#he was always less than percy from the moment they met to everyone else

[solace-seekers]

in my jason feels again….

[knightofthenewrepublic]

The Titan Army demigods didn't know Luke . . . or each other!

I was going to give this the more provocative title “How Luke lied to the Titan Army,” because I’ve always felt that when demigods from the TA talk about their goals and motives, they don’t line up with Luke’s plans for world domination. But going back over the moments of every named TA demigod in the series, I noticed something else that might explain the disconnect. Most TA demigods were not in the TA at the same time. Their stories don’t overlap.

The fandom likes to think of the Titan Army as being this tight knit found family of misfits, and that’s a great headcanon; but the truth is, most of them didn’t know each other.

After Luke, the first TA demigod we see is Chris Rodriguez, who joined up at some point between TLT and SOMonsters. He was a son of Hermes, so he at least would have known Luke fairly well, but only him. After his first appearance, we don’t see him again until BTL, when he’s back at Camp Half-blood. He had been sent by Luke to try and scout out the Labyrinth; only to be driven mad, and pop out near Clarisse’s home in Arizona. But while we find out about this in BTL, we are told it happened “last summer,” which means it actually happened in the same summer as SOMo, probably just after Clarisse went home for the year. This means that Chris would have actually spent less than a year in the TA before dropping out of it, and he left before the other named demigods joined.

After Chris leaves, we actually have a gap of almost a year when there is no named demigod besides Luke in the TA, until Ethan joins. Ethan was at Camp “years ago,” before being claimed by Nemesis, and he stayed in Cabin 11, so he would have at least known Luke. But they don’t appear to have been close, because Luke made no effort to find him after leaving. His soldiers only come across Ethan by chance; and even though he’s ready and eager to join, Luke chooses to use him as a sacrifice to appease Antaeus. Ethan still shows the TA an amount of loyalty it didn’t show him, and swears his sword to Kronos. He is the last follower that the titan needed to meet whatever magical quota was necessary for him to perform his possession of Luke’s body. This means that after not seeing each other for years, Luke and Ethan would have interacted for two days at the most before Luke was lost. And Ethan would never have met Chris at all, unless it was years earlier at camp.

And now there’s Alabaster C. Torrington; who, like always, has to be the most extra one in the group. Because the thing about Al that is never stated in the text, but is pretty clear when you read between the lines, is that he never actually met Luke. At all. He would certainly have heard about him, but he apparently had no personal connection to him.

Alabaster and all his siblings joined the TA when their mother Hecate hitched her wagon to Kronos. And we know that happened at the end of BTL, when Dionysus shows up to camp and cheers everyone up with the news:

“The minor gods are changing sides. Morpheus has gone over to the enemy. Hecate, Janus, and Nemesis as well. Zues knows how many more.”

Of course, that would be after Kronos had possessed Luke, so Al never got a chance to meet him. And even though it’s never stated in SOMagic, it’s pretty clearly demonstrated. Alabaster does not mention Luke a single time. And when he explains the war to Claymore, he only talks about the events of TLO; because he didn’t join until the last year of the war.

(He also says that it was Percy who killed Kronos, and we never get an explanation for why he thinks that. Maybe that rumor would spread; but it wouldn’t last long, considering Percy himself would correct anyone who said it. But maybe Al thinks that the story about Luke is Olympian propaganda)

Quite a few of the TA demigods would have joined at that same time, following the lead of their parents, maybe even the majority of their eventual number. I wonder how much those new recruits were told about the TA’s operations before that, but I don’t think it was very much. Kronos wouldn’t want people to be missing Luke; and he definitely wouldn’t want them to know that Percy and friends had bested him so many times.

Finally, there is Silena. Now this might be a hot take, but I don’t think Silena should be considered part of the TA. She didn’t seem to connect with their cause, and probably never swore to Kronos. She only supported Luke himself; first out of misplaced feelings for him, and then because he was blackmailing her. Either way, it’s very unlikely that anyone from the TA other than Luke was contacting her. The others probably knew they had a spy in camp, but not who; it would have been very stupid even by Luke’s standards to let that secret out. You never know when another demigod might have second thoughts, and go the same way as Chris.

So, as much fun as it is to imagine the TA as a big found family, it would never have actually happened in canon. There might have been a strong friendship between Luke and Chris, and then maybe one between Alabaster and Ethan (though come to think of it, Al never mentions Ethan either). But sadly, those are the only relationships the TA would produce outside of fanfiction.

[absolutepokemontrash]

ayo!! congrats on 666 <33 I'm not sure if its much of a request but I love how you wrote the demon kids personalities! I was wondering what kids of personalities you would see the other brothers kids having? Hypothetically of course (unless 👀)

BRO- I’ve actually been thinking about this for a while! Fan kids are fun to think about, what can I say? Now, these kids aren’t canon to the Awfully Familiar series, the HOL is crowded enough as is… but I hope you enjoy anyways!

(I’m giving all the kids names just so no one gets confused with which kid is whose)

Levi’s Kid

Uh let’s use probability to figure out how rare children of our snek boy are. The Otaku left the house (unlikely), spoke to a human being (very unlikely), did the devil’s tango with them (impossible)

I’m kidding, but seriously what the fuck why did this human exchange student look so much like Levi? Was that a tail? Hehehe… what a weird practical joke…

(I’m calling this MC Percy. Three guesses as to why)

Okay, onto the kiddo’s personality. I’m picturing them being REALLY hyped and REALLY enthusiastic about their hobbies and isn’t afraid to yammer about them. They’re good at what they do and they’re damn proud of it! They turn their envy into *~inspiration~* and get better at the things they enjoy doing!

In all fairness to Levi, it’s a bit easier for his kid because Percy isn’t literally being eaten alive and consumed by this sin every waking moment of his life… perks of being half human! :D

Percy loves swimming, and the ocean, and fish, and they brought a shark back from the beach- wait hang on a second-

It’s not uncommon for Levi to be hardcore gaming while Percy swims around in the fish tank.

The pair of them have a very good relationship, Percy is kind of Levi’s hero with how eager they are to get better at the things they love doing and how they almost never self pity spiral. The one issue is… ugh… Percy is a 🤢…. Sorry. Percy’s a 🤢 🤢-

They’re A FUCKING NORMIE. THEY DON’T LIKE ANIME!

Other than that, the two get along swimmingly. (Ba dum tisssss)

Percy’s reaction to Levi’s cool military titles is basically “WOAH! YOU HAVE BOATS?! CAN I GO ON ONE?!” And Levi would be a monster to decline.

Percy wore a pirate hat despite Levi telling them numerous times that they were a part of the navy, they CATCH pirates. Which are apparently still a big problem in the Devildom…

Also, Percy and Lotan absolutely adore each other. It makes Levi very happy

Satan’s Kid

Satan’s a pretty charming guy, and it’s canon that he’s amazing at seductive speech craft so it’s no surprise that he was able to seduce a human.

You know what is a surprise? The fact that Satan, the smart one, didn’t think to use protection! Like- DUDE I EXPECTED BETTER FROM YOU.

Whatever, anyway, when this kid slammed onto the floor of the assembly hall no one had time to react when the kid suddenly grew horns… and fangs… and a tail… OH FUCK THE KID WAS GOING THROUGH THEIR FIRST TRANSFORMATION WHAT THE FUCK-

(For simplicity’s sake, I’m going to call this kid Lyssa, mainly because of the meaning of the name)

The first thing Lyssa did was launch themselves straight at the first person they saw, and I ask you to guess exactly who sits in the middle seat of the assembly hall. That’s right… Satan… yay…

This kid nearly clawed his face off in the span of two seconds and it took Lucifer and Beel working together to drag them off of him and then Asmo had to step in to use his powers to calm them down. Well. That was eventful.

So Lyssa has a volcanic temper and they’re honestly really bitter and upset at everything, which is something that’s supposed to come in adult life, not so early. So what’s up with this kid? Well, when you’re born with a burning rage deep inside you that can be set off at even the slightest inconvenience and because of that everyone around you immediately assumes you’re dangerous or crazy can really do some damage to a kid.

So who oh who is Lyssa going to blame for this…? Hmmm… who is responsible for the anger? *Side eyes Satan*

“Wow, this kid is blaming me for passing down my wrath even though I couldn’t control giving it to them and if I had the choice I would have made sure they wouldn’t have to live with it and they’re mad at me for subjecting them to existence itself… wow this feels so bad :( who would treat someone like this..?” “*Dad sigh*”

The two of them do eventually get along. It’s actually Satan who extends the olive branch and offers to help them control their anger. As the two spend time together, Lyssa’s intense hatred slowly subsides.

So… what’s Lyssa going to do now? They’ve spent so much of their life being defined by their anger… who the fuck are they????? U-uh… cats! Cats! Lyssa likes cats! Is liking cats a personality? No? Okay… um… Music! Music is relaxing! Lyssa likes music! Um… um… ooo- look at that! They like space! And stars!

You knew what they don’t like? School. Lyssa doesn’t like learning in a controlled environment where they’re being told what to learn. Leave them alone so they can go read about space.

Beelzebub’s kid(s)

*munch* *munch* *chew* *chomp* huh, *chomp* why does the takeout- I mean the human look so much like him…? They’re his kid..? *choke* *cough* *cough* …Huh. Want some chips?

Surprisingly chill first meeting. Well, Beel and the kid were chill, everyone else was freaking the fuck out.

I’m calling this kid Pepper. Why? Fucking guess.

Pepper themselves is just… chill. They’re sort of like a capybara, their vibes are just so immaculate that everyone wants to hang out around them.

Unlike Beel, Pepper’s penchant for food mainly comes from “food is good.” instead of “my body is literally eating itself alive every second of the day and I need to be eating something at almost all times in order to stave off a rampage.” Beel is very happy that his kid doesn’t have to live with food constantly on the brain.

All was well until three days into the exchange program when Pepper asked at the dinner table “so when are we bringing my twin down here?”

…twin genes man… twin genes…

Second kid, I’m calling them Cane. (CANE PEPPER, GET IT?! GET IT?!) this kid is less like a capybara and more like a honey badger. They don’t give a shit.

Here’s the thing though… they’re identical twins.

Cane is basically Beel but smaller. They follow Beel to the gym and usually get stopped at the door. “Kids aren’t allowed in the gym.” Ha, the rules don’t apply to Cane, they just cross their arms and raise their eyebrows and whoever is stopping them just steps aside. Don’t fuck with the honey badger kid.

Pepper and Cane are super close though, but don’t ask if they have a telepathic link or something, Cane will fuck you up and Pepper won’t be able to stop them. (I know a pair of identical twins, and the amount of times they’ve been asked if they can read each other’s minds is enough to make anyone homicidal)

Belphegor’s kid

*squints* how’d this happen..?

Whatever. When Belphie’s kid woke up on the floor of the assembly hall everyone took one look at this kid and collectively went “shitballs”

Belphie was in the attic and his kid was wandering around the house like they ran the place! What the fuuuuuuuuck was Lucifer supposed to do with this????

Anyway, meet Arien.

Arien, how does one describe this little hellspawn? Well, one would call them the brood of Lucifer or the spawn of Satan but that would be false because this manipulative evil devil-child that crawled straight out of a teacher’s nightmares is BELPHIE’S kid. And it fucking SHOWS.

This kid won the demon/human genetic lottery and they’re going to make it everyone’s problem. Basically, they’re sin is sloth, but unlike Belphie, Arien’s is more voluntary, if that makes sense. They sleep and slack off because they like not doing work, not because they’re always tired. They have this sort of lazy relaxed facade that vanishes the second it’s not needed, it’s honestly kind of terrifying.

They quickly learn that if they just pretend to be having troubles with being constantly tired, the rest of the house will go easy on them if they miss their chores and schoolwork.

Jeez Louise when this kid met Belphie…

They both just stared at each other for a solid five minutes before anyone said anything. Belphie somewhat nervously started up his “oh woe is me get me out of here :(“ charade, and the kid played along for a few weeks, until of course, they got suspicious.

You remember how Belphie guilt spiralled with L!MC? Yeah imagine that but 40 times worse, and he hadn’t even done anything yet.

But yeah, blah blah blah Arien breaks Belphie out, they don’t die, family’s back together, happily ever after. But not quite. Arien’s “oh no I’m sorry I’m sleepy…” charade was found out and boy howdy was everyone pissed.

Surprisingly, it was Belphie who gave Arien the wake up thwack, but Arien called Belphie out on his laziness so Belphie was forced to become a better example.

The way they fixed Ari’s behaviour? Extra chores, extra schoolwork, extra everything, and the boys did nothing to help. Basically, “this is how we felt! Deal with it!”

It worked… thankfully.

[utilitycaster]

Hello I would love to hear you thoughts on Caduceus and his arc. Clay is the only character who’s story has made me cry genuine tears (when he got his fam back) and I feel like his nuances and the changes he goes through tend to be overlooked a lot, exactly because of how quietly they happen.

Of course!

So as Taliesin said a few times and as I've pointed out, Caduceus (and Molly for that matter) was intended to be a static character. Obviously this is an impossibility in D&D because things happen and you cannot control it and moreover I am sure Taliesin is aware of this, so it's more that the intent was to have a character who did not feel they needed to change, possibly in contrast with Percy, who absolutely felt he needed to change. A self-proclaimed static character still needs a reason to be static: Molly's philosophy was, as notably stated on talks, "Life's short...do something to a bagel" and more generally the lack of need for change came from this sort of aimless and benevolent-when-convenient hedonism. Caduceus, on the other hand, is secure in his purpose. He has known who he was supposed to be for his whole life, and he embraces it, and sees no reason to change, until he absolutely has to, and even then he is deeply reluctant.

Caduceus is about what happens when your comfort zone and guiding principles themselves fold in on each other and are like "hey. expand us or else."

I think a lot of people have rightfully noted that from his appearance through the Xhorhas arc, Caduceus sees the rest of the Nein as mourners, and that's within his comfort zone. Sure, there are some moral quandaries at the docks of Nicodranas, but he's able to get through that (in part because he's in the Mighty Nein but isn't personally stealing the ship, in part because of Jester's talk with him). I think it's also worth noting that while Caduceus is extremely insightful he is not superhuman (super firbolgian?) in that regard; it is the insight borne of being someone who is there for mourners and so he has a good eye for emotions, less so for motivations, and a lot of the Nein's motivations early on escape him.

The first wave of big changes happen in Bazzoxan and the immediate aftermath. First, Fjord confides in him and asks for advice - and Caduceus is used to giving advice but I'm not sure he's ever had to offer religious practice advice, as the people he would have interacted with would have either been the sketchy people of Shady Creek Run, or else people already faithful enough to seek the Blooming Grove. And second, the party finds itself directionless for a time; there is no pressing business or better ideas and he cannot hide his own mission behind someone else's, so he voices his recommendation that they come clean to the Bright Queen, and then they go to the kiln.

Caduceus's relationship with Fjord I think is useful to bring up in a sense of contrast, in that Caduceus is incredibly good at helping Fjord through a crisis, because Caduceus is trained for crisis - but it gets much hazier once Fjord is out of said crisis and as it turns out has a very different relationship with the Wildmother, and I think this comes up to an extent when they talk in Rexxentrum. I think Caduceus, for all his talk of nature's violence, struggles with the concept of nature being malevolent or having goals - it just is. Whereas Fjord is much more comfortable with the idea of nature perhaps being a force that is itself a threat, or deceptive, and more generally with the idea of nature as somewhat unknowable and full of mysteries. I don't think Caduceus's personal view of nature ever changes, but I think his ability to process that he doesn't have the answers even in the areas within his comfort zone improves, and this is something of an inflection point with regards to him acknowledging new perspectives on his own comfort zone.

It's also a little before this that we see Caduceus reveal vulnerability for the first real time since his panic attack on the boat right after they stole it, when he confides in The Gentleman. Some of this is a calculated social move, to be fair, but it's a notable step forward.

That said it takes a while to change and he spends a few days post-Rexxentrum doing anything to avoid facing his own mission. It's worth noting that Caduceus is a cleric of the same level as Jester, and could have cast sending before the party ever met up with him, and he never did. So they go to Beau's father and Isharnai first, putting it off as long as he can.

