#moony writes

[celestialspark]

Before the fall

One more bonus snippet from Pages and Petals - with my favorite title that you also see on my tumblr blog~

The innocent childhood of the protagonist, the last days before the disgrace of house Tse ...

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Sweltering heat came down from the sun high in the sky, accompanied by the deafening sounds of crickets in the field. Only the silence in the house was more oppressive when An Ju stood by the main entrance and peeked into the estate of her mother's family.

The young girl, who had stuck out her tongue in concentration, stood on tiptoes as she peeked past the pillars. She could get to her room unseen. She only needed to hug the far right wall in the shadows and then take the turn towards the inner court before she would reach her room.

She would only need to be very careful. The lack of servants and the deathly silence spoke of her grandmother's mood. An Ju really did not want to be seen by her like this. Not after having missed a lesson by forgetting the time. She had run back now, leaving her younger cousins outside to keep on playing, but it still was already too late.

Taking a deep breath, the girl began her venture.

As long as she didn't make too much sound, no one would—

She tripped.

It took a moment for her to catch herself from the stumble. Her lips were tightly pressed onto each other to not let a sound escape.

Only when she had found her footing again did An Ju twirl around to see what she tripped over.

There was nothing.

An Ju squinted her eyes. A moment later, she noticed one of the talismans against intruders stuck on one of the plants.

A defeated sigh escaped the girl's lips. No wonder there was no servant near the main entrance. They were all warned against the trap.

"Well?" Matriarch Dou's voice floated from the main hall towards the main entrance.

Contrite, An Ju folded her hands how it befit a young lady and went to greet her grandmother. She hoped it would hide her muddied nails and dirty hands. But considering how her dress had gotten stiff with dried sludge, there was not much to be done.

Inside the main hall, only the matriarch of the Dou family was sitting. As she was drinking tea, two servants stood on the side, ready to attend her. With just a short look at her granddaughter, the stern woman took a sip from her tea. "Do you know what you did wrong?"

Her voice was calm. She rarely raised it in volume, but each word was punctuated and bore gravity.

An Ju squeezed her folded hands. At least none of the rest of the family - neither her parents nor aunts and uncles - were around to chime in on the scolding. So, she needed to confess and be as truthful as possible. That was the best way to appease her grandmother.

"I went out to play with the little ones after breakfast and forgot that I had a lesson scheduled today. Also, while chasing a kite, I slipped on the road and fell into one of the rice fields. I've fixed the damage I caused with the workers but that made me be even tardier."

The matriarch put down her tea bowl with an audible clink. "To think your parents even went through the trouble of finding you a teacher here in the countryside so that you won't be lagging behind. Is that how a young lady behaves, Tse An Ju?"

The girl lowered her gaze. "No, grandma."

"You're almost a young woman now, An Ju," her grandmother continued. "You'll be participating in the Blossom Pageant next year - ready to be presented to His Majesty, the king! You can't keep on going out to play like a child!"

"I understand, grandma." An Ju really did. As the daughter of a household where both spouses came from prestigious family lines and growing up in the capital, she was well aware of what society expected of her. But at the same time, this was her summer retreat, and she loved her cousins too much to not be playing with them. There was no way for her to run beneath the endless sky like this in the capital.

As if knowing exactly her granddaughter's thoughts, the stern woman sighed. "Hands," she demanded as she rose from her seat.

Surprised, An Ju looked up. When she saw that her grandmother grabbed a stick from the servants, she pressed her lips onto each other in fear. Still, she obediently held out her hands with the palms up. She had messed up this time and her grandmother was no one who left misdeeds unpunished.

The three hits came in quick succession. Despite her advanced age, Matriarch Dou was still nimble and strong.

Tears stung in An Ju's eyes as her hands burned from the hits.

"This was for damaging the rice fields. You were able to fix it but that was luck. It could have ended up worse and you cannot bear the responsibility of depraving some household of food for this winter. You know harvest has been bad."

"Yes, grandma," An Ju replied as calmly as possible. Yet, the tears that welled up threatened to spill over. Considering the possibility that she could have caused misery for someone due to her carelessness hurt her more than the hits.

The matriarch sighed a second time. She returned the stick to her servants before she took her granddaughter's hands. Massaging them gently, she spoke again: "As one of the richer households in the area and blessed with magic on top, we have a responsibility to our neighbors. It does not matter if it was on purpose or not, once something goes wrong, people will blame us first. So don't give them a reason to bear a grudge against you."

"Yes, grandma," were the only words that An Ju could repeat.

Her grandmother did not use magic but her cool fingers did alleviate some of the pain. The soft skin did not shy away from touching the girl's dirty hands.

Only when the throbbing in An Ju's hands stopped and the fiercely held back tears had dried agai , did her grandmother let go again.

"And now, go apologize to your grandfather."

An Ju opened her mouth. She had thought that the punishment was done. But when she looked up and saw that the matriarch was serious, she meekly walked over to the family altar.

Kneeling down on the cushion, she watched one of the servant bringing over a incense stick. It was not the large one. This one would only last an hour. It was still an hour.

"Apologize properly," was what Matriarch Dou said when she lit the incense stick.

An Ju could only nod as her grandmother left the room.

This was the worst punishment for her. It was not the kneeling. It was not how her knees would feel afterwards. It was the boredom.

