun layed his head on top of your legs, before looking at you pouting.

“Do we really need to go? Can’t we stay here, at home?”-He asked cutely, blinking his eyes a couple of times but in the end you still answered with a no.

“It was you who planned this diner. Do you really want to cancel it only a couple of hours before it?”-You asked back and just as he was about to opwn his mouth to answer, you started shaking your hands in the air.-”You know what, don’t answer!!”-You exclaimed and he nodded smiling.

“Let’s just get ready then.”- He got up,offering you one hand to help you get up, which you gadly accepted.-”Should we go take a shower together?”-He asked smirking, and you replied hitting him in his shoulder.

“You know just as much as I do that if we do that, we’ll end up taking longer than if we took them separated.”-You said giggling,winking at him. Baekhyun stole a peck from your lips, agreeing with what you had just said.

“You’re right, we truly would end up taking longer. Anyway, you should go in front of me, I don’t really mind going second.”-He offered and you nodded as you stood in the point of your toes, trying to stand at one height that would allow you to kiss him comfortably.

“I love you Baek-ah.”-You whispered against his lips, and you immediately felt his lips turn upwards in a smile.

“I love you too, I seriously love you so much.”-Baekhyun said back, surrounding your back with his arm, offering more support to the kiss.-”Now you should go before I decide that we really shouldn’t go to this stupid dinner.”-You started giggling, quickly taking your leave and running upstairs,only stopping at the middle of the stairs showing him one last smile, before disappearing from his camp of vision.-”This girl wil be the death of me..”-He murmured lovingly,running his hand through his hair. 

Baekhyun sat again on the sofa, taking from his jacket pocket one small navy blue with gold details velvet box. He carefully opened it, revealing a diamond wedding ring.

“It is supposed to be my birthday, why did I even decide to ask her today?”-He rethorically asked, closing it and putting it again inside his pocket.-”I guess she will actually be the one surprised today.”

When you arrived at your and Baekhyun’s room, you ran towards yours walk-in closet, wondering about what you should wear. From what you heard from Baek, it would be a somewhat formal dinner, and even though you were almost one hundred per cent sure that the night would end up in a karaoke room,you decided that you still should wear something formal. From the amount of dresses displayed one quickly popped up, a flowy, sleeveless, black dress,with two red roses across the chest. Staring at it for some seconds, you didn’t need much to realise it was the one Baekhyun had bought you in your last birthday, and surprisingly you had never worn it before. Now you had the perfect ocasion to wear it.

As soon as you stepped inside the bathroom, you turned the hot water on, waiting for it to fill the bathtub. You stared at the full-length mirror, appreciating your figure, that in a question of weeks would start to show changes. You caressed your belly,not trying to hide your entusiasm now that Baekhyun wasn’t next to you.

“Daddy will be really surprised when we tell him later tonight, don’t you think baby?”-You asked happily,still caressing and talking to your baby.-”Still you don’t have to worry about anything my love, daddy will be really happy to know that in a few months we’ll be having you next to us. He will love you so much that mommy will be jealous of you.”-You said giggling, imagining how much of an amazing father Baekhyun would be, it was no secret to anyone how much he loved kids.

You entered the bathtub,immediately feeling each one of your muscles relax. After you were sure that both your body and hair were clean enough, you dried up and tugged both in two towels, just in time when Baekhyun finally entered the shared bathroom.

 "That was quite fast from what you usually take to have a shower.“-He stated holding his smile.-”A bath that is.”-He added, pointing at the wet bathtub.

“You’re really taking advantage of today being your birthday to tease me aren’t you Byun Baekhyun?!”-You asked even though you already knew the answer to that. 

“Well, I do also tease you this freely in the other days but yeah.”-Forget about it, you were not expecting this answer. He started chuckling as soon as he saw your face.-“I’m sorry I’m sorry babygirl, I’ll stop now.”-He said, now embracing you.- “ I should take a shower for once and for all so we can go and get over this stupid dinner and then maybe we could get some time alone and have some fun.”- He whispered in your ear, taking advantage of the position you were. Gently he brushed his lips along you ear, leaving a single bite in it, making you jump in surprise.

“Baek!!Enough come on, hurry up and let’s.”- You nagged him again and he chuckled in amusement. 

Going out of the bathroom you took your time getting dress in the space of your bedroom. Staring at your chosen black high heels, you frowned by knowing that in a few months you wouldn’t be able to use them for a while.

“Better use it while I still can.”-You conclued, shrugging your shoulders. You put your heels on and started to do your make up, finishing just at the same time Baekhyun left the bathroom. He stared at you, impressed, still not believing just how someone as amazing as you could be so in love with him. To him, you were the only thing he was sure that even if he died, he would still love wholeheartly in whatever next life he had.

“Woah babe, you look so beautiful.”-Baek complimented, surrounding your waist with his long arms, bringing you closer to his chest. Even though you were wearing high heels, Baekhyun still stood tall in front of you, not that you cared about it. After all, you always loved yours and Baek’s height difference. However, you could only cringe in embarassement whenever you stood next to either Chanyeol, Sehun or Kris, mainly those three. The height difference was almost ridiculous as you looked like a minion next to them, your only hope was your best friend Aeri, Chanyeol’s girlfriend, who despite being only 3cm taller than you, had a bigger height difference between her and her boyfriend compared to you and Baekhyun.-”On the other side why do you look so good tonight? It’s just a dinner with the guys and the girls.”-He asked playfully, arching one of his brows, making you punch his soulder lightly.

“I’ve already told you Baek, it’s a formal dinner, I can’t just show up wearing rags!!”-You exclaimed, giving him one last smile before freeing yourself from his arms, going to pick up your handbag.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, you would still good in it.”-He stated and you automatically rolled your eyes.

“Stop sweet talking me Byun Baekhyun. We’re going to that dinner.”-You crushed his expectations, kissing his cheek.

“It was worth the try though.”-He stated, sighing deeply. Baekhyun grabbed his car keys from the top of your makeup vanity, waiting for you to walk in front of him, so he could close your bedroom’s door.

After leaving the car and entering his car, you turned the radion on, enjoying each music was passing on. My House by 2PM echoed through the car columns, and you quickly started singing, enjoying the song from one of your favourite groups.

“It’s alright…”-Before you could keep singing, Baekhyun interropted you, putting his right hand on top of your mouth.

“Stop please, not only are you embarassing yourself, you’re also ruining the song!”-At his statement your eyes widened, utterly surprised at his remark.

“Well excuse me for my bad singing!”-You aggressively apologised, and tsked, turning to the side so you could face the window view.

“I’m joking babe!! You sing amazingly!”-No matter how hard you tried to sound mad, every single time everything went to waste as you could not stay mad with him for more than mere seconds. You loved him too much.

“The damage is already done, no point in coming for your salvation.”-You joked, receiving a chuckle as an answer.

“Better let you know that we’re almost there. I didn’t want to choose a restaurant too far away from home so I just opted by this french one. It’s a pretty expensive, luxurious one so I really hope those bunch of idiots don’t so anything stupid.”-Baekhyun said, grabbing your hand and squeezing it. You started laughing, not being able to control yourself after hearing him once again mistreat his friends. They were all like brothers so it was only normal to see them behaving like so when it came to dealing with each other. After being together with Baekhyun for already five years you were already more than used to hearing all of them mistreating each other.

“Don’t be so mean, they know how to behave in those kind of places. It’s not like they’re some type of wild dogs!”-You teased, unlocking your seat belt the moment Baek parked his car.

“Well….”-He started, immediately receiving a disapproving glare from you.-”I guess you’re right?”-Baek continued, sounding slighly more like he was making a question rather than giving an answer. He got out of the car, opening the door for you like the true gentleman he was. He offered you his hand to which you gladly took, enterlacing your fingers with his.-”Let’s go?”-He asked and you nodded, smiling at him. Baekhyun stopped walking, and gently held your chin up with his index finger and thumb, leaving a light peck on your lips. You giggled, feeling the cold sensation, also know as butterflies in your stomach.

“I love you.”-You said, staring lovingly at his eyes and he nodded, pecking you once again.

“I know. I love you too Y/N, more than anything.”-He told you back. 

You guys entered the fancy restaurant, getting surprised by how more luxurious it looked from inside compared to the outside. You could only imagine how much something like that was worth. You were immediately approached by one of the receptionists who guided you to your designated table. Multiple known faces, turned around, smiling at the two of you.

“Look at the love birds! Finally decided to show up?”-Chen asked, being the first one to start with the entertaining questions. Baekhyun rolled his eyes, waiting and longing for the moment all of his questions would cease.

“Happy Birthday hyung, you deserve it!”-Sehun congratulated Baek, getting up to hug him, which he did.

“One year older Baek, doesn’t exactly mean more wiser but we can’t expect everything from you right?”-Luhan joked making him laugh and you joined him. Honestly, you loved to see how close everyone was. Despite all the troubles and fights between them, at the end everything always got sorted out and their connection and frienship stronger. It was a beautiful thing to see.

 You two sat down, expecting that everyone could finally start to order their food but something stand out, the two empty chairs next to you reminded you that two people were still missing. Baekhyun grabbed your hand, and bringed it to his mouth, kissing it lightly.

“What’s wrong love? You look anxious.”-He asked slightly worried and you pointed the two seats next to you before glancing over at Suho.

“Where’s Chanyeol and Aeri?”-You asked, and just as quick as you asked, all of them started laughing.

“Why do you look so surprised Y/N? They’re late like always. It’s no longer something new coming from those two.”-Kris answered, shrugging his shoulders and you sighed deeply knowing just how true what he said was.

“Were you talking about us?”-A new manly voice asked, capting all of your attention.