Caduceus's scenes with his family sort of snap all of the above into place, in that his parents are glad he's spent some time in the world and are completely accepting of his desire to keep going for a time. I'm honestly not sure, myself, why he does this because I don't think it's metagaming (ie, it's not Taliesin going 'I can't make a third character') but I think there are multiple valid interpretations. Caduceus's role, as the one who stays at home, is ultimately a self-imposed one.

He sort of mulls on that for the next while, sort of uncomfortably internalizing differing perspectives on deities with the Artagan reveal/Rumblecusp and additionally processing his own deeper relationship with the Wildmother, with multiple visions, and maybe even the fact that nature constantly wants to murder him.

Then we get to Eiselcross and that's when it all hits. I think as soon as he sees the corrupted trees he gets a sense of the scale, that this corruption is not just unnatural but it is ancient and has been a threat for a long time and that staving it off at the Blooming Grove is not getting at the unknown, underlying source (which he probably knew deep down, but as discussed above he does not really love to admit those things to himself). And he realizes that he might need to be the one not just to commit but to initiate violence, as the person with no emotional ties to Lucien via Molly; he finds himself bending his own moral rules for the greater good more; and I think this is when he realizes either that he needs to change, or perhaps that he's been changing quietly and slowly the whole time and has just been terrified to admit it.

The last night at the Blooming Grove before the final push into Aeor is another good look at Caduceus, who, like a number of characters in this campaign, is so very much defined by his ongoing and important familial relationships. We get a brief but heartbreaking glimpse at the state he was in prior to the Nein showing up in the garden, and how he was trying to induce something, anything, to give him direction because he didn't trust himself to leave without that assurance; and his admission, finally, to someone else of that change, that he never wanted to be the person to go on an adventure, that he still has very mixed feelings about it, but that this is his responsibility. And it's that which allows him to confidently say, on Cognouza, that it's time to end this shit.

In short (Clue the Movie voice: too late) Caduceus's arc is someone who has always believed in his sacred, literally god-given responsibility into which he was born, and struggles against the fact that said sacred responsibility ends up being quite different than what he expected but ultimately is able to accept it, and his reward is that he can return to the responsibility he initially embraced, having grown in ways he could not have otherwise.

Now, I think part of why Caduceus's arc gets overlooked is twofold. The first reason is that background arcs are, well, background, and it's quiet and subtle and highly internal and hard to turn into big dramatic moments, which, as a person whose favorite C1 character is Vex, I understand, but also those arcs are the best.

The second, and this is going to sound even more "I appreciate the muppets on a much deeper level than you" than the first, is that I feel a lot of people who considered Caduceus their favorite character did lean into the myth of "superfirbolgian" insight when the fact always was that Caduceus had no interest in the political; did not make Trent quake in his wizard robes in the slightest as was confirmed in the finale; and ultimately wanted most of all to return to his home.

It's a very true and very unique choice and if I may [note: I am writing this so I do what I want] I think a lot of people did not understand Caduceus in that they felt his ending was unhappy for him, and some of this is that people had really stupid takes on the party splitting at the end. I have mixed feelings on the true universality of the Campbellian Monomyth and even more mixed feelings on everyone giving Dan Harmon tons of credit for merely rephrasing it but despite that, Caduceus's arc fits it perfectly (and very literally): comfort zone -> need arises -> unfamiliar situation -> adaptation -> gets what he wants -> at a price -> returns to comfort -> having changed.

[willsimpforanyone]

Hey there! Ok, first of all, your writing is ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS 🤩!!! Okay, on to the actual request now. Could you plz write a Heroes of Olympus fic with the seven (plus Reyna, Thalia, Nico and Will) X fem!reader who is a daughter of Khione (Greek goddess of snow)? R is struggling with controlling her powers cause they r linked to her emotions. Individually each character helps her with her powers in some way. Thanks! (Idk if that made sense btw but hopefully it makes sense!) okay, bye!!

no stop you're so sweet!! thank you so much omg

i can absolutely do that- for context, we're gonna say that the camp jupiter kids are visiting

i haven't given R a name and i refuse to use y/n

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The camp was huge and busy and full of people. She was overwhelmed, her breaths coming in sharp, shallow bursts. Steam blew around her as her freezing breath met the warm air and her hands fisted in her skirt. She wasn't gonna panic, she couldn't panic with all these people around, gods there were so many people in this stupid little tour group and oh shit she was panicking. She could see tiny flakes of snow start to flutter down around her, settling on everyone's skin. They started looking around and up at the sky and her nails dug into her cold skin as they finally turned and looked at her, the light snow turning into larger flakes and increasing in number. Within seconds there was a blizzard spanning six feet squared. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying her hardest to calm down. A hand touched her own, and a voice reached her ears, muffled by the snow. "Hey, I'm Percy, is it okay if I touch you?" She forced herself to nod, and Percy pulled her gently away from the group. As soon as there were fewer people, she could breathe a little easier. "We're away from everyone else, it's okay, can you open your eyes for me?" Her eyes opened and met green eyes and black hair and an encouraging smile. "Take some deep breaths, that's it, you're doing great." Her breathing became more regular. "It's overwhelming for a lot of people, that's okay. You're safe now that you're here, I promise." The blizzard had all but stopped, just a few flakes brushed off her hair by Percy's caring hand. "It's okay, we don't have to go back until you're ready." She would be ready in a little bit.

The forest was quiet. She liked the quiet. She knew she hadn't been avoided, exactly, but it was hard to feel that way when there wasn't anyone sitting at her table. No one talked to her, but it was just because she was new. Talking to new people was awkward, she knew that. So it was her choice, and her choice alone, to go sit in the woods. She didn't know why there were tears down her cheeks, and she hated that they froze on her skin. A snapped twig made her look up sharply. There were two people in front of her. The girl sat down next to her. "It's cold out, why are you sitting out here?" She shrugged. "Don't really feel the cold. And it's either being alone out here or alone in a cabin so it doesn't really matter." She gave a small smile. The guy sat next to the girl. "You're the daughter of Khione, right? No wonder you feel lonely," he turned to the girl. "Hazel, there's no one else in her cabin." Hazel gasped and rubbed her shoulder. "Come with us. We'll see if you can be moved to my cabin, there's only me and my brother in there." "Oh, I couldn't do that to you," she said, but the warmth of hope and companionship bloomed in her chest. "If you really don't want to, that's okay, but at least come with us to the campfire, come with me and Frank." Hazel's soft smile melted away the resistance, and Frank stood up, offering his hand. She stood, using the hand held out, and followed the pair. Frank held her back a moment while Hazel joined the group of ten, twelve-ish people around a campfire. "If you really don't want to join, it's okay, I'll take you back to your cabin, I promise." He smiled warmly and a little nervously. "But it might be fun. Coming?" She smiled back, and walked towards the promised warmth.

Hunched shoulders, her ears were being assulted with jeers and taunts. Loser, loner, ice freak, anti-freeze. That one wasn't even right. The small table felt a lot bigger when she was the only one there, but she was getting used to that. It didn't help that the Ares cabin was very loud. To be fair, it wasn't the whole cabin, just the very loud minority. She tried to remind herself of that when she got called all these names. The table was covered in a heavy frost, the cutlery in her hands was cold and clutched tightly. She took a few deep breaths. There was minimal snow, and she smiled to herself. She was gaining a little more control. A plate slamming onto the table made her jump, and she looked up to see sharp blue eyes and a shock of black hair, piercings decorating ears. The girl sat next to her, scowling at the Ares cabin. "Hey! Leave her alone, assholes!" The girl turned to you. "I'm Thalia, ignore them." She smiled at Thalia. "Thanks, but you don't have to be here." "It's no problem," Thalia shrugged. "My brother is at his girlfriend's table so I was alone anyway and you looked like you could use a little help." That normally would have made her defensive, but Thalia seemed more protective than pitying. "...thank you, I'm not good at confrontation." She frowned. "Sorry about the... ice." Thalia shrugged. "I struggled too. And being the daughter of Zeus, my power was a lot more destructive than yours, trust me," she grinned. She felt less self-conscious with this strong, angry girl next to her.

The rings of seats surrounding the dead campfire were cold. There was a light layer of frost, but she was too tired to know if it was because of her or just the chill of the night. The nightmare had been bad, and waking up in an icy cabin alone hadn't helped. The outside had seemed warmer, more welcoming, and as she looked up she could see the stars. The campfire was central to the camp, she felt like she could check every direction. For example, the second she heard footsteps coming from the left, she snapped her head to see another girl, wrapped in a blanket and walking with determination towards her. The girl sat firmly beside her. "You're the kid of Khione, the one Frank and Hazel introduced us to the other night, right?" "...yeah," and suddenly she remembered the girl's name. "You're Piper, right? Daughter of Aphrodite?" Piper nodded. "Yep. What's up, why you out here?" She shrugged. There was no stigma around nightmares in the camp, everyone got them, but she still wasn't comfortable going into detail. "Just a nightmare, didn't want to stay in the cabin." Piper made a noise of understanding. "Me too," she shivered. "The frost natural or you?" She laughed ruefully. "Not sure, to be honest." She ran a hand through her hair, and it came away covered in ice. "Although judging by that, I'd say a good portion of it is me." Piper stood up. "Stay here, I'll be back in a minute." She grabbed her blanket and ran back to her cabin, returning with a larger blanket and a wide-toothed comb. "Can I get the ice and frost out of your hair?" Surprised, she nodded hesitatingly. Piper sat cross-legged on the wooden seat by her side and wrapped the blanket around them both, gesturing for her to turn round. "I'll be gentle, I promise. It'll calm us both down, then you can get the frost under control."

The sword shattered yet again and she threw the hilt on the ground, yelling in anger. She barely noticed the two others in the arena, too focused on the fact that the blade of her sword had gotten so cold it had broken- this was the third time. Every time she got into her training and concentrated too hard, ice spread from her hands to the sword and it was only a matter of time before she shattered it. "Hey, stop throwing stuff on the ground, kids train here." A harsh female voice came from across the arena, and she flinched. Turning, she recognised the pair- Jason and Reyna, they must be training. "Sorry, I'm sorry, I'll clean it up." She frowned, kneeling and picking up the remnants of her sword. Jason jogged over, followed slowly by Reyna. He knelt down too, helping with the jagged edges. "It's okay, what's got you so worked up?" She sighed. "If the metal gets too cold, it breaks. I get freezing if I concentrate too hard on fighting, apparently, so I've broken three swords in the past two hours." Reyna grabbed the discarded sword hilt, examining it. "You know, you should find a specific sword for your abilities." "You can do that?" Jason and Reyna nodded. "Yeah, mine turns into either a sword or a spear depending on the flip of a coin," Jason explained. "I'm sure we could find something that can withstand low temperatures." Reyna frowned, considering. "I'm sure if you asked Chiron he'd figure something out. Although maybe you should work on controlling the temperature issue." Jason's eyes lit up. "Hey, you should go see Leo! Remember him from the campfire the last week? He's always too hot, but he's great at changing his body temperature. Go see him tomorrow!" Reyna nodded her approval. She smiled. Okay, let's go see Leo.

"Um, hey, Jason said you could help me?" She knocked on the open door of the Hephaestus cabin, settling her eyes on the curly-haired kid- Leo- screwing around with bits of metal on the floor. He leapt up, scattering metal everywhere. "Yes! Hello! I remember you from the campfire, Piper said you'd be knocking on my humble door." She grinned as he approached, hands still fiddling with a screwdriver. "She was right, she recommended I talk to you about helping with my heat regulation?" Leo practically vibrated with enthusiam. "Yeah! I'm always hot-" he winked, she laughed. "-but it took me a while to regulate it, so I wasn't spontaneously bursting into flames. May I?" He held out his hands for hers. They were searing hot against her freezing skin, and she yanked them away. Leo pulled away too, a dismayed look on his face. "Uh, okay, too hot, got it. I'll lower my temperature as best I can." She placed her hands back in his, the difference a little less painful this time as she breathed deeply. "Sorry, it was just a little surprising, I wasn't aware of how cold I was." Leo shook his head, and pulled her further into the room. "Don't worry chica, you'll get the hang of it. Don't concentrate on the hands, focus on the feeling inside," he nodded towards a small bench, and they sat down. "Think of your body as a... car. If the hood it hot, you open it up and cool down the engine, right?" Nodding, she relaxed her shoulders and hands. "Got it, focus on the internal cooling issue rather than the results." That earned her an encouraging squeeze of her hands. They sat together for an hour, maybe two. She could almost increase and decrease her temperature at will. Leo taught her a weird handshake, where they changed temperature every time their hands met. "Thank you so much, Leo," she grinned, getting up to leave. "No hay problema, I'm glad I could help," he lightly punched her shoulder. "And hey, any time I need to cool down, I know who to come to."

The tiny ice towers sparkled in the sun, almost looking like crystal. She was curious- she'd come so far from the girl who caused a snowstorm at the slightest anxiety, so how much control was she capable of? The ice was sharpened to a point, but there wasn't much distinction between the small structures. There was someone who could help, with a mind almost as sharp as her ice. "Hey Annabeth? Can I steal your attention for a second?" The girl looked up from her Ancient Greek book, and smiled upon seeing her friend. "Sure, come in, what's up?" She walked towards Annabeth, sitting next to her on the bed. "You're good with architecture, right?" "'Good' is an understatement," Annabeth nudged her in the ribs. "But yes, architecture is kind of my thing." "Can you help with my power? I think I can control it better now, but I need a guideline- can you draw up a blueprint or something for me to model out of ice?" Annabeth's eyes sparkled as brightly as ice in the sun, and she darted to her desk, grabbing graph paper and a pencil. "We can experiment with different temperatures and thicknesses of the ice-" starting to spout facts about architectural structures and buildings. "Annabeth, this is awesome, but just know you have to be patient with me," she said. "I need a lot of practice." Sitting back down on the bed, Annabeth wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I know, but we can do it. It'll be awesome."

"Hey! Over here!" Will beckoned her over. She smiled and jogged over and into the medical tent. "Hey Will, what's up?" She gave a small wave to the shadowy boy next to him. "Hey Nico." She recieved a vague nod in return. Will gestured to a kid, maybe eight or nine, holding his wrist sitting on a camper bed. "We've run out of ice packs, and we're waiting on an order of ambrosia and nectar so can you do me a favour?" She shrugged. "What do you need?" His next words came as a surprise. "I need snowballs." Laughing, she nodded. "Okay, sure, how many?" Nico kicked an ice box next to him. "Fill this." She nodded, and started creating lumps of snow, balling them up in her palms and chucking them into the box. The kid stared, fascinated. She grinned, pausing her snowball-making to blow a flurry of snowflakes in the kid's face, eliciting a delighted laugh. The slight smile on Nico's face didn't go unnoticed. She leaned into Will. "Hey, get Nico to summon a skeleton outside the tent." "What? Why?" She whispered a plan into his ear, and Will giggled. He grabbed his boyfriend by the arm and dragged him outside. She kept making snowballs and entertaining the kid with snowflakes until Will grabbed her arms and pulled her outside, a huge smile on his face. "Come on, come on, do it!" Will jumped up and down excitedly. Nico raised an eyebrow, but smiled fondly. "What did you want the skeleton for?" She grinned, and pushed her hands forward, snow flying from her hands and surrounding the skeleton. Bones clad in thick snow and from somewhere Will produced a carrot. Nico rolled his eyes, but took out two solid black earrings to stick into the face of the snowman for eyes. Together, she and Nico manipulated the snowman to walk into the medical tent, and from within came screams of delight- it was Christmas in August.

She felt home.

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

this took me so long and my shoulder is killing me but i did it! i very much hope you enjoyed, thank you so much for requesting!

[bbyannabeth]

a different kind of fireworks

The universe was playing a joke on Annabeth. A big fucking joke.