She could tell her plaques of her grandfather and ancestors stories about her day. But even if she did, it would not be enough to let the time pass quickly.

More than once had the girl already fallen asleep while kneeling, only to be met with additional time on top of the incense stick. Her family knew that this was the best punishment against her.

So, An Ju only had to push through the hour. She recounted story in her mind. She counted the time. She tried to remember some songs as she kneeled there. She watched the ashes of the incense fall down piece by piece.

The very moment the incense burned down, the girl jumped up. "I'm free!" she shouted excitedly. Only to be met by a servant clearing her throat who was cleaning nearby.

"Sorry," An Ju whispered, then ran out of the main hall.

When she arrived in her room, she noticed that her parents, some servants, and even her grandmother were there. Most of her things were packed, except for one fresh set of clothing laid out next to a basin with fresh water.

"Oh? We're already leaving today?" she asked as her mother waved her over to finally clean her up.

As her mother pushed a wet cloth into her face to clean it, she answered: "Yes. Your grandmother says it will be raining tonight. If we leave soon, we can still reach your other grandparents this evening. Then the horses and wagon won't have to pull through the mud."

An Ju's father nodded eagerly, before he turned to his mother-in-law: "Thank you for your hospitality as always, mother. It is always a great pleasure to see you in such good health."

"And it is always lovely to welcome you, Tse Chang Ping. Thank you for taking care of my Seon Ha. Send the Tse household my regards."

"I will."

Tse Chang Ping smiled and then left the room as his wife shooed him out so that their daughter could change clothes.

As Seon Ha took care of the dress, Matriarch Dou stepped over to comb An Ju's hair to make her look proper again. While she did so, she gently murmured: "It was a good summer with you. I do hope I won't see you troublemaker here next year anymore, though."

"Grandma, that's mean!" An Ju shrieked. But she laughed and at the nod from her mother that she was finished, the girl turned around and wrapped her hands around her grandmother. "I will miss you greatly if I can't see you every summer!"

Those words made the matriarch laugh, too. She bowed down and pulled her granddaughter in a warm embrace. "May you always walk under the Sky, my dearest. Bring honor to the Tse and Dou families."

That was the greatest blessing Matriarch Dou could give her granddaughter for at that time, for everyone, the only reason for An Ju to not come back to the countryside was her being chosen as a candidate to become one of the king's wives at the next Blossom Pageant.

None of them would have expected for this to be the last time An Ju had ever stepped into the Dou household again.

[moony-ghoul]

lil snippet of swisstom wip it was gonna be soft and cute but i wanted to write angsty

[rainbowmoonstonestories]

My Sandman story is going to have two updates at once this month. I said I would resolve "the thing" in chapter 25, but the stuff I wanted to write before this specific moment turned out so long that one chapter wouldn't fit it all without becoming gigantic. Chapter 9 of my Mihawk fic is also in progress, and will be posted in April as well.

[m00nymcmoon]

Johnny Cage X Male Reader

Word Count: 1,032 You can Read Here on AO3 Preview: “If I didn’t already know you,” Y/N said, “I would have been surprised to know you aren’t a history teacher.” 

[r3musmoony]

New short fic on AO3! This work does come with an 18+ explicit warning and is a little sneak peak into the future plan for mine and Venus’ work “Being Blamed For A World In Which I Have Little Power”

Honestly Peter didn’t expect this to be how his day was going to go.

As an advisor to his kingdom’s crown, Peter has been to many places and seen many sights. He’s spoken to countless nobles, sampled many flavours, and been to many meetings.

This was the first time he’d ever been to a meeting where this had happened though.

King Ra’s al Ghul was every bit how people described him; regal, intelligent, and manipulative. The same used to be said about his husband but watching Tim pant and whine as his hips rolled all Peter could think of was that Tim was a whore.

Find the rest on AO3

[bluemoonbun]

Rotating an idea in my head;

Imagine a neglected!Reader who did everything in an attempt to impress their family.

Who got amazing grades and got into high school at age 11.

Who was "a savant beyond their years" and "talented beyond what their age group could be taught".

Skills came easy to them. Give them a year and some encouragement and before you know it they'll have mastered whatever it was.

It wasn't like they could leave the house and hang out with friends. Bruce said that was off the table. It got quiet so often in the manor.

But it wasn't enough

Until someone saw the potential that Batman was just leaving there. Like he wanted someone to just... scoop them up and tutor them.

Their friends and allies and even a few enemies saw the potential. They all agreed to teach them their greatest skill. In a year they've mastered all of them, even surpassing some of them.

Any drug they were developing was improved beyond anything they could've imagined.

Weapons fashioned to fit them far surpassed anything, even the best on the black market.

The Rogue Gallery was beyond impressed.

And Reader was on Cloud Nine with all the attention it was earning them. Head pats, praise, treats. It was more than anything they could've asked for. And even if they didn't have a new invention at the end of the week, so many were willing to just hang out. Without prompting! No "Go bother Alfred" or "I'm busy" or "Another time, chickadee".

Harley had to be reminded that a 12 year old had no business around hyenas, even if Budsie and Louie were on their best behavior. Harley settled for watching old magical girl animes with you.

Luckily, Poison Ivy knew not to bring you around her poisonous plants. Though she did spend a concerning time teaching you exactly what plants were poisonous and how they were poisonous.

