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v-era-18 · 1 year

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Red Licorice

Chapter Five: Black Sheep

“Wanna try some of my Red Licorice?” - Billy Loomis

Five Years Ago:

Woodsboro, California, October 31st 1991

The classroom was buzzing with young teens' voices as the clock was ticking overhead, chatter about costumes and candy were the topics in each group. Shaking down houses was the priority for tonight, Halloween was here; the second anticipated holiday next to Christmas.

(Y/n) laid her aching head down on her desk, it was too warm in the classroom, not to mention it strained her throat in order to speak. She had a bad feeling her state would put a dent to her friends plans for tonight, they had been planning for Halloween since the beginning of school. Stu had insisted they needed a plan to hit the best houses with the good candy before the others, as well as planning their rides ahead of time so they wouldn't be late. Mrs. Matcher had promised to drive them, only if her son promised to keep his room clean for the rest of the month; Stu had exceeded his promise, that room had never looked cleaner.

“(Y/n)?!” The girl jolted in her seat, blurry eyes focusing on the lanky male standing next to her. Stus lips were in a frustrated pout, cheeks pink as he fiddled with the loose threads of his striped long shelves. “Were you even listening? You don't think my Freddy Kruger costume will be that boring will it?”

“N-no! It’ll be cool Stu-Stu I know it,” the girl laid her head back down on the cool desk, taking in the way her best friend's smile widened. His mood always improved when she called him by his nickname, it was a funny joke behind it that many people wouldn’t understand. Just the two of them. “You might scare some of the little kids though.”

Matcher snickered, “That's the point! I got my dad to get me the really realistic looking mask so all the princesses would wet their panties when they see me!”

“What if I was a princess? Would you want me to pee myself?”

The boy made a face in response,“No! What kind of question is that? You know you're not like the rest!”

The girl smiled, her heart thumping, “Boy…like the rest huh?”

“Yeah,” Stu softened his tone, “You’re way better,” His eyes traveled around her face before his brows relaxed “-your like home.”

“Home?”

“Yeah. Home.”

A sound erupted on the other side of them catching their attention, Billy made a face, clearly disgusted or annoyed with the situation. In the class Loomis sat on the girls' left side, it was a good partnership for assignments as well as a friendship. His cheeks were slightly peppered with freckles-nearly invisible to the naked eyes. His hair was cut short , messy yet soft looking as it frayed up in different angles, Billy hated brushing his hair. A bandage sat beneath his left eye while sporting a busted lip; he had fallen off his bike a day ago trying to be on time for school, falling face first on the pavement.

“Excuse me while I get fucking sick over here,”

Stu sent a sly middle finger back at his friend, a smirk playing on his lips, “You're just jealous cause she agreed to be Micheal instead of Jason like you wanted.”

Billy huffed, “It makes sense for her to be Jason! She loves wearing overalls! All she needed to do was walk around with the mask and a fake machete.” This was the argument last month when the three of them were planning out their Slasher costumes. Of course Stu wanted to be Freddy whereas Billy wanted to be Dr Lector-I know right? Who would’ve guessed? The boys thought she would be perfect for Jason, the hockey mask would go great with her two little Afro puffs on each side.

But she didn’t want to be Jason. She wanted to be Micheal.

“If I'm gonna wear my overalls, I might well be Chucky-” A wet hard cough cut through the girl's statement. She proceeded to hack into her arm, each rack of the sound being made through her body causing her head to pound. She was able to stop-but her throat was practically throbbing.

There were concerned glances between the two boys, Stu had crouched down to the girls face trying to get a better view of her state-whereas Billy leaned back in his seat mind already made up. The girl had been coughing all day in their classes, not to mention her grimaces each time she swallowed. Loomis could only guess that it was possibly a cold; it was unfortunate she caught it on Halloween, but her health matters more.

“Are you alright (Y/n)?” Stu whispered softly, it was as if he wasn’t trying to hurt her ears, “A-are you gonna make it for tonight-“

“Of course just give me-“ Another cough racked through her being, much harder than before. Stu rubbed the girls back gently ignoring the looks from the other boys in the class. Normally he would let their stares get to him, but when it came to (Y/n) he couldn't seem to care. “J-just give me a few hours. We still have enough time, we start at seven, remember?”

Billy clicked his tongue, “You don’t sound alright. I hope you know we won’t be mad if you can’t make it, there’s always next year-“

“No-“ Another cough, “This is my favorite time of year-and we’ve been planning this night since school started!”

The two boys looked at each other having a silent conversation, it would be hard to convince her that they were okay with not doing Halloween this year. They were a trio, they wouldn't celebrate halloween without their best friend, there were other things they could do other than trick or treating. Sure, they had worked this hard to get here, but it wouldn't be the same.

Billy sighed, playing with his busted lip lightly, “Listen final girl, there's other things we can do tonight other than trick or treating. It's gonna be cold outside and make your fever even worse-,”

“So you guys are going to ditch me like Casey did too?!”

The boys froze looking at her for a moment, the words sunk in for the Loomis boy first causing a deep frown to take over his features. They knew the blonde was one of (Y/n)’s longest friends besides them, so naturally they refrained from getting jealous as much as possible. They're both girls, it was healthy for their friend to have another of the same gender or sex to be able to relate on specific things they couldn't.

However they weren't aware that she had ditched her recently. Did something happen between the two of them? Is that the reason she hasn't mentioned her as much recently?

Stu tried to step forward only for the bell to ring. The class erupted in cheers as they raced outside to the buses, a familiar afro haired girl following not too far behind. She did look back at them however with a frim glare, “We’re going trick or treating this evening.”

☿

“You're not going trick or treating this evening,” Aunt Gia stated firmly. She removed the thermometer from the girl's lips before changing the warm wet rag to a cold one to keep the fever down. “I've already called Mrs. Matcher a few minutes ago-”

“No auntie please! Me, Stu, and Billy have planned for months-” The girl cut off with another cough before laying back down on the sofa. She felt defeated at this point, she tried so hard to find ways to stay as fit as a fiddle the whole month but still caught a cold. (Y/n) blamed her fellow classmates for the lack of hygiene they all displayed; sneezing into the air, rubbing snot on the desks before the next class, and simply refusing to stay home when having any illness in the book.

‘ Great, first Casey decides to spend Halloween with her cheer group instead of me and now I can't even spend Halloween with my other two best friends.’

A sniff cut through the living room gaining the older woman's attention. She frowned seeing her niece's tear streaked face, but she really didn't have a choice. She wasn't going to let her go out with a cold as severe as that one. Gia wished Casey didn't bail on (Y/n) the way she did this year, this summer she was so excited to spend Halloween with her only to be disappointed when she heard about the princess halloween party she would be attending.

“Sorry (Y/n), but everyone on the team already decided what we're doing,” Caseys voice rang out from behind (Y/n)’s bedroom door, “I'm going to Aurora, since Tatum insisted she be Cinderella. Isn't that great!”

No it wasn't.

With a huff Gia looked through the selection of horror movies on the top shelf from (Y/n)’s reach. She had to find new places to hide them each month so the girl wouldn't binge them on school nights while she was at the hospital. Tonight was a Thursday, usually she would have to wait one more night before being able to watch horror movies but she decided it was okay tonight. What else could the girl do anyway other than lay down on the front sofa while she took care of her.

“What are we feeling like watching today (N/n)?” Gia rounded the sofa holding out a bunch of horror films for the girl, she offered her a soft smile, “I did get a few new ones for ya before you got out of school, the BlockBuster had them on sale.”

(Y/n) sniffed again, “What do you got?”

“Uh- Graveyard Shift, IT, Nightmare on ElemStreet, Halloween, Child's Play-”

“Childs Play sounds good.” The girl whispered softly. She swallowed thickly before reaching over to grab the cold glass of water off the coffee table. She would've preferred hot chocolate over this but knowing her aunt she believed orange juice was a better sol;utiuon right now. She would ask for it once she was done with her glass. “Are you going to watch it with me?”

“Of course,” Gia smiled, “Just as long as you promise you won't recite the lines.”

(Y/n) pouted, “ But that's the best part-”

“Uh uh, I'm not watching you spoil it line for line if we're going to watch it together.”

The two got settled into the house the best they could, (Y/n) eventually relaxed against the sofa with a change of pajamas. They were her usual of course, one of her dad’s old sport tees and some lounge shorts. Gia would make comments here and there about the film, and (Y/n) wanted to enjoy them-she really did, but the rawness of her throat begged her not to laugh too often.

The movie would often be interrupted by trick or treaters at the door, it almost clicked like clock work to a point where (Y/n) almost forgot what time it was. Seven thirty; thirty minutes over the time Stu and Billy were supposed to pick her up. A hot bubbling sensation made its way across her cheeks before her eyes swelled with frustration. This was the one holiday she looked forward to each year, and now it was ripped from her grasp just as fast.

Something always happens to me each year on this damn holiday. So I guess it's to be expected.

A part of her hoped Billy and Stu would stop by, Hell, maybe even Casey. The thought of five princesses in their costumes left the girl's heart sinking further. That was right, her best friend ditched her for the cheer squad this year for trick or treating. She didn't know what she was expecting, Casey was always busy with someone else on Halloween.

Blowing a raspberry (Y/n), grabbed another film off the coffee table. Pursing her lips together she decided she wasn't in the mood to see Freddy tonight, but the killer she was supposed to dress up as with her friends.

“Starting another film without me?” Gia asked from the door, a group of kids were eagerly grabbing for the candy in the bowl. A lot of their costumes actually looked really nice. She would have complemented a boy's Chucky costume if he had actually put more effort. Chucky's hair is red, if he was going to leave his hair naturally brown, he should have dressed up as Andy. “What are we watching next?”

“Halloween.” The girl replied shortly, “Since I was going to be Micheal tonight.”

The older woman frowned, “Oh (N/n). I promise they'll always be next year-”

“Why have next year when we can have this year Miss (L/n)?” A voice sounded from the door.

