#might have to do the true hates kiss with Leo...

[salamandergoo]

STWG Prompt: Pisces

A magazine slapped down onto the table and Eddie dropped into his seat just a moment later.  "Gentlemen!  We enter into a new month, it is time for the ritual."

"The ritual," Dougie and Jeff echoed, rehearsed.

"Not the ritual," Gareth groaned, stabbing at his lunch.  "It's going to be the same as last month, it always is."

"...what's the ritual?" Lucas asked, saying it slowly like Eddie might yell at him for asking.

"Oh, horoscopes!"  Eddie opened the magazine with a grin, paging through it and clicking his tongue.  "Hopefully no plagues are written in the stars."

"Horoscopes."  Mike looked at him flatly.  They'd only been sitting at the Hellfire Club table for a week now, and in that week, horoscopes hadn't been mentioned once.  "You believe in that shit?"

"Nah.  My mama loved 'em though.  And it's kinda fun."  He tapped the magazine on the table and cleared his throat.  "We enter Libra season, may it be prosperous for our resident Libras!"  He gestured to Gareth and Jeff.  "It says here that Love is within reach!  You just need to be brave enough to grasp it."

Gareth glanced at Jeff and scoffed.  "Total bull."

Jeff grinned.  "I don't know.  Eddie, is this your little ploy to confess your long buried feelings for me?"  He fluttered his eyelashes and blew a kiss."

"You want to be my type so bad it almost makes me love you," Eddie teased as he leaned in just a little closer.

Dustin balked and Mike had gone pink, staring down at his sandwich and refusing to look up from it.  Gareth rolled his eyes again and gestured to the boys.  "What are you guys?  What are your signs?"

"How am I supposed to know that?"  Lucas still seemed a little confused.  "Is it like... by month?  My birthday's in April."

"Early or late?  What day?"  Eddie tapped at the pages.  "That'll make you either an Aries or a Taurus."

"The 8th.  Early."

"Aries!  According to your horoscope, you'll need to be brave and face your fears in the coming month.  An emotional cold front is coming your way, young one."

Lucas glanced over his shoulder towards another table, where Max was sitting with her hood up, staring out the window at the overcast sky.  "I'm pretty sure I've been facing an emotional cold front for a while already."

Dustin leaned forward curiously.  "I'm a Pisces, what does it say for that?"

"Why do you know that?" Mike asked, some of his initial standoffish-ness worn away.

"Steve and Robin have this game where they make up terrible horoscopes for each other."  He shrugged.  "Robin's a Pisces too, and Steve is a Cancer."

Eddie hummed.  "Pisces, huh?"  He too a bite of his apple.  "Be extra cautious with your belongings.  Damn, looks like someone is going to rob you, Henderson.  So the stars decree."

"So the stars decree," Dougie and Jeff echoed.

"I hate it when you guys do that."  Gareth threw a chip at Jeff's head.

"Why do you think we do it?"  Jeff grinned and threw the chip back.  "Come on, Eddie, what's Dougie's?  Something about doom and gloom, right?  Something about how he's gonna die?"  He laughed as Dougie kicked him under the table.

"Well, our fiery Aries friend will be facing- oh."  Eddie's eyes widened a little.  "It's actually not doom and glooom this month.  Keep your aim true to your goals, even when progress is slow."

"Oh."  Dougie nodded, considering.  "That actually is kind of nice.  I can live with that."

Eddie chuckled and turned his gaze to Mike, cocking his head with a smirk.  "And you?  Let me guess, fire sign.  You're probably an Aries too.  Or a Leo?"

Mike shrugged.  "I don't know, end of December."

"After the 22nd?"

"Yeah."

"Capricorn, then.  ...seriously?  You're an earth sign?"

Mike squirmed a little under his stare.  "Thought you said you didn't believe in this crap."

Eddie shrugged.  "There's a little bit of truth to everything.  That's what mama thought."  He looked at the magazine and snickered.  "This month may test your patience."

Mike hunched in on himself, glaring at Lucas when he tried to pat his shoulder.  "Most months get on my nerves.  This is stupid."

"Aw, he's like a baby raven," Dougie teased before elbowing Eddie.  "Alright, come on man, what's yours?"

"The most important horoscope!  Let's see here, Cancer says... I am invincible and nothing can bring me down.  Damn right!"

"Let me see that."  Jeff snatched the magazine from Eddie.  "...oh.  What do you know."

"The stars are in alignment for a good month ahead."  Eddie chuckled and took the magazine back.  He tapped it on the table before tucking it into his bag.  "The ritual has been completed!"

"The ritual has been completed!"  Gareth grinned as Jeff rolled his eyes.

"This is why everyone thinks we're satanists, you know-"

"Let the people think what they want, they're just mad I don't read them their horoscopes."

[thatonefandomjumper]

If you were able to make Valdangelo canon how would you write them ?

Very good question.

The thing is, Valdangelo is a relationship that I feel had so so much potential due to how the characters were individually written, but at the same time, I really don't trust that Riordan would have done them justice just on account of how Heroes of Olympus was written as a whole. To really make their relationship satisfying, I'd probobly need to make some substantial rewrites to the series as a itself.

But for simplicity sake, let's say we're keeping all big plot points and beats the same with the only difference being that Valdangelo is endgame.

House of Hades would be the most logical place for the two of them to shine, considering Nico was, uh, quite occupied during Mark of Athena. Leo is canonically very spooked by Nico's mere existence on the ship and Nico prefers to keep to himself most times. Not only that, but the two places they each spend the most time is not only the most isolated parts of the ship but also, sort of the furthest away from each other (Crows nest and Engine room).

Not only that, but these two are so bad at normal human interactions that the only way they could genuinely start to open up to each other and find that they are oh so eerily similar is for some outside factor to push for it to happen.

Whatever that is, and no matter how it happens, the biggest thing the two of them need is just a conversation. Genuinely, I think that's all that is needed for something to happen. Something romantic? Not necessarily, but hoo-boy if they opened up to each other in one way or another things would never be the same.

There will always be a terrifying thought of "Oh god, you see right though me and I see myself in you. This is awful I must stay away or I might learn something about myself that I don't want too." But at the same time, no one else will ever get it. To hate yourself so much. To feel alone all the time. To be unworthy of love and broken beyond repair.

So as much as they want to stay away, they inevitable meet again. Possibly in the night, when they are alone, because they would not want anyone around for this.

I am a dynamic girly at the end of the day, so when I ship characters I rarely actually think about the getting together part or anything that relates to that, but were they to get together at this point, it would be in a sort of fucked up self-discovery way where both of them adamantly agree to keep it a secret. They do not want anyone to find out ever that they kiss when they are on the verge of breakdowns.

But evolving from that (And after Nico's outing and Leo's stay in Ogygia, probobly with platonic Caleo or at least Leo feeling obligated to save her out of guilt for not being able to be with her) they become each others confidants. They both dislike showing true weakness, especially of the emotional kind so having someone who just gets it is not only new but terrifying. Whether that be the deaths of their family members or both of their serious cases of internalized homophobia, the other will understand.

People notice, of course, but Nico and Leo avoid each other in public to such a comical degree that it makes it almost more obvious that something is going on. They deflect like crazy when their relationship is brought up and most back off out of respect, but Piper and Percy are the two who speculate the most...

As the journey passes, little things start happening. Leo tells Nico to eat once in a while. Nico forces Leo to take a proper nap. Things the others either don't know they struggle with or aren't thinking about because there ae more important things going on. And slowly, the two start... improving? It was never the intention because they don't see themselves worthy of healing, but the other wants them to get better, and they don't want to lose the one relationship that let's them be wholly vulnerable. It's strange, but it feels good.

Now, I have always hated how angry Nico was at Leo for dying in canon because it makes zero sense in my opinion, but that's a whole 'nother conversation. But this time around, Nico would feel every right to be furious, because let's be real, Leo's secretive ass would not tell him this. There is a line to his emotional openness and telling his sort-of-dating-for-convenience-boyfriend about the fact he's actively planning his own suicide, despite the fact he's planning to bounce back from it is just a step too far. He knows it's selfish. But he just can't.

And it's in the time they're apart that they truly understand just how much they'd started leaning on each other in the time they were together. The bad habits they broke coming back and the longjng to see the other growing stronger. They both sort of hate it. Nico joins Jason and Piper in their search while Leo is trying his best to get back to camp.

No matter how the reunion would go, I like to think that Nico would have spilled the beans about their relationship to the others at that point, so Leo, who had been psyching himself up to swoop Nico into his arms and declare their love to the camp doesn't exactly get that. But what he does get is tears, angry, possibly unfair words, and reconciliation. Their back with each other, and this time, they won't screw it up.

Valdangelo is a story of healing. Of two broken people building each other back up. No matter what direction I'd go with actually making the relationship happen, they will always represent the mortifying ordeal of being known.

Anyway, they are actually impossible and there is something very wrong with them. Thank you for the ask and here's a drawing:

Also, I wrote a Valdangelo fic way back in 2021 where a similar scenario played out if you are interested:

[killiansprincss]

TIMELESS - A NEW CAPTAIN SWAN FIC 5/19

Summary: Season 3 divergence - When Zelenas time portal works, Henry wakes up alone in Storybrooke and must travel to the Enchanted Forest to get his family back. Only once he gets there he quickly realises its not like the one in his book, theres no Evil Queen and his mother Emma wasn't put through a wardrobe, theres even a poster inviting the entire kingdom to her engagement ball, to Hook. What will happen once Henry gets them to break this new curse and they get their memories back?

In which every chapter is based on a Taylor Swift song

Previous Chapters | AO3

CHAPTER 5 - THE BEST DAY

I don't know why all the trees change in the fall

But I know you're not scared of anything at all

Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away

But I know I had the best day with you today

Henry. Storybrooke. Home. Zelena. Time Portal. Enchanted Forest.

Emma felt as though she had just woken up from the craziest dream, which in a sense, she had. “Wh-What happened?” She wraps her arms around her son and kisses his head, how did he end up here all alone?

“I’m not exactly sure. I woke up at the hospital and everyone was gone. I think Zelena’s time portal worked.” Henry explains

Emma nods her head at her son, trying to make sense of this situation. “It definitely worked. I grew up here and there’s no talk of a Dark Curse or an Evil Queen.”

Too many lives now existed within her head, the one where she grew up an orphan and then gave Henry away, and then a fake life where she and Henry made it on their own and now this time altering life where she grew up happy and a princess. Emma looks over at her brother, who in her original timeline had only just been born. “You were a baby.” She mumbles to herself. “This must be pretty crazy for you right now.”

Leo just shrugs, “I’ve learnt to expect the unexpected in this family. When a 14 year old boy that looks like you and knows way too much about our family and says he’s your son, I realised crazier things have happened.”

Her baby brother. When her parents told her she was having a baby brother she hated the idea. But then when he was born she adored him, she loved watching him grow up, she remembers watching him walk for the first time and the first words he spoke. She was a teenager exploring herself and navigating the life of a royal but when her baby brother toddled into her room when she was having lessons she couldn’t help the smile on her face. He began to irritate her as he got into childhood with his grabby hands on her dress and coming into her room uninvited and unannounced. But the past few years now he had grown into his teens he’d become her friend, she was there for him when he fell off his horse and they would talk for hours after the balls about how boring they were or how a certain duke or prince would fall over themselves to talk to her. He was real. Her little brother was real to her and the fact a life existed without him was strange.

“We need a plan. I’m assuming I’m the only person, aside from maybe Rumple and Zelena, who isn’t cursed. How do we un-curse everybody?” Emma asks in hope that Henry already had a full plan in action.

Biting his lip and avoiding his mother’s eye contact Henry tells her, “Well I thought you giving me True Love's Kiss again might work, but maybe we need something else. I thought we could go on an adventure just the two of us like old times. Find out more and see if we can find Zelena maybe. Tell her that we’re here to stop her.”

Emma’s heart soars, she realises how scary it must have been for Henry waking up all alone. “There is nothing I’d love more Henry, but in this life I’m the Princess not the Sheriff or the Saviour so I can’t just run off with you at the drop of a hat without raising suspicion.”

“I’ll cover for you.” Leo offers. “I’m used to covering for you. I’ll tell them you had an urgent wedding matter or something.”

Wedding. To Killian-Hook. Fuck.

“Yeah Mom, I was wondering about that.” Henry says with a huge smirk across his face. “In our timeline she pretends to hate him even though she enjoys his constant flirting-nice to see he wore her down here.” He says to Leo who looks happy and ready to converse about his sister's love life.

When he was awake she was going to murder him. There was no way the two of them meeting was accidental, of all the women to meet in a tavern, of all the balls to crash it was hers. She found it very hard to believe he gave up everything that easily, just a promise of her hand in marriage. He had to have been working with Zelena.

_____

Henry and Emma leave in a carriage just before day break, apparently Leo caught one of the guards in an uncompromising position and owed him a favour. The guard was more than happy to drive them north In the middle of the night no questions asked.

“The last anyone heard of the Dark One was when I was very young. Nobody has heard from him in a decade, apparently he was training an apprentice in the wastelands to the north was the last place anyone had heard from him. Considering that was years ago, I think it’s best to assume it’s Zelena.” Emma explains as they ride out of the gates of the castle.

“So we get as far north as we can, see if anyone knows anything or has heard anything.” Henry offers, “Grandpa will have strong magic that will block the entrance to wherever he and Zelena are hiding, like in Harry Potter where Muggles can’t see Hogwarts.”

Emma cringes at the grandpa's comment, her mind wants to erase her family’s complicated family tree. But, if a part of Gold still remembered who he was-well she would never use him as leverage-but the dark one would be more inclined to help or believe them. “We can’t go in the northern wastelands Henry, they’re wastelands.”

“Any chance you have a map of this place?” Henry asks and Emma laughs until she realises he’s serious.

“I’ve read stories about this place and now I get to experience it. I want to know everything about this place.” From the gleam in his eye, you’d think he was a kid at Disney World.

“I can’t believe you want a history lesson right now.” She smiles, she missed him, she didn’t realise how much she had missed him until now. How many times she would see something or overhear a story and know in the back of her mind there was someone who would appreciate it, even if she didn’t know who.

“I’ve listened to stories about this place for years, I’ve read every inch of that Storybook and now I’m here. I want to know everything.”

