#i really wish they’d set up the reveal better but it was still a great breakdown imo | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mymoodwriting · 1 year

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11.7k, yandere, vampires, memory manipulation, drugs, disassociation, needles, kidnapping, self-inflicted wounds, restraints, knives, blood (@starillusion13)

Welcome to Happy Vampire Village

The name was silly, but you understood why they had chosen it. When the vampires revealed themselves to the world, everything changed. They were no longer a fairy tale, but a very real being that had quietly lived alongside humans for centuries. It wouldn’t be so easy to hide in the modern world, but they also saw that humans had changed. Now all they wanted was to peacefully coexist without either side living in fear of the other. Of course that was easier said than done, so this lovely little place had been set up. A small village where vampires and humans could live together, to show that they weren’t bad.

You couldn’t really remember why you had agreed to it, but here you were. The idea was to live with them in this village for a few months and then share your experiences with the world. Although it was just you, one human living with eleven other vampires. The first few weeks were certainly awkward on your end. The boys were all very friendly with you, too friendly, in their attempts to ease your worries. Honestly you didn’t really believe they were vampires at first until you stayed up late one night with them and saw more than you were ready to handle. It seemed they came alive once the sunset.

Their eyes had a crimson glow, and they proudly showed you their fangs. You understood they could still eat human food, and enjoy it, but their main food source was blood. They had their own specialized food and drinks that were laced with blood, as they didn’t want to straight up drink blood in front of you. Once you got to really see them as what they really were, it really helped break the tension. They were like you, they just had a different diet, and could do things that you couldn’t. Looking at it that way, you found yourself coming to terms with the fact vampires were real, and for the next few months they’d be your next door neighbors.

“Morning, y/n!”

“Morning, Sangyeon!”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yup. My arm feels a bit sore, but otherwise I’m fine.”

“That’s good to hear. Breakfast is all set out so you can come join us.”

“Great.”

Since the idea was for everyone to get along, you shared all your meals together. There was a big open area behind one of the houses with multiple tables put together. Everyone took turns cooking throughout the day, getting help from others as well. Although they were all way better cooks than you, which was funny considering they didn’t need human food. Still, it was a great talking point and something to make you feel more at ease around them. If you didn’t know they were vampires, you’d probably never figure it out.

“How are you guys so good at cooking? You don’t even need human food.”

“But we still enjoy it.” Juyeon explained. “Not to mention we lace it with blood, so it’s important to know how to make it right.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“You’re a pretty good cook yourself.”

“Thanks. I had to teach myself to cook if I was gonna be able to live on my own.”

“How long have you had your own place?”

“Uh, a while now. I’ve lived alone since my second year of Uni.”

“And what were you studying?” Eric asked. “Perhaps the arts so you could be a TV star?”

“I don’t think I’m made for TV.”

“You never know.”

“Eric.” Sangyeon hissed. “Behave.”

“I know, I know, I was just saying.”

“What about you guys? I know it’d be silly to ask how old you are, but what exactly did you get up to while in hiding? What did you do to pass the time?”

“Everything and anything.” Kevin began. “Study, learn to play instruments, or sports. With practically endless time you can fully invest yourself in anything of your choosing.”

“Lucky. I wish I could do as I please, but I was wondering if you had a job or something.”

“It’s difficult for us to have a job.” Jacob added. “We have to constantly hide our true selves, and it wouldn’t be easy to socialize with other humans.”

“You have a point. It sounds lonely though.”

“We had each other.”

After breakfast you helped wash the dishes. There were plenty of group activities to participate in to pass the time. Although, since quite some time had passed, Sangyeon suggested fixing up the houses. A new coat of paint, adding some lights, a big group project for everyone to participate and show their personalities through their preferences. You were excited as you had never done something like this before. The first day of the project you all figured out how you wanted to proceed, picking out the colors and planning what to put where.

When you actually started you decided to work on the painting. At first you painted the outside walls with Younghoon, both of you making conversation. He seemed to have experience in all this so he guided you on how to do it properly and have fun with it. Of course the harder to reach parts required a smaller tool. Once the walls had dried you got on a ladder to paint the undersides of the roof. You were humming and in your own little world, not aware that the ladder was unstable, not until you lost your footing. You yelled, expecting to hit the ground, but instead found yourself in someone’s arms.

“Hyunjae?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… yeah, thanks.”

“You should be more careful, we wouldn’t want you getting hurt.”

“But I’m okay thanks to you.”

“True.”

No one allowed you back up on a ladder, so you stuck to the groundwork for the rest of the day. Good progress had been made so you had a campfire at night to celebrate. After roasting marshmallows you all sat around. Haknyeon handed you a glass of lemonade to cool down. The afternoons were hot, and even if the nights were cool, you could always use something more to wind down. The lemonade was always delicious, and you wished Jacob would share his secret with you. He wouldn’t but he assured you it was safe for you to drink.

“You guys live in big houses don’t you?”

“Yup.” Juyeon said. “Why do you ask?”

“You must have done a lot of redecorating over the years as new trends came to be and all that.”

“Oh yeah, it was always a hassle but fun too, just like this.”

“It’s getting late.” Sangyeon mentioned. “You should get to sleep y/n.”

“Yeah, you’re right, busy day tomorrow.”

You smiled and wished everyone a good night, heading back to your own little house. It was easy to fall asleep as you were tired and looking forward to tomorrow. The night was peaceful and you were ready for the morning. Once again no one let you on a ladder, but there was still plenty to do. Some things were being torn down and rebuilt, so without realizing you ended up nicking the palm of your hand on something. You yelled, and then immediately started worrying. This was the first time you had hurt yourself here, and it was probably the first time they had smelled fresh blood in a while.

You were scared, and quickly wanted to get back to your place so you could clean yourself up. As you rounded a corner though you came face to face with Chanhee, his eyes glowing red which you knew wasn’t normal during the day. His gaze was only on you for a moment before he looked over at your hand. You pulled it close to your chest, taking a few hurried steps back. You thought of running only to bump into someone else, Sunwoo. His eyes were red as well, making you all the more fearful. You wanted to say something but it was all getting caught in your throat.

“Y/n.”

Sangyeon suddenly appeared and pulled you closer to him. He glared at the other two, baring his fangs and hissing at them. Before you knew it you were inside one of the houses, not yours, and were in the bathroom, Sangyeon having you run your hand under warm water.

“Are you okay?”

“I… yeah… I’m sorry…”

“For what?”

“My hand…”

“Are you saying you cut yourself on purpose?”

“No! But… fresh blood… Chanhee and Sunwoo…”

“I will scold them over that later.”

“Sorry…”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It would have been a miracle to make it through all of this and not have you get hurt.”

“Still…”

“They’re still young, and fresh blood is always tempting. So don’t apologize for their lack of control. I smelled the blood immediately and would have stopped them.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s disinfect the wound and then wrap it up.”

Since Sangyeon seemed to know where everything was, you figured this was his place. He sat you down while he gently treated your wound and bandaged it up.

“Stay here for a bit while the blood flow slows down. I’ll have a word with the others.”

“Okay.”

You didn’t hear anything about your injury since then, but on occasion you’d catch some of them staring at your bandages. You didn’t say anything about it either, not wanting to get any one in trouble. Things were as they were with no real changes, but celebrating a vampire’s birthday was something very unexpected. They didn’t share their age with you, but it was a good night for celebrations anyway.

“Happy Birthday to you!”

Everyone cheered as the candles were blown out. It was gonna be a little bit of a celebratory night. You probably would have been up for hours if Haknyeon didn’t wind up bumping into you, causing you to spill your lemonade all over yourself.

“Oh shit, sorry.”

“It’s okay, I’m fine.”

“Probably need to call it a night.” Changmin commented as he came over with a rag. “You shouldn’t be in these kinds of clothes for long.”

“Yeah, I guess I should go to sleep. Don’t stay up and make so much noise.”

“We won’t.”

You said your good nights and went home to shower and get to bed. You were tired from the day so you fell asleep easily, although you wound up waking up in the middle of the night. This was a first for you, and you were so groggy. You lazily got up and went to one of the windows that showed you the front. You could see the boys moving about, and you went over to the front door. You barely took a few steps outside before someone noticed you.

“Y/n, what are you doing awake?” Kevin asked. “You should be sleeping.”

“I… um… I don’t…”

“We’ll be quiet, okay, let’s get you back to bed.”

Kevin gently led you back inside and into bed. He tucked you in and pressed a kiss to your head. You swore you saw a bit of red, but exhaustion pulled you under and you went back to sleep with ease.

❤

The next morning felt like any other, and you didn’t really recall your late night stroll. No one else brought it up either, so it felt more like a dream. Everything else continued on as normal, and you forgot about the incident. That is until your next strange night. You were up late with the boys, having a bit of a festival. Jacob had given you a glass of lemonade to cool down with after some dancing, but before you could take a sip Chanhee pulled you away for more dancing. Another hour or so later you finally decide to call it a night, heading to bed. You were exhausted enough to fall asleep quickly, but woke up randomly a few hours later.

You didn’t think too much of it, simply getting up and going to the kitchen to get yourself a glass of water. As you drank you stared out the window, doing a double take when you saw two people floating in the air. You nearly panicked before remembering that vampires could fly, they just didn’t do that when you were around. You watched them for a while, wondering what they were doing when a knock on the glass pulled you back down. Eric was standing outside with a smile on his face. He waved at you and motioned for you to open the window for him.

“What are you doing up?”

“No idea, I was thirsty though.”

“Well you should get back to sleep, don’t want you tired in the morning.”

“I could just sleep in.”

“The others would miss you.”

“As if you aren’t nocturnal creatures.”

“But we’re all together here and it’s important to socialize. This is all about you, remember?”

“Yeah… I’ll go back to bed, don’t worry.”

“Alright. Sweet dreams.”

The glowing red eyes were something you had gotten used to, but not the flash of red. It always made you a bit dizzy, but it was nothing harmful. You went back to sleep with ease, but come morning there was something on your mind. In all the weeks you had been there so far you hadn’t had trouble sleeping until now. Even at the beginning when you were nervous to be around them you could still fall asleep with ease and get plenty of rest. Nothing had happened as of late that should affect your sleep. If anything things had gotten better, so it made this all the more troubling. It had been on your mind all day, and of course that wasn’t gonna go unnoticed.

“What’s on your mind?” Haknyeon asked. “You seem very quiet today.”

“Oh it’s nothing, just trying to figure something out.”

“Which is? Perhaps I could help?”

“Doubtful. Just had some weird nights and was trying to figure out why.”

“Maybe you slept on your arm or something, nothing to worry about really.”

“Don’t you all sleep in coffins though?”

“Occasionally… but you won’t find those here, I promise.”

You chuckled. “Would have been cool to see.”

“Speaking of cool.” Haknyeon disappeared for a moment. “Here. A little something to cool off.”

“Lemonade is the staple of this little village, huh?”

“Our special recipe.”

“Thanks.”

Usually you get sick of things when you have them every day, but the lemonade was always refreshing and tasty. You tried not to focus on your sleep habits and enjoy the rest of the day. You turned in early, and thankfully had a peaceful night of sleep. Everyone had their sleepless nights, if anything it would be weird if you always slept well, so you stopped worrying about those nights. Even if you had troubles, you didn’t have any responsibilities that needed you to be well rested. You could always sleep during the day like a vampire if anything.

“How about a movie night?”

“Huh?”

“We haven’t had one in a while.” Younghoon explained. “Is there a movie you want to see, we can get it all set up for tomorrow night.”

“Not a bad idea, nothing scary though.”

“Fair.”

“But… how about an old vampire movie?”

“Seriously? You want to embarrass us?”

“I want your commentary.”

“Okay. I’ll ask Sangyeon and hopefully he won’t say no.”

“I’d be very upset if he did.”

“Noted.”

You two got some lemonade and made a toast for good luck with tomorrow’s movie night. You drank first, Younghoon watching you before taking a sip of his drink. You were excited for the next night, managing to sleep well and wake up with a lot of energy. Sangyeon had agreed to your movie suggestion although the others weren’t aware of the film until it started and they all quickly looked over at you. A shy smile was on your face, but they could see that you were going to enjoy the night. Even though you had seen the movie before, you were so immersed because it was a new experience. You didn’t touch the popcorn or lemonade, just asking questions and listening intently as you got a glimpse into the vampire world.

It was definitely a stay up late kind of night so at some point you ended up falling asleep. When you woke up you saw that you were still outside, and were all bundled up in a blanket. You looked around but didn’t see anyone else around. You managed to get up, keeping the blanket around you. Once you got up you knocked over the lemonade and popcorn around you. It had remained completely untouched so the smallest of movements made it fall over. Now that you were up you felt a bit thirsty, seeing other lemonades around and grabbing one. You only took a few sips before realizing it had a different taste. You were getting worried when a voice suddenly caught your attention.

“Y/n? What are you doing awake?”

You dropped the drink from the fright and Juyeon quickly picked you up in his arms. His fast movements startled you, but you were alright for the most part. You were feeling a bit dizzy though, grabbing onto Juyeon.

“Easy there, are you alright?”

“Yeah… just… dizzy…”

“You should go back to sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

“Hm…”

You looked up at Juyeon to see his red glowing eyes, leaning against him. You weren’t feeling so good and shut your eyes. Some sleep would do you good, and hopefully you’d feel better tomorrow. That was the idea but you certainly felt sore in the morning. When you woke up you just stayed in bed for a while. You didn’t want to get up just yet, but you were also thinking about something else. The lemonade you had last night was different than what you were used to. Maybe it was because it had been left out for a couple hours, but something said there was more to it. There was only one way to find out really.

“Jacob.”

After getting out of bed you went out to find Jacob. He was setting up his cute little stand so you were just in time.

“Hey, good morning, did you sleep well?”

“For the most part. I’m a bit sore but I’m okay.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“So, I was wondering if I could help you with your lemonade stand. You make lemonade for us every day and I haven’t had a chance to help you yet.”

“If you want to, I don’t mind the help.”

“Awesome.”

You helped squeeze the lemons, although Jacob was still secretive with his recipe. Before you even knew it he had made the lemonade, and came over to hand you a glass.

“Here you go. For all your help.”

“Thanks.”

You gave Jacob a big smile, and took a sip. It tasted just like usual, and that’s what you expected. There were more glasses on the table, and when Jacob stepped away you went over and took one. As you feared it tasted different, but before you could really think about it Jacob came over and took the glass from your hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Why does it taste different?”

“Huh?”

“The lemonade. The one you gave me and the ones on the table have a different taste.”

“I… uh… there’s blood in it…” Jacob mumbled.

“What?”

“There’s blood… in the lemonade… except yours… the one specially made for you… that’s why it tastes different…”

“Oh…”

You started feeling a bit sick over what you had tasted, running off before Jacob could say anything. Not to mention scolding yourself over jumping to conclusions. You weren’t alone for long before Chanhee found you. He had overheard everything, not surprising actually, the others probably knew too.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine… just feeling silly…”

“We probably should have mentioned it earlier. We just wanted the lemonade to be something we all shared naturally, but of course with our diets it would still be different.”

“I know… I just had other things in my head… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

“You’d never do such a thing.”

Even if you slept well you still felt silly over the whole lemonade incident. Although you didn’t really want to drink it anymore. The next day you played games all day, and focused on that. You were offered some lemonade multiple times but you never really drank it. You had lots of fun though, so by nightfall you were very exhausted. You would have thought you’d sleep through the night but instead you woke up. It was probably stress and the whole incident, but you tried to move past it. You got up and got a glass of water. As you looked out the window you didn’t see anyone around, so you decided to sneak out.

You went over to the hillside, wanting to stargaze, but when you looked up there was a starless sky. It was all black, the only light coming from the lights by the houses. It was weird though, cause you could have sworn you’ve seen stars in the sky before. The last movie night you had came to mind, but maybe you were imagining things. You still stayed where you were, laying back on the grass and looking up at the sky. It was a peaceful night, and you were lost in your own head that you didn’t notice someone approaching. Not until they laid down next to you, looking over at you.

“Hello.”

“Sangyeon…”

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to stargaze, but there are no stars… I could have sworn there was.”

“Maybe you’re confusing it with a movie.”

“I think so too.”

“Anyway, you shouldn’t sleep out here. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

Sangyeon didn’t hesitate to pick you up in his arms, carrying you bridal style back to your place. You could never really get used to the red eyes, but you had to admit they looked nice. Something soothing to see before you fall asleep.

❤

The next morning your arm felt sore, but you didn’t mind it. This time around you’d be helping out with breakfast, which was always quite a lot since it was for twelve. You were so busy that when you got thirsty you just grabbed the nearest drink and chugged it down. Then you grabbed another until you finally realized the taste. This wasn’t your lemonade, and the realization made you faint. By the time you came to you were in bed, and it seemed to be dark out. You looked over and saw Hyunjae and Changmin at your bedside. When they saw you were awake they jumped up.

“Y/n! Are you okay?”

“We were so worried about you.”

“Hm… what happened?”

“We don’t know, you just suddenly collapsed.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you guys. I was just lost in thought and ended up drinking your lemonade… when I realized I kind of freaked out…”

“Gosh, you really scared us.”

“Sorry…”

“As long as you’re okay.”

“Yeah… I should probably go back to sleep though.”

“We’ll let the others know you’re okay.”

“Hold on a second.” Changmin went to get you a glass of water. “Here. You should have some water since you didn’t have much all day.”

“Thanks.”

As you drank the water you noticed a strange taste similar to that of the lemonades. You didn’t say anything though and just thanked the two and went to sleep. Come morning your mind went back to the same issue about the lemonade. Something was wrong. You got out of bed and got yourself a glass of water. It tasted nothing like what you had last night, but presumably you got it from the same place. You couldn’t really go to any of them with your concerns, so just kept it to yourself. As you thought it over you looked back on the nights you had woken up, and if there was anything in common.

You basically had lemonade every day, it was a staple in the little village, but now that you think about it, you didn’t actually drink it on the days you woke up in the middle of the night. It could just be a coincidence, but every other time you slept fine you could recall drinking the lemonade. This all sounded crazy to you, but there was a way for you to test it. That day you got your special glass of lemonade but you didn’t drink it, spilling it out onto the yard when no one was looking. As you feared you wound up waking up that night. It could be a one off, you needed to run more tests, so you decided to go back to sleep on your own.

You were drifting off when you suddenly felt hands grab you. A loud scream ripped from your throat as you got up, seeing Sunwoo in your room. He screamed as well when you did, quickly apologizing though. That didn’t change the fact you were freaking out. There was no reason for him to be in your room, and all the yelling attracted attention. Soon enough the others had gathered as well, but you were still freaking out and yelling incoherently. Sangyeon came to your side and grabbed your shoulders, getting you to focus on him. As always those glowing eyes were mesmerizing, and he was getting you to do some breathing exercises with him so you could calm down.

“Are you okay?”

“I… I think so…”

“Good. Do you think you can explain to me what’s going on?”

“I… I don’t really know… I was trying to go back to sleep when I felt Sunwoo grab me…”

“Did he now? The boy must have been sleepy and thought this was his bed.”

“I… I guess…”

“He didn’t mean to scare you. Sunwoo apologize.”

“I’m so sorry…” Sunwoo apologized. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Okay… apology accepted…”

“There, see, nothing to worry about. Get back to bed okay.”

Sangyeon tucked you in while the others headed out, some scolding Sunwoo under their breath. You were feeling sleepy so it was easy to just close your eyes and drift off. Although come morning, when you hadn’t woken up in a panic, and could properly put the pieces together. Something was wrong here. Last night, the incident with Sunwoo, was very strange and was making you feel uneasy. You couldn’t let anyone else know, so you did you best to act normal. You avoided the lemonade again, and just went about the day as usual. No one seems to suspect anything, and you decided to turn in early that day. You only pretend to go to sleep, waiting for the night to become quiet.

Once you felt it was safe you snuck out. You didn’t see anyone around at all so you went out to the hillside. Truth was you didn’t trust this place anymore, you didn’t trust them. You kept low, carefully looking back to make sure you weren’t noticed. You had dressed in some sweatpants and a hoodie, hoping that would be alright. As you made your way down the hill you suddenly came to a stop. The sight before you terrified you. At the bottom of the hill, the grass just ended, the road ahead just smooth concrete leading into darkness. This didn’t make any sense, causing you to question everything you had known, but you couldn’t go back.

You swallowed your fear and stepped onto the concrete. You gave it a moment to see if something happened, but nothing, so then it was just one foot after the other. After a bit of waking you get your phone out. There wasn’t much signal in the village, and you didn’t seem to have any here either, but at least you could use your flashlight. Before doing so you looked back, but it was mostly darkness. You turned the flashlight on and aimed it at the ground, moving slowly. You weren’t sure for how long you were walking for but eventually you came to some sort of wall. You slowly lifted up the light, seeing what appeared to be metal. You carefully reached out to touch it confirming it was real. It was a wall, which didn’t make sense, but surely there was a door somewhere.

You picked a direction and followed it. You were scared with every step, wondering if you would find what you were looking for or not. When the structure suddenly changed you took a step back and could make out a door. You reached for the handle, feeling that this was a sliding door. You looked around in the darkness for a moment before carefully sliding it open. You didn’t know what awaited you on the other side, but it brought you to tears. Beyond the door was an empty lot, and as you stepped out you could see other buildings, but most of all you could see the sky. Stars and clouds hung above you as the tears slid down your cheeks. You looked back at the huge building you had just exited, feeling such panic rise in you. All you could do was run.

You turned around and ran, wanting to get as far away from that place as possible. All this, being out here, those monsters had kept you locked up like some animal, playing house and acting like you were friends. For who knows how long you had been living a lie, and you had no idea how you wound up in their grasp. You just kept running, beyond the lot and finding a small town nearby. You could see cars driving on the streets, buildings, and people walking around. There was life there, although you were still too much in shock to just ask for help. You pulled up your hood and made your way over to the town, keeping your head low and looking around. Everyone seemed normal, going about their lives as if you hadn’t been held hostage nearby. Since nothing appeared out of the ordinary you thought it would be safe to find the nearest police station, but then you froze in your tracks.

“I don’t think I’m made for TV.”

Hearing your own voice sent shivers down your spine. You looked around for the source, finding a bunch of kids gathered outside a store window. They were looking at the TVs on display in the store and you cautiously walked over to see what was playing. As you got closer you could make out the images, coming to see yourself on the screen, along with the other boys. As this scene played out you began to remember that day, mumbling the next words spoken to yourself before hearing them from the TV. This whole time your life had been filmed, and now it was on TV for everyone else’s entertainment. You couldn’t believe what you were seeing. You took a step back, feeling as if reality was fading in and out. Nothing made sense.

“Are you the girl from TV?”

One of the kids who had been watching the TV had noticed you. He approached you, and soon the others were aware of you too. They all got closer, and one of them even leaned in to smell you.

“You are! You must be the human from TV!”

The kids eagerly crowd around you and that’s when you finally realize their eyes were red. That shock gave you the energy to run and you bolted down the street, not looking back. You weren’t paying attention though and wound up running into a couple. You stumbled to the ground and your hood fell back, revealing your face.

“Oh, I’m sorry, are you- wait, are you… oh my gosh! Could I have a bite?”

This time you were well aware of the red eyes the two individuals had. You ignored their words and quickly scrambled to your feet and ran off again. You had to get away from such a public area so you bolted into the nearest alleyway, but ended up tripping over something. When you looked back you saw a human leaning against the wall next to a trash bin. You both stared at each other and you noticed they didn’t have glowing eyes.

“Are you… are you human?”

“What? Never seen a homeless human before?”

You didn’t think twice about rushing over to them, which greatly startled them. You didn’t mean to and quickly put your hands up.

“I… I’m sorry… I just… what is going on here… there are vampires… everywhere and… I don’t understand…”

“Where have you been living?”

Even with the strange question, you got an answer. Vampires had revealed themselves to the world, but not in the way you had believed. They took over, seeing themselves as superior and basically turning humans into cattle. Some were even pets, and that seemed to answer the question of what you were.

“If humans got… taken away then how are you still on the streets?”

“We’ve avoided the hunters.” Another person popped out of the trash bin. “That’s the only way to stay out of those care homes and keep our freedom.”

“You two are together?”

“Yup. I’m Shane, and that’s Pete.”

“How long have you been on the streets?”

“A couple months now… maybe longer, honestly lost track of time.”

“So how… how do you survive out here? Can you help me?”

“Where are you from?” Pete asked.

“It’s… it’s complicated…”

“It won’t be easy to feed another mouth.” Shane commented. “We barely manage on our own.”

“Please, I don’t have anywhere else to go…”

“Alright, fine.” Shane hops out of the trash bin and pulls up your hood. “Stay warm. We gotta lay low, that’s the most important.”

“Okay…”

“Come on then, we can stay out in the open like this for too long.”

You didn’t really hesitate to follow them deeper into the alley. They led you into an abandoned building. They found a place to start a fire, safely as they explained to you, and settled around it. You helped find some cardboard and newspaper, needing something to sit on besides the cold floor.

“Here.” Pete offered you bread. “You need to eat.”

This wasn’t what you were used to, but you were grateful. It was better than nothing. You took the bread and thanked him. As you ate and stared at the fire you couldn’t help but think back to the campfires you used to sit around. The fire itself was the same, burning bright and hot, but your circumstances had changed. You really tried not to cry but you couldn’t help the tears. Once you finished eating you laid down on the cardboard, watching the fire and slowly dozing off. Then you suddenly jumped up as you felt a pinch around your neck. You looked around in a panic thinking something had bit you, but then you realized you were completely alone.

The other two were gone, as were the belongings they had with them. You pulled your legs up to your chest, feeling that fear of being alone, and worst of all abandoned. There was nowhere else for you to go and now you were really on your own. You noticed a small bag next to the fire and reached over to it, finding some food inside and a note. It explained that they couldn’t risk having someone else with them, but that they wished you luck. They don’t know what your situation was but they told you there wasn’t any shame in surrendering to the hunters and going to a care house.

The problem was you didn’t want to go back with any vampires, so you were going to have to figure out how to survive on the streets all on your own. You really did need to sleep though, so you laid back down, trying to get comfortable when you heard a noise. Now you were on alert and looking around. You got up and found something to swing like a bat, carefully taking in your surroundings. When you suddenly felt a presence behind you, there was no hesitation in your swing. You were worried about hurting someone, but you weren’t expecting the person to catch your weapon, let alone be a familiar face.

“Haknyeon…”

He ripped the weapon away from you, and then he had his hand around your throat. His grip was firm, and you soon found it difficult to breathe.

“You my dear, are in a world of trouble for the stunt you’ve pulled.”

“Let her go.” Sangyeon ordered. “It’s not your turn.”

Just as he was told, Haknyeon let you go and you collapsed to the ground catching your breath. You were gasping in air when you were suddenly grabbed. For a moment you stared into Sangyeon’s red eyes, and then he was on your neck. You felt a pinch and yelled from the initial sting before you were suddenly overwhelmed by this euphoric feeling. The scream died down, replaced by a ragged moan and a dizzy feeling.

“There, that should keep her docile. Let’s go.”

“But what about-”

“Later, Chanhee. We should get home first.”

Your vision was a blur, but you could vaguely make out Jacob picking you up in his arms. You had no idea where this home was, although all that came to mind was the village. You were taken out of the building and into another alleyway. Jacob was careful to put you into the back seat of a car, having you rest against Kevin’s shoulder. You could feel the car move beneath you, vaguely making out the world outside the window. At first you could see buildings but then that all turned to trees and soon enough you had arrived. This time Changmin got you out of the car and you found yourself before a very big house.

“… where…”

“Sh, we’re home now.” Changmin assured.

“You know where to take her.” Sangyeon said.

“Of course.”

Everything felt like a dream as you were carried up the steps and through the front door. The house was just as big on the inside, like a mansion. You didn’t know much about luxury, but from what you could see, this place was fancy. You were taken into a room and laid down on some kind of medical table. Before you could really process you felt your arms and legs being strapped down.

“… wait… wait…”

“Just calm down, we’re not gonna hurt you.”

Those words didn’t really provide comfort. Especially once you saw the needle and watched it go into your arm. You started pulling on your restraints then, only for them to take advantage of your distracted state and push a gel pill into your mouth. It dissolved on your tongue, and you froze upon recognizing the taste. You had this before in every glass of lemonade they had made for you. This was what they had been giving you for weeks.

“Sorry, but you need to take that.”

You wanted to say something to them, even yell, but you were starting to feel drowsy. Without wanting to, your body relaxed against the table, and you began to have trouble keeping your eyes open. Soon enough you drifted off to sleep in a very unfamiliar place. You didn’t know how long you were out for, but when you regained consciousness your vision wasn’t as blurry. That’s when you noticed the blood bags, and looked down at your arm. They had been drawing blood from you this whole time, every night as far as you knew. It didn’t even make sense, it shouldn’t be possible.

“Oh, I see someone’s awake.” Eric smiled. “Hi beautiful.”

“… what… what is this…”

“Don’t worry, it’s just routine, but you don’t remember that right now.”

Younghoon came over to your side and removed the needle, placing a soft kiss on your arm where a drop of blood bloomed. He liked his lips and smiled at you, sending shivers down your spine. Juyeon then came over and undid your restraints, pulling you into his arms. He carried you out of the room and to another one. It seemed like a bedroom, and you were placed down on the bed. He was going to leave you to rest but you grabbed onto his arm.

“… what’s going on… why did you lie to me… what… what’s real…”

“Sangyeon can answer all your questions after you eat.”

A while after Juyeon left, Eric came in with a food cart. He had you sit back on the bed, placing a tray in front of you. As you moved to lift your arm you got a familiar sore feeling, further confirmation as to what they had been doing with you. Eric noticed you were struggling and decided to feed you himself, which you accepted. It was weird, but you were hungry, and feeling so weak from the blood loss. When you had your fill Eric tried to get you to sleep but you refused. You wanted to talk to Sangyeon before anything else.

“You should really get some sleep.”

“I feel like I’m always sleeping…”

“Touché. I’m rather busy, but I always have time for you.” Sangyeon sat down at your bedside. “So what is it you want to ask?”

“I want you to explain.”

“Explain what?”

“Everything.”

“Well, where do I even start?”

“You could start by telling me if anything of what I believe is real.”

“Good choice.”

Sangyeon was honest with you, or at least you believed he was, there was no way for you to know otherwise. He told you that vampires had been living in hiding for hundreds of years, but decided to make their presence known as it was becoming clear to them humans couldn’t take care of themselves, or the planet. They’re not monsters so their methods were kind, and humans were now well taken care of and the planet itself was also thriving.

“So we’re your pets.”

“Not quiet. You’re more like-”

“Cattle?”

“You are really trying to make us out as monsters.”

“Isn’t blood your food source? Doesn’t that just make us cattle to you.”

“But you’re not animals. It’s true we do need your blood, but why would we be so cruel to our food source? Humans are well cared for. If you’d like I could perhaps arrange a visit to a care house and you could see for yourself.”

“This isn’t a care house, is it? So what am I?”

“You, well, you are our pet.” Sangyeon gently caressed your cheek. “Not every vampire can have one, but we can. You’re our special little girl.”

“Is that why I’m on TV?”

“Hm? Who told you that?”

“I saw it! My face on a screen with the rest of you! My life on display for entertainment!”

“Easy now, there’s no harm-”

“Why does that exist!?”

“Why else? We like to show you off, and it’s good money. Everyone has fun, and your blood.” Sangyeon took your hand and kissed your wrist. “It’s worth quite a lot. You’re famous.”

“So my whole life… it’s been a lie…”

“Not quiet. We’ve simply made it so you believed what we wanted you too. It’s very important as it makes the show, and your performance, all the more authentic.”

“You’re a monster.”

“You don’t mean that. You don’t even remember what your life is actually like.”

“Make me.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Why!?”

“We still have a lot of work to do since our filming schedule has been interrupted. It’s better for you to remain this way until we wrap everything up.” Sangyeon took a breath. “You have caused quite a lot of trouble, but perhaps something good can come out of it. But first, I need to know how you realized you were on a set.”

“…”

“Answer me.”

A moment ago you were just having a conversation, but now Sangyeon was glaring at you with glowing red eyes. It sent a chill down your spine, making you very nervous.

“It was the lemonade.”

“What?”

“It had a weird taste… and my sleep schedule was questionable… then there was the incident with Sunwoo… and the lack of stars in the sky… I knew there was something wrong…”

“Hm. Impressive. You picked up on a bunch of little things out of the ordinary and put the pieces together. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“How did you find me though… I was only gone for a few hours…”

“It was at night. We clean up at the end of the day and take you home. It wasn’t long before we realized no one had gotten you. We searched all over, and then found one of the back doors opened. We could have just tracked you by scent but with your memories things would be more troublesome, so we used the tracking chip.”

Instinctively you reached up to your neck, remembering that jolt of pain you had back in the abandoned building.

“I’m not some animal!”

“But you’re our pet, and plenty of owners tag their pets. We wouldn’t want to lose you now would we. You’re too precious and valuable.” Sangyeon chuckled and pet your head. “Thankfully you’re not on the news or social media, so this wasn’t as big of a mess as it could have been. You should get some sleep though, you still need to recover from the blood loss.”

You didn’t have much of a choice as Sangyeon tucked you into bed, giving you a kiss on your head before leaving you to rest. You laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling, wondering what had happened to the world, and what had happened to you. Even if you didn’t want to sleep you couldn’t deny the fact you were still tired. You weren’t going to go anywhere, so you might as well use this chance to sleep and gather your strength.

❤

When you woke up later you were feeling better, so you got out of bed. You looked around the room, opening the closet to find it filled with all kinds of luxury clothes and accessories. It was all your size too which made it more creepy. You quickly shut the door, not wanting to see any of that. You also didn’t want to stay in this room, so you carefully peeked out into the hall, seeing that it was empty. You made your way out, wandering around. The place was pretty huge, although you stopped to stare at a picture on the wall. The picture was of you and the boys, and you had a big smile on your face.

“What are you doing out of bed?”

You jumped as Hyunjae startled you, having found some way to sneak up on you. Then again as a vampire it was probably easy for him to move around undetected, not to mention you were distracted.

“I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“I’ve slept enough.”

“Then how about some snacks. There’s-”

“Who is she?”

“What?”

“Her.” You pointed at yourself in the picture. “Who is she? Where is she!?”

“Hm… well I guess you can say she’s sleeping…”

“Wake her up!”

“I can’t.”

“What is wrong with you? All of you? Did she agree to this, to be-”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“You, or I guess her, she did agree to this.”

“…”

“What? You think we just rearranged your memories cause we can? No, this was a group decision. Even though this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“Obviously. I still can’t believe I agreed to something like this.”

“Then how about a snack to take your mind off it.”

Before you could object Hyunjae took your hand and dragged you over to the kitchen. It was just as big as you would expect in this place. You felt like you had snuck into a restaurant kitchen. As you looked around Hyunjae rummaged through the cabinets until he found some snacks, handing them over to you, which was surprising.

“What? The snacks were for you, not me.”

“Oh… I… I thought… you were gonna… you know…”

“We can’t all feed off you, but we can draw blood.”

“That doesn’t make sense… you drew blood from me practically every night… that’s not possible.”

“It’s cause of that pill you took.”

“What?”

“It makes you sleepy but also helps replenish your blood faster. Perfectly harmless and very effective. We can draw blood more than once every two months, and no we didn’t do it every night either.”

Hyunjae went over to the fridge and grabbed a blood, opening it up and then hopping onto the counter top. He took a big sip and let out a content sigh.

“Your blood is so sweet.”

“Is that why you chose me?”

“No. It’s just a bonus.”

“Then… why…”

“You were very cute. We went to a care house because we wanted someone here with us since it didn’t have to be just us anymore.” Hyunjae took another sip from the blood bag. “It wasn’t easy though. The amount of paperwork we had to do just to get into the building and see you all.”

“What papers?”

“The basics, like proof that we could care for a human. That we’d be able to provide a good and healthy diet, as well as clothed them, and that we had a good environment for them to live in. Along with other things depending on the human. We had specialists all over the house inspecting it to make sure we were responsible and not lying on the papers.”

“I didn’t know you had to go through all that just to have a pet human…”

“Not everyone can just have one. It’s a big responsibility, and not all vampires have good self control. It is just our nature, and all the more reason to keep your kind safe.” Hyunjae smiled at you. “With all that done we finally got a chance to look around. That’s when we found you, all quiet and alone, sitting in the corner reading a book. When we approached you seemed so uninterested in us. You weren’t scared or anything like that. You seemed to be quite happy since you had all this time for yourself to do as you pleased. We offered you a comfy home so you could have all that and more. So you asked your cute little questions. If you could read all the books you wanted, or paint out in a garden, or watch TV all day or spend a whole day sleeping. Of course the answer to all that was yes, and you know what you said?”

“What?”

“I’ll think about it. We were all so surprised, but it made us all the more interested in you. So one of us went by to see you every day until you finally decided to come home with us. Gosh, the look on your face when you say this place, you were so in love. You had so much space, and such luxurious things. If you weren’t busy with something we would always find you wandering around the halls. Tell me, does any of that sound like you?”

“… maybe… but what about the show?”

“Ah, that. Sunwoo wanted to do something in film, and you suggested a comedy.”

“Wait, it was my idea?”

“More or less. You figured it would be fun if the theme was like a human living with a bunch of vampires and the shenanigans that would come from it.”

“No way…”

“Yeah, and it’s a big hit. Happy Vampire Village. We all did it more for fun but it was a big hit. Everyone adores you.”

“So… I’m famous?”

“Yup. And since you’re around right now, Sangyeon was thinking of taking you to this gala thing that’s coming up.”

“No thanks…”

“Well it’s not entirely up to you.”

“Yo.” Kevin poked his head into the kitchen. “What are you two doing?”

“Just snacking.” Hyunjae answered. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, just wondering if you wanted to hang out. I was gonna get some snacks and watch TV, you in?”

“Absolutely.”

Kevin and Hyunjae grabbed some more snacks and then took you into this home theater room. They were channel surfing and you were vaguely paying attention until you saw yourself on screen. You asked to go back, watching yourself for a moment, remembering everything you saw since this was your life. You couldn’t do it for long though, excusing yourself cause you wanted to be alone. You wandered the halls, figuring you’d find your way back to your room eventually. Although you noticed a door open and heard some clicking noises.

You slowly approached and poked your head into the room. There was low light and you saw Chanhee sitting in front of a monitor. As you looked closer you realized you were on the screen again, and apparently he was editing footage. You caught glimpses of this behind the scenes stuff. To a degree it was interesting, but horrifying as well. Every moment you had spent in the village was recorded. You had no privacy at all. That realization brought tears to your eyes and you ran off to hide, just wanting to be away from any lights or prying eyes.

