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Six Weasley Weddings

Fic Title: Six Weasley Weddings

Author Name: Be11atrixthestrange

Selected Trope: Weasley Weddings

Brief Summary: Ron and Hermione attend six different Weasley weddings

Word Count: 7290

Rating: M

Any Trigger Warnings: NA

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Bill + Fleur, August 1997

The Burrow grounds had never looked so tidy. From his seat in a golden chair next to Hermione and a polyjuice-disguised Harry, Ron admired the detailed and glamorous decorations that the family spent hours setting up. Gold balloons lined the rows of seats, and a large arch of twinkling lights highlighted the altar, where his brother, Bill Weasley stood awaiting his bride.

The hard work of wedding preparations had paid off; Ron could tell by the sea of smiling faces in the crowd as everyone stood and turned to face the back of the tent in anticipation of Fleur’s grand entrance. Ron followed suit and rose to his feet as he squinted through the lights to catch a glimpse of the bride.

But when the tent flap opened and Fleur emerged, his eyes went elsewhere — to his brother standing at the altar. Hermione once told him that she always looked back at the groom at weddings, because he could never hide the emotion on his face when seeing his bride for the first time. She was right. Bill’s eyes had glazed over with tears and his face burned as red as the Gryffindor crest.

There was a time when Ron and his brothers would make fun of each other for crying, but that time had long since passed. These days it was a relief to see his eldest sibling shamelessly showing emotion. But Bill had always been like that, not oblivious to what his younger brothers thought, just unbothered. Ron remembered when Fred and George would pick on him for his fear of spiders, and Bill would look at them with pity, as if he knew something they didn’t.

And honestly, he probably did, not that it mattered. He was the one standing at the altar awaiting his half-veela bride, and although his face was murky with emotion, nothing suggested he felt undeserving. At the end of the aisle stood a confident man who was more than ready for his future.

As Fleur progressed down the aisle, Ron looked beside him. Hermione’s eyes welled with tears as she watched the bride. She looked like a Veela herself in that dress, or at least she had the same effect. He recalled his fourth year antics when he completely lost his cool around Veelas, and the overwhelming feeling that he’d never get a girl like that. He still felt that way now, looking at Hermione. And he did get a girl like that. Well, almost.

He still had work to do for that task, and the only way forward was to squash that lingering insecurity.

TIme to take a lesson from Bill, who’d never felt insecure a day in his life. Ron reached for Hermione’s hand and slipped his fingers through hers. She responded with a squeeze.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered to her, feeling the heat rise to his ears.

Hermione glanced at Fleur then back at Ron with an eyebrow raised. “Really?”

“Yes,” said Ron. “Gorgeous.”

Hermione smiled and tugged him closer. He shuffled closer to her and she laid her head on his shoulder. “Thank you. You clean up nice too.”

Ron’s ears remained on fire, but the rest of him relaxed a little. And for some reason, it didn’t feel remotely uncomfortable to stand this close to his best friend. Not one bit.

Percy + Audrey, June 1999

The open bar at Percy and Audrey’s wedding was a surprise to Ron, as neither the groom or the bride seemed like the type to regularly imbibe. But Ron was open to being proven wrong. He sat at the bar with a Butterbeer in hand, sipping away while he watched the party around him. Percy and Audrey had chosen to get married at a vineyard not far from the Burrow, and the grounds bore a striking resemblance to Ron’s childhood home. The ceremony had taken place underneath a pergola, which had now been converted to a dance floor. Chic cafe tables surrounded the bar, illuminated by the glistening sun at dusk which cast golden streaks of light across the rolling hills. There was even a small pond that shimmered in the late afternoon sun and a dock where the wedding party posed for photos earlier.

It felt strange to be at a celebration, even a whole year after the war. Enjoying the music, dancing, and drinking seemed wrong somehow, and he couldn’t help but think that everyone was putting on a face, pretending to have fun, because that’s what you were supposed to do at weddings. Ron glanced to the dance floor and watched Bill and Fleur swirling around, dancing a little too slowly for the beat of the current song. His own parents sat at a table not too far, their expressions a strange mixture of pride and grief. They looked toward the pond, and Ron followed their eyeline to find George sitting out on the dock, his feet submerged into the water.

His heart fell to his stomach. George had spent the better part of a year as a shell of himself, always working at the shop, and rarely coming by for Sunday dinners at the Burrow. Seeing him down at the dock broke Ron’s heart.

But he wasn’t alone. The piercing sunlight and glare from the water muddied his vision, but Ron squinted and watched George lift an arm and drape it around someone’s shoulders.

Angelina.

A smile flashed across Ron’s face when Angelina laid her head on George’s shoulder.

Upon second thought, it wasn’t too surprising. George and Angelina had been spending a lot of time together as of late. She even picked up a few shifts at the shop in her spare time. Ron had assumed that they were just friends like they’d always been, but maybe something had changed over the last year. Shared grief could do that.

As if to confirm Ron’s suspicion, George turned toward Angelina and pressed a kiss to her temple. Angelina must have said something funny, because the moment George broke contact, he threw his head back and laughed.

It had been a whole year since Ron had seen George laugh.

“Come and dance?”

Ron tore his focus away from the dock to find Hermione standing next to him. He grinned upon hearing the words he’d thoughtlessly spluttered to her nearly two years before, at Bill and Fleur’s wedding.

“Of course,” he said before downing the last sip of his Butterbeer. He stood up, reached for her hand, and headed toward the dance floor.

Once under the pergola, Ron wrapped Hermione up in his arms. It felt so much more comfortable than before.

“Remember last time?” she asked, as if reading his mind.

“Of course,” said Ron. The moment played in his mind frequently, but she didn’t need to know that he still heard their conversation as if it were yesterday, wondering what he could have said to sound smoother, cooler, and less like he was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

“I really wanted you to kiss me last time,” she admitted.

Ron smiled. The war was over. George was laughing. And finally, Ron could publicly kiss Hermione.

“I really wanted to kiss you too. And now I can.”

With that, Ron pulled her closer. Their lips met and her arms tangled around his neck. Ron let himself get lost in Hermione, ignoring any looks from fellow wedding guests, and squashing any embarrassment that he might have felt two years prior. He buried any shame he felt for radiating happiness too soon. At that moment the world seemed to stop, and it didn’t matter that they weren’t alone. It didn’t matter that they weren’t supposed to be happy.

They were happy, and this was all just one more step forward.

Harry + Ginny, March 2001

“What do you mean there’s no harp player?” Ron wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers while he confronted the wedding band. Everything about this wedding day was going wrong. “Where the bloody hell is he?”

“He’s out sick, we thought we sent a patronus, but it must not have gotten to you.”

“No, it fucking didn’t—”

“Ron, calm down,” said Hermione as she approached behind him, her lilac-colored bridesmaid dress draped along the ballroom floor behind her. “We’ll figure something out.”

Ron resisted the urge to ogle her and focused on his anger. “Well the wedding starts in an hour, and Ginny really wants a harp player. Do you play harp, Hermione? Do you know another harp player?”

When did he become the high strung one?

“I can play harp.”

Ron whipped around to look at the speaker and his jaw dropped. Oliver Wood stood before him, a non-committal expression on his face.

“Really? You play the harp.”

“Yeah, actually. Took it up after Hogwarts. Got pretty good, if I don’t say so myself.”

Oliver was a surprise guest at the wedding. Evidently, he had moved to Romania after graduating and was now Charlie’s roommate. And, apparently, sometime between then and now he had taken an interest in the harp.

“Okay. Thank you. If you want to convene with the band here, that would be amazing.”

“Sure!” said Oliver, who immediately turned to the band and started chattering away. Ron grabbed Hermione’s hand and tugged her along, happy to not be dealing with band-related drama right now.

“Oliver Wood? Harp?” he whispered to Hermione. “When did that happen?”

“Just go with it,” said Hermione with a shrug. “One less fire for us to put out.”

Who goes from Quidditch to the harp? “Do you think Gin will notice?”

“That Oliver Wood is playing the harp? Yes, probably,” she laughed. “Let’s just not make a big deal out of it.”

Ron and Hermione proceeded up the stairs of the Grand Hotel ballroom, back to the bride and groom’s changing quarters. As the best man and maid of honor, their duties to make sure everything went off without a hitch at Harry and Ginny’s overly extravagant wedding turned quite stressful. Ron’s blood pressure had not returned to normal since he and Hermione had been thrown into wedding coordination earlier in the day, and that was up from a brand new baseline after they’d begun planning the gala months prior.

That’s when he became the high strung one. This fucking wedding.

Hermione, however, was cool as a cucumber. She thrived under pressure, obviously. That was good to know for the future, when it came time to plan their own wedding. Someday, maybe.

“Okay, lets go check on these fuckers,” said Ron as they parted ways at the top of the stairs.

He could almost hear Hermione roll her eyes at his swear before he turned the corner toward the men’s changing room.

Ron found Harry there, along with his other groomsmen, Ron’s brothers. Empty shot glasses lined the dresser, and Harry sat in a chair with his feet propped up next to the mirror. “Hey mate! The band’s all here?”

Resisting the urge to tell him everything, Ron nodded. “Everything is fine.”

“Great! Want to do another pre-wedding celebratory shot?”

“Do you really want to be stumbling over your vows, mate?” asked Ron. “The Daily Prophet’s here.”

“Eh, good idea. We’ll wait until the reception.”

“Probably best,” said Ron as he plopped into an empty armchair.

A frantic knock on the door made Ron lose any hope of resting before the ceremony. “Come in.”

Hermione appeared at the doorway, an anxious look on her face. “Ron, can I talk to you for a second?”

“Um, yeah. Sure.” Ron rose to his feet and followed Hermione out the door, shutting it behind him.

“So, the chocolate fountain is apparently broken…”

“Fuck.”

* * *

Hours later, Ron and Hermione found themselves glued to two armchairs in the lounge, cocktails in hand. The party was only beginning to die down, but there was still a determined, albeit intoxicated crowd bouncing on the dance floor. The news team had thankfully left, allowing the real party to begin.

Any other day, Ron would have loved to be on the dance floor with Harry, his brothers, and a ragtag crew of Gryffindors, but he was exhausted. And Hermione appeared the same. She yawned in between sips of Sauvignon Blanc, and her straightened hair was beginning to frizz. Honestly, Ron loved that look on her.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m supposed to be relaxing now, but I’m still stressed.”

Ron scooted toward one side of his armchair, and nodded to the small space he created. “Come here.”

Hermione wasted no time joining Ron on his armchair, curling up in his lap. He loved that they were comfortable with public affection now. Or at least, they liked to take advantage of those times when everyone else was too drunk to notice. Ron slipped an arm around her and she nuzzled into his neck.

“Well, I have to say,” he whispered. “We’re amazing wedding planners.”

“Yes we are,” she laughed. “But if we get married, we should definitely elope.”

Her words lingered in Ron’s mind. Did Hermione think about marrying him?

“We can elope when we get married,” he said. “That’s fine by me.”

“I said if,” she clarified, but the smile on her face signified it was just a joke. They might not talk about it, but they already knew.

“We can elope if we get married,” he repeated, overemphasizing the correction. He noted her eye roll as he planted a kiss on her temple.

“Maybe someday,” she added, her voice muffled against his shirt.

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Ron hoped she could hear the smile in his tone.

George + Angelina, September 2001

Ron shuffled through a throng of party-goers and made his way to the far side of the dimly-lit room, eventually taking a seat at the bar next to his girlfriend. Hermione held an almost-empty daiquiri with one hand and used the other to support herself on the bar counter. He cracked a smile at her state. Drunk Hermione pretending not to be drunk was always a joy to witness.

“How are you?” she greeted him, her syllables slurring together ever so slightly.

“Drink too much?” He wasn’t one to judge, as the entire ballroom looked to be spinning in circles.

Hermione shrugged and looked longingly at her daiquiri. “I think everyone here has had a bit too much.”

“That’s true.