Emma ruffles her son's hair as she gives a brief history lesson. “There are 8 kingdoms, Misthaven which is our kingdom being the largest. There were 10 kingdoms a few hundred years ago but now they’re called the Wastelands as they abused their magic and they fall to the North of Misthaven, which is where Rumples castle is likely to be located.” She gives him a brief overview of the differences between the kingdoms and who their monarchs are until Henry eventually doses off.

Listing the features of the place she considered home jut confused her more.

She was Emma Swan. The saviour.

But she was also

Emma of Misthaven. A Princess .

Who was also due to be married to Captain Hook in a few short weeks. After they had been together, secretly and then not so secretly for almost 6 years.

She has no idea what Ki-Hook, did or said to Zelena as how else does she explain almost marrying him?

Before they were unwillingly dragged into her time portal, things with Hook were strange. They’d kissed in Neverland and Emma had wanted to do that again. As much as she hated to admit it, he understood her, when they were in Neverland she felt as though nobody knew how she felt but him and that scared her. He came back to save her in New York, he risked it all to save her when she didn’t even have her memories, nobody had ever gone to the lengths for her that he did. She was afraid, thats what it boiled down to. In this life she didn’t need to be afraid, her parents didn’t abandon her and her ex boyfriend didn’t leave her.

It suddenly makes sense though, why they felt drawn to one another. Though she was sure they had never met before, something in her gut told her she knew him.

He clearly knew her. Why else would Captain Hook be interested in a random princess he met in a tavern after escaping her dungeon? No way would the most fearsome pirate in all the land give up piracy for a woman?

Not that she cared. Those were false memories. She was cursed.

But then again, if Leo was real. And the love she felt and had with her parents was real.

No. She wouldn’t allow herself to think of his blue eyes and dark hair. Her hands roaming his chest under all that leather. How the taste of his lips feel. The way he makes her moan when he does that thing with his mouth.

She falls asleep thinking about his proposal. When he mentioned running away together and Emma leaving the kingdom she thought he was crazy. She couldn’t imagine actually running away and leaving everything behind. But she loved him. And love makes you do crazy things. So after a few days of going over and over in her head, she went back and told him she did want to run away with him, leave Misthaven. Show her parents that this was what she wanted, not to be a Queen married to someone she barely knows let alone loves, always having to hold her tongue, not allowed to have any real opinions if they don’t benefit the kingdom.

He got down on one knee that night on the deck of the Jolly Roger and asked her to marry him. It was a proposal and a promise. He proposed using his brother's ring, the one who died in Neverland. Emma didn’t understand the severity of what happened to his brother until now. She would listen to stories of Neverland and what an awful place it was, but Emma now knew just how horrible it was.

_______

Henry wakes up to the sounds of swords clashing outside his window. What was happening?

No. Not his window. The carriage window.

He opens his eyes and focuses on what’s going on outside the carriage window.

The guard who was driving them north was fighting with a man who had the hood of his cloak up so nobody could see his face and he had a quiver of arrows on his back and a sword with no sheath, indicating the arrows were his usual weapon and the sword was stolen.

Emma finally opens the door and kicks the hooded man to the ground. “Please. We have no money and no jewels. I’m just a mother who is travelling with her son.”

Their carriage driver runs off into the trees as the hooded man stands up and they get a look at his face.

“My apologies. I thought this was a royal carriage.” He extends his hand to Emma and she notices a lion tattoo on his arm. “The names Robin.”

“Robin Hood?” Henry asks, despite being cursed he remembers him, and the things he caught him doing with Regina.

Robin nods. “Robin of Sherwood, or some know me by Robin Hood yes. My apologies again.”

“Why were you trying to rob a royal carriage?” Emma asks, careful not to be too trusting considering she had no clue what role Robin played in this realm.

“I target royal carriages as they carry excessive jewels and money they don’t need. There are people in these villages who need their money and jewels far more than they do. My wife and I can barely afford to feed ourselves, but there are some families with young children and no money to buy clothes or toys.”

“Steal from the rich and give to the poor.” Henry whispers. Turns out Robin Hood from this reality was pretty similar to the one they met in Storybrooke.

“May I ask, if you’re not royal what are you doing? As I’ve robbed my fair share of royal carriages and yours is very similar.”

“My son and I have been sent by our Kingdom to seek out information on the Dark One. Or even better if someone knows anything about a witch named Zelena.” The whole reason for their mission was to find out if anyone knew something and who knows what Robin may know.

The mention of The Dark One makes anyone look uneasy, but at the mention of Zelena’s name he went deathly pale. “If you come with me, I know someone who may know exactly what you’re looking for.”

Emma and Henry look at one another relieved, they were getting somewhere. “Thank you.”

They follow Robin for a couple miles to his home. It’s pretty small, and in a large village of similar sized houses. It’s a shock for Henry, who was used to much grander houses in Storybrooke with running water and electricity. To Emma, it's not much of a shock considering she grew up in a house not too dissimilar to this in this reality for the first 9 years of her life.

“Are you there my love?” Robin calls out as they walk through the door.

“In the kitchen.” A woman’s voice calls back. A familiar voice.

They follow Robin into the only other room in the small hut to find a tall slim woman with dark hair with her back to them. Only Henry would recognise her anywhere.

“Regina my love.” Robin kisses her cheek softly. “I brought guests.”

Regina smiles sweetly. Which was scary. Emma had never seen the woman so humane. She squeezes Henry’s hand whose heart must be beating a million beats a minute. “Welcome, it’s always nice to have guests. What are your names?

“Thank you for inviting us Robin, you have a lovely home.” Panic mode, Emma hadn’t thought about names-they’d have to use aliases but what?

“My name is Harry, and this is my mother Leia.” Henry offers. Really kid-Harry Potter and Star Wars?

Henry gives her a look as if to say ‘what would you have said?’

“They have questions about the Dark One. And specifically his involvement with your sister.” Robin tells Regina.

Regina just nods. “Well you better sit down for dinner then.”

So she knew Zelena was her sister in this reality. Was Regina the one who was given up then?

Emma and Henry sit down and are served an Enchanted Forest delicacy that Henry hadn’t had the luck of trying yet. Lucky him. It’s not exactly roast beef or hamburgers from Grannys. ‘Lamb’ stew with vegetables and potatoes. Except Emma isn’t too sure it is lamb, but she had grown accustomed to the taste and the texture. They had been driving all day and were starving though so they had no choice.

Henry looks disgusted but tries his best to eat it. Especially as his other mother served it to him unknowing of her relationship to him. It didn’t feel right, seeing his mother look at him but not see him. But Henry couldn’t risk anything but seeing if she remembers any part of him at all. She was the only link to Zelena, and if Henry started talking nonsense about being her son she would kick them out.

“So what is it that my sister has done to you?” Regina asks as she sits at the table next to Robin, who was her husband in this reality. Not surprising in all honesty, even in her cursed state he could see something was going on with Robin.

“She cursed the people in our kingdom to forget who they are. We fear she has something larger at bay with the help of the Dark One.” Emma tells her as she tucks into the stew.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. I have heard rumours of the things she has done to people, but hearing it first hand is heartbreaking.”

“We didn’t know she had a sister.” Emma mentions, hoping to hear more about this reality and why Regina isn’t a raging murderous bitch.

“Not many know that she has a sister, and I can’t imagine she ever mentions me.” Regina says, and it’s freaking Emma out how kind and nice she’s being. She’s far from the Evil Queen in this reality. “My mother, Cora, she found herschelf unmarried and pregnant was taken pity on by a Princess from a northern kingdom, and sent her to my grandfather's kingdom in the west. She was able to work and gave birth to Zelena whilst being able to look after her at the same time. She met my father, the Prince of that kingdom and he fell in love with her, he would always make excuses to need his sheets washed just to see her for a few moments a day.” The way Regina talks about her mother is very different, almost fondly. “Anyway, my grandfather eventually found out about their affair and told her she could never marry his son, that’s when she told him she was able to spin straw into gold.”

Emma had a feeling where this story was going.

“That’s when she met The Dark One. He taught her everything and my parents were able to marry. I was born just over a year later. Zelena and I were so close growing up but when we were of age, the Dark One, he began to teach us magic. My sister was gifted and the prodigy my mother hoped she’d be. It took me longer to even conjure a fireball, so his attention quickly began to focus on my sister. After a few years of being left on the sideline, I ran away. Sick of magic, I didn’t need it and it was awful-my mother used magic on me as punishment when I was growing up, and I’d seen the awful things it had done-I didn’t want to be that person. After a while of hiding out in the woods I met Robin, and the rest is well, history.”

She seemed happier. And not just because of Robin. Regina didn’t have magic in this life, and she’d never become the Evil Queen. She’d found Robin and started a life with him, away from magic and away with any evil. Was it cruel to eventually wake her up from this?

“Do you know where she currently is?” Emma asks.

Regina shakes her head. “I pride myself on not knowing her whereabouts but I imagine it’s somewhere in the northern mountains.”

“Have you tried a True Love's Kiss?” Emma raises her eyebrow at Robin before he explains, “I’m not sure what sort of memory curse your kingdom is under, but I’ve heard that True Love's Kiss can break any curse.”

That’s right. True Love’s Kiss. Her parents were never under a sleeping curse in this reality. They never had to fight for their love. “You might be onto something. But I believe it’s the King and Queen your sister is targeting with her curse, and I can only assume they’ve kissed, how can we get them to break the curse?”

“Sleeping curse.” Henry mutters. “They would have to be under a sleeping curse, correct?”

Regina nods. “You're a very bright boy Harry. It sounds like to give your kingdom their memories back, you need a sleeping curse.”

“That requires magic though. And nobody in our kingdom possesses such a kind.” As a result of not being the saviour in this reality, it also meant Emma had no magic. “Regina, is there any way you could maybe lend us some? If you had it in the past, I’m sure you could find a way to-“

“With all due respect, why would I help you?” Regina days cutting her off. That’s more like the Regina they know. “I’m sorry about your kingdom, but I haven’t touched magic in a long time and I don’t want to tap back into that darkness for two people I just met. I think you should leave.”

Knowing not to argue with her, Emma politely agrees and lets Robin show them the way out.

“Before you go.” Robin whispers. “My wife doesn’t have magic, but she does know more about where the Dark One resides. He has a castle up in the northern mountains, it borders the wastelands, it’s about three days from here. Good luck with your mission.”

Three days? They were running on a limited time schedule as it was. Three days there, and then the journey back?

“Got any bright ideas kid? Other than screaming Bloody Mary into a mirror 3 times?” She asks as a joke, except Henry’s eyes light up. “No. No. We are not doing that.”

“How else do you expect us to get information? We have to summon him.” Henry had met Mr. Gold, the pawnshop owner of Storybrooke who also happened to be his grandfather. Though Emma herself hadn’t met the Dark One in this reality, she had heard stories of the things he did to people and his ways of torturing. Hell she had learnt through Hook what he did to his ex wife. She didn’t know how it was going to turn out, she had to keep Henry safe.

“How do we even get him? We don’t exactly have his dagger? Dark one I summon thee? Would that even work?”

Mother and son hear a giggle behind them and look at one another before slowly turning their heads behind them to see Rumplestilskin. In all his crocodile skin glory.

“Dark One.” Emma breathes, a mixture of fear and amazement in her voice.

“The very one dearie.” He grins playfully. “What can I do for you, witch?”

Emma debates in her head what to say, how do you say you want a sleeping curse? And no way he'd give it to them.

“We need magic to save our kingdom.” Henry pipes up, eagerness getting the better of him.

“What does a Princess need with magic?” The Dark One asks, causing Emma to raise her eyebrow at him. “Oh yes I know who you are, Princess Emma of Misthaven. But I don’t know you.” He wiggles his finger at Henry, this version was a lot more theatrical than the one they knew in storybrooke.

Henry looks at his grandfather, with his scaly skin and his cane nowhere in sight. This wasn’t his grandfather, this was The Dark One who made deals and tortured people. His breath hitches he can barely speak, “I’m nobody. Just someone who needs magic to help bring my family back.”

“People in my kingdom have been cursed and they have lost their memories. I need magic to help bring their memories back.” Emma explains, hoping somewhere deep inside that Rumplestiltskin isn't the victim of this curse too.

Rumple prowls around the two, as if sizing them up or as if he was trying to read their minds. “And what manner of magic are we talking about here? You seem very confident that magic will solve this little problem. And why come to me at all? I’m sure Misthaven has someone who could give you a potion or an elixir.”

Struggling to keep her eyes on the Dark One as he keeps moving around, Emma decides on her lie. “My kingdom is scared of magic, most of them don’t trust it which is why it was easy for a witch to take their memories. I studied magic in secret, I don’t have any physical powers but I learnt the study of sorcery and magic from books in my library. I know that any curse can be broken with True Love’s Kiss, which is why I need a sleeping curse so that the curse can be broken. I’ve heard rumours you dabble with sleeping curses.”

Rumple fixates on Emma for a second, almost expecting her to break, but she remains strong. “And you have a victim in mind for this sleeping curse?”

Emma nods. “Yes. They may not have had any magic confirmation but I believe they are the epitome of True Love and a kiss will break the curse and bring back their memories.”

“And why aren’t you still a victim to this curse?”

Shit. She hadn’t thought about that. “I honestly cannot tell you for sure why. But I believe I regained my memories for a reason, I think it’s my fate to save my kingdom.” While she wasn’t the saviour in this realm, she was still the saviour of Storybrooke and she had to bring them home.

Emma isn’t sure if it’s a smile, a grin or a smirk that crosses his face when she mentions saving her kingdom, but Rumple was willing to help. “Very well dearie.” And with a wave of his hand an Apple suddenly appears in Emma’s hand.

“An Apple?” Emma’s eyebrows raise at Rumple, he had to know, even if he wasn’t showing it. This is too much of a coincidence.

“Most common form of a sleeping curse, other than a spinning needle. Just give this to your unsuspecting victim and they will fall into a deep slumber until their true love wakes them up.” There was a gleam in his eyes that made Emma think he knew, he must know.

“Thank you.” She says before he disappears in the blink of an eye.

“He knows.” Henry states as Emma just stands there going over what just happened.

“You think?” Emma couldn’t be sure, there were too many coincidences, but then again what was his plan if he was helping Zelena?