"Look who decided to appear! Can’t even arrive at time on my own birthday party Yeol?”-Baekhyun asked, getting up so he could hug his best friend. Chanyeol laughed, hugging him back.

“You already know how we are Baek, don’t know what you were expecting.”-He answered, letting go of him and pulling Aeri once again to him. Baekhyun rolled his eyes, taking once again his seat next to you, not really surprised for having his best friend paying more attention to his girlfriend rather than in him, even though it was his birthday. After all, Baekhyun knew that if it was him, he too would do the same.

You looked at Aeri who was now already in Chanyeol’s arms, being pressed against his chest. You and Baek stared at each other in panic, not knowing how to deal with how cheesy both of your best friends were acting.

“Ew come on Chanyeol let go of Aeri. You guys are making me want to puke!”-Kris exclaimed, turning his head around, disgusted for the amount of affection displayed in public.

“Hyung you and the others are only thinking that because you guys are all single.”-Chanyeol exclaimed and Aeri high fived him, satisfied with his remark.

“Not wanting to disappoint you Chanyeol but in case you forgot, I’m already married.”-Xiumin recalled, lifting Sarang‘s hand, showing off their wedding rings.

“Hum also, me and Baekhyun are dating,Chanyeol.”-You pointed out the obvious and for a second both Aeri and Chanyeol became speechless, providing one rare moment of calmness. They ignored what you were saying, taking the two empty seats next to you.

“Don’t think that I’ll let you off the hook so easily Aeri ssi.”-You said teasingly, pinching one of her arms. She stared at you with a pair of overly fake puppy eyes, batting her eyelashes.-”Please stop looking at me like that. I’m not Yeol, there’s no way that will work with me. Besides that, it’s really annoying, you’re making me want to punch you.”-You confessed jokingly. Aeri gasped in surprise, completely taken back by your ruthless comment.

“Are you picking a fight with me? I would take you down anytime girlie. If I had an heart I’d say that it actually hurt but guess what, I don’t have one.”-Aeri said, acting like the over dramatic and extra self she was. You rolled your eyes due to how childish she was, still that was one of the things you must loved about her, her carefree personality always made you laugh, even in your worst moments.

Every one of you ordered a specific plate, starting the night with a couple of drinks. Baekhyun picked your glass up, ready to pour down some wine but you quickly took it away from his hand, not allowing him to pour a single drop.

“What’s wrong love? You don’t like this type of wine? Because if it’s that there’s no problem, I’ll just order another bottle.”-Baekhyun suggested, already lifting his hand to call an employee but you stopped him, shacking your head in a negative motion.

“It’s not that babe, I just don’t feel like drinking tonight.”-You said smiling innocently. You just hoped that he would believe in your little white lie, as you would hate it if he found out the important surprise you were hiding before you could be the telling him. Baek glanced at you confused, slightly suspicious wondering if there was nothing more added to it than what you were saying.

“Just order something else then to drink, what would you like, I’ll go get it for you.”-He suggested, puting a strand of your brown hair behind your hair.

“Could you get me a can of seven up?”-You pleaded and he nodded, offering you a radiant smile. Baekhyun pecked your lips, and as all of your friends started making disgusted sounds, you started laughing. Guess they still weren’t used to how touchy the two of you were, which in a way was kinda of strange since Chanyeol and Aeri were way worse than you. 

Sarang and Aeri stared at you suspiciously, arching their eyebrows.

“Are you sure you don’t want to drink tonight Y/N? It’s your boyfriend’s birthday. Besides that you love to drink!”-Sarang pointed out and although you wanted to refuse, you just couldn’t deny something that was so true.

“Gentlemen, if you excuse us, we need to make a trip to the bathroom, Sarang, Y/N, please accompany me.”-Aeri said, getting up, followed right away by Sarang. You sighed deeply, already knowing what was about to happen. Apparently, Baekhyun wasn’t going to be the first one to discover about your pregnancy. You followed to the girls to the bathroom, being showered by different questions the moment the door closed.

“Okay spit it out, what’s that story of not feeling like drinking tonight?”-Sarang asked, sounding a bit overly sarcastic in the last bit of her question.

“Woah you girls are really slow aren’t you?”-You asked teasingly, watching their faces turn into a bitter expressionn. You smiled mischeviously, arching one of your brows.-”I mean, I understand that Baek and the rest of the guys can’t exactly figure out the reason but you two? You’re kinda of a disappointment right now!!”-You overreacted as a way to prolongue the mistery. Aeri’s eyes widened and a single gasp was heard.

“No way!! Are you serious Y/N? Oh my god please tell me it’s exactly what I’m thinking!”-Aeri yelled excitely, jumping always in the same spot. You nodded, confirming her suspicions.

“Oh my freaking god Y/N! You’re pregnant??”-Sarang whispering asked, catching up quickly what Aeri was trying to say.

“Surprise surprise, in some months a new member will join our family!”-You announced, immediately feeling two pairs of arms around your frame.

“I’m so happy for you Y/N! Baekhyun will be so happy when he finds out!”-Aeri exclaimed, stroking her bestfriend’s hair.-”I’m being really honest here, I almost feel like crying right now. My best friend is going to be a mom can you believe it?”

“The first baby in our family, woah, can you imagine how excited all the guys will be when they find out they’re going to be uncles?”-Sarang wondered, making the two younger girls giggle along with her.

“Baekhyun still doesn’t know, I’m planning on telling him tonight as his birthday gift.”-You explained, bitting your bottom lip. Although you were pretty sure your boyfriend would be in cloud nine the moment he found out that he was going to be a dad, the negative part of your mind was coming up with terrifying scenarios in which Baekhyun wouldn’t really react that well to the news.

“Y/N trust me, stop worrying about how Baekhyun will react to the news. I assure you he will love it!”-Aeri conforted her, pinching your cheeks.-”Now let’s get out of here before it lifts too many suspicions, we’re already taking a while here.”-She recalled, and the two of you agreed. After this dinner Baekhyun was going to find out, he was going to find out that one of his biggest dreams was going to come true.

Baekhyun arrived at the table, finding it weird the sudden disappearance of the three girls.

“Where’s Y/n, Aeri and Sarang?”-He asked, looking directly at his best friends.

“They went to the bathroom a while ago. You know how girls are, if one goes the others follow her.”-Jongin answered, shrugging his shoulders as he could not understand why couldn’t they just go by themselves.

“Do you have everything sorted out yet?”-Suho asked, changing the topic of the conversation. Baek nodded, smilling happily as everything was running smoothly as he predicted.

“I still can not understand why of all days you chose your birthday to ask her to marry you.”-Kyungsoo said, glancing up to look at him.

“I just thought that if I wasn’t able to ask her today it would take a whole while longer to do it.”-He shrugged his shoulders, not really having a special reason to why this was the day he was going to propose.-”Everything is planned, there’s nothing to worry about. It doesn’t mean I’m not extremely anxious and nervous, but knowing that there’s not a single thing going wrong eases me out.”

 You and your two friends arrived precisely at the moment Baek stopped talking, not lifting any suspicions on both sides. You kissed Baekhyun’s cheek thankful for the drink as you drank a single gulp.

All of you started eating your ordered food, enjoying the time spent together, laughing at the silly jokes Yeol and Chen cracked once in a while.

“I’m telling you, my new club is going to be an hit!”-Xiumin stated, not even trying to hide how excited he was for his new business project.-”To show you how confident I am about it, I already decided the guest list.”

“As long as we’re there nothing else matters.”-Baekhyun joked, being followed by a few laughs.

“You are don’t you worry.”-He assured.-”But now that I think about it I don’t know if thats’s such a good idea. You guys sure do know how to make a ruckus!”-Tao glanced surprised and at the same time hurt at him.

“Thanks for the amount of support hyung. You do trust us a lot.”-The blonde maknae murmured, puffing his cheeks with air. How looks could fool people. 

“Is there anything else you want baby?”-Baek asked, enterlacing your fingers with his. You shook your head, smiling.

“It’s okay, let’s just order dessert for everyone. We have the birthday cake yet to eat Baek, don’t forget about it.”-You reminded him, giving him a knowing look. He rolled his eyes at you, it was his birthday, how could he forget it?

Baekhyun glanced at Luhan, tilting his head slightly to the right, giving him the planned sign that it was time for the surprise. Luhan smiled, nodding as he understood what his friend was trying to say. He lifted his hand, letting the restaurant staff know that it was finally time for the big surprise.

All of a sudden, all the lights turned off, the restaurant only being iluminated by multiple candles, confering the space a more romantic aura but also a more festive one. You looked around you not really knowing what was going on, thinking that probably the guys planned something behind your back, afraid that you could spill the beans.

Voices started to be heard and the popular melody was quickly recognised by everyone who got up right away. The birthday song started to ecchoe all through the restaurant, even strangers joining the festive athmosphere, not minding the sudden change of their dinner plans.

One of the chefs walked slowly towards your table, holding what seemed to be the cake, not being able to be completely sure about it as it was covered. Still, you joined your friends chanting the birthday song, feeling Baekhyun’s arms around your waist, pulling you closer to him. He chanted the song too against your hair, leaving soft kisses in it. 

The chef put the box on top of the table as the last beat of the song ecchoed and all the lights turned on once again. As the view became clearer to you, you finally realised the countless balloons and bouquets around you, making you arch your eyebrows in confusion. Just what the hell was going on? You felt Baekhyun’s arms slowly retreating from your waits, only leaving you more confused. 