Ron inched his barstool closer to Hermione, wrapped an arm around her, and took in his surroundings. George and Angelina had chosen to get married at an event center in the middle of wizarding London. They’d decorated the open concept warehouse to their liking, with cozy cafe lights, tropical plants, and plush furniture reminiscent of a 1920s nightclub. In the middle of the large space was a dance floor lined with floating candles, a callback to the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

Ron spotted Bill and Fleur on the dancefloor with their daughter Victoire, who was thrilled to be showing off her new walking skills. Victoire had attracted a crowd of cheerleaders as she waddled in circles around Bill and Fleur, laughing through her toothy smile. Even Charlie, who normally preferred to be by himself, had joined in on the cheering and dancing. Ron was sure the half-empty rum and coke in his hand had something to do with that.

On the far end of the dancefloor sat Molly and Arthur, engulfed by squishy armchairs as they watched the commotion around them. It had been a while since Ron had seen a genuine smile on either of their faces, but that was the only way Ron could describe their expressions now.

“Maybe having a big party isn’t so bad,” said Ron.

Hermione didn’t need him to clarify what he meant, even though the last time they spoke about weddings was over three months ago. “You’re right.”

There was definitely something to be said about enjoying a wedding rather than planning one. But from Ron’s perspective, sitting at the bar with minimal responsibilities, a drink in hand, observing a room filled with laughter, drinking and dancing, the efforts were worth it.

“George looks so happy,” she said, nodding toward the middle of the room, where Ron’s brother stood, his arms wrapped around Angelina as they danced, her ivory gown bouncing with each step.

“He really does.”

At that moment, the candles and tea lights flickered out and the music stopped, leaving the whole room quiet and dark. Ron’s heart rate immediately skyrocketed, and his instinct was to reach for his wand, but the next few seconds proved he didn’t need to.

Moments after the room went dark, the ceiling illuminated with magical fireworks. Wonderstruck gasps replaced the silence as the wedding guests paused to look up and take in the light show.

Ron snuck a glance around the room. Molly and Arthur’s faces reflected the light above, and both of their faces glistened with tears. And they were the happy tears he hadn’t seen from them in a while. At the other end of the bar, newlyweds Harry and Ginny sat watching, his arm around her shoulders. Charlie had retreated to a sofa in the corner of the room with his roommate Oliver and the pair watched with their feet kicked up on the coffee table in front of them. Even Percy and Audrey, who normally retreated early from such gatherings, had stayed up to watch the show from a pair of armchairs by the window. Both of them held mugs of steaming tea as they admired the display above. George and Angelina shared a kiss in the middle of the dance floor, their silhouettes illuminated by the flickering lights. And next to him sat Hermione, still a little drunk, with a light trickle of tears cascading down her cheeks, as she scanned the room to soak up everyone else’s happiness.

“So, if we get married, are we having fireworks?” asked Ron.

Hermione nodded and smiled up at the ceiling. “When we get married, there will be fireworks.”

Charlie + Oliver, July 2002

Ron and Hermione sat in the living room at the Burrow, soaking in the smell of Molly’s homemade pie wafting from the kitchen. Ron wrapped an arm around Hermione, and her head nestled against his shoulder. He stole a glance at her left hand, currently ringless, but not for long. Sunday dinners at the Burrow were a regular occurrence these days, but this one was going to be different — because Ron and Hermione had an announcement to make.

It happened a week ago. They had just gotten home from a two week vacation to the coast with Harry and Ginny, who helped him orchestrate a romantic candlelit dinner on the beach where he could finally pop the question. Honestly, she’d been expecting it, and she even picked out the ring — a simple marquise solitaire on a gold band — but that didn’t make the actual event any less romantic, exciting, and tear-inducing.

At this point, Harry and Ginny were the only ones who knew. At the moment, the ring felt heavy in Ron’s pocket, and he couldn’t wait to put it back on her finger and openly share their news and discuss wedding planning with his family.

“Charlie should be arriving any minute!” shouted Molly from the kitchen. “Ron, can you make sure the fireplace is clear?”

“Sure thing,” said Ron as he untangled himself from Hermione. Ron and Hermione as well as Harry and Ginny stood and made their way to the fireplace to greet Charlie.

As soon as they’d found themselves in front of the floo, emerald flames began swirling within the fireplace like shaken potion and a coughing Charlie stepped out onto the hearth.

“Charlie!” greeted Ron. “And… Oliver!”

Molly came rushing out from the kitchen to greet her son. “Oliver, so nice to see you again! Charlie dear, I didn’t know you were bringing your roommate too. You’re always welcome, Oliver, we’ll just have to make another bed for you—”

“Mum,” interrupted Charlie as he went in for a bear hug. “I have something to tell you.”

“What is it dear?” asked Molly, pulling away. She brought her son to arms length distance and held both hands in hers. At that moment, her eyebrows knit together when she felt something on Charlie’s hand. “What’s this?” she asked, lifting up his left hand, where a black band sat on his ring finger.

“Mum.”

“Charlie—”

“We got married, mum,” said Charlie, his voice shaking. “Oliver and I.”

Charlie glanced back at his roommate, his husband, and sent him a sheepish smile. “We didn’t know how to tell you.”

Molly looked as though she might cry.

“Congratulations!” yelped Hermione, who ran to embrace both Charlie and Oliver in a hug. She was followed shortly by Harry and Ginny.

The rest of the Weasleys and Weasley wives appeared in the room and echoed their congratulations as well as Arthur, who embraced his new son-in-law. “I always knew you were more than his roommate,” he whispered to Oliver, who let out a laugh.

Molly had disappeared into the kitchen, and was already busying herself with the oven. All Ron could hear was pots and pans banging around the stove.

“She’ll come around,” assured Arthur, who had an arm draped around Oliver’s shoulder as if he was his own son.

* * *

Charlie and Oliver now sat in the same spot as Ron and Hermione earlier that afternoon, surrounded by Weasleys as they retold details of their story, recounting their journey from roommates, to friends, to lovers, to spouses. Ron could almost see the stress and weight of holding such a big secret leave his brother’s shoulders as he looked more lively and lighter than ever.

One change in plans, however — Ron and Hermione definitely wouldn’t be announcing their engagement today. Ron stole a glance at Hermione who was engrossed in Charlie’s story, but when she met his gaze with a soft smile, he knew she was thinking the same exact thing. It was okay, they could wait.

“So, why didn’t you tell us?” It was George who finally spoke to the hippogriff in the room. “Did you think we wouldn’t approve?”

Charlie and Oliver exchanged a look. “We were going to,” said Oliver. “We told my family first, but they reacted… poorly. They’re very traditional, you see. Sort of like…” Oliver didn’t finish his thought, but gestured toward the kitchen. The rest of the family nodded.

Arthur brought his voice down to a whisper. “I think she’s more upset about not being told than anything else.”

As if on cue. Molly Weasley emerged from the kitchen, her hair frizzy and nearly singed. She still looked angry, like steam was about to shoot out from her ears, but there was a softness to her expression that wasn’t there before. “Oliver, you still like buttercream frosting, right?”

Oliver looked at Molly with a wide-eyed expression. “Erm, yes, I do. Why do you ask?”

“For your wedding cake, obviously,” she huffed. “You can’t expect to take this away from me too?”

Oliver shook his head, “No, of course. We’d love a cake.”

“Good,” chirped Molly. “And I hope you don’t mind if we have a little celebration tonight. I can’t bear the thought that I missed my son’s wedding.”

“Mum,” said Charlie. “There was no wedding. We just went to the courthouse and had dinner at home. You didn’t miss anything.”

“Then it’s settled,” said Molly as she straightened out her apron and tamed her hair. “We’ll celebrate tonight.”

Charlie’s face illuminated with the signature Weasley blush. “Thank you, Mum.”

“I’m still angry,” she said, cutting him off. “But not for the reasons you thought. I love you.” And with that, Molly shuffled toward the sofa where Oliver sat and wrapped him up in her arms. “And you too. Welcome to the family,” she told him, her voice muffled by his cotton t-shirt.

Oliver’s eyes welled with tears. “Thank you, Molly.”

“Call me Mum,” she said, as she pulled him away to arms length, looking at him the exact same way she would look at Charlie. “Okay I have a lot of work to do to get this cake ready.”

With that, Molly Weasley scuffled back to the kitchen. “If anyone wants to help me, that would be lovely!”

Bill and Fleur rose to their feet. “We’ll be right in!”

Ron and Hermione shared a glance of agreement before climbing out of their chairs as well. “We’ll help too.”

* * *

Only a few hours later, the Weasley family was finishing up dinner outside, and the sun had begun to set, casting a crimson hue across the sky. Molly had done the honors serving a beautiful red velvet cake with buttercream frosting, complete with two miniature groom figurines made out of chocolate.

Harry and George had charmed candles to float around the Burrow grounds, and at Molly’s request, the sound of Celestina Warbeck’s greatest love songs permeated the air.

Charlie and Oliver had joined Ron and Hermione on a pair of wooden loveseats by the garden.

“Did you expect a full wedding reception today?” asked Ron.

“Of course not,” laughed Charlie. “This is a thousand times better than what we imagined.”

“So, if my math is correct,” said Oliver. “You two are the last singles standing.”

Ron’s face turned bright red. He didn’t want to share his news with Charlie and make him feel guilty about stealing the thunder. “Your math is correct,” he confirmed.

“Do you have any wedding advice?” she asked.

“Wait. Are you two—?”

Ron nodded and Charlie’s eyes lit up. “It just happened last week. Don’t tell anyone yet,” urged Ron.

“Well congratulations,” whispered Charlie. “I’m happy for you.”

Ron wrapped an arm around Hermione. “Thank you.”

“If you want my advice,” said Charlie, “Let Mum be involved. I feel awful that I hurt her.”

Ron shrugged. “I think you’ve more than made up for it. She seems thrilled now.”

“But,” added Oliver. “A secret elopement was definitely the least stressful way to go about it. And I can’t recommend that enough.”

Charlie let out a laugh. “Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a way to let Mum be involved in a secret elopement, so choose your poison wisely.”

Ron glanced at Hermione, who looked lost in thought. “Yeah. Probably not.”

The sound of glasses clinking interrupted their conversation. The rest of the family looked at Charlie and Oliver, anticipation on their faces.

“We have to kiss now,” stated Charlie. “I hate this attention.”

“Just go with it,” said Oliver.

“This is why we elop—”

Oliver cut Charlie off by planting a kiss on his lips. Charlie’s ears burned red between Oliver’s hands as the Weasley clan whooped and cheered.

Ron held Hermione a little closer.

One more wedding to go, and he couldn’t wait.

Ron + Hermione, March 2003

Harry and Ginny had transformed their backyard into a luxurious event space for the wedding, which honestly, didn’t take much transformation at all. The gold tables and chairs contrasted nicely with the greenery of their garden. The flowers were in full bloom, creating a colorful backdrop and thick floral fragrance in the air, and Ron and Hermione sat underneath a steel arch entangled with vines.

As the rest of the table enjoyed their meal, Ron slipped his arm under the table to hold Hermione’s hand. Their wedding was perfect. They had incorporated something from each of his siblings’ celebrations. The golden chairs from Bill and Fleur’s added a mark of elegance. The forest green bridesmaids’ dresses and grooms’ ties from Percy and Audrey’s wedding looked amazing with the flowers, as well as the Weasley red hair. Harry and Ginny had charmed the large fountain in the middle of their yard to flow with chocolate — their request, since they never did get their chocolate fountain running at their own wedding. Later, there would be a magical firework show straight from the backyard, courtesy of George and Angelina.

But the best part about this wedding was that it wasn’t even their real one.

* * *

One month prior…

Ron and Hermione’s real wedding happened one month ago, on Valentine’s day. Just like Charlie and Oliver, they had opted to get married in private, without anyone knowing. On February 10th, they caught a portkey to a remote coastal town in Australia and checked into a secluded beachside villa.

Everyone else thought they were just on a quick holiday, which they desperately needed amidst the perceived stress of planning their wedding. No one knew that there really wasn’t much anxiety associated with the big event, because it wasn’t the one that truly mattered. Either way, their villa provided a reprieve from everyone asking them about napkin colors, seating plans, and appetizer menus. For three days, they went to the beach, cooked their own food, soaked in the oversized bathtub, and drank wine by the fire. Forgetting about their work responsibilities and family engagements back home was the perfect way to spend their last few days as an engaged couple.

