#miss girl really managed to piss off everyone in the whole cast huh

[landhinlove]

More DWD Drama: Kiki Layne and Ari’el Stachel

They play Margaret and Ted in Don’t Worry Darling.

Their characters are VITAL to the plot of the movie like literally the most important to the plot besides Alice and Jack.

Most of their scenes got cut out

They weren’t invited to the Venice Film Festival or the premiere of the movie

They have been very vocal about this on social media in the past couple of days, continuously taking slights at the movie and more specifically, Olivia Wilde

[burntmcnuggies]

Hi! Can i request a hawks x fem! reader where hawks kind of has bird-like tendencies? She’s pretty good friends with him, and sometimes he whistles and stuff when she’s around (like a mating call/song) and one time she was talking to another pro hero and hawks gets jealous (but it’s his bird side so he can’t control it) and his wings puff up and stretch out as a show of dominance or something. And they get really bright too! The media reports the event and he confesses how he feels 🥺 tysm!

Of course! 🥺

I’m so happy to have actually gotten a request!! This is actually my... fourth Hawks story? And I feel I’m getting better at his personality! If any of you have constructive criticism I’m all ears! Ready to improve! I tend to over study characters before I write them so I have a good understand to deliver the best for everyone! :D

I wasn’t sure if you wanted smut or fluff... so I did both! A wholesome pure one and a spicy sexy one!

I really hope you enjoy this! ❤️

Both stories are almost exactly the same except for the ending, so in the end if you want smut, go to the NSFW one! 18+ only please! :)

➪ NSFW <3

Jealous Bird (Fluff)

Warnings: strong language, suggestive themes towards breeding, and that’s it!

“Mornin’ chicken wing. What’re we doin’ for breakfast? I paid last time so this is allll on you.” Hawks sent a playful wink towards you as he landed beside you from his previous place in the air, holding his hand up and rubbing his index and thumb together as a sign he wanted you to pay. You rolled your eyes and rose your hand, mocking him. “Don’t forget who spent hours doing YOUR paperwork because a certain birdbrain was too lazy to do it.” Hawks held up his hands in defeat and slumped over, sticking out his bottom lip, over exaggerating his facial expressions. He whined and let his wings droop. “C’mon just one more time? Pretty please with your favorite pretty bird on top?”

“Stop dragging your wings, you’re gonna get them dirty.” You scolded and pat his back, slightly feeling how tense his shoulders were. You were about to offer to give him a massage later, not wanting your friend to have to sleep tonight with stiff muscles until you noticed something. His wings were almost glowing a whole new shade now. Such a vibrant and beautiful color. It was then realizing how close you were that you could hear a faint cooing bubbling from his throat. “...? The fuck are you doing Hawks?” He looked over confused and tilted his head. You grumbled at his lack of knowing exactly what he was doing. “Do you even have complete control over your body? You don’t even realize you’re whistling and cooing like some pigeon.”

You completely missed the pissed off look that crossed his face at your comment. He plastered on a cheeky smile and put his hands behind his back, picking his wings off the ground and tucking them firmly behind his back. “Nah, sometimes my bird-side comes out, especially during spring. God I go fuckin’ crazy. Sometimes it’s early and i have to take a whole week off a work!” You looked up to a couple trees you both passed while you were walking to your usual breakfast place, KFC —Although you always argue you want to go somewhere else. It was late winter, very close to spring, about March. You never kept up with the date. “Why do you take a whole week off?”

“Animal Mutant types like me would understand. Just like Mirko! Haha, I’m sure she’s the worst right now bein’ it’s early March!” He laughed and put his hands out, his hands snaking into his pockets to firmly stick there once more. You pouted, wanting to know exactly what Hawks was talking about. You told Hawks everything, but he didn’t give you the same treatment. “I’ll just ask Mirko later then if you refuse to tell me.” Hawks quickly wagged his finger side to side in front of your face, his other hand being placed on his hip now. You were familiar with his body language and how much he loved using his hands. “Nah ah, chicken wing. You do that and she’s gonna pounce on you. You won’t see light for days!”

“Mirko has accidentally jumped on me before, it’s not like we haven’t sparred before! I can withstand some punches and kicks!” Hawks sulked again, his hands digging back into his pockets, displaying his annoyance that you weren’t listening to him. He just looked away and shrugged his shoulders back. “Just trust me, kiddo. It’d be for the best you didn’ see Mirko, especially at a time like this. I know how she feels.” You were starting to get irritated at his lack of response to your question, only dodging it and making you sit in suspense. Finally you gave up and decided to bring it back up later. “I’m just gonna stop asking, you’re obviously not gonna answer me are you?”

“Haha! Nope! You know me too well, (Y/N).” You both arrived at KFC, immediately greeted by the manager and many of Hawks’ fans who knew he came there a lot. Many asked for his autograph or a selfie, but he refused politely. “I’ll do some after I get some chicken! I’m starved!” Super fans offered to even pay for his food, to which he declined, saying that you were kind enough to have already offered to pay for his food. A total fat lie! He begged you to pay! You sent him a glare and proceeded just to order both your meals while Hawks spoke with his fans. “Well, guess I can start then! Who’s first?” After he saw you were paying and ordering, he began to sign autographs and take selfies that would no doubt be on social media in minutes.

“Man! I sure do have a lot of supportive and loyal fans! Must suck never bein’ noticed.” Hawks passively insulted your rank as a pro hero by taking a jab at your ranking. You were somewhere in the mid thirties. Not popular at all, especially in this part of Japan where Hawks was born. “At least I have fans who aren’t thirsty for me! People who don’t dream of kissing me so passionately and marrying me.” You smirked and rose your hands shrugging your shoulders, before hugging yourself. You bit your lip, closing your eyes and squirming with a dreamy smile, mocking his thirsty fan girls. “Oh Hawks! Please marry me... I love you so much. Kiss me... let’s start a family, and be the happiest couple ever~”

You didn’t notice the way his wings trembled and his face reddened, his avian eyes widening as he watched you speak in such a way. He shook it off quickly before he got out of control and leaned forward towards you smirking. “At least I have fans cravin’ me~ haven’t heard of anyone wantin’ your boring ass!” He gave a closed eye smile and brought his hands up to give you a big fat thumbs down. Your eye twitched and you remained silent, not having a comment. That was until you remembered a villain hitting on you not too long ago. “Well at least I’ve had a villain fawn over me! I can still remember it clearly! ‘Oh fuck, I would turn good to get a piece of that ass!’”

This time you noticed how his brows furrowed, and his wings fluffed up, almost as if he just had a whole shiver rake through his body. “When was this?” He asked, his head now resting in his right hand, staring intently. You thought about it for a minute, before taking a wild guess. “Ehh, about like a couple months ago.” This only put him in a more sour mood. You didn’t understand why he was acting so strange. Maybe it was what you talked about? Obviously you’d never talked about anything romantic with Hawks, but on the topic of thirty fans want for him, you wanted to make jokes since he was always mocking you and making sly insults. “Sorry... I didn’t mean to make things awkward.”

“Nah, it’s fine. It’s not your fault. Well... it kinda is.” He admitted afterwards and smirked at you teasingly as if you would already know it was your fault. You frowned, about to open your mouth again before they called your number to get your food. You sighed and stood from your seat, walking over to the counter and retrieving the food, however, you were stopped by a man. He was young, about nineteen or twenty, quite handsome. “Excuse me miss, this may sound really straightforward and all but, you’re really pretty, and I was wondering if I could get your number?” You blushed a bit and looked away. You were a bit weary, but decided anyways. “I-I don’t know... I guess so. You seem nice. It’s-“

“Hey man, you gotta hobby of stealin’ other people’s things?” A gloved band came in contact with your shoulder, and a large shadow cast over you and the man in front of you. The man gasped in amazement at seeing the number two pro hero standing before him, it would’ve been a better experience if Hawks wasn’t threatening him with his looks and smart-ass remarks. “Huh? Oh! S-Sorry I didn’t-“ Hawks rudely interrupted the man, his gloved hand squeezing harder. His smile was obviously forced, and his feathers were starting to fluff up every second that past he stood in front of this guy. “Eh don’t worry about, you didn’ know. Now that ya do, don’t come near her again, Kay?”

And in the blink of an eye, Hawks pulled you away and out of the fast food restaurant. He aggressively pulled out the food and shoved yours against your chest, unwrapping his quickly and munching on it. “What the hell Hawks?! That was a bit much! He was being nice! It’s not like we’re dating or anything...” You trailed off, watching his wings twitch and fluff. You had noticed his strange behavior for a couple days now. His feathers would fluff up every now and again —you had no idea why— especially near men. And he would always make these weird sounds whenever the two of you got close. “You should be thankin’ me chicken wing. I just saved you from a world of heartbreak.”

“That’s not your place to decide, Hawks. I don’t intervene when women ask for your phone number.” You crossed yours arms and turned your nose up at his childish behavior. He didn’t respond, finishing his breakfast and throwing away his trash in a nearby can. His hands slipping back into his pockets, displaying that he was closing himself off from you now. Of course, you began to become irritated at his lack of voice, but you decided to let it go and not pressure him further. You unwrapped your food and took a bite of the savory meal. “You’ve been acting weird lately ya know? I’m getting worried...”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m fine.” Oh how you hated his emotionless voice, so bland and robotic, it honestly pained you. His eyes were sharp, quick to notice your saddened expression. Hawks sighed heavily and stuck his bottom lip out, wrapping his arm around your arms and pulling you close to him. “I’m one of the top five pros, you don’ gotta worry about me, chicken wing. Cheer up.” You smiled and shoved him off, only a bit happy his cocky and arrogant behavior had returned. The Hawks you knew and cherished. “You know, I hate you sometimes, but I can’t help but love you at the same time.”

“Who doesn’t love me? The sexiest bird-man around.” He smirked and gave you a flirtatious look, a small sound bubbling from his throat similar to a whistle. You returned his smirk with a teasing smile. You were almost immune to his flirty charm, key-word; almost. Hawks was definitely an attractive man. Those piercing eyes with dark markings around them, only making the color pop and glow. His messy hair swept back and disheveled. Let’s not forget about those bushy eyebrows of his, they almost look like feathers from his wings, only a beautiful blonde color just like his hair. You could probably do without his egotistical attitude and vulgar tongue, but that was still all part of his charm. “Move!”

You were surprised by Hawks suddenly grabbing you and jerking you out of the way of an attack from a villain. You were right there in his chest, feeling his warmth, hearing the harsh thumping of his heart at the thought of almost losing you. Before he had a chance to say what he wanted. “Well there goes our leisurely patrol. And more paper work on our desks.” Hawks grunted in annoyance and took to the air. You finally regained your composure and got into your fighting stance. “Ready to kick some ass Hawks?! Whoever lands the final blow is treated to lunch!”

“Heh, you don’t stand a chance! Show me whatcha got!”