They had one hour until the new year and she’d gone out with Piper to a party her friend had been invited to. And now, in the midst of that party, she was face to face with her ex. Well, maybe not face to face, seeing as he was across the room. But they had definitely just locked eyes and she suddenly felt nauseous.

If it was anyone else, even any other ex of hers, she would be fine right now. But it wasn’t just anyone, it was Percy. They’d broken up only three months ago and god, her thoughts in those months consisted of him almost every day. And now he was walking towards her. Annabeth kind of wished she’d stayed home.

“Hey,” he said carefully when he reached her, a tight smile on his face. “I’m a little surprised to see you here. I didn’t- I mean it’s not really your scene.”

For a brief second, Annabeth wasn’t sure her voice was going to work because it seemed as though it was caught in her throat. She straightened her back and squared her shoulders, forcing out a, “Yeah, Piper was invited and I thought it might be a good change of pace.”

Clearly, she was wrong.

Percy nodded. “How have you been?”

Sad. Alone. Miserable. I miss you so fucking much.

“Not bad,” she settled on. “I just got promoted at work.”

He smiled genuinely for the first time. “Oh shit, that’s great,” he said. Annabeth decided not to mention that it was only because she had thrown herself into work to distract her from their breakup.

She returned the smile, a bit softer than his, and nodded. “Thank you, yeah. What about you?”

She didn’t want to know if she was being honest. She didn’t want to know how great he was doing without her, but it would’ve been impolite to not ask.

He grimaced slightly and took a drink of the beer in his hand. “Um,” he said, shrugging lightly. “I’ve been better.”

Oh, Annabeth thought. She hadn’t expected that. She also hadn’t expected the wistful look in his eye.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, hoping she sounded genuine. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement and Annabeth saw Piper, waving at her frantically. She nodded once and looked back at Percy. “Piper needs me over there, sorry. It was nice to see you, Perce.”

The nickname came out so easily and she forced herself not to focus on it as he said, “Yeah, of course. You too.”

She gave him a gentle smile and quickly veered off to where Piper was waiting impatiently. “Um, hello?” she said as soon as Annabeth was close. “I leave you alone for two minutes and you’re talking to your ex?”

“Yeah, uh,” Annabeth said, suppressing the urge to look at him again. “We made eye contact and it would’ve been a bit weird to just ignore each other completely, I guess.”

“Mhmm,” her friend hummed. “So… what happened?”

“Nothing. Although I asked how he was and he said he’s been better and he looked kind of sad about it and I don’t know what to do with that information.”

Piper blinked. “Oh,” she said.

Annabeth looked down at her friend, who was now avoiding her eyes. “What?”

“Nothing, I just…” Piper said, frowning. “I didn’t think he was gonna tell you that.”

It took a few seconds before it clicked in Annabeth’s head. “You knew he wasn’t doing well?”

“He told Jason, Jason told me!”

“Okay, so why didn’t you tell me?”

Piper’s shoulder’s slumped. “Beth, you guys broke up. I didn’t want you thinking or worrying about him. More than you probably already were.”

Any anger in Annabeth deflated because she knew Piper was right. “Yeah, okay,” she conceded. “Sorry.”

“Why don’t you talk to him more? Maybe you guys could… I don’t know, start over?” Piper said carefully but Annabeth was already shaking her head.

“I don’t know. I don’t think he’d even want that.”

Annabeth risked a glance at him and he was deep in conversation with a boy she didn’t recognize. His head turned and the second their eyes met, she snapped her gaze away. “I need another drink,” she said.

Piper chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I can tell.”

Leaving it at that, Annabeth turned towards the kitchen of the house they were in and quickly made her way through the crowd. She quickly refilled her cup with one of the mixed drinks on the counter.

30 minutes until midnight and Annabeth made her way to the bathroom, the only place she could easily avoid Piper and Percy, and anyone else who decided to speak to her. Locking the door behind her, she set her drink on the counter and took a deep breath. It was fine. She was fine. Really, she just needed a second alone to collect herself, and then she could pretend like nothing had ever happened, and then she would be fine.

Except that plan only worked for about 25 more minutes.

After leaving the bathroom, she found Hazel and chatted with her for a while. For a brief moment, she had actually forgotten about Percy and the sad look in his eye. And then Hazel went off to use the bathroom and within seconds, there was a gentle hand on her wrist. She turned and was met with green eyes she was all too familiar with.

“Can I talk to you?”

Annabeth blinked. Every part of her screamed at her to say no, but she could never deny him anything. “Yeah,” she said, nodding. She let him lead her out to the deck, which wasn’t much less crowded but at least she didn’t feel like she was gonna suffocate out here.

Cutting right to the chase, he said, “I think we made a mistake.”

She stared at him and he took that as a sign to continue.

“The day you left, the day I… I told you to leave. We made a mistake.”

Piper’s words from earlier echoed in her head. Maybe you guys could start over. And at the time, Annabeth thought that was impossible. But maybe… it wasn’t.

“I know,” she agreed softly. “I’ve thought that every day since then.”

“You never said anything?” he asked.

Annabeth let out a quiet laugh. “You seemed pretty adamant about your decision when you told me to leave. Didn’t think there was a point in calling after that.”

Percy averted his eyes. “Fair enough,” he muttered. They were silent for a heavy minute before he spoke again. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you to leave.”

“I shouldn’t have left,” she said, taking a tiny step closer to him. “I’m sorry too.”

For a moment, he studied her. His mouth opened, ready to speak when someone inside yelled, “One minute!” followed by loud cheers.

Once it was quiet again, he said in a rush, “I want to get back together.”

Annabeth blinked. She hadn’t expected him to put it so bluntly. “Really?”

Nodding, he stepped closer, putting only a foot of space between them. “I miss you so much and I just… I don’t think we should’ve broken up. You were my best friend, Beth.”

She tried to fight it, but a slow smile grew on Annabeth’s face. “I miss you too,” she said. She moved forward again so that their toes touched. “And-”

Cut off by more cheers, Annabeth realized there were thirty seconds to midnight and someone must’ve just announced the time. “And I think so, too. That we should get back together, I mean.”

“Yeah?” he asked. She wasn’t sure, but Annabeth thought she saw relief flood across his features.

“Yeah,” she said, moving her hand up and resting it on his side. She was distantly aware of everyone counting down from ten.

“Oh, thank god,” he breathed, letting out a soft laugh. Annabeth smiled up at him and with only five seconds left, she’d expected him to wait until midnight, but instead, he cupped her cheek and pulled her into a kiss. Returning it eagerly, she slid her hand to the small of his back, pulling him closer. Fireworks went off somewhere, telling her it was midnight, and Annabeth felt as though they were really fitting for the moment.

God, she’d missed this. He fit her perfectly, the same he always had. There was the faint taste of beer and him, something wonderfully familiar. When he pulled back, it was with a quiet, “I love you.” Annabeth all but melted against him.

“I love you, too,” she replied.

[theewritingroomm]

Cliché

Summary: Being best friends with the Weasley twins meant constant adventure. However, Y/N’s biggest adventure is coming to terms with her feelings for her best friend. Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader Word Count: 1,882 Warnings: Unrequited feelings, swearing, A/N: Text divider by: @firefly-graphics

Y/N could not exactly remember when she became friends with the Weasley twins, but she does remember a lot of the things that they pulled her into. She remembers when they first started dragging her along through the hidden tunnels throughout Hogwarts, she remembers when she would stay at the Borrow for the summer and she would watch them prank Percy and Ron, and she remembers exactly when she started having developing feelings towards Fred.

It was completely cliche for her to fall for her best friend, but despite others saying he was childish and could not keep his attention on anything for longer than ten seconds she didn't care. She did not care what people said about her and her two best friends, they were inseparable, and were known around the school as the Three Musketeers: a name given to them by Hermione. The name followed them around as did the gossip and rumors started by fellow classmates.

But now the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the Yule Ball was all anyone could seem to talk about. Instead of O.W.L.S, the house cup, and the quidditch cup there was talk about who everyone thought was going to win the tournament and who was going to the ball with who.

Now Y/N really did not care who was going with who, or who she thought was going to win the tournament; well, that's what she had told Fred and George. To be honest she would like to go to the ball but with Fred and George always around no one would attempt to talk to her, but that would not matter since the only person she wanted to go with only saw her as a friend. It was such a cliché scenario, falling for your best friend.

"So, Y/N, has anyone asked you to the ball?" Hermione asked her over breakfast. Now Y/N could not lie and say someone has because them Fred and George will ask who and then they'll turn into overprotective blokes, and no one really wants that. So, she just shook her head pouring herself some more pumpkin juice. Hermione just stared wide eyed and open mouthed at her.

"Bloody hell. If Y/N can’t get a date, then how can we Harry?" She heard Ron mumble. Y/N wanted to say something or throw something at him but fought against it and stood up to walk out of the Great Hall. No one tried to stop her, and since they were on holiday, she couldn't go to class so she settled for the Gryffindor common room.

Sitting in front of the fire Y/N thought back to one of her first summers at the Borrow.

She was nervous, not only was it the first time she would be meeting the entire Weasley family, but it was right about the time that she started discovering her true feelings for Fred. She ended up staying in Ginny's room and becoming fast friends with the youngest Weasley. It was about halfway through the summer when Y/N was confronted by Ginny; for someone so young she had seen the way Y/N looked at her brother.

"Hey Y/N..." Hermione's voice startled her out of her memories, making her face the younger girl. "I'm sorry for what Ron said earlier, he doesn't really watch what he's saying."

"It's ok Hermione. Fred and George are the same way. Can't really remember how many times I've scolded them for saying things they shouldn't have" Y/N chuckled at this, but Hermione stayed silent.

"But that's not way I'm here actually." She looked at the fire avoiding looking Y/N in the eye. "Now please don't be mad at Ginny, I forced her to tell me."

"Hermione, what did she tell you?" Y/N's voice was hard and cold, but she isn't one to tell others what she's feeling so for Ginny to know about how she felt about Fred and now for Hermione to know was more than she could take.

"It's not that bad. I mean there's still time for you to ask him if you really want to go with him..."

"No Hermione, there isn't any time left. He asked Angelia yesterday in front of me. So, what am I supposed to do? Walk up to him and tell him that I have feelings for him, and I have since third year?"

It was a lot for her to admit out loud, and especially in front of another person. Now Y/N waited for Hermione to say something, anything but the only thing she heard was a gasp then a chuckle. Not two seconds after she heard that did George step into the common room. Now some people can't tell the twins apart, but she could, and she could also tell that this was bad, unbelievably bad.

"George, what the hell are you doing here?" Y/N asked staring wide eyed at him. She was panicking, there wasn't much the twins kept from each other and she didn't know if he would keep this to himself.

"Well, I came to check on my friend, see if she was okay after storming out of breakfast." He was teasing her; she could tell by the mischievous grin on his lips that nothing good was going to come out of this. "But I come up here to hear that she's got a crush on my brother."

Now Y/N liked to believe she was able to keep calm under stress, she had to be able to with as much trouble the twins dragged her into. But right now, with Hermione and George looking at her and knowing what she felt for her friend nearly pushed her over the edge. So, there she sat, in front of the fire her jaw tight and eyes watering with her secret coming out that she realized it was pointless to try and hide it anymore, it was all falling apart anyway.

"Hermione, can you let me, and George talk alone for a minute." It was less of a question than a request, so when the portrait closed behind her Y/N looked over at him to see the grin hadn't left his face.

"You know Y/N, I've always questioned the guys you've gone out with and what you saw in them. But now I know that you've been trying to get over dear old Fred."

"Shut up George, just shut up." Y/N tried her hardest not to cry, she tried to keep from breaking down, but she wasn't successful; she had reached her breaking point. "Just forget this every happened and promise me you won't tell Fred."

"But let me just...."

"No George, promise me."

"I promise."

Y/N just nodded and left the common room. She had a feeling that something was going to go wrong, something was going to come back and bite her in the ass. But at this moment she didn't care, she just wanted to be left alone, to get away from everyone.

Christmas at Hogwarts was Y/N's favorite time, the feast, and the alone time when most everyone was gone was something she looked forward to. But this Christmas was different, there were more people staying at Hogwarts this year and the Yule Ball was happening on Christmas day. Now she wasn't to down about the amount of people staying nor was she still upset about Hermione and George knowing about how she felt for Fred, she was nervous about the ball and how she would handle it.

After talking with Ginny and some other of her not so close friends, she realized that the ball was a once and a lifetime opportunity and she couldn't let it slip through her fingers. So, with a little planning Y/N and Lee Jordan were going together. It wasn't too bad, Y/N and Lee were friends, and Lee owed her a favor anyway.

"You know I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress before." Hermione tried to calm Y/N's nerves as they walked towards the Great Hall.

"I know." After that half-assed, awkward attempt at a conversation no one else spoke until after they met up with their dates.

It was after everyone watched the champions dance with their partners and Y/N made one to many unnecessary trips to the punch bowl, did her and Lee dance. It was not the perfect slow dance, they were stumbling over each other’s feet and laughing at stories, in all it was a good night.

"You know Fred's been looking at you all night." Lee whispered to her before twirling her. She snuck a quick glance over to him to see him dancing with Angeila, but his eyes were trained on her. She could not read what he was feeling but by the look he was sending her it wasn't too good.

"Guess he's shocked that I'm in a dress." Y/N shrugged looking away from Fred to flash Lee a smile.

They stayed at the ball for what felt like hours, they stayed until they were the last ones in the Great Hall. For a night that started out full of nerves and doubt it ended as close to perfect as Y/N would get.

"Good night Lee. I'll see you tomorrow." Y/N told him, waving him off as he walked to his room.

She smiled to herself and sat in an armchair in front of the fire thinking over the night. I mean sure she did not go with the guy she wanted to, but she did go with someone she could have fun with; and maybe the night went better than she thought it would. Overall, she would not do anything different to change tonight.

"You look happy." She jumped at the voice, about to yell at the person for scaring the shit out of her but she turned and saw George looking at her with a smug grin.

"It was a good night." She told him simply looking back at the fire.

"You know if you wanted Fred and I wouldn't oppose to you going out with Lee."

"Lee's a great guy, but I couldn't. It wouldn't go anywhere; I'd be leading him along."

"Because of how you feel about Fred." Y/N just nodded, not looking at him. "Maybe that's what you need. Someone to get your mind off him."

"That's the thing George, I can't get him out of my mind. He's been my friend since our first year and I had to be the one to fall for her best friend." She ranted, trying not to wake everyone in the tower.

Before George could say anything, his twin stepped into the common room, a shell-shocked expression on his face.

'Shit, shit, son of a bitch' ran through Y/N's mind. He had heard them, heard how she felt about him.

"Y/N...." he started, but he could not finish there were to many emotions running through his head. Fred took a breath before nodding towards his brother, who quickly left the two of them alone. "Look I'm sorry but Angeila and I..."

"No, you don't have to explain Fred. I knew you wouldn't feel the same way." She gave him a small sad smile before grabbing her heels and walking to her dorm.

"Good night Fred,” she told him before turning away, trying to hide her tears from him; but he had seen them.

[c-is-for-circinate]

Post-ep #136

Oh that last fight was just what I needed to cope with the skeevy, skin-crawly feeling of the party interacting with Lucien again. We went through the entire run of Aeor without any Wild Magic surges that were significant in combat--with only Fjord's (admittedly excellent and hilarious) hair loss affecting anything at all!--and I am just so grateful that we got to see mini-Veth and Sheepleb in such a tense moment after all.

Y'all, I hate Lucien. I hate him, I think, more than any other villain in either campaign. More than Trent, even. Because Lucien, like no other villain we've met, plays only and always on Lucien's terms.

And you know, the more I think about it, the more I think my visceral dislike for Lucien comes from the exact same place as my general love for all of Taliesin's characters--it's his certainty. He knows, just like Molly always knew (like Percy usually knew, and Caduceus still often does) that of course what he's doing is the right thing to be doing, and what other course could there even be? Of course his understanding of the universe is superior to everyone else around him. Yes, he's the smartest, wisest, most in-the-know person in every single room; yes, of course it gets exhausting, being so much more aware of how everything in the world works than everybody else. And yet he likes these people, he supposes, so he'll wait patiently for them now and again, and tsk and sigh at their bad manners as they refuse to give in to common sense and basic decency, but what can you do? That's people, I suppose.

