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peakywitch · 4 years

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Little Hands - Michael Gray

PART ONE

MASTERLIST

WORD COUNT: 2K

warnings: none (i think this one has angst?)

gif: @oberelias

A knock on the bar door caught Harry's attention. He immediately knew who it was. He opened the door, seeing the young woman from a half hour ago.

"Y/N?" he asked, not understanding anything. A girl of about 17 years, crying at the door of the Garrison. Harry thought he would never see such a thing.

"Sorry Harry, I had nowhere to go..." she sobbed; Harry invited her in and poured her a glass of water as she sat down at the bar.

“Are you better?" he asked her, after a few minutes.

The girl had been staring at the glass of water since Harry had offered it to her. The silent tears kept falling from her eyes. What will I do now? She would go home alone. She would forget about being a teacher and would have to dedicate herself to whatever she could, so her son would have something to eat.

Her son.

Y/N still didn't get it. She was seventeen, a minor, and her ex-boyfriend had just left her. She could not abort, she had found out too late.

"What the fuck am I going to do..." she whispered, asking Harry.

"You in trouble?" he asked, worried that she was hurt.

"Yes, in a giant problem." She replied, drinking more water.

“I think whatever it is, you can work it out. If you have people who want you by your side, you'll be fine." He said, as he rearranged the liquor bottles.

“The person I love doesn't want to be with me, Harry. He said horrible things to me and I…”The poor girl bursted into tears, Harry felt so out of place.

The man, not knowing what to do, approached the small kitchen that was at the back of the bar and took out some pieces of brownie that were carefully protected. When he returned to her side, he opened the noisy bag, filling the Garrison with a strong chocolate smell.

"You know?" he asked “My mother was a baker, and she made the best cakes in town. She made these brownies when I was sad or had a broken heart." He smiled wistfully; Y/N's red eyes focused on him “Last night, I felt a heavy sadness. And all I could think of was brownies." He placed the two brown squares on a gray plate. "I firmly believe, these brownies will heal you a bit." He held out the plate to the crying girl, she tried to grab one "Wait, not yet."

He reached under the bar, pulling out a glass bottle of milk: “There is a kitten that had a baby, and in the morning when I am leaving, I serve her some on a plate outside. But a broken heart deserves a sip to accompany brownies. "

She poured the milk into a pint, and told her she could eat now.

Between brownies, laughter, and some milk, she was able to stop crying and laughed at some stories Harry was telling her.

When night fell, Y/N stayed in one of the rooms upstairs. Harry had offered it to her for free, as Y/N had been very good company while he set up the pub for that Friday night. However, she insisted that she would return the favor by cleaning up on Saturday morning with him. Also, she wanted to see the kitten and her baby.

Ten o'clock at night showed up on the clock, telling Y/N that in two hours this hellish day would end. She was lying with her dress still on. The poor deluded woman had thought she would return home with… Michael. The more she thought about the subject, the more her heart ached.

“I won’t be with you, get rid of him. It would be easier. "

It was final: she would be a single mother.

Michael entered the pub at ten o'clock, tired, nervous, angry, sad, helpless, and heartbroken. He was disappointed in who he was. He had been infuriated by the fact that this new person that he was, had hurt Y/N. Michael could be called Henry, Benjamin, Patrick, or Mirtha. It didn't matter his name, he loved Y/N. So when he walked into the private booth at the Garrison alone, Tommy knew why. How was he going to find her, if she was as far as she was near?

"I thought I told you not to come back if it wasn't with her, Michael." said his cousin.

Gray sat down dejectedly in one of the chairs. He snorted and poured himself a whiskey.

“Looked everywhere. Shit, I even walked into that disgusting station with idiot Campbell. I looked in every square, on the outskirts, I asked in each hostel: nothing. I know her, she got on the train hours ago and she must be in her bed crying." His gaze was so lost on the beer bucket on the table, that he did not notice the knowing looks of his cousins.

“Tom,” said Arthur “go on. Tell ‘im. Look at ‘im.”

John slipped a chuckle.

"Tell me what?" Michael asked, looking at Thomas. "Tommy, if you know something, please tell me ..."

"Michael," tommy cleared his throat, "you well know that nothing happens here without me knowing."

"Here? Small Heath? As I said, I don't think…” the Shelby interrupted his cousin.

“No, here like the Garrison. And I think you forgot that if you go upstairs, you will find a lodging that I mount..."

Michael didn't let him finish, cutting him off as he stood up abruptly.

"You knew all this damn time where she was!?" he roared.

"I have known for a few hours." he answered calmly, after drinking more Scotch.

Before Michael could say anything, Tommy spoke again: "Third door to your right."

And just like that, Michael came out of the booth like a bullet. He crossed the bar quickly, no matter who he shoved in his way. The stairs were climbed even faster, leaving him in a matter of seconds in front of Y/N's door.

He breathed. He realized how nervous Y/N must have been. He knocked on the door with a simple double knock.

Both knocks woke her up, bringing her back into the world. She stopped and approached the door carefully. Meanwhile, Michael was dying of nerves.

"Who is it?" Y/N asked.

"Me." Michael said.

"Who is Me?" she ask.

Y/N recognized that voice, of course she did. But she didn't know who the person with the voice was. She felt totally alien to this Michael Gray. Henry would never, ever have yelled at her.

"Y/N... lovey, please..." he begged.

"Do not call me that way. You don't feel that about me. Neither do I, I don't know you. "

Y/N was being too harsh for her liking, but Michael knew perfectly well that he deserved never to see her again.

“Y/N, I need to talk to you. Please…”he asked, he was about to cry.

"No. Goodbye." She sentenced.

Michael sighed in frustration. He sat in the doorway; he would sleep on the floor if necessary.

Now what can I do? If he opened the door, it would bother her even more. But if he left her alone, he would lose her forever.

"Y/N..." began the boy, and waited for an answer, nothing.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" he asked again.

Silence.

"Well, here goes nothing." He sighed.

“Hello Y/N, my name is Michael Gray. I was born in 1903, and when I was four years old my father passed away. I was taken away from my mother, Polly, when I was five. I had a sister, they also separated us. The government changed my name to Henry. I was in an orphanage for about three years, until the Johnson, a very nice couple, adopted me. I grew up in the suburbs in a beautiful house with an apple tree in the garden. I met my first friend, she had your name, you know? "

Y/N was sitting on the other side of the door, listening to her favorite person speak. When she hear herself in the story, she smiled through tears.

“When she asked me to play family, I always pretended to propose to her. I never knew why. After a while I realized: the girls did not have germs. Then she started to seem like the prettiest girl, then the most beautiful young woman. I was in love with her for several years, I realized late. But one day..." Michael smiled wistfully" One day I plucked up the courage... a year ago and something, maybe. And I told her everything that happened to me with her. She kissed me and we started dating. She would come to my house after school. We would eat apples from the tree and study a little. And then we’d kiss a lot in the neighbor's barn at night. "

Y / N gave a little laugh, and that triggered Michael's pulse.

“Then I reconnected with my family, with the Shelbys. And I was so mad at the Johnsons for keeping my true story from me… they had told me, they’d abandoned me. When Tommy told me the truth, I was blinded by the pain of the lie and the thrill of finding my family. I did not realize that by meeting my old family, I would be abandoning one that was beginning to grow, you know?" They both wiped away tears.

“So, my girlfriend, she came to my homwtown angry, alone and pregnant. She was super, super angry and sad. And she told me everything, and I never felt worse. For having abandoned her, for seeing her cry about it and for abandoning her again when she told me she was pregnant. So..." he sighed "I am this, a simple stranger, who tells the story of his life, to the love of his life. Hoping that she forgives him. Because, you know, I know she knows I'm a bloody idiot. I mean, when we kissed for the first time, I accidentally bit her lip and left a small scar. "

They both laughed, listening to each other and wiping their tears.

“So…yeah. If you ever see her, tell her that for me, I know she doesn’t want to see me.” Michael said, with remarkable sadness.

Y/N wiped away her tears and gently pulled her hair. She stand up and knocked on the door three times. She then heard Michael stand up quickly.

"Who is this?" Michael asked.

"My name is Y/N, can I come into your life... again?" she asked, crying.

Michael's heart began to skip multiple beats and his smile spread across his face. He opened the door and saw his girlfriend standing, tired and crying. When their eyes connected, both bodies exploded into a loving embrace. They were both crying, they missed each other.

"I’m so sorry Y / N, so, so, so, sorry..." he stroked her hair.

"I love you, Michael Gray. But the next time you leave without saying goodbye, I will kill you with my bare hands. "

"Your hands are little, lovey, you can’t." She laughed, while Michael was filling her face with kisses.

"So, wait to see what a woman with little hands does to you at three in the morning when you don't want to take care of your baby."

Michael stopped the kisses and looked into her eyes.

"For a moment I had forgotten." Laughed Michael.

"Oh my God." Y/N joined in on her boyfriend's laughter.

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bbyboybrock--archived · 4 years

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Birthday Surprise (Colby Brock Imagine)

Summary: *REQUEST* If you’re doing request I had this idea because my birthday is literally a few days before jakes. What if the reader is dating colby and he and Tara teamed up to do a joint party for reader and jake 🥺 and like there could be a video message thing like how sam and Tara did it for colby and then how she did it for jakes

Written: 2020

Word Count: 1,730

Warnings: swearing, minor fluff

Masterlist

I let the sun hit my masked face. Not to sound too dramatic, but I forgot how it felt to have the sun on my face and be outside of the house. To have my hair blown by the wind, with whatever little windy moments there are in Los Angeles. I missed this, and if this the only thing I get for my birthday, I’ll be okay with that. Colby already has done more than enough for me. Maybe he feels bad that we got to celebrate his birthday the traditional way before the world shut down. But he woke me up early this morning to head to the beach to watch the sunrise and have breakfast. Now we’re in the Descanso Gardens, walking around and taking in the sights. I think he went out of his way to find things to do that wouldn’t be too crowded. I think he mentioned that we were going to get lunch here later.

“Look, babe, a deer!” Colby whispers excitedly.

I follow Colby’s finger to where a baby deer is trying to eat. I pull my phone out to take a picture. Colby’s been taking photos and videos all day. He’s probably clogging everything to kill two birds with one stone: he’ll have a video for Friday and a cute video for us to look back to.

“This is the best birthday ever. Thank you, Colbs.” I kiss Colby, through our masks, and continue our walk.

“Well, the birthday surprises aren’t done yet. I haven’t even given you your present yet. “

“You don’t have to give me anything else. Just being able to get out of the house for the day and do what we used to normally do, even just once, is enough. I think if I stayed inside the confines of our place I think I would have lost my shit.” I joke.

“Yeah, you’re my girlfriend and it’s your twenty-second birthday, I have to spoil you. You spoiled me for my birthday, it’s only fair. Even if we can’t do much right now. Now let me spoil you, damn it!” Colby tugs my arm to pull me deeper into the gardens.

****

“The chaos twins are back together,” Colby says when he sees Jake and Tara walking towards us. That’s our whole friend group's nickname for Jake and me.

We’re not literal twins, but we may as well be, we share the same birthday. Plus, whenever we’re together, we caused a whole lot of chaos. One time we played a game of pool volleyball so intensely that we broke a window and set the ball on fire. Needless to say, we’re no longer allowed to hang out together unsupervised.

“Happy birthday Jake, what did you do?” I ask as I hug Jake.

“Hey, happy birthday! We went to breakfast, and then lunch on the beach! What did you two do?” Jake patted my head and ruffled my hair.

“We went to the beach too! Except, we went this morning and watched the sunrise and ate breakfast. And then Colby took me to Descanso Gardens and we explored and had lunch there. And now we’re home for what I assume is the cake? Colby hasn’t told me a single thing about today. He just dragged me places.” I turn back to my boyfriend who is talking to Tara secretly.

“Tara has been dragging me places too! Something smells sus. It smells fishy.”

“Psh, and they call us the chaos twins. Look at them, plotting behind our backs. Keeping us separated for most of the day. They couldn’t handle the double birthday chaotic energy.”

“Are you two ready to go inside yet?” Colby says, clapping his hands like he’s a teacher ready trying to get our attention.

“This bitch…” I gasp. I watch my boyfriend in disbelief. The audacity he has to rush me like I was the one to make us stand outside.

Jake tugs me away from Colby and Tara because he could sense the amount of whoop-ass that I was about to unleash. He pulls me the front door. As Jake starts to open the door, I’m taken aback by the chorus of “surprise” that comes through the door. I step back out of fear and bump into Colby, who must have known that I would get scared and came behind me just in case.

“Happy birthday, Jake!” Someone says from inside.

“Where’s Y/N? I thought she was with you two.” Someone else says.

I poke my head in to see all of our friends standing in our house, waiting for a party. I know that our friend group is known for throwing surprise parties for our birthdays, but with the pandemic going on, I honestly just expected the roommates and maybe Kat, because she’s dating Sam, to be at the house. But this is better. Our group has taken quarantine seriously. Even with the partial lift, the only time we’ve gotten together was for working on stuff like the goof juice music videos and other stuff. We haven’t hung out in a group like this in a while. To see the whole group, minus Mike because things are still weird with him, Xepher, and Griffin, warms my heart.

“I’m right here, I was just… surprised.” I walk inside to see some people who I haven’t hung out with in a while. I spot Jake in the corner of my eye wearing a red feather boa and red party hat. Devyn walks towards me with a yellow boa and yellow hat. I put them on and start to greet everyone at the party. I stop for a second and Colby in the room and run to him.

“Thank you for this, I know you hate planning things.” I wrap my hands around him and bury my head in his chest.

“For you, I’d chase the sun. I’m just glad you’re having a good birthday. You’re having a good birthday, right?” Colby moves the party hat so he can rest his chin on my head. He wraps his arms around me, the camera in his hand slightly presses into my back.

“I’m having the best birthday. I love you, Colby.” I push my head up and give him a quick kiss.

“I love you too, Y/N. Now go enjoy your party. And please, can you and Jake not start a fire or something. We haven’t lived here for a year yet.” Colby smacks my butt to send me off.

Throughout the party, I noticed both Tara and Colby walking around and talking to people with their cameras. They’re both vlogging, the party, I guess. That might not be the best idea because of the pandemic, but maybe they know what they’re doing. Jake and I have both been yelled at if we got too close to them while they were filming.

Kevin started a game of beer pong. Jake and I teamed up and went against Kevin and Reggie. Everything was pretty chill until we started the game. Before, everyone was spread out of the house, but now, they’re watching Jake and I win. I throw the last ball perfectly into Kevin’s cup and high five Jake. I only win if I’m playing for fun, if it’s a competition and there is a prize, I fail.

“Everyone in the kitchen!” Colby yells. We make our way to the kitchen where Colby and Tara are standing with cakes. Tara is holding a bundt cake with vertical lines of white frosting and red “22” candles. Colby is holding a small chocolate cake with yellow “22” candles.

“Happy birthday to you…” Everyone starts singing as Jake and I get closer to our cakes. I stare more at Colby, who is smiling so hard that you can’t see his eyes. I like it when he smiles like that. He doesn’t do it often because he hates how he looks, but I love it.

“Make a wish, guys!” Tara says when the song ends.

I close my eyes and make three wishes. First, I wished for infinite days with Colby like we had today. Then I wished for the pandemic to be over so I could spend more time with my friends like before. And finally, I wished for more crinkly eyed Colby smiles. I open my eyes and blow out the candles.

“That was a long-ass wish!” Someone shouted.

“That’s because I wished for me and my homies!” Jake explained. Everyone cheered and started getting in line for cake. Jake and I cut our own pieces and wait off to the side for everyone else. I watch Colby grab a piece of cake and walk towards me.

“Hey, wanna go sit outside for a bit?” He asks. With my mouth full of cake, I nod and take his hand.

Colby takes us to the backyard and sits by the pool. Everyone is still inside, eating. I don’t think they realized that we left yet. I take off my shoes and put my feet into the water. The cool water feels soothing.

“Okay, I’m giving you your birthday present now. But, I don’t want you to freak out over one of them.” Colby says as he pulls something out of his pocket.

“I won’t, but I already told you that you don’t have to get me anything.” I set my cake aside and fully face Colby.

“Shut up about that already. I wanted to get you something so I did. Here,” Colby takes my hand and places two small boxes in it.

I open the first box and it’s one of those “my intent” bracelets, like his, but mine says “creative chaos” on it. In the other box is a skull pinky ring, also like his.

“Since you like stealing my jewelry while I’m wearing it, so I got you your own. Now we can match.” Colby says softly. He might be getting embarrassed by his mushiness. I quickly pull them out of the box and put them on.

“I love this. Thank you. This truly has been the best birthday. I love you, Colbs.” I kiss Colby on the cheek and place my head on his shoulder.

“I love you too, Y/N.” Colby gently grabs my chin and lifts my head up. He looks me in the eyes for a second and smiles, really smiles, and leans in.

#Colby brock #colby brock imagine #colby brock imagines #colby brock fluff #colby x reader #colby brock x reader #sam and colby #sam and colby imagine #sam and colby imagines #fluff #fluff imagine #fluff imagines

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secret-rendezvous1d · 4 years

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Blogmas having the miss announcing she is pregnant on christmas to P and H?

Hello, hi!

Welcome to Blogmas 2020.