—

“Thanks Edgeshot... I totally owe you one.” You scratched the back of your neck with an awkward smile as you stood in front of the current number four hero. While Hawks was on the assault, eager to show off and boost his already high ego, you tried to get a sneak attack in, but the villain noticed you. They were about to attack you, before Edgeshot came and got you out of the way. Hawks didn’t take this too well. He became angry immediately and finished off the villain in a matter of seconds. “No thanks necessary, (H/N). I was just doing my job.” You hated being in debt to someone more than anything, so you quickly threw out an offer.

“Please! Let me take you out for drinks! Honestly! I’ve gotta do something! I-“ Suddenly a large shadow cast over you for the second time that day. You turned around and shrunk down noticing Hawks’ wings spread wide, fluffed to the brim and shaking in anger and jealousy. His face was red and his eyes were narrowed at Edgeshot. He was angry at himself for not being able to protect you himself, and at Edgeshot for rescuing you and holding you close. That was supposed to be him. “H-Hawks? What’s wron-“ Edgeshot was the one who answered your main question earlier before Hawks could even get another word out. The answer shocked you to your core, finally understanding why he was acting so weird.

“He’s showing his dominance, and in a public place no less, how careless.” You looked at the ninja hero confused before you turned your attention back to Hawks. Dominance? His wings were such a beautiful vibrant color now. A shade of red you’d never seen before on him. A sudden flash captured your eyes, taking your attention away from his beautiful wings. The media was eating this up. Soon it would reach the Hero Public Safety Commission and the president would not like this one bit. “I’m sorry, (Y/N). But I’m impatient, I can’t wait any longer.” Your eyes widened as your attention was fully back on Hawks now. You opened your mouth about to ask what he meant, but something was preventing you from doing so.

Hawks’ lips were firmly placed upon your own, his bright red rings wrapping around the both of you to shield you from any watchful eyes wanting to take a peek at you. His lips were soft, his hands finding themselves on your waist, pulling you flush against his body. You were shocked, your eyes wide, heart hammering wildly out of your chest at the sudden action. Slowly, you began to kiss him back, falling victim to his charm and passionate ways. He was quickly heating up the kiss, but you placed your hands on his chest firmly, pushing him away just enough to separate your lips. He was chasing your lips, desperate to get another kiss. You sent him a silencing glare and he smiled nervously, unsure of what you were thinking.

“Uh... oops?”

——

“Breaking News! Pro-Hero Hawks was seen acting quite strange this morning. We have multiple eye witness accounts saying his behavior was aggressive in sorts. Many people claim after the latest villain attack, Hawks confronted Pro-Hero Edgeshot! What an intimidating display by one of the most top ranked heroes! We’re not sure on the full details, stay tuned for more on the story later.” The whole time the video played the camera was zoomed in on Hawks. His vibrant wings spread dominantly, visibly fluffed and shaken up. It was incredibly lucky they didn’t catch you both kissing —even though his wings were covering you both. You slid your phone in your pocket and sighed heavily, patiently waiting outside the presidents door, ready to see Hawks and talk to him about what had happened.

You attempted to talk to Mirko but... You couldn’t really understand what she was talking about, especially through all the panting. ‘Oh baby please, come to my place, I promise we’ll have fun okay? Forget about that birdbrain! Come to me. We can eat! Have dessert first and then a full course meal! And another, and another, a-and another~! Until I’m full and satisfied! Please!’ You sadly had to decline. Being treated to multiple full course meals and desserts was nice and all, but you really needed to talk to Hawks. A click of the door was heard, and you brought yourself off the hard painted walls to see Hawks walking out with a pout and a frown. He hated being scolded, he was a grown ass man with hormones. Of course he was going to lose it eventually.

“H-Hawks...!”

He immediately jerked his head up hearing his name, plastering on a cheeky smile before coming up to you. “What’s up chicken wing, you came to check on me huh?” Sometimes you wanted to slap the smugness out of him, but sadly, it would probably grow knowing him. You honestly nodded and rose your hand to tell him to follow you. He did as you told quietly, his hands in his pockets, unsure of what you were even going to say. His feathers could faintly sense your thundering heart, how it hammered against your rib cage every step you took towards the door. “It’s... about what happened this morning.”

“...I see.” It was unusual for him to be so speechless in a conversation. He loved to talk. You rubbed your arm sheepishly and made your way out the doors with him. You walked for a bit, until you reached the agency you worked at. Well, this was it. “Hawks I...” you began, but couldn’t bring yourself to confess to him. You’d denied your feelings for years, pushing them aside to hold onto your friendship. You didn’t think you were good enough for him. He needed someone stronger, someone better. “Ah... never mind, I forgot what I was going to say. See you to-“ You were silenced once his gloved hands found your arms softly, and his lips met yours once again to share in a passionate kiss. You couldn’t help but melt into his touch, his warm comforting touch, never wanting to leave.

“Im... sorry for the way I acted today.” He spoke slowly, expression the sincerity behind his apology. Your eyes widened watching Hawks get down on one knee and begin to kiss your knuckles one by one. “I couldn’t help myself... seein’ you... with other guys, just thinkin’ about it makes my blood boil...” He stands back up again, spreading his large wings, their vibrant color remained, accompanied by soft whistling and cooing from your winged friend. His hand grabbed your chin, running his thumb gently over your bottom lip. “I’ve been tryin’ to impress you for weeks... drove out all my competition, so in the end you’d only pick me.”

It was all starting to make sense now.

“Spring is mating season for birds like me... so everything I’ve been doin’ is to get you to choose me to be your mate. I want you to be my dove. I want you to be mine.” Everything finally connected now. Even why Mirko sounded so weird on the phone earlier when you called to ask about what was happening. Your face flushed in embarrassment at this newfound revelation. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner... I... feel horrible for what I said earlier! Your jealous behavior... your weird noise making meant to impress me but I insulted it!” Hawks covered his mouth and started to laugh. You glared at him, trying to be serious and apologize the right way. And he was just sitting there laughing at you! “Oh man, sorry chicken wing, but I insult you, all the fuckin’ time, and its fun. Watchin’ you get all flustered and angry, I live for it. You shouldn’ feel bad at all to get a couple jabs at me.”

“Shut up you dumbass. Let me speak...” A pout spread across his face and he stared intensely at you, his beautiful golden eyes shaking you up to your core. You rubbed your arm a bit embarrassed, and averted your gaze to the ground. “Considering... everything you’ve just told me. I need to clarify and face my feelings.” His eyes widened and his mouth hung slightly agape, his wings flapping gently in anxiousness. You smiled and pulled him close by the collar of his jacket, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, before pulling away quickly not get him riled up again. “It’s safe to say I only see you, Hawks. And you don’t have to worry about me picking anyone else. You’re my pretty bird. You always have been.”

He sighed in relief and smirked smugly. “I knew you were in love with me, dove. I’m just too irresistible, even for you~”

“Don’t make me change my mind.”

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Born a Rat, Burn a Rat

[2002]

Word count: 4561

Prompt: You need to stop making her laugh! You’re ruining her makeup!

--------------------

  “You need to stop making her laugh! You’re ruining her makeup!”

All the laughter that had once been rebounding through the locker room stopped abruptly. Everyone turned their heads slowly to face Carrie White, who was blinking innocently at them from her locker. She looked absolutely clueless, as she always did when she wasn’t dead-eyed or spazzing out. She didn’t seem to understand why she was being stared at.

  “What did you just say?” Tina said.

  “H-her makeup,” Carrie stammered, suddenly very uncomfortable under their gazes. “Chris’s. It’s--going to run. If she keeps laughing. I’m trying to save it.”

  “Oh, so you think I’m ugly without any makeup on, huh? Is that it?” Chris strode up to her, eyes flashing like a hungry puma’s, and Carrie backed up against the lockers, blinking dumbly.

  “What? No!” Carrie said. She gripped her fingers in the locker air holes tightly in some sort of scrabble for grounding.

  “You hesitated,” Fern put in helpfully.

  “I didn’t!” Carrie cried, eyes wide.

  “Maybe I should try out some new makeup,” Chris mused. “Your blood will be a nice shade!” A second later, she raised her fist and sent it flying at Carrie’s face.

Carrie barely had time to react. She ducked and dove left, stumbling awkwardly through a pair of girls. There was a loud clang of metal from behind, followed by a shout of pain and a few gasps and snickers, and she spun around on her heels to see Chris rubbing her reddened knuckles tentatively with a look of murder on her face.

  “You goddamn bitch.” She seethed.

Carrie tried to stutter out an apology, she really did, but then the entire left side of her face exploded into bright, colorful bursts of pain as a fist that seemed to be the size and solidity of a small boulder came smashing upwards and her whole body popped backwards in a fashion that was almost cartoonish. A near-perfect arc, like those old animated shorts she’d been deprived of as a little girl where Daffy Duck or Wile E. Coyote were getting nailed in the face with spring-loaded punching gloves left and right.

However, there was a very significant difference between those cartoons and real life, and the difference was that in real life, it hurt. It hurt a lot.

The punch had such force that Carrie thought for one petrified instant that she might do a full flip—but then her back met the floor with an unforgiving THUNK.

She barely had time to clap a hand to the smarting flesh on the side of her face, which she could already feel starting to get puffy, before she heard sneakers squeaking against tile and looked up to see that she was surrounded by all her gym classmates in various stages of dressed. She swallowed down a mouthful of blood thickly and awkwardly scooted backwards, only to have Chris reach down with alarming swiftness and wrap her perfectly manicured fingers into her shirt-collar, gathering a crimson-knuckled fistful of fabric and sending cuts scattered across the girl’s back alight with pain once more as they were exposed to the cool air when her lightweight body was effortlessly jerked to its feet.

  “You just made the biggest mistake of your miserable little life, pig.” Chris spat. 

  “Chris,” Sue hissed cautiously. She cast an uneasy glance towards the front of the locker room, expecting Miss Desjardin to suddenly materialize inside and blow her ear-piercingly loud whistle before raining hellfire on them all.

  “What?” Chris snapped. “She DESERVES this! If you’re that worried, then keep watch or lock the door or something!”

  “Chris!” Sue said again, but this time as a much more alarmed warning. Because Carrie is tugging backwards and snapping at Chris’s hands around her collar like a contagious rat in the midst of the Black Plague.

  “What the fuck!?” Chris yelled, startled.

Carrie’s hands shot up and they’re like the skeletal fingers of death around Chris’s wrists. She had exactly zero muscles in her arms, so it was pretty impressive that she was able to pry the grip off of her pale yellow sweater’s collar and totter backwards into safety.

And then there’s a hissing sound, like the warning of a rattlesnake.

Something splatters against Carrie’s face and neck and open mouth, and she flinched in surprise. She raised a hand to wipe her eyes, but it only got halfway up before it suddenly felt like she got a red hot fire poker jammed into her sockets.

Then, she screamed.

------

Rita Desjardin has heard screaming before. In her senior year of high school, she vividly remembers watching a school football game and one of the players from the other team, she believed they were the Pumas if her memory was correct, broke his arm so savagely it almost looked like it was on backwards. He had dropped to the ground in a blur of black and maroon, bellowing in agony, and at the time Rita had thought that it was the worst sound she would ever hear in her entire life.