Bane taught you everything he knew, from throwing a punch, to how to scare someone off. Granted, a 12 year old, with so much of their baby fat in their cheeks, and wrists as thick as Bane's thumb, looked like a Ragdoll kitten copying a Bengal tiger. He played chess with you too, and he said that given your role in advising, a knight or a bishop would fit you best.

Bane was your favorite. He'd smush your face (gently, you were so tiny he was scared of breaking you), lift you up, even do pushups and pull ups with you on his back.

When Bane told you how he'd saved Alfred once during a collapse of Arkham Asylum, only to be incapacitated once Alfred was "done" with him, it made your blood boil.

As you learned all of their stories, learned the human in all of them, you knew that you were saved from a family with rotten blood. You'd spend your life repaying them, even if they never asked.

--------

Eventually, you decide to follow them into battle. You're kept up and away from the bulk of the battle. This time, it was Joker vs the Batfamily. Tim was unable to track what he'd been trying to do past a few errant clues. It was clear that the Rouge Gallery had a new villain.

You were given direct instructions to watch yourself; Joker wouldn't care enough to tear his eyes off Batman. You already knew that; Harley had spent 3 days trying to convince you to reschedule with someone else, but you told her you wanted Joker, not someone who'd be tempted to glance back and give away your hiding space.

Jason was the one that saw you. You were dressed in a costume that resembled a bishop chess piece with a split full face mask, perched atop a van far from the actual battle. His old scars with Joker made him hesitate, but you looked like a definite person of interest, and everyone else was indisposed.

He ran over, firing rubber bullets as you dodged, eventually tripping and falling off the van. Why were you so small? Jason picked you up, grip just loose enough so you could breathe.

You reached up, pulling your mask off. Jason blanched as he saw your face, soft around the edges and wide eyed.

Bruce told him that he'd stayed away to protect you from the vigilante life. You were the one person who hadn't pushed to join them, so he never told you about missions to avoid any ideas of joining. Jason followed suit, and so did the others. Their lives were busy enough anyways, and you had Alfred when he didn't have something more important to do.

He may have brushed you off more than absolutely necessary, but he wasn't in the right headspace then! You had already grown so much and all he'd wanted by then was vengeance on Batman. You couldn't blame him for keeping his distance at that point. He was protecting you.

But here you were, pinned by the throat by your own brother. Your protector. He released you, taking a step back. He glanced around for an opening, seeing a small alleyway. He gestured over his shoulder for you to follow. "C'mon kid. I'll get you back home and I won't even tell Bruce you snuck out, 'k?"

Suddenly, he felt a prick in his back, shortly followed by a burning itch and ice cold pain. He fell to the ground, trying to reach the spot you pricked.

"Miss Ivy said these were dangerous. Her own home blend. It's a diluted version, so you'll be fine in a few days, Todd" said the much too calm voice above him. He was struggling to breathe around the writhing mass of pain, looking up at you between blinks of tears.

He couldn't scream, he could barely breathe. He could die here and the family wouldn't know until the dust settled.

"It won't kill you, and from the looks of it, they'll be coming to pick you up soon."

"Aren't we family?" He chokes out between gasps. He felt so lost. You were his baby sibling, the tiny thing that'd wander the halls, holding an old chess board as you asked your cool big brother to play with you. The person he kept away from to protect. How could you repay him like this?

Hadn't he done so much for you?

You look at him from the boot of the van. When had you gotten so far away? Your voice is quiet, but it's heard, if barely, over the revving of the engine as Joker's minions prepare to drive away, and the screaming of his name as the rest of the family approaches.

"Were we? I never thought you wanted a baby sibling like me."

-------

The Batfamily took him home and patched him up. The new tech, like all other recent inventions brought in, were so advanced they bordered on state of the art. Even Tim was struggling to decode any of them, with all the kill-switches that seemed to recognize when it wasn't hooked up to the original computer and bricked themselves.

Jason had recovered, like you said, in a few days. Capable of breathing easily in 2 days, regularly needing to be sedated before then, and sitting up without pain by day 5.

The Batfamily had asked him by day 4 about the masked person they had seen next to him. Jason was detached from himself. That face, those eyes. They held no warmth for him, no pity for him while he was writhing in agony at their feet. Like he was less than a stranger.

Like he was less than human in their eyes.

Your name fell off his tongue like lead, slamming against the ground as everyone fell into silence.

"It was them. They gave me that injection. Their face, I-"

"Todd, did the injection give you hallucinations? There was no way that they'd accomplish something like that." Damian raised his brow, checking the chart to make sure the bulk was out of his system.

"I know what I saw. They hadn't even injected me when I saw their face."

"That's impossible, Jay! Look, I'll go to their room and get them right now. They'll probably be pretty cranky since it's, what, 4am?" Dick's footsteps disappeared down the hall.

After a few minutes, Dick came running back, looking at Jason with a mix of shock, horror, and confusion.

Two words.

Two words that finally made them look at you.

Two words that made them realized what they'd missed.

Two words that made them connect the inventions that almost got them killed to the darling child they'd convinced themselves they were protecting with cold shoulders and smothering silence.

Two words that made them refocus their sights on bringing you back.

"They're gone."