Wasn’t it supposed to be a birthday dinner? So why all the bouquets and balloons? Okay, sure the balloons fitted the theme, but the bouquets? Everything was just getting way too weird-

“What is going on?”-You asked, glancing over at Aeri who had a way too big smile plastered in her face. She winked at you, pointing at the cake , that was now finally uncovered after Kris had the dignity to do so. In the middle of the cake, written in an extremely familiar caligraphy, the words Marry me? stood up brightly, automatically making your eyes tear up. 

You turned around, no longer feeling his embrance around you, just to face your most beloved one, down in one knee, now holding an open night blue velvet box with a diamond wedding ring.

“I’ve been planning this for so long but now that the time came I can’t remember of anything, not a single word.”-Baekhyun confessed nervously, making all of your friends around you chuckle.-”I can still remember the first time I saw you, it was in that small antique cafe next to Sehun’s university. You smiled at Aeri and boom, I knew I was screwed. I had fallen in love with you at first sight. You literally had me from the first moment we saw each other, and from then on, I knew I had to have you, I knew I had to try my best to conquer the beautiful girl I have today in front of me.”-He continued as he held your left hand, now more confident and assured than never about his words.-”For the last 3 years and half you’ve seen my happy side, my sad side, from the best one to the worst, you’ve seen it all. I can not put it into words how grateful I am for having you standing by my side throughout everything we’ve been through. I can only hope I made you as happy as you’ve made me. That’s why I’ve mastered all my courage and decided to ask you tonight a special question. Y/L/N Y/N, would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”-Baekhyun asked, staring at your eyes, that were now driping tears as if there was no tomorrow.

You nodded your head repeatedly, uncaple to pronounce any understandable words at that precise moment.

“Of course I will! I will marry you Baekhyun!”-And that, those words were all it took for your friends to erupt in cheers as he pressed your body so hard against his, you could swear you had stopped breathing for some seconds. But that didn’t matter, not when you were that happy. The man of your dreams had just asked you to marry him! You werein cloud nine.

Sehun and Chanyeol popped the champagne bottles open, making sure they hadn’t “accidentally” shook them before.

“Congratulations! You are officialy the second couple of the group to get engaged!!”-Suho congratuled, hugging the two of you as a proud mother, letting two of her kids finally go from her protection.-”I know the two of you will be extremely happy together.”

“Can you believe that in the next few months not only will we have another married couple, that is if you know, Chanyeol decide what you want to do with your life mate, but also a baby in our group? Wow my children are growing up.”-Sarang commented making Xiumin agree, having the same vision as his wife.

“Well thankfully for all of us, we can always ask here mister rich heir Sehun and sucessful CEO Minseok to buy a gigantic mansion to fit all of us more, who knows, probably some more of our girlfiends in the future?”-Chen joked and Sehun had to contain his soaring will to use sarcasm against him. He really didn’t want to make unpleasant comments in the day one of his hyungs had got engaged.

“Thank you, sinceraly. If it wasn’t for all of you, there was no way I could’ve pulled this off.”-Baekhyun thanked, demonstrating his grattitude, almost coming to his knees, bowing. However, no matter  how grateful he was, he still wanted to spend the rest of the few hours he still had left from his birthday day, alone with his just turned fiancee. That’s why, when he turned around to face you, you quickly understood what he was trying to say, both coming to the same conclusion and the precise same plot.

“Nevertheless how amazing this night is being, I would like to spend the rest of the night with my fiance. So, if you excuse us, I would like to leave!!”-You said, grabbing onto Baekhyun’s arm as you sticked yourself to him like glue.

“Oh come on man, we should party tonight!!”-Chanyeol whined but soon he too as assured that such thing wouldn’t happen as Aeri smashed her lips against his, shutting him up.

“Don’t worry about us, we’ll be okay. You’re right, you two should enjoy tonight so go ahead, I will take care of the bill.”-Yi Fan agreed, showing a sympathetic side that not many were used to. You hugged him, not knowing about other way as how you could thank him.

“You sure about that? It will probably be quite expensive.”-You told him worriedly.

“Rest assured Y/N, it’s not only rich heir Sehun and sucessful CEO Minseok that have money.”-Kris said chuckling as he patted your back.-”Take care of her Baek, she’s one of the good ones!”

You and Baekhyun bid your goodbyes, carefully walking towards your car as the chilly breeze of the night made itself felt. You wondered about when would be the perfect time to tell him the special surprise. You had just been so unexpectedly surprised with his marriage request that you had lost the path of how perfectly planed things were. You looked at the sky waiting for somewhat a sign that would assure you that the time had arrived, and when a shooting star made his way across the sky, you knew the time had came.

“Baek, I have something to tell you.”-You started as you stopped mid.track, mere meters away from the car.

“What about it love?”-He asked, lovingly caressing your cheek. You smiled at him, already knowing hor surprised but extremely happy he would be. It had alwaysbeen Baekhyun’s dream to have his own family, his own wife, his own children, his own house. It wasn’t few the times that you two spoke about it, after all you too shared the same dream.

“The surprise we previously spoke about in the car? Remember your birthday present? I think it finally came the time to tell you. Baekhyun, love, I’m pregnant.”-You said smiling from ear to ear, as a smile also teared his face apart.-”You’re going to be a dad!!”

Notes: I can’t believe I forgot I had the beggining of this scenario for so long in my drafts. As soon as I started to read it and remember what I had previously written, I knew I had to complete it. Please enjoy this fluffy scenario with cute Baek!! 

[flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash]

Irresistible Danger - Part 43

Synopsis:  After being caught outside the compound on your own, Negan decides to punish you in the best way possible ;)

Masterlist: http://flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash.tumblr.com/post/145984606962/irresistible-danger-masterlist-negan-x-reader

Characters: Negan x female reader

Words: 3,056

Warnings: nsfw, swearing, fluff

Be Honest With Me

You marched to Negan’s room, your mind racing and so focused on the questions swirling around in it, that you hardly even remembered going up the stairs and walking down the hall. In fact, it almost seemed as if you had just suddenly appeared in front of his door, and before you knew it, your hand was raising to knock on the solid wood. After hearing his muffled, ‘come in,’ you turned the knob and opened the door, stepping inside.

 He was sitting at his desk, black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose and papers spread out all across the gleaming surface of the desk, most likely full of inventory lists and numbers from the recent run. He glanced up sternly, for just a moment, before refocusing on the papers in front of him. He had obviously been expecting someone else, because his eyes widened in surprise and jerked back up to latch onto your own, before his lips stretched into a genuine smile of greeting. You couldn’t help but smile back, a warm, fuzzy feeling starting up in your chest that only added to the confusing plethora of feelings bouncing around inside you.

 Hesitantly closing the door, you stepped further into the room. Negan pulled the glasses off and set them on the desk, before pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. The chair squeaked across the floor, as he pushed it back with his legs and stood up.

 He wasn’t wearing his gloves or scarf, and the leather jacket was draped across the back of the chair, leaving his upper body clad in only a grey t-shirt. It took a great deal of willpower not to openly stare at the way the shirt clung to his torso and arms, a teasing reminder of all the tan flesh and tattooed muscles you now knew were hiding under there, thanks to the front row show you had gotten in his room, the other day. Instead, you let your eyes drift for just a moment, before locking them back up on his face. You could think about his body, later. Right now, you needed to know what was going on in his mind.

 His gaze flickered down to the book in your hands, and his grin widened, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he looked at you expectantly, eyes twinkling in amusement. He knew how excited you’d be about the book, how you had never expected to own a copy of it, again. The knot in your chest tightened, and you weren’t sure if you wanted to laugh, cry, or curse him for being so incredibly thoughtful.

 The realization hit that neither one of you had said a word to the other, since you walked in the door. And, despite Negan’s usual love of hearing his own voice, the two of you had been communicating strictly with nonverbals...and had understood each other, perfectly.

 All of a sudden, you felt shy and uncertain, almost out of your depth, being here. Flustered by the clusterfuck of thoughts racing through your head, you held up the book, and asked, “Where the heck did you find a copy of this?”

 His grin stayed in place, as he strolled slowly around the side of the desk, before leaning back against the front of it, a few feet away from you. “Turns out Gregory has a pretty extensive library. I was perusing the shelves while he stammered around, trying to kiss my ass, when they caught my eye.”

 “They?” Your eyes widened in excitement, all other important questions being temporarily pushed to the side, as you hopefully asked, “Did he have the entire series?”

 Negan ran his tongue across his lower lip, then tucked it into his cheek and showcased his pearly whites. “Maybe,” he teased. “Let’s say he did have them all…what would you be willing to wager for them?”

 You felt the first embers of desire start to burn in your stomach, at his words. This was not the path you had wanted the conversation to go, but damn, it was tempting to just ease into flirty banter with him and forget all the questions you had been bottling up. No, this is what always happens. You get distracted by his charm, and don’t get any of the answers you’re hoping for, your brain chimed in, tapping its foot impatiently.

 Giving a mental shake, you steeled your shoulders, and said, “Perhaps we can make a wager, later. I’m more curious to know what made you bring the books back, in the first place.”

 Giving a noncommittal shrug, he tried to play off your question, by dismissively saying, “I saw them, I grabbed them. Simple as that.”

 “But why did you grab them,” you pressed.

 Squinting his eyes at your insistence, as if trying to figure out where you were going with this, he replied, “Does it matter?”

 Giving an exasperated huff, you waved the book in front of you. “Of course it matters, Negan.”

 He looked both confused and annoyed at your interrogation, as well as surprised at you saying his name with such force. You were probably coming across a little more aggressive than would be effective with him, but at this point, you didn’t care. You were sliding down a slippery slope with him, and were looking for some type of lifeline to slow down your descent, before you crashed into the bottom and ended up hurt.