And then she heard the ricochet of a cry rattle from the girl’s locker room, so loud that she could hear it from outside in the gym, and the first place spot for “Worst Noise She’s Ever Heard” was quickly snatched away from the football player.

He had screamed. But not like this.

This scream was piercing, bloodcurdling, and memory-haunting, and it only got worse when Rita charged into the locker room, leaving a gaggle of wide-eyed students already dressed out behind in startled shock. 

Opening the door and passing through the doorway was like coming out of water in the midst of a war- the scream suddenly became ten times louder and much more ear-splitting. She actually had to clamp her hands over her ears and stop her forward stride to shudder in pain at the intensity of the noise that made her feel like she was going deaf. What could very possibly be 140 to 150 decibels of volume jammed its way directly into her eardrums, stabbing over and over and over again until a ringing was sent jangling through her skull like the aftermath of an explosion.

To be in the same room as such an outburst of agony, so close to the cause of deafening distress, was so much more bone-chilling than listening to it from stadium bleachers.

Rita staggered forward, pulling her hands away from her ears and crossing the corridor threshold into the open space of lockers. There, her current class was huddled in a group of abstract horror around one row, eyes so wide they were nearly popping out of sockets and shaking in abject pant-pissing fear. Rita wasn’t quite sure who looked more terrified: them, Helen Shyres holding a can of pepper spray, or Carrie White frenzying around with her hands over her face, screeching.

  “WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?” Rita roared over the commotion, and everyone except Carrie whirled around to face her with ogling bug eyes. They apparently hadn’t heard her come in over the noise. Carrie keened again, a loud, drawn-out sound like the cry of a crow being gutted alive.

  “Sh-she--” One girl tried to say, but the words got stuck in her throat when she glanced back at Carrie writhing, slamming into the lockers, and scratching desperately at her face.

  “WHAT HAPPENED?” Rita demanded.

  “I--got startled.” Helen choked out.

  “Is that PEPPER SPRAY?!” Rita shouted.

Helen looked down at the canister in her hand as if it were an active bomb and suddenly appeared very sick. She doesn’t answer- she can’t. She’s shocked into silence.

  “WHY do you even HAVE IT at SCHOOL?!” Rita bellowed. Her eyes are wide now, too, as she put the pieces together.

  “I’m sorry!” Helen said.

Carrie wailed tumultuously. She dropped to the ground, screaming helplessly at the ceiling and squirming like she was trying to wriggle out of her own skin. Her hands are still fervently clawing at her eyes as if she were trying to scoop them out of their sockets, and there’s spots of red mixed in with the translucent sheen of pepper spray spattered across her pale face. Rita quickly pushed Helen aside, practically throwing the other girls out of the way to get to the panicking student rolling on the floor.

  “Carrie! Carrie!” Rita called over the screaming. Carrie doesn’t appear to hear her- she just continued to caterwaul and claw like a burning black cat. “Carietta White!” Not even that got through to her, and if it did, it only made her even more distressed. “Carrie!!”

Rita finally grabbed the girl by the wrists and yanked her hands away. Without the spindly fingers itching incessantly, she could see her reddened face, gashed skin, and eyes filled with blood.

  “Oh my god,” Someone from behind, Sue Snell, maybe, muttered.

  “IT HURTS!!” Carrie’s screams have finally morphed into words, and Rita isn’t sure which was worse because the screams may have been nightmare-inducing, but the words were like a punch to the stomach with a spiked iron gauntlet. They come out hoarse and high pitched, vowels stretched out in whines and keens of pain, and Rita’s heart clenched tightly in her chest when they reach her ears. “IT HURTS!! IT BURNS!!!!”

Carrie writhed beneath Rita, flailing her arms in the grip that holds them. Her dark eyes are upturned in their puckered sockets, saturating in blood, and the whites weren’t even white anymore, rather an awful crimson color with throbbing scarlet veins lacing through them like smoldering snakes. The shredded, bloody eyelids soon slam shut and remain shut, swelling so badly that Carrie was temporarily blinded, and that makes her panic even harder.

  “It burns! It burns! IT BURNS!!!” Carrie screeched. Her voice became garbled after her final cry and she dissolved into body-breaking coughs that manage to rock Rita’s own frame from where she’s crouched over her.

  “What do we do?!” Another girl, Frieda Jason, yawped. She flinched backwards in fright into the arm-locked duo of Mary and Donna Thibodeau when Rita whipped her head around to her, icy blue eyes flashing like jagged glaciers in the arctic sunlight.

  “NOW you care?” Rita snarled, loading her voice with as much venom as possible. “Now you care about her? When she’s been fucking pepper sprayed?”

All the girls flinch this time. It’s obvious that they’ve never been cussed at by a teacher before, and it gives Rita just a tiny swell of pleasure. But then Carrie sobs audibly again and it’s replaced with seething rage.

  “It- it was an accident!” Ruth Gogan tried to defend. “R-really! Helen didn’t know!”

  “Oh really?” Rita said. “I’m sure spraying a kid with fucking pepper spray, which shouldn’t even be brought to school, by the way, is really easy to do om accident!” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chris Hargensen clench her jaw and she rounded on her. “Do you have something you want to say, Hargensen?”

Chris opened her mouth as if to snark, took one look at Carrie’s bloody, burned face, and realized this was not something her father could fix with his lawyer status. Even if she told him that Carrie had snapped at her, he would have to agree that being pepper sprayed for it was much, much worse. She grit her teeth and looked away.

  “It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts,” Carrie wept. Rita looked back down at her and felt a sharp stab of guilt when she realized how much time she had wasted scolding the other girls when she should have been treating Carrie.

  “It’s okay, Carrie,” She told her softly, smoothing down the barbs and thorns in her voice until it’s more like warm honey or silken velvet. “It’s okay… You’re going to be okay.”

Carrie’s lolling head froze in its process of sweeping back and forth across the scuffed locker room tile. Her brow twitched and her eyelids flutter like she was trying to open them but can’t, and only bloody tears are able to squeeze their way out of the scrunched up sockets. She ‘looked’ in the direction of Rita’s voice, lips quivering.

  “M-Miss Desjardin?” She whispered hoarsely.

  “Yes, it’s me, Carrie. It’s just me.” Rita moved to hold both wrists in one hand and used the other to brush Carrie’s cheek tenderly--which was instantly the wrong thing to do because she grazed over a spatter of pepper spray and tiny burning teeth latched onto her fingers and began eating away at her flesh. She bit back a hiss of discomfort to avoid stressing out Carrie even more. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

  “It hurts,” Carrie sobbed. Her eyes screwed shut even tighter, like she thought that it may help block out the pain. “I-it hurts, Miss Desjardin. M-make it stop!”

  “I will, Carrie, don’t worry,” Rita assured her. “Just take deep breaths for me. Can you do that? Deep breaths, sweetheart.” She swiveled her head around to the group of quavering onlookers. Helen backed up behind Tina Blake and Norma Watson when her glaring eyes skim by, still white-knuckling the canister of pepper spray. “Sue.”

Sue jolted, but raised her head in an obedient, listening way.

  “Make yourself useful and get a bottle of water and a rag from the showers. Wet it.” Rita ordered.

Sue nodded, but didn’t dare speak up. She scurried off, clipping her shoulder on one of the lockers and tottering sideways for a moment before regaining her balance and continuing with her task. Rita can hear her tinker with the padlock of her locker in another row, open the door, pull something out, and then hurry into the bathroom area without fully closing the door. She stopped listening after hearing the running water of a sink to glower at the rest of the girls.

  “Get to class.” She said coldly.

The girls exchanged glances. They seem surprised that they hadn’t been struck dead or something (although Rita really, REALLY wanted to do so). Then, they disperse without another warning, with Helen hightailing it out the door first. Sue returns shortly after with a folded, pulpy paper towel that drips water on the floor and a water bottle. She looked down at Carrie as she passed them over and Rita saw that she was genuinely worried.

  “Is she...going to be okay?” She asked.

Rita was conflicted- she wanted to say yes to make them all feel better, but she really didn’t know. Carrie had rubbed her eyes viciously enough to smear the pepper spray further into her sockets and the open cuts she carved into her skin was probably exposed to any lingering residue, too, which would only deepen her anguish. But she didn’t want to say no either because that would just induce panic, so instead she just said, “I’ll take care of her.”

Sue seemed to catch her avoidance of the question by the pinch at her brow and frown on her lips, but she just nodded instead of pointing it out, much to Rita’s relief.

  “Okay,” She said. She cast one more glance at Carrie, who appeared to be trying to figure out where she was, then turned around, gathered her belongings, and walked out.

  “Okay, Carrie,” Rita looked down at her student. “I’m going to pour some water over your eyes, okay? Just keep breathing for me. You’re doing so good.”

Carrie whimpered. She jolted when the contents of the water bottle were poured over her face, crying out in shock and pain, and a light bulb overhead shattered in millions of burgeoning pieces. Rita jumped and looked up at it, then back down at Carrie, who was now panting and wheezing heavily.

  “H-hurts to b-b--reathe,” She uttered.

  “Oh, Carrie…” Rita murmured. She carefully wiped away the pepper spray residue on Carrie’s face with the paper towel, finding that the girl’s skin was suddenly very cold. Her breathing wasn’t normal anymore. She can feel her heartbeat thump heavily beneath her flesh; it’s too fast for even someone in the midst of a panic attack. 

Something was sizzling in Carrie White’s skin, and it wasn’t just the pepper spray.

There’s a clamor from the front of the locker room- Rita’s next period class started to bustle inside to change out before their minimal time limit was up. Rita jumped up, causing Carrie to whimper in distress at the loss of her presence, and stormed to the entrance corridor. The girls inside stopped, easily picking up that she was on edge, and took a small step back in near-perfect synchronization.

  “You don’t have to change out today.” Rita said hurriedly. “Or do anything. Just sit in the gym and do whatever. As long as you don’t kill each other or set something on fire, I really don’t care what you do.”

The girls blink and exchange looks.

  “Everything okay?” One asked.

  “Fine.” Rita said, squaring her shoulders and straightening her shoulders. Her posture nearly faltered and crumbled when she heard Carrie whimper again. “Go on. Out!”

The girls obey, quickly exiting in a flurry of binders and backpacks. Once they’re all gone, Rita hurried back to Carrie, who was trying to get up. She yelped and flinched so badly she knocked herself back over when Rita touched her shoulder, and another light in the first aisle of lockers popped and fizzed out.

  “It’s just me, Carrie.” Rita said. “It’s Miss Desjardin.”

  “Miss Desjardin,” Carrie repeated to herself in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

  “That’s right,” Rita nodded, although she knew Carrie couldn’t see it. “Carrie, I’m going to help you stand up and we’re going to walk over to the showers, okay? The water bottle isn’t working as well as I had hoped. Running water will help flush out your eyes better.” She gently touched Carrie’s face and she ‘looked’ up at her. “It’ll make it hurt less.”