(Y/n) shot up on the couch in shock, her eyes widening in shock at the familiar face of Stu poking his face through the doorway in greeting. She couldn't help but match the elated look on the boy's face, wiping away the tears from before she stumbled over towards him in her fevered state. Stu walked in and quickly caught her in an embrace, a soft squeeze was given before he guided her back over near the couch.

“H-how? Why did you guys-?”

“Sorry it took us a minute to get here,” Billy started, he paused the movie before placing two pumpkin pails filled with candy on the coffee table, “We quickly changed the time from seven to six so we could shake down as many houses as possible before coming here.”

Loomis turned to the girl's mouth agape before giving her an award winning smile, “You didn't think we were gonna leave you alone on Halloween did ya?”

“Would you be upset if I said yes?”

“No,” the boy huffed, flopping on the other end of the sofa, “ I'm just a tad bit disappointed you had no faith in us.”

(Y/n) sent an apologetic glance his way, “It's not that I don't have faith ... .I'm just used to being left behind on Halloween.”

“Lemme guess,” Stu said on the floor, “You thought we were gonna be like Casey with her little posse of whining princesses.”

There was a long string of silence before the girl spoke again, “I'm sorry-”

“Hey. We're here now and that's all that matters,” Loomis smirked, “Now, Stu rewind the movie, we need to watch from the beginning if we want to recite the lines right.”

A groan from the tweens left caught their attention. Aunt Gia and Mrs Macher stood in the archway unimpressed with the sight. It was clear to the group of friends though they were pleased they were enjoying themselves though.

“Looks like I'm kicked from movie night,” Gia said to Mrs Macher, “Care for a drink in the kitchen?”

“Please. If I hear another word from Stu about his Freddy costume being ‘underappreciated’ I'm going to lose my mind,” Stu’s mother laughed.

Stu’s face grew red in agitation, glancing at the masks in his pumpkin pale “None of the adults were scared of me! Not even the old ladies who answered the door.”

“If we're being honest half of them had bad eyesight-”

“Guys!” The girl roughly cut in with a cough, “You can tell me about your costumes later. Let's watch the movie and get sick on candy right now.”

The two boys let out a laugh before obeying the fevered girls wish. The three of them had a ball reciting quotes, talking about the actors as well as how cool the effects were. It was a bit hard to eat the candy here and there but (Y/n) seemed to manage. She scooted closer to Billy and laid her head on his shoulder, snuggling into his side as he stiffened considerably. The boy's face was a light pink and his gaze remained focused on the screen.

“Thank you,” She whispered into his shoulder. At first she thought he didn't hear her from the screams through the speaker, but the boy shifted his eyes from the screen this time-something he never does.

“It was no problem-”

“No I mean it,” (Y/n) swallowed thickly, her eyes lidded halfway due to exhaustion from the fever. “You guys didn't have to come over, but you did. I'm happy I got to spend time with my two favorite boys tonight.”

Stu heard her sand turned his head around excitedly, his heart sporaing, “Your favorite? Were both your favorites?”

The girl nodded, “Yeah I thought that was obvious?”

The boys stared at each other for a long moment, smiles permanent on their faces. Although in their eyes something dangerous and dear say obsessive swirled through. It was as if they were one in the same, wanting-needing the same thing that was their goal when looking at the girl before them.

“I got you two something,” (Y/n) whispered through a yawn, “I thought you would like customized pails instead of the same orange one everyone uses.”

Stu shot up excitedly, “Really? Where are they,final girl?”

“They're in the kitchen on the counter,” The girl giggled.

The two tweens on the couch watched Stu race towards the kitchen leaving from their sight. Billy reached into his now boring pumpkin pail and sorted through his candy pulling out a pack of red licorice. The boy fiddled around with the rapper trying his best not to jostle the girl beside him as she focused on the movie ahead. Micheal was currently creating a bloodbath with Laurie's step parents.

“Wanna try some of my red licorice?” Billy whispered in the girl's ear.

(Y/n) looked at the candy the boy held out to her in interest, “What does it taste like?”

“Sweet revenge.” He smiled.

With a laugh the girl took the candy and took a large bite. Surprisingly she found the treat sweet and different. The texture was chewy and she was glad it was longer in length to enjoy. Upon finishing up the treat she found herself looking back up at the boy with a smile. Her smile was returned awkwardly, light freckles disappearing within his red hue.

“Well?” He asked

“Hmm,” (Y/n) hummed, “I guess it does taste like revenge. The question is..who is the revenge for?”

Billy snorted, “Who is it for?”

“Yeah. If the revenge is going to be there it needs to be justified,” The girl said. Stu came back into the room just in time to tune into the conversation. In his hands were two black painted pumpkin pails with the names ‘Stu Stu’ and ‘Billy Boo’ on the back of them. It really warmed the boy's heart that she even went out of her way to put their favorite candy in the pails.“You can't just have revenge on someone out of nowhere. Think about how it'll affect you, your future, as well as the ones you care about. And the most important thing….how will you get away with it?”

“Easy!” Stu chimed sitting on the girls other side of the sofa, “You find someone to frame! It might take awhile to observe and see who their enemies are but eventually you'll find someone with a vendetta.”

(Y/n) smiled at him, “That's my Stu Stu.”

Stu sputtered in shock, looking from the girl back to Billy. The other boy glared at Stu in jealousy, not understanding how he was getting most of the attention. In response Macher decided to match his stare only his had more of an edge to it-insanity.

It was a good thing that Mrs Macher decided to come into the living room at that very moment.

“Alright boys, time to go home! We need to make sure that (Y/n) gets proper rest so she can start feeling better.”

Stu pouted his lip slightly, “We can't stay a few more minutes?”

His mother shook her head at him, “A few more minutes will turn into an hour then the next thing you know you'll be asking to stay the night. Plus we have to drop off Billy at his house. We don't want to worry his parents now do we?”

“No…”

“That's what I thought. Now let's get going before it gets colder.”

The boys turned to their friend sadly. Although they were able to spend Halloween together this year they weren't ready for the fun to end just yet. We wanted more time. They needed more time together. They don't know if they were going to have many more moments like this with each other as much once they grew up. Especially what will happen once they reach High School.

Almost as if (Y/n) could read the boys' minds she sent them a reassuring smile. She even took it upon herself to take Billy’s hand in hers for extra measure, “We'll have to plan more for next year. This time we'll need a backup plane just in case one of us gets sick. Well be older then so will be more likely to stay longer with one another. Meaning….more horror movies!”

Stu stared at her with unexplained longing, “You promise (N/n)?”

“I promise,” She smiled.

With that the boys had packed up and left the (L/n) residence. They hated to say goodbye to their friend but it was guaranteed they would see her back in school soon. Billy was halfway through the driveway when he stopped and looked to his right spotting a blur of pink and other colorful hues.

Casey had stared at the boy in shock, her halloween bag hung limp at her sides as she seemed to process what she was seeing. The rest of the cheerleaders indeed where dressed up as princesses, one even going so far to have her hair colored red for Ariel instead of a party city wig.

The sight made the boy glower at them, they decided to show up to his friend's house to trick or treat rather than to hang out. The sad part is he knew she was waiting for Casey to come visit her. To check on her to see how she was doing and she candy with her. But that's not what Becker was planning to do, she was having a good time with the dumb wussies she called friends.

The sight made him sick to his stomach.

“What are you doing here?” Casey asked.

“What are you doing here?” Billy mocked, “I take it you're not here to check on (Y/n) after she caught a cold.” That time it was stated as a fact rather than a question.

He watched in satisfaction as the girl's face grew white.

“She's caught a cold?” Becker asked in worry, “Is she alright? She hasn't been walking around has she-”

“She's fine now,” The boy said stiffly, “Me and Stu took good care of her. Something you could never do in her time of need.”

The girl didn't even get a chance to respond before Billy turned and headed towards the Macher car where Stu was watching the whole interaction. A satisfying chill ran down the twos spin as they watched Casey cry to her friends, not even bother to touch the (L/n) residence doorbell.

And although it sounded cold when he said it. He meant every single word.

☿

Billy opened the door to the Loomis residence with a huff, a content smile was on his face as he looked down at the load of candy he had in his black pumpkin pail (Y/n) had given him. The red licorice wrapper the two had shared was still on top, and the boy couldn't bear to part with it due to the memory it held. Maybe he could place it in the memory box or near one of his pictures-.

The boy froze in place as he heard a shout from his parents bedroom down the hall. Judging by the high pitch scream it was clearly his mother, it sounded angry-pure developed rage than he had ever heard from her before. Sure she got mad at him sometimes and shouted but it was more in a scolding manner, but this-this was unlike any other sound. So without all of his courage lost he made way down the hall to the bedroom door.

“For the love of god, Nancy! Nothing is going on between me and Maureen-”

“Oh really?! Then why was this whore in our house barely clothed?!” Nancy hisses from behind the door, “You're always out at night, conveniently when Niel is away from their home! And you leave me here with your son who I tuck into bed each night-”

“Don't bring Billy into this!” Hank growled low, “If I have made any mistakes-”

She scoffed, “Mistakes? Sleeping with another man's wife and cheating on yours is a mistake-?”

“Yes!” He confessed, “What was I supposed to do? She came on so strongly and you haven't touched me in so long-”

“That's what we talk about together as husband and wife! Not go and give in to a whore who has her legs open for the whole town!”

Hank moved towards the door only for his wife to block him, Billy could see just how intense his father's gaze was through the crack. His face was red, hair deseveld with a faint red lip on his cheek, just seeing the sight made his stomach sink in and his face turn red. Somehow he didn't want to believe it-to believe that his dad would cheat on his mother and give in to another woman-a married one no less.

“Hank,” Mrs. Loomis sobbed, “I can't do this no more…either you tell Mauren that this is the last time or I'm leaving.”

Billy watched his fathers face go white as a ghost, mouth agape. It almost felt as if they were mirroring each other-father and son soaking in the threat before the both of them. His mother wouldn't leave him here would she? His father was at fault, not him.

Hank drew in a breath, “You wouldn't. You love Billy to much-”

“Watch me.” His mother hissed, “I’ll pack up my things and take Billy with me!”