“He willingly gave us an apple for a sleeping curse with almost no questions asked. I think grandpa is still in there.” Henry was positive, he had to be. He’d made it to the Enchanted Forest by himself to save his family, and now he has to believe his grandpa knew who he was and that was why he was willing to help.

___

“So what is the plan now that we have the apple?” Henry asks his mother once they’re back in their carriage on the way back to the kingdom. Henry was on top of it, he always needed a plan.

“Well, I’m getting Gregory to drop you off just before the gates so we don’t raise suspicions and Leo will meet you in the stables, he’ll disguise you as one of his servants and then we can figure out how to get her to eat the apple.”

“Grandpa needs to be away!” Henry blurts out as if a lightbulb just went off in his head. “In the original timeline, Gramps had to find her before he could wake her up. What if that needs to happen again this time?”

“You’re right.” Emma says as she opens up the storybook to the right page, seeing the quest her father went on before-trapped by Regina and then slaying Maleficent. “Well we don’t have an evil queen to trap him, but he does have a trip coming up. We can poison Snow send word to dad, that way he’s going on a journey to come and save her. We can call it Operation Scorpion?

Henry just laughs at his mother’s suggestion.

“No? Okay how about Operation Python?” She suggests, smiling at Henry’s unenthusiastic face.

[akesdraws-blog]

Morning Confusion

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Since you started your relationship with the leader of the group, their mornings always started with little morning kisses on the forehead, sometimes it was Leonardo kissing your little forehead while he whispered soft words to wake you up, and other times it was you kissing that huge greenish forehead while he kissed you. you encourage him to get up (this happened only when the leader was sleeping in from a particularly heavy patrol or an intense game night with his brothers).

They both got ready an hour apart or maybe more if the bed felt more comfortable than usual.

But this time they both managed to get up at the same time.

L. -Work?-

Y/N. -Free day-

L. -It's early for you, isn't it?-

Y/N. -Don't get your hopes up, I hate when se espanta mi sueño, I can't sleep after-

L. -Just like a baby-

Y/N. -Hey!-

L. -Well, look at it this way, you have more time to take advantage of the day-

That's right, you used to be the type of person who loved to sleep his 8 hours or more if possible, your disciplined boyfriend's dream was that you will wake up with the sun with all the energy and attitude to start your day, you can only say that it will continue like this... Like a dream.

You rarely got up early or minimally at the same time as your partner.

We must say that their relationship had also reached a level of intimacy that Leonardo had even given you one of his spaces in the room so that you could leave some extra clothes, he assures that it is for the occasions when you stay to sleep, but internally it causes him a lot of happiness, because he can feel a new level of confidence.

So once they got dressed, it only remained to go out to brush their faces and teeth, you greeted the family who were already quite used to your stay.

Y/N.-Good morning, is there anything new in the news?-

R. -Nothing new, just the weather and some heavy traffic warnings-

Y/N. -What can I tell you?, There is not always news of foot soldiers or ninjas terrifying the city, sometimes it is just the "terrifying traffic"-

D. -Sometimes it is better not to listen to that news, it means a quiet day-

R. -Boring!-

M. -It means that you do our job so well that the bad guys have to take a day off too-

Y/N. -you said it-

D. -And Leo? Is he still asleep?-

Y/N. -No, he's just brushing his teeth-

L. -Did they talk to me?-

Leonardo would just come out with a little foam at the mouth while he was brushing his teeth, sometimes seeing that kind of image of "Mr. Discipline and order" was something refreshing and a little funny, or so you might have thought until your eyes focused in the brush that was in the hand of the huge turtle.

Y/N. -What are you doing with my toothbrush?-

L. -Which one?-

Y/N. -The one you have in your mouth-

L. -This is mine-

Y/N. -That's not your toothbrush, it's mine!-

L. -It's not true, it's the other blue toothbrush-

Y/N. -That's literally your color!-

L. -But you said you liked that one!-

The small revelation even caught the attention of the rest, who had stopped watching the news channel to just look at them with an expression of amusement at the situation that was happening right in front of them.

L. -Since when do you use it?-

Y/N. -Since when do YOU use it?-

R. -What is the problem?-

M. -Brother, you've both literally eaten ass enough-

D. -but do you dislike sharing a toothbrush?-

Y/N. | L. -This is not the problem!-

From then on they both marked their own toothbrushes to avoid future mix-ups.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Late but safe.

Ready this little and a little funny story for the event of the month of April.

Don't forget, the event is hosted by: @thelaundrybitch @post-apocalyptic-daydream @leosgirl82 @turtle-babe83

Tell me, do you ever lose sleep? It gets a little frustrating, right?

Tags:

@post-apocalyptic-daydream . @turtle-babe83 . @turtlesmakemehappy . @dilucsflame33 . @thelaundrybitch . @scholastic-dragon . @leosgirl82 . @tmnt-tychou . @mackbunny . @happymoonangel .@lazyafgurl

[vxlxrdohxeris]

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         ekin koç,  thirty-one,  cisman,  he/him.    announcing  the  arrival  of  ASLAN of  house  MARTELL,  the  PRINCE of  DORNE.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  CONFIDENT  and  RUTHLESS in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  combat.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  sun kissed skin, long horse rides through the desert, being skilled with his sword as much as he is with his words.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  HOUSE MARTELL.

statistics… 

# basic information.

official  name:  aslan martell.  nicknames:  none.  noble  title:  prince.  date  of  birth:  tbd.  age:  thirty-one.  birthplace:  sunspear.  home:  sunspear.  nationality:  dornish.  gender:  cis man.  pronouns:  he/him.  orientation:  heterosexual.  monikers:  tbd.  languages:  common tongue.  accent:  dornish.

# physical information.

faceclaim:  ekin koç. hair:  black.  eyes:  brown.  height:  5 feet 11 inch.  build:  athletic.  dominant  hand:  right.  allergies:  none.  scars:  a few across his body from all the fighting.  distinguishing  features:  none.  clothing  style:  light clothes due to the hot weather of dorne.

# personality.

label:   the warrior.   mbti:   tbd.   enneagram:   tbd.   element:   fire.   star   sign:   leo.   temperament:   tbd.   character   inspirations:   tbd.   deadly   sin:   greed.   heavenly   virtue:   justice.   godly   parent:   tbd.

# drives.

hobbies:  horseback riding, sword fighting.  religion:  the seven.  alliance:  house velaryon.  personal goals:  help dorne get its independence.  would they choose family or power?  family.

# familial ties.

parent one:  prince doran martell.  relationship:  tba.  parent two:  carynne martell nee utp. relationship:  tba.  spouse:  n/a. relationship:  n/a.  sibling:  lord sinan martell. relationship:  tba.  sibling: princess  reyyan  martell. relationship:  tba. sibling: lady  esmeray  martell. relationship:  tba.  sibling: princess ela martell. relationship:  tba. 

# narrative...

As one of the princes of Dorne, Aslan always felt a pressure on his shoulders to achieve what was expected of him. Be an example to everyone, be studious not only when it comes to politics but also in the art of war. And that's exactly what he did. Aslan would often attend the council meetings with his father, absorbing as much information as he could and learning from the people in attendance. When he grew more confident, he would point out some of his ideas and beliefs, often getting praised by the members of the council and his father.

As a way to award him for his work and show that he believes in his qualities, Aslan was given the important role of negotiating with other houses and kingdoms for new trade routes that would bring more wealth and influence to Dorne. Not only that, he went as far as to create new trading routes with the Free Cities as well. He's very intelligent, a very talented warrior and an incredible and inspiring leader. He can often be seen among the soldiers. Although, he has a manipulative side to him that is unknown to most. He knows what to say and when to say it, to get what he wants. He can also be very selfish, not caring about how he got what he wanted and who he had to go over to get it. His family and Dorne would always come first.

Aslan has always hated the fact that they were apart of the Seven Kingdoms and were ruled by the Targaryens. He's proud of his region, proud of his people and he believes that they should have their independence. They have unique customs, a culture that is different from the rest of Westeros, they do not fit with them. He's willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that, to finally make true the words of his house, unbowed, unbent, unbroken.

# wanted  connections.

connection  name:  connection  type.

info.

connection  name:  connection  type.

info.

[judgementdaysunshine]

Welcome to our prompt list! @romanthereigns 🫶🏻

⚠️ Give us credits if you use any prompts! ⚠️

✧ “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”- Andy Dufresne, Shawshank Redemption

✧ "You'll have bad times, but that'll wake you up to the good stuff you weren't paying attention to" - Sean Maguire, Good Will Hunting

✧ “I’ve just had the best summer of my life and now I have to go away, it isn’t fair” – Sandy, Grease

✧ "They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops, and that's true. What they don't tell you is that when it starts again, it moves extra fast to catch up" - Edward Bloom, Big Fish

✧ “So it’s not gonna be easy, it’s gonna be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me everyday” - Noah, The Notebook

✧ "We accept the love we think we deserve" - Mr Anderson, Perks of being a wallflower

✧ “And sometimes you love a person just because they feel like home” - Bridget Jones, Bridget Jones’ Diary

✧ "Something better than you? there isn't anything better than you" - Forney Hull, Where the heart is

✧ “I vow to love you, and no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will always find a way back to each other”-Leo, The Vow

✧ "I love you, I've always loved you" - Jenna Rink, 13 going on 30

✧ “But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all”- Kat Stratford, 10 Things I Hate About You

✧ "You were born into a family that doesn't always appreciate you, but one day things are gonna be very different" - Miss Honey, Matilda

✧ “I want to wake up with you beside me in the mornings, I want to spend my evenings looking at you across the dinner table, I want to share every mundane detail of my day with you and hear every detail of yours, I want to laugh with you and fall asleep with you in my arms”- Dawson Cole, The Best Of Me

✧ "I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone" - Arwen, Lord of the rings

✧ “You know the smallest thing can change a life. In the blink of an eye, something happens by chance-and when you least expect it-since we’re on a course that you could have never planned, into a future you never imagined”- Logan Thibault, The Lucky One

✧ "We get to choose who we let into our weird little worlds" - Sean Maguire, Good Will Hunting

✧ “Since the invention of the kiss, there have only been 5 kisses that were rated the most passionate-the most pure. This one left them all behind”- William Goldman, The Princess Bride

✧ "You deserve a guy who says I can't imagine a world without you in it" - Drew Baylor, Elizabethtown

✧ “You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down”- George Bailey, It’s A Wonderful Life

✧ "You is kind, you is smart, you is important" - Aibileen Clark, The Help

[darkcrowprincess]

Lunter teen pregnancy:

*warnings premi baby, teen pregnancy(luz 16, Hunter 18), cheating(not between lunter), me being salty towards amity, protective and possessive hunter, sad luz. Angst*

(I'm not an expert on primi babies or the NICU. If I get anything wrong I apologize)

Their baby was born early. A little baby boy named Leandro born 33 weeks instead of the full 40 weeks . Leo Luz whispers to him in his NICU crib. Sometimes she even sleeps there right besides their baby. When she can't touch him she leans near him humming Dominican lullabies. Her head on her folded arms just watching him with wide tearful eyes. Their baby is so tiny, but you can already tell he has her skin coloring. When they aren't here and Hunter doesn't force her to sleep or takes care of her they sit at what she calls the hospital Chapel. "I'm not religious, and I know you and the doctors say it's not my fault, it was out of my control. But I can't help but feel guilty and to blame," Luz whispers, tears bubbling and leaking from her eyes as Hunter cuddles her, protective and possessive on the wooden bench. Luz speaks wetly into Hunter's neck, "I can pray maybe to the titan! To make sure he's ok. It wouldn't hurt." Hunter pecks a soft kiss onto her forhead for comfort. The pregnancy wasn't easy on Luz or Leo. Teen pregnancies never were, and the traumatic situation that was their lives wasn't helping either. Dear Titan Hunter was terrified he would lose them both. Though fortunately they both where alright. Hunter speaks calmly in hopes of assuring her, "The doctors say he's strong. His progress is going well, him staying NICU and us keeping up with the skin contact whenever we can is helping. We'll be able to take him home soon we just need to be patient ok." He cups her hands in his. Hers soft, delicate and ink stained, compared to his big scarred hands. Two years after finally putting to rest Belos, the collector and the boiling isles, yet the trauma still haunted them. That's probably why they clunged to each other. Even when Luz wasn't suppose to. Luz looks at Hunter with a deep love, but also incredible worry and guilt shining in pools of hazel brown. Fear in her voice, "Do you think I'm being punished?" Hunter with a shocked look asks, " What do you mean? You think what? Us cheating did this? Hurt our baby?" Luz closes her eyes tight and nods slowly. She hates bringing this up this fear she has. Her love for Hunter was absolute, a burning everlasting sun. Determined and true. She could never regret him, her literal darkness to her light. She regrets the situation; the cheating, the lying, all of it hurting Amity. If only Luz had just been honest from the beginning. Instead hiding and secret keeping like the messed up issued filled girl she is. But there was never any time. Secrets kept piling up, and so did the lies. And the one person other than Eda that fully understand it all was wrapped up in it just as much as she was. They say people formed bonds in the middle of trauma, and that might seem true. But for her and Hunter, it was more than that. Their souls were reincarnations of Caleb and Evelyn Clawthorne. Luz continues and brings up her other fear, " And if it's not the cheating, that what if were just destined for this? Our desties always seemed tied for death, trauma and tragedy. We manged to live, but what if fate wants to punish us for it and take our baby away f-for not-." "For what? For one of us not dying?! Oh Luz!" Hunter just picks her up into his lap, and holds her closer than before. Luz holds him back tight just as fiercely. He speaks into her ear with a strong voice,"Listen to me, we are not cursed. This not punishment. This is us having deal with the fact that we've been through a lot of shit ok. Our lives were stressful and traumatic and were still dealing with the affects of that. But I telling you everything will be ok. After everything we went through? We can pull through this. Our baby is strong. And we our just as strong. I will keep us together ok?" Luz whipes her nosie with her sleeve and looks up at Hunter with a deep need. "You promise?" " Luz you kept me together when I needed you the most, of course I promise to do same for you. For our little family." He seals this promise with a deep lock of their lips coming together. Luz sinks into the kiss, feeling safe and at home.

[stray-kaz]

Three Day Hire : a Leo Grande x reader FF : seven + epilogue

18 and up, y’all.