Carrie nodded. She grit her teeth as she’s helped to her feet, staggering, but staying upright. A jewel of blood welled up from a scratch dividing her left eyebrow in two and lazily made its way down her face. She twitched when it tickled her skin and she reached up to swipe it away, but Rita snatched her hand before she could make contact. Carrie jumped and instantly tried to jerk away.

  “Don’t touch your face.” Rita scolded lightly. “It’ll only make the burning worse.”

Carrie swallowed thickly, but didn’t say anything. She just nodded silently and obeyed.

The short walk to the bathroom and shower area was much clumsier than it should have been, with Carrie stumbling over her ankles and hitting every outcrop of lockers, even with Rita guiding her. Lack of sight was numbing her senses and making it hard to listen. Rita didn’t ever get mad at her, though; blindness, even temporary blindness, would make her a complete nervous, bumbling wreck, too.

  “M-Miss Desjardin?” Carrie croaked as Rita cranked the nozzle to a middle-row shower. She turned her head in the direction of the sound of spraying water.

  “Yes?” Rita gently touched her shoulder to let her know she was there. “I’m right here, honey.”

  “I’m sorry,” Carrie whispered.

Rita’s heart sunk into her stomach. Oh, Carrie, please please don’t--

  “I-I didn’t mean to.”

A wave of guilt slammed into Rita, alongside a rumbling riptide of pure rage that roiled through her insides like a storm at sea. She clenched her teeth until she thought they may shatter and wished that she had exacted punishment on all those girls, especially Helen, instead of sending them to their next class to deal with them later.

  “I’m sorry,” Carrie said again, this time much more choked up. Her skin was frigid cold. “M-Miss Desjardin?” She reached up a blind hand and lightly touched Rita’s, which she must have forgotten was on her shoulder. She grabbed it in a way that sent shockwaves of desperation up Rita’s arm. “I’m sorry…”

  “Don’t apologize, Carrie.” Rita said firmly. “This wasn’t your fault.”

  “Okay,” Carrie said, but Rita knew she didn’t believe it. She lowered her voice and rasped out, “It really, really hurts…”

  “Come on,” Miss Desjardin lowered Carrie to her knees and tilted her into the warm rain of water shooting from the showerhead. She lifted her chin so the spray would directly hit her face. “There we go... Good girl.”

Carrie took a deep breath, spitting out water. Streams ran red when they touched her numerous cuts and the blood oozing from her tightly shut eyes turned into puffing clouds of crimson along her cheeks, but at least everything was getting flushed out. 

Rita risked getting wet when she reached over and began to rub soothing circles against Carrie’s back. She swore the girl arched her spine into her touch, exhaling a soft sigh of relief--or maybe contentment. She wasn’t quite sure, but at least it wasn’t a sad or angry sigh, although Carrie had every reason to be sad and/or angry.

  “It felt like a hot knife.”

Carrie’s rough, husky voice jarred Rita out of her thoughts. Silence had descended upon the two of them for about five minutes, the only sound being the hiss of the overhead faucet and the low creak of pipes. Rita blinked a haze of black spots out of her vision; her hand was still on Carrie’s back, no longer rubbing, but the fingers were still grazing up and down tenderly, with the thumb gliding in soothing strokes.

  “Or a fire poker. Like the ones you use for fireplaces.” 

  “What?” Rita said.

Carrie craned her neck to look at her, and her eyes were open. They were reddish-brown jewels in a nest full of restless red snakes. Trails of water cascading over her face cause the dozens of cuts around the sockets to glow in hues of neon pink and burning scarlet. She tilted her head at Rita.

  “When I got sprayed,” She specified. “And you know what I thought when it happened?”

  “What?” Rita said again, this time with dread pooled in the pit of her stomach like a dark oil spill.

  “‘Thank God,’” Carrie said. A small, weak smile twitched at the corner of her lips and she looked down at her hands, where bits of her flesh still clung beneath her nails. “I wasn’t angry. Or upset. It did hurt, though. Really badly. But after everything--after everything I’ve been through--” Her arms dropped limply to her sides and she turned her head back to Rita. “It felt good to not have to see.”

Rita was silent. Her breath is caught in her throat in horror.

How could a child think like that? How could they be treated so poorly that they have to think like that?

  “I’ve never been blinded before,” Carrie went on, musing her words like she didn’t realize how traumatic they were. She lifted a hand and gently touched one eye, as if she were reminding herself that it was still there. “It was--scary. Really scary. I’m--used to darkness, but--that was different. It wasn’t black, but really, really bright. So bright my head started to hurt--still hurts--and there were these flashes of color and it all mixed together into this big mess. But still-” She shifted on her knees, sloshing water around her. “I thought that not seeing anymore would make things better. Somehow. Maybe then I would be pathetic enough for people to leave me alone.” Her eyes gleam; Carrie is crying. “But it wouldn’t end up being like that, would it? I’m never granted such mercy.” She flicked the water around her bitterly, then had to scrunch her eyes shut again when the pain registered again.

  “Were you--” Carrie cocked her head in the direction of Rita’s head to let her know that she was listening. Rita’s hand on her back clenched a fistful of soggy pale yellow sweater. “Are you happy?”

  “Now?”

  “Ever.”

Carrie ‘looked’ up at the ceiling like she was deep in thought, and Rita already had her answer.

Fury bubbled in Rita’s stomach, while pity and grief squeezed her heart to the point of nearly bursting apart. It wasn’t fair. It was so unfair for a child to have to live like this.

Carrie had tipped her head down and apparently stopped thinking by the time Rita was finished stewing in anger and conflict. And that’s when Rita realized that Carrie didn’t look even a little angry or conflicted. Or upset or sorrowful or anguished or vengeful.

She just looked tired.

Not just tried, though- Jaded.

  “How are your eyes?” Rita asked.

Carrie gently touched one. “They still burn. Badly. But not as bad as before.”

  “Yeah, they’re probably going to hurt for awhile.” Rita frowned. She cupped Carrie’s cheeks, which felt so hollow and sunken beneath her fingers, and she cradled her head. “Can you open your eyes, honey? So I can see them?”

Carrie struggled, but managed to pry open her eyelids and keep them open for Rita to inspect. They were bloodshot and definitely looked like they were hurting, but at least they weren’t bleeding anymore. Rita gently stroked her thumb across her cheekbone.

  “Maybe I’m not happy,” Carrie blurted. 

Rita frowned at her. Carrie flicked her gaze to examine a cracked piece of tile flooring. She clenched her hands in the hem of her sweater.

  “I don’t--blame you.” Rita said. “You’ve been through a lot.”

Carrie just nodded silently. She’s crying again. Hot tears seep through Rita’s fingers.

  “I’m sorry.” Rita said. “For everything you’ve been through. You don’t deserve any of that.” Carrie’s eyes went wide at that and she blinked at Rita in shock.

  “You don’t...you don’t think I’m a freak? Or a pig? Or the devil’s child?”

  “Oh no, honey, no.” Rita said. “Not at all. You’re a smart, wonderful girl.”

Carrie’s eyes are hungry, now. Rita has never seen that look before, but she instantly knows what it means: “Do you love me?”

Rita pulled Carrie against her and the girl began to openly weep into her chest. She rocked her back and forth in the shower stall, whispering sweet things in her ear and stroking her messy hair (which really needed to be brushed). And Carrie clung to her in return, blubbering and sniffling and whimpering until she’s exhausted and can only hiccup weakly. Rita smoothed down a stubborn cowlick on the top of her head.

  “You’re going to be okay, sweetheart,” Rita cooed to the girl in her arms. “I’ve got you.”

Carrie nuzzled closer, curling her knees in until she was a soggy ball in Rita’s lap. She breathed out a sigh, and this time Rita knows it’s of contentment.

  “Don’t let me go,” She whispered. “Please.”

  “I won’t.” Rita promised.

But she did.

To move Carrie into her office, where she signed a pass for her to skip her remaining classes for ‘mandatory physical health workout’ and spent the rest of the school day brushing out her hair and letting her relax. It’s the first time she thinks she’s seen Carrie really smile, like she thought this was the most delightful thing in the entire world, and Rita’s heart melted.

  “Thank you,” Carrie whispered. The tune of smooth jazz is playing from the small speaker on Rita’s desk. A dark purple brush glided through her long hair and she gave a soft coo of bliss at the sensation. “You’re--more of a mom than mine ever is.”

[dreamss-of-boston]

Rise - ch8

link on AO3!

thank u for being patient with my updates! i forgot to post ch8 here when i uploaded it to AO3, so sorry about that! the plot is thickening hehe and chapter 9 should be coming out soon. thank u for reading love u bye!

- the flame -

Darkness-- and a stench of rot.

Sonya stumbled blindly, feeling out in front of her desperately for something to hold on to. Her heart was racing, and all she knew was that she was being chased by something as she ran to escape it. No matter how hard she pumped her legs, it felt as if she were swimming through molasses. Her muscles were so weak, and she didn’t feel safe or clear-headed in the slightest as she raced away from the monstrous being behind her.

There was a sharp scream which seemed to come from everywhere all at once, and slammed against her eardrums, causing Sonya to stop dead. Slowly, a dim light illuminated what was before her: Anna, laying upside-down, with her mouth gaping open as her hands were glued to either side of her head. She was staring at Sonya, her pupils shrunken and horrified. But Sonya couldn’t tell if Anna could see her-- she attempted to call out to her, but her voice was choked. She tried again, this time to scream at her, but no matter how hard she tried, her voice was raspy and quiet, as if she had lost it completely.

As Sonya reached up to her throat to see what was wrong, huge steaming fingers wrapped around her torso, lifting her off of the ground. She craned her head back to see what was behind her, and just as the gaping mouth of a titan came into view, Sonya was thrust back into the sunlight streaming into her room through the window.

“Sonya!” Mabel said, louder this time, and with a shove to Sonya’s shoulder. The curly-haired girl jumped with a gasp, gripping her bed linens with ferocity as she awoke from her nightmare.

Mabel sat back with a sigh, her worried eyes glued to the little soldier before her. “You were really scaring me… Did you have a nightmare again?”

It was the third day that Sonya had been back from her trip with the officers to the capitol. The night she had discovered the name and the man Dimitri Romanova was the night that her sleep terrors began. After she and Levi had deemed it safe enough to leave the roof without being detected, they had parted without another word. Sonya didn’t want to speak with him-- and at the moment, she couldn’t care less about what sort of plans the soldiers had been talking about, because all she could focus on was the prospect of having a family above ground.

Levi could believe she was a whore all he wanted-- and while Sonya had learned everything there was to learn about being one during her upbringing, she had never put those lessons to use with any man. She left before they could make her-- before her mother could make her a special on the menu.

“Sorry, I’m-- I’m okay.” Sonya said shakily, sitting up and wiping beads of sweat from her forehead. Now that she looked at herself, her whole body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, dampening her bed sheets and sleep clothes.

Sonya’s room had an extra bed due to Anna’s absence, and so to save on space and prevent soldiers having to sleep with three to a room, Mabel had become Sonya’s new roommate. The two girls hadn’t really been close during training, but they definitely didn’t hate each other. Luckily for Sonya, Mabel was a quiet and respectful roommate, even if she didn’t understand what Sonya was going through.