“I’m sorry we can’t play hide and seek.”

You had been curled up on the floor, hugging your knees to your chest and hiding your face when you heard a voice. You didn’t even look at them, but could feel their presence as they sat down next to you.

“Cause of the chip?”

“Your heartbeat.”

“I hate this place.” You looked up to see Jacob. “It’s like a bad dream.”

“Sorry. We should have done better to make sure this never happened in the first place.” Jacob softly pet your head. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Well, I don’t want to do it.”

“Y/n-”

“How long is that show supposed to go for anyway?”

“Well, going along with your memory, I think there’s only like a month or two left. This was always a side project anyway.”

“And when it’s over? Then what?”

“We have to finish up the show first. We’ll end up erasing your memories to do that.”

“So all this explaining is kind of pointless.”

“Yeah, but it’s important that you feel at ease.”

“I feel like I’m gonna die.”

“I’m sorry… we didn’t mean to make things scary.”

Jacob sat with you for a while before convincing you to go back to your room. It was probably better to be there anyway. Soon enough you were alone again just laying in bed and staring at the ceiling. You thought back on what you had been told, trying to make sense of it. Truth was that the world was so scary to you because it was foreign. Nothing really seemed to be bad. Nobody tried to hurt you, or was mean to you while you were on the streets. Then again you weren’t out there for long. Even now you were living quite comfortably, so you couldn’t know for sure what the world was like.

You wanted to know, to see for yourself, but it was kinda pointless. Apparently you were happy here, but you just don’t remember. You were nervous and scared now, but deep down you had this sense of ease, making you wonder if you should trust the boys. While lost in thought Haknyeon suddenly came into your room. He let you know that you would be attending a gala tomorrow so they needed to figure out your outfit. You didn’t have a say in the matter as he pulled you out of bed and had you stand in front of the mirror. He went through your closet picking out some dresses and seeing what looks best.

“Do I have to go?”

“Yes. Everyone wants to see you, and you don’t have to worry about anything. Just smile and be positive. You can’t talk about the show anyway since we’re not done filming.”

“So I’m just arm candy?”

“Not exactly, but I’m sure you’ll have fun.”

“Doubtful, but I don’t have a choice in the matter.”

The next day you were up early as you had a lot to prepare for. You were given a bath first thing. It was a deep clean and very relaxing, you honestly didn’t want to get out of the tub. Breakfast was a delight, and very filling, kind of reminding you of the good times back at the village. Although there wasn’t much time for reminiscing as you had to get your hair done, and get dressed, along with makeup and accessories. You never really had a moment to catch your breath until later in the evening.

The boys were all dressed in suits, looking very handsome. You thought you’d ride in one of their cars, but should have realized you’d be taking a limo. Even though you didn’t want to go, you were nervous about this whole event. You weren’t a random guest, but someone many were looking forward to seeing. As you arrived at the venue it became more apparent. All the boys reassured you that you looked amazing, and to not be nervous. Just smile and be polite, and no spoilers. The boys stepped out of the limo first, and you were the last, taking Sangyeon’s hand and being met by the flashing lights of the cameras.

It caught you off guard at first but once you adjusted you could see more of your surroundings. As far as you could tell the venue was this museum, and the red carpet led you up the stairs towards the entrance. Many were calling your name and asking you to look towards them with a smile. You weren’t sure if you were smiling, but Sangyeon wasn’t really letting you stop to pose for a photo. You did manage to wave though, and that seemed to be good enough. Although once you entered the museum the atmosphere changed.

The other attendees were happy to see you and said hello, but they mostly seemed interested in the boys. It made sense, they were of the same species and in here you really were more of a pet than some celebrity. You shook some hands and kept a smile, also being reminded not to give spoilers. Still, after the initial greetings the boys just kept you close while they mingled with others. Some calm music filled the air, along with business chatter. You didn’t care for any of it, but you were kind of hungry. As you reached for something on the table Changmin was quick to stop you.

“That’s not for you, sweetie.”

“Huh?”

“Vampire food isn’t good for you. I should probably take you over with the others.” Changmin took your hand in his. “Come now.”

You were confused, but you followed behind Changmin. He took you to another part of the museum. You came across some security guards, which was strange to you, and then you found yourself in this smaller area. It seemed just like the main area, but with fewer people. Before you could ask what this was you got your answer.

“These are the other humans in attendance tonight. So mingle and have fun.”

So this was basically the pet daycare. It annoyed you, but you wanted food more than anything so you went to get some. You feared maybe you’d get some attention here, but besides the occasional glance in your direction, no one paid you much attention. You were thankful for that, these types of things weren’t your scene. So you just sat quietly at an empty table and kept to yourself. You wished you had something to distract yourself with besides food, but soon enough you had company. Another woman came over to your side and sat next to you.

“You’re pretty quiet for a celebrity.”

“I don’t really feel like one…”

“Your fame is rather complicated.”

“Tell me about it.”

“It is weird though, isn’t it, for us all to be here. All the humans gathered in one place while the vampires have their party too.”

“Well, we are their pets after all.”

“And that’s not right. Just because those creatures think they’re better than us, doesn’t mean they are.”

“I mean… they’re pretty powerful.”

“But not immortal. They can still die.”

“Huh… you’re pretty hostile for a pet…”

“Wanna know a secret.” She leaned in close. “I’m not a pet.”

“If… if you’re not a pet… then how… what-”

“You think humans have just given up? There is still a resistance out there. We shouldn’t be living like this. We were once top of the food chain, and now this? We could have been equals with vampires but they chose to take over. They’re cruel creatures who claim to care for humans but I don’t buy it.” She leaned close and tapped your neck. “You know that’s not just some tracking chip in you.”

“What?”

As you processed her words she took your hand and led you out of the room into the hall. It was just the two of you. Before you could ask she told you not to worry about security. They don’t see you as a problem or a threat so they won’t care about you two being out here. She stopped over by some statue, getting something from a hidden compartment. You didn’t recognize the device in her hand but you took a step back.

“What… what is that…”

“It won’t hurt much.”

You don’t know what she did but you suddenly felt a pinch on your neck, reaching over to the area of pain.

“What did you do!?”

“I disabled your chip. Besides tracking you like some dog, it also functioned as an inhibitor. Makes it very hard to have any negative emotions or complex thinking with that thing. It keeps you docile and happy, like some kind of lobotomy.”

“No… no the wouldn’t…”

“You should come with me.”

“What… why?”

“I’m not some pet, I snuck into this event to find you, to help you.”

“… wa… what does that mean?”

“The vamps always parade you around, and with all your popularity you’re basically the face of human subjugation. You’re not some show dog.” Hearing all that started to make you feel guilty. “You can get away from this all and be free.”

“I… I don’t know… they’ve messed with my memories and I’m not sure about all this…”

“Really? That’s all the more reason to get away.”

“But I agreed to it…”

“Sure you did. Not like they have the power to compel you.”

“I don’t know…”

“Come with me. You can’t really make decisions for yourself with those creatures around you.”

You were honestly considering her proposition. When you first discovered you were living in a false reality you wanted to run away. They caught you and took you back to a world you were unfamiliar with and this was your chance to get back out there and see the truth for yourself. You weren’t sure what the right thing to do was, and as you thought it over you heard your name being called.

“Y/n!”

You jumped at the sound of your own name, and before you knew it the girl you were with was tackled to the ground. The security guard was pinning her down when you were suddenly flipped around.

“Are you okay?”

“I… how did you find me…”

“What?” Sunwoo questioned. “After your little stunt did you think we wouldn’t be keeping a close eye on your chip?”

“I-”

Before you could say anything you heard a yell and looked back to find a surprising scene. The women had broken away from the guard, a silver blade in each hand. Once she was on her feet she didn’t hesitate to throw a blade in your direction. You screamed but Sunwoo pulled you into his embrace and turned you around to protect you. He held you tightly and after a moment pulled back.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… yeah…”

“Go after her!” Sunwoo yelled. “Now.”

“Sir-”

“I’ll be fine!”

The security guard chased after the woman, but you were wondering what the other meant. That’s when you noticed a blade sticking out of Sunwoo’s back. You screamed and started to worry, but he told you to calm down.

“You’re hurt…”

“It’s okay, it’s nothing serious.”

“I’m sorry.”

“This isn’t your fault.”

“Still…”

“Come on, let’s get back to the others.”

Even though he said he was alright you could tell he wasn’t. He was hunching over and leaning against you.

“Sunwoo…”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look it… you need blood… don’t you?”

“Y/n…”

You didn’t really listen to him, helping him down onto his knees. You apologized before grabbing the blade and pulling it out. Sunwoo yelled and threw a glare at you, eyes glowing red. He grabbed your arm holding the blame.

“Don’t… I’ll be fine…”

“I don’t trust that…”

You pulled away from Sunwoo’s grasp. You wiped the blood of the blade and took a moment to prepare yourself before slicing open your palm. You winced from the pain, but held out your hand for him. He didn’t want it, but you knew he would need it, so you pressed your bloody palm against his wrist. Once he tasted blood he couldn’t help himself. He drank, grabbing a hold of your arm and holding you close. When he pulled back to catch his breath you could already see he was better. Although before you could say anything he lunged at you and pinned you to the ground.

“Sunwoo-”

He sunk his fangs into your neck, making you yell before this feeling of ecstasy began to take over. You wrapped your arms around Sunwoo, your vision beginning to fade as your head swam. You tried to speak but you didn’t have the strength to form words and slowly, your world became black.

❤

“What the hell were you thinking!”

You began to regain consciousness as sounds of yelling filled your ears. You looked around, vaguely able to make out the limo you were in, and felt the rumbling of movement.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to be she-”

“That’s not an excuse!”

“… sorry…” You mumbled. “… my fault…”

“Y/n, you’re awake.”

You had been sitting on the floor, in between Sangyeon’s legs and resting your head on his thigh. Once he realized you were awake he gently caressed your cheek.

“Are you alright?”

“Hm… I was… just trying… to help…”

“Your actions were crazy. You should never do something like that.”

“Sorry…”

“Just take it easy, you’re okay.”

“… what… the other…”

“She got away, but she’s not your concern.”

“Okay…”

“You just rest and focus on getting better.”

The next couple of days you did spend in bed. Since you hadn’t taken the pill, and Sunwoo went a bit overboard, your body had to go about recovery the natural way. You ate in your room, getting help until you could feed yourself. Once you could get out of bed you were able to walk around the house, with some help of course. You were told that the events at the gala were kept under wraps, so there was nothing to worry about in regards to that.

“I want to go to a care house.”

“What?”

“I want to see what it looks like.”

“You’re not in a condition to be going out.”

“But I need to know.”

“Hm…” Sangyeon pondered it over. “Fine.”

You still had to wait until you were capable of walking on your own before Sangyeon would keep his word. You weren’t sure what to expect, so it was all quite a surprise. The facility was huge, and you basically went on a tour. You saw how everyone had their own room, and a few items as well. They were given so many activities to fill their time with, both indoor and outdoor. This whole place seemed like a community home.

“Vampires mostly leave the humans to themselves. We only draw blood from them once a week.”

Everything seemed to be well, and everyone seemed happy. You didn’t see an issue here but then you remembered the chip in your neck. You reached up to touch the area, feeling a bit uneasy. They were stronger than you but from what you had seen so far they didn’t mean any harm. Humans seemed to be okay, and you saw no reason to mess with it. On the ride home you stared out the window, thinking about the world you had been discovering.

“Are you okay?” Chanhee asked.

“Yeah… it just feels like I’m so new to the world…”

“It’s cute. You’re just like when we first brought you home.”

“But I don’t get to continue like this…”

“It is upsetting, but you’re practically at the point where you originally wanted to do the show.”

“Yeah.”

You recovered for a few more days, and once you were better you were taken back to the village. It was weird going back to that lot, no longer afraid but having a new perspective. You followed the boys into the building you had run out of once upon a time. Except this time you were going in through the front entrance. You were only in the dark for a bit before you came upon a familiar scene. The village was the same as you remembered it, but you could see it in a new light now. Suddenly all the cameras and stage lights were visible, and you could see this place for what it really was. Makebelieve.

“How did I not see all this…”

“Cause we made it so you wouldn’t.” Juyeon explained. “Since that’s the point of all this.”

“Right.”

“Are you ready to go back?” Younghoon asked.

“Yeah. I should see this to end. Besides, you have all put so much work into this.”

“You have as well.”

“All the more reason.”

You walked through the village, seeing all the things that you weren’t aware of before. It was kind of funny, making you wonder how you would feel in the future looking back on all of this. When you were satisfied you went off to find Sangyeon.

“You good?”

“Yup.” You smiled. “I’m good.”

“Come on then.”

Sangyeon held out his hand and you gladly took it. You waved goodbye to the other boys, seeing all the smiles on their faces too.

“See you tomorrow.”

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ethereal-engene · 2 years

Text

brightest of them all | woozi

pairing: bf!jihoon x gn!reader

genre: fluff // warnings: mentions of food & not proof-read

summary: when dropping by your boyfriend’s studio turns into him making a song of out of your poem // word count: ~1265

note: fully inspired by this post from @imagine-svt everyone say thank you to Aeris for her ideas and happy woozi day <3

100% in love with this concept b/c I is a poet myself so yeah :) (I’m using a line or two from one of my original pieces)

You decided to drop by Woozi’s studio to share some cake together and spend some time with him because you missed him so much. With Seventeen finishing up another stop for their Be The Sun tour, they must be tired but you knew Jihoon would be at the studio for god knows what. He’s either married to the music or the gym.

Knocking on the door until you’re met with Jihoon’s face wearing a somewhat annoyed face. His facial expression softened when his eyes registered that it's you. Right then and there, he opens the door for you to come in.

When you set down your things and look at him. He’s staring at you with tired eyes but still full of love. Noticing it, you open your arms and watch as he leans into them. A sigh comes out. “God, I forgot how much I really missed you. Tour is fun but it’d be funnier if you were there, my love. Also what’d you think of dream?”

A drawn hum is heard from you. “It’s a really catchy and heartfelt song. Honestly I wasn't expecting it but you know I’ll always love your music. I seriously can’t get over how skilled you are in penning lyrics. They’re always so meaningful… okay well most of the time. And you know I wish I could join y’all on tour but unfortunately I have a full-time job that isn’t being an idol.”

He gets up after hearing that because he has to say what he’s about to say next to your face. “My love, I appreciate your kind words and I really believe that you would be great at writing lyrics too. Like have you seen and read the poems you’ve written? They’d make such great lyrics and in fact, let’s go write a song with them right now!”

And with that, he got up first from the sofa and held out his hand. Without a second thought, you took it and tried to pull him back down to sit but failed. “Now, I don’t doubt it but can’t we do that another day? You just got back from Japan and are going to leave in a couple days again. And plus I got us this!”

You hold up the slice of cake with a smile on your face.

“Happy birthday, my red ruby!” You give him a kiss on the cheek before revealing what the cake looks like. The cake has a little ruby guitar and of course the letters spelling out happy birthday to Jihoon. If he could melt into a puddle right now, he would. He’s left speechless for a few seconds before thanking you.

“Uji…I know it’s your birthday and all but could I record a video of you with your cake saying shit this is red too? If you say yes, we can work on turning my poem into a song!”

He should have seen this coming from miles away because you haven’t stopped with the “shit, this is red too” jokes since Ruby came out. Jihoon rolls his eyes at your request but says yes. He won’t ever tell you out loud but he enjoys hearing them from you but also he does want to help you see how good at writing you are too. After recording the video, you send it to the seventeen & you group chat. Receiving multiple ㅋㅋㅋ messages from them. Then you two finally enjoy the cake together.

Not even a minute passes as you two devour the cake, he immediately holds your hand to go to where all of the magic happens. “Alright, my love. Show me one of your poems & we’ll go from there.” You nod and show him the poem.

Brightest of them all

They say to reach for the stars but what if I’ve already caught the brightest of them all?

“This kind of fits dream’s concept ever so slightly and it’s a sweet poem. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this poem is about me but I don’t think it is.” He wonders about who this is about but is brought out of his head when you answer him.

“Hmm originally I didn’t have a person in mind but now that I have you, you could say it’s about you.” Jihoon turns to you and does nothing but stare at you. He’s so in love with you and he hopes that you know that just like your poem, you light up his life too. Heart eyes are practically shooting out of his eyes.

He responds with a cute awww before returning to look at the poem that could essentially be a verse and parts of a chorus. However, he’s probably going to just focus on what’s on hand right now just to prove his point. So you two spend a good chunk of time going through what Woozi and his mastermind is thinking for this.

Starting to play around with samples of twinkles to emulate a star and being satisfied with the choices, Jihoon works his magic by creating a new rhythm and beat. He’s not doing it alone though, he gets your input at each step. Seeing if there’s something that could be changed to sound better or not. He smiles every time when he glances over at you having as much fun as him doing this. Thinking to himself, he’s got to do this with you more often. Imagine how powerful y’all would be penning lyrics together and more. Y’all would be unstoppable.

Now the final step of this process is having you two singing the lyrics or lines from your poem. Jihoon decided that because this was your poem, he didn’t want to change it unless you wanted to. You took that chance and removed or added a few words to make it flow better. Even if you weren’t the best at singing, he helped you get comfortable with it and guided you as he does with the members. Besides this was all for fun and only for your ears to hear.

Hearing the final product made your heart swell. It was a really cute snippet of what could be a full song. Seeing your reaction made Jihoon fall more in love with you if possible. “See, I told you. Your writing is just as good or even better than I am with song-writing!!” His arms folded and wearing a smirk. You can’t even hate or attempt to look annoyed at him. You’re still in awe of how good this turned out. “Yeah yeah whatever. It’s not like I didn’t believe you, geez.” You ended up pouting a little before he kissed it away.

“I know I know, I’m just saying. If you ever wanted to go into song-writing or the music industry, I’ve got you.”

“Yeah, I know Uji and for the record baby. I think you are THE music industry mister genius singer-songwriter producer dancer performer composer all-rounder woozi of seventeen.” He chuckles and hides into your shoulder. It sounds like today you were on a mission to get him all flushed and blushed with all of the compliments, well at least more than usual. What can you say? You’ve mastered making your boyfriend turn into a ruby. (Not sure if that made sense but essentially making him blush a lot that his face is as red as a ruby)

Little bonus: he ends up re-recording what y’all made with his own voice to share with everyone on twitter with the caption: “the brightest of them all” which is the title of the poem :)

WAH HAPPY UJI DAY GUYS !! I hope you enjoyed this and I love him sm and really love this idea a little too much. Thank you so much for reading

If you enjoyed it as well please do interact by sending in an ask, leaving a note, reblogging with tags, or even messaging me! Or if you didn’t like it, that’s fine too

signing off with love for woozi

- ash

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linkedkeysau-official · 2 years

Text

Whumptober 2022- Linked Keys edition

Day 19- Enough is enough/knees buckling/repeatedly (+art)

There were times when a sudden issue arising has forced the Chain to stop and rest for a prolonged period of time. Usually it was illness or a severe injury, but none of the boys had expected something like this, especially not from their most seasoned veteran, Legend. And yet, following a tough battle against more of those stupid oversized monsters, Legend had suddenly collapsed. While he had woken up quickly and claimed to feel okay, Time and Warriors both agreed they should stop for the rest of the afternoon and set up camp early. During this time, Legend had been ordered to sit down and rest while Hyrule looked him over to make sure he was actually okay. But the fact that he couldn’t find anything wrong was, if possible, even more concerning. Legend didn’t appear to be sick. He wasn’t hurt; at least not beyond a couple of scratches and small bruises, neither of which should have caused him to faint like that. He’d been drinking water, he’d eaten today, and Four confirmed that Legend had slept all last night while the former was on watch. There wasn’t a single explanation Hyrule— or anyone else— could find for why Legend had passed out earlier.

Legend knew the answer, but never planned on revealing the truth to these guys. No matter how close they were. If they knew, they’d think he was weak, treat him as if he were some fragile porcelain doll. He’d gotten this far letting them live in ignorance, and honestly his condition hadn’t been too bad lately. It could be easily ignored. Worst case scenario, if it did get bad, he could always ask to rest and blame it on being tired. The jokes about him getting old were a lot better than them always watching him, staring at him like someone who could simply drop dead at any moment. So he never brought it up, and decided he never would. Hopefully, knowing that he seemed to be okay now, they’d eventually be able to put this incident behind them and everyone could continue living in ignorant bliss. But of course he should have known it wouldn’t go that smoothly.

In retrospect, perhaps he should have stayed put. But he was getting antsy. He hated that he was being forced to sit still and not move too much just because he’d randomly collapsed (for no reason, as far as they knew) at the end of a fight. It had been several hours since then anyway, and he felt just fine. He needed to stretch his legs a bit.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Warriors demanded.

“Relax, Pretty Boy, I’m just going for a walk. My ass is getting sore from all this sitting around.” Legend rolled his eyes.

“You’re not going alone. Not while we’re still unsure of what caused you to faint.” Time stated firmly.

“I’ll go with him.” Twilight offered, getting up as well, “If something happens, I’ll whistle.” He held up the little horse whistle he had on a string around his neck.

“Alright. Be safe, you two. And don’t go too far. It’ll be dark soon and I don’t want to risk you getting caught by monsters out there alone.” Time said.

“We’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Legend assured him. Nobody looked convinced, but they didn’t try to stop him as he walked away with Twilight, either.

Legend walked through the trees until the camp was no longer in view, where he stopped for a minute, taking a deep breath of fresh, campfire-smoke-free air. It was quiet all around, aside from a few birds calling out and cicadas beginning to sing as the sun set. The other heroes were great to hang around with, but damn he missed this, being alone in nature like this. Only a hint of red was visible above the trees, turning the sky a cool purple color. The first few stars were coming into view. If Legend was still the naive teen he was back during his first adventure, he might have made a wish. But he wasn’t. He knew wishes made on stars never really came true, and if they did, it was nothing more than chance. He would know, from how many times he’s tried, and yet he still ended up being the goddesses’ errand boy. He still never saw Marin again… He still had this damned heart condition.

Lost in thought, he hadn’t realized that he and Twilight had gotten separated at some point until it was nearly dark. The howling of a wolf echoed through the air from somewhere nearby and Legend dared to hope it was his friend calling to him… until he heard several more howls in response. Shit… That wasn’t Twilight. Those were normal wolves, or with Legend’s luck, probably Wolfos. And with how close the first howl was, no doubt they could smell rabbit on him. Twilight at least could, and he had warned Legend about that too. Stay away from wolves, they can smell the rabbit on you. As if Legend needed a warning. The only wolf he’d be caught within mauling distance of was Twilight, and only because he knew Twilight wouldn’t hurt him. But these wolves for sure would.

Legend tried to run, but soon found himself surrounded by gray-furred beasts, all snarling ferociously. They were smaller than Twilight, but that didn’t make them any less terrifying. Like an idiot, he hadn’t brought his sword or any of his other items. Dammit, he was supposed to be the one prepared for anything! And he hadn’t thought for one second that he could be attacked out here. Seeing that he was cornered, panic set in, sending his little rabbit heart into a frenzy.

Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump—

A horribly familiar feeling of dizziness washed over Legend. Panic was a normal response to fear, as was increased heart rate. The problem for Legend was that in times of stress, his heart often started to beat too fast. A side effect of his rabbit transformation for sure, but something that has never gone away since his first visit to the Dark World, and always caused problems at the worst possible times, such as right now. If he had a chance at fleeing or fighting back, it was gone now. He’d collapse the moment he made any sort of sudden movement. If he collapsed, he was wolf dinner. Unfortunately, as his heart pounded harder and harder, faster and faster; a burning ache growing in his chest, the feeling of lightheadedness increasing to the point of nausea… collapse was imminent either way. He could barely keep himself upright as it was. But as if by some miracle, Twilight appeared at just that moment.

“Legend!” A loud, shrill whistle was heard before Twilight grabbed ahold of the other object around his neck, and with a burst of dark power, had transformed into a wolf. He came to a stop in front of Legend, growling at the other wolves. As several of them seemed to back away in fear of this much larger wolf, Legend’s legs finally gave out from under him and he fell to the ground right as the other wolves fled. Twilight turned around in alarm, giving a whine, followed by a loud bark, as Legend’s consciousness faded.

He woke up to a wet nose in his face. The last little bit of light in the sky above him told him he hadn’t been out long, but his wolf friend seemed to be extremely worried nonetheless. This was evidenced by the series of pitiful whines that Twilight gave him as he gently nudged Legend’s cheek as he managed to slowly push himself to a sitting position. Legend gave him a pat on the head, knowing Twilight secretly liked that.

“I’m okay, Wolfie. Just had a little panic attack, that’s all.” He lied, “Rabbits and wolves… You know how it is. I think I’m ready to go back to camp now, though.” Legend at least thought his last attack was over. It should be safe to stand up as long as he didn’t move too fast… He twisted around to where he was on his knees, then tried to stand up from there. Problem was, the second he put effort into standing, his heart began racing again. The dangerously fast, unsteady rhythm was pounding in his ears, drowning out everything else. He could feel every beat slamming into his ribs.

Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump—

His chest felt painfully tight, causing him to instinctively clutch a hand to it as if that would stop it hurting. He couldn’t breathe… He felt as if his heart and lungs were being squeezed by a massive fist. He heard a sob escape his lips as the pain only intensified. Waves of nausea and dizziness washed over him like a relentless stormy sea. His vision went blank, and the last thing he felt before blacking out completely was the sensation of falling.

Twilight saw Legend fail to get up, collapsing as he tried. Twilight couldn’t smell any blood, so he didn’t seem to be wounded. But he wasn’t waking up either… This was the third time Legend had passed out today, obviously there was something wrong. But what?

Okay, calm down… You blew the whistle. The others should be on their way. Just keep him safe until they get here, Twilight thought to himself. Cautiously he lay down on the ground, resting his head and his front paws on top of Legend’s body. He could feel Legend’s heart pounding at what for sure was an abnormal rate, but had that been the reason he passed out? Or was it a side effect of something worse?

“Legend?! Twilight?! Are you okay? We heard the whistle, and…” Wild came running through the trees, followed by Warriors and Hyrule.

“What happened?!” Hyrule asked in alarm upon seeing Legend lying motionless on the ground as Twilight got up from his spot, quickly shifting back into his hylian form.

“I don’t know. We got separated, and he was surrounded by wolves. He collapsed right after I found him, but then he woke up, and we tried to come back to camp but…” Twilight tried to explain. Warriors was kneeling down beside Legend, taking his pulse.

“Shit, Hyrule, come here. This isn't good." He said. Hyrule turned to him before joining Warriors at Legend's side, "Feel his pulse." Warriors moved so Hyrule could feel the side of Legend's neck.

"His heart's beating way, way too fast…" Hyrule muttered worriedly, "Twilight, did you notice him acting weird before he collapsed? Either time?"

"I… I don't know. It was dark, I couldn't see. My sight isn't that great in wolf form anyway. He… He did sound like he was having trouble breathing, but he told me it was a panic attack, because of the wolves." Twilight explained.

"This goes beyond a panic attack. There's something wrong with his heart. There's no way it should be beating this fast." Hyrule shook his head, not looking up for one second as he checked Legend's body for any sort of mark or bite that might have poisoned him and caused this.

"We should get him back to camp. Our supplies are all there and it's safer." Warriors suggested. Hyrule nodded. Twilight lifted Legend into his arms and the group returned to their camp.

"What happened?" Time asked.

"He collapsed again." Warriors explained as Twilight set Legend down on his bedroll. Warriors checked his pulse again, "dammit, heart rate still hasn't gone down. The hell is wrong with—"

"Tachycardia." Wild spoke up.

"What?" Everyone else asked in unison.

"I, uh… I think I read it in a book somewhere in one of the Sheikah labs. It's… I think it's when your heart can suddenly start beating too fast and it can make you pass out. I don't remember much about what I read, but it's often triggered by stress."

"That's… a much better guess than any of us had." Hyrule glanced at Twi and Wars.

"Way to go, Cub." Twilight praised.

"But knowing what's wrong doesn't help much. We've gotta try to get his heart rate to slow down before it kills him, or… whatever this tacky-whatever does." Warriors butted in.

"Right. Let me try…" Hyrule raised his hands over Legend's chest, letting his magic flow into him. Warriors kept two fingers on Legend's wrist, waiting to see if his speeding pulse slowed at all with the help of Hyrule's magic. It did, but not by much.

"It's not enough. We've gotta try something else." Warriors said.

"Potions?" Twilight suggested.

"Wait! I remember something else from that book! I think if you put his feet up that'll help. Something about… directing blood flow back to your heart or… I don't know, but I think that's what it said to do." Wild said.

"How the hell do you even know this stuff?" Paint asked. Wild shrugged,

"I got bored when Purah was working on restoring my Sheikah Slate. Saw this book that fell off a bookshelf and wanted to see if I could understand a single word that was in it."

"Well it's coming in handy now, I'd say." Twilight said. Hyrule had piled up a few people's bags, then moved Legend's legs to rest on top.

"Guys it's working. His pulse is slowing down." Warriors stated.

"Holy shit. Wild, you're amazing." Future laughed. Everyone was now coming over to check on Legend. Within a few minutes, he finally began to stir, his heart having returned to a more normal pace. Still fast, but it had always been a little on the fast side anyway. Legend finally opened his eyes, staring around at the crowd of people staring down at him with worried faces.

"Legend! You're awake!" Mask cheered.

"How are you feeling?" Wild asked.

"Nnnng… like shit…" he groaned weakly.

"Well I'd assume so. You collapsed three times today!" Warriors scolded.

"When I saw you collapse back in the woods, I thought you were having a heart attack." Twilight admitted.

"Your heart was beating so fast… I wasn't sure how you were even still alive!" Hyrule said.

Shit. They know.

"It was just a… panic… I-I'm fi—" he tried to lie.

"Don't fucking tell us you're 'fine' after that. You are not fine, you have not been fine. I've noticed you acting weird before, like you were out of breath and in pain when we weren't even doing anything. You passed out three separate times tonight, and Twilight confirmed the same behavior the last two times." Warriors yelled at him, "your heart was beating at almost 200 times a minute. I get that you were scared, but even then, it should not be that high. You have been hiding something from us, and it has been posing a serious threat to your health— your life, even. Enough is enough; you are going to tell us what has been going on, when it started, what causes it, and how to treat it just in case this ever happens again."

"A fast heart… is normal for a rabbit." Legend said.

"For a rabbit, yes, but you're—" Warriors paused, "Wait, are you saying this has something to do with your rabbit form?!"

"Not sure if that's what caused it but it… Only started after my first transformation… During my first adventure. Uh… Six years ago?"

"Six years?! You've been dealing with this for six years and you never once told anyone about it? I never heard anything about the Hero of Legend having heart problems and still kicking ass like you did." Paint demanded.

"Okay, we get it. Legend kept this from a lot of people." Hyrule butted in, turning back to Legend, "What triggers it, usually?"

"Stress… Sometimes anger… overexertion… Sta- Standing up too fast… Those are the main ones."

"And how do you normally deal with it?"

"Well, sitting down is always good. Or laying down is… better. Lots of water. Putting my feet up… like this. Finding ways to calm down..." Legend said.

"Okay, well we've got most of that going for you already. Someone get him some water." Warriors ordered. Hyrule ran off and came back with a waterskin. Twilight helped Legend sit up, allowing him to lean against him for support, as Hyrule handed Legend the waterskin.

"Better?" Hyrule asked.

"A little, yeah…" Legend nodded, taking another drink, "Do… you guys think I'm weak… because of this?"

"Weak? Heck no!" Twilight replied.

"Dude if anything you're insanely strong. You said this started back on your first quest? This is what, your fifth?! And you've been dealing with this the whole time. That's incredible." Wild said.

"Really living up to your nickname." Wind smiled.

"Yeah, you're a real legend, Legend." Future agreed.

"I wasn't trying to make you look weak. None of us were. I just don't want this to happen again and none of us know how to help you. We care about you, Ledge. We all care about you a lot. And if you were to die because you were too scared of looking weak to tell us about a legitimate health issue…" Warriors trailed off. Time knelt down and put a hand on Legend's shoulder.

"We're just glad you're okay. You're part of our family now, Legend. So please don't feel the need to hide things from us. Okay?"

"... I'll try."

#linked keys #loz au #LK #whumptober2022 #not lu #LK Legend #LK Twilight #tw: heart problems #tachycardia

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free-pool-trash · 3 years

Text

x of swords - george weasley

part one of three

Summary: Growing up as Harry’s neighbor, you always believed that you were completely regular. In an attempt to feel closer to Harry (your best friend) you begin to dabble in the art of divination and, in the process, you uncover magic that you didn’t know you had. (i hate doing summaries this does not sum it up but you get the jist)

Relationships: George Weasley x Reader, platonic!Harry Potter x Reader, platonic!OC x Reader, platonic!Sirius Black x Reader, platonic!Remus Lupin x Reader, platonic!Fred Weasley x Reader, platonic!Nymphadora Tonks x Reader, platonic!Molly Weasley x Reader, platonic!Hermoine Granger x Reader, Sirius Black x Remus Lupin

Warnings: Swearing, anxiety, fluff, angst, mentions of torture, mentions of death (let me know if I missed anything!)

Word count: 22.9k

so here it is 😏 i was going to wait until i was completely finished with this to post it but i didn’t wanna rush it and oh my god it’s already so long 😫 I’m moving to Edinburgh in 2 weeks so i won’t be able to write as i have so much to pack so i hope this keeps some of you happy for a while <3 obviously i put a lot of effort into this and spent a lot of time on it so i really hope yall like it and i will personally kiss everyone who comments. likes or reblogs <3

mastelist

Life on Privet Drive was definitely something- something being incredibly boring. Nothing even remotely exciting happened on the street and the company was, to put it simply, miserable.

You’d lived in 5 Privet Drive since birth which, unfortunately for you, meant that your family are extremely close with the Dursleys who live next door. The Dursleys are a family of bigoted, pig-headed bullies. Made up of Petunia, Vernon, Dudley and, in your opinion the only tolerable one, Harry.

From the age of five, Harry had been your only friend on the street and vice versa. Initially, the both of you had bonded over your dislike of Dudley but as the years rolled on Harry and yourself had become virtually inseparable.

It was certainly strange- how close your parents were with Petunia and Vernon. Your mother and father are actually quite lovely, they are the complete opposite of the Dursleys, they’re open minded, kind and extremely friendly. But, you supposed, their friendliness didn’t discriminate from person to person, even if said person forced their orphaned nephew to sleep in the cupboard underneath the stairs.

There was no denying that Harry had been miserable with the Dursleys, who were unfortunately his only remaining family and you supposed you should’ve been happy when your best friend finally got away from them after his 11th birthday.

You’d missed him for the entire school year and you only got a chance to ask where he’d actually gone off to when he’d arrived home for the summer. (You didn’t believe the story Vernon had spun about Harry attending a boarding school for juvenile trouble makers).

“It’s incredible, (Y/n), honestly! I wish you could be there too.” He’d told you when you finally saw him again, after he’d finished his first year in his mysterious boarding school.

“That’s great, Haz, but where exactly is it?” You wondered and Harry only gave you his signature grin.

“Scotland.”

With a heavy sigh you let the subject go, he was clearly happy wherever he was going to school so it didn’t matter where or what it was. As long as he was happy.

By the time his 12th birthday rolled around you’d found the perfect gift for him. You’d made your parents buy you a polaroid camera for him to take away to school, he’d told you so many amazing stories about his school, you wanted to see some of it for yourself so you figured a camera would be the best course of action.

The morning of his birthday, Harry was woken up by the sound of pebbles tapping against his barred up window. The boy looked out to see you waving at him, an excited smile on your face and a neatly wrapped present in your other hand. Harry couldn’t stop the smile that formed on his face as you beckoned him down with your hand. It was barely dawn but you knew better than to give a present for Harry to either his aunt or uncle because they’d only give it to Dudley, so it was best to get it to him before the rest of his supposed family woke up.

Hogwarts was amazing and Harry was over the moon to have discovered he was a wizard and make so many new friends, but he had missed you- his only friend in the muggle world. Your birthday was only a few weeks after his and he hoped that maybe you’d get a hogwarts letter of your own, obviously that hadn’t happened. Nonetheless he was happy to see you in the summer, he couldn’t shake the thought that Ron and Hermione would have loved to meet you though.

Slowly and quietly, Harry snook down the stairs and out the front door to meet you.

“Happy birthday, Haz!” You whisper-shouted excitedly, pulling the green-eyed boy into your house so he wouldn’t get caught outside when he wasn’t even allowed out of his bedroom.

Harry rolled his eyes at the nickname, “I hope you know that you’re still the only person who calls me that.”

“Good,” you said happily, closing the front door behind you. “Anyway, I got you something that you can bring away to school with you!” He rose an eyebrow at you as you pushed the carefully wrapped box into his hands, “Open it,” you instructed. And so he did.

It was very possibly the most expensive gift he’d ever gotten, you (or your parents) usually got Harry presents that couldn’t be stolen by Dudley. For example, your mother had taken to buying Harry his own clothes, seeing as your best friend was a lot taller and thinner than his horrid cousin.

You, on the other hand, would usually make him gifts with sentimental value, something Dudley had absolutely zero interest in. The camera though, you knew would be safe as Harry would be leaving for school again soon enough.

Harry stared dumbfounded at the cardboard box that held the rather large polaroid camera, judging by the image on the box it was a good quality thing, probably expensive. “This is… really nice, (Y/n).”

A bright smile found your lips as you rushed into an animated explanation about why you’d picked a camera as his birthday present this year.

“So you can take lots of pictures of you and your new friends in your new fancy private school and when you come back here you can show them to me!” Harry chuckled and nodded his head, hoping he’d be able to find time to take pictures like you wanted.

“I’ll take pictures of everything. Promise.” He told you, holding out his pinky with a cheeky grin. You linked your pinky with his and nodded gratefully.

“We should christen it,” Harry announced, tearing into the box and he quickly set the camera up before he pointed it at you expectantly. “Well, come on then. I’ve told my school friends all about you, they’re going to want to see what you look like too. So, smile-“ with a disbelieving laugh, you crossed your legs underneath yourself from where you were sitting on the floor across from Harry, and tucked your hair behind your ears before you looked directly at the lense of the camera and gave it the brightest smile you could muster. The camera flashed and the picture slowly revealed itself, it seemed to be good enough to satisfy Harry’s twelve year old self.

He’d shown the polaroid to Hermione first, the bushy haired girl had smiled softly as she held the polaroid gently, “She seems lovely, Harry.”