Sunday morning, you were slow to get up, slow to get ready and slow to eat breakfast, scooting the bacon and eggs around on your plate until they had turned cold and virtually inedible. When you left the dining room, your luggage was already waiting for you, Leo’s leaning up against it. It all looked small and inconsequential, even though it had been witness to some of the more memorable memories of your lifetime thus far.

Leo carried most of it to the waiting car, bearing the brunt on his shoulders, much wider than yours were, physically and psychologically. Looking back at you sitting on the porch steps, he saw how lost and sad you were, compared to the semi hopeful girl you were when you arrived, hand in hand with him. He remembered his first day with you and wished he could rewind the time and do it over again with you, just to get the details right and make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.

“Hey, baby.”

You looked up at the sound of his gentle voice and smiled sadly.

“Hello.”

“So sad, beautiful girl.”

You shrugged and let him help you up off the step and down onto the drive. He slung his arm over your shoulders, tucking you into his side.

“Hey!”

You stiffened against him and he glanced over his shoulder, frowning when he saw Millie pacing quickly towards him, her eyes like two bullets trained on your back.

“You didn’t say goodbye” she accused, reaching out to pull at your shoulder. “You said goodbye to everyone else but not me. Why is that? Why do you look like a kicked puppy this morning? Did the king of sex break up with you or something? Look at me!”

You spun, fists clenched, but Leo got there first. Eyes hard as jade, voice lowered, he got right in her face, his body crowding hers. You watched him, awestruck and gratified.

“Millicent” Leo growled, dragging out every hated syllable. “Drop it. Let it go. She doesn’t want to look at you, okay? With any luck, she’ll never see you again. Goodbye. It wasn’t nice to meet you.”

She stared up at him, eyes wide and gulping like a goldfish. Without another word, he turned on his heel and took you to the car, making quick note of the fact it was the same one from the club night. He held the door open for you and then climbed in after you, slamming the door shut.

“Thank you for what you said” you said quietly.

Buckling his seatbelt, he glanced over at you with a faint smile.

“You’re welcome. It might have been a bit much, I admit, but -”

You shook your head, cutting him off.

“It wasn’t” you assured him. “I’ll be quite happy never having to see her again.”

He nodded and you shuffled over to lean your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes as the engine growled to life and Reginald drove away, leaving the holiday home in a cloud of dust.

Leo was prepared for the flight home, now knowing your fear of flying, and was holding your hand the second your seatbelt was secure. You kept your eyes closed until the plane was in the air and all you could see was white and blue.

“I’m sorry your stories about your sister were true” Leo told you, pressing a kiss into your hair. “I’m sorry she doesn’t love you the way you should be loved.”

You nodded against his shoulder.

“Does anybody love anyone how they should be loved?”

Leo fell silent, thinking about that. It occurred to him that you were probably right and that maybe you were a little bit wise, and even braver than he was for admitting it. Maybe there was a little bit of Gryffindor in you, too.

To your surprise, Leo followed you into the same cab when you left the airport.

“Aren’t you going home now?” you asked, puzzled. “You have no more obligation to me anymore, the weekend is ov-”

He kissed you to shut you up, pressing you back against the car door.

“I’m following you home” he murmured against your mouth. “On the house. This is all for me. And all for you.”

Half an hour later, you were crashing through your bedroom door and falling onto your bed, unmade from the last time you slept in it days ago, comfortable and familiar, silver and white. Leo’s hands were up your shirt, but he didn’t bother undressing you this time, instead just pulled your underwear down, along with his shorts and underwear, and tipped you over onto your hands and knees to face the headboard, skirt still on.

You arched over and dug your hands into your pillow, shaking as he entered you, the stretch as sweet and earth shattering as you remembered from the previous two times it had happened. Leo pushed the hem of your skirt up and out of the way so he could see what he was doing, his grasp on your hips tightening as his snapped against you, making your thighs tremble and your breath hitch, your eyes closing against the pleasure.

You cried out on his name so many times over and over, the letters blurred together into a mess. He tapped the same blackout spot again and again, until your mouth opened on a silent scream and he held you up against him until he came with a whisper of your name and collapsed with you in a jumble of limbs and too many clothes.

And then when he was sure you were okay and breathing normally again, in the heavy afterglow, he told you about his life, the real one that had morphed into this new, shiny cover story he didn’t let anyone see behind. You held his hands as he told you about his mother, what she had seen, and how she had forced him out of his home and named him dead. And he told you his real name.

As the light started to change out the window, Leo dressed and walked to the door, shouldering his backpack and gripping the handle of his suitcase. One hand on the doorknob, he turned to look back and blew you a kiss.

“Goodbye, baby” he said quietly, peacefully.

And then he opened the door and closed it. Gone.

Epilogue : 4 months later

You had never felt more anxious in your life. You paced in front of the door to your flat, wondering for the fiftieth time if you were making a mistake.

You had booked Leo again, but had given no indication what for. Nevertheless, when he knocked, you couldn’t keep the smile off your face as you opened the door and let him in. He kissed your cheek and closed the door.

“It’s nice to see you again” he told you, smiling. “I wasn’t sure I would. You’re just as beautiful as I remember.”

“So are you” you replied, and facepalmed yourself as Leo laughed.

He put his backpack down, crouched and started to unzip it, but you stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and he looked up expectantly, hesitating.

“I didn’t book you for sex” you said quietly.

Leo stood up and looked down at you.

“So why am I here?” he asked, puzzled.

You took a deep breath and lifted your shirt, turning side on so he could see the swell at your belly.

“Wha-?”

He stepped back and stared, starry eyes wide.

“How...how far along?”

“Four months” you said shyly. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell you, but then I realised you deserved to know.”

You could almost see the cogs turning behind his eyes and you were about to tell him not to worry, you’d be fine on your own, when he took a step closer and held out his hands.

“May I?” he asked.

“Of course. Go ahead, Leo.”

You nodded and he placed his hands tentatively on either side of your bump. An expression of surprise came onto his face and you waited, watchful.

“It’s so hard and so soft at the same time” he said, awed, as he traced your skin with his fingertips.

You giggled a little and covered his hands with yours.

“It’s a boy” you said softly, and fixed your gaze on his.

Leo stared again, not sure what to say.

“I would like to name him Connor, if that’s all right with you” you said slowly, your voice steady. “That name deserves a fresh start.”

With trembling hands, Leo cupped your face and brought his lips to yours, tender, pouring out, grateful.

“I would like that” he murmured against your mouth. “Thank you.”

“But I need you to know you don’t have to stick around. I can do this.”

He shook his head, his nose rubbing against yours.

“He’s my son. He’s my responsibility.”

“But you don’t -”

Leo kissed you again then, stealing your breath and your words.

“We will figure it out, baby” he told you, grinning. “My job’s a little unusual, but we’ll make it work. So...your place or mine?”

Tagging: @fineanddandy​ @slippinginto-theairwaves

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read to the end! This story fulfilled itself in ways I didn’t expect, and the ending? You can thank Daryl McCormack in The Randomer for it. I am a sucker for a man with a baby. Keep your eyes peeled for a Christmas themed Leo x reader oneshot, featuring baby Connor.

[ducknotinarow]

MM Raph - 📖 uwu

| Send in ❛ 📖 ❜ to view a page of my muse's journal/diary

Uhhhh I dn’t know how to start this stupid thing. But when I asked Splinter he said writing crap down might help? Well Dad didn’t say crap but ya know. Jus I’m al mixed up I guess? I would try and ask Leo or Donnie but well. I don’t think Leo can help anyone knot even himself when it comes to this stuff. Donnie? Well after the whole ‘coming out’ thing? For sure not Donnie. He still won’t let me live down how I fucked up with that whole thing too as is. I can only imagine how Donnie would just roast me over this too.

Okay so just me and you journal. An I’m having no real luck on my end figuring it ouat. So you better do your job got me?

So well Casey kissed me and now I think my brain has been fried because of it and I’m not fully sure why it’s so fried! It’s like when one of Don’s first laptops got a cup of water thrown over it when Mikey ad I were messin round with a super bouncy ball in the lair. Man that thing had a lot of bounce in it would go everywhere if you threw it hard enough! Anyway no the point. I can’t stop thinking about it. Everything about it, everything about Casey. Kind of wondering how I feel about Casey myself.

When we first met? Nah I didn’t like him at al, he was annoying and a jus asking for a good ass kicking. Which I gave. Even if I got into trouble for the whole mess cause of it. But well he was annoying standing there acttin like I wouldn't be good at hockey just cause i'm a turtle. Cause were slow. And yeah maybe I shouldn't let him get to me but he did! And I don't back down from a fight. Course picking them after maybe wasn't the best choice either. I dunno i just couldn't leave it alone. Drop it and such like the guys kept trying to tell me. We finally got our big punishment for all the fighting. Stuck in a small room with the guy. Don't now how that meant to fix anything.

But I gotta say honestly? I didn't really hate him even with all the fighting going on between us. Splinter seemed confused but I kind of thought maybe we could be friends. I said we were friends but I blame my wording on how hurt I was at the time. I dunno I just even though we clearly didn't like each other I also just had a feelin i guess is the best why I can put it ya know? Sure Casey was nothing but a jerk at the time and a jerk I kept being a jerk towards as well. But I dunno I don't think it was really me he was mad at, I think he was just mad. About something else and I was just I dunno in the way? or something he could focus it on?

Well I got lotta experience being stuck in small place. Even If didn't really wanna talk to Casey. It was my first and only chance after living in hiding for years to be part of something even if I wasn't even like married to the idea of hockey still. I did try and break the silence in that room even with Casey making it clear he wanted nothing to do with me. I dunno part of me really did feel like maybe we could be friends? Sure took a lot and I mean a lot. To finally do that but when Casey did open up?

Yeah I felt bad.

I told him how for him least he always been able to just do stuff like try out for teams or whatever but I never could before. Hell just going out to see the city at night took a lot to convince Splinter of. Only way me and my brothers could was if we just took long on grocery runs. Just to catch at best ten minutes of a movie playing. I confessed how in the movies it always seem so great to go to school. How having friends seemed great. Sport teams had a bond and maybe i just wanted that.

I know that answer least wasn't gonna drop all that just ya know start with it though. And Casey kind of opened my eyes. I guess to me just seem like humans can do whatever they want at anytime. But I guess that isn't true. Casey couldn't just do anything he wanted his mom was like Splinter. Protective. And yeah I know how an over protective parent can be to deal with.

Casey wasn't a bad guy, he was just dealin with shit to. Like Beep, Rock and I talk bout sometimes. And I still feel that way now. Casey isn't a bad guy he's just dealign with shit and having something that makes him happy helps. So course I was willing to tell the coach I was dropping out so he could make Casey on the team. Even if he didn't appreciate my kind gesture their. dick. I dunno when Casey mentions hockey? he just seems happy. And I guess it means a lot to him and I just felt like I dunno. Look he was still a dick even if its clear he loves the damn sport he should just been happy and said thank you or something jerk.

I also did it cause I dunno I feel like Casey gets me and I just want to be Casey's friend. Sure I want friends I know that but I really want Casey to be my friend and I don't know how to explain that feeling? Even If I fucked up when Casey wanted to tell me he was gay Bi. Donnie had a point some humans dont accept even thier own for stuff like that even. But to me? Casey just Casey I don't think it matters who he thinks is attractive or whatever I still felt bad for messing that up though. Casey was showing we are friends cause he trusted me with something important.

I guess I just don't understand how he wound up likeing me with how much i've fucked everything up every step of us becoming friends. Also Can't stop thinking about how it felt to kiss Casey. I dunno I thought it be rough his lips. But they are warm and soft. I know humans are warm but it was like a pleasant burning feeling. Like when my knuckles his just right in a good planted right hook. Or when I skid around the ground and perfect kick someone right out from how they were standing. But even better?

That my problem journal!!!! I don't wanna fuck up and lose my friend but my feelings are so everywhere right now! What if..what if I don't like Casey that way? What if it's just cause hes the first person to ever kiss me that I feel that way? But would I have wanted to kiss Casey more if that was the case? or was it cause Casey kissed me and I saw that someone wanted to kiss me?!!

I don't think thats the case though. I just I dont wanna hurt Casey. I already fucked up once. I really wanna be his friend. He called me his best friend. Thats something special right? I only got movies to go off but best friends are special like Gerry and Julius. Two different guys as people can be I guess but they become the greatest friends in the movie. I really like when Gerry tells the nurse Julius is his brother and asks can't you see the resmblence?

But at the same time?

I can't stop thinking about Casey's eyes and how nice it looks when his hair gets in front of them. Cause of the blue in his hair. I wanna reach over and brush it outta his face sometimes. I like all those freckles on his face too, they are cute. I like when he smiles wide. I like the way he calls me Raph. I like that he just never gave a shit I was turtle one way or the other. If I were human I bet he still would have fought with me the same. I like how he's just a massive dork when hes not being a dick head. I like that he's willing to take risks with out a second thought. He might not even have first thought though. He did it twice with me alone. Wanting to tell me something important about himself. And tell me how he feels as well. I like that he don't take shit from no one. I like that I feel I dunno I just feel comfortable around Casey. To be myself.

I don't think Casey would ever make me feel like i'm too much. I don't think he be one to say i'm being too loud. I kind of hate when others tell me i'm being too loud I can't help it when I get excited is all. I don't think he seen me as to angry either. He's pretty angry himself. Casey likes sports like me and thats fun too. I think of Casey as my best friend to but I dunno if that means as much when you never had a friend before? but now I'm also feeling stuff for him. I've been out of it ever since trying apologize to him.

I like Casey a lot a whole lot more than a friend I don't know if it's love? I never been in love before? I know I care about Casey a lot and I know I don't wanna hurt him either. Ever. I know I already did once even if he might say its not a big deal. I know he was avoiding me for a reason.

But he kissed me and I wanted to kiss him again and more. And I wanna kiss him again now too. I want to still be friends too? we can still do that right but also not only be friends? I dunno if writing into is helping me much. I feel like I just getting to see all my issues on paper more than getting an answer.

I got feelings for Casey. And I just don't wanna fuck up again. Maybe i'm scared? Well thats dumb never been scare of nothing before!

But i'm kind am with this? But also not cause it feels right? ugh this is confusing and it's not helping to write it. I got feelings for casey though. So now what?

