#i think we talked a lot on here about him making willow a scarf or a blanket or mending her clothes way before thanks to them aired

[lollytea]

Hunter & Willow are both wearing flower patches on their clothes, with evidence that (at least) Hunter's were done by hand by himself.

And Willow is wearing an "Emerald Entrails" tshirt

Something something Hunter makes Willow clothes like he made himself that wolf shirt, or at least alters/embroiders her stuff for her something

I think that we as a society can unanimously agree to use the Huntlow Patch Rule. If Willow has patches on her clothes, there is no mystery as to how they got there. We not only know but treat it as fact.

I've decided to operate under the assumption that if Hunter isn't wearing a matching Emerald Entrails shirt underneath that jacket, he at least owns one. But he's wearing it. I'm 87% sure. Also yeah he made them.

I LOVE the idea that Hunter loves to sew so much that he just leaves fingerprints of his passion everywhere. Luz, Amity, Gus, Camila, Vee, Darius, Skara and Viney all out there living their respective lives, proudly sporting subtle little details in their outfits affectionately added by their favourite funky guy.

Personalising clothes for people he cares about is a gesture of love. And it's sweet to think that Willow sometimes asks him if he'd like to jazz up some of hers and Hunter is not only confident enough in his abilities but in his own knowledge of Willow's likes and dislikes to be comfortable with messing around with a pair of her pants and not worry about fucking them up and having her hate the final product. He knows she loves flowers so he adds flowers 💕

Everybody has a shirt or jacket or a pair of pants with one of two Hunter patches but Willow is the only one who has made it a part of her aesthetic. Its gotten to the point where she doesn't even ask anymore but patches and little embroidered patterns appear on her cardigans and she only finds out when she takes them out of the closet and she's like "Ooooooh!!" Like it's a brand new garment.

[willowfolksong]

Introducing: the family

- Ushijima Wakatoshi x Reader

- SFW

a/n: omg anon I'm so sorry, but I don't know what happened to your request. Everytime I tried to answer it I got an error??? and I don't really know why? so I took a screenshot and now here it is! that's why please, if you see this, pretty please let me know, so I can rest and know that you saw it 🥺❤ and thank you so much for your words!!! I enjoyed writing this a lot ✨

Love,

Willow ❄

Requests are open! ❄

You turn around so fast that Ushijima actually has to take a step back, to avoid the cake on his hands to slip and fall to the ground.

He looks at you curiously, as you chew on the edge of your own scarf "Is there something wrong?"

"No, not really"

"Then why are we standing here?"

You look back at the door. The Hinata's entrance door, decorated with a sparkly 'Happy birthday' sign in pink and yellow letters.

You grimace, and look back at your unperturbed boyfriend.

No. Fiancee. You're getting married.

The butterflies that flutter around in your stomach at the thought are not enough to ease your nerves.

"Okay, let's rehearse this one more time" you say, and after changing his weight from one foot to another, Ushijima nods obediently "When you see Shoyo, you'll say..."

"Hello" Ushijima chants, knowing the words by heart now "It's good to see you"

You nod enthusiastically "Very well. And when you see his boyfriend?"

At that, Ushijima's right eye twitches slightly, but he still complies "Hello, Kageyama. How are you?"

You picture Kageyama's scowl in your mind, and shake your head wildly "I think is safer if you don't ask him anything"

"Why not?"

"Just... stick with saying that it's nice to see him again too"

Ushijima looks like he really, really, doesn't wants to say that, but after a pause, he speaks again "Hello, Kageyama. It's good to see you again"

Now comes the hard part.

You take a breath, and push some strands of your hair behind your ears "Alright. Now. Let's go over the topics we need to avoid"

"I won't bring up that Shiratorizawa is doing better than Karasuno" your boyfriend repeats, and you suppress the urge to contradict him, your Karasuno spirit almost betraying you. You might be a college student now, but you're still flying high in your heart "I will not talk about any match, or refer to any mistake in their games. I will also not antagonize them as players, and won't bring any volleyball discussion in general at the table"

You smile, proud, and step on your tiptoes to kiss him on the lips. Ushijima meets you halfway, smiling against your lips.

"That's perfect"

"I want you to be comfortable. And I want to make a good first impression in front of your parents, so I won't forget any of this"

"Oh, shit!" you gasp, sudenly panicking "My parents! We need to practice for that too! I've been so focused on you and the boys that I forgot..."

The door behind you opens in that exact same moment, cutting you off and making you take a step back closer to your boyfriend.

Natsu blinks at the two of you, confused, before her eyes light up at the sigh of Ushijima.

"You must be the boyfriend!" she squeals, and looks about ready to jump in his arms, cake be damned.

Ushijima looks at you for a moment, before his eyes go back to your little cousin "Hello, my name is Ushijima Wakatoshi. I'm very pleased to meet you"

Natsu's face erupts in a furious blush, and she covers her mouth with her hand to try and muffle her giggles "So polite! Like a knight!"

"Hi, little Natsu!" you say, amused at the fact that she's paying zero attention to her actual cousin "Good to see you again!"

The little girl finally looks at you, and smiles awkwardly before stepping aside "Hi! Come on in!"

Once inside, Ushijima turns to present the cake to her, small smile in place.

"Happy birthday. I hope it's of your liking"

Natsu quickly snatches the box out of his hands and runs to the kitchen, laughing in delight.

You sigh, and yell "Happy birthday!" to her before turning back to your boyfriend.

He has taken off his scarf to hang it on the coat rake by the door, and it's looking around curiously, hands behind his back.

It's time.

"Come on" you say, offering him your hand. "Time to face battle"

"I dont think this will be a battle at all"

You're two steps into the living room when you hear Shoyo running down the stairs and stopping a few feet away from you, huffing.

And, not a second later, Kageyama appears righ behind him, scowl in place.

Well, that was fast

"Hi Shoyo!" you great him, and he waves at you with a little smile before his eyes slide over Ushijima.

Your boyfriend nods "Hello. It's nice to see you"

Kageyama snorts, and Shoyo discretely elbows him before answering, still smiling "Same. Thanks for coming to my little sister birthday"

Ushijima nods again, and looks at Kageyama, still hiding behind the much more shorter Shoyo "Hello, Kageyama. It's good to see you again" he repeats, exactly the same words you practiced it.

When he looks at you for approval, you squeeze his hand proudly.

"Whatever" Kageyama deadpans, and turns around to run back up the stairs.

Shoyo blushes profusely, bowing in apology "I'm so sorry! He's just... I'll talk to him!" he says, and rushes behind his boyfriend.

You puff your cheeks, and look up at Ushijima. He's looking for something around the kitchen "Well, that was better than what I expected"

"Where are your parents?" he asks, and you scratch your chin in thought.

"Probably in the backyard. Why?"

Ushijima looks down at you, raising an eyebrow at your question "I want to meet them, and introduce myself"

"Right"

"As your future husband and father of your children"

Your face burst into flames, and you softly smack his chest "Yeah, well... don't say that. Unless you're alone with my mom"

"Why? You don't want to have children with me?"

"Oh my god" you whine, pulling him with you to the place where you think your parents are "We're not having this conversation at my little cousin's birthday"

Your parents are, indeed, gathered around a table with the cake and the rest of the food on the backyard. Shoyo's parents are also there, as well as most of your family. Natsu stops jumping around as soon as she sees you, and rushes to your side to grab Ushijima by his free hand and pull him and you towards her parents

You don't miss your mom squeal of delight.

"Look! It's cousin's boyfriend! He's so tall!" Natsu says, and looks up at Ushijima with the biggest smile ever.

You clear your throat, amused at her evident crush "I'm here too, you know"

Your mom cuts everyone off, rushing to stand in front of you, with your father in town.

"Well, well! If it isn't the famous Ushijima? We've heard so much about you!"

Ushijima bows "Please, you can call me Wakatoshi"

Your mom literally swoons. Your father, however, doesn't seems that enthusiastic. He glances at Shoyo's father and nods, before looking back at Ushijima and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Say, Wakatoshi" he says, putting an exaggerated amount of emphasis in the name. Your roll your eyes "You play volleyball, right?"

"Dad..." you whine, but he only raises a hand at you, before talking again.

"Yes, I do" answers Ushijima.

Your father grins "Then tell me, quick. Addlers or MSBY Jackals?"

"Actually" Ushijima says, not missing a beat "The Addlers are interested in having me join their team when I finish college next year"

Silence.

You gulp.

Your father's grin slowly morphs into a big smile, and he pats Ushijima on the shoulder "Good answer, son! Tell me more about that!"

Shoyo's father huffs from behind, glaring at the two of you— clearly displeased by the choice of team— but your father ignores him in favor of dragging your boyfriend with him to the table.

The rest of the day passes by quickly and without any incidents, until dinner time comes, and Natsu blows the candles and makes her wish before you can all start eating.

Hinata sighs, and aggressively whispers something in Kageyama's ear.

His boyfriend doesn't bulges, and instead cuts a big chomp of meat and stuffs his mouth before pointing at Ushijima with his fork "Hey!"

You whisper "Oh my god no", and place a hand over your boyfriend's thigh under the table.

Ushijima swallows his food before answering "Yes?"

Kageyama seems a bit taken a back by the acknowledgment, but is soon frowning again "What's that that you're signing with the Addlers?"

"They want me in their team"

"Really?"

"Yes. Why?"

Kageyama chews in thought before answering, while cutting another chunk of meat and this time glaring at his plate instead "The Addlers are the best team there is right now" he says.

Shoyo's smile freezes in his face "You mean the MSBY Jackals are, right?"

"What?" Kageyama asks, raising an eyebrow at his boyfriend "That's dumb. Of course not"

"Statistically speaking" Ushijima intervenes, taking a sip of his drink "The Addlers had a much better performance this year. They are, indeed, the superior team"

Kageyama grins maniacally and turns to look at his boyfriend. Shoyo only squints his eyes at Ushijima.

"Is that so?"

"They're known for having much better reflexes, and the most successful serves as well" Ushijima keeps going, before you squeeze his thigh while trying to maintain your smile, and he turns to you, apologetically "I'm sorry. You did said no volleyball talk"

"Right"

Shoyo and Natsu's mom stands up then, clapping excitedly "Now, now! Presents time! Let's all clean the table up so we can start!"

Natsu is the first to follow, laughing in delight and rushing past everyone. Ushijima diligently gathers both of your plates and glasses, while Shoyo also does the same, ignoring Kageyama's complains about not having finished yet.

In the haste of everyone standing up and trying to clean as soon as possible to leave room for the presents for the overly excited Natsu, you lose sight of your boyfriend, until you hear a loud 'clash' and one of your aunts horrified gasp.

You run to the source of the noise to find Ushijima laying on the ground, broken plates all around him— his own glass of juice apparently intact in his hand.

Shoyo snickers quietly besides him "Ups! Sorry, my bad!"

"Shoyo!" her mother chastises him, but your cousin only shrugs unbothered, his own dishes tightly clasped between his arms.

"I just thought he would have better reflexes and all"

You come near your boyfriend when he's already back on his feet, eyes on his stained t-shirt "Are you okay?"

He nods, and turns towards where your mom and dad watch the scene unfold, bowing his head in apology "I'm deeply sorry"

"Oh, honey. It's okay! Really"

"I promise I'll be more careful with the dishes in our engagement dinner party"

Once again, the deafening silence.

Your mother gasps, covering her mouth with both of her hands, while tears of joy rush to her eyes. Your father gapes.

Kageyama whistles from somewhere behind. Shoyo's mouth hangs in shock.

You blanche "Toshi..."

Ushijima seems slightly worried, glancing down at you "I assumed they knew?"

"YOU'RE MARRYING HIM?" Shoyo screams.

'Well— you think, while watching your family gush over your soon to be husband— At least no one is talking about volleyball anymore'

[sergeantsporks]

Whatever It Takes

Rating: Teen and Up, Gen

TW: Self-harm, attempted suicide, emotional manipulation

“While I’ve got you here, want to hear the complete history of wild magic? I’m sure you’ll find it very interesting, considering that you’re old enough to have lived through it.”

“I am not, you little brat. Shut your mouth, I don’t want to listen to your voice.” “Yeah? What if I don’t want to shut up? What if I feel like singing?"

Hunter is a difficult prisoner to keep, and Lilith and Eda are about to find that out the hard way.

Ao3

Ch 1/4: Assassins

“Eda! King, Willow, Gus, Amity and I are going to the Knee for some training! Be back in a few days, love you!”

“Bye! Watch out for coven scouts!” Eda called back, watching Luz and King walk out the door and down the path. The instant they were gone, she whipped out the scrying potion Lilith had given her, and her crystal ball. “Liliiiiiiii!”

Lilith’s face appeared in the crystal ball. “Edalyn! I finished drawing those maps of the keep. Have you managed to…?”

Eda sighed. “Not one single BAT left. I was hoping maybe there was one or two I never met, but nope. Raine really did decide that they would take down the throne with three teenagers.”

“And you.”

Eda felt her face heat up. “Lot of good that did them. Ugh. You’re sure Belos didn’t tell you anything else?”

“Not a single thing. I think he was always planning on replacing me with the Golden Brat as coven head, he just wanted me to get that portal first.”

“Alright, what do we know? Day of Unity bad, but Belos needs all of the coven heads to do it. So we take one out. Same plan as before, just this time we get one alone. You and I can handle one measly coven head, especially since I’ve learned a few feathery tricks since last time.”

“Which one? The Golden Guard? He goes out on missions alone a lot, it wouldn’t be hard to ambush him.”

Eda’s eyes narrowed. “Hold that thought, Lilith. I can think of another one who I’d really like to get my hands on. We might be able to kill two birds with one stone.”

“What’s that?”

“Darius. He likes to talk, and he’s a prissy coward. Not to mention, he was the last person who I know saw Raine. If we go after him, we might be able to find out where Raine is, and if we can rescue him, then we’ll have a coven leader dead AND more information on the day of unity.”

“I’ve always wanted to kick mud on him and his stupid fancy cape. Watch that scrying potion, and call me the next time Belos sends him out. We’ll have to move fast. Will you be bringing Luz along?”

Eda shook her head. “No. The fight Raine started—it’s my fight. She needs to focus on her schoolwork, and on making her portal home. Plus Luz, she… ah, she has a big heart. And most of the time, that’s a good thing, but when it comes to an assassination… I don’t think this is a part of my life I want to share with her.”

“Alright. The two of us should be able to handle it on our own. Just say the word, sister.”

Xxx

Hunter knelt before Belos’ throne. “You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Ah, yes. It has come to my attention that there will be an attempt on Darius’ life.”

Hunter nodded. “I’ll assign him a protection detail immediately.”

“No.” Belos leaned forward. “I want you to protect him. Personally. And… discreetly. Darius will know that you are protecting him, of course, but I want you to stay hidden, so that the assassins will not know you will be there. Catch them if you can, kill them if you can’t. Above all else, I need Darius alive. Don’t let him die.”

Hunter inclined his head. “Yes, sir.”

Xxx

“Ready?”

Eda nodded, pulling up a scarf over her face. “Watch out. His abomination form can be a real pain.”

Lilith threw a potion to the ground in front of Darius, and it erupted in a haze of smoke. Eda shifted into her harpy form, and Lilith grabbed onto her talons. Eda flew them down, dropping Lilith and dive-bombing Darius, her talons ripping at his skin.

He shifted into his abomination form at the last second, coughing from the smoke. Lilith came up behind him, slapping a glyph paper onto him. It glowed, and the goop he was made of started to freeze, stopping him in his tracks.

“Tell me where Raine is!” Eda demanded.

Darius rolled his eyes. “This is ludicrous. You aren’t going to win.”

“You seem awfully confident for someone who’s about to freeze into a popsicle,” Lilith snarled.

Eda felt, rather than saw, the attack coming, and she yanked Lilith out of the path of a little blur of gold. “Oh, great.”

Darius broke free of the ice by shifting back to his witch form. “Nice of you to turn up.”

The golden guard didn’t respond, instead launching another attack at Eda, singeing one of her wings. She growled, tackling him, but he zipped out of the way, sending another blast of magic that she just barely managed to dodge.

Lilith slapped a glyph combo on the ground, and vines burst out of the ground, surrounding Darius and Hunter in a wide circle, and then lighting on fire. “Nowhere to run.”

Eda dove once again for Darius, snatching his shoulders in her talons and ripping through his cloak and skin, but another blast from Hunter made her flap backwards to avoid getting hit. Lilith froze the ground, turning her ring of fire into an ice rink as well, melted on the edges. Her sister had strapped fire glyphs to her feet, allowing her to melt the ice and create a stable place to stand wherever she stepped. Eda flapped up, then dove again, this time aiming for Hunter. He zipped to the side, but almost immediately slid on the ice, nearly slipping into the fire ring. Eda dove again, smacking him to the side with one of her wings. He skidded across the ice into Darius, who was fending off attacks from Lilith, back in his abomination form.

Lilith tossed a piece of paper up to Eda, and Eda dove back down, slapping it on Darius’ shoulder. It was the ice glyph again, and the coven leader started to freeze.

Lilith whipped out another glyph. “Nowhere to go, Darius,” she taunted.

She activated her glyph, and Eda soared up out of the way as a blast of light and fire shot out of the glyph.

Darius was half frozen, but he shifted back to his witch form. It happened almost too fast for Eda to catch, but as Lilith’s spell raced toward him, Darius grabbed a dazed Hunter as he struggled to get up and whipped the guard around in front of him, using him as a shield.

The spell struck them, hitting Hunter square in the chest and sending both of them flying backwards. They crashed into Lilith’s flaming wall, breaking the vines and skidding into a tree.

“No!” Eda yelped as Darius rolled to his feet, pushing Hunter off of him and racing away. “GET BACK HERE, YOU COWARD!”

Lilith caught her leg as she started to fly after him. “Edalyn! We got what we came for!”

Eda twisted back to look at her sister. “What are you talking about?! He’s getting away!”

Lilith nodded to the limp golden guard on the ground. “He’s the head of the emperor’s coven, Eda. Coven leader. We got what we needed.”

“You didn’t…”

“Kill him? Doubtful, I designed that glyph with the intention to blast Darius’ abomination form apart so he’d be forced to return to his witch form.”

Eda landed next to Hunter’s limp form. His helmet had been cracked hard enough to fall off. Beans. Despite the fact that her wing still stung from his attack, it was hard to remember how dangerous he was when he looked like this. He was just… some kid. If it weren’t for Belos, he might even be one of Luz’s friends.

“Well? Finish it. This is how we stop Belos!”

“He’s just a kid, Lili. I can’t kill him.”

“I can.” Lilith stormed forward, holding an ice spike. She held it pointed right over Hunter’s heart. “Goodbye, Golden Brat.”

Eda waited. Lilith didn’t make another move. Her sister’s hand was shaking on the ice spike. “Soooooo, are you going to do it, or…”

Lilith tossed the spike to the side. “Alright. Fine. I can’t kill a kid either, even a brat like him. But we blew our shot with Darius, what else are we supposed to do?”

Go figure that her sister had no problem trying to kill Luz, but now, when child-killing was a skill she needed, Lilith had decided to be a better person. “Lili, how do they appoint new coven leaders?”

“There’s an initiation—”

“No, like, what about the old coven leaders? What do they do to them? If they specifically need coven leaders, what do they need about them?”

Lilith frowned. “I… I’m not sure. Darius, he can turn into an abomination. Eberwolf has an extra beast form. The leaders before them had the same abilities, if memory served. But they didn’t have them before becoming leaders.”

“Okay, what about the old leaders?”

“After the old leaders retired, they lost those abilities.”

Eda snapped her fingers. “It’s passed on. From leader to leader. Belos never intended to keep you as the coven leader, so there was no need to keep you around to switch coven leaders. Whatever it is that makes the head of the emperor’s coven special… he’d already given it to Hunter, I’m betting.”

Lilith crossed her arms. “Of course.”

“Lilith, can we leave the self-depreciation for later? I think I’m onto something. Belos needs the old coven heads to pass on the powers—I don’t know what happens if one of them dies, but if the old coven leader is alive, they’ll need that coven leader to pass on their power. So if we just keep Hunter…”

“He’s minus a coven head!”

Hunter groaned and stirred on the ground. Lilith yelped and bashed him over the head with her staff. “Stay asleep!”

Hunter went limp again, and Eda grinned. “Yowch, there, Lili.”

Lilith pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m… not certain that keeping him prisoner is the best idea, Edalyn. It’s a lot harder to hold someone against their will than it is to kill them. Especially the golden guard.”

“From what I’ve seen out of Kikimora this far, it might be just as hard to make him stay dead.” Eda glanced down at Hunter. “And besides, I… I want to ask about Raine.”

Lilith sighed. “Oh, Eda. The emperor… he’s not a merciful man. You might not like the answer.”

“Please, Lili. We can tie him up in the basement, Hooty can hide the door so that Luz won’t find him on accident when she comes back, and if you help me keep an eye on him, he won’t get away.”

“And how long are you planning on keeping him in your basement? Until Belos dies? Until you die? You can’t just keep someone tied up for their whole life, it would be kinder to kill him.”

Eda rolled her eyes. “Fine, if I promise to take him for walks, and buy all of his toys with my own money, and housetrain him really well, can I keep him, Mom?”

“This isn’t a joke, Eda! You are planning on keeping a dangerous individual in your home! He will try to escape! I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to kill you on his way out!”

“Day of Unity, Lilith. I think… I think it may be a one-time event, a chance that doesn’t come around often. We just have to keep him until then. If Belos ramping up his wild-witch catching is any indication, then it must be coming soon. Help me? Please?”

Lilith sighed. “Fine. But when something goes wrong—”

“When? Geeze, put a little more faith in me, Lili!”

“Yes, when something goes wrong, I am absolutely going to say ‘I told you so.’”

Xxx

Darius knelt before Belos’ throne. “My lord!”

“Darius. Where is the Golden Guard?”

“You were right. There was an attempt on my life. The Golden Guard stayed behind to ensure my escape.” No need to mention that it hadn’t exactly been of his own free will.

“Oh?”

“Yes. I would have stayed, but I know how important it is for the day of unity that all coven heads are present, so I’m afraid that I had to retreat.”

Belos leaned forward. “I’m sorry, what was that last part?”

“I… know that all of the heads of the covens must be present?”

“Interesting. And what, pray tell, is the Golden Guard, other than my right hand?���

A bead of sweat dripped down the back of Darius’ neck. “The… head of the… emperor’s coven?”

Belos stood up, his eyes flashing that terrifying glowing blue. “Exactly. So, what, pray tell, does that say about the Golden Guard?”

“That you… need him to be present on the Day of Unity?”

Darius didn’t see him move, but in an instant, Belos was right in front of him, staring into his eyes with those creepy flaming blue ones. “So you can figure it out.”

“My Lord, I’m sorry—”

Belos put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing just tight enough for it to hurt, and steered him out the throne room door. “You will go out there and correct your mistake. You will go back to where you left him, and you will find out what became of him. Oh, and Darius?”

Darius gulped. “Y-yes, my lord?”

Belos released his shoulder. “Don’t bother coming back without him.”

Ch 2

[adam-banks2024]

Bliss

Word Count: 2.1k

Summary: Adam steals you during a long study session to go play some hockey like the good old days.

The scent of parchment paper filled the Great Hall, along with that of fresh ink. You could see it shine on the paper if you were seated directly in front of a tall window. The most light comes through during sunrise and sunset, but at the time I’m studying, I wasn’t there during those hours. 

It was almost noon on a Saturday, but here I am, studying. These tables were a place I usually enjoyed, mostly because of the large quantities of food, but it soon had become the place that gave me migraines and a strong urge to doze off every now and then. 

