#i'm not reading all of this again if you find any typos just ignore them

[beanghostprincess]

reiju being the only vinsmoke child that has feelings and can empathize is pretty much obviously referencing the whole "unlike boys, girls are emotional" thing that has always been said to disregard women's positions of power and strengths, assuming that empathy is not a strength itself.

from men's pov, girls are: emotional, weak, sensitive, empathetic... they're the ones doing the "simple" house tasks like cooking, cleaning, taking care of things instead of destroying them.

that sounds, kind of, exactly to what sanji is. sanji's "failures, weaknesses, malfunctions..." are literally what is expected to see in women.

they tell him to man up. to be stronger. to stop crying because boys don't cry. how could he cry?! how could he dream?! how could he cook and be nice to others and feel? how could he be a good person when he's a man and men are expected to be bigger than anyone else. he should take up space, not give it to the ones who need it. he should scream at the top of his lungs, deeply and loudly, not gently. he should take and take and take and he should not give because men are meant to own, not to offer. he shouldn't be clever, he should act. he shouldn't be sad or in pain because men are supposed to take it and swallow and bear with it. he shouldn't be hungry. hunger is for the people who lack food and if you lack food you're weak and if you're weak you're not a man. and lack means wanting, but why's he craving something when he should just take it and take it and take it? so he shouldn't eat because eating is meant to be for pleasure only, if you're a man, and if you need it you're weak because he shouldn't need. he should want and take and never need.

he cries when they kick him and he begs when they take someone away from him. because he's weak. because he loses and loses and loses and never wins only because he isn't man enough to cheat. he goes through life asking first, acting second. he doesn't play dirty, like a man should, but lives in a clean state of pureness and delicacy. he has to be clean to cook, of course. clean to be good. but men don't cook and they are allowed to be as bad as they want. but he isn't, is he? because he feels. and feels and feels until it's too much. so much that it explodes and it breaks and his soul shatters. soul that he shouldn't have in the first place because men are a fortress with enough strength to ignore what's inside. and he is weak. he is small. he is hungry.

god, he's so hungry. but not for power or money or women- well, he is hungry for women. for their soothing voices and soft touches and angry glances that are always a bit too much for his poor heart to handle. he never asks much, just a bit of them. crumbs to feed his starving heart. he finds comfort in women the same way a man destined to death would consume his last meal. he's on the verge of falling but he can't, because men do not fall, they are the ones to push. so he's hungry, but he doesn't eat because if he did, that would mean he needs it and then he wouldn't be a man.

men should fight and not defend, but he's always protecting and never fighting. he fights to protect, never himself, always others. he fights to defend his weak self, but it can't be called fighting when the only thing he does is taking. and he learns to take it without a single word or prayer escaping his lips because a man should not do that.

he's different. a failure. a mistake. a good for nothing. not a man. not powerful like a vinsmoke should be. not godly and royal like his family is. machines built to kill and destroy and take and take instead of living. but sanji likes living. he likes breathing and eating and smiling and feeling and giving and giving and giving until he doesn't have anything to offer. he likes being alive and feeling.

so he has to be human, if not only a malfunction in their mom's womb.

human, but not quite, because being human means being like the rest. the definition for human is "not a vinsmoke", in his perception, so he has to be. he is. he is human. he wishes to be, at least, part of the mankind.

man. man. a man. that's what he should be. that's what he is. vinsmoke men are not just men. they're men. and being only a man should be different, but it isn't. it will never be.

he is human, but not really. he's not a vinsmoke, that's for sure. but he's not human, either, he's still different.

because when he gets out of there, the fire of the stove still burns his hands. and he can cook. yes. he realizes he can cook and he can enjoy and live and give and give and it's liberating to know he can and will live. but he can't dream because dreaming of impossible things —like blue, deep, magic seas— isn't meant for rational men. he's following the recipe wrong, all over again, and he doesn't know what the hell is going on if all the ingredients are right.

then he is hungry again. hungry for life. and food, too. and he has never felt weaker and less of a vinsmoke, but more of a human. he bleeds and cries and begs and starves like any human would and yet... he isn't a man. he isn't a real person. and maybe it's still in his blood, despite having ran away, the malfunction in his veins. there is something deeply wrong with him. down to his core.

and he can't figure out what, but he can starve. so that means he's human. but he's not a man. because men don't starve. they take what life gives them and don't need to eat if they can't. zeff is strong and wide and the manliest man he has ever met. and yet he's hungry, but he doesn't eat. he doesn't eat because he gives. he gives food to a kid who doesn't even deserve to eat. he gives food to a kid, not a man, because if he was a man he wouldn't need to eat.

so he just needs to grow up and become a man, he thinks. that's it. time. time. that's what he lacks and what he should take. years.

but he doesn't become a man.

he grows fond of women as years pass by. they're gorgeous. pieces of art. delicate, emotional, calculative, strategic, pretty, soothing, and perfect in every way. they're everything a vinsmoke shouldn't be. they're everything sanji is- wants to be. he isn't like them. he is a man.

he likes watching them and giving them the pleasures he's refused of, because at least he gets to taste the other end of the stick when dreaming about impossible things turns out to be something too emotional for him to handle as the man he has become.

skirts. dresses. high heels. make up.

it must be hard to fight in those. that's why men don't wear them. because men are meant to fight. girls are meant to just exist. they give peace and love to a world full of destruction just by breathing, they don't need to do anything in order to give.

nami's ruthless. like a storm. and pretty, obviously, like a faint, calm rain. gorgeous and bright, like the sun. and she's feminine in such a strong way that it makes sanji shiver and get on his knees quicker than any woman has ever done. because she's different, too. she's a girl but she's not a girl. and she's not a man but she's more of a man than sanji could ever be in a million years, he realizes, because she's not afraid. and men shouldn't be afraid.

sanji always is. he just doesn't show. showing emotions is a cry for help and boys don't- men don't cry.

she's a girl without being like any other girls. so that means sanji can be a man without being exactly like the rest.

and yet, he's still not a man.

because dresses aren't meant or men, and still he can easily run wearing high heels without any problem. and they feel good, too, not because they fit in but because they fit him. they match the dress and the lip gloss. the world used to be black and white but now it's fucking pink and it makes him feel good and brave and strong and he's not afraid.

then the world shatters again. pops like those bubbles again. and again. like the day he lost himself to the pleasurable feeling of comfort he's been fighting his whole life. because he's a man and comfort means not being able to handle pain. and he fought pain that day until he gave in to his desires. but desiring something is only a thing men can afford, and he didn't actually desire it. he needed it. needs it to breathe and to laugh and to live. needs it because he can't handle pain and if he can't handle pain he's not a man.

so he goes back to hiding and wanting and giving and giving but without needing. and he doesn't take, because he's not a vinsmoke, but he is a man, because he only eats the crumbs women throw at him.

it's raining when he hears it, and he can't help thinking about nami. ruthless, strong, gorgeous and feminine nami.

pudding wouldn't. nami wouldn't.

he wouldn't marry himself either, if asked.

and there's gotta be something wrong with him. something that doesn't work. because he's not a vinsmoke but he's not a man and he's not human and he's not even a failure. he isn't a failure because his mom said so. and if someone as honest and good and kind and feminine as her said that, it has to be true.

and yet he's not a man. he looks at himself from far away. he's always seen himself like that. like a soul flying around an empty body. a shell.

and then it breaks.

it's still raining.

luffy is beautiful. and he is a man. but just like nami isn't a girl, luffy isn't a man.

because he dreams, bigger than anybody else. he shines, brighter than the sun. he feels, louder than any woman. he fights, with his whole heart and fists and punches way harder than any vinsmoke. and he's hungry. luffy's hungry due to a promise. a promise lead by loyalty and love and passion and everything sanji wishes he could let himself feel.

the thing is, luffy can feel all of those and still be a man.

if sanji feels, he won't be a man. nor a vinsmoke.

niji called him girl once. because he cried. and the punches hurt, but for some reason the thought of being allowed to feel if he were to be a woman made the wound heal faster.

luffy sees him cry.

and dream and wish and ask and beg and break.

and he's trying to give, but luffy is asking him to take and be selfish. he wonders if taking something for himself will turn him into a man, finally.

but he cries again.

"i want to go back to sunny."

and he's not a vinsmoke. nor a man.

he isn't sure exactly what he is.

and then luffy says: "that's just how you are!" about him being too kind for his own good and too empathetic for him to be considered a man.

luffy smiles when he says it, as if it was the most brilliant quality of the cook.

he's not a vinsmoke. he's not a man.

sanji lets himself dream about what he could be. lets himself feel what he truly is.

he has never liked feeling weak because that's just what women are supposed to be. delicate and soft and meant to be rescued by the prince he should be.

luffy looks at him like he's the most beautiful thing to ever be under the rain. dirty and messy and crying and shattered. but still beautiful. and clean. and pure. and soothing. and everything a woman is and everything he wants to be and everything he could be.

and it's a very complex recipe and perhaps he still lacks some ingredients and maybe he could use less of others and let it cook for a bit longer.

but it tastes good. to dream. to feel. to exist. not like a mistake but as a human.

as herself.

[wileys-russo]

spoiled rotten (2) II a.putellas x reader

spoiled rotten sequel, had a buuunch of asks with some more ideas so decided to compile them into a little p2! not proof read cause ya gal is exhausted so apologies for any typos spoiled rotten (2) II a.putellas x reader

"i'm home!" you yelled out, closing the door after you and hearing voices call out from the bedroom as you left your keys and bag on the counter and ventured off to find the source of them.

"oh my..." you trailed off as you rounded the corner and found yourself stood in the doorway of the spare room, eyes widening at the sight in front of you.

"yay you're back!" layla leapt off the floor and raced over, hugging your leg tightly as you ran a hand through her hair but continued to stare with a mix of surprise and horror at the room.

"you've both been...busy?" you exhaled as layla let go of you and returned to alexia's side, dropping to the floor and crossing her legs. "we're building my castle! tia said it can live in here all the time for whenever i come visit." layla chirped as you hummed.

"amor i thought we said we weren't building the castle, or at least you'd call mapi." you caught your girlfriends eye as she held out her hand and your niece slapped a screwdriver into it, a small pile of tools sat beside her making you roll your eyes.

"why? i can do it bebita its fine!" alexia waved you off and you shook your head, judging by the sheer amount of pieces littered around the room and the blondes track record of following instructions you were in for a long night.

"hey lay when did you and tia start building?" you questioned as your girlfriends face paled just slightly. "mmm an hour ago! tia's kinda slow, sorry tia." layla patted alexia's knee sympathetically making you snicker.

"and how much work has been completed in that hour amor?" you questioned with a smile, alexia rolling her eyes and ignoring you. "we put all the pieces out so we could find them!" layla chipped in as alexia sighed and you chuckled.

"lay, babe i'm really sorry but the castle is gonna have to wait. tia alexia is...challenged at building things. but i'll call mapi and she can come over tomorrow to build it." you promised as layla cheered and alexia scoffed.

"challenged!" your girlfriend hurried to her feet and followed you out of the room as you glanced at her with amusement. "yes, that was the nicest way i could think of putting it baby." you grinned, pulling yourself to sit on the edge of the counter.

"i am not challenged!" alexia protested, arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face which made your grin widen. "of course not amor you are perfect, so perfect at everything." you cooed sarcastically, pinching her cheeks and shaking her head lightly.

"but not building." you booped her nose as she swatted your hand away and huffed. "sé construir cosas y construiré ese castillo." your girlfriend warned, slotting between your legs and glaring at you as you simply smiled and pressed your forehead against yours.

"i'll have your mami on speed dial then, so she can bring over some food for me to use to coax you out of the bathroom again." you pouted as alexia scoffed again, opening and closing her mouth.

"no no, don't argue mi amor. we both know it happened!" you cupped her face and pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

"oh dios mio, mierda!" you looked up with a frown at the sound of a thud and another string of heated spanish rattle around your mostly bare apartment.

"ale? estás bien?" you yelled out, getting no answer from your girlfriend as you ventured out of the bedroom to find her, having been unpacking the small mountain of boxes full of clothes into your now shared wardrobe.

"amor?" you called out, snapping your fingers a few times when she didn't react, finally pulling her head out of the instruction manual. "whats wrong?" you chuckled, seeing the obvious frustration embedded into her features.

"there is too many parts!" alexia huffed, slamming the instruction manual to the ground. "baby its a few chairs and a table." you withheld the urge to laugh, sensing she was teetering on the edge as you watched the brunette take a few deep breaths.

you gazed around the room at the multitude of flat pack furniture you'd collected this morning with the van while you had it rented for a few hours, sighing quietly at the sheer amount of work it seemed to be.

you'd begged alexia to let you just pay someone to come over and build everything, the catalan having no issue paying movers to help the pair of you move your lives from two apartments into a brand new home which you'd now share.

but her stubborn refusal to let you do so had meant there was now a very large amount of building needing to be done between the two of you, or more accurately by alexia who was also stubbornly determined to do everything herself.

which is what now had lead to your girlfriend surrounded by a 45 piece tool kit she'd bought only an hour ago, including a power drill that in her hands terrified you.

"está bien nena, lo resolveré." alexia exhaled through her nose, picking the instructions up again and burying her head back into it as you hummed. you leant down to kiss her cheek as you passed, her arm reaching out and patting at thin air, her attention focused on the task at hand.

"bebita! ven aquí, por favor." you'd spent several hours slugged your way through three quarters of the boxes of clothes, humming away to the music playing from your phone when you'd heard her come searching for you, calling out.

"amor? vamos, come please!" alexia appeared in the doorway before you could even blink, grabbing your hand and dragging you out of the room ignoring your protests, grip on you unrelenting.

"mira!" alexia gestured proudly and you smiled seeing the dining room table put together, a singular chair pushed beneath it as the others lay discarded and half finished to the side.

"sit sit." the brunette ushered you over and pulled the chair out for you, all but pushing you into it as she hovered by you with an excited grin. "see? i told you i could do it." alexia puffed her chest out proudly.

though you didn't even have a chance to respond, pulling your phone from your pocket where it was digging into your hip and placing it down on the table, a unintentional mistake.

both your eyes widened, yours in shock and your girlfriends in horror as suddenly the legs all caved inward and the table slid completely sideways, a melodious clinking echoing about as a handful of screws scattered the floor.

a squeal left your mouth as then the chair gave in, the back falling off from the base sending you tumbling backwards as alexia lunged to try and break your fall but only managed to cradle your head as the rest of your body crashed to the ground.

you groaned in pain and sat up slowly, rubbing your throbbing tailbone as alexias warm hand disappeared from the back of your neck.

"hey, amor-" you caught the look on her face and tried to quickly reassure her but it was too late. you winced as finally after teetering on the edge all day, the spanish captain snapped.

you winced as a string of angry curse words left her lips, her limbs lashing out to kick chair legs across the room as she shook her fist at the slab of mahogany wood on the floor as if it could hear her, ripping up the instruction manual and hauling the confetti like pieces to the floor and stamping on them.

the burst of rage was short, but effective in destroying all the work she'd clearly put in over the last few hours, which really was for nothing considering she'd clearly skipped over a few key instructions.

you thought she was done when she stood, panting and face bright red, falling silent and staying still for a moment, a thin sheen of sweat coating her body which was only clad in a pair of shorts and a tank top.

"ale-" you started softly, unable to say another word as suddenly she stormed off, the slam and click of the lock of the bathroom door making you jolt a little in shock.

you shot up to your feet as quickly as you could, scrambling to the bathroom and ignoring the throbs of pain plaguing your body. "cariño, open the door please." you knocked softly, only hearing a huff on the other end of the door.

"alexia, please let me in baby." you tried again as a minute passed and you heard no movement, yet another huff and something inaudible mumbled your only response once more.

"amor open the door. its just a table and chairs, we can fix it." you cooed assuringly. "no! déjame en paz." alexia grunted and you could already imagine the scowl which would be embedded into her features, almost able to hear it in her voice.

"ale, open the door you're being silly." you sighed knocking again, silence all you were met with as you pulled a face and yelled silently up at the roof.

"alexia! let me in, please?" you knocked a little harder, a small no grumbled in response as your head thumped against the door. "fine, throw your tantrum then." you rolled your eyes and left her be, pulling your phone out of your room.

you looked around the mess which your living room was, well aware your bed was also laid out in boxes to be built, and made a decision, clicking call and holding your phone to your ear.

"hola hermana que será! how is the new place?" alba sang out cheerfully, answering after only a few rings. "alba, we need help, real help. and hands, many many helping hands! oh and i need your mami, your sister has locked herself in our bathroom." you sighed as there was a pause for a moment.

"vale. i make some calls, find some hands and i will pick up mami and see you very soon amiga! promesa."

~

"finalizado! a beautiful princess castle for a beautiful little princess." mapi grinned tickling layla who giggled and tried to push her hands away.

"gracais maps." you smiled appreciatively, your niece already racing around the room collecting toys and finding them a home inside her castle, chattering away to them as she did so.

"ingrid! come play." layla waved over the norweigan who moved quickly to sit beside her, layla introducing her to all of her toys as ingrid shook all their hands and said hello making her girlfriend smile fondly.

"ale, say thank you." you grinned teasingly at your girlfriend who stood in the doorway, face like thunder as she only scoffed and stormed out of the room.

"oh amiga i will not be letting her forget this for a very, very long time." mapi sighed happily, tattooed arm draped over your shoulder as the two of you left ingrid and layla to follow alexia out to the living room.

"de nada capi!" mapi called out mockingly as alexia shot her a glare from her place on the sofa, rolling her eyes and burying her focus into her phone.

"woah little racer! we have a speed limit in this house." you snagged layla as she sprinted into the room, hoisting her up and onto her hip. "you know you are my favourite auntie." you raised an eyebrow at her words, her tiny hands settling on your cheeks only furthering your amusement.

"by blood missy i am your only auntie." you laughed, clearly sensing that she was after something. "well you are my favourite." layla grinned as you hummed. "what are you up to hm?" you dug a finger into her ribs making her squeal.

"nothing." she grinned charmingly, a smile which was terrifyingly close to alexia's despite the fact she'd barely been here a week. "oh really?" you questioned as ingrid joined you all, her and mapi watching on in amusement.

"can mapi sleepover? please!" layla begged, hands still on your cheeks as you sighed. "ingrid said it was okay! she said its good because then without mapi around she can have a...a...a self care night!" layla remembered.

"amor!" mapi gasped in mock offence, her girlfriend smiling apologetically and stealing a kiss which seemed to placate the shorter girl beside her.

"can i come too?" alexia glanced to ingrid as you shot her a glare and she merely winked, her sour mood from early seeming to melt away. "pleaseee!" layla begged, hitting you with the pout and puppy dog eyes combo.

"yeah amiga, pleaseee!" mapi suddenly appeared in front of you with a matching expression making you roll your eyes. "fine." you gave in with a sigh, putting your niece down who hugged your leg tightly chanting thank you's as you rolled your eyes but smiled.

"come on pollito, lets go get my bag from the car!" mapi grabbed the smaller girl and hoisted her up onto her shoulders with a cheer. "wait you packed a bag? this was pre-planned wasn't it?" you accused your friend and team mate who smiled innocently.

"call it a thank you gift for my free carpentry skills chica." mapi winked, ducking down so layla wouldn't hit her head as she opened your front door.

"whats a pollito?" layla frowned in confusion at the earlier nickname. "it means little chicken." mapi explained as your niece ohh'd and they started to head for the elevator.

"hey i'm not a chicken!"

~

"remind me again mi amor why did you say yes to this?" alexia sighed quietly from behind you, the two of you squished together on the sofa as you watched mapi and layla dance around the living room watching the lion king.

"i didn't see you stepping in to say no! what happened to trying to be the bad cop every now and then?" you turned to gaze up at her with a raised eyebrow. "i didn't make her pancakes for breakfast?" alexia tried with a smile, pecking your lips a few times.

"wow how does she not hate you when you are so strict?" you teased, thumb affectionately tracing the curve of her jaw as she playfully rolled her eyes.

your conversation was interrupted as a small body landed on top of you causing you to grunt, layla hovering over you with a grin. "hola!" she chirped, alexia smiling at the spanish and returning the greeting, mapi disappearing to use the toilet.

"can we do makeovers? pleaseee?" she begged, hands clasped together as your eyes flickered to alexia, your girlfriend conviniently stayinfg quiet.

"of course you can! my skin is very sensitive though babe, but i'm sure your tia would love a makeover! right amor?" you grinned as alexia opened and closed her mouth a few times and layla hit her with the puppy dog eyes.

"sí pequeña, i would like a makeover."

with your girlfriend and her best friend occupying layla with their faces as her canvases you slipped off to shower and wash your hair, your girlfriend very unimpressed at not being able to join you like she normally would.

"oh wow! qué bellas señoritas." you whistled with a wolfish grin at the makeup smeared all over both the footballers faces as you returned, drying your hair with a towel.

"smile chicas!" you called out snapping your fingers, mapi grinning and slinging an arm over alexia who glared at the camera, layla squished between them with a beaming smile as you snapped a few pictures.

"now layla i think you need to do their hair and their nails!"

~

"they're both dead to the world." you chuckled as you quietly closed your own bedroom door, padding over to the bed where alexia lay waiting, arms open ready for you to climb into them.

"dead to the world?" alexia frowned, not quite understanding the euphemism. "just means they're deep asleep amor." you smiled, slipping into bed as she hummed, grabbing at your top and tugging you into her arms.

"mm i think you should have kept the makeup on." you teased as alexia puffed air from her nose. "sí gracias for that bebita." alexia rolled her eyes as you grinned and pressed your lips to hers.

"maybe the makeup might have helped you build that castle." you continued to tease as alexia pulled away when you chased her lips, quirking an eyebrow at you.

"ale!" you laughed as the taller girl suddenly rolled on top of you, pinning your hands by your head with a smirk. "oh princesa you seem to have forgotten again how i am very good with my hands." alexia purred, lips ghosting yours.

"necesita un recordatorio?" your girlfriends teeth tugged at your earlobe as your eyes fluttered close, her lips sucking a mark into your skin, smiling as your hips bucked against her involuntarily.

though right as the blondes large hand trailed down your stomach, fingers toying with the waistband of your shorts, the bedroom door flew open and the two of you sprang apart.

hurrying to tug your shirt down as alexia cleared her throat and scooted as far away from you as she could get without falling from the bed.

"lay? are you okay?" you asked your niece, trying to seem as normal as possible. "mapi snores. can i sleep here please?" the five year old asked hopefully as you sighed.

"okay lala, up you come then."

~

"what? she looks so cute!" alexia grinned happily as you sighed again, shaking your head as layla walked ahead of the two of you, mapi and ingrid each holding one of her hands as they swung her in between them, the five of you headed to the beach for the day.

"she looks like she's a teenager!" you laughed with a shake of your head, alexia having been in charge of dressing layla this morning had kitted her out in just a few of the multitude of items she'd bought her on their little secret shopping trip the other day.

"kids can wear whatever they want amor." alexia kissed your cheek and you shoved her away as her hand discreetly palmed at your ass.

"behave putellas." you warned with a tut as she grinned. "i have been princesa, but in a few more days when it is just you and i again, i promise to stop behaving." she whispered, kissing your now flushed cheek and effortlessly scooping you up as you reached the sand.

"alexia!" you laughed as she carried you bridal style down the beach toward where mapi and ingrid had already set up. "my turn!" layla lit up as you reached the group and your girlfriend put you back down again.

"oh your turn hm pequeña?" alexia hummed, quickly pulling off her shorts and top, layla's giggles filling the air as your girlfriend picked her up and held her not unlike you'd cradle a baby.

"oye maría! you want to go fishing for sharks? i found some bait." alexia grinned shaking layla lightly who gasped. "oh sí! i have heard they like live bait the best." mapi teased as layla began to wiggle to try and get down.

"vamos little shark bait!" alexia grinned, sprinting off toward the water as mapi raced off after them, you and ingrid opting to work on your tans leaving your girlfriends to burn off their energy as they took turns tossing layla between them as you watched on with a smile at her laughter which carried back to you.

"ale seems very happy." you turned your head to find ingrid smiling at you, eyes covered by sunglasses but you didn't need to see them to know there would be a knowing look in them.

"you both seem very happy." ingrid added on, wiggling her eyebrows as you shook your head and laid back down, looking up to the sky. "come on! you have been together for awhile." ingrid continued to hint.

