#idk i only just started the third book today so i do have time before ill start looking for the 4th i can cool my jets a lil

[shewolfofvilnius]

There is a huge part of me that is curious about dragon age because I love BG3 so much. But idk anything about it? Also none of the characters strike me as interesting (or attractive....) Maybe you could tell me what you like so much about ? maybe talk about the characters so I can give it a chance? I want to like it! but I just don't know!

I DIDN'T FORGET

So for me the first draw of Dragon Age is the incredible lore and worldbuilding that goes on in the games and books. It's arguably just as fleshed out as a setting like the Forgotten Realms despite just being three (soon four) video games and about a dozen books/comics. There's centuries of history. Ancient ruins. Environmental storytelling for days. A little visual cue in the first game that's referenced in optional banter in the third that pays off in the fourth (FIFTEEN years apart). I really appreciate that the first game, Dragon Age: Origins, only exposes you to part of the story. The game's set in a pestilence known as the Fifth Blight, and you're the plucky young adventurer that the grizzled old veteran manages to recruit out of a bad situation just before the end. And you and your friends are all that stand between victory and oblivion. But right off the bat there's storytelling about love and loss and prejudice and honor. There's a noble character who dies, leading to a coward being killed as the stakes are built. (There's also a dog you can pet, and moments to show kindness during armageddon, like a prisoner who just wants a sandwich before he dies, he hasn't been fed.)

And the banter is funny (if some of it's aged a bit unwell), and the gameplay really encourages you to get in the head of whatever character you want to build. Yes you can be the cliche prince charming. You can also be the sibling of a prostitute to pay the bills until your sister lands a high profile john who catches feels for her. From the start it's equal measures hopeful and bleak at the same time. (And as you invest in YOUR character emotionally, you inevitably emotionally invest in your companions too.) And gradually the world gets bigger. A character whose town you watch get destroyed becomes the protagonist of the second game, and they hook you in to. They're a refugee, a very timely story, and if they're a magic user, then they're an especially persecuted refugee. But you still make friends amidst the hopelessness. More of the world gets revealed. You have FUN, somehow. Characters from past games recur, either as cameos or in one very specific case as a high profile recurring character in 3 out of the 4. And you become so glad to see them as they represent continuity of story.

It's a game about family and faith and the lack thereof and prejudice and love and how one counters the other, about how persecuted people often pay the price of things that happened before their ancestors' ancestors were born, and that tomorrow should always be better than today.

That's thematic, though. Maybe you take a shine to Isabela the Pirate and Aveline the Guard Captain (maybe Merrill the blood mage elf, too). The three women basically form one of the best depictions of big/middle/little sister trios I've ever seen in a game. What starts out as cold hostility becomes banterful compassion and love. A lot of folks fell for Solas, an elven apostate whose every word is couched in three mysteries and two half-truths but seems to know way more than he's letting on. When you find out a horrible secret about the honourable Grey Warden Blackwall, do you leave him to his fate, try to redeem him, deliver a sufficient consequence, or outright torture him.

And you won't like everyone. The odds of you liking both the spirit-possessed mage Anders and the anti-magic elf Fenris in the same play of the same game are low unless you metagame it. And sometimes the games even rewards you for someone hating your ass or vice versa, and THAT'S organic. But being mean or having a negative interaction isn't some edgelord thing either, it's just "sometimes people don't get along" or "something you just need to punch someone"

You get to laugh at the tough stern warrior Cassandra getting absolutely beside herself wanting to know what happens in a book that it's writer, another of your companions, hated writing - and that even Cass herself calls smutty literature. Another character, The Iron Bull, is faced with a choice: His found family and the freedom to be who he's become, or the belief system he's known his entire life and that expects him to conform.

Does your character sacrifice? Does your character make the streets run red with blood? Is all you want to make people feel inspired and in something bigger than themselves? Even playing three (soon four) wholly new characters, you get to truly role-play and emotionally invest in these little blorbos, maybe even more strongly in Baldur's Gate. When a character returns you weren't expecting, is it joyful or melancholy? Can your character handle a confrontation of everything they've ever known.

And in the newest game, there's a baby griffon.

I love Dragon Age. The lore is expansive beyond sanity for a franchise with it's commercial output. The characters feel alive, and the game tasks you to emotionally invest in order to reap the maximum reward and suffer the strongest heartache. Plus, in many cases, when the game doesn't tell you, say about your character? You get to roleplay and use your imagination so, so strongly.

[jiggery-duggery]

LIBRARY DOESNT HAVE THE NEXT DRIZZT BOOK

[cattlemons]

Third Fifth Time's A Charm

| You and Megumi have been dating for quite some time now. Almost half a year, give or take. Upsettingly enough, he has yet to say his ‘I love you's. This bugs him a bit too much so Megumi is now a man on a mission and that mission just so happens to be about confessing his love to you. Basically the four times Megumi almost dropped the “L” word and the one time that he did. I mean come on, fifth time’s a charm, right?

TW: None, I think? I wrote it with college!au in mind but can be read as just a normal jujutsu kaisen fic Just fluff after posting angst, megumi gets chased by a duck? idk what counts as a tw pls let me know if I should add anything, also actual big boy writing cus word count is 3k.

---

Crumbs, ducks and hold on a minute... 

It was around October when the leaves were finally falling and the air was brisk. Megumi had decided to take you out for a mini-date before finals week whisks the both of you away, each secluded in their own world of ink and paper. 

It had honestly gone mostly ok and as planned. The usual schtick, really. Compliment your pretty outfit, exchange loving banters on the way there, get to the park and enjoy your time together. Simple and easy, right? 

Wrong. 

Megumi and you had just finished eating the sandwiches he’s prepared for the picnic. They were wrapped so neatly in pink patterned paper that you can’t help but swoon at the time and effort it must’ve taken for him to prepare it all. 

Megumi took to the toilet a bit after that, or, he planned to. What he didn’t see coming is the fact that ducks started chasing him around right as he walked past the pond. You soon learned that they were chasing him because of the bread crumbs falling off of his jeans. 

After a few bouts of running on Megumi’s part (and giggles from yours), the ducks finally stopped following him. Opting to squawk at the couple on the other side of the pond that’s actually trying to feed them crumbs and seeds. 

Megumi soon found relief as he sat back down beside you still huffing and puffing from the unexpected marathon he ran. Of course, you being the compassionate girlfriend that you are, did not let him off easy. At least, not without teasing him a bit. 

“You know those ducks have really good taste in men,” you quipped. A few beats of silence pass before the two of you erupt into a fit of laughter. 

You were nearly in tears as you continued to giggle uncontrollably at the mental image of Megumi getting chased and flirted with by ducks. Though you probably won't find your laughing any special, Megumi found it absolutely breathtaking. 

From the way your eyes brighten at the hilarious image to the sound of your held-in guffaws, Megumi just can’t get enough of it. He wants to hear it over and over again. He absolutely loves it. 

And he absolutely loves you.

Wait, huh?

Watson, how do you say “I love you”?

“Finally! No more stuffy libraries and definitely no more books! I’m so happy it’s over,” you yelled as you stretched out your tired back. 

Finals are over and you can now rest without worrying. However, it’s a whole other story for Megumi. He is still stressed out of his mind but not because of the reason you might think. No, he is stressed because he has yet confessed the feelings hidden deep in the recesses of his heart.

I love you. 

Who knew such simple words could drive one mad. Megumi never would’ve thought the stress his feelings would bring could trump the amount of stress an exam would bring but he supposes that he can only be so many times. 

Megumi has decided that maybe he should tell you the three words that have been plaguing his mind. So a few days after some much-needed rest, Megumi proposes a little trip to the art museum. Who were you to refuse such a sweet request?

Dressed in his most academic-looking attire, Megumi readies himself for his little confession, going so far as to script it. 

Yes, today he will confess!

Today he did not confess.

It really was the perfect moment. Megumi feels absolutely horrible for letting such perfect timing pass him by but nothing could be done about it now. 

The perfect timing came by when you were nearing the end of the date. It was a really fun date, possibly one of the best ones so far! Megumi had shown you around the museum, giving fun tidbits of information on each art he sees. You were about to point out how knowledgeable your boyfriend was before it finally clicked. 

“Ah! My dear Watson, I think I’ve solved the mystery. It turns out the Duke of Information, Megumi Noritoshi, has done ample research before this date! Proof in the pudding, Watson, look at his palms,” you teased as you took his hands into yours and pushed back his sweater sleeves to see smeared notes on his earlier “fun facts”.

Megumi’s face turned pink as he flushed at your exposing of his secret. Muttering a small, “Blimey, I’ve been caught!” in response to your little skit. 

Seeing him blush and flustered has you grinning (not that anyone could blame you, it really is a cute sight). Taking your chance, you decide to tease him a bit more. Opting for light nudges of your elbow and soft kisses all over his face. This, of course, did nothing to ease the red spilling all over his cheeks. If anything it painted more colors on his face. 

Once the teasing died down, you decided to maybe be a bit more heartfelt. After all, he did prepare for your date and put in so much effort to learn these facts and information. 

“I might not say this enough but I absolutely appreciate you putting this much effort into our dates… maybe I have not been vocal enough  about these things but I hope you know I really do appreciate you doing this and… I love you,” you mumbled a tad bit quieter than you usually would. You’re even caught sporting a light blush of your own despite you trying your best to keep a nonchalant front. This isn’t your first time telling him you love him but, still, being so heartfelt like this has you blushing.

Megumi smiled at his usually unbothered girlfriend being so, well, bothered. 

Wrapping his hands around your waist, he goes to give you a small peck on the crown of your head before leaning in a bit more to whisper his confession. 

I love you!

Yet the words did not seem to tumble out. Although a bit disappointed in his lack of confidence, Megumi recovered quickly and instead leaned in for a sweet kiss. 

I wonder if fishes have confessions too?

“Megumi look! They’re so pretty,” you exclaimed excitedly as you pointed at a jellyfish swimming past. Megumi nods in agreement though he is honestly paying more attention to you than the exhibit.

Megumi has taken it upon himself to set up another good date  to confess on. Truth be told, he’s had far too many nightmare-ish thoughts about his recent failures in confessing and how he’ll never be able to say it. So, to take action, Megumi decides to take you on another date. This time he decided that maybe visiting an aquarium would be fun!

He is sorely mistaken, unfortunately.

As you continue to walk through the exhibit, you fail to notice Megumi lagging a bit behind you in the aquarium tunnel. Your attention was so fixated by the fishes swimming over your head and on each of your sides, that you missed the sight of your boyfriend darkly muttering (and struggling) on his confession script. 

Or so he thought...

“Honestly, why can’t I just be a fish-”

“Why would you want to be a fish though?” you asked as you leaned in towards him. 

Megumi’s eyes widen in surprise at your sudden intrusion. Megumi supposes that he’s been too lost to the world. He shook his head and just muttered a quiet “never mind”. 

The day continued as you enjoyed your day. You feast your eyes on magnificent sea creatures both great and small; you can’t help but awe at them as a child would. Not that Megumi minded, he thinks you look absolutely adorable when you coo at the sharks or clap at the seals when they would do a trick. However, Megumi couldn’t say he’s enjoying today as much because he continued to struggle with his little confession script, either chickening out at the last minute or completely missing the perfect timing. 

By the end of the day, Megumi decided enough is enough. Under the dim lights of the empty “deep sea” sector of the zoo, Megumi closed his eyes and steeled himself. Summoning every bit of courage he had within him, he blurted out his confession. It was a bit aggressive and loud, perhaps even a bit rushed. 

But he did it-

-not.

Megumi opened his eyes, to be greeted not by your soft smile. It wasn’t even your frown. Instead, he was greeted by a fish staring directly at him through the aquarium glass. It seems to be mocking him, almost. And as for you, you were already at the other side of the area, lining up to pay for a souvenir that caught your eyes. 

Ugh, why can’t he just be a fish and blow bubbles at you to show his love? 

Wine is a  poetic mood-setter, right?

Although tired and defeated by his numerous failed attempts, Megumi is not one to give up. This is especially true when it comes to you. So, if one plan fails then best be known he is already running back to the drawing board to come up with a new one.

This time around Megumi decided to pull up on all the stops. Sparing no expense, he reserved a table at one of the city’s most high-end restaurants. I mean what could be more romantic than a late-night wine-and-dine?

To Megumi it’s not the pricey menus that are troubling, nor is it the number of strings he had to pull to get the reservation. Nope. What’s troubling him is the confession he is secretly building up to. You see, it’s been a good handful of months since Megumi came to the realization that he absolutely adores you. 

He loves you.

Yet, somehow, saying it out loud is a whole different league than thinking and coming to terms with it. Something about admitting it and posing vulnerable seems so jarring to him. Of course, you’ve never given him any reason to fear being honest with you. He supposes that if anything were to cause him to be this certain way, then it’s probably the lack of touchy-feely emotions in his childhood. That aside, Megumi is still as determined as ever to tell you that he loves you. This brings us to the current situation. 

Megumi is seated opposite of you, decked in his slickest suit and tie. You had admitted that he looks ridiculously good in his outfit before the dinner (he blushes at the comment). Naturally, you were also in a rather stunning number yourself, with the scandalous-looking outfit only you could possibly pull off. 

As much as Megumi would love to just admire you and enjoy the amazing atmosphere, he has other things currently occupying his head. At first glance, you might’ve thought that he was flustered by your choice of outfit for the night if you didn’t know any better. This is, of course, one of the reasons why Megumi was a bit dazed but sadly that’s not the only reason why. 

You didn’t really connect the dots right away. There are a bunch of little crumbs and pieces that could’ve contributed to Megumi’s flustered and jumpy attitude in this particular evening but nothing defining. 

The evening progressed and more telltale signs showed themselves to you. You could honestly write a meter-long list but to keep it concise, the things you have noticed include Megumi’s inability to look you directly in the eye, the rather incessant twiddling of his thumbs, the stutter that accompanied his usually leveled voice, and finally (and the most telling) is his avoidance of the word “love”. 

Of course, it could all be a coincidence but you think not. Although you didn’t do much to garner his “suspicion”, you’re not daft nor were you ignorant. You knew of his struggles in dropping a particular “L” word. You had honestly known for a while. It’s not that you were a psychic or anything of that sort, it was actually because Megumi had not been the most secretive of his plans. You suppose he intended for it to be a “hush-hush” plan but unfortunately for Megumi, he had a tendency to think out loud when stressed. 

Though you were originally planning to let Megumi off the hook and let him figure things out on his own, you decided that leaving him to wallow on his own is doing more harm than good. So when Megumi choked rather aggressively at his pasta when you said the word “love”, you chose to bring up the topic. 

“So, when are you gonna tell me what’s been cooking up in that head of yours… hmm?”

Megumi’s eyes widened at the question you’ve just asked, though it seems more like a prompt than a question. Megumi looked down to his lap for a second before facing you again, this time sporting an embarrassed flush on his cheeks. 