Ever since I started my sixth year, the advanced potions class had turned into a monstrosity that I wasn’t sure I could handle. At first, it started with a few trips to the hall every month. Then it turned into weeks...and now I’m studying during most of my free time. 

I can’t understand why I’m struggling with this class in particular. In all of my other classes, I’m performing above average. Apparently, I just can’t get the hang of “the art that is potion-making.” God, if I hear one more uninspiring word from Snape I might jump from the Ravenclaw tower.

At this point I had been studying for at least four hours now, and I hadn’t even eaten anything that would resemble breakfast. Unless two stale crackers count. The best part about the whole situation is that I had only managed to memorize the ingredients of one potion in my whole time studying. One. So, still, I must persist. Because I do not want to spend a study hall with Snape. I let my grade fall once and suddenly I found out how awkward and unsettling an hour with the professor was. It’s not like he would even help me. He just told me to read from the book and stared at me the whole time. As much as I hate to admit it, having no time to relax was better than spending any extra time with Snape than I had to

As I reached across the table for more ink, a separate hand was already there. 

“Hey.”

 A long, dark robe hung from his shoulders, and a green and grey scarf was loosely wrapped around his neck. His cheeks and nose had a blush, while the rest of his face appeared icy. He carried a bag with him that had unorganized papers going every which way. 

“Oh hey, Adam. How’ve you been?”

Adam passed the vial to me and I dipped my quill. He put his belongings on the table and sat on the bench. 

“Pretty good. You?” He ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm the mess. 

“Eh. I’ve been better.” My voice was laced with tiredness and a pang of hunger. Nothing that would have been noticed, though. 

He paused for a moment and then spoke again. “What’s wrong, Snape got you down because he couldn’t meet for a study session?” 

I snorted. Me missing Snape? Yeah, sure, in his dreams. It took me a few seconds to compose myself before I responded. “No. Quite the opposite actually.” Adam hummed in response and gave a small laugh. 

Once the noise subsided there was an awkward pause. I was waiting for him to respond, and I honestly didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t had a decent conversation with the kid since the beginning of fifth year. Now we’re almost done with our sixth. I decided that maybe if I returned to my studies, he’d take that as an opportunity to drop the conversation. 

I hadn’t even gotten the chance to open my book before he cleared his throat. “Gosh, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” He leaned his arm against the table and rested his head in his palm, fingers twiddling with the feather of my quill. 

I sighed, slouching in the process. “Yeah. Social interaction has been foreign to me.” 

Adam moved his other arm to the table, resting his head in both hands now. “Well I’m glad that you were just studying and not being torn apart by the whomping willow.” 

“Haha, yeah. I think I would prefer the willow.” We both laughed, knowing that potions class was hell. Well, I assumed that he thought it was hell. 

“Ahh, don’t say that.” It looked as though he was trying to think of what words to say. Mouth opening and closing, eyes darting everywhere. He must have pieced together what he wanted to say.  “You should join me and the guys for some skating.” I shrugged my shoulders, not answering. I knew that if I entertained the idea at all then I wouldn’t be productive the rest of the day, so I decided to read over my notes to get my mind off the subject. Still, Adam persisted. “Maybe take away some of your stress?” I paused. A break sounded really nice, but could I really afford one right now, or even have enough energy? 

“I don’t know, Adam. I have an exam on Tuesday.” 

Adam stood up and walked around the table with a childlike bounce in his step. “C’mon, y/n, it’ll be fun. Just like old times.” Now he was sitting right beside me, his lip now forming a pout.

 “Well...I guess skating for an hour or two couldn’t hurt. What time were you thinking?” He pulled me up. “Right now!”

All of my belongings were still in the hall, but I don’t think Adam had any regard for that. He seemed extremely excited that I had agreed to go skating with him. Well, and other people. Obviously. It’s not like it was just an invitation with him. They probably just needed an extra player so the teams were even. Whatever the case, I was glad to leave my studies for a few hours. 

We earned glares from the portraits as we ran through the west wing haphazardly, bumping each other as we went. Giggling filled the air and it was just like it was a year ago. There was no awkwardness, no distance. It was like we had stayed in touch the whole time we were apart. I’ll have to make a mental note to not let that distance between Adam and I grow again. 

“So, this is where I leave you.” I smiled at him as I turned to enter the Hufflepuff common room. “Well, for a moment. I don’t really want to get yelled at for being in  another house.” Adam shifted his feet.

“Oh. lighten up, cake eater.” He didn’t say anything, just stared at me. “Okay fine. If you’re that much of a stickler to the rules, you can stay out here.” He gave a sheepish grin.

As I walked up the stairs to my dorm, I wondered how that kid was even in Slytherin. He follows the rules, he’s super kind, and he brightens the room. Then again, you find tons of kids who break their house’s stereotypes. 

I ended the thought as I reached to grab a coat, scarf, and my skates. It had been at least half a year since I used them, so there was no doubt that I would be a little rusty when I got back on the ice. Once I was all bundled up, I made my way back to the hall where I found an Adam Banks standing in the same position that I had left him.

He gave a small smirk as I exited. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

He hooked his arm through my arm and started to tow me to the frozen lake that was above the Slytherin common room. A blush drew to my cheeks, but I wrote it off as the scarf I adorned. Thankfully he didn’t notice. He was so focused on getting to the makeshift rink that I don’t think anything could have phased him. Not even Dumbledore in a bright, pink dress. 

The trek was long, but there wasn’t a lot of snow, so that made the trip more enjoyable. As we neared the lake, I could see the other guys in the distance. I could only make out Connie and Guy because they were holding hands, but there were four other people that I couldn’t see out on the rink. 

“Who’s all gonna be there today?” I looked up at Adam. The blush on his nose was even darker now because of the cold.

“Umm, Charlie. He had the idea in the first place. Averman wanted to come too. I think Connie and Guy. And then we asked Julie and Goldberg so we had goalies.” He smiled as he spoke, his love for hockey apparent.

Adam and I had played together when we were first years, but we hadn’t really known each other then. That’s where I first learned how to even skate. While I was still getting the bearings, Adam was already an extremely skilled player. When we were closer he used to tease me about it all the time, but he eventually stopped, and then just stopped talking to me all together. Maybe that’s why I’m so excited to go skating with him. After all, there’s no better feeling than reconnecting with an old friend.

The lake was pretty bare aside from two makeshift goals on the ice, and a few benches on either side. There weren’t any blue or red lines that we would have for actual games. Just plain ice. 

“And you’re sure the lake is frozen enough?” Images of me falling through into the chilly water invaded my mind. 

Adam shrugged his bag from his shoulder, “I’m a hundred percent sure. And if I’m not, I personally allow you to punch me.”

I rolled my eyes as I started to sit on one of the benches, putting a skate on. “Wow. how convincing.” He didn’t respond, so I just laced up my skates. Looking at the other people skating around, I wasn’t so sure how good I was gonna be. It had been at least three years since I’d really played a game of hockey, and you could clearly tell that these people practiced consistently. 

I stood up once I laced my other skate, and started to make my way to the ice. Much to my surprise, my balance wasn’t awful. I could successfully skate and stop without much effort. There were still times where I would wobble or need to regain my balance, but I should be able to hold my own. 

Adam brought me a stick and nudged my shoulder. I almost tripped, but I caught myself before anything else could happen. 

“You’re real funny, Banks.” I spoke through gritted teeth, still struggling to stay afoot. He offered both of his hands out to help me gain my bearings again. To my surprise, he started skating backwards, pulling me forward. I laughed, “where are we going?”

I could see Adam’s breath as he laughed with me. “To play, silly goose.” An amused expression was painted on his face while speaking, and he gave a big smile after. I started to skate with him instead of just letting him drag me along. After a moment, he just stopped. Because physics exists, I kept sliding and bumped into him. I almost fell but Adam grabbed me by the elbows before I could drop to the ice.

When he pulled me up, our faces were only an inch or two apart. The world around me seemed to fade until it was just Adam. Neither of us had said a word, we just stood there. Staring at each other. It was in that moment when I realized the blades of my skates were slipping on the ice. I didn’t really know why, because the lake was definitely frozen over, like Adam had said. It might have been because my knees had locked

Then I noticed the slight tug on my arms. I realised I was being pulled, not slipping. I was being moved at such a tiny rate that it was almost unnoticeable. Almost. As I neared Adam’s chest, I simply stopped breathing. My heartbeat sped, and I slowly started to lose my hearing. This feeling that I was only now feeling, had it been there the whole day? At the table, running through the hall, walking to the lake. Was it there the whole time? I was just to blind to have seen it. All of the time Adam and I had spent before we lost touch, was the feeling there too? 

Once there was no more room between him and I, Adam started to part his lips. My stomach was instantly in knots, and my mind preparing myself for the moments that were to come. Nothing else was said, and Adam closed his eyes. With no hesitation, he closed the gap between us, and pressed his lips against mine. 

There were no fireworks. No sparks, no pits in my stomach. Just pure bliss, as I kissed the boy that I met in fifth year.

[nightshade-minho]

-Nightmare- (13)

Warnings: mentions of abuse and domestic violence. smut, again. emotional sex, outdoor sex, v. slight degradation, fingering, oral (m. receiving), possessiveness, unprotected sex, overstimulation, creampie, light pregnancy kink.

Wc: 5.5k

As soon as you finished crying, you sat up, sniffing as you grabbed the bottle of water on your bedside table, chugging the liquid down. Wiping your lips, you slipped off the bed. Maybe you overreacted earlier...

You told yourself you had every right to be angry at him. He was playing with your feelings, driving you crazy.

Sometimes, he looked at you in ways that made the tiniest bit of hope bloom deep within you. But every time you let yourself hope, he let you down cruelly, unknowingly. Hope was a dangerous thing. You had to accept it would never happen.

Were you being selfish? You frowned as the thought settled itself in your head. He needed a best friend, but you had to ruin it by confessing...you knew things could never be the same now, even if the two of you somehow managed to make up for the 100th time. There were unspoken emotions crackling between you, the tension so tight and painful. It was tiring, frustrating.

When you lied to him, telling him that you didn’t love him after all...you’d noticed the disappointment in his eyes. It had made you curious. What if...what if he did like you? The way he seemed almost jealous during your short-lived relationship with Juyeon...

No. You shook your head. You wouldn’t allow yourself to hope again. Minho was a good best friend. And that’s all he’ll ever be. You knew you had to apologize for your outburst.

Standing, you wiped your eyes, making sure your face was dry before opening your bedroom door, only to be greeted with an empty living room. Frowning, you walked over to his door, knocking.

No response.

***

Minho sat in his car, drumming his fingers on the wheel. Everything had to be perfect. This was his last chance to tell you how he felt. He couldn’t afford to fuck this up...if he didn’t get to confess this time, he might as well give up.

He turned his head as his phone pinged, eyes scanning the text message he’d just been sent. Perfect.

***

Two days had passed, and Minho still hadn’t returned to the apartment. You felt empty. You couldn’t really blame him for leaving...but how long would he be gone? Was he out of your life forever? What if when the doorbell rings, it’d be him, coming to gather his things and move out?

The thought made you want to cry again. Your eyes were red, tired. Over the past few days, you’d thrown yourself into your work, finishing a lot of assignments in a very short time. All you wanted to do was apologize to him, have him back.

Your phone rang, and you sat up to take it, hoping it was him. Your heart dropped when you saw it wasn’t. Sighing and shaking your head, you lifted it to your ear.

“Hi, mom...”

“Hello, dear. I hope you’re doing well? How’s Minho?”

You swallowed, fiddling with the hem of your blanket, your mouth open and ready to lie.

But...you just couldn’t. It came out before you could even think about it.

“I’m in love with him, Mom.”

“And?”

You frowned, sitting up a little further. “What?”

“Honey, we know. We’ve known since you were 12.”

“B-but-”

“None of that matters. How are you guys?”

“Mom...”

You gulped, starting to spill. You told her everything that happened over the past few days, the heavy weight in your heart lifting slightly as she listened patiently.

Once you were done, you panted, rubbing your eyes. “Yeah...I don’t mind, Mom. I don’t care if he doesn’t like me back. I can’t lose him...but I think I just did. I haven’t seen him in two whole days.”

There was more silence, before your mom quietly spoke. “Darling...how about you come over this evening? You can have dinner here, maybe stay the night.”

“It’s an hour-long drive...and I don’t have a car. Minho’s gone, so I can’t make him drive me there either.”

“Take a bus. Surely you’re not that broke.” She chuckled. “Come on, I wanna see my baby girl...”

You sighed, smiling despite yourself. “Okay.”

You hung up after a few minutes of small talk, buzzing with excitement to go back to the place where you grew up. You realized belatedly that everywhere you looked, you’d be reminded of Minho.

You stood up to go change, digging through your wardrobe. There was still a slight ache in your heart, but you pushed it aside for now.

***

This was the longest the two of you had ever spent apart. Two days, and Minho was already feeling like he’d spent an eternity away from you. He sat on your bed, eyes scanning the walls of your childhood home.

The posters on the wall remained the same, the walls still painted a pale pink. His eyes drifted to the polaroid collage on the wall, some of the polaroids missing. He knew you’d taken your favorite ones when the two of you left for college...he liked seeing them whenever he was in your room. Each one brought back a different, wonderful memory from your childhood.

He stood up, walking over to the wall and scanning the pictures with a fond, sad smile on his face.

You hadn’t taken his favorite one, though. It was a selfie you’d taken under the willow tree years ago, one in which you were making a goofy face to the camera, the necklace snug around your neck. It was a day after your 13th birthday...and probably the day he realized you were the only girl for him. He was gazing down at you in the photo, the way he usually did when he thought you weren’t looking. He still remembered the way he’d felt that day...his dad had been particularly aggressive when he’d gone home. It had been so scary. He had had a restless sleep that night, his heart torn and his brain hazy even as he woke up the next day, walking to your house.

But seeing your face had gotten rid of all that.

***

You lifted up the wicker basket, waving as Minho walked over to you.

“Finally! You’re here!”

“Yeah...”

“What’s wrong? You look sad...” Your expression turned concerned, smile disappearing as you took in his dark features. He felt his heart quiver, cocking his head to the side. He didn’t want you to be sad...and you would be, if he told you what happened. Your happiness was more than enough to make him forget all his worries.

“Nothing. What’s that?” He pointed at the basket.

You frowned. “It’s a picnic baske- never mind that. You’re not fooling me, Minho. Tell me what’s wrong, or I won’t share this with you.” You warned, hiding the basket behind you. He chuckled, coming closer to ruffle your hair. “Yeah yeah, okay. I don’t want to do this in the middle of the street, though.”

You nodded, walking down to the tree, Minho following you silently. You sat down, pulling the plate of sandwiches you’d made out of the basket, and handing one to him.

He took it with a sad smile, sighing and looking down at his lap. “It’s just...the same old, you know? Last night, he was screaming. I heard glass breaking and things being thrown around. I checked on her before coming here, and she seemed fine, but...” He glanced at you, trailing off. Just as he’d expected, you looked like you were trying hard to not look as distressed as you were.

He sighed. “I don’t know.” He took a bite of the sandwich, closing his eyes and humming. “This tastes goo-”

He was interrupted by the feeling of your arms wrapping around him. He opened his eyes, looking down at you as you pressed your cheek to his chest, mumbling. Breathing in deeply, he used his free hand to pull you into him, leaning back onto the trunk and patting the small of your back.

A comfortable silence followed as Minho stretched his hand out to grab your sandwich from the plate on the grass, giving it to you. The two of you ate quietly, tangled up in each other, your touch conveying what your words couldn’t.

***

The photo was a reminder. You always knew just what to do, always made him feel at home in a world where he felt like he didn’t belong.

He belonged to you. You belonged with each other.

It might have taken years for him to realize, but now that he knew, he wasn’t going to give up.

***

You left the bus-stop, making your way to your childhood home. You pressed your lips together as you neared it, a heady mix of sentimentality and uneasiness fueling your exasperation with your decision.

It’ll be okay. Seeing your parents would make you feel better. Just...don’t think about him, for now at least.

You unwrapped your scarf from around your neck as you reached, tapping your foot as you rang the doorbell. You waited for your mom to open the door, exhausted, having spent the whole bus ride standing.

Your eyes widened as the door finally opened.

The last person you were expecting to see was standing right there, the familiarity of his face springing tears to your eyes.

“Minho?!”

“Y/n.” He smiled sadly. You frowned. Confusion, anger and relief filled you, as your brain fought between wanting to hug him, or kill him.

You chose the former.

Surging forward into his arms, you cried into his chest as you hugged him tightly. He stroked your hair, shushing you. “I’m sorry...” You apologized brokenly, sniffing.

“No.” He said firmly. ‘You’re not allowed to be sorry, because you had every right to be angry at me. I’m the one...I’m the one who should be sorry.”

“You’re my best friend, Minho. We’ve been through too much together to let things like this faze us.”

He bit his lip. “Things like...love?”

You paused, looking up at him and frowning. “W-well, yeah. Our friendship goes past silly things like love.” You laugh nervously, trying to hide the emotions bubbling up in you.

He blinked, swallowing. “Y-you think love is silly?” He asked, his tone as even as he could manage.

“W-well...I mean...” You trailed off, shrugging.

He sighed, shaking his head as he pulled you away from him.

“No more of this.”

“W-what?”

“No more dancing around the subject.”

“What subject?”

He remained silent. Grabbing your hand, he led you to the willow tree you knew the way to all too well. His grip around your wrist was too tight as he walked quickly.

Confused, you let him pull you along, squinting as you tried not to fall over from how fast he was pulling you.

He stopped suddenly as the two of you reached, slowly letting go of your wrist.

You panted. “What are you...” your voice grew faint, eyes still fixed on him. Your heart throbbed as he leaned in a little, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear.

He looked away from you, smiling slowly. You followed his line of sight.

A small gasp left your lips.

He’d strung fairy lights from the willow tree’s branches, the space below it bathed in soft gold. There was a checkered picnic blanket on the grass, a familiar wicker basket lying on top of it. It looked beautiful.

The tree looked different from the last time you saw it...but it was still somehow the same. A wave of nostalgia washed over you, making you even more emotional as you glanced up at him, then back in front of you.

“When did you...why-”

“Shh.”

He dragged you over, sitting down on the blanket and tapping the spot next to him. “Come on.”

You hesitated, your heart beating loudly as you sat down. “Minho, I...I don’t know what to say...”

“So don’t.” He sighed, blinking as he inhaled, psyching himself up. It was time. There was a potent mix of fear and trepidation in him as the weight of what he was about to do dawned on him.

“I can’t do this anymore, Y/n. I can’t stay friends.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, tilting your head. You felt a sharp pain in your heart as you nodded, discomfiture settling on your face as you tried to smile. So, this was it. You’d really fucked everything up. “T-that’s...okay. I can understand why-”

He groaned in frustration, his heart a mess of emotions as he watched you look at the grass, blabbering as you tried to hide your heartache. “That’s not what I meant.”

You looked back up at him. “Then what did-”

He scooted forward, grabbing your cheeks. “I...”

He sighed, tearing up at the sight of your face. Seeing you cry always made his heart weak.

He couldn’t hold it back anymore.

He brushed your hair out of the way, lip trembling as he felt the tears keep coming. He opened his mouth, heart pounding.

“I’m in love with you, Y/n.”

As soon as the words left his lips, your face turned blank, your brain unable to comprehend what he had just said.

It felt like fire had just been set to your heart. You’d just heard the words you’d been yearning to hear from him for years...and you were unsure how to react, your mind still trying to digest it.

He...he loved you? Was this another one of your dreams that ended with nightmarish twists?  

Minho exhaled, smiling, his teary eyes sparkling. God. it felt good to finally tell you that.  

He looked back down at you, smile slowly dropping as he saw your expression.

“Look...I’m okay if you don’t like me back.” He said, his heart slowly breaking as you stayed quiet, your expression still shell-shocked. “I’m fine with staying b-”

You interrupted him, pressing your lips to his.

Tears were still streaming down your face. You just couldn’t take it anymore. He emitted a soft sound of surprise before melting into the kiss, his tears mixing with yours as he fell back, pulling you on top of him. The very real feeling of his mouth against yours confirmed that you weren’t in a dream, after all. This was real.

He kissed you like his life depended on it, breathing heavily as you gently deepened the kiss. His lips were soft, nipping at yours as he pulled away just a little.

Minho held your cheeks, inhaling as his eyes searched yours, the raw emotion in them blowing you away. You wondered why you’d never seen it before. Stroking the side of your head with one hand, he pulled you into him once more, his lips finding yours again as he closed his wet eyes.

“I love you.” He whispered against your lips, nudging your nose with his. “I love you I love you I love you.” Breathless, he swallowed. “I love you...”

The dam had been broken, and now all he he wanted to do was say what he’d been holding back for so long.

Your chest rose and fell with rapid breaths as you stared at him, his grip on your waist growing tighter as you felt yourself shake.

“P-please, don’t play with my feelings. Minho- Please, I can’t take it. Do you...do you really mean it?” You choked out, still in disbelief, even as he cupped your cheek, eyes boring into yours.

“I wouldn’t lie to you about something like this.”

You shook your head, wiping your wet cheek as you sat up a little. Getting off him, your eyes drifted up to the river as you turned around.  The water was still, the moonlight reflecting off of it.

He sat up as well, watching as the light breeze tousled your hair.

“I...Minho.”

“Mm?” He said, heart still pounding. He knew it was selfish of him...but he wanted to hear you say it, too. Yes, it was hypocritical, considering how long it had taken him to finally confess, but he couldn’t help it.

“I lied before. I mean...I lied about lying.” You groaned, struggling to formulate your words. “What I’m trying to say is...I’m in love with you too. And I have been for the better part of two years.”

A torrent of emotions rushed into him as he blinked rapidly, unable to comprehend it for a second. It should have been happiness, mainly, but there was also this heavy sense of hurt and guilt gripping him. So all the pain that had been caused over the past few weeks...it was all for nothing. The two of you had hurt each other over and over again, unaware of your true feelings. If only either of you had the courage to say something...all the heartache could have been avoided.

“Y-you are?”

“Yeah.” You sniffed, back still facing him. He watched as your body quivered, slowly realizing that you’d been through the same anguish as him...and for longer.

Shifting a little closer, he slowly wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“I’m sorry. For...for everything.”

“I am, too.”

You turned slightly, breathing in as you made eye contact with him. Staring at each other, you felt the weight on your heart disappear completely. Calmness filling the two of you as the once-unspoken truths lingered in the air around you, electricity sparking as you turned to face him completely.

You watched as his gaze drifted down from your eyes to your lips, his tongue darting out ever so subtly as his gaze turned heavier.

He leaned in, lips hovering over you.

“Tell me. Again.” He whispered, bottom lip brushing against yours as he surveyed your face, eyes turning darker.

“I l-love you.”

He growled in satisfaction, his lips claiming yours quickly. You whimpered as he pulled you onto his lap, his insistent lips parting your shaking ones as his tongue gently met yours.

Neither of you could help it. He was consumed with an ardent need to show you just how much he loved you. Minho had never been good with words...but there were other ways to prove one’s sincerity. Slowly making out, the two of you completely forgot how to breathe as the sweet fear from before melted away, surrendering completely to the passion. His hands were all over you, squeezing your skin, touching you as if you’d disintegrate at any moment.

“Minho...”

He gazed up at you, the ardor in his eyes catching you off guard as you opened your mouth to speak, hesitating.

“Promise to me...that we won’t ever hurt each other again. That we’ll...we’ll spend the rest of our life together, no matter what happens. Please.”