Many more blurbs, many more chats and a lot more festivities to come; my inbox will be open all through December this year for blurb prompts for Blogmas so don’t feel afraid to pop in a prompt to get written for tis year; all I can say is that if you’re asking for a lengthy prompt, I’m not the right person right now, haha.

I’m welcoming absolutely anything for this year; any AU, any characters, any ideas.

Reblog, like, comment and share your thoughts with me. Please let me know what you think because feedback is always appreciated on here; much more appreciated now given that I’ve not written a lot in a long while. Please let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

DECEMBER, 2022.

YN was no stranger to a positive pregnancy test.

If you told her six years ago that she’d be a mother to a little girl the following year, who was the spitting image of her father, then she’d have told you that you were taking the piss and that they were dreaming all kinds of madness. So, if you told her three days ago that she’d be a mother to a second baby, she’d have laughed in your face and told you to jog on because “one’s enough for me right now.”

Of course, she’d grown up wanting more than one child to teach life skills and nurture and mould into such a beautiful young thing who cared and loved like there was no such thing as tomorrow. She’d been an only child herself and found life to be rather… different. Especially to her friends in school who were children of many in their families. Of course, YN had cousins and she saw them whenever she wanted (moreso on festive holidays and family birthdays rather than her parents appearing on their doorstep for a cup of tea and an offer for the kids to play in the garden until dark) but it never amounted to the same feeling as seeing a sibling on a daily basis, after school or in the morning, someone to wind up and irritate out of love but someone to trust when something came up that she didn’t want her parents knowing.

So when Persephone was born, freshly cleaned and m minutes old and laying her father’s arms in the most pinkest blanket found in her hospital bag, YN deemed it necessary to silently promise to never let her experience a childhood alone. Not that she thought it was a bad thing to be an only child; heck, she was thankful she never had the bickering brother to deal with that only fought for those he loved or the snotty older sister who told her what to do and not to do with her life but loved her all the same. She felt envious of Harry when she was introduced to his older sister but soon felt that Gemma was an older sister of her own flesh and blood with how welcoming she’d been and seeing the brother-sister bond that Harry had, she found it was only necessary to let her own child have that exciting life growing up.

“You’re not eating much this morning,” Harry said softly, inhaling the smell of honey porridge before wrapping his lips around the spoon in his hand and swallowing the thick textured substance. Eyes focused on his wife as sat in her own world, stirring her tea in her china mug, an ashen look on her face - because morning sickness had been a bigger bitch to her the second time than the first time and she wasn’t expecting it to be as bad- as she hid behind a smile. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I think I’m a little stressed out. I have too much to do this coming week and too little time to do it and I feel so rushed,” she murmured, setting her teaspoon upon the plate that did hold her dry toast before Harry came and joined her for breakfast, fingers curling around the handle of her mug. “I might have to cancel lunch with your mum this afternoon. I need to start wrapping, decorating, planning Christmas day, getting the food in.”

“You’re looking a little sick, I’m sure she won’t mind if you want to cancel.”

“She was so excited though.”

“She’d feel even better if you took some time out for yourself and felt better. Besides, she’s coming next week with Gem and Michal for Christmas dinner so she’s got that to look forward to,” Harry said, plunging his spoon into his porridge before taking another bite and swallowing it, honey sticking to his pink lips, “what can I do to make you feel less stressed? Give me something to do.”

“You could go and pick Seff’s main present up from that toy shop on Oxford Street for me. I got an email saying it arrived yesterday morning so we just need to go and get it. I can wrap the last of her presents up whilst you’re gone and hide yours somewhere where you don’t go snooping,” she stated, cocking an eyebrow up on her browline and staring at him over the rim of her white mug, “like you did last year.”

“In my defence, you did ask me to go and get a pair of knickers from your drawer after your bath.”

Harry had always been one to go snooping when it came to gifts. Anne had told her that the first Christmas she spent with Harry during a conversation that spiked up when YN pulled Anne aside to ask her for tips on what to get him, whether he'd asked for anything specific and whether he was allergic to anything specific that would give her gift idea away if she asked him. And it stuck in the back of her mind every year.

Although, in his defense, he didn’t necessarily go snooping through her underwear drawer to find what she had brought for him, given the fact that she had a brainfart and had forgotten where she hid his most expensive gift for that year; a six-hundred pound watch that she’d seen him eyeing up in the shop window of Gucci every time they wandered passed. She knew he’d reach into the drawer, grab his favourite pair (that she always placed at the front of her pants) and chuck them into the bathroom with a joke that hinted to a little bedroom action when Persephone was in bed.

“You didn’t have to get a pair from the back end of my drawer. Since when do you reach for my period pants when I put all my nice, lacy ones at the front?” She huffed, rolling her eyes as she took a sip of the warm tea and felt it slide down her sore throat, goosebumps rising on her skin because there was a sense of warmth yet a sense of burning; acid reflux had become a bitch, too, and she was looking forward to sending him to the supermarket pharmacy, late at night, to grab a bottle of Gaviscon and heartburn tablets. “Plus, it was in a box with my name on it, sellotaped up on both ends, and put left in the box it came in. You had to open the box to find out what was inside the other box.”

“It fell out?” He shrugged sheepishly and sent her a cheeky smile. Tight-lipped, regardless of how sticky his lips were, and showing off his dimples in the middle of his cheeks. But YN was having none of it and she made sure her face told him that, her fingers tapping her mug. “Okay, fine. Curiosity got the better of me when I found it and I peeked. I promise I won’t this time though. The silent treatment you gave me on Christmas day was horrible.”

“You deserved it. I was excited to surprise you with it and you ruined it.”

“I know.”

The kitchen fell into a comfortable silence and all they could hear, coming from upstairs, was the bathroom tap running as Persephone brushed her teeth and got herself ready before school. Her uniform folded up and placed on her desk, like every morning, right next to the hairbrush that YN used to tie her hair into whatever kind of hairstyle she fancied for the day; today, it was plaits… thankfully, because YN really didn’t want to go through the hassle of doing space buns again. Her school bag and her lunch box were hanging off the back of the chair at the head of the table, homework left in her red folder on the table so she could double check her name was written on it before slotting it into her bag, shiny black shoes with a buckle left in the living room where she’d kicked them off yesterday. Coat hanging on the hook in the entryway, where she could reach for it on her way out before clambering into Harry’s Range Rover so he could drive her to school; her favourite mode of transport, she made sure to tell him every night.

“Can you get it by lunchtime today? So I can wrap it before she comes home from school. Otherwise she’ll see it and want it as soon as possible and this is probably the best one of the lot. And we know she follows in her father’s footsteps,” YN smirked, nudging her toe into his shin, “aren’t I right?”

“Like father, like daughter.”

The problem with wrapping presents was the backache.

Chronic backache experienced after an hour of being hunched over on the living room floor, sat cross-legged and leaning against the sofa, surrounded by rolled up balls of sellotape that got stuck to itself and useless pieces of wrapping paper that had no purpose on a present because it was too small or too wonkily cut. Bags upon bags full of Christmas presents, all named for family and friends, that she needed Harry to deliver before Christmas eve.

By the time she’d reached the bottom step, after her fourth trip up the stairs to take the newly wrapped presents into her office (locked to save the wandering eyes and the curious toes of her little girl finding them in the corner of her home-office), her husband had arrived home with an excitable Persephone and a guilty look upon his face as he shrugged his coat off and unwrapped his scarf from around his neck. His nose pink, Persephone’s cheeks red, but both their jumpers decorated with crumbs from what she could only imagine came from a cake in their favourite local bakery down the road.

“Mummy! Mummy, daddy took me for a cake afterschool today. I had a chocolate one with sprinkles and a flake and it tasted like an orange and-”

Harry’s eyes widened and he looked to his wife, who had a knowing grin on her face, and he knew he’d been busted from the moment he walked through the door.

“Seff, you promised me you weren’t going to blab to mummy. That was our secret, little lady,” he chuckled softly, cupping the back of her head with his palm, fingertips cold against her scalp, “mummy wasn’t supposed to know.”

“But it was really good and I wanted to tell mummy about it because she can get one when she goes out shopping with auntie Gem and they can taste it and tell me it was yummy,” Persephone grinned, the gap between her two front teeth starting to fill in with a brand-new adult tooth, all pearly white and jagged, “mummy can buy me another one and herself one and auntie Gem one and we can share them together.”

“Did you bring me anything back?”

Her gloved hands dug around her school bag, school shoes long forgotten by the front door and kicked off haphazardly, her scarf hanging round her shoulders and her hand tucked into Harry’s fist because, YN could only guess, she didn’t want to mess up the plaits still perfectly done up. A rustle of wrapping coming from the flat of her pocket, bringing out a carefully wrapped gingerbread man with a purple ribbon tying it together at the top, a bobble stuck to the top as some kind of festive decoration.

“I brought you a gingerbread man, mummy! With the money Nana gave me in my Christmas card,” she thrust her hand towards her mother and passed it to her; YN was sure the money her own mother had given to her was for something she could use herself but she was thankful, of course, entirely grateful that she’d chosen to share her money to get her something.

“Thank you, baby. We’ll share it for pudding after dinner later, yeah? With some strawberries.”

“Yeah and some chocolate sauce!”

And with that, she ran off into the living room and found a comfy space on the sofa to watch whatever YN had left on the television, leaving her mother and father to tidy the mess left behind in the entryway.

“Maybe a little sauce,” YN said as she reached for the coat on the floor, hanging it on the hook beneath her’s and Harry’s, hanging her scarf over the top and leaving her gloves on the radiator to warm up, “you’ve had some chocolate already today.”

Harry grinned and pressed a kiss to his wife’s forehead, squeezing her arm before sneaking passed her and into the living room, bending over the sofa to look at his daughter from an upside-down position, “come on you, let’s go do your homework at the table.”

“Actually,” YN blurted suddenly, standing in the archway before them, smiling softly at them as they looked at her, “before you do that, can I tell you something? Well, not tell you something. Show you something. I want to give you both an early Christmas present, I guess.”

Persephone perked up and pushed herself to her knees, an excitable grin on her already excitable face as she looked between her mum and dad, a confused look spread across Harry’s features.

“What is it?”

YN disappeared for a second, footsteps heard going up the stairs and a creak heard from a bedroom being opened - and if Harry was right then it was the spare room, because he’d promised to fix the squeaking door but had yet to get round to it, where nowhere really went into because it was empty and desolate and had no decor in it yet. There was a sound of some rustling, faint but still audible if you listened closely, the creak heard again before footsteps were heard descending the stairs, a deep breath escaping her mouth before she turned the corner. A white box tucked under her arm.

“Mummy, what’s in the box?”

“I’ll let daddy open it but sit together to open it because it’s for the both of you and I can’t wait till next week to give it to you,” she stepped across the carpet and passed it over, letting him get a good feel of how heavy it was before he sauntered around the sofa and sat on the sofa beside his daughter. Her hand coming across to touch and stroke the white box, looking at it with furrowed eyebrows, waiting for her father to open the flaps and pull whatever was inside out for them to look at.

Harry’s fingers timidly opened the box, sellotape coming undone as he pulled the contents out and set them upon the top; a white babygrow, a white hat and matching mittens and a sonogram of the ultrasound she had during her doctor’s visit. Biting her bottom lip, she couldn’t help but feel the pit of her stomach drop; unexpected or not, they were expecting a baby and she couldn’t have been more excited - she just hoped his silence meant he felt the same.

“So, what do you think?”

A gasp left his mouth.

“What- does this explain why you’ve been so ill?” He stood to his feet and left the contents behind, stepping around the sofa to grab her into a hug and squeeze her against his chest. The sting of happy tears burning the corners of his eyes as he twirled the both of them around. “God, I had a hunch in the back of my head that you were pregnant but I didn’t want to say anything in case it wasn’t. Christ, you think I haven’t heard you vomiting in the bathroom in the mornings before I wake up? Not eating your usual breakfast? All the same mannerisms from the first one?”

He set YN back on the floor and cupped his forehead with his hand.

“I found out this week, Monday evening actually. I wanted to wait till Christmas day to surprise you but I was too excited and it was killing me keeping it from you. I wanted to come back and shout it at you on Monday but- well, surprise.”

“Daddy, what is it?”

They both looked at Persephone and saw her holding the black and white photograph; a scene they hadn’t ever imagined but never wanted to take for granted. Bracing his weight on his elbows, he leant on the back of the sofa and took the picture from her hands, using his pointer finger to show her just what they were so excited about. His eyes scanned the photo before he found what he was looking for, turning it back to Persephone so he could show her the right place.

“You see that little white blob there? Right here,” he spoke softly, pointing to the middle of the sonogram, waiting for her to nod before carrying on “that’s going to be your new baby brother or sister, little lady.”

Her eyes widened and she looked at him.

“Where are you getting them from? Will they be here for Christmas? Can I come with you to pick one?”

Harry chuckled and looked over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of a tear dribbling down YN’s cheek, his own eyes threatening to flood.

“They’re in mummy’s belly right now. A little tiny dot, no bigger than your fingernail. That’ll grow, just like you did, in mummy’s belly until they’re nice and ready to come out and join us next year.”

“Why next year?”

At this point, YN had taken the space next to her husband, standing straight. She reached for her daughter’s hand, bringing it beneath her jumper and placing it on her bare tummy.

“Because they need to grow nice and strong in mummy’s belly before they can come and meet us,” YN smiled, squeezing her hand as they kept their joined hands underneath her bellybutton, “just like you did. That’s where you started, where you came from, until you came and joined us here. Growing and blossoming until they’re ready to come and see us.”

“Like a flower?”

“Yeah,” YN grinned at Harry, his arm resting over her shoulder as he pulled her into his side, squeezing her tightly to his body, “like the most delicate flower in the world. They need the space and time to grow big and strong in my belly, nice and healthy so they can come out and be a part of our family when they’re ready, and be your little brother or sister.”

“That’s great news, huh, little lady? You’re going to be a big sister.”

“The best big sister ever.”

#harry styles imagines #harry styles blurbs #harry styles prompts

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catvicddlm · 3 years

Text

The Mystery Research Club

AKA: It was time to give my TW OCs a proper introduction.

Deep in the halls of Night Raven College, on the most intricated place, you’ll find an unknown club. A club that hides away from the most glamorous clubs. A club that was disbanded until a new group of students brought it back to life. This is the Mystery Research Club.

Like the name will tell you, this club consists on investigating mysteries and archiving them. That’s right, they don’t actually SOLVE any of them, just gather information. However, members are welcome to solve any case if they please.

Benefits of joining include:

Being able to interrogate other students.

Being able to collect personal information from other students.

Access to the school archives.

Access to the students archives.

Access to the club’s full library of cases.

Guaranteed protection against certain individuals.

Your own personal cushion.

Your own personal mug.

The right to contribute to the club’s decorating.

Current members

Suha Koinor:

Dorm: Scarabia

Year/Class: Year 3 Class 3-C Seat 12

Birthday: 13/08 (Leo)

Age: 18

Height: 1,80 m

Dominant hand: Left

Origin: Land of Hot Sands

Best subject: Alchemy

Hobby: Kickboxing

Bad with: Creating passwords

Favorite food: Banana pie

Disliked food: Fried food

Special skill: Metal manipulation

Unique Magic: Hidden Treasure

One of the new funders and current president. It’s pretty obvious she competes with Reappina, but she would never admit such a thing. Despite her appearence, she’s actually pretty level headed and prefers using democracy and the power of the masses to solve problems. However, she’s not above using some persuasion to gain her goals.

A very intimidating individual not only for her muscles, but also for her connections. Back at her home, she leads a quite feared gang, which has some members at NRC. The club can enjoy of the protection of these people. Suha also like to inculcate her values into the groups she leads. She strongly belives that you need to gain your possitions and despises nepotism.

Her Unique Magic, “Hidden Treasure”, is one of the responsables of the club’s security. Hidden Treasure creates a golden coat thas able to seal anything. The seal’s can range from a simple conteiner to a small house. Despite it’s color, it isn’t gold but a tougher material, as the coat is nearly undestructible. Aside from this, Suha isn’t particulary skilled with magic. However, she compensates most of the lack of magic ability with her brute force.

She seems to have a somewhat tacky taste, with an obsession with golden things.

Reappina Delroy

Dorm: Octavinelle

Year/Class: Year 3 Class 3-C Seat 21

Birthday: 26/08 (Virgo)

Age: 18

Height: 1,77 m

Dominant hand: Right

Origin: Unknow, currently living in The Sea of Corals

Best subject: Magical pharmaceuticals

Hobby: Fashion desing

Bad with: Receving destructive critisism

Favorite food: Crab salad

Disliked food: Shrimp tempura

Special skill: Wig making

Unique Magic: Negation Bubbles

The second deputy along Suha and one of the new funders. She mostly posses as some kind of secretary and is a great listener. But she’s also known to be a huge diva and can show some really nasty behaiviour.

She prefers the land over the sea and wishes to become famous and travel around the world. Currently, is somewhat famous on teather circles for reviews and song covers.

She has a childhood friend named Benedict who she met when they both moved from their origin land to the Sea of Corals. He has declined to be in the club but would come from time to time to drop stuff.

Her Unique Magic “Negation Bubbles” is specially usefull for gaining information. It creates bubbles that are able to isolate sounds and record them and can be used to silence others.The only way to deactivate them it’s either she vanishing them or using a more destructive magic to destroy them. Like Suha, she isn’t that great in magic and neither cares.