Megumi struggled to confess before letting out a defeated sigh and a small apology. This caused you to shake your head, not in a dismissive way but in a way to tell him that there’s nothing to be sorry for. 

“Megumi, I know you know I know so I’ll just say it outright,” you huffed before continuing, “I love you’s aren’t something you can or should force out. I’ve said it to you on countless accounts because it comes naturally to me, love. I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you feel cornered into saying it but please know that I don’t mind you taking your time, ok?”

Your little speech was met with a relieved sigh and soon followed by a laugh. You look up to see Megumi’s genuine grin in place, you can’t help but smile at the endearing sight. 

“Ahh, I should’ve known not to stress over these kinds of things when it’s with you, huh? Thanks. I’ll definitely take my time with it.” 

You nodded in agreement at his newfound determination. As much as you wanted to hear those three words tumble out of his lips and uttered to you, you knew better than to rush him into it. And besides, hearing it in full sincerity will definitely be better than hearing a rushed one. With all that said, you and Megumi enjoyed the rest of the evening with wine glasses raised and the air filled with happy chatters and laughs. 

And I thought it was difficult, huh?

A streak of light shone through the gaps in the curtains, making it known to you that it is time to get up already. Or, at least, it would be time to get up had it been a weekday. Thankfully, however, it is the weekend so you can take your time in getting up. While your boyfriend slept soundly beside you, his hand draped loosely over your figure, you can’t help but admire his features. As you did so, thoughts on what happened a while back popped into your head. 

 It’s been a few months since your last dinner date with Megumi and things have calmed down quite a bit. Although Megumi still feels a twinge of guilt from his lack of response whenever you whisper an “I love you”, he does remember your take on this situation, and those few words you spared have done immense work in calming him down. 

As you continue to reminisce on the events that have transpired in the last few months, you failed to notice Megumi stirring awake beside you. You only notice that he’s awake when he’s poking your cheek, asking, no, demanding petulantly for his morning kisses. 

Deciding to tease him a bit while he’s still in his morning daze, you uttered, “Sorry, love. Morning breath.” You went as far as sniffing at his general direction and fanning your hands over your nose and scrunched your nose up in fake disgust. 

Still in a sleepy stupor, Megumi pouts at you and goes to get out of bed. You decide to let your curiosity win and end up following your boyfriend to the bathroom, the cold linoleum tiles doing wonders in waking the two of you up immediately. 

Though he is now much more awake now than a few minutes ago, it didn’t dampen his pout one bit. With the handle of his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, Megumi babbled on about how his day is now ruined because you wouldn’t let him start it off with a kiss. You only giggled in response, your own toothbrush poking out of your lips. 

Being the menace that you are, you decided to playfully smear Megumi’s face with some toothpaste foam. One thing led to another and soon you two are on the bathroom floor laughing aloud. Somehow his laugh and expressions egged yours on and yours did his which caused a new bout of laughter to erupt every time you’d both fall silent. It went on like this for quite some time but neither of you minded it one bit.  

Now that the laughter has died down a bit, you both exchanged mini banters here and there, still seated on the floor with both your shoulders touching; with toothpaste in your hair and on his cheek. As you giggled at a particular joke Megumi muttered, he felt that odd feeling in his heart again, just like the time in the park and all those other dates he stressed over but this time, before he could stop it, he whispered…

“I love you.”

Your laughter immediately ceased only to be replaced by the happiest grin you’ve ever mustered. With new buzzing energy coursing through you, you tackled Megumi into a hug which effectively knocked the two of you down to the ground but neither you nor Megumi minded.

With his newfound confidence, Megumi repeated the foreign sentence over and over again as if he’s testing it out. He finds that he likes saying it. 

He likes it because your smile widens a bit more when he says it. 

He likes it because you’d give him kisses whenever he says it.

And he absolutely loves it because you’d always say it back to him.

With a wobbly and lovesick grin, Megumi says it one more time for good measure. 

“I love you.” 

a.n. I did not really proofread this bcs I had classes today and it KO'd me :"(

Hope you liked it!

[joseimukeaddict]

Haikyuu and Public Transportation Headcanons: Karasuno 2012-2013 Team

I’m going to get these so wrong bc I only just got into Haikyuu and have just started watching season 3. I tried avoiding spoilers but Haikyuu-Bu was too funny… (got scared and ran away when the post-timeskip happened)

I’m also doing this on no research and just vibes 👍 (don’t kill me pls) (I know like nothing about non-regular 2nd years 😭 except Ennoshita is voiced by Toshiki Masuda who also voices Rei from EnStars!?)

Testing if I wanna make this a series:

——

Okay so these kids live basically on the outskirts so most of them don’t got any public transportation experience before high school. School-paid buses do NOT count.

Third Years:

Daichi Sawamura - Probably has ridden a bus or train to the city maybe once or twice; I heard he’s directionally challenged but he can probably get to places if he memorizes the path and sticks to it; his experiences on public transportation are fine, nothing that interesting happens but he likes the sights; people have gone up to him to ask for directions when it’s his first time ever at a stop

Kōshi Sugawara - Has never ridden public transportation before high school, doesn’t like the bus air smell but can tolerate it, reads or plays on his phone for long rides

Asahi Azumane - Probably has ridden once when he was younger for sth like a specialist doctor visit (so he can’t get out of it), came up with the worst possible scenarios the night before, if he were any younger than he was then his mom would escort him there (sadly she has work today), his fears were completely unfounded but he basically collapsed at his door from mental exhaustion when he got home; he’s probably the type to suffer from motion sickness too and needs to remember to take his meds; 80% will fumble when he taps or swipes his card

Kiyoko Shimizu - Absolute mystery if she’s ever taken it but she’s Shimizu so every experience is perfect for her; the type to like to ride with a buddy to chat with but will pull out a book otherwise (mostly to deter any men trying to hit on her, so she can just ignore)

Second years:

Yū Nishinoya - Never so he’s so pumped to try it out; bus is okay but the train? IT’S SO COOL this idiot will be standing up while the train is moving when there are available seats, will want to swing from pole to pole like Dancing in the Rain (has not seen the original); he gets stopped by a train worker one day when he’s bouncing from pole to pole to ask where his parents are; one of those people who want to ride to the end of a train or bus line only for this dumbass to realize his stop is the last stop

Ryūnosuke Tanaka - Has never had the need to ride on public transportation and is proud of it; 1000% willing to act as some sort of protector on the train for Kiyoko (Kiyoko has to keep track of the stations bc he’s going to forget); thinks the trains are cool too (and honestly much prefers it over Saeko’s driving but he would like to live thank you much); also one of those last stop dumbasses

Chikara Ennoshita - idk but I feel like this guy has rode buses more often and he honestly prefers it to trains; old ladies at the bus stops chat with him about stuff and he eventually becomes a regular with them; tries to read on the bus but he gets motion sickness and instead watches the window or the old ladies chat him up some more

Hisashi Kinoshita - probably never had an experience before high school; also the type to like to ride with a buddy; he honestly gives me mobile gamer vibes idk, it’s either really short bus rides or really long train rides; his mom probably worries about if he has enough money every time (he probably does)

Kazuhito Narita - Doesn’t like public transport and he doesn’t know exactly why but there’s always something off whenever he rides whether the seats are too dirty or the air is too smelly; he probably has the most experience riding public transport (relatives in the city or sth); sights watcher

First years:

Tobio Kageyama - once or twice for family; he likes the train more (bro gives off such his family gifted him model trains instead of Hot Wheels); yea he will sleep on the train even in that super uncomfortable position with his head back; HE WILL MISS HIS STOP WHEN HE SLEEPS and once he misses his stop he is now lost and requires someone to give him directions via call

Shōyō Hinata - no experience either and honestly it’s okay, he prefers his bike; the sights are cool tho, one of those who will put his face against that dirty glass to “get a closer look”; has been scolded before to seat properly on the seat instead of on his knees facing the window; holds his little sister’s hand when with her; always running to catch his ride

Kei Tsukishima - has past experience; prefers going alone or with Yamaguchi; listens to music via his headphones regardless; doesn’t like it when the trains get crowded and he’s squished between two people; does not give up his train seat to the elderly; never runs to catch a bus or train, if he misses it he misses it

Tadashi Yamaguchi - has past experience too; likes going with Tsukki although Tsukishima makes like no conversation and Yamaguchi talks for a bit and then it’s just silence (the comfortable kind dw); he’s the GPS and maps person when he’s with Tsukki; sights watcher too

Hitoka Yachi - def rides public transport to school and back; her mom has her card always filled to max; if my girl didn’t ride so often she would have debilitating thoughts about worst case scenarios like Asahi; she’s probably the person Kageyama calls when he gets lost and she will try to explain the best she can but the poor boy may still get lost and they will panic together; she’s rode public transport so many times it’s just a thing to her now but she enjoys when the rest of the team rides with her since they usually aren’t used to it and have the most excited outlooks on it

—

Bonus:

Keishin Ukai is always missing his rides and Ittetsu Takeda finds the vibrations of train rides relaxing

——

Was gonna do stuff if about the trains and buses being late but then I remembered this is Japan… yeah I originally made it bc I’m always pissed about when my rides are late and we need more silly shitpost headcanons for Haikyuu

If any of my headcanons just straight up contradict canon, just pretend they don’t exist 👍 thanks

[zvdvdlvr]

I love ur work and if u need an idea I have one! So u are dating Darry and u have been for a while and u were friends with him and the others before for awhile. Y/N has really bad anxiety as Darry knows and if u are having trouble u go to him for help. But one day darry had to go to work and soda was hanging out with friends so it was just y/n and pony. You start to have one so pony helps comfort u and y/n is laying there head on his shoulder while reading them a book to help them calm down even more

(sorry for the long text )

- gentle lullaby

🎟️ - SYNOPSIS : darry normally comforts y/n when they have a anxiety attack. when y/n spirals, who comforts them?

📼 - WARNINGS : anxiety attack, foul language, fluff, bad grammar cos thats how they talk, bad writing(?) idrk, bad parent relationship, past emotional & domestic abuse

📓 - K.J.'S DIARY SAYS... okay but why is the picture layout so bad? idk. anyways, thank you for the request!! don't worry, i'm not bothered by the size of the text requests <3

💿 - READER PRONOUNS : they/them

🎞️ - PAIRINGS : romantic darry curtis x reader, platonic ponyboy curtis x reader

"You're late, Soda!" Darry hollared, buttoning up his work shirt. In response, a loud crash and "oh fuck!" was heard by the curtis kids and y/n. y/n chuckled lightly, standing uo to help button the five remaining buttons.

"One day he'll be fired if he shows up late again, y/n," Darry sighed.

y/n nodded. "It's only the third time this month, though. I'd say Soda's doin' fine. He has that half day today, remember? He'll be on time."

Darry cracked a grin. "It don't hurt to get 'im out of the house faster."

"Darrel Curtis! Ponyboy is in the house!"

The eldest Curtis child only laughed and pulled y/n in for a kiss.

"I gotta go, otherwise I'll be late," Darry murmured. "Bye, be safe."

"I'd worry 'bout those brothers of yours, Darry," y/n said, following Darry to the door. They both heard Ponyboy scoff.

After grabbing his coat, Darry turned around with a smile. "I do," he replied. Darry kissed y/n one more time before saying a goodbye to Pony and leaving.

As y/n heads to the kitchen to start making some extra cake, Soda flits from room to room, making sure he has everything. "Bye!" He yells, walking out the door.

That left Pony on the couch reading a book, and y/n pulling numerous items from cabinets in the kitchen.

As the time passed, y/n started thinking. They thought about all the times y/n and Darry made the chocolate cake the Curtis family was known for. Darry would make it the best, though y/n ran a close second so he normally made it while y/n admired Darry.

y/n maneuvered the pan of cake batter into the oven and closed the oven. With a sigh, they started to clean up. y/n crossed one side of tge tiny kitchen to another multiple times, carrying spoons and bowls.

A glass measuring bowl that was used to measure oil and water was last. Absentmindedly, y/n grabbed the body of the measuring cup and turned to head to the sink.

Then the glass slipped. y/n watched eyes widening as the glass made contact with the floor and shattered. "Oh shit," y/n whispered, watching large shards of glass slide around on the floor.

Their eyes welled with tears. Suddenly, they were back at their parent's house, getting blood on the floor because of their hastiness to clean up broken glass.

"He's gonna kill me," y/n whimpered, dropping to their hands and knees, completely numb to the pain of the glass nicking their hands. y/n's jeans got little tears in them. "Crap, he's gonna kill me."

y/n couldn't help but think about their dad. Time and time again y/n would drop a glass or a mug or even a plate; and time and time again y/n would get a beating from it always followed with a "I paid for this and you wanna go breakin' my stuff! Don't apologize, you bring this onto yourself every time you're careless with my dishes!"

"y/n?"

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry! I'll clean it up, I promise I didn't mean to," y/n rambled as they used their hands to gather up the glass and dump it into the garbage can. Tears rolled down their face and their chest shook on every step.

"y/n stop, you're getting blood everywhere," Ponyboy stated. Glass crunched under his comverse as he crouched down beside y/n tolet them know that it was Pony beside them and no one else.

"Pony?" y/n askee, voice cracking.

"Yeah, it's me. Let's go." Pony ushered a sobbing y/n into the living room when y/n sat down on Darry's (and y/n's) chair Pony hightailed it to the bathroom to gather peroxide, bandaids, and then grabbed a couple towels.

"Let me see you're hands," Pony mumbled, dropping everything to the floor beside the chair. Pony carefully grabbed y/n's hands and felt his eyebrows raise considerably. This was not going to feel good in the next dew weeks, Pony thought. He uncapped the peroxide and dumped some onto the towel. From there, Ponyboy dapped lightly at the open wojnds on y/n's hands and wrists. Their crying had almost stopped by now, only occasionally withholding a shudder at the sting of the disinfectant.

"Do you want me to do your knees or... do you want to do it?" Pony's cautious voice almost made y/n tear up again.

They smiled, teary-eyed. y/n had to be strong for Pony. "No thanks, thing three. I think- I think I can get it," they said. Pony blinked. "Will you help me wrap my hands though?"

Pony eased the white guaze from y/n's shaky hands and started wrapping. He ignored the quivering of y/n's hands and their shaky breath, for he knew y/n was born to... crueller folk. For y/n's sake Pont didn't say anything. He hadn't said anything when he saw y/n flinch (very) violently at the way Sodapop flew over to Darry to bear hug him. Pony hadn't said anything whenever y/n fleetingly avoided eye contact whenever the subject of 'mistreatment' (as the teachers at Pony's school call it) at home. And now Pony wasn't gonna say anything to y/n about what just happened because Pont really liked y/n; they were good for the whole family, but especially for Darry.

"Thanks, kid," y/n murmured when Pony was done. "Read to me while I patch myself up?"