When Valentines’ day rolled around, their routine changed. Ron woke up first, and began preparing a full breakfast in the kitchen. The smell of sizzling bacon woke Hermione up, who later shuffled into the kitchen to make coffee. They sat on the balcony and enjoyed their meal while listening to the crashing waves of the ocean.

“Can you believe this is our last meal as fiances?” asked Ron as he scraped the last of his eggs from his plate.

“Yes, actually. And I can’t wait,” said Hermione before draining the last drop of coffee from her mug.

After breakfast, they scourgified their dishes and didn’t even need to look at one another for confirmation before scurrying to the bathroom, where they met each other like magnets. Ron turned on the shower with one hand, while the other plucked at the buttons on Hermione’s sleep shirt, popping them open one by one. Their clothing landed in a pile on the floor and the pair landed under the steady stream of warm water.

“One more shag as fiances?” asked Ron as he ran his fingers through her hair, her curls elongating under the weight of the water.

“Obviously…”

* * *

Ron and Hermione spent the rest of the day dolling up in their suite to prepare for their private ceremony on the beach. Although his siblings had all followed the tradition of not seeing the bride before the ceremony, Ron much preferred to watch Hermione transform into a bride with his own eyes. Her gown was classic and elegant — a lacy, high-neck halter that accented her simple makeup, a bodice that hugged her curves perfectly, and a train that cascaded to the floor, accentuating her impeccable body. She had tamed her curls so they formed longer waves that framed her face. Honestly, Ron would have married her in a pair of joggers and a t-shirt, but this was beyond his imagination.

Hermione took a few paces back from the mirror and analyzed her appearance. Ron’s heart clenched knowing she was looking for imperfections to fix before the ceremony.

“You look amazing,” he spluttered. “No need to change a thing.”

Hermione smiled. “Thank you. You look pretty great yourself.”

Ron looked back to the mirror and ran his fingers through his ginger hair. He was still his pale, lanky, and freckly self, but his reflection exhibited something else. Staring back at him was a confident man ready to be a husband. For a moment, he reminded himself of his brother Bill. Ron recalled watching Bill in awe as he stood at the front of the aisle at his own wedding, secure in his stance with happy tears streaming down his face, and not a worry in the world. Of course, Ron did have a few worries swimming around in his mind. What if the random officiant they hired didn’t show up? What if the weather turned sour? What if the sun protection spells wore off too soon and he spent the rest of their elopement looking like a perfectly seared lobster? Yet his reflection conveyed none of that. Maybe he was more like Bill than he thought.

Ron reached for his leather bound notebook on the nightstand. He had been working on his vows for a few weeks, trying his best to keep them concise, and figured it was time for one last check.

Hermione,

Is it possible to promise you the entire world? Because I would if I could. But I’ll start with the easy things. First, I promise to love you. That one is easy because I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t love you. Even before I understood what love was, I knew I felt differently about you. I laugh at my younger self for not realizing it sometimes. I promise to remind myself how damn lucky I am every day.

I promise to never stop trying to make you laugh, even when you’re mad at me. On that same note, I promise to stay calm during heated moments. It’s no secret that we love bickering with each other, but love will always come first.

I promise to take care of you, even though you might not let me. I want to hear about every tough moment. I want to cry with you when you’re sad, make you soup when you’re sick, and bring you coffee in the morning after sleepless nights.

I also want to enjoy your successes with you. I want to bask in every one of your accomplishments, take you out to dinner just because I love you, and be the reason for those sleepless nights that require an extra cup of coffee in the morning.

I want to grow old with you and tell you you’re beautiful every day, even when you scoff at it. I wish I could give you a glimpse into my mind and see yourself how I see you, but then I’d run the risk of you realizing you’re way too good for me.

I promise to grow with you and constantly work toward being the man you deserve. I will put in 100% of my effort, every single day, because you’re worth it.

And finally, I promise to prioritize our relationship above everything else in this life, never stop reminding you how much I love you, and thank you everyday for choosing to be mine.

Love you more than you’ll ever know,

Ron

He’d pored over his vows too many times, and had come to the conclusion that the right words didn’t exist. But this was close enough.

* * *

With their wedding license tucked under his arm and his vows in his trouser pocket, Ron and Hermione left their villa and made their way down to the scenic overlook where their officiant was waiting for them. He was a tall, blonde, bearded man that neither Ron nor Hermione had ever seen or met before, and that was exactly how they wanted it.

“You must be Ron and Hermione,” he asked politely as he extended an arm to shake their hands.

“That’s us,” responded Ron with a firm handshake.

“My name is Dave, and I’m here to perform your wedding.” Dave wore a light blue suit atop a white shirt with a matching blue bowtie. His hair was medium length and slightly windblown and shaggy, reminding Ron of a golden retriever that had taken a nap in front of a fan. If Dave hadn’t been wearing a suit, Ron would have thought he’d emerged from the ocean. A surfboard would have looked more at home tucked under his arm than the binder of notes on how to perform a wedding ceremony.

Ron glanced at a beaming Hermione, appearing unbothered by any of this. “We’re ready.”

“Great! Is this a good place?”

Ron looked around him. From their place on the rocky cliffside, they could see miles of ocean. Tiny bumps of land lined the horizon, making it look like a child had painted it with a shaky hand. Were those reef islands? Or maybe New Zealand? Was it even possible to see that far ahead? Honestly, Ron loved being able to look out onto the horizon and see something, yet not know what it was.

“This is perfect,” he said.

“Then let’s get to it. We’ll start with your vows. I understand you’ve written your own?”

“Yes,” said Hermione, as she pulled a tiny notebook from behind the fabric of her bodice.

Ron smiled at her unexpected hiding place. “Instead of reciting them, we’d like to give them to each other to read, if that’s okay.”

“That’s perfectly fine,” said Dave.

Ron and Hermione exchanged notebooks. With a trembling hand, Ron opened Hermione’s up to the first page, where her tiny but impeccable handwriting caught his attention.

Ron,

I don’t think that I can capture how I feel about you in a short letter, and luckily I have the rest of my life to continue showing you. But to start, I promise to remember how lucky I am to have found someone like you. There is no one who challenges me more. You make me a kinder, more loving, and more patient person, and I promise to continue embracing that challenge everyday. I promise to help you to be the best version of yourself, even if it means nagging you to pick your clothes up off the bedroom floor, or put the dishes away. I vow to stand by you when our plans change or fail, and keep solving the riddle of life with you. I will always be on your team - not just for the good - the date nights, the adventures, vacations, promotions, and milestones, but for everything else too - the fights, the disappointments, and setbacks. There’s no one I’d rather have in my corner when things go wrong, and there’s no one I’d rather celebrate with when they go right. And I promise to be that same support for you. Let’s embrace life hand in hand, no matter what it throws at us. We’ve already accomplished so much, and it’s hard to believe it’s just beginning. Together, we can do anything.

I promise to love you forever. This is the easiest promise to make. I love you so much, and it grows every day. I would tell you there’s no way I could possibly love you more, but I know I will tomorrow, and I cannot wait.

Yours forever,

Hermione

His eyes stung with tears, and he looked up to see Hermione’s watering just as much after reading his. “I love you,” she mouthed to him.

“I love you too.”

The pair looked at Dave, cueing him to continue. He cleared his throat. “Do you Hermione, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?

Hermione beamed. “I do.”

“Do you Ron, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall—”

“I do,” said Ron, unable to wait until he finished.

Dave smiled and seemed to relax a bit. “I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss your bride.”

Ron and Hermione came together fast, his arms wrapping around her waist. Their lips met and as if they had choreographed their first kiss as a married couple, he lifted her off his feet. Memories of their first kiss in the room of requirement all those years ago flooded his mind, and it almost felt like they were their teenage selves wondering what the future held for them.

When they eventually broke apart, Hermione’s hair remained ruffled from the wind, her face flushed, and she smiled. “We’re married.”

“Yes we are.”

* * *

Later that afternoon, when they had completed all wedding-related duties, signed marriage licenses, and taken photographs, Ron and Hermione found themselves alone, for the first time as husband and wife.

Their villa looked exactly the same as it had when they left that morning, yet everything felt different. The kitchen was still cluttered from their cooking adventures, their bed was unmade, and clothes spewed out from their suitcases onto the floor. If they had been in their flat back home, Hermione would have fixated on the messes until they were gone, but today, she didn’t seem to care at all.

“I love you in a suit.” She eyed him up and down, and Ron’s cheeks tingled with heat. Funny how she could still have that effect on him after all this time.

“I love you in that dress.”

Hermione glanced down at her gown with a wistful smile. “Too bad, because I don’t think I’ll ever wear it again.”

“And I hope there’s never an occasion to.”

Ron took a step closer to her and looped his fingers underneath her shoulder strap.

“Want to help me take it off?”

“Absolutely, I do.”

Ron wanted to savor the moment of taking off her dress, slowly tug the zipper down, flick her straps off her shoulders, and watch her perfect body emerge from the lace in awe, but he was not exactly known for his patience. It didn’t take much time before Hermione’s dress crumpled into a pile around her ankles. By the way Ron’s suit landed on the floor just as quickly, it seemed Hermione had thrown patience out the window too.

Ron stepped back to take her in. Her windswept curls had lost their structure over the course of the afternoon, but the way they dangled in front of her breasts drove him mad. Her body was spotted with new tan lines and freckles, and Ron couldn’t wait to run his hands over every single one. Looking at her hands, he could almost feel the way her perfectly painted nails would dig into his skin between the sheets. Although beautiful, her long legs looked lonely without him in between them. She was spectacular, as always.

“Is it okay to say I love you even more without the dress?”

She smiled, and Ron basked in the way her eyes scanned his body. “Of course it is. I much prefer your suit on the floor.”

“I can’t believe you’re my wife.” The word still felt new coming from his lips, but he definitely could get used to it.

“I can.”

Ron closed the space between them, wrapped his arms around her waist, and she instinctively hopped up, her legs embracing him. He held her tight and waddled toward the bedroom, not caring that he nearly knocked over a lamp on the way. None of that mattered. Hermione pressed her lips to his and gripped his hair between her fingers. He loved it when she did that, it always made him want her even more. Without breaking their kiss, they collapsed onto the bed, limbs intertwined, faces flushed, ready to begin the rest of their lives together.

* * *

Present Day

Ron couldn’t let himself get distracted by memories of the perfect day — he had guests to attend to. At the moment, his siblings were already crowding him and Hermione to congratulate them.

“Fantastic wedding,” said Charlie as he plopped himself down into a chair next to Ron. “I’m glad you didn’t elope.”

“Same,” said George, who had pulled up beside Charlie. “Because this steak is amazing.”

“Your wedding is perfect,” echoed Ginny from her spot beside Hermione.

Ron gave Hermione’s hand a squeeze. Although she didn’t know it, Ginny was right, their wedding was absolutely perfect.