Dahlia

Dorm: Ignihyde

Year/Class: Year 3 Class 3-B

Birthday: 21/09 (Virgo)

Age: 19

Height: 1,86 m

Dominant hand: Right

Origin: Unknow, currently living in Village of Harvest

Best subject: Ancient incantations

Hobby: Gardening

Bad with: Staying up late

Favorite food: Pomegranate

Disliked food: Mint

Special skill: Ambientation

Unique Magic: Breath of Life

The last of the new funders and the only one without an official rol. Ironically, she’s the one most of them go for advice.

Despite claiming have no sides, it’s pretty obvious she became best friends with Grenetine.

With “ Breath of Life “ Dahlia is able to give, take and store vital energy from other beings. For now, it only seems to work with plants and technology, but she’s experimenting with celular regeneration. She can´t to give energy to things that are uncapable of working. Out of all the members, she’s the most powerful on the magical field.

Grenetine D'Chessur

Dorm: Heartslabyul

Year/Class: Year 2

Birthday: 06/10 (Libra)

Age: 17

Height: 1,55 m

Dominant hand: Right

Origin: Dukedom of Tulgey

Best subject: Magical analysis

Hobby: Reading

Bad with: Seasoning savoury dishes

Favorite food: Sweet and spicy food

Disliked food: Bland food

Special skill: Puzzle solving

Unique Magic: Soupy Love

One of the club’s most important members. This is due to 1) her family’s influence, and 2) actually trying to solve cases. Her most important case, however, is breaking the family curse that will turn her into a pig.

Besides the club, she has to deal with the responsabilities as a heir to an Earl. She’s kinda infamous for having some bad blood with her dorm leader.

Despite it’s name, “Soupy Love” is actually one of the most destructive magic’s. It releases potent clouds of a strange red dust that erodes magic. Other effects of this dust go from numbing senses to fatal injuries. Due to it’s impredictable behavior, she uses an item, the Pepper Grinder, to have better control of it. It’s one of the few Magic’s able to dissolve “Hidden Treasure” or “Negation Bubbles”

Chausiku Sacmis

Dorm: Savannaclaw

Year/Class: Year 2

Birthday: 26/10 (Scorpio)

Age: 17

Height: 1,78 m

Dominant hand: Left

Origin: Afterglow’s Savannah

Best subject: Protective magic

Hobby: Reading stage plays

Bad with: Not holding grudges

Favorite food: Marbled red velvet cake

Disliked food: Rock candy

Special skill: Identifying family members

Unique Magic: Eye for an eye

The “Why Are You Even Here?” member. She mostly uses the club as an excuse to gain information of others. Another reason seem to be her amusement of Grenetine.

She has one of the most troublesome magic’s; “Eye for an eye” makes any attack received will be returned with the double of damage. However, a side effect is that the more damage, the more bloodthirsty she becomes. Thankfully for everyone, this ability is sealed on her mouth guard named Anti Mouth Guard. Whenever she puts it on, it realeases the magic.

Rumour says that she gets paid to watch over the second prince.

Calamaria Ghiacco

Dorm: Octavinelle

Year/Class: Year 1 Class 1-C Seat 10

Birthday: 19/09 (Virgo)

Age: 16

Height: 1,73 m

Dominant hand: Right

Origin: The Sea of the North

Best subject: Arts

Hobby: Ink painting

Bad with: Expresing her feelings

Favorite food: Hot chocolate

Disliked food: Anything with squid

Special skill: Sneaking into parties

Unique Magic: ???

One of this year’s new members. Joined the club in hopes of trying something new that would keep her away from her cousin (and getting an actual group of friends but you’ll never get her to admit it).

She hasn’t developed a definitive Unique Magic since she spent most of her youth on several boarding schools. Even though she was born with very powerful ice magic, she lacks in almost every other magic.

If there’s one thing she good at, that would be arts. She also seems to be fond of grotesque or broken plushies.

Mudira Adder

Dorm: Scarabia

Year/Class: Year 1 Class 1-C Seat 2

Birthday: 20/05 (Taurus)

Age: 16

Height: 1,59 m

Dominant hand: Right

Origin: Unknow, currently living in Land of Hot Sands

Best subject: Flying skills

Hobby: Collecting hats and hair accesories

Bad with: Making people take her seriously

Favorite food: Cooked chickpeas

Disliked food: Dried fruit

Special skill: Playing the flute

Unique Magic: Practical Swindler

The other new member who joined this year. Due to her energy and ability to lay low, she’s mostly sent to “field” missions.

Her new favorite hobby is to tease Calamaria due to an extremely obvious chrush.

“Practical Swindler” is able to recongnise any magical item, how it to use it, secondary effects and, most importantly, how to steal it. The whole complete analysis takes up to five minutes but a simple one may take up to two. For some reason, she seems allergic to control types of magic (mind control, love spells, etc).

#twisted wonderland oc #twisted wonderland #suha koinor #reappina delroy #dahlia #grenetine d'chessur #chausiku sacmis #calamaria ghiacco #mudira adder

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ardent-musings · 3 years

Text

The Girl Who Vanished (Part 1)

Chapter 3: Welcome to Hogwarts

Thankfully the twins were the very last thing on her mind as she woke up early in the morning, she and her new dorm mates spent most of the night getting to know each other. The morning was busy, they all scurried to get dressed in their new green robes as Ana brushed through her long silver hair. It wasn't how she imagined her first day would go, but having the two girls laughing the moment they woke up made her excited for her day to start. Ana's medicine was left on her nightstand, a note attached to the vial.

As per your mother's request. –S.S.

Ana downed the small vial as the girls rushed her out of the room, skipping breakfast and running to the Herbology greenhouses. The large glass structure of the greenhouse reminded her of the one her mother kept up at the Manor. Since she was little, Ana would sit outside and play in the dirt and mud while her mother tended to the plants. Most of them were used for Ana's medicine, so Ana liked to sit outside and listen to her mother hum as she would snip at their leaves or mend broken limbs. Draco typically stayed inside; he didn't like getting dirty all that much. He was like their father in that way.

The professor was a short, plump woman with the rosiest cheeks that just peaked from underneath her large hat. The material the woman would talk about reminded her of her mother and Ana's nerves from running through the castle grounds to get to class disappeared the longer the class went on. Calista and Alex were sitting together, mumbling to themselves, while Ana sat next to a Ravenclaw boy. He didn't make any effort to speak to Ana, preferring to keep his head locked towards the teacher.

"Can anyone tell me the purpose of the Dittany plant?" Professor Sprout asked.

Ana looked at her classmates, all of them seemingly clueless and diverting their attention from the teacher hoping they wouldn't be called. She didn't want to answer, but when the Professor's smile began to dwindle Ana shot her hand up in the air.

"Ms. Malfoy, yes."

Ana gulped suddenly feeling many eyes on her, the Ravenclaw next to her began to pay attention to her for the first time. "The Dittany plant is a restorative herb. If someone were to get hit and had a cut, eating the plant would help heal it faster."

The woman's smile returned, "Very good, Ms. Malfoy. Ten points to Slytherin!" With a renewed skip in her step Professor Sprout went on to talk about the properties of the Dittany plant.

The Ravenclaws around her didn't react all too pleased with the fact that Slytherin gained a few points, but her fellow Slytherins looked at her happily, and Ana felt better for saying something. Most of the class continued similarly; Ana would answer whatever question Professor Sprout had. She allowed the other students a chance to respond, but no one ever raised their hand. The other students might as well not been there, the whole class felt like a one-on-one session. Ana didn't mind and from the smile on her teacher's face, it seemed that she didn't mind either.

After the hour had passed, everyone got ready to head to their next class, but the sound of the professor calling for her stopped her in her tracks. Calista and Alex stayed back for a moment until Ana ushered them to go on without her.

"Yes, Professor?"

"You know quite a bit about herbology from the looks of it," the woman gazed down at the girl. "Where did you learn so much?"

Ana smiled, rocking back and forth on her heels, "My mother has a greenhouse in our garden and she talks to me about what she's doing. I guess I remembered some of the things she has told me," she tapped her head.

"Well, I just wanted to say that I look forward to having you in my class again." Professor Sprout nodded her head, silently thanking the girl for saving the class. Lessons always often got uncomfortable for the professor; not a lot of students valued Herbology. Ana took her teacher's silence as a signal to leave. She began to turn away until the professor stopped her, "Although! I must ask-"

"Ask what professor?" Ana replied softly.

Quickly the happiness drained from Professor Sprout's face, a more concerned look taking its place. The expression didn't look right on her and Ana wondered what brought that sudden change.

"I must ask, do you often use the Dittany plant at home?" she questioned.

Ana nodded, "I do. I'm kind of clumsy so I'm always hurt somewhere."

"And that's all? Just clumsy?" Professor Sprout inquired.

The question made Ana's heart skip a beat, uneasiness ran through her. She understood what the professor was trying to insinuate and Ana would be lying if she said that her clumsiness was the only cause of her bumps and bruises. But admitting the truth was more than Ana wanted to do on her first day of class. So without second guessing, Ana nodded in agreement.

Professor Sprout's expression remained tight. She wasn't convinced. "Alright, Ms. Malfoy. I wouldn't want you missing your next class on my account, so you go straight there."

Ana gave a soft smile and turned quickly, not allowing the professor another chance to ask any more questions as she began running in the direction of the castle. Surely she would be late considering she still had to figure out where to go, but after a few wrong turns Ana arrived at the charms classroom. She situated herself in the back and the short professor didn't seem to notice her arrival. Not wanting to alert him that she came into the room, Ana decided that staying quiet would be the best thing for her to do.

Her mind kept going back over what Professor Sprout had said to her and Ana couldn't help but think she said too much, even though she barely said anything at all. Just the look in the woman's eyes was enough to make her feel like she did something wrong. It made her stomach sick and Ana prayed the feeling would go away as soon as she ate at lunch. Unfortunately, charms class dragged for what seemed like hours and their double transfiguration class did nothing to help that feeling.

After the tortuous two hours of changing a hedgehog into a hairbrush, it was time for lunch. She walked side by side with Calista and Alex on their way to the Great Hall. They had asked her why she was held back but Ana shut that down quickly, saying it was nothing important and what was important was food. Alex started sprinting down the halls, rounding each corner in wide strides until she was out of sight, effectively leaving the two girls in the dust.

Lunch didn't soothe all her nerves, but dear lord, running around a castle on an empty stomach was not a good idea. Once again, Ana grabbed her favorite strawberries and helped herself to two sandwiches, hoping to fill up the sinking feeling in her stomach. But nothing looked as good as the cake that was sitting at the center of the table. Calista looked at it disgustingly, claiming it had too much frosting for her liking.

"More for us!" Alex said as she and Ana leaned over to cut into it.

A deafening blast sounded from the cake, catapulting the entirety of the dessert into bits. It covered the two girls in the sticky chocolate. Calista shrieked as she shielded herself, narrowly escaping the shrapnel of cake. Alex immediately darted up, wiping the cake from her eyes as she glared across the hall. All of the students brought their attention to her, she was seething and covered in frosting. The hall was almost silent, except from the snickering that came from the Gryffindor table. Ana stood to see where the sound was coming from, despite already having a good idea as to who were the culprits.

The Weasley twins stood up from their table, high fiving Lee as they fled from the room, trying to escape the wrath of Professor McGonagall who was hot on their tails. Lee was clutching his sides in a fit of laughter, watching as Ana and Alex looked blindsided. Alex didn't care once she saw that Lee was laughing at her, she lunged from her spot and sprinted to the other table, chasing Lee out of the hall.

Ana couldn't find it within her to react. She knew of the Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalry but she couldn't help that sliver of hope that she had. The one that convinced her that she and the twins would be okay. Sure, they wouldn't be friends, but she didn't think she'd be on the receiving end of one of their pranks. They were nice before she was sorted into Slytherin. They were nice before they knew her last name.

Calista started picking off the chunks of cake from Ana's hair, breaking her from her trance.

"Ana, are you okay?"

Ana couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's question since the answer was fairly obvious.

"Yeah," Ana choked, feeling her throat tighten. It was an obvious lie and she knew that Calista could see through it. But admitting out loud that she was not fine felt like giving up. She twitched her nose trying to deter the tears she felt wanting to spill over. Calista looked at the girl with sadness, understanding just how upset she was. That moment ruined by a snort coming further down their table.

Aeron was eating a sausage that he had stabbed onto his fork instead of opting for cutting it like a normal person would. "I told you last night, Malfoy. The twins wouldn't be all sweet and dandy with you just 'cause you talked to them once."

"Oh shut up, Aeron, and eat your sausage," Calista snipped back at him. He rolled his eyes and continued eating while flipping through the Daily Prophet.

"Don't get mad at me because I'm telling her what you refuse to say, Kane," he said without giving them a second glance. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Yes, welcome to Hogwarts," a lulled voice pulled the three out of their conversation. Professor Snape had waltzed his way undetected by the group and hovered behind them. He sustained a harsh glare at Aeron that made even Ana unnerved. "It seems that you have regretfully experienced the annoyance that are the Weasleys," he hissed. Aeron chuckled at the comment, making Snape sigh in aggravation. "Mr. Wright it would do you well to not stick your gargantuan nose in the business of others unless you wish to lose house points."

Aeron's eyes bulged, and he dipped his head down low. Ana smirked at the boy's reaction, mentally thanking the ridiculously mystifying man for making Aeron squirm.

"But I would say that it would be beneficial for you to leave the lions alone," he emphasized every word to an unnecessary degree, but Ana couldn't deny he was probably right. Not only did the twins look at her differently after finding out who she was, but they also had the gall to prank her on her very first day as a new student.

"I think I might have to, Professor," Ana confessed.

He looked down at the two girls, both of them still covered in remnants of chocolate cake. "We cannot have you two leaving crumbs behind you. Hold-," he paused for dramatic effect, "-still. Scourgify!" He pointed his wand in their direction, making any and all cake disappear from them. Surprisingly, her robes smelt like soft floral soap, quite a delicate scent to come from a man who hardly looked like he used soap. "Do not be late for class," he warned.

They muttered a thank you but Snape had walked away immediately after casting the charm. Lunch had been thoroughly ruined and Ana's initial feeling of embarrassment slowly switched to irritation. Friendship was no longer in the cards for them if they had no problem humiliating her in front of the whole school. And to laugh in her face as they ran out of the Great Hall was a punch to the gut. Ana wasn't used to feeling so disrespected and she vowed to never let the twins make her feel that way ever again.

#fred weasley fanfiction #fred weasley #fred weasley smut #fred weasley x oc #bibiana malfoy #the girl who vanished #tgwv #tgwv 1-3 #enemies to friends to lovers

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oakandgumtrees · 4 years

Text

A Name That’s Particular (aka the genderqueer Tonks fic all about her name)

Also on Ao3

Before she was born, her mother spent a long time looking through lists of ancient Greek and Roman mythological names. “I’m not naming her after any of my relatives,” Andromeda explained to Ted, “but I like the tradition. It’s not just stars - Narcissa was named after Narcissus.”

Ted shrugged and went along with it. The list of possible names was very long, even after they crossed off the names that showed up on the Black family tree. They could find something good there. Andromeda had given up a lot when she left her family; he wanted to give her what traditions he could.

For a boy, they chose the name Hesperus. For a girl, Andromeda came up with a new name, Nymphadora. And so, when she was born, Nymphadora is what the baby was called.

-----

When she turned two, they had a very quiet birthday celebration with her parents and paternal grandparents. It wasn’t safe to do more, not in the middle of the war when she was the daughter of the Black who married a muggleborn. Andromeda and Ted had both been doing their healer’s apprenticeships under fake names and glamours, and they’d talked more than once about moving to America until things were better. But how would things get better if people didn’t make them better?

So they stayed, and she spent a lot of time being babysit by her grandparents in a heavily warded house. On her birthday, they blew up balloons and her grandma made a chocolate cake, with ‘Happy Birthday Dora’ written on the top in white icing.

“Mum,” Ted said with a sigh when he saw it. “You know Andy doesn’t like it when you shorten Nymphadora’s name.”

“Nonsense,” Jenny replied, carefully placing two candles on top. “Nyphadora’s much too big a name for such a little girl. Let her grow into it first.”

------

When she was five, her mum brought her to Ottery St Catchpole to play with the Weasley boys. Bill was a bit older, and Percy was really too young for a lot of games still, but Charlie was just her age. She thought their orangey-red hair was great, and her own started to change to match. Charlie’s eyes went wide, and he tugged on Mrs Weasley’s skirt. “Mum, who’s that?” he whispered loudly.

“This is Nymphadora,” Mrs Weasley told him. “She’s come over to play with you all. How about you show her the garden?”

Charlie nodded enthusiastically, and grabbed her hand to tug her out the door. “C’mon!” he told her. “Bill! Bill, look at Nifda - Nimma - look at Nym’s hair!”

-----

When she was eleven, it got really, really obvious how many people knew (or knew of) her mother. "Oh of course," they said when they heard her name. "You're Andromeda Black's daughter."

"It's Tonks," she always corrected them, sometimes with a scowl, sometimes just plain weary. "Andromeda Tonks . Nymphadora Tonks ." She was proud of her dad, and proud of her mum choosing her dad instead of her stupid family, and she wasn't going to let anyone get away with calling her a Black.