Mustering a convincing happy smile, Pony snatched up his copy of Boston Jane as y/n tentively started dabbing at the smaller cuts on their knees.

It took a long time, really. y/n couldn't move their hand too well so that slowed down the process a lot. But eventually- after two chapters- y/n got themself cleaned up and put everything away.

y/n felt really small in Darry's chair- it wasn't right without him. "C'mere," y/n said. They patted the small space beside them and waited for Pony to comtinue reading before letting their head rest on Pony's ungreased hair.

. ° . • ✭ • . ° .

That's how Darry found the pair hours later. He chuckled softly as he closed the screen door. Darry knew y/n had anxiety- specifically separation anxiety, so Darry was glad Pony was there for y/n. He toed off his shoes and went to kitchen to grab a drink.

"Oh christ," Darry cursed suddenly. He luckily saw the shattered glass amd dried blood before he stepped on it.

Darry grabbed a dustpan and broom and easily sweeped the glass up before disposing of it. After that, Darry grabbed a plastic water bottle and headed out to the living room.

Setting down his water, Darry couldn't help but smile at the way Pony's book was nestled on his chest. Darry carefully slid Pony from y/n's protective hold and picked him up.

Darry set his youngest brother on his bed and untied his shoes. After softly brushing away a stray hair from Pony's forhead, Darry set Pony's shoes in his closet and then left.

"Hey sweetheart," Darry murmured softly after crouching in front of y/n. "How'd you sleep?"

y/n blinked, shrugging away Darry's hand to stretch out and get their bearings. "Fine, fine. What time's it?" y/n slurred, voice gravelly with sleep.

"Bout..." Darry started, looking around for a clock, "one in the afternoon."

y/n nodded. "Will you... hold me? It was a rough day..."

Smiling, Darry sat down in his chair. He felt his chest swell with warmth when y/n wrapped themself around Darry, burrying their face in his neck. "I broke a glass today," y/n began. "I didn't mean to, Darry, I promise. I'm sorry I broke a glass and then got blood all over the floor."

"It's okay, sweetheart, I'm not mad. Are you okay? You get yourself cleaned up?" Darry's fingers traced patterns on y/n's back as Darry soothed his beloved.

"Yeah. Pony helped me." y/n closed their eyes. "I know you don't hear them say it, but you're raising those boys right and well. I think you're the reason Pony cares as much as he does and i think you're the reason Soda always tries to see the best in things. We love you, Dare."

As y/n drifted off back into sleep, Darry felt himself tear up. He knew he was harsh on his little brothers, he knew it good and well. But Darry also felt like every waking day he failed his little brothers. Every day Darry was down the boys' necks, making sure they were where they needed to be, on time and ready for the day. Every day Darry tried his hardest to support the family- and the gang- even when that meant raised voices and misunderstandings.

Darry sure as the sun in the sky that he wasn't perfect, but for his family, he'd sure try to be.

🏷️ taglist -> @paxdawg

[birlwrites]

🎢, 🍦,💖,🤗,😬, 💔, 🤲?

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

oh, definitely career goals: tyrant - it's unhinged from chapter 1 and only gets more so

🍦 What’s the sweetest fic you’ve created so far?

i was torn so i picked 2 afslghjksdf - the first one is sun and shadow, aka the pjo au, and the second is the point of creation, which is a check please fic with lardo/ransom in which lardo is a composer and ransom is a poet and they make art for each other and it's very soft

💖 What made you start writing?

hmm i don't think there was ever a set Moment - i've always been coming up with stories, and i'm p sure my parents have some picture books/graphic novels/comics/idk what to call them drawn by yours truly at age <5. i started actually like, typing stories in a word processor in about 4th grade because my best friend was writing a story and i wanted to copy her

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

3 things: first of all, try not to jump straight into posting your stuff somewhere like ao3. get a feel for what you like writing and what makes you happy before you start introducing things like 'how many people kudosed my fic today' - there is SO MUCH fic out there, and it can be very hard to build an audience/find your people, especially when you're just starting out. there's no reason to demoralize yourself right away. build up your sense of what YOU like before you start worrying about whether other people like it. (sharing your writing with your friends is different - they're your friends, not faceless internet people ashfkjhsf)

second of all, it's important to make sure that you're actually enjoying the process. writing fanfic should be fun - if it feels like a chore or an obligation, it might be time to step back and see if you've accidentally turned it into a job instead of something you do solely because you enjoy it

third of all, writing a complete fic beginning to end is a skill in and of itself. don't expect yourself to just sit down and bang out a multichap fic with flawless pacing and an amazing ending. that's something that requires practice. the best way to practice is to finish what you start. you don't have to finish absolutely everything - as i said, this should be fun - but just be aware that if you want to complete your fics in a satisfying way, you need to practice writing complete stories. one-shots are a great way to start!

😬 Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon?

ohhhh man

honestly, the entire concept makes me wince, but tbh probably lachrimae. i feel like that's the one most likely to inspire the 'why aren't you writing original stories, you should be writing original stories' reaction

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

i have a few, all regulus angst - we've got implode--, survived by, and happy birthday, which i wrote when i was ~15 and, if i do say so myself, KILLED IT.

implode-- is about sirius rescuing a mostly-dead regulus from the cave, survived by is about sirius finding death eater regulus after evan's death (there's a theme LMAO - that's a fic i wouldn't be able to write these days, i'm too attached to evan now), and happy birthday is canon-compliant snapshots of regulus's life from age 11 to age 18

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

ABSOLUTELY. HERE'S LACHRIMAE

-

Voldemort says, "Do you consider yourself a fighter, Regulus?"

It could pass for conversational—silk floating on water. He hisses the tiniest bit on Regulus, a tiny whistle of air after precisely pronounced syllables like an ice cube against the back of Regulus's neck. Regulus's mask gleams at his side, awkward and useless in his hand—he can't put it on, but he can't put it away, and so there it stays, a glimmering ghost in the sun.

What sort of answer does Voldemort want? He doesn't want Regulus to fight, he wants to keep his Seer safe, but there has to be a reason he's asking, a reason he called Regulus in the first place.

Regulus doesn't consider himself a fighter. He's... flexible. He bends, goes around instead of through. Fire and brimstone have always been more Bellatrix's thing, and Voldemort must know that.

"You," Voldemort says, "have a habit of responding to my questions with silence."

Great.

-

send me fic writer emoji asks!

[lucysweatslove]

So I finished the book #97 today (the third Dr. Gretchen White book- I enjoyed this plot more than the prior, for sure).

I couldn’t really decide what I wanted to read next because a new book in a world set in a really cheesy and kinda mindless series release on KU today. Like the writing isn’t anything spectacular, the plot is always like wtf, but it’s entertaining because i can have my brain “off” mostly. I’ve been gravitating towards those kinds of books lately- maybe some allegory but nothing difficult and mostly just fun- to give my brain a break.

But. I have other options to start that I think might need to be read sooner.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (the nonfiction book by the mortician Caitlin Doughty). I borrowed it from the library then got sucked into some KU series and forgot about it so it was returned yesterday… but… and this is the big but… I have Wi-Fi off on my actual kindle, so it’s still on there. It was on hold for a while, and I AM really interested in it, so unless I want to wait again, I can’t sync my kindle again until it’s read. I can still read Kindle books on my phone so it’s not a huge deal, but I generally prefer to read via kindle. It’s not very long and I could probably finish it in a few hours, but I read like 5 pages of it yesterday and really struggled to stay focused.

Neurotribes by Steve Silberman. This is also from Libby. I got it on audiobook (less wait time) and it’s like 19hr long. I listen usually at 1.5x speed. Because it’s an audiobook from Libby, I listen to it from the app, and once it’s due, it’s gone. It’s due in 12 days. I’ve already started it and I’m ~21% through. So far I’m kinda mad because he talked positively about Hans Ass-Burgers (making fun of HIM, not the particular “pattern” of autism he described, because he was FULLY AWARE of his involvement in the murder of numerous autistic kids)…. But also it was published in 2015, which was before much of his Nazi involvement was really discussed publicly (Herwig Czech’s article published in 2018; Edith Sheffer’s 2018 book and subsequent articles). So idk. Also anytime anybody brings up the “extreme variant of male intelligence” BS I want to punch something (even tho the author essentially said it’s more likely that women just mask because socialization).

Technically I have The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean also due in 12 days, but I haven’t downloaded it to Kindle yet, so I could only read it on my phone.

I’ve also started to read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, of which I’m on page 26/216. This one feels like a “not much thought” kind of nonfiction, but still some thought is required, of which I’m not thrilled about, but I downloaded it from KU a while ago and I do want to “empty out the vault” so to speak.

I also downloaded another KU series, Te Princess Chronicles, that seems mostly just fun. I did open up the first book a few days ago and read about 10 pages in that before I got distracted and decided on finishing Ninth House instead. But I’m oddly drawn to it again because it just seems fun.

So you see my problem? I have technically started on 4 books (have reasons to finish 3 of them ASAP) and have 3 more on my list… but I only want to read the ones that I have no pressure to finish.

It’s like the autism part of me is interpreting the reasons why I “should” finish the couple books I should finish first as a “demand” and thus I don’t want to read them (PDA profile?)… and though the ADHD part of me is like “oh but look this book is ✨N E W✨” it’s also like “oh, no sense of urgency? Ugh boring.”

[edowardoelric]

thank you for the tag!! @cinammonelles

First ship ever in you life: god it's hard to say for sure but definitely a pbs kids show... i think either matt and inez from cyberchase or sarah and james from liberty's kids but i know i was more into sarah and james lmao

The ultimate three ships: i have my top ships narrowed down to like 8 now i have to narrow it down to 3.... i'll keep it to the ones i actually have tattooed on my body or plan on tattooing. (not the characters themselves but referencing them) also I selected only the ot3 ships since well. i can only choose 3 ships so it seemed fitting. sorikai, yoohankim, love trio. just know there are many more

The first crush (Fictional Character/Fandom): lord i am a lesbian but i must admit it was zuko from atla

Last Song: comet (english version) by YOASOBI

Last Movie: uhmmmm barbie maybe? i don't often watch movies but ended up seeing it at a bachelorette party in august and i don't think i've watched any others since. we'll be watching halloween movies later this month though

Favorite Flower: i don't have a favorite honestly i just think pretty much all of them are nice

Currently Reading (you can add a link): re-reading the inheritance cycle still i think it's been like 3 or so months now lmao. i just today finished the third book and i only have the 4th left. trying to finish in time before the new murtagh book comes out in november. took me a while on the second book since parts of it were boring me 😔 work was extremely hell during a lot of it too. i plan on reading dungeon meshi next once im done

Currently Watching: basically every anime coming out this fall cour it feels like.... at the very least i'm watching 30 of them idk if all will make it through the cut but most are pretty good so far. aside from airing anime my sister and i are slowly making our way through detective conan. we started around july probably and are around 225 😭 my full time job and and her full time school makes for little free time. malcolm in the middle too if she has to work on school and needs an english show

Last thing I wrote- ship/Fandom?: merthur/merlin back in like 2012 or something..... unless the superwholock role-playing i used to do on tumblr came after but im not entirely sure.. i played sam lmao

Currently writing (you can add a link): nothing i haven't written since the above mentioned things

i won't tag anybody but feel free to do it!

[pretendicanwrite]

Oh idk bro (gender neutral) how about some more supportive cubs? One of them, like Logan, going through a rough time and his boys trying to get him to talk and open up about it when he's ready so they can figure out how to best help him when he doesn't know how to help himself?

Wow that got oddly specific 😅 once the idea starts rolling it doesn't stop lol

Hi! I have been working on this for a little while, and I hope you like it, but it doesn't exactly follow the prompt. I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoy it!

Character credit to @lumosinlove

CW: Mental health discussion and symptoms, SH discussion

**********

Logan sat on the couch just staring at the blank t.v. screen. The team had practiced earlier that morning, and Logan had opted out of the team lunch they were going to after. He hadn't showered at the rink, choosing to just put on his sweats rather than changing, but he had lost track of time sitting there.

He only focused back on the world around him when he noticed Finn squatting in front of him.

Finn's mouth was set into a hard frown, and his eyebrows were creased. Logan tried to focus in on what he was saying, but he could only gather bits of it, 'Goin on... You okay?'

"I don't want to talk about it." Logan could barely even register that he was talking to Finn. He noticed Leo walking back in from the kitchen with a bottle of water. "I'm also bored, but I don't know what to do to fix it."

Leo sat next to Logan, being careful not to touch him. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"No."

"Alright. I'm going to make lunch for you, and I'm not going to force you to eat, but if it would make it easier for you Finn and I can eat with you," Leo said, standing up from the couch.

Logan merely nodded, and laid down, going back to staring at the television. Finn sat on the floor below him, leaning against the edge of the couch where Logan's head was, and stared up at the ceiling.

"This might sound weird at first, but I want you to try something for me." Finn got up off the floor and walked to the desk he had situated in the corner of the living room. He grabbed a pen, a piece of paper off it, and a book. He brought it back over to the couch. "I want you to just scribble. Don't focus on it, but I want you to scribble as we talk. Don't look at the paper, don't try to draw anything, just go for it." he handed over the supplies, resting the piece of paper on the book.

"What are we talking about?"

"Anything really, Why don't we start by talking about practice? Talking hockey has always been easy for you. That new play we ran today worked really well. You got a shot past Leo today. It worked so well he barely even knew what hit him."

"You fed me a really good pass." Logan was staring at Finn as he scribbled on the paper. He started in the middle, just drawing crappy circles, but now he was just drawing one continuous line with no idea where his hand was taking it next.

"Yeah, but the play was brilliant. Anyway, Cap said we're having an extra optional practice next week as a bonding activity. He wants to do things like tag on skates, and play other games. He thinks we need it before we go to the playoffs. We're one of the closest teams, but Cap thinks we can elevate that. He wants the team to be able to play like we do together. So close we can almost read each other's minds. When we play, we always know where each other is. Cap thinks the rest of the team can achieve that through activities he plans to do."

"I don't think the team is going to get as close to each other as we are. Unless they plan on being in love with a person they think doesn't feel the same way for their entire adult life, confessing their love, then moving in together with their third boyfriend." The paper was about 35% covered at this point.

"No, but I do think it will help us get closer. It can't hurt to try."

Leo walked into the living room with three plates. "Lunch is served." Finn reached up to grab two of the plates and handed one to Logan. Leo made a sandwich for Logan and cut one in half for him and Finn to share. He had steamed broccoli on Logan's plate, with a salad.

"Thank you knutty. We were just talking about the bonding activities Cap has planned for Tuesday."

Leo nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Did you tell Lo about Cap's plan for soccer on the ice? Kasey and I will be facing off against each other in goal, and Cap and Dumo are going to be team captains."

After swallowing the bite of food he had in his mouth, Logan put his plate down and continued his scribbling while he looked at Leo. "That sounds like it could be fun."