Harry had nodded his head in agreement, you were lovely. He just hoped Dudley wasn’t terrorising you too much while he was away. His cousin always had somewhat of a crush on you, which Harry knew was ridiculous considering you all but loathed Dudley.

True to his word, Harry had taken plenty of pictures, many were of (non-magic) areas of the Hogwarts campus, many were of his friends; Ron, Hermione, Fred and George Weasley (who had an absolute field day with the muggle contraption), one or two of Hagrid and he even managed to capture a nice one of the owlery. Although you were one of his best friends, sometimes thinking about you while he was in Hogwarts brought his mood down. It reminded him of how much he wished you could’ve shared in his adventures and not to mention how much he missed you, you could hardly send him an owl, what with being a muggle and all, so he only got to spend time with you during the summer months.

Things had changed during his third year, though. When he received a rather shocking, albeit very welcome, letter.

Dear Harry,

I’d like to start by saying: hi, how are you? How’s school? Good? Great. Now that that’s out of the way… when you come home I’m going to KILL you!!! I cannot believe you didn’t tell me you are a wizard! Well, I understand why you didn’t but anyway.

You’re probably wondering how I found all of this out. Long story short, I saw Vernon’s sister floating around your sitting room and then I saw you running out swinging a wand around. I put two and two together. You would not believe how long it took me to figure out how to get in contact with you. I practically had to beg Dudley to tell me how to get this package to you, he eventually told me how in exchange for a kiss on the cheek. It was as horrifying as it sounds, the things I do for you, Haz, honestly. Don’t worry though, you can make it up to me over the summer.

I bought an owl by the way. I’m guessing she found you okay? Look after her for a little while before sending her back will you? She’s just a baby so she can’t do too much long distance travel just yet.The lady I got her from is a witch, she was very kind and knew exactly what I was looking to use an owl for. Her name is Astra (the owl’s not the lady’s)! Isn’t she lovely?

Moving on from that, I felt bad forcing you to send me pictures and getting nothing in return so I have decided to very kindly grace you with my exhilaratingly normal life. You will also find I sent you some of those sweets you like.

Tell Ron and Hermione that I said hi! Oh and Fred and George too! Get into lots of trouble for me ;) I suppose I better stop rambling now, sorry about that I’m just excited (and i might be missing you… just a tiny bit!)

Write back to me soon, if you can! Tell Astra I’m proud of her for making her first delivery! (give her plenty of treats for me yeah?)

I’ll let you get back to your wizardy stuff now, Haz.

Lots of love,

(Y/n) xoxo

P.s. your magical secret is safe with me. promise.

Harry looked up from your letter with a dazed smile, your new little owl was looking at him expectantly, no doubt awaiting her treat, “Good job, Astra. Your owner says she’s very proud of you,” he informed her, handing her a piece of bacon from his breakfast plate and laughed when she hooted happily.

Astra is a gorgeous little tawny, she has brown and white feathers that were fluffy to the touch. Harry could already tell she was well suited to you though, she was friendly as anything with the most curious eyes he’d ever seen.

“Whose it from?” Ron grunted from beside him, munching happily on his huge breakfast.

Harry let out a short laugh, digging into the envelope to pull out the photos and sweets you’d sent, “(Y/n).”

“I thought she didn’t know about you?” Hermione asked from beside Ron, Harry only shrugged.

“She figured it out. She’s quite clever, I think you’d like her Hermione. She says hi by the way.” He answered somewhat distantly, distracted by the pictures you’d sent, all of which had writing on the backs. He paused on one photo, he guessed one of your parents had taken it, you were stood in the woods, surrounded by trees with a huge smile on your face, your eyes were closed and your nose was scrunched up as a very tiny Astra seemed to be nibbling at your ear affectionately.

“I’m sure we’d get along, I admire her determination, really. And she even bought an owl?” The girl questioned, reaching over and petting Astra gently.

Harry’s smile was gentle as Astra hopped onto his shoulder, “Yeah, suppose she did.”

“Alright! I’m gonna say it!” George Weasley exclaimed, plucking the photo of you from Harry’s grasp, he held it between himself and Fred, the older twin had somehow swiped the letter you’d written. “Harry’s girlfriend back home is quite cute, don’t you think, Freddie?” Fred nodded resolutely, pushing the letter into George’s face as he pointed towards a specific line.

“I have to agree and look, Georgie, she told Harry to tell us that she says hi! Ugh, such a darling,” Fred fake swooned and Harry felt his face heat up while George made kissy faces.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Yeah, you had opened Harry up to a whole new world of teasing yet somehow he didn’t mind.

“Oi, do you think she’d like some of our Weasley products?” George asked genuinely, wiggling his eyebrows. Harry shuddered at the thought of you getting a hold of anything that Fred and George had created, because yes, you would like some magical pranking products. You had quite a talent for mischief, only in Harry’s worst nightmares would the Weasley twins ever get their hands on you.

Harry shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, “Dunno.”

“She single?” Fred asked jokingly and Harry scrunched his face up. He supposed you were single, though, he’d never really pictured you with anyone. He felt quite protective over you, but he supposed he'd like to see you happy with someone he approved of- or alternatively; anyone but Dudley.

“Think so,” Harry told him with another shrug before a cheeky grin spread across his lips, as he focused his attention on the twins who were nudging each other in mock victory, “Why? Should I write home and tell her the esteemed Weasley twins have a crush on her?”

George was the first the speak, he nodded, completely serious and Harry found himself worrying that perhaps one of the Weasley twins would get his hands on you.

“Yes. Absolutely,” Fred snorted and said no more, allowing his younger twin to continue the girl based antics seeing as Fred’s actual crush, Angelina, had started to glare. “In fact, give her my name. Tell her to write to me next time, eh?”

Harry’s eyes widened, oh Merlin, George was serious.

“Oh sod off, would you? The poor girl is a muggle, she’d throw herself off the astronomy tower if she got stuck with either of you prats.” Ron said through a laugh, none of them could deny it was quite funny, even Hermione had to bite back a smile at the chaos your simple letter had caused.

Around two weeks had passed until Astra returned to you, two letters attached to her leg this time.

You greeted her with a warm smile as she landed on the inside of you window, “Welcome home, pretty lady! Did you have a nice trip?” You cooed, patting her feathers and giggling when she nuzzled her head against your fingers. Having a magical owl as a pet was weird, but still, you seemed to be managing her okay.

Astra hooted happily, as if informing you that she did, in fact, have a nice trip. “That’s good! Let me take these letters off and you can have a well deserved rest, I’ve made a nice nest up for you,” you rambled softly as you untied the string that was holding the letters to her leg.

Astra hooted, hopping onto your arm and allowing you to place her on the plush pile of pillows and blankets which she immediately made herself comfortable upon, once again hooting in content when you placed a handful of treats in front of her.

You assumed that both letters were from Harry until you noticed the messy handwriting that covered one of the envelopes, handwriting that definitely didn’t belong to Harry. Besides, never, even in the furthest reaches of your imagination, would your best friend ever refer to you as; “Harry’s Pretty Neighbour”. You set that one to the side for the time being and focused on the letter you knew to actually be from Harry.

Dear (Y/n),

Hi. Sorry I didn’t tell you I was a wizard. If it makes you feel better I was actually planning on telling you this summer, but thank you for saving me from that conversation. I miss you too (only a tad). I hope you’re having a good school year so far, it’s been pretty chaotic here but I promise I’ll tell you every single tiny detail when we see each other at the end of May!

Did Astra get home okay? She’s a really lovely owl, she took quite a liking to George who (terrifyingly) has taken quite a liking to you. He’s been badgering me all week for “permission” to write to you, in his words, “just to say hello.” I think you’d actually get along but he and the rest of his family are very magic oriented, I’d be surprised if he didn’t scare you away… the pair of you together would be my worst nightmare. Don’t even get me started on how I’d feel if Fred was in the mix too. I’m tired just thinking about it.

Thank you for the sweets they were lovely, I put a chocolate frog in the envelope for you, it’s a really popular sweet in the wizarding world- don’t freak out when it hops, it’s just a charm the frog isn’t really alive.

I enjoyed the pictures too, I put a few in this letter for you too, the polaroid is running out of film but it should be enough to keep me going until the end of term.

Write to me again soon, I like hearing from you.

Take care,

Harry.

P.S. I’m really sorry you had to kiss Dudley, I’ll do something to make it up to you. Promise.

P.P.S. If George OR Fred manage to write to you PLEASE don’t eat anything they give you.

With a laugh you set the letter down beside you. Curiously, you reached a hand into the ivory envelope and pulled out the peculiarly shaped chocolate box as well as the polaroids. You viewed the photos with a fond smile, Harry always looked so happy, even with whatever chaos was happening around him. Wizard school definitely made your best friend the happiest he’d ever been.

Opening the next letter, which you now guessed judging by Harry’s letter, came from George Weasley, Harry’s friend Ron’s older brother. That was all you knew about him. You let out a gasp once you opened the seal, a small show of tiny fireworks shot out, exploding in balls of reds and oranges across your bedroom before they disappeared as if they’d never been there in the first place.

Slightly frazzled, yet amazed, you cautiously plucked the letter from the envelope and began reading.

Hello, Harry’s Pretty Neighbour.

I hope you enjoyed the show, hopefully it didn’t startle you too much… I’m not exactly sure what muggles are used to… if it did scare you I’m sorry.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi. Promised Harry I wouldn’t spook you, he’s quite protective of you, you know. It’s very sweet.

I don’t blame him, though. If I had a friend as pretty as you I’d be protective too ;)

Don’t break my heart, write back?

Yours truly,

George Weasley x

And that had been the start of it. Two years had passed since you’d discovered the wizarding world and it seemed as though things had simultaneously gotten worse and better. As it turns out, your lifelong best friend was some sort of prophetic hero in the wizard community and on top of that it seemed that there was a war brewing that he would be expected to lead.

Of course, you were completely useless as you don’t possess the ability to perform magic which also means you're at risk of being hate crimed by some classist, wizard, blood supremacists? You weren’t sure. But Harry was worried.

You’d been writing back and forth to a few of Harry’s Hogwarts friends (your friends now too) for a long while now, you’d even gotten a chance to finally meet them when you’d gone with the Dursleys to collect Harry from King’s Cross Station.

You got along best with Hermione seeing as she was raised similarly to yourself and Harry. However, of all of Harry’s school mates, you liked George the most. Everyone could have predicted it really, you’d been writing to each other constantly and the second you’d clapped eyes on each other in the flesh he’d broken out in a run to crush you in a hug. Harry had groaned at the sight of the pair of you, smiling widely at each other, seeming to slot together perfectly. He had to laugh about it now though, if things went well with Ginny he supposed you’d probably end up being his sister-in-law, assuming his predictions of George falling completely in love with you were correct (they were, he knew).

All air of laughter or wizard/muggle romances was gone at the moment however. You and Harry sat alongside each other, your hand holding his loosely between the swings you were sat on, he’d be going into his 5th year at Hogwarts soon, he’d yet to recover from the last. He’d made a friend only for that friend to be killed right in front of him. He’d almost been murdered himself for God’s sake.

“If you don’t feel safe, Haz… maybe, I don’t know? Don’t go back?” You suggested weakly, knowing he’d never do such a thing. As you expected, Harry shook his head and looked at you solemnly.

“Can’t. Not now that he’s back.” With a sigh you squeezed his hand.

“They should be paying you for this, you know,” Harry chuckled then, squeezing your hand in return.

“I’m doing this for you too. To keep you safe.” He admitted and you sighed miserably.

“I wish I could be of more help.” Harry scoffed, his green eyes shining with pure disbelief as he stared at you.

“More help? (Y/n) you must be joking…” he trailed off as you shook your head, you weren’t joking, you hated that you couldn’t help Harry through this, for once you knew there was nothing you could do to improve the situation in any way that would make an impact, “Oi. Look at me,” Harry demanded, no trace of the usual awkward sarcasm to be heard when he spoke.

You let your eyes meet his again and watched how they seemed to soften when he took in how utterly defenceless you looked, “If it hadn’t been for you, the first ten years of my life would’ve been an even worse hell than they already were. You were the only good thing and you’re still the only good thing about being back in this place.”

He watched sadly as your eyes fell to the floor again, “Besides, the sooner we get this mess with Voldemort sorted out, the sooner you and George Weasley can navigate the whole muggle/wizard romance thing.”

At his statement you barked out a laugh and Harry let himself smile too, “Shut up, Potter. S’not like that.”

Harry laughed then too, “Oh it is so like that, (N/n).”

“It so isn’t.” You grumbled, but your little smile confirmed to Harry that it absolutely was like that.

“Okay. Fine, please then do tell, what is going on between you and the infamous George Weasley?” Harry challenged, revelling in the way your cheeks burned with embarrassment. He let out a low chuckle when you shrugged shyly and kicked the stones beneath your feet.

“I don’t know… We write to each other a lot, and I think he’s really interesting and funny and sweet and of course I think he’s fit. But, I don’t know,” you bit your lip as Harry listened to you, he found it quite endearing. “I just don’t see how it would work. I like him, yeah, but…” Harry scoffed again as you trailed off. He hated seeing you feeling so insecure, Harry was clueless about a lot of things, but he knew exactly how much his best friend was worth- more than all the gold in Gringott’s.

“Ok as your best mate, and as someone who is very close with the Weasley family, I’m telling you that he’s mad about you. All he ever does is ask me about you, Fred is completely sick of him. He’s even told Molly about you, which is truly a commitment believe me,” Harry started, growing more content with the more bashful you became, “And didn’t he write to you just before the Yule Ball to tell you that he was going with Katie Bell as a friend but he wanted to tell you just incase you heard it from someone else and he didn’t want you to get the wrong idea?” Finally, you were back to fighting a smile.

“Yeah he did.”

“Well there you go. But seriously he hasn’t dated or even so much as looked at anyone else since he met you. Which I’ll be honest is super annoying for me but you deserve someone who thinks you hung the stars in the sky.”

A mock gasp left your lips and you released his hand to place it over your chest in faux hurt, “You mean to tell me you don’t think I hung the stars in the sky? I’m hurt, Harry. I think I’ll have to rat you out to Mrs. Weasley.”

Harry laughed but the lighthearted atmosphere didn’t last long before Dudley had shown up with his little gang of bullies, all of whom made fun of Harry’s nightmares.

It was then things had taken a turn for the worst, the sky turned black and storm clouds completely blocked out the previously scorching sun. You looked to Harry for answers but he seemed to be seeing something that you couldn’t, all you knew was that it had become unbearably cold, a feeling of misery making a home in your bones as Harry rushed to pull you to your feet.

“Run! Come on!” He shouted, clutching your hand tightly in his and sprinting through the neighbourhood until you, Harry and Dudley found yourselves struggling to catch a breath in a graffiti covered tunnel.

A terrified yelp left your throat as what you’d been running from revealed itself to you.

Several floating, cloaked shadowy figures swooped into the tunnel on both sides, their hands decaying and boney, their presence leaving you with the feeling that you’d never know positively ever again.

Harry had effectively used his body to cage you against the wall of the tunnel, his back pressed firmly against your chest, your own back pressed to the cold concrete wall, his wand was at the ready as the creatures approached rapidly.

“Don’t look at them.” Harry instructed, protecting you first as you watched in horror as one of the creatures seemed to be ripping Dudley’s essence straight out of his body.

It only took Harry a few painfully long seconds to take care of the creature in front of the pair of you, you’d wished you’d taken his advice and buried your head in his shoulder so you wouldn’t see the monstrous creatures before you, yet, you couldn’t seem to tear your eyes away from Dudley.

The rest happened in a blur, Harry had yet to let go of your hand as it (and your entire body) shook violently. Demontors broke even the strongest of wizards, Harry knew that as a muggle who’d never seen a magical creature, other than an owl, you’d react negatively.

“If it makes you feel any better, I used to faint every time I saw a dementor.” You nodded numbly, giving Dudley a side glance of concern while he mumbled incoherently to himself.

“Is he alright?” You questioned meekly, voice shaking. You were still freezing and the all too familiar feeling of uselessness didn’t do anything to help you regain your inner warmth.

Harry nodded, “He will be.”

“The ministry will be after my head for using magic outside of school,” he told you after a few minutes, squeezing your hand lightly for the umpteenth time, “So I’m gonna have to go away for a while. Probably tonight. Eat some chocolate, it should stop the shaking.” He told you, you hadn’t even noticed you’d reached Privet Drive.

“And they won’t-“ your breath got caught in your throat and your eyes filled with fear, “The dementors. They won’t come back, will they?”

Harry shook his head, “No. But come on, we should get you inside before the ministry shows up and tries to obliviate you.” His final words came out as more of a mumble than an actual sentence as he passed a bumbling Dudley over to Petunia and Vernon before steering you down your own driveway.

“You better not have broken her too, boy!” You vaguely registered Vernon’s voice shouting in your and Harry’s direction.

Your parents were away on holiday at the moment, in Spain. They’d wanted you to come but you hadn’t wanted to miss Harry’s visit, so when you shakily managed to open the door the house was completely dark, you weren’t sure at what point night had fallen.

Harry closed the door behind himself and made his way into your kitchen, the boy rifled through your sweet press before his hand finally settled on what he was looking for. A triumphant sort of yell left his lips as he pulled a bar of chocolate out of the cupboard.

While Harry tossed the bar onto the counter and busied himself with boiling the kettle, you stood in the hallway still, completely rigid.

“Come on, (Y/n). Sit down.” He urged gently, not turning around. Wordlessly, you fully entered the kitchen and slid into a chair facing Harry.

“Don’t you have better things to be doing than making me tea?” You wondered, setting your hands on the table and fidgeting with your icy fingers. Obviously, you appreciated Harry’s fussing but with the way he was talking about the ministry earlier you were sure he had more important things to worry about.

Harry only faced you once he was finished making your tea. He carried the hot cup and the previously discarded bar of chocolate over to you, he placed them both on the table before giving you a hard look, “I’m looking after you first. I’ll deal with everything else later.”

“I used to be the one who took care of you.” You said through a sigh, taking a sip of the hot tea and slumping against your seat as you began to heat up on the inside again.

Harry let out a low chuckle, “Oh how the tables have turned.”

“I liked it better the other way.” You complained, munching on a square of chocolate.

“Trust me, so did I,” Harry groaned, standing up and placing a comforting hand on your shoulder, “Don’t worry though, (N/n). Have a sneaking feeling that you’ll be looking after me again soon enough.”

You patted the hand he had clamped on your shoulder in appreciation, “Thank you, though, for looking after me.”

“Course. I better go. I don’t want you getting roped into anything else tonight,” he said with a sad smile and you nodded in understanding, “We probably won’t see each other for a while but I’ll write. Is Astra back from Cecilia's yet?” Celillia is the witch you’d gotten Astra from in the first place, the pair of you had kept in touch and she’d recently offered to try and teach you some basic divination skills, she claimed that, “Being a wizard isn’t exactly a requirement” and you desperately needed something, anything, to make you feel more connected to your friends in the wizarding world. You supposed you’d need to plan a trip to her cottage soon, after tonight you definitely needed some of her wisdom.

“No, not yet. She flew straight there from the burrow so I suppose she’s probably resting,” you informed him distantly, still clutching his hand, “You’ll be careful, won’t you?”

Harry squeezed your shoulder and let out a deep breath, “I’ll try my best. Promise,” with that he lifted his hand from your shoulder and extended his pinky to you, you gladly linked it with your own. Harry noted, very gratefully, that the warmth had now returned to your hands and you’d stopped shaking so violently.

“Send me a letter once Astra gets back, alright? I’ll keep you updated on what’s going on over on my side.” You agreed before walking Harry to the door, hugging him tightly and watching as he approached the Dursley’s front door.

As predicted, Harry, George, Hermione and Cecillia had let you know that the wizarding world was crumbling fast. Admittedly you were worried about your wizard friends, but Cecillia had done a great job of keeping you distracted by keeping you buried under heaps of divination books, tarot cards and crystal guidebooks. As it turns out, though, you had quite the talent for making accurate detailed predictions.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were descended from a powerful seer,” she’d written to you in awe after you’d managed to predict exactly how a date of hers would go without missing a single detail.

Reading tarot cards quickly became one of your favourite hobbies to indulge in when you weren’t in school. You’d made the mistake of telling George about it in a recent letter, Harry already knew and he also knew that there was no point telling you that he didn’t have a heap of faith in divination. George however was having a field day with the new information.

The older boy teased you at every chance he got, but it was all in good fun as in every letter he sent, you’d find a page that he’d ripped out of his own divination book, the pages would be crinkled and have messy notes scribbled along the margins, with explanations over words that he knew you wouldn’t understand as a muggle. They were actually really helpful. Aside from all the teasing he found it quite endearing that you were trying to get familiar with some form of magic. Even if it was a form of magic wizards tended to ridicule.

He’d been quite worried about you, Harry told him about the dementors and how you’d been quite shaken up after your encounter with them. He’d written to you on a weekly basis, constantly checking in on you, making absolutely sure that no more dementors paid you a visit. He and Harry both kept you up to date with the constant and seemingly never ending rules being imposed upon them by their new headmaster, or headmistress; Delores Umbridge. George also disclosed to you all about his and Fred’s plan to leave Hogwarts and pursue their lifelong dream of opening a joke shop. You had nothing but faith in the twins, really. Your complete faith in them hadn’t stopped you from sending George a handful of crystals that you believed would help his and his shop’s success. He’d teased you relentlessly in each letter since he’d received your package containing citrine, tiger’s eye, amazonite, aventurine and smokey quartz. What he hadn’t mentioned since receiving your little gifts, is that he’d been carrying the five crystals around in their little orange mesh drawstring bag in his pocket everywhere he went. He had to give credit where credit is due and, to be fair to you and your holistic ways, he hadn’t run into any serious obstacles since he started carrying the gems around.

November through June had brought forth a plethora of unfortunate events. You were practically swimming in school work which left you with no time to write to Harry, or even practice tarot. As well as that, you’d been having nightmares, although Cecillia had warned that these dreams could hold some sort of prophesies within them, you highly doubted that though, you weren’t a wizard, only a muggle. Whether prophetic or not, the nightmares plagued you, keeping you up at night or waking you at all hours of the morning.

On one particular morning, you’d awoken with a gasp. Sweat coated your face, soaked your pillow cases and caused your legs to stick to your blankets in a way not even the June heat could've caused. Your heart pounded against your ribcage, tears welled in your eyes, and your body shook as violently as it had the night you’d come face to face with the dementors of Azkaban. The unadulterated fear coursing through your bloodstream suggested that perhaps this bad dream had been something more than simply that.

As fast as you could manage in your panicked state, you dragged your body out of bed and stumbled towards your light switch, flicking it on before haphazardly ripping a sheet out of the refill pad on your desk, grabbing a pen and beginning to scribble down the dream that you could only describe as a warning.

Your laboured breaths stirred Astra from her slumber, the tawny hooted tiredly, hopping out of her cage and fluttering over to your shoulder, settling there as you wrote.

Harry,

I hope this letter reaches you in time. I might sound completely mad but something terrible may be about to happen. I’ve been having these horrific dreams over the last few months, I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry but Cecillia suspects they’re premonitions and I’m terrified she may be right. I’ve just woken up, it’s around 2am and if I’m lucky, Astra should get this letter to you before 6am…

Onto the dream, you were there and you were asleep, I was standing by your bed, it was a four-poster sort of thing, the room was decorated in mostly red and gold. You woke up panicked, you looked completely overwhelmed and you began shouting about your Godfather Sirius, about how he was in trouble… From then on I watched the day play out. You, Hermoine, Ron, Ginny, a boy with brown hair I’ve never met, I think you called him Neville in my dream, and a blonde girl- Luna I think you called her, you all went to the ministry to rescue Sirius and find some kind of prophecy. Harry you have to listen to me, you mustn’t go, it’s a trick, Voldemort planted it in your head and if you go you’ll only put Sirius in harm’s way. But, knowing you, you’re gonna go anyway… so here’s my advice: keep your eyes open for the witch Bellatrix. Keep Sirius away from the veil and please please please, be careful.

I’m heading to Cecillia’s cottage for the day and maybe even the next couple of days, send Astra there when you find time to write back.

I hope I’m wrong but if I’m not; good luck, Harry. I love you and if you don’t look after yourself the dark lord will be the least of your worries.

Lots of love,

Y/n.

Folding up the letter and placing it in a stray envelope, you addressed it and gently tied it to your loyal owl’s leg. “I’m gonna need you to go as fast as you can to get this to Harry, okay Astra?” She hooted with what you guessed to be determination before she set off, out into the night. Thankfully for you, now that your owl was occupied, you knew Cecillia owned a telephone so you’d have no problems contacting her. While writing to Harry, you’d left out a few details about the dream. You conveniently forget to mention that you’d watched his only remaining family member killed at the hand’s of Bellatrix, it had looked so terrifyingly real that your mind couldn’t have possibly conjured it up all by itself. You also failed to mention hearing Harry’s agonising scream as Sirius fell, the noise was nearly deafening. Seeing Sirius, a man you’d only seen in pictures, die and watching your best friend mourn for him was, well, traumatising. There was no way you’d get a wink of sleep for the remainder of the night, so, you quietly tiptoed downstairs and made a call.

The line rang three times before Cecillia’s voice sounded, chirpy as ever despite the late hour, “Hello?”

“Sorry to call so late,” was all you managed, your voice although shaky was immediately identified by the much older witch.

You could nearly see the soft smile on her youthful face as she spoke, “Ah, Y/n my darling, no worries at all! How is my favourite student doing at half two in the morning?”

“Not well, I’ve had another vision. I think you might’ve been right about the dreams being prophetic,” you told her, willing your voice not to crack as the image of your bad dreams crept into your mind once again.

Cecillia let out a gentle hum, “Shall I apparate over? You don’t sound in the highest of spirits, darling.”

“Yes please,” you answered simply and within seconds Cecillia was standing before you, a worried furrow in her brow and her ashy brown hair disheveled from apparating to you in such a hurry. How could she not? You were, after all, her protégé.

“Oh, darling. You look terribly shaken up, come, come, let’s get you some water,” she fretted, guiding you to your kitchen, magically flicking on the light with her wand and filling up a glass of water, with a few flicks of her wrist the glass had floated over to your usual seat at the table, meanwhile Cecillia had stirred you into the wooden chair adjacent the glass.

Wordlessly, the witch peeled your damp hair away from your face and secured it back with a crocodile clip shaped like a huge golden bumble bee, it’s wings adorned with glittering gems. The bee sat comfortably in your hair as Cecillia finally sat down beside you, she made herself comfortable on the kitchen chair, crossing one leg over the other, resting her elbow on the table and using it to prop her cheek up. Her wide green eyes stared at you sympathetically, watching intently as you sipped your water.

“I’m assuming your loyal familiar is sleeping soundly?” She wondered, referring to Astra. You shook your head, simultaneously swallowing a gulp of water before responding verbally.

“I sent her with a letter to Harry, it was more of a warning really,” Cecillia nodded her head, signalling you to go on, “I dreamt of Harry and his friends going to the Ministry of Magic to rescue Sirius Black, but it was a trap. When they got there they were ambushed by dark wizards and Sirius well he…” you trailed off, eyes growing distant and unfocused when the sight of the man being murdered reentered your mind’s eye. A gentle hand on your shoulder pulled you back to the present.

“This one was far worse than the others then?”

You nodded, “It didn’t feel like a dream, cecillia. It was like I was actually standing there but I couldn’t do anything to help though… as per usual,” you muttered bitterly, receiving a harsh squeeze to your shoulder in response.

Cecillia fixed you with a maternal glare, “None of that! You potentially saved a life tonight. And, as I effortlessly predicted since the moment I met you, you’ve got the magical gift of sight,” her hard look melted into something more forgiving as she spoke, “You’re much more than just a muggle. You may have been an extremely late bloomer, but, you’re a witch and a seer at that. A peculiar case indeed, although in the wizarding world stranger things have happened,” the old witch told you proudly, eyes shining with glee as your own filled with confusion.

“How do we know the dream will even come true?” You questioned.

Cecillia simply shrugged and offered you a cheeky grin, “I trust your feelings, darling.”

True to your initial feeling, you hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep, you knew you wouldn’t be able to rest until you found out whether or not your dream had come to fruition. Cecillia remained by your side throughout the night, eventually the sun had risen and your parents descended down the stairs, neither of them were surprised to see Cecillia sitting at the kitchen table. They saw her as an odd woman, very kind and perfectly lovely, but odd. You’d told them that she owned an animal sanctuary and that you’d been volunteering with her, it wasn’t too far fetched really, she had given you an owl after all, not to mention the amount of cats that hung around her cottage.

She explained to your parents that she needed your help at ‘the sanctuary’ for the next few days and that she’d drop you home once the work was finished. It hadn’t been a problem, so you traveled to Cecillia’s cottage after getting dressed and packing an overnight bag (full to the brim with tarot decks and only some clothes).

It was nearly 8 in the evening when Cecillia sauntered into her living room, where you were sitting, sporting a knowing grin, she held a piece of parchment in one hand and an unopened envelope in the other.

Jovially, she plopped herself down beside you, obviously doing her very best to contain a huge grin from forming on her face. Wordlessly, she placed the envelope on your lap with a mere, “For you.”

On the envelope you could tell by the handwriting that it had come from Harry. This was definitely a make or break moment for you. The contents of this letter would either confirm that you did in fact have magic, or, they would be responsible for causing you to experience a seismic amount of embarrassment. Swallowing the lump in your throat you tore the envelope open, freeing the letter and daring to read what was inside.

Dear Y/n,

Your dream was right. And that advice you gave about keeping an eye on Sirius? It saved his life. I suppose I’m mostly writing to say thank you. I’ve got some updates for you too: firstly, it’s finally been confirmed that Voldemort is back so my name is cleared. Secondly, it turns out that Remus and Cecillia are old friends, she contacted him earlier today about your vision and he and Sirius haven’t shut up about how impressive it is. I have a feeling you might be hearing from them soon, The Order now more than ever is in need of a secret weapon and genuine seers are hard to come by. I hate to involve you in this, it’ll probably be dangerous and you know I don’t want to see you hurt, or worse. But having said that, I’m glad we’re in this together now.

Astra got here in good time, by the way, she landed on my window just after I woke up from my vision of Sirius, it was actually quite freaky. I’m taking good care of her so don’t worry, she should be back to you at some point tomorrow.

Hermoine and Ron say hi too. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from George soon, seeing as he and Fred are in the Order… On that note I better get going.

Thank you again for the warning.

See you soon,

Love, Harry.

A bemused smile spread across your lips as you scanned the page, thankful to have finally made a significant difference in Harry’s life. Cecillia was grinning like a cheshire cat beside you, pride shimmering in her emerald eyes. She bumped her arm against yours playfully when you let the letter fall to your lap, “An old friend of mine will be stopping by in a short while. It seems he’d like to get you trained up in some defence against the dark arts.” She told you, still grinning.

“Defence against the dark arts?” You wondered out loud, you were sure you’d heard Harry mention those words to you before, however, the memories were fuzzy.

“Magic to keep you safe from darker magic, the likes of which the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters rely,” she explained darkly. Just then, a loud bang erupted from her open stone fireplace, a bubble of green dissipated as two men stepped less than gracefully onto Cecillia’s faux-fur rug. You recognised them both from your vision. They were Sirius Black and, if you were to take an educated guess, Remus Lupin.

Cecillia wasted no time before she was giddily jumping from her seat to greet the pair who had just appeared in her sitting room.

“Remus! Oh, how wonderful to see you!” She all but squealed, pulling the tall man into a hug and ruffling his already messy hair.

He reciprocated the hug with a gentle chuckle, “It’s nice to see you again, Cece. It’s been far too long,” he pulled away and the pair of them shared a fond smile before simultaneously looking to Sirius. “I trust you remember Sirius?” Lupin asked, almost rhetorically.

Sirius let out a booming laugh at that, “She could never forget me, now could you, Cece?” Cecillia rolled her eyes, and with a look of endearment nearly tackled Sirius into an embrace.

Seeing the woman who was essentially your magical mentor so overjoyed was lovely, Cecillia was jolly at the best of times but you’d never seen her quite like this. Her happiness added to your sense of helpfulness, Sirius Black was obviously important to more than just Harry, if the smile on the free-spirited witches face was anything to go by. Although you were ecstatic for the three witches and wizards before you, you couldn’t help but feel like you were imposing on an intimate reunion.

Awkwardly you cleared your throat, successfully bringing the trio’s attention onto you as you stood by the sofa, smiling unsurely. If it was even possible, all three of their smiles broadened when their gazes landed on you.

“Am I right in assuming that this is my guardian angel?” Sirius asked, separating from Cecillia.

Cecillia nodded, filled with pride, “And isn’t she just the loveliest guardian angel you’ve ever seen?” She gushed, half seriously.

You offered Sirius a bashful smile, along with a nod of greeting, “I’m glad to see you’re alright,” you told him.

His grin stayed fixed in place but he raised a single eyebrow in confusion, “Glad? And yet you’ve never met me before now…” his tone was laced with inquisition, as if he wanted to figure out what ulterior motive you could possibly have for caring about a stranger you’d only ever seen in a dream.

It didn’t take a seer or a psychic to see what Sirius was after, so you simply answered him truthfully, “No, we’ve never met, but you’re still a person, I watched that woman kill you, it was horrible, nobody deserves that. As well as that; I know how much you mean to Harry and what sort of best friend would I be if I didn’t try to help him keep his last family member safe?” Sirius nodded approvingly at your reply, looking between Remus and Cecillia.

“She remind you of anyone?” The black haired man asked in a low chuckle, Remus snickered and Cecillia bit back a grin.

The witch made her way back to your side and wrapped an arm around your shoulder, jostling you ever so slightly when she noticed your vaguely worried expression, “Don’t worry, darling, you just remind us of one of our most treasured school friends, I promise I will tell you all about it later. But for now, I believe Sirius was about to thank you for saving his life?” She prompted, waiting expectantly.

Sirius cleared his throat and straightened his posture before outstretching his arm, offering you his hand which you took firmly in your own. His voice was steady, strong and genuine when he spoke, “I am truly thankful for what you did for not only me but Harry today. I’m extremely proud of my godson for aligning himself with such a strong, powerful and wonderfully loyal young lady.”

“How sweet,” Cecillia cooed, before guiding you to the kitchen, “Come now, boys, kettles on- we have a lot to discuss!” She called over her shoulder.

There certainly had been a lot to discuss. The Order of the Phoenix thought having a seer at their disposal would be extremely beneficial in the upcoming war, the issue was; you are not yet of age and some members of the group didn’t wish to involve a child in their battle. Sirius, Remus and Cecillia made it abundantly clear that if you desired to join the Order, you were more than welcome but you would be welcomed under certain conditions. Those conditions being that your membership be kept under wraps and not disclosed to any muggles, meaning your parents.

“To keep them safe and to give you an escape route if things get too messy, even with the level of magic you’ll have gained by the time the war is in full swing, as a muggle born you’ll most likely need to flee quickly,” Remus explained, though it didn’t make much sense.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to run if my parents knew what we were running from? They’re open minded people, I’m sure they’d understand,” you attempted to reason, the trio but exchanged yet another loaded look with each other.

Cecillia placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, “We have a contingency plan in place, darling. Nothing you need to worry about for right now,” she reassured, easing your nerves a tad. “You trust me don’t you?” She followed up, her tone slightly stonier, more serious. You nodded your head certainly in response, there was no doubt about it; you trusted the witch with your life. “Then,” she began again, a somewhat chastising look on her face, “Trust that I will not allow a single hair on your head to be harmed.” This rule also extended to wizards not in the Order, which meant that when in the magical world, you were to air on the side of extreme caution.

Relating to that, another condition was that, at all times in the magical world, you were to be accompanied by an of age member of the Order. According to Sirius, who your were growing to like more by the second, he was going to arrange for a member of the Order to bring you to Diagon Alley in the morning to get you a wand. The prospect of having a wand of your own was terribly exciting, once again though, you found yourself wondering if you had it in you to properly wield one, or wield one at all for that matter. You were too exhausted to fret for too long, so the thoughts about magic levels and your own capabilities were only fleeting. Once all of the serious chat dissipated into friendly chatter, you managed to slip away from the table at which you were all sat. Making your way back to the sitting room, you tucked yourself into the corner seat of Cecillia’s old and very comfortable sofa, pulled your knees against your chest, wrapped your arms around them and rested your cheek against your knee. Slowly and deeply, you began to breathe in and out, fiddling with the amazonite bracelet that adorned your wrist in order to quell your ever growing anxiety. For a few sweet minutes you indulged in the calm silence, meditating peacefully in your comfy seat until a soft knock sounded from the doorway. When your eyes fluttered open they were met with the image of Sirius Black, leaning casually against the frame of the door, a hand plunged deep into his trouser pocket and another flipping a stray tarot card between his fingers. His eyes were focused on yours as he spoke, “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

You shook your head and patted the seat beside you, “‘Course not, come sit.”

The man chuckled but obliged, settling in the spot beside you and offering you the card he’d previously been fiddling with.

“The ten of swords,” you identified easily, “I assume you’ve been feeling quite overwhelmed if this card found its way to you.”

Sirius hummed, “CeCe tells me that you’ve a penchant for card reading. I was rubbish at divination back at Hogwarts, only took it because I thought it’d be easy but I could never get my head around it,” he reminisced, an airy laugh slipping from his lips.

“If you don’t mind me asking, who were you all talking about earlier when you asked if I reminded Cecilia and Remus of anyone?” He let out a deep sigh before fixing you with a soft smile.

“An old school friend of ours, she was more than a friend to me, but that’s a story for another time,” he started, staring out into the empty space before him a melancholy grin on his lips, “She was fiercely loyal to her friends, if she wanted to help there was absolutely nothing that would stop her from doing so. I know I don’t know you very well, but from what I heard today and the way in which you’ve been described to me by Harry; I can see her in you,” he finished, bumping his shoulder with yours and forcing a happy smile onto your lips which mirrored Sirius’.

“What’s her name?” You asked.

“Her name was Marlene,” Sirius answered.

Your heart dropped with his use of past tense, “Was?”