 “Chill out, doll, before you give yourself a fucking aneurysm,” he said, the length of his body still reclining casually, despite the intensity of his expression.

 You gave a small snort of false amusement. Chill out…that was rich, coming from him, the king of no chill.

You wanted to ask him about not sleeping with his wives, but were certain it would only cause him to shut down and not answer you, not to mention he’d want to know where you’d gotten that information. And what if he denied it? Then you’d really look like a fool. No, it was best to stick to the safer topic of the books.

 “I am chill. All I did was ask a simple question: why you brought back the books. You’re the one who’s evading whatever the answer is.”

 “And I did give you a fucking answer, doll. I said I saw them, and therefore, I grabbed them.”

Ignoring his shitty excuse of a reply, you tried another tactic. “I’m just curious as to why you went out of your way to grab them for me, when you didn’t have to. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, because I do. But it doesn’t make sense, why I would get a gift like this, without having to use my points or work for it.”

 You knew you were probably starting to sound like a petulant child at this point, but to be fair, so was he. You knew that his answer wasn’t the full truth, that there was more to it, and you were done with accepting his vague, sugar-coated answers to all of your serious questions.

He almost looked uncomfortable at being put on the spot like this, his gaze avoiding yours in favor of staring off to the side. He hadn’t been expecting an interrogation to go along with the book, and you wondered if he now regretted the kind gesture. Giving a huff, he ran a hand along the back of his neck. “Does there have to be a reason for me giving you a damn gift?”

 “Yes,” you responded softly, then steeled your shoulders, and said more firmly, “Yes, there does, at this point. I need to know what is going on here. Are we…friends? Friends who exchange books and play chess and go berry picking together?”

 He took a step towards you. “I think it’s safe to say that most people don’t kiss their friend goodbye, before leaving their room,” he said, in reference to the last time you were here.

 “Maybe I do,” you said stubbornly.

 “Well, I sure fuckin’ don’t,” he quipped.

 You had already known that kissing him was a huge deal, especially since you were supposedly the only one who had gotten away with doing so, but his words still caused your subconscious to swell with joy.

 “So, if we’re not friends, then what are we? Technically, you’re my boss here, since you run the Sanctuary. But, last time I checked, employees definitely aren’t supposed to kiss their boss.”

 You knew that you were baiting him, that this whole conversation was borderline ridiculous, but it seemed to be the only way to discuss the topic with him, without scaring him off…without scaring you off, as well. Directly coming out and asking if you were in a relationship was too intimidating. It would cause you to feel too vulnerable, put you at risk to be laughed at by him, or told you were a fool. So, instead, you were ruling out other potential labels, in an effort to make more sense of what was going on, to force him to acknowledge what was going on.

 He hadn’t said anything in response to your boss comment, and was just staring at you neutrally, trying not to give away what he was thinking. However, you focused in on his eyes, looking for any flicker or indicator as to his thoughts, as you said, “So, we’ve ruled out friendship and a strictly professional relationship. And I sure as hell am not one of your wives…so where does that leave us?”

 Still no reaction, so you pressed harder. “Perhaps, I’m more like a companion for hire, then? You pay me with books or a watch, in exchange for my company…” You stared upwards thoughtfully, acting as if you were thinking out loud, contemplating the idea. “Although, that would mean I’m almost like a female escort, or even a hook-”

 You were cut off from finishing that thought by him interrupting in a voice that was low and almost a snarl.

 “Don’t you even fucking think of calling yourself that.”

 Now you were finally getting a reaction. His eyes had lit up and were blazing warmly at you, not at his full-anger glow, more annoyed or frustrated. And his mouth had tightened into a thin line, showcasing his displeasure with your words.

 You felt a tiny ounce of relief, that he had reacted so negatively to that last idea. It wasn’t that you saw his wives as sex workers, per se, although the idea that they had (previously, at least) exchanged sex and companionship with Negan for a lap of luxury screamed “sugar daddy”, at the very least. And that was not the type of arrangement you wanted from him, no matter how nice the watch or amazing the books.

 “So...then, what am I to you?” you asked.

 Realizing that you weren’t going to let the topic go, you could practically feel the frustration vibrating off of him. You were surprised that he hadn’t started pacing at this point, but a glance downwards showed that his hands had a white-knuckled grip on the edge of the desk at either side of his hips. You were pretty certain that that grip was all that was keeping him from gesturing wildly and doing the expected pacing.

“What do you fucking want from me, doll?” he said, his voice sounding strangled and almost pleading. “What answer are you hoping to hear?”

 “I don’t want a certain answer. I just want the truth,” you simply stated.

He let go of the desk and stood up to his full height, hands coming up from his sides as he harshly waved one in front of himself. You had finally chipped away at his armor, and now that chip was allowing him to finally crack open, and say what he was really feeling.

 “The truth?! The fucking truth is that the second I saw those books on Gregory’s shelf, I thought of you. Of how fucking excited you’d be, if you were there to see them, too. I didn’t stop to think if you deserved them or had enough fucking points for them, or any of that other bullshit. I just grabbed them, because I knew that they’d make you happy. And, apparently, seeing you happy makes me feel fucking happy, as well. Your smile over a book or some berries or a watch is a bright spot in this otherwise fucking depressing place.”

 “And as far as ‘what you are’...I don’t fucking know,” he growled, running a hand through his hair, causing a few pieces to stand up and ruffle his otherwise polished exterior. “Unlike every other fucking person in this place, you don’t fit into any of the categories I have set up. You’re not a wife, you’re not a Savior, and you’re not just a worker who makes points. You’re a goddamn enigma, and I don’t have a label or category for you. You’re just...you’re just you.”

 He finished the last sentence on a harsh exhale, his arms coming back down at his sides, as he seemed to deflate in front of you at the admission. Meanwhile, you were frozen in place, both your brain and subconscious working overtime to process his words. You had wanted his honesty, and he had given it to you. And his response was more than you had hoped for. The fact that he saw you for who you were, as an individual, was huge. You weren’t just a means to an end, or someone who served a specific purpose for his community. You were without a label, a round peg who didn’t fit into any of the square hole categories he had set up to keep everyone at an emotional distance. It felt as though someone had finally pulled the veil from over your eyes, and let the sun shine through. And the sun was telling you that this man in front of you cared about your happiness and well-being, not because it benefited him in any way, but just because he wanted to see you happy.

Oblivious to the epiphany happening in your brain, Negan looked bemused by your extended silence, hands dangling at his sides as he stared at you with uncertainty swirling across his face. “So, there’s the truth. Is that what you wanted to fucking hear?”

 You silently stared at him for a few more long moments, before giving a nod and moving forward. Not stopping until you were close enough to reach out and put your free hand on his chest, you tossed the book on the desk behind him and raised up on tiptoe. A whispered, ‘yes,’ left your lips, right before they sealed onto his own.

 He was frozen for a moment, most likely in surprise, but he recovered quickly. His arms came around your waist, as he pulled you in closer, the length of your body molded into his tall, warm frame. He leaned back into the desk again, bringing you with him, so that your pelvis was nestled into the cradle of his thighs. His lips moved lazily over your own, as if he had all the time in the world. The hand on his chest curled, your fingers clinging to the fabric of his shirt to help anchor you, before the emotions in your chest caused you to float up to the ceiling like a balloon.

 Slowly pulling back from the kiss, you gazed up at him, taking in his handsome face. You smiled and reached up with your other hand to smooth down the pieces of hair that were still sticking up, before running your hand down over the side of his face, your nails scratching through his beard, causing his eyes to flutter slightly.

 “I’m not quite sure what I said right, but doll, remind me to keep saying it, if this is the fucking result,” he purred, chuckling when you rolled your eyes with a smile.

 Leaning forward, you meant to kiss him again, to shut him up before he said something else and ruined the moment. However, the moment didn’t need Negan to ruin it, since the knock at the door did a perfectly good job on its own.

 Freezing, you gave a loud sigh, before letting your head fall forward, your forehead thunking into his chest. “You have got to be kidding me,” you whispered, the words semi-muffled against his shirt.

 “Ah, shit. Sorry, doll. I told Simon to come up after he finished dinner, so we could go over the run and how things went here, while I was gone. I thought you were him knocking, earlier.”

 Taking a deep breath, you lifted your head and looked up at him. He leaned down and gave you a soft peck, before his arms left your waist, allowing you to take a step back from him. You instantly felt cold and bereft from no longer being pressed against him, and your subconscious was throwing a temper tantrum at being interrupted, while your brain practically dragged it away from Negan.

 Grabbing the book from his desk, you turned and walked across the room, towards the door. Feeling bold, you glanced back at him and said, “So, is there any free time on your busy schedule that I can claim in the near future?”

 His lips quirked upwards on one side, and he replied, “Fuck yeah, there is. How about I clear my schedule tomorrow evening, and we have dinner up here? Whatever time works best for you, chef.”

 Grinning, you said, “I should be able to do that, I’ll bring two trays around, say, 7 o'clock?”

 “It’s a date,” he quipped, just as another knock sounded on the door.

 Turning, you grabbed the knob and opened the door, unsurprised to see a smiling Simon on the other side. He looked completely unfazed to see you there, which actually made you more uncomfortable, rather than less so.

 “Hey, there,” he greeted with a small wave. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?’

 “No, of course not,” you said, perhaps a bit too hastily. Darting past him, and out into the hallway, you gave a quick, “Have a good evening,” before starting down the hall.

 It wasn’t until you were almost back to your room, that what Negan said had really sunk in.