[kageyamaana]

Home

Home.

Shin had never had a place or person to call that for a very long time.

At first he thought that his mother was his home but he never felt completely safe with her, she still had been the closest to a home he had.

It wasn't until he met the stripper, even if at first he didn't know that he was one, that he first felt at home.

Of course that didn't last because after that night, he never saw him again.

And he thought he never would until that day, when he saw someone he saw almost like an older brother figure die in the hands of a girl who was just afraid.

He saw Neo again, he was just as handsome as before, but it hurt that he treated Shin like a stranger.

And it didn't help that he saw how Neo fell for Miw, the girl who killed Phon, and he could do nothing but watch.

Shin was hurt when he saw Miw and Neo kiss when they were living with Leo, even if he hadn't been in love with Neo it would make anyone feel unwanted if they saw the two people who were there for you be together and look like they don't need you like you need them, so he choose to just walk away not caring who might find him as long as he was as far away as he could from them.

Of course, the moment Neo and Miw found him, Shin was unable to just stay true to his decision of not going with them again.

It wasn't easy to be around them when he loved Neo and knew he had no chance with the only person he could call home.

Shin still had no idea what led to that night but he would never regret what happened, even if he was still confused why he was okay with being with Miw when he had always liked boys, especially when he knew that they wanted him too even if they didn't love him.

All the events following that night were hurtful, especially finding out that Leo was killed, when Neo left him and Miw behind and when he and Miw had to go their separate ways.

It was hard to ignore how he felt empty without those two but he had too especially when he bargained with his father to finally become the heir he wanted as long as he left Neo and Miw alone.

But of course that Neo wouldn't actually just have left them and decided to get revenge on Thana for Leo's death.

When Miw had told Shin about this, he almost went into a panic attack but he forced himself to not do it because he needed to find Neo and make sure he would be safe.

Thankfully outside of getting shot in his arm, Neo was okay or at least James said he would be as long as he took good care of the wound.

Shin was so relieved to hear that and he took care of Neo as he waited for Miw to come, at this point he knew that Miw and Neo loved each other but didn't know if he would still be wanted, which didn't take long to happen.

He didn't expect Neo to say that he loved both him and Miw equally, Shin knew about polyamorous relationships but never thought about being in one, but he felt lighter after that.

He finally had a home....which he almost lost because of his father.

Shin was lying when he told Thana that if he wanted to kill Neo and Miw, then he would have to kill him too.

It was at the moment of knowing that Thana was going to kill Neo and Miw that he realized that both were his home and he couldn't live without them.

Thankfully Mae saved them, even if it hurt to lose his father Shin knew that had Thana continued alive then he would never be able to be with his home in peace.

And now years later, here was Shin on a boat making his way to his home.

Shin had hated having to stay more time at the city to get rid of all the illegal business connected to Thana's business and then make sure that he had loyal and trustful workers which he could leave to take care of most of the business while he would only need to come at least eight times a year to the city to take care of important things.

Of course that every free moment he had, Shin either visited Neo and Miw or called them but it was never enough for the three of them.

So, he was more than happy to be able to return home and this time to stay.

"Shin!" was the only thing he heard as he left the boat before he found himself being brought into a hug

"Neo" Shin says smiling before he was kissed by the other man

"Hey! I also want a kiss!" Miw said walking to them and stealing Shin from Neo which made Shin laugh

"You could have waited until I was done!" Neo says pouting but Miw ignored him in favor of getting her kiss from Shin

"It's good to have you back" Miw says "I missed having you to help me annoy Neo or to have someone to fluster" she adds and Shin shakes his head amused

"I'm also happy to be home" Shin says smiling at his lovers

And with that they start making their way home as they inform Shin about what happened since their last call with him.

It wasn't until the three were in bed watching a movie that a question was asked.

"How long?" Neo asked and Shin looked confused at him "For how long will you stay?" he clarifies and Shin notices Miw is also looking at him, waiting for know the answer

"If you will have me..." he starts looking from Neo to Miw "It will be forever" he adds and he watches as their facial expressions change as they digest what he just said

"Does that mean...?" Miw asks and Shin nods smiling

"I will only have to go back to the city in case something really important happens but otherwise, I can work from here" Shin says and while not surprised, Shin still laughs as his lovers tackle him and start kissing his face, neck and shoulders

Shin couldn't blame them, because he was also happy to not have to leave his home behind again and if he had to go to the city, he would make his hardest in convincing Miw and Neo to come with him.

[henqtic]

draco malfoy masterlist.

[ ☀︎ ] — imagines .

— your hair smells good; draco making you feel better about your hair insecurities throughout your years at hogwarts. 01.24.21

— stargazing; you see a special constellation on draco’s birthday. 01.31.21 

— making clay rings with draco malfoy; making clay rings with draco. 02.14.21

— hold me; ever since the beginning of the year, draco just needed someone to hold him 03.15.21 

— runaway?; you and your childhood friend draco make the rash decision to runaway after the war and it changes your relationship and lives for the better. 03.19.21

— arrange me a dance; draco malfoy. his name was registered in your mind as your enemy, plain and simple. aplatinum blonde idiot who you’d find much more likable if he’s just shut up everyone in a while. but what would happen if your parents arranged for you both to attend the yule ball together— would some hidden feeling shine their way out? 04.04.21

— i can do better; one where the reader ends her and draco’s friendship in sixth year after he starts acting weird. once his dark mark get’s revealed to her, she realizes that maybe she needs to take a step back and analyze how she acts.  04.07.21

— learning; one where draco learns how to do your hair, you being a poc— more specifically a black girl with curly hair 04.13.21

— hot chocolate and cookies; hot chocolate and cookies at 3am when he’d have a nightmare; an engraved routine. 04.17.21

— first kicks; one where draco feels Scorpius move in y/n’s stomach for the first time. 04.24.21

— i’m sleeping; one where draco tickles the reader to see if she’s awake. 05.1.21

— our language; finding a love language was a beautiful— even if that said language was showering the other. 05.08.21

— leo’s movie; draco and the reader are watching a movie when she admits the she has a crush on one of the characters. 05.22.21

— neck kisses; draco and the reader are watching a movie when she admits the she has a crush on one of the characters. 06.05.21 

— bad day; one where the reader had a bad day and draco is there to comfort her. 06.17.21

— stupid party; you had to admit it, you were looking forward to attending slughorn’s christmas party more than intended— completely excited for the event and to get uninvited on such short notice for a factor you didn’t know mattered— made you sadder than intended, at least draco was there to cheer you up. 09.18.21

— a nice, warm, bath; taking a warm bath with draco for some warm peace after being in the cold outside. 01.02.22

— big, scary, forest; how draco malfoy found beauty in the forest outside his window. 08.22.22

[ ☀︎ ] — headcanons / thoughts .

— doing face mask with draco malfoy; 02.02.21

— no . 1 ( dad!draco ) 11.19.21

— no. 2 ( dad!draco ) 02.02.22

— sundays; 12.02.22

[ ☀︎ ] — blurbs .

— strawberry cake; draco plans a picnic for you due to the stress of your classes. 01.25.21

— painting draco’s nails; you paint draco’s nails at 1am. 01.26.21

— celestial ball; you and draco realize that you might not hate each other as much as you thought after a mishap at the celestial ball. 01.29.21  

— “just one more hour”;  you spend a morning in draco malfoy’s arms. 02.08.21

— being draco malfoy’s girlfriend and not liking feet 02.12.21

— tomorrow we graduate; you talk with draco about your future the day before graduating from hogwarts. 02.17.21

— stolen blankets; draco wakes up to the absence of warmth again. 02.19.21

— under the rain; draco makes a plan to get you your ‘kiss under the rain’. 02.22.21

— piano; draco plays the piano for you until you sleep. 02.28.21

— flowers; you paint flowers on draco’s face 03.03.21

— soups and sickness; draco has a tendency to baby you when you’re sick. 3.08.21 

— crutches; draco takes care of you when you tear your acl in quidditch and after surgery too. 03.12.21

— hat; lazy mornings with draco were always amazing but sometimes in his haze of exhaustion— he forgot the names of some specific things. 03.29.21

— hoped; it was true, he was a death eater, he even let some of the most dangerous ones into the school— now here you were, the only request being for him to be safe. 07.15.21

— one sleeping bag; the camping trip you suggested was supposed to go a lot better than what it did, like maybe draco not getting confused and leaving you both with only one sleeping bag. 

— tatum riley and ghost face; matching halloween costumes with draco malfoy 10.30.21

— draco being forced to wear a weasley sweater 12.29.21

[ ☀︎ ] — drabbles .

— falling; stairs edition; draco and y/n falling down the stairs together super romantic !! 05.15.21

— ballroom dancing; fluffy ball dancing with draco. 06.26.21

— moon beauty; do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are?— a question asked to you under the new moon. 07.24.21

last updated: 12.02.22

[mctherofdragons]

crash into me | s.r

summary / you’re a brave agent, but you do have one fear - thunderstorms. while sharing a hotel room with your best friend and colleague spencer, he finds a way to comfort you as you ride out one together. 

pairing / spencer reid x gn!bau!reader 

warnings / fluff <3   friends to lovers, thunderstorms, astrophobia (fear of storms), needle mention if you squint, a singular mention of the boogeyman, reader gets nervous/scared, food mention, cuddling. 

author’s notes / we’ve had some really big thunderstorms here recently and i thought of this idea the other day as i was falling asleep. it’s not super long but i thought it was sweet nonetheless! qoute in italics is from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. 

masterlist // join my taglist

From the time that you were small, you hated thunderstorms. Tempests, with their rolling crashes and bright flashes across the sky, sent your heartbeat quickening in your chest. As a child, you would run into your bedroom and fling yourself into your bed, tossing your duvet over your head until you heard silence from outside. 

As you had grown, you lost many of your childhood fears. You no longer dreaded getting shots at the doctors office. The perceived Boogeyman under your bed was also long-departed, especially given that you now hunted for the most real of monsters. You were, for all intents and purposes, a lion-hearted young adult.  But you had one proverbial Achilles heel to this day - those dreaded  thunderstorms. 

The sticky humidity clung to your skin as you walked from the black bureau SUV into the hotel lobby. The team had just landed, and were set to begin work in just a few hours. Thankful for the air conditioning, you turned to Spencer, holding up your debit card.  “I’m going to stop at the vending machine. Do you need anything?”  “Just a water...and maybe some Oreos,” his eyes were like saucers, as if asking for a few dollars worth of sandwich cookies was a major request.  “I’ve got you, Spence,” you smiled, handing him your suitcase. “I’ll meet you up there.”  You walked down the long corridor of the lobby, looking up to admire the architecture of the hotel. Sometimes, the Bureau would surprise you and put you in a nicer set of digs for the night. This helped quell some of your fears, as the moment you’d learned you were headed to Gainesville, Florida in July set off a multitude of alarms. Save the vast number of murders that were rolling in - Gainesville had one of the highest storm rates in the country during the summertime. 

You were grateful that you would also be sharing a hotel room with your best friend. Spencer was always there for you when you needed comfort or someone to talk to. However, you were partially nervous as he had never seen your thunderstorm aversion up close. You had a tiny inkling of a worry in your stomach that he might think your fear was immature. 

You quickly swiped your card on front of the vending machine. You heard a small rumble and knew the sound immediately. You crossed your arms, chewing on the nail of your forefinger as you made your selections. Taking a deep breath, you selected the numbers and letters as quickly as you could. You gathered the snacks and drinks in your hands once they had clattered to the floor and quickly made your way to the elevator. 

The elevator flew open with a loud ding and you moved as quickly as you could to find room 205. You tapped your keycard on the electronic pad as quickly as you could, relieved when you had finally shut it behind you. You tossed the drinks and snacks onto the side table, running over to close the blinds.  Spencer laughed, setting down the book he was reading. He was already laying in his bed, pillows fluffed up behind him so he could sit up. Akin to the man you knew so well, Spencer was wearing matching blue, stripped pajamas and a pair of mismatched green and red socks.  “Don’t sit close to the window! You’ll get struck by lightening!”  Spencer watched as you paced back and forth, tapping your toes when you would stop. He adjusted his glasses, patting the bed next to him.  “You seem worried, y/n. Come sit.”  As much as it hurt your pride, you made your way over and sat down. One a loud clap of thunder broke across the atmosphere you took a big hiccuping gulp, a tiny gasp escaping you. “I h-hate storms.”  Spencer frowned, reaching out his arm. He had an open space now in the crook on his side - with a perfect place to rest your head. You caved, cuddling up to Spencer’s side and sighing. You took in the scent of his cologne, already feeling safer. Another clap of thunder startled you, and Spencer rubbed your side.  He made no effort to question you or ask about the reason for your fears. He acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world to him to comfort you. You looked at the book in front of him.  “Haven’t you read Anna Karenina like...a million times?,” You laughed, glancing up at him. He looked down at you from behind his glasses, a smirk decorating his boyish face.  “And haven’t you read it...zero?”  “Will you read to me?”  The request fell from your lips naturally. Spencer felt his heart hammering. To him, there was perhaps nothing more intimate than sharing his most favorite books with another person. In this moment, too, he felt like he had been waiting forever for this. The goodness honest truth was that you liked Spencer...and Spencer liked you. But much to the chagrin of your team, you were both too stubborn to admit it.  Spencer nodded, taking a deep breath. You snuggled closer as his turned the page. But before he began to read, he turned and planted a butterfly-soft kiss to your forehead. You smiled, glancing up at him.  “Nothing to be scared of...see?,” he whispered, letting his lips still brush against your forehead. You were scarlet red, feeling like a schoolgirl all over again.  “The book, Spence...”  “Oh right,” he cleared his throat. 

“Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy..,” he announced as if he were beginning the recording of an audiobook.  You listened as he read, allowing your heartbeat to slow. Eventually, your legs were tangled in his intimately, while your lips touched against his ear and neck. Both of you felt content to stay like this forever. Spencer knew you’d want to talk about it in the morning, but for now there was no questioning or wondering how right it all felt.  Although he had heard your drift off to sleep, he continued to read aloud, just in case you woke up. The storm had cleared and now the hotel room sat in the only kind of calm that was available when a storm had settled. The wind still roared, but the thunder and lightening had fallen away. When Spencer got to his favorite line, he looked down at you and smiled.  ““I think... if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts.” _____________________________________________________ criminal minds taglist // @hufflepuffhaze @omghufflepuff @angelsandsorcery @txtdreamss @ssavanessa22 @awritingtree @sweetandsunny @the-wolfie 

[miawin6]

PERCY JACKSON CHARACTERS AS LOVER LYRICS

Percy Jackson

And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear

Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years?