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mugentakeda · 4 months

Note

opinion on Iroh living in Ba Sing Se in the comics ? :3c *bats eyelashes at Iroh meta mutual*

personally I get the political reasoning for it (he very much was well known for participating violently in the war so it'd be a pretty awkward way to start peace talks and such) but like... as an Iroh + Zuko codependency truther... hmn...

though he DOES come to the FN later in the comics to help Zuko out so its like.. did you leave him because you were terrified of making things worse ? were you convinced he didn't need you anymore and so lumbered off to BSS in self-imposed exile certain that you'd be a burden to his personal growth ? or did he just underestimate the distance .. forgot Zuko wouldn't be able to hop on a Bison all the time to visit him... driving me Krazy.

honestly. i think a horrific combination of all of these could work simultaneously. like theres political merit but also iroh might also personally somehow think him being away from zuko will benefit zuko (as if zuko didnt miraculously managing to undo his lifetime of Bad Things in less than like. A year. entirely through various methods of suffering. things that would take grown men their whole life and then some to undo, if even that. And hes like 16 and now hes a monarch and hes gonna be busting his ass everyday for the rest of his life until hes too old to stand up straight). and that yeah hed also underestimate how much being a world away from zuko actually sucks

because something i lovee highlighting in my art of them is that iroh doesnt just love his nephew, he likes his nephew. hes fond of his nephews crankiness, the hovering, the theatrics, the shouting and stomping, the awkwardness and thoughtfulness. there are probably days where iroh just cant work up the typical jovial customer service and diplomacy energy and just broods in the jasmine dragon because he keeps accidentally brewing enough tea for two, cooking enough dinner for two, calling through the house for his nephew and then remembering hes stuck cooped in the caldera, having screaming matches with his councilmen over how to deal with shit iroh and his brother and their forefathers did to scar the world not even before lunch time.

so its like. a combo of the Grand Lotus in iroh who focuses on the political merit and worldly benefits of him being in bss, the shitty ill in the dome codependent Uncle iroh who mopes over not having his prickly ass barnacle of a nephew looming over his shoulder and glaring at people all the time, the Bad At Emotions And Communicating guy in iroh that gets so ashamed of what hes willing to put his own kid through for the sake of the world that he doesnt know if he even has the stomach to visit the caldera and look his nephew in the eye as he drowns under mountains of stress dealing with irohs baggage, etc etc.

and there are also probably things zuko doesnt know about and iroh isnt sure if hed ever have the strength to tell zuko about. at the beginning of zukos joke banishment, the white lotus had been like well if you do decide to take the throne once we figure out how to take down ozai youll need an heir and if your nephew is as good deep down as you claim then maybe mold him to align with us so when you step down he could at the very least be a puppet ruler so we can ensure he doesnt start another war. and then that plan just got adjusted slightly and expanded upon once the avatar wasnt a fairy tale anymore. it hurts worse now after they had reconciled before the comet because now zuko looks at him with a loving, trusting, praising look, despite how little iroh believes he really deserves it. and worst of all he doubts theres anything he could really do to convince zuko that he doesnt deserve that because iroh would bet anything that zuko genuinely thinks hed deserve it if iroh decided he didnt want anything to do with zuko.

hes like doing these weird gymnastics where he pushes these hoity toity white lotus beliefs onto zuko despite barely even abiding by them himself , and then also knowing he doesnt deserve the blind adoration zuko has been showering him in lately. its like iroh takes all his conflicting emotions and opinions, puts them in a blender, drinks it, and then throws it all back up. i doubt theres anyway to conclude his thought process in a paragraph or less basically.

like i know a lot of people agree leaving zuko for bss retirement era is stupid and i agree but also consider the angst potential and also the white lotus is stupid and iroh is stupid and zuko isnt stupid but he also thinks iroh hung the sun and stars so its more sad on his part than anything because he cant even escape getting the short end of the stick with IROH and doesnt even know it. and it will probably stay that way. Lol!!!!!

#so in summary i think its all of the above . thank you gremkins #i had to stop myself because i could go on for like 1million more paragraphs about iroh and zukos dumbassery #weirdest best worst normalest insanest uncle nephew father son dynamic ever #they both are SO DERANGED!!!#atla #asks

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veronika-tserber · 1 year

Text

💫Applying & Separating Aspects in the Chart 💫

I didn't even know about the concept of "Applying" and "Separating" aspects before I enrolled in a formal Astrology program. The letters "A" and "S" in the aspect tables on astro.com didn't draw my attention all that much. 😁

As it turned out, it's actually important to know what they mean, and since 2 people asked me about it yesterday, I decided to write a little post about it. 😊

Essentially, there are three "states" that aspects can be in:

1. Applying

2. Exact

3. Separating

We know that exact aspects (0-1° orb) are extremely potent in the birth chart, especially the major ones. But what about the other two types?

Separating basically means that the aspect has already been EXACT before you were born, and the FASTER out of the two planets is saying "see ya later, alligator", and moving away from the slower one. Applying means the opposite - the aspect will become exact AFTER your birth.

So, in the picture above, there is a Mercury/Venus conjunction at 5° that is Applying. Mercury is quick on its feet, so it will meet Venus after no more than 5 days after the native's birth. This is when the aspect will become exact and will reach its full potency.

Blah-blah, 5 days after birth. Why does it even matter?

Honestly, it matters the most when we pull up progression charts where 1° equals 1 year. In progressions, 5 days become 5 years, which is why the astrologer may forecast an event at that time, that relates to the aspect's themes.

Another example from the aspect table above is the 3° square between Mars/Saturn that is Separating. Will it be less prominent and weak in the chart? This is my aspect, so I can tell you for sure that it isn't weak, at all. But it's also involved in two major chart configurations (T-Square + Saturn is also part of a Grand Trine). Perhaps, if it didn't have those additional highlighters, it could've been kind of "meh" since the orb isn't all that tight, and Mars separates from Saturn.

It isn't wise to judge aspects (or anything in the chart) in isolation. Yet, you can consider the "exactness" of the orb and whether or not an aspect applies/separates, as bonus factors/points adding to the overall analysis of how the aspect fits into the birth chart puzzle.

This is how long it takes for each planet to travel 1 Degree:

The Sun - 1 day

The Moon - 2,1 hours

Mercury - 0,5-1 day

Venus - 0,75-1 day

Mars - 2 days

Jupiter - 5 days

Saturn - 10 days

Uranus - 20 days

Neptune - 25-27 days

Pluto - 30-40 days

Knowing that you should look at the FASTER planet and that 1 day = 1°, you can use this information to find out if you had anything eventful happen to you around the time a separating aspect became exact in your chart. I'd pay more attention if the aspect is between an outer/generational planet and one of your inner planets. Aspects between Mercury/Venus or Moon/Mercury, for example, are much more common and don't hold that much "weight" in the chart, but you can still check them out.

So, if someone has a Moon/Uranus square at 3° that is Applying, this means that the Moon will form the exact aspect around 6 HOURS after their birth! 6 hours is 1/4 a day, so around 3 months after their birth, maybe something happened to them or in their family, which potentially affected them in a big way. Again, depending on how significant the aspect is in the birth chart's story.

With this combo, we could see an incident involving their family members/mother, their parents splitting up, or the family relocating to a different city or even country. In general, the Moon also rules our environment, so there might've been some kind of a shock/shocking event that potentially left a lasting impression on the subconscious mind of the child. It doesn't have to be a "big" event - the child's mind is so sensitive to impressions at that age, that sometimes even an argument between the parents or something similar can be traumatic. But this is a theme for another post.

In conclusion, I am a HUGE advocate for a holistic approach to the birth chart, and although I write about independent aspects and placements, please remember that it's all general information, and you should take it with a grain of salt. Always. Please. Especially if the info implies that you might be f#cked up in some way. 😂 I don't support fear-based Astrology, so I would never want my content to make you see yourself as a victim!

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it, and don't forget to stay playful, folks!

The Ask Box is open for specific questions, folks! 😊

- Foxbörn

ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ 1

ᴄʜᴀʀᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢꜱ

ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴜʏ ᴍᴇ ᴀ ᴄᴏꜰꜰᴇᴇ?

#astrology #astro notes #astrology aspects #astro observations #planets #astrology notes #natal chart #birth chart #astroworld #planetary aspects #zodiac #astro community

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waitimcomingtoo · 1 year

Text

Bitten

Pairing: Vampire!Peter Parker x Reader

Synopsis: you spend an evening with a vampire after getting trapped in his house

Masterlist

On Halloween night, a mixture of boredom and curiosity brought you to the door of an old abandoned castle that overlooked your town from the top of a steep hill. You used the rusted old door knocker to bang on the enormous doors and were surprised when it slowly creaked open. You stepped inside and were hit with the scent of dust and aged furniture as soon as you shut the door behind you. The smell didn’t bother you as the inside of the castle was enough to distract you. You walked deeper into the foyer and admired the classic Victorian style of the decor under the light of your flashlight. Just as you were running your fingernails along the grand piano, you heard a voice.

“What are you doing here?”

“AHHHH!” You screamed and turned in the direction of the voice. Your flashlight lit up the pale face of a boy standing at the top of the staircase.

“Oh my God. Who are you?” You asked and stepped closer to get a better look.

“I asked you first.” The boy said as he descend the staircase. You noticed that his footsteps did not make a single sound despite the stairs looking hundreds of years old.

“No you didn’t. You asked me what I was doing here. You never asked who I was.” You pointed out as the boy got closer.

“Fine.” He groaned a little. “My name is Peter.”

“I’m Y/n.”

“Well hello, Y/n. Now tell me, how did you find this place?” The boy asked as he walked in a circle around you.

“You mean the giant abandoned castle at the top of the hill? I don’t know. I guess I just looked up.” You replied as you followed him with your flashlight.

“Ah. I see.” He chuckled shortly. “You’re one of the sarcastic ones.”

“One of the sarcastic whats?” You laughed awkwardly. You suddenly couldn’t see the boy anymore and turned around in circles with your flashlight pointed in every corner.

“Humans.” Peter said as he suddenly appeared behind you. You jumped and turned around with your hand over your heart.

“Aren’t you human?” You asked him, staring to grow nervous.

“I used to be.” He said simply and took another step forward. You could see his face perfectly now with your flashlight pointed at him. He was ghastly pale with hallowed out cheekbones that were highlighted by your flashlight. His eyes were blood red and the skin around them was a deep purple. Despite all of this, you found him inexplicably beautiful. At least, you did until he opened his mouth and you saw his

“Fangs.” You gasped and took a step back.

“Don’t worry. I don’t bite.” Peter smirked a little and took a step towards you. You trembled in fear as he slipped a hand behind your head and dipped you towards the ground, exposing your neck.

“That hard.” He added before opening his mouth and getting ready to bite. The fear immediately left your body and you started to laugh. Peter dropped you in confusion and looked at you until you stopped laughing.

“I’m sorry. I just wasn’t expecting that. Are all vampires this corny?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry! I’m really not trying to be mean. I guess I just thought that vampires would be a little more Robert Pattinson in Twilight and a little less Adam Sandler in Hotel Transylvania.”

“Twilight is a disgusting misrepresentation of my kind.” Peter scoffed and folded his arms.

“Clearly.” You said in disappointment. “Because where are the golden eyes? Where’s the angst? The battle scars? The bag of eggs Emmet carries in the first movie?”

“What? What are you even talking about?”

“Forget it. This is why I hate talking to people who aren’t die hard Twilight fans. We have nothing in common. If we can’t talk about the comforting bluish tint of the first Twilight movie, then what are we even supposed to talk about?”

“Are all humans this annoying?” Peter asked and rolled his eyes at you.

“Honestly, yes. And if you think I’m annoying, you better hope you never run into someone who studied abroad in college. It’s literally the only thing they can talk about.”

“You don’t shut up, do you?” Peter asked you.

“No I do not. But don’t worry, Mr. Vampire. I won’t bother you anymore. I’m outtie.” You patted his chest and started walking towards the door. Peter felt a pain in his chest at the sight of you leaving and reached his hand out towards you.

“Wait! You can’t leave.”

“Why not?” You stopped walking and turned out.

“Don’t you know consequences of your own actions? You entered a vampires home without being invited. That means you are now cursed to reside here for all of eternity.”

“Oh my God.” Your eyes widened. “You’re Beauty and the Beasting me?”

“I don’t make the vampire rules.” Peter shrugged.

“Well who does? Please don’t make me have to ask to speak to your vampire manger.”

“Vampire rules were made thousands of years ago by a small group of the very first vampires to exist. They wrote out the rules for vampires to follow from then to eternity.”

“Oh. Just like Americans.”

“What? How?” Peter scoffed.

“You’re saying a small group of white dudes created the laws that everyone else was expected to follow for the rest of time with no consideration of different demographics inputs or the constantly changing state of the world?”

“Yes. That’s what I’m saying.”

“Yeah. That’s like super American of you.” You told him.

“Gross.” Peter grimaced.

“You’re telling me.” You said with a roll of your eyes.

“Never mind all that.” Peter waved his hand. “The rules are rules. You are now my prisoner for all of eternity.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” You said and pulled out your phone. Peter watched you curiously as you dialed a number and held the phone to your ear.

“Hey dad. Yeah, it’s me. Nah, I got Beauty and the Beasted. No he didn’t use those specific terms. A vampire. Yes, a vampire. No I didn’t do this on purpose! Dad! Just because I like those movies doesn’t mean I would get myself trapped -you’re not even listening to me. Dad. Can I just- ugh. Fine. I’m in that creepy tower on the hill. What do you mean which one? How many hill top creepy towers do you know about? Yeah that one. You can try to come get me but he said I’m stuck here for all eternity. That’s what he said. I don’t know. Let’s me ask.” You said and took your phone away from your ear.