"we have been talking about it." you gave in somewhat as ingrid gasped. "if ale makes mapi the godmother does that make me a godmother too? or a tia?" ingrid rambled out making you laugh.

"relax! we have been talking about it ingrid, i'm not pregnant yet." you chuckled as the norweigan gasped again. "so you're going to carry? oh this is so exciting. have you thought about names? a preferred gender? would it be a putellas or after you? or maybe both?" your friend barely took a breath, only stopping when you threw a sandal at her.

"mapi has been a bad influence on you with all of her yapping." you shook your head now making ingrid laugh as she apologised and laid back down, seemingly dropping the topic as a pleasant silence fell between you.

you had nearly dozed off when suddenly your body temperature changed as layla jumped on top of you, shaking her head left to right as droplets of icy water rained down on you.

"oh thats funny is it lala?" you sat up and dug your fingers into her sides, holding her in your arms as she giggled and begged you let her go. "tia save me!" layla yelled as alexia and mapi returned from the water, chatting in spanish between one another with wide grins.

"alexia no don't you-" you let your niece go and began to warn your girlfriend, recognising the cheeky smile on her face as before the next word could drop from your lips you were tugged up and thrown over her shoulder.

"hey lay, should we dig a hole and bury mapi?" the five year old agreed eagerly as ingrid started to help her dig, mapi shrugging and joining in, the three of them chattering away and ignoring your cries for help.

"baby no no no please i washed my hair last night!" you begged as alexia started off toward the water, her hand patting your ass. "good thing you can wash it again tonight then precioso." your girlfriend waded into the water up to her hips before tossing you in to join her.

"hola sexy!” she was on you the very moment you surfaced, hands gripping your thighs and hoisting you up, legs wrapped around her torso as she walked the two of you out a little deeper, silencing your mumbles of annoyance with a few sweet pecks to your lips.

"i hate you." you huffed as she only grinned, holding onto you tighter as you tried to push away from her to swim back to shore. "menos mal que te quiero lo suficiente para los dos." the catalan promised sending a slight blush to your cheeks.

"baby were you serious when you said you wanted to talk about kids once lay goes home?" you questioned, hands playing with her wet hair as the older girl nodded. "i was. does this make you uncomfortable mi amor?" alexia frowned as you were quick to shake your head.

"no, it makes me excited." you admitted with a soft smile causing alexias features to brighten. "sí?" she grinned, pulling you even closer if that was possible, pressing her forehead against yours as you nodded.

"maybe once layla is in bed tonight we could maybe look up some doctors? see who to speak to." alexia suggested hopefully as you nodded in agreement. "sounds perfect baby, so perfect." you promised, tilting your head and pressing your lips to hers.

"but cariño when we have our own little bebita we need to get a bedroom door that locks." alexia huffed as you threw your head back with laughter and she let you down, pulling you into a hug as her lips brushed against the crown of your head.

~

you looked up from your book hearing keys jingle in the lock, snapping it shut right as the door opened and footsteps thudded toward you.

"vale! layla remember what we talked about in the car sí?" you heard your girlfriend yell, voice wavering with just a touch of panic as you started to sit up, your niece appearing and readying herself to launch at you.

"hey! tia." the now six and a half year old groaned as alexia raced in and grabbed her backpack, effectively holding her hostage making you smile. "we said gentle lala, gentle." alexia reminded sternly as you met her worried eyes, nodding softly.

"because she has a tummy ache, i know!" layla rolled her eyes and crossed her arms with a huff. "its okay amor, let her go." you promised, a flicker of doubt crossing alexia's face before she did so.

"hi trouble." you knelt down as your niece crashed into you, hugging you tightly and kissing your cheek. "i missed you. why didn't you come home for christmas?" layla frowned as you gave her a sympathetic smile.

"well you know how tia alexia and i are dating, yes?" you pulled her to sit on the lounge with you, helping her to shrug off her backpack as she curled into your side.

"yeah mummy said alexia is your girlfriend and the two of you love each other very much." layla parroted making you smiled. "we do. and you know how your mummy is my big sister, and grandma is my mum?" you questioned as layla nodded.

"well tia alexia has a mum and a sister too, she has a big family. and because i love her, i love her family just as much as my family. so i spent christmas with alexia's family this year, thats why i didn't come home." you explained as the girl nodded, slight frown of concentration on her face.

"better stop that, or else the wind might change and you'll be stuck like that forever!" you teased smoothing out your eyebrows with your fingers as your girlfriend returned, eyes roaming your body protectively for any sign of discomfort as you sent her a reassuring smile and patted the space next to you.

but before she could take a seat there was a few more knocks at the door and layla perked up. "mapi! ingrid!" she cheered recognizing their voices, jumping down and sprinting off as you pushed yourself up and to your feet.

"oh look, it lives!" mapi cheered, throwing her hands to the air as you rolled your eyes and the tattooed defender pulled you into a tight hug. "we were really beginning to worry, you have not been training or playing for nearly two weeks now. that is a very serious bug!" ingrid looked over you with concern.

"i know, but i'm on the other end of it now. i missed everyone though! only stuck here with captain grumpy for company." you sighed as you let go of ingrid, your girlfriend scoffing in offence where she stood with layla on her hip despite the fact she was definitely starting to get a little old for that.

"don't do that tia, if the wind changes your face will be stuck forever!" layla was quick to smooth out alexias's furrowed eyebrows just like you had done for her before making you chuckle.

"vamos amigas, we made lunch."

~

"not yet! wait just a second." you warned your niece as alexia handed her a shoe box, doing the same to mapi and ingrid who frowned in confusion, their questions waved away.

alexia's arm wrapped around your waist as she kissed the side of your head and you smiled.

"okay, open." you both spoke in sync sharing a grin, your head dropping to your girlfriends shoulder as her strong arm squeezed you excitedly.

all three girls pulled out barcelona home kits, layla's a kids one as mapi and ingrid frowned. "look amiga i know you have won a lot of trophies but i do not need your shirt to-" mapi directed the comment toward your girlfriend who rolled her eyes.

"cállate y dale la vuelta." alexia gestured for them to turn the jerseys over, all three pairs of eyes widening as mapi's jaw hung slack. "big cousin 2025." layla managed to read out the back of hers, still not quite understanding.

"godparents 2025." ingrid managed out, her and mapi shocked to silence as you and alexia grinned. "so you are-and that is why you haven't been-ohh." mapi sighed in realization as ingrid nodded slowly.

your friends were rapidly up on their feet and crushing you both in a hug, alexia hurriedly warning them against squeezing you too tight as mapi teased her for how overprotective she was being.

"does anyone else know? are we the first?" mapi asked excitedly making alexia roll her eyes with a smile. "our parents know, but thats it. we're going to tell the rest of our families in a couple of weeks once we've had the final scans done." you explained, alexia stealing a kiss as her hand fell proudly to your stomach.

"lay i'm pregnant." you confirmed as your niece still looked a little confused, smiling up happily at alexia as layla screamed and all four of you winced. "there's a baby in here? can i name it? can it come have sleepovers?" layla's body vibrated with energy as she stood before you staring at your stomach in wonder.

"yeah lala, a little cousin for you and a little baby for tia ale and i, a baby all of our own."

[mixiury]

Here with you — Wanderer x GN! Reader

Summary: After a long walk with Wanderer, you ended up exhausted, taking a small nap with your companion in the middle of the forest.

A/N: I corrected some typos I noticed after reading this again. I am dyslexic and English isn't my first language so I'm sorry if there is still some. Please feel free to point them out!

"Come here, lie with me."

"Why would I? To get my clothes dirty like yours? No thanks." Wanderer answered to your request almost instantly, showing little interest in changing his mind.

Both of you have been walking for hours now, enjoying the cool breeze that the trees of the Sumeru forest release.

It's hard to keep track of time in a place like this, especially when the silence and calm stretches out in its entirety and all you can hear is the soft melody of the birds with the snapping grass and leaves you are stepping on the ground while you walk.

But even though your hiking companion doesn't need to take breaks and the beautiful views of the landscapes along the way help in motivating you to continue exploring, you soon end up finding your feet and legs demanding you to rest, lying down on a small and comfortable hill, while Wanderer reluctantly agrees to wait for you a few minutes.

"Are you sure you don't want to join me? The sun is nice." You know what his response is going to be, but you keep insisting anyways, hoping that some miracle will happen that would make him change his mind and rest alongside you. However, as was from being expected, his head just turned away, ignoring your request with the same stubborness that characterizes him.

Defeated, you find solace in the warm sunlight and fresh grass you lie on, slowly imbuing yourself in its trap as your eyelids fight to stay open.

It is not until he notices how quiet you have become that Wanderer's gaze finally returned to your sleeping figure, noticing each deep breath you take as your chest rises and falls steadily, with nothing to interrupt you from falling into your calm, soft slumber.

It's annoying how you allow to put yourself in such a comfortable state in the middle of nowhere. As if, in this precise moment, nothing else mattered.

It seems like you don't know how easy of a target you are right now, not worrying about your surroundings and all the dangers that are around you. It only takes a few seconds to end a human's life and it's much easier when you're in such a vulnerable and peaceful state that you wouldn't even be able to react before you feel the pain of your aggressor hurting you.

And yet, the mere thought of it makes him feel sick and jealous of you at the same time. How can you live your life so carelessly? Is it because you don't have any self-prevention instincts inside that empty brain of yours? Or are you just so naive that, even knowing how he can easily leave you to your own devices, you still trust him enough to allow yourself to be in this position?

Knowing you will probably never tell him, he decides to search the answer by himself, quietly approaching you and laying down next to you, hoping that the sound of the grass rustling next to you won't wake you up or interrupt your dreams as he watches you in complete silence.

And it's only now, after he finally gave into your request, that he understood what you were talking about.

The faint rays of the sun really feel like a bliss the moment they caress your face, intense enough to embrace you with their warmth but not to the point of burning you. Contrasting with the cloudy and gloomy Inazuma mornings he had grown used to.

It has been so long since he felt this warmth and calmness, still staring at you steadily and letting himself enjoy the peaceful nature of the moment.

It feels illegal that him, out of all people, could experience an instance like this. He, whom from the day of his creation the only birthright that has been given to him was an eternity of grievance, shame and solitude, simply lying on the grass without any other concern but you.

He doesn't understand it but he wants to. Your presence itself has already helped him understand a hint of your normalicy, something that he had spent decades chasing and longing for but was never able to hold for long enough to call it his. And yet, he lets himself fall into your trap and comfort, finally taking a break from all the thoughts that have been stuck in his mind as he simply rests by your side.

[lizard-shifter-noms]

Still Subject to Change Chapter 9 (NEW)

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Hello everyone! i decided to repost arc 1 of SSTC

(the chapters were way too long and had a bunch of typos but hopefully this will make reading easier)

this Story contains Vore, Dont like dont read.

if there are still any grammatical errors i'm sorry.

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Seeing the forest come closer I was actually relieved to finally be out of here and looked over my shoulder to see that the tower really was built to keep big Monsters in there with its thick walls and embedded spikes.

I shuddered and hoped I would never see this thing again, so turning back I instead focused on the treeline and not stepping on anyone.

Yep, still weird to think about that I could end someone's life with a single misstep and I tried not to think about it, and instead just drag my feet over the ground so that if someone were to be there they'd get toppled over and not squished under me.

Reaching the Forest's edge I assumed that they would let us go now, but it seemed we were still too close to their Kingdom so we had to walk into the forest even further.

I didn't dare speak out of fear that they would shoot me, but Robin seemed to have no such concerns.

“When are we there? I want to talk to Donovan, also where's Arthur?”

I tensed at his last Question accidentally squishing Arthur a tiny bit making him move more than before and I hurried to hold my breath and cut off his air supply, however that worked.

He stopped moving after a few seconds but this sure had been a scare, if he had woken up and someone noticed it we would have been fucked.

I still felt incredibly guilty but it couldn't be helped, I just hoped he'd understand.

I almost missed the guy's answer as I was busy holding my breath and my attention was focused more… inwards.

“Oh you can talk to your big friend later ALLLLLL you want as for this Arthur guy? He's been taken care of don't worry”

I did Not like the condescending tone the Guard had used but I couldn't really do anything about it which frustrated me even more.

At least Rikaad was able to step between them and shot a death glare at the offending guard who actually backed up a bit.

We continued walking in silence, safe for the Guards communicating amongst themselves.

I could feel Arthur lying limply against my insides, only moving occasionally and sending a thrill up my nervous system whenever he made a bigger movement.

I tried to Ignore it but since he was literally inside me that was near impossible, and I couldn't help but worry about the feeling.

What if that's what the Bracelet made me do? What if one day it urged me to eat someone for real?

Shoving these thoughts down I instead focused on the road so I wouldn't trip, and I could see that the tower was a bit further away now.

I really hoped they would just let us be already but it seemed that we were still too close to the Kingdom for their comfort.

At this point we had already passed the spot where I got shot at and were led even deeper into the woods towards the mountain.

Coming to a bigger clearing they ushered Robin and Rikaad to be in the center and threw both of them a bag, probably their own stuff judging by the clunking sound of metal.

The Guards still surrounded me, but I wanted them to go away already so I could talk to Robin and try to find a spot where I could let Arthur out so Rikaad wouldn't see it.

Arthur himself was still peacefully asleep, courtesy of a low oxygen environment and had thankfully not woken up during all of this.

But I did dread the part where he would, I didn't know how he would react and it scared me.

I also had to fight to keep my hand from settling over the warm lump in my core so as to not give away anything to the Guards.

The Guards walked around me to stand at the treeline of the small clearing, I didn't move as I really didn't want to step on someone.

Suddenly a Horse came up with an ironclad knight on its back.

The rider removed the helmet and i could see that it was the king, nobody else i knew had such a monobrow.

Did he follow us? I immediately became worried, Would he tell the others that I ate Arthur? I hoped not.

The guards all stood in a line next to him with their crossbows loaded.

I had a bad feeling about this and I was proven right as the king suddenly had a wicked grin on his face.

“SOLDIER! AIM! SHOOT THE BEAST! I WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH A MONSTER NEAR MY KINGDOM!”

Aa all the Guards suddenly aimed their crossbows at me.

I didn't even wait to see what they would do and Instead turned to run in the opposite direction, snatching up Robin and Rikaad as I did so and getting the hell away from there as fast as I could.

Ignoring Rikaads surprised shout i just ran towards the mountains to bring as much distance between us and Maringand as possible making sure to not drop either of them.

Feeling Arthur start to move again I held my breath once more hoping that he'd fall back asleep even with all the movement.

It took longer than before and sprinting while not breathing made my lungs burn but after about three minutes he was still again.

I really hoped none of the others had noticed him squirming but glancing down while running showed that Rikaad was focused on the way we came, probably looking for any pursuers and Robin was just Clinging to my fingers.

I ran until I could no more, occasionally holding my breath to prevent Arthur from waking up.

I didn't really know how long I had been running but as I looked back I could not see the tower anymore and it was well after midday.

I sank to my knees gently letting Robin and Rikaad to the ground while I panted, my lungs burned from running and holding my breath and I did my best to calm down as fast as possible.

I did not want Arthur to wake up now from all this, not now at least.

I was still trying to figure out how to handle this and having him wake up now would be extremely awkward.

Rikaad seemed to stand Guard and looked in the direction we came from.

“We should continue after you rested, then we can figure out what happened to Arthur and how to get him back”

Ah fuck i really needed to make a plan.

Looking at Robin instead to make sure he was alright too and I didn't grab him too harshly I saw him staring at me, or more specifically my middle.

While I sat there I had unconsciously put a hand over my Pouch where Arthur lay and I yanked it back, looking at Robin and putting a finger over my lips to tell him to never say a word about it.

He nodded but still tilted his head at me with curious look in his eyes, i would tell him later what had happened, when I got the chance to do that without Rikaad listening in.

Being hunched over like this made the weight in my core just a lot more prominent as Arthur was lying on what was previously the front wall.

Getting up again and holding my breath anew even if I still felt like I needed more time to rest.

And feeling Arthur slide around in my pouch when I was hunched over was a bit weird.

I wanted to go as far away as possible as fast as possible from that place so I forced myself to continue on.

“Alright let's go i want to never go near that hellhole again we can worry about Arthur when i'm sure i wont get shot again”

I slowly stood up and went to walk even more towards the mountain.

I was glad that riding on horseback through the woods was not a good idea, otherwise we'd have to worry about that too right now.

Holding my breath again I went in the direction of the mountains in a straight line, not like there were any roads here anyway.

Robin scrambled after me and Rikaad started to walk faster too to keep up.

“It is going to be dark soon we should look for a campsite if possible”

At Rikaads words i looked around, it was indeed getting darker, How long had i been running?

No matter right now I needed to get Arthur out without the others or at least Rikaad noticing and I still didn't have a plan on how to do that.

So we ended up setting up a temporary camp near a river, still far enough to not be able to see said river but close enough to get water, and I felt extremely awkward the entire time.

I had their Friend within me for fucks sake! And the only one that didn't know was Rikaad at this point.

It didn't help that I had to fight with myself to keep my hands from straying to settle onto my middle.

If Rikaad did notice my odd behavior he didn't say anything about it luckily.

I kept frequently holding my breath to make sure Artur did not wake up and hoped to God that this wouldn't give him brain damage from the low oxygen he had been exposed to for some time now.

The Dark came as soon as we managed to light a fire, The crackling sounds provided a soothing white noise and I finally got an idea as I saw in the glinting light how dirty my legs had become.

And not just my legs, everything about me was dusty and on some spots downright caked in dried or fresh mud.

So I stood up and on the other two confused looks told them what I was going to do.

“I'm going to wash myself in the river, stay here i don't want any of you seeing me without clothing”

Robin looked a bit confused at first but then nodded, motioning a thumbs up, he'd been weirdly quiet since the capture.

I would talk to him later to make sure he was alright but for now I had other things to deal with.

Rikaad just made a dismissive hand motion and instead focused on the fire so I left to go a good bit downstream, away from where they could hear or see me.

I went a good bit further than that to make sure that even if it got loud they wouldn't notice, which took about five minutes to walk.

I had stopped holding my breath while walking and I could feel Arthur start to move again as I took deep breaths to supply him with fresh air.

The movements were confused at first, then a curious hand prodded my insides before he went still again, not unconscious, more like a stiff weight that held itself and it seemed like he was terrified of moving.

I even heard him say.

“Oh fuck”

I finally allowed myself to put a hand on my abdomen and poked at him, receiving a surprised noise in response.

“Arthur? Are you okay?”

He shifted confusedly for a second before answering.

“What? You ate me, why would you ask that?”

He seemed still a bit groggy so I would do one thing after the other for now.

“I didn't really eat you, but can you tell me if you're okay?”

I was a bit worried over the fact that I had essentially kept him in a low air environment and hoped I didn't damage his brain or something.

“What do you mean by that? And uh… well i Feel fine? wait-”

He started shifting a lot and I had to bite back a pleased hum at the feeling of having my insides rubbed, I didn't want to scare him after all.

“What the FUCK! Donovan, what the hell is going on?!”

He suddenly was a lot more energetic, seemingly having figured out that he'd been in there for some time now and was still okay.

So best to finally explain this…chaos.

“First off you're fine! And you will stay fine! You're not in my stomach okay?”

“Where the hell am I then? You fucking ate me!”

Well there was the anger, but now I knew that beneath that anger was fear, so I would try my best to reassure him.

“You are in my pouch not my stomach, basically i have some of my organs doubled but not all of them work so you're fine and nothing will happen to you in there”

He seemed to freeze at my words, likely trying to comprehend what I just told him.

Then I felt an indignant kick against my insides.

“WHY THE FUCK DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THIS SOONER!”

Now he really was angry instead of afraid and I sighed.

“I literally couldn't! Not with that Monobrow guy listening in! He would have killed us both!

Besides You said it yourself that you couldn't act to save your life! I'm sorry that I had to do this but it's better than death isn't it?”

He seemed to calm down at my words, probably realizing that I was right.

“So wait, are we still in the tower or why are you suddenly talking to me? And how did you manage to keep me asleep during all of this???”

At least those two questions were easy to answer but I hoped he wouldn't get angry again at hearing that I had deprived him of air.

“We are not in the tower anymore, i got us as far away as possible when we got out, as for keeping you asleep well uh- I just held my breath so you'd get less air?”

He didn't kick or punch me, instead he just flopped backwards against the walls of my pouch.

“You know what, okay why not? Are at least Robin and Rikaad okay? Wait, do they know I'm in here?”

I decided to try and answer the questions in the order I heard them.

“The others are okay, they are at out camp a bit away and no the don't know where you are, at least Rikaad doesn't, and i'd appreciate it if you'd never tell them about this, i'm not keen on getting stabbed by Rikaad to be honest”

He shifted again a bit and I had to suppress another delighted hum.

“So if we are away from the tower can you let me out? No offense but i don't like this and i never want to repeat it”

Walking a bit into the stream after chucking my shoes onto a boulder to keep them dry while he talked I could understand that he didn't want to do this ever again, so as long as he promised to not tell anyone I'd let him out as soon as possible.

“Of course I'll let you out just give me a sec, also can you promise me to never tell Rikaad about this? I'll help you come up with a believable cover story if you want”

Coming up with something would probably be difficult as he admitted to being a bad actor, so something simple would have to do.

Feeling him move again to sit up I walked even deeper into the widest part of the river, but the water still didn't go over my entire legs so I just stood there in the calves deep water listening for his answer.

“Yeah sure, i even swear on God to not tell Rikaad unless you tell me to, now get me out of here”

“Alright… try to go limp… i'm going to get you out now”

I felt a squirm of confirmation as I pressed in with my hand, and tensed up as I forced my body to throw up the form in my pouch.

Feeling something travel the wrong way up your esophagus wasn't by any means pleasant but I was used to it by now from the years of hiding valuables in there.

It wasn't long until I felt the cursing form of Arthur reenter my mouth and I plucked him out with two fingers, dangling him over the river in the pale moonlight.

“Fucking hell! How long was I in there? And set me down already! I hate this!”

I couldn't really set him down right now as I stood in the middle of the river and he would get swept away by the cool water that flowed around my legs so I instead cupped him in my hands.

He was a lot less slimy than I thought he'd be but still needed a wash to get rid of the bit of slime that did cling to him.

“One second, unless you want me to dump you in the river, also how are you? Are you okay?”

I walked back towards the riverbank so I could set him down.

“I've seen better days to be honest, and i'm sorry for what my uncle did to you guys”

Setting him down slowly onto the rocky dirt covered shore I went to wring out the hem of my shirt that had gotten wet when I bent over to get Arthur out before what he said registered in my brain.

“That Was Your Uncle??? What? Wait a sec, if that guy is your uncle then-”

He interrupted me before I could say another word.

“Yes my dad was the King, but frankly i didn't really know him aside from when i had to stand at his side during some stupid events, and no i'm not sad that he's dead i never cared about being some stupid royalty, at least i wasn't inbred like some of my other relatives”

He seemed to shudder at the last bit and not entirely from the cold.

“I thought Winton had told you who i am, ah fuck, how about you don't tell anyone about my royalty status and i keep quiet about the pouch thing okay?”

This did seem like a good deal but one thing confused me.

“Deal! Though, Who the fuck is Winton? Is that the monobrow guy? Don't tell me That ugly fuck is your uncle”

He flopped over into the mud of the riverbank groaning.

“Yes he is, i like to pretend that he's not though, i hate him”

That was completely understandable, I had only been around that guy for about a day and I already despised him as much as physically possible, and Arthur had to live with that for who knew how long.

Though now we needed to come up with a reason as to why Arthur wasn't kept captive anymore.

“So, any idea for a cover story? You know Maringand better than me”

He flopped onto his back in the dirt sighing.

“I'll just tell them i escaped through the sewers, as disgusting as it is it's believable enough and they probably won't ask for details”

That sounded good enough, I knew I wouldn't ask how someone crawled through a sewer, or at least not expect them to answer it.

“So can we go back now? I want to actually see Robin and Rikaad again”

That would be nice, but suddenly coming back with Arthur might be a bit suspicious, there was no way he would have kept up with us, especially since he had way shorter legs than I did and I had done an Adrenaline fueled sprint away from Maringand.