Sirius bowed his head slightly and began to twist the rings that adorned his slender fingers, “She was killed during the first war,” he told you, making eye contact once again, a grave expression on his face as he continued, “I saw your apprehension earlier when we brought up the topic of secrecy, but you must understand that during the first war we lost so many who were dear to us, keeping you in our back pocket will ensure that you aren’t harmed in the face of this war, if any dark wizards hear so much of a whisper of a muggleborn seer they will stop at nothing to eliminate you,” he paused for a brief second, never breaking eye contact, the gravity of the situation heavy on your chest your fingers absentmindedly found your amazonite bracelet once again. Your movements were halted when Sirius placed his large hand over yours, squeezing it warmly while staring at you determinedly, “You saved my life today, Y/n. So believe me when I tell you that I will stop at nothing to keep you safe,” he promised and you squeezed his hand in return.

“I know,” he smiled as he watched your eyes return to the ten of swords and your grin broadened with the sort of mischief he’d only ever seen in four people; James Potter, Marlene McKinnon and Fred and George Weasley. “I have a prediction for you.”

Sirius entertained you fondly, a mischievous air that reminded him of when he was your age surrounding the pair of you, “By all means, do tell.”

“I predict,” you paused for emphasis, “that we are going to be very good friends.”

Sirius let out a booming laugh of which the volume he couldn’t control, “That is a prediction I truly hope will come to fruition.”

“Oh no, this is a duo that spells trouble,” Cecillia giggled to Remus as they entered the sitting room.

Remus looked between you and Sirius with a grin, “With a mentor like you, Cece, I’m not surprised Y/n has a taste for mischief,” the ruffled wizard teased, receiving a gentle elbow to the ribs from your mentor.

“Oi, if you’re going to blame my beloved girl’s mischief on anyone you better blame it on a certain Weasley twin,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows and causing the boys to smile giddily like teenagers.

Sirius bumped your shoulder again, this time with a faux-scandalised smile, “A Weasley twin, eh? Come on then, which one?” You blushed heavily and cleared your throat in an attempt to alleviate the embarrassment filling your being.

“He’s just a friend!”

“Mhm. A friend that sends her annotated pages from his divination text book,” Cecillia sang and Sirius snickered.

“Whichever one it is must be quite taken with you if you made him actually crack open a textbook.”

“Annotations are quite intimate,” Remus half teased although you could see he believed what he’d just said, “I bet it’s George,” he directed the bet at Sirius who carefully observed the way you bit your lip and bashfully looked towards the wooden floor.

“I think you’re right, moony. Now!” He stood suddenly and pointed a finger at Remus expectantly, “We best get going and arrange Y/n’s accomplice for tomorrow’s field trip,” he wiggled his eyebrows before turning his head to face you again, he shot you a wink and you couldn’t stop the airy laugh that left your mouth at his lighthearted antics.

Remus gave Cecillia a one armed hug, “we’ll be seeing you both tomorrow then, it was lovely to meet you, Y/n, perhaps next time Sirius will allow me to get a word in,” he chuckled and Sirius responded by throwing his arm around your shoulder.

“I better get off, this husband of mine is growing jealous,” he told you in a teasingly hushed whisper.

Your eyes widened and you looked between the two men, “You two are married?”

A love struck smile took over both of their faces which immediately gave you your answer. “We’re engaged,” Sirius clarified before pulling you into a proper hug, “Get a good night's sleep, we’ll be sending an order member to collect you early tomorrow morning so you can be in and out of Olivander’s before a crowd can build,” he told you while giving you an affectionate squeeze, you could’ve laughed when you realised that it felt like you’d known Sirius forever but you also could’ve cried when you relived the image of him losing his life and realised that just because it was over and prevented didn't mean it hadn’t still transpired in your mind’s eye, you didn’t let that show on your face though.

“I’ll make sure I’m well rested,” you promised.

With that, Sirius bid Cecillia goodbye, and he and Remus left the way they’d came.

The rest of the night had been spent with Cecillia telling you story after story about her school days and the trouble she’d caused with Sirius, Remus, James and Lily Potter, Harry’s parents, and another boy who she only referred to as “the rat”. Though the tone of the stories were completely lighthearted, they weighed on your chest with a sense of such tragedy. A huge majority of their friends were killed young because of the war, a war that was now waging once again. It led you to wonder who’d be lost to this one, if perhaps you’d be on the list of names that Harry or Cecillia or George would speak about fondly with a dense undertone of sorrow in the years after the second war had long since been won. It was a risk you were willing to take though, the notion of fighting for a deserving cause filled you with a sense of purpose, a purpose you’d been searching for for years. More than that, you felt important. You were needed. An asset. You would actually be of some help.

True to your word, you’d been getting a good night’s rest. The bed in Cecillia’s spare room was the comfiest thing you’d ever come across, though, as you began to stir from your deep slumber you couldn’t recall the empty side of the double bed being quite so dipped.

Slowly and begrudgingly, you cracked your eyes open to see Cecillia smiling tiredly at you in the light of dawn, “Morning, darling. Sorry about the early start, I’ve made you some tea,” she greeted quietly so as to not disturb the peace of the early morning. She held two ceramic mugs, one in each hand and passed you the steaming cup that was hand painted green, keeping the brown one for herself. Tiredly, you patted the spot beside you and pulled the quilt to the side, inviting the witch into the warm bed. She happily slid in, pulling the quilt over her and chuckling quietly when you dropped your head onto her robed shoulder and began to sip the tea she’d made. Cecillia rested her head against yours and sipped on her own tea.

“Are you excited for today?” She asked and you hummed.

“I’m having mixed emotions,” you stated, “I’m excited to see everything, but I’m sort of nervous that I won’t have enough magic to even get a wand,” Comfort spread through your chest when Cecillia pressed her lips to the crown of your head.

“The wonderful thing about wands, lovely, is that the wand picks the wizard,” she began, “so whatever wand you end up with will accentuate the level of magic inside you. Its power will grow as yours does and you’ll soon come to realise that you couldn’t imagine wielding anything else,” her voice was wistful and her eyes shined with wonder as she recalled how it felt to bond to a wand.

“What do you think mine will be like?” You wondered, excitement awakening in you thanks to Cecillia’s encouraging words.

The witch took an exaggerated slurp of her tea before answering, “Something curious,” was all she said.

“Insightful,” you murmured and she shrugged unapologetically, her chaotic energy exuding now that she’d started to wake up fully. “What time is it anyway?”

“Half six, your chaperone should be arriving at seven and Olivander’s opens at eight,” she told you before shimmying out of bed, you whined in the absence of your head rest. “You better get dressed. Wear something nice, rumour has it that your tag along is quite the eligible bachelor,” she wiggled her eyebrows and all but floated out of the spare room. It was practically your room by now though, over the years since you’d gotten Astra and met Cecillia you’d stayed in the room on countless occasions. Cecillia embodied something that was something between a second mother, a spiritual mentor, a teasing older sister and a slightly kooky aunt.

“Oh? So do you reckon I should brush my hair then?” You jokingly called out after her only to receive a harsh scoff.

“Absolutely not! Don’t be desperate!” You barked out a laugh at her response, shaking your head and getting ready for the day ahead.

You were just about finished getting ready when a familiar bang sounded from the sitting room. Taking a deep breath, you gave yourself one last look over in the mirror, happy with the outfit you’d chosen, you made your way towards the sitting room to come face to face with your surprise chaperone for the day.

When you shuffled into the sitting room, a smile immediately stretched across your lips upon seeing who had been appointed to stick by your side for the day, “George!” His name left your mouth in a squeal that would’ve been embarrassing had you not been so excited to see him. It’d been upwards of a year since the last time you’d seen George in the flesh and although you’d seen each other in photos and written to each other at a rate that was almost excessive, the prospect of spending time together in person was, for lack of a better word; magical.

George drew his attention away from the framed pictures that lined Cecillia’s fireplace to see you standing in the doorway, looking as bright as the newly risen sun and sporting a smile that he couldn’t quite put into words how it made him feel. It only took a second before his own cheek splitting smile grew on his face, and with it left his hopes of impressing you with his cool and collected attitude. You hadn’t given him too much time to dwell on his ruined cool guy facade as you all but threw yourself into his arms. The red head let out an endearing laugh, catching you in his toned arms, wrapping them tightly around your torso. A scarlet blush rising on his ears when he felt your smile against his neck. “Hello to you too,” he chuckled against your ear and you pulled back enough to look at him, your arms still secure around his shoulders.

“Sorry,” you started, the smile that still adorned your lips telling him that you weren’t all that sorry at all, “Hi,” you greeted, bashfully pulling your arms away from him.

The sitting room was quiet for a moment as the pair of you only stared at each other, would it be too much to tell him that you’ve missed him? You didn’t want to come on too strong after such a long time apart, you’d already tackled him into a hug within the first five seconds, but with that came your next internal question of; did you really want to keep this boy on his toes?

George, having already discarded his notion of acting nonchalant with you, bet you to the punch. He rubbed the back of his neck and flicked his gaze to the floor before bringing it back to you, “I’ve missed you.”

A giggle left your lips before you could think about choking it down, you nodded your head, bouncing slightly on the balls of your feet, “Yeah, I’ve missed you too. Sorry I haven’t written, Astra is still with Harry.”

George gave you a grin, “No worries, darling. Heard you’ve been a very busy little psychic lately.”

Darling, you mused internally, the nickname echoing through your head and causing your heart to somersault in a way you’d never really felt before.

“Oh how sweet,” Cecillia sang from the doorway, a wicked grin on her face as she took in the two hopeless blushing messes, staring doe-eyed at each other in the middle of her living room. “I hate to break up the reunion, my dears, but the pair of you really should get going,” she instructed, strutting up to you and holding a cloth pouch in your direction, “Sirius left you some spending money, it’s different than the money you usually use but I’m sure George will have no problem helping you out,” Cecillia shot the boy a wink and he nodded, once again growing bashful.

“Now,” she grew serious, directing her words at George and making him slightly intimidated with her strong eye contact, “You are to be extremely careful. You are not to mention that Y/n is a seer and you are not to draw any attention to the fact that she is a muggleborn, if Mr. Olivander asks, she’s a half-blood who's been living in the states and that’s why she doesn’t have a wand,” you wore a confused expression, George nodded in complete understanding, “Did Sirius give you the list?”

George nodded once again, pulling a folded piece of parchment out of the back pocket of his slightly baggy denim jeans, “May I take a look?” Cecillia asked, already snatching the parchment from George’s long fingers and unfolding the sheet and reading it aloud, “Alright! A wand… seriously? He used a whole page of parchment just to write one thing?” She grumbled, stomping over to the nearest side table, leaning down and began to scribble on the parchment. You looked to George as she wrote, “Why do you have to say I’m from the States?” You asked quietly and George leaned down slightly to be closer to your ear.

“Witches and wizards in America don’t get wands until they’re of age, we get them here when we’re eleven,” just as he was finished offering his explanation, Cecillia walked back over, a hard look on her face that you weren’t used to seeing, though it seemed that the look was reserved for George.

Silently she handed him the parchment before looking to you, hard look dissolving back into her usual playful expression, “Have fun, lovely.” She then turned to George again, apparently having had enough of trying to intimidate the poor boy, she shot him a smile, “You’ll be taking the floo to Diagon Alley, my fireplace is big enough to take the both of you at once,” she handed George a pouch of what looked like green powder, “George knows what to do, now, not to sound like a broken record but do stay safe and have fun,” she finished, ushering the pair of you into her fireplace. You couldn’t lie, it was quite strange, you supposed you should get used to things coming across as strange, you were about to be exposed to the magical wizarding world for the first time after all. In the fireplace, you stood shoulder to shoulder with George, noticing the nervous look on your face, he slid his hand into yours gently. When you looked at him, he kept his face focused on his feet, “Ready, Y/n?” Taking a deep breath you nodded shakily.

“Ready, George.”

At your words, George slammed the green powder onto the ground and shouted, “Diagon Alley!”

You were sure you were going to be sick. Whatever the powder was, it had you spinning at a pace you didn’t know was possible, you had screwed your eyes shut and you were almost certain that you could feel yourself physically moving. It was only when George tugged on your hand that you opened your eyes to see that your surroundings had actually changed. “It’s horrible the first time, but you get used to it,” George said, pulling you by your still intertwined hands onto the cobbled street. The dizziness died down after only a few seconds out in the fresh air, the added sensation of George’s thumb rubbing soothing circles against your hand seemed to do the trick in settling you completely as you took in the street ahead of you. It was dazzling, really. A long cobbled street, lined with shops that looked like they were plucked straight out of a fairytale. As planned, the streets were fairly empty in the early morning as George led you down the path towards the shop where you’d hopefully get your wand. The name “Olivanders” was written above both windows of the dark shop, the words “makers of fine wands since 382 B.C.” were to be seen just above the door. Excitement had completely overridden your nerves and you practically skipped towards the door, George followed casually behind you, his hands tucked into his pockets and a fond smile on his lips.

“I suppose you’re excited then?” He asked teasingly and you didn’t bother trying to hide your obvious childlike wonder as you waited for him to catch up with you.

“It probably seems silly to you, but this morning Cecillia told me all about when she got her wand and it sounded so wonderful,” you told him, smiling when he bumped his shoulder against yours.

“I don’t think it’s silly, I still get giddy thinking about the time Fred and I got wands of our own,” he pushed the door open and motioned for you to step inside, slowly you walked into the empty shop. It was dark and somewhat dingy but there was something very mystically inclining about it, you could feel the energy and it was utterly exhilarating.

“Wow,” you breathed out, spinning where you stood, gazing at the boxes upon boxes that lined the shelves.

Only a minute passed before an old man stumbled to the front of the shop, smiling at the pair of you from behind the counter, “Ah, Mr. Weasley, it’s good to see you, it’s been some time. What can I do for you this morning? I see you’ve brought a friend,” the older wizard greeted and you smiled in response.

“I’m looking for a wand. I’ve been living in the states for the past few years but I just moved home,” you lied easily, George couldn’t help but smirk, what he’d give to have had you around for some of his and Fred’s pranks at Hogwarts.

The old man nodded in understanding, his eyes scanned you, his eyes were scrutinising and you fought the urge to squirm under his gaze, “Interesting. One moment please,” he said, murmuring to himself as he searched the isles for what he was looking for. A small “aha” sounded from within the isles, he was back in front of you within seconds, an open rectangular box in his hand. It was absolutely gorgeous, it resembled a raw tree branch, wood spiralling up its expanse until it stopped at the top, cutting off in a jagged, dull edge. He must’ve noticed how your jaw dropped, how could he not? He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off you since you’d wandered into his shop. He was an old wizard, but he wasn’t naive, he was well aware you weren’t returning from America, he could sense an energy in you that he hadn’t come in contact with in a long time. “Curious, isn’t it?” He prompted you, causing you to let out an airy laugh. Cecillia was going to tease you big time when you got back to her cabin.

“It’s lovely, what is it?” He offered you the box expectantly and you hesitantly picked up the wand with as much care as you possibly could. It was cool against your skin and was heavier than you’d imagined it would be.

“Thirteen inch, oak; cut from the base of a tree, which at the time, was almost six hundred years old,” he explained, watching happily as you ran your fingers along the wands several ridges,”With a phoenix feather core, quite a rare piece indeed. Unfortunately, this particular wand has been extremely difficult to match to a witch. But something tells me that you might be just the witch for the job,” he held your gaze and you once again got the feeling that he knew something he shouldn’t, “Go on, then. Give it a wave,” he prompted and you looked to George for further encouragement. George laughed at your lost expression, pulling his own wand out and pointing it towards the now empty box on the counter, “Like this, love,” he demonstrated, moving his wrist in a semi-circle motion, making the box levitate off the counter.

Another pet name. You ignored the butterflies in your stomach in favour of clearing your throat, squaring your shoulders and pointing your wand at the same box George had just made float, which was now settled back against the counter. Imitating the boy beside you, you moved your wrist in a swift semi-circle. Suddenly, a golden light poured from the tip of the wand and warm air surrounded you, gently blowing your hair back and forcing a laugh of disbelief to leave your lips. George stood wide eyed beside you, his lips parted slightly. He was amazed really, he went through five wands before he found the one that fit him, yet you’d found yours on the first try, and he had to admit; you looked glorious doing it.

After paying for your wand, you exited the shop, looking around George’s side at the list he was holding. From what you could make out, Cecillia had added a number of items to the originally very short list; 1) a wand, 2) a pendulum (crystal of the ladies choice), 3) crystals: labradorite, lapis lazuli & azurite, 4) mugwort, 5) new tarot deck (again, whatever she wants Sirius can afford it ;)).

“Suppose our next stop is the divination shop,” George said, mostly to himself but gave you a mischievous smile, “If we hurry up and get our shopping done fast we could probably get a butterbeer in before we rejoin the rest of the Order,” he sang, grazing his hand against yours as you walked side by side.

“Beer? You seriously want to drink beer at half eight in the morning?” You asked him, your eyebrow raised and he replied with an exaggerated roll of his eyes and draped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you close against his side and once again leaning his head down so his lips were level with your eye.

“No, you git,” he began with a laugh, “It’s not really beer, it’s pretty sweet; most wizards love it.”

You hummed in acknowledgment, “Sounds nice,” you told him absently, preoccupied with all the intriguing shops that surrounded you. George’s arm remained wrapped around your shoulder as you strolled further into Diagon Alley, seemingly uninterested in his offer for a butterbeer. The pair of you got what you needed from the shop and, since it hadn’t taken long, you decided to take George up on his drinks offer. You noticed that he seemed a little bit crestfallen since your noncommittal answer earlier.

“Hey,” you said, bumping your arm against his.

“Hello,” he replied, returning the gesture.

“So… d’you wanna go get one of those beer things that you were talking about earlier?” You asked nervously, your lip between your teeth. For all you knew, asking someone to grab a butterbeer in the wizarding world was the muggle equivalent to proposing.

George flashed you a grin that was almost childlike, it was mesmerising, so sweet and pure and you almost wished you’d brought your camera to take a picture of it. “I thought you’d never ask.”

With a giggle you let him grab your hand and lead you excitedly towards a building that had “The Leaky Cauldron” written above the door. When you got inside, George led you to a small round table with two chairs and you both sat down opposite each other. As casually as you could, you rested your elbow against the table and let your cheek rest against your fist, for a solid few minutes, while George ordered, you curiously looked around the pub until your gaze finally rested on George who was already looking at you with a soft smile, “Having fun?” He asked, genuinely curious.

You nodded your head, “Mhm, are you? I’m sure getting up at the crack of dawn to take me shopping isn’t something someone like you would usually like to do for fun,” you said, becoming slightly self conscious when you realised that he probably wasn’t enjoying the morning as much as you were. This was all normal for him, you’d nearly forgotten.

George gave you a perplexed look, “Course I’m having fun, love. But, what do you mean someone like me?”

You shrugged, once again pushing down the butterflies that arose in your stomach from the pet name, “I dunno, you’re just- you’re mischievous and fun and… I don’t know, shopping for stuff with me doesn’t seem like it’s something you’d want to do. I just hope Sirius didn’t force you into it,” you admitted shyly, smiling gratefully at the waiter when he placed the mugs of golden liquid on the table.

George chewed on his bottom lip for a second before he shook his head, “He didn’t force me. I sort of, well, I sort of forced him to let me take you. He wanted Professor Lupin to do it but I…” he let out an exaggerated sigh before giving you a smile, “I wanted to spend time with you,” he confessed sweetly, watching happily as a smile formed on your lips and you tried to hide it in the rim of your butterbeer. He laughed when your face lit up once the liquid hit your lips, “Like it?”

“This stuff is amazing,” you almost shouted, taking another large sip from the drink, “No wonder you all love it so much.”

George snickered, “Just in case it wasn’t clear; I’m having a lot of fun with you,” he said all too casually, taking a sip of his drink.

“Where to now?” You wondered, after you’d finished your drinks and set off back towards the floo network.

George shot you a cheeky look and wiggled his eyebrows, “I’m taking you back to headquarters.”

“Sounds ominous,” you commented, following him into the fireplace, nervously.

“D’you want a tip?” George asked out of the blue and you looked up at him expectantly, nodding. “The dizziness isn’t as bad if you keep your eyes open,” he whispered, taking your hand once again and throwing down the same green powder from earlier and shouting a new location that you hadn’t heard before. You cringed as the world began to spin, listening to George’s advice hadn’t helped much as the transportation was just as awful as it had been the first time. Unbeknownst to you, you were squeezing George’s hand like your life depended on it, George’s thumb had resumed brushing circles around your hand in response, the harsh squeezing didn’t bother him at all, not when it was you doing the squeezing. Just like earlier, George led you out of the fireplace and into the unfamiliar sitting room. Though the room was completely unfamiliar it was full of faces you immediately recognised, one face in particular standing out above all the rest.

In a second you’d dropped not only George’s hand, but all of your shopping bags to the floor carelessly and hurled yourself towards the boy who had already begun rushing towards you the second he caught sight of you appearing in the fireplace. Your bodies collided with so much force that you nearly sent each other tumbling to the ground, laughter sounded from both of you as you swayed the other, almost roughly, the way you always did when reuniting after an extended period of time.

“Glad to see you in one piece, Harry,” you told him with a cheeky smile on your lips, opting not to call him Haz in front of all of his wizard friends lest they tease him, not to mention you’d become quite possessive of the nickname, you wouldn’t be too pleased if anyone else started adopting it. Not that you’d ever admit that out loud.

“Yeah, you too,” his smile was as wide as could be when he shook his head, “I can’t believe you’re actually here.”

“Do you want me to pinch you?” You teased, jokingly taking his cheek between your thumb and your pointer, giving the skin between them a gentle squeeze. Harry swatted your hand away with a low chuckle and unraveled his arms from around you.

“Alright, you two, if you’re ready we have some matters we need to discuss with our newest member,” Sirius’ voice sounded from behind you, a knowing look on his face as he watched Harry sneakily pinch your arm in retaliation. He had to fight the urge he felt to reminisce on his old school days; when he’d purposely annoy James, Remus or Peter and receive the exact same mockingly vengeful look that you’d just given Harry.

“I’ll bring your things to the kitchen,” George announced, reminding you of his presence before he walked rather quickly out of the room, bags clutched in his hands.

Harry snorted out a laugh when Sirius followed George out of the room, leaving the both of you alone. Harry wiggled his eyebrows and did his best to make his voice take on a sultry tone, “he’s bringing your things to the kitchen.”

“Shut your mouth, Potter,” you replied, pinching his cheek for the second time and tossing your arm around his shoulder, him doing the same as he led you to what you assumed was the kitchen.

“Do I have your permission to open my mouth to tell you something,” Harry asked lightly, stopping so you were both standing outside a closed wooden door.

“I’ll allow it,” you answered, smiling softly at your best friend.

Harry grinned, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Haz,” the boy groaned at the name but made no further comment, he pushed the wooden door open and walked inside.

The room held a long table where many adults were sat, chatting in hushed whispers when you entered the room, some of whom you recognised and some you didn’t. Mrs. Weasley was fluttering about the table, filling people’s tea cups before she spotted you. The woman, who you’d only ever met briefly at King’s Cross station one year, rushed over to you and greeted you warmly, “Hello, dear! Come, come sit down!” She ushered you to a vacant chair beside George and across from Fred, Harry took the seat on your other side. “I trust you got everything you needed from Diagon Alley? I hope that son of mine didn’t cause any trouble for you,” you gave her a friendly smile and shook your head.

“Yes, we were able to find what we needed and George was very helpful,” Mrs. Weasley, seemingly satisfied with your answer, offered a gentle smile to you and George. She then pushed a cup of tea towards you before sitting down herself.

Beneath the table George bumped his knee lightly against yours, but didn’t break from his conversation with his twin as he left his knee pressed against yours. You didn’t draw attention to it either, simply letting your knee relax against his as the witches and wizards at the long table grew quiet in favour of staring at you wordlessly.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard the news of the seer we’ve acquired,” Sirius’ commanding voice broke the silence as he stood up from his chair, and placed his palms against the table, “I’ve brought her here today so that we may discuss proceedings to ensure her safety.”

“Yes,” a toneless drawl, drawn out nasally from the end of the table drew your attention to a black haired man at the opposite end of the table, “and what of Mr. Potter’s presence?” He asked, almost menacingly. Right off the bat, you didn’t like the greasy haired man. He was rigid and his face sported a permanent snarl and from across the table you could already tell; he wasn’t on your side.

“She’s my best friend, I’m here to make sure she’s not going to be put in any unnecessary danger,” Harry told the man shortly, in a tone that he’d more than likely perfected after having spoken to the man previously.

“As touching as that may be,” the older man snarled, “you are not a member of the Order.”

“Oh, enough, Serverus,” Sirius scoffed, pulling his hand down his face in exasperation before he let his eyes settle on Harry, “Perhaps you should wait upstairs for now. We’ll let you know of any significant updates.”

“I’ll tell you everything later, promise,” you whispered quietly, linking his pinky with yours beneath the table before he stropily took his leave.

“As I was saying,” Sirius spared Severus a glare and continued, “As we know, Yn is an unregistered wizard with an unregistered wand, meaning she won’t be on the radar of The Ministry of Magic. On the downside of this, seeing as her power manifested late, she is also untrained.”

All gazes fell to you once more, only Remus’ eyes were staring softly, crinkled at the edges from the smile on his lips, “I’ll be tutoring her in Defence Against the Dark Arts over the summer. She’ll catch up quickly, no doubt,” you smiled gratefully at him from your spot, relaxing a bit knowing that you’d actually be learning how to defend yourself the wizard way.

“I suppose I will be tasked with teaching the art of Occlumency? A seer with an easily accessible mind is hardly an asset,” Severus drawled. You didn’t have a clue what occlumency was, in all honesty, but you kept your mouth shut in favour of asking Remus when the meeting was over.

The meeting soon drew to a close, the older Order members slinking to one end of the table to arrange the schedule for your glorified summer school while you, Fred and George snuck away to find Harry. You found him sitting against the headboard of a bed in one of the upstairs bedrooms, “How’d it go?”

“Take a guess, mate, Snape had a right sour look on his face the whole time,” Fred answered, sitting on the bed across from Harry’s. George sat beside him and you made your way to sit with Harry.

“Ah, so that was the infamous professor Snape?” All three boys nodded, looks of exhaustion on their faces, “I don’t trust him. Something is very off about him,” you spoke thoughtfully and the boys nodded in agreement once again.

“I don’t like the idea of you being alone with him,” George said, his brows furrowed.

Fred snorted and clapped his twin roughly on the shoulder, “Getting a bit jealous are you, Georgie?” Harry laughed along with Fred while you blushed lightly and George felt heat rising up the nape of his neck.

“Sod off,” he muttered, but made no attempt to deny that he was slightly jealous of all the alone time his old evil potions professor would be getting with the girl he was harbouring feelings for.

The afternoon quickly turned into the evening and before long you were gathering your things and preparing to return to Cecillia’s. Harry would be heading back to the Dursley’s later that night, much to his dismay. You told him you’d be back on Privet Drive at some point the next morning since Cecillia would be dropping you home, as she promised your parents, so he wouldn’t have to suffer alone for too long.

That summer came and went in a bit of a blur. Two days in each week were spent learning how to protect yourself against the dark arts with Remus. He’s an amazing teacher, that couldn’t be disputed. In the space of only two months he had you duelling like you’d been doing it since the day you were born. Of course, you were thrilled to be bonding with your wand and developing (according to Remus) a very impressive skill for Defence Against the Dark Arts. But, on top of that, the shared conversations and exchanging of stories over hefty mugs of hot chocolate with the werewolf had been a huge highlight of your summer, and had caused the two of you to grow exponentially closer.

September was nearing and with it came a stiff breeze that prompted the hair on your arms to stand alert as you waited by the bus stop, the one just down the road from your house. Today was to be an important lesson with Remus, he hadn’t told you what the lesson would entail, but he had said that it was a charm that was “of the utmost importance”.

Although June, July and August were technically your summer holidays, you’d barely had a second to rest. You were, at this point, running on fumes and sheer will power. Extensively using magic was bound to wear you out, however, getting a good night’s rest after a gruelling training session had become something of a luxury for you. Visions of the future and retellings of past torments plagued your dreams and allowed you no time to rest. One vision in particular had been reoccurring, it arrived every night for the past two weeks, taunting you. The autumn chill that dripped down your spine reminded you of the premonition, having your hairs standing due to fright, rather than cold. It was always the same, no details ever shifted or warped and, unfortunately, the experience never grew any less harrowing. The warning that the vision brought about weighed on you heavily and followed you around like a stray cat. Images of a cold, desolate, blue-hued cellar lived behind your eyes, the phantom feeling of freezing metal shackles weighed on your wrists painfully and the undiluted terror combined with the indescribable agony brought about by the unfamiliar wand shoved against your throat had you forcing yourself to stay awake until you physically couldn’t anymore, each and every night. Nobody knew about the vision, you didn’t want to worry them, though, you knew that your distress was beginning to become visible; dark bags were prominent beneath your eyes, Harry had watched you fall asleep in the middle of the day, often on his shoulder, almost everyday that week and Remus could tell by the sluggish movements of your wand that your mind was elsewhere.

A few minutes passed before your bus arrived, the journey to Grimmauld Place was quite long but you couldn’t seem to warm up to floo travel, so going on a regular bus was the better option. When the red double decker pulled up, you greeted the driver with a smile and paid for your ticket. You made your way up to the second story and sat right at the front. The bus, as it normally tended to be, was empty. Resting your head against the window, you let your eyes slip shut, the noises of tree branches brushing against the speeding windows lulling you into a, hopefully, peaceful sleep.

Thankfully when you woke up, no visions lingered. You woke up just in time too as the bus was rounding up to your stop. As usual, Remus waited for you at the bus stop, his hands shoved deep in his tattered jacket pockets and a gentle smile on his lips.

Still groggy from your nap, when you exited the bus you greeted Remus with a tired wave.

“Dare I say you haven’t been sleeping well, dear?” He said gently, walking alongside you towards the house.

You thought about it for a second, perhaps telling someone wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. “I’ve just, well, I’ve been having this nightmare,” you started, growing nervous just thinking about it.

“Nightmare or vision?” He pressed as you walked into the house.

Guilt creeped into your chest upon seeing the clear worry on his face, “I think it’s a vision.”

Remus nodded quietly, placing his hand on the small of your back and pushing you in the direction of the living room. He gave you a warm smile, when you sat down on the sofa. He grabbed a blanket that hung over the back of the sofa and draped it over your lap. “I’ll make us some hot chocolate and we can discuss this,” he suggested.

“I thought you had an important lesson for today?” He only shook his head, smiling lightly.

He made his way to the door wordlessly and returned within two minutes with two big, steaming mugs in his hands. Remus handed you a mug and sat down beside you on the sofa, accepting your invitation to pull the blanket over his lap too.

“Now tell me; what has been going on in that wonderful mind of yours?”

You took in a deep breath, staring into the hot chocolate and avoiding his understanding gaze, “It happened for the first time around two weeks ago. I thought that it was just a dream, it didn’t feel like a dream but I thought that if I kept telling myself it was I would start to believe it,” you started, taking a sip of your drink before going back to staring at it, “But it kept coming back. Every night for the last two weeks. I haven’t been able to sleep, I’ve been too scared to,” your voice was small as you made the confession. You hated that the feeling of helplessness was beginning to wash over you yet again.

“What happens in this vision?” At his question, you placed your cup on the floor and turned to face him fully, turning on the sofa and pulling your knees up to your chest.

“It’s always the same. I wake up and the first thing I know is that I’m absolutely freezing. I’m in this cellar-like thing. I’m chained up by my wrists and my feet are barely touching the ground… I can’t see anyone but I can feel-“ your breath hitched and you rushed the swipe the tears that were falling away from your cheeks, “I can feel a wand against my throat, it’s pressing hard. There’s a whisper, it’s quiet and ghostly and I can barely make it out but I hear them say; crucio.”

Remus’ eyes widened in horror.

“Then I feel nothing but agonising pain and then I wake up,” Remus’ eyebrows furrowed.

“You’ve had this same vision every night?” You nodded.

“I know I should have said something but I didn’t want anyone to worry,” it was then that Remus grabbed your hands and looked at you with a sense of urgency you didn’t know he could possess.

“I need you to listen to me very carefully,” his eyes were wild and his hands shook lightly as they held yours, “You-Know-Who is back. There are already reports of certain Wizards going missing and none of us have any doubt that it’s his doing. And although I- we- care for you a great deal, it would serve us all well to remember that you’re a detrimental piece in this war. If he catches wind of you, he’ll stop at nothing to take you from us,” your heart was now running at the speed of a hummingbird. “We have a plan in place to keep you safe, I fear we may have to implement it sooner than planned.”

Before you knew it, you were surrounded by the entire Order of the Phoenix, all of whom looked grave. Cecillia sat to your right while Nymphadora Tonks occupied the seat to your left. You had the pink haired auror to thank for your duelling capabilities, as well as Remus of course. Her presence was comforting, she made it a point to shoot you a wink every time she caught your eyes looking more fearful than usual.

“Our original plan will need to be tweaked, I ran into Narcissa Malfoy in Diagon Alley and she very plainly insinuated that I was a person of interest in the death eating community,” Cecillia informed the table, a, for lack of a better word, bitchy tone laced in her voice. She’d told you many of her Hogwarts stories, you could recall her telling you that she and the woman she’d mentioned, Narcissa, had once been good friends until around their fourth year. She hadn’t told you what exactly had happened, only that it had been messy.

“What was the original plan?” You asked, growing frustrated with the Order’s lack of communication skills.

Thankfully, being one of the younger members of the group, Tonks understood your frustrations and spoke up on behalf of the group, regardless of whether they were ready for you to know or not; she understood that it was your life they were coordinating.

“We talked about relocating you to CeCe’s. We also, and far more pressingly, planned on erasing all traces of you from both the muggle and wizard world. Which would mean using a memory charm on your family and friends in the muggle world,” Tonks explained, eyes locked on yours while everyone else in the room glared daggers at the purple haired girl.

“Yes. Though we also planned on telling you this information with a far more delicate approach,” Snapped Molly Weasley from the end of the table, causing Fred, who sat to her left, to roll his eyes.

“She’s been riddled with visions of being ruthlessly tortured with an unforgivable curse for the past two weeks. I think the time for delicacy is long passed,” the older of the two twins practically scoffed. George nodded in agreement.

“Besides,” he set his gaze on you, eyes genuine and unwavering as he spoke, “she’s strong enough to handle the truth. It’s time you all stopped acting like she isn’t.”

The table fell silent. His words hung in the air as many of the adults hung their heads.

“By memory charm I’m assuming you mean obliviate?” You broke the silence, if you could you hoped to start an open conversation with the experienced witches and wizards that surrounded you.

“Yes. They’re completely reversible and once the war is over I’ll restore all of the memories.” Cecillia said.

“We know it’s a huge ask, dear, but it’s our best chance at keeping you out of that wretched creature’s hands,” Molly attempted to soothe both you and herself when she pictured what it would like to be in your shoes, how she’d feel if she had no other choice but to be forgotten by the thing she valued the most; her family. Molly Weasley had never been very good at hiding her maternal instincts, over the summer that fact had become glaringly obvious to you. You and Harry had laughed about how the children of Privet Drive had a special place in her heart.

“I understand,” you told her sadly, chewing on the inside of your lip, “I’m guessing by the atmosphere in the room that I won’t be home to say goodbye before you wipe their memories,” you shifted yours eyes from person to person, stopping when Cecillia took your hand firmly in hers.

Her lips were downturned and her eyes filled with guilt, she shook her head mournfully, “I’m afraid we can’t risk it, my darling. Even being here places you in danger at the moment.”

“Where will she go then? If CeCe’s place isn’t an option we’ll have to find a safe house,” Sirius sounded and, simultaneously, both Fred and George stood up, shoulder to shoulder with very professional expressions on their faces.

“We may be able to help with that, actually. George, if you would,” Fred started, nodding to his twin who straightened his shoulders and puffed his chest out over so slightly.

“Thank you, Fred. As you know, we have a property for Weasley Wizard Wheezes secured and we’ll be living in the flat above where the shop will be,” everyone at the table, including yourself, stared at the twins in confusion, not quite sure where they were going with their little pitch until Fred took over again.

“And that flat has three bedrooms,” he said, a smirk growing on his thin lips.

George spoke again, “Which means there’s one for me and one for Fred.”

“Which means there’s one spare,” Fred grinned wickedly.

Tonks let out an impressed laugh once the penny finally dropped, “We apparate her in and nobody would ever know a thing. Nobody other than those of us in the room know that Y/n is a friend of the Weasley’s, plus us visiting the joke shop wouldn’t raise any suspicion. I have to give it to them, it’s a great idea,”

“And one of the two of us will always be within shouting distance if anything happens,” George added, somewhat pleadingly.

Sirius looked across the table at you, “Y/n, it’s up to you. Whatever you decide will be final, we won’t interfere,” he promised sincerely. It was an easy decision, but still, it weighed heavily on your chest. In all honesty, you weren’t worried about your location, staying with the twins would surely be a light and fun time amidst all the doom and gloom. Your worry was that you would, once again, be handing over your control. Sirius dressed it up as though it was your choice, but you knew that this was probably their best option and in reality you really had no other choice than to move in with Fred and George.

“Sounds good to me,” you whispered halfheartedly, eyes dropping to stare at your lap as your teeth pulled anxiously at the skin of your lips.

“So it’s settled then,” Remus said, “Y/n will go with Fred and George tonight.”

Abruptly, you pushed your chair away from the table and stood up. Sparing nobody a glance, you left the room as quickly as you possibly could, before the lump in your throat could choke you or the tears that pooled in your eyes spilled like water through a broken dam. George made a move to rise from his seat only for Remus to stop him by placing his hand on the boy’s shoulder, “Give her a moment.”

You found yourself locked in the second story bathroom, sitting in the bath. Your legs hung out over the side of the tub while your head was tilted back against the black tiled wall. As hard as you tried to prevent them, tears were streaming down the expense of your cheeks, neck and beneath the neckline of your shirt. The minutes ticked by yet your chest continued to rise and fall rapidly due to the sobs that shook it, your breath uneven. Visions of brutal torture were bad enough when you were in your own home, in your own warm bed, with your parents just a room away and ready to make you a hot cup of tea after you woke up screaming. Now, the visions would without a doubt continue to plague you, unlike before though, you wouldn’t be waking up in a familiar setting, nor would you fall asleep in the comfort of your own mattress, when you woke up screaming so loud that your throat grew raw, your comfort would rely on two seventeen year old boys who seldom took things seriously. It’s not that you didn’t trust them, no, you trusted them with your life- you are trusting them with your life, it’s just that there was already a lot going on in your mind at the moment, moving in with your crush and his identical twin brother isn’t exactly your idea of a nerve killer.

A knock against the bathroom door pulled you from your thoughts. You rushed to wipe your tears with your sleeves, sniffling, “Come in,” you choked out. Cursing your voice for breaking when you spoke.