“Hey Peter?” You asked.

“What?”

“What’s the address of this place?”

“There is no address. And don’t even bother trying to be recused. Your barmy father will never be able to get you out of here.” Peter shouted. You gave him the side eye before picking up your phone again.

“Hey dad. Did you hear all that? I don’t know. Let me ask.” You said into the phone and put it down again.

“Hey Peter?”

“What?” He yelled in annoyance.

“What does barmy mean?” You asked him. Peter balled his hands into fists and resisted the urge to smash your phone into a million pieces.

“Hang up the phone before I drain you of your blood and hang you above the fireplace!” He screamed.

“Damn. Chill out.” You whispered harshly as you covered the speaker on your phone. Peter felt a little bad for yelling at you but that went away quickly when you went back to your call.

“Okay. I’ll just text you my location then. Bye, daddy.” You said cheerfully before hanging up. You slipped your phone back into your pocket and turned to Peter.

“All right. As fun as this has been, my dads on his way.”

“But the rules-“

“There are no rules.” You cut him off. “You may have to follow some ancient vampire rule book, but I don’t. You physically can’t keep me here, so I’m gonna go.”

“Don’t go!” Peter protested when you walked towards the door again. You could hear the desperation in his plea and turned around to look at him.

“Please. I’ve been alone for so long. I won’t force you to stay. Just please don’t go yet.” He said in a softer voice.

“If you don’t want to be alone, why don’t you just leave too?”

“And go where?” He asked with a defeated shrug. You looked at him for a minute and felt sympathetic. You had a family and warm house to go back to. He probably had no one.

“How long have you lived here?” You asked him.

“169 years.” He answered. You turned your head to the side but couldn’t conceal the laugh that came out of you.

“What?” Peter wondered.

“69.” You laughed. When Peter didn’t laugh too, you quickly stopped smiling.

“Sorry.” You mumbled.

“It’s fine.” Peter said quietly. He walked away from you and went to sit on the steps. You followed his gaze and saw that he had a perfect view of the grand window. From there, you could see cars and people passing by at the bottom of the hill. You looked back and him and noticed the step he was sitting on was worn down, as if he sat there all the time.

“Well clearly I can’t keep you here. You’re free to go.” He told you without ever taking his eyes off the window. It made you sad to think of him all alone in this castle, just watching people live their lives without having any idea he was up there.

“I was always free to go.” You said in an attempt to make him laugh.

“Yeah. I suppose you were.” He said quietly and looked down at the floor. You looked between him and the door a few times before letting out a groan.

“Why am I so nice and good to others?” You whispered to yourself before taking your phone out.

“Oh no. Oh me oh my. This can’t be!” You said in over exaggerated exasperation as you looked at your phone.

“What is it?” Peter asked curiously.

“My dad just texted me. He can’t come to get me yet.” You lied.

“Really? Why not?” Peter asked with the excitement evident in his voice. You realized you didn’t think that far ahead into your lie and quickly tried to come up with something.

“He’s um, he has chlamydia.” You lied, immediately regretting it.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Real bad case too. He said he’s bed ridden for the next 24 hours.” You continued to lie.

“So you have to stay here all night?” Peter asked, unable to hide the smile that broke out on his face.

“I guess so. At least it’s not all eternity.” You shrugged and pretended to be upset by it. Peters smile grew so much that you could see his fangs. You smiled fondly at him, finding it cute how excited he was to have you stay.

“Come with me. I’ll show you to your chambers.” Peter said and held out a hand. You smiled shyly at him before placing your hand in his.

“Ooo. Sounds fancy.” You said as he lead you up the winding staircase.

“I think you’ll like it.” He said sincerely, making your heart grow fonder for him.

When you got to the top of the stairs, Peter took a candelabra off the wall and used it to light your way down the hallway. You cousins help but feel excited by the ambiance of the night. You were being led down the candle lit hallway of an ancient castle by a handsome vampire and it was kinda the coolest thing that had ever happened to you. Peter looked over his shoulder at one point and when he saw how excited you looked, he felt pride in his chest. He continued to hold your hand until he reached the biggest room in the castle.

“This is my room?” Your jaw dropped when you stepped inside. It was a picturesque Victorian bedroom with a huge canopy bed and chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Everything was black or red, exactly how you’d picture a vampires room to be.

“Do you not like it?” Peter asked nervously.

“Are you kidding? It’s beautiful. This is bigger than my room at home. And way cleaner.” You said as you ran your finger along the dusty wardrobe. Peter laughed as he watched you blow the dust off your finger.

“I’m glad to see your sense of humor didn’t die with you.” You said when you heard him laughing.

“I’m not dead. I was just bitten.” Peter said simply. You stared at him for a second and felt that fondness return.

“I know the feeling.” You said softly.

“You do?” Peter asked, your flirtation going right over his head.

“Yeah. I mean, metaphorically.”

“Well I’m not speaking metaphorically. Someone quite literally bit my neck and now I can’t be around garlic.” Peter said as he took a seat on the bed.

“So that’s true? Vampires really do hate garlic?” You asked as you sat as well and faced him.

“Of course we do. Where do you think that myth came from?”

“I don’t know. I thought all of that vampire stuff was just a scary story to tell kids.”

“Some of it is. But some is true.” Peter told you. “You see, if you go back and look throughout history you’ll see that vampires or some form of blood sucking creature exists in every culture. But all these cultures had these stories from before they were able to communicate with each other. That’s because they weren’t made up stories or myths. They were real. Vampires have always existed. Just not exactly as you were told.”

“Interesting. So if I threw holy water at you, would you melt?”

“I wouldn’t melt, but I’d burn.” Peter replied, secretly hoping you’d ask him more questions.

“And what about mirrors? Can you see your reflection in those?”

“Of course we can. Where did you hear that one?” Peter laughed as if it were silly to even suggest.

“Wizards of Waverly Place.” You mumbled in embarrassment.

“Sounds like a reliable source.” Peter hit noted you.

“It was. Juliet couldn’t see her reflection when she was on a date with Justin.” You replied. Peter smiled as he uncovered more of your personality and wanted to know more.

“What else have you been told?” He asked and leaned on his hand.

“That you have no shadow. And cannot be photographed.”

“That one’s true. I don’t have a shadow. But that’s mostly because I don’t go in the sun.”

“Do you sparkle in the sunlight?” You asked with a teasing smile.

“No. But I do burn. I may be undead, but I’ll always be white.”

“Interesting.” You laughed. Peter laughed as well and felt himself being happy for the first time in years. He hadn’t sat down and had a real conversation with someone in a very long time. And the time it had been since someone asked him about himself was even further in the past. Now that he had you, he didn’t want to let you go.

“Do you have any other questions for me?” Peter asked and tried not to sound as hopeful as he felt. It didn’t work, but you didn’t mind. You thought it was endearing that he just wanted to be asked about himself.

“I have tons. I just didn’t want to annoy you.”

“You’re not annoying me at all. I enjoy the company actually.” He admitted, making you smile. Peter returned the smile, giving you another view of his fangs. You thought about the small information you had on his past and felt your heart ache for him.

“For those 169 years you’ve lived here, have you been alone?” You asked in a softer tone.

“Most of the time.” He smiled sadly. “I get squatters now and then and I’ll have them for dinner.”

“Like, you invite them to stay for dinner?”

“No. I drink them. For dinner.“ Peter said as if it were the most casual thing in the world.

“So that myth is true? You really do drink blood?” You asked, equal parts scared and excited.

“I do.” Peter replied, excited to see that you were excited.

“Are you gonna drink mine?” You asked and leaned forward a little.

“I haven’t decided yet.” Peter replied, leaning in as well.

“Oh. Okay. Let me know when you do.” You told him as your eyes dropped down to his lips.

“I will.” He replied as he titled his head to the side. You felt a gravitational pull towards Peter and knew if you didn’t stop yourself, you’d end up kissing this stranger. You quickly got off the bed and pretended to look around the room

“So, uh, do you sleep in a coffin?” You asked ti fill the awkward silence you had created.

“A what?” Peter asked, still wondering if you were about to kiss or if that was just in his head.

“A coffin. That’s another vampire myth. You guys sleep in coffins like this.” You explained and folded your hands over your chest the way you’d seen vampires do in movies.

“Oh, yeah. I used to do that but it kinda hurt my back so I stopped.”

“Really?”

“No. Why the fuck would I sleep like that? That looks so uncomfortable. And how would I be able to breathe if I was inside a coffin?”

“I’m just asking.” You rolled your eyes. “I’m trying to see what’s myth or not.”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” Peter smiled sheepishly and you felt your annoyance dissipate.

“I guess I’ll forgive you. Since I’ll be here for all eternity and what not.” You smiled teasingly at him.

“I thought it was just 24 hours?” He humored you.

“Same thing.” You shrugged. “If you don’t sleep in a coffin, there where do you sleep?”

“Come with me and I’ll show you.” Peter said as he got off the bed. He took your hand again and led you up another winding staircase. You went all the way to the top of the castle and reached a room at the end of the hall. There were huge windows all covered in red velvet drapes except for one that was letting the moonlight pool in. Peter’s bed was even bigger than yours, but his bed frame was empty. You looked over and saw that ye had pulled his mattress over to the floor in front of the window. When you looked out that window, you saw he had a perfect view of the city below. You knew he must’ve done that to aid his loneliness and felt sorry for him once again. Peter saw what you were looking at and joined your side.

“Anything else you want to know?” He asked as he looked at you. You looked at him for a minute as the one question on your mind begged it be brought up.

“I gotta ask.” You said, almost apologetically.

“Oh no. Here we go.” Peter rolled his eyes a little, knowing exactly what was coming.

“Do you guys really hate werewolves?”

“Not at all.”

“Really? So you guys get along?” You asked hopefully, your deepest fangirl fantasy coming true.

“No. Vampires don’t hate werewolves because werewolves do not exist.”

“What? Come on. If vampires exist, werewolves must exist.” You insisted.

“If they do, I’ve never seen one.”

“Ugh. I wish I was a werewolf so I could wolf out right now and prove you wrong. That would be such an epic moment.”

“Would it?” Peter teased you.

“I think it would.” You scoffed and playfully shoved his shoulder. Instead of pulling your hand away after the shove, you squeezed his shoulder before moving your hand down his arm with tiny squeezed.

“What are you doing?” Peter chuckled but didn’t mind your actions. He was just happy to be touched after so long.

“I’m trying to see if you guys are actually ice cold.” You said and moved your hand from his arm up to his neck and face.

“And?”

“You are. Jesus Christ.” You laughed and took your hand away once you felt his cold skin.

“Does that bother you?” Peter asked quietly.

“Not really. Why would I care?” You shrugged.

“Yeah. Why would you?” He repeated, a hint of sadness in his voice. You could tell you had squashed some sort of hope inside him with your answer and wanted to let him know that just because you didn’t care that he was cold didn’t mean you didn’t care for him.

“Being cold to the touch is so not an issue. It’s nothing a few sweaters and some fluffy blankets can’t fix.” You followed up, making Peters smile return to his face. You smiled back and felt that fondness for him once again.

“Besides, the cold never bothered me anyway.” You added just to reassure him.

“The cold never bothered me. I like that.” Peters smile grew as he looked at you.

“Thank you. I definitely just made it up and did not steal it from a popular animated franchise.” You said as your eyes darted to the side.

“What?”

“Nothing.” You said quickly. “Changing the subject, what do you do for fun around here?”

“That’s not a vampire related question.” Peter pointed out.

“I know. It’s a you related question.” You said and shoved him again just because you knew he liked it. Peter smiled when he felt your touch and leaned into it.

“Well I don’t really know. I guess I don’t really have fun around here.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because I’m 169 years old. I’ve done everything I needed to or wanted to do.”

“So now what? You just dwell here in the darkness by yourself?” You laughed.

“Pretty much.” Peter answered, making your smile drop. You were just kidding but realized he wasn’t. You looked back at his bed in front of the window again and imagined him dragging it over there to feel less alone.

“What?” Peter asked when he saw your face.

“Nothing. It’s just….that sounds lonely.” You said quietly.

“That’s because it is.” Peter said with a sad smile.

“That makes me sad. I don’t want you to be lonely.”

“What do you care? You just met me.”