“Not a good idea, you suddenly turning up this fast is going to raise questions so maybe not today, ehh Night i mean”

It would be even better if he backtracked a bit so when Rikaad would usher us back to get him we'd ‘meet’ him on the way.

“Maybe even backtrack a bit? Rikaad is going to go back to get you anyway so if you go back a bit we meet you there and it's more believable”

He slowly sat up, now having mud stuck to the back of his shirt and put a hand over his face.

“Yeah that is a plan, not one im looking forward to but im not going to admit that i was eaten and didn't even do anything to stop you, that's just awkward and kinda embarrassing”

At least he shared my view on that point, so I went to sit next to him in the mud.

I would wash that anyway so I wasn't concerned with getting it even dirtier.

“Well you better get moving then, you have to go downstream and a bit to the right”

I pointed to where he had to go and he slowly stood up and started walking, even if his legs seemed to be moving a bit weirdly, they probably fell asleep in the time he didn't use them.

I was right in my guess as Arthur actually did comment on it.

“Dude my legs are wonky, how long was I in there? no wait don't answer I don't wanna know that, see you and the others tomorrow?”

The last part went an octave higher and I could clearly see that he was worried but did not want to show it.

Instead he started to walk through the woods and I hoped that I hadn't just made a mistake, After all, the woods were still dangerous and now he was unarmed.

I REALLY hoped I hadn't made an irreversible error but he was already out of sight so I went back to striding into the river, planning to finally get all the dirt out of my shirt and pants.

The cool water felt Pleasant against my sore legs and while I just let the stream wash away the mud on my pants I took my shirt off and swirled it in the water a few times to get everything out.

Dragging the now heavier shirt out of the water i wrung it out a few times before realizing that if i put it on again i'd likely get a cold or something, So the shirt had to stay off until it was dried.

Ah Fuck.

That ment i had to go back to the camp shirtless and try to dry it against the comparatively small fire we had.

I hoped no one would take offense to the fact that my top half was naked, but knowing Robin he'd more likely ask about my scars than complain about me missing my shirt.

Standing on the riverbank I wrung out my pants as best as I could while wearing them and slipped my shoes back on as I started to walk back, trying all the while to wring out my shirt as best as I could so it would dry faster.

I returned to a happily flickering fire and saw Rikaad inspecting Robin's face, apparently checking for bruises.

I realized with a pang that I might be too big to see small injuries, at least Rikaad was here to assess them.

Upon hearing me come back two heads simultaneously looked at me but Rikaad went back to checking Robin over who grinned at me.

Something was wrong with his teeth but I couldn't figure out what, I was too far away and probably too big too.

I sat next to the fire and put my shirt as close as I dared, I didn't want it catching on fire after all, then gave a worried look over to Robin.

“Are you alright? You've been weirdly quiet since we left Maringand”

He motioned for me to get closer and I bent down to be more at eye level for him.

He showed off his teeth and I finally saw what was wrong, The tooth behind his left canine had a small piece missing making his canine appear far more pronounced, like a fang.

No wonder he's been so quiet that must have been painful.

“How did that happen? Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

He shook his head, making his messy ginger hair bounce around his skull.

“I'm fine, one of the Maringand Guards told me to shut up and hit my teeth, but that aside where did your shirt go??”

I was glad he seemed to be okay and gestured vaguely to the shirt lying next to the fire.

“I'm letting it dry before putting it back on, not keen on catching a cold out here”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rikaad nodding.

“A good idea, though we should rest soon i will take first watch”

He did have a point in that, we really should sleep soon and i could put my shirt back on tomorrow as embarrassing as them seeing my scars was i wouldn't risk a sickness right now.

“Is that where your kidney is missing?”

I flinched a bit at the question, it seemed Robin had come closer as I stared into the Flames of the campfire and was looking at the pale line of scar tissue at my side.

“Yeah it is, i'm glad i punched that guy when i did or had have killed me for sure”

He seemed to stare at it a bit longer before his gaze became that glazed over look again for half a minute.

He snapped out of it and shook his head.

“You have any more scars? You don't have to tell me though!”

Well I did have a few more but most of them were from mundane stuff like falling off a tree or climbing into small spaces, though there was a long thin line across my back doing shoulder to shoulder that I received from a blade.

PREVIOUS / NEXT / OVERSIGHT

[nerdish-simp]

statues (hunter x gn!reader) part 1

Summary: The Golden Guard is an asshole. But so is Y/n.

A/n: I caved. I'm doing a short series with angst. You're welcome. (also ignore any typos, I'm posting this from not my phone and not my laptop) it's been a while since I've written so I'm a little rusty lmao. I also have no idea how stitches work, I had to google it, so it's probably inaccurate. Rip me ig.

__________

"Watch it, Scout!" An annoying voice commanded harshly as you felt someone shove past you, making you stumble.

"You watch it!" You elbowed whoever passed you, assuming it was just another scout.

You were surprised to see the motherfucking Golden Guard turn around.

_

That was your first interaction with the Golden Guard. And he got on your nerves very quickly.

Unluckily for you, he got annoyed with you pretty quickly too.

You would make sarcastic comments at each other's performance, argue, and insult each other. And each of you thought the other was the most annoying witch on the Boiling Isles.

The other coven scouts started dreading any mission that had you two on the team. You were constantly at each other's throats, and it only got worse as you moved up ranks.

_

"Scout! Bring me this book from the library."

"Actually, it's Captian now."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

_

You had your own team of scouts now, and you were a crucial member of the Emperor's Coven. You attended meetings, lead missions, and served the emperor. The scouts loved you. You weren't nearly as rude or commanding as the other captains and coven officials. Even if you were just a teenager, you knew how things worked and how to help people.

You were only ever blatantly rude to the Golden Guard, but he deserved it. He was a brat.

Your fighting went on for months. That was until one evening...

You stepped into the massive library in the Emperor's castle. Just back from a mission, you had taken off your uniform and mask, still carrying your badge with you, just in case. You had a few books in your arms and you dumped them into the book return bin before heading to find some new ones.

Wandering up and down the shelves, you grabbed a few books for some studying and some to read just for fun. You passed some blonde haired dude as you walked down the shelves, but didn't pay him any mind.

You saw him again as you went to check out your books, he was in line, also checking out a stack of old leather books. As he reached the desk, the librarian asked him for his library card and he said "Just put it under the Golden Guard."

You knew that voice. That really annoying voice.

"Golden Brat?!" You accidentally exclaimed, shocked. This scrawny blonde kid was the Golden Guard you've been fighting for the past several months??

He whirled around to look at you.

"Captain Asshole?!"

You stood there for a moment in stunned silence.

"You look way different than I thought you did." You muttered. "Titan, do you even sleep?" He had massive bags and dark circles under his unusual magenta eyes. He scowled at you.

"I don't need sleep. Unlike some pathetic witches." He looked at you.

"Holy fuck, man. Go to bed. You look like you're dead."

"SHUT UP." He grabbed his books from the counter and left the library.

"Damn." You muttered, placing your books in front of the librarian. "Sorry about that." _

You made his life a living hell after that. You bugged him about his sleep schedule and made fun of him for it. Even though you hated him, there was a slight bit of concern under all the light bullying.

He started avoiding you more and more as time went on. You weren't exactly sure why though. It was weird not making fun of him or having him insult you.

There was a whole week where you didn't even see him. Until one evening after you'd gotten back from a mission, badly injured.

Your forearm had been sliced open. The deep cut spanning from the crease of your elbow to mid-forearm. Your uniform was soaked in scarlet blood and you were trying to put pressure on it while struggling to perform a healing spell, and it just wasn't working.

You didn't know who to seek help from.

Despite the fact that the scouts really liked you, you didn't actually know people. You didn't have any friends. The only person who kept coming to your mind is the person you least wanted to see in this state.

The Golden Guard.

You knew he would be able to help you somehow, but swallowing your pride and going to him kept you away. But at this point, it was either go to him and hurt your ego a little bit, or fainting from blood loss and embarrassing yourself.

Gritting your teeth, you made your way to find the Golden Brat's room. _

After several minutes, you finally found it, you were feeling a little light headed as you pounded on the door.

"Open up, Golden Guard." You shouted. You could hear rustling through the door and he opened it, looking annoyed.

"What do you want?" He spat.

"Just let me in." You huffed. You just wanted to make your arm feel better.

"Why?"

"I... need help." You muttered, obviously not happy about coming to him for help.

"You need what now?" He smirked at you. You could tell that he was enjoying this.

"I SAID I NEED HELP." I said angrily. "Now stop being a dickhead and let me in."

He smirked as he stepped aside to let you in, but as soon as he saw your bloodstained sleeve, he stopped. "Titan, what happened to your arm?"

"I broke it." You said sarcastically. He just looked at you, unamused.

He sighed and got the first aid kit. "You're gonna need stitches."

You looked at him, genuinely shocked.

"If you think I'm gonna let you sew my arm up, you're fucking insane." You said, still clutching your arm in an attempt to make it stop bleeding.

"Do you want my help or not?!" He looked irritated.

"OKAY, fine fine." You relented.

He got the stuff ready and went to work. You watched for a moment before feeling a little queasy at the sight of your skin being sewn together. You looked at his face to distract yourself. His dark eyebrows turned downwards in concentration. He had a scar on his cheek that went down to his jaw, and there was a little bit of his ear missing.

He certainly looked a lot different from what you expected. But somehow it fit him.

It took a while before he had finished your arm, but he did a decent job. He cleaned the wound and wrapped your arm tightly with some bandages.

"Alright. I'm done." He started his first aid box away.

"Thanks...Golden Brat." You stuck to the nickname you usually called him, but in a more appreciative tone. It felt too formal to say Golden Guard anyways.

He looked at you momentarily, still putting the supplies away. ".....Hunter. my name is Hunter."

You didn't expect him to actually tell you his name. You covered your surprise by making a joke.

"Hunter, huh? I was expecting something cooler." I raised my eyebrows and he rolled his eyes.

There was a beat of silence.

"I'm Y/n."

He glanced up at you, "That's a weird name."

"Shut up."

"You shut up."

[strangesthirdeye]

ᴍᴇᴀᴛ ᴘᴀʀᴛ 1 (sʜᴇʀʟᴏᴄᴋ x ɢʜᴏᴜʟ ғᴇᴍ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

Summary: day after day, serial murders began to make a mess around London just after the police from Scotland Yard found human corpses that looked like they had been chopped up and bitten near central park. At first, the police assumed it was a wild animal attack. But, Sherlock has an assumption about his new neighbor.

Warning: gore, murder, blood, mention about chopped body, mention about wild animal attack, cannibalism, suspicious, Dark fic? Basically it's all about murder and blood so read at your own risk.. Sorry if this fic make you uncomfortable. (Y/H) means You Hometown.

As usual, I'm sorry if there are any wrong sentences or typos or grammatical mistakes, please forgive me and again English is not my first language, so I try to improve my language and writing in this way.

Part 2

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You put your luggage on the steps of door 221B after a four-hour cab ride from the airport to get to the flat you bought, which is 221C. You sighed and looked at the area around Baker Street. The rather large and busy area is the main attraction of Baker Street and even more interesting, the door marked 221B is also an attraction for people around London because it is the place where the famous Consulting Detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner Doctor Watson live.

You looked at the cafe next to the flat.

'Speedy's Cafe'

From where you stand, you can smell the aroma of coffee and food there. Very delicious if you know the smell. But, you don't really care about the food there. All you care about is the aroma of hot coffee that stings your nostrils. With that smell alone, you started drooling.

You were stopped from your reverie as soon as you remembered your motive for coming there. Yes, you moved to London because of an unfortunate incident that happened in your hometown. So not wanting to get involved with that, you quickly went to London to find a new place to live. Your old work in your home country is left behind.

So, in this way, you can start your new life and forget what happened before. You look at the black wooden point in front of you and notice that the knocker on the door is tilted. You straightened the knocker without thinking. Well, you can be said to have OCD but not too OCD. You only correct the small things and not the big things. Big things are usually left scattered all over the place so you just ignore them.

You started knocking on the door of 221B three times before standing up straight trying to show that you are a woman with manners.

4 seconds later, the door of the flat was opened by an elderly woman with a big smile.

The old woman looked at you kindly. "oh, hello dear.. is there anything I can help you with?" said the elder woman in a soft tone.

Just look at the old woman, you get the impression that she carries a warm and welcoming aura like a mother. An aura that you yourself have never experienced or felt before. So, you immediately relaxed your nervousness and returned the old woman's smile.

"You are Mrs. Hudson, aren't you? I asked you for an offer through the website you made regarding flat 221C. So I came here for that flat." you replied fumbling with your black jacket.

Mrs. Hudson was silent for a moment maybe trying to remember that before she chuckled lightly and looked at you with the same happy expression on her face.

"oh, you're the one who emailed me last week, aren't you? Y/n L/n is your name, isn't it?" Mrs. Hudson extended her small wrinkled hand towards you to shake your hand.

You immediately turned around and shook hands with Mrs. Hudson while nodding your head a few times with a smile still on your face.

"Just call me Y/n. Ma'am" you replied and broke the handshake.

Mrs Hudson nodded her head. "then you call me Mrs Hudson, dear. Come in, it's a bit chilly outside so you must be cold now. Come in" Mrs Hudson invited you and moved aside to let you in.

You nodded and bent your body slightly to reach the handle of your luggage before walking into the flat. Before you step inside, you smell the unpleasant odor around Baker Street.

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

"It's not big but it's quite comfortable for you to live in." said Mrs Hudson while opening the curtains on the window of flat 221C to let the sunlight in.

You shook your head as you looked around your new flat. The wallpaper looked like it had been re-pasted, while the windows were clean and dust-free. Most surprisingly, the electronic items there work well and there is also a sofa that looks like no one has touched it even though it has been abandoned for a long time. Mrs Hudson must always clean this flat in the hope that someone will live in it. Well, luckily you are the one who lives in that flat.

"Oh, I'm not the type to complain. As long as this place is comfortable, it's enough for me. After all, I like the atmosphere of this flat. It's quite calm and cozy here compared to my old flat in my home country" you said while caressing the wallpaper wall with your fingers you

Mrs Hudson chuckled. "oh thank goodness there are people who want to live in this flat. It's been a while since this flat was inhabited. The last person who lived in this flat was probably 4 years ago. After that, no one lived in this flat. So it's quite good that you like this flat" explained Mrs Hudson as she walked towards the kitchen. Maybe she want to organize all the messy things.

You nodded slightly. It's good that you live in this flat, otherwise you'll have to find another flat. After all, renting this flat is not expensive at all so it really fits your budget.

"By the way, dear. If I ask you this question, is it okay? If you don't answer, it's okay, I understand," said Mrs. Hudson from the kitchen.

"umm yeah, just ask.. I'll answer" you replied and started sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Is it okay if you live next door to people? Because the neighbors in the flat below can be a bit annoying and noisy sometimes, but that's only if there's time. Sometimes the people in the flat below will play the violin indefinitely. So I'm worried if it just bothers you," said Mrs Hudson.

"oh, it's okay.. I'm not bothered at all. I'm used to noise and commotion so I don't mind" you said optimistically.

Mrs Hudson nodded her head and walked into the living room and sat next to you. Her body is turned towards you as she gently pats your hand.

"well, I'm just warning you because Sherlock and John sometimes argue with each other or it's just Sherlock being Sherlock. So the atmosphere in this house is a bit noisy all the time" said Mrs Hudson with her cherished tone.

"well i suppose that's what happens if you live next door to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson" you replied jokingly then chuckled.

Mrs Hudson chuckled then shook her head and started to stand. Her hands patted her shirt and pants. Maybe to remove wrinkles or dust. Then, Mrs. Hudson looked at you.

"well, I think I should go now.. I want to finish my abandoned laundry. Perhaps, after I finish the work at home we can continue chatting. oh, it's been a long time since I chatted with a girl." said Mrs Hudson happily. Her smile never left her face.

"Oh, that's fine. But, I need to get my things out first.. maybe next time we can continue chatting. Just give me time to get comfortable in the new place" you replied and stood up to escort Mrs Hudson out.

"that's not a problem, dear. I hope you can get used to the new place. I understand how you feel about the new place. Maybe you're used to the atmosphere in your old flat" said Mrs Hudson.

"yeah, well.. I don't want to bother you anymore so I think I should take out my things and settle in"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It's been 4 hours that you packed and arranged some of your belongings in the new flat. Everything went smoothly and quietly without any commotion from the flat below. It means that Sherlock and Doctor Watson haven't come home yet so that's why the atmosphere in the three-story flat is quite quiet.

While you were busy arranging the books of novels on the bookshelf you had installed, a knock on the door outside your flat made you stop what you were doing. You then stared at the door of the flat for a long time before taking a deep breath. Immediately, the smell of jasmine and bakery passes through your nasal cavity. But, there was also a faint smell of plastic and meat coming through your nose making you immediately stand up from kneeling on the floor and walk quickly towards the door. Your stomach rumbling means that it needs to be filled with food.

You reached for the doorknob of your flat and opened it. immediately the smell got stronger.

"Oh, Y/n. Sorry to bother you but I found this box in front of the door and I thought it was yours because it has your name on the side of the box that's why I'm here. Don't worry, I didn't open this box for your privacy." Mrs. Hudson said warmly.

You looked at Mrs Hudson's hand which was still holding the white polystyrene box in her hand. And what Mrs Hudson said is right because there was a note with your name on the side of the big polystyrene box.

Without hesitation you took the large polystyrene box from the older woman's hand and walked into the flat and placed the box on the table. Mrs Hudson is still standing in front of your flat door. You looked at Mrs Hudson.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hudson for giving me this box. I hope I didn't bother you with such a trivial thing." you look down a little.

Mrs Hudson waved her hand slowly while chuckling a little. "Don't worry, you didn't bother me either. I happened to have some errands before I saw the box in front of the door. You might have overlooked it." Mrs. Hudson dismissed.

You scratch your neck at the same time your hunger is fighting inside you waiting for the time to devour. "umm.. should I return the favor? Maybe tea? or something?"

Miss Hudson shook her head. "There's no need to return the favor, as long as you pay the rent, that's good enough"

You nodded your head in understanding as you stared the polystyrene box for a long time.

Mrs Hudson looked at you worriedly. "is everything ok, dear? You look a little pale.. Do you need some medicine? I have medicine that can be given to you" Mrs Hudson approached you.

You shook your head a few times as if waking up from a daydream. "oh no, I'm fine.. I'm just a little tired with all this. There's just a few more things I need to organize and tidy. Overall, everything's fine."

Mrs Hudson nodded in understanding. "if you insist. But if you need anything, just shout my name and I will help you. There's no need to be shy." Mrs Hudson then left your flat.

You only caught a glimpse of Mrs Hudson leaving before you quickly closed the flat door and locked it. Then you quickly went to the table and greedily opened the polystyrene box. After the box was opened, you inhaled the smell of the meat deeply while closing your eyes. Appreciate the delicious smell that hovers in your nasal cavity.

You slowly opened your eyes which now changed color from your original eye color.

The eyes that were previously E/c now change color to black and red making your face look different than before. The face that is full of psychopathic and hungry begins to appear as soon as your eyes look at the contents of the polystyrene box. Yes, it's definitely meat that's in plastic and frozen, but it's not just any kind of meat.

This meat is far from beef or pork nor chicken or goat. Only Ghouls like you eat this unique meat. Slowly you reach the plastic that has the arm cut off and frozen. The plastic was torn greedily by you then with initial hunger you smelled the arm with pleasure and relief before you opened your mouth wide and bit the arm wildly.

꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚

"What do we have now, Lestrade?" asked Sherlock as he walked beside Lestrade. Next to Sherlock John was trying to catch up with the two of them with his short legs.

"Edward Montague, 29 years old. Worked as a cashier in a grocery store around here. His body was found by an old woman while she was walking her dog. Cause of death.. probably a wild animal attack looking at his bite marks." explained Lestrade while lifting the safety tape up before ducking in followed by Sherlock and John behind.

"but?" Sherlock interrupted.

Lestrade stopped and looked at Sherlock with tired eyes. "but I don't think it's the result of a wild animal bite"

"so what's your guess?" Sherlock walked past Lestrade and saw the man's corpse that looked like it had been torn apart and bitten voraciously.

The corpse's right hand was missing while his leg was torn off and almost severed while the side of his stomach was torn apart and had a large bite mark.

John stopped himself from throwing up when he saw the state of the body. The pungent smell of blood made John almost throw up before he backed away from the scene. Although John had fought and seen blood when he was fighting in Afghanistan, but seeing this thing that was far from what he saw made him uneasy and nauseated.

Who is so cruel to do that? What did this man do to die in this condition? Oh, whoever does this is indeed the heart of a beast and a devil.

"This is the third one for this week.. Surely our murderer is getting bored" said Sherlock and knelt in front of the corpse and examined the corpse with his magnifying glass.

Lestrade who was standing near Sherlock looked at the corpse with pity even though his face showed a feeling of pity for the fate of the corpse, the blood and the current situation was not intense making him nauseous or horrible because he was used to facing such cases. That is normal as a Detective Inspector.

John who was still standing near the two of them began to approach Lestrade. His eyes were still looking at the corpse even though he was trying to hold back his nausea. "Looking at the bite mark, I don't think it was the work of a wild animal. Those bites look neat and tidy compared to wild animals that tend to bite the meat violently and messy"

Lestrade looked at John. "so you're saying this is a human act?"

John shrugged his shoulders. "maybe"

"So what you're trying to say is that this killer we're tracking is a cannibal?" Lestrade looked at John in disbelief.

John stared at the corpse for a long time. "not just any cannibal. But a Ghoul. You know.. People in Tokyo have dealt with this Ghoul. They eat humans and live like humans, hell looks just like humans. You can be mistaken between a human and a Ghoul because this Ghoul is a beast that smart and agile. They're psychopaths and murderers."

Lestrade looked at John nervously as his right hand tugged the collar of his shirt slightly to let air in. "Where did you get this information, John?"

"one of the commenters on my blog told me about this on my blog after I updated my blog about this case. They said that Ghouls are not only in Tokyo but all over the world. But they said that this Ghoul is just a myth. Most likely not there are many ghouls now but they are still there and dangerous"

Sherlock got up from his knees and looked at John with a firm face. "don't believe that nonsense, John. Ghouls don't exist"

John looked at Sherlock who was now walking towards the security tape and immediately followed Sherlock. Lestrade remained silent. Maybe thinking about what John said. And Lestrade was sure, even Sherlock himself did not know the cause of death for the third of the three victims for now. For now, Scotland Yard is only assuming that this is a case of wild animal attack.

꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚

"think about it, Sherlock. Surely some of the people we know are secretly ghouls. Ghouls can live among humans, act like humans and look like humans, what's different is their way of eating." John quickened his pace trying to keep up with Sherlock's pace.

Sherlock glanced at John and then his gaze was directed straight ahead. "Like you said, it's a myth. They don't exist and if they existed a long time ago we would both be their dinner if someone we know is secretly a Ghoul. You don't have to believe what you read in the comments. It's full of useless things"

John shook his head. " No. Listen here, Sherlock. Our murderer is out there still walking free and they can do the same thing as the three victims no matter where they are. Remember the first time we faced this case? Like Lestrade said the three victims were killed in the middle of the night and discovered by the public in the morning. Don't you find it strange? Ghouls come out at night to look for food just like wild animals and ordinary killers usually kill people whenever they want."

Sherlock stopped walking and looked at John with narrowed eyes. "The killer can plan the time and when they wants to start their work. All of this can happen if the killer really plans to start their killing work late at night. Seriously, John? How long have we been doing this job? Surely you know which one thing is true and not. Cannibals I can accept but Ghouls?" Sherlock walked back leaving John who still believed in such things.

John then looked at the figure of Sherlock who was continuing the journey without waiting for him or without looking at John. John sighed heavily. He still believes that his assumption is true which is why he asserts such a thing to Sherlock. He had a dubious feeling about this horrible case because if it was a wild animal attack, what animal would attack its victim so neatly? The bite of the wild animal is not the same as the bite mark on each victim's body. It looks like a human but has sharp teeth marks. Not to mention if a wild animal gets its prey, the animal will surely drag its prey to another place. But in this case, the corpse was found as if it had been left in a hurry. Only the splattered blood decorated the place where the body was found. Even some of the victim's organs and limbs disappeared without a trace.