 He had called it a date.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

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[athyrabunlord]

LLSHP Ch5 - Little Demons

Arc1: [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7]

Arc2: [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10 - Moonstruck (TBD)]

[Brief note about School Term] [other LLSHP AU stuff] [YohaMaRuby concept arts] [ChikaYouRiko concept arts] [KanaDiaMari concept arts] [Hogwarts Staff]

A/N: This is turning into a bi-monthly update… =A=;;;; Sorry for the delay! Too many birthdays and special occasions since then that’s why >w> Any feedback are very welcomed as always, and hope you’ll enjoy this semi-exciting long chapter! Reminder, the school terms in this AU differs from the original. Words: 7,223

“Engorgio! Reducio!”

Yoshiko mumbles under her breath as the rubber ball bounces up and down while changing in size. Sure, the ball rolls away a few times but she’s managed to work up a rhythm in this self-devised routine.

“That’s a cool way of practicing, Yoshiko-chan.”

“Fufu, Yohane-sama doesn’t mind teaching you~”

Ruby nods excitedly and hangs onto her every word, which makes the taller girl fluff up in pride. Due to her upbringing, Ruby is usually the one who helps Yoshiko and Hanamaru whenever they hit a wall during their studies. Not that Yoshiko is a studious student by any means, for she just wants to be good and be able to hold her head high.

And so, she tends to create efficient ways to practice spells as opposed to the tedious steps shown in textbooks. Ruby is fond of her methods and Yoshiko is more than happy to be the one teaching her friend for once.

Unlike usual, the two girls are heading for the Lake to retrieve Hanamaru, who’s recently taken a liking to the relaxing atmosphere especially due to the pleasant weather. It works out for the trio, for they could all have their usual picnic while the brunette peruses her collection of books.

And nothing beats practicing magic in open space!

“Ne, Yoshiko-chan… um I’ve been meaning to ask, but d-did something happen?”

The Slytherin flinches and presses her lips in a thin line. She didn’t tell her friends about the Mirror of Erised and the Room of Requirement, mostly because she doesn’t want them to worry over nothing. Also, she’s been unable to locate the Room again, even though she is certain that it is on the 7th floor and opposite of that ugly tapestry. Until she’s figured everything out, she is keeping this to herself.

But of course, nothing escapes the two Hufflepuffs’ observant eyes. Hanamaru would prod her every chance she gets, while Ruby would wait until they’re alone and ask her in that quiet voice that is difficult to turn down.

“I guess… but, give me more time? I promise I’ll tell you and Zuramaru all about it,” Yoshiko says after a while, grinning slightly when Ruby nods in acquiescence.  “How about you? Is there something bothering you?”

“Me?” The shorter girl tilts her head adorably, a sight reminiscent of her pet owl.

“Yeah. I heard from Zuramaru that those two hooligans are practically attached to you?”

Not a second after she finishes speaking, two red and gold blobs swerve into their personal space from a corner Yoshiko didn’t notice.

“Ruby-chan!” The Gryffindor duo’s voices mingle so well that it’s hard to separate them. Chika immediately cuddles the startled redhead while You salutes to the deadpanning Yoshiko.

“Oh hey, you’re here too! Ohayoshi-”

“Don’t. Even. Say it.” The miffed Slytherin half-heartedly chucks the rubber ball at the Seeker, who easily catches it and begins playing it with her teammate.

What, I’m just an afterthought? The nerve of these two. Still, Yoshiko couldn’t bring herself to get truly upset at Chika and You. They seem genuinely fond of Ruby and, in spite of the latter’s shy demeanor, Yoshiko could tell that she enjoys their company too.

Although, their closeness makes her feel quite left out sometimes. Just where is that Bakamaru when she’s needed?

As if hearing her unspoken question, Ruby manages to squeak out between the older girl’s hugs. “Oh, I see Hanamaru-chan over there!”

“Hnff, that Zuramaru is so getting an earful for making the great Yohane look for her like some lowly servant- hey, who is that?”

She narrows her eyes at the tall Gryffindor walking beside the smiling brunette, her instincts going into overdrive as she appraises this stranger. The ponytailed senior towers above Hanamaru so much that their height difference looks ridiculous, but that isn’t what catches Yoshiko’s attention the most. No, it is the fact that they are chatting amiably like long time friends, and the way Hanamaru smiles at the older girl causes her stomach to churn. The Gryffindor is also carrying a thick stack of books, presumably for the petite Hufflepuff, yet she still walks with ease as if those texts don’t weigh anything.

...no way. The great Yohane is not jealous over some mortal bonding!

Still, as her little demon, Hanamaru should be more aware of her place and not mingle with random people like that! Irritated, Yoshiko storms towards them and ignores the brunette’s greeting.

Dang, this Gryffindor sure is tall, maybe even taller than Dia-san! Yoshiko stands her ground as she glares up at the puzzled girl, whose demeanor is wholly friendly but she is too irked to notice.

“I’ll be taking those for Zuramaru, thanks for the help,” she harrumphs and reaches for those books before waiting for the Gryffindor’s response. When the heavy stack is transferred to her arms, she almost buckles under the unexpected weight.

“What the heck-?!”

“Kanan-chan is strong,” Hanamaru giggles, seemingly amused by her antics. Yoshiko doesn’t even fight back when the older girl retrieves those books smoothly. All she could hear is how her friend referred to the senior.

‘Kanan-chan’?! Just when are they on such familiar terms? Even You and Chika are still referred to with ‘-san’! Scowling, Yoshiko budges her way to stand between Hanamaru and Kanan, much to their bewilderment. Before she could grill Bakamaru about the stranger, the two aforementioned mikan-loving duo strolls up to them with Ruby in tow.

“Kanan-chan! We heard Coach is back today, isn’t she?” “I can’t wait to start Quidditch practice!”

Yoshiko’s annoyance dissipates slightly as she perks her ears, for she’s also looking forward to Flying Lessons. She could feel Hanamaru peering over her shoulder and, just because, she shifts to block the latter’s view of the Gryffindors. She smirks to herself at the shorter girl’s protesting pokes.

“Yup, Coach is back and we’ll be meeting at the Pit tomorrow morning for a warm-up. Wanna join us?” Kanan seems unfazed when You and Chika cheerfully pounce on her like a pair of eager puppies.

“Of course! Hehe, I can’t wait~” “You don’t even have to say twice, Capt’n!”

“Kanan-chan is the Gryffindor Quidditch team Captain,” Hanamaru explains to Yoshiko, who shrugs and folds her arms.

The ponytailed senior doesn’t appear offended by her hostile glare. “I’m Kanan Matsuura, You and Chika’s childhood friend. You must be Yoshiko? Maru’s told me a lot about you.”

“S-She did?” Yoshiko is so surprised that she didn’t remember to correct her name to ‘Yohane’ and she decides to overlook how the older girl calls her friend.

“K-Kanan-chan! T-That’s supposed to be a secret zura!”

“Secret? What secret? Oi, Zuramaru!”

The older girl only chuckles good-naturedly at Hanamaru’s flustered pout. She also greets Ruby with a genial smile, which the latter returns shyly. It seems like Kanan is on familiar terms with the two Hufflepuffs too.

What’s with these Gryffindors, being so attached to MY friends? Yoshiko tries not to seeth as she continues to bug Hanamaru’s supposed secret discussion with Kanan about her. On one hand, she’s very bothered by how she’s being kept out of the loop and that the brunette would talk about her to this stranger of all people.

On the other hand, well, just what could a mere Zuramaru be saying about the great Yohane, if her blush is anything to go by?

Mystery oh mystery.

“Let’s go find coach already! Kishishi, I miss her so much, I have tons of questions and I bet she has a lot to share about her trip abroad!” Before Chika could run off, Kanan easily reels her back with one hand while holding down an equally enthusiastic You just as effortlessly. As someone who’s been carried off by the Seeker several times, Yoshiko is impressed by the ponytailed girl’s strength yet again.

“Now now, Coach is talking to Professor Ayase - apparently she’s brought back some interesting creatures from Durmstrang, so Professor Ayase is thinking of holding a special DADA lesson for the seniors.”

Kanan’s words only have the opposite effect; the five younger witches exchange eager glances before firing questions at her. Defense against dark arts is Yoshiko’s favorite class and taught by her Head of the House after all, how can she not be excited?

“Hnff, as the great fallen angel, it is my duty to inspect any new creatures entering my domain-”

“Kanan-chan, we want to see too!”

“I’m sure it’ll be awesome, let’s yosoro already!”

“Hey don’t cut me off!”

“Hehe, exotic creatures from abroad? Wah~ that’s like something from a storybook zura~”

“From D-Durmstrang? I-I’m curious to see what it is too…”

“Er, but Dia said this seminar is only for Fifth-Years, so I was going to go after helping out Maru-”

“Take us with you!” “We’re sooo coming with you!” “Can we please?”

It seems like Kanan cannot handle their puppy eyes, for the six of them soon find themselves in a grand classroom that must be magically charmed to be able to accommodate many students. True to her words, there are only the senior students present, and they are spread out in an orderly manner as per the Head Girl’s instructions.

Interestingly though, Riko is also amongst the attendees and is standing beside Dia as if it’s the most natural thing. A shabby-looking suitcase is set in the middle of the room while the DADA Professor is nowhere to be seen.

“Hmm? Hey Dia, where is the Prof?”

“She is preparing the seminar with Professor Hoshizora, so in the meantime I have been given full authority and responsibility over this warm-up workshop with a different and less dangerous creature. Thus, I must ask...Kanan-san, what is the meaning of this?”

Dia’s viper-like glare sweeps over them, and Yoshiko instinctively cowers and avert her eyes. She is rather relieved to see Chika and You doing the same, under Riko’s reprimanding frown.