Eventually, she said it enough times that people started saying "the Tonks kid" instead. They usually didn't remember her first name, but she didn't care. They remembered she was a Tonks.

-----

She went on her first date when she was fifteen, with one of the boys from the Ravenclaw quidditch team. They had Care of Magical Creatures together, and one day, after class, he asked her, "To- I mean, uh, Nymphadora? Would you like to - to go to Hogsmeade this weekend? With me, I mean?"

"Dear Merlin, just call me Tonks," she replied. "Nymphadora makes me sound like someone who wears pink dresses and lace."

"Right, sorry," John said, making a face. "Um. Is that a...no?"

She flushed. "No! I mean, yes. I mean, no that's not a no, yes I'd like to go with you!" She covered her face with her hands, took a deep breath, and tried again. "Let's go to Hogsmeade."

-----

She stayed at home after she graduated: it was convenient, already floo-connected, cheap, and she did actually like her parents. The one thing she didn’t like was how they constantly called her Nymphadora. It wasn’t a totally awful name, she supposed, but that didn’t mean she wanted it to be her name. She liked being called Tonks. She was used to it. It suited her. But every time one of her friends came over and called her Tonks, her mum would double down and call her Nymphadora twice as often. It was infuriating.

And then one night, her dad said, “Can you clear the table, Nymphadora?” and she just couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Stop CALLING me that!” she yelled, her hair flaring bright red, and stomped up to her room.

She slammed the door behind her, dropped down on the bed, and immediately commenced feeling like an idiot for making such a big deal about being called her actual, legal name.

She was still wallowing ten minutes later when her dad knocked on the door and called out quietly, “Can I come in, sweetheart?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled into her pillow. Sure. He was probably coming to tell her not to be so rude. Or that she shouldn’t make such a fuss about the name her mum picked for her.

Ted let himself in and sat down on the edge of her bed, looking at her with a rueful smile. “That bad, huh?” he murmured. “Sweetheart - Tonks - I owe you an apology.”

She rolled over and stared at him, bewildered. “...what?”

“My legal first name is Christopher,” he revealed quietly. “Christopher Edward Tonks. I was about six when I decided I hated my first name, and spent the next two years insisting everyone call me Edward instead. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you when you said the same thing to me.”

She stared harder, her mind racing. “You...you just changed it? And everyone… You and Mum never call me Tonks!”

One corner of his mouth twitched. “It’s a little more awkward going by your surname in a room full of people with the same one,” he pointed out. “But we should have realised this was more than just a nickname for you. Choosing your name was something special for us, something Andy in particular put a lot of thought into, but it’s your name. If it doesn’t fit you, you don’t have to keep it, any more than you have to keep shoes that don’t fit just because they were a gift.”

She searched his face, then launched into a hug, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing tightly. “You couldn’t have told me that a year ago?” she asked, but she was too grateful for it to have much bite. “Does that mean you’ll call me Tonks now?”

“I will,” he promised, hugging her back and rubbing her back gently. “I’m sorry it took me this long to talk to you about it. I’ll make sure Andy works on it too.”

“It wasn’t that bad until I was home all the time,” she admitted, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Everyone’s been calling me Tonks at school for years.” Yeah, over the summers her parents called her Nymphadora, but summers ended. It wasn’t that annoying in small doses.

“I’m sorry,” Ted said again. “You can pick a new first name too, if you want. I recommend it, actually - calling you Tonks might get a bit confusing when we go visit Grandma and Grandpa.” He pulled back, looking at her seriously. “But if you decide not to, we’ll all respect it.”

A few weeks later, she got a letter from her grandparents, and for the first time in a very long time, the name on the envelope felt like hers.

#tonks #harry potter fandom #genderqueer tonks #jk rowling does not own our characters #fanfic #sorry I couldn't figure out the read more thing so this is a relatively long post #trans rights matter #gender diversity matters

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seagreen-meets-grey · 4 years

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When Lightning Strikes Ch. 8

When your life is nothing but a cloudless sky, lightning can come and strike you so unexpectedly, you won’t even know what hit you.

Or: When Hiccup and Astrid meet, it is as if lightning strikes.

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] [Chapter 16] [Chapter 17] [Chapter 18] [Chapter 19] [Chapter 20]

Crossposted on ao3 and ff.net

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Her parents weren’t home when Astrid arrived. Letting herself in through the backdoor, she scanned the place, grabbed a handful of chocolate chips from the living room table and trudged up the stairs to her old bedroom that now served as a guest room.

The sheets were clean and not a single wrinkle dared to disturb the still sea of cream-colored linen. She felt like she just walked into one of the catalogues her mother had stacked in the giant, neat bookshelf downstairs. The only thing missing was the overly enthusiastic model having the time of her life feeling the fabric, and the book and glass of water decorating the nightstand to give a domestic impression. Looking around, Astrid found only the fine layer of dust on all surfaces betraying the perfect picture.

She dropped her duffle bag onto the tidy floor and let herself flop onto the mattress. Taking a deep breath, she could smell the detergent; the same one her mother had been using for as long as she remembered. Suddenly, she felt fifteen again, but in a room where no sports clothes and equipment littered the floor, the desk wasn’t covered in books and school supplies, and the walls weren’t decorated with pictures of friends and family and her rigorous, color-coded life plan.

Most of the photos now hung in her own living room, in-between several new ones, her wedding picture framed in the middle. The giant poster of her life plan was collecting dust amidst old furniture and boxes stuffed with her old toys in the basement two stories below. It wasn’t like that thing had worked out, anyway. Be the manager of an elite swim team at thirty? She still had a few years to go, but considering how she’d been training the same team of kids for a while now, that goal didn’t seem very realistic.

Not that that wasn’t the only part of the plan, which she’d designed way back in middle school, that hadn’t gone as she’d once been sure it would. The plan had considered boyfriends during her years of building her career, but no marriage and kids until she had the position she wanted. When Eret had proposed to her years before she’d even come close to that goal, and she’d said yes, she’d practically blown the whole plan to bits. And with everything else unexpected that had happened to her around the same time, she’d realized she couldn’t meticulously plan her whole life.

She pushed memories of that brief period away by jumping up and connecting her phone to her old stereo. To loud music, she danced through her room with a rag and a bottle of cleanser, singing and polishing every surface and every corner to the beat.

When she was done, she moved the party downstairs and set the table for dinner. In the past year and a half of being a wife, she’d jokingly donned an apron once a week and put her hair in an old-fashioned bun, waving a spatula around and putting on the act of a housewife from the fifties, much to her husband’s amusement. But both of them knew she only did this so she could practice her cooking skills, because she was too proud to admit that she didn’t have any.

Which was why there were pots of gratinated cauliflower, potatoes, and corned beef on the table when first her mother’s, then her father’s car appeared in the driveway. The meat had ended up too dry, but that’s why she’d prepared enough sauce in wise foresight. All in all, she was very proud of her achievement.

Her parents did a double-take when they came in and followed the clang of dishes into the kitchen where their daughter was washing pots and pans, surrounded by an utter chaos of cooking ingredients and supplies.

“Surprise,” Astrid grinned at their baffled reactions.

“I knew that was your car outside. What are you doing here?” her father asked. “Not that we’re not happy to see you, but you haven’t been to Berk in months.”

Her mother hung her jacket in the hallway and put her keys in the key holder under the cupboard with the spices, taking in the sight before her. “Did you cook?!”

“You don’t have to act so incredulous.” Upon both her parents’ raised eyebrows, she rolled her eyes. “Yes, I made dinner and it’s not poisoned. Now would you please eat it before it gets cold?”

Drying her hands on her apron, she took it off and joined her curious parents at the table, ignoring their slightly doubtful expressions when they eyed the food.

She took a bite of potato and reached the same conclusion as her mother. “Way too much salt,” Wilma commented, scrunching her nose. “But the sauce is delicious.”

Although she didn’t like to hear it sometimes, Astrid had always appreciated her mom’s honest criticism. It’s how she knew what she could do and what needed to be better. There was no talking around bullshit in the Hofferson house.

Which was why she held her chin up high and sat upright, conveying the notion of confidence and an abundance of shameful failure that she had to hide, while they all bravely put more sauce on their food. She celebrated her small victory when every pot was clean and every stomach full.

“Are you staying the night?” her father asked, scraping the last bit of under-salted cauliflower from his plate.

“Actually, I’m gonna stay a bit longer.” She immediately felt two pairs of eyes set on her face as she started collecting plates and cutlery. Unperturbed, she looked up and shrugged. “Eret’s on a convention for two weeks and I didn’t want to sit alone at home all day. And since you keep asking me to visit more, I thought I’d swing by for a while.”

“Since when are you sitting at home all day?” her father asked. “Don’t they have any dogs to train at the moment?”

The long answer would have been that ever since the Breakneck Adventure Park over in Bog had opened and the Raven Point Zoo had had a series of vandalism cases, the popularity and financial situation of RPZ had forced every department to cut salaries, even over in the attached dog obedience school Astrid worked at. Either a whole lot of people needed to get a dog that they needed help with training really soon, or their PR team had to come up with a better solution.

She settled for the short answer. “Not really.”

Her father looked like he wanted to discuss her occupational situation further, but she really didn’t want to get into it at the moment. She missed the dogs. Talking about her issues wasn’t what she came here for; it was rather the opposite. She wanted to distract herself, push away everything she seemed to be failing at.

“Do we have cake?” She opened the fridge and a few cupboards, coming up empty.

Her mother shook her head. “There’s ice cream in the freezer.”

Astrid made a half-hearted attempt at checking, but she didn’t really want ice cream. Ice cream was for summer days and break-ups, and neither the former nor the latter applied to her right now. If she wanted to overstuff herself and quiet the craving she’d had since last night, she needed cake. And if there was none in the house, she would find a way to get her hands on it somehow. With a determined nod, she set her agenda for the next day.

She slept until noon, went shopping for ingredients, and looked up the easiest cake recipe she could find; one even she couldn’t mess up. It ended up a little too crispy anyway.

Trying not to think of what Eret might be doing or not doing at any given moment, she flipped through every magazine her mother had during the next three days, even the catalogues. Still asleep when her parents went to work, they usually found her lounging on the couch when they came back, or dozing in the hammock in the garden.

Her mother asked her about Eret at least twice a day and Astrid quickly grew tired of telling her that he was doing fine. She knew what her mom wanted to hear from her, but she wasn’t going to open up that can while she was browsing through the latest IKEA catalogue for the fifth time as if it was the most fulfilling activity in the world.

On her fifth day back at her parents’ house, she went into battle with the kitchen again and baked three cakes – the first one ended up too dry, the second was perfect except that she forgot to add sugar, and the chocolate cream she added to the third was way too sweet. She ate the whole thing that night and regretted it in the morning when she woke up feeling sick and frustrated.

Pushing away any stupid upcoming worries related to sickness in the morning, she finally decided to leave the house. If everything she’d left at her own house was catching up to her at her island of refuge, she wanted to do nothing else than run. Channel everything into her muscles, kick at the ground with every step, show the world that this was something she could do perfectly.

She got up and opened the window, then got dressed while the fresh air cleared her head and chased away the queasiness. After she splashed cold water in her face, she already felt much better.

When she came downstairs, her parents were sitting at the breakfast table reading the newspaper, the radio playing the usual morning program in the background. Surprised that she was up so early on a Saturday compared to the past days, they eyed her running gear while she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

“Aren’t you going to sit with us?” her mother asked.

Astrid shook her head and chugged down the juice. “I’ve been neglecting my training. I have to catch up.” She knew that her mother wouldn’t object to that. And it wasn’t as if she was lying; she did need to train more, especially now that the swimming hall was closed for renovations and her assistant had taken over training the kids at the place that belonged to that damned theme park in Bog. Heaven forbid she betrayed her principles and supported that place in any way, shape or form. But if she sat down now, she might have to listen to her mother asking her about her home life once again.

“But tonight we’re going out for dinner, okay?” her father shouted after her when she’d already grabbed a banana and was halfway out the front door.

“Sure!” she yelled back and then she was gone.

She ate her banana and stretched on the lawn before she put the peel in the trash and fell into a brisk pace, heading down the street. Running felt invigorating, like throwing off a heavy coat and allowing her cells to be injected with life again.

A soft morning breeze caressed her skin and the beams of the May sun on her back promised another warm day, even though the browning leaves in the front gardens she passed were screaming for it to rain.

The whole city was in bloom. Streets were glowing in white, pink and lavender, rich greens adorned the trees, petals and pollen were flying through the air, and Astrid was glad she didn’t have any allergies. A particularly beautiful patch of blue, orange and yellow flowers made her slow down for a moment, listening to the bumblebees buzzing around the vibrant colors. Breathing in the pleasant fragrance, she continued down a narrow path towards the park.

She hadn’t bothered to bring her phone and headphones, taking in the performances of various arias pleasantly filling her ears from every direction. A family of ducks crossed her path at the entrance of the park, heading for the lake that stretched through the whole park like a still river. The water was glistening in the sun, its smooth surface disrupted by water birds going about their morning activities and various insects dancing at the top. Plenty of people were already out and about, runners like her, people with their dogs, a few families. A young couple with a child in a stroller caught her eye and she ran faster.

Concentrating solely on the road and the rhythm of her feet and breath, she shut out everything else, as if she were wearing blinders. She counted to ten, sprinted, slowed down, started anew, until her lungs began to burn and her feet were stomping harder on the gravel.

Life was good. Despite her payment cuts, her mostly self-imposed lack of exercise, and what happened last weekend at home, she was okay. A failure wasn’t a failure if she could overcome it. It was just a minor hiccup on the road… Ha.

One and a half years later and even the word made her stomach drop. She was back in Berk, not just in the outskirts to get to Raven Point for work, to the swimming hall for training, or to her parents’ house for one afternoon. If she didn’t want to return to a quiet house where she would anxiously wait for her husband’s return, she would have to get over her paranoia that she could run into the one person in all of Berk she didn’t want to see. Or rather couldn’t allow herself to see.

One and a half years and he was still on her mind. Not every day, sometimes not even for weeks, but he was like that annoying mosquito in her bedroom that, no matter how often she killed it, always respawned the next night. Perhaps if she kept comparing him to obnoxious, bloodsucking insects, her feelings about him would finally change.

She should have brought music. Then she could have just turned up the volume of the most energetic songs she had on her phone and drowned out every thought. Although the rush of running had shaken the layer of lazy languor from her limbs, she’d opened the corner of her mind that she’d successfully blocked with ignorance up until now.

She started counting her steps, just to have something to focus on in order to keep her mind from spiraling.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…

She was at forty-nine when she evaded an old couple on their bicycles, and an ice cream cart on the other side of the lawn caught her eye.

It wasn’t so much the cart that made her heart stop out of the blue, without any preamble. It was the tall figure waiting in line, it was the auburn hair burning on his head like fire in the sun, it was the magnetism that instantly made her recognize him by pulling at her soul like the moon pulled at the ocean.

She tripped and caught herself on the next best thing, which happened to be a young man with dark hair and a dog leash hanging around his neck like the world’s longest, ugliest open tie.

“Whoa, there!” The guy put a hand on her arm, a flirty grin on his face. “No need to fall for me, although I understand why you might.”

Momentarily confused, she blinked at him flexing his bicep and unabashedly checking her out. “What?”

He winked. “You should come to the gym with me some time to work out, you look like you work out.”

“What?” she repeated, her brain only slowly catching up to the situation. Her head turned by itself, seeking out the ice cream cart, but there was only a kid delicately balancing two huge cones with ice cream running down his fingers. She blinked. Had she only imagined – no. There he was, a few paces to the left, coming towards her. Coming towards her.

She completely froze, her line of sight pinned to his face, ears deaf to the lame pickup lines still coming out of the guy’s mouth like a waterfall. Then he looked her way, and the moment blue eyes locked onto green, she was transported back to Dagur’s party where she’d felt like a bolt of lightning had shot straight through her.

He stopped short and stared with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape, face white as linen. Time slowed down, an eternity of mere seconds passed, the universe narrowing down to its only two inhabitants.

“Hey, are you alright?”

The guy’s voice yanked her back to planet Earth and she realized she was still holding onto his shoulder, spacing out in the middle of the path like an idiot. Her heart started to beat again at full capacity and she remembered how to fill her lungs with oxygen.

“I… sorry,” she stammered and bolted, lightning fueling her, and she sprinted and sprinted, away from the green emeralds boring into her back. Out of sight, out of mind, until she had used up all of her adrenaline and her legs gave out underneath her.

_______________

Hiccup’s understanding of space and time momentarily vanished. Gravity was an illusion. Down was up and up was down. Were dragons real? Words had no meaning. Tuna was a lie. A frying pan was a kind of bird. Colors tasted like witchcraft. The eyes of Astrid Hofferson were even more captivating than he remembered.

He was certain only that last one was true. It was a mystery to him how his heart was still beating. He didn’t register the ice cream escaping his grasp and painting a trail down his jeans onto his shoes. He was too occupied staring after the blonde ponytail swinging on her back, shorter than he remembered, as her frame became smaller and smaller until she rounded a corner and was but a fading melody riding the waves of the aftershocks she caused to his heart and soul.

“Dude, people are staring!”

Hiccup blinked a few times before shaking the haze off his brain and following the source of the complaint to the man in front of him.