But seeing Sherlock's reaction to his assumption made John think twice. Ghoul is just a myth and if it exists it will definitely raise questions for the people around it. In fact, this case is the same as in Tokyo a few years ago. Only it's in London. Returning to the comment on his blog, Ghouls are mostly in Japan because that is the place where Ghouls were 'born' and this is also quite rare if some Ghouls intend to move to other places other than Japan.

But, it could also be because Ghouls are indeed like humans, only their way of eating and diet is different from humans, causing them to have certain advantages and high stamina to survive compared to humans. And this makes them more dangerous. They have a sharp sense of smell and even sharp hearing makes them alert to the area and change of situation well. They are also able to extend their claws and their teeth become sharp, making them able to tear or grab their prey.

Not to mention, their eyes can change color and their vision is the same as an eagle's, making them able to identify their prey and prey from far and near. Stamina is strong and high causing them to move nimbly and quickly not to mention their quite extraordinary strength. And there is another advantage of them but it was not mentioned on the internet when John did research about Ghoul the day after the comment was on his blog. Bless whoever commented on that on his blog.

Not long after, John decided to change his course to another place to think after what he and Sherlock argued. He needed time and fresh air to refresh himself on that matter otherwise his mind would become cluttered with what he and Sherlock had argued about earlier. So, with the right foot, John made his way to a quieter and less busy place.

꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚

It was a long day, every day was a long day for Sherlock who is still thinking about the serial murder case. Sherlock who decided to continue his journey without John decided to take a cab to Baker Street.

After he got into the cab, Sherlock stared out the cab window. Thinking about the assumption that John had made a moment ago. Ghouls. Heh, who still believes in the existence of human-eating creatures? Surely only people like John believe in such mythical things. All those are just words that people make up. The Ghoul is now gone, in fact it has been quite a while since the case regarding this Ghoul is gone. Who the fuk still believes in the existence of Ghoul? Cannibal Sherlock can accept but Ghoul?

Sherlock closed his eyes as he sighed heavily. With that, Sherlock enters the Mind Palace where all the evidence and useful information is stored.

Things are getting worse. All three bodies were found by the public, making it an unsettling sight for them. What's more, the police work became more and more noisy about it and Lestrade became worried about this case because the three victims were found two days apart. Anyone can be the target of this serial killer and it doesn't matter gender or old and young people. This causes people who live near the scene to be afraid and cautious to go out at night. They fear they will be the next victim.

Sherlock's eyes widened as soon as he entered his mind. Where he is now in his flat 221B in Baker Street. A place that is the main place in his mind if he wants to think. Sherlock looked at the investigation board behind him. All the red threads and photos of the victims and evidence are all written on the investigation board. All the red strings are connected into a line that has a connection with each picture.

Every picture there becomes a key pillar in the case and some evidence is definitely a clue about the serial killer. Sherlock's fingers caressed each picture as if he was reading each picture through his fingers though he was thinking about the way the serial killer committed the murders. Yes, serial killers and not wild animal attacks. Sherlock managed to make the assumption on the first day they found the first body that this was a case of murder and not a case of a wild animal attack because as John said when he was at the scene not long ago, the way the bites and tears are very neat and clean is far different from a wild animal attack.

Plus the bite mark is also approximately the size of a human mouth, only it is quite large and torn as if it was pulled and torn in a hurry.

But there is something. Something he knew but couldn't catch up. It is definitely not Moriarty seeing that he is dead for good and not Eurus seeing that for now Eurus is in the recovery center. But it is something that he is not sure about and only he can unravel it.

Sherlock jerked from his Mind Palace when the cab break was suddenly pressed causing the cab to jerk. Sherlock was breathing heavily in the back as if he was holding his breath underwater for a long time. The cab driver looked at Sherlock from the rearview mirror.

"Baker Street, sir" said the cab driver.

Sherlock nodded and took out his credit card and slid his credit card on the credit card pay stand. The cab door opened and Sherlock got out of the cab. His eyes looked at door 221B in front of him. Sherlock walked towards the black wooden door but stopped when he saw the knocker on the door straightened. Sherlock frowned.

'Strange..' Sherlock thought curiously. 'it's either Mycroft or a client with OCD.. better clients than Mycroft'

Sherlock tilted back the door knocker and took out the door key and inserted the key into the door knob. The doorknob was turned and Sherlock quickly stepped inside. Sherlock's eyes looked towards the stairs leading to his flat and the flat above. The sound of classical music from upstairs made Sherlock frown curiously. Although the classical music sounds faint, but it is clearly heard in this quiet three-story flat. Meaning, the new neighbor that Mrs Hudson told him had already moved into the empty flat.

Sherlock slowly took off his trenchcoat and blue scarf then he hung the two items on the hanger next to the door. His eyes were still looking at the stairs leading to the upper flat.

Sherlock then arranged his steps to go upstairs but before he could climb the stairs, the door to Mrs Hudson's flat opened. Mrs Hudson sighed heavily as she lifted a large plastic garbage bag in her hand. She still didn't notice the glimpse of Sherlock at the end of the stairs who was still standing with his right foot on the stairs.

Mrs Hudson then with all the energy she had, she tried to lift the garbage plastic bag with a groan. Sherlock, who had been looking at Mrs Hudson with a blank expression on his face, immediately walked towards Mrs Hudson.

"Here, let me lift it up" Sherlock said in a deep voice. His right hand was stretched towards the garbage plastic bag.

Mrs Hudson looked at Sherlock in surprise. "oh, Sherlock. It's okay, I can lift it up"

"I don't think you can lift it. Seeing you struggle to lift it is enough for you to need help. So, let me help" Sherlock then took the plastic garbage bag from Mrs Hudson's hands and lifted it as if it weighed nothing. Although many people think that Sherlock is rude and cold, it does not mean that he is not a gentleman and respects the elderly. Hell, he once helped Mrs. Hudson get flour from the tall cabinet just to make Sherlock's favourite cookies. So, that's because Mrs. Hudson treats Sherlock like her own son and Sherlock treats Mrs. Hudson like his own mother.

Mrs Hudson just smiled genuinely at Sherlock. "oh, what a gentleman Sherlock you are"

"Not quite gentlemen, Mrs Hudson." Sherlock replied and walked towards the back of the flat they lived in.

"well, have you noticed our new neighbor? She just arrived and moved here last afternoon. Turns out she is very sweet and polite." Mrs Hudson told Sherlock in a motherly voice

"yes, I notice that." Sherlock murmured and put the trash bag into the big black trash can.

"How about you introduce yourself to her? Maybe you two can get along well. Perhaps John will be delighted with this new neighbor seeing John always welcomes new people" Mrs Hudson suggested.

Sherlock looked at Mrs Hudson long and walked past her. "I'm sure John can introduce himself and me to her."

"But you can't do that. You need to get along with new people, especially your new neighbor. She's sweet, Sherlock. I'm pretty sure you and her can be good friends." Mrs. Hudson walked behind Sherlock. "Anyway, where's John? Aren't you guys always stuck with each other?" Mrs. Hudson added.

"we're not always stuck with each other, Mrs Hudson. John probably take fresh air. He'll know to come back. Besides, I think I pass your suggestions. She's likely not wanting to be friends with a rude man like me." Sherlock.

"Sherlock, you are not always rude. I know you are a gentle young man even though many people think otherwise. Why don't you just try to be friendly with her? Get to know her and socialize with her?" Mrs Hudson advised.

Sherlock ignored her and suddenly he began to take a deep sniff in the air. His nose suddenly caught a rather strange smell from the flat. Something iron mixed with vanilla scented upstairs. Sherlock stopped.

"That's a strange smell for perfume, isn't it?" Sherlock turned his gaze towards Mrs Hudson.

"Every female has their own perfume taste, Sherlock." Mrs. Hudson replied.

Sherlock knew this kind of smell but still it couldn't be the smell of blood. Vanilla? probably the new neighbor likes that smell but, iron smell? This is weird. Surely there are no pipes in the flat that are already rusty. His experiment also did not involve blood. So why is there a familiar smell to him?

"Is our new neighbor someone who works in the medical field?" Sherlock stared at Mrs Hudson.

Mrs Hudson looked at Sherlock questioningly. "I'm not sure, dear. She's a bit mysterious, you know. I barely know her. So I respect her privacy" Mrs Hudson then got an idea. "Why don't you just do what I suggested earlier, hmm? Introducing yourself to her and get to know her if you want to know what she did throughout her life.  I'm sure you can get to know each other without me having to crack information from her."

"like i said, Mrs Hudson. I pass those suggestions from you. Let John do that" Sherlock went upstairs towards his own flat.

He opened his flat door with a burst as usual. Still thinking how come the door is not torn from the frame with how many he is bursting through that door. Sherlock stopped his movement and looked at the set of stairs leading to the flat above which is the flat occupied by his new mysterious neighbor.

The smell of metallic from there was quite strong, making Sherlock's mind pounding with questions. What is going on up there? The new neighbor is a woman like Mrs Hudson said. So who is she really?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"You're late" Sherlock muttered, eyes closed as his palmed hands under his chin. Mind palace obviously.

John huffed as he undressed his black jacket and threw it behind his chair before sitting on his chair facing Sherlock.

"Well, I just came back from the bar actually. Need something strong to relieve stress" John signed while massaging his temples.

Sherlock hummed then opened his eyes and observed John. "Have you heard about our new neighbor upstairs?"

John glanced at Sherlock with furrowed eyebrows. "New neighbor? Upstairs? 221C? They've already moved?"

"Ms. Hudson suggested us to introduce ourselves to her" Sherlock spread his arms over the arm rest of his chair and unconsciously his fingers tapping the arm rest.

"A woman? Mrs Hudson suggested us to introduce ourselves to her?" John furrowed his eyebrows.

"She suggested to me but I want you to go." Sherlock replied flatly.

"Why not you? Mrs Hudson suggested to you first. I mean, I can go but why not you go, seeing as it was you who Mrs Hudson suggested first" John replied.

"I rather not" Sherlock muttered, avoiding eye contact with John.

"Sherlock, at least if you go, our new neighbor will feel welcome with us as her new neighbor seeing that she's the only woman besides Mrs Hudson who is willing to move here" John spoke.

"well, why isn't she the one who introduces herself? She's the new neighbor, of course she's the one who should greet us first" Sherlock protested.

John glared at Sherlock for a moment. Although his face looks calm but his eyes are a bit angry with Sherlock's behaviour. John sighed heavily and got up from his chair and walked out. Sherlock raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"where are you going?" Sherlock asked, confused.

"Upstairs, Introducing myself to our new neighbor since you decided to be a frog under the shell. You don't want to meet outsiders nor do you want to know about what's going on in the outside world" John said as he went upstairs ignoring Sherlock calling his name.

Sherlock rolled his eyes and quickly got up from his seat, rushing behind John towards the upstairs.

The metallic smell is gone only the vanilla. Weird. Sherlock frowned.

John reached the new neighbor's flat door and stood in front of the flat door. He glanced at Sherlock briefly before knocking on the door three times.

A sound of someone rushing could be heard from inside the flat.

"Coming!" a feminine voice shouted from inside the flat before the door was opened wide by a woman the same age as Sherlock dressed in a gray jumper and black pants.

You looked at John and Sherlock with an unrecognized look on your face. "yes?"

"Hi, I'm John Watson-"

"Doctor" Sherlock interrupted.

"And this is my flatmate Sherlock Holmes. We are your neighbors downstairs. Good to see a new face in this flat. It's been a long time since people moved here to stay in this old flat" John said with a warm smile.

You smile. "hi, I'm Y/n L/n. Just call me Y/n. I'm your new neighbor"

Sherlock narrowed his eyes. Trying to read anything from you.

'same age'

'metallic smell is strong here'

'cracks in reddish nails, nail polish? looks like dry liquid, blood? Injured during cleaning?'

'slightly stooped standing posture, lack of self-confidence'

'lack of sleep, eye bags'

'Vanilla, perfume'

"come in, I can make some tea for a chat, yeah?" You invited them and turned to the side to let them in.

John and Sherlock entered your flat. The flat door was closed by you when they entered your flat. They both looked around your messy flat with boxes and items that had just been unpacked.

You shyly looked around as you noticed the state your new home is.

"err, sorry about the mess.. I just took the items out of the box.. so sorry about all this mess" you scratched your neck awkwardly.

John waved his hand as if he didn't care about the mess there as he already dealt with that a long time ago.

"You should see our flat" John chuckled.

Sherlock rolled his eyes at that. John and his charming cannot be separated. Sherlock walked around your flat curiously. John who is ripe with Sherlock's behavior just let him hang around your flat as long as he didn't cause any trouble. You warily glanced at him.

"So uh.. Where did you come from?" John began to start a conversation.

"oh from Y/H...I moved here on business that I need to avoid there" you replied, the corner of your eye still watching Sherlock's movement.

"boyfriend?" John continued.

"Ex-friends" you replied.

John nodded in understanding and decided not to ask that personal question again. He looked around your boxes. Some have not yet been opened, some have been opened and the items inside are mostly books, black discs and various types of drawing tools.

"Are you a painter?" John asked referring to your drawing board.

"It can be said.. I make masks actually.. For events" you said, half lied half not. Although, covered identities to hunt people is an event too, right?

John raised his eyebrows impressed. "You're the Mask Maker? That's the first I've heard" John grinned.

"thanks, most people don't know that is also a job for living" you said, smiling sweetly.

Sherlock stopped his movement when he found some interesting things in your box. He took that thing and inspected it. It's your mask. Your hunting mask.

"Strange pattern and shape.. What events do you always do?" Sherlock showed you your mask which is a black veil and two horns above the veils.

It may be simple but it is quite useful to eat and hide your whole face even though it is only made of black cloth.

"It's usually for Halloween or a dance party like a Masquerade ball. Mostly from Japan who always ask for this kind of shape for their masks" you lied smoothly even Sherlock seems to be buying with your deception.

He could read you but he can't read the whole other details about you. It's like you are Irene Adler where he cannot deduce anything from you even small details. You hide it quite carefully. Now this is quite intriguing.

You smacked your forehead lightly before chuckling. "oh, silly me.. I forgot to make tea for you two. I should go and make tea for you, okay?"

"oh it's okay, we won't be long"

"black two sugar" Sherlock and John said in unison.

You stopped and pressed your lips into a thin line. Not knowing how to respond.

"well, I should heat the water then.. Uh.. please, please sit down" you offered them before moving to the kitchen.

Sherlock and John take a seat on your couch. John glared at Sherlock.

"You shouldn't have said that, it was disrespectful" John said slowly.

"She's the one who offered, I'm just saying" Sherlock replied simply but his eyes were still on your mask box.

"yes but you shouldn't have said something like that. It's disrespectful" John said lowly, not wanting you to hear his argument with Sherlock.

Sherlock rolled his eyes, annoyed by what John said. Meanwhile you are in the kitchen standing at the kitchen counter with both hands holding the electric jug of hot water and pouring it into the teapot after you put the tea bags. You heard what they were arguing in the living room with your sensitive ears. You found it amusing with John who's yapping endlessly with Sherlock's respectful and disrespectful attitude. For you, you don't care about it because you know that they are guests and they have the right to tell what they want and don't want. As long as it's not something that goes beyond the limit.

After making the tea, you brought the tray into the living room and placed the tray containing the teapot and the 2 cups on the table in front of John and Sherlock. You grinned while pouring tea into the two cups.

"so, uh.. what are you two doing? It's not fair that you come here to welcome and get to know me. I also want to get to know and welcome you too" you said while handing the cup of tea to John.

John took the tea from you and grinned. "Uh, well. That's right. Well, I'm a Doctor. Like Sherlock said before. I work at a hospital near here permanently and well at one time I was a blogger." John explained.

"Doctor and Blogger? That's pretty impressive" you raised one eyebrow.

"yeah, but it's a bit of a hassle too." John scratched the back of his neck while chuckling lightly.

Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"So you are a blogger, what kind of topic do you always do? And where can I read it?" you smile

"I usually make topics about cases that Sherlock and I solved, actually. And you can read it online. My personal blog Doctor John H Watson "John replied, smiled.

"cases?" you turned your gaze on Sherlock. "Are you a Detective?"

"I’m a consulting detective. Only one in the world. I invented the job" Sherlock said coldly.

"Consulting Detective? Is it the same as a private detective?" You cocked your head to the side slightly.

John smirked at what you said. His mind played with the memory of when he met Sherlock a few years ago. The exact same questions were told to him by you.

"No, it means when the police are out of their depth, which is always, they consult me." Sherlock explained.

You nodded understanding and decided to change the question. "so, you haven't solved any cases now or are you in the phase to solve cases?" you looked at John and Sherlock.

"We are trying to investigate this new case. If you know, it is already in the news." John said while sipping tea.

"A new case? What case?" You looked at John curiously.

"The police said it was a case of wild animal attack." John said, clearing his throat as he put the tea cup back on the table.  "I'm surprised this case isn't as exciting as the previous case.. Well at least not yet"

"I just moved here so I miss a lot of things that happen here but seriously, wild animal attack? In London?" You frowned.

"There are many impossible things that can happen out there. Especially in London. But the police are still investigating that. We are trying to solve it, seeing that Sherlock probably has another theory about this attack" John remarked.

"You have your own theory? About that?" You stared at John intently.

"well.. " John cleared his throat. Eyes glanced at Sherlock before returning to you. "My theory is that, it's not just any wild animal attacks but it's a case of Ghouls"

You sweat dropped at that. Ghouls. As if you can't get away with that. Even if you have moved abroad, it does not mean that other Ghouls are not abroad. Wherever there are Ghouls because they have now increased throughout the years. Breeding or experiment.

Sherlock rolled his eyes at that. "oh, seriously John. You're not going to let this Ghouls thing go, aren't you?"

"Think about it again Sherlock. Cannibals won't attack and eat their victims directly. They prefer to kidnap them and eat them. Wild animals won't make neat bites like that." John defended.

"So uh.. Ghoul?" you try to naturalize the tone of your voice.

"yes, Ghoul. As you know I posted about this case in my blog and then one of the readers who read my blog commented their theories about Ghoul. So everything that has to do with this case is the same as the theories they told me" John paused. "You don't know what Ghoul is, don't you?" He added.

"not really.. Uh, I only heard rumors about them. So I barely know about their things" you lied through your teeth. Hoping that none of them sensed your lie.

John nodded in understanding while Sherlock looked at you suspiciously.

"You seem tense" Sherlock muttered. John side eyed him as if to tell him 'don't start'.

"well, when you mention something like that.. The one behind these attacks must still be out there, right? So it's not safe to walk alone to work or anywhere. They or it will probably make me the next victim if I'm off guard" you mumbled, looking at your lap. Fingers fidgeting with each other pretending that you are anxious.

Sherlock nodded, for now he just let it slide. He has nothing to accuse you about these attacks, although he himself doesn't know why he feels this case has anything to do with you. He just can't put his finger on it. Who are you.. really. So far he only knows that you moved to London because your ex friend in your hometown and you are a mask maker. But something inside him told him that you are more than that.

"What kind of customers do you always make a mask for?" Sherlock asked, attempting to change the topic.

"For the rich. Sometimes there are middle class. But mostly first class. They pay handsomely for the mask I make. Though, money is not my problem." You replied, genuinely. "Are you interrogating me?" you cocked your head slightly.

"what makes you say that?" Sherlock frowned.

"You asked me questions that only the police ask. Although, it sounds like the police, but are you interrogating me?" the beginning of your narrowed eyes.

"No.. I'm merely just asking you a simple question because I'm interested in what you're doing" Sherlock replied smoothly.

"Most people don't find what I do interesting" you shrugged.

"I'm not most people. And I'm genuinely interested in what you're doing. I find it intriguing" Sherlock replied.

John observing the conversation of the two of you silently, sipping his tea. He wants to know where this conversation is going but he is afraid that this conversation will take a turn that it shouldn't, seeing that Sherlock seems to be onto something.

"right, if you said so. What other things do you want to know about my job then?" You crossed your legs. Eyes focusing on Sherlock.

"Well, you're good at sketching. Do you perhaps know about human anatomy?" Sherlock stared at you intently.

"A little bit, though I only sketched faces for mask design. Why?" you raised your eyebrow at him.

"Just want to warn you who are neighbors with me, you will pass through some unpleasant smells like the smell of something sizzling or smoke because I usually do experiments at undetermined times" Sherlock warned.

"and that includes?" you stared at him.

"human body parts" Sherlock said simply.

"That doesn't explain why you asked me if I know human anatomy" you narrowed your eyes.

"Perhaps I need your help for an experiment" Sherlock muttered.

You were silent for a moment. Heart beats fast at this. Does he know what you are? or perhaps he doesn't know but he wants to find out about you. Is this about the mysterious attacks they are both working on?

"I'm only a mask maker, Sherlock" You said.

"then why is there a smell of blood here?" Sherlock narrowed his eyes at you.

"sorry?"

"the smell of blood here. It is very strong. Although I know the smell of blood when I smell one due to me being working on many cases involving blood. So why, the smell of blood here is strong?" Sherlock said, suspiciously.

"Sherlock, I think this is already-" John tried to cut off the tension.

"Are you talking about the meat that I took out of the freezer to cook? Yeah, the smell of the meat's blood is very unpleasant, isn't it? Maybe after you two go back to your flat, I'll wash it for dinner" you said, boldly. "Honestly, Sherlock. Are you accusing me for being the one behind the attacks that I barely know?" now you displeased with what Sherlock accused. How dare he accuse you of something you didn't do. Yes, you are a ghoul but you don't attack people at will. You always take human flesh at the morgue or if someone wants to attempt suicide who willingly becomes your food. Never had you ever attack people if you are hungry. You can control your hunger well.

Sherlock blinked his eyes at you. He lost all the words he said. John glared at him, dissatisfied with what Sherlock did earlier. Accusing someone who just moved to this country and barely knows about the case. Now this is out of control.

You gave Sherlock a death stare before shifting your gaze to John. "I think it would be good if you both return to your flat. I don't want to continue this unpleasant conversation anymore. I have other things to do" you uttered idly.

"uh, yes. Of course. So sorry about him." John apologized, giving you a reassuring smile before he dragged Sherlock out of your flat.

Sherlock seems unfazed that he himself was dragged out of your flat by John, only after you closed the door of your flat with force Sherlock seems out of his mind. He sucked his breath and looked at your flat door.

"right, what was that?" John stared at him with his dangerously calm face.

"I'm trying to prove my point" Sherlock turned his gaze on his flatmate.

"what point? hmm? The point that you accuse her for being the one behind this attack? Are you accusing her for being a cannibal who kept the body parts of the corpse that we are trying to solve?" John hissed, eyes showing rage even though his face was calm.

Sherlock seemed to lose all the words he wanted to throw at John. His mind is racing with the thought that he couldn't place something about you. He seemed to want to prove his point that you have about this case but he doesn't know what it is.

John massaged his nose in frustration. "Look, we should welcome our new neighbor and build a good relationship with her. Not accuse her of what she didn't do. That woman is too good, she's not mad at us even though she should be mad at us because of you. She barely knows about any of these, for God's sake!" John lowered his voice. He turned his back toward Sherlock as he took a deep breath trying to calm himself before he continued.

John leaned forward slightly as if he wanted Sherlock to hear his words clearly while pressing his thumb and index finger together.

"Listen, I don't want to tell you this again -"

"-the don't"

"-Because you're the type who doesn't understand the language with all the warnings I give-"

"-I understand the language well-"

"-then understand what I'm saying!" John released a heavy breath. "Just stop this.. Stop accusing someone if you yourself have no evidence to accuse someone. She didn't do anything wrong since she moved here. She wants to start a new life here, not for you to destroy her new life. Just because you are frustrated that there's no evidence yet doesn't mean you can turn in someone who is innocent to do such unforgivable things"

Sherlock stared at him absently. He doesn't know what to say as he knows what John said is right. He shouldn't accuse someone for being the one who did this cruel crime. But knowing Sherlock, he probably has another way to prove his point.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[chrysanthemumgames]

Hello!  I love your game! I always liked reading about antiquity, and this game is such a lovely way to have some fun with Greek myths. Your writing is wonderful: the pacing is nice, the language is very eloquent, and the characters are charming—considering that it is only a WIP, you've done such an amazing job! I don't think I've even noticed any bugs or typos! This is brilliant! 