“Ahaha… they really want to come so, why not? It’s no big deal, it’ll be good for them to learn new stuff, no?”

For the third time since meeting her, Yoshiko couldn’t help but feel grudging respect towards the laidback Gryffindor, who simply smiles as if she’s impervious to the very dangerous aura Dia’s emitting. Her peaceful demeanor seems to have a protective shroud around Hanamaru, who also looks unaffected, while Ruby expectedly hides behind them and out of her older sister’s sight. Still, how can anyone laugh when Dia Kurosawa is glaring at you? Fearless Gryffindor indeed!

As if emboldened by Kanan’s claim, Chika pipes up. “Yeah yeah! We want to… to learn too! I mean, Riko-chan’s here too, so why can’t we?”

“I’ve been taking Advanced courses and I got Outstanding in my OWL last year, so I was given permission,” the pretty Ravenclaw replies flatly, which prompts Chika fidget sheepishly.

“Come on~ Dia, it’ll be interesting to see what happens~ Sarà divertente!”

Mari Ohara, the cat-like Ravenclaw senior, casually drapes her arm around the Head Girl and merely grins when the latter threatens to hex her. Yoshiko concludes that these three Fifth-Years, while in different Houses and have very different personalities, must be good friends. She glances at Hanamaru and Ruby and, for some reason, she lets out a quiet chuckle.

“What’s funny, Yoshiko-chan?” Hanamaru peers up at her.

“You’re funny.”

“Yoshiko-chan is mean!” Though pouting, the brunette seems amused by something as well and returns the smile.

After moments of tense silence, Dia sighs. “Very well. For just the duration of this pre-seminar workshop, the five of you may stay. And-” she raises her voice exasperatedly when they cheer and give each other high-fives, “you will listen to my instructions. Are we clear? Chika-san, are you listening?”

“Yes, Dia-sensei~ Thank you for letting us stay! Here, have a mikan!”

The other students snicker quietly, seemingly used to the Gryffindor’s antics. Dia counts under her breath to rein in her irritation as Chika passes out the fruit to anyone who wants it, until Riko has enough and freezes her movement with fluid spell. Yoshiko is liking this comfortable, classroom-like atmosphere more and more. As much as she respects and likes the Professors, a part of her still prefers to be around only her peers.

“So, Dia-san,” Yoshiko raises her hand and continues speaking after the older girl nods in approval. “What are we dealing with?” Since Care of Magical Creatures is an elective course available to Third-Years and above, Yoshiko is very curious about what could be allowed in this environment, even with the Head Girl’s supervision. Come to think of it, the only magical creatures she has seen are those Thestrals and the nice house-elves who prepare their meals and clean their dorms.

At this, Dia smiles. “We will be dealing with a Boggart, which is right here in the suitcase.”

The older students break into eager murmurs, having studied the creature but none of them have ever seen one in person. For some reason, even the calmest-looking Fifth-Year appears thrilled at the prospect of handling a Boggart. Ruby quietly explains to the confused Yoshiko and Hanamaru that, a Boggart is a shape-shifted that will take on the form of its target’s worst fear. While not necessarily a dangerous creature, its nature is unusual and it could still be a threat, depending on its transformation.

“Wow, such a good summary, Ruby-chan!” “Better than I can ever explain!” Ruby flushes dark red under You and Chika’ exuberant praises, and squeaks when Dia turns to their direction. The Head Girl’s unreadable eyes linger on her little sister for a moment before giving her a slight nod.

“Just as she said, a Boggart can still be dangerous if not handled properly. For the purpose of this workshop, we will only be using the Riddikulus charm, so we can observe its properties and behavior as much as we can. Would anyone like to volunteer, to start this off?”

Dia ignores Mari’s waves and Chika’s hops, and picks a Gryffindor prefect that Yoshiko does not know. The wizard approaches the suitcase confidently, his stance relaxed but alert. Yoshiko gulps in anticipation when Dia unlocks the luggage with a spell and something dark slips out from the gap.

Before she could determine its shape, the misty substance suddenly turns into a gigantic black snake with green eyes!

“Haha, didn’t know you’re afraid of snakes!” “Hey, it looks kinda like Kurosawa-kaichou!”

The wizard’s mates snigger at him, while the poor boy flusters under Dia’s icy stare. It is only when the reptile slithers towards him that he lets out an undignified yelp. “Riddikulus!”

The spell hits and one loud crack later, the hissing snake is replaced by a harmless black rabbit. For some reason, both Kanan and Mari starts laughing so much that they practically collapse against each other while holding their stomachs.

“One more peep and I’m cursing you both,” Dia growls, her cheeks slightly red. Why is she embarrassed? The wizard and his buddies look just as confused as the rest of the students.

Mari doesn’t seem to hear the threat. “H-He probably just thought of the bunny because it’s, well, a bunny, but-! Gawd, it’s so hilarious, don’t you agree, Rikocchi?”

Riko’s hastily shakes her head, with an expression of ‘don’t drag me into this’, at her housemate.

“Petrificus to-”

“Maa maa, anyone else wants to have a go?” Kanan quickly covers Mari’s mouth before Dia could finish her curse. Other students take the hint and one by one, each step up to confront their worst nightmare. Various transformations include spiders, rats and even a really ugly gnome, but any fear is fleeting in this hyped environment and laughter never fails to fill the room after the Riddikulus charm.

Surrounded by peers, there is no need to be scared anymore, especially when you have the power to change your fear into something ridiculous! Yoshiko can’t wait to try out her creativeness, though she is also curious about what she is afraid of, for anything that could scare her is intangible and not an actual creature.

“Finally, it’s my turn!” Mari strolls towards the tiny hamster-Boggart, which morphs into a large reptilian head with slit-like eyes, followed by a long neck and ridged back and wings-

“Mari-san!” Dia angrily pulls her aside while nudging another startled student towards the Boggart. The creature falters a little before taking on a shape of a centipede.

“What?”

“A dragon, seriously?”

The First Year trio gasps and unanimously glances back at the Boggart. So it was originally going to transform into an actual dragon? Sure, this is the magical world, but Yoshiko cannot fathom how an encounter with such a famous beast would go, fake or not. Looking around, the seniors look just as awed and stunned as they are.

Mari shrugs, the amused grin still present on her visage. “Well, long ago, when Papa took me to Romania, I got lost and-”

“And stumbled upon a dragon!?”

“I was only five and… oh yes, its fire was very shiny~”

“You- oh Merlin’s Beard, not you too Kanan-san.”

Dia rubs her temple when the Boggart shifts into a massive horse with bullrush mane and has lower body of a serpent with fish-like fins. From the older students’ whispers, apparently this rare creature is called ‘Kelpie’, classified as dangerous, and is actually known as the Loch Ness Monster in the Muggle world!

Kanan smiles, not at all fazed by the presence of her supposed nightmare. “I went swimming one time and-”

“I don’t need to hear your story!”

At least she looks sheepish, unlike the unrepentant blonde. A quick spell forces the intimidating Kelpie to change into an adorable penguin. Kanan and Mari starts guffawing again, so perhaps the Gryffindor isn’t as apologetic as she appears. Their inside joke truly angers Dia this time, and she would have unsheathed her sword if Riko hadn’t stopped her in time.  

This movement, however, catches the Boggart’s attention. Before it could begin its transformation, Riko pales and runs behind You, refusing to move. The shorter girl shifts awkwardly but shields her friend without question. Meanwhile, Chika leaps in front of them both to face the distracted Boggart, which is stuck in between a penguin and something with dark robes covered in blood stains.

Yoshiko doesn’t have time to guess Riko’s worst fear, for laughter soon reverberates the room upon the creature’s next change.

“Isn’t that your older sister, Chika-chan?” You chuckles heartily, though her arm is still wrapped protectively around Riko’s waist.

Indeed, the Boggart is now a woman with short blonde hair, wearing the most ferocious scowl Yoshiko has ever seen.

“Yeeek! It’s really Mito-nee!” Chika flails comically, and her antics seem to have coaxed a small smile from the frightened Riko. The humor doesn’t last, for Chika’s Riddikulus spell changes the Boggart to a very, very large and furry dog, prompting the Ravenclaw to screech and burrow her face against You’s shoulder.

“Eeeeh, what, my Shiitake is really cute!”

Yoshiko deadpans. What breed of dog is that? It’s even bigger than those Tibetan Mastiffs she’s seen in those world record books! There’s no way it’s a normal pet!

Dia looks between the shivering Riko and her captive You, and sighs wearily before facing the First-Years. “Would any of you like to try? Have you gotten the hang of the spell?”

“Yeah! We’ve been watching everyone carefully. I’m sure we’ll cast the Ridiculous charm just fine!” Yoshiko is about to walk forward when Hanamaru tugs her back with a teasing smile.

“It’s ‘Riddikulus’. I think I shall go zura~”

Yoshiko scowls but allows her friend to go first, and loudly cheers her on with Ruby. Suddenly, the room temperature drastically drops and everyone’s breaths turn into white puffs of air. Her heartbeat speeds up rather painfully as she stares at the Boggart, which is slowly changing into a floating, cloaked figure.

Hanamaru drops her wand and stumbles back against Yoshiko, her lips quivering and eyes wide in terror. Before the ghastly apparition fully forms, Kanan projects a silvery image of a dolphin from her wand while Dia also has her wand up, erecting a translucent barrier between them and the Boggart. The seemingly sentient dolphin herds the hideous creature towards one corner of the room, and the student body lets out a collective sigh.

“Are you okay, Maru?”

Only a whimper leaves the brunette’s lips, so she feebly nods at Kanan. Yoshiko breathes shakily, also frightened and irrationally jealous of how the older girl easily protected Hanamaru.