“Y/n...I don’t think I can let you go. You’re mine and I’m yours. We’re meant to be. I just wish it hadn’t taken me this long to realize. I wish I hadn’t turned into the one person I’m most afraid of. I’ve always feared history repeating itself...tried my best to avoid it. But here I am, hurting the girl I love.”

He sucked in air, eyes closing as he tried to drive away the bad memories.

“I won’t deny that you hurt me, but it’s not like I was much better. We both made mistakes, Minho. I’m prepared to make up for them, though. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying, if you’ll let me.”

You traced your finger over his cheek as he spoke. “I guess neither of us are perfect.”

You nodded. “I love you, Minho. All of you, including your flaws. I wanna take every part of you, and...I w-want you to do the same for me.”

He gave you a weak smile, kissing you yet again. He just couldn’t get enough of the feeling of your soft, wet mouth moving against his own...the feeling of being able to kiss you without any residual apprehension. It made him feel light-headed, your hot tongue sliding against his...the sensation causing him to groan against your lips as he adjusted you on his lap.

You pulled away to breathe. Minho’s eyes were already too far gone...and as you shifted slightly, you felt his thick bulge brush up against your core, softly gasping.

“N-need you, Y/n.” He breathed, resting his forehead against yours as his eyes welled up further. “If you’ll allow me...please, wanna claim you as mine...”

He really didn’t have to beg. Just the sight of him, breathless and wanting, sent sparks shooting through you. You needed him just as much as he needed you.

You let your lips trail down to his jawline, kissing along it. You hoped you could convey every inexplicable emotion you were feeling through each kiss you laid on his skin.

He caressed your back as you continued your ministrations, relaxing slightly. However, after a few minutes of you sucking tenderly down his neck, his impatience grew, and you could tell by the way he kept bucking his hips intermittently.

In a second, he rolled over so he was on top, admiring the way your face shone in the dim glow of the lights, hair splayed out on the grass. You looked so beautiful under him. He wanted to appreciate you even more, but the hardness between his thighs was making him increasingly aggravated.

Needing to be inside your warmth, his hand founds its way under your skirt, pressing the pad of his thumb to your clothed clit. He let out a moan as he felt how wet you were, delighting in the fact that it was all for him.

He stroked you through your underwear, eyes fixed on you. Your mouth was slightly open, eyes fluttering closed as you whimpered, needing more.

“Minho, please...” You spread your thighs apart a little more, hoping he would give you what you wanted. He leaned in, nibbling on your ear as he pushed your panties to the side. His fingers dragged through your slick folds, collecting as much wetness as he could before lifting his fingers to your mouth. You immediately parted your lips, sucking on his fingers as you squirmed, his tongue laving your earlobe.

“Kitten...” He whispered in your ear, the breathy neediness from before replaced with a cool confidence as he settled into his role. “So needy for me, even though we’re just a few minutes away from your childhood home...are you that desperate for my cock?”

You mewled, his words turning you on even more as he groaned, lifting off of you to scan your face. Your eyes drifted downwards, the sight of his concealed erection making you lick your lips.

“Wanna...wanna taste you...”

Minho’s eyes glinted, burning with fervor as he observed you, incandescent with desire. He’d never seen you like this before.

“Alright, kitten...”

He got off you, moving so that he was leaning against the tree’s trunk next to you. You turned slightly, fiddling with his zipper as you took his cock out, almost too eagerly. You got on all fours, pulling down his boxers to free his length.

Holding his girth in your hand, you admired it for a second before bending down and licking his slit tentatively, the taste of his pre-cum making you shudder. His hand smoothed down your back, lifting your dress and pulling down your panties just enough for him to access your core. You wrapped your lips around the head of his cock, shivering as his middle finger circled your puckered rim a few times before drifting down to your pussy.

You sucked on his tip, loving the way he tasted. You were glad you were fully sober this time, and in the right head-space to truly see, feel and taste him. Swirling your tongue around him, you moaned as he slid two fingers into your heat.

Minho grunted, the feeling of your warm walls clenching around his fingers combined with your wet tongue running repeatedly over his slit making him snap. He shoved his cock into your mouth, catching you by surprise. Groans left him as the pleasure washed over him, the speed of his fingers driving into your pussy increasing in time with his thrusts into your mouth.

You whined as he took his fingers out of you, pulling you gently off his cock. His eyes darkened even more as he admired your fucked out features, strings of drool and pre-cum connecting his tip to your mouth.

“You’re so pretty. I’m so lucky to finally be able to call you mine.”

You blushed, heart palpitating as you got on his lap again, hand wrapping around his cock. Minho placed his hands on your hips, pulling you forward a little so that your clit was pressed right up against his shaft.

“Wanna fill you up.” He mumbled, mouthing at your neck. “Make you mine.”

He lifted you up slightly, aligning your entrance with his tip.

“He didn’t...didn’t fuck you, did he?”

You shook your head, watching as Minho’s eyes flashed, satisfied with the answer. He entered you steadily, his cock filling you up deliciously. You let out a soft moan, feeling him slide deeper as you lowered yourself completely.

His fingers came up to your waist, pulling you against him, your cheek on his shoulder as he muttered obscenities.

“Good. This pussy belongs to me, and only me. Along with the rest of you.”

You whined helplessly, inaudibly agreeing as Minho chose that very moment to thrust up into you.

“You’re so beautiful. So breathtaking. Nothing- fuck, nothing can compare to this...” He mumbled, hiking your skirt up and clutching at your ass as he started making love to you, his pace steady yet deep.

It was different from the first time.

For one, this time you were fully aware of each other, senses flooded with love and pain and relief. He took it slow, loving the way your pussy sucked in his cock, plunging his length into you powerfully, each thrust sending rumbles of pleasure through your body.

Minho took his hands off your ass, gripping at the hem of your sweater as he continued rolling his hips into yours. He slid it up your torso and over your boobs, making you blush as his eyes fixated on your chest.

“Gorgeous.” He whispered, eyes darting up to meet yours as he leaned in to suck on your nipple, tongue dragging over your bud. Pressing kisses all over your chest, he kept fucking up into you.

“M-Minho...you feel so- fuck,”

He let go of your nipple with a pop, making you shudder as the cold air hit your wet bud.

“Are you going to cum, baby?”

“Mm.”

“Cum for me.” He purred, suddenly standing up, still inside you. Turning around, he pressed your back to the tree trunk gently, driving his cock slightly faster and burying his head in the crook of your neck.

You could feel wetness against your neck, realizing belatedly that they were Minho’s tears. You couldn’t blame him...there were tears filling your eyes as well.

“I love you so much, Y/n.” He breathed, pulling away after a while to look at you. You nodded, hands drifting to tug at his hair. “I love you too Minho. In a way that words can’t express- ah~”

You whimpered, feeling the pleasure build in your lower half. Minho’s eyes instantly turned darker, any vulnerability in them lost as he focused on making you cum.

You felt the head of his cock rubbing against your sweet spot, each thrust drawing out long, breathless whines from you. You felt so full, his cock so thick inside you, filling you up the way it was meant to.

“Angel- I’m c-close...” He grunted, twitching inside you as he pressed his lips to yours once again, biting on your swollen bottom lip as he pinched your nipple gently. The sharp pleasure caused the final wave that pushed you over the edge- you hit your high with Minho’s name hot on your tongue.

He followed not long after, pounding into you now. You clenched around him, still in the throes of your orgasm as you incoherently repeated his name.

He slammed into you one last time before filling you up with his cum, throwing his head back as he came.

“You feel like...like heaven, Y/n...” He gasped out, supporting you with one hand as the other ran through his sweaty hair.

Eyes drifting down, he noticed the way his cum was leaking out from around his cock with a groan. Unable to control himself, he fucked his cum back into you, head dropping as you whimpered at the overstimulation.

Satisfied, he pulled out, tucking himself back in. He set you down, chuckling as your legs wobbled. He caught you before you could collapse, dragging you down to the grass with him.

“I take it you can’t walk back home right away.”

You laughed weakly, shaking your head. “No. Wanna stay here with you for a while.”

He hummed in content. “Okay.” He wrapped his arms around you. “Oh...I almost forgot about this.” He grinned, grabbing the basket from your side and pulling out two sandwiches.

Your eyes widened in recognition as you took one from him.

“These are the same ones I made that day...though I thought we agreed peanut butter and apricot jam just doesn’t cut it.”

“Shut up, it’s for nostalgic purposes.” He laughed, taking a bite and immediately screwing up his face in disgust. “Blegh. Okay, fuck nostalgia...I should just have made Nutella.”

You giggled, watching as he dropped the sandwich back into the basket. You put yours back in too, twisting to face him.

“So...when did you do all this? Was that why you were missing?”

“I’ve wanted to confess to you for a while...I just didn’t know how to. It was just so scary.”

“Yeah. Trust me, I know.”

He stroked your hair, sighing. “The day after your thirteenth birthday party, we came here like we usually do. I realized that day, my feelings for you went beyond what one should typically feel for a best friend. I just...chose to repress them, because I was scared you didn’t feel the same.” He cupped your cheek, exhaling.

“I thought if I recreated the scene from that day, I’d finally have the confidence to confess. The fairy lights were a last minute addition, though. I just thought it’d be more...romantic.” He smiled awkwardly.

“Well, it really is.” You returned his smile, tilting your head as you took him in. “I’m still sorry about the things I said to you.”

“I am, too. I hate myself for all the pain I’ve caused you...but I’m ready now. Ready to be someone who deserves your love.” He tucked your hair behind your ear again, smiling at you.

“Your mom helped a lot.” He laughed. You gritted your teeth, snorting. “Yeah, I could kinda tell. She doesn’t usually invite me over this spontaneously.”

You were interrupted by Minho’s stomach growling.

“I guess we have to go home...I think I feel a little better now, actually.” You sat up a little, getting to your feet shakily. He got up with you, hands steadying you.

“You sure?” He smirked, holding onto your wrist.

You nodded firmly. “Come on. I’m craving homemade food.”

***

You sat in your too-small childhood bed that night with Minho, who was flipping through one of the scrapbooks the two of you had made years ago.

He pointed to a picture of 8 year old you with a baby doll, chuckling lowly. “I bet your mother would love for you to recreate this one, but with an actual baby instead of a doll. I could make that happen.”

You glared at him, shoving his shoulder.

As soon as you’d walked through the door, holding hands with Minho, your mom had been all over the two of you, cooing and asking about grand-kids already. You knew she meant well, but it was still so fucking embarrassing.

You looked up at Minho, pausing as you saw his eyes turning darker.

“Why not, though? You’d be a great mother. I know I’d love to fill you up with my seed one day and get you pregnant...see your belly all swollen with my child...”

You meekly avoided eye contact, his words affecting you in a way you couldn’t quite place.

“M-maybe one day. I don’t know how I feel about having a mini-you running around, though. I already suffer with just one of you.”

He laughed, slowly trailing off as his face turned serious, a sadness settling itself in his eyes as he turned away.

“We’d take such good care of it...” He gulped. “I d-don’t know how good I’ll be at parenting...but I know I’d try my best to be a good father. The kind a child deserves.”

You looked at him, heart clenching as you took his hand.

“You’ll be an amazing father. I know it.”

He pressed a kiss to your forehead, placing the book on your bed side table, and getting under the covers with you. He turned off the table lamp.

Pulling you close, Minho kissed you for the last time that night. You felt the warmth in your body spread...your heart finally content, safe in his arms.

“It’ll be okay...” He mumbled, fingers gently running through your hair, watching as you drifted off to sleep due to the soothing action.

“As long as you’re by my side, everything will be okay.”

***

( Note: Ah, finally. This series is over. :’( I’m so thankful to everyone who stuck with this till now, and enjoyed it. There were times when I wanted to scrap it, especially because I was getting hate for it at one point? Anyway, I hope those anons are happy now. And my lovely readers, I hope the ending was satisfying enough. Love you all. )

***

[fuckingfuckityfuck]

I'm begging for you to take my hand

Wreck my plans,that's my man

Willow

A/N : I was listening to Taylor's new song "willow" when I came across this gif.Might as well put my ideas into words.

Warning/s : Maybe there's a few mistakes somewhere in the story but it's my first drabble soooooooo y'all excuse me lol hope y'all love it.

You were busy picking some berries in your garden.It was a busy day for the sanctuary since its Negan's birthday.You were planning to bake a pie for him.

"Need a hand with that,darlin'?" Negan said.You turned around to see him dressed in his black leather jacket,white shirt and his famous red scarf.

You smiled and walked towards him."Happy birthday,boss".You said and gave him a light peck on his lips.Negan smirked and hugged you.

"Well,can't say that I'm pumped to see what you have for me today,but I have to show you something".Negan said.Pulling out a bandana,you laughed as you saw him giving you a confused look.

"If you're thinkin' about sex,sorry to burst your bubble here,doll,but it's way more better than that".Negan said and went to put the bandana over your eyes.

You stood nervously as you heard Negan talking to the saviors.With the bandana covering your eyes,you were curious to see what he has for you.

"The sanctuary has been thriving for weeks now and that's because of our hardwork.What we have here,we protect it,we nurture it,and whatever comes our way,we learn from it.With what happened with Rick and his people,I've thought a lot of things.How important life is.You go out there,you sacrifice yourself.That is why I thought it's time for me to let my wives go."Negan finished and someone held your hand and led you somewhere.

"Amber,Frankie,Sherry and Tanya,you are all free from me.There's more to life than being my wife.Hell,i know y'all want to kill me and all,but i have my heart on someone." Just as Negan finished his speech,you felt his gloved hand on your shoulders.You walked as he carefully led you somewhere on the improvised stage they built.Negan stopped you from walking any further,he slowly took off your bandana.

A gasp fell from your lips,you looked around and saw everyone with the same surprised look.You turned around and saw Negan kneeling with a box on his hand.You felt tears threatening to spill.There were flowers around you and you saw Simon walking towards you with a rose bouquet.The rose had each letters and you spelled "Will you marry me?".

You looked at Negan as he opened the box,you saw a ring with a princess cut diamond.You were crying as you said "yes" to him.

Negan stood up with a huge smile on his face."Damn,you'd make a beautiful wife of mine.My dear only wife."Negan said and held your hand as he carefully slid the ring on your finger.

"You didn't have to do this,Negan,but I really appreciated it"

"Does this answer your question?"

"What question?" You asked Negan with a confused look.

"You asked me why I talked to Rick about things and how we settled everything.I was thinking about us,our future and how I didn't wanna fucking die thinking I never got to be your husband."Negan chuckled and you did too.You saw Simon clapping his hands and everyone did too.

"Does this mean our ferocious and loud mouthed big boss is a softie now?" You asked loud enough for everyone to hear.And they laughed including Negan.

"Hell fucking no,that's only for you.I'm your big softie,teddy bear or whatever the hell you wanna call it,darlin'.It's all yours.I'm yours and you're mine.This is all of me and whatever I got,it's all yours,forever."

masterlist

[rainydayhogwartsimagines]

Due to my laptop being a piece of shit I accidentally deleted the request but I finished it and saved it so its fine side note: this user was so creative when they came up with this and I’m debating on whether or not to make a Remus fanfic.

You hated the moon. The fucking moon. That thing needed to DIE. When you were five you had a nasty attack from a werewolf, it injuring you and leaving a wonderful bite. One that led you to have the same affliction as your attacker. It was a lonely experience to be a werewolf, no one could relate to your constant struggle with the moon, your need for chains so you couldn't hurt anyone and worst of all the literal pains of changing into what you were. You usually hid in a cave near the forbidden forest, waking up freezing and alone. You had no one helping your with this, no one there.

That's where Remus was different. He had his friends, who all secretly became Animagus to assist him during rough nights. He had people there, that was where you differed. He had someone. You didn't.

Well... Until recently. It was a particularly hard night, lot of screaming from you. Usually there wasn't a soul who could hear you, but Sirius was walking back from the shrieking shack and heard it. You had chained yourself to the cave wall, aching as you could feel the changes coming when you heard footsteps. You were snarling, slowly changing as you moved back into the dark. "Get. Out." You huffed at the figure.

"You're a werewolf..." Sirius said, kneeling. You thrashed in the chains, growling at him. "You chained yourself!?" He asked. "Get. Out." You repeated, more begging than anything. You laid on the ground twitching as your chest was rising and falling rapidly. Sirius walked out, you still going through an agonizing pain. He came back later though with a bottle, sitting cross legged on the floor. "W-what are you doing!?" You asked.

He waited for your next violent urge to grip your face and force feed you a potion. Your pain suddenly stopped and you were sweating. "W-what did you give me?" You asked. "A potion to stop the pains. You'll still change but it'll hurt less." Sirius said. "Why are you helping me?" You asked feeling the claws slowly form. "Because I have a friend that's like you and I refuse to leave you alone when you clearly need help." was the last thing you could remember before blacking out.

It was a rough night indeed, Sirius having to change into his Animagus form to slow you down and stop you from hurting yourself. You woke up to the sunlight from the cave entrance hitting your face, a leather jacket draped over you and three boys standing there baffled. "I don't believe it, she's actually like Remus." a black haired boy gaped. "She chained herself?" another boy asked, scars across his face. "Yeah, probably to keep herself in here, she didn't even have a potion with her to help." Sirius said looking at you. You slowly leaned up, wincing like it was a bad hangover. The boy with the scars kneeled to you "Careful there... It's always harder after the potion." he warned. You pulled back, shaking as you did and seemed to be terrified seeing other people. "Why are you here!?" You asked. "We're here to help." The dark haired boy said. "I could hurt you-- please get away from me!" You panted. The boy with scars got up, finding the keys to the chains rather quickly and unlocked them. You winced, gripping your shoulder.

"Sirius did you bite her?" The boy with scars asked. "Had to, she was going to rip off her fucking wrist at the rate she was going." Sirius said. "You. Do you have clothes?" James asked. "I-in a bag over there." You said, pointing but then wincing. "How deep did you bite man?" The black haired boy asked. "Sorry." Sirius said to you. "What do they mean by bite?" You asked as the black haired boy handed you the bag and the boys faced away from you.

"Sirius is an Animagus, we all are except for Remus." the boy with black hair said. "Who's Remus?" You asked, looking at the boy's backs as you changed. Remus raised his hand. "That would be me." He said. "You guys can look now." You said. They all turned around. "Who are you? and why are you here?" You asked. "I'm Sirius, that's James, that's Peter and you know Remus." Sirius introduced. Peter extended his hand and you shook your head retreating back. It was almost like you were afraid of touch. "Uhm... Remus is a werewolf-- We all thought he was the only one on campus." Peter admitted. "It feels strangely good to be wrong." Remus admitted. You swallowed and looked down. "We're not going to tell anyone but... Do you need help--" "No." You lied. "Bullshit." Sirius called you out. You looked at him before hiding behind your hair. "We know where you are now, we know where you go. Now it's obvious you do this alone so you can lie to us and tell us your fine but I will show up here and I will sit in that fucking corner and watch your ass like I did last night regardless if you want me here or not. Now. Again. Do you need help?" Sirius asked sternly. The group gaped at him and you shook.

"No one was supposed to know." you whimpered. "Now we do... And we want to help. We really want to help." James said. You looked at them, tears falling. "Please help me." you whispered. Remus understood this pain, this gut wrenching pain of feeling alone. So it was no surprise when he hugged you.

From that point on you were with the group. You tried to hang out alone but one of them was always with you. Remus was usually the one who you were around the most though, he was calmer than the others. James, Peter and especially Sirius were all hyperactive nutbags that ran off of pure energy. Remus understood you. He understood your thoughts and your way of things. He didn't approve of you constantly keeping to yourself by any means. But he understood why you did it. Though, the Marauders were all DETERMINED to get you out.

They got to know you before the next full moon. Like REALLY got to know you. Their hearts hurt listening to you talk about what it was like at home. How after you found out you were a werewolf your mother wouldn't look at you. How your dad used to help you with the transformations but after a year he just stopped so you were alone. How most of the scars on your body were self inflicted because even the wolf in you hated being alive. But the thing at nearly broke Remus was finding out that when he hugged you in the cave, it was the first time you had been hugged in nearly a decade.

A part of you was glad Remus was your first hug in a while. As time was passing, you and Remus became particularly close. Hogsmeade didn't help this either. Both of you were close together. Physically close. Sirius didn't realize why until he realized you had a cold and your body temperature was going everywhere. The funny thing about werewolves is they are REALLY FUCKING WARM. And because you had a cold it was also being a bitch. Remus wrapped his scarf and put his hat on you, keeping you close if you were too cold. Sirius noticed at look everytime you were leaned against Remus, he had this small smile and occasionally would keep his arm around you until you pulled away.

"I'm sure it's not that bad Y/n." James said. "Oi, it is fucking cold, fuck off." You whined. James snorted and you shivered as Remus held you close. "I've been sick before, it actually is really bad." Remus agreed. "See, I'm not crazy." You said, sticking your tongue out at James. "I didn't say that." Remus joked making you playfully punch his arm. "Let's get something warm in you, your throat is probably killing you." Remus said.

The other boys swapped looks of "he really likes her" and smiled. "Hey, we're going to Honeydukes to see if they have anything that might help." Sirius lied. "We are?" Peter asked, earning a smack on the back of his head and Peter realized what they were doing. "WE ARE!" Peter said walking away with James and Sirius. "...Okay... Then?" You muttered confused.

You sat down in the Three Broomsticks out of the cold. "Why did I have to be sick? Why?" You whined. Remus chuckled as he ordered while your head was on the table. You watched him, your head resting on your arms while you did. "Your eyes are pretty." You mumbled. You figured amongst the crowds and the talking he wouldn't hear you but instead he looked over with a kind smile and said "yours are too Y/n."

You blushed and looked away making Remus smile. "Next moon's coming up..." You mumbled. "Yes, the boys seem to have some plan. They were discussing it before we left." Remus said. "Any clue what it is?" You asked. "Nope." Remus shrugged. Warm butter beer ws placed in front of the two of you and you sipped on it. "I honestly don't know how this is going to go." You muttered. "What do you mean?" He asked. "I mean, I am now aware of Sirius' presence. What if I try to attack him instead of myself?" You asked. "He'll keep you at bay, trust me." Remus said. "That's a lot of trust."  You noted. "they've done a lot to earn that trust." Remus said. You nodded but still kept a troubled look. "They can help you Y/n, I promise." Remus assured. You gave a small smile before sneezing and groaning. "this sucks." You groaned.

Remus and you ended up walking around hogsmeade, you two talking about whatever came to mind before you saw the aforementioned Shrieking Shack. "So that's what the Whomping Willow is connected to?" You asked. "Yep." Remus nodded looking at it. "...Seems strangely... Peaceful in it's own way." You muttered, watching the house sway. "It's not as terrifying as once you've been in it." Remus chuckled. "There you two are!" Sirius said from behind you, slinging his arms over both of you. "So. The plan for the next full moon?" You asked. "Ohh. Right about that." Sirius cleared his throat.

You found yourself sitting again, in the three broomsticks with the whole group. "Sorry, you want to do what!?" You asked. "We think it's a good idea, it was a unanimous decision." James shrugged. "When the hell did you consult the two of us?" You asked. "We didn't. But we're the ones who have to keep you two at bay and we think it'd be better to keep you together--" "What happens if I attack Remus!? You're literally leading us into a DOG FIGHT!?" You asked, clearly panicked. "Breathe Y/n." Remus soothed. You gripped your skirt, clearly bothered. "Y/n, we promise if it goes south we'll pull you both out of there." Peter said. "Yes, because that's easy with werewolves." You spat. "Y/n... Try to trust us." James said. You ran a hand over your face. "Sirius. Side bar." You muttered.