I loved the moment when Hades and the MC greet Hera, and if you play as "on the more socially-graceful side" Persephone, Hera recognises it and comments on how your character "rather effectively covers [Hades'] weaknesses." And then later, the game also says: "You can manage well enough with it, and you think your participation probably smooths out what might have otherwise been a few minor bumps in things." I really like the idea that a charming consort doesn't clash with Hades, but sort of complements and completes him, that your differences don't impede your coregency but strengthen it (personally, I'd love to become a proper Marie-Antoinette, a charming social butterfly overshadowing my socially awkward husband, lol, but never mind that).

Also, I am so excited to see what will come out of the possibility of starting your own cult! With a temple, too! Oh! I really hope we'd get to interact with our followers more, solving their problems, sure, but also just having fun, you know? I mean, having more of a "Cult of Dionysus" rather than "Eleusinian Mysteries". Because, so far it sort of feels like we don't play as much as "Demetra's child" but rather as "customisable Persephone". I love Dionysus, and I think it would be great if we had a choice to lean more towards Dionysus than Persephone. Because as it is now, most (if not all) details, in choices and in flavour text, relate much more to Persephone, like being a deity of spring (and not harvest, fruits, or vine) or having a very plant-based magic (and not something more chaotic and unhinged). Which is to be expected, of course, and I'm not saying that something should be different, this is literally the premise of the game, I understand that, but I think it would be cool to have a chance to choose something more Dionysus-related, perhaps in later chapters. I mean, like, for example:  

1) when Charon asks: "What would you like out of your time here?" to be able to answer something like "just to have fun" or "throw a party";

2) or when Pyri asks: "What do you do?" have choices like "theatre", "dancing", or "playing music and singing" (I think this kind of falls into the "exploring the arts" category, so I'm not saying there should be an extra choice as such but rather perhaps just a little mention of theatre and music in the following flavour text?);

3) or when the game says: "In between the work of getting your garden established, you find that over the next few weeks you have a fair bit of free time to spend as you like" choose to do something more chaotic? Boisterous? Wild? Like, get really wasted? Have a party with some souls? Organise a theatre performance? The present choices are totally fine, but they all do seem quite... tame. But perhaps in the future, we get to do something more rowdy? Unhinged even?

4) or have an option to decorate your head with grapes and ivy;

5) or be able to grow grapes in your garden? We can, of course, grow berries, fruits, and vegetables, so, again, I'm not saying there should be an extra choice, but perhaps just a bit of additional flavour text?

But again, this is just some backseat comments; feel free to ignore them! The main thing that I wanted to say is that your WIP is beautiful, and I really hope you won't abandon it! I am so very excited to see it finished! And I'm sorry this turned out to be so long! It's OK if you just leave it unanswered!

Hi there!

I'm really glad you're enjoying FoA; I have to admit that there are typos, though, so I'll call myself lucky that you haven't found any. ^^;

As to your suggestions, definitely reasonable of you to notice that the Dionysus-flavored options are not yet as prominent. One of the things I have slated for my eventual big editing phase is putting more of those in; some of them may even look like yours, as you've spotted quite a few places where they might fit.

Generally, the move to more revelry/wine/overall unhingedness is meant to be a move, rather than something the PC can be equally at the beginning alongside the spring/life/plant stuff, so there won't be loads of opportunities for it right off the bat, but I do want to add more as the story progresses, and I've admittedly been kind of neglecting that so far. Fair point. :)

[karizard-ao3]

I want to share with you this idea I have had for literally a year that has always stumped me because I never find a stupid enough reason for teenaged Eren and Mikasa to break up.

The premise is: Armin’s week from hell.

Armin has a nightmare of man-eating humanoids before going to school on Monday and subsequently oversleeps, causing him to miss his bus and have to catch a ride to school with his father which makes him late. His back is also really itchy for some reason. When he gets to class and sits at his desk everybody is too busy whispering about something to notice him. Being the nosey person he is he asks his desk neighbour Mina for the tea only to be met by a shocked gasp “You don’t know?!”

“Eren and Mikasa have broken up!”

And then there’s a whole bunch of shenanigans from here where the friend group takes sides in the break up (if you’re wondering it’s Sasha, Connie, Jean on team Mikasa and Reiner, Bert, Marco on team Eren), Armin becomes a child of divorce and EM end up working out a custody agreement of who gets to hang out with him when, the song drivers license playing on repeat, a stress induced back rash that is rapidly spreading! And a budding romance between Armin and the loner outcast Annie.

But I can’t think of a stupid enough reason for them to break up! It is crucial the break up can only last a week, and it has to be some sort of miscommunication (because it adds more stress and rage to Armin and I like seeing him stressed). Please help me!!!

Also let me know if you want to know more because I just opened up my old note again about this and I forgot how silly it was 😂😂

I have just thing! Two incredibly stupid situations from my own life that I think could work for your idea.

Both are text messaging related and involve my ex, who can barely read (like Eren!) and doesn't know how to give anyone the benefit of the doubt (like Eren?).

Option 1. Eren misreads a text from Mikasa and, despite it seeming ooc for her to say something so petty/selfish, he does not reread the text. He simply reacts and says something mean to her about how he won't even be able to look at her for the next few days or whatever. When this happened to me with my ex, I was like, "Can you explain what I did for you to be acting like this?" and it was resolved almost immediately (god, the red flags, though), but you can have Mikasa also react and say, "Okay! Then don't look at me ever!" Sides are chosen based on who heard whose version of the story. Perhaps Armin could eventually ask Eren if he can read the text messages (or Eren shows him to prove what a bitch Mikasa was) and he realizes the typo and gets mad that Eren is such a dumbfuck.

Option 2. My ex gave me the silent treatment for days because we had been texting and one of my texts didn't go through. He didn't know it hadn't gone through, of course, but he was mad because he thought I'd ignored something he'd said to me? But he didn't tell me that's why he was mad. He just stopped talking to me, even when I went over to his gma's for Xmas. He just ignored me the whole time. (🚩🚩🚩) A few days later, I was over at his house (Why when he wasn't talking to me and I was now not talking to him???? He'd probably invited me and I'd gone because I'm dumb) and he was like, "Can we be done fighting?" And I was like, "I don't even know what we're fighting about. You started this." And he was like, "no, you did. You ignored me when I texted you [whatever. I can't remember. It was so low stakes]." And I was like, "No, I didn't. I said [something]." We compared inboxes. The reply text was in mine but not in his. All was forgiven. Like with the previous situation, sides can be picked among their friends based on whose version they heard first and it can be easily resolved if Eremika would just talk.

If those work for your idea, please feel free to use either one or combine them in any way you see fit. And, yes, this idea sounds hilarious. It's giving me Alexander and the terrible horrible very bad day vibes. Please share more.

[nanamis-bigtie]

💥🎁🦋🦈📚 💌

Hi! Thanks for the ask :3

Fanfic Writer Ask Game

💥 What is one canon thing that you wish you could change?

Sanji being a sex offender creep & all the transphobic and homophobic centered jokes he was involved with. Without a blink, I am shamelessly writing him ooc in this one aspect and I refuse to change my mind here.

🎁 Have a piece of a WIP you want to share?

From a Law x f!Reader I am really struggling with, but I am determined to pull it to the finish. It's not even proof-read so, a warning for possible typos and style glitches:

Ignoring the unpleasantly cool air, you shake the comforter off and crawl closer, soon wrapping arms around him from behind and setting chin on his shoulder. Barely does he jerk, just a sharper inhale tells you that you’ve been spotted. “Sorry.” He mumbles, face still pressed tight between hands. “Woke you up?” “Been awake sometime.” You kiss the line of hair at the back of his neck. “And you weren’t asleep at all, am I right?” Quite a long time, filled with the natural, musky smell of his skin pressed to your nose, passes before Law finds any words, his reluctance to lie fighting against need to not worry you. “Could be worse.” He grabs one of your hands and kisses its palm, his lips dry and parched—then finally moves, but slowly, visibly fighting against exhaustion and urge to fall back into the warm bed. “You need rest,” you insist, trying to keep him in place, arms holding on him as tight as your barely awake muscles let you. “Please? At least until they call us back?” “What a few more hours of lying here will do, if I can’t—” His words snap into a hiss, but he bites his tongue and sighs, heavy, as if he threw a great weight off his chest. “Ugh. Fuck. Sorry.” You kiss your forgiveness along his neck. “Maybe I can…help you relax, at least?”

🦋 Which character is your favorite to write?

I think Sanji, even if he's erm far from my favorite character in canon? He just clicks so easily with many prompts. Katakuri is a nice victim too, I like breaking introverts with issues into vulnerability, hehe. Law for similar reasons, but I am very picky with requests for him, since he has very sharp edge and, imho, doesn't fit everywhere. Slowly reclaiming Zoro after fandom pushed him out of my sphere of comfort. Luffy is a great joy to work with but, again, I'm super picky with him cause he's tough to grasp.

🦈 Which character is the toughest to write?

Crocodile. I, frankly, see him as hard aromantic and his personality is a pain in the ass to work with in typical x y/n setting. Doflamingo, too. I enjoy writing Doffy when the topic hits the spot - but it rarely does :/

📚 Is there a fanfic or fanfic writer you recommend?

My partner's in crime (@greenwitchtaimanslayer) Of Discordant Fists and Bloody Keys will change your mind on OCs if you, like me, don't particularly enjoy this kind of fiction. And I'm absolutely not mentioning it here so he'd move his ass and finish that new chapter or add that Renna x Y/N thingie :3

@heyitsdoe and her Doe's Spicy Ramen Shop is a must, if you're looking for some novelty in y/n fics. It's something completely different from majority of stuff I see around, and since it's a collection of one shots with different characters, I'm sure everyone will find something for themself.

@childofblackmaria and her dilf collection is also a must if you're looking for a mature approach to our favorite blorbos and not only. Lale's writing is like a safe harbor where you will return every time bad winds carry you to places you didn't wish to see.

I'm slowly chewing through @harudnae's portfolio and damn, they're one of those writers I will enjoy always, even if I don't particularly vibe with topic and/or characters. Sabo/Reader/Koala thingie just opened my eyes and I can't close them ever since.

For similar reasons, @doctorgerth never disappointed me with her fics. Won't link anything because I'd need to make a separate list for all fics I enjoyed. Coop is a classic in Y/N circles, if you're new here and you're not sure yet what's your flavor, take a look around her portfolio - everything will be a good, safe shot.

The fandom is packed with talented writers, there are many names that come to my mind but didn't have much time to read everything I wanted & memorize every nook enough to throw a recommendation. So please, don't be mad or disappointed at me, if I didn't include your name, even if we happen to interact T^T I'm a slow bun with everything lol

💌 Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

Does kink count as a trope? If it does, that's what my current writing obsession is. Yes, I'm horny on main & not ashamed of it :P

[unburntdragonqueen]

My opinion on different house of the dragon outfits (women edition) part 1

I was only planning on making one post about this but then I realized the amount of outfits and how little space tumblr gives you for photos so yeah

This post is gonna be huge 😬

The fact that I know no one is gonna waste their time reading all this but I'm still doing it, damn I'm really that bored 🤣

Please ignore any typos my first language is not English

.

Rhaenyra Targaryen

I used to be obsessed with this outfit when the show first came out but for some reason the more I look at it the less interesting it looks to me now, it's not bad whatsoever like I said I used to be obsessed and I still do like it just not as much, I like the details on her shoulders and arms and for some reason I'm still obsessed with the "buttons" (they're not buttons but my first language isn't English and I cannot think of the word for that) and also the dragon talons and how much she has it in her outfits is so cute to me.

Rating: 7/10

This dress, I like the cut and it looks very good on her, but the color is very dead that's supposed to be gold and I like the idea but I just wish the gold was more vibrant I guess and I have a feeling this is gonna be an unpopular opinion but that belt saves the whole outfit, I do wish the stones in the middle were a different color or the belt being fully gold, but overall it's a good dress I do feel like it fits Rhaenyra specially her younger self.

Rating: 6/10

Okay now this outfit it's PERFECT, it's one of my favorites from young Rhaenyra and I feel like it was this outfit that made my love for the black one she has "similar" to, go down, bc this one is simply stunning all the details and the short sleeve being like cut open and then the red one underneath, love it.

Rating: 9/10

NOW THIS DRESS, FUCKKKKK.

It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, not even kidding I haven't seen a dress this beautiful in a while, all the details and the folds with gold dragon looking thing, and then the actual dragons in the middle of the dress that almost form a heart and then it opens to the red, beautiful beautiful, but my favorite detail of all has to be the pointy sleeves that expose her whole shoulders, seriously SPEECHLESS.

The only thing that bothers me but it's not a big deal it's the color bc for me it looks dark blue, but people insist it's black so that confuses me lol

Rating: 1000/10

It looks good on her okay, but the dress itself, nah once again the color thing, and the way the sleeves close idk how to feel, the fabric looks a bit weird I wouldn't say cheap but just not the type of fabric I would imagine a princess wearing I would expect something more, idk hopefully this makes sense.

Rating: 5/10

Now I know for a fact this is gonna be an unpopular opinion but I'm not the biggest fan, I love the gold details on the red and I looooove the belt and the fact that it's off the shoulders, but the cut in the sleeves is what kinda irks me a bit, I have a love hate relationship with it.

Rating: 7/10

I absolutely love EVERYTHING about this dress it's simply gorgeous I couldn't get a better picture bc for some reason when I actually need the photos it's when I can't find them same thing happened with one of the dresses from Alicent, but once again, belt, I love those little belts on dresses and the neck thing just gives her that powerful look and the hair matches really well with it, love the detail on the neck of the dress and sleeves.

Rating: 10/10

So with the dress that everyone seems to love to hate, I actually like it, is it my favorite?? No, but I do like it, once again the shoulder thing I'm obsessed with that type of dresses, I love once again the dragon talons, and the sheer sleeves under the main grey ones, I love the little red details, but this dress does kinda confuse me, bc when it opens she has a whole new dress underneath and what you see in the middle of her dress that goes down the front is part of that dress maybe even the sheer sleeves so this dress kinda feels more like a jacket lol.

Rating: 7/10

Now this one is an actual jacket but I decided to still count it as a dress bc it looks like one and she also wore it during the whole episode so it counts okay lol. I think it's obvious what i'm gonna say, the fucking dragon talons I'm obsessed I love the color and the pattern that goes down the front and on her wrists only, there's just something about this outfit and then her hair that makes her look powerful.

I like the little peek of her red dress under the sleeves too lmao

Rating: 8/10

The belt y'all the belt, without that belt I don't think I would like the dress as much as I do honestly it just gives it a little something, and i like the sleeve on sleeve lmao and the pattern that goes down those sleeves and around her neck too, I don't really understand what it is with them and having random lines down young Rhaenyra's dresses but that kinda bothered me I feel like this one could live without that line

Rating: 8/10

And now I'm gonna need to make a new post bc I reached the limit and I'm definitely not gonna be done with just 2 parts (fuck my life) bc I chose too many dresses lol

[randomshyperson]

THE SCARLET WITCH PROPHECY - Chapter VI - The Fourth Year (Final Part)

Gif is not mine, blessed are the gif makers.

Summary: As the youngest daughter of Howard Stark, you have ordinary expectations for your years at Hogwarts. Little do you know what adventures await you when your destiny is intertwined with the legendary Scarlet Witch.

Warnings: +16. Adaptation of the Harry Potter Saga, Magical Thematic, Prophecies, Mentions of Violence, Torture and dark magic, Language (swearing and minor/major offenses), manipulation of will, Underage kissing, insinuation of smut with minors, Smut (overage), descriptions of death, aggression, obscurity, angst, fluffy, soulmates analogies. | Chapters Warnings: Heavy angst in this.

A/N: This took me a while, because i had writer block (and it's not over yet). Anyway, I hope people like this. Let me know if anything is confusing okay? Sorry about typos too.

Words counting: 11.344K

Series Masterlist ||  Read on AO3 || All Works Masterlist

//-//

The Fourth Year - Final Part

Wanda was avoiding you. Well, not just you, but all your friends.

You told Gamora what happened, but you didn't have the stomach to repeat the story to anyone else, so your sister passed the news on.

You were coping well in spite of everything. You missed her terribly the whole time, but you were pushing the feelings down and trying to stay positive about everything.

By trying to put yourself in Wanda's shoes, you understood why she did what she did. You just had to find a way to prove to her that what you felt was real, and for that you needed to find out more about your magical bond.

Your best alternative to the lack of books about it in the library was to talk to the professors. Judging from your experience with them, none of the teachers would tell you anything. But Fury has been acting very differently all year, and although you don't agree with the way he has been teaching D.A.D.A. lately, you have the impression that he would tell you anything you asked.

That's why after a particularly exhausting class where he made all students practice the shield spell until one of the boys threw up, you waited until the room emptied to talk to him, watching with curiosity as he turned a small bottle he kept in his pocket to his mouth.

"What is it Stark?" He asked still on his back. You wondered if behind the eye patch he had some enchanted eye to see around things, but the idea seemed too absurd to you.

"Sorry, Professor Fury." You say. "I have a question about advanced magic and would like to clear it with you."

Fury put his materials away in his bag, and beckoned for you to accompany him into the private office, and you followed him into the small room, watching him set the desk on a coffee table and move toward a glass cabinet of magic supplies.

"Have a seat and make yourself comfortable." He said with his back turned. "I need to prepare a potion, but you can ask me what you want."

You stumble half-heartedly to one of the empty armchairs, and then clear your throat.

"It's about magic bonds, professor." You recount. "I... well, I think I have one. And well, I'm not finding much material on it, and I don't understand how they work."

Fury makes a noise with his mouth in understanding, his hands wandering through the cabinets behind ingredients you don't recognize, but he seems to be paying attention to both you and the brewing of the potion.

"Are you familiar with the concept of magical bonds and connections, Miss Stark?" He asks and you deny it. The professor cuts something that looks like mushrooms on the table as he speaks again. "The reason you can't find books that explain to you exactly the nature of this magic, is because no wizard has been able to decipher these enchantments correctly." He explains. "The magical bonds are one of the oldest and most powerful enchantments in the magical world, Miss Stark. Extremely dangerous, yet immeasurably valuable for some purposes."

You swallow dryly, but do not interrupt. Professor Fury bends down to reach a tin cauldron and places it on the counter in front of him, on a small makeshift stove. He deposits some ingredients inside.

"Have you ever heard about any of these bonding spells?" He asks and you think for a moment.

"I think I've heard about the perpetual vow, sir."

Fury gives a small smile, nodding. He sniffs a small bottle before pouring the contents into the cauldron.

"Yes, the perpetual vow is a great example of a magical bond." He says. "But it is still an active spell, you need to recite an incantation and both parties need to voluntarily close the bond. Some witches believe it's a contractual magic, much more than a natural connection." Fury explains. "I particularly prefer to use another example, Stark. The life debt."

Fury has a smile at the corner of his lips, and a strange gleam in his eyes when he looks at you for a moment, but you don't have the courage to ask. He turns his attention back to the cauldron, lighting the flame under the metal with his wand.

"I don't know what that means." You confess and the professor doesn't take his eyes off the cauldron.

"A life debt is a magical bond created when a wizard or witch saves the life of another magical being." He explains. "And I say magical being, not just another wizard, because I've seen it happen once for a centaur to owe a wizard their life. But never the other way around."

"How does that work?"

"It's very simple really." He says. "If you save someone's life, that person or creature will owe you a debt. The bond is created, without needing an incantation. The act of preserving a life is magical enough to create that bond." He explains and his expression turns almost somber. "The best part is that the person saved needs to pay back."

"And how do they do it?"

"A life can only be paid with another life." He declares. By now, the potion is smelling. You don't know what it is, but it looks like lavender, and it makes you a little dizzy. "I have witnessed a quitting in my time as an auror, Miss Stark." He tells you, and you already imagine that what he is about to say is not something you should tell a fourteen-year-old witch, but you don't think to interrupt. "The debtor throws himself in front of the Reducto incantation to prevent the death of the witch who saved him once. I still remember the pieces flying around the room."

You looked away, uncomfortable with the mental image you were given. The professor didn't seem to mind.

"But of course not all debts are paid off like that." He added as if he hadn't just told the story of someone tearing themselves apart. "Stopping a friend from falling off his broom in a game of quidditch might be enough to pay off a debt. Or to create one too." He counters. " This kind of magic has always been very difficult to decipher."

You murmur in understanding, keeping your gaze on the floor. The professor sighs lightly, moving away from the cauldron to sit in the empty armchair in front of you.

"But I'm guessing you're not talking about any of these bonds, are you?" He hints and you swallow dryly, feeling intimidated by the watchful gaze he gives you. You figure that lying is not an option.

"N-no sir." You reply. "I wanted to know more about protective bonds. Like... like the idea of someone you care about getting hurt, causes you a really bad feeling. And it makes you ignore your own safety and makes you go too far e...."

"Impressive." The professor interrupts, his gaze almost fascinated on you, and making you swallow dryly. "And how far are we talking about, Stark? What's the limit? Would the wizard put themselves in front of an unforgivable curse? Would they offer themselves up as a sacrifice? If one were to get hurt, would the bruises show up on the other, or does the very idea make your insides turn? Or…”

"Fury." You jump in fright when Strange's voice interrupts the monologue of the other man, who was very close to you now.

Fury looks annoyed that he has been cut off, but he turns away with a smile. "Pardon the interruption. I need to have a word with you on a matter." Stephen said, but he didn't look happy at all, and his expression was one of concern and disapproval, probably from the discussion he witnessed.

You stood up awkwardly, taking a step back, your heart still racing from the things the professor told you.

"Of course, Professor Strange." Fury spoke as he stood up. "Stark, I hope that has cleared up your doubts. If there is anything else you wish to ask me, you may come to my office as needed."

You bit your tongue to avoid saying that Fury only scared you rather than clarifying anything, and nodded in understanding.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts may not be my class, but I am also available to talk with you, Miss Stark." Stephen added softly as you passed him in the doorway. You mumbled a goodbye before walking out of the office, ignoring the horrible feeling that settled in your stomach.

//-//

You were really disturbed by the conversation with Professor Fury. The story of the wizard casting himself in front of a spell gave you strange dreams, and you could no longer be sure that you wouldn't do the same for Wanda.

Your friends were equally impressed by what you told them, and you ignored the feeling of dissatisfaction at the pit of your stomach that you felt because you wish you were talking to Wanda about it, and tried to be more grateful that you have someone to talk to at all.

You were thinking of talking to Tony about everything, and you thought you'd look for him in the Slytherin hall, and to your surprise, he showed up in your common room. You thought he was there to spend some time with Steve, but he really came to see you.

"Daddy wrote for us." He explains as soon as he greets you. The letter already open in your hands as he throws himself on the couch in the communal hall. It is Sunday, but the room is very empty because with the amount of free time and foreigners in the castles, most of the students are socializing outside. You had dismissed your friends' invitation to practice Quidditch in exchange for a nap, as you were upset by the way Wanda left the main hall at breakfast when she realized you were sitting at the Slytherin table with her brother.

"Finally." You grumble as you sit down in the armchair across from Tony, stretching out your arm to pick up the letter. It must have been the first letter in three months or more. Last time, your father had said he was overwhelmed with work and would not send any news for a while. You thought it would be days, but it was months. Jarvis at least wrote to tell that he was alive, working in the basement.

Looking down at the paper, you began to read:

"Dear children, how is school going? I hope you are studying as I have always asked you to do. I have been busy with an important project at the ministry, an invention to improve the astronomical forecasts of the wizarding community. Please forgive me for the lack of contact these last months.

Tony, I received the letter about the detention, and I was quite upset when I heard about the bet. You are the older brother and you should protect your sister, not put her in danger. But I am glad that everything ended well and hope that this kind of behavior will not happen again.

Y/N, dear, I heard about your willingness to start studying Muggle Studies, and I'm very glad..."

You stop reading the letter halfway through, frowning and looking at Tony next, who was lying with his head on the cushions and his arm under his eyes.

"What kind of crap is this?" you ask with confusion and irritation, causing Tony to let out a short chuckle. "Dad telling us to study? What the...?"

"It doesn't sound anything like him, I know." Tony interrupts and then sighs, sitting down on the couch to point to the paper. "And see how he doesn't make any jokes about the dare, or any comments about your incident at the lake? It sounds so mechanical and vague."

"Do you think he hasn't read our letters? He only mentions the one from school." You say and Tony leans back on the couch, thoughtful.