“Just because I don’t know you doesn’t mean I can’t feel sad for you.” You told him.

“Oh. I guess not.” Peter replied, his sad smile slowly turning into a fond one.

“Is your family like you? Are they vampires too?” You asked, hoping he at least had a family to keep him company.

“No. Only I was bitten.” Peter said with a shrug.

“Wow. At least you got to spend their whole lives with them.” You said in an effort to lighten the conversation.

“I didn’t actually.” Peter admitted. “I had to leave them a few years I was bitten. I wasn’t gonna age and I couldn’t exactly tell them why.”

“Oh.” You said quietly as your eyes fell to the floor.

“What’s wrong?” Peter asked when he noticed your solum expression.

“Sorry. It just sounds like being a vampire isn’t as fun as I thought it would be.”

“Yeah. It’s not as fun as I thought either.” Peter admitted.

“Are there any parts you do like? What about turning into a bat? That’s gotta be fun, right?” You asked in an attempt to cheer him up.

“I can’t turn into a bat.” He deadpanned.

“Well damn it Peter! I’m trying to make you feel better.” You exclaimed. You felt bad for shouting at him, then confused when you saw him smiling.

“What? Why are you smiling?”

“Nothing. I just haven’t heard someone say my name in years.” He said with a cheeky smile. You smiled in return as an idea came to you.

“Well Peter, since we’re having a sleepover tonight, it’s only fitting that we play some classic sleepover games.”

“Like what?” Peter lit up in excitement.

“We could have a pillow fight.” You suggested.

“These pillows are hundreds of years old. Hitting you with one would five like getting caught in a dust bowl.” Peter chuckled and hit a pillow to emphasize his point. A cloud of dust expelled into the air and you understood what he meant.

“How would you know? Were you alive when the dust bowls were going on?” You teased him.

“You mean the 1930s? No, I wasn’t.” He laughed.

“Well I don’t know if I believe you.” You clicked your tongue. “Let’s see. What else what else what else? Oh! I know. We can play truth or dare.”

“Okay. Sounds fun.” Peter smiled happily. You took a seat on his mattress in front of the window and patted the space in front of you, signaling for him to sit. Peter smiled shyly and padded across the floor to sit on the bed with you. You exchanged a look with each other and you felt butterflies flutter up in your chest.

“I’ll go first. Truth or dare?” You asked Peter.

“Truth.” Peter answered.

“Damn. I was gonna dare you to prove that you don’t sparkle in the sunlight. But that’s fine.” You sighed. “Tell the truth, who’s the last person you kissed?”

“This girl named Betty in the 60s.”

“You haven’t gotten action since the 60s?” You laughed in surprise.

“I’m a gentleman. And aren’t you only allowed to ask one question?” He whined.

“Fine. Ask me.” You said with a roll of your eyes.

“Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Who’s the last person you kissed?” Peter asked your question right back.

“You know, I also kissed Betty. She was kind of a slut.” You said out of the corner of your mouth. Peter laughed but you could tell he was disappointed that you didn’t actually answer.

“I’m kidding. I’ll have you know that I’ve never actually kissed anyone.” You said pointedly.

“Really?” Peters eyes widened.

“Don’t say it like that.” You shoved him again. “I’m only 22. I have all of eternity to kiss someone. The opportunity just hasn’t presented itself yet.”

“I was 22 when I was bitten.” Peter said with a soft smile. “I feel like I’m stuck at that age no matter how many years I live.”

“Hm.” You hummed. “We’re not so different.”

“I guess not.” Peter smiled as he looked into your eyes. You held his gaze for a minute before snapping out of it.

“Truth or dare?” You asked to change the subject.

“Truth.”

“Do you want me to leave?” You asked him. You knew he wanted you to stay, but you wanted to hear him say it.

“No. I don’t want you to leave at all. I want you to stay.” Peter said matter of factly.

“For how long?” You asked with a coy smile.

“Again with the two part questions.” He shook his head at you, making you smile.

“Sorry.” You chuckled.

“It’s all right. Truth or dare?”

“Dare.” You decided.

“I dare you to come closer.” Peter took you by surprise when he said. You immediately obliged and scooted closer to him so that your knees were touching. Peter gulped, not having expected you to actually do it. You tweaked your eyebrow up at him to let him know the ball was in his court.

“Truth or dare?” You asked him and leaned in closer.

“Truth.” He said and an idea started to form. You tilted your head to the side, away from the window, so that the moonlight lit up the skin of your neck.

“Do want to drink my blood?” You asked innocently and ran your fingernails down your neck. Peter watched you do this and gulped loudly.

“Very badly.” He admitted. “But I won’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because then I’d lose your company.” He said simply. You couldn’t help but smile at his response and looked down at your lap.

“I thought you didn’t like my two part questions.” You said and looked up at him through your eyelashes.

“I made an exception.” Peter shrugged and leaned in a little.

“How kind of you.” You replied and leaned in as well. Peters eyes dropped down to your lips before looking back up at you. Your lips circled into a smirk to let him know you had seen this.

“Truth or dare?” He asked you as he eyes fell down to your lips again.

“Dare.”

“I dare you to kiss me.” He said respectfully but assuredly. You immediately obliged and leaned in the rest of the way to kiss him. For your first kiss, having it with a vampire was pretty impressive. Peter put his cold hands on your flushed face but you didn’t mind the chill. You smiled into the kiss when a thought suddenly came to you.

“I just got an idea.” You gasped and pulled away.

“What is it?”

“It’s Halloween. And you’re a vampire.”

“Yeah, so?” Peter wondered.

“So half the people down in that city are dressed as vampires too. No one will know yours isn’t a costume.” You said as you pointed out the window towards the city. Peters eyes widened when he realized you were right.

“So I could leave?” He asked quietly, not wanting to believe it incase it wasn’t true.

“Why not? You’re allowed to go down and have fun for a night.” You told him, making him light up with a smile. He looked down at the city again and let out a happy sigh.

“I’ve always wanted to go down there. Will you go with me?” He asked hopefully and took your hands in his.

“Sure. We can do whatever you want.” You said and pressed your free hand against his cold face. Peter leaned into your palm and wrapped his fingers around your wrist.

“I have to be back before the sun rises.” He reminded you.

“That’s okay. We’ll be back in time.” You assured him.

“Okay. Then let’s do it!” Peter shouted in excitement and got off the bed. He held out his hand and pulled you up before spinning you around in his arms. He set you down when a troubling thought came to him.

“But…will you go home after?” He asked with a sadness in his red eyes. You smiled softly at him and shook your head.

“No. Not tonight. I’ll stay here until morning.” You assured him. Peter grinned again, baring his fangs at you now that all his worries were taken care of.

“Then let’s go. I don’t want to miss another minute.” Peter said and took your hand. You ran down the hallway together and down the stairs until you were outside the castle. Peter took a deep breath of the outside air for the first time in forever before running down the hill. He never let go of your hand, even when you reached the city at the bottom of the hill. You walked hand in hand with Peter as he looked at absolutely everything. The two of you waved to the little kids in their costumes and a few people even complimented Peter on how real his fangs looked. You gave him a knowing smile each time and he felt his heart swell from the feeling of being known.

“This city is amazing!” He exclaimed and spun around in a circle.

“I know. So what do you want to do?” You asked him.

“I just want to walk around and be apart of the crowd.” He answered honestly, making you laugh.

“Okay. We can do that.” You took his hand again and went back to strolling the streets. You took him to all your favorite scenic spots and anywhere you saw people performing on the streets.

“Someone just handed me candy.” Peter whispered in your ear at one point. You looked down and saw that he had a handful of kit kats that he clearly didn’t know what to do with.

“Yeah. That’s pretty normal for Halloween.” You laughed and took one from him. You ripped open the packet and broke the Kit Kat in half as Peter watched in amazement. He had never seen this candy before and was impressed that you knew exactly what to do with it. You took one half of the Kit Kat for yourself and placed the other Kit Kat in Peter mouth. He didn’t like it, but he didn’t tell you since he could tell that you did. Once he swallowed his candy, he worked up the nerve to lean in and kiss your cheek to thank you for what you had done for him. He saw the goosebumps on your skin from how cold his touch was and immediately felt insecure. He took his hand out of yours so that he couldn’t make you any colder but you just picked up his hand again.

“Are you sure the cold doesn’t bother you?” He asked quietly. You gave his hand a squeeze before leaning in to kiss his lips once again. Peter blinked in surprise when you pulled away but quickly smiled with his fangs.

“Yes.” You told him. “I’m sure.”

Tag List 🏷️

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#peter parker fanfiction #peter parker x reader #vampire!peter Parker x reader #vampire!peter parker #peter parker x you #peter parker imagine #peter parker fluff #arvin russell fanfiction #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland fluff #tom holland fanfiction

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one-more-fangirl · 10 months

Text

al haitham—confusing man

al haitham confuses the shit out of you. always has, always will.

he has never been one to like the spotlight, his nightly pouts and grumbles about his new charge as the grand master acting grand master only highlight that fact (“why must they call for me at every hour of the day? i mean i can barely leave my office! they are such pests, honestly” he will deny ever whining, by the way). still, it’s a weird combination with how his “zero fucks given” at everyone else’s opinions of him.

the asshole—because he’s an asshole, one you’re in love with, but an asshole nonetheless—has the audacity to scoff at you every time you look over at him with furrowed brows and a concentrated shift in your eyes, as if you’re trying to decipher the most complicated scroll the akademiya has to offer. he scoffs because unlike you, he has no trouble at all understanding you and the things you do. granted, you make sense when this man, doesn’t.

we’ve established that you’re very much in love with haitham. the feeling is incredibly reciprocated. like, incredibly. he’s a bit stoic and he’s also a bit of a grumpy pants and a little shit, but he’s so soft (to your absolute surprise, not that you’re complaining). this is the guy that brushes off every crumb that’s left around your lips and then eats it, the guy that that plays footsie fights with you under the library and cafeteria tables, that opens the doors and pulls out the chairs for you, who glares at whoever makes you uncomfortable until they run away—and isn’t afraid of start verbal passive aggressiveness either—, and the guy that latches on to you every night and late afternoons when he gets out of his office.

this man is putty in your hands.

so why oh why, does he avoid your affection? this is a relationship, a two-way road, he deserves to receive as much as he gives. yet in the month and a half that your relationship has been a thing—after years of pinning, kaveh would like to add—al haitham has refused to accept any other form of affection that wasn’t holding hands, a brush of your hand through his hair or cheek, or a quick hug.

"why are you like this?" you all but blurt at the cafeteria.

al haitham looks up from his book, and scoffs.

"don’t scoff at me, i’m serious!" you whine, "you’re looking so pretty there reading whatever book that is and i wanna shower your face with kisses, but i know you won’t let me! you’ve no idea how hard it is to contain myself."

"i would’ve thought you’d have more self-restraint," he comments, returning to his pages.

a huff leaves your lips, and if al haitham didn’t know any better, he’d think you’re going to leave it at that. but he’s smart, and he knows better, so he’s not surprised when not even ten seconds later, you’re back on track.

"it’s just- it’s weird! ‘cause i know you’re not ashamed of me, and i know you don’t like it when others meddle in your life because “it’s not their business”," you rant, adding a little imitation of your boyfriend, who is looking at you again, amusement swirling in his eyes, "but you never give a shit about doing what you want!"

as you ramble on about how weird he is, and how you don’t understand why he’s so against of kisses, al haitham only stares at you. the tips of her ears have started to grow hot, and he’s overly aware of how the heat is probably starting to leave a rosy trail on his neck and cheeks. he fights the urge to hide his face behind his book.

"i mean at this point, i’m starting to think you’re scared!" when you say it, it comes out with a chuckle, a “ridiculous, i know” message behind it. and that’s when al haitham chokes on air and is attacked by a coughing fit.

you blink thrice. one, two, three. three times. boyfriend’s dying next to you, you just stare. by the time he’s done and over—no thanks to your help—your brain cells have finally decided to connect. his book is usually lower than that, his ears and red and it is not because of the coughing, and he’s avoiding your eyes. you soften them in response, reaching a hand to take his.