"Yeah. So, babe, Cap asked about you at the lunch today. We told him you just didn't feel well and didn't go into specifics, but he was very worried about you." Leo explained, "I think it would be a good idea to talk to him. You don't have to right now, or ever if you don't want to, but he looked ready to sprint his way over here."

"I think i should probably call him later."

Logan was still mindlessly scribbling on the paper. it was almost halfway covered, and Leo watched Logan's hand, noticing that it never stopped moving. Even as Logan was talking, his wrist was still moving in miniature circles.

The boys continued trying to hold a conversation with Logan, but he was eating and scribbling rather than talking. It seemed like he could barely keep his eyes open, so Leo suggested they all go to bed.

When Finn woke up the next morning, Logan was sitting on the edge of the bed. with a new sheet of paper on top of the book. he was watching something on the television they had resting on the dresser across from them.

"Hey baby," Finn rasped, "Having fun?"

"Not really. I'm bored, but I don't have the energy to do anything."

Finn just sat up and looked at the paper Logan was drawing on. It was pretty covered, meaning Logan had been up for a while. "Have you talked to anyone about these feelings?"

Logan's head snapped up and stared Finn down. "What?" Logan spoke so loud that Leo rolled over and groaned slightly, so he motioned for Finn to follow him to the living room.

"Why would I need to talk to someone? I'm fine."

"lo, baby, I know it may be hard, but I think it would be beneficial for you to try it. Lots of players talk to specialists, and there's nothing wrong with it."

Logan was getting defensive, and he set the book and paper down. He turned to fully face Finn on the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know that there's nothing wrong with it. I never said that there was. I just don't think I need it."

"It's not about if you need it, baby. It's about if you want it. I talked to someone during my freshman year of college. The team had a therapist that I talked to once. She just gave me some tips to help me process my feelings, and she really helped me. I didn't want to go either, but the coach recommended it, and I never appreciated a recommendation more. Seeing a specialist is not a sign of weakness or anything like that, it's admitting that you're strong enough to seek help rather than let yourself feel like this, or God forbid hurt yourself."

Logan uncrossed his arms and tried to subtly wipe the tears from his eyes, but Finn noticed and opened his arms. Logan practically launched himself into them, placing his head into the crook between Finn's neck and his shoulder. "I need you to know that I would never do that. No matter how bad this gets, I would never do that to you guys, or to myself."

"I know, baby. I know."

Logan was still crying and was basically laying on top of Finn when Leo stumbled out into the living room. He was bleary-eyed, and his sweatpants were hanging low on his shirtless torso. As soon as he noticed his boys on the couch, his back straightened and he sat on the opposite side of the couch from his boys.

"Hey loves. What's going on?"

"Logan and I were just discussing my suggestion of him speaking to a professional. I think it would be beneficial for his mental health, and there was a bit of a sidetrack, but I think we've recovered from it."

Leo just looked at his boys and nodded while he thought through the new information. "I think it would be good for you to talk to someone. I know that this probably isn't what you want to hear, and I don't want you to feel like Finn and I are ganging up on you, but I think we've both noticed that you're showing signs of depression. We may be very wrong, but I think it would be best to see someone. The lack of energy, the boredom, your loss of appetite. it doesn't have to mean anything, and the only thing it'll change is how you take care of yourself. We'll change our schedule to benefit you, and we'll get you into a cycle that will maximize your health. I promise anything that happens will not deter us, or change how we feel about you."

"I was never worried about that, I just didn't, and still don't want to admit that I have problems. I saw a therapist when I was in high school, and she said she wanted to get me to a specialist to diagnose me with depression, but I never went back after she told me that. I've known about it since I was 15, but I couldn't admit it to myself."

Logan sat up and faced the turned off television while he waited for his boy's responses.

he had feared his whole childhood what was wrong with him. He knew that it wasn't normal to feel this way, and every time a wave hit him, he thought, 'maybe this is it. Maybe this one will be the last one,' but every time he was wrong. Another one would come along, just like this one. He would lose his appetite, his energy, and his social battery.

"Okay. Well, will you at least consider talking to someone? you can choose if and when but I want you to know that nothing will change between us if you do or don't get a diagnosis. you are the love of our lives, and if you have a mental illness, or not, that's not going to change. We want what's best for you, and if that means having an intervention, you can damn well bet that Dumo, Sirius, Remus, Leo, and I are all going to be there. Right now, we are giving you your time, and letting you know that you have options, and the choice is yours, but if you start to get bad enough that we fear you're going to hurt yourself whether that be accidentally, or on purpose, I don't care if we have to tie you down, we will get you the help that you need." Finn didn't move from his spot in the corner of the couch, but even without body language, you could tell that he meant every single word he said.

Leo slid off the couch to kneel in front of his boyfriend, and slowly reached his hands out towards him, palms up. "I don't ever want you to feel like you can't trust us enough to talk to us or to admit that you need help. Everyone needs it now and then, and there is no shame in admitting that. We are always going to be here for you, for anything you need. We love you."

Finn followed Leo's motion, sliding to the ground, and also offered his hands.

Logan took one of each boy's hands, and let a few more tears slide. His boys were there for him, and they weren't pushing him. They were understanding, and he knew that no matter the outcome of the appointment he planned to make, that wouldn't change.

**********

I hope you enjoyed this!

There was a bit of a problem in the formatting of this, so just let me know if something is wrong.

[clotpolesonly]

Tag game tuesday: The MySpace Survey

tagged by @mzkora!!! <3

What’s your name: Jess(ica)

Sun sign: leo but like, just barely 😂 idk what being a cusp means but i'm one of those, like first day of leo

The last song you listened to: i haven't listened to any music today except for one of those musical comedians, this one was about a guy whose friend was flirting with his dad and it was a banger lmao, twas hilarious

What are you wearing right now: the practical all black outfit i've been wearing (unfortunately) for most of the last 3 weeks as i work backstage crew for a musical. usually i change between work and the theater, but my sister starts a new job today which means there will be commute time added as she comes to get me, instead of her being here right at 5, so we won't have TIME to go home and change and get food before we have to head to the theater, so i'm just cutting out the middle man and wearing it all day. this is the third weekend of performances though, show closes sunday, so it's the only time i'll have to.

How tall are you? 5’8

Piercings? only ears, and i don't wear earrings very often, really only for special occasions

Tattoos? i've got one tattoo, as a memorial for my dad who died in 2017. it's a snippet of lyrics from one of the songs he wrote, behind my left ear. i'm planning on getting a memorial tattoo for my grandmother who died in november(?? i think) but we can't currently FIND the drawing she did that i was gonna get. so. if we ever find that again, i'm gonna get it on my hip.

Glasses or contacts? contacts, all day almost every day for about 20 years now, i put them in before i even get out of bed in the mornings. i hate not having peripheral vision in glasses.

Last drink: water yum yum

Last thing you ate: a chicken and cheese quesadilla and a banana/strawberry smoooooothie

Favorite color: big fan of purple

Any pets? not any of my own. had cats and a dog growing up, and had a rat for a few years a while back, but they have all since died 😅 i'm not inclined toward all the upkeep required for larger pets, so no cats or dogs if i have to actually take care of them entirely myself, and i would be down to get another rat or two, but my sister was DEVASTATED when Freya died and refuses to be traumatized by any more pets with short life spans aldkfjg. so no more rats lol.

Do you have a crush on anyone? nope uwu

Favorite fictional character: currently i am deeply fixated on Declan Lynch, somebody send help

A movie you think everyone should watch: uuuuhhhhh A Christmas Carol, the musical version with Kelsey Grammer?? first thing that came to mind, very random 😂 but that version is a banger, i love the music, clearly the superior adaptation of the story

A book you think everyone should read: mmm gonna throw darts at the wall and say Two Dark Moons by Avi Silver, cuz i read it fairly recently and enjoyed it a lot?? idk, i want there to be a fandom for that, i went looking on tumblr for stuff about it and found a grand total of like two posts and was very disappointed lol. somebody else go read it so i'm not alone XD

The last place you traveled: i don't go anywhere aldkfgh. i think the last place i went waaasssss alabama? Mobile maybe?? fuck i don't remember, we went to the Winona Judd concert, wherever it was.

Something you’re looking forward to: strike for this show i'm working 😂 probably the first time i've ever looked forward to strike (the process of disassembling a show's set and clearing out the theater and dressing rooms, huge ordeal) but after dealing with these obnoxious fucking difficult to maneuver set pieces for the last month, i think i will greatly enjoy reducing them to piles of wood and screws.

And I am tagging: @adamprrishcycle @cheeeryos @alloverthegaf @alisonhales @mayonnaisetoffees

[darkmoonkestrel]

daily kestrel 17:

we ended up pulling out the giant 10 ft blanket for the bed last night, we deemed it cold enough (or rather, at least not too hot) to use it, and it was so cozy that i begged off making Peyton's traditional morning iced coffee to get an extra 20 minutes of sleep. had some really weird dreams about like... sanctioned dungeon crawling type of activities? idk how to describe it but it was an interesting alternate universe type of situation

i got to work early today and was bounced around for most of the day, including starting in the cafeteria. i then went to the early 2s room, the older 2s room, my room for a little bit, the kitchen to help unpack a food order, and did breaks for the mobile infants and infants teachers before going back to my room after break. it was a busy day, but overall pretty good. idk how i always end up doing lunch breaks in the mobiles room when it's spaghetti for lunch day though, this is like the third time and those kiddos get spaghetti in places you didn't know it could be (the back of the head??)

i stopped and got myself some whoppers as a little treat on my way home, a reward in advance for going to the optional chat my professor does for my online class every week that i've missed the last few weeks. turns out i was the only one there, so i just ended up chatting with my professor about AI and book banning and class assignments and diversity and stuff for a solid 30 minutes, but i actually enjoyed it, so that was good. at least it absolves my guilt for missing the next few bc I def don't plan to go back to them until the "highly recommended" one next month. i also noticed that my professor had steam on his computer when he was screen sharing with me and i really should have been like "so what do you play" but we were having an Academic™️ conversation so i didn't wanna ruin the vibes

i got Peyton & Paige little treats as well and Peyton's were gummy worms that we ended up using for a three way "throwing them into the other person's mouth" contest, with me still in the office, Paige on the couch, and Peyton in the office doorway alcove. he finally ended up catching one, after several rounds of both me and Paige missing our throws at him and him pelting us with worms. i net positive'd four worms to keep and eat, and one is lost somewhere in the office to be discovered at a later date. it's little things like this that make me appreciate how much i love living with my partners and the daily shenanigans we get up to

i'm still in the office and i was going to finish up this reading assignment for class but i'm not feeling it anymore so I'll just try to knock it out over lunch tomorrow. it is now time for some more slime rancher 2 before bed, and then another early day (7am work this time, so at least Peyton will get his morning coffee tomorrow bc i have to be awake at 6:15 anyway)

ETA: Paige bullied me into wearing my glasses at the house since we were talking about her eye exam tomorrow, and I took a 30 minute break in playing slime rancher to watch cat videos, the true purpose of the internet. i got really far in slime rancher which at my current place in the game just means unlocking a whole bunch of areas to explore, but i am being dragged to bed for my own wellbeing

except we're all super giggly tonight so we're playing around and haven't gone to sleep yet oops

[haik0xx]

“A New Day”

Genshin Highschool Au

Gender of Reader : Gender neutral

Relationships : Xiao/Reader — Childe/Reader — Albedo/Reader — Hutao/Yanfei — Ayaka/Thoma — Yaemiko/Ei

a/n : Eh idk what to name this chapter + If you want a ship added just tell me !!

Chapter : 2

Maybe a year ago you still would've hated the thought of switching schools again; after all it seemed so unfair. But now you felt relieved, relieved not having to deal with all those people staring, waiting to hear the worst.

The day passed quickly, and soon enough it was time to leave. You waved goodbye to all your classmates, promising yourself you'd see them tomorrow. They would probably all try to give you hugs, tell you how lucky you were, and ask you what you were going to do next. You wouldn't lie, you did wish you could tell them, but that would only lead to more questions and then more yelling and then even more anger. So instead you just smiled and said goodbye, hoping that they understood.

As you walked home, you started planning what you were going to do that night. Maybe you'd make dinner tonight? Or order pizza or something. That always worked when you were upset. It helped.

Before long you reached your apartment building. You grabbed your bag and unlocked the door, walking inside. There wasn't anybody in the hall, which was fine with you. There were fewer people out today, anyway.

After taking off your shoes, you headed into the kitchen and began preparing dinner. The smell of tomato sauce filled the air, and you hummed contentedly.

You glanced at your phone and frowned. 7:30pm. Well, at least that was an acceptable time for eating dinner.

About twenty minutes later, you put the finished dishes into the dishwasher and sat down at the small dining table with a book. You'd finished the last chapter about four chapters ago, but you couldn't help finding yourself rereading it, reliving old memories.

You' d been reading the same sentence for over ten minutes when the doorbell rang, startling you. Your first thought was that someone had changed their mind. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Coming!" you called out, getting up and making your way towards the door. Who would bother you at seven PM?

You swung open the door to reveal a slightly dishevelled Aether. You noticed, however, that he was holding a small box in front of him.

"Hey," he greeted.

Your heart jumped when he spoke to you like that, but that didn't surprise you in the least. Even though he tried, he couldn't quite keep his emotions off his face.

You opened the door wider, inviting him in.

"Thank you."

The two of you walked into the living room and set the box down on the coffee table. He took a seat on the couch.

"What is this?" you asked suspiciously, sitting opposite to him.

"Open it, Y/N," he urged gently.

Reluctantly, you picked up the lid. Inside were several items; a piece of paper, a pen, a key, a wallet, and… a photograph?

It was your mother. She was smiling widely, wearing a red dress, her arms wrapped around you and another man. You recognised him immediately; he was your father, standing next to a younger, happier, more beautiful woman in a wedding dress. The photo was taken years ago, probably around your third birthday.

"[Name]?" he questioned.

"Yeah," you mumbled, eyes still glued to the picture.

"Do you know her?"

You blinked and finally tore your gaze away from the photo, focusing on Aether. He was looking at you intently, his eyebrows knitted together in concern.

For a second, a small smile played across your lips. How nice it would feel to finally tell him.

Then you remembered you had no idea whether he really cared about you, or if he was simply using you.

"No," you replied softly, looking down at the photo again.

"Are you sure? Because-"

"Don't." You cut him off harshly. "She's dead. And I don't want to talk about it."

The smile vanished from your face as quickly as it had come, and you stood up and walked out of the room.

"[Name]?" Aether called after you, but you ignored him.

There was nothing else you could do now but sit by the fire and cry until your father returned.

You woke with a start when your phone alarm rang in your ear. Slowly you peeled yourself out of bed. The clock read 5:00am.