The man scoffed, “With what money? Mine? I'm the one who’s working my ass off to provide for this family, what do you do honestly? Lay around on your fat ass while me and Billy are gone. Who’s to say you haven't done the same thing-”

“Hank, are you serious-?”

“Don't think I’ve forgotten those longing glances you gave to Mr (L/n) before his death years ago -”

“Don’t speak ill of a dead man! Have you lost your damn mind?! ”

“You always spoke so highly of him. About how he was such a good husband and father. About how he always showered his wife in love and affection all over town-”

“Don’t broadcast your insecurities on me about that family, Hank!” The woman's face was red now, her tears spilled over and frustration building. “Billy cares for (Y/n) deeply! Don't speak ill about her parents in this house!”

Hank growled deeply, “He needs to learn that this girl he's spending time with is not going to want to be with him. She's a spitting image of her mother, and their kind don't take kindly to mixing-”

A sharp sound of a closing door stopped the two adults from squabbling. Nancy’s heart stopped, eyes landing on the door cracked a smidge. While the mother felt her heart breaking in two from her son hearing their argument-the father had no other wish but to drink his sorrows away. The words were already said and there was no way of taking them back.

Mrs. Loomis turned towards her husband in fury, “You bastard! Do you understand what you've just done? What you just said?!”

“ I stated nothing but the truth in concerns of his company-”

A sound of a responding smack resounded through the room along with a slam of the door. Nancy rushed down the hallway towards her son's door, her heart beating her ears, a thundering in her chest from the amount of maternal pain she was enduring. Out of all the things she didn't want Billy to hear, it was that. Once upon a time she truly did love her husband with all her heart, still does. But at times he asks herself did she truly know the man she married after all?

She hesitated before letting a soft knock on the door. “Billy? May I come in sweetheart?”

A soft “Yes Ma’am” was heard beyond the door.

Upon entering the room she found her son sitting on the bed with his chin to his knees. His room was a mess from getting ready this afternoon, vhs tapes in a corner along with comic books and sneakers. His pumpkin pail from this evening was sitting on his dresser along with the rest of his costume she slaved away on. She didn't find it a burden to put together his costume, it was well worth it to see the bright smile upon her son's face.

Nancy sat down next to her boy, watching his eyes become watery, “How much did you hear my sweet boy?”

Billy sighed into his knees, “Is it true? Is dad seeing another woman?”

His mother held her breath, tears threatening to come to the surface once more but refined from letting them spill, “I have no proof that he is. But I do have suspicion." She lied.

Nancy didn't want to tell her son about the sight she had seen earlier when coming back from volunteering in town square. They were all over each other on the couch, the woman's clothes tossed around the living room and practically naked once she walked in. To make matters worse it was as if the other wife had no shame. Maureen made it her mission to flaunt her perfect naked tits to the way she displayed the hickeys her Hank left on her body. She felt sick , fueled with jealousy and rage; her husband simply said nothing as well. Putting his dick back up in his pants and helping Mrs. Prescott dress back up as if nothing transpired.

If she hadn't thought about Billy at that moment, the two of them would’ve been chopped up carcasses on the floor.

Her son looked up at her letting a stray tear roll down his cheek, “If we were to leave Dad we wouldn't leave town right? I can't abandon my only two friends here.”

Her breath hitched before drawing her boy into a war. embrace , “Of course not sweetheart, i'll find a way to stay here-for both of us to stay here.”

“And you won’t leave me here with him?”

“No,” Nancy whispered, “Never.”

“You promise?” Billy breathed heavily.

His mother looked up at the ceiling, praying for an angle of some kind to tell her what to do in this situation. To give her the strength to tell her son yes. That his mother would never abandon him in his time of need, in his youth when he needs her the most.

Instead nothing came out of her mouth. Just the mother and son breathing in sync in the room together almost as if they were still one. And Billy Loomis for the first time, understood what it was like to truly have a broken home. With someone to fucking blame.

A woman by the name of Mareen Presscott.

#billy loomis x black reader #billy loomis x reader #stu matcher x black reader #stu matcher x reader #sidney prescott #casey becker #tatum riley #scream movies #scream #Spotify

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penguicorns-are-cool · 1 year

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The culture war over movies promoting the gay/trans agenda is actually a distraction for the real agenda that the media is pushing on kids, the punk agenda.

IMG ID: Kat from Wendell and Wild. A punk, black, teen, girl with green afro puffs and black lipstick. she's wearing a punk-ified school uniform with a gold and beaded necklace, one triangle earring on the left ear, three eyebrow piercings on the right, and a nose piercing. she is holding a boombox on her shoulder and looking around a classroom.

END ID

IMG ID: A bust of Hobie Brown from Across the Spiderverse, a punk, black, young adult man in spider costume without the mask. He wears his hair in Wicks, has many piercings including three on his left ear, one on his right, one on his lip, one on his nose, and two over his left eyebrow. He's also wearing a buttoned and spiky vest over his spider suit and two beaded necklaces in a collar. There is harsh blue and red lighting.

END ID

IMG ID: Nimona from Nimona, a shapeshifter currently in the form of a punk, white, teenage girl. She is making a devil face with a wide grin showing sharp teeth and her eyes, which have the reflection of a fire in them, are rolled slightly upwards. She is holding her hands in the rock symbol with the two middle fingers and the thumb in. She has pink hair in bangs in front and two long strands in front of her ears.

END ID

#nimona #wendell and wild #across the spiderverse #punk agenda #trans agenda #gay agenda

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mercysought · 4 years

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@cryochronism . ‘ he’s a pretentious fuck and a liar . ’ ( to moe from q! ) . you ( novel ) . accepting

Now that was her language.

She snorts from beneath the large jeep that she had been working on. Well, as close to a snort that her throat can really conjure up. And then added with the augmentation in her throat. Something that she kept on while in the garage because in case if any client came in, what was the likelihood that they would know sign language? Especially BSL? Sure they could have a translation pack installed but knowing the crowd that attended these places?... Yeah. She’d take the robot voice. A girl had to eat.

“And you’ve come all the way to little old me to get some tools to give him a piece of your mind?...” the voice that comes out is not... welcoming per se. Moe had made it work and that was already a fucking achievement, but that didn’t mean she had put enough care in it to make it sound welcoming. Or anything really. It was rather monotone because it was built to be good enough. Moe didn’t have enough hours to work on the projects that she wanted so any extra time that she put into that piece of junk the more annoyed she got. Still, she wouldn’t deny it was useful while she was under a massive beast as she was now.

She rolls the creeper from beneath the bright red jeep. The large bright green afro is tied in the middle with a small piece of deep green satin fabric.

Like a radioactive broccoli, she had been told. And honestly? Perfect.

Moe smiles openly getting up. Over her throat the small bright blue circle pierces through dark skin dims until nothing can be seen. Moe throws a wrench onto the table, turning on her heels her eyes scan her tools until she finds a small cloth that was as clean as anything in that shop really was. She cleans up the sweat off her forehead and shoulders. Signing the rest of her words “I’m touched!”

She looked like she meant business. Out of all the things that she knew of Quinn (not many, really, Moe wasn’t about to dig into other people’s business unless they wanted to talk to her about them) it was that she was had this... uh corpo feel to her. But really how many corpo suits would walk into this part of town and specifically into her shop? How many would have come to know her on a first name basis. It wasn’t lost on Moe the fact that the corpo fact didn’t make her any less attractive which had always been problematic. Moe wasn’t without faults. She drops the cloth.

In any case, Quinn wasn’t really looking at her but at the man taking a rest by the second garage door, a few ways away. With a healthy black eye starting to puff up.

“Don’t mind him. My floors are awesome for naps.“

While she loved to punch some motherfuckers that didn’t know how to behave and that mocking her for being non-verbal, she had to admit that one in particular had surprised her. It wasn’t very often that a single punch knocked a fucker out.

Boosted her ego to the moon, though.

Moe’s smile grows, leaning forward on the large table with her tools. Muscles flexing as both hands sign before coming to rest beneath her chin “I’m all ears.”

#cryochronism #moe ( muses )#raven received ( meme replies )#( moe vc: d-do you want to grab a coffee or something? )

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fakefanofmarvel · 5 years

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Undead// Loki X Black!Reader

A/N: Lowkey very afraid to post this because I think It’s really good and if it flops I’m gonna cry. So with that being said let's pray it doesn’t flop.

She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. The first time I saw her she was wearing a long white dress, he curls set in two afro puffs on top of her head and her face was bare of makeup besides what was making her plump lips shine which is what I assumed was lip gloss. She was standing in the middle of my room when I had arrived back from a meeting I had with my brother earlier that day. She walked over to me brought her hand up to my face without touching me. When I went to grab her hand she jerked it back to her side. A tear rolled down her cheek. She looked at me one more time before walking around me to the door which she walked right through. She must have been a witch was the only thing that made sense to me in my head.

A few days later she appeared again. This time she was laying in my bed when I arrived back to my sleeping quarters. She was in a short white dress he face and hair appeared to be the same as before. This time I was happy to see her. She was all that had been on my mind since the last time I saw her. This time was different than the last time. She actually spoke to me.

"I'm glad to see you're doing okay," She was she said to me before she exited in the same fashion as last time.

Her voice was beautiful. Almost like music to my ears. She spoke with such grace it made my heart leap.

Today she appeared while I was still in the room. Everything was the same but her dress was no longer white. It was a midlength Ivory colored dress. She had a smile on her face this time something that didn't appear on her face the first two times she came to visit.

"You have a beautiful smile," I said

Her smile grew a little wider. She walked over to the bed at set beside me.

"Thank you, Loki," She said as she set her hand on my thigh. "Your mom always says you're a charmer,"

When I heard her mention my mother everything clicked in my mind. I moved my hand to touch hers.

"You aren't alive are you?" I asked her

She shook her head no and looked away from me.

"Then how come I can touch you," I lightly turned her back to face me by using my finger to pull her chin towards me.