I never grew up, it's getting so old

Help me hold onto you

I've been the archer, I've been the prey

It's you and me, that's my whole world

We're so sad, we paint the town blue

Kiss me once 'cause you know I had a long night

Kiss me twice 'cause it's gonna be alright

And I can't talk to you when you're like this

Staring out the window like I'm not your favorite town

I'm New York City, I still do it for you, babe

I know that I'm a handful, baby, uh

I know I never think before I jump

I never leave well enough alone

And trouble's gonna follow where I go

Annabeth Chase

How many days did I spend

Thinkin' 'bout how you did me wrong, wrong, wrong?

Lived in the shade you were throwin'

'Til all of my sunshine was gone, gone, gone

And I couldn't get away from ya

In my feelings more than Drake, so yeah

Your name on my lips, tongue tied

Free rent, livin' in my mind

And I would've stuck around for ya

Would've fought the whole town, so yeah

Can I go where you go?

Can we always be this close forever and ever?

And I'm highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you

I've loved you three summers now, honey, but I want 'em all

And I'll never let you go cause I know this is a fight

That someday we're gonna win

He got that boyish look that I like in a man

I am an architect, I'm drawing up the plans

It's like I'm seventeen, nobody understands

And I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends

Twenty questions, we tell the truth

You've been stressed out lately? Yeah, me too

Something gave you the nerve to touch my hand

Call my bluff, call you "babe"

Have my back, yeah, everyday

Piper Mclean

Killing me slow, out the window

I'm always waiting for you to be waiting below

It's a cruel summer with you

Said I'm fine, but it wasn't true

I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you

I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover

He got my heartbeat skipping down 16th Avenue

Lyrical smile, indigo eyes, hand on my thigh

We can follow the sparks, I'll drive

I'm with you even if it makes me blue

Jason Grace

And it's new, the shape of your body

It's blue, the feeling I've got

Quiet my fears with the touch of your hand

Paper cut stings from our paper thin plans

They say home is where the heart is

But that's not where mine lives

It's all me in my head

I'm the one who burned us down

But it's not what I meant, sorry that I hurt you

I don't wanna do, I don't wanna do this to you

I need to say, hey it's all me, just don't go

Meet me in the afterglow

Tell me that it's not my fault, tell me that I'm all you want

Even when I break your heart

Hazel Levesque

My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue

All's well that ends well to end up with you

I want you, bless my soul

And I ain't gotta tell him, I think he knows

And I don't want you to go, I don't really wanna fight

If the story's over

Why am I still writing pages?

Frank Zhang

Combat, I'm ready for combat

I say I don't want that, but what if I do?

I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this

That's right, darling, you're the one I want

This ultraviolet morning light below

Tells me this love is worth the fight

Tell me that you're still mine, tell me that we'll be just fine

Even when I lose my mind

Leo Valdez

They see right through me

I see right through me

Voted most likely to run away with you

I counted days, I counted miles

To see you there, to see you there

And now the storm is coming

I ask the traffic lights if it'll be all right

They say "I don't know"

We were stupid to jump in the ocean separating us

Remember how I'd fly to you?

They say the road gets hard and you get lost when you're led by blind faith, blind faith

But we might just get away with it

I'm the only one of me, baby that's the fun of me

I know you never get just what you see

But I will never bore you, baby

(And there's a lot of lame guys out there)

And you can't spell "awesome" without "me"

Nico di Angelo

Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes

What doesn't kill me makes me want you more

It's cool, that's what I tell 'em

No rules in breakable heaven

Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes

And if I bleed, you'll be the last to know

And I screamed for whatever it's worth

"I love you, " ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?

And, take me out, and take me home

You're my, my, my, my lover

Easy they come, easy they go

I jump from the train, I ride off alone

Dark side, I search for your dark side

But what if I'm alright, right, right, right here?

And I cut off my nose just to spite my face

Then I hate my reflection for years and years

I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost

The room is on fire, invisible smoke

And all of my heroes die all alone

All the king's horses, all the king's men

Couldn't put me together again

Who could stay?

You could stay, you could stay

Gave you too much but it wasn't enough

But I'll be all right, it's just a thousand cuts

And I hate to make this all about me

But who am I supposed to talk to?

What am I supposed to do if there's no you?

I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you

I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you

I've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night

And now I see daylight, I only see daylight

Maybe I've stormed out of every single room in this town

Threw out our cloaks and our daggers because it's morning now

It's brighter now, now

And I can still see it all (In my mind)

All of you, all of me

I once believed love would be (Black and white)

But it's golden (Golden)

I once believed love would be (Burning red)

But it's golden

Like daylight, like daylight

You gotta step into the daylight and let it go

Just let it go, let it go

Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano

So cut the headlights, summer's a knife

I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone

Every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you

I'd be a fearless leader, I'd be an alpha type

And I'm so sick of them coming at me again

'Cause if I was a man, then I'd be the man

I look through the windows of this love

Even though we boarded them up

Chandelier's still flickering here

'Cause I can't pretend it's ok when it's not

And what once was ours is no one's now

I see you everywhere, the only thing we share is this small town

And I ain't trying mess with your self-expression

But I've learned the lesson that stressin'

And obsessin' 'bout somebody else is no fun

And snakes and stones never broke my bones so

[heyitssmiller]

Clandestine: Chapter Thirteen

Fitting that this is chapter thirteen. It was destined to be unlucky. And it was also the hardest one to write by far. Thanks for being so patient with me. One last cliffhanger, yes? For old time’s sake.

@lumosinlove your characters continue to live in my head rent-free, so thank you!

@donttouchmycarrots is my dude, my pal, my babe, and the best proofreader ever

Special thanks to @wonder-womans-ex for providing what just might be my favorite line in this chapter

Clandestine Masterlist

CW: violence, gun violence, nightmares, anxiety, mentions of food, injuries

.

Logan woke up to Finn crying.

He was admittedly good at being quiet about it – he muffled any noise into his pillow, body turned towards the wall and curled up tight. It was the shaking that gave him away. Logan wasn’t sure what was going on at first, but his heart just about shattered when he realized. He rolled over to face Finn, pulling him gently into his arms and holding him close. His heart lurched as the redhead shuddered and buried his face in Logan’s chest, arms wrapping around him tightly as he sniffled. Logan screwed his eyes shut and breathed, nice and slow in an attempt to get Finn to match him. He wasn’t sure what was upsetting his partner, but he wanted nothing more than to fix it, to help however he could. Finn leaned further into him and stayed there for what felt like an eternity before he calmed down, breaths slowing and tears drying.

Logan could feel every swell of muscle, every gentle dip between his ribs, the eyelashes that were still wet and clumped together, the way his skin felt all clammy. He wished he could pull him even closer, hold him even tighter, even though there was physically no distance between them. Maybe Finn could find comfort in the confines of his arms, the way Logan had found safety in Finn’s.

“Want to talk about it?” he finally whispered, making Finn tense up again. He peered over Logan’s shoulder to look at their sleeping partner, then looked back down at Logan.

Sometimes Finn just took his breath away. Sure, his eyes were glassy and his nose was red from crying but he was still so beautiful, with muted light filtering through the curtains turning messy auburn hair into shiny copper, seeming to glitter in the sunlight. Big, brown doe eyes looking so incredibly soft as he stared down at Logan. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to being looked at like that. Like he was something to be cherished, something to be adored.

Logan felt his breath hitch.

“Hallway?” Finn asked, glancing back at Leo. “Don’t want to wake him up.”

Logan smiled. He loved learning how all three of them showed love and how it varied depending on which partner they were interacting with. Finn was more teasing with Logan, always throwing jabs and chasing them with happy grins and lots of kisses. With Leo he – well, he still teased mercilessly, but it was softer around the edges. The kind of affection that made him get all squinty-eyed because he was smiling so much and too-tight hugs because he couldn’t possibly hold back. Leo didn’t act that different when it came down to it, but he picked up quickly on what the two of them liked – intertwining his fingers with Finn’s as often as he could, running his hand through Logan’s hair time and time again. The constant motion of his hands was directed at the two of them instead of the lock in his pocket more often than not, a new soothing habit forming quickly. It was adorable. Logan wasn’t really sure how he was different, but he knew he was softer with the two of them more than he’d been with anyone else. He could feel himself turning into a sappy romantic and he wanted to hate it, but he really couldn’t.

Finn scrambled up reluctantly and Logan followed him across the room, nervous and itching to pull Finn back into his arms. He reached for Finn as soon as the door closed completely. “Bad dream?” His stomach dropped when Finn just nodded, biting down on his lip hard as his eyes welled up with tears again.

“I don’t want to go back there.” Finn admitted, voice a soft whisper in the silence of the hallway. Logan sighed and pressed closer, standing on his tiptoes just a little to loop his arms around Finn’s neck. Logan didn’t want to go back, either, but it was different for Finn. He’d been there for longer, after all, and Logan still wasn’t sure exactly what had happened during that time. Finn refused to talk about it, and Logan was too afraid to ask, as selfish as that made him feel. To top it all off, Logan had no idea how to help. Usually bad dreams were only loosely based on reality – but Logan had a feeling these were a little too real. They’d lived it, after all. To wake up from a nightmare and realize it was basically reality…

How could you comfort someone who’s bad dreams were all true?

“I know,” he said simply, lacking the words for anything else and running his fingers through Finn’s messy bedhead soothingly.

“We won’t be there for too long.” Finn said after a while. He seemed to be trying to comfort Logan with the words, even though he was the one who had been crying about it earlier. Logan ached for the redhead. He had such a big heart, always putting others before himself even if he was in a bad place himself. Logan needed to pay more attention, to pinpoint that evasion tactic and not let him get away with it. Everyone needed solace, even the ones who primarily did the comforting.

Finn’s eyes had closed sometime earlier, his head tilted to lean into Logan’s hand, his breath tickling the inside of Logan’s wrist. Logan wiped away a stray tear tenderly and sighed. Finn didn’t seem to want to talk about it. Logan wasn’t going to force him to talk, but he was worried about what would happen if he didn’t talk about it with someone. Sometimes it was nice to talk to someone with an outside perspective – someone who wasn’t in the thick of it like Logan was. So Logan reluctantly let it go for now and tried the next best thing: cheering Finn up.

“And it’ll be nice to bash some heads in while we’re there.”

That earned a laugh from Finn, and Logan felt such stark relief at the sight – it left him a little breathless. It was sad that a genuine laugh from either of his partners was so rare now. Logan felt like he needed to cherish them when they happened.

How depressing was that?

“Bashing some heads in is now on the list, I guess.” Finn murmured, placing a lingering kiss to Logan’s temple, who hummed thoughtfully.

“Do you even know how to throw a punch?”

Finn was in the process of kissing Logan when he said that, which just turned into a laugh against Logan’s lips. “No, but you do.” Logan could hear the smile in his voice. “And that’s way hotter than it probably should be.”

Logan looked up at him nervously to make sure he wasn’t kidding, then relaxed at the honesty in those mischievous eyes. Even upset and stressed, Finn somehow knew what to say to soothe worries Logan hadn’t even told him about. Being in a job like his… well it was ugly. It was brutal and violent and messy and not many people would want to be involved with someone like that – someone with bloodstained hands, too many paranoid tics, and a heavy, guilty conscience.

Finn and Leo didn’t seem to mind all that much, thankfully.

The realization made Logan grin sharply and nip at Finn’s lower lip before delving into another deep, intoxicating kiss. It was too easy, getting lost when he kissed Finn. So much of their surroundings faded away until all he was aware of was the feel of slightly chapped lips against his and hands holding his hips in order to pull him closer. Finn seemed to have that effect on Logan – he always had, ever since that New Years party. He was the kind of person everyone naturally gravitated towards, pulled in without a second thought. It was part of what made him so damn good at his job.

Finn breathed in sharply before kissing him again, heady and sure of himself and making Logan weak in the knees. All five senses were overwhelmed with Finn, Finn, Finn. It thrummed along with his pulse in a steady, loud rhythm. And yet his mind still drifted back to the bedroom with Leo, the thought of joining him back in bed tugging at him just as Finn broke the kiss and pulled him back towards the door, a knowing look in his eyes.

“Sometimes I’m convinced you’re a mind reader.” Logan smiled and willingly let himself get drawn back into the quiet, sleepy warmth of the bedroom. Finn just shrugged.

“Maybe I am.”

Leo was still sound asleep, sprawled out on his back with one leg sticking out from underneath the covers and hanging off the side of the bed at what looked like a very uncomfortable angle. Logan smiled at Finn’s affectionate snort, then followed him back to bed and crawled in the middle again. He curled up on his side, facing the blond as Finn pressed against his back and tangled their legs together. Leo’s hand moved up the bed, searching for Logan’s until he found it and then seemed to drift off to sleep again with a content sigh.

It scared Logan a little, how important the two of them had become in such a short amount of time. They were slowly invading more and more space in his head until his only thoughts seemed to be about them, all the time. Maybe it should be a little worrying, but Logan couldn’t find it in himself to be too concerned – not when the thoughts made his chest feel light as air and his stomach full of butterflies.

***

It was getting close to go-time, and everyone was on edge. The energy was palpable, like an electric current flowing through the group. Shoulders were tense, words were short and clipped, a sense of focus and determination in the air.

Leo had never been part of something like this. The only missions he’d been on were with Logan and Finn and that was it. Having a big group like this, all feeling the same things and wanting the same goal, it was intoxicating. It sucked you in and made you want to be a part of it, too.

But he couldn’t. He was stuck here, on the sidelines, left to wait aimlessly until everyone returned. That meant letting them go and resigning himself to a night of restlessness and worry.

Leo hated it.