“W-What was that?” Ruby squeaks as she pulls Hanamaru into a comforting hug.

“A Dementor,” Dia murmurs, her gaze full of disbelief. “Hanamaru-san, when and how did you meet such a creature? Dementors are the guards of Azkaban, a prison for the magical world.”

Seeing that the petite girl is still in no shape to speak, Dia waves off her question and turns towards the students. “I suppose that is enough excitement for now. Let us discuss-”

“Yoshiko-chan!” Ruby tries to stop her friend but the Slytherin is already marching towards the confined Dementor-Boggart at the corner.

“No, I want to face the Boggart too!” She dislikes how useless she felt earlier and wants to rectify her image in front of her friends. If she can face her worst fear, then she should be able to protect Hanamaru from this Dementor thing too. She was only taken by surprise before; she shall not make the same mistake again!

Kanan is about to stop her but a meaningful glance from Dia and Riko stop her. Nodding, the Gryffindor dispels the silvery dolphin once Yoshiko is in front of the already changing Boggart.

“Come at me, my worst nightmare! There’s nothing I can’t handle!” With the black feather secure in her bun, the young teenager spreads her arms with her wand ready.

However, when the Boggart finishes its transformation, all she could do is gape and stand there like a fool.

It is her doppelganger, the same one she saw in the Mirror of Erised, except this one is dressed in dark robes and has black wings instead of white.

Paralyzed with shock, rather than fear, Yoshiko looks into its cold eyes and feels a prickle at the back of her mind. Who are you?

She is in such a daze that she barely notices Dia stepping in and directs the now misty creature back into the suitcase.

The silence has never been this loud, and she can feel every pair of eyes on her. The Head Girl gently but pulls her behind, as if to block her from the others’ scrutiny. Yoshiko hears her speaking to the students but her mind is in too much of a turmoil to process her words.

“Yoshiko-chan?”

She slowly turns to look at her two friends, whose worried expressions mirror each other. Ruby is holding Hanamaru’s hand, for the latter still looks shaken from the earlier incident. Guilt and shame fill Yoshiko’s mind for some reason and she couldn’t bear to look at the brunette’s pale face.

“I… I want to be alone for a bit, yeah? Um, I’ll leave Zuramaru in your hands, Ruby,” she mumbles rather pathetically and flees the room.

She hears footsteps behind her but she also hears various voices, possibly stopping her pursuer or something. She couldn’t really concentrate on anything else. All she wants to do is to get as far away from everyone so she could recompose herself.

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“Why am I here?”

Yoshiko grumbles and manages to suppress the urge to sneeze for the umpteenth time. After running out of the classroom, she wanted somewhere remote and open-spaced, and somehow ended up heading for the Aviary. There is something about birds and feathers that soothe her, though the odor is rather appalling. Thankfully, perhaps due to a charm, the air in here is adequately ventilated and not stuffy, or else her nose might not have survived the permanent bird-scent.

Here, nestled behind some haystack and beneath nests with quiet hoots every now and then, Yoshiko does find the peace she seeks, but she is no less confused than she was before. The notion to confide in a Professor leaves her mind as quick as it enters. She has long lost faith in consulting with adults due to her past experiences. Perhaps they meant good, but they always wanted to take her to some psychiatrist, have her examined, or even locked up.

She’s not crazy, and being here at Hogwarts proves that. Magic is real and finally, she is able to live the ‘normal school life’ she’s always dreamed of, with friends and dependable seniors.

Until what happened in that workshop, that is. Most of the Professors have been kind to her but there’s always a possibility that their attitude might change if they know about her peculiarities. Formerly kind caretakers had treated her warily in the past after all.

“...am I really a freak?” Yoshiko whispers sadly, but smiles a little when something warm nuzzles her hand.

The familiar golden cat stares at her, its chartreuse eyes clear and its unusual tail swishing as if refuting her words. The intelligent feline, the same one that’s helped her out many times, joins her in the Aviary some time after she’s calmed down. After a friendly greeting by pawing at her robe, the enigmatic cat simply curls up beside her, like it knows that she needs moral support.

Before she realizes it, she just starts talking about the orphanage and the Muggle schools she attended. A small voice in the back of her mind reminds her that she’s pouring her concerns to a cat of all choices, but she finds this incredibly easy.

The cat listens patiently and reacts with little gestures here and there to offer its opinion. Perhaps, this creature truly is magical too.

“You’re… Riko-san’s cat right? I remember, the first day here at Hogwarts, you jumped into her arms when we got to the front gates.”

The cat forms a rather human-eque grin, as if amused by her claim.

“No?”

It swishes its tail again and meows.

“You… want me to talk to Riko-san?”

Somber nod.

“Er, weren’t you listening earlier? Don’t you see my dilemma, I really don’t know what to do. I can’t really bring myself to talk any of the Professors, and Riko-san was there earlier, she saw what that Boggart changed into- ack!” Yoshiko spits out a mouthful of fur after the cat smacks her face with its tail. “What? I really don’t know how to talk to her! I mean, she’s really nice and all but, yeah, I just find it hard to talk to her, okay?”

The cat tilts its head and paws at her Slytherin scarf.

“Dia-san?”

Another nod and a rumbling purr.

“I guess so. She knows about the Mirror of Erised, and she’s the one who… took control of the situation earlier.”

Now that she’s able to rationalize her situation with a calm mind, she recalls how the older girl pulled her behind. Perhaps, out of all the available choices and due to her trust issue with adults, Dia is the only one she could be fully honest with.

“Yeah, okay… I-I’ll talk to her.” Yoshiko grins and rubs the cat’s head in gratitude. “I really appreciate you listening to me! I’m sure I’ll meet you again.”

She stands up and stretches, and her movement is copied by the feline as well. A small revelation hits her then. Do cats come to me because I’m kinda like a cat too? Heh, I’ve never thought about it this way.

The sun is already setting when she leaves the Aviary. Guilt fills her heart again as she thinks of her friends, of how worried Ruby and Hanamaru must be. They always respect her personal space, but she acknowledges that her flight from the classroom was rather selfish. Hanamaru seems to have a traumatic experience with that Dementor-thing, yet she just abandoned her friend like that.

Yoshiko vows to make up to her. Still, that terrifying creature is vaguely familiar, but her head throbs in pain when she tries to dig through her memories. Perhaps, researching in the library is what she needs, whether it’s about the Dementor or her doppelganger.

And this way, she can spend more time with Hanamaru too.

She is in such deep thoughts that she almost misses the small, dark shape curled up amongst the grass. Its weak squeak calls for her attention, prompting her to approach the unknown critter. More curious than cautious, she crouches down and holds her breath when it flinches at her looming shadow.

“There there, I’m not gonna hurt you.” The little bat, covered with midnight-blue fur, appears to be injured since its right wing is folded at an awkward angle. It hisses warily and bites her finger as soon as her hand nears it. Undeterred, she continues to coax it and tries not to roll her eyes at its contradicting behavior. The bat would bite her when she tries to touch it, but squeals scratchily when she backs away as if worried she would just leave.

“What do you want me to do?”

After a while of exasperating back and forth, she manages to gather the wounded critter in her arms. The bat bares its fangs at her and, if she isn’t mistaken, actually huffs at her!

So not cute! Ruby’s owl or even that Thestral is cuter! Though grumbling, Yoshiko hugs the bat protectively and decides her conversation with Dia can wait. Her priority is to bring this hurt creature to the Infirmary. Still, where did this bat come from? She’s seen owls flying around the school grounds but not bats, but it does make sense that bats would live at an ancient castle like Hogwarts.

She thoughtfully glances over at the Forbidden Forest and her heart skips a beat when a familiar sensation washes over her. Her mind blanks out and she’s vaguely aware of her body moving. She doesn’t know how long or how far she has walked until a sharp sting snaps her out of the trance and almost causes her to stumble. Glancing down, she realizes that the bat must have been trying to get her attention for a while because her maimed finger is covered in slick blood.

Looking around, she notices despairingly that she had wandered rather deep into the Forbidden Forest.

“Why is this happening again? I-I need to talk to Dia about this too, if I can find my way back...”

She blinks in surprise when the bat gingerly licks at her bloody finger, as if apologetic. “Right, we need to get you to the infirmary. Thanks though, for stopping me, hmm… Lucifer!.” She smiles at the bat, but it turns its head away as if it doesn’t care less about its new name.

“You don’t like it? Then how about-”

The bat nips at her finger.

“So Lucifer is fine?”

It turns its head away again.

This is what you would call a tsundere, right? Yoshiko chuckles, glad that the little exchange soothes her nerves so she isn’t freaking out about her current dilemma, as she would have done had she been alone.

Taking a deep breath, she surveys her surrounding and concludes that she is just as lost as she was that first night at Hogwarts. The moon seems to be covered by clouds and the canopy is thick, rendering her night vision useless. She tries uttering ‘Lumos’ like Ruby did but nothing happened, since she probably executes the spell incorrectly.

“Great, I’m stuck. If only I know which direction I came from, maybe I can trace my way back out...”

Lucifer grunts and nudges her hand until she faces the direction it wants. “This way?”

It nips her finger impatiently. Deciding to trust her latest servant of the night, Yoshiko uses the Levitation Charm on nearby twigs and tries hurling them as far as she could. She continues this as she carefully walks the way the bat indicates, hoping her action would catch someone’s attention. Even though it’s already after hours, the groundskeeper may be near by. The wolf that Mari mentioned could be around too, though she doesn't trust the older girl’s words that the wolf is friendly.

“Yoshiko-san?”