[moonydabest]

Hey I'm maybe writing a thing. Idk if anyone would be interested in hearing about it, but basically I'm calling it Goldenglow (working title). Here's the little description of it I came up with.

Broken and bitter, disillusioned with hero society, the only thing that remains steady on Aureli's scattered mind is taking down anyone responsible for the project that ruined their life- no matter the cost.

[siriuscollar]

peter pettigrew would randomly become a meme on the internet and then gain a social media following.

this leads to an invite from the met gala or whatever other bougee party there is.

does he tell james, sirius or remus? ofc not!

it’s his little side quest and he’s just on a little adventure (god forbid a white boy catches a vibe(he simply forgets)).

the other marauders only find out peter attended the met when they see tiktoks of this dude dressed in a rat costume…

[rosarysgarden]

fatima aamer bilal, excerpt from moony moonless sky’s ‘i am an observer, but not by choice.’

[text id: i have the everlasting tendency to ruin everything i love.]

[curseofaphrodite]

Heartbreak Protection Squad

REMUS LUPIN X FEM!READER

; where your tutor Moony goes batshit chaotic at the possibility of Sirius Black liking you.

The study session at the astronomy tower never happened, and you had fallen asleep waiting for Remus. Late to class and pissed off, you hardly flinched when you saw the dark-haired man rummaging through your bag.

"Are you stealing my chocolates?" You asked in surprise.

"Good morning, love," the man, who you now recognized as Sirius Black, sounded hardly apologetic. "Remus told me you always bring your muggle snacks bag for studying. It's the only reason I'd drag my arse all the way here as his bloody messenger."

You blinked.

Your assigned tutor's assortment of friends always caught you by surprise, especially since Remus Lupin did not look like an extrovert. He was smart, sweet, and shy, but his friends shared no qualities with him or among themselves. For example — the popular Quidditch captain James, the silent Peter, and the Hogwarts heartthrob Sirius Black — who just so happened to be staring right at you.

"Did you want this back?" he asked in confusion, handing the half-eaten Mars bar to you.

"No, you can have it," you said plainly, standing up. "And I don't want to hear his stupid apology."

"Remus warned me you'd be mad." Sirius sighed. "He couldn't come last night Y/N, he wasn't standing you up."

"What, you had a date with him and he lost track of time?"

A choking sound.

"I take that as a no?" You frowned.

"I am not fucking Remus, please!" Sirius was shocked. "Though if I'm being honest, he could use a good shag."

"Too much information, Black. Tell me this, why is Remus not here apologizing? Unless..." You knotted your hands together and stared him down. "Is he at the hospital wing again?"

If Sirius looked taken aback, he didn't show it. "Why would you say that?"

"Cause almost every month, you stupid idiots run around doing pranks that get him to the hospital wing! It's not that uncommon."

"Woah, woah, he has never been injured 'cause of us. We'd never do anything that would put Moony in danger."

"Why's he there then?"

Sirius threw his hands up in frustration. "I never said he was."

You threw your bag over your shoulder, and marched right into him, only stopping when he was an inch away. Your glare sent a chill down his spine.

"You tell Lupin that I'd rather fail my exams than wait for him for anything again. I don't want to see him or his stupid friends, including you."

And with that, you were off to Minerva's class, ready to be yelled at for being late.

-

"How did it go?" Remus asked when Sirius waltzed back in hospital wing. The bruises were almost healed thanks to Madam Pomfrey's blueseed oil, but he still felt knocked out. Apparently, Wolf Remus took last night to be an adventure more so than usual.

"Couldn't even begin to tell her any excuse," he said, grinning wide. "She's fierier than you said. I love her."

"You what?!"

"Do you want some chocolate? I nicked some."

Remus blinked, then threw his head back into the pillow, wishing a brick would take him out right then and there.

-

Sirius liked Y/N? That was just a phrase. He didn't mean anything by it. Or did he?

Questions like this flew through Remus's head throughout the first two hours of class, where he would look at you sitting a few seats away, then at Sirius. It was confusing really, but Remus felt a pang of annoyance every time the former laughed too loud or cracked a joke, all of which he usually does.

Out of everyone who could have liked Y/N, why did it have to be him? With his perfect smile and flirting, girls adored him. And all of them regretted it a month or two after, because that's when their relationship usually ends. Sirius wasn't a player, he had far too much heart to ever be one — but he never finds the right person to date. It goes from a Slytherin who's a bit too mean, Quidditch players too dedicated to the game, or one of the many admirers who only liked him for his popularity.

Sirius Black broke their heart one by one, and Remus knew you weren't going to be different.

In short, you can never date him, Remus decided firmly. He knew you were capable of dealing with these things, but he was just starting to get close to you, and what kind of tutor would he be if his best friend broke your heart? Wouldn't you hate him?

I'm such a good friend, he thought to himself, oblivious as ever.

-

Remus found you next to the Black Lake that afternoon. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw you were alone, and he sprinted over before you could disappear.

"Go away Remus," you said, hardly taking your eyes up from the book you were reading.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I had other plans and I should have told you. It slipped my mind, I swear," he began blabbering.

You sighed. "Because of you, I got an 3 out of 25 on my test and McGonagall took off points from Gryffindor for being late."

"She does that with everyone! I forgive you on behalf of all Gryffindors." His words were so fast that they were a blur. If you forgive me first, of course. I'm truly, terribly, incredibly sorry, Y/N."