"you don’t have to be scared, baby. it’s okay," your smile is understanding, and alhaitham hates it.

his other hand runs through his hair and falls on his face, the book forgotten on his lap. whether he’s frustrated or trying to hide his embarrassment, who knows. in the end, he sighs. he seems to have accepted his fate, and coming clean should prove to be the smartest move.

so, he turns to you, and still hesitant, meets your eyes. it’s rare to see this man flustered, the fact that it’s because of something he has to tell you sparks a tiny smugness in your chest, tingling. small smirk tugging, you sink your teeth. keep it in, this is serious.

"so," he starts, "i uh- i’ve never... i wanted to- shit," alhaitham ends up clearing his throat, his ever growing blush taking up most of his face now, "i wanted our first kiss to be special. because i’ve never kissed anyone so i wanted to make sure i did it right."

awe. he’s adorable. i mean look at him, still forcing himself to look you in the eyes, even when it’s painfully obvious he wants to take the book back and hide behind it forever. worse, he’s spotted your small smirk, and he’s already frowning and taking his hand back.

"no, no, no, wait!" you chase him when he speeds away, having to run to catch up to him. this asshole can really get away when he wants to, "haitham, hold on, come back! i’m not making fun of you."

curse his long legs, he’s already out of the place and in the hallways when you finally make him stop. stubborn as ever, and a little bit hurt, he looks ahead. curse his height, too.

"i’m not making fun of you," you repeat, taking his hand again, "it’s just, i can’t help but feel giddy that you’ve never had your first kiss, and that you want it to be me," the small smile shows up once more, "but you don’t have to worry about making it special, because anything with you is."

he doesn’t miss a beat.

"that’s so cheesy," his nose curls back as he looks at you.

you scoff.

"says the guy who’s so worried about kissing me special."

"fuck you."

"no, i want that to be special too."

#al haitam x reader #al haitham #al haitham genshin #al haitham fluff #al haitham x y/n #al haitham x you #genshin impact #genshin impact fluff #genshin scenarios #genshin impact x reader fluff #genshin x reader #genshin x y/n #genshin impact x you #genshin fluff

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glassprism · 11 days

Note

Opinion on chumisa? She’s gorgeous but haven’t heard much of her

So, keeping in mind that I tend to just skim over reviews and I don't really get hyped over actors a lot...

I really liked her. Like, she was very, very good.

And it's pretty incredible considering the video I have of her that she's only barely started the role, but there we are: Chumisa Dornford-May feels like she came into the production already having a good idea of exactly how she wanted to play Christine and how she wanted to act certain scenes and string it all together to show her character's arc, and she went and did it. Now all that's left is for her to refine it.

Some highlights: from the get-go I loved how she played 'Think of Me'; I think it's very tempting to go the happy, joyful route a la Gina Beck, and I like that interpretation! But she acted the song in a way that was more appropriate to the lyrics she was singing, sometimes nostalgic, sometimes wistful, sometimes distant and grieving. It gave me a great sense of Christine as not only a good singer but a good performer too.

In terms of whether she was a Phantom or Raoul girlie, I'd honestly say neither, though if pushed I'd say she maybe leans a little more towards Raoul. Her Christine in the lair scenes was not necessarily afraid or angry at the Phantom, but she did feel rather resistant to him, especially compared to some of the other Christines in the role right now (e.g. Lily Kerhoas and Colleen Rose Curran). There were moment where she would melt a little, seemingly going, "Oh, this is kind of nice", but much of the time, she appeared more wary than anything else, unsure of what the Phantom was up to.

I also say she's not quite a Raoul girlie because she acts similarly in the rooftop scenes. In particular, her 'Why Have You Brought Me Here' was played like she was trying very hard to convince Raoul of what she saw and was angered that he kept trying to calm her down rather than actually attempting to understand her. Her Christine doesn't just want to tell Raoul what's going on, she wants him to believe her. She was also noticeably less giggly than other Christines during 'All I Ask of You', at least in this performance, and I liked how it kind of flips the dynamic between them: whereas earlier it was Christine trying to convince Raoul, now he has to be the one to convince her that all is goodness and light, and I'm not fully sure she bought into it.

What else? Oh, in 'Twisted Every Way', she did something that I first saw Yang Chen Xiuyi do in the Chinese production, which was to turn very hopefully towards Raoul when he says, "Christine, Christine, don't think that I don't care..." It's like she thinks, or wants to think, that Raoul is going to back down and call off his plan, which makes it all the more devastating when he doesn't.

And finally, by 'Point of No Return' and 'Final Lair', her Christine had definitely reached her limit with the Phantom. I really enjoyed how you can see Christine working out that it's the Phantom onstage with her during 'Point of No Return', slowly drawing out her phrases as the wheels in her head spin and then committing to continuing the show to catch him. (Never mind about the stuff after.) She delivered a truly contemptuous, "Please, Raoul, it's useless" in the 'Final Lair', and I think she gave a truly angry kiss to the Phantom. It felt very similar, interestingly, to her dynamic with Raoul on the rooftop; she seemed to be using the kiss to desperately try to convince the Phantom away from his current path (using the power of making out to stop the cycle of abuse and trauma!). Such was the quality of the video that I'm pretty sure I saw tears on her face during the kiss, and Chumisa Dornford-May played it, I feel, like it was due to the overwhelming catharsis of emotions she was experiencing: anger, grief, betrayal, terror, all of it being released into this one grand moment.

The only flaws I really noticed had to do with her singing. Most reviews have pointed out she belts some of the score; I didn't notice it too much, but I definitely heard it during 'Wishing'. It wasn't the worst place to belt - she did it during the last stanza, where Christine is usually singing pretty loudly anyway, likely to add volume to her singing - and I didn't mind it too much, but it was jarring. There were also a few parts where her voice was a little quiet, and small scenes where Christine was not the focal point but she could done a little more in her acting, or just paused and let the scene "breathe" a little (which, in fairness, is something most actors new to a role will do, rush through the show).

But honestly, those were minor nitpicks in what was otherwise a really great performance. And this is her early in her run? I can only imagine what she'll be like with a few more months under her belt!

#GP gets asks #anonymous #GP reviews

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dangermousie · 9 months

Text

How to do character studies in a scene that is ostensibly about nothing much

The weiqi game between FL, cousin and 17 is my favorite scene in these two eps because it so brilliantly illuminates all three characters (and shows why cousin would be such a bad fit for FL while 17 is a good one.)

Basically, Cousin wants to play weiqi with 17, who is apparently known as a weiqi genius. But FL is grumpy because she’s the one who wanted to play against cousin (who is not interested because she’s terrible.)

For cousin, of course he wants to play against the best; it’s insane for him to play against someone who is useless (he can’t hone his skills or learn against a bad player.) It’s sort of a parallel of him only being interested in people in this village if they are useful to him. But 17 has no interest in that. He wants whatever would make FL happy.

The thing is, this does not come across as weak or codependent or pathetic in the least. This is a man who is secure in his priorities - and for him playing a game is immaterial in the grand scheme of things, but making FL happy is important. That does not impinge on his dignity or his will or his masculinity. He just someone who cares about the wellbeing of his loved one and making her happy is way more important than some random game. He has no particular ego interest in showing off how good he is or beating some other dude or w/e, not even in a “if I show off how smart I am, she will dig me” way - because he assumes the utterly sane but so rarely practiced position that you know what would make my loved one happy? They know that better than I do so why don’t I listen to what they say will make them happy. Quite different from cousin who is very much “I know what’s best for you” type.

What sticks out here is twofold - FL’s dedicated attempts to deny she cares (her very denial confirms she does) and the teeth 17 shows to Cousin as compared to his meting look at FL. This is very much a dog thing to me - he may be loyal as hell to his owner but anyone else he can certainly bite!

Heeee, they agree on her playing cousin but 17 advising and I love the positioning with FL and 17 a team against cousin.

This is honestly so brilliant! 17 advises her but when she wants to go a different way, he doesn’t even demur, he is fine with it and easily agrees. The utter indignant shock on cousin’s face is glorious. But that’s the thing, I can’t see cousin ever acting like this even if he knew FL was his long lost XY. (Or if he did, he’d make a show of it - he’d act this way because he wanted to consciously demonstrate his caring - as opposed to 17, where it’s not showing off or demonstration, he’s genuinely not sacrificing anything because the point of this game to him is making FL happy and nothing else.) Even cousin’s question highlights that he does not understand 17 at all - 17 does not “let” FL do anything because “letting” would imply a degree of control or desire for same and 17 never feels that, he just wants to love her and make her happy and if there is any ownership thoughts it’s his wanting to be owned by her not the other way around.

The above is your future life cousin ahahahha (he’s a great, complex character who reminds me a lot of LCY from Goodbye My Princess but I do NOT like him as a person.)

And once again she ignores his advice and he Does. Not. Care. His priorities in this game are so different from cousin’s that they might as well be playing two different games. He knows what move is better (and it’s his) but he is fine with her picking her own move or agreeing with his - what matters is that she gets her choice, whatever that choice is.

Cousin keeps trying to center it back on him and 17 just refuses.

The moves were hers but he is the one who takes the responsibility for losing and I love that so much. The whole calm acceptance of losing, the whole taking responsibility on himself tho he didn’t have to - I just love the man.

And then we get the below little coda:

This man, with his good heart and utter lack of ego is a total keeper.

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. I am so impressed by the screenplay, the directing and Deng Wei’s acting because it’s so hard to make unalleviated goodness interesting but 17 is so layered and complex and fascinating and real and yet utterly good at the same time.

#cdrama #deng wei #yang zi #zhang wanyi #lost you forever

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goldyluna · 5 months

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I just had an impuls of drawing Sara and Shin with wings and it became an AU. Everything began with one "what if"! And then it became this. Your Turn To Die: Purgatory Trials.

In the world between life and death is a Purgatory. A place where people have a chance to go back to live, to their homes and loved ones. But if they can't do that, their existence will stay only in the hearts of living. As everyone suddenly appear in an unfamiliar place, they find themselves with two easy choices. Play Games to Live or Die.

And there are these things. They call themselves Guardians of Purgatory. They looked like fallen angels, with no way to say for sure if they were there to really guard them. Will they be of any help or everyone's destined to perish?

Second part here and third part here

Below, you can read my "little" ranting about characters! (There may be spoilers if you didn't finish the game)

Guardians may or may not be bad. Even if they don't have evil intentions, their own existence makes others nervous and uncomfortable. Their appearance is too grand and too vague to feel secure in most cases. They feel godly-like and omnipotent. Their faces blank, without expression. And even if they can't do anything serious, they can't hurt anyone with their hands... How could you trust someone in a place like this?

I will write their normal names as I have no idea how to name them differently and what they could represent (like "Laughing Doll" or "Crying Doll"). I really wanted everyone to have clothes and elements resembling their oryginal selves. To give them things that symbolize them.

Sara Chidouin - She is our main protagonist in YTTD, but here she is one of the Guardians. Her voice is strong but gentle. Her movements are with purpose. She will most likely try to help children or people who aren't doing well. Sara isn't innocent. We know that in simulations, she could be ruthless. I don't say that she is evil and a demon with angels face. Everyone except Shin sees her as a good person that they could trust. I wanted her to look so open, so graceful and kind, but at the same time, I gave her horns covering her face and dark wings. Not because I think she is more on a bad side, but to highlight how she is. Kind and wanting everyone to live and escape, but being able to wreak havoc if she felt like she needed it. In the end, she could have any personality a player chose for her. I think I did her a justice with her design.

Gin Ibushi - He, honestly, gave me trouble with the design. Especially with clothes. I knew I wanted him to have a mask and wanted him to be warm. Warm in colors, expression, pose. Warm with attitude to others. He, as a Guardian, is the most liked one. Almost nobody can hate him. He likes to play and usually helps others in a trade for playing with him. He never would do anything bad to anyone, but because he seems as the most naive and weak one of fallen angels, there are people that want to hurt him to try leave any other way than win the Games. Gin would never hurt someone back, but fortunately (or unfortunatelyto those that did the unforgivable), other Guardians aren't that good to not get rid of the offender.