"When I was 16. My heart was ripped out by a witch. I was killed but she gave me the ability to travel between lives. She told me if I didn't find true love by the time I was 25 she would trap me in the afterlife. Which is where I met your mother. She always talked about her amazing, handsome, prince son Loki. When the witch let me come back from the afterlife a few weeks ago I knew I had to find you. Which I did but I couldn't tell you who I was because the catch to coming back is that I can't talk and if I touch someone they die. But Loki, the one thing that can break the curse is love and when I came back the second time I could speak. I didn't know for certain what was causing the changes but when I arrived today my dress was no longer white. Loki, I'm breaking the curse. We're breaking the curse," She explained

Her eyes were filled with hope as she stared at me.

"Are you saying this is true love?"

She nodded.

"And I know it sounds like a fairy tale but the only thing that will bring me back to this life is true loves kiss, Loki. As fate will have it that seems to be you," She let a small smile grow on her face.

Any sane person would think this is crazy but luckily I'm not sane. I pulled her in and kissed her dark plump lips. It felt like electricity was flowing through my body. I pulled away and opened my eyes to see that her dress had turned into a bright red top, a pair of jeans and a pair of red converses. He afro puffs turned into a single curly afro and he beautiful brown skin shined. "Thank You, Loki," She whispered before pulling back into another kiss. ... She appeared in front of me again today. She was wearing a beautiful white poofy dress. Her hair was long covering her shoulders. Her makeup was natural, not to heavy but you could tell she had some on. Her beautiful plump lips shined with what I could only assume was lip gloss. She looked more beautiful than ever. She smiled at me showing her pearly white teeth. A single tear flows down her face.

"You have a beautiful smile," I said to her.

She let out a giggle, "And I'm glad to see you're doing okay. Please do cry you have to be the strong one,"

"How can I not cry? I'm marring the most amazing women in the world,"

#loki #loki laufeyson #loki fanfic #loki (marvel)#loki x reader #loki x black!reader #marvel #marvel imagine #marvel mcu #tom hiddleston #tom hiddelston imagine

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logancreatesworlds · 6 years

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Wine Glasses & Telepathic Kisses - (J’onn J’onzz x black!reader)

Author’s Note: Hello all! So I made this for @lovelynervouschaos. Thanks for waiting so patiently! Finally, it’s ready. Sorry it’s so late. This should’ve come out before Valentine’s Day. ❤♥❤

Disclaimer: None of the images are mine.

Warnings: Cursing, sexual references and sex.

Aliens are a funny bunch.

No, you weren’t one of them - you were human.

Yet, you could appreciate the fact that other life forms existed.

It was humbling.

In turn, there were some aliens who found you interesting.

You couldn’t understand why.

You were a forensic scientist, hired to join the ranks of the D.E.O. about three months ago.

Even if you originally came from a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, you had never felt more at home, among beings who - like you, often felt out of place.

First, it was the Supergirl, the kryptonian.

“Hi,” Supergirl greeted, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Holy shit,” you mumbled, your eyes wide, “You’re-”

“Supergirl? Yeah that’s me. You must be the new forensic scientist. Come on in. I’ll show you around.”

Then, it was the best agent in the whole compound.

“Excuse me.”

You looked up.

“Hi. Sorry to interrupt. I’m Agent Danvers.”

You had heard about her. She could whip anyone’s ass.

“Oh um...it’s nice to meet you,” you shook her hand, “I’m (Y/N), new in the forensics section.”

“Oh I heard. I just wanted to come by and welcome you. A bunch of us are going out to Big Belly Burger for dinner. You wanna come?”

“Me? Sure.”

Lastly, it was the Martian.

You breathed deeply in order to calm your nerves as you headed to Director Henshaw’s office.

It was your first day on the job, so you hoped not to disappoint your boss so soon.

Nevertheless and despite your fear, you gathered up your courage and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” came the deep voice from inside. With one last breath, you opened the door.

A tall black man sat at a large mahogany desk. The look on his face was one of pure business and no play.

He was not to be fucked with.

“Ms. (Y/L/N),” Director Henshaw greeted, standing from his chair and shaking your hand, “A pleasure to finally meet you, I’m Director Hank Henshaw.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Please, sit.”

The rest of the brief meeting went well, with Director Henshaw going over everything you needed to know - including giving you a laundry list of procedures that you would need to start you new position.

But things were different with him. He was different.

You sighed as you lugged your purse and walked down the dark hallway. Despite that fact that you had been working at the DEO for over six months, the forensics department was still quite creepy after hours.

What difference did it make? You were on call in case anything happened...

You soon made it to the break room near your friend Lonnie’s office. Surprisingly, the light was on.

‘What in the hell?’

Quietly you snuck up to the door and peered to see who was inside.

A tall being with green skin and a long blue cape stood at the coffee machine as it drained the caffeinated liquid into a paper cup.

The being was clearly an alien, and he looked to be male.

Still, virtually all of the other DEO members besides Supergirl were human.

‘Should I call the police?’ You thought to yourself.

The being then froze and stood at attention, and you swiftly ducked back into the Lonnie’s office to avoid being caught.

You held your breath and remained as quiet as humanly possible as the alien slowly walked in.

Then, the light was flipped on.

“You can come out Ms. (Y/N), everything is fine.”

Furrowing your brow, you stepped out from behind Lonnie’s lab cabinet to see Director Henshaw there.

“Director Henshaw? What are you doing in this forensics wings so late?”

“Nothing,” he replied, “I was merely getting coffee.

Your confusion increased at he drank the hot liquid from a paper cup.

“Wait a minute - if you have the coffee, then who-?”

Director Henshaw’s body briefly glowed red as if shifted into the alien from before.

“Forgive me for startling you,” he said, his reverberating voice now ten times deeper than before, “The dining hall’s coffee machine is subpar. The one in this wing is much better.”

“No problem,” you said, your eyes wide.

The alien chuckled slightly at your expression, “Yes, Ms. (Y/N). I am an alien, as you can see.”

“Yeah, I noticed. Um...where are you from?”

“Mars.”

A Martian. Wow.

Still, you couldn’t resist putting your foot in your mouth.

“I thought y’all were supposed to be little.”

To your surprise, the Martian started laughing.

“No,” he chuckled, “Many of us Martian males used to be quite tall. I would have been average height.”

“Used to be...?”

His smile faded, “Yes, before the invasion.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry,” you said.

Even if his face was now harsher in nature, his red eyes still softened as he smiled once again.

“It’s fine,” he said, “Even aliens cannot grasp the concept of peace it seems.”

“Well you can’t be any worse than us humans so...”

The Martian laughed again, “Perhaps not.”

“So since you’re really from outer space, I assume your name isn’t really Hank Henshaw.”

He smiled, “You are correct. My name is J’onn J’onzz. It is nice to finally meet for real this time.”

“J’onn J’onzz...hi.”

He laughed, “Well my coffee is cold now and I still have forty-five minutes for break. Would you care to join me?”

“Oh um...sure.”

You fell hard for him after that night, and he fell even harder for you.

Over time the talks in the break room led to longing looks across the room during briefings, which then led to discreet kisses in the hall, and then to clandestine meetings in the forsensic storage room during business hours.

Now, the eve of Saint Valentine’s martyrdom had come upon you, and finally the two of you had the day to yourselves.

The wind whipped through your afro puff as J’onn drove you down a long but peaceful road in his 1952 Chevrolet Deluxe convertible.

The trees ocassionally blotted out the sun but it was still bright. Your eyes drifted past each of them, their green leaves and earthy limbs blending together into one natural mass as the speed of J’onn’s car turned the curb.

You loved it when J’onn would take you to his place via the country route. Sure, National City was nice and you wouldn’t sacrifice it for anything, but it was serene being out alone with the love of your life - even if he wasn’t human.

Still, a part of you felt...unsatisfied. Your relationship was romantic, but never overly physical.

Most of your secret meetings between you and J’onn in the storage rooms ended up being interrupted when he had to return to work, but even then there was something missing.

He never held you down and tortured you until you were crying for him. He never threw you against the bed and tied you up before taking you in the vilest and most indecent way possible. He never took it to the next level like you wanted him to.

It was - quite literally, anticlimactic.

Still, you loved him and that meant that you had to wait.

Dammit.

“Darling,” J’onn’s deep voice asked, interrupting your train of thought as he covered your hand with his, “Is everything alright?”

You nodded, “Mhmm. Yeah. M’fine.”

J’onn knew you were lying, “(Y/N)...what’s wrong?”

Again, you lied, “Nothing. I’m okay, really.”

A fleck of concern shot off in J’onn’s chest, but he thought it best to leave it alone and let you come to him.

“Let’s play some music,” you said, turning up the radio.

A familiar tune played.

No, not the most subtle song to play on February 14th, but it was your favorite.

J’onn’s eyes picqued with interest, “You like that song?”

“Um...yeah. It has a nice rhythm,” you lied, giving a quick smile before looking away.

J’onn listened to the lyrics.

I need a rider To go down and slide up I hope you can handle a shift stick, babe 'Cause you gotta drive it (Ooh) Girl, don't try to fight it When I'm all up inside it (All up in it) You shiftin' the gears on my stick shift, babe You got me excited (Oh, oh)

It was then that everything came together.

The way your legs squeezed together, how tightly you were holding his hand, the manner in which you bit your lip...

I bet you ride so good, yeah Oh, let me bang it, oh, let me bang it out Oh, let me bang it, oh, let me bang it out I bet you ride so good Oh, let me bang it, oh, let me bang it out Oh, let me bang it, oh, let me bang it out

My naughty little girl is aroused, he thought, resisting the urge to laugh.

A familiar scent hit his nose when you crossed your legs, and a dark smirk crossed his lips.

Don’t worry my love, he thought, We shall have plenty of time to play tonight.

“This is delicious,” J’onn commented, chewing a piece of pasta.

“Thanks,” you replied politely, sipping your wine.

You had agreed to make dinner, which consisted of spaghetti, vegetables, wine and rose petals to decorate the table.