Remus’ head poked through the door, his body following soon after. Even in an atmosphere as dense as this one, a sense of gentle calm always followed Remus wherever he went. Clumsily, the werewolf slid into the bath beside you with a low “oof” sound, mimicking your position with his much longer legs dangling closer to the wooden floor than your own.

“CeCe has gone to collect your things for you and get Harry, then, I believe, perform the spell,” he eyed you cautiously, hyper aware of your glassy eyes and puffy face. When your eyes widened and you whipped your face towards him, his stomach twisted into knots, he hated seeing you like this. He could sympathise with your feelings. When James and Lily were killed, and Sirius went to Azkaban and even when Peter was presumed dead, Remus had been left with a vicious frustration fuelled by his belief that he was utterly powerless in his own life. He could see in your eyes that that same notion was starting to creep up on you too.

“Already?” You gasped out, pulse rising again, a slight panic setting in. “It won’t hurt them will it? The spell?” You fretted, looking pleadingly to the man beside you.

He shook his head, tenderly taking your hand and placing it against his clothed chest, his beating heart present against the palm of your shaking hand. “I promise you that they won’t feel a thing. They will go on living an exciting life, travelling, seeing the world safely while you’re away. When this is all over we’ll place their memories of you back in their minds and it will be as though you were never gone.” Your teeth found the inside of your cheek again, gnawing relentlessly at the skin as you failed miserably to hold back a fresh set of tears. Remus squeezed the hand he held against his chest. “Let it out, Y/n. It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone,” he whispered, heart sinking lower when your bottom lip quivered and you let a rasped sob leave your body. With a deep sigh, Remus used the hand he was already holding as leverage to pull you into him, wasting no time he enveloped you in his arms, holding you securely as you cried against his chest. Admittedly, it felt good to let it out, Remus’ hand rubbed soothing circles against your heaving back and eventually, you didn’t know how long it had been, you calmed down, your tear ducts all dried out.

Remus held you in his arms for a while longer, even though you’d stopped crying, he could feel your body as it continued to shake. “I can’t promise you it will all be okay, but I can assure you that myself and Sirius, and everyone else for that matter, will be there for you at the drop of a hat; whatever you need,” he spoke against your hair.

“Whatever I need?” You echoed, the pit in your stomach ever growing.

“Of course,” he confirmed.

Remus startled slightly when you suddenly tore yourself away from him. As best you could in your awkward position, you turned to face him and grabbed his hands with as much urgency as he had done with yours. “I need you to do something for me,” Remus furrowed his brows in confusion, but nodded his head anyway.

“If anything happens to me… Don’t make them remember,” you instructed, maybe the request would’ve seemed radical if you had said it to anyone else, but you knew that Remus had experienced losses like no one else you knew, perhaps Harry came close but even his shortcomings couldn’t compare to Remus’. “It’d only cause them pain. If I die and they’re happily living none the wiser, leave them be, please,” the man let out a heavy sigh and took a moment to take you in. Your eyes were hard yet pleading, they left him no room to negotiate and he understood perfectly where you were coming from.

“Alright,” he agreed before raising his eyebrow and readjusting himself to get a better look at you, “However you should know; no matter what may come of this war, none of us will forget about you. In such a short time you’ve given us so much… you gave Harry his first friendship, a friendship that he cherishes more than anything in the world, I might add. You saved Sirius from death, my fiancé and Harry’s godfather. Mentoring you has given Cecillia a new lease of life and Molly Weasley one more child to knit jumpers for at Christmas,” he took a brief pause then went on, “For the sake of saving time I won’t even begin to tell you what you mean to the twins. My point is;” there was a melancholic type of smile on his face when he paused again, as if he was imagining what it would be like to remember you fondly if you did in fact die for the cause, “What you’re asking is incredibly selfless. And while your mother and father may not remember how wonderful you are, we all will.” Remus chuckled lowly when you shuffled your way back into his arms, squeezing his middle tightly. He slung his arm around your shoulders and delicately pressed his lips to the top of your head. You held so much love in your heart for the man who was currently cradling you in his arms. You debated telling him, you weren’t sure if it was entirely appropriate but after the speech he’d just given you couldn’t have cared less, “Remus?”

“Hm?”

“I love you,” you murmured, looking up at him innocently.

He offered you a toothy smile and breathed out a soft laugh, “I love you too.” With a content nod, you rested your head back against his chest, enjoying his soothing heartbeats against your ear. A melodic hum rumbled against your cheek, a quiet giggle left your mouth when you recognised the melody to the song he was humming. The tune of “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac floated through the bathroom bringing a genuine smile to your lips. The werewolf’s humming was interrupted by another knock against the bathroom door, whoever was knocking didn’t wait for a response before entering the room. Sirius stepped in and quietly shut the door behind him. He didn’t question you and Remus' position in the bath but simply slid into the tub on the other side of you, sandwiching you between himself and Remus. The black haired man let out a heavy sigh and leaned his head back against the tiles.

“The mother hens downstairs are worrying up a storm,” he said in exasperation, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Tonks so riled up about someone’s safety. I tasked Molly with making you some hot chocolate to keep her occupied”

“Maybe I should go back down…” you muttered halfheartedly, begrudgingly peeling yourself away from Remus’ warm body.

Sirius gave you an apologetic look, “I held them off for as long as I could.”

“Thanks,” you whispered, bumping your shoulder to his, making him chuckle. After pulling yourself out of the bath, rather clumsily, you took a second to check yourself over in the mirror.

“You’re glowing, darling,” Sirius all but sang from behind you and you couldn’t stop the slight snort that escaped you.

“That’s one way to put it.”

“If you don’t believe me go on downstairs and ask George what he thinks,” Sirius teased, wiggling his eyebrows and receiving a light shove from his fiancé who couldn’t hide his grin.

“Leave her alone, love,” he chastised weakly, “You look perfectly fine, Y/n. Go downstairs and get something to drink, you need to rehydrate.” A bittersweet smile broke out on your lips, his fatherly tone simultaneously soothed you and left you yearning for what you were in the process of losing. Trying not to dwell on the sad fact, you left the bathroom and slowly descended the stairs.

As you assumed, the second you stepped back into the kitchen, Molly began to fret over you as if her life depended on it. Sipping on the hot chocolate she’d given you, you were reminded of how desperately tired you were. All the crying hadn’t helped ease the heaviness in your eyes either. Every bone in your body felt heavy for that matter, you were struggling to even hold your head up.

“You can lean against my shoulder if you’d like,” George’s voice broke you from your hazed state, you’d completely forgotten he was sitting beside you despite his leg that was pressed against yours beneath the table. You gave him a sleepy but grateful smile, as subtly as you could you scooched closer to the ginger and slotted yourself against his side, letting your head fall onto his shoulder. “Will you keep me awake until Harry and Cecillia get here?” You requested in a slurred murmur, your eyes fluttering between open and shut.

“Of course,” was all he said, he looked down at you adoringly, smiling like an idiot when you nuzzled into his shoulder, your nose rubbing against his neck. Try as he might, George couldn’t pull his eyes away from your drowsy face. “What do you propose we do?”

You shrugged your shoulders lightly, “Just talk.”

“How would you like your new room decorated?” He asked quietly, his head tilted down while he spoke to you, so you could hear him and so he wouldn’t ruin the lulled bubble you’d managed to obtain between you by talking too loudly. A sweet smile grew on your face, a smile that all but knocked all the breath out of George’s lungs when you angled your head to make eye contact.

“Can I have a double bed?” George snorted at your question and shook his head no.

“Nothing smaller than a king. What else?”

You pretended to ponder for a moment, “Can we paint it?” The ginger nodded, taking his bottom lip between his teeth.

“If you want to,” he started, almost sounding nervous, “We could paint it together?” Even in your sleep deprived state you hadn’t missed the vulnerability in his voice, it was the same vulnerability that you’d noticed when he’d asked you to go get a butterbeer with him a couple of months ago.

“I’d love that,” you told him, your answer causing his lips to twist into a pleased smile, “How do you feel about the colour green?”

Immediately, his smile dropped and he let out a disgusted scoff, “Green is a Slytherin colour.”

“You keep forgetting that I don’t get the whole house sorty thing,” you reminded him, not happy with his reasoning for hating your favourite colour. “Besides, I love green, it’s my favourite colour.” You told him truthfully. Not content with his disgruntled facial expression you began to defend your preference, “A lot of beautiful things are green; you’ve got grass, trees, emeralds- did you know that emeralds are really useful for enhancing psychic abilities? It also evokes clarity of thought,” you rambled, willing yourself to be quiet when you registered George’s fond expression.

The look of endearment aimed at you brought butterflies to life in your stomach, effectively waking you up somewhat.

“Do you have any emerald?” He asked, you assumed he was only feigning interest, you didn’t know that he could’ve listened to you go on and on about anything and everything for the rest of his life.

“No, not yet. I should probably get some though.” You said through a yawn. Your breath against his neck made him giggle, it was pure and unsuspecting but you took note of it. Everything about George Weasley felt like sunshine to you, his laugh filled your chest with warmth whenever you heard it, his eyes found yours like a lighthouse, guiding your lost mind back to the present each time your gazes connected. His voice, like his laugh, warmed you up when you were cold, giving you a reason to stay awake when you’d rather just slip away. In conjunction with the sun, even if you couldn’t physically see him, you never doubted that he was always there. As well as all of that, like your favourite tarot card; The Sun, he signified good things, hope that hard times will end with you on top, contentment and happiness. While your thoughts consisted of George’s similarities to the sun, his were consumed with the, in his mind, overwhelmingly cheesily romantic notion that you were the moon and the stars, he would’ve cringed if he didn’t wholeheartedly believe it. Everything that made the night sky magnificent was reflected in you. Like the stars, you were mysterious and captivating. Nothing seemed to compare to your glow or beauty, if you were to ask him what he preferred; you or the night sky on a clear night, he’d happily ignore a blank, starless sky in favour of simply staring at you as you went on tangent after tangent about crystals or tarot cards.

The pair of you were pulled from your musings when Harry rushed through the kitchen door looking unmistakably heartbroken, ever the empath when it came to his best friend, Harry’s heart sank the moment he laid eyes on your form, limp against George’s side. The second you saw him you all but ripped yourself from George’s side and the older redhead felt a surge of irrational jealousy begin to build in his chest at how fast you left his hold in favour of the chosen one. He knew it was ridiculous, he’d heard the way each of you respectively talked about each other, at this point you were practically siblings. But he supposed it was rational to be jealous when you liked someone the way he liked you.

Quickly, you crossed the room to Harry who had his arms already outstretched. He knew you were emotionally exhausted when you didn’t bear hug him. You meekly slid your arms beneath his open zip-up hoodie, tucked your head beneath his chin and didn’t say a word. “I shouldn’t bother asking if you’re okay then,” Harry muttered to himself, leaning his cheek against the top of your head and wrapping his lanky arms around your frame.

“Did Cecillia remember to bring Astra?” You asked, it was all you wanted to know about the night’s events.

“She’s in her cage in the living room, darling,” Cecilia said, walking into the room looking guilty.

“C’mon, let’s go have a chat,” Harry suggested, leading you out of the kitchen and upstairs to his unofficial room. Once inside the room you sat down on the edge of the bed, the blue duvet softly creasing beneath you. Harry plopped himself down beside you and offered you a gesture that was always saved for when either of you felt the other was on the edge of something dangerous. Your hands rested against your lap and he deftly slid his pinky over yours, intertwining your two littlest fingers. It was such a familiar experience; he’d done it when your grandparents died, when you’d cried over failed exams that you worked hard for, and in turn, you did it for him when he’d felt as though he had no place in the world, when he’d open up about his parents and when Cedric died and the ministry dragged his name through the mud you’d find your pinky tangled with his almost every night after he’d sneak over to your place after another nightmare or panic attack. “Do you want to talk about it?”

You shook your head, “Not tonight. I don’t want to cry anymore,” you croaked out, looking straight ahead of you at the grey painted wall.

“I understand,” he said, sighing and dropping his head onto your shoulder, “Let’s talk about something else then.”

“Like what, Haz?”

Harry snorted out a chuckle, “Like the way George looked like he wanted to hex me when you left him to come to me,” he teased, a smug lilt to his voice.

“He wasn’t teasing me, perhaps I’ll go back to him,” you grumbled, ignoring Harry’s childish giggles.

“Yeah you’d like that wouldn’t you?” You smacked his arm lightly with your free hand, doing a bad job of containing giggles of your own. “Don’t worry, since he’s going to be your new roommate there will be plenty of time for “oh George I’m so sleepy, please hold me until I fall asleep”,” you let out a cackle at Harry’s terrible impression of your voice, laying your cheek against his wild hair.

“That is so not what was going on, Haz,” you defended with a tiny smile.

Harry let out an airy, disbelieving chuckle, “Then what was going on?”

“He just said I could lean on him until you and Cecillia arrived and we just started chatting about how I wanna decorate my room,” you explained truthfully and Harry nodded.

“Riveting,” he mumbled sarcastically. Despite his snarky comment, the boy removed his head from your shoulder and pulled you against his chest. “Jokes aside, I’m glad you’re staying with him, I know he’ll look after you for me,” you rolled your eyes at the sentiment.

“I don’t need to be looked after,” you reminded him, looking up at him with a chastising smile.

He rolled his eyes right back at you, jostling you slightly in his arms, “No. But you like to be.”

You threw your head back in laughter, “Yeah, I suppose I do.” You did. You quite like both doting on people and being doted on, you’d grown up in an affectionate family so it was no wonder really.

“It’s getting late. We should get you settled into your new home,” Harry announced, pulling himself and you up from the bed, “I wasn’t going to say anything but you look terrible. You need sleep.”

“Thank you, Harry. Just what every girl wants to hear before moving in with her crush,” you joked, gently hitting your hip against his.

The kitchen was quiet when you returned, it seemed everyone had grown tired from the dramatic events of the evening.

“Ready to go then?” Fred asked, his coat already on and a handful of your bags in his hands.

“As I’ll ever be I suppose.”

After saying goodbye to everyone you, Fred and George traveled to their apartment by floo, to your dismay. The apartment was bare as they’d only just moved in but you could see it had lots of potential for becoming a cozy home for the twins.

As your first night in your new residence began, your aching eyes and tired mind didn’t leave you with any time to dwell on current events, the second your head made contact with the pillow you were out like a light. A dreamless slumber welcomed you for a while until your peace was broken by the all too familiar nightmare.

The first thing you recognised was the burn coming from your wrists. Shackles adorned them and effectively held your hands high above your head, stretching them uncomfortably. Goosebumps painted the expanse of your arms and legs, due to the freezing temperature in the nondescript cellar. A feeling of hopelessness planted firmly in your chest, the feeling only hightening when the familiar echo of footsteps, heavy and loud, drifted from the corridor outside of your field of vision. You knew who was approaching, you’ve lived this before, and so, you held your lip between your teeth and squeezed your eyes shut. The face of the dark wizard who always brought about your intense suffering was, for the most part, completely fuzzy, unrecognisable, featureless and bone-chillingly terrifying. You’d learned over the last two weeks of having this vision that it was less harrowing if you closed your eyes.

“I’ll ask you once more,” The voice was distorted, like it was being heard through a weedy radio, ominously unplaceable, “Where is he?”

You held no control over your voice, as was the norm during visions, as you felt and heard yourself reply, “I’ll tell you once more; I’d sooner die then sell him to you.” You felt your teeth gritting and your jaw clenching while you spoke. Jaw only tightening when the pointed tip of the wizard’s wand stabbed unforgivingly against the column of your neck.

“And die you will, my dear. But not yet-“ your eyes sealed themselves shut and you did your best to shake yourself out of the vision before what you knew was coming took place, as usual, your attempts were fruitless, “-Crucio.” Just like that your body was consumed by pain, the likes of which you’d never imagined possible, until you couldn’t even register yourself screaming anymore.

You bolted upright, clutching at the sheets of your new bed. Laboured breaths left your mouth and you aimlessly gripped at your neck, where the wand had been pressed, and let the tears spill freely. Momentarily disoriented, you’d forgotten where you were. Deep, heavy bursts of air left your mouth as you hastily scurried out of bed and towards the door. Somewhat aimlessly, you gravitated to the door across the hall. A yellow hue seeped from under the frame into the otherwise dark hallway. Light flooded the hall once you managed to fumble the handle down and pull the door ajar, a discombobulated ginger greeting you with half lidded eyes, obviously having been dozing off before you disturbed his peace.

“Sorry,” you rasped once your peace of mind returned to you and you realised where you were. Despite knowing that you shouldn’t have been standing numbly in his doorway, your feet seemed to be rooted in place, you couldn’t have walked away if you wanted to.

“S’alright,” George called out to you softly, sitting up in his bed, his back against the headboard. “You can come in, you know.”

Shutting the door behind you, you nervously shuffled into the room, stopping when you reached the side of his bed. George’s eyes roamed your face and he took notice of your still somewhat panicked expression, he drew his covers to the side and patted the empty space by his side. Something that always intrigued you was people’s preferred side of the bed, some people gravitated towards the left while others were more biased towards the right, but George Weasley? He slept right in the middle. The twin slept with a huge number of pillows, to the point where it was almost laughable, many of which you could only guess he’d smuggled from the Burrow.

Far too wound up to save face, you slid into his bed and didn’t shy away when he guided you into his side and tucked you tenderly beneath his lean arm. His embrace offered a greatly appreciated warmth as the chill of the dank dungeon always lingered long after the vision itself was over.

“What’re you doing up so late?” You asked, your voice gravelly. As you spoke, George effortlessly shuffled your body and his down so that your backs were resting on the mattress and not the headboard. Your head found it’s home against George’s shoulder and your hair was being tentatively twirled between his fingers.

“It’s our first night actually sleeping here. I couldn’t get to sleep,” he explained, his voice low and laced with fatigue. “I’m not really used to having my own room. It’s strange not hearing Freddie snoring or breathing.”

“I get that,” you whispered, “it’s quite comforting knowing for certain that someone is there with you.”

George nodded then. His eyes were glued to your face and he hadn’t even registered his own thought process before his lips were pressing delicately against your forehead. Today had appeared to be the day for laying all your cards out on the table, yourself and George hadn’t danced around your feelings for each other half as much as you usually did when you’d be in each other’s presence. Neither of you had the energy anymore, besides, if today’s events proved anything it was that; things were getting seriously messy as the war built momentum and it was clear that time was something that could very well be running out.

“Yeah,” he regarded you carefully, a little grin growing on his lips, “It is.”

A comfortable silence overtook the room. George’s twirling of your hair never ceased, every now and then his fingers would ghost over your shoulder and you’d catch yourself smiling against the cotton of his shirt as your eyes grew tired enough that they were close to falling shut.

Just as you were working up the motivation to lift yourself up and trudge back to your own bed, George spoke, “You can sleep here if you want, with me,” there was that innocent vulnerability again. There was never an ulterior motive when it came to him, he did things purely for the sake of making others happy, if he felt he could make a difference he simply needed to. Especially when it came to you, he realised.

“You don’t mind?” You asked, daring to peek up at him.

“Course not. I could use some company anyway.” He reassured you, his lips returning to your forehead, only this time the action held far more intention. “You don’t snore do you, love?”

You snorted out a giggle, looking up at the ginger cheekily, mischief dripping from your little grin that forced George’s heart to stutter rather violently and he hoped you hadn’t noticed. “No. But I drool.”

George’s face contorted, his nose scrunching up adorably in disgust, “Do you really?”

“Suppose you’ll have to find out, won’t you?” You teased and he sighed deeply, his disgruntled expression melting into a soft, adoring smile.

“I should’ve expected this, I knew you couldn’t have been completely perfect,” he said, mockingly sorrowful.

You scoffed, pushing his chest lightly, “You’re doing a lot of sweet talking tonight, Mr. Weasley,” you told him and he shrugged innocently.

“Just wanted to see you smiling again, darling.”

“Yeah, well, you’re doing a good job,” you assured him, the bashful yet tired smile that stretched your lips as you gazed up at him proved that you meant what you’d just said. “I like it by the way, the sweet talking.��

At your words, a huge, shit eating smirk grew on the boy’s freckled face. He managed to rearrange your bodies so that you were still tucked under his arm but you were now facing each other at eye level. “I knew it,” he proclaimed cockily.

You raised a challenging eyebrow, biting back a smirk, “Oh did you?”

George nodded pridefully, “‘Course I did. You see, I’m a little bit psychic,” his words forced a booming laugh from your lips, your cheeks hurting from the smile he’d orchestrated.

You shook your head, smile never dulling as you let out a chastising whisper, “oh sod off.”

“I love your smile,” he said suddenly, his eyes widened in horror when he realised he’d uttered the words out loud. The world could’ve stopped in that moment and you wouldn’t have noticed, all you could take in was George’s face, his eyes searching yours for something.

Carefully, you slid from hand from his chest to his red, blushing face. You cupped his cheek gently, moving your thumb against his cheek bone, almost swooning where you lay when he nuzzled against your touch. Working up some Gryffindor courage, George mimicked your movement, removing his arm from around your shoulder and bringing his palm to rest against the curve of your jaw.

As you stared at each other, you weighed up the pros and cons of telling him that you were completely head over heels for him. Your decision, apparently taking far too long, was made for you when George tugged you impossibly closer to him.

“I wasn’t going to tell you… you’ve had so much going on I didn’t want to overwhelm you,” he said, brown eyes boring into your soul.

“Tell me what?”

He took a deep breath, preparing himself for every possible outcome that may spring once the words on the tip of his tongue are spoken aloud, “That I love you.”

#george weasley x reader #harry potter x reader #sirius black x reader #remus lupin x reader #marauders x reader #fred weasly x reader

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helpimhyperfixating · 3 years

Text

Spilled Tea - Jotaro x Reader

Word Count: 6235

After a long week, it was finally Friday. College had been gruelling and despite being let out before noon today, it took you until around seven thirty to finish your work in preparation for the next week.

So now here you sat, in your apartment dorm. You were in the comfy chair in the corner, reading a book that you had started to get into last week. Your eyes weren't really cooperating after a full day of working, but you tried nonetheless and read at a comfortable snail's pace.

That was, until about eight thirty when the door was slammed open.

Surprised, you looked up from your book only for your eyes to widen slightly. Stumbling inside was your roommate, her face in the process of being swallowed by her girlfriend.

Working hard to take off each other's coats, they just dumped them on the floor as they never broke their make-out session, not even noticing you were there in the corner since they only had eyes for each other.

As she walked backwards, your roommate took off her girlfriend's shirt and you were quick to turn your head away, placing a hand on the side of your face to act as blinders as you looked at the floor with wide-blown eyes.

Thank god they walked away from the main room and towards their bedroom, allowing you to take a breath of relief.

Your roommate had told you she was going out on a date today and you had even complimented her on her outfit, but you certainly hadn't expected this.

There was an embarrassed blush on your face at what you just witnessed. You were actually pretty sure they didn't even know you were also here. Or your roommate forgot you existed in the heat of the moment.

You wanted to snicker at that, but the noise was stifled in your throat when you heard a thump of a body being pushed against the door, followed by a low moan.

Taking that as your que, you slammed your book closed as your cheeks burned, quickly walking over to the door and putting on your shoes, opening the door and rushing out of your shared apartment with your coat in hand and one shoe still half on. You figured it was probably best to give them some... ahem... privacy.

- - - -

Having properly gotten on your shoe and coat, you were now just walking around on the streets.

The wind was nipping at your exposed skin while all you could really do was stare at the ground as you walked. You knew that you probably shouldn't get back to your apartment dorm for a while.

About a week or so ago, your roommate's girlfriend came by and started happily chatting with you when your roommate was out buying dinner. She was nice and you really liked her, but she tended to overshare a few things. Such as how 'she and Lily hadn't 'done it' in quite a while and once she got her hands on Li, they'd go all night long.'

Just thinking back on that conversation and what you witnessed ten minutes ago made you squirm a bit from embarrassment. If they wanted to do it then they should go for it. You just wished they'd done it not when you were around.

And now here you were. Walking outside in the frigid night air, your path illuminated by street lamps and the moon.

You couldn't walk outside all night long. You knew that. But what options did you have? Go back in a while in the hopes they were done? Go back regardless of whether they were done or not and just toughen it out if they weren't? Go and rent a hotel room for one night and waste your money on that? No, all of those were bad.

Looking up, you noticed your feet had automatically dragged you to the play park on a twenty minute walking distance from campus. You hung out here with Jotaro all the time, standing around quietly or sitting on the swings as you talked, you lightly swinging while Jotaro just swayed a bit.

That's when it hit you. Of course! Maybe you could go to Jotaro! He lived alone. Maybe he wouldn't mind letting you crash on his couch for one night. He wouldn't, right?

Looking at your watch, you raised your brows in a little bit of a panic. It was getting close to nine o'clock now. If you didn't hurry, you would arrive too late and wake him up from sleeping, disturbing his sleep schedule. You really wanted to avoid doing that.

So, with a pep in your step, you started speed-walking in the direction of his apartment complex.

Ten minutes later you stood in front of his door and anxiously knocked on the wood. After a second or so, you heard some shuffling and not long after, the door opened, revealing Jotaro.

He had an annoyed scowl on his face, his hat nowhere in sight as he stood in casual clothes; sweat-pants and a black t-shirt.

"Pipsqueak." His scowl softened a little as he laid his eyes on you, seeing your nervous form in front of him as you looked at the floor.

"H-Hi." You attempted a smile but it came out a little more awkward.

"What are you doing here?" Jotaro asked the question as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned into the doorpost.

Letting out a breath, you just deflated, slumping over and just looking at the ground defeatedly. "Can I crash at your place tonight? I'd prefer to not go home for today." Raising your head up and straightening your back, you looked up to see him with a raised brow. "I can just take the couch or a chair or even the floor! And if you want I'll be gone as soon as morning comes so you won't even know I'm he-" Jotaro shut you up by putting his finger to your lips.

"Just shut up and come inside." He took a sidestep so you could pass him in the doorway, although you had to say it was a bit of a squeeze, your body accidentally brushing past his as he didn't bother moving out of the doorway to let you in.

Once you were inside, he closed the door behind you and just waited as you took off your coat and shoes, shooing you further into his dorm once you did.

"Sit." He pointed at the couch and you quickly did as he said, sitting down while he went over to his kitchenette, starting to put on a kettle for tea.

There was a bit of an awkward silence as you waited for the water to boil, the two of you too far apart to be able to converse without raising your voice so instead opting to stay silent.

Pretty soon, the kettle was whistling and Jotaro poured two mugs of tea, walking over and setting it down in front of you before placing his own cup down beside it and sitting next to you.

This surprised you slightly since he had always taken a seat opposite to you. To be fair, whenever you came over, you had always sat down in one of the two chairs he had opposite his couch, but still. Your mind drifted to what you saw tonight, what caused you to come here in the first place and for a split second you wondered if Jotaro had other intentions but you quickly shook your head to get that thought out. Jotaro did not like women. Just because you were his friend did not mean he was automatically in love with you.

"You alright?" Jotaro suddenly spoke up from beside you. He had seen your cheeks flush slightly before you shook your head and was curious what that was about. Were you thinking about him?

"Yep!" You squeaked, leaning forward to grab your tea and hiding your face behind the mug and steam. He always had these giant mugs that were perfect for holding and warming your hands on, now functioning even better since you could hide your face behind the massive thing. "Thank you for the tea and for letting me in." You muttered, your lips pressed against the rim of the cup.

Jotaro just hummed in reply before shifting a little so he could face you. "Why did you need to come here? Had a fight with your roommate?"

You lowered the cup a little and rested it on your thigh, laughing a little awkwardly. "Aha, yeah about that. No, I didn't get into a fight, she's still great. Uh, no, Lily went out on a date with her girlfriend tonight and uh, well what I didn't expect was them both coming home, right in the process of... Y'know."

"I know?" He raised his eyebrow at you.

"Y-Yeah, you know..." You stuck out your chin a bit, waving your hand in a circle as if that would make him understand what you were implying.

"Sex?"

"Y-yEs! You don't have to go out and say it so bluntly!" You frantically called out. "And, they were in the process of it, not there yet." You mumbled afterwards as you looked off to the side.

A deep chuckle sounded from your left and you turned your head to see Jotaro giving you a teasing smirk. "I didn't expect you to even know what sex was."

"W-What is that supposed to mean?!" You called back, undignified.

Jotaro just shrugged, the smirk still on his face. "With how you are. I mean, you can't even say the word."

"I-I can say it." You pouted, your cheeks flushing deeply.

"Really? Then say it."

"Why?"

"Say. It." Jotaro leaned towards you, looking into your eyes.

Having him lean so close to you flustered you and you needed to get him to back up lest you explode. "Fine! They were gonna have sex and I didn't want to be there to hear it! There, good?" You broke the eye contact and bashfully looked to your right.

"Mhm." Jotaro hummed in reply, seemingly satisfied as he sat back up, taking a sip of his tea as he leaned into the backrest of the couch. "You should've stayed around, maybe you'd have learned something from it." He commented offhandedly and you snapped your head towards him, your cheeks burning hotter than ever.

"What!? No! I- I- I- No! Just no!" You protested fervently. Either he meant you would be there to listen to their noises or he was implying that you should join them. Neither were one you were up for!

"See? You're too innocent." Jotaro scoffed amusedly, bringing his cup back to his face.

"You're mean." You pouted softly, trying to calm your heart so blood would stop rushing to your face.

"And you're dense." Jotaro retorted and you sent him a questioning glare, getting no answer in return as you just looked at each other in silence. "You can sleep here on the couch." He then said after a bit.

"Thanks." You smiled, having calmed down a little.

"I'll go get you a spare blanket." He put his cup down on the coffee table and got up with a small grunt, walking out of the main room and into the hall, presumably going to his bedroom to get the blanket.

You took a small sip of the steaming tea in the meanwhile, lowering the cup to sit on your thigh again as you waited.

About a minute or two later, Jotaro returned with a thick fluffy blanket in hand and you smiled at him, standing up to make room for the blanket, only to have your smile wiped off your face as that action caused you to tip over your mug.

The scalding tea splashed over your entire stomach and part of your left arm and a panicked and pained noise left your throat, sounding more like a drawn out grunt than a scream.

Jotaro's eyes widened and he immediately rushed over, throwing the blanket on the couch and taking the mug from your right hand, setting it down quickly before placing a hand on your shoulder and one on your good arm, looking you over.

Your breathing was fast and you quickly went to grab the hem of your shirt but Jotaro grabbed your wrist. "Don't!" He said in alarm. "Just stay here." He quickly let you go and rushed over to the kitchenette.

Grabbing a washcloth, he immediately held it under cold water, sending you a glance before quickly turning off the tap, going back over to you.

Your hands were shaking a little as you went to pick at the fabric of your shirt, trying to lift it off for at least some sort of relief. Right as you grasped it, your hand was grabbed instead and you looked up with a start to see Jotaro shaking his head at you, telling you to not do that.

He lifted your hand away from your shirt, crouching in front of you and pressing the wet washcloth to your stomach.

The water started soaking into your shirt, the coolness of it contrasting with the scalding tea, bringing some much needed relief.

Jotaro's hand was on your hip as he used it to be able to put more pressure on the cloth, wringing the water out as he dabbed it across the stain on your belly.

After a bit, he got up and re-watered the cloth before returning to the position he was in before, continuing to dab.

You hissed a little at the pain it brought when he pressed it on again before starting to chuckle through it. "I'm sorry, that was really stupid." You laughed through the pain, hearing Jotaro sigh as he sat in front of you.

"It was."

"Oi!" You lightly pushed his forearm in retaliation but it did nothing as he didn't even move a finger on your hip. "Aren't you supposed to reassure the person in pain instead of agree?"

"For once, you are right about something. I can't undersell that accomplishment." He tilted his head up a little, allowing you to see the small and teasing smirk on his face as he looked at you through his lashes.

"You're mean."

"And you're still dense. Give me your arm." Jotaro released your hip and held out his hand in front of you. You obliged and he grabbed hold of your hand, pulling your arm a little more in front of himself so he could press the washcloth onto your forearm.

After a minute or so, seeing that it was sufficiently cooled down, Jotaro got up from his crouching position.

"Take off your shirt." He said before letting you go and turning around, walking over to the kitchenette and holding the washcloth under the cold water again. He looked back as he was doing that, seeing you still in the same position, yet looking at him with wide eyes. "Take off your shirt, now." He commanded firmly and you started a bit in place. The seriousness and urgency in his voice caused you to hustle and you started to pull your shirt over your head.

As the fabric rubbed past your burnt and irritated skin, you hissed slightly, especially when the cool air rushed past it. Pulling your right arm out of the sleeve, you were just left with your left arm, the wet cloth sticking a bit to your skin. Yet, thanks to the cool water Jotaro had dabbed on it, you managed to peel it off of yourself without doing more damage by taking your skin with it.

You were so focused on getting your shirt off without hurting yourself that you didn't even notice Jotaro had already moved back to standing in front of you.

As he looked down at you, he swallowed audibly, seeing you standing in your bra in front of him. He had momentarily forgotten that if you were to take off your shirt, you would be standing here in front of him like this. He inwardly cursed himself for leaving his hat in his room, making him unable to hide his blushing face. So instead, he opted to just look down.

"Come, it's best to hold your arm directly under the water." Jotaro seemed to appear out of nowhere for you as he grabbed a hold of your right wrist, pulling you with him over to the sink and positioning you in front of it before turning you to your right so you were standing sideways. He turned on the tap and moved your burnt arm under it before letting go.

He got down on his haunches again in front of you, once again taking hold of your hip while now pressing the washcloth to your bare skin.

It was cold and made the muscles of your stomach flinch, making you giggle a bit nervously. Jotaro looked up for a second upon hearing that but he soon averted his eyes back to your stomach, just looking at the scalded skin where the tea hit. Cause damn, looking up at you from this angle he uh...

You had no idea where to put your right arm, just awkwardly holding it crossed over your chest as you looked to what Jotaro was doing. His face was so close to your bare stomach, you were having a really hard time staying composed, trying not to burst from all the blood rushing to your head.

With your awkward position however, your elbow was in front of part of your stomach. So, to help himself and you, Jotaro took hold of your right arm, moving it until your hand was resting on his shoulder, letting go and leaving it there as he placed his hand back on your hip once again; though it was a little bit higher than before, his thumb and pointer finger now 'accidentally' resting above the hem of your pants.

"You really are an idiot sometimes." Jotaro softly sighed, re-wetting the washcloth in the bowl of water he had next to him. You hadn't even seen him get it.

"As much as I want to object to that, I can't." You chuckled, trying your best to appear normal despite being flustered beyond reason. Clearing your throat, you turned your gaze from watching Jotaro's actions to watching the water pouring down on your forearm. "Can- can I turn the water off? My arm is starting to freeze off."

"Leave it for a bit longer." Jotaro commented offhandedly and you bit your lip a bit. It was starting to get really uncomfortable and you were very tempted to just pull it away. Yet you also knew Jotaro wouldn't take your bullshit and would have no problems with shoving your arm under there again.

You suddenly jumped when Jotaro moved to rest his hand on the small of your back. You caught his gaze and he had raised an eyebrow teasingly. It was always a small joke between the two of you how jumpy you were, where Jotaro was always quick to point out when you startled. But right now, while he still had a teasing look in his eyes, he didn't say anything. It might have had something to do with the slightly rosy colour on his cheeks, but then again, how could you blame him? You'd get embarrassed with anyone if you had to do what he was doing for you right now.

Jotaro continued to press the washcloth to your stomach, now spreading his hand flat and keeping it still on your stomach for a bit.

"I'm sorry but I gotta-" You broke the small silence and removed your arm from under the running water, turning the tap off. "Not only is my arm going to get hypothermia, your water bill is gonna be through the roof."

"Don't worry about my bills dumbass. And, while you can get hypothermia, your arm can't."

"Oh, hurr, hurr. Leave me and my burnt arm to make dumb statements. It's been a long day and I'm tired okay?" You pouted a little, looking off to the side.

"Yare yare daze. You're a piece of work. Keep dabbing it." Jotaro put the washcloth in the bowl of water one last time before shoving it in your right hand. With that, he stood up straight, moving away from you and back into the hallway, going to do whatever.

The moment he was out of sight, you burst; letting out the breath you had been unconsciously holding back for god knows how long. Clutching your head, you freaked a bit as you processed what was going on.

You were in your best friend's house, standing in his kitchen in just your bra. Not only that, but he had been gently taking care of you after you were being an idiot! And, though it was most likely the 'having witnessed your roommate going to have sex in the room right next to you', you couldn't help but think of how the position he had been sitting in was very suggestive. Ah! God! Why must you think this way?! He was your best friend! You can't ruin your relationship with him by having a crush on him!

What were you going to do? What were you going to do? What were you going to do?!

"I thought I told you to keep dabbing." Jotaro's voice cut through the silence, scaring your soul out of your body and making you shoot up straight, which in turn made you whine a little in pain since it stretched the skin on your belly.

Jotaro let out a long sigh as he approached. He had a few items in his hand and placed them down on the counter next to him. You noted an ointment that would help with burns, bandaging and a black T-shirt, most likely pulled directly from his drawer.

"It's really not that bad, Jotaro. It was just some hot tea, It's already just a dull pain, I'll be fine tomorrow." You tried, finding the items a little excessive.

"Shut up." Jotaro spoke but as he did, his eyes slowly glid over your exposed torso, almost as if he was taking it all in after stepping away for a bit. Instinctually, you crossed your arms over your chest, making him snap out of his state. "I don't care, I'm putting it on." He spoke nonchalantly, yet there now was a visible blush on his cheeks upon having been caught staring.

"Y-You're putting it on?!"

"Yes, I don't trust you with it." Jotaro tried to clear the atmosphere with his joke but you were too far gone in your embarrassment. So far even that you didn't realise Jotaro had grabbed your arm and the crème until he already started rubbing it on.

"Ah!" You hissed through your teeth, automatically trying to pull your arm away, only to fail heavily because Jotaro still had a firm hold of it.

"Don't squirm, it'll make it harder." He spoke, completely focused on your arm, and you stopped.

His touch was rough with how he was holding onto your arm, yet surprisingly gentle with how carefully he slathered the crème onto your sensitive skin.

"Jotaro... I-" You started but then stopped. You had no idea what to say.

The man in question had raised his gaze when you spoke his name, but diverted his attention again when you didn't continue, instead grabbing the roll of bandaging.

Without a word, he started wrapping it around your burnt arm, making sure to securely pack your entire forearm where you were hit.