“Did you shit your pants or something? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Checking just to be sure, he shook his head. No, he did not shit his pants. He wasn’t so sure about seeing a ghost, though. With an awkward cough, he returned to reality and frowned at the sticky stains on his clothes. Typical.

“Who– who were you just talking to?” he carefully asked his old friend, hoping desperately he hadn’t imagined her.

Snotlout’s face changed from embarrassed to overconfident in the blink of an eye. “That hot chick over there?” With his thumb, he pointed over his shoulder in the direction she had just disappeared to. “Yeah, she totally digs me. Wouldn’t admit it, but she did.”

“Did she tell you her name?”

“Psh, Hiccup, my man. Names are for second dates only.”

Hiccup raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Let me guess, she didn’t even talk to you and only accidentally bumped into you?”

Snotlout opened his mouth, closed it, then turned and whistled for his dog.

“Thought so,” he mumbled and followed Snotlout to where the man’s dog was pulling so hard on its leash it wasn’t exactly clear who was the master of whom. Before they made their way back to Snot’s apartment, Hiccup looked back once more, as if the remaining ghost of her presence would show itself and talk to him. But she was long gone.

On their way back into the city, Hiccup barely said a thing, still miles away. But it wasn’t like he was needed to fill the air with conversation since Snotlout was talking nonstop. Hiccup managed a comment here and there, but if he’d been asked what they’d been talking about when they reached the apartment, he would have been unable to answer.

The inside of the apartment was, to his nonexistent surprise, a mess. Dog toys and barbells were lying everywhere, one side of the rundown couch was full of dog hair, and it smelled of bacon and sweat. But what struck Hiccup the most was the nearly bald fir tree in the corner. Dry needles covered the ground and mismatched baubles and an assortment of cheap wooden decorations were desperately clinging to the twigs like a last lifeline.

“Really? Still?” he asked while Snotlout put dog food in a bowl. “I thought you wanted to throw that thing away weeks ago.”

Snotlout shrugged. “Eh. Didn’t seem worth the effort. It’s almost Christmas soon again, anyway.”

“It’s May, Snot.”

“So? As soon as I buy a new one, I just have to put the balls from one tree to the other. No need to cram everything back on the shelf.” He opened a can of coke and flopped onto the clean end of the couch.

With a defeated sigh, Hiccup decided to free the tree from its misery and started with taking off the wooden stars. In the background, Snotlout was scrolling through his phone and slurping his coke.

“Snot.”

“What?”

“At least bring me the boxes these go in.”

He heard a series of groans and shuffling, a few choice swear words, then an armful of cartons were unceremoniously dropped next to him and the slurping started anew. Sometimes, Hiccup wondered why they were friends. But some bonds just seemed to miraculously never break.

His mind wandered to the park again, to the blonde ponytail highlighted by the sun, to the two blue orbs circling his thoughts ever since. He was electrified in such a familiar way, his heart speeding up again at the mere memory of her frozen face as she stared back at him.

“I think it was Astrid,” he blurted out, for fear he would burst if he didn’t voice it.

The slurping stopped. “Who?”

“The girl from earlier. The one you probably drove off with your obnoxious flirting.”

Snotlout was quiet for a moment. “Am I really that awful?”

Hiccup had to smile despite himself. That was why he was still friends with Snotlout Jorgenson. Because as irritable and annoying and full of himself he was most of the time, underneath all that there was a boy who actually cared. Cared what women thought of him, what his father thought of him, even what Hiccup thought of him. It was rare that he showed his vulnerable side and Hiccup always made sure not to tease him about his honesty, aware of the trust his friend put in him.

“Depends on what you said this time. Maybe stop diving in full force every time a woman so much as glances at you. Usually, they don’t like that.”

The slurping continued, followed by a loud belch. “I can’t believe I’m taking advice from you. You’re not exactly the king of the ladies. And if that in the park was Astrid, then I can’t even begin to tell you how far out of her league you are.”

Hiccup didn’t need to be told that. He’d always known that she was unattainable for him, just not for the reason Snotlout thought. There’d been a connection between them, and if he’d considered it only a hopeful fragment of his imagination at first, he’d definitely felt it the last time he’d seen her.

“Jingle bells, Hiccup smells, Astrid ran away. She will never love you back and Snotlout is the king!”

“That’s not what happened.” Hiccup regretted telling him about her. In his defense, though, that had been after Snot had put extra rum in his tea during the Christmas party thrown by the neighborhood they’d grown up in together. And if the woman from the park had indeed been her, then he refused to believe that she’d run away. General running, that’s what she’d been doing. The athletic kind.

“Jingle bells, Astrid smells, Hiccup ran away. He is such an idiot and Snotlout is the king!”

“She doesn’t smell,” Hiccup mumbled, overwhelmed by the sudden memory of her flowery scent when he’d stood so close to her under the canopy. When he’d come to her wedding in an attempt to make peace with the fact that they could never be together. Because he’d been too late; because it wouldn’t have mattered. She loved another man that she would spend the rest of her life with, and coming to her wedding day of all times to tell her he wanted to be that man would not have been fair. She’d made her decision and he couldn’t just tell her what to do.

Maybe he really was an idiot.

A part of him wanted to drill Snotlout for details, ask what exactly she’d said, if she’d said anything at all. Ask if she still had a nose speckled with tiny freckles and ask if her eyes still resembled a clear blue summer sky.

But he didn’t. He’d sworn to get over her, and so far, that had worked… Or maybe not, he’d just chosen to ignore it and to tell himself he wasn’t still thinking about her.

“What about Angela?” it came from the couch, accompanied by the metallic crinkling sound of an empty can. “She seemed to like you. Or Crankyhead McPurplepants.”

“You mean Kristy?”

“If she’s the cranky one with the purple pants, then yeah.”

Hiccup shrugged. “None of them worked out.” A few months ago, he’d downloaded a dating app and dived into the world of online dating, only to delete his profile and create a new one every other week in a vicious cycle of loneliness and breakups when none of them could smother the fire for long that she’d started within him. He was completely and utterly hung up on a girl he barely knew and yet felt deep in his heart every time a storm was raging through the sky and bolts of lightning illuminated the night.

And if he spent the majority of the next day on a bench in the park where he’d seen her yesterday, then that was just a coincidence. Because even the prospect of being friends with her seemed impossible, and who was to say he hadn’t merely imagined her? Maybe he’d seen someone who looked a lot like her, maybe even a cousin or some kind of doppelganger designed to torment him.

But she didn’t show up again. His stomach was growling and he felt restless, his right leg jiggling up and down like a bouncy ball on a sugar rush. Who was he kidding, anyway? He was just being pathetic. Giving up with a heavy heart, he left the park and went to the only place in Berk that sold his favorite cheap sandwiches on a Sunday evening.

Entering the main kiosk at Berk Central Station, he headed straight for the fridge, deciding between turkey and tuna, and ending up grabbing both sandwiches. It was only when he turned around that he caught sight of the small corner with the drugstore products.

Her hair was hanging over her shoulder in a slightly messy braid that she kept absentmindedly fiddling with. The jeans she was wearing had a large coffee stain at the side. The letters on her hoodie read Berk Vikings Swim Team and a year in Roman numerals. She was frowning at something on the shelf in front of her.

He blinked once, twice, to make sure it was really her, here, in this very kiosk, at this very moment in time.

Before he could overthink it, he walked up to her and, only hesitating for a few seconds, reached out his hand to touch her shoulder ever so slightly. She winced the same moment he pulled back his hand from the shock that had just rushed through his fingertips at the contact.

She turned around in question and time froze once more.

He swallowed hard. “Hey.”

#httyd #hiccstrid #fanfiction #hiccup haddock #astrid hofferson #snotlout jorgenson #when lightning strikes #modern au #a bit of angst with a dash of drama #or the other way around #maja writes #ff #fic #how to train your dragon

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littlebitoffanfic · 5 years

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Thieving Bastards

Fandom: The Hills Have Eyes Characters: Goggle, Lizard, Ruby Relationship: Goggle/reader Request: Something cute with Goggle from Hills Have Eyes. Just something fluffy and romantic pls! (if you'd like something more specific I can send another ask!) Support my writing by buying me a Kofi here

The family were bickering as always. Papa was having some kind of disagreement with Big Brain and Mama was trying to get the kids settled for the night but failing after they had had a little too much sugar that evening. You and Goggle sat watching the anarchy unfold in silence. Not out of anger or annoyance, but you both had learned its better just to keep quiet in moments like these. If they wanted your opinion, they’d ask. As the clock turned 9.30, you glanced over to Goggle who was already looking at you. He shyly nodded towards the door and you couldn’t help but smile, you heart thumping hard in your chest. you were the first to slip away, saying goodnight to an exhausted Mama while the children played ‘catch me’ on the stairs. Walking out onto the porch, you didn’t go towards your house. No, you slipped between your house and the one Ruby and Goggled shared. Once into the back garden, you climbed over the small fence and towards a small, thin valley in the hills. The little lane was hidden mainly by a large bolder which stood 7 feet tall and the valley itself was only about 5 or 6 foot wide and lead to a dead end with a steep climb towards the top so it was never used. Until about a year or so ago. You stepped behind the boulder, leaning against it as you waited patiently. It was a cold evening, and you had to wrap your arms around yourself to keep a little bit of warmth in your body. You really wished you had bought a jacket out but you thought the hoodie you wore would have been enough. After a good 10 minutes, you started to get a little worried (as well as cold) as you stepped out from behind the boulder to glance towards the houses, looking out for Goggle. A very faint thud came from behind you and you twisted around, jumping at the sudden appearance of the very person you had just been looking for. “Goggle! You scared the life out of me!” You couldn’t hide the laugh in your voice as you playful pushed his shoulder. Goggle, however, was very pleased with himself as he smirked at you. But then his eyes dropped to your lips and back up. Oh, you knew exactly what he was thinking. And you were more than happy to oblige. stepping closer to him, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his lips. His whole body trembled for a moment before his arms wrapped tightly around your waist and pulled you against him. You loved how he reacted even after a year of these private make out sessions every other night. It made you feel like it was the first time you had both snuck out and kissed. Every single time you went home with rosy cheeks and slightly swollen lips but never dissatisfied. Goggle turned you so you were pressed against the bolder, making you giggle into the kiss. “No one saw you?” You pulled back from the kiss, needing a breath. Goggle shook his head, panting slightly as he nuzzled against you. You ran one hand up the back of his neck, keeping his close as he peppered your neck with soft kisses. A cold wind raced though the valley and you instantly shivered, clinging to Goggle for a little warmth. “Do you wanna go back?” Goggle pulled away, his features showing concern but you shook your head. “no, no I’m fine. I don’t want to stop.” You shake your head, trying to keep your jaw from shaking as you spoke. In truth, you were absolutely freezing. But Goggle pulled away from you, depriving you of the only heat source as another gust causes you to shive and wrap your arms around yourself. “You need to go inside.” Goggles voice held a level of authority you weren’t use to hearing from him. “im fine.” You tried to say but your teeth chattered together as you spoke and you couldn’t even fool yourself. Dropping your head, you let out a sigh of defeat. “Don’t pout.” Goggle chuckled, stepping closer again and drawing your attention back to him. “I haven’t seen you in 3 days.” You point out, giving reason for your sadness. It was true. There had been a car coming through and Goggle had been required to keep watch, only getting a few hours sleep when Lizard took over. You hadn’t seen him at all. This seemed to catch Goggle off guard as he looks at you with a confused expression. He opens his mouth about to speak when a fresh gust knocks the hat clean off his head. It rolls into the valley, carried by the wind. Both you and Goggle took off after it. You knew it meant a lot to Goggle. While Goggle was quicker at climbing and scaling rocks, you were faster on foot so you overtook him and managed to swoop down and grab the hat from the floor. It was covered in the thin layer of dust and dirt that lined the floors around the hills. You tried to brush it off and got the majority of it before offering it back to Goggle who nodded his head in thanks although he didn’t put the hat straight back on for fear it would fly away again. He held it against his chest. “thanks.” He smiled at you. “Any time.” You go up on your toes and press a kiss to his lips before walking past him. Unfortunately, you were freezing and he was right. You needed to go inside. You didn’t need to explain to anyone why you suddenly had a cold when most of the days were blazing hot. Goggle walked closely beside you, occasionally nudging you and you would return it. When you both got back to the boulder, Goggle gave you his hat to hold while he scaled the side and looked over, making sure the coast was clear to get back to your backdoors. It normally was, but sometimes Cyst would do a patrol around the backs of the house. “Clear.” He said to you as he jumped down at the front of the boulder while you walked around, double checking. Walking up to the houses, you felt a little bit of loneliness set in. You had been looking forward to spending a little time him tonight. As you got to the fence, you both stopped. “You know, you could always come in?” You played with the rim of the hat while you spoke, keeping your eyes on the hat. Sure, the make out sessions behind the boulder were common, but it was strictly kept there in case someone found out or barged into you home. This would be a big step for the both of you. “Really?” Goggles voice drew your attention up to his eyes. He looked hopeful and excited, as if he had been hoping against hope that you would say that. “Yeah.” You nod your head, raising the hat to try and hid your blushing cheeks from him. You hated how giddy he made you feel. As if he wasn’t a cannibal mutant in a hill clan but just some other man who was asking you out of a date. You lead into your house, without much thought. Until you both walk into the kitchen and see Ruby, Pluto and Lizard sitting at your kitchen table, in the dark, eating the left overs of a chocolate cake you had made earlier in the day. All 5 of you stare at each other, completely stunned. “are you sitting in my kitchen, in the dark, eating cake?” you speak slowly, your eyes darting from each of them. “Are you sneaking back in whit Goggle after being gone for 25 minutes?” Lizard fire back, a knowing smirk on his lips. “its not what you think.” Both you and Goggle said at the same time and a little too quickly. “Is that Goggles hat?” Ruby asked, her eyes falling to the item in your hand. “Yes, whys it got dirt on it?” Lizard smirks as you all but frisbeed the hat back to Goggle, who takes it and shoves it back on his head. “is that the cake I made today?” you shoot back, nodding to the slice that was left in the middle of the table. “umm…” Ruby trailed off, guilty eyes going everywhere but meeting your gaze. “Tell you what-“ Lizard got to his feet and grabbed the plate with the remaining cake. “We didn’t see you. You didn’t see us.” “Agreed.” You say as Goggle nods his head. Rubys and Pluto follow Lizard as he heads to the door. “Where we going?” ruby asks. “Back to yours. Place’ll be empty since Goggles spending the night here.” Lizard snickered. “I aint spending the night!” Goggle shouts after them but they laugh and leave. You and Goggle stand for a moment in silence. In your mind, you were adding up the amount of baked good you kept finding missing in the morning. “[y/n]?” Goggles voice calls you back. “you aright?” “Thieving bastards.” You try to sound angry but you ended up laughing at the end, and Goggle joined in. You walk across the kitchen, and Goggle follows you to the bottom of the stairs. You begin to climb up the stairs but Goggle pauses, hesitating on the first step. “Well, you might as well stay.” You giggle, turning to him on the stairs as you bit your lower lip. Goggle smiled, his cheeks lighting up red as he quickly ran up the stairs to you. The two of you suddenly felt a lot more… official. Like you weren’t just making out behind a rock but that you were together… as a couple. You liked the sound of that, and as you took Goggles hand in your own and showed him towards your bedroom, you couldn’t wait to see where tonight went.

#The Hills Have Eyes #thhe #goggle #goggle x reader

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hollandsosterfield-blog · 5 years

Text

happy father’s day - t.h.

pairing: tom holland x reader

warning: woman giving birth (nothing too detailed)

request: could you write something about tom helps his wife to give birth in their home becuse they can't go the hospital due to storm outside?

summary: You went to Tom's parents's country house for the weekend, but your baby decides to surprise you and arrives earlier than expected, making father's day unforgettable for Tom

words count: 1,557

As your pregnancy was almost due to term and the date of delivery was scheduled for next week, Tom and you decided to leave and spend some time in in his parents's house in the countryside.

You arrived early in the evening on friday, the house being a bit far from the city, there was no wi-fi, only the tv and the landline worked. It was a cozy house, beautifully decorated, and outside there was grass stretched for miles, a pool where you needed to spend some time before leaving and a beautiful lake where a few ducks lived.

You put a hand on your round belly, smiling to yourself. You couldn’t wait to come back here once your baby was born, watch him play in the garden with Tessa, or see him play on a swing that Tom built for him, or teach him how to swim on a summer afternoon, do family barbecues, or celebrate his birthday here...You knew that when he would be here, your days would always be filled with laughter and joy with him by your side.

A shiver ran down your spine and you rubbed your hands over your arms, trying to warm up yourself a little as the wind began to get a little colder and the sky darkened, "Tessa," you called, her head popped out of the grass that was almost as tall as her and she looked in your way, before running towards you. She went past you and entered the house, you followed her and closed the double glass door and the curtains.

Tessa went to lie in her basket in the living room while you went into the kitchen, where Tom was preparing dinner.

"Hum, it smells good, what are you cooking?" You approached him to have a better view of what he was doing.

He looked up at you smiling. "It's a surprise."

"Is it almost ready? I don't want to complain but I think someone is very hungry." You say stroking your belly before going to sit on a chair. "And a little agitated today."

"He's probably looking forward to being next week so he can see his parents, especially his dad." Tom laughed as he put the plates on the table.