J’onn was a simple man. He liked it.

“I have something for you,” J’onn said.

“Oh?”

“Yes. We have been together for about three months so...I wanted to get you something.”

J’onn uses his powers to float a small giftwrapped box across the table, which you plucked from the air.

Opening it, you gasped.

“The bracelet from Vanika’s,” you said, lifting the shiny silver object out of the case and holding it up to the light.

“I noticed you eyeing it in the store a couple of weeks ago,” he said, “Do you like it?”

“I love it,” you answered, “It’s beautiful.”

J’onn’s smile faded, “But it’s not what you want.”

“What?”

“The bracelet,” he said, “It’s not what you wanted.”

“What are you talking about?”

“(Y/N), I know that something is bothering you. I noticed earlier during our ride home, but I left it alone hoping you would come to me. You want something, and I can see it. Tell me what you want.”

You sighed, “I can’t...”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s embarrassing,” you answered.

“There is nothing you can tell me that should make you embarrassed,” J’onn replied seriously, “We are in a relationship - one where you are to tell me everything, you understand?”

You nodded.

“Good. Now,” J’onn said, getting out of his chair and coming to lean over you, “Tell me what you want.”

“I...I have these thoughts...about us.”

“Elaborate,” J’onn said patiently.

“They involve...us - having sex.”

A moment of silence passed and you waited for J’onn to be disgusted at your eagerness to get him between your legs.

“What kind of sex?”

“The dirty kind.”

“How dirty?”

“Very dirty.”

“Give me details.”

“I want...I want you to be rough...to pull me to the bedroom and...spank me,” you said contritely, “I want you to tie me to the bed and ruin me in the nastiest ways possible-”

J’onn turned away from you, walking a few paces and breathing to calm his nerves.

Oh no, you had upset him.

“J’onn...?”

Another moment of of silence.

“Take off your clothes.”

You furrowed your brow, “What?”

“I said,” J’onn growled, turning to you with glowing red eyes, “Take off your damn clothes.”

You swiftly got up from your seat and disrobed until you were naked.

“Good girl,” J’onn said, “Now, go to the bedroom and wait for me.”

“But-”

“This is not up for debate,” J’onn growled, “Now be a good girl, and do as I say. Go and wait for me.”

You nodded and practically ran to the bedroom.

A few minutes later, J’onn walked into the room with his true visage, wearing nothing over his green skin. In his hand were several ropes made into lassos.

“So you wish to be fucked, huh? Nice and rough? Very well, my dear. I think I can make that happen.”

“J’onn, what are you-”

“Silence,” the alien commanded, “For the rest of this night, you belong to me. Now, turn around, get on all fours and spread your legs and arms.”

You obeyed and bit your lip, and your boyfriend quickly tied your wrists and ankles down.

“So,” J’onn said, “Since this is what you wanted, I am going to ask you several questions. You will answer them honestly.”

“Or what?”

“Or you will face the punishment.”

You silenced yourself as J’onn started his line of questioning.

“Tell me, my love,” he spoke, “How long have you wanted this?”

“Since January.”

“Good. You answered honestly.”

You gasped when you felt his index intrude inside of you.

“Whoops,” J’onn said, “My hand must have slipped.”

You bit your lip as he inspected you, curling his finger up and finding your favorite spot with almost surgical precision.

A familiar wet sound became louder and louder as J’onn made you cum, the gasps and moans escaping your throat arousing him more and more.

Once he had finished you, he briefly stepped back to look at his handy work.

“My,” the Martian breathed, sucking on his fingers, “You are truly beautiful.”

“And still horny,” you answered, breathing heavily, “I can take much more.”

“Oh my love, we’ve barely gotten started.”

J’onn pulled your folds apart, “Look. She’s practically crying for me already.”

Your lip was damn near bleeding now...

“Oh well. We’ll just have to fix that, won’t we?”

A second passed, and then -

SCHLUKK!

You let out a surprised squeal and whipped your head around to see J’onn sampling your juices on his tongue.

“You wanna taste too?”

“Yes,” the Martian answered patiently, “And I will have my fill. And I do not recall giving you permission to turn around. Eyes forward, my love.”

“Yes,” you said, turning back around.

“Yes what?”

“Yes daddy.”

“Good. Now you remember what I said earlier, I intend to have you for the rest of the night. Do you consent to that?”

“Yes daddy.”

“And if you are uncomfortable in any way, you are to use our safe word: Oreo. Understand?”

“Yes daddy.”

“Excellent. Now you do understand that I love you, yes?”

“Yes daddy.”

You gasped when J’onn pulled you back by your hair, and the two words he whispered in your left ear shot straight down to you lower regions.

“Good girl.”

J’onn then got back into his previous position and got to work.

His hands, his tongue...he played you like a fiddle and you loved it.

Soon, your face was sinking deep into your bed, your pillow capturing your moans along with the thin layer of sweat that J’onn’s caresses and flicks had coaxed from you.

“Done already (Y/N)? I’m disappointed.”

You lurched forward when his hands pulled you back against his pelvis, and your eyes widened when you felt something long and slimy grow between your folds.

“Is that -?”

“Mhmm. Still wish to continue?”

You nodded, breathing as deeply as possible.

“I need words, darling,” J’onn said, planting kisses up your spine.

“For the love of God - YES.”

“Much better!” J’onn shouted joyously.

I need a rider To go down and slide up I hope you can handle a shift stick, babe 'Cause you gotta drive it (Ooh)

He thrusted inside of you...

Girl, don't try to fight it When I'm all up inside it (All up in it) You shiftin' the gears on my stick shift, babe You got me excited (Oh, oh)

He rode you like a horse...

Soon you were out of your binds and bobbing on top of him, the two of you having no care for how loud you were.

Boy you got me workin', overtime Soakin' wet, I'm a Slip N' Slide You say you want some breakfast, let me open wide Eat it up, tickle up my spine Run back, side to side, stick shift, overdrive Boy, you tryna give that pussy new interior design Bangin', bangin', wake up in it, I'ma put my back into it No Netflix, we makin' movies, I'ma let you watch me do it

He took you missionary style with his hand around your neck...

In front of the mirror...

I bet you ride so good, yeah Oh, let me bang it, oh, let me bang it out Oh, let me bang it, oh, let me bang it out I bet you ride so good, yeah, yeah Oh, let me bang it, oh, let me bang it out Oh, let me bang it, oh, let me bang it out

Against the wall...

I get those goosebumps every time You hit it from behind, the way we bump and grind You love the way I grind on that dick, grind on that dick Yeah, climb on that dick, glide on that dick Big titties in the front seat, ass in the back Throw it like a pitcher, baby, hit it with your bat (Skrrt, skrrt, skrrt) I be on that freak shit (Skrrt, skrrt, skrrt) Bust it for no reason

In the shower...

Even on the ceiling...

I bet you ride, yeah

“That was...wow,” you mumbled, settling your head into J’onn’s neck.

“Glad you enjoyed it,” he replied, rubbing the goosebumps in your back as the two of you laid over sheets that needed to be washed after so many rounds of fucking.

“I didn’t know the Martian Manhunter was such a skilled lover.”

“Neither did I. Apparently I am - what you humans call, a dominant.”

“And I am a submissive.”

“My submissive,” J’onn confirmed, kissing your forehead.

“We have to get up for work in the morning,” you groaned.

“Then let us just enjoy this night,” he replied, “And dream of the others to come.”

“Hey guys,” you greeted, rushing into DEO headquarters, “Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s fine,” Supergirl replied, “And is that the bracelet from Vanika’s new Valentine’s Day line?”

“Yup,” you bragged, showing her the sparkly adornment on your wrist.

“It’s gorgeous! Where’d you get it?”

“My man brought it for me.”

“Aww that’s so sweet.”

“I know! We had the most wonderful time. I don’t wanna get into specifics, but let’s just say - he wore me out.”

“Ladies,” Director Henshaw greeted, coming up to you both.

“Director,” you replied politely.

“Good morning. Did you both do anything special for Valentine’s Day?”

“(Y/N) went out with her boyfriend and I stayed in and watched soap operas,” Supergirl answered.

“Glamourous,” Henshaw commented, sipping his coffee.

“And you, what did you do?” You asked, with a shit-eating grin on your face.

“Or better yet...who did you do?”

J’onn narrowed his eyes playfully, reading your thoughts as you expected him to, “I spent time with a lady friend of mine.”

“Ooooooh did she enjoy her time?” Supergirl asked, her blue eyes sparkling with interest.

“Yes,” J’onn replied, “So much so that she could barely speak.”

“Aww that’s great. Well I have to go train with Alex. I’ll see you two later!”

Soon, Supergirl was gone and you walked to your office with a smirk on your face and your nose in the air.

“Your ass is mine later,” J’onn spoke in your head.

You grinned, “Can’t wait, daddy.”

Author’s Note: And that is all everyone! Hope y’all like it, and please comment. All opinions are welcome!