Sirius got up and you stood outside. "I need a favor." You said. "What's up Crescent?" He asked. "...What?" You asked. "Mooney. Crescent." Sirius pointed to Remus through the window and then you. "...I need you to make me a promise." You said. "What?" Sirius asked. "If you can't separate me and Remus, put me down." You said. Sirius blinked. "You want us to kill you!?" He asked, making Remus' head snap to the direction of your voices. "Yes." You said. "Y/n that's a very loaded thing to ask me to do!" Sirius said before Remus walked out.

"Tell me you didn't ask him to do what I think you did." Remus said. "Remus--" "Tell me you did not just ask him to kill you!" He said. "If I hurt you--" "Y/n I am not letting that happen!" Remus said. "If I hurt you Remus I don't know what I'd do!" You snapped. "Y/n, you're not going to lose me--" "I literally don't know what I'd do if I knew I had hurt you!" You admitted. "Y/n--" "I care about you Remus and if I lost you--" "Y/n--" "I can't lose you, I'd be back to being alone and I-I just can't!" Remus cupped your face, forcing you to look at him. "I won't let that happen Y/n." He said sternly. You didn't say anything, swallowing the lump in your throat before hugging him. He cradled your head to his chest, Sirius watching the two of you with a small smile.

The next full moon was dreadful. You packed your bag and walked out of your dorm, the boys all standing around. "If this fails..." "It won't." James assured. You sighed and walked with them, slipping through the halls and to the whomping willow. You went through the gap in the roots after Remus, literally sliding into his arms after you fell in. The others slid in behind you and you sighed, watching the sun slowly fall. "Scared?" Remus asked. "I always am." You muttered. Sirius handed you and Remus potions. "Bottoms up." Remus sighed before drinking it. You drank yours and gagged. "Fuck that's disgusting." You winced.

You sat against the wall, waiting for the moon to present itself and you sighed. "Do your transformations hurt?" You asked Remus. "God yes." He nodded. You swallowed and noticed the glow. "Here we go." You muttered before feeling your body go numb. You breathed heavily before feeling your claws dig in the floor, snarling as you slowly changed.

The boys watched you and Remus go through the transformation, all them preparing to potentially separate you two. But something strange happened.

You both snarled at the sight of each other but sniffed each other. James rose a brow and watched Remus do what he assumed was a bark and you two... Just played together? It was like watching two dogs be the best of friends and you two eventually tired yourselves out, laying against each other. All of the boys fell asleep, seeing how peaceful it was.

The sun hit your face, an arm draped over you. You had someone breathing against you, who was that? You leaned up, wincing as the sun seemed to be a lot brighter making one of the boys wake up. "Oh shit-- you're naked--" James said looking away. You blushed and rolled over, seeing a sleeping Remus who's hair was in his face. Your eyes widened and you pulled away, grabbing your bag and changing. Remus woke up, due to the abrupt movement. James chuckled and threw Remus his clothes making him start to get dressed. "What was keeping me warm?" Remus asked. "Y/n." Sirius yawned. "What?" Remus asked. "You two didn't fight, actually it was like watching puppies play together. But uhm.. you two just fell asleep and because it was so peaceful so we did too." James explained. You walked in fully clothed now and blushed looking away from a shirtless Remus.

Sirius smirked and you cleared your throat. "you two were so calm." Peter yawned. "It's so weird, I've never even heard of this happening before." James muttered. You rose a brow. "What happened?" You asked. "Apparently we were very calm around each other last night." Remus answered. "We were?" You asked. "So much so that we fell asleep." Peter added. Sirius chuckled looking at you, who was blushing. "What does this even mean?" James asked. "I'm not sure, I've never heard of werewolves even acting calm like this before." Remus said. "Me neither." You noted. Peter pulled a book out of his bag and started flipping through pages. "What the hell?" James asked. "What?" Peter asked. "You keep a book of werewolves on hand?" Sirius asked. "I carried it to see if there were any methods to separate them if we needed to." Peter said, earning "oh's" from all of you.

Peter flipped through and shook his head. "Not seeing anything on this. Maybe a teacher would know." Peter said. "Yes, that will be normal 'Hey Minerva, what do you do if two werewolves don't attack each other?'" Sirius said sarcastically. "Think Severus would know?" Peter asked. James gagged at the idea of talking to him. "What if this is like... A mating thing?" Sirius asked. "What!?" You and Remus asked in unison. "What if the reason you two are calm is your in your mating season or something?" Sirius asked making your face turn red. "No. Sirius that's not how this works." Peter said. "Then how does it 'work' Wormtail, because I'm pretty damn confused?" Sirius asked. "If they were in mating season they probably would've done a lot more than goof off." James said making Peter nod and Remus blushed, putting a hand on his neck and looking away. "CAN WE CHANGE THE SUBJECT!?" You asked. "Okay okay! We'll figure this out, there's got to be a book or something in the library." Peter assured.

Well there wasn't. Which led to Peter asking about it to his defense of the dark arts teacher "Mr. Greyland". He wasn't a cruel man by any means, in fact he was very kind. Old. But very kind. "Mr. Greyland I have a question." Peter asked after all the students had left. "Yes Peter?" The professor asked. "Say two werewolves were put together and they didn't attack each other... What does that mean?" Peter asked. Greyland turned around and rose a brow. "That would be a very rare event... See that only happens when a werewolf was paired with a soulmate." He replied. Peter's eyes went wide. "Uh... Thank you sir... Read it in some crappy novel lately, wanted to find out why, thanks bye!" Peter lied, running out the door.

He went to the Gryffindor common room, grabbing James and Sirius. "What's going on?" Sirius asked. "They're soulmates!" Peter said. "What?" James asked. "Remus and Y/n, the only reason they didn't attack each other was because they're connected by fate, it's something they can sniff out or something!" Peter said. "....Holy shit." James gaped. "Wow, so Remus REALLY has a shot at this." Sirius said. "More than a shot, he literally has a thousand lifetimes to say something!" Peter said. "Do we tell them?" Sirius asked. "DUH." James said.

Almost on cue you and Remus walked in, both of you laughing at something before you noticed the boys looking at the two of you. "Uhm.. hi?" You waved. "We found the answer." Sirius said. "To what?" Remus asked. "To why you two canoodle instead of fight." James answered making you blush. "You're soulmates." Sirius said. You snorted. "Sorry what?" You asked. "Soulmates." James repeated. "That's..." "Ridiculous." Remus agreed. "Seriously!? WE LITERALLY FLY ON BROOMS FOR SPORT AND THIS IS WHERE YOU DRAW THE LINE!?" James gaped. "Yeah because it sounds like a cheesy movie." You laughed. "I know, what's next-- we're actually from two separate planets and we're literally star crossed lovers or something?" Remus asked.

You two shared many laughs over this but at the end of the day you found yourselves back in the shrieking shack. You and Remus were basically locked in a room together and sure enough you two were found the next morning in the same predicament as last time, his arm draped over you and holding you close. You both woke up around the same time both of you looking at each other. You blushed and looked away, Remus doing the same. He noticed a long scar though on your thigh. "how'd that happen?" He asked. "Hmm?" You asked, grabbing your clothes. "The thigh scar." Remus pointed. "Werewolf hunters in the area... Thought I was an adult they uhm..." You cleared your throat. "They nearly killed me." You muttered. "Christ." Remus gaped as he looped his belt through his pants and you slid on your shirt.

"Do you think the guys are... Right... About the soulmate stuff?" You asked. "...Maybe?" Remus said. You looked at him surprised and he rose a brow. "Is that so crazy?" He asked. "I mean... No but--" "So you think there is a connection?" Remus asked. You blushed and looked away. "Remus I--" the door opened and you both saw Sirius eating an apple. "Morning losers." He said nonchalantly. "Hey." You said quietly. Sirius rose a brow as you brushed past him.

The rest of the day you avoided Remus, it was so strange. The group didn't know what was with you. You were jumpier, you were more anxious and Remus was worried. Did he do something wrong?

Tonight though, was the last full moon. You knew this was going to be the worst night. The last nights always were. You could never remember what you did all you could remember was the pain. That night the boys could tell you were hurting too, Remus seemed worried even in his werewolf form. You were yelping and he'd whine making the boys deeply concerned. When the sun finally came out you were curled into Remus's arms. You didn't even sleep you woke up wincing and your skin was almost burning. Remus didn't say anything holding you as you shook in agony

"it burns--" you whined. "it will pass just hold on a little longer." Remus soothed. You whimpered against him, Sirius walking in with another potion. "Y/n, try to take this, it'll stop the pain--" "It will make it worse." You whimpered. Remus and Sirius exchanged a look of confusion. "What do you mean?" Remus asked. "It will just make the pain worse-- it's a-a allergy." You heaved in pain. "So we have to watch you suffer!?" Sirius asked. "You don't have to watch you can leave." You breathed. Remus pulled you closer, Sirius handing you a shirt. You wrapped it over you, flinching at the cloth's contact with your skin. Remus actually had to assist you in getting dressed, even when you all got back to the Gryffindor common room you were shaking and flinching at any noise. Remus was not leaving your side and he managed to lull you to sleep, you nearly passing out on top of him while he read.

Remus didn't dare to move something so precious, something so kind and sweet who didn't deserve to bare this curse. You had suffered long enough. You deserved something better than this. Whether that was unconditional love, friendship or romance, Remus didn't care. He just wanted you safe and happy.

You woke up with a wince, a headache still present but the burning gone. You realized Remus was underneath you, sleeping and with his arm holding you. You blushed but didn't move to wake him. Your hand seemed to have a life of it's own as you brushed his hair out of his eyes. His lips parted and you smiled softly. For someone who could be considered a killer he seemed so normal and tranquil. You kept your hand on the side of his face, tracing the edge of his scar with your thumb before you felt his hand clasp yours. Your eyes widened and you pulled away, shocked and he looked at you. "Enjoying yourself there Crescent?" He asked. Your face flushed and he smiled. You sat up, looking away.

Suddenly everything clicked for Remus. The soulmate question, the sudden need to avoid him, the fact you always spent time with just him. "How long have you liked me?" Remus asked. Your face darkened and you got up. "I should study--" "Y/n. Please. Tell me." He asked. You couldn't say no to those god damn puppy eyes. You sighed and shook your head. "I think I started liking you after you hugged me. I never said anything because... Well I figured because it was the first real touch I've had in a while, I was just liking the first thing that came along... Then I... Then the guys told us we were soulmates and..." You explained. Remus found himself smiling at you. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way. Honestly." You assured. "Are you joking?" Remus snorted. "What?" You asked. "How could I not feel the same way Y/n? Did you know for the first time since I was four I've been able to sleep? Like actually sleep?" Remus asked. You cocked your head to the side almost like a confused dog.

"I love you Y/n, long before I even found out we were soulmates." Remus said making you gape. You swallowed and stared at him in silence. "....Y/n?" Remus waved a hand in front of your face to see if you zoned out. You grabbed his hand, yanking him forward and kissing him. He was of course shocked but once he figured out what was happening he cupped your face, closing his eyes and practically became putty in your hands.

It wasn't until a thud from someone dropping something rang out that you two pulled away from each other. "OH. MY. GOD." Sirius gaped, his books on the floor and his eyes wide. You blushed and Remus pursed his lips looking down before snorting. You looked at Remus and then Sirius before laughing with Remus. "H-How long have you two been like that!?" Sirius asked. "Like two seconds, but my God your face was priceless!" Remus wheezed. You laughed harder and nearly fell off the couch, red in the face from laughter.

"We deserve a soft epilogue, my love. We are good people, and we've suffered long enough." - cardiamachina

Taglist: @amhyeah​ @newtaholic-staygold​ @bbeauttyybbx​ @fleurho​ @yodeadxss​ @secretaccshh 

And of course the creative requester: @green-intervention​

[brain-deadx0]

Frozen Heart ch 7

Chapter one: Do you Wanna Build a Snowman

Previous: Reindeers are Better than People

Chapter Seven: In Summer

Warnings: Innuendos curtesy of Remus, minor injury of a main character, referring to someone as an it (temporary), let me know to tag

Patton and Remus had been walking in silence for a long time. Remus seemed a bit down since the marriage argument and Patton felt bad about that. He wasn’t sure why it upset Remus, but something about it did.

“Hey Remus?” He asked.

Remus looked over, “Yeah?”

“Um, are you okay? I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or anything earlier…”

Remus blinked, “...What the hell are you talking about?”

“Well it’s just… you’ve seemed kinda...”

“Wait, have you been guilt tripping yourself this whole time?” Remus asked. The look on Patton’s face was a definite yes. Remus rubbed the back of his neck, “Look, I still stand by my statement about marriage at first sight, but at the end of the day it’s none of my business. You didn’t hurt my feelings or anything.” Remus told him.

“Oh… but I thought… you just seemed…”

“I’m not used to holding full out conversations with other people is all.” Remus told him, “So don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?” Patton asked again.

“Yep. Trust me, my family is all about speaking your mind. If we had a problem I’d let you know.” Remus told him with a reassuring smile.

“Good.” Patton sent a smile back, “So um… would you be open to talking then? I don’t really like silence so much. You don’t have to of course!” He reassured him.

“Eh, why not.” Remus shrugged, “Anything in particular?”

“Oh, well you mentioned your family. Can you tell me about them?”

“Sure. They’re a bit weird, but in a good way. I’m the tall one though, by a lot.” He gave Patton a somewhat sly look that Patton didn’t understand before saying, “I’m also the biggest.”

“So most of your family is on the shorter side?” Patton asked.

Remus smiled wide, “Something like that.”

“Do they live here in the mountains?”

“Yeah. They’re practically part of the mountain at this point. I don’t see them so much during the warmer months though since now is usually when I’m busy getting handsome strangers in my hole.”

Patton laughed and Remus sent him another one of his grins he tended to wear after some of his jokes that Patton didn’t always get. “Does that happen a lot?”

“Nah. But that’s ok. I like theirs even more. Especially when they have a large stick in the front.”

“Are the sticks used to mark where the pits are?” Patton asked. He didn’t see one when he fell in Remus’s trap, but then again he hadn’t been looking either. Come to think of it Remus said he didn’t mark his.

Remus’s smile widened again, “Something like that.”

Patton was about to ask what he meant but his attention quickly shifted to the scene in front of them, “Woah.” He breathed. There was a large group of willow trees ahead of them. The branches were frozen and were glittering in the sunlight, “It’s so pretty.”

Patton was awestruck as he slowly made his way through the trees. He couldn’t stop trying to look in every direction just to take everything in. Until he noticed two eyes staring down at him from a branch above his head.

~

As much as Remus hated the cold, he never truly got sick of seeing snow. He still remembered the first time he saw it. It was a couple months after his family adopted him. He grew up in a place where the temperature never got below “cool summer day” and his eyes had been so big they were close to popping right out of his skull. He probably looked about the same now as he stared at the frozen trees. He’d never seen them freeze like this before!

Remus probably could’ve spent a long time staring at the trees alone, but was torn from his nostalgic wonder by screaming.

~

“Ahhhhh!”

“Ahhhhh!”

Patton and the… thing, screamed in unison for a moment before the thing fell off of its perch in the tree and scurried backwards and away from him.

“What the hell is that?!” Remus asked in amazement.

Now that the… snow… thing? Cat? Was on the ground and not looming over him, it was actually kinda… “Cute.” Patton told him.

“I am not!” The snow cat told him indignantly.

“Ah! It talks!” Patton said in shock. He then watched as Remus walked over to the talking snow cat and picked it up. He held it under the arms and stared at it for a moment, much to the snow cats apprehension.

“Oh. My. God.” Remus said, “You’re so creepy!” he told it before hugging it tightly.

“H-hey!” The cat said before hissing angrily, “Put me down!”

“But you’re so- ah!” Remus looked down at the once puffy snow cat that was now covered in large spikes of ice and- oh my gosh are those fangs! Those weren’t there before!

“Oh my gosh-Remus! Are you ok?!”

Remus stared at the growling cat in his arms before slowly looking to Patton with a wild grin, “Patton can I keep him?!”

It earned him another bite from the prickly snow cat.

“Remus- Remus let it go!” Patton told him.

“Aw…” Remus whined before unceremoniously dropping the cat who immediately turned to hiss angrily at him.

“Hey, hey it’s ok.” Patton told the cat as it’s tail swished back and forth, “No ones gonna hurt you. Ok?”

After a moment of looking back and forth between him and Remus, Patton was relieved when the spikes on its back, as well as claws, disappeared into the deceptively soft looking snow exterior. The cat was by no means calm, but at least it didn’t look ready to attack either.

“There we go.” Patton said, “Everyone just calm down a bit.”

“I’ve seen some weird shit up here but this thing takes the cake.” Remus told him, “It’s neat.”

“I think we all got off on the wrong foot.” Patton told the nervous snow cat, “How about we start over? This is Remus,” Remus wiggled his fingers in a wave, “and my name is Patton.” The cat tilted his head as he seemed to consider Patton, “Do you have a name?” Patton asked.

The snow cat blinked, “Uh, it’s- it’s Virgil.” He told them as he rose to stand on his hind legs.

Patton stared at the now bipedal snowcat, Virgil, and for a moment was thrown back to when he and Logan were little. They were building the snowman they always did and Patton was adding its ears and tail.

“Wait… you’re Virgil.” He said in disbelief.

“Yes…?”

“You know this thing?” Remus asked.

Patton nodded, “Sort of anyway. Logan and I used to build him all the time when we were kids. He was never, well alive, but, you know?” He said before realizing something, “Wait did Logan make you?”

“Uh… probably? Maybe? All I know is I open my eyes, I’m in the middle of nowhere, and am somehow alive and freaking out.” Virgil told him. He still looked like he was freaking out.

“Accidentally making a living being. Just another reason to use protection.” Remus said sagely.

Virgil glared at him for some reason, “I don’t think Logan knew he could do that?” Patton told Remus.

“Maybe someone should teach him about the birds and the bees then.”

“... What do birds and bees have to do with it?” Patton asked.

“Nothing.” Virgil told him; sending another glare to Remus.

“Anyway…” Patton said in confusion, “You look exactly the same!” He told Virgil, “...Well, almost.”

Virgil cocked his head in confusion as Patton removed the black and purple scarf before wrapping it around where Virgil’s neck was. “There we go!” Patton told him as Virgil inspected the scarf, “Oh wait! Your nose.”

Patton thought for a moment… he didn’t exactly have any extra buttons in his bag. He glanced down at his coat before pulling the top button off. “Here we are.” He smiled before placing the button onto Virgil’s face. Virgil scrunched his face at the action but didn’t seem otherwise bothered. “Perfect!”

“Uh… thanks?” Virgil told him.

“Of course!” Patton grinned, “So Virgil, you wouldn’t happen to know where Logan is would you?”

“Not really…” Virgil told him, Patton deflated a bit, “I guess I could show you where I woke up though? I mean, if nothing else he would’ve been there at some point right?”

“That’s a great idea!” Patton told him.

Virgil ducked into the scarf, “It’s just an idea.” He mumbled into the fabric.

“Good ideas, bad ideas, who cares?” Remus told them, “If you guys are done pussyfooting around, which way are we headed?”

“Right.” Patton said, “The sooner we find Logan, the sooner we can bring back summer and go home.”

“Oh joy. Heat.” Virgil deadpanned.

“Oh… sorry...?”

“Meh,” Virgil shrugged, “My existence is a curse upon humanity and I’m ok with it.”

“Jeeze. Been sentient for a day and already a pessimist.” Remus snorted.

“Don’t worry Virgil!” Patton told him, “I’m sure we can figure out a way to bring back summer without you, um… you know.”

“Whatever.” Virgil told them, “Come on, it’s this way.” He said before leading them up the mountain again.

~

Roman had been worried ever since Patton left. Not to mention he had left last night and still hadn’t returned. He caught himself glancing at the gates regularly, hoping to see Patton return with or without the king. But as it stood he couldn’t spend all day staring out at the distance, Patton had left him with responsibilities after all.

He offered one of the many cloaks he was carrying to yet another shivering citizen.

“The castle is open to everyone!” He reminded the ever growing crowd, “There is soup and hot drinks in the great hall!”

Roman was sorely tempted to join the citizens in the warm room, it only seemed to be getting colder and he did not enjoy the freezing temperature. But he wasn’t going to, at least not until the crowd outside was in there as well. It was a royals duty to ensure the safety of the people first and foremost after all. Even if it meant freezing on his part in the meantime.

“Prince Roman,” an irritated voice called.

He looked to see the Dutchess of Weslton marching towards him with two of her bodyguards. Feeling a long and unnecessary conversation coming, he quickly passed off his stack of cloaks to a nearby guard, asking them to continue handing them out, “How may I assist you, m’lady?” He asked the duchess.

“Are we expected to sit here and freeze to death while you give away all of Arendelles tradable goods?” She scowled.

“Prince Patton has given his orders and-”

“And another thing!” She interrupted, “Have you stopped to think that perhaps the prince may be conspiring with an evil sorcerer in order to destroy us all?”

Roman sent her a glare, “Do not question the prince or insult his honor in such a way.” He commanded, “Prince Patton left me in charge and I will not hesitate to protect the citizens or their country. Even from treason.”

“Treason?!” She gasped in offense.

“Now if you’ll excuse me-” Roman was interrupted by a commotion near the gate.

He quickly left the woman and made his way over, hoping to see Patton, but was instead met by the princes sweaty and nervous horse. One of the castle guards managed to quickly grab hold of the horses reigns as the crowd began to murder nervously.

Roman looked around as if Patton would materialize out of thin air. Patton had told him how well trained the horses were, so for one to show back up without it’s rider meant that something had to be wrong. Patton was in danger. Roman cursed himself. He knew he shouldn’t have let the prince go alone. He could feel the eyes of the courtyard staring at him, waiting for a response.

“It appears the prince’s horse has returned alone.” He announced, “I’ll need volunteers to assist in the search to find him!”

It didn’t take long to get a decent search party put together. Roman made sure they were all well equipped with survival and medical supplies. He ordered several pairs of riders to search the nearby woods in case Patton was still close and left the castle staff with instructions on how to carry on until he returned with the prince.

He couldn’t voice it out loud, but he knew Patton was in danger. And Roman was determined to save him.

[weasleyswizardpleases]

Picnic (Fred Weasley x reader)

Summary: Fred catches you touching yourself in the woods and shit gets both hot AND heavy

Warnings/Notes: SMUT WARNING, FOOD WARNING (food/eating is described in detail). This is pretty slapdash smut, but I enjoyed writing it so hopefully ya’ll enjoy reading it :)

The spring air is thick with the scent of mimosa flowers and grass. You’re lounging in a grassy glen, watching Ginny and George turn tricks on their brooms while you and Fred polish off a loaf of bread and the last of a bottle of wine filched from their mum’s liquor cabinet. You’re seated beneath a willow tree, enjoying the gentle shade of the branches.

You watch as Fred tears the bread with his hands, and something about his long fingers pushing into the spongy loaf catches your eye. Your eyes follow his fingers to his mouth as he stuffs the bread in rather carelessly, his fingers withdrawing wet with spit, crumbs spilling down his chin. There’s something erotic about the scene. You know he knows you’re watching him; Fred can always feel your eyes on him, but he pretends he doesn’t notice, and puts on a show. He’s a terrible flirt, even with his friends. He raises an eyebrow at you when your eyes meet, and offers you a hunk of bread. You giggle and take it in your mouth like a dog being offered a treat, your teeth grazing his fingers as you pull away.

“Your table manners could use some work,” he says teasingly while you scarf down the bread. 

“You’re one to talk,” you say, smacking his knee lightly.

He stands and tugs at the blanket you’ve been sitting on as Ginny and George swoop down and make their way over.