You shuffled out of bed, grabbed a pair of pyjamas from your suitcase, and dragged your feet back towards the bathroom. You showered, brushed your teeth, and put the rest of your clothes into your duffel bag. When you were done dressing you left your bedroom and headed down to the kitchen. There was a note laying on the counter. On it was written:

[Name],

I'm sorry to wake you early (or late) but I'm leaving now for work, and it'll be around 4:30am by the time I come home, so I'll try and get back before 6:00pm, but I don't think I can guarantee it. I've already arranged for my colleagues to look after you. Just please eat something and drink some water.

See you tonight.

Dad

You sighed to yourself and placed your hands in your pockets. He was acting completely weird, and it didn't take much for you to figure out why. This meant something big was about to happen.

You grabbed a bottle of water and a granola bar from the pantry and sat down at the table. You opened the granola bar. While chewing, you watched as the rain outside poured relentlessly against the glass windows. It reminded you of the stormy nights you used to spend alone. Sometimes you wished you lived with your father, then maybe you wouldn't have to deal with all this crap.

With a sigh, you threw the wrapper into the trash and got up to throw away the empty bottle. As you turned around, you saw a flash of movement out of the corner of your eye. You froze. Was it your imagination? Were you imagining things?

But then you saw it again. Another flash. And then another. And another. Soon there were dozens upon dozens of flashes, causing a blinding light to fill the apartment, flooding your vision.

Then everything faded to black.

[selfcarecap]

First Date [s.r]

pairing: Steve Rogers x reader

summary: After months of flirting with each other, Steve finally asks you out on a date. But on the day that it’s finally happening, your nerves get the best of you.

warnings: none I think??, I mean overthinking and some awkwardness (the usual), no smut sadly? I guess I'd say kind of introverted!reader? idk how to put it

-this is a repost of an old fic- gif not mine

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

After months and months of flirting, Steve finally asks you out.

He wants you to know how special you are to him, so he books a table at an extra expensive restaurant.

Which means you have to dress all formally and act fancy for the date. And that’s not you.

The dress you picked out is suddenly too tight, you can barely breathe. It’s too long, you can’t even walk properly, and you don’t feel like yourself with the tight bun on top of your head.

You feel awful, your stomach churning, and you might faint if you actually go.

That’s also what you tell Steve via text. And once the text is sent it makes you feel even worse.

It’s only your first date and you’re already cancelling.

It’s not fair on Steve, it was his idea to go all out and invite you to go to the most expensive restaurant in town. He was so nice, tried so hard to make this night special.

But in that place you wouldn’t feel comfortable and these formal clothes that you ditch for sweatpants once you’ve sent the text don’t make you feel comfortable either.

What’s the point of going on a date when you feel bad before it even starts?

*:･ﾟ

Steve redoes the tie around his neck for the third time. He’s looking at himself in the mirror, not missing the way Bucky and Sam are watching him, slightly amused.

“What?” Steve asks.

“Nothing,” Sam hides a laugh, “You want to redo the tie another time? You’ll break it by the time you leave if you touch it again,” he places his hands on Steve’s shoulder, attempting to relax him.

“Do I really look okay? Maybe I should have worn the grey suit instead,” Steve says, his fingers are still fiddling with his tie, and with the amount of strength he has he really does hear a seam rip which makes him finally leave it alone.

“Look at you,” that’s when Tony comes in, “Going to prom?” he jokes.

“Shut up,” Steve growls, but a few seconds later, he lets it get to his head, “Really? Would grey be better?”

Tony looks him up and down, “The suit I designed for you makes your ass pop way more, but even in this suit she’d be stupid not to drool all over you.”

(Steve asked you out while he was in his Captain America suit, he’d been told that women like it, and he wanted you to like him.)

A moment later, Steve gets a text message. He only recently got the phone, so he doesn’t react at first. It’s Tony who picks it up, reading what’s on the screen, “Looks like I was wrong.”

“What?” Steve asks, taking his phone from Tony. “Oh,” is all he manages.

Steve clears his throat when he feels a heavy lump forming there. Does he reply? He should text you to get well soon. He does that. What does he do now?

There’s an uncomfortable silence among the men. That’s until Tony slaps Steve’s back, “Hey, Cap. She doesn’t know what she’s missing. You’ve got ladies lining up to go on a date with you. I can guarantee you’d find another woman to go on a date with within the next five minutes.”

“But I wanted her,” Steve sighs.

“Don’t be so overdramatic,” Bucky says as Sam and Tony nod along. But then Steve shows them a picture of you, ”Okay you have every right to be overdramatic,” they all agree.

Steve just tuts, pulling off his tie.

“Hey,” Tony says, “You can still have another woman for one night, to cheer you up at least.”

“I’m not interested in one night stands and the women you’re talking about are only interested in Captain America, not me.”

It’s then that Nat rushes through the room.

“Friday night. Going out?” Tony asks.

“No I’m gonna see my girl-“ she stops before saying your name when she realises it was today that you and Steve were supposed to go on that date.

She’s the reason Steve even knows you - you’re a good friend of Nat.

“Can I come with you then? Is she feeling better already?” Steve lifts his head.

Right that second, Nat gets another text saying not to tell Steve she’s coming over.

And Nat, being the trained liar she is, without missing a beat says, “Steve - she’s throwing up. You haven’t even been on a date yet. I doubt you’re at a stage where she wants you to see her that miserable.”

“She’s throwing up now? Is it anything serious? She told me she has a headache.”

“I’m about to find out.” And before Steve can ask another question, Nat’s gone.

“You know that was a lie, right?” says Sam.

“I wish I didn’t,” Steve sighs, going to his room to crawl into his bed.

･ﾟ✧

Nat comes over to your place for moral support. You tell her everything and she looks very annoyed.

“What? You think I should have gone on a date even when I felt uncomfortable before it even started?”

“No, but you could have been honest with him. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind going to a cheaper restaurant or ditching the suit. He was so stressed about his stupid tie all day. And then you cancelled and he looked like a kicked puppy.”

“Wait, really?”

“It’s not too late,” Nat passes you your phone, but you can’t do it. You can’t. And anyway, you and Steve are probably already set up for failure when you’ve been dishonest before you even had your first date.

But after a night and another day of contemplating, you follow Nat’s advice after all.

Steve picks up the phone before you can change your mind because you’re too nervous again.

･ﾟ✧

Steve looks at his phone in surprise when he sees your name on the screen.

“Hi?” he says, not concealing his confusion. He thought you didn’t want him anymore.

“Hey, Steve. Um, are you free tonight?”

“Yeah, yeah I am. Are you feeling better yet?”

You dodge his question though, “Is right now okay too?”

“Sure, I’ll just go change and then I’ll be on my way.”

“Actually, just come as you are. I’m only wearing sweatpants too,” you say.

Steve changes out of his jeans and swaps them for beige sweatpants instead. He wants you two to be matching.

･ﾟ✧

Steve’s at your door less than ten minutes later.

Taking a deep breath, you open the door. He looks so good, a white shirt under his jacket paired with beige sweatpants and a cap that he’s just taking off.

Maybe you should have let him change. Those sweatpants are distracting.

You realise you’re staring, but you’re unsure what to do. Shake hands, hug, a kiss on the cheek?

“Hi,” you breathe out.

“Hey, um.” He’s waiting for you to let him in. Right.

Calm down. You forgot how nervous he makes you.

“Come in,” you open the door, lifting your arm invitingly but also a bit awkwardly.

He looks around your small apartment, “Nice place,” he smiles.

“Thanks,” you feel your cheeks heating up, pulling the sleeves of your hoodie over your fingers, “I guess I’ll get straight to the point, I-- why are you smiling like that?”

“You look cute,” he says, looking down at your pink sweatpants and you remember your hoodie has cat ears on the hood.

Maybe you’re too nervous. He clearly still likes you. You tell him where to put his shoes and jacket, and sit down on your couch that suddenly feels a lot smaller with his broad body on it.

“So um,” you hesitate. You don’t want him to hate you. But if you and Steve started dating you wouldn’t want that to start with a lie, even if it was just a small one.

“I... I lied yesterday. I wasn’t sick I was just…,” you pause, looking right into his eyes, feeling shy again, “Look, I don’t want to seem ungrateful or anything but I kept picturing this expensive restaurant and then I was wearing these formal, tight clothes and I knew we’d have to pretend to be all stuck up in that posh restaurant and that just - that isn’t me, it’s not my type of thing.”

“Then what is your type of thing?”

“I don’t know..,” you shrug, “Having takeout, hanging out in comfortable clothes and talking, just alone. Without any rich people judging you because you don’t know how to eat lobster.”

He starts laughing, a full-on belly laugh, and you hit him with a pillow, “It’s not funny!”

“So I’m assuming that’s happened to you?”

“It has. I mean, how was I supposed to know? But yeah... I tried cutting it and it flew straight off my plate. Everyone was looking at me!” His laughter booms through the room and you can’t help but let out a few giggles too.

The laughter dies down after a few moments, and you know he’s not mad at you, but you still want to explain, “It’s just so much pressure being in a restaurant like that with those people and I was already so nervous and under pressure about going on a date with you--”

“What? Why?” he asks, smiling but his brows are scrunched together. Do you really have to explain to him how good he looks and how intimidating that can be?

You’re about to open your mouth to speak, but he shakes his head, “You know what, if you have more stories like that I’d love to hear them, maybe over some takeout?”

A smile spreads across your face, “Really?”

“Of course. I only booked that restaurant because I really like you,” - that is obvious, but you still feel a rush of excitement when he says it - “I wanted to impress you and make you feel special with that, but honestly, I want to get to know you, and it doesn’t matter where that is.”

“And you’re not mad at me for lying?”

“I appreciate that you told me the truth and didn’t shut me out after that, but I also want you to feel comfortable around me, you can always be honest with me.”

“Okay. I just want to get to know you too. Get to know you, Steve, just as you are. Just at home, on a normal day. Not in some fancy restaurant where we’re all tense,” you exchange grins that make you all fluttery, “So what should we get, Italian or Chinese maybe?”

･ﾟ✧

For the rest of the night, not a single second is filled with silence, except when you both have to calm down from laughing so hard.

There’s an immediate feeling of trust between you two, and he tells you more about his past than you could’ve imagined finding out after months. In return, you tell him a lot of things too but stay on light-hearted topics for most of the evening.

Despite the personal things you both reveal about yourself, there’s always a relaxed atmosphere, and Steve makes sure to weave in some of the cheeky jokes and flirting that made you say yes to a date with him in the first place.

All the talking makes both of you tired after a few hours, so you spread out on the couch and turn on the tv for a bit, just talking a bit of nonsense now.

It’s getting late, and usually Steve would offer to go now, but with the way you’re gently tracing your finger up and down his arm, he can’t quite get himself to say it. Besides, not a single thing you’ve done or said in the last few hours has signalled that you want him to go and he’s not ready to go yet either, so you both lie there for another while.

He doesn’t quite hear what you’re saying right now because your face is half-squished on the blanket and you’re just mumbling, but he hears something that sounds a lot like “Sweet dreams”. Your eyes slowly drift shut but just a few seconds later they open again, your fingers searching for his and loosely intertwining them.

Your eyes remain open when you notice his eyes on you, and you fully turn towards Steve, your face close to his. Your heartbeat speeds up as you realise what’s about to happen.

With your eyes looking into his, Steve can’t resist pressing a kiss to your lips despite the awkward angle. His hand sneaks behind your head to lift you a little, so you can kiss him more comfortably. You make out for a few minutes, it’s gentle and slow and stops just before things get too heated.

For a while, you just hold hands, Steve’s thumb caressing the back of your hand until you feel tired and your heart is beating at a normal pace again. You smile at Steve, and you don’t see his much bigger grin before you’re lulled into a deep sleep.

Steve prefers this over a fancy dinner place any day.

[randomshyperson]

The Scarlet Witch Prophecy - The Third Year

Series Masterlist ||  Read on AO3

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.

Chapter Words:  7.290K 

Chapter Notes: Wanda x Reader friendship is here. And more about the world history. I’m pretty sure this is the last chapter where things are easy going. Just like Harry Potter, things start to get dark during four year. Good reading to everyone, i hope you like the story so far.

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

//-// x //-// //-// x //-//

Your list of materials is much longer in the third year.

Tony complains that you shouldn't have taken so many classes, but you are so curious to explore the areas of magic that you can't help it.

This time, Mantis meets you in the diagonal alley. You were hoping to spend some time with Gamora and Nebula as well, but once you get a glimpse of their father, you know that's not going to happen.

Thanos is a tall, muscular man, and has a permanent aggressive look on his face. He also kept his hands on the shoulders of his two daughters while they were waiting to be attended to at Flourish and Blotts. You also noticed that your friends were wearing very beautiful and remarkably expensive dark green capes, and just like their father's outfit, they had a bundle of a silver snake. That was the first time you understood what Slytherin pride meant.

"He's scary." Mantis commented softly beside you. You nodded in agreement. Groot, who was a little bigger since you saw him last year, jumped on your shoulder, sitting next to your ear. You smiled at the creature before looking forward again.

You and Mantis were standing at the entrance of store, and saw your friends through the window. You gave up the idea of complementing them when you saw their father.

"Let's restock the potions list first, Mantis." You tell her. "Then we'll buy our books."

You meet Tony again at the Leaky Cauldron after you finish. He hides something from you quickly, but you are distracted by an apple muffin flying towards you, and you don't ask.

Bucky was staying at the Leaky Cauldron because his house had a magical accident. His father said something about a persistent spell flood. Since the rest of Bucky's family were muggle, only he and his father were staying there, solving the problem while Bucky's sisters were at his aunt's house.

Since everyone needed to buy the materials for the new school year, Tony asked you to join his friends when you were done buying your stuff.

After lunch with everyone, Mantis said goodbye to you, and you returned Groot to her hands.

You led her to the exit of the bar, but as you walked back to the table, a conversation caught your attention.

"I'm telling you, they saw him in Sokovia." A bearded man whispered. He looked so nervous, you couldn't help but pay attention. The woman standing next to him, a cup of a strange liquor in her hands, rolled her eyes.

"That's miles away, Thomas." She said. "If Korvac gets anywhere near London, the ministry will send him back to Azkaban in two seconds."

"He's already escaped once, Sara." You rebut the man. 

You frown at the conversation. Walking back, you have a thoughtful frown on your face, and Tony teases you.

You get distracted by Steve's jokes about the coming year, and forget all about it.

It's only after you've packed your bag, during dinner, that you remember.

"I heard something strange today." You say casually as Tony and your father dine beside you. "Some folks in the Leaky Cauldron were talking about someone escaping from Azkaban."

Your father chokes. Tony stares at you, and ducks his head when your father looks at him angrily. Howard gaze softens when he looks at you however.

"Honey, who told you that?"

You shrug.

"No one told me dad." You reply. "I ended up overhearing two strangers talking about it. I never knew about anyone escaping from Azkaban before, it seemed important."

Tony kicks you under the table, and you frown in confusion. Your father takes a deep breath.