You finally met his gaze, and your heart did a little flutter at how soft he looked at you right then.

"You look bruised again, Lupin."

"No!" He whined, snatching the book from you when you looked back down again. You let out a cry of protest. "Don't make us go back to last-name basis again! I love having you as my friend!"

Remus cringed at how cheesy that sounded, and he regretted ever opening his mouth, but the crease between your forehead had finally cleared out. You were almost holding back a smile.

"The girl you hang out with, Sarah? Is she seeing anyone?" he asked, before he could lose his confidence.

You were caught off guard.

"Uhm, no? Why, do you like her?" you asked, trying to keep that hint of bitterness at bay.

"What no, James likes her," Remus said plainly. He wasn't meeting your eyes, like he was lying. Or hiding something.

"Sarah and James?"

"You don't think it'll work out?"

"No, it might but—"

"And, I want to apologize if Sirius was making you uncomfortable in the morning." He was watching you closely now, hardly blinking.

"Uncomfortable?"

"He's very flirty with everyone he sees."

"Oh," you furrowed your eyebrows. "Well, he didn't say anything that crossed the line. He was quite nice to me, don't worry."

"Nice?" Remus sat up straighter. His plan to be cautious went right out the window. "Do you like him then?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's alright if you do. Everyone does! I sometimes think he wouldn't have gotten so many Exceeds Expectations if he didn't give the professors compliments all the time."

"Wait—"

"You like him, don't you?"

"I didn't know this was an interrogation!" you said, putting the book down. "Now that I think about it, James would never go after Sarah, not as long as Lily is alive and breathing."

"Look, it's none of my business." His eyebrows scrunched up in a cute frown. "Actually, it is. Sirius is my best friend and he would fuck a troll if he could get the chance—"

You stood up, eyes flaring. "You did not just compare me to a troll!"

Remus looked alarmed. "Of course I didn't! I just meant I should know if my best friend was eating your—"

He couldn't finish his sentence because you had already aguamenti-ed water on his face. It got into his mouth and he was busy coughing it out to notice you were leaving.

"Asshole." You said under your breath.

"Chocolates!" He yelled, but to no avail. "I meant eating your chocolates Y/N, for fuck's sake!"

-

Remus had an entire day to himself to realize just how much he fucked up. But the nail in the coffin came about half past six, when James found him in library.

"Don't forget about Padfoot's surprise party tonight!" he said, easing his hand around Remus's shoulders. "I'm not sure if it's still a surprise when he's already deciding what to wear though."

"Ah yes, the party for his birthday that's almost a month away." Remus sounded bitter, then instantly felt bad about it. Sirius was one of his best friends, and he wasn't about to be sour on his birthday party just because of a girl.

"Okay, what's this about?" James asked, catching on.

"No, it's not Sirius- I have to sort some shit with Y/N and it's been bothering me." Remus confessed, sighing.

"Girl trouble," he tsk-ed. "It doesn't matter, you'll definitely see her at his party."

Remus stopped fidgeting with his pages. "Why're you so sure?"

"I saw him personally invite her. Only Sirius Black could be this loud about his own surprise party."

"Why is he suddenly interested in Y/N? Why does it matter to him if she's there?"

"Woah, woah," James looked at him closely. "Are you jealous?"

Remus paled under his friend's gaze. Jealous? Him?

"I don't think Sirius likes her," He continued matter-of-factly. "And even if he does, he'll never go after someone you like. Just tell him if you do."

Do I like Y/N L/N?

"Is there booze at the party?" Remus asked, giving up on his intricate thoughts.

"Is it a party if there isn't?"

"Then I'm definitely there."

James smiled. He didn't know what was going on with his friend, but he certainly didn't mind his sudden party-going spirit.

-

Gryffindor tower looked ten times crowded than usual. It seemed like the whole of Hogwarts had known the password to their dorm (which just for tonight, Fat Lady had agreed on "Sirius Black's Long Luscious Hair"), and the decorations brightened the place up even more.

Remus made his way further inside with James. He loved how the place looked so muggle-like, with muggle rock music and cheap beer all around, but he could hardly find James walking in front of him, let alone you.

"MOONY!" Sirius appeared at his shoulder, holding out a drink. He had no shirt on, something all the girls and a few guys were eyeing — like he had cheesecake plastered over his abs. "You're here!"

Someone accidentally knocked the drink Sirius was holding out, and it splashed all over Remus's sweater. Something in him suddenly got very angry, and the sticky liquor down his body didn't help the cause. You could have anyone he wanted. How dare you make a move on Y/N without clearing it with me first? You're supposed to be my best friend!

"Where is she?" he asked, eyes blazing.

"Which she?" Sirius asked in return, winking.

Remus Lupin snapped.

Before knowing what he was doing, he shrieked, a sound so loud everyone could hear it over the music — and he pounced.

A very confused Sirius fell to the ground with his friend on top of him. Remus didn't know any fighting techniques, nor did he want to hurt his friend, but he had to take the frustration out somehow. He took off his jacket and started slapping Sirius's chest with it.

"Owh, what are you doing?" he asked, not knowing whether to be alarmed or fighting back.

"STOP BEING NAKED ALL THE TIME!" Remus yelled, with a final smack to his friend's head. "STAY AWAY FROM Y/N! HAPPY FREAKIN BIRTHDAY, YOU WHORE!"