Mabel stayed by Sonya’s side, watching the girl cautiously as she slowed her breathing and came to terms with being in the waking world.

“I’m sorry you’re having all these nightmares,” Mabel said, probably because she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“It’s okay.” Sonya said with the best smile she could manage. “Guess it happens to everyone eventually here, huh?”

Mabel looked at Sonya uneasily, who realized that what she said was awkward and stupid. Sonya cleared her throat, peeling herself from her bed as she changed into her uniform. Mabel did the same.

“Today’s when the real shit starts.” Mabel sighed, tying her long, dark brown hair up in a high ponytail. “Captain Shorty is training us today.”

Sonya groaned, wrestling her own thick curly hair into a bun with moderate success. “Why the hell is he training us? He’s skilled, sure, but I bet he’s gonna be a shitty teacher.”

Mabel shrugged. “Who knows?”

Actually, it was Erwin Smith’s idea. Since the Survey Corps were granted permission to go ahead with their mission of capturing a titan, he had asked Levi privately if he would give some extra training to the new recruits.

“Why the hell would I do that?” Levi had asked irritably. “Those brats passed training already. What can I teach them that they don’t already know?”

“New techniques.” Erwin had reasoned. “You handle your equipment very uniquely--”

“Did you forget the last time I tried to show people how I used my equipment?”

“No, I didn’t forget,” Erwin said patiently, and actually seemed amused at the memory. “But this mission requires the greatest amount of tact, and the least amount of casualties. You have the highest success rate out of any soldier in the Corps; you never know what might get through to them.” The blonde man smiled a little. “You’re a better teacher than you give yourself credit for.”

Levi huffed. “I’ll only do it if it’s an order.”

“Then it’s an order.”

And so there they were, the ten soldiers up to be trained by Captain Levi today, with Sonya, Mabel, Ada, and Peter among them. They stood at attention, lined up in front of the patch of forestry located about three miles outside of town, awaiting to probably be verbally abused.

“Sonya, your uniform--!” Ada hissed to the girl next to her, who was not at all thrilled to be there.

“What?” Sonya said irritably.

“Your shirt’s untucked.” Ada rolled her eyes. “Do you seriously wanna start the day by pissing him off over little stuff like that?”

Sonya just shrugged; she really couldn’t care less what Levi thought about her uniform. She wondered for a moment if all the nice interactions they had shared had been merely pretense, and that Levi didn’t respect her at all because of her past. That thought caused her heart to sink, strangely enough; perhaps it was because she thought that she had been getting somewhere with the Captain.

With a deep breath, Sonya attempted to dispel all those distracting thoughts from her mind; she didn’t perform well with a clouded conscience. Edith Gutherie and Levi were just exiting from the trees, presumably having just surveyed the training equipment for the upcoming session. As they landed on the ground with ease, she couldn’t help but notice how Levi looked a little more irritated than usual. Perhaps he didn’t want to do this just as much as they did.

And yet, Sonya felt no pity at all for the dark-haired captain.

Levi and Edith stood in front of the soldiers, surveying the group they had today.

“Let’s begin.” Levi said.

[-]

And with another thud, Sonya smacked into the trunk of a tree, her swords clanging to the grass below.

“Faster, Romanova!” Edith scolded from the trees. “And look out for the arms-- they move faster than you think!”

The Corps had whipped up some pretty fancy training equipment as of late, with pulley devices on the wooden models of titans which could be used to imitate the large, flailing arms of the beasts. Some officers were operating the limbs of each model titan, but the soldiers hadn’t made it very far in to the simulation. It even seemed like the veteran soldiers were having a blast smacking the new recruits around, as every time Sonya was hit, she heard muffled laughter coming from the branches where the soldiers resided.

“She isn’t completely at fault.” Levi spoke up, narrowing his eyes at the soldiers operating the titan. “I find it interesting that you brats find titans attacking your comrades to be funny.” Sonya ignored the leap of happiness within her at Levi coming to her defense.

“Ah, Captain, it is a little funny!” Peter quipped from a nearby branch. “Personally, I love seeing Sonya get smacked around a little-- it keeps her humble.”

The soldiers chuckled at that, but Sonya was not in the mood to find that amusing.

“Why don’t you try it out, then?” She called up to the red-haired boy.

“Oh, alright!” Peter sighed, unsheathing his blades. “I’ll slay this titan for my lady.” He said dutifully, and while Sonya descended to the ground to retrieve her blades, Peter swooped down to the mock titan to begin his attempt.

WHACK!

Sonya glanced up, and burst into laughter when she found that Peter had somehow tangled himself in his ODM gear, hanging precariously close to the ‘mouth’ of the titan.

“What a delicious snack you are, Peter!” Sonya called up to him.

“I get that all the time!” He called back, but couldn’t seem to untangle himself from the wiring, causing a laughing Mabel and Ernst to come to his rescue.

[-]

Slice, slice, slice!

Levi landed on a tree branch far in front of the soldiers, looking back expectantly through the path he had created. There were gaping chunks missing from the model titans-- ones he had created and ordered the soldiers to watch close as he showed them what he expected them to do.

“Go on.” He said, raising an eyebrow.

Oh, shit-- he wanted them to do what he had just done? The soldiers exchanged worried looks; first of all, he had moved with deadly speed, and the cuts he had cast were quite deep, so there was no point in them making new ones. Was this an exercise merely in agility?

Levi sighed, irritated that the soldiers couldn’t piece together why they were doing what they were doing.

“I have no doubts that you all are strong-- you made it past training, and one of you actually slayed a titan.” His gaze lingered on Sonya, who’s heart swelled a little at the acknowledgment. She promptly shut those feelings down. “But, Commander Erwin is putting you all through this training for you to see a new way to use your gear. If you’ll notice,” Levi gestured to his gas canisters. “I didn’t use any gas. Your goal is to follow my path, using the same technique.” Assuming he had sufficiently explained himself, he grew more irritated that still, the soldiers stood there dumbly. “Go.”

Sonya set her jaw-- no one else was going to jump in and look the fool, so she decided to take one for the team. No gas, huh? Using the gas as a propellent was her favorite part of the ODM gear; and while she was still seething at Levi’s comment a few days ago, she was still a soldier required to follow orders.

With a huff, she tapped off the branch, swinging down to mimic the strikes Levi had created-- with little success. While she did technically hit every mark, she was moving painfully slowly and awkwardly; without the extra boost, she had to rely on momentum she did not currently have. Clumsily, she landed on the same branch as Levi, who was looking at her with an unimpressed gaze.

“That was pathetic.” He sighed, and Sonya’s comrades on the other side faltered in disappointment.

Sonya furrowed her brows in intense anger, as her gut tightened from the effort of holding back a million insults. With a deep breath, she attempted to explain herself.

“Captain, I don’t think the execution of the technique was properly explained.” She said, carefully choosing each word. Levi raised an eyebrow.

“Are you saying you didn’t understand?” He clarified, crossing his arms.

‘No, I’m saying you’re a shitty teacher!’ Sonya thought, but attempted once again to be rational and calm. “I’m saying, you could have actually explained how you did what you did.” Well, that wasn’t very tactful. The entire training squad had fallen silent, all eyes glued to Levi and Sonya.

“So, your failure is my doing?” Levi prompted her dangerously. He was expecting Sonya to be reduced to a puddle of apologies like all of her other comrades when face-to-face with him, but instead, she held his gaze evenly, grinding her teeth in an effort to stay sane. She decided not to hold back-- she had had it with him and his stupid apathy and his rude remarks.

“A student’s performance reflects the teacher’s instruction.” She bit out; Levi raised his eyebrows, and all of the soldiers present held their breath. He took a dangerous step towards her.

“How wise,” he said lowly, “you come up with that yourself?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact.” Sonya narrowed her eyes, refusing to break eye contact, tensing as he moved towards her. If he wanted to fight, she was more than willing. Her eyes dipped to his lips for just a moment, remembering how harshly the word ‘whore’ had fallen from them, how he had so casually assumed the worst of her.

“Do you need more instruction, cadet?” Levi tilted his head to the side; his dark eyes were glinting with some emotion that Sonya didn’t entirely recognize-- something passionate.

“Please.” She said through barred teeth.

“Very well.” He let out a huff. “After dinner you will come to my office. Plan on staying late.” He added the last part with a bit of venom, as if the threat of coming to his office wasn’t enough. Sonya felt a stone drop in her stomach, and her chest tightened in fear. Only the worst of the worst went to Levi’s office-- she had only heard horror stories.

With a glance to her comrades across from her, they only looked dismayed and mournful for her. Sonya decided that during dinner, she would plan her funeral.

[-]

“Sonya, you have to eat.” Mabel said gently, nudging the girl’s tray closer to her. Sonya just sat, staring dumbly in front of her.

“I’m done for. I’m gonna be beaten to a pulp.” She said, and Mabel and Ada exchanged a look.

“Don’t be so dramatic, curly-cue,” Peter said around a mouthful of bread. That new nickname earned a look from Sonya. “What? Your hair is curly as hell-- there isn’t a whole lotta material I can work with here.”

“Maybe he’ll let you off easy; maybe he’s just gonna tell you you have a month’s cleaning duty in the stables.” Ada said helpfully, smiling at Peter’s antics.

“He said to plan on staying late,” Sonya’s head fell into her hands. “He’s gonna kill me and make it look like an accident.” She sighed angrily. “Why can’t I just keep my dumb mouth shut?”

“Well, I for one, am supportive of you going to the guillotine for this.” Mabel interjected. “Everything you said was right-- he didn’t explain anything. We literally didn’t accomplish anything today.”

“That’s not true.” Peter countered, holding his spoon up as a pointing tool. “Today we determined that those new training titans are a piece of shit, waste of time.”

Ada giggled. “Seriously, what were they thinking, designing that?”

While Sonya’s friends laughed and continued living, the curly-haired girl stared at her plate with empty eyes, dreading her inevitable execution.

[-]

A timid knock-- maybe if she knocked quietly enough, he wouldn’t hear, and he would forget about his threat, and then Sonya could continue living.

“Come in,” came his bored voice from behind the door. With a resigned sigh, she pushed the door open, and stepped into the office, closing it behind her.

Levi’s office was nothing special-- dark wooden walls, cold stone floors, a burning fireplace near the desk he was sitting behind. Books and folders lined the walls, and everything was immaculately clean and organized. She stood a safe distance away from the desk, her hands clasped behind her back as she fought to control her racing heart.

“Sit.” He said, discarding the paper he had been focusing on to now look at Sonya. She bit the inside of her cheek, and did as she was told, sitting in the chair across from Levi. He sighed, leaning back in his chair with the same annoyed/bored expression he always had. “Your attitude has been pissing me off,” he began, “and it didn’t used to. Actually, you were sort of amusing. But now, it seems, your sole mission in life has been to be a pain in my ass.” He raised an eyebrow at the girl in front of him. “Care to explain?”