"I don't know. It just doesn't sound like him." He says. "I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Jarvis wrote it."

"Why would Jarvis do that?"

"Because Dad hasn't spoken to us in three months." Tony retorts with irritation. "And well, you almost drowned and he didn't even bother to read about it."

"Tony..."

"No, it's fine." He grumbles, taking the letter from your hands and standing up. "Screw him." Cursed the boy in annoyance, tossing the letter into the fireplace in the room. You frowned, sighing. "We don't need him. I'll take care of you."

You were tired of this. Running a hand through your hair for a moment in frustration, you let Tony take your hands in his as he knelt in front of you next.

"I'm sorry I've been absent this while." He says surprising you. "I hated how all the adults were hiding things from us, and I did the same with you. I promise I will tell you everything from now on."

You nod in understanding, squeezing Tony's hand lightly.

"I need to tell you something too."

And you do. The whole conversation with Wanda and with Professor Fury shock Tony. And he has a frown creased in concern when you finish.

"I know it's a lot." You say. "But I'm terrified. I don't know what will happen to me if I lose Wanda, and all I can do is miss her."

"Hey, it's going to be okay." Tony says tenderly, releasing his hand to caress your cheeks and wipe away the dripping tears. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise."

"What if you can't avoid it, Tony?" you retort softly, your voice whiny.

"I will." He assures you. "I will help you. We'll figure out a way to break this bond, and then you and Wanda will be safe."

You nod, deciding to believe his words. Your brother hugs you next, and you wish he is right.

//-//

Just like you, Tony was also unable to gain access to the restricted section of the library. But that is the least of your problems.

As the date of the last task approaches, you are a pile of nerves. Tony assures you that he will try to find something about ways to break magical bonds on the last trip to Hogsmeade in a local library, but you are barely listening to him, your thoughts wandering towards Wanda.

The other girl, on the other hand, continues to avoid you and your friends. Your only option is to ask Pietro about her, and he assures you that she is as upset as you are as if he is trying to make you feel better somehow. But all this information causes is a worsening of your distress. Pietro is not comfortable coming between you two, so you don't insist that he spend time with you or your friends, knowing that Wanda needs company. You also insist that Gamora and Nebula continue to spend time with the witch, but they comment that Wanda is not really sociable after the whole thing.

The rest of the school starts to notice the way the Maximoffs are no longer hanging out with you, and since everyone in the school loves a little gossip, the news that you and Wanda broke up starts to circulate very quickly.

You don't want your detention for the lake story to escalate, but it's hard to control the urge to jinx your classmates when their snarky remarks reach your ears.

"I heard they broke up because Wanda became a champion, and didn't want to be seen with a hufflepuff anymore." Said in a not so low tone, a Ravenclaw boy as you were walking ahead of them toward the Potions classroom.

"No, dude, that's not true. I heard that Wanda got pretty close to the other champion, Jean Grey, and obviously she'd go for a famous quidditch player than a nobody." Added a female voice, and you clutched the books in your hands tightly, but didn't turn around.

"Come on, the girl's a Stark." Retorted the boy. "I think Maximoff is a winner with either one."

The girl laughed lightly, and you wished you reach the classroom soon.

"I think you're right." The girl spoke up. "Maximoff has always been weird, I don't know how she got such great options."

Your attention wandered from the conversation when Mantis reached you. She went back to the dorm to get the potions book she had forgotten, and frowned at your annoyed posture when she arrived, but when she caught the words of the pair behind you, she threw them an annoyed look that made them fall silent.

"Don't pay any attention to that kind of gossip, Y/N." She asked gently and you just sighed.

"I just wish people would mind their own business." You grumble annoyed and Mantis agrees with a murmur.

Potions class was as difficult as it usually is. What surprised you was Professor Lensherr's tired appearance, but you imagined it must be because of the tournament finals that were being organized by the teachers.

When you were packing your materials, you almost knocked over the glass jar when he appeared in front of you.

"Stark, a word, please." He asked earnestly, and Mantis shot you a glance before hurrying to leave. The professor waited until the room was empty and then nodded to the door, which closed. "Wanda told me about your magic bond."

"Shit." You grumbled immediately, and Professor Erik raised his eyebrows. You cleared your throat, apologizing for cursing. "Look, sir, I don't know what else to say about it. I don't know where the bond came from, and I'm trying to find out..."

"I can help." He interrupts and you fall silent, surprised.

"Really?"

"Yes." He says straightening his posture and crossing his arms. "I obviously have more magical knowledge than you, and your nosy brother." He says and you understand that he is talking about the way Tony has been pestering the teachers to get information. "And if this bond affects Wanda, it is of particular interest to me."

You swallow dryly, nodding in understanding. You explain to him how you feel next, and Erik absorbs your words with a neutral expression.

"Interesting. I had my theories since you couldn't duel with Wanda in the second year, but since you became close, it wasn't my place to intrude.” He tells with a bit of a nostalgic face as you finish speaking. “I have a few questions, Miss Stark. I need clarification on the nature of this bond." He says with his arms still folded across his chest. "Last summer, Wanda had a cold. Did you feel anything?"

You thought about the vacation for a few seconds.

"No, sir." You reply. "I don't remember getting sick."

"I see." He says. "Tell me, have you ever had dragon pox?"

You nod in agreement.

"At how old?" The teacher asks, and you think for a moment.

"I don't know, four I think. Maybe five."

"Wanda had dragon pox when she was six." He declares, his gaze assessing you. You blink, trying to follow what he is trying to say. "It's not a very common disease in England, is it?"

"I don't think so." You mutter without understanding why the professor is looking at you like that.

"Wanda caught the disease in Sokovia, the country where she was born." He recounts. "We were on vacation and she came back sick. The last case of that disease here in England was almost a hundred years ago."

"I guess I'm unlucky then." You try to joke, and Erik almost smiles.

"The flu Wanda had last summer was not of magical origin." He adds, and you frown slightly, not knowing what to make of this information. "But dragon pox is magical in nature."

"Professor I don't..."

"Wanda broke her wrist at the age of seven." He interrupts as he uncrosses his arms, gesturing slightly. "She and Pietro were playing in the backyard, no magic."

"Okay..."

"I imagine Wanda has already talked to you about her exceptional magical abilities, Miss Stark." The professor continues. "Her visible magic, I meant. It started when she was three years old, when she was able to bring her toys into her crib and wrap them all in a magical cloud." Erik tells and you smile briefly at the image of a baby Wanda, but his expression makes you bite the inside of your cheek the next second. "I want to know how much of this you were able to experience, being on the other side of the country."

You swallow dryly, looking away and trying to think back to your childhood.

"I don't know, professor." You reply. "I was a child. Maybe Tony or dad will know something."

"Come on, isn't there anything you can tell me?" He insists. "Any specific memories, any strange dreams? Anything."

You think, and think, but none of your childhood memories seem relevant. And then you frown, remembering one.

"Actually... There was this one time I got really sick. I think I was about eight. Maybe nine, and dad took me to St.Mungus. I had a high fever, and I couldn't sleep at night with nightmares, but I don't remember what happened. They thought it might be the flu, but we never found out what it was. The next day I was better."

Erik was slightly wide-eyed and then he sighed.

"Before she came to Hogwarts, Wanda was afraid of losing control of her magic at school." He starts to tell. "I tried to calm her down, but she was very upset. She managed to convince Pietro to help her into my potions room and took an entire bottle of a brew for magical containment. Her magic seemed almost enraged, and she destroyed the greenhouse with a wave of energy. I've never seen her so out of control." He says thoughtfully, as if remembering the events. "She passed out from exhaustion, and didn't wake up until the morning. She was ten.”

"You don't think...?"

"That's exactly what I think, Miss Stark." He interrupts, "The dates match. Every time Wanda was in danger from a magical source, you were affected, because the nature of your bond with her is magical. And that was confirmed during the tournament by noticing the way you jumped into the lake during the second task. I imagine your little interaction with Professor Heimdall when Wanda was facing the dragon was about this as well?" He asks and you nod your head in confirmation. "Right. Well, that's a problem."

"I noticed." You grumble, but then realize from the professor's expression that in addition to what has been said, it seems to be a problem for another reason. "Why?"

"Regarding your safety, I mean." Explains the professor. "The last task of the tournament is going to be exceptionally challenging, and perhaps not the best of experiences for you."

You widen your eyes in anticipation.

"Professor, what will happen in the third task?"

"I can't tell you." He says. "But there will be many challenges. And Wanda may encounter difficulties, especially since she is only fifteen."

You sigh, trying to push the wave of worry down.

"I hate this tournament." You state in a mumble and Professor Erik gives a short little smile. "I hate to see Wanda in danger. If it's for the gold, she can have all mine."

Erik laughed, and you blinked in surprise at the sound.

"Believe me, I dislike this competition as much as you do." He says. "There is no pleasure in seeing Wanda in danger for something as superficial as eternal glory. But the goblet chose her, and she would have suffered a magical penalty if she didn't obey the contract. It was a difficult decision, but it was the best for her."

You mutter in understanding and the teacher is thoughtful for a few minutes.

"I would recommend you not watch the competition so you don't get so nervous, but clearly distance doesn't matter for the bond." He remarks. "I need more information about how all this works. I want to run some tests with you two."

You frown slightly, but before you can ask what kind of tests, the teacher speaks again.

"That will need to wait, of course. With the competition and the final exams, I understand that you are experiencing enough stress and I don't want to cause any more suffering." He explains. "Over the vacations, perhaps I can write to your father. It's time to see old friends again after all."

You are surprised that the professor makes this mention, but you don't bother to comment. He clears his throat, and signals that this is all. You thank him as you get up and then leave the room.

//-//

When the day of the last task of the tournament finally arrived, the whole school was in a joint peak of excitement.

You could hardly sleep, strange nightmares throughout your entire night combined with the anxiety at the pit of your stomach made you wake up several times during your sleep. In the morning you decided to ignore the buzz around the hallways about the task and the possible winner, and joined your friends for breakfast.

You wanted to talk to Wanda, but you didn't see her at the Slytherin table, and Gamora tried to cheer you up with news about a band you liked playing in London next month, but you could barely force a smile, feeling tired and irritated.

You heard a group of Gryffindors commenting excitedly that the occultation spell had been removed from the quidditch field, and that the gates of something that had been conjured for the last task were already visible, but before you could try to hear what they were saying, the boys were already leaving the hall and Pietro came to talk to you.

"Hey, good morning, how are you?" he asked curiously, taking a seat across from you at the table.

"Not well, if you want to know." You grumbled dejectedly, your fingers lazily stroking the piece of bread on your plate. "What about you?"

"Worried." He replied shrugging his shoulders with a small corner smile. "But I'm optimistic. Wanda is confident, and thinks she can win. And I'm trusting that everything will end well."

The mention of Wanda makes you sigh slightly and lean your chin on your arm on the table, looking at the boy in front of you.

"I miss her, Pietro." You confess upset and ignore the way Gamora and Nebula who are sitting next to the boy look at you with pity, but appreciate how Mantis strokes your back lightly. "She won't talk to me, and I can't blame her or even be mad at her."

"Wanda asked for some time, didn't she?" he asked slightly curious and you grumbled in agreement. "Well, I guess you have the right to ask the same."

You frown in confusion, and Pietro has a little smile as he pours himself some juice.

"What do you mean?" You ask.

"Ask her for, I don't know, five minutes of attention?" He suggests. "Five minutes to at least give her good luck. You look miserable, and I hate to see you like this."

You sigh, thinking about the idea. And then you smile.

"Thanks, P." You say as you raise your head.

"No problem." He says. "You can try now, Wanda should be on the lower floors. She wanted to talk to dad before the task."

You nodded in understanding and then said you would meet your friends outside.

It didn't take long for you to find Wanda. The girl was walking up the stairs as you were coming down, and well, she had no choice but to look at you.

You felt your heart race to have her looking directly at you after so long, but you ignored the sensation as you walked down the steps and stopped in front of her. Wanda swallowed dryly, but held her gaze.

"Hey." You greeted half breathlessly, smiling slightly.

"What do you want?" she asked uncomfortably, her gaze serious. You ignored the seriousness of her words.

"Talk to you."

"I already said I need time."

"I know." You said without hesitation. "But I also have the right to talk. Can you give me five minutes?"

Wanda looked away, and then at her feet. She sighed and nodded, and you waited for her to look at you again before speaking.

"I miss you, Wanda." You confessed and watched Wanda swallow dryly, her eyes filling with tears as she looked away. "And I wanted to wish you good luck in the last task."

Wanda sighed faintly, nodding in understanding, her gaze on the stairs. You raised your finger to her chin, gently turning her face so that she was looking at you. Wanda closed her eyes as you fitted your hand to her cheeks, your thumb stroking her skin tenderly as she leaned into the touch.

Her hand moved up to your forearm the next moment, squeezing before moving your hand away from her face as she pushed your arm away gently.

You sighed, ignoring the feeling in your stomach and the urge to kiss and touch her again.

"Please don't do that." She whispered. "Don't touch me as if you love me as much as I love you."

You gasped, widening your eyes at the confession. But before you could add anything else, footsteps approached and Erik was coming up the stairs behind Wanda. The girl took a step back, wiping her eyes quickly.

"Stark." The professor greeted politely. You had a hard time disguising how much Wanda's words stirred in you. "Wanda, you'd better hurry up for breakfast. The task will start soon."

"Yes, dad." Wanda agrees and she doesn't look at you as she leaves. Erik nods politely and you stand on the steps for long minutes, your heart racing in your chest.

Wanda loves you. And you can't be with her.

Ignoring your broken heart, you turn and walk back into the hall, following the crowd of students who are making their way to the site of the last assignment.

//-//

The third task was a maze full of magical trials.

You gasped as you reached the sight of the large grass ones that were raised at the entrance to the quidditch field and the matched grass gates.

The crowd of students spilled out onto the bleachers set up in front of the maze, and you began to look around for your friends, ignoring the urge to run to Wanda and tell her you loved her back, not wanting to upset her before the task.

When the crowd was fully seated in the stands, and some students were already raising their cheering posters in the air, you watched the tournament judges move along with the faculty as Agatha took her place to announce the start of the competition.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." Gamora whispered to you as the director made the announcements. "I bet Wanda will be back before you can miss her."

You try to smile, your stomach turning in nervousness.

Watching the field below, you see the champions positioning themselves at the entrance.

Jean Grey had the highest score, so she entered first. The Durmstrang students cheering loudly until she disappeared into the maze.

Soon after, Wanda entered. The Slytherin people conjured a serpent of artifice through the air that disappeared as soon as she walked into the maze.

And then Maria Hill last, the Beaubatox crowd clapping their feet until she entered.

Just like the second task, all that was left for the crowd to do was wait once the champions entered. So as soon as the gate closed, the students started talking animatedly among themselves, in addition to the betting chart that began to circulate.

You also noticed that the reporters of the Daily Prophet were asking the cheering people in the front row about the bets for the winners.

Trying to distract yourself from the sense of worry that had taken over you most likely linked to the fact that Wanda was inside a place dangerous enough to kill her, you tried to engage in some of the conversation with your friends.

//-//

With thirty minutes to go, a movement in the field below caught your attention.

"Y/N, isn't that your father?" Gamora asked poking you in the ribs to call you, but you were already looking down.

Your father was not alone. There were four other witches with him that you had never seen before, but judging by their capes, they were aurors from the ministry, as they were dressed exactly like the witches that day in the cup.

There was a sudden movement among the teachers, and then the aurors were opening the gate to the maze and Headmistress Harkness was talking to the judges, all looking extremely worried. The crowd was buzzing, and it didn't take long for the comments to reach you.

"They're saying they're going to cancel the test!" Told a Ravenclaw girl who had just leaned forward to listen to her classmates, and then he turned and said to you and Gamora, making you both widen your eyes. You looked around next, in time to catch Tony coming down the bleachers from the side until he reached your father.

"What do you think happened?" Gamora asked you.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look good." You replied already moving to leave in Tony's direction. Gamora and Nebula looked at you, but you just signaled for them to wait up there.

When you reached Tony and your father, they seemed to be arguing.

"You didn't think to send at least a letter?" Tony squawked angrily, but your father was distracted, looking around and especially back at the entrance to the maze.

"I can't talk now, Tony, please." The man asked. He gave you a short smile as you approached, and Bucky and Steve joined you all next.

"Dad, what's going on?" You asked, but before your father could say anything, the principal was asking the students to return to the castle and the crowd erupted in booing.

The tournament judges were commenting quietly among themselves, and you frowned when Professor Erik approached and whispered something in your father's ear, who made a worried frown.

"Go back to the castle." Your father ordered looking at you and Tony, but you didn't move and Tony pushed your father's hand away.

They began to argue, but you felt your whole body shiver all at once, and you looked back, thinking that someone had called your name.

Professor Erik looked at you curiously, but before he could do anything, you ran past him and into the maze.

//-//

Gasping for breath from the run, you blinked in confusion as you stopped at a crossroads. Your head was spinning slightly, and you looked around.

The maze was dark, and the walls were high and shadowed the path. You noticed that the noise of the crowd was muffled from the inside.

Taking the left path, you were not fully conscious, following only the magnetic energy that seemed to pull you around the correct path.

Your wand was raised to your hand, an illumination spell that you don't remember conjuring. You frowned slightly when you noticed another light, and then Maria Hill was standing in front of you.

"Who are you?" she asked, but you didn't answer, walking past her in a mechanical manner. The girl looked at you with confusion. "Girl, can you hear me?"

"Wanda." You whispered without stopping your walk. Maria hesitated but then began to follow you through the labyrinth.

"Are you hexed?" She asked curiously but got no answer. When she tried to hold you by the shoulders, you pushed her to the ground. "Hey, no need for that!"

You didn't answer and Maria sighed in irritation as she stood up, running lightly to catch up with you as you turned the corner.

The tugging on your abdomen began to get stronger, and then you reached the center of the maze.

"Wow, you found the center." Maria commented in surprise next to you. "But where's the cup?"

You looked around confused, feeling the pain in your head increase.

And then noises of footsteps and shouting became closer and a moment later your father and Professor Erik entered the center through one of the trails.

"Honey!" Your father exclaimed worriedly, but before he could reach you, you fell to your knees, a shrill cry of pain escaping your throat.

Your vision blurred and you had another vision.

It was the graveyard from your dream, but now much clearer than before. You were attached to something, and there was a tall wizard standing in front of you.

The man turned around and you could see his red eyes staring at you with hatred.

"Erik, what is happening to her?" You heard your father's voice sound muffled by the ringing in your ear. You were trying to breathe normally, lying on the grass with your hands on your head.

"Look out, Howard!" It was Professor Erik's voice, but you didn't have the strength to look up.

"Protego!" Someone shouted the incantation next to you, maybe it was Maria but you can't open your eyes to see.

The pain in your head seemed to subside slightly and you forced your gaze upward, not understanding what was happening.

There were two bright lights in front of you. The image was not very clear because of the pain, but you struggled to understand what you were witnessing.

A wizard you didn't know was exchanging spells with Professor Erik. And Bucky was standing next to him, his robotic movements exactly matching those of the mysterious sorcerer. Your father was dueling with the younger one.

The unknown wizard let out an angry grunt, and said something in a language you didn't recognize, and then a green light shot out of Bucky's wand and hit your father in the chest, knocking him backwards.

"Stupefy!" Shouted a female voice from your side, and the spell hit Bucky squarely.

You whimpered in pain again, and could stare no longer.

A few minutes passed before you gasped back to consciousness, or perhaps it was hours. Your tears wet your shirt, and you coughed helplessly.

You raised your eyes to a scene that you didn't understand at first.

There were three people lying on the ground. A man you had never seen before, Bucky and your father, and Professor Erik was kneeling beside the last.

You blinked in confusion and then Tony came running out of the other opening and he widened his eyes when he noticed father.

"Hey, can you stand?" it was Jean Grey beside you. Maria Hill was holding you in her other arm, and you blinked in confusion at both of them.

"Where am I?" you grumbled, and then looked forward again. Tony ran up to your father, and you widened your eyes.

"Dad?" Tony asked with his face wet with tears. "Dad? Wake up!

"Stark..." Erik started as he touched the boy's shoulder, but your brother didn't look at him as he pushed his hand away.

You forced yourself to get up and with the help of the girls you succeeded. You took two steps and then fell to your knees again, understanding what had happened.

You had just witnessed your father being murdered.

//-//

The maze was dismantled from the inside out.

The rest of the teachers moved to remove the incantations and the maze disappeared around you, while you and Tony were kneeling beside the body of your father.

Soon there were reporters trying to reach the center, but Principal Harkness ordered them to stay away.

The aurors from the ministry were also there and they conjured a containment spell around the man who dueled the professor.

"We need to get the children out of here, Harkness." You heard someone say, but their gaze was on your lap, the hand you entwined with your father's.

"We don't know how many of them then here." Another witch said.

"Darlings, let's go inside, okay?" Professor Erik asked you. You were too tired to contradict, but Tony refused.

He said something about responsibility, and they did not contradict him again. You were led out of the maze, however, and the place where the entrance was located was empty.

The reporters who had been thrown out approached you and the ministry's auror immediately as soon as they saw you two, and you blinked at the flashes of the cameras.

"Can you tell us what happened inside the maze Miss Stark?"

"How are you and your brother going to take care of the fortune now that you are Howard's heirs?"

The lack of sensitivity made your stomach turn, but you were too tired to cry.

The auror who was with you said something to keep the reporters away, and then you were taken back to the castle.

"Hey, kid, are you still with me?" The lady asked as she knelt in front of you, her expression concerned.

You sighed, feeling an urgency to close your eyes. You think she called you again before you blacked out.

//-//

When you woke up, it was warm. And when you realized that you were in the infirmary, it took you a few moments to remember everything that had happened. As you did so, you began to cry. Finally understanding that your father was dead.

Your pillow got wet, but you didn't care, finding it hard to see past the tears.

"Hey." It was Tony, looking extremely tired, standing at your bedside. You couldn't tell if he was already there when you woke up, or if he had entered the infirmary at that moment, but you didn't ask. He lay down on the bed with you next, and hugged you.

You know that he was crying too, even though you didn't look at him.

You eventually fell asleep between sobs, and when you woke up again, you were feeling better physically.

Tony was standing in the doorway of the infirmary, talking to the Auror who brought you in. When she noticed you looking, she nodded slightly to Tony and he looked at you, forcing a smile.

The two wizards walked over to you next, and you sat down on the bed.

"Hey, are you feeling better?" Tony asked and you shrugged. "Carol wants to ask you some questions."

You looked away from Tony to the woman, and she looked slightly embarrassed to have to question you after a situation like this, but she did it anyway.

"My name is Carol Danvers, Miss Stark." She introduced herself first. "I am an auror from the ministry of magic. I brought you to the infirmary, can you remember this?"

You nodded in agreement.

"I need to tell you some things, and then I'll ask you about what happened in the maze, okay?" She asked and waited for you to confirm before she started talking.

Carol explained to you how the dark wizard Korvac used polyjuice potion to disguise himself as Professor Fury all year long, and infiltrate the tournament organization. The real Fury was a family friend of the auror and was able to warn her in some way that she didn't tell you, and then the aurors used flu powder to get to Hogwarts. Your father was still an auror in secret to the ministry, and so he also joined the operation group.

When the Aurors arrived, however, Korvac had already entered the maze and they went after him. Neither your father nor the professor were supposed to enter the maze, but when you did, your brother followed, and consequently Steve and Bucky did the same. Your father and the professor went after, but the maze was enchanted to make everyone get lost, and that's exactly what happened. While you were guided by your connection to Wanda, everyone else was lost all around.

Carol told you that Korvac had found Bucky and used the Imperio curse to control him, so he was fighting on behalf of the dark wizard against both your father and your teacher. With Jean Grey's intervention, Bucky was knocked out and Professor Erik hit Korvac, but it was too late.

Everyone eventually found themselves in the middle and the maze was dismantled. Tony had already given his statement to the ministry, and Korvac was sent to Azkaban.

"Your brother told me that you have some kind of magical bond with one of the champions and that's why you went into the maze right?" Carol asked as you wiped away your tears. You sniffled slightly as you confirmed. "Miss Maximoff won the competition and she has also talked to my colleagues about what she saw in the cup portal."

"W-what?" you questioned with confusion.

Carol sighed slightly and then her posture changed. She looked back for a minute.