@lovelynervouschaos @macfizzle @cynbx @efikarta @coconutxraikage @shemiahsmelanin @jozigrrl @fanfic-reblog-central @icycoldbeanieweanies @siriuslycollins @bethany-zor-el-danvers @avengerdragoness @margaretheriques @wholokianheart @kakess3 @bribrisback

#martian manhunter x reader #martian manhunter x black!reader #supergirl imagine #j'onn j'onzz x reader #j'onn j'onzz x black!reader #romance fic

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paxx-has-toebeans · 5 years

Text

Aight here’s that AU with the miraculous box I was talking about earlier lolol

A car was flung into one of the street vendors, crushing it flat almost instantly. Cowering beside it was the poor owner, who’d only been in Paris for two weeks and was completely freaked out by all the madness brought by an akuma. Cassandra felt bad for the guy, especially since he’d been so nice to everyone earlier. She almost made her way over to him, but was sent backwards by the falling debris of a nearby building. “Pay attention Midnight!” Her eyes could catch the tall male smacking his partner upside the head with a red and black spotted clipboard. “Ow! I’m pretty sure the Lucky Charm isn’t meant for hitting innocent felines.” The leather clad heroine rubbed the back of her head, clawed fingers tangling into her red hair. The observing girl had to bite back a sigh as she ducked behind one of the abandoned café tables. Didn’t Redbug and Midnight have something better to do than bigger with each other? They used to be so in-tune, until the akuma attacks suddenly started to get more frequent. As she waited for them to figure things out, a small yellow and black creature flew out from her pocket. It’s small arms were crossed and an annoyed expression seemed to be on its face as it floated next to her head, watching the chaos ensue. “I thought the black cat and ladybug miraculouses were supposed to be in sync. What a blunder.” Its long tail flicked mischievously, but quickly straightened out as the girl grabbed him by an ear and pulled him back. Another piece of debris flew, along with a shout of ‘cataclysm’ from Midnight. “Paxx, have a bit of respect. They’ve been fighting Monarch nonstop for the past four days. They’re probably tired and irritated.” The creature didn’t say anything after that, just deciding to turn his attention back to the fight. The both of them watched with wide eyes as Redbug, the ladybug holder, got himself stuck in a wall of cement. The clipboard fell to the ground with a loud clatter, making Paxx flinch. “I’m sure they’re fine, Midnight will recharge themselves soon an-” He got cut off as Midnight got grabbed by the hair and swung right into the wall Redbug was currently trapped in. The villain, Cementor as they crowned themselves, was snickering as the concreate piled over the now unconscious hero. “Or not. Well, time to go. Places to run, people to hide with.” He started hovering towards the creaking café, which now had a billboard stuck halfway through the roof. “Oh no you don’t! Paxx, transform me!” A loud groan escaped from him as he was sucked into the pendant of the girl’s necklace. With a flash of yellow light, she’d transformed herself into a new persona. The ‘smile’ tee and shorts were replaced with a yellow romper, black spots dotting everything but the stomach and chest. Her hands were gloved in white, small claws prodding from underneath them. (I’m so bad at this part I’m sorry ajdfndf) The mask felt weird to her, almost like there was something glued to her face. She’d always known the transformation words, but had never used them until now. It was dire at this point, she could no longer hide in the shadows. Throwing herself into the middle of the scene, she grabbed the weapon on her side. She stared at it oddly. “An African trumpet? The heck is this gonna do for me, put them to sleep?” She didn’t have long to think on it too much, just barely dodging the clump of concrete thrown at her face. “Who are you?” The concrete monster in front of her was dripping onto the pavement, every movement making a bubbling sound as they stepped closer. Even with all the times she wondered what it would be like to transform, she never figured that part out. “I’m uhhh....uh...Quick...stop?” “Lame!” There was a coughing noise from the dazed Midnight, who’d stirred not too long before. The akuma glared at them before turning their heads back to the novice hero. “Doesn’t matter anyways.” They lifted their clumpy arms above their head as a large dome of liquid concrete started to drop onto her head. In a moment of panic, she shouted. “Timestop!” Birds stopped in mid-air, people were frozen as they ran, even Midnight had been caught in the middle of her laughter. With a sigh of relief, she looked at the concrete stuck in the air. “I have no idea what I’m doing.” She looked around the scene, knowing her range of the time freeze was only a mile. People would start to suspect soon, so she needed to hurry up. Looking to the concrete monster, then to Midnight and Redbug, a grin formed. Walking over to Midnight, the staff was plucked from the ground next to her. She then walked over to the opposite side of the akuma and held the staff in front of her. “Resume!” As soon as time started to flow again, she pressed the button on the staff and sent it straight onto the only hard spot on the akuma--their left arm. It look like it had been casted before they were akumatized, perhaps that’s where the akuma was hidden? Regardless, it was being used to fling the concrete creature underneath their own falling dome of concreate. Once they were trapped underneath, she breathed a sigh of relief out. “Uhm....excuse me? New person in the yellow...Can you hand me that clipboard please?” Redbug waved his hand around a bit until she grabbed the fallen charm and tossed it up to him. He just barely caught it, but immediately through it back up into the air with less enthusiasm than usual. His ‘Miraculous Ladybug’ was muttered half-heartedly. Redbug ended up landing on top of Midnight, who wheezed as her breath was knocked right out of her lungs. ‘Quickstop’ could barely contain her laughter. As Redbug retrieved and purified the akuma, she found herself staring into Midnight’s judgmental eyes. “Hey. What kind of Miraculous is that? Where’d you come from? Where’d you get it? I’ve never seen you anywhere before. Did you steal that from someone? How d-” The girl was cut off as Redbug pushed her face out of the way. He rolled his eyes before apologizing on behalf of his ‘overexcited’ partner. “Sometimes she forgets that bombarding people with questions is rude. Whether or not you tell us is up to you, but I can’t say I’m not curious. But don’t make the mistake of thinking I won’t know if you’ve done anything sketchy.” The girl frowned. This wasn’t the ‘greeting’ she’d expected. Neither of them seemed to trust her too much. Then again...they’ve dealt with quite a bit. The sound of another miraculous holder they hadn’t chosen would likely seem a little questionable. Even still, she wanted them to know they could rely on her. “It’s okay, I understand....If I met a random person like this I’d assume they were weird too.” She tried to choose her words carefully. “You can probably tell from the spots, but my miraculous is the cheetah. I can’t tell you where I got it from, but I didn’t steal it. It was given to me, probably the same way it was given to you...” She watched their eyes grow more serious, but continued when they didn’t say anything. “You’ve never seen me before, because I’ve never made myself seen. The cheetah is really, really dangerous if it gets into the wrong hands. If I threw myself out into every battle, the chances of it getting taken would skyrocket.” “Makes sense...” Midnight nodded, her ears flopping with every tilt of her head. “But why did you jump in now? We totally had that guy under control. If I had a few more seconds I totally would have gotten us free.” The question was inaudibly answered, just the look from Redbug made the red head shrink back with nervous laughter. The sound of beeping filled the air, then another, then a third time. The little group were nearing their times for detransformation, so ‘Quickstop’ decided to start taking a step back. Redbug grabbed her arm. “Wait. If you ever come back, there’s just one condition on working with us.” She looked at him nervously, hoping he wouldn’t ask something impossible like her identity. Thankfully, he let go of her arm and just smile. “For gods sake, find a better name.” ~~~~~ “That was awesome! We should do this more often, wouldn’t it be fun? I think it’s fun! Cassandra, Cassandra--are you even listening to me?” The yellow and black kwami was floating around the girls head, tugging on one of her afro puffs. Cassandra was definitely not paying attention, brown eyes scanning through something on her phone. It took him floating in front of her screen to get her attention. “Huh?” “Excuse me, your kwami is very tired and very HUNGRY! We just had the best time ever and now you won’t even look in my direction.” He crossed his arms into a frown, green eyes looking irritated but it was hard to be intimated by a kwami with a candy wrapper stuck to his ear. With a bit of a smile and a chuckle, she lifted the wrapper off and tossed it into the trash bin just outside the alley she’d detransformed in. “Sorry Paxx, I got a little distracted. I was looking at the news for a second. Nana said it was supposed to rain and I still have to pick up more flour. I’d never forget about you, I hope you don’t think any less of our friendship.” After putting her phone back into her pocket, Cassandra adjusted the tongue of her converse after giving the kwami a quick pat over the head. Seeing as he was satisfied with her answer, she pulled a jerky stick from her purse and handed it to him. As she walked back out onto the streets of Paris, he hid inside her purse with his snack clutched to his chest. The sky was turning an ugly gray and black color as storm clouds began to form overhead. While she could hear the thunder in the distance, there were no signs of rain just yet so she walked towards the small grocery nearby.

It was nothing fancy, just an old shop run by an older couple who’d always been in Paris. They were always nice to the customers who came by, and the prices were reasonable. Most of the goods by the counter were made fresh by the owner’s wife, others by local shops. Cassandra would have loved to search for the grocery’s cat, but knew she didn’t have nearly as much time as she would have wanted. After picking up the biggest bag she could find, she paid at the front desk before leaving through the side door. She definitely should have gone to the grocery before that movie. There was now a downpour outside, making everyone either run indoors or search for their umbrellas. Cassandra didn’t have time for either. “You’re not seriously thinking about walking in the rain, are you? Its a ten minute walk back to the restaurant--we’ll get soaked!” Paxx whined, popping his head out from the front pocket of her bag. She patted his head with a finger and a grin. “You say that like you’ll be getting the worst of it. Relax, there’s plenty of canopies out to keep us dry.” Ignoring his protests, she untied her jacket from her waist and pulled it over her shoulders. Once the hood was over her head as much as possible, she ran out from under the canopy and dashed across the street. Rain sloshed at her feet, flicking up her legs and making her shiver. Why did it have to be so cold? By the time she stopped in front of the Italian restaurant, she was drenched and panting heavily. Her shirt was heavy on her, soaked to the point where the gray had turned to black. Even her shorts were sticking to her legs at this point, making an uncomfortable feeling every time she walked. Her shoes were definitely going to need a quick wash, covered in mud up to the laces. “Good heavens Cassandra, you’re going to get hypothermia!” A tall man dressed in a black apron opened the door, sauce all over his uniform and the smell of oyster coming off of him. “Sorry dad, I didn’t realize it was going to rain that soon.” She quickly ran inside as another crack of thunder sounded, shaking the ground just a bit from its power. “Geez, I’ll be surprised if the power doesn’t go out.” “I hope not, everyone ran inside for cover. They're cold and hungry. Hurry up and dry off, your mother needs help in the kitchen.” Cassandra couldn’t help but sigh a bit to herself, rushing up the stairs and hoping not too many of the customers would stare. Their house was just behind the restaurant, and her grandfather had long ago built an entranceway to it from the top floor of the restaurant. It was a business passed down from everyone on her mom’s side of the family, and she hoped she’d be getting it too some day. Although, today was not one of those days. She wanted to spend some time with Paxx rehearsing lines for a musical audition. But she wasn’t going to tell her parents and grandmother ‘no’ during an unexpected rush. She placed her purse on the bed and started changing her clothes into a black shirt and jeans. “Wow, everything is really busy today! I bet the restaurant will get lots of income from it.” Paxx flew around her bedroom in hopes of finding something to do while she would be away. “Since when were you interested in the restaurant?” She raised an eyebrow as she put non-slick shoes on. “Since Nana Rose said I could eat the leftovers after everyone went to bed.” He snickered to himself, stomach growling at the thought.