Sonya relaxed a little in her seat-- it seemed that the physical punishment would not come just yet. She wasn’t sure how to approach this situation, but she was nonetheless surprised that Levi was attempting to understand her before he doled out any punishment. It softened her, the thought that he seemed to be affected by her attitude.

“Well,” she started uncomfortably, “you… called me a whore, sir.”

Levi sighed. “That’s what’s been bothering you?”

“You say that like it isn’t a big deal.” Sonya deadpanned.

“Because it isn’t.” Levi retorted. Sonya felt all of the softness she previously had dissipate completely as she frowned at the captain. “You were a whore-- I was a thief. And here we are.”

“I wasn’t a whore!” Sonya spat. “I never--” with a blush, she cut herself off. Why did she even have to explain herself, anyway?

“Hm? Never what?” Levi pressed, and Sonya could swear she heard a warmth of amusement in his voice. She refused to look at him, and instead glared at her folded hands in her lap.

“Well, I…” She sighed, feeling her blush deepen. “I learned how to… do everything; I p-practiced with the others, but… I never… got paid, or did anything with a man. I got out before--”

“Before they made you fuck anyone.” Levi finished, unbothered by his crass wording. Sonya bit the inside of her cheek, bringing herself to look at the captain. She was surprised to find he was now sitting up, his elbows propped against the desk in interest. A smile almost played on his lips, but Sonya decided it was her turn to grill him. She was already being punished, so fuck it.

“Why were you half-assing training today?” She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows expectantly. Levi sat back and looked up with a sigh.

“Because, I’ve found that it’s best for people to find their own unique ways to best use their ODM. Attempting to learn how I use mine would be too complicated and time-consuming.”

Sonya hummed, glancing around the room. She wasn’t sure what to do-- she didn’t really have any more questions for him, and wasn’t that interested in staying around if all he was going to do was call her a whore and dig into her past.

“So, if you’re not a whore,” Levi continued, “then you’re just a pretty little pain in my ass.”

Sonya couldn’t help but play off of that. She batted her eyelashes at him, giving him a coy smile. “Oh, captain, you think I’m pretty?”

“I do.” Levi said flatly, which caught Sonya off-guard. Usually when someone called her pretty, they were smiling or flustered or drunk. Levi was none of those things-- he was just saying it like it was a fact. She wasn’t sure how to respond to the captain being so candid, so she just stood and perused the bookshelf beside the desk. She felt Levi's stone colored eyes follow her, his gaze sending a chill down her spine. Absentmindedly, she pulled a book out to examine it, but found a greater treasure behind it.

“Well, well, well,” Sonya grinned, reaching into the bookshelf and pulling out a half-drunk bottle of dark liquor. Levi raised an eyebrow, meeting her gaze that said, ‘can we?’. With a shrug, he gave his consent, and Sonya unscrewed the bottle, taking a brave swig.

The dark drink burned on the way down, and she coughed a little as she passed the bottle to Levi. “Bourbon?” She said.

Levi nodded, taking his own swig in turn, almost completely unaffected by it. It was strange, being tucked away in his office, drinking in comradery; even though she came in fearing for her life, she now seemed to be feeling more at ease. He really wasn’t all that bad. Clearly, he cared a bit about her, even if he was rude and blunt.

Levi stood, coming around the desk to join Sonya in front of the bookshelf. He passed her the bottle, and she took another swig, then another. She found that she was sort of craving the warm numbness that alcohol provided her with. That, accompanied with the warmth from the fire and the late hour made Sonya quite content.

“Have you read all of these?” She asked, gesturing to the array of books in front of them. Levi took the bottle from her, taking another sip.

“No. I think I’ve only read one.” He said, pointing out a little book on the middle shelf. “I don’t have much time to read.”

“Me, neither.” Sonya picked out the book, thumbing through the pages. She took the bottle, took another swig. The alcohol began to warm her bones and relax her nerves. “Y’know, I came in here expecting to be… I dunno, beaten up?”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “I don’t beat up my cadets just for shits and giggles. You were mouthing off today, but you were right. I’m shit at explaining things.”

Sonya smiled-- she loved being right, and she especially loved that Levi admitted it. Just as she was about to take another swig, Levi caught the bottle in her hand, gently pulling it out of her grasp.

“Boo,” Sonya pouted, crossing her arms. ‘Well, I guess my punishment had to happen eventually.’ She thought sourly.

Levi gingerly set the bottle down on the desk. “Show me what you learned.” He said quietly.

Sonya jerked her head to look at him, leaning on the desk beside her. “Huh?”

“Show me some of what you learned down there.” Levi repeated, hooking her green eyes with his steely gray ones. Was he serious? He had to have been joking; but he didn’t crack a smile, of course. The fire was flickering, reflected in his gaze, but it wasn’t the fire that was causing Sonya to warm up. She attributed that to the alcohol-- in fact, moving forward, Sonya attributed everything to the alcohol.

“Sure.” She let out a breathy laugh-- this was silly, and wildly inappropriate, but it seemed she had a streak of acting out of place that she needed to keep up. “This one’s one of my favorites.” Sonya moved to stand in front of Levi, who opened his arms to her, resting his palms on the desk behind him. He was watching her with intensity as she reached up, pulling the red ribbon from her hair, which cascaded wonderfully over her neck and shoulders.

Levi’s gaze followed her hands, which took hold of either end of the ribbon, lifting it over his head to rest languidly around the back of his neck. His gaze fluttered back to meet hers, her green eyes slightly hooded, a coy smile playing on her plump lips.

“Then I just,” She gently tugged on the ribbon, pulling Levi with her as she pressed herself up against the wall between the bookshelf and the fire. Levi followed obediently, and lazily placed his hands on the wall on either side of Sonya: one by her waist, the other by her shoulder. She attempted to swallow her nerves, but her throat and mouth were incredibly dry as the distance between them seemed to close rapidly. She could smell grass and smoke mingling with Levi-- it was a pleasant scent, warm and musky. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening-- any minute now, she was expecting him to pull away and make fun of her. But he didn’t; Levi’s eyes roamed over her face, down her neck, to her chest, and all the way down her body. He was ravishing her with his gaze, and Sonya didn’t realize she had been slowly pulling him closer until she felt his breath, hot against her cheek, his lips dangerously close to her tingling flesh.

She sucked in a breath. “Then, I’d uh-- I’d kiss you.”

Levi hummed in response, bringing his finger to ghost over her jawline, gingerly taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “So do it.” He murmured, sending chills throughout Sonya’s body. She was very much aware of the warmth pooling in her core, setting her inner thighs and gut ablaze. She wondered if he knew-- of course he did. Sonya’s eyes were captivated on his lips, her breath hitched in her throat.

When they brought their eyes up to meet each other’s, Sonya was done for. She felt so incredibly nervous as Levi leaned closer, his whole body beginning to press into hers. Her eyes fluttered shut as she met him halfway; she gently pressed her lips against his, barely feeling the soft flesh meeting hers. It was such a tender, innocent kiss-- Sonya felt herself become about ten pounds lighter at the contact, and couldn’t help the little smile that was forming on her lips.

Levi’s hand moved to cup her cheek as he kissed her again, pressing his lips onto hers a bit harder this time. Sonya took a chance and opened her mouth just a bit, capturing Levi’s lower lip and sucking on it briefly before running her tongue over the same spot. Levi opened his mouth in response, clearly taking that and running with it as he darted his tongue inside Sonya’s mouth, licking the roof of it hungrily.

Sonya couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t want to if it meant kissing Levi like this. Her head spun as she reached up, tangling her fingers in his silky black hair, while Levi's other hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her body closer to his as he deepened the kiss. Sonya sighed, tilting her head as she caught Levi's lower lip with her teeth, and felt a jolt in her gut when his lips curled up in a smile at what she did.

He pulled away, slowly kissing Sonya's jaw to move down to her neck, dragging his tongue along her sensitive skin, sucking and biting. Sonya bit her lip, feeling like every kiss Levi planted on her skin was a spark of fire, igniting her body and senses. She tilted her head back, inviting Levi to do more. He leaned down to her collarbone, gently pushing the collar of her shirt out of the way as he bit down gently, then sucked with some hunger, earning a stifled gasp from Sonya. Levi pulled away with a small grin, his lips wet and swollen. Sonya looked down at her collarbone, seeing the beginnings of a hickey form, and she blushed.

Levi gingerly tucked some hair behind her ear, and the two leaned in to each other to kiss again, but a knock on Levi's office door startled them both away from each other. Sonya looked to Levi in a panic, but he just shrugged-- though he looked annoyed-- and went to answer the door.

It was Hange.

“Good evening, you two!” She said brightly, strolling right on in. “Ah, hello, Sonya! Actually, it's a good thing you're here. Some kid from the Garrison regiment is here to see you-- he looked pretty familiar.”

Sonya's gut tied itself into a knot; the Garrison regiment? Her mind flashed back to the night on the roof with Levi, the hushed conversation between the Garrison soldiers and the MPs. She and Levi exchanged a glance.

“What does he want with her?” Levi said irritably. “We were in the middle of something.”

Sonya's face flushed a deep red, but Hange didn't seem to notice.

“Yes, yes, I heard about Sonya's disobedience today. You can sentence her to cleaning the stables later-- this kid was pretty insistent to see her.” Hange shrugged.

Levi looked Sonya up and down. “Do you want to go see him?” He asked casually, but his gaze was loaded with… was that concern?

Sonya could only hope it was Dimitri-- the one who shared her name. Her only family on the surface was here. But why? How had he figured out her last name if they had only met once in a tavern? He didn't know that she and Levi had been spying on them, did he?

A million questions were racing through Sonya's mind, but she overwhelmingly knew the answer to the question Levi had asked her.

“Yes.” She said a little too eagerly. Levi raised an eyebrow, then looked to Hange.

“Alright! He's just down this way.” She said, but shot a glance to Levi as if to say 'we'll discuss whatever deeper meaning is here later.’

Sonya was led out into the hallway, around the corner and outside to the stables, where she could see only one man waiting by the light of a torch. His back was turned to her, but Sonya's breath was still caught in her throat as she approached the man.

As Sonya came closer, he turned, with the same languid smile she had seen before in the tavern.

“Hello,” Dimitri drawled. “It seems we have a lot to discuss.”