"There, now you can move your arm without worrying about being a dumbass and chafing it past stuff."

You opened your mouth to protest, one finger in the air, but then you realised. "Okay yea, that is a thing I would do, you win with this one."

Jotaro scoffed at that and to retaliate, you yanked the little curl that always dangled in front of his face, earning an angry growl from him. Or at least, what you thought was an angry growl.

"Careful, Y/N." He warned and you stuck out your tongue at him. God, he nearly lost his self-control with that. Oh, how he wanted to be able to shut your smart mouth up by slamming his lips to yours, pushing that tongue back in with his own and kissing you until you saw stars and had to cling to him for support. But he refrained himself, instead focusing on putting the burn crème on your stomach.

"If- if you want I can do that myself."

"No." Was his only answer as he crouched back down in front of you. "Put your hands on my shoulders." He then said and you decided to just do as he asked, placing your hands on his shoulders which kept them out of Jotaro's way for him.

Squirting some of the crème on the fingers of his right hand, he grabbed a hold of your hip once more, holding on firmly as he put the cold ointment on your skin.

You once again flinched slightly and before either of you knew what he was doing, Jotaro had placed a featherlight kiss on your stomach to soothe you.

"J-Jotaro?" You squeaked, slightly squeezing his shoulders in surprise.

All the while, Jotaro didn't even notice, for he had whole other things going on in his head. 'FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK, WHY DID I DO THAT?!? Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.'

His head was tilted down so you wouldn't be able to see his flustered wide-eyed panic. What was he supposed to do now? What the hell did he just do?! Should he pretend it never happened? Own up and continue? Throw you out of his dorm in a panic and hope that would solve things? No, he still wasn't done treating you, he couldn't do that. His eyes drifted back to your stomach where only a small part of it was covered in the crème.

God, it... felt... good though. Feeling your soft skin under his lips, the warmth radiating from your body. He wanted to do it again so bad... Only to then trail his way up until he reached your lips. Looking into your eyes for a moment before pressing his lips to yours in a silent confession, one that you would accept and return with ferver. It was almost as if he could feel the tingling of your lips on his, making his breathing turn a little bit heavier.

A small squeak made him shake himself out of his daydream and he looked up at you as to why you made the noise only for him to choke on his own saliva.

"STAR!"

Jotaro's voice nearly cracked as he jumped to his feet, seeing the Stand kissing you.

The big purple ghost had his hands on the sides of your face, breaking the kiss as he heard Jotaro's panicked cry and looking back over his shoulder questioningly.

Your eyes were just wide; confusion and fright being the main two emotions on your face, though your cheeks were visibly VERY dark from how heavily you were blushing. But then again, who could blame you. You couldn't see Stands and were therefore just kissed by nothing.

Jotaro tried to push the Stand away, but of course, with it being a Stand, his arms just passed right through. Star Platinum understood the command of his user though and he quickly let go of your face, moving back to hover over the counter with a guilty look. Was he not supposed to do that? He felt the desire in Jotaro's soul and mistook it for a command.

"Why did you do that?!" Jotaro damn near yelled at the Stand, panic flooding through his veins. Wait, why was he so panicked? He hadn't even been this panicked during the battle with Dio.

"Ora?" Star Platinum questioned and poked at Jotaro's chest, right where his heart sat.

"Fuck!" He paced a bit, completely lost in his own world and thoughts.

"J-J-Jotaro...?" You softly spoke and Jotaro's breath hitched in his throat as he turned to you. You were still here, ah shit.

You were in the same position Star left you in; wide eyed and leaned back a little, your lips slightly parted in surprise.

"Y/N - fuck - I'm sorry I..."

"What just happened?" Your question shot a jab through his heart. He didn't know exactly how frightened you were but he fucked up big time now. In an immediate response to Jotaro's emotions, Star reached out to touch you with the intent of comforting you but Jotaro was quick to attempt to slap his hand away and the Stand understood what he meant, retreating his hand guiltily again before disappearing into the body of his user.

Jotaro then turned to you again. "I- shit." How on earth was he going to explain this? His breath was a bit sped up as he looked at you, but then he just decided 'fuck it', and stepped up. Placing his hands on either side of your face, mirroring Star Platinum's touch from before, he made you snap out of your state and look at Jotaro standing so close to you, looking deeply into your eyes. "Y/N..."

Without a second to spare, he dipped his head down and pushed his lips against yours, kissing you.

In surprise, your hands shot up to hold his hands that were pressed against your cheeks.

The word 'fuck' played on repeat in Jotaro's mind as he kept his eyes squeezed shut. He hadn't doubted his every action this much in a long time and he was honestly wondering what he was doing. Yet the feeling of your soft lips pressed against his bigger ones felt so good and refrained him from pulling back.

And then, the most amazing thing happened: you started kissing back.

His eyes snapped open when he felt you do that, his surprised gaze focusing on your face. You had your eyes closed, your eyebrows creased in nervousness and Jotaro's gaze softened, his eyes slowly closing again as he carefully tilted your head back a little, allowing him to press his lips a little more firmly against yours.

It was a tentative kiss, just trying to figure out where the both of you stood yet still serving well enough to express the unspoken feelings.

After a few seconds, Jotaro pulled back. He was unable to open his eyes for a second, feeling the aftermath of your lips on his. The small, barely noticeable, yet obviously there, spark that made him wish he could just hold you close and keep his lips pressed against yours forever.

Slowly, his eyes fluttered open to see your eyes still closed, your smaller hands on his big ones with which he still held onto your face.

Jotaro allowed a small yet soft smile to play on his lips, rubbing his thumb over your cheekbone which caused you to open your eyes as well, your pupils shrinking a bit due to the sudden light, only to dilate again as you focused on his face still so close. A tiny shy smile erupted on your face, your fingers wrapping around his for a bit before you nervously glanced off to the side.

"U-Uhm, can I... put on that shirt now?" Your voice was just above a whisper, your adorable awkwardness shining through and causing his chest to swell.

Jotaro chuckled softly and pecked the tip of your nose.

"Just hold it up so I can continue treating your dumb ass."

"Okay." The word was just a whisper. You didn't even have it in you to say a retort or playful insult back.

Knowing he was the reason for your state made Jotaro smirk a little to himself as he let go of your face and turned around to grab the T-shirt. Feeling the fabric in between his fingers for a second before he turned back to you. "Arms up."

"What? No, Jotaro I-"

"Arms up." Jotaro reiterated, clearly not taking no for an answer and you just raised your arms, letting Jotaro slide the shirt over your head. The thing was way too large for you, making it super easy to be pulled over your head by Jotaro. "Make sure it doesn't touch your stomach."

Listening to the man, you held your arms up near your chest at the front and caught the fabric, pulling it down until it was past your bra yet keeping it from going any further. The back of the T-shirt fell down your back and you swallowed heavily as Jotaro now stood before you, looking down at your still exposed belly.

Without another word, he crouched back down, only glancing up at you once before he resumed the position he was in before as if he had never left it, starting up the process of applying the crème again.

"I still think this really isn't necessary, Jotaro. It's really not that bad, it was just tea." You had an awkward smile as you patted his arm, making him glance up for a second before he refocused on what he was doing.

"I don't give a shit. I'm doing it. A burn is a burn." Finally finishing with the crème, Jotaro stood up and washed his hands real quick before turning back to face you as he picked up the bandaging from the counter.

"Yes but bandaging? I don't have third degree burns, Jotaro." You softly quipped, grabbing onto his wrist.

"Maybe, but what are you going to do about it?" He questioned back, a shimmer in his eyes.

"What if I just not let you do it?" You challenged, earning an eyebrow raise from Jotaro.

"You think you'll be able to?"

"Mhm, I think so."

"Really? But what if I. do. this?" He emphasised each word with a movement, lifting his left hand to cup your jaw as he tilted your head so you were looking up at him, leaning down until his lips were ghosting over yours.

"Do what?" You squeaked, trying to keep a brave face, though your burning cheeks sort of gave it away.

Without a word said, Jotaro closed the last bit of the gap, gently kissing you shortly before already moving away, instead moving his lips to right next to your ear. "This." He whispered and you suddenly noticed something had changed.

The moment he broke the kiss, you had felt something around your waist and you now looked down to- "HUH?!"

Your waist was neatly wrapped in white bandaging, not too tight but not too loose either, sitting nicely and protecting your sensitive skin.

Your head snapped up to look at Jotaro, seeing him smirking slyly while you were just confused. "How did you-?"

"I have my ways." He spoke mysteriously. "Maybe I'll tell you someday."

With that, he grasped the rim of the shirt from your hands and pulled it down so that it was covering your stomach again.

As confused and slightly worried as you were with what just happened, you figured you wouldn't get anything from Jotaro anytime soon and thus just decided to leave it be for now. "So, you happy now? Now that I am all bandaged up and taken care of?"

Jotaro cocked his head a little bit, giving you a once over as if he was yet to determine his answer.

You just stood there, almost scared to move under his scrutinising gaze until he suddenly wrapped his arms around you and picked you up, careful of your stomach. You squeaked and clutched onto what part of him you could, just watching bug-eyed as to where he was taking you.

He walked past the couch where the blanket you were going to use was still haphazardly tossed on it, a corner partially unfolded and laying on the floor while a puddle of now cooled down tea lay to the left of it.

With a few steps, Jotaro turned the corner into the hallway, quickly making his way past a door and into a room and you soon realised this was his bedroom.

Your eyes widened slightly and you didn't know what to say or do until he gently placed you down on the far side of the mattress, sliding in beside you almost immediately as he started fixing the blankets.

Once situated, Jotaro then laid down and wrapped his arm around you. Consciously placing it around your midriff, right above the bandaging around your waist and stomach so that he wouldn't hurt you, pulling you a little bit closer as he caged your legs with his own.

"Now I'm happy." He muttered into your hair as he held you close, one arm wrapped around your torso while the other was tracing little patterns on your arm.

All in all, you couldn't believe the things that happened this evening. You left your dorm because your roommate was going to have sex. And now here you were, lying in the bed of your best friend and crush, his arms wrapped around you after the two of you basically confessed to each other because you spilled a giant mug of tea on yourself.

A wild evening indeed.

#jotaro x reader #jjba #Jotaro Kujo #jotaro kujo x reader #jojos bizarre adventure #jojo x reader #jojo #jotaro x y/n #jotaro x you #jjba part 3 #i dunno tags

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svnflowervol666 · 4 years

Note

hey! can you write one where harry invites y/n and his band mates out for drinks and they try to hand her a drink but she reveals she previously by saying like “you can’t drink when your pregnant” ...

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: I combined this one with a request for where Harry constantly refers to Y/N as his “ex-girlfriend,” because they’re engaged now. ((Super cute. Super corny. Makes my heart mush. Anyway.)) Kinda short but still sweet. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Take care and TPWK.

“There she is!”

His voice is drowned out by clanking glasses and the heavy bass of whatever rock song was playing through the shitty speakers in the corner of the room, but it was unmistakable nonetheless. Followed by his “greeting” were the shouts and howls of the rest of the bunch, most of them raising their glass in honor of her (late) arrival.

“My ex-girlfriend!”

Harry, despite his inebriated state, smiled widely and welcomed her as protectively as he always had in the past few weeks - relieving her person of any bags or extra weight, this time being her coat and purse which he hung on the brass hooks underneath the bar table, and inspecting her facial expression for any signs of discontent or worry. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when he kicked his “dad-mode,” tendencies into overdrive, but it certainly began on that rainy, Thursday night in their shared bathroom as they sat against the wall of the bathtub with four positive pregnancy tests in both of their hands.

“Really wish you’d stop calling me that, Har,” she sneered as he helped her shake her arms loose from her coat.

“One of these days you’re gonna cause a scene.”

“'S true, though,” the drunken boy giggled.

“You’re not m’ girlfriend anymore. You’re my fiance.”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes at his antics, intending to pull him in for a quick hug and kiss when her attention was drawn away from her curly-headed brunette and towards the man of the hour.

“Y/N!”

“Hello, birthday boy,” her voice was mellow against the drunken slur that had started to take over her friend, Mitch’s.

“‘S not very nice of you to be late to my party,” he slurred as he pulled her in rather harshly for a bone-crushing hug.

“Sorry, got caught up with some work stuff,” Y/N managed to get out through a chuckle in between Mitch’s squeezing.

She saw Harry stiffen out of the corner of her eye, like he was torn between yelling something akin to, “Take it easy on her, mate. She’s pregnant for christ’s sake,” or letting the interaction play out. He knew he wasn’t allowed to do the former, as they’d agreed to wait until they could have all of their friends and family over at the same time to tell them the good great news, so Harry opted to let Mitch hug her extra tight despite his unrealistic, dramatic worries that he’d crush her fragile frame or hurt the baby in some way. She made sure to send a reassuring smile Harry’s way when Mitch let her go from his grasp.

Short and sweet was her greeting to Sarah, both of them opting to kiss one another on the cheek.

“Let me see it one more time,” her voice was quiet amongst the chatter of the bar, almost sounding like a whisper.

Y/N felt the heat climbing to her cheeks as she let Sarah take her hand in hers to examine the ring on her fourth finger. The band was gold and slim, adorned with a dainty yet sizeable single diamond in the very center.

“So pretty,” she gushed, admiring the way the gem flittered, even in the dim, tungsten-glow of the bar.

Y/N muttered a quiet “thank you,” before making her away back to the other side of the table where Harry was waiting for her with an outstretched arm, yearning to get back to what they had been doing before Y/N had to make her rounds.

As he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, Y/N caught wind of the tequila on his breath. She tasted it too, when she pecked his lips quickly and - oh god, did she taste stout as well? Maybe she’d end up taking care of him later tonight when his head was stuck in the toilet, but that seemed plenty fair considering how often Harry had been doing the same exact thing for her here lately.

“Yeh alright? Had me all worried when ya said you’d be late,” Harry’s question was asked lowly so that only she could hear.

Harry had been with Mitch and Sarah all day celebrating, hence this was the first time he’d seen Y/N since this morning when he kissed her and sent her off to work.

Y/N nodded and smiled, though her face led Harry to believe differently.

“Got sick when I got home from the office. Just took me a little bit longer to get out the door,” she shrugged, insinuating that it wasn’t a big deal, but that she wasn’t feeling one hundred percent ready-to-party either.

“Baby,” Harry half-scolded her, feeling a good portion of his buzz leave his body when Y/N mentioned that she hadn’t felt well.

“Why didn’t yeh just tell me you were sick? Coulda came home and sat with you.”

“I wasn’t going to ask you to ditch your best friend’s birthday dinner just because I was throwing up for the fifteenth time this week,” she was stern in her words and made it clear that she was fine.

“I’m alright. I promise.”

Harry’s jaw softened at her proclamation, the muscles in his torso easing up from their tense position.

“Oi! Will you two stop whispering and get drunk with me?!” Mitch shouted across the table, bursting the bubble that had temporarily surrounded the couple whilst they talked about their sweet little secret that they were dying to tell everyone about.

“You,” Mitch pointed his finger towards Y/N’s head.

“Shots. Now,” he gestured to the bartender making drinks on the opposite end of where their table was.

Both Y/N and Harry chuckled nervously, unsure of how to work around the fact that Y/N couldn’t drink without spilling the beans.

“Think I need to get some food in my stomach before I do that. Why don’t you take Harry,” Y/N urged Harry forward by his shoulder and prayed it would be enough to entertain the drunk boy.

“Fine,” Mitch glared.

“It’ll just make it hard for you to catch up later then!”

He grabbed Harry by the bicep and cleared through the crowd of people in order to get his liquor he was so keen about.

The conversation with Sarah was light, mostly about what all they’d done today and bets on if Mitch would end up needing to be babied for the rest of the night. Y/N successfully dodged Sarah’s questions about the wedding and how planning was going along, chalking it up to busy work schedules and failing to come to an agreement on a venue and date.

“Harry’s dead set on a summer wedding, but I’m fighting for a winter date,” she dismissed through a nervous chuckle when the reality was that they were unsure how to navigate planning a wedding around the arrival of their baby to make any more decisions.

It seemed like ages passed before the two men returned. Y/N was picking at the fries and sipping on the ginger ale Harry had ordered her before she’d gotten there but was interrupted when Harry and Mitch came barrelling back to the table.

He was drunk. Quite drunk. And Y/N knew that because his body felt even warmer and his eyes looked even hazier than before he’d left. She imagined they definitely had more than once shot at the bar, but she didn’t have much time to ponder that before she felt his hands snake around her waist and rest on her hips. She reciprocated his touch, looping her arms around his shoulders and laying her head against his chest.

“Love you,” Harry muttered into the soft spot between her jaw and ear, then his hands wormed their way under her shirt to rest on the underside of her tummy.

“Love you too,” he said again.

She could feel him smile against her skin as he cradled her almost non-existent baby bump from underneath her oversized sweater. Harry was the only one who saw her regularly enough to notice the minute changes her body had been going through. To everyone else, she still looked like plain, old Y/N.

“We love you more, but if you don’t stop canoodling me in the middle of this bar,” Y/N began, speaking light-heartedly and quietly in his ear, “Everyone’s going to find out and you won’t get to have that announcement party you’ve been planning for weeks now.”

Harry sighed, knowing she was right, and loosened his hold on her tummy and opting to sling an arm over her shoulder to at least keep her close instead.

“I know what you’re up to,” Mitch glared at the two of them from across the table.

This gained the attention of not only Y/N and Harry but Sarah as well. Everyone turned to look at Mitch, anticipating what he was going to say next.

“And what would that be, Mitchy?” Y/N toyed.

A pout formed on his face, arms quickly crossed his chest as he huffed.

“You’re trying to get out of here and leave me all alone on my birthday.”

“Guess I’m not even here then. I’m a hallucination,” Sarah baited with a roll of her eyes.

“We’re not trying t’ leave ya, mate. Promise,” Harry stuck his pinky out across the table as a gesture of sincerity.

“Are too.”

Mitch’s drunken rambles were beginning to sound quite childish now and became more amusing by the second.

“Are not, honey bun,” Y/N requited.

“Liars. Both of you.”

Mitch launched a bunched up straw wrapper in Harry’s direction that bounced off of his most prominent curl and landed somewhere near his feet.

“Where would we even go, hmm?” Harry taunted, resting his chin on the knuckles of his free hand that was leaned against the table.

“What could we possibly planned tha’ would be better than spending time with you lot on your birthday?”

They watched as Mitch’s remaining sobriety fought hard for an answer, but ultimately giving into his drunkness and murmuring, “Don’t know! Probably going off to screw each other or something!”

The table burst into laughter, and Y/N hid her face in Harry’s chest out of embarrassment.

“Wouldn’t surprise me actually,” Sarah quipped before taking a huge sip of her cocktail.

“Look. Here’s the deal,” Mitch tried his best in his drunken stupor to be serious.

“Prove to me that you’re not gonna leave me and take another shot.”

“Fine,” Harry shrugged.

“Let’s go back t’ the bar then.”

He started to pull Mitch along but was stopped suddenly.

“No,” Mitch was quick to intervene.

“Y/N too. If you both drink, you can’t drive home and leave me,” he said proudly as if his idea was the smartest thing he’d ever come up with.

She knew it was only Mitch being sloppy drunk and acting like the idiot he always was, but Y/N couldn’t help but feel her palms begin to sweat. They couldn’t tell Mitch the real reason why she couldn’t drink with the group tonight, so she was quickly wracking her brain for another excuse now that she’d filled her belly with french fries since giving her last one.

But there was no need to think any further, as Harry stepped in for her.

“She can’t do tha’, mate. Now, c’mon. Let’s get some more tequila. Looks like Sarah needs another drink as well, hmm?”

Harry pinched his nose in annoyance. He was trying his hardest to keep this all under wraps, but Mitch was making it extremely difficult.

“Who are you? Her keeper? Telling her what she can and can’t do?” Mitch yelled.

“No, you nunce. She can’t drink because yeh can’t drink when you’re pregn-”

Fuck.

Harry clapped his hand over his mouth before he finished his sentence, but it was too late. He wasn’t sure what he was thinking when he said it. Wasn’t even sure if he was thinking at all, to be completely honest. He silently prayed that neither Mitch nor Sarah heard him, but he quickly realized that was untrue when they both stared between him and Y/N with wide eyes.

“Y/N L/N. Are you pregnant?” Sarah was the first to speak up.

Y/N felt like she was stuck in place, only able to look at Harry with a racing chest and her mouth agape.

“I, um, I - yes?” It came out as more of a question due to her state of shock.

“I’m so fuckin’ sorry. Holy shit,” Harry exclaimed as he went back to Y/N’s side to console her.

He was spiraling in fear that Y/N was angry with him, but it was mostly the alcohol making him think so.

“You’re having a baby?” Mitch’s voice was unusually quiet for how loudly he had been yelling just moments ago.

“Yeah. We are,” she was laughing nervously as she spoke.

“Sorry that Harry ruined the surprise. We wanted to have a big party and tell everyone at the same time, but I guess the cat’s out of the bag for you guys.”

She rubbed Harry’s back with her palm, a silent reassurance for Harry that she wasn’t upset with him. Mitch and Sarah, however, they couldn’t read.

Mitch said nothing, only leaving his position beside Sarah to go stand in between Y/N and Harry. He looked at them both with an expression that resembled both anger and confusion, which only added to their discomfort.

In a split second, he had his arms around both of them, hugging them tightly.

“Holy shit! This is the best birthday present ever. Uncle Mitch and Aunt Sarah. What the fuck?!” he was rambling now, beaming from ear to ear as he ran over to pull Sarah, who was also losing her shit, just in her own seat and not on top of Harry and Y/N, into the group hug.

Their eyes caught each other in the midst of the friend-sandwich they were being forced to be a part of. A smile and knowing look were exchanged between them and they knew, despite it not coming out in the most fashionable way, their precious little bub would be surrounded by people that loved them dearly.

#harry styles x reader #harry styles imagines #harry styles fluff #harry styles one shot #harry styles blurb #dad!harry #dad!harry x reader #harry styles x pregnant!reader #asks

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nukacoola · 3 years

Text

Companions React to Sole Visiting Their Dead Spouse Part 1/2

Ada:

Today Sole had informed Ada that they wanted to visit the vault they had come from. Ada had heard a bit about vaults from Jackson but she had yet to visit one herself. When they began to descend on the elevator that led to the vault, Ada noticed Sole’s mood start to shift. She recognized the emotion in Sole’s face to be sadness, greif. Ada knew of this emotion from what she had experienced with Jackson and her fellow robot’s deaths. She began to suspect that Sole was visiting the death site of someone who she was close to. They continued to walk

through the vault until they arrived at the entrance of a short hall. The hall seemed to house a number of large machines. Ada’s internal thermometer told her that it was quite cold so she assumed the machines were the source of the unusual temperature. Sole’s mood seemed to worsen as they led Ada down the hall. Ada noticed as they walked that frozen human corpses were held in each of the pod-like machines. When they stopped before one of the pods towards the end of the hall it became clear to Ada that Sole had a relationship with the deceased human they had stopped at. Sole looked up at the deceased human and their eyes began to water. Ada remembered back to her own experiences with death and grief. She felt she had to help Sole as Sole had helped her.

“I understand how you feel, Ma’am/Sir. If there is anything I can do to aid you please let me know.” Sole smiled sadly and turned slightly.

“Thank you, Ada. I appreciate you being here for me.” Sole then turned back to face the dead human. They shed a few tears before they approached a control panel that presumably controlled the machine the dead human was in. They pulled a lever and the Ada heard a hiss of the pod depressurising. The door to the pod slowly opened as Sole approached the human. They seemed to be taking a ring off of the hand of the human. They held the cold metal to their lips and whispered something Ada could not hear before slipping the ring in their pocket.

“Alright, we can go now.” They addressed Ada as they moved to close the door of the pod. “Thank you.” They repeated.

“You are welcome, Ma’am/Sir.” Ada responded. Ada and Sole then left the vault together. Ada knew that there was no way she could repay Sole for how they helped her, but she would still continue to try.

Cait:

“Why do we have ta go to this stupid ice box again?” Cait complained, rubbing her bare arms.

“It’s not my fault you refused to wear a coat.” Sole joked but Cait noticed their voice had a twinge of sadness in it. Cait had been confused when Sole asked her to come to Vault 111 with them. They’d been traveling together for ages and Sole didn’t really ask Cait if she wanted to go places, they just went. The location of today was weird as well. Usually they had a purpose for the places they went. Some lazy settlers couldn’t get off their arse’s to fight off a few ghouls or they were gettin’ a handful a’ caps to go fight a bunch a’ muties. Today’s trip to Vault 111 was weird and out of the blue. Cait didn’t like it but it seemed important to Sole so she agreed. Together they walked further into the vault and the further they walked the colder it got. They eventually reached a wide hall full of weird human sized containers. Cait noticed the ice that slicked the floor and the frost that stuck to the windows of the weird containers as they passed the first one she peered in the window. The dead body of a frozen woman in a vault suit was inside. She had seen a fair amount of bad shit in her day and this whole vault definitely made the cut. Sole had stopped in front of an ice coffin close to the end of the hall when Cait realized. Sole had told her about their dead spouse a while back and they’d also mentioned how they’re from a vault. This was that vault. That body they were now cryin’ in front of was their spouse. Seeing Sole like that did not feel good. Not good at all. She needed to reassure them, she hated it when they were upset.

“I know this must be difficult for you.” She stepped forwards, “I… I’m here if you need to talk.” Sole turned to her and smiled. They reached out their hand to take Cait’s.

“Thank you, Cait. You’re a great friend.” They squeezed Cait’s hand. Cait squeezed back and watched Sole as hot tears continued to roll down their cheeks. She hoped that one day they could be more than friends. Maybe then Cait could wipe those tears away an’ kiss away the burns of grief they had left behind. For now, though, this is all she needed.

Codsworth:

It had been a hard week for Sole and Codsworth. The initial reunion of the two had been nothing but joyful. The family had been reunited against all odds! But of course it wasn’t the whole family. The absence of Sole’s better half and young Shaun left a gaping hole in both Sole’s real and Codsworth’s metaphorical hearts. The shock of their partner’s murder and Shaun’s kidnapping had worn off for Sole and in it’s wake, it left them cripplingly depressed. The past three days Sole had barely been able to get out of bed. They just listened to their partner’s holotape on repeat while cradling young Shaun’s favorite rattle in their arms’. Codsworth had been doing his best to care for them, bringing them food and water and making sure to check up on them every hour or so, but he was becoming worried. He was just preparing lunch for Sole when he was surprised by their figure standing at the entrance to the kitchen. Codsworth greeted them excitedly. Sole awkwardly hugged his large metal body and thanked him for all the meals he had prepared and all the patience he had shown. They explained how when they had left the vault, they were in such shock that they never got to say a real goodbye to their partner. Codsworth listened patiently and happily agreed when they asked him to accompany them back to the vault to say a real goodbye.

They entered the cold concrete bunker which Codsworth had previously waited and hoped to see stir for over 210 years. Sole led him through the halls and the two eventually arrived at some machinery which Sole identified as the cryogenic freezing pods. They approached the end of the hall and Sole moved to one of the many control panels next two one of the many pods. After puzzling over the panel they tried pulling a red lever. The large door of the cryo pod hissed as it slowly opened to reveal their spouse. Standing next to Codsworth in front of their partner, they grabbed and held the grasper fixed on one of his three arms. Even with one his beloved family members standing dead right before him, Codsworth still couldn’t believe it.

“Oh dear, is that…” he trailed off, “Mum/Sir, I’m… I’m so sorry.” Codsworth tried to keep his heartbroken voice steady as Sole began to softly sob next to him. He wished more than anything he could hug them, but since he could not, this almost hand holding would have to do. They stood there, mourning together for about two hours before Sole was ready to go. They were still very torn up. But it seemed as if a large weight had been lifted from their chest. Before they closed their partner’s pod, Sole went up to them and removed their wedding ring.

“I’ll find who did this, and I’ll get Shaun back. I promise” they said to their spouse.

“Indeed Mum/Sir. We’ll stop at nothing to get young Shaun back!” Sole smiled at Codsworth and together the two set off to find Sole’s baby.

Curie:

After everything Sole had done to help Curie, there wasn’t even a second thought on whether or not she would go with them to the vault they had come from. She would help Sole with anything, no matter what. When she had first booted up in vault 81 she was very excited to dedicate herself to the scientific endeavors of Vault-Tec. When her fellow scientist informed her of how they would be growing hundreds of pathogens in mole rats and testing these pathogens on unsuspecting humans, she felt bad. As bad as a Ms.Nanny model robot could at least. She eventually grew attached to the mole rats they were infecting. She was especially fond of sweet little Clyde. When one day Clyde escaped his cage, Curie did not have time to warn the scientists she had worked with. Despite her friend’s deaths, Curie took solace in the fact that the morally gray work of Vault-Tec’s could not continue. Despite the conductors of the experiment's deaths, Curie continued her work. 200 years later, she had been finished with the cure for a long while. She was pretty much stuck in this small area of the vault waiting to be told she could leave. Thankfully, Sole came along and her prayers were answered! They released her and told her about a young boy who was infected. She was able to help the one human who had the misfortune of being infected by the molerat disease with her life’s work, the cure. After that, Sole had welcomed Curie to continue her scientific studies alongside them. When Sole eventually helped Curie become alive, however, was when Curie truly understood how much she loved Sole. She would go to the ends of the earth for them so accompanying them to a vault was, as Sole might say, no big deal.

On the walk to the vault Sole told an inquisitive Curie about the experiment 111 had performed. They also told Curie how losing their spouse and child happened while they were still trapped in their cryogenic pod. They told Curie that they were visiting the body of their deceased spouse. It wasn’t too long of a walk before they reached the familiar facility. Sole led Curie through the cool halls of the vault and down a short hall to their spouse’s body. They took a deep breath and stepped up to the control panel adjacent to the cryo pod. After fiddling with the controls the pod appeared to depressurize and open. Curie’s heart ached for Sole. She knew how loss felt and of all the human emotions she was now able to feel, she liked that one the least.

Sole began to cry at seeing their deceased partner again. Curie had an urge to cry too. It was such an awful feeling. As much as she wanted to though, she knew she couldn’t give in to it. She had to stay strong for her dearest friend who must be struggling a lot more than she is right now. She stepped closer to her partner and gently laid a hand on their upper back.

“I wish I knew how to make zis better. It iz not a phyzical injury that I can heal.” Curie was silent for a moment, thinking of what to say next, “However I know it still hurts terribly. I am here for you always.” Sole slumped and began to cry harder which made Curie very worried. Maybe she had said the wrong thing! Did she make it worse? But right when she was going to apologize and excuse herself Sole turned around and hugged her tightly. She hugged back and allowed Sole to cry on her shoulder.

“Thank you Curie, you’re the best.” They sniffled out. Curie smiled as a few stray tears fell down her face. She was so glad she was able to help her friend as they have helped her so many times before.

Danse:

Danse hadn’t known what to expect when his fellow soldier had requested they make a stop at Vault 111 during their recon mission to the far reaches of the commonwealth. He of course knew that Sole was from this vault. They had told him so upon their first meeting. He remembered being surprised that Sole had admitted to being a Vault Dweller, though he now understood they probably had no idea of the stigma surrounding Vault Dwellers as they had only been above ground for a short time. Nonetheless, when he granted permission for his subordinate to lead him to the vault he assumed they wanted to go back for something they had not taken when they had first left. He never suspected to walk into a graveyard of frozen corpses. Of course he knew the basics of what had occurred here. Sole had told him a bit about their spouse and the cruel experiment unknowingly performed on them both. Even knowing this, experiencing the criminal loss of life Vault-Tec had caused first hand was rather sickening. He could only imagine what Sole was going through.

Danse soon found that he did not have to imagine. Sole had led him down an isle of frozen bodies before stopping in front one. He noticed their hands were shaking as they reached for the control panel standing next to the pod they had stopped at. They pulled a red lever and the contraption hissed as the door began to open. Danse could see a frozen body held within the metal pod. Sole’s whole body was shaking now. From his place off to the side of them he could see tears rolling down their cheeks. This must be their spouse. Danse was at a loss. He wanted to help them but he knew there was no way he could do anything that would get them over such an incredible loss. Even so, he needed to do something. His power armor hissed as it depressurized. He stepped out of it and approached Sole.

“Take as long as you need, Soldier.” He placed a hand on their shoulder briefly before turning away to give them space. As he began to leave, Sole grabbed his hand. He turned to them, surprised. He only got to see the tears streaming down Sole’s red, blotchy cheeks for a moment before they roughly pulled him towards them for a hug. Shocked, he stiffened. It was only when they started to softly sob into his chest that he refocused and hugged them back. They stayed that way for a long time. Danse couldn’t help but think back to Scribe Haylen. The situation was nearly the same and yet he didn’t have the same ache in his chest when he had held the scribe. Eventually Sole’s sobs turned to sniffles and sniffles to silence. Their hold on him loosed and Danse took this as his queue to release them. Their face was still puffy and red but as he looked down at them while they smiled up at him he couldn’t help but think how beautiful they looked.

“Thank you.” They breathed. Danse simply nodded. Sole turned away from him to right themselves and he used this opportunity to get back into his power armor. Sole closed up the cryogenics pod and they left the vault without another word shared. Danse hoped he had helped them. Even if it was only in a small way.

Deacon:

When Sole asked Deacon to accompany them on a visit to Vault 111, he of course accepted. This is not to say that he was excited. Far from it. He would never admit it to them, but he had done a lot of research on Vault 111 far before he had met Sole. He had taken a particular interest in this vault after hearing a rumor of Institute activity near it. After trying and failing to get into it, he went to Vault-Tec headquarters in hopes of finding some more info on this particular experiment. He had been able to guess the vault had some type of human-cryogenic-preservation thing going on due to terminals he’d read there and books he’d read elsewhere. After Sole had left the vault, the interior door was open and Deacon was able to explore further. One cryo pod being open while the rest were full of corpses painted a pretty clear picture. The internal terminals allowed Deacon to discover that there was once an infant “housed” there. The infant belonged to the vaultie he saw leave and the only corpse who’s cause of death was a bullet to the head. It was pretty clear to him what had happened. What he didn’t know was what the Institute needed with an infant.

Due to his research, Deacon obviously knew exactly what happened in that Vault. He also knew how much it had taken from Sole specifically and he had a pretty good idea of why they wanted to go back. His suspicions were confirmed when they led him down a familiar hall of cryo pods. They stopped close to the end of the short hallway to stand in front of the dead person Deacon had first seen almost a year ago. He looked to Sole, they were staring at the body and shivering. He couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or the murder. He settled on both. He tried not to remember just how much he understood their pain, but of course he couldn’t forget. His chest tightened as he saw tears beginning to leak from their eyes. They shakily reached for the control panel next to the coffin and pulled the red lever to open it. Their face began to contort into an expression Deacon knew very well. Their tears were flowing freely now and he felt he had to do something, anything to try to help them. He approached them and placed a hand on their shoulder, effectively wrapping his arm around them. They stood there for about a minute, Sole sniffling from time to time, before Sole turned into him and wrapped their arms around him. Deacon didn’t think about how it could be dangerous when he hugged them back, he just did. He held Sole in that cold, empty room for a long time. Even after Sole had stopped crying, they stood there.

“Thanks Dee.” Sole whispered before finally letting go of Deacon. They looked up at him, smiling and though he didn’t know why he felt his stomach flip, he provided a small smile back. Sole closed the pod and together the pair left Vault 111, hopefully, for the last time.

Dogmeat:

When Dogmeat woke up that morning it was just another day with his wonderful friend. Throughout the day however, Dogmeat began to worry. He felt his friend start to become sad. This made him sad too. He loved his friend! He wanted his friend to be happy! He stuck close to their side especially when they entered a very cold big place which seemed to make his friend even more sad. He and his friend walked further into the cold place until they decided to stop. His friend sat down on the cold floor so Dogmeat did too. He saw that his friend had begun to cry. He whimpered and rested his head in his friend’s lap. For a while they sat, Dogmeat’s friend slowly stroking Dogmeat’s fur and eventually, they stopped crying. Dogmeat sat up and blinked at his friend. His friend gave him a sad smile, he gave them a big slobbery kiss. His friend laughed and so he gave them another kiss. His friend kissed his forehead before standing. Together, they walked out of the cold place. Dogmeat was happy, and he felt his friend was too.

Gage: Gage was never into the touchy feely stuff but he had to admit he had a soft spot for the Overboss. They’re badass as hell and take no shit but they also knew how to be compassionate when they needed to be. It was something Gage had never been able to do well and something he respected in his boss. There was something off about them the day they asked Gage to accompany them to Vault 111 in the Commonwealth. They seemed more timid, like they were worried about his response. He’d already told them he’d follow them to the ends of the earth and he meant it so of course he said yes. The trip was long and the boss seemed to get quieter and more down the closer they got to the vault. This was worrying to Gage. Like he said, he wasn’t good at the touchy feely stuff. He wasn’t gonna know how to deal with it if the Boss needed someone to comfort them from whatever was making them sad.

They finally reached the vault and Sole instructed him to stand on the gear shaped platform while they ran over to a small building nearby. After about 30 seconds lights around the platform started to flash. There was the sound of a blaring alarm paired with a rumbling of the ground beneath him. He was about to get the hell off of the thing but Sole ran over to wait on the platform next to him. If it was safe in Sole’s eyes, Gage supposed he would trust it. After a few seconds the platform started to lower with a loud screech of metal on metal. Despite the bad feeling that was growing exponentially inside of him he followed the Overboss’ example. When the vault elevator brought them down to solid ground again, Sole led the way through a cold metal complex to a bunch of weird machinery that really just looked like a bunch of fancy coffins. Looking through the small glass windows on the weird pods proved that that’s exactly what they were. Sole’s footsteps were heavy and slow as they led Gage down the icey corridor. There was something very personal about this place to them. He would soon find out what it was as they stopped in front of on of the coffins. Sole fidgeted with their hands for a moment before they reached to the control panel next to the pod and opened it. There was a hiss of depressurization when the door opened to reveal a body. Someone they’d obviously known and been close to. The Boss’ posture slumped and they started… crying. They were crying… Dammit, Gage had no idea how to deal with this. He had to do something to let them know he cared though, because he did. He stepped closer to Sole reaching his hand out to them before recoiling it. Oh god. Alright just say something, anything.

“Hey, uh, Boss, I just want you to know- well I get it. And I’m real sorry.” They huffed a laugh through tears. Fuck did he do it wrong?? But before he could worry too much they turned to him with a sad smile.