"Honey, listen to me carefully, will you?" He begins, and you worry at his serious tone. "There are important things going on at Daddy's work. Things that could be dangerous." He says and you look at him in surprise. "You and your brother are too young to be getting into such matters, and I hope you will trust me to keep you both safe."

"Yes, dad." Tony assures, but you remain silent. A moment later, you add: 

"Daddy, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"No honey." He says taking back his fork. 

"It's okay to tell me what's going on, I won't be scared. I can help..."

"Enough!" He exclaims angrily punching the table. You jump lightly in your chair, startled. Your father doesn't look at you. "I don't want you to hear anything about this anymore. You two are children, and it's dangerous. Have I made myself clear?"

You look at Tony, but he is glaring at the plate in front of you. 

Swallowing the urge to cry, you get up, hurrying to run to your room.

Your father calls you several times, but you don't answer. 

A few minutes after you are in your bed, he appears in your room. His posture is much gentler than before, and he kneels down beside your bed.

"Honey, hey." He calls to you. You keep your face in the pillow, and he sighs. "I'm sorry for yelling at you." He says, and with your silence, he continues. "Can you forgive me?"

It takes a few seconds, but you look at him, and nod. Howard smiles faintly.

"You and your brother are the most important things in my life." He says fondly. "And I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me."

"Dad, you can't control what is in the rest of the world."

Your father chuckles lightly. 

"Yeah I know." He says. "Damn, I wanted you to stay a little girl forever, so you wouldn't be so smart."

You laugh, pushing his shoulder lightly.

"You're not going to tell me what's going on, are you?" You ask and your father sighs, looking away.

"It's nothing that will affect you honey." He says. "It's just problems of the magical world. I don't want you meddling in something like that. Not at this age."

You sit down on the bed next, raising your pinky to your father.

"I swear I won't pry into such business if you promise to tell me if things get serious enough for me to know."

Her father laughs, raising his own pinky then.

"I promise, kiddo."

You both laugh as you take the oath, and your father hugs you next. When he lets go and stands up, you pull his hand away.

"Apologize to Tony, Daddy." You ask surprising him slightly. "He doesn't like it when you yell either."

Your father sighs, bending down to kiss your forehead. He asked you to go to sleep before he closed the door.

//-//

It is very cold when you arrive at Hogwarts.

But you don't care because all your friends link arms and walk together, making you laugh at the confused looks you get when the other students notice the small row.

Over dinner, your mood changes quickly however.

"I imagine it has come to the attention of many students here, especially the older ones, the recent untoward events in the magical world." Principal Harkness began during the announcement of the new school year. She had a serious and authoritative tone, and deep dark circles under her eyes. You have never seen her like this before. "But for those of you who are not aware, the dark wizard known as Korvac escaped from Azkaban a few months ago." The hall exploded into murmurs at the mention. You saw Professor Strange lock his jaw, probably disagreeing that such a topic should be broached with eleven-year-olds. "After much consideration, the Ministry of Magic thought it best to apply additional security to the castles."

"So, starting next week, we will have special guests at the Hogwarts castles; The ministry has determined that aurors and Azkaban guards will be guarding the outside of the grounds."

The crowd erupted in boos as soon as the words echoed in the hall. Your Hufflepuff colleagues remarked in horror that the dementors, the guards of Azkaban, were terrifying, and you sought your brother's gaze at the Slytherin table, but he was looking earnestly at the principal.

Agatha sighed impatiently, and the hall fell silent. She asked everyone to be careful with the guards in Azkaban, not to give them reason to fight back. And then she returned to the daily announcements as if nothing had happened.

You didn't eat very well after that.

History of Magic with Professor Okoye was one of the hardest classes in school.

You were hoping to get decent grades this year, but you were assigned to be with Peter as your pair, so you knew you would have to work for two, as your friend had no interest at all in that subject.

"Why don't you try to pay attention?" You asked slightly annoyed as you made your notes. Quill was drawing small dragons in his notebook.

"I want to be a famous Quidditch player, I don't need to know the history of the Goblin revolution for that."

You sighed, turning your attention back to the blackboard. Several minutes after class had begun, a Gryffindor student raised his hand.

"Professor Okoye, may I ask you a question?" it was Thor Odinson, and he seemed to have grown at least twenty inches over the summer. You noted that his hair was also longer when you looked back, wondering who was speaking.

"Of course, Odinson." The teacher said with a gentle smile. Thor cleared his throat as he lowered his hand, seeming to hesitate.

"Could you tell us about the Mephisto followers?"

The room fell absolutely silent at the mention of the name, and many students looked at Thor with wide eyes. The smile on Professor Okoye's face completely disappeared.

"Where did you hear that name, boy?" she asked sternly, Thor swallowed dryly.

"M-my father, ma'am." He replied. "I heard him send a bawler to the ministry quoting that name. When I asked, he told me to study the history of the wizarding world. I thought I would ask you because I couldn't find anything in the books."

The room looked at the teacher expectantly. Okoye sighed, seeming to decide whether to talk about it or not.

"Listen to me carefully please." She asked as she walked around the tables. "Some years ago long before any of you were born, there was a sorcerer who made all the wrong choices. He sought immeasurable power, and was never satisfied with his own abilities. And many other wizards believed that the quest for ultimate power was something worth dying for. When this wizard became a symbol of power and cruelty, he named himself Mephisto."

Her classmates exchanged startled looks, but the teacher continued to tell.

"The dark wizards and witches who supported this quest became known as the Followers of Mephisto, or Walkers of Death. The magical ministries around the world banded together to put an end to the group, and there was a great battle, where most of these wizards were imprisoned or killed in a duel."

"What happened to Mephisto?" Thor asks suddenly, interrupting the narration. The teacher hesitates, but then gives a reassuring smile.

"He's dead, of course." She assures.

"My mother says he was never found." Added another classmate, you think her name is Valkyrie, but you've never talked to her. Much buzz runs through the room at her utterance, and Professor Okoye twists her fingers nervously.

"When the Walkers of Death were eliminated, Mephisto lost his power." She tells seriously. "The last person who faced him is related to someone in this room actually."

Professor Okoye turns to you, and you want to sink into your chair, feeling your heart soar.

"Auror Howard Stark was the last sorcerer to fight Mephisto before his demise. Thirteen years ago." She says and you feel all the stares on you. "But that's enough from this matter for today, students. Mephisto's story is taboo in our witch community because of the thousands of lives that were lost during that period." She adds, "I hope you will be respectful about the memory of those victims, and not comment on such a thing, or mention the name of this despicable wizard again."

The teacher closes the subject after that, looking upset. You can't pay attention to the class again when she goes back to talking about the magical revolution.

//-//

"Did you knew about that?" You ask angrily when Tony looks unimpressed when you approach him in the third floor hallway, after searching all over the school for him.

He looks tired.

"Stop talking so loud, will you?" He asks looking around. "Of course I knew, I've been researching this story for months."

You frown in confusion, and Tony rolls his eyes leaning against the bookshelf next to him.

"I didn't tell you anything because you're only thirteen!" He adds nervously. "That's not children's business."

"It is my business if it involves our family!". You retort angrily. A group of students walk past you, looking at you curiously, but Tony just pretends to be admiring the trophies until they leave.

"Look, I don't really know what happened, but dad used to be an auror when mom was alive." He recounts. "And then he took on this powerful sorcerer, and mom died when you were born. He became an inventor, switched departments in the mystery, and nobody talks about this Mephisto guy nowadays."

"Do you know what this has to do with the wizard who escaped from Azkaban?" you ask with your arms crossed, Tony gives a chuckle.

"Isn't it obvious, sis?" he retorts wryly. "Korvac was Mephisto's greatest ally at that time. And he escaped from the most secure prison in the world. A lot of people think that means the walkers are getting back in business again."

"My god Tony, why didn't dad tell us any of this?" You ask worriedly and Tony laughs humorlessly, looking upset.

He straightens his posture and points to the glass on the trophy shelf that was propped up. 

"And there's more." He says. "Take a look at that."

You turn your face to stare at the objects that were stored there. Most were trophies, but there were also pictures of the Quidditch teams from previous years. Tony is pointing to one of those.

"No way." You whispered as you see it. In the caption on the board, it read "Howard Stark and Erik Lehnsherr receiving awards for their honorable service to the school." It was your father and your teacher, probably in their senior year, and they seemed both content. The magical photograph showed them hugging each other by the shoulders, huge smiles on their faces, and two golden cups in their hands. 

"Yes, little sister." Tony said also looking at the picture. "Dad and Magneto were friends in school days. I wonder what happened to Professor Lehnsherr to make him so bitter. He looks happy in that picture."

The sound of the bell announcing the next period makes you jump in fright, as you were completely distracted by the photograph in front of you.

"Let's talk about this later, Tony, I have charms now and..."

"No way, Y/N!" Tony interrupted frowning. "That's none of your business. Dad told me that you promised to stay out of it, and I agree with him. You're too young!"

"Oh and you think he'll like knowing you're investigating this whole story?" You retort and Tony sighs, looking away, "That's what I thought.

"I'm not going to get you mixed up in this story."

"Fine, I'll find out on my own, then."

"Y/n..."

"See you, Tony."

//-//

Having dementors in the castle is really scary.

It's been two weeks since classes started, and with the first Quidditch game of the year approaching, you're pretty anxious.

You didn't make much progress in your research during those days. None of the professors wanted to say anything about Mephisto's time, and you lost fifteen points when you tried to ask Professor Lehnsherr about his school days, for being a snoozer.

The only things you found out other than what Tony told you were what Gamora and Nebula shared with you. They mentioned that Thanos was particularly busy during the summer, and that they had never seen him go to the Ministry so often before. 

You also started reading the Daily Prophet, and every day they would publish something about Korvac's escape, even if it was only to say that there was no news in the case. 

When the day of the first match arrived, you ignored the strange feeling that settled on the edge of your stomach as if something bad was going to happen.

You are overjoyed when you are in the air, waiting for the match to start, and notice that all of Tony's friends, including yourself, have yellow flags in their hands to cheer you on.

Everything goes well until the end of the first half.

You noticed a bludger almost reaching your chaser team mate, Clint Barton and moved forward to defend him many meters above the stadium. Because it was raining, your visibility was very poor. You knocked the ball away, but lost sight of Clint, although you heard him shout a thank you. As you dived down again, lightning exploded beside you, and you jumped in fright, feeling your ear whistle as you became completely disoriented.

As you began to get used to your surroundings again, you felt your body become completely tense. The cloud in front of you was almost a face shape, it looked like someone with horns or maybe wearing a tiara. The image dissolved in the next second, and you felt a strange chill run through your body. Releasing the broom handle only to hug your arms, you looked down, the whole team many meters away. 

When you tried to join them, something came in your way.

Dementors must have been the scariest thing you had ever seen in your life. And there was one of them right in front of you. You widened your eyes in shock, and the creature looked straight at you.

Losing your strength quickly, you felt yourself slipping off the broom. A feeling as if you had been wrapped in a very painful spell overtook your body as you fell. 

//-//

You woke up in a jolt, and warm hands pushed you back into bed.

"Relax, kid." Your brother spoke with a smile. "I swear I'll actually forbid you to play at some point."

"What happened?" you asked confused. All of your friends and Tony's friends around your bed.

"You fell off the broom, damn it." He retorted and you rolled your eyes.

"Yeah but there was a dementor up there..."

"Yeah, everyone saw it." Tony interrupted looking annoyed. "Professor Harkness kicked everyone out of the stadium after Professor Strange conjured up the patronus."

"I have never seen Professor Strange so angry." Gamora remarked next. 

"Oh, there's something else." Natasha warned moving around the crowd to stand beside you on the bed. "Your broom fell into the Whomping Willow, and well. It' s right here."

In Nat's arms were the remains of what had once been your Nimbus 2000. You sighed in displeasure, but at least you could ask Jarvis to buy you another one.

After you were released from the nurse's office, Principal Harkness was waiting for you in the hallway. She waved for all your other colleagues to go their ways, as she escorted you to the Hufflepuff common room.

"Tell me, dear, are you feeling all right?" She asked tenderly. You nodded in agreement as you walked.

When you reached an empty hallway, she stopped walking, and touched your shoulder so that you would do the same. She knelt at your height and looked deep into your eyes.

"Tell me what you saw up there."

" Professor, I don't remember..." You started to say, but then fell silent, immediately recalling what you saw as you gaze the purple glow in front of you. It was as if your thoughts came out of your lips before you even thought to say them. "I saw an image in the clouds, it was like a horned creature or someone wearing a crown. Then the dementor reached me and I felt an immediate chill and unhappiness. I had the feeling that I was wrapped in a sensation of pain as I fell down."

The professor seemed to absorb every one of your words. She smiled then, her eyes returning to their normal color quickly, making you believe you had imagined the whole thing.

"Thank you dear." She said. "Let's keep this between us, okay?"

When you two walked back, you didn't remember any conversation at all.

//-//

Your first trip to Hogsmeade is amazing.

You buy two bags full of candy at the Honeydukes, and then you and your friends go to the Three Broomsticks, to have some buttery beer.

Quill seems to have become friends with Pietro Maximoff during Quidditch practice, because as soon as they see each other, they greet with a hug.

You ignore the feeling of nervousness that settles on the pit of your stomach when your gaze meets Wanda's.

Your friends don't mind sharing a table with the Maximoff twins, and that's how you end up sitting a few feet from Wanda, Gamora's watchful eye on you trying to understand why you're so quiet and flushed.

"Everyone is so nervous about the dementors at the castle, that I think we should try to do something fun. Like throw a party." Quill suggested to the group. Mantis looked excited.

"I think we could do something before Christmas." Gamora suggested and the group agreed.

"Does anyone have any idea where we can have this party? Quill asked." Since we are from different houses, maybe the common rooms are not a good option. I heard that the Slytherin kids don't really like the Hufflepuffs.”

Quill's teasing makes Wanda roll her eyes, but the rest of the table giggles. You look away to your cup.

"We could use some empty room on the seventh floor." Pietro suggested, and Quill gave an excited exclamation.

"This is a great idea." He said. "If the older students are going to participate, we can get some prefect to cover for us."

Quil looks at you and Mantis has to poke your shoulder for you to notice and pay attention.

"Sorry, what is it?" You ask when you notice all the looks on you.

"Can't you convince Steve Rogers to join us? He's your brother's boyfriend."

You laugh, nodding in agreement

"Okay folks, I'll try to call them all."

On the way back to the castle, after you spent the afternoon talking about the most diverse random subjects and telling jokes, you leave your hands in your pocket, because it is very cold.

Quill and Pietro start playing tag, and Wanda walks alone. You hurry up to join her.

"Hey." You greet with a smile, Wanda also has her hands in her pockets.

"Hey". She responds kindly.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes?"