You huffed. "Or maybe he doesn't like the sudden change of weather." Tom kissed your forehead, still laughing, and took the dish out of the oven. He had cooked lasagna, your favorite dish, hoping you would like it.

He put the dish on the table and scratched the back of his neck, "Eh, I used my mom receipe but I don't know if I did it well, I hope you will like it, but please if it taste horribly don't tell her." You giggled as he sat next to you before serving you one part.

"I promise to not say it." You said, kissing his cheek gently before grabing your fork and tasting a small portion. Tom looked at you, waiting for you to tell him if you liked it.

"So?" He asked, not having touched his plate yet.

"Well..."

"Oh okay, I know, it's horrible. I'm sorry." He said, lowering his head, looking like a sad puppy.

"I'm just kidding you, babe. It's actually delicious." You couldn't hide your smile when he looked up at you, smiling, his whole face lighten up again.

"Really?"

"Yes", you said, in fact, it wasn’t really good but he had put all his heart to make them wanting to please you and you didn’t wanted him to be sad, so yes, eating a dish that wasn’t very good was not the worse and if that made him happy, it was worth it to suffer.

You took another bite, fake smiling at him, while Tom looked delighted. You hoped there was at least some chocolate for dessert.

But unfortunately, you didn't have chocolate, there was a cake in the fridge, but Tom said it was for tomorrow, that you would eat it when you would came back to his parents's house to celebrate father's day.

You mumbled to yourself while eating a yoghurt’s banana while at the same time Tom went to close the shutters outside before it started to rain. You putted a hand over your belly, "Don't worry baby, tonight we'll get a little piece of this cake when dad will be asleep." You whispered, caressing your swollen belly.

After closing the shutters Tom came back inside, he was a little wet, apparently he had already started to rain and he decided to go take a shower.

After finishing your yoghurt you came into the living room and laid down on the couch a few minutes before getting up again as you felt more contractions.

You decided to go upstairs and watch a movie in bed with Tom, as the storm seemed to be more violent and loudly but that didn't stopped Tom from falling asleep.

Around 11pm you left the bed discreetly, trying to not wake up Tom, you couldn't sleep because of the noisy sound of the storm and the contractions, and you were a little hungry.

Tessa who was sleeping down your bed woke up. She followed you downstairs. Stopping frequently when you were a little long, as if she wanted to check that you were still there and that you were okay.

Once in the kitchen, you turned on the light and saw Tessa rush to her bowl of water as you walked to the closet. You took out a plate and a fork and put them on the table before heading to the fridge.

As you went to open the fridge door you felt a liquid fall from your vagina. You stepped back and looked down, seeing a gush of clear fluid on the floor. You let out a brash sound, as panic started to invade you. "Tom!" You yelled.

"Tom!" You shouted again, your breathing speeding up as another contraction hitted you. You putted your hands on the counter for support, closing your eyes, doing the breathing exercises you learned trying to calm yourself a little.

With the sound of the storm he didn’t hear your calls, so Tessa rushed upstairs and jumped on the bed. She barked loudly, trying to wake up Tom and after a few seconds, he did.

"Uh, Tessa, what are you doing?" He said rubbing his eyes, he looked next to him and saw that your place was empty. He threw the sheets off his body and stood up. He was going to go in the bathroom, to see if you were there, but Tessa barked and he decided to follow her.

She ran into the kitchen where you were sitting on the floor, in agony.

Tom rushed to your side

"Oh my god, we need to get you to the hospital!" He says panicking, not knowing what to do.

"I-I don't think I will be able to get up and there a storm outside." You winced as another contraction hitted you, each contractions becoming more violent and longer.

You knew it was only a question of minutes before your baby was here. Tom got up and rushed to get the phone and a cushion that he placed under your head, while stroking your forehead.

He called the emergency and a woman answered, he tried to explain as best he could the situation. The woman on the other side of the line told him to calm down and explained that help couldn't come yet because of the storm, but that she would help him help you.

She gave him advice and explained how to proceed. He helped you as much as possible, following the woman's advice. You pushed, holding one of Tom's hands. He put the speaker on and the woman told you to stop the panic, as the babies were still usually in the ideal position head upside down while she speaked to you, Tom grabbed some towels.

You pushed, panting and sweating. Tom wiped the sweat from your forehead with a towel, still holding one of your hands.

"You can do it, you're amazing baby, he's almost there." He continues to say encouraging things, but you were too exhausted to hear everything as you continue to push.

Tom went to see how things were going and told you to push again. After a few seconds, you hear soft cries. Tom wrapped your baby in a towel and looked at him with pure adoration as tears ran down his cheeks. He went next to you and put your baby in your arms, as you started to sob.

He was so beautiful, you put a kiss on his temple, he whined softly before closing his eyes.

"You had a very exhausting first day, right baby." Tom said stroking his head, you both looked at him with pure admiration, not believing that you both created such a beautiful thing.

After the storm calmed down, the emergencies arrived and they took you with the baby to the hospital, Tom came with you, obviously. Both your vital and those of the baby were good and of course, Tom put a spider-man body on him that Nikki and Dom had taken with them when they came to see the baby.

His parents and brothers were all already in love with the baby. Tom looked at his son, named Tony, who was looking at all the faces around him in the hospital room curiously.

"I think it's the greatest gift I could have dreamed of for Father's Day." Tom said before kissing your son's forehead.

___

thanks for reading!*ೃ

permanent taglist: @dragneel-cutie @spider-girls-world @chennyetomlinson @awkwardfangirl2014 @screeching-student-unknown @osterfieldholland01 @mandatheredpanda @nikkixostan @just4muggles @shamelessmelanie @kira-mariee @superheroesaremytea @cartiertom @nicole-lynne @miraclesoflove @herbluebirdmiracle @little-miss-existencialcrisis @tessxblxckthorn @xxtomxo @sspideytom @dangerdolns @nymphetsuicide @lou-la-lou @trustfundparker @jackiehollanderr @propertyofmarvel @thomastanleyhollands @roastedpug @spidey-caps @sunshine-rainbow-lollipops17 @marvelismylifffe @p-peterparkers @kaylathekittykat225 @tristfulsighs @sebbystansstuff @ghostofdrfluke @alisoncdariel

tom taglist: @llady-peculiar @marveltrashandstuffs @webbedwonders @pignolithecookie @tomhollandvibes @ophcelia @awhollandx @squishychar1ie

mutuals who might like this: @akaspiderman @lavenderholland @petey-verse @moonstruckholland

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fountainpenguin · 4 years

Note

Dark fountainpenguin show us the forbidden rosencrantz and jardine (joking aside I liked your story where Jardine got Rosebud to sneak into a garden and steal oranges just for a pun and I want to know if you have any more wacky shenanigans with those two, or if you have any fun facts about either of them)

I cannot reveal what is forbidden, for it would grant you spoilers you’re not yet ready to face :(

“Name” is one of my least favorite Prompts since it’s more silly than serious and not to my usual tastes, so it makes me happy that you’re out there giving it love! Rosebud and Jardine don’t normally interact since Jardine’s an outdoor pixie and Rosencrantz rarely goes outside. “Name” was a story about Rosebud bonding with his cool, formerly unknown brother.

But, here are some facts about them under the cut:

Jardine’s job is more important than you think. Flowers are symbolic! Keep an eye on him and you’ll get bonus information.

Besides flowers, Jardine grows coffee plants in Pixie World.

When Foop was young, he would sometimes stay in Pixie World over the holidays (so Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda could have romantic getaways, and so Cosmo and Wanda Prime didn’t always have to juggle him with Timmy and Poof). Anti-Wanda has an interest in horticulture, but Jardine’s the one who first got Foop interested in it. Foop would swipe things from Jardine’s greenhouses to take home as souvenirs, and it became a game as he got older.

As a result, Jardine would take charge of babysitting him. They would watch Batman together.

Jardine was one of the first people in the know about Foop’s dissociative identity disorder and has a pillar of support for him since Foop’s extended family still don’t believe it’s real.

Because of the bad blood between Foop and Cavatina, a lot of pixies despise him. Jardine was devastated when he learned what happened and won’t initiate conversation with Foop, but he still leaves Foop’s favorite plants out at the edge of Pixie World so Foop can dig them up if he wants to.

Jardine is one of those slightly rebellious pixies H.P. lets get away with things sometimes. Jardine’s usually caked in dirt and that’s just how it is. On that note, Jardine’s one of the few pixies who doesn’t bite his nails.

He likes using licorice for straws.

Jardine really looks up to Anti-Wanda as a mentor figure. If she was causing trouble in Pixie World, he’d have a very difficult time standing up to her and would likely submit to her chaotic will.

Jardine has a very scientific mind because he works with chemical formulas. When he follows his friends to the bar, he’ll take the longest to order, will always request an incredibly specific mixed drink, and will get drunk the fastest and deepest of his coworkers. Pixie saliva cancels out a drunken mind in a few minutes, but Jardine knows how to make the effects last and will do so because he thinks it’s fun.

He wears safety goggles on top of his shades.

Jardine’s middle name is Herman and Rosebud’s is Addison.

Jardine doesn’t have a close relationship with his foster family, but Rosencrantz does. He uses the last name Winterbeam.

Almost every pixie calls Rosencrantz “Rosebud,” but H.P. refuses to do so because he thinks it’s a demeaning nickname. H.P. gets frustrated with him, but he really does want Rosencrantz to succeed and thinks the name “Rosebud” will deflate his spirits.

Rosencrantz is the smallest Gen 2 pixie- smaller than Finley and Southmark, the two younger than him.

Rosencrantz has the very last portion of magic H.P. was able to give his offspring (Finley and Southmark are unable to use magic). For comparison, Sanderson has several pitchers’ worth of magic and Rose has about a teaspoon.

Because of this, Sanderson is capable of producing about 500 offspring, maybe even more since his asexual reproduction kicked in younger than H.P.’s did. Rosencrantz would only be capable of having one, but doing so will drain him of his magic permanently. Finley and Southmark would die if they had kids.

Sanderson was Rose’s mentor. Sanderson acknowledges that Rose struggles, but refuses to accept responsibility for this. Rather, he brushes it off and labels Rose a natural-born screw-up instead. This is incredibly frustrating to Longwood, who kept giving Sanderson training manuals only for Sanderson to reject them because “Oldest child knows best.” Thanks to Sanderson, Rose doesn’t have good feelings towards Longwood… though Longwood doesn’t know this.

Despite many pixies treating him like a failure, Rose is very prideful and driven by spite, much like H.P. He wants nothing more than to prove them wrong, and what better way than by showing he can be just as successful as H.P. is with even less magic?

Rose is very gullible. He isn’t allowed online because he’ll click on every suspicious scam link and is responsible for every major security breach at Pixies Inc.

He tries to keep his hair brushed, but it always sticks up. No he is not allowed to borrow Sanderson’s gel.

Most of the pixies like sugar powder or soda. Rose is one of the few who prefers chocolate. He likes chocolate molds shaped like animals because he thinks they’re cute (That’s another trait he shares with H.P., but you should probably keep that hush-hush).

Finley has a bed in Pixie World when he’s home from school, and he rooms with Rosencrantz (along with Verona and Southmark). Finley tends to bully Rose, so they don’t get along. However, Finley would protect him against an outside threat. It’s sibling rivalry with sibling love underneath.

Poof sees Rosencrantz as a cute nerd on his way to being a goofy scatterbrained professor and has a small crush on him. Rose doesn’t know this and would be embarrassed if he found out. He really isn’t interested in having a serious relationship and would let Poof (or anyone else) down in a very awkward way.

Despite his inability to recognize sarcasm, Rose is more similar to H.P. than many pixies are… It’s just hard to tell because sass makes up so much of who H.P. is!

Rose does eventually find a satisfying role to fill where his mistakes are welcomed and even encouraged, but I won’t reveal what it is just yet~

Here’s a snippet from an upcoming Prompt (“Wish”) about Rosebud arriving in Pixie World after 45 years with his foster family (the longest the family can raise a pixie before H.P. has legal rights to him- some families treat pixie kids like their own and the pixie visits them sometimes and usually adopts their last name, while some families raise the kid for two or three years before handing him to the Head Pixie and don’t think of themselves as family, just the pixie’s milkmother).

I might change this piece to be Cavatina-centric instead (or scrap this Prompt entirely) but for now it’s Rosebud’s story.

“Falak beans?”

“For the coffee,” called a voice up the hall. Rosencrantz spun around to find THE HEAD PIXIE HIMSELF clipping down the hallway! Another pixie, shorter than Longwood and with two big curls in his hair, followed in stoic, attentive silence. Rosencrantz’s notes said he was the alpha retinue, Sanderson.

“I take my coffee in a six-inch mug with a fourth a cup of soy milk, a spoonful of caramel, and a tablespoon of coarsely-ground falak beans. Recently I’ve doubled the dose of cinnamon. You’ll want to memorize it.”

Rosencrantz presented his wand. “Dwake Head Pixie, sir.”

“Don’t salute,” he said, pushing it down when he came close. “The Pixie world is one of business, not the Fairies’ military. If ever we pass in the halls, you should bob your head and move on with your work. Pay no attention to me- I like jobs done, not suck-ups.” Regardless, the Head Pixie held out his right hand. “It’s good to meet you. This is the part where I would ask your name, and you would give it.”

“Wosebud,” he said, taking the Head Pixie’s hand with a thrill. So these were the hands that had carried him, the drake who had borne him!

The Head Pixie tilted his glasses downward. “Come again?”

His face flushed. “Wosencwantz, sir.”

“‘Rosencrantz’; it’s ‘Rosencrantz’. Say those ‘r’s correctly. You’re forty-five.”

Sick well past his stomach, Rosencrantz could barely manage a nod. The Head Pixie released his hand, both with the right and with the left that had come around the side and held the backs of Rosencrantz’s knuckles in place.

[Sanderson takes over tour and they interrupt Longwood and Naelita kissing]

Longwood glanced at Rosencrantz and double-tapped the side of his neck with two fingers. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s okay,” Rosencrantz said softly. “I know about sex.”

All three of them jumped. “We weren’t doing that!” Longwood protested, blushing hot like his ginger freckles.

“You’re forty-five,” Sanderson said. “The wands and wings talk isn’t supposed to be part of your curriculum until you’re a hundred thousand.”

“Well. I know. I’ve wead evewy matewial about pixies I could get to. Feathe’twiwl, Cosma, Ivorie-”

“Oh smoof, you’ve read Ivorie?” Sanderson ran his fingers through his hair. “She has eight books with pixies. You’ve read all of them?”

Rosencrantz counted them off on his fingers and nodded. “Her new one comes out next month.”

“Kalysta Ivorie writes romanticized views of the world. Although she gets some facts correct, others are wrong. For example, there’s one particular scene in Amarilla that would never happen.”

“The one-night stand scene, wight? Where the pixie wo’king the cleawing-heads shift after the pawty wuns afta the damswel he thinks is huwt?”

Sanderson’s face flashed with a grimace. “What are we going to do with you?”

#asks #Anon #We're Pixies!#FAIRIES!#ridwriting #130 Prompts #Long post #Rosencrantz

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sabine-leo · 6 years

Text

A smile to remember

Chapter 23

Author: @sabine-leo

Chapter: 23 /?

Genre: Fluff, Humor, Romance, Insecurity

Note: Thank you for your lovely comments! I get, that you want me to write mooooore ;) I´ll do my best!! LOVE YOU!!!!

Sleeping next to Tom became your favourite way to sleep. You loved how close he held you, how content he was with you being by his side and probably stealing the whole blanket somewhen in the night. Waking up in his arms was even better. This morning you found out, that Tom had a weak spot for getting stroked through his hair. Smiling as he purred like a cat you stroked him some more. Tom lifted his sleepy head and lay it down on your chest, cuddling up to you and just enjoyed to be caressed. The sun was still warming up in the sky, and the soft glow that came through the shutters illuminated the room enough to see Toms contend smile. Lazily stroking his growing locks of hair, you closed your eyes again for a moment. “Mhmmm…don´t stop…” Tom mumbled against your skin. Laughing softly, you doubled up your effort and caressed his head and his back with your other hand.

Boneless and literally purring Tom lifted his head after some minutes. “Good morning love!” crawling above you like a cat on the prowl he put his whole body above yours and kissed you languidly at first. Since the both of you hadn´t bothered to put clothes on after a pre-sleep tumble in the sheets Tom quickly made sure that it most definitely was a good morning love…he didn´t seem to get enough of you, but you were on the same page regarding him.

After breakfast an hour later, you helped clean up Tom´s kitchen and asked if his mother had a favourite cake. Tom grinned and said she loved strawberry cake with chocolate frosting.

“We can pick one up at the bakery…” he added and you nearly instantly shook your head.

“No, you my dear Tom will go to the market and fetch us some strawberry’s, we will make the cake ourselves.” Tom tucked you against him. “Are you planning to impress my mother?”

“I most definitely am! I want to be on her good side if you don´t mind. I plan to keep you for a while longer then you probably bargained for.” Tom beamed at you and kissed you longingly.

“Oh, I bargained for a tremendous amount of time darling. Don´t think you´ll get rid of me quickly.”

Finding all the ingredients you could use that he had in his kitchen and Tom buying the rest that was missing the both of you were busy getting the cake done. Ok, mostly you tried to make the perfect cake. Tom fed you with strawberries and tried to side-track you more then once with his chocolate sweet kisses. 2 hours later the cake was ready and fairly decent looking.