Of course she did.” Cassandra found herself rolling her eyes. Even though she was Paxx’s holder, she often found him getting spoiled by her ninety-year old grandmother. Her grandmother was the current guardian of the miracle box Paxx was connected to, and was the only one in her family that she could talk to about everything. While it was nice to have someone to tell everything to aside from Paxx, she hated having to lie to her parents and younger sister. She knew they would love Paxx and the other kwamis, but it was too dangerous. “I’ll be back in a few hours, feel free to go say hi to the others if you want.” As she shut the door, she could hear the faint happy squeal of Paxx as he flew into the secret pipes running through the house and restaurant. The restaurant was definitely overcrowded for a Tuesday. People were still streaming in, ordering only the hot items in hopes of giving comfort to their soaked bodies. Cassandra found herself working in the kitchen, making pastas and pizzas from scratch. Everything they served was from scratch, which was why they were so popular. The day soon turned to night, and the hours dragged on like days. Around 5:30 in the evening, Cassandra switched with her father and started serving tables. One table sat two people, a girl with her long, red hair in a braid and a silver and blue-haired boy who appeared to be a few years older. When Cassandra came over with her notebook, they both smiled. “Sorry I took so long to get your drinks here. Can I get any appetizers?” She tapped the pen against the notebook as the boy ordered for the both of them, the girl seemingly shy. “Two orders of the camembert cheese bites, and mozzarella sticks.” As she scribbled it down and went to place the order in, she said a silent prayer for her poor father who would have to deal with all the cheese. It was a popular appetizer, and he absolutely hated it, but it was unthinkable to remove it from the menu. With the rush pretty much over, she was able to return to her room soon after serving one last table. Her feet were hurting from the constant movement, and her head throbbed with a headache. Sighing, she elected to wait on telling her grandmother about her ‘heroic’ activities. -----

Whew, took me forever to get the motivation to actually write it lolol I won’t tag it, seeing as there won't be much mention of any canon characters--at least not for a while. It’s just something I enjoy writing.

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elixirsoflife · 6 years

Text

across seasons and seas

@inekepp

HAPPY BIRTHDAY INEKE!!

i’ve actually been planning this present for a while... i got the idea a few months ago, started it, stopped it when my muse flaked out on me and recently completed it (as of 23rd sept) just in time to spring it upon you. to my soulmate and the person who hyped dormitory 2.6a to a whole new level, here is a brand new novus one shot for you ^.^ <333

(i can’t guarantee it’s any good lmao)

(also bc you are a beast at validating on hpft, i had to upload it onto tumblr first)

"It can only be true love when you enable your other half to be better, to be the person they're destined to be." - Michelle Yeoh

PRÓLOGOS

It starts like this.

With a party in a cosy common room. The lights are dim, and the music is loud, and there are bodies everywhere, too many to count. There's a brief parting of the crowd, a glimpse of one tipsy girl's heartfelt laughter, and a momentary appreciation for the more beautiful things in life.

(Al stops. He stares.)

It starts with the party and then it stutters as the school year gives way to the summer holidays and Al forgets all about Nova Hale and her pretty little laugh.

(Elijah tackles him without warning. The trance he's in shatters as he hits the ground.)

♥

In sixth year, the engine groans to life again, hesitant at first - and then as the Scottish air rapidly chills, everything switches into fifth gear. Whatever is slowly blooming to life between the pair picks up speed, hurtles through the corridors of Hogwarts like drag racers along lamp-lit streets. One moment, Nova Hale is a mere classmate and the next, she's the star of his dreams.

(He's sixteen years old, months shy of his birthday, and he thinks he's in love.)

Loving Nova Hale is easy.

Granted, her friends are without a doubt her immediate concern at all times and she shies away when his hands are a little too familiar in public. But the smiles she offers are soft and sweet, like he's her entire world, and the way her cheeks darken makes his heart sing. Her laughter comes easily and her kindness quickly follows suit and her pinkie links delicately with his whenever they stroll through the courtyard.

They argue over each other's priorities and they're in love.

Exams drive them to the edges of their sanity and they're in love.

The wizarding world barges into their personal bubble the second they leave Hogwarts and they're still in love -

But sometimes love simply isn't enough. And the fact is that Nova has never been great with attention in the first place while Al's surname and dream career greedily sucks it all up like a black hole. Their regrets are countless and their tears are earnest, but in the end, they agree –

It ends like this.

♥

(Months earlier, one hundred and sixty seventh years loitered on the grass near the Black Lake, reluctant to clamber into the boats that first brought them there. Al remembers looking at the girl beside him, the way she tugged on the tassles of her graduation cap, and thinking that, though things will inevitably change, he knows she will always be a constant in his life.

He thought wrong.)

EPISODE ONE

Life without Nova Hale isn't necessarily life without Nova Hale.

There are a couple of months that immediately succeed the break up and though it wasn't messy, it still hurts. He sees her in Diagon Alley, snowflakes melting on her cheeks, and he wants. It's intense and sharp, far more powerful than the puppy adoration from those early days in sixth year when he didn't know the sweetness of her mouth or the press of her arm against his. And quite frankly, it’s…

It hurts.

Strictly speaking, their lives do not intersect much. Without him, there's no reason for Elijah or Adam the Puff or even Scorpius to go out of their way to contact her so there's little risk of Nova tumbling into his life without warning. But Al’s also good friends with Alice and good… something or the other with Dahlia, who both carry with them a constant reminder of everything he's lost whenever he sees them. So life without Nova Hale isn't necessarily life without Nova Hale, even when she abruptly leaves England with a backpack choking with clothes and a pouchful of Galleons, off to travel the world.

(Even when she's somewhere in the middle of Asia, sun on her back and skin darkening to honey, she remains in the peripheries of his existence. Sometimes he thinks that'll never change.)

Life without Nova Hale is –

Gruelling practices where he's run into the ground, thighs sore from clamping around a broomstick for hours on end. Days begin with the sun rising over Montrose and a quick trip to The Harpy for a coffee to wake him up. They end with a hot shower, maybe a night out to the pub with the boys, or crashing at someone's place for the evening. Life is a crappy flat he shares with the reserve Keeper, Ahmad, and Al’s brother – who technically doesn't live with them but can never be found elsewhere. It’s downing chocolate quaffles straight from the cereal box in lieu of an actual breakfast and then having his dad pinch his waist and reprimand him for not eating more.

It’s waking up one day and realising that it's getting a lot easier to breathe again.

(He's pissed out of his head on Firewhiskey when he realises he is no longer in love with Nova Hale. Nothing will scrub away the fondness he regards her with or make her less beautiful in his eyes, but he can accept that. He's moved on. He's moved on.)

♥

Months fly by and his career takes off with them.

Sure, Al's young and inexperienced compared to the big stars of the league, but he's also somewhat of a prodigy when it comes to Quidditch. Passion meets a keen eye when he circles the pitch on his broom; enthusiasm collides with his natural Slytherin instinct to strategise down to every last possibility. He complements this by training furiously and it shows.

Quidditch magazines all over Britain and Western Europe note his performance, the way he elevates the Magpies to even higher ranks. In the meantime, gossip rags note his blossoming relationship with enemy Seeker of the Falcons, Briar James, when they’re seen together a handful of times over the duration of several weeks before they go finally public.

RIVALRY FOR THE SNITCH, ROMANCE OFF THE PITCH, screams Witch Weekly when the news breaks out.

("I will honestly murder you," screams Dahlia Darzi instead.

Alice helpfully points out that it's been nearly a year since the Incident and that Nova herself is in the midst of a whirlwind romance somewhere in the depths of St Petersburg. Dahlia tells her to fuck herself.)

So for a time, life without Nova Hale is a life with Briar James, with her tight afro and her big doe eyes. It's impromptu matches of football in a half-empty Muggle park and pancakes on Sunday mornings and being labelled Briabus by their adoring fans. It's beer on Friday evenings and sex on Saturday mornings and accented English venomously spitting his name over an intense game of Mario Kart.

It’s being moonstruck and happy again.

But then that too fades away and Al is left - well, not heartbroken, not really, but certainly rather upset because he really did like Briar. She was relaxed and easy-going, just as down to re-enact her favourite WWE wrestling moves as she was to tug Al’s jumpers over his head. Time with her was like a hall full of floating candles: bright and pretty. It's a shame they eventually snuffed out.

STASIMON

Nova Hale returns from Europe on a slow Sunday afternoon. They meet in The Harpy, Al walking out of the bathroom to find her on his seat at the counter, sipping on his white chocolate mocha. A million disjointed thoughts fly through his head when he sees her, but he settles for a quirk of his lips and clears his throat.

"Shouldn't you ask me out before you steal my coffee?"

She chokes on it, eyes blown wide as she turns sharply in his direction. There's an eased slant to her shoulders and a new air of confidence that clings to her, scavenged all the way from the far reaches of China, but her cheeks burn as red as always.

"I - I," she stammers, glancing between Al and the drink in her hands. Finally, her eyes settle on the smug smirk of her friend behind the counter. "You said this was for me!"

Dahlia shrugs without care. "Oops."

"Oh my god." Nova closes her eyes, mortified. "I honestly hate you."

"My life is complete."

"Good, now I won't feel bad about ending it," comes the retort before Nova turns to Al with a much gentler expression. Sheepish, she holds out the white chocolate mocha. "Sorry about that, I genuinely didn't realise. Here you go – or, never mind that, I'll buy you a new one if you'd like?"

He's already shaking his head. "No, I'm alright," he says not unkindly. Indulging in a small smile, he adds, "You probably need it more than me anyways. I hear travelling to half the countries in the world takes a lot out of you."