And when we see those tendencies in Taliesin's PCs, I find them so utterly compelling, because no matter how sure Percy or Molly or Caduceus have ever been about anything, the narrative universe still knows they're not the ultimate authority. Sometimes the things they predict do not come to pass and sometimes the forces of the world do not act as the characters think they should and sometimes they are simply wrong. They have exactly as much agency as the other PCs around them, no more and no less, and when there are clashes they lose as much as they win. They find themselves in the midst of a compromise more often than they do either.

Because, most importantly, they love their friends: enough to sacrifice for them. Enough to compromise for them. Enough to admit they're wrong, even, sometimes, on very rare and very excellent occasions, because sometimes the people you love are worth admitting that you don't actually know how the world works, it turns out, at all. At least for a minute.

And I love that. I love the back-and-forth struggle of certain philosophy trying to hammer itself against a world that doesn't have to follow anybody's rules. That's a really compelling story to me, and it's part of why I've enjoyed watching Cad so much these past hundred-odd eps.

Lucien, though? Lucien has all of the ego, the steel clarity of understanding and purpose, the conviction of Molly or someone like Molly. Except that for Lucien, Nonagon of the Cognoza? The universe doesn't call him out on it.

Lucien is so powerful. He's so powerful, and that doesn't just make him dangerous because he can take the party in a fight--something we don't even necessarily know is true. It makes him dangerous because he knows he's powerful, and the party knows he's powerful, and he uses that as an excuse to steamroll situations, and the team is afraid enough of him to let him.

And I have more to say about that, I think, but also I can't keep my eyes open and it has been a very long day, so I think I am going to bed now. More CR thoughts, maybe, in the morning. And damn Lucien to hell etc etc and all that, anyway.

[thatrosewoodwriter]

𝐈'𝐌 𝐒𝐎 𝐓𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐃...

☾ character/s: jamie volk, raphael wilcox

☾ warnings: angsty angst, swearing, mild japhael??

☾ word count: 775

☾ notes: i’m not dead y’all, just been writing angst because i live for it. takes place during tlp, but no events from the book itself. inspired by i’m so tired by lauv and troye sivan.

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raphael fucking hated this.

here he was, lying in bed with nothing but the warmth of his own body, accompanied by silence. even if he wasn’t physically alone, it didn’t change the fact he still felt isolated within his own friend group. they were so obviously close and he was just an onlooker.

ellie and lottie were attached at the hip, lola and micky had always had each other and now that percy was added to the equation, there was even less room for him within their little group. anastacia and saskia were too busy staring into each others eyes and binah was quite happy to sit back and observe, eyes flicking from whatever book she was reading to the group.

and then there was jamie. painfully watching ellie and lottie grow closer while he was brushed to the side like rubber shavings on a desk. he and raphael shared a situation, but there was one major difference that was glaringly obvious to anyone who payed attention.

jamie could actually cope.

he was ok with being alone because he knew he always would be. from the moment he was born, he was practically a third wheel even before he was made aware of lottie’s existence. raphael had no idea what they had between them, but he couldn’t help but want it.

he was drowning in hopelessness, mindlessly scrolling through his instagram page when photos of his friends having the time of their lives in japan surfaced. photos of his friends having the time of their lives without him. their smiles were something he’d not seen when they engaged in conversation with him for ages. 

he started to think he was the problem. maybe if he just left, they’d all be truly happy. and the more he thought about it, the more he believed it.

on the other side of the world, jamie sat on the steps of his dorm at takeshin. the wind that rustled his hair left the unfamiliar feeling of comfort. no one was awake this early in the morning. even if they knew he was up, he doubted anyone would want to join him. it seemed sleep was worth more than his presence.

he reached to fiddle with his wolf pendant, but quickly remembered he’d taken it off. he wasn’t worthy of it anymore, nor was he worthy of being friends with anyone here. he wasn’t keen on attending rosewood hall, but when he got used to it, he realised that he enjoyed it to a degree.

but now he just wanted to leave. he wanted out.

part of him wanted to forget his partizan duties and enjoy his last few years of school, but another part of him wanted to fall into a comatose state and see if people actually cared about him. see if it was worth all the effort he was putting in. see if he was worth all the effort everyone else was putting in.

he thought maybe raphael would join him for a morning jog. but he wasn’t here. jamie knew raphael didn’t feel like he particularly belonged. he noticed the gradual recluse within the group, and he couldn’t blame him. in a cluster of intense and conflicting personalities, there was no place for people like himself and raphael.

he considered taking raphael and running somewhere the gang could never find them. but he also realised that raphael had connections with other people in the school. he didn’t need jamie’s assistance. it’s not like jamie could do anything anyway. as long as he was tied to the royal family of maradova, his loyalty lay with them, not some neglected boy he met in high school.

jamie felt sympathy for raphael, missing out on the shit show that was leviathan and this hamelin formula. he also felt envious. raphael wasn’t being dragged into a problem that was bigger than him. he hadn’t bitten off more than he could chew. he wasn’t drowning in the weight of what seemed like the world. or, at least what was jamie’s world.

lottie brought him hope at first. but the deeper they got into the situation, the more he wished he’d never met her. he reached for his phone, dialling the only person he knew would understand him.

the monotone beeps that rang through his ears until they picked up reminded jamie of his loneliness, but it was soon removed when the beeps abruptly stopped.

‘hello?’

‘hey, raphael.’

‘everything ok?’

jamie debated opening up, but decided he wasn’t worth the effort. raphael probably had better things to do than listen to him talk about his never ending problems.

‘yeah, just checking in.’

[official-weasley]

The Extraordinary Dragon (Part 1/6)

After about a century of me being gone and not writing a new story, I am back with a mini-series! 💙

I didn't have a good idea for a new OC so I decided to write a cute and fluffy story about Charlie training a dragon with a sad and mysterious past.

I would like to thank @am-i-space @madelineorionswan & @the-al-chemist for giving me ideas for the names of the dragons mentioned in the story. You are the best 💙 Since some of the dragons are mentioned in the later chapters I will make sure to include which dragons you named in the Masterlist for the story 💙

If you'd like to be tagged in every part the dragon with your name is mentioned please tell me and I will gladly do so 🤗

Warnings: Charlie being excited and obsessed with dragons.

Word count: 2,869

A dragon's roar awakened me. It might sound terrifying to some, but it is a pure melody for my ears. I have been working in the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary for almost 10 years now. Come to think of it tomorrow's the anniversary.

My co-workers constantly tease me, telling me that I'm a workaholic. I always disagree with them. I just love dragons and working with them. Am I a bit obsessed with the creatures? Maybe. But who wouldn't be so excited about having their dream job?

There is something so soothing working with a beast that can swallow you whole, yet if you have the right energy and you treat them right they can be more obedient than a Crup.

When I first got the job I worked with a team of researchers. Since I have never seen a dragon in real life before starting working, my boss Matthew wanted me to learn about their behavior and study them to be better prepared to do other things.

They all thought I will be bored out of my mind – because I applied for the care of dragons position and not researching – but I loved every second of it. All I had to do was wake up every morning and go to the assigned habitat and observe the dragon there and take notes. It's like reading a book about the creatures – something I did almost every day of my 7 years at Hogwarts – but you get to be around them every single day.

My mother thinks I am insane for wanting to be around such dangerous creatures and I had to promise her before I left for Romania that I will write home every day otherwise she is coming to get me at once. I guess she needs to know daily that I wasn't eaten by a dragon. The thing is that being hurt by a dragon is less likely than falling off a broom, so I don't know what she is so worried about.

The only one of my family members that knows about all my injuries and all my scars is my big brother Bill. He understands that I don't mind getting hurt and he doesn't get a heart attack every time I end up in the infirmary. It's nice to talk to someone about these things outside my workspace. Even though being a Curse Breaker isn't the safest job in the world, Bill's number of scars can't even compare to mine.

We do have protective gear and gloves but sometimes the dragon's fire and teeth are just too strong. We are lucky that we have wonderful healers that take care of us and we have remedies that heal burns within minutes so it's mostly just an annoyance.

The year after my training I worked only with Common Welsh Greens. The year after that I tamed two Antipodean Opaleyes and it was the best feeling to see them get excited and welcome me with a friendly roar every morning. Even though they were both adults it felt like dealing with two kids and it was so much fun. The latter are such sweethearts and I even taught one how to roll over. They are like dogs but bigger, way bigger.

After that, I tried to convince my boss to let me work with a more dangerous breed. It's not that I didn't like what I did but I like a challenge. I needed 2 months to convince him to let me work with 2 Chinese Fireballs and by the smirk on his face I knew I was in for a treat. They were brought to our reserve so they could breed but no matter how much others tried nobody succeeded at mating them.

When Matthew finally gave in – not seeing any harm in letting me try before they send them back – I remember I danced around my hut for a solid half an hour being so excited to work with them the next day.

I was surprised that nobody thought of the strategy I choose. It was true that they brought the dragons to us together but they didn't know each other and since nobody thought of trying to acquaint them first, I gave it a go.

After 3 days they were best mates and I gave them 4 more days to fully feel comfortable with each other before taking them to the mating habitat. I am more than proud to say that since then they have been parents 2 times. I did some great things since I started working in the Sanctuary but you never forget your first big achievement.

Due to Matthew being absolutely in awe of me succeeding after a week he allowed me to work with a bunch of Swedish Short-Snouts even though usually only a dragonologist with 5+ years of experience can work with them alone.

I was amused when I saw the faces of some of my older co-workers when they found out – thinking they were going to get the job. I love working with them even though they are the ones responsible for most of my scars. Just after the first day, one burned my entire forearm and everyone thought I was going to back off because of it but it only made me want to work with them more.

Now, after almost 10 years I have worked with every single breed of dragon except my favorite – the Hebridean Black. They are one of the most dangerous and stubborn kind and only a dragonologist with a lot of experience gets to work with them.

I got the glimpse of one when I was working with the research team but no matter how sneaky I tried to be, Matthew wouldn't let me get anywhere close to them. I even got a chance to work with a team that took care of a sick Norwegian Ridgeback even though they are considered to be the most dangerous.

A year ago I got a chance to be part of an exchange program at the Swedish Dragon Reserve and I worked with a Peruvian Vipertooth and a Ukrainian Ironbelly. My boss wasn't happy about the latter one as he reckoned I was too inexperienced to be around and try to tame the largest breed of dragons but as you can probably tell from what I told you so far, I was over the roof about it!

The Ironbelly might be the largest but they are among the least vicious ones – none of my co-workers would agree with me as most of them are terrified of them but I think they are adorable thinking since they are the biggest they are also the scariest. It's the same as with dogs – sometimes the smaller ones are more dangerous.

I got out of bed with a grin on my face. Even though I don't like to admit it I like reminiscing on my biggest achievements.

I made myself some breakfast – eggs and bacon as usual – while blasting music on my wireless. Nothing like singing while cooking and reading the letters my family sent me.

Mum and dad were going to visit George and Ron for the weekend. Bill and Fleur decided to repaint their living room. Ginny invited me to one of her games next week and Percy got another promotion.

I walked to the wall where I had a calendar hanging to mark the date of Ginny's game. It was the perfect event to meet with most of my family members and I love supporting her. I am proud of all my siblings' achievements but Ginny being the only girl among 6 boys made us all have a soft spot for her - even Percy, even though he would probably deny it if someone asked him about it.

Since I was working with three different dragons at the moment – Peruvian Vipertooth named Hel and two Romanian Longhorns Lasair and Rocker – I double-checked my schedule to see which one I am supposed to visit today. As I thought, it was Lasair. I know my schedule by heart but always check it twice– I don't want any dragon to be jealous thinking one is getting more attention from me.

My routine with the dragons was simple. First, they get their breakfast which is usually a piece of their favorite meat, except if it's our Common Welsh Green Crystal – she is the only dragon I have ever met that is a vegetarian and she mostly doesn't want to eat anything else than apples. It took us the longest time to figure out why she doesn't want to eat – vomiting out all the meat we gave her – until we moved her to an habitant with a pumpkin patch and them mysteriously disappearing overnight.

After the feeding, I like to play with them. That usually includes large balls or levitating rocks after which they can jump and run. Then it's my favorite part of the day – the flying lessons. We transport them to the part of the reserve that is built like a large stadium in the middle of the forest surrounded by mountains and it has 10 obstacles that the dragons have to learn to overcome so they are cleared for free-flying sessions.

After flying it's time for a brief pause to get the dragon back to its habitat and calm it down before giving it dinner and tucking it in.

Flying is the most fun thing we can do at our job. When Matthew told me that I am finally allowed to fly with them, I had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom because I felt like crying my eyes out. I wanted to fly on a dragon ever since I was a kid and even though I heard rumors about training them in that way, I always thought it was too good to be true.

The first time I flew on a dragon was with a dragonologist named Jim. He showed me how to properly prepare the dragon to be in the mood to have a person on its back and how to lift off and then safely land. Vulcan the Opaleye was just the loveliest when I trained with him to trust me to the point that he would allow me to fly. Even though my dream is to one day fly on a Hebridean Black, I wouldn't change my first flight for anything in the world.

Vulcan was more than obedient and so careful to make me feel comfortable and constantly made sure I was still on his back. He flew in a straight line and at an even pace making me feel so safe that I let go of his shiny scales and lifted my hands in the air. I wanted to shout from all the adrenaline and excitement that ran through me but I didn't want to startle the dragon.

It's safe to say that I didn't sleep at all that night. The second I laid in my bed I felt as if I was still in the air with Vulcan and I couldn't help but wish to do that every day.

"Good morning, Lasair. What do you want to eat this morning? Boar, deer, moose perhaps?"Lasair lifted her head sleepily at me. I teased her with the options, knowing full well that moose was her favorite. If she could speak she would ask me if I can't remember her favorite meal.

"Don't worry, you'll get what you want." I winked at her and put on my gloves before taking out my wand and levitating the big chunk of meat to her.

Lasair was one of the rare dragons that ate her food slowly, so I loved to sit down next to her and watched her chew. If Matthew saw me, he would probably murder me for sitting so close to a dragon but he doesn't know that Lasair and I have an agreement of her keeping me alive and I give her some extra meat for dinner in return.

"So, Lassy, I have some bad news." I cleared my throat as the dragon stopped chewing and tilted her head toward me. "We have to sharpen your claws today."

Lasair groaned and went back to her breakfast.

"I know, I know. Not your favorite thing to do. Trust me if it was up to me, we would rather do something more fun like play with your favorite tire or play fetch with your ball. But the boss said it was time."

Lasair didn't react to my words but laid on the ground once she finished her meal and wrapped her tail around me.

"You know that cuddling and being cute won't work on me." I chuckled. "Not this time, at least."

The dragon's nostrils started to smoke and I knew she was trying to negotiate.

"Between you and me," I whispered, "I'll throw in another piece of meat if you'll be a good girl like last time. How about some boar for dessert, huh?"

Lasair let out a gentle roar, giving me a sign that she agrees with my terms.

"That's my girl. I knew we'll find a common ground." I grinned at her and got up so we could start our day.

"Okay, Lassy. I will need you to step on this mat and do the burying motion. As if you were burying the bones of a deer." I explained when Lasair looked at the mat in confusion.

I mimicked the gesture and she copied it and walked to the mat with grace as if she was a princess.

"There you go! I am so proud of you, Lasair. You really want that extra piece of meat, huh?" I laughed to myself.

"So that is how you get all dragons to behave as if they're Crups?" I turned toward the voice and saw Matthew's amused face, observing my work with the Romanian Longhorn.

"You were never meant to find out," I said in a dramatic voice.

"Oh, it's fine." Matthew swung his hand. "You'll need all the skills."

"What do you mean?" I furrowed my brows at him as I stepped to Lasair to show her to step a bit forward so she could sharpen the claws on her back paws as well.

"Do you know what tomorrow is?" Matthew asked, observing my every move.