Shin Tsukimi - He and Sara were my first "Angels" to sketch. He is also a little villainous in the game, but he still is one of my favorites. I can understand him, even if I think he could do things differently. His whole persona in this AU may be a little biased by me and my vision about him. Especially that this is an AU. He, as the Guardian, isn't trusted by others that much at first. He doesn't really go all his way to help others and sometimes ignores those who need his assistance. He usually can be seen near Kanna and then is more likely to say something useful. He can help, too, if he thinks someone can give or tell him something he needs. Why would he need anything? Doesn't he know and have everything? And why does he have this key?

He also has the wound on his chest as a connection to someone... that you will see in next character chart xD and kinda to his death in ch2.

I still am figuring this AU and have another 3 "Angels" in making. But for now, have this thee!

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ajwamiju · 4 months

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Scene 7: Reviews

CW: None

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Thanks to the rehearsals you and Suna did, the rest of the filming went by smoothly with minimal fits of laughter, even for the scenes where Hiroki and Kumiko were implied to have been intimate not long before the scene is supposed to take place (You and Suna bursted into fits of laughter a grand total of 10 times! You would’ve had 50 if you weren’t comfortable with each other).

When you and Suna watched the clips you shot together of that particular scene, you were amazed by both your and Suna's abilities to look so genuinely in love with each other, lying in bed, and holding each other while you both acted out your characters having some pillow talk in a more heartwarming scene of the movie.

“To think our situation was basically the blind leading the blind.” Suna comments as the two of you sit in the bus rented by the studio to bring the crew back home to Tokyo. “The arguments Kumiko and Hiroki had were fucking intense, I think that series drained me more than my 6-year career.”

“They were.” You agree as you nod your head. “I absolutely cannot wait to get back to acting in horror movies. They're much easier than the series we did.”

Suna glances around for a bit before leaning in to whisper in your ear. “Wanna shit on the series when it finally comes out?”

“You don't even have to ask!” You laugh as you lean back into your seat. “Thinking about it, Kumiko and Hiroki were fucking toxic man, don't think they’d actually work out if they were real people.”

“That's true. But I guess they did redeem themselves at the end there when they talked everything out.” Suna shrugs. “I don’t know how our reputation will hold up after this drama comes out, though.”

“I guess we just have to take the L and move on as if we’re not the main characters of the drama.” You sigh. “Even the best actors have a stain in their career.”

The drive from your last shooting location in Kyoto back to Tokyo takes a while, but you don’t feel just how long it is. During the 6-hour drive, you mostly either slept or talked shit with Suna and your crew, gossiping about the latest scandals of celebrities or their secret activities that would get them into scandals.

You and Suna exchange addresses before you both part ways, promising each other to keep in contact and hang out as you click well with him (you also know you both have intentions to star in the same horror movies together and that’s another reason why you’re keeping contact. But that’s honestly a given).

You would contact Suna frequently and you would even meet to hang out during your cooling period before you get another job, the highlight of these hangouts is when you two got to watch the finalised version of the drama you starred in. You both cleared your schedules for the whole day and spent watching all 12 episodes in one day, shit talking and cringing at yourselves as the story unfolds into Director Kurosu’s vision.

“This is never going to get good reviews from anyone.” Suna says as he skips the end credits of episode five to go to episode six.

“Yeah, the trailer’s out and literally the whole internet is confused as fuck.” You comment as the recap for episode five starts. “The first impression from our fans doesn't look good.”

“Let’s just look for a good horror movie to star in by next month. That should steer the public’s attention away from whatever this is.”

What you and Suna didn’t expect though is that the drama you both starred in ended up as a huge hit, to the point where it’s one of the most streamed dramas on all streaming platforms. Fans of both the romance and horror genres banded together to praise the drama as well as you and Suna for your 'phenomenal acting'.

“[Surname]-san and Suna-san’s acting were so good 😭😭😭 I’ve always known they were well-known in the horror genre, but I never knew they would also be this good at doing romance dramas!” -xxTsumufan123, 5 stars

“I’ve been a big fan of Suna-san’s works and have been DYING to see him in a movie with [Surname]-san since I also love her movies. I never thought I would see my dream come true in a romance drama but I’m deffo not disappointed 💯💯💯” -User89302, 5 stars

“Kumiko and Hiroki’s characters fit [Surname]-san and Suna-san so well! The plot of the drama isn’t that light-hearted so it also makes it feel so real and not forced!!! I can’t wait to see them in future instalments, doesn’t even matter if it’s horror, romance, or even comedy!” -Sunasveinythickthighs, 5 stars

“I’m so used to seeing Suna-san and [Surname]-san dying or killing, literally covered in blood. This is a breath of fresh air.” -Yamiki8294, 4.5 stars

You and Suna agree that you’re both dying at the outcome of this drama as well as what’s to come in the near future.

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Taglist: @mirophobic @atrashsith @lilith412426 @rntrsuna @reignsaway @fallenisded @sunaemoby @buttercupp-baby @akari-fujikawa @omlxlaure @soonajeeme (Drop it here to be included in the taglist!)

#haikyu x reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #haikyū!!#hq fluff #hq x reader #suna fic #suna fluff #suna rintaro x reader #suna rintarou #haikyuu fic #haikyu #hq suna #hq fanfic #suna rintarō #suna x reader #suna rintaro haikyuu #suna rintaro x y/n

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drinkingbitterboy · 8 months

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alright. i have emotionally recovered from miles posting on instagram this morning, which truly threw off my plan to do a little concert recap bc i was busy yelling at my phone/on tumblr. as you do.

a couple notes:

i don't really do concert photos; literally took a grand total of 4 during the actual show. so sorry, don't have much there!

i did not get a poster :( turns out they ran out before AM even went on stage?? i'm sad, but not too pressed bc really i'd much rather have a good view than wait in the merch line.

here we go!!

so getting into the arena was kind of a shit show lmao. we rolled up around door open and the line stretched 5 city blocks and doubled back on itself; it was mostly organized but asshats loved to pop in when the line got broken up by the streets. took us almost an hour to make it our five blocks and the line behind us was still just as long by then. at least folks waiting by us in line were nice! beyond nice conversation the true highlight was outfit spotting. shoutout to the absolutely dedicated guy who showed up in the full on fwn clown outfit complete with face paint by himself. in this weather! found a couple folks dressed exactly like the car alex (again, why are you wearing a blazer in this weather) and you know. felt real old about it seeing some of the other concert outfits. i'm sorry, not to be judgemental of the tiktok girlies, but holy shit. i managed to out myself once as a weird fan about it bc i had "inside knowledge" aka i saw the ig stories james and davey posted lmao. i'm so sorry i'm incapable of holding it in when i want to correct someone. had a grand time talking to some people in line next to me around my age; one of them even had an old sias shirt from seeing them live back then! good bonding about "hey what have you done since they announced this album?" one guy switched jobs twice, we got married, and the other couple had a baby. jfc.

further highlights include the person who wrote the batphone and cheeseburger notes, a couple other car truck bits i didn't take pics of saying things like "who the fuck are the arctic monkeys", and the true comedy of whoever designed the tickets. big mike wazowski energy

fontaines dc sounded great! a lot of folks around me had no clue who they were, though. so the crowd wasn't too excited overall. also i have no idea who put together the playlist in between sets bc it was nuts.

and then: the big reveal (that i then updated tumblr on)

i'm really surprised the whole set made it! the anticipation before they took the curtain down was absolutely palpable. also, didn't get a picture of it but at one point someone had a giant pole and was trying to poke something right at at the top of the frame of the screen. no idea what that was about but it was hilarious. not pictured: the bonus screens on either side of the stage.

an aside: my partner is fucking hilarious. every time a roadie came on state with an instrument he'd go "i don't think that one is a monkey." he also generally calls them the "monkfys" anyway bc he really latched onto that clip aksdjfs

so this was interesting! they didn't show the body paint symbols at all on any of the screens; instead, they showed this colorful wheel thing.

and then the actual show. oh my word. opening with sculptures was absolutely my dream and honestly i don't have words for what it's like to see alex in person. he's absolutely captivating. hypnotizing. one of the most amazing things is watching how he proceeds through the show--how he goes from suave and put together with his choreographed arm movements for emphasis and his little things like the little bubble pop in that song. and then he starts to loosen up (along with his hair), we get the silly dramatic theatre kid during cornerstone and do me a favour, and by the time we hit body paint he's just completely letting loose. even when they played much of the usual setlist and i obviously know the music super well--better than anyone else around me--it was still absolutely thrilling to just be there and listen to the music and sing loudly and jump around until we felt the floorboards creak. they felt really high energy last night! turns out coming off of a break is good for them!

related, getting to watch the transformation into the poofy lion hair in real life is incredible.

i must admit, i am not immune to things like alex waving in our general direction to the crowd and walking over to our side of the stage and all of the charming bits. just can't help it.

otherwise, the only other person i could consistently see was nick - we were standing stage right, maybe 15 yards back? so you know. gorgeous as always. i'm sure jamie was wonderful also in his insane leather jacket -- didn't see him at all lol. i managed to get a very convenient window to center stage so i actually saw alex a decent amount. worked out well because i couldn't actually see the screens super well. i'm short. here's the only two pictures i actually took of the band, right at the beginning:

and now for the rest of the setlist -- we all know they played a lot of the usual suspects. as expected, much of the crowd was pretty young and very invested in only AM and the hype songs. i didn't mind; at least i wasn't the only person screaming for perfect sense (weren't a lot of us, i was the only one in my general area, but that's alright. i don't care.) my spouse was entertained by the person next to us who looked up the spotify set playlist in between every song; he was like "why look it up? if you don't know the songs well enough to identify by intro then how is the list supposed to help?" anyway, holy shit when is snap getting out of the playlist? and yet even though i was not thrilled by it it was still so fun to sing along.

4 out of 5 had a really funny bit at the end while he was just kinda ad libbing lines. "four stars out of five, not quite there yet, but almosttttt." teddy picker and view from the afternoon were absolutely fantastic, too. and then we get the basic AM bits again, though turns out the crowd was also really hype for fluorescent adolescent. 10/10

i was so goddamn loud for perfect sense. shoutout to the spouse again for only knowing that song bc i learned to play it and then played it constantly bc i wanted to manifest it aksjdflaskdj

he was constantly saying "very nice. very nice. very good" in between songs, which was adorable. "hope you're having a lovely evening, folks." as my partner put it: "very good. that's him like yes, i've met my crowd interaction quota for the night"

and then of course we brought out the drama for do me a favour and cornerstone. i cracked up that there were already gifs of the "forcing a smile" bit by the time i got home.

mirrorball started with alex conducting the stings again. i love it so much. also makes my musician ass miss performing lmao. but really, i can't get over how good mirrorball is. it's so dramatic, so emotional, then the actual mirrorball reveal??? i cried. it's insane. it's beautiful. it's honestly indescribable. i generally don't like people filming a lot or taking tons of pictures but you know what? mirrorball is an exception. holy mother of god.

and then 505!! i know i mentioned this earlier but really??? the mirrorball is only lit up like this for 505 and then they pull it back up?? there better be a mirrorball for me, he says, then we pull it down for the very miles song, and then they get rid of it???????? i had some thoughts.

our end of the stage got a bit distracted during do i wanna know bc we had someone go down in the crowd and had to call someone over to help. good news is that they were pretty close to the wall/barrier so it was easy to make space. even so, i realy can't get over how good that guitar sounds.

and then body paint. we've all seen videos of the extended outro and really, truly, it's just a life-altering experience to watch it life. it sounded incredible, it looked incredible with the rainbow lights, everyone looked like they were having a blast. i am a little biased bc i'm so attached to that song i'm getting tattoos about it on monday lmao. but man. not over it.

and finally the encore. ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE?????? i was NOT expecting it and absolutely lost my shit. unfortunately at this point bc we did some shifting around i no longer had a good view of anything. so it goes.

dancefloor, as always, was an absolute jam. bonus points bc now it's forever associated with our wedding. and r u mine had the place going nuts bc you know, the AM only folks, but really, i am also not immune to how hard that song goes.

all in all, that concert was absolutely incredible. i had an absolute BLAST and it was such a joy. i loved getting to be loud and truly did not care that there were bits where i was the only one who knew all the words. even my partner who is only really a tangential am fan had a really good time. they sounded amazing. i'm absolutely still on a high from it. hopefully the transition to a smaller venue again after the huge stadium tour was nice for the band, too!

and now time for some more coffee.

#my show #if you actually read this thank you!

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