Nova returns the smile with one of her own. It's not nearly as lovestruck as it once was, but it's pretty all the same. "Not nearly as much as winning the Quidditch League," she replies and takes a fresh sip. The slant of her eyebrows is friendly and teasing over the lid.

"Ah. So you heard about that."

"Kind of hard not to," she confesses. "You're pretty big news, Albus Potter. The leagues love you."

On the surface, he preens under her compliments, pleased as ever to hear them. He's worked damn hard to get where he is, alright, and he deserves to accept some praise sometimes. But underneath that, beyond his teasingly arrogant response that of course he's big news and what else did you expect, Hale?, there's a moment of understanding between them.

Once they fell apart because of camera flashes and Quidditch robes. It was a struggle between wanting forever together and wanting their dreams - and now, over a year later, they can admit that they chose and chased the right option.

No matter how much it hurt at the time.

EPISODE TWO

Their story starts in a common room with Firewhiskey clouding their minds and the very edges of their worlds brushing. Then it hiccups, takes a quick detour over the summer, before hurtling down the motorway at ninety miles an hour. And then half a year after their childhood has drawn to an end, it stalls.

A season shy of two years later, it hums back to life again.

It happens like this.

♥

Italy's night sky is a dark blue overhead when Al sneaks out of his hotel. The past handful of days have been spent on Asinara as the wizarding world clamours around a glorious Quidditch stadium far from prying Muggle eyes. Country after country has played passionately, losing or rising to glory. And for the first time in a long time, England is storming ahead towards the World Cup.

The feeling is heady and exhilarating. Somewhere in the past, a twelve-year-old Albus Potter gazes at him in awe, trailing a wondrous finger over the number on the back of his robes. He's here; he's made it. He's finally reached the distant goal he set the second he made it onto the Slytherin Quidditch team.

There's a thrumming in his veins, faint and electric, a restlessness that begs to be dispelled. He apparates hundreds of miles away from the team’s accommodation to a fountain in the Eternal City and recalls a memory from years ago. Remembers the solidness of Nova Hale in his arms, the grandeur of the Trevi Fountain, the coin they tossed in for good measure.

He remembers being so wholeheartedly in love with this one girl.

It's been a little under two years since they went their separate ways. In that time, they've loved and known other partners, stitched together the hurts that lingered on their skin. They've avoided each other, ran away to different continents entirely, and then stood face to face and finally accepted that things have changed.

(The tricky thing about first loves, however, is that they never truly go away. As much as Al tries to kid himself, there's always a part of him that yearns to tuck himself into Nova's side and hide away.

As the months after her return draw on, that part of him grows.)

But here, here in front of this massive monument, the days of his youth burned into the back of his eyes, the acceptance of their situation seems to unravel. The night whispers of regression, of old things rising anew. He looks at the Trevi fountain and once more wants with a ferocity he hasn’t felt in a long while. Not since that winter they broke up.

He hears her footsteps before he sees her face. Hears her voice before she shifts out of the shadows and into view.

"Al?" Nova calls out softly across the courtyard. When their eyes meet, she breaks out into a hesitant smile, slowly drawing closer. "Fancy seeing you here."

Perhaps her presence there should be a little more jarring, a tad bit questionable. After all, as of a few weeks ago, Nova was still in England, scribbling away at the Quibbler. At most a month before that, she was in South America with his Aunt Luna, describing the sublime with words and painting a compelling picture with her articles. And now she's here in little old Italy by his side as they gaze up at the fountain once more.

It isn't.

Jarring, that is.

The last time he was here, it was with her. Back then, his arms were around her waist, fingers interlocking where they met - his chin on the top of her head, eyes drowsy as he absorbed the sight. Something in the quiet air whispered that there were far greater things than them at work here. Such intimacy can therefore only be shared with her; it makes sense for her to appear now.

"I couldn't sleep," he replies at last. His hands bury deep into his pockets. "Figured I should take a trip down memory lane."

Nova mimics his position and stuffs her hands into the silk depths of her coat with a sigh. It's not a particularly sad sigh, but Al struggles to place the emotions that lace it. Longing, maybe? Wistfulness? Or maybe that’s just him.

"Me too," she admits quietly. Her eyes are bright with soft gold lights and distant memories. "Luna brought me along to do a piece on Italy since the World Cup's here and I thought I might as well come here for old times' sake?" Her voice rises in a question at the end as if she's not sure whether it's okay for her to be there while he is. As if she’s an intruder on a private moment when the truth is, she’s the star of it all.

"I guess the coin worked then,” is what Al voices instead.

It takes her a moment to understand his words, but when she does, Nova lets out a surprised laugh. "I forgot about that!" She bats softly at his arm. "Maybe there really is magic going on here then, like all the rumours say. Sure feels like it, don’t you think?"

Al can't help but smile at her. No matter how many years it's been since their last visit, Nova's joy in the face of such grandeur has never diminished in its loveliness. A poet could write sonnets about it, he thinks. An artist could immortalise it in vivid sunsets. The sound of it, the sight - it makes him feel so, so warm.

"Since we're already here," he murmurs, "do you wanna see if anywhere's still open?"

When Nova looks at him, it's with very shrewd eyes. He can see puzzle pieces slot into place in her mind, conclusions being drawn in white chalk against midnight boards, decisions being made. But at last, she offers him her own smile - gentle and indulgent, a little nostalgic too - and cocks her head to one side.

"Lead the way."

♥

High school sweethearts rarely ever stay together. Did you know that? Hogwarts is not a microcosm of the wider world – and so, Al and Nova did not know how to function without the crutch of those castle walls. Life commanded them in different ways, tugged them to separate directions. Al flew up to Montrose, a stadium full of magpies calling his name, and Nova? Well, she travelled everywhere in the end.

Even when she officially returned to England, several countries under her belt and a year after they split ways, she was restless. A true child of wanderlust, she eventually signed up for a job that meant she was always on her feet, returning to town only to Portkey back out again. The Quibbler was more than happy to take her on as Luna’s travelling companion, her vivid descriptions of exotic locations partnered with the older woman’s magizoological finds. Both parties have never looked back since.

Such busy schedules have meant that neither Al nor Nova have had the proper chance to rebuild a genuine relationship beyond standard niceties. Meant that their conversations have always hovered on the strange edge between polite warmth and flirty friendliness, enough attraction lingering between the exes to charge their interactions with an indefinable energy that is never addressed.

That night in Italy quickly unravels into much more.

A catch-up over Butterbeer dissolves into a conversation about old memories, happiness pouring from their tongues and shoulders shaking with its force. As they talk, their ankles are familiar underneath the table, brushing up against each other every so often. And the spark of tension that hovers between them, even years later, rapidly flickers into something much less tentative.

They're not drunk.

Not when Nova laughs so hard she collapses against his arm. Not when they stay in the bar long after their glasses are drained to the last drop. Not when they leave their seats and linger on the cobblestones outside, reluctant to leave for their beds. Not when Al's fingers trace along her wrist and then flutter against the curve of her waist inquiringly – and not when she steps into his embrace as the world blurs around them.

They're not drunk. At least, not on alcohol.

Maybe on this feeling though. This oblivion that wipes all comprehension from Al's mind save the sweetness of honeysuckle kisses from Nova's mouth. Maybe off the pressure of ten fingers on his shoulders and sweat sticking to his back and his heartbeat racing, racing, racing behind the safety of his ribs. Maybe on the way he breathes her name and she murmurs his and how the world seems to align perfectly once again.

♥

(The next morning, his coach’s thunderous knock on his hotel room door startles Al out of his sated slumber. He jerks awake to see Nova still there, face puffy and eyelashes clamped tight. She flips over, a pout pressed against the base of his throat.

"Do we have to get up?" she whines. "Because if so, I think we should stage a protest."

Butterflies swoop in his stomach when she says we instead of you. His fingers intertwine with hers. She holds his hands like she doesn't plan on letting go.)

STASIMON II.

This is a story, did you know?

In the beginning, it starts like this: at a party in a common room underground. A boy sees a girl laugh across the room and for a moment, he forgets how to breathe. That summer, he forgets that he forgot how to do that - until sixth year arrives and he falls in love with that laugh again in a way that'll never really leave him, even when he tries for years.

Of course, all great stories must have conflict. They must have the readers on their edges of their seats, teeth worrying away at the crescents of their nails, desperate to know if their protagonists will make it through their turmoil. And so our story has a hiccup and the hiccup is - tragic, bittersweet - tainted with dreams that are too big and a love that weeps for it. There are Quidditch practices that demand all of Al's attention and cameras that gobble up some more until there is very little left for Nova.

So, she leaves.

Kisses him goodbye, sheds a few hundred tears and packs her bags for a town in France (and then Germany and Europe and then the rest of the world. It’s not running away if she meant to do it eventually, after all.)

They stay this way for years, seemingly for forever. For some tales, this would be where the story draws to a close, the final words stained with melancholy and regret. Others, however - the best ones some might say - have a happy ending. Here, the happy ending looks a lot like:

Italy in the late hours of the day with its silk skies and hidden stars, a sliver of a silver moon hanging low against the night.

Nova's skin when it's kissed by golden light, soft and lovely as a fountain spills magic mere metres away.

Al's pulse juddering under a hot, velvet coat.

Skin on skin and small hands tracing blazing trails along his freckles.

Lazy smiles on sunlit mornings and private meals in the evening

Aa promise made over neat hotel napkins.

(The promise agreed that things between them feel different. That they think they might have grown up since two winters ago. That perhaps this means they can grab the second chance they’ve been offered with both hands - and this time, they can hold on tight.)

EXODE

"Albus Potter, you've just won England the Quidditch World Cup final! How does it feel to bring the trophy home for the first time in half a century?" "It feels great, mate. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go kiss my girlfriend."

#hp #harry potter #hp next gen #harry potter next generation #dormitory 2.6a #albus potter #nova hale #scorpius malfoy??#well he's mentioned once #so is james potter #and adam the puff #dahlia darzi #alice longbottom #novus #extras

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