"Are you asking me?" You say back with humor and Wanda laughs, looking at the floor as she walks. "I… I thought it was cool this afternoon." You confess the next moment, feeling your face get hot. "With everyone together, I say. And you and your brother, it's ... you two are nice."

"Thank you, Stark." She replies with a smile. You move your fingers inside your pocket before you speak again.

"If we're going to be friends, you can use my first name". You say and Wanda looks at you, but you keep looking forward.

"Are you sure?" She asks after a moment. You frown without understanding. "Are you sure you want to be my friend?"

You look at Wanda in surprise. But then your expression softens.

"I thought we were going to be friends last year, but you looked angry every time you saw me."

Wanda laughed lightly, looking ahead.

"Yeah, I… I'm sorry about that." She says. "It wasn't something you did. It was just a few things I heard. And I ended up thinking that you were judging me like everyone else at that school." She tells you. "It would make sense since you saw me face the troll." Wanda whispered the last part. You bit your bottom lip before speaking again.

"You could have talked to me, you know?" You say. "I kept thinking that I had done something wrong."

Wanda said nothing, and you sighed, running your hands through your hair.

"We can forget about it and be friends now, what do you think?" You then suggested a smile on your face.

Wanda looked at you, and her green eyes cause something in your stomach to sink.

"I would like that."

"Cool." You comment breathlessly.

//-//

Being friends with Wanda is so natural that it almost surprises you.

Now whenever you sit down at the Slytherin table, there are two new members in your group of friends.

Eventually you discover that it was Quidditch that build Quill and Pietro friendship, as they stopped fighting because they were spending a lot of time training together.

At the Slytherin table, you know that Pietro and Quill receive angry looks because they are from Gryffindor, but no one has the courage to say anything to you, perhaps it is the deadly stare that Wanda gives anyone who dares to look foully at her brother.

You also succeed in inviting Steve and Tony, in addition to your brother's other friends, to the party before Christmas. Steve says that you all can use the old Astronomy room on seventh-on Saturday, and that the curfew would be at ten o'clock. The news of the party ends up spreading quickly around the school, but your friends don't seem to mind that it stopped being something small just between you guys.

When the day finally comes, you wear a comfortable jeans and sweatshirt set, realizing that it is a choice of clothes much more similar to Muggle-borns than pureblood but no one seems to care.

"Hey, you took so long" remarked Gamora as soon as you went up to the seventh floor and met her at the door of the room. "Come on, everyone is already in there"

As you took some of the non-alcoholic fruit drink that Mantis helped Quill make, you looked around the room. You waved sheepishly when your eyes met Wanda's, who was coming in. She looks very beautiful in her wine red sweater, and she smiled at you, and you didn't understand why you felt your stomach flip.

Soon everyone were all together, talking animatedly on various subjects. When Quill and Pietro started doing a dance competition, you laughed so hard that your belly was aching when they were done.

//-//

You have your first Divination class that week.

Professor Heimdall was already waiting for the students while he was sitting on a kind of ivory throne in the corner of the room, which smelled of incense that made your head spin slightly. It really was a remarkably mystical and mysterious environment, even for a magic school. The illumination was limited due to long white curtains on the walls, and there were many candles scattered around the room. Mantis whispered that this kind of thing was done to increase concentration when working with this kind of magic. 

"Welcome to our first meeting on Divination, students, the most complex and unstable of magical arts." began the professor as soon as everyone was seated at the tables spread around the tower. "I must warn you that if you seek answers to your most personal questions here, you will most likely not find them. There is no stability in this subject."

Some students commented softly among themselves, but no one seemed willing to contradict the professor, his yellow eyes roaming over everyone in the room.

"Let's begin today's class with an introduction to the basics of study in divination." He warns, and with a flick of his wand, the cupboards at the back of the room open, and from there several sets of cups fly out to all the tables. Then the professor touches his wand to the teapot on the table, and it multiplies into four pairs, flying around to serve everyone.

When everyone has their cups full, Professor Heimdall goes to the small blackboard, and begins to explain how divination works. You hurry to start writing it down.

Many minutes later, when you have finished your tea, Mantis pokes your shoulder.

"Let me look at yours and you do mine?" she asks and you nod, handing her your cup. You clear your throat, looking intently at the dregs of tea in Mantis' cup.

"I don't see anything." You grumble, trying to concentrate. The powder doesn't seem to form anything. 

"Remember to check the symbols in your books." Warned Professor Heimdall aloud the next moment. You took a deep breath, running your fingers across the paper as you tried to identify the images.

"Mantis, let's switch, I don't think I'm getting anything..." You start to say softly looking at your book, when you glance at your friend however, you frown in confusion. She has her gaze glazed on your cup, one hand covering her mouth, "Mantis, what happened?"

She gasps softly, and you straighten your position as you notice a thick tear running down her cheek, feeling your heart soar with worry.

"I'm... I'm so sorry." She sighs breathlessly, dropping her cup on the table. The noise attracts everyone's attention, but Mantis is getting up the next moment, and running out of the room. You stand up, but Professor Heimdall puts his hand on your shoulder.

"Don't worry, miss Stark." He says. "It's common for those more sensitive to divination to have that kind of reaction in their first contact with the spirit world." He explains with a tender look. You don't understand why, but his voice calms you. "Go back to your activity, I will talk to your friend."

He waves to the rest of the room next, and then leaves. You sit back down, exchanging worried glances with Gamora and Nebula who are at the table in front of you. 

Your first action is to look at the cup that Mantis has thrown on the table, but the impact has broken it at the bottom, and the liquid has run down the cloth. You sigh in dissatisfaction, using your wand to clean up the mess.

When class is over, Gamora and Nebula quickly join you.

"Any idea what that was about?" Gamora asks as you walk together through the castle. 

"No, she just got a glazed look in her eyes, and then she ran off." You count. "I'll try to ask her in potions class."

"Maybe she saw some evil omen." Nebula comments, and Gamora elbows her in the stomach. "Ouch."

You frown worriedly.

"Does that mean something bad is going to happen to me?"

Gamora denies with her head, forcing a smile as if trying to reassure you.

"Bad omens can be many things, even something silly, like losing a sock in your room." She says and you leave your hands in your pockets, not feeling reassured by this information.

"Yeah, but Mantis wouldn't cry over a sock." You retort and Nebula nods in agreement, but Gamora has a serious expression.

"I'd rather think it's nothing bad." She says. "Professor Heimdall said it's normal for sensitive students to have that reaction, isn't it?" She adds and you shrug. "Maybe she's just been watching you lose a game or something, but she was so overwhelmed with having seen something, that she got emotional."

"I hope you're right." You grumble as you reach the stairs. You sigh. "See you at lunch, girls. Have a good History of Magic class."

Gamora and Nebula wave goodbye and head in the opposite direction from you after they watch the staircase move.

You hurry to avoid being late for potions.

//-//

Mantis doesn't come to the dungeon either. You poke Quill in the back as he sits down in front of you, and ask if he's seen her anywhere, but he shrugs, worried that you don't know either. You just sigh, telling him what happened in class.

"I'm glad I didn't take that subject." He says as he hears the story. "I've heard that some people learn to see the day that the other person is going to die. That's scary."

You laugh incredulously.

"That sounds like a lie."

Quil shrugs his shoulders. "That's what I heard."

You wish you could talk more, however Professor Erik entered the room the next moment, and everyone fell silent. You tried to forget about the divination class by concentrating on making your poison antidote correctly next.

//-//

You only found Mantis at lunchtime.

Or rather, she found you.

You had just come out of charm class, and she was waiting for you outside. You looked at her with surprise and concern, but she just smiled, looking much more relaxed than earlier.

"I'm sorry I disappeared." She says. "Professor Heimdall thought it best that I get some rest, and then he taught me some things about aural sensitivity."

"I don't know what that means." You comment making her smile. 

"It doesn't matter." She says. "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier."

You shake your head.

"Mantis, come on, no need to stress about it." You retort. "I was worried about you, and I'm sure it wasn't your fault." 

Mantis smiles, looking forward. You bite the inside of your cheek, finding her strangely calm and distant.

"Do you remember what you saw in my cup?" You ask hesitantly, and a small glint passes through Mantis' eyes, but then she smiles quietly, denying it.

"It was no great thing, I believe." She says. "Professor Heimdall has assured me that it must have been just a bad memory, and that there is nothing to worry about."

You frown, but something in Mantis' expression tells you that she just won't talk about it anymore. Not wanting to make your friend uncomfortable, you don't press the issue again.

//-//

It's Christmas again, and you don't go home.

This year Hogwarts is much emptier than it usually is, and you know that it's because of the dementors. 

The vast majority of the families, even those who usually leave their children at Hogwarts, have asked the students to return home. Your father briefly mentioned in his last letter how there were many requests for shift changes during the holiday period.

Tony also stayed in the castle, you knew he was planning to enter the forbidden section of the library, and he had told you to mind your own business when you asked if you could help.

Surprisingly, Gamora and Nebula returned home. It was very unusual because Thanos didn't like parties, but they promised to write to you. Mantis always returned home, so you just handed over your present before hugging her goodbye. Quill and the Maximoffs stayed with you.

"You know you're losing right?" you remarked with amusement as you were spending time with your friends in the Gryffindor communal room, a wizard chessboard in front of you. Quill let out an annoyed groan. 

"That game is harder than it looks." He grumbled looking at the pieces. " Knight move to E3 please."

The piece moved, cursing softly that Quill was making a stupid move, and you laughed.

"Can't you see her bisbe right there you idiot? "Squinted the black item, and Quill sighed in irritation.

"You want to play by yourself, do you?" He retorted, and Pietro and Wanda who were watching you two, giggled.

"Are you talking to the game, Quill?" Pietro teased as if the boy in front of him was crazy. 

After you beat Peter, it was your turn to face Pietro. He was a much better player, but he still made a lot of thoughtless moves.

Someone walked past the door, and you heard noises of footsteps, and then there was a girl joining you all.

"Hey, Monica!" Pietro greeted the girl cheerfully as soon as he saw her. The girl smiled at him. "Guys, this is Monica Rambeau, she is..."

"Professor Rambeau's daughter." Quill completes as if it is obvious. And you and Wanda smile at the girl. "Everybody knows Monica, man."

"What are you guys doing?" The girl asks curiously.

"Playing chess."

"Losing at chess, you mean right?" you tease with a smile. Pietro and Quill laugh in agreement, Wanda is distracted by the book in her hands.

"Do you want to hang out with us?" Pietro asks.

"Actually, I'm going to go outside." Monica says excitedly. "I just went in to get a coat. Darcy and I are going to make a snowman. Why don't you guys join us?"

You exchange glances with your friends. They all seem to think the same thing. And that's how you end up in the outside yards, in a snowball war.

" Back off, Pietro, I'm on your team!" You yell at the older Maximoff who has just hit you with an icy snowball to the chest. Pietro laughs.

"In war it's every man for himself!" He shouts running toward you. You laugh as you run away from him, preparing to hit Quill who is in the opposite direction.

"Hey, get down!" You heard someone shout and you turned around, obeying the order as soon as you noticed Darcy's raised arm toward you. She threw a snowball at someone behind you, and you laughed when Pietro let out an exclamation. Running toward the girl, you thanked her with a wave of your hand before running back. 

After hitting Monica and Quill twice, you ran out of Pietro's reach when he appeared at your side, laughing. Stumbling, you ended up miscalculating your speed, and knocked Wanda down next.

"That's a foul." Joked Pietro as he watched you two fall, laughing along with both of you. Before he could throw a snowball at you, Quill was back and he ran. You helped Wanda up as you apologized for knocking her down.

"One point each." She says holding the snowball at chest height. You smile, and wait for her to throw the snow at you. She laughs when she has done so gently, pushing the ball against your shoulder, the icy liquid running down your blouse making you shiver slightly. 

You pick up a snowball from the ground next, but when you look at Wanda, her face flushed with cold, and emerald eyes sparkling with amusement, you don't have the heart, and just smile wryly, making her look at you curiously.

"What is it?" she asks confused by the way you are just looking, making no mention of throwing the snow at her.

But the moment was broken next, when you all heard an animalistic noise nearby, and turned your heads with curiosity.

A few meters away was the guardian of the lands, Drax, leading a line of winged horses through the snow. You and your friends let out a chorus of excitement.

"Wow, look at the size of those horses." Pietro commented looking in the same direction. 

"They're not horses, people!" Monica exclaimed excitedly. "They're unicorns! Mom said we were going to study them next class don't you remember?"

Only when Monica said this did you squeeze your eyes shut to get a better look, and you could see the white horns in the distance. Drax waved at you from a distance when he noticed that you all were looking. He led the horses to the area where the class on Magical Creatures was usually held, and you saw that Professor Rambeau was waiting for him.

After that, it seemed to get colder. And you all decided to go inside and have some hot chocolate, as you took your friends into the kitchens. The elves were happy to serve you sweet breads and cakes, even outside of dinner time.

//-//

On Christmas morning, all of your friends, including Tony and Natasha who was Tony's only friend to stay at Hogwarts, gathered at the same table in the main hall for the gift exchange.

"Stop fussing, boy, you'll mess up the presents!" You heard Darcy complain to Quill. She and Monica were also with you because Pietro invited them. Neither of you guys minded, because they were very nice.

"I'm just trying to get a peek." Retorted Peter raising the gift package in the air out of Darcy's reach.

"It's not your gift, so you can't look!" 

You laughed at the interaction, finishing opening the package in front of you. Natasha had given you a new collection of wand care products and you loved it.

"You do need to take better care of your wand indeed." Teased Tony when he saw the gift. You laughed while waving a middle finger at him, and stood up to hug Nat in appreciation.

Most of the gifts were clothes, and candy. You bought a collection of exploding snap cards for Quill, and he was very pleased, already throwing the cards on the table to play with everyone. Pietro and Monica eventually agreed to participate, while Darcy watched them.

"That's mine right there." You said shyly to Wanda as she picked up one of the packages from the stack. "I hope you like it."

Wanda bit her lower lip in anticipation as she opened the package. And when the red scarf became visible, she fell silent, and it was your turn to be nervous.

"I know you're from Slytherin and all, but I've noticed that you really like red." You hasten to justify. "And then I saw this scarf in Hogsmeade and I remembered that day after charms class that you forgot your scarf and Pietro lent you his and so I thought it would be a good idea and..."

"I loved it." She interrupts looking at you. Her cheeks redden and a tender smile on her lips. You relax with relief immediately.

"Oh, right." You say. "Good, then."

You think you've been looking into Wanda's eyes too long, because your face is starting to heat up. But Peter gives a celebratory shout for getting the card move right, and you and Wanda look away quickly. She puts on her scarf next, and you look down at your lap to hide the silly smile that insists on escaping your lips.

//-//

When classes at Hogwarts return, the Dementors leave.