“Thank you Gage, really, thank you.” He nodded stiffly, not knowing how else to react. They stood there in silence for a while before Sole closed the pod and stepped back, wiping their tears away. Gage looked away put of respect until they cleared their throat. “Ready to get out of this shithole?” They smiled at him.

“Hell yeah, you lead the way, Boss.” -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So I saw a video of the Companion’s comments upon bringing them back to Vault 111 and opening your spouses pod and I wanted to write a little thing. :) The bold sentences are real in game dialogue but not every character has some. This is part 1 of 2 so if your favorite isn’t in this one don’t worry.

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eliemo · 4 years

Text

Permafrost: Chapter 1

Summary: After Virgil agrees to follow Roman into the Imagination, a shift in the weather and an unfortunate misstep sends Virgil plummeting into uncharted waters. If only it didn't take a matter of life or death and a race against time to realize the Prince might not hate him after all.

TW: Drowning, progressing hypothermia, effects of severe cold

Notes: Romantic Prinxiety (pre relationship, they’re pining idiots) Right now I think this will only be a couple chapters, but let me know if I should make a taglist for this story!

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

“This is stupid,” Virgil said for the third time in the last ten minutes. “We’re gonna freeze to death.”

It was very clearly pissing Roman off, and if he wasn’t so miserable he’d be grinning like an idiot at the Prince’s clear exasperation. “We’re not going to freeze. Don’t be dramatic, Negative Nancy, that’s my thing.”

Virgil scoffed, glancing up at the expanse of snow covered trees towering overhead, branches bare and twisted, coated in sparkling white. It felt endless, everything around them perfectly identical and a little overwhelming.

He shuddered as the wind picked up again, drowning out anything he might have been about to say, and he absently shook off snow sticking to his shoes, really wishing he’d decided to wear his combat boots today.

Then again, he hadn’t expected to be trapped in the Imagination in below freezing weather.

“Let me complain, Princey,” he said, hoping that their familiar banter could make this whole thing suck a little bit less. “You’re the one that trapped me in here.”

“You’re the one that agreed to follow me,” Roman shot back, a little more sharp than Virgil had been hoping for. “You didn’t have to.”

“You invited me. And someone has to make sure you don’t get killed in here.”

“I’m perfectly capable,” Roman said. “The cold is no match for a dashing Prince! Besides, the beast is dead, my realm is perfectly safe when I need it to be- if it weren’t for someone refusing to enjoy the scenery, this might actually be a nice walk.”

“It’s freezing and we have to walk for another hour,” Virgil argued. “How the hell am I supposed to enjoy this?”

It hadn’t been snowing when they’d first stepped into the Imagination, some two hours ago now. It had been warm and sunny, the world around them lush and green, bright and inviting as Virgil followed Roman on his apparently routine adventure.

He hoped it hadn’t been obvious how excited he’d been when Roman had asked him to come along. He and the Prince had never been close, (that was putting it lightly, Virgil was all too aware of how much Roman hated Anxiety) but ever since Virgil had revealed his name things had been...better.

Not great, nowhere near perfect, but better. Their fights had started to devolve into banter, and Virgil found he actually enjoyed talking to Roman now. He wasn’t reduced to a villain anymore, and he’d never actually realized just how much he hated the tight feeling in his chest when Thomas had always dismissed him as the bad guy. He’d been pushing the hurt down for so long and now…

Now wasn’t the time to think about it. Now was the time to focus on moving forward, as shaky as the progress was sometimes. It was still progress.

Virgil knew Roman didn’t like him, and he probably had no intention of even being real friends, any effort to be polite for Patton and Logan’s sake only.

Which Virgil might have been able to live with, if he hadn’t recently figured out that he really, really liked Roman.

He’d sort of...not actually hated the Prince for a while now, just another hopeless, gnawing feeling that drove him to consider ducking out in the first place.

The feelings had come out of nowhere, slowly sneaking up on him and only growing now that they were closer, and he still wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about it.

The things Roman did that Virgil had once thought were annoying became...begrudgingly endearing. His rants, his dramatic gestures, the constant singing and humming under his breath...it was all so stupidly charming. Roman was funny and kind and passionate and brave and...and Virgil might have developed a little bit of a crush.

Dammit.

He knew nothing would come from it. He could be pretty stupid, but he wasn’t stupid enough to think otherwise. Roman had declared him an enemy since day one, and Virgil was just beginning to hope the Prince might actually tolerate him enough to call him a friend. Just a friend.

But Roman had invited him into the Imagination today, to be an extra set of eyes while he slayed the monster patrolling the realm, and Virgil had agreed without a second thought. If he and Roman could just learn to coexist...Virgil didn’t need anything else. Anything was better than being hated.

And having Roman as a friend was far from the worst thing in the world. It still gave him the Prince’s smiles, his laughs, and his company.

That being said, trudging through the snow and freezing his ass off for the next hour was not how he’d like to be spending the day. Why couldn’t Princey invite him to do something normal like watching a movie?

“Aren’t you supposed to be Creativity?” Virgil called over the wind picking up. God, it was cold. “Why can’t you just change the weather back?”

Roman had his back to him, keeping a few paces ahead, but Virgil could practically feel his eye roll. “I don’t control the weather here. Thomas does.”

“Thomas?”

“Not intentionally,” Roman said. “When it’s snowing like this, it probably means he’s worried or…or stressed about something.”

Virgil didn’t miss the slight hesitation, the way Roman glanced back at him, and he instinctively hunched his shoulders and pulled his hood tighter around himself.

It wasn’t his fault. He knew everyone liked to point fingers and place the blame on Anxiety whenever Thomas wasn’t feeling his best, but Virgil wasn’t here to hurt him. He just wanted to help, and he’d been trying so hard to be better lately, but he still managed to be the bad guy.

He opened his mouth to mutter an apology the Prince would probably only scoff at, but Roman beat him to it.

“Ignore that,” he said quickly, tone suddenly nowhere near his usual bravado. “I didn’t mean to imply...nevermind. Sorry.”

It was clearly forced and a little desperate, just like it had been in front of the others whenever Roman would catch himself on an insult or a nickname, but Virgil found he appreciated the effort all the same. As awkward as it was.

“It’s fine,” Virgil said. “Seriously, it’s whatever. I’ll...I can check on Thomas when we get back.”

Roman didn’t respond, but he did look over once again to flash Virgil a genuine smile, and he forcibly pushed down the butterflies rising up in his chest. It was just Roman. He was not about to get flustered because Roman had smiled at him.

But maybe it was a sign that they were getting somewhere. Maybe-

“Shit!”

Virgil froze, Roman’s curse almost drowned out by the sudden CRACK that echoed through the snowy forest. A chunk of ice broke under Roman’s boot, just big enough for him to stumble, his leg disappearing up to his knee.

“God dammit that’s freezing!”

“I thought the cold didn’t bother you,” Virgil teased before he could stop himself. He moved to help, only for Roman to hold out a warning hand. “You ok?”

“I’m fine.” The Prince wobbled a bit before he managed to pull his leg up and out of the ice, the soaked and dripping cloth clinging to his skin. “Except that my leg is going to fall off!”

Virgil couldn’t imagine how cold that must be, to feel icy cold wind against soaked clothes, but he could recognize that Roman wasn’t actually hurt or scared, despite the way he’d started shivering a bit. Thank god the water was only up to his knee.

“Stop panicking,” Virgil said, and smirked despite his own rising worry. “That’s my thing, Princey.”

Roman scoffed and shook out his leg, drops of water seeping into the plush white snow. The ice they hadn’t even realized they’d been walking on creaked under the movement and Virgil paled, eyes flying to Roman who quickly noticed the anxious side’s distress.

“Relax,” the Prince said. “It was just a weak spot, and it’s only a couple inches deep. I could reach the bottom.”

“We should still be worried about getting our clothes wet in this weather.” It seemed to have gotten colder, even as Virgil remained perfectly dry. “Didn’t Logan do a whole lecture about hypothermia a few years ago?”

“We’re not getting hypothermia, Panic at the Everywhere. Logan gives a lecture on everything. Worst case scenario is I come down with a little cold, and our dear Patton feels guilty and smothers me for a few days.”

Virgil laughed, carefully stepping around the hole Roman had created. “I’m pretty sure it’s not Patton’s fault you’re so clumsy.”

“No, but he practically forced me to bring you out here.” And just like that Virgil’s good mood was gone, stomach twisting uncomfortably as the words set in.

It shouldn’t be a surprise- of course Roman wouldn’t voluntarily spend the day with him. Patton wanted everyone to get along for Thomas’s sake, and he’d made Roman drag Virgil along like an unwanted nuisance.

“Oh.”

“So if we look miserable enough when we get back, we can coax Pat into making us cookies and hot chocolate,” Roman said, and he didn’t seem to notice Virgil’s shift in mood. “Just try to watch your step, ok?”

Roman clearly didn’t think he had said anything wrong, only scowling at his now soaking wet pant leg before turning to continue forward. He obviously thought Virgil knew this, that he wasn’t stupid enough to think he was actually wanted.

Well, at least Roman was giving him the benefit of the doubt. Even if Virgil apparently was that stupid.

They kept walking, Virgil ending up trailing a bit behind with slightly numb hands stuffed deep into his hoodie pockets. Roman managed to make it even farther ahead, humming some vaguely familiar tune as he watched the snowfall, and Virgil wondered if he should just let the Prince make the rest of the walk by himself, kind of wanting to just lay down and let the snow bury him.

The wind was picking up, and Virgil was clearly finding it more difficult to trek through the snow than Roman was. The Prince didn’t seem inclined to leave him behind though, slowing down and smiling patiently at the anxious side every few moments, letting him catch up on his own time.

He wondered why Roman didn’t just quicken his pace and leave him. It wasn’t like Virgil would go tell Patton just to get him in trouble. As much as it hurt knowing Roman wanted nothing to do with him, that someone had to make Roman spend time with him, it hurt worse to think that the Prince had just been faking it.

He’d thought...God, he’d actually thought they might be getting somewhere. That maybe, maybe Virgil’s feelings for the Prince weren’t as pointless as they’d once been.

The soft little smiles sent his way, the light touches on Virgil’s back or shoulder, the quiet jokes meant just for him, the way Roman’s eyes would linger for just a second…

He noticed it a second too late, caught up in his own head instead of paying careful attention to where he was stepping like he usually would, only pulled from his thoughts by another ear splitting crack as a piece of ice gave way right where he’d stepped down.

It was sudden and loud, and Virgil yelped when he stumbled and fell to the ground, hands losing feeling completely as they grabbed at the snow and his foot disappeared under the ice.

“Fuck- Roman!”

He heard Roman laugh, but it was almost impossible to make out over the howling of the wind and the pounding of his own heart. The water was so cold, (thank god he’d managed to stop himself before it went past his shin) like a million little knives dancing along his skin, paying no mind to what little protection his clothes offered.

“You’re fine,” Roman called, voice small and distant like he’d kept walking. Virgil didn’t dare look up, eyes on the ground beneath his hands. “It’s not deep, Virge, you can stand up.”

Virgil nodded even though he doubted Roman could see it, his voice refusing to cooperate. He squeezed numb hands into shaky fists, took a breath, and pushed himself up to stand on his free leg.

The next moment happened so fast, Virgil didn’t even register that more ice had broken under his weight until he felt himself falling, and suddenly the icy cold water was much higher than just his leg.

It felt like he’d been hit by a bus- a very, very cold bus- and Virgil gasped as all the ice below him gave way, the water rising up to his chest, wrapping around his body like a vice and yanking him forward without warning.

It was like hundreds of frozen hands were grabbing at him and tugging viciously, shoving him along with the water’s surprisingly violent current while trying to drag him down below the dark surface. Virgil barely had half a second to force his arms to move, frantically reaching for the nearest chunk of intact ice.

He couldn’t feel his fingers, and his hands were shaking so bad he almost didn’t make it, but he managed to get a grip on the edge just in time.

He gasped as he pulled himself to a sudden stop against the relentless current, weakening arms protesting the sudden strain, choking and coughing on the frigid water that managed to lap at the corners of his mouth.

“Princey!” he tried to scream, but he could barely hear himself over the roar of the river. The water hurt, the cold seeping into his skin and stealing his breath, and it took all of his quickly fleeting energy to keep holding on. “Roman!”

There was no response, at least not one that Virgil could hear, and he couldn’t bring himself to lift his head to see if help was coming, terrified that if he looked away from his hands he’d forget how to hold on.

He had to strain to keep his head above water, and he felt like there were boulders in his pockets weighing him down. He was left kicking desperately against the water, because it was definitely not shallow enough for him to stand.

Roman had said it was. Roman had laughed and kept walking and he’d...he hadn’t...he hadn’t left, had he? If he’d done this on purpose-

The dread and fear that came with the thought was almost more overwhelming than the thought of drowning, and Virgil squeezed his eyes shut as he tightened his hold, because Roman wouldn’t do that. He may not like Virgil, but he wasn’t cruel. He wouldn’t...he wouldn’t do this.

A grim voice in the back of his head told him Roman wouldn’t care, that Virgil would never be worth worrying about. Maybe it wasn’t the wind and rushing water blocking out the Prince’s voice...maybe he’d really just already walked away.

He choked back tears and put all his fading focus into staying above the water, the current’s pull growing stronger as his kicking became weaker and weaker. He couldn’t keep holding on. It was so cold and he was so tired-

“Virgil!”

Roman? It was so hard to tell for sure, everything distant and hazy compared to the roaring in his ears and his own too shallow breaths.

Oh god, he couldn’t hold on, he was slipping, he was going to fall-

“Virgil! Hold on, I’m coming!” Either that was Roman, or Virgil’s brain was being very cruel to him right before he died. The latter honestly seemed more likely. “Hold on, please just- I’m coming just hold on!”

He couldn’t feel his hands, barely able to comprehend anything around the all consuming pain settled around him like a blanket, leaving him shaking and numb, teeth chattering in his skull louder than a gunshot and he couldn’t do this- he couldn’t hold on he couldn’t-

“Virgil!”

Virgil didn’t even register what had happened, left only to wonder why the strain on his arms had suddenly been lessened for a single blissful second before realizing his frozen hands had slipped from the ice.

There wasn’t time to take another breath, the river seizing its opportunity to rise above his head and push him under the dark and freezing water, everything suddenly horribly silent.

#fanfiction #prinxiety #romantic prinxiety #virgil sanders #roman sanders #ts virgil #ts roman #thomas sanders #sanders sides #hurt/comfort #this fic is so self indulgent you guys #writing

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lovewriting-5 · 3 years

Text

Until Dawn

Chapter 1

Chapter 2, part 1

Chapter 2, part 2

We walk down the stairs and Ashley and Chris were already in the living room by the fire. “Well...well, what took the two of you so long?” Chris asks. I had a hard time keeping a straight face. It felt good to be close with Josh again after a few days.

The four of us were talking about how cold it was in the lodge. The heat had to get turned on. I tell Josh “The fire is nice but it would be great if the heat was on.” I wrap my arms around myself for warmth. He wraps his arms around me to help. He says “Come on...”

Chris, Ashley and I were betting how long it would take him to get it started. Chris asks “How long do you think it’ll take him?” To be nice, I bet “An hour.” Ashley says “My money’s on blankets for everyone!” Chris tells him “You can do it, man. We believe in you.” She says “Yeah! Totally! Woo!” I do a chant “Let’s go Jo-osh, let’s go!” His arms tighten around me. I laugh.

There was the sound of footsteps moving around upstairs. Josh removes his arms. He tells all three of us, “Alright, peanut gallery, you know what? I got an idea.” I ask, suspiciously “What?” He continues “Okay well I am pretty sure that somewhere in this crazy place we used to have...a spirit board.” Ashley asks “A what?”

Sarcastically, Chris asks “Wow you have a ‘spirit board’?” I ask him, concerned “Wait are you saying...we should have a séance?” Still joking, Chris says “Those things are a joke, man. They don’t do shit.” Josh says with a little difficulty, “No way bro. We used to do it all the time. Me and...well...” This isn’t a good idea.

The footsteps reach the bottom. I turn and say “Hey Sam.” As she gets closer to us, she says “Hi. Hey Josh. No hot water’s kinda major oversight doncha think?” He tells her “Yeah yeah, just gotta fire up the boiler. It’s in the basement.” Turns back to Chris and Ashley, “You guys see if you can find the spirit board.”

Ashley gets up from the ottoman, “Chris, let’s go find it! It’ll be like a scavenger hunt!” Hesitantly, he says “Ummm...okay...guess so.” Josh says “Rad. You’re not gonna regret it.” The two of them leave.

Josh asks me “You up for a ride-along?” Nervously, I say “Sure.” I turn to Sam, “Sam, do you want to help us?” She looks behind me, “Uhhh...no, you two go for it. I’ll wait up here.”

We make our way to the direction of the basement. He pauses and says, mischievously “Hey. You notice how I gave Chris and Ashley a mission together? Yeah I was thinking they could use some ‘alone time.’” Supportively, I say “They are very sweet together. I wish they’d just freakin’ get on with it already.” A little too enthused, he says “I swear they just need like...something to bond over, y’know? Some sort of traumatic event to send them into each other’s arms.”

He opens a drawer and takes out a flashlight. I open the door that leads to the basement. Standing by the doorframe, it takes Josh a few minutes. He says “You know...” I ask “Yes?” He begins “I just wanted to say...” I ask “What?” Thoughtfully, he tells me “It really means a lot to me that everyone came back this year and you know, that you came.”

I smile, “Josh. I care about you and glad to hear you are doing a little better. We’re here for you. Really. Whatever you need. Whenever. We’re all gonna make it through this...together.” I give him a kiss on the cheek. He says with a sort of devilish smile, “Um...I want us to have a good time, you know...”

We continue down the stairs of the basement. Knowing that the stairs are crumbling a little, he tells me “Watch your step.” Jokingly, I tell him “I think I can handle a little old set of stairs.” Sarcastically, he says “Uh-huh.”

I follow him to the boiler cabinet. As he opens the cabinet, he says “Sorry to drag you down into the bowels.” I say “It’s fine. Like I said the fire is nice but some heat and hot water would be nice.” He says “I mean I wouldn’t want you coming down here on your own, you know?” Jokingly, I say “Such a gentleman.”

Looking around at the dark basement with a ton of boxes and the only other light is coming from the small windows. I tell him “Well it’s definitely creepy down here.” He says “Yep. Not a place to be on your own.”

He hands me the flashlight, “Here, can you...can you hold this steady?” There was a noise in the distance. I turn around to see where it came from. Now I’m starting to get a little freaked out.

I tighten my grip on the flashlight. I ask a little freaked out, “Josh...what was that?” Not believing, he says “What was what? Just shine it here so I can see what I’m doing.” I say “Fine.”

There was another sound, I turned to see where it came from. Josh says from the boiler cabinet, “(Y/N)...Can you just keep the light still so I can see, okay?”

This time I finally held the flashlight steady. He got everything hooked up. He stands up and smiles, “Nice one. Okay first things first: we gotta increase the water pressure before we get the boiler fired up.” I look at the machine, “Sounds kinda complicated.” Reassuringly, he tells me “No, it’s actually pretty simple.”

I turn the knob, waited and saw the light turn on. I pushed the button but apparently it didn’t work, “Damn!” He says “It’s okay, just try again.” I tried again but missed it, “Ugh!” He tells me “Relax...It’s not that hard. Just press the button when the light comes on.” I take a deep breath and let it out. I try again and got it.

The boiler fired up. Proud of myself, I say “Whoa!!” Josh was pretty proud too, “That’s more like it. Alright! Five, girl!” He holds up his hand and I slap it. I excitedly, say “Yeah!” He closes the boiler cabinet and locks it.

Curiosity hits me, I ask “Josh...so upstairs when I asked Sam if she would like to help...Did you tell her not to join us?” He gets a shocked expression, “What? No...why would I do that?” I tell him as I step a little closer, “Are you sure? Because I swear Sam looked behind me to see if she should.” Looking a little guilty, he begins “Well....I might -“

In the dark, damp basement there was another noise. I turn in the direction that I think it’s coming from, “What the hell is that?” I back a little closer to him. He says, jokingly “Could be a lot of things...and none of them nice...” as he wiggles his finger on my arm. I push it away, “Hey, quit it.”

He says with a chuckle “I’m just...just ‘Joshing’ ya.” “Har har.” I tell him. Trying to point it out, he says “You were really freaked out.”

Shaking my head in protest, “I was not scared.” With a sly grin, he says as he looks me up and down “No, no, you just jumped because you wanted to squeeze in some aerobics?” I roll my eyes.

After a few years of hanging out with the Washington family, I have picked up on some acting skills. I put on a terrified look and look behind him. I look from him to behind, “Oh my God - - don’t move - -“ Sounding a little concerned, he asks “What?” Sounding more terrified, I tell him “There’s something behind you.” Trying to sound brave, he says “Yeah right.”

Really wanting to get him, I continue “Josh...Seriously. There’s something back there...” He turns and looks over his shoulder. I tell him, very satisfied “Ha...Got - -ch - -ah.” Putting an arm around my waist as he pulls me closer, “Alright. Alright. Your point.” I wrap my arms around the back of his neck, “Thirty - - Love.” Josh raises an eyebrow, “What? No...Where’d you get the first point?” I ask “It doesn’t start at thirty?” He says “No. Fifteen.” I say, confidently “Oh. Well, I’m more of a ping-pong gal.” As I get the last sentence out, he kisses me.

The two of us probably would have stayed down there for awhile, if the sound didn’t happen again. We pull away. Really? I was just starting to get used to being down here.

Catching my breath, I ask “Okay, so you hear that too, right?” I look at Josh, “Josh?” He removes his arm and moves in front of me. He asks “What?” Starting to get freaked out again, “The rhythm’s like, weirdly regular...” We walk a little closer to the sound. He says “Not...No...Nothing ‘regular’ about it...”

As we walk closer to it, I place my right hand on his arm and my left hand in his right. His hand grip tightens. I ask “Maybe we should, you know, check it out?” He asks “Why?” Not really knowing what to say, I tell him “I dunno, what if it’s like, a pipe that’s about to burst or some problem with the furnace?” He tells me “Unlikely.” I say to convince him, “If it were me I wouldn’t want this place to burn down on my watch.” He pauses and then says “...Yeah. Right.”

As we venture farther into the basement, all of a sudden, a figure in a brown robe and hockey mask jumps out. Josh and I scream and run for our lives. Josh in front, says “Whoa - (Y/N) - whoa.” Along the path, I grab an obstacle and pull it down. The figure is blocked. Josh and I make it up the stairs and I try to open the door. I am struggling to get it open. The figure is getting closer.

I am throwing all my weight against this door, “Oh come ON now why are these doors locked?!” In a panic, Josh says “To...To keep out strangers!!”

I feel Josh get closer. The figure stops right in front of us, “Hey...” Confused, I ask “...What?” The figure says, again “Heeyyyyyy...” Still confused, I ask “...WHAT THE HELL?!”

The figure removes the mask and hood. He revealed himself as Chris. Thinking it is funny, Chris says “Boom! You just got monked!” I can feel anger starting to rise, “WHAT!!!” Josh says, proudly “Nice. Nice one. That was good.” First to Josh and then to Chris, I ask “No it was not. Why w...Why would you do that?”

Holding his arm out, Chris says “There’s all this cool old movie crap down here. What, was I...was I not supposed to take advantage of the opportunity?” To Chris, I ask “Are you...are you serious?” I turn to Josh and push him a little, “Were you in on this, you putz?” As he gives Chris a high-five, he says “Nope. But I wish I was! That was too good!” I tell him “Don’t high-five that.”

The three of us get back to the main part of the lodge. After calming down a little, I tell them “I’m ready to admit that your dumb little prank may have had a slight whiff of humor to it.” Chris says “Jokemaster!” I tell him to make myself clear, “I said nothing about jokes. I said your prank, which was dumb -“ Chris begins ascending the stairs. Josh walks over to the table to set the flashlight down. I wait at the bottom of the steps with my arms crossed for him.

Josh jokingly, says “Holy crap you were scared. Admit it.” Sternly, I tell him “I was not!” I begin ascending the stairs. Not giving up, he says “Come on, you totally pissed yourself!” Done with the joke, I say “Josh!”

We joined the others upstairs. I go and stand near the fireplace. Josh places his arms around my waist and places a kiss on my right temple. I whisper, trying to hide a smile “I hate you.” Knowing I can’t stay mad at him long, he whispers “No, you don’t.” I lay my cheek on his arm. Ashley walks over to Chris and notices his outfit of choice. She asks in disgust, “What...in god’s name...are you wearing?” Playing along, Chris tells her “I found my true calling.” He makes the sign of the cross in the air. Putting her hands in a praying motion, she tells him, sarcastically “Please tell me you’re going to take a vow of silence.”

Chris moves his mouth without sound. To make him quit the charade, I ask “Okay okay...Did you at least find the thingy?” Chris looks at me and pulls a board out of his robe, “Boi - oi - oi - oing! Here’s our one way ticket to the spirit realm!” Ashley says “Hmmm.”

Josh tells Sam “Sam, we got the boiler up and running. So the hot water should be working.” Grateful, she says “Thank you. I see a hot bath in my crystal ball. So have fun!”

#Josh Washington imagines #Josh Washington x reader #Josh Washington fanfiction #Josh Washington #Rami Malek imagines #Rami Malek x reader #Rami Malek fanfiction #Until Dawn imagines #Until Dawn x reader #Until Dawn fanfiction #Until Dawn

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pillage-and-lute · 3 years

Text

Eskel is a Fanboy (Part 2, Electric Boogaloo)

This is a second part of this. Which in turn was inspired by this.

Please note, this is less funny and a little deeper than the first part, despite the title. Discussions of FEELINGS, hardcore, but also the trials. Brief mention of hypothermia.

Read it here on Ao3

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Geralt arrived late that year. Vesemir had been pacing the corridors, a worry line between his brows, for the last week. The snows were getting worse and worse and innocent snowflakes joined other completely harmless snowflakes until a very un-harmless amount of snow had piled on the track and the passes.

Lambert, alongside Aiden (another reason for the creases on Vesemir’s brow) lounged in the great hall, completely unconcerned.

“He’s stayed later and later every year,” Lambert said, lazily. “He keeps lingering with that bard of his. Why should this year be any different?” His eyes were half closed as Aiden played idly with his hair.

“If he doesn’t get here in the next two days he’ll be too late,” Vesemir snapped.

“I recognize I’m the outsider, here,” Aiden said. “But I don’t always winter with my troupe, and Lambert occasionally spends winters away...”

Eskel shook his head. The constant bickering was impacting his reading and he’d long ago marked his place in his book and set it aside. “Not Geralt,” he said with certainty. “He always winters at home.”

Aiden levelled a chilly, yellow gaze. “You love him.”

“He’s my brother in arms.”

“He’s special to you.”

Eskel wanted to growl and snap, but Aiden wasn’t saying it in a malicious way. There was no threat or accusation in his words. If there had been it would have been pure hypocrisy, what with the way Lambert currently lay in his lap. Eskel had spent a week pretending not to see the pairs’ furtive kisses.

“He is special to me,” Eskel said at last. “I found him, after his second trial, was given special allowance to be away from training to help him. Whatever happened, with the mutagens, he was deaf and blind for nearly two weeks. And had as much strength as a kitten.”

Vesemir’s pacing gained a sharper edge. “I wish I’d killed the mage that called for that second trial.” He said. Lambert and Eskel made eye contact, they were familiar with the self loathing in Vesemir’s voice. Lambert was angry at the world and his whole situation, but they had all forgiven Vesemir years ago. There was no choice but to mend bridges with a pack so small. Still, they rarely talked about it.

“You killed the mage that called for his third,” Eskel said, quietly.

Aiden’s head jerked up. He’d been a witcher, albeit a different school. He knew the trials, he knew the pain, but three trials... “They tried...?”

Eskel nodded his confirmation. “Geralt survived, and the mages who ran the trials wanted to see how many he could take.”

“So I split his throat on my knife,” Vesemir said. There was no satisfaction in his tone, but just an empty statement of action.

“I didn’t know it was you that killed the mage,” Lambert said. “I just knew one had been killed for the suggestion. I heard they made the witcher drink hemlock as punishment.” There was a warmer light of respect in Lambert’s eyes than usually shone there.

“They did,” Vesemir said. “It didn’t kill me.”

That was it for conversation that night, but Eskel went to bed thinking about Aiden’s words.

He’s special to you.

Geralt was special to him. There was an understanding, something gentle and kind between them. Geralt and Eskel lived their separate lives and had lovers and adventures. But for three months of the year they had each other.

Eskel had sometimes wondered if there was something wrong with him. He never gave his heart to anyone. Sex meant nothing and love didn’t happen, and he could only love Geralt for three months at a time.

Except that wasn’t true at all, because of course Eskel loved Geralt all the time. It was only a softer kind of love than he read about in poetry. He didn’t need fiery passion and desperate declarations of love. He had a steady love for Geralt, as sure as the beating of his heart. It was as good a love story as any, but now Geralt had his bard and a tiny, hidden part of Eskel whispered “If Only.”

If only he and Geralt could lounge like Aiden and Lambert, to pet each others’ hair and share small kisses in the corners. If only Eskel really had Geralt for those three months. He had no doubt that the feelings were mutual, but something in their lives had been built apart, and it would take something powerful to shape them anew.

The next evening brought a blizzard. And Geralt.

It took both Aiden and Lambert to shut the door behind Geralt with the way the wind blew in around him. It curled and flickered shards of ice through the air that melted in the heat of the hall, dampening Geralt’s old, black cloak. Which he was holding around himself like a cocoon. Vesemir took Geralts cloak for him, which revealed what he’d been holding.

Huddled against Geralt, nose red and face pale, was a young man in a blue cloak.

Geralt bundled him in front of the fire without a word, pulling away the damp cloak and hanging it to dry. Vesemir brought blankets as Geralt pried the instrument case from the man’s hands.

A lute case.

Eskel’s pulse picked up. This was obviously the bard. This was Jaskier, Oxenfurt’s most prodigious poet. He’d studied with Rumi and Alighieri and Li Bai. In just a few years he’d reformed witchers’ reputations. They’d all been treated better these past few years. More money, less tar and feathers. Eskel went to sit beside Jaskier to beg him for stories but Geralt met his gaze, smiled softly, and shook his head.

Eskel restrained himself. Jaskier was clearly staving off shock from the cold, as well as hypothermia. Instead of doing what he really wanted to do (lay himself prone at Jaskier’s feet and worship his skill with words) he put on a kettle for tea.

Aiden and Lambert make eye contact with each other, nod to Geralt, and leave. Vesemir also makes a tactful retreat. This time was just for Eskel and Geralt. And the bard shivering on a pile of cushions next to the fire.

“He had a hard time on the Killer,” Geralt said, quietly.

“It’s called the Killer for a reason.”

“He begged me to come, I told him it would be too dangerous,” Geralt whispered. “He followed me and I couldn’t make him leave, that’s why I was late.”

“Vesemir’s been worried,” Eskel said, staring at the fire. He sat on the cushions, beside the bard, without taking his eyes from the coals. Geralt sat on the other side of Jaskier, rubbing carefully over the bard’s chilly hands, pulling off the woolen mittens and gently warming each knuckle.

“I had to go slower for him,” Geralt said. Between the two of them, the bard seemed mostly asleep. His eyelashes flickered on his cheeks, struggling to stay open.

“You can sleep,” Eskel whispered. “You’ll wake up, you’re cold but not in danger.” He took the other chilly hand. “Just sleep.”

Blue eyes slipped closed and Eskel took the kettle off the fire so it didn’t whistle.

“He was so desperate to be here, he wanted to see the Keep,” Geralt said. “And I wanted him to come. To meet you.”

“I did make you promise I’d get to meet him,” Eskel said, sitting back down and resting a hand on Geralt’s shoulder. “I think I’ve read everything he’s ever written.”

“That’s not why I wanted him to meet you,” Geralt said.

Eskel’s breath caught. They were talking about it, sort of. “I know,” he said.

The bard curled up a little, like a nautilus shell. Geralt lay down on the cushions behind him and Eskel made himself comfortable. Sleep and warmth and the smell of the pine fire lulled him slowly to sleep. Just as he was drifting off, Jaskier reached out in his sleep and placed one hand, less chilly than it was, on Eskel’s arm. It stayed there until the morning.

“So True Love’s Waste wasn’t inspired by a person?” Eskel asked over breakfast, mouth full of porridge.

Jaskier shook his head, gulping down hot tea. “No, I was out on a bender with some friends and we saw this washerwoman’s cat trying to catch a soap bubble, right?”

Eskel nodded, entranced.

“It was so totally focused on catching this soap bubble, it’s eyes were all wide and determined, like all it wanted was the bubble, but when it caught the bubble...”

“It popped,” Eskel laughed. “And you wrote a poem that has been deemed the best love poem of the last hundred years about it.”

Jaskier chuckled. “Art is more trite and derivative than people think.”

Eskel reached out and touched Jaskier’s wrist, looking into those heavily-lashed eyes. “Your work could never be called trite, or derivative.”

Behind Jaskier, Eskel saw something flash in Geralt’s eyes, and he stood from the table, clearing his plate, but then Jaskier was telling a story about Rumi, his former professor, and Eskel’s attention was diverted.

The next week passed in peace, for the most part. Repairs to the keep were ongoing, but halted when the snow was heavy. Vesemir kept them training and the library, neglected by all but Eskel, kept Jaskier busy. At mealtimes and in the evenings Eskel and Jaskier chatted about art and music and life on the Path. But Geralt was subdued, something tired and sad gleaming in his golden eyes. He wouldn’t talk about it, and he fled when Eskel tried.

It hurt, that Geralt suddenly wouldn’t talk to him, but Eskel knew the white wolf better than anyone, so he cornered him in the training yard one afternoon and pinned him down.

“Talk. To. Me,” he panted, grinding Geralt’s shoulders into the flagstones.

“Nothing to say,” Geralt grunted.

“Bullshit.”

“Nothing!”

“You keep hiding! It’s not nothing!”

Geralt kicked his feet up, flipping them both over and freeing himself. He stood over Eskel who was still laying on the ground. “You can have him,” he said, beginning to walk away.

Eskel snagged his ankle, bringing his idiot wolf down to the ground without remorse. “You’re stupid.”

“I’m not, he adores you. You have so much in common, it makes sense.”

Eskel remembered the conversation of the year before. Please don’t take my bard.

“I’m not taking your lover boy from you,” he snapped.

“He’s not my lover boy.”

“He would be if you would only ask him.”

“He deserves better.”

“He wants you.”

“He wants you,” Geralt howled. “He looks at you like you got out a ladder and personally nailed the moon to the sky. Every time you talk he hangs on your words.”

“He looks at you the same way,” Eskel said, quietly. “And I...” He paused. This was so close to the thing they never talked about.

“You don’t look at me that way,” Geralt whispered.

“But I feel it all the same.”

The admission rang in the empty training yard, despite it being barely a whisper.

“I want you to have him, to be with him, because the two of you are made for eachother. It was obvious to me before you’d even met. I just wish,” Geralt stopped, his voice growing tight.

“What do you wish?”

“I just hate that it hurts so much. I love you both, I do, so so much, and all I want is you two happy, and you’ll be happy together, but I just wish it didn’t cut me out.”

Eskel rolled over and bumped his forehead to Geralt’s. There were tear tracks in the dirt there. “It doesn’t have to. That’s a silly rule and you made it up for yourself. I love you both and he loves us both, so you can have us both.”

Geralt sat up, bringing Eskel with him, then pulled him into a kiss that burned. It was a simple press of their lips together but Eskel felt like he’d been struck by lightning.

“Oh,” came a quiet voice from the nearby doorway. Jaskier was standing there, cheeks flushed and eyes wide. “I’ll just--”

“Stay,” Eskel said, chuckling. He pulled Jaskier down to sit on the flagstones with them. “I think Geralt has something he wants to tell you.”

Geralt looked nervous. He swallowed a couple times, eyes darting over Jaskier’s face. “I...” He said. “Um, what Eskel means is that... um, I”

“Oh you great big oaf,” Eskel said. “Jaskier, he loves you, he’s absolutely mad about you. He just can’t say it because he loves me too and it’s taken him the better part of a century to tell me.”

Jaskier beamed, his blush growing. “And you?” he said.

“I’m not sure I love you yet,” Eskel said. “But I think I will.”

“I think I will too,” Jaskier said, then he leaned in and brushed a soft kiss to Eskel’s lips, off center, so it brushed his scar and part of his cheek too. Then he kissed Geralt the same way.

“Aiden’s going to be so pissed that he lost the bet,” Jaskier said, as if he hadn’t just rocked both witchers’ worlds with a mere kiss. “He bet Lambert you wouldn’t figure it out until next week.”

“You knew,” Eskel said, touching the tips of his fingers to where his face was still tingling from the kiss.

“They way Geralt talks about you, well...” Jaskier said, smiling at Geralt. “And then the way you talk about him,” he smiled at Eskel. “And the way you both look at me, I knew. I just wasn’t sure you knew.” His smile shifted into something bashful and a little insecure. It was an odd look on his normally confident face. “And it seemed too much to assume you both would really want me, I’m not all,” he gestured at his shoulders and arms, obviously comparing their builds.

Eskel couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle. “We don’t care about that,” he said, carding his hand through Jaskier’s hair and revelling in the way the bard leaned into his touch. “I’ve seen Geralt with a face full of pimples, and I mean full, and that was back when he was calling himself Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde. It isn’t about looks.” He trailed his eyes across Jaskier. “And even if it was we wouldn’t find you wanting.”

“He’s right,” Geralt said, pressing a little kiss right behind Jaskier’s ear. “We find nothing about you wanting.”

“You both are going to leave me wanting if you’re not careful,” Jaskier whined, borderline laciviously. He leaned back against Geralt and pulled Eskel closer, kissing Eskel’s cheek chastely in spite of his words. When he turned to kiss Geralt’s cheek too Eskel nuzzled closer, feeling Geralt’s arms pull him into the pair of them.

“You have to promise to write me into your poetry, after all this,” he said.

Jaskier laughed, head tilting back and eyes crinkling at the corners. “As if I haven’t already,” he whispered.

Three months later the great bard Jaskier debuted his latest poetry anthology. Silver and Steel was praised by academics across the continent, although the line about being eaten alive was highly debated. Jaskier’s sudden penchant for high collars might have answered the questions, but he wasn’t about to give away the secret.