[asthmaqueeneddie]

Could I get some fluffy/angsty stenbrough with "I want you"

absolutely! i’m a stozier slut tbh but i love stenbrough

three word prompt// “i want you”

bill denbrough and stan uris, despite being as unpopular as they are, are ranked quite highly on the relationship charts at derry high school. they were dating since they got to high school, and a year before that, but none of that mattered when bill made the baseball team.

it was stan who actually convinced him to try out, it had always been a passion of bill’s but he had always been too anxious to actually go out for the team. stan knew that he was a really fantastic pitcher who could throw a wicked curveball and it didn’t take long for other people to start to notice as well.

bill was never really popular but he started getting invited to team dinners and parties. he started to feel liked and that made him immensely happy. which, by association, made stan feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

but the more bill’s name was spoken over the announcements for game recaps, the more girls started to flock to him. and even though he knew it shouldn’t upset him, stan knew that bill being pansexual meant that he could lose him to just about anyone.

there was one girl in particular who stan felt the most insecure around. her name was rebecca monroe and boy was she pretty. rebecca had the silkiest red hair that stood out in the sea of brunette perms, she had the lightest shade of green with the most beautiful specks of gold peppered in her eyes, she was lean but not too tall, tan but still donned freckles, she was basically everything stan pictured himself to be in his dreams.

it started when rebecca got assigned to be stan’s lab partner in freshman biology. and then somehow managed to become his partner in chemistry the next year. stan was a reasonable guy, he didn’t get all uptight and angry over his boyfriend’s lab partner. but then the two started staying after school for projects and club meetings. and she started showing up to bill’s baseball games. she even made friends with some of the other losers.

stan held his tongue until one friday night home game. rebecca had shown up, decked out in derry high’s school colors and bill’s jersey number. she took a seat next to bev on the bleachers, unaware of the deadly look stan was casting her way. she cheered for bill the whole game, calling out his number and shouting “c’mon billy!” at every opportunity. the final straw was when rebecca actually went down to the dugout and started feeding bill m&m’s through the chain-link fence.

“fuck this shit,” stan said, gathering his belongings as he stood. “tell bill i’ll see him tomorrow. or don’t. i don’t give a shit.” this was the angriest anyone had ever seen stan, and he gets pissed off a lot.

“c’mon stan, don’t leave. the inning’s almost over. you can talk to bill when it’s done.” richie suggested, grabbing stan’s wrist as he made to leave.

“i can’t sit here and watch her drool over my boyfriend and be expected to not be upset about it. i wanna go home.” stan protested, crossing his arms. even through the thick heatwave of anger he felt bubbling in his gut, he couldn’t miss the familiar sting in his chest that made his hands go numb and his eyes water. richie gave a stan a ride home, stan sniffled and mumbled to himself the whole way.

“don’t let rebecca get to you, stanny. bill loves you, not her.” richie tried his best to be comforting in his best friend’s time of need. but once a dark thought enters stan’s mind, it’s almost impossible to get rid of.

stan had plans to stay inside for the rest of the weekend. he lost the urge to confront bill on all the tomfoolery that had been happening around them. he dodged everyone’s calls, asked his mother to cover for him when the loser’s came knocking at the door. bill was literally going crazy without seeing stan. he called richie every night to ask if he had heard anything. of course he had, he’s stan’s partner in crime, but he never said a word.

sunday night bill heard a tap at his window. this initially freaked him out because he was on the second floor, but upon inspection he saw that it was bill throwing rocks from the ground. stan begrudgingly agreed to meet him outside.

“alright, what’s the-the deal? huh? you l-leave my game early with-without so much as a ‘see you later’, you-you don’t answer my calls, you make your m-m-mom tell me you’re sick, and n-now you’re standing here looking pissed off and-and I’d really just like t-to know what the hell is going on.” bill stammered, fists clenched tightly.

“i’m so terribly sorry for leaving your baseball game early, bill. but the sight of your new girlfriend basically spoon-feeding you candy was literally making me sick.” stan spat, crossing his arms over his chest.

“this is-is about becca?” bill asked.

“oh so she’s becca now? that’s great. no really. billy and becca sitting in a tree. it’s perfect. i hope you guys have a lot of fun together.” stan turned around to head back inside but bill grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back.

“i’ve told you t-time and time again, s-stan. there’s no-nothing going on bet-between us.” bill snapped, not letting go of stan’s arm.

“and i’ve told you time and time again that she’s fucking in love with you!”  at this point, tears fell freely out of stanley’s eyes. he was so tired of having to fight for bill’s attention, tired of having to compete with miss universe for a sliver of bill’s time. stan tried to pull his arm away but it was no use, bill just kept yanking him in closer.

“it doesn’t matter how she feels about me,” he said, grabbing either side of stan’s tear-streaked face. “i don’t want her. i want you, stanley.” bill whispered, making stan melt into his arms. three little words were spoken and stan immediately felt ten pounds lighter. it was like something in his chest opened up and he couldn’t finally take a deep breath again. the two tired boys exchanged ‘i love you’s before parting ways for the night. for the first time in a while, stan went to bed feeling confident and loved. he smiled so hard that his mouth began to hurt as he realized how lucky he was to be the one bill loves, how blessed he was to have found someone like him.

-

hope this is what you wanted! i’m not used to writing stenbrough so go easy on me pls

[deadlydollies13]

The Potion Master’s Grace ch. 15

Severus couldn’t sleep the night before; he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He hadn’t thought about Phoebe Trigg in years, not since graduating from Hogwarts. It hurt to think about her. When he thought about Lily, it was of grief and sadness. But when he thought of Phoebe, it was of regret.    He truly did like Phoebe, he didn’t break off ties with her because he didn’t have feelings for her. In fact, having feelings for her is the reason he had to distance himself far away from her. He had become involved in the Dark Arts and it was inevitable he would follow the path with Lucius to become a Death Eater. He never told Phoebe that, but no doubt did she read all about it in the papers after the Dark Lord was defeated and Severus and Lucius almost got sent to Azkaban. But she didn’t understand that her safety was the most important thing to him; that he wanted to keep her safe no matter what, even if that meant he could never see her again. Every time he tried to sleep, he’d dream of her, memories being repeated over and over again.

   Severus was sitting on one of the black leather couches in the Slytherin Common Room, wrapped in two blankets, wearing his green and silver hat, gloves, and scarf. Every breath he took, he could see in the freezing dungeons that the Slytherins were forced to reside in. It was always below freezing in the winter, the fireplaces didn’t help much, and it was even chilly on the hottest of days because heat, unfortunately, rises. He was trying to study for Ancient Runes, but he was having trouble taking notes as he was severely shivering.    Ink splattered everywhere on his parchment as he tried his best to write something down, and then he felt the couch sink beside him. He looked up to see pale blonde hair and seafood green eyes with a bright smile and warm skin even when everyone else’s was turning blue, “Hi, Sev. Wanna take a break?” She was holding two mugs of steaming hot liquid, it could’ve been lava, Severus still would’ve drunk it.    “H-hi, Phoebe. Where’d you find that?” The Slytherins had no access to any type of coffee or hot cocoa in their common room, and could only get it in the Great Hall if there was even any left.    “I stole it from the Gryffindor Common Room,” she said proudly, handing Severus a mug. He didn’t know how to feel: thankful for some relief from the cold, impressed that Phoebe just snuck into another house’s common room and stole their luxuries, or pissed off that the Gryffindor’s had such luxuries as basic as warmth and comfort. He didn’t ask how she’d even gotten it from the Gryffindor Common Room, He took a sip— it was coffee— and let the hot liquid thaw his body. “It’s freezing down here. Why don’t you go study in the library?” Severus only returned her question with a look. “Right, forgot. You can't keep yourself cooped up down here when we don’t have classes, Sev. You’re missing out on a great big world.”    All I need is right here, Severus thought. “I don’t think the world is missing me too much.”    Phoebe jabbed him in the side, but under all of his layers he couldn’t feel her long fingernails, “You’re gonna catch a cold. C’mon.” She closed his textbook and grabbed his free hand, dragging him over to in front of the fireplace. She pushed some of the couch pillows onto the floor and sat down cross-legged, Severus doing the same. She took one end of the blanket off of his shoulder and scooted closer to him so they both snuggled under it, trying to get warm.    “Uh, Feebs?”    “Did you know that if you’re trying to survive out in the wilderness during a snowstorm, that you’re supposed to huddle together with someone for warmth?” We’re not in the wilderness though, Severus thought. “They say it’s better to strip down so that your body heat can be transferred easily.” Severus stiffened, his cheeks turning redder than they already had been from the cold. “I made you blush, didn’t I?”    “Mhm,” was all Severus managed to say and took a sip of coffee to try and hide his face. He could feel Phoebe smile into his arm.    They sat there a while longer, finally getting warm enough to stop shivering. “So, has anyone asked you to the Yule Ball yet?” It was vastly approaching, not that Severus cared, he hated social functions like that. His grandmother made him go to those sort of things; get all dressed up and be forced to ask a girl to dance. He stopped going after his mother died.    “No. Well, yes. But, I said no to all of them,” she shrugged.    “Wait, why? Don’t you want to go?”    “Of course I wanna go, I’m just waiting for the right person to ask me.”    “Who could that possibly be? Any boy in this school would kill to go with you, and I bet every one of them has asked you.”    “Not every single one.” It went right over Severus’ head. He felt love, there was no doubt about it, he just had a difficult time recognizing someone reciprocating his love.    “Well, whoever hasn’t is the biggest idiot in the world and should get their eyes checked.”    “Aw, Sev, don’t be so hard on yourself like that,” Phoebe was really trying to throw him a bone here.    “What?”    Perhaps she would just have to give in and be more straight-forward, “For Merlin’s sake, Severus! Have you asked anyone yet?”    He looked down into his mug, trying to look for answers, “No, I- Oh. Oh!” His cheeks were red again and Phoebe was giggling. He wondered if fire was as bad a death as they said it was.    “Took ya long enough!” she nudged him, catching his attention once again.    “But… why would you want to go with me?”    Phoebe looked at him like he was crazy because of course, she’d wanna go with him, why wouldn’t she? But she stopped when she saw how sincere Severus was, “Severus, you’re my best friend. You mean so much to me, and it’s your last year, of course, I’d want you to leave here with some good memories.” She kissed his cheek.

 Severus woke up, feeling an immense weight on his chest. And the rest of the night was just like that: he’d fall asleep, dream of her, wake up being crushed by guilt and regret.

-

   “Sleep okay last night?” Grace asked when her dad walked into the kitchen headed straight for the coffee.    “What do you think?” Severus always sounded grumpy, but this morning, Snow White was gonna have her Grumpy and this one hash it out for the grumpiest man alive.    “Hungry?” she got a grunt, indicating a no, in response. Grace looked to Luna, who shrugged.    “Mr. S, an owl dropped something off for you,” Luna said pointing to the table. Neither Grace nor Severus knew where the whole “Mr. S” thing came from. Severus even told her, “Luna, it’s fine if you call me by my name during the summer,” but she insisted on “Mr. S.”    He picked up the letter and groaned as soon as he saw the seal, he just couldn’t catch a break. Dumbledore had called him to an Order meeting. “Girls, I have to go out. I should be back by tonight.”    “Where are you going?”    “An… Order of the Phoenix meeting.”    “Wait, really?” Luna chipped with excitement.    “Can we come?”    “No, you cannot come. You two are more than capable of staying home alone. No boys, either,” he really didn’t want to leave Grace in case something should happen. And maybe he should lock his study doors as well.    “Yessir,” they both said.