"Look, I trusted your father. He knew there was corruption in the ministry, and he warned me about it when he recommended me to work with him." She began as if telling a secret. "Let's keep that between us for now. I don't know who I can trust in that department."

Carol told about how the triwizard cup was bewitched to become a portal key, most likely by Korvac. She repeated Wanda's words to you, saying that the girl had ended up in a graveyard with the remnants of Mephisto's followers in place. Wanda also said that Mephisto himself had returned and that they faced each other. She managed to escape by touching the cup again.

What made you angry was knowing that the minister didn't believe any of her words, and refused to acknowledge Mephisto's return. The whole thing would be treated as a trial of the tournament that got out of hand, and Korvac, who had been captured, would be accused of all the crimes.

Carol didn't seem happy with the minister's decision either.

"I have nothing to say but tell the minister to go fuck himself, Carol." You informed irritated and the blonde smiled at you.

"You inherited your father's attitude." She comments and you think the intention is good, but it makes your heart ache. "I will close your statement then. Thank you very much for your time, Miss Stark."

You nod and Carol hesitates. She sighs lightly and touches your brother on the shoulder and your outstretched hand on the bed.

"I used to be friends with your father." She says. "Don't think you are alone, children. You have more family than you can imagine. And you can contact me if you need anything."

Carol smiles and walks away with a nod. You and Tony exchange a slightly surprised look. Tony sighs and sits down next to you on the bed. You say nothing, but you both know that this should be one more among your father's many secrets.

//-//

Nurse Cho released you from the infirmary that same afternoon.

Aside from the mental exhaustion, you were perfectly healthy.

Your friends, with the exception of the Maximoff twins, approach you in the dormitory. They hug you together, mourning the death of your father. You want to say that you feel a little better about this, but that is not true.

As you are seen in the corridors, students and professors stop you to say "my sympathies", and you answer them in a polite way. You can also hear the gossip after all.

Wanda did not obey the order of the minister of magic, and when the journalists of the Daily Prophet asked her about the tournament, she told her version. Nobody bought her story, and she was branded a liar after the minister denied the return of the dark wizard.

Professor Erik also greeted you in the hallways, and Pietro was with him. The boy hugged you tight, and you held back your tears.

"Stark, my home is always open to you and your brother." Erik said as his hand was on your shoulder. "I just want you to know that."

You nodded in understanding and then walked toward the communal hall intending to organize your belongings, since the school year would end that week.

//-//

On your last day at Hogwarts, you finally talked to Wanda.

Because your nightmares had become more frequent than ever, you had spent the last days at school without sleeping properly, and on the last night you gave up sleeping and decided to go to the kitchens.

You were in the empty halls when you heard the familiar noise of Drax monitoring the castle and stumbled to the first door you found, trying to avoid being seen.

As you waited for the hissing noise to become distant, you looked back and gasped in surprise.

There was a girl sitting on the floor and it took you a few seconds to realize that it was Wanda.

"What are you doing here?" You asked curiously, and your voice startled her. She stood up quickly, looking at you in surprise.

"Shit, you scared the hell out of me!" She complained and you frowned slightly as you realized she was crying, but Wanda quickly wiped her face.

Only at that moment did you notice the large antique mirror behind her. On the metal rim was a Latin phrase that you didn't understand.

Biting the inside of your cheeks, you looked away to the floor.

"Sorry to bother you, I couldn't sleep." You mumbled clumsily and Wanda shifted the weight of her feet before clearing her throat.

"Do you wanna stay?"

You raised your head in surprise, but then nodded in agreement.

Walking up to the girl, you stopped about four steps away from her, not knowing exactly what to do next.

"Are you going to tell me what you were doing here?" You asked again, and Wanda bit her lips before turning toward the mirror.

"I found this place in second grade." She counters. "That's the Mirror of Erised."

"I am supposed to know what that means?" You ask with mild irony causing Wanda to smile slightly.

"We studied that in fourth grade, so yes." She retorts.

"I haven't been busy this year, no time for books, if you know what I mean." You say with a smile and Wanda laughs softly. You stare at the mirror in front of you, but there is nothing special about it. It seems to reflect you and Wanda just like any other. "What does this mirror do anyway?"

Wanda turns her face to you, and you want to ignore the nervous feeling that settles on the edge of your stomach, but to no avail.

"Look closer." She says, and her gaze lingers on you for a moment before she takes a step to the side. You turn your face to the mirror again, and then step forward.

It takes a second for the image to change. It is you in the reflection, but you are not alone. Your father is standing beside you, smiling contently. You frown in confusion, gasping slightly at his sudden appearance.

Ignoring the lump in your throat, you continue to stare. The image trembles slightly, and you try to understand what the mirror is telling you. Nothing looks much different except the image of your father, but then you notice the wedding ring in your reflection.

You look down at your hand for a moment and then back at the reflection. Your image copies the movement with delay and you squeeze your eyes shut to read the letters on the ring.

Your face heats up as you read Wanda's name and you take a step back. The image becomes fainter, but doesn't disappear.

"What do you see?" Wanda asks curiously from beside you, and you startle, turning your head to her quickly.

"M-my father." You answer at the same moment, biting your tongue to make sure you don't say anything else. Wanda's expression tumbles, and she looks down at her feet. You swallow dryly.

"I'm sorry, y/n. I really am." She whispers, and you look away. There is something that is bothering you as much as your father's death, and it is the distance that seems to exist between you and Wanda now.

"Thank you." You mumble the response you have learned to give whenever someone says that to you. "W-what do you see in the mirror?" You ask next, trying to change the subject from you. Wanda looks surprised at the question and even in the low lighting, you notice the slight redness in her cheeks.

"My mother." She answers without looking at you. "And... myself. No magic. Just me and her, and Pietro and papa at a distance. We look happy and normal."

It is the most intimate confession Wanda has ever made to you. You want to caress her face, hug her and thank her for her trust, but you just nod in agreement, swallowing her words and pushing the desire to touch down.

"Have you been here many times?" You ask after a moment and Wanda sighs before confirming. "You never told me about this place before."

"I never told anyone." She retorts without sounding angry, just slightly weary. "I guess I wanted it to be something just mine."

"I understand." You comment as you look into the mirror again, the image of your reflection and Wanda's now visible. "A private space for you to visit your mother."

Wanda murmurs in agreement, and you think she won't say anything else, but she does.

"I need to tell you something."

You turn your head toward Wanda's direction, but when she turns her body toward you, she keeps her gaze on the floor.

"About the day of the task." She says. "About Mephisto."

"Okay." You mumble as you wait. Wanda takes a deep breath.

"I guess you've heard from the whole school that I fought with him." She starts with a sad smile, and you nod in agreement. "Well, there's a reason he couldn't kill me."

You frown with confusion.

"Right...why?"

"It’s better if i show you." She takes a deep breath, raising her hands between you. "Can I?" she asks, and you notice the red magic escaping her fingers.

"You can do that?" You ask impressed and Wanda nods with a shy smile. When you consent, she raises her fingers to your forehead and then you have another vision.

You see the moment when Wanda was teleported into the graveyard, and it's as if you're seeing everything through her eyes.

The moment when a hooded wizard appeared and locked Wanda in a spell against one of the tombstones. You watched the wizard walk to the center of the graveyard and conjure a rune on the ground that you didn't recognize. He recited a few words and then cast an incantation in the sky. The mark of a hydra.

Walking back to the rune, the sorcerer deposited a necklace on the ground. With a dagger he took from his pocket, he recited an incantation in a language you didn't recognize, and cut his own palm. When the blood fell on the necklace, Wanda gasped in pain.

The ground around the rune began to open up and a man crawled out of the earth. You imagined it was a necromancy ritual and they were resurrecting someone. You didn't have to ask to know that it was Mephisto.

When the wizard stood up completely, he laughed darkly. The man who helped him bowed.

"Master, you live!" Celebrated the wizard. Mephisto approached, a gentle flick of his wand wiped all the dirt from his robes, and you could see the metallic Hydra strolling along the entire length of his robes, as if getting used to being awake again.

"All thanks to you, John." Mephisto said his deep voice echoing through the room. "Your loyalty will be rewarded, my friend."

"Thank you, master." Said the man without raising his head. Mephisto touched his hood, pulling it back, and you looked at the kneeling figure. He was a man of about thirty, his blond hair was long and dirty. There was a deep scar across his cheek to the extent of his right eye, which was closed.

Mephisto raised his wand toward the young man's face, and a silver spell escaped from the tip along the scar. The mark didn't disappear, but when he opened his eye, you noticed the metallic glow of the reddish iris.

"Be my eyes again, John Walker." Mephisto commanded and the boy thanked him again. He continued kneeling as Mephisto turned toward Wanda, who was still attached to the tombstone. "I almost forgot about my guest of honor."

"Who are you?" Wanda asked angrily, you could almost feel her fear.

Mephisto smiled devilishly, ignoring the question as he took a deep breath. He raised his wand high and the Hydra's mark seemed to glow even brighter.

In the following moments, shadows began to appear in the sky, and only when the first one of them landed on the ground that you understood that they were wizards appearing.

There were at least eight of them, but because of their position, Wanda couldn't see them all. The masked witches remained static, waiting for their companions. Mephisto murmured softly, and after a moment without any movement in the sky, he sighed.

"It is only at our worst that we see who is really loyal to us." He comments somberly, before opening his arms to the crowd. "Friends! It's so good to see you all again, finally. So many years!"

Mephisto's smile doesn't reach his eyes, and then the wizards are kneeling, and recite together an "It is an honor, master." Mephisto laughs lightly, lowering his arms.

"Look at you folks." He comments with a psychotic look on his face. "You're not even ashamed that you abandoned me." He charges, but no one speaks up. Mephisto sighs impatiently. "No one has anything to say? What a disappointment."

"Master..." Started a wizard on the edge and then Mephisto raised his fist toward him hanging him in the air with his magic. Wanda's eyes widened, but the wizard let go just before the one in the air stopped struggling. As the wizard coughed to try to breathe again, Mephisto pushed his long hair out of the front of his face.

"I don't want your hollow apologies, Zemo." He says. "Nothing will erase the betrayal of all of you, cowards."

No one makes any mention of interrupting the speech, and Mephisto puts his cloak away momentarily.

"But a new era begins, and we need to leave the past behind." Says the mage. "I finally have my treasure where I wanted it, and nothing will stop me from reaching my power again."

Mephisto turns to Wanda now, a mental look on his face. The wizards look at her too.

"Master, is this...?" One of the masked men begins, and Mephisto interrupts with a devilish grin.

"Yes, my friend!" He says. "The Scarlet Witch."

The group loosely shares a buzz of excited excitement, but falls silent the next moment. Wanda wriggles uncomfortably against the spell.

"What is it, my dear?" Mephisto asks as he watches her struggle. "Is it tight? Try a coffin underground. I guarantee the discomfort is greater."

The comment makes Wanda clench her jaw as the group lets out a chuckle.

"I'm not who you say I am." Wanda retorts with irritation and Mephisto lets out a laugh approaching. You wish you could enter the vision to get him away from Wanda.

"Your name is Wanda Maximoff." He says looking her straight in the eye. "You were born in 1989 in a dirty muggle neighborhood of Sokovia. And you are a scarlet witch by birth." He narrates and then his gaze changes to malice. "And you belong to me."

"Fuck you."

Wanda's rude response makes Mephisto smile.

"Perhaps you, my dear friends, were not aware of what really happened that night fifteen years ago." Mephisto says as he turns to the group again. "I can only imagine the lies the ministry of magic must have told the world, making sure to tell I was defeated by some of their pathetic aurors."

The group exchanges surprised looks and Mephisto laughs, walking ahead.

"I think everyone has a right to know what really happened that day, don't you, my dear?" He asks Wanda, and then lets out a wry laugh. "Oh, I forgot that you were just a filthy brat back then. I'd better tell them instead."

Wanda struggles against the grip again and Mephisto raises his wand toward her, causing the spell to tighten more and Wanda to grumble in pain.

"Hold still and listen to the story, little brat." He commands. "Didn't the blood traitor teach you manners?"

You know Mephisto is talking about Wanda's father, but the girl doesn't respond to the teasing.

"Do you remember how well everything was going for us, my friends?" Begins the wizard, and he waits for the group to agree before speaking again. "I should have known that the cursed muggles in your community would bring more trouble than I expected."

Mephisto looks slightly nostalgic, but no one is going to interrupt him. He gives a wry laugh before continuing.

"You know that I was seeking the power of a scarlet sorceress for myself. And well, with all the commotion in the ministry, I decided to capture the child without being accompanied by any of you." He says. "I was always the most powerful, but now that I look back, a companion would have prevented so much delay."

When Wanda makes mention of fighting again, Mephisto strengthens the spell.

"I went to take what was rightfully mine in that muggle pigsty that is Sokovia, and I never expected that a filthy muggle would be able to stop me." He tells you and you notice Wanda's interest in the words, curious to know what he was talking about. "Maybe the traitor lied and she had some witch lineage. We'll never know, since I killed her." He comments humorously. "Contextualizing my friends, I went up to the second floor to get the child of prophecy, and I ended up running into two of them."

Mephisto counters with a wry laugh.

"Crazy isn't it?" He says. "But of course it was easy to figure out who the right baby was, since the sorceress' power emanated in the child's aura. I had no function for the other one so I decided to discard it."

Wanda's eyes widen at the confession. Mephisto was going to kill Pietro. She gasps slightly, feeling her anger rising.

"But the muggle pig begged for mercy." He continues. "You know very well how much I hate muggles, but if she had stood in the corner as I told her to do, I would have done no harm. But of course she had to throw herself in front of the infant, become a pathetic martyr."

The group laughs at the narration and you feel like vomiting. Mephisto stared at his own wand for a few seconds.

"I should have realized the sacrificial bond that was created, but I did not expect such a thing from a muggle." He counters somberly, sounding bitter. "When I skipped over her body and repeated the curse, it came straight back to me."

The group let out a chorus of surprise, but Mephisto just smiled.

"Don't worry, friends. I'm here after all." He says. "But a death curse is powerful enough to injure a body. And so I needed to escape." He counters as he walks around. "I would return for the girl as soon as I could restore myself, but where there is one blood traitor there is always another."

The group listened to the story intently and you swallowed dryly, trying to remember all the details.

"The traitor Stark and that muggle slut he called his wife were waiting for me downstairs." Mephisto counters and you hold your breath. "I knew that in my condition I couldn't stand up to an auror like Stark, but he could be useful to me. It was the perfect opportunity to have someone look after my belongings."

Mephisto sighed lightly.

"I think muggles must have some sort of self-sabotaging lifestyles about throwing themselves in front of spells, folks." He mocked causing the group to exchange confused looks. "I aimed at Stark, commanding him to protect what was mine, but it was the muggle who received the enchantment." He counters and you gasp in surprise. "Stark was furious of course, but I used the moments he spent assisting his wife to apparate."

Mephisto's expression was no longer content.

"My body couldn't handle the power of the apparatation, obviously." He counters. "After the curse, it began to betray me. I was on the brink of death for months, until I finally succumbed. My consciousness shallowed, waiting patiently for my faithful followers to find me. And here we are."

The group lets out a small exclamation and Mephisto forces a smile, straightening his posture.

"But that's in the past, of course." He says. "My sorceress is here for me, and I can regain my full power now."

Wanda swallowed dryly as she watched Mephisto approach. The wizard made a motion with his wand and the grip around her neck shortened slightly.

"I never had any use for the witch's receptacle." He says raising his wand to Wanda, you held your breath. "It's nothing personal, dear. At least you'll meet that pig of a mother of yours in hell."

The green incantation comes out of the small wood next, but never reaches Wanda. A yellow energy bumps into the magic and deflects it almost hitting one of the wizards in the circle. The group moves in fright and Mephisto has a psychotic but surprised look on his face.

"The protective spell... How?" he asks, stepping forward. “The spell killed the muggle, I saw her body! How is it still there?” He angrily asks .

His followers look as surprised as he is, and Mephisto assumes an angry expression. He raises his wand again, and even without saying anything, the emerald incantation escapes and the same thing as before happens. Distracted in his frustration, he doesn't notice that with each attempt, the spell binding Wanda grows weaker, until the fourth time he tries to curse the girl, the golden light explodes in the air, ricocheting light startling all the wizards in the circle, as Wanda falls to her knees, free.

The second of shock from the group is enough for Wanda to cause a wave of energy with her powers that kept the wizards away as she reaches for the cup at her feet, teleporting back to the school.

You stumble out of the memory, your eyes watering.

Wanda looks at you, but you turn away feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information.

"W-what was that?" You gasp taking another step back.

"I'm sorry if that was too much." She hastens to say. "I-I needed to tell you. About your mother."

You wipe away the tears, moving further away.

"I can't do this." You grumble. "Not now. M-my father just died, Wanda. I can't. I'm sorry."

The words are a little disjointed, but Wanda understands. She doesn't stop you when you rush to leave the room.

//-//

Coming home is much more difficult than any other time.

The ride on the Hogwarts express is longer than ever, but you don't mind, wanting to avoid the moment when you and Tony will set foot home without your father.

Jarvis picks the four of you up at the station, and you are grateful that Gamora lets you eat all her candy left over from the trip.

The whole feeling of stepping into the house and looking around and seeing your father's objects all around is oppressive, but you try to get used to it. You think the conversation with Tony about your mother can wait.

//-//

Tag list ( let me know if you want to be tagged or removed idk haha) @mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @justagaypanicking / @thegayw1tch / @idek-5 // @myperfectlovepoem // @helloalycia // @ENSORCELLME // @AIMEZVOUSBRAHMS @imapotatao / @aimezvousbrahms/ @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia //   @ichala​ ||  @madamevirgo

[aki-draws-things]

"sender shoves receiver out of anger."

Usually it's Erik blocking Charles from reading his mind, until one day it's Charles who uses his powers (accidentally? Or not) to push Erik away. He never expected to see him crumple the way he does.

Hello thanks I haven't fully wrote in them in years but doing rewatches kinda sparked the wish to write them!

Hope you'll like it it and beware! I'm making a whole bingo card just to write more hurt Erik!

(typos are there cause I didn't catch them through 3 check readings. But I managed to catch the bloody plague instead)

That wasn't what Charles had wanted, hell, that wasn't even what Charles was. It happened, and it had been a mistake, and now he didn't know how to fix it. If there was a way to fix it.

Charles knew the pain of being locked out of a mind, everytime Erik wore that damn helmet, he never said it was physically painful, and maybe it wasn't, maybe it was because that was Erik, and he needed that connection the same way he needed to breath.

"she was there." Erik said, his voice clear in Charles mind even without using Cerebro, he was stronger, and he knew Erik's mind, it was easy to reach. "I don't know where she is now."

"don't lie to me, Erik."

"you're the one in my head, old friend, how can I lie?"

Charles could sense a smile cross his face, he could see Erik, sitting with his legs crossed and closed eyes on a makeshift bed, seemingly meditating.

"you have tricks to lie even to a telepath." Charles accused, watched as Erik frowned but didn't lose his smile.

"poke around, then."

"I don't want to poke around that head of yours, Erik."

"then you'll have to take my words for truth. I don't know where Jean is. She was there, I casted her away when she threatened our peace."

"but you have ways to find her." Charles pressured once more and Erik nodded ever so slightly. "do it."

In retrospect Charles wished he didn't, in retrospect he wished he saw what was happening already. It was written all over Erik's face, brows drawn together, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, his lips, parted. That wasn't Charles, that was the one Raven accused him of becoming.

Erik sighed.

"what will you do?"

"I won't kill her, if that's what you think." Charles said, frowning. "I'm not that, I'm not you. I see it, you know? You want to kill her, you, and Hank too. I want to find her, I want to help her."

"im sorry Charles."

Amd he did sound sorry, Charles would realize barely minutes later, he did.

But Charles saw him stretch a hand out, and he saw the helmet fly toward him, and he saw no more.

"don't. You. Dare. Don't lock me out."

He heard his voice booming in the room he was in, he heard it booming in his own head and everywhere around Erik.

The helmet froze mid-air, it fell with a clacking sound and rolled away.

Charles froze too, his eyes wide as he watched, his face twisting in a scream, his mind sending pleads after pleads, begging for forgiveness before any word could form out of his throat.

Erik's eyes were wide, blood trickled down his nose, he wiped it with two fingers and looked at it in disbelief.

"ch--Charles?"

He sounded so small, so weak. Charles saw the room around them twist and crack, like walls made of mirrors crashing, with a gasp Erik fell back and the mirrors shattered around them as Charles screamed.

That wasn't what he wanted, that wasn't what he was, he kept saying over and over during the travel to the camp. That wasn't him.

He tried to reach for Erik again, but only found a blank space around himself, his shoes stepping on glass.

The room he got to was the same he saw, same bed, same wooden walls, same helmet rolled against a wall, same Erik laying on the bed, Hank by his side.

"I don't know what you wanted to do, Charles, " he said, anger still seeping through his words. "but I can imagine what happened."

Charles swallowed, he stretched a hand, brushed two fingers against Erik's temple ignoring the warning growl of one of his once closest friends, but all he felt was nothing. Silence. Snow falling over broken glass and a child, curled in front of a metal gate, his arms wrapped around his knees, and a metal coin in the snow in front of him.

Charles trembled, he crouched in front of the kid who finally looked up, light eyes clouded by tears.

"I'm sorry, sir... I'm sorry, I can't. I'm--"

Charles dreaded it, whatever the kid, whatever Erik was about to say.

"I'm broken."

Everything dissolved around them, leaving only Charles and glasses and nothing else, suddenly Charles was back in the room, with Hank, with Erik, pale and unconscious.

"I-- I didn't want that. I'm sorry... I'm--"

"I'm afraid it's too late for apologies now."

[dreamifics]

Favorite Crime

James Potter x Reader

Summary: Y/N L/N and James Potter were in a relationship together, Y/N was too blind to see James Potter's intentions. Just pure angst.

Know that I loved you so bad

I let you treat me like that

I was your willing accomplice, honey

James Potter..

How would I describe him? Charming, Endearing or just a prick? He was everything I wanted, I loved him. I didn't see it back then.. How his eyes would fall on her, how he did anything just to make her smile. I never gave it much thought, I was too busy giving him heart shaped looks to notice that I was really not the one he loves but he was all I loved.

"Y/N, would you mind if we skip our date today?Lily needs some help with a few things." He asked..

"We haven't hang out with each other for weeks now.." I hinted.

"I'm sorry, but Lily needs my help."

"It's your choice, I don't own you." I answered with a frown..

"Alright, I'll see you tommorow." He still chose Lily, but I still didn't give that much a thought.

It's been weeks since me and James last hang out, just us. Today he told me he was studying in the library, but he wasn't there.. Where was he? I spotted Remus not far from me, I walked up to him.

"Hey, Remus!Did you see James anywhere?He told me he was studying in the library but he's not there.." I questioned one of his friends.

"Ohh..He didn't tell you?"

"What?" I nervously asked.

"He went to Hogsmeade with Lily.."

"Oh."

"Yeah, he didn't tell you that?" He asked..

"No!No!I think he did, I must've forgot." Maybe, I just forgotten about it..

Even though I saw the signs, I ignored it. I was innocent and inlove, every red flags I saw went down the drain. Just because I love, I let him fool me like that.

And I watched as you fled the scene

Doe-eyed as you buried me

One heart broke, four hands bloody

Quidditch practice has just ended, sweat and muscle aches was all I could feel. I'm walking back inside when I saw James waiting for me. I was delighted to see him, I felt my heart raced as our eyes meet.

"Y/N, can we talk?" My smile dropped when I sensed that this was about something serious.

"Of course!" I gave him a timid smile.

"I--Uhh, I don't know how to say this but.." He walks up to me, his eyes blank. This was not the James I knew..

"What?" I questioned unsure of how I should react.

"I'm breaking up with you.."

And just like that, I died..

"W-What?" The information refused to sinked in, my lungs suddenly collapsed as tears fell in my eyes.

"I'm sorry. " I looked him in the eyes, there were no guilt or remorse. It's like he already moved on.

"Sorry?That's all you could say?" I laugh bitterly and dry, he just moved his eyes away from me.

"I don't know what--"

"I mean, why?Is it because I'm not pretty enough?Or is it--"

"Prongs!Professor McGonagall's asking for you!" Sirius shouts from a far.