He didn’t cling to his partners like he so desperately wanted to. If he did, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to let go again. He didn’t ask for empty promises of being careful, nor did he beg them to be safe. He couldn’t hold them to words they might not be able to keep. But he allowed himself to stare, just a bit. He let his eyes linger over Logan’s steady hands as he loaded his gun and methodically checked it three times, just like always. He watched Finn pull a clean shirt over his head and fiddle with the sleeves, seemingly lost in thought. Leo memorized what he could, just in case. The exact shade of Logan’s eyes, the freckle pattern across Finn’s cheeks and nose. He hated that his brain automatically jumped to worse-case scenario like that, but – well, considering the circumstances and what they’d already been through at the hands of the Snakes… could you blame him?

There was also this feeling in the pit of Leo’s stomach. He wasn’t sure if this was just the anxiety talking, but everything in that moment felt so decided, so final.

It felt like goodbye.

As if Finn knew exactly what was going on in his head, he drew Leo in for a hug and kissed his cheek, lingering for a second before leaning back to meet his eyes. They shared one of those looks – one that expressed a multitude of emotions without saying a single word. When Finn kissed him, it was deep and achingly slow. He was taking his time, wanting to make the moment last as long as he could. Leo knew the feeling. He fisted his hand in Finn’s shirt and pulled him impossibly closer, tilting his head for a better angle and softly running his tongue across the seam of his lips. A gentle rush, a quiet thrill, but still with a noticeable, tangible melancholy.

Leo could still count the number of kisses they’d shared on two hands. That wasn’t nearly enough for him. He wanted as many different types of kisses as he could think of – happy, teasing, soft, hard, tender, and everything in between. He wanted to lose count by the end of the week. He wanted to learn everything there was to know about his partners.

He just hoped they’d get that chance.

Logan pressed up against the two of them, slotting seamlessly into place. Transitioning from kissing Finn to kissing Logan was as easy as breathing – a simple turn of his head and a slight bend to accommodate for the height difference. It was the kind of kiss you were meant to remember. A whirlwind of sweet and passionate, deep and gentle, loving and regretful.

More than anything it just hurt.

Leo’s gut churned as he pulled back and looked at the two of them, lost for words. What was he supposed to say in a situation like this, after all? He didn’t think there was anything he could say to make this easier, or reassure them. Words didn’t seem like enough anymore – they just felt insincere and meaningless. Leo didn’t think he’d ever faced that problem before. Words usually came fairly easily to him, especially if something was important to him. But now they were failing him and it left him feeling even more lost, adrift in a raging sea that he had no idea how to navigate.

“Let’s do this,” Finn said finally, part resigned and part determined, before heading towards the bedroom door.

The rest seemed to happen all at once in a blinding flurry of activity. Goodbyes with the team were quick and rushed and then they were all loading up into cars, green and brown eyes meeting his every once in a while before the doors closed and the engines growled to life.

Leo watched the caravan of cars head down the driveway, then rushed across the wrap-around porch to keep them in his sights for as long as he could until they disappeared behind an outcropping of trees. He kept his eyes trained on the spot and clung to the wooden railing with a white-knuckled grip.

And that was where he would stay. If that was the last place he saw them, it would be the first place he would see them again. He didn’t care if he stood there all night until it bled into morning; he wasn’t moving an inch.

***

Sirius sat in the backseat next to Remus for the drive, which was silent and tense with rising adrenaline and battle plans running through everyone’s heads – especially Remus’. He could practically see his mind working. He’d been planning nonstop for the past two days to make sure that all the loose ends were tied up and that they were doing this the right way. Any illegal processes now could compromise the court trials that would come after putting the Snakes behind bars. Between that and coordinating between the other agencies that were helping them take down the Snakes, it was looking like a Herculean task. They could’ve pulled out the big guns and requested help from the FBI, but no one really wanted to do that. This was personal, after all – for pretty much everyone on the team. The feds could take over later, after everyone was apprehended.

Remus chewed at his lower lip, eyes trained on nothing in particular. The back of his head was highlighted in the headlights of the car behind them, illuminating in a startling contrast to the rest of the dark interior of the van. Sirius stared and stared until he just couldn’t help it. He reached over to turn Remus’ head towards him, then ran his thumb lightly over that abused lower lip until Remus let it go. Color seeped back into it, turning the pink a darker, cherry red. Again, Sirius stared. That mouth quirked into a teasing smile.

“You’re going to chew a hole in your lip if you keep that up.” He said and looked up into honey-colored eyes, slowly pulling his hand back. Remus just huffed under his breath – a short, nervous shadow of his normal laugh.

“Yeah. I could really go for some chapstick right now.”

Sirius smiled, pulling Remus towards him and kissing him gently, reverently. It still kind of blew his mind, how much things had changed in the past few months. Remus used to hate him. Well, maybe hate was a strong word, but they definitely weren’t friends. And now here they were, making out in the back of a van. Even though their mission was coming to an end and Sirius really wouldn’t have a reason to stay in Gryffindor any more, he could no longer fathom leaving. Remus played a huge part in that, of course, but Sirius also had friends now – real friends who didn’t try to use him constantly or only contacted him when they needed something. He had a home, as ridiculously cliché as that sounded. Nothing about Slytherin felt like this, and it made Sirius wonder if he’d ever actually had a place to call home before he found himself in Remus’ tiny apartment with the dying houseplant and the lumpy couch and an entire cabinet devoted solely to mugs.

The kiss turned softer until Sirius pulled back and just looked at him, an overwhelming rush of emotion in his chest. Remus wasn’t his home – one person couldn’t be all of that, Sirius knew that much – but he sure was a big part of it.

Remus licked his lips thoughtfully, tasting Sirius’ chapstick. “What flavor is that?”

“Pina colada.”

“Nice.”

That made Sirius smile again. “It’s going to be fine, Re.” Sirius reassured and tucked Remus against his side. It was an awkward squeeze in the back of a van, but neither of them cared.

“Yeah,” Remus sighed, sounding like he was trying to convince himself. “We’ll be ok.”

They both flew out of their seats a little when the van hit a pothole, smushing them closer together. Sirius pressed a kiss to his temple, soft and lingering, before speaking up again. “Do you want to talk through the plan once more?”

Sirius always found that talking through things helped calm him down. Saying the facts out loud tended to get rid of the unnecessary fears going on inside his head, plus it made him feel more prepared. And he knew Remus was the same way, from all the times he’d helped the analyst plan missions.

This earned him a soft, thankful smile and then Remus was off, talking a mile a minute about strategies and backup plans and anything else he could think of. Sirius let his voice wash over him and tried to ignore the dread settling in the pit of his stomach.

***

Leo didn’t know how long he stood there, gaze never once wavering from the treeline, when Hope joined him. She held out a mug for him, full of what looked like hot chocolate and a thick layer of whipped cream. Leo smiled faintly in thanks and took it before returning to his vigil. It was so quiet outside. No crickets like back home, no wind whistling through the trees, nothing. It set Leo on edge.

“So,” Hope mercifully interrupted the silence, “I heard you like to cook.”

Leo looked over at her, more than a little confused at the non sequitur. “Yeah. I do.”

She traced along the grain of the wooden railing, avoiding the chipping paint. “Those boys might be hungry when they get back, and that’s a whole lot of cooking to do by myself. Care to lend a hand?”

Leo snorted at the accidental pun and looked down at the hand trapped in a sling. He knew what she was doing, and he couldn’t find it in himself to be mad. He could definitely use the distraction.

“That sounds perfect.” He said and followed her inside, only casting one glance over his shoulder at where the driveway disappeared and the woods began before he joined Hope in the warm glow of the kitchen. Lyall and Jules were there too; they had the refrigerator door thrown open and seemed to just be staring at the contents. They looked so alike, standing side by side like that. The same slightly-bowed legs and identical shades of brown hair. Lyall gave his son a mischievous look, reached for the can of whipped cream, and squirted some directly into his mouth while Jules watched on with his jaw nearly on the floor.

“I didn’t know we were allowed to do that!” he gasped and snatched the can from his dad. A few seconds later there was whipped cream in his mouth. And on his chin, cheeks, a little on his nose…

Hope sighed good-naturedly. “You’re teaching our son bad habits and making a mess.”

Lyall just bent over laughing, a snort escaping every once in a while.

Leo smiled as Jules tried to get all the whipped cream that missed his intended target with his tongue, eyes crossing in the process. He took a sip of his hot chocolate and leaned back against the kitchen counter as Lyall kept pointing to places on his face that Jules had missed. Hope shared a look with Leo and rolled her eyes in a “what can you do?” kind of gesture. It was all so lighthearted and affectionate and exactly what Leo needed in that moment.

He wondered if Hope somehow just knew these things – it was definitely possible. Mother’s intuition and all.

“So what are we making?” She asked, tying her hair up while Lyall threw an apron over his neck. Jules was still working on the whipped cream.

Leo shrugged his good shoulder. “What do you have in the pantry?”

“So much!” Jules exclaimed, deeming his face good enough and throwing the pantry door open. “We’ve got pancake mix, potato chips, poptarts, hot dog buns-”

***

The take-down mission was going about as well as expected.

Which meant that it was going well, but it was also a chaotic disaster at the same time. Fitting, right?

Agents were everywhere, it seemed, outnumbering the Snakes at least three-to-one. The Snakes were scattering, running for the exits and fighting tooth and nail to get out – whether that was with weapons they had or just their fists, they weren’t going down without a fight. But even if they made it out, they were met with another line of defense waiting for them in the form of the Durmstrang agents.

Remus really had the op planned out to the last contingency, it seemed.

Logan and Finn were headed down an unfamiliar hallway, looking for stragglers to round up and escort outside. Most Snakes had joined the main fight to get out, sequestered in the entryway. Logan was glad they were tasked with this, though. There were too many familiar faces back there – Greyback, Lestrange, Snape. Logan wasn’t sure he was quite ready for that just yet. Between that and the sound of gunshots echoing in his head… well, let’s just say it brought back bad memories. And even though it wasn’t the best utilization of his skillset, he hadn’t been separated from his partner. He’d learned from experience what a bad idea that was. When this was all over, he wasn’t letting the two of them out of his sight for at least a week.

God, he couldn’t wait for this to be over.

Movement caught his eye and his gun was instantly up and aimed at the person. Yellow eyes landed on them and Logan held his breath, every muscle tensing and adrenaline spiking.

Logan knew they had direct orders to bring the Snakes in alive, but it was much harder to think about that when he was staring Riddle down from the sights of his gun. He knew exactly where to aim – he’d seen it mapped out on Leo’s chest, memorized the angry red wound contrasting against the gentle slope of his collarbone. A shot not intended to kill, but to inflict unfathomable levels of pain – another thing Logan had branded into his memory. A shot that was intentional, designed to send a message. And Logan definitely wanted to send back a reply.

Riddle recognized them and got this smug gleam in his eyes. “Long time, no see.”

Logan’s finger twitched against the trigger.

“Trust me, we’re planning on never seeing you again.” Finn said, then sighed dramatically. “And it looks like that dream is going to become a reality, since we’ve got all the evidence we need to lock you up for – what do you think, Logan? Two life sentences?”

“I’m banking on three.”

“But it’s not really up to us, now is it?” Finn shrugged. “If it were, I think you’d be dead by now, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the judge says.”

Riddle still looked remarkably calm. And it was that ego, that sense of infallibility that ended up being his downfall. “All the evidence you have is circumstantial. Any decent lawyer can get those charges dismissed.”

“Sure.” Finn’s smile turned lethal, knowing he had Riddle right where he wanted him, ready to deliver the final blow and relish in the aftermath. “But I think all that detailed information on the flash drives can put you away for a long time. Why seven flash drives, by the way? Lucky number?”

Riddle’s smile faded in increments as the realization struck. “That’s not possible.”

“Oh, it’s very possible. You can thank the guy you shot for that.” Finn said darkly. They watched the gears turning in Riddle’s head, then the way his face turned from pale to a sickly green. His hand went to the inside pocket of his jacket where his flash drive used to be – where the fake one now was, switched when Riddle had pulled a bleeding, agonized Leo close to taunt Logan and Finn through his microphone.

Yeah. Karma was a real bitch sometimes.

Logan smiled, grim but glad to finally be putting this guy behind bars. “You’re coming with us.”

***

“Yo,” Pots said into a phone, a grin almost too wide on his face, “we got some stinky bastards over here. Can you come get them please and thank you?”

Remus snorted at his antics, no doubt talking to the FBI since processing criminals was in their jurisdiction now and not Gryffindor’s. He almost wished it was on speaker phone – he would’ve loved to hear their response.

Remus found Sirius waiting in the parking lot, watching all the Snakes get corralled into transport vehicles and taken to whichever prison they were being kept in until the trial. Some of their own agents were by the ambulance getting tended to, but there weren’t any serious injuries, thank god. Talker took a superficial gunshot to the thigh and Kuny’s arm got grazed by a bullet but everyone else was fine. The element of surprise and the backup by the other agencies really did wonders. That and the fact that they were all armed to the teeth and not even thinking about leaving this job unfinished. They had a pretty good reason to win this round, after all.

He couldn’t believe it was all over. This mission had taken months and lead to way too many problems, but they were finally done with it. They could finally move on. Remus was thinking of taking the next week off of work and spending it at the cabin, just him and Sirius. A much-needed vacation sounded like a dream right about now.

Sirius’ back was to him, but he heard Remus coming and didn’t flinch when long arms wrapped around him, tight and secure. He leaned back into the familiar warmth behind him and let himself be held. He’d been great in there. Remus had been a little worried about letting him come, afraid that taking down people he’d worked with for years would be too hard for him or – even worse – that his presence would be a bright red bullseye for the Snakes. Luckily, there had been so many other agents and so much chaos that most of them had only noticed Sirius and Regulus in the aftermath, when it was too late to do anything about it.

“We did it.” Remus murmured, letting go and stepping around to gauge Sirius’ reaction. The raven-haired ex-Snake smiled at him, a hint of something warring with the relief on his face.

“We did.” He finally said, eyes flitting from Remus to the action around them. He still looked a little uneasy, after everything. Remus couldn’t blame him – sometimes it took a while for the adrenaline to wear off and for reality to set in. “Doesn’t feel real just yet.”

Remus grinned wolfishly, letting the victorious feeling wash over him. “It’s real.”

“Sirius Black?” One of the other agents inquired, causing the man in question to turn around.

“Yes?”

The agent pulled out a pair of handcuffs, looking very bored of the current situation. “You’re under arrest for the crimes you committed with the Snakes organization. If you could put your hands behind your back-”

Remus stepped forward aggressively, staring the agent down. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The agent didn’t flinch. “Following orders. Even if he quit the Snakes, he’s still got to answer for what he did during his time there.”