"No." I lied. I knew that tomorrow will be 10 years since I work in the reserve but I didn't want to boast about it.

"Come on, Charles. I know that you out of everyone here you’re the one who counts how long you are working here for." He smirked at me.

I couldn't believe it. He remembered that it's my 10th anniversary? I couldn't help but grin.

"What about it?" I tried acting casually.

"Well, the team was thinking about what to get you as a present..."

"Matt, you don't have to get me anything. You know I am just happy being surrounded by dragons." I smiled appreciatively.

"Well, how about you get surrounded by a new dragon?" He winked at me.

"What are you on about?" I narrowed my eyes at him. I was getting impatient, the excitement in me growing.

"We are getting a one-year-old Hebridean Black in a week from the MacFusty’s." Matthew started to explain. "And since you are so good at taming and being best mates with the three you’re taming now, I was thinking of assigning it to you."

"Did...did you just say a Hebridean Black?" I said in a voice that was barely a whisper. I couldn't believe what just came out of his mouth. He was going to let me work with my favorite breed?

"You heard correctly, Charles." Matthew's smirk was growing larger.

"But...but I don't have enough experience, you said so yourself. You...you should give the job to someone worthy, to someone who will know how to handle the breed." I knew that I should've just shut up and thank him for the opportunity. Working with a Hebridean Black has been my goal ever since I can remember, but I have to keep my head clear and think of what's best for the dragon.

"Thinking like this is exactly why I am giving the job to you even though I told you the last time you begged me that you need at least 7 more years before you can work with them." Something in his eyes shifted. He had the exact expression on his face as he did when he assigned me to breed those two Fireballs.

"You are up to something. What's wrong with the dragon?" I pursed my lips at him.

"Oh, the dragon is just fine. Lovely, actually. I bet you two will have a lot of fun." The sarcastic tone in his voice told me that he was hiding something from me but I didn't dare to ask him about it.

He deemed me ready to work with a Hebridean Black. To work with my favorite breed. I am not about to jeopardize that if he thinks I am the one for the job. In a week my biggest dream will come true and there was nothing in the world that could ruin that.

[stxrrywildflower]

can’t help falling in love (two)

pairing - george weasley x reader

summary - you invite george to be your date to your sisters wedding

warnings - mentions of family/home issues

word count - 1.9k

series masterlist

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

traveling by the floo was always a surprise.

you’ve only ever used the system twice in the past; both times being to get from your home to the weasley’s. you almost always ended up there during the different breaks scattered throughout the year.

it only took a few seconds for you to reach your desired destination, the floo usually worked okay with minimal issues.

you stepped out of the fireplace first, feet hitting the living room hard as you stumbled slightly.

george made his way out right after you. his lanky body made it a little more difficult for him to get out of the sizeably smaller fireplace than the one back at school.

“blimey love, you okay?”

“i’m here on one piece so i guess so,” you answered. “you?”

“same,” george replied.

it took a few moments for you and george to adjust to your surroundings before you could actually take in everything.

you were alone in your living room, no one occupying any of the various chairs or couches. the rest of the house was quiet as well. a wave of confusion washed over you. where was your entire family?

“what’s this?” george asked. your bags had been abandoned on the floor the second george had noticed the various muggle trinkets and machinery around the room.

“that’s a television georgie, we watch programs on it. i can show you later if you want,” you offered. george beamed at your response, already jumping up to look at the next item.

of course he still didn’t notice the very apparent lack of people.

but it was still pretty sweet to see him so excited over the things you grew up with. it was no secret arthur was into muggle tech but seeing the interest spark in george was something special.

“merlin, is this baby you?” george held up one of the framed photos that normally sat on the bookshelf. you snatched it away from him in an instant. “yeah no you aren’t seeing that,” you answered. george held his smile to himself. “i’m sure your mum will show me some later.”

commotion was clearly heard from the outside of your home just as you set the photo back down.

“come on, i think my family’s in the backyard,” you informed george. “but uh just be warned, they can be a bit much, my sister especially.”

george nodded. “i’ll be nice but if they say anything rude, i’ll slip them a puking pastille fred and i made.”

you smiled at that. “thanks georgie.”

“so, are you ready to head out? or do you want to see some more things in here?”

george took note right away of your stalling. there was a strong guarantee that the second he gave his answer, no matter yes or no, you would retaliate with something else   

“do you have a bathroom i can use really quick?” george figured that it would be most beneficial for you to go out alone before he was introduced, especially due to his affiliation as your date.

“yeah i can take you there now,” you spoke before adding a “someone’s got a weak bladder.” he rolled his eyes at your joke.

george followed you around the house like a lost puppy. he didn’t know where to go or the layout of the home and certainly didn’t want to leave your side. you promised him a tour later once everything calmed down.

“bathroom’s right here. meet me outside when your finished.”

you then maneuvered your way down the hallway until you reached the door leading to the outside.

“hello,” you spoke as you stepped out, already fiddling with your hands out of pure nervousness.

“y/n!” your family had exclaimed once they saw you.

you stepped out onto the deck alone, shifting slightly uncomfortably under all of their gazes.

your mum and dad were the first ones up. you accepted their only slightly awkward hugs before leaning back against the railing once more. your grandfather was next, his expression a lot more excited. he was always a lot more comfortable with the magic thing, he had married another witch after all.

“cressida, greet your sister,” your mum had spoken to your sister  

“of course she’s in her school uniform. couldn’t even change for the occasion could you?” your sister spat without warning.

“good to see you too cress,” you mumbled as you looked down at your attire. since you and george had come directly from school, you still had to use your uniforms when taking the floo. as much as you wanted to say her sudden words were a shock, they really weren’t.

“where’s grammy?” you questioned.

“out at the store,” your grandfather answered. “she’ll be back soon i’m sure. i know she’s buzzing to see you.”

a smile passed over your face at that just as the entire group outside went quiet once more. you were not about to start a conversation nor did anyone else make the first initiatation.

“so y/n,” your dad started. “how’s school going?”

“oh no dad i don’t think we should talk about-” you were cut off by the door opening. you let out a breath. ‘saved by the bell’ you thought to yourself.

george stepped out on the deck, greeting you with a warm smile before making his way over to where you stood. his hand snakes around you to rest on the railing.

“everyone, this is george,” you introduced, motioning for him to step forward. “george this is my mum, dad, grandfather, and then cressida or the bride-to-be.”

george shook each of their hands respectfully. you were already quirking your eyebrow at his sudden manners. usually by now someone had some prank played on them, especially when george met new people.

“so this is the boy you brought home. i’m so glad to meet my daughters boyfriend,” your mom beamed. “we don’t know a lot about her life at school but i’m glad to finally be meeting you. how long have you two been together?”

you paled. not once did you think your family would assume the two of you were together. you didn’t even prep or have time to make up a story.

george smirked at your near panicked expression. “since the beginning of this year. so that’s what, seven months? but we’ve been friends since first year,” he answered cooley.

you faked a yawn, wanting to get out of the conversation before your mum could come up with questions george couldn’t answer off the top of his head.

“oh dear, you two must be exhausted from your trip. you two are upstairs in your old bedroom. everything’s already ready with your bedsheets and setup. feel free to take a nap before dinner tonight.”

“thank you mrs. y/l/n,” george thanked before turning to you. “ready to go love?”

you nodded, “yeah let’s go.”

the two of you headed back inside. george stopped back in the living room to pick up your bags before meeting you again. he followed you up the stairs and down the hall towards you room which, thankfully, was away from the other rooms on the floor giving you at least a little bit of privacy.

“i hope you don’t mind sharing a bed,” you spoke as you twisted the doorknob.

“you’re joking,” george groaned when he saw the room. “how are we supposed to fit?”

“george come on, it’s fine. this bed is barely bigger than a twin, i’m sure we can squeeze. it’s not the first time we’ve shared anyway.”

“not the first time?”

you took your bag out of george’s hands and placed it in the corner. normally you wouldn’t unpack for such a short weekend but you abe clothes that needed to be hung up to prevent wrinkles.

“don’t you remember the burrow last break?” you questioned. “you and fred almost blew up your room and then molly kicked you out so your room could air out. take a guess where you ended up.”

george grinned at the memory. “ah yeah i remember that. we did make some really good whiz-bangs though. and hey, we only shared because you were sleeping in percy’s old room and he has a bigger bed. when was the second time?”

“after hogsmeade,” you answered. “you thought it would be so funny to push me into the snow only to realize way too late that it was a half-frozen puddle and i got soaked.”

“and then you sat in between fred and i by the fire to warm up,” george finished the story. “yeah that was funny.”

you rolled your eyes. “maybe you should unpack instead of dwelling on my suffering.”

“alright sounds good, girlfriend,” george made sure to add extra emphasis on the final word.

“don’t think you’re off the hook for what you did.”

“and what is that exactly?”

you let out a huff, throwing the shirt you were folding down. it was beyond annoying that george was completely going around the situation.

“george, what were you thinking? i didn’t even think my family would conclude that we were together. why would you say we were dating? seriously, in what world would that be a good idea to tell them that. merlin, everything’s already going wrong.”

“love it’s fine, trust me.”

“it really isn’t,” you groaned, moving your hands up to run through your hair.

“why is this such a problem to you? babes, you invited me to be your date.”

of course george was already starting on the pet names. “don’t you think this is a little weird? i mean what if there’s mistletoe?” you questioned.

george broke out in a short fit of laughter. you frowned, visibly upset at your friends approach to the situation.

“it’s the middle of april. i doubt there’s going to be any mistletoe. besides, we only have to play the part for less then three days. we won’t do anything that makes each other uncomfortable, okay?”

you nodded. you had to admit, george’s words did bring you some comfort. “alright fine, but don’t expect anything from me.”

“well what about cuddling? i mean we are sharing a bed after all.”

you threw a shirt at him. “we’ll talk later weasley. i still need to explain how a muggle wedding works.”

you and george unpacked in sync while you went over everything he would need to know for the weekend.

he seemed to get everything with minimal questions. george seemed especially excited about the wedding reception.

“wait so i need a suit?”

“yeah but i already have you covered. my dad has something that’s your size,” you explained. “what about your dress?” george asked.

“oh don’t worry about that, it’s a surprise,” you beamed. “cress and i aren’t close enough for me to be in her bridal party so i can pretty much wear what i want.”

george nodded. “sounds good. what’s the plan for today and tomorrow again?”

“we have dinner at eight with my entire family tonight. my sisters fiancé jasper will be there too. he’s a lot nicer than her and actually understands, to an extent, me being a witch,” you spoke. “and then we have to be at the wedding venue by four tomorrow and the reception starts at nine.”

“is your grandmother going to be at dinner tonight? i haven’t seen her in awhile.”

you hummed. “oh yeah she’ll be thrilled to see you. don’t be surprised if she mixes you up with fred though.”

george shrugged, a slight frown on his face. “eh it’s fine. it happens all the time.”

a genuine yawn escaped your lips after he finished his thought. “tired?” george inquired. “i didn’t really sleep well last night, too stressed,” you revealed.

“why don’t you lay down and rest for a bit. i have something to work on in the meantime,” george offered. you raised your eyebrows. “and what is that?”

“just a new prank. i don’t want to give too much away but it’s going to be really good.”

you shrugged. “okay, just don’t blow up my room please,” you added. you shrugged off your robes, folding them up to place in your suitcase as you grabbed a pair of more casual clothes.

“i’ll be right back, i’m going to get changed.”

you returned a moment later, tossing the rest of your uniform in your suitcase. “comfy?” george asked, motioning down to your new attire. “very,” you answered as you headed over to the bed.

george leaned down to press his lips to your temple after you got under the covers. “sleep well love.”

your cheeks flushed at the platonic gesture. “thank you.”

george waited a few minutes before he looked at you again, feeling an overwhelming sense of protectiveness as you slept. you were his best friend. it wasn’t strange to feel like that...right?

⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢

tagging: @goldenxreid @wilburxpancakes @blakeprentiss @criminaly-supernatural @blakes-dictionxry @mrs-dr-reid @weasleytwinsfav

[givemeweasley]

Back To You pt. 2

Fred Weasley x Reader

Word count: 1.8k

Warnings: tears and fears and Fred is sad, also more mentions of death

A/N: I honestly wasn’t planning on doing a part two but a few of you asked for it and everyone seemed to like BTY so I figured why not. Also unedited so lemme know if anythings amiss, but enjoy!

Back To You pt. 1

-----

“Told you I’d always come back to you, Freddie.”

Fred couldn’t move. Surely he was hallucinating. Surely you couldn’t be alive after days of being dead.

Surely Fred would blink, and you would be gone.

But your fist curled around his pant leg as tears slipped down your bloodied face and he knew it couldn’t be a lie.

Fred fell to the ground pulling you in his arms. As weak as you were, your arms curled around him too. You smelled like dirt and blood, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. You were alive. And that was all that mattered.

Fred sobbed into your shoulder as he felt your tears soak his shirt. He would never let you go again for as long as he lived. He swore it.

It felt like hours the two of you were intertwined and crying on the floor. Neither of you wanting to let the other go.

But Fred knew you were injured, he could feel it every time he shifted and you flinched. So he pulled back to look into your eyes. He pushed some of your hair away from your face that was matted in blood.

“Let’s get you fixed up, yeah?”

You nodded, the tears still shining in your eyes.

Fred curled his arms underneath your body as he lifted you from the floor. He made his way downstairs where his mother was pacing, wand and first aid kit in hand.

As soon as she saw the both of you, she looked relieved and waved for Fred to put you down on the couch.

“Be gentle! Be gentle! She could be gravely injured!” Mrs. Weasley fretted about nervously. Fred, for once, listened to his mother and placed you down on the couch as gently as could be.

He stood back refusing to leave even after Mrs. Weasley shooed everyone out of the living room. She lifted your shirt and did her best to heal the many wounds that littered your body. She then helped you out of what was left of your pants, for they had been torn in some places.

Looking at you made Fred feel a rage he had never known. Your body was littered in injuries, he was surprised you were alive at all. He wanted nothing more than to hurt the Death Eaters that did this to you.

“What happened, dear?” Mrs. Weasley whispered just loud enough for Fred to hear. You glanced at him, and at once he came to sit next to you. He grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around your shoulders so you could be warm as Mrs. Weasley continued to work.

Fred wrapped an arm around you and you leaned into his embrace. Freds anger melted away as gratitude and love filled it instead.

“We were getting chased by the Death Eaters…” You choked out.

“Accio Cup!” Mrs. Weasley pointed her wand at the door. A glass came flying in and landed in her hand. “Aguamenti!” And the glass filled. She handed it to you, who readily drank it.

“He said the killing curse, but someone hit me with the Cruciatus curse I think. It knocked me off the broom and-” Tears began to pour more readily. “Mad-Eye…”

“It’s okay, dear.” Mrs. Weasley grabbed your hand.

Fred hated to see you so upset, so hurt, so...broken.

“It hit him instead and he fell off too.” You got quiet, but you continued. “I remember falling. Thinking of you-” Your strong gaze met Freds and he lifted his hand to cup your cheek. “I- I was desperate so I tried to Shield Charm Harry taught us in the DA. Somehow I survived when I hit the ground. But I knew- I knew they would come to find our bodies. I did a Concealment Charm in hopes that they wouldn’t find me. I blacked out.” You took another sip of the water before continuing. “I woke up a day later and could barely move. Mad-Eye was gone. I had my wand and did every spell I could think of to help me to stand. But it was hard. Luckily, I remembered enough from Astronomy to figure out which direction the burrow lay, and I started to walk. I was too injured to Apparate or do anything else really.”

When you finished your story, Fred found himself even more in love with you than he had been minutes before. Your eyes were sparkling with tears and despite the pain he saw in them, he saw relief. He was sure the same was reflected in his own.

He didn’t see his mother leave, but he wouldn’t have cared if she was still there as he pulled you into his arms. Your lips met feverishly, the pain and stress of the last few days was released in that kiss. His hands clawed at whatever inch of your body he could reach, while your own tangled in his hair.