“I´m impressed darling! This looks biteable” Tom grinned and stole a kiss.

“Me or the cake?!” You teased what made him laugh his boyish laugh “ehehehe…both!”

As it was time to leave Tom saw that your nerves were showing. Inside his car he tucked you in for a kiss. “It will be fine darling. Sarah, Dylan and myself are there to jump to your rescue if need be. But my mother wouldn´t have left that fast yesterday if she had thought more inquiries would be necessary.” That calmed your nerves a little and Tom drove you to his mothers.

Climbing out of the car as Tom opened the door for you you took the cake and Toms offered hand. A warming smile reassured you that he really was happy to have you here with him. Diana opened the door before you could knock and smiled. Tom hugged his mother and kissed her cheek.

“Hello mother.”

“Hello Thomas…” She greeted you next. “(Y/N) welcome, oh…” she saw the cake and Tom grinned.

“She made me fetch fresh strawberries and we made the cake from scratch. Ok, she did. I only ate the strawberries.” Diana laughed and said “It’s a miracle that there are some on the cake then.”

She forwarded the cake to Tom with the words. “Would you be so kind to put it in the fridge please! I will hijack your girlfriend for a minute.”

Tom grinned and bowed a little. “As you wish dear mother.” Hearing her calling you his girlfriend made his heart jump. It was an indication that she was happy with his choice. Otherwise she would have called you his date again. Tom went further inside the house and Diana linked arms with you. “Thank you for the cake dear, that wouldn´t have been necessary but I really appreciate it.” Diana guided you into the garden and motioned you to sit in a comfy looking garden lounge.

“I´m glad you came here with Thomas today. Dylan couldn´t stop talking about you after I had bribed him with those cookies.” You laughed and smiled as she mentioned Dylan.

“He is the sweetest boy. In Australia he really sneaked into my heart.”

Diana smiled a warm smile and touched your hand.

“As you did sneak into my boys’ heart.” She winked and made you blush a little with that comment.

“Oh, Tom did a lot of sneaking himself. He made it so easy to fall for him. We know each other for months now and after becoming friends we both realized that there was more to us than friends.”

Oh my, you just poured your heart out in front of Toms mother.

Diana just laughed and leaned back in her chair. Tom came out of the house this moment and sat down next to you. His arm going around you to rest on the backrest of the garden-lounge.

The next moment you heard tiny footsteps and then Dylan emerged around a corner and beelined it to you and Tom. “Hey Uncle Tom…” A jump and he was on your lap. “Hey (Y/N)” he cuddled you once before jumping of again, taking your hand and tucking you up.

“Cooooome, let´s play hide and seek. You seek, I hide.. I´m reeeaaaallly good at it!”

Laughing you looked to Diana and Tom and said “Excuse us, I´m about to lose a game of hide and seek with this cute gentleman here!” And off you were, pulled by a little guy to a tree with the instruction to start counting.

Tom watched with a smile on his face and said to his mother.

“Be kind to her mother, I am in for the long run here.”

Diana greeted Sarah as she made her way to Tom and her and watched you and Dylan play together. She took a deep breath.

“No need to tame me, I think you made an excellent choice. And I even haven´t tasted the cake yet!” She winked at Tom who only could grin like a child in a candy store.

After a while you couldn´t think about a reason why your nerves had been so tense before coming here. The afternoon was so much fun. Your played with Dylan, walked in awe through Diana´s lovely garden were flowers already bloomed and had an amazing Dinner. Diana asked some questions but it wasn´t uncomfortable at all. It was a good conversation and it felt natural enough to talk to her. She made you feel at ease…now you knew where Tom got that trade from. Sarah got teased a lot for not letting her mother know about how Tom and you met all those months ago. Diana threatened to eat her slice of the cake if she would ever be such an ungrateful daughter again.

Tom had his arm around you and showed his affection notwithstanding his mothers’ glances now and then. He fed you parts of his cake and stole parts of yours to Diana’s laugh. Saying your goodbyes later in the evening Diana hugged you. “Don´t be a stranger dear. And make sure to send me the recipe for that cake!”

Back in Toms car he beamed at you and leaned in to kiss you breathless.

“Mhmm you still taste like strawberries and chocolate!” he grinned and started the car.

“My mother loves you, you know that?!” You could only smile and sigh relieved. “She is adorable. I´m happy you let me met her.”

Tom squeezed your knee softly and drove home.

With luck you did get inside the house without being photographed again, but you could see that Tom was a bit tense about it for a second. He was a sensible human being and he really seemed to be afraid how you would cope with that side of his job. To be honest you didn´t know for sure yourself, but you knew that you would try your best not to hurt Tom with your reaction. He had made a step forward introducing you to his mother and he needed you to be as brave as him.

Later, on the sofa you laid your head in his lap and looked up. “Tom?!” you asked softly.

He focused on you and smiled. “Yes, darling?”

“I won´t run you know…” Tom stroked through your hair and smiled a little.

“You are perceptive love…I can´t say that I´m not a bit tense about your reaction to being found out. But I do hope…pray…that we are strong enough to cope with it…together.”

“How can I make it easier on you?” you asked softly.

Tomes gaze got all intense and emotional.

“I should ask you that, not the other way around.”

He kissed you slowly and played with a strand of your hair.

“If you are really ready to take that step…I think it would be best to get it over with. Go out to see a play on opening night or take a stroll around the city together.”

“PDA with my hot, handsome and talented boyfriend…how will I cope with that?”

You teased and sat up.

“Boyfriend.. am I that now?!” Tom grinned and watched you walk to the kitchen.

“Your mother said so, so I guess you and I are going steady now…”

You couldn´t see the smile on his face, nor the fist bump into thin air but you felt as giddy with pleasure as he did.

Tags for: @theoneanna @shegatsby @wabisabigrl @everything-is-awesomesauce @drakesfiance @spoopyfoxxtropical @yokaimoon @kjjazzy23 @confessionsofastrugglingteen @shinebrightlikeafanbase @snarkalumpf @coniumalces @lisastandford95 @inlovewithfreyamikaelson @heart-shaped-hell @marikochi

#tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston fanfiction #tom hiddleston fanfic #tom hiddleston x you #you x tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston fluff #fluff humor #hiddlestoners #fanfiction #british actor rpf #Damn Hiddleston #funny hiddleston #tom hiddleston fun #a smile to remember #hiddles #hiddleston daily #thomas william hiddleston

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jessiewre · 5 years

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Day 51

Mon 24th Feb

🎉 🎈 🥳 PHILS BIRTHDAY 🎁 🎂 🍰

As he’d warned, Phil woke up with the birthday demand that we head straight to the sea to be the first ones in. I slightly rolled my eyes as he woke me up from my slumber but it was his birthday. Then of course as you’d expect, it was actually awesome. There were only a few people milling around walking up the beach or opening up their businesses and the sunrise in the bay looked amazing. It was super quiet & calm, the perfect way to start the day.

As we walked back, we swung by the restaurant as they set up for breakfast and they gave us some hot milk with coffee sachets & mugs etc so we could have coffees on our balcony as the sun rose. ROMANTIC OR WHAAAT. Once back in the room, I offered to go and get more sachets - classic secret agent cover - and ran back to the restaurant to help Wendy set up the table as planned. She was collecting petals from the floor when I arrived and revealed she’d decorated the table once already but the fan had blown it all away. Nightmare 🌸🌺.

I helped prep and decided not to correct her spelling as she laid the petals on the table.

JES 💓 FIL

Another lady who worked there came over to see if she could help and saw me trying to prep the presents. My plan was to wrap them in napkins and hide them around the room, but I had stuffed them all into a small bag to hide them over the last week and this had resulted in some extreme creases. She looked at this pile of creased material and scrunched up her face

‘Are these Phil’s presents?’ she asked, clearly very unimpressed by my presentation. She insisted on taking them away to iron them for me and hey, who was I to argue.

I eventually completed by napkin-wrapped treasure hunt now with ironed goods 😏 and went back to the room with coffee sachets with a solid cover story.

‘You’re not gonna believe this, they had run out of coffee. Someone had to go get some from a nearby hotel’

I think he actually believed me too. It’s both impressive and worrying how good I am at lying and how easily Phil believes me when I do.

As we walked towards the restaurant, I got a phone out to film Phil’s reaction and he began to get really awkward and nervous as he imagined a group of dancers and singers were ready and waiting for him - but then he saw the table was the surprise and was really happy. Not as happy as Wendy though who was SO excited. I can appreciate that for many people, organising surprises is actually way better than receiving them yourself.

The 1st gift of the skittles were in a bowl on the table and the English mustard was proudly placed above a plate they had decorated with the words:

‘35th Happy Birthday Philly G’.

In that order.

Then Phil began his treasure hunt. Phil found presents in the plants, hanging out of windows, on chairs, behind lamps, all while awkwardly walking around the restaurant amongst other guests. I enjoyed it very much.

So, opening the presents. Crunch time. Well he absolutely LOVED the shorts and put the first pair on immediately. Knew that would happen. Then the bracelets went down an absolute treat too! He donned his Boy Bangle with great pride.

Now onto the shirt. I must admit I was sweating slightly when he opened the shirt. He made a bit of a Geraldine noise of ‘Mm hmm’ at first and I thought Uh ohh. Then he was like ‘Oooooh, wow!’ which again had a real McCusker-ness about it - but THEN he was like ‘Wow its really great!’.

I couldn’t believe it - he loved it. The mustard shirt was a win!

The head band was a winner too and his card was the ultimate the cherry on top - one night in a luxury Maasai lodge where we could do spear throwing and he could have a massage. PLUS it was booked for when his mate Chet would be visiting us for a week! He was SO happy and I had just completely won birthdays.

We enjoyed our breakfast and just when Phil was a really relaxed, the clinking of the cutlery started faintly in the distance. Phil looked at me with a face full of nerves and a bead of sweat trickled down his brow. I smiled like the evil genius I am.

The kitchen door opened and closed again as the staff assessed the room, god the anticipation was building, and then the good ol’ Kenyan conga began! The group of 10 or so staff included the gardeners, the waiting staff, the chefs and more and they sang for Phil like he was a close member of their family. One of them was carrying a huge cake decorated in green, orange and white (#IRELAND4EVA) with the Happy 35th Birthday Philly G message on and then when they sang happy birthday, some of them even said Philly G. It was hilarious 😂. There was a section where they sang How old are you now and Phil would chip in with ‘35’! It was so great.

After what seemed like a very long time, the performance stopped and Phil thanked everyone, cutting the cake up to share around the room with the other guests. We then went to the kitchen in the back to share it out with all the staff and make sure everyone got a piece.

It was a pretty fun packed morning and Phil was thrilled with it all while I was relieved to have my agent duties completed. We went to the pool where the good vibes continued, playing some sick games with the space hopper and doing a lot of handstands like the adults we are. Barry rocked up (it wouldn’t be a happy birthday without an special guest appearance from Barry) and he’d been shopping. Time for the full low down. He’d decided to get some gifts for friends back home but some chump tried to charge him $7 per sarong and Barry knew it should be $5 - so he weren’t ‘appy about that and he took his business elsewhere.

The good news is he found somewhere to buy his 5 sarongs for his hareem of women but the even better news was still to come when Phil asked him what else he got.

‘I got a kilo of turmeric for $4, half for me half for my mate’

Phil and I were slightly shocked by this announcement, but a little impressed too. Phil asked him what he was planning to do with it.

‘Juice in the morning. Yeah, you blend it, makes a hell of a mess of the blender though, stain wise, awful.’

You know what. At this moment, I decided I was going to really miss Barry.

We asked him why he had it and he said ‘Health init. I try. When it runs out I won’t bother though’.

Good old Barry and his turmeric juice. Good luck to the guy.

Phil chose the Swahili restaurant for his birthday lunch (minus Barry I’m afraid) and they kindly gave him a slice of cake as a starter to celebrate. Then as we left, they gave us ANOTHER slice of cake as well as 3 sweet donut balls! They realllly love a birthday in Kenya! Might start saying its Phil’s birthday a bit more often. We walked to the supermarket to get birthday beers and I gave a bit of cake to the grumpy supermarket till lady who very nearly smiled.

At 17:30 we were about to leave our room for a trip to the beach in the cooler evening sun when our room phone rang. Turned out Agatha on reception had made the dinner reservation I asked for the day before - but we were meant to be there at 17:30. Oops...we asked her to delayed it and went to the beach to enjoy a swim in the sea with a beer before heading off to get ready.

Phil’s mustard shirt made its premier appearance and it was then Phil noticed the pocket was a little skewiff. By skewiff, I mean it was practactically under his armpit. Oh well, he wore it anyway and we headed for dinner at Hemingways, the most luxury resort in the area, with Phil’s cash firmly safe in the depths of his armpit.

It was a beautiful setting. The food however was SO disappointing.

Phil went rogue and ordered crispy squid as a starter and the dish had far more tentacles than he was anticipating. My bruschetta starter was ok.

But the worst bit was our mains. Phil’s mushroom risotto was SUPER bland and my ravioli was so poor I didn’t finish it. The waiter asked if everything was ok and much to his surprise I told him No. We’d had a laugh with him up until that point so he went and got us two chocolate mousse desserts to apologise.

Well he shouldn’t have bothered, cos they tasted like cooking chocolate from the 90s mixed with a bit of Nutella. Phil took a giant spoonful and dared himself to eat it in one to avoid having to leave so much of it on the plate.

We asked the restaurant to sort us out a tuc tuc but then we refused to pay $3 for the one they offered out of principal as it was double what we’d paid to get there!) Then we ended up walking along the main road in the dark to find a tuc tuc. The joke of it all was that after paying $55 for the meal and it suddenly dawned on us that we were now sweating and walking for the sake of $1.50. We had to laugh about it.

Despite the dung food & tuc tuc fun, we had a great day and Phil went to bed a happy 35 year old, with the agreement that we would work out when we were leaving Watamu tomorrow...

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chickenrecipes-blog1 · 7 years

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Best Better Chocolate Cake Recipe - Better Homes and Gardens | chickenrecepies.com

Best Better Chocolate Cake Recipe – Better Homes and Gardens | chickenrecepies.com

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#better homes and gardens chocolate cake recipe #better homes and gardens chocolate lava cake #better homes and gardens cookbook chocolate cake recipe #better homes and gardens double chocolate cake #better homes and gardens mother&039;s day chocolate cake #better homes gardens chocolate chip cookies #bhg one bowl chocolate and orange cake #fast ed&039;s basic chocolate cake

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lunafreya-bae-fleuret · 5 years

Text

plausible deniability

Read on ao3

Please note: While it’s only implied and not very explicit, this fic DOES include some Regis/Luna, so please keep that in mind

One last hunt, they had agreed. One last hunt before their departure to Altissia, because even with his bride-to-be dead, there were things to be dealt with - namely giving the empire a whole round of ass whooping. And since Ignis had assured him that the first secretary had nothing but her city’s wellbeing in mind (and getting rid of the empire was always good for, well, anyone's wellbeing), that was as good a plan as any.

Maybe it was also just Ravus’ letter, who had seemingly finally realized that, no, bowing down to the empire’s will had not, actually, ensured his dear sister’s wellbeing. (See? Trust the empire - bad for anyone’s wellbeing; ergo: destroy it - good for the world’s wellbeing!)

Noctis hadn’t, however - and he would swear that on the stars and the possibility of Kings Knights supposed release in the following year - anticipated to run over a tent in the hinterlands of Vesperpool.

Ignis parked the car, letting out soft, yet still dignified curses while he did so, then stepped out, trying and failing to hide the fact that he almost slipped while exiting the Regalia Type D (goddamn height was ridiculous, how Cindy was able to jump out of it like it was nothing was beyond Noctis.). Clearing his throat Ignis looked at the shadowy figures, who’s silhouettes were only illuminated by the wavy light of the campfire. A quiet, female voice uttered a barely intrigued “Huh,“ and Ignis shot the seemingly tiny tent under the Regalia’s (Noctis wouldn’t say big-ass but-) tires a nervous look. Thank the stars Insomnia had fallen or they’d have to deal with, like, insurance companies and stuff, and honestly, Noctis had never really been very good with those. Leaving a stack of money and running away had always been the better option, after all.

Not that he was currently thinking much about insurance companies, mind you, seeing as his eyes were very obviously transfixed on the gooey goodness of half-molten marshmallows.

And, look. He had learned the hard way that everything between Insomnia and Lestallum and all around was basically Grandma’s biggest apple garden, so being called silly semantics like son or boy wasn’t anything new.

Except.

Except the voice uttering “Want some, son?,” was just a little too familiar, so that even Noctis, busy imagining devouring the bag of marshmallows, wrapping included and all, had to take a double take. Because, yeah, daddy issues none-withstanding, that was his honest-to-god dad sitting there, in flesh and blood, burning marshmallows and rocking jeans and a hoodie like it was nobodies business. And, man, wasn’t that just the kicker? When HE had wanted to wear hoodies, Ignis had denied him with a simple “You have to keep up appearances, however misleading they might be.” Whatever THAT meant.

To say that he felt like the tent still residing unter the Regalia was probably an understatement. (It was okay though, Prompto was already apologizing to the poor thing, no need to fear another lawsuit, Iggy.)