“Up, you lazy git,” Fred says, prodding at you with his foot, but you flop down defiantly on the blanket. 

“I think I’ll stay here for a while and read. And finish this wine, if that’s alright with you lot,” you say, looking up at them. Fred and George shrug, and Ginny nods. 

“See you at dinner, then,” she says agreeably. 

“Don’t get lost walking home, you drunkard,” George says, tossing his bag over his shoulder and leading the group off down the path.

“I’ve hardly had one glass!” you bark after him, sighing as you watch the three redheads canter off. 

You have to admit, Fred has been turning you on lately. You’re not sure if it’s intentional, at least, you’re not sure if it was at first. He’s been testing you; lingering touches, sitting close to you at dinner, flirty jokes. And George has certainly been encouraging you into alone time together. He’s a deadly wingman because it’s difficult to tell him no. 

Yes, you think, there’s some sort of mischief afoot. And, of course, you’re enjoying it immensely. Your mind wanders to the way Fred’s finger grazed your lips earlier, and the way he pushed his shirtsleeves up to reveal his forearms as the day warmed, and how he licked his lips looking you right in the eyes. It feels as if he’s challenging you, daring you to make a move on him. Him! Your dear friend. You giggle with delight at the idea of it, of the taboo of breaking through the friendship into something more. Of course you’ll fuck him, but first, you’ll imagine it. You slip your hand down the front of your pants and plunge your fingers into your pussy, which is already wet just from thinking of him. You let your fingers wander teasingly from your pussy to your clit, not bearing down too hard or going too fast. You pretend it’s him keeping you in suspense, his strong hands, his breath on your thighs, his spit between your legs. Lying back on the grass, your stomach warm with wine, you imagine what it would be like for him to run his tongue over your thighs, to bite you gently, then harder. You imagine that he’d be as enthusiastic in the sack as he is in all other things, and consequently, you pull your trousers down in a hurry, as you imagine he would, desperate for a piece of you. 

Your fingers are pumping furiously back and forth over your clit now, your whole body tingling warmly, trembling, so close to finishing. It’s at this moment that you hear a twig snap and flinch, quickly tugging your pants on clumsily as Fred emerges from the woods just a few yards away. Your face reddens at the thought of what he may have seen. You make eye contact with him and know immediately that he did see, and is trying not to show it, to no avail. His neck and face burn with the reddest blush you’ve ever seen.

“I, well, I just came back for my wand,” he says quickly, his jaw hanging open as he searches for what to say next. You’ve never seen him flustered like this before. It should embarrass you. Instead, it turns you on. 

“I was thinking of you,” you blurt out, and everything changes. He snaps his head up to look you directly in the eyes as he realizes what you’ve just said.

“Really?” 

“Really.”

“Shall we…?”

“I would certainly like to,” you say, motioning to the spot next to you on the blanket. In a heartbeat he’s there, unbuttoning your blouse, kissing your mouth, your neck, your breast. You moan while he tongues your nipples, and nod permissively when he asks you to take your trousers off again. He pulls your panties off and pauses, his breath hot on your clit. You buck your hips upward desperately, but he pulls back and watches you squirm with satisfaction for a few moments.

“I’m worried,” he says dryly. You look at him with concern, worried that you misinterpreted genuine hesitation as teasing.

“What is it?” you ask, watching him intently. He stares back at you for a few seconds solemnly.

“That I might now have room for dinner if I eat this,” he says, gesturing to your pussy. You let out a long sigh and wave him away.

“Just do me already, you lunatic!” you say with frustration. And he does, plunging his tongue into your hole and sliding it back and forth across your g spot, then moving up to lick your clit slowly. Gradually, he speeds up, making you gasp and squirm until you very nearly can’t take any more. You come hard, your abdomen tensing, your jaw clenched. He pulls away and watches you recover yourself, smiling cheekily. 

“You like that, huh?” he asks. You nod vigorously, pulling him up to kiss you, his face still wet with your juices, but just as you’re getting into making out, your clit rubbing hungrily against his thigh, he pulls away. He kisses down your body while slipping his fingers into your pussy, eventually tonguing your clit in slow circular motions while gently stroking inside of you in a come hither motion that hits just the right spot. In a few minutes you come again, but he keeps going. You come two more times, until your legs are trembling. He’s relentless, so much so that you finally push him away.

“Enough, enough! Oh, my god,” you say, almost relieved to be free from the overwhelming pleasure. At the same time, though, almost in spite of yourself, you’re ready for more. He wipes sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, looking at you devilishly. For a few moments, you gaze into each other’s eyes, you on your back, him still sitting between your legs. You sit up to kiss him, licking your come from his chin slowly, then reaching up to hold his face in your hands. He stands up, and you can see his cock bulging in his jeans. You reach up to touch the outline, but he pulls away mischievously. 

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough for one day?”

“Absolutely not,” you say, pulling him closer to you by the belt loops. He shakes his finger at you, looking down with faux disapproval. 

“Uh-uh-uh, you’ve had all you’re getting for now. We’ve got to be getting home.” You pout exaggeratedly.

“Puhhhleasssse just give me a little taste.” 

“Nope, come on now, get yourself cleaned up. I always knew you were a slut, but I never knew you’d be my slut,” he says, laughing.

“I could say the same about you,” you reply, pulling your pants up. “I’ve heard about you. Well, mainly from you, to be honest.” Fred can’t resist telling you and George the details of his sexual escapades, and they’re not in short supply, either. He extends a hand to help you up and pulls you into a warm embrace. You kiss him chastely and turn to fold up the blanket.

“We’ll have to sneak this into the wash,” Fred says, looking down at the wet spot you’ve left on the blanket. 

“I’m more interested in learning how I can sneak into your room tonight,” you say, looping your arm through his as you turn to leave, pulling him close as you make your way out of the clearing. On the way home, the conversation drifts from sex to romance, and you each admit that your feelings go beyond the sensual. You walk arm in arm the whole way home, and you wish that the path were a longer one, so long that you could get lost and stay there all night, just talking and holding each other.

tags: @weasleyfilms @weasley2x

[moonlit-han]

my favorite flower ↠ han jisung

(gif by @han-jisung)

genre: fluff, florist!Jisung x barista!reader word count: 2k warnings: none request: Sort of? Enjoy, Sara! a/n: credit to @junhuisflower​ for the idea for this fic~

✧ masterlist & tag list info in bio✧

*✧･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

Jisung was having a dreadful day.

The florist where he worked was overrun with people buying their significant others flowers for Valentine’s Day, even though it was still a week away, and they all insisted on their bouquets being impeccably arranged and be-ribboned. Those who bought the little trinkets the store offered, in addition to the large array of flowers, wanted them wrapped nicely—with a gift receipt included, please, if it’s not too much trouble. It was also rainy and cold, which meant customers kept tracking water and mud into the shop, making the floor ever so slightly slippery. He’d already dealt with one child slipping and the subsequent meltdown, and really didn’t want to go through that again. And, to cap it all off, he had a headache, which had started around 2 pm and would not go away.

Since a holiday was fast approaching, Jisung was working later than usual and had a break before the evening rush. He decided that what he needed was coffee and lots of it, preferably with several shots of espresso to keep him awake and to quell the pounding in his head. So, he threw on his coat and scarf, kicking himself for not remembering a hat nor an umbrella, and headed across the street.

As soon as Jisung entered the small, cozy cafe, he relaxed. The sharp smell of coffee and the sweetness of baked goods mingled tantalizingly before his nose, and a lazy smile spread across his face without him even realizing it. He joined the mercifully short line to the counter, thinking that he could really go for something simple, as long as there was plenty of caffeine in it. Preoccupied with his phone, Jisung didn’t notice he was at the beginning of the line.

“Hi, what can I get for you this evening?” a light voice asked. After a pause it said again, “Hello?”

Jisung’s head shot up, looking a bit sheepish, and he blinked. A beautiful young woman stood in front of him, head cocked to the side and waiting to take his drink order. Suddenly, his day had gotten a lot better.

“I- Sorry. Um, could I have a medium latte with an extra shot of espresso, please?” Jisung said, trying his best to seem casual when, in reality, he was practically shaking.

“Sure, that’ll be ready in a few minutes at the counter to the right,” you said as Jisung paid and went to stand to the side.

He knew it would be rude to stare, but he couldn’t help it. Jisung was instantly drawn to you without prompting nor reason. You were the prettiest person he’d ever seen, and he was friends with Hyunjin, whose delicate features usually drew the attention of every person in a room. Maybe it was your smile and the way your eyes sparkled. Maybe it was the way the loose strands of hair fell around your face. Or maybe it was just the mellifluousness of your voice. He could barely think. Oh no, he really needed to keep it together since he was in public.

Jisung went to the counter to retrieve his coffee once it was ready, and tried not to yelp as his hand brushed yours. He scurried out of the cafe as quickly as possible, not wanting to embarrass himself anymore than he already had.

The next morning, Jisung returned to the little cafe across from the florist. He went back the day after that, and the next, and even the next day after that. Without fail, he was there at 8:30 am to get his latte and sometimes a bun. He never stayed long, since he had the shop to open, but it was nice to have this new routine. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t gone there before. By the fifth morning of him going to the cafe, you knew his order and even had the coffee almost ready.

“Morning!” you said brightly, “Same as usual?”

“Yeah, and a bun, too, please. Any flavor is fine!”

“Sure thing! Also, what’s your name? You come in here all the time and I can’t believe I’m just now asking,” you wondered.

“Oh!” Jisung was surprised you’d even ask. He was just a customer, no one special, right? “My name’s Jisung. Han Jisung. You’re Y/N, right? I noticed your name tag and all.” He stopped before he could say more, not wanting to admit that he’d noted your name the first day he saw you and committed it to memory.

“Yep, I’m Y/N,” you said, “And you have a lovely name. It sounds like the wind blowing through willow leaves. I like it.”

Jisung blushed, not used to compliments, especially from a pretty girl on whom he had such a crush. “Th-thank you. I like your name, too.”

You finished swirling steamed and frothed milk, espresso, and caramel together as Jisung squirmed on the other side of the counter.

“So, you work at the florist, right?” you said. “Has it been as busy over there as in here? I feel like I’ve seen at least twenty couples of high schoolers going on awkward coffee dates just in the past week.”

“Oh my god, it’s been crazy. Everyone wants special flowers and we only have so many because, wow, it’s the middle of winter. People just don’t seem to get that flowers have to grow and that takes time. The rain hasn’t been helping moods, either. Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear the rants of a frustrated florist.” Yet again, Jisung’s mouth had tried to run away of its own accord. “Those high schoolers must be annoying, though—I can’t imagine having to deal with them. At least my customers are mainly adults.”

You laughed, and Jisung thought he’d never heard anything so free and beautiful. “It sounds like a busy week for you, too! Yeah, they’ve been a bit . . . loud? Constantly here?” You handed Jisung his coffee and one of the special currant buns the owner of the cafe had made just that morning. “Here you go, Jisung!”

“Thanks, Y/N. Good luck with the high schoolers.” Jisung took a sip of the coffee. “Oooh, caramel! Thanks!” he said, appreciatively, meeting your eyes and praying that you wouldn’t notice him blushing while he paid.

“Well, at least they have dates for Valentine’s Day,” you said, looking directly at Jisung. “Good luck with the last minute flower orders. See you tomorrow, then!”

Jisung smiled in response and made his way to the door. Had you been trying to hint at something? It was the day before Valentine’s Day, after all.

Throughout the day, Jisung couldn’t stop thinking about you. How, despite only seeing you six times in his entire life, did he manage to have such a big crush on you? How?! As he helped customer after customer who wanted roses, orchids, hydrangeas, and every other fancy flower they could find, Jisung wondered which flowers would suit you best. Certainly something happy and carefree, yet strong and beautiful. You weren’t one for opulence—he could guess that much. Maybe sunflowers or tulips would do.

During his lunch break, Jisung went into the refrigerated room that held the flowers waiting to be brought out into the shop proper. He wanted to make you a bouquet, and it needed to be perfect. Jisung walked up and down the row of flowers in buckets, trying to find complementary blooms for one large sunflower and four deep crimson tulips. Every so often, he’d stop and bring a flower to his nose or hold it next to the sunflower and tulips. He finally choose a few fern fronds, and sprigs of baby’s-breath and feverfew. The white and green would set off the deep yellow and red nicely. The bouquet almost seemed to smile at him, the colors were so warm and bright. Just like you.

Jisung set the flowers down on his station, arranged them to his satisfaction, and carefully wrapped protective paper around the bouquet. He even tied a deep red ribbon around the paper to better highlight the tulips. Pleased with his work, he continued his break and the rest of the afternoon with a light heart. When it came time for him to leave that evening, Jisung gathered his things and the bouquet, and steeled himself. If he didn’t do this now, he guessed he’d never be able to bring himself to do it again.

Jisung stepped into the cafe, hiding the bouquet behind his back. You looked up from the book you were reading, since, somehow, there was a lull in the steady stream of customers you’d had all afternoon. The smile on your face when you noticed it was him gave Jisung the extra courage to walk up to the counter.

“Jisung!” you exclaimed. “You’re back! What’s up?”

“Um, well, I wanted to give you these,” Jisung said, only a little nervously. He handed you the bouquet, hoping you’d like it. “You’re really pretty, Y/N. And, you said you didn’t have a date for Valentine’s Day, so I thought I’d see if you wanted to go on a date with me! I understand if you don’t, since we’ve only seen each other a handful of times, but it’s always nice to have company, right?” Jisung finished, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

“Thank you!” you said earnestly. “H-how did you know these are my favorite flowers?”

“I guessed?” Jisung’s blush became more pronounced and he glanced away before meeting your eyes again. “You’re my favorite flower, and you’re always so cheerful—but also steady and strong—so I thought sunflowers and tulips would be perfect. I hope that wasn’t too forward . . ..”

“Jisung, this is perfect,” you said, beaming at the young man in front of you. “I’d love to go on a date with you! You’re always so sweet and, uh, you’re pretty cute, too.”

The look on Jisung’s face should have been distilled for future use as a remedy against sadness, he was so happy. “Really? You’ll go out with me?” he asked, still not quite believing it.

“Of course—how could I resist being courted with flowers? Oh! We should go ice skating!”

The next evening, Valentine’s Day, Jisung met you at the outdoor ice rink. You’d brought hot tea—you had enough of coffee at work—to fend off the chill. He was glad to have a chance to just stand with you in comfortable silence as you watched the other skaters. You were easy to be with, and didn’t feel the need to talk all the time, which immediately endeared you to Jisung even more. When the two of you did speak, it was all the more meaningful because you shared what you really cared about: books, music production, the cutest small animals you could think of, etc.

Jisung hadn’t been skating in years, so he laid himself at your mercy to help him stay upright on the ice. It also gave him the excuse to hold your hand for long stretches, but you didn’t seem to mind either. It wasn’t long until he got his feet back under him and was skating smoothly.

As the two of you skated around the ice rink, the snow started to fall gently as other couples laughed and spun around you. You looked up at Jisung. He had his head tilted up to the sky, much like a sunflower, and was catching snowflakes on his cheeks and eyelashes. He had a blissful smile on his face and paid no mind to the strands of blond hair falling into his eyes.

“Jisung?” you said.

“Hmmm?”

“If I’m your favorite flower,” you mused, “then you’re my sunshine, right?”

Jisung’s eyes flew open and he skidded his skates so the two of you stopped. “Yes, of course,” he murmured as he wrapped you in a tight hug, and, surprised as you were, you hugged him just as tightly. When Jisung drew back slightly and looked at you, a gentle smile touching his eyes, you leaned up and kissed him. It was just a light touch on the lips, but it felt as warm and sparkling as the first truly warm day in spring when the sun breaks through clouds to dispel any lingering tendrils of frost or cold wind. Everything just seemed so right with Jisung—you couldn’t explain it but the feeling was lovely and you wanted it to stay. After all, a sunflower needed the sun to grow and the sun needed things on which to shine.

[schnees-and-schnugs]

i promised @dameschnee123​ id write a whitley-willow angst ficlet after i bomb my midterms lmao so here we go 

The Schnee Manor felt a tinge warmer than usual. Willow could tell, she always hated the cold. Despite her helplessness, it was the one thing she could never let go of from her life before Jacques Schnee. The warmth of her father’s smile, the faint smell of his cologne that is still somehow attached to his scarf never failed to help her feel a bit more comfortable in this freezing mansion. 

How could she not have seen the warning signs? The way Jacques seemed to suck the warmth out of any room he was in? How is hands were always so cold? It was if the Gods were giving her every sign to stay away, but she just pushed on right through- falling for every one of his tricks, stubbornly thinking that maybe he loved her. Maybe he wasn’t using her. 

Gods, why had she been such a stupid girl. 

Her mother always said she was naive, just like her father. Always wanting to believe the best in people. Even he had believed in whatever manufactured good Jacques had in him. 

Stupid Stupid Stupid. Everyone.

Time blurred and somehow she found herself back in her bedroom. She didn’t remember walking so far from the front doors of the manor, but yet...

Was she crying? 

There was a dull pain in her throat and Willow could feel a sob rising in her chest. Are these tears of joy? Anger? Sadness? She spent so long numbing the pain that she couldn’t tell the difference anymore. All she knew is that she needed to kill it before it became futile. Numb it before the reality of her life hit her.

But what is there to run away from?  He’s gone

But Willow still felt the same. She was no longer being held down, but she had gotten so comfortable on the ground she can’t tell the difference anymore. But... Perhaps she’ll give in tonight. A little treat for doing the one thing she should have done years ago- getting rid of him.

On her nightstand sat a bottle of liquor, next to the family photos she cared enough to keep next to her every night. Willow wiped her cheeks.

Ironic 

Standing next to the bottle on either side were two small photos. Once upon a time she had taken the time to take photos with each of her children and frame them. Once upon a time she used to happily gaze upon these photos before retiring to bed, thinking that if her worst fears about Jacques were true, she would at least still have her babies.

But the truth hit a lot harder than she thought it would.

The picture on the right was of her and Winter. It was a regal picture- but not short on love. Winter had always been a serious child, bred from birth to be Jacques’ perfect heir. She was always easily flustered when it came to acts of affection, which really only spurred Willow on. She had both her hands on Winter’s shoulders while Winter stood there on front of her, arms behind her back. Smirking. Willow started to chuckle before catching herself. What right did she have to look upon this picture and smile? She hadn’t been the same mother in that picture for years.

The picture on the left was of her and Weiss. She was poised closer to Weiss, almost bent over with her head near Weiss’ shoulder, smiling and rubbing her cheek against her daughter’s. Willow almost couldn’t recognize herself. Somehow this woman managed to make Weiss smile. She hasn’t been able to really make Weiss this happy in years. What would she give to be able to recreate this image in the present. Just stop thinking.

Her hands were shaking as she reached for the bottle in between the framed pictures. Why did she still keep them there? To torture herself? Guilt herself? Did the old Willow place them there knowing that it’ll only hurt herself later? She didn’t need these thoughts. Not tonight. 

She quickly grabbed the bottle and raised it to her lips, but not before she caught a glimpse of the third photo in the middle, obscured from her sight earlier by the liquor bottle.

Gods.

Willow stood there, facing the camera in the midst of laughter. To her side was Whitley, six - not wait five years old- with his arms around her neck and standing on his toes, landing a big smooch on her cheek. This wasn’t meant to be the picture, but Whitley was quite the hyperactive child. The photographer had taken this photo and proclaimed it to be the more wholesome shoot he had ever done. Willow had agreed.

There was a time when she wasn’t able to go three hours without taking a glance at this photo. She had adored it so much she kept it a secret from Jacques, not wanting him to publish it or hang it up for everyone who visited the manor to see. No. This picture was hers.

Now a part of Willow had wished she had showed it to Jacques. Had let him take it and tarnish the memory before Willow ever could have done it herself. She gripped her bottle, knuckles whitening. Does she wish she had hurt Whitley more?

No... she doesn’t. She wont.

She placed the bottle back down hesitantly and made her way to Whitley’s room. What was she going to say? “Hey I know you’re very upset, and I’ve been ignoring your emotional needs for years but please just let me be your mother for once and comfort you”? No- too direct. 

What would old Willow do? 

She grimaced. Old Willow wouldn’t have needed to make excuses. She wouldn’t have watched Whitley run up the staircase and done nothing to console him. Old Willow deserved to be Whitley’s mother. She didn’t abandon him. Hurt him continuously for years. What right does she have to come back and pretend that she deserved his forgiveness?

But she wasn’t going to leave him. Not again.

She tentatively approached his door before pausing, hearing a faint sound behind the door. Crying? Or maybe closer to sobbing. Willow gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to run away. You know how to do this. Just do it. 

She always knew Whitley cried a lot more than he let on, but of course he never let her in on it. The night Weiss left for Beacon Willow was in this same position, standing nervously outside Whitley’s room door, listening to him weep before eventually losing her nerve and walking away. That night she should have gone in. But she was too afraid of rekindling the relationship she used to have with her son. Too scared to comfort him.

But tonight she will.

She softly knocked on his door. “Whitley... darling, may I come in?”

The sobbing stopped. There was a small sniffle. And then silence. 

“Whitley, sweetheart, please?” Willow hated the begging in her voice. Hated that she had to beg her son to let her in because she lost the right to be able to walk in casually so long ago.

You know what... fuck it

Willow opened the door and silently stepped into the room. Thankfully, Whitley doesn’t lock his room door- a rule set by Jacques a few months ago. She spotted him in his bed, curled up around his pillow under a mass of covers. Is he pretending to be asleep? Willow doesn’t really blame him. She could pretend that she fell for it and leave- No.

She made her way to his bed and sat on the edge, still at loss for words.

“I know you’re awake”. She cringed at the accusatory tone of her voice. Be gentle.  “Its okay if you don’t want to talk... but I’d prefer if you’d tell me how you’re feeling.”

Silence.

Then came a muffled reply: “I’m fine”

“Okay...” Willow could see the tear stains on his pillow where he had been crying into it. “Could you tell me why you’re crying then?”

“Why do you think?”

Willow scowled. She had dealt with teen talk back before with Winter. But now it feels like she’s walking on egg shells.

“I know you’re upset about what happened earlier tonight-”

“Why are you here?” Whitley sat up, glaring at her. “Shouldn’t you be drowning your sorrows away?”

Gods, this kid. Willow wanted to get angry. Just up and leave like she usually would do- preferring to sit in solitude than to deal with this. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Looking at Whitley- his mussed up hair, red eyes and nose from weeping only moments ago, she wanted to hold him in her arms until he stopped feeling hurt or until he fell asleep. Or both. It didn’t matter to her. She wanted him to be okay. 

“No... I’m choosing to be here with you right now,” she took his hand in hers. Surprisingly, he didn’t stop her. “Look I... I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. You were so young and... I just- every time I see you-”

“What? Do I remind you of Father?” Whitley snapped. “Isn’t that what you always said? That he and I deserve each other?” He was fully facing her now, practically yelling. Willow choked down pain in her throat. Whitley never yelled. Even when he’s upset, he speaks barely above his inside voice. 

“No! I didn’t mean-” 

“What? Tell me whats your excuse now?”

“I don’t have an excuse! Everyday I regret failing you! It hurts to look at you because I love you and everyday I wish that I was stronger. Strong enough to be your mother instead of the mess I am now. Whitley please, darling, just know that you’re everything to me and I want you to be happy,” Willow hadn’t realized she was yelling back before until she heard the echos of her last few words. She slowly looked back up at him. “Sweet-”

He quickly pulled his hand away from hers, cradling both against his chest. She couldn’t describe the look on his face as anything other than... panic.