“But he’s helping us – he’s a consultant for our agency. He’s got immunity.” Remus looked between Sirius and the agent, running a hand agitatedly through his hair at the blasé attitude of the agent.

“Take it up with my boss.”

It was all happening so fast. Remus was still reeling from the mission, his brain struggling to keep up with the new situation. The agent started to lead Sirius away when Remus shouted, “Wait!” He hurried to stand in front of Sirius, caramel eyes hard and fierce and determined with an underlying blaze to them as they met silver. He didn’t care if he was making a scene; he didn’t care who was watching. The only thing that mattered was the man standing in front of him, eyes resigned and – unsurprised.

He knew this might happen. And he hadn’t said a word about it. He came on this mission willingly, knowing this was the way it could end.

Remus would have to come back to that.

“I’m going to fix this. Ok?” Remus met his gaze firmly, letting the honesty drip from his words.

The ex-Snake nodded quickly, trustingly. The sight was a little nauseating, because what if there was nothing Remus could do? Sirius was counting on him now; he couldn’t stand the thought of letting him down, not when he was looking at Remus like that – like Remus could fix anything, when Remus knew damn well that he couldn’t. His chest seized up and he held his breath, gritting his teeth resolutely. He’d find a way. He had to.

Sirius was loaded into the back of a car, his brother already cuffed and waiting in the seat beside him – no doubt being charged for the same thing. Their faces were stony masks, tense and unreadable.

From the next car over, Riddle watched with a smile.

[missskzbiased]

Betting Big

Summary: As the one and only Seo Changbin, you would never think that you would be willing to pay for someone to go out with you. At least not until you met her. To be honest, not even after you met her but here you were now… Agreeing with splitting the money from a bet that you never made… And all this for what? Just to get a chance to make her fall for you

WC: 1,5 K

Genre: Romance, Fluff

AUs: High School, Fake Bet

Pairing: Seo Changbin X Fem! Reader X ???

Rebloggable Masterlist    //   Main Masterlist   // Tag List

Warnings: none

Notes: This is in “Changbin’s POV” although written as Self-insert

This is going to be a miniseries, I guess. I’m not sure how many chapters I want to make. I’d like if you guys could vote on this:

Minho as BFF to lovers for the Triangle

Han as Friends to lovers for the Triangle

No Love Triangle at all

                                                        ///

     Everyone but you wanted to be the popular guy.

     Not because you were above things like wanting to fit on the wild battlefield that high school was or because you didn’t need people’s approval to feel like a whole person, and even less because you hated being under everyone’s eyes… No. You were petty enough to admit that you loved the attention. The reason why you weren’t like everybody else was that you were the popular guy that everyone wanted to be. That’s right… You were what every single one of those kids wanted to become and you didn’t need to do anything to have your way.

     At least, that was what you believed exactly thirty seconds ago.

     The silent pause following your invitation wasn’t expected, and neither was the way her judgmental eyes scanned you from head to toes. There was this foreign feeling of being embarrassed, and that sudden urge to shrink and hide from the crowd that you didn’t allow to show on the surface. You were too cool for this. So you settled for clearing your throat, leaning on her table in what you hoped to be a flirty way, and glanced at your friends’ table in search of some sort of silent moral support that you were so in need of right now.

     You could say that you weren’t the most subtle human being in the world or else her eyes wouldn’t have snapped right to where you were looking at. As the bunch of overly stealthy people that you definitely were used to be with popularity clogging your better judgment, the four of your friends stared right into her eyes; the expression of a deer caught in headlights plastered over their face. If you had any hopes of not humiliating yourself to that strange girl in the corner ─ who you happened to have a big, fat crush on for at least one year now ─, they were immediately crushed by your own best friends.

     Very well.

     At least, it couldn’t get any worse than this, right?

     Then you learned the valuable lesson of not speaking too soon.

     “You want to go out with me?” That wasn’t the kind of incredulous tone that was meant to hide one’s excitement… It was more like that bewildered contempt that one cannot hide at all.

    She couldn’t even process the fact that you were bold enough to believe that the mere thought of dating you could ever have crossed her mind… And once more, the humiliation hit you like cold water coming directly from an angry, merciless waterfall. Was that how normal people felt in their daily lives? Jeez… It was so much better to be popular! How do those kids even handle that? Definitely not the life for you.  

     Your internal rambling had you missing the slow shift on her expression; rejection dissolving to give way to some kind of resigned interest: “How much?” She spoke up in curious confidence, and you must have been too lost on your thoughts because you had no idea of what she was talking about.

     “Excuse me?” You blurted out ever so eloquently.

     “How much is into this bet?” She asked as if it was the most reasonable thing in this world, and the lack of response had her scoffing, to further prove your point, “Really? You expect me to believe that the most popular guy in school would come all the way to my table, conveniently under his friends’ eyes, just to ask me out on a date with no second intention?” She raised her brows amusedly, chuckling at what seemed to be the best joke she had ever told anyone “Right” She huffed, crossing her arms and tilting her head to take a better look at you.

     That was the moment of the truth.

      You could either tell her that she misunderstood everything and explain how much you really liked her ─ which would put everything at risk because she clearly didn’t believe you could like someone like her ─ or you could play along with it and score a chance to win her heart on a date.

     The answer seemed to be pretty obvious to you.

     “Yeah, right” You laughed dismissively, pulling out the chair so you could sit down beside her. There was no sign of resistance in her face; moreover, there was a shimmering curiosity dancing in her expectant eyes, “You totally caught me…” You admitted grudgingly, shrugging to show her how much you didn’t care about it. Fun Fact: You actually did! And you would very much appreciate her to know that… Damn it! What the hell were you getting yourself into?! “So… Should we split it?” You suggested nonchalantly ─ just like the smooth son of a bitch you were.

     “What about fifty-fifty?” She proposed shamelessly; face twisting in a funny expression that tried to say that she didn’t care about it either but giving it away that she did, “How much is in for me? Like… A hundred bucks or something?” She leaned back on her chair before shrugging, not willing to admit that she was interested in this.

     “You’re good” You chuckled while nodding in agreement; mimicking her as you leaned back on your chair, “Sounds great, right? Getting a hundred bucks to date this hot stuff here?” You grinned as you gestured at yourself, getting nothing but an unimpressed look from her.

     “Look, Changbin…” She began hesitantly “If we’re going to make this work, it might be better for you to let me do the talking, okay?” She smiled sarcastically, looking at you with a mix of… You weren’t even sure what. Was constipation considered a feeling? If so, she looked constipated by your existence, “I’m not gonna lie… I want the money, and as long as we don’t have to do anything stupid like kissing or having sex, I think I’m in” She simply agreed while looking into your eyes.

      She had such pretty eyes… The most beautiful eyes you have ever seen… The type of eyes to hold so many emotions that you couldn’t help but wonder if those would ever be directed at you. Right now, you could see they were. However, the usually captivating trait wasn’t that heartwarming now… Not when there was nothing but pained resignation in them… Not when they made so damn obvious that she didn’t like you back… Not when they shift to sheer excitement to the sound of someone else’s voice.

     “Hey” Was the single word that brought her to such a state of happiness; eyes twinkling and a genuine smile cracking on her face as she looked to the guy talking to her “What’s this?” He asked while gesturing to the both of you before squinting his eyes in suspicion “This table has always been our, shortie, fuck off” He scoffed; sitting down as if it didn’t even cross his mind that you could stand up against him.

     “Short—?!”

     “Shut up, Minho” She rolled her eyes, even though you could see the amusement in them, “He’s here to ask me out on a date” She clarified nonchalantly; eyes attentive to his reaction.

     “Of course he is” He snorted, shaking his head in disbelief while poking his food.

     “I am” You stated seriously while boldly offering him The Look, “Is that a problem?” You arched your brow in a silent challenge.

     “I don’t know…” He dropped his fork; eyes connecting to yours with such a murderer intention that for a second you considered just playing it off as a joke “Is that a problem?” He asked back, studying your face.

     Thank Lord you were a proud Leo or else the “No, Sir” on the tip of your tongue would have slipped just like that from your mouth. Instead, you just returned his glare, choosing to be silent so you would not show him how much he scared the shit out of you. The silent battle was promptly cut off by the damsel in distress herself, a not-so-subtle kick under the table that had Minho wincing on his seat.

     “No, that’s not a problem” She stated firmly enough to end the discussion “I’m going out with him” Even though you were aware of that, it still made your stomach flutter.

     “Okay” He said bitterly; lips twitching slightly “So that’s not a problem” He forced a smile, picking his fork and scrambling his food mindlessly.

     “Great!” You offered her a bright smile, too excited to hide your true feelings.

     “Great” She stated monotonously “So… See you later?” She arched her brows as if to say that it was time for you to walk away.

      “Of course” You agreed promptly “I can walk you home later… So… We can arrange the details” You suggested hopefully, and she seemed to embrace the idea.

      “Sounds like a date” She smiled.

     “Yeah” You chuckled; rubbing your arm before waving at her and heading to your friends’ table.

     Well… Getting a date: Checked.

     Having your feelings reciprocicated: Hm… On progress?

     First confession meeting any of your expectations: Hell no...

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[peggyrose19]

Love Him Not Me

I- I have no explanation for this, I really don’t. In my defense, the discord started it. Well, and Hazel. So, here you go: the first-ever(?) Between Fifth and You fic, featuring Leo and Remus being in love but not with each other.

characters belong to @lumosinlove 

“Hey Re?” Leo asked that afternoon. He lay curled into Remus’ side, idly scrolling through his phone while Remus read. 

Remus didn’t look up from his book. “Hmm?”

“Are you still in love with Sirius?” That got his attention.

It was something Leo had been wondering for a while now. He’d known, when they had first kissed among the roses in Rome, that he was just a rebound. That Remus was caught up on his star boy back home, his broken heart still painfully mending. But now, months later, back at school with Sirius and all the others, he wondered. 

Remus’ voice was carefully controlled as he said, “Why do you ask?”

“Because I see the way you look at him still,” Leo answered honestly. 

It had hurt, the first time he’d noticed it, the longing and love in his boyfriend’s eyes. And he had wondered why Remus loved Sirius and not him. But now, it didn’t hurt as much. It wasn’t about him, he’d realized. It never had been. 

When Remus didn’t answer, Leo glanced over at him. “I’m not mad at you,” he said softly, and Remus seemed to unfreeze. He set his book down, sighed. Looked at Leo. 

“Why not?”

Leo blinked. “Why not… what?”

“Why aren’t you mad at me? You should be, I’ve been awful. Because I do… I do still like him.” His voice stuttered on the word ‘like’. “And that’s not fair to you.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Leo murmured. “But it’s not up to me, is it? How you feel? I can’t control it. Neither can you.”

“I do like you.”

“And I like you. A lot. But maybe not the way we both pretend to.” Thoughts of dark green eyes and messy red hair flashed through Leo’s mind. He pushed them away. 

“I’m sorry.” Remus whispered the words. His eyes shone with tears. Leo reached up and brushed the tear from his cheek.

“It’s not your fault.”

“What do we do now?”

Le couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Well I do believe we’re breaking up darling. But that’s okay. We can still be friends.”

“Can we?”

The hesitancy and doubt in Remus’ voice felt like a knife to the heart. Leo cupped his face.

“Of course we can. I’m not quitting on you, Lupin.” 

With a sniff, Remus wrapped his arms around Leo and buried his face in his shoulder. He was warm, and Leo soaked it up, holding Remus back. 

“Thank you,” came his muffled voice a moment later. He pulled back and looked at Leo. “For knowing me so well. And being so… good about all of this. I don’t think I could ever be this calm while breaking up with someone.”

“It hurt, at first,” Leo admitted. “When I realized, I was so angry, and jealous. But I’ve had some time to think about it. I’m not mad anymore.”

“I’m glad. I don’t know what I’d do with you mad at me.”

Leo huffed a laugh. “Well, I could never stay mad at you for too long anyways.”

“Aw, I’m flattered.”

A comfortable silence fell between them then. Remus picked up his book again and kept reading.

“What are you going to do about Sirius?” Leo asked eventually, breaking the silence. 

Remus sighed dramatically, “Ugh, I don’t know.”

“I think you should ask him out,” Leo said matter-of-factly, moving the book from where Remus had dropped it in his lap. 

“I can’t just do that!” Remus spluttered, staring at him in disbelief. Leo stifled a laugh. 

“Why not?”

“Because I… can’t, I don’t know. Let’s change the subject.” 

“No, I don’t think we should,” Leo replied, thoroughly amused. 

“Yes, yes we really should,” Remus argued. “What about Logan, how’s he doing? And Finn? Are those two still attached at the hip?”

Leo froze. “Uh, I think so.”

Remus narrowed his eyes. “That wasn’t convincing.” 

“I- mmm.” 

You know,” Remus started and Leo knew he was in danger, “now that you’re single and all that, you could ask someone else out, too.”

“Oh so you are going to ask Sirius out?” 

“Don’t change the subject.”

“You changed it first!”

“Touché, but you’re deflecting.”

Leo grumbled under his breath. “I might like Logan.”

“Ha! I knew it.”

Leo just looked at him. 

“And Finn.”

At that, Remus paused. “What?”

He sighed. “It’s… ugh, it’s complicated, I don’t know.”

“Wait, hang on.” Remus sat up straighter. “You like both Logan and Finn-” Leo nodded- “but you were out here dating me? Why?”

“I-” Leo closed his mouth. He didn’t have a good response to that. “Leave me alone, lover boy.” 

Remus rolled his eyes, but there was no force behind it.

“Let’s make a deal,” he said, and Leo narrowed his eyes. “Don’t make that face! It’s not bad, I promise.”

“Okay…”

“Okay. I’ll ask Sirius out, if you ask Logan and Finn out.”

“Wh-” Leo stopped himself. “Fine.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yup.”

“Wait no, you were supposed to say no.”

“Too late,” Leo sang. “Better start planning.”

“I hate you.” 

“Love you too.”

And it was true, Leo thought. He did love Remus. Maybe not the way he’d wanted to, at first. But they weren’t together anymore, and so it didn’t matter that he loved him like a friend. It didn’t matter that he said it aloud now. It was true.