Fred stood, you cradled against him and took you upstairs to his bedroom. He slammed the door behind him and locked it as he softly set you on his bed with the blanket still tightly wrapped around your shoulders. His arms fell on either side of your head as you looked up from beneath him. His large frame shielded you from everything else.

Your hand reached up to cradle his face. Your hands were calloused from days of fighting to survive, but Fred didn’t care. He thought he would never see you, much less feel your touch ever again.

He tilted his head to kiss your palm before he stripped down to his boxers and curled into bed behind you. Fred pulled the covers over both of your bodies and wrapped his arm around your waist, your back to his chest. He only spoke when your breathing leveled.

“I don’t think I can live without you.” His words were muffled in your hair but he knew you heard from the way you flipped to face him.

“You won’t have to.” You whispered, pushing his hair from his wearied face.

“How can you be sure?” His voice cracked, only revealing a fraction of the pain he had suffered when he believed you dead.

“Well, that’s just the thing isn’t it? I can never be sure but you’ll just have to trust that I know.”

Fred stared at you in awe. But he didn’t respond before tucking you close to him. He wanted to feel the drum of both your heart beats sync. He needed to know- to feel- you safe in his arms.

He listened to the sound of your breathing slow, telling him you were asleep. It was only then that Fred buried his head in your hair and breathed you in, falling asleep himself to the complete encompassing of you.

-----

It was pure chaos. You had been separated from Fred awhile ago. But you were frantically scouring the halls for any sign of him as you dodged curses and sent out a few of your own.

You were utterly exhausted, your arm was practically sliced open from one particularly nasty curse. But still you pushed on, determined to find Fred.

“FRED!” You shouted, getting more desperate as time wore on. But there was still no sign of his tall frame and bright red hair.

So you pushed on.

Until you saw him.

Fighting next to Percy as the Death Eaters spat curses at them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione not far off, but you ignored them. Your sole focus was the man you loved.

Your legs pushed harder than they ever had before but you were still so far away. And your gut was screaming at you. Screaming to run faster.

Heart pounding.

Lungs heaving.

You saw the word leave the Death Eaters lips.

I’m too far away.

But once more, like it had before, the world seemed to slow. Time faltered in its speedy step and gifted you the moment you needed.

All at once, you lifted your wand, flung yourself onto Fred and screamed.

The world exploded.

From all sides, rubble came raining down. It broke through your shield and collapsed on top of you. But still you clung to Fred. Nothing, not even Voldemort himself, would be enough to keep you from protecting the one you loved. And so the castle fell around you and on top of you.

But you would not be moved.

When the dust settled, you heard screaming. Cries. Shouts. The rubble shifted around you until you felt like you could breathe again.

You lifted your face, tears filling your eyes. Fear filling every orifice of your body.

And you looked down at Fred, hoping you had been enough. Praying you had been enough.

And his smiling face looked back at you.

Light in his eyes, breath in his lungs, life in his body. You cried out as you wrapped yourself even tighter around him, and felt his arms come around you.

“They’re alive!” You heard Percy shout. Fred sat up grunting, but you were still tightly clinging to him.

Suddenly, you felt more arms wrap around you. You heard Percy, Ron, Hermione, and Harry all whispering words of relief before they stood.

“We need to get moving.” Harry spoke up. You allowed yourself to look at him, still tucked in Freds embrace before nodding.

The three of them ran off, Percy lagging behind still glancing back to check that Fred was still alive.

The both of you stood, hand in hand. You looked at Fred as he began to pull you down the same corridor. Memorizing the way his hair hung, the way his shoulders twisted, how long his eyelashes were. You weren’t going to lose him tonight, you were damn sure of that. But that fear was still dancing inside of you, making you study every aspect of him.

Fred tugged you into the Great Hall, pulling you into a corner. Before you could ask what he was doing, his arms flung around you and pulled you into his chest. Your arms responded by wrapping tightly around his waist.

“Marry me.” Fred mumbled into your hair. He pulled back slightly to look in your eyes. “If we make it through this, marry me.”

Your hands slid between the two of you, brushing your way up his chest until they cupped his cheeks. “When we get through this, nothing would make me happier than to be your wife.”

And despite the battle still raging on beyond that dark corner of the Great Hall, as Fred pulled you in for a kiss, you swore nothing else mattered except for the feel of his bruised lips against your own.

Taglist: @huffledor-able541​ @hvstias​ @accioholland​

Let me know if you want to be apart of my taglist!

[joezworld]

He is Speed

For #railpril2021, here’s an entry for the LNER J70. 

You know which one.

-

Toby the tram engine is kept very busy by his work on Thomas’ branch line. Between his runs to the Anopha Quarry, his passenger services, and any odd jobs he might be assigned, he works hard every day. 

That does cause a few problems though, as Toby is an old engine with a body made primarily of wooden planks. He was never designed for the hard work that the North Western Railway puts him through, and so his planks rattle and shake whenever he moves. No matter what the men do, the wood eventually works itself loose over time and falls out, leaving his cab even draftier than normal! 

While the men at Ffarquhar sheds can fix one or two of the planks should they fall out, major carpentry work is beyond them. As a result, Toby has to go to the works at Crovan’s Gate every six months to have his siding inspected, refinished, and sometimes replaced.

Going to the works is a big process for branch line engines - they aren’t fast enough to keep up with main line timetables, and their small water tanks means that they usually can’t get from Knapford to Crovan’s Gate without a water stop. Thomas and Percy get around this by going on a flatbed wagon, but the loading is a time-consuming process that Toby dislikes, especially because he has to do it twice a year. 

So, many years ago, he put his wheel down and refused to go on a wagon anymore.

---

 September 2005 - Knapford

“Ah still do nae see why I have to do stuff like this.” Siobhan groused. “Not having tae dawdle on the main line all day is why ah took this job. An’ I’m no’ even driving - I’m firin’ like I’m a new hire!” 

The newly-minted “Senior Steam Locomotive Driver” had walked into her first day at the job expecting to get a turn at Gordon’s throttle on the Midday Express, or maybe a nice uninterrupted day on the Little Western with her Dads, but instead was met with: Venkataramany: 0C01 [09:33] NWR 98107: KFD→CVN

“If I told you it was a hazing thing, would it make you feel better?” Robert, the Chief Traction Inspector said as they crossed the footbridge over the tracks. 

“No’ after watchin’ that harassment video from HR.” She grumbled. “An’ even if this was tha’, why would ye be here? Ye've too much seniority - ye should laughin’ at me from Gordon’s cab or something.”

“Fine,” Robert stopped and pointed at Toby, who was sitting in the goods yard surrounded by workers who were removing his side plates. “He is the reason we are here. Nobody else will go on this run except Mister Hatt himself.” 

“What? Why?” Siobhan was baffled. She’d driven Toby many times and found him to be a pleasant engine to drive, fire, and speak with. 

“You wouldn’t believe me it I told you.” He said grimly. Siobhan watched in increasing confusion as the man hopped down onto the ballast and trudged across the yard like a condemned man going to the gallows. 

“Robert!” Toby called as they walked up. “How wonderful to see you again!”

Robert grumbled something unprintable under his breath and hopped into Toby’s cab without another word. After a moment, an oil can came sailing out of the cab door, Siobhan barely catching it in time. 

“Oi!” She shouted, to no avail. 

Toby looked sympathetic. “Don’t mind him. He’s always cranky when he has to do this run. I don’t think my cab agrees with him that much.”

“This run doesn’t agree with anyone, you Sociopathic Garden Shed!” Robert bellowed from the cab. 

Siobhan and the workmen shared an astonished glance as Toby chuckled to himself. 

“You get used to that after a while.” He said quietly. 

“Okaaay...” Siobhan said slowly as she took the oil can and began working over Toby’s valve gear. 

Toby’s very elaborate valve gear.

“Toby,” She asked slowly. “Have ye always had a Walschaerts motion?”

“Why yes I have.” The tram said jovially. “But don’t worry - it’s hidden behind my sideplates most of the time, so it’s hard to notice.”

“Never thought that drivin’ Gordon would be applicable ‘ere.” She muttered to herself as she oiled the valve gears. Walschaerts motions were extremely common on steam engines around the world, but here on the island, practically every other engine on the Island except Percy had inside cylinders. Gordon and Henry were the only ones with this type of valve gear, and it was a surreal experience to service an “express engine” valve gear on an engine that, to put it politely, was deeply not. 

 After an oiling job worthy of Gordon, Siobhan clambered into the cab, waved goodbye to the workers, who were carrying away Toby’s sideplates for storage, and stoked up the fire. His coal bin and water tanks were full, but they were so small that this run had a timetabled stop at Killdane to pick up more. 

As they set off - with Robert looking even grimmer than before - she dug through her crew bag and pulled out the schedule again. The timing didn’t seem to match. 

“Rob!” She shouted over the noise of Toby’s chuffing. “How come we’re scheduled into Killdane at ten past ten? That’s express timing!” 

“You’ll see.” Robert said darkly as they rumbled onto the main line. 

“See what?” She said pointlessly - Robert was more interested in viewing the line ahead through Toby’s small cab windows, and she needed to keep the fire tended - Toby wasn’t a bad steamer, but today he seemed to be intent on keeping a rather high steam pressure considering the light run. 

As they approached the points at the station’s far end, Robert reached behind the regulator and plucked a small metal collar from its spot on Toby’s regulator. “No going back now.” He said quietly, pocketing the speed governor.

Then they rattled over the points , and Toby shifted slightly. 

“This is the fast line!” Siobhan said to Robert as they rolled out onto the center tracks. 

“I know.” Robert was the picture of grim determination, his hands turning white as he held Toby’s throttle in a tight grip with one hand, and braced himself against the cab wall with the other. 

Slowly, he inched the regulator forwards. As he did so, the excess steam pressure in Toby’s system, with some help from the engine himself, grabbed at the internal mechanism and yanked the lever out of Robert’s hand. 

Toby accelerated rapidly, and Siobhan shrieked as she was thrown backwards into the coal pile. 

“Hold on to something!” Robert cried. “He’s not gonna stop unless he has to!” 

“What?! Who’s not going to stop?” Siobhan had no idea what was going on. 

The noise level inside the cab increased dramatically in line with their speed, and whatever Robert said was lost in the clatter. Above their heads, Toby’s bell began shaking in the wind so much that it began wildly swinging back and forth, adding a further layer of sound. 

-

Wellsworth Station

“-and so then I said - Oh hello, the signal’s changed.” BoCo broke off of his story and looked down the main line. “I wonder who’s coming. The Express has gone already.” 

“I don’t know.” Replied Edward. 

They both looked down the line towards Tidmouth. The signal block that protected Wellsworth station was only a mile or so in length, so they should find out who was coming soon enough. 

“Do you hear that?” BoCo said after a few seconds. 

“I do. Whatever could it be?”

“It sounds like dinging.”

“Who dings on this railway?”

“Well, Toby does, but that can’t be him-”

At that moment, a whistle sounded in the distance. It sounded like Toby’s whistle. 

BoCo’s brows rose in surprised confusion. “If that is Toby, he just crossed the lane by the McColl’s farm.”

“But that’s half a mile from the signal, and-”

“He did it in less than thirty seconds.”

The dinging grew louder. 

“Can he even go that fast?”

The sounds of an engine became audible as it grew nearer. It was making a considerable racket, and it sounded like it was moving fast. 

The dinging continued to get louder and louder. 

Suddenly, an engine became visible from around the curve. It was brown, it was square, and it was easily doing sixty as it charged through the station. It whistled a quick “Hello!” and was gone, leaving a trail of thick black smoke in its wake. 

Both engines stared at the dissipating trail of smoke. 

“Well,” Said Edward once he picked his jaw off of his bufferbeam. “I guess he can.”

-

Killdane 

Abbey and Dane were sunning themselves in the yard. Now that the Fat Controller had brought in new electric engines for the line, everyone had a chance to rest between trains. 

Speaking of trains, one was arriving now. She lazily opened one eye to see Toby arriving at the station, as he did every six months or so. 

“Dane, look,” She whispered, causing the other engine to open his eyes. “The show’s about to start.”

Toby rolled to stop near the water tower and coal bin. Barely a second had gone by after that when his cab door was thrown open and his crew staggered out. The older man, one of the inspectors, slowly staggered off to a bench on the platform, while the other, a younger woman whom Abbey usually saw with Donald and Douglas, berated him about something. Her words weren’t audible, but the strong Scottish accent carried across the yard. 

This continued as she dragged the water hose over to Toby, and began moving coal into his bunker. Toby’s coal bunker was located inside his cab, so this involved a lot of wheelbarrows and shoveling. The woman seemed to be displeased that she was doing all the work, and emphasized her point to the inspector by dumping a shovel-full of coal over his head. 

The ensuing chase around the platform with shovels of coal had both electric engines crying with laughter, so they couldn’t quite see how it happened that a few shovels were thrown in Toby’s face as well, but that didn’t stop them from laughing even harder.

Eventually, all the coal was loaded, and the damp pair of humans (the water hose hadn’t been put away without a fight) clambered back into Toby. 

The steam tram looked over to Abbey and Dane, a mischievous smile broaching his coal-streaked face. “I hope you two enjoyed yourselves!” He called as the signal dropped.

He made it a few feet onto the main line before he surged ahead suddenly. Inside his cab, shouting and swearing could be heard as both crew were thrown off their feet. 

Abbey and Dane howled with laughter. 

-

Kellsthorpe Road

“Thomas! Funny seeing you here!” Fred the stationmaster called out. He’d previously been in charge of Dryaw station before moving to station across the Island to be with his family five months ago, and it had been almost that long since he’d last seen Thomas. 

“Fred! It’s been too long!” Thomas said, and immediately began catching up with his old friend. 

In front, Gordon rolled his eyes. Thomas was a regular chatterbox on a normal day, but when he was allowed to be dead weight on a flat car he practically metamorphosed into a social butterfly, and never stopped talking. 

At least nobody is commenting on me, he thought to himself. It was deeply unusual for an engine of his stature to be on a slow goods train, but James had wanted to try his luck on the midday express, and a complicated series of past favours had meant that Gordon had “owed him one”, and was obligated to switch jobs. 

I’d have rather owed James two than have to deal with this. 

Minutes passed, and the signal hadn’t changed, nor had Thomas stopped talking. One of those things wasn’t unusual, but the other was. The signal didn’t stay red that long unless a train was coming into the station - a holdover from when the Kellsthorpe road actually crossed the railroad tracks and time was needed to shut the gates - but there was no train scheduled to come through at this point, at least not a regularly scheduled one. 

Looking down the tracks, a plume of smoke and steam could be seen in the distance. That was equally unusual, as the only “up bound” steam train due within the next hour was James, and that train hadn’t even left Tidmouth yet. 

Presently, the source of the steam resolved itself into a distant engine. It looked strange, almost like it was pushing a van in front of it, but that was preposterous - they were moving fast enough that - oh. It was that time of the year, wasn’t it?

“I say, Thomas,” He called back to his cargo. “Have you ever seen Toby when he goes to the works?” 

“No? Why?” Thomas sounded confused. Excellent.

“Well, he’s coming along right now. Perhaps you can say hello to him.”

��Oh! Is Toby coming?” Fred asked, looking at his schedule of trains. “Why’s he doing it on the fast line?” 

“Probably to show him what it’s like!” Thomas joked. “It’s not like he can move much faster than a snail!”

Gordon eyed the approaching brown blur. “I’d rethink that statement Thomas.”

“Why? I’m not wrong - what’s that dinging sound?”

Toby rocketed through the station in a cloud of smoke and dust. Anything on the platform not nailed down was shaken and rocked by his passage. A cleaner was changing out the litter bins on the platform as Toby went by, and the contents of an open full bag of litter were lifted into the air and sent flying in all directions by his wake. 

The station was silent after that. Gordon watched as crisp wrappers settled down on every flat surface, suddenly glad he was on the slow lines and out of the direct line of fire. 

The signal dropped, indicating that Toby had cleared the station on the other end, and Gordon set off.

Thomas was mercifully silent all the way to Knapford. 