James, who was watching the scene unfold, laughed loudly. The sound brought Remus back to reality, about how ridiculous his reaction was, and how it looked more childish than manly.

Sirius pushed him off, and stood up groggily. The audience around the two of them were openly sniggering. The former groaned and pulled Remus by his arm until they were both on the staircase, with people who didn't mind them because they weren't witnesses to their Saturday Night Live routine from below.

"ARE YOU HIGH?!" Sirius yelled.

Remus was still breathing heavily. "I'm sorry for calling you a whore."

"No, you're not."

"No, I'm not."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Do you want to catch me up on speed here?"

Remus hesitated, then told him about how he felt it weird that one of his best friends liked someone he have feelings for, how he didn't want you to get involved in his classic heartbreak drama. Sirius had his mouth wide open by the end of it.

"It's not my business if you like her," Remus concluded, stuttering through his words, knowing he didn't mean any of it. "But if she goes out with you, you cannot treat her like one of your other girls. She deserves better than that."

"Who. In. The. World. Said. I bloody LIKED HER??"

"You—?"

"That's a phrase! I like her does not mean I want to go out with her!" Sirius appeared disheveled. "She was bold and looked like she might knock my lights out with one punch! I was admiring her, not bloody wanting to fuck her!"

Remus's face drained of color. "James said you invited her—"

"She said something about a fight between you two. I invited her 'cause I knew you'd never miss out on my party! I thought you could talk it out here! Oh my god, you really do think I'm a whore."

"I—" Remus had never been at a loss of word like this before. He was embarrassed with a capital E.

"Come on! I'm getting you beside Y/N right now before you start sprouting more nonsense."

"DO NOT TELL HER ABOUT THIS!"

"How you physically assaulted me in my own party for her? You're right I'm telling her — now, where is she?"

Sirius was sweet, but he looked rattled for good reason. Remus did the smart thing and slipped away from him while he was looking around for you. He didn't know where he was going, but he climbed up the stairs.

-

The rules were simple.

Spin the bottle had its own take this time. There were serious couples in the group, so instead of kissing whoever the bottle landed on, there was one moderator who spinned all the turns. The one it landed on had the option to kiss whoever they wanted, including their partners.

Yes, it was boring.

So far the odds of the bottle spinning to you were low to none, because the group was that huge, and you had only signed up for it because it had Lily. She was the only sober friend you had at the party, and you didn't want to end up being close to a bunch of knackered out Ravenclaws on your own.

You glanced at the door to see a familiar wave of brown hair. Remus?

-

"You know Sirius may not like her," James whispered in Remus's ear. "But any guy in that circle would be kissing her if the bottle lands on them."

"Where the hell did you come from?" Remus asked, annoyed. "You've got to stop acting like a ghost."

"Look at her," James went on, ignoring him. "She doesn't know the minute it lands on some drunk guy, she's gonna wish she never came to the party."

"Shut up," Remus said, taking a drink from the nearby table. He downed it in one go and kept watching over the game.

He didn't notice your eyes gazing over to him every few minutes.

-

Should I go now and apologize? No, he should apologize first. Why's he just standing there? Does he want an apology first for the water I splashed on his face which he absolutely deserved?

The bottle had previously landed on the girl to your right, and she was passionately making out with her best friend. All the guys were watching with open mouths.

Remus had no right to interrogate me like that. As if I'd go after Sirius, when at least three of my friends had their heart broken by him! Besides, if I'd have my heart broken, it would be with that idiot himself but he's too dense to realize that.

"Y/N!" Lily pulled you out of your thoughts.

"What?" you asked, looking down quickly to see whether the bottle was pointing at you. You sighed in relief when you realized it wasn't.

"Uhm," she pointed at the bottle again. You followed her line of gaze and saw the guy it was pointing at.

The same drunk guy who had been ogling at you the whole night.

"Told you," James said, nodding towards the guy leaning over the group to Y/N, who was now frozen.

Remus felt an unexplainable anger for the tenth time that night. He took another shot from the passerby, then without hearing James's protests, walked over to the group.

He realized with disgust that the guy was already puckering up, while you were still frozen in shock. How can anyone see that expression and think they're comfortable in the current situation?

With just three drinks in, Remus's head was already floating around so he did the only solution he could think of at that moment.

He flew in front of you and met his own lips with the guy's. The latter's eyes flew open and let out a cry of alarm, pushing himself backward.

"LUPIN!" you yelled in shock.

"Thought he wanted to kiss!" Remus let his hands up, but you had already stood up.

"Oh my god." You pulled him up by his shirt, then led him away from the shocked crowd. "Hope you liked the show!" You said to James on your way out.

"Oh, I loved it," he replied over his shoulder. You groaned when you realized he might have recorded the whole thing.

"Just what did you think you were doing?" you started once you were out of everyone's earshot. "First you say I want to fuck your friend, then you follow me around like a stalker!"

Before Remus could protest, you had enveloped him in a hug. He was taken aback. He didn't question it, just hugged you right back.

"Thank you," you murmured when you pulled apart, though you still sounded mad somewhere. Remus thought you sounded adorable.

"Anytime, though I'd appreciate if you don't bring yourself to a position where I have to kiss a guy to save you again." His grin faltered. "I'm sorry. About Sirius. I know you don't like him, I was a jerk."