“Why?” Tears welled up in his eyes. “Why are you doing this to me?”

Willow blinked. “What do you mean? Whitley what’s wrong?”

“Why are you saying these things? Are you drunk?” Whitley seemed to shrink into himself, distancing himself from Willow. “You abandoned me. You, Winter, Weiss, you’re all the same. At least Father pretended to care about me, and you all had to take that away too”.

No No No. Willow scrambled for anything to say, anything to calm him down. But her mind was empty. All she could do was stare. She thought she had known Whitley well enough all these years, but no... she didn’t. The shoulder pads he usually wore to imitate his father were gone, and now he just looked... small. So small. Was he always like this? She didn’t know. She hadn’t bothered to ever look any deeper than what scrapes Whitley gave her in these last few years. 

“You think that you can just come here and act like you’ve loved me all along?” Whitley’s voiced cracked. “Why are you being so cruel?”

“Cruel...” Willow barely registered his words. Whitley didn’t understand like how Weiss understood. He’s too damaged. Too caught up in his resentment and anger to ever see the people who cared for him. But what could she say? Yes, I neglected you for years, but you should forgive me? Yes, Winter left for Atlas Academy and never reconnected with you, you should forgive her? Forgive Weiss for finding a better life else where than here with you? Whitley could never find it within him to forgive them. Willow knew he’s been burned too many times and now he’s given up. He just wants to be alone. Even if it hurts him.

“Just... get out. Leave me alone. I don’t need you or anyone... just go.” 

Willow got up, feeling Whitley’s eyes burn a hole into her back as she turned to leave. Did he actually want her to stay? She didn’t know. He probably doesn’t know either. 

She heard his breath catch as she stepped out the door, closing it behind her. 

Willow didn’t know how long she stood outside in the hallway, listening to Whitley’s wails before walking back to her room. She hoped a little distance would block out the noise, but she could still hear it faintly as she sat on her bed drinking the last drop of her liquor.

She placed the bottle conveniently right between the two photos of her daughters and hoped for sleep.

[always-my-half-blood-prince]

The Weight Of Water (Severus Snape x Reader) Pt. 1

Prompt: Severus has always been head over heels for Lily. Even though you loved him, his happiness around her caused you so much pain. You wished it was you. You began to get jealous of Lily, and you can’t ignore the pent up feelings anymore.

Inspired by: Snow Patrol- Make This Go On Forever

Note: I posted this on my old tumblr but I’ve revised it and rewrote some parts. Hope you enjoy! <3

There you sat next to Severus under the giant Whomping Willow. Your eyes looking up at the sky as you listen to him. He was currently rambling on about transfiguration class. You smirk lightly, he always found something to complain about. It was funny most of the time, sometimes you almost feel bad for him. You let out a small sigh his voice was so calming, smooth and deep.

“Are you even listening to me?” You jump a little. Your eyes were wide “Uh, I...urm, Sorry Sev” you say rubbing the back of your neck. He let out a small huff, “No wonder why you’re failing potions...” he said pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. “Hey! That’s mean!” You laugh punching his arm gently. You see a small smirk on his lips. You lean back against the tree trunk contently, “So Severus..,” you look over at him but your smile drops as you notice his staring off somewhere. Your eyes look to where he’s looking and there she was, Lily Evans.

Who was Lily Evans you ask? Well she is only the prettiest griffindor in the history of all Hogwarts. It seemed as if every boy in the school fawned over her, including Severus. The Severus that was your best friend. The Severus, who practically worshipped the ground Lily walked on. Your smile faltered, and so did your heart as it began to throb with every beat it made. You couldn’t stand her, and it wasn’t even her fault, she was nice and all but the thought of her just makes your blood boil. You hated yourself for it since you both used to be good friends, still are as a matter of fact, but You recently try to distance yourself from her. You couldn’t blame the guys, she was beautiful, practically an angel walking amongst humanity.

“She’s so beautiful” you hear Severus murmur and you feel another pang in your chest. Your mouth twists into a nasty scowl. “Yeah she is, isn’t she?” You say with a bit more venom than you should have. Though lover boy over there was too caught up in his own daydream to even notice. Lily was laughing with a few other girls, presumably her friends. She looked over in the direction of the tree. ‘Oh no.., please don’t come over here’ you thought and prayed with the small bit of hope you had left in your chest.

“Hey Severus! Hey (Y/n)!” You heard the rather familiar cheerful voice. That small piece of hope just shattered. Your dream of finally being alone with Severus and having a good day was crushed. You looked up at Lily and forced a smile, after all she didn’t deserve to be treated badly over something she couldn’t even help.

You watched as Severus began to talk to Lily, as if he forgot that you were even there. You zoned out ‘Should I just be supportive? I mean, she makes him happy right?’ “(Y/n)!” You were snapped out of your thoughts “You alright?” Lily asked you with a look of concern. You had failed to notice that your eyes had began to get watery. You turn away quickly and nodded “Yeah, I’m fine!” You say “I just forgot that I have an essay due tomorrow for Astrology!” You say picking your stuff up.

Severus shook his head with a look that said he wasn’t surprised. “Sorry, I have to go if I want to get it done!” You say excusing yourself. You didn’t even wait for them to respond, you just ran your way to your dorm. Once inside you shut the door with a loud slam. You let out a huff walking over to your bed sitting down. The whole essay thing was a lie, you had already completed it days ago.

You look over at the chest that day at the front of your bed. You got up and crouched down beside it. You opened it to reveal all of your neat, tucked away belongings. The one thing that stood out the most to you was a large tattered old scarf. You pick it up, green and grey, a Slytherin house scarf. You smiled a bit and held it close, falling back on your bed you think back to the day you got it.

Three years ago, in the winter months you and Severus we’re walking outside surrounded by heaping piles of snow. The both of you had been talking about something but you can’t quite remember. You do remember though when you were bombarded by several snow balls by a group of four. The Marauders is what they called themselves. Nothing more than a bunch of annoying Griffindor bullies.

You stood still covered in snow, “Look at Snivellus, and his useless little sidekick” James muttered out. The four walk forward. This happened a lot actually, both sides had mutual hate for each other. “You follow him around like your his shadow, don’t you have any other friends? Honestly, did expect much from someone like you, hanging out with trash” Another boy taunted, you believe his name was Sirius, from the Black family. You were use to the regular taunts, “Just leave us alone” you growl gripping your wand at your side.

James glared at you, and you glared right back at him. “You’re always getting into other people’s business, Potter!” You spat out his name with hatred. “Awe, Sorry did we insult you and your boyfriend, you know the both of you are perfect for each other!” James said grinning. “Both of you are complete nobodies who are insults to the wizarding world” he said to you before laughing. You rip your wand from its holster aiming right at James’ face. You huff, a small white light came from your wand and hit James sending him back a couple of feet, effectively startling the other three idiots. James sat up coughing and spitting out the mouthful of snow that was rammed harshly into his mouth.

You took this chance to grab Severus’ arm and run like you’ve never ran before. You could hear Severus holding back his laughter, maybe that would shut James up for once. “I can’t believe you did that” Severus said with a small chuckle. You grin in amusement, “They won’t mess with you while I’m here!” You said to him as you tried to warm yourself up. Being hit with snow in the face and upper neck sucks when you don’t have a scarf.

Now you we’re cold and wet and shivering in the cool wind. Severus frowned as he watched you. A few seconds later you feel him wrap something around your neck and covering part of your face. Looking down you saw his scarf and your cheeks flushed. “Sev! You’ll get cold! Take it back” you say to him but he shakes his head. “I don’t want you to get sick, I’m fine” he said to you as you guys continued your walk through the snowy school grounds.

It was nice to think back to that day. You still had not given him the scarf back and honestly, you didn’t want to. You curled up on your bed holding it close. “At least tomorrow is Saturday...” you whisper to yourself as you drift off into a deep sleep.

[agrestenoir]

what’s written in the stars

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug Pairing: Adrien/Marinette Rating: M Summary: Marinette doesn’t know what deity she pissed off to be cursed to love a time traveler.

“I think we are one of those couples with a long story to tell when people ask how we found each other. Because I will see her every now and then, and maybe one year, she’ll be with a different me, and the next year, I’ll be with a different her. And it’s gonna take a long time, but then it’ll be perfect. I’m in no rush.”

*

When Marinette is twenty-years-old, she meets Adrien for the first time. 

He’s behind the counter at the coffee shop, an apron wrapped around his waist as he takes an order from the customer at the register, and looking younger than she’s ever seen him. Her mind draws a blank as she rushes forward, pushes to the front of the line, and grabs ahold of his wrist before he can pull away. 

“Hello,” she says with a bright smile. 

He stares at her in confusion, quirking an eyebrow high. “Hi?” 

There’s a moment of silence between them, the span of a handful of heartbeats, and then she’s leaning closer. “Do you… Do you know who I am?” 

“I’m sorry?” Adrien shakes his head and starts to pull away. “You have the wrong person.” 

“I love you,” she tells him suddenly, expression imploring. “Please don’t go.” 

“Oh?” A smile stretches across his face, and heavy-lidded eyes turn her inside out. “Tell me more.”

It’s nothing new, but it’s a face she recognizes from those years he was tentative and unsure, when Early Adrien had no idea how to talk to women. Even though it has the power to make her heart throb, bruised and bleeding in her chest, she knows there’s no truth behind it. Not here, not in this time. 

Adrien is eighteen and full of the charm and charisma that tears her apart, something that squirms under her skin like a live wire, and something she doesn’t miss. But it’s still Adrien, the person she loves with her whole being, and she’ll take him no matter what age. (Even if he’s still that rascal sort who thinks flirty eyes and sharp smirks are all girls want, and then they’ll leave him alone.) 

“Over coffee,” she says. “Preferably when you’re not working.” She thinks back to what he told her way back when, tries to remember what time he gets off again. “Tonight, maybe seven?”

He smiles, and Marinette’s heart picks up its pace. 

This is how it all starts.

  *

  It actually starts when Marinette is six and picking flowers in the park across the street, when an older man steps out from behind the old willow tree with an easy smile and kind eyes. He’s holding a pink lily, petals wet with morning dew, and offers it to her. 

“Someone told me this is your favorite flower,” he says when her little hand brushes his. “But I think blue poppies are better.”

Marinette manages an indignant huff. “Blue flowers are stupid.” 

The man merely chuckles, shaking his head. “Maybe, maybe.” He stretches out his hand for her to shake. “My name’s Adrien. Do you mind if I stay here for a little bit and look at flowers with you?”

Little Marinette hesitates for a moment, her parents’ voices echoing through her head about strangers and caution, but this man looks at her with that smile, and it’s like she’s known him for her entire life. A part of her recognizing him instantly.

“Sure. I’m Marinette,” she murmurs in response, and the rest, they say, is history.

  *

  “So you’re my girlfriend, and you know I time travel,”  Adrien says incredulously over the rim of his coffee cup, like he doesn’t know which concept is more unbelievable. “How long has this been going on exactly?” 

“You’ve been with me my whole life,” she tells him with a smile. Marinette reaches out and grabs his free hand in the center of the table, intertwining their fingers together. “You’ve come more frequently in the last five years though. I think it’s because it’s closer to when you first met me.”

“This is still a lot to take in.” Adrien shakes his head, still dumbfounded. “It’s not every day that some pretty stranger comes up to me at work and tells me that she knows my deepest secret, that we’re apparently dating, and that she knows all about my future.”

“Our future,” she corrects. “You’ve known mine my whole life, so I kind of like being on the other side of things.”

Adrien leans back in his chair and crosses his arms against his chest. “So you’re telling me that someday soon, I’m going to start traveling back in some random girl’s timeline?” 

“It’s not random,” Marinette presses and nudges his ankle with her toe. “It’s never been random.” 

“Trust me, it is, bugaboo, because I’d remember if I ever saw a pretty girl like you—” he begins, eyes lingering on the ladybug earrings she’s currently wearing, the nickname slipping out as easy as breathing.

She kicks him hard enough to make him choke. “It isn’t.” Anger burns low and hot in the pit of her stomach, and she remembers how stupid Early Adrien was, still learning how to function without the mask he portrays to random girls who accost him in coffee shops. 

“I just don’t understand how this is supposed to work,” he tells her honestly. 

“You once told me it’s like gravity: that big events pull you in.” She shrugs helplessly. “That’s how it is for me too. The more important something or someone is, the more I travel to them.” 

“Wait.” Adrien’s eyes flash wildly. “You time travel too?” 

A laugh falls from her lips and into the space between them. “You think I’m from this time?” Adrien tightens his grip on her hand as the truth crashes over him. “I travel too, but only to you.” 

“Why?” 

“What can I say?” Marinette smiles, eyes glimmering. “Big events pull me in, and you were mine.” 

  *

   “I don’t think we’ve ever been the same age,” Marinette tells him, when she is eighteen and he is eighteen. “It’s different.” 

“What’s the oldest you’ve seen me?” he asks as they amble down the snow-slick sidewalks towards the Italian café near Marinette’s university. Adrien is fresh from his spring semester while Marinette is in the middle of her fall, her workload already increasing as she prepares for her finals. He carries her bag over his shoulder while she buttons up her jacket.

Marinette bites her bottom lip in thought. “I think… twenty-eight maybe?” 

“That’s… a long time,” he muses. “I do this for over a decade?” 

“I’ve been doing it for longer,” she tells him with a sharp smirk. “Better catch up, darling.” 

Adrien laughs, shoulders shaking. “And how long have you been traveling?” 

“I started when I was ten.” 

“And you only go to my future?”

“Your future, a different reality, a parallel universe.” She sighs and buries her face in the worn knit scarf. “We’ve never really figured out what it is. Time travel or universe hopping or something else. Nothing really needed a label. We don’t even know if we’re in the same timeline.” 

Adrien thinks about that for a long while. “So I could be in my sixties when you’re born. Or you could be long dead right now.” 

“Or I could be in a completely different reality,” she says softly. “There’s an infinite number of them you know: ones that are completely different, others only slightly. One where we took a left instead of a right, where I studied forensics instead of fashion. You just never know.” 

Adrien whistles low. “Wow. You’ve thought a lot about this.” 

Marinette presses her lips into a thin line. “I’ve spent most of my life waiting for you. I’ve had time.”

  *

  Marinette is twenty-one and sitting with a twenty-three-year-old Adrien on a rooftop in the grassy hills of England somewhere. There’s a B&B belonging to a friend of his from London that he likes to visit a few times during the summer when he’s on break from school. 

“So you ever been here before?” he asks her as he takes a sip of the cinnamon whiskey he’s taken up to the roof with them. “Little bit different than New York, I presume.” 

She leans back on her hands, crosses her legs, and tosses her head back to stare up at the night sky. In the distance, the moon bobs above the waves. It’s definitely not like the city. 

“Once,” she tells him and thinks back to when she was twelve and walking down the hallway of her home, only to suddenly find herself in a meadow in England with Adrien laying on a picnic blanket. It’d only been for a moment, where she managed a short wave, and was thrust back into her own timeline. “But it was nothing like this.” 

“It’s really something, isn’t it?” He hands her the bottle of whiskey, and she takes a quick sip, wincing as the bitter taste burns her throat. “Don’t get a view like this back home.” 

Marinette’s eyes rest on him, trim and toned body laid out across the roof, all long legs and pale skin. “You definitely don’t,” she tells him, probably a little tipsy but far past caring. 

Adrien can feel her gaze on him and takes the bottle from her hands, tossing back a shot and choking it down to give himself an excuse for his burning cheeks. Shoulders shaking, Marinette laughs and leans forward to press a kiss to his cheek, to the tip of his nose, and then to his lips. 

He smiles into the kiss. “You’re the best view I’ve ever seen.” He pulls away and rests his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. “I wish I could see you every minute of every day.” 

Marinette sucks on her bottom lip and pushes Adrien backwards until she can lay across his chest. She can hear his heartbeat through the thin fabric of his shirt, the steady pitter-patter that reminds her that he’s real and he’s here. Sometimes she thinks she’ll wake up one day and this will all be a dream—time travel, Adrien, and their love—but then she jumps again, and he’s there, right where he should be. 

“I wish I could wake up next to you every day,” she tells him softly. He cards his fingers through her tangled-curls, and tears prickle in the corner of her eyes. “I love you so much.” 

She tries to quell the fears bubbling up inside her, her heart beating against her ribcage like a wild animal wanting to get out. What if this is all their life is—waking up alone with the ghost of the other in their bed—and they never get the chance to make something real out of it? What if the time traveling stops, and she never sees Adrien again after this moment? What if this is all they have?” 

“I graduate next week,” she says. “Can you come?” 

He looks at her sadly. “I’ll try,” he tells her and presses a kiss to the top of her head. “I always do.” 

Sometimes that’s all they can do.

  *

 Marinette can’t remember when she first fell in love with Adrien. 

He’s always been a part of her life—since the moment in the park to the last night they spent together in her apartment in the middle of New York. All she knows is that she’s loved him for as long as she’s known him, which is basically forever at this point. At twenty-four, you’d think she’d know better than to love a person she can never keep.

But that’s a lesson Marinette’s been trying to learn for nearly twenty years to no avail. 

“Do you ever wonder if this is the last time we’ll see each other?” Marinette asks him on the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday in a mess of sheets and skin, wrapped in his arms as a storm brews outside. 

Adrien at twenty-seven simply shrugs like he has no care in the world and holds her tighter. “I don’t have time to worry. I’ve been traveling my whole life, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that I have to value my time in the present.” 

“But is this my present or yours?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he says and presses a kiss to her crown. “All that matters is that you’re here, and so am I, and that we’re together.”

  *

 One time, when she’s twenty-two and visiting home, she goes to London and tries to look for Adrien.

She doesn’t find anything and heads back to Paris, too broken-hearted to think.

  *

  “Can I kiss you?” Adrien asks while they stand in the pouring rain, when she’s seventeen and he’s nineteen. “Or is that too weird?”

There’s no proper response as Marinette throws her arms around his neck and pulls him close. She kisses him then, and it’s wet and messy, maybe from the rain, who really knows, but it’s wonderful and beautiful because it’s something they’ve both been waiting for. When they pull away, both are gasping for breath. 

Marinette laughs, giggles spilling into the space between them, as she rests her damp head against his soaked shirt. “God… I’ve been wanting to do that since I was fourteen.”

A shiver goes down his spine. “You’ve loved me for a long time.”

“You’ve just…” Her voice trails off as she struggles to find the words. “You’ve always been there. I don’t think… I ever had choice not to.” 

“Do you ever regret that?” he asks. 

Marinette shakes her head. “Never.”

  *

  Marinette doesn’t love Adrien just because the universe told her too, but rather because he’s ingrained himself in every part of her life. While the concept of him has always seemed impossible, he makes himself known in little ways that matter, sometimes just to prove he exists, and others just to make her happy. It’s these things that make her fall for him.

When she has her first fashion show, he’s standing in the crowd with a noise maker he’d snagged from the convenience store down the way, getting chased out by security when he uses the damn thing. When she’s drowning in finals during her freshman year at a university in New York, away from home for the first time, he comes with an energy drink and study guide to keep her company. During her graduation, he’s seated front row away from the rest of her family, blowing her a kiss and mouthing “I love you!” for her eyes alone. 

It’s every afternoon in the park pressing flowers between the pages of one of her father’s old dictionaries. It’s poking each other with foils between Adrien’s fencing matches when he’s sweaty and anxious and she’s there to calm him down. It’s hours spent over designs as she finalizes the pieces before the presentation for the spring collection. It’s her at fifteen teaching him at twenty to skip rocks on the Seine only for him to turn around at twenty-four and teach seven-year-old Marinette the same thing. 

It’s all these things and more—the way he comes to the big moments in her life, the way she makes things big moments in his. 

Marinette wonders sometimes how she got so lucky to have someone who’s always there, and even when he disappears, there’s the burning hope he’ll come back. How he always keeps his promises. How he’s her constant support. How he never fails to make her smile. How his kindness shines through in everything he does. How soft and tender he is when she’s a little girl. How much he loves her and fights for her in the present. 

Marinette may not know when she fell in love with Adrien, but she definitely knows why.

  *

  The first time Marinette time travels, she’s ten and afraid. 

She’s skipping down the street to head home from the park as the sun burns low on the horizon, and suddenly it’s daybreak and she’s in the middle of an auditorium full of loud voices, flashing lights, and lots of people. She doesn’t know when she is—let alone where—but before she can panic, there’s hands on her shoulders and a man kneeling in front of her. 

“Marinette?” Adrien whispers, green eyes like the trees, soft and kind. 

“W-Where am I?” she presses as tears trek down her cheeks. “I was going home, a-and then I—” She snaps her eyes shut as a sob bubbles up from her chest. “I w-want to go home.” 

Her gaze skitters to the people around her, wearing weird clothing and weird hair and weird shoes with weird voices and weird phones, and she doesn’t know if she’s thirty years in the past or thirty years in the future. It only makes her press closet to Adrien and wrap her arms around his neck, holding on tightly as her whole body shakes, because he has a habit of disappearing when she doesn’t want him to, and she won’t let him go now. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” He rubs a hand down her back to comfort her. “You’re fine, you’re safe, I promise.” 

“What happened?” she whimpers. 

Adrien looks at her, twenty-one and quiet, and simply smiles. “You time traveled.”

  *

  Marinette is twenty-six when she travels onto a balcony in the middle of the city in Paris, attached to an unknown apartment in the uptown district. It’s a quaint complex with a sloping roof and white brick, maple trees bending gracefully over the street below. The late morning sunlight filters through the leaves and a spring breeze filters past. 

Cocking her head to the side, she ambles towards the window of the apartment, trying to make sense of where she is. In all her travels, she’s never been here before and Adrien has never told her about it.

She peers through a window with white-trim and catches sight of movement inside. Hesitation has never been her strong suite, especially when she’s traveling, as she never knows how much time she has to do what she needs to do. Usually Adrien is somewhere close, but something about this time feels different. 

The window shows a dining table where two people sit—a man with a red hat and thick-rimmed glasses and another woman with dark hair pulled into a high bun. They’re both sipping from coffee mugs and pondering over open catalogs strewn across the table in front of them. The man says something that causes the woman to shake with laughter as she scoots her chair back and makes a move to stand. 

As she turns to the side, Marinette lets a gasp fall from her lips. 

She recognizes the woman as herself—laugh lines etched into her face, hair piled into messy curls, and belly swollen with child. 

A single tear trails down her cheek as she continues to stare, speechless and shocked, at the older Marinette who’s happy and with a man other than Adrien. Her hands are shaking as they clench the fabric of her shirt in tight fists, heart thundering like it’s going to break through her ribs, the world tilting on its axis as reality crashes over her. 

She’s pregnant. He’s not Adrien. 

She doesn’t want this. She’s never wanted this. Her whole life—it’s only ever been Adrien. 

There’s a pull within her, the universe trying to take her back, but she fights it even as her world falls apart. She needs to see more, get her answers to questions she hasn’t even formed yet, has to learn how to change this future because she doesn’t want it. 

As everything begins to fade and she finds herself between one time and the next, the older Marinette turns around and stares out the window, catching her gaze before she can fully disappear. The Marinette inside only presses her lips into a thin smile and raises her hand in goodbye, the silver ring on her finger glinting under the kitchen light. 

“It’s okay,” she mouths to her. “It’s gonna be okay.”

  *

  Marinette doesn’t like to think about all this ending. 

If she has her way, they’ll keep jumping in and out of each other’s lives forever. It’s not much of a life together, but it’s theirs, and damn it, that matters to her. She’d spend the rest of her life being a ghost in his, the figure found in all his photographs, the voice on his answering machine when he’s out and she can’t bother him, the memory that he goes back for when he needs to. 