He barely registered mumbling a disbelieving “Dad?“ Before his attention was drawn the slightest bit to the left, just the teeny tiniest bit. And if he hadn’t been convinced that all of this was just a fever dream before, than he sure as hell was now.

"LUNA?!”

The honorable oracle herself had the audacity to smirk at him, one eyebrow cocked in quiet amusement, donning a similar attire to his father’s. Noctis had always loathed her for that, just a little bit. Hours spent in front of the mirror, relentlessly (and quite uselessly) trying to lift just the one eyebrow had cost him quite the fondness for his oldest friend.

Who was he kidding, he loathed her less than he absolutely respected her, because never had he seen anyone else that could do that as effortlessly, cartoon characters and Ignis not accounted for (the latter, he was still quite sure, being part of the former).

“I wasn’t joking,” his father chimed in, stick with a crunchy-burned marshmallow directed at Noctis. “We’re actually making S'mores” He held up a pack of cookies, Luna shaking the complimentary bottle of delicious chocolate sauce like the goddess he had always believed her to be, and, looking at the befuddled (and non-surprisingly hopeful, in Prompto’s case) faces of his friends - well, he had never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

While being awake for a good three days straight and not having eaten anything for the last twenty hours had rendered him, ah, rather nonchalant about the whole ordeal, Noctis was rather curious about the development of his father and friend ending up sharing a tent in the middle of a swamp

“Fuck the gods,“ Luna cheerfully told him, just as his father said "A surprising turn of events,“ and his father then proceeded to send Luna his most disapproving look in his kingly repertoire, which Noctis was quite happy not to be the recipient of, for once. It all looked very much like a conversation that they had had rather a lot, and he was in no hurry to be a part of it. So he nodded, as if all of that made sense. He met Prompto’s eyes, who mouthed ‘Told you so,’ then quickly looked upwards, as if the gods would strike him right then and there.

Luna reassuringly patted his father’s hand and simply left her own right on top of his. Then they explained it to him: the devilish plans of the empire’s coup d'état and how Luna, - sweet, compassionate, ever so duty bound Luna - had, for a lack of better words, stopped giving a fuck and had, quite literally, thrown the towel (into Ravus’ face, to be exact, and if that wasn’t a story he needed to hear about in detail) and had then fled her childhood home with the help of divine intervention. (He mentally tipped his warmly gifted trucker hat - thank you, Cindy - in Gentiana’s direction and resolved to make Ignis bake her the BIGGEST chocolate cake ever.)

Once arrived in Insomnia she merely took the king by the hand and they escaped with the help of four loyal Kingsglaives, who were pretty much their only connection to society, as of now.

And, well. Wasn’t that curious. ("More like the intro to a bad porno,“ Prompto muttered, and really, he had deserved that shove.)

So in short, they had been hiding out in the most deserted of places with just their rusty old tent ("I’ve come to call it Cor,“ Regis interjected, and Noctis was so not gonna question why he named it after his most trusted Crownsguard), with the Kingsglaives giving them regular updates.

On what, Ignis asked. His father and Luna shared a look, then a shrug. Luna shoved another whole S'more into her mouth while still accomplishing to look graceful doing it.

And that was that.

And that would have been that, too, if Luna hadn’t just casually leaned against his dad, putting a small, airy kiss against the side of his throat, her fingers intertwining with his-

Ah. Oh. Huh. It had indeed been well over a year since their departure from Insomnia. If one were to assume that they had mostly been on their own all this time, with naught but a sparsely sized tent-

He shoved Prompto again, just for good measure, and muttered, at his friend’s offended "Hey!” a simple “Stop putting weird ideas into my head.”

(He decidedly averted his eyes when the embers had mostly died down and he saw two shadows conspicuously melt into one.

Ah, sleep deprivation, the things you did to men’s mind)

((They did, however, delay their trip to Altissia, planning the demise of a heavy-armed empire and all, but they never failed to bring some extra ingredients for some more S'mores when visiting the two.))

(((They also bought them a new tent the next day, that Regis promptly dubbed Cor 2.0.)))

((((Noctis still wasn’t going to ask))))

I’m always happy to get prompts!

#Regis truly enjoys being inside cor #Regluna #Regis x luna #noctis lucis caelum #regis lucis caelum #lunafreya nox fleuret #Ffxv #Fanfiction #Mywriting #Yourstruly

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shipmistress9 · 6 years

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Keep Her Safe - 2

Fandom: How To Train Your Dragon

Rating: T

Pairing: Hiccstrid

Modern AU - Kinda Military AU - married Hiccstrid - Original child of Hiccstrid - angst - feels

. o O o .

AN: Haha... remember how I said this would be a two-shot? Yeah... well, it's not. It grew into a three-parter. But that's it then! xD

Hope you... enjoy this second part.

. o O o .

“Happy birthday!”

With a happy squeal, Bri jumped onto the bed, thoroughly jostling him awake. Hiccup groaned a little, but a quick glance at the time projected onto the dark ceiling told him that it was no use to try and get back to sleep. At 6:30 in the morning, not even extra cuddles would be able to calm Bri down for long.

So he gave in to the inevitable, and wrapped her into a playful hug, cuddling and tickling her until she squeaked. Laughing with her, he said, “Thanks, little monkey. How about a lazy pyjama breakfast with pancakes and hot chocolate to start the day?”

As expected, Bri was more than on board with this idea, and immediately bounced away, presumably to carry her Elsa-theme step stool from the bathroom over to the kitchen to help with the batter. Chuckling to himself, Hiccup attached his prosthetic leg and followed her.

Eight years ago, when an accident had robbed him of his leg, he'd thought his life would be over, worthless. He’d been chained to a wheelchair for what had felt like forever, hadn't been able to keep working as a paramedic anymore, and a slightly detached part of him had severely mourned regularly patching up the fierce blonde woman he'd developed a crush on.

But by now, all dark thoughts about losing his leg were gone. With his prosthetic, he was almost as mobile as he'd been before. Sometimes he missed taking care of patients, but he didn't exactly regret having made his hobby into a profession either. He loved to draw, and taking commissions to even get paid for it was great. And in addition… he'd never have been allowed to date a regular patient, so he ultimately owed it to that accident that he was now married to said fierce blonde. And his staying home had made the decision to become parents all the easier. No, there really was no reason to mourn how his life had developed – except maybe the fact that sleeping in on any day was simply impossible.

Although, it was a nice start into a day, Hiccup mused as he washed remains of raw batter from Bri's fingers. Fun and comfortable, and he refused to be nervous in any way. Astrid had said she'd be back until today, and even though he'd been eagerly waiting for the sound of her footsteps for days now, he wouldn’t let any dark thoughts cloud his mind. Bri was enough to keep him occupied otherwise anyway. As usual.

He was just done laying the table for their breakfast, when a knock was audible from the front door. His head whipped up, and anticipation filled his heart as he hurried over to open the door. Of course, Astrid would be able to let herself in. But maybe she'd hurt her arm and couldn't do so? That had already happened once or twice.

When he reached the foyer, however, he directly saw through the milky glass of the door that the huge person with dark hair wasn't Astrid.

“Happy birthday, neighbour!” Eret greeted him with a wide grin across the loaded box in his arms, and Hiccup stepped aside to let him in.

“Hey, Eret. Thanks. For remembering and for...” he vaguely gestured toward the box that contained his usual purchases, fresh vegetables and fruits, meat, eggs, flour, and other things. Eret tended to get them for him when he had time to spare, and Hiccup was endlessly grateful for every single time he didn’t need to do so himself.

“No problem. It's not like I have much else to do when I’m off duty,” Eret called back cheerfully from where he'd already placed the box onto the kitchen counter.

“Uncle Eret!” Bri exclaimed as she came running, and wrapped her short arms around one of Eret's knees in greeting. “Do you want to eat breakfast with us?”

Eret sniffed exaggeratedly into the direction of the hearth, then grinned down at Bri. “Oh, are you having pancakes?”

“Yes, daddy and I made them!” she announced proudly, looking so much like her mother with her tiny golden curls and the big blue eyes that it almost hurt.

“Well, then I bet they are delicious.” Eret threw Hiccup a questioning look, and upon receiving a shrug and a nod replied, “And I'd love to have one.”

Smiling to himself as Bri chatted non-stop to Eret, Hiccup went to get an additional plate and forced himself not to be disappointed. Eret was a good friend and always good company.

And Astrid had said she'd come today. He could be patient.

…

“Hey, my boy. Is everything all right?”

Hiccup blinked, then forcefully tore his gaze away from the front window to focus on his mother instead. She had an oddly worried expression on her face, and Hiccup made an effort to pull himself together again.

“Yes, mum, everything's fine. I just…” He took a deep breath, and ran his hand through his hair. “Well, I'd hoped Astrid would have come back by now.” It wasn’t even noon yet. There was still time. No need to panic.

Valka's features softened, and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I know exactly what you mean,” she sighed, then let her eyes wander to where Stoick was playing catch with Bri. The ridiculous difference in size between the 6’9’’ man and the four-years-old girl should have given him an unfair advantage, but the truth was that his not being able to catch her wasn't an act at all. Bri was fast. “I remember all too well how jarring it is to always wait…”

Her eyes clouded a bit, and Hiccup was reminded that he wasn't the first or only one to ever go through something like this. His father was a veteran, so yes, his mother understood his pain. As did many of his friends.

But that knowledge didn't help. Not at all.

His shoulders slumped, eyes closing on their own accord. It would pass. She'd be back soon, he was just overreacting. This wasn’t the first time she was gone, after all.

“You look tired, son,” Valka's voice tore him back into the here and now a minute later. “How about this: we take Bri to the playground and get some snacks on our way back, and you go upstairs and get some rest. Because you look like you need it, and I'm sure there won't be much time for that later.”

Hiccup took a deep breath and let it out again. The idea was tempting, just closing his eyes for ten minutes or so, taking a nap and refuelling. But then he shook his head. “No, I'm fine. I don't want to miss her if–”

“Ah, don't be daft, boy,” Valka chided him gently. “How likely is it for her to come back at exactly this moment? Who knows where she was sent this time, it could be weeks before she returns. Are you planning on staying awake that long?”

Hiccup bit his lip and, letting his gaze drop to the floor, shook his head. Astrid had said she'd be back until today… But that wasn't exactly something he could tell anyone. She'd broken who knew how many laws by uttering these few words, and Hiccup surely wouldn't betray her trust.

So he gave in, waved Bri and his parents goodbye as they wandered down the street, and after placing a simple note onto the table in case she would return now after all, slumped down on the double bed that always seemed to grow bigger and emptier the longer Astrid was gone.

He'd barely drifted off into slumber when a pair of small but strong hands caressed his back and a soft voice whispered into his ear. “Hey babe,” she breathed, her voice the sweetest of sounds, and Hiccup felt as if a huge weight was lifted off his chest. Astrid was back!

Humming, he leaned back against her behind him, seeking her warmth and reassurance. Astrid giggled, let her hands run down his back, and Hiccup quickly turned to pull her into a tight embrace and a kiss. He could hardly make out her lithe body beneath the fabric of the blanket, barely felt her warmth, and his arms tightened to pull her closer. Gods, he needed her, needed to know that she was…

Suddenly, she was gone. As if she'd dissolved into thin air. Hiccup blinked into the dimmed light around him, at the crumpled blanket in his arms – and the empty room beyond.

With an agonised groan, he fell back into the cushions, and buried his face in his hands.

Astrid wasn’t back.

It had been nothing but a pipedream…

…

“Happy birthday!”

Hiccup smiled at the small group at the front door, even as he fought to not let his disappointment show. “Thanks, guys,” he said and waved them in, pointing Atali to the kitchen where his mother took the big salad bowl from her.

At least it had been just his friends, just Mala, Atali, Dagur, and Scott. Sure, he’d rather welcome Astrid back, but this was still better than.. than the alternative. Rubbing one hand over his face in an attempt to wipe that thought away, Hiccup closed the front door again and joined his friends in the living room and kitchen. They’d all come for him, after all, for his birthday. Not that he had invited them or had planned anything in advance, but that was just how it often was. They were a tight group around here, everybody knowing everybody else. And always happy to have a reason to come together.

But as happy as the gathering was – with everyone having brought some sort of food, Bri and the other kids cheerfully playing in the garden, and the highlight undoubtedly being the big chocolate cake Hiccup had baked with Bri the day before – he couldn’t quite enjoy it all. And it was more than his usual introverted nature that kept telling him that there were too many people around.

As much as he tried, he couldn’t keep his thoughts from wandering roads he’d rather wish they didn’t. ‘If everything goes smoothly, I'm going to be back for your birthday.’ That had been her words. But a considerable part of his birthday was already over, and she still wasn't back. Where did that leave them?

If everything goes smoothly…

So things hadn't gone smoothly then? What did that even mean? Had there been complications? Had she gotten delayed for a day or three? Or was she injured? How badly? Or was she…

The doorbell rang, thankfully interrupting that particular thought, but it still left a bad aftertaste in his mind. And it got only worse when he spotted the outline of two people in dark clothes through the door.

“No…” he gasped, inaudible to everyone but him. “No, please not…” It was a constant fear, opening the door to some formally dressed agents with that sorrowful look in their eyes…

He stood frozen solid, staring at the door with his heart racing and his breathing becoming ragged. No, this couldn’t be. It couldn’t!

The bell rang again and someone pushed past him, opening the door.

“Hey, thanks. We almost thought you wouldn’t want us at this party. Hey, H! Happy birthday!” Tuff clapped a hand on his shoulder in passing, followed by Ruff lightly punching his upper arm. They both grinned at him, then went to mingle with the others, their trademark torn black clothes standing out amidst the crowd, but nobody minded.

Hiccup took a deep breath and slowly let it out again to calm his nerves. Astrid was all right. She would come back. He wouldn’t let himself believe anything else, or he would go insane. She had to be safe… She just had to!

…

“Sleep well, little monkey. Love you.” Hiccup placed a soft kiss on Bri’s temple, which made her smile even with her eyes closed and her being half asleep already.

“Love you too, daddy.”

Hiccup quietly closed the door behind him, and let out a sigh. His birthday was over. All guests had left after having helped to clean up the worst mess, and Bri was in bed, all without him having a complete meltdown. That was an accomplishment, right?

But what now?

Quickly, he went into the kitchen, putting away bits and pieces to distract himself as he prepared a cup of tea. The day wasn’t entirely over just yet… right? A glance at the oven clock told him there were still four hours left. Maybe she would still come, maybe all his anxiety was for nothing.

After throwing another log into the fireplace – Astrid loved the cosy warmth of a fire – he carried his mug toward the window that faced the street. He would wait for her. Surely, she’d be back any minute. Surely, she would… He took a sip of his tea, wincing as it was just a tiny bit too hot for his taste, and settle to lean against the wall and watch the street outside. She had to come back…

After a while, the lights of a car illuminating the darkness outside made him perk up, his heart skipping a painful beat and then racing as if to make up for it. “Astrid,” he gasped, pressing his free hand against the glass as if to reach out for her.

But the car driving down the quiet side street they lived in wasn’t one of the usual black limousines. Instead, it was the once-white-now-dirty estate car of the Ingermans, passing their house until they halted a few houses further down.

Whimpering, Hiccup leaned his forehead against the cool window, breathing raggedly. Gods, he was a mess. What was he doing here? This wasn’t the first time Astrid was gone, and it wouldn’t be the last time either. This was just the same as always, she would be back when her task was done. There was no need to worry. But he couldn’t quite suppress the sense of panic rising inside him, the same that had lingered all day, except it was getting stronger now. Not being content with just simmering beneath the surface anymore.

Because this wasn’t like it usually was. She should be back by now, he knew that. And the fact that she wasn’t… “Please,” he begged to nobody in particular. “Please, don’t do that to us. Please…” But of course, there was no-one to answer him. No voice from above, no distant lightning, no ray of light – no other car pulling up in front of their house. There was nobody he could call and ask, he wouldn’t get an answer anyway, and he couldn’t talk to any of his friends either.

In a sudden burst of something, Hiccup brought his fist against the wall, hard enough that it hurt and a low thump was audible. “Dammit!” he cursed under his breath. “Dammit, she’d been supposed to be kept safe!” A single tear of desperation ran down his cheek, and he bit his lip to keep in the sob that was threatening to tear itself from his throat. This couldn’t be happening.

“Astrid, where are you?” he murmured weakly, all strength leaving him after that burst just now calmed down. “I can’t imagine a world without you. Please come back. Please…”

But the street stayed dark and silent.

Hiccup wasn’t sure for how long he stood there, watching, waiting, and hoping. But when he took another sip of his tea, the brew that had been too hot just now was suddenly cold, almost icy even. Sighing defeatedly, he stumbled away from the window. His leg hurt from standing still for so long, but he barely noticed it. For a short moment, he contemplated going upstairs and try to get some sleep. Maybe, tomorrow things would look differently. But the mere thought of lying alone in that big cold bed was more than he could bear right now. So instead, he stayed where he was, sitting on the sofa’s edge, head propped up on his fists pressed to his lips, and stared into the dying flames of the fire.

. o O o .

So, yeah... There's a third and last part coming... soon... :|

#Hiccstrid #Modern AU #Keep Her Safe #KHS #Military AU #Married Hiccstrid #Dadcup #Hurt/Comfort #All The Feels #HTTYD #fanfiction #Angst #Romance #Fluff

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