"I'm sorry Y/N, I have to go." The tears flooded down my cheeks as my heart broke to thousand of pieces. Why did he do that to me? After that day, insecurity and anxiety became my new companion.

It didn't take long for James to move on because the next week, the news of Lily and James relationship spread Hogwarts like a wild fire.

"I saw the two of them kissing when James was still with Y/N." I heard from a student, so that's the reason. He cheated, he didn't love me, he wanted Lily not me.

"I heard from Sirius that James just used Y/N to make Lily jealous." And that caught my attention, I saw my friends give me a concern look.

"Let's just go, Y/N..Don't mind them."

They pulled me away from the crowded halls and into our house common room. Did he really just use me? I felt the tears appearing on my warm eyes. It suddenly made sense, the time James and Lily went to Hogsmeade, that's when he totally changed for the worst.

"Y/N, don't you dare cry!" My friend warned me, but it was too late. The tears involuntary fell from my eyes, they couldn't help but feel pity for me. A silent sob escapes my lips, I felt my heart getting worse when I try to breathe. Insecurities seems to find it's way to my brain as my thoughts started to compare Lily to me.

James Potter killed me, not with the killing curse but with a much worser curse ever to exist..

Love..

Those things I did

Just so I could call you mine

The things you did

Well, I hope I was your favorite crime

In our relationship, I tried everything to make him stay. To refrain him from finding another. I did anything he enjoyed doing, to pulling pranks on Slytherin to skipping class to sneak out of Hogwarts. I did everything he wanted,  just so I could call him mine..

"Oh my god!Malfoy's gonna lose his sanity when he finds out that we put a charmed pink hair dye in his shampoo!" I giggled as we walk away from the Slytherin tower.

"I know!And I couldn't have done it without you, love.." James smiled cheekily at me.

And all James did was call me his but leaves once Lily showed up. He killed me, James Fleamont Potter killed me, he committed a crime, a treason. He betrayed me, he used me.. He's a criminal and I hope to Godric that I'm his favorite crime..

You used me as an alibi

I crossed my heart as you crossed the line

And I defended you to all my friends

I should've trusted my instincts, I didn't listen to my guts when it screamed inside me to not fall for James. And it turns out that it was right, James only used me as an excuse to make Lily Evans jealous.

"And if I put this king here, I would---mmm" James cut me off with a heart shaking kiss, we were in the great hall playing chess when he suddenly kissed me.

Back then I thought that it was sweet but reminiscing now, he only did that when Lily walked in. I was too busy melting in his kiss to notice it, ignorance is really a bliss.

Stupidity really runs in the course of my veins, I should've listen to my friends when they said that there was something odd with James.

"I'm telling you, Y/N..He's just using you as a distraction from his feelings to Lily!" A dear friend of mine pointed out to me.

"James is not like that, I've know him since we were little.."

"Since you know him so well, you also know his weirdly obsession with Evans!" Another dear friend of mine points out.

"Stop being like this guys, he's not like that.." I protested.

Oh, how wrong was I? James was everything they said he was, I was naive enough to defend him. See, how much I loved him.. Love is really something..

And now, every time a siren sounds

I wonder if you're around

'Cause you know that I'd do it all again

Now, it's hard to trust anyone who crosses my path. When they tell a word James once spoke, this siren suddenly blast in my mind and memories of us immediately flashes in my head.

"I like you, Y/N.." A Hufflepuff student confessed to me, I couldn't help but remember James..

"I like you, Y/N..More than I should like a friend.." James was a great pretender.

Now, trusting for me is much harder than killing. I'm afraid, because I know that it will happen again. I'm scared, because I'd do it all again. I will feel the same pain I felt when I was with him.

James Potter killed everything in me..

It's bittersweet to think about the damage that we do

'Cause I was going down, but I was doing it with you

Yeah, everything we broke, and all the trouble that we made

But I say that I hate you with a smile on my face

Oh, look what we became

The damage he did is still present to this day, because it's still embedded in the walls of mind, it still lingered in my heart. I was never happy with him, but it's nice to know that he wasn't happy with me either, we were miserable with each other, I was going down with him.

I guess, I'm also in the blame, we both committed crimes but not the same crime. We both caused damage, it's sad to think that after all the troubles we did, I don't regret anything. I hate you, but I keep saying that with a smile in my face.

Why? Because in the end, we were both in the wrong. James used me, betrayed me but I let him do it to me.. Ignored the red flags and warnings, turned a blind eye because I loved him. We both commit crimes that we both knowingly committed.

Well, I hope I was your favorite crime

Your favorite crime

Your favorite crime

'Cause baby, you were mine

James Potter was my favorite crime..

I just wrote this because I can't get this song off my head, I didn't re-read this, they might be typos or mistakes. If you guys have any request for imagines about ( marvel characters, DC characters, stranger things, game of thrones, brooklyn 99, friends, basically anything! I accept everything!)

[honeygingergemini]

Hey bb I'm here for two things! If you do taglists can I be added to all your cevans characters? And to request a daddy Steve and princess reader. Maybe her innocence and sweetness turning soft daddy on? Or anything you'd like. Thank you❤❤

Hello :))) First I’m so sorry that I took so long to get this put a lot of stuff happened in a short amount of time but its finally finished and I hope you love it!<3

I’ve read this a thousand time but I know there’s still typos please ignore them <3

warnings: innocent reader, fingering, attempts at dirty talk and praise kink

word count: 1.9k 

My Little Princess

As much as you try, your mind keeps replaying the conversations from work. You and the other ladies of the office always eat lunch together and gossip about office drama. Today was no different. The trending topic of the office today was Michelle and her engagement. The dialogue quickly changed from how big Michelle's ring is to what she had to do to get that ring. Or better yet, what she had to suck. 

“I bet she blows him off every night.” Kim spills between bites. 

“Blows?” All five heads turn in unison eyeing you with suspicion. 

“Uh yeah babe, blow job.” Tina mutters in a condescending tone you don’t catch. 

“What’s a blow job?” 

You squirm from embarrassment. Hours later and you can still feel the twinge of humiliation bubbling in your chest. Of course it would be you, of course it had to be you. The only woman in the world who’s never given a blown job. It’s not like you didn’t know what a blow job was, because you did! You just hadn’t known it had different names. You shuffle again, blowing out air from your nose. 

“You okay, princess?” 

“Hmm, yeah yeah, i’m fine.” You tuck yourself closer into Steve’s arm trying to focus on the movie infront of you, but you can’t. 

“You’ve never given Steve a blow job?” Amanda asks, genuinely curious. 

“W-Well uh- no.” You fumble with your shirt, not wanting to meet anyone’s gaze. 

“Wow, true love actually exists, he looks at you like you’ve hung the moon and stars and you’ve never blown him off.” Kim touches your shoulders. “My dear you’ve won the jackpot, whatever you do, do not let him go!”

Your mind begins to wonder. Thoughts of uncertainty creeping in to fuck with the foundation of your relationship. Have I been doing enough? You and Steve have been together for a year and you thought everything was going well, but now you’re not so sure. You thought your sexual life was moving perfectly, up until today. You two haven’t slept together but you’ve done other things to satisfy the primal needs. Heavy petting, hunching, intense kisses that leave you dizzy. Never once in any of those moments did you feel they may have not been enough for Steve but now that's all you can think of. What if he’s bored of me?

“Hm.” You turn again causing Steve to pause the flick you two are watching. 

“What’s wrong, doll? You can’t keep still today.” You untangle yourself from Steve and turn around to face him. Your knees press into the couch, putting you in a comfortable kneeling position. 

“Steve.” You begin fumbling with your fingers. “Are you… bored?” Your voice is small but your heart is loud. 

“Of?...” 

“Are…. are you bored of… like of... of me?” You peer up at Steve through shy lashes. 

“No.” His face twists with disgust and confusion. “Why would I be bored of you, we’re just watching a movie” 

“No,” You cut off the clueless man spread out before you. “Do I… satisfy you?” Steve’s face remains blank through three blinks then his boisterous laugh appears, sending tiny swords through your center and brings you to a death by embarrassment. 

“Steve, I’m serious.” But that only fuels his laughter more. “Steven!” Your whine pulls Steve from his laugh and he sees you’re physically uncomfortable. 

“Baby? Doll, come on…” Steve’s large hands grip your head to face him but you shuffle out of his hold. “Hey, where is this coming from?” You chew your bottom lip contemplating whether or not you should reveal the conversations plaguing your mind. 

“If you didn’t satisfy me, I wouldn’t be with you.” Steve grips your waist and pulls you onto his lap straddling his thighs. “Hey.” His head dips down to meet your low eyes. “You please me, you always do.” 

“So it doesn’t matter that i’ve never given you a blowjob?” Your mouth moves faster than your mind, further embarrassing you. Your question is met with a deafening silence. 

His face is full of concern and now you're upset with yourself for even bringing this shame home with you. “Princess, where is this from? Seriously.” 

“Well, the ladies and I were at work and Michelle got engaged so then we started talking about blowjobs and i didnt know what one was, well I do know what a blowjob is i just didn't know it’s formal name and-” 

“Hey!” Steve cuts off your soft rambles causing you to breath. “Look at me?” Hie large fingers cup your chin and bring your eyes to focus on his warm blues. “You’re enough for me.” He seals his words with a kiss. The kiss was sweet. Affirming to my insecure soul. The next kiss was less noble but just as passionate. The familiar burn sets in your chest as the kiss grows more heated. Steve’s skillful tongue wraps around yours in a way that is profane. A soft whimper escapes you as your boyfriend pulls away from you. 

“Stand up for me baby.” Steve commands through hasty breaths. You quickly stand before him, chest rising with anticipation. Steve’s sizable hands familiarize themselves with your body like they've done time before. He takes his time squeezing your breast. Even through the thick material of your top you can feel Steve's hands radiating heat into your skin. His hands then find your midriff rubbing his calloused hands into you making you squirm. 

“Steve,” You cooed impatiently. 

“Yes pretty girl?” His hands are placed on your hips now, working your jeans down your legs. His lips find the trimmings of your lace panties, placing soft microscopic kisses along the ‘v’ of the material. You intake sharply when Steve's lips meet your clothed mound. 

“Turn around for me sweetness.” you spin slowly moving on a form of autopilot. “Sit back.” He holds your waist guiding you to sit back down on his lap. He brings his knees between your legs before widening his stance, leaving you unable to close your legs on your own. 

“Baby?” His hands trail up your midsection, to tweak your beaded nipples through the thick material of your top. “You know how much i love you, right?” With each word warm air caresses the skin behind your ears. You feel amazing, he hasn't done much and you feel over the moon. A light pinch brings you to reality. “Hmm baby?” 

“I’m sorry,” You apologize for your hesitation “Yes I know how you love me.” 

“How much.” His colossal hands continue their assault on your chest. He gently pulls a nipple between his index and middle finger. A soft moan leaves you barely audible. 

“A whole-” Your answer is cut off when you feel heat separate from your own grazing your pussy. Unbenounced to you, Steve's hand had made his way to your slit and began to slowly circle the area. Another soft call leaves your silk lips. 

“Answer baby” 

“You love me a whole lot, to the moon and all the stars and back” 

“That’s right baby,” He pushes his finger into your clit with a little more pressure than before. “To the moon,” He pulls your panties up wrapping the moistened core around his thick fingers “To every single star.” His fists tighten as he prepares for destruction “And back.” he pops the fabric of your under garments and you gasp. His lips meet your neck again and place more kisses to your pulse points. 

“You know how much I love you,”His fingers introduce themselves to your slick folds. The sounds of light sloshing make you aware of just how turned on you are. Your head falls back unable to maintain even breathing. “You know, so how could you let one conversation mess with your mind?” The conversation that once brought you immense embarrassment was now a complete after thought. Steve's fingers were torturing you sweetly. Your clit vibrates against his tough skin as his warm slick lips meet your juggler leaving open ended kisses. 

“You’re so pretty baby.” kiss. “My little princess.” kiss. “You gonna let me make you feel good?” Instead of a kiss Steve licks down towards your collarbone. 

“Yes.” You hiss unsure of how to react. You’ve had intimate moments with Steve before but nothing like this. “Yes Stevie, please make me feel good.” Steve pushes his nose into the back of your neck inhaling deeply, 

“You're so sweet honey, so polite.” His left hand is firmly pressed against your core while his right hand runs underneath your top lifting it to reveal one breast. He presses down on your clit causing you to whimper. 

“Stevie.” you whine. Your body begins to wither on top of him. “Please baby, I need more” Your eyes roll to the back of your head as you grind into Steve’s stiffness. Steve dips his middle finger into you. “Mmhhmm” you cry out from the pleasure. Your skin is hot and your ears hear a slight ringing. 

“You see how you make me feel, doll?” and you do. Your hips gyrate over his in a circular motion. You feel his hard stomach against your back then his well built member pressing firmly into his denim causing you to moan. Your music only fuels Steve more. 

“One day,” His ring finger joins the middle one and he speeds up his violation. “Instead of my fingers it’ll be my dick in you.” Steve’s control is admirable. With every dip of his digits a wet click follows as a response. The once light sloshing is now replaced by intense leaking. You can't remember a time you've ever been this wet. Your arousal is overflowing. “I’m gonna fill you up baby, I’m gonna make you feel so good.” 

“I love this sweet pussy.” He whispers more so to himself rather than to you. All you can do is moan. 

“You’re gripping me so tight baby girl… you like me playing with your pussy?” Your head is spinning, Steve’s voice is the only thing cutting through the white noise of your mind. Steve has never spoken to you this way. His words ignite a fire in your core as the familiar build of an orgasm approaches. He takes notice of your approaching release. 

“I want to see you squirt pretty girl,” Your hips jolt forward as Steve curls his fingers within you. “Come on, be a good girl and squirt for Captain.” He’s now slamming his fingers into creating a vulgar splashing everytime his palm meets your mound. 

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god.” Your voice raises higher with each connection. Your right nipple is exposed to Steve taunting him. His lips wrap around the nub causing you to arch closer to him. He swirled the muscle in his mouth around your nipple in a way that was heinous. 

“Please Stevie, please.” You sink your nails into his high attempting you bring your bodies closer, if that was even possible. 

“Come on, I want my sweet girl to feel good.” The combination of Steve’s lengthy fingers continue their manipulation to your internal walls, his right hand presses firm semi circles into your pleasure button and you see white. Your orgasm ripples through you like an intense wave. Your literal wave splashes across Steve’s thigh and he chuckles. You’re faintly aware of him licking your arousal off his fingers. 

“Stevie…” You sobbed from the stimulation. “Stevie.” His name is the only thing coherent in your mind. 

“I know, I know pretty girl.” Steve coos. His hands slow pace calming you down through the aftershocks of release. “You look so beautiful when cum.” He smiles widely as he smacks your thigh. 

“I can’t wait to see you do that on my dick.”

[festiveferret]

Hi ferret! i was reading your recent posts and was wondering if you had any advice on how to handle critical comments? I'm new to writing and I got a critical comment that was a little mean so I deleted it but then the person saw and told me I should've responded to them instead of deleting it. What should I have said back? I'm def not a writer, I'm just doing this as a hobby so I'm not sure if what I did was right

You have zero obligation to write back to comments you don’t like. (You actually have zero obligation to write back to anything but that’s a separate issue). Fundamentally, we are here in fandom to have fun. That’s the whole Mc.Freakin point, and I’m getting pretty sick of this attitude that not wanting people to make you feel bad about yourself, or not wanting to defend the choices you make in your art, or not wanting to climb every fracking mountain makes you “weak” or “wimpy” or “mean” or “disrespectful to someone else’s opinion.” (And yeah, I’ve heard all of those).

I will say it here loud and clear. I legitimately only want people to be nice to me on my fics. There is nothing shameful at all about only wanting praise. This is a hobby, for fun, and if people being critical makes it less fun for you, delete it. I get enough challenge in my offline life. I am here to have a good time and do not want to honestly feel so attacked right now over anything. Not even a typo. I get that people will still leave comments I don’t like, but I am also allowed to wish they wouldn’t and to delete the ones I don’t want to see again.

There’s this concept that floats around sometimes that it’s somehow not okay to only want comments/tags/reblogs that gush about how much the reader/viewer liked it. Huh? There’s nothing wrong with that! Why wouldn’t you want a love bath? I don’t know where this idea came from that we should be happy to be made to feel bad about our art cause it means it got the commenters “thinking” or something. I did enough school in school, thanks. If you only have negative or challenging things to say about my fic, I’d rather you didn’t comment at all. 

And sure, some people want the fight, some people want crowdsourced crit, and they should ask for it, and hooo boy I’m sure they’ll get it. I do not. I write cause I like writing, I post it to share it with people who may also like it. If you don’t like it, I wasn’t sharing it with you, you don’t need to tell me. I am already aware I am not universally adored, thanks.

I feel like I need to tell writers that it’s okay to not want any crit at all of any kind. I delete every comment I don’t like and I don’t reply to asks if I don’t want to. I don’t care about what the sender’s intention was, whether they meant to be mean or not. I don’t want it in my space and they obviously have the freedom to send it, and I have the freedom to delete it, and I ain’t never gonna feel guilty for doing that. We are here to have a good time. My good time is positivity.

Writers/creators, if you only want positive, gushing, affectionate reactions to your work that’s okay! It’s not shameful. It doesn’t mean you’re weak or thin-skinned. This is a hobby, pure and simple, and you should find joy in it however works for you. You are allowed to enjoy the love you get without feeling bad for ignoring the negativity.Anon, delete everything you don’t like, and don’t feel bad. You already gave them something to enjoy for free. You didn’t even owe them that, let alone even more of your time and spoons.

[paleroze]

Fuck it, let's do this

About my recent headcanon;

“Just thinking kagehina confessing under the cherry blossom around afternoon while the wind softly blows, making the pink leaves flew by. ”

Pairing: Kageyama Tobio x Hinata shouyou

Fluff/getting together/confession

Tw: None!

A quick note: I don't know if this will have some typos, I did this quick since have a series to work on and some one-shots I have already started. Thank you for reading

Hinata stared at the letter he is holding, the pen he placed down on his table after writing down. The boy stayed silent as he read through the notes, questioning himself if it'll be worth it.

A small doubt that what if the person didn't showed up, what if his letter would be left on read and they would just walk home.

Yet he still wanted to give it a try, that maybe.. Just maybe he'll show up.

"Hinata, lunch time has already started. Are you not gonna eat?" A voice near him spoke, looking up from the paper, he saw his classmate walking up to him. "Ah, sorry. I wasn't paying attention." He replied, folding the paper and put it on his pocket. "Are you gonna eat with Kageyama again?" Hinata nodded and walked out his classroom, waving at the person before heading to where him and Kageyama always ate lunch.

Walking across the corridor, he head to the back of the building, where most students doesn't go to. His mind still ponder on the letter he made, it wasn't even made well, he just decided to wrote it down on a piece of paper.. On his notebook page he tear after it was done. Hell he thinks the other wouldn't be able to read it due to his writing, Hinata let out a sigh, how does girls even manage to do this?

After walking down the building, he arrived at the place where him and Kageyama always meet at. The other is still not here, he sat on the ground, placing his lunch box on his lap while patiently waiting for Kageyama.

Maybe he should redo it? It looks not pleasing to his eyes. He could do it more better, if he did.

"Oh, you're already here." Hinata looked at his left seeing Kageyama holding his lunch. He hides the letter back on his pockets and greet him. "I was sleeping and didn't heard the bell." The taller male excused, Hinata laughed at him "You're always sleeping during class. No wonder your grades are low."

"Coming from a person who doesn't pay attention on his class as well." Kageyama talked back

The two began to eat, Hinata telling some stories while the latter listened to him.

Minutes of chatting, both of them head back inside the building, Hinata stopped when they arrived at the second floor, "I need to do something, you can go ahead Kageyama." He said pushing the tall male.

"Why? Is it something important?"

"Yeah, it is! Now shoo!"

Kageyama raised his eyebrow while he watch Hinata head back down the stairs.

Shrugging, he kept on his way to his room alone.

Hinata, on the other hand, walk back on the locker room. He look for Kageyama's locker and found it, standing in front of it not knowing what to do next. Should he put it in already? What if there's already have one inside?

A sound of bell alarmed the students around him, without any thinking, he slide the letter inside and run back on his room.

'What am I gonna do if he didn't read it? Is it gonna be worth it? What if he ignored it?!'

Thoughts flood his mind as he runs, nearly missing a step on the staircase and bumping into another students.

'This is much more worse..'

Hinata sat back on his chair while he waits for the next teacher to come in.

The bell once again rings after three hours of studying, Students rushed out the room but Hinata still stayed on his seat, not moving. Other students who was the duty to clean the room stared at their classmate

"Hinata, are you okay?" One of the girls asked snapping a finger in front of his face, "You look like you've seen a ghost." She said worriedly.

"I'm fine, I was just.. Thinking about something." He replied, picking up his bag. He said his farewell to his classmates while he slowly head to where he is supposed to be now.

Heart beating fast, as he messed with the hem of his shirt, and still in deep thoughts. What should he say when he arrived there? What if Kageyama's already in there? What if Kageyama already went home and just ignored the letter, what i-

He slapped his cheek to stop, earning some attention around him.

He should not think about that, now he gave him the letter, there's no turning back. He'll go there, wait for Kageyama and confess. Whatever happens next, he should accept it.

There was no one on the quiet small field.

Sighing, he sat under the cherry blossom, admiring his surroundings. He watches the pink leaves fall down and land on the ground he's sitting at.

'I'll wait for ten minutes..'

He thinks, what he should say, how will he react in front if him.

Guess this might end his friendship with him, he hopes this wouldn't affect something, but knowing deep inside, there is. Hinata smiled a bit, at least he gets to know Kageyama even for a bit.

"Hinata?"

He looked at his front, Kageyama staring back at him, holding a piece of paper guessing it's his letter.

Hinata sat up from the ground, "Ah, Hey.." He greeted, smiling. "Are you,"

"Are you the one who wrote this?" Lifting the paper, the boy nodded as he watch Kageyama look back on the letter. "What are you gonna tell me?" He walked up to him and Hinata bit the inside of his cheeks.

It took a second, he needs to.

"I like you..."

Hinata looked at Kageyama, staring at his dark blue eyes and felt himself turn red. This is embarrassing, he thought, he felt his chest tighten, preparing himself what the other is gonna answer. And he needs to accept it no matter what,

"Since when?" Kageyama asked, Hinata looked around, thinking "For a month now, I think.. I-I don't know! It's just.. I just realized after hanging out with you everyday, how we play volleyball and talk about it all day, that I get to find someone who has the same passion as me. But I think.. It's not just about volleyball that makes me like you, I can't find the proper words yet. You made me feel not alone anymore, like how I was used to back in middle school." He explained, feeling himself stutters in some words, his heart beating fast as he looked down on his feet, not wanting to look at Kageyama and see his face.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't get you out of my mind when I realized that.. I have feelings for you,"

"Hinata." The boy looked back at him and he saw Kageyama walking up to him, close to him. His hands stopped from playing with the hem of his uniform when Kageyama stand in front of him.

The latter smiled, which made Hinata confused. He lowered himself and hugged him, Hinata- who was still bewildered from what's happening, stayed on his feet

"Kage-"

"Im glad, thank god." Hinata felt him tightened the hug while he's still left confused. "W-wait- you're heavy! Kageyama!"

Both fell on the ground and Kageyama was still on top of him, arms wrap around his neck "At least let me know your answer!" Hinata shrieked, placing his hands on Kageyama to try pushing him away.

"I'm accepting it. I like you too, Shouyou." He lifted himself up, Hinata felt himself tearing up making Kageyama help him sat up from the grass. "I-I'm sorry-"

"No, you don't have to.... I'm happy.. Why am I crying?!" Hinata giggled as he continued to wipe his tears that kept falling. Kageyama wiped away the tears on his cheeks before pulling him on his arms, "But I think I liked you for a while longer." He said

"What?"

"Ever since I saw you back in middle school. I just know something felt like some kind of fireworks on my chest and when you told me that-" Kageyama cut himself off when he heard Hinata laughed a bit, "What?"

"You're so bad at explaining, Kageyama." Hinata giggled "I'm bad at words," The latter admitted, rolling his eyes.

"Hinata," Kageyama held both Hinata's shoulders to let the other focus on him.

"Please go out with me."