Marinette would do it all if it means she gets to keep him. 

She wonders what Adrien thinks. She knows he loves her, but the question is… is it enough? 

For her, it always has been.

  *

  “What’re you doing?” Adrien asks her at twenty-seven, breathless and smiling between her kisses.

She’s twenty-six and desperate, convinced she’s just seen the end, where she’s thirty-something with a family of her own and no Adrien in sight. It makes her hungry for what she has now, and she wants to lose herself in it just to hide from the bubble future and what it has in store for them. 

It’s funny, she thinks to herself. I’ve never been scared of the future before. 

Inside her bedroom, she pulls him down by the collar of his shirt and crushes her lips to his, wet and hard with teeth and spit. He tastes like vanilla chap stick and coffee as he’d travelled in the middle of his breakfast, and God… she just wants to savor this. He hefts her against the bedroom door, her legs wrapping around his waist as she pulls her blouse overhead, and he buries his face against her neck. 

“I missed you,” she tells him between harsh gasps, shoulders shaking. He only smiles and spins around, throwing her onto the bed before crawling atop her. 

More clothes start coming off, exposing miles of warm skin she’s never once taken for granted. He sighs as he pushes into her, breathes turning shaky, but his kisses turn more ferocious. Hips pumping, toes curling, bed rocking—her nails dig into his shoulder blades as she holds onto him for dear life. It makes tears prickle in the corners of her eyes at the thought that she could someday lose all of this. 

“I love you, you know that, right?” he says as he pulls away, staring down at her in awe. 

Marinette can’t even muster a response, only nudging him closer until she can capture his lips with hers, opening her mouth and licking inside. Adrien smiles into it and reaches between them with one hand, cupping her sex and pressing until the world turns white. They lose themselves in the ebb of the tide, the sheets turning sticky with sweat, until her thighs clench around his hips, back arching off the bed, and she comes hard. 

When Marinette comes back to herself, and the world seems to right itself, she curls up in Adrien’s arms and buries her face in the crook of his neck. “I want you,” she murmurs against his skin. “I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” 

Adrien is silent for a moment before he laughs. “Did… Did you just propose?” 

“Yes,” she says because she can’t imagine what else she’d rather do. 

“Isn’t that my line?” he teases in jest. 

Marinette snorts. 

(God, she loves him.)

  *

  The first morning after, when she’s twenty and full of hope, she stares at the twenty-two-year-old Adrien sleeping beside her, who’s hogging the blankets and drooling on the pillow, and can’t help but laugh. “I swear, I’m gonna love you forever,” she tells him, and it’s more than a promise or a far-fetched dream. 

It’s always been a fact.

  *

  Adrien is twenty-eight and tosses her a small black box when she collapses on the couch in her new apartment. Moving back to Paris was harder than she imagined, but at least her boyfriend knows how to time things perfectly. They’ve spent the past few hours moving the last of her things in, and the adventure of unpacking still awaits, but it’s been a long day and she doesn’t know how long Adrien has left. 

“What’s this?” She takes the box and turns it over, gears in her head turning slowly, because she’s twenty-seven and tired. “Was this packed somewhere?” 

“No,” he says with a soft smile and plucks it out of her fingers. Marinette lets out an indignant squawk, trying to yank it back, but he presses her back against the couch with a single finger to her forehead. “Just hold on a second.” 

“Is it mine?” Marinette bites her bottom lip, trying to picture where he’s swiped it from. She doesn’t recall the box among her jewelry when she packed it all up. 

“Well, it ought to be,” he tells her. “Just depends what your answer is.” 

The world shudders to a halt. Her hands fly up to cover her mouth, and she draws a blank, unable to think of any words. 

Adrien slips off the couch and rocks back on his haunches, propping up on one knee in front of her. “Marinette, I feel like I’ve loved you since before I knew you.” He swallows, voice breaking. “Last year, you asked me a question, and I… I didn’t have an answer, and you didn’t do it correctly. I went to my father and asked for my mother’s rings because…”

A half-formed sob falls from his lips before he can choke it down. She’s still frozen.

“You didn’t—” Marinette starts to say, voice full of tears. 

“You asked last time, so I think now it’s my turn, so Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you—” A smile stretches across his face, and there’s tears dripping down his cheeks, and there’s tears against her lips as she kisses him breathless. 

“Yes,” she tells him and can’t stop laughing or crying. “It’s always been yes.”

  *

  They can’t get married—both lost in time, neither sure where the other is. 

It doesn’t stop them from pretending though. Rings adjourn fingers, twenty-eight-year-old Adrien pressing kisses to twenty-eight-year-old Marinette’s lips, the “I do” and always” somewhere in the spaces between them. 

It’s been a decade since they were the same age.

  *

 Marinette often wonders if there’s a limit to how much you can love someone.  She wonders if there’s a limit to how long you can love someone. 

At thirty, Adrien’s mother’s wedding ring burns like silver fire on her finger wherever she goes, a constant reminder of who put it there. She thinks about Adrien, tries to picture her future where they don’t exist, but it’s impossible. 

Every time she thinks about the future, where she’s thirty-something and with another man, she can’t imagine what life without Adrien will be like. It’s like trying to imagine a world where the sun doesn’t shine and the sky isn’t blue, where the road to her parents’ bakery isn’t cracked with age, where the pink lilies on her porch don’t grow after the rain falls.

It’s impossible, so she tries not to think about it. 

She also tries not to think about the fact that it’s been six months since Adrien last traveled.

(She tries but fails every time.)

  *

  She’s thirty-one and married to a ghost. 

It’s been five months since she last traveled.

  *

  The last time she sees Adrien is when he’s twenty-two and in love with a girl who burst into his coffee shop one day just to tell him that she loved him. 

They go to brunch and then kiss goodbye on the sidewalk, and Adrien fingers her ring and promises to catch up. “I think this is the oldest I’ve ever seen you,” he notes, and she tries not to cry, tries to pretend that there’s so much more future between them, tries not to think about how she’s going to lose him. 

“You’ll see me older someday,” she says, and this time is a far-fetched dream because if there’s one thing she can’t promise him, it’s time. 

Adrien stares at her with those green eyes that glitter like stars. “You know,” he tells her. “I think this is the happiest I’ve ever seen you.” 

Marinette can’t even form a proper response, only huffs a soft laugh and presses her lips to her wedding ring.

  *

  Marinette is thirty-three and has started a new job as a fashion designer at a renowned business in Paris. Adrien’s mother’s wedding ring still sits on her finger because she made a promise when she was twenty and refuses to break it. She’s unpacking her desk supplies from a box and adjusts her new nameplate with a soft sigh, the golden metal glinting in the sunlight streaming from the window. 

There’s a knock against her door, pulling her from her morning musings. “Hey, I found this box outside your office, and I think you dropped… Marinette?”

The voice strikes her deep inside, bringing her heart stammering to a stop. She twists around on her heel and a bright smile overtakes her face. “Adrien!” she cries and wraps her arms around his neck, his own holding her tight against his chest. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again!” 

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he gushes to her, eyes wide and brimming with questions. “I haven’t traveled in three years, and the last time I saw you, you were seven at that park, and… and I thought I’d lost you!” 

“Wait, wait,” she says, pressing her hands to his shoulders to keep him still. “What do you mean you haven’t traveled?” 

“I don’t know,” Adrien tells her, running a hand through his hair, already messy to begin with. “It just stopped. Master Fu thinks it’s because the clock genes got shocked back into place or something, or maybe it just… I don’t know, but I am so happy you’re here, I was worried you weren’t traveling anymore—” 

“I haven’t traveled in two years,” she says. 

Just to check, she glances around her office. It’s still her nameplate, still her box, still the picture of her parents in the corner, still the pink lilies and blue poppies on the windowsill. 

“Then how are you here?” he asks her. 

“I don’t know,” she tells him. “But this is my timeline and my reality. I woke up and came to work. I’m here because I got a new job with Gabriel Fashions, and this is where I’m supposed to be.” 

Adrien bites his bottom lip and shakes his head. “Then if you didn’t travel, and I didn’t travel…” 

Then… 

Then… 

Marinette doesn’t waste her time thinking. She grabs him by the collar and pulls him forward, kissing him and kissing him, until he’s laughing and so is she, tears streaming down both of their faces. 

“H-How are you here?” she asks him, flabbergasted. “I looked, but I could never find you.” 

“Gabriel’s my father. He owns this whole building, and I help with the business… But God, Mari, you’re here, you’re here,” he whispers against her forehead. “You’re really here.” 

“I’ve always been here,” she tells him and intertwines their fingers together, the silver of their matching wedding bands glinting in the sunlight. 

Same timeline, same universe, same Adrien.

  *

  She’s thirty-five and sitting at the kitchen table of her and Adrien’s home a mile from the office. Her wedding ring sits on her finger, but soon she’ll have to switch to a necklace as her fingers swell from her pregnancy. Across from her, Nino, her husband’s best friend, smiles around the rim of his coffee mug and points to a picture in the catalog. 

“I think you should get this crib,” he tells her. “That’s what Alya and I got for the twins. It’s sturdy and does its job.” 

She pushes herself to her feet, eager for some more tea, still laughing. “It’s fire engine red, Nino.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with red,” he grumbles under his breath. 

Her giggles spill into the space between them as Adrien comments from the other side of the room, “How about blue? Or green?” 

“You already got the room painted blue,” she snipes back. “We don’t need it looking like the Cookie Monster threw up in there.” 

“Hey,” he says and peers around the cabinet, a wrench in hand. “There’s nothing wrong with blue. I—oh.” Adrien pauses, blue eyes softening as he stares out the window onto their balcony.

Marinette simply sighs and turns on her heel, already knowing well enough what she’ll find. Her own wet eyes stare back as the younger Marinette begins to fade away, hands clenched to her chest in despair. 

She smiles and waves goodbye, quietly telling her that it’s okay, because it is, it does work out. 

It’s not much, but the younger her has a lifetime to figure out what she means. 

Warm arms loop around her waist, lips pressing against the nape of her neck. “You weren’t kidding.” 

“I told you,” she says and leans back against Adrien’s shoulder. “She’s going to be very worried for a while.” 

“I’m sorry I worried you.” 

She turns around in his arms and kisses him—slow and soft. “It’s worth it,” she whispers. “You’ve always been worth it.”

And the rest, they say, is history.

[chibivesicle]

What does Kirawus bring to the table in GK?  How much does he know about the gold?

This is something that has been stewing in the back of my mind for sometime and with the cover for volume 18 revealed, I might as well write up a meta on Kirawus, the mysterious Ainu, who has been periodically playing an important role in the hunt for the convicts.  Since he keeps popping up, I have a feeling that he will become more important to the story as things progress. . .

Volume 18 has him running across Lake Akan with Kadokura, and we finally know the colors for his clothing.  He has the fuzzy deerskin shoes similar to Kiro and Asirpa, his clothing is mainly navy blue with white accents, he’s wearing a dark red head scarf and he has a fur cloak (similar to the one Kiro had).  He also has a pair of tenkupe (hand covers) that he seems to wear in the winter.  We can also see his larger hunting knife and tobacco box.

Kirawus was first introduced in the Anehata Shiton arc, in the swamps of the Kushiro area.  He’s in the flashback explanation from Inkarmat, on how he noticed that Tanigaki had Nihei’s rifle with him.  He states he hunted with Nihei more than 10 years ago for brown bears.  Just based on his appearance and knowledge, I’d guess Kirawus is in his 40s.  He’s got crow’s feet around his eyes but without sunscreen at the time it would be harder to estimate age.

This indicates that Kirawus is a very observant individual to immediately recognize that.  Inkarmat describes him as a local since he states Nihei would have killed all the bears in their area based on his skills.

He is then found by Sugimoto and Asirpa.  He’s in the middle of thanking the kamuy for the deer that he just killed.  Asirpa explains the actions to Sugimoto as he performs them from a distance away.  He has placed the inaw kike (wood spiral) offerings on the deer’s antlers and he’s also giving it an offering of tobacco.

We still can’t see his face clearly here but Asirpa explains that in this region they count the deer as kamuy, but here they do indicating different regions chose different kamuy based on how accessible they are.  e.g. yuk where Asirpa lives.

Once he is finished he turns around and nods to recognize their presence.  It is very interesting that the first thing he says to Asirpa isn’t hello.  Instead, he asks her if she uses her bow for hunting.  Kirawus has very long sideburns, and his eyes are very shaded.  We do not see his eyebrows, they are covered by the scarf.

I find it interesting that he talks to Asirpa about hunting rather than greeting her and Sugimoto first.  She goes on to explain to him that rifles are too heavy to use for her so bow and arrow it is.  He tells her that she’s strange hunting that way.  Sugimoto then asks him about the animal killer and he reveals that he knows it must be Tanigaki since the individual who knocked him out when he was alone had Nihei’s rifle.  Since he recognized the rifle he must be the culprit.

For the entire Tanigaki fugitive arc, he will act as the intermediary between the kotan and Sugimoto’s group.  When they catch Tanigaki and take him back to the kotan it is interesting to see that most of the men don’t wear a scarf.  He stands out as one of the few individuals that does here:

He serves as the translator for the Ainu elder and gives them the time limit to find Anehata in 3 days.  This is an indication that in the future, he will serve as a go between for Japanese people with the local Ainu.  Since he went hunting with Nihei, it is hard to tell if he did it for money or if he made it his place in the village to be an official translator.

He immediately shows himself again to be observant while watching Tanigaki and Ogata.  He comes out to offer some breakfast to Ogata.  The fact he pokes the other man with his foot indicates that he’s a rather assertive person, but polite enough to bring the watchman a bowl and Ogata.

Not getting a response, he pulls the cloak off of the traveling bags and then immediately turns to look at the bear cage where Tanigaki is gone.

He very quickly realizes that they’ve escaped so he grabs to other men to chase after them into the swamp.  He gets to see first hand the actions of Anehata and besides being shocked, knows that Tanigaki was not the culprit in the animal violation and murder.  Once they kill the bear, he shows them how they skin it for the send off.  Asirpa comments that she was trained to skin a bear differently.

Kirawus then invites everyone back to the kotan to send off the bear properly and feast.  He then apologizes to Tanigaki for doubting him and then proceeds to try to get him as drunk as possible.  He’s already flushed in the cheeks and also has additional lines under his eyes and he looks relaxed and friendly.  He may even have a bit of a crush on Tanigaki . . . i mean this is Noda after all and that’s how all the boys looked when the cooked the otter meat in a few chapters.

He later tells Tanigaki the story of Nihei’s rifle and the notches in the stock.  Based on Kirawus quoting Nihei, I would take it that he really respected him.

In a way Kirawus told Tanigaki about Nihei and how precious the rifle was to him.  Unfortunately, Tanigaki will continue to struggle to take care of the rifle as indicated by the actions during the Karafuto arc.  The flashback also shows a younger Kirawus wearing his winter clothes, the fur cloak and tenkupe, and his scarf still covering his eyebrows.

After the group have left he serves an important purpose.  He is the one who connects Anehata’s actions with that of the plague of locusts.  His crow’s feet are clearly visible in this panel as he appeals to the gods to not punish them.

The plague of locusts are important as they will drive him to go in search of work later on to help support his kotan.  It is when Hijikata, Nagakura and Ushiyama are in search of Youichirou battousai, the former Joi assassin who fought against the Shinsengumi.  He was also a prisoner at Abarashi and was also tattooed but is clearly suffering from dementia and is working at a fish porter to support himself.

Kirawus is first shown in the background carrying fish and he turns to watch Hijikata, Nagakura and Ushiyama.  It almost looks at though he recognizes them or knows of them.  He’s working hard carrying the fish as indicated by the breath marks but when he turns there’s a little action “ah ha” motion and he’s got a sweat drop as well.  Is the sweat drop from working hard or from determining their identity?

It is hard to tell if he’s interested in them or not.  I would say not at that point, as Ushiyama approaches him for advice on a place to stay he seems surprised.  He then tells them to come with him.  He then offers some smelt to them and explains the habits of the smelt.  The Kushiro generally catch salmon (a bit earlier = when they broke into Abashiri) so the smelt are usually ignored.

He explains that the smelt were willow leaves turned into fish by the kamuy to save the Ainu from starvation.  His kotan is currently being saved by the smelt as they don’t have enough food - which means that the locusts got into their food stores (~1-2 months back in the story line after the Anehata arc).  This food shortage has displaced Kirawus and he’s out to make money, likely to help with getting some more food and supplies for the winter for the kotan.  It is unclear if he has a family of his own or not.  Currently, I would say no - I think he may have a parent alive and maybe some siblings but he didn’t introduce anyone to his wife or kids during the feast.  Does this mean he had a family and they died?  Similar to Wilk’s family through disease or has he never settled down?  He looks old enough that him being single seems a bit unusual. Either way, Hijikata asks him to identify his mystery item.  He is able to quickly tell them that it is part of the beak of a puffin.

He seems happy or excited as he explains that it is a part of the beak.  He then proceeds to give an information dump for the trio of Japanese men.  This part of the beak sheds at the end of each mating season and Nagakura comments he knows a lot about puffins but he explains that since the Japanese don’t hunt puffins they wouldn’t know much about him and that their skins can be used to make clothing.

He goes on to explain that the tufted puffins are in Nemuro to the east.  The plot then reveals Youichirou and based on his behaviors and statements he’s gone senile and has some form of dementia since he can’t answer general questions about himself.  Hijikata reveals that he’s been living under a false name of Doi Shinzou.

It then is clear that Hijikata hired Kirawus to be an assistant and translator for him.  They are shown to visit an Ainu kotan near Nemuro looking for information on him.  The head of the kotan knows about Doi and that for some time he lived in the kotan.

He arrived in the kotan 30 years prior, married a woman and was find until a man 8 year ago took his wife hostage due to a grudge against him.  He killed the man but ended up in Abashiri.  When they escaped, he returned to the kotan to stay with his ill wife until she died and then he went to work at the fishery.  Therefore, Kirawus was able to obtain a lot of information with the help of Kirawus who can talk to older Ainu who have important information but may not be able to transfer the information to non-Ainu etc.

Kirawus isn’t involved in any of the action with Youichirou and instead only witnesses the death of him by HIjikata’s hands ah he delivers the puffin beak back to him, a gift from his wife to remember Nemuro.  Everyone else watches things stoically but Kirawus is shocked and sweating a bit.

Is he sweating b/c he just watched Hijikata kill a man?  Or is he sweating b/c the two puffins fly off together? 

The action then returns to Karafuto and Kirawus doesn’t reappear until action around Lake Akan with Kadokura who is now officially a part of team Hijikata.  Interestingly, the note a the top of the page refers to them as the Ossans club!? so they are the old man club.  I guess this implies that they are two single dudes too lame to hang out with anyone else.

Kirawus is wondering if Hijikata and Ushiyama were victim to the tattooed convict.  Kadokura explains that he doesn’t think the convict could take down the two of them but he’s a smart guy. 

This then leads into the jokes about how due to Kadokura knew his asshole wrinkles better than his face, that of Sekiya who would poison others based on the luck of their draw with things.  He got aconite from outside the prison walls and snuck it in with him. Recall, that this is the same plant that Asirpa uses to make her poisoned arrowheads.  To prevent him from doing it again he had to give Sekiya a full body search every time and it was his job as a guard.  Including his asshole.  Kirawus quickly informs him that he wouldn’t be able to do that without it having adverse effects on himself. 

Poor Kadokura realizes he was looking at his ass for no good reason.  Which based on his poor luck, is just another thing that he accepts due to his unlucky fate.  They begin looking for Hijikata and Ushiyama at Lake Akan asking local fisherman for help.  Kirawus asks the Ainu while Kadokura asks Japanese fisherman.  He then tries to order Kirawus to go talk to more Ainu but he refuses to do what a butthole peeker.

What is most interesting is that Kadokura ignores his comment and gripes about having to be a supervisor . . . Kirawus then talks to Sekiya and he accepts some free smelt from him excitedly not knowing they have been poisoned.  He quickly figures out he’s not a local since he was trying to catch the wrong fish for that time of day.  But he’s more excited to accept the free fish than wonder if he’s the convict.

The two of them then get a ransom note for Sekiya and go out to rescue Hijikata.  As they are running Kadokura proves he lacks the physical fitness and stamina to really try to save Hijikata.  Kirawus then calls him an old man as he can’t run, he states they need to find Nagakura but Kadokura insists on coming up a plan to save Hijikata.  This leads to them bickering about their plan and Kadokura insults Kirawus calling him “Mr. Poverty”.  Kirawus ups his reply by telling Kadokura that he’s just a “jobless and poor” as he is - asshole rummaging man!

Kirawus actually comes up with a decent plan to make the exchange fail on purpose so they can tail Sekiya; and it works until Kadokura’s luck makes Ushiyama pop up and he’s able to escape.  Thankfully Kirawus is able to save the day by noticing that Kadokura found a silkworm cocoon.  He as a local, knows where the silkworm farms are and their times of operation e.g. not working in the winter. They split up to try to figure out where he’s gone to.

Kadokura runs off and Kirawus doesn’t follow his orders.  He ends up in the silkworm poison gamble with Sekiya, Ushiyama dazed, wonders into town and when it is all said and done, Kirawus alone standing on the lake wondering if Kadokura is okay.  Could he not be bothered to follow?  Or did he not want to take the risk to face Sekiya.  He has his rifle with him and his knives so he’s not defenseless.

And that’s the last we’ve seen of Kirawus for the time being.

Kirawus is now linked to 3 of the tattooed convicts, one who he thought was Tanigaki, he assisted in finding Youichirou and now Sekiya.  He was hired by Hijikata for the last two to assist in the search for them and since he’s in the general area of Kushiro for all of these events, I would guess he’s sending some of the money back to the kotan as well as keeping some of it to support himself.

The Lake Akan arc shows that both he and Kadokura are working for Hijikata b/c they need the money.  Kadokura seems to be framing it as doing it out of loyalty to Hijikata but really is that his only reason? 

Kirawus is more interesting, he’s an older Ainu who seems to be walking the line between working with the Japanese for money and still working for the kotan.  He hunted with Nihei and clearly respected him based on his encounter with Tanigaki.  He was immediately curious about Hijikata and Co. in Kushiro and greatly helped them - was this only for money or for something else?  By Lake Akan, he’s clearly working for Hijikata and he makes it clear it is for the money.  I really wonder if he’s only in this for the money or for information on the gold.

Of the Ainu in the series Kirawus is on the older side.  Kiro was 41, and Wilk was likely a year or two older than him.  Inkarmat is around 29/30, Ipopte [Ariko] is likely in his mid 20s at most. Makanakkuru (Asirpa’s uncle) appears to be a younger brother to Asirpa’s mother but I’d put him in his 30s.  Based on his crow’s feet and the joke that he’s an ossan with Kadokura, i’d say Kirawus is mid-late 40s maybe, since joking he’s an old man would actually hurt his feelings. 

Being an older Ainu and someone who clearly has the respect of older leaders as a translator, I would not be surprised if Kirawus knows something about the gold.  If anything he’s the right age to have been one of the people involved in the decision to do something about it.  He has the advantage to speak Japanese so he would be an individual who would be a good person deal with the logistics of gathering and collecting the gold.

Ipopte [Ariko] was a bit too young or too far away to not be on the inside scoop about the tattoos link to gold since his mother had to tell him about it.  I frequently wonder what his connection with the Ainu community is - if someone would be more subversive I would see it to be someone like Kirawus.  He has the trust of Japanese to get them to hire him but he still can travel between kotans and ask serious questions and get honest and straight answers.