Apparently there was a big commotion in the Ministry of Magic. You hear many students commenting on this during the class break. And then there is a story in the Daily Prophet saying that Korvac was killed in combat with aurors in London, but there are also many people saying that this is a lie, and that he has run away again and the Ministry of Magic doesn't want to assume to the public.

Anyway, Headmistress Harkness removes the dementors from the castle and the atmosphere in the school improves considerably.

Nebula has a large purple mark on her left eye when she returns. Gamora tells everyone that she fell off her broomstick. You choke when she tells only you that it was Thanos who did this after he caught her snooping in his office.

"You can't tell anyone about this, okay?" She asks tearfully and you nod frantically, hugging her to calm her down. "I've never seen our father like that."

"It's okay now, Gamora." You say tightening in your embrace. "I will help you."

When you write to your father, asking what to do in a situation where the dangers are indoors, he says that Stark Mansion is big enough to accommodate your friends.

When you come home for the vacations after doing very well on your final exams, Gamora and Nebula are with you.

[hawks-supremacy]

Rubik's Cube of Emotions

Summary: You, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi used to be great friends but then one day it stopped. You and Tsuki are forced to confront each other when your new friend Yachi convinces you to be the new co-managers of the Karasuno volleyball team. (angst, fluff)

warnings: eating disorder, swearing, bullying?

genre: angst to fluff

word count: 2.2k

a/n: day 1 of attempting to write everyday until my birthday. Fun fact: I don't even like Tsukishima that much but my cousin hates him so I wrote it out of spite? Idk I don't like him but I see the appeal.

You were sitting in the library after school trying to do some research when your friend Yachi approached the table you were at. “Hey Y/n I need a favor.” She said sliding into the chair next to you. You closed your books and sighed, “Who is it this time?” You asked, looking at her. She looked at you shocked and started sputtering, “Yachi ninety percent of the favors you need from me are because someone was mean to you and you can’t confront them yourself. I mean last week Rei took your favorite pen and refused to give it back so you had to come get me.”

“Fine, it’s not that anyone was mean but this super pretty girl came up to me and asked me if I wanted to be the new volleyball manager because she graduates next year.” You held your hand up effectively pausing Yachi’s rambling, “Let me pause you right there and let me guess. You panicked, both because a pretty girl was talking to you and because she was your upperclassman and said yes.”

Yachi nodded, “Yes but that’s not all of it.” She said sheepishly, you raised your eyebrows and motioned for her to continue. “I also asked if you could be like a co-manager and she said that that was okay. I know you probably don’t want to but I cannot do this alone. Please come with me, the first practice I’m supposed to attend starts soon.” You rolled your eyes and started packing all of your stuff before starting to walk out of the library. You turned and saw Yachi looking like a kicked puppy, “Yach are you coming or not, you are the one who dragged me into this you big ball of anxiety.” She smiled and grabbed her bag running to catch up to you.

You were near the gym when you saw Kiyoko Shimizu. You assumed she was the pretty 3rd year that Yachi was intimidated by and walked up to her, “Hey Kiyoko? I’m Y/n, the person Yachi volunteered to be the co-manager I guess?” Kiyoko turned after hearing her name and saw you walking up to her with Yachi hiding behind you, “Yes, follow me. I’ll introduce you to the team.” You both followed her into the gym, you walking beside her and Yachi cowering behind you, gripping the sleeve of your jacket.

As Kiyoko opened the doors three boys approached one spouting compliments at her the other asking who you and Yachi were. “Guys these are your potential new managers.” Yachi took a step out from behind you before yelling, “Uhm, my name is Yachi!” You waved at everyone who was gathering around briefly telling them your name. As people were greeting you, you glanced around the gym, stopping at two people, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. You looked at them for a few seconds before moving on to the third year wearing a bun.

He bent down slightly, asking Yachi if she was a first year. You tried no to laugh as she screamed and politely and panicky told him that she was a first year addressing him as if he was more than a third year and then freaking out when the two second years were staring at her. “Forgive her, she's not good with new people, she’s hardly good with people she knows. She’s still scared of me sometimes.” As you finished your sentence Yachi mumbled that she was scared of you because you’re scary.

The third year with the bun turned to Hinata telling him, “This is great now you have managers for next year.” Before Hinata could really say anything Kiyoko stepped in saying nothing was set in stone and that you too just wanted to meet the team. As Yachi said it was nice to meet the team everyone bowed and said “Hello” at the same time, effectively freaking Yachi out. As Kiyoko was telling them to back up and not crowd you both you didn’t notice as Yachi slipped outside, “Sorry for bothering you.” She said and closed the door. “Again sorry, she’ll get used to you I promise. I’ll let you get back to practice.” Everyone said goodbye and dispersed to go do their own thing until practice officially started. As you turned to leave you heard the annoying voice that seemed to follow you everywhere, “Are you really that obsessed with me that you would join the volleyball team somehow. If you really had that big of a crush on me you could just say so.” Turning you saw Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, the latter looking at you apologetically. You rolled your eyes, “Yes Tsuki I'm oh so obsessed with you that you consume every waking thought I have. Get over yourself.”

Walking out of the gym you saw Yachi crawling on the ground. You were about to ask her what she was doing when someone interrupted you, “You alright?” He asked. She turned around looking at him for a few seconds before yelling, “Please don’t kill me!” and sprinting away. “Kill you?” He asked mostly to himself. “Sorry about her.” You said to him, you seemed to be apologizing for her a lot today. He jumped, turning around to see you, “Jesus kid you scared the shit out of me don’t do that, nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“We’re the possible new managers for the team. She takes a while to warm up to new people. Also you shouldn’t be worried about a heart attack at your age. Lung failure seems more like it.” You pat him on the shoulder as you went to go find Yachi to sternly talk to her about Tsukishima and Yamaguchi being on the team. Yamaguchi you don’t mind as much, it’s Tsukishima that's the thorn in your ass. It’s not that you hated him, you just well, hated him. He sat behind you in your classes and constantly picked on you. Needed to always tell you that he scored higher on the test or his paper was better than yours. He was just annoying.

You found Yachi by her locker gathering the rest of her things, “Hey Yachi! I need to talk to you.” You said as you jogged up to her, “I don’t think I can do this man, Tsuki is on the team and he is not going to leave me alone if i do this with you.” She put on her jacket and picked up her bag and you two began to walk out of the school to go home, “Please, I can’t do this alone. You said you wanted to spend more time with me anyway. What happened between you two? Weren’t you really good friends with him and Yamaguchi before this year?”

You shrugged looking down at your feet, “He got a stick up his ass I don’t know what you want me to say.” You looked over and her and saw her giving you a disapproving look and you sighed, “Yeah we used to be great friends, best friends even. Then this summer he just started being cold to me. I honestly don’t know what happened and I don’t know if I want to know.” She nodded and was quiet for a few seconds before speaking up, “I get it, I do. But I really need you to do this with me. I might die if you don’t.” You sighed dramatically, throwing your head back, “Fine but you owe me. I may have only known you since the beginning of this year but even I know that you probably would’ve survived.”

It had been a while since you agreed to help Yachi with being the volleyball team manager and so far it had been hell. You ignored Tsukishima when you could but one of his perks and your downfalls of being childhood friends was he knew what buttons to press. Now here you were at some training camp in Tokyo and ignoring him could only do so much. It was the last day and so far you’ve had to deal with him treating you like you had to do everything he said, him loudly and obviously talking about you to Yams, and snide comments about the way you looked or something you did.

The last straw was when you sat down to eat and he made a comment about your weight. You and Yachi were sitting down to eat when Tsukishima walked over with Yamaguchi, “Gee Y/n do you really need all that food?” You didn’t say anything as you looked down at your plate. You didn’t think you got a lot, you got as much as Yachi. You weren’t necessarily insecure but your weight was always something your family commented on, eventually it made you cut back on eating, some days not eating at all in hopes of maybe trying to lose some weight to appease your family. Lately it hasn’t been so bad, Yachi has been helping with it, you were eating more regularly and getting back to normal. But now you feel like you’re back to square one. “Not gonna say anything? That’s a first.”

You set your plate down on the step you were sitting on and told Yachi that you really weren’t that hungry before walking away. As you walked into the gym you were all eating outside of you heard Yachi talking to Tsuki and Yams, nearly yelling. It’s honestly the first time you’ve heard her raise her voice for the first time that wasn’t out of nervousness or anxiety.

You were tossing a stray volleyball in the air when you heard the door open and close. “Yachi I told you I’m not hungry honestly.” You said focusing on the ball not looking at her. “I’m not Yachi and you should eat something.” You sighed as you heard the one voice you probably didn’t want to hear right now, “Do I need to stop eating or do I need to eat? Make up your mind Tsuki.” You caught the ball and turned to face him. He was holding your plate of food and scratching the back of his neck avoiding eye contact, “I uh, I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

You scoffed, “Is The Tsukishima apologizing? I didn’t know you knew how. You’ve been an ass since this summer and now that you know you hit a soft spot you change? Not happening. Besides, it's not something I go around advertising.” You sat down on the bench and he followed suit setting the plate in between you both. You sat there for a few minutes not saying anything before he cleared his throat, “I really am sorry. You look fine. I’m sorry about being an ass to you this whole time, please eat.”

Narrowing your eyes you looked between him and the food, “If you’re so sorry then why? Huh? Why are you being an ass? I mean one minute we’re all friends and the next you’re rude and dismissive.” He sighed, rubbing his face muttering that it was stupid. “Tsuki it’s not stupid to me, I lost two of my closest friends seemingly overnight with no reason at all. I’ll eat if you tell me what the hell changed.”

He thought for a second leaning on his knees before speaking, “Yamaguchi and I were hanging out one night this summer and you came up in the conversation. After a while Yams made me realize that I maybe like you. I didn’t know how to deal with that so I pushed you away instead and I may have pushed it too far. I’m sorry for everything I just didn’t know how to tell you so I probably handled it in the worst way.”

You paused for a second thinking about what he said before laughing and picking up the plate to start eating. “You aren’t gonna say anything just laugh? See this is why I didn’t want to tell you.” He said standing up. You finished chewing your bite, “Sit down, god you’re so dramatic. I laughed because this all happened because you’re emotionally constipated. Yanno if you told me this once you figured out your rubik's cube of emotions we probably could’ve been dating this whole time.” You didn’t say anything else and finished eating what was on your plate as he sat down with his mouth open gaping at you. “Wait so you like me too?”

You covered your mouth as you tried not to laugh at him, “For someone who constantly pointed out how they were smarter than me for the majority of this school year, you’re pretty fuckin dumb aren’t you.” He pushed you over and told you to shut up. “Oh come on Tsuki, is that anyway to talk to your girlfriend?” You watched as his ears began to turn red and he repeated the word girlfriend in a questioning form. “Unless of course you don’t want me too, then this was all for nothing and we can walk out of the gym like none of this happened.”

“Fine I guess, you’re uh, my girlfriend.” He said, coughing and looking away. You raised your eyebrows and laughed, “God Tsuki don’t sound like I held you at gunpoint. You’re such a tsundere. I guess I’ll deal with it though.” You said as you sighed deeply. He looked offended and pushed you off the bench as you both laughed at each other taking turns making stupid insults about the other person.

Outside the gym Yams and Yachi were all but pressing their ears against the door listening to your conversation, “They definitely confessed.”

[secretsandwriting]

Damian headcanon for a girl who shows up no reason to his gang and confess of her likes to him, later then continue few more times before he and his gang finds out she's escaping from bullies, and he'd for once finally took her in and never let her go since?

I'm assuming by gang you mean friends? So that's how I wrote it. Also, idk what this format is, I just went with the flow. If this isn't what you wanted please tell me and I'll make another one for you!

I'm not sure where Jon and Billy would go to high school so I stuck them all in Gotham Academy. Also, NO ONE can convince me that Damian absolutely hates bullies and loves fucking them over casually.

Also, sorry this took!

First off, Damian's no stranger to girls confessing to him. With his own looks and the reputation of his family, a lot of girls like him.

So when you confessed the first time, it wasn't unusual.

The second time was a little weird, everyone agreed on that. It wasn't often someone confessed twice within the same week.

The third time, Jon caught sight of something on your wrist. You moved too fast for him to get enough of a glance to know what it was.

The fourth time they decided to investigate. It wasn't that hard.

"I can't believe you've confessed 4 times!" A shrill voice Damian recognized as one of the "popular girls" rang out from behind the school. "It's pathetic. I honestly thought you wouldn't have the nerve to do it once, let alone 4 times. He must think you're desperate!"

"Please, just let me go home." They could hear the tears through your voice, "I have homewo-" The next thing they hear was a dull thud and then the clatter of things falling and rolling on the blacktop. A pen somehow managed to roll by the building to where they stood.

"If you can get Damian Wayne to date you, we'll leave you alone. Anything we told you to do you don't have to. We wouldn't have any control over you anymore... That's probably the best bet I've ever made. Not only do I get to make you life a living hell but I get to watch as your rejected again and again by your only hope of getting out of this! Oh, and don't forget to do our homework." The boys heard the sound of footsteps coming towards them so they left.

They had thought about waiting until you came to confess again but after seeing the bruise on your arm when you grabbed some books from your locker changed that.

So he went to you.

After lunch while you were grabbing something from your locker he came over.

"Y/n." The flash of terror he caught on your face made his chest tighten up. It was one he saw on many people right before they died or almost died. "My apologies, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's ok, I scare easy. Do you need something?" He caught a glimpse of you pulling down your sleeve where they had seen the bruise.

"Yeah, are you free after school today?" He watched as you glanced back at to three girls they had heard bullying you. "I was wondering if you would go get coffee with me."

"Oh... Um, I have to tutor someone for an hour after school." He nodded, expecting you to add more but you didn't.

"What door should I pick you up from?"

He could feel the stares on him as he messed around with Billy and Jon. He hates staying later at school and yet he was still there.

When it was finally about the time you would be done he left the boys to go pick you up.

Before he got there, he saw your bullies waiting around the door. Thankfully they didn't stop you from going by, really only because they were shocked to see him.

So then the two of you went to go get coffee. Turns out, you weren't as bad as he thought. In fact, you were interesting.

He offered to take you home after that and pick you up for school if you were ok with it.

So he started taking you too and from school as well as additional dates.

It didn't take long for Billy and Jon to become friends with you as well.

It was only a month after he had first asked you out that he realized he really liked you and this could be serious if both of you put in effort.

So he decided to put in effort and hoped you would too.

You did.

It was obvious to everyone around that the two of you had clicked.

It was one of those types of loves where it worked out, while it was still hard and required the normal things needed in a relationship. It didn't seem hard.

After 6 months, it was clear that the two of you adored each other.

To think it all started from a bet.

BONUS

"When we get married we should invite them to the wedding." Damian snorted. "After all, if it wasn't for their bet, I wouldn't have ever confessed once, let alone four times and then we probably wouldn't be together." Damian rubbed your back.

"It would be interesting to see their faces, but it's 2:38. We should be sleeping."