You gave him a thorough look over. "You smell like beer. Cheap beer."

"Is that a code? Am I forgiven?"

"Come on, I'll get you back to your dorm." You said, shrugging. "I'll make you a really disgusting hangover cure tomorrow morning. The kitchen elves owe me one anyway."

He didn't move. You turned around and saw him contemplating.

"Y/N." Remus tilted his head to one side. I think I like you. Can I take you on a date? Can I be your boyfriend? "You look pretty."

You grinned. "Say it again when you're sober."

Remus hung his head to other side. "You'll be pretty then too."

Cheesy. But you liked it. The blush on your face had made that clear. You decided right then that if he didn't remember any of this tomorrow, you'd make him remember.

He'd probably deny all of it, but you were going to kiss the hell out of him either way.

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

THE END

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

commissions | kofi

[otacringe]

pspsps. tma mutuals i finally got back to the magnus effect

[celestialspark]

Peaceful Days

One of the bonus snippets I've been writing for my original story Pages and Petals - the peaceful childhood days of a certain boy~

━━━━━━━━━━━━☽━━━━━━━━━━━━

"He's still alive."

"Tsk. So he survived. Yet again."

"They're so lucky for no reason."

The disdainful voices woke Ji Hui from his sleep. As he heard them curse and mock, he pulled his thin blanket over his head as if it could block them out.

Of course, it did not help. It had never helped.

"How old is he now? Six?"

"Well, the luckiest lived until nine, so it's not unusual."

The boy pressed his lips onto each other. He knew he would not live for long, but it wasn't a reason for him to hear about it every time he recovered from a fit.

Right.

Ji Hui opened his eyes and touched his chest. It didn't hurt anymore. His lungs were not on fire anymore each time he took a breath.

A relieved sigh came over the boy's lips.

He felt weak and his body was sore, but as they had said, he had survived yet again.

His bed and blanket hustled as he sat up. He did it quickly to scare the spirits away. It didn't quite work but at least he startled them to silence.

The quick movement made the boy's head spin, but at least it was silent for a moment.

When he got his bearings again, he let his gaze wander through the little cabin that his mother and he called their home.

As he suspected, his mother was not there. Else, the spirits wouldn't be so loud. But his mother had left behind something on the table next to the bed.

A bowl and a candy. Seeing the sweet alone already made Ji Hui make a face. It meant there was medicine in the bowl.

He reached out and carefully lifted the lid from the bowl. As he could still see steam rising from the medicine, it meant that his mother hadn't left too long ago.

Ji Hui stared at it. He closed the lid again. Only to be met by a disapproving look of one of the male spirits. "Drink it," the man demanded, gentle but firm.

Once again, the boy made a face, but he took the bowl with both of his hands.

His ice cold fingers were almost burned by the heat. Despite it being summer, Ji Hui was almost constantly cold.

Blowing the medicine, he tried his best to prolong the time he needed to take it. But as more and more spirits joined to watch him, Ji Hui just screwed up his eyes and drained the medicine in quick big gulps.

"Ew!"

He put out his tongue the moment he finished. He felt like the medicine was getting more and more bitter every time.

One of the smaller spirits, even younger than him, waddled over and tried to push the candy to him.

Ji Hui smiled at the child. Although it couldn't truly touch anything, it still tried to help him. While he plopped the candy into his mouth, he reached out and motioned as if he was stroking the child's head. It was the least he could do.

Seeing that he was awake and well, most of the spirits soon lost interest and left him alone, so that it became peaceful around him.

Rolling the candy over his tongue, Ji Hui looked out of the window.

Only a few small clouds passed over the sky. The sun was shining brightly and as it slowly crept over the horizon, it also began to shine through the window and warmed Ji Hui's body.

This back window of their cabin had a good view down the slight slope to the vast fields with crops. From afar, he could see some children play. He had never seen them up close but his mother had said they were about his age. They were running on the paths between the fields, dragging kites behind them.

Ji Hui knew he could never join them with his weak body, but he always wished he could. if the wind was just right, he could hear their laughter carried up to his cabin.

Looking a bit further, Ji Hui could spot his mother. With a basket on her back, she was harvesting some of the vegetables.

For helping out with the fields, the village had allowed his mother to take some crops for themselves, too. That meant she would be back with a bunch of vegetables soon.

Tearing his gaze from the window, Ji Hui slid down from the bed and slipped into his sandals.

They were going to need to wash the vegetables, so they needed water. Ji Hui could help with that.

He walked over to the kitchen corner and looked at their utensils. Why was his mother keeping the big bowl for water so high up? It was above the fireplace. The shelf there held a bunch of buckets and other bowls and the one he needed was the last one.

With an annoyed sigh, the boy looked around and chose his chair to push towards the fireplace. It wasn't more than a low stool but stepping on it made him at least a little bit taller.

Only a little bit, though, because he had to stretch to reach for the shelf.

The moment the tip of his fingers reached for the rim of the bowl, everything came tumbling down.

When Ji Hui opened his eyes again, he was lying on the ground of the cabin with all the buckets and bowls around him. He blinked right into one of the spirit’s faces who backed away with a disappointed click.

“He still lives.”

A collective sigh was heard around him. There were more disappointed than relieved sounds around him.