-

Crovan’s Gate

They arrived on time. 

Robert stormed out of the cab without a word, marched across the works grounds, across the main line, and vanished into the station’s pub. Siobhan meanwhile was left to hand Toby over to the works crew and fill out the after-trip report. 

“Engine working to full capacity? If no, state problem...” She mumbled under her breath as she filled out the form, giving Toby the evil eye as she did so. 

He smiled impishly back at her. “I am in full working condition, I’ll have you know.”

“Engine has incurable case of smartarse. Recommend turning him into a feckin’ henhouse.” She glared. 

“I thought that you enjoyed my witty repartee and smooth steaming.”

“I think that you enjoy this.”

“Whatever gave you that impression?”

“Ah have a hunch.”

Toby smiled broadly. “An old engine needs to have some fun in his life. Although I am sorry about the coal dust.”

She buried her head in her clipboard, not caring that the forms were now smeared with coal dust and oil. “Jus’ warn me next time, alright?” 

The smile she got back was worrying. “You’ll probably have to take me back on Thursday. Is that enough warning?”

Siobhan considered it a moment of personal growth when she didn’t throw the clipboard at him. 

-

Thursday

“What in the everloving fuck are ye wearing.”

Siobhan stared at her employer in shock. When she’d heard that Stephen Hatt had volunteered to drive Toby back to Knapford with her, she’d expected to have a nice, quiet ride, one where Toby wouldn’t try and traumatize his driver/controller. 

But as she looked at the head of the railway, she developed a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. 

“I am wearing my work clothes, Siobhan.”

“So am I, but ah don’t look like ah stepped out of the Brunel Edition of GQ!”

He looked nothing like he usually did, with a pair of denim dungarees, a worker’s flat cap, and sturdy but ancient-looking work boots replacing his three piece suit, top hat, and wingtip shoes. A long railwayman’s coat, still bearing the BR Cycling Lion logo, was worn over the whole thing. A gold pocketwatch chain looped out of an interior pocket and led to a buttonhole on the dungarees and a pair of work gloves stuck out of one pocket. Worryingly, a pair of old aviator goggles was slung around his neck, their purpose unknown and hopefully decorative. 

She was wearing typical work trousers, a sturdy jacket and work shirt, and a pair of work boots that looked considerably more modern that the monstrosities adorning the Fat Controller’s feet. To complete the modern look, the belt holster for her Nokia mobile phone poked out of one side. 

They looked like people from two different centuries.

As they approached Toby, who was already steamed up in the works yard, the sinking feeling in Siobhan’s chest grew when the tram engine’s face lit up upon sighting the controller. 

“Oh hello sir! I didn’t know you’d be driving today!”

“Well, Robert has called out sick, surprisingly enough, and I was asked to fill in. I wouldn’t miss this for the world, old friend.” Stephen said as he pulled on his gloves.  

“Now then,” He said as he jumped into Toby’s cab with surprising spryness, before pulling on the goggles. “Let’s Ride!”

Siobhan wondered if it was too late to call in sick as well. 

[lulafia]

Percy, Vex and how they interact which each other’s insecurities

A thing I find very interesting about Vex and Percy is that they both have such self-worth issues? It manifests just very differently and there is just a level of recognition, a gentleness in how they interact with each other's insecurities and like a lot of quiet moments.

So let’s talk about just that:

I have seen a discussion once, about why, if Percy believed Ripley was far more dangerous than the Briarwoods, he didn't deal with her first? For me it makes sense, because all the names on the List, aside from Ripley’s, did something directly that led to his family being killed. The whole revenge thing in the Whitestone arc was for Percy’s family, it was about what they took from him, yes, but not in a sense that was done to Percy specifically. He is on a revenge trip because of the murder of his family with little to no regard of himself. He even says it in his goodbye letter.

“There was nothing I could’ve done to save my family, yet I still sold my soul in search of vengeance. Later I allowed Ripley to leave, knowing full well she was a greater threat to the world than the Briarwoods would ever be. I traded the world’s safety for the belief that I could murder my way to peace; that if I could be a greater horror, it would bring my family back.”

In that sense it makes sense that Ripley is on the bottom of Percy’s list. It’s implied that she hasn’t had  much to do with the actual killings, at least to Percy’s knowledge. For all we know she has tortured Percy for information and for Percy that’s not important, because she only did this to him as far as he knows. Because Percy doesn’t regard his life as much, he is always ready to just throw it out for the people he cares about. He continues to do it, when he signs the contract, when Vax insists that Percy does it rather than Tary. He sees this fit, doesn’t question it and just does it. Even at the end he would give his life up for Vex to get Vax back. There is Whitestone and legacy and family, which are very important for Percy, but Percy also writes about himself: “As to what must be done, I’d be content to be left in a ditch, my weapons and notes burnt and broken.” And Vex just brings out the best diamond she has when they do the ritual, because he is worth so much more to her and even if he doesn't know it just matters to her to show it. Percy gets the best diamond even if he thinks of himself as not deserving of that. 

When Vex says to him in episode 67 “You are a better man than you believe.” Percy says “Thank you. I accept that compliment. You as well, you are a better woman than you believe. Doesn’t feel good, does it? There you are.” Vex tells him: “No, it doesn’t. Shit.” I really like this moment between them, because there is a recognition, they exchange this smug and knowing look and they just understand? Like they know that the other one genuinely means it, but they cannot acknowledge that part for themselves. It doesn’t feel right for them and they have just such a quiet moment about it? And Percy just keeps reassuring Vex, like when he writes in his goodbye letter, there is just something about the way he writes: "Vex, you often remind me of myself and that is the highest of compliments.” 

About how he can see himself in a positive way when he can compare himself to her, because she is amazing. And he loves her so much. He also likes to tell her again how smart she is. 

They do it all the time, they tell the other what they are for them and how they see them and how much they value their relationship, but they rarely ever push it and demand that the other sees it too. Just a reassurance that maybe they can see it too someday, no pressure. Just telling them that they are worthy of love, affection and redemption. It's okay if they can't see it or believe it, yet. They are going to be there and tell them in all honesty what they are worth it, they just have each other's back. For example in episode 92, Percy says "You know, it's entirely possible that there'll be several creatures fighting over my body when I die, and my soul when I die, already." Vex just tells him "I'll be one of them." Without any hesitation. There is never any doubt in Vex's mind that he is not worth it or whatever Percy has himself convinced. She just says it, she will fight for him, no room for objection. An obviousness in the way she says it. It seems so small, but it's just a big thing!

And there is Vex, who just grew up with a shit father in a society that looked down at what she was. That met her with coldness and judgment and the feeling that she will never be good enough, despite how hard she tries they just wouldn't accept her. In their eyes she was always less and it hit her hard, it hit her so differently than Vax. (that is like a whole other discussion for another day, the differences in Vex and Vax and how they interact with each other and others) but Vex hides it well, because there is a part that thinks that they were right and that she doesn't deserve love and affection. She downplays her own feelings and how hurt she often is so much and she really doesn't want to bother other people.

So then in Syngorn when Vex is worked up about all the bad feelings and trauma that is connected to that place, and because Vex does stuff, she tries to polish her armour, when Percy comes in and they have the exchange and I know you all know it too

Vex: “Well, you come from money right?”

Percy: “Yes.”

Vex: ”Right, so do I look like I come from money?”

Percy: (laughs) “Honestly, dear, you're too happy to look like you come from money.”

Vex: (laughs) “I don't believe that.”

Percy: “No, it's a sure sign of it, is an abject misery, believe me. I can speak to it. You look too much like you, and you don't look enough like something you're supposed to be. If you feel the urge to deeply bullshit, I'd be happy to help you. It's not hard.”

Vex: ”No?”

Percy: “No. It is easy to pretend you come from money. You just have to be a bit of a shit and wear what everybody else is wearing. Does this have something to do with that city? It does, doesn't it. Who's there?” 

Vex: “Well, you know. Everyone. We were judged, growing up, and I don't look forward to seeing that again.”

Percy: (sighs) “Well.”

Vex: “It's not important.”

Percy: “Oh, I disagree. Dear, I think that if you're worried about them knowing whether or not you've made your money and made your fortune-- I don't think that's going to be the thing to earn their respect. I think you're better off, A, with the company that you keep, and B, with the fact that you're probably just better than most of them.”

Vex: (laughs)

Percy:”I've known a lot of people with money, and they are definitely not worth you. And besides, if they have something nice that makes you feel inferior, we can just take it.”

Vex: (laughs) “I like the way you think.”

Percy: “Well, and then they're just shit without anything, and then you're you with their stuff.”

It's one of the rare moments that Vex shows how hurt she is and allows someone else to have a glimpse of her insecurities. Vex doesn't think she is worth it, because growing up she was made to feel, constantly, that she is less than the shitty elves that treated her so badly. 

Like there is so much to talk about in this scene but for the sake of keeping it somewhat short, let's talk mainly about the bit at the end. 

Percy reassures Vex and doesn't dismiss how she wants to cope and reacts to the whole situation in telling her that he will happily go with whatever she plans. He also recognises that this isn't just about looking like you made it. He offers his view on her and tells her how much he values her judgment and her as a person. When he then says "… with the fact that you're probably just better than most of them." Vex's reaction is just to laugh and like deflect, because she herself doesn't believe it and Percy in the moment of realisation, what she does, emphasizes on his views of her and just shares how highly he thinks of her and cuts right to her insecurities. 

“I’ve known a lot of people with money, and they are definitely not worth you. And besides, if they have something nice that makes you feel inferior, we can just take it.” 

Just all of the first line. He then gives her a gentle out, when he offers that they can just take their stuff. Not a second later he emphasizes it again, when he says, the mood a bit more light “Well, and then they’re just shit without anything, and then you’re you with their stuff.” 

He values her so much and he wants her to know and hell, he wants everyone to know, how great she is and that's the thing he does, right? When he gives her the title in public, a token of affection, a love letter to how high he thinks of her and he gives her in that also a home, if she wants. Percy knows how she is, so he gives her something she has to earn and something that fits and he just gives her that, something to be a part of what means so much too him, because she means so much to him and he just gives her that, so there no doubt in the worth he sees in her. He would give her all, if it means that maybe it will help her see herself how he sees her. And there is just so much recognition and unshakeable love, affection, care and gentleness in general but also how they approach the other with their own trauma and issues and everything. And when Vex said at the end of episode 115 "You're a good person and you're not broken anymore. All right? We'll fill each other's gaps. We'll be the glue.” There is just this mutual understanding and love.

[jamilelucato]

Hi there! Could I maybe get a fred Weasley x Romanian!Reader and maybe like she goes to the burrow for the holidays? She could try to confess to him by telling him he loves him in Romanian but always telling him it means sth else. But she doesn't know about Charlie and the fact that he used to live there, and then... y'know, up to you? Just thought this was an interesting idea lmaoo. Thank you and congrats!!🥺💕

Te Iubesc [F.W.]

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Romanian!reader (can be from any House really)

A/N: I ended up changing a bit of your context and only noticed it later, and I’m really sorry for that. Instead of she saying it all the time, she accidentally confesses it in Romanian. I'm sorry it's not what you actually asked for, but I hope you enjoy it either way.

Send a request! ||  Harry Potter Masterlist ||  Musical Hogwarts Series

**

It was particularly weird being a Romanian at Hogwarts, but since it was your parents’ dream to you study there, you were not to complain.

It took you a while to find your place, but it was way easy when the famous Weasley Twins played a prank on you. 

When your whole body turned blue, and you ran around the corridors of Hogwarts, asking, angrily, if anyone had seen who could be guilty of it — you knew it could only have been the twins. They appeared two hours later in front of you, with puckered foreheads and using minimal eye contact. One of them had a flask, and he handed it to you.

“We’re really sorry,” he said, with an almost smile, but not of happiness. He wouldn’t dare laugh at your blue skin while you stared at him with a killer expression. “It wasn’t for you; we mixed it up in the deliver.”

“And what is this?” you asked, raising the flask closer to your eyes to analyze it better.

“The antidote,” one of them said.

“You don’t want to be forever blue, do you?” asked the other and they both giggled.

You drank all the liquid in one gulp, desperate to go back to your natural colour. The twins stared at you while your body changed its colour, and you couldn’t see the point. What did they want? Thanks?

“Are you two expecting me to thank you?” you asked, with a mean voice.

They exchanged looks before smiling.

“No, we just would like to introduce ourselves, that’s all,” said the one that had more freckles.

“You’re Fred and George Weasley, everyone knows who you are,” you rolled your eyes, crossing your arms over your chest. You saw their eyes following your arms, and then they blushed. You chuckled at those boys stupidity.

“But do you know which is which?” he continued, smirking. “I’m Fred,” he whispered, tipping you since you hadn’t answered his question.

“I’m George,” said the other.

You took a great look at both of their faces, making sure you discerned things that would make it easier to differentiate them. Fred had a better posture, nothing very perfect, but just slightly better than George. And he had more freckles, at least on his face he did.

“I’m y/N,” you said, noticing they were waiting for you to present yourself.

And that was enough for a born of a beautiful friendship.

The pranks still got you, those times on purpose, but they all gave you a break when you asked. You started helping them with their homework and study for exams — even though they hated it.

You lost track of how many vacation days you spent in the Burrow, and this year, you were going back there. You were especially excited this year — and partly worried — because, since the beginning of the sixth year, you’ve been developing an enormous, gigantic crush on Fred.

So, spending the Christmas holiday with the Weasleys, having Fred next to you all weekend, was going to be awesome, but also terrifying because he had no idea you fancied him — and you wanted things to still be like that. 

Fred was known to have had tons of girlfriends — he usually told you everything about every girl he ever snogged. You didn’t want to be just another one that he would abandon in a month. That would completely ruin your friendship, and that meant being apart from a ton of other friends. Being friends with the twins allowed you to befriend Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry, and now they are essential in your life too.

“Hi, dear!” Molly hugged you tightly as soon as you stepped in the kitchen. You hugged her back once your shock passed. “I’m so happy to have you here for another year; surely I can’t stand my kids saying again I have a terrible taste for music.”

Oh, yeah, one fact: every Weasley kid (in particular Fred) hated your taste in music. They hated it because you loved the same singers as their mom did, and Fred disliked it the most. As more annoyed he got by your singing, more you sang.

“By the way,” you smiled, “you’ll love the present I got you. I know I shouldn’t say something yet,” you leaned in Mrs Weasley’s ear and whispered: “but I just wanna make sure you haven’t got Warbeck’s newest CD, have you?”

Molly Weasley gasped in surprise and hugged you even tighter.

“That’s why you’re my favourite!” she muttered in your ear and winked when you leaned away and faced her.

Blushing, you went upstairs to find the room Molly always left for you — it was Charlie’s old room. It was the closest to the twins, so you liked it. And the place was decorated with old faded posters of creatures only your home country could offer.

You’ve never met Charlie Weasley, only Bill and Percy, but you knew he was fascinated with dragons, and that your country had to offer. 

You lost a couple of minutes staring at one of the posters; not for the dragon, but because of the background — your old but forever home.

When you got out of the room, you didn’t even need to wander around to find the twins.

“y/N! You came!” shouted an excited Fred Weasley, getting you by your waist and spinning you around in a hug.

George was right next to his twin, rolling his eyes at how foolishly obvious you two were about fancying each other, but none would move a finger to change the situation.

“Of course! Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” you say when Fred finally puts you down. “Hey, George!”

George hugs you too, but not with the same passion as Fred. It makes you wonder if it was your fault somehow to why Fred spun you around. You should have gone with a simple embrace like you’re doing with George. Gosh, why having a crush has to be so hard?

“So, we’re planning a Quidditch game in the yard. You in?” Fred asked as soon as George released you.

“Sure,” you smiled, placing your hands on your waist. “But I’m seeker,” you warned, raising a brow.

“Harry will love to hear that,” George commented.

“And I need a broom,” you added, tilting your head, trying to look pity-worth.

“You can take mine,” Fred said while you three headed downstairs.

You stopped right away. George kept walking, and suddenly it was just you and Fred in the middle of the stairs.