#jaskel #geralt x jaskier x eskel #this is stupid but happy #less funny than the first bit #but more cute #the witcher #jaskier is a famous bard #eskel is his fanboy #geralt loves them both very much

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theoreticslut · 4 years

Text

"Why do they hate me so much?”

pairing: fred weasley x reader x george weasley (*might change)

requested: no

word count: 3k

warnings: mentions of cheating, SFW

A/N: i’m attempting an enemies to lovers kind of story, but i’m not sure if it’ll really come across as that. if you haven’t noticed i kinda just write and whatever comes out, comes out. As i mentioned above the pairing of the story might change as I’m still working on it. right now its heading in the direction of both the twins, but that’s not how i originally wanted it to go, so we’ll see. I hope you guys like what I have so far, I do want to make this into a small series so if you have any comments and/or suggestions please let me know - i would love hearing your thoughts! Xx

Taglist: @justmesadgirl @xuckduck @yikesyikesyikes95 @filipi-yes @aestheticwh0r3 @siredkai @matsuno-nadeshiko @msmarklee1213 @immajustreadwritereblog

^ let me know if you’d like to be added/removed!

“You pig-headed prats!” You holler, huffing as the infamous weasley twins ‘successfully’ pull off another prank, you as their target yet again.

“Oi, sweetheart. That’s a bit harsh for such a pretty lady.” Fred smirks.

“Shove off, weasley.” You hiss as you push through the two who were standing in front of you.

If you spent another minute near them you feared you’d find yourself in detention for a month. The two redheads had a way of thoroughly getting under your skin.

You’re not entirely sure what you’d done to them, but for the better part of two years now you had been the butt of many of their pranks. You’ve had everything from an itching charm put on your robes to mini fireworks exploding out of your books to the most recent of having your wand tampered with to cover you in slime instead of whatever spell you were trying to cast.

Besides that, the two had been beyond irritating to talk to. You could always find them laughing and joking with others, but they seemed much kinder than they were to you. That’s not to say that they were rude or mean to you in anyway, but their jokes and smart replies were definitely not what you needed after having been pranked.

“Y/n! Ohhh, what happened?” Your friend hermione called as you entered the common room, immediately sensing how pissed you were.

“The twins happened.” You grumble, gritting your teeth.

“I don’t know why they keep pranking you! I’ve talked them multiple times about it and I thought they had finally gotten it through their heads that it wasn’t funny.”

“Don’t worry about it, hermione. I think they were just born bloody annoying. It’s what they do and they know they’re good at it, so why stop? It’s not like we plan to be friends or anything any time soon anyway.” You huff, making your way up to your dorm.

“I know, y/n. I know. Just....let me talk to them again. I’ll make sure they stop. It’s not fair to you. Even harry and Ron get annoyed at them for it.”

“You don’t have to do that, ‘mione. I’ll just...start ignoring them, maybe that’ll get them to stop. They’re not worth my time of day anyway.”

“Alright, y/n. Well, let’s get you cleaned up. You are going to need help getting this out of your hair.”

~.~

“You two need to stop this prank thing against y/n. I’ve told you over and over, it’s not funny anymore. Do you know that it took at least five washings to get that slime out of her hair? Five!”

“Oh stop harping us, hermione. It’s not like we’re hurting her any.” Fred says, dismissing her disapproval.

“You’re not hurting her, but you’re certainly annoying all of us.” Ron says through a mouthful of breakfast.

“Why should we stop? It’s fun and honestly pretty great to get a rise out of her.” George smiles.

“Don’t you think she wonders why she’s being targeted? She is our friend, too, and you hardly prank any of us. Don’t you think she might feel a bit frustrated? Don’t you think she wonders why you two have such a vendetta against her?” Hermione pushes, becoming annoyed herself with them.

“We’ll bring it in a bit, but we’re not stopping. She’s just too easy to prank.” Fred finally offers.

“I wish you would stop completely. It’s honestly not fair to her in the slightest.” Hermione sighs, giving up for the time being.

The twins are stubborn and she knows she better take what they give her for now before they revoke their compromise to bring it back completely.

~.~

You groan to yourself as you listen to Professor Binns drone on about history. This was by far your least favourite class, even more so when you’ve had the week you’ve had.

It started monday when you woke up to a surprise visit from Aunt Flo to which you were very unprepared for. You had been meaning to get some more pads and tampons but had been so busy it had left your mind. Not only did it inconveniently arrive, it was also being a major witch this month. As soon as it hit you felt you were going to be sick. The amount of nausea you felt on top of how crampy and achy you were. You honestly felt like you had been run over by the hogwarts express.

Tuesday you had been surprised by a last minute exam that Snape decided to give out. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, except this really was not your week and hadn’t been able to remember the potions you were being quizzed on. You had just barely passed when you normally received the higher marks that snape rarely gave out.

Wednesday you had just had a very rough day. Everything you had tried to do backfired and you ended up creating more hassle for the professors and your friends than would normally be expected. You spent the day just feeling completely useless, which continued into thursday.

Then, so far today, you woke up late and forgot your tie which earned a deduction of house points. You had spilled a bunch of ingredients in potions which earned even more deducted house points and complete embarrassment. You felt completely disgusting today even though you’ve showered and still looked put together. And most recently, just after lunch you had found your boyfriend has been cheating on you.

To put it lightly, this was just a really bad day at the end of a very rough week. The only thing you’ve been able to be grateful for is that the twins have seemingly stopped pranking you.

They still made smart remarks that you were trying your best to ignore, but for the time being you haven’t found yourself in the middle of one of their pranks.

You’re not sure why, but at least you haven’t had to deal with them on top of everything else this week.

You had managed to get all the way through to dinner where you sat very tiredly. Hermione knew you’ve been having a rough week as you were roommates, but she wasn’t sure what exactly had been happening. You hadn’t been wanting to talk about it. Harry and Ron, however, could tell you were in no mood for anything else even without knowing you’ve had a rough week.

Unfortunately, the twins did not get the memo that this was not your best week and had decided today was the day they’d prank you after leaving you alone for a couple weeks.

they had been planning out how to do so for a few days now and were proud of what they had come with. therefore, It came as quite a surprise to the both of them when you broke out crying after setting a smoke bomb to go off when you lifted your fork.

The food had just been revealed to start dinner when you picked up your fork to grab a piece of ham from the platter in front of you.

Before you could realize what happened, the smoke bomb went off, completely covering you in soot and catching the attention of many of the students in the great hall.

Without being able to hold it in, you had started crying as Fred and George were laughing.

“What have I ever done to you? I’ve tried being nice and it always blows up in my face, quite literally right now.” You sigh, choking on your tears as you stand up from the table to leave.

Fred and George stop laughing when they hear you, their smiles dropping when they realize you had been crying. They watch as you hurry off, hoping to Merlin this encounter wasn’t being listened to and watched by everyone.

“Look what you two have done now! I told you to knock it off with all these pranks. You can’t ever listen though, can you Fred. George.” Hermione states, fuming at the red-headed twins as she gets up and follows after you.

“Oh bloody hell.” They both sigh in unison, slumping into the table.

“Bloody hell is right.” Ron says. “You really don’t want Hermione mad at you.”

“We’re not worried about hermione, mate.” Fred says, keeping his eyes on the door that y/n had left through.

“We just wanted to get her to smile.” George sighs sadly.

~.~

“Y/n!” Hermione calls as she catches up with you in the hall back to the common room.

“Please go, hermione.” You sniffle, wiping at your eyes.

“I’m not leaving my best friend out here crying all alone.” She huffs, crossing her arms as she looks at you.

“I know you had a bad week, but what’s happened? It must’ve been real bad if you break out crying like this, y/n.” She says after a minute or two.

“I’m just so tired, ‘mione.” You cry, shrinking into yourself in front of her.

you felt pathetic yet you couldn’t bring yourself to stop crying. you had been hiding it away all week and you just couldn’t do it anymore.

“Tell me what’s happened.” She urges, pulling you into a hug, her heart breaking for you. she cared for her friends more than anything, but it really broke her seeing you so upset. you were usually such a literal ray of sunshine to everyone around you, that it was painful to see you carrying so much pain.

“I’m so tired and achy and nauseous. All because I’m a bloody woman. I’ve been so unfocused that I’ve lost us so many house points. Well, more than I ever have,” you sob as hermione leads you over to a bench by the window.

“I practically failed that exam snape gave us this week and I made such a mess of his ingredients. He was so furious, hermione.” you whisper, your terrified eyes meeting hers as you recall the way he fumed over your mishap.

“I was so embarrassed. I’ve never done that terribly in his class.” you mumble.

“I’ve been nothing but a hassle to everyone around me this week and I just - I feel so bloody disgusting. It’s honestly no surprise I found my boyfriend cheating on me.” You sigh, crying more.

“He did what?!” Hermione gasped, sighing as you cry harder.

“He’s been cheating on me, ‘mione. For like two months at least! I feel so dumb and used. I really liked him, ‘mione, and he just....he just used me!”

“Take a breath, y/n. We don’t need you getting sick.” hermione urges, noticing how you’re choking for air through your sobs.

“A-and now I’m covered in soot all because the twins have something against me. I don’t know what I could have done! Why do they hate me so much?” You cry.

Fred and George frown as they hear you recount your week, having left dinner to come after you and apologize. They truly had no idea. If they did they wouldn’t have set up that smoke bomb.

“We really messed up, Fred.” George sighs, not being able to take his eyes off you as you cry in hermione’s arms.

“Yeah, we have. Come on, let’s go apologize and try to fix this.”

They make their way over to you and hermione who shoots daggers at them.

“Y/n, we’re sorry. We-“

“Would you two get out of here? You’re some of the last people she wants to see right now.” Hermione states, knowing that the twins are beyond sorry and just want to make sure you’re all right, but taking your emotional needs as her priority.

she knew that they had a bit of a crush on you even though they had never said a thing on the topic. it wasn’t hard to miss, however, when she noticed how often they’d stare at you from across the room, smiling dumbly to themselves and zoning out. it was quite adorable, actually, but she did wonder how they ever thought pranking you was the way to your heart.

“We didn’t know you’ve had such a bad week.” Fred sighs, ignoring hermione.

You start crying harder at the mention of your week. You just wanted it to end. you wanted to curl up in your bed, tucked tightly into the blankets and listen to some comforting sad songs while you cry.

“Fred, George, go back to dinner. I’m taking y/n to our room. She needs to be left alone for awhile.” hermione orders, helping you to stand even though you don’t want to. all your energy has been drained from your body so even lifting an arm to wipe at your tears felt like it was the most difficult task in the world.

The twins sigh, but nod, knowing it’s the truth. Having them around wouldn’t help anything, but they felt so guilty. they just wanted you to understand that they don’t hate you, but rather the complete opposite.

They had never wanted to upset you when they started pranking you. In fact they both saw you as a friend and had a bit of a crush on you that they couldn’t understand. Sure you were beautiful, beyond kind, and a little bit of a fireball, but you were just a girl. neither of them were quite sure when they had started feeling and thinking it, but even though they tried to tell themselves that you were, they knew deep down you weren’t just some girl.

They really aren’t the greatest with their feelings though, especially when their beyond confused with them, and decided pranking you was the best way to show that they liked you. They never prank you to be mean, they just want to make you laugh and see you smile.

~.~

Hermione had gotten you into bed after having you shower and change into some comfy clothes.

She had left to go get herself some dinner and promised she’d be back soon to see how you were holding up.

You had told her not to worry about bringing anything back for you. Instead you were just going to curl up and go to sleep.

You heard a knock on your door and sighed. You didn’t really want to talk to anyone, even hermione. You hummed out however to notify the person on the other side of the door that you were listening.

You hear your door creak open a bit and hear some footsteps enter.

“Y/n? Uh, Fred and I brought you some dinner. Hermione said you didn’t want anything, but you can’t just not eat.” You hear George say, cautiously stepping over to your bed. his voice was filled with concern which you thought odd, but couldn’t care enough to think about too long.

You hear Fred shut the door but you don’t bother looking at either of them. You’re far too numb to care at this moment.

“Y/n?” George asks after not getting a response. he didn’t think you were sleeping, but he wasn’t sure.

“Thanks. Just, set it on my trunk. Or my night table. I’m not really hungry right now.” You mumble, still not bothering to look at either of them.

“H-how are you holding up?” Fred asks, fidgeting in his place.

“Why do you care? You’ve never cared before. Either of you.”

Both the twins sigh, looking at the other with guilt written all over their faces. they’re well aware how they come across to you, but it was truly a complete misunderstanding.

“We know we made you the target of our pranks more often than not, but we weren’t trying to be mean. We just, we really wanted to make you smile. Make you laugh.” Fred sighs.

“Did quite a job at it, huh?” You ask, still staring straight ahead. You don’t have the energy to turn to look at them. And truthfully, you didn’t really want to.

“We-we’re sorry. We had no idea how bad of a week you’ve had. We, uh, we heard you tell hermione everything.” George states, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It doesn’t matter that it was this week.” you deadpan, “It’s the fact that I’ve never once enjoyed your pranks on me. It was pretty obvious, so why would you continue?” You ask, getting a bit irritated at the two twins.

“Well, uh. I-I don’t know. We’re dumb.” Fred answers.

“No, you’re not. You both are so brilliant that I’ve been jealous of you at times, but you just don’t care about school. You’d rather use all your brilliance on tormenting poor classmates or make a girl cry than apply yourselves to classes.”

You knew you weren’t being fair, but you were fed up with everything. You wanted to be left alone. you couldn’t handle socializing, much less able to handle these two trying to make up for what they’d done for years only after you broke down crying.

“No, we never wanted to make you cry. Merlin we feel so guilty that we did.” Fred tries to argue, but is promptly cut off.

“So you really don’t care, do you? You’re just trying to make yourselves feel better.” You say, finally looking over at them, a fire blazing behind your eyes. Both of them look like deer caught in headlights, not sure whether to stay put or run and in which direction if they did.

You watch as Fred gulps nervously as George opens and closes his mouth trying to find the words to not make things worse.

Even though they can’t meet your eyes, mainly because they’re scared of the anger within them, they notice just how awful you look. Not in the sense that you’re unattractive, because Merlin even now you were gorgeous, but awful in the sense of how absolutely heartbroken you look. It truly looks like your soul has been ripped from your body and your heart crushed to pieces.

Your eyes are bloodshot and puffy, your nose red from blowing it into the rough tissues on your bedside table, tear tracks etched into your cheeks almost looking like spilled ink that had run across a piece of parchment.

They can see how tired you are, and how much sadness you’re still holding in. They wish more than anything that they could comfort you, but you were making it very clear that you didn’t want them here.

“Can you please just go? I don’t really feel like keeping company.” You sigh, turning back away from them.

They both nod, even though you can’t see them. Turning to walk away, they stop to look over your form once again. They’ve never seen you so heartbroken and it scared them. You had been a light in their lives, happiness radiating from inside you constantly spreading warm that reached deep into their souls. it hurt seeing that light extinguished.

“We’re really sorry, y/n. For everything.” George sighs, him and fred leaving you to yourself.

#harry potter #harry potter fluff #harry potter imagine #harry potter fanfiction #hogwarts #hogwarts imagine #fred weasley #george weasley #fred and george weasley #fred weasley imagine #george wealsey imagine #weasley twins #fred and george weasley x reader #fred weasley x reader #george weasley x reader #enemies to friends to lovers #enemies to lovers #series??

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greensaplinggrace · 3 years

Text

What Is There To Celebrate About the Darkling? (Part 4)

1 2 3 4

He’s calculating but impulsive. Gentle yet firm. Stubborn and adaptive. Just a real mess of contradictions that makes him all the more interesting.

He loves nature. He loves the forest.

Fond of luxuries and nice things. After growing up as he did, I think he deserves them.

Very socially awkward. Introvert just trying his best. Anything that isn’t manipulation and therefore something he’s planned in his head is just a social train wreck waiting to happen.

The way he pushes up Alina’s sleeve when they first meet. This man had zero compunctions about acting completely unprofessionally in front of his soldiers and I think that’s very sexy of him.

He’s constantly tired and exasperated with the people around him.

The way he says “quiet” with the softest voice imaginable and a room full of laughter instantly goes silent.

He had no interest in Elizaveta even though she was utterly obsessed with him and I think that’s hilarious.

Elizaveta: I have a plan to resurrect the Darkling Everybody Else: Oh the Darkling is so evil for trying to come back! The Darkling, who just wants a nap and is sick of this mortal bullshit: Why am I even here? This is such a pain in the ass. I should have killed Elizaveta when I had the chance.

How he asks if Alina “will have” his name like a man proposing.

Has his bedroom attached to the war room.

Constantly checking up on Alina just to know how she’s doing. Never pushing her beyond her limits as she’s training.

Very creative with his shadows and the extent of their abilities. So many of the ways he uses his powers are genius.

His ending in RoW is a tragedy and an injustice. He deserves better.

This old man pouting at Alina in episode seven as he says “please, I just want to talk to you 🥺”

There is a black kefta made for Alina after like two days in the Little Palace. He really was already planning their entire immortal futures together as Mr. and Mrs. Starkov wasn’t he?

His bed is covered in maps and notes when he’s plotting how to find Alina. Also before that, the way he’s poring over the notes at his desk and giving orders is 👌🥵

Him acting like a real General at all is simply amazing.

The fact that he trusts Luda with his life. That they have a whole intimidation routine set up around him purposefully getting himself fatally injured knowing she’ll heal him.

He looks like a vampire in the show and a fae in the books.

His favorite ABBA song is probably “Lay All Your Love On Me.”

Looks composed but that’s only a façade. Is actually an unhinged feral terror of pain and misery.

That scene where he tells the king she will remain in the Little Palace to train undisturbed and he puts his foot down. ON THE RED CARPET. the king’s carpet. and uses a commanding voice that’s just on the edge of an order…I’m surprised he didn’t get flogged for that. IMO nothing conveys the fine line he walks with those in power while wielding his own like this scene. Literally he should just be celebrated for this alone.

“‘Why won’t you leave me alone?’ I whispered one night as he hovered behind me while I tried to work at my desk. Long minutes passed. I didn’t think he would answer. I even had time to hope he might have gone, until I felt his hand on my shoulder. “Then I’d be alone, too,” he said, and he stayed the whole night through, till the lamps burned down to nothing.

Trapped a bunch of Saints in the Shadow Fold like a true amoral disaster villain. What an icon.

His barely concealed amusement and half hidden smile when Alina comes to put his kefta on. The way he finds Alina utterly hilarious and tries so hard to act like he doesn’t.

That small amused smile when Alina jokes about finding Volcra hilarious. Please he’s so adorable 😭

“‘I know what you feel when you’re with the tracker,’ he said. ‘I doubt that’ He gave a dismissive wave.” - My Malarklina obsessed self, vibrating at the edge of my seat: but what does it mean?!?

Mal and the Darkling’s entire fight in the Fold: dumbass on dumbass violence.

The way he stands with his back turned to Alina when she enters his tent the first time they meet and then does the slowest Godfather turn in history. 1999/10 - points removed for a criminal lack of cat petting.

“I may lead the second army, but the king is still the king.” - the delivery of that line. the implications, the history behind it and also the foreshadowing for his plans.

That slow turn face reveal in episode one though. Like okay we get it you’re pretty alkjsdflkj

Confused Old Man Face™ whenever Mal or Alina do anything remotely defiant in his presence.

How he tells Alina to come closer and she only takes the tiniest step and he doesn’t even react.

His little head cock whenever someone says or does something that just doesn’t vibe with him.

Darklina tumblr has now convinced me that the Darkling is a cat in human form.

“You’re an amplifier,” she said. He glanced at where Sylvi was pouncing on another helpless tree, oblivious, and gave a single, frightened nod. How could he have been so stupid? He would have to tell his mother now, and she would insist that they leave right away. If word got out, they’d both be in danger. Amplifiers were rare, hard to find, harder to hunt. Their lives would be forfeit. Even if they got away, word would spread. He could already hear his mother’s voice: Foolish, careless, callous. If you don’t value your own life, show some concern for mine. Annika touched his sleeve. “It’s okay,” she said. “I won’t tell.” Panic crowded in. He shook his head. She slid her hand into his. It was hard not to pull away. He should. He was breaking his mother’s fundamental rule for keeping them both alive. Never let them touch you, she’d warned him. - 😥 I just want to give him a hug all the time.

His strangled shout when Mal tackles him off of the skiff.

His smile when he’s summoning the sun. The expression on his face when he does so. Like I know I’ve mentioned this before but damn. If you ever needed a reason to celebrate him, this would be it.

“Shame, I’ll have to give that speech again now.”

The way he flips Mal over his shoulder in the Fold after Mal attempts to strangle him.

His little lecture on the Small Science to Alina when they’re going to meet the King. Info dump.

“You make it sound so easy.” “A bird makes flight look easy. But it was born to do so.”

When Alina looks at him for guidance on whether or not to remove her veil and he gives her a small nod.

The handhold in the throne room after Alina’s demonstration is absolutely precious, but it’s in a room full of people he should be keeping up a façade for and it’s so unwarranted and yet he does it anyway, I’m-

The way he says “welcome home, Ms. Starkov,” in the most tender voice I’ve ever heard and then goes “ok that’s enough emotions for one day” and then just straight up leaves without even a goodbye.

He has his symbol?? Sewn into Alina’s kefta??? bRo???!?!

Disaster Simp never gets tired of introducing Alina to other people or talking about how she’s the best thing that ever walked this earth.

The Darkling lying: honestly

“I have devoted my life to undoing the great sin of my forebearer, but I am never seen as the solution. Only as a reminder of the problem.” Sasha you were literally the problem. What a manipulative little shit. We love to see it.

The way he closes his eyes and kisses the coin before he makes a wish at the wishing well.

“I think the Grand Palace is the ugliest building I’ve ever seen.” - I love him your honor.

This man has the most intense lines for Alina. Like straight up I would have booked it when he said “you and I are going to change the world”. But then the head grab?! “I’ve been waiting a long time for you.” He’s so intense like sir can you tone it down a bit please I am begging you.

“I shall be right by your side.” / “We can do anything. Together.” / “For us.” / “You cannot do this on your own. And neither can I” / “I want you to know my name. The name I was given, not the title I took for myself. Will you have it, Alina?” - WEDDING VOWS

That scene in the war room when Alina comes to find him and he instantly drops his guard and lowers his arms and welcomes her with a soft voice.

“Am I bothering you?” “Not at all.” - girl you could be stabbing him in the chest and you still wouldn’t be bothering him.

This whipped disaster sounds like the proudest man on the planet when he talks about how much more his enemies fear Alina over him.

His shadows react to his emotions.

“YoUr’E nOt IvAn.” asjlkdfjs god he’s so embarrassing.

Local Dark Lord Sasha offering Alina the throne after she literally tries to kill him.

He gets so jealous of Mal.

Has a great relationship with his soldiers and his men. His men trust him implicitly and believe him to be an amazing general.

When he turns around after Alina puts the kefta on him and looks flustered/has to take a breath because she’s a lot closer than he expected. The way he’s breathless and literally can’t string a sentence together because he’s so distracted by her closeness.

His jokes are absolutely terrible.

GF: *jokes about throwing herself down the stairs to get out of an event* Sasha “no thoughts head empty only Alina” Morozova: haha I’d just have my healers heal you right back up again.

How genuinely touched he is by Alina admitting to wanting to help Grisha and Ravkans.

That scene in Demon in the Woods when he notices the intricate details of the politics in the Grisha camp after one meeting with the Elders. He has the Ulle pegged almost instantly.

Born to be a leader. Born to take care of others. Born to protect. Even in Demon in the Woods he’s protecting people. Even in Demon in the Woods he’s leading them and caring for them.

The way he cups his hands around Alina’s face when they’re kissing.

This man gets so starstruck by Alina walking into the Fete that he doesn’t even excuse himself from the King’s side to go to her.

Long haired Aleksander rights!

Ok I know the wig was kind of ugly but he looks pretty with long hair and I think it would look very good on him naturally.

The way he slams his hands together in the Winter Fete scene and instantly turns the room pitch black.

Literally any times he summons shadows is a blessing and we should all celebrate him for it. They are so beautiful. On god if I ever saw his shadows in real life I would be awestruck.

He asks Mal if he’s okay when they first meet.

The pure, barely contained fury directed at the Conductor for daring to harm Alina and kidnap his Grisha.

He always has to make a grand entrance.

This man is like a bloodhound when it comes to Nina. He is very invested in finding her and I feel like that’s never really talked about.

“I know exactly how she felt. The King’s soldiers treated me the same way. Because they knew- they knew that I was more important than any of them.” - the way he says it, like it’s something he has to remind himself of in his head constantly. a justification for the way he’s been treated, the fear he evokes in others. a way to protect himself from the hurt of being ostracized and reviled. arrogance and conceit as a defense against emotional harm.

Also the way his face instantly changes after that, like he’s said too much. vulnerability. lowering his eyes. shifting his eyes. literally just everything about this scene makes me love him all the more.

Dark carriage rides up to the Crows’ hiding place. Grisha circle the area as Aleksander steps from the carriage slowly, dressed all in black, floofy cloak high on his shoulders. Villain Entrance™

Him slowly pulling a knife out of his chest like it shouldn’t have killed him is hot as fuck and also totally badass. Big dick energy.

“I’ve had enough of your lies.” “And what lies are those?” - Alina, pulling out a fifty mile long scroll of grievances: Well, for starters-

This man is literally just an Alina Starkov compliments machine.

He cares so much about the Grisha and their protection. He loves Ravka and his people so much.

He had an entire cult dedicated to him.

“They would approach him. They always did. But he felt more anxious than usual. He’d stopped trying to make friends in the places he and his mother visited—there was no point when they moved on so quickly. Now he wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.”

Save a Villain. Murder the King.

Openly admits to staging a coup like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

He speaks so slowly. He moves so slowly. Everything he does has to have Purpose and Gravitas.

Theater Nerd™

He knew Nikolai for years and yet couldn’t recognize him as Sturmhond. We do stan an oblivious icon 💕

The Darkling after he gets his ass whooped in Siege and Storm: Mom can you please come pick me up? I’m scared!

He’s here to manipulate sun summoners and murder cities. And unfortunately he’s all out of sun summoners.

Would absolutely get drunk on real alcohol. This man thinks kvas is strong liquor.

Has his wrists exposed exactly one time in the most skin he’s shown all season and it’s when Alina visits him at night in the war room. WHORE!

Was too emotionally slutty and fell for Alina. RIP.

He’s passionate and cold and beautiful and hurt and twisted up in ways nobody could ever hope to understand and he’s stunning.

I would literally kill for this man 🖤✨

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comfortwriting · 4 years

Text

Three Can Spill A Secret F.W & G.W

Part 1, Part 2, Masterlist, Request Rules

Fred Weasley x Fem Reader x George Weasley

Part 3 of 3

A/N: Smut Based Bonus Chapters can be read here

Warnings: polyamory (if you’re not into that), fluff, swearing, and angst.

You cleared your throat and stared at Hermione, pursing your lips you decided to spill the truth already - everyone would find out sooner or later and it’s better to address what's actually happening instead of allowing rumours to brew up.

“I’m not being silly” you addressed Hermione, “and I’m not using your brothers.” you addressed Ron. “The three of us... we’ve been together for almost a year now and no, it’s not incestual.. we’re uh.. a triad.” you finally spat out.

Hermione looked more frustrated than ever, being wrong was rare for her.

Ron’s jaw dropped, Ginny’s too and Harry looked as if he would burst into laughter. You had an idea or two of the inaccurate, and most likely inappropriate thoughts swimming around their heads.

“To make a long and awkward explanation short, Y/N is dating both of us.” Fred joined in, holding your hand.

George laced his hand in your free one “and we’re both dating her, obviously Freddie and I aren’t an item so you can get that out of your head.”

Silence filled the common room for a moment, the only noise being the crackling of the fire.

“Swinging was a sixties thing though-” Ron muttered, the glare from Fred instantly making him quiet down.

“but isn’t that just a polite way of saying you’re a cheat?” Hermione questioned you, “no offence.”

You shook your head “We communicate openly with one another, we have boundaries in place. Fred and George are my only partners, we don’t seek out anyone else.” you answered.

Hermione nodded, beginning to understand.

“Well you must love one more than the other.” Ron muttered again, focusing on you and not his brothers.

You laughed a little and shook your head “your mum doesn’t love Bill any more than she loves you” you replied “love isn’t cut into fractions, I love them both the same.”

“Although I am better looking.” Fred smirked at George.

“Oh shut up” he rolled his eyes and laughed.

Getting up and ready for bed after a round of myth busting, Hermione and Ginny nudged you, both of them had guilty expressions on their faces.

“We’re really sorry.” Hermione said softly “I really need to know and learn better.”

“Sorry for what happened at dinner, it’s just-”

“I get it” you replied, folding up your clothes “you just wanted to protect them, it’s fine.” You climbed into your bed and pulled the covers over you.

Hermione and Ginny got the message and said no more, going to bed.

You were incredibly grateful for the apologies and you were happy you were able to explain everything, but you still couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed that your friends had gone behind your back to spy on you and accuse you of such a thing as cheating.

The new week wasn’t any better either, someone from outside of your little circle heard about your relationship with the twins and decided to share the news with the whole of Hogwarts; walking down the halls and entering the Great Hall was almost unbearable.

Everyone stopped and stared at you, whispering amongst their friends, making assumptions and discussing the rumours of the three of you that had been spreading around like wildfire.

You were branded as a ‘slag’, being ‘greedy’ and ‘a freak who couldn’t make up her mind’. The insults didn’t bother you at first as you hoped they would learn like your friends, but they didn’t want to and they wouldn’t, someone in your DADA class even brought up Arthur Weasley and how this would affect his reputation at the Ministry when he gets notified.

Storming across the Quidditch pitch you met your two out of breath and sweaty boyfriends, covered in mud and grass stains.

“Good game?” you asked, smiling at both of them, trying to hide your panic.

Hiding your feelings never worked with Fred and George, the two of them could read you like a book.

“What's the matter, love?” George asked, stroking your cheek with his muddy thumb.

“Are you okay?” Fred asked, tucking a stray hair behind your ear.

You shook your head and your bottom lip quivered, tears pooling your eyes. “They’re going to tell the Ministry about us, your dad is going to find out through them with false information and his reputation will be ruined.”

You spoke through tears so fast it took a moment for your boyfriends to catch up, they shared a glance and sighed.

“looks like we’ll be going home this weekend then.” Fred said softly yet defeated, kissing your head.

“It’s going to be okay, Y/N, we’ll get through this.” George reassured you.

Sitting on the mostly empty and quiet Hogwarts Express, George and Fred were playing a game of exploding snap whilst you were pretending to be asleep, trying to calm yourself down from the nerves of how Molly and Arthur would react.

“You should’ve seen her face Georgie” Fred spoke out excitedly. “Her eyes lit up like the floating candles in the great hall, she loved it in Honey Dukes!”

George laughed and you could tell he was smiling through his voice “Bless her heart, she still had stars in her eyes when she arrived on our date.”

“I wonder if she’ll be happy enough with our little idea, if everything goes to plan.” Fred said quietly.

You furrowed your eyebrows, your eyes still closed.

“I’m sure she will be, Freddie.”

The two continued to play their game, every now and then you’d hear a cheer from one twin and a complaint from the other.

Arriving at the burrow you could feel the nausea pool into your stomach, what's the worst that could happen? Your ‘what if’ marathon spiralling out of control.

‘Molly and Arthur will become enraged, I’ll be forced to end my relationship with Fred and George, they’ll want me out of the house and to never come back.’

“Fred! George! Y/N!” Molly’s surprised tone of voice dragged you out of the whirlwind. “What are you doing here! You’re not due to come home yet!”

Fred walked into the house, you and George followed, you found it hard knowing you wouldn’t be able to hold their hands - they’d start to question things if you were to constantly switch between the two of them.

Unlike plenty of times before, today they couldn’t pretend to be one another because of the initialled sweaters they were wearing.

“Chill out mum” Fred replied, strolling into the kitchen looking for food.

George smirked “We just wanted to visit you, needed a change of scenery after going to Hogsmeade every weekend.”

Molly stayed quiet for a moment and then looked to you and smiled, welcoming you into a warm hug, one of your favourite hugs in the world.

“Well I’m happy to see you again my dear, I hope those two have been behaving themselves!” She glanced at Fred and noticed his mouth full of food.

You giggled and nodded “they’ve been working really hard!” You defended them.

“Oh good, Arthur will be so pleased when he hears this over dinner!” She smiled “Y/N, would you care to help me?”

You felt your cheeks redden, you hadn’t been able to fully talk your plan through with your boyfriends - you wished you hadn’t pretended to be asleep for all those hours on the train.

“I’ll be more than happy to!” You beamed trying to seem enthusiastic, quickly eyeing up Fred and George, your expression fell slightly.

“Fred, George, you better not cause any trouble tonight. Your poor dad and Percy have had to work overtime for the past few weeks!”

Whilst helping Molly with food and cleaning, she tried to bring up Fred and George to you. Asking if you fancied either of them and if so who it was, you panicked and caught yourself choosing George over Fred which you felt awful for.

“Ah brilliant!” Molly chirped, brushing away the sweat from her brow. “Fred, George, get in here and set the table! No wands!”

Arthur walked through the door and he, like Molly earlier, was surprised to see you and his sons now thundering down the stairs.

“They wanted to see us, Arthur!” Molly smiled, embracing her husband and kissing him on the cheek.

“Really? How lovely.” Arthur smiled, hugging you and waving at his sons.

Percy also came through the door and greeted the three of you before going upstairs, wavering on about the paperwork he needed to do and that he’ll regrettably miss out on tonight's dinner.

Nevertheless, you were sat in between both Fred and George, sitting across from Molly and Arthur.

Every now and then through conversation Fred and George took it in turns placing their hand on your knee to provide you with some comfort, the three of you deciding that tonight would be the night you would spill your secret entirely.

“You alright Fred, George? You’re both a bit quiet this evening.” Arthur spoke up, his plate empty.

Molly nodded her head in agreement “You’ve been a bit quite today too, Y/N.” Her tone slightly suspicious.

George squeezed your thigh and looked at his brother, “they’re already sitting down so..”

Your heart began to race, your chest tightened and you started to sweat.

“Mum, dad, we’ve got some news.” Fred paused for a moment, his parents dreading what trouble they had caused this time.

“Freddie and I are both in a relationship with Y/N, we have been for nearly a year now.” George revealed.

Molly and Arthur looked gobsmacked, you started to sink in your seat.

“She’s our girlfriend, we’re her boyfriends.” Fred breathed.

“It’s a triad relationship, she dates us, we date her but not each other.”

“Obviously, like Georgie said.”

Molly’s eyes met yours, she appeared to be baffled beyond belief.

“You’re stringing along both of my sons?!” She freaked, Arthur having to keep her in her seat.

“It isn’t like that, Mrs Weasley.” You replied anxiously “I’m in love with both of them, I wouldn’t ever hurt them-”

“Mum, just calm it will you? She makes us incredibly happy-” Fred tried to defend you, but Molly wasn’t wanting to listen anymore.

“I must to sleep on this!” Molly spoke over you all, standing up and walking away from the table.

Arthur still sat down, looked at the three of you and smiled sympathetically, he thanked you for telling him before the Ministry got word and tried to assure you that Molly would be more understanding in the morning. He got to his feet and followed her to bed.

“I’m so sorry” you cried “this is all my fault”

Fred hushed you and wiped away your falling tears “don’t cry, darling.”

“It isn’t your fault.” George kissed your head “she’ll understand, she’s just in shock.”

Fred and George pushed their single beds together with a bit of trusty magic, making the bed a double. You were wide awake, being the middle spoon, George’s soft breath tickled your neck.

The next morning you, Fred and George were sat at the table with Molly and Arthur once more.

Molly, like you, also look exhausted beyond belief.

“There must be some mistake, Y/N. To date both of my boys at once - have you not considered this as your way of coping with a fear of commitment?” She barked, causing you to jump.

Fred and George both groaned out loud, sick of the stereotypes people had regarding Polyamory, they had no idea how you could be so patient.

“I think you’ll find that my relationship with your sons is quite the opposite of fearing commitment.” you replied, holding their hands “I have the ability to commit to them both, on a variety of levels.”

“We love her, mum” George butted in

“Can’t you just be happy for us?” Fred added “We’re happier than we’ve ever been.”

Molly sighed, starting to feel defeated.

“So if this does work out, the two of you marry her, how are you supposed to raise my grandchildren in such an environment?” Molly asked once more.

You, Fred and George grinned from ear to ear, the thought of your children running around and causing chaos.

“Plenty of studies have shown that kids who are raised in ‘such an environment’“ Fred air quoted.

“Turn out fine” George smiled, completing Fred’s sentence.

Molly turned to face Arthur, and he smiled at you.

“I think this is brilliant, it’s nice to have someone who loves my sons on such a level.” Arthur stood up and walked over to you, you pushed your seat back and gave into his hug.

You felt your nerves finally start to fall apart and disintegrate at the bottom of your stomach, Molly shook her head and smiled at you, finally giving in.

Molly stood up and walked over to you, pulling you into a hug “I’m sorry my dear, I’ve just never known of such a relationship-”

“Told you she’s not that bad.” Fred smirked, getting out of his seat.

George stood up too “Get used to her, mum.”

Sitting outside in the garden, in the exact same spot those many nights ago when this beautiful relationship started, Fred and George looked at one another and smiled. They pulled out the job application you had written and read it out loud in turns playfully, Molly and Arthur watched the three of you through the window.

“what do you recon Fred, think we should hire her?” George smirked.

Fred grinned and nodded his head “would be a shame not to, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes are in need of a beautiful, enthusiastic and hardworking saleswoman!”

You blushed and giggled, scrunching your eyebrows at them.

“Consider yourself hired, my love.” George kissed your head, the twins springing to their feet, George offering you a hand up.

“Weasley’s Wizard what?”

“It’s mine and Georgie’s joke shop, Y/N.” Fred smiled, holding your hand.

George holding your other hand stared into your star filled eyes. “We can all finally have plans for the future, together.”

“The three of us?” you beamed, tears of happiness flooding your eyes.

Fred and George nodded and smiled at you lovingly.

“The three of us.” they said in unison.

Tags: @alwaysnforeverfangirl , @lana-isabelle

#fanfic #fred weasley #george weasley #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #hp #imagines #weasley #george wealsey imagine #george wealsey x reader #george weasley fanfiction #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley x you #fred weasley fanfiction #fred weasley x reader #fluff #smut #polyamory #angst

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harryimaginedstories · 4 years

Text

on your side

genre: au (while I don’t like the term ‘au-fic’ at all imagine the two characters are in college together and in their early twenties.) angst and some fluff as well.

about 5k words

it’s entirely different than anything I have ever published and I really love it. please let me know what you think and stay safe during these wild and often scary times.