“Ji Hui!”

His mother’s voice dispersed all spirits’ voices. The woman came running. Throwing the vegetable basket to the side, she helped her son sit up while she frantically patted him. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

His mother’s calloused hands were gentle to him. Ji Hui turned slightly to fall into her chest, his arms clinging to her in a hug.

“I’m alright,” he muttered into her clothes. “I’m sorry.”

He could literally feel his mother’s tension passing as she now just gently patted his head. “You should have stayed in bed if you’re not feeling well yet.”

“I’m feeling fine!” Ji Hui immediately exclaimed. He pulled back to look into his mother’s face. “I’m okay! I just wanted to help!”

His face made his mother stop. Only now did she take her surroundings in. At least nothing seemed to be broken. Just slightly damaged, but not broken. With a sigh, she looked back to her son: “I have told you not to try to hold something that is too heavy for you.”

Ji Hui began to pout. “It’s not too heavy!”

“No?” The woman laughed. She booped the boy’s nose as he was pouting. “Then why did everything fall down?” With ease, she lifted her son and put him back on his feet. “Now come. If you want to help, you can separate the leaves from the stems.”

As his mother said so, Ji Hui sat down at the table as she brought him the basket that she had carelessly thrown to the side. “Thank you for your help, my little man.” She placed a kiss on the top of Ji Hui’s head. “But I will be the one getting water.”

Diligently, Ji Hui nodded and began to separate the leaves from the stems as his mother had taught him, while she gathered up all the scattered bowls before she took the largest to walk out to the small river near their house.

No matter how menial the tasks were, as long as Ji Hui could help his mother, he was happy. She was already taking care of him so much, he wanted to repay whatever he could as long as he was able to.

Because he knew that he did not have much time. The constant whispering of the spirits told him so.

As his mother went away again, the voices around him started to chatter again. Some of them crept up and examined his work.

Some criticized him for doing a bad job despite his age. Others praised him for being so helpful to his mother and being a good child.

They were never of one opinion except for the fact that he wouldn’t be living long.

Ji Hui knew that and he was alright with that. The only reason for him to live was for his mother. He only wanted to make her happy as long as possible. If he ever had the chance, he would do everything for her to have a good life. But as they both had made peace with the fact that he only had limited days, they did everything to make the best of it.

Thus, Ji Hui was also able to tune out the spirits whispering because as long as his mother was by his side, they would be silent and let them live their best life.

[moony-ghoul]

thinkin bout this again

after a few weeks of dew entertaining rain during his shifts dew let’s slip that he’s been sleeping in his car parked down by the docks. rain almost falls over himself inviting dew to stay with him

rains place is nothing fancy but it’s home. a studio with a kitchenette on one side and a bed pressed up against the window nook on the other, all his furniture is well worn and well loved. the first thing dew notices is how much it smells like rain, that coffee and lavender smell he’s grown to appreciate so much.

dew takes his time exploring this new insight on the baristas life, flipping through books on the shelf reading over the scribbled notes in the margins, the violin resting against the edge of the bed, one of the strings has snapped and the bow is frayed, mismatched mugs on almost every surface, some with old tea bags still in them maybe even a few cigarette butts others filled with paint brushes submerged in murky water.

they order a pizza, half cheese half hawaiian, rain shames dew for his choice of pineapple on pizza. the pair squeeze into the window alcove, they eat and smoke and talk, they talk everyday but there’s something different in the air, both of them feel it, it feels sweeter to just have each other for a moment away from the public eye of that little coffee shop.

by the time the pizza box lays empty on the bed, and they’ve smoked through half a pack together, and the sun starts to rise casting a pink haze over the usually grey sky, rain catches himself staring. dew has a mole behind his ear, he’s never noticed that before, or the chip in his front tooth, or the streak of blonde that cuts through his auburn at the nape of his neck, or the tiny clam shell tattoo on the inside of his foot.

and he realises that he wants to learn it all, he wants to memorise every part of dew that makes him him

he isn’t able to fully put it into words, he knows it’s not exactly love, but he knows that it could be.

coffee shop au where rains a barista at a cafe in a chilly lil seaside town. he always smells of coffee and lavender and salt spray. he sits down by the rocks on his breaks and watches the grey waves crash onto the shoreline. he wears fingerless gloves to accommodate his forever frozen hands. he drinks earl grey with honey and it’s all very simple but he’s happy

a regular starts coming in and rain can’t help but notice how out of place he looks in the simple town, bright auburn hair flowing past his shoulders and a face full of metal, leather jacket and ripped jeans that rain knows is definitely not enough to keep him warm. he always has a guitar case with him covered in stickers, rain recognises some of the cities they come from. he plays right out the front of the shop every morning for about an hour or two, sometimes rain will know some of the songs. every morning he comes inside with the change he’s gathered and orders a caramel americano.

every morning he counts up the change on the counter while rain makes his coffee

and every morning rain tells him: “it’s on the house”

[rainbowmoonstonestories]

I am almost done with chapter 8 and holy moly. This is intense.

[ivynightshade]

fatima aamer bilal, from ‘i am your mould, but the shape of you is true absence, leaving me purposeless.’

[text id: you and i, blur into one]

[r3musmoony]

Ra’s just walks in dick out and Tim’s like “gimme” complete with grabby hands