To her shock, it is the worried face of Riko that greets her. Before she could say anything, the Ravenclaw gestures for her to follow at a brisk pace. With her Lumos spell as guidance, they easily navigate over the gnarly roots and hidden holes, and soon they safely arrive at the edge of the Forest.

“H-How did you find me, Riko-san?”

Instead of answering her, Riko’s sharp gaze is trained upon the bat in her arms. She twirls and moves her wand in a mesmerizing manner and soon, a spell covers Lucifer’s wing in a gentle glow. Awed, Yoshiko can only watch as the bat raises and folds its clearly healed wing. Squeaking happily, it even allows Riko to stroke its head.

Then, before her wide eyes, Lucifer spreads its wings and flies away into the night. Something aches in Yoshiko’s heart, for she was certain of a connection with the bat and had hoped for it to stay. They did experience a little adventure together, but in the end, an untamed creature should still stay in the wild.

“This might sting a little.”

Yoshiko feels heat crawl up her neck from the intense way Riko gazes at her maimed finger. The Ravenclaw uses some sort of spell that cleans the wound, revealing the raw and scabbing marks marring her skin. However, the older girl is so gentle in her treatment that Yoshiko doesn’t feel any discomfort.

“There, it is better not to use magic to heal small injuries that your own body can,” Riko then conjures a small band-aid to cover the wound.

“T-T-Thank you, Riko-san,” Yoshiko blushes even harder at the taller girl’s smile.

“You’re welcome. Now,” Riko’s expression becomes stern. “What happened, Yoshiko-san? Where did you go after you… left the workshop?”

Perhaps it’s because of her gratitude towards Riko, or due to the conversation with the golden cat earlier, Yoshiko finds it easier to speak to her. After briefly mentioning her stay in the Aviary and how she found Lucifer, Yoshiko pauses and reluctantly admits that this isn’t the first time she has experienced those odd blank states of mind.

She closes her eyes in resignation, certain that the older girl would look at her differently now that the truth is out in the open. A small voice at the back of her mind reminds her that neither Hanamaru nor Ruby segregated her, but a part of her is anxious of Riko’s opinion of her too.

“That certainly is worrisome, though I understand why you’re reluctant to go to the teachers. You don’t want to be treated differently, that’s all. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Stunned, Yoshiko apprehensively peers at Riko, who is gazing into the distance and seemingly lost in memories.

“The teachers here are kind and helpful, and you want to keep it that way. You don’t want to chance ruining it.”

Yoshiko nods, unable to look away from Riko’s profile.

“I would suggest you speak to Dia-san, especially if such peculiarity happens again.”

“That’s what that golden cat wants me to do too, from what I can gather anyway,” Yoshiko swallows nervously. “So, you… you don’t think I’m weird?”

“We’re all weird one way or another.”

Riko chuckles quietly at her surprised expression. Of all the things, Yoshiko hasn’t expected the serious Ravenclaw to say that.

“So, don’t think you’re alone, okay? Here in Hogwarts, you will never be alone.”

“Right,” Yoshiko nods bashfully, finally understanding and appreciating her underlying message.

“That said, I also urge you to speak to your friends. Hanamaru-san and Ruby-san are very worried about you. I believe they are still waiting for you at the Great Hall,” Riko gestures at the direction of the Castle. “If you run now, you can still make it to dinner.”

“Eh? Why are you saying as if you’re not coming with me? Besides, you h-haven’t answered me. How did you find me?”

Riko appears reluctant to respond, but she relents after a moment. “Every Friday around this time, I would come to the edge of the Forest and, just so happens, I heard those twigs you threw with your spell.”

“Oh. Heh, that actually worked… well, I was lucky you were nearby. So, why do you routinely come here?”

“Stay still and slowly look behind you.”

The older girl’s firm but quiet tone is all Yoshiko needs to follow her instruction. Before her wide eyes, a pair of Thestrals cautiously steps into view. The skeletal, horse-like beasts appear curious at her presence and remain where they are, beneath the shades of the trees. Riko gingerly but steadily approaches them, and pats one Thestral’s bony snout after its friendly croon.

Yoshiko’s heart is pounding thunderously in her ears. “So, you can see them too.”

“...yes.”  Riko looks so sad then as she leans against its neck in a pseudo-hug. “There’s something about them that’s soothing, despite their rather intimidating appearance. You... understand right?”

It is at this moment that Yoshiko no longer feels guarded or nervous around the older girl. Riko didn’t speak of the Thestral back then to pry or anything; she was merely making a remark, and perhaps expressing empathy, that they have both experienced something horrible, that they are not alone.

“Yeah I understand.” Boldly, she joins Riko in caressing the Thestral too. The grotesque creature looks rather endearing then, as it flicks its long tail in greeting and beckons at its mate to come closer too. Riko appears surprised at the Thestrals’ easy acceptance but simply smiles at their interaction.

Yoshiko grins toothily. “So we’re like kindred spirits huh?”

“I suppose we are?”

“Well then, how would you like to become my little demon? I mean, Lucifer flew away earlier… the bat, I mean. Lucifer is supposed to become a member. I’m grateful you healed him but still, he flew away afterwards. So in exchange, you have to become one in his place!”

She’s managed to overcome her jitters around Riko and now, she can close the gap in their relationship even more by inviting her to the fallen angel’s legion! What a brilliant plan this is!

As expected, Riko stares at her with a blank expression. Yoshiko starts counting inwardly, waiting for a rejection, yet the older girl merely nods.

“Alright. What do I have to do?”

“Er…” Yoshiko is stumped. No one has ever agreed to become her little demon before so she never thought beyond that. Ruby almost did but Hanamaru stopped the initiation ritual back on the train and she never tried it again.

She shuffles for a bit before taking off the black feather from her bun and stuffs it in Riko’s hand. “A contract! Yes, a contract. As my little demon, you’ll have to be ordained and granted a new name. And, um, if I call upon you, y-you’ll have to answer my call!” Not wanting to sound too demanding to a senpai, she adds quietly. “Like, if I need your help with school stuff, you’ll have to do it, okay?”

“No problem,” Riko giggles quietly. “Anything else?”

Yoshiko’s ears burn from embarrassment but she persists. “And... if it’s not too much trouble… I’d like to see these guys again too.”

Riko nods in understanding. “We’ll work something out. Perhaps we can come here next Friday.”

“Awesome! Yeah, that’s enough for now I guess. Y-You’re just a newbie little demon, so the great Yohane is benevolent and shall not overwhelm you.”

The Ravenclaw examines the black feather with interest, her fingers brushing over the fringe as if it were a precious object. “Then? What is my new name?”

Many names flashes in her mind. Asmodeus? Gorgon? Lamia? Lilith?

“Lily! How about Lily?”

There’s a flicker of pain in Riko’s widened eyes and her grip tightens imperceptibly.

“Erm, not good?”

The older girl lets out a shaky breath but smiles. “No, Lily is fine. It’ll signify a new beginning, no?”

“Lily it is then!” Yoshiko folds her arms, utterly pleased and proud of her lists of accomplishments. The Boggart incident and her numerous abrupt trips to the Forbidden Forest are no longer scary, now that she has gained a minion, and a pretty and smart one too at that!

“There’s something I want to ask you though, Lily,” she tests the name, and grins when the older girl nods.

“Yes, Yoshiko-san?”

“Eh, what’s with the distance? Either call me Yohane-sama or something closer? We are of the same legion.”

“Um, okay, how about… er, Yocchan?”

It’s like no one wants to ever call me Yohane. Oh well, this nickname is cute too. “That’s acceptable. Ahem, back to topic, I… I’ve been wondering, why did you suggest Dia-san? The golden cat did too. Is it because she’s the Head Girl?”

“Because she’s Dia-san,” Riko says without hesitation.

The ambiguous answer, however, is enough for Yoshiko. Indeed, the Head Girl just has that trustworthy aura, and even someone from a different House, someone who is poised like Riko, shares the same opinion too.

“Right. Dia-san. I need to talk to her, if Lily says so too.”

“Before that though, you need to speak to your friends first, so let’s head back to the Castle,” Riko pats the Thestrals one more time before turning away.

“Huh? I thought you were going to stay-?” Yoshiko hastily waves at the friendly creatures before catching up to the older girl.

“It’s fine. We’ll come back here next Friday, won’t we? It is more prudent that you let your friends know that you are okay.”

Yoshiko winces a little from her stern voice. “Right. I’ve been gone for a long time. Um, in my defense, I was really going back to the castle when I got side-tracked by many things! Good things, but still side-tracked!”

“It is good to be inquisitive about the Magical world, but heed your instincts and do not take everything at face value.”

“Hey, that’s exactly what Dia-san told me some time ago. You’re actually good friends with Dia-san?”

“I’ve been taking Advanced courses so, yes, I’m well-acquainted with her. Kanan-san and Mari-san too.”

“Grr, her again.”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing. So, I guess you and Dia-san mean to say, I should be more careful?”

“Yes. Never run off on your own again, and certainly not so close to the Forbidden Forest.”

“Hey, you’re unaccompanied too! And you come here every late Friday, isn’t that dangerous?”

“Professor Hoshizora knows of my trips, and I’m a Third-Year.”

They continue their light-hearted banter as they walk back to the castle. Yoshiko sort of understands why Chika and You tend to hang around Riko like eager puppies, whenever she sees them together. The Ravenclaw has a comforting and dependable presence that is both similar and different from Dia’s.

Is it because they are senpais? Because they are more knowledgeable? Or perhaps, this is what Ruby feels whenever she speaks of her older sister?

Either way, Yoshiko is relieved to have made more friends. All those troublesome mysteries would surely be resolved, now that there are so many little demons to help her out!