-

   The girls spent their day watching Netflix and eating almost everything in the house. There wasn’t much to do, they realized, if they couldn’t bug Severus or hang out with Draco and Rolf. They could’ve gone for a walk, but they figured Severus meant by leaving them home alone that they wouldn’t leave said home either. They past their time sending texts to the boys, sending ugly Snapchats to each other. Grace sent her’s to Rolf as well, and Luna sent her’s to Draco, but made sure the boys never saw the other girl’s ridiculous faces. They listened to Broadway Cast Recordings and sang along with their made-up choreography until they tired themselves out and found themselves on the couch drifting off to sleep.

-

   The Order meeting was not much more interesting. Nothing dangerous was afoot, and since Severus had not seen or spoken to any of the other members since the school year ended, most of the meeting was spent answering too many questions about his new life as a father. He wanted to bash his head against the table, frankly.

-

   It was late afternoon when the girls were awakened by a loud, incessant knocking at the front door.    “Bloody hell could that be?” Grace grumbled into the pillow.    “Pizza man?” Luna replied.    “We didn’t order any, did we?”    “Free Pizza Day?”    The knocking wouldn't stop and only got louder.    “Go answer it, Luna.”    “You’re closer.”    “Nuh-uh.”    “Yes-huh!” Luna nudged her off the couch.    “Bitch,” Grace made her way over to the door, opening it to be greeted with a shove out of the way.    “Where is she?! Luna?! Is she okay??” the woman had her wand out, so Grace pulled her’s out as well, but found her voice paralyzed.    “What the hell is-“ Luna walked into the foyer and froze at the sight of the woman. “Aunt Phoebe?”    “Luna!” she pulled her into her arms tightly. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you-… You’re not hurt, are you?”    Luna shook her head no. Phoebe let go and put her hands on her hips, “Okay, somebody better start answering my questions! Who are you, and why am I here?” she looked at Grace.    “I’m Grace McClivert, ma’am. And that’s sorta hard to explain. You see-“    Luna just so happened to have peeked out the window and saw Severus walking up the path from the apparition point and gasped, “Your dad’s home!”    “Shit! C’mon!”    Luna grabbed her aunt’s hand and quickly ran upstairs, despite Phoebe’s struggling. Grace stayed downstairs. Luna couldn’t get Phoebe into Grace’s bedroom, so they stayed at the top of the stairs along the guard rail.    Severus came inside and was a bit startled to find Grace standing at the foot of the stairs, hands behind her back, looking like an innocent angel, “Hey, dad. How was your meeting?”    Immediately, he knew something was up, “It was fine, Grace. Where’s Luna?”    “She uh…” Grace glanced behind her to the top of the stairs. Luna was covering Phoebe’s mouth as she gawked at Severus. Severus started to follow Grace’s sightline before she finished, “She’s dealing with girl problems! Yeah, girl problems. You know, all that gross stuff us girls go through.” Aaaanndd Severus now lost all interest. She began to push Severus towards his study and out of sight of Phoebe, “Bad cramps and all, nausea. I’d really love to stay and chat, but I think I should go up there and help her.” Once Severus was in his study, she ran upstairs, both girls pulling Phoebe into Grace’s room, locking the door, and casting a silencing charm over the room.    “What the hell is he doing here?” Phoebe asked, sounding both pissed and flabbergasted.    “I’m his daughter!” Grace blurted out.    “His what?”    “Adopted! She’s adopted,” Luna clarified.    “Oh my god,” Phoebe ran her fingers through her short blonde hair and paced around the room. “I haven’t seen that man in years. Years! Not since he graduated! Never called, never wrote. All I know about what he’s been up to is what I’ve read about him in the papers, and now apparently he’s Mr. Dad! And you!” she pointed to Luna, “As soon as the coast is clear, we are going back to your father’s and I am heading straight back to New York in the morning! It’ll be like I was never even here.”    “My father’s out of town for a while. I’ve been staying here because I’m not sure when he’ll be back,” Luna confessed.    “Ugh! Fine! Then I will go back there alone, but I’m not staying here for one more minute!” and she marched out of Grace’s room to the top of the stairs, but stopped herself and his in the hall when she saw Severus walking from the kitchen back to his study downstairs. She hated how every glance she got of him, her stomach did flips and she felt her pulse everywhere in her body.    Grace and Luna quietly came up behind her. “Please, just talk to him? I just know-“    “No!” Phoebe cut Grace off. “I’m leaving.” After double checking, Phoebe scurried down the staircase, making sure Severus was still in his study. The door was open, she was only a few feet away from the door. Maybe just one look. Keeping her back pressed against the wall, she slowly inched towards his study door. She quickly glanced inside, but was too quick because all she saw was a blur. She tried peeking in again, but Severus picked his head up from whatever was busying him and snapped her head back to behind the wall, making a slight squeaking noise. She closed her eyes and covered her mouth and tried to get her breathing under control, but her heart still wanted to pound out of her chest. Mamma Mia.    When she opened her eyes, she found the girls standing in front of her.    “Go in,” Luna whispered.    “No,” she whispered back. “He doesn’t wanna see me!”    “How can you tell?” Grace asked.    “I can read his mind. He’s busy with whatever the hell he’s doing.”    “That’s because he doesn’t know you’re even here. Go surprise him.”    “No!”    “Girls, what are you doing?” Severus called from inside his study.    Panicked, Phoebe started to head for the door, but Luna tried to stop her, and instead shoved her in front of the open doorway.    And time stopped.

-

   Phoebe froze like a deer in headlights; she had no idea what to say, what to do. Should she run? No, it was too late now.    Severus was at a lost for words too. Upon seeing Phoebe, the girl— no, woman— he had spent all night remembering and all day trying to forget, his work was left forgotten. He blinked a few times, because surely it was a trick of his mind, right? He hadn’t gotten enough sleep, it was all a hallucination.    “H-hi, Sev…” she finally managed to get out, just like the way she’d say it when they were young, sweet and sing-songy, and he knew she was real.    “Hi, Feebs,” Severus felt like the wind had just been knocked out of him.    “Bet’cha wondering what I’m doing here,” her legs finally not feeling like jelly, she started to make her way over to his desk.    Severus stood up, she was still shorter than him, he always had a few inches over her. But her once long blonde hair was now cut above her shoulders, her skin was tanner, probably from the plentiful sunshine in the States, and she had lost her accent, now replaced by an American one, with only a tinge of British emphasized on some words. But her sea-foam green eyes still sparkled like glitter on the sea.    “So, wait, why are you here?”    “Turns out your daughter is just as stubborn as you, Severus. They wrote me, saying Luna was in great danger, knowing damn well I’d rush out here. Any reason why they’d do that?” she crossed her arms. Severus looked over her shoulder to the doorway, where both girls were trying to eavesdrop.    “We’ll just uh… Leave you two alone…” Luna said shutting the door, but both girls ran outside to the window of Severus’ study, crouching below it and opening it just a crack so they could listen.    “It’s a long story. I’m really sorry, I had no idea they were doing this. But I should’ve known they were acting rather odd… Well, odder than usual.”    “Mhm, Severus, stop thinking about my hair.” Phoebe was proficient in Occlumency, even more so than Severus. In fact, it was she who had taught him the power of Occlumency and then Legilimency, and she was much stronger than he was. Even at the slightest drop of his walls, and she was right on it.    “Sorry, I just- I can’t believe it’s been seventeen years.”    “Yeah, it’s been seventeen years, you ass!” she began hitting his arm halfheartedly. Honestly, he expected he deserved a few broken ribs for how he treated her. “Acted like I fell of the face of the Earth! No letters, no nothing! Then I see all that bullshit in the papers! God, Severus, what were you thinking? Did you think you were protecting me?” The last hit stung a little.    “Phoebe, I-“    “No! You don’t get to talk right now! Severus, I could’ve helped you, I could’ve stopped you. You were this close to ruining your entire life, you’re so fucking lucky Dumbledore saved your ass!” She was pissed, no doubt about it. She was pacing back and forth and her hands accompanied her words. But there was also extreme hurt in her voice. “I was always there, Severus, and you never even thought to come to me? Why, because I wasn’t Lily? God, Severus, am I always going to come in second to her in your life?”    Severus finally met eyes with Phoebe, whose emotions had gotten the best of her and now tears were flowing down her cheeks; he however had found great interest in the floor in the meantime. “Phoebe, that’s not true,” his words nearly caught in his throat, so he spoke in a hoarse whisper.    “I don’t know the truth anymore, Sev. I honestly don’t. I’ve wanted to come back, wasn’t a day that went by where I didn’t think of home, of you. But I honestly thought you never wanted to see me again. Now I come back and you’re so different and you’ve got your life together and I screwed my own self over!”    “What do you mean? You moved, you live in New York City! You always wanted to go there.”    “Doesn’t really matter if I’m there all alone.”    “Wait, you’re not- you don’t have-?”    She shook her head, “No. It’s just me. And has been for the past seventeen years.”    “Why? I always thought you’d get married and have five children and live happily ever after with someone.”    She snorted, “Then you only have yourself to blame because you didn’t come after me.”    A beat, and then it finally registered, “I hate that you always corner me like that! You know it flies right over my head, too!”    “It’s just like seeing you get all blushed and flustered. See, now that’s the boy I know,” her pain was replaced by her bright smile. “God, I’ve missed you so much, Sev,” she said before Severus finally pulled her into his arms.    “I’ve missed you too,” he whispered. She felt like she belonged there, they fit perfectly.

-

   Outside, the two girls crouched below the window felt awfully proud of themselves. They had managed to get Severus and Phoebe reunited, and settle their differences. Although, Grace was definitely going to be picking Severus’ brain later on because some of the things Phoebe yelled at Severus for piqued her interest. But now the two adults were calming down. This was some The Parents Trap shit right here.    But, Phoebe was still furious at the girls for calling her there on a false alarm, and felt that her threat to go back to America the next morning was still an issue. However, the way they were holding each other, smiling and whispering only for each other to hear, it was only a matter of time before Phoebe would agree to extend her stay.    Grace popped up, opening the window wider than the small gap she had made to eavesdrop, “Dad, ask her to stay for dinner!” She meant to yell it more quietly, but she was so excited, it came out as more of a high-pitched squeak, which startled and pulled Severus and Phoebe away from each other. Furthermore, Grace didn’t think she’d ever seen her dad blush that much. Luna pulled Grace back down into the shrubs, calling her an idiot, before Grace added, “I’ll cook!”    Severus sighed, walking over and closing the window, “Brats.” He turned back to Phoebe, who was biting her lip to keep from laughing, which would only encourage the girls, “Would you like to stay for dinner?”    “Oh well, I mean, since you’re offering,” she said, her attention towards the scene outside the window. Grace was running around the yard, being chased by something, she couldn’t see, and Luna following after her with her phone. She shook her head, “I can’t believe Severus Snape has a teenage daughter.”    “Adopted.”    “Oh please. Because you two haven’t been like this the past four years when you taught her? The way you two are with each other is like you truly are biological father and daughter. And you certainly act that way towards each other, as well. I don’t have to read your mind to know that, Sev. You’re more transparent than you think.”    He hated how she was always right. Even if they were both right, she was always more right than he.