Kirawus is a clever guy - he only suffered from the fate of having to work with Kadokura.  He also refused to follow any of Kadokura’s orders - he came up with their plan and he did seem to respect Hijikata and Nagakura but is this b/c they are the ones paying him but Kadokura is a peer instead?  He clearly seems them as two equal hired men. 

I’ve been wondering about the fact that Kirawus has never been shown taking his headscarf/headband (I apologize, I do not know the correct term for this item of clothing).  This was only briefly alluded to during the silent kotan arc.  Suspicious of the men, Asirpa almost takes it off, but then doesn’t here.  I do understand the idea that it is supposed to protect the wearer from harm, hence when Ogata barely hits Tanigaki, Huci puts it on him so that he has the protection of the kamuy.

When she behaves rudely, she runs off to go to the bathroom and Sugimoto feels the need to apologize for her behaviors as he’s even taken his hat off.

I wish I knew more about proper hat, headband, scarf etiquette but I do wonder why Kirawus never takes his off.  When they first meet him, every other man is shown not wearing one here.

I wonder if Kirawus is actually from the Kushiro area originally? Or did he move there at some point in time more than 10 years ago (e.g. to be able to hunt with Nihei).  I can’t help but wonder if he’s some sort of facial scar under it.  Men with distinctive scars are a “thing” in the series.  Sugimoto, Tsurumi, Ogata, Tanigaki, Ipopte [Ariko] and most importantly, Wilk all have very distinct facial scars.  Is Kirawus hiding something?  I’m still stuck on the fact that the first thing he asks Asirpa is about her hunting with a bow.  Yes, she does b/c she can’t hold a rifle but Wilk trained her to use a weapon that is essentially silent and easy for her to use.  Does Kirawus suspect something about her choice of weapon?

There is a part of me who wonders if he’s a partisan ally or sympathizer to the cause . . . he’s doing things in the background.  The most recent appearance of Toni Anji means someone else was likely with him in Noribetsu - Kantaro?  Is Kirawus doing recon in the Ainu community for Hijikata?  Maybe he’s someone in favor of HIjikata’s Republic of Ezo. 

Kiro told Inkarmat that Wilk changed and he was supposed to tell his allies about the gold but then worked with Hijikata.  I can’t help but wonder if Kirawus is one of those allies.  If he is a single man, who does not have a family to support or the family died as a result of the Japanese actions (say disease) it might explain his ability to have few ties to others.  We can all know why Kadokura is a single “old” man, it is b/c of his terrible luck.  But Kirawus doesn’t have terrible luck that we are aware of.  Maybe him blushing over Tanigaki is an indication that he is not a straight character?  The series has several canon characters that are not straight.  He could be one of them. 

Anyhoo, I really like him as a secondary character but I’m a bit suspicious of him.  The fact his headscarf always keeps his eyebrows covered and his eyes shaded makes me think there is more to him than he appears to be.  When will Kirawus appear and what will his purpose be?  Is he serving himself or others?

[death-himself]

Could You Meet Me Beyond the Grave?—Chapter 3

thank lord jebus for giving me the willpower to pump out a new chapter of this

this chapter switches between first and third person a little bit but ya know what? that’s fine. It was kinda needed for it to work the way I wanted it to so  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

previous next (AO3 Link)

Summary: Virgil nearly gets caught, and now must deal with the results of his actions

Pairings: Eventual LAMP/CALM, Remile, QPR RED

Word Count: 2,294

Warnings: Referenced Eye Trauma (welcome back to the Willow AU), Kidnapping, Deceit being an anti-villain (I’ve decided on that term for him now because idk he’s either that or morally grey depending on your view on life)

(anything else you need tagged lemme know)

Roman slowly stirred his drink, the ice clinking against the sides of the glass. He then groaned, letting his head fall to the table. "How long is he gonna make us wait?"

"It's been five minutes, Roman."

"It feels like it's been forever!" Patton giggled, patting Roman on the head. "Give him time, he said he'll be here!"

"He says that all the time now." Roman grumbled. "I mean come on, Patton! He tells us he'll be here and then ten minutes after he's supposed to be here he says he can't come! He continuously gets our hopes up then just pummels them into the ground!" Patton hesitated, looking out at the streets hopefully. "Just...give him time—"

"We've given him a whole month! Every date we talk about, he's always like "Oh I'll be there, I'll finally grace you with my likely very handsome face" and then he's a no-show! I mean, come on! He, he keeps...ghosting us! That's the word! He's a professional ghost!"

"Roman, what are you even—"

"You've gotta agree with me, Lo! He's being weird." Logan rolled his eyes, taking a long sip of his coffee to establish dominance. "He has been acting particularly odd recently, I can't disagree with that, Roman. However, we have always known him as a rather strange person. He does tend to procrastinate and worry about things until it's too late for him to make a proper decision. This is our fourth date since Virgil began doing this, so—"

"So he has to show up today!" Patton interjected. "I mean, one more time would be just crazy, right?" Roman thought it over for a moment, before sighing and nodding his head. "You have a point, darling. I suppose I can wait a bit longer." Logan opened his mouth to speak, before sighing and sitting back in his chair in resignation.

They sat in silence for a moment, before they heard a yelp from outside. Patton furrowed his eyebrows, listening curiously. "Hey! Watch where you're—" The person seemed to freeze, then only a few seconds later a second person screamed in terror, and a man ran past the cafe window as fast as humanly possible, horror painted across his face. The three stared wide-eyed as he passed, before Roman turned to Logan. "What do you think that was about?" Logan hummed, taking a sip from his coffee. "I haven't the slightest idea."

"Hey guys, is it just me, or did that first guy sound kinda like Vee?" Roman's eyebrows raised, before he shrugged. "Virgil making someone scream in fear? It does match his aesthetic. But no, that...probably wasn't him." Patton shrugged, resting his chin on his hand as they continued to wait.

A lecture from Dee was the last thing I wanted at the moment. Granted, I never wanted lectures from Dee, but this time was especially irritating. "You can't just run off like that hopelessly chasing after your soulmates, Virgil! You nearly got caught this time!"

"Dee, I—"

"Go to your room! This whole situation is ridiculous!"

"Are you seriously sending me to my room? I'm not a child and you're not my mom. I'll go to my room if I want to." I shoved my hands into my pockets, standing up and making my way to the stairs. I heard Dee's frustrated groan as I stormed up, shoving my door open and slamming it shut. I collapsed onto my bed, running a hand down my face. I knew I had screwed up, but it's not like I was gonna admit that to Dee.

There was a knock at my door, followed quickly by it opening, Emile's scent drifting into the room. "Dee's been pretty uptight recently, huh?"

"Ever since I started trying to meet them."

"He is a bit...controlling. I've been suspecting it's just overprotectiveness taken to the extreme, I mean...he does care a lot about you." There was a short silence as we both collected our thoughts. Emile sighed. "What exactly happened this time?"

"I...tried to meet up with them at this cafe in the middle of town. Then there was this one...asshole who kicked at my leg and made me lose my balance. I just barely stopped myself from falling on my face. Then I turned to him with a full speech on how much I hated him for doing that when I realized that my scarf had slipped down my neck and my sunglasses had slipped down my nose. All my exposed muscles and missing eyes and shit were, well...exposed. He must've seen them 'cause I heard him scream and run off. Then Dee grabbed me and dragged me back here." Emile had moved to sit next to me on the bed. I rubbed one of the blankets between my fingers, the motion soothing in a way. "We're lucky he was probably the only one who saw. No one's gonna believe one guy saying that he saw a man with his skin torn open and no eyes. At least that's what Remy said when we were fighting."

Emile sighed, gently rubbing circles into my hand with his thumb. "Why don't you get some rest, Lapis? If you want, I could have Remy come give you some of his sleeping gas." I wrinkled my nose. "Fuck no! That stuff smells awful! Plus, he always uses way too much on me, I can just tell." Emile hummed in agreement, giving my hand a small squeeze before he stood up. "Well, try to get some sleep anyway, Vee."

"Thanks, Em." I muttered, sighing as I heard my door close and his footsteps walk away. I lied down in bed, picked up a marker, and began writing my fourth apology letter to my soulmates onto my arms.

Emile walked downstairs, smelling Dee and Remy on the couch. "Vee's not doing too well, Dee."

"I know." Dee groaned. "It's just...I don't know what to do about him!" Emile sat down on his left, Remy on his right, preparing himself for the rant that Dee had definitely been in need of for a long time. "I understand why he'd be so insistent on meeting them; I, admittedly, wanted to meet you two more than anything when I first found out about you. Virgil can attest to that. But...all the danger he's putting himself in, and he doesn't even know—"

Dee slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. Remy gently tapped Dee's leg. "Doesn't know what, babe?" Dee slowly uncovered his mouth, his hands trembling slightly. "N-Nothing, Remy."

"Aw come on, you can tell us!" Emile said with a smile. Dee took a deep breath, carefully taking his hat off and cradling it to his chest. "His soulmates aren't becoming Willows."

"What?"

"Think about it Emile! The three of us died at the same biological age because we're soulmates! Virgil's biologically 19! His soulmates are 28! They're going to die and pass on into whatever kind of afterlife there is while Virgil will be stuck here with us! And when he finds out about that, he's going to be absolutely heartbroken! That is exactly why he can never find out!"

"How do you know soulmates have to be the same age to be Willows? I mean, we don't really know if someone'll be a Willow until they—"

"I've been around for 200 years, Emile. I've seen this before, with other Willows. I've noticed the pattern. Soulmates who both become Willows are always the same biological age when they die. Those that aren't the same age," Dee sighed, "they do exactly what Virgil's doing now, and they always either get killed or heartbroken." Emile pointed his head to the ground, lips pressed together in thought.

"Why don't we give Virgil's soulmates a try? You know, as humans?"

Remy snorted. "You kiddin', Emy? What kinda human falls in love with people who eat humans? Who aren't cannibals or murderers? I mean, come on babe, it took us months to get used to Dee, and we were Willows when we met him."

"If Virgil goes with them he may have to re-integrate into human society." Dee mumbled, eyes wide with the realization. "He'd have to leave the tower for good if he does somehow end up living with his soulmates. They're human, they still have to live normal human lives." Emile felt the fear radiating off Dee as he continued mumbling to himself. He slowly put a hand on Dee's back, rubbing steady circles in hopes of calming him down. "Is there any way we could make them into Willows?"

Dee shook his head. "Willows are born from suffering; they'd have to be put through quite a lot to become like us. It might be too late anyway." Emile suddenly felt his emotions alter completely, Dee going silent as he thought. Remy seemed to tell something was different as well, as he asked, "You okay, Dee-Dee?" Dee was silent for a bit longer, before taking a deep breath, saying, "I'm fine. I just...need to take a walk. I'll be back in a few hours." With that, he grabbed his scarf, sunglasses, and cane, then exited the tower. Emile strained his ears as he listened to him leave, not liking the aura he had been giving off.

It had been roughly forty minutes since Dee had taken Virgil out of the city. As per usual, his soulmates' date would last roughly two to four hours, and Virgil would have finished his apology by now. Still plenty of time to put his plan into action. While it was definitely one of the worst plans he had made, it was worth a shot. He just hoped Virgil would never realize what he was doing. And if he did find out, Dee hoped he'd realize he was doing it for him.

He felt his skin itch and tingle as he shape-shifted into Virgil. He had never understood why they had gotten these powers when they became Willows, but they had definitely helped him in the past, and would definitely help him now.

Dee entered the city, subconsciously making himself smaller as he navigated through the crowds of people, forcing himself not to take in their scents as he headed to his destination. He found the place he had grabbed Virgil and pulled him to safety, then continued walking a bit further.

Roman stared glumly out the window, feeling Patton writing out a response to Virgil's apology. "How many times is he gonna do this?" He mumbled. Logan sighed, paying for their food and standing up. "Perhaps we should just head home? We could, possibly, stop by that new dog park if either of you happen to be interested?" Patton perked up immediately, smiling at Logan, trying his best not to show just how upset he was. "Sounds great, Lolo!" Roman chuckled at his enthusiasm, not taking his eyes away from the window.

That's when he saw a familiar black and purple hoodie, dyed purple hair, and white cane. Roman jerked upright, staring wide-eyed as the man walked past so casually. "That's Virgil!" He whispered.

"What?"

"From when I bumped into him at the store! It's him!" Roman stood up, grabbing Logan and Patton by the hands as he pulled them all out of the cafe. "He's not getting away this time." Once out of the store, he jogged over and grabbed "Virgil" by the shoulder. "Virgil" jumped, before spinning around.

"What is your problem? You give us an apology saying you couldn't come, and now here you are! Why didn't you just—"

"Hey, hey, Roman! I'm sorry, okay?" Dee disguised as Virgil shouted, putting his hands up in surrender. "I'm not really supposed to be here anyway, but...I wanted to show you something. I...need to show you something." He purposely made his voice softer, so as to gain their sympathy.

"Oh, sure thing Vee! What is it?" Patton asked.

"Follow me." Logan furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"I have this part of the city memorized, L. Don't worry about it." Logan seemed perfectly ready to ask a few more questions, but held off, instead watching with suspicion. Dee led the three humans to the edge of the city, then to the edge of a forest. "So...where are we going?" Roman asked hesitantly.

"You'll see." Logan, walking behind everyone else, fished a blue pen from his pocket. He wrote a simple question on his arm: “Virgil, what are you up to right now?” The first odd thing about it was that Roman and Patton had instinctively checked their arms, feeling the familiar itch as Logan wrote. So why didn't Virgil check? After a few more minutes of walking, "Virgil" stopped, turning around to face them. "We're here." Logan felt writing forming on his arm. He glanced down to see Virgil's purple handwriting. Where was Virgil's pen?

Dee took his time memorizing their scents, figuring out as much as he could about them, before allowing himself to stop. He let go of his disguise, shifting back into his normal self as Logan said "That's not Virgil" just a few seconds too late. He sensed Roman come closer, blocking a punch to his face and ducking as Roman tried to make a second blow. He grabbed Roman by the head, slamming it against a tree. Roman went limp, falling to the ground. Patton screamed, being quickly muffled as Dee charged both him and Logan, knocking them down to the ground and choking them until they went unconscious. He took a deep breath, tying the three up and sneaking them back into the tower, dropping them into the most secure room in the building. Anything for Virgil's sake.

[alindakb]

Letters to my Parents - Tuesday 14 December 1993 - by Alinda

Tuesday 14 December 1993

Mom and Dad,

I’m going to kill him when I find him. I really am. He was supposed to be your best friend. You trusted him with your lives, our lives. And he betrayed you. He’s dead. I’ll do it. I don’t care what will happen to me after. I just want him dead.

There was another Hogsmeade trip this weekend. Of course, I was not allowed to go, but I found a way to join Draco there. It all started with me borrowing a copy of Which Broomstick from Marcus. I wanted to read it, to see what kind of broom I should get as a replacement for my old broom. I’ve been using a school broom at practice. It’s a Shooting Star, which is very slow and jerky. I need a new broom. I took the book after I kissed Draco goodbye and went up to find a nice alcove with window to sit and read. I wanted to be able to look over the grounds, see the fresh snowfall and the world go white.

On my way up the stairs, I was called to the side by Fred and George Weasley. I talk to them now and then. They are pretty fun and I haven’t forgotten how they were the only ones last year that didn’t buy for a minute that I was the heir of Slytherin. They had an early Christmas gift for me. I don’t know why they gave it to me, but I’m really grateful. Fred said that they had decided that my need was greater than ours. Something about not wanting a moping Draco to ruin their time in the Three Broomsticks. And that they know it by heart by now and don’t really need it anymore anyway. I don’t know what they were on about, but what they gave me was amazing.

It’s a map of Hogwarts. It has all the details of the castle and its grounds. When you make it appear by saying ‘I solemnly swear that I am up to no good’ it tells you that the map is made by Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. They’ve called it the Marauder’s Map. And it’s more than just a map. It shows you where everyone is walking too. There a tiny ink dots moving around it, each labelled with a name in minuscule writing.

But that’s not even the best part. Fred and George showed me the seven secret passages into Hogsmeade. Filch knows about four of them, one is caved in and one has it’s entrance below the Whomping Willow. But there is one in the third-floor corridor that goes straight into the cellar of Honeydukes. So after Fred and George had left I wasted no time to get to the third floor and find this secret passage.

I took forever to reach Honeydukes, but once I got there and had sneaked into the shop without anyone noticing me, I didn’t know where to look. There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Nougat, squares of coconut ice, toffees and hundreds of different kinds of chocolate. They even have a wall with ‘Special Effects’ sweets, like Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, Tooth-flossing String-mints and sugar-spun quills.

I squeezed myself through the crowd until I was right behind Draco, Greg and Blaise. They were looking at blood-flavoured lollipops. Draco said I wouldn’t want them, that they are for vampires. Greg shoved a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Draco’s nose and asked if I might like some of them. I leaned over Draco’s shoulder and told them definitely not. Greg almost dropped the jar and Blaise was all like: ‘Harry, what are you doing here? How did you get here?’ Draco just leaned back and let me slide my arms around his waist. He turned his head and we shared a short kiss. Greg wanted to know if I had learnt how to Apparate. I told them no and then explained about the Marauder’s Map I got from Fred and George. Draco found it fascinating and I promised I’ll show it to him back at the castle, somewhere without other eyes around.

We joined the others, who were just as surprised to see me, they all paid for their sweets and then we went into the snow. Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card. The little thatched cottages and shops were all covered in a layer of crisp snow, holly wreaths hung on the doors and strings of enchanted candles decorated the trees. We walked around the town a little until Draco said we had to get inside. I had forgotten my coat and was really cold. Draco had his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him while we walked, but I was still shivering.

Luna and Blaise, who were holding hands, led us to the Three Broomsticks. Greg and Blaise got us some Butterbeers and we sat down on a table at the back. The table was mostly hidden from view by a large Christmas tree, to make sure no-one else would spot me. Hermione and Daphne both wanted to know how I got into Hogsmeade and I told them off the map. Hermione wanted me to turn the map in when we got back. All the Slytherins told her off right away. But Hermione was scared that Black might be using one of the secret passageways. Luna assured her that there was no way he could after I told them that only the one I used was accessible for Black. She convinced Hermione that the owners of Honeydukes would hear it when someone would break into their store.

It was all so nice. And then it all became horrible. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick came into the Three Broomsticks, together with Hagrid and the Minister of Magic Fudge. Draco and Hermione pushed me under the table just before they all took a seat at the table next to ours. They talked about the Dementors and Sirius Black. How Sirius Black used to be your best friend, dad. That the both of you had been inseparable when you went to school at Hogwarts, like brothers. They talked about how Black had been the best man at your wedding and that you had named him my godfather. And that wasn’t even the sickest thing about it. He betrayed you, gave you up like you mend nothing to him. I heard them talk about the Fidelius Charm, how Black had been your Secret-Keeper and had given up your location to Voldemort.

As soon as the teachers had left the Broomstick, both Hermione and Draco popped their heads under the table. I was already crying and Draco took my arm and guided me outside, along the road until we reached a small park. He walked me in and sat me down on a little bench. He pulled a coat over me and a scarf around my neck and then just pulled me close to him. He kept telling me that it was okay, that everything will be okay. I think he even said other things, but I had a hard time listening to him. My mind was spinning. Why had nobody ever told me? Why had Hagrid, the headmaster, Mr and Mrs Tonks, Draco’s mother or even the minister never told me that you had died because your best friend had betrayed you?

When I had calmed down a little, Draco took me to Honeydukes and helped me get back into the cellar. He said he couldn’t come with me that way, that Filch was counting as the students came back into the castle, but that he would meet me in our dormitory. I can’t really remember walking back or going down to the dungeons. But once I was there I took out the photo album Hagrid had given to me and started turning the pages, searching. And then I found it, a picture of your wedding day. You were both in it, and another man. If I hadn’t known it was the same person, I would never have guessed it was Black. He looked so different than he does now. His face wasn’t sunken and waxy, but handsome, full of laughter. It was one of the men that had also been in the picture in Professor Lupin’s office.

Draco got back when I was still looking at the picture. He brought some food with him from the great hall, tried to get me to eat something. But I wasn’t hungry. Draco didn’t even pretend to go sleep in his own bed that evening until Nott and Crabbe were asleep. He lay down next to me straight away, hold me close and let me fall asleep in his arms.

I went to have tea with Lupin the next day. I wanted to know if he knew that Black had betrayed them, and why he still had a picture of him in his office. But first I asked him if he knew why the Dementors affect me so much. I don’t want to fall off my broom again if they show up again for our next Quidditch match. I told Professor Lupin that I’m scared that I’m weaker than the others. But he assured me that it has nothing to do with weakness. It all has to do with all the bad things that have happened to me. Professor Lupin explained it to me. That Dementors drain peace, hope and happiness out of the air around you. Even Muggles can feel their presence. When they get close every good and happy memory will be sucked out of you, only leaving the worst experiences of your life. Professor Lupin said that the worst that has happened to me is enough to make anyone fall off their broom. And he might have a point, but that doesn’t mean that I want to faint every time they are near. Even though I’m sure that the woman I hear screaming when they get close is mom. I think I hear you’re final moments, how you try to protect and save me.

But back to the point. I asked Professor Lupin if he could help me with the Dementors. I remember that Draco told me that Professor Lupin made the Dementor on the train go away. The professor promised he’ll try to teach me some defences next term. He’s really busy right now. He’s been ill and has a lot of work to catch up to.

And then we talked about Black. I asked him if he had known him too as they had both been friends with my father. He said he did. He didn’t really want to talk about it. He looked at the picture on his desk and then looked out of his window. He told me they had been friends for so long, that he still can’t really believe that he did what he did, kill all those people. I think Professor Lupin was close to tears. His voice was trembling and I just couldn’t tell him what I had overheard, that I now know that Black was my godfather, your best friend and that he betrayed you, dad.

Draco was proud of me for not bringing it up. We talked a little about it, how it would be like if one of your friends would betray you like that. What if Hermione or Blaise would do that to us? I would be so hurt. So I think I won’t bother Professor Lupin with it, it’s obvious he’s still hurting because of it.

And then Draco made me promise that I won’t go after Black. That he was not worth dying for. That Draco wanted me to stay alive and with him. His eyes were watering and I wanted to promise him, but I couldn’t. I yelled at him that he doesn’t understand. And then he yelled back that he doesn’t want me his Bogart to become reality. That he can’t take the thought of losing me for real. And then I screamed back that he doesn’t know what it’s like to hear your own mother die every time a Dementor comes near you. That I can hear my mom plead and scream at Voldemort to try to save my life. And that if Draco would hear his mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, he wouldn’t forget it in a hurry. And that if he would find out someone who was supposed to be their friends betrayed them and sent Voldemort after them.

I didn’t get any further than that. Draco had pulled me against his chest and told me he was sorry. That he would want that person dead too. He would help me when the time comes. Just like the rest of our friends. He made me promise not to go after him alone, and I did. We will do this together. I won’t be sent back to Draco as only an Order of Merlin First Class and a finger, like Pettigrew. We will find and defeat him together. We’re Slytherins, we’ll come up with a way to catch him without getting killed.

On a happier note, there’s good news on the Quidditch. Training is going really well, even with the stupid Shooting Star I’m using. I’m getting faster and faster at catching the snitch and Marcus is really happy with how well our team works. And Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match at the end of November. We can still win the cup this year!

And Draco is staying at the castle this Christmas holiday to keep me company. I’m really looking forward to having the dormitories to ourselves. Nobody to complain that we snug too much or should stop being so obviously in love. The other students are leaving on Friday.

I love you both,

Harry James Potter

PS. I promise I’ll get revenge for both of you. Sirius Black will not get away with this.