“You’re gonna use your old one? No way; that thing sucks, Fred,” you said.

“But a seeker needs a better broom than a beater,” he pointed out, tilting his head towards you and some red locks fell upon his eyes. Instinctively, you reached for them and took away from his eyes. He blushed with a small smile.

“You’re too nice to me,” you said, nodding and starting to walk again.

“Perhaps you deserve it,” he muttered, half-hoping you wouldn’t hear, and half-hoping you would.

Fred has been playing this dangerous game for a while now — plainly flirting with you, expecting that if you didn’t see him that way, you would take it as a joke.

When the game finally started, you were glad to be in Fred’s team. Some arrangements had to be done to accommodate less than the minimum number of players per team, so instead of two beaters, your team had only Fred.

Ginny was your keeper; even though she hated the position, she was proving to be quite good at it. Of course, Ron, on the other side, was being way better.

The disadvantage for you was that although you are a great seeker, you had to be also a good chaser, because your team had only three players with you, so that left you with two jobs. Fred helped as much as he could, but he was more used to his role as a beater than to play a chaser.

When George’s team won — Harry got the Snitch (I mean, come on, how to compete?) — you were completely dirty.

You’d never tell Fred, but George was a better beater than the twin, so you’d been hit more times than you would’ve liked and ended up rolling on the grass, still wet from the rain the night before, enough times that your pants (which were blue jeans) were now the colour of mud.

None of this was bothering you, however. You were, in fact, laughing at yourself and everyone who was also dirty. Hermione had arrived in time to watch the last minutes of the match, but she was now trapped in the kitchen, with Ron and Harry filling her with bizarre theories. George and Ginny had run off right after the victory celebration, to see who could get to the shower first.

Although you have no idea how long you would still have to stay dirty, showering was your last concern. At the moment, you were occupied in trying to smudge Fred even more, while both rolled on the grass like two crazy kids.

It felt like a tickling and laughing competition — what you were competing about was uncertain, however, you were definitely competing because Fred wasn’t leaving you alone and you were loving it.

“Thanks for the match, Fred,” you said the instant you were able to breathe without laughing. You were propped up on your right elbow, which raised your head enough so that you could see the redhead’s face, who was looking at the sun that was already hiding behind the clouds. “You could have left me; it was clear that I was going to lose.”

“Give it up then, y/N. I’ll never leave you,” he replied, looking sideways at you and looking back at the setting sun.

You took a deep breath, enchanted by his beauty and his words. When you realized you had already said: “Te iubesc.”

Fred turned quickly at you, frowning. “Did you say something?”

You gulped, as red as one can get and quickly got up. You had just said you loved him, thankfully in Romanian, but still... Close call.

“I’m heading to the shower,” for the first time that late afternoon, you were urgent to get cleaned up. 

“I don’t think George — or Ginny, whoever got there first — is done yet,” Fred said, sitting down on the grass.

“Doesn’t matter,” you pretended to laugh it off and rushed inside the Burrow, leaving a confuse Fred behind.

Well, not so confused. Fred was almost certain you said “te iubesc” to him, and he was sure that was something in Romanian. He knew you were from there, and he always waited for the moment you would let a Romanian dialect, word or accent slip, but that day never came — until now.

He waited for this moment because he made Charlie teach him some primary words, so he could reply with a ”yes”, “no” or simply “Nu mai esti în România.”

Although at the top of his head, your words didn’t click in his head as nothing he knew the meaning, he had a feeling he had heard it before. He could ask Charlie, but knowing the family owl, it would take Fred a week to learn the meaning.

He waited a while before heading to the kitchen, where he found a distracted Harry, a sceptical Hermione and his younger brother, Ron, eating, as always.

“Ron?”

“Huh?” Ron let out between bites. 

“Have you seen Mum?” Fred asked.

“I think she’s doing laundry,” Ron answered. “Why?”

“Wanted to ask her something, that’s all,” Fred was already turning away when Hermione called.

“Perhaps I can help. What’s it?”

“Nosy,” grunted Ron, but the girl didn’t hear.

“It’s a phrase in Romanian. Somehow, I think I heard Charlie say it to Mum once,” Fred shrugged, assuming Hermione wouldn’t be able to help with that.

“Your mom keeps a Romanian dictionary in the living room. Over the fireplace,” Hermione said as if it was nothing — as if the whole family knew about it.

Fred raised his brows, suddenly excited. “Thanks, Hermione,” he mumbled before rushing to the fire to get the book.

After some minutes with it, Fred was about to give up. The dictionary was no help with phrases; it was only good for random words alone.

“Mum!” he exclaimed in surprise and relief when Molly walked in, holding a basket of clean clothes.

“Fred!” she exclaimed back. She wasn’t used with her kids that excited to see her.

“Last time Charlie was here, he was using a lot of Romanian dialects,” Fred started, not sure of how to proceed.

“Yes,” his mother simply said.

“And he said something to you after hugging you. Did he translate?”

“Oh! Te iubesc?” Molly definitely was not used to Romanian — in Fred opinion her accent was terrible compared to yours, but the words were apparently the same, so he didn’t complain.

“That’s it! What does it mean?” Fred jumped from the couch towards his mother.

“It means I love you. Your brother is such a sweetie,” Molly smiled with the memory — she missed all her kids, but most especially Charlie and Bill.

Mrs Weasley was so distracted by the memory of the last hug she gave her son, that she left the room without lingering with her older twin son. She didn’t seem to notice that Fred was paralyzed in place, relying on the sofa to keep him upright.

Fred couldn’t think — he was silly, completely silly. As crude as the adjective was, that was how he felt. He was happy, of course, he was!

You had practically declared yourself to him, and yet you had done so in innocence, using your mother tongue, which, in Fred’s opinion, only proved how true you were.

He had to do something about it. But what? It’d be ridiculous to use your words to reciprocate the statement — Fred wouldn’t be able to copy the accent well enough to make the sentence natural.

Something told him that he should act naturally about it and wait for your confession in English, which would mean that you really wanted him to understand. 

But then, how to look at you again and ignore that the most beautiful girl in the world, the friendliest, the funniest, the most talented, had said that she loved him? How would he ever go back to acting normally knowing that the only girl he ever loved— that he always hoped would be his— loved him?

Taking a deep breath, Fred came to an inevitable conclusion: he needed to be the one who would confess his feelings. Now he just needs a plan to how to do it.

After a long wait, it was finally your time with the shower, and you hoped it would clean not only your skin but also your thoughts.

So close, so close you came of confessing to Fred. Well, you actually did it, but in Romanian, so he’ll never know it.

You needed to distract yourself from Fred Weasley, but after that shower, everywhere you looked, there he was. 

Fred was outside of the bathroom, waiting for his turn to shower. You greeted him with a yellow smile before rushing back to your room. 

Just an hour before dinner, you were sitting in the living room, and he decided to sit next to you in the couch. Sure a part of you was thrilled, but another was freaking out.

When dinner was ready, he sat next to you again at the table.

When you thought you were about to free yourself from him —leaving quickly from the dinner table and rushing to get the armchair, where you would at least sit alone, he called you out.

“I need to show you...” he looked around before continuing in a whisper, “... a new product.”

You sighed, deciding it was better if you learned how to swallow your feelings and let your love for Fred kill you from inside out.

You two walked to upstairs where he guided you to hs room.

“Where’s George?” you asked once you sat down, remembering that generally, when they had a new product, George was always around to see your reaction too.

Fred just shrugged, almost ignoring your question.

“I have something to tell you,” he said fast, scared he would lose his courage. “And, well, I don’t really know how to do it... You see, I’ve never told a girl I’m in love with her before.”

Fred hadn’t realized that he had just done that, so while he was lost in words, rambling how amazing you were, you were frozen at just the “I’m in love” bit.

“Come again?”

“...should have said it sooner, because I’ve been... — wait, which part do you want me to say again?” he stopped his tracks.

You sighed and looked up from your knees, raising your eyes enough to meet his.

“You love me?”

“Te iubesc, yes,” Fred said. and then he hit himself in the forehead because he had promised he wasn’t going to use Romanian to declare his feelings. “Sorry about the Romanian bit. I love you, yes, that’s what I meant.”

“Wait. You understood me earlier?” your brain was just malfunction at this point, like a broken old computer.

“Not right away...” Fred stopped talking when he noticed you were panicking. “Look, I’ve been wanting to tell you this for a long time now. When you said it first, you just made things easier for me.”

“How did you know?”

“Charlie, my brother. He lives in Romania.”

Damn it, of course, the dragon fanatic would have gone live in your country; why wouldn’t he?

For a few minutes, or at least you guessed it had only been minutes, Fred stood in front of you, who was sitting on his bed, and the two avoided looking at each other for a long time.

“Should’ve guessed. Your mom kept Charlie’s posters of my country in his room,” you tried to laugh it off.

Fred ended up chuckling too. “Can we quit being awkward? I really want to kiss you,” he said, smiling and blushing slightly at the same time. “I mean, my brother will leave the room just to us for not much longer.”

It was your time to chucked while getting up, ready to have Fred’s lips in your for what you hoped would be the first of many times.

“I have a room for my own, silly,” you whispered in his ear before he smirked and trapped you in his embrace.

[tuiccim]

Conquest

Loki One Shot

Pairing : Loki x Female Reader

Warnings: Language, implied smut, fluff (so ridiculously fluffy and cheesy)

So, this is my first time publishing a fanfic. This was supposed to be very different but kinda just developed this way. Hope you enjoy

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

You wake with a start. Turning to the clock on the nightstand you see it’s 2:45am. Four hours of sleep. After getting back from the mission yesterday you had eaten a bowl of cereal, showered, and went to bed. Burying your head back in the pillows you try to will sleep to return but it's impossible. You knew that as soon as you woke. With a heavy sigh, you throw your covers off and change into workout gear. 

Heading to the training room, you knew you’d be the only one awake. Might as well use the time for something productive. You grab some knives and begin throwing at a target. 

“You have quite the aim.” Comes from behind you. 

You turn to see Loki standing only a few feet from you. “How do you always manage to sneak up on me?”

“I wait until you’re distracted.” Loki smiles. “And I am the god of mischief, darling.”

Ugh, the pet names. Loki, always with the darlings and loves when speaking to you. He had been at the tower with the rest of the Avengers for nearly six months now. Working to redeem himself he had blithely put it. He was always curt with everyone but whenever you two were alone he seemed to let his guard down a bit. You weren't sure why. He was attractive and when the two of you talked he was charming and intelligent. But something inside always made you cautious of him. After all, as he reminded everyone often, you were all merely midgardians. 

"Couldn't sleep?" You ask. 

The god gives a non committal shrug before walking to the weapon locker. 

"Care to spar?" You decide to challenge him.

He turns to you with a raised eyebrow, "I'm afraid you'd be woefully outmatched."

Rolling your eyes you grab two sparring daggers. "You like to play with knives, right?"

"Hmmmm...yes, I do enjoy giving a good stabbing now and then." He smirks as he palms two daggers. 

You twirl the daggers. Loki usually found a tongue-in-cheek way to say things and so you had expected a sly comment. "Hope you understand I won't be the one getting stabbed." You meet his eyes and smirk back at him. 

"Now, now, (Y/N), you should be careful when challenging a god."

Without warning you lunge at Loki who quickly sidesteps you. In another second the air is singing with clangs as your daggers meet. Fairly well matched you meet each other measure for measure for several minutes. Loki smiles and takes stance as you advance on him but when you swing your dagger at him it goes through him. You lose your balance at the lack of resistance and the next thing you know arms have wrapped around you from behind with a dagger pressed to your throat and another pressed against your stomach. 

“Looks like you will be the one getting stabbed. Drop them, darling.’ Loki lips are close to your ear. 

“That's cheating, Loki!” You say. 

“Oh no, love, that’s using all of your resources.” He whispers, sending a shiver down your spine. “Surrender. You know you want to.”

The air had changed. The way Loki was pressed against your body alerted you to his maleness. He was no longer speaking of the sparring. 

“What are you doing, Loki?” You ask breathlessly. 

“What we’ve both wanted all along.” He pulls the dagger away from your throat and leans down to press his lips to the side of your neck. “Am I wrong? I don’t think I am. I hear your heartbeat increase when I come near you. Even now I can feel the heat radiating off of you.”

Dropping the daggers in your hands, Loki loosens his grip allowing you to turn in his arms. You run your hands up his chest before sliding them around his neck and into his hair, his eyes are smouldering into you as you stare up at him. Bringing your lips within millimeters of his, you grip a handful of his hair and say, "Attraction for you? No, you’re not wrong. But I’m more than just a conquest for fun.” With that you pull away leaving a stunned god of mischief standing in the middle of the training room. 

In the elevator you leaned your head back against the wall. Did that arrogant ass think you'd just lay down on the mat for him? Ugh. And it pissed you off that your body betrayed you. Feeling him against you, heat had pooled between your legs. It wasn't that you were a prude, but when it comes to teammates it just wasn't a good idea to fuck around. If it was, you would have made the rounds a few times already. It's not like there was an unattractive person in the bunch. 

Back in your room, you look around trying to figure out what to do with yourself now. Frustration strained through you. You pull out your laptop to work on the mission report when a soft knock sounds at your door. You stare at it for a moment. Your thoughts warring between wanting it to be Loki and wanting it to be anyone else. You were a little surprised when you opened the door to actually find Loki there. 

"May we speak?" He says in a low voice. You stared directly in his eyes and thought you saw just the barest amount of vulnerability. That's what made you step back from the door and wave him in. 

You close the door and look at the beautiful man...god before you. "I've never been in your room." He says as he ambles around. "Interesting decor you have."

"Uninteresting stalling tactic you have." Crossing your arms, you raise an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing here, Loki?"

He looks at you and something in his demeanor softens. "You're not a conquest." He says quietly. 

You hold his gaze, waiting him out until he finally turns away, ostensibly to look at your bookshelf. "You...you've always been kind to me. Talked to me as if I'm any other teammate. Had my back." he turns back to make eye contact, "Trusted me to have yours. You've never seemed to hold my past wickedness against me. And I've appreciated it. When I'm with you I feel...I don't know...worthy. Honorable. Content."

"I…"

"Let me finish, please. You are a light for me and I'm sorry if I made you feel less than that. You are completely right. You are not a conquest. And I went about it all wrong." He had slowly moved towards you and you were mesmerized by the look in his eyes and the sound of his voice. You stood rooted to the spot as he approached and when he was mere inches from you he lifted his hands to cup your cheeks. "You are so much more than I can describe. I love you, (Y/N)."

Your eyes widened at his confession and your heart leaps, but the voice nags at the back of your mind. "I'm only a human, Loki. Fleeting, I believe, is how you put it."

"I would rather have a fleeting moment with you than a thousand lifetimes with any other. Tell me to go and I'll go, but if I have any chance of winning you…"

You felt the tether holding you back break and your words came out in a rush, "It was the Shelley." 

"Shelley?"

"A few weeks ago, we were reading in the common room and I heard you reciting it under your breath. Love's Philosophy by Percy Shelley. And I found myself distracted entirely from my book. I was looking at the god of mischief and lies but his heart was laid open in that moment. I thought to myself if I could only see that look directed at me, I would fall so hard. And I see it now. I love you, Loki. You're my light, too."

"Say it again...please." Loki pressed his forehead to yours. His voice strained with emotion.

"I love you. I love you, Loki."

"That poem." He says, "What was the last bit? Oh, yes...

'And the sunlight clasps the earth,

And the moonbeams kiss the sea –

what are all these kissings worth,

If thou kiss not me?'"

Your lips met and in that moment your souls touched. 

The fountains mingle with the river

Love's Philosophy by Percy Bysshe Shelley

And the rivers with the Ocean,

The winds of Heaven mix for ever

With a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single;

All things by a law divine

in one another’s being mingle –

Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high Heaven

And the waves clasp one another;

No sister-flower would be forgiven

If it disdain’d its brother:

And the sunlight clasps the earth,

And the moonbeams kiss the sea –

what are all these kissings worth